LittleNicky
Cadet
I've just found this story, and I love it! Nocturne is one of my favorite Alias episodes of all time, and you've done a great job with this story so far. I can't wait to see where you take it. Please add me to your PM list!
Nocturne's Shadows
- Thread starter Avdotya
- Start date
Thanks 
Chapter 9
It was Saturday evening and the digital clock on the microwave read 6:40 in bright green numbers. Sydney had spent most of the day alone, reading and catching up on some work. However, she did go shopping with Nadia for a couple hours, returning with a couple hundred dollars worth of new clothes - something to brighten her mood.
Sydney could hear Nadia in her bedroom talking on the phone. She had been talking to Eric for the last half hour. She could faintly hear the last couple words of Nadia's side of the conversation.
"Dinner then?" Nadia asked, "Yeah, I can be ready in a half hour..." after a moment she giggled, "Yes, I bought something new to wear... Oh its very sexy... No no, you'll just have to wait until I see you," she said, giggling brightly some more. "Okay, I'll see you when you arrive, bye." Nadia hung up the phone and returned to the living room where Sydney had been reclining on the couch with a novel.
"I'm going to dinner with Eric in about a half hour. Do you mind?" Nadia asked politely.
"You don't have to ask. Of course its fine if you go out." Sydney said with a smile.
"I just meant if you minded being alone."
"I'm fine, Nadia, really. Being alone is fine. I'll catch up on some work and order some dinner." Part of Sydney was being honest. She wanted Nadia to go out and have a nice time with Eric. But another part of her was not looking forward to the loneliness that would ensue without her. Normally Sydney was fine alone, but after her fight with Vaughn last night, she had been feeling sad and alone. Her sister was a great comfort to her.
"If you're sure then. I know things have been hard on you. If you need anything, you can just call me." Nadia explained. She cared deeply about Sydney and knowing that she and Vaughn were having problems concerned her. Vaughn was like Sydney's tether to life, to keeping herself sane in a crazy reality. To loose that, Nadia thought, it would be devastating.
"What restaurant are you going to anyways?" Sydney asked, moving past the concern about her.
"He said it was a surprise but I should wear something nice. I'm going to wear that red dress I bought today. Do you think he'll like it?" Nadia asked
"Believe me, he will like it. Its very sexy. You looked gorgeous in the store when you tried it on."
"Thanks," Nadia replied, blushing a little.
"You two are getting really close aren't you."
"Yeah, I think I'm falling for him," Nadia said, her cheeks rosy and her eyes filled with love. Sydney smiled widely at her. "I better get ready," Nadia spoke with a smile as she headed off to her bedroom.
Sydney was really happy for her sister and Eric. It made her think of Vaughn. She loved him, but he was so suspicious of her, assuming she was not okay. He had no reason to worry except for her safety. A man had been watching her and yet no one seemed to care about her, just the fact that there was no evidence. Regardless of that, she didn't really want to be angry at him anymore. Sydney took a deep breath and sighed. She thought about calling him. Maybe she could convince him she was fine if they went out and had fun, she thought, grabbing her cell phone.
"Hey," Syd said warmly as Vaughn answered the phone, "Let's go out."
***
Vaughn waited in the restaurant for Sydney, as she wanted to go out with him for some dessert. She was late though, by a half hour. He was getting ready to call her as she walked in the door, dressed in a sexy black dress and cardigan. Her legs looked long as they transcended down to the floor underneath her mid-thigh length dress. A string of pearls adorned her neck, and her face was made up with a perfect amount of make up to be sexy but not whore-ish. Vaughn swooned over her, looking her up and down and smiling deep as she sat down next to him, her own face portraying a warm smile.
“Sorry I’m late.”
“It’s alright.” Vaughn responded admiring her beauty. “You look great by the way.” Sydney smiled in response.
“So, dessert then?” Vaughn said passing Sydney the dessert menu, his foot caressing hers underneath the white tablecloth.
“Let’s have some wine first.” She said with a twinkle in her eye. Tonight was going to be special. It was going to allay his worries, make him enamoured by her, and ultimately, the night was to end with an unforgettableness in bed. That was her plan. She had conceived of it all as she got ready to meet him. She motioned for the waitress and soon after, a bottle of their finest red came to the elegantly dressed table. Sydney held up her glass to his. “Cheers,” she smiled.
“What’s the occasion for all of this anyways?” Vaughn asked, delighted by the evening so far.
“Nothing. Just us.” Her eyes shone with both love and cunningness, she was deceiving him into her will perfectly. It was not that Sydney was in fact a deceitful person. She was just smart. She knew she had to get Vaughn off her back. And moreover, she wanted him, she wanted things the way they were before the drug had temporarily turned her life upside down. She wanted him to love her and forget about how she almost killed him and the fights they've had since.
“So-” Vaughn started just as he was interrupted by a loud ringing sound coming from Sydney’s purse. “Aren't you going to answer your phone?” Vaughn asked after a moment of Sydney sitting there in silence. She seemed to pause at the sound of the phone, as if everything inside of her stopped as she remembered the mysterious phone call from the other night. Noticing this, Vaughn became suspicious. “Syd?” Vaughn asked again, as Sydney suddenly looked up at him with a questioning look, “Syd, your phone, aren’t you going to answer it?”
Sydney shook her head slightly as Vaughn eyed her with wariness. She then continued her dessert, not once giving a look in his direction. Vaughn followed her lead, picking up his fork and hesitantly taking a bit, his eyes fixated on her. After a moment, she dropped her fork and motioned for the waitress.
“Our bill please.” She instructed.
“Syd, I haven’t even finished. What’s going on?”
“I have other things planned,” She said forcing a smile onto her face. This evening had to go as planned. She had convinced herself that everything was dependent upon this night, as if she feared she would loose him if she couldn’t convince him of her sanity. Vaughn’s thoughts were in stark contrast to hers, however, thinking deeply about how to help the woman he loved, the women he would never leave. His thoughts were stopped abruptly as Sydney grabbed the bill and went up to pay.
After a moments look, Vaughn caught up with Syd. “Syd, I can pay.”
“Vaughn, just because your the guy doesn’t mean I can’t treat you.”
“Alright,” he replied, trying to feign a look of trust over her behaviour. However, he soon found himself once again trying to catch up with her as she briskly walked out of the restaurant after leaving a couple bills with the waitress.
“Syd,” Vaughn called reaching the darkness of night outside the restaurant. She wasn’t there. “Syd?” He looked around and she wasn’t there. She wasn’t anywhere. “Sydney?!... Sydney!” he called, rushing around the parking lot in search of her. Suddenly he spotted a figure heading for the highway. He ran as fast as he could after her as she started to walk towards the cars. “Sydney!!” He cried out, but she wouldn’t stop. The blatant honking of cars were drowning out his screams for her. She kept walking as cars swerved off the road to avoid her. All of a sudden he heard a crash.
Vaughn stood there. Numb for a moment, then Panic-stricken.
“Sydney...”
Chapter 9
It was Saturday evening and the digital clock on the microwave read 6:40 in bright green numbers. Sydney had spent most of the day alone, reading and catching up on some work. However, she did go shopping with Nadia for a couple hours, returning with a couple hundred dollars worth of new clothes - something to brighten her mood.
Sydney could hear Nadia in her bedroom talking on the phone. She had been talking to Eric for the last half hour. She could faintly hear the last couple words of Nadia's side of the conversation.
"Dinner then?" Nadia asked, "Yeah, I can be ready in a half hour..." after a moment she giggled, "Yes, I bought something new to wear... Oh its very sexy... No no, you'll just have to wait until I see you," she said, giggling brightly some more. "Okay, I'll see you when you arrive, bye." Nadia hung up the phone and returned to the living room where Sydney had been reclining on the couch with a novel.
"I'm going to dinner with Eric in about a half hour. Do you mind?" Nadia asked politely.
"You don't have to ask. Of course its fine if you go out." Sydney said with a smile.
"I just meant if you minded being alone."
"I'm fine, Nadia, really. Being alone is fine. I'll catch up on some work and order some dinner." Part of Sydney was being honest. She wanted Nadia to go out and have a nice time with Eric. But another part of her was not looking forward to the loneliness that would ensue without her. Normally Sydney was fine alone, but after her fight with Vaughn last night, she had been feeling sad and alone. Her sister was a great comfort to her.
"If you're sure then. I know things have been hard on you. If you need anything, you can just call me." Nadia explained. She cared deeply about Sydney and knowing that she and Vaughn were having problems concerned her. Vaughn was like Sydney's tether to life, to keeping herself sane in a crazy reality. To loose that, Nadia thought, it would be devastating.
"What restaurant are you going to anyways?" Sydney asked, moving past the concern about her.
"He said it was a surprise but I should wear something nice. I'm going to wear that red dress I bought today. Do you think he'll like it?" Nadia asked
"Believe me, he will like it. Its very sexy. You looked gorgeous in the store when you tried it on."
"Thanks," Nadia replied, blushing a little.
"You two are getting really close aren't you."
"Yeah, I think I'm falling for him," Nadia said, her cheeks rosy and her eyes filled with love. Sydney smiled widely at her. "I better get ready," Nadia spoke with a smile as she headed off to her bedroom.
