Denver, Colorado

The pictures before him brought on so many memories of his time with the ski mask men and Gage began to wonder how his roommates were doing. According to Carter they were rounding up all the men and sending them to one central location near where they were found. Unfortunately Gage was one of those men which made him slightly angry. He wanted to see his children, to hug them once again. Now it seemed he won't have the chance to do that till at least another week.

Gage looked through the pictures once more quickly realizing Zadok was nowhere to be seen. "Where's Zadok Abijah?"

Carter gave an innocent shrug as he wrote the name down. "Not sure, but I'll definitely look into it." He put the pen down then glanced over at Sydney. "We're going to keep you here for two more days so the docs can look you over. After that, you'll go to a small ranch southeast of here where you'll stay with the other men that had been found."

Sydney gave Gage's hand a reassuring squeeze then leaned into him once again. "How long will he stay at this ranch?"

"Not really sure. We need to get everybody's testimonies, pictures of any scars or injuries they might have gotten while being in captivity and then there is the fact that whoever took the men maybe after them…."

Gage quickly shook his head. "No, I don't think they'll be after us, at least not for awhile." He held his right hand up to show the tattoo. "This has something to do with it." He took a deep breath as his thoughts once again turned to his close friend. "Walker still hasn't been found, has he?"

"No, he has not." Carter took a look at Trivette as he started to nibble on his bottom lip. "Gage, six men are still missing and that is including Walker."

"I don't understand." Gage's mind began to go through all the scenarios and only one stuck out to him. "Z and Walker are amazing fighters. That might have something to do with it." He took a deep breath then shook his head. "Can we continue tomorrow morning? I'm getting tired."

Carter nodded. "Sure. Rest up and if you need anything just let me know."

Somewhere on the Road

The deep roar of the diesel engine caused Bryant Walls to nod off every now and then while Terry kept driving down the deserted highway. Hopefully they will reach the new location soon, but after checking his wristwatch he saw they still had another two hours to go. He took a deep breath and was about to turn his mp3 player on when flashing lights in the rearview mirror caused his heart to skip a beat.

Terry let out a few curses and quickly pulled the truck over. "Remember the drill."

Bryant patiently waited while the highway patrolman approached the driver's side window. In his mind he went through his story, hoping it will sound believable to the officer.

The lawman's breath came out in a thick fog as he shone his flashlight into the cab. "Hello sir. How's it going tonight?"

Terry nodded. "Doing good." He took out his license and then handed the officer a fake rental agreement. "What's the matter, officer?"

"Taillight went out about five minutes ago. Thought you probably didn't notice, so I pulled you over to let you know." He handed the rental agreement back to Terry. "Where are you two headed?"

"Montana." Terry waved a thumb at Bryant. "Buddy here just bought a ranch."

The officer pointed his light directly on Bryant's face. "What part of Montana?"

"Southern region, closer to the South Dakota border." Bryant's natural southern accent sounded much thicker than usual. "Use to live in Oklahoma, but the ex changed all that." He shook his head. "Been a long drive."

"Well, the next town you can reach to fix that taillight is several miles from here. I'll let you off with a warning for tonight, but by morning if you haven't gotten it fixed, you will get a ticket." The officer handed Terry a piece of paper then waved at them. "Good luck with the ranch and enjoy the new freedom."

After the officer sped away, Bryant let out a laugh and allowed his shoulders to slump forward. "Man, almost got busted because of a taillight."

Terry shook his head. "Let's make sure we get that fixed the next town we come across." He took a sip of his water then put the truck into drive. "Unfortunately we have little more than two more hours to go before we reach the new compound."

"You think it will be any different than the last one?"

"Oh, yeah. Here, most of the fighters have free roam and the men that are already there are convicted criminals that were found on the streets. It'll be a different environment and from what I've been told, we have to wear a bulletproof vest at all times when around the fighters." He shook his head. "Honestly, I think it's stupid to put a lawman with them."

Bryant gave Terry a shrug. "Well, that just means more entertainment once 0535 begins to fight." He leaned back into the seat and got himself comfortable. "If you need me, wake me up. I'm going to take a short nap."

Two Hours Later

A sudden jarring motion snapped Walker's mind awake and on instinct he began to kick out with his feet. Several hands took hold of his legs and held onto them while other hands grabbed his arms. Walker's body was lifted into the air, carried for several feet then violently dropped back to the ground. Cool air blew against his bare arms causing him to shiver and curl into a ball to get warmth back into his body.

"I thought he would be bigger." Said a deep, harsh voice above Walker. "He looks thin."

"Well, he has problems with his throat and is currently being treated for that injury." Said Terry somewhere to Walker's right. "Unfortunately, because of it he can no longer talk and eating is a slight problem."

"Then why do I want him?" Said the gruff voice which was now closer to Walker's head. "0535, speak to me right now?" When Walker didn't respond he felt somebody nudge him in the side with a boot. "Stand up, 0535. I need to check you out."

Walker did as he was told, his legs still wobbly from the tranquilizer. The blindfold around his eyes was taken off and before him he could make out five men all wearing black ski masks. One in particular was a little person and judging by how the other four treated him, he was the leader.

