Same Disclaimers Apply. A/N: Thanks for the great reviews from the last
chapter. As you can see they obviously motivate me to write. So here is
the next installment and please don't forget to send more.
ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!
CIA TASK FORCE HEADQUARTERS - L.A.
Sydney caught up with Marshall in his tech room, eager to know what her father had him working on.
"Marshall." She said in greeting. He jumped and spun around, startled by her presence.
"Syd hi. What are you doing here? Well, you work here- I know- but what are you doing here in this room? Not many people venture in here but you're always welcome." He stopped and took a deep breath. "What can I do for you?"
"You can tell me what me father has you working on." Sydney smiled at him but Marshall looked uncomfortable.
"Um Syd, your father told me I wasn't suppose to discuss the work with anyone. But I'm not really sure why cause all he gave me was a few CDs with some pretty great songs. He wants me to check for further information on the disks but so far I haven't found anything." Sydney stayed quiet hoping Marshall would continue speaking. "Oh but this one is different from the rest on the disks." He held up a CD case and placed the disk in the computer.
"How so?" Sydney asked nonchalantly.
"Well, there's no music on it other than a base drum and echo." Marshall hit the play button for Sydney to hear.
"It sounds like a heartbeat." She concluded.
Marshall seemed both surprised and intrigued. "Hey, you're right. Bum, bum, bum, bum, bum." He chanted with it but faltered when he remembered Sydney was in the room with him. Marshall cleared his throat. "Isn't it a little fast for a heartbeat?"
"I don't know enough about the heart to help you out Marshall but I would look into it if I were you." She smiled one final time and started on her way out the door. Just before reaching the exit she turned around again. "My father didn't happen to tell you where those came from, did he?"
"N-no, he just said they had been delivered to him." Marshall looked worried; he realized too late he had shared his assignment with Sydney despite being ordered not to.
"Thanks Marshall and good luck."
Sydney walked back out to Vaughn's desk. "Well?" He questioned.
"My father has Marshall analyzing music." Vaughn leaned back in his chair with a perplexed frown. "He didn't tell Marshall where it came from or what he's to look for."
"Did your father mention anything?" Vaughn tapped his pen against his desk.
"No, in fact he did everything in his power to deter me from asking questions." Sadness crept into Sydney's voice, knowing her father was once again trying to distance himself from her.
"I'm sure he'll fill you in when he feels it's necessary, maybe it's nothing at all." Vaughn tried to reassure her.
"Yeah, you're probably right." Neither of them seemed too convinced of the idea.
THREE WEEKS LATER - BOTGOTA, COLOMBIA
"This is unacceptable! I gave orders and I expect them to be fulfilled, instead I have been made to sit idly by and watch your utter incompetence!" Sloane railed at three of his employees. "Do any of you understand what you are risking with each second you waste!"
"Sir, Ms. Derevko has continued to elude our searches. She seems to have disappeared completely from her organization." One of the men answered quietly.
"Irina Derevko wants what I have and she will stop at nothing until she gets it. She will surface eventually and try to complete her Rambaldi collection but I want her found before that! Do I make myself clear or do I need to better illustrate my point!" Sloane's tone spoke of unmentionable actions resulting in the nervous fidgeting of two of his operatives. The two left quickly and immediately got back to work while the third man remained in Sloane's office.
"Was there something else Darius?" Sloane kept his head down, reading.
"Sir I wondered if you would like to limit surveillance to only the Bristows in order to maximize people on the Derevko case."
"Do you believe it will make a difference?"
"I would hope Sir. However if I may be frank, I believe Ms. Derevko will only be found when she wishes to be." Darius had worked his way to the top of Sloane's hierarchy of employees in the short time he had been working under him.
"I would have to agree with you Mr. Larkin but I will not miss an opportunity to bring Irina in because I overestimated her abilities and intelligence." Sloane glanced up from his paper work.
The door to Sloane's office opened before Darius could finish. "What gave you the impression that I wanted you in my office?" He yelled harshly to the new arrival.
