Glass Cages
Will followed Jack down. Down the twisting hallways and stairwells into the bowels of the CIA building, they walked. Will had lost all sense of direction and time as they continued their descent, as Jack had anticipated. Will only knew that there were answers waiting for him and that was enough to block the physical pain his body was broadcasting. He envisioned Sark's smirk and himself knocking it clean off.
Anger was beginning to consume Will and Jack couldn't help but notice. So, in hopes of giving Will time to work through some of it, Jack was deliberately taking a serpentine path to what was facetiously called The Conversation Room. This one wasn't so very different from the one at SD-6, mostly because each room had been outfitted by master interrogators, a group which claimed Jack as one of their own.
The pair stopped in front of a grey door, and with a nod, the guard disappeared. Jack stood in front of the door, waiting. Will's fingers tapped nervously on his thigh.
"I'm ready, Jack," answering the question in Jack's eyes. "I need to do this."
Jack opened the door behind him and Will paused before entering. Closing the door behind the younger man, Jack opened the hidden door to the right and entered the dark room. Flicking on the first monitor, the room was bathed in a green hue and images from the room next door began popping up on the other screens.
Will sat in the empty chair opposite the prisoner. Sark, for his part, slumped with disdain in the chair, his hands cuffed behind his back. Both waited for the first man to speak, and Jack watched.
"Do you know where Francie Calfo and Allison Doren are?" Will tried to peer deep into Sark's eyes. Sark showed no reaction. "Francie and Allison, do you know them?"
"It is nice to see you again Mr. Tippin. I trust you are well?"
"Francie and Allison? Where are they?"
"Ah, yes the friend. I'm sorry I don't know." Will leaned across the table, trying to read the other man.
"Yes you do. You know something and you need to tell me. Where are they? Is Francie alive?"
Sark shrugged his shoulders and cocked his head to the side.
"Is Francie alive? Please tell me."
Will slammed his fist on the table in frustration. Jack sat up in his chair, leaning into the monitor.
"Allison Doren, did you know her? Is she alive? Where can I find her?"
Minutes ticked by and Will's anger was nearing its boiling point. Sark remained as silent as the grave, the edges of his mouth twitching upwards.
"You bastard, answer my questions."
"Temper, temper Mr. Tippin." Will groaned in frustration. He launched out of his chair and began pacing the room. In the other room, Jack began to wonder if this had been a good idea in the first place and if it was time to interfere.
"How are your injuries, Will? Allison was getting quite fond of you, you know. She was reluctant to hurt you at the end, and it appears that she wasn't as successful as she should have been."
Within moments Will had Sark pinned up against the wall, his hands around the prisoner's throat. Jack slowly nodded at the scene unfolding on the screen.
"Sorry man, I just don't fancy a dance with you. You're not my type. Though, according to Allison, you're not so bad at dancing."
"You f&#$ing bastard." Will's thumbs pressed harder on Sark's Adam's apple, causing the man to start squirming. "She's dead, you know? Sydney killed her, shot her dead."
"That's a bloody shame. We had fun together, she and I."
"I don't give a rat's ass what she was to you, you prick. What happened to Francie? Is she alive?"
"Ah, yes, the friend that Allison replaced. She won't be returning. Ever." Will slammed Sark's head into the concrete, released him as his slipped down the wall.
"You bastard." He spat on the downed man. Sark used his shoulder to clean his face and returned to his seat. Will slammed his fist into the door.
"Her remains?" he added quietly. "Her family and friends would like to bury her."
"Not sure." Sark shrugged. "Allison was the only one who knew." Will choked back a small sob and returned to his pacing.
"Where's Sydney? What did you do to her, you bloody bastard?"
Sark did little to mask his surprise at the question. He leaned forward in his chair.
"She's missing?"
"Yes, you c&sucker, she's missing." Will's fist clocked Sark in the cheek, snapping his head to the side.
"Well isn't that interesting? I've been locked up in here; how the bloody hell should I know where she is?"
"You're lying."
"And what would that accomplish? All it will get me is more of these pleasant conversations."
"You're LYING."
"Believe what you will." Sark slumped again in his chair and was knocked to the ground as Will body tackled him.
"YOU'RE LYING. WHERE ARE THEY?" Will's fists continued their barrage and Sark did his best to protect himself.
Will's body was lifted off the prone man as Jack restrained the distraught man, ushering him out of the room. Jack locked the door behind him and the guard returned.
"Will, he doesn't know."
"Jack, he knows. I know it, let me back in there. Jack?"
"No."
Deflated, Will's body slumped to the floor and Jack watched as the man worked through the lasted defeat. Standing up Will started wandering aimlessly toward the stairwell; Jack took the lead upward.
The light of day blinded Will as they two stepped out a back door of the headquarters.
"What now, Jack? What do we do next?" It was Jack's turn to look deflated and he let out an audible sigh.
"The tests came back, Will. We say goodbye."
"She's not f&%ing dead Jack. They can't be dead." Jack hugged the now sobbing man.
"A memorial service for Sydney is scheduled for Thursday. She'd want you to be there." Jack released the man and stared up at the clouds.
"I'm not sure that I can." Will turned and walked away.
