~AUTHOR'S NOTE:

A moment greatly anticipated is here! Over the next two or three chapters we'll see a struggle between the characters that could be described as desperation. Chris and Elise will be hunting for Dan's location; impostor Dan will be having his fun making Dan miserable. Will Dan die, or will he be able to walk out of this mentally unharmed? For shortening purposes Imposter Dan will be typed as Dan*.

Chapter 4

Chris was pacing back and forth, his head held tightly between his hands.

"Oh no...crap! This is all my fault. I shouldn't have let him leave. Now Imposter Dan has him, there's no telling what he'll do!" Chris was flipping out.

"Chris, it's okay we'll find him. CHRIS!" Elise slapped Chris across the face.

"You need to pull yourself together! We won't find him if we don't think straight."

Chris stared into his wife's eyes. "Yeah, you're right. I need to calm down, let's go get something to eat."

"That's a good idea. We'll discuss our options while we eat." Elise agreed.

They exited the apartment and drove away, feeling a little defeated, towards Ninja Dave's Cookies.

Meanwhile...

Dan groaned. He felt like he'd been hit by a garbage truck and landed in a spike pit. He slowly lifted his head, flinching at the throbbing pain he felt pulse through it. Dan was tied to a chair. His forearms and wrists were fastened to the arms of the chair, and his legs were tied to the chair legs. Of course his body was fastened to the back of the chair as well. Dan looked down and saw that his lower half was wrapped up in the very towel he'd asked for, but nothing else covered his bruised body. His abdomen hurt worst of all. Where it had been pale and smooth before was now slightly swollen and very purple. Dan suddenly heard a rustling noise off the right, but he felt too weak to turn his head.

"So you're finally awake. I was beginning to think you'd never arise from your slumber."

Dan lifted his head in one painful movement. He thought maybe he could burn a hole through the fake's head if he concentrated his unyielding hate enough.

"Oh com now, don't look at me like that. You really have brought this upon yourself doubting your friend's and all. You also had me sent to prison for, oh, HALF A YEAR!" Dan* angrily stated.

"For the last time you were trying to steal my identity! It's your own fault that you got sent off to the slammer." Dan would have continued ranting but he was interrupted by a punch to the face.

Dan* was chuckling, "You silly man. This isn't just about being sent off to prison. This is about you leading a happy, blissful life destroying things you hate, and I being miserable. I decided that as long as you're happy, I am not. So I'm going to make your life as miserable and pathetic as I can in the next few days."

"Chris, and maybe Elise, will find me!" Dan was awarded with a slap upside the head.

"It will take them at least three days to find the location you're being held. After that it should take them half a day to get here. So you're stuck in this situation for three and a half days. That's eighty four long hours Dan. Believe me, it will feel like an eternity to you." Dan* stated. He grabbed Dan by the hair, forcing him to look Dan* in the eyes.

"I'll make you wish you had never come into existence." There was a very menacing tone in his voice. He wasn't joking, and that made Dan very, very afraid.

Back to Chris and Elise...

Chris sat down at the the table with his box of Chocolate Chip Ninja-doodles. They were his favorite. Elise excused herself to use the restroom as Chris dug into the much needed comfort food. Once she made sure no one else was in there Elise entered the stall furthest from the entrance.

"Control I need a current location on an ID25*."

"No can do Agent Dancing Shadow, our intelligence network is for mission purposes only. It is not to be used for personal vendettas."

"I just need this one favor! My husband's friend's life is on the line here, and honestly, life looks pretty bleak and uninteresting without him here. I need this for my husband's well being. Who knows, if I'm pretty distraught I could freak out and quit the agency." Elise threatened.

There was a sigh from control.

"I'm sorry, but I would like to keep my job Dancing Shadow. I'm out."

That said, the line went dead. Elise growled with frustration.

I guess I'm going to have to do this the old fashioned way. It's going to take at least a couple days, possibly more.

Elise rubbed her temples as she walked back to the table and sat. Chris had saved a few cookies for Elise, which was very thoughtful for him. Elise grabbed one and ate it in a few bites.

"Okay, well my most reliable source isn't going to be any help to us, and the super computer will only give us his current address." Elise explained.

"Well, what now? Do we file a missing persons report to the police?" Chris asked.

"No, we'll have to do things ourselves. We need to start by gathering intelligence. Although I don't think that we'll find much. Dan*'s very careful."

"Wait, you're smart, so can't you figure out how to maybe modify the computer so it doubles as a tracking device?" Chris suggested in a nonchalant manner.

Elise froze. "That's actually a really good idea. Chris you're a genius!" Elise had new found hope.

"Chris, we're heading home. I am going to need lots of peace and quiet if I'm going to develop a whole new tracking system in a day or so. I need to get started."

Chris blushed at the compliment Elise had paid him, smiling shyly.

"Alright then, let's get going." Chris excitedly stood up rushing towards the door, Elise hot on his heels.

~AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Okay so now Elise and Chris have the most important part of their plan figured out. Dan has awoken to find himself in a horrible situation. What will happen next I wonder? The next chapter is going to focus mainly on Dan*. We'll see how his evil plot came to be hatched! :) Look forward to it!