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Chapter Twelve:

Into the Heavens

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A cold wind stole through her flesh, biting into her senses and raising the hair on the back of her neck. Sydney shivered and clutched the jacket around her, she only vaguely realized now that it was Vaughn's leather jacket. She could smell his distinct scent that arose from the folds of the soft leather and reveled in it. Something so simple comforted her in this moment when nothing was simple.

She didn't hear him as he slipped up noiselessly beside her but she could sense his presence as it drew near. He eased one arm around her waist, his hand coming to rest on the small of her back. She looked up at him and smiled, there was love in his eyes as he looked down at her but that ever present fear still lingered. She could see it in his expression, lurking in the shadows of the shifting green of his eyes.

"You ready?" His words were a soft murmur, lost on the wind but she knew they lingered between them. She just nodded and braved a smile.

"Always."

Together they walked up the ramp and into the plane where her parents awaited them. Sydney cast one glance back at the outside world, the slow drape of the sunlight across the city beyond. The warmth of the sun seemed to fade as it fell across her, leaving only an eerie sensation of cold, clear light.

Inside the plane, there was some degree of warmth but Sydney could not shake the chill from her bones. She felt warm only where Vaughn's hand touched her, low on her back, supporting her if she were ever to fall.

The door slid shut behind them silently, Sydney could not hear the click but felt the absence of the wind on her back. She was enclosed now in yet another plane, but in a way she felt as if she were imprisoned here. Shaking off the feeling, she looked up to meet the eyes of her mother.

Irina was standing before her, an indescribable expression on her face. She was a woman constantly surrounded by an air of mystery but there was something in her eyes that Sydney recognized, a flicker of emotion that she had seen before.

"Mom," Sydney didn't know what to say but Irina halted any further words by rushing forward to embrace her daughter tightly.

"Sydney, are you okay?" She pulled back slightly, inspecting her daughter's face for any signs of distress. Sydney shook her head, and pulled out of her mother's arms to fall back to Vaughn's side.

"I'm fine, Mom," She shook her head and her gaze slid slowly from her mother to Jack, where he sat behind Irina, watching them with a cool expression. "I'm just a little confused."

Irina nodded, "Of course. That's understandable, Vaughn has told you much but there is still so much that you don't know." With these words, Irina's eyes turned to land on Vaughn. Sydney could feel him flinch slightly beneath her gaze but it was a rather calm reaction to the woman who had killed his father.

"Irina," Vaughn nodded briskly at her and Sydney felt his hand sneak around to grip hers tightly. He was drawing on her strength once more and she let him take it, knowing that they could only get through this together.

"Michael, thank you for bringing her."

Vaughn's gaze hardened as he watched Irina carefully, "I don't like this plan, Irina."

Sydney watched as her mother's face transformed from a pleasant mask into a fierce scowl, "None of us like it, Michael. But it is what must be done."

Vaughn's face contorted into an expression of disgust and he shook his head, "Irina, there has to be another way-" His words were cut off by a sharp gesture from Sydney, who was shaking her head furiously.

"Stop right there. Before the three of you go any further with these vague riddles, I want some answers. This has to do with me and I won't have any of you making this decision for me, whatever it may be."

There was a glint in Irina's eyes as Sydney spoke that was similar to pride, "You're absolutely right, Sydney. Men don't always realize that women can use their own minds when it comes to their lives."

Sydney could hear Vaughn growl deep in his throat and almost laughed, Irina grinned at her daughter and for one eternal moment between them there was nothing but a mother and her daughter. A pride and love that transcended all other broken bonds of betrayal and sacrifice.

"Come," Irina placed one hand on Sydney's shoulder and eased her toward her father. "Sit down and I'll try to explain what I've uncovered."

Sydney eased down into a seat opposite her mother, Vaughn took up his position by her side, facing Jack. Sydney could feel a look being exchanged between the two men but she ignored it, focusing on her mother and what she had to say.

"Sydney, I understand that Vaughn has told you much of what occurred during the two years that are missing from your memory." Irina's eyes flickered to Vaughn, who lowered his eyes and looked away. He gripped Sydney's hand tightly and she squeezed his back in reassurance. His eyes lowered to the entwined hands and did not move away.

Irina studied him carefully before turning her attention back to her daughter. She was not surprised to see Sydney's eyes flash with fire at the thought that Irina had brought up some unwanted memories in the man she loved. Irina had seen this bond between them before and still she could not help but marvel at it, despite herself.

"Yes," the one word issued from Sydney's lips was tense and pregnant with emotion. "I know that you helped Dad and Vaughn find me," her tone softened and she glanced at Vaughn. "I know that you helped Vaughn to withstand the Covenant's torture," She swallowed hard and fixed her eyes on her mother. "And I thank you for that."

"Interesting, only six months ago you cursed me for doing just that."

Sydney frowned, eyebrows knitting together in alarm. "What? Why?"

Irina shook her head, "Its not important now, Sydney. You didn't agree with all of my...methods."

Vaughn flinched and Sydney glanced at him in alarm, wondering what else she had erased from her memory that now came back to haunt her. Vaughn met her eyes and shook his head slightly, as if pleading with her to let it go and she did, reluctantly. Her gaze seemed to give him back a measure of strength that he had lost in the presence of her mother. He sat up straighter and turned his steely gaze on Irina.

"You told her about the prophecy?" Irina asked.

"Yes," Vaughn's voice was filled a suppressed anger. "Though I don't see why it was necessary. Wasn't that the reason for the memory erasure in the first place?"

