Disclaimers: same apply. Love Alias; don't own it.
"Bridgette? No, Sark pronounced it Brigitte. Of course. "Bridgette, do you know Julian Sark?"
Bridgette smiled a bit and nodded.
"I don't believe it! Is everyone connected in the spy world? It doesn't matter. We need to get Eric back! I'm sorry if it doesn't convenience you but I'm getting him back. We don't leave people behind."
Nodding her understanding, she went to the computer bank and accessed a server with a special code. "These are the feeds from the security cameras in A Aranha. If Eric's in there, we'll find him."
"Thank you, Bridgette. I promise to take you to Sark when we get Eric back."
"Is he okay? I haven't heard from him for the longest time. Wait; you're Sark's sister, aren't you? He used to talk about you. About mind games he'd play on you."
"That's... interesting. Dad, please drive faster."
"Sydney, where you are going, it's not exactly a theater you may be use to." Bridgette shifted her weight onto her other hip before explaining her comment. "My father doesn't exactly follow what 99.9 percent of the population consider normal. Remember, he's an extremely hateful man."
Sydney's gaze followed Bridgette's pointed finger to the screens that showed all sorts of torturous acts being committed.
"It used to be a beautiful place where old Shakespearian plays were performed. But, Gurov didn't like a show once and bought the place out. Now, he buys off a certain cop or politician to keep the federales away from the place."
"Wonderful. Do you have any idea where they might have taken Eric?"
"I have no idea. If he's not on one of the feeds, your guess is as good as mine. But I do know that Gurov will grant favors of "questioning" anyone for any person with enough money. It's your only hope."
Sydney kept her eyes on the monitor as she pulled a duffle bag from the cabinet under the computers. The bag contained an extra alias just in case she ever needed one. Regretfully, she needed it.
Please be alive, please be alive. She had been chanting the same thing over and over again in her head for the past five minutes. It was silly, she knew, but it helped keep her focused as she walked down the block next to her father. He nodded to her as she entered an access code to the front doors and opened the door to the building, Jack entering the theater after her.
Immediately, all of her senses were assaulted and she thought she would suffocate. Hard rock music blasted out of the speakers and competing strobe lights sent her into a trance. Added to that, the air felt thick and clammy. Eric. Eric should be at home listening to hard rock, at a decent volume, kicked back on his couch. You need to get him there. That was her focusas she studied the doorways of rooms where all sorts of interrogations were going on. They knew from the monitors that Eric wasn't in any of those rooms.
She kept telling herself not to make direct eye contact with any of the men who had been at the office earlier or any of the camera monitors. Simple, right? Tucking a strand of jet black hair behind her ear, she watched as a man walked down the short hallway toward them, expecting at any time that he would recognize her and call in some "interrogators."
"How did you get access to this building?" He asked, roughly grabbing her by the upper arm.
"Christophe Leak thought that we might be able to do some business together. He divulged the information to me." Jack was always all business and Sydney was finding out had more secrets then she cared to know about.
"Ah, Christophe. How is the old louse?"
"Dead, as you know." A test, of course, and Jack never lost his cool and never got the answers wrong in such situations.
"Yes, I do."
Sydney finally spoke, ripping her arm away from his grasp, "all well and good, gentleman, but are we going to stand here all day and reminisce or are we going to go somewhere and discuss the business at hand?"
Clearing his throat, the man ushered them down the hallway to a staircase that edged the side of the stage that at one time held some of the most beautiful plays of all time. Sydney couldn't help remembering the Tempest or A Mid Summer's Night Dream from her college days and what it would be like to see them performed on that very stage.
They entered a large office to the right of the landing and waited for the man to close the door before acting.
Jack quickly jabbed a needle into the man's neck, depositing the sedative quickly into his bloodstream. The goon crumpled to the ground before he could react and Jack left him for Sydney to tie up while he went to the computer.
Gaining the password was much easier on the computer than Eric's organizer and Jack was searching through the files before Sydney was done tying up the man.
"Come look at this," he ordered. She obliged and found that Jack had pulled up building plans which she studied intently. "There appears to be four rooms up here and half a dozen downstairs. We know from the feeds that there are only two men downstairs but upstairs is unclear. Good luck."
Sydney hurried to the door and looked carefully around the corner and thought the praises of her dad. Sometimes, he really came through. Focusing, she found the coast clear, she hurried to the back of the building and started there. Empty. Two down, and since Jack was in one, one to go. The door across from the office her dad was in was closed. Taking a deep breath, she slowly turned the knob and pushed the door open.
The room was dark. Damp. And the only light, because she couldn't find a switch, came from the hall behind her. The space seemed cluttered and deep for she couldn't determine how far away the opposite wall was. They wouldn't have brought him here. She turned to leave but something made her turn back. There, at the far reaches of the light path was something that intrigued her. Inching closer, she realized it was foot!
She hurried towards it, but as she passed the objects she once thought were boxes, her stomach sank as she realized what the horrific object were. A shutter rocked her body at the memory of the mental institution she had spent too long in and she knew she needed to get Eric out of there. Upon reaching the body, Sydney glanced behind her to make sure no one was there.
It was too dark; she couldn't see who the person was. "Eric?" she whispered as she pulled out a glow stick and cracked it. There was no response. Stepping closer, she reached for his hand. Cold. Icy cold and stiffening. Shaking, she raised her hand closer to the face. The eerie, soft green light distorted the facial features but Sydney could still see the face.
Fiercely, she bit down on her lips to keep any sound from escaping.
Well? Okay, the next chapter is my favorite!! Sorry it took so long to get this up. I've been dealing with some... issues. Hope all is well!