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azombiewritesTitle: A Game Replayed
Rating: PG
Warnings: Strong Language.
Fandom: The Magnificent Seven
AU: ATF
Main Characters: Ezra, Chris, Josiah, the rest of the guys and an OMC.
Summary: Ezra disappears and resurfaces in the hospital. Ezra, Chris and Vin then have to replay what had happened to the undercover agent.
Disclaimers: The guys are owned by CBS, MGM, Trilogy Entertainment Group, and The Mirisch Corp.
Spoilers: None
Status: Complete
Total Word Count: 19,988
A fist punched into the wall, it was caused by frustration, anger and fear. There were other emotions but these were at the forefront of his mind. What the hell was happening? The question had been asked within his own mind, he knew he wouldn't receive an answer from the man who was pacing the other side of the small room. Chris grimaced at the pain the useless physical violence brought him. He rubbed his hand and turned back to his friend.
"If they hurt him . . . " The threat was left unfinished.
What could he do. Nothing. There was nothing either of them could do to help Ezra. He wasn't with them. They couldn't protect him like they could protect each other. He joined Vin in his pacing. They had already tried the door, it was locked, and they hadn't expected anything else. Chris feared for Ezra's safety. The Southerner had been through this already; could he go through it again. He hoped so because they might not have any other choice. He just hoped that Ezra didn't have to go through it alone.
He turned quickly when the sound of the lock opening reached him. The door swung open and revealed the man who they knew was in charge of this situation. Chris wanted to be in charge but he was going to have to bide his time. When the moment was right, he would take control of the situation and deal with the assholes that were planning to hurt his undercover agent.
The larger man stepped into the room and adjusted the black sunglasses that matched his hair colour. He ran a hand through his greased hair and smiled at Chris.
"You ready to play?" the ape asked him.
"Play what?" Chris calmly replied although inside the anger was about to erupt.
"The Game."
"What game?" Vin joined the conversation.
"You'll find out just like that Southern bastard did. He was lucky when he escaped. Wasn't doing to good before then." the man gave them very little information on what was about to happen. "It won't happen a second time. We fixed the game. Hobbled the contestant, if you get my meaning."
Chris did. But before he could react, Vin rushed the man that stood before them. The ex-bounty hunter didn't get to within two feet of the man. An even larger man appeared from behind his boss. Neither man had seen him. Vin stopped in his tracks and prepared to defend himself. He knew he couldn't just step back and expect forgiveness. They were going to teach him a lesson but nothing happened.
"Can't have two of you draggin' your asses, where's the fun in that." he moved back into the opening leaving his man in front of him to continue his job of protector, bouncer and all round idiot. "The game starts in fifteen minutes."
Chris and Vin watched the two men go. Vin glanced at Chris with a raised eyebrow. He was silently questioning his friend. Chris shrugged, he had no idea. The blond leader looked down at his watch. Fourteen minutes and twenty-five seconds until they found out. If Ezra was with them, they could have asked him but Chris didn't think the younger man would be much help to them now. Hobbled? What the hell did they do to him? Drugged him, that's what the bastards had done.
Fifteen minutes. It passed slowly, but it passed. Vin watched as the second hand informed him that the time had passed. He had expected Ezra to be thrown into the room with them. Did this mean they were playing on their own. He didn't want Ezra to go through this alone and he knew Chris didn't either. Ezra sure as hell wouldn't want to. He waited for the door to open. It didn't. How were they supposed to play the game - and win - if no one came to start it. Vin looked across at Chris. The older man was returning his stare, his own features frowning in confusion.
Vin decided to move forward, he could hear Chris behind him. The man was ready to back him up. He reached the door and pressed his ear against it. No sound came from the other side. He stretched his right hand until it found the doorknob. It turned easily, it was no longer locked. He stepped back and opened the door. They were alone.
"Looks like the game's started." Vin grimaced at Chris.
"Let's find Ezra then get the hell out of here." Chris growled back in annoyance. Ezra had to do it, he had no choice. What if Chris and Vin were suffering, what if they were in pain. They could have been beaten, shot, stabbed, and drugged. Anything. He had to help them. It took a few more minutes before he decided to actually do something about it. The eyelids opened to reveal drug induced pupils. Pain raced through his body. His closed his eyes against another stupid idea. Maybe he could do this without seeing what he was doing. He pushed with his mind. Muscles twitched and protested but he still lay in the same position. He wasn't going anywhere and he knew it. Shit!
The door opened. They were coming back for him. To finish what they had started? The voice that called his name told him otherwise. Chris and Vin. They were doing his job for him. They were helping themselves instead of allowing him to help them. That was so typical of those guys. Always have to get the better of him. Prove themselves the better man. To hell with them, he was going to do this. He pushed. He even managed to move a few inches higher but another force pushed him back down again. Damn them!
"Take it easy Ezra. Let us check you over first." Chris ordered him as he pushed him back down.
Vin knelt on the other side of the struggling man. Didn't he want their help? He didn't know it was them. They had found the room easy enough, no one had inhibited their movements to find Ezra. It was obviously what they were supposed to do. They had entered the room to find Ezra conscious and trying to get up. Their voices hadn't eased the man's fear.
"It's us Ezra. Chris and Vin." the quiet voice informed the former FBI agent. "Stay still will you."
Chris found the slight bruise in the crook of Ezra's right arm. They had drugged him. He used a gentle touch to lift Ezra's eyelids. Damn.
"He's full of something." Chris looked up at Vin.
"We stay or leave?"
"Stay." Chris answered him with a smile. "If they want us to play they can start the game."
"Started already . . . " Ezra mumbled.
"You remember something Ezra?" his leader nudged the smaller man to get his attention. "Ezra."
Ezra opened his mouth but the words wouldn't repeat themselves. Remember? No, he didn't remember anything. Just had a feeling that they had to get out of this room. He pushed himself up again and still didn't get anywhere in his attempt to improve his position. A fear began to grow in the pit of his stomach. Something was wrong. They had to leave. Now.
"Have to leave." Ezra raised his head, he managed an inch but that was all.
"We're not going anywhere Ezra. You’re in no condition to leave." Chris growled down at him.
Ezra opened his eyes for the third time, it would have been four but Chris had forced them open without his consent, and did his best to glare at his boss. He knew it hadn't worked when Chris smiled down at him. A chill joined the fear that was now flowing through him. He knew the fear came from an empty memory but the emotion was real. He couldn't stop the tremor that wracked him. Ezra didn't know where it came from. Even though the time was the early hours of the morning the night had been warm. Too warm for a jacket.
"Chris." Vin's tone demanded attention and when he received it, he nodded towards the South wall.
It was moving. But it couldn't be, this wasn't an episode of I Spy or even the movie Star Wars for that matter. JD had seen it when he was a kid and had to keep reminding everyone of it when the prequel arrived in the theatres. As a kid, he had found the part where they jumped into the garbage to escape the enemy was pretty gross. He should be here. Who the hell made a prequel anyway? This sort of thing didn't happen in real life. And not Chris Larabee's life. His cold glare tried to stop what he was seeing, causing life saving seconds to pass quickly.
"Get Ezra up!"
Vin felt like letting him know that he already had Ezra standing. It had been a heavy task but the Southerner complied because he knew that his and their lives were in danger. Vin knew with fear that Ezra had become a burden. A burden that he was going to protect with his life. He half carried the man to the door and was quickly joined by Chris. He was ready to move when Chris turned the knob and pulled the door open. It didn't move. Two pairs of eyes quickly glanced towards the door while a pair of hooded eyes attempted the task of just looking. The wall moved closer. Neither Chris or Vin could believe what was happening. This was what Ezra had gone through. Someone was going to pay for this relived nightmare.
Chris made a more violent move to open the door. It opened. Why didn't the stupid bloody thing open the first time. He grabbed Ezra's free arm and helped Vin to drag him through the opening that was now available to them. Vin had to use more of his own strength to keep the Southerner standing while Chris
looked for a way out.
He headed back the way they had originally come. Chris tried the door to the room they had been kept in. It was locked. He used the weight of his body to force his way through. It was useless, the door was solid. Too solid to be forced open. The way they had been brought in was no longer an option. They couldn't go back into the room where they had found Ezra. Not with a moving wall. It was beginning to feel more and more like he was in a movie, or maybe a dream. He glanced back at Vin and Ezra. His undercover agent wasn't standing on his own. Vin had Ezra's right arm pulled around his own neck. His left was wrapped around the smaller agent's waist. For Ezra's part, he was fighting to keep his head up. He was failing miserably. Each time he managed to get his head upright, his chin fell to his chest. Give up Ezra!
Chris saw another door. They could either stay here or go through it. There was nothing to say that a wall in the hallway they now stood in won't move. He looked at Vin. The man knew what he was thinking and nodded his head in agreement. They would go through the third door. Hell. Now it sounded like a game show. Again, Chris helped to carry his undercover agent - he wasn't going to be angry at Ezra just because the man couldn't walk on his own - to the door. It opened easily and led into a thin long hallway. There was room enough for two men to walk side by side but not three. Chris relinquished his hold on Ezra. The door shut behind them. Now they were in a haunted house. Chris couldn't help but smile but it fell from his face when the light ended and darkness filled the long hall. This was the darkness that Ezra had spent six days in. Vin could feel the weight he was carrying begin to struggle. Ezra had no memory of what had happened to him but his survival instinct was telling him that it was happening again. He was grateful that the struggles were weak. Ezra was a fighter and he didn't want to be on the receiving end of his fear and anger. He didn't know if he could beat Ezra in a fight; not that he wanted to but he wasn't sure if he could defend himself against the smaller man and he didn't want to find out. A muttered curse was voiced in his ear as the Southerner gave up the fight and his knees buckled.
"Jesus Ezra, you’re supposed to be helping me here." Vin told him without the feeling of anger, it wasn't the smaller man's fault.
"You okay with him?" Chris asked in the darkness. He knew they were behind him and he turned to help.
"Yeah, he's fine." Vin lied. He knew the two of them couldn't take care of Ezra. One of them had to take the point position and find a way out. The job had been delegated to Chris and Vin had received the job of taking care of Ezra. He didn't mind, he'd seen a few episodes of the TV show, Tour Of Duty. His mind imagined Chris walking into a trap just as those men had tripped a wire connected to a mine. "Uh Chris, you want me to take point."
"Point?"
"Lead us out."
"You take care of Ezra." The tone in Chris' voice told Vin there would be no argument.
Great. Now he was going to worry about two men. But at least he had two men to worry about. It took his mind away from the fear that wanted to fill it. He normally didn't scare easy but no normal person couldn't fear the unknown and he didn't know what was going to happen. Ezra hadn't had that. When he went through it the first time, he had been alone. No doubt scared out of his mind but not willing to allow it to control him. The fear had taken control after he had escaped. Vin knew that to be true, Ezra was a stubborn Bastard and wouldn't allow anything to beat him, at least not in front of other people. When he was alone the insecurities that he felt took control.
