Sydney stood staring at all the people she had rounded up. It was amazing the people who had come out of the woodwork when she told them she needed help. Taking a deep breath, she started her explanation. "I think all of you know that I called you here because I'm in desperate need of your help. Most of you won't like the full reason why. I did a favor for Vaughn a few weeks ago that saved the one person he cares about the most, but in doing so, I lost the one person I care about the most. Sark."
The grinding jaws and not so pleasant looks that she had expected popped up on most of the faces staring at her. "Listen. I know that you probably won't understand it. But this is who I am. This is who I've become. In the beginning, I tried as hard as I could to change it. I knew that it was crazy and that none of you would understand what had changed. More recently, I've tried to hide it from all of you. I thought it would be easier that way. But I can't hide it anymore. I can't hide away the only feelings in my life I know are real."
She took a deep breath and continued. "I'm not a child that you have to look out for all the time. I'm stronger than a lot of you give me credit for. But there's one thing I know. The man you all hate is one thing that gives me this strength. I know most of you don't understand how I can love a man you only see as a monster. To be blunt, I don't care about your feelings right now. I just want to get him back."
"What makes you so sure he's alive, Syd?" Marshall asked hesitantly.
"I received a tape in the mail from Eric and Stephanie. They wanted to let me know that Sark didn't die in the explosion at the hotel, but they personally killed him since he didn't seem useful."
"And this told you he was alive how?" asked Will.
"Because they were so damned determined to make me believe he was dead." Sydney stopped for a second to push back the tears that were forming in her eyes once more. "Listen. Sark is made of the same material I am. It's not easy for either one of us to just accept death. Yes, the Covenant may have killed him, but he would have put up one hell of a fight. A fight that wouldn't have flown under the radar."
"So because we didn't pick up any weird action at the CIA, you think he's alive?" Vaughn asked.
Sydney turned to look at him. "Yes. That and my gut feeling is all I have to go on." She scanned the rest of the faces in the room. "If any of you don't like it, then feel free to leave. I would appreciate your help, but I don't need it. I can do this on my own if I have to." She turned to point at Vaughn. "Except for you, Michael. You owe me more than anyone ever has. You aren't getting out of this one."
Vaughn nodded with a smile. He knew there was no way he could leave Sydney on her own to do this mission. As self-sufficient as she tried to be, she was wrong. She needed each and every one of them. The rest of the people seated in the room nodded, too.
"Great," Sydney said with a small smile. "Marshall, did you bring what I asked you to?"
Marshall rummaged through his bag and pulled out a disk. "Here it is, Syd. And you're welcome for taking a risk that could get me fired and effectively ruin my whole life, thank you very much."
"Thank you, Marshall." She turned to the group. "On this disk are the top three main sights of Covenant activity that the CIA knows of. If they have Sark and he's alive, there's a good chance he'd be at one of these facilities."
"And why is that?" Amy Tippin asked as she chewed on the pen she had been holding.
"Because he's a fairly recognizable face and a tough man to keep behind bars. They would try to keep him in the most secure, most escape-proof place they have."
"We managed to hold him for two years without problem," Vaughn mumbled.
"I heard that." She pointed her finger at Vaughn. "And let me just tell you that there were reasons why you were able to do that. Reasons you don't know, but back to my point. If we're going to do this right, we need to go in hard and go in fast."
"Are you suggesting a raid on all three facilities at the same time?" Irina asked.
"Yes. Yes, I am. We have the manpower, so why not?"
"Where's the first facility?" Jack asked.
"Venice. And that's the one you and Mom are going to be going to. All I need you to do when you're there is hack into the system and see if there's any mention of Sark. Then, go down to their detaining cells that are on the second sub-basement level. The Venice facility has pretty lax security so you two should be able to handle it on your own.
Sydney turned to where Amy was sitting on the couch. "You, on the other hand, are going to have a slight problem. You, too, Anna."
"I love a challenge," Anna said with a smirk.
