"Shawn!"

Gus continued to yell as he ran to the door and threw it open. A small part of him noted that it had been unlocked as he frantically looked around for his friend.

Glass crunched under his shoes as he took in the overturned furniture and a broken table. The Shawn-voice in his head supplied the deduction he was trying to avoid; they were signs of a struggle. His heart pounded faster as he checked the bathroom and bedroom, hoping against hope that Shawn was just bruised and recovering from the attack. And censoring his thoughts for some reason, as the lack of ponging balls left an almost physical gap in Gus' mind. A mix of fear and relief crashed through him when the rooms turned up empty.

At least another kidnapping was preferable to the other reason for the silence.

Gus returned to the main room and looked around more critically, hoping to find a clue as to what happened. His first instinct was to assume that Novikov had made good on his threat, but it felt too soon. Not to mention the mob boss would probably want to make it obvious the attack was him. Gus pulled out his phone as the glittering glass caught his eye, and he took in how it spread over the ground and covered the sofa, chair, and rug. A small black box sitting next to the door pulled his attention, and he noticed the glass was under it, not on top. The Shawn-voice in his head informed him that detail was important, but he couldn't force his mind to come up with the answer as he dialed Shawn's number.

Maybe he'd managed to run and was just waiting for Gus to find him.

His phone rang before he could press the call button, and he stared at the number blinking back at him. He knew that number. The pieces clicked into place and Gus' vision hazed red as he answered the call.

"Where is he?"

"Hello, Burton," Rhianna said calmly, "I see you've found my message."

Gus' hand tightened around the phone as he growled out, "Where. Is. He?"

"Your friend is with a few associates of mine. There's a laptop near the door; turn it on and click on the icon," Rhianna instructed. "If you hang up or try to call for help, you won't see your friend alive again."

Gus lowered the phone from his ear as he took a deep breath through his clenched teeth. The image of Shawn dead in a chair rose in his memory and he pushed it down ruthlessly as he stalked over to the laptop in question and opened the large icon sitting in the middle of the desktop.

An image of Rhianna filled the screen, and she held out her phone with a pointed look through the camera. Gus lifted his phone back to his ear and her lips stretched into a smile as her voice came through the laptop. "Keep that where I can see it, your other hand too."

Gus bit the inside of his cheek as he raised his other hand up, trying to keep his temper in check so he wouldn't get Shawn hurt before he knew the rules. He tried to keep his voice calm and level as he said, "I'm cooperating, but I need to see Shawn. I'm not doing anything else until I know he's ok."

"Of course," Rhianna agreed easily. "I'm glad we're starting to understand each other."

She looked down and seemed to be doing something on her side of the video call before her image shrunk down to a box in the corner and a new image took its spot. Gus' stomach sank as his last desperate hope that she'd been bluffing faded away.

The grainy image on the screen showed Shawn standing in a bare room with a large man forcing his arms behind his back. As Gus watched, a smaller man with dark hair walked up in front of Shawn and punched him quickly several times in the side and gut. At the last blow, Shawn's legs collapsed as he yelled soundlessly through the muted video.

The phone next to Gus' ear cracked as he clenched his hand around it, and his voice shook as he said, "I need to talk to him."

"You don't get to make the demands here," Rhianna said as she looked on with pitiless eyes.

Gus swallowed down his emotions and tried to make his voice as cool as hers. He knew he wasn't succeeding. "For all I know, this is just a video. I need proof he's actually there and alive."

Rhianna stared through the computer for a long moment before looking down. A second later, quiet static started to play through the speakers, along with the tail end of a groaned, rambling complaint. "-there a bad guy workout place or something? Big Bruiser Gym… Is there a good B word for gym? It'd make good alliteration. Big Bruiser Body Building… Building."

Rhianna sighed in quiet annoyance before informing Gus, "You can speak."

"Shawn, can you hear me?" Gus asked immediately.

Shawn looked up immediately from where he was regaining his footing while dangling from the large man's arms. "Gus? Why… Oh, come on, that's what this is? I'm the damsel in distress?!"

Gus sighed and winced slightly as he answered, "Yeah. Sorry man, it's Rhianna."

"Ugh, of course it is. Don't do anything she-" The speaker cut off and the dark-haired man punched Shawn in the face.

"Stop, stop!" Gus called out frantically.

The man pulled back his hand for another hit before freezing at an invisible signal. Rhianna's face filled the screen again as Shawn's image disappeared. "I trust that was sufficient proof?"

"What do you want?" Gus gritted out.

