No Rest for the Wicked

[amy lynn]

Title: No Rest for the Wicked
Written for the FanFic Challenge – Sydney’s missing two years.
Rating: R for multiple deaths, torture, and maybe a little bit of sexual undertones
Word Count: 13.038
Summary: Sydney Bristow is gone. Julia Thorne prevails. Or is does she? A wild ride ensues that spans almost two years. It includes multiple assassinations, Simon, Cole, Rambaldi, and maybe a few twists along the way.
Author’s Note: Complete...Some aspects of my story are canon with what Kendall revealed in “Full Disclosure” and some are not. I think you’ll be able to figure out how I changed things a bit.

A special thanks goes out to Dita for reading over my first draft of this and telling me what she thought. Seriously girl, without your help and encouragement – this might not have gotten posted. So thanks so much! You rock! :flowers:

Song Used: Atom Bomb – from “The Saint” soundtrack, performed by Fluke
What QT movie your quote came from: I used two that I adore from Kill Bill vol. 1 –

“Silly Rabbit, Trix are for kids”
-Oren Ishii and the Bride “Kill Bill: vol. 1”

For those regarded as warriors, when engaged in combat the vanquishing of thine enemy can be the warrior's only concern. Suppress all human emotion and compassion. Kill whoever stands in thy way, even if that be Lord God, or Buddha himself. This truth lies at the heart of the art of combat.
-Hattori Hanzo “Kill Bill: vol. 1”

And on with the show…

The sooner you accept that you are no longer who you were, the easier this will be. Sydney Bristow…is gone.
Oleg – Episode 3.11 Full Disclosure

Prologue

The darkness is sometimes overwhelming.

I can never sleep.

The only glimpse of light I get is when they open my slot to place food into my cell.

The food is never good.

That’s because I don’t do what they want me to.

When I am let out of my cell I am strapped down in a chair – they put me to sleep only to jolt me out of it with adrenaline.

This man talks to me. He tries to tell me that I’m not who I am.

I tell him otherwise.

Then I go back to my dark cell.

The food is even worse – I don’t think you could even call it food. Francie sure wouldn’t have called it food.

I swear to myself I won’t let them break me.

I’ll get out one day. The thought of Vaughn and my father keep me strong.

Then one day it changes.

Images flash before my eyes of a life that is not my own.

That is who they are trying to get me to be.

A new life is my ticket out of this hell.

It is starting to look good.

Her name is Julia Thorne – but my name is Sydney Bristow.

Sometimes I want to forget my own name, but I can’t.

I also know that I cannot be both.

I have to choose if I want to survive. My body cannot take much more of this torture.

My resolve is wavering.

Do I give in to what they want from me?

Do I allow myself to be changed into Julia Thorne?

Or do I remain Sydney Bristow to face certain death?

Is there another option?

I have to choose.


[1]

6 months later – Rome, Italy
Undisclosed Covenant facility

She stood silently in front of the five men at the table, her freshly dyed blonde hair shining under the light. It was a ray of sunshine that stood out against the drab gray walls. There were two other men in the room not at the table. One was Oleg, the doctor who had treated her – he was standing next to her, staring at her like a proud father. The other was bound to a chair with a frightened look in his eyes.

The man sitting in the middle of the table was McKenas Cole – the man who was to be her handler if she passed this test. “Welcome, Ms. Thorne. The work you'll be doing for us requires a certain commitment.”

She responded in a steady voice, “Of course.”

Satisfied at this answer, Cole continued. “Who this man is, is not important. What is important is this knife on the table. Use it. Kill this unimportant man.”

It was kill or be killed. Julia Thorne walked over to the table and picked up the sharp knife. She looked over at the man strapped to the chair. His eyes were filled with terror and he was pleading incoherently – words like please don’t kill me, why are you doing this, no, please…

She picked up the knife not faltering for a moment. As she looked into the eyes of the frightened man, she ran her finger along the sharp blade – teasing him slightly. Just a few seconds later, she plunged the knife straight through his chest and into his heart.

If she had listened carefully, she could have heard the sound of blade slicing through flesh. But the man’s screams were overwhelming. And suddenly they subsided and a deafening silence filled the air – the front his formerly gray shirt now colored red, with his blood.

He was dead. She had passed.

Cole stood up, looking at her with pride. She was their finest creation. “I’m going to tell you something that my mentor told me growing up. For those regarded as warriors, when engaged in combat the vanquishing of thine enemy can be the warrior's only concern. Suppress all human emotion and compassion. Kill whoever stands in thy way, even if that be Lord God, or Buddha himself. This truth lies at the heart of the art of combat. You are now one of our warriors. Do our name justice.”

She looked back at him – no emotions in her eyes – and answered in the same steady tone, “I will do my duty to the organization.”

“Good. I’ll be in contact for your next mission. Now, take some time and appreciate the beauty of the city. Here is a key to an apartment for you, along with directions to the building.” He tipped an imaginary hat in her direction, “Until next time, Ms. Thorne.”

She nodded and accepted the key. Leaving the warehouse, she was hit by the blinding sunlight that lit up the city. Rome was beautiful this time of year. As she admired the beauty of the city, Julia made her way to the building where her apartment was. It was across the way from a grand cathedral. It seemed almost ironic, really.

The penthouse apartment was large with a lot of open space. There was already furniture and decorations. A ready-made apartment for her to call home – how considerate. Or maybe something slightly more sinister, she thought to herself. She wandered through the apartment, familiarizing herself with the layout. For the most part, she loved it. One aspect about it did trouble her, however. When she lay down in the bed the skylight above said bed was in the direct view of one of the angel statues that adorned the neighboring cathedral.

It was not a beautiful angel, though. Instead it was a cold, gray angel that stared disapprovingly at her through the glass. So she decided to take Cole’s advice and wander the city. She had her cell phone with her so that he could contact her regarding the next assignment – which he did, a few hours later while she was sipping a glass of red wine at a local café.

------------------------------------

The next day – Athens, Greece

The air was clear; the sun was bright and shining. It was as ironic as the angelic blonde hair she acquired the day before. It clashed with the dark deeds that were about to occur. Her mission was simple. Find Angelo Petrakos and kill him.

He had information that could pose a vital threat to the Covenant. He was a loose end – and the Covenant always tied up their loose ends. That is what made them the best kept secret in the terrorist community.

The kill was easy. She slipped into his office during the lunch hour – which he always worked straight through. The door at the back of the office was hidden from plain sight, and the lock was easy to pick open.

Julia headed straight to his office. She opened the door. He was sitting at his desk, reading a report of some kind. As he heard her enter the room he looked up. With the determined look in her eyes – not to mention the fact that she was holding a gun, complete with a silencer – he knew that his days were numbered.

He dropped the report he had been reading. “Just get it over with,” he said, his voice shaking with fear and the knowledge of his own death.

“I have one question before you die. I need to know where all the evidence you have gathered regarding our existence is located.” Her voice was cold, unfeeling. She was practicing what Cole had said – freeing herself from human emotion and compassion.

He laughed at her. She narrowed her eyes. The man who was about to die actually had the gall to laugh at her. “I know you are going to kill me. But I won’t give you the satisfaction of breaking me first. If you want the information, you’ll just have to find it.”

She stared at him for a moment in disgust. “I’ll ask you again – where is the intelligence you have gathered?”

He was frightened and his voice was shaking, but he defied her yet again. “Just kill me, because I will never tell you.”

There were two options. She could torture him some for the information and then kill him. Or, just kill him and find the papers when she was done.

It wasn’t a difficult decision to make. Setting up the right kind of torture would take too long. So she went straight for the kill. The suicide note was planted on the desk in front of him and then she shot him in the head at the right angle for his death to be determined suicide. Not that it mattered anyway – the police that would be sent in were on the Covenant payroll. Blood spattered on the note, giving it a look of authenticity. Quickly, she wiped the gun down and placed it in his hands.

She put on gloves and went about the next task of searching his desk. Finding what she was looking for didn’t prove to be difficult. His top right drawer held the key and combination to a safe. The papers were most likely in his office somewhere – which is why he rarely left his office. In a search around the room, she noticed a large painting on the wall opposite his desk. It was large enough to cover a safe.

Sure enough, behind the picture, she found what she was looking for. She opened the door and pulled out all of the information regarding the Covenant. Getting out was simple – she was able to slip out of the office the same way that she entered. Back in the safe house, she proceeded to take care of the papers as per her orders.

------------------------------------

2 days later – Cairo, Egypt

She had one more assassination to prove her abilities. After that she would be sent to gather intelligence. But before she could do that she had to kill a Covenant official known as Bomani – she was given no other name besides that. He had been a key player in funding the Covenant, along with providing much information on Rambaldi. However, he had outlived his usefulness and was therefore disposable.

In the hotel room she dressed to kill. Literally. She slipped into typical assassin-black leather pants and a black tank. She then pulled on her black leather jacket that hid her gun while on the way to the meet.

He had a business meeting in Cairo that Julia was to intercept. That certainly had been easy. A simple shot to the chest for the business partner had done the job. She was now waiting in the back room of the restaurant, the dead mans body on display.

As soon as Bomani walked through the door he knew he was dead. The bloody body of his contact and the beautiful woman holding the gun with a cold look in her eyes was a dead giveaway. This kill was even easier than Petrakos. Bomani knew what was coming and that escape was futile. She had backup placed strategically throughout the restaurant. All it took was another shot to the chest, straight through to the heart – and he was gone.

