The car stopped next to the over turned SUV, they dragged Barret's body out of the vehicle, then as one took the body, throwing it into the trunk of the car. The other went around the other side of the crashed vehicle. Michael Westen felt a hand on his throat, fingers pressing down, he let out a groan.

"He's alive."

"Bring him." Michael was dragged up, and flung over the man's shoulder. Carried to the car and thrown into the trunk with the dead body.

He remembered nothing of the journey, the movement was causing more blood loss. He expected to die.

He only had a faint memory of being dragged from the car and receiving rough but effective medical care.

When he became fully awake, they kept him handcuffed to the bed. He had no idea how long he had been out, where he was or who was in charge. Nobody spoke to him, the curtains were kept closed, when he started to demand answers and tried to resist they sedated him.

He must have been given the all clear as far as his medical condition. As he was taken shackled wrist and ankles and blind folded out of his bed and to another room. Forced into a chair, then strapped down. Wrists, elbows, ankles and around the waist. He wasn't going anywhere.

The blindfold was whipped off and he was almost blinded by a strong light shining directly into his eyes. He had no idea how long they left him unable to move, the light so powerful even with his eyes shut it still seemed to bright. He ached from the tightness of straps that held him so still, he could not even move a little to ease the pressure. He knew it was an interrogation technique, make your captive feel completely helpless. Who ever it was that had him had done a good job.

He didn't realise the was somebody else in the room until his head was jerked up by fingers tight in his hair.

"Open your eyes." The order was barked. The fingers tightened, pulling at his scalp.

He resisted. He felt a breathe in his ear. "Open your eyes." Hissed the voice. "Or I'll have them taped open." Came the threat.

Squinting he tried to keep his eyes open. The grip on his head relaxed, he received a pat, "Good boy."

"Where am I?" Michael asked, his voice was hoarse.

"Who do you work for?" his interrogator asked.

"I am freelance." He answered. "Why am I here?" He tried again to get a response.

"Who gave you the bible?"

"First, tell me where I am." Michael countered. He suddenly found he couldn't breathe a thin rope was around his neck. He couldn't fight it, everything started to go black. He gagged and gasped.

Then it stopped, he continued to gasp his eyes watering. But when he closed his eyes and kept his head down, he had his head dragged up.

"Open your eyes Mr Westen. And tell me who gave you the bible?"

"I got it from a safe deposit box in a bank." He was still gasping for breathe and the light was hurting his eyes and causing a splitting headache.

"How did you find out about Mr Barret?"

"Simon." He tried to look away and received a warning cuff around the head.

"Keep your head up and eyes open Mr Westen. Simon Escher?"

"Yes.."

"So you know where Simon is held?"

"No."

"Mr Westen, this is your one warning. Answer the question where is Simon held."

"I don't know where he is now. I got to talk to him once that's all."

The only sound in the room was Michael's heavy breathing. He knew the was at least two others in the room with him. He flinched when the room went from bright light to pitch black. Faintly he heard a door open then shut. He guessed he was now alone. He sighed and waited.

He must of fallen asleep, because suddenly the door flew open and four men came in. An ordinary light came on .A Brief case was slammed onto the table in front of him it was opened. The were vials of liquids inside, also some droppers and siringes.

Michaels head was held firmly, another pulled his eye lid open a third man filled a dropper then put two drops of one vials into Michael's eye. They released him. As his eye began to sting and water.

The sting was beginning to turn to a burning sensation.

"Now Mr Westen, lets try again. Give me the location of Simon."

"I can only tell you where I saw him. I don't know where he is now." He gritted the words out as the pain in his eye got worse. "What have you done to me?"

"What else did Simon tell you?"

Michael let out a groan.

"Answer me or I'll up the pain to your other eye. Do you want to end up blind?"

"Only I should give the bible to Barret." He could barely speak through the pain.

"Why not to your employer's?" The questions kept coming.

"I don't work for anybody. I'm self employed."

The interrogator sighed. "Do his other eye." He ordered.

Michael heard the words and tried to struggle, he was held still, eye lid forced wide.

"Please." He heard himself beg. The dropper stopped close to his face.

"Who do you work for?"

"I don't know who they are, they came to me, trapped me into working for them." He gasped, waiting to see if what he said was enough. The dropper was put back into the case, the others let go of his head.

"Very well Mr Westen, that will be all today." He then spoke to the others. "Treat his eye, then put him in his cell."

They bathed his eye and treated it with another set of drops. Releasing him from the chair they half dragged, half carried him out of the room and along the corridor. He could barely see and his legs wouldn't support all his weight. He knew he couldn't escape, at least not at the moment.

