(Chapter 10)
Neal was trapped in darkness, shadowy forms holding him down within the nightmare making it hard for him to breath as he fought to escape. He shivered as their icy hands held him down, covered his mouth and nose as formless shapes filled his mind with nightmarish horror. He felt helpless to do anything, turning his head to try and see around them. He thought he saw Peter laying a few yards away, struggling to move towards his friend in the dream.
Let me go!
He was fighting them, light surrounding him suddenly as the shadows retreated away from the glow. Neal sat up, scooting towards his friend and nudging him gently.
Peter... wake up. Peter!
He reached for his friend's hand and it felt cool to the touch. Neal nudged the agent, squeezing Peter's hand and feeling something off. Something wet and slick smeared onto his hand from Peter's as he looked to find the agent missing a finger like the one he had received from Jankov. Neal panicked, pulling off his shirt to wrap his friend's hand and try to stem the semi-clotted wound. Peter still felt cool and continued to stay still as he nudged his friend yet again to try and wake him up.
Peter... we have to go before they come back!
The agent gave a weak groan, Neal relieved to hear his friend react finally as he watched dull brown eyes look up at him. Peter opened his mouth to speak but a strangled sound came out. Neal saw his friend's face redden with the effort to talk as he tried to help. He thought something might be stuck in his friend's throat as he looked inside Peter's mouth and gaped in horror.
Peter's eyes were dull, glassy, face flush as he continued to try and communicate but couldn't. He would never speak again, his tongue missing as Neal gazed at his friend with a mixture of horror and pity.
Peter... no...
He held his friend close, seeing the shadows starting to regroup around them. A few tugged at Peter's legs, trying to remove him from Neal as he held onto his friend tightly.
You can't have him! Leave him alone!
He was holding onto his friend, that light that had protected him suddenly dimming, the shadows taking the advantage to grab at him with cold waxy hands and pry them apart. He watched them swallow Peter up in their darkness as he fought to escape.
PETER!
Neal found himself suddenly awake, eyes open and looking around at a blurry scene. He felt nauseated but the gag was still there as he fought his illness and sat up. He wasn't on the canoe but on land now as he looked around for his friend and didn't see him. Peter was missing. His wrists were now cuffed behind him as he tried to figure out what Jankov had planned. He sat up a bit finding the cuffs bound to a small chain that connected on a short lead to the wall and a ring. His ankles were also bound in a similar manner as he tried to figure a way out of there. It was hard to think with his head throbbing painfully from whatever drug he had been given. He could still hear the wind howling somewhere nearby indicating that storm was still in play from the night before. He wondered how long he had been out when he heard footsteps and a dragging sound.
Jankov showed up half carrying Peter behind him as he dropped the limp looking agent to the sandy rock floor of the cavern. Neal pulled on his bonds but couldn't get any closer to his friend who appeared to now be cuffed at the wrists and ankles.
"So, the prodigal thief awakens. Shall we get started?"
()()()
Jones and crew sat in the van still keeping warm despite the terrible weather just outside the vehicle. They'd been expecting something just not this kind of weather as they used a back up battery for the heater to keep the engine from overuse. He had napped a bit in the back, everyone taking turns over the course of the evening till the first rays of light over the water outside the window came up. His cell rang as he came to and answered it.
"Jones... Yes sir. What?"
He was listening to Hughes, the older agent and their boss telling him they were sending out another contingent of agents out there based on the pictures and intel they'd received from Jones' run to look for Neal and Peter. They would have backup soon and they'd be able to do a proper search with the help of Coast Guard and some search and rescue operations they'd joined forces with. Hughes was pulling in all his favors on this one. Jones nodded and smiled.
"We still have a faint reading off and on for Neal but right now it's negligible at best. Not sure what that means but we're keeping an eye on his location and it hasn't changed. Thanks sir."
Atleast they would have some other eyes on the ground and sky soon if not the sea. He wondered how their people in the boat off shore were doing. It had to be far colder out there in the midst of this sudden storm than here in the van. He was anxious to look for his boss and their newly returned consultant. It was too soon to lose either of them and if he had to go out to search on his own, he would.
He hoped that Neal had found Peter and they were both ok as Jones poured himself a fresh cup of java and started tracking the con again.
