Sydney paced back and forth across the floor of the safe house they hadn't lived in for over fourteen months. All she wanted was a simple phone call explaining why she had to uproot her life for the umpteenth time. She didn't even care who it came from.
"Why aren't they calling?" she said, throwing her hands up in the air.
Sark shifted their sleeping daughter in his arms. "I don't know, Syd. Why don't you sit down with me? It's been a long day."
"Don't be condescending. I can handle this just fine with my pacing."
"I just don't want Hope to be any more upset by this than she already is."
Sydney thought over what he had just said for a moment and then nodded, taking her seat on the carpeted floor next to him. Most of her tension could be pinpointed to the fact that their instructions kept changing. First her mother said there was going to be someone they trusted to meet them at the airport. Next, her father called to say that the airport wasn't secure enough. There would be an agent in a car out front waiting to drive them to where they needed to go. Then, they got another call from her father saying that couldn't happen due to security reasons and that they were to go directly to the house they had lived in for ten months the previous year. He promised that either he or her mother would personally meet her there.
At this point she wasn't sure if she could believe him. Things were changing so quickly.
Sydney leaned her head lightly on the shoulder of her husband that was not currently occupied by her six-year-old daughter. "I just wish they would tell us what's happening."
"That can be arranged," said a voice from the doorway.
"Mom," Sydney said, jumping up and running into her mother's outstretched arms. She couldn't help feeling like a young child, but it was just as soothing as she remembered from childhood.
"Julian," Irina said, nodding to her son-in-law. "How is Hope doing?"
"Okay. She's about as confused as the rest of us, though. What's going on, Irina?"
Irina grabbed her daughter's hand and took a seat on the floor in front of Sark. "Your father and I finally found the information we've been searching for since the day Hope was born. We figured out the connotation of the prophecy and what it seems Rambaldi intended."
"Please elaborate," Sydney insisted.
"Rambaldi meant the confrontation to be in the most basic sense of the word. The two children in his prophecy would meet one day, and they would fight. It didn't specify if the children would have no knowledge of each other's existence or if they would have been familiar with one another for years. I don't think having Tyler and Hope together these six years has done too much damage."
Sark stroked the top of Hope's head lovingly. "That's good to hear. So, this confrontation, is it going to be of the fight-to-the-death variety?"
"It's looking that way," Irina said. "That part is still unclear."
Sydney held up her hand. "Before we get any further in this, I want to know something. Where did this information come from? Is the source reliable?"
"It came straight from Agent Jim Lennox. I do believe you're both familiar with him and his connection to the Markovic project. Though that's really not why he's become so invested in the safety of the children."
"Emma," Sydney whispered, her eyes lighting up with recognition.
"Emma Wallace is still an aspect of this situation that we're trying to figure out. Tyler's mother still means a lot to Lennox. He's told his officers in Fiji where he's stationed that he do anything and everything to make sure that Emma's son is safe."
"I trust him," Sydney said. She looked at Sark. "He's been through a lot."
"We've all been through a lot," he pointed out. "That doesn't mean we're all playing for the right team. This is our daughter's safety we're talking about. I'm not going to rely on some man you haven't had contact with for over ten years just because he loved some one."
Sydney rolled her eyes. "When will you ever trust my instincts?"
"When you prove to me that your instincts are right one hundred percent of the time," he answered simply.
"Moving on," Irina said, steering the subject back on track. "Agent Lennox found some contacts in Fiji who had been monitoring some of Rambaldi's work. It turns out this prophecy wasn't as secret as we first thought. These men knew about the children of the prophecy. They knew about where they had been the past six years even though we took great pains to keep you six moving."
"I thought it was practically impossible to track us with all the crazy measures and protocols you had use using."
"Your father thought so, too. Which is why when Lennox told him that it was imperative that you get out of Denver, Colorado..." Irina smiled slightly to herself. "Well, let's just say Jack was less than pleased."
"So you really believe this Lennox character?" Sark asked once again.
