A/N: Alright Chapter 4. It's been atleast a week since I updated last...oops...Got sidetracked with midterms at school. Which i managed to make all A's on by the way.

Anyway...

I got the title and idea of this chapter from the last ER episode, so it's not mine.

Chapter 4-Here and There

Sydney sat in her desk staring at a blank computer monitor. Her mind was elsewhere, thinking of so many things. She was sleepy, exhausted, stressed. She had not slept in three days and it hadn't been from lack of trying. Her father, Nadia, Weiss, all begged her to go home. She did, but returned 4 hours later. Sleep hadn't come, and it wasn't going to. Not until he was back.

It wasn't that people hadn't tried to help. Everyone had tried to help. Everyone had tips, condolences, sympathies, questions. She didn't need any more questions, she needed a solution, and no one had one. So far everything had led to a dead end. No progress had been made.

Nadia approached behind her sister and noticed Sydney staring at the empty screen. She shook her head and pulled up a chair beside her.

"It helps if you turn it on." Nadia said, reaching her arm over and turning the computer on.

"Thanks." Sydney said, awakening from her daze. Her eyes were bloodshot, her hair was messy. "I was going to, guess I got distracted."

"You need to rest." Nadia said.

"I've tried and I can't. I close my eyes and I see his face. I turn on the TV, and I see a show that reminds me of him. I eat and I remember something he had said. It's ridiculous. Am I over reacting here?" Sydney said, her tone a little frantic.

Nadia put her hand on her sisters back, offering comfort. "You aren't over reacting. You just need to relax, the CIA is trying."

"I was missing for two years, and the CIA did not find me. Excuse me for being cynical but I have my doubts about the CIA's abilities."

"Just try and get some rest okay. I have to go, my father wanted to talk to me about something." Nadia said, standing up. "You call me if you need me."

Sydney nodded her head as Nadia walked away. Forgetting what she planned to do on the computer, Sydney put her head in her hands. He had been gone for three days now, that's all she could think about. Everyone had kept repeating 'the entire CIA is working to find him'; but no one had found him yet.

This situation was getting to old fast. Sydney sat at her desk and stared at her phone. Maybe staring at it was not going to make it ring, but it was better than staring at the clock. Anything was better than staring at the clock.

01010101010101010010101010

Vaughn stared intently at the clock on the wall as another punch landed hard on his face, adding another bruise to the collage that was already on his face. He felt blood on his cheek, but had no clue where it was coming from. For the past two days he had endured this. He had endured this for two days too long. He watched the minutes ticking away, getting his mind off of the pain he was going through.

Another punch came. This one landing hard on his right cheek. He winced, holding in his pain as well as he could.

Michael Vaughn sat tied in a chair. A large hispanic man stood in front of him, dressed in the same army suit as the man who Vaughn had met before. This man was larger however, his face was stern. The man cracked his knuckles, then balled them in a fist to send another punch. Before he was able to the door to the room swung open.

"Antonio, give him a break." Thomas Caine said, entering the room. Antonio gave a look of dissapointment, then lowered his fist. He spat on the ground beside Vaughn, then exited the room. "You don't look so well." Caine said, grabbing onto Vaughn's hair and turning his head around. Caine admired the bruises and cuts along Vaughn's face while Vaughn struggled to stay quiet. The words he wanted to say would only make the situation worse, so he remained there, tied to the steel chair in the middle of the empty room.

"I imagine you aren't ready to divulge information yet?" Caine said, releasing his grip on Vaughn's hair.

"Not yet." Vaughn said monotonously.

"Very well then. Personally, this is fun for me. You see I've been talking around. People are looking for you." Caine said, causing Vaughn's intrest to peak. "Agents are all over the place, staking out places I would normally go. They are never going to find this place, no one but me and a select few others know where this place is. I'm not making phone calls and I'm not leaving here."

"Don't give yourself too much credit. They'll find you." Vaughn said, staring into Caine's eyes.

