No one's PoV

1600 HOURS.

"Are we sure about this?" Aneisha asked. Dan sighed.

"We don't have a choice." He replied. "This is our only chance to rescue the PM's sister, take down Phantom and rescue Zoe and Bryan."

"He's right." Keri agreed. "We have to do this."

"I know." Aneisha said. "But it feels wrong."

"I know." Dan repeated. "It definitely feels wrong."

1602 HOURS

"Are you ready for this… Sir?" Frank added after some thought.

"I'll do anything to get Claire back." The man beside him replied. "Even give myself over to the enemy. It is my job and my duty."

"You're doing good." Frank told him although he looked far from happy. In fact, he looked quite the opposite.

"Are you ok, Frank?" Stella asked as she approached. "You look…" she trailed off.

"I look what?" Frank snapped. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, for lack of a better word," Stella told him. "You look constipated." Frank turned bright red.

"That didn't help, Frank." One of the Prime Minister's bodyguards said. Frank hid his face.

"Why are you here again?" he asked Stella.

"I'm just going to talk to… our Prime minister." She looked unhappy as well.

"I don't think we have that much time." Frank said doubtfully. "The exchange is meant to happen in a few minutes."

"Fine." Stella said. "But I don't like this."

"You think I do?" Frank snapped. "This is a stupid idea."

1605 HOURS

"Get the woman," the Ringmaster ordered some of his men. "We have somewhere to be." Two of his men saluted and strode off.

"I trust that the park was empty?" the Ringmaster asked turning to three or four men standing in front of him.

"What do you mean there was an old man, a frozen yogurt seller and a rubbish performing man asking about the number of tramps around the park?" he snapped. "Who were they?" his men shrugged. The Ringmaster fumed.

MI9, for he knew it much have been them, were getting dangerously close to figuring out who they were. And that was not acceptable.

"We cannot jeopardize our operation by pursuing them right now." He said to himself. "But as soon as the Prime minister is in our grasp, I will destroy them."

1610 HOURS

It was a cold December day and the sun had already begun its descend into night. Strong torched beamed out light, illuminating up to 50 metres in front of the people holding them.

The exchange was all set to take place.

On one side of the path that stretched throughout the park, stood MI9.

On the other, a tape recorder and Claire. The park was otherwise empty.

"This is getting worse by the minute." Stella muttered.

"Where are they?" Dan growled.

"It would appear that they are much more intelligent than we originally predicted." Tom's voice said in Dan's earpiece.

"No kidding, Smart Guy." Dan replied.

"Will the plan still work like this?" Keri asked. Dan shook his head.

"Hopefully."

"Welcome MI9!" Boomed the clear tones of the Ringmaster's voice boomed out from the tape recorder. "As you can see, I have my hostage and I also have people all ready to shoot her if you try anything." A sound of harsh laughed filled the air making everyone shiver.

"Here's what is going to happen," the Ringmaster continued. "We will send our hostage down the path to you and you will do the same. Like I said before, we have all sorts of weapons pointed at her head. Don't try anything."

"Here goes nothing." Dan said as the exchange began. Their 'hostage' as Phantom was calling him, was walking slowly, with a calm look on his face. His eyes however showed differently. A tale of terror. A story of horror. And it was making Dan's stomach churn.

Claire looked about the same, maybe even more scared. When they reached the middle, they both stopped and looked at each other. Claire seemed angry.

"What are you doing?" she said, Dan reading her lips easily despite being so far away.

"Keep walking!" the Ringmaster shouted from the tape recorder. Dan leaned over to Keri, who was standing next to him with a heartbroken look on his face.

"He's here," he whispered. "This isn't a pre-recorded message."

"Or maybe it is and he just predicted what was going to happen." Keri replied. Before he could reply, Claire was standing in front of them. Immediately, bodyguards surrounded her, protecting her from any gunfire and hurried her into a car that was waiting for them.

"What about my brother?" she demanded.

"Just get into the car!" Stella ordered. "We'll explain later." Claire looked indignant, but stepped into the waiting SUV. But before they drove off, she looked out of the window jut in time to see her brother disappear into thin air.

"Claire?" she looked around at the voice, her eyes widening. "Are you ok?"

"David?"