"He had good, solid facts to back up the information. Proof was always a good motivator in gaining my trust. Lennox showed us documents from the Covenant detailing every single location you six have stayed at throughout your years 'on the run'."
Sydney nodded. "Okay, so Lennox might be telling the truth that our operations weren't as stealthy as we would have liked. Fine. I understand that. Why separate Hope and Tyler so roughly?"
"Your father and I talked it over. The information that Lennox provided us leads us to believe that one of your children is going to end up dying at the hands of the other down the line."
"That's a strong conclusion to make," Sark pointed out. "And it's an awfully big jump. We've gone from no information that suggested they should be kept apart to information that says they're going to kill one another."
"No," Irina pointed. "Just one of them is going to be killed. That's the problem."
"I'm not following," Sydney said.
"The one that lives through the confrontation won't be the same person they were when it started. It's going to change them. They're going to become the tool Rambaldi needs to bring about his end game. The confrontation will form them into that tool."
Unlike Sark and Sydney, Michael Vaughn and his wife got information on the new developments rather quickly. Within an hour of Hope's parents' departure, Jack Bristow was standing on their front doorstep, inviting them to join him in his car.
Lauren nodded, grabbing the bags she had packed while they were waiting. When the call had come in sending the household into such a whirlwind panic, she had guessed that they wouldn't be staying in Denver for much longer.
"What's going on, Jack?" Vaughn asked immediately as the car pulled out of the driveway.
Jack didn't answer. Instead he handed Vaughn a spray.
"No," Lauren said forcefully, recognizing the spray and what Jack wanted her husband to do with it. She grabbed her son and pulled him close to her side. "I won't allow it."
Vaughn looked back at where his wife sat in the backseat and shook his head slowly. "There's a reason for it." He leaned back and sprayed his son's face with the substance before Tyler could comprehend what was happening. The young boy instantly went limp into his mother's arms. Vaughn relaxed back into his seat and looked at Jack. "There better have been a good reason why I had to drug my son."
"It would be better if he didn't hear the real reason why I'm taking you away from Denver."
"Which is?" Lauren prodded.
"The fiancé of Tyler's late mother has brought us some information that says your son is no longer safe being in close proximity to my granddaughter."
"First, I thought Jim Lennox had quit the CIA and severed all his ties he ever had with the organization," Vaughn pointed out. "Second, I find it hard to believe that your granddaughter is a threat to my son. She's a six-year-old child."
"Don't be daft," Lauren said, scowling at her husband. "She might not be a threat now. But she has some questionable blood in her. She's not a lamb." Vaughn stiffened at her comment and looked hesitantly at the man driving the car.
"I would take offense at that comment if I weren't thinking the same thing," Jack said. "If I didn't know better, I would suspect she was a part of a program to genetically create the ultimate spy. She has my blood, Irina's, Sydney's, and Sark's all mixed up into one. The thing is it's not a definite fact that she is the one posing the threat. Tyler may in fact be the threat to Hope's safety. There are a lot of things that are still unclear."
"Sounds like it," Vaughn said, dropping his head into his hands. "Why don't you tell us the few things that are clear?"
"Agent Lennox came to the CIA with information about the Rambaldi prophecy. There is a faction of the Covenant operating out of Fiji. They have discovered the context of the so-prophesized confrontation between Hope and Tyler. One of them is going to end up killing the other."
"A little more specifics on how this supposed murder is going to happen would be nice," Vaughn said.
"We don't have specifics. We're not sure if it's just going to be an accident or if one of them is going to seek out the other intending to commit murder. It's not clear."
"It better get clear," Vaughn said under his breath.
"Where are we going?" Lauren asked.
"I'm taking you to the airport. You three have seats booked on the first secure flight to Fiji."
"We're going to Fiji," Lauren said. This was definitely not an expected development.
"Yes, we'll discuss why later. For now, I want you two to understand that all preparations have been cleared through the CIA. Agent Lennox is currently working on a project for us in Fiji. You two will be able to offer him assistance in this regard, thereby staying active in the agency. It's been arranged for Tyler to get some private schooling while on the island."
