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Chapter Fourteen:

A Storm Breaks

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The room was filled with silence, Vaughn could hear his own heart beating rapidly, drums in the deep shroud of quiet that had settled over all of them. Sydney was circling the gateway, eyes transfixed on red stone, ancient symbols. She appeared to have forgotten their existence, the three people who stood off to the side, watching her quietly. They were all waiting, but for what, Vaughn did not know.

The tingle of uneasiness that had started its slow crawl through his flesh out on the rocks, looking out to the sea, had not gone away. Instead, it had grown into an almost overpowering foreboding. A premonition of something about to go terribly wrong. Yet he could not bring himself to move from the spot, he could not lift his eyes from Sydney. He feared that if he looked away from her, she would vanish. All of this would be a dream.

He was tensed, his other senses registering what his eyes could not dare seek out. Jack shifting uncomfortably beside him in small movements that were not in his nature. Jack Bristow was not a man who often felt awkward, but at this moment he did. Vaughn knew, he could feel it himself. There was something very wrong about this whole situation.

"Sydney," Vaughn was not aware that he had even spoken her name until it had left his mouth, hovering in the air before her. It never seemed to reach her, she did not respond, her eyes did not flicker from the mysterious object before her. Vaughn frowned and shook his head, taking one step toward her.

"Don't," the voice belonged to Irina. Vaughn tore his eyes from Sydney and looked at Irina, a scowl creasing his face. Irina was watching Sydney, an expression of anticipation on her face. There was a light in her eyes, those dark eyes that were so familiar to him. She did not appear worried, she seemed almost excited. It was as if she were as transfixed by the sight of her daughter as Sydney was of the Rambaldi artifact.

"Irina, I don't like this." Vaughn spoke the words through clenched teeth, one hand gesturing toward Sydney. "This doesn't feel right."

Irina's eyes snapped toward him and she scowled, "This is not about your feelings, Vaughn. This about Sydney fulfilling her destiny."

"How can we know this is her destiny?" Vaughn was almost shouting now, the uneasiness flaring into full blown panic. "She can't even hear us!" Vaughn took another step toward Sydney, stepping directly through the archway. A gasp echoed through the room as he did so and he turned back to see an expression of fear on Irina's face. He passed through the hollow space of the gateway easily, nothing happened. Her face relaxed and a puzzled expression flitted over her features, as if she had expected something else.

Vaughn paused, a cold shiver washing over him as he cleared the archway. The hair rose on the back of his neck and he approached Sydney, calling her name. She still did not respond.

"No!" Irina rushed to him and pulled him back, her fingers clutching his arm in a death grip. "You can't stop her now, Vaughn."

"Damn it, Irina! What the hell is going on? What haven't you told me?" Vaughn's voice echoed angrily throughout the large room and he spun on one heel. "Jack, would you back me up here?"

Jack was watching the three of them silently, his eyes measuring each of them. Sydney was still oblivious to the world around her, her eyes glazed, moving in slow motion. Irina's fingers dug into Vaughn's flesh, burning him with her touch, but her eyes were fixed on Sydney as well. Vaughn's gaze flickered between the three of them, a slow horror rising in him to mix with the panic that gripped his chest.

He broke away from Irina's grip and strode toward Jack, "What the hell is going on?"

"It is time," Irina's voice drifted slowly from her position beside Sydney. Vaughn spun around, she was still watching Sydney expectantly. He felt his heart drop in his chest and before he could ask what it was time for, a sound broke through the air and halted his words.

The audible click of gun being cocked back reached his ears and he froze. Panic consumed him but he did not move, he calmed his racing thoughts and attempted to clear his mind. There was no time for thought now, he had been trained well on how to react in this situation and he could not fail. He had to protect her.

Vaughn spun on his heel and found himself face to face with Lauren Reed. His breath tangled in his throat, choking him and he swallowed hard.

Lauren smiled cruelly, her eyes glaring at him from beneath what appeared to be several pounds of thick, black eyeliner. "Hello lover," she said smoothly, appearing quite smug. Vaughn's eyes hardened as he glanced from her to the door behind her, half a dozen Covenant agents, dressed from head to toe in black, were standing behind her, guns at the ready.

