AN: It seems like I start so many of these with an apology for how long it is taking. And I am sorry it's taking so long. I've been traveling a lot for work and I guess this story is just not a priority for me in my personal life. I'm not sorry, though, that that is the case. I've gotten some reviews that seem very upset about this. The truth is, if it bothers you that much that this is taking a long time for me to write – hold off, and read it when it's finished. I promise to mark that in the summary so you'll know.

I'm not abandoning this fic and in fact we are very much drawing to a close, but between the rest of my life, and my desire not to short-change what's left of this, it will continue to take a while to finish. I'll be traveling much of the next month, which means I know it will be a long while before the next chapter is even started. I guess I can only hope that the finished product is worth the wait.

Chapter 15: The Ties That Bind

August 12, 1986 9:52pm

Amanda tried to determine where they were going. After being led out of the embassy party, she had been shoved into the back of a van. Her hands had been tied securely. There were no windows and she had long since lost track of the left and right turns. Her only way to determine her location was by the sounds outside. The loud engine and blasting radio was making outside sounds hard to hear, though.

At least her captors had good taste in music, she thought as Elton John came belting through the small window between where she sat and the cab of the van.

Looking around, she spotted the remains of a seatbelt. It had been pulled from the side and lay broken on the floor. The rough edge on one side was her best chance at breaking through the binds on her hands. Leaning over, she started moving her hands against the discarded seatbelt.

August 12, 1986 9:55pm

Lee felt the apprehension growing as he made yet another circle around the grounds of the Swiss embassy. Amanda was no where to be seen. He had just taken a seat on a bench outside when a man walked up to him.

Sitting down beside him, he motioned to Lee's watch. "Nice watch," he offered.

Distracted with thoughts of Amanda, Lee responded, "Thanks," and turned away.

The man was persistent, though, and kept talking. "You know, they say they don't make them like they used to."

"Uh, huh," Lee replied, not really listening.

"Yes, you know, just this morning one of my favorite juice glasses cracked. You'll never guess where I bought it."

This brought Lee's attention – the recognition sequence. Letting worry for Amanda take second place for just a second, he replied, "Well, I can't imagine better glasses anywhere than those they make at that little shop on Fourth Street."

The man smiled at him, and Lee waited patiently to be passed the microdot. Finally, his contact replied, "So, it is you. I wasn't sure. I hope the pretty brunette was your partner."

"What pretty brunette?" Lee asked, alarmed.

"The one I passed the microdot to earlier. She was wearing a green dress with a lovely broach."

Lee sighed with relief. "Yes, that is my partner. Where is she?"

"Oh, I haven't seen her since I passed her the microdot. I actually was going to leave, but then I realized she was gone and you were still here and worried I'd gotten the wrong person."

Lee's concern for Amanda rose. "Thanks for being diligent. I need to go find my partner."

August 12, 1986 10:47pm

"I don't know, Billy. She wasn't anywhere." Lee paced his superior's office. "I stepped away for just a moment and she was gone."

The frustration in Lee's voice was hard to miss. The desperation, hidden under the surface, was a bit more difficult, but not for a pro like Billy, not for someone who had known Lee so long.

"We'll find her," Billy said, his voice soft. Then deciding that Lee needed a friendly, but firm hand, he toughened his voice to that of the "section chief" again, "Now, Scarecrow, where was Amanda the last time you saw her?"

August 13, 1986 12:14am

Cobra pulled open the back door of the van and reached to grab the woman inside. He didn't really care what he grabbed, her life was not his main concern, so if he should grab an ankle and need to drag her into the warehouse, what did he care?

He reached his arm into the back of the van, but before he found anything to grab onto, a small, but remarkably strong foot, hit him right on the nose. He staggered backward a few feet, leaving just enough space for Amanda to jump out and run into the surrounding trees.

His eyes were smarting from the kick and as they cleared, he could see the woman run into the forest, but by the time he had blinked she was gone. It only took a moment for him to determine that he needed to follow her, lest he lose his life at the hands of Montclair (or more appropriately, Montclair's lackeys), and set off.

Amanda could hear the sound of footsteps behind her, and tried to ignore them. She ran faster than she knew she was capable of running and ignored the stitch in her side or the pain in her leg. As she came to a clearing, she saw a small log off to the side, and chanced lying down beside it. She was rewarded when seconds later, she heard the footsteps pass her on the trail.

August 13, 1986 12:17am

Lee slammed the phone down, trying hard not to let his frustration get the better of him. He had just called the last of his contacts and still no word on who had taken Amanda or even why. It had been unclear what information was being passed to him at the party, so he had no way of knowing who would want it.

It was clearly time to start talking to his family, see what word on the street was, but at this time of night, there was no one he could talk to. But there was no way Lee was going to be able to wait nine hours for people to start waking up. At a loss of what to do, Lee started pacing the Q-Bureau.

August 13, 1986 1:30am

Amanda moved quietly. Cobra had passed her quite some time ago, and she had stayed where she was for a good ten minutes after he passed. Now, she was trying to find her way to someplace populated. She had no idea where she was, though, making it hard to get anywhere.

She spotted a cave slightly up ahead, and deciding that it might make sense to rest for the night and hope to make more headway in daylight, she headed toward it.

Reaching the mouth of the cave, she glanced inside, but without a flashlight it was hard to see. Desperate for some sleep, she stepped inside, crouching down so she didn't hit her head.

Feeling for a wall, she moved to sit down. She had just felt the cool ground beneath her through her dress, when from out of nowhere, something grabbed her arm. She went to scream, but hands came around her mouth, and she was promptly dragged out of the cave.

"Running away was a stupid thing to do," Cobra said, his voice low and gruff. "A really stupid thing to do."

To Be Continued…