Sydney was really happy for her sister and Eric. It made her think of Vaughn. She loved him, but he was so suspicious of her, assuming she was not okay. He had no reason to worry except for her safety. A man had been watching her and yet no one seemed to care about her, just the fact that there was no evidence. Regardless of that, she didn't really want to be angry at him anymore. Sydney took a deep breath and sighed. She thought about calling him. Maybe she could convince him she was fine if they went out and had fun, she thought, grabbing her cell phone.
"Hey," Syd said warmly as Vaughn answered the phone, "Let's go out."
***
Vaughn waited in the restaurant for Sydney, as she wanted to go out with him for some dessert. She was late though, by a half hour. He was getting ready to call her as she walked in the door, dressed in a sexy black dress and cardigan. Her legs looked long as they transcended down to the floor underneath her mid-thigh length dress. A string of pearls adorned her neck, and her face was made up with a perfect amount of make up to be sexy but not whore-ish. Vaughn swooned over her, looking her up and down and smiling deep as she sat down next to him, her own face portraying a warm smile.
“Sorry I’m late.”
“It’s alright.” Vaughn responded admiring her beauty. “You look great by the way.” Sydney smiled in response.
“So, dessert then?” Vaughn said passing Sydney the dessert menu, his foot caressing hers underneath the white tablecloth.
“Let’s have some wine first.” She said with a twinkle in her eye. Tonight was going to be special. It was going to allay his worries, make him enamoured by her, and ultimately, the night was to end with an unforgettableness in bed. That was her plan. She had conceived of it all as she got ready to meet him. She motioned for the waitress and soon after, a bottle of their finest red came to the elegantly dressed table. Sydney held up her glass to his. “Cheers,” she smiled.
“What’s the occasion for all of this anyways?” Vaughn asked, delighted by the evening so far.
“Nothing. Just us.” Her eyes shone with both love and cunningness, she was deceiving him into her will perfectly. It was not that Sydney was in fact a deceitful person. She was just smart. She knew she had to get Vaughn off her back. And moreover, she wanted him, she wanted things the way they were before the drug had temporarily turned her life upside down. She wanted him to love her and forget about how she almost killed him and the fights they've had since.
“So-” Vaughn started just as he was interrupted by a loud ringing sound coming from Sydney’s purse. “Aren't you going to answer your phone?” Vaughn asked after a moment of Sydney sitting there in silence. She seemed to pause at the sound of the phone, as if everything inside of her stopped as she remembered the mysterious phone call from the other night. Noticing this, Vaughn became suspicious. “Syd?” Vaughn asked again, as Sydney suddenly looked up at him with a questioning look, “Syd, your phone, aren’t you going to answer it?”
Sydney shook her head slightly as Vaughn eyed her with wariness. She then continued her dessert, not once giving a look in his direction. Vaughn followed her lead, picking up his fork and hesitantly taking a bit, his eyes fixated on her. After a moment, she dropped her fork and motioned for the waitress.
“Our bill please.” She instructed.
“Syd, I haven’t even finished. What’s going on?”
“I have other things planned,” She said forcing a smile onto her face. This evening had to go as planned. She had convinced herself that everything was dependent upon this night, as if she feared she would loose him if she couldn’t convince him of her sanity. Vaughn’s thoughts were in stark contrast to hers, however, thinking deeply about how to help the woman he loved, the women he would never leave. His thoughts were stopped abruptly as Sydney grabbed the bill and went up to pay.
After a moments look, Vaughn caught up with Syd. “Syd, I can pay.”
“Vaughn, just because your the guy doesn’t mean I can’t treat you.”
“Alright,” he replied, trying to feign a look of trust over her behaviour. However, he soon found himself once again trying to catch up with her as she briskly walked out of the restaurant after leaving a couple bills with the waitress.
“Syd,” Vaughn called reaching the darkness of night outside the restaurant. She wasn’t there. “Syd?” He looked around and she wasn’t there. She wasn’t anywhere. “Sydney?!... Sydney!” he called, rushing around the parking lot in search of her. Suddenly he spotted a figure heading for the highway. He ran as fast as he could after her as she started to walk towards the cars. “Sydney!!” He cried out, but she wouldn’t stop. The blatant honking of cars were drowning out his screams for her. She kept walking as cars swerved off the road to avoid her. All of a sudden he heard a crash.
Vaughn stood there. Numb for a moment, then Panic-stricken.
“Sydney...”
Syd4Vaughn
Cadet
OMG! 
YOU CAN'T JUST LEAVE IT THERE!
also i'm going away for a week so I have to wait to find out what happens
YOU CAN'T JUST LEAVE IT THERE!
also i'm going away for a week so I have to wait to find out what happens
LittleNicky
Cadet
It appears that Sydney has lost her mind! I can't wait to see what happens. I certainly hope she didn't get hit by a car! Thanks for the PM
AgentNadiaSantos
Cadet
:angry: :nervous: <_< HOW CAN YOU DO THAT TO US? LEAVE US HANGING LIKE THAT? Syd's gone cRaZy ! What is she up too? Please dont take too long to update it!! Im sorry i didnt reply to the last chapter, but i was at a sleepover and we pulled an all nighter and i slept all yesterday. You better update soon, or i'll 
you!I guess I better update after that cliffhanger, lol
Chapter 10
The lights flashed to the very edges of her retina, blinding her as the screeching of tires spread around her stiff body. She stood there unmoving. Frozen. Bound as if the air itself was holding her captive. The air was filled with honking from cars and SUVs and minivans all around. And none of it got to her, she just stood there looking at him.
“I know you!” She suddenly cried out, still unmoving amongst the chain of cars.
“Sydney!” Vaughn continued to call out as he ran towards her.
“I know who you are!” She continued to yell. Vaughn looked to the stretch of darkness beyond her on the other side of the highway. He could see no one, not even a shadow of a man underneath the cast of light from the street lamps.
“Syd! Syd stop!” He finally reached her, throwing his arms around her and dragging her to the side of the road as her body remained stiff and her eyes fixated on the other side of the highway. “What the hell are you doing?!” He asked, shaking her, “Sydney!”
She suddenly perked up. “He was there, Vaughn!” She exclaimed, her voice filled with inflamity. She continued to look towards the stretch of empty space beyond the highway, her eyes wide and fixated.
“Who? Who was there Syd!” Vaughn inquired with exacerbation. Sydney looked confused for a moment. Who was there? Who did she think was there. Who had been haunting her. She shook her head out of amazement for what she had just been doing. It was if all of a sudden, sense was shaken into her. She couldn’t believe any of what was happening. She just shook her head over and over again.
“Syd?” Vaughn asked gently. But she didn’t respond. She stared across the road into the distance. She could see nothing but darkness as she looked on. There was nothing there. She panicked. Her eyes grew painfully wider, tears forming in her eyes, her stomach suddenly tied in knots. She could hardly breath for a moment, but managed to suck in a large gasp of air, forcing it in and holding it there. As she let go of the air, she quickly broke free of his grasp.
“I gotta go,” Sydney spoke as she abruptly started to walk away. She only got two feet before she stood over and hurled into the long grass that grew beside the stretch of road. Sydney fell to her knees, tears in her eyes. She was sick from the thought of what she had been doing. It was a nightmare, but she was awake. She had really been standing on a highway at night staring and yelling at a mysterious nonexistent man.
Mascara ran down her face as the tears rushed down. Her breathing came to an erratic pace as she tried not to wail. She was entirely overwhelmed and had no idea what to do. She didn’t really understand how she got to this place. How could she go from being a semi-normal person to being someone who stands in the middle of a highway practically in a trance, putting her life and everyone else's life on that highway in danger.
Vaughn came up behind her, rubbing her back. After a moment of feeling his soothing hands on her, she stood up and looked at him in the eye, stared at him as fresh tears began to fall. She didn’t know what to say. It was all too hard. Words were impossible to form, and the eye contact they had was painful, so she suddenly turned away, breaking eye contact and just walked away, fast and straight. He followed her.
They ended up at his car a few moments later. He opened the car door for her and she sat down on the seat gently, wiping the tears from her face, which was a mess of smeared makeup and wet redness. As the car pulled out, she sat there silently, her eyes peering down to her lap. She was afraid to even look out the window at what she might see this time, what her mind might trick her into seeing. She closed her eyes with intense anguish, as the car ride home fell silent. She couldn’t find words or energy or will to speak. She kept her eyes closed tightly as the car glided down the street towards her apartment. At some point, she just fell numb.
***
Vaughn caressed Sydney’s hair as she lay asleep in her bed. She didn’t say anything about that night when she got out of the car or went into the house. She simply took off her shoes and curled up in bed, a look of shock on her face as she drifted away, still fully clothed in a now dishevelled looking black dress. Vaughn took his cell phone out of his pocket and walked into the kitchen, dialling Jack’s number.
“Yes?” Jack answered in an emotionless tone.
“Jack, its Vaughn. Look, something happened tonight with Sydney” Vaughn started, his stomach queasy at the recollection of tonight’s events.
Jack’s eyes blurred for a moment at the news. “What happened?”
