Chapter 3: Lost or Found?

Yin turned off the video feed," The coordinates should be easy enough to find out especially since Vilain didn't destroy the chip. He turned to type them into the laptop behind him that he'd been tracking Billy on before the first package," They're already in here," he sounded puzzled.

"Lee's gone," Gunner pointed to an empty chair.

"Dammit…"

Billy lay on the floor, groaning and shaking," I'll give your friend an hour, after that we'll be back in here," Vilain walked to the door and entered the code," Bring him back to his cell."

"Yes sir," the man with the blonde mustache grabbed the chain and pulled it behind him. Billy screamed as his back scraped across the floor, he rolled over and tried to get to his knees but the man kept walking and pulling. A trail of blood spatters followed him all the way back to the room he'd woken up in, the chain was unhooked.

"You can unbind his wrists," Vilain laughed," he'll be a good boy and won't fight anymore."

"Yes'sir," the mustached man flicked a pocketknife from his belt and shoved it under the plastic before ripping it off, he took Billy by the throat and held him up before kicking him in the chest. Billy fell back into the room, hitting his head on the corner of the bed frame.

Billy heard the door close and lock, he couldn't stop shaking. The lashes on his back stung against the cold tiled floor, he rolled to his side and sat up slowly. Putting his back against the wall gently as he could he inspected his body, the waistband of his 5.11's was wet and stained red with his blood. His wrists still bled from the zip ties, he tried crawling onto the bed and collapsed near it. Being weak and in so much pain he passed out as soon as his body hit the floor again.

Lee sped through the twists and turns in the dirt roads until he could make it no further in a vehicle, he abandoned the old truck and grabbed his rucksack. His GPS said he was about another forty minutes or so away,' Too long,' he thought,' he could be dead by then,' he shook his head. He couldn't bring himself to think that way, he usually wasn't too hip on new members joining the team; but Billy was different. He'd seen himself in Billy and wanted to train him to be a top mercenary, yet at the same time he didn't want him to et involved with this life. Billy had mentioned a girlfriend and a family, whether he was just making conversation and not telling the whole truth or he was being serious he had dreams and ambitions and Lee envied that in a way. Everything he'd ever loved had left due to this lifestyle he'd chosen, his girlfriend was always angry because he was at work and probably cheating on him every day of the week out of spite.

He'd trained daily to be the best, because without those blades Lee had no idea who he was. If he wasn't fighting he didn't know how to handle problems, his temper usually got the best of him and every situation ended physically. Billy was different, Lee had personally done the tests on him to see if he'd fit the bill. He'd done the research on the kid's background and dug up every mercenary and military history he had. Impressive as a sniper and a marksman, but not so great at fist-fighting. He could be trained in that however, it was something small and Lee had trained him well.

==FLASHBACK (Lee)==

"If you want to be on this job, you have to be good," Lee wrapped up his hands so he wouldn't hurt the boy, that's exactly how he saw Billy. A boy, a metaphorical child, he still had the spark and fire in his eyes that only youth and the freshness of this job could inspire. He was not only ten feet tall and bulletproof in his mind, he had added superhuman strength and the ability to fucking fly to the list.

"I will be," Billy started wrapping up his hands.

"Your enemies will be good, you have to be better," Lee slid a plastic practice knife in his belt," you have to be perfect, precise, every movement must be exactly on time or this job will kill you."

==END FLASHBACK==

Lee shook the memory from his head, he didn't want to think about whatever was happening to the boy in that hellhole. He'd saved a young girl from a similar evil about five years ago, she'd required therapy and medication and never truly recovered. He dropped in to see her every now and again when work led him to the area, he had friends keep an eye on her as best they could. She was young, just like Billy, impressionable and a fighter…until that monster had gotten ahold of her. God only knew what he'd done to her, Lee had a pretty good idea but they'd never talked about it. He was afraid of those eyes on Billy, cold and glazed over. Luster for life gone, forever.

He had turned off his phone and his radio when he left, his tracker was the only way the Expendables would know where he was. If he could have turned it off as well he would have, this was something he had to do on his own. He'd given the okay for Billy to join and felt personally responsible for anything that happened to him. The GPS still showed he was still a good half hour away, the truck had bought him some time but not much. He quickened his pace, knowing full-well whatever he walked into could very well be a trap. Even if he was captured, maybe he could bargain his life for the kid's. He'd already weighed the idea and found it a fair trade, he'd taught Billy everything he could and the Expendables would take care of him.

Billy's eyes opened slowly, he felt like he was in slow motion. The wooden back of the chair he was strapped into was rough and his bloody back stuck to it. His body ached and throbbed in places he didn't even know he'd been hit," Good morning," Vilain ruffled his hair the way Lee had after he'd done well during a sparring session. The memory comforted him, he held onto it while he could replaying it in his head to block out whatever Vilain was telling him about the torture to come.

==FLASHBACK (Billy)==

He saw his opportunity, Lee rushed him and grabbed him around the waist to try and bring him to the ground. Billy stepped back and hooked beneath Lee's arm, he gave him a good punch in the forehead to let him know he'd seen the opening before moving his hips towards Lee and sweeping beneath a leg. Lee did not expect what came next, Billy hooked behind his knee and rolled Lee off of his back. Immediately he got control of Lee's side in the Jiu-Jitsu he'd been taught and went for the arm bar. Lee was still surprised by the sweep and missed defending the arm bar, he tapped Billy's knee with his free arm.

