Part Sixteen
LA : Syd's apartment
"Do you have any idea who it could have been?" Asked Vaughn.
Marshall shook his head, and looked down at the cut on his arm. He'd cut it on the way out of the window, the broken glass had grazed it. He winced as Syd put rubbed on antiseptic cream, and wrapped it in a bandage.
"The footage we have of the attempted kidnapping reveals nothing. We can only assume that it's Covenant..." Vaughn said, looking down at the ground. Marshall and Sydney seemed so comfortable with each other. Sydney looked up at Vaughn.
"Covenant, why would they want Marshall?"
Vaughn shrugged. He didn't have an explanation. He stood back as Syd helped Marshall stand up. He wasn't feeling that well, the sight of blood made him feel nauscious. She led him to the lounge, and aided him as he sat down. Vaughn left the apartment and headed back to the rotunda. He needed to talk with Lauren.
LA : Location Unknown
"If I want this to be done correctly, I will have to do it myself." Sark said to himself before making a call.
"Hello?" A voice answered.
"Carrie..I have heard about your concerns for the agent you betrayed. I am willing to allow you to set up a meet, but under my circumstances..." Sark began to explain, and soon, Carrie had agreed to his proposal. He hung up on her and dialled another number.
"I have arranged for a meet. I will be nearby, and I will make sure that our objective is accomplished." Sark said confidently to his associate who made no answer.
"Good. Then we shall have what we want by noon tomorrow?"
"I imagine so. I will contact you with further details." Sark said, placing the phone down on the table. He picked up a remote and pressed play. He watched the two agents fail him. The objective was simple, and yet they failed him. Sark stopped the tape and left the room, he had business to attend to.
LA : Syd's apartment
Marshall sat up and rested his head in his hands. He was still feeling a bit sick. He looked around the apartment, but couldn't see Sydney anywhere. He stood as the phone began to ring. He could hear Syd stumbling around in the bathroom.
"I'll get it," he yelled out. He picked up the phone and answered, "Hello?"
"Marshall, we need to talk..."
"Carrie?" Marshall was surprised. He never thought he'd talk to her again..."What are you, why..."
Sydney stuck her head out of the bathroom, and gave Marshall a questioning look. He covered the mouthpiece and mouthed the name of the person he was talking to. She frowned and came out from behind the door, dressed in nothing but a towel. Marshall raised his eyebrows, but his attention was brought back to the phone conversation.
"I need to meet with you. I want to explain everything. Please?" She pleaded. Carrie knew that she didn't deserve this chance, but she knew Marshall would want to know why she had done these things to him.
"Meet? Where?" He looked at Syd, who handed him a pen and a piece of paper. He scribbled down an address and a time, before she hung up on him. Realising that he had been holding his breath, he let out a sigh and looked down at the paper.
"You can't go, they're setting you up Marshall."
He frowned and looked up at Syd, " I have to, you know I do, I need to know..." He stopped talking and looked back down at the address in front of him. The meeting would take place at 11am in a warehouse downtown.
"I'll arrange full back-up. I don't want to run the risk of losing you." Syd said as she picked up the phone and made several calls.
Marshall would finally get the answers to his questions. He sat down and listened to Sydney's phone conversations. He appreciated what she was doing for him, always looking out for her buddy. Buddy? He frowned...
Part Seventeen
LA : Warehouse downtown
Sark waited in a warehouse nearby, a team of Covenant agents surrounded him.
"Two birds with one stone," He said to himself, smiling as he waited for the action to begin.
In the opposite warehouse Sydney and a large team of CIA agents waited, ready for anything that the Covenant might throw their way.
Marshall slowly walked towards the warehouse where the meeting was to take place. He was nervous, and had broken out in a cold sweat on the drive there. He checked the comm in his ear.
"Syd?" He said a little loudly.
Sydney winced, "Yes?" She asked.
"Sorry, i'm just a little..."
"I know, calm down. You'll be fine." She said reassuringly.
Marshall stopped in front of the large roller door that led into the warehouse. He breathed in deeply, and lifted the handle on the door. Slowly it rose, revealing the interior of the warehouse. It was completey bare except for a few cardboard boxes, and an old chair. Rows and rows of concrete columns held the warehouse's room up. He stepped into the large room, and began to make his way to the centre. He scanned the room, looking for any sign of Carrie, or the Covenant. His gaze stopped on the woman almost directly in front of him...Carrie. His heart began to pound within his chest, he wasn't ready for this.
Carrie stepped forward, and smiled. She was so happy to see him again. She would never admit that she missed him. The two of them met at the centre of the warehouse, and stood in silence. Carrie had never felt this awkward in her life. How would she say sorry to the man who believed so many lies? Finally she broke the silence.
"I didn't think you would come."
Marshall just looked at her. He wondered why she didn't look any different. He always pictured that she would have changed. In his mind she would be dressed in black, with dark eyeliner, the signature of evil. He didn't know what to say.
