| PART 3 �Dad?� Sydney said quickly when a �hello� was stated on the other end of the line. Sydney stood huddled inside the telephone booth, her wet hand craddling the phone to her ear. �Sydney?!� Her father�s voice rose, half with relief, half with fear. �The circumference...there was a flood...Vaughn...I think he might be dead.... �My God Sydney...I thought....where are you?� �I�m in Sydney now...I don�t know how long I�ve been here...I�ve been held....dad....it...� She began, but he cut her off. �Sydney you�ve been missing for four days....wh...� He began, but she cut him off. �Dad! Listen to me....I don�t have much time....they might have followed me....the man....� She swolled and tried to catch her breath before continuing. �Dad....the man....it was mom.� Sydney waited for several seconds....there was silence at the other end. �Dad?� She asked worried. �Sydney...you have to get to a secure location immediately.� Sydney looked around....there were buildings everywhere...people here and there....where would she go? �Where?� She asked her father. �There�s an agent I know stationed in Sydney. His name is Douglas Petrov....I don�t know his current address, you�ll have to locate him yourself....get to him....he�ll direct you to a rendezvous point where you�ll be extracted.� �Okay.� Sydney replied nodding. She ran her fingers through her wet hair. She was about to hang up but she heard his voice again. �Sydney?� She oput the phone back to her ear. �Yeah?� She asked him. There was silence for a brief moment. �Are you alright?� He asked finally. Sydney thought about her current condition momentarily. She had a busted lip, and a cut above her eye. She had a broken thumb, a sprained ankle, was hungry, thirsty, sore, and exhausted. And, she was soaking wet. �I�ve been better.� She replied softly. �I�ll see you soon.� He told her after another several moments of silence. She heard the click of his hang-up and stood still. Finally, she raised her hand and hung up the phone softly. Her mind kicked back into gear. She looked down suddenly. Sydney yanked the phonebook from its place and began quickly flipping through it until she reached the P�s. Her finger traced down the page until she saw the name Petrov, Douglas E. Below it, there was an address. She memorized it quickly and shoved the book in the cubby below the phone. She turned quickly, opened the door, and stepped out of the booth. Once out, she looked right, then left, then right once more before heading the opposite way. ~~~~~~~~ There was a knock at the door. When it opened, a man, probably in his early sixties stood looking at a rather wet young woman standing at his doorstep, dried blood above her eye, lump on her lip, and exhaustion in her eyes. The man�s eyes looked of concern and confusion as he examined her. �My name is Sydney Bristow.� She breathed heavily. �My father...Jack Bristow...he said I should come to you.� She told him. The man looked suprised. He stepped forward and leaned out the door, looking right and left, then gesturing for her to enter. ~~~~~~~~~~ �My God....child...what happened to you?� He asked curiously as he wrapped a blanket around her and gestured for her to take a seat of his sofa. �I probably shouldn�t tell you all the details...� He now handed her a cup of tea. �Thank you.� She said before continuing. �...my father...I contacted him. He told me to find you....that you would set up a rendezvous point with the CIA for my extraction.� She told him. She then lifted the cup to her mouth and took a drink. The liquid ran through her and her parched lips felt soothed by the warmth of the sweet tea. She closed her eyes and swollowed another sip. The man nodded after a moment and stood. �You just rest....I�ll take care of it.� He told her kindly. �Thank you.� She responded genuinely thankful. The man turned and exited the room. Back inside, Sydney continued to drink the tea. She leaned back in the chair and for the first time, let her body relax. While doing so, her mind began to process everything. The Man was her mother.....she thought of all the implications it had....she thought of the pain she felt all over her body....then, her mind once again fell to Vaughn. She opened her eyes after having closed them for several moments.She frowned. Something didn�t make sense. When she was in the boat....she turned and looked....her mother...she just stood there watching her. No one tried to follow her. Why? Suddenly Sydney had a thought. What if her mother knew she�d return? Why else would she let her just leave like that and not send men after her in another boat? Somehow it was like she knew her mother better than she thought...like she knew what she would do....what she had done....Sydney somehow knew.....she would only have let her escape if she knew she had a reason to return.....she had someone to return for. �Vaughn�s alive.� Sydney whispered quietly. With that thought, she knew she�d return...just as her mother had known. She leaned forward and placed the teacup on the table in front of her....and then laid her head back once more. Many things passed through her head after that....good thoughts...and bad ones...her plans....she thought of Francie and what she would tell her....and Sloane and what she would say to him....she thought of how she would get Vaughn out of there...hopefully with the help of her father....and....she thought of her mother....how she would see her again....how she longed to know what her mother had meant by those words....and with that last thought....she drifted off to sleep. ~~~~~~~~~ PART 4 Sydney�s eyes fluttered open. �Miss Bristow.� The old man said once more. �Here you are.� His outstretched hand held a small piece of paper. On it was written a location and time. �Oh....thank you.� She sat up, letting the blanket fall off behind her onto the coach. She forced herself to fully awaken, though she still felt as though she could have slept for days. She looked at the clock. She had been asleep for awhile as it was now daylight, and had three hours until extraction. She stood. �Thank you very much for your help Mr. Petrov.� Sydney said. He nodded, �Certainly....anything for the daughter of Jack Bristow.� Sydney smiled slightly. �How do you and my father know eachother? Did you work together?� She asked curiously. �Yes....many years ago. We were partners on several missions together. Your father is very good at what he does.� Sydney took in his words, looking at him for a brief moment before looking down. A small smile was detectable. �Yes....yes he is.� She nodded. The man smiled. �I suppose you have to be going now?� He asked her. �Yeah I probably should. Thank you again for all your help.� She said kindly. He waved his hand. �Nonsense...I am merely an man who offered tea to a young lady in need.� He laughed. She grinned slightly at him. �Well...thank you anyways.� She said again before turning and walking towards the front door. �Oh...Miss Bristow.� The old man called after her. Sydney turned around. He approached her and held out his hand...it held money in it. �You may need a little something to get you to your destination....it is quite far.� She smiled at him. �I couldn�t....I�ll be fine really....� She told him as she reached for the doorknob. �I instist....besides....I owe your father money....a poker game.� He shrugged. She looked at him, humored by his lie in an effort to be helpful. She reached out and took the money, realizing he probably wouldn�t have let her go without taking it. �Thank you.� She told him as she turned and opened the door. �Thank you. Its not very often an old man like myself has the pleasure of the company of such a beatiful young woman.� He smiled. She laughed slightly to herself turned back and then exited the house, closing the door gently behind her. |
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