After taking a shower and changing into a halter-top and jeans, Sydney made her way back down to the kitchen. She was taken aback to see Sark had also changed into one of his trademark suits and the morning paper had been replaced by a laptop and file folders.
"You work fast," she muttered as she took a seat next to him.
"What did you say?"
"I said so what's the mission?"
Sark took a deep breath and began. "Well, your profile on Cummings was exceptional and extremely useful. And you can be proud of that as I make it a habit to never compliment my colleagues."
"And you wonder why they all hate you…" Sydney mumbled to herself.
"I received intel this morning that Cummings will be taken a small vacation in Belize. Using the information you provided us, I want you and I to infiltrate where he is staying and convince him that maybe this sort of life isn't really for him."
"What are we going to do after that? We can't just bring him back here and set him up in a guest room. We don't have the proper containment facilities."
"Yes, I'm aware. I could have him shipped off to my holding cells in Caracas, but that's a lot of effort that doesn't need to be made."
"So what then?"
"This is going to be a hard part of the mission for you." Sark paused for a moment. "Listen. We're probably not going to be the only team of agents there. The intel I received wasn't very private. I'm sure that the CIA got a hold of it, too."
"They're planning on making a move, too."
"Yes. Now I know you and the CIA aren't on the greatest of terms right now, but I know you still trust them."
"I do," Sydney affirmed.
"Well, I figured we go in there, get to Taylor first, and then you just hand him over to the CIA team like it isn't that big a deal. It would be better if you showed the CIA that you were working with me now instead of them just hearing it from one of their sources. This will show that you're here of your own free will. And giving Cummings to them shouldn't be a problem. He's not our main target anyway."
"Then what is our main target?"
"Her." Sark said as he passed a file over to his partner. "She's Lina Beck, the brains behind Cummings operation. Cummings has had her by his side since he defected from the Covenant. She's the one we need."
"So, we're just supposed to take her into our custody? I thought we went over that that's just not possible in this setting."
"She'll come willingly."
"Oh! We're going to rely on your charm to woo her over," Sydney practically yelled. "No offense. But that's a little too shaky for me!"
Sark sighed. "Lina and I go back a long way."
Sydney sat waiting for more information. It didn't come. "Is that all you're going to say? We go back a long way?"
"A extremely long way," Sark replied smugly.
Sydney kicked him hard underneath the table. He glared at her in pain and shock. "What the hell was that for?"
"Just a reminder that I can kick your ass if I chose to. Being partners doesn't change that. Now explain to me about this Lina Beck."
Sark rolled his eyes as he rubbed his now bruised shin. "She's an old friend, Sydney."
"An old friend? That's the best you can do?"
"Yes, an old friend. She went to the girls' boarding school that was neighbor to mine. Even though she's a few years younger than me, she was my best friend."
"You actually had a friend at one time?" she said, feigning shock.
He glared at her again. "Anyway, I know if you and I can get to her, she'll leave the Hand and Taylor Cummings behind. And we, not the CIA, will have the integral piece to taking down the Covenant."
"Sounds like a plan," Sydney said standing up. "When do we leave?"
"In a couple hours." Sark stopped typing on his laptop to look up at Sydney. "Are you going to be all right with this? I know it won't be easy seeing your old friends and telling them you've succumbed to the dark side."
Sydney cracked a little smile. "It will be hard, that's for sure. But the CIA fired me. I know they didn't expect me to come work with you, but they had to have known that I wasn't just going to sit around waiting for them to ask me back in a few years."
Sark nodded at her in acceptance of her reasoning. "Go for a run to think it over a bit, Sydney. Let it sink in completely. Then, you and I will worry about the specifics of our aliases and this mission."
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~
"Belize is amazing," Sydney said, stepping off the plane.
"You're amazing in that dress," Sark said with a smile as he held the door to their ride open for her.
Sydney felt herself blush as she felt his eyes looking her up and down. This was the first mission in a long time where she had to dress sexy yet found herself being comfortable in the clothes. The dress that Sark had selected for her was a simple halter-top dress of a deep blue color. The skirt was flowing, ended just above her knee, and had two slits that ran him up her legs.