"I don't deserve to see you again, but you need to know the truth...." Carrie leaned against one of the columns, and looked down at the ground.
"I've always been a member of the Covenant, longer than i've been with the NSC. My first assignment was to get a transfer, get into a CIA office so that I could access certain files. I didn't know I would end up doing what I did....." She trailed off.
"Then why?" Marshall asked softly.
"Orders. I never meant to hurt you. It was supposed to be easy. I never thought i'd actually fall in..."
"Oh please. You expect me to believe that, believe your lies? Everything you've ever said to me has been a lie!" Marshall snapped.
Carrie looked away, tears in her eyes. She'd never seen Marshall with so much anger.
"I can't do this." Carrie said as tears rolled down her cheeks. She took the comm out of her ear and threw it to the floor. "I'm sorry." She began to walk away as the back entrance to the warehouse caved in. A dozen agents poured into the warehouse, all holding guns. They began firing. Carrie and Marshall ran behind the concrete columns, protecting themselves from the gunfire.
CIA agents spilled into the warehouse, and a battle between both sides began. Agents from both sides were being killed. Marshall looked at Carrie with disbelief, she had set him up. Sydney was right. He looked at the CIA agents, all lined up next to each other, firing at the enemy. Syd and Vaughn were a part of that line, and Marshall was afraid. Carrie looked at the Covenant agents. She spotted Weiss amongst them. Both sides were advancing, using the columns as cover from enemy fire.
Sydney reached Marshall and pulled him towards the exit, keeping herself in between him and the Covenant. Marshall stood outside the warehouse, listening to the fight that was occurring inside. He couldn't stand being outside while agents were dying. He re-entered the warehouse. Fallen agents lay scattered across the floor, he reached down and picked up a gun. There were only four Covenant agents remaining, including Weiss and Carrie. Syd, Vaughn and Marshall were the only remaining CIA agents. The gunfire continued. Weiss focused on Vaughn, but his accuracy was off. Syd shot down two agents, leaving Carrie and Weiss. Weiss fired his last shot and threw down his gun, while searching for another with ammunition. The bullet flew straight into Vaughn's arm, causing him to fall to the ground on impact. The two CIA agents attention was diverted to Vaughn. Marshall leant down beside him.
Within seconds Carrie was within metres of Syd, a gun aimed at her head. Marshall slowly stood, keeping his eyes on Carrie. Sydney dropped her gun and put her arms in the air. Marshall didn't know what to do, he didn't want to kill Carrie, but he didn't want to let her kill Syd. He felt the gun in his hands. He raised it and aimed at Carrie. She smiled at him, she knew he wouldn't shoot. Carrie fired at Syd, shooting three bullets into Syd's chest. Carrie had been wrong about Marshall. He fired two shots. One missed the target, but the other caught her in the shoulder. She was pushed backwards with the momentum, and fell to the ground. Marshall ran quickly towards Syd. He leant beside her and looked at the three bullet holes in her shirt. Syd was breathing quickly, and looked up into his eyes.
"I'm ok, I'm ok. I'm wearing a vest." Syd said while trying to catch her breath. The shots had knocked the breath out of her.
The two of them stood up together. Syd picked up her gun and looked for Weiss, but only caught a glance of him as he ran from the warehouse. Marshall stood in shock, looking down at Carrie's body.
Syd ran out the exit, following Weiss down the small alley. She yelled out to him. She knew she wouldn't catch him. He looked back at her as he continued to run, the distance between the two of them increased with every step he made. He looked back in front of him, but was stopped suddenly. Before him stood a woman. Sydney frowned as she watched the woman talk to him. She began to approach, when a shot rang out throughout the alley. Weiss' body fell to the ground, and the woman disappeared. She ran to Weiss, and looked for the woman that had shot him. There was no sign of her. She returned back to the warehouse.
Vaughn was leaning against the wall, keeping pressure on his wound. Her eyes swept the room for Marshall, and found him bent over Carrie, he was holding her hand. Syd looked down, before making her way over to them. She passed the numerous bodies of fallen agents, from both sides. So many agents had died, at least they now had Carrie. She stood beside Vaughn, and looked at his wound. He grimaced in pain as she tore away his sleeve.
"An ambulance is on the way," Vaughn said softly, as he looked over at Carrie and Marshall, and then back at Sydney.
Part Eighteen
LA : Warehouse downtown
Sark stepped over the numerous bodies that lay across the floor. He searched each of them, but couldn't find the intended victims. Carrie had failed him, and he had failed himself. Now she was in CIA custody, and his associate and himself still didn't have what they wanted. Angered he kicked one of the body's close by, and left the warehouse. Luckily, he had a back-up plan if this were to fail.
LA : Hospital
Sydney looked into the heavily guarded room. Carrie lay unconscious on the hospital bed, her arms and feet chained to the bed in case of escape, and two armed guards stood outside the heavy doors. There was no way she could escape from this CIA hospital. They were now close to finding out the identity of Lazarey's killer. She watched Marshall, as he sat beside the bed. He was holding onto her hand, and watched her as she breathed. He still loved her, Sydney knew it. She folded her arms and looked away.
