After Gage finished his talk with Sydney he handed the phone back to Trivette, who still couldn't believe that the man before him was indeed his friend. Gage had lost a lot of weight, however he did look relatively healthy. There was a few scars on his face and some on his arms that he must have gotten while under Case's watch, but other than that one would have never thought he was forced to fight.

"Just wish I could talk to her more." Gage shook his head. "Seemed too short."

Trivette patted Gage's shoulder, disgusted at feeling his friend's shoulder blade. "Don't worry, she'll be meeting us at St Anthony's Center Hospital in Denver, Colorado." He looked into Gage's eyes then smiled. "Let's get going. Carter and I will be taking you."

Once outside Trivette made his way to his rental car then noticed Gage wasn't with him. He turned to see his friend standing completely still, his face tilted to look up at the cloudless sky. That was when it hit Trivette that Gage probably hasn't seen the sky in almost three months. He allowed his friend time to take it all in knowing it must be a good feeling to finally be free.

A deputy quickly ran up and wrapped his coat around Gage's shoulders. "Here you go sir."

Gage nodded his head as he made his way to the car. "Thanks. Trivette, how far is Denver from here?"

"A good two hour drive." Trivette gave his friend a smile. "You want to get something to eat?"

Doctor Gillian shook his head. "He has to watch what he eats. He's been on a pretty strict diet for several days, introducing something new could cause him problems." He gave Gage a smile. "I believe something small should be okay."

A huge smile spread across Gage's face. "Coffee. I would love to have a cup of coffee."

Carter laughed. "We can do that. Let's get going."

Inside the car, Trivette got back into the passenger side and Gage made himself comfortable in the backseat. Wonder what was going through his friend's mind right now? He turned around to see that Gage had gotten himself comfortable by leaning against the door. When was the last time his friend had any sleep or anything to eat?

"Hey Gage, when was the last time you ate?" He finally asked.

Gage stirred then gave Trivette a shrug. "This morning at the usual time."

"What did you have to eat?" Questioned Carter.

"Scoopful of scrambled eggs, two pieces of toast and three slices of an apple." He took a deep breath then crossed his arms. "Do you want to know what they gave me for lunches and dinners too?" Gage's voice was rather bitter and so unlike him.

Carter quickly raised his right hand in surrender. "Sorry, I was just curious."

Trivette wanted to say something, but knew that could rile up his friend even more. Wonder what happened to Gage while he was a hostage? What had made him so resentful?

Gage took another deep breath then shook his head. "Sorry, just frustrated that the FBI won't tell me about the men that I befriended."

"I haven't heard about any other men showing up. But I'll let you know, Gage. You can count on it."

Compound

After lunch was usually the slowest time for the men and it led to most of them playing poker or reading magazines. Today wasn't any different, however Walker decided to lay down on his bed to hopefully get a nap in. Ever since his visit with Mr. Smith his mind has been thinking about the brand above his ear and the tattoo on his arm. Why do this? What was the purpose, especially the brand?

Theo went up to Walker with concern written all over his face. "Walker, you haven't eaten in days. You're not looking too good right now." He placed a notebook next to Walker's head then tapped it with a finger. "What is really going on?"

Walker took a deep breath before he wrote down his response. "Nothing, I'm fine." Theo raised an eyebrow and shook his head. "All right, all right. My throat got damaged again." He wrote in response. "It'll be fine, don't worry."

"I hope so." He took a look at the tattoo on his arm with a look of disgust. "Can't believe they did this to us."

Patrick let out a loud curse then quickly apologized. "Sorry, Hector just beat me again."

Joseph laughed. "You should know that you always loose."

The door suddenly burst open and all the men in the room stood to attention. Unfortunately for Walker he was too slow and a large man violently pulled him into line. He wanted so badly to fight back but knew that could put his family in danger. Numerous times the ski mask men had shown him images of Alex and Angela either at the ranch or around town. So he knew not to mess with any of his guards since they could easily hurt his family.

Terry popped his neck then went up to Theo. "All of you will see Doctor Galloway one at a time. Remember, no funny business." He snapped his fingers at Walker. "0535, let's go."

Once the handcuffs were put on then the blindfold Walker was led out of the room and down the hallway. Most likely he needed another check up…. His thoughts were cut abruptly short by a small stab of pain in his neck. Before he could ask what it was his mind began to fade in and out.

"0535, you will be out for roughly four hours. Hope you enjoy your sleep."

XXXX

After making sure his office was packed and stored inside the box moving truck Joseph Case went to check on Walker. His men had hauled Walker to the process room to get him ready for the long trip up to the new fighting ring. Hopefully the man can make it because if he does, Case will become ten thousand dollars richer.

