Santana and Rachel slowed as they reached the base of the colossal building ahead of them. They stood still for a second, marvelling at the size of it; its tall, dark frame, seeming to reach endlessly into the night sky; its blacked-out windows, seeing everything but never allowing anyone to see in; the rusty shackles that bound the doors, a silent warning to those who dared to approach it.

But Santana and Rachel weren't scared. If anything, they were excited. They hadn't felt a rush like this for years. Although Santana was afraid of something. She was afraid that they might not reach Brittany in time. But she didn't let those thoughts get to her. She shook her head stubbornly, refusing to let the toxic thoughts penetrate her focused mind. She glanced over at Rachel, who nodded to signal that she was ready, and Santana returned her nod confidently, smiling a little.

"R, you know the plan?"

"Inside and out, S."

"Good. Okay, let's do this."

And with that, Santana flattened herself against the wall, preparing to run inside the second she got a chance. Rachel, meanwhile, was dashing across the gravel that peppered the driveway outside the warehouse, finding a suitable spot for the grenade. She signalled to Santana that she had found one, and then backed away, leaving enough space between herself and the target area. Rachel then took the grenade off of her utility belt, breathing deeply and slowly. She took cover behind a large shrub, and then pulled the pin. She threw the grenade with all the strength she could muster into the area she had selected; a small, neglected patch of nettles over on the far right side of the warehouse. She then ducked, covering her ears in anticipation for the explosion that was to come. She counted down under her breath, bracing herself.

"Three. Two. One."

Boom!

The explosion echoed around the empty lot, the shattered bits of bark and debris raining down with a loud clatter. A sharp ringing sounded in Rachel's ears for a second, before it dissipated, leaving an eerie silence to settle over the warehouse parking lot. But this didn't last for long.

Within a matter of seconds, the main doors had crashed open, with several men dressed in black spilling out, shouting in anger. Santana stayed hidden behind one of the open doors, waiting for the right moment to slip in undetected. Rachel, on the other hand, decided to take a more forward approach.

The small brunette ran out from her cover in the bushes, snarling and brandishing her gun threateningly. The man leading the pack faltered for a second, his face a mixture of shock and awe, before composing himself and raising his gun to shoot. But, before he had a chance to pull the trigger, a thick lead pipe came flying at him from behind, knocking him forcefully to the ground. Rachel smirked as he writhed in pain, thanking God that Santana always had her back. As she glanced up, she saw the Latina slinking into the building, but her attention was soon drawn by the two other men running at her, weapons raised and ready. She grinned cockily, raising her eyebrows before muttering, "Bring it on."

The men came rushing at her, sure that they would be able to take her down easily. However, they had totally underestimated the power of Rachel Berry. As the first man reached her, she swung her arm out and caught him right on his windpipe, causing him to double over, gasping in pain. She then brought her elbow down swiftly in between his shoulder blades, making his legs buckle as he dropped to the ground on his knees. Rachel sensed the other man creeping up behind her, and just as she heard the telltale click of a trigger being pulled, she grabbed the body of the man on the floor and pulled him up, using his body as a shield. The other man had pulled the trigger, unaware of Rachel's plan, and so could do nothing but watch in horror as his own bullet tore through the flesh of his partner, right into his chest.

Rachel dropped the body of the now-dead guard, and straightened up to face her last and final opponent. He snarled nastily, his quaffed brown hair now flopping forward as sweat drenched his forehead. His pale, sharp face was twisted into an expression of hate, and he circled Rachel, like a shark preparing to deliver the last crushing bite.

"Hello Rachel." he said, sounding anything but welcoming.

"Hello Sebastian." Rachel replied, her voice bored and uninterested.

"I see your loyalties seem to have changed."

"I see you're still content with being Blaine's little puppet."

"You're going to regret the day you ever decided to betray us." Sebastian growled lowly, his voice menacing, as his eyes flickered over to Azimio's lifeless form.

Rachel simply smiled sweetly, before replying, "Believe me, Smythe. If there's one thing I will never regret, it's finally finding a reason to leave this god-awful place and all the people in it."

"Those are strong words, Berry. Must be someone awfully special to make you suddenly want to change like this. That wouldn't happen to be that cute blonde we saw the night we took Santana's girl, would it?"

Rachel froze, and Sebastian smirked victoriously, knowing he had hit a nerve.

Little did he know, he had just made the biggest mistake of his life.

Rachel sneered at Sebastian, as a red, angry mist descended down over her eyes. She felt the anger coursing through her veins, and relished the sensation as she felt her heart pounding against her ribcage.

She dropped her hands, as if she was about to surrender. Sebastian grinned exultantly, but his triumph ended abruptly as Rachel suddenly ran at him, full-speed. He stared at Rachel, unaware of what was about to happen, and then attempted to step out of the way. But he was a second too late.

