Weiss was already in the cage, leaning against a crate when she got to the
warehouse.
"Hi," Sydney said, as she approached him.
"Hi," he said, scuffing the toe of his shoe against the dirty concrete floor.
The first few moments of his meetings with Sydney were always awkward. It was as if the warehouse had absorbed the words and emotions from Sydney's past meetings with Vaughn. Weiss felt like an intruder every time he came here, so he had made a habit of starting with an update on Vaughn's status to dispel the tension his absence created.
"I stopped by the hospital earlier today and gave Vaughn your package," he told her, trying to break the ice.
Sydney could feel herself start to blush. "Do you think--I mean, did it seem to you like he liked the gifts?"
Weiss grinned at her. "I think that would be an understatement. I had to reel him in. He was like--stratospheric."
"When can I see him?" Sydney asked. "Will they be releasing him soon?"
"It'll be a few days," Weiss cautioned. "In the meantime, we have a mission for you. You'll be leaving for France tomorrow afternoon to meet with a retired linguist named Jacques Vinneaux who might be able to give us more insight into the Rambaldi manuscript. He left the University of Paris because of an academic dispute and is now a bit of a recluse. He lives on a remote island off the coast of Brittany. You will pose as Marie Arnault, a graduate student at the Sorbonne, who has taken an interest in Rambaldi."
"If he's such a recluse, why would Prof. Vinneaux agree to meet with me?" Sydney questioned.
"He thinks you're the niece of an old friend," Weiss answered. "Your assignment is to show him the pictures of the Rambaldi page you used to secure Will's release and bring back any intel Vinneaux gives you. It should be a fairly standard op. We have no reason to believe Vinneaux is a threat, but it's always good to play it safe, especially since we don't know Irina's next move. A lot people--including your mother--would be interested in what Vinneaux has to say."
Weiss glanced at Sydney, suddenly anxious. "Your mother hasn't contacted you, has she?"
Sydney shook her head. She didn't want to think about her mother. The feelings their confrontation had aroused in her were still much too intense. She would have discussed Irina with Vaughn, but she couldn't bring herself to do so with Weiss.
Weiss sighed. "Syd, you can't go on pretending it never happened," he said earnestly. "You may not realize it yet, but you're in a great deal of danger. Irina can blow your cover at SD-6 whenever she likes. You have to start preparing yourself to play the game on a whole new level. It's not just SD-6 we have to watch out for anymore."
"I know, I just need a little more time," Sydney said quietly, the fatigue and strain of the last few days evident in her face. "Is there anything else?"
"Actually, there is something else," Weiss said hesitantly, trying to anticipate her reaction. "Will's made a decision. He's going to become an operative."
Sydney simply nodded. She had never believed Will would choose the witness protection program, but the news still came as a shock, nonetheless. "Has been assigned a cover yet?" she asked in a low voice.
"Not exactly, but we're working on it," Weiss hedged. "Has Will ever done drugs that you know of?"
Sydney frowned. "No! What kind of question is that? What are you implying?"
"Well, according to the plan Devlin and your father are developing, he's gonna be picked up for heroin use and go into rehab, as a cover for his CIA training."
"What? Eric, they can't do this!" Sydney cried. "It'll ruin his reputation. He'll lose his job, and no other paper in L.A. will hire him."
"That's precisely what Devlin is hoping will happen," Weiss said uncomfortably.
"You've got to be kidding!" Sydney exclaimed, horrified.
Weiss forged ahead. "Look, Syd. Thanks to Jack's quick thinking, we caught Will's story on SD-6 before it went to press, but we can't erase people's memories. His editor, his co-workers, his intern all know he was investigating SD-6 in connection with Danny's death. We have to discredit him so completely that they'll consider the story just a crazy heroin- induced conspiracy. His personal safety depends on it. You've got to see that. The further he's removed from any connection to SD-6, the better, especially if we're going to use him as an operative."