“We were at a restaurant and as we were walking outside towards the car, she disappeared suddenly and I found her standing in the middle of the highway as cars were screeching past her.”
“Is she alright?” Jack asked quickly.
“She wasn’t hurt.” Vaughn paused. “Jack, she just stood there in the road completely oblivious. Then she started calling out to someone, but there was no one there I could see of. It was terrifying.” His voice quivered.
“Are you sure there was no one there?”
“I couldn’t see anyone, Jack, but it was dark. Nonetheless, that doesn’t explain why she would risk standing in the middle of a highway while cars rushed past her.”
They both felt speechless.
"Jack, I think she's sick. I mean its happened three times now that she has seen someone that wasn't there."
"I know," Jack replied in a regretful tone.
"Do you think its Nocturne?" Vaughn asked with concern. It was the only think he could think that would explain this, even if she was supposed to be cured of it.
"I don't know. But keep an eye on her. I’ll get Dr. Jain to look at her.” Jack stated, trying to keep his composure of complete rationality as he hung up the phone. After he hung up, he made his way to the couch and sank down on it, rubbing his hands across his face. His worry was felt deep in the pit of pit of his stomach.
Vaughn sighed deeply, rubbing his forehead. A moment later, Nadia and Weiss returned.
“Hey,” Nadia greeted Vaughn as she walked in the door.
“Vaughn, you should have seen us tonight! Perfect score! That’s right!” Eric roared doing a little dance.
“Where’s Syd?” Nadia asked as she laughed at Eric.
“Uh, she’s in bed,” Vaughn stated, too tired to explain to them the night’s events.
“How did the dinner go?” She asked with a smile.
“You know, I’m pretty worn out. I think I’m gonna turn in for the night.” Vaughn said in avoidance as he quickly headed for Sydney’s room.
“We were great tonight weren’t we. I loved the look on that guys face! He doubted my abilities. If he knew me, he’d know-” Nadia stopped him with a deep and lingering kiss.
***
She could hear breathing, slow and heavy, as she lay there, the air cold at her face. She could see her own breath stream out as a fog. Chills froze her body, which was only covered in a thin and skimpy nighty. Sydney sat up slowly, realizing she wasn’t in her bed. She could feel the asphalt beneath her. Ahead of her was a light, it was dim and faint. She got up and walked closer to it, her bare feet feeling the harsh road beneath her.
“Hello?” she asked in a quivering tone. She stopped dead as she could see someone moving in the light. Sydney looked closer, realizing it was herself she was looking at, the light was being reflected in a mirror that stood there dead in the middle of the road. She approached it with a nervous curiosity. Suddenly she noticed something in the mirror. A man was standing behind her. She froze for a moment, her eyes widened with fear. She felt something sharp scratch across the skin on her neck, a pool of blood forming below her, around her, above her. She was drowning in a red sea.
“No!” she screamed, waking up.
“Syd!” Vaughn said, reaching out to her.
“Vaughn?” Her voice shook.
“You’re okay. You were just having a nightmare.” He said, rubbing her back as she sat there with crystals of sweat across her forehead.
Sydney took a deep breath as she stared straight ahead, then turned to him, a dead look on her face.
“I know who it was.”
Chapter 10
The lights flashed to the very edges of her retina, blinding her as the screeching of tires spread around her stiff body. She stood there unmoving. Frozen. Bound as if the air itself was holding her captive. The air was filled with honking from cars and SUVs and minivans all around. And none of it got to her, she just stood there looking at him.
“I know you!” She suddenly cried out, still unmoving amongst the chain of cars.
“Sydney!” Vaughn continued to call out as he ran towards her.
“I know who you are!” She continued to yell. Vaughn looked to the stretch of darkness beyond her on the other side of the highway. He could see no one, not even a shadow of a man underneath the cast of light from the street lamps.
“Syd! Syd stop!” He finally reached her, throwing his arms around her and dragging her to the side of the road as her body remained stiff and her eyes fixated on the other side of the highway. “What the hell are you doing?!” He asked, shaking her, “Sydney!”
She suddenly perked up. “He was there, Vaughn!” She exclaimed, her voice filled with inflamity. She continued to look towards the stretch of empty space beyond the highway, her eyes wide and fixated.
“Who? Who was there Syd!” Vaughn inquired with exacerbation. Sydney looked confused for a moment. Who was there? Who did she think was there. Who had been haunting her. She shook her head out of amazement for what she had just been doing. It was if all of a sudden, sense was shaken into her. She couldn’t believe any of what was happening. She just shook her head over and over again.
“Syd?” Vaughn asked gently. But she didn’t respond. She stared across the road into the distance. She could see nothing but darkness as she looked on. There was nothing there. She panicked. Her eyes grew painfully wider, tears forming in her eyes, her stomach suddenly tied in knots. She could hardly breath for a moment, but managed to suck in a large gasp of air, forcing it in and holding it there. As she let go of the air, she quickly broke free of his grasp.
“I gotta go,” Sydney spoke as she abruptly started to walk away. She only got two feet before she stood over and hurled into the long grass that grew beside the stretch of road. Sydney fell to her knees, tears in her eyes. She was sick from the thought of what she had been doing. It was a nightmare, but she was awake. She had really been standing on a highway at night staring and yelling at a mysterious nonexistent man.
Mascara ran down her face as the tears rushed down. Her breathing came to an erratic pace as she tried not to wail. She was entirely overwhelmed and had no idea what to do. She didn’t really understand how she got to this place. How could she go from being a semi-normal person to being someone who stands in the middle of a highway practically in a trance, putting her life and everyone else's life on that highway in danger.
Vaughn came up behind her, rubbing her back. After a moment of feeling his soothing hands on her, she stood up and looked at him in the eye, stared at him as fresh tears began to fall. She didn’t know what to say. It was all too hard. Words were impossible to form, and the eye contact they had was painful, so she suddenly turned away, breaking eye contact and just walked away, fast and straight. He followed her.
They ended up at his car a few moments later. He opened the car door for her and she sat down on the seat gently, wiping the tears from her face, which was a mess of smeared makeup and wet redness. As the car pulled out, she sat there silently, her eyes peering down to her lap. She was afraid to even look out the window at what she might see this time, what her mind might trick her into seeing. She closed her eyes with intense anguish, as the car ride home fell silent. She couldn’t find words or energy or will to speak. She kept her eyes closed tightly as the car glided down the street towards her apartment. At some point, she just fell numb.
***
Vaughn caressed Sydney’s hair as she lay asleep in her bed. She didn’t say anything about that night when she got out of the car or went into the house. She simply took off her shoes and curled up in bed, a look of shock on her face as she drifted away, still fully clothed in a now dishevelled looking black dress. Vaughn took his cell phone out of his pocket and walked into the kitchen, dialling Jack’s number.
“Yes?” Jack answered in an emotionless tone.
“Jack, its Vaughn. Look, something happened tonight with Sydney” Vaughn started, his stomach queasy at the recollection of tonight’s events.
Jack’s eyes blurred for a moment at the news. “What happened?”
“We were at a restaurant and as we were walking outside towards the car, she disappeared suddenly and I found her standing in the middle of the highway as cars were screeching past her.”
“Is she alright?” Jack asked quickly.
“She wasn’t hurt.” Vaughn paused. “Jack, she just stood there in the road completely oblivious. Then she started calling out to someone, but there was no one there I could see of. It was terrifying.” His voice quivered.
“Are you sure there was no one there?”
“I couldn’t see anyone, Jack, but it was dark. Nonetheless, that doesn’t explain why she would risk standing in the middle of a highway while cars rushed past her.”
They both felt speechless.
"Jack, I think she's sick. I mean its happened three times now that she has seen someone that wasn't there."
"I know," Jack replied in a regretful tone.
"Do you think its Nocturne?" Vaughn asked with concern. It was the only think he could think that would explain this, even if she was supposed to be cured of it.
"I don't know. But keep an eye on her. I’ll get Dr. Jain to look at her.” Jack stated, trying to keep his composure of complete rationality as he hung up the phone. After he hung up, he made his way to the couch and sank down on it, rubbing his hands across his face. His worry was felt deep in the pit of pit of his stomach.
Vaughn sighed deeply, rubbing his forehead. A moment later, Nadia and Weiss returned.
“Hey,” Nadia greeted Vaughn as she walked in the door.
“Vaughn, you should have seen us tonight! Perfect score! That’s right!” Eric roared doing a little dance.
“Where’s Syd?” Nadia asked as she laughed at Eric.
“Uh, she’s in bed,” Vaughn stated, too tired to explain to them the night’s events.
“How did the dinner go?” She asked with a smile.
“You know, I’m pretty worn out. I think I’m gonna turn in for the night.” Vaughn said in avoidance as he quickly headed for Sydney’s room.
“We were great tonight weren’t we. I loved the look on that guys face! He doubted my abilities. If he knew me, he’d know-” Nadia stopped him with a deep and lingering kiss.
***
She could hear breathing, slow and heavy, as she lay there, the air cold at her face. She could see her own breath stream out as a fog. Chills froze her body, which was only covered in a thin and skimpy nighty. Sydney sat up slowly, realizing she wasn’t in her bed. She could feel the asphalt beneath her. Ahead of her was a light, it was dim and faint. She got up and walked closer to it, her bare feet feeling the harsh road beneath her.