Rachel came barrelling at him, knocking him to the ground with all of the force she had in her small but sturdy body. Sebastian fell backwards, the air escaping from his lungs with a loud 'whoosh', as he collided with the ground, feeling his head smack into the unforgiving gravel beneath him. He groaned in pain, his vision fuzzy, his head swimming. Rachel then stood over Sebastian, leering down at him dangerously.

"So, Seb, I want you to tell me something. And be honest, because for every lie I think you're telling me, I'll hurt you. Do you know where Blaine is?"

Sebastian shook his head obstinately, as if he was trying to convince her that he was telling the truth.

"See, here's the funny thing," Rachel giggled darkly, "I just don't believe you."

And with that, she brought the butt of her gun down powerfully on Sebastian's chest, eliciting a loud cry of pain from him.

"Don't say I didn't warn you. Now, I'm going to ask you another question, and this time, be honest. Have you or any of your cronies done anything bad to Brittany?"

Sebastian shook his head once again, but this time Rachel sensed his reluctance.

"Okay, now I KNOW you're lying. That's a shame. You could've got out of here with just some minor injuries. But, now that I know that you've hurt Brittany, well, let's just say things aren't looking to good for Mr Sebastian Smythe."

Rachel then reached over, grabbing the discarded lead pipe that Santana had thrown earlier. Sebastian's eyes widened in fear, and he attempted to crawl away, scrabbling in the dirt on his stomach like a helpless animal.

"Aww, poor Seb," Rachel drawled sarcastically, before dragging him back mercilessly by his ankles, "See, you think you're so tough, but really, you're just a scared little boy playing with daddy's toys."

She then brought the pipe viciously down, crushing it against Sebastian's spine. He yelped pitifully, tears pooling in his eyes. Rachel slammed the pipe into Sebastian's body a few more times, until he was mewling in pain and begging her to stop.

"You see, Sebastian, here's the really funny thing. I bet Brittany begged you to stop, didn't she?"

Sebastian nodded hesitantly, not wanting to answer but fearing the repercussions of a lie.

"And I would bet all my life savings to say that you didn't stop, did you?"

Another slow shake of the head.

"So, even though she's completely innocent in all of this, you continued to beat her, knowing she had done nothing to deserve it. And yet, you expect me to show mercy on you? That's rich. But you know what? I'm not a bad person, Smythe. So, I will show mercy."

Sebastian managed to smile, his face awash with relief. However, his eyes became terrified once more at Rachel's next words.

"I'll put you out of your misery, Sebastian. Once and for all." she murmured. She then raised her gun and placed it on his forehead, directly in between his panic-stricken eyes.

"Goodbye Sebastian."

Just as she was about to deliver the kill-shot, she hesitated, leaning down to mutter quietly in his ear.

"Oh, and one other thing. I sincerely hope they have hair driers in Hell, or you're never going to be able to get that quiff right."

And then she pulled the trigger.

Meanwhile, Santana had been skulking around stealthily, investigating the seemingly endless rows of corridors that criss-crossed all over the ground floor of the warehouse. She hadn't encountered much resistance so far, only a skittish young man who seemed to be delivering something in boxes, but she soon silenced him with a swift blow to the head. She continued to follow the path ahead of her, keeping to the left hand side with her back pressed firmly against the wall.

Just as she was about to round a corner, she heard a faint crackling sound from up ahead. She tilted her ear towards it, and recognised the familiar buzz of a radio system. She silently reached down and detached her walkie talkie from her utility belt.

"Rachel. I think I've found the control room. How are things out there?" Santana whispered urgently.

"Copy that. Things are fine. All taken care of. Go get her." Rachel replied.

"Thanks." came the reply, before their conversation was disconnected with a quiet click.

Santana peered carefully round the corner, keeping her body hidden behind the wall. Her eyes widened as they took in the scene in front of her.

Through the partly open door ahead of her, she could see screens. Dozens of small screens, lining the wall like some form of decoration. Below them, she could see large panels with hundreds of buttons and switches, some blinking steadily, some flashing rapidly. She tiptoed closer, peering through the gap in the open doorway. She saw a man sitting in front of the screens, monitoring them with a bored expression on his face. She pulled out a rag from her pocket and soaked it in the chloroform that Rachel had slipped into her pocket earlier.

"Thank you Berry." she whispered, as she stole silently into the room.

She quickly grabbed the man and smothered his mouth with the rag, as he gave a muffled cry before his body slumped down, still and unresisting. Santana dragged the man over to the corner and nodded, satisfied with her work. She then approached the many monitors, scanning them for any sign of Brittany.

