In The Air Tonight, Part 24
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Michael Vaughn briefly wondered if he could successfully claim the insanity defense if he strangled his best friend in the middle of the Ops Center rotunda.
"Eric, this is not funny!" Vaughn hissed furiously.
Weiss tried to regain his composure, but it was a losing endeavor. "I know it's not funny… but in a way, it so is!" Weiss crowed, his snickers and snorts causing more than one person to turn around and stare at him. "It's like a plot from a bad porno flick: sexy but evil Spy Mommy handcuffs daughter's conveniently naked boyfriend to the bedpost…"
Vaughn looked positively murderous. "I was not naked!" he defended. Sheepishly he explained, "She gave me my robe first…"
This information only served to rouse another round of robust chuckles from Weiss. "Oh, excuse me, I stand corrected…" he said with mock seriousness, before dissolving into giggles again.
Vaughn rubbed his aching temples with his fingers. This conversation was certainly not going as planned. Wearily he said, "Eric, while this may seem like an amusing anecdote to you, may I remind you that this is the same woman that masterminded the theft of 24 Rambaldi artifacts from the US Government before breaking out of custody, not to mention killing 12 CIA agents…my father included?"
Eric immediately sobered. Honestly abashed, he apologized, "Geez, I'm sorry Mike. I got so caught up in the absurdity of the situation; I totally forgot what she has done to you and your family. It must have been really awful for you."
"Well, it was no picnic, that's for sure," Vaughn admitted. "Being forced to sit there, helpless, in the company of your father's killer…not on my top ten list of fun activities…"
"You said she had information about Sydney. What information?" Weiss prompted.
"She told me that Sloane had disappeared a few weeks back, and that during that time she was able to study the entire Rambaldi manuscript. She—"
"Wait," Eric interrupted. "Did you say that Sloane disappeared?!? When did he disappear?"
"A few weeks ago. Around the time we acquired the Dereno heart."
"Okay. But obviously he came back."
"Obviously. Anyway, during that time Irina claimed that she finally understood the true uses and purpose of Il Dire…as well as Sydney's part in the Prophecy," Michael explained.
"Wait a second… Sydney's part in the Prophecy? I thought we proved she wasn't part of the Prophecy by extracting her to Mount Sebacio?" Weiss asked.
"According to Derevko, that trip served no purpose with regard to the Prophecy. She said that when Rambaldi used the words 'the beauty of my sky', he was speaking of a freak astrological occurrence he witnessed in during his lifetime."
"So…what? Sydney's supposed to be the enemy now!?" Eric questioned, clearly skeptical.
"No," Vaughn answered. "Because 'the greatest power' has nothing to do with the U.S. Government. In Rambaldi's eyes, the possessor of Il Dire is 'the greatest power'."
"Holy crap! You mean Sloane is 'the greatest power'?" Eric said, shaken.
"It would appear so, yes," Vaughn replied.
"Well then, what about the rest of the Prophecy stuff? The part about the Prophecy woman bringing forth Rambaldi's works?"
"That's where this story gets complicated," said Vaughn. "According to what Irina told me, she discovered from the manuscript that, even with all 47 pieces, the Il Dire device is not quite complete. It needs one more thing to activate."
"What thing is that?"
"The power of thought. Specifically the power of one person's thoughts."
"Sydney's," Eric concluded.
"Exactly. Il Dire searches out and captures the Prophecy woman's thoughts, using them as a power source to activate the device," Vaughn clarified.
Eric looked doubtful. "Look, I know this Rambaldi guy was supposed to be a genius, but doesn't this strike you as slightly…impossible?"
"Yes. Just as impossible as creating a suitcase neutron bomb in the 15th century…but yet he did that, so…" Vaughn pointed out.
"Point taken. But, Sydney's not going to help Sloane, Mike. That just doesn't make any sense."
"She won't mean to, Eric…but she will…because she hates Sloane so much. All that anger directed at him…she'll literally be sending out a beacon to Sloane saying, 'Here I am!' She'll make it easy for him. It's only a matter of time," Vaughn concluded gravely.
Weiss paled. "So what happens when Sloane activates the device?"
"Well, Irina said that Il Dire has two purposes: it 'tells' the possessor all the secrets of Rambaldi's creations…and it 'tells' the future, allowing the possessor to change the future at will."
"Mike…this is bad…really bad."
Vaughn nodded solemnly.