She watched as Dixon left Vaughn's hospital room. He didn't look like the Dixon she was so used to seeing every day. She knew that many agents had died that day, but she didn't know he was particularly close to any of them. He passed her, and she smiled. His expression didn't change. He left the hospital. She headed towards Vaughn's room, she thought he was asleep. She took a seat beside him, and looked down at his arm. He wouldn't be in hospital for long, maybe one or two days. Syd watched Vaughn as he slept. She picked up his hand and held it in hers. Syd hadn't seen Lauren yet. She figured that Lauren was probably still working, and couldn't get away to visit her husband.
He soon woke and looked up at Sydney, half expecting to see Lauren beside him. But he knew that would never happen again....she was dead. Tears filled his eyes as he looked at Syd. It should be Lauren in that chair, not her. He looked down at his hand, which was being gripped by Sydney. He drew it away, and looked down at his ring. Syd was concerned, she had no idea why he was so upset.
"Vaughn, what's wrong?" She asked, concerned. She leant forward.
He wiped the tears away and looked away from Syd, "She's gone. Lauren's dead."
"Oh my God, Vaughn...I'm so sorry." She said, waiting for Vaughn to look at her.
He turned to her, "She did it Sydney, she killed Lazarey.....She was Covenant."
Sydney frowned. Lauren killed Lazarey? It didn't make sense. There were so many moles within the CIA, how could they get past security without being discovered. That's why Dixon looked so different. She now had tears in her eyes. Vaughn re-focused on his wedding ring. He slowly slid it off and threw it to the ground, as he fell apart. He hid his face in his hands as he cried. Sydney sat on his bed beside him and hugged him. They stayed that way for minutes, as Vaughn let it all out.
Syd noticed a figure in front of her. She looked over Vaughn's shoulder, at the doorway. Marshall stood there, looking in at the two of them. His face was filled with hurt. He slowly turned away and disappeared from her sight. Syd didn't know what to do, they both needed her now. She slowly pulled herself away from Vaughn, as he continued to sob. She felt bad for leaving him in the condition he was in. She looked back at him as he curled up under the covers. She left his room. She looked for Marshall, and spotted him down the hallway, wandering slowly towards the exit. He looked almost lost. She looked back at Vaughn's door, before she made her way towards Marshall.
"Marshall!" She yelled out to him, hoping that her voice would carry over the noises of the hospital.
He stopped walking, and turned to see Sydney walking towards him. His face lit up, as she got closer and closer to him. Syd stopped in front of him. A small part of her wanted to stay with Vaughn, but the rest of her wanted to comfort Marshall. She put her arm around his shoulder, and the two of them left the hospital together.
"You are aware of the risks?" Sark asked, knowing that it would be possible that his associate would be identified.
"Of course. I won't be caught, and neither will you. I'm in position. Sydney just left the building. Accessing the hospitals control system now." His associate replied to him.
Part Nineteen
LA : Hospital
Sark stood outside in the cover of darkness, waiting for the lighting in the hospital to be switched off. He looked down at his watch and pulled the night-vision goggles over his eyes. His associate typed in several commands into the main computer. They looped the video footage as the lighting controls were accessed. Within seconds every light in the hospital went out, and this particular section of the hospital was in lockdown. Sark stepped into the hospital corridor and shot each person he came into contact with. He stepped over the bodies and walked down the corridor.
"5th room on your left, you'll need an access card." Sark's associate said through their comm system.
He continued down the corridor. He stopped in front of the room, and looked down at the two guards. He searched both, retrieving an access card. He swiped the card, and immediately the door opened. Carrie appeared to be asleep before him. She wouldn't have been awoken, because he had used a silencer. He walked to the foot of the bed, and aimed the gun at her head. She sensed the presence of another person in the room. Carrie slowly woke and sat up, looking directly at the gun aimed at her head. She looked up at Sark, with a confused look on her face.
"What are you doing?"
"Unlike you, Miss Bowman, I have no problem carrying out orders."
"The Covenant has no grounds to..."
"No, they don't..." Sark replied. He tightened his grip on the trigger and fired.
Carrie's body slumped back in her bed. Sark left the room, and met with his associate outside the building.
LA : Syd's apartment
Sydney answered the phone, as Dixon began to tell her about the events that occurred at the hospital the night before.
"Sydney, something's happened at the hospital. Several patients and nurses were shot last night."
"Oh my God. Do we know who? Is Vaughn...?" Syd asked.
"We do not know at this point. Agent Vaughn is fine, he was moved to a different ward a little after you left." Dixon replied. He looked up as Jack approached him. "I need to speak with Marshall."
Sydney handed the phone over to Marshall. She watched as his expression changed. Tears filled his eyes once again, as he sat down in the chair behind him. He'd wished she was dead, but he didn't know he would feel this way now that she was. He dropped the phone, and sat in silence. Syd picked up the phone, and sat beside him. He rested his head on her shoulder, and the two of them sat there, without saying a single word.
