Company B

Everybody in the room couldn't believe what had happened to Walker and knew he must be in a great deal of pain. Trivette began to bite his thumbnail as he watched his friend get back up to continue the fight. However, now he had a slight disadvantage. Gauze covered his injured left eye which will limit his depth perception and peripheral vision.

"How badly do you think it might be?" Asked Carter as Walker lunged at his opponent with a side kick followed up by a back fist. The latter blow stunned the man enough to get him wobbly on his feet. "That's it Walker. Use your anger and pain."

Walker managed to land a nasty uppercut before the round ended which put him back in the lead. Trivette could see his friend walking around funny and knew he must be in a lot of pain from the shot to the groin. As the camera panned to get a closer shot, Trivette saw blood soaking through the gauze over Walker's eye.

Carter shook his head. "Not good. An eye isn't suppose to bleed like that."

"I know." Trivette bit his lower lip as the fight began again. "Come on, Walker. I know you don't want to fight, but try something. Anything."

Compound

After a minute's rest, Walker felt much better and came in with fists flying. He landed several good hits, one possibly breaking Z's nose. Walker knew just one more, well placed punch would end the fight, so his mind was set on knocking the guy out. He pushed all pain aside as he went in for the attack, hitting Z with fists, knees and the occasional elbow.

Z stumbled backwards, his eyes glazed over. "You are not a man…." He shook his head to try and clear it. "How are you still standing?"

Walker brought his guard up then waved for Z to attack him and he did with a primal scream which was suppose to startle him. Moving to the side, Walker brought his leg up and slammed his right shin straight into the man's temple. Z stood for several seconds before he collapsed to his knees then face first on the mat.

The white ski mask man quickly went to Walker and lifted his arm up. "Winner!" The lights dimmed as Doctor Galloway approached the prone body of Z. "Nice fight, 0535. Didn't know you were still that flexible." He grimaced and shook his head. "But I'm afraid you're eye might be permanently damaged. Galloway will check you out after he's through with 0220. In the mean time, sit back over there on the bench."

Company B

After the video ended Trivette turned to Carter to see the man's mouth was still open in shock. Most of the younger FBI agents didn't know about Walker's Taekwondo past and how hard he could really kick. Hell, Trivette didn't realize that his friend was still that limber. Walker was nearing seventy years old, but just now he looked forty again.

"And your friend is sixty-eight?" Carter whistled. "Damn."

"Yeah, but I bet he'll be feeling it in the morning." Trivette leaned back into his chair and shook his head. "Do you think he and Gage will fight each other?"

"Don't see why not, it'll bring money in." Carter shook his head. "Okay, we'll log this." He arched his back and popped his spine. "Hopefully we'll find Walker soon." He patted Trivette's shoulder. "Why don't you go home and be with the kids and wife. I'll call you if anything else comes up."

Trivette nodded. "Right, thanks." He stretched then stood up. "At least we know Walker is alive and doing well."

Compound

Inside the infirmary Walker laid on a hospital bed wondering if he will keep his eye or not. Being in a small clinic such as this one he doubt they had the right tools to do any kind of surgery. He crossed his arms over his sore ribs then tried once again to open his left eyelid. Unfortunately it seemed the blood had sealed the eye shut making it hard for Walker to gauge if he indeed had sight or not.

"0535, heard you put on a good fight." It was a different voice from before and Walker turned to see a man in a purple ski mask. "My name is Doctor Bradshaw, I've been called in to take a look at your eye." He glanced up. "Secure him to the bed."

Men in blue ski masks appeared and secured Walker's arms and legs to the bed by thick, padded Velcro straps. Then, Doctor Bradshaw appeared above Walker this time wearing a paper mask, hat and rubber gloves. Walker's heart began to beat faster against his chest when he spotted the glint of a scalpel.

Bradshaw put the scalpel down when somebody handed him a needle. "This is local." He gently put the needled into Walker's skin, just under the eye. "You suffered a pretty bad injury. I'm here to make sure you'll keep your eye."

Walker slowly nodded his head. "Thank you." He felt a sharp pain in his arm and within seconds his mind began to get cloudy. "Please try your best."

The Next Morning - Christmas Eve

When Walker awoke, at first he didn't know what had happened to him and he tried to move around to only find out he couldn't. What the hell? He slowly opened his eyes, but quickly took note of the blackness on his left side. Then, everything came back and Walker once again tried to reach up to feel his eye.

"Easy, calm down." Said Doctor Bradshaw. "Sorry, we had to put you out."

"Why?" Walker's good eye got really wide as realization suddenly hit him. "My eye…."

"Still there. However the cornea was badly damaged. You may not see the same way again. But you will have sight out of that eye, that is if I can keep the infection down." He shook his head. "The eyelid was ripped, which was the cause of all the blood. I had to sew your eyelids shut which means, you'll be wearing an eye patch for a few weeks while it heals."