Her heart leapt when she caught sight of a head of blonde hair in the screen in the top left hand corner, and she felt excitement bubble up inside her when she recognised Brittany. But her joy rapidly fizzled out as she properly took in Brittany's appearance and demeanour.

The blonde was curled up in the corner of the bleak room she was in, her arms wrapped protectively around her head. She was trembling, and although Santana couldn't hear her, she could see that Brittany was sobbing helplessly, her feeble form broken and vulnerable.

Santana felt a fire ignite within her, a newfound rage that she had never felt before raging through her body as she swore to rescue Brittany from these soulless monsters. She located the number of the room on the screen, and then turned on her heel, eyes blazing with anger and determination.

She marched out of the control room, no longer caring about being seen. A guard entering another room further on from the control room spotted Santana, but before he could even open his mouth to call someone, she had silenced him with a swift bullet to the head.

Santana Lopez would show no mercy.

She rooted around in the dead guard's pockets, trying to find something that would help her find Brittany's prison, room G14. She felt something hard in his front left pocket and extracted it swiftly. It was an electronic map, and slightly resembled a GPS tracking device. She raised one eyebrow curiously, as she tried to figure out how it worked – Blaine had obviously introduced these after she had left, as she had never seen one before.

She read the label on each small button, and noticed one marked 'Voice-Controlled Room Navigation'. She shrugged, deciding to try it and hope for the best.

"Room G Fourteen." she spoke into the device, holding the button down firmly.

The screen lit up, and an arrow appeared, pointing her forwards. She grinned, before snatching the card labelled 'Room Access Key' from the chain that hung limply around the guard's neck. She then stood up, calm and composed, as she followed the bright yellow arrow on the screen of the map.

As she ascended a small flight of stairs and neared the room marked 'G14' on the map, she slowed her pace, her black sneakers making no noise at all on the rough floor. There was no one in sight, but that didn't mean that there wasn't anyone waiting to ambush her from the shadows. She decided to test the water, calling out a faint "Hello?" There was no reaction, so she assumed that Blaine didn't think it was necessary to have guards up here since the only people in these rooms were too weak to do anything.

She walked slowly, reading each door number carefully.

G10. G11. G12. G13.

Here it is.

As Santana placed her hand on the heavy door, she could hear quiet whimpers coming from beyond it. Her heart broke, knowing that she was the cause of all this. But she shook her head resolutely, trying to knock some sense into herself.

'Come on Santana, this is not the time for self-pity. You have to save Brittany. Now!'

She nodded once, then proceeded to slide the key card through the flashing slot, hearing a dull click before the door sprung open slightly.

She breathed a sigh of relief, and then flung open the door, dropping the map and racing to Brittany.

Unfortunately, the blonde didn't know it was Santana who had opened the door, and so began to react as she usually did to her attackers.

"Get away from me!" she screamed, as she thrashed wildly and blindly punched and kicked the air.

"Brittany! Brittany, stop! It's me! It's Santana!"

Brittany froze and opened her eyes a little, stunned into silence.

"S-Santana? Is... is it really y-you?" she stuttered, fear still apparent in her wild eyes as she squinted apprehensively, her face shrouded in shadow.

"Yeah B, it's me." she replied, smiling a little.

Brittany remained still for a further few seconds, unsure of whether this was all a dream or not.

She then sat up and threw herself into Santana's arms, not caring about the sharp pain that sliced through her body at every movement.

"SANTANA! Oh my god, it's really you! You found me! Thank you! Thank you so much!" she gasped, gripping Santana tightly as if she feared they would be separated once again. Tears ran thickly down her face as she buried into Santana's chest, rocking slightly and whimpering.

Santana felt like her heart was crumbling and singing all at once.

Seeing Brittany so exposed, so weak, it was one of the most painful things she had ever experienced; but she was still so happy to finally be holding Brittany in her arms once again, she couldn't help the warm, fuzzy feeling that spread through her stomach.

But Santana then noticed how Brittany winced every time she moved, and her forehead creased with concern.

"Britt? What's wrong? What did they do to you?"

Brittany pulled back from Santana's embrace and averted her eyes, cradling her right arm tenderly.

"Brittany. Look at me."

The blonde raised her head slowly, reluctant to meet Santana's questioning gaze. When their eyes finally did meet, and the light fully illuminated Brittany's face, Santana gasped in horror.

Brittany's eyes were both bruised, with one almost swollen shut. Her face was peppered with cuts and bruises, and her lip had been split open, a dry line of blood running down to her chin. Santana ran her eyes further down, taking in the rest of Brittany's appearance. Her pretty blue dress was smeared with dirt and blood, and there was a rip along one side. Santana peeled back the slit in the dress and had to suppress the urge to gag when she saw the full extent of the damage done to Brittany's body.

