Fluff Warning for my author's note!
A/N: Boy oh boy, have I been lazy! Thousand apologies for everyone who has had to wait forever and an eternity for an update! Really really sorry!!!! Another chapter is already in the works, so that one should be up soon, hopefully won't take as long as this one. I blame it on a terrible bout of writer's block, laziness, and work! Whumpage in this chapter, and more to come in the next! No action, though, but that will come along soon! Already have the entire story in my head, but I need to find a way to put it into works & have it still look pretty! Without further ado, I present chapter 6!!
Peter tried, he really did, but he could not help starring at Bryce Larkin in amazement. But at least he wasn't alone in doing so: Jones and Mozzie shared the same expressions on their faces as well. The young man could have been Neal's twin! However, Peter quickly noticed some things that set them apart. First of all, he had no problem with guns, seeing as Larkin was quick to pull one on Mozzie upon their first encounter in the yogurt shop. Sarah had very quickly told him Mozzie was with them, and despite an apology from Bryce, the little man kept shooting cautious and distrustful glances in the agent's direction. Also, Larkin was every bit of a CIA agent, getting straight down to business where Neal would fool around like a bored child. He seemed older too, although it was entirely possible that the agent was younger than Neal.
As Peter contrasted Bryce's personality from Neal's, he quickly noticed traits that were eerily similar to his friend and partner: he had the same swagger that Peter saw Neal pull off with perfection, and the same suave air of someone who looked good and knew it. Where is was annoying, yet slightly humorous with Neal, Peter thought that it was just plain irritating with Larkin. He decided that his frustrations with the agent were probably only because he wanted Neal back, and that it felt like there was nothing that could be done to do so.
"It's been almost two days since the Ring has kidnapped Caffrey, so we don't have any time to lose. I have a pretty good idea of where they're keeping him; it's set up under a rock-processing plant, but nearly impossible to find, and even harder to get out of. Believe me, I had to escape from the place once, but it's there, and we'll find it. What we really need is a solid plan before we go in."
"How about busting in there and shooting as many Ring agents as we can."
"I was thinking something a little more subtle," Bryce gave Casey a sideways glance, "If we storm the base, guns blazing, we would all be killed, including the man we're trying to save."
"So then what if you were seen by one of these agents? If they realized they had the wrong man..." Jones knew he was grasping at straws, but any idea as to how to save Neal was good enough to be mentioned. However, Bryce just shook his head.
"They'd only kill him. Whatever happens, I can't be seen until we rescue Caffrey."
"Ah, guys, it might be a little late for that."
Everyone looked at Chuck, who was pointing to the surveillance monitor. Six men, clearly Ring agents, had just walked in to the Orange Orange.
*********
Four Hours Eariler
His head felt like it was going to explode, made worse when he tried to open his eyes. The light was blinding, and he snapped his eyes shut immediately, wincing. Neal was slowly starting to become fully aware of his senses when he heard the voices.
"You know what to do when he wakes up... I have to go see what Agent Gordon had to show me, it sounded urgent."
"Of course. Oh, I think he's coming to as we speak, shouldn't keep my patient waiting."
"Right, and Mulligan? I do need him somewhat alive by the time you're through; this is Bryce Larkin we're talking about. It would be a shame kill him before we learned all there is to know about him, as well as his fellow agents."
Mulligan glanced over at Neal, who was watching the two men with wide eyes, and then turned back to Agent Kane.
"That shouldn't be a problem."
Neal began to strain uselessly against the straps that bound him to the cold metal gurney when he had been able to get a glimpse of the instruments lying on one of the many tables and countertops that the otherwise empty room had to offer. He didn't have to know what they were to know what they could do to a person, namely, him.
Neal heard Agent Kane leave, and he tried to lift his head to see what the other man was doing with the instruments on the table, deciding he would gladly relive his experience at the Howser Clinic if it meant getting away from this place.
Sure, it had seemed brave to pretend to be who the Ring thought he was, but now, he was having major second thoughts. However, the Ring did not appear to be made up of the type of people who would react kindly when they found out he was not Agent Larkin. But if it meant a quicker death...
No! Remember, this is for Kate. I will not take the cowards way out! He tried to calm himself down, succeeding only for a few seconds.
What scared Neal the most was that the man had not said anything to him as he did this; he just watched Neal and studied each instrument as if to decide which to use first. Having picked the tools of his choice, Mulligan appeared at his side, rolling Neal's shirt sleeve up over his elbow before swabbing his unprotected arm with disinfectant.