He was taken to a windowless cell. The floor walls and ceiling were all the same bare concrete.

The was a thin ham sandwich waiting for him along with a plastic cup of water. They left him on the cold floor with his small meal. It was only then he realised he was dressed only in an open backed hospital gown.

The was no light and no sound, he was in pain, his eye still hurt, his head hurt and his limbs felt weak. He had no idea how long he had been in a hospital bed, where he was or who held him.

He wondered what had happened to Fi, Sam his mother, did they think he was dead? Were they looking for him? He was the closest to breaking that he had ever been. Barret had promised him a world of pain and he guessed he was now living it. He lay shivering waiting for what they had planned next.

He had no idea how long he lay their shivering, they came in, dragged him out to the showers. They washed him down with a cold shower and then threw him an old towel to dry himself. They gave him a prison jumpsuit to put on and he got a beating for taking to long, his fingers fumbling from the cold and fatigue. He was then put back in his cell. The was another sandwich and glass of water waiting for him.

No one spoke to him, they took him out of the cell at random intervals. Sometimes to the shower block, sometimes to a small grass covered yard, his only chance to go outside. He felt himself slipping away.

He guessed it was about two weeks since his first interrogation that he was back in the chair. He was angry that his body shook. Fear of the unknown, a powerful weapon.

"Who took the bible Mr Westen? We know you were conscious when it was taken."

Michael was surprised when he found it hard to form the words. He had been left alone in the cell with no one talk to and now he was unsure of his words.

"I- didn't see." He managed.

"Both eyes please." The man said and Michael screamed as he was held still his eyes forced open. Two drops into each eye and the pain started.

"Answer the question Mr Westen." The voice was as ever calm.

"I didn't see who took it you bastard." He almost screamed the words. His eyes felt like they were being burnt, tears poured down his face.

"Mr Westen, that is the wrong answer. Think carefully you do not me to take this to the next level."

"Fine it was a guy in black combats, a big guy. That's it."

"Better, now the rest."

"The is no more." He hung his head, then flung it back trying to do anything, something, about the pain.

"Hold Mr Westens head back please." Michael found his head forced as far back as it could be held.

"Give him a drink." The orders continued.

Michael was gagging and choking as water was poured into his mouth and nose, it seemed to go for ever. Then it stopped, he was allowed to pull his head forward.

"Mr Westen, I want you to think about how you will feel if I have to bring some of your friends and family in for questioning if you continue to be stubborn."

"Leave them alone if you-" Michael started, even in his present state he couldn't take threats to those he loved.

"I will do what ever it takes to get the answers I need." He nodded to the others in the room. "Again" He ordered. Michael was gagging on water again. They stopped when he started to go blue.

"Who has the bible Mr Westen?"

Michael didn't answer, he couldn't. He could barely breathe, his eyes still burnt, the water had washed out some of the eye drops but not all.

"Break his fingers then put him in his cell." The man left the room. He half smiled as he heard Michael cry out. By the next interview he was sure Westen would be broken. His eyesight would be a mess and the pain from the broken fingers should finish him off.

He thought he had reach the end of his tether, but they had shown him he could be forced lower.

The pain was almost unbearable and the threats to all those he loved. He tried to remember who had picked up the case, but he hadn't seen the man's face. He would have to lie, would that be enough to save everyone? Or would it make it worse when they discovered the lie. With both hands damaged he couldn't even reset his fingers he lay there in misery. The was no food, no water, no trips to the shower and no going out for fresh air. Just darkness and the cold concrete floor. He wondered if he would ever see Fi again or Sam. He had done it again to his Mother, left her to wonder if he was alive or dead.

By the time Fiona and Sam had managed to reach the over turned SUV it had burnt out. The were no bodies they heard that from the fire crew who had put out the flames.

The was hope Michael was alive they wouldn't of taken him otherwise. They tried the hospitals though they hadn't honestly expected to find Michael there.

Sam got on to his contacts trying to find out anything. He had no luck. Fiona went looking for Jesse but he was gone. After a week they had run out of ideas. Madeline was devastated, she had only just got him back and now it had happened again.

It was two weeks later that Madeline got up and found Jesse Porter stood in her kitchen. He held his arms wide away from his body a slight smile on his face trying to look unthreatening.

"Maddie, I think I know where Michael is. I need you to get me a meeting with Sam and Fi, without her shooting me on sight."

"You shot Michael." She accused

"It was meant to save him. I'm sorry. But Maddie I said I think I know where they are holding him."

Madeline was not sure about trusting Jesse but they couldn't ignore any lead to finding her son. She called Sam and told him to come round.

