They sat and listened for almost forty-five minutes as he told them what he
knew. Sydney stood up and began to pace the length of the room; her arms
wrapped around her self as if she was very cold. She wasn't cold, just
shocked. And frightened by what she'd heard. She felt confused and more
than a little dazed by the agent's words. Her head ached and she was still
trying to fully absorb his words. She looked at Vaughn, who was pale. She
guessed that she looked as bad as he did.
"How?" she asked in a small voice "How could he escape?" Her words came out more harshly than she had intended them to, but she didn't care. She couldn't muster up the energy to care.
"We think he had help on the inside." Andrews said softly "But don't worry, he'll never get past the airport before he's picked up again."
She turned on him angrily "You make it sound so, so easy!" she adopted a good impression of his voice and said mockingly "Don't worry Sydney, the sick bastard who tortured you for days on end has escaped, but we'll soon have him back were he belongs! Everything's fine!"
"Syd?" Vaughn asked tentatively.
Her voice was dangerously quiet as she spoke to him.
"Don't." she said warningly "Don't. It's not either of you that has nightmares about THAT MAN every single night. It wasn't either of you that he locked up in an abandoned walk-in freezer. So just don't, okay." She turned away and sat down heavily on a chair.
She knew that her words had cut deep. She'd seen the hurt look cross Vaughn's face before he could stop it. A part of her was deeply ashamed of her words, but another part couldn't care less. She knew that she was suffering from a type of shock. She could feel herself shaking. She knew that she was crying again and she angrily scrubbed a hand across her face, wiping away the tears. She was sick of crying. She was sick of hiding. It was time to take action.
She stood up. Both men looked at her, perhaps expecting another emotional outburst. Neither of them dared speak.
"Vaughn, call my dad. Get him here- I don't care how." She said and turned to Andrews, seeing Vaughn pick up the phone and dial. "Can you fight?" she asked.
"Well, yeah, I think." He said uncertainly. "I used to be on the Kung Fu team in college."
"Stand up." She said.
She knew that she shouldn't be fighting- her stitches had only been taken out a few days before, but she had no choice. He stood, dropping into a fighting position. She shot an open hand towards his head. He ducked just in time. Her hand scraped over his head without doing any damage. He came back up and feigned a right hand blow to her ribcage. She pivoted on one foot, avoiding his hand by inches.
She saw his left hand moving towards her head and blocked it with her left forearm while she lifted her knee and slammed it into his stomach just hard enough to let him know she could do it. He recovered more quickly than she'd anticipated and tried to punch her with his right hand. She grabbed his wrist and swung behind him, capturing him in a arm-lock.
"You'll do." She said, slightly out of breath.
Vaughn had been watching them spar and stood. "Syd, there's still no answer. The answer-phone didn't even come on." He said and saw her face harden.
"Okay, then we go to him." she said and got her coat. Neither of the men protested, knowing they'd do the same in her position.
Minutes later, they were in Andrews car, speeding to her dad's house.
"How?" she asked in a small voice "How could he escape?" Her words came out more harshly than she had intended them to, but she didn't care. She couldn't muster up the energy to care.
"We think he had help on the inside." Andrews said softly "But don't worry, he'll never get past the airport before he's picked up again."
She turned on him angrily "You make it sound so, so easy!" she adopted a good impression of his voice and said mockingly "Don't worry Sydney, the sick bastard who tortured you for days on end has escaped, but we'll soon have him back were he belongs! Everything's fine!"
"Syd?" Vaughn asked tentatively.
Her voice was dangerously quiet as she spoke to him.
"Don't." she said warningly "Don't. It's not either of you that has nightmares about THAT MAN every single night. It wasn't either of you that he locked up in an abandoned walk-in freezer. So just don't, okay." She turned away and sat down heavily on a chair.
She knew that her words had cut deep. She'd seen the hurt look cross Vaughn's face before he could stop it. A part of her was deeply ashamed of her words, but another part couldn't care less. She knew that she was suffering from a type of shock. She could feel herself shaking. She knew that she was crying again and she angrily scrubbed a hand across her face, wiping away the tears. She was sick of crying. She was sick of hiding. It was time to take action.
She stood up. Both men looked at her, perhaps expecting another emotional outburst. Neither of them dared speak.
"Vaughn, call my dad. Get him here- I don't care how." She said and turned to Andrews, seeing Vaughn pick up the phone and dial. "Can you fight?" she asked.
"Well, yeah, I think." He said uncertainly. "I used to be on the Kung Fu team in college."
"Stand up." She said.
She knew that she shouldn't be fighting- her stitches had only been taken out a few days before, but she had no choice. He stood, dropping into a fighting position. She shot an open hand towards his head. He ducked just in time. Her hand scraped over his head without doing any damage. He came back up and feigned a right hand blow to her ribcage. She pivoted on one foot, avoiding his hand by inches.
She saw his left hand moving towards her head and blocked it with her left forearm while she lifted her knee and slammed it into his stomach just hard enough to let him know she could do it. He recovered more quickly than she'd anticipated and tried to punch her with his right hand. She grabbed his wrist and swung behind him, capturing him in a arm-lock.
"You'll do." She said, slightly out of breath.
Vaughn had been watching them spar and stood. "Syd, there's still no answer. The answer-phone didn't even come on." He said and saw her face harden.
"Okay, then we go to him." she said and got her coat. Neither of the men protested, knowing they'd do the same in her position.
Minutes later, they were in Andrews car, speeding to her dad's house.