Walker couldn't believe what had happened, but at least he was now retired and didn't have to worry about work. Doctor Bradshaw undid the straps from Walker's limbs then helped him to sit up. As he did so, Walker grimaced at the pain it brought on from his chest.

"You bruised a few ribs." It was Galloway. "Because of your fight, we grossed in quite a bit of money. Your room will get a generous reward because of that." Galloway handed Walker his workout bag. "Get changed. You're heading to breakfast then back to your room." He gave Walker a stack of magazines, two board games and a drawing pad with one pencil. "Those should help pass the time much easier. And just a heads up, your room will get a special gift tomorrow."

"What about Z? What's going to happen to him?"

"You don't need to know." Galloway helped Walker to stand. "How do you feel?" Walker got rather light headed and began to sway. "Whoa, sit back down."

Walker shook his head. "I'm fine, just got up too quickly."

"Very well. Get dressed and put the items in your bag."

XXXX

The lights turned on and still no sign of Zadok which really worried Gage. What happened during the last fight? Was he killed? He jumped down from his bunk and looked at Zadok's bed to see the blankets still tucked neatly under the mattress. Aiden slowly climbed out of his middle bed still sore from his own fight.

"Where the hell is Zadok?" He stretched then rotated his neck. "He's usually the first one up…." His eyes got really wide. "You don't think he got killed?"

Truman shook his head. "I don't think they would."

The door opened and all the men in the room instantly lined up with hands behind their backs. Within minutes Gage and the other men headed towards the cafeteria for breakfast. Once here, they were made to sit down, three at a table with their wrists secured to an eyelet. It was here Zadok was made to sit across from Gage, the right side of his face swollen and purple. His right index finger was wrapped up tightly inside a splint and Gage could tell by the way he was holding his fork it was causing him severe pain.

Gage scooped up a forkful of eggs then shoved them into his mouth. Wonder if they will always be eating horrible powdered eggs for breakfast? He took a glance at Eric's plate to see he had a normal size portion as well. Wonder who will be the next to fight?

After breakfast, the men were escorted back to their rooms where Zadok went to his bed to lay down. Why didn't he come back with something like Aiden did? Did he loose that badly that he wasn't even warranted a consolation price?

"Man, what the hell happened to you?" Truman shook his head as he stepped up to Zadok's bed. "Out of everybody here, I thought you would be the one to come back victorious."

"The man I fought was not human." Zadok shook his head. "Let's just leave it at that."

Nathan smirked. "No man is inhuman."

Zadok slowly rolled over onto his back and took a look at his injured right hand. "I even damaged one of his eyes and he still defeated me."

"So, did he wear a red cape and blue tights?" Laughed Eric.

A smile crept over Zadok's cracked lips. "Close. He wore blue shorts and had red hair."

Aiden shook his head. "Never took you for having some humor."

Gage filed everything Zadok told him away in his mind knowing there might come a time he too will have to fight this "Superman". If what Zadok said was true, the man in question had an extremely high pain tolerance. Gage nearly chuckled since he knew a person back home that was exactly like that.

"What kind of fighting style was he?" Asked Truman.

Zadok turned his head to get a look at the shortest man in the room. "That, is what made him so great. He was skilled in practically everything. Kicking, punching, even grappling." He shook his head. "And here I thought it wouldn't be much of a challenge."

Aiden got one of the chairs and sat down. "Why you say that? Did you think he had no experience?"

"Yes, and he looked old, but fit." Zadok closed his eyes. "Please, let me sleep. I had a very rough night."

What Zadok said triggered something inside Gage's mind and he had to sit down while his brain worked things out. Walker was an older male who was extremely fit for his age. Was he here as well? What Zadok said would definitely point to Walker. But his friend can't be here, he was just too old to draw in any money.

He bit his bottom lip then got up to kneel next to Zadok's bed. "Z, did the man have blue eyes and scars on his chest?" He whispered.

Zadok turned his head and opened his swollen eyes. "He did." His brows furrowed in realization. "Do you know that man?" He said in a whisper.

"I hope not." Gage shook his head. "Hope I don't have to fight him and find out."

XXXX

After breakfast, Walker found himself back in the room with his workout bag. He took out the items given to him by the ski mask men, placed them on the table then sat down. Joseph flipped through the magazines till he finally picked one about hot rods. But instead of looking through it's pages he rested it on his lap and shook his head.

"What are the odds of you getting sight out of that eye?" He asked.

Walker gently touched the metal eye covering then shook his head. "Doctor told me rather slim." He pulled out an eye patch from his sweat's pant pocket. "Suppose to start wearing that in a few days."

Patrick went up to the table and picked up the sketch book. "How did they know I draw?" He glanced around the room then brought it to his bunk. "Hope you all don't mind."

Hector shook his head. "The only thing I ever drew was graffiti on some street corner." He sat down next to Walker. "Man, they really messed you up, Boss." He said in Spanish. "Hopefully they give you time to heal up."

"Why are you calling me, Boss?" Walker replied back, also in Spanish.

Hector shrugged. "You seem to know what you're doing."