Sydney knew her father had retrieved the article Will had put in Abby's safekeeping in case he did not return from the rendezvous Jack had set up for him. What she did not know is that the mission to assassinate Will's character had already been launched. While retrieving Will's article, Jack had bugged the office so that the CIA could monitor the situation.
At the appointed day and hour, Abby had opened the sealed envelope Will had given her and with trembling fingers, removed the article inside, staring at in disbelief. In small, 12-point type the word "Gotcha!" was repeated continuously to fill up the margins of all 7 pages of text.
"The bloody little bastard!" Abby had cried. "I bet he's just on vacation!"
Will's editor, who had been watching over Abby's shoulder, turned away in disgust.
"I hope he's having fun," Litvak said sarcastically, "because it just might be permanent after that stunt."
Weiss outlined what had occurred, and Sydney's eyes grew wide.
"I can't believe this!" she cried. "Did you tell any of this to Will before he made his decision?"
"I told him, and it didn't change his mind. He knows what he's getting into, Syd" Weiss replied, trying to keep his voice steady.
Sydney turned away, and when she looked at him again he could see tears in her eyes. "Does anyone really know what they're getting into when they become an operative?" she asked in a low voice.
Weiss stared down at the floor, his hands stuffed in the pockets of his suit. "Probably not," he admitted. "If they did, I doubt anyone would think the sacrifices were worth it. Things get complicated. You start losing your moral compass. You change, or it changes you."
Sydney knew Weiss was thinking of how he had unwittingly betrayed Vaughn, and she touched his shoulder.
"You've been a good friend--to Vaughn and to me. Taipei hasn't changed that."
Weiss glanced up at her and smiled briefly. "Well, I should get going," he said, embarrassed. "Is there anything else you need before the mission?"
"I want to see Will before I fly to France," Sydney stated, "--before all this comes crashing down on him. Do you think you could arrange it?"
"I can't promise anything, but I'll see what I can do."
Weiss turned to go, but Sydney stopped him. "Tell Vaughn--"
"Wait until you can tell him yourself," Weiss said, cutting her off with a grin. "Good luck in France."
"Hi," Sydney said, as she approached him.
"Hi," he said, scuffing the toe of his shoe against the dirty concrete floor.
The first few moments of his meetings with Sydney were always awkward. It was as if the warehouse had absorbed the words and emotions from Sydney's past meetings with Vaughn. Weiss felt like an intruder every time he came here, so he had made a habit of starting with an update on Vaughn's status to dispel the tension his absence created.
"I stopped by the hospital earlier today and gave Vaughn your package," he told her, trying to break the ice.
Sydney could feel herself start to blush. "Do you think--I mean, did it seem to you like he liked the gifts?"
Weiss grinned at her. "I think that would be an understatement. I had to reel him in. He was like--stratospheric."
"When can I see him?" Sydney asked. "Will they be releasing him soon?"
"It'll be a few days," Weiss cautioned. "In the meantime, we have a mission for you. You'll be leaving for France tomorrow afternoon to meet with a retired linguist named Jacques Vinneaux who might be able to give us more insight into the Rambaldi manuscript. He left the University of Paris because of an academic dispute and is now a bit of a recluse. He lives on a remote island off the coast of Brittany. You will pose as Marie Arnault, a graduate student at the Sorbonne, who has taken an interest in Rambaldi."
"If he's such a recluse, why would Prof. Vinneaux agree to meet with me?" Sydney questioned.
"He thinks you're the niece of an old friend," Weiss answered. "Your assignment is to show him the pictures of the Rambaldi page you used to secure Will's release and bring back any intel Vinneaux gives you. It should be a fairly standard op. We have no reason to believe Vinneaux is a threat, but it's always good to play it safe, especially since we don't know Irina's next move. A lot people--including your mother--would be interested in what Vinneaux has to say."
Weiss glanced at Sydney, suddenly anxious. "Your mother hasn't contacted you, has she?"
Sydney shook her head. She didn't want to think about her mother. The feelings their confrontation had aroused in her were still much too intense. She would have discussed Irina with Vaughn, but she couldn't bring herself to do so with Weiss.