She was surprised to realize that the reasons she was so comfortable were all due to Sark. She had trusted him fully when he told her he was going to pick out her clothing for the mission. And she felt safe, bordering on smug, when she was with him. It was like she knew something that no one else did. That this man wouldn't let anything happen to her.
"Which is just a complete daydream," she thought to herself. "I doubt that he would leave me behind in a mission, but if I don't stay on his level, I doubt this partnership will go far."
Sark had softened up around her a little, but she still realized that he hadn't changed all that much.
"Are you ready for this?" Sark asked her as he pulled the car to a stop.
"Completely. Just try to keep me out of any of the CIA agents' sights for as long as you can."
Sark nodded, and they entered the lobby of one of the most prestigious hotels in the area. He weaved around the small throng of people who had taken one look at them, assumed they were extremely important people, and rushed to offer them aid. The duo entered the elevator after a lot of commotion but no sighting of the CIA.
When the elevator doors shut, Sark dropped his cool, important businessman demeanor and grasped Sydney's hand. "I know you can do this."
She smiled at him as the elevator dinged on the tenth floor. "If I didn't know better, I would think you were actually concerned for me."
They walked down the hallway looking for Room 1035 where Taylor Cummings was staying. There was a bodyguard sitting in front of the room door, which didn't really pose that much of a problem. Sydney just asked him if Mr. Cummings and Ms. Beck were inside. Before he could answer, she had knocked him out cold with a kick to the side of the head.
"I love watching you work," Sark whispered in her ear. "I'm going to go find Lina. I'm pretty sure that she isn't in there with Cummings. I'll meet you back at where I parked the Porsche."
Sydney nodded. She had figured they were going to separate at one point, but she hadn't thought it would be this early in the mission. Taken aback by her small concern of being separated from Sark, she pushed the idea out of her head and entered the hotel room.
"Mr. Cummings?" she asked as she saw the man in question standing on the balcony.
"Who the hell are you and how did you get past Paolo?" Cummings hissed.
"Well, you ordered a little female companionship, didn't you?" she asked.
She could see Cummings think the situation through in his head before going along with it. "Yes, I did."
"Good," Sydney said with a smile. She slinked over to him and grabbed him by his tie. Still smiling, she flung him on the bed and climbed on top of him. "I hope this isn't too fast."
"I like a woman who takes charge."
"Good." Sydney pretended to put her hands behind her to unzip her dress. In actuality, she slid a folding knife out from the back of her dress. Never breaking character, she clicked the knife open and held it to Cummings' throat. "Then you're going to love me. Do what I say and you won't die."
Cummings nodded in agreement.
"You and I are going to take a walk down to the lobby. I have a few friends down there who want to speak with you."
"Who do you work for?" he asked.
"None of your business, seeing as you're the man with the knife to your throat." Sydney pulled him up from the bed and pushed him toward the door.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~
Sark made his way to the other end of the hall. He hadn't wanted to tell Sydney that he had been in contact with Lina in the few hours leading up to their departure. He didn't want to tell her that Lina was waiting for him at the end of the hall. He didn't know why, but he lied to his partner.
When Lina saw him, her face lit up and she came running into his arms. Sark couldn't help but smile.
After a moment's embrace, he pulled back and wiped the tears that were falling from her eyes. "I can't believe you're crying, Leeny. Didn't I teach you better than that?"
"Shut up!" she said happily. "I haven't seen my big brother in four years. Can't I cry a little?"
"All right. You win. You can cry all you want over the joy of seeing me again."
She glared at him. "I think I'm over it. Now what weren't you telling me over the phone today?"
"Nothing," he said quickly.
"Don't give me that. You told me that you were coming here to take down Cummings and rescue me from his evil, slimy clutches. So, why are you here with me and not capturing him?"
"Because my partner's doing that."
"You have a partner. I don't believe it. You are the original loner. There's no way you actually found someone who can put up with your bullshit enough to be your partner."
Sark realized that he wasn't going to be able to work his way out of this discussion. "Do you remember that CIA agent I told you about? Sydney Bristow?"
"The one that made you so mad because she was better than you?"
"I never said she was better than me."
