Disclaimer: I own none of these characters or situations. It all belongs
to the people who own Alias whoever they may be.
Chapter Ten
Choose between her parents...
Sydney lay in silence as Sloane walked out of the room with a smirk on his face. This couldn't be happening, but, of course, like everything else in her life it was. Now all she could do was deal with it.
Both of her parents were silent and she could feel the tension in the room ratcheting up notch by notch. As her mother had said, this was all a game. She just had to figure out what the game was and how to ensure that Sloane would not win.
Obviously Sloane had his own agenda in all of this and his own reasons for doing this. As for her parents, well who could really tell what their motivations were at this point. Sometimes it seemed as if they were loyal only to themselves and at other times it looked as if they were protecting her. Sometime they worked with other organizations to get what they wanted; it forced her to wonder if her parents even knew who they were truly working for in the end.
Still, there was a simple solution for this, simple for her at least, and she was more than willing to take it. The CIA chain of command. It wasn't terribly relevant in this discussion, but her father was her superior and he appeared to know more about this situation than she did. And, despite Sloane's comments about a betrayal on her father's part, her instincts were telling her to trust him. After all the ability to make split second decisions and follow her intuition and instincts to the right conclusion was what made her one of the CIA's best agents.
"Dad," she said softly, in a voice that seemed at once, not at all like her, and more like her than she had been since she was six years old, "Tell me what to do." She took a deep breath, "I'm not going to pretend I understand your motives, especially when it comes to Mom, but if nothing else I trust you as a CIA officer to make the right tactical decision for the situation."
Jack looked at his daughter and for a moment, surprise could be seen behind his usually blank face. His daughter's decision hadn't been what he had expected. He was proud of her for that; it would make whatever Sloane was planning to do more difficult.
He nodded curtly to her to let her know that he was thinking. He already knew what he would be telling Sydney in just a moment, but he wanted a little bit more time to think. If nothing else that would delay whatever plans Sloane had for a moment or two longer. No, the choice between himself or Irina going with Sydney was an easy one to make for both professional, and surprisingly enough, personal reasons.
Irina.
He had worked with Sloane for over twenty years. Irina was a new and more valuable resource with an entirely different organization of people and intelligence at her fingertips. And as much at it perplexed and angered him to admit it, he didn't want to see Irina hurt, at least not by Arvin Sloane. His emotions toward her were too deeply buried and too complex to simply be written off as hate. Also, first and foremost, above all of his other reasons was the fact that if he told Sydney to take Irina with her it would place Irina in the uncomfortable position of owing him, at the very least one small favor. It would irritate her to no end.
His thoughts only reassured him or his original decision, though. "Sydney, I appreciate the trust you're placing in me, but this is a decision that you should make."
"Okay, Dad," she said after a moment. She looked back and forth between her parents and then her eyes slipped shut as if she was deep in thought.
"Dad," she said after a long pause, "I know we haven't always had gotten along or had the best relationship, but I need to know something." She had been avoiding his eyes up to that point, but suddenly she looked up and locked eyes with him.
What Jack saw there filled him with sudden pride at the woman his daughter had become without the guidance of either of her parents. It was a mixture of vulnerability and complete confidence that reassured him and made him sad that he hadn't been able to protect her from this life.
"I know," Sydney continued, "that you love me."
He was surprised at her words. She was right, though, more so than he had been able to show her in years.
"But I need to know if you trust me?"
Looking at his daughter, Jack experienced a pang of hurt that she would even have to ask that, although he knew she truly had ample reason to wonder. He certainly hadn't been the best father, but at least he could do this one small thing for her.
"Sydney," he chose his words carefully, "I've made many decisions in my life," he couldn't resist a glance at Irina, but she was simply watching them with intense concentration, "and I've regretted many of them, but never doubt that I trust you." He paused and in a very un-Jack Bristow like way he added gruffly, but with genuine emotion, "I'm sorry if I ever gave you any reason to doubt that as you grew up."
The tear that rolled down his daughter cheek was real and Jack wished more than anything that he could simply go and give her a hug like he had comforted her as a child, and make everything okay.
Sydney blinked fiercely and then turned defiantly towards the room's most visible security camera. "Sloane, I've made my decision." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------
She wasn't sure where they were now. After she had made her decision, they had been knocked unconscious and woken up an indeterminate amount of time later, here, wherever that was. Her arms had been bound behind her back and she could almost feel less and less blood flowing to her fingertips as the restraints cut into her wrists. But at least she was no longer paralyzed and she was walking down the hallway at gun point under her own power.
She focused momentarily, on counting her footsteps as she walked, the blindfold covering her eyes, blocking her sight effectively as she struggled not to focus on the fact that it was Sloane's arm that was gently leading her, or at least it had been before she aimed a very powerful kick at him. She suspected he had been replaced by one of his thugs and of course, she had paid for that move. Still, his grunt of pain had made it all worth it.
Suddenly everything including whatever she was walking on shook unsteadily. It only took her a moment to link that with the constant background noise to realize that they were on a boat or airplane or some kind. The moment she felt the change in air pressure, Sydney knew which one it was.
She didn't really start to truly feel the first tingles of fear or adrenaline, though, until she heard Sloane say, "Good bye, Sydney, I hope you live to determine whether or not you regret your decision."
She tensed sensing what was about to happen, but there was nothing she could do she felt another person slam into her. There was nothing either of them could do as they tumbled out of the airplane and left to the unforgiving, uncaring hands of gravity.
