Sydney finished reading the note and looked up at Sark.
"They're coming,"
"When?" asked Sark, not a bit surprised.
"It doesn't say specifically. All it says is soon. Hold on," she said. She sat down at the table and grabbed a pencil from the basket in the middle. "You see that?" she said, pointing at some dots at the bottom of the page.
"Yes," answered Sark, looking over her shoulder.
"It's a code Sergei and I wrote last year. We were bored one day and started messing around with codes. We finally finished this one. Its pretty much unbreakable unless you know how." She began to write things on the paper, connecting a dot here and there and then writing a letter above it. "November 22. Night. That's today." She looked up at Sark. He bent down and kissed her softly on the lips.
"Have I told you today how clever you are?" he asked.
"Not so far," she answered with a grin. "There are a few things I want to take with me. You think you can keep Ana occupied for a while?"
"I think so," he answered.
"I suppose taking the piano's out of the question."
"You supposed correctly. But don't worry love. If it's important to you, I'll get it back for you." He pulled her up from her chair and held her against him. "You're an amazing woman, Sydney Bristow." He held her at arms length and looked at her, then kissed her soundly and went upstairs to find Ana. Sydney stood there for a moment, dazed, then went upstairs after him. After digging through her closet for a while, she found a book bag that would sufficiently hold everything she wanted to take. She went downstairs to the library first. She put her two Alice in Wonderland books, her high school yearbook, and all her photo albums in the bag. Then she went through the house collecting all the photos and frames. On a shelf in the bathroom she found one she hadn't noticed before. A picture of Vaughn in a silver antique frame. She picked it up hesitantly and stared down at it. Then, in a flash of anger, she threw it as hard as she could into the bathroom mirror. The mirror shattered at the impact, the sound brining Sark running down the stairs.
"Sydney!" he yelled. "What the hell happened?" He looked around the small bathroom quickly, taking in the scene. The shattered mirror, the picture frame now in the sink. Sydney sank down on the floor, and started to pick up the pieces of glass. "No, Syd. Don't you'll cut..." But Sydney's hands were already covered with blood. "Come here." He pulled her up from the floor and took her to the library. She sat down on the chaise lounge. "Stay here," he said. "Sydney?"
"Okay." He left the room and returned shortly with a first aid kit. He wiped the blood off her hands and bandaged them up.
"Now, would you like to explain to me what all this is about?"
"Where's Ana?"
"She's taking a nap. Don't think you can dodge the question. What happened?"
"Vaughn gave me that frame for a Christmas gift. I saw it, and just snapped. I had this sudden urge to throw something, and that's what was in my hands."
"Yes, but did you have to throw it at the mirror? You know that's horrible luck," he said with a wink.
"Since when have you been superstitious?"
"Since I met you, love. With you around, a man can use all the luck he can get." He kissed her softly, but the kiss quickly turned heated. His tongue gently parted her lips and they both sank back onto the lounge. Sark's hands quickly found their way up Sydney's shirt.
"Aunt Sydie!" a small voice called from the doorway. The couple sprang apart like a pair of teenagers caught kissing by their parents.
"Yes, sweetheart."
"I can't sleep. I want you to sing to me."
"All right honey." She got up from the lounge and walked Ana out of the room, smiling over her shoulder at Sark on the way.
At nine o'clock that evening, everything Sydney wanted to take was packed and all three residents of the apartment were sitting fully dressed on the couch in the living room. Ana had long since fallen asleep and Sydney's eyes were getting heavy.
"Go ahead and sleep, love. I'll wake you when they get here." Sark kissed Sydney on the forehead.
"You sure?"
"Of course I'm sure. You need your rest. Go to sleep." Sydney laid her head on Sark's shoulder and was asleep within minutes.
Sydney was shaken awake three hours later.
"Sydney! Wake up!" Sydney opened her eyes sleepily, and immediately noticed that Sark was gone from his place next to her. She looked up at Alexei and then past him at Sark, whom Sergei was holding at gunpoint.Both her brothers were dressed totally in black, just as herself and Sark were.
"Sergei! Put that thing down!" Sergei lowered his gun and looked at her sheepishly.
"Sorry, Sis. Friend of yours?"
"You could say that," Sark answered. "Julian Lazarey," he said, extending his hand. Sergei shook it and smiled at him.
"Very sorry, mate. Didn't know if you were friend or foe." Alexei pulled a needle out of his pocket. He uncapped it and gently slid it into his daughter's arm.
"What are you doing, Lex?" Sydney asked.
"We don't want her waking up. It'll be easier if she stays asleep through all this. Won't remember a thing."
"Here," Sergei said, handing Sark and Sydney each a gun. Sydney pulled it on her book bag, Alexei picked up Ana, and Sergei led them all upstairs. Sark looked questioningly at Sergei. "Came in through the roof, man. If you had pushed one of the ceiling tiles up in the bathroom off the small bedroom, you would've found a trapdoor above you. It wouldn't have done you much good, since it can't be opened from the inside, but we propped it open." By then they had reached said bathroom and Sark saw where one of the suspended ceiling tiles had been removed. Sergei climbed up on the sink and easily hoisted himself into the ceiling and outside. Sark followed him. He looked around, surveying his surroundings. It was a cold night and he was standing on a tall building. Eight stories at least. He looked back just in time to see Sergei easily lift Sydney out of the trapdoor. He went over to her and snaked his arm around her, providing her with comfort as well as warmth. Next Sergei lifted a sleeping Ana out of the door and Alexei climbed out.
"Mama and Jack are waiting in the van," Alexei said.
"How do we get down?" Sydney asked.
"We jump," Sergei said with a grin, slinging an arm over his little sister's shoulder. "After you."
"Don't be an ass Sergei," Alexei said. He tied a rope to a chimney sticking out of the roof and slung it over the edge. Sergei made a face behind his back. "Sergei you go first." He handed him Ana. "Take her straight to the van." Sergei went to the edge and grabbed onto the rope. He scaled down the wall as quickly as possible and then quickly walked the two hundred feet to the waiting white van. "You next," Alexei said, pointing at Sark. Sark did the same as Sergei and waited at the bottom. Sydney and Alexei quickly followed him. As soon as Alexei's feet touched the ground, they heard yells and gunshots. The three looked at each other. Sydney grabbed Sark's hand and pushed her brother, successfully waking the two men from their daze. They all three took off for the van. The door opened and all three dove inside. The van took off. Sydney looked up into the smiling face of her mother.
"Mom!" she said with a grin. She looked up at the drivers seat and saw her father.
"Hi sweetheart," he said. Sydney heard Sark's voice behind her.
"Syd I..." But he never got to finish his sentence. He toppled to the floor, unconscious. Sydney swore. She pulled open his black leather jacket, and cried out at the sight of the bright red blood spreading from a whole in the shoulder of his white undershirt.