Lindsley yawned. She'd been driving for almost an hour now. The soft
light of dawn was just beginning to tinge the eastern sky.
"Alright," said Vaughn from the back seat. "You can pull over now."
She pulled just onto the shoulder of the deserted highway.
"I'm fairly certain that no one is following us now."
Lindsley got out and stretched. It felt good. She let the cool pre-dawn air caress her cheeks. Vaughn and Sydney did as well.
"Sydney, I haven't had any sleep in the past four days," Lindsley said. "Would you mind sitting up front so I can stretch out back there. Try to get some rest."
"Sure, no problem."
About half-an-hour later, Sydney turned to look at the sleeping form of the young girl in the back seat. Sydney thought she looked very peaceful, the rhythmic rising of her chest evidencing her deep sleep.
"She doesn't deserve this," Sydney said out of the blue.
"What?" asked Vaughn coming out of a trance like state.
"Lindsley. She doesn't deserve to be mixed up in all this. Just think: less than a week ago, she was a normal girl." The thought hung in the dry air. Turning to Vaughn, Sydney said, "Do you ever wonder?"
"About what?" he asked, slightly confused.
"What if we had never been mixed up in this life? I mean, I keep thinking what would my life by like if there had bee no such thing as SD-6? If I hadn't been recruited?" Sydney gave a cynical chuckle. "I'd be a lit student. I might've even be passed my classes. Francie would still be here. Will... Will would still be Will. I might even have more friends." She stared out the window at bright star. "Danny and I would be married."
Vaughn didn't know what to say so he remained silent.
"What about you?"
"Me?" he glanced at her. "Oh, I don't know. I've never really given it much thought."
Lindsley gave a quiet whimper in the back seat, but settled down quickly.
"But I kinda get how you feel about the whole friends thing. I mean, my only real friend would be Eric. I don't know... I guess that this job has really kept me from having any meaningful relationships."
"How so?" Sydney resituated herself so she could face him.
"I'm just so scared that something would happen to anyone I cared for because of me and my job. And then, after seeing what happened to my mother when my father died... Well, I just don't ever want to put anyone in that position."
"So your job has forced you to really distance yourself from people."
Vaughn smiled. "Are you sure that Will was the reporter?"
Sydney grinned.
Sydney couldn't stand the silence that followed. "I've got some questions for you."
"Shoot."
"What's your favorite color?"
He glanced at her skeptically. "Favorite color? Uh... orange." Sydney skewed up her face. "What's wrong with orange?"
"Oh, nothing. I mean, if that's what you like."
"Really."
"Well, I never really considered orange to be much of a color."
"Then what is a color?" Vaughn couldn't hide the grin escaping onto his face.
"Blue."
"Blue?"
"Yes, blue. It has all the qualities desired of a true color."
"And those would be?"
"Well, it's hard to say... Blue has so many different shades. I mean light blue, dark blue, midnight blue, periwinkle."
"Periwinkle?"
"Periwinkle. Blue is just so pretty and relaxing. I mean everybody likes it."
She left the conversation at that and within minutes she was asleep.
Sydney stood in the hot shower and let the water run down her body, easing away the night's tension. They had driven almost four hours to a town just east of London and were regrouping there for the night.
She turned the water off and pulled a towel close around when she heard a muffled moaning. Dressing quickly, she made her way into the hotel room, which was set up much as the previous had been.
Curled up on the bed was Lindsley, her face buried deep into a pillow.
Sydney rushed to her side and sat softly on the bed.
"Lindsley?" she placed her hand on the girl's back. Lindsley jumped.
"Sydney," she said as she wiped a tear from her eye. "I thought you taking a shower."
"I'm done."
"Oh." She wiped another tear.
"You can talk to me."
A hopeful look crossed the girl's face. "I don't want to burden you."
"You won't. Talk to me."
There was a moment of silence before Lindsley let the tears explode from her body. It was as if a floodgate had been opened and Lindsley now buried her head in Sydney's shoulder. After several moments the tears subsided.
