Here's the next part. I'm not exactly sure that I'm happy with this chapter. Like most things I've done lately, I think it sucks. That being said, let me apologize in advance. I hope Some of you like it. Feel free to tell me how much it sucks. I'll try to wrap it up after this. Thanks for continuing to read and thanks for reviews.

I own NOTHING

Chapter 3

Sydney's leg was pounding.. Along with her head and her entire body, but her leg was by far the worst. Thanks to disfigured Kendal or scar-faced baldy, as she liked to call him, that hole in her thigh was making her see double. She had been her usual smart-ass self and got punished for it. Eventually DK or SFB gave up and left. There was nothing left for her to do but wait and let her head rest against her shoulder in an effort to make the pounding stop.

Things were not looking up. She desperately wanted to close her eyes and give into the darkness that threatened her consciousness, but something forced her to force her eyes open. There was a pale flame of hope of a rescue buried under the rubble of pain that she was currently engulfed in.

Minutes passed and then hours, but still nothing but the dark, dank, unchanging cell. As she was about to finally give in, a voice rang in her ear.

"Phoenix. Do not react." It was her father. "We're almost there, we have your location. Just hang on. ETA 20 minutes."

Strength filled her body again. She had to assist them. She had to get out. She knew that she wasn't in the physical condition to stage an escape, but with a wound in her leg, a concussion, and a few broken ribs, she had to try. She wouldn't make it out otherwise. So she did the only thing she could think of. She formulated a plot and waited to make her move.

_

The roar of the helicopter's engine and propellers did nothing to quiet his racing mind. Was she still alive? If she was, was she conscious and how badly was she hurt? If she wasn't, how would he go on and what would he do without her again? The questions were endless.

He watched Jack speak to a daughter whom he didn't know was alive or not. Jack was leaning forward talking as gently as possible to hide his panic. This was the closest Jack Bristow got to anxious but Vaughn could tell what he was feeling; it was the same sense of panic and terror he was failing at hiding.

Vaughn looked around again to Nadia, who was desperately fidgeting with gear in an attempt to distract herself from the events to come. She and Sydney had only known each other for a little more than a year but they were very close. It was almost if they had known each other forever. She was clearly worried and having a hard time concealing it.

Weiss was staring. Normally, the man didn't stop moving, but he was currently stuck in the dead stare of a person that had too many thought's running through their head. Vaughn knew that Sydney and Weiss had become close when she got back for her two missing years. They were next door neighbors and he was her rock for a while. He also knew that Sydney was a good drinking buddy for Weiss and the two took advantage of that fact often.

It was almost time to go now. He could see the target in view. He was going to get Sydney out alive, even if he had to do it single-handedly, he would get her home safely... or relatively so.

Vaughn grabbed his gear and hooked up to the rope he would repel down with. When he got the go sign, he was on the ground before he knew it. He reached into his belt and retrieved the explosives he would use to blow the door.

"Get back!" He yelled as the rest of the team landed. His finger pressed the trigger and the door did just as he intended it to do with a loud and satisfying explosion, it blew inwards.

_

Sydney's head popped up at the loud sound that echoed off the wall of her cell. The room spun and a wave of nausea came over her at her sudden movement and she instantly regretted it. Her plan needed to be put into action now.

Without another thought she tipped the chair she was tied to over with as much force and noise as possible, being cautious of her leg and other injuries. She knew that the number of guards near by would be few because of the intrusion of the APO team and sure enough only one guard entered to see what the clatter was about.

She played possum, pretending she was knocked out, but when he bent down to check her pulse she brought her elbow up as far as she could and clipped his temple making him lose balance, she followed that up with a solid kick to the same spot.

Her leg was still on fire. She had to bite her lower lip in an attempt to distract from the pain there. She shuffled to the guard's body and stole the key on his belt, wincing from the awkward position she was putting her shoulders in. She finally managed to get herself free and stood gently on her stiff muscles and wounded leg.

Sydney continued toward the door, stopping only to collect the guard's gun and small boot knife which she strapped to her good leg. She peeked into the stone hallway before moving out of her cell for the last time.

She had gotten down the hallway and up the stairs to the first floor of the compound when she heard an all too familiar voice call out.

"Freeze. Now! Don't move!"

"s***", Sydney thought. Scar-faced Baldy was back.

He'd been in the building for 10 minutes and there was still no sign whatsoever of Sydney. Vaughn was worried. He had gone through the sub-basement already and found an unconscious guard that he recognized as Sydney's handy work but what worried him was the blood in the room that didn't appear to be the guard's. The team had gone radio silent but Vaughn was anxious to break it. He wanted to send a signal to Sydney but most of all he wanted her to answer. He just wanted to hear her voice again.

He moved cautiously through the hallway going through each door and coming up empty each time. Finally, he reached the stairwell at the end and proceeded upstairs.

"Shotgun? Any sign of Phoenix?" Jack's voice broke the silence.

"None, Raptor. I'm in the stairwell, proceeding to the first floor. I've found her cell, but there is no sign of her as of yet. Unless you count an unconscious guard."

"Keep looking. We're running out of time. Retriever, Evergreen, what's your status?

Vaughn vaguely heard them in his come reply they had found nothing as well. Jack was right, they were running out of time. The element of surprise was gone now. Desperate time calls for desperate measures. Without further thought, he switched his com channel.

"Sydney? Sydney can you hear me? What's your location?"

_

" Kick the gun over here and get down! On your knees, now!"

Sydney had no other option but to comply. She couldn't run. He ensured that the last time they had met. She turned to face him and did as he said, dropping painfully to her knees.

"Sydney? Sydney can you hear me? What's your location?"

"Damn it." Sydney thought, "He couldn't have been 1 minute earlier."

Sydney knew she couldn't respond to Vaughn's questions, no matter how much she wanted to. She couldn't think of an easy way out of this. All she could feel was pain and that guard's boot knife strapped to her ankle. If only she could get to it. DK had other plans, however. He was coming towards her with what appeared to be a boot knife of his own and a zip tie to restrain her once more.

Sydney didn't have a choice, if she wanted to live, she had to make her move. She was losing blood and strength fast. It wouldn't be too long now before she couldn't fight back any longer. SFB got her hands bound in front of her before she made her move and brought them up to hit him square in the chin. Her reaction time must have been affected by everything she'd been through however, as DK brought his boot knife to her side and she felt a sharp pain rip through her body. She continued on however, ignoring the pain and embracing the adrenalin rush.

The two did a tango of sorts. Throwing punches and kicks at one another. Sydney was losing strength at an alarming rate and finally took a hard kick to her stomach, sending her sliding across the stone floor on her back. When she regained some sense of equilibrium she found that she had landed next to the guard's disregarded gun. Moving as quickly as possible she picked up and fired 3 shots.

The fight was over. SFB was most definitely not a problem anymore. However, her problems were just starting. She couldn't move anymore and her eyes were fluttering. The gun dropped out of her hands and she was still.

Voices and colors were blending together as she laid there. She wasn't able to respond to Vaughn's questions minutes before and now there was a new voice in her ear.

"Phoenix, report! Phoenix! Please... If you can, give us a signal!"

Nadia. She sounded frantic but an answer wasn't forming and it didn't appear to be coming anytime soon. All Sydney could do was lie there.

The ceiling was her only friend now.