Christmas Day

Lunch for the men usually consisted of either cheap lunch meat or a peanut butter sandwich, handful of stale potato chips, a fruit cup and a glass of water. It wasn't a lot of food, especially for a grown man, but Walker's body was learning how to adapt to the low calorie diet. Even with exercising, he wasn't getting as many headaches as before.

He sat down at the usual table, with John on his left and Joseph in front of him. He allowed the men to cuff his left arm to the table then waited for his bland meal to arrive. However, an all too familiar smell made Walker's stomach growl very loudly.

Terry placed a plate in front of Walker with two slices of pizza on it. "Enjoy. 0535, what do you like to drink? We have Cola, Sprite and Root Beer."

"Sprite, thank you."

Walker breathed in the smell of pepperoni pizza then took a big bite. Pizza has never tasted so good before and he slowly chewed to savor the food. Terry placed a small, paper cup in front of Walker along with a bottle of water with 0535 written on it.

"That bottle is yours to keep. It is a privilege given to your room. You will be able to refill it four times in a day." He placed a miniature Snickers bar by Walker's plate. "The more wins you get, the better the privileges get."

John turned his head and gave Walker a huge smile as he ate his pizza. So, winning fights gives you better treatment. That's definitely something to remember. Walker took a sip of the Sprite, grimacing as the carbonation tickled his nose. The men only gave them eight ounces of soda, but it was enough of a luxury to lighten most moods.

Walker took a look at Joseph who was eating his pizza very slowly and with his eyes closed. Hopefully Walker can win more privileges like this for his team. It will help cut the stress down tremendously for him and for everybody else.

Later That Night

His meal that morning told Gage he was the next to fight and throughout the rest of the day he mentally prepared himself for the challenge up ahead. He didn't know who he was going to fight and he hoped it was somebody less experienced than he was. Right now he was inside his room, his mind completely shut off to anything around him. In his mind he went over countless kicking and punching drills, thankful that Walker had taught him grappling moves as well.

The door to the cell opened and in walked three ski mask men. Lewis walked up to Gage with handcuffs and a handkerchief in his hands. Gage, knowing what the man wanted simply turned around to wait for any further instructions.

"No fighting and your family will be spared." Cuffs were put on Gage's wrists then a blindfold was tied around his head. "Okay, let's go."

He was lead out of the room and down several feet till he was finally pushed down onto a chair. The cuffs were taken off then his blindfold follow, but Gage's view was obstructed by Lewis. Gage kept his hands to his back not knowing what his captors would do if he was to move voluntarily.

Lewis nodded. "Relax. You will began stretches right here. You have ten minutes."

Company B

Another fight was set to air, this time at ten o'clock Christmas night. Trivette hurriedly made his way to the conference room where he met Agent Carter and new tech, Brodie Hess. According to Carter, Brodie was a genius at hacking and had even helped the CIA crack a few cases. Hopefully he can help with this one.

Brodie spun around in his chair, a smile on his young face. "Let me tell you, finding these fights are a pain. How on this Earth did your kid stumble upon it?"

"Not sure, really." Trivette graciously excepted a cup of coffee from Carter then sat down. "So, it's Gage this time." His eyes fell upon his dear friend who was standing in the middle of the octagon cage. "He looks really good. Not sure how I like his shaven head though."

Carter leaned against the desk with a file in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. "The guy he's fighting is Fred Pennington, a forty year old male from Galveston. Pennington has no fight history and is in fact a pastor for a church." He closed the file to glance down at the computer screen. "He has no chance against your friend here."

Sure enough, as the fight started Gage lunged out with a right jab which landed squarely on the man's jaw. Pennington stumbled, but kept his balance. This wasn't going to be a fight, especially with Gage being so skilled at the martial arts. Pennington fumbled through a series of punches, none of them doing any real damage to Gage.

Brodie sipped at his tea and shook his head. "I have a feeling this fight is going to be way too short…." He waved at the screen to prove his point. "See, your friend here knocked out the pastor guy in one punch." He glanced down at his watch. "Not even two minutes."

A smile spread across Trivette's face. "That's Gage for you. Believe me, his punches feel like a locomotive has hit you." He shook his head. "He faired better than Walker."

"But Walker still won." Carter took a deep breath as he went to the large dry erase board. "Okay, so we now know Walker and Gage are fine." He wrote a few things down under Gage's name. "Wonder how long it will be till the next fight?"

"Unfortunately, the fights have been very sporadic." Trivette shrugged. "Who knows when they'll post the next one. I just hope we find them before that happens." He stood up and went to the board. "How is the suspects list looking?"

"Well, we can count out two." He pointed to the names Camilo Alvarez and Ace Kemper. "Alvarez got himself caught smuggling drugs and Kemper," He wrote RIP next to the name. "was found dead in New York, possible mob hit."

Trivette put his hands on his hips as he glanced down the list. "How about Ian Humphrey?"