"It was implied." Lina smiled wickedly at her older brother.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~
Sydney marched arm and arm with Cummings down ten flights of stairs and into the lobby. She kept her eyes open for any trouble, but amazing enough, she had no problems getting both of them to their destination while avoiding suspicion.
Standing on one side of the lobby, it didn't take her long to find the agents the CIA had sent.
"Of course it would have to be Vaughn and that Conway woman," she murmured.
"Problem?" Cumming asked smugly.
"I see no problem in turning you over to the CIA so that you can rot the rest of your life away in a prison cell, scum," she hissed.
Taking a deep breath, she walked over to the two people she least wanted to see right now. Thankfully, they didn't notice her until she was right next to them. "I have a present for you."
"Sydney?" Vaughn exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"
"My job. Your job," she replied simply. "Agent Conway."
"Bristow." Sydney handed Cummings over to the agent who had replaced her in the CIA.
"Syd, where have you been? Dixon has been worried about you."
"That's good to know." Sydney recognized that she sound really bitter, but she figured she had a right to be bitter. "You see, I've been searching for a new job since I got fired from my last one."
"Marshall figured you had found a job. He was so concerned for what you were going to do."
"He told you about what he did for me, didn't he?"
"You know, Marshall. He thought you were going to do something irrational that would get you killed. I have to agree with him considering you asked him to get your Sark's current position at the time. Why did you need that? You didn't decide to go after him, did you? That would be way too dangerous, Syd. Tell me you didn't."
"No, I didn't try to capture Sark." Sydney smiled at him wickedly. "I asked him to be my partner."
Vaughn didn't really know what to say to this revelation, and Sydney didn't really feel like getting into the details about the current situation with Sark, especially not in the middle of a mission. Seizing the opportunity, she tried to change the subject to a topic that she was actually interesting in hearing about. "How are things going with Weiss?"
"It's hard. He still refuses to explain to the CIA when or why he started working with the Covenant."
"And how are you doing? He was your best friend."
"I can't believe it. I mean, I never expected him to do something so stupid as join up with the people we're fighting against." Vaughn looked at Sydney intently. "But I guess you're familiar with that concept, seeing as how you're practically sleeping with the enemy."
"That was harsh," Sydney said. Inside, she was grateful that Vaughn had chosen to be harsh. She was starting to fall back into the normal comfortableness they had always had together. Well, at least they had been comfortable before Lauren and her missing two years.
Vaughn got his famous concerned look on his face and grasped her arm. "I'm sorry, Syd. I'm just concerned for you. This doesn't seem like you at all. I mean, are you all right? He didn't do anything to you to force you into this, did he?."
"It was of my own free will, Vaughn." She ripped her arm out of his hand. "And don't touch me."
"What's the matter?"
"Nothing. I'm just not a part of your life anymore. You don't know who I am, and I don't want you to know who I've become."
"Sydney, you have to let me bring you back to the CIA. This isn't sane, what you're doing."
"It's the sanest thing I've done in a long time."
"Sark will not be able to keep you safe from harm."
"You don't have to worry about that, or me in fact, anymore. I know what I'm doing."
Vaughn realized this method of persuasion wasn't working and decided to switch to another tactic. "Your father would be so furious if he knew what you were up to."
"My father knows where I am. He knows who I'm with."
"Not possible. Jack's been worried sick about where you are."
"My father is a good spy. He knows how to put on an extremely convincing act. I told him where I was going. He wasn't happy, but we came to an understanding. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to meet my partner."
Vaughn grabbed Sydney's arm roughly. "I'm not letting you go to him."
"Is that jealousy I hear in your voice?" Sydney hissed. "You lost all rights to be jealous when you got married, Vaughn." She yanked herself away. "I'm sorry you had to witness this, Agent Conway. This isn't about you in any way. I sincerely hope you are doing all right with the whole Weiss situation. I know how it feels to have a boyfriend betray your confidence. Vaughn. I'm sure you'll be seeing me out in the field. I'll be the one doing your dirty work."
Sydney smirked and walked away, understanding that she may have just cut the last tie she had to her old life.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~
"Well, Sydney's working with me now," Sark continued
"You got a CIA agent to leave her well-respected job and come work for a rake like you? I don't believe that. What blackmail do you have on her?" Lina asked, suspicious of her brother and his actions.
