Une Nuit
By: Souris
Rated: R
Disclaimer: They aren't mine. Never will be. Entertainment purposes. J.J. Abrams. Yadda yadda.
Category: Action/Adventure/Romance (with a generous dollop of angst); S/V of course (may I be smote down if ever write anything else)
Feedback: Yes, please!
Summary: A mission doesn't go quite as planned, which leads to something unexpected for Sydney and Vaughn.
Author's Note: I started with the basic plot of my previous story "The French Connection" and ultimately took it in a different direction. Lots more action, lots more angst, lots more amour. The first part of this story is pretty much the same, then it diverges. You don't need to have read "The French Connection" first. As before, just pretend that the characters are talking in French where appropriate. Although I did throw in a few phrases here and there to set the ambience. And thanks to Bella for the beta-read!
SD-6 briefing room, Credit Dauphine
Los Angeles
"Your next mission is to retrieve this." Sloane pressed a button on his computer, and a black-and-white picture popped up on all of their monitors. Sydney squinted at it. It appeared to be some sort of coin or medallion, marked with numbers and letters and some figures which she didn't recognize.
"What is it?" Dixon asked.
"A medallion on which Milo Rambaldi is said to have inscribed a formula for an elixir that would instill eternal life. We know what the front looks like from this drawing in a 16th-century manuscript, but the formula is incomplete without the back. The medallion was thought lost or destroyed -- or apocryphal. But now it has turned up in the private collection of a Frenchman named Henri Sanguinet."
"Sanguinet -- hasn't he been accused of illegally influencing international trading?" Sydney asked.
"Only by rumor. He's far too smart to allow any evidence to surface. He's a powerful man, and he wants to become more powerful. Being able to live forever would certainly give him that. We want that medallion in our possession, not his." Sloane walked around the table until he was standing next to Sydney. Far too close, she thought, and forced herself not to flinch away. "On Friday, he is holding a party at his home outside Rouen to unveil a previously unknown Monet painting that he has recently acquired. The two of you will attend. During the unveiling, Sydney will sneak into the library and retrieve the medallion from his safe. Marshall."
"What??" Marshall started at Sloane's unexpected attention.
"The medallion," Sloane gritted.
"Oh, yeah." Marshall began digging in his pockets. He deposited a handful of coins onto the table. "Here -- no, that's a dollar. See, it has Sacagawea on it, have you seen them? People don't really use them, which is a shame because they're more durable than paper and -- oh, sorry, Mr. Sloane." He pulled out a half-gone roll of Certs. "Breath mint?" he offered Sydney. "I mean, not that I think you *need* one. You have nice breath. I mean -- no? OK."
Sydney glanced at the table, knowing that she dare not meet Dixon's eye for fear of bursting into laughter.
"Ah, here it is!" Marshall cried triumphantly, pulling it out of his shirt pocket. "You'll replace the real medallion with this one. He'll discover it as soon as he looks at it closely again, but it should buy some time."
Sydney nodded and took the medallion from him. It was golden and roughly the size of a half-dollar. "What kind of safe does Sanguinet have?"
"It's an enhanced single-keypad safe with an eight-digit passcode. Marshall!"
This time Marshall was ready. "Yes, sir." He picked up the slim cell phone in front of him. "Looks like a cell phone, right?" He touched it briefly to his ear, then lowered it. "But it's really a digital codebreaker. State of the art. Just put it against the keypad like this, press star-411 -- information, get it? -- and the passcode you need to enter will show up in the message area."
"That's everything, then." They all stood at Sloane's curt dismissal. "Sanguinet's dangerous, Sydney. Be careful," he said as Sydney reached the door. She looked back and nodded, strangely disquieted by something in his expression.
Warehouse, City of Industry
Sydney sat on one of the crates, her legs crossed and her back against the chain-link fence, looking up at Vaughn. It was not an unpleasant view.
"We want you to complete the mission. Only really for us. The CIA doesn't believe that such a formula exists, but just in case, we'd rather not risk an eternal SD-6." He handed her a file. "This is Agent Phillipe Gilbert. He'll be at the party, too. After you've stolen the medallion and replaced it with the one that Marshall gave you, you'll make a switch with Gilbert. He'll give you a forgery that *we're* making. I'd give it to you now, but unfortunately it's not ready. The tech boys are having a little trouble coming up with something on short notice that they think will keep SD-6 busy for a while. It'll be ready by tonight, but not in time for your flight."
She nodded and opened the file. "He's cute."
"If you like that sort of thing," Vaughn said somewhat huffily.
"What? Attractive Frenchmen?" She couldn't completely suppress a smile at Vaughn's reaction. He looked *so* put-out. She raised her eyebrows at him, and he finally seemed to realize that she was teasing him.
He gave a rueful smile in response. "He's a good agent, but he, well, he tends to be rather *enthusiastic* about his usual playboy cover."
"Ah. One of *those*."
"So don't, you know, belt him one or anything. At least until *after* you make the exchange."
"I think I can handle myself with any agent you send me."
"I'm sure you can." He smiled. "Bon chance, Sydney."