“Hello?” she asked in a quivering tone. She stopped dead as she could see someone moving in the light. Sydney looked closer, realizing it was herself she was looking at, the light was being reflected in a mirror that stood there dead in the middle of the road. She approached it with a nervous curiosity. Suddenly she noticed something in the mirror. A man was standing behind her. She froze for a moment, her eyes widened with fear. She felt something sharp scratch across the skin on her neck, a pool of blood forming below her, around her, above her. She was drowning in a red sea.
“No!” she screamed, waking up.
“Syd!” Vaughn said, reaching out to her.
“Vaughn?” Her voice shook.
“You’re okay. You were just having a nightmare.” He said, rubbing her back as she sat there with crystals of sweat across her forehead.
Sydney took a deep breath as she stared straight ahead, then turned to him, a dead look on her face.
“I know who it was.”
LittleNicky
Cadet
Poor Sydney. She just can't catch a break. Great update. I love the way you write Sydney's thoughts and emotions. Beautiful!
Michael_Vartan_Rocks
Cadet
awesome! can't wait for more
ALIAS_chick
Cadet
hey. this is great.
can i get a pm?
can i get a pm?
Thanks guys
Chapter 11
Vaughn stared at Sydney for a moment with a look of bafflement on his face. She was making no sense, he thought.
"Sydney, you were just having a nightmare. It wasn't real" He said gently stroking her back as she sat there wide eyed and nervous.
"Vaughn, you're not listening. I remember now! I saw him. He cut my throat this time, but I remember him in the other dreams too, but I kept forgetting who he was when I woke up. I remember now" she explained, her eyes wide with fiery sparks in them.
"Sydney, you're not making any sense."
"I am though." She said, putting her hands firmly on both of his shoulders, and staring deep into his eyes.
"Okay, then who is it? Who was in your dream?"
"Sloane."
There was a moment of silence that seemed to last an eternity for both of them.
"Sydney, what are you saying?" he asked hesitantly with deep concern.
"Sloane is Korsakov," her tone of voice was completely dead and her eyes stared straight into him with only the rare blink.
"Sydney, who is Korsakov?" Vaughn asked wearily.
"The leader of The Guildiya."
"Syd, how do you know this?" Vaughn questioned, realizing she was in a much more serious condition that he had thought.
"I just..." She paused, not really being able to explain how it was she knew, "I just do." She believed it whether she could explain it or not.
"Sydney," he started. He looked to the side as he searched for the right words. He was really dumbfounded at what she had to say. Its not that he ever trusted Sloane, but to say he is Korsakov, someone who no one but her knows about. It just seemed implausible. Vaughn took in a deep breath and then started again. "Sydney, I don't understand where you are getting this information. How do you know Sloane is the head of The Guildiya?"
Sydney broke eye contact with him and began shaking her head in a great frustration. She looked up at him with piercing eyes. "You don't believe me."
"I want to Syd. I really want to. But I don't know how to." He replied, not knowing how to avoid angering her.
Sydney stared at him with a cold hard look. Her eyes grew furious. "You don't believe me, again." She said slowly in a harsh low tone. Vaughn looked at her with sympathy as she shook her head. "I can't believe you!" She screamed. She abruptly got up off the bed and grabbed her pants off the chair they were slung over, slipping them on quickly. Vaughn watched her with concern.
"Where are you going?" He asked desperately as she grabbed her tank top and slipped it on over her head.
"Anywhere but here!" She growled as she slipped on a pair of shoes.
"Syd, its the middle of the night, you can't possibly think its a good idea to just leave," he said trying to reason with her.
"Leave me alone," her voice becoming rabid as her eyes flashed fury at him. She ran out the bedroom door, slamming it in Vaughn's face as he attempted to stop her.
Nadia arose from her room as she heard the shouting and door slamming, "What's going on," she asked with concerned eyes.
"Its Sydney, I don't know what's wrong with her," Vaughn replied to Nadia with a desperation in his voice. Nadia looked at Sydney with wide eyes of worried curiosity as she ran out the door, no coat in hand.
"Sydney, wait!" Nadia yelled. They both proceeded to run after her, not bothering to change into regular clothes. Sydney was already in her car and pulling out of the driveway by the time they got to the door.
"My car," Vaughn yelled to Nadia as he pointed towards his vehicle. She jumped in the passenger seat and Vaughn quickly drove off after Sydney.
"Where do you think she is going?" Nadia asked, as Sydney's car disappeared around a corner and into the darkness, driving rapidly with no lights on.
"I don't know," Vaughn said with a faint quiver. He gulped hard as he turned around the corner and realized he'd lost her. Vaughn ended up driving around, taking any turn he saw, trying to find her. But they both knew it was useless. She was gone, they weren't going to find her.
***
The tires on Sydney's car screeched around the corner as she sped down the roads. She had no idea where she was going. She just needed to get away. Her face remained tough though, as she drove, stone-cold with anger.
After about 15 minutes of driving, she pulled into a parking lot at the beach. She had no idea why she was there. It just looked inviting. Sydney got out of the car and slipped her shoes off as she walked in the sand towards the water. The sand felt soothing as it squished in between her toes. As she made it to the water, she swept her hand across the ocean, coldness on her finger tips. She sighed and took a few steps back to dry land and sat down.
Suddenly a feeling of guilt penetrated her stomach. Vaughn and Nadia must be so worried about her, she thought. Sydney sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. A tear trickled down her cheek. She felt so confused. And moreover, she felt alone.
She thought about Nadia for a moment. She said she believed her. But she would never believe the notion that Sloane was the head of The Guildiya. She would be angry at even an insinuation about it. Vaughn had probably already told her too. Maybe she could deny it. Say she was confused by her dream, and in the meantime, she could do her own investigation. Sydney thought deep and hard about this. It seemed logical.
Sydney got out her cell phone and pressed Vaughn's number on the speed dial. She listened to his frantic voice as he answered.
"Sydney?!" Vaughn exclaimed, as Nadia's eyes perked up beside him, "Where are you? Are you okay?"
"I'm sorry," She started as she wiped the tears from her eyes. She didn't want to do this, to lie and make herself look stupid, to say it was all a misunderstanding, a confusion from her nightmares. But she had no choice, she thought. "I was confused. I just keep having nightmares and they confused me. I was daydreaming both times I saw those people and it just felt so vivid, I thought it was real. But I realize now that I was wrong. Vaughn, please believe me," she pleaded, her voice quivering.
"Sydney, I do believe you. Come home okay and we'll talk about it then, just come home." He said, his voice going soft to sway her.
"Alright, I'll be there soon." They hung up and Sydney arose from the sand. She took a long look out at the stars and the ocean as it swept up against the shore and tickled the tips of her toes. She took in a large breath of ocean air and let out a large sigh. Sydney walked up towards the water and bent down to swirl her hand in the water for a moment. She saw her reflection. It startled her. There were tears streaming down her face and a confused and terrified look in her eyes. As she watched herself in the water, new tears fell. Finally she took her hand and stirred up the water so her reflection would disappear. She got up and walked to the car quickly and drove home.
Chapter 11
Vaughn stared at Sydney for a moment with a look of bafflement on his face. She was making no sense, he thought.
"Sydney, you were just having a nightmare. It wasn't real" He said gently stroking her back as she sat there wide eyed and nervous.
"Vaughn, you're not listening. I remember now! I saw him. He cut my throat this time, but I remember him in the other dreams too, but I kept forgetting who he was when I woke up. I remember now" she explained, her eyes wide with fiery sparks in them.
"Sydney, you're not making any sense."
"I am though." She said, putting her hands firmly on both of his shoulders, and staring deep into his eyes.
"Okay, then who is it? Who was in your dream?"
"Sloane."
There was a moment of silence that seemed to last an eternity for both of them.
"Sydney, what are you saying?" he asked hesitantly with deep concern.
"Sloane is Korsakov," her tone of voice was completely dead and her eyes stared straight into him with only the rare blink.
"Sydney, who is Korsakov?" Vaughn asked wearily.
"The leader of The Guildiya."
"Syd, how do you know this?" Vaughn questioned, realizing she was in a much more serious condition that he had thought.
"I just..." She paused, not really being able to explain how it was she knew, "I just do." She believed it whether she could explain it or not.
"Sydney," he started. He looked to the side as he searched for the right words. He was really dumbfounded at what she had to say. Its not that he ever trusted Sloane, but to say he is Korsakov, someone who no one but her knows about. It just seemed implausible. Vaughn took in a deep breath and then started again. "Sydney, I don't understand where you are getting this information. How do you know Sloane is the head of The Guildiya?"
Sydney broke eye contact with him and began shaking her head in a great frustration. She looked up at him with piercing eyes. "You don't believe me."
"I want to Syd. I really want to. But I don't know how to." He replied, not knowing how to avoid angering her.
Sydney stared at him with a cold hard look. Her eyes grew furious. "You don't believe me, again." She said slowly in a harsh low tone. Vaughn looked at her with sympathy as she shook her head. "I can't believe you!" She screamed. She abruptly got up off the bed and grabbed her pants off the chair they were slung over, slipping them on quickly. Vaughn watched her with concern.
