Chapter Two
Tracy Maxwell sat in conference room in the APO Head Quarters. She was brought here in blindfolds, which only added to her apparent disorientation.
She gingerly touched one of the many bruises that covered her face; they were turning a dark blue. They gave her face, along with angry red gashes, a rather artistically exotic look. In short, she felt very colorful.
Tracy was obviously worn out and tired, a blind man could see it. She tried to rest her head on the conference table in front of her, but when her forehead touched it an angry flash of pain ran through Tracy's body. She pulled herself, surprised, only to be assaulted by another wave of pain.
She cursed and wished she took that Doctor up on his offer for a sedative, or a painkiller. Tracy just sat there for a while, unmoving, fearing another wave of pain.
"You should have stayed at the hospital." Jack calm voice came from the door way, he was so serene it was chilling.
"No, thanks, Jack. I don't do hospitals." She didn't look at him, she just stared straight ahead.
It had been years since she last saw Jack, three to be exact. When his daughter "died" he came to her, pieces of the man she knew, later he was taken off to prison for looking for his daughter. It was hard to settle back where they left off.
He came closer to her slowly, always in his dignified waltz of walk, for some reason Tracy always thought of as the traditional dance. Organized, not spontaneous in anyway. Jack slipped a little medicine bottle to her.
"Painkillers. The doctor at the hospital told you will need them when all that adrenaline clears out of your system." Jack spoke matter-of-factly.
Tracy reached for the bottle as Jack walked towards the corner of the room to get her some water. As soon as he was back with it, Tracy hungrily swallowed the pills.
"Thank, Jack." She said quietly and closed her eyes, hoping the medicine will kick in soon. Very soon.
Jack just waltzed over to a chair across from hers and sat down. He waited with his hands intertwined in front of him for Tracy to open her eyes.
"I'm not gonna like this, am I Jack?" She said with her eyes still closed.
Jack let out a deep sigh.
"No." he said shortly.
Tracy opened her eyes, and painfully sat up.
"Well come on, Jack. The more you keep the bad news waiting the worse it gets. You taught me that remember?" Tracy looked Jack straight in the eyes and braced herself for the worst.
"You're dead." Jack said, breaking eye contact for a second.
"That's what I feel like, Jack. So what's the big news?" her voice was scratchy from the pain.
"Tracy, please, this is no time for wise cracks. You are officially dead. The CIA is declaring you so." Jack spoke forcefully, and for once Tracy heard the old Jack.
Tracy just sat there motionless, just taking the information in. Jack didn't speak, he didn't ask her if she was ok. She wouldn't like that, she never did.
Finally Tracy gave out a long sigh, and settled back into her chair.
"So I'm dead to the world?" Tracy looked at Jack, who didn't quiet look at her.
"Other than the people in this office, and a couple of people at Langley… yes."
Tracy looked away.
"So I guess there isn't going to be a plane waiting to take me to DC in the morning is there?"
Jack just shook his head. She is taking this well, her thought, too well.
"So I can safely make an assumption that this place is black ops." Tracy didn't wait for an answer and just went on. "Well I guess this is for the better."
"What about Rich…" Jack began to ask. When he was interrupted by Tracy.
"You don't have to worry about that." She said shortly, dismissing the whole issue with a wave of hand.
Jack decided not to pry, he never does. Tracy will tell him, when and if, she is ready to. All he could now is take her word for it.
"Very well then. From now on to the people outside the walls of this organization you are Pamela Lambert, returning student at the university. You will become a member of this organization, affective immediately. You will stay as "a paper pusher" if you will, until your psych evaluation, and obviously until you get better physically, is that understood?"
Jack wrapped up a little speech; he actually practiced it a couple of time before he faced Tracy.
"Yes, but I do have one question. Where am I going to stay?" Tracy said lightly, as if she didn't mind sleep at a couch around here somewhere.
"An apartment will be arranged for you as soon as possible. Until then, you are welcome to stay with me." Jack said in a tone that was anything but welcoming. But he did want Tracy to take him up on his offer.
"I guess if you're fine with that, its ok with me."
Tracy just shrugged, and Jack got up from his chair, wordless telling Tracy that they should get going.
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When Sydney started to drift back to consciousness, all she could hear was the beeping of machines, then slowly other sounds began to come. Someone's voice over an intercom, footsteps, some rushed some slow, and the voice of someone's breathing next to her.
She couldn't remember how she got there, and her head hurt every time she tried to think about it. She heard a rustling next to her, and heard someone take a deep breath.
Sydney began to open her eyes. First it was only a blur, then everything came into focus. Her doubts about her whereabouts where confirmed, as she looked up at a dull hospital wall, and saw some machines in the corner of her eyes.
