Ahh. This chapter was supposed to be up last night, but my brother, being the genius that he is, was messing around with the computer/power socket and reset it, turning off the computer and causing me to lose about half the chapter. But meh. Sooo here's the next chapter. It's kind of like a really, really bad action movie, but I hate those and never watch them,
-----
Randy leaned back on a chair, his arms crossed, holding back tears. He was deep in thought, and ignored everything anyone said to him. Matt and Dave had taken refuge in a corner, talking in hushed voices. John was doing frantic exercise in an effort to calm himself down. The door opened and everyone except Randy looked up to see Angie and the girls rush in. She embraced first John, then Randy.
"I saw what happened... Where is she? Do you know? Is everything okay?" she asked gently.
John shook his head. "They took her somewhere. They disappeared from the ring in that smoke and went god-knows-where. I just hope they haven't hurt her..."
Angie looked at him sympathetic, and Rebecca and Chloe hugged him. This brought a small smile to John's face, and he hugged them.
"We're gonna get that guy!" Chloe said, determined.
"Yeah. We'll get that jackass if it takes the whole arena to do it," Rebecca assured him.
"Hey! Bec! Mouth!" Dave barked from the corner. Him and Matt walked over, and he glared meaningfuly at her.
She threw her hands up in innocence. "Dad! It's Chris's fault! He's a bad influence!"
"Don't go blaming him for your swearing habits... What kind of effect do you think this'll have on Chloe?"
"She hangs around him too!"
Angie called their attention by whistling. "Hey! This isn't the time for family squabbles! We've got a crisis here!"
Rebecca and Dave bowed their heads shamefully. John clapped a hand on his shoulder. "It's cool, man. I just wish I knew what he wanted with her..."
"It's my fault," Randy said in a low voice. Everyone turned toward him, and he put his head in his hands. "It's my fault. 'Taker found out that she was important to me, and he took her to get to me. Who knows what that sadistic bastard's going to do with her."
John dropped down beside him, and gave him a reassuring pat on the back. "Nah, man, it's got to be something bigger than that. We know how his mind works; if that was his only motive, he would've found other ways to mess with her. This is going a bit too far for some media stunt to freak you out."
Randy shook his head. "I don't care what it was. I'm not going to stop until I find her."
"It's not just you, dude. It's us too. We're going to be with you, all the way," Matt piped up. (A/N: This is starting to sound a bit too much like Final Fantasy...)
Randy's lips curved up about a fraction of an inch, but it was still a smile. He looked up at him, and wiped his face off with a towel. "Alright, let's do it!"
Dave stepped forward. "I'm gonna help you guys, too."
John shook his head. "Dave, you need family time. We'll call you if you need you. Promise."
Dave hesitated, but Randy's glance in his direction, a go-with-them-before-we-kick-your-ass look, persuaded him. "Fine. You better keep me posted, though, or you all get the Batista Bomb when you get back." They had one last group hug, and Dave and his family left. Matt, John, and Randy sat around for a few minutes, trying to figure out what their next move should be.
"What the hell could he have done with her? Isn't there anybody who would know where he was, or anything?" Randy wondered aloud, scratching his head.
Matt nodded. "There might be one person. He left years ago, but I know he's still close to the Undertaker... They're like blood brothers, or something sick like that. Anyway, it's Gangrel. I heard he's supposed to be in town this week. We should get his number from T'Lo and call him up."
"I remember that dude. He was freaky," Randy said. "But let's go."
They got up and walked to Teddy's office, bursting in without so much as a hello. He was in there, flirting with Melina, and flinched when he saw them come in.
"Can't y'all knock or somethin'?" he said, clearly annoyed.
"We've got more things to worry about than your privacy. Although from the looks of things, we'll take that into consideration from now on. But if you're going to do something you want to hide, you might want to consider locking your door... Anyway, we need Gangrel's number," Matt explained, while Melina huffed and stormed off. Randy muttered "bitch..." under his breath before she was out of earshot, and she glared at him on the way out.
"Gangrel? Why do you want that freak's number? This got something to do with that kidnapped girl, playa?" Teddy said, readjusting his shades.
"Bingo. We think he might know where 'Taker is, or have some info on where to find her. Now give us the damn number, Teddy," John told him, walking up to Teddy and looking down at him.