She put her gun away and walked out of the restaurant as members of the team went in to clean up the mess. She felt a sense of relief to have that assassination over with. Those weren’t the jobs that got her adrenaline rushing and they certainly weren’t the kinds of jobs that got her brain working. She needed more thrills and more action. With her new assignments – that is what she was going to get.

She was done with the mindless assassinations. It was on to the good stuff.


Author’s Note 2: To give proper credit where it is due…McKenas Cole and Julia Thorne’s lines in the first section come from episode 3.11 Full Disclosure –
“Welcome, Ms. Thorne. The work you'll be doing for us requires a certain commitment.”
“Of course.”
“Who this man is, is not important. What is important is this knife on the table. Use it. Kill this unimportant man.”

 

[A Dark Turn]

Yay!! You posted it!! I'm so excited that I using all sorts of extraneous exclamation marks!!!!!

First, of all... I this. I already told you what I adored, but I'm so excited that you posted this, I'm afraid I'm going to have to do it again. Brace yourself. :lol:

<insert the prologue>
I stand in awe. It's just so great. GREAT, I tell you.

She picked up the knife not faltering for a moment. As she looked into the eyes of the frightened man, she ran her finger along the sharp blade – teasing him slightly. Just a few seconds later, she plunged the knife straight through his chest and into his heart.

If she had listened carefully, she could have heard the sound of blade slicing through flesh. But the man’s screams were overwhelming. And suddenly they subsided and a deafening silence filled the air – the front his formerly gray shirt now colored red, with his blood.

He was dead. She had passed.

I just think this is so well written, I couldn't let it pass. The descriptions, the details... ::sighs::

“I have one question before you die. I need to know where all the evidence you have gathered regarding our existence is located.” Her voice was cold, unfeeling. She was practicing what Cole had said – freeing herself from human emotion and compassion.

He laughed at her. She narrowed her eyes. The man who was about to die actually had the gall to laugh at her. “I know you are going to kill me. But I won’t give you the satisfaction of breaking me first. If you want the information, you’ll just have to find it.”

She stared at him for a moment in disgust. “I’ll ask you again – where is the intelligence you have gathered?”

He was frightened and his voice was shaking, but he defied her yet again. “Just kill me, because I will never tell you.”

I really like how you did this. He's so weak and he's so slimy; he deserves to die, probably, but you kinda feel sorry for him... 'You'll just have to find it', indeed. Great job!!

She was done with the mindless assassinations. It was on to the good stuff.

I love this line. It so simple, yet, so great. Dark!Julia is perfect here.

Great Job, Amy!! :flowers: to you for a well-done job. I'm not sure if I already said this, but best of luck with the challenge!!

 

[AHSbandchick_lovinjulian]

wow. excellent story. evil sydney, well julia actually!!! write more! and if you could PM me peas!

i like this part:

She was done with the mindless assassinations. It was on to the good stuff.

good closer and it makes you wonder what's next.

 

[amy lynn]

Dita - you know how much I love you and your reviews! Thanks so much for all of the encouragement you give me. I am dedicating this whole story to you

AHSbandchick_luvinjulian - I'm posting the rest of the story now. Thanks for the review and I'll go ahead and send a PM your way.

Here's the rest of No Rest for the Wicked

[2]

3 months later – Madrid, Spain

Bullets were flying everywhere. s***! She thought to herself. This mission certainly turned into a disaster. And it was all due to the incompetence of her partner – Christian Gutierrez. For all his dark good looks and sexy accent, the man certainly couldn’t run an op to save his life. And now it wasn’t only his life on the line. He had put her life in danger, something that was unacceptable. The minute they got back – if they got out of this mess, she was going to order that she be re-assigned. She was not putting up with this cocky a**hole any longer. Even though this was only their third mission together, she could tell that one day she would just kill him herself. That is, if his own stupidity didn’t claim his life first.

She heard him curse loudly. As she looked over at her partner, she noticed that he had run out of bullets. He looked over to her, pleading for her help and forgiveness. She seriously thought about putting him out of his misery right there and shooting him herself. She could easily blame it on the stray bullets that were coming from every side of the room.

There were a few problems with that plan, however. He was already the third partner she had worked with in the past three months. The first was Lauren Reed. She didn’t make it out of a building before the bomb they had planted exploded. That was only their first mission together – She wasn’t sad to see Lauren go. The woman obviously wasn’t smart enough to leave a building that housed a ticking bomb. No loss on the Covenant’s part.

Her next partner she had worked two full months with before he died. Aidan Nikolaou had been a good partner, and was on the way to becoming good friend. He had died at the hands of an unknown assassin just after their last successful mission. It was generally accepted as fact that Irina Derevko had ordered the hit. Irina may have gone into hiding personally, but her people were still around every corner – one of the few groups that knew enough to follow Covenant activities closely.

Now, here was her third partner, Christian Gutierrez. He was supposedly a genius; however he tripped the secondary alarm while downloading a copy of the computer they hacked into. He hadn’t even thought to look for this secondary alarm. If he died under her watch, the Covenant would not be as forgiving as they had the past two times, as she was already gaining a reputation. There was a serious lack of operatives who were willing to partner with her.

Either way, she knew one thing – she was not working with this incompetent fool ever again. Finally there seemed to be a let down in the amount of bullets flying through the room. Sydney still had one clip left for her gun, so she used it sparingly. Her partner had managed to crawl his way over to where she was hiding behind the file cabinet.

They had only one chance to make a run for it. She saw a guard’s face pop up from his hiding spot – she quickly eliminated him. That made the death count on this mission climb to 10 so far. It appeared that there were 5 left. Whatever was on that computer was certainly important.

She had enough bullets left in the clip to take out each guard, unfortunately she had no idea where the others were and time was running out. If they weren’t at the rendezvous point in fifteen minutes, their ride was going to leave without them.

She saw an opening and went for it – grabbing her partner and running while shooting the last round from her gun. As they were running towards the door, a bullet hit Christian in the leg, causing him to stumble. As she bent down to help him up, she saw the blood oozing from a hole in his thigh.

Just what she needed – an already incompetent partner injured. They were just barely going to make it to their rendezvous point as is. Now, she could only hope that she could get both of them there on time. She could see the street that they needed to turn onto, but they were probably about half a mile away from the point – and about 3 minutes away from the time they needed to get there.

She ran as fast as she could in her black Jimmy Choo stilettos while half carrying a partner who weighed practically 100 pounds more than she did. Finally, she saw the car waiting for them. She stopped briefly to catch her breath and made the final sprint to the car.

She hopped in and found their handler waiting for them – not so patiently. She pulled Christian into the backseat and the driver sped away. “Quick, I need some supplies to clean out the wound.”

McKenas Cole passed her a medical kit, asking “Is the bullet still in his leg?”

Christian groaned a painful “Yes,” and winced as she pulled off his pants and took a look at the wound.

She grimaced at the sight of torn flesh and flowing blood. Dealing with the aftermath of a bullet wound certainly wasn’t pretty. “I can’t get the bullet out, but I need to clean the wound and bandage it until we get back to Rome.”

She worked carefully as the driver sped towards the airfield. Christian hissed in pain as she disinfected the wound and his leg flinched as she wrapped the bandage around his thigh. Then she shot him up with a tranquilizer when she was done so that he could rest and she could have a word with Cole.

She turned to Cole with a look of disgust in her eyes. “I’m not working with him again. He is completely incompetent.”

Cole laughed. “Getting shot is not incompetent. You’ve been shot many times.”

He was rewarded with her ice cold glare. “That’s not what I’m talking about. Mr. Computer Genius himself failed to detect a secondary alarm and we found ourselves swarmed with guards.” Her words were filled with venom and sarcasm – a deadly combination.

Cole just looked at her like she was crazy. “Really, Julia, can’t you find a partner to last longer than one mission.”

“I did find one. His name was Aidan. But he died.” Her tone belied the inner pain she still felt at his death.

Cole just smiled at her, with that slightly insane smile he had. “And that was only for two months. You’re starting to develop a little reputation among the higher ups.”

“Well, this one isn’t dead, though I seriously considered it. I just want a new partner - one who isn’t so damn incompetent. I can’t stress that word enough, because that is what he is.” She was not budging from her decision, and Cole knew when to stop trying. He merely nodded, and she proceeded to tell him the whole story.

“I’ll see what I can do. Though, come on, Jules. Something else must have happened. Friend to friend – there must be another reason you dislike him.”

“He hit on me on the way over and then ruined the mission fixing his hair while staring into the computer screen at his reflection, instead of checking for secondary alarms. Genius? I think not.”

“Ha. Well, you can’t blame him, Jules. I hit on you the first time we met, too. Anyway, we were thinking of sending you to Algeria anyway to partner one of our freelancers for some work down there. I’ll make sure it happens.”

“See that it does.” She rode the rest of the way back to Rome satisfied. Hopefully this new partner was a whole lot smarter than Gutierrez.

------------------------------

2 days later – Algeria
A very shady bar

She was almost beginning to regret agreeing to this long-term op. Almost. This bar was dirty and the men here were all old and missing quite a few of their teeth. It reeked of stale alcohol and sweat, plus the coppery hint of blood leftover from too many drunken brawls.

This is where my contact has chosen to meet. Great. I’m really looking forward to meeting this one. From the looks of this bar, he is going to be very rough around the edges. What happened to giving a person normal partners?

