Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Recognition Isn't Always a Good Thing

Syd awoke again, but this time she kept her eyes shut. She felt more strength then she did the last time she had woken up, although there was still pain. Listening carefully she realized that she wasn't alone, someone was breathing heavily beside her. Was there another person there? Friend…or enemy, she wasn't sure. She tried to keep herself calm. She was still tied up and nothing worth having by her hands was there. Her throat still ached with the overwhelming desire to drink something. Have anything cool and wet ease her pain. Her body still hurt. She felt like if she looked at her whole body it would entirely be in bruises.

Instead of focusing on the pain she began to try to focus on noises that might trigger something in her mind, the loudest noise was the person next to her. As she tried to focus outside of their breathing she realized that the person wasn't just breathing heavily, they were barely breathing, drawing in quick, sharp breathes.

They were in pain! Which meant that they weren't the enemy.

Slowly Syd opened her eyes; the person by her was lying on the ground. She could barely see in the darkness that surrounded her, but she could tell that they were tied up. The person was curled up in a ball and her whole body was moving as they inhaled and exhaled, shuddering ever so slightly.

Syd opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. As she moved her head to look for the puddle she felt a pounding in her head. It got worse as she moved, but there wasn't any other choice. It was then that she noticed the puddle of liquid, it was near her head, between her and the other person, in fact they were slightly in it. Normally Syd would think that uncomfortable, but to be able to touch something wet at this moment would be nothing but a miracle.

She moved slowly towards it and in doing that she felt the stabbing pain from her legs. They both shot up into the core of her very being burning her from the inside. She gasped out loud and still no sound escaped her lips. Panic began to seize her as she realized how useless her legs and voice were rendering her useless in any fight or escape. Before she got too far on that thought her thoughts became consumed once more with the thirst her throat and mouth so badly needed.

From that small movement she had gotten closer to the puddle…just close enough. Moving her head toward it she thought it smelled a little odd…it didn't smell like water at all. She was close enough to see a dull red…it was blood! She had almost drunken blood! Her stomach became queasy and she became disgusted. Why would they have left blood here to drink? That was sick and wrong. Unless…Syd looked at the person curled up, lying partially in the blood, unless the blood was coming from her.

Syd began to swallow, she needed to be able to talk, to see if this person was alright, although from the looks of them, they weren't alright and probably wouldn't be for a while. Finally she was able to swallow enough times to speak…not too clearly though.

"Hey, hey are you alright?" Syd was glad that there was no loud noise close by or even she wouldn't have been able to hear herself talk. "Excuse me."

The person moved a little but made no moves to show that they had heard Syd.

She sighed in frustration, it wasn't fair. Someone was there, and she couldn't get their attention. What she was going to be able to do. If only…the floor. If Syd could touch her hand to the floor she could perhaps change her hand into that and then use it to escape.

Escape.

Such an easy word…and yet so unattainable at this point. Syd remembered the searing pain in her legs, there was no way she could run. Not now. She couldn't even move. What had happened to her legs? What had they done to her? She knew that she wasn't paralyzed but that didn't prevent fear from taking over.

She had to try to think of another plan. Something that would help make more sense of this.

All of a sudden her eyes were shocked by a blinding light, so bright that she had to close her eyes and turn away.

It had hurt them.

"Get the blonde."

Syd felt herself being grabbed by the her arms and then being pulled. Her legs screamed out in pain but she tried to hold in her breathe as much as possible. She didn't want whoever this was to think that they had any control over her.

She was roughly pulled away, her legs thumping against things along the way, walls most likely. She clenched her eyes shut and focused on anything besides the pain. One of her most recent songs flitted into her head. With it came faces, her parents, Bridge, Z, Sky, Jack, Doggie, Kat, Devon, Bridge…

Her mind went to Bridge and what he was doing. She found that, with her thoughts on Bridge she wasn't focused entirely on the pain…it was somewhat leaving.

Finally she wasn't moving anymore. She blinked her eyes opened and found that she was strapped into a chair. There was a man and a woman standing in front of her, "Good she's awake."

His voice was calm and quiet, almost gentle.

"Here." The woman's voice was a bit rough, she handed the man a cup.

"Thanks." He took the water from her and then nodded toward the door, "Go get him, he wants to talk to her."

The woman rolled her eyes and left.

The man walked closer to Syd, he had brown, shoulder length hair. He seemed to be about 5'11". "Now, here, I'm sure you're thirsty."

Syd opened her mouth to say anything but then quickly shut it. How did she know that he was going to give her something that was really good to drink? For all she knew there was poison or a drug. She shook her head.

"Come on, he wants to talk to you."

Syd wanted very much to ask, but knew that it was too much and it allowed a chance for them to get something in her.

