I can hear the trepidation in her voice. I know I was against this meeting, but I've also come to realize that she was right. This is the only way we'll be able to get the code. But that's only if she's able to convince Dixon that what she's telling him is the truth.
I wander past Weiss, who's leaning against the side of the car talking to Frank. Pretending to have car trouble was the best cover we could come up with on such short notice. I only hope it's good enough.
As worried as I am about the possibility of this little charade of ours being discovered, one thing worries me more. And that is the possibility that Security Section has already gotten to Dixon, convinced him to bring Sydney back to SD-6.
I hear what sounds like a car door shutting and I wish I was closer so that if something does go wrong, I'd be there. I'd be able to help her. But I'm not up there with her, I'm down here. Waiting. And I feel helpless. Useless. And I hate that.
I listen as she takes a deep, shuddering breath and I want to reassure her that this is going to work, maybe reassuring myself in the process, but just as I'm about to speak, I hear the sound of something hitting metal and then I hear nothing. I look over at Weiss. "What the hell was that?"
"No clue." He pauses for a minute, confused by the silence. "Are you getting anything?"
I listen, straining to hear something over the sound of the traffic. It takes only a second before I realize what's happened. "Damn it!"
"What?"
"She took them off. DAMN IT!" I pound my fist on the hood of the car. "Jesus, what the hell is she thinking?"
Weiss doesn't answer; he just climbs inside the car and closes the door. I stare at him through the glass before I open my door, asking him what the hell he thinks he's doing.
"Just get in the car. I think I heard something."
My breath catches and I get in quickly, just in time to hear Dixon shout Sydney's name. When I hear Sydney begging, pleading with him to wait, I reach for the key, prepared to go racing up there even though I know I'd be too late. A second later I hear her screaming at him to listen to her and my hand drops back on to the seat. As she pleads her case, I finally release the breath I didn't know I was holding.
Weiss shifts in the seat, turning to face me. "Did that sound like a car door?"
I simply nod, waiting to hear some indication that Sydney is okay.
"Mike, we need to get out before he gets back down here."
I know he's right, but suddenly I can hear Sydney more clearly and I know she's picked up her sunglasses again which I assume means that she is okay. At least physically.
We both get out and move back to the front of the car, watching as Frank slides underneath, trying to keep up the pretense that our car has broken down. I wait impatiently for Dixon's car to reappear, all the while listening to Sydney as she cries and mutters something which I can't understand.
After what seems like an eternity, Dixon's car finally appears. And still we have to wait, traffic having picked up enough that he can't get back on the highway immediately. Two minutes later, his car has disappeared over the hill. I climb back into the car quickly, barely allowing enough time for Frank to get out from underneath and Weiss to get in before I have the car in gear, backing up, and tearing up the dirt road.
"Jesus, Mike! Would you slow down?"
I ignore Weiss' protests, knowing that he's subjected me to worse, much worse. As I reach the crest, I can see Sydney leaning against her Jeep. Pulling up beside her, I jump out of the car just as her knees buckle and she sinks to the ground, her fingers clutching the grill as sobs wrack her shaking body.
I crouch down in front of her, my left hand resting lightly on top of hers. She lifts her head slowly, tears and mascara running down her cheek. I reach over, my thumb gently wiping away the black trail. "Syd?"
Her head falls against my chest and her hand grips mine tightly. "Vaughn, he..." her voice catches and she tries to continue, "he doesn't..." She tries again. " I don't think he believes me."
Again, I'm overcome with the need to take her as far away from here as possible. But I know I can't. Even if I could, she wouldn't go. So I do the only thing I can. I put my arms around her and hold her.
********
I fold myself into his embrace, his warmth temporarily thawing the chill that is as much a part of me as my skin. I know he's waiting for me to explain, but I just can't find the words. Not yet. Instead, I rest my head against his chest, allowing the simple rise and fall with each breath to calm me.
After a few minutes, I pull away, knowing that I need to tell him what happened, knowing that we need to get back. Placing my hand on the bumper, I slowly force myself to stand. "Vaughn..."
He rises as well, moving closer, resting his hand on my shoulder. "Syd, why don't you tell me on the way back."
"Okay," I agree willingly.
His hand slides down to the small of my back, a reassuring pressure that helps guide me to the car. As I climb in, he asks for my keys so Frank can finish and head back. I place them in his hand and his fingers slide over my palm as he takes them. The sense of déjà-vu is frightening. I collapse against the seat as he walks away, thoughts of Danny and that last day overwhelming me.
I stare out the window to my left, trying to banish the memories as the tears begin to fall again. But the images shift, they change. First it's Danny that I see staring back at me. But it's not really me he's staring at, it's a stranger, a woman he doesn't know. And then his face is replaced by Dixon's. But even though their faces change, the expression doesn't. It remains the same, a look of betrayal.
Vaughn starts to get in beside me and I scoot closer to the window, drying my eyes quickly. He says something to Weiss and closes the door, sliding next to me. I keep my gaze focused on the movement of the derrick. Up and down. Up. Down. A never-ending cycle. Like my life. Only for me, it's an unending cycle of lies and betrayals.
"Syd?"
His voice is quiet, soothing, as he turns me, forcing me to look at him. His eyes show surprise at the redness of mine and I just shake my head, trying to let him know, without words, that I'll be okay.
Vaughn nods as he pulls me back into his embrace. He looks up at Weiss, who's looking in the rear-view mirror at us. "Go."
