It had only been a week since he'd shot and killed his wife. All this after
capturing and torturing her, before being stabbed in the back, and having a
lung punctured. Vaughn rubbed his chest absent mindedly, where there was
still a bandage over his stitches. If he had any perspective on the
situation at all, he would have laughed, or possibly cried, over the
absolutely fantastic events of the previous weeks. But that was just it,
Vaughn had lost his perspective a long time ago.
Maybe it was when he's been nearly drown by a large spinning ball of water. Or when a maniacal evil doer had started micro-waving people to death; But somewhere along the way he'd lost all ability to look at things in a normal way. What it really came down to was Her. He'd once said "I'm trying to live a normal life". Sydney was far from normal, and his life with her in it was far from anything he could have ever imagined.
The coffee pot finally started brewing and he pulled it hastily from the holder and poured a cup. It was one thing for a man to lose his perspective because he was in love with a truly amazing woman. It was a completely different thing for a man to lose his perspective on life; completely and utterly. He burned his tongue on the hot coffee and cursed as he spilled half the cup on the floor.
As if directly on cue, in the way bad things seemed to happen all at once, the phone rang. Vaughn threw the towel he was holding into the mess of coffee and labored to rise from his knees. The phone rang again, and he tried to breathe in deeply. Big mistake. It was like a knife shooting through his chest all over again. Slowly the pain subsided and Vaughn picked up the phone right on the forth ring.
"Hello." He wheezed.
"Vaughn? Are you alright?" Jack's voice came clearly through the receiver.
"I'm fine." Vaughn said, his tone immediately dropping into a resentful snarl.
"Where is Sydney?" Jack asked, his voice hinting that he already knew the answer to the question.
Vaughn tried to breathe again, taking time to decide on an answer. Jack could just be playing him, pretending as if he already knew, so that Vaughn would let his guard down. Or Jack might truly know, and thus be waiting to catch Vaughn in a lie. Beating a Game Theorist at his own game, was exasperating.
"She's not here." Vaughn decided on a neutral, leading answer.
"Obviously; She's on a plane. Where is she going?" Jack said, his voice strained.
Vaughn sighed, painfully. "I don't know."
"What has she told you?" Jack said, his tone changing quickly.
Vaughn recognized this as a change in tactics. He'd seen Jack in action, but was still so unsure of how to play him.
"Look, Sydney is doing what she needs to do." Vaughn said, letting his voice rise in anger.
"Vaughn, think about all that she has gone through. Do you honestly believe that she should be alone right now? Out there with some vendetta?" Jack's voice was now steady, calculated.
Vaughn breathed in again, less labored this time; though he wasn't enjoying this little game. "It's none of you business Jack, and it's none of mine. Sydney's a big girl. The last thing she needs right now is both of us charging in to rescue her." Vaughn said, his tone becoming more and more calculated.
"Fine, but I should warn you. She's in over her head. Sydney thinks she knows everything. She thinks that she is doing what is right." He paused in a sort of moment of truth. "She's wrong. I'm not saying that I wasn't wrong. But she should be better informed before racing off to..." Jack trailed off, not wanting to reveal any more.
"To do what Jack?" Vaughn prompted.
"I'll explain later." With that Jack hung up the phone.
..................................................................
The message had been urgent. He hated it when he was forced away from his project for some work related issue. Omnifam was no longer of any use to him. He found Nadia, she was with him, he didn't need anything more. He called his secretary immediately, furious at the interruption. If the message had been from anyone else he would have ignored it. But it wasn't often that Julia Thorne requested to meet with him.
The car moved slowly through the traffic on Zurich's streets. The flight hadn't taken long, but he was still exhausted. He was getting too old for this, he decided; but what choice did he have? He watched as the rain soaked streets crowded with people and cars, moved like a sort of orchestrated chaos; Everything moving with some insignificant purpose, but purpose nonetheless.
The car stopped in front of the large building he'd called home for the last two years, and he quickly ran up the stairs and inside, leaving the world of chaos behind him. The place he entered was one of complete order. Not a chair, nor spec of dust out of place. The pictures hung with perfection, the carpets meticulously cleaned. He'd kept it spotless since he'd moved in. Had there been someone to share the space with, it would have been different. But it was just him, and he craved order.
