A/N: Holy crap, thirty-five reviews for three chapters! You all are the best! Please keep on reading! Special thanks to Imortally****Alias for adding me to your favorites list.
Chapter 4The first day. Sydney had so many first days that it was because of these first days that her life was so screwed up. The first day her mother had left and never returned. The first day she met Danny. The first day a man claiming to be CIA approached her. The first day she moved up from an analyst to a field agent. The first day she had walked into the CIA building. The first day she had met Vaughn. The first day she had met the Man. The first day after the Alliance had fallen. The first day that Vaughn had stayed over. The first day she had awoken in Hong Kong. The first day she had stepped foot in the CIA building in two years.
Now here she was again, stepping into the CIA facility in Swift Field, California for her first day of work. It wasn't completely dissimilar to the LA facility. She must have spotted at least three different agents watching her as she approached the facility from the outside, and because they had yet to receive her file instead of doing a finger print entry, they had her sign in with the guard.
For the first time, Sydney felt out of place walking in here. Every one had a job, and everyone knew what they were doing. Numerous agents were talking on the phone, others were huddled around computers or standing around talking in groups. She did not recognize any of these people, and at the moment, had no idea where she should go.
"Agent Bristow, I presume?" Sydney turned and looked into the eyes of a woman with short-cropped blond hair and shining hazel eyes.
"Yes," Sydney answered hesitantly.
"Welcome," she greeted. "I'm Director Jacobs, but every around here calls me Jay," she said starting to walk. "I just received your file this morning. I must say, you have a very impressive history. Personally I think it was foolish for LA to transfer you here. Though our research is very active in finding information about Rambaldi, or for more recent times, the Covenant, we do not send very many agents out on active duty, as you may be accustomed."
Sydney managed a weak smile. "Great, then I'll have more time to relax."
"Yes and recover your memories as well," Jay included. Sydney looked at Jay carefully. "Relax Sydney, though the CIA did not include the knowledge that you're missing your memories from the last two years, I received a call from your father. He informed me that you two have been working to get them back and I'll be happy to assist you in anyway I can. All you have to do is ask," Jay concluded just as they stopped in front of a conference room door.
"Thank you, I appreciate your understanding," Sydney thanked her.
"No problem. Now it's time for you to meet your colleagues," Jay said pulling open the door. Twelve people were assembled and chattering around a long table. As soon as Jay entered, they quieted. Two chairs had been left vacant at the head of the table, and Jay quickly led Sydney to them.
"Good morning everyone," Jay started as she and Sydney took a seat. "This is Agent Sydney Bristow and she is transferring from the LA facility. A brief, and no where near as flattering summary of her history, is that she worked as double agent for the CIA during the time of the Alliance, and was there first hand to see it brought down. I'll expect everyone to make her feel comfortable here," she said looking around the table.
"No problem, Jay," said a man who couldn't look more like a slob in a suit if he tried. His black hair was wildly untamed and his gray eyes seem to only hold mischief. He actually had the nerve to wink at Sydney after speaking which caused some of the agents to laugh.
"Control yourself, Zack," Jay warned. "Now, onto business." Sydney tuned out as Jay got to recap the latest events of the Covenant, most likely for Sydney's benefit, but Sydney probably could have even added on and corrected some of the information that Jay was giving them. Sydney didn't want to be here. All these agents were probably good at what they do, but Sydney couldn't help but feel that this agency is where young agents began their training. If and when they got to go on missions, they probably ranged somewhere from the level of easy to moderate where it was unlikely anything could go wrong. Not that she wanted anything to go wrong, but Sydney could foresee and very dull role as an agent that she could easily get tired of. Not to mention that this CIA facility seemed to do little in the way of making any real breakthroughs with old data and insignificant sources, but thanks to Lauren, she had to learn to love it.
* * *
The first day to work without Sydney Bristow was not so different as it had been two years ago. No one seemed to be working with the normal enthusiasm because one desk in the office sat empty and void with no trace that anyone had even worked there.
Jack Bristow had become more quiet but even more curt when he spoke, especially around Michael Vaughn or Lauren Reed. Meanwhile, Lauren Reed was making an attempt to look like nothing had happened even though she was getting more angry looks and speeches similar to Jack Bristow's for her actions.
Weiss had taken to telling jokes that were even less funny than usual in attempt to bring a smile, or even an irritated comment from Vaughn. Vaughn had hardly spoken a word to anyone, including Lauren. Apparently he was taking the news even harder than she had expected.
