Disclaimer: They're not mine, but I guess the only two characters that belong to me besides the evil baddies are Clara and Nick. Sniffle for Dustin…

A/N: Hey! Since I tortured you all and didn't update for a long time before, I decided that I would update quick so that it hopefully makes up for it. Unfortunately, this chapter isn't really exciting or that long. It's kind of a wind-down chapter, a chapter that's shorter and slightly more of a transition where everyone kinda "cools down" after what happened. But don't worry, the next chapter will be longer! So, thank you so much to fallen.leaves.19, SgtGroganSG, broadwaylover07, daisyduke80, Halo, Receneck, LupinandHarry, Thuraya Known, FillyRSA, Miss Fenway, myloveimfaithfullyyours, Spellinggirl, and momiji'sunusedhalo for your wonderful reviews for that awfully sad but exciting chapter. Oh, and the good news is, we've reached and surpassed 200 reviews, which means that I might just give you guys a little surprise! So, enjoy this chapter! I promise the next one will be better!

Chapter 20

Ian slowly looked over his shoulder when he heard footsteps behind him, seeing that Powell and Nick were walking toward him. He was alarmed to see that Abigail was being carried by the older man, blood staining her jeans on her right leg. "What happened?" he asked, getting to his feet.

"Dimitri shot her," Powell answered heavily as he stopped in front of the English man. He ignored the piercing look that Abigail gave him, which read, 'I can answer for myself, thank you.' "It's not critical, but it still has to be taken care of in case of infection. Nick and I weren't seriously hurt, but that's only because someone got your messages and came at just the right time. Let's just say that it was a good thing he came. I had no idea you even contacted him, Ian!"

For the first time in a while, a true smile appeared on Ian's face when he saw the man that Powell was talking about. "Oh, good. I'm glad you got the coordinates in time," he said with relief. "I mean, I told you that we were heading to Siberia before, but Siberia is a big place. We could have been anywhere."

"Yeah, thanks for sending those, Ian. I probably wouldn't have found Powell so quickly if you hadn't," Phil replied, smiling slightly as he shook Ian's hand in greeting. "Haven't you called Viktor? He could probably help out a lot in this situation since he knows the language."

"We couldn't get a hold of him," Ian replied. "But thanks for coming all the way out here, Phil. We could really use the help." He couldn't believe that he was admitting it, but after the loss of Dustin and Riley's capture, help, as well as hope, was wearing pretty thin.

Phil's smile broadened. "Of course, man. I'll do anything I can to help, you know that," he told him.

Ian laughed a little. "Well, I hope you mean that and don't mind the risk of being thrown back in prison," he warned the taller man. "Nick, Powell, and I are still wanted, and you're now one of our associates. You were released only a couple of months ago, so…"

But Phil only brushed the threat off. "Nah, I don't mind," he assured him. "What's the fun of a hunt without a little risk involved?"

"I'm glad you feel that way," Ian muttered with a grim smile. "Oh, you've met Nick, haven't you?"

Phil nodded. "Yeah, Powell introduced me to your American little brother on our walk down here," he said. "And it was definitely a surprise to see Abigail again too, especially with you guys and without Gates and Riley."

"Yeah, and it was great to see another one of the guys that shot at me," Abigail growled in return. But then, her eyes narrowed with concern as she looked around the area and noticed that some people were missing. "Where are Clara and Riley?"

Ian sighed heavily. "Clara's still safely in hiding, but I was too late to get to Riley," he explained. "Ivan took him."

"He's not… he's not dead, is he?" Powell asked quietly, dreading the answer. The Russian man had already killed the older of the two Poole brothers, and he hoped that it wasn't in their plan to do the same with the younger.

"I'm sure not, Powell. Think about it for a minute," Ian answered him. "Ivan wouldn't have taken him if he was dead. They want him alive."

"Where's Clara hiding?" Abigail wondered anxiously, trying to get out of Powell's arms without success as she ignored the throbbing pain in her leg. "Can we get her back?"