Will followed Jack down. Down the twisting hallways and stairwells into the bowels of the CIA building, they walked. Will had lost all sense of direction and time as they continued their descent, as Jack had anticipated. Will only knew that there were answers waiting for him and that was enough to block the physical pain his body was broadcasting. He envisioned Sark's smirk and himself knocking it clean off.
Anger was beginning to consume Will and Jack couldn't help but notice. So, in hopes of giving Will time to work through some of it, Jack was deliberately taking a serpentine path to what was facetiously called The Conversation Room. This one wasn't so very different from the one at SD-6, mostly because each room had been outfitted by master interrogators, a group which claimed Jack as one of their own.
The pair stopped in front of a grey door, and with a nod, the guard disappeared. Jack stood in front of the door, waiting. Will's fingers tapped nervously on his thigh.
"I'm ready, Jack," answering the question in Jack's eyes. "I need to do this."
Jack opened the door behind him and Will paused before entering. Closing the door behind the younger man, Jack opened the hidden door to the right and entered the dark room. Flicking on the first monitor, the room was bathed in a green hue and images from the room next door began popping up on the other screens.
Will sat in the empty chair opposite the prisoner. Sark, for his part, slumped with disdain in the chair, his hands cuffed behind his back. Both waited for the first man to speak, and Jack watched.
"Do you know where Francie Calfo and Allison Doren are?" Will tried to peer deep into Sark's eyes. Sark showed no reaction. "Francie and Allison, do you know them?"
"It is nice to see you again Mr. Tippin. I trust you are well?"
"Francie and Allison? Where are they?"
"Ah, yes the friend. I'm sorry I don't know." Will leaned across the table, trying to read the other man.
"Yes you do. You know something and you need to tell me. Where are they? Is Francie alive?"
Sark shrugged his shoulders and cocked his head to the side.
"Is Francie alive? Please tell me."
Will slammed his fist on the table in frustration. Jack sat up in his chair, leaning into the monitor.
"Allison Doren, did you know her? Is she alive? Where can I find her?"
Minutes ticked by and Will's anger was nearing its boiling point. Sark remained as silent as the grave, the edges of his mouth twitching upwards.
"You bastard, answer my questions."
"Temper, temper Mr. Tippin." Will groaned in frustration. He launched out of his chair and began pacing the room. In the other room, Jack began to wonder if this had been a good idea in the first place and if it was time to interfere.
"How are your injuries, Will? Allison was getting quite fond of you, you know. She was reluctant to hurt you at the end, and it appears that she wasn't as successful as she should have been."
Within moments Will had Sark pinned up against the wall, his hands around the prisoner's throat. Jack slowly nodded at the scene unfolding on the screen.
"Sorry man, I just don't fancy a dance with you. You're not my type. Though, according to Allison, you're not so bad at dancing."
"You f&#$ing bastard." Will's thumbs pressed harder on Sark's Adam's apple, causing the man to start squirming. "She's dead, you know? Sydney killed her, shot her dead."
"That's a bloody shame. We had fun together, she and I."
"I don't give a rat's ass what she was to you, you prick. What happened to Francie? Is she alive?"
"Ah, yes, the friend that Allison replaced. She won't be returning. Ever." Will slammed Sark's head into the concrete, released him as his slipped down the wall.
"You bastard." He spat on the downed man. Sark used his shoulder to clean his face and returned to his seat. Will slammed his fist into the door.
"Her remains?" he added quietly. "Her family and friends would like to bury her."
"Not sure." Sark shrugged. "Allison was the only one who knew." Will choked back a small sob and returned to his pacing.
"Where's Sydney? What did you do to her, you bloody bastard?"
Sark did little to mask his surprise at the question. He leaned forward in his chair.
"She's missing?"
"Yes, you c&sucker, she's missing." Will's fist clocked Sark in the cheek, snapping his head to the side.
"Well isn't that interesting? I've been locked up in here; how the bloody hell should I know where she is?"
"You're lying."
"And what would that accomplish? All it will get me is more of these pleasant conversations."
"You're LYING."
"Believe what you will." Sark slumped again in his chair and was knocked to the ground as Will body tackled him.
"YOU'RE LYING. WHERE ARE THEY?" Will's fists continued their barrage and Sark did his best to protect himself.
Will's body was lifted off the prone man as Jack restrained the distraught man, ushering him out of the room. Jack locked the door behind him and the guard returned.
"Will, he doesn't know."
"Jack, he knows. I know it, let me back in there. Jack?"
"No."
Deflated, Will's body slumped to the floor and Jack watched as the man worked through the lasted defeat. Standing up Will started wandering aimlessly toward the stairwell; Jack took the lead upward.
The light of day blinded Will as they two stepped out a back door of the headquarters.
"What now, Jack? What do we do next?" It was Jack's turn to look deflated and he let out an audible sigh.
"The tests came back, Will. We say goodbye."
"She's not f&%ing dead Jack. They can't be dead." Jack hugged the now sobbing man.
"A memorial service for Sydney is scheduled for Thursday. She'd want you to be there." Jack released the man and stared up at the clouds.
"I'm not sure that I can." Will turned and walked away.