"Sit him down Vin. We'll take some time to let our eyes adjust to dark." Chris waited until he heard their movements. A grunt and a moan told him that Ezra was now on the floor. He could hear Vin's steady breathing and Ezra's quick intake of breaths.
"JD made me watch this movie once, something to do with this guy in a game, a race, can't really remember it. He had to get through all this stuff and . . . " Vin stopped when Chris interrupted him.
"The Running Man. Yeah, he made me watch it too. Don't know what it is with that kid." Chris shook his head and smiled.
"Arnold what's-his-name."
"Arnold Swartzenegger." Chris corrected him.
"Now if he was here."
"If Arnold Swartzenegger was here, I'd kick his butt." Chris growled into the darkness.
Vin couldn't help but laugh at the remark. It eased some of the tension he was feeling. That was until the gun shot erupted within the darkness around him. His first instinct was to protect Ezra. He grabbed the arms of the unmoving form and pushed him towards what he hoped was the ground. The muttered curse beneath him told him that Ezra was semi conscious. That wasn't good. He would have trouble if he had to move him quickly.
"You guys okay?" Chris asked. The fear he felt for his friends was in his voice.
"Yeah." Vin informed him.
A second explosion of sound echoed through the dark hallway. The ex-bounty hunter bit his tongue when the searing pain tore through his right arm. He could feel the warm blood begin to soak into his shirt, it ran like a river down his arm, he could fell it dripping off his fingers. Vin ignored the pain and the blood. He had to protect Ezra.
A third shot rang out and Vin felt Ezra jerk beneath him. He tried to use his right arm but the pain was too much. His left felt for the smaller man's face but it took a few agonising seconds to find it. He slapped it and was reward with a 'Fuck Off' from his friend.
"Are you okay Ezra?" Vin asked him and he heard Chris move closer to them.
"Am I okay?" Ezra pondered the question in his sluggish mind. There was an over caring friend sitting on him making it hard for him to breath. Something was dripping onto his face and he was afraid of what it was. It was dark and an inner part of himself feared it. He needed the bedroom closet light on. "Switch a light on will you." He jerked as another shot sounded in his ears.
"I think they want us to keep moving." Chris stated as he reached out. He felt both men jerk away from his touch. He could understand Ezra's reaction but not Vin's. "You okay Vin?"
"Yeah," he lied through gritted teeth, "sorry." He stood up and dragged Ezra with him. When he placed his left arm around Ezra's shoulders, he could feel the quivering muscles beneath the t-shirt. "Just worried about Ezra here."
"Nothing wrong with me." Ezra mumbled as he made a valiant attempt to stand on his own.
"Sure Ezra." Chris gave him one of his looks even though he knew the Southerner couldn't see it. At least this way he wouldn't get a biting retort in return. "Let's keep going."
The three men began to move further into the darkness without knowing what was ahead of them. Chris felt along the walls for any turnoffs. This hall wouldn't go on forever. How the hell was he going to get his men out of this mess. He didn't know. It was at times like this that he wished he wasn't the leader but he knew it was a natural instinct. He was a born leader. A leader who sometimes wanted to give it all up, so he could follow somebody else for a change.
Vin followed Chris' footsteps. His jaw was beginning to ache. He was clenching it too tightly against the pain in his upper arm. The blood was still flowing from the wound but not as fast as it had been. It no longer felt as though a raging river of blood was flowing from him. He didn't need it. Chris wouldn't be able to look after two of them. He grimaced then swore when Ezra stumbled towards the right and his arm hit the wall. God that hurt. He pushed to the right and grimaced again when he heard Ezra grunt. Sorry Ezra, didn't mean to push you so hard.
Chris continued to feel his way along the walls. He had a bad feeling. Not surprising considering the situation they were in. It had to be bad to have scared Ezra the way it did. The man didn't scare easily. Even he had trouble scaring the Southerner. Ezra always managed to stand there with that smug smile on his face whenever he went off at him. Ezra had so far, been lucky enough not to have that smile wiped from his face with the use of physical force. There were other ways to make the younger man succumb to his demands. Ways that were a lot more enjoyable and less frustrating for him.
He stopped. He heard Vin grunt when he walked into him. Ezra wasn't as tactful. He swore at the obstacle before him. Chris smiled at a memory that returned to his mind. The first time he had heard Ezra using profanity without apologising afterwards. It had been a pleasurable surprise for the other six members of Team Seven to find another side of the undercover agent when he had been intoxicated. He spoke more using less of the overly large vocabulary that he had when he was sober. He also swore a lot. He was more like the rest of them. It was one of the reasons they never let Ezra Standish get plastered on his own. He was actually fun to be around when he had too much to drink. The wall that he used to protect himself crumbled and his friends saw the real man. Funny, warm, and a prankster. If they got out of this alive, it was going to be the first thing they did. Get drunk. Totally pissed. Drink until they passed out.
The smell that caused him to stop became stronger. It was a familiar odor that was lacking in strength. He heard Vin's quietly spoken question but refused to answer it until he recognised the odor. It hit him like a fist. Death. The smell was death. Somebody had died here. Why was the smell still lingering. Was it a recent death? No. There was only one explanation. The body was still here. The most important question was how he had died. Was there a trap?
"Ezra?"
"I'm fine. Nothing wrong with me." Ezra told him.
"Is there a trap up ahead?"
"No rats in here." Ezra's tone held the slightest betrayal of disgust. How could they think he would allow rats in here.
"He's not going to be any help Chris. This is why they drugged him." Vin reminded him.
"Shit!" Chris took a deep breath, held it, and then made a decision. "Stay here." Buck Wilmington paced. He walked to the end of the large living room, turned, then walked to the other end of the room. This had been going on for thirty-three minutes and twenty-four seconds. Josiah knew this because he had just checked his watch. The minutes were beginning to slow down. Chris was supposed to call in thirty-five minutes ago. Buck was worried, as they all were. Except JD who slept on the large sofa. He was unaware of the fact that his friends hadn't called in yet.
"I'm going to call them." Buck stated and picked up the phone as he passed it.
"Maybe they're just taking a bit more time. Ezra ain't going to remember it easily." Nathan told him in the hope that he was correct.
"They haven't called in Nathan and I want to know why." Buck retorted. He paced to the beat of the phone ringing. It rung four times then it stopped. There was no beep to tell him that it was engaged, no message saying that it was out of range or turned off. Just absolute silence. "Something's wrong."
"And what makes you think that?" Josiah asked him.
"I just know it. It's in my gut, something's wrong." Buck spoke harshly. He wasn't going to be blamed this time and he knew that they had blamed him when Ezra had first disappeared. He blamed himself so it was only natural that they blame him. "We're leaving."
"I think we should wait a bit longer." Nathan suggested.
"I wasn't asking Nathan, I'm telling you. We're going to look for them. Now!"
Nathan looked towards Josiah who just shrugged back at him. They weren't use to seeing Buck so angry, or taking charge for that matter. But then it wasn't something that he had to do before. And they hoped it wasn't something that he was going to have to do now. They thought that if given the unfortunate opportunity that he could be just as bad as Chris Larabee. Nathan shuddered at the thought. He was also worried that Buck may be right. He had an unsettling feeling in his own stomach.
"I'll wake JD up." Nathan offered.
________________________________________
Buck turned left on to Jamison Road without really slowing down. He ignored Josiah's warning to be careful when the ex-preacher was thrown against the passenger side door. He was grateful that there were no other cars on the road. He swore under his breath when he saw the dark dodge parked on the side of the road. He grimaced at the pain in his hand when he slammed it against the steering wheel. Shit! Why hadn't he acted sooner.
The car skidded to a halt behind the dodge and jerked when Buck didn't bother to put it into neutral. He was out of the car before the others; he hadn't bothered with his seat belt like they had. He reached Chris' car and looked inside. Nothing. He spun around under the streetlight looking for some sign of his friends.
"CHRIS!" Not again. Jesus, not again. "VIN, EZRA!" Not Ezra, he can't go through that again.
"They're not here." Josiah stated the obvious.
"I know they're not here!" Buck yelled at him. Shit! Not again. Calm down Buck, you’re in control here. It's up to you to find them. "Nathan, call the police, we're going to need help to look for them. We'll have to check every building in the immediate area. If they're not in one of them . . . " He didn't know. They couldn't just wait for them to show up like Ezra had done. They might not be as lucky as Ezra. The Southerner hadn't been seriously injured the first time. He didn't know what would happen to him or the others this time.
"You think the same thing has happened to them Buck?" JD asked as he came up beside his friend.
"Yeah I do."
"We'll find them. This time we have somewhere to start."
Somewhere to start. What if they were thrown into a vehicle and driven to a destination that was ten miles from where they now stood. There was no proof to say that Ezra hadn't been taken somewhere then returned. This shouldn't be happening, not again, not to Ezra. Where were they!?
________________________________________
His heart began to beat faster with each step he took. He didn't know how close he was to the body that he feared was killed and left to rot within the darkness that surrounded it. He stopped and quickly wiped the sweat that had begun to gather on his forehead. It was a normal reaction, he wanted to stop it from falling into his eyes and blurring his vision. He took another step, nothing happened so he took another. His arms were spread out and he hoped that they would touch anything that would cause him pain; or even worse, kill him.
"Left."
"What?" Vin leaned Ezra against the wall and looked for his face with his good arm.
"Left." Ezra repeated. "Go left."
"Go left Chris." Vin raised his voice even though he knew his friend would have heard Ezra's mutterings in the silence.
"Thanks." Chris moved to his left. He took another two steps. Something made a noise. It was a sound that reminded him of an arrow passing close to him. And if probably did.
"Right."
Chris heard the blurred Southern accent and obeyed it's instructions. He had no idea how Ezra remembered but he was grateful for it. Another sound passed even closer to it. He thought he actually felt it tear at his shirt. Four more steps and nothing happened. He'd passed it.
"Follow me." Chris ordered his friends.
They didn't have a chance to. Bright lights suddenly assaulted their eyes. Vin and Chris both raised an arm to protect their eyes. Ezra closed his eyes tighter and began to slide to the floor. Vin no longer held him up. He managed to bring his knees up to his chest and bury his head against them. The movement helped to protect his eyes. He curled himself up even more as the sound of angry voices broke the silence.
Vin Tanner had all intentions of not allowing them to hurt Ezra. Not again. A door had opened up and the apes had returned, one of them carrying a syringe. There were five in all. Three headed towards him. Two to hold him down while the other drugged Ezra. Vin didn't know what the drug would do to the Southerner, the first one hadn't even worn off yet.
Chris watched. He was helpless to do anything. Two men blocked his path back to his friends. They filled the small area in what he now called a tunnel. It still looked like a hallway but it was now something else. He refused to look at the corpse on the floor near him. The smell was bad enough. Instead, his eyes watched Vin. He knew the ex-bounty hunter would do what he could to protect Ezra.