"You two are going to Tokyo. The Covenant's main stronghold is situated in the Tokyo Building of NTT Do Co Mo in the heart of the city. I'm sure that you two girls can find some record of Sark and whether or not he's still alive. The security is going to be hard to crack. Which is why I want Will and Marshall to help you out."
"What can Will bring to this mission?" Amy asked, slightly teasing her brother.
"I resent that!" Will cried.
"Actually, your brother will be extremely helpful. He's familiar with the facility because he did an intelligence report on it back when I was still an active agent. He knows floor plans and the basic security measures. Anything else, Marshall should be able to talk you through."
"Where are you going?" Amy asked.
"Seattle with Vaughn and Lauren. I think this is the most likely place Sark might be so it's pretty much the most dangerous one and the one I most want to be at. I need both of you guys there because you're field trained so if I get hurt or caught, you can still get Sark out of there if we find him."
"That's a little fatalistic of you, Sydney," Lauren said.
"I can't help that. Sark's worn off on me the past few years." She took a deep breath. "Listen. I know that most of you don't approve of my choice in men. I can't do anything to change that. But you all love either him or me. That's the reason you dropped everything to help me. And I just want to thank you ahead of time."
Sydney stood up and motioned for people to follow her. Turning around as they were walking, she winked at them and said, "Wait until you see the weapons room. Sark and I might have gotten out of the spy life, but we definitely saved a few of our favorite things."
Vaughn reached over and grabbed Sydney's hand from across the airplane aisle. The look on her face spoke miles for what she was feeling. "It's going to be all right," he whispered with a sincere smile in her direction.
"That's what I keep telling myself," she responded, "but even I can see through the blatant optimism in that statement. There is a good chance that Eric and Stephanie were telling the truth. He might actually be.. I mean, it's possible he… he could have…"
"You don't have to say it, Syd, because it's not true," Vaughn said with determination. "There's no way they would kill Sark if what you said was true, if you truly are their end target. He's a valuable asset."
"The funny thing is that statement was actually reassuring." She pulled her hand out of his as the stewardess walked down the aisle.
"Listen, Syd. I'm sorry for doing what I did in Miami. I wasn't thinking rationally."
"You were thinking about your son. I probably would have done the same thing in that situation. Parents never have clear heads when their children are involved."
"You letting me off easy."
"I know. Life's too short and chaotic to let things keep us apart again. You're my friend now, and I always want that to be true." She smiled at him. "Now tell me. Should I be so happy that my enemies can use Sark against me so effectively?"
"If it means that he stays alive, I think you're entitled to a little appreciation of that fact."
"You always were good at the whole pep talk thing."
"Some things never change." He smiled at her and returned to his book. The flight to Seattle wasn't that long. So hopefully she wouldn't need another pep talk before they touched down.
After a few moments of silence and peaceful reading, Sydney's voice interrupted his conversation. "Why don't I switch seats with Lauren so you can have some time with your wife? You shouldn't have to spend the whole flight making sure I don't spiral into a full-on nervous breakdown."
Vaughn laughed. She had always been an extremely perceptive girl, and he hadn't been so sly when he insisted that Lauren take the seat at the back of the plane, leaving him and Sydney the two seats near the front. "If you think you'll be all right by yourself, fine. Otherwise, you're not moving an inch."
"I will be. And I promise if I start slipping again, I'll come tell you." She smiled at him as she got up out of her seat. The plane was one of the larger ones. Plus, it seemed like everyone on board had to get up to use the bathroom. It took her at least five minutes just to reach Lauren's seat.
"Hi," Lauren said, looking up from the files she was working on. "Is something wrong?"
"Nothing at all. I'm switching seats with you."
"Again, is something wrong?"
"No. I just wanted to give your husband a break. He was starting to revert back to the old pep-taker I knew and loved." Sydney winced inside as the l-word came out of her mouth. She had been avoiding the whole issue of her past with Vaughn whenever she talked with Lauren. Except it seemed like she kept unintentionally bringing it up.
Lauren smiled at her as she began to pack up her work. "It's one of his best qualities, don't you think?"
"It's something special," she said with a smile.
