The first thing I did when I woke up was reach for my cell phone, which I always kept right next to the pillow, knowing that Jack and Irina could call at any time. I looked at the time display and discovered that it was 9:07. The room was dark, the windows all covered with heavy blinds, and I was unsure if it was 9 AM or 9 PM. So I got up off the couch and wandered towards Will's main room. I found him sitting, watching a baseball game on TV, with a bouquet of flowers on the couch next to him. Looking out, I could finally see that it was most definitely nighttime.
"Who's playing?" I asked tiredly. Will started slightly, and gave me a weary look.
"Cardinals and Marlins."
"Who's winning?"
"Cards. Jim Edmonds just hit another home run." I nodded and rubbed my eyes.
"Gee Will, you bought me flowers? Really, you shouldn't have." This finally got him to look at me, and he grinned.
"Hardly. They're for Francie." I smiled slightly.
"Bathroom?" I questioned. He pointed down the hall absently, his attention fully centered on the game again.
"Thanks," I mumbled as I headed in the general area indicated. I took a quick shower, put the same clothes on, and headed back out to join Will.
When I got into the room, Will wasn't the one waiting for me. He was nowhere to be found. As I went further into the room, a shape materialized from the shadows. It startled me, but I tried not to let it show as I recognized the being.
"Sark."
"Agent Vaughn." A moment later, Will came back from the kitchen. He was about to say something to me when he noticed Sark. Looking shocked, Will dropped his glass of water, which shattered on the floor. He took a deep breath, and glared at Sark.
"Why's he here?" Will finally managed, directing it towards me.
"I don't know." Will gave me a long, uncertain look, but finally nodded.
"Fine." He turned and walked back to the kitchen, and I faced Sark.
"Was that really necessary?" I asked.
"Necessary? No… it was fun," he replied. I rolled my eyes.
"He raised a good question: why are you here?"
"Jack and Irina sent me."
"Naturally. I assume there's a reason behind it, and not just the pleasure of your company?"
"As amusing as that would surely turn out to be, they wanted me to tell you that it's not safe to stay here." At this point, Will ventured back out. Sark didn't even spare him a glance.
"Seems to be a rather obvious conclusion to me," I noted sarcastically.
"Do you know how long it took us to track you down?"
"Can't say I do."
"Not even ten full hours." I had to admit to being somewhat surprised at how easy it was.
"Fine. So what am I supposed to do?"
"Come with me."
"What? Just like that?" Sark raised an eyebrow.
"Would you like some time to pack your belongings?" he asked dryly. I frowned at him.
"Is it safe to go with him?" Will interjected, glaring at Sark, who continued to pointedly ignore him.
"Nothing is ever truly safe. Everything is a test." Will looked confused by my statement, but took it at face value.
"If you say so man…" he trailed off uncertainly.
"Don't worry. Sark… where are we going, exactly?"
"If you have to ask, you're not ready to know." With that, he turned and walked out. I sighed.
"He's beginning to get on my nerves," I told Will. He smiled faintly, and I could tell that he was still shaken up by the visit.
"If anything happens, I'll let you know as soon as I possibly can," I promised.
"Thanks man. Be careful, ok?"
"Sure. Thanks again Will." He nodded, and I turned to leave. As I closed the door behind me, I could hear him beginning to pick up the pieces of the glass on the floor. I wished it could be as easy to pick up the pieces of my own shattered life.
I quickly located Sark's car, and made my way over to it. He gave me a strange look as I got in, a look I wasn't willing to even attempt deciphering. Starting the car, he finally took his eyes off of me, and I sighed lightly.
"We'll be meeting them in Pasadena. From there, we're all going to Naxos, a small island off the coast of Greece. Irina has some kind of intel leading us there."
"I thought you said that if I had to ask, I wasn't ready know," I pointed out. He gave me another one of his looks.
"I wasn't about to say any of that in front of Tippin."
"He's trustworthy," I argued.
"No one is trustworthy," Sark refuted. I shook my head.
"Whatever floats your boat…" I muttered, hardly surprised by his response. The rest of the drive passed in cold silence, and we soon arrived at a park in Pasadena. Being past 10 PM, the place was essentially deserted. Sark walked quickly, not telling me a word about where we were meeting them. Finally, I caught sight of Jack and then Irina, waiting patiently.
"Sorry to be so abrupt Michael. We were afraid Kendall- or someone else- might catch up with you." I nodded.
"Fine, I understand. So we might have something in Greece?" Irina looked at me cautiously.
"Yes, nothing concrete, but we'll take what we can get. The plane leave in half an hour; let's get moving."
As if it's not completely obvious, I'm considering entering this chapter into the SD-1 May challenge. I haven't totally decided yet… but all the elements are there, just in case. As for the quotes:
~Necessary? No… it was fun. –Bullseye in Daredevil
~Everything is a test. –James Clayton in The Recruit
~ If you have to ask, you're not ready to know; he's beginning to get on my nerves. –CreepyCaller in Phone Booth.
Worried shipper/crazy stalker/rin: Hey, it's all synonymous, right? On to the reviewage… ok, so you have no life(that part's implied), I update, you obsess, and everyone's happy? Is that how it works?
SAG: Yup, I saw the finale. Yeah, fairly evil, but having had a few days to get over it, I think I'm ok with it now… I trust JJ for now. Anyway, here's hoping you do make it to September!
Chat: Wow… that review was little yellow bus special… ;) And oh, of course it's my fault that you killed Vaughn… suuuure, blame Gabs. Sure… I see how it is…
Ryanne: Hehe I saw the finale, don't worry about ruining anything! Still not sure what I think, but kinda like I told SAG, I'll trust JJ until he gives me reason not to… thanks for reviewing!