Gordon's muscles screamed in protest as he finally came to, the tightness making it difficult to move. He let out a shaky breath trying to remember what had happened. Fire, people to save… pain… He could see the faces of the woman and two men he had been trying to lead out of the burning building. There was an explosion that had pushed them all to the ground, sending waves of heat lapping over them. He remembered the immediate fear for his charges not wearing any protective gear. Thankfully, they were all back on their feet, running towards the stairs that would lead up and out. Then what… His memories were fuzzy after that. Where had the pain he was feeling come from? And why was he in the dark? He closed his eyes against the throbbing in his head and tried to concentrate. Still nothing would come. Deciding to move on, he knew he needed to find out where he was. Taking stock of his surroundings was proving to be difficult, though, as he took in the darkness around him. Tentatively, he let his fingertips, free of his gloves, glide over the cool, cement floor. His next realization was that he wasn't wearing his helmet either, the damp air making his skin clammy. He was at least still wearing his dive suit, although the belt was missing. As he moved to push himself up, the metallic clicks of chains let him know what was attached to his wrists and ankles. Panic was setting in quickly as the true meaning of his situation came full force into his muddled mind.

"You're awake." Her voice was ice, coming from behind him. And then he remembered being sent to the floor, the flash of purple and her fury as she pressed something hard against his throat. Havoc… Part of him wished he could go back to the world of unconsciousness. She didn't sound like she just wanted to talk.

He pulled against the restraints, finding that he couldn't get his hands to meet. The chains were just long enough to move, but sitting up would be difficult. He froze as he heard her shifting, heavy boots thudding on the floor. As he listened in the darkness, he tried to track her, the steps circling around him. With an aching jolt, he squeezed his eyes shut as a piercing light invaded them.

"What do you want?" Gordon finally ground out between clenched teeth.

"What I want…" Her voice was right by his head and he tried to flinch away, but a strong grip in his hair forced him to stay put. "What I want is for you to feel my pain!"

The strain of grief was in her growl, not that he had time to process her words as the Taser was jammed into his throat again, the shock running through his already pained muscles. The burning electricity had him arching and pulling against his restraints, his mouth open in a soundless cry.

He gasped ragged breaths as the device was removed, his head being tossed into the hard floor as she cursed.

Gordon tried to roll onto his side, one arm ending up hanging behind his back as he coughed. "Why-" The pain flared in his vocal cords, cutting off his plea.

Havoc was back, bending over him, grabbing his jaw to twist is head to stare into her tear streaked face. "You're the reason." Her fingers were digging into his cheek. "It's because of you Fuse is dead!"

He couldn't move away as the gloved fist came crashing into the side of his face. Stars flashed and his vision swirled in the sharp light, shadows swaying over the walls. Another blow to his jaw as she pulled him back up. The next hit, he'd been able to move a hand in front of his face, effectively blocking most of the impact. It was a mistake however as she took hold, twisting his fingers back. He couldn't stop the cry as he tried to move away from the pain shooting through his hand.

"Do NOT try to stop this!" Blue eyes burned into his before she let go. He watched her as she moved over to a table, his heart hammering at the thought of what could be up there. What she returned with did nothing to alleviate his fears. "Do you know-" She knelt down beside him, the knife pressing against his bruising cheek to encourage him to look at her. "Do you even understand what it's like to lose the only person you care about?" The blade pressed in, sending a sharp fire through the already aching skin. He could feel the warm droplets trailing down.

"I'm sorry to hear about your brother." He wheezed and Gordon saw the flinch of uncertainty at his words, but it seemed like a wisp of shadow that was there and gone just as fast. The knife left, which seemed like a blessing until he felt the searing jab as she slammed it into his upper arm, crying out as it glance off bone.

The pain that tore through him as she ripped it back out sent the room spinning as he rolled to lay on his back, trying to reach across and hold the wound. Tears fell from the corners of his amber eyes and he grunted, willing the shock and fear back.

