"Nigel!" Sydney called out as she spotted a figure in the last cell, and her body automatically relaxed in relief at having found him. He was curled into the fetal position, head tucked under arms, positioned in such a way that he could see the door even with his head tucked in. The once cream coloured sweater was grimy with dirt and streaks of blood, but she recognized the soft, expensive clothing favoured by her assistant. "I found him," she shouted at whoever was behind her. Cate and a team had come with her to the abandoned castle in Romania where they had expected to find Nigel and the Gural Nataz.
"Nigel?" she called out to him again as she started to pick the lock. The tension that had just dissipated after a month of trying to find him returned. Her fingers trembled slightly as she worked the lock. Why was this taking so long? Finally, the lock gave way and the door creaked open. She raced the five steps it took to get to Nigel and dropped to her knees beside him. Sydney reached out and pressed her hands to the arm and side exposed to her and pushed at him to make him roll onto his back so she could get a better look at him.
Nigel resisted with a whimper. Her heart felt like it was being squeezed in her chest. Couldn't be though, as it was lodged in her throat instead.
"Nigel, it's me," she said, her voice loud to her own ears as she ran her hands up and down his side, looking for injuries.
"You found him?" Cate's voice came from the doorway. Sydney felt Nigel flinch at the sound.
"He's not responding."
"I'll get someone from medical." The sound of Cate's footsteps faded as she walked back up the hallway.
"Nigel," Sydney tried again, saying his name more urgently, "can you hear me?" She got another whimper in response. A sick feeling pooled in her stomach and she licked her lips. "Nigel," she pushed at him again, and this time he allowed her to turn him, and he lowered his arms. What she saw made her stomach turn.
Nigel's face was filthy, but worse were the sunken cheeks, the dark circles under red eyes that were filled with terror, and a bit out of focus. The front of his sweater was just as filthy as the side, as were his pants. The clothes were hanging off his body. His eyes caught hers, and something seemed to shift, came into focus. He reached a hand towards her, and she took it in hers.
"Oh, Nigel."
Nigel flinched at the sound of footsteps running towards them and retreated back into the fetal position she had just brought him out of. Before she could do anything, the room was crowded with herself, Nigel, Cate, and the medical examiner. She rose to her feet to move out of the way, and Nigel let out another whimper. She stepped back outside the cell, and the doctor took the place she had just vacated beside Nigel, with Cate next to them.
They tried to coax Nigel out of the fetal position with words and hands, and he resisted all efforts, letting out small whimpers at their touches. After a few minutes the doctor and Cate left the cell and stopped next to Sydney. The three of them looked into the cell and watched Nigel's still form.
"What do we do?" Cate asked.
"First thing is to get him out of here. We'll have to do some tests, both physical and psychological." The doctor looked troubled. "I'll get a few more members of the team and a stretcher down here to get him out." The doctor walked away, and Sydney stepped back into the cell; Cate followed behind her as she knelt beside Nigel again.
"Nigel," she said softly as she gently placed a hand on his arm and the other on his side. She pushed him onto his back carefully, and he reached out cautiously to touch his hand to hers. "Come on, can you sit up?"
Cate reached out to help him and his head snapped in her direction; his body recoiled and he whimpered. Cate pulled her hand back as though burned.
Cate and Sydney shared a look, and then Sydney looked at Nigel, who stared at Cate without recognition.
"Nigel?" Sydney repeated. His head snapped to her. Hesitantly she reached out to him and took his hands in hers. "We need to get you out of here." He slowly nodded and allowed her to grip his hands and pull him to a sitting position. Sydney could feel his body tremble as he leaned heavily against her, his chest heaving with exertion. "Can you stand?"
Sydney heard the footsteps of the medical team as they approached the cell, and with it the increase in Nigel's breathing; she had a feeling that the shaking was more to the approaching company than the effort he had just put into sitting. She turned to Cate, who was watching the two of them closely. "Can you keep them back?"
Cate moved to the cell door just in time to block the doctors' entry, while Nigel tracked her movements. Sydney ignored Cate as she explained what was happening to the medical team, and focused entirely on Nigel.
"Come on," she said over the protests from the doctors at moving him without letting anyone check him over first. She gently tugged at his arm and he allowed her to pull him up to a standing position, where he immediately sagged against her. Sydney supported his weight almost entirely and then made a move towards the door. Nigel flinched back. She looked up at the small group gathered at the exit. "Move," she growled at them. "It's okay," she said to Nigel.
The team scattered back down the hall. After a moment of hesitation and a nod from Sydney who assumed Nigel would hate to have anyone behind him, Cate followed them; she walked backwards to watch Nigel and Sydney in case they needed any help. As they made their way slowly down the hall, Sydney vowed that she would do whatever it took to help Nigel, and as soon as she decided he was safe enough without her, she was going to hunt down every single one of the Gural Nataz and make them pay.
