Ellie awoke with a groan. It took a minute for her vision to clear. She glanced around, observing she was in a car, flanked by Percy and Caliban, and the car was in motion. The windows were tinted too dark to see out. Her hands and feet were free, but the girl found that she couldn't move regardless.

"Don't even waste the energy," Percy said. "That tranquilizer dart I hit you with temporarily paralyzes your limbs."

"How much are you demanding from Daddy? A billion?" The teenager snorted. " You'd get more if you had stolen his TV remote."

"Nah, little princess. This is not for ransom." Caliban's voice went syrupy. "Let's just say we are doing a job for ol' Mr. Xanatos himself... a job that involves your kidnapping and demise."

"You mean you're working for Xanatos?"

Percy replied this time, lying. "You'd better believe it, sweet-cheeks. Xanatos is not the sort of person who accepts failure from his lackies; especially when he's paying those lackies a million each."

Ellie wasn't convinced. "Why on earth would Xanatos risk a murder charge?"

"Figure it out, little princess," retorted Caliban. Xanatos hates your old man; even enough to make him suffer by having his eldest daughter kidnapped and killed. It's just that obvious."

Bart, in the passenger seat, added to the lie. "We had help, of course."

"What do you mean?" asked Ellie.

Caliban tried to make his tone as convincing as possible. "Why that security guard of yours. He's been secretly on Xanatos's payroll for weeks. How do you think we got by your security so easily?"

"No. George has been a loyal guardsman for fifteen years! He used to bring me candy when I was a little girl!"

" It's amazing how quickly a million bucks discreetly added up front to somebody's bank account will change that somebody's loyalty. " Percy said with a smirk.

"No. George isn't like that. You're lying to me!"

"Are we?" asked Bart. "If we weren't going to kill you, I'd say you could check his bank account yourself."

Ellie took a deep breath. "Xanatos doesn't seem to be the type to just kill a rival's kid. Please...let me go. My father will reward you more for sparing me than your boss will reward you for my death."

Caliban snorted. "Please. We already told you, Xanatos has a 'zero tolerance' policy when it comes to failure. Your father's money wouldn't do us much good in the great beyond. Besides, I'll enjoy the job. Pity I'd have to mar this porcelain skin with cuts and bruises."

The car pulled into the parking garage at the base of the Eyrie, parking into a dark recess. Percy opened the door and pulled Ellie out.

Bart pulled out some rope. "Now just sit still and take your medicine."

"I really am sorry about this, kiddo," Mitch said with a sigh.

Bart elbowed him. "Let's just get to the tying and you shut up, sissy."

A chain's only as strong as its weakest link, thought Ellie. Maybe he'll let me go if his conscience gets the better of him. "Leave him alone." The paralyzing effect of the tranquilizer was ebbing. The teenage girl writhed against Percy and Caliban.

"Come on, guys," Mitch pleaded. "Would it be too much to ask to let her go? We could lie."

Bart turned and punched Mitch in the jaw. "Maybe that will shut you up. The last thing we need is you going soft on us. As for the boss finding out if we faked the brat's death, of course Mr. X. would find out. He knows everything. Probably has spies watching us as we speak."

"But…" protested Mitch.

Bart punched Mitch in the stomach hard enough for him to double over. "No 'buts.' Keep in mind that it would be three against one and each of us is a better fighter than you are anyway."

Mitch gave a defeated sigh. "It's still wrong."

"And it would be right to let ourselves get killed by Xanatos for failure to comply with his orders?" Percy inquired as he and Caliban finished binding Ellie's wrists and ankles.

Ellie strained against the ropes. Ok, fighting them off didn't work. Trying to run away didn't work. I can't writhe free of these ropes. Guess I'll have to try the dreaded Plan Gamma. She curled her mouth into a pout, opened her eyes wide, and began to sob.

"Knock it off, brat!" screeched Percy. "It isn't working."

"I can't stand this!" Mitch shrilled. "This poor kid did nothing to deserve this fate."

Percy drew a knife. "Hey, better her than us!"

Bart pulled out a handkerchief and used it to blindfold Ellie, then used another cloth as a gag.

Caliban calmly slung the teenager over his shoulder. "If you're so eager to play hero, Mitch, there's room for two under my butcher knife."

Mitch folded his arms. "I'm shutting up."

XXX

Harrison whistled as the elevator came to the penthouse. The doors opened. To his horror, the heavy doors were nearly off their hinges. One of the more obvious security cameras was on the floor. A tape lay beside it, film yanked out. He ran into Collin's bedroom and threw open the door, expecting it to be empty.

Relief washed over him. Collin was asleep in his bed. Harrison reached out and stroked his son's forehead, to make sure it wasn't a hallucination. He ran to his daughter's bedroom. The cherry-wood door was ajar, the cell phone was smashed on the floor, and the shards from the broken window glittering on the carpet. Harrison also observed a faint smell coming from a rag. He turned and ran to his home office, snatched the phone, and dialed.

Morgan hit the button on the switchboard. "NYPD."

"You've got to help me," pleaded the man. "This is Harrison Reznichek, of Reznichek Industries. My sixteen year old daughter's been kidnapped."