The atmosphere was frosty to say the least, Fiona's stare could of killed, Sam had to keep a warning grip on her arm. Given the chance she could of happily killed the younger man before her.

"I followed up on Barret, he had a boss. With Marv's help I found out they have a facility in Miami.

They call it a document storage building. The plans I managed to get hold of show it is made up of various smaller rooms and it has a basement. All the walls are reinforced. It's also got a lot of security for a document storage building."

They looked at him. Could they trust him.

"So how do you intend getting inside to see if Michaels there.?" Sam wanted to know.

"I need your help, expertise also if he is in there we don't know what condition he his going to be in."

Sam sighed. "Show me the plans, then we'll take a drive to look it over." He risked letting go of Fiona. When she stayed still he looked at her "Fiona we will probably need a lot of C4 do you want to check your supplies?"

She smiled, they would find Michael, they had a fresh lead, they would find him and she would get to blow a lot of stuff up. She practically skipped out of the house going of to her warehouse.

Sam and Jesse poured over the plans, the blue print of the building and a street map of the area. Jesse pointed out where he had seen the guards. One thing was clear he could not see how the three of them could successfully storm the building, get out in one piece and rescue Michael.

A trip out to look it over didn't inspire any more resolve in Sam. Both Fi and Jesse picked up on Sam's mood. "We would need a lot of help to get in there." Was his final comment.

Fiona was not going to be beaten. Her plan make them give Michael back. Cause them so much grief that they would want to deal. Jesse liked the idea. Sam thought it would fail.

They found a warehouse full of telecommunications equipment waiting to be shipped out. Fiona planted the C4 and the warehouse was gone, blown to pieces. Two nights later, Sam and Jesse stole an eighteen wheeler taking electrical conduit to the docks. They sunk it in the harbour.

Fiona then had the best luck, by asking all the right questions, mostly with threats and blackmail. She found where the was a large shipment of arms waiting to be sent to a war zone. Though disliking the idea of destroying so many pretty weapons she blew the building up and most of the surrounding buildings.

By now Sam thought they had caused the Company enough problems to sit back for a moment. Let them deal with the Police, ATF and the FBI. See if they got the message.

Fiona wanted to make sure they got the message. She sent a note to the document processing centre and a small disarmed letter bomb.

They got an answer the following day, the front of Madelines house was shot out in what looked like a drive by. Madeline was not at home Sam had sent her away, while they did this. After the drive by, Sam received a note attached to a small slice of C4 without a detonator.

Be at warehouse 18A Brayshore. 12.30 after dark.

Michael had spent the last few days left lying on the floor. Occasionally getting spoon fed a small amount of food or a sip of water. His hands were agony, his eyes so sore he couldn't see a thing.

He was laying prone when they came in, after the fist blow he tried to curl into a ball. They hit him with what felt like baseball bats. Mostly on his legs, though they got a couple of hits to his head and ribs. When it finally stopped he felt someone check for a pulse.

"He's still alive."

"Cuff him, and get him out of here."

Michael was in a kind of stupor, he was dragged into a van, a hood roughly pulled over his head. He had no idea how long he travelled for, he was incapable of judging time any more. His body shook and trembled, all he felt was pain all he wanted was to die. He couldn't fight any more.

Fiona, Sam, and Jesse waited at the warehouse. As it reached 12.30 a white van pulled up. Two men got out and backed away getting into a car that had followed.

While the two men stood guard, Fiona checked out the van. The was no obvious booby traps. She looked inside and gasped.

Sam ran over, "Jesus Christ." He sighed. Climbing inside he checked Michael over. "He needs help." A quick look had shown the extent of Michael's injuries. The original bullet wound was almost healed. But he had so many new injuries Sam was unsure where to start. His friend had very obviously been tortured. He then saw the folder. The was photos of them all, they showed where they lived, shopped, ate. WE WANT THE BIBLE DON'T TEST US ANY MORE.

So they got Michael back, but the warning was very clear. They knew they could not take him to a hospital. They had done their best to hide the fact that Michael had been kidnapped from Vaughn.

They had no idea how successful they had been. But Michael in hospital would be a give away.

They took their friend to the doctor, David, who they had helped in the past. Fiona, especially grateful to discover most of Michaels injuries were bruises. The mos serious injury to his eyes, the was concern about his vision. The dehydration and starvation would be corrected with fluids. Sam knew that Michael would possibly suffer the effects of the torture for sometime. He would talk to Fiona later about that.

What was clear? They had to find the bible again. Whoever had held Michael knew who they all were. Had almost killed Michael and would probably finish the job if they didn't comply.