"I guess, it's just hitting me now. My parents are... Ah, I can't even say it. I mean I realize that their profession called for some sort of danger, but... They're gone, and they aren't coming back, Sydney. There's nothing that will bring them back. I want to kill the bastard who did this. I'm going to kill them!" She regained her composure and continued. "You know, most people who lose someone go through some sort of process, but not me. First I feel nothing, and then this... Sydney, I don't know if I can do this." Lindsley looked for an answer that wasn't there in Sydney's eyes.
"Lindsley, you say you want to kill the people who did this. We want to bring them to justice as much as you do, but we can't do it without your help, we need..."
"You don't know what it's like!"
"Yes I do."
Silence.
"I lost my mother, too. When I was almost six years old, my mother died. It was horrible. I remember wishing mommy would come home but knowing that she wouldn't. I remember praying one night, more than just that night I'm sure, that God would come and take me instead of my mother. But we have to move on. Ask Agent Vaughn. He lost his father. Lindsley, we've all lost someone, but don't you think that we owe it to them to continue? Isn't that what they'd want?"
Lindsley sniffed. "I'm going to bed." With that, she got under the covers and turned away, effectively ending the conversation.
Sydney entered Vaughn's room without knocking. He was seated at the table, in his pajamas, reviewing notes of the day's events. He looked up for a moment as Sydney entered and sat on the bed, wrapping the blanket around her. She said nothing and he returned to the papers.
Suddenly, "Do you think about your dad?"
He laid the paper down and rubbed his forehead. "That's an awful lot of questions for one day, don't you think?"
"I think about my mom all the time."
He stood up, poured a glass of water and handed it to Sydney.
"Yeah, I guess I do think about him. Not every day, but close. Especially when I'm in the field." He sat down next to her.
"Especially when you're around me, you mean." She sipped the water.
"That has nothing to do with it, Syd," he put his arm lovingly around her. "The fact that I chose the same career path as my father has everything to do with it. Will I come home this time? If I don't, what are they going to say about me?"
"Have you ever thought about leaving?" She searched his eyes.
He sat in contemplative silence. "Well..." The cell phone next to him chirped shrilly, effectively murdering the comforting quite. He looked down at the display. "It's...it's Lauren." He was almost apologetic.
"Ok. Well, I'll see you tomorrow." It chirped again.
"Good night."
"Alright," said Vaughn from the back seat. "You can pull over now."
She pulled just onto the shoulder of the deserted highway.
"I'm fairly certain that no one is following us now."
Lindsley got out and stretched. It felt good. She let the cool pre-dawn air caress her cheeks. Vaughn and Sydney did as well.
"Sydney, I haven't had any sleep in the past four days," Lindsley said. "Would you mind sitting up front so I can stretch out back there. Try to get some rest."
"Sure, no problem."
About half-an-hour later, Sydney turned to look at the sleeping form of the young girl in the back seat. Sydney thought she looked very peaceful, the rhythmic rising of her chest evidencing her deep sleep.
"She doesn't deserve this," Sydney said out of the blue.
"What?" asked Vaughn coming out of a trance like state.
"Lindsley. She doesn't deserve to be mixed up in all this. Just think: less than a week ago, she was a normal girl." The thought hung in the dry air. Turning to Vaughn, Sydney said, "Do you ever wonder?"
"About what?" he asked, slightly confused.
"What if we had never been mixed up in this life? I mean, I keep thinking what would my life by like if there had bee no such thing as SD-6? If I hadn't been recruited?" Sydney gave a cynical chuckle. "I'd be a lit student. I might've even be passed my classes. Francie would still be here. Will... Will would still be Will. I might even have more friends." She stared out the window at bright star. "Danny and I would be married."
Vaughn didn't know what to say so he remained silent.
"What about you?"
"Me?" he glanced at her. "Oh, I don't know. I've never really given it much thought."
Lindsley gave a quiet whimper in the back seat, but settled down quickly.
"But I kinda get how you feel about the whole friends thing. I mean, my only real friend would be Eric. I don't know... I guess that this job has really kept me from having any meaningful relationships."
"How so?" Sydney resituated herself so she could face him.
"I'm just so scared that something would happen to anyone I cared for because of me and my job. And then, after seeing what happened to my mother when my father died... Well, I just don't ever want to put anyone in that position."
"So your job has forced you to really distance yourself from people."
