Sark ran… faster than he ever ran before. He flew down the endless stairwell taking
first five, then ten steps at a time, until soon he was jumping whole flights of stairs,
grimacing each time his feet made contact with the hard concrete. The distant
gunshots grew nearer and nearer and Sark knew he had little time. He misjudged one
leap and braced himself for the impact. Instead of landing on both feet, he landed
partially on his left foot, partially on his right knee. Unable to maintain his balance, he
fell backwards and hit his head on the railing. The manila folder he had been clutching
under his arm flew from his grasp and landed half-way down the next flight of stairs.
"Bloody hell!" he shouted, cursing himself for his painful mistake. He touched the
back of his head, not at all surprised to find there was blood, and cursed yet again.
The gunshots were getting closer and Sark knew that if he lay there much longer, he
would be dead. He used the railing to pull himself up and felt a wave of panic when he
realized his folder was gone. After wasting a few precious seconds searching the
immediate area, he caught sight of the folder's location and ran to retrieve it. Sark
picked it up and sighed with relief. He knew that in that folder lay the answers to all
he had been searching for. That folder was all that mattered now. It was even worth
dying for.
Which was exactly what was going to happen if he didn't get out of there, fast. After
hurrying down the last few steps, he saw an exit up ahead. "About time," he muttered
under his breath. Using all the strength he had left, Sark bolted for the door and upon
reaching it, turned the handle. What he saw on the other side was not what he had
expected.
"Leaving so soon?" asked the masked man who was blocking the exit. Before Sark
could react, the man pinned him to the wall and punched him in face. Sark's world
went black. The masked man didn't take notice of the manila folder falling silently to
the floor.
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Sark awoke with a start. Sweat was dripping from his forehead and for a moment, he
thought that it was blood. He clasped his hands together to stop them from shaking and then
took a deep, calming breath. It was a dream. At least he told himself it was only a dream,
but he knew it was more than that. It was a memory, something that happened not too long
ago. It had all seemed so real, much too real for Sark's liking.
He stood up and began pacing the tiny prison cell, trying to make sense of the dream. A part
of him was thankful for the memory since it was the first thing from his past that he actually
had recollection of. Another part of him was scared, very scared. Just who exactly was
Julian Sark? What kind of things was he capable of? Did he really want to find out?
Sark hoped that that woman, Sydney Bristow, would return again soon. She promised she
would help him and Sark believed that she would. She was, after all, his only hope.
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
"I don't want you to see him again Syd! He's a liar and a killer. You know this, yet you're
letting him manipulate you."
"I'm not being manipulated," Sydney replied coldly. "I truly believe he has no memory."
Vaughn sat down at his desk and started idly playing with a pencil. He was all too aware that
Sydney was standing in front of him with her arms crossed, waiting for him to answer. He
also knew that there was no use arguing with her. She would do what she wanted no matter
what he thought.
"Just tell me one thing," he replied, putting down the pencil and looking up at the dark-haired
beauty before him. "Why do you want to do this? Why help Sark?"
The question caught Sydney off guard and for a moment she was slightly irritated by
Vaughn's little interrogation. She had the right to make a decision without needing Vaughn's
permission to do so. After Lauren's death only three month's prior, Vaughn had insisted that
he and Sydney take up where they had left off. Sydney had her doubts about jumping right
back into a relationship, but Vaughn had seemed so eager, she couldn't bring herself to say
no. Now he was more controlling than ever. She told herself he was only being protective
because he had lost her once and didn't want that to happen again. Still, something about the
relationship just didn't seem right.
Sydney ran a hand through her hair and tried to formulate a response that would appease her
boyfriend. He had a point. Sark was a killer, memory or not, but for some reason, Sydney
wanted to help him. She remembered how she had felt when two years of her life were
washed away. The emptiness and uncertainty. The feeling that she couldn't truly trust
anyone.
"I just…have to do this. I can't explain why," she finally explained, hoping that Vaughn
would just be able to trust her. "You don't have anything to worry about."
Vaughn was not satisfied with her answer but he tried his best not to show it. He managed a
smile and gave a small nod. "If it's something you have to do, then I can't stop you."
Sydney smiled in return and leaned over to give Vaughn a kiss on the lips. "I knew you'd
understand. I'll call you later."
With that, she turned and headed for APO's secret exit. As soon as her back was turned,
the smile disappeared from Vaughn's face. He didn't like this idea. Not at all.
Please review! I'd love to hear what you think!