She had to keep reminding herself that anybody was bound to be better than her previous partner. As she made another sweep around the room, the sweat that had been gathering on her forehead dripped down to her eyes. She hoped that this person, Simon Walker, did not keep her waiting too much longer. She really hated waiting – especially when the wait was in this dingy, extremely hot bar. She wiped the drops of sweat off her eyelids and forehead. Her clothes were starting to stick to her body. If he wasn’t here in five more minutes, she was calling Cole and getting the hell out of there.

The rusty front door opened – making a loud noise, calling attention to the person who walked in. Immediately she guessed that was her contact. He looked comfortable in the atmosphere of the bar, yet he wasn’t old and he definitely still had all of his teeth. There was only one problem with him. He oozed sex – the natural heat in his eyes, his swagger, and the seductive way he curled his lips. She took in the dark hair, dark eyes, and muscular frame. He just better not be another f***ing self-absorbed male like Christian. As long as his looks didn’t interfere with his work, they wouldn’t have a problem with their professional relationship. But she was going to keep a close eye on this one – starting now. Her ass was on the line if she couldn’t work with yet another partner and his ass was on the line if he screwed up even one of her missions.

He walked over to the seat next to her. She expected him to introduce himself, but instead he called over to the bartender for a shot of tequila – sans salt and lime. The bartended slid the shot glass down the bar, he picked it up, slammed the tequila down his throat, and slammed the shot glass back on the bar – making a loud noise as it hit the counter. Then he finally looked over at her and says “I’m Simon Walker.”

She looked at him with no emotion in her face. “I’m Julia Thorne. And that’s enough alcohol for you. I won’t work with a drunk.” There was no judgment in her words – just a calmly stated fact.

His lips curled even more upwards as he took in her deadly serious face. “Lighten up, babe. It takes a lot more than one shot of tequila to get me drunk.”

She snorted in annoyance, “How nice for you. Let’s get out of here. It’s hotter than hell and the stench of old alcohol really isn’t that appealing.”

For that, she got a full blown chuckle, “Whatever you say, babe. Just lead the way.”

She got up quickly off the barstool and led the way out of the bar. As she walked in front of him, her hips swaying seductively and her clothes all but molded to her body from the sweat, Simon Walker was in heaven. She was a cold, unfeeling b**** on the surface – but he could change that. He could break through the ice queen surface – he saw the inner heat dying to be released. He wanted her as more than a business partner and he was going to have her.

---------------------------------------

The next day – Algeria

That morning at the hotel Julia, Simon, and the rest of his team – a.ka. Javier, the tech guy – were gathered together in her room. They were waiting contact from Cole. Supposedly he would give them word, they would go meet him and find out what this long-term op was about.

There was a knock on the door – but before any of the three could get to the door, in walked Cole, with the gait that was all his own. He sat down at the table and placed a large expandable file with many folders and papers on the table. He started speaking right away.

“The information that was decoded from the computer pinpointed a ‘road-map’ to finding one of Rambaldi’s most important artifacts. This artifact is a cube that is deemed very important to the realizing of his works.”

She jumped into his monologue. “What’s in the cube?”

Cole just smiled. “Patience, dear Julia, we don’t know for sure yet. That is another aspect of your mission. You must find out what the cube is to be used for along with how to find it.”

This time Simon asked the next logical question. “So, where do we begin?”

Cole sighed, and gave them all the information he knew. “We are searching for two things – six keys that will unlock the vault that houses the cube, and six ‘puzzle pieces’ that, when put together, will present us with a map to the cube. We have a lead on the location of the first key, from the computer hard drive Julia and Christian acquired. We will not stop working until we have found this cube.”

She had been pacing around the room while he talked, but when he was finished all she could do was sit heavily on the bed. Rambaldi. The whole world seemed to revolve around Rambaldi.

[3]

2 weeks later – St. Petersburg, Russia

Their first job as a team was an interesting one. It was to fake an assassination. Andrian Lazarey was an important part of the Rambaldi puzzle. He held information that could help them decipher the clues and find the cube.

But he was also important for another reason. He was rich. However, the only way to ensure that nobody else could get the information or the money was to make him appear to be dead. All of the money he had would be left to his only surviving progeny – a son that the Covenant believed they could blackmail. But before they could use his information and money – they had to get him to commit to the idea first.

So – here she was sitting in a car outside of his mansion in Russia. The rest of the team was at the hotel, not wanting to appear suspicious. There was a crackling in her earpiece, then a voice rushed into her senses. “You ready, babe?”

She rolled her eyes. It was useless to ask him not to call her that. He wasn’t going to stop. “I’m ready. Where is he?”

Simon checked the display on tracker they had placed on him earlier that day, “He is upstairs in the back corner of the north-east quadrant.”

She went through the floor plan of Lazarey’s house that she had in front of her and memorized how to get to the room Simon was referring to.

“Okay. I’ve got the location. I’m heading in – the security system is down, right?”

“Its disabled, but only for fifteen minutes at the most, you’re clear to go.” A new voice was heard, Javier – the team tech guy.

“Copy that.” She gathered the lock-picking device and headed toward the stone wall that surrounded Lazarey’s mansion.

She shot the heavy wire up and the hook caught over the edge. Climbing the wall was relatively easy, and the wire was sturdy. Once she was over the wall, she headed for the back door. The lock was easy to pick, with the security system down she was able to sneak in with no disturbances.

Having memorized the floor plan – she knew exactly where she was headed. The room was in the back of his house. As she neared it, she could feel the atmosphere heating up. She pushed the door open, and into a steam room.

Andrian Lazarey looked up at her in shock.

“What am I doing here?” She asked for him – as he could not seem to form the words.

He nodded.

“It’s simple. If you do as I say, you won’t be die tomorrow when I come back to kill you.” She smiled menacingly.

He looked even more confused than before. “Why are you warning me?”

“You have something I want. Something I need. If you can help me – I can help you.”

“Why do I need help?” Her words did not seem to make any sense to him.

She sighed. “Because I am willing to keep you alive after you’ve served your usefulness. Believe me, others will not.”

His eyes sparked at the mention of life and death. “What do you mean by that?”

Her tone was matter of fact as she answered him. “It’s simple, really. My employers want your information, but they want everyone else to think you are dead. But after you’ve served your purpose, they will most likely kill you for real.”

He nodded, understanding. “How can you keep that from happening?”

“You have to trust me. I will keep you alive, even after you have served your purpose.”

He pondered this for a moment. “What kind of information do you need from me?”

“Let’s just say there’s a wealth of information that you hold about Milo Rambaldi. And we would like to tap into that resource. However – we could just kill you and make sure that nobody else gets to it either. But that would not be advantageous for any parties involved.”

He nodded again – this time in agreement. They set the details for the next day.

She slipped out just as easily as she entered, however something was different.

She felt somebody watching her the whole time.

----------------------------------------

The next day – St. Petersburg, Russia

An unknown blonde woman walked into a Russian diplomat’s office and slit his throat open.

She escaped without detection.

His body was found moments later and the paramedics came to take him away.

The news stories that night all proclaimed that same thing – Andrian Lazarey, one of the last living descendants of Romanov lineage was dead.

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1 month later – Mexico City, Mexico

Alarms were sounding, blaring through the quiet night air. Escape was going to be a little trickier than they had thought. The party had been a great cover for their operation – until she realized that somebody had been shadowing their movements the whole night. She had not gotten a full glimpse of this person; however it was clear that this shadow had purposely tripped the alarm to out them.

Footsteps were getting louder. The guards were coming closer. They were about to be caught. They both looked at their clothes – party attire, how could they work with this? There was only one thing left to do and they both knew it.

Simon pushed her into the wall and covered her body with his own, until they were touching from head to toe. His lips crashed into hers as they began their farce as lovers.

His lips were surprisingly soft, and his scent was intoxicating. But she was determined not to enjoy this. He would be a complication – even though for the past month she had been spent half-flirting and half-pushing off his advances.

She would have been fine with the charade, until his tongue demanded entry into her mouth. His kiss was passionate, yet gentle, and she began to give in – kissing him back in enthusiasm, not just for show.

For the benefit of the guards that were most likely upon them, his hands drifted up and down her body. They crept up her stomach towards her breasts. However, the moment his hand brushed over her nipple and paused there it was like a bucket of cold water hit her. She bit down on his lower lip. And it wasn’t meant to arouse him.

Luckily, a guard caught up with them and, being fooled by the sight, barked at them to get back to the party. Simon jumped away in pain, looking guilty to the rest of the world – like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar – and she made a show of straightening her dress up.

They made their way back to the party and to their rendezvous point with Javier. The mission was a success. They had acquired the first key and the clue to the first portion of the map.

Later that night she crawled out of the bed that they had shared. Simon was sleeping soundly. But if he did happen to wake, she could blame her absence on confusion over the events of the past hour – or call it a mistake since they work together.

Of course – neither were true. It hadn’t been a mistake. It had been a device used to divert Simon’s attention from the fact that she was slipping away for a midnight meeting with a contact of hers. As she walked down the faintly lit street – her mind wandered back over the past few hours.

They returned to the hotel on a high. They had the first key and they had escaped capture. The tension between her and Simon had been especially thick, given the circumstances of their escape.

Javier had picked up on it and left the room. It was her and Simon – face to face, alone, and neither speaking of what had occurred. She was watching the clock and she knew she only had a limited amount of time before meeting her contact. However, Simon was watching her like a hawk – with desire in his eyes.

