Heh… anyone remember this fic? I dunno about that… but if anyone's actually still here, thank you!
"Sloane knows." Even though she had suspected it, the news still took Sydney's breath away.
"More than that… he's targeted Mr. Tippin and Miss Calfo. There's a team heading for your home as we speak."
Sydney felt herself go numb at Sark's words. She would have frozen in her tracks if not for his hand on her back, forcing her to continue moving.
"What do you mean?" she gasped. He gave her a look.
"You know full well what I mean, Agent Bristow. Sloane has discovered your double agent status, and as such, has sent a team to kill Mr. Tippin and Miss Calfo."
"I have to get there… I have to stop them…" she tried to turn around and head back to her car, but he stopped her.
"Really now, Miss Bristow, what could you possibly hope to accomplish against a Security Section team?"
"I don't know, but I can't just let them die!" she hissed.
"No… of course you can't," Sark said dryly. "That's why I've sent a team of my own to intercept them and take your friends to safety." Sydney stared at him in confusion.
"Why are you doing this? Why are you- supposedly- helping me?" Sark smirked, sharking his head lightly.
"Suffice to say, Miss Bristow, I have my own reasons for everything that I do."
"Suffice to…? No, absolutely not. That sad excuse for an explanation does not suffice, not to me. I have zero reason to trust you, Sark, and yet you're asking me to do absolutely nothing about a Security Section team targeting my best friends. No, you have to give me a reason." Sark, for the first time in Sydney's memory, lost his cool.
"You request a reason, Agent Bristow? Fine. Here's my reason: if you try to save your friends yourself, the only possible outcome is the death of all three of you. If you call your father, it's doubtful he could stop it. If you call the CIA… well, it's the CIA. By the time they deem it appropriate to take action, it will be far too late. My men, however, are in place already, with no governmental red tape to stop them from doing whatever necessary to save your friends. Reason enough for you?"
"Quite honestly? No. That's not good enough. But I can see that I won't get any more out of you, and I can also see that this is the best way to save Francie and Will."
"The only way," Sark cut in.
"That's debatable," Sydney muttered.
"No it isn't," Sark replied.
"Well then, let's not debate it," she shot back. Sark smirked again, earning him another glare. "So what next? You save my friends, and then what? I owe you my soul? My first born child, perhaps?" Sark rolled his eyes.
"You owe me nothing. But, I will keep the child offer in mind."
"It wasn't an offer," Sydney growled.
"That's debatable," Sark said glibly.
"No it isn't. And would you wipe that smirk off your face? It's really getting annoying." Sark's smirk only grew in response to her agitation. "I'm not in the mood… I can't handle this right now, Sark. Is that what you wanted to hear? You're basically in complete control of the situation. Are you happy now?" Her words, surprisingly to Sydney, had the desired effect, as the trademark smirk had suddenly vanished.
"No, Agent Bristow, I'm not happy, nor am I in any semblance of control here. One man is in control, and we have no idea where he is right now. 'Happy' is the last thing I am." Sydney had long since tuned him out, lost in regret and worry for the safety of her friends. After a moment, she faced him again and questions began pouring out, almost against her will.
"When do I get to see them again? I need to know they're ok… and what are they being told? Anything? They can't hear the truth from your men, whoever they are, that isn't fair to Francie. But they won't cooperate if this team of yours just barges in and-" Sark cut her off quickly.
"I don't know what they're being told, Agent Bristow. I only got word of this… development moments before I requested your company for lunch. There was no time to outline any kind of plan. If you'd like, I can call them right now and ask them to keep things secret if they can. But you must understand, if that's the only way to save your friends-"
"Then that's the only way. I know that," Sydney said quietly. Sark stepped away, reaching into his jacket and pulling out a cell phone.
"I'll make that call now." Sydney nodded, numb.
"We need to get back to SD-6… I need to call the CIA," she said as he returned to her side. Sark looked at her curiously as they walked back to his car.
"Why?"
"You mean aside from the fact that I'm a CIA agent?" He shot her a dour look, and it was her turn to smirk. "I promised to check in every two hours."
"So you suspected this?"
"How could I not, after what you said last night?" His words flooded her mind again as she thought back. Arvin Sloane couldn't have gotten as far as he has by being an idiot… the bad guys aren't always the bad guys… she took a moment to study him intently as he focused on finding his key and unlocking the car. When he glanced back up a moment later, she was looking into the distance, showing no sign of having been watching him.
"I'm surprised you actually paid my words any heed," Sark noted as he started the car.
"You're not the only surprised one," Sydney replied dryly. Sark didn't respond, nor give any indication that he'd even heard her, but she knew he couldn't have missed it. She turned and looked out the window idly, again worrying about Francie and Will. When she glanced over to Sark again, it was to find him handing her a phone. She took it hesitantly, looking at him in confusion.
"You said you needed to call the CIA, correct?"
"Well, yes, but I was going to wait until we got back to the office." Sark gave her a look.
"After everything that's happened, you think we're still going back to SD-6?" he questioned. She frowned slightly.
"So where are we going?"
"You're worried about your friends. I'm going to assuage that concern."
"You're taking me to see them?" Sydney asked quickly.
"Well, that's what I was trying to imply, yes."
"Thank you," she whispered quietly, voice full of surprise. Sark didn't reply verbally, merely sent her a glance to acknowledge the words before turning back to the road in front of them. Sydney placed a quick call to let the CIA know she was ok, but decided to hold off on telling them that her fears had been confirmed. If Sark noticed her hesitance, he didn't comment.
"When do I get answers? Real answers?" Sydney questioned, handing his phone back to him.
"All in due time. I know, that's not what you want to hear. But right now, there are more important issues to be dealt with."
"Such as?" Sark slowly pulled the car into a dark garage, and Sydney guessed it to be the place where Francie and Will were waiting.
"Such as the two people inside this building who are awaiting answers from you, Agent Bristow. Tippin may have some idea of what's going on, but Miss Calfo is utterly in the dark. We have a minimum amount of time to get them truly to safety; Security Section could easily track them down here." He started to step out, but noticed that Sydney hadn't moved. With a light sigh, Sark sat back down and looked at her expectantly.
"I don't know how to do this… what to say to her…" she admitted, quickly wondering why she would share such insecurity with Sark.
"Neither do I, but what I do know is that if you don't tell her now, someone else will later. From which source would you prefer to have her find the truth?" Sydney nodded and got out of the car. Walking into the building, she instantly spotted Francie and Will sitting on a comfortable looking couch, both with untouched food and drink resting on a table in front of them. Neither took notice of her until she stepped into the meager light of the room. Both jumped off the couch, almost simultaneously, and took a step towards the one person they knew they could trust. Will looked at her knowingly, Francie fearfully. Sydney took a deep breath before she spoke.
"Hey, guys… there are a few things I think I need to tell you."