Thanks again to Allianora aka BryBry aka Alli for helping me out with this chapter... Yes, she was able to see it before anyone else. Even my beta reader, Liz_z who I also want to thank for having the patience and time to check this for me! For disclaimers and so forth, look to chapter one please. Of you have any questions contact me at quicksilverflakes@yahoo.com'

~*~

The lights seemed to appear, then disappear in a second. Lights so bright that he had to close his eyes again so the pain would recede. What was going on with his eyes? Why did everything seem so bright to him? Why did the world start to spin? Was he dreaming again or was this real? Dream or real, he had to find a way to get out of this earthly hell.

"Open your eyes, Darien."

Darien opened his eyes once he heard the sincere and assertive command. There was only one person who could put both emotion and control into his words. Though it seemed that emotion was beginning to win out. "Kevin?"

"Yes, Darien."

Darien wanted to grab onto his brother and never let him go. The only dreams he had been having of Kevin the last two years were of his death. It was beyond relief to actually have a dream where his brother wasn't in his arms gasping for air that was denied his lungs. But how ironic was it for Darien to be the one dying in this dream? What did it all mean?

"I have been working while you were resting. I think I can figure out a way to help you, Darien. But..."

Darien tried to sit up but found his brother standing over him carefully pulling him back to the bed.

"Stay in bed, please." Kevin whispered.

"But what? What is the catch?" Darien replied, letting his brother push him back down without a fight. Who was he to get in the way of this dream and how it was going to play out?

"There could be side affects. Some serious side affects."

"What are we talking about here? What could be worse than dying?"

"You might not be able to walk again, ever." Kevin replied, trying hard to hold back the emotions that tried to spring from the well.

"Oh crap!" Darien yelled as he flung the covers off his bed. Had he really forgotten? How could he?

"What is wrong?" Kevin asked, as he jumped up from his chair to help in anyway he could.

"My legs!" Darien frantically looked down at his calves expecting to find the flesh singed off but only found clean, undamaged skin.

"What is wrong, Darien?" Kevin asked again, standing before Darien with bewilderment slapped across his face.

"I... I... I had a bad dream, that's all. I am sorry to have scared you." Darien replied, hoping to see some of the dread leave his brother's face.

Kevin relaxed and sat back down. "Would you like to talk about it?"

Darien smiled and pulled the sheets back on his legs. "Do you have time? I mean, a lot of time?"

Kevin smiled. "I have all the time in the world."

Darien wished that was a true statement but he knew that all the time in the world only meant a few minutes in his case. He knew he would wake up any moment and be stuck back into that hell hole he so desperately wanted freedom from. The question was... Would that become his permanently dwelling place as his body became one with the earth? Or would someone come and save him before his time ran down? Darien looked at his brother and let the smile fade. There was only one answer, and he knew what it would be.

~*~

1:45:23

"Cast not your face, from me. Lord set my spirit free. Oh my one desire, is to be with you. Come cleanse my life. And make me pure. Won't you wrap me up, in your arms in your arms. Take me higher. Draw me closer. Pull me deeper. Then I've ever been!"

Darien woke up to a light music floating in the warehouse. He knew he had never heard this song before yet he could swear that there was something familiar about it that jumped at him deep inside of him. But he couldn't place what that feeling was and began to ache within because he couldn't place it. He was just about to let himself fall asleep when he heard a soft voice coming from the far end of the warehouse. Was it Cammie? No, it was a female's voice. Darien coughed a few times as he tried to clear his thoughts so he could speak but found his lungs screaming at him for trying to do so.

~*~

1:40:58

"Who is playing that music?" Bobby asked as he still tried to free himself from the ropes that kept him captive.

Claire stopped singing to answer Bobby's question.

"There seems to be a sound system somewhere within the warehouse. Cammie must have put some radio station on."

Bobby pulled at the ropes and realized too late that it wasn't a good idea as the chains came down hard on his wrists and took off flesh. "Ouch!"

