Chapter Three
1 Los Angeles, 2002
"You're planning on what?" Michael asked incredulously. "Sydney, that's dangerous, and you know it."
"I know that. I'm not stupid."
"You're talking about a) messing with time travel, b) messing with Khasinau and c) messing with Sloane. I'm not sure which one is the more dangerous!" He looked at Sydney imploringly. "Don't do this Sydney. You don't know what it's going to do."
"I have to do this. It could be my only chance to get to my-" She stopped, realizing her mistake.
"Your only chance to get to your what? Your mother, perhaps? Syd, as a friend and as your handler, I forbid you to do this."
"You forbid me?" She couldn't believe they were having this conversation.
"You're playing with fire!"
"I don't care. Michael, because of my mother I was arrested as an enemy of the state."
"You've been cleared of the charges brought against you by the DSR."
"But she hasn't! If we destroy her, this thing will be all over with."
"Destroy her? She's your mother!"
"She was using us!" Tears began to well up in Sydney's eyes. "She used my father and I to get what she wanted. She killed your father!"
"I'm not the revenge type." He walked to the other side of the room and laid his head against the wall.
For a moment it was silent except for the pitter-patter of rain on the roof. Sydney looked at the clock and then picked it up. She slowly made her way over to Vaughn, who looked as if he would've cried had she not been there.
"What's wrong?"
He started to say something about families but she cut him off.
"What's really wrong?" She put a hand on his arm.
He didn't speak for another few minutes. Then: "I've seen you take risks lately that I would rather you hadn't taken. You've put yourself in danger and I've been worried about you. You may not know it, but you're one of the few people that I actually still believe in anymore."
He stood up straight again and looked down into her eyes. They were both swallowed up by the moment and suddenly their lips met, if only briefly, because at that moment someone burst through the door. They pulled apart quickly.
"Sydney!" It was her father. "Sydney, don't do this!"
"You called your father in on this, too?" Vaughn asked, coming out of the shadow he'd been hiding in.
"I want him to be there when we bring her down." She explained.
"Syd," Jack pleaded, "listen to me. I know what you're thinking and believe me; you don't want to do it. You'll only cause more trouble."
"What are you talking about?" She was still holding the clock.
"You could get yourself killed! Who knows who you'll encounter when you get there?"
"I don't care! I saw those videos. My mother is a horrible person! And after Sloane is delivered Khasinau, he won't care who's there as long as he's the one who gets to take the shot that kills him!"
Vaughn stepped in. "Remember the other day when you told me that you were becoming what you despised?"
"I had killed a man! I had killed a man that I happened to love very much! I was liable to say anything!"
She put her finger on the hour hand, closed her eyes, and pushed it.
"Sydney, no!" The two shouted at the same time.
Before they could stop her she had done the same with the minute hand.
Suddenly there was a bright flash of light. The three were slammed against the wall, but oddly enough, there was no wall. Then there was darkness and a deafening silence. Then nothing. Sydney had been knocked out cold.
The clock read 10:19.
1 Los Angeles, 2002
"You're planning on what?" Michael asked incredulously. "Sydney, that's dangerous, and you know it."
"I know that. I'm not stupid."
"You're talking about a) messing with time travel, b) messing with Khasinau and c) messing with Sloane. I'm not sure which one is the more dangerous!" He looked at Sydney imploringly. "Don't do this Sydney. You don't know what it's going to do."
"I have to do this. It could be my only chance to get to my-" She stopped, realizing her mistake.
"Your only chance to get to your what? Your mother, perhaps? Syd, as a friend and as your handler, I forbid you to do this."
"You forbid me?" She couldn't believe they were having this conversation.
"You're playing with fire!"
"I don't care. Michael, because of my mother I was arrested as an enemy of the state."
"You've been cleared of the charges brought against you by the DSR."
"But she hasn't! If we destroy her, this thing will be all over with."
"Destroy her? She's your mother!"
"She was using us!" Tears began to well up in Sydney's eyes. "She used my father and I to get what she wanted. She killed your father!"
"I'm not the revenge type." He walked to the other side of the room and laid his head against the wall.
For a moment it was silent except for the pitter-patter of rain on the roof. Sydney looked at the clock and then picked it up. She slowly made her way over to Vaughn, who looked as if he would've cried had she not been there.
"What's wrong?"
He started to say something about families but she cut him off.
"What's really wrong?" She put a hand on his arm.
He didn't speak for another few minutes. Then: "I've seen you take risks lately that I would rather you hadn't taken. You've put yourself in danger and I've been worried about you. You may not know it, but you're one of the few people that I actually still believe in anymore."
He stood up straight again and looked down into her eyes. They were both swallowed up by the moment and suddenly their lips met, if only briefly, because at that moment someone burst through the door. They pulled apart quickly.
"Sydney!" It was her father. "Sydney, don't do this!"
"You called your father in on this, too?" Vaughn asked, coming out of the shadow he'd been hiding in.
"I want him to be there when we bring her down." She explained.
"Syd," Jack pleaded, "listen to me. I know what you're thinking and believe me; you don't want to do it. You'll only cause more trouble."
"What are you talking about?" She was still holding the clock.
"You could get yourself killed! Who knows who you'll encounter when you get there?"
"I don't care! I saw those videos. My mother is a horrible person! And after Sloane is delivered Khasinau, he won't care who's there as long as he's the one who gets to take the shot that kills him!"
Vaughn stepped in. "Remember the other day when you told me that you were becoming what you despised?"
"I had killed a man! I had killed a man that I happened to love very much! I was liable to say anything!"
She put her finger on the hour hand, closed her eyes, and pushed it.
"Sydney, no!" The two shouted at the same time.
Before they could stop her she had done the same with the minute hand.
Suddenly there was a bright flash of light. The three were slammed against the wall, but oddly enough, there was no wall. Then there was darkness and a deafening silence. Then nothing. Sydney had been knocked out cold.
The clock read 10:19.