"Okay, enough you two. Not all of us speak Spanish." Joseph said.

"Then, I will teach you." Hector grabbed a magazine, one about low riders that was written in Spanish. "Lesson number one will began for any that cares enough to listen."

Fort Worth, Texas

With school being out for the holiday, Angela had more time to think about her father. Usually, on Christmas Eve she would be tolerating her father's ramblings about Hayes Cooper and how he was such a great Texas Ranger. Angela didn't have the heart to tell her father she really didn't care about the stories anymore, but knew she will eventually have to. At least there was still Joshua and Meaghan who were still interested in hearing her father's bedtime stories.

She finished her breakfast, put the dishes in the sink then went to feed Murphy. The husky mix wagged his tail as she poured dry food into his bowl. She never would have pictured her father as a dog person. He just never showed any love towards them till he got her Murphy as a birthday gift.

After feeding Murphy she went to check on her mother who has been spending a lot of time just sitting near the fireplace. She slowly sat down next to her mother and noticed a photo album on the coffee table. Curious she picked it up to see pictures that were older than her of her mother, father and uncle Jimmy.

She flipped the page and saw a picture of her father in a hospital bed. He appeared all right, though maybe slightly pale. "Mom, what happened to dad?"

Her mother glanced at the book then her finger ran along the image. "He was in a coma for a few days after saving a baby from a car." A smile spread across her face. "C.D. took this image. Your father wasn't too happy about it."

"Was dad always getting hurt?"

"Unfortunately, yes." Her mother flipped through the book, her eyes twinkling with memories. "As long as another life was spared, he didn't care about his own."

Angela pointed to a picture of her father in a karate uniform. "Is dad good? I never see him spar with Uncle Jimmy or Gage."

"One of the best I know." Her mother flipped through the book once again till she reached a page in the very back. This picture of her father was of him receiving a black belt from an Asian man. "He made it to eighth degree black belt then decided to retire. He still trains with your Uncles all the time."

"Wow, didn't know he was so far up there." Angela traced her fingers along her father's picture. "You think he's thinking of us?"

"Oh, all the time." She gave Angela a hug. "Don't worry, he'll come home to us."

The front door opened and in walked Trivette with Erica, Jaxon and Tavon behind him. "Hope you don't mind, Alex. I swung by C.D.'s and picked up gifts that were left there for you and Angela." His cowboy boots thudded against the hardwood floor as he approached the two woman. "Angela, here's a few gifts for you."

Angela took the gifts from her uncle. "Thank you." She got up to put them under the Christmas tree when her mother stopped her. "What?"

"Why don't you open them now?"

"But I want to wait for dad."

Her mother smiled up at her. "It's okay. These are gifts from friends. Go ahead."

"All right." Angela sat back down and opened the first gift to see a beautiful necklace with a diamond cross. "Wow." She checked the card to see it came from a Texas Ranger family named, Hooper. "I barely know them." She laughed while she ripped off wrapping paper from another gift and saw a shirt box. "Wonder what this could be?" She gently pulled the lid off to see a white sweater. "Oh wow, it's beautiful." She lifted the sweater so everybody can see. "Wonder who this is from…." Her voice faded when she spotted a CD case taped to the bottom. "What is this?'

Uncle Trivette quickly took the box from Angela. "It's a DVD." He turned to Erica. "Get the twins out of here." Erica did as he was told. "It might be from the men that took Walker." He took out a handkerchief and slowly eased the case away from the tape. "Alex, you want Angela to see?"

"It's addressed to her." Alex voice showed her uncertainty. "I just hope it's not brutal."

Trivette opened the case and was very careful in touching only the DVD's edges as he put it into the player. All was quiet, not knowing what they would see. The movie whirred to life and the first image on screen was of a man in dark navy sweatpants and a light blue t-shirt. His hands were secured behind his back and a blindfold covered his eyes.

The man in the video took a deep breath then straightened up in his seat. "Angela, sweetie, I hope all is well at home. Tell mom I said hello and to not worry. I'm doing really good. The men here have taken very good care of me." There was a glitch, as though the video had been edited together. "Angela, I hear it's almost Christmas. Oh how I wish I was there with you, but unfortunately I won't be." Walker lifted his head up. "Just be good for your mother and keep doing well in school. I love you so much, Angela. You are the image I see at night before I go to bed. You are what is keeping me sane in this place. Hope to see you again. Give Murphy a belly rub for me."

"Dad." Angela wiped the tears from her eyes. "Murphy doesn't like belly rubs…." Her eyes widened and she turned to face Trivette. "Dad told me, several years ago that would be his code that everything was okay, that he wasn't in any danger. He looks thin though." A smile crept over her face. "My dad has a Mohawk."

Trivette nodded. "He does look rather healthy, considering. Wonder if Sydney got one from Gage or if its just Walker?" He took out his cell phone, but was stopped by Alex. "What is it?"

"Don't want to get Sydney's hopes up. Let's wait and see if she says anything."