"Vin! Don't." Chris ordered him but knew he would refuse to follow those orders. He also knew that in Vin's place he would do the same. Damn it! To hell with them. He wasn't going to make it easy for them. He rushed the two men in front of him. It was useless. He couldn't' get through. They only laughed at him and pushed him away. He yelled at them and tried again but they were ready for him. A large fist connected with the left side of his jaw and he went down hard. He didn't get up again. Instead, he watched as Vin tried to help Ezra.
Vin had no hope. He knew it but it wasn't going to stop him. He had to try. Two of the apes grabbed him by his arms and pushed him away. He fought them with his life. One of the men didn't appreciate his struggles. He squeezed the upper arm that was soaked with blood. Vin clenched his teeth against the pain but after a minute, he had to allow the pain to escape. He screamed out with the use of profanity. The man finally let go. So did the second one. Vin soon found out why. The man needed room. A fist slammed into his stomach. He wasn't allowed to double over. The ape held him up and hit him again. Four times the fist met with resistance. Vin paid the price of trying to protect his friend. Ribs cracked under the onslaught. He was finally allowed to slump to the floor.
Ezra felt a pair of hands grab him. The violent movement told him that it wasn't his friends. He kicked out with his feet and his left foot connected with something. He opened his eyes long enough to see the back of a fist heading towards him. He tried to move away from it but his reactions were slow. It hit him with enough force to double his vision. Again, he was forced onto his stomach and the knee of the man assaulting him slammed into his back. Ezra grunted out in pain. The ape was not being kind at all. The knee pressed harder, making it hard for him to breath.
"Boss said your remembering too much." A guttural sound came to Ezra's ears but he didn't understand the words. "Says you need some more happy juice."
Ezra felt the needle, it was a brutal intrusion this time. The result was instant. The world became fuzzy, his stomach began to roll. His only thought was that they had given him too much. Vin groaned, he had to, he was in pain and the only way to make yourself feel better is to make a lot of noise. Because when you made a sound someone - usually one of his friends - would come rushing to your side and tell you that you were okay and everything was going to be fine. That didn't happen. All he heard was Chris yelling at him to get up and check Ezra. Didn't the bastard know he was hurting. No, obviously not. He wouldn't be yelling at him if he knew and it was best that he didn't.
"Just give me a sec." Vin yelled back as he forced himself onto his knees.
He took a slow deep breath to test his ribs. God that hurt. He wasn't going to make that stupid mistake a second time. When the pain finally began to ease, he crawled around the confining space. He couldn't reach out with his arms, it only made it hurt more. He just had to hope that he bumped into the Southerner.
"Fuuuck!"
Yep, he bumped into him. His hand was supposed to land on something like a leg, or an arm. Even a chest. But no, with the way Ezra's luck was going, he had to land squarely on his groin. No wonder he swore. That must have hurt. He was forced to remove his hand when Ezra rolled over. It took him a few more seconds before he found the handsome face, hands had travelled up the Southerner's hip, chest then shoulders.
"Ezra? You okay?" Vin gently slapped what he hoped was Ezra's cheek.
"Noooo." The voice was slurred and the words long.
"Think you can stand up for me?" Vin knew what the answer would be. "You have to help me Ezra, I can't do it alone."
"Then leeeave meee." It was a simple statement that explained what Ezra thought would be obvious. They would leave him to help themselves. No, they wouldn't but they might if he told them to.
"That's not an option Standish!" Chris yelled at him. "Now do as your told."
Ezra started muttering but Vin couldn't understand the words. He used his good side to try to pull Ezra to his feet. He was grateful that the injured ribs were on the right side. That left his other side free to do all the work. Vin managed to get Ezra so far then the smaller man fell back down. His legs weren't able to hold him up. The weight pulled Vin down to the same level. He grunted in pain.
"What happened Vin? Is he okay?" Chris called out to him. He hated being in the dark. He couldn't see what was happening.
"Yeah, just fell back down. He's worse than before. Drugged him pretty good this time." Vin explained. He purposely left out the fact that it wasn't Ezra that had made the pain filled noise.
He had to get Ezra up again and make him stay up. He didn't think he could do it. Do it Tanner! Ezra needs you to get him out of this shit. He gritted his teeth as he got a stronger hold on his friend and pulled him to his feet. Both men swayed while Tanner got into a better position to hold his friend up. Tears of pain began to fill his eyes. He blinked them away. Go left. Go left. Go left. There was no sound. He didn't know when he should go right. Go right. He had no choice. Maybe once the trap was triggered it needed to be reset. He couldn't take the chance. Vin continued to move to his right, dragging Ezra with him. He was breathing through his teeth. He had to. His jaw was clenched so tightly he thought he was going to break a tooth. Damn it Ezra! Help me! He hit something.
"It's me Vin." Chris reached out and grabbed someone. He didn't know if it was Vin or Ezra. "Bring him a few more steps then sit him down."
No! That means I'll have to get him up again. Vin did as he was told. He allowed Ezra to fall to the floor. He couldn't lower him. Too much pain. He leaned against the wall and held his injured side while Chris checked on Ezra.
Chris found Ezra's face and cupped it in his right hand. "Hey Ezra. You in there?"
"Just." was his answer.
"You okay to do this?"
"Tiiired, sick."
"I know Ezra. But we'll get you out of this."
"Promise."
"Promise Ezra." Chris lifted Ezra to his feet. "Come on, let’s get going. Don't know what will happen if we stay put."
Vin prepared himself then took Ezra from Chris. The extra weight was enough to make his knees buckle. He wouldn't allow himself to fall. He heard and felt Chris move away. They were going to have to be more careful now. Ezra won't be any help. He was now too drugged to even remember his name. He wondered silently if the others would know yet that they were missing. Would it take them eight days to find them? He prayed that it wouldn't. If they kept drugging Ezra like this, he would be dead before help came.
________________________________________
Buck was pissed and his anger showed clearly on his face. He nearly rivalled his long time friend. He stood under the streetlight with his arms folded across his chest. The body language told his friends not to go anywhere near him unless they had good news. He was ready to kill. JD had called the police five minutes earlier and they were yet to show. His anger grew with each passing minute as he thought about what might have happened to the three missing agents during that minute.
JD watched his friend and flat mate. At that moment in time, even he feared the man that spent most of his time trying to protect him and of course, to pick up women. JD knew why he had been angry when Ezra disappeared the first time, but he couldn't understand the anger he was feeling now. It was aimed at everyone, including himself.
"They're here." Josiah announced from his position near the dodge.
This got an instant reaction from Buck. He marched with determination towards the first police car before it came to a halt. He didn't even wait for the officers to get out, He opened the door and leaned into the car.
"We have three ATF agents missing from this area. I want them found and I want them found now! I want you two to take Potters road. They've been missing for nearly two hours so I need at least a ten-mile perimeter. The officers didn't argue with him. "And I want you to do it on foot." This they protested against but the angry glare stopped them. "I don't want anything to be missed. Understand!" They nodded and he moved on to the second car that appeared behind the first to repeat the same instructions. "We take Jamison." Buck told the remaining members of Team Seven. "We miss nothing."
Josiah and Nathan nodded. They knew what to do, they had to find them. The two ATF agents crossed the road to the other side of the street and began to look. Buck joined JD as he began to walk down the North side of Jamison. Each man checked everything, sometimes even twice. They were determined and that determination showed in their movements. Doors were checked, windows were pried open. Back alleys were walked through. Emergency exits were forced open. It was easier to gain entry to empty buildings. Stairs were climbed, upper floors were checked. And after two long hours of searching, nothing was found.
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Ezra wanted to help, to do everything he could to help Vin to carry him. But he couldn't even form a sentence within his mind let alone walk without help. He didn't want to be a burden, he could look after himself, always had, always will. He pushed himself away from Vin with the intention of doing just that. Put one foot in front of the other, that's all you have to do. You’re not stupid, you’re quite capable of doing it. He tried to walk on his own but his knees were beginning to buckle; again. Ezra fell against Vin and as a result, he heard Vin groan. He knew Vin was hurt, the man wasn't able to hide the pain he was feeling from him. This made Ezra want to try even harder. Why wasn't Chris doing Vin's job. Was he hurt too? He hoped not. He hit himself with his mind. Why couldn't he remember, if he was able to, he could find the way out. How had he gotten out before? Didn't it have something to do with a window. He tried to think but his drug-induced mind wouldn't allow it.
Suddenly he felt sick. Not now. He felt weaker. His knees buckled and he fell. This time he stayed down. Ezra could feel Vin's hands on him, searching for some indication that he was okay. He wasn't okay, he knew that. They had given him an overdose, he was sure of it. He was going to die here. His friends probably would too. He hated not being able to help them, to help an injured Vin Tanner. Life sucked and it was getting worse.
"Chris, Ezra's down again." this had happened twice before and each time it had been agony for Vin to go down with him then to pick him up again. Maybe he should tell Chris he was hurt.
"You want me to take him for a while?" Chris asked as he slowly moved back towards the sound of Vin's voice.
"No, I'm fine with him." Vin lied.
Ezra wanted to tell Chris that Vin was hurt. His mouth moved slightly in the attempt but no sound came out, no words made themselves available to inform Chris that his friend was injured. He was confused. He'd never had any trouble forming words for any other occasion. People usually told him to shut up, they threatened him violence because he wouldn't stop talking. And now when it was important, he couldn't say a word. Ezra couldn't help himself or his friends. He was useless. He'd been through this already, he should remember, but he couldn't and he hated himself for putting his two friends through it.
"Ezra!" Chris had found the warm flesh that covered Ezra's face. "He's warm."
Vin wiped his own forehead with his good hand and found that he too was warm. Just great. Can't help Ezra if I get sick. "Yeah, noticed that myself. Not much we can do about it now."
"No, we have to get him the hell out of here." Chris spoke as they it was going to be easy. "Get him up, we're leaving."
"Can't we let him rest for a minute." He wanted to rest himself, to give the pain his ribs were causing him a chance to ease.
"We have to keep him moving, if we let him fall asleep he might not wake up." Chris slapped Ezra's face hard. "Wake up Ezra!"
He was right. Vin knew it, he had to stop thinking about himself and think about Ezra. He prepared himself for the pain and with Chris' help lifted Ezra to his feet. He used his left arm to support the smaller man while Chris continued to try to wake him up. Ezra was awake but he didn't have the strength to inform them of the fact. He wasn't able to use his voice or his body to stop Chris from assaulting him. If there was enough light the expression he hoped was on his face, would tell them that he was awake and could they please stop hitting him.
"Wake." Finally, his voice worked. Did this mean he was okay now. He tried again. Nothing, it was a one off thing. But it was enough for the open hand to stop slapping him.
"Good. Stay awake Ezra." Chris moved away. He had to get his men out of here.