Weiss sighed. "Syd, you can't go on pretending it never happened," he said earnestly. "You may not realize it yet, but you're in a great deal of danger. Irina can blow your cover at SD-6 whenever she likes. You have to start preparing yourself to play the game on a whole new level. It's not just SD-6 we have to watch out for anymore."
"I know, I just need a little more time," Sydney said quietly, the fatigue and strain of the last few days evident in her face. "Is there anything else?"
"Actually, there is something else," Weiss said hesitantly, trying to anticipate her reaction. "Will's made a decision. He's going to become an operative."
Sydney simply nodded. She had never believed Will would choose the witness protection program, but the news still came as a shock, nonetheless. "Has been assigned a cover yet?" she asked in a low voice.
"Not exactly, but we're working on it," Weiss hedged. "Has Will ever done drugs that you know of?"
Sydney frowned. "No! What kind of question is that? What are you implying?"
"Well, according to the plan Devlin and your father are developing, he's gonna be picked up for heroin use and go into rehab, as a cover for his CIA training."
"What? Eric, they can't do this!" Sydney cried. "It'll ruin his reputation. He'll lose his job, and no other paper in L.A. will hire him."
"That's precisely what Devlin is hoping will happen," Weiss said uncomfortably.
"You've got to be kidding!" Sydney exclaimed, horrified.
Weiss forged ahead. "Look, Syd. Thanks to Jack's quick thinking, we caught Will's story on SD-6 before it went to press, but we can't erase people's memories. His editor, his co-workers, his intern all know he was investigating SD-6 in connection with Danny's death. We have to discredit him so completely that they'll consider the story just a crazy heroin- induced conspiracy. His personal safety depends on it. You've got to see that. The further he's removed from any connection to SD-6, the better, especially if we're going to use him as an operative."
Sydney knew her father had retrieved the article Will had put in Abby's safekeeping in case he did not return from the rendezvous Jack had set up for him. What she did not know is that the mission to assassinate Will's character had already been launched. While retrieving Will's article, Jack had bugged the office so that the CIA could monitor the situation.
At the appointed day and hour, Abby had opened the sealed envelope Will had given her and with trembling fingers, removed the article inside, staring at in disbelief. In small, 12-point type the word "Gotcha!" was repeated continuously to fill up the margins of all 7 pages of text.
"The bloody little bastard!" Abby had cried. "I bet he's just on vacation!"
Will's editor, who had been watching over Abby's shoulder, turned away in disgust.
"I hope he's having fun," Litvak said sarcastically, "because it just might be permanent after that stunt."
Weiss outlined what had occurred, and Sydney's eyes grew wide.
"I can't believe this!" she cried. "Did you tell any of this to Will before he made his decision?"
"I told him, and it didn't change his mind. He knows what he's getting into, Syd" Weiss replied, trying to keep his voice steady.
Sydney turned away, and when she looked at him again he could see tears in her eyes. "Does anyone really know what they're getting into when they become an operative?" she asked in a low voice.
Weiss stared down at the floor, his hands stuffed in the pockets of his suit. "Probably not," he admitted. "If they did, I doubt anyone would think the sacrifices were worth it. Things get complicated. You start losing your moral compass. You change, or it changes you."
Sydney knew Weiss was thinking of how he had unwittingly betrayed Vaughn, and she touched his shoulder.
"You've been a good friend--to Vaughn and to me. Taipei hasn't changed that."
Weiss glanced up at her and smiled briefly. "Well, I should get going," he said, embarrassed. "Is there anything else you need before the mission?"
"I want to see Will before I fly to France," Sydney stated, "--before all this comes crashing down on him. Do you think you could arrange it?"
"I can't promise anything, but I'll see what I can do."
Weiss turned to go, but Sydney stopped him. "Tell Vaughn--"
"Wait until you can tell him yourself," Weiss said, cutting her off with a grin. "Good luck in France."