By: Souris
Rated: R
Disclaimer: They aren't mine. Never will be. Entertainment purposes. J.J. Abrams. Yadda yadda.
Category: Action/Adventure/Romance (with a generous dollop of angst); S/V of course (may I be smote down if ever write anything else)
Feedback: Yes, please!
Summary: A mission doesn't go quite as planned, which leads to something unexpected for Sydney and Vaughn.
Author's Note: I started with the basic plot of my previous story "The French Connection" and ultimately took it in a different direction. Lots more action, lots more angst, lots more amour. The first part of this story is pretty much the same, then it diverges. You don't need to have read "The French Connection" first. As before, just pretend that the characters are talking in French where appropriate. Although I did throw in a few phrases here and there to set the ambience. And thanks to Bella for the beta-read!
SD-6 briefing room, Credit Dauphine
Los Angeles
"Your next mission is to retrieve this." Sloane pressed a button on his computer, and a black-and-white picture popped up on all of their monitors. Sydney squinted at it. It appeared to be some sort of coin or medallion, marked with numbers and letters and some figures which she didn't recognize.
"What is it?" Dixon asked.
"A medallion on which Milo Rambaldi is said to have inscribed a formula for an elixir that would instill eternal life. We know what the front looks like from this drawing in a 16th-century manuscript, but the formula is incomplete without the back. The medallion was thought lost or destroyed -- or apocryphal. But now it has turned up in the private collection of a Frenchman named Henri Sanguinet."
"Sanguinet -- hasn't he been accused of illegally influencing international trading?" Sydney asked.
"Only by rumor. He's far too smart to allow any evidence to surface. He's a powerful man, and he wants to become more powerful. Being able to live forever would certainly give him that. We want that medallion in our possession, not his." Sloane walked around the table until he was standing next to Sydney. Far too close, she thought, and forced herself not to flinch away. "On Friday, he is holding a party at his home outside Rouen to unveil a previously unknown Monet painting that he has recently acquired. The two of you will attend. During the unveiling, Sydney will sneak into the library and retrieve the medallion from his safe. Marshall."
"What??" Marshall started at Sloane's unexpected attention.
"The medallion," Sloane gritted.
"Oh, yeah." Marshall began digging in his pockets. He deposited a handful of coins onto the table. "Here -- no, that's a dollar. See, it has Sacagawea on it, have you seen them? People don't really use them, which is a shame because they're more durable than paper and -- oh, sorry, Mr. Sloane." He pulled out a half-gone roll of Certs. "Breath mint?" he offered Sydney. "I mean, not that I think you *need* one. You have nice breath. I mean -- no? OK."
Sydney glanced at the table, knowing that she dare not meet Dixon's eye for fear of bursting into laughter.
"Ah, here it is!" Marshall cried triumphantly, pulling it out of his shirt pocket. "You'll replace the real medallion with this one. He'll discover it as soon as he looks at it closely again, but it should buy some time."
Sydney nodded and took the medallion from him. It was golden and roughly the size of a half-dollar. "What kind of safe does Sanguinet have?"
"It's an enhanced single-keypad safe with an eight-digit passcode. Marshall!"
This time Marshall was ready. "Yes, sir." He picked up the slim cell phone in front of him. "Looks like a cell phone, right?" He touched it briefly to his ear, then lowered it. "But it's really a digital codebreaker. State of the art. Just put it against the keypad like this, press star-411 -- information, get it? -- and the passcode you need to enter will show up in the message area."
"That's everything, then." They all stood at Sloane's curt dismissal. "Sanguinet's dangerous, Sydney. Be careful," he said as Sydney reached the door. She looked back and nodded, strangely disquieted by something in his expression.
Warehouse, City of Industry
Sydney sat on one of the crates, her legs crossed and her back against the chain-link fence, looking up at Vaughn. It was not an unpleasant view.
"We want you to complete the mission. Only really for us. The CIA doesn't believe that such a formula exists, but just in case, we'd rather not risk an eternal SD-6." He handed her a file. "This is Agent Phillipe Gilbert. He'll be at the party, too. After you've stolen the medallion and replaced it with the one that Marshall gave you, you'll make a switch with Gilbert. He'll give you a forgery that *we're* making. I'd give it to you now, but unfortunately it's not ready. The tech boys are having a little trouble coming up with something on short notice that they think will keep SD-6 busy for a while. It'll be ready by tonight, but not in time for your flight."
She nodded and opened the file. "He's cute."
"If you like that sort of thing," Vaughn said somewhat huffily.
"What? Attractive Frenchmen?" She couldn't completely suppress a smile at Vaughn's reaction. He looked *so* put-out. She raised her eyebrows at him, and he finally seemed to realize that she was teasing him.
He gave a rueful smile in response. "He's a good agent, but he, well, he tends to be rather *enthusiastic* about his usual playboy cover."
"Ah. One of *those*."
"So don't, you know, belt him one or anything. At least until *after* you make the exchange."
"I think I can handle myself with any agent you send me."
"I'm sure you can." He smiled. "Bon chance, Sydney."