Then it came back to her, the mission went wrong somehow. She was cornered and shot in the shoulder. A woman with icy blue eyes killed Sergey before he killed her.
Sydney tried to move her head to the direction of where she heard the rustling. But she was assaulted by a stab of pain, and she took a sharp breath to stop herself from crying out in agony.
There was more rustling, and then an unmistakably familiar voice.
"Syd? Syd, are you ok?" it was Vaughn, concern apparent in his voice.
"Vau…" her voice was barely audible and very groggy.
"Shh, Sydney. You don't have to talk it's ok. Are you in pain?" he said his voice a kind and soothing whisper.
"a little…" she managed to let out.
"I'll go call a nurse." Vaughn was getting to his feet, when Sydney placed his hand on his arm to stop him.
"What about her?" Sydney tried to clear her throat.
"Sydney, you shouldn't be talking. I'll…" Vaughn tried to change the subject.
"Vaughn." Sydney tried to sound as forceful as possible.
Vaughn looked into Sydney's eyes and saw a determined look. She isn't going to let this go.
"Last I heard, she declined a recommendation to stay at the hospital, and was taken back to APO. I think your dad is over there briefing her as we speak. She's CIA from DC on deep cover, that's all I know for now. Now can I please get you a nurse?" Vaughn pleaded.
Sydney just nodded and let go of Vaughn arm, who dashed towards the nurse station. Soon enough he was back with a nurse with a needle, that she stuck into Sydney's IV and shortly went back to dreamless sleep.
About ten minutes after that, Vaughn fell asleep on his chair. He had a dream about this CIA agent. He didn't like her very much.
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"I don't mean to sound like a jerk, but I'm sort of happy your sister and Vaughn aren't hanging around tonight."
Weiss said leaning on a counter and talked to Nadia, who was putting some TV dinners in the microwave.
"Weiss! How could you say something like that!" Nadia was mildly shocked, she knew Weiss never thought about what he said. She knew he was worried about Sydney.
"Look I don't mean it like that! I don't like the idea that your sister is laying is a hospital bed, with my best friend slumming over in a chair sleeping next to her. But you have to admit, they act like an old couple!" Weiss spoke animatedly with his hands flying everywhere to emphasize his point.
Nadia couldn't help but let out a little chuckle, she hated to admit it, but Syd and Vaughn were too familiar with each other. It felt like being with couple married for ten years.
"See! See! You're laughing! You know I'm right!" Weiss spoke excitedly.
He rushed over to Nadia and lifted her tiny, but strong, frame and spun around.
"They'd never do that!" Weiss said as he put Nadia down.
"No they wouldn't, and for good reason too!" Nadia said, holding her spinning head but still managing to smile.
Weiss just bent down and kissed Nadia softly on her lips. Nadia was surprised but recovered herself.
"What was that for?" she said smiling and blushing.
"A kiss to make you feel better.. we kinda do that in America…" Weiss began to joke but was interrupted by another kiss from Nadia.
"Wow!" he stammered, "that was… wow!"
"C'mon. forget about the TV dinners and lets go out to eat, I can teach you some Spanish on the way." She reached for his hand and he took it. Soon they were both out the door.
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"Come on now, Tracy. You need to work with me….. Here we go we're in the house now." Jack spoke loudly, hoping Tracy would be more responsive, she wouldn't.
She had obviously had taken one too many painkiller pills, and now she was hanging limply to Jack's left arm. She murmured some words Jack didn't really follow. But she seemed to be apologizing to someone.
"Oh to hell with this!" Jack just gave up and lifted Tracy into his arms.
He carried her through the well decorated halls of his house to the guest room, where he laid her down gently on a bed that hadn't been used.
It suddenly occurred to him that she has nothing to wear; he made a mental note of buying some things to wear. For now he just took off her shoes, and covered her with a flat sheet.
He felt she was getting a little feverish. The painkiller should take care of that, but he decided to check in later on her during the night.
When Jack got up to leave, Tracy sleepily grabbed his arm.
"S-stay" she managed to whisper.
Jack didn't say a word. He just sat back on the side of the bed, until Tracy fell asleep, and let go of his hand.
It's been a while since he took care of anyone that was in Tracy's state. In fact the last time, it was a younger Tracy, with a viral throat infection. Tracy's father had just gone missing, leaving the child no one but him, and an aunt she never knew. And Tracy just wouldn't let go of him that night, he slept in a chair beside her.
He was never a warm man, but Tracy always found love in the driest person, and she will help a dry person find love.
He looked back at Tracy's bed one last time, and closed the door behind him. For the first time he realized that Tracy had become his daughter when he had never seen Sydney.
"Oh God! Look what we did, Turner." He let out a sigh and walked towards his room, what they have done can't be changed, and it can't be forgiven.
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TBC