Chap. 3- Back to Work
The bright sunshine sneaked in through a small opening in the middle of the heavy curtains. Sydney smiled as she turned to it, allowing it to warm her face. She didn't believe in alarm clocks and since she didn't own any roosters to wake her up, she would have to compensate.
She looked to her left, and Scott was sleeping soundly. She quietly got out of bed and walked into the bathroom. Sydney brushed her teeth and washed her face, finally pulling her hair into a ponytail. Opening the door to her walk-in-closet, she pulled out some clothes for jogging and headed downstairs for a quick piece of toast and a glass of orange juice for a short fix of energy.
She pulled open the mahogany doors and when she was locking it shut, she noticed that the couple that the realtor had mentioned had moved in. Last night, on the way home she had spotted a park two miles away from her house complete with dog walks, benches, swings, picnic tables, the community pool, tennis courts, and basketball courts.
She calculated that she could get there in an hour at a slow pace, rest and get some water for half an hour, and then at a fast paced run arrive home in a half an hour, right when Scott was about to wake up, take a shower, cook him breakfast, and then head off to her first day of work since arriving in L.A.
When she arrived at the park, she was disappointed not to see any children around, but, then again at five in the morning, she didn't really expect to see any. In fact, the place was empty, except there was a solitary figure sitting at the opposite side of the park. When she got up to get a quick drink of water before heading home, she could see it was a man and even with her training skills, Sydney didn't feel comfortable walking near him and she wasn't feeling especially chatty.
When she arrived home, she took of her shoes in the entryway, and started off for the staircase, but she heard some clatter in the kitchen. On her guard, Sydney walked silently across all surfaces and peered into the kitchen. She let her guard down and sighed with relief. It was only Scott.
"Hey, you."
"Hey." He answered her, dipping some toast into the batter and dropping it onto the hot skillet. "How was your jog?"
"Good. Did I wake you up?"
"No. I decided to make you some French toast."
"Mm...Thanks." Sydney said taking a bite out of her French toast and nodding her head in appreciation.
"So, are you excited for your first day?" Scott asked grinning. Sydney laughed,
"It feels like I'm starting school after a great summer."
He nodded, and continued to make their breakfast. Sydney looked at him and smiled at the thought of his expression when she told him that she worked for the CIA. He, like all other people, was shocked, but recovered quickly and it hasn't yet been a problem in their marriage, even with the frequent trips and missions.
It even became a running joke between them that if he cheated on her while she was away; she could definitely kick his ass. Scott's beeper interrupted her thoughts, and he looked at it, and then at her, something she had so often done to Francie and Will.
"Sorry babe, I gotta run."
"It's okay. I'm leaving for work after I shower anyways."
Scott looked at her guiltily and then ran upstairs to change, while Sydney packed him some pieces of French toast, grabbed his car keys, beeper, and cell phone, arranging them into a pile. She knew the drill.
He ran downstairs, grabbed the pile, and gave her a quick kiss on the lips before rushing out the door to head for the hospital.
After showering, and changing into her work clothes, she got into the new car that Scott had given her for her birthday a couple of months ago. Walking into the agency, she looked around and headed for Kendall's office.
"Sydney." Kendall acknowledged, motioning for her to come in. She sat down in one of the chairs and looked at him expectantly. "Welcome back to California."
"Thank you." She said stiffly.
"I want to continue you as a field agent because I know your capabilities and have heard praises about you from Langley, but..." He paused.
"But..." Sydney prompted.
"But," He continued, "mostly all of your missions will have Agent Vaughn involved, and he will most likely be the one talking your through your missions. I hope that the..." he wavered, looking for the right word, "tension, of any kind, has been dealt with."
Sydney's face hardened and she knew that he was referring to sexual tension and that he was basing this on the videotape that had...exposed, them as a couple seven years ago.
"Not that it is any of your business, but Agent Vaughn and I have no tension of any kind, I would kindly like to remind you that he and I are both professional people and this will not affect my abilities or judgment in the field. We are both married people, Mr. Kendall; I am hoping you do not suggest that we are unfaithful or anything of that nature." She said tersely.
Kendall cleared his throat and nodded.
"You are dismissed. See your father about your work space and updates." Sydney got up from her chair and walked out of Kendall's office, leaving him sitting behind his desk and rubbing his face. He had forgotten how stubborn and vicious she was with her words.
After seeing her father and receiving updates, she was shown to her desk space by his secretary. It was the same one that she had had. Soon, she was lost in the paperwork that they had given her, not noticing that her father's secretary approaching her. Even in her immersed state, Sydney heard the light footstep and turned around right when the secretary was about to tap her shoulder.
The secretary, taken aback, awkwardly drew back her hand.
"Excuse me, but your presence is requested in the meeting room in five minutes."