"Is this crime in progress?"

"If it were, don't you think I'd save her!"

"When did this happen?"

"Anywhere from five minutes to two hours ago."

"Unless there's a crime in progress, Mr. Reznichek, we can only investigate missing-person cases when the person's been missing for over twenty four hours. Teenagers come and go."

"What? I can't afford to waste time!"

"Standard procedure, sir. We can't go searching for every teenager…"

"She was taken against her will!"

"Were there clear signs of a struggle?"

Harrison was now shouting. "The glass door in my daughter's room is broken, at least one security camera was destroyed, and the front doors are barely on their hinges."

"Mr. Reznichek, take a deep breath. What happened?"

"I came home from surveying some land I bought. When I got back, the door was ajar. I went to check on my two kids because my wife's at a doctor's appointment."

"Where's the other child?"

" Still in bed."

"He slept through an alleged kidnapping?"

" ALLEGED!" The multi-billionaire screamed. " ALLEGED! THERE'S A RAG SMELLING FAINTLY OF CHLOROFORM THAT WAS IN MY DAUGHTER'S ROOM! HOW DARE YOU TELL ME IT'S ALLEGED!"

"It seems odd that your son could sleep through all that."

"He's just an extremely heavy sleeper. Now send someone to investigate, or you'll be writing speeding tickets on the Autobahn!"

Morgan turned to his boss. "Harrison Reznichek has just reported his daughter missing. Should we break the twenty-four hour rule?"

Chavez glared. "Morgan, what a question!"

The police officer turned back to the board. "Two of our finest detectives will be over shortly."

XXX

Harrison hung up the phone and dialed another number. He waited until the secretary picked up. "I'd like to speak with David Xanatos." He waited while the secretary patched him through.

"Xanatos," came the voice of Reznichek's hated rival.

"You rat! How dare you snatch Ellie!"

"Ellie who?" David asked.

"Eleanor, my daughter. She's missing, and I know you're behind it!"

Xanatos' interest was piqued. "Moi? You're blaming me because you can't keep track of your teenage offspring?"

"You took her! Only you have the resources to bust through my security system and the nerve!"

"How do I know she didn't stage a kidnapping to run away after realizing what a complete idiot you are? Oh, and everything on my private business line is kept for records. I could sue you for slander, and I have actual evidence."

There was a click as Harrison hung up.

Xanatos leaned back in his plush chair. "That's an unexpected turn of events."

Brooklyn poked his head into the office. "Got a minute?"

"I have nothing pressing," Xanatos replied. "Though I thought the clan went to help out at the explosion."

"Everything's under control, so I thought I'd come back and see if Bronx needed any exercise."

"Tell Goliath that you can stop watching Reznichek. I'd say he's gotten his comeuppance."

"You bought him out?"

"No. His daughter's missing, possibly abducted. Good thing you were at the gas explosions, otherwise you might have seen something."

This got Brooklyn's attention. "Interesting she should go missing the night we're not there. And you knew where we'd be tonight."

Xanatos' voice remained calm and level. "If you're going to accuse me of something that monumental, say it to my face."

"If you didn't do it, why are you so happy?"

The businessman shrugged. "Just because I didn't do it means I can't be happy about it. Harrison's probably more unethical than I am. I'd say he had it coming."

"Does anyone deserve that, Xanatos? Not even you. Why do you think we saved Alex?"

"Even before I became a parent, I wouldn't have done something as cliché and petty as kidnapping a rival's child."

"So, how'd you find out about it?" Brooklyn inquired. "The news?"

"Her father called me and flat-out accused me. Now I have to change my private business line's number."

"Reznichek doesn't trust you either?"

"It's in his best interest to believe I did it. For all we know, he's in denial because 'Eleanor dear' ran away. You believe me." There was a pause. "Don't you, Brooklyn?"

"I don't know. You've used psychological warfare before."

"Ancient history. You know I wouldn't do something the clan objected to. And you'd certainly object to outright kidnapping."

"But you seemed convinced that Reznichek attacked Owen and Alex. You used us to spy on him."

"I didn't make you do it. Goliath consented. As for Reznichek, I just believe in keeping friends close and enemies closer."

"I know you've bailed us out several times, but how do we know you're sincere and not just using us?"

"Seems this isn't about Reznichek and his brat at all. This is about letting go."

"You've done a lot of bad things in your life."

"Which I don't deny. But why resent me for it if I'm not your enemy anymore? Seems like it's taking more energy than it's worth."

"I-I don't know. Maybe I'm just not in the forgiving vein."

"Or you're just being an angst-filled teenager."

"If you have a problem with my personality, take it up with Goliath!" Brooklyn turned and left, slamming the mahogany door behind him.

XXX

At the same time, the thugs had reached the Eyrie's top floor. They ascended the roof access stairs and entered the basement/dungeon of Castle Wyvern.

Ellie felt herself being set on the ground, then the bonds coming loose. She pulled the blindfold off and glanced around. There were mostly stacked crates and inactive Steel Clan robots. Bart was blocking what appeared to be the closest door. "The archetypal abandoned warehouse? How cliché."

Percy set down the folding chair he had carried with him. "Welcome to your final resting place."

TBC