"Where are you going?" He asked desperately as she grabbed her tank top and slipped it on over her head.
"Anywhere but here!" She growled as she slipped on a pair of shoes.
"Syd, its the middle of the night, you can't possibly think its a good idea to just leave," he said trying to reason with her.
"Leave me alone," her voice becoming rabid as her eyes flashed fury at him. She ran out the bedroom door, slamming it in Vaughn's face as he attempted to stop her.
Nadia arose from her room as she heard the shouting and door slamming, "What's going on," she asked with concerned eyes.
"Its Sydney, I don't know what's wrong with her," Vaughn replied to Nadia with a desperation in his voice. Nadia looked at Sydney with wide eyes of worried curiosity as she ran out the door, no coat in hand.
"Sydney, wait!" Nadia yelled. They both proceeded to run after her, not bothering to change into regular clothes. Sydney was already in her car and pulling out of the driveway by the time they got to the door.
"My car," Vaughn yelled to Nadia as he pointed towards his vehicle. She jumped in the passenger seat and Vaughn quickly drove off after Sydney.
"Where do you think she is going?" Nadia asked, as Sydney's car disappeared around a corner and into the darkness, driving rapidly with no lights on.
"I don't know," Vaughn said with a faint quiver. He gulped hard as he turned around the corner and realized he'd lost her. Vaughn ended up driving around, taking any turn he saw, trying to find her. But they both knew it was useless. She was gone, they weren't going to find her.
***
The tires on Sydney's car screeched around the corner as she sped down the roads. She had no idea where she was going. She just needed to get away. Her face remained tough though, as she drove, stone-cold with anger.
After about 15 minutes of driving, she pulled into a parking lot at the beach. She had no idea why she was there. It just looked inviting. Sydney got out of the car and slipped her shoes off as she walked in the sand towards the water. The sand felt soothing as it squished in between her toes. As she made it to the water, she swept her hand across the ocean, coldness on her finger tips. She sighed and took a few steps back to dry land and sat down.
Suddenly a feeling of guilt penetrated her stomach. Vaughn and Nadia must be so worried about her, she thought. Sydney sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. A tear trickled down her cheek. She felt so confused. And moreover, she felt alone.
She thought about Nadia for a moment. She said she believed her. But she would never believe the notion that Sloane was the head of The Guildiya. She would be angry at even an insinuation about it. Vaughn had probably already told her too. Maybe she could deny it. Say she was confused by her dream, and in the meantime, she could do her own investigation. Sydney thought deep and hard about this. It seemed logical.
Sydney got out her cell phone and pressed Vaughn's number on the speed dial. She listened to his frantic voice as he answered.
"Sydney?!" Vaughn exclaimed, as Nadia's eyes perked up beside him, "Where are you? Are you okay?"
"I'm sorry," She started as she wiped the tears from her eyes. She didn't want to do this, to lie and make herself look stupid, to say it was all a misunderstanding, a confusion from her nightmares. But she had no choice, she thought. "I was confused. I just keep having nightmares and they confused me. I was daydreaming both times I saw those people and it just felt so vivid, I thought it was real. But I realize now that I was wrong. Vaughn, please believe me," she pleaded, her voice quivering.
"Sydney, I do believe you. Come home okay and we'll talk about it then, just come home." He said, his voice going soft to sway her.
"Alright, I'll be there soon." They hung up and Sydney arose from the sand. She took a long look out at the stars and the ocean as it swept up against the shore and tickled the tips of her toes. She took in a large breath of ocean air and let out a large sigh. Sydney walked up towards the water and bent down to swirl her hand in the water for a moment. She saw her reflection. It startled her. There were tears streaming down her face and a confused and terrified look in her eyes. As she watched herself in the water, new tears fell. Finally she took her hand and stirred up the water so her reflection would disappear. She got up and walked to the car quickly and drove home.
Michael_Vartan_Rocks
Cadet
awww i feel so bad for her
can't wait for more
can't wait for more
Thanks
Chapter 12
"Oh Syd!" Vaughn exclaimed with relief as she walked through the doorway of her home. He quickly grabbed hold of her in a tight hug. "Are you okay?" He asked gently.
"Yeah, I'm okay," Sydney replied as he squeezed her. She pulled away from him as she saw Nadia standing behind them with a relieved but fraught look on her face.
"Syd," Nada said quietly and she walked up to her and pulled her into a gentle hug. Tears fell from both their eyes. "Sydney," Nadia started as she let go of Sydney, "what happened? Why did you run off?"
"I..." Sydney tried to start but Vaughn's green stare caught her eye. She looked down and swallowed hard. "I've been having these nightmares and when I'm awake, I'm just so tired that I get irritable... and confused." Sydney sighed as the partial lies seeped from her mouth.
Nadia took a strand of Sydney's hair and pulled it away from her eyes. She looked deeply at her as tears fell from Sydney's eyes.
"Syd, we're here for you, for anything you need. Next time just talk to us. We love you." Nadia gently said.
"Nadia is right Syd. We care about you and tonight you scared us deeply. Maybe you should see Dr. Jain about this. I know your father thinks its a good idea," Vaughn explained with concern.
"You talked to my father?" Sydney said with worry. She was trying to hide her anger at the idea. She didn't want her father to know any of this.
"I called him while you were sleeping tonight," Vaughn replied.
"Oh. I see."
"Syd, I'm sorry, but I was worried after what happened when we went out tonight."
"Its fine Vaughn. And really, you don't have to worry about me." No, he didn't. It was Sloane they all had to worry about, Sydney thought. "I think I'll go to bed. Its almost 2am." Vaughn and Nadia both nodded and left her to go to her room.
Sydney closed the door to her bedroom behind her as she stripped off her clothes and put on an old pair of grey sweat pants and a white tank top. She sat on the bed, sighing deeply and then lay down. She was so tired. She closed her eyes to fall into a world of darkness as her body went to sleep.
***
The road was black. Still hot with freshly laid asphalt. Above was the wavy air of the desert heat. The road stretched long into the distance as the California hillside enclosed it on each side. Sydney could see the trucks in the distance continuing to lay fresh road as she turned off the pavement and onto the dusty path cars seldom took. Sweat beaded from her pores as her old truck without air conditioning roughed its way through the desert. Half a mile down the road, she saw him there waiting for her. Her contact, the one who had inside connections to The Guildiya and would tell her more about Sloane.
Sydney pulled over and quickly got out of the truck. A blond man was watching her with a smirk on his face.
"Sydney, how nice to meet your acquaintance once again," his blue eyes captured the daunting light of the bright sun as he spoke in a British accent.
"Sark," Sydney replied in a dead tone. She cared little for pleasantries. She was here for one reason - info on Sloane so she could eventually take him down.
Sark smiled at her, "I suppose you don't wish to catch up on old times."
"You know why I'm here," she said insistently with irritation. "Sloane."
"Yes, The Guildiya," Sark began, "They began as a small terrorist faction on the rise. In hiring them for his own purpose Sloane ended up killing off their leader, Korsakov, and continued to use his name as an alias."
"What is his purpose?" Sydney asked.
"Do you really need to ask me that," Sark replied tilting his head to the side.
"Rambaldi."
"Yes. He convinced the members of The Guildiya of Rambaldi's significance, converting them to his so called faith." Sark continued to explain.
"And you?"
"Oh, I'm merely in it for the money," he replied with a smile, one Sydney didn't return.
"You're going to help me," Sydney spoke callously.
"Take down Sloane?" Sark asked with slight surprise. He'd never thought of Sydney as one to come to him for more than information.
"Yes." She replied plainly.
"And what's in it for me? I assure you, I am paid quite well as it is," Sark asked with skepticism.
"I wont kick your ass. How bout that for a start," Sydney answered seriously, her tone remaining dead. Sark smiled.
Sydney was about to speak when the heat waves of the desert air began swirling. The dizziness took over her as her head began to pound. Deep pains digging down into her skull and crippling her to the ground. She blinked. Sark was gone. Her eyes shut tight and she opened them again. The desert was gone. Suddenly she found herself sitting in her sedan pulled over on the shoulder as heavy traffic passed by her. She shook her head. She couldn't remember why she was pulled over or where she was going. She must have been coming back from the desert, she thought. She must have lost track of time.
Sydney released the brake on her car and pulled the gears to drive. She quickly swung back into traffic as a car honked at her. Her head still hurt. She swept her hand back over the top of her head and into her long brown hair, sighing hard. She drove home as the light pierced into her eyes and made her head pound worse. Finally she pulled into her driveway. There were no other cars. No one was home.
As Sydney walked into her house, she quickly went for the Aspirin. At first she took 2 but her head throbbed hard so she took 2 more and lay down on the couch. She felt exhausted.
Suddenly everything went blurry and then back. She sat up quickly realizing she was in bed. She wasn't sure what had just happened. She must have lost track of time again. She hadn't been dreaming, she insisted to herself. She was wrong.
As Sydney lay back down, she noticed Vaughn's sleeping body next to her. It was 5:58am. She couldn't remember how she'd gotten there. Lost track of time, she thought, lost track of time, she repeated again in her mind as she shook her head. She closed her eyes and let herself fall back asleep.