Carter shrugged. "He's father owns a ranch in Wyoming. Had agents check it out and so far its clean." He tapped a marker besides another name. "Joseph Case is an enigma. He was born into wealth, got a diploma in Business Engineering and received a huge inheritance from his grandfather." He started to chew on a pen cap. "The reason why he's on here is for a warrant on tax evasion."

"Hmmm…He may not be a threat, but he is intelligent." Trivette picked up a red dry erase marker and put a star by Case's name. "Look into him again." He turned to Brodie. "I want you to try and find him on the web."

Brodie cracked his knuckles. "I'll get to work on it right now."

New Years Eve - Six Days Later

According to the etchings in the wall next to Walker, it has been almost a month since he and the other men were kidnapped. He ran his hand along the scratches then pulled the fleece blanket tighter to his body. The nights have gotten very cold which made sleeping harder to do. Hopefully his immune system was still strong enough to fight off any illness that might come because of this.

The light in the room turned on causing many to groan as it woke them up from a much needed sleep. Walker reached up, turned off his bed lamp then slowly pulled the blankets away from his body. The cold hit his neck making him shiver and rub his arms to get warmth back into them.

"Man, I'm so glad they gave us long johns." Joseph jumped up and down by his bunk set. "Can't believe they turned the freaking heat off."

Once again, like clockwork the door opened and the men lined up for breakfast. Walker couldn't believe he was following along so obediently and began to wonder about his mental state. Usually, by now he would have fought back, tried to escape. However, he has done none of that. Maybe it was the threat on his family's lives that put him into place?

After they were situated at their tables, food was put before them and Walker quickly takes notice of his plate. It had more eggs, bacon, toast and fruit. So, he will once again be fighting tonight. Wonder who it will be this time?

"0535, here's your medication." Said Terry as he placed a small cup with pills in it besides Walker's water bottle. "Doctor Galloway will see you after breakfast."

Walker nodded his head. "Thank you."

When Terry left, Walker took his medication then swigged it down with water. He was assured many times by Doctor Galloway the pills were only an anti-inflammatory, pain medication and an antibiotic for his injured eye. At least they were taking care of him. If the captors didn't care about him he would have lost his eye a long time ago.

His mind began to fade off, something he has noticed it doing more often. He ate his meal out of habit now, not even giving a thought to what he put into his mouth. Once he finished, he moved his plate forward to signal the ski mask men that he was ready to leave.

Terry unshackled Walker from the table then Joseph and John. However, Walker wasn't chained up with the rest, instead his hands were handcuffed behind him and a blindfold was tied around his eyes. He was led out of the cafeteria and to the right for several yards until his flip flops hit against tile.

The blindfold was taken off along with the cuffs and instinctively Walker rubbed his wrists, even though the metal didn't really dig into his skin. He noticed an examine table in front of him and knew he was to sit down. He watched as Doctor Galloway put on a pair of gloves then got out a tube of ointment from a cabinet perched on the wall.

"How's the pain, 0535?" He took the eye patch off then nodded his head. "Looks pretty good. Let me clean it first." He dipped a q-tip in some peroxide then began to dab it against Walker's eyelid. Walker grimaced and nearly pulled back from the sharp pain the peroxide caused. "I'm amazed at your pain tolerance. This type of injury would normally cause severe discomfort." He dabbed at the suture sight once more then picked up the ointment. "I know it's hard to do here, but try to keep the area clean."

Walker nodded his head and decided now was the time to start asking questions. "What are you doing here?"

Doctor Galloway screwed the lid back on the ointment then shook his head. "Asking questions can be very dangerous, 0535." He opened up Walker's folder and jotted down several notes. "How are the other injuries? Ribs still sore?"

"Ribs are fine." Doctor Galloway began to press against Walker's right rib cage which caused some discomfort. Walker stayed stoic and instead lifted his head up higher. "How much are they paying you?"

Nathaniel swiftly came up and grabbed hold of Walker's neck. "You have been doing really good, 0535." He began to squeeze his hand cutting off oxygen to Walker's brain. "Will we have to show you what happens to your family if you keep asking questions?"

Walker brought his right hand up and started to pull at the man's grip. "I don't believe you." His voice was raspy from lack of oxygen. "What…will you…do?"

"Wrong answer." Nathaniel jerked his arm which brought Walker crashing painfully to the ground. He knelt above Walker and shook his head. "Tisk, tisk, 0535."

Air came back into Walker's lungs so violently he felt like throwing up. He tried to roll over onto his side, but Nathaniel abruptly stopped him by grabbing hold of his arm.

"Doctor Galloway, does he really need his eye?"

"Well, he will live a perfectly good life without one." Galloway's eyes widen in realization. "Mr. Smith isn't going to like this."

Nathaniel rolled his head around to pop his neck. "Call him." When Galloway hesitated he twisted Walker's arm violently backwards causing him to scream out in pain. "Now!"