"None. She got hurt trying to save my life in Nice, and I gave her a place to stay while she recovered. When she went back to her government, they told her that she wasn't needed anymore and should try to live a normal life."
"That's incredibly harsh."
"With that much, I agree. She found me in Mexico City and gave me a proposition."
"Oh, I think I like this girl already."
"She reminds me of you quite a bit."
"Beautiful, intelligent, and cunning, huh?"
"Stubborn, impetuous, and a pain in my ass." He smiled lovingly at his sister. "I guess that's why I put up with her for so long."
"I know. You've been talking about this Sydney Bristow for years now." Lina stopped and gave him a weird look. "Have you slept with her yet?"
"That is a completely inappropriate question," Sark exclaimed.
"You did," she said simply.
"No, I did not."
"But you want to." She nudged him in the ribs.
"Why do I put up with you?" he said kiddingly.
Lina smiled at him and slipped her hand into his as they approached the car. "Uh-oh. Looks like you've picked up an admirer."
"That's Sydney," Sark replied.
Lina almost choked at the change in her brother's voice when he said that last statement. "He definitely wants to sleep with her," she thought smugly.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~
Sydney felt her heart stop slightly when she saw Sark and Lina coming towards her. She hadn't expected for this Lina Beck to be so beautiful. She had pictured a young girl, sure. But she had pictured her as slightly bookish, definitely with glasses and a braid. Not a blonde bombshell that could get anything she wanted whenever she wanted it.
And she was holding Sark's hand.
Sydney tried to put on her bravest face and smiled at her partner and his old friend. As soon as they reached the car, she held out her hand to Lina. "I'm Sydney Bristow."
"So, Julian tells me."
"Julian?" Sydney said looking at Sark.
"Oh, don't tell me he's still trying to keep his first name a mystery. That game is so old."
Sark rolled his eyes and got into the car. "How did the prisoner drop-off go, Sydney?"
Sydney slid into the passenger seat. "Better than expected. Vaughn and my replacement in the CIA were the agents assigned to the mission. Vaughn and I had some harsh words."
"Are you okay?" Sark asked.
"When did you start showing concern for people?" Lena asked from the backseat. Sydney was happy to realize that Lena's British accent didn't sound quite as aloof as Sark's.
"He's just concerned because I'm his partner and he can't have be breaking down emotionally or physically," Sydney explained. "Vaughn was actually jealous of you, Sark."
"Hmmm. I must remember that next time I'm in the position to taunt him." Sark noticed that Sydney's was rubbing her left arm. "What's wrong?"
"Oh. Vaughn grabbed my arm to try to drag me back with him to the CIA."
"He hurt you?" Sark asked as his eyes narrowed.
"No. Not anymore than you have in the field of battle," she pointed out.
"You guys fight a lot?" Lina asked.
"There were some legendary battles," Sark said with a smirk in Sydney's direction.
Sydney turned to look at her. "The time In Denpassar when I had to prove to you I was a member of the Raslak Jihad. I beat you with a weapon I had never touched before."
"And then there was the time you drove an ice pick into my leg," he reminded her.
"I forgot about that!" Sydney explained. "We were in Siberia. He had a gun on me, and I couldn't let myself be captured. So I threw the only thing available at him. It just happened to be an ice pick."
"You were the one responsible for giving him a limp for months," Lina said, putting the two things together.
"Don't forget the time you made me dress up like a geisha and give Sloane a massage. I haven't forgiven you for that one, nor have I gotten my proper revenge."
"It was for the good of the mission, darling," Sark said with a smirk. "And I believe that your partner bashing my head into the table in Stockholm was revenge enough."
"But it wasn't me inflicting the pain," she pointed out. "That means it doesn't count. But I'd like it slide since the last time we came up against each other, if I recall, I bashed you in the head with a swinging door and took the objective of our missions."
"Gave me the world's worst headache, too," he said with a small laugh.
"You guys sound like old war veterans," Lina said. "I think I need to teach you guys how to get what you want without hurting someone."
"That was a skill I never quite grasped," Sark admitted.
"I know," Lina said with a knowing glance that didn't escape Sydney's eye.
