Disclaimer: I don't own Alias
Previously on Why Can't I
Looking over the counter into the room which Tracey indicate too, Vaughn caught a glimpse of something that made his blood run cold.
"Is it alright if I uh, have a quick bathroom break before we start?" Vaughn forced a little smile.
Entering the men's room, Michael dropped his bag onto the floor and slammed his hands on the wall.
"Jack? What do I do? Did you see what I saw?"
"Boy Scout…" Jack's voice said in Vaughn's earpiece.
"What," Vaughn said trying to control his breathing.
"Remember we can see just as much as you can. We're in this together."
"Sure we are," Michael said sarcastically. "That's why you're watching it all on video and I'm here living it."
"You wouldn't be there if we thought it was unsafe."
"I know! But you saw that thing. How am I supposed to pass that! It was latest intelligence – I've never even seen that before!"
"There's nothing special about that lie detector."
Vaughn let out a nervous sigh. "There isn't?"
"Agent Vaughn," Jack's voice explained, "the only difference is that it does not take your heart rate – it's all about blood flow."
"But how am I meant to pass it? Isn't it very difficult to deceive?" Michael asked, stepping away from the wall to face the bathroom basin.
"You have to stay under thirty. This test measures the blood flow to the emotional part of your brain. Now if you want to divert the blood, you have to engage the reasoning centre."
"And how do I do that!"
"You have to avoid reacting emotionally."
"But Jack! There's nothing like a switch that you can just flick," Vaughn said.
"You just have to split your focus."
"Maybe that's going to be a problem," Vaughn said staring at his reflection in the mirror above the basin. "Maybe I've split my focus already. The service, college, Sydney, mum, my friends-"
"Agent Vaughn, you can do this. You have to. The agency is relying on you - I'm relying on you."
Vaughn turned on the tap and splashed water across his face. "I can do this. I know I can do this. Wish me luck, Jack."
"You don't need luck."
Vaughn heard the distinctive click of the microphone being turned off. "At least someone has faith in me," he thought, his smile faltering.
"So," Emily said, looking kindly down at the nervous Vaughn. "This is just our regular initiation process so please don't be nervous about it at all."
Vaughn cracked his knuckles and looked away from Emily, pretending to notice the lie detector for the first time. "If you don't mind me asking, what's that?"
"Oh, don't worry about that silly old thing. That's my husband's and he's got so many bits and pieces they're scattered everywhere. To be entirely honest, I'm not sure what it is or why it's here, but it's not bothering anyone so..."
Vaughn caught Tracey's eye and forced a relieved smile. "One less thing to worry about then, I think."
"Yes," Tracey said suspiciously. "But what are you so worried about?"
"Um," Vaughn scratched his ear. "I suppose it's because I really really want this job."
Emily sat down in the chair opposite him. "And why's that?"
"Well, I'm in college and I'm kinda having a hard time coping with my everything at the moment. I mean, money-wise that is. I'm paying my way through college and I've got rent to pay as well, and my flatmate – he's this party-hard guy who never seems to let up on the 'rock & roll' lifestyle. It's a bit difficult to study when there's a party in your flat every other night, so that's why I'm just trying at the moment to save as much as I can so I can move out and into a study-friendly place. I just – I like the energy of the library, that's all."
"And you think that you'd enjoy working here?" Emily asked.
"Yeah," Vaughn said, a blush coming to his cheeks. "I do. If I got a job here, I'd have a sanctuary or a place to get away from the flat. I probably shouldn't say this, but even if I don't get the job I'd still be here using the books and all that."
"You're more than welcome to," Emily said with a smile. "I like your attitude."
"Thanks…" Vaughn bit his lip.
"Well," Tracey piped up. "We'll have a once-over of your curriculum vitae and get back to you. Have you given us all of your details?"
"Like my address and phone number?"
"Yes," Tracey answered. "But we're also going to need your licence number and car registration."
"Why's that?" Vaughn asked, a concerned look on his face.
"I'm not entirely sure," Emily said with a chuckle. "It's just regulation, I think When you start working here though, you'll get a -"
"Emily!" Tracey interrupted.
Emily's face reddened. "Sorry, if you get a job here, you will get your own parking space so they need your car plates to make a sign that is designated to a spot for your vehicle."
"Oh ok." Vaughn looked from woman to woman, sensing the vibe of disgust that was radiating from Tracey and Emily's apologetic one. Picking up a pen, he wrote his licence number and his number plates down, and stood up. "Well, here you are. And thanks so much for your time."
"We'll talk to you soon then, my dear." Emily said, standing up to shake his hand.
---
"Whoa!" Vaughn closed the front door behind him and walked inside his new apartment, a place so different from the safe house. Littering the floor there were empty and half-empty stubbies tipped on their side, emptying their contents on the carpet. The walls were plastered with posters and the visible paint was grimy, greasy cream. Animal hair, or what Vaughn hoped was animal hair lay along the edges of the hall, leading away from the entry. The skirting board was chewed and scratched, by creatures Michael prayed had been eradicated a long time ago.
Trying to absorb as much of his new surroundings as possible, Vaughn slowly walked down the hallway into a small, cramped kitchen.
"Who are you?"
Vaughn turned to the living room and saw a figure clad in black with numerous tattoos. "Sorry?"
The figure approached him, replacing the guitarintheirhands with a chopping board and knife. "Who are you? And what are you doing in my house?"
A/N: I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter :)
dandan: lol it wasn't Sydney :P Thanks for the review!
irionelissa: Yeah, with the rule book thing... I kinda just made that up :$ And when did Jack start quoting it and actually following it? Well... he he... Thought I'd make Jack a good good guy for once :) Cheers
Agent Bristow-Vaughn: lol Thanks heaps :)
jeyton4ever: I'm glad that you really liked the story - that makes me feel a whole lot better :) And I hoped I didn't let you down by Michael not seeing Sydney :S
dancerindisguise: Thanks for reviewing. I'll try my hardest to update more often, I really will :S
Next time: Who is the figure? And what news does Jack discover