"How long have you known we're going to be shipped out of the country?" Vaughn inquired.
"As soon as the decision was made, I had Irina call my daughter, and I got on a plane to retrieve you three. All the arrangements were made while I was in the air."
"Very efficient."
"I do my best." Jack pulled the car up to the curb of one of the airport terminals. He glanced at Tyler who was quickly shaking off the effects of the mild drug in his system. "It looks like Tyler is waking up. Agent Lennox will be able to answer your questions from here on out."
For the first time, Vaughn noticed the man standing on the curb where Jack had pulled up. Jim Lennox reached over and opened the back door. "I hope you guys have decided to trust me. I don't look forward to being shot at the first bump we hit."
Lauren helped her still vaguely drowsy son out of the car. She stepped out behind him and stood toe to toe with Lennox, sizing him up. "You expect a lot of bumps, Agent Lennox?"
"Nothing's sure, Mrs. Vaughn."
"Lauren," she said, with a nod of acceptance.
He smiled back at her. "Jim."
"Stop flirting with my wife," Vaughn said, stepping out of the car. He wasn't surprised when Jack immediately took off.
Lennox started walking and called over his shoulder, "Come this way."
"We need a little more explanation," Lauren objected, although she did follow him.
"Jack has arranged for us to borrow a private plane. We can talk freely when we're on board."
"I don't like this," Vaughn whispered, leaning in close to his wife.
"We're just going to have to go with it for now," she instructed softly. "Until we get more information, it seems like our best and only option."
Satisfied with his wife's reasoning, Vaughn turned his attentions back to his son. "How are you doing, Ty?"
"Okay. I can't believe I fell asleep in the car. I never do that."
"I know. It was strange." Vaughn put his arm around his son's shoulder, and the whole group walked in silence until they had exited the terminal and boarded the small jet.
Once they had all gotten settled in their seats and the plane took to the air, Lennox turned to the young boy in the seat across from him. "I'm sorry for not introducing myself before, Tyler. My name is Jim Lennox. I work for the same place as your parents."
"I know who you are," Tyler said without emotion. "You were in love with my mother."
"I still love Emma even though she's not around. She was my whole world. Imagine my surprised when I found out a few weeks ago that she had an eleven-year-old son."
"And she hasn't been around for fourteen."
"Nothing gets by you," Lennox said with a grin. "Anyway, I still miss Emma greatly. So much so that I knew I had to see her son. You have her eyes."
"My father always tells me that."
"He's right. I just had to find you, especially when I found information that I knew your parents would like to hear."
The brutal honesty of Lennox's words broke the tension in the air. Lauren gave Lennox a quick smile before turning to her son. "Why don't you go see if the pilot will show you around the cockpit? Your father and I have to talk business with Mr. Lennox here. I know how much you hate being around when we get all technical."
"Yeah, I do." Tyler unbuckled his seatbelt and was gone in a flash.
"He's a great kid," Lennox said, watching him disappear behind the curtain blocking off the cockpit. "You two did a wonderful job in raising him."
"It's been hard," Vaughn admitted. "He's not exactly the ray of sunshine that Hope Lazarey is."
"Ah. The other child of the prophecy. Sydney and Julian's daughter. I'm slightly disappointed I didn't get to meet her also. I would love to see those two raising a child. Last I heard, they hated each other with a passion."
"You've been out of the loop."
"Yes, I have been. Mostly of my own doing since my life was a shambles and I blamed it entirely on the CIA and Sydney at the time." He waved off their concerned looks. "I got over that notion years ago so don't you worry about me or my motives. Unlike half the population out there, I'm actually not trying to destroy Sydney Lazarey's life."
"So, what more do you have to tell us?" Lauren asked.