"Thank you." Sydney said, getting up and smoothing down her skirt.
She walked slowly to the meeting room and sat down, waiting for everybody else to file in. Because of the order that everyone had walked in, Vaughn, coincidentally or not, ended up sitting across from her.
She shifted in her seat and Vaughn suddenly noticed where he was sitting, but Kendall had obviously talked to Vaughn too because when he saw him observing the two of them, he suddenly leaned back into his chair and by the look of deep concentration on the screen in front of him, she knew that he was determined not to let the seating arrangements bother him. Sydney crossed her legs and looked around the room, seeing three unfamiliar faces.
Kendall and her father walked into the room and Kendall took his position by the large screen as Jack sat in his usual spot. Their mission was to infiltrate a biogenetics lab in Austria that was hidden beneath a pipe manufacturing company, install a virus into their computers that would wipe out the hard drive and finally, for their most delicate task of all, bring back a baby that was kidnapped from its parents and used for genetic testing.
They explained that this particular baby had the right hair color, eye color, body weight, height, width, heart size, and lung size, everything that the lab needed to successfully complete their research.
"What are they researching?" Sydney asked.
"We're not sure yet, but we think that they're trying to create a new virus that they would spread if they were attacked," Jack explained, "A new disease for biological warfare."
"Have they completed the research?" an unfamiliar person to Sydney asked.
"No." Kendall answered, "We found out about this early through one of our sources and we hope that if we get the child back, there will be no other child with the exact measurements."
"And the computer virus?" another asked.
"For precaution," Vaughn answered, "the research itself is so extensive and complicated that if we delete it, there is a large possibility that they won't be able to recreate everything that they've completed."
"Marshall." Kendall said, signaling him to present.
"Ok, well...first of all, I would like to welcome Sydney back because well...she's a really good agent, well...I'm not saying you all aren't, it's just that..."
"Marshall!" Kendall barked.
Marshall was forced to stop, but waved at Sydney who waved back.
"Alright, the virus that you are going to install into their computers is on this floppy disk." Marshall said, holding it up. "You just have to pop it into the A drive, which is the one with the button that pops out, for those that who don't know it, but hey, computers are such a modern convenience these days that who, wouldn't know where the A drive is, right?" He asked, looking around.
"Continue please," Kendall said dryly.
"Right. Ok. Oh! By the way, I call this virus Chomper because it basically eats all the information and you can even retrieve the information from Chomper later on, by making him throw up I guess. Well...I don't know if it's a him, I'm just assuming you know. It's really easy, really it is, all you have to do is put the disk into the A drive, and a bar will pop up and you press 'ok.' Once you do that, um, it will start making chomping noises, I did that for a little effect, and I thought it's kind of cool since its name is Chomper and all...."
"Marshall! Back to the instructions please."
"Sure sure. So after a while the chomping noises will go away because I found it got annoying after fifty two seconds, but it's a very fast acting bug so after precisely eight seconds after which in total equals a minute, it should be installed and um, I took the liberty to hack into their database and I saw that they're all linked by connection so once you install it into, uh, one computer Chomper will chomp his way through every hard drive in the lab." Marshall said, ending it with a laugh at his own brilliance.
He started to sit back down, but hopped up again.
"Oh, I almost forgot, but, since I know that babies are very fussy since, well...I was once a baby myself. Not that I could remember myself being fussy, since your memory doesn't function until age..."
"Marshall! Please..."
"Sorry. But well...I constructed this," Marshall said holding up a pacifier. "I know that everyone is thinking 'That Marshall, it's just a pacifier.' But..." He said pausing for dramatic effect, "I have infused the rubber part of the pacifier that the baby sucks on," he said pointing to it, "with a drug that will knock him...or her...I'm just assuming again, out if he...or she...is being loud which will obviously attract attention. Oh, and it's all baby-safe and everything so I won't, like, say, kill the baby or give it brain damage..."
"Thank you, Marshall." Kendall said standing up and cutting him off. "Agent Chaplin, Agent Lee, and Agent Jamison."
He said pointing the three new agents out to Sydney, "This is Agent..." Kendall said looking at her, aware that she was married and had changed her name.
"Voyer." Sydney offered.
"This is Agent Voyer." Kendall started again. "She is one of our best agents here and at Langley. She started out, as you three have, recruited out of college and she became a double agent for us, and was the backbone to the defeat of SD-6 and gradually the whole Alliance."
The three new agents, nodded, aware of the accomplishments and the work that she had done for the country. "Agent Voyer," Kendall continued, "will complete and lead the team going to Austria. No questions? Good. You leave in three days. Get acquainted. Get packing. Do whatever you have to do. Dismissed."
Papers started to shuffle and were thrown into a folder or briefcase while the agent walked out of the conference room. Vaughn gathered his things quickly and walked to his desk and slumped into his chair.