Her plan formed from there. He was hot, she could admit that. He was also smart and competent. Plus he liked to have a little fun. She could work with that. She could appeal to that.

And she did.

The aftermath of their love making was still with her. Her body tingled as she though of the deliciously wicked things he had done with his tongue. She shook those thoughts out of her head. He was just a pawn, nothing more. He might be an enjoyable pawn – but her game remained the same.

She walked into the warehouse where the meet was to take place and saw that her contact and his associate were already there. An hour later she left, feeling calmer and much better about her actions. Her job was the most important thing and she would do what it took to make everything happen.

However, as she was walking back to the hotel, she felt the hairs prickle on the back of her neck. It was the same feeling she had earlier that night at the party when she noticed the shadow following them. She darted her eyes around, looking for the cause of her unease.

She caught sight of a figure following her.

 

[amy lynn]

Author’s Note: The song in the background is “Atom Bomb”, performed by Fluke. For the sake of length, I will not be using all of the lyrics – just the specific ones that fit the best (there are a lot of words to the song, and I don’t want them to overwhelm the fight scene).

[4]

5 months later – Santiago, Chile

She was walking along the streets, on her way back to the hotel after another failed mission and an argument with her contact. They had thought that the fifth key was in Chile, but apparently had been wrong. Six and half months had passed since they began this search, and they were so close – but yet they had no new clues. Discouragement was starting to infiltrate their team.

Last week their travels had taken them to Malaysia. The week before that, it was Warsaw. Three weeks ago had been Havana. She was pretty sure they had traveled the whole globe by now.

But she didn’t have a chance to dwell on that for long. A familiar feeling washed over her. The hairs on the back of her neck shot electricity through her body. She knew what that meant. Her shadow was nearby.

Her and the stalker had been playing a game of hide and seek ever since the faked assassination of Andrian Lazarey. Everywhere that she went, she felt his presence. The last time – in Malaysia – she had caught a glimpse of his frame running away, so she knew it was a man. But that is all she knew, for he had been wearing all black and a ski mask.

It was time that they met face to face. So she decided to that the hunter was to become the hunted – and she set a trap. The streets were lit well for the middle of the night; however the shadows were deep and dark. She made sure to weave in and out of the streets as if she were trying to lose her tail – every once and a while, however, she caught a glimpse of him still following her.

Finally, she caught sight of a good shadow to hide in – in a hidden alley between two tall buildings. The music could be heard from the neighboring club – a fast techno beat with muffled words. It matched the atmosphere brewing between the two spies.

Her heart raced in anticipation of the attack. After tonight’s failure – yet again – she was ready for a fight that she could win. The man made his way into her trap. He looked around the alley, and not seeing her, decided to leave. This is when she attacked.

Baby’s got an atom bomb
Twenty two megatons
Baby got a poison gas

She took him by surprise, not expecting to hear a sultry voice call out from the shadows, “Looking for me?”

He turned to see her standing in the middle of the alley, a gun in her hands – with him as the target.

He was wearing the ski mask again – which infuriated her. She wanted to know who she was dealing with. “How about you take that mask off now – so I can see who’s been following me for the past six months.”

A garbled accent came from under the black ski mask, sounding like he was trying to hide his voice. “I don’t think so. How about you drop the gun and we’ll make this a fair fight – hand to hand.”

She laughed. “It won’t be a fair fight hand to hand, but at least you’ll have a better chance than against my bullets.”

He laughed as well. “I think the fight will be more than fair.”

And so it began.

She threw her gun to the side and they circled each other carefully for a few minutes. It was like a dance – they were circling around the floor, waiting for the right time to try a spin or a dip.

Who was going to attack first?

Baby got a heart attack
Baby got a pain on tap
Baby gimme some of that

They were both calm and calculated fighters. Passion got in the way of reason, and was many times caused the fighter to lose. So they stalked each other, waiting to strike. He stepped in first when it was clear that she had all the patience in the world. His right arm and left leg lunged forward to attack. It was easily deflected by her left arm.

She spun around and kicked, managing to dig the heel of her boot in his side. He jumped back in pain. When he looked back up at her there, she arched an eyebrow at him – daring him to try and attack again.

Gimme some of that

He did attack again, and this time she wasn’t able to deflect his punch that landed on her cheekbone. She responded with a right hook of her own that marked his face on the opposite side of hers.

She attempted another roundhouse kick – but this time, he grabbed hold of her ankle and twisted her leg so that she lost her balance and fell to the ground. She sprung back up – not hurt too badly, yet slightly out of breath from the jarring that occurred when her body hit the pavement.

They circled each other again – the score was 2 points each.

Baby got a Nobel Prize
Given for the perfect crime
Baby got an alibi
Baby got eight more lives

She looked around her for some sort of weapon to use – since guns were outlawed in their little game. In a fight, always use your brain was a lesson ingrained upon her from the beginning of her training and she remembered it well.

Her eyes scanned the lighted corners of the alley and found something. Unfortunately her attacker found it at the same time as well – and old broomstick with a wooden handle. It would work perfectly.

He was closer to it and got there first. He broke off the brush part of it and began to twirl the stick – and an attempt to intimidate her

It didn’t work. She stared at him coldly, watching him closely, studying his pattern of movement. To him, she appeared unflappable.

I ain't ever seen baby scared
Gimme some of that

She wasn’t scared of him and that is what made her one of the best in the game.

He swung at her and she ducked, then spun around and kicked him in the gut. As her foot connected with his stomach, he jumped back a few steps and she used this to her advantage. She followed the kick with another jab to his face – hitting his cheek in the same place as before – to irritate the already forming bruise. His head jerked to the side from the force of her blow.

She took further advantage of his pained reaction and kicked him in the gut yet again. He grunted in pain as her stiletto heel broke the skin.

Baby got a master plan
A foolproof master plan

He gained some momentum back as he swung randomly and hit her knee. They both heard the cracking sound has the wood struck her kneecap. She stumbled just a bit but quickly regained her composure.

He swung again and she jumped back, just barely missing getting poked in the stomach with the sharp edge of the pole where he had broken off the rest of the broom. Realizing that the fight was at a stalemate, even with his weapon advantage – he threw it to the side and decided to finish the fight hand to hand.

Baby doesn't care at all
Baby’s having too much fun
Baby’s got an atom bomb
Gimme some of that

They grappled for control for a full fifteen minutes – arms, fists, legs, feet were flying everywhere. It was a true fight between equals. They got a few hits in, they took a few hits. There was no way to tell who was winning.

She got destiny
She got supremacy
She got everything ever from a to z
She got it all down tight
She got nothing wrong
She got the whole wide world singing baby's song

Finally, she got the advantage. Her kickboxing skills were put to good work and she had just kicked him in the back, causing him to stumble forward, but not quite fall. She looked around for something to throw and found a fire extinguisher that was empty, but still heavy enough to cause some damage.

She picked up and threw it at him with all her might. It hit him in the shoulder, causing him to lose his balance completely and fall on his face. That gave her enough time to run over and knock him down from behind.

She walked over to her gun and picked it up. Her mocking voice rang out through the warehouse as he tried to pick himself up. “Silly rabbit – Trix are for kids. Did you really think you were going to win? I’ve got my gun aimed at you and this time I will shoot you if you move one more muscle.”

Her stalker spoke and this time was unable to hide his accent through his pain. “I think you dislocated my shoulder.” His accent was British – and vaguely familiar.

She had him pinned down with her right foot on the back of his neck. She leaned down and took a look at his right shoulder. “It’s not dislocated. You’ll be bruised but you’ll heal just fine. No more stalling.” With that, she pulled the ski mask off his face. Then she rolled him over – and looked into the coldest blue eyes she had ever seen.

--------------------------------------

The next day – Rome, Italy

She opened the door to his detaining cell. He was sitting bound and gagged to a chair. His piercing blue eyes were colder than ice. Before she could speak, his clipped voice filled the room. “Hello, Sydney Bristow.”

She stared at him – her gaze freezing cold. She knew what to say when that name was uttered. “Sydney Bristow is gone. I am not her. I am Julia Thorne”

“Cut the act, Bristow. I have evidence of your activities – pictures of you meeting with your CIA liaison. You’re quite good, you know that? You have the whole Covenant fooled that their brainwashing really worked.” Sark did not believe her. He knew better. And he was going to use his knowledge to his advantage.

She stared at him, an almost bored expression on her face. “You don’t have any pictures. They don’t exist.”

“My dear, Julia” he emphasized her name, filled with sarcasm, “It is time for the games to end. I do have them – they do exist. And you know that is true.”

She walked over to where he was sitting with a knife glinting in her right hand. She touched his face with her left hand, running it up his neck to his cheek, and then to his head. Once her hand reached his hair, her touch lost all gentleness. She grabbed his tousled hair and pulled his head back – the edge of the dagger in her right hand softly tracing along his neck.

Her voice was vicious as she spoke, “I could just slit your throat right now, and that would be the end of your little game.”

Even facing certain death, Sark was cocky. “That might work. However, I have instructed that upon my death the pictures will be sent to McKenas Cole to pass along to the head of the Covenant.”

“An empty threat since there are no pictures – and there is no betrayal” she said coldly, her fear not showing in her voice. As she spoke she pressed the tip of the knife into his neck, causing his skin to break and a small pool of blood to form on the blade.

“You are good, you know. If I didn’t know better, I’d believe the brainwashing had worked. The Sydney Bristow I knew would never dream of torturing and actually drawing blood.”

