Perfect World | Chapter 6
A/N: went on break. It was a nice break, as far as breaks go. Unfortunately, I disappeared off the face of SD-1 earth, so after the angst and heaviness of Deceive, I need the comfort of this story. And it needs me. Enjoy. And try not to be too shocked at the ending. I mean, really. You should have seen it coming.
* * *
Jack hated working with other people. They were incompetent fools who didn't know how to get anything done. Except for maybe his daughter. But she was entirely too stubborn for her own good. So when he reached down to remove his jacket from his chair (how had it gotten there, anyway?) it puzzled him a great deal to feel resistance in the sleeve. Looking around carefully, he made sure no one was watching as he pulled out the offending object and shuffled it in with papers on his desk.
At the top of the page was the header, 'Bristow, Sydney. Alias: Julia Thorne.'
He frowned and looked up to see Sydney watching him with a hopeful smile. He would have smiled back, but he had a feeling she hadn't seen these documents yet. They had been given to him so he could protect her from the worst of it. All of a sudden, Jack knew who'd they'd come from. But there was someone he had to talk to first.
* * *
Sydney had seen the flash of emotion come over her father's face before leaving the office so abruptly that she decided to head after him. Whatever was on those papers had clearly upset him. And she wanted to talk about what Sark might have found--and the best way to get it out of him.
"Sydney," Dixon put his hand on her shoulder, stopping her from leaving.
She turned around, smile fixed firmly in place. "Yes?"
His eyes conveyed a silent plea, something that years of partnership had taught her to read so clearly. "Could I talk to you for a minute?"
This looked serious.
"Of course."
She'd just have to catch up with her dad later.
* * *
Parking garages, for all their usefulness, had to have the camera security disabled and looped on a false image before he could even enter the lower level. Then, as an extra precaution, he had to park behind a column in case an overly curious pedestrian walked by. Jack was thankful that the Town Car's windows were tinted. At least then he would have a chance to put things aside before someone walked up and asked questions.
He left the office knowing the papers must have come directly from the Covenant. Which meant they came from Sark.
Well, there was a conundrum for you.
He attached the earpiece and connected to the wireless network. Within seconds he was in the private chat room. He smiled. And there she was.
WE NEED TO TALK.
::Nice of you to drop in, Jack. And how are you doing?::
I HAVE INTEL ON SYDNEY'S TWO YEARS.
::Source?::
A FORMER ASSOCIATE OF YOURS.
::. . .Sark?::
YES.
::How?::
LONG STORY.
::Tell me later. What happened?::
APPARENTLY, SHE WAS BRAINWASHED.
::Impossible.::
WHAT MAKES YOU SAY THAT?
::Project Christmas.::
WHAT ABOUT IT? SHE ALREADY KNOWS.
::You put the fail-safe in her.::
WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THAT?
::I would have done the same thing. ::
WELL THAT SETTLES IT, THEN.
::Jack. Tell me what you know. ::
So he did. She took in the information without comment. And then--
::You should go talk to him.::
I'M ABOUT TO.
::Give Sydney my love. ::
OF COURSE.
::. . .You should know by now that you already have mine.::
She logged off before he could reply. That was Irina for you. Always liked to have the last word.
* * *
Dixon gestured for her to sit. "Do you think that Sark is ready to go on another mission?"
That was totally not what she had been expecting. "Um." She could almost feel her brain rapidly shifting gears to compensate. "I don't know. I'll have to check."
"I'd appreciate it if you would. Despite going against orders, your breakout from the Covenant was a one in a million shot--there's no getting around it, Sydney, you and Sark work very well together."
Of course they did. They were professionals.
"We're the best." She answered simply, getting up to leave.
Dixon watched as she threaded way past people to get to her desk.
Yes. They were.
Sydney was on her way back to her computer when she saw her the screen that monitored Sark's cell. Her father was standing in front of the glass, talking. Sark had his arms crossed and his eyebrows raised, clearly resenting whatever he was saying.
"Damn it. What's he doing down there?"
* * *
Sark heard the footsteps half a second before Jack did and they both stopped to look at Sydney's approach. While the bars raised to allow Sydney entrance to the holding area, Jack silently pocketed the pen before she could see and wonder what exactly was going on.
Sark clasped his hands behind his back and presented her with a smirk. "Sydney."
Her eyes jumped to him momentarily before fixing her attention on her father. "So. What's going on?"
"Sydney--" he began, but she ignored him and turned to Sark.
"Did you guys just have happy hour or something?"
Jack put his hand on her arm. "Come find me when you're done here." He left them alone without another word.
She chuckled nervously, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. "You'd think after all these years, I'd get used to that."
"Sydney. You should talk to your father."
She met his gaze with a measure of trust in her eyes. "This is it, huh?"
Sark nodded.
"It's gonna be okay, right?"
Something in him ached to reach through the glass and taking her in his arms to shield her from the truth. He wasn't sure he liked the feeling, and didn't know exactly how to classify it, so he needed to distract her.
"What originally brought you to my humble abode? Trying to save me from your father?"
