Disclaimer: I do not own National Treasure, just Elizabeth and this particular plot idea.

Chapter Five

'Operation-get-the-hell-out-of-here-and-kick-ass is a go!' Elizabeth thought, strangely giddy.

She took a deep breath and rolled over. It was certainly nighttime for she was exhausted so she was pretending to sleep. She had managed to pick her locks earlier and continued to massage life back into her chafed and bloody skin. She decided now was as good a time as any. She began to subtlety move off the end of her bed. It took her about five minutes of nerve-racking torture but when she was down, she was very happy with the results.

Earlier she had figured out that there were only two spots she could hide from the camera; the end of her bed and directly below it. She had made her pillow look like she was huddled under the covers. She waited for a couple minutes and decided that since no one had come in yelling, she was safe.

Now came the tricky part. She had to sit very still in order to hear the chiming of the clock far off. She had heard a guard murmur about the strictness of the changing of the guards at night and how it was ridiculous that they would have one hour shifts. She would have to time this perfectly.

It felt like hours went by until she heard the faintest of fait chiming of a clock. Knowing she had only seconds, she rolled across the room quickly on the floor and dashed along the wall until she was directly below the camera. She held her breath and didn't move for awhile.

Now came another hard obstacle. She would have to be speedy for every second was one more chance the guard could notice her movement. She quickly began to unscrew the screws holding the vent cover in place with her bobby pin. It came off without a hitch and she quickly set it down on the floor quietly. She gazed at the dark hole in the wall, gulped once, and using what arm strength she could muster, pulled herself into the hole headfirst.

She wiggled herself in until she was completely immersed in the vent. It was extremely snug and she had only a little amount of space to wriggle her way down the shaft. It seemed to take Elizabeth hours until she got to a slanted shaft above her, which was a little roomier than the one she was in now.

She figured that she was in the basement, as you wouldn't want your prisoner to have that easy a time to escape. She began to crawl up the steep shaft. It was tricky maneuvering but she managed to scrape her way up, without making much noise.

She finally made it to level ground and continued to crawl about in an undignified manner. She wondered vaguely when they would notice her absence. She hoped it would be in the morning but that was no guarantee so she crawled quickly and cautiously.

Soon she encountered other shafts leading off in various directions, some above, some below, some to the left and right. She opted to go straight, as that would eventually take her to the end of the house. At least she hoped so. It seemed like forever and a half for Elizabeth until she finally felt cool air blowing on her. She began to speed up until she hit a dead end that led to the outside world.

She felt her world crashing around her. How on earth was she going to around that fan that would surely break a limb if it were caught? She bit her lip, unsure of what to do. She closed her eyes and her mind began to drift away to her first kiss with Riley and how annoyed her sister got when they first me their boys. How Mr. Gates had thought her and her sister to be pregnant. How smart Ben was with all the clues and how Riley had been so exited about his idea about daylights saving. She opened her eyes and stared at the obstacle before her: there was no way she was giving up now, no when she was so close to seeing them again.

She surveyed the fan, trying to find some way around it. She saw an electrical wire, but that was behind the whirring blades. The only way possible would be to kick it right in the center, where she would be least likely to be hit by the blades.

She sat back and readied herself. She kicked with both legs, aiming as best as she could. The force of her kick sent the propeller spinning off its axis, ripping through the outside vent, and spun to the earth. She blinked, 'I didn't think I was that strong...' she mused.

She crawled forward and looked down, surmising she was about twenty feet up in the air. She sighed and looked around, unsure of how to get down. She spotted a tree nearby. Biting her lip, she crawled out of the vent and clung to the wall, hoping she could reach a branch. She glanced at her surroundings, seeing nothing but an inky-black night. No moon. Well at least it might help her to hide.

She took a deep breath and took the biggest leap of faith ever. She felt as though her heart was in her throat and she was free falling. The tree was looming closer and closer until she flung her arms up to catch a branch... and missed. She bit back a scream as she flew past it and into a body of water. She froze and lay suspended in the water until her lungs screamed for air. She began to kick up to the surface, gasping for breath.

'Salt water?' Elizabeth thought, treading water.

The current tugged her along until she washed up on a beach, next to a giant rock. Coughing and sputtering, she collapsed onto the warm sand. She lay there, not moving for a long time. Wearily, she got to her feet, knowing she wasn't out of the woods just yet. She stumbled down the beach, shivering violently. For hours on end she kept walking, thinking of her loved ones, hoping she would find someone friendly. Soon, the first rays of the sun peaked over the ocean. Elizabeth saw a huge mass ahead. Curious, she ran forward until she stood in front of a giant rock. her eyes widened in recognition: she had walked in a complete circle.

"I'm on an island." she whispered. Her knees gave out and she burst into tears as she stared at the sand on all fours. "It's hopeless... I'll never escape."

He sobs continued to rack her body so she wasn't able to hear the soft footsteps approaching. She felt arms wrap around her frame and her head whipped up: it was Ian.

He picked her up bridle style and began to carry her back to the house. "I'm glad you finally realize that." he murmured. "You belong to me."

Elizabeth let out a strangled sob. She wasn't aware of what was happening. She felt him lay in a large bed in an airy room. But she didn't care; she just wanted Riley! Ian waved in a doctor, who was carrying a syringe.

"Elizabeth, this will make you forget everything, mmkay? You'll feel a lot better." Ian whispered into her ear.

She shuddered away from but didn't resist the shot. She was far too tired to care anymore. Forgetting sounded like a nice idea at this point.

Ian watched as the doctor stepped away from Elizabeth and her eyes slide close. He smiled wolfishly. He had almost lost her but now she was back and soon she would forget everything. Everything that is, except him. He would really have to pay an arm and a leg for that shot, but it would be worth it. After all, a shot that induced a severe, irrevocable case of amnesia wouldn't be cheap...

Suddenly, Abigail's apartment was aflutter with noise and chaos.
"What's going on?" Ben asked a nearby agent worriedly.
"We have just received information on Ian Howe's whereabouts." the man said and scurried off to do his job.

Riley looked up from his hands and smirked.
Abigail remained grim. "That man will pay dearly." she whispered in a deadly voice.
"Most definitely." Riley replied.