Case made his way into a small room to see Jasper and Terry situating Walker into a large box lined with padding. The trip will be long and there could be a chance of Case's men getting caught. Because of that apparent risk, Case is using only his guards for the transport. If his men got caught their background checks will show they were wanted for warrants in several counties.

Terry wiped his brow then started to check the oxygen tanks which will be put next to the box. "You know this is really risky."

Case took out his wallet and handed Terry two hundred dollars. "That should pay for gas and your food. If you get caught, remember the plan and follow it to the letter." He glanced down at Walker. "Let 0535 use the restroom and eat. Call me each time you stop then destroy the phone once you have reached the final location." He nodded. "Get going and make sure to not draw attention to yourself."

Denver, Colorado - Two Hours Later

The hospital parking lot was alit with spotlights and alive with news reporters as the FBI agent pulled in to find a place to park. In the passenger seat sat Sydney Gage with a small backpack on her lap containing some clothes for her husband. According to Trivette, Gage had lost some weight so she did some quick clothes shopping before leaving for Denver. Hopefully he'll be able to wear the jeans and t-shirts she had bought up for him.

"Thankfully it's much quieter inside the building." The agent pulled his car under the ER canopy and put it into park. "Agent Carter is just inside the doors. I'll be inside in a little bit. Gotta battle the news reporters first."

Sydney nodded her head, got out of the car then quickly dashed inside the hospital thankful that security was able to keep the reporters at bay. Carter gave her a smile while leading her down the hall and to an elevator.

"Gage is currently located in ICU…." He held up his hand to stop Sydney from talking. "Don't worry, doctors say it's only for tonight."

"How does he look?" Sydney asked soon realizing that Carter never met Gage before. "Sorry…just nervous."

Carter chuckled. "It's okay and from what Trivette told me, he doesn't look all that bad, though a bit skinny." The elevator stopped on the second floor and dinged open. Carter dug in his jeans pocket till he found an ID badge with Sydney's picture on it. "Keep this one on you at all times. You will need it from here on out to get into the restricted area."

Sydney took the badge, clipped it onto her coat then followed the man down the hall. All around her she could see several nurses either standing around or working on a folder. Her attention then went to a room with two guards stationed in front and her heart started to nervously pound against her chest. Will she recognize her husband? Will he be the same Gage from months back?

"Okay, I'll give you guys some alone time. Trivette is currently talking to some FBI agents, he'll be able to see ya two in about thirty minutes." He stopped at the door and the left guard quickly picked up a clipboard. "Sign in and see your husband, Mrs. Gage." The guard wrote her name down then gave her a smile. "Go right in, Mrs. Gage. I know he's been asking for you." He opened the door and nodded his head. "If you need anything let me know."

Once inside the room Sydney's eyes went to the hospital bed and what she saw made her gasp. The man she saw couldn't be her husband, it just couldn't be her Gage. Ever so slowly she made her way to the bed hoping the man wouldn't wake up. If he did Sydney really didn't know what she would do. The man's eyes slowly opened and a smile all too familiar to Sydney spread across his face.

Gage pushed himself up to a sitting position as a tear slid down his cheek. "Sydney, is that really you?"

"It is Gage." She sat down beside the bed and took hold of Gage's thin hand. Her eyes drifted to the tattoo on his arm which was coated with a thin layer of gel. "How you feeling? Is there anything I can get you?"

"Nah, just lay next to me." Sydney did just that and snuggled into his shoulder. "How is Meaghan and Josh?"

"Doing pretty good." She dug into her purse for a picture she had taken last night. "Josh has gotten bigger since you've last saw him." A smile spread across her face. "It's amazing how fast he has grown." She looked up to see tears dancing in the corner of his eyes. "They miss their daddy quite a bit. Hopefully you'll be able to go home soon."

Gage wrapped his arm around Sydney and pulled her closer to him. "I hope so to." He gave her a kiss then gently wiped away her tears. "I'm okay, Shorty. I just lost some weight."

"But you look so skinny." Her hand went up to trace his collarbone which she could easily feel through the nightgown. "What did the doctor say?"

"Told me that I should watch what I eat since I was on a pretty low calorie diet." He gave her a wink as he let out a soft chuckle. "I asked Trivette to get me a burger. He should be back any minute now."

Sydney laughed. "You and your food." She poked his stomach, surprised to feel it was still pretty solid. Curious she gently pressed down and felt a six pack, something Gage has never really been able to accomplish getting. Though in great physical shape, he mostly had a stocky build which didn't show his muscle tone. "Wow, Gage…."

Gage cheeks turned a deep shade of pink. "Guess I was a bit hefty." He rubbed his stomach with a huge smile on his face. "I just love my food too much."

