The Worst Nightmare Yet
Opening her eyes, fear wrapped its cold fingers around Ninja's heart. The room was almost an exact replica of the one she was held in some months ago. A couple feet of chain rested on the ground and attached to the shackle on her left wrist while the other end traveled up the wall, through a pulley, and was hooked onto the wall beside the door. Without looking, she knew that the restraint for her right hand was above her head.
Then she spotted Tom slumped against the wall on her right, maybe three feet away, hands at his side but the chains were crossed above his head and both were rigged to pulleys. "Tommy... Tom... wake up." Ninja whispered loudly, hoping that Smith or Webb hadn't heard her. Chocolate brown eyes fluttered open and he groaned as he lifted his hands to his head, "Where are we?" "My worst nightmare."
Suddenly the door opened and Smith walked in, followed by Webb. Smith had a thin, spindly tree branch in one hand, a knife on his hip, and an evil gleam dancing in his cobalt eyes. Standing up to fight them, Ninja was still woozy from the chemicals so Webb was able to chain her right hand fairly quickly before raising her left arm. Since she wasn't facing the wall, Ninja knew that Smith wouldn't touch her. Instead, he'd torture Tom and she didn't know how much of that she could take.
Jerked to his feet, the chains forced Tom to spin around and face the wall. Taking out the knife, Smith cut Tom's shirt up the back and tore through the sleeves before it fell to the dirty stone floor, leaving Tom's bareback without the thin cotton for protection. "Here's the rules: Answer my questions and I won't hit him. If you refuse, lie, or smart off, I will beat him. Speak out of turn and I beat him. Understand?" Smith spoke to both of them but stared maliciously at Ninja the whole time.
When neither responded Smith struck Tom, causing him to bite back a groan as the branch hit his tender skin. "Understand?" Smith repeated and Ninja scowled, "Yes." while Tom simply nodded, still reeling from the pain. "Good. Who are you?" Feeling brave, Tom smirked, "We could ask you the same thing." Pain shot through him as Smith hit him again, "Wrong answer."
After Smith repeated the question twice more and struck Tom thrice, Ninja hesitantly spoke, wanting him to stop hurting her partner, "I'm Ninja." With anger and frustration in his eyes, Smith growled, "I know who you are. Who are you, McQuaid?" Instead of answering, Tom grasped the chains and braced for the pain. Smith kept interrogating him and Tom ignored him, causing Ninja to worry. If he draws blood, I'll answer his question. Just so he'll stop...
Just as Smith drew blood, Tom cried out in agony, "Hanson! My name is Tom Hanson and I'm a police officer." A wicked grin spread across their faces as Webb lowered Hanson to the floor and Smith sneered, "I won't be so gentle next time, Officer Hanson." Tom shivered out of exhaustion, cold, and slight fear as Ninja gave them a death glare.
Afraid, and rightfully so, Webb held her chain while Smith released her right hand. Next thing he knew, Ninja socked him in the jaw and Webb jerked her left arm up, making her grimace. Furious, Smith pushed with all his might on Ninja's right shoulder, eliciting a pain-filled moan from the young, battle-worn spy, and snarled, "You fight and he's dead." Smith held her there until Webb gave her four feet of chain and then they walked out without another word.
Clutching her right shoulder, Ninja shuffled over to the still shaking Hanson, "Turn around, Tom. The cold wall will help with the swelling and pain." He followed her instructions, hissing as the freezing wall touched his back, whispering, "Why did I tell him my name? I could've taken more..." "No, you couldn't have. If you hadn't told 'em, I would've." Ninja snapped as she fixed his chains so he could sleep. "It's not your place to tell them anything about me." Tom shot back, clawing at his shackles.
Gently adjusting his restraints, Ninja said softly, "Ok. I won't answer any questions unless you tell me you can't take anymore." As she sat beside him, Ninja wrapped an arm around his shoulders and his head fell to her shoulder, "Speaking from experience, sleep while you can." Seconds after closing his eyes the near-empty room was filled with Tom's soft snoring, lulling Ninja into a reluctant sleep as well.
Meanwhile at the Chapel, Fuller walked over to Doug and Judy, "Well, did you find them?" Shaking their heads, Doug answered the worried captain, "Hanson's car was in the driveway but nothing was disturbed. Not in the living room, kitchen, or the bedroom. Do you have any idea how many weapons Ninja brought with her?"