As Vaughn sat at his desk and tuned out Weiss's obnoxious babble, he couldn't help but wonder what Sydney was doing now. He wanted to know how she was getting along, but the CIA had taken back her cell-phone and her phone had gone unanswered for days. Vaughn knew that Weiss had visited her, but he refused to tell him what they had talked about, and all the secrecy and not knowing what was happening in her life was driving him crazy, just as it had two years ago.
"Board meeting in ten minutes," Lauren said coming up to his desk. She searched his face looking for any sign of forgiveness, and when she didn't find any, she walked away, but Vaughn knew that he was eventually going to forgive Lauren. And in doing so he'd be getting on with his life, but he didn't want to do that without Sydney, not again.
* * *
"So you up to a get together at the end of the day, Agent Bristow?" Zack asked while Sydney sat at her desk going threw some papers.
"I'm not going out with you," Sydney growled while never looking up.
"Why?" Zack asked.
Sydney narrowed her eyes and looked up at him. "My life is more complicated than you'll ever understand. Plus, I don't like you."
"Ah," he said with a dismissal of his hand. "We can get over that by talking at dinner."
Sydney aligned her papers by tamping them together on her desk and then stood up. "Get it in you head," she said as she walked by. "I'm not interested." Sydney put the forms on her supervisor's desk and then headed back to her desk to gather her things.
"Come on," Zack coaxed. "It will be fun, I promise," he said grabbing her arm to get her attention. Sydney some how resisted the urge throw him halfway across room, but she couldn't resist a punch that nailed him smack in the face. He fell to the floor in surprise.
"In case I wasn't clear the first time," she whispered into his ear before walking out the front door, smiling.
Her smile didn't stay on her face very long. Her first day was over and it left her feeling numb and empty. She had been stuck doing paper work and research all day at her desk with no one to talk to. There had been one girl, Angie Long, who had been sympathetic about her position, but she wasn't Weiss, Francie, Will, Dixon, or Vaughn.
She sighed; she didn't think she could do this every day. At any other time but now she would have wished for her life to slow to this speed. To have a normal life with a boring job that was in no way considered life threatening, but not right now when she was missing two years of her life and when she was completely secluded from all her friends.
Sydney's train of thought was broken as she was jerked forward in her seat. Glancing up at her rearview mirror she spotted two cars behind her, approaching her fast. Sydney stepped on the gas trying to distance herself. The one on the left was a van and was falling behind at its max speed, but the black car behind her was definitely catching up. Sydney cursed herself for not noticing them earlier and for choosing such a deserted highway.
The black car was within a few inches of her bumper now, and just as she prepared herself for the tap; she heard the sound of a gunshot making contact with her tire. Her car swerved a complete three-hundred-and-eighty-degrees before shuttering to a stop. Sydney reached down and pulled out her gun and CIA issue phone. She heard the other two vehicles skid to a stop somewhere near her. She pushed open her car door and made a run for the guardrail, firing some shots over her shoulder as she ran down the hill into the woods.
Shouts echoed behind her and the sound of crushing twigs and leaves. Sydney ran faster. She didn't know where she was, or who these people were but she needed a place to hide. Sydney stopped behind a large oak tree to catch her breath. When she heard the men approaching she turned around the tree and fired. She tried to count how many there were, but she had to take cover before she could get a complete count. She had only seen three.
Sydney waited for the sound of bullets and the splintering of wood from the tree, but it never came. She looked at the tree nearest to her and was surprised to see the red end of a tranquilizer sticking out. They weren't trying to kill her, why? Sydney took a deep breath and started running again. After a few minutes, she spotted a long cinder-block tunnel placed as an overpass for a now rotting bridge. Sydney made a run for the tunnel and jumped inside. A minute later she heard the angry voices of her chasers.
"Where'd she go?" one asked.
"Shut up for a moment, let me listen," another man with a deep voice commanded. "She's stopped running," he observed. "Search the area."
Sydney couldn't move or her heels would make too much noise and she had to keep the out of the water so she wouldn't spatter. She heard the splashes of someone walking down the creek and towards the cylinder. She held her breath and tightened her hand on her gun. He stepped into the tunnel and his feet echoed against the surface. He stopped and looked around. He was only a few feet from where she was standing.
Finally he turned around and headed out of the tunnel. Sydney didn't breath a sigh of relief until she was sure that he was well enough away. Sydney settled in against the wall as comfortably as she could as she prepared herself for a long wait.