Neal wanted nothing more than to jerk away when Mulligan unveiled the singularly, most frighteningly large needle the young man had ever seen. The man hooked it to an IV tube, which was attached to a bag filled with some type of thick looking fluid with a bluish-green tinge, and tapped the vein on Neal's arm. He shuddered and bit his lip as Mulligan pushed it none to gently into his arm. Then, for the first time, he spoke to Neal:
"Hello Agent Larkin. You might think that you won't talk, but I can promise that every agent I've met have snapped under my treatments. Right now, a poison called igneus venenum* is finding it's way into your bloodstream. It is, for the most part, harmless is small doses, but still quite excruciating as you will soon find. If too much poison enters the body, however, your death is sure to follow unless proper medical attention is given. Seeing as we have no actual doctors on on our little base, you will soon have quite a problem on your hands. That is, unless you tell me everything the Ring needs to know."
"Well, from the way I see it, you'll be the one with the problems once my friends get here."
Neal hoped that he could pull of the brave facade that he was sure the real Agent Larkin would have no trouble calling forth. All the same, he was beginning to feel the first affects of the igneus venenum as the liquid moved sluggishly down the IV tube and into his arm. What did that name mean, anyway? Something venom or poison, or at least that was what the second word sounded like, and the first one sounded like ignite. Ignite venom? That was not even close to being right. Now he wished he had paid more attention in high school Latin, instead of flirting with the girl sitting next to him.
He had hoped that maybe if he let his thoughts wander like that, he would not be able to feel the affects of the poison as greatly, but Neal was wrong. His body spasmed involuntarily as the first waves of what felt like a blazing fire hit him. The burning coursed through him, surging through every fiber of his being, introducing the young conman to a whole other world of pain. Neal tried to draw in a breath, but his lungs felt like they were filled with smoke, and he could only gasp and cough.
"I wouldn't bet on your friends rescuing you any time soon if I were you. That said, anything you feel like mentioning before we continue?"
"Yeah," Neal barely managed to get out, voice choked with pain, "Wh- when my buddies show up... make sure they know... to put any hospital fee on someone else's tab. I am not paying for any... of this."
******
He was close, he was so close! Why did the base have to be so damn far away? All Robert Moreau could think about as he floored it in the truck he had taken was rescuing his daughter, as well as the satisfaction he would get in killing Ernie Kane. Yes, he would kill him, that was all there was to it. No one ever threatened or hurt his little girl and got away with it! Kate was all he had now, and he was not going to lose her the same way he lost her mother and sister. And if he got there too late, there would be hell to pay for all of the Ring.
Kate will be fine. He assured himself, deciding that either way, the other agents had it coming. With that idea set, Agent Moreau did a mental count of his weapons and number of bullets as the truck sped down the pothole laden road, kicking up huge clouds of dirt as it went.
*****
He was gone, she couldn't find him anywhere! Kate wandered through endless streets, looking for Neal. She knew that he should have been there with her, but Neal was no where to be found. In fact, now that she thought about it, there was no one but her roaming the streets of New York City. That thought should have bothered her, but all she really wanted to do was find the man she loved. Kate moved to sit down on a curb, distressed almost to the point of tears. It was then that she began to fall. There was no time to scream, or even think - she could only fall,
down...
down...
down.
Kate awoke with a jolt, snapping her eyes open as her heart fluttered. She sat up slowly, putting a hand to her sore head, and drawing it back upon feeling the dried blood. That was when the night's events flooded back to her, and she looked around the dark room in alarm. Where was Neal? No one else was in the dark room, so she could only hope that Neal had gotten away. But in the pit of her stomach, something told her that he had not.
The little spring mattress squeaked as Kate swung her legs over to get up, the room swaying in her vision as she did so. She took a moment to steady herself before getting up to walk around the room, searching for a way out. It was at that moment the door in the far corner opened, and someone flicked on a light switch. Kate held a hand over her eyes, temporarily blinded. When she could see again, she recognized the agent who stood there.
"Agent Tebeck! Please tell me you're here to take me to my father."
"I'm sorry, Kate, but no," The older man shook his head sadly, "Not yet, at least," He added when he saw Kate's frightened look. "I did bring you something to eat, though."
He set the plate down on a small, round table by the door.
"I am getting out of here though, right?"
"Of course! Agent Kane wanted to keep you here just in case -"
Agent Tebeck broke off abruptly, realizing too late that he should not have spoken.
"'Just in case' what? Tell me why I'm still here, Nicholas."
"I-I'm so sorry." He took a step backwards toward the door.
"Wait. Please, just wait," Kate took a few steps closer to the agent, "Can you at least tell me where Neal is?"
Nicholas Tebeck gave her a questioning look, and Kate thought that maybe he really had gotten away. Then, she remembered that they all thought he was Agent Larkin, and her heart sank.
