CIA Office
"What went wrong?" Devlon asked, on the verge of losing his patience.
"I don't know. Everything was going fine and then somehow she knew my name, and then they left. They disappeared." Vaughn said.
"How could she have known your name?" Devlon asked impatiently.
"I don't know."
"Agent Vaughn, if you are keeping things from the CIA, let me tell you..."
"I'm not." he said sternly, interrupting his director.
"Explain to me, how then, did she know your name?"
"Maybe someone tipped them. Maybe she saw me at a previous mission, I don't know. All I know is that I don't know that woman. I have never seen her before in my life." Vaughn said.
"I hope that's true. You're dismissed." Devlon said. Vaughn walked out of the office enraged at everything that had happened. Everyone assumed that he was keeping things from the CIA, all because some criminal knew his name. He had to admit that he couldn't explain how she knew him. One moment she looked at him like a stranger and then the next her face showed recognition. He had to admit that her expression had changed drastically from one moment to the next. He couldn't explain it, how could she have known his name, he had never seen her before.
"Mike, wait up!" Weiss said as he ran towards Vaughn. Vaughn continued to walk away, he was too angry to be civil with anyone. "Hey!" Weiss yelled once more as he caught up to him. "What's up?"
"I need to get out of here." Vaughn said as he continued to walk.
"Alright then, let's get out of here. Come on, I'll buy you a drink." Weiss said as he walked side by side his best friend.
Bar in LA
"Maybe you dated her in college and you don't remember." Weiss said as they entered the bar.
"I think I would remember if I dated a girl like that."
"Maybe she was ugly when you dated her." Weiss suggested. They took a seat at the bar and ordered their drinks.
"No matter how much I think about it, I still can't explain how she knew my name."
"You said that she changed in the middle of the conversation right?" Weiss said.
"Yeah."
"Well if she had recognized you at first, she probably wouldn't have gone in right?"
"Maybe." Vaughn said.
"So she had to have realized that you were you in the middle of the whole thing. So when she "changed" as you put it, that was probably her reaction to recognizing you."
"Where are you going with this."
"Dude, you probably do know her but you just don't remember. That would explain why she didn't recognize you right away. You probably said something that made her realize it was you. Maybe you flashed her with the big MV smile and she remembered that you two dated in high school or something."
"What the hell is an MV smile?"
"The Michael Vaughn flirting smile."
"I don't have a flirting smile."
"Yes you do."
"No I don't."
"Yeah you do, every time you see a hottie you flash her with this big, 'I'm a sweet loveable guy, why don't you date me' smile. Works like 85 of the time." he said as the bartender brought them their drinks. "Thanks man."
"Now you have statistical data for my flirting techniques."
"So you admit, you do have a flirting smile."
"I didn't admit anything."
"Yes you did."
"Alright already, I think we've had enough about the flirting." he said with a laugh as he took a drink from his beer.
"Man, she was hot." Weiss said.
"Who?"
"What do you mean who! The mysterious red head, with her tight little dress and her British accent. You gotta admit she was hot."
"I'm not admitting anything."
"Come on, you're telling me you didn't think she was hot. That you didn't flash her an MV smile, that you didn't wonder once, what it would be like to be with a girl like that?"
"Alright, so maybe she was a bit good looking." he said smiling.
"You liked her, don't lie and I think she liked you."
"Your delusional."
"Come on, she could have shot you at any time, she let you go. I'm betting it's because she liked you."
"Hot or not, or whether she liked me or not, it doesn't make a difference. Either way, she's a criminal. Even if I had liked her, she's one of the bad guys. So there, end of story."
"Alright, end of story. Man, did you see Devlon's face when he heard about the mission."
"No, but I did get the third degree."
"Ahhh, don't worry about it."
"He thought it was my fault, like I had told her who I was."
"Excuse me, the young woman from the table behind you asked me to give you this." the bartender said as he handed Vaughn a folded piece of paper. Both Weiss and Vaughn turned around but the table behind them was empty. "What young woman?" Vaughn said as he took the piece of paper.
"She asked me to give this to you once she left." he said as he walked away to attend the other customers.
Vaughn opened the piece of paper and read the short note.
It was a pleasure seeing you again this morning. Perhaps next time we meet, it'll be under better circumstance. And your friend is right, you do have a flirting Michael Vaughn smile. I, too, think it's very effective.
Sincerely,
One of the bad guys.
"Hey look, she kissed the bottom of it." Weiss said as he read over Vaughn's shoulder.
"Where did she go." Vaughn asked the bartender as he was passing by.
"She went that way." he said as he pointed to the back exit.
"Come on." he told Weiss as they ran out the back door. The back door only led them to an empty alley. They ran toward the street and looked around but didn't see her.
"She's gone." Vaughn said as he walked toward Weiss.
"I told you she liked you."
"Will you be serious, this woman is a criminal, and she was sitting in the table behind us. What do you think Devlon is going to say when he finds out!" Vaugh said losing his temper.
"I realize that, but how were we supposed to know that she was sitting in the table behind us."
"We're CIA, this type of thing is unacceptable! Devlon is going to kill me!"
"Then don't tell him." Weiss suggested.
"I can't do that, as it is he already thinks I'm keeping things from the agency. If he were to find out I kept this from him he'll fire me." Vaughn said.
"Mike, listen to me. We're assuming that it was her, but it's not like we can prove it. We didn't see her, and the note says nothing about her being the same woman from today."
