Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter series or the Stargate series.
After waking up, it took a few minutes before he was able to focus on his surroundings. Man, he didn't think he'd had that much. Squinting through the pain, Kyle was finally able to make out another figure sprawled out next to him; it was Major William.
What was going on?
Flashes of memories shot across his eyes: the bar, getting sick, the blow to the head. He groaned in pain, gripping his head.
The sound obviously alerted someone else in the room since a voice rang out from behind him. "Oh, good. You're awake."
Turning his head, he spotted his teammate Kurtis Blake propped up against the wall. Confused, Kyle asked, "Where are we?"
"Don't know," was the reply.
Examining the room closely, he made a guess. "Looks like a storage shed of some sort." Noticing the others in the room for the first time, he asked, "Who else is here?"
Sighing, Blake answered. "William, Taylor and Davik. They still haven't woken up from the drugs yet; whoever grabbed us really wanted to put us out for a bit. Used the waitress to lure us out in smaller groups before taking us down."
"Have you found a way out of here yet?" questioned Kyle. The haze had finally lifted and he was able to think more coherently.
"Nope." They both sat in silence for a few minutes, pondering their options, when a groan was heard from Taylor.
As the others began to wake up and the situation was explained, they tried to figure out a way to escape. There were several options and lots of materials to use laying around; whoever kidnapped them had done a really lousy job of finding a place to store them in.
He hadn't realized he had voiced that aloud until Sergeant Davik broke in with an explanation. "I believe that our abductors were rushed in picking a second location to store us since Dr. Granger had already tracked them once. Probably thought it best not to take us to their first hideout." Seeing the looks of confusion they all were sending his way, Davik informed them of Hermione's escape and subsequent botched rescue attempt.
Whistling in appreciation of the tale, Kurtis spoke up. "Damn, that chick is crazy. The girl is going to get herself into some serious trouble one day. I thought we had made it clear that she needs to start relying on others," he said, directing his complaint toward Lt. Colonel Taylor before turning his attention back on Davik. "Did she even get a chance to call for back-up?"
Davik shrugged. "Don't think she had a cell phone. In all likelihood, she has called the cavalry by now, sir."
Kyle spoke up before Blake could work himself up into a full-on rant. He understood the man's frustration in regard to Granger's sometimes standoffish independence, but he also understood Hermione's need to be seen as being able to handle herself. She was the only woman on the team, and a civilian to boot, with no previous experience working with a group, her life full of academic competition with all her colleagues. She wasn't familiar with military procedures; despite her natural instincts and quick mind, she sometimes placed herself in danger with her ignorance. Kyle knew that her whole goal in getting more training was so that the team would trust her more.
Not wanting to debate that fact, he spoke up. "I'm not sure about you all, but I don't much feel like waiting around to be rescued. Besides, if we don't get out of here soon, Mary will have my guts for garters." Everyone chuckled before he continued, "Let's see if we can move some of those boxes away from the wall. We should be able to knock out the dry wall with some of the tools lying about and get out of here."
Agreeing, everyone set about their tasks.
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
The first thing she became aware of was the cold.
As the darkness faded, Hermione could see that she had been dragged into the cage she had been admiring earlier. Pulling herself into a sitting position, she looked around, not seeing that son of a bitch Major Cartwright anywhere.
She considered yelling for help, but realized that the gesture would probably be fruitless and she didn't want to draw attention to herself. Testing the door of the cage, she found it locked, wishing that she had a paper clip or something to pick it with. Back at Hogwarts, she had developed a knack for mastering unlocking charms; it had certainly helped in her adventures with the boys more than once. During the summer they had all been shut up in Grimmauld Place, the twins had helped her to expand her knowledge and taught her how to pick a lock the Muggle way, a skill they had developed to make mischief before they were allowed to perform magic.
Assets, what were her assets? That man had taken her tac-vest, gun, gas mask and, feeling her pockets, her wallet. She needed to get out of here and all she had to use was the clothes off her back: a filthy tank-top, torn jeans, a borrowed jacket, leather boots, her underwear...
Wait. She had a bra. A bra with an under-wire. Quickly unhooking the garment, she slid it off and began to pick apart the seams with nails and teeth. Finally freeing the metal, she twisted it into the correct shape and began to fiddle at the lock. A soft click signaled her success, and Hermione snuck across the room to the door and carefully peered around the corner.
He was coming.
Shit.
This really wasn't her night. She couldn't overpower the bastard; it was only by pure luck that she had managed to do so earlier that night.
Think. She needed to use her brains; there had to be something. Taking a deep breath to calm her racing heart, she reviewed some of what Teal'c had taught her.
The first step in evading an attack is to know it is coming. Once you have knowledge of an attack, can you be successful in countering it. When facing a more powerful opponent, it is often best to rely on the element of surprise to gain the advantage. A swift offensive attack will leave an enemy off-balance long enough for you to retreat or follow up with a move devastating blow.
A way to catch the Major off-guard.
