"I need you to find out where Mr. Vaughn is."
This was the first time he had called her and Alex was a bit surprised. He didn't wait for her to answer and hung up on her after uttering the only sentence of the conversation.
Vaughn must be getting close, she thought to herself. The pieces were starting to take shape but she still didn't have the whole form yet. There was a reason for all of this she concluded.
There was no reason at all for her not to have told Vaughn what he wanted to know in order to find Sydney, Alex knew where she was, but she had been warned in advance not to say anything. In her line of work it paid to plead ignorance sometimes. Besides, it was fun to watch the former CIA agent fall from grace.
Not that she had anything against the man, she didn't, but there was just something about him that she didn't like. Maybe it was that his code name 'Boy Scout' was too fitting. She found people who thought that the world would get better were idealistic and kept their heads in the sand. Black and white just didn't cut it, there were so many different shades of grey a person could get lost. In the real world things didn't have happy endings, they just happened. A good day for one could mean misery for another.
Looking at her watch, she figured she could get a summary for her mystery caller before going to sleep for the night. After 2 phone calls she had an answer. Vaughn had been seen in Romania. In a few hours she would know the address he was staying at.
XXX
He was going to enjoy this. When Alex had called him and told him what she needed he quickly volunteered to go. Rumor was that Vaughn was close to cracking and he thought it should be fitting that he should be the one to give him the push.
Sark found Vaughn in Zalau, staying at a small inn there. He talked to a few of the locals and found out what his habits were, then went to the restaurant and waited for him. Sark had to admit that, when Vaughn had walked into the place, there was no way to prepare him for what he saw.
Vaughn had lost about fifteen pounds since the last time they had met, which was only two and a half weeks. His eyes were sunken and there were dark smudges under them. There was also no mistaking that the razor was not his friend, and his clothes were filthy.
Once the shock of seeing Vaughn in this state wore off, Sark began to anticipate what would happen next. He would have to be very careful since Vaughn was obviously not stable and likely to do just about anything, but that is what gave Sark a thrill. He had been given the chance to be a part of the destruction of an enemy and he was going to savor it.
Vaughn didn't even notice that someone was sitting down at his table until he heard the familiar voice.
"Mr. Vaughn, you certainly are looking well. How have you been?"
There was no mistake that Sark was going to enjoy this, especially when Vaughn looked up at him and he could see the pure hatred coming from his eyes. Yes, this is going to be fun indeed.
"Whadaya want Sark?" he slurred.
Sark just sat there and watched the broken man. He must have been here a few days because the waitress had come by and dropped off a bottle of whiskey without having taken an order.
"You seem to be at a dead end." Sark said to him.
"Piss off."
Sark just took in a breath and told himself to calm down. He hated when people used language like that. It showed no respect. Another breath, and he continued through gritted teeth.
"I'm here to help you."
Vaughn looked up at Sark then. It didn't matter that they had always been on different sides or that Sark had an affair with Lauren, because the look in his eyes was that of sheer desperation. It was a look Sark loved to see.
His instructions were very clear thanks to Alex. After reporting in she was told to get information to him that would help him out. The ultimate plan was bigger than him but Sark was glad to be part of it.
If he had any feelings Sark would maybe have compassion for the man but he didn't. Sark was in agreement with Jack Bristow when it came to Sydney in that Vaughn wasn't good enough for her. He supposed no one was but he didn't indulge in fantasies like that.
"There is a flight to St. Petersburg in the morning, be on it. From there you are to drive to Belovo. When you enter the city you will see an industrial park. Look for number 47 Nazija. Someone will be there."
Normally Sark would have liked to stay and see how far he could push Vaughn but his instructions had been clear. He had made an assessment and delivered the message. Now all that was left was to report in. He remained seated though, taking in a few more moments, feeling a sense of intense satisfaction.
It was a few minutes before Vaughn noticed that Sark was just sitting there. Sark couldn't be sure if he was actually looking at him or not since Vaughn's eyes were unfocused, but Vaughn kept his gaze and poured himself a drink out of the bottle on the table.
"Is there anything else?" Vaughn asked.
"As much as I would love to sit and chat with you, I can see that you are busy."
Sark rose from the table and walked out.