"I want what I've always wanted-"

"Yeah, yeah, 'change the world'..." Gus interrupted her impatiently. "What do you want me to do right now?"

Rhianna frowned slightly but continued, "You remember the factory where Jeffery found you two the second time?"

Gus remembered a truck barreling towards them, a loud thunk, and glass splinters flying through the air. He nodded.

"You're going to meet me there. I can keep my associates from hurting your friend for ten minutes, but if you don't show up by then…" She stared at him unblinking as she shrugged. "I can't promise anything."

"I need more time, that's fifteen minutes away," Gus tried to bargain.

"Then I suggest you drive fast. Toss your phone on the couch and know that I can watch you all the way to the door. I don't think your friend has time for you to try anything."

Gus gritted his teeth as he backed away and tossed his phone out of reach. Rhianna's smile grew as she said, "Your ten minutes start now."

Gus immediately turned and ran out of the door, wishing he knew how to drive Shawn's bike as he made a beeline for his slower car. He threw himself behind the wheel and slammed the key into the ignition before screeching out of the parking spot. He prayed he wouldn't have to run too many red lights as he floored the accelerator and sped off towards Shawn.

Gus started scanning the factory's parking lot as soon as it was visible, and his heart stuttered when he didn't see any other cars. He glanced at the clock in his dash as he quickly pulled in next to the building. He was only a minute late, surely they wouldn't have left yet.

He reached the end of the building and breathed out a sigh of relief when he saw a car parked out of sight with its trunk popped open.

Gus quickly pulled up next to the car and climbed out, his relief growing as he heard balls ponging nearby. A man stood up straight from leaning into the trunk and shoved something down; Gus heard a muffled thunk and a familiar yelp. He tensed, about to rush forward and make sure Shawn was ok, but someone else cleared their throat and he looked over to see a gun barrel pointing at him through the car's back seat window.

Gus clenched his jaw and stayed still, standing between the two cars as he watched the man slam the trunk closed. The man approached him while shaking greasy dark hair away from his face, and Gus suddenly realized he recognized him from when he and Shawn had been chased through the bakery. He looked back at the gun and actually paid attention to the psychic sensations that weren't Shawn's, hearing metal on a cymbal, smelling a car's exhaust, and feeling electrodes pulling at his skin.

Several things that hadn't made sense in the Novikov case finally clicked into place as he realized the original kidnapping hadn't actually been the mob boss. Shawn had been worried about Rhianna escalating, but neither of them had guessed how far she would go. Apparently she'd been trying to grab them for days.

"Man… I was hopin' you wouldn't show. Hands over your head," the greasy man ordered as he circled around Gus. Rollins, Gus remembered as he put his hands up, his name was Michael Rollins. And his brother was the man who'd kidnapped Shawn when he'd been shot; the man who would have been rich if it hadn't been for Shawn and was now in jail. Because of Shawn.

The sound of a car window rolling down drew his attention away from the bad guy patting him down, and he looked over to see a pair of pale eyes behind large glasses staring at him. Rhianna's electrodes pulled in satisfaction as she studied him, and Gus glared back as a quiet thunk could be heard from the back of the car.

"You put him in the trunk? Really?" Gus snapped.

"There wasn't room for him up here, not with you joining us," she pointed out logically.

Gus forced himself to stay still as Rollins dug through his pockets and pulled out his wallet and keys. He tried to soften his voice to a more reasonable tone as he bargained, "Look, you've got me, you don't need Shawn anymore. Let him go."

"I need to ensure your cooperative behavior. He's my method for doing so," Rhianna said, as if explaining that two plus two equaled four. "Besides, I don't think you'd like what would happen if I 'let him go'."

With that ominous statement, she rolled up her window and Rollins shoved Gus forward, directing him to the back passenger's side door. Shawn sent a broadcast as they walked by the trunk: Bruce Willis in an air shaft, "Come out to the coast, we'll get together, have a few laughs…"

Gus snorted and called out as Rollins opened the door for him, "Tell me about it."

Shawn answered with an amused ping, though Gus could easily feel the worry underneath it. Rollins shoved Gus into the car and slammed the door behind him before climbing into the front seat.

Rhianna turned to look at Gus as she said, "I'm glad you've chosen to work with me, together we-"

Gus ignored her and the gun still pointed at him as he called out loudly, "Hey, Shawn. You ok?"

"Oh, yeah. Peachy!" Shawn's voice called back through the seat cushions. The smell of lilies soured, and Rhianna narrowed her eyes as she opened her mouth, but Shawn interrupted her before she could say anything. "I thought I told you to not do what the crazy wanted!"

