I had come to accept the fact that, no matter what, neither of us could ever go back to the CIA. Not after what it had taken to get her out of there. She would surely be executed, and I would likely end up in federal prison… that is, if I didn't share her fate. I didn't know what that would mean for Vaughn and my father… I didn't know if they could forgive what I had done, even if it was for them. To be honest, I didn't know much of anything, except that we had to get them back, by any means necessary.
A short time later, we were on the outskirts of Holetown, with Sark studying a sheet of paper in an effort to determine the exact location of Sloane's compound. My mother was watching him closely, and I was keeping an eye on the small town, looking for any signs of movement in the darkness. After a few moments, my mother turned to face me, and motioned for our group to begin moving.
"We believe we've pinpointed his location. We must stay quiet and move quickly, and when we get there… shoot to kill." Sark took the lead, and we all fell into line behind him, with our backups bringing up the rear. We moved in relative silence for the next twelve minutes, until Sark finally turned around to face us.
"It should be just off to the right up ahead. Have your weapons ready- we need to go in prepared." He did an about-face and continued to lead the way. I checked to be sure my guns were loaded and ready, and kept one of them in my right hand.
When Sloane's compound came into sight, I was taken by surprise. It wasn't a sprawling, heavily guarded, fenced in mansion, as I had somewhat expected. It was a fairly simple two story house, no armed guards or towers in sight. My mother glanced to Sark, who was studying the building with a critical eye. Finally, he nodded.
"This is it."
"This?" I questioned, not quite ready to buy into it.
"I know it doesn't look like much, but that's the whole idea." I looked at the house again, and noticed something odd. Much of the landscape we had passed through was spotted with stands of large trees; this area was bare, save for a few smaller ones… none that would have roots that might need to reach deep into the ground. I turned to Sark and my mother as realization dawned.
"Underground." Sark merely nodded.
"I doubt it will be easy to get down there, and once we do, I have no idea how large the complex will turn out to be. It may well take us hours to find them."
"In that case, we'd better start looking," I said.
"Irina?" She lifted her sniper rifle and carefully scanned the windows of the building, squeezing off two shots in the process.
"Only 2 guards?" Sark asked, sounding surprised.
"I didn't see any others." Sark looked concerned, but nodded. He again took the lead, and we quickly approached the house.
"Where the hell's the door?" I demanded after we had circled the building and found no entrance.
"There." My mother pointed to a steel staircase, partially hidden in the darkness. At the top of it was a wooden door. I pushed past Sark and started up the steps, my mother right behind me. I was expecting to have to blow through the door in order to get in, and was therefore shocked when it creaked open as I touched it. I glanced over nervously, and found my mother to be looking as paranoid as I felt. We entered cautiously, and found a long hallway going both ways. I turned around again.
"We don't have time… we have to split up," I began, expecting her to argue with me. Instead, she nodded in agreement.
"Sydney, Sark, take those five men and go that way. The rest of you, come with me." I looked at Sark, and he also seemed mildly surprised.
"Let's go," he stated, going ahead of me. I watched my mother lead her group away, and then I quickly caught up with Sark. He held an assault rifle, and also carried two guns holstered on his hips. The rifle was held cautiously at the ready, and he almost seemed eager to use it. We passed by the windows my mother had shot out, as well as the bodies of the two guards she had gotten rid of. The hallway stopped shortly, and closer inspection revealed a trap door leading to a ladder.
"Cover me," I stated, beginning my descent. I dropped to the floor, and quickly looked around, searching for any signs of trouble.
"Clear," I said cautiously. Sark climbed down quickly, followed by our men.
"There's something very off about this," Sark said slowly.
"No resistance, aside from those two guards. He has to have some kind of trap waiting." Sark nodded in agreement.
"Irina will have figured that out as well by now, we don't need to worry about her. I just wish we had some indication of what that trap might be." I heard the hesitation in his voice, and looked at him sharply.
"There is no turning back," I said quietly. He stared at me for a long moment.
"I know." We then began searching, and found the only door leading out of the room.
"I guess this is it," I mumbled. Sark pulled it open, and we found another, larger room, also bathed in darkness. The lone window in the room had been boarded up so tightly that not even a hint of moonlight could peer through. I clicked on my flashlight and began searching for another door.
"I don't understand what's going on here," I told Sark as I crossed the room. Suddenly, a large spotlight came on, temporarily blinding me and causing me to drop my flashlight. Sark and I raised our guns, trying to get some idea of who else was in the room. The answer came in the form of a voice I had never again expected to hear.
"Let me tell you what's going on here, Agent Bristow: you are under arrest for so many crimes, I don't even know where to begin listing them." Sark and I exchanged shocked looks.
"Kendall?"