***
It was Sunday, she thought to herself. It must be for the alarm clock read 11:28am. Still, she didn't want to get out of bed. Her eyes felt strained just looking at the world, at the sun peaking in through her bedroom window.
Something felt wrong about today, she thought. After a moment she realized what it was. She felt hollow. Her life had become about someone else, about fighting Sloane, and she was doing it alone. She felt alone, hollow and alone. The truth was she had felt alone for awhile now. The loneliness seeped in the minute she pulled the trigger on him, on Vaughn. Everything else after that wasn't the same. He never showed it, but the feeling was innate in at least her. Sydney took in a deep breath and let it out as she heard footsteps coming into her room.
"Syd?" Vaughn said quietly, poking his head through the door.
"I'm awake," she replied in a dead tone. At that, he opened the door fully and walked into the room, seating himself next to her body on the bed.
"Do you want breakfast?" He asked with a smile.
"No." She replied unemotionally.
Vaughn raised an eyebrow as he noticed her apathy. "Are you sure?"
"Yes." Sydney slowly got up and walked out of the room, not even bothering to change. She sat down on the couch and turned the TV on. After a moment, she felt fatigued and lay down. Vaughn, lifted her legs up and seated himself on the sofa next to her. He stared at her as her dazed eyes watched the news lifelessly.
"Syd, are you okay?" he asked gently.
"Vaughn, I'm fine." She replied with irritation, not breaking her gaze away from the multitude of colours coming from the TV.
"Fine," he replied with frustration as he took his eyes off her and set them on the TV. It bothered him the way she was acting that morning, but he figured it was because she hadn't been sleeping well. And after taking off last night in an emotionally fury, he figured she must have exhausted herself.
Sydney watched the TV with dead eyes. After a few moments of watching the news, she realized there was something odd about what they were saying, as if there was a message there. She peered hard at the TV, her ears tuning into it as well as she could. There was a sound, a dit dah dit dit dah sound coming from the TV. She followed it, realizing it must be Sark with a message for her.
dit dit dit dit dah dit dit
Her eyes came alive as she listened to the code.
dah dah dah dit dah dah dit dit
Sydney’s eyes widened.
“Sloane” she whispered.
Chapter 12
"Oh Syd!" Vaughn exclaimed with relief as she walked through the doorway of her home. He quickly grabbed hold of her in a tight hug. "Are you okay?" He asked gently.
"Yeah, I'm okay," Sydney replied as he squeezed her. She pulled away from him as she saw Nadia standing behind them with a relieved but fraught look on her face.
"Syd," Nada said quietly and she walked up to her and pulled her into a gentle hug. Tears fell from both their eyes. "Sydney," Nadia started as she let go of Sydney, "what happened? Why did you run off?"
"I..." Sydney tried to start but Vaughn's green stare caught her eye. She looked down and swallowed hard. "I've been having these nightmares and when I'm awake, I'm just so tired that I get irritable... and confused." Sydney sighed as the partial lies seeped from her mouth.
Nadia took a strand of Sydney's hair and pulled it away from her eyes. She looked deeply at her as tears fell from Sydney's eyes.
"Syd, we're here for you, for anything you need. Next time just talk to us. We love you." Nadia gently said.
"Nadia is right Syd. We care about you and tonight you scared us deeply. Maybe you should see Dr. Jain about this. I know your father thinks its a good idea," Vaughn explained with concern.
"You talked to my father?" Sydney said with worry. She was trying to hide her anger at the idea. She didn't want her father to know any of this.
"I called him while you were sleeping tonight," Vaughn replied.
"Oh. I see."
"Syd, I'm sorry, but I was worried after what happened when we went out tonight."
"Its fine Vaughn. And really, you don't have to worry about me." No, he didn't. It was Sloane they all had to worry about, Sydney thought. "I think I'll go to bed. Its almost 2am." Vaughn and Nadia both nodded and left her to go to her room.
Sydney closed the door to her bedroom behind her as she stripped off her clothes and put on an old pair of grey sweat pants and a white tank top. She sat on the bed, sighing deeply and then lay down. She was so tired. She closed her eyes to fall into a world of darkness as her body went to sleep.
***
The road was black. Still hot with freshly laid asphalt. Above was the wavy air of the desert heat. The road stretched long into the distance as the California hillside enclosed it on each side. Sydney could see the trucks in the distance continuing to lay fresh road as she turned off the pavement and onto the dusty path cars seldom took. Sweat beaded from her pores as her old truck without air conditioning roughed its way through the desert. Half a mile down the road, she saw him there waiting for her. Her contact, the one who had inside connections to The Guildiya and would tell her more about Sloane.
Sydney pulled over and quickly got out of the truck. A blond man was watching her with a smirk on his face.
"Sydney, how nice to meet your acquaintance once again," his blue eyes captured the daunting light of the bright sun as he spoke in a British accent.
"Sark," Sydney replied in a dead tone. She cared little for pleasantries. She was here for one reason - info on Sloane so she could eventually take him down.
Sark smiled at her, "I suppose you don't wish to catch up on old times."
"You know why I'm here," she said insistently with irritation. "Sloane."
"Yes, The Guildiya," Sark began, "They began as a small terrorist faction on the rise. In hiring them for his own purpose Sloane ended up killing off their leader, Korsakov, and continued to use his name as an alias."
"What is his purpose?" Sydney asked.
"Do you really need to ask me that," Sark replied tilting his head to the side.
"Rambaldi."
"Yes. He convinced the members of The Guildiya of Rambaldi's significance, converting them to his so called faith." Sark continued to explain.
"And you?"
"Oh, I'm merely in it for the money," he replied with a smile, one Sydney didn't return.
"You're going to help me," Sydney spoke callously.
"Take down Sloane?" Sark asked with slight surprise. He'd never thought of Sydney as one to come to him for more than information.
"Yes." She replied plainly.
"And what's in it for me? I assure you, I am paid quite well as it is," Sark asked with skepticism.
"I wont kick your ass. How bout that for a start," Sydney answered seriously, her tone remaining dead. Sark smiled.
Sydney was about to speak when the heat waves of the desert air began swirling. The dizziness took over her as her head began to pound. Deep pains digging down into her skull and crippling her to the ground. She blinked. Sark was gone. Her eyes shut tight and she opened them again. The desert was gone. Suddenly she found herself sitting in her sedan pulled over on the shoulder as heavy traffic passed by her. She shook her head. She couldn't remember why she was pulled over or where she was going. She must have been coming back from the desert, she thought. She must have lost track of time.
Sydney released the brake on her car and pulled the gears to drive. She quickly swung back into traffic as a car honked at her. Her head still hurt. She swept her hand back over the top of her head and into her long brown hair, sighing hard. She drove home as the light pierced into her eyes and made her head pound worse. Finally she pulled into her driveway. There were no other cars. No one was home.
As Sydney walked into her house, she quickly went for the Aspirin. At first she took 2 but her head throbbed hard so she took 2 more and lay down on the couch. She felt exhausted.
Suddenly everything went blurry and then back. She sat up quickly realizing she was in bed. She wasn't sure what had just happened. She must have lost track of time again. She hadn't been dreaming, she insisted to herself. She was wrong.
As Sydney lay back down, she noticed Vaughn's sleeping body next to her. It was 5:58am. She couldn't remember how she'd gotten there. Lost track of time, she thought, lost track of time, she repeated again in her mind as she shook her head. She closed her eyes and let herself fall back asleep.
***
It was Sunday, she thought to herself. It must be for the alarm clock read 11:28am. Still, she didn't want to get out of bed. Her eyes felt strained just looking at the world, at the sun peaking in through her bedroom window.
Something felt wrong about today, she thought. After a moment she realized what it was. She felt hollow. Her life had become about someone else, about fighting Sloane, and she was doing it alone. She felt alone, hollow and alone. The truth was she had felt alone for awhile now. The loneliness seeped in the minute she pulled the trigger on him, on Vaughn. Everything else after that wasn't the same. He never showed it, but the feeling was innate in at least her. Sydney took in a deep breath and let it out as she heard footsteps coming into her room.
"Syd?" Vaughn said quietly, poking his head through the door.
"I'm awake," she replied in a dead tone. At that, he opened the door fully and walked into the room, seating himself next to her body on the bed.
"Do you want breakfast?" He asked with a smile.
"No." She replied unemotionally.
Vaughn raised an eyebrow as he noticed her apathy. "Are you sure?"
"Yes." Sydney slowly got up and walked out of the room, not even bothering to change. She sat down on the couch and turned the TV on. After a moment, she felt fatigued and lay down. Vaughn, lifted her legs up and seated himself on the sofa next to her. He stared at her as her dazed eyes watched the news lifelessly.
"Syd, are you okay?" he asked gently.
"Vaughn, I'm fine." She replied with irritation, not breaking her gaze away from the multitude of colours coming from the TV.
"Fine," he replied with frustration as he took his eyes off her and set them on the TV. It bothered him the way she was acting that morning, but he figured it was because she hadn't been sleeping well. And after taking off last night in an emotionally fury, he figured she must have exhausted herself.
