Here is chapter 3! Not sure if I'm satisfied with this one. I hope you still enjoy it.

Gaby was shivering. Had she known she was going to have to go through the woods and up the road on foot, she would have brought a thicker jacket. Then again things had not exactly gone according to plan. She had heard the cars approaching and had just had enough time to silently open the door and slip out of their vehicle. She had immediately made for the cover of the woods.

Then she had seen a group of men enter the house while others stayed behind and checked the car she had just left. The way they had moved, swift, silent and organized, had made her wonder if they were military. They had all been carrying guns too. From her hiding place she had seen Napoleon drop a folder in the bushes near the house. Then she had seen Napoleon himself drop from the roof. Her heart had missed a beat but luckily the fool had managed to grab onto the edge. Her relief had been short lived though as the hands that had pulled the American back onto the roof belonged to the mysterious armed men. That could mean only one thing: Illya and Napoleon had been caught.

Gaby had waited until she was sure no one was around, then she had darted to the bushes and retrieved the file.

With the men posted at the door, attempting to go inside the house to rescue Illya and Napoleon had been out of the question. She couldn't go back to the car either. And she couldn't hide there forever. She knew that if she really wanted to help her partners she would have to move, she couldn't risk being caught. She had made up her mind to get to a safer place first. So she had quickly made her way out of the woods and back to the road. Then she had managed to contact Waverly who had set up a temporary headquarters in the area. They were supposed to meet him there after the mission. He had wanted the file delivered to him in person and as soon as possible.

After she had explained the whole situation, Waverly had told her to stay put, that he would get some men ready and come pick her up.

"Then perhaps we'll drop by the house and see if we can rescue the rest of your team.", he had added.

Gaby was really hoping there would be something left to rescue by the time they got there. She knew her partners could take care of themselves but the three of them had been taken completely by surprise and she couldn't help but worry about what might be happening to them.

Napoleon was straining to keep his face impassive as he was forced to torture his partner. He knew their captor was watching him, eagerly waiting for a reaction. He wasn't going to give the man that satisfaction. It wasn't easy though, Illya's face looked like a blue-eyed tomato. The panic was back in his eyes and Napoleon could feel him struggling under his hand. With the little air he had managed to trap, the Russian let out an involuntary, muffled sound of distress.

I know Peril, I'm sorry. I'll buy you a drink when this is over.

He was now certain that Gaby hadn't been caught. He made quick calculations in his head. She would have already contacted Waverly by now. With a little luck reinforcements would be on the way soon. He just needed to make sure Illya survived until then. No pressure. He was doing such a good job so far.

Let me see if I can make this a bit easier for you.

Napoleon slightly loosened his grip, allowing his partner to inhale once, twice…

"Now, now, no cheating."

"I think he's had enough", Napoleon snapped.

"I'm afraid that's not for you to decide. You're being much too gentle. Here, let me help you".

In an unexpectedly swift motion, the man covered Napoleon's hand with his own, trapping his fingers and Illya's sorry nose in a vise-like grip. He was squeezing so hard that the Russian's eyes were watering. Napoleon attempted to jerk his hand free but two of the man's henchmen grabbed his arms, immobilizing them.

Solo groaned inwardly. Great, Santa's little helpers…

Their captor's eyes were fixated on the Russian. He was licking his lips, enjoying his victim's desperate attempts to escape his grip. After a short while the man checked his watch and whistled. "One minute. He's doing remarkably well for someone under stress"

Of course Illya wasn't doing well at all. Napoleon had given him a short moment of respite but he knew he couldn't take much more. His lungs were on fire and he desperately wanted to breathe but he could also feel that he was getting weaker. Black spots were already dancing before his eyes. Dancing…he should have danced with Gaby…

He felt himself slipping away.

The man was checking his watch again. "Two minutes, now that's impressive"

That's when Solo felt the change. Illya wasn't struggling as hard as before. His eyes had lost their focus. That wasn't good. His friend was running out of time.

"You're killing him!"

Napoleon was no longer capable of keeping the alarm out of his voice. Dammit! That wasn't going to help Illya.

"No…", the leader chuckled. "You are killing him"

Napoleon felt his gut twisting. Not only was he watching helplessly as his friend's life was slipping away, he could also feel Illya dying under his hand…

Just when he thought that the man was actually going to make him kill his partner, the crushing pressure on his fingers disappeared and his hand was released. The men who had been immobilizing his arms pulled him back as Illya inhaled explosively.

Solo himself let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. That was far too close.

He worriedly studied his partner. The Russian was in bad shape, slumped in the chair, his head sagging on his chest. His hair was wet with sweat and sticking to his forehead.

"Still with us?", their captor inquired, patting Illya on the chest just a little too hard. "I'm actually impressed, you're doing such a good job, very entertaining."

Illya made an effort to raise his head and shot the man a murderous glare. If the fury Napoleon saw in his partner's eyes was any indication, Illya still had some fight left in him. Solo was sure that no matter how exhausted he might be, his partner would gladly snap the man's neck if given the opportunity. He almost smiled at the thought. Almost. Then their captor's voice brought him back to reality.

"Well what do you think, should we let him rest for a while? I think he's earned it. In the meantime, you can tell us where the file is."

The file…Napoleon had almost forgotten about the damn file. He only now remembered that he had agreed to talk to save the Russian's life. But of course he couldn't risk it falling into the hands of their insane captor.

"So, are you going to talk now or should we have another little session with our big friend?"

"No! No need for that. I'll talk. "

He glanced at Illya. His partner was talking with his eyebrows again. His blue eyes were wide open and he was frowning furiously. Illya was becoming quite good at this. He could have been one of those actors in silent movies. Napoleon could almost imagine the framed, white caption on a black background: "…Keep your mouth shut Cowboy, or I'll wring your neck!...". But if he was being honest, he was actually starting to miss the Russian's voice. For now he would have to settle for his indignant frowning though.

Solo knew from experience that the best lies were often sprinkled with truth. If he was going to send their captors on a wild-goose chase he needed it to sound authentic. Putting on his best impression of a sullen, defeated man, Napoleon started talking.

"I threw the file in the trees around the house, from the east corner of the roof. On the opposite side from the one where you found me dangling."

Solo detected a slight change in his partner's expression. Play along, Peril, just play along…

Their captor was watching Napoleon intently, a strange smile playing on his lips.

"Good, very good. If it turns out that you're lying, I can guarantee you that your precious partner will suffer so much he'll wish you had let him take a bullet to the head."

Once again, Napoleon felt a trickle of sweat run down his back.

Then let's hope you won't have time to find out I'm lying.

End of chapter 3