Exchange

New York City: FBI White Collar

Peter was sitting in his office in a daze. The agent was devastated by the loss of his wife and fall of his best friend.

Watching him from where he was leading the team, Hughes couldn't imagine what it felt like to be in Peter's position.

Based on their information and the reports they were gathering, Keller had been involved in the abduction of Elizabeth. Once the job was done, he called Peter to personally alert him to the situation. Then, for whatever reason, he passed her over to a contact for an international organization that transported her to an unknown location after being lost crossing the Atlantic. Following the other side of the information, the organization holding Elizabeth had requested Neal as the ransom for her safe return with conditions stating that he was to be handed over at an international location to a representative of their choosing. The FBI had refused, but June and the agents monitoring her home reported persons of the CIA showing up and taking the consultant off in chains while official records matched the statement that the spooks were handing him over.

Huffing in frustration, Hughes didn't know why the situation rubbed him the wrong way, but there were so many things that didn't make sense to him. Directing the team, they had a lot to figure out.

"Jones, you are going to trace Elizabeth's abduction and investigate everything you can into the situation. Diana, use your Washington contacts. See if you can find anything about where they might be taking her and what their intensions are. If you can use the situation with Caffrey to help, use it. Blake, research the men who took Caffrey and relay what you find to Diana. Price, I want you to trace the treasure and see if this has anything to do with the theft. No one has mentioned it, but we know Neal's reputation is associated with it, and Keller could be targeting it to pay off his debt with the Russians. The rest of you will be working as support in each of these areas. All other cases are off the table, this is priority until we have the situation resolved." Dividing the work out, Hughes gave each member of the team things to research. Then he took the big task himself, the battle with the CIA and Washington.

Returning to his office, he tried to discover what the intent of giving in to the demands were, but he was shut out from all angles.

Unknown Location: Desert Fortress Cell

Sitting curled into herself, Elizabeth tried to be as small as possible. It afforded a little warmth, but mostly made her feel less vulnerable.

Glancing around in fear, she anticipated a dirty environment infested with rats, but was surprised to find it wasn't so bad. The floor was hard packed with a dusting of sand on the top. Moving up, she saw the old mixture of rocks and mud bricks composing the outer walls with prison bars lining the inner section. Then the ceiling was a mixture of solid wood beams and metal reinforcements to hold up the structure above. Based on the appearance, they were in an old desert building that had been updated with some modern engineering to reinforce it.

The cell itself was comparatively clean which meant the prisoners were released for personal hygiene, and only chained to prevent any thoughts of escape.

Looking around, she realized she wasn't the only prisoner. There was a young man, possibly around Neal's age sitting acrossed from her, and an older man lying further in towards the outside wall.

The older man seemed to be dirty and covered in torn clothing like it had seen rough treatment. His head was hanging so she only saw the graying hair that hung about it.

Focusing on the younger man, she noticed he was also a little dirty, but considering their cell it was to be expected. His hair was blond and hanging a little long down his forehead while his beard was short enough to be scruff indicating he hadn't been a prisoner long. He was wearing jeans and a t-shirt with the appearance of a tourist.

Noticing her looking at him, the younger man whispered to her. "What did you do to get stuck in this hole?"

"I was kidnapped, but I don't know why for sure. Either because my husband is an FBI agent, or because his CI is believed to have stolen a Nazi treasure." She whispered back matching his level of speech. "What about you?"

"Wrong place and wrong time. I was being a tourist and taking pictures on vacation when I stumbled into this lot. They captured me and brought me back here where I've been ever since." He answered.

"What about him?" Elizabeth nodded towards the older man to the side.

Shrugging, her companion tried not to rattle his chains. "I don't know, he was here when I arrived. They take him away and torture him from time to time, so I'd say he's some kind of enemy."

Afraid, Elizabeth wondered what kind of treatment she could expect. "Ha…Have they, have they tortured you?"

"No…. not yet anyway." The answer wasn't reassuring.

"My husband will find us. His team is the best the FBI has." She tried to bolster both their moods with her confidence.

"I won't take your word until I see them opening that door. I've been here a few weeks and haven't even heard of the government making attempts at rescue. Their talk…" nodding to indicate their captors "…seems to be about having a strong army and impenetrable fortresses backed by dangerous weapons… it sounds like the government would have to go to war to retrieve us." The young man wasn't optimistic.

Trying to be strong, Elizabeth believed her husband and the team would find a way. Peter and Neal were great at sharpening each other until they found a way to do the impossible. "My name is Elizabeth Burke, what is your name?"

"Michael Barnes." He answered blandly. There was no story to his identity, he wasn't anyone special. "And before you do, don't ask me his. The old man hasn't said a word to me."

With a beginning of understanding her position, Elizabeth hoped her husband would send the Calvary soon.

Undisclosed Location: Rendezvous Point

Arriving at the location, Neal stood in his role. He was to be the nonviolent criminal, unfamiliar with weapons and combat, and hopeless with technology. It wasn't time to allow Bryce freedom; he had to wait a little longer.

He knew he was going to be exchanged for Elizabeth, but had no hope that she would actually be released as agreed upon, no matter how the enemy stated their promise. Instead, he was counting on the opportunity to rescue her himself. His mission was to infiltrate, rescue the hostage, and decimate the enemy forces. In short, he was to remove any threat this organization could possibly pose, to take them to their knees, and then let other enemies do the rest.

