Title: Ghosts of the Past
Rating: PGish
A/N: I've been picking at this all summer and now it's done. THere are 6 parts. I will post a part each day until the end, so, no PMs.
Sydney Bristow rolled her eyes as she walked into the lawyer’s office. She thought she had finished with all this months ago. The only reason settling her father’s estate took so much effort was because of everything that he hid. She still had three storage facilities to visit and clean out. She just wanted closure; she wanted the nightmare of the last eight years, and especially the last year, to end. She lost her father, the man that she was just getting to know. Her daughter never got to know any of her grandparents. Even Vaughn was getting anxious. He wanted to marry her, but the time never seemed right. She wished she still had Francie or even Nadia, they might understand that even when she and her father were distant, she still had a dream of him walking her down the aisle. And after they had gotten close, after she learned the truth about her mom and everything her dad did to protect her, she still wanted that and she didn’t want to settle for anything less.
The secretary, Mary, recognized Syd immediately when she walked in and signaled her to wait a second while Mary finished a phone call. Once the woman hung up the phone, she hit another button to let her boss know that Syd had arrived. Syd heard the voice of Miles Turner tell Mary to let her in. Mary smiled at Syd and got up from her desk. “How is that precious baby of yours? I was hoping that you would bring her in today.”
“Isabelle’s great. She’s already running around the house. Michael can barely keep up with her. And she’s starting to say words. She’s learning knock-knock jokes. It’s the cutest thing.”
Mary gave her a maternal smile as she opened the door to Mr. Turner’s office. Syd walked in and as she had done so many other times, she sat down across from the attorney. When Mary closed the door behind her, Syd said, “I thought we had finished with everything. My dad’s estate went to me as sole beneficiary and he set up a trust for Isabelle and some other money for any other children I may have. What’s left to do?”
Mr. Turner sat back in his chair and stared at Syd. “This doesn’t have anything to do with your father Ms. Bristow. You’re right everything is taken care of with his estate. This is a, for lack of a better word, related matter.”
Syd gave him a questioning look. “What do you mean related matter?”
Mr. Turner fumbled for the words say. Sydney watched as he uncharacteristically shifted in his chair nervously. Finally, he said, “I was not only your father’s attorney, but I worked for most CIA operatives because of my past as an agent. One of my other clients was Arvin Sloane. Even after he left the Agency, Arvin kept me on his staff. About fifteen years ago, he came to my office and changed his will and added a letter. Sydney, I know of some of your history with Sloane and I know the real story of how your father died. I’m sorry, but, it is my obligation to tell you that Arvin stated in his will that only after he has been declared dead for a year he wanted his will read. Fifteen years ago he left his estate to his wife and to you, the daughter he never had, and he also left a letter for you.”
Syd became livid. “I don’t want a damn thing from that man. Everything he had, everything he owned was drenched in someone else’s blood. I don’t care what you do with his possessions. Sell them and give it all to Omnifam. That bastard killed my sister and my father. I don’t want to have anything to do with him.”
Mr. Turner slowly nodded his head. “I understand Ms Bristow and I’ve taken the liberty to draw up some papers that will allow you to give the money to some charities you have expressed an interest in. You can sign those papers at your leisure. However, there is the matter of the letter he wrote to you.”
“Burn it.”
“I’m afraid that I cannot do that. He was insistent that you hear it. He apparently did not trust you to read it on your own.”
“He knew me too well.”
Mr. Turner smiled. “Yes he did.” Mr. Turner got serious again. “Ms. Bristow, I have a legal obligation to read this to you. You don’t have to listen, you don’t have to do anything except sit there while I read.”
“Look, I’ll sign anything you need me to sign that says you read this, I don’t want to hear a word that murdering son of a bitch said.”
Mr. Turner understood her feelings, but knew he had to insist on this. “Just sit there and let’s get though this. It’s not a long letter.”
Syd couldn’t believe this. From beyond the grave Sloane was still affecting her life. Finally she nodded her head slowly, the lawyer opened the envelope and began reading.
“Dear Sydney,
If my lawyer is reading this to you, you must believe that I am dead. Though I do not know the circumstances of my supposed demise, I believe that by now you believe me to be a highly corrupt and perhaps even evil man. While the purpose of this communication is not to tell you of the reasons that contention is inaccurate, I want you to know that every action I have ever taken was truly so that the world would come to know the promise that Milo Rambaldi once gave me on the side of a Tibetan Mountain. My actions in life, though they may have appeared repugnant to you, were truly to see the betterment of human kind.