"This is only half of the forces I brought with me," Lauren assured him. Her eyebrows narrowed as she gazed at him and Vaughn thought vaguely how he had always hated her eyebrows. They were dark brown, her hair was blonde. It was a symbol of how fake she was, everything about her was made to appear as if she were something that she was not.

"The rest have surrounded this room, but then you would have figured that out by now, wouldn't you?" Lauren's voice hardened and she stepped closer to Vaughn. "Having been a member of the Covenant for this long, you would know that by now. I remember not too long ago when you and I were on a mission similar to this, when we were on the same side." Lauren's gloved fingers came up to stroke Vaughn's face and he flinched away from her touch. Her eyes burned into him and she gritted her teeth, glaring at him.

"We were never on the same side," Vaughn declared. He knew that it was a death sentence, proclaiming such a thing in a room filled with Covenant agents. Men and women whom he had worked with, who had trusted him as far as they could. He could not allow himself to see them as human beings, they were criminals.

Instantly the guns lowered and aimed at Vaughn's chest and he nodded in acceptance, stepping easily in front of Sydney. He could not see her, but he could feel her presence at all times. She had still not snapped out of her daze, it was almost as if she were lost in a religious trance. If he could not reach her, he could at least protect her.

Lauren smirked, "You thought you were so safe, with your precious Sydney." She sneered as she said her name and Vaughn swallowed a wave of anger. "You should have expected betrayal."

Lauren's jaw clenched, Vaughn recognized her stance. He had seen it a hundred times, working by her side, wanting nothing more than to turn his gun on her and feel her blood on his hands. This was his last chance.

His gun slid into his hand, his muscles tensed, he was coiled and prepared to spring. Then he heard a familiar voice from behind him, the last words he expected to hear, but that he should have seen coming.

"I'm sorry," Irina said. Vaughn's head snapped up in shock, not daring to turn and meet her eyes. Instead he sought out Jack's gaze, speaking silently, in the split second of time that they had, they were ready.

"Go." Jack said.

They both launched into action at the same time, Jack jumped into the path of the Covenant agents and gripped the barrels of their guns. Shoving the butts of the guns back into the shocked faces of the Covenant agents, Jack easily avoided the stray bullets of the other agents and launched himself at them. Punching two of the agents in the face, Jack caught the gun that fell free from the hands of an agent and whirled around, shooting the other two easily.

Vaughn spun on his heel and fired at Irina. The bullet struck her shoulder and she flew back, the blood spraying onto Sydney's dazed form. Her eyes became instantly aware as she returned to herself, the first thing that she saw was the barrel of Lauren's gun hovering inches away from her face. Vaughn watched as her eyes lifted to meet Lauren's gaze. The two women stared one another down for a heated second, sparks flaring into flame between them. Vaughn could see Lauren's finger curling over the trigger and leapt over the space between them.

Vaughn tackled Lauren, slamming her down onto the floor. She twisted in his grasp and elbowed him in the face. Vaughn could feel fire race through him, blood exploding from his nose where she had impacted. He felt dizzy, but he did not let that slow him. Twisting easily to his feet, Vaughn pulled her arms behind her back and slammed her up against the side of the gateway.

Sydney frowned and glanced around, taking in the commotion in a split second before she leapt into the action. Picking up Lauren's gun, she glanced at Vaughn who was looking at her.

"Go help Jack!" He ordered, he had his gun pressed to the curve of Lauren's neck. Sydney did not hesitate, and raced to help her father. Vaughn watched her join Jack in the fighting, each of them easily taking down the Covenant agents who came after them. But he could see more pouring in through the door.

Vaughn slammed Lauren harder against the arch and hissed into her ear, "Call them off!"

Lauren let out a low chuckle and swallowed hard, "Never."

Vaughn grit his teeth, glancing once more at Sydney and Jack. Irina was beginning to stir on the floor beside them, everything was spinning out of control. With a muttered curse, he pulled away from her and stepped back.

Lauren twisted around, her hands falling to her sides. Her eyes softened and she smiled smugly, "I always knew that you had a soft spot for me." Vaughn shook his head, eyes narrowing and he spit at her in disgust. Raising his gun level with her head, he released all emotion and let instinct guide him.

"I've wanted to do this for a year and a half," he told her before he pressed the trigger and let the bullet rip through her soft flesh. He did not hesitate, did not turn back to see her body as it fell to the floor, instead he raced to Sydney's side.

