Barney's (Four days earlier)

Barney had been with the guys for nearly three hours – quite a lot longer than he'd originally planned – and he had a sneaking suspicion that Nikki would already be asleep when he pulled in the drive. He walks in the door and the pungent smell of burnt popcorn hits his nose. He can't help but chuckle, knowing that Nikki probably got distracted by something and forgot about the popcorn until it was too late. He actually enjoyed the smell of burnt popcorn because it meant that Nikki was there since he only ever bought it for her.

Walking through the entryway, he could hear the TV and as he rounded the corner into the living room Barney expected to see Nikki asleep on the couch. He was surprised then to find the couch empty, but that made him hope she was still awake.

"I'm home. What are we watching?" He asked loudly while putting his jacket up. Getting no answer, he turned to head towards the kitchen. As he walked past the couch, he glanced down to see one of his jackets lying out. Nikki always curled up with that particular jacket when she was in town. She may be almost grown but she would always be the little girl who walked around with Daddy's jacket and boots on. It was one of Barney's favorite memories. If he was being honest with himself, it was also one of the only memories he had of Nikki as a child. Work had kept him away from home far more than he would have liked.

Frowning slightly to himself, Barney headed into the kitchen, thinking it would be the next logical place to find Nikki. "Nik?" He was greeted by an empty kitchen and the intermittent beeping of the microwave. Stepping toward the microwave, he notices a shattered glass on the floor which puzzles him. Once at the microwave, he opens the door to find the smoldering bag of popcorn. The broken glass and popcorn still in the microwave caused concern to creep up on Barney. It was unusual for Nikki to make any kind of a mess and not clean it up. That coupled with the only noise in the house being the TV made him worry.

"Nikki!" He called again as he quickly moved out of the kitchen to the upstairs bedrooms. Opening the door to Nikki's room, Barney held his breath, hoping to find her asleep but afraid that he wouldn't find her at all. The room was dark, so he quietly said her name again, "Nik?"

When she didn't answer, he flipped the light switch on only to find an empty bed. It didn't even seem like the bed had been touched since he made it up earlier in the week. As he turned to leave something on the end table caught his eye. Propped against the lamp was a note addressed to him.

Picking it up, Barney flipped it open and quickly read through it. By the time he finished it, he could feel his heart pounding in his ears and he didn't even realize he was moving out of the room. It wasn't until his hand touched his jacket that he became aware of what he was doing. Finally his brain caught up to the situation and he was angry. Angrier than he'd ever been.

He shoved the note into one pocket and pulled out his phone. A few clicks on the phone followed by a gruff English accent on the other side, "Get the guys and meet me at Tool's. Now." Barney slams the phone shut, grabs his keys and is out the door in a matter of seconds.

Warehouse (Three days earlier)

She awakes in a darkened room with grogginess in her head that she can't quite shake. Blinking her eyes open a few times, Nikki strains to see anything in the darkness. She sits up, feeling the cold, hard surface underneath her. There is something tight around her wrists. As she brings her hands up to her face, she realizes there are chains pulling her arms down. A slight panic setting in, Nikki uses her hands to trace the chains down to the ground, and finds a metal ring set in the concrete that she's hooked to. She's trapped.

Nikki frantically searches the area around her, at least as far as the chains will let her, hoping to find something she can use to free herself. Her eyes are adjusted to the darkness now and it's easier for her to see where she is. It's a long, narrow room with no windows and only one door at the opposite end. She can't tell how long she's been in this room, or where exactly this room was. She is more than a little frightened and hopes that it isn't as sinister as it seems, even though deep down she knows better.