Sydney watched the TV with dead eyes. After a few moments of watching the news, she realized there was something odd about what they were saying, as if there was a message there. She peered hard at the TV, her ears tuning into it as well as she could. There was a sound, a dit dah dit dit dah sound coming from the TV. She followed it, realizing it must be Sark with a message for her.
dit dit dit dit dah dit dit
Her eyes came alive as she listened to the code.
dah dah dah dit dah dah dit dit
Sydney’s eyes widened.
“Sloane” she whispered.
ALIAS_chick
Cadet
great update
Michael_Vartan_Rocks
Cadet
aww poor syd. doesnt vaughn realize she could still be infected? i hope he can help her soon!! i love this!!!! can't wait for more
Syd4Vaughn
Cadet
Syd really needs to see a doctor soon
great update
great update
AgentNadiaSantos
Cadet
Great updates! sorry i didnt reply to the other ones, i was out at a friends trailer for the week. Update soon! (((ALIAS chick, i love your sig! Underworld is awesome!))) ~Taylor
(((ALIAS chick, i love your sig! Underworld is awesome!))) ~TaylorThanks
Chapter 13
Sydney sat up with determination, leaning forward to the television with her ears on high alert. The Morse code continued, repeating the same name over and over. Sloane. Was he planning something? She thought. What was Sark trying to tell her?
"I have to go out," she said abruptly, turning to Vaughn who looked at her with unease.
"Where?"
"I just need to pick up a few things at the store," she lied as she quickly rushed to her room and threw on the pants and tank top piled on her chair. She cared little about the fact that she had already worn them yesterday. Sydney grabbed her keys and rushed out the front door, not even bothering to brush her hair. She noticed there was already someone in her car. It was Sark.
"What are you doing here? Someone might see you," Sydney said with apprehension as she got into the driver's seat and started the car.
"Don't worry, Vaughn hasn't seen me. I take it you got my message. Rather creative of me, don't you say?" Sark asked with a cocky smile.
"Yeah, I got it. What do you know?" She asked eagerly, her eyes wide.
"Sloane. He's planning on sending some of you on a field assignment to gather info on some of his enemies. He’ll say they are part of The Guildiya, but really he is just using you guys to gather info on his rivals to stay one step ahead of them,” Sark explained.
“How do you know this?” Sydney asked.
“Now Sydney, a man never reveals his methods,” Sark replied with a spark.
All of a sudden, Sydney heard Vaughn’s voice calling to her as she saw him step out of the door to her home. She quickly turned to Sark who had already disappeared. She sighed with relief. Vaughn could not know about her turning to Sark for help.
Sydney turned her head towards Vaughn as he knocked on her car window, a look of bafflement on his face. She knew this was a problem. What if he had seen something?! she thought with panic.
“Sydney?” he asked as she rolled down the window, “Sydney, what are you doing?” His face has fraught with concern. He had watched her sit there for several minutes animatedly talking to herself in the car.
“I was just about to go to the store,” she replied hiding her alarm.
“You’ve been talking to yourself.”
“No, I was just going over my shopping list,” she replied nonchalantly, reading his eyes with her blunt stare.
“Um, okay,” he said dumbfounded. He really wanted to believe her.
“I better get going,” she said immediately, noticing his uneasy eyes.
“Syd, is there anything you’re not telling me?” He asked hesitantly.
“What are you talking about, Vaughn?” Sydney spoke defensively, “I really should be going.” Vaughn backed off as she released the break and began to pull out. He watched her drive off with confoundment written all over his face. He really did want to believe her.
After an hour of driving aimlessly, Sydney happened to find herself heading to APO. She really wasn't sure why, but unconsciously she had headed there. She pulled into the parkade and quickly went up to the offices. As she walked in past all the desks, she saw her father sitting in his office working. He noticed her immediately and came out with a surprised look hidden within his face.
"Sydney," he said, "What are you doing here?"
"I just felt like catching up on some work." She replied nonchalantly as she continued walking towards the file cabinet.
"I talked to Vaughn last night, Sydney," Jack spoke as he followed her, "he told me what happened."
"Oh." Sydney replied unemotionally as she pulled out the file on The Guildiya.
"We're both worried about you. I think you should talk to Dr. Jain. I can page him right now."
Sydney gave him a brief look, "That's not necessary," she then proceeded to walk past him towards her desk. She pulled out her laptop from a sleek black shoulder bag she had been carrying with her.
"Sydney, I think it is necessary," Jack insisted adamantly as he stood in front of her. She opened up her laptop and then began thumbing through the file, completely ignoring her father. Something she normally would never do. But at this moment, she simply found other people, regardless of who they were, to be a profound irritation.
"Sydney, look at me," Jack spoke with a blatant assertion. She didn't. Instead she spoke in a dead tone as she began to type at her computer.
"Dad, it's fine. I'm fine. Now leave me alone so I can get my work done." Jack grasped hold of her shoulder lightly and pivoted her to face him.
"Sydney!" he spoke up loudly with a fixed stare.
His hard but concerned gaze wasn't enough to shake her, though. She simply pushed his arm off her shoulder forcefully and went back to her work, not uttering a word.
"Fine, be stubborn, like your mother." Jack stated finally and walked away. He had never seen her so disregarding. As he walked into his office, he opened his cell phone and called Dr. Jain, explaining his concern for Sydney to him.
An hour lately, Dr. Jain emerged through the door to APO. He immediately spotted Sydney seated at her desk, completely enthralled in her work. He walked up to her, startling her as he spoke.
"Sydney," he greeted warmly. Her look was belligerent as she turned around to catch the eye of her father through the window of his office. She couldn't believe he had called the doctor on her.
Sydney shook her head as she spoke, "I don't know what my father told you, but I am fine."
"While that may be true, perhaps we could go down to the infirmary and talk." The Doctor held his calming tone as he spoke to her.
"That is not necessary!" Sydney spoke hard as she gathered up her materials, shoving them in her bag in disorganization. She abruptly rose, pushing past the doctor. Jack, who had arisen from his office, quickly walked after her, grabbing hold of her arm as gently as he could.
"Sydney, you will see the doctor," Jack spoke with intense insistence.
"Leave me alone!" She yelled out, forcing his hand away from her.
"Sydney, stop," Jack said, calming his voice, "Please, we just want to help you."
Sydney looked at him for a moment, reading his eyes. She realized she had to do this. She couldn't risk further suspicion from him and Vaughn if she was to pursue a secret investigation into Sloane. Sydney nodded reluctantly and followed Dr. Jain down to the infirmary.
Jack stood there, watching them leave, with worry hidden deep behind the feigned coolness on his face. He realized in those moments of her fighting him, that Vaughn was right. There was something about her. She no longer had the bright look in her eyes that spoke to the passionate good-hearted spirit she was. She simply looked tired, exhausted actually, he thought. And he had noticed the wrinkled clothing she was wearing and how her hair looked like it had only been finger-combed that day. Jack took a deep breath as he walked back to his office, shaking his head with worry over Sydney.
***
She sat there in a crimson red hospital gown as the doctor pricked the vein in her arm with a piercing needle. Scarlet blood spurted into the vial filling the bottom of it. He pulled the vial off and withdrew the needle from her arm gently. He sat it next to the other vials of blood had taken from her, apparently in an attempt to be thorough, she thought to herself.
"Next I'm going to have you take an MRI," Dr Jain spoke warmly to her.
"Why? I really don't see the point in all these tests. I'm fine." Sydney spoke with skepticism.
"You're father spoke to me about your recent behaviour and affect. We just want to make sure there isn't anything physiological wrong with you. Perhaps something internal is throwing you off-balance and making you feel-"
"I feel fine" she spoke adamantly, cutting him off.
"Alright. Well, you're father has still asked me to do this, so it would be much easier on you if you just relaxed and complied with his wishes," Dr Jain explained trying to coax her into going along with all the tests. Sydney didn't speak. She simply lay her eyes down on the floor, realizing she had little choice here. She reminded herself, though, that there was nothing to find, their fears would be allayed when the test results came back inevitably negative.
"Why don't you come with me and we'll get ready for the MRI," the nurse said to Sydney, lightly guiding her out of the exam room.
Sydney lay down on the table of the machine as the nurse explained what would happen. After a couple minutes, she found herself slowly receding into the bore of the machine. Sydney tried to lay as still as she could in the horizontal tube as the banging sounds started. It was a continual and rapid hammering sound as if she were on a loud train going through a tunnel. She shut her eyes and tried to escape from the sound by concentrating on her breathes. In and out, slowly, deeply, she thought as she breathed. After a few moments she felt light-headed and dizzy. Her eyes blurred as she felt like she was spinning all around, hammers jamming into her head.
Suddenly something dark came into vision. There were shadows all around her, wisping across her eyes and she soon found herself gasping in breathes rapidly as her vision went dark and the room spun around her head at high speed. She tried to steady her breathes, calming herself in the machine as the giant magnet rotated around her.
All of a sudden, she could hear a voice. It was Sloane’s voice. She couldn’t make out what he was saying above the banging sounds but it made her skin tickle. They were talking about her, she knew it, she could feel it as it made her stomach crawl.
