DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters nor do I reap anything profitable when I write these stories…

A/N-Thank you to Badette for beta-ing Ü

CHAPTER TWELVE

The rambling, old, four-storey building stared at the streets, its gray stones looking at its surroundings ominously. Cars rarely pass by the street where it stands and its staggering ugliness, combined with the sealed windows stops interested people from exploring it. People, who can't avoid passing by, stay away as far as possible from the building. Rarely does anyone access its side doors.

People somehow felt that somebody was watching them. Truth be told, somebody is watching them.

Unseen, state of the art cameras are strategically positioned all over the building and the sealed windows are actually one-way mirrors. Aside from its four floors, it also has three sublevels. The side entrances are the most unkempt room in the building but it was necessary to show the people of its uselessness in exploration. But it is very well maintained, modern and well guarded. A contradiction to its appearance.

One of the guards on duty in the control room insipidly looked at the television screens in front of him. It is one AM in the morning, and he has one hour left before his shift ends. He doesn't really have any qualms about working inside the control room due to its cool temperature and it's in the first floor, but one in the morning is a god-awful time to be working.

He glanced at one of the screens. The nine other guards with him are doing their rounds to make sure their prisoner can not escape. Frankly speaking, he doesn't see the reason for this arrangement. Ten, heavily armed guards to one prisoner? She is weak and she could barely eat. How in the world will she be able to escape?

He looked at his watch. Fifty five more minutes before end of shift. He sighed and leaned back on his chair.

The door to the control room suddenly opened. He looked at his visitor and scrambled to stand up.

"Ma'am." He said and offered her his seat.

"No need, Hans. I'm just here to check on our prisoner."

Hans quickly typed a command on the keyboard and the cameras zoomed and focused on Irina Derevko, chained to the wall and asleep. He looked at his visitor. She popped out of nowhere and almost scared him to death.

A wave of relief passed by her face. "Good. Alert us immediately upon any sign of-"

Suddenly Hans fell forward on the controls. Blood began to ooze out at the back of his head.

She started to move quickly when she saw that someone has breached their security, but their assailant was quicker. She was shot directly in the heart.

"I guess you meant trouble." Their masked attacker said as she fell down the floor.

The assailant nimbly walked towards the panel and seized control.

"Stage one complete. You're clear to enter."

"Copy that."

The darkness is engulfing her, driving her to deep depths. She tried to break away, to swim free. But fear… fear is holding her back. The unknown scares her. Being unprepared for the unknown scares her.

Fight it. The voice inside her said. Overcome your fear and fight it.

I can't. There's no more hope.

Fight it. You can do it. There's too much at stake. Fight.

She wrestled with her fear. To break free means liberty, freedom. Freedom means that she can take back what they got from her, which is technically, her freedom.

All of a sudden, she felt something… familiar. A familiar presence of someone she loves.

A renewed strength filled her. She started to struggle with the trepidation. The ghouls of her current plight that seems to be choking her slowly loosened its grip and she broke free.

Her fear has passed. She fought it and won.

She swam up to the surface, to leave the darkness behind.

Freedom.

"Irina?"

A warm hand held her cheek. The soothing voice repeated her name as the chains are eased from her wrists. The pain she tried to ignore throbbed ever painfully again.

"Irina?" The voice called out again. She lifted her weary eyelids and saw a silhouette of a man kneeling in front of her. Tears began to well out of her eyes. She went up the surface to face pain again?

"Please… I don't know where it is…" she whispered, almost pleading.

The man took her wrist, checking her pulse. "You'll be okay. You're safe." he cupped her face and looked at her.

Safe. He said I'm safe. She tried to look back at him. A mask covers his face but she can see his eyes. Such familiar brown eyes.

She can feel her strength waning. Her eyelids fluttered to a close, but she heard him ask for back up. He started to call her again and she ignored it.

Rest. I just want to rest.

"Retriever, is everything okay?" Sydney said in her com link. She's in the rooftop, guarding one of the possible escape routes in the building when she heard noises Weiss' com link. Noises of struggle.

She looked at her watch. They intended to finish within half an hour, and fifteen minutes has passed. They spent three minutes on disabling the control room, which according to Weiss, has one dead person already. The following twelve minutes was devoted on clearing the area and looking for the perpetrators. They found no one except for nine dead bodies.

"Retriever?" she repeated.

No answer.

She started to worry. She doesn't intend to bring Weiss home in a body bag.

Sydney ordered three of her men to accompany her check on Weiss. As they ventured down the stairs, they all felt the eeriness the building radiates. It is as if the walls grew eyes and are now looking at their very soul.