"I apologize Mister Sloane, but we think we've located Ms. Derevko." The man stated excitedly.
"You 'think' you've located her or you have?" Sloane's eyes narrowed in irritation.
"St. Petersburg, Russia Sir. We can't be certain she is still there but evidence indicates she has been sighted within the last week." He said in response.
"Have the jet prepared to leave within the hour." She man nodded his head and left the room. "I suppose everyone goes home again." He smiled at Darius Larkin and exited the office as well.
Darius was left alone in the room with nervous thoughts. He had made a mistake and not intercepted information pertaining to Irina's location. Knowing he had no way of warning her of Sloane's arrival, he hoped that she would be able to protect herself.
VAUGHN'S RESIDENCE - L.A.
"Did you hear they are planning to move Sark permanently? He's probably going to be executed before the end of the year." Sydney called from the kitchen.
Vaughn was in his bedroom re-dressing after his shower. He had gone straight to the bathroom after arriving home from a weekly hockey game, stopping only long enough to kiss Sydney hello and notice she had begun preparing dinner.
"When did they make the decision final?" Vaughn called back.
"Five. Just after you left for the rink." She stirred one of the pots sitting on the burner.
"He hasn't been of much use the past few weeks. His intel is dated and useless now that Sloane and Irina have parted ways. I suppose it isn't a great shock." Vaughn walked into the kitchen in t-shirt and jeans, coming up behind Sydney. "Want some help?" He asked after kissing the side of her neck.
"Would you mind setting the table? Dinner will be ready in about two minutes." Sydney turned her head slightly to look at him.
Vaughn smiled in response and began pulling out the cutlery, plates and drinks. "I talked to Will today." He said while working. "He said they have him analyzing documents from Liberia. In short he's bored out of his mind."
"I know how he feels. These last few weeks have been so slow I feel I'm about to burst with anticipation. The task force has had nothing to bite for a while now and it is showing in the atmosphere at work. You've seen it Vaughn, doesn't it disturb you that so many people are becoming comfortable with our current state?" She dished the stir fry onto the plate Vaughn had brought down and each of them sat at the table.
"Yeah, I'm seeing people becoming lazy. I feel as though this is the calm before the storm so to speak." He answered.
"Have you seen my father lately?" Sydney asked.
"I've seen him around the office off and on. I heard the CIA is looking to promote him; he has running ops all over the world with stunning results." Vaughn seemed pleased with her father's success.
"The few times I have seen him he has looked haggard. In three weeks he's run fourteen operations. That's unheard of!" Sydney leaned forward as thought she were sharing a secret with Vaughn.
"I don't know what to tell you Syd. Your father is a grown man and is likely going to do things you don't understand but you have to trust that he knows what is best for himself."
"I know you're right but I just can't shake the feeling that there is more going on with him than he is letting on." She sighed, shaking her head. "Maybe I just need something to take my mind off of it."
"Well, I'm pretty sure I can help you there." Vaughn smiled at Sydney who cracked a smile in return. "I was thinking about how much time you spent here today and I came to a conclusion." Vaughn announced.
"Am I crowding you? Did you want me to give you some space?" Sydney asked wearily.
"Actually the opposite. You haven't gone back to your apartment except to pick up more cloths since that night." They no longer made reference to specific events of the night four weeks before. "Most of your cloths are already here so I figure maybe you'd be interested in moving in with me, permanently." Vaughn waited for a response.
"You're serious?" Vaughn nodded his head in affirmation. "I would love to move in with you." Sydney smiled warmly but it didn't last long. "To be honest I have been avoiding the return to my apartment and am very pleased I won't have to return at all. Now I just need to get rid of it." Her smile returned giving Vaughn the urge to kiss her, which he did without hesitation.
CIA TASK FORCE HEADQUARTERS - L.A.
Marshall sat in his tech room, oblivious to the late hour. His mind was consumed with his latest invention and he was eager to complete it. He wasn't aware that he was being observed from the doorway with urgency.
"Mr. Flinkman, have you completed the assignment I gave you?" Jack asked with edge.
Marshall jumped high in his chair and spun around. He dropped the tools he held in his hand and began opening and closing his mouth much like a fish out of water.
"Mr. Bristow Sir, I didn't see you there. You must have snuck up on me." His eyes went wide. "Not that you would sneak you on someone but I- I-uh finished the assignment." He finished.
"And?" Jack prompted.
"I analyzed the disks in every conceivable way. I broke them down and isolated different sections of the music but I wasn't able to find anything unusual. These seem to be regular music CDs." Marshall's hands moved with his speech.
"Thank you Mr. Flinkman, now if I am have my CDs back?" Jack held out his hand.
"Um yeah- sure." Marshall dropped two of the disks on his desk while trying to hand them to Jack. "Your-" Marshall began speaking but Jack walked out of the room before he could complete his sentence. "Welcome"
Jack was bewildered with Irina's actions from three weeks before. She had bombarded him with messages and phone calls for almost a week but had stopped abruptly after Jack told her to. Nothing seemed to fit with Irina's normal behavior igniting a dull throb behind Jack's eyes. He didn't want to admit it to himself but he had been worried about Irina after the calls and notes had stopped; Sloane may have gotten to her because Jack was unwilling to help her. Jack quickly shock himself of that thought and decided to call it a night.
ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA
The house stood alone in a quiet forest area outside the main part of the city. Everything looked lush in the late June sun as Sloane and his guards positioned themselves within the brush.
"What are our orders Mr. Sloane?" One of the men asked through his ear piece.
Sloane was silent for long moments, carefully thinking of his strike plan. "On my mark I want all bodies to begin firing on the house. Aim for doors, windows and anything else that appears to be permeable." All lines were quiet in awe of how far he was willing to go, but each rifle was raised and set for his command.
"Mark." Sloane said easily as the tranquil home of Irina Derevko erupted in the angry sound of gunfire.
Please Review (-:
I'm begging here. I'll be the first to admit it is a sick addiction but it is mine and I'm proud of it. (smiles) All I want to make be happy are reviews so I'm asking very nicely. Pretty please with a cherry on top.
CIA TASK FORCE HEADQUARTERS - L.A.
Sydney caught up with Marshall in his tech room, eager to know what her father had him working on.
"Marshall." She said in greeting. He jumped and spun around, startled by her presence.
"Syd hi. What are you doing here? Well, you work here- I know- but what are you doing here in this room? Not many people venture in here but you're always welcome." He stopped and took a deep breath. "What can I do for you?"
"You can tell me what me father has you working on." Sydney smiled at him but Marshall looked uncomfortable.
"Um Syd, your father told me I wasn't suppose to discuss the work with anyone. But I'm not really sure why cause all he gave me was a few CDs with some pretty great songs. He wants me to check for further information on the disks but so far I haven't found anything." Sydney stayed quiet hoping Marshall would continue speaking. "Oh but this one is different from the rest on the disks." He held up a CD case and placed the disk in the computer.
"How so?" Sydney asked nonchalantly.
"Well, there's no music on it other than a base drum and echo." Marshall hit the play button for Sydney to hear.
"It sounds like a heartbeat." She concluded.
Marshall seemed both surprised and intrigued. "Hey, you're right. Bum, bum, bum, bum, bum." He chanted with it but faltered when he remembered Sydney was in the room with him. Marshall cleared his throat. "Isn't it a little fast for a heartbeat?"
"I don't know enough about the heart to help you out Marshall but I would look into it if I were you." She smiled one final time and started on her way out the door. Just before reaching the exit she turned around again. "My father didn't happen to tell you where those came from, did he?"
"N-no, he just said they had been delivered to him." Marshall looked worried; he realized too late he had shared his assignment with Sydney despite being ordered not to.
"Thanks Marshall and good luck."
Sydney walked back out to Vaughn's desk. "Well?" He questioned.
"My father has Marshall analyzing music." Vaughn leaned back in his chair with a perplexed frown. "He didn't tell Marshall where it came from or what he's to look for."
"Did your father mention anything?" Vaughn tapped his pen against his desk.
"No, in fact he did everything in his power to deter me from asking questions." Sadness crept into Sydney's voice, knowing her father was once again trying to distance himself from her.
"I'm sure he'll fill you in when he feels it's necessary, maybe it's nothing at all." Vaughn tried to reassure her.
"Yeah, you're probably right." Neither of them seemed too convinced of the idea.
THREE WEEKS LATER - BOTGOTA, COLOMBIA
"This is unacceptable! I gave orders and I expect them to be fulfilled, instead I have been made to sit idly by and watch your utter incompetence!" Sloane railed at three of his employees. "Do any of you understand what you are risking with each second you waste!"
"Sir, Ms. Derevko has continued to elude our searches. She seems to have disappeared completely from her organization." One of the men answered quietly.
"Irina Derevko wants what I have and she will stop at nothing until she gets it. She will surface eventually and try to complete her Rambaldi collection but I want her found before that! Do I make myself clear or do I need to better illustrate my point!" Sloane's tone spoke of unmentionable actions resulting in the nervous fidgeting of two of his operatives. The two left quickly and immediately got back to work while the third man remained in Sloane's office.
"Was there something else Darius?" Sloane kept his head down, reading.
"Sir I wondered if you would like to limit surveillance to only the Bristows in order to maximize people on the Derevko case."
"Do you believe it will make a difference?"
"I would hope Sir. However if I may be frank, I believe Ms. Derevko will only be found when she wishes to be." Darius had worked his way to the top of Sloane's hierarchy of employees in the short time he had been working under him.
"I would have to agree with you Mr. Larkin but I will not miss an opportunity to bring Irina in because I overestimated her abilities and intelligence." Sloane glanced up from his paper work.
The door to Sloane's office opened before Darius could finish. "What gave you the impression that I wanted you in my office?" He yelled harshly to the new arrival.
"I apologize Mister Sloane, but we think we've located Ms. Derevko." The man stated excitedly.
"You 'think' you've located her or you have?" Sloane's eyes narrowed in irritation.
"St. Petersburg, Russia Sir. We can't be certain she is still there but evidence indicates she has been sighted within the last week." He said in response.
"Have the jet prepared to leave within the hour." She man nodded his head and left the room. "I suppose everyone goes home again." He smiled at Darius Larkin and exited the office as well.
Darius was left alone in the room with nervous thoughts. He had made a mistake and not intercepted information pertaining to Irina's location. Knowing he had no way of warning her of Sloane's arrival, he hoped that she would be able to protect herself.
VAUGHN'S RESIDENCE - L.A.
"Did you hear they are planning to move Sark permanently? He's probably going to be executed before the end of the year." Sydney called from the kitchen.
Vaughn was in his bedroom re-dressing after his shower. He had gone straight to the bathroom after arriving home from a weekly hockey game, stopping only long enough to kiss Sydney hello and notice she had begun preparing dinner.
"When did they make the decision final?" Vaughn called back.
"Five. Just after you left for the rink." She stirred one of the pots sitting on the burner.
"He hasn't been of much use the past few weeks. His intel is dated and useless now that Sloane and Irina have parted ways. I suppose it isn't a great shock." Vaughn walked into the kitchen in t-shirt and jeans, coming up behind Sydney. "Want some help?" He asked after kissing the side of her neck.
"Would you mind setting the table? Dinner will be ready in about two minutes." Sydney turned her head slightly to look at him.
Vaughn smiled in response and began pulling out the cutlery, plates and drinks. "I talked to Will today." He said while working. "He said they have him analyzing documents from Liberia. In short he's bored out of his mind."
"I know how he feels. These last few weeks have been so slow I feel I'm about to burst with anticipation. The task force has had nothing to bite for a while now and it is showing in the atmosphere at work. You've seen it Vaughn, doesn't it disturb you that so many people are becoming comfortable with our current state?" She dished the stir fry onto the plate Vaughn had brought down and each of them sat at the table.