She was waiting in the family room. A space he'd rarely entered throughout his inhabitance in the house. He'd told the housekeeper to put her there, he thought she'd like it best. It had a certain hominess that he'd always associated with her.
"Hello Sydney," He said as he rounded the corner into the room. She hadn't seen him yet, but stood looking out one of the grandiose widows onto the street below. He wondered for a short moment, if she noticed what he had upon looking at the street. He wondered if she could see the difference between the chaos and the order.
"I wonder how you did it." She said softly, not taking her eyes from the glass. He recognized her tone immediately, her game face was on. "You never had me fooled. My father maybe; the US Government, for sure. But the fact that you had even one person believe you, it just seems ridiculous." She began to turn after she finished speaking, a slight smile on her face.
Sloane sat on the sofa and extended and arm, offering her a seat. He sat contemplating for a moment before speaking. Sydney moved to sit across from him.
"You didn't come all this way to talk about the past Sydney." He smiled warmly.
"Actually I did." She said, letting her poker face falter in emotion. "I came to talk about my sister." She said calmly, resuming composure.
"I see." Sloane nodded, watching her intently. "Nadia has spoken very highly of you." He smiled again, this time with a sort of fatherly pride.
"She would have been safe in LA with me. I have to assume that you have some unfinished business with her. Taking her from a CIA safe house was a risky move." Sydney said, leaning back against the sofa.
"Oh I didn't take her Sydney. She broke out on her own." Sloane smiled pridefully again. "And yes, we have some unfinished business to attend to." His smile changed with his words. It was a smirk she recognized immediately. It was the way he always looked when talking about his Rambaldi obsession.
"I hope, for you sake, it doesn't involve injecting her with more poisons, or forcing her to do things against her will." Sydney said, hinting at her true objective.
Sloane picked up on her emotion, but didn't let on. "Sydney, you must believe that I would never do anything to hurt my own daughter." Sloane said innocently. "Nadia is fine, and she is willingly participating. I can't tell you how happy it makes me that you feel so strongly for her. I know she feels the same for you." He smiled, turning as the housekeeper brought a tray of tea into the room. Both paused until she left the room. "Now tell me Sydney. I know you didn't come here to talk about me, or even Nadia."
"I want to know the truth about what happened to me during those two years, and you no longer need to lie, to pretend that you are loyal to the US Government. I want to know what was done to me, and why." She demanded, letting her emotions show outright.
"Sydney, I don't," He started before being cut off.
"Please don't lie to me." She blurted out. "I've had enough lies, and enough deception. I only want the truth. You owe it to me." She said firmly.
"Sydney," he said before pausing. "The truth is, that I don't know all the details of your capture by The Covenant."
"Don't lie to me." Sydney said enraged.
"I'm not Sydney. There is no use in denying anymore that I am the creator of The Covenant. But Sydney, you have to understand, that I was not the direct Head of it. I was under strict scrutiny by the CIA and NSA, there is no way that I could run the day to day operations." Sloane said calmly.
Sydney watched him closely, not wanted to believe a word he said.
"Bomani was the acting Head. He hired many of his own people and took many liberties that I would not have necessarily allowed if I had been able to control him. But I wasn't, and I had to maintain my cover. Finding Nadia was the top priority." Sloane admitted slowly.
"And Me?" Sydney demanded again.
Sloane sighed, as if trying to decide what to say. "You were, well one of the liberties that Bomani took, without my permission." Sloane stated with a hint of regret.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" She yelled.
"It means Sydney, that I never intended for you to be tortured or reprogrammed as you were." Sloane said, averting his eyes from hers. "That was one of Bomani, or his team's ideas. They saw you as an asset."
"Like hell, they used me just the way you did at SD-6." Sydney spat unable to look at him. "They used me for your purposes, for your obsession with Rambaldi and his prophesies." Sydney leaped off the sofa and stood looming above him, as if ready to strike. "Don't pretend like you were above it all. It happened because of you."