LA : location unknown
"We've removed the potential risks, now all we need is the agent."
"Yes, and we will have him soon. We had a chance at the hospital, but we must wait for the right moment. If no harm is to come to Sydney, then we may be waiting for months." Sark replied.
"Yes. We've waited long enough, I believe we can last a few months longer...As long as the CIA or the Covenant do not discover what we have, we are safe." The associate replied.
Sark nodded. They now had everything planned. They just needed the right situation for them to carry things out. He realised that this may not be for some time, as the agent in question would surely be removed from active duty for at least a month. He leaned back in his chair and watched his associate leave.
Part Twenty
LA : Cemetary
The CIA agents stood surrounding a memorial plaque, which depicted the 3 names of the lost double agents. Although those 3 agents, Carrie, Weiss and Lauren had betrayed them all, every agent that stood by that plaque felt that it was their duty to pay their respects. In some cases, the dead were loved ones, close friends, or colleagues. It seemed fitting to them all. The day before a memorial service had been conducted for the CIA agents that had lost their lives while serving their country. Hundreds were present then, which largely contrasted to the dozen that stood in the cemetary now.
The closest to the deceased stood in a circle around the plaque. Dixon, Jack, Marshall, Sydney and Vaughn made up the inner circle, and were surrounded by other agents from the office. Agents paid their respects and left, one by one, until only the inner circle remained. Sydney was holding Marshall's hand. So far he had stayed strong, but she knew it was only a matter of time before he would break down. Vaughn hadn't shed a single tear since the service had begun, and it didn't seem like he was going to. Dixon and Jack were the first to leave. They left the circle, and headed for their cars which were parked nearby. Sydney watched the two of them go. She moved slightly, trying to slowly leave the two grieving men alone. Marshall squeezed her hand tightly, letting her know that he wanted her to stay. She looked up at Marshall, he had tears in his eyes. He still hadn't taken his eyes away from Carrie's name. He wasn't ready to let go.
Vaughn leant down, and placed a bunch of white roses beside the plaque, before leaving Marshall and Sydney. He passed Jack and Dixon, who were watching from their cars. Dixon and Vaughn left the cemetary, leaving the Bristows and Marshall behind.
Marshall began to cry. Tears ran down his cheeks and his body began to shake. Seeing her name on the plaque, it made him realise that she was really gone. He had felt the same way at Sydney's funeral, seeing her ashes blow away in the wind. He closed his eyes, and wiped away the tears. Seeing Sydney's name on the wall in the office was hard for him, but going through it again, it was too much to handle. He leant down, and touched the plaque. He ran his fingers across the engravings, and placed the white roses that he held beside the plaque.
"I'll miss you," he whispered softly, before slowly standing. Fresh tears were spilling down his cheeks.
He looked up at Sydney. She had tears in her eyes. Marshall stood with his hands in his pockets, while looking down at her name. The wind blew at his clothing, but still, he stayed standing in the same position. Syd knew that Marshall needed some time alone. She hugged him, and whispered something into his ear, before leaving his side. Syd walked towards the car, where Jack was waiting. He hugged his daughter, before opening the car door for her. She smiled, and looked back one more time, before getting into the car.
She watched as Jack approached Marshall. She smiled as she watched Jack stand beside Marshall, she was happy to see the two men she loved, side by side. Syd still had tears in her eyes. She wiped them away and turned her attention to the heater within the car.
Marshall looked up at Jack, after realising that he had been standing there for quite a while. Marshall half smiled, and looked back down at the plaque. Jack's presence comforted him. Sydney watched the two of them talk. She wondered what her father was saying to Marshall...Probably something about letting go, or his knowledge on losing a wife.
Marshall suddenly hugged Jack. Sydney was as surprised as Jack was. He patted Marshall on the back, as he stopped hugging him. Jack wasn't sure what to do, he had already said what he had wanted to, but there was something he wanted to show Marshall, something he had never shown anyone before.
The two of them began to walk away from the plaque in the opposite direction of the car. Syd frowned and watched as they disappeared over the hill. Jack led Marshall down the hill, to a grave beneath a large oak tree. They stopped in front of the grave. Jack bent down, and cleared the tree branch that covered the name. Laura Bristow. He placed a single rose in front of the grave, and stood up. Marshall was surprised. He still visited the grave of his wife, even though she is still alive.
"The Laura I knew, the woman I was in love with, was different to the woman she really was. Irina Derevko is nothing like the woman she pretended to be. Irina may be alive, but Laura, the fake identity no longer exists. I mourn the loss, even though she was never real." Jack said, looking down at Marshall, who was slightly nodding as Jack finished talking.
"You fell in love with the Carrie you knew. You cannot help that you loved her, and you cannot change that she was different to what you knew...." Jack trailed off. He felt stupid for saying these things to Marshall.
"I understand." Marshall said, realising that Jack wasn't going to finish what he was saying.