Irina bit her lip, "Yes...but upon further analysis of the Rambaldi device and the prophecy, I discovered that I may have been wrong."

Vaughn tensed beside Sydney, "Wrong?" The word was uttered in a low hiss, filled with rage. "What do you mean?"

"It is possible, highly likely in fact, that the text was misinterpreted." Irina shifted slightly, the only indication that she was uncomfortable with her own failure. "In fact, its possible that all the Rambaldi prophecies have been misinterpreted."

"How?" Sydney demanded, the fear that had been rising within her this whole time swelled suddenly.

In response, Irina opened a slim briefcase that sat beside her and withdrew a yellowed parchment. She set it on the low table between them, facing Sydney. It was a copy of the prophecy from page forty-seven of the Rambaldi manuscript. Sydney found herself staring at herself and for the first time, was certain that it was her on the page and no one else.

"There are key words in every Rambaldi prophecy," Irina informed her. Sydney could not tear her eyes away from the prophecy, the words swimming before her as it had the first time she had seen it.

"This prophecy says 'this woman will render the greatest power unto utter desolation.' The CIA, the DSR, the FBI, even you thought that this was a bad thing. You were all so convinced that this would be some cataclysmic event brought about by you. This is why the DSR tried to lock you up." Irina leaned forward and gripped Sydney's free hand. "But you have to understand, Sydney, that's not what it means at all."

Sydney's mouth had gone dry, she was sure that she was injuring Vaughn with how tightly she was clutching his hand but he did not make one sign of protest against her. He was staring at Irina, falling into the net that she spread beneath their feet, waiting for them to fall.

"What does it mean?" Vaughn asked for her, as she was suddenly unable to speak.

"Activating this Rambaldi device would mean the end of your worst enemies. Rambaldi could foresee how his works would be perverted and predicted that only you would have the power to destroy those who did so. This device would enable you to effectively destroy the Covenant," Irina's eyes darkened. "And it is possible that it will give you a chance to get your life back."

Sydney's head bowed, she swallowed hard and squeezed Vaughn's hand. After a long moment, she looked up, not to Irina, but to her father. Jack had been sitting in silence all this time, watching the interaction between the three of them with some degree of concern.

"Dad?" His head jerked up at the sound of Sydney's voice and he smiled at her gently, attempting to assuage both of their fears.

"What do you make of all this?" She asked.

Jack cleared his throat and looked around at the strange group they made, the unusual family that had formed. "You know that I have never believed in the works of Rambaldi, Sydney. I always thought that it was a foolish obsession that Sloane destroyed his life for, that your mother destroyed our lives for." His eyes darkened and he shot a glance at Irina who merely smiled enigmatically and shook her head.

"However, there are some things that I have seen in the past two years that even I could not disregard," Jack shook his head.

"However, this could be a chance to destroy the Covenant. To undo every evil that they have done and prevent any more from occurring. While I do not like you risking your life to do this," he smiled wryly. "I know that you will risk your life anyway. It is your choice sweetheart."

Sydney's eyes were filled with tears by the time he was done speaking, she swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded silently. Vaughn was looking at Jack with respect and a certain degree of affection that had developed between them.

Sydney nodded heavily and rose from her seat to cross the aisle and wrap her arms around her father, "Thank you." She whispered, she knew how hard it was for him to give up this degree of control that he'd struggled to hold over her entire life. In a way, she felt lost, knowing that her father was not trying to affect her decision in any one way, but it was also a type of freedom.

Sydney pulled back and Jack wiped the tears from her face gently, smiling down at her. She could see the concern in his eyes though and wanted more than anything to see him happy, not worried for her. She wanted her life back, she wanted to start over again.

Nodding to herself, coming to a silent decision, Sydney returned to her seat and looked at Vaughn. He gazed back at her, one hand covering hers, fingers tangling in a unknown pantomime of their souls. There was nothing but love on his face but she could see in his eyes, the torment that he was enduring. He was torn between protecting her and allowing her to make this decision on her own. She could see in him that he was one step away from picking her up and carrying her off into a safe place, and letting go of her hand and allowing her to do this.

She would compromise with him silently, allowing him to protect her in any way that he could as long as he allowed her to do this. This was a matter of choice, but Sydney could feel the implications hovering in the air, it was more than that. It was a matter of fate, the lives of every person in this airplane, the people she loved most, hung in the balance. She could feel it deep in her soul, she alone had the power to change their lives.

Sydney leaned her head against Vaughn's temple and he let out a long sigh, the breath swirling in eddies around her flesh, stirring her hair softly. He knew what her decision would be before she even made it.

"Love you," she whispered, kissing his forehead. He smiled sadly and cupped her face in his hands, kissing her gently.

"Love you," he echoed her words in response, feeling something inside of him break as he did so. He had no control over this, he had lost something somewhere along the way. He could not lose her.

Sydney stroked his face with one hand and offered him a smile of encouragement before turning back to her mother and asking, "What must I do?"

Irina smiled at her daughter and opened a panel on the table before her, pressing a small button and speaking into it in Russian. Sydney recognized an order for the plane to take off and recognized the familiar movement of the plane as it prepared for lift-off.

"You know by now what you must do, Sydney. You have known it all along, you must fulfill your destiny. You must activate the Rambaldi device and destroy the Covenant."

Beyond the window, they were lifting up to the sky, breaking free of the clouds that had clung to them so tightly. But Sydney did not notice.

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