"Sydney," Sloane breathed, looking up at her. "I don't deny the reason that you were needed, why we took you. But you must know how dearly I regret what was done to you." Sloane half pleaded. He sighed looking up at her. "Let me show you something."
Maybe it was when he's been nearly drown by a large spinning ball of water. Or when a maniacal evil doer had started micro-waving people to death; But somewhere along the way he'd lost all ability to look at things in a normal way. What it really came down to was Her. He'd once said "I'm trying to live a normal life". Sydney was far from normal, and his life with her in it was far from anything he could have ever imagined.
The coffee pot finally started brewing and he pulled it hastily from the holder and poured a cup. It was one thing for a man to lose his perspective because he was in love with a truly amazing woman. It was a completely different thing for a man to lose his perspective on life; completely and utterly. He burned his tongue on the hot coffee and cursed as he spilled half the cup on the floor.
As if directly on cue, in the way bad things seemed to happen all at once, the phone rang. Vaughn threw the towel he was holding into the mess of coffee and labored to rise from his knees. The phone rang again, and he tried to breathe in deeply. Big mistake. It was like a knife shooting through his chest all over again. Slowly the pain subsided and Vaughn picked up the phone right on the forth ring.
"Hello." He wheezed.
"Vaughn? Are you alright?" Jack's voice came clearly through the receiver.
"I'm fine." Vaughn said, his tone immediately dropping into a resentful snarl.
"Where is Sydney?" Jack asked, his voice hinting that he already knew the answer to the question.
Vaughn tried to breathe again, taking time to decide on an answer. Jack could just be playing him, pretending as if he already knew, so that Vaughn would let his guard down. Or Jack might truly know, and thus be waiting to catch Vaughn in a lie. Beating a Game Theorist at his own game, was exasperating.
"She's not here." Vaughn decided on a neutral, leading answer.
"Obviously; She's on a plane. Where is she going?" Jack said, his voice strained.
Vaughn sighed, painfully. "I don't know."
"What has she told you?" Jack said, his tone changing quickly.
Vaughn recognized this as a change in tactics. He'd seen Jack in action, but was still so unsure of how to play him.
"Look, Sydney is doing what she needs to do." Vaughn said, letting his voice rise in anger.
"Vaughn, think about all that she has gone through. Do you honestly believe that she should be alone right now? Out there with some vendetta?" Jack's voice was now steady, calculated.
Vaughn breathed in again, less labored this time; though he wasn't enjoying this little game. "It's none of you business Jack, and it's none of mine. Sydney's a big girl. The last thing she needs right now is both of us charging in to rescue her." Vaughn said, his tone becoming more and more calculated.
"Fine, but I should warn you. She's in over her head. Sydney thinks she knows everything. She thinks that she is doing what is right." He paused in a sort of moment of truth. "She's wrong. I'm not saying that I wasn't wrong. But she should be better informed before racing off to..." Jack trailed off, not wanting to reveal any more.
"To do what Jack?" Vaughn prompted.
"I'll explain later." With that Jack hung up the phone.
..................................................................
The message had been urgent. He hated it when he was forced away from his project for some work related issue. Omnifam was no longer of any use to him. He found Nadia, she was with him, he didn't need anything more. He called his secretary immediately, furious at the interruption. If the message had been from anyone else he would have ignored it. But it wasn't often that Julia Thorne requested to meet with him.
The car moved slowly through the traffic on Zurich's streets. The flight hadn't taken long, but he was still exhausted. He was getting too old for this, he decided; but what choice did he have? He watched as the rain soaked streets crowded with people and cars, moved like a sort of orchestrated chaos; Everything moving with some insignificant purpose, but purpose nonetheless.
The car stopped in front of the large building he'd called home for the last two years, and he quickly ran up the stairs and inside, leaving the world of chaos behind him. The place he entered was one of complete order. Not a chair, nor spec of dust out of place. The pictures hung with perfection, the carpets meticulously cleaned. He'd kept it spotless since he'd moved in. Had there been someone to share the space with, it would have been different. But it was just him, and he craved order.