She was married.
The bright sunshine sneaked in through a small opening in the middle of the heavy curtains. Sydney smiled as she turned to it, allowing it to warm her face. She didn't believe in alarm clocks and since she didn't own any roosters to wake her up, she would have to compensate.
She looked to her left, and Scott was sleeping soundly. She quietly got out of bed and walked into the bathroom. Sydney brushed her teeth and washed her face, finally pulling her hair into a ponytail. Opening the door to her walk-in-closet, she pulled out some clothes for jogging and headed downstairs for a quick piece of toast and a glass of orange juice for a short fix of energy.
She pulled open the mahogany doors and when she was locking it shut, she noticed that the couple that the realtor had mentioned had moved in. Last night, on the way home she had spotted a park two miles away from her house complete with dog walks, benches, swings, picnic tables, the community pool, tennis courts, and basketball courts.
She calculated that she could get there in an hour at a slow pace, rest and get some water for half an hour, and then at a fast paced run arrive home in a half an hour, right when Scott was about to wake up, take a shower, cook him breakfast, and then head off to her first day of work since arriving in L.A.
When she arrived at the park, she was disappointed not to see any children around, but, then again at five in the morning, she didn't really expect to see any. In fact, the place was empty, except there was a solitary figure sitting at the opposite side of the park. When she got up to get a quick drink of water before heading home, she could see it was a man and even with her training skills, Sydney didn't feel comfortable walking near him and she wasn't feeling especially chatty.
When she arrived home, she took of her shoes in the entryway, and started off for the staircase, but she heard some clatter in the kitchen. On her guard, Sydney walked silently across all surfaces and peered into the kitchen. She let her guard down and sighed with relief. It was only Scott.
"Hey, you."
"Hey." He answered her, dipping some toast into the batter and dropping it onto the hot skillet. "How was your jog?"
"Good. Did I wake you up?"
"No. I decided to make you some French toast."
"Mm...Thanks." Sydney said taking a bite out of her French toast and nodding her head in appreciation.
"So, are you excited for your first day?" Scott asked grinning. Sydney laughed,
"It feels like I'm starting school after a great summer."
He nodded, and continued to make their breakfast. Sydney looked at him and smiled at the thought of his expression when she told him that she worked for the CIA. He, like all other people, was shocked, but recovered quickly and it hasn't yet been a problem in their marriage, even with the frequent trips and missions.
It even became a running joke between them that if he cheated on her while she was away; she could definitely kick his ass. Scott's beeper interrupted her thoughts, and he looked at it, and then at her, something she had so often done to Francie and Will.
"Sorry babe, I gotta run."
"It's okay. I'm leaving for work after I shower anyways."
Scott looked at her guiltily and then ran upstairs to change, while Sydney packed him some pieces of French toast, grabbed his car keys, beeper, and cell phone, arranging them into a pile. She knew the drill.
He ran downstairs, grabbed the pile, and gave her a quick kiss on the lips before rushing out the door to head for the hospital.
After showering, and changing into her work clothes, she got into the new car that Scott had given her for her birthday a couple of months ago. Walking into the agency, she looked around and headed for Kendall's office.
"Sydney." Kendall acknowledged, motioning for her to come in. She sat down in one of the chairs and looked at him expectantly. "Welcome back to California."
"Thank you." She said stiffly.
"I want to continue you as a field agent because I know your capabilities and have heard praises about you from Langley, but..." He paused.
"But..." Sydney prompted.
"But," He continued, "mostly all of your missions will have Agent Vaughn involved, and he will most likely be the one talking your through your missions. I hope that the..." he wavered, looking for the right word, "tension, of any kind, has been dealt with."
Sydney's face hardened and she knew that he was referring to sexual tension and that he was basing this on the videotape that had...exposed, them as a couple seven years ago.
"Not that it is any of your business, but Agent Vaughn and I have no tension of any kind, I would kindly like to remind you that he and I are both professional people and this will not affect my abilities or judgment in the field. We are both married people, Mr. Kendall; I am hoping you do not suggest that we are unfaithful or anything of that nature." She said tersely.
Kendall cleared his throat and nodded.
"You are dismissed. See your father about your work space and updates." Sydney got up from her chair and walked out of Kendall's office, leaving him sitting behind his desk and rubbing his face. He had forgotten how stubborn and vicious she was with her words.
After seeing her father and receiving updates, she was shown to her desk space by his secretary. It was the same one that she had had. Soon, she was lost in the paperwork that they had given her, not noticing that her father's secretary approaching her. Even in her immersed state, Sydney heard the light footstep and turned around right when the secretary was about to tap her shoulder.
The secretary, taken aback, awkwardly drew back her hand.
"Excuse me, but your presence is requested in the meeting room in five minutes."
"Thank you." Sydney said, getting up and smoothing down her skirt.