A smile eased its way onto her face and her eyes lost their scared look. "I might have been a little late for that."
"I've handled worse."
A sudden image of Sark's first meeting with his date's parents flew into her head.
"Feel like sharing?"
Sydney was still smiling as she replied, "Nope." His brow rose, clearing indicating his displeasure. "Trust me, Sark. You had to be there."
"You're really quite a piece of work, Sydney."
Strangely enough, she blushed slightly and again moved her hair aside. "Actually," she said, "I came to see how you were feeling about going on another mission."
Something appeared on his face before he schooled his features into impassivity. "I don't see why not."
She sensed his hesitation and changed the subject. "So you think I need to talk to my father?"
"Things looked a bit tense from this side of the glass."
"Perceptive, aren't you?"
"Always."
He gave her one last glance over before committing her image to memory. Once she'd found out what was on those papers, she'd never be quite the same.
"What?" Sydney asked, feeling self-conscious.
He shook his head, inwardly laughing at his own foolishness. She was just going to find out what had happened to her, after all. She wasn't about to die. "Nothing," he finally said, moving to the floor for some exercise.
Sydney looked a little hurt at his dismissal, but shrugged it off. "I guess I'll see you later."
Sark paused halfway through his pushup and looked up at her. "I'm not going anywhere."
Instantly feeling better, she smiled and left to find her father. Sark wondered why he'd felt compelled to put her at ease when everything was telling him to push her away.
Must have something to do with the papers.
He always had a fondness for J names.
* * *
After grabbing her things and locating her father in his office, Sydney found herself sitting beside him on the helipad of the CIA building. The wind whipped her hair around fiercely and she struggled to stay patient as he brought out papers and a laptop.
From inside his bag, he also withdrew two small to-go cups. She took the one he offered her and was surprised to taste vanilla ice cream. Her surprise must have shown on her face, because he then said, "I remembered you liked them when you were younger."
Jack put down his own milkshake and attempted a reassuring look. He was met with Sydney's fading smile that appeared entirely too much like his own.
"Dad. What did Sark find?"
"While you were in the Covenant's custody, they attempted to brainwash you into a skilled assassin; Alias of Julia Thorne. Project Christmas--" there was a slight hesitation as he contemplated what seemed like a lifetime ago, "--kept that from happening, or at least from getting very far into your subconscious. While we're still not certain of just how deeply you were affected, or just what you did as Julia, there was one final thing in the papers."
She nodded, waiting for him to go on.
"Evidently, you were the carrier for someone named Jade Lazarey."
* * *
A/N: went on break. It was a nice break, as far as breaks go. Unfortunately, I disappeared off the face of SD-1 earth, so after the angst and heaviness of Deceive, I need the comfort of this story. And it needs me. Enjoy. And try not to be too shocked at the ending. I mean, really. You should have seen it coming.
* * *
Jack hated working with other people. They were incompetent fools who didn't know how to get anything done. Except for maybe his daughter. But she was entirely too stubborn for her own good. So when he reached down to remove his jacket from his chair (how had it gotten there, anyway?) it puzzled him a great deal to feel resistance in the sleeve. Looking around carefully, he made sure no one was watching as he pulled out the offending object and shuffled it in with papers on his desk.
At the top of the page was the header, 'Bristow, Sydney. Alias: Julia Thorne.'
He frowned and looked up to see Sydney watching him with a hopeful smile. He would have smiled back, but he had a feeling she hadn't seen these documents yet. They had been given to him so he could protect her from the worst of it. All of a sudden, Jack knew who'd they'd come from. But there was someone he had to talk to first.
* * *
Sydney had seen the flash of emotion come over her father's face before leaving the office so abruptly that she decided to head after him. Whatever was on those papers had clearly upset him. And she wanted to talk about what Sark might have found--and the best way to get it out of him.
"Sydney," Dixon put his hand on her shoulder, stopping her from leaving.
She turned around, smile fixed firmly in place. "Yes?"
His eyes conveyed a silent plea, something that years of partnership had taught her to read so clearly. "Could I talk to you for a minute?"
This looked serious.
"Of course."
She'd just have to catch up with her dad later.
* * *
Parking garages, for all their usefulness, had to have the camera security disabled and looped on a false image before he could even enter the lower level. Then, as an extra precaution, he had to park behind a column in case an overly curious pedestrian walked by. Jack was thankful that the Town Car's windows were tinted. At least then he would have a chance to put things aside before someone walked up and asked questions.
He left the office knowing the papers must have come directly from the Covenant. Which meant they came from Sark.
Well, there was a conundrum for you.
He attached the earpiece and connected to the wireless network. Within seconds he was in the private chat room. He smiled. And there she was.
WE NEED TO TALK.
::Nice of you to drop in, Jack. And how are you doing?::
I HAVE INTEL ON SYDNEY'S TWO YEARS.
::Source?::
A FORMER ASSOCIATE OF YOURS.
::. . .Sark?::
YES.
::How?::
LONG STORY.