“So cocky, even while your life is on the line.” Her voice was full of mocking.

It was because of that tone that he decided to pull out his final bit of blackmail. “That’s not all, my dear. I also have pictures of your nocturnal activities with one Simon Walker. I do believe that your father would be very interested in those pictures – and maybe Agent Vaughn as well.”

Her outer composure remained calm, but Sark saw a spark of something in her eyes. It was something that hadn’t been there before. However, when she spoke, it was with the same hard voice that belied no emotions whatsoever.

“My father is dead. He was killed a long time ago. If you don’t stop this ridiculous game, we will just find you useless – and I will receive the task of killing you.” The spark he had seen was gone.

“So ruthless, dear Sydney, even though you’re pretending to be Julia,” was his response. He seemed un-phased by the dagger that was still slicing at his neck.

“Damn it, I am Julia. This Sydney you speak of is dead. I should know. I killed her.”

“Is that what they told you?”

She slipped the tip of the blade a little deeper in his neck. “They didn’t have to tell me that. I remember it.”

“I wouldn’t slip that blade in any further unless you want your secret to get out.”

She leaned her head down to his ear and bit down on the lobe breaking the skin a bit and licked it smooth. Then she spoke so softly that he had to strain to hear her, “They are watching us. I’ll come back later and we’ll talk. Just shut up right now.”

Sark had already been strangely aroused by her actions – and then pleasantly surprised when she admitted her true identity. All of her actions had been for show. And what a show it was. Sydney Bristow was good. Very good.

He watched her saunter out of the room, her hips swaying seductively. As one last show for Cole and the others watching her – she turned around and sent the knife sailing through the air – right into his left shoulder. “Nobody threatens me and gets away with it. I’m really going to enjoy killing you Mr. Sark.”

The pain shot through his whole left arm. It was all he could do to keep from crying out. He watched as she left the room, not looking back. The knife was stuck in his f***ing arm and he his hands were indisposed. Even if it was just for show – part of her was the real Sydney Bristow. It was a chilling thought.

Sark rolled his eyes back in pain as he tried to compartmentalize and think about anything else but the bloody knife stuck in his shoulder and the haze that the pain was inducing. The door opened and he looked to see who it was. McKenas Cole.

“Our little Jules is a piece of work, isn’t she?” He grinned at Sark, maniacally.

Sark just stared coldly at him.

Cole laughed. He went over to his left arm and pulled the knife out – quite roughly, irritating the wound even more. With the release of the knife, Sark’s blood began to flow freely. Suddenly he felt a little light headed.

“Jules will want her knife back. You see, she made her first kill for us with that knife. She’s quite partial to it.”

With that, Cole left the room, leaving him to pass out due to pain and rapid blood loss.

-------------------------------------

Later that evening – still in Rome

Sydney returned to his cell. This time, she was much quieter. He could see a dull ache in her eyes – she was no longer the emotionless and slightly deranged shell that was Julia Thorne.

“They were watching me earlier. They would have killed me, you know. And then you would be dead as well.”

Sark just stared at her, not moving. But she saw understanding in his eyes.

She sighed. “What are your demands? If you really have pictures, we can work something out.”

“I do have pictures, Sydney. You know I’ve been following you for the past six and a half months.” His eyes met hers in a challenge – a challenge that she was more than willing to accept. It was a challenge that she might have even admitted she had missed – but only if you had her high on the most intense form of truth serum.

“Which begs the question – how did you get out of CIA custody?”

He laughed. Trust Sydney to ask that as one of her first questions. “That’s not really important. Irina arranged an extraction. My mission was to find you and follow you. It wasn’t until you met with Kendall that I realized you weren’t in fact brainwashed – a fact which had me relieved.”

That made her snap – along with the mention of her mother. “Don’t pretend like you care, Sark. You were spying on me. What do you want? Were you looking for the first opportunity to kidnap me yourself?”

“Believe it or not, I was helping you – for your mother.”

She walked closer towards him and pulled up another chair from across the room, sitting directly in front of him. “I don’t believe you. But that is beside the point. You are in the Covenant’s custody now. I believe you have a deal to offer me. Let’s get on with it.”

“It’s always business with you Sydney. Never time to play. Very well – I want a job with the Covenant. I know what they are after, Irina knows, you know, and the CIA knows. Together, we can all help find it and keep it from the Covenant.”

She laughed. It was funny, really, the way he propositioned her like it was the only obvious choice. “And I’m just supposed to believe you. I’m supposed to trust that when we find it, you’ll keep if from the Covenant. There is no way I can put blind faith in you. Not after our last collaboration when you were supposed to kill Sloane, and ended up helping to out me as a double agent.”

“Sydney, I didn’t out you.”

She got up out of the chair and began pacing – throwing some bitterness in his direction. “Please – I don’t know why you think I’m going to believe that one.”

Since his arms were indisposed he did his best attempt at a shrug. “Believe what you want. But I will have those pictures and the rest of my proof sent to Cole if we do not reach a deal.”

She was stuck. She essentially had to accept his offer, or else everything that she had worked for would be over and she would be either tortured or killed. “I’ll accept your deal. But we are full partners.”

“Excellent. Now get me out of here before somebody decides to really torture me.”

She faced him angrily at the tone of voice he used with her – trying to order her around. “There will be no ordering me around like that. We are partners – I do not work for you. As for getting you out of here, that will not be easy. You need some leverage. Do you have some intelligence that could be used as such?”

“I’ve got something a lot better than intelligence.”

She stopped her pacing and sat down again, intrigued. “And what is that?”

“The 800 million dollars I inherited when you murdered my father. I knew that the Covenant was going to try and take it from me when I watched you slit his throat. Thankfully, since I was aware of the situation, I was able to get my money. But I will use it as a bargaining tool to get out of here. Of course I will make sure to get it all back when I take down the Covenant.”

Her eyes widened at the mention of Andrian Lazarey. So Sark did not know he was still alive. That was interesting, but she was not going to correct his statement – not yet at least. “I suppose they might take that seriously.”

Sark just laughed at her understatement. “They’ll be so bloody thrilled – I may even get to meet the head of this operation.” He finished the sentence with a smirk playing on his lips.

Sydney Bristow glared at him from inside her Julia Thorne shell. It certainly was going to be an interesting collaboration.

 

[amy lynn]

[5]

1 week later – Tokyo, Japan

The meeting between the two men was brief. It was a simple exchange – information for money.

The short Asian man handed over a file to the taller Caucasian. He looked at the information with a satisfied look in his eyes.

The Asian man accepted the briefcase filled with money and turned to leave, but was stopped by the other mans voice.

The man with the slightly crazed eyes and the distinctive voice thanked the other man for his troubles. Then he pulled out a gun and shot him – picking back up the money.

He walked away and made the phone call. “Meet me back in Rome tomorrow, and plan to be there for two days.”

-------------------------------

2 days later – Rome, Italy

She was strapped down to a hospital bed – like she was a patient in a mental ward. “What? No straight jacket, Cole?”

He smiled at her sarcastic question almost paternally and smoothed her hair. “Jules, my dear, if you will just accept what we have to do and not fight it – than the binding would not be necessary.” His voice conveyed to her a threat. Accept what we are doing, or else you might not like the consequences.

She grimaced as the straps on her legs were tightened. Her voice was cold and calm as she answered, however, “Fine. Just take the damn straps off me.”

In her mind, she was screaming in pain for what they were about to do to her. But she couldn’t stop them. That would attract too much attention and they might realize that she was not who she was claiming to be. It was clear to her what her next move would have to be. When they found the cube – she would hide it from the world. And then she would go after what they were about to take from her: her eggs, her ova, her life-giving capabilities.

She shuddered inwardly as they injected her with the sedative, before they unbuckled the strap binding her to the bed. Thoughts of what was in that cube and what they planned made her sick to her stomach, but there was nothing she could do to prevent this operation. The Rambaldi DNA that was in the cube would just have to be hidden again, once she found it.

They then wheeled her into a separate room to perform the extraction. She may have been fighting on the inside, but her demeanor conveyed that she was ready to do her duty to the organization.

--------------------------------

2 months later – Prague, Czech Republic

The museum was only faintly lit – for it was well past closing hours – as the trio entered the building.

“Which way is the sculpture?” She asked Simon quietly – for he was the one with the museum layout memorized.

He answered back, but could not keep venom from his tone, “Third floor, in the east wing.”

Sark picked up on the tone, but wisely mentioned nothing about it. “Okay, I’ll be on the second floor, in the west wing.” His job was to create a diversion in case the guards were alerted to their presence while she and Simon went to acquire the ancient Italian masterpiece.

They went their separate ways – reiterating the rendezvous point in an hour. Their earpieces were turned on in case of emergency and the show was on the road.

“Come on princess, we don’t want to keep the Rambaldi artifact waiting,” Simon said snidely, as she stopped to fix the shoe that kept coming off.

“You try to wear shoes that are a size too big and then give me s*** about it,” she responded just as coldly.

A voice crackled through their ears, “I don’t know what is going on between the two of you, but how about we do our jobs?” With the cold, clipped accent, it was Sark.

Simon looked furious at the rebuke, but silently and sullenly continued in silence.

She was more accepting of the situation because she knew the reason for Simon’s harsh attitude. After their first time sleeping together, it had become a habit. His warm body had made her forget the one she had to leave behind. But after the Covenant had extracted her eggs – the thought of anybody touching her left her cold.