LA : Syd's apartment
"Do you have any idea who it could have been?" Asked Vaughn.
Marshall shook his head, and looked down at the cut on his arm. He'd cut it on the way out of the window, the broken glass had grazed it. He winced as Syd put rubbed on antiseptic cream, and wrapped it in a bandage.
"The footage we have of the attempted kidnapping reveals nothing. We can only assume that it's Covenant..." Vaughn said, looking down at the ground. Marshall and Sydney seemed so comfortable with each other. Sydney looked up at Vaughn.
"Covenant, why would they want Marshall?"
Vaughn shrugged. He didn't have an explanation. He stood back as Syd helped Marshall stand up. He wasn't feeling that well, the sight of blood made him feel nauscious. She led him to the lounge, and aided him as he sat down. Vaughn left the apartment and headed back to the rotunda. He needed to talk with Lauren.
LA : Location Unknown
"If I want this to be done correctly, I will have to do it myself." Sark said to himself before making a call.
"Hello?" A voice answered.
"Carrie..I have heard about your concerns for the agent you betrayed. I am willing to allow you to set up a meet, but under my circumstances..." Sark began to explain, and soon, Carrie had agreed to his proposal. He hung up on her and dialled another number.
"I have arranged for a meet. I will be nearby, and I will make sure that our objective is accomplished." Sark said confidently to his associate who made no answer.
"Good. Then we shall have what we want by noon tomorrow?"
"I imagine so. I will contact you with further details." Sark said, placing the phone down on the table. He picked up a remote and pressed play. He watched the two agents fail him. The objective was simple, and yet they failed him. Sark stopped the tape and left the room, he had business to attend to.
LA : Syd's apartment
Marshall sat up and rested his head in his hands. He was still feeling a bit sick. He looked around the apartment, but couldn't see Sydney anywhere. He stood as the phone began to ring. He could hear Syd stumbling around in the bathroom.
"I'll get it," he yelled out. He picked up the phone and answered, "Hello?"
"Marshall, we need to talk..."
"Carrie?" Marshall was surprised. He never thought he'd talk to her again..."What are you, why..."
Sydney stuck her head out of the bathroom, and gave Marshall a questioning look. He covered the mouthpiece and mouthed the name of the person he was talking to. She frowned and came out from behind the door, dressed in nothing but a towel. Marshall raised his eyebrows, but his attention was brought back to the phone conversation.
"I need to meet with you. I want to explain everything. Please?" She pleaded. Carrie knew that she didn't deserve this chance, but she knew Marshall would want to know why she had done these things to him.
"Meet? Where?" He looked at Syd, who handed him a pen and a piece of paper. He scribbled down an address and a time, before she hung up on him. Realising that he had been holding his breath, he let out a sigh and looked down at the paper.
"You can't go, they're setting you up Marshall."
He frowned and looked up at Syd, " I have to, you know I do, I need to know..." He stopped talking and looked back down at the address in front of him. The meeting would take place at 11am in a warehouse downtown.
"I'll arrange full back-up. I don't want to run the risk of losing you." Syd said as she picked up the phone and made several calls.
Marshall would finally get the answers to his questions. He sat down and listened to Sydney's phone conversations. He appreciated what she was doing for him, always looking out for her buddy. Buddy? He frowned...
Part Seventeen
LA : Warehouse downtown
Sark waited in a warehouse nearby, a team of Covenant agents surrounded him.
"Two birds with one stone," He said to himself, smiling as he waited for the action to begin.
In the opposite warehouse Sydney and a large team of CIA agents waited, ready for anything that the Covenant might throw their way.
Marshall slowly walked towards the warehouse where the meeting was to take place. He was nervous, and had broken out in a cold sweat on the drive there. He checked the comm in his ear.
"Syd?" He said a little loudly.
Sydney winced, "Yes?" She asked.
"Sorry, i'm just a little..."
"I know, calm down. You'll be fine." She said reassuringly.
Marshall stopped in front of the large roller door that led into the warehouse. He breathed in deeply, and lifted the handle on the door. Slowly it rose, revealing the interior of the warehouse. It was completey bare except for a few cardboard boxes, and an old chair. Rows and rows of concrete columns held the warehouse's room up. He stepped into the large room, and began to make his way to the centre. He scanned the room, looking for any sign of Carrie, or the Covenant. His gaze stopped on the woman almost directly in front of him...Carrie. His heart began to pound within his chest, he wasn't ready for this.
Carrie stepped forward, and smiled. She was so happy to see him again. She would never admit that she missed him. The two of them met at the centre of the warehouse, and stood in silence. Carrie had never felt this awkward in her life. How would she say sorry to the man who believed so many lies? Finally she broke the silence.
"I didn't think you would come."
Marshall just looked at her. He wondered why she didn't look any different. He always pictured that she would have changed. In his mind she would be dressed in black, with dark eyeliner, the signature of evil. He didn't know what to say.