"You've lost it!" Galloway's hands were visibly shaking as he dialed on a cell phone. "Yes, Mr. Smith. Nathaniel wants to know if 0535 really needs his eye." He pulled the phone away from his ear and Walker could hear a man screaming on the other line. "Sir, he's stepping out of line. We need to teach him a lesson." He paused for a long time then nodded. "I see. I'll let him know." He flipped his phone closed then shook his head. "0535 is to keep his eye, for now. However, Marshall will pay a visit to 0535's family."

"No!" Walker tried to pull his arm away from Nathaniel's grip as fear drove through his heart. "Leave them alone!" Anger quickly took over and he lunged out at his captor. "Take away my eye! I don't need it!" He grimaced as Nathaniel once again pulled at his arm. "What are you going to do to my family?"

Doctor Galloway's phone chirped and he quickly flipped it open. "Yes, you sent the picture? Good." He pushed a few buttons while he knelt next to Walker. "0535, take a look at this image taken only minutes ago by my man, Marshall."

Walker glanced at the phone's screen to see a picture of his daughter at what appeared to be a mall. So many emotions came at him and all he could do was shake his head. His little Angela was being watched by these monsters on what seemed to be a daily basis. He felt his bottom lip slightly quiver and knew, by showing him a picture of his daughter the ski mask men had finally broken his spirit.

He nodded his head. "Okay, I won't fight anymore. Just, please, don't hurt my daughter."

XXXX

After a large breakfast and a bathroom break Gage found himself once again locked up inside the room. He went to his bed and checked the locker to see the ski mask men had stocked up on the basic necessities. After putting some deodorant on he jumped onto his bed and sat down to think. So, he was suppose to fight again tonight. Wonder who it will be this time? And why so soon after his other match?

"So, you're fighting again?" Eric leaned against Gage's bunk set and shook his head. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, I'm fighting too."

Gage brought his knees up to his chest then ran his hand through his buzzed hair. "Are you ready?"

Eric shrugged. "As much as I could be. With your training and Z's, I've learned a bit more fighting skills than when I came here." He shook his head. "Just wish we weren't here."

"You and everybody here wishes that." Nathan said as he slowly rubbed his sore ribs. He had fought just a few days before and won the match, but had suffered several bruises on his ribs and arms. "Wonder if all the rooms have two fighters today?"

Zadok shrugged his shoulders. "Not really too sure. But, I fought a man in blue shorts, Gage had a man in black shorts, Aiden he fought a man in purple and Nathan a man in yellow. Counting us, that is five rooms with possibly six men like ours. That is a lot of men to go missing at about the same time." He began to pace the room. "That means, there is a chance we still can be found."

Aiden shook his head. "Like they will really search for us. I mean, look at us. Are we anybody of importance…." He snapped around to face Gage. "You're a lawman. Your people must be looking for you."

Gage rolled his eyes. "You say that nearly everyday."

"Yes, but it's been almost a month!" Aiden's eyes narrowed then snapped wide open. "Holy… this is the longest I have ever stayed clean."

Zadok turned and gave the young man a genuine smile. "Good for you. Hopefully, if we are to get out of this place, you can remain that way." He crossed his arms. "Gage, you should prepare yourself for the fight. If you need to practice, I am here."

"Thank you." Gage closed his eyes. "Let me think for a bit."

Fort Worth, Texas

The boys had time off for the winter holiday so Trivette decided to take them out for a special treat. First was breakfast, followed by a short shopping spree at Grapevine Mills and now he found himself at a miniature golf park waiting for his turn to putt. It seemed strange to be having fun when he had no clue if his friends were even okay.

"Dad, it's your turn." Said Tavon.

"Right, sorry." Trivette stepped up and absentmindedly putted his ball towards the hole. "Are you two enjoying your day so far?"

Jaxon gave him a shrug. "Yeah, I guess."

Tavon shook his head. "Jaxon, dad didn't have to do this. You know he has more important business to take care of."

"Tavon, enough!" Trivette turned to his son just as his cell phone began to chirp. He grimaced then pulled it out of his coat pocket. "Trivette."

"Trivette, it's Carter. We just found another fight." He paused and Trivette could hear him push open a heavy door. "It's a big one, Trivette. It starts in four hours and it's between Gage and Walker."

Trivette looked down at his sons then silently cursed at himself knowing he will have to drop them off at the HOPE center. He shook his head then listened to Carter as he continued explaining about what he has found on the latest lists of suspects. So far the man who seemed to draw a lot of attention was Ian Humphrey. Ian was a man that had millions of dollars to spend and plenty of land in Wyoming to hide thirty people. Unfortunately, the information on him was still really sketchy.

He said his good-byes to Carter then flipped his phone closed. "Sorry guys, looks like my day is cut short."

Jaxon nodded his head. "I understand, dad." He gave Trivette a big hug. "Just find Uncle Walker and Uncle Gage for us."