The safehouse was dark and dirty, and Sark barely managed to suppress a noise of displeasure. He was a man with high tastes, and to be forced into such uncomfortable settings did not sit well with him. Sloane meanwhile, sank easily into a folding chair, seemingly unconcerned.
"I'm still waiting," Sark snapped. Sloane had stalled long enough, in his opinion. No less than four long hours had passed, in which they had given Sydney an earpiece and sent her off, made a significant phone call to Spain, and had arranged for their other cargo to be taken to a workplace outside of town where he would await Irina's convenience.
"Have you forgotten, Mr. Sark, about the investigation surrounding the recently departed Mr. Vaughn's recent activity? The CIA is all but convinced that he was the mole feeding us information."
"I don't forget anything," Sark replied, his tone petulant. He sank down into the chair facing his partner, his arms crossed. Would it not have been for his reputation, he seemed for all the world like a little boy told he couldn't go out and play for the day,
"Of course," Sloane replied dryly, amused at the mental imagery. "Thanks to our source, Kendall is also harboring suspicions about our dear Agent Bristow."
Sark snorted. "They think she would turn? Preposterous."
"Hardly," Sloane smiled. "Love is a fickle thing. The CIA believes that she would have willingly turned if Mr. Vaughn asked her to do so."
Interesting. Sark raised an eyebrow.
"I have no doubt Mr. Vaughn arranged for Sydney to be rescued during her break-in," Sloane said pensively. "But what neither of them knew, is that she won't be rescued, Mr. Sark. She'll be arrested."
"I hardly think she'll be useful in a cell," Sark snapped. "Which is where she will be after she's arrested."
"I don't doubt that," Sloane said. "But the cell will accomplish something, Mr. Sark. You see, Sydney can handle many things. She is a very talented young woman. But she will view her arrest as a betrayal by the only people she thought she could trust; her father, her mother, the CIA, the FBI, and most notably, her vanished lover Michael, whose mysterious acts caused her to be treated like a criminal." Sloane leaned forward, a triumphant smirk on his face. "And you know as well as I do that she will not permit herself to be held for long."
"Agent Bristow's record indicates her difficulty to handle betrayal," Sark said slowly, realization dawning on him.
Sloane nodded. "The last time that happened, she betrayed SD-6. If the people she feels she can trust turn on her, Sydney will not be able to deal with that crisis. She'll return to people that are familiar. Myself."
"It could be argued, sir, that Sydney will instead do something completely independent of the CIA and us," Sark interjected.
Sloane shook his head. "She will want to know why they turned on her. Our resources, Mr. Sark, will come in handy for her quest to regain their trust. And in return, she will help us however we see fit."
"So…" Weiss mused. "We have a drawer with no middle, a night table bolted to the floor, and a key that fits no door in Mike's apartment." Okay, maybe you two did use this apartment, because that's the only explanation that makes sense. Games, anyone?
"It's a safe," a voice said from the doorway. Irina and Eric turned to find Jack standing there watching them. Sydney's father pointed towards the surface of the night table. "See how there's no dust? The surface can either be removed or opens up. The safe sits beneath the drawer, which is why the middle is cut out."
"I don't buy it," Weiss said, even as he surrendered the key to Jack. "Why go to the trouble of hiding it so elaborately, if it's a safe that can be opened by a key?"
Busy removing the lamp and the frame, Jack studied the now-empty surface carefully, leaning over to run his hands underneath the lip of the wood. His fingers found the switch on the back of the table and he pushed the button without hesitation. The surface popped up immediately and upon removing it, the safe was clearly visible.
He shrugged, glancing back at the two of them before reaching in and unlocking it. "Your friend seems to favor antiques, Agent Weiss."
Vaughn was forced to wait almost three minutes while his body recovered, protesting against movement since he had been held in one position for so long. But the second he felt he could stand without leaning on the table, he headed for the door, pausing on his way out to pick up the heavy shackles that had bound his ankles.
Without his service pistol or his knife, they were the only defense he had.
Cautiously, he leaned against the door. Emily had indeed kept her word; the guard was nowhere in sight.
Moving slowly, partly out of stealth and partly out of weakness, Vaughn turned and headed down the hallway. He'd gone perhaps ten feet when he was tackled from the side, the impact sending him crashing into the wall with devastating force.
Wow wow wow! Like I said, you give me ten reviews, I give you early chapters! lol. Hope you enjoyed early chapter #2. ;) I'm more than willing to do #3!
Up next: Three people are betrayed and one person dies. One-line teaser buried in Review Responses. They're easier to find if you review. ;)
Review Responses
wonder monkey: :smiles and nods:
Lynnie: No review is ever lame! A CABIN? Nice!
Snowangel4: I confess, I only update so fast because I always try to finish or mostly finish a story before I post on FF.net. This one is actually done up through Chapter 32.
Erin: It helped! See? You helped me! LOL. And wow! Thanks!
Teaser: Usted es un buen hombre. Seré rápido.
Ilovemypenguin: Hope this helped unlock part of that mystery. Ack! Bad pun!
Maxwell: Argh. Season 3. More dreading than excited.
gum-addict: LOL, go observant you! You'll see it again later. ;)
Anonymousthinker: Hey! No twisting Jinnie's words! Bad! Evil, hmmm? ;)
C-n-C: 'Splainin', ay? :shudders:
Winking Tiger: Ahhh. Trying the ol' flattery method with me, ay? I am immune! Really!
Kay10197: I want one of Vaughn's nightstands! lol
Whit: :crosses fingers: