An hour later they're seated at a diner near her new apartment, and her father is glaring at her across the table. His tie has been removed, but he's still crisp-looking in his button-down and slacks. She wonders momentarily if he dated after Irina took off. She can't remember anyone, but that doesn't mean much.
"How are we supposed to keep the agency from designing a mission to go after the virus first if that's what Sloane suggests?"
"I don't know, it depends on what he does—but if he presents it as an opportunity to work for both sides, we could argue that letting them steal it proves he's not the upstanding citizen he claims to be."
Jack's lips are set in a thin line as he saws a lump of apple pie from the wedge on the saucer with the edge of his fork. "Bite?"
"No, thanks."
"As you say, it depends on what Sloane tells us when he does reappear," Jack confirms. "And I'm afraid this also depends largely on what Marshall can or can't do remotely about the virus."
"So all we can do is wait," she concedes.
"Correct," Jack replies around a mouthful of pie. "You're sure you don't want any?" He angles the saucer towards her as an offering. The pie looks less than appetizing, but she takes a small bite with her fork and delicately spoons it into her mouth. Her stomach gurgles in anticipation of the saccharine apples and cinnamon. She smiles at her father, still chewing, and nods. Yes, it's good.
"See, I told you it's good," Jack smiles. They sit in amiable silence, surrounded by the clink of forks on plates and the incoherent mix of conversations in several different languages. The daylight is fading rapidly outside, and she glances at her watch: only 6:30. Winter is coming.
Jack breaks their silence first. "I take it Sark contacted you with this information?"
She nods, not meeting his eyes. "He says he didn't know about the Bomani extraction ahead of time, that his position within the Covenant isn't privy to much intel."
Jack considers this as he chews the last mouthful of pie. "I suppose that's reasonable enough. He's been out of the field for two years, has leaked intel that likely lead to the takedown of numerous underworld organizations, and his primary contacts have gone legit or missing. That's not much of a resume."
She nods, knowing he's right about this. Jack continues before she can interject.
"So what does Sark gain by ratting out Sloane? His employers want the virus—if it's later disabled, will the Covenant go after Sloane? Is this some kind of revenge tactic?"
"I don't know, Dad," she shakes her head and crosses her arms, leaning back in the booth. "Maybe Sark does want revenge on Sloane for leaving him in jail for the last two years. Or maybe he's had a change of heart, and wants to go legit himself—maybe he intends to use this cooperation as a bargaining chip with the Agency later." She regrets the statement as soon as it's out of her mouth. Hopelessly naïve.
"Sydney, I don't question your judgment in the field," Jack begins, "You and I both know that fieldwork sometimes requires split-second decisions that may change the original character of the mission."
She nods, and Jack goes on, "I do question your judgment in your personal life."
She can't meet his eyes as he continues, "You need to be very careful that your personal… interest in Sark doesn't color your professional judgment. Everything—your life—depends on it."
"Dad!" she exclaims, exasperated that he feels the need to be so specific in his distrust of the situation, "I can handle myself, alright?"
Jack huffs a lungful of air before saying, "I'd like to believe that, but your behavior in the past would seem to indicate otherwise—"
"My past behavior?" she whispers, trying not to raise her voice and make a scene, "What does that mean, my past behavior?"
"Did you ever wonder if maybe, just maybe, your dalliance with Vaughn made you less attentive to the fact that your roommate, your best friend, was no longer in fact that person? Sydney, you need to focus on the situation at hand: regaining the Agency's trust and discovering where you were for the past two years."
She realizes her mouth is hanging open, and she closes it, clenching her jaw so hard that the muscle near her ear twitches. "If you had a problem with my involvement—" she hesitates to use the word relationship anymore, "—with Vaughn, why didn't you say something to me then? And it's not like it was obvious that Francie was… Allison."
Jack sighs, exasperated. "What, exactly, are the terms of your arrangement with Sark? How will it end, Sydney?"
"I don't know, Dad," she throws up her hands and shakes her head at him, staring him down. "What would you have me say? I did what I thought was right at the time, I agreed to cooperate, and he's been cooperating. He's practically the only person in my life who's helping me instead of making me crazy!"
Her cell phone cuts her off and her father's rings simultaneously from his pants pocket.
In unison they flip open their phones and answer: "This is Bristow."
Lauren is already in the room with Sloane when she gets there. His button-down is open at the collar, and a few buttons past what she'd consider acceptable for a briefing, his salt-and-pepper chest hair peeking out of the fabric.
"Sydney," Sloane says mildly, "I was just telling Ms. Reed about my kidnapping."
She rolls her eyes involuntarily as she seats herself in one of the leatherette armchairs. "So, what did they want with you?"
"As I was relating to Ms. Reed," Sloane's oily tone grates on her, "Kazari Bomani and I have enjoyed a roller coaster relationship. I believe he wanted revenge for my cooperation in his incarceration."
"And he didn't just kill you?" Sydney tries to keep the disappointment from her voice. "It must be your lucky day."
"No, he would've," Sloane concedes, and he has the dignity to look grateful, "But I gave the Covenant a piece of intel they've been hunting around for—my contacts within the Japanese Yakuza."
"You willingly cooperated with the Covenant," Lauren repeats in disbelief.
"Well, yes," Sloane says, as though the reasoning is obvious. "And now I'm telling you. I'm in the position to be a double agent: working within the Covenant, but loyal to the CIA."
"This is classic," Sydney hisses, but she's secretly relieved that Sark called this one. Sloane is behaving just as planned. "What does the Yakuza have that the Covenant wants?"
"The world's first artificial intelligence computer virus," Sloane sniffs proudly. "It probes networks, writes its own sub-viruses… It could be used to crash markets, shut down military operations and public transportation. It's not something you'd want in the wrong hands, as I'm sure you can see. Which is why I intended to share the intel with you first, but the timing wasn't right. But now I'm sharing this with you, so that you can disable the virus before Bomani and the Covenant get to it."
"Why not have us destroy it," Lauren asks, and Sydney is irritated by her naivety.
"If this deal goes sour," Sloane explicates, "Bomani will have me killed. So, Lauren… Sydney… my life is in your hands." He leans back in his chair, self-satisfied.
"We'll assign you protection until we decide how to handle this," Lauren offers, shuffling her papers in an attempt to look like she's in charge. Sydney rises from the conference table without a word, and walks out of the room without acknowledging Sloane or Lauren.