I am also sure that by now you know of your role as The Chosen One, the woman prophesied by Rambaldi to have the greatest power and to see the fulfillment of his works. And Sydney, I believe that you will see those works, even though you have not yet seen them, only the sacrifices that had to be made for them to come to fruition. I want you to ask yourself a question right now. How sure are you that I am dead? Do you or your organization have my body in its custody? Can you exhume my remains and verify that I am no longer of this earth?
In case you have not yet guessed, the end of Rambaldi’s work is eternal life. But not just the life that we know in our feeble brains and experiences. Milo Rambaldi believed that with eternal life there would be no more disease. There would be no more poverty or crime. Think about it, If plants didn’t die, there will be no more food shortages. Our own species would never know another debilitating disease. Because no one will ever want for anything, this discovery will abolish crime and evil as we know it. IT would be the heaven that is spoken about in the Bible. And he has chosen you to be the one to find this gift that he created.
Sydney, if I am indeed dead, if I did not finish my quest, then it is up to you to continue my work. There is a safety deposit box that Mr. Turner has the information for, which holds all my research. I bequeath this to you. But if there is any chance that I did not truly die, then I ask you to find me and together we can bring forth this new era as Rambaldi saw it.
Regards,
Arvin Sloane”
Miles Turner didn’t know what to say. He looked at Sydney who appeared even angrier than she did when she arrived. Finally she said, “you’ve read it, now, I need to get back to my family.” He nodded his head as she got up and left.
<O><O><O><O><O><O><O><O><O><O>
Syd sat on the couch in the living watching TV, or at least looking at it. Vaughn joined her after putting Isabelle to bed. “What’s going on Syd? You look distracted. What happened at the lawyer’s office? Do we have another storage facility to visit?” Syd’s eyes got puffy and she felt a tear fall down her cheek. Vaughn put his arm around her and rocked her. He whispered, “You miss him don’t you? I’m sorry. I wanted to go with you, but I had to teach a class. I should have insisted you wait for me.”
Syd shook her head no. “That’s not it. Not entirely.” Vaughn looked at her confused. “It was Sloane. He left me his estate. Well, he left it to me and Emily, but since Emily is… I get everything. He also left me a letter. Vaughn, he said he’s not dead and said I need to make sure that Rambaldi didn’t give him eternal life. I can’t go back there, but, we were in Rambaldi’s crypt. The whole search took us there. If there’s one place that he would have found eternal life, it was in there.”
“Syd, you killed him. You took the, whatever that thing was, it exploded, and you killed him. You stopped whatever was supposed happen. He’s dead.”
Syd thought for a second. What Vaughn said sounded right, but something was bothering her about it. Finally she said, “you’re right. I killed him myself. I saw the hole in his head. He’s dead. And even if he isn’t, he’s so far underground he’s never going to get back up.”
Vaughn smiled at her and gave her a kiss. “Exactly.” He stared at her as she began to smile. “You feeling better?”
“Yeah, I think I am.”
“Good, cause I have some ice cream in the freezer that has your name on it.”
<O><O><O><O><O><O><O><O><O>
Mongolia
He could barely hold the piece of cement he’d been using as a wedge anymore, and that one only needed to stay in the crack he made. Swinging the cement that he used as a hammer was too much to bear. He didn’t have any way to accurately calculate time, but his best guess was that it had been at least a year since he last had anything to eat. He did some calculations in his head to try and figure out if he was close to his next “death” that would of course result in another life. Not even close. He wiped his brow and leaned on the wedge. The air was stale and humid. He’d been breathing the same air since the explosion. Time didn’t seem to exist down here. It didn’t matter if he took a break, he had all of eternity to get out of this hell hole. He nearly smiled at the idea. Is there a better descriptor of what this place is? If he had to imagine hell, it would be something like this. And it just happened to be a hole in the middle of the earth.
He allowed himself to sit down, though the action looked more like he collapsed taking the wedge down with him. Since his incarceration he had spent all his time chiseling the rock and then trying to wedge through. He had made some progress, and the steady sound of the cement on cement gave him something to listen to besides the crazy thoughts and voices around him, tormenting him. Yes, he couldn’t wait to get out and put an end to those. His seeming life long companion kept talking to him, but he never answered, he just plotted what it would take to relieve himself of the voice altogether.
He ran his hand over his face and opened his eyes, time to get back to work. As he opened his eyes, he found himself squinting. Slowly his eyes adjusted to the new stimuli. It took a second to recognize it for what it was. Light. He had made it to a point where he finally saw something out there. He took his wedge out and put his hand in the spot. Air, real and fresh. It was hot as hell, but a dry heat that felt cool on his skin compared to the air that had been used and reused. He couldn’t see outside the cave, but based on the beam of light now in his tunnel, he guessed it was midday. All of a sudden, he felt a new surge of energy. He would get out. Finally he would get out.
