ALL DISCLAIMERS APPLY

Shalimar groaned as she rolled onto her back. Regret immediately filled her as pain shot down her back and through her head causing it to throb painfully. She rolled onto her side and dared to open her eyes. Her vision swam, but thankfully wherever she woke up was dimly lit. Blinking a few times to clear her vision she gingerly pushed herself into a sitting position. She hissed and grit her teeth trying to chase away the pain and nausea that came as she shifted.

Catching her breath, she systematically tested her limbs and made note of her injuries. Her shoulders and back were severely bruised and sore. Her cheeks felt hot and the skin on her face and neck were tight and pulled as she moved, and she vaguely recalled there being fire before everything went black. The head injury wasn't a surprise with how she felt, but the dried blood matting her hair to the back of her scalp did concern her.

Everything hurt.

She was sitting in a 4'x4' cage, barefoot, with her hands bound tightly in front of her with zip ties. In the dim light she could make out two similar cages to her left.

The one directly next to her held an unconscious heap that could only have been Brennan. His back was to her and she couldn't see his face, but his breathing was even and steady.

The blond feral flashed her eyes to see through the dark and confirm her assumption that Rei was in the last cage.

She screamed and curled into a ball as a different searing pain coursed through her. As the agony subsided, she took deep breaths willing the contents of her stomach to stay put. When the nausea subsided, Shalimar sat back up with a groan and felt the back of her neck for a governor.

What she found around her neck instead was what felt like a metal collar. It was about a half an inch thick and was snug to her neck with a smooth finish. She ran her hand all the way around it and couldn't find any sort of clasp or hinge to remove it.

She brought her commlink to her mouth and attempted to call Adam and the others but was only answered with silence. Even though there wasn't a signal the weight of it on her hand was comforting.

A groan and a rustle of fabric pulled her attention to the cage beside her. Brennan gently pushed himself up onto his elbows and knees. He shook his head trying to clear the fog. He could hear his name being called behind him but couldn't seem to form a response.

The elemental's muscles shook as he moved to a kneeling position and rubbed his face with another groan. He heard his name again and locked eyes with Shalimar over his shoulder. The shock of her appearance chased away some of the haze.

"God Shal, are you okay? What the hell happened?"

The blond smirked. "I will be, but I'm not entirely sure what happened. I was hoping you got the number of the truck that hit me." Brennan couldn't help the small laugh he let out despite their circumstance. "Last thing I remember is going after Rei, and then just fire."

Reflexively her eyes flashed at the thought of the fire that had surrounded her. Immediately she was overwhelmed for a second time by the shock of pain that came from the collar.

Brennan shot to his feet and grabbed the metal grating of his cage. Panicked at her screams as she curled in on herself, he yelled her name. It only lasted a few moments but it felt like a lifetime for the elemental.

The panting feral leaned back against the cage wall when the collar ended its punishment. Once she had caught her breath she looked up at Brennan. "Don't try to use your powers." She raised her hands and touched the collar at her neck. "It's some sort of governor. You've got one too, and I'll bet Rei has one that completes the set."

At the mention of their other teammate Brennan spun around in search of her. The quick motion made the floor pitch as a wave of lightheadedness overcame him. He steadied himself using the cage and slid down to the floor with his head between his knees.

Shalimar moved over to sit as close to him as she could manage.

"We make quite the pair at the moment, don't we." Shalimar sighed as Brennan sat back up. "I'm pretty sure Rei is in the cage on the other side of you. As far as I know she hasn't been awake yet."

Brennan looked over the still form in the cage beside him. "Well, she's breathing. She has a nasty bruise on the side of her face and a split lip, but she seems to still be in one piece as far as I can tell from here. Her hands are bound, and she's collared as well."

Shalimar sighed in relief that her younger counterpart was more or less intact. She was slightly concerned that she hadn't awoken yet but pushed that thought to the back of her mind for the moment.

"Did you try to contact the others?" Brennan asked when he realized he still had his commlink.

The blond shook her head. "No answer. Hopefully the signal made it through back at the bar."

Brennan turned his focus to the room they were in. He stood back up, and once the room stopped spinning he took in their surroundings. As he walked around the cage he tested the walls for any give or weakness, but found none.

The space they were being held in was long and narrow with only one dim light at the top of the closest narrow wall. The wall at the far end was too shadowed to make out. There was a small door without an interior handle directly across from Shalimar. The walls were metal and the floor was plywood under the metal bottom of the cages. Bouncing up and down on his feet Brennan could feel a slight give to the floor. The feeling was familiar.

"I think we might be in some sort of shipping container or a semi-trailer."

Taking another look around Shalimar agreed. "Well if we are at least we aren't moving. I don't think my head right now would appreciate getting jostled around." She closed her eyes and leaned her head against the side of her cage as a wave of nausea washed over her.

Noticing her distress, Brennan sat back down beside her concerned. "Shal, you okay?"

Her response was sluggish but after a few moments and a few deep breaths she managed a nod. When she looked like she was drifting off Brennan called out to her.

"Shalimar! Come on wake up, Shal!" He banged the side of the cage and yelled her name once more before her brown eyes fluttered open and locked onto his as she jumped startled at the noise that echoed in the enclosed space.

"There you are. You worried me for a second there. I need you to stay awake for me. I think you may have a concussion so you can't go to sleep just yet. You hear me Shal?"

She pulled up her knees and leaned forward so she was facing him. "Okay. So… Any bright ideas on how we're going to get out of this one?"

TBC...