"It was supposed to be easy." Havoc was leaning heavily against the table, the knife gone from his view. "Why did you have to be there? You!" She yelled, turning her gaze back to him. "Do you even know what you did to him?"

Gordon tried to move away as she came at him, tried to block the booted foot as it slammed into his side. There was no stopping the next one, his breath already leaving him as he tried to curl in on himself against the assault. He lost count of the blows, but the stabbing ache in his chest told him of at least two broken ribs. His mind raced, looking for any way to stop the onslaught, coming up with a harsh gasp. "What?"

Havoc's fingers were in his hair again, pulling him up at an awkward angle. Her breath hit against his ear with the whisper, "You changed him." He grunted as she let go, moving back over to the table. "Ever since you 'saved his life'." Her hands were waving something square around as she made quotations with her fingers. "He honestly thought you were trying to help him!"

"I was…" He couldn't stop the comment.

"Only because you were trying to save yourself!" She was over him again, venom in her voice. "Our missions kept going long every time international rescue was involved. But then…" The darkness was back, her words low and menacing. "It was only when you were there."

The cuffs on his wrists kept him in place as she took a seat on the floor, opening the box she was holding. "This-" He tugged again, "this isn't going to bring him back."

"No." She pulled out a small disk about the size of a penny. Placing the box beside her, she took hold of his jaw again. He blinked as the device was pressed against his temple, adhering to the skin. "But it will make me feel better." Another disk was placed against the other temple. Painfully she forced his head to the side, the strain in his neck catching his breath. He barely felt the third piece bond to the skin at the base of his hairline. He grunted as she finally released him, trying his best the stretch out the daggers running through his neck muscles.

"What are you doing?" He really didn't want to know, but maybe he could delay. His brother's had to know something had happened. They'd be here any minute.

Havoc was smiling, which Gordon decided was an incredibly bad sign. She was back at the table, pulling up a tablet before taking a seat. "This is just a little something the boss cooked up to deal with difficult informants. Let me demonstrate."

Gordon watched her fingers dance over the control and he instantly felt the small ache drive through his head. It began to travel down his spine, to his shoulders, just enough to catch his breath, forcing him to hold it until he gasped out of pure need for oxygen. And just as quickly as it had come, the pain was gone.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" The sadistic smile continued. "I have complete control over what you feel." She tapped at the screen again and he found himself flooded with a twisted sense of elation as the pain dulled and adrenaline pulsed through him. The pain returned, seeing as she probably didn't want him feeling any kind of relief.

"Stop-" His words were lost as the burn intensified.

"Ya' see, I've ever only seen it dialed up to four. It's max is ten." She grinned. "No one has ever been able to withstand any higher before they talked. You're at a two right now."

If this was a two, he could understand why no one had made it past four. The pain was unrelenting as it traveled down his spine, blossoming out into his ribs. The intensity increased as the damaged ribs were engulfed in whatever this device was doing. The hand closest to his head moved, trying to find the node against his temple. Another mistake.

"What... did I... SAY!" Her voice echoed through his mind as his body was sent into a spasm, amber eyes wide, mouth open trying to take in a breath that wouldn't come. All he could see was the light above him, burning into his retinas with each pulse of agony sent through him. And then the void swallowed him in its sweet embrace.

Gordon's eyelids dragged open slowly, blinking in the cool darkness that now encompassed him. When had she turned out the lights? He also noticed the searing pain was gone, replaced by a muscle-stiffening ache. As he tentatively glanced around the room, he could see she was no longer there, although, the lack of light was making it difficult to confirm that observation.

The overwhelming urge to move took over and he tried to pull his arms in, to push himself up off the hard floor. He couldn't. She had shortened his restraints, making it impossible for him to even turn. Be it the fatigue, fear, panic, he could tell, but the hammering in his ears as the anxiety built forced him to strain against the cuffs. He couldn't register the pain as the metal dug into his wrists. All he knew was he wanted up. Wanted to be out of this room and away from the pain it was causing him.

