1682 Words, this chapter

Chapter Three, Torture

Jess was shaking. Suddenly the bag was ripped off her head. She was standing in a large warehouse like building. It looked abandoned, dark, dirty and it was cold. She shivered.

A stocky man with a dark gray beard stepped forward. He smiled. "So..you work for the same organization as the people in black with the guns?" he asked, his eyebrows jumping up. He looked her over. "Hard to believe." He smiled again. It was too sweet, oily. "I need your cooperation."

Jess was petrified, but she knew she couldn't talk. The secrets she had were more important. She gulped. "I...I don't know what your talking about..."

The man chuckled, shaking his head. "Don't be like that," he said, still smiling. He walked closer. Suddenly he grabbed her head and jerked it back.

She groaned and gasped as her heart beat fast.

"I'm trying to be pleasant about this," he said, his teeth locking up. "I don't have to hurt you."

She noted that he said "have" not "want."

"All I need to know is who you people are. Also," he said, running his hand through her hair. It made her shiver. "What did our man tell you?"

Jess gulped again. Were these men a part of the plot to poison London?

"What...what man?" she asked, trying her best to look innocent and clueless.

He smiled, breathing rancid breath on her. "How'd you find out about the eels?"

She caught her breath. They were in league with the man Becker had... She was at the mercy of men willing to commit mass murder.

She licked her lips to get the saliva going. "E-eels? I honestly...have no idea what you mean."

He stared a minute, still smiling then let her go. He walked back to where he'd been. He stood still. Then he burst out screaming, "Don't lie to me! We've been watching you! We know you work for whoever employs the teams! They were easy to follow!"

He walked close again. "We saw you leave. We chose you because you look..." She shuddered as he ran his eyes over her body again. He smiled even oilier. "Cooperative."

She closed her eyes and trembled.

He laughed. She heard a lot of laughter.

"Now...sweetie," he said snidely, "you have a choice. Tell me what our man said and we'll let you go."

She opened her eyes.

He smiled. "Just like that."

She shook. "I..I don't know anything..."

He sighed and shook his head. "Or...we'll have to...persuade you...to cooperate."

Jess sobbed. She quickly controlled it but cursed herself for looking weak. Instantly, and without really intending, she thought of Becker and prayed for him to come.

The man laughed. "So, honey...what's your choice?"

Jess' teeth chattered. She stared at him. She prayed she'd wake up. She prayed for Becker and Matt and Abby and all of them to come.

Then she said. "I don't know anything."

He sighed, hung his head and said flatly, "Strip her."

She died inside. She pressed her eyes tight and prayed to God. She asked her parents to forgive her for...anything and everything as she felt hands taking off her clothes. She heard whistles and vulgar words and laughter.

She felt like she'd puke when hands caressed her skin.

"Hey!" screamed the man. "None of that! Business only! Just strip her."

She inwardly thanked the man, but wondered if he was just prolonging their...fun.

She felt her bra being unbuckled and she cried loudly.

"We can stop, right now," said the same voice, gently and close to her ear.

"I...I...still don't know..."

He groaned and her panties were literally ripped off. Her bra was ripped over her head and arms and she heard even more vulgar words and whistles and laughter. She couldn't even cover herself because her arms were being held.

They were roughly pulled above her head and tied together. She wondered what they were going to do.

Then she felt like she was swaying slightly, but it could have just been her body giving in to her desire to faint.

She screamed as she was hoisted in the air. She opened her eyes to see the men a few feet underneath her.

They were laughing and pointing until the head man yelled again.

"Baby," he called up to her. "We'll let you hang around and think..."

She was relieved when they all left.

But she was alone, naked and cold. She sobbed and screamed inside her head. "I'm going to die," she whispered. "They're going to...and then I'm going to die."

Becker's wheels skidded into the ARC car-park. Lester stood outside with several Security officers. Private Thompson ran to greet him.

"I'm so sorry, Cap. I..."

He grabbed the young African soldier by the arms. "What happened?"

"I was monitoring in the office, as usual. I saw you and Miss Parker chatting. I looked away. Seconds later, Cap, literally seconds, I looked back and saw Miss Parker with a bag over her head."