"Like Hindenberg bad…Titanic bad…Hiroshima bad," Eric shivered.
"Like 'the end of the world as we know it' bad…" Vaughn countered.
"Can't we do something? Isn't there some way to prevent this?" Eric asked desperately.
"Maybe," Michael replied. "But they are long shots at best. If we could catch Sloane and retrieve the device before activation, that would, of course, prevent it. However, seeing that Sloane had completed the device by the time we rescued Jack, that's not likely."
"Okay. What else?"
"Well, Irina said that the machine has to be programmed with Sydney's DNA sequence in order to locate her thoughts. The manuscript has Sydney's DNA sequence encoded on it, but that's not enough. According to Irina, it has to be a live sample."
"So if we destroy any current samples…" said Eric, following along.
"We can at least prolong the inevitable…maybe long enough to catch him," Vaughn finished. "The last option is the worst by far…"
"What is it?"
"Keeping Sydney under constant sedation, never allowing her to regain consciousness. If she can't consciously think, there is no power to transmit," Vaughn explained miserably.
"You can't be serious, Mike!" Weiss gasped.
"I wish I weren't, but I am."
"Mike," Eric said at last, "are you sure that Irina was telling you the truth? I mean, she's not exactly the most trustworthy individual."
"No, I'm not sure, Eric; that's part of the problem." Vaughn sighed, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "I loathe the idea of taking such an extreme measure, yet I'm terrified that if we don't…"
"It could all turn out to be true…" Weiss finished. "Yeah, that sucks."
Both men sat in silence for a moment, wrapped up in their own thoughts. Finally, Weiss asked, "So…if Sloane does activate the machine….what happens to Sydney?"
Vaughn looked up from his hands, meeting Eric's eyes. His face said it all: terror, confusion, and incredible pain. In a choked voice, he answered, "I don't know."
Vaughn lowered his head, blinking back sudden tears. Weiss stared at the floor, shuffling his feet uncomfortably.
Both men jumped at the sound of Kendall's voice suddenly booming just above them. "Did I just imagine it, or did I not inform the two of you that there was a meeting that your presence was required at!?"
Staring across at Vaughn, Eric realized his friend was in no fit state to answer. "You did, Sir," he replied.
Kendall's beady eyes bored into Weiss. "Well, were you waiting for a written invitation!? Sorry, boys, but I left my personalized stationery at home today…"
"No, Sir," Eric answered hastily. "We'll be right there, Sir."
Kendall crossed both arms across his chest, glaring first at Weiss, then at Vaughn, who was still hunched over with his head down, struggling for control over his emotions. It almost seemed as if Kendall sensed this, because instead of launching into another tirade, he simply harrumphed and stalked off.
"You know, I wonder if the glare off that guy's head has ever actually blinded anybody…" Eric wondered aloud. He thought he heard a slight snicker from Vaughn in response.
Encouraged, he continued, "Really, I think he waxes it… I bet he even has a permit for it, you know, for assault to the senses by wearing a deadly weapon…"
Vaughn snickered again, looking up at his friend with a grateful smile. He stood, rolled down his sleeves, tightened his tie, and slipped his sport coat back on. Shaking his head, Vaughn said, "Thanks, man. But you do know you're a complete nut, don't you?"
Weiss stood also, clapping a hand on his friend's shoulder. "That's what you love about me."
"Yeah," Vaughn agreed wryly, teasing Weiss. "Don't remind me…"
Walking down the hallway toward the briefing room, Weiss teased, "You know, I'm definitely gonna have to store that one away for future use…"
"Store what away?" Vaughn asked, confused.
"Seriously? If I'm late for work? Best. Excuse. Ever…"
"Weiss…" Vaughn warned.
But there was no stopping Eric now that he was on a roll. In a saccharine, high-pitched voice, he simpered, "Sorry, Director Kendall…I know I was late but, you see, last night an enemy agent snuck into my apartment and handcuffed me to my bedpost…"
Eric's monologue ended abruptly with "Oof!" as Vaughn elbowed him hard in the ribs.
Vaughn shook his head ruefully, rolling his eyes at his friend's antics. "You're never going to let me live this down, are you?"
"In the foreseeable future? Not on your life," Eric replied with a grin. Pulling the door to the briefing room open, he joked, just low enough for only Vaughn to hear, "Come on, Mike…let's go see what Captain Glow-Dome wants…"