"What, you seriously thought I was going to listen to that?" Gus complained, relieved that Shawn was well enough to be arguing.

Rhianna raised her voice to tell them both, "If you didn't want him to show up, then you shouldn't have left your phone unlocked so I could find his other phone number."

There was a beat of silence as Gus processed the Shawn-level logic being used against them before snapping out behind him, "Damnit, Shawn. This is why lock screens were invented."

"Really…" Shawn managed to drawl loudly. "This situation. This exact situation is why they were made?"

Gus eyed up the obsessed scientist who had kidnapped him to study his psychic abilities and confidently called back, "Yes. This exact situation."

Rhianna stared at him, her electrodes pulling in exasperation, before her face hardened with a small smile. She called out to Shawn, "That's enough, unless you want me to let Mr. Rossman gag you."

Shawn's thoughts glowed red as he sent a broadcast: The black knight from Mony Python lifting a middle finger up to the sky.

Rhianna waited a moment before lifting her eyebrows and looking at Gus expectantly. He stared back and asked, "What? You said to be quiet; he's being quiet."

"And he didn't send you any…" she waved her hand around, vaguely indicating Gus' head.

"Psychic messages?" Gus asked with a raised eyebrow. "Nope."

"Hmm…" Rhianna slowly looked him over, head to toe, and Gus' skin crawled at the feeling of being examined like a lab specimen. She breathed out, "I can't believe we're finally here."

She turned around and started the car, calling back as she started to drive, "We have a busy day ahead of us. If you cooperate, then I'll continue to protect your friend."

Gus looked at her in confusion. "You're the one who kidnapped him, exactly how are you protecting him?"

"Did you know that Jeffery had me listed as his next of kin?" Rhianna asked, seemingly ignoring the question. "It turns out, he was quite well off. I don't need to rely on funding to keep up my project anymore; though I'm sure, now you're on board, I'll be able to convince them to up my funding as well." Her scent of lilies twinged in happiness. "Jeffery's money has also opened up several avenues that would never have been approved."

"Like hiring mercs to kidnap Shawn?" Gus asked pointedly.

"Not quite," Rhianna said with a small smile. "My associates already had a special interest in your friend, I merely nudged them in the right direction… and set up a little arrangement."

"Basically, she's paying us so we don't hurt the fraud," the blond mercenary, Rossman, said as metal scraped sharply on a cymbal impatiently.

Gus tried to scoot further away from the large man taking up most of the back seat, hoping the extra few inches would help soften the grating sound. Rhianna calmly finished the explanation. "Every five minutes, I pay a small sum of money that keeps your friend safe. If I decide he isn't worth the investment anymore, then my associates get to take him and leave."

"They kill him," Gus translated queasily. He focused on the pulling electrodes and shook his head. "You actually think this means you aren't the bad guy…"

"I'm not the bad guy here," Rhianna snapped out as she glared through the rearview mirror. "It didn't have to be this way, but you didn't listen. You're the key to everything… and you just want to be selfish and keep it all to yourself."

"I just want to live my life!" Gus argued. "I didn't ask for this, we didn't ask for this. We shouldn't have to pay for it."

Shawn sent a quick series of visuals: The number one, cheerleaders rooting on their team, the number two, a safety vest, the number three with a sombrero on it, a cowboy pulling back on the reins of a horse.

Gus took a breath and tried to calm himself down; he didn't have the luxury to lose his temper. Not while Shawn was in danger.

Rhianna shook her head at his outburst. "This is big, bigger than you could ever imagine. Jeffery didn't just find a way to make psychics; he found a way to unlock brain pathways. Do you have any idea what that could mean for medical science?"

"I'm guessing you're going to tell me…"

"Brain injuries could be reversed, disabilities could be cured, the full potential of our minds could be unlocked!" Rhianna's electrodes pulled quickly, one after the other. "Hundreds of thousands of people could be helped, could be saved, could be fixed. It's bigger than you."

Gus hesitated; he actually hadn't thought about the implications of his psychic sense being unlocked. The memory of the formula that had done the unlocking -the memory of the fire burning him from the inside out- bolstered his resolve. His voice was still more subdued than he'd planned when he said, "I wasn't lying, back then. The formula shouldn't have worked; I shouldn't have survived. If you try to continue his research, you're condemning more people to die."