"Hubert, check him out for me." Said the little person. "Tell me if anything is wrong."

Hubert, a large man with broad shoulders stepped up to Walker and studied the tattoo. "Open your mouth." His voice was the gruff one Walker heard moments earlier. "I said, open your freaking mouth!" Walker eventually did and Hubert checked him out like he would a horse. "Looks good, but something is wrong with his left eye."

Terry shook his head. "He still sees out of it. Right, 0535?"

Walker gave the man a quick nod then turned his attention back to Hubert wishing he could do something, anything to fight back. Instead Walker allowed the man to pry his left eye open to get a better look at it. Thankfully he was able to see shadows and movement which helped him when fighting.

"Okay, take off all your clothes, 0535. You will wear what I tell you to wear."

Once Walker was standing in only his boxers he was once again looked over by Hubert. He felt so humiliated and though very cold he could feel the heat rising to his cheeks. His teeth began to chatter causing Hubert and the other men to laugh.

"You will wear sweats and a t-shirt for now." The leader stepped up to Walker and gave Hubert a nod. "Put him in Lodge Two. Let him keep his gear and let him crash in the den. When he wakes up, he'll have a rude wake up call."

Another man gave Walker a pair of gray sweatpants and a t-shirt, telling him only in a nod to put them on. After he was dressed, the man gave Walker his gear bag and a pair of slip on shoes. Walker was ordered to put on the latter which he did without any argument. He was then shoved forward and he started to walk, knowing if he fought back the men could hurt his family. Just thinking about Alex and Angela made his heart flutter. Hopefully he'll see them again soon.

Early the Next Morning

When Sydney awoke from a restless sleep she rubbed her face into the pillow then looked over at her husband. Gage rested on his right side so she couldn't see if he was still sleeping or not. She slowly pulled the blankets away from her body to give her arms a quick rub. It was rather chili in the hospital room, but Gage didn't seem to mind.

Gage stirred then rolled over onto his back. "Hey Sydney." He stretched before he sat up to look at her. "How did you sleep?"

"I slept all right." Sydney went up to the bed and sat down next to her husband. "Alex called last night, she's going to fly up here before you go to Kansas." She rubbed her hand up and down his arm, wishing he wasn't so skinny. "Are you hungry?"

"Yeah, actually I am." Gage stretched then pulled himself into a sitting position. "Wonder what I will get for breakfast?" He gave Sydney a boyish smile. "I want a doughnut." The door opened and in walked Trivette with Carter right behind him. "Hey you two. Have breakfast yet?"

Trivette shook his head. "Nope, probably grab something in a bit." He flipped on the main room light and Gage quickly jumped to his feet. "Gage, you okay? What happened?"

Gage's cheeks flushed a bright pink and Sydney could see him flexing his jaw in anger.

Why was he so angry? What did Trivette do? Was it Carter? She quickly went up to Gage, but when she tried to wrap her arms around him he shied away. Sydney's heart nearly ripped in two, but she held her emotions in check for Gage's sake.

He took a deep breath then fell back onto the bed. "While in captivity every time the lights turned on in the morning it was a sign to stand at attention." He nervously started to play with the sheets while Sydney rubbed her hand around his back. "I thought life would just be normal once I was out of there…." His voice faded off as he laid back down on his side. "Don't leave me, Syd."

Sydney snuggled into Gage's back and wrapped her arm around his waist. "You know I will never leave you, Gage." She gave his shaved scalp a kiss before closing her eyes. "Don't worry, everything will be all right for us."

Montana

Sunlight hit Walker's face and for a brief moment he thought he was back home at the ranch. He rolled over to hug Alex, but his arm only hit scratchy fabric. Panicked he quickly got up, nearly colliding into a warn out coffee table as he did so. He frantically looked around to see he was in a small room with two beat up folding chairs sitting in the middle. Where the hell was he?

"I see you have finally woken up." A man came out of the shadows, cradled in his arms was a semi-automatic pistol. "0535, the rest of the men should be getting up." He took a deep breath and leaned against a small table. "I'm your guard, you will call me 'Hound'. " He shifted the pistol till it was pointing directly at Walker. "Breakfast is served at seven every morning, lunch at one and dinner at seven. You will fight at least once a week, maybe more if you prove yourself. Any questions?" Walker had plenty, but kept his mouth shut. "Good, you should do all right then. Go ahead and go to your room, it's number three."

Walker went, grabbed his bag then gradually made his way past the guard and to a short hallway. Here he could see four doors and went to the last one on the right. As he opened the door he was rather surprised to smell a deep pine scent. One glance around the room he saw two sets of bunks and four, three drawer plastic units.

A man lifted his head off a pillow then stretched his arms out above his head. "So, you're the new guy? What's your name?" Walker quickly shook his head and pointed to his throat. "No shit! So your retarded, huh?" He got up and went to Walker with a sinister smile on his face. "You speak with your hands?" He said this in a mocking tone while flapping his hands around in the air.