"Yeah, I'm seeing people becoming lazy. I feel as though this is the calm before the storm so to speak." He answered.
"Have you seen my father lately?" Sydney asked.
"I've seen him around the office off and on. I heard the CIA is looking to promote him; he has running ops all over the world with stunning results." Vaughn seemed pleased with her father's success.
"The few times I have seen him he has looked haggard. In three weeks he's run fourteen operations. That's unheard of!" Sydney leaned forward as thought she were sharing a secret with Vaughn.
"I don't know what to tell you Syd. Your father is a grown man and is likely going to do things you don't understand but you have to trust that he knows what is best for himself."
"I know you're right but I just can't shake the feeling that there is more going on with him than he is letting on." She sighed, shaking her head. "Maybe I just need something to take my mind off of it."
"Well, I'm pretty sure I can help you there." Vaughn smiled at Sydney who cracked a smile in return. "I was thinking about how much time you spent here today and I came to a conclusion." Vaughn announced.
"Am I crowding you? Did you want me to give you some space?" Sydney asked wearily.
"Actually the opposite. You haven't gone back to your apartment except to pick up more cloths since that night." They no longer made reference to specific events of the night four weeks before. "Most of your cloths are already here so I figure maybe you'd be interested in moving in with me, permanently." Vaughn waited for a response.
"You're serious?" Vaughn nodded his head in affirmation. "I would love to move in with you." Sydney smiled warmly but it didn't last long. "To be honest I have been avoiding the return to my apartment and am very pleased I won't have to return at all. Now I just need to get rid of it." Her smile returned giving Vaughn the urge to kiss her, which he did without hesitation.
CIA TASK FORCE HEADQUARTERS - L.A.
Marshall sat in his tech room, oblivious to the late hour. His mind was consumed with his latest invention and he was eager to complete it. He wasn't aware that he was being observed from the doorway with urgency.
"Mr. Flinkman, have you completed the assignment I gave you?" Jack asked with edge.
Marshall jumped high in his chair and spun around. He dropped the tools he held in his hand and began opening and closing his mouth much like a fish out of water.
"Mr. Bristow Sir, I didn't see you there. You must have snuck up on me." His eyes went wide. "Not that you would sneak you on someone but I- I-uh finished the assignment." He finished.
"And?" Jack prompted.
"I analyzed the disks in every conceivable way. I broke them down and isolated different sections of the music but I wasn't able to find anything unusual. These seem to be regular music CDs." Marshall's hands moved with his speech.
"Thank you Mr. Flinkman, now if I am have my CDs back?" Jack held out his hand.
"Um yeah- sure." Marshall dropped two of the disks on his desk while trying to hand them to Jack. "Your-" Marshall began speaking but Jack walked out of the room before he could complete his sentence. "Welcome"
Jack was bewildered with Irina's actions from three weeks before. She had bombarded him with messages and phone calls for almost a week but had stopped abruptly after Jack told her to. Nothing seemed to fit with Irina's normal behavior igniting a dull throb behind Jack's eyes. He didn't want to admit it to himself but he had been worried about Irina after the calls and notes had stopped; Sloane may have gotten to her because Jack was unwilling to help her. Jack quickly shock himself of that thought and decided to call it a night.
ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA
The house stood alone in a quiet forest area outside the main part of the city. Everything looked lush in the late June sun as Sloane and his guards positioned themselves within the brush.
"What are our orders Mr. Sloane?" One of the men asked through his ear piece.
Sloane was silent for long moments, carefully thinking of his strike plan. "On my mark I want all bodies to begin firing on the house. Aim for doors, windows and anything else that appears to be permeable." All lines were quiet in awe of how far he was willing to go, but each rifle was raised and set for his command.
"Mark." Sloane said easily as the tranquil home of Irina Derevko erupted in the angry sound of gunfire.
Please Review (-:
I'm begging here. I'll be the first to admit it is a sick addiction but it is mine and I'm proud of it. (smiles) All I want to make be happy are reviews so I'm asking very nicely. Pretty please with a cherry on top.