She was waiting in the family room. A space he'd rarely entered throughout his inhabitance in the house. He'd told the housekeeper to put her there, he thought she'd like it best. It had a certain hominess that he'd always associated with her.
"Hello Sydney," He said as he rounded the corner into the room. She hadn't seen him yet, but stood looking out one of the grandiose widows onto the street below. He wondered for a short moment, if she noticed what he had upon looking at the street. He wondered if she could see the difference between the chaos and the order.
"I wonder how you did it." She said softly, not taking her eyes from the glass. He recognized her tone immediately, her game face was on. "You never had me fooled. My father maybe; the US Government, for sure. But the fact that you had even one person believe you, it just seems ridiculous." She began to turn after she finished speaking, a slight smile on her face.
Sloane sat on the sofa and extended and arm, offering her a seat. He sat contemplating for a moment before speaking. Sydney moved to sit across from him.
"You didn't come all this way to talk about the past Sydney." He smiled warmly.
"Actually I did." She said, letting her poker face falter in emotion. "I came to talk about my sister." She said calmly, resuming composure.
"I see." Sloane nodded, watching her intently. "Nadia has spoken very highly of you." He smiled again, this time with a sort of fatherly pride.
"She would have been safe in LA with me. I have to assume that you have some unfinished business with her. Taking her from a CIA safe house was a risky move." Sydney said, leaning back against the sofa.
"Oh I didn't take her Sydney. She broke out on her own." Sloane smiled pridefully again. "And yes, we have some unfinished business to attend to." His smile changed with his words. It was a smirk she recognized immediately. It was the way he always looked when talking about his Rambaldi obsession.
"I hope, for you sake, it doesn't involve injecting her with more poisons, or forcing her to do things against her will." Sydney said, hinting at her true objective.
Sloane picked up on her emotion, but didn't let on. "Sydney, you must believe that I would never do anything to hurt my own daughter." Sloane said innocently. "Nadia is fine, and she is willingly participating. I can't tell you how happy it makes me that you feel so strongly for her. I know she feels the same for you." He smiled, turning as the housekeeper brought a tray of tea into the room. Both paused until she left the room. "Now tell me Sydney. I know you didn't come here to talk about me, or even Nadia."
"I want to know the truth about what happened to me during those two years, and you no longer need to lie, to pretend that you are loyal to the US Government. I want to know what was done to me, and why." She demanded, letting her emotions show outright.
"Sydney, I don't," He started before being cut off.
"Please don't lie to me." She blurted out. "I've had enough lies, and enough deception. I only want the truth. You owe it to me." She said firmly.
"Sydney," he said before pausing. "The truth is, that I don't know all the details of your capture by The Covenant."
"Don't lie to me." Sydney said enraged.
"I'm not Sydney. There is no use in denying anymore that I am the creator of The Covenant. But Sydney, you have to understand, that I was not the direct Head of it. I was under strict scrutiny by the CIA and NSA, there is no way that I could run the day to day operations." Sloane said calmly.
Sydney watched him closely, not wanted to believe a word he said.
"Bomani was the acting Head. He hired many of his own people and took many liberties that I would not have necessarily allowed if I had been able to control him. But I wasn't, and I had to maintain my cover. Finding Nadia was the top priority." Sloane admitted slowly.
"And Me?" Sydney demanded again.
Sloane sighed, as if trying to decide what to say. "You were, well one of the liberties that Bomani took, without my permission." Sloane stated with a hint of regret.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" She yelled.
"It means Sydney, that I never intended for you to be tortured or reprogrammed as you were." Sloane said, averting his eyes from hers. "That was one of Bomani, or his team's ideas. They saw you as an asset."
"Like hell, they used me just the way you did at SD-6." Sydney spat unable to look at him. "They used me for your purposes, for your obsession with Rambaldi and his prophesies." Sydney leaped off the sofa and stood looming above him, as if ready to strike. "Don't pretend like you were above it all. It happened because of you."
"Sydney," Sloane breathed, looking up at her. "I don't deny the reason that you were needed, why we took you. But you must know how dearly I regret what was done to you." Sloane half pleaded. He sighed looking up at her. "Let me show you something."