Becker literally hissed, his nails digging into Thompson.

The private didn't seem to notice. "About four men lifted her off the ground. I ran, Cap, calling out the alert as I did. I swear!"

"Easy, Thompson," said Lester kindly. "You did everything right."

"She's gone!" cried the young soldier, gesturing to the scene around the car. "All I found was her bag, just like this, everything spilled out."

"It's OK, Tommy," Becker said calmly. "We'll find her." He bent down, touching her bag, like it could give him some clue. "And when I do..."

He didn't finish the thought out loud, but he knew that the man earlier had it easy.

Jess hung there, trying not to think of anything. At first she prayed. She tried to sing a song from church. She tried to keep thoughts of her parents and family away. She cried harder when she saw her mum's smile or heard her dad's voice.

She thought of Becker and cried. He thought she hated him. She never could. So she didn't like somethings he was forced to do, but now she had no doubts. He wasn't a monster. He wasn't like these...men. She begged that she'd be allowed to tell him. She was so sorry she'd been afraid and disgusted. She just wanted to see that smile again.

She thought of Abby and Connor and Lester and Emily and Matt and cried.

Then stubborn Jess kicked in. She was an ARC member damn it. She wasn't giving in. They wouldn't learn anything. Yes, she could die but no one else would because of her. The rest of the ARC would hit these bastards and anything else they might have planned.

She just had to keep them from knowing the ARC was on to them, just until tomorrow. She just had to endure...til tomorrow.

She was so cold. Her arms ached. She saw her clothes ripped and thrown on the ground beneath her and felt humiliated. She thought of that: cold, pain, humiliation. She tried to make her nerves cold. She let the pain remind her that she needed to fight. She'd live long enough to stare these monsters in the face and not give them the satisfaction of enjoying their humiliation of her.

Becker paced in Ops. "Plates?"

"Stolen," said Connor, seated at the ADD.

"What about their faces?"

"Too many shadows."

"You're kidding! This is the best Security system in the nation!"

"Easy, Mate," said Matt. "We'll find her."

Becker glared. He would, but he didn't have time. He needed time to get to her before...He closed his eyes. Was this some sort of divine retribution? Was taking Jess some sort of punishment?

He didn't believe in that stuff. "Focus. Right."

Matt nodded.

"The informant," said Becker. "We have his name, his face. Find me his closest contacts."

"We already have," said Lester, "but we have no proof these two incidents are connected."

Matt scoffed. "Coincidence?"

Becker nodded. "No way."

"Run the contact names, Connor," said Lester.

"Right."

As they waited, Lester said, "I just want it on record. If necessary to find Jess I authorize any methods, even if what occurred earlier looks tame in comparison."

Becker chuckled sadly. "If it's necessary, Lester, it will be much, much tamer."

"This time I will help," said Matt.

"Me too," said Connor, "but let's try these addresses first."

Becker smiled. "I want everyone with a car out looking."

Lester laughed. "I'll even put bicycles on the road."

Jess was unsure how much time had passed. Finally she heard the door open and movement. She was lowered. Her feet hit the cold dirty floor, but couldn't hold her weight. The same man from earlier held her up.

"Hey, little angel" he said sweetly and softly. He covered her with a blanket and held her while someone untied her. "Hungry?" he asked, offering her some bread and water.

She shivered beside him and nodded.

He smiled and held the water bottle to her lips. She gulped it down.

"That's good," he said gently. He rubbed her shoulders. "It hurts, huh? It's OK, now. Baby, it's OK."

He held the bread and she took two large bites and swallowed it down.

"We'll take you into the other room. It's warm and we have meat and cheese and cake."

She watched him talk.

"We'll get you clothes and take you home."

She shivered.

"But first..."

She knew it.

"You help us."

She looked at him. He smiled. She pushed him away, threw off the blanket and held up her hands.

The man screamed. "Hoist the bitch back up!"

Jess was lifted much faster this time and higher.

"You think you can take this, do you! We're just getting started you little bitch!" He shouted more obscenities, then left, slamming the door so hard it echoed around her.

Jess didn't cry. She prayed to God to help her.

End of Chapter Three