When he would try to touch her, she squirmed away and when he came into her room that first night, she kicked him out, telling him coldly and in plain terms, that whatever they had was over. After that Simon had turned cold, sullen, and rude. Sark had never asked her about the change in attitude; she figured that he would have guessed on his own. But the working relationship had become strained to say the least.

She shook her head and cleared her mind of those thoughts. It was time for business. The sixth key was hidden in one of the most valuable artifacts in the museum – and they were going to get it.

The mission went easily enough. She reached the location where the statue was kept and was able to break through the glass case without tripping the alarms; thanks to Javier running the security system through a van parked one lot away from the museum. Simon was on lookout patrol for any guards – but there were none for the greater part of their mission.

The trouble started as they were exiting the building. They had met back up with Sark, who showed up with a few choice paintings for his own collection, with a smirk on his face. As she laughed at him, they made their way to the exit. Suddenly alarms sounded everywhere.

They rushed to leave, but were surrounded by guards. Something was very wrong. They each looked at the others and silently agreed – start shooting and make a run for it. That was their only option.

They drew their guns and ran out – bullets flying everywhere. It was inevitable that one would get shot. The lucky recipient was Simon. He took a bullet in the right shoulder. He was able to keep running; however his shooting arm was in severe pain. This made him the more likely target – as she and Sark kept on running and shooting.

Another bullet struck him; this time it barely grazed his left side. But he was still struggling. Sark, being the larger of the two spies aided him along the way. They barely escaped the guards as they ran down the block to Javier and the white van.

But when they made it to the van, they were met with another surprise. Javier was waiting with a gun himself, complete with an evil grin on his face.

She hissed, “What the hell are you doing, Javier?”

He laughed in her face. “I think it’s quite obvious. My loyalties do not belong to the Covenant, and they most definitely do not belong to Simon.”

Sark did not look shocked. “Then who exactly do your loyalties lie with?”

Javier laughed again, “As if I would tell you that one. All you need to know is that my employer wants all of the keys and all of the pieces to this map.”

“We don’t have all the pieces to the map.”

“Yes, but I know where it is. That intel just came through as the mission was in play. So if you hand over the key you have retrieved and the combination to the safe where all the others are – I’ll be on my way.”

This time it was her and Sark’s turn to laugh. She answered him, “either Sark or I could just kill you right now. And we’ll have all the pieces and the intel. Not such a smart move, Javier.”

His eyes glittered in the moonlight. “You wouldn’t shoot me. I know your little secret, Sydney Bristow.”

The way he said that, his tone eerie and calm sparked a feeling of deep anger in her. She looked at him with an unrecognizable look in her eyes. “You are never to utter that name again.”

She looked over at Sark and nodded, giving him permission.

Sark aimed his gun and shot Javier through the heart.

She shuddered as she watched the body fall to the ground, a look of shock still in his eyes. Looking over at Sark and Simon, she realized that now was not the time to worry about his death. They had to take care of Simon. A hospital was out of the question – so they called up Cole and had a local doctor on the Covenant payroll at the safe house in no time.

She left the room as the doctor was fixing Simon’s wounds. It was all so much to take in. As she made her way down the hall to one of the bedrooms, she could hear Simon groaning incoherently in pain from the bullet wounds. When would the killing and betrayal stop? The only answer she could come up with was: never.

She pulled on a cotton camisole and some drawstring pants and curled up into the soft bed with the down comforter. In no time, she was asleep. But not content. Nightmares plagued her mind. Faces of those that she had killed flashed before her eyes – all staring at her from a mass of bloody bodies.

Then the scene changed. She was in the hospital bed – in the warehouse in Rome. Cole was there, along with Oleg. They were shooting her up with a sedative, about to extract the eggs from her body. This time she was struggling, but she couldn’t seem to move fast enough.

She woke up in a cold sweat to find Sark standing in the doorway. “What are you doing here?”

His voice was quiet. “You were screaming.”

She rubbed her face in tired confusion. “Oh. How is Simon?”

“He’ll live, but he is out of commission for a few months while his shoulder heals.”

“I see.”

There was a silence that filled the air – thick with questions, thin with the answers.

She vocalized the biggest question that lay between them. “You didn’t seem surprised that Javier was betraying us.”

Sark nodded, rubbing a hand over the stubble that was starting to grow on his chin. “His behavior was suspicious to me. So I was not surprised. He was most likely working for Sloane, as he is the only other player in this game who would be able to put someone in this deep.”

Her eyes glittered with anger – pure Bristow anger – as she gritted her teeth and spoke icily, “You suspected and you mentioned nothing. We were supposed to have a partnership in this.”

He walked further into her room. “I was going to tell you, Sydney. But I figured he wouldn’t make his move until the final clues on the map came in. And I was right about that – I just underestimated the Covenant’s speed in getting the final clue.”

She nodded her head, understanding and accepting. “So, what is our next move? I suppose Cole gave us some instructions.”

“Yes, but we’ll go over them tomorrow.”

She nodded, and stretched her arms above her head – stretching out, preparing to go back to sleep. It was then that he noticed the puckered pink scar forming on her stomach. It was crescent shaped and on the right side of her lower abdomen. He knew exactly what that was.

He made his way to the bed and, in a move so unlike the Sark that she knew, he went to trace the scar gently – almost reverently. It seemed to her as though he knew exactly what had been done to her. Her stomach contracted, as if his hands were made of fire. She was not sure if his touch was one of pity or mocking – neither of which she could bear. Sark looked up to see her eyes glittering with hatred.

“Don’t touch me. Ever. Again.”

He brought his hand away from her body – understanding now the changed dynamic between her and Simon. But he quickly became the same old Sark with his sarcastic words. “All hail Sydney Bristow. She carries the weight of the world on her shoulders and never lets another help her.”

She pushed at him – still with the utterly ‘Julia’ look in her eyes. The knife she kept under her pillow was whipped out and she held it to his throat once again. “I’m not afraid to use this, even when I’m not pretending to be Julia. If you value your own life, Sark – you will never touch me again.”

Sark stared back at her – intrigued by the ease in which she slipped in and out of being Julia. He admitted to himself that this Sydney was more fascinating than the black-and-white CIA Sydney. But she was just as stubborn. She just might be the only woman he would never get a taste of. It was almost fitting in a way. And she could read these thoughts in his eyes – for in the dark he opened up for a brief moment.

He got up and left with these enigmatic words, “There are some who would help you carry this burden, if you would let them.”

---------------------------------------

2 months and 2 weeks later – Nice, France

Two figures dressed in all black blended into the night air. One was male, the other female. They slipped in and out of alleyways, staying off the main roads. When they reached their destination they paused only for a moment.

They entered the back window of the house, quiet like all of their other moves. About fifteen minutes later they exited, this time taking another with them.

A car pulled up in front of the house – black like everything else about the night. The third figure was placed in the back seat by the male and the female pulled open the front passenger door.

The car sped off into the night.

The next day in the neighborhood, the creepy old man who lived in the small house was not missed by anybody.

[6]

2 months later – Namibia, the Fish River Gorge

They had finally found it – the elusive Rambaldi cube. Andrian Lazarey had finally found a contact who led them straight to it, an old Rambaldi scholar who had been in hiding in Nice. All of the intelligence they had gathered over the past couple years finally came together with the last piece of the puzzle. Literally. Rambaldi had constructed a puzzle, which when put together correctly became a map to the cube. They also had to collect the six keys that would open the vault. But finally, they had everything they needed to do so.

The map led them here – to the Fish River Gorge in Namibia. They arrived in the dead of night, it was safer that way. Sydney, Simon, and Sark were all ready to go the next day – they just had to get through the night.

The air seethed with words unspoken between the three operatives. Simon was still recovering, but he had insisted on joining them for this mission. He claimed that when he signed up for a job – he finished the job. So there he was.

Sark was watching her carefully – like a tiger stalking its prey. He seemed to know that she had some ulterior plan.

She was filled with nervous energy. It was the same feeling she had in the pit of her stomach while waiting for Dixon’s e-mail confirmation, to raid all of the SD cells. The emotion and memory was fitting at the moment. That night had been pivotal in her life and so this night was also equally as pivotal. They both signified the ending of her double agent status.

Simon was the first to break the silence by announcing his intent to go to sleep. Ever since the night he had been shot – he had quietly left her alone. It was almost as if he had remembered the moment that Javier had called her another name instead of Julia. But he never questioned her about it. He just silently watched her with slight distrust. However, he had no proof, nothing concrete to go to the Covenant and thus her secret remained safe.

The moment he left, Sark spoke to her with his signature clipped tone, “I know you are planning something. Let me first offer you another option.”

She scoffed at him, “It’s too late for another deal. I kept you alive and allowed you to partner with me until we reached the cube. Once we are there – all bets are off.”

He nodded in acceptance, “If you refuse to listen to reason, than I have no choice but to kill you tomorrow if it comes down to that.”

She smirked at him, “It is every agent for themselves. I can only offer you the same warning.”

They both stared at each other for a moment. Neither would bend, neither would break. It was useless to try. But in the process she gained a deeper respect for Sark. Not that it mattered anyway – her plan was set in motion already. There was no turning back after tomorrow.

----------------------------

The next day – a cave in the Fish River Gorge

With the cube in her left hand, she raised her right hand – which held a tranquilizer gun – and shot it at Simon. Sark looked at her coldly as the gun was trained at him next. They had reached an agreement last night, but Sark made one last attempt for further collaboration.