"I don't deserve to see you again, but you need to know the truth...." Carrie leaned against one of the columns, and looked down at the ground.
"I've always been a member of the Covenant, longer than i've been with the NSC. My first assignment was to get a transfer, get into a CIA office so that I could access certain files. I didn't know I would end up doing what I did....." She trailed off.
"Then why?" Marshall asked softly.
"Orders. I never meant to hurt you. It was supposed to be easy. I never thought i'd actually fall in..."
"Oh please. You expect me to believe that, believe your lies? Everything you've ever said to me has been a lie!" Marshall snapped.
Carrie looked away, tears in her eyes. She'd never seen Marshall with so much anger.
"I can't do this." Carrie said as tears rolled down her cheeks. She took the comm out of her ear and threw it to the floor. "I'm sorry." She began to walk away as the back entrance to the warehouse caved in. A dozen agents poured into the warehouse, all holding guns. They began firing. Carrie and Marshall ran behind the concrete columns, protecting themselves from the gunfire.
CIA agents spilled into the warehouse, and a battle between both sides began. Agents from both sides were being killed. Marshall looked at Carrie with disbelief, she had set him up. Sydney was right. He looked at the CIA agents, all lined up next to each other, firing at the enemy. Syd and Vaughn were a part of that line, and Marshall was afraid. Carrie looked at the Covenant agents. She spotted Weiss amongst them. Both sides were advancing, using the columns as cover from enemy fire.
Sydney reached Marshall and pulled him towards the exit, keeping herself in between him and the Covenant. Marshall stood outside the warehouse, listening to the fight that was occurring inside. He couldn't stand being outside while agents were dying. He re-entered the warehouse. Fallen agents lay scattered across the floor, he reached down and picked up a gun. There were only four Covenant agents remaining, including Weiss and Carrie. Syd, Vaughn and Marshall were the only remaining CIA agents. The gunfire continued. Weiss focused on Vaughn, but his accuracy was off. Syd shot down two agents, leaving Carrie and Weiss. Weiss fired his last shot and threw down his gun, while searching for another with ammunition. The bullet flew straight into Vaughn's arm, causing him to fall to the ground on impact. The two CIA agents attention was diverted to Vaughn. Marshall leant down beside him.
Within seconds Carrie was within metres of Syd, a gun aimed at her head. Marshall slowly stood, keeping his eyes on Carrie. Sydney dropped her gun and put her arms in the air. Marshall didn't know what to do, he didn't want to kill Carrie, but he didn't want to let her kill Syd. He felt the gun in his hands. He raised it and aimed at Carrie. She smiled at him, she knew he wouldn't shoot. Carrie fired at Syd, shooting three bullets into Syd's chest. Carrie had been wrong about Marshall. He fired two shots. One missed the target, but the other caught her in the shoulder. She was pushed backwards with the momentum, and fell to the ground. Marshall ran quickly towards Syd. He leant beside her and looked at the three bullet holes in her shirt. Syd was breathing quickly, and looked up into his eyes.
"I'm ok, I'm ok. I'm wearing a vest." Syd said while trying to catch her breath. The shots had knocked the breath out of her.
The two of them stood up together. Syd picked up her gun and looked for Weiss, but only caught a glance of him as he ran from the warehouse. Marshall stood in shock, looking down at Carrie's body.
Syd ran out the exit, following Weiss down the small alley. She yelled out to him. She knew she wouldn't catch him. He looked back at her as he continued to run, the distance between the two of them increased with every step he made. He looked back in front of him, but was stopped suddenly. Before him stood a woman. Sydney frowned as she watched the woman talk to him. She began to approach, when a shot rang out throughout the alley. Weiss' body fell to the ground, and the woman disappeared. She ran to Weiss, and looked for the woman that had shot him. There was no sign of her. She returned back to the warehouse.
Vaughn was leaning against the wall, keeping pressure on his wound. Her eyes swept the room for Marshall, and found him bent over Carrie, he was holding her hand. Syd looked down, before making her way over to them. She passed the numerous bodies of fallen agents, from both sides. So many agents had died, at least they now had Carrie. She stood beside Vaughn, and looked at his wound. He grimaced in pain as she tore away his sleeve.
"An ambulance is on the way," Vaughn said softly, as he looked over at Carrie and Marshall, and then back at Sydney.
Part Eighteen
LA : Warehouse downtown
Sark stepped over the numerous bodies that lay across the floor. He searched each of them, but couldn't find the intended victims. Carrie had failed him, and he had failed himself. Now she was in CIA custody, and his associate and himself still didn't have what they wanted. Angered he kicked one of the body's close by, and left the warehouse. Luckily, he had a back-up plan if this were to fail.
LA : Hospital
Sydney looked into the heavily guarded room. Carrie lay unconscious on the hospital bed, her arms and feet chained to the bed in case of escape, and two armed guards stood outside the heavy doors. There was no way she could escape from this CIA hospital. They were now close to finding out the identity of Lazarey's killer. She watched Marshall, as he sat beside the bed. He was holding onto her hand, and watched her as she breathed. He still loved her, Sydney knew it. She folded her arms and looked away.