Ian nodded to her. "All right. Powell and Nick, you take Abigail back to the house and take care of her leg," he ordered. "Phil, you come with me to get Clara. I'll brief you on everything while we walk."

"That's some story," Sadusky said once Ben was finished telling it. "But do you really think that the world can be saved by only three people with a little girl? That's a lot of pressure for such a small group."

"We have to try, Sadusky, though I guarantee you, I'm not a hero," Ben muttered. He had purposefully left out the fact that Ian, Powell, Nick, and Dustin were helping them so they wouldn't be put in danger f because of the FBI. "All Artem wants us to do is find this cure for the disease, and he won't release it."

Sadusky sighed as he straightened up from the wall to stand before the treasure hunter. "And what makes you think that he still won't release the disease after you give him the cure, if it even exists?" he asked. "You're dealing with a mad man, Ben, a criminal- one who has nothing to lose but everything to gain. What makes you so sure his word is truly credible?"

Ben looked away from the agent, not knowing exactly what to say to his questions. In truth, he had no answer. "If I don't do what he says, Sadusky, he'll unleash the disease," he answered quietly. "Too many people's lives are at stake. I have to try to push that off for as long as possible."

"I wish you would allow us to help you, Ben," Sadusky muttered with a sigh, placing his hand on Ben's arm. "There wouldn't be nearly as much pressure on you that way."

"I know, Sadusky, and I appreciate the thought," Ben told him with a small smile. "But Artem has stressed no police involvement before, and I can't afford to take that risk again since my family is so close to him. Not to mention you and your son would be involved, and I don't want to put you two in danger either."

Sadusky slowly nodded. "I just hope you know what you're doing, Ben."

Ben met his gaze steadily. "I'm hoping so too."

Before they could continue their conversation, the door to the hospital room opened, and Emily entered. "I fell so much better," she stated with a small smile. "I'm glad I had that cup of coffee."

"Good, I'm glad," Sadusky told her with a smile of his own. "I'm afraid to say it, but we'll probably be in for a long night."

"I think I'm going to go call Abigail a minute to see how everything is there," Ben suddenly said. "I'll be right back." He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket as he left the room, walking down the hall to the one small room a cell phone could be used in so the signals wouldn't disrupt the equipment.

The first thing that the treasure hunter saw when he turned the phone on was that he had one voice message from Abigail. Ben smiled to himself, expecting to hear her telling him that she hoped all was well- that she hoped Patrick had a speedy recovery, that she gave Emily her best wishes, and that she loved him very much.

But nothing could prepare him for the anxious English accent he heard instead when he listened to the message.

"Ben, it's Ian. Listen, you have to come back to Russia as soon as you can. We-!" Then, there was a loud crash and the sound of Abigail's scream before the message abruptly ended.

Beginning to panic, Ben quickly dialed his wife's cell phone number, but his worry intensified when it cut straight to her voicemail. Either her phone was turned off, the battery had died, or… No, he wasn't going to think of any other options. Nothing bad had happened to Abigail. Beginning to think more clearly, Ben dialed the number of Ian's cell phone. It rang four times, but that too ended with the voicemail. Taking a deep, worried breath during the tone since he couldn't get a hold of anyone, he left his message.

"Ian, it's Ben. Hold on. I'm coming back."

"Sounds like you're dealing with a mad man," Phil stated while he and Ian walked down the pat to where Clara's hiding place was.

"Pretty much, more or less," Ian muttered in agreement. "That's what makes him so dangerous." He sighed heavily. "I just want to find this cure as fast as possible so that I can get you, Nick, and Powell out of danger. We've already lost one person on this mission, and I don't want to lose anyone else…"

Phil suddenly stopped walking, and Ian slowly did the same and turned to face the taller man. "So, we're all being shot at. Big deal. You, at least, have faced this before or even something worse," he stated. "Remember what happened beneath Trinity Church?" Ian glanced down for a moment, but looked up again when Phil didn't continue immediately.