Vaughn smiled. "Are you sure that Will was the reporter?"
Sydney grinned.
Sydney couldn't stand the silence that followed. "I've got some questions for you."
"Shoot."
"What's your favorite color?"
He glanced at her skeptically. "Favorite color? Uh... orange." Sydney skewed up her face. "What's wrong with orange?"
"Oh, nothing. I mean, if that's what you like."
"Really."
"Well, I never really considered orange to be much of a color."
"Then what is a color?" Vaughn couldn't hide the grin escaping onto his face.
"Blue."
"Blue?"
"Yes, blue. It has all the qualities desired of a true color."
"And those would be?"
"Well, it's hard to say... Blue has so many different shades. I mean light blue, dark blue, midnight blue, periwinkle."
"Periwinkle?"
"Periwinkle. Blue is just so pretty and relaxing. I mean everybody likes it."
She left the conversation at that and within minutes she was asleep.
Sydney stood in the hot shower and let the water run down her body, easing away the night's tension. They had driven almost four hours to a town just east of London and were regrouping there for the night.
She turned the water off and pulled a towel close around when she heard a muffled moaning. Dressing quickly, she made her way into the hotel room, which was set up much as the previous had been.
Curled up on the bed was Lindsley, her face buried deep into a pillow.
Sydney rushed to her side and sat softly on the bed.
"Lindsley?" she placed her hand on the girl's back. Lindsley jumped.
"Sydney," she said as she wiped a tear from her eye. "I thought you taking a shower."
"I'm done."
"Oh." She wiped another tear.
"You can talk to me."
A hopeful look crossed the girl's face. "I don't want to burden you."
"You won't. Talk to me."
There was a moment of silence before Lindsley let the tears explode from her body. It was as if a floodgate had been opened and Lindsley now buried her head in Sydney's shoulder. After several moments the tears subsided.
"I guess, it's just hitting me now. My parents are... Ah, I can't even say it. I mean I realize that their profession called for some sort of danger, but... They're gone, and they aren't coming back, Sydney. There's nothing that will bring them back. I want to kill the bastard who did this. I'm going to kill them!" She regained her composure and continued. "You know, most people who lose someone go through some sort of process, but not me. First I feel nothing, and then this... Sydney, I don't know if I can do this." Lindsley looked for an answer that wasn't there in Sydney's eyes.
"Lindsley, you say you want to kill the people who did this. We want to bring them to justice as much as you do, but we can't do it without your help, we need..."
"You don't know what it's like!"
"Yes I do."
Silence.
"I lost my mother, too. When I was almost six years old, my mother died. It was horrible. I remember wishing mommy would come home but knowing that she wouldn't. I remember praying one night, more than just that night I'm sure, that God would come and take me instead of my mother. But we have to move on. Ask Agent Vaughn. He lost his father. Lindsley, we've all lost someone, but don't you think that we owe it to them to continue? Isn't that what they'd want?"
Lindsley sniffed. "I'm going to bed." With that, she got under the covers and turned away, effectively ending the conversation.
Sydney entered Vaughn's room without knocking. He was seated at the table, in his pajamas, reviewing notes of the day's events. He looked up for a moment as Sydney entered and sat on the bed, wrapping the blanket around her. She said nothing and he returned to the papers.
Suddenly, "Do you think about your dad?"
He laid the paper down and rubbed his forehead. "That's an awful lot of questions for one day, don't you think?"
"I think about my mom all the time."
He stood up, poured a glass of water and handed it to Sydney.
"Yeah, I guess I do think about him. Not every day, but close. Especially when I'm in the field." He sat down next to her.
"Especially when you're around me, you mean." She sipped the water.
"That has nothing to do with it, Syd," he put his arm lovingly around her. "The fact that I chose the same career path as my father has everything to do with it. Will I come home this time? If I don't, what are they going to say about me?"
"Have you ever thought about leaving?" She searched his eyes.
He sat in contemplative silence. "Well..." The cell phone next to him chirped shrilly, effectively murdering the comforting quite. He looked down at the display. "It's...it's Lauren." He was almost apologetic.
"Ok. Well, I'll see you tomorrow." It chirped again.
"Good night."