Watching as the sands blew in whirling dances acrossed the dunes, he seemed to be ignoring the abandoned city he was standing in the middle of. It was all modern ruins and debris so nothing of too much interest.

Seeing the debris shift faster and watching as the wind kicked up behind him, he didn't need Casey's elbow in his ribs to know the exchange was about to begin.

Waiting until the wind had died down and the dust had settled before he turned around, Neal did his best to keep his vision clear and his appearance as neat as possible. Plastering a cocky expression on his face, he pretended to be intimidated by the pomp and show of the weapons the enemy were presenting.

They had arrived with full military gear, an entourage of tanks, and a helicopter transporting the leaders for a speedy get away. It was a show of their strength meant to be intimidating.

Hearing Casey snort beside him, Neal agreed. The army was dangerous, but they were in over their heads. Even though the government came off as passive and seemed to be trying to keep the peace, it was only a show to gain their entrance into the heart of the matter. Then they would unleash their own kind of destruction and show the real balance of power.

Going through the hand off was only a show, and it was no surprise to anyone when their foes opened fire and took Neal by force. Really, it was all a part of the plan.

Undisclosed Location: Desert Fortress

As he was being placed on the helicopter, Neal questioned his captors pretending to be taken off guard. "What happened to exchanging me for Mrs. Burke?" He tried to shout over the noise of the engine and whirling blades.

The guard beside him hit him to the floor showing no intention to answer his question. Instead, he used the opportunity for a show of power by knocking Neal down. It began the treatment indicating his position in the organization. Neal was a tool, a criminal they intended to use for his talents until he was no longer valuable. In the meanwhile, he was to be treated well enough to keep him around, but he wasn't valuable enough to be treated nicely.

After that, he spent the rest of the helicopter ride on the floor getting kicked from time to time as people 'shifted position' or being used as a footrest if someone felt the need for one. It was humiliating, but worth it for his intent. Being on the ground and shifting in response to their treatment, he was able to see and evaluate those of his captors present. He had faces, weapons, and their conversation as a beginning of his inside information.

When the helicopter landed, the leaders exited the space while the guard who had hit him worked with a few other men to bind him and shove a hood over his head. Then he was shuffled through the sand to a vehicle where he was thrown into the back.

Ignoring the stench, he listened to the sounds in the front of the vehicle, tried to understand what was being said, paid attention to the condition of the terrain they were passing over, and attempted to monitor time for at least an idea of where he was.

Eventually, the day was turning towards evening and he was being unloaded at their destination.

As they walked him into the fortress, Neal listened to his environment and attempted to get a count of the numbers he was going against. There were a lot of people around, but not so many that he couldn't work something out. Unleashing Bryce would make the situation easier.

Entering into the building, Neal mentally began drawing a map. He followed each twist and turn while counting the steps in between.

Stopping at a door, the guard to his right knocked, stated his purpose, and waited until the door was opened. Then Neal was handed over to the persons inside.

His hood was yanked off as the guards shut the door behind him allowing him to look around. The men waiting for him weren't army, those were around, but not the main people in the room. It was scientist and leaders that were looking back at him.

"Take a seat Mr. Caffrey. We have work for you." One of the scientists gestured towards a seat.

Getting the business end of a gun poked into his back, Neal stepped away from the barrel and moved toward the seat. Despite his binds, he tugged his suit into a better position to fix his appearance and sat down. "And what work is that?" He wore a charming expression similar to a business man waiting for a good deal.

"We are going to use your skills to accomplish our goals, and you will do as we say without question." The ranking person in the room stated. He wasn't wearing military clothes. Instead he was dressed in an even fancier suit than Neal. Everything about him spoke of wealth and power. This was obviously one of the higher leaders, probably the highest ranking person in the building.

"And if I don't, then what?" Neal questioned. He needed to know what their plans were for him so he knew how to work around them.

"Or else your friend's wife will pay the price." The man grinned with malicious pride.

"The last I heard, Keller had taken her and I was to be exchanged for her freedom. You didn't pass her to the agents, so who's to say you even have her in the first place? What if Keller still has her back in the States while you are bluffing because you want my services?" Neal refused to give up easily. It was a calculated risk. They might hurt her for his questions, but if he was lucky, they were only looking to warn him.

Snapping his fingers, the man spoke to his men in their native tongue.

Within a few moments, the lights were turned out in their room, and on in what appeared to be another room on the other side of a two way mirror.

Shifting to look, Neal saw Elizabeth gagged and bound to the chair. She looked terrified, but was striving to hide the extent of her fear. Her hair was disheveled, her clothes were wrinkled from the time spent in captivity, and her face showed the marks of having cried. However, her eyes were looking about and she seemed to be listening for information.

Peter would be proud, Neal thought to himself. He knew the agent had invested a great deal of time training his wife on ways to keep safe and how to handle situations should she ever find herself in danger. 'Hold on, El. I will get you home.' It was a promise he meant to keep, whether she and Peter ever knew he had made it or not.

The lights switched and Neal was relived. They had only proven their possession of her, and had not done anything to her other than scare her.

"Now do you believe me?" The leader had an amused ring to his tone. He was enjoying threatening her and toying with Neal.

"I do." Neal kept it simple. He wasn't going to remain here for long, and this man was going to regret toying with him before he was done.

Thank you everyone for reading, leaving kudos, commenting/reviewing, following, and choosing to favorite my stories and I :D

Have a Merry Christmas!