Vin followed the sound of Chris' footsteps as he struggled to half carry Ezra. The darkness around them was starting to get to him. The confined space they were in didn't help either. God he hoped they got out of this.
________________________________________
He had wanted to know what had happened to Ezra, now he wasn't so sure. Maybe Ezra's memory loss had been the best thing for the undercover agent. He was in this for six days, they had been here for what he thought was only a matter of a few hours and he hated it already. He wanted out. They all wanted out. Buck stopped to try to control his anger. He couldn't think this way, he had to calm down. His friends were dependant on him and the rest of Team Seven. He had to think. He crossed his arms and hung his head. He felt defeated, Chris wouldn't have lost control like this. He would know what to do. Just like last time, Buck sarcastically told himself. Chris hadn't been able to find Ezra and now he couldn't find them. Would they show up like Ezra had done. He didn't think so. They weren't going to allow Ezra to leave, not this time. He had either escaped or they had let him go. He didn't think it was the latter.
He paced passed the boarded up window. They had checked this building first and like the others, they had found no sign of their friends. He kicked a large rock out of his way. God damn it! Why can't I find them! He turned and began to move in the other direction. He stopped and leaned against the wood that covered the window. Buck felt as though he had been staring at the ground for hours when he finally saw it. Blood. He knew it was blood. It may be a dark brown now but it was there. He spun quickly and began to examine the window as the feeling of a hunch began to burn into his inner being. There it was, it was only a small amount but there was more blood on the window. They had to be here, but they had already checked and found nothing. Well, this time they weren't going to go through the front door.
"Over here!" he yelled out and immediately heard the running footsteps.
"Find something?" Josiah asked him.
"Blood, it's old. Could be Ezra's." Buck pointed out the splatters of blood. "He could have come through this window."
"So what are we waiting for." Nathan began to pull at the wood and the others quickly joined in.
________________________________________
Vin couldn't go any further, he needed to rest. As each minuted had passed, Ezra had become heavier and less lucid. He was practically carrying an unconscious form. Sorry Ezra. He allowed the Southerner to fall. He winced at the grunt that he knew was forthcoming. It didn't happen. Shit. Vin knew Chris was going to ask what had happened, he was going to have to lie. If Chris ever found out that he was hurt, his leader would be totally pissed. But he didn't have a choice, he couldn't lead them out of here and neither could Chris if he had to look after his two injured agents.
"You guys okay?" Chris reached out and found what he thought was Vin.
"Yeah, just think Ezra could do with a bit of rest." Vin lied.
"Sure. Don't know how long they'll allow us to sit here though." Chris grimaced. He was ready to kill someone. Kill them twice over. But he was going to need a weapon, his fists weren't going to be enough against these goons. They were too big and there was too many of them.
Vin shifted until his back was leaning against the wall. His arm burned through the flesh and ate at his nerve endings. His ribs weren't much better. He was beginning to feel light headed. Vin wasn't sure if it was loss of blood or exhaustion from half-carrying Ezra. If it was blood loss then he wasn't going to last much longer.
"Let's get moving, I want to get out of here and make someone pay." Chris grabbed a slack arm and began to pull Ezra to his feet.
Vin struggled to get up but finally managed it. He took Ezra from Chris and began moving.
________________________________________
They finally managed to clear the window. Darkness welcomed them along with the terrible odor of urine and excrement. Buck grimaced. He turned and began to give out orders.
"JD, get some flash lights and phone the medics, I want them here when we get them out. Josiah, contact those officers, I want them to follow us in, and they’re our backup. Be quick about it. Then we're going in." Both JD and Josiah ran to carry out their orders. They were back within minutes. "Ready?" They nodded in confirmation. "Let's go then."
Buck was the first one to enter into the building. He grimaced at the sight and for a moment he contemplated ordering JD to stay out but it wouldn't be the right thing to do. JD was professional enough to get through this. The smell was overwhelming, nausea caused his stomach to roll. Buck held the flash light and his gun out in front of him. He kept the light off the floor, he didn't like what he saw. The area was only wide enough for two men to walk shoulder to shoulder with a bit of room to spare. Josiah joined while Nathan and JD took the rear.
"Shit!" Buck saw the body first, it was lying face down so he wasn't sure which one of his missing friends was dead. He ran to it and knelt down. The repugnant smell told him that he had made a mistake. He could see the amount of decay on the corpse without having to turn it over. Ezra and his friends weren't the only ones to go through this.
"Who the hell is that?" JD bent down beside Buck.
"We'll find out later." Buck moved away from the body and kept going.
The maze they seemed to be in turned towards the left. They followed its direction and continued to go deeper into the maze. They had no intention of stopping until they find their friends.
________________________________________
Ezra knew the end was coming. He could feel something coming for him, his mind seemed to drift away from his body. The legs that had carried him so far began to collapse. He couldn't go on. His mind blacked out as he fell to the ground taking Vin with him for the last time.
Vin cried out in pain as Ezra managed to land on his injured side. The weight stayed in position. There was no movement from the undercover agent. This scared the shit out of the ex-bounty hunter. He carefully pushed Ezra off and began to do his best to check him in the darkness that gave them no respite.
"Ezra! You with me pal?" Vin shook Ezra hard.
Chris quickly joined Vin by Ezra's side, the cry of pain and Vin's voice directed him straight to them. He also began to try to shake Ezra awake. There was no response from the smaller man. Chris found Ezra's neck and felt for a pulse. There was one there but it was weak. Damn! If they didn't get him out of here and to a hospital soon, Ezra was a dead man. It was only a matter of time before they would end up like the poor son of a bitch they passed earlier. Buck refused to look at the carnage that surrounded him as he led his men further into the nightmare he knew his missing friends were living. He had checked the time on his watch with the flashlight. They had been walking through shit - literally - for the last hour. They hadn't covered a lot of distance, it seemed that they had to keep backtracking. Too many dead ends. They had found traps that were meant to kill in the darkness but revealed themselves to their flashlights. No wonder Ezra hadn't been able to remember what had happened to him.
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Buck stopped. He thought he saw movement within the light. He frowned as he moved forward. There it was again, more movement. It had to be them. He didn't rush, there could be more traps between them and the others. They were going to have to go slow. Once they reached them, they would be able to hurry.
"Think we've found them." Buck whispered over his shoulder.
________________________________________
Chris grimaced as the light tore into his eyes. This couldn't be good. They're coming to finish the job. Well this time he was with Ezra and was going to die protecting him. He was sure that Vin was willing to make the same sacrifice for his friend. Ezra would do the same for them.
"Vin, we've gotta go back." Chris struggled to lift Ezra's slack weight. "They're coming."
"Aw shit!" Vin muttered through his pain.
They both lifted Ezra, taking an arm between them and started to move backwards. It was only the voice of his long time friend that stopped him. The voice had been low but there was no mistake. It was Buck. They had found them. Jesus. How did they find them when they hadn't been able to find Ezra the first time. Buck was good, he knew that, but he wasn't that good. None of them were.
"It's Buck." Chris informed Vin. "Put him down easy."
"Bout time." Vin grimaced and groaned as he help lay Ezra on the floor.
"Buck!" Chris yelled out to him.
"Hey pard!" Buck returned the sentiment. "What you up to?"
"You know, just laying around." Chris shook his head in the darkness. Just like Buck to try to lighten the mood. "Nathan with you?"
"Who?" Buck's tone became serious.
"Who else."
"Uh huh." Buck nodded as he saw Ezra lying between Vin and Chris. His eyes saw the blood that covered part of his chest and side. "Shit. What happened to him?"
Chris turned away from the light as Buck moved to his side. He frowned when he saw the blood on Ezra.
"Drugged him. Don't know where the blood come from."
"Let me have a look." Nathan pushed Buck behind him and began to check Ezra over.
"That'd be mine." Vin admitted.
"What!?" Chris demanded,
"One of those bullets nicked my arm." Vin turned so Nathan could see his arm. "And those goons cracked a couple of ribs too."
"Damn it Vin! Why didn't you tell me." Chris glared at him.
"You had to get us out, couldn't do that if you were looking after two of us." Vin explained and saw Chris sigh in agreement. "Don't do it again."
"What?" Vin raised his eyes in innocence. "Shot or beaten?"
"Both god damn it!"
"We got to get Ezra to the hospital." Nathan stated. "They've overdosed him."
Team Seven - except for Ezra - ducked as the shot rang out. Four men removed their guns and fired in the direction the shot came from. After six bullets were fired, they heard a grunt. Buck smiled when he heard their backup telling the criminals to freeze. Like they could see them in this darkness. Bright flashlights shown within the small area. Okay, that's how they're going to see them.
"Josiah, JD, help them. Nathan and I will get this lot out." Buck and Chris took Ezra while Nathan gave Vin a hand. "Lead the way Chris."
"Gladly." Chris smiled at his friend.
________________________________________
The hospital room was quite. Too quite. Vin lay sleeping on his left side. The gunshot wound to his arm was superficial, didn't explain why it had bleed so much though. Two of his ribs had been cracked and he had some bad bruising. Apart from that, he was fine. The doctor told them that Ezra was going to be fine too. They had gotten him to the hospital in time. He was now sleeping it off. The Southerner lay on his stomach, the blanket half covered his face. Ezra hadn't woken so he was unaware of the fact that they had been found and were now in the hospital. Chris had no intention of sleeping until Ezra woke. The last thing he wanted was Ezra to wake up with the darkness still surrounding him.
Chris looked to his left when he heard one of the numerous chairs squeak. He saw Buck looking at him.
"You see much in there Buck?"
"Enough to know why Ezra didn't want to remember." Buck looked down at his hands as the faces of corpses looked back at him. "Only spent an hour in there that was bad enough. Ezra was in there for six days. Maybe he didn't see but he could smell and feel."
"Smelt one of them myself."
"I don't think we should try and make him remember. Just give him an idea if he wants to know but that's it." Buck lifted his eyes to take in the smaller man's covered form. "He shouldn't have to remember that."
"How many?"
"How many what?" Buck turned to Chris.
"Bodies. How many other poor bastards were in there?"
"I counted fourteen just in the one hour." the ladies man didn't take his eyes off his friend.
"Shit." Chris hung his head. "Did you get them?"
"All but one guy. They said there was a boss, big guy in a suit. We're still looking for him."
"Why do they do it Buck? Why?"
"I don't know Chris. There's people like that out there everywhere. Sometimes we're going to get them, other times we're not. There's nothing to explain them or why they're on this Earth."
"Or why they kill innocent people." Chris knew if Buck hadn't found them, they would have been added to the list of victims. "How'd you find us anyway. I know you’re not that good." Chris smiled at him.
"Blood on the pavement outside the window. Ezra must have cut his back and chest on it. Idiots didn't bother to clean it. There are some small miracles in this world."
"Please do you mind. I have a headache." Ezra growled under his covers.