She watched as Dixon left Vaughn's hospital room. He didn't look like the Dixon she was so used to seeing every day. She knew that many agents had died that day, but she didn't know he was particularly close to any of them. He passed her, and she smiled. His expression didn't change. He left the hospital. She headed towards Vaughn's room, she thought he was asleep. She took a seat beside him, and looked down at his arm. He wouldn't be in hospital for long, maybe one or two days. Syd watched Vaughn as he slept. She picked up his hand and held it in hers. Syd hadn't seen Lauren yet. She figured that Lauren was probably still working, and couldn't get away to visit her husband.
He soon woke and looked up at Sydney, half expecting to see Lauren beside him. But he knew that would never happen again....she was dead. Tears filled his eyes as he looked at Syd. It should be Lauren in that chair, not her. He looked down at his hand, which was being gripped by Sydney. He drew it away, and looked down at his ring. Syd was concerned, she had no idea why he was so upset.
"Vaughn, what's wrong?" She asked, concerned. She leant forward.
He wiped the tears away and looked away from Syd, "She's gone. Lauren's dead."
"Oh my God, Vaughn...I'm so sorry." She said, waiting for Vaughn to look at her.
He turned to her, "She did it Sydney, she killed Lazarey.....She was Covenant."
Sydney frowned. Lauren killed Lazarey? It didn't make sense. There were so many moles within the CIA, how could they get past security without being discovered. That's why Dixon looked so different. She now had tears in her eyes. Vaughn re-focused on his wedding ring. He slowly slid it off and threw it to the ground, as he fell apart. He hid his face in his hands as he cried. Sydney sat on his bed beside him and hugged him. They stayed that way for minutes, as Vaughn let it all out.
Syd noticed a figure in front of her. She looked over Vaughn's shoulder, at the doorway. Marshall stood there, looking in at the two of them. His face was filled with hurt. He slowly turned away and disappeared from her sight. Syd didn't know what to do, they both needed her now. She slowly pulled herself away from Vaughn, as he continued to sob. She felt bad for leaving him in the condition he was in. She looked back at him as he curled up under the covers. She left his room. She looked for Marshall, and spotted him down the hallway, wandering slowly towards the exit. He looked almost lost. She looked back at Vaughn's door, before she made her way towards Marshall.
"Marshall!" She yelled out to him, hoping that her voice would carry over the noises of the hospital.
He stopped walking, and turned to see Sydney walking towards him. His face lit up, as she got closer and closer to him. Syd stopped in front of him. A small part of her wanted to stay with Vaughn, but the rest of her wanted to comfort Marshall. She put her arm around his shoulder, and the two of them left the hospital together.
"You are aware of the risks?" Sark asked, knowing that it would be possible that his associate would be identified.
"Of course. I won't be caught, and neither will you. I'm in position. Sydney just left the building. Accessing the hospitals control system now." His associate replied to him.
Part Nineteen
LA : Hospital
Sark stood outside in the cover of darkness, waiting for the lighting in the hospital to be switched off. He looked down at his watch and pulled the night-vision goggles over his eyes. His associate typed in several commands into the main computer. They looped the video footage as the lighting controls were accessed. Within seconds every light in the hospital went out, and this particular section of the hospital was in lockdown. Sark stepped into the hospital corridor and shot each person he came into contact with. He stepped over the bodies and walked down the corridor.
"5th room on your left, you'll need an access card." Sark's associate said through their comm system.
He continued down the corridor. He stopped in front of the room, and looked down at the two guards. He searched both, retrieving an access card. He swiped the card, and immediately the door opened. Carrie appeared to be asleep before him. She wouldn't have been awoken, because he had used a silencer. He walked to the foot of the bed, and aimed the gun at her head. She sensed the presence of another person in the room. Carrie slowly woke and sat up, looking directly at the gun aimed at her head. She looked up at Sark, with a confused look on her face.
"What are you doing?"
"Unlike you, Miss Bowman, I have no problem carrying out orders."
"The Covenant has no grounds to..."
"No, they don't..." Sark replied. He tightened his grip on the trigger and fired.
Carrie's body slumped back in her bed. Sark left the room, and met with his associate outside the building.
LA : Syd's apartment
Sydney answered the phone, as Dixon began to tell her about the events that occurred at the hospital the night before.
"Sydney, something's happened at the hospital. Several patients and nurses were shot last night."
"Oh my God. Do we know who? Is Vaughn...?" Syd asked.
"We do not know at this point. Agent Vaughn is fine, he was moved to a different ward a little after you left." Dixon replied. He looked up as Jack approached him. "I need to speak with Marshall."
Sydney handed the phone over to Marshall. She watched as his expression changed. Tears filled his eyes once again, as he sat down in the chair behind him. He'd wished she was dead, but he didn't know he would feel this way now that she was. He dropped the phone, and sat in silence. Syd picked up the phone, and sat beside him. He rested his head on her shoulder, and the two of them sat there, without saying a single word.