The cry that echoed against the walls was enough to shock him back into reality as he took in a shuddering breath. Now, he let the tears flow, the despair too much to handle at this moment. Cursing, he wanted to wipe them away before she could see. Gordon didn't want to give her the satisfaction of knowing how much she was affecting him.

Foot steps. For a moment, the panic was back, but then the sounds faded again. As they returned, he realized she was pacing. A muffled voice. She was talking to someone; yelling by the sound of it.

That was good. She could take her anger out on them for all he cared. Unless it was his family. Part of him knew that was a long shot. They wouldn't try to make contact if they could find the upper hand in surprising his captor.

The thought of his brothers was met with a growing realization as he remembered his time with Fuse. The device that had blocked his signal could be here, effectively hiding him from the rest of his world. Hadn't Brains tried to create a new work around? Something that could not be masked? Yes. Gordon remembered it clearly... except... it had been installed into his belt. He couldn't begin to imagine where that was right now.

"You'll have it when I'm done!" The door crashed open and she shouted into the comm, the image disappearing as she hung up.

Gordon remained motionless on the floor, not wanting to incite the woman any more than she was, currently. Done... The word spun through his head as he realized she was planning to finish whatever she had started. There was someone demanding something, which put a time limit on his life. He tried not to flinch as the lights came on, the soft hum of halogen filling the room.

"Time to wake up."

He didn't want to move, but as the ache turned into millions of pins and needles, he let out a groan, pulling against the chains.

OoOoOoO

Fuse glanced at the rear view mirror, the plume of flames and smoke letting him know just how close he'd come. The stolen car shuddered in the wake of the explosion before continuing down the rural drive. His thoughts turned back to his sister, knowing the lengths she could go when they were separated. If she thought he was dead, there may be no help for the aquanaut.

He jabbed a finger at the damaged communicator again, willing it to life. Still nothing flashed across the cracked screen. Fuse cursed, wracking his brain for where to look for his sister. There were only a few secure places that she could go without the Hood's knowledge. He pulled up the on-board GPS, scanning the surrounding area. His eyes fell on the outer city limits and the old buildings that were as familiar to him as his gear. The home illuminated, his hand moving to input the location. It was the closest and would be abandoned. Perfect for hiding.

Pressing down on the pedal, the car sped forward. It would be a good hour before he made it to the destination. As the scenery past by the windows, the memories were dragging out from the corners of his mind. The ancient home with its terraced roof. He smiled, remembering the time he and Havoc had snuck out with a laundry list of requests from the other kids. They'd hidden within the abandoned remains of a building that had been left mid -renovation. As little as they'd been privileged, those moments had been thrilling. It was part of the reason for continuing with the program.

The experiments had been unnerving, but the outcomes of the equipment were worth the sacrifices. One sacrifice had almost been too much, however, nearly pulling him from away from the family. The memory of it sent a pained chill through his mind as he drove. He must have suppressed it, but now so close to the home, it was like opening a fresh wound. His best friend, rivaled only by his sister, had been as carefree as himself. They had conspired together on many occasions on what they would do if they ever left, laughing in the dark recesses of the dilapidated buildings. They would just talk like life was normal. Fuse had felt like they had a chance at something more than just being a body in a room. Thinking back on it, he could see the similarities in Gordon. Though the situation had been less than ideal in the way of friendship, that same jovial nature was there. He shook the thought from his mind. There was no chance of them being anything more than enemies.

Fuse let his thoughts fall back on his old life, a frown playing across his face. There had been an experiment gone wrong, an explosion in the lower levels that had taken the lives of more than one. That one life had almost been too much. Havoc had been the one to pull him back from the brink, keeping him going through that time. Now, she'd nearly lost him. She was alone with no one to pull her back.

The pedal hit the floorboard as the magnitude of this situation hit him. This was his closest shot at saving two lives. He had to be right.