"The headache you have now is nothing compared to the headache I'm going to get with your belly aching Ezra. Now shut up and go back to sleep." Chris growled just as dangerously.
"Kay." Ezra rolled over. "Just make a little noise so people would know your awake, think they would be grateful, show a little sympathy but no. They have to get a little pissed and have a go at you. I mean it's not like I've just come back from a holiday in the South of France, no, I've been through hell and back. Sympathy. No. Mr Larabee doesn't know the meaning of the word."
"Shut up Ezra!" Chris and Vin both told him.
"Okay!"
The End
Part One | Part Two
Master Fan Fiction List
Rating: PG
Warnings: Strong Language.
Fandom: The Magnificent Seven
AU: ATF
Main Characters: Ezra, Chris, Josiah, the rest of the guys and an OMC.
Summary: Ezra disappears and resurfaces in the hospital. Ezra, Chris and Vin then have to replay what had happened to the undercover agent.
Disclaimers: The guys are owned by CBS, MGM, Trilogy Entertainment Group, and The Mirisch Corp.
Spoilers: None
Status: Complete
Total Word Count: 19,988
A fist punched into the wall, it was caused by frustration, anger and fear. There were other emotions but these were at the forefront of his mind. What the hell was happening? The question had been asked within his own mind, he knew he wouldn't receive an answer from the man who was pacing the other side of the small room. Chris grimaced at the pain the useless physical violence brought him. He rubbed his hand and turned back to his friend.
"If they hurt him . . . " The threat was left unfinished.
What could he do. Nothing. There was nothing either of them could do to help Ezra. He wasn't with them. They couldn't protect him like they could protect each other. He joined Vin in his pacing. They had already tried the door, it was locked, and they hadn't expected anything else. Chris feared for Ezra's safety. The Southerner had been through this already; could he go through it again. He hoped so because they might not have any other choice. He just hoped that Ezra didn't have to go through it alone.
He turned quickly when the sound of the lock opening reached him. The door swung open and revealed the man who they knew was in charge of this situation. Chris wanted to be in charge but he was going to have to bide his time. When the moment was right, he would take control of the situation and deal with the assholes that were planning to hurt his undercover agent.
The larger man stepped into the room and adjusted the black sunglasses that matched his hair colour. He ran a hand through his greased hair and smiled at Chris.
"You ready to play?" the ape asked him.
"Play what?" Chris calmly replied although inside the anger was about to erupt.
"The Game."
"What game?" Vin joined the conversation.
"You'll find out just like that Southern bastard did. He was lucky when he escaped. Wasn't doing to good before then." the man gave them very little information on what was about to happen. "It won't happen a second time. We fixed the game. Hobbled the contestant, if you get my meaning."
Chris did. But before he could react, Vin rushed the man that stood before them. The ex-bounty hunter didn't get to within two feet of the man. An even larger man appeared from behind his boss. Neither man had seen him. Vin stopped in his tracks and prepared to defend himself. He knew he couldn't just step back and expect forgiveness. They were going to teach him a lesson but nothing happened.
"Can't have two of you draggin' your asses, where's the fun in that." he moved back into the opening leaving his man in front of him to continue his job of protector, bouncer and all round idiot. "The game starts in fifteen minutes."
Chris and Vin watched the two men go. Vin glanced at Chris with a raised eyebrow. He was silently questioning his friend. Chris shrugged, he had no idea. The blond leader looked down at his watch. Fourteen minutes and twenty-five seconds until they found out. If Ezra was with them, they could have asked him but Chris didn't think the younger man would be much help to them now. Hobbled? What the hell did they do to him? Drugged him, that's what the bastards had done.
Fifteen minutes. It passed slowly, but it passed. Vin watched as the second hand informed him that the time had passed. He had expected Ezra to be thrown into the room with them. Did this mean they were playing on their own. He didn't want Ezra to go through this alone and he knew Chris didn't either. Ezra sure as hell wouldn't want to. He waited for the door to open. It didn't. How were they supposed to play the game - and win - if no one came to start it. Vin looked across at Chris. The older man was returning his stare, his own features frowning in confusion.
Vin decided to move forward, he could hear Chris behind him. The man was ready to back him up. He reached the door and pressed his ear against it. No sound came from the other side. He stretched his right hand until it found the doorknob. It turned easily, it was no longer locked. He stepped back and opened the door. They were alone.
"Looks like the game's started." Vin grimaced at Chris.
"Let's find Ezra then get the hell out of here." Chris growled back in annoyance. Ezra had to do it, he had no choice. What if Chris and Vin were suffering, what if they were in pain. They could have been beaten, shot, stabbed, and drugged. Anything. He had to help them. It took a few more minutes before he decided to actually do something about it. The eyelids opened to reveal drug induced pupils. Pain raced through his body. His closed his eyes against another stupid idea. Maybe he could do this without seeing what he was doing. He pushed with his mind. Muscles twitched and protested but he still lay in the same position. He wasn't going anywhere and he knew it. Shit!
The door opened. They were coming back for him. To finish what they had started? The voice that called his name told him otherwise. Chris and Vin. They were doing his job for him. They were helping themselves instead of allowing him to help them. That was so typical of those guys. Always have to get the better of him. Prove themselves the better man. To hell with them, he was going to do this. He pushed. He even managed to move a few inches higher but another force pushed him back down again. Damn them!
"Take it easy Ezra. Let us check you over first." Chris ordered him as he pushed him back down.
Vin knelt on the other side of the struggling man. Didn't he want their help? He didn't know it was them. They had found the room easy enough, no one had inhibited their movements to find Ezra. It was obviously what they were supposed to do. They had entered the room to find Ezra conscious and trying to get up. Their voices hadn't eased the man's fear.
"It's us Ezra. Chris and Vin." the quiet voice informed the former FBI agent. "Stay still will you."
Chris found the slight bruise in the crook of Ezra's right arm. They had drugged him. He used a gentle touch to lift Ezra's eyelids. Damn.
"He's full of something." Chris looked up at Vin.
"We stay or leave?"
"Stay." Chris answered him with a smile. "If they want us to play they can start the game."
"Started already . . . " Ezra mumbled.
"You remember something Ezra?" his leader nudged the smaller man to get his attention. "Ezra."
Ezra opened his mouth but the words wouldn't repeat themselves. Remember? No, he didn't remember anything. Just had a feeling that they had to get out of this room. He pushed himself up again and still didn't get anywhere in his attempt to improve his position. A fear began to grow in the pit of his stomach. Something was wrong. They had to leave. Now.
"Have to leave." Ezra raised his head, he managed an inch but that was all.
"We're not going anywhere Ezra. You’re in no condition to leave." Chris growled down at him.
Ezra opened his eyes for the third time, it would have been four but Chris had forced them open without his consent, and did his best to glare at his boss. He knew it hadn't worked when Chris smiled down at him. A chill joined the fear that was now flowing through him. He knew the fear came from an empty memory but the emotion was real. He couldn't stop the tremor that wracked him. Ezra didn't know where it came from. Even though the time was the early hours of the morning the night had been warm. Too warm for a jacket.
"Chris." Vin's tone demanded attention and when he received it, he nodded towards the South wall.
It was moving. But it couldn't be, this wasn't an episode of I Spy or even the movie Star Wars for that matter. JD had seen it when he was a kid and had to keep reminding everyone of it when the prequel arrived in the theatres. As a kid, he had found the part where they jumped into the garbage to escape the enemy was pretty gross. He should be here. Who the hell made a prequel anyway? This sort of thing didn't happen in real life. And not Chris Larabee's life. His cold glare tried to stop what he was seeing, causing life saving seconds to pass quickly.
"Get Ezra up!"
Vin felt like letting him know that he already had Ezra standing. It had been a heavy task but the Southerner complied because he knew that his and their lives were in danger. Vin knew with fear that Ezra had become a burden. A burden that he was going to protect with his life. He half carried the man to the door and was quickly joined by Chris. He was ready to move when Chris turned the knob and pulled the door open. It didn't move. Two pairs of eyes quickly glanced towards the door while a pair of hooded eyes attempted the task of just looking. The wall moved closer. Neither Chris or Vin could believe what was happening. This was what Ezra had gone through. Someone was going to pay for this relived nightmare.
Chris made a more violent move to open the door. It opened. Why didn't the stupid bloody thing open the first time. He grabbed Ezra's free arm and helped Vin to drag him through the opening that was now available to them. Vin had to use more of his own strength to keep the Southerner standing while Chris
looked for a way out.
He headed back the way they had originally come. Chris tried the door to the room they had been kept in. It was locked. He used the weight of his body to force his way through. It was useless, the door was solid. Too solid to be forced open. The way they had been brought in was no longer an option. They couldn't go back into the room where they had found Ezra. Not with a moving wall. It was beginning to feel more and more like he was in a movie, or maybe a dream. He glanced back at Vin and Ezra. His undercover agent wasn't standing on his own. Vin had Ezra's right arm pulled around his own neck. His left was wrapped around the smaller agent's waist. For Ezra's part, he was fighting to keep his head up. He was failing miserably. Each time he managed to get his head upright, his chin fell to his chest. Give up Ezra!
Chris saw another door. They could either stay here or go through it. There was nothing to say that a wall in the hallway they now stood in won't move. He looked at Vin. The man knew what he was thinking and nodded his head in agreement. They would go through the third door. Hell. Now it sounded like a game show. Again, Chris helped to carry his undercover agent - he wasn't going to be angry at Ezra just because the man couldn't walk on his own - to the door. It opened easily and led into a thin long hallway. There was room enough for two men to walk side by side but not three. Chris relinquished his hold on Ezra. The door shut behind them. Now they were in a haunted house. Chris couldn't help but smile but it fell from his face when the light ended and darkness filled the long hall. This was the darkness that Ezra had spent six days in. Vin could feel the weight he was carrying begin to struggle. Ezra had no memory of what had happened to him but his survival instinct was telling him that it was happening again. He was grateful that the struggles were weak. Ezra was a fighter and he didn't want to be on the receiving end of his fear and anger. He didn't know if he could beat Ezra in a fight; not that he wanted to but he wasn't sure if he could defend himself against the smaller man and he didn't want to find out. A muttered curse was voiced in his ear as the Southerner gave up the fight and his knees buckled.
"Jesus Ezra, you’re supposed to be helping me here." Vin told him without the feeling of anger, it wasn't the smaller man's fault.
"You okay with him?" Chris asked in the darkness. He knew they were behind him and he turned to help.
"Yeah, he's fine." Vin lied. He knew the two of them couldn't take care of Ezra. One of them had to take the point position and find a way out. The job had been delegated to Chris and Vin had received the job of taking care of Ezra. He didn't mind, he'd seen a few episodes of the TV show, Tour Of Duty. His mind imagined Chris walking into a trap just as those men had tripped a wire connected to a mine. "Uh Chris, you want me to take point."