The footsteps were getting closer and she focused on not panicking. There was really no way around it; she would just have to attack and hope that things turned out for the best.
Positioning herself behind the door, she waited, and as the door opened, she burst into action. Kicking the open door, it slammed back into Cartwright, causing him to lose his balance and stumble into the hallway. Before he could regain his footing, she struck out again, aiming her kick at his chest, but he caught her leg at the last minute and pushed her back into the wall, bringing a fist into her stomach, causing her to hunch over. The next blow was aimed at her face, leaving her dazed.
Left to only grapple fruitlessly, Hermione felt a pair of hands once again find their way around her throat, attempting to strangle her for the second time that night. Using one last trick, Hermione exploited the close proximity of her attacker and brought her leg up. The resulting falter of her attacker let her push him away and use his forward momentum to slam his head into the wall.
Coughing, she let herself recover before grabbing the dropped duffel and search its contents. Finding a mobile phone, keys and a weapon, she gave one last look to the groaning man before walking away.
Sometimes it paid to be a woman.
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
It had taken a bit of time for Jack to track down everyone who was being sent on this mission and have them briefed after being called into the base in the middle of the night. At the moment, they were at the airfield preparing for the short flight to Denver and securing the last of the supplies. Loading the last bit of cargo into the plane, Jack was just about ready to give the order to take off when an officer ran up shouting and waving a phone. "Colonel, it's for you."
Taking the offered device, Jack held it up against his ear while covering the other to hear better over the sounds of the airfield and shouted, "O'Neill here."
He could barely make out the voice over the line. "Colonel, this is Dr. Granger. We were unable to recover our people at the warehouse. I believe that the NID figured out we knew the location and took them somewhere else."
Of course the sneaky bastards had to make things difficult. "Do you have any other idea where they might be?"
"No, sir."
Jack debated if he should order her team to move on the hotel, since it sounded like the NID were already aware that they were coming. He dismissed the idea, knowing that the local boys wouldn't be prepared if something alien was used in front of them. Making his decision, he continued his shouting. "I want you to take your team back to the local base and wait for further orders. If you can, see if the guard is out of surgery and re-question him."
There was a noticeable note of hesitation in the doctor's voice before she replied. "That might be difficult, sir... My liaison officer, Major Cartwright, already dismissed the unit and tried to get rid of me. I've got his mobile phone, and according to the call log, he has been communicating with this Mr. Stern."
Grimacing at the situation, Jack repeated his earlier order. "I still want you to lay low until back-up arrives. Don't do anything stupid."
"Colonel, I want to head back to the hotel and see if I can find any more information."
"Negative, Granger. Don't do anything til we get there," commanded Jack. The girl was in over her head already, and he didn't need her getting in any more trouble for the night.
"I'm sorry, but you're BREAK-ing up, COLONEL. I-I'll SEE you w-when you gET h-here."
The click told him she had already hung up. His momentary shock that she even had the gall to try and pull that old trick was quickly overridden by anger. Damn it. Why didn't anyone ever listen? Jumping into the plane, he gave the signal for them to begin take-off, scowling all the while. At Carter's questioning look, he explained, "It seems like our Dr. Granger has this crazy idea not to wait for us before trying to mount a rescue singlehanded." Spotting a small smile tug at the corner of her mouth before she could hide it, he snapped, "What are you laughing at, Carter?"
Trying to be slightly more dignified, she answered, "It's just that... when have you ever not tried to do the same, sir?"
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
Staring at the hotel through the windshield of the jeep she had acquired, Hermione made sure to park the monstrosity out of sight before attempting to sneak back into the place. The answers were somewhere in this place, and she had an idea where to start her search.
After hanging up on Colonel O'Neill, she had contemplated where to start looking for Mr. Stern in the building and had come up with a plan. Mrs. Holm, the soon-to-be mother in-law of Kyle's, had made a point of threatening her earlier that evening. At the time, she hadn't known what the woman was talking about, but recent events had led her to believe that Mrs. Holm might have something to do with the night's activities. It was the only lead she had and was worth checking out as long as she could sneak into the hotel undetected.
Waiting in the shadows, Hermione was able to slip over the rail for the abandoned restaurant and through the entrance, and find the stairwell. Carefully moving up the stairs, she made her way to the fifth floor and eased herself down the corridor to find the woman's room, which she knew from helping with the preparations from the day before.
Knocking at the door, Hermione waited with her face obscured by a vase of flowers she had picked up off the hallway table so she wouldn't be spotted through the peep-hole and her newly procured gun for the woman to come to the door. The sound of movement on the other side of the door told her the woman was in, as well as the muffled, "Who's there?"
In an effort to hide her accent, Hermione used a high twittering voice. "I'm sorry, ma'am, but there seems to be a problem with the flower arrangements. They are already arriving and we have no place to put them."
The shrieked, "What?!" from the other side of the door told Hermione that her ploy was working. The door was jerked open, revealing the robe-clad form of Mrs. Holm. Before the woman could say anything, Hermione raised her gun at the startled figure and backed her into the room, letting the door swing shut behind her.