Rating: PGish
A/N: I've been picking at this all summer and now it's done. THere are 6 parts. I will post a part each day until the end, so, no PMs.
Sydney Bristow rolled her eyes as she walked into the lawyer’s office. She thought she had finished with all this months ago. The only reason settling her father’s estate took so much effort was because of everything that he hid. She still had three storage facilities to visit and clean out. She just wanted closure; she wanted the nightmare of the last eight years, and especially the last year, to end. She lost her father, the man that she was just getting to know. Her daughter never got to know any of her grandparents. Even Vaughn was getting anxious. He wanted to marry her, but the time never seemed right. She wished she still had Francie or even Nadia, they might understand that even when she and her father were distant, she still had a dream of him walking her down the aisle. And after they had gotten close, after she learned the truth about her mom and everything her dad did to protect her, she still wanted that and she didn’t want to settle for anything less.
The secretary, Mary, recognized Syd immediately when she walked in and signaled her to wait a second while Mary finished a phone call. Once the woman hung up the phone, she hit another button to let her boss know that Syd had arrived. Syd heard the voice of Miles Turner tell Mary to let her in. Mary smiled at Syd and got up from her desk. “How is that precious baby of yours? I was hoping that you would bring her in today.”
“Isabelle’s great. She’s already running around the house. Michael can barely keep up with her. And she’s starting to say words. She’s learning knock-knock jokes. It’s the cutest thing.”
Mary gave her a maternal smile as she opened the door to Mr. Turner’s office. Syd walked in and as she had done so many other times, she sat down across from the attorney. When Mary closed the door behind her, Syd said, “I thought we had finished with everything. My dad’s estate went to me as sole beneficiary and he set up a trust for Isabelle and some other money for any other children I may have. What’s left to do?”
Mr. Turner sat back in his chair and stared at Syd. “This doesn’t have anything to do with your father Ms. Bristow. You’re right everything is taken care of with his estate. This is a, for lack of a better word, related matter.”
Syd gave him a questioning look. “What do you mean related matter?”
Mr. Turner fumbled for the words say. Sydney watched as he uncharacteristically shifted in his chair nervously. Finally, he said, “I was not only your father’s attorney, but I worked for most CIA operatives because of my past as an agent. One of my other clients was Arvin Sloane. Even after he left the Agency, Arvin kept me on his staff. About fifteen years ago, he came to my office and changed his will and added a letter. Sydney, I know of some of your history with Sloane and I know the real story of how your father died. I’m sorry, but, it is my obligation to tell you that Arvin stated in his will that only after he has been declared dead for a year he wanted his will read. Fifteen years ago he left his estate to his wife and to you, the daughter he never had, and he also left a letter for you.”
Syd became livid. “I don’t want a damn thing from that man. Everything he had, everything he owned was drenched in someone else’s blood. I don’t care what you do with his possessions. Sell them and give it all to Omnifam. That bastard killed my sister and my father. I don’t want to have anything to do with him.”
Mr. Turner slowly nodded his head. “I understand Ms Bristow and I’ve taken the liberty to draw up some papers that will allow you to give the money to some charities you have expressed an interest in. You can sign those papers at your leisure. However, there is the matter of the letter he wrote to you.”
“Burn it.”
“I’m afraid that I cannot do that. He was insistent that you hear it. He apparently did not trust you to read it on your own.”
“He knew me too well.”
Mr. Turner smiled. “Yes he did.” Mr. Turner got serious again. “Ms. Bristow, I have a legal obligation to read this to you. You don’t have to listen, you don’t have to do anything except sit there while I read.”
“Look, I’ll sign anything you need me to sign that says you read this, I don’t want to hear a word that murdering son of a bitch said.”
Mr. Turner understood her feelings, but knew he had to insist on this. “Just sit there and let’s get though this. It’s not a long letter.”
Syd couldn’t believe this. From beyond the grave Sloane was still affecting her life. Finally she nodded her head slowly, the lawyer opened the envelope and began reading.
“Dear Sydney,
If my lawyer is reading this to you, you must believe that I am dead. Though I do not know the circumstances of my supposed demise, I believe that by now you believe me to be a highly corrupt and perhaps even evil man. While the purpose of this communication is not to tell you of the reasons that contention is inaccurate, I want you to know that every action I have ever taken was truly so that the world would come to know the promise that Milo Rambaldi once gave me on the side of a Tibetan Mountain. My actions in life, though they may have appeared repugnant to you, were truly to see the betterment of human kind.