()()()
Mozzie woke up to find himself asleep on the sofa in Neal's room. It was odd waking up in that room as he tried to remember how he had come to be here. June. He had come to visit her when he had found out through the wire that Neal might not be as dead as he thought. At least the proof he had was evidence enough as he had continued his own investigation into the young con's disappearance. He had been certain that something bad had happened to his friend but hoped to find the culprits behind it. He had yet to tell anyone else other than to find that June knew the young man was indeed alive. That had been a relief to Mozz but he had been hiding out for fear of repercussions from the information he had. Conners, the man behind the case in the first place was responsible for everything. He had the proof and once the weather settled, Mozzie would go see his friend and show it to Neal as well as the Suit. He just had to find them again, June telling him the news about Neal going after a kidnapped Peter.
He curled up under the blankets as he went back to sleep knowing he just had to wait till morning to visit with Elizabeth Burke and the Suits again. He had the information needed to make sure Conners and his crew would be implicated in this newest kidnapping charge.
()()()
Neal watched as Jankov attached a small chain and heavy weight to the manacles around Peter's ankles, testing the weight a bit before he moved towards Neal in a less than friendly manner. The man grabbed him in a headlock, cutting off his air supply till he slumped in a semi-faint. Once he was limp he felt his cuffs removed from the ring and wrists locked before him. His ankles were cut loose from the zip-tie and bound in manacles like Peter's but no weight was attached. Neal wondered what was up when Jankov removed the tape from his lips, pushing something cool and metallic into his mouth then taping it up again.
"The KEY to your friend's freedom is in your mouth, thief. You'll soon know what I mean."
The huge man lifted Neal up with one arm and Peter with the other, walking towards the shoreline as he held them precariously over the water's edge.
"I hope for your friend's sake you are as honorable as you claim."
The man smiled coldly down at him as he dropped them both into the water, the cold temperature shocking Neal into wakefulness as he started to sink below, thrashing to come up for air. He was fighting with the pull of the current as he saw Peter's dark silhouette sinking fast towards the bottom. Neal forgot about going back up as he dove towards his friend, chest burning for air. It was hard to swim with the manacles but he hadn't time to try and pick them as he grasped at his friend's arm and felt them both being pulled swiftly downwards. Neal remembered what Jankov said suddenly as he pulled the tape from his mouth and found the key there. He was feeling dizzy now, chest hurting for air but he dove down after Peter and stuck the key into the chain for the manacles around his friend's ankles. It was darker now, harder to see so he went by touch but he heard the distinct 'click' of the lock opening up, Peter suddenly more buoyant as the weight and chains fell away into the darkness below.
Neal grasped his friend and pushed his lips on Peter's, pushing as much air as he had into his friend's mouth. The agent shuddered a moment, eyes looking dully at him in the dim light before he started to kick and float upwards. Neal started to follow when he felt a kind of pain, his mouth opening despite himself as he breathed in water, body thrashing a moment as he looked upwards at his friend escaping. He couldn't follow, no more fight in him as his vision tunneled to black and he lost consciousness.
()()()
Peter had been kept heavily drugged during his imprisonment with Jankov. He hallucinated that he saw Neal there talking to him but he was too far gone to be sure. Sometimes he dreamed he was at home with El and then he'd wake up enough to shiver in the cold darkness of the prison he was in. Jankov kept him close at hand, finally carrying the agent like luggage towards some figure he could only just recognize under the influence.
Neal?
He saw the young man chained it seemed and unable to escape. Peter just wanted to rest, his body too relaxed to do much more than sleep under the drug's influence. He was starting to feel a bit more awake but not enough to react. He heard Jankov talking to Neal, hurting the young man which filled the agent with rage but he was helpless to assist under the circumstances. He wondered what was in store for them when he felt himself lifted up. Without much warning he was suddenly plunged into icy cold waters, his breath catching as he tried his best to keep his mouth shut. He tried to struggle some but his arms were behind him bound with cuffs, the rattling sound carrying in a strange eerie echo underneath the water. He couldn't kick, the weight pulling him down as he watched the surface disappear. Peter was thinking about his wife. Who would take care of Elizabeth? She would be devastated losing not just him but Neal when they'd finally found him again. Peter felt his breath starting to go, bubbles escaping his nose and lips when someone pulled at his ankle and he was vaguely aware of a silhouette pulling at the chains there.