"What?" Claire asked with worry in her tone.

"Nothing. I just scratched myself." Bobby stopped fighting with the ropes. He knew he couldn't get out of these. Now he had to try and save his strength to get everyone out of this building. There was no telling what would happen next, but Bobby would be prepared for anything.

"Hello? Is someone down there?"

Bobby shook mentally as he heard the shattered voice seep through the walls of their small room that held them there. Bobby was wrong, he wasn't prepared for this.

~*~

1:34:23

Darien overcame the pain in his lungs and yelled, or rather whispered for all he knew, the only question he could think of. His head hurt so bad he knew if he closed his eyes one of these times, they wouldn't open again. He knew he had a very bad concussion. Several abrasions on his body. And looking down to his legs he found second degree burns by the looks of it. He was thankful that Cammie decided to use the torch from a distance. But he was also worried because he knew that there would be more burns, cuts, and abrasions before Cammie was finished with him.

"Darien?"

Darien heard his name and the voice and thought it was sleeping again. There was no way...

"Darien, are you okay?"

Darien tried to laugh at the question but only found himself coughing in a uncontrollable fit. No, he wasn't okay. "I'm fine." Darien choked out as a response.

"Darien... We will get you out of this, okay?"

"We?" Darien asked in confusion.

"Bobby and I are here, Darien. But we are tied up. You don't remember?" Claire asked with concern.

Darien thought hard but he couldn't remember a thing about Claire or Bobby being there. "No. I don't remember a thing." Darien started to cough again and found himself puking on the concrete floor. "Bobby?" Darien rasped out.

"Yes partner?"

"I lied to you, buddy." Darien tried to take some pressure off his wrists as he felt the chains tearing into his flesh.

"About what, partner?" Bobby asked, holding back his emotions.

"I did break into your home last week. I am sorry about that whole mess. I hope you got the chocolate and raspberry juice out of your carpet."

Bobby started to laugh. "Don't worry about it. I am taking it out of your check next week."

Darien laughed again but knew it was a mistake when his body started to convulse. What was happening now?

~*~

1:20:45

"Fawkes? Fawkes!?!" Bobby yelled again for the fourth time.

"Bobby..." Claire whispered. "He is probably asleep.

Don't worry about it, okay?"

Bobby closed his eyes and put his anger aside. There

where better ways to vent. One way he knew would work

was using Cammie's body as a punching bag.

"We need to think of a way to get out of here. We have

to help Darien. We need to think about that right now,

okay?"

Bobby opened his eyes, "Okay." Bobby searched around the small room looking for anything that would help them. They had to get out of here, they were running out of time.

~*~

1:00:00

One hour!' Eberts thought to himself. What was taking so long?

"Eberts?"

Eberts turned around to find Alex Monroe standing there. "Yes, Ms. Monroe?"

"What is going on around here? I was told to report to you here. That there was something BIG going down." Eberts looked around the hall to make sure the two of them where alone. "Robert and Claire are out on a mission. We were called in for backup."

"What kind of mission?" Alex asked with annoyance.

"We found Darien." Eberts whispered.

"What?!? Why wasn't I informed about this earlier? I should have gone with them to get his butt back here!"

Eberts looked at Alex and didn't know if she was mad that she was left out of the mission or mad that she was backup. "We had to keep it quiet in case there was a mole here. Not even the Official knows of this."

"How long have they been gone?"

"Two hours." Eberts replied with concern. "They should have been back by now though. But Robert asked me to wait three hours for their return. Then if they where not back before that time, to come after them with backup."

Alex looked at her watch then back at Eberts. "Your clock is an hour behind, isn't it, Eberts?"

Eberts looked at his watch then back at Alex. "No, my watch is..."

"It is wrong."

Eberts was about to respond but shut his mouth when he realized what she was implying. Eberts took his watch and set it an hour ahead. "Yes, I guess it is, actually. How clumsy of me."

~*~

TBC