LA : location unknown
"We've removed the potential risks, now all we need is the agent."
"Yes, and we will have him soon. We had a chance at the hospital, but we must wait for the right moment. If no harm is to come to Sydney, then we may be waiting for months." Sark replied.
"Yes. We've waited long enough, I believe we can last a few months longer...As long as the CIA or the Covenant do not discover what we have, we are safe." The associate replied.
Sark nodded. They now had everything planned. They just needed the right situation for them to carry things out. He realised that this may not be for some time, as the agent in question would surely be removed from active duty for at least a month. He leaned back in his chair and watched his associate leave.
Part Twenty
LA : Cemetary
The CIA agents stood surrounding a memorial plaque, which depicted the 3 names of the lost double agents. Although those 3 agents, Carrie, Weiss and Lauren had betrayed them all, every agent that stood by that plaque felt that it was their duty to pay their respects. In some cases, the dead were loved ones, close friends, or colleagues. It seemed fitting to them all. The day before a memorial service had been conducted for the CIA agents that had lost their lives while serving their country. Hundreds were present then, which largely contrasted to the dozen that stood in the cemetary now.
The closest to the deceased stood in a circle around the plaque. Dixon, Jack, Marshall, Sydney and Vaughn made up the inner circle, and were surrounded by other agents from the office. Agents paid their respects and left, one by one, until only the inner circle remained. Sydney was holding Marshall's hand. So far he had stayed strong, but she knew it was only a matter of time before he would break down. Vaughn hadn't shed a single tear since the service had begun, and it didn't seem like he was going to. Dixon and Jack were the first to leave. They left the circle, and headed for their cars which were parked nearby. Sydney watched the two of them go. She moved slightly, trying to slowly leave the two grieving men alone. Marshall squeezed her hand tightly, letting her know that he wanted her to stay. She looked up at Marshall, he had tears in his eyes. He still hadn't taken his eyes away from Carrie's name. He wasn't ready to let go.
Vaughn leant down, and placed a bunch of white roses beside the plaque, before leaving Marshall and Sydney. He passed Jack and Dixon, who were watching from their cars. Dixon and Vaughn left the cemetary, leaving the Bristows and Marshall behind.
Marshall began to cry. Tears ran down his cheeks and his body began to shake. Seeing her name on the plaque, it made him realise that she was really gone. He had felt the same way at Sydney's funeral, seeing her ashes blow away in the wind. He closed his eyes, and wiped away the tears. Seeing Sydney's name on the wall in the office was hard for him, but going through it again, it was too much to handle. He leant down, and touched the plaque. He ran his fingers across the engravings, and placed the white roses that he held beside the plaque.
"I'll miss you," he whispered softly, before slowly standing. Fresh tears were spilling down his cheeks.
He looked up at Sydney. She had tears in her eyes. Marshall stood with his hands in his pockets, while looking down at her name. The wind blew at his clothing, but still, he stayed standing in the same position. Syd knew that Marshall needed some time alone. She hugged him, and whispered something into his ear, before leaving his side. Syd walked towards the car, where Jack was waiting. He hugged his daughter, before opening the car door for her. She smiled, and looked back one more time, before getting into the car.
She watched as Jack approached Marshall. She smiled as she watched Jack stand beside Marshall, she was happy to see the two men she loved, side by side. Syd still had tears in her eyes. She wiped them away and turned her attention to the heater within the car.
Marshall looked up at Jack, after realising that he had been standing there for quite a while. Marshall half smiled, and looked back down at the plaque. Jack's presence comforted him. Sydney watched the two of them talk. She wondered what her father was saying to Marshall...Probably something about letting go, or his knowledge on losing a wife.
Marshall suddenly hugged Jack. Sydney was as surprised as Jack was. He patted Marshall on the back, as he stopped hugging him. Jack wasn't sure what to do, he had already said what he had wanted to, but there was something he wanted to show Marshall, something he had never shown anyone before.
The two of them began to walk away from the plaque in the opposite direction of the car. Syd frowned and watched as they disappeared over the hill. Jack led Marshall down the hill, to a grave beneath a large oak tree. They stopped in front of the grave. Jack bent down, and cleared the tree branch that covered the name. Laura Bristow. He placed a single rose in front of the grave, and stood up. Marshall was surprised. He still visited the grave of his wife, even though she is still alive.
"The Laura I knew, the woman I was in love with, was different to the woman she really was. Irina Derevko is nothing like the woman she pretended to be. Irina may be alive, but Laura, the fake identity no longer exists. I mourn the loss, even though she was never real." Jack said, looking down at Marshall, who was slightly nodding as Jack finished talking.
"You fell in love with the Carrie you knew. You cannot help that you loved her, and you cannot change that she was different to what you knew...." Jack trailed off. He felt stupid for saying these things to Marshall.
"I understand." Marshall said, realising that Jack wasn't going to finish what he was saying.