"But you did survive, so we know it's possible," Rhianna answered briskly. "And plenty of people have already suffered and died for this. We owe it to them to continue the work, so their sacrifice was worthwhile." She glanced at him through the mirror. "My life hasn't been the same since that day, I can't imagine yours has either. In some ways, we owe it to ourselves as well."

Gus could hear an underlying Truth in her words, and it scared him. Rhianna had chosen Dahmer over helping them, she'd seen them as lab rats instead of people, she'd put Shawn in danger even before arranging his kidnapping. She shouldn't be making sense.

He wondered if he would have eventually come to think she was right if he was on his own. He watched her through the mirror and asked, "What about Shawn?"

"What about him?" Rhianna asked, seeming caught off guard. "He's not part of the research."

"No, but I am," Gus said. "Are you seriously going to keep paying these guys to keep me 'cooperative' for the months or years this is going to take? And what about after, you can't just let us go."

"I'll make sure you two are comfortable and have your needs met when I don't require your active participation," Rhianna said with a slight wave of her hand. "You're right, you two being free would jeopardize my work, but it doesn't have to be like last time."

Indignant anger rose in Gus' chest, and he welcomed it as it burned away his hesitation. "We're people, but you just want to put us in our little cages and make sure we have food and water when we're not useful. And you think that doesn't make you a bad guy?"

"It's a necessary sacrifice," Rhianna argued. "And your friend's fate is your fault, not mine. I gave you plenty of-"

"Shawn. His name is Shawn. If you're going to try to take his life away, then you should at least be able to say his name," Gus snapped.

Rhianna sighed. "This isn't getting us anywhere. I'm starting to understand why Jeffery only let you answer questions..."

Gus flinched and tried to hide it by looking out the window. Cars drove by them, oblivious to their drama as people made their way home from work, ran errands, or went to dinner. A small part of him wondered if any of the people passing them would actually benefit from the research Rhianna was talking about; a louder, cynical part wondered if any of them would actually help him if they knew he and Shawn were in danger.

He wondered how many Rhiannas there actually were in the world.

A president rallying his fighters, "We will not go quietly into the night! We will not vanish without a fight! We're going to live on! We're going to survive! Today we celebrate our Independence Day!"

Gus smirked slightly at the quote and shook himself out of his thoughts. Shawn was right, they needed to focus on getting out; Rhianna's 'vision' for them wasn't one he could ever accept. It was time to get more information. "Where are we going?"

Rhianna's lips tightened slightly, and Gus wondered if he was about to be told to be quiet unless spoken to. Her words were even and clipped when she answered, "We are going to see a colleague of mine. One of my greatest barriers to having my work recognized and supported has been the disbelief of psychic abilities; you're going to help me fix that."

Gus sighed as he sat back; he'd known one of her goals would be to parade him in front of the other scientists, but he hadn't expected it to be the first thing they did. It could be worse, but he still wasn't looking forward to even more people staring at him like they were dissecting him with their eyes. "Is Shawn going to be coming with us?"

"I told you not to insult my intelligence." Rhianna reached up to adjust her glasses. "He'll be staying in the car with my associates. I'll be texting them every 5 minutes to ensure things go smoothly."

Dread settled into the pit of his stomach at the idea of Shawn being left alone with the two men who wanted to hurt him, and Gus tried to think of the best way to ensure his friend's safety. "You said this time would be different, right?"

"I said that it didn't have to be like last time," Rhianna corrected.

"Ok, prove it." Gus clenched his hands and tried to not think about a knife cutting into his skin. "Dahmer hurt us to make us do what he wanted. Be different than him. Give me something in return if I cooperate."

"I'm assuming you have something in mind?"

Gus took it as a good sign that she wasn't immediately rejecting the idea. "There was broken glass all around his place, he's been hit several times," he focused quickly on the sound of bouncing balls and felt a slight ache in his side, "and I think he has a cracked or broken rib. I do your little song and dance with your coworker; you give me a first aid kit and five minutes with Shawn."

Rhianna drummed her fingers on the steering wheel as her electrodes pulled quickly. She suddenly stilled and a small smile stretched across her face. "Very well, I did agree that his needs would be taken care of. However, you should know that it works both ways. If I feel like you are trying anything, or not acting properly, or holding anything back, then I won't hesitate to allow our associates the chance to burn off a little steam without breaking our arrangement. Do you understand?"

"Be good, or Shawn gets hurt," Gus translated flatly. "Yeah, I get it."

Rossman spoke up with a smirk. "I think you should try something; it sounds like fun."