Sydney and Jack were grappling with the Covenant agents, Jack was bleeding. Vaughn could see the blood seeping out from a bullet wound on his leg, but he still fought to protect his daughter.

With a scream of rage, Vaughn leapt into the fray. He launched himself at the agent who was attacking Sydney, his body moving automatically. He spun around, one fist snapping back the agent's head, his leg sweeping around to knock him from his feet. Without a second thought, Vaughn fired his gun into the veiled face of the guard and turned away, catching Sydney's arm and pushing her behind him. She stood beside him, her back leaning against his as they regained their breath.

Sydney felt as though the world had fallen down around her, the rush of adrenaline in her flesh inflamed her. Her mind whirled with the roar of the noise that washed over her, but every sense was on edge.

She let herself go, instinct took over, it was barely even a challenge to fight off the men before her. It was all routine by now, fighting for her life. One hand out, fist clenched, the man's neck snapped without her even feeling the impact and he dropped to her feet. As he fell from her gaze, she caught sight of the red archway beyond and suddenly, everything became clear.

She stepped away from the bodies, stepped away from Vaughn, away from the fighting. It was then that she heard a guttural cry behind her, the broken moan of a man in pain. She knew that voice.

She whirled around, the room blurred around her in a faint trail of blood and sweat. Her gaze landed on her father as he stumbled back, hand clutched to his chest. Blood was welling up beneath his fingertips and he looked up to meet her gaze. She could see the fire in his eyes dying, fading rapidly.

"No!" Sydney and Vaughn's screams of anguish mingled in the space between them as each of them turned to Jack at the same time. Their rage was mingled with Irina's voice as she appeared on the edges of the fray. She launched herself into the battle, clawing through the agents as she tried to reach Jack.

Sydney was filled with a white-hot rage, she turned on the agents and sliced through them. Men fell at her feet, their dying cries smothered beneath her feet as she stepped over them. One slipped past her, his gun aiming for Vaughn who was trying to reach Jack's side.

A bullet arced through the air and Sydney's eyes widened, her hands instantly reaching out to twist the gun out of the man's hands and fire it back into his own flesh.

"Vaughn!" She called out to warn him and he paused in mid-step, twisting out of the path of the bullet to meet her gaze.

Her voice died in her throat as Irina reached Jack, in the split second of time between the gunshot and Vaughn moving toward her. The bullet tore into Irina's back, blood blossoming on her breast and she slumped over the Jack's still body.

Suddenly there was silence. A stillness so complete that Sydney was sure that the entire world had stopped. She was staring in horror at the dead bodies before her, not those that she had killed, but those of her parents. Both of her parents, entwined in one last embrace, Irina's arms wrapped loosely around Jack's chest, her head slumped into the curve of his neck. Sydney could not move, she could not breathe. Maybe if she watched them long enough, they would come back to life and come back to her.

Vaguely reality filtered into her mind, her hands were still clenched around the thick neck of a Covenant agent whose life blood was already staining her hands. She let him go, he fell to her feet with a thud that shook her and did not move again.

Vaughn was kneeling beside the bodies of Irina and Jack, his head in his hands. It took Sydney a moment to realize that he was weeping. She had seen him cry before, but she had never seen the total breakdown of spirit that overwhelmed him at this moment.

Sydney stretched out her hand for him, but he was beyond her reach. She could not seem to move her feet, they were weighed down with the souls of the dead that littered the floor. The battle was over, every Covenant agent was dead. Easily thirty men, some may have been women, Sydney could not know and did not want to find out. They were all twisted into the last throes of death on the floor around her, their blood stained her hands, her face, pooled on the white floor that was now stained crimson. Their last breaths had escaped into the air, their souls having clawed free of the flesh and vanished into the ether.

Two of those bodies did not belong on this floor. Sydney knew that, she was certain in her heart that this was not the time for her parents to leave her. This was all very wrong. She closed her eyes and could see them hovering on the back of her eyelids. Jack's warm blue eyes, Irina's sparkling brown ones. They were trying to tell her something.

She opened her eyes and looked at her hand, still stretched out before her, reaching for Vaughn. It was shaking violently, blood drying on the pale flesh in a dark crust. She dropped her hand and glanced around, struggling to shake herself free from this dream-like state that she lingered in but she could not.

