"I can't imagine what took you so long to wake up. You were only shot once, I checked. I, on the other hand, took two darts and woke up an hour ago." A British voice broke the silence.
Elizabeth groaned as she pushed herself to a sitting position. Her head throbbed and her entire body ached. "Is everything a competition with you?" she asked of the man sitting next to her as she tried to work the kinks out of her body.
"No, I just naturally win everything, competition or not" Sark replied with a grin.
"You consider being kidnaped and locked in..."she took a moment to examine her surroundings "a dank smelly basement of some sorts winning?" She turned to him and gave him her best glare despite the pounding in her head.
"Well, not exactly, but once I escape I will have won." Sark answered with his ever present grin.
"And how exactly do you plan on escaping?" She couldn't help but fall victim to his obvious baiting.
"A good spy..."
"Never reveals his secrets" Elizabeth cut off. "I know, I know, you insufferable cocky bastard. You do realize that you sound like an 8 year old boy when you say that?" No matter how many times she told herself to just ignore him and his remarks designed with the sole purpose of getting a rise out of her, she couldn't stop herself from engaging in the pointless banter.
"Oh touche" Sark said, his smug grin never leaving his face.
"Unless you have a plan to get us out of here, don't talk to me, my head hurts" Elizabeth said as she gingerly lowered her head into her hands. She didn't feel up to contemplating her current situation.
"It's probably from the gun they used to knock you unconscious." Sark replied matter-of-factly.
"A gun? What? I was shot with a tranquilizer."Elizabeth said as searched her head for injuries, finding a huge tender lump on the back of her head.
"Nobody is arguing that, but you started to wake up while they were transporting us and they knocked you out by force." Sark said, seemingly bored out of his mind by the conversation.
"And how exactly do you know this? You were shot too." Elizabeth accused.
"Yes but when I woke up I had enough sense not to draw attention to myself and to pretend to still be unconscious while you, on the other hand, started groaning and trying to get up so they had no choice but to knock you out by force" Sark informed as he stood up and stretched.
"Well, while you were pretending to be unconscious, did you perhaps figure out who kidnaped us or where we were being taken?" Elizabeth demanded as she ignored his criticism of her post wake up behavior. She wouldn't fall victim to his baiting again. Sark began to take a look around the small room they were confined to. It was a simple rectangular room with a concrete floor and walls and one light bulb hanging from a chain in the middle of the room casting an eerie glow across the room's inhabitants.
"The only thing I could gather about our captors is that they were professionals. As for where we are, your guess is as good as mine."
"Great, we're never going to get out of here." Elizabeth mumbled.
"Now what kind of defeatist attitude is that? Of course we are going to get out of here. I am Julian Sark after all"
"Once again with the cockiness. Don't you ever get tired of hearing yourself speak? You know, you are known for your cool professional demeanor. How is it that I have never seen that side of you? It has to be better than this one."
"Well, what can I say, you bring this out in me"
"Oh so I am to blame..."Elizabeth was suddenly cut off by the sound of the door opening. Elizabeth quickly stood as Sark moved to her side. The door swung inward and a young man stepped inside flanked by two armed men.
"Mr. Sark, Ms. Bowen" he said in a slightly french accent as he nodded to each of them. "I presume you find your living conditions quite comfortable" he scoffed. Elizabeth just glared at him, too on edge to retort.
"May I inquire as to who we should thank for their hospitality?" Sark answered for the both of them.
"You will be meeting him shortly. In the mean time I suggest you get comfortable, we are going to want you well rested for our purposes."
"Your purposes?"
"No need to worry Ms Bowen, all will be explained in due time." With that he turned on his heel and left. The door securely locked in his wake.
"No need to worry, my ass." Elizabeth mumbled as she slid down the wall to a sitting position. "So you think he works for Thibodeau?" She asked looking up at Sark. He nodded as he came to sit next to her.
"Yeah, what tipped you off?"
"The guard on his left. I never forget someone who has shot at me, and he definitely falls into that category."
"Really, and what, may I ask, were you stealing this time?"Sark joked.
"You know, I don't just steal things."Elizabeth replied, slightly offended. Sark gave her an incredulous look "Okay, so I steal a lot, but it's all for a reason." Elizabeth pouted "And you're one to talk, most of the things I steal you are trying to steal as well."
"Point taken, so what is your history with Thibodeau?"Sark prodded.
"Not extensive really, he just outbid my boss on some plans for a weapon. I ended up being sent in to retrieve them. Unfortunately, our intel was wrong and the plans weren't where I was sent, just a bunch of guys with guns. I barely managed to escape." She suppressed a shudder at the memory, it really was too close of a call.
"Not really a reason for you to be taken captive, though." Sark reasoned.
"Exactly, so what is your history with Thibodeau?" Elizabeth narrowed her eyes at Sark. If she was here because of him she would never forgive him.
"I don't have a history. I have just heard his name."
"You have to be holding out on me, I'm sure you pissed him off in one way or another. Why else would we have been taken captive?"
"Well it seems it isn't revenge, he needs us for something. Maybe intel or expertise in a certain area. Whatever the case, he wants us alive, which bodes well for the time being."
"Yeah, the time being. What do you suggest we do?"Elizabeth asked, fighting off the fatigue that was threatening to overcome her.
"Well for now, wait. We are in this together, when we have a better idea of what is going on we will decide what the best course of action is."
"Together?" Elizabeth questioned as she looked into Sark's eyes.
"Yes, I much prefer our odds if we stick together, don't you?" Sark quirked an eyebrow at her.
"I suppose so." Elizabeth reasoned as a yawn split her face.
"Come on, how about you try and get some sleep, he said we should be well rested. I'll stay awake and keep watch first."
"Okay"Elizabeth replied, thankful for the offer. She tried to get comfortable on the hard concrete.
"Hey, it could be worse, we could be in CIA hands." Sark joked as he wrapped his suit jacket around Elizabeth and offered his shoulder for her to lean on.
"Ha, I guess you would know all about that." Elizabeth grinned as she sank into Sark's embrace and into the welcoming unconsciousness.