"For starters, I wanted to explain to you why Jack, Dixon, and the CIA decided to send you all the way to Fiji. Originally that wasn't your destination. They just wanted to find a place as far away from Hope Lazarey as they could. That was the best bet for the time being. So, I volunteered to have you three come back to Fiji with me. I could use help on my operation."
Lauren studied Lennox for a second before saying, "That's not the only reason you wanted us to come to Fiji."
"I want to get to know Tyler. He's a part of Emma."
"We understand that. Let's just get a few things out of the way. Tyler knows who his mom is and the service she did giving her life up for her country. He understands that a lot of what happened to her was because of his father and his Aunt Sydney. He knows that he wasn't formed out of love, seeing as his mother and I only talked a few times in passing. However, he treats my wife as his mother. He refers to her as Mom, and that's not going to change just because you've stepped into his life."
"I didn't expect it to, Agent Vaughn. I just wanted to keep the one piece of Emma I have left safe. I know I can do that if he was in Fiji with me. Plus, I think the change of atmosphere might be good for him. We won't have to keep moving him around for his safety, and maybe he can shrug off some of that introversion and shyness I detected."
"That would be a plus," Lauren mumbled.
Vaughn shook his head. "She's been worried sick about that for years."
"His self-inflicted seclusion is not healthy, Michael," she argued. "Normal children aren't afraid to string more than two words together. They aren't afraid to talk."
"He seemed fine to me when I was talking with him a few minutes ago," Lennox pointed out.
"He works well under pressure. On a daily basis, you wouldn't get half of that out of him in twice as much time." She turned back to her husband. "Fiji will be good for him. At least until we can find out more information about this stupid prophecy. Then he can decide where he wants to live instead of us dictating it to him."
Vaughn nodded. He turned back to Lennox. "So you really think that our child is either going to be a murdered or a killer's victim somewhere down the road?"
"That's what this thing points to right now. It might be a misinterpretation, but it looks like it's the only thing you guys have right now."
"I still don't see how one of these two children is going to become a cold-hearted killer," Sydney said, entering the room after she had set Hope down onto one of the beds upstairs to take a nap.
"I never said that that was the only possible outcome of this situation. It's just the most likely." Irina sighed. "It's something you're going to have to accept, Sydney."
"I don't want to accept that. It's my daughter we're talking about."
"Don't forget she's also my granddaughter. I don't want to believe that she would be anywhere near capable of taking another person's life, and there's no way any blood relative of mine would be stupid enough to allow themselves to be killed just because an old Italian prophecy says they will. But I'm trying to accept it."
"She's right," Sark said. "We have to deal with it if this is truly what Rambaldi meant."
"Fine. I'll deal with it," Sydney agreed, even though the tone of her voice said otherwise. "Why are we here in Seattle, Mom?"
"That's a quick topic change. I don't think I'm entirely convinced that you're going to accept this new development, but I'll let you get away with avoiding it for now. Your father and I decided that it would be better if Hope was taken to somewhere she was familiar with. Seattle is close enough to L.A. for you two to keep up your work with my organization, and if I recall, Hope really made friends with the kids at her school here."
"This was her second favorite home after Las Vegas," Sydney admitted.
Sark chuckled. "That was only because she liked the cross-dressers who lived down the street from us."
Irina stood up from her seat on the floor. "I want you two to make yourselves at home in this house again. Hope will be reenrolled in her school, and I'll be in constant contact with you two about missions I need you to undertake. You will live a relatively normal life until we can get more information on this prophecy. I'm not entirely satisfied with the little amount we do know."
"So the search for the truth isn't over," Sydney said.
"Far from it." Irina nodded to them. "I'll be in contact.
"Mom?" Sydney's voiced stopped her as she was about to shut the door. "Could you have Dad call me as soon as he can?"
"I'll tell him as soon as he's back from the airport."
Before Sydney could ask why he was at the airport, her mother shut the door and was gone.
"So now what do we do?" Sydney asked her husband, slumping to the ground next to where he was sitting.
"I'm not really sure," he answered, putting his arm around her and pulling her close. "We'll figure something out. We always do."