Teddy shuddered, and looked at a few things on his computer. "I don't got a number, but I can give you the room number of the hotel he's staying at. It's... 666 at the Miami Midnight Hotel."
"Even better. 666... Typical. Thanks, T'Lo," Randy said, and the three of them left. Teddy sighed, leaning back in his chair and playing with his mustache.
-----
John, Randy, and Matt stood outside the Miami Midnight Hotel, looking up at it. It was painted all black, except for red doors leading inside, and red balconies and window sills.
"Trust him to stay in a place like this..." Matt murmured. "I didn't even know a place like this existed in Miami. I thought it was all pink and blue buildings with valets and dolphin statues."
Randy shrugged. "Just goes to show ya that you can find anything anywhere if you look hard enough... Come on. Let's head in before we get freaked out." They walked in through the red doors, and took the elevator up to the 6th floor. The hallway was black, too, with dim lighting. All the doors were red. "At least they match," Randy commented. Suite 666 was the first door on their right, and John banged on the door.
"Come in," a low voice beckoned from inside. The guys looked at each other, before John twisted the door handle and led them in. The room was much like the hallway, black with supernaturally dim lighting. The only difference was that in here, there were black lights instead of normal lighting, so everything looked more eerie than it should have.
"Hello?" Matt called, looking around nervously.
"In the bedroom," the voice rasped from somewhere on their left. Randy walked over there and pulled open the door, unleashing a stream of smoke. He coughed, before stepping inside. The bedroom was creepier than the living room, with the same smoke billowing out of who-knows-where, turned purple under the black floor lamps. On the bed, Gangrel was sitting in the middle of red satin sheets, smiling sadistically.
"What is this, your vampiric lair or a sex club for the morbid?" Matt asked him, wrecking the atmosphere.
"Hey! Don't diss the room. I paid a lot for this," Gangrel snapped, sitting up.
"Whatever... How's the smoke work?" John continued questioning him, walking around the room.
"From my magical vampiric powers!" Gangrel told him, before seeing the skepticism in Matt's eyes. "Alright, alright, it's dry ice."
"Okay, enough discussing the powers of the unknown. Gangrel, did you see Smackdown tonight?" Randy said shortly.
"Of course, my vision tells me all that happens..." Gangrel said mysterioiusly.
"Cut the vampire act, David, we're not secretely filming you," Matt sighed.
"Alright, alright," Gangrel sighed, flicking on the overhead light. "Yes, I saw it. Why?"
"So I'm assuming you saw what the Undertaker did to that girl, aka my baby sister?" John told him, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms.
"Yeah, I saw. What about it?"
Randy walked over to Gangrel and stared him down. "She's John's sister, and she's... very important to me. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that we want to find her. Now, we know you and 'Taker still talk. Where's he staying and what's he done with her?"
Gangrel put his hands up in defense. "Hey, hey, I didn't know anything about him kidnapping her. I swear to Satan. I do know where he's supposed to be staying, though. Right here, different room. Number 13. I think it's in the basement."
John nodded. "Thanks. Don't wait up." Him, Randy, and Matt left, leaving Gangrel to flick off the lights and continue the book he was reading, surrounded by smoke.
-----
"You sure that guy knows he's only supposed to pretend to be a vampire when he's wrestling for whoever he wrestles for? He seemed a little... eccentric, at best," Randy said while they were in the elevator.
"Yeah," Matt said. "He's just kinda weird. Not that bad a guy, once you get to know him. Well... he has his moments, anywyay."
They got to the basement, which turned out to be a little bit different from the rest of the hotel. The walls, floor, and ceiling were all made of concrete, and the hall was lit by bare bulbs suspended from the ceiling. Room 13 was the last one at the end of the hallway, and there was a maid's cart outside of it. They walked into the room, and looked around. The only person there was the maid, and she turned around when she heard them come in.
"Why are you here?" she said suspiciously.
"We're looking for... the guy who was in this room. He around?" John asked.
"No. If he was, I wouldn't be here. He said he won't be back until tomorrow, maybe the day after." She went back to sweeping the floor. They sighed.
"Any idea where he might be?" Matt pressed.
She turned around again. "No. You can look around, if you want. Maybe something will help you find your friend."
They walked into the bedroom, and started searching the place. They heard the maid leave soon after that. "Not very professional, is she?" Matt commented. "Just letting us waltz in... Ah well."