Instead of answering the man, Walker went to the available bottom bunk and threw his bag onto the mattress. He knew if he kept quiet it could cause him problems, but talking could damage his throat more. The man shook his head as he pulled on a hooded sweatshirt then nudged his bunkmate awake.

"Hey, William we got a new roommate." William squinted his eyes at Walker then rolled over to continue sleeping. "What's with the tattoo?" He began to laugh as he went up to Walker. "Oh that's right, you can't talk."

"Hunter, leave the man alone." The man above Walker's bed said into his pillow. "It's too freaking early to start arguing."

Walker slumped down onto the thin mattress and surveyed his new living quarters. So far it seemed that he had more freedom, but at what cost? What will he have to do to keep this privilege? He took a deep breath then opened his bag to see his old blue sweats have been replaced with a dark gray pair. Thankfully the picture of Angela sat neatly between them and he quickly took it out to put in the springs above him.

The springs moved above him as legs swung into view. "Your bin is obviously the empty one. You can put your gear in there along with your clothes and other belongings." The man jumped down then turned to face Walker. "Name is Conner." Conner knelt besides Walker's bunk, took a look behind him then smiled. "Can you sign?"

"Yeah, a bit rough though." Signed Walker relieved to have somebody that can understand sign language. "Thank you."

Conner gave him a shrug. "We'll have to get you some notebooks, but for right now I can try to interpret for you." He pointed to Walker's arm. "Why the tattoo?" Walker searched his brain for the sign, but couldn't come up with one so he mimicked somebody branding him. "Really? Glad they don't do that here. What's your name?"

Walker hesitated, not sure yet if he could really trust these men. After a moment's thought he gave Conner a smile. "Name is Nathaniel."

"Nice to meet you, Nathaniel." He shook his head then stood back to his full height, only a bit taller than Walker. "Welcome to the Ranch. Rules are simple and you mostly get some free rein. Screw up royally then you end up like Hunter here." Hunter rolled to his side to show Walker several scars which crisscrossed his back. "Twenty lashes for talking back to a guard and was forced to spend several days in the hole." Conner laughed. "Guess you don't have to worry about that now, do you?"

William slowly sat up and rubbed his face. "Let's just hope he proves himself in the ring. Last guy was a joke and it hurt us." He had a thick southern accent, similar to one found in Mississippi. "So, what did you do? Drugs, theft, or something more serious?" Walker gave the men a quizzical look. "Are you not a criminal?"

Hunter let out a loud snort as he stepped up to Walker. "You're a pig!" He began to laugh as he rested his hands on his hips. "Boys, we have ourselves a lawman."

Conner rolled his eyes then shook his head. "Most of us here have been given a second chance by Mr. Thompson. I myself have a warrant out for manslaughter and drug trafficking. William killed his sister's boyfriend then fell off the grid. And Hunter, he has killed multiple times from getting into bar fights. And you?"

Walker gave him a shrug, then signed. "I have done nothing."

This caused Hunter to laugh even harder. "This should prove interesting."

Walker Ranch

The living room was quiet as Angela walked in from a rather restless sleep. Her mother had left early this morning on what she had called an "important" meeting. However, she never came back and Angela had a feeling, with Aunt Sydney disappearing as well that Uncle Gage had been found. Unfortunately Angela wasn't allowed to watch the news which really frustrated her. She wanted to know what was going on and if that involved going against her mother's word than so be it.

She took her bowl of cereal then crept into the living room where she turned on the television. After making sure the volume was on low she surfed the channels till she finally found a news blurb on the missing men.

"….six men have yet to be found and most fear they've been killed." Said a female reporter as images of six men, including Angela's father appeared on the screen. Angela's hand went and fell on top of her dad's image. "Captain Newport has more."

The screen flashed to a man in a dark blue uniform who sat in an office of some type. "Thank you, Mary. From what we have gathered the men were indeed part of a massive fight ring which unfortunately spans several cities…."

Angela flipped it to another channel, this one had her father's name emblazoned in the corner. She very carefully turned the volume up to hear what the reporters had to say about him.

"Cordell Walker is sixty-eight years old!" A male reporter exclaimed. "Why does everybody think he is still alive!" He cleared his throat then shook his head. "If in fact he is still out there, how much longer will he last? Why keep him and not Ranger Francis Gage?"

Another reporter, one sitting next to him shook her head. "The more important question is this: How did these men disappear for nearly three months!" She tapped the desk as a graph appeared next to her head. "And now there are six that have yet to come home. Where did those six go and will they ever be found?"

The male reporter took a deep breath while a map came up on the screen. "Unfortunately where the twenty-four men have been found is mostly inhabited. If the six men are out there it can take months, maybe even years to find them. Let's just pray that somebody slips up…."

"Angela! Turn that television off!" Aunt Erica came rushing into the room and quickly picked up the remote. "You don't need to hear this…."

Angela wiped the tears away from her eyes then shakily got to her feet. "My dad is never coming home, is he?"

"He will, sweetie." Erica went and gave Angela a big hug. "Don't you worry, Jimmy is doing everything to get him back home."