Chapter Ten
Choose between her parents...
Sydney lay in silence as Sloane walked out of the room with a smirk on his face. This couldn't be happening, but, of course, like everything else in her life it was. Now all she could do was deal with it.
Both of her parents were silent and she could feel the tension in the room ratcheting up notch by notch. As her mother had said, this was all a game. She just had to figure out what the game was and how to ensure that Sloane would not win.
Obviously Sloane had his own agenda in all of this and his own reasons for doing this. As for her parents, well who could really tell what their motivations were at this point. Sometimes it seemed as if they were loyal only to themselves and at other times it looked as if they were protecting her. Sometime they worked with other organizations to get what they wanted; it forced her to wonder if her parents even knew who they were truly working for in the end.
Still, there was a simple solution for this, simple for her at least, and she was more than willing to take it. The CIA chain of command. It wasn't terribly relevant in this discussion, but her father was her superior and he appeared to know more about this situation than she did. And, despite Sloane's comments about a betrayal on her father's part, her instincts were telling her to trust him. After all the ability to make split second decisions and follow her intuition and instincts to the right conclusion was what made her one of the CIA's best agents.
"Dad," she said softly, in a voice that seemed at once, not at all like her, and more like her than she had been since she was six years old, "Tell me what to do." She took a deep breath, "I'm not going to pretend I understand your motives, especially when it comes to Mom, but if nothing else I trust you as a CIA officer to make the right tactical decision for the situation."
Jack looked at his daughter and for a moment, surprise could be seen behind his usually blank face. His daughter's decision hadn't been what he had expected. He was proud of her for that; it would make whatever Sloane was planning to do more difficult.
He nodded curtly to her to let her know that he was thinking. He already knew what he would be telling Sydney in just a moment, but he wanted a little bit more time to think. If nothing else that would delay whatever plans Sloane had for a moment or two longer. No, the choice between himself or Irina going with Sydney was an easy one to make for both professional, and surprisingly enough, personal reasons.
Irina.
He had worked with Sloane for over twenty years. Irina was a new and more valuable resource with an entirely different organization of people and intelligence at her fingertips. And as much at it perplexed and angered him to admit it, he didn't want to see Irina hurt, at least not by Arvin Sloane. His emotions toward her were too deeply buried and too complex to simply be written off as hate. Also, first and foremost, above all of his other reasons was the fact that if he told Sydney to take Irina with her it would place Irina in the uncomfortable position of owing him, at the very least one small favor. It would irritate her to no end.
His thoughts only reassured him or his original decision, though. "Sydney, I appreciate the trust you're placing in me, but this is a decision that you should make."
"Okay, Dad," she said after a moment. She looked back and forth between her parents and then her eyes slipped shut as if she was deep in thought.
"Dad," she said after a long pause, "I know we haven't always had gotten along or had the best relationship, but I need to know something." She had been avoiding his eyes up to that point, but suddenly she looked up and locked eyes with him.
What Jack saw there filled him with sudden pride at the woman his daughter had become without the guidance of either of her parents. It was a mixture of vulnerability and complete confidence that reassured him and made him sad that he hadn't been able to protect her from this life.
"I know," Sydney continued, "that you love me."
He was surprised at her words. She was right, though, more so than he had been able to show her in years.
"But I need to know if you trust me?"
Looking at his daughter, Jack experienced a pang of hurt that she would even have to ask that, although he knew she truly had ample reason to wonder. He certainly hadn't been the best father, but at least he could do this one small thing for her.
"Sydney," he chose his words carefully, "I've made many decisions in my life," he couldn't resist a glance at Irina, but she was simply watching them with intense concentration, "and I've regretted many of them, but never doubt that I trust you." He paused and in a very un-Jack Bristow like way he added gruffly, but with genuine emotion, "I'm sorry if I ever gave you any reason to doubt that as you grew up."
The tear that rolled down his daughter cheek was real and Jack wished more than anything that he could simply go and give her a hug like he had comforted her as a child, and make everything okay.
Sydney blinked fiercely and then turned defiantly towards the room's most visible security camera. "Sloane, I've made my decision." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------
She wasn't sure where they were now. After she had made her decision, they had been knocked unconscious and woken up an indeterminate amount of time later, here, wherever that was. Her arms had been bound behind her back and she could almost feel less and less blood flowing to her fingertips as the restraints cut into her wrists. But at least she was no longer paralyzed and she was walking down the hallway at gun point under her own power.
She focused momentarily, on counting her footsteps as she walked, the blindfold covering her eyes, blocking her sight effectively as she struggled not to focus on the fact that it was Sloane's arm that was gently leading her, or at least it had been before she aimed a very powerful kick at him. She suspected he had been replaced by one of his thugs and of course, she had paid for that move. Still, his grunt of pain had made it all worth it.
Suddenly everything including whatever she was walking on shook unsteadily. It only took her a moment to link that with the constant background noise to realize that they were on a boat or airplane or some kind. The moment she felt the change in air pressure, Sydney knew which one it was.
She didn't really start to truly feel the first tingles of fear or adrenaline, though, until she heard Sloane say, "Good bye, Sydney, I hope you live to determine whether or not you regret your decision."
She tensed sensing what was about to happen, but there was nothing she could do she felt another person slam into her. There was nothing either of them could do as they tumbled out of the airplane and left to the unforgiving, uncaring hands of gravity.
