"I took their smiles and I made them mine.
I sold my soul just to hide the light.
And now I see what I really am,
A thief, a whore, and a liar.
I run to you.
Call out your name.
I see you there, farther away…"

Evanescence, Farther Away

Chapter 20: Ridder's Wrath and Meredith Bites

Ridder looked down at her, remembering her, eyeing her in the way he always did. She looked more beautiful with the blood on her face and the bruises on her body. They soon faded, leaving the skin fresh for new beatings of course, and he would be happy to administer them, seeing as how she had let the agent go.

It was unlike Darcy to have conflicted feelings about a mission. She was nothing but government property. She thought only what she was paid to, did only what she was ordered to, and killed anything she felt would damage her chances of doing so. And yet here she was setting an FBI agent free for some reason or another. He dismissed his two guards, sliding a hand under her chin and pulling her head up to face him. They had chained her to the wall during her moments of weakness, keeping her from doing more damage to Ridder than he had done to her.

"You know…I know what you're thinking." He said. "Why is he doing this to me? Why is he touching me? Why? Why? Why?!" Ridder yanked it hand out from under her chin and punched her head against the wall, knocking her nearly senseless. He grabbed her chin again, blood spewing out from between her lips. "Why is such a human question Darcy!" He grabbed her by the collar, holding her head with his knuckles, making her watch him. "But that's what you always were, right? A human girl who was given something that made her expensive. Just a whore for power."

"If I'm a whore…" She began weakly. "YOU MADE ME THIS WAY!" He punched her again, striking the side of her head against the wall. Her arms were pulling on the chains, longing to be set free so she could do something in her defense. By that time, anything would have looked better than allowing herself to be Ridder's punching bag.

"I MADE YOU A KILLER, DARCY!" He shouted, his face inches from hers. "I MADE YOU A SURVIVOR! I MADE YOU EVERYTHING ANYONE COULD EVER ASK FOR!"

"YOU MADE ME A WHORE, RIDDER!" He punched her again, grabbing her throat and forcing her against the wall with a tightening fist. Darcy choked, blood dripping from her cracked lips and down to his hand. Ridder slammed his hand against the wall.

"I OWN YOU!" He shouted. Darcy felt his fingers tighten again and black spots appeared in front of her eyes. She slumped backwards against the wall and Ridder stood up, releasing her.

"TAKE HER TO IMPLANTATION! I want that thing back under my control!"

Doggett hit the button on the inside of the elevator frantically, waiting for the doors to slide closed. At the end of the hallways he could several of Ridder's men push in through the door, opening fire on him. The elevator finally closed off, and shielded him temporarily from the oncoming barrage of bullets. It started to move upwards to the top floor. He breathed heavily. His senses were heightened by whatever Darcy had injected him with. He imagined it was stimulants of some kind or adrenaline to counter act the effects of the painkillers she had given him. He could feel his heart racing and breathing quickened, while every fiber in his body seemed to speed around, constantly looking like a paranoid maniac.

The elevator seemed like it was taking forever, but he knew that wasn't the drugs. It was the impatience that came with knowing his daughter was in the hands of a maniac and he had allowed it to happen.

All it would have taken was a bullet to the head. Than he could have gone home without the rest of the day's events playing out in front of him the way they did. He could go home and have his family there with him instead of having to look over his shoulder at another intruder wanting to break into his house.

So maybe it was just my fault. It was a saddening thought, but Doggett knew he more than likely had no one else to blame. He had brought Darcy home with him. He had insisted that she stay and give them answers. And now he was paying for it with his daughter, his wife, and his life, although the latter of the three paled in comparison to the previous two.

The elevator came to a stop in an office he remembered and recalled but he couldn't place at some point in time. The carpet was the most familiar from when Darcy had kicked him inside with so much force it left a bruise on his back. Her idea of helping people was obviously not as good as the average human being's. Of course, he had no idea who she was really helping when it came to their current situation. First she had promised him a way in. Then she drugged him and took him to her boss. And then she had let him go again. He could look at it like she was actually attempting at assisting him in the rescue of his daughter or she was changing her mind about things very, very quickly.

The office was wide, with windows that opened the outer walls to most of the city. It was carpeted in navy, with black leather chairs seated in front of a mahogany desk with papers piled everywhere and pens tossed about frantically. He looked around for his daughter anywhere, walking around to behind the desk where he saw a small lock of blonde hair stick out from the bottom. He moved over too quickly, reaching his hand down to the floor as he lowered to her only to have his sink her teeth into him and raise a letter opened threateningly at him, preparing to kill him.

"Meredith!" He said quickly, his heart pounding and arm aching from her teeth marks. His daughter stopped, not recognizing him for a moment before she dropped the leather opener and bit her lip, starting to cry.

She moved over to him and curled up next to him like a cat, burying her head in his shoulder. He picked her up and walked out, not expecting to come back.

Okay. It's really short. I have to get writing! See you later! Review, by the way.