Chapter 25 – Rescue one

Enjoy.

The night fell quickly. Before they knew it, the team were back at the bar and Damien and Maria had entered the busy atmosphere, sucked into the work almost immediately as the man who Lance recognised from last time had accepted their help within the minute it was offered. Skye had managed to hack into the CCTV this time, which gave every member of the team eyes on the downstairs and upstairs happenings.

Damien served up another drink to a customer with the nicest smile he could muster. He remembered drunks from when he worked for the cops and could only imagine how many times they would be called to this place tonight. It had been completely transformed from the earlier scene of a calmer party that Lance had described as 'eerie'.

"Excuse me!" A slurred shout from a woman to his right broke him from his observations, "You speak English, right?"

"Yes, how can I help?" Damien replied. The woman and her friend stumbled right up to the bar and leaned across,

"We want tickets for upstairs. You can help us out, right handsome?"

Damien forced himself to swallow down any sickness that had risen from the heavy stench of alcohol that hung in her breath and let an easy smile through, "Sure, let me sort something out for you."

He stepped back and looked around for Maria. His eyes found her serving a table far away from the dance floor and as she turned, he caught her eye and gestured to the stairs leading to the first floor. Maria made her way over to him and started to arrange a tray of shots while speaking lowly,

"You go talk to Artur over there, get the passes and I'll follow them up. Cover me." Maria swiftly walked off after her orders to Damien, who frowned in disagreement of her plan but had to participate nevertheless. He walked to the other side of the bar and found Artur who was downing a drink of his own that seemed much stronger than the amount Damien thought was allowed while on the job.

"So is that how things work around here?" He asked, surprising Artur who looked a little caught out but played it off easily,

"When things get a little hectic it eases the stress," He shrugged in reply before acknowledging Damien's presence properly, "You needed something?"

"Yes, there's a couple of women back there who wanted to go upstairs? Know anything about that or are they just drunk?"

Artur smiled mischievously and leaned in as if to tell Damien the most top secret information ever exposed, "Upstairs is called Experience. It's nowhere near as busy as down here but it's four times as good. Only people who mean business go up, real business. However, if it is women you talk about, then they are most likely to be allowed. The boss always likes the nice views."

Damien cringed inwardly at the brief description of the boss. He sounded vile and disrespectful but he couldn't afford to get on the bad side of the boss.

"So can you talk to them? I'm sure, after what you said, they can go up but just to be on the safe side."

Artur nodded and followed Damien to the two women, his face showing recognition as the conversation was started immediately. It only took another minute before they were on their way up the stairs. Maria nodded slightly to Damien and he took his cue.

"Hey Artur, one more thing before you go back around, what's the limit on how much we can drink?" He asked with a grin. Artur slapped him on the back and started to lead him back to where he'd originally been,

"Let's have some fun, newbie."

When Damien looked behind him again, Maria was gone.

Experience was strangely peaceful. It was the kind of party that looked formal on the outside but held a lot of secrets within. A few drunken characters were there but other than that, glasses of alcohol remained full on tables as people engaged in conversation.

Maria didn't fail to notice the security on each wall, watching every move made by the oblivious people who looked to be enjoying their time. She carried the tray she bought up to the bar and quickly surveyed the workers. In comparison to Artur, they were well put together and seemed to never speak as they were constantly making drinks and placing them on the bar for anyone to take. She spotted a couple of corridors in the far corners of the room and headed for the nearest one, avoiding the eyes of security and hoping to find Bobbi and Natasha as soon as possible.

The corridor was unlit and seemingly abandoned until she reached the turning and voices could be heard before she turned the corner.

"We need to get out of here within the hour. I don't doubt for a second that S.H.I.E.L.D are coming back and we need to act before they do. Follow me." The voice demanded and footsteps started Maria's way. She moved back into the wall and prayed for them to carry on straight. Before the person could reveal themselves, another voice came into the scene,

"Peter, don't go walking off again. The S.H.I.E.L.D agents would have never come in the first place if you hadn't made such a mistake. I will not have your back this time." It was a woman's voice this time and it didn't take a genius to figure out who the first speaker was.

"You have no right to talk to me in a way. You didn't save me, you didn't help me and you certainly won't be coming with us again. Now, you two, I said follow me."

Numerous footsteps passed Maria, luckily blind to her hiding spot. A heavy sigh was heard from where the conversation was held then more footsteps faded into the opposite direction. Feeling like it was safe to carry on, Maria stepped out and continued down the corridor.

The atmosphere got heavier and heavier the further she walked, a sudden feeling of apprehension stopping her outside a room with a sign on the door,

DO NOT ENTER. ORDERS OF PETER LUKIN. TRESSPASSERS WILL BE CAUGHT AND PUNISHED

"Basically an invitation then," Maria muttered before swinging the door open and promptly dropping her jaw at what she found.

"Bobbi? Crap, Bobbi!" Maria exclaimed at seeing the agent struggling to get her hands out of the binds holding them behind the chair. She ran across the room to help and only then saw the colour of Bobbi's face. The woman looked extremely drugged up and drowsy and was murmuring words that Maria couldn't understand in her haste to get her out of the chair.

"You gotta help me out, Morse. Try and move your hand out of there for me." She coaxed. Eventually, Bobbi helped Maria free her hands from the chair and instantly slid to the floor, the only thing keeping her on the chair being the binds on her wrists.

"What happened?" Maria asked, more to herself than anything. Then she thought again and prioritised getting out of there instead of wondering what things Bobbi and Natasha had to endure. Speaking of Natasha…

"Bobbi, where's Natasha? Is she in the building somewhere?"

Bobbi's head nodded slowly at the mention of Natasha, "We…dr-dr…drug…gone…"

That was all Maria was getting as Bobbi fell unconscious in her arms.

"Hey! Morse, don't- oh for goodness- could this get any worse?"

As if on cue, the alarm rang out and running steps were approaching fast to the room. Maria only had time to look up before an angry looking Peter Lukin met her gaze.

"Well. Looks like we aren't going anywhere just yet."

Thanks for reading.

A quick thank you to everyone who is reading. Who would have thought that I, one of the people who isn't great with commitment to stories, would have got to chapter 25! I only have everyone who reads, follows, favourites and reviews to thank. Your generosity has been overwhelming and it's great to have something to come and write for someone else who isn't myself. Who knows, maybe another 25 chapters will pass by!