Author's Note:

If you haven't read the previous chapters, please read them before reading this one! Again, thank you for those who have been reviewing the story. Enjoy!

Chapter Six

As Nancy was placed in a cell, Powers and Anna walked back to his office. He didn't care if he hurt the girl or not. Powers just wanted to see the look of hopelessness in Frank's eyes, the knowledge that no one was coming to save them this time. The money was inconsequential to him but it would be nice to have it back.

"Get Garrison here," he ordered Anna. "I want those two bandaged up and ready to go in a few days. We need to be in New York by the end of next week."

"It may take a few hours for him to get here, sir," she answered, standing before him while he sat down at his desk. "Garrison went to Berlin to check on our facility there."

"I don't care! Just get him back here!" Powers yelled. "I don't want any setbacks! Now move!"

"Yes, sir," Anna bowed and left the room quickly. Nathan came in once she left and sat down in the chair in front of the desk.

"Sir, the girl may be out for a while," he replied. "What you did to her may take a time to heal and the pain was excruciating for her."

"I know that, Nathan," Powers said, annoyed, "but it got a rise out of Hardy. We need that. Keep an eye on her. Make sure she doesn't go into shock. I can't have her dying on us before Garrison gets back."

"Are you sure you want to wait to reset the bone?" Nathan asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't have a choice, Nathan, unless you happen to know how to reset one." Powers looked at his second in command who didn't say a word and pursed his lips. "That's what I thought. She can handle the pain for a little while till he gets here. As for Hardy, clean him up but don't take him down just yet. I don't want him to get the idea he could escape."

"Yes, Mr. Powers," Nathan said, rising from his chair. He closed the door leaving Powers to sit and contemplate his next move.


Later that night, James watched the building, his three friends waiting nearby in the van they had. They were all wearing black, ready to take on the obstacle that lay before them. From the information Kyla gave him, James knew Powers lived in the building to keep close to his business and to stay out of sight from others. The man seemed paranoid of Interpol and other criminals attacking his organization even though most other thugs didn't come near him. James knew they had to be careful not to set off alarms right off away or this would be a very short rescue attempt to get Nancy and Frank out.

Kyla was finally able to hack into the building's system undetected and record videos of various areas where the four rescuers would be. Once they were ready, she would play the videos in a loop along with wreaking havoc on the building by locking the magnetic doors and elevators except for ones the four men would need. Once that happened, it would only be a matter of minutes before Powers would know something was wrong.

"You ready, Kyla?" asked James through his communication bud.

"Yup. You're good to go. I'm running the recordings…now. From what I see, you have minimal guards to worry about."

"Copy. Thanks! Keep us posted if there are any issues."

"You got it. Good luck!"

James got back into the van and slowly drove to the underground parking lot, stopping not far from the elevator bank. Keeping to the shadows, the four men went to the ducts and began their long climb to the floor where Nancy and Frank were being held. They wanted to avoid the elevator on the way up just in case someone spotted them. As they got to the floor they needed to be on, they split into two groups even though the cells were not far from each other. James and Colin went for Nancy while Drew and Turner went for Frank. They were still in the ducts when Kyla's voice yelled in his ear.

"All of you, stop!" The two men stopped just as James heard a woman go by below them, talking on her phone enthusiastically.

"It was great, Mom! I'm still smiling about it…Dad would be so proud! When Mr. Powers broke her wrist, I wanted to shout for joy! Served her right…" The one-sided conversation dissipated as the woman rounded a corner away from them and James blew a sigh of relief. He prayed that the person the woman was talking about was not Nancy but he had a feeling it was. Looking back at Colin, he motioned for him to move, finally coming to the opening outside Nancy's door.

They dropped down one by one just as the distinct click came from the magnetic lock, opening the door. James slowly opened it into a small room with only a bed in the corner. Nancy lay on her back, her breathing labored. As James approached her, he noticed she was sweating and her wrist was swollen three times larger than it should be. He whispered her name and she groaned softly, her eyes trying to open. James gently picked her up, trying hard not to injure her even more and carried her to the door where Colin waited, his gun ready.

"She okay?" he asked.

"I'm not sure," James said, worried. "We'll have to get her to Amelia as soon as we can to see if she can help. Kyla, where is Powers?"

"Still in his office," she answered. "The man doesn't seem to sleep. He's talking to someone though I'm not sure how much longer you have. Be very quiet."

"Got it," James whispered. Colin led the way around a corner as Drew stuck his head out a door and gave a thumbs up. Turner was helping a wide-awake Frank out the door, surprising James that the young man was able to partially stand let alone walk. Although his shoes were gone, Frank was now wearing a shirt, covering the bandages from when he was cleaned up earlier though blood was still seeping through the shirt. James followed Colin, meeting the other group at the door.

"James?" Frank said softly. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Saving your ass," James spat back. "If you want, I can put you back in there and just take Nancy."