Setting down the flowers, she finally spoke. "I believe we need to talk, Mrs. Holm."
Falling into a chair, Mrs. Holm shifted nervously. "W-What do you want?"
Keeping her gun leveled at the immovable figure, she spoke. "Where is my team?"
"I have no idea what you are talking about," pronounced the woman, then taking an intuitive leap, she continued, "Are you saying that Kyle and his co-workers are missing?"
Hermione didn't comment on her assumption and proceeded in her questioning. "Mrs. Holm, you indicated to me earlier that you were aware of who I was and were keeping tabs on me. You also threatened my person mere hours before not just myself, but my co-workers were attacked. I want to know who you are working for. Who this Mr Stern is?"
Shaking her head in the negative, Mrs. Holm answered, "I don't know anyone by that name."
"Then why did you indicate that I was a danger to your family? What was that whole conversation down in the lobby about?" Hermione was getting frustrated with the woman's denials, but managed to keep her voice even.
Agitated, Mrs. Holm stood and glowered at her. "Listen, Doctor Granger, I have no idea what is going on or where your teammates are. If they are in trouble it is probably your own fault, so don't try and shuffle the blame onto me. You are a danger to this family. I know about your little plan to use my daughter and her fiance for some corporate espionage thing!"
Completely taken aback at the suggestion, Hermione could only utter a strangled, "What?!"
Undeterred in her accusations, Mrs. Holm continued, "Don't try to deny it. I heard your phone conversation the other night. Your talk of an operation and the fact that my daughter would be gone for a week, that you didn't want anyone to be hurt. I had an investigator look into your past and found out that one of my husband's lead competitors has hired your old college roommate to work in his company. You're in a prime position to enact a plan to blackmail this family or steal corporate secrets."
Her confusion finally lifted and Hermione was able to identify the conversation which the woman must have overheard. The previous night, she had been on the phone to Janet, who was driving up for the wedding in the morning. They had been discussing the project Kyle had roped her into organizing: the surprise move into the new home the couple had purchased and which Hermione was going to arrange for when they got back from the honeymoon.
Hermione had snuck away from the dinner party, almost bored to tears, to call Janet since she knew the doctor would have arrived home by now after her shift. They talked about their respective days before Janet asked about her special project. "Everything is right on schedule."
"Are you sure? Do you need more help?" asked Janet in a concerned tone.
"No, I don't need this to be a big operation." At the moment she already had way too many people involved in the first place, and didn't need Janet to call in more re-enforcements.
"How long are they gone for?" questioned Janet.
"They will be gone for a week."
"That's good, we'll have plenty of time. So, how are things up there?"
Hiding a grimace, despite the fact that Janet couldn't see her face, she replied, "Things are going just fine here."
"Meaning you are about ready to strangle someone."
They both laughed at her deadpan delivery before Hermione answered with a sigh of exhaustion, "You're right. Hopefully no one will be getting hurt," she said only half seriously.
"Well, don't do anything too drastic until I get there," Janet continued to joke.
Using the opportunity to change the subject, Hermione asked, "When are you arriving?"
"I should be up there by nine Sunday. I'll be leaving early in the morning to avoid traffic, so it might be sooner."
"It will be nice to have some backup," Hermione joked.
"I take it the boys have abandoned you."
Another sigh. "Yes. I've only really been around Mary with all of the girl stuff going on, and her mother has been hovering about with preparations driving everyone..."
Janet laughed again. "What did you say Kyle called her? The Peacock of Denver."
"Definitely an accurate description."
"Can't wait to meet her." The sarcasm in her voice said otherwise. With noticeable reluctance entering her voice, Janet continued, "I should probably hang up. It's late and I have work early. I'll see you Sunday."
Also reluctantly, Hermione said, "I look forward to it. Bye."
Dropping the gun from its continued aim at the woman, Hermione let herself relax. She could see how that conversation must have sounded from one side, and spoke up in self-defense of Mrs. Holm's accusations. "I'm sorry for accusing you of taking my friends. I can now see how that conversation might have sounded; the truth is, I was talking to a friend about organizing some harebrained scheme of Kyle's to surprise Mary with."
"I don't believe you," announced the woman in a rather snotty voice, obviously gaining confidence now that she no longer had a gun pointed at her.
Exasperated by all the events of the night, Hermione let out a muffled curse before focusing back on the frustrating woman. "Your future son-in-law wanted me to get a group of our co-workers together to move all their stuff into the new home they purchased." Seeing that some of her words were starting to sink in, she continued, "I have way too many volunteers, so I don't want it to be a big operation. My team has abandoned me to a group of women I don't know, so it would be nice if I could have some female back-up."
Staring at Mrs. Holm, she could finally see her speech had gotten through her thick skull. Falling into a chair, Hermione allowed herself a moment of silence as realization set in that her final lead in finding her team was a dead-end and to let the woman processed her words. It was eventually broken by another question. "Then what has happened to Kyle and his friends?"
This was so not her night.