The metal scraping against a cymbal sharpened to a painful pitch and Gus had to stop himself from wincing away from it as he turned his glare to the large man. "I get why Rollins doesn't like Shawn; what's your deal?"

"He got my buddy arrested." Rossman narrowed his eyes and his tone grew sharper. "A fraud getting another fraud sent to jail. But he's all cozy with the cops, so he can get away with it. Now he can't." He checked his watch and his face relaxed back into a smirk. "Plus, this is the easiest money I've ever made. Two payouts just for sitting on my ass."

"Great. I'm happy for you," Gus deadpanned as Rhianna pulled into a subdivision. He glanced back at her to ask, "Can I see Shawn before we go?"

"Why?" Rhianna asked, sounding genuinely confused.

"Because he's my best friend and I want to make sure he's ok…?" Gus asked back in the same exact tone.

Rhianna parked on the curb and turned back to wave towards his head. "You already know his injuries."

"No, I know where he's hurting," Gus corrected. "I can't tell if he's bleeding out or suffocating."

"Trunks aren't airtight," Rhianna said offhandedly. She stared at Gus until his skin started to crawl before finally saying, "You can see your friend, but you're going to answer a question first."

Gus had been expecting questions, but it didn't stop him from feeling like he was backed into a corner when he asked, "What do you want to know?"

"Can someone block you from reading their thoughts?" Rhianna asked as she continued to stare without blinking.

Gus hesitated; of all of the questions she could have asked, he had been hoping she wouldn't think of that one until later. Having free access to what she was thinking was one of the few advantages he had. He could feel the answer she expected and decided that it was better to build trust now, before Shawn was too hurt, so he could hopefully use it later to help their situation. "Yeah, Shawn's been able to mostly block me. I can only sense surface thoughts; if you aren't actively thinking about something, then I can't read it."

"And you still stayed friends with him after he could keep you out?" Rhianna asked curiously.

Gus stared at her for a long moment before saying, "Yes? Why would that matter?"

"He's keeping information from you," Rhianna answered, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"They're his thoughts…" Gus said, wondering why such a simple concept was so hard for her to grasp. "If he doesn't want me to read something, that's his choice."

"Huh." Rhianna blinked before turning and climbing out of the car. "Well, let's go."

Rollins exited the car at the same time and opened Gus' door, waiting for him to get out before shoving him towards the trunk where Rhianna was waiting. Rollins stayed close with his gun held low out of sight as Rhianna opened the trunk, and Gus was able to see Shawn for the first time since the night before. Shawn's face was scuffed and starting to bruise, his hands were pulled behind his back, and tape was wrapped around his ankles. Gus quickly scanned him for injuries and was relieved to see that there wasn't anything too concerning, though there did seem to be a few noticeable dark spots on his shirt.

"Oh, hey Gus. How's it going?" Shawn asked brightly as he sent a broadcast: A soldier with a ruined leg yelling at Tom Hanks, "Just leave me here! Get out!

Gus clicked his tongue and tried to not make his glare too noticeable as he answered distractedly, "Oh, you know. My crazy stalker decided to up her game. How hurt are you?"

"Nothing worse than a few papercuts," Shawn said with a shrug and another broadcast: A toy soldier flattened on the ground, "Go on without me!"

Gus did glare then as he snapped back, "Last time you got a papercut, you tried to convince me you needed a sling."

Before Shawn could answer, Rhianna shut the lid on him again. He sent one last broadcast as Rhianna handed her keys over to Rollins: A border collie running away from a well to get help.

Gus absently made a mental note to tell Shawn that Timmy never actually fell in a well as he eyed up Rollins and asked, "How do I know that they won't just hurt him once we're gone?"

Rhianna sighed and rolled her eyes. "Because then they don't get paid."

"There's a lot of ways you can hurt someone without leaving a mark," Gus pointed out, thinking of a bottle of water and a strip of duct tape.

Rhianna squinted at him in thought before adjusting her glasses and glancing over at Rollins, taking a second to watch him fondle the car keys as he leaned against the trunk. She stood up straight and spoke with authority. "I expect him to be in the same condition when we come back unless you're told otherwise. I do have a psychic with me, so I will know if you lie."

Rollins eyed up Gus and the smokey note in the smell of car exhaust spiked in disdain as he rolled his eyes and muttered, "Whatever. Play your little games, what do I care?"

He pushed himself off the trunk and stalked back to his seat as Rhianna turned around and started to walk away, calling over her shoulder, "Let's go Burton, it's time to start changing the world."

Gus looked back at the trunk one more time before turning to follow her.