They sifted through everything, and when they were just about to give up, John sat on the bed, grabbing Randy's and Matt's attention. "I found an address written on a piece of paper... I dunno if it means anything, but it's worth checking out. It's not like we've found anything else." They nodded, and the three left the hotel and got into one of John's cars.
-----
Meanwhile, Mel was tied up in the dim lighting of a huge wherehouse. She had no idea where they were, because she had been blindfolded until she got there, but she was pissed off. "What the fuck do you think you're doing, bringing me here?" she snapped at 'Taker, getting his attention.
"Look, kid. I'm just doing what I'm being told to," he told her, leaning back in the office chair.
She sneered. "Oh really? And who the hell would you take orders from?"
"You'll find out soon enough."
"Well, I don't want to! I want to get the hell out of here! Let me the fuck out!"
'Taker glared at her. "I was supposed to wait, but maybe I'll make the appropriate changes now. It'll distract me from your screaming, anyway."
Mel stopped, her eyes growing wide in fear. "Wha... What changes? What the hell are you going to do to me?"
"Don't worry, kid. It's nothing big. I've just got to modify your look a little bit, to fit his taste."
"Who the fuck is he? Tell me, dammit!"
'Taker grabbed a pair of scissors and glared. "Look, you little brat, yelling at me isn't going to get you anywhere. You may as well save your voice for later. You might need it."
The mere sight of the scissors in his hand scared the hell out of Mel, but all he did was cut her hair boy-short, so there was nothing left dangling down. He forced a baggy black shirt over her head, dragged her into the bathroom, and dyed her hair black. "Why the hell are you doing all of this?" she demanded. "And why do I have to wear this thing?"
"Like I said, orders from him. And I didn't figure you'd want to get your pretty little clothes dirty, so take it as me doing you a favor," he said darkly, dragging her back out.
"Gee, thanks... A favor from you. That makes me feel TOTALLY better. I think I might jump for joy now," Mel said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.
"Not that you can," 'Taker pointed out. Mel remembered her wrists and ankles were bound, and she glared at him again. He laughed. "Keep it up, sweetheart, you're never going to get me to do anything for ya."
"Don't call me sweetheart," she snapped, hopping so she was faced away from him.
"Lucky that the boss is coming soon. Maybe then you'll stop pestering me," he sighed, pulling his hat down over his eyes and whistling. Mel wriggled around, trying to get loose, and the ropes seemed like they were about to give when an electronic funeral march started to play.
'Typical,' Mel thought. She heard him flip open his phone.
"Yeah? ...Alright, come in through the back entrance. Mkay. See you in a minute." He snapped the phone closed and lifted her up by the ropes that held her wrist together, putting her on a desk so she was sitting. "Here comes your knight in shining cotton. Bet you're just dying to meet him," 'Taker told her sardonically. He opened a silvery door and let someone in. Mel gasped.
"Joey!"
(A/N: I wanted to leave it here, but I decided the chapter was too short. So just pretend it's a cliffhanger... Or something...)
"Yep! How are you, my angel in black?" Joey said, stepping in and smiling evily. His hair was bleached blonde, green eyes sparkling, and he was dressed in black pants, combat boots, and a black, open trench coat. (A/N: Think Dante from Devil May Cry, but with... you know, blonde hair, green eyes, and a black coat instead of a red one.)
"Since when did you go all gothic?" Mel said, holding back a laugh.
"What, you don't like it? That's a shame, it's the same plan I've got for you. Eh. Now, tell me, what would you do if I untied you?" Joey asked her, hopping onto the desk beside her and stroking her hair. Mel pulled away violently.
"Kick both your asses and run like hell."
He laughed. "That's a shame. Not that you could accomplish such a thing, anyway. But I was actually considering letting you out of those ropes. Now that I know your evil plan... I suppose you'll have to stay like that for a while. No worries, my dear. You shall be free before you know it. And then our black wedding shall commence."
Mel laughed bitterly. "What, are you copying what 'Taker did to Steph now? God, if you're going to scheme, at least make it original."
Joey walked over to her and caressed her face. She promptly turned and bit him on the thumb, and he had to shake her off before she'd let go. He grabbed his thumb with his other hand and scowled at her. His scowl quickly turned to a smile. "Now, now, that's not the way to treat your future husband. We're gonna be together for a while, sweetheart. I'd advise you to make with the nice."