::Tell me later. What happened?::
APPARENTLY, SHE WAS BRAINWASHED.
::Impossible.::
WHAT MAKES YOU SAY THAT?
::Project Christmas.::
WHAT ABOUT IT? SHE ALREADY KNOWS.
::You put the fail-safe in her.::
WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THAT?
::I would have done the same thing. ::
WELL THAT SETTLES IT, THEN.
::Jack. Tell me what you know. ::
So he did. She took in the information without comment. And then--
::You should go talk to him.::
I'M ABOUT TO.
::Give Sydney my love. ::
OF COURSE.
::. . .You should know by now that you already have mine.::
She logged off before he could reply. That was Irina for you. Always liked to have the last word.
* * *
Dixon gestured for her to sit. "Do you think that Sark is ready to go on another mission?"
That was totally not what she had been expecting. "Um." She could almost feel her brain rapidly shifting gears to compensate. "I don't know. I'll have to check."
"I'd appreciate it if you would. Despite going against orders, your breakout from the Covenant was a one in a million shot--there's no getting around it, Sydney, you and Sark work very well together."
Of course they did. They were professionals.
"We're the best." She answered simply, getting up to leave.
Dixon watched as she threaded way past people to get to her desk.
Yes. They were.
Sydney was on her way back to her computer when she saw her the screen that monitored Sark's cell. Her father was standing in front of the glass, talking. Sark had his arms crossed and his eyebrows raised, clearly resenting whatever he was saying.
"Damn it. What's he doing down there?"
* * *
Sark heard the footsteps half a second before Jack did and they both stopped to look at Sydney's approach. While the bars raised to allow Sydney entrance to the holding area, Jack silently pocketed the pen before she could see and wonder what exactly was going on.
Sark clasped his hands behind his back and presented her with a smirk. "Sydney."
Her eyes jumped to him momentarily before fixing her attention on her father. "So. What's going on?"
"Sydney--" he began, but she ignored him and turned to Sark.
"Did you guys just have happy hour or something?"
Jack put his hand on her arm. "Come find me when you're done here." He left them alone without another word.
She chuckled nervously, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. "You'd think after all these years, I'd get used to that."
"Sydney. You should talk to your father."
She met his gaze with a measure of trust in her eyes. "This is it, huh?"
Sark nodded.
"It's gonna be okay, right?"
Something in him ached to reach through the glass and taking her in his arms to shield her from the truth. He wasn't sure he liked the feeling, and didn't know exactly how to classify it, so he needed to distract her.
"What originally brought you to my humble abode? Trying to save me from your father?"
A smile eased its way onto her face and her eyes lost their scared look. "I might have been a little late for that."
"I've handled worse."
A sudden image of Sark's first meeting with his date's parents flew into her head.
"Feel like sharing?"
Sydney was still smiling as she replied, "Nope." His brow rose, clearing indicating his displeasure. "Trust me, Sark. You had to be there."
"You're really quite a piece of work, Sydney."
Strangely enough, she blushed slightly and again moved her hair aside. "Actually," she said, "I came to see how you were feeling about going on another mission."
Something appeared on his face before he schooled his features into impassivity. "I don't see why not."
She sensed his hesitation and changed the subject. "So you think I need to talk to my father?"
"Things looked a bit tense from this side of the glass."
"Perceptive, aren't you?"
"Always."
He gave her one last glance over before committing her image to memory. Once she'd found out what was on those papers, she'd never be quite the same.
"What?" Sydney asked, feeling self-conscious.
He shook his head, inwardly laughing at his own foolishness. She was just going to find out what had happened to her, after all. She wasn't about to die. "Nothing," he finally said, moving to the floor for some exercise.
Sydney looked a little hurt at his dismissal, but shrugged it off. "I guess I'll see you later."
Sark paused halfway through his pushup and looked up at her. "I'm not going anywhere."
Instantly feeling better, she smiled and left to find her father. Sark wondered why he'd felt compelled to put her at ease when everything was telling him to push her away.
Must have something to do with the papers.
He always had a fondness for J names.
* * *
After grabbing her things and locating her father in his office, Sydney found herself sitting beside him on the helipad of the CIA building. The wind whipped her hair around fiercely and she struggled to stay patient as he brought out papers and a laptop.
From inside his bag, he also withdrew two small to-go cups. She took the one he offered her and was surprised to taste vanilla ice cream. Her surprise must have shown on her face, because he then said, "I remembered you liked them when you were younger."
Jack put down his own milkshake and attempted a reassuring look. He was met with Sydney's fading smile that appeared entirely too much like his own.
"Dad. What did Sark find?"
"While you were in the Covenant's custody, they attempted to brainwash you into a skilled assassin; Alias of Julia Thorne. Project Christmas--" there was a slight hesitation as he contemplated what seemed like a lifetime ago, "--kept that from happening, or at least from getting very far into your subconscious. While we're still not certain of just how deeply you were affected, or just what you did as Julia, there was one final thing in the papers."
She nodded, waiting for him to go on.
"Evidently, you were the carrier for someone named Jade Lazarey."
* * *