I am also sure that by now you know of your role as The Chosen One, the woman prophesied by Rambaldi to have the greatest power and to see the fulfillment of his works. And Sydney, I believe that you will see those works, even though you have not yet seen them, only the sacrifices that had to be made for them to come to fruition. I want you to ask yourself a question right now. How sure are you that I am dead? Do you or your organization have my body in its custody? Can you exhume my remains and verify that I am no longer of this earth?
In case you have not yet guessed, the end of Rambaldi’s work is eternal life. But not just the life that we know in our feeble brains and experiences. Milo Rambaldi believed that with eternal life there would be no more disease. There would be no more poverty or crime. Think about it, If plants didn’t die, there will be no more food shortages. Our own species would never know another debilitating disease. Because no one will ever want for anything, this discovery will abolish crime and evil as we know it. IT would be the heaven that is spoken about in the Bible. And he has chosen you to be the one to find this gift that he created.
Sydney, if I am indeed dead, if I did not finish my quest, then it is up to you to continue my work. There is a safety deposit box that Mr. Turner has the information for, which holds all my research. I bequeath this to you. But if there is any chance that I did not truly die, then I ask you to find me and together we can bring forth this new era as Rambaldi saw it.
Regards,
Arvin Sloane”
Miles Turner didn’t know what to say. He looked at Sydney who appeared even angrier than she did when she arrived. Finally she said, “you’ve read it, now, I need to get back to my family.” He nodded his head as she got up and left.
<O><O><O><O><O><O><O><O><O><O>
Syd sat on the couch in the living watching TV, or at least looking at it. Vaughn joined her after putting Isabelle to bed. “What’s going on Syd? You look distracted. What happened at the lawyer’s office? Do we have another storage facility to visit?” Syd’s eyes got puffy and she felt a tear fall down her cheek. Vaughn put his arm around her and rocked her. He whispered, “You miss him don’t you? I’m sorry. I wanted to go with you, but I had to teach a class. I should have insisted you wait for me.”
Syd shook her head no. “That’s not it. Not entirely.” Vaughn looked at her confused. “It was Sloane. He left me his estate. Well, he left it to me and Emily, but since Emily is… I get everything. He also left me a letter. Vaughn, he said he’s not dead and said I need to make sure that Rambaldi didn’t give him eternal life. I can’t go back there, but, we were in Rambaldi’s crypt. The whole search took us there. If there’s one place that he would have found eternal life, it was in there.”
“Syd, you killed him. You took the, whatever that thing was, it exploded, and you killed him. You stopped whatever was supposed happen. He’s dead.”
Syd thought for a second. What Vaughn said sounded right, but something was bothering her about it. Finally she said, “you’re right. I killed him myself. I saw the hole in his head. He’s dead. And even if he isn’t, he’s so far underground he’s never going to get back up.”
Vaughn smiled at her and gave her a kiss. “Exactly.” He stared at her as she began to smile. “You feeling better?”
“Yeah, I think I am.”
“Good, cause I have some ice cream in the freezer that has your name on it.”
<O><O><O><O><O><O><O><O><O>
Mongolia
He could barely hold the piece of cement he’d been using as a wedge anymore, and that one only needed to stay in the crack he made. Swinging the cement that he used as a hammer was too much to bear. He didn’t have any way to accurately calculate time, but his best guess was that it had been at least a year since he last had anything to eat. He did some calculations in his head to try and figure out if he was close to his next “death” that would of course result in another life. Not even close. He wiped his brow and leaned on the wedge. The air was stale and humid. He’d been breathing the same air since the explosion. Time didn’t seem to exist down here. It didn’t matter if he took a break, he had all of eternity to get out of this hell hole. He nearly smiled at the idea. Is there a better descriptor of what this place is? If he had to imagine hell, it would be something like this. And it just happened to be a hole in the middle of the earth.
He allowed himself to sit down, though the action looked more like he collapsed taking the wedge down with him. Since his incarceration he had spent all his time chiseling the rock and then trying to wedge through. He had made some progress, and the steady sound of the cement on cement gave him something to listen to besides the crazy thoughts and voices around him, tormenting him. Yes, he couldn’t wait to get out and put an end to those. His seeming life long companion kept talking to him, but he never answered, he just plotted what it would take to relieve himself of the voice altogether.
He ran his hand over his face and opened his eyes, time to get back to work. As he opened his eyes, he found himself squinting. Slowly his eyes adjusted to the new stimuli. It took a second to recognize it for what it was. Light. He had made it to a point where he finally saw something out there. He took his wedge out and put his hand in the spot. Air, real and fresh. It was hot as hell, but a dry heat that felt cool on his skin compared to the air that had been used and reused. He couldn’t see outside the cave, but based on the beam of light now in his tunnel, he guessed it was midday. All of a sudden, he felt a new surge of energy. He would get out. Finally he would get out.