"Point?"
"Lead us out."
"You take care of Ezra." The tone in Chris' voice told Vin there would be no argument.
Great. Now he was going to worry about two men. But at least he had two men to worry about. It took his mind away from the fear that wanted to fill it. He normally didn't scare easy but no normal person couldn't fear the unknown and he didn't know what was going to happen. Ezra hadn't had that. When he went through it the first time, he had been alone. No doubt scared out of his mind but not willing to allow it to control him. The fear had taken control after he had escaped. Vin knew that to be true, Ezra was a stubborn Bastard and wouldn't allow anything to beat him, at least not in front of other people. When he was alone the insecurities that he felt took control.
"Sit him down Vin. We'll take some time to let our eyes adjust to dark." Chris waited until he heard their movements. A grunt and a moan told him that Ezra was now on the floor. He could hear Vin's steady breathing and Ezra's quick intake of breaths.
"JD made me watch this movie once, something to do with this guy in a game, a race, can't really remember it. He had to get through all this stuff and . . . " Vin stopped when Chris interrupted him.
"The Running Man. Yeah, he made me watch it too. Don't know what it is with that kid." Chris shook his head and smiled.
"Arnold what's-his-name."
"Arnold Swartzenegger." Chris corrected him.
"Now if he was here."
"If Arnold Swartzenegger was here, I'd kick his butt." Chris growled into the darkness.
Vin couldn't help but laugh at the remark. It eased some of the tension he was feeling. That was until the gun shot erupted within the darkness around him. His first instinct was to protect Ezra. He grabbed the arms of the unmoving form and pushed him towards what he hoped was the ground. The muttered curse beneath him told him that Ezra was semi conscious. That wasn't good. He would have trouble if he had to move him quickly.
"You guys okay?" Chris asked. The fear he felt for his friends was in his voice.
"Yeah." Vin informed him.
A second explosion of sound echoed through the dark hallway. The ex-bounty hunter bit his tongue when the searing pain tore through his right arm. He could feel the warm blood begin to soak into his shirt, it ran like a river down his arm, he could fell it dripping off his fingers. Vin ignored the pain and the blood. He had to protect Ezra.
A third shot rang out and Vin felt Ezra jerk beneath him. He tried to use his right arm but the pain was too much. His left felt for the smaller man's face but it took a few agonising seconds to find it. He slapped it and was reward with a 'Fuck Off' from his friend.
"Are you okay Ezra?" Vin asked him and he heard Chris move closer to them.
"Am I okay?" Ezra pondered the question in his sluggish mind. There was an over caring friend sitting on him making it hard for him to breath. Something was dripping onto his face and he was afraid of what it was. It was dark and an inner part of himself feared it. He needed the bedroom closet light on. "Switch a light on will you." He jerked as another shot sounded in his ears.
"I think they want us to keep moving." Chris stated as he reached out. He felt both men jerk away from his touch. He could understand Ezra's reaction but not Vin's. "You okay Vin?"
"Yeah," he lied through gritted teeth, "sorry." He stood up and dragged Ezra with him. When he placed his left arm around Ezra's shoulders, he could feel the quivering muscles beneath the t-shirt. "Just worried about Ezra here."
"Nothing wrong with me." Ezra mumbled as he made a valiant attempt to stand on his own.
"Sure Ezra." Chris gave him one of his looks even though he knew the Southerner couldn't see it. At least this way he wouldn't get a biting retort in return. "Let's keep going."
The three men began to move further into the darkness without knowing what was ahead of them. Chris felt along the walls for any turnoffs. This hall wouldn't go on forever. How the hell was he going to get his men out of this mess. He didn't know. It was at times like this that he wished he wasn't the leader but he knew it was a natural instinct. He was a born leader. A leader who sometimes wanted to give it all up, so he could follow somebody else for a change.
Vin followed Chris' footsteps. His jaw was beginning to ache. He was clenching it too tightly against the pain in his upper arm. The blood was still flowing from the wound but not as fast as it had been. It no longer felt as though a raging river of blood was flowing from him. He didn't need it. Chris wouldn't be able to look after two of them. He grimaced then swore when Ezra stumbled towards the right and his arm hit the wall. God that hurt. He pushed to the right and grimaced again when he heard Ezra grunt. Sorry Ezra, didn't mean to push you so hard.
Chris continued to feel his way along the walls. He had a bad feeling. Not surprising considering the situation they were in. It had to be bad to have scared Ezra the way it did. The man didn't scare easily. Even he had trouble scaring the Southerner. Ezra always managed to stand there with that smug smile on his face whenever he went off at him. Ezra had so far, been lucky enough not to have that smile wiped from his face with the use of physical force. There were other ways to make the younger man succumb to his demands. Ways that were a lot more enjoyable and less frustrating for him.
He stopped. He heard Vin grunt when he walked into him. Ezra wasn't as tactful. He swore at the obstacle before him. Chris smiled at a memory that returned to his mind. The first time he had heard Ezra using profanity without apologising afterwards. It had been a pleasurable surprise for the other six members of Team Seven to find another side of the undercover agent when he had been intoxicated. He spoke more using less of the overly large vocabulary that he had when he was sober. He also swore a lot. He was more like the rest of them. It was one of the reasons they never let Ezra Standish get plastered on his own. He was actually fun to be around when he had too much to drink. The wall that he used to protect himself crumbled and his friends saw the real man. Funny, warm, and a prankster. If they got out of this alive, it was going to be the first thing they did. Get drunk. Totally pissed. Drink until they passed out.
The smell that caused him to stop became stronger. It was a familiar odor that was lacking in strength. He heard Vin's quietly spoken question but refused to answer it until he recognised the odor. It hit him like a fist. Death. The smell was death. Somebody had died here. Why was the smell still lingering. Was it a recent death? No. There was only one explanation. The body was still here. The most important question was how he had died. Was there a trap?
"Ezra?"
"I'm fine. Nothing wrong with me." Ezra told him.
"Is there a trap up ahead?"
"No rats in here." Ezra's tone held the slightest betrayal of disgust. How could they think he would allow rats in here.
"He's not going to be any help Chris. This is why they drugged him." Vin reminded him.
"Shit!" Chris took a deep breath, held it, and then made a decision. "Stay here." Buck Wilmington paced. He walked to the end of the large living room, turned, then walked to the other end of the room. This had been going on for thirty-three minutes and twenty-four seconds. Josiah knew this because he had just checked his watch. The minutes were beginning to slow down. Chris was supposed to call in thirty-five minutes ago. Buck was worried, as they all were. Except JD who slept on the large sofa. He was unaware of the fact that his friends hadn't called in yet.
"I'm going to call them." Buck stated and picked up the phone as he passed it.
"Maybe they're just taking a bit more time. Ezra ain't going to remember it easily." Nathan told him in the hope that he was correct.
"They haven't called in Nathan and I want to know why." Buck retorted. He paced to the beat of the phone ringing. It rung four times then it stopped. There was no beep to tell him that it was engaged, no message saying that it was out of range or turned off. Just absolute silence. "Something's wrong."
"And what makes you think that?" Josiah asked him.
"I just know it. It's in my gut, something's wrong." Buck spoke harshly. He wasn't going to be blamed this time and he knew that they had blamed him when Ezra had first disappeared. He blamed himself so it was only natural that they blame him. "We're leaving."
"I think we should wait a bit longer." Nathan suggested.
"I wasn't asking Nathan, I'm telling you. We're going to look for them. Now!"
Nathan looked towards Josiah who just shrugged back at him. They weren't use to seeing Buck so angry, or taking charge for that matter. But then it wasn't something that he had to do before. And they hoped it wasn't something that he was going to have to do now. They thought that if given the unfortunate opportunity that he could be just as bad as Chris Larabee. Nathan shuddered at the thought. He was also worried that Buck may be right. He had an unsettling feeling in his own stomach.
"I'll wake JD up." Nathan offered.
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Buck turned left on to Jamison Road without really slowing down. He ignored Josiah's warning to be careful when the ex-preacher was thrown against the passenger side door. He was grateful that there were no other cars on the road. He swore under his breath when he saw the dark dodge parked on the side of the road. He grimaced at the pain in his hand when he slammed it against the steering wheel. Shit! Why hadn't he acted sooner.
The car skidded to a halt behind the dodge and jerked when Buck didn't bother to put it into neutral. He was out of the car before the others; he hadn't bothered with his seat belt like they had. He reached Chris' car and looked inside. Nothing. He spun around under the streetlight looking for some sign of his friends.
"CHRIS!" Not again. Jesus, not again. "VIN, EZRA!" Not Ezra, he can't go through that again.
"They're not here." Josiah stated the obvious.
"I know they're not here!" Buck yelled at him. Shit! Not again. Calm down Buck, you’re in control here. It's up to you to find them. "Nathan, call the police, we're going to need help to look for them. We'll have to check every building in the immediate area. If they're not in one of them . . . " He didn't know. They couldn't just wait for them to show up like Ezra had done. They might not be as lucky as Ezra. The Southerner hadn't been seriously injured the first time. He didn't know what would happen to him or the others this time.
"You think the same thing has happened to them Buck?" JD asked as he came up beside his friend.
"Yeah I do."
"We'll find them. This time we have somewhere to start."
Somewhere to start. What if they were thrown into a vehicle and driven to a destination that was ten miles from where they now stood. There was no proof to say that Ezra hadn't been taken somewhere then returned. This shouldn't be happening, not again, not to Ezra. Where were they!?
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His heart began to beat faster with each step he took. He didn't know how close he was to the body that he feared was killed and left to rot within the darkness that surrounded it. He stopped and quickly wiped the sweat that had begun to gather on his forehead. It was a normal reaction, he wanted to stop it from falling into his eyes and blurring his vision. He took another step, nothing happened so he took another. His arms were spread out and he hoped that they would touch anything that would cause him pain; or even worse, kill him.
"Left."
"What?" Vin leaned Ezra against the wall and looked for his face with his good arm.
"Left." Ezra repeated. "Go left."
"Go left Chris." Vin raised his voice even though he knew his friend would have heard Ezra's mutterings in the silence.
"Thanks." Chris moved to his left. He took another two steps. Something made a noise. It was a sound that reminded him of an arrow passing close to him. And if probably did.
"Right."
Chris heard the blurred Southern accent and obeyed it's instructions. He had no idea how Ezra remembered but he was grateful for it. Another sound passed even closer to it. He thought he actually felt it tear at his shirt. Four more steps and nothing happened. He'd passed it.
"Follow me." Chris ordered his friends.
They didn't have a chance to. Bright lights suddenly assaulted their eyes. Vin and Chris both raised an arm to protect their eyes. Ezra closed his eyes tighter and began to slide to the floor. Vin no longer held him up. He managed to bring his knees up to his chest and bury his head against them. The movement helped to protect his eyes. He curled himself up even more as the sound of angry voices broke the silence.