"Good job, kid," he laughed when Billy rolled off of him," I wasn't expecting a sweep," he ruffled his hair.

"I told you I was good," Billy smiled and punched his shoulder playfully.

"You're good," Lee stood and offered him a hand up," but you need more practice."

"All right 'dad'," Billy took the help up and started unwrapping his hands.

"Are you sure you want to get into this life?"

"Ye—"

"Before you answer that, think about this," Lee's eyes had glazed as he spoke," Imagine your girlfriend cheating on you and lying about it and not being able to find the bastard because you're not home enough. Imagine your family and friends worried about you every day if they know what you do, God help them. If not, imagine the lies you'll have to spin up and keep up for that matter about where you are and why you have to drop everything when we call you," Lee sighed," You'll miss everything."

"I'm sure," Lee doubted he'd listened to a word of that and rolled his eyes.

==END FLASHBACK==

Billy had never regretted joining the Expendables, even now. Vilain had stopped talking and looked extremely unhappy it had been a one-sided conversation. He punched Billy full-force, the leather squeaking as he flexed his fingers after the blow. Billy's head jerked sideways and blood filled his mouth, Vilain grabbed his chin for another blow. Billy spat blood in the man's face," How's your nose?" he asked, his smile stained red.

"Still got some fight in you?" Vilain wiped his face, gently around his nose Billy noticed," Go ahead," he snarled.

He lost count of how many times Vilain's men hit him, his eye had swollen shut and the force had disoriented him. When they felt they'd dealt sufficient damage, they moved on to his chest or stomach before working their way back up. Just before he thought he would pass out, they stopped. His chin dropped onto his chest and he tried to catch his breath, he wasn't sure how much more he could stand,' Why won't they just kill me already?' he thought miserably,' They're going to kill me and whoever shows up for me, there's no way just one of them will be able to get me and get away,' Vilain jerked his head back until it was hard to breathe.

Something stung his neck, he pulled away," You shouldn't have done that," Vilain pulled harder on his hair," Now I have no idea how much of this I've given you," Billy panicked as he realized Vilain had drugged him. The needle stung his neck again, he couldn't pull away this time, his hands pulled at the leather holding them to the arms of the chair," It's been over an hour now," he smiled," I don't think they're coming, pity actually, I think they figured out I have no intention of letting you leave here alive," he rubbed Billy's cheek roughly.

'What the hell did he give me?' Billy's mind raced, his hands writhed in the restraints. He waited, it couldn't be good whatever it was.

Vilain stepped away from him and folded his arms," So where is their base?" he picked up a knife and flipped it between his fingers," It's apparent they're not coming, so you still have information I need," he dragged the blade along Billy's shoulder and down his bicep, leaving a trail of blood behind it. Billy growled and grit his teeth," It's the only reason you're still alive, the drugs I gave you should loosen your tongue a bit. If not, well…"

Lee's heart pounded in his ears as he ran,' Fifteen minutes,' he thought,' just fifteen more minutes,' the rucksack had gotten heavy and he hadn't even packed knives. He knew if he'd gone armed Vilain would kill Billy the second he saw a blade or even a hilt, he was looking for a reason and if he hadn't found one yet Lee wasn't about to give him one. The terrain was harsh and unforgiving, jungle vines slapped his face and arms as he ran past them. Roots threatened to trip him and almost had a few times, he hadn't even bothered to keep his eyes out for snakes. His steel-toed boots should deflect their bite even if they did strike at him, he jumped over a fallen log that had once been a tree and tripped. Picking himself up he kept his pace, even though he was breathing hard.

He knew he was late, that he hadn't made the hour deadline, that Vilain was probably torturing Billy if he hadn't killed him yet. He knew it was an awkward thing to wish for, but he'd hoped Vilain was still trying to get information and had given up on anyone coming to rescue his hostage. But Vilain wasn't the most stable man on the planet and he wasn't sure how long he'd let Billy live if the torture didn't show some sort of progress.

The room spun, his vision distorted and he couldn't make out faces anymore. Maybe it was from the drugs, maybe it was because his eye had swollen shut, he didn't have the strength to fight whatever he'd been given. The questions persisted, his speech slurred but he still wouldn't give up anything. He was laying on the table again, he didn't remember how he'd gotten there. Flashes of pain sprang up all over his body, whatever Vilain was doing hurt like hell. He screamed until his throat was raw and his voice cracked, eventually he couldn't do anything but whimper,' This is it,' he thought,' this is where I finally die,' it was surprisingly inviting,' he's going to kill me, but at least the mission is uncompromised,' his body twitched at each new infliction. He couldn't even tell what they were doing anymore. It started with a knife, long gashes across his chest, through his cargos down his legs, along the tops of his arms, he guessed that he'd passed out from a combination of exhaustion and shock. Vilain stood over him and demanded information, yelling at him, he'd finally lost his temper completely. He got sloppy, was taking out his rage in its entirety without any reservations. Billy let his mind wander and waited for death.