They got to the first floor without any problems. They proceeded to the control room and found Weiss and his team lying on the floor.

'Oh my god.' She rushed towards the bodies and checked for any sign of life. They are all alive, just unconscious.

She began to feel dizzy. Some sort of gas has permeated the room and its beginning to have an effect on her.

The three men who accompanied her slumped forward and fell on the floor. Sydney realized that they were standing below the ventilation. A few seconds later, a rope fell down from it, followed by a figure in black. Sydney tried not to inhale the gas but found herself weakening with every movement.

She crouched and watched as the figure, also dressed in an all black outfit and wearing night vision goggles and a gas mask, went opposite her position and unlocked a hidden panel in the wall. The moment it opened, a body fell out.

Sydney couldn't see who it was. Slowly, she sat up and took her gun. The moment she loaded it, the figure faced towards her direction. Apparently, their attacker did not know that there was one person left conscious.

Without thinking, Sydney fired her semi automatic. The bullet hit the masked figure on the chest and fell backwards.

Her chest tightened and her eyes closed. The gas sent Sydney into a deep sleep.

Jack said Irina's name once again but she did not respond. He checked her pulse again and found it incredibly slow.

"Boy scout, I need back up, now!"

He's wondering why his men haven't responded yet since they are just around the perimeter. Vaughn is outside the building, guarding the entrance. He couldn't contact Sydney or Weiss.

He heard footsteps coming his way. He looked towards the entrance and saw Vaughn entering.

"Where are the others?" Jack asked and stood up.

Vaughn didn't answer and instead raised his gun and pointed it at him. "Put down your weapons."

He realized that the masked man in front of him is not Vaughn.

"We're being ambushed." Vaughn's voice clearly resonated in his ear piece.

He slowly took his gun and lowered them down the floor. The figure in front of him is slightly shorter than him and quite thinner. His attention also seems to be not on him but on the body by his side.

Jack quickly lunged forward and tackled him. The gun fell on the floor as they both violently tumbled on the floor. Jack initiated the first punch. His opponent surprised him by getting back with a head butt and a punch on the side.

He struggled. His opponent is strong but slightly inexperienced with hand to hand combat. He felt that he can take this to his advantage. Jack pinned him on the ground and elbowed his opponent in the face.

The enemy was almost knocked out, but he used all his strength to push Jack away. He nimbly rolled towards the left side and stood up. As soon as he was on his feet, he went towards Jack and kicked him on the stomach.

Jack felt the force push him backwards. The pain is almost incapacitating, but he regained balance quickly. His adversary began to attack again, but he evaded him. Jack's hand shot forward and grabbed his opponent on the neck.

Pushing him towards the wall, his hold began to tighten. "Who sent you?" he gritted his teeth. His attacker started to fight back, but Jack kept his grip.

"Who sent you!" he asked with more fierce and force.

A shot rang out. Jack felt the pain explode in his chest. His hand loosened his hold on his opponent's neck, freeing him.

He shot him again on the chest. This time, Jack fell down on the floor.

She dreamed of him again. Dreamed about him taking her away from that wretched place. From hell. He called her name, freed her from the chains and held her cheek.

"She's going to be alright. Don't worry."

Is that his voice? Is he here? It wasn't a dream?

Her eyes opened. Bright lights flooded her vision. It seems to be blind her.

"Too… bright…" she hoarsely whispered. She's surprised she can still form words in her state.

"She's awake."

The lights were dimmed to a tolerable level.

And then she saw him, his face a bit bruised but full of genuine concern. "Are you okay?"

There seem to be something different with the way he spoke, but she couldn't deny that the face is Jack's.

"Jack?"

His facial expression turned into bewilderment. He glanced to a person she cannot see and raised a brow.

"She's disoriented. It's normal…"

He looked at her again. And she looked back. At Jack.

"No, mama. It's me, Nate."

Sloane waited for the progress in the rescue mission. Irina will kill him and Jack if she finds out that he's been playing the role of Nadia's father. But Nadia and Sydney desperately need her. And besides, even if he didn't authorize the mission, she will still be rescued. He'd rather be on the Bristow's good side than in the bad. But since he has some control on Irina's fate, he can limit Nadia's interaction with her.

Irina Derevko has a very powerful influence over others.

His phone rang. Sloane immediately answered it.

"Sloane."

"We were ambushed. We failed to get her."

He heard the defeat in Jack's tone. He rarely hears that from Jack.

"But we have a prisoner. Someone who can help us track Irina."

"Who?"

"Katya Derevko."

12?