Vin Tanner had all intentions of not allowing them to hurt Ezra. Not again. A door had opened up and the apes had returned, one of them carrying a syringe. There were five in all. Three headed towards him. Two to hold him down while the other drugged Ezra. Vin didn't know what the drug would do to the Southerner, the first one hadn't even worn off yet.
Chris watched. He was helpless to do anything. Two men blocked his path back to his friends. They filled the small area in what he now called a tunnel. It still looked like a hallway but it was now something else. He refused to look at the corpse on the floor near him. The smell was bad enough. Instead, his eyes watched Vin. He knew the ex-bounty hunter would do what he could to protect Ezra.
"Vin! Don't." Chris ordered him but knew he would refuse to follow those orders. He also knew that in Vin's place he would do the same. Damn it! To hell with them. He wasn't going to make it easy for them. He rushed the two men in front of him. It was useless. He couldn't' get through. They only laughed at him and pushed him away. He yelled at them and tried again but they were ready for him. A large fist connected with the left side of his jaw and he went down hard. He didn't get up again. Instead, he watched as Vin tried to help Ezra.
Vin had no hope. He knew it but it wasn't going to stop him. He had to try. Two of the apes grabbed him by his arms and pushed him away. He fought them with his life. One of the men didn't appreciate his struggles. He squeezed the upper arm that was soaked with blood. Vin clenched his teeth against the pain but after a minute, he had to allow the pain to escape. He screamed out with the use of profanity. The man finally let go. So did the second one. Vin soon found out why. The man needed room. A fist slammed into his stomach. He wasn't allowed to double over. The ape held him up and hit him again. Four times the fist met with resistance. Vin paid the price of trying to protect his friend. Ribs cracked under the onslaught. He was finally allowed to slump to the floor.
Ezra felt a pair of hands grab him. The violent movement told him that it wasn't his friends. He kicked out with his feet and his left foot connected with something. He opened his eyes long enough to see the back of a fist heading towards him. He tried to move away from it but his reactions were slow. It hit him with enough force to double his vision. Again, he was forced onto his stomach and the knee of the man assaulting him slammed into his back. Ezra grunted out in pain. The ape was not being kind at all. The knee pressed harder, making it hard for him to breath.
"Boss said your remembering too much." A guttural sound came to Ezra's ears but he didn't understand the words. "Says you need some more happy juice."
Ezra felt the needle, it was a brutal intrusion this time. The result was instant. The world became fuzzy, his stomach began to roll. His only thought was that they had given him too much. Vin groaned, he had to, he was in pain and the only way to make yourself feel better is to make a lot of noise. Because when you made a sound someone - usually one of his friends - would come rushing to your side and tell you that you were okay and everything was going to be fine. That didn't happen. All he heard was Chris yelling at him to get up and check Ezra. Didn't the bastard know he was hurting. No, obviously not. He wouldn't be yelling at him if he knew and it was best that he didn't.
"Just give me a sec." Vin yelled back as he forced himself onto his knees.
He took a slow deep breath to test his ribs. God that hurt. He wasn't going to make that stupid mistake a second time. When the pain finally began to ease, he crawled around the confining space. He couldn't reach out with his arms, it only made it hurt more. He just had to hope that he bumped into the Southerner.
"Fuuuck!"
Yep, he bumped into him. His hand was supposed to land on something like a leg, or an arm. Even a chest. But no, with the way Ezra's luck was going, he had to land squarely on his groin. No wonder he swore. That must have hurt. He was forced to remove his hand when Ezra rolled over. It took him a few more seconds before he found the handsome face, hands had travelled up the Southerner's hip, chest then shoulders.
"Ezra? You okay?" Vin gently slapped what he hoped was Ezra's cheek.
"Noooo." The voice was slurred and the words long.
"Think you can stand up for me?" Vin knew what the answer would be. "You have to help me Ezra, I can't do it alone."
"Then leeeave meee." It was a simple statement that explained what Ezra thought would be obvious. They would leave him to help themselves. No, they wouldn't but they might if he told them to.
"That's not an option Standish!" Chris yelled at him. "Now do as your told."
Ezra started muttering but Vin couldn't understand the words. He used his good side to try to pull Ezra to his feet. He was grateful that the injured ribs were on the right side. That left his other side free to do all the work. Vin managed to get Ezra so far then the smaller man fell back down. His legs weren't able to hold him up. The weight pulled Vin down to the same level. He grunted in pain.
"What happened Vin? Is he okay?" Chris called out to him. He hated being in the dark. He couldn't see what was happening.
"Yeah, just fell back down. He's worse than before. Drugged him pretty good this time." Vin explained. He purposely left out the fact that it wasn't Ezra that had made the pain filled noise.
He had to get Ezra up again and make him stay up. He didn't think he could do it. Do it Tanner! Ezra needs you to get him out of this shit. He gritted his teeth as he got a stronger hold on his friend and pulled him to his feet. Both men swayed while Tanner got into a better position to hold his friend up. Tears of pain began to fill his eyes. He blinked them away. Go left. Go left. Go left. There was no sound. He didn't know when he should go right. Go right. He had no choice. Maybe once the trap was triggered it needed to be reset. He couldn't take the chance. Vin continued to move to his right, dragging Ezra with him. He was breathing through his teeth. He had to. His jaw was clenched so tightly he thought he was going to break a tooth. Damn it Ezra! Help me! He hit something.
"It's me Vin." Chris reached out and grabbed someone. He didn't know if it was Vin or Ezra. "Bring him a few more steps then sit him down."
No! That means I'll have to get him up again. Vin did as he was told. He allowed Ezra to fall to the floor. He couldn't lower him. Too much pain. He leaned against the wall and held his injured side while Chris checked on Ezra.
Chris found Ezra's face and cupped it in his right hand. "Hey Ezra. You in there?"
"Just." was his answer.
"You okay to do this?"
"Tiiired, sick."
"I know Ezra. But we'll get you out of this."
"Promise."
"Promise Ezra." Chris lifted Ezra to his feet. "Come on, let’s get going. Don't know what will happen if we stay put."
Vin prepared himself then took Ezra from Chris. The extra weight was enough to make his knees buckle. He wouldn't allow himself to fall. He heard and felt Chris move away. They were going to have to be more careful now. Ezra won't be any help. He was now too drugged to even remember his name. He wondered silently if the others would know yet that they were missing. Would it take them eight days to find them? He prayed that it wouldn't. If they kept drugging Ezra like this, he would be dead before help came.
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Buck was pissed and his anger showed clearly on his face. He nearly rivalled his long time friend. He stood under the streetlight with his arms folded across his chest. The body language told his friends not to go anywhere near him unless they had good news. He was ready to kill. JD had called the police five minutes earlier and they were yet to show. His anger grew with each passing minute as he thought about what might have happened to the three missing agents during that minute.
JD watched his friend and flat mate. At that moment in time, even he feared the man that spent most of his time trying to protect him and of course, to pick up women. JD knew why he had been angry when Ezra disappeared the first time, but he couldn't understand the anger he was feeling now. It was aimed at everyone, including himself.
"They're here." Josiah announced from his position near the dodge.
This got an instant reaction from Buck. He marched with determination towards the first police car before it came to a halt. He didn't even wait for the officers to get out, He opened the door and leaned into the car.
"We have three ATF agents missing from this area. I want them found and I want them found now! I want you two to take Potters road. They've been missing for nearly two hours so I need at least a ten-mile perimeter. The officers didn't argue with him. "And I want you to do it on foot." This they protested against but the angry glare stopped them. "I don't want anything to be missed. Understand!" They nodded and he moved on to the second car that appeared behind the first to repeat the same instructions. "We take Jamison." Buck told the remaining members of Team Seven. "We miss nothing."
Josiah and Nathan nodded. They knew what to do, they had to find them. The two ATF agents crossed the road to the other side of the street and began to look. Buck joined JD as he began to walk down the North side of Jamison. Each man checked everything, sometimes even twice. They were determined and that determination showed in their movements. Doors were checked, windows were pried open. Back alleys were walked through. Emergency exits were forced open. It was easier to gain entry to empty buildings. Stairs were climbed, upper floors were checked. And after two long hours of searching, nothing was found.
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Ezra wanted to help, to do everything he could to help Vin to carry him. But he couldn't even form a sentence within his mind let alone walk without help. He didn't want to be a burden, he could look after himself, always had, always will. He pushed himself away from Vin with the intention of doing just that. Put one foot in front of the other, that's all you have to do. You’re not stupid, you’re quite capable of doing it. He tried to walk on his own but his knees were beginning to buckle; again. Ezra fell against Vin and as a result, he heard Vin groan. He knew Vin was hurt, the man wasn't able to hide the pain he was feeling from him. This made Ezra want to try even harder. Why wasn't Chris doing Vin's job. Was he hurt too? He hoped not. He hit himself with his mind. Why couldn't he remember, if he was able to, he could find the way out. How had he gotten out before? Didn't it have something to do with a window. He tried to think but his drug-induced mind wouldn't allow it.
Suddenly he felt sick. Not now. He felt weaker. His knees buckled and he fell. This time he stayed down. Ezra could feel Vin's hands on him, searching for some indication that he was okay. He wasn't okay, he knew that. They had given him an overdose, he was sure of it. He was going to die here. His friends probably would too. He hated not being able to help them, to help an injured Vin Tanner. Life sucked and it was getting worse.
"Chris, Ezra's down again." this had happened twice before and each time it had been agony for Vin to go down with him then to pick him up again. Maybe he should tell Chris he was hurt.
"You want me to take him for a while?" Chris asked as he slowly moved back towards the sound of Vin's voice.
"No, I'm fine with him." Vin lied.
Ezra wanted to tell Chris that Vin was hurt. His mouth moved slightly in the attempt but no sound came out, no words made themselves available to inform Chris that his friend was injured. He was confused. He'd never had any trouble forming words for any other occasion. People usually told him to shut up, they threatened him violence because he wouldn't stop talking. And now when it was important, he couldn't say a word. Ezra couldn't help himself or his friends. He was useless. He'd been through this already, he should remember, but he couldn't and he hated himself for putting his two friends through it.
"Ezra!" Chris had found the warm flesh that covered Ezra's face. "He's warm."
Vin wiped his own forehead with his good hand and found that he too was warm. Just great. Can't help Ezra if I get sick. "Yeah, noticed that myself. Not much we can do about it now."
"No, we have to get him the hell out of here." Chris spoke as they it was going to be easy. "Get him up, we're leaving."
"Can't we let him rest for a minute." He wanted to rest himself, to give the pain his ribs were causing him a chance to ease.
"We have to keep him moving, if we let him fall asleep he might not wake up." Chris slapped Ezra's face hard. "Wake up Ezra!"