"Listen, Sydney," Lauren said without looking up from her packing. "I want you to know that you don't have to dance around the subject of what you and Michael had. I know in the back of my head that if you hadn't disappeared for two years, we all probably would have been in a different place right now. But you did." She looked up to see Sydney staring at her with a slightly shocked look on her face. "I'm sorry if that came out harsh."
"Just a little unexpected," Sydney managed to spit out.
"I was just saying that it seems like we're all happy since you disappeared. That came out so wrong."
"I think I understand what you're getting at. You and Michael are happy with Tyler. And I'm pretty much on cloud nine with Sark. Or at least I was up until a few days ago."
"We'll get him back. I promise." Lauren stood up and gave Sydney her seat. "Listen. I know you probably blame Michael and I for what happened. And I'm sorry for putting you in that position."
"I'll admit that there is a little blame there. But knowing what would have happened, I still wouldn't have been able to just let your son stay kidnapped."
"And that's what makes you a good person, Sydney Bristow. That's why everything is going to turn out just fine." Lauren gave her one last smile before walking to the front of the airplane.
"Looks like some of your husband's talent rubbed off on you," Sydney said to herself. Sighing, she sat back in her chair and tried to take her mind off the mission at hand.
The high-tech area of Seattle was booming as Sydney and Vaughn walked into the main building of BioChem, International. According to Marshall's intel, this was the medical division of the Covenant and also an incredibly likely place to find information that could further Sydney's objective.
The two of them were posing as federal inspectors sent in to make sure that the facility was up to safety code expectations. It was the perfect alias to get them in the front door, which was all they really needed.
Sydney flashed the badge that Marshall had provided her to get past the front security desk and walked through the corridors like she owned the building.
"You still have it," Vaughn whispered in her ear.
"What?" she asked as she took a right into an empty hallway.
"That spy strut. You always used to walk differently when you went on missions. You still do it."
She smiled at him and pulled him into a room on their left. "You log onto that computer. I'll take the one over here. Anything suspicious, save it to disk. Do not touch or alter anything. We don't want the Covenant knowing that we're investigating their claim."
"This isn't my first mission, Sydney," he joked, sitting down at the computer she pointed out.
"I know. We just have to do this right. No screw-ups."
"I promise. I'll be careful."
She nodded and sat down at the other computer to begin sifting through files. After twenty minutes, she hadn't really come up with anything. She reached up to her earpiece and turned it on. "Any sign of trouble, Lauren?"
"Nothing, Sydney. The coast is clear. Have you found anything?"
"Not a thing. But I know there is something we can use, either in my search for Sark or at the very least in figuring out what they intend using your son for."
Vaughn looked up from his screen. "I thought you said that his whole kidnapping was about getting to you."
Sydney didn't look up for where she was typing, but she did respond to his comment. "I think it was. But I also have a nagging suspicion that the Covenant also wants your son. He wasn't that important to them now, which might have been why they were so willing to let him go in exchange for Sark. I think they'll try to capture him again someday, though."
"Good to know. As if our life wasn't complicated enough," Lauren muttered. "I'll talk to you guys in another twenty minutes."
Sydney reached up and clicked off the earpiece. Her eyes caught on something that was flashing on her screen. "Vaughn."
"What's the matter, Sydney?"
"I have good news for you."
"What?"
"You are Tyler's father."
Vaughn threw back his chair and raced over to Sydney's side. "What did you find?"
"There's a folder on your son embedded into the hard drive. I'm copying it to disk. But it seems like the CIA was right. The Covenant combined your DNA and Emma Wallace's to create your son. And it looks like they do have interest in acquiring him."
Vaughn nodded and pointed to the screen. "What's that?"
Sydney looked at a flashing link. She clicked on it and a huge 'Denied Access' box popped up. "It's times like these I'm glad I got Marshall to teach me a few tricks." She kept up a continuous line of typing until one minute later the screen was flashing 'Access Granted'. "Now let's see what was so important they needed to put it under extra security."
Both agents scanned through the document quickly.