She brought her face inches away from his. "I will never make nice with you, you creep. Ever. Now I suggest you let me the fuck go before John rearranges your face like he did the last time you broke up with me. Not that he's not already going to, but he might leave one of your eyes in if you freely let me go."
Joey snickered. "Your big brother's never going to find you. And if he does, it'll be from the wedding announcements in the paper."
Mel sighed. "Once again, your stupidity amazes me. You can force me with whatever you want, but you'll never get me to say "I do" at your "black wedding". Threatening people won't help, because I've got enough backup that they could kick your skinny punkass and your little errand boy's over there in a second flat."
'Taker growled at her, and Mel rolled her eyes. "Oh, go back to the 7th Circle of Hell, or whatever. Earth's overpopulated anyway."
"Charming. Even under the face of danger, you can still make your oh so witty little jokes. I'm sure you'll be a riot at the wedding," Joey said cooly, although Mel could tell he was starting to lose his patience.
"Not as much as you'll be when you get rejected by the most beautiful girl in Miami. You're such a loser, even if you offered the lowest hooker a million dollars she'd still run screaming. Not that you didn't try that when we were going out, of course."
"My dear, I remained nothing but faithful to you! It was your suspicious nature that led me to believe that time apart was only for the best."
"Oh, puh-leeze. You and I both know that I'd never wear a see-through bright pink thong, similar to the one I found in the back of your Jeep when I was going to work. Or that you leave 50 dollar bills floating around in the back, so I'm guessing she must have left it behind when she was done with you. Probably in her rush to get the hell out of there," Mel sniped, while wriggling her hands in the ropes discreetly. Her right hand was almost free...
"Angel, I told you, she came on to me! I would never hurt you intentionally," Joey told her. His green eyes were wide, trying to appear innocent, but Mel saw them laced with the venom of his lies.
"Don't try to pull that shit with me. But even if there's one grain of truth in the shit you're saying, that's where you and I are very different. Because, you see, I have every intention of hurting you," Mel said in a low, dangerous voice. Suddenly, her right fist lashed out and connected with Joey's face. The blow caused him to fall back, giving Mel a few precious seconds. She grabbed a knife that was on the desk and slashed the ropes that were binding her ankles and other hand, and jumped off the desk, landing a few feet away. Glancing at 'Taker, she saw him eye the knife in her hand, and held it out in front of her. He continued to advance slowly, so Mel kicked him in the gut and DDT'd him, running towards a ladder that led to the upper level. 'Guess John's wrestling lessons came in handy for more than entertaining,' she thought to herself, making a mental note to thank John later. Mel scrambled up the ladder and pulled it up with her, setting it down on the wooden beams that made the floor. She looked down at the ground level and noticed that 'Taker was already back up, despite getting his head slammed into concrete. He was walking towards the spot where the ladder she had used to climb up had been, but wasn't going very fast. 'Jesus, he's like Jason... Not as menacing, though, since he's not carrying a huge rusty knife.' Mel looked around the rest of the floor she was on, and saw a huge, picture window that led outside. She ran over to it, tripping on the ladder and banging one of her knees in the process. 'Ladder one, Mel zip.' She inspected it for a fraction of a second, and bit back a scream when she tried to walk. She sucked it up and limped over to the window, looking outside. It overlooked the street, and Mel pushed one of the huge panes open. It was one of those windows like you'd see at barns, that just opened into nothingness. There was a somewhat familiar looking car out on the street, with dark figures. 'Oh, this looks safe... Design flaws, anyone? Well, better than getting stuck with those two freaks until someone comes and rescues me. The drop's not that bad... Only about 25 feet. Thank you, appearance-concerned elderly of Miami.' Mel sucked in her breath, and lept out of the window, screaming.
-----
While all that was going on, John, Randy, and Matt sped over to the wherehouse that the address had directed them to, and John came to a screeching halt outside of it. They stepped out of the car and looked up at it. "It looks kinda like that house from Amityville..." Matt commented, before rushing over to the door. He was about to try to bust it open when they heard a scream coming from above them. Randy recognized Mel's figure falling fast towards them, and ran to catch her seconds before she would have hit the ground.