Beneath the rip, Santana could see a large gash, which was red-raw and oozing blood. As she explored further, she found bruises scattered all across Brittany's chest, ribcage, and stomach, angry purple splotches blossoming and tarnishing the pure cream canvas. She then turned her attention to the arm Brittany was cradling so delicately, and gently took it in her hands.

"I... I think it's broken." Brittany sniffled, a sound so pitiful it made Santana want to cry.

"Here." Santana took off her shirt and bullet-proof vest, remaining clad in just the vest top she was wearing underneath. She placed the body armour gently over Brittany's head until it was settled comfortably around her torso, but not tight enough to press on her injuries. She then fashioned a sling out of her shirt and wrapped Brittany's arm up in it, while the blonde simply watched in awe.

"What?" Santana asked, slightly amused by Brittany's intense gaze.

"It's just... I've never seen you so focused before. It's enchanting." Brittany whispered.

Santana chuckled a little, before regaining her composure.

"Okay, we have to get out of here now, before anyone notices that something's wrong. Actually, isn't it a little strange that no one's come running by now? I mean, don't they usually have this place swarming with guards and stuff?"

Brittany simply shrugged, while Santana looked around, puzzled.

"Well, anyway, we have to go. Now, Britt, I know standing up and walking is going to hurt a lot, but you have to do it. I'll help you through it though, I'll be here every step of the way. Okay?"

Brittany answered with a reluctant nod, and then Santana stood up and extended her arms out towards her.

"Just take my hands and use them to slowly pull yourself up, 'kay?"

Brittany did just that, and within a few seconds she was standing next to Santana, panting and whimpering in pain, although she seemed happy to be on her feet.

"That's great B, I'm proud of you." Santana smiled encouragingly, before slinging her arm under Brittany's shoulders to offer her some support.

"Alright, let's get moving."

Santana managed to locate the entrance to the warehouse using the map which she had retrieved from the floor of Brittany's cell, and eventually arrived there with Brittany leaning heavily on her, gasping and grimacing as pain shot violently through her body every few seconds.

"Come on B. We're almost there baby. Come on!"

Santana could see the soft glow of the moonlight beckoning just ahead of them, and could feel her excitement rising. However, there was a small, niggling voice in the back of her mind, that was wondering why they hadn't been intercepted at all on their way out of the warehouse.

But she brushed it aside, focused on getting Brittany into the van and back to safety.

They made it outside, the fresh air welcoming Brittany like a long-lost friend. She breathed in deeply, savouring every sweet morsel of oxygen, smiling a little. Seeing Brittany smile so freely warmed Santana's heart, just as it always did.

But their moment of serenity was rapidly interrupted by the loud crackle of Santana's walkie talkie. Brittany jumped, flinching at the sudden sound, but Santana calmed her down, rubbing her arm soothingly as Rachel's panicked voice came through the device.

"Santana, I've been keeping a watch from behind the warehouse, and I've just seen Blaine entering the building. Someone must have told him we were here! Watch your back, he could be-"

But before Santana could hear the rest of Rachel's sentence, it was cut off by the sharp, clear sound of a gunshot piercing the silence of the night.

Brittany ducked instinctively, as did Santana. The Latina quickly raked her eyes over Brittany's body, but couldn't see a mark anywhere. It was only then that she registered the throbbing that had begun to resonate throughout her own body. She looked down, and something in her mind vaguely realised that there was a pulsating wound at the top of her thigh, spitting streaks of blood. She felt her vision begin to blur, as her head swam and she began to fall to the ground.

The last thing she remembered before she blacked out was seeing a short, dark-haired man running towards her, his face twisted in a snarl, a gun in his hand, pointed straight at her.

OHMYGOODNESS, IT'S ALL SO TENSE! :O I did not realise that this chapter would turn out to be so dramatic, but now I'm pretty happy with how it's turned out ^^

I REALLY want to hear you guys' opinions on this chapter, I was a tad nervous about writing it because I wanted to do it justice and make it really exciting and gripping, so please, don't be shy, let me know what you liked, what you think could've been improved. etc.

Also, for those of you who are aching for some Brittana fluff, it is coming, I promise! Obviously it's a bit difficult right now, what with all the shooting and violence and whatnot, but you will get it soon, most likely in the chapter after the next one :)

Another thing – I hope you guys don't think I'm some kind of sick person for having Brittany beat up and whatever. It's not that I LIKE injuring people, ESPECIALLY not Brittany or Santana, but I felt like it had to be done in order to show the true nature of these people. But yeah, please don't hate me for that :( and I think the fluff that's coming up will make up for all of the horrible stuff that has been happening, so just stick with it, things will get better!

So, as always, reviews make me happier than Brittany with a box of Lucky Charms, all you have to do is write in the box and click that little button! ^^

Next update should be along soon, as usual, and until then, stay awesome everyone! :D