Neal... save yourself...
He heard the click of something loosening up and then a weightless feeling as the manacles fell away from his ankles. He was free but he was nearly out of air. The surface looked so high above him as he felt himself giving up. Suddenly he saw Neal's face before his, the young man pressing his lips to his and he felt air pushed into his mouth and lungs. Peter felt himself perk up a bit, both men pointing upwards as he pushed with his feet towards the light above. His arms were still stuck behind him but he was making it, kicking hard to get there before he ran out of air. Peter's head broke the surface as he barely managed to tread water, coughing and sputtering as he glanced around. Neal wasn't there yet. He turned in a circle but didn't see the young man or any sign of bubbles saying he was coming back up.
"NEAL?"
He called out but there was nothing but his voice echoing back. Jankov was gone (thank goodness for that) but Neal hadn't come back up. Peter felt panicked, managing to move his arms to the front of him as he took in a deep breath and dived back under the cold water. He looked every which way till he thought maybe the tide had taken his friend away from him. He was a good 10 feet now and his head was hurting him, lungs aching for more air but he had to find Neal. He was going to head back up when he saw him, reaching out with cuffed hands and grasping at the young man's shoulder. Dull blue eyes gazed back at him beneath the waves as he pulled with all his might. It took some effort, Peter uncertain he would make it but they broke the surface to the cold air above. Peter pushed the young man out of the water and followed, seeing something bright and metallic in the young man's hand: a key.
Peter took the key and unshackled his friend, then his own cuffs as he slapped at Neal's face and felt for a pulse. The young man's skin was ashen and bluish from the cold, a ring of grayish blue around his now pale lips.
"Neal... wake up! Neal..."
Those blue eyes stared back at him unseeing as he started CPR. He pressed hard on his friend's chest then opened Neal's mouth to blow air into his friend's lungs. There was no response as he continued CPR and finally gave up. He wasn't sure how much time had passed but it had been too long for anyone to come back from the place Neal had gone. This time he wouldn't return to them no matter how much Peter begged or searched. Neal was truly gone now. The agent felt warm tears flowing down his cheeks as he leaned over his friend and former partner and cried.
"Why... Neal. Why come back just to leave us again?"
He didn't hear the footsteps till they were nearly on top of him, Peter turning to see the looming form of Jankov only a few feet away. The agent was angry now, standing up and glaring back at the man who'd done this to them.
"Looks like your friend truly liked you to save your life. It's a shame you have to die any way. I have never played fair and Conners said all I had to do was keep him from you."
Peter blinked at the man curious at his words suddenly.
"Conners? He employed you to do this? He's in prison!"
Jankov nodded with a smile.
"He was my boss. I was smuggling the goods he stole on my ship. When I found your friend I didn't know who he was till I got word back about what happened to Conners. It all works out..."
The man held a gun on Peter, cocking it back.
"Nobody will know what happened now, Agent Burke."
()()()
Neal was dreaming or maybe it was one of those death knell flashbacks you hear about in psychobabble novels and magazines. He was back on the yacht, those men in ski masks leading him out into the cool air to the front of the ship. He had a gun pointed at him, the lead thief about to shoot him when he heard a familiar voice and there was Peter.
The agent distracted the culprit long enough for Neal to hit him and run but he was trapped, a boat coming up along side as the man in black made a run for it. Neal tripped him up, both struggling on the edge till they fell over onto the speed boat, Peter's voice calling to him as they took off. They continued to fight till he was hit hard and the man pulled a gun on him.
"You fought a heck of a fight, Mr. Caffrey but now it's time for fate to intervene."
Neal didn't know what to think as the man raised the gun and aimed at his chest. He had screwed up by chasing the man but they had to have them with the evidence for it to work. They should be chasing them and he hoped the sound was still going through.
"Neal? Neal can you hear me?"
He heard the faint sound of Peter's voice in the earpiece and knew they were still there.
"Yeah..."
He waited for the shot to kill him when men started shouting, the sound of more boats and sirens approaching. The cavalry was coming! Neal felt a smile hit his lips as he took the moment to turn and head for the railing. If he could just jump off they'd pick him up. It was only a passing thought as he heard the report of the gun and his head whipped to the side, his body going limp as he flipped forward over the railing into the icy cold waters.