"Nice catch..." she murmured, smiling weakly before blacking out.
"C'mon, let's get the hell out of here before whoever's inside comes out here to get their revenge, or whatever," John said urgently, and he and Randy ran back towards the car. John hopped in the driver's seat while Randy took Mel to the back. Matt reached in through the open window and grabbed a pair of pliars, then ran back to the other two cars parked outside the wherehouse. He gave them the wait-one-second sign, and cut the brake cables to the other cars. He jumped into the car and tossed the pliars onto the floor.
"C'mon, dude, drive!" he urged John, and John drove away promptly. Randy touched Mel's knee softly, seeing that it looked a little bit off. She moaned, and he drew back his hand quickly.
"Orton, what the hell are you doing to my sister back there?" John teased, navigating through the dark streets.
"Ha, ha, ha... Not while you're in the car, Cena. Anyway, her knee's hurt. We needa get her to the hospital; it might be broken."
"On my way... And whaddya mean, not while I'm in the car? Better watch your step..." John warned, turning off towards Miami General Hospital.
"Chill, I was kidding..." Randy said calmly.
John accepted this and the car was mostly silent in the next five minutes it took to get there. John parked right out front and Randy carried Mel in. They explained the situation to the nurse and in minutes Mel was in a hospital room, a doctor inspecting her leg.
"It's a pretty bad sprain, but she should be okay to leave by tomorrow. I take it you're planning on traveling?" the doctor said, raising an eyebrow in amusement.
"Always nice to meet a fan... and yes, we're probably going to leave tomorrow," Matt answered.
"Alright. Just make sure to get it checked out wherever you are next, and don't put too much strain on the leg. You can come get her tomorrow morning around 9 am," the doctor explained, getting materials for a cast and turning his attention to Mel. She was sleeping now, not out cold like she had been earlier. Randy kissed her on the forehead, and the guys left.
"C'mon, let's get back to the hotel. I wanna get to sleep and get this night over with so we can get the hell out of Miami. It's a freakier city than I thought," John sighed, jerking his head towards the car. They all collapsed onto their beds immediately upon entering the hotel room, and slept a long, deep sleep.
-----
The first thing Mel noticed was white. Lots of it. She opened her eyes slowly, squinting until she got used to the brightness. She noted that she was in a hospital room, a very, very white hospital room. Her leg was bandaged up, and she was in the same clothes she was in last night. Everything suddenly came to her in a rush, and she sighed. 'No matter how blinding, at least I'm safe here... Unless they pull out the hacksaw and operating tools.' She hollered for a nurse, and one came rushing in. Mel saw that her nametag said Jessica.
"How'd I get here?" was the first thing she asked.
"Your brother and his friends brought you in last night, I think. Your knee's got a pretty bad sprain, but everything should be fine in about 2 months. They'll be here to pick you up in a few minutes," Jessica explained, smiling brightly and going to open the blinds. More light streamed in. 'Where am I, in a secret hospital of super-people who are powered by light?' Mel wondered, her mouth twitching at the thought. "And if you need anything else, don't hesitate to press the call button on your left," Jessica added, before walking out. Mel glanced at it; it was a big red button that said "Call Nurse". 'Whoops. Didn't see that there...' Mel was just sitting up when John, Randy, and Matt burst in.
"Hey guys," she said softly, smiling. They all pulled her into a group hug, and she shifted her leg out of harm's way.
"How's my little soldier holding up?" John asked, looking at her knee.
Mel shrugged. "I'm alright. Been worse. Definitely been better."
"That reminds me, who was the asshole that took you?" Randy asked, frowning.
Mel sighed. "It was Joey. That little prick. I punched him in the face and I think I broke his nose. 'Taker was there too, of course, but I think he's in it because of some payoff Joey's giving him. He didn't seem too into the whole thing."
John clenched his fists. "If I ever see that little jackass again, I'll twist his head around backwards."
"Not if I get to him first," Matt and Randy chimed in unison.
Mel laughed. "You mean if I get to him first. Come on, let's get the hell out of here, Miami's turned into a personal hell for me."
They left the hospital and John told her their next destination was Tuscon, Arizona. "Good, somewhere out of the way," Mel remarked blandly, her head in Randy's lap. They got on the airplane and set off for Tuscon, leaving their troubles behind for the moment.