Vaughn had ceased weeping, scrubbing his face with his hands, leaving a trail of blood behind. He closed the eyes of Jack and Irina, murmuring soft words in French over their bodies. Sydney thought it sounded like a prayer, but not any prayer that she had ever heard.

She stared at him for a long moment before he looked up to meet her gaze, he was filled with despair. Sydney realized now how close he had gotten to her parents during her missing two years. As much as he had resented Irina and distrusted her, he had formed an odd bond with her. The same had gone for Jack, a man he had respected and finally come to love. Now they were both gone.

Gone.

The man who had never been there for her, the woman who had already died once. Sydney had already mourned her mother once. She had never imagined that she would have to do it again. And Jack... A man who had been a stranger her entire life and only in the past few years had he truly become her father. She had loved him more than anyone else in her life, save for Vaughn. In the past few months, he had been all she had. Now he was gone. They were both gone.

Sydney felt the deep anguish rise up within her as she stared at Vaughn. The sorrow in his eyes, the pain on his face, made it all real. The pain that wrenched her heart open battled with another sensation, the ever present feeling that none of this was real. This couldn't be real.

Vaughn stood up from his position amidst the dead and wiped the blood from his hands on his pants. Silently, he stepped over the bodies between them and reached out for Sydney. She fell into his arms willingly, the tears welling up in her eyes spilling over only as she buried her head into the curve of his neck.

"They're gone, Vaughn." Sydney shook her head and he felt her body shaking like a leaf in the wind. Pressing her tightly to his body, Vaughn struggled to calm her growing hysteria. "They can't be gone!" She pulled back, her eyes wild as she gazed at him. "This isn't right! I can change this! My mother told me that I could change this!"

Vaughn's face crumpled in grief and he shook his head, and pulled her to him once more. "No, Syd... You can't. Not this time." His words cut him as deeply as they wounded her, slicing deep beneath the layers of emotion and striking into the core of her heart.

Sydney sobbed against his chest as Vaughn stroked her back in a soothing motion. He felt his own tears staining his face, mingling with the blood and sweat that formed a mask of pain. Suddenly she stopped, her muffled cries ceasing instantly. Her body stilled and she went stiff in his arms.

Vaughn narrowed his eyes and pulled back slightly to look at her, "What is it?"

Sydney looked up at him and Vaughn was startled by the clarity that he found waiting for him there. The set of her jaw was fiercely determined, her body shifting from her slumped posture to a poise of confidence. He could see the wheels turning in her brain and was almost afraid to hear her answer.

"Yes, I can." She whispered as she pulled out of his arms. Vaughn frowned, the fear that had been flooded with grief rose back up in him sharply.

Sydney bent down and touched her parents reverently. She pressed her right hand over the bleeding wound on Jack's chest and swallowed the hysterical sob that threatened to rise inside of her. She placed her left hand on Irina's back, where the blood had swelled up and seeped through the thin fabric of her shirt.

Standing, she turned away from the bodies of her parents and stepped back to Vaughn's side. She gazed up at him and gently touched his forehead, where a cut was bleeding openly. Taking his blood, she mingled it with what was already on her hands and gazed at him sadly.

"Death is the only thing that can forsake all bonds of love, Vaughn." Sydney whispered sadly and Vaughn frowned, confused by her words.

"Sydney, what are you doing?" He could hear the high pitch of panic in his voice as she just shook her head and stepped away from him. Her eyes turned to the gateway and she strode toward it purposefully. Hands outstretched, she lifted her arms above her head and began to speak.

Vaughn saw what she was doing in an instant flash of clarity and he raced to catch up with her. She was speaking words unfamiliar to his well trained ear, they sounded ancient, resonating in his head with a painful thunder.

"Sydney, no!" He gripped her arm and at that moment, they passed beneath the archway.

A blinding flash of light swept through them, expanding from the gateway and racing through the large room. A silent thunder expanded, energy pushing out and expanding around them until the walls shook with the pressure.

They stepped through the gateway, but they did not come out the other side. The room was empty of all life, all that was left was a pile of dead bodies and a red gateway that slowly faded to black. The ancient symbols began to fade and slowly the gateway began to crumble into ash.

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