"Powell's been on your team for more years than any of us, except for Shaw of course. I'm sure he's had to face getting a couple of shots fired at him and probably worse! And you and Shaw raised Nick in his teenage years. I'm sure living with you two, bad things happened. He's a tough kid. And my life wasn't the best before you found me, Ian, as you know. This is nothing compared to that."

"If that disease is released," Ian thought bitterly," none of the bad things that have happened to us won't matter."

"We can handle ourselves, Ian," Phil concluded firmly. "Concentrate on yourself more. None of us can afford to lose you, especially now."

A small smile appeared on Ian's face despite himself. He was suddenly grateful that it was Phil he had been able to get a hold of. He wouldn't have gotten that kind of assurance from Viktor. He nodded to Phil, giving him his silent thanks. The other man understood the message, for he smiled too. Then, they continued to walk, starting to feel a little more confident again.

"Clara?" Ian called, pushing aside the trees that he had hidden her in while Phil shone his flashlight into them. But both man gasped quietly as the beam passed over the area, and they saw that Clara was gone.

Clara crawled through the tight, rocky path of the mountain tunnel, cringing when she bumped her head on the low ceiling or scraped her hand on the floor or wall. She wasn't sure why she had crawled into the tunnel to hide in the first place. It had just seemed like a good idea at the time.

But she soon felt tears beginning to form in her eyes. Now that she was alone with her thoughts, she was able to think about the things that she had wanted to forget- her grandpa being in the hospital, her dad leaving Russia to visit him, the man named Dustin punching Uncle Riley, being separated from her mother, being shot at, her Uncle Riley crying as he watched his brother, who had been mean to him before, die… She just wanted to curl up into a ball and magically appear in her own room back at home…

Suddenly, she gasped in surprise when she felt something smooth and cold under her hand. Clara slowly picked it up, and after inspecting it, felt that it was a heart-shaped locket. Wondering why something so valuable was sitting in this deep, mountain tunnel, she carefully put it around her neck. It didn't belong here in the dark.

Then, she decided that she wouldn't go any farther into the tunnel, and it would probably be a good idea to start making her way back to the entrance. But she was jerkily stopped when her jacket got caught on a rock above her. Clara tried to pull out of it, but her heart sank when she heard a loud tearing sound and felt the jacket rip off of her. Now frozen to the bone, Clara continued to crawl toward the entrance in hope that she could find her group to warm up, leaving her torn jacket behind but moving forward with her newfound treasure.

Ivan pulled to a stop in front of a large, dark house, turning off the car. He then climbed out of the driver's seat and shut the door behind him before opening the back door and pulling out the unconscious Riley, holding him in his arms with his limp head resting against his shoulder. He began to walk toward the house, but the door opened before he could even reach it, and Artem stepped out.

"Oh, good. I see it went successfully," the head Russian man said, stopping in front of Ivan.

"Da. Yes, though I did have to improvise a little," Ivan replied. "His brother got in the way of my gun when it was fired, and he was killed. A shame really, that he died for nothing since I was only aiming for this one's shoulder." He looked down on the motionless Riley in his arms. "But I was still able to get him here, and that's all that counts."

Artem grinned triumphantly. "That is true," he muttered. "I did tell you that all we needed was the ace to be successful in this game." He ran his hand through Riley's dark hair, not minding when the younger man subconsciously winced when the rough fingers hit the spot where Ivan's gun had connected with his skull. "I look forward to when Gates returns to see that we are one step ahead of him."

A/N: And I'm afraid that's all I have for this chapter, guys. But hey. Ian has found some new hope with the appearance of Phil, which should keep him going for a while in Ben's absence and even after he returns. And I was afraid that I wasn't going to be able to fit Riley into this chapter, but thankfully I could squeeze him in at the end there, even though he's unconscious. Hope you liked it better than I did! Thanks for reading, guys! Your reviews are much appreciated. Thank you!