He was planning something, she thought. The doctor. Sloane was putting the doctor up to something. Sydney stopped her breathing in order to listen intently on what he was saying. She could hear stray words.
Blood. Gun shot. Dead.
After a few seconds, her body forced breathes to come sucking back into her lungs. She let herself breath rapidly as her heart started palpitating, beating hard and loud alongside the hammering. She gulped hard. Sloane was planning something. Something big.
Chapter 13
Sydney sat up with determination, leaning forward to the television with her ears on high alert. The Morse code continued, repeating the same name over and over. Sloane. Was he planning something? She thought. What was Sark trying to tell her?
"I have to go out," she said abruptly, turning to Vaughn who looked at her with unease.
"Where?"
"I just need to pick up a few things at the store," she lied as she quickly rushed to her room and threw on the pants and tank top piled on her chair. She cared little about the fact that she had already worn them yesterday. Sydney grabbed her keys and rushed out the front door, not even bothering to brush her hair. She noticed there was already someone in her car. It was Sark.
"What are you doing here? Someone might see you," Sydney said with apprehension as she got into the driver's seat and started the car.
"Don't worry, Vaughn hasn't seen me. I take it you got my message. Rather creative of me, don't you say?" Sark asked with a cocky smile.
"Yeah, I got it. What do you know?" She asked eagerly, her eyes wide.
"Sloane. He's planning on sending some of you on a field assignment to gather info on some of his enemies. He’ll say they are part of The Guildiya, but really he is just using you guys to gather info on his rivals to stay one step ahead of them,” Sark explained.
“How do you know this?” Sydney asked.
“Now Sydney, a man never reveals his methods,” Sark replied with a spark.
All of a sudden, Sydney heard Vaughn’s voice calling to her as she saw him step out of the door to her home. She quickly turned to Sark who had already disappeared. She sighed with relief. Vaughn could not know about her turning to Sark for help.
Sydney turned her head towards Vaughn as he knocked on her car window, a look of bafflement on his face. She knew this was a problem. What if he had seen something?! she thought with panic.
“Sydney?” he asked as she rolled down the window, “Sydney, what are you doing?” His face has fraught with concern. He had watched her sit there for several minutes animatedly talking to herself in the car.
“I was just about to go to the store,” she replied hiding her alarm.
“You’ve been talking to yourself.”
“No, I was just going over my shopping list,” she replied nonchalantly, reading his eyes with her blunt stare.
“Um, okay,” he said dumbfounded. He really wanted to believe her.
“I better get going,” she said immediately, noticing his uneasy eyes.
“Syd, is there anything you’re not telling me?” He asked hesitantly.
“What are you talking about, Vaughn?” Sydney spoke defensively, “I really should be going.” Vaughn backed off as she released the break and began to pull out. He watched her drive off with confoundment written all over his face. He really did want to believe her.
After an hour of driving aimlessly, Sydney happened to find herself heading to APO. She really wasn't sure why, but unconsciously she had headed there. She pulled into the parkade and quickly went up to the offices. As she walked in past all the desks, she saw her father sitting in his office working. He noticed her immediately and came out with a surprised look hidden within his face.
"Sydney," he said, "What are you doing here?"
"I just felt like catching up on some work." She replied nonchalantly as she continued walking towards the file cabinet.
"I talked to Vaughn last night, Sydney," Jack spoke as he followed her, "he told me what happened."
"Oh." Sydney replied unemotionally as she pulled out the file on The Guildiya.
"We're both worried about you. I think you should talk to Dr. Jain. I can page him right now."
Sydney gave him a brief look, "That's not necessary," she then proceeded to walk past him towards her desk. She pulled out her laptop from a sleek black shoulder bag she had been carrying with her.
"Sydney, I think it is necessary," Jack insisted adamantly as he stood in front of her. She opened up her laptop and then began thumbing through the file, completely ignoring her father. Something she normally would never do. But at this moment, she simply found other people, regardless of who they were, to be a profound irritation.
"Sydney, look at me," Jack spoke with a blatant assertion. She didn't. Instead she spoke in a dead tone as she began to type at her computer.
"Dad, it's fine. I'm fine. Now leave me alone so I can get my work done." Jack grasped hold of her shoulder lightly and pivoted her to face him.
"Sydney!" he spoke up loudly with a fixed stare.
His hard but concerned gaze wasn't enough to shake her, though. She simply pushed his arm off her shoulder forcefully and went back to her work, not uttering a word.
"Fine, be stubborn, like your mother." Jack stated finally and walked away. He had never seen her so disregarding. As he walked into his office, he opened his cell phone and called Dr. Jain, explaining his concern for Sydney to him.
An hour lately, Dr. Jain emerged through the door to APO. He immediately spotted Sydney seated at her desk, completely enthralled in her work. He walked up to her, startling her as he spoke.
"Sydney," he greeted warmly. Her look was belligerent as she turned around to catch the eye of her father through the window of his office. She couldn't believe he had called the doctor on her.
Sydney shook her head as she spoke, "I don't know what my father told you, but I am fine."
"While that may be true, perhaps we could go down to the infirmary and talk." The Doctor held his calming tone as he spoke to her.
"That is not necessary!" Sydney spoke hard as she gathered up her materials, shoving them in her bag in disorganization. She abruptly rose, pushing past the doctor. Jack, who had arisen from his office, quickly walked after her, grabbing hold of her arm as gently as he could.
"Sydney, you will see the doctor," Jack spoke with intense insistence.
"Leave me alone!" She yelled out, forcing his hand away from her.
"Sydney, stop," Jack said, calming his voice, "Please, we just want to help you."
Sydney looked at him for a moment, reading his eyes. She realized she had to do this. She couldn't risk further suspicion from him and Vaughn if she was to pursue a secret investigation into Sloane. Sydney nodded reluctantly and followed Dr. Jain down to the infirmary.
Jack stood there, watching them leave, with worry hidden deep behind the feigned coolness on his face. He realized in those moments of her fighting him, that Vaughn was right. There was something about her. She no longer had the bright look in her eyes that spoke to the passionate good-hearted spirit she was. She simply looked tired, exhausted actually, he thought. And he had noticed the wrinkled clothing she was wearing and how her hair looked like it had only been finger-combed that day. Jack took a deep breath as he walked back to his office, shaking his head with worry over Sydney.
***
She sat there in a crimson red hospital gown as the doctor pricked the vein in her arm with a piercing needle. Scarlet blood spurted into the vial filling the bottom of it. He pulled the vial off and withdrew the needle from her arm gently. He sat it next to the other vials of blood had taken from her, apparently in an attempt to be thorough, she thought to herself.
"Next I'm going to have you take an MRI," Dr Jain spoke warmly to her.
"Why? I really don't see the point in all these tests. I'm fine." Sydney spoke with skepticism.
"You're father spoke to me about your recent behaviour and affect. We just want to make sure there isn't anything physiological wrong with you. Perhaps something internal is throwing you off-balance and making you feel-"
"I feel fine" she spoke adamantly, cutting him off.
"Alright. Well, you're father has still asked me to do this, so it would be much easier on you if you just relaxed and complied with his wishes," Dr Jain explained trying to coax her into going along with all the tests. Sydney didn't speak. She simply lay her eyes down on the floor, realizing she had little choice here. She reminded herself, though, that there was nothing to find, their fears would be allayed when the test results came back inevitably negative.
"Why don't you come with me and we'll get ready for the MRI," the nurse said to Sydney, lightly guiding her out of the exam room.
Sydney lay down on the table of the machine as the nurse explained what would happen. After a couple minutes, she found herself slowly receding into the bore of the machine. Sydney tried to lay as still as she could in the horizontal tube as the banging sounds started. It was a continual and rapid hammering sound as if she were on a loud train going through a tunnel. She shut her eyes and tried to escape from the sound by concentrating on her breathes. In and out, slowly, deeply, she thought as she breathed. After a few moments she felt light-headed and dizzy. Her eyes blurred as she felt like she was spinning all around, hammers jamming into her head.
Suddenly something dark came into vision. There were shadows all around her, wisping across her eyes and she soon found herself gasping in breathes rapidly as her vision went dark and the room spun around her head at high speed. She tried to steady her breathes, calming herself in the machine as the giant magnet rotated around her.
All of a sudden, she could hear a voice. It was Sloane’s voice. She couldn’t make out what he was saying above the banging sounds but it made her skin tickle. They were talking about her, she knew it, she could feel it as it made her stomach crawl.
He was planning something, she thought. The doctor. Sloane was putting the doctor up to something. Sydney stopped her breathing in order to listen intently on what he was saying. She could hear stray words.
Blood. Gun shot. Dead.
After a few seconds, her body forced breathes to come sucking back into her lungs. She let herself breath rapidly as her heart started palpitating, beating hard and loud alongside the hammering. She gulped hard. Sloane was planning something. Something big.
Syd4Vaughn
Cadet
argh this is frustrating - whts going to happen?
i'm hooked lol :lol:
i'm hooked lol :lol:
Michael_Vartan_Rocks
Cadet
ohhh no she needs help man! lol. can't wait for more and thanks for the PM too
and thanks for the PM too ALIAS_chick
Cadet
great update.
thanx.