The next day, the dream, more like nightmare, occupied her thoughts. Could it be? Was she
really so blind? Did she actually think Vaughn would suddenly be rid of his memories of
Lauren? Sydney supposed the truth had stared her in the face every day for the last month.
Her father. Twenty years after his wife's betrayal and he still needed closure. Would that
happen to Vaughn?
"–other than Espinosa, Sydney?"
She mentally snapped back into focus. Everyone was looking at her. She thought she might
be having another nightmare. Sydney examined herself for a split second. She wasn't naked.
This must be reality.
Her head really needed to get back in the game. "Could you repeat that, please?"
Kendall looked slightly taken aback. "I asked if you recognized anyone other than
Espinosa?"
"No." A thought came to her mind. "Did Sark?"
Sark looked at her with an odd expression on his face. In fact, all of them were looking at
her with an odd expression. She pinched herself to verify that she was really awake.
"Syd, are you ok?" asked Marshall.
"I...I'm fine. What's going on?"
"It seems, Agent Bristow, that while I was detailing the events of France, you dozed off."
"I did not doze off! I was merely...thinking of what Espinosa might do next."
Sloane walked over and patted her shoulder. "As we all are, Sydney. Now, according to our
intel, Espinosa currently has her main base of operations here," a photo of a nightclub
flashed onto the screens, "in Madrid, Spain."
"What is she doing there?" asked Weiss.
"That is exactly what the APO needs to find out. Since we have the Mona Lisa, the ampule
is our secondary concern.. Rambaldi artifacts have been around for centuries; they can wait
a few more days."
Did Sloane actually just say that? Sydney was more than amazed, but her gut still told her
that he was up to something fiendish.
"Why a nightclub?" piped in Marshall.
Sydney replied, "It's her style."
"It's an ordinary nightclub?" Her voiced was laced with disbelief. "I don't have to wear a
leather corset, carry a whip, or smear my face with more than an ounce of make-up?"
Marshall nodded happily.
"What's the catch?"
"No...catch. Well, there may be one 'catch' so to speak, but it's really not all that impor–"
"Marshall?"
He grimaced.
"It's an asphyxiation club."
"People strangle each other?"
"According to popular belief, the lack of oxygen...enhances the sexual bond between the
strangler and his victim." Sark didn't go into detail.
"That's disgusting."
"Well, Sydney, we all have certain...proclivities." Smirk.
At that moment, Vaughn walked up to the strategizing trio and said, "Sydney, could I speak
to you for a second?"
She nodded in agreement. Back into the same vacant room as before.
"I..."
"What is it, Vaughn?" she asked, her heart hoping beyond hopes that he was finally going
to share his thoughts and feelings with her. That he did, but not about what she expected.
"I don't want you going on this mission. Have Nadia go instead."
Sydney was perplexed. "What? Why?"
"Because you're going to a...you're going to a sex club with Sark. I don't think I can handle
that."
She sighed in irritation.
"I've already explained this to you. Dad told me that Sark would be my responsibility. I am
supposed to keep my eye on him."
"But you never told me why." Vaughn retorted angrily. "Why you? Why not Dixon or
Nadia? Why you?"
Sydney took a deep breath.
"Kendall believes that Sark has a certain...respect for me."
"Respect? What is that supposed to mean?"
"I don't know, Vaughn, but Sark doesn't seem to be particularly determined to kill me. And
I, for one, am going to use that to my advantage."
A hard light entered Vaughn's eyes.
"Don't do this, Sydney."
"Vaughn, you're being irrational. We can use this."
Unfortunately for her, his mind was made up.
"If you go on that mission, we're through."
He left without looking back. Perhaps Sydney should have felt dismal by this
announcement, but just at the moment, she wanted mostly to claw his eyes out.