“Sydney, what are you doing?”

“Sark, I can’t let you have the cube. I can’t let anybody have the cube.”

“You don’t have to give that to the Covenant. You know I’m not loyal to them either. Besides, do you think the CIA is going to use the cube for ‘good’ and ‘righteous’ purposes? You know that nobody can be trusted.”

Their words were muffled by the sound of the crumbling cave. Rock, dirt, and other debris were falling all around them and the air was stuffy. Yet here the two adversaries stood – trying to reconcile their respective assignments.

Her eyes met his in a battle of wills. She knew she had to win this one. “I know. That is why I have to do this my own way.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I can’t tell you exactly what I am going to do. I can tell you that when I see you next – I will not remember any of this time.”

“Why are you doing this Sydney? Why are you running away? The Sydney Bristow I know and respect does not just run away when things get tough.”

“Sark, this is not a good time for a discussion. The roof is about to cave in on us. We have to get Simon’s body out of here so he doesn’t die. Too many have died because of me already.”

Sark began to understand with her last comment. But before they could continue, they had to leave the cave. They pulled Simon away and got out just moments before it collapsed.

She aimed the gun again – but Sark wasn’t finished. He questioned her once more. It was like reverse interrogation. Sydney was holding the gun, but he was forcing the information out of her.

Finally she answered, voicing the thoughts that had been plaguing her for almost two years. “I have done and seen so much evil. I have killed too many people over the past two years – all in the name of Rambaldi and serving my country. It weighs too heavily on my mind. The only way to erase this pain is to erase my memory. And with that memory will go the location of the cube. It will never be found again.”

Sark nodded. “You know that is what Irina would want too. That has been my job all along, to find the cube and hide it from the world. The Covenant is an extremist group, their beliefs are radical and it is unlikely that Rambaldi’s true aim is a second coming through a child.”

At this point, she broke into tears for the first time since her abduction and attempted brainwashing. The world that she had been carrying on her shoulders was lifted for a brief moment with those words. All this time, she had been in the presence of an ally that she had refused to accept.

Sark watched her come to this realization that the truth had come too late. She looked back up at him with determination still written in her eyes. This is the price that she would pay to return to a world where she was not an assassin, where she had not done so many black deeds that she despised. And he could accept this because he had the knowledge that somewhere in the deep recesses of her mind – Sydney Bristow had accepted him for a short period of time.

They would meet again as foes, they would trade insults again as foes, and they would attempt to best each other as foes. But for a brief moment – they had been more than that. They had been a lifeline for the other.

He walked over to where she was standing and leaned his head down – daring to do what he had wanted for so long. Their lips met in a brief kiss, filled with emotion. She pulled away and stared at him with tears running down her cheek. When it was over, he backed up and allowed her to shoot him.

He fell to the ground where Simon Walker’s body also lay – and passed out. They would both wake in a few moments – but Julia and Sydney would be long gone.

------------------------------------

2 days later – Hong Kong

Her second to last task was complete. The cube was hidden. She was the only living soul who knew where it was.

There was one more thing she had to do. There was one more person she had to kill. Julia Thorne had to die.

The nightmares of the past two years would continue to haunt her dreams if she did not take this one drastic step. She walked into the doctor’s office with a heavy heart – hoping that when she awoke, the world would be right again.

-------------------------------------

Epilogue

I’m lying on the ground somewhere. My head is throbbing.

I try and pick my body up off the ground.

My eyes are still too heavy to open, but I can see the tint of red through my eyelids.

Finally they slowly open.

I’m in an alley somewhere.

I pull myself up of the ground fully and start to walk – my eyes searching for a clue, any clue as to where I am.

I stagger through the street feeling cold, alone, and so completely lost.

As I search for clues, my mind searches for answers – where am I? What was I doing? How did I get here?

The last thing I remember is shooting the double of Francie and the back of my head hitting the broken mirror as I fell to the ground.

I see a sign with writing, recognizing the language.

I’m in Hong Kong.

How did I get here?

I make my way to a pay phone and start to dial a familiar number.

They answer with a familiar word.

“Dispatch.”

FIN

 

[Quiet Disaster]

I'm printing this story out and reading it! Will be back with my review!!

 

[A Dark Turn]

Awww... Amy...!! Thanks a million. You're so sweet, but really, it's all about you and your great Sarkney stories. They're just so damn great, you cool cat you.

Quotes as I read (there'll probably be a lot, but I'll try to restrain myself):

The first was Lauren Reed. She didn’t make it out of a building before the bomb they had planted exploded.

First of all, praise the lord. Whoren is dead!! Now, my day is complete.

She turned to Cole with a look of disgust in her eyes. “I’m not working with him again. He is completely incompetent.”

Cole laughed. “Getting shot is not incompetent. You’ve been shot many times.”

He was rewarded with her ice cold glare. “That’s not what I’m talking about. Mr. Computer Genius himself failed to detect a secondary alarm and we found ourselves swarmed with guards.” Her words were filled with venom and sarcasm – a deadly combination.

Heh, heh. :laughbounce: Great Julia/Cole "bantering". It's so neat you included Cole in this fic; he's really an underused member of fanfic and Alias. Serious props to keeping him so in character too. And I can just picture Julia saying those exact words in the last paragraph. :lol: to the 'Mr. Computer Genius' part.

“He hit on me on the way over and then ruined the mission fixing his hair while staring into the computer screen at his reflection, instead of checking for secondary alarms. Genius? I think not.”

:sideroll: Every time I read this, it makes me laugh.

He oozed sex – the natural heat in his eyes, his swagger, and the seductive way he curled his lips. She took in the dark hair, dark eyes, and muscular frame. He just better not be another f***ing self-absorbed male like Christian.

Love this description, because that's our Simon-- sex on a stick. :thud:

She was a cold, unfeeling b**** on the surface – but he could change that. He could break through the ice queen surface – he saw the inner heat dying to be released. He wanted her as more than a business partner and he was going to have her.

Isn't this the entire guy mindset summed up into one, neat little paragraph? Such a "guy" thing to think.

She felt somebody watching her the whole time.

onder: Hmmmm... Ominous vibes. Who could be watching our heroine?? Someone sinister and slightly evil, I bet. Maybe Sark???

Footsteps were getting louder. The guards were coming closer. They were about to be caught. They both looked at their clothes – party attire, how could they work with this? There was only one thing left to do and they both knew it.

Ah, yes, the old "we're lovers" routine. Praise the spy that ever invented that 'ol trick. Oh, and this part...? Good chemistry and oddly, kind of erotic. Good writing!

Of course – neither were true. It hadn’t been a mistake. It had been a device used to divert Simon’s attention from the fact that she was slipping away for a midnight meeting with a contact of hers.

She shook those thoughts out of her head. He was just a pawn, nothing more. He might be an enjoyable pawn – but her game remained the same.

Wow. She's a calculating one, isn't she?? Very Julia. I just love the way you wrote her all throughout this scene.

She caught sight of a figure following her.

Ohhhh... Who is it? I'm in suspense!

He was wearing the ski mask again – which infuriated her. She wanted to know who she was dealing with. “How about you take that mask off now – so I can see who’s been following me for the past six months.”

It would infuriate me too, especially if he had the potential to be hot. :mellow: I hope she rips that ski mask right off... Because I'm dying to know.

She spun around and kicked, managing to dig the heel of her boot in his side. He jumped back in pain. When he looked back up at her there, she arched an eyebrow at him – daring him to try and attack again.

Gimme some of that

He did attack again, and this time she wasn’t able to deflect his punch that landed on her cheekbone. She responded with a right hook of her own that marked his face on the opposite side of hers.

It's so great how the fight scene goes right along with the song. It heightens the tension between them. The whole fight scene was great, like a real fight between equals. Cute use of the 'trix are for kids' line. ^_^

Her stalker spoke and this time was unable to hide his accent through his pain. “I think you dislocated my shoulder.” His accent was British – and vaguely familiar.

Oh, man, it IS Sark! God, that man is just too sexy for his own good.

She walked over to where he was sitting with a knife glinting in her right hand. She touched his face with her left hand, running it up his neck to his cheek, and then to his head. Once her hand reached his hair, her touch lost all gentleness. She grabbed his tousled hair and pulled his head back – the edge of the dagger in her right hand softly tracing along his neck.

Her voice was vicious as she spoke, “I could just slit your throat right now, and that would be the end of your little game.”

Even facing certain death, Sark was cocky. “That might work. However, I have instructed that upon my death the pictures will be sent to McKenas Cole to pass along to the head of the Covenant.”

What a ruthless b****. But I like it. And Sark... He would be cocky, facing "certain death." Very in character.

Sark had already been strangely aroused by her actions – and then pleasantly surprised when she admitted her true identity. All of her actions had been for show. And what a show it was. Sydney Bristow was good. Very good.

Only Sark would be aroused by being held at knifepoint. :lol: I like the tension they have going in this scene. You do that so well, the whole build-up of tension!!

“Jules will want her knife back. You see, she made her first kill for us with that knife. She’s quite partial to it.”

With that, Cole left the room, leaving him to pass out due to pain and rapid blood loss.

:blink: Well. Don't ever piss off Julia Thorne. I can't believe she semi-stabbed him and that they just left him there. How about an 'awww' for poor Sark.

Sydney Bristow glared at him from inside her Julia Thorne shell. It certainly was going to be an interesting collaboration.