"Bryce Larkin, is he here? Did they catch him?"
The agent looked down at the floor.
"Yes, he's here."
"Where is he, is he okay?"
After a long pause, Tebeck looked up at Kate.
"He was fine when you arrived, from what I could see. He... he's with Agent Mulligan as we speak."
For a long moment, Kate almost forgot to breath. She knew all about Mulligan and his techniques - all of the agents she was around bragged about him. Then it all hit her, and Kate made to rush to the door. Agent Tebeck was too quick, and shut and locked it before she could get out.
"Forgive me, Kate."
He spoke through the door before walking away, as Kate continued to bang on it with her fists.
"No! Please! The Ring made a mistake! He's not Larkin! Don't do this to him, please!"
Oh, God! Neal! Why? Why is this happening to him?
Kate hammered on the door until she had no energy left to do so, and sunk to the ground sobbing, knowing there was nothing she could do.
"...just in case..." The words found themselves to the front of her mind, and Kate suddenly knew what Nicholas had been on the verge of saying. Just in case Larkin doesn't talk. Agent Kane was going to torture her, too! She found her way back to the mattress, and wrapped her arms around her legs. As hard as she tried not to, all Kate could think about was Neal, and what he must be going through.
*****
Neal had lost track of time long ago, falling into the folds of his own personal Hell as the poison tore at him from the inside. It could have been days, weeks, months for all he knew, but eventually the torture stopped, and Neal was just glad those anguished screams no longer filled the air. His throat was raw, but he still refused to believe that such inhuman noises could come from him.
He was soaked with sweat, which dripped down his face and mixed with the tears that had fallen, unchecked, in the past hours. He thought he was going to be sick, but he was too weak even for that. All Neal wanted was for the spinning to stop, the clouds that crept around the edges of his vision to go away, and the searing pain throughout his body to cease.
Mulligan stared down at him with a satisfied look.
"They really don't know how to train agents anymore, do they? I would have thought with all that screaming, you would have let something slip, but maybe I underestimated you."
The man's voice seemed to get farther and farther away, and Neal blinked up at the hazy figure, trying to make sense of what he was saying - it was getting harder and harder to concentrate. The pain began to dull until he could no longer feel it. In fact, he couldn't feel much of anything anymore - his entire body had gone numb. Whiteness completely clouded Neal's vision, and he felt any remaining energy in his body leave him as his head slumped over to the side.
So this is what it's like to die. Neal thought groggily before passing out completely.
*****
Agent Ernie Kane strode down the corridor, put out that he had to go running off to see what one of his agents thought was so important. He had secretly hoped to watch Mulligan's session with Larkin, but there would always be time for that later. Right now, he was seeking out Agent Gordon, and quickly found him in the monitoring room. The agent did not waste any time, pointing to one of the screens.
"Our tech agents intercepted this earlier today from a camera at a stoplight in Burbank."
The footage showed a man who could have been none other than Bryce Larkin, swaggering into a frozen yogurt shop. Agent Kane stared for a moment, no doubt in his mind that it was, indeed, the agent the Ring thought they had in their custody.
"Son of a bitch! We've been set up! The man we have is a decoy!"
Kane sent a stool sailing across the room and crashing into the wall.
"Sir, how can you be sure? And if so, what do you suggest we do?" Agent Gordon asked cautiously.
"The Ring has been aware of CIA activity in the Burbank area. They must have a base set up there, and from the looks of it, the real Larkin just walked into it."
"What if the man on the tape is the decoy? This could just be a trap."
"That's a chance we're going to have to take, but I think it will pay off. That man is Agent Larkin, I'm positive. Now, I am going to hand-pick six men to send to that yogurt shop. That footage is less than two hours old, and there is no sign of him leaving. I want you to listen very carefully to the instructions that I am about to give you. Take the lookalike, take the girl, and kill them! I don't care how, but it needs to be done. All I want is for you to get out any information you think they might have."
"I'm sorry sir, but the girl too? Isn't she Agent Moreau's d-"
"I have told you what I want done, and I expect you to do it. You are a Ring agent, and a job of Ring agents is to kill without regret."
"Killing them is not what I'm worried about. When Agent Moreau finds out, we are all as good as dead."
"I will take care of Robert, you just deal with the task at hand."
Agent Gordon left to carry out his task, and Kane alerted the six men he had picked to send out. If all went well, the Ring would be rid of the two decoys, as well as Agent Moreau, and gain a CIA agent full of government intel.
Today is going to be a good day. Agent Kane thought, A very good day indeed.
()0()0()
*means burning venom in Latin, or at least I think it does... =P