Chapter 46: Falling Captive
"Don't worry. You won't have to look far."
Randy had recognized her voice before she had even said the second word, but everything went dark before he could turn to see the woman that they were there to save.
His body felt heavy in that moment, as if it just decided to give up on him as he started to lose consciousness. Around him, Kelly and the rest of his team were in the same position, all of them on their knees as they struggled to not black out in the face of incoming danger.
Kelly was the first to succumb, followed by John, Ted, and Cody in slow succession. By the time Cody accepted his fate, Randy was fully on the ground, struggling to keep his eyes open as he heard the sound of footsteps approach him. They were too light to be that of a man's, and by the time he reached this conclusion, he was looking at a pair of black ankle boots.
The scent coming from the owner of said boots was too familiar for him to ignore, and he looked up as far as his paralyzed head would allow, only managing to get up to her waist before he couldn't move anymore. Sensing this, she crouched down until her face was finally in his view, her blue eyes boring into his.
"Amanda. . ." He whispered as he watched her impassive face, not a hint of emotion to be seen as he looked for any sign that she recognized him.
"Huh, Szyman did mention earlier that there would be some uninvited guests on the premises today," She mumbled as she looked around at the carnage within the room. ". . . I didn't expect you to be this troublesome though."
"We're. . . full of surprises," Randy managed to stay as he continued his fight to stay awake.
"I've noticed," She mumbled, breathing out a sigh. "At the very least, I've induced all your allies into a state of unconsciousness, but then there's you, fighting back against my power. . . I must admit. I'm a little impressed."
"I'm . . . flattered," He mumbled as his hearing picked up on more footsteps in the near distance.
"AMANDA!" Called an accented voice that immediately started to get Randy's blood boiling, and soon enough, Mr. S appeared at Amanda's side, his face a mix of emotions as he looked down at her.
Randy wanted to tear him apart right then and there.
"Hmm, it seems you have things handled here," He conceded, his scowl turning into a smirk as he turned to the man in front of them. "Ah. . . The Viper. Finally, I get to meet you in the flesh!"
"The feelings. . . not mutual." Randy managed to say as he started to feel himself losing the mental battle he and Amanda were still engaged in.
"Ah, don't be like that. . . After all, I'm sure we can find some common ground, don't you think?" He asked, sneaking a look down at the still couched Amanda before turning back to him, the action only earning him a small growl from Randy. "Then again, did you and your friends have to break into my house? At the very least, you could have tried the front door."
"I have a feeling that idea was never in consideration, Szymon," Amanda mumbled as she finally got back to her full height. "Anyway, it shouldn't be long before he's out like the others."
"Is that a little bit of frustration that I hear in your tone Amanda?" He mused as Randy finally bowed his head, his eyes slowly closing shut.
"Well, it's not everyday that you meet someone that fights back so much against your powers," She admitted, looking down at the Viper's prone form with faint interest in her eyes. "I managed to knock out the others immediately, but this man here . . . He's definitely a fighter."
"I certainly saw that," Mr. S murmured as he continued to watch the man. "He's definitely tenacious, don't you think?"
"What do you plan to do with them?" Amanda was quick to ask as she walked over to Kaitlyn's side, ignoring his question to ask one of her own.
"There are numerous options on the table, but for now, we need to make sure Kelly and Kaitlyn are alright," Mr. S offered, his gaze going straight to the mermaid.
"I didn't even know Kelly was here," The psychic mumbled as she looked over at her friend. "And why would she side with these intruders?"
"That is what we'll have to find out my dear, once they both wake up that is," Mr. S concluded as Punk entered the room, quickly followed by a couple of guards that hadn't been a part of the original fight. "We're going to need a lot more men to help with this Punk."
"Yeah, I can see that sir," Punk mused as he turned to the guards behind him. "You guys take the girls upstairs. The medic should already be expecting them."
"Amanda, you should go with them," Mr. S suggested as he turned to the woman. "You know, give them a friendly face to look at when they wake up?"
"Sure; I've had my fill of dead bodies for the day anyway," She admitted before following the guards out the room. Mr. S watched her go, never moving his gaze until she was completely out of his line of sight.
"Hmm, Orton and his crew must have snuck in through the hidden entrance, found Kelly in the pool and freed her before encountering Kaitlyn and the guards," Punk spoke up, putting the pieces together as he walked around the room. "They dealt with the guards and managed to subdue Kaitlyn before Amanda finally stopped them in their tracks. . ."
"That seems like the most likely conclusion."
Hearing the dark edge to his tone, Punk looked up, his eyes widening slightly when he saw the hateful look in his superior's eyes as he looked down at the man who threatened to take his prize away from him. Shaking his head, Punk quietly stepped forward, stopping once he was right beside his employer, a slow smile appearing on his face as he looked at his fellow mercenary.
"So, what are your plans for him?" The Chicago native asked as he pointed down at Randy.