"Come now Syd, that water is perfectly safe for you to drink." Syd looked towards the door where a familiar man stood. He was 5'9" and had blond hair and green eyes. He was from the movie set. She remembered him coming and talking to her a few different times.

"You?" She said it, but no sound came out.

"Yes me. Now please drink some water. I'm sure you have to ask something?"

Syd did want to ask, but she was afraid. She knew that the water could be safe but at the same time there was always a chance that it wasn't. The man holding the water and the one who she recognized from the movie set looked at each other. The second one nodded and the first one holding the water drank some of it. She waited but nothing happened to him so she finally nodded and hoped that it would be alright.

As soon as the water touched her lips she felt as if she was in heaven, she remembered nothing else as good as the water that was now slowly going down her dry throat. She finished drinking much too quickly, her thirst was not quenched yet.

"Ah, now isn't that better?" The man from the movie asked.

"I thought you worked for the movie company?"

"Not on Earth. Please." He and the other man exchanged looks. "So Syd, I suppose you were doing undercover work for SPD after all. Jacob isn't going to be too happy about that."

"Jacob?" It took her but a minute to remember who this man was. She remembered another room. Sitting down and talking to two men, one was Jacob and the other was her agent. Jacob had not hidden how much he hated SPD and anyone that belonged to it in anyway. Syd was able to smoothly lie her way out of it but obviously all was lost since she was here, captive, and no amount of lying would get her out of this one.

"Yes. I am sorry that it has to be like this."

"Sorry?" Syd couldn't help but say her thought out loud.

"Yes. Things happen and it can't be stopped. If only you hadn't gone snooping. I thought things were weird when your agent called, but this…" He shook his head.

"Mitch, Jacob is busy, he says later, but you can continue."

Syd's eyes widened, "Mitch! You, you're Tomas' agent!"

"Don't be so dramatic."

Syd couldn't believe it, Tomas was involved! It didn't make sense; he just didn't seem the type. The last person she was with, the last person who might have an idea, was in on the plan to destroy Earth. And Devon…he had to be able to find her.

"Now, besides SPD, who was helping you?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"Someone came and talked and wanted help didn't they?"

"I don't know. You're the one with all the answers." Syd stubbornly held her gaze with Mitch.

He pursed his lips together and tilted his head. "I know someone has to be on the inside and I will find out, make no mistake of that."

"Sure you will."

Mitch frowned and looked at Syd with interest, "There are so many possibilities."

"Right, I'm sure the only one you want is that virus you're working on. Creating, trying to create an unstoppable virus."

"The virus." His eyes were looking far away as he continued, "Amazing thing. A group…the group, figured out that the worst virus, if we were in control of it…well then we could control everything. Have things our way for a change."

"Power? That's what this is about? Why do you kill so many innocent people then? What you're going to be in charge of corpses?"

"No, not corpses. The people that we want to be in charge of."

Syd shook her head, "People will die, so many…you shouldn't have control over that, it's…there are other ways."

"Miss Sydney Drew, Syd, why try to talk me out of it? You won't succeed in reusing bits from your first movie to work your way out of this." He noticed the surprised look on Syd's face, "Don't be surprised, we study thoroughly."

Syd rolled her eyes and looked away.

All at once there was a clear beeping sound in the room, Mitch looked at the other man who went over to the table and picked up a small communicator. "It's Tomas."

Mitch ground his teeth together before walking over, "Now he calls. He needs to just relax and be happy he's home." He picked up the communicator and pressed the button, "Tomas!"

"Mitch, how are things?"

"Just fine. All is great."

"How has your time off been?"

Time off? Didn't Tomas know?

Mitch walked a little further away, "Good. Thanks for the vacation."

"You deserved it. I have a question for you, if you don't mind."

"What?"

"I was curious it you've talked to Syd recently. I would like to ask if she'll come to the opening here, but I can not get a hold of her."

Tomas didn't know. Tomas didn't know!

"I'm sure she's just really busy."

This was it, she had to try, quickly she yelled at the top of her lungs, "Tomas, help. It's Syd, virus, capti—"

Syd felt her mouth covered and could not respond anymore. She hoped Tomas had heard and would let others know.

"Busy, yes. I'll call you later." Mitch quickly hung up and then turned around towards Syd, "That was a mistake."

With the last word Syd heard a clear sound and then felt the sharp sting of an arm across her cheek. She gasped out with this added pain and felt blood in her mouth. Her head was spinning wildly, "No talking. Not if I'm busy." He stepped forward and grabbed her hair and jerked her attention back to his face, "Understand?" She gave a slow nod.

"Good, now shall we begin out interrogation?"

A picture of the other person laying on the floor next to her flooded her mind. And with horror Syd suddenly realized that this interrogation might not be one she would live through.