"What do you mean, she said 'It was a pleasure seeing you again this morning." and "sincerely one of the bad guys." Who else could it be?"
"It could have been someone messing around with you. Someone who overheard our conversation and decided to play a joke. Besides if you give this to Devlon, he's going to think you lied to him earlier."
"Why?"
"She said seeing you again, as in you saw her before this morning. If you want my advice, keep it to yourself. Come on let's go back in." Weiss said. Both men walked back into the bar and walked up to the bartender.
"Can you describe the woman who gave you the note?" Vaughn asked.
"Yeah, how can I forget. She was a blonde, had hazel eyes, she was about 5'8". She had these big kissable lips and these cute dimples, oh yeah and she was wearing this skin tight black dress. She was hot." the bartender said.
"Did she have a British accent?" Weiss asked.
"Nah, she was American."
"Thanks." Weiss said.
"What do you think?" Vaughn asked.
"I don't know, blonde hair?" Weiss said.
"She could have been using wigs, and the accent could have been fake. I think it was her, I think she was here tonight."
"Well I don't think you should tell Devlon, he'll take you off this assignment, he'll probably give you desk work, and I'm sure he's not going to think you're very trustworthy."
"Fine, I won't tell him." Vaughn said.
"Really?" Weiss asked in surprise.
"What!"
"I never thought you would do it."
"You're the one that suggested it." Vaughn said defensively.
"Yeah, and I would do it, but I never thought that you would." Weiss said laughing.
"Yeah, well you're a bad influence." Michael said.
"Come on man, let's go home before your hot stalker comes back." Weiss said. Vaughn simply laughed and they left the bar, not realizing that the woman that they were searching for minutes earlier was sitting nearby once again. In the five minutes that they had searched for her, she had gotten rid of the wig, taken the contacts off and changed her clothes. Now she was dressed in dark blue jeans and a black shirt, under a long black coat. She was wearing glasses, had less make-up on and her very long brown hair was worn down. She smiled and took a drink of her beer as she watched them leave. Working with her mother wasn't about the cause, it wasn't about Rambaldi for her. For Sydney it was all about the thrill, the adrenaline, the danger and excitement. Being so close to a CIA agent, taunting him and flirting with him, was a thrill that she couldn't pass up. She had come to the bar to think, to momentarily escape from her life. The fact that Michael had come to the same bar was simply a coincidence. She knew that she should have left, but she didn't want to. It was a game for her and sending him a note mad the game even more exhilarating. She had made her presence known, and still managed to be unnoticed. She finished the rest of her beer and then took her purse and left.
Next day
Sydney walked into the abandoned warehouse, from outside it looked like nothing much but inside it was quite different. As she walked inside her mother's organization she was met by Sark.
"Where were you yesterday night?" he asked.
"I went for a drink." she said.
"I was worried about you."
"You know I can take care of myself."
"Yes, I'm aware. I just wish you'd let me in." he said.
"I don't want to have this discussion right now. We'll talk about this later." she said as she walked away from him. She walked into her office and sat at her desk. She picked up the phone and dialed a familiar number.
"Hello." a woman answered.
"Hi mom."
"Sydney, it's so great to hear from you. How are things going?" Irina asked.
"We had a minor setback yesterday. Mr. Fleming was a no-show. Instead, it was the CIA."
"The CIA, are you sure?" Irina asked in worry.
"I'm positive, but don't worry everything is fine."
"Syd I want you to come back."
"Mom, I'm fine."
"Sydney, I don't want you involved with the CIA. The CIA is very dangerous to us, please come back."
"Mom, I can take care of myself."
"I don't doubt that, but if the CIA is involved, everything changes."
"How? How does everything change, we've always known that the time would come when this would come out in the open."
"Syd, I'm asking you to please come back with me. Sark can take care of things in LA. There are dangerous people in LA, the fact that the CIA knows, means that there are others who know about us."
"Who are you so scared of?" Sydney asked.
"Sydney, if I ask you to do something, you do it! This isn't open to discussion. You work for ME, that means you do what I ask, and I am telling you to come back now!" Irina said sternly.
"Fine, I'll go back as soon as I can. We still have a few more things to take care of, once that's done I'll go back."
"I expect you back soon."
"I have to go." Sydney said.
"Take care darling. I love you." Irina said.
"I love you too. Bye." Sydney said, after which she hung up. She sighed and closed her eyes, thinking about how complicated her life had suddenly become. Just then there was a knock on the door and Sydney sighed once more, wondering what else she was about to be bombarded with.
"Come in." she said. The door opened and Sark walked in. She smiled at him and watched him sit across from her.
"I'm sorry about earlier, I shouldn't have brought our personal problems into work." he said.
"There's nothing to apologize for, you were right, I keep you out too much. It's my way of protecting myself." she said.
"From me?" he asked.
"No, from everything. I've lost a great deal in my life, I guess sometimes keeping people out protects me from the pain of losing them. I once lost my mother, I lost my father, I lost friends and boyfriends, it hasn't been easy for me."
"I understand."he said as he stood up and walked to her. "But you don't have to worry about me. I won't leave you, unless you want me to." He leaned in and began kissing her.
"So are you going to tell me who Michael is?" he said in between kisses.
"He was kind to me once, when I was all alone." she told him. "I would appreciate it if you refrained from hurting him, if you can."
"Anything for you." he said continuing to kiss her.
"Alright, we have to get back to work. We'll continue this later." she said as she gently pushed him away.
"You promise?"
"I promise." she said.
"Alright then, we'll finish this later." he said as he left her office.