"Hmm, there are so many possibilities running through my mind right now, I don't know which one to pick," Mr. S smirked as he looked up. "At this point, I'm willing to just run through the list until he succumbs. . . For now, have Orton and his friends taken to the Chambers. We'll start dealing with them once my work for the coven is done for the day."
T ~ S ~ O ~ J
Hours later
"Randy . . . Randy wake up!"
"Ugh . . ." The Viper mumbled as the sound of someone calling his name reached his ears. It sounded muffled to his hearing, but as he slowly got his bearings together, the voice became much clearer, and more familiar too. ". . . John?"
"Yeah bud, it's me," The strongman called out from somewhere nearby. "C'mon man! We need you to open your eyes!"
"Okay, okay," Randy mumbled as he finally did just that. Bringing his vision into focus, he raised his head to see the iron bars that separated himself from the rest of his team. ". . . Well, this is not good."
"Pretty much reached the same conclusion as soon as I woke up, saw the iron bars, tried to break them apart, and failed mightily," John answered in return as he gripped the bars of his cage. "Best guess is that either these prison cells dampen our abilities somehow, or we've all been given something to make us weaker."
"Either option is a possibility at this point," Called Ted, who was leaning against the bars of the prison cell next to John's.
"Regardless of the option, I'm sure we can accept that both are equally bad for us," Cody quipped from his cell, which was on Randy's direct left.
"How long have we been here?" Randy then asked as he looked around at his cell, grimacing when he saw that there was only a cot, a sink, and a bucket there with him. There was no clock or window in sight.
"I'd say that we've been here for a while," Ted mused. "Cody was the first to wake up. I woke up 20 minutes after him. John woke up five minutes after me, and we waited probably another two hours for you to finally open your eyes."
"Two hours!" Randy whispered harshly as he looked up at Ted. Before he could say any more, he stopped in his tracks, his thoughts suddenly going back to what happened before he was knocked out. ". . . I see."
"Randy, you okay?" Cody asked as he looked over at him, well, as best as his cell would allow him. "Do you know something we don't?"
"It. . . it was Amanda," The Viper admitted, shaking his head as he approached his cell's bars. "That's who knocked us out."
"Amanda. . . Aw crap! That piece of shit really did manage to brainwash her then!" John exclaimed, shaking his head.
"That would explain why we were knocked out like it was nothing." Ted mumbled. "We didn't even see it coming. One minute we're all wide awake. The next minute, we're out cold."
"You all were out immediately, but I managed to last out a little bit longer. . . I saw her. She was looking at me as if she didn't even recognize me," Randy admitted, grimacing at the memory before letting out a short chuckle. "But at the very least, she was impressed that I managed to stay awake for that long against her powers."
"Something tells me that the fact that Amanda didn't recognize you wasn't the only thing that bothered you," John pointed out as Randy's face slowly got angrier. "What else happened?"
"Well, I got to meet Mr. S in the flesh. . . That was something."
"I'm sure that was an unpleasant experience," Cody mumbled. "What happened once he showed up?"
"Let's see. . . He was annoyed that we broke into his house, but that was all I could remember before I finally lost consciousness." Randy admitted.
"Well, that doesn't give us much," John mumbled as he looked around. "Okay, to recap, Amanda knocked us all unconscious, and while we were out, we were brought here to these holding cells. Amanda is on Mr. S' side now-"
"Brainwashed to his side!" Randy harshly cut in, making his thoughts clear on the matter..
"Okay, brainwashed to his side," John clarified, taking the hint. "And Kelly and Kaitlyn are nowhere to be found."
"Mr. S is likely going to double his efforts in making sure that they're under his control just as much as Amanda is right now, especially Kelly," Ted mumbled as he looked at Cody, who could only look back with an almost despondent look on his face. ". . . Sorry Cody."
"Don't be," Cody mumbled, his voice grave as a new intensity graced his expression. ". . . I'll just consider this as more motivation to get her back, no matter how frustrated I am with how the first attempt ended."
"You and me both Cody," Randy mumbled as the sudden sound of a door closing down the hall grabbed everyone's attention. "Someone's coming."
"Sounds like more than one person too," Ted mumbled as the sounds of footsteps slowly approached them. "Got to be at least four people. Judging by how heavy they sound, they must all be guys."
"And you would be right Ted old friend!" Cried Punk, who walked into their view, stepping around the corner with a couple of guards behind him.
His appearance was not met with a positive reception from the others.
"Ooh, tough crowd," The Chicago native chuckled as he looked around at the four. "I thought you guys would have appreciated seeing a familiar face."
"We can always appreciate a familiar face," Cody mused. "Just not yours of course."
"Don't mind them, Punk. . . They're just mad that their plans went up in smoke before it could succeed," Called Mr. S, who walked around the corner with a victorious grin on his face. "Losing isn't fun after all."
It was a grin that Randy would have been more than happy to punch right off his face if given the chance.
"It's good to see that you're all awake. I hope the . . . accommodations are to your liking," Mr. S teased as he looked around, making sure to lock eyes with each man, saving Randy for last. "You'll be here for quite a while."
A/N: Please review!