"You're a stubborn man Mr. Vaughn." Caine said pacing around him. "I kind of like you, you would make a good employee of mine. But there are some serious diffrences between us, and a partnership wouldn't work." Caine said smirking. "I've gotten word that the CIA is talking to some old friends of mine. You see I was a popular man, no one is saying anything about me. Not to mention I've threatened people with their lives if they do. No one is going to come for you Mr. Vaughn. I hate to let your sprits down."

Vaughn did not remove his glare from Caine. "I see. Well, it was nice talking to you again I'll let Antonio return, he's a big man but a big baby inside. I wouldn't want to keep him away from you too long or he'll start getting whiny." Caine said, he gave Vaughn a pat on the shoulder as he left the room.

Antonio entered again and cracked his knuckles once more. He punched Vaughn hard in the stomach causing Vaughn to groan in pain. He watched the clock as more seconds ticked away, more seconds of this pain ticking away. These beatings usually ran on hour long intervals. He didn't have much long to go.

Someone had to come for him. This place was not impossible to find. There was a contact somewhere that would divulge the information needed. Vaughn was sure of this. He had to be optimistic about something.

01010101010101010010100110

Sydney was quickly running out of things to be optimistic about.

Sloane had already sent Weiss and Nadia on a seperate mission to recieve intel on a computer chip. He had said it was a neccesity. That this matter had to be dealt with. He said it would not interfere with the search for Vaughn. But it was interfering. People's minds were already drifiting away. Sydney did not want Vaughn to be another dead agent. Another plaque on the wall.

Five days. Five days had gone by and they had all been the same as the last four. Another day with no leads, another day with no information.

Sydney was fed up with waiting. She was fed up with not getting any sleep. She was ready to do something.

Sydney stood from her desk when she saw Sloane walking down the hallway. "Sloane!" She said, getting his attention.

"Yes Sydney." he said, stopping in front of her.

"I was thinking that I could go to the federal prison. Talk to some former Covenant members, maybe even Sark. See if they have any information on this Thomas Caine guy."

"Sorry Sydney but we've tried. The agents we have in custody have been closed off from the world. They don't know what's going on with the Covenant, or the lack of the Covenant. What they provided was little help. They told us that Thomas Caine was a devoted Rambaldi follower, very determined, and was never satisfied with his meaningless position in the former Covenant. They also said he was an all around nice guy." Sloane said.

"Well what about Covenant members we don't have locked up. What abou..." Sydney began to speak but was interrupted.

"Sydney don't underestimate what I've tried. No one is talking, and the ones that do have given us meaningless information. I understand what you're going through, I know it's tough. But I'm trying. I know I've said this before, but you need to get some sleep. You look awful" Sloane walked off and went into his office.

Sydney sighed and seated herself again. She didn't want sleep.

010101010101101010101001001010

Vaughn would have given anything to go to sleep. He laid on his back on the cold cement floor of his holding cell. Bruises and scrapes covered his body and he could hardly move without pain engulfing him. His limbs were sore and his rib felt like it was broken. He winced as he tried to move into a comfortable position.

He wasn't given a cot, a blanket, or a pillow. He was given a cold floor, a dim light, and a questionable bottle of water. If he had to use the bathroom he was escorted there. He was fed every 12 hours, and the meals were far from filling.

Vaughn had managed to move himself into a streched out position on the ground. He removed his shirt and balled it into a pillow. After laying there for several minutes his eyelids closed and sleep finally over took him.

010101010101010101010101

Sydney tossed in her bed once more. She was sleepy, tired, exhausted, but sleep would not come. It had been 6 days. She had been counting diligently. In fact it had been 6 days, 7 hours. She knew that doing this was only stressing her more, but she could not help herself.

Her father had persisted more, so she had once again returned home. She had been laying in her bed for half an hour now, wide awake, staring at the ceiling. Tomorrow it would be a week since he had been taken. One week he had been gone.

Finally, she decided to clear her head. If she kept this up she would surely go insane. 'Sleep would help' She told herself, and she finally managed to close her eyes.

Sleep soon crept over her, providing much needed rest.