Let's hope so. I like the way the respond to each other, it's very... I can't even think of a word for it. 'Realistic,' I think. Very good.

When he would try to touch her, she squirmed away and when he came into her room that first night, she kicked him out, telling him coldly and in plain terms, that whatever they had was over. After that Simon had turned cold, sullen, and rude. Sark had never asked her about the change in attitude; she figured that he would have guessed on his own. But the working relationship had become strained to say the least.

Interesting little dynamic they all seem to have. In fact, it's all very true to both the show and real life. Excellent characterizations.

He made his way to the bed and, in a move so unlike the Sark that she knew, he went to trace the scar gently – almost reverently. It seemed to her as though he knew exactly what had been done to her. Her stomach contracted, as if his hands were made of fire. She was not sure if his touch was one of pity or mocking – neither of which she could bear. Sark looked up to see her eyes glittering with hatred.

“Don’t touch me. Ever. Again.”

Beautiful description. Just lovely. This is all so well-written; I read it twice.

<insert epilogue>

It's such great writing that you brought the 'stream of consciousness' back to the ending. Too fabulous!! The epi was beautiful by the way. LOVED it!


OMG!! That was hell of a long review but this was just so wonderful!! :beret:

I loved how beautifully you tied the whole two years to the beginning of the third season... Just so great!

:flowers: to a wonderful story. You're gonna knock 'em dead in the contest.

Thanks for the PM.

 

[AHSbandchick_lovinjulian]

wow again! is that the end? sniff sniff. great story though.

The whole world seemed to revolve around Rambaldi.

does everything in ALIAS now days?

. She may have been fighting on the inside, but her demeanor conveyed that she was ready to do her duty to the organization.

i could not have done this.

She got destiny
She got supremacy
She got everything ever from a to z
She got it all down tight
She got nothing wrong
She got the whole wide world singing baby's song

excellent choice in lyrics. i've never heard of this band but the lyrics fit. the only thing that could have been better was if the music was playing in the background not just the lyrics written. but i liked how you did do it though!

thick with questions, thin with the answers.

ALIAS does this alot too.

that Rambaldi’s true aim is a second coming through a child

totally interesting concept.

but Julia and Sydney would be long gone.

i like how you seperated them into two different people here at the end.

The nightmares of the past two years would continue to haunt her dreams if she did not take this one drastic step. She walked into the doctor’s office with a heavy heart – hoping that when she awoke, the world would be right again.

did Syd really do this?or? if not that's an orginal to why syd doesn't remember etc.


p.s. write more fan fic with Julia Thorne lol a series.

p.p.s. PM when you write again even if its a different story!! great job!

 

[red_lily]

Great story. You really did Syd as Julia well. Thanks for the PM.

 

[RavenClaw_dj]

Holy cow Amy that was fantastic! Thanks for the PM letting me know it was out here! I thiink you captured the tortured soul od Syd/Julia quite well. I wish S3 had delved more into her missing two years. I feel like the writers glossed over everything. Ahhh well. That's what Fan Fic is for!

 

[zestyz]

Great job!!!!!!

 

[amy lynn]

zestyz: Thanks for reading! I’m glad you liked it!

RavenClaw: Thanks You’re welcome for the PM. I too wish that S3 had gone more into the missing 2 years, but like you said – that’s what fanfic is for! Thanks for the lovely comments!

red_lily: Thanks and you're welcome!

AHSbandchick_lovinjulian: Yes – this was the end. This was written for the latest challenge – and there was a word limit and everything. There was so much more I wanted to write, though.

Everything in Alias really does seem Rambaldi related…I just had to throw that in there

As for the song – I tried to convey that this was the song they were hearing in the background coming from the club next to the alley but I’m glad you liked the lyrics. The song is great – I only know about it from ‘The Saint’ movie soundtrack (not so good of a movie, but great soundtrack).

From what episode 3.11 portrays it seems that a) the Covenant believed in a second coming through a child and b) Sydney erased her own memory. I wish I could take credit for it, though

I am contemplating writing more Julia Thorne – because I love delving into that so much, or maybe a sequel to this story once the challenge is over, and I finish up my other stories.

I will most definitely PM you when I write more! Thanks for the lovely review!

Dita: You’re welcome! I would not be a writer without my readers/reviewers, so I like to give them much thanks where I feel necessary

They're just so damn great, you cool cat you

:laughbounce: you have no idea how funny it is that you used that phrase! It’s what one of my best friends always calls me when we’re being silly gals. So to have somebody else use it made me laugh :lol:

Thank you so much for the lovely and long review! I love getting reviews like that! They make me so happy! :happydance:

I’m glad I seemed to portray a realistic story about the missing 2 years – it certainly was fun to write. And now I have even more plot bunnies running around in my head – thanks to the overactive muse.

Joyie: …am anxiously waiting for your review, cause I them so much!

 

[Galicdreamer]

They would meet again as foes, they would trade insults again as foes, and they would attempt to best each other as foes. But for a brief moment – they had been more than that. They had been a lifeline for the other.

He walked over to where she was standing and leaned his head down – daring to do what he had wanted for so long. Their lips met in a brief kiss, filled with emotion. She pulled away and stared at him with tears running down her cheek. When it was over, he backed up and allowed her to shoot him.

Okay..sorry I have been reading and writting my own entry ..i finally managed to get over here and review...okay I am starting with my favorite lines, and even though they occur at the end...they top my list!

That was beautifull...minus the shooting at the end, .... :blink: of course!

The first was Lauren Reed. She didn’t make it out of a building before the bomb they had planted exploded. That was only their first mission together – She wasn’t sad to see Lauren go. The woman obviously wasn’t smart enough to leave a building that housed a ticking bomb.

Uggh...Lauren isn't smart enough to do anything, let alone escape from a building that was going to escape with a bomb that she had planted, exploded...uggh!

There were two options. She could torture him some for the information and then kill him. Or, just kill him and find the papers when she was done.

It wasn’t a difficult decision to make. Setting up the right kind of torture would take too long. So she went straight for the kill. The suicide note was planted on the desk in front of him and then she shot him in the head at the right angle for his death to be determined suicide. Not that it mattered anyway – the police that would be sent in were on the Covenant payroll. Blood spattered on the note, giving it a look of authenticity. Quickly, she wiped the gun down and placed it in his hands.

Oh yes, becuase torture is so bothersome, you have to wait and wait..it just takes up sooo much time!! :lol:

She turned to Cole with a look of disgust in her eyes. “I’m not working with him again. He is completely incompetent.”

Cole laughed. “Getting shot is not incompetent. You’ve been shot many times.”

:lol: I love that line....it's not suppose to be funny, but everytime I read it, I bust out laughing!!


What can I tell you Aims, you did another fabulous job....you always do, you'll win the contest, we'll all have to bow and worship the amazing writter you are (those of us that don't already!)...I shouldn't even bother entering..but then my piece will only make yours look better...so I'll still enter! LOL....was that good.....

Love ya Aims!

 

[amy lynn]

Heather! Glad to see you back and that you wandered over here! And to hear that you are writing a challenge fic yourself! Yay - more fun stuff to read!

That was beautifull...minus the shooting at the end, ....  of course!

Awww! well – she only shot him with a tranq, so that’s not too bad, right It had to be that way…as sad as it is…this wasn’t a Sarkney or any sort of shippy story. And I must admit – I had fun writing it that way...it suits my anti-love sentiments of the moment (but thats neither here nor there, really)...

I love that line....it's not suppose to be funny, but everytime I read it, I bust out laughing!!

So – this happens to me a lot in real life too, not just my writing. I’ll say something I didn’t mean to be funny and pretty soon all my friends are laughing their butts off at me…:lol: Tis all good – I’m glad that there were some moments that made people laugh. It would have been too depressing otherwise…

Thanks so much for you’re lovely review, Heather! Though I must say, I’m double blushing from all the compliments :blush2:…and off to read your entry!

 

[acting_chica]

dear lord. i knew that i didn't stand much of chance in the contest because you were entering but now i just feel pitiful.

i would write all my fave lines and s*** but it would pretty much be the entire story. i guessed the guy trailing her was sark from the beginning! yay me! btw, that's for the sarkney kiss, always appreciated!

you're amazing!

m-c

 

[amy lynn]

Awww, m-c! Don't feel pitiful! You shouldn't feel pitiful at all!

Anyway, I'm glad you liked the story! And you knew it was Sark from the beginning, eh? Well, I suppose thats alright Seriously - I wasn't trying to be super sneaky with that! :lol:

Glad you liked the Sarkney kiss! I had to have at least one of those in there... :lol:

Thanks for taking time to read and review!

 

[Heather]

Well, even though I am an extremely faithful S/V shipper, I have to say I really enjoyed your story, even with the Sarkney kiss. The Sarkney aspect was really interesting -- I really liked them as allies, but I still am faithful S/V. I really loved your story though, it was great and was a good approach to the missing 2 years. Thanks for posting this story! Good luck in the contest!
~Heather

 

[IwantRome]

oh amy , guess your one of my favourite writers now and forever. i read this story before and had to read it again.
i love your characterization of sydney and julia. it´s so good and the best i ever read and "felt".

i repeat myself over and over again, this is soooooooooooooooo f.... good!

as this is finished i stick with the haunted and the haunter to read.

suzy

do you know other good julia-sydney stories?

 

[Chicketepee]

i LOVE THIS FIC
its brillient
completely perfect luv it
my complements u r a brill writter
luv Chicketepee