"Did somebody say food?" Trivette came into the room with a white paper bag in his hands. "Could only get you a kids meal hamburger, but it's better than nothing."

"Fantastic!" Gage took the bag from Trivette and peered inside. "What, no toy?"

Sydney began to laugh hysterically so thrilled to hear the old Gage come out. She gave him a big hug, kissed him on the cheek then stole one of his fries. This caused him to protest, so she grabbed another fry and put it into his mouth. Gage closed his eyes as he slowly chewed the food, savoring the taste as long as he could.

Trivette sat down on the chair with a smile on his face. "Glad you finally made it, Sydney." The smile quickly went away to be replaced by a much more serious expression. "Gage, there are four men who've been asking for you. All of them," His eyes dropped to the tattoo on Gage's arm. "we're found like you, in hotels throughout the state of Denver."

Gage put the burger down with a slow nod. "Must be my roommates that I've told you about." He wiped his mouth and was about to continue eating when Carter walked in. "Hey Carter, what are you doing here?"

Carter took a deep breath before he handed Gage a stack of photos. "Do you know these men? They've been asking about you."

"Can I finish eating first?" Gage's voice was bitter which took Sydney aback and unfortunately it must have showed since he shook his head. "I'm tired of all the questions, Syd." He said, reading her mind. "Just want to be left alone."

Sydney nodded completely understanding what her husband might be going through. She rubbed her hand up and down Gage's arm then turned towards Carter.

She shook her head. "Please, not right now."

"Okay, but I have to do this eventually." Explained Carter.

Gage's jaw began flexing, but he held his temper in check. "Fine, but come back in a few hours. I want some time alone with my wife and friend."

On the Road - Two Hours Later

The first sensation Walker felt was movement, a gentle sway that rocked his body from side to side. Confused he opened his eyes, but only saw darkness. Most people would probably panic, but thanks to Walker's training he was able to remain calm. This allowed his mind to feel out his surroundings, which to him seemed a bit cramped thanks to the darkness.

An oxygen mask had been wrapped around his face giving him much needed air. And when he started to move his limbs, he was pleasantly surprised to realize his legs had not been secured. As for his wrists, they were only cuffed together allowing him to lift his arms up about five inches before he felt fabric. And after moving his elbows out he soon estimated that he was in a coffin, or something very similar to one.

A sudden jolt slammed him against the side of the coffin and he let out a groan of pain. Did they reach the new compound? If so, it was much closer than Walker would have thought. He waited patiently, hoping the ski mask men would free him of this prison soon.

The lid to the coffin was quickly lifted and Walker shut his eyes knowing any light could hurt them. However, he sensed only blackness and gradually pried his eyelids open.

"0535, get up." It was Terry, his voice showing Walker he was slightly frustrated. "Get up, 0535!" He reached in and violently yanked on the cuffs causing them to dig painfully into Walker's skin. "You get one bathroom break and a small dinner."

Walker gradually got up, his legs stiff from laying down for so long and not wanting to move freely. He stumbled out of the box and before he could regain his balance Terry pushed him forward. Walker went sprawling against the steel floor, sheering off some skin on his left elbow as he did so.

A man, much bigger than Terry came out from the shadows with something in his hands. "Here's your dinner. Eat quickly." Said another voice, new to Walker.

A paper bag was put in front of Walker's face and after waiting for about a minute he reached out for it. Slowly he sat up, pulled out the contents then unwrapped the sandwich to see it was peanut butter on stale wheat bread. After he finished his meal which also consisted of cold grits and an applesauce cup Walker was given some water. He quickly drank the water down, thankful to quench his dry mouth.

The man took hold of Walker's left arm and yanked him to his feet. "I'm going to take you outside. No funny business. If you do anything at all that looks like an attempt, we will not be gentle with you."

Walker was led out of the small moving truck and into the freezing night air. He began to violently shiver causing his handcuffs to loudly rattle. Terry slammed a club into Walker's back then ordered him to move forward through the two feet of snow. Walker cringed as his bare feet stung from the cold and he knew if he was to stay out here for any much longer he'll most definitely start getting frostbite.

As he urinated Walker took a look around, thankful for the snow and the full moon. This allowed him a very good view of his surroundings and all he could see was a thick forest. Where was he at? Where was the ski mask men taking him?

After he was finished he went back to the truck thankful for the warmth it provided. Terry led him back into the box, but before Walker could climb back inside he felt a sharp prick to the back of his neck. His mind instantly began to get cloudy as he started to sway.

"Next stop for you will be at your new home." Terry said as the new man helped Walker fumble back into the box. "Night, night 0535."