"Does that say what I think it does?" Vaughn asked, looking down at Sydney.
She looked up at him with worry in her eyes. "Weiss isn't the only person working for the Covenant. Someone we're working with is also on their payroll. We have another mole."
The grinding jaws and not so pleasant looks that she had expected popped up on most of the faces staring at her. "Listen. I know that you probably won't understand it. But this is who I am. This is who I've become. In the beginning, I tried as hard as I could to change it. I knew that it was crazy and that none of you would understand what had changed. More recently, I've tried to hide it from all of you. I thought it would be easier that way. But I can't hide it anymore. I can't hide away the only feelings in my life I know are real."
She took a deep breath and continued. "I'm not a child that you have to look out for all the time. I'm stronger than a lot of you give me credit for. But there's one thing I know. The man you all hate is one thing that gives me this strength. I know most of you don't understand how I can love a man you only see as a monster. To be blunt, I don't care about your feelings right now. I just want to get him back."
"What makes you so sure he's alive, Syd?" Marshall asked hesitantly.
"I received a tape in the mail from Eric and Stephanie. They wanted to let me know that Sark didn't die in the explosion at the hotel, but they personally killed him since he didn't seem useful."
"And this told you he was alive how?" asked Will.
"Because they were so damned determined to make me believe he was dead." Sydney stopped for a second to push back the tears that were forming in her eyes once more. "Listen. Sark is made of the same material I am. It's not easy for either one of us to just accept death. Yes, the Covenant may have killed him, but he would have put up one hell of a fight. A fight that wouldn't have flown under the radar."
"So because we didn't pick up any weird action at the CIA, you think he's alive?" Vaughn asked.
Sydney turned to look at him. "Yes. That and my gut feeling is all I have to go on." She scanned the rest of the faces in the room. "If any of you don't like it, then feel free to leave. I would appreciate your help, but I don't need it. I can do this on my own if I have to." She turned to point at Vaughn. "Except for you, Michael. You owe me more than anyone ever has. You aren't getting out of this one."
Vaughn nodded with a smile. He knew there was no way he could leave Sydney on her own to do this mission. As self-sufficient as she tried to be, she was wrong. She needed each and every one of them. The rest of the people seated in the room nodded, too.
"Great," Sydney said with a small smile. "Marshall, did you bring what I asked you to?"
Marshall rummaged through his bag and pulled out a disk. "Here it is, Syd. And you're welcome for taking a risk that could get me fired and effectively ruin my whole life, thank you very much."
"Thank you, Marshall." She turned to the group. "On this disk are the top three main sights of Covenant activity that the CIA knows of. If they have Sark and he's alive, there's a good chance he'd be at one of these facilities."
"And why is that?" Amy Tippin asked as she chewed on the pen she had been holding.
"Because he's a fairly recognizable face and a tough man to keep behind bars. They would try to keep him in the most secure, most escape-proof place they have."
"We managed to hold him for two years without problem," Vaughn mumbled.
"I heard that." She pointed her finger at Vaughn. "And let me just tell you that there were reasons why you were able to do that. Reasons you don't know, but back to my point. If we're going to do this right, we need to go in hard and go in fast."
"Are you suggesting a raid on all three facilities at the same time?" Irina asked.
"Yes. Yes, I am. We have the manpower, so why not?"
"Where's the first facility?" Jack asked.
"Venice. And that's the one you and Mom are going to be going to. All I need you to do when you're there is hack into the system and see if there's any mention of Sark. Then, go down to their detaining cells that are on the second sub-basement level. The Venice facility has pretty lax security so you two should be able to handle it on your own.
Sydney turned to where Amy was sitting on the couch. "You, on the other hand, are going to have a slight problem. You, too, Anna."
"I love a challenge," Anna said with a smirk.
"You two are going to Tokyo. The Covenant's main stronghold is situated in the Tokyo Building of NTT Do Co Mo in the heart of the city. I'm sure that you two girls can find some record of Sark and whether or not he's still alive. The security is going to be hard to crack. Which is why I want Will and Marshall to help you out."