He was right. Vin knew it, he had to stop thinking about himself and think about Ezra. He prepared himself for the pain and with Chris' help lifted Ezra to his feet. He used his left arm to support the smaller man while Chris continued to try to wake him up. Ezra was awake but he didn't have the strength to inform them of the fact. He wasn't able to use his voice or his body to stop Chris from assaulting him. If there was enough light the expression he hoped was on his face, would tell them that he was awake and could they please stop hitting him.
"Wake." Finally, his voice worked. Did this mean he was okay now. He tried again. Nothing, it was a one off thing. But it was enough for the open hand to stop slapping him.
"Good. Stay awake Ezra." Chris moved away. He had to get his men out of here.
Vin followed the sound of Chris' footsteps as he struggled to half carry Ezra. The darkness around them was starting to get to him. The confined space they were in didn't help either. God he hoped they got out of this.
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He had wanted to know what had happened to Ezra, now he wasn't so sure. Maybe Ezra's memory loss had been the best thing for the undercover agent. He was in this for six days, they had been here for what he thought was only a matter of a few hours and he hated it already. He wanted out. They all wanted out. Buck stopped to try to control his anger. He couldn't think this way, he had to calm down. His friends were dependant on him and the rest of Team Seven. He had to think. He crossed his arms and hung his head. He felt defeated, Chris wouldn't have lost control like this. He would know what to do. Just like last time, Buck sarcastically told himself. Chris hadn't been able to find Ezra and now he couldn't find them. Would they show up like Ezra had done. He didn't think so. They weren't going to allow Ezra to leave, not this time. He had either escaped or they had let him go. He didn't think it was the latter.
He paced passed the boarded up window. They had checked this building first and like the others, they had found no sign of their friends. He kicked a large rock out of his way. God damn it! Why can't I find them! He turned and began to move in the other direction. He stopped and leaned against the wood that covered the window. Buck felt as though he had been staring at the ground for hours when he finally saw it. Blood. He knew it was blood. It may be a dark brown now but it was there. He spun quickly and began to examine the window as the feeling of a hunch began to burn into his inner being. There it was, it was only a small amount but there was more blood on the window. They had to be here, but they had already checked and found nothing. Well, this time they weren't going to go through the front door.
"Over here!" he yelled out and immediately heard the running footsteps.
"Find something?" Josiah asked him.
"Blood, it's old. Could be Ezra's." Buck pointed out the splatters of blood. "He could have come through this window."
"So what are we waiting for." Nathan began to pull at the wood and the others quickly joined in.
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Vin couldn't go any further, he needed to rest. As each minuted had passed, Ezra had become heavier and less lucid. He was practically carrying an unconscious form. Sorry Ezra. He allowed the Southerner to fall. He winced at the grunt that he knew was forthcoming. It didn't happen. Shit. Vin knew Chris was going to ask what had happened, he was going to have to lie. If Chris ever found out that he was hurt, his leader would be totally pissed. But he didn't have a choice, he couldn't lead them out of here and neither could Chris if he had to look after his two injured agents.
"You guys okay?" Chris reached out and found what he thought was Vin.
"Yeah, just think Ezra could do with a bit of rest." Vin lied.
"Sure. Don't know how long they'll allow us to sit here though." Chris grimaced. He was ready to kill someone. Kill them twice over. But he was going to need a weapon, his fists weren't going to be enough against these goons. They were too big and there was too many of them.
Vin shifted until his back was leaning against the wall. His arm burned through the flesh and ate at his nerve endings. His ribs weren't much better. He was beginning to feel light headed. Vin wasn't sure if it was loss of blood or exhaustion from half-carrying Ezra. If it was blood loss then he wasn't going to last much longer.
"Let's get moving, I want to get out of here and make someone pay." Chris grabbed a slack arm and began to pull Ezra to his feet.
Vin struggled to get up but finally managed it. He took Ezra from Chris and began moving.
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They finally managed to clear the window. Darkness welcomed them along with the terrible odor of urine and excrement. Buck grimaced. He turned and began to give out orders.
"JD, get some flash lights and phone the medics, I want them here when we get them out. Josiah, contact those officers, I want them to follow us in, and they’re our backup. Be quick about it. Then we're going in." Both JD and Josiah ran to carry out their orders. They were back within minutes. "Ready?" They nodded in confirmation. "Let's go then."
Buck was the first one to enter into the building. He grimaced at the sight and for a moment he contemplated ordering JD to stay out but it wouldn't be the right thing to do. JD was professional enough to get through this. The smell was overwhelming, nausea caused his stomach to roll. Buck held the flash light and his gun out in front of him. He kept the light off the floor, he didn't like what he saw. The area was only wide enough for two men to walk shoulder to shoulder with a bit of room to spare. Josiah joined while Nathan and JD took the rear.
"Shit!" Buck saw the body first, it was lying face down so he wasn't sure which one of his missing friends was dead. He ran to it and knelt down. The repugnant smell told him that he had made a mistake. He could see the amount of decay on the corpse without having to turn it over. Ezra and his friends weren't the only ones to go through this.
"Who the hell is that?" JD bent down beside Buck.
"We'll find out later." Buck moved away from the body and kept going.
The maze they seemed to be in turned towards the left. They followed its direction and continued to go deeper into the maze. They had no intention of stopping until they find their friends.
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Ezra knew the end was coming. He could feel something coming for him, his mind seemed to drift away from his body. The legs that had carried him so far began to collapse. He couldn't go on. His mind blacked out as he fell to the ground taking Vin with him for the last time.
Vin cried out in pain as Ezra managed to land on his injured side. The weight stayed in position. There was no movement from the undercover agent. This scared the shit out of the ex-bounty hunter. He carefully pushed Ezra off and began to do his best to check him in the darkness that gave them no respite.
"Ezra! You with me pal?" Vin shook Ezra hard.
Chris quickly joined Vin by Ezra's side, the cry of pain and Vin's voice directed him straight to them. He also began to try to shake Ezra awake. There was no response from the smaller man. Chris found Ezra's neck and felt for a pulse. There was one there but it was weak. Damn! If they didn't get him out of here and to a hospital soon, Ezra was a dead man. It was only a matter of time before they would end up like the poor son of a bitch they passed earlier. Buck refused to look at the carnage that surrounded him as he led his men further into the nightmare he knew his missing friends were living. He had checked the time on his watch with the flashlight. They had been walking through shit - literally - for the last hour. They hadn't covered a lot of distance, it seemed that they had to keep backtracking. Too many dead ends. They had found traps that were meant to kill in the darkness but revealed themselves to their flashlights. No wonder Ezra hadn't been able to remember what had happened to him.
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Buck stopped. He thought he saw movement within the light. He frowned as he moved forward. There it was again, more movement. It had to be them. He didn't rush, there could be more traps between them and the others. They were going to have to go slow. Once they reached them, they would be able to hurry.
"Think we've found them." Buck whispered over his shoulder.
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Chris grimaced as the light tore into his eyes. This couldn't be good. They're coming to finish the job. Well this time he was with Ezra and was going to die protecting him. He was sure that Vin was willing to make the same sacrifice for his friend. Ezra would do the same for them.
"Vin, we've gotta go back." Chris struggled to lift Ezra's slack weight. "They're coming."
"Aw shit!" Vin muttered through his pain.
They both lifted Ezra, taking an arm between them and started to move backwards. It was only the voice of his long time friend that stopped him. The voice had been low but there was no mistake. It was Buck. They had found them. Jesus. How did they find them when they hadn't been able to find Ezra the first time. Buck was good, he knew that, but he wasn't that good. None of them were.
"It's Buck." Chris informed Vin. "Put him down easy."
"Bout time." Vin grimaced and groaned as he help lay Ezra on the floor.
"Buck!" Chris yelled out to him.
"Hey pard!" Buck returned the sentiment. "What you up to?"
"You know, just laying around." Chris shook his head in the darkness. Just like Buck to try to lighten the mood. "Nathan with you?"
"Who?" Buck's tone became serious.
"Who else."
"Uh huh." Buck nodded as he saw Ezra lying between Vin and Chris. His eyes saw the blood that covered part of his chest and side. "Shit. What happened to him?"
Chris turned away from the light as Buck moved to his side. He frowned when he saw the blood on Ezra.
"Drugged him. Don't know where the blood come from."
"Let me have a look." Nathan pushed Buck behind him and began to check Ezra over.
"That'd be mine." Vin admitted.
"What!?" Chris demanded,
"One of those bullets nicked my arm." Vin turned so Nathan could see his arm. "And those goons cracked a couple of ribs too."
"Damn it Vin! Why didn't you tell me." Chris glared at him.
"You had to get us out, couldn't do that if you were looking after two of us." Vin explained and saw Chris sigh in agreement. "Don't do it again."
"What?" Vin raised his eyes in innocence. "Shot or beaten?"
"Both god damn it!"
"We got to get Ezra to the hospital." Nathan stated. "They've overdosed him."
Team Seven - except for Ezra - ducked as the shot rang out. Four men removed their guns and fired in the direction the shot came from. After six bullets were fired, they heard a grunt. Buck smiled when he heard their backup telling the criminals to freeze. Like they could see them in this darkness. Bright flashlights shown within the small area. Okay, that's how they're going to see them.
"Josiah, JD, help them. Nathan and I will get this lot out." Buck and Chris took Ezra while Nathan gave Vin a hand. "Lead the way Chris."
"Gladly." Chris smiled at his friend.
________________________________________
The hospital room was quite. Too quite. Vin lay sleeping on his left side. The gunshot wound to his arm was superficial, didn't explain why it had bleed so much though. Two of his ribs had been cracked and he had some bad bruising. Apart from that, he was fine. The doctor told them that Ezra was going to be fine too. They had gotten him to the hospital in time. He was now sleeping it off. The Southerner lay on his stomach, the blanket half covered his face. Ezra hadn't woken so he was unaware of the fact that they had been found and were now in the hospital. Chris had no intention of sleeping until Ezra woke. The last thing he wanted was Ezra to wake up with the darkness still surrounding him.
Chris looked to his left when he heard one of the numerous chairs squeak. He saw Buck looking at him.
"You see much in there Buck?"
"Enough to know why Ezra didn't want to remember." Buck looked down at his hands as the faces of corpses looked back at him. "Only spent an hour in there that was bad enough. Ezra was in there for six days. Maybe he didn't see but he could smell and feel."
"Smelt one of them myself."
"I don't think we should try and make him remember. Just give him an idea if he wants to know but that's it." Buck lifted his eyes to take in the smaller man's covered form. "He shouldn't have to remember that."
"How many?"
"How many what?" Buck turned to Chris.
"Bodies. How many other poor bastards were in there?"
"I counted fourteen just in the one hour." the ladies man didn't take his eyes off his friend.
"Shit." Chris hung his head. "Did you get them?"
"All but one guy. They said there was a boss, big guy in a suit. We're still looking for him."
"Why do they do it Buck? Why?"
"I don't know Chris