Sounds of people, sirens and boats passed over head but he was floating there in the still semi-darkness of the river. Bubbles of air passed his face before that tight feeling in his chest woke him up, a voice in his ear talking to him as he flailed beneath the waves.
Why... Neal. Why come back just to leave us again?
This was not what he had heard before. Something had changed, the vision of his memory altered as he heard a low beat which started to increase in rhythm and pace till he realized it was his heart beating. Another sound added to the mix as he heard a low gurgling sound and then a low gasp as air moved in and out. His breath was loud in his own ears, eyes finally focusing on a high cavern ceiling above.
He was dead. He had drowned. Someone had been pushed above him and then...
His thoughts were incomplete as he felt his body shudder and return to life, other voices reaching his ears. He still had one more thing to do apparently before he could rest as he listened.
"Conners? He employed you to do this? He's in prison!"
There was a pause as another voice spoke.
"He was my boss. I was smuggling the goods he stole on my ship. When I found your friend I didn't know who he was till I got word back about what happened to Conners. It all works out..."
The sound of a gun cocking echoed loudly around the space.
"Nobody will know what happened now, Agent Burke."
Neal lifted his head to see the back of Peter standing there before him, Jankov just beyond with a gun pointed at his friend. He felt as if someone else were talking through him as he opened his mouth and spoke.
"The dead will have their revenge on the guilty..."
Neal saw the huge man glance around Peter as Neal slowly sat up and glared darkly at Jankov. He saw a strange fear in those eyes as if Jankov were looking at a ghost.
"You were dead. How..."
Neal just smiled but it must have been one creepy smile as he saw Jankov back away, gun lowered as the young man moved forward past Peter who seemed shocked as well by this sudden resurrection.
"You came back didn't you, Lynkos? You think you're the only one who has a reason for revenge?"
Neal kept moving forward, limping some which made his appearance that much more scary. Jankov panicked, shooting the gun and nicking Neal in the shoulder instead of somewhere more vital. Fear kept him from aiming right. Neal just looked down at the wound as if it were nothing then back up at the man, his mind still trapped in the memory of his drowning. He barely felt the wound, his body cold and chilled as he continued moving forward without stopping. He watched Jankov's eyes bug out, the gun falling from his hands as he turned to run away. The ground was slippery from moisture and loose sand. The big man's feet slipped beneath him as he turned to look back at Neal's pale form, his body falling hard to the ground. Jankov's head hit a rock with a loud crack and he slumped against the ground, eyes staring forward in terror as if he still could see Neal walking towards him.
"Neal..."
He heard the familiar voice as he paused before their now dead captor with only revenge on his mind. Jankov, the man who'd taken his life from him and tried to kill his friend. He felt tempted to shoot the dead man as he reached for the gun.
"Neal... he's dead. He can't hurt you any more."
Peter's voice spoke the truth but something else wanted Neal to shoot the dead man despite knowing it would do him no good. Neal felt cold and empty inside as he let the gun drop to the ground again and collapsed beside it. His anger finally dissipating and drawing all his strength with it. He was tired, so very exhausted and his shoulder was beginning to burn now from the gun shot. His chest hurt as he started to choke, coughing hard to get some of that water that still remained in his lungs. Someone was holding him suddenly, hitting him on the back and trying to help him breath as he coughed up the last bits of water, shivering in the cold air. He had had his revenge and now he could rest.
"It's ok, Neal. Just breath slowly. Take it easy. Relax."
Peter's voice was soothing, helping him to calm down as the pain in his chest began to ease up and he could almost breath again.
"That's it. I'll see if I can find a way out of..."
A voice interrupted him, Neal hearing it echo from a long ways off.
"NEAL?"
Someone was calling for him and the voice sounded like Jones. He felt Peter stiffen then relax, a hand gently brushing at his hair.
"I guess you were right, Neal. Jones is coming. OVER HERE! KEEP COMING!"
Peter was calling out as Neal felt his eyes start to close of their own volition. He was too exhausted to keep them open as he passed out.
oOoOoOo
Author's Note: I meant to do two chapters but with the distractions and lack of working AC, lucky I got this out. I hate not having AC when it's 80+ outside and the same inside. :P I should tie this all up pretty soon with all the details. Oh and was anyone else having issues Saturday with logging in?