She walked slowly to the meeting room and sat down, waiting for everybody else to file in. Because of the order that everyone had walked in, Vaughn, coincidentally or not, ended up sitting across from her.
She shifted in her seat and Vaughn suddenly noticed where he was sitting, but Kendall had obviously talked to Vaughn too because when he saw him observing the two of them, he suddenly leaned back into his chair and by the look of deep concentration on the screen in front of him, she knew that he was determined not to let the seating arrangements bother him. Sydney crossed her legs and looked around the room, seeing three unfamiliar faces.
Kendall and her father walked into the room and Kendall took his position by the large screen as Jack sat in his usual spot. Their mission was to infiltrate a biogenetics lab in Austria that was hidden beneath a pipe manufacturing company, install a virus into their computers that would wipe out the hard drive and finally, for their most delicate task of all, bring back a baby that was kidnapped from its parents and used for genetic testing.
They explained that this particular baby had the right hair color, eye color, body weight, height, width, heart size, and lung size, everything that the lab needed to successfully complete their research.
"What are they researching?" Sydney asked.
"We're not sure yet, but we think that they're trying to create a new virus that they would spread if they were attacked," Jack explained, "A new disease for biological warfare."
"Have they completed the research?" an unfamiliar person to Sydney asked.
"No." Kendall answered, "We found out about this early through one of our sources and we hope that if we get the child back, there will be no other child with the exact measurements."
"And the computer virus?" another asked.
"For precaution," Vaughn answered, "the research itself is so extensive and complicated that if we delete it, there is a large possibility that they won't be able to recreate everything that they've completed."
"Marshall." Kendall said, signaling him to present.
"Ok, well...first of all, I would like to welcome Sydney back because well...she's a really good agent, well...I'm not saying you all aren't, it's just that..."
"Marshall!" Kendall barked.
Marshall was forced to stop, but waved at Sydney who waved back.
"Alright, the virus that you are going to install into their computers is on this floppy disk." Marshall said, holding it up. "You just have to pop it into the A drive, which is the one with the button that pops out, for those that who don't know it, but hey, computers are such a modern convenience these days that who, wouldn't know where the A drive is, right?" He asked, looking around.
"Continue please," Kendall said dryly.
"Right. Ok. Oh! By the way, I call this virus Chomper because it basically eats all the information and you can even retrieve the information from Chomper later on, by making him throw up I guess. Well...I don't know if it's a him, I'm just assuming you know. It's really easy, really it is, all you have to do is put the disk into the A drive, and a bar will pop up and you press 'ok.' Once you do that, um, it will start making chomping noises, I did that for a little effect, and I thought it's kind of cool since its name is Chomper and all...."
"Marshall! Back to the instructions please."
"Sure sure. So after a while the chomping noises will go away because I found it got annoying after fifty two seconds, but it's a very fast acting bug so after precisely eight seconds after which in total equals a minute, it should be installed and um, I took the liberty to hack into their database and I saw that they're all linked by connection so once you install it into, uh, one computer Chomper will chomp his way through every hard drive in the lab." Marshall said, ending it with a laugh at his own brilliance.
He started to sit back down, but hopped up again.
"Oh, I almost forgot, but, since I know that babies are very fussy since, well...I was once a baby myself. Not that I could remember myself being fussy, since your memory doesn't function until age..."
"Marshall! Please..."
"Sorry. But well...I constructed this," Marshall said holding up a pacifier. "I know that everyone is thinking 'That Marshall, it's just a pacifier.' But..." He said pausing for dramatic effect, "I have infused the rubber part of the pacifier that the baby sucks on," he said pointing to it, "with a drug that will knock him...or her...I'm just assuming again, out if he...or she...is being loud which will obviously attract attention. Oh, and it's all baby-safe and everything so I won't, like, say, kill the baby or give it brain damage..."
"Thank you, Marshall." Kendall said standing up and cutting him off. "Agent Chaplin, Agent Lee, and Agent Jamison."
He said pointing the three new agents out to Sydney, "This is Agent..." Kendall said looking at her, aware that she was married and had changed her name.
"Voyer." Sydney offered.
"This is Agent Voyer." Kendall started again. "She is one of our best agents here and at Langley. She started out, as you three have, recruited out of college and she became a double agent for us, and was the backbone to the defeat of SD-6 and gradually the whole Alliance."
The three new agents, nodded, aware of the accomplishments and the work that she had done for the country. "Agent Voyer," Kendall continued, "will complete and lead the team going to Austria. No questions? Good. You leave in three days. Get acquainted. Get packing. Do whatever you have to do. Dismissed."
Papers started to shuffle and were thrown into a folder or briefcase while the agent walked out of the conference room. Vaughn gathered his things quickly and walked to his desk and slumped into his chair.
She was married.