"No, I'm not going back!" Frank stated, shaking his head. "How is she?"

"Getting heavy, let's go," James stated. "We have to get out of here before they realize what's going on? Kyla, all good?"

"No! Powers just got a phone call and is getting ready to leave! They know! Go!"

They soon heard pounding coming from down the hall and the men started for the elevator that stood open ahead of them, thanks to Kyla. The doors closed just as they saw Powers and another man round the corner. The elevator slowly took them down, James knowing that Kyla was making sure it never stopped until they reached the basement.

"Be careful with her, James," Frank stated through gritted teeth. James looked over at him, concerned when he saw beads of sweat running down his face. "Don't worry about me. Nancy needs help. Powers broke her wrist on purpose."

"Ouch," muttered Turner, looking over at Nancy whose eyes were still trying to open.

"We'll handle it," James replied. The elevator doors opened, revealing the van right where they left it. "Are you okay?"

"I told you, I'm fine," Frank said, looking away. James could tell he was lying but didn't say anything as they rushed to the van. Drew lifted Frank's other arm when he noticed him stumbling and helped him the rest of the way with Turner. Colin got into the driver's seat and started the vehicle as Turner and Drew helped Frank in. James gently set Nancy on one of the long seats, making sure she was stable enough for when they drove off. He just finished getting her settled when several shots rang out. Their time had run out as Powers and his men caught up to them.


"Are you sure you don't want me to check on them, Mr. Powers?" asked the man with a British accent sitting in the chair in front of Powers' desk. A medical bag lay on the floor, the man kept eyeing it as if it were going to move.

"Garrison, I assure you, they can wait a little longer," Powers stated. "I want to know what's going on in Berlin. It's more important. Is the new drug ready?"

"I'm not a researcher, sir," Garrison explained. "I don't know why you put me in charge there. I'm a medical doctor and deal with medical issues, not drugs."

"Ah, but you do know a little about drugs," Powers laughed. "You're too modest on yourself. It's part of the reason why I hired you. When you administered the death medications to your patients several years ago, I knew I needed you with me. Besides, if it weren't for me, you would be rotting in a jail or worse, executed. Humor me, why don't you?"

"Those people were dying anyway! I was just helping them along. I'm not a monster." Garrison stammered. Powers gave him a look of pure fury and the doctor continued nervously. "The drug is almost complete. A synthetic drug far worse and more addictive than heroin is what you wanted, correct? The test subjects get addicted right away but they die within a few days. We need a little more time to perfect it."

"You have a week to finish," Powers said with a frown. "My buyers are very impatient and I need to deliver to keep my reputation. They don't want their frequent customers dying on them either. They lose money that way. I want it ready for when I leave for New York at the end of next week. Understand?"

"Yes, Mr. Powers." The phone rang and Powers picked it up after one ring.

"I said I didn't want to be disturbed." He got quiet, listening to the person on the other line frantically telling him something. "What do you mean the doors are all locked? What do the cameras read?" Powers face started getting red, when the person explained. "Get everyone up, NOW! Something's not right!"

Powers hung up the phone, Garrison looking at him curiously. The man rushed to the door and tried opening it only to find it locked. Using his key card, Powers attempted to open the door several times only to hear a beeping sound and no click of the lock. Throwing the card across the room, he began ramming his shoulder into the door, yelling for Garrison to help. The two men were finally able to break the door down and Powers ran down the hall. He rounded the corner just as the elevator doors closed with six people on board, two of whom he recognized. He screamed in anger, knowing they were getting away and rushed to the stairs nearby with Garrison behind him.

As Powers took two steps at a time down the stairs, he wondered how this could have happened. Was it an inside job or did someone hack into the system that was supposed to be foolproof. On every level, his men rushed into the stairwell with him, all of them armed. By the time he reached the bottom floor, he felt winded but determined to get both Nancy and Frank back. He had to. His plan wouldn't work if he didn't have them. Stepping out of the stairwell and into the garage, Powers saw the men getting into a van. He yelled for his men to open fire but to make sure they didn't hit Nancy or Frank, neither of whom he saw.

Three of the rescuers pulled out their guns and returned fire on Powers' men, causing them all to scramble for cover. The gunfight ensued until one of the rescuers was shot in the chest, the others grabbing a hold of their friend and pulling him into the van. The door slammed shut and the van took off, Powers chasing after them before yelling in frustration. He watched the van disappear around the corner and kicked a nearby trash can over in anger.

"How did this happen?" Powers yelled, walking back to where his men were. "How did we not know they were here?"

"I think I got one, sir," replied a man with a small smile. Powers looked over at him, annoyed, pulled out his gun and shot the man dead.

"Anyone else want to be a smartass?" When no one answered, he stormed back to the stairs. "I want them found! Put out a reward! Find them all! Whoever these men are, I want them dead!"