I actually had this done late last night… but I was too tired to formulate cohesive feedback responses, so you had to wait… sorry!
The plane ride was as uneventful as I could have hoped for, considering the company I was keeping. Sark worked on his laptop in a fairly secluded corner; Jack alternated between staring out the window and speaking in low tones with Irina, who passed the rest of her time on the phone. I didn't know who she was speaking to- half the time I didn't even know what language she was speaking in- but her eyes told me it was about Sydney, and that was good enough for me.
For my part, I basically just thought how strange the situation truly was. It wasn't the first time that had occurred to me, and I knew it wouldn't be the last. But it was something I couldn't help dwelling on.
Francie interrupts me, somewhat timidly. I don't really want another disturbance in an already difficult story, but I can see that something must have confused her, so I nod for her to ask her question.
"Sorry, kinda going in reverse here, but… you mean to tell me you were living with my boyfriend and I still never knew?"
"It was only for a day, Francie, if that. It wasn't safe for me to be there- which I should have realized. I shouldn't have put Will in that kind of position."
"I take it Will doesn't get along with this Sark guy?" I take a breath, wondering just how much to say in response.
"That… could be an understatement," I reply carefully. She raises an eyebrow.
"How so?"
"Um…" After a moment's contemplation, I decide that I might as well tell her everything. She already knows the truth about Sydney- finding out about just how deep Will was won't make things any worse.
"I told you that he became involved with this, but I didn't tell you exactly how." She nods, but I'm having difficulty finding the words to continue.
"Michael?"
"Ok, to be blunt, Will was tortured by Sark, but saved by Sydney, Jack, and myself." Francie is quite obviously surprised by this revelation.
"Oh…" she thinks for a moment. "When did this happen?"
"The whole drug addict thing… it was a cover. I think I told you that. Do you remember picking him up from the police station, finding him pretty beaten up?"
"Yes."
"That wasn't from drugs or whatever it was he told you. That was from Sark having him tortured."
"Wait… so you're telling me that this guy who tortured one of her best friends was helping you to find Syd?" I shrug.
"It's a very strange world, Francie." She leans back slightly, trying to absorb all of the information.
"I can see that… sorry for interrupting, back to the trip." I nod.
"Right. Greece…"
Upon landing on the island of Naxos, Irina pulled out a map and told us that our options had been narrowed down to two villages: Koronos or Komiaki. Noting that Koronos was much smaller, and thus any suspicious strangers would surely draw unwanted attention, she recommended that we focus our efforts on Komiaki. No one debated, so off to Komiaki it was.
With the island being as small as it was, it didn't take us long to drive from where we had landed in Chora Naxos, the largest village on the island, out to Komiaki. Once there, I felt even more lost, having absolutely no idea where to begin. Even Sark looked a bit overwhelmed. Jack and Irina, however, were as calm as always.
"What now?" I questioned.
"Now, we wait."
"Excuse me?" I stared at Irina. After her frenzied activity on the plane, that was the last thing I expected to hear her say.
"We have a contact on the way. He has the information we're looking for, as well as any equipment we may need. Michael, I know it's not quite what you expected, but for now, it's all we have to work with." I nodded at Jack, then frowned as something in his words caught my attention.
"Wait a minute… all we're doing here is meeting a contact?" He nodded shortly.
"So why all the worry about which village to go to?" Sark questioned, catching my line of thought.
"He wouldn't tell us exactly where to meet him. We're lucky he narrowed it down as far as he did- I wouldn't have been surprised if the only thing he gave us to go on was Greece. He's done similar things before," Irina concluded.
"Why the cloak and dagger?" I asked.
"He's a wanted man. There's a price on his head in more countries than I care to recall," she replied. Somehow, I wasn't surprised.
"Suppose you're wrong," Sark said suddenly.
"What?" Irina looked a bit surprised.
"Suppose you're wrong about which village we were supposed to wait in. What then?"
"We're not wrong," Jack said confidently.
"Suppose you are," Sark pressed.
"We aren't. He told me 'Naxos ko,' meaning somewhere in Naxos that begins with those letters. The only villages that do are Koronos, Kourounoxori or Komiaki. He then mentioned emery excavation caves, which eliminated Kourounoxori. Last, he recommended the local wine… which is one of the things Komiaki is most known for. Speaking of, why don't we go order some while we await his arrival?" We all followed Irina as she led the way down the streets of Komiaki to a tavern.
"Is that what you two were doing on the plane?" I asked her and Jack. He nodded.
"For the most part, yes." We found a tavern moments later, and went in to get comfortable. After ordering a bottle of the local wine, we all fell into a difficult silence.
"Who is this contact?" Sark finally asked.
"You'll know him when you see him," Irina promised enigmatically. Sark seemed annoyed by this response. I was irrationally pleased; for once, I wasn't the only one in the dark.
Our wine soon arrived, and we drank in silence as we awaited the arrival of this mysterious contact. I looked up each time the door creaked open, but was disappointed each time. Irina herself was beginning to look annoyed. An hour later, the wine was gone, and the contact was still not there. Irina threw out a few curses in Russian- which I only knew to be Russian because of Jack- and even Sark seemed uncharacteristically antsy. Finally, the door creaked one last time, and looking at Irina swiftly, I knew he had finally arrived.
I turned to see the soft Greek light flowing in through the opening, and a moment later, the man known only as 'Suit and Glasses' came through the door.
Happiest little stalker in the world: Well, you know I just live to make you happy, so I'm very… er, happy to hear this.
Darrel doomvomit: Colin Farrell obsession? Me? *innocent look* Well… maybe just a little…
Carrie: Glad you've caught up! Syd will be… well, I can't really say, cuz that would just ruin the fun, but considering that I'm leaving for almost 3 weeks starting June 18th, I'd rather prefer to have this done by then…
SAG: Ah yes, getting to September… I have a fairly busy summer (see above) but I'll certainly do my best to help others survive. And yes, Colin Farrell rocks my world as well… hehe.
Ryanne: The premiere, bigger than the finale? Wow… that should be good then. Wow… thanks for the consistent reviews!
Jaclyn: Your new best friend? Hee… when I saw the movie quote requirement, I knew I had to use something from Colin. He's just so… eh, I won't go on about him, I do that often enough… anyway, thanks for reviewing!
Jade: Er… sorry, no shipperness in site… :p I can do ScaredWill though… he'll be putting in more appearances in the future.
Chat: Goodness… no, subtlety is not your strong point… I made you kill Vaughn? Whatever… but hey, if you want to give me the credit for that… hee. And yes, little yellow bus special… were you not around the SSG the many times we've talked about it? :confused: Ok… now, go update Wraith, kill some more people!