Oh my.. chapter 8 already.. Enjoy.

Ranger's POV

I have no idea where they've taken us. I thought they'd take us to an Army base but it appears that we're being kept in a warehouse of some sort. My feet are attached to a shackle on the floor and my arms are shacked above my head and I'm hanging from the ceiling. If I am left in this position for too long, my shoulders will dislocate and I will pass out from the pain.

I look to the right and I see that Fiona is tied up in a similar position. The difference is that she can touch the floor with the tips of her feet. She's also wearing a hood over her head. I am pretty sure that she is conscious so I try to get her attention.

"Fiona, can you hear me?"

"Is that you Ranger? Where are we?"

"Yeah, it's me. I'm not sure where we are, but it doesn't look like any military prison I've ever seen. I have a bad feeling that this is not all above board. I don't think we've really been charged with treason. I wouldn't be surprised if this is another rouse by the General."

"How can he get away with something like this? Surely it's against the law to arrest and torture people like this?"

"I know what you mean. Lester is working on it. I'm sure my lawyer is already talking to the DOJ to find out what's going on. When he finds out that there is no official record of our arrest or any formal charges, he will confront the General. With Lester as a witness, he'll be able to charge the General with abduction and the breaking of several others laws I'm sure."

"What does that mean for us in the meantime? What if they can't find us or what if they torture us?"

"I don't' know Fiona. We need to stay calm and hope that somebody finds us soon."

I'm so glad that I didn't let my Babe come with me on this trip. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if she was involved in this mess as well. I'm glad that she's safe in Trenton and living at RangeMan. She'll be safe from any potential bad guys and she's probably working hard to get up to speed at RangeMan right now.

Thoughts of my Babe have got me through a lot over the years. Thoughts of getting home to her and thoughts of spending the rest of my life with her were always far off dreams. Now, it was a possibility and I was struggling to follow my own advice to keep calm. I am angry. I am very angry and I just need somebody to come back so I can direct that anger towards someone or something.

I must have drifted off to sleep at some point because a hissing Fiona woke me up. "Ranger, someone's coming."

I looked up and saw a car enter the warehouse. Two men got out and walked towards Fiona. They lowered her to the ground and dragged her out of sight. I didn't see where they took her but she returned a few minutes later. The men tied her back up but they didn't string her up this time.

Next, the two men walked towards me and lowered me to the ground. I watched as the men unshackled me but kept the cuffs on. They dragged me to another room and allowed me to use the toilet while standing beside me. When I was finished, they dragged me back to my original location and shackled both my arms and my legs to the bar on the floor. I didn't say anything to these men but I was very relieved when they didn't string me up.

The two men walked away from us and then returned with two cots. They set them up and then positioned them so we could each lie down without the shackles being too taut. Fiona looked at the man who shoved her onto her cot and said, "Where the hell are we? If we're truly being charged with treason why aren't we at a military police station?"

The man looked at Fiona like he didn't understand the question. "Look Lady, I am only paid to get you a bed, some food and make sure you get to use the toilet ever few hours. I don't know anything about the military police or no treason."

Fiona turned and looked at me with a look of confusion that I must have shared. I looked at the man closest to me and asked, "Who do you work for? Do you have any idea who we are or why we're here?"

The man shook his head and said, "It doesn't matter who I work for. It doesn't matter who you are or why you're here. There's a lot of money in this for me and I'm going to do what I'm told and you're going to shut up or you won't get any food or water for the next few days."

It was now clear to me that Fiona and I were not actually arrested. When George contacts the department of justice to enquire about the charges supposedly brought against us, he'll come up empty. He'll tell Lester and Lester will tell Tank, who will turn over every stone in D.C. to find us. My Babe will use her Spidey Sense and maybe Lula will use her Fishy Factor.

The two men departed, leaving two large bottles of water for us as well as some sandwiches and a couple of buckets for emergencies. They said they'd be back in the morning and left us alone. Fiona was the first to say something.

"I memorised their license plate in case that comes in handy later."

"Good idea. I never thought of that. Do you have any idea where we are? Can you see anything out of the high windows? Also, do you have anything we could use to pick these locks?"

Fiona checked her pockets and shook her head. She then looked and squinted out ever window she could see. "I can't tell where we are and I don't have any hair pins or lock picks on me."

I wrinkled my nose and thought. Was there anything visible that could help us get out of our shackles? I couldn't see anything so I considered using the cot and trying to catch the chain between the concrete on the floor and the cot's metal frame. I positioned a piece of the chain for my leg and lifted the edge of my cot and then slammed it down. As expected, it had no effect. The metal on the chain was stronger than that on the cot's frame.

Next, I lay down on the cot and stared that the ceiling, wracking my brain trying to come up with some way to get out of here. Eventually, the silence got to me and I asked Fiona a question. "How long have you worked for the General?"

Fiona turned and faced me before saying, "Three years. He recruited me before I was even officially discharged from the Army."

"There aren't many women that work for the General. I'm surprised we haven't crossed paths earlier."

"We almost did. I was assigned to a mission that you were on but I had a family emergency and pulled out at the last minute. It turns out that only you and Tank returned, so maybe it was a good thing."

I sighed. That was a bad mission. "You're right. It was definitely a good thing that you missed it. The only reason Tank and I survived was because our truck broke down and we were miles behind the rest of our team. They were ambushed while we were still fighting with our truck 12 miles away. By the time we caught up, the entire team was dead and the attackers were long gone.

"Tank and loaded up our fallen comrades and aborted the mission. We were almost court marshalled when we returned but the General changed his mind after listening to our full story. He eventually agreed that there was nothing we could have done on our own and another team was sent in a few weeks later to carry out the mission we originally were sent to perform. They were successful, but it turned out to be a suicide mission. None of them returned."

Fiona groaned and said, "I was briefed on that mission. I never really understood why a single school teacher could be so important to the U.S. government or the Taliban."

I laughed. "He wasn't a school teacher Fiona. He was a Russian nuclear scientist who defected to Afghanistan during its war with Russia. He had a change in heart after he found out how the Taliban treated him and wanted to move to America. We'd have been better off putting a bullet in his head. I can imagine how much money the U.S. government is giving him to keep him happy. The price of a bullet would have been better for the tax payers."

Fiona nodded and said, "Harsh but true. How long do you think they'll keep us here?"

"I'm not really sure. It depends on how affiliated this warehouse is with the General or a member of his staff or team. If there is any connection, my guys and gals will find it and us as a result. My lawyer will be going the legal route with all guns blazing. Lester will be at his side. If RangeMan can't find us then George Creswell and Lester Santos will."

Fiona lay back on her cot and said, "That's good news. I might actually be able to get some sleep now. Good night Ranger."

I'm making this stuff up so if there are any errors in my assumptions, I apologise. :)