"No, Penhall, I don't. Why don't you tell me?" Fuller snapped in frustration as he picked up a ringing phone. "Fuller. We'll be right there." Explaining after hanging up, "A janitor at Southside just found a knife in the gym. Let's go. You coming, Richter?!" The older spy met them on the way out the door and Judy wondered, "Do you think it's Ninja's?" No one responded to her question because all three men knew the answer was 'Yes'.
Ninja awoke with a start to the sound of malicious laughter. "No sense in hiding your love for him, Ninja. We already know." Smith smirked at her and the sleepy-eyed Hanson. Blinking to clear his vision, Tom groaned as he sat up, his body complaining at the movement. Barely moving her arm in time to avoid hitting Tom, Smith jerked Ninja away by her chain and threw her into the wall before restraining her like before.
"Don't … don't hurt her," Tom said shakily, leaning against the wall as he tried to stand. Webb saw his partner's anger and raised Tom's hands so he couldn't fight back. Smith backhanded Hanson across the face, punched him in the stomach, and then grabbed a fistful of dark brown hair, hissing, "I will do as I please to whomever I please." "Let him go!" Ninja yelled, thrashing against her iron shackles because she knew full well what Smith could do.
Releasing Tom, Smith stalked over and pressed his forearm against her throat, "You do not tell me what to do." She smirked, "Are you sure? Cause it looks like I can." Smith pressed harder and fear flashed in her eyes as black dots swam across her vision and he smiled at her fear as he stepped back. Her gasping breathes bouncing off the silent stone walls. Tom tried his best to hide his pain at the sound of his partner's ragged breaths. But Webb noticed. He would tell Smith what he saw later.
Once Ninja's breathing returned to normal, Smith began his interrogation and pummeled them with his fists, Tom more so than Ninja, because he knew Hadar would want her to be well enough to take his own beating. "Why are you here?" "Because you kidnapped us." came Tom's snaky reply followed by a rib-breaking blow. A few torturous hours later, Smith was breathing heavily after using his prisoners as punching bags but had no more information than when he'd started. Knowing that Ninja would be too exhausted to put up a fight, even though he went easy on her, Smith spoke as he passed Webb and left the room, "Let 'em down, John."
Cautiously approaching the weakening killer, Webb released her right hand then walked over to Tom and whispered in his ear, "I saw your pain and fear as the girl struggled for air. You can't hide anything in here." Webb's words sent chills down Hanson's spine as he was dropped unceremoniously to the floor. After giving Ninja her leash, Webb left to talk to his partner about what he had seen.
Though she was becoming exhausted from the combination of lack of food, water, and torture; Ninja ignored the pain as she dragged herself over to Tom and pulled his pain-wracked body into a light, loving embrace before the room went dark.
Jerked awake by cold water being dumped on her, Ninja lashed out with her hands and feet until she recognized Tom's moans. Then she stopped fighting and steeled herself for what was to come; they had buckets, a rag, a lawnmower battery, and jumper cables.
Instead of shackling Ninja first like the previous two days, Webb hoisted Tom up kinda slow so Ninja could help him stand. Knowing that struggling would only make it worse; Ninja, resigning herself to her fate, walked straight to her other chain, raised both hands, and waited. "Giving up are we?" Smith smirked as he fastened her right hand. She scowled, knowing it was smarter than saying, Better me than him.
Smith held the wet rag over her face for several minutes and when he pulled it away, Webb doused her with ice-cold water. This repeated until they had emptied all ten buckets. Despite Smith covering her eyes, Ninja knew Webb was hooking the jumper cables to the battery and no matter how badly she needed air, Ninja never wanted that rag to leave her face. Because not being able to breathe is better than getting electrocuted.
As the rag was removed, Ninja saw Smith's excitement, Webb's amazement, and Tom's horror.
"Does anyone want to answer yesterday's question?" Ninja simply shook her head and Tom mirrored her action, deathly afraid for his young partner. "Very well then. You remember how much fun this is; don't you, Ninja?" Smith stated as he undid her right hand and put on a rubber sleeve covering her forearm and wrist before restraining it once more. "Fun for you." She spat as he pulled on a pair of yellow rubber gloves. "Aww, you do remember. Last chance." Smith sneered, hovering the hot cables near her body. Again, a wide-eyed Hanson shook his head while Ninja pressed her soaking wet body against the cold, hard wall to brace for the searing pain.