"What can Will bring to this mission?" Amy asked, slightly teasing her brother.
"I resent that!" Will cried.
"Actually, your brother will be extremely helpful. He's familiar with the facility because he did an intelligence report on it back when I was still an active agent. He knows floor plans and the basic security measures. Anything else, Marshall should be able to talk you through."
"Where are you going?" Amy asked.
"Seattle with Vaughn and Lauren. I think this is the most likely place Sark might be so it's pretty much the most dangerous one and the one I most want to be at. I need both of you guys there because you're field trained so if I get hurt or caught, you can still get Sark out of there if we find him."
"That's a little fatalistic of you, Sydney," Lauren said.
"I can't help that. Sark's worn off on me the past few years." She took a deep breath. "Listen. I know that most of you don't approve of my choice in men. I can't do anything to change that. But you all love either him or me. That's the reason you dropped everything to help me. And I just want to thank you ahead of time."
Sydney stood up and motioned for people to follow her. Turning around as they were walking, she winked at them and said, "Wait until you see the weapons room. Sark and I might have gotten out of the spy life, but we definitely saved a few of our favorite things."
Vaughn reached over and grabbed Sydney's hand from across the airplane aisle. The look on her face spoke miles for what she was feeling. "It's going to be all right," he whispered with a sincere smile in her direction.
"That's what I keep telling myself," she responded, "but even I can see through the blatant optimism in that statement. There is a good chance that Eric and Stephanie were telling the truth. He might actually be.. I mean, it's possible he… he could have…"
"You don't have to say it, Syd, because it's not true," Vaughn said with determination. "There's no way they would kill Sark if what you said was true, if you truly are their end target. He's a valuable asset."
"The funny thing is that statement was actually reassuring." She pulled her hand out of his as the stewardess walked down the aisle.
"Listen, Syd. I'm sorry for doing what I did in Miami. I wasn't thinking rationally."
"You were thinking about your son. I probably would have done the same thing in that situation. Parents never have clear heads when their children are involved."
"You letting me off easy."
"I know. Life's too short and chaotic to let things keep us apart again. You're my friend now, and I always want that to be true." She smiled at him. "Now tell me. Should I be so happy that my enemies can use Sark against me so effectively?"
"If it means that he stays alive, I think you're entitled to a little appreciation of that fact."
"You always were good at the whole pep talk thing."
"Some things never change." He smiled at her and returned to his book. The flight to Seattle wasn't that long. So hopefully she wouldn't need another pep talk before they touched down.
After a few moments of silence and peaceful reading, Sydney's voice interrupted his conversation. "Why don't I switch seats with Lauren so you can have some time with your wife? You shouldn't have to spend the whole flight making sure I don't spiral into a full-on nervous breakdown."
Vaughn laughed. She had always been an extremely perceptive girl, and he hadn't been so sly when he insisted that Lauren take the seat at the back of the plane, leaving him and Sydney the two seats near the front. "If you think you'll be all right by yourself, fine. Otherwise, you're not moving an inch."
"I will be. And I promise if I start slipping again, I'll come tell you." She smiled at him as she got up out of her seat. The plane was one of the larger ones. Plus, it seemed like everyone on board had to get up to use the bathroom. It took her at least five minutes just to reach Lauren's seat.
"Hi," Lauren said, looking up from the files she was working on. "Is something wrong?"
"Nothing at all. I'm switching seats with you."
"Again, is something wrong?"
"No. I just wanted to give your husband a break. He was starting to revert back to the old pep-taker I knew and loved." Sydney winced inside as the l-word came out of her mouth. She had been avoiding the whole issue of her past with Vaughn whenever she talked with Lauren. Except it seemed like she kept unintentionally bringing it up.
Lauren smiled at her as she began to pack up her work. "It's one of his best qualities, don't you think?"
"It's something special," she said with a smile.
"Listen, Sydney," Lauren said without looking up from her packing. "I want you to know that you don't have to dance around the subject of what you and Michael had. I know in the back of my head that if you hadn't disappeared for two years, we all probably would have been in a different place right now. But you did." She looked up to see Sydney staring at her with a slightly shocked look on her face. "I'm sorry if that came out harsh."
"Just a little unexpected," Sydney managed to spit out.
"I was just saying that it seems like we're all happy since you disappeared. That came out so wrong."
"I think I understand what you're getting at. You and Michael are happy with Tyler. And I'm pretty much on cloud nine with Sark. Or at least I was up until a few days ago."
"We'll get him back. I promise." Lauren stood up and gave Sydney her seat. "Listen. I know you probably blame Michael and I for what happened. And I'm sorry for putting you in that position."
"I'll admit that there is a little blame there. But knowing what would have happened, I still wouldn't have been able to just let your son stay kidnapped."
"And that's what makes you a good person, Sydney Bristow. That's why everything is going to turn out just fine." Lauren gave her one last smile before walking to the front of the airplane.
"Looks like some of your husband's talent rubbed off on you," Sydney said to herself. Sighing, she sat back in her chair and tried to take her mind off the mission at hand.
The high-tech area of Seattle was booming as Sydney and Vaughn walked into the main building of BioChem, International. According to Marshall's intel, this was the medical division of the Covenant and also an incredibly likely place to find information that could further Sydney's objective.
The two of them were posing as federal inspectors sent in to make sure that the facility was up to safety code expectations. It was the perfect alias to get them in the front door, which was all they really needed.
Sydney flashed the badge that Marshall had provided her to get past the front security desk and walked through the corridors like she owned the building.
"You still have it," Vaughn whispered in her ear.
"What?" she asked as she took a right into an empty hallway.
"That spy strut. You always used to walk differently when you went on missions. You still do it."
She smiled at him and pulled him into a room on their left. "You log onto that computer. I'll take the one over here. Anything suspicious, save it to disk. Do not touch or alter anything. We don't want the Covenant knowing that we're investigating their claim."
"This isn't my first mission, Sydney," he joked, sitting down at the computer she pointed out.
"I know. We just have to do this right. No screw-ups."
"I promise. I'll be careful."
She nodded and sat down at the other computer to begin sifting through files. After twenty minutes, she hadn't really come up with anything. She reached up to her earpiece and turned it on. "Any sign of trouble, Lauren?"
"Nothing, Sydney. The coast is clear. Have you found anything?"
"Not a thing. But I know there is something we can use, either in my search for Sark or at the very least in figuring out what they intend using your son for."
Vaughn looked up from his screen. "I thought you said that his whole kidnapping was about getting to you."
Sydney didn't look up for where she was typing, but she did respond to his comment. "I think it was. But I also have a nagging suspicion that the Covenant also wants your son. He wasn't that important to them now, which might have been why they were so willing to let him go in exchange for Sark. I think they'll try to capture him again someday, though."
"Good to know. As if our life wasn't complicated enough," Lauren muttered. "I'll talk to you guys in another twenty minutes."
Sydney reached up and clicked off the earpiece. Her eyes caught on something that was flashing on her screen. "Vaughn."
"What's the matter, Sydney?"
"I have good news for you."
"What?"
"You are Tyler's father."
Vaughn threw back his chair and raced over to Sydney's side. "What did you find?"
"There's a folder on your son embedded into the hard drive. I'm copying it to disk. But it seems like the CIA was right. The Covenant combined your DNA and Emma Wallace's to create your son. And it looks like they do have interest in acquiring him."
Vaughn nodded and pointed to the screen. "What's that?"
Sydney looked at a flashing link. She clicked on it and a huge 'Denied Access' box popped up. "It's times like these I'm glad I got Marshall to teach me a few tricks." She kept up a continuous line of typing until one minute later the screen was flashing 'Access Granted'. "Now let's see what was so important they needed to put it under extra security."
Both agents scanned through the document quickly.
"Does that say what I think it does?" Vaughn asked, looking down at Sydney.
She looked up at him with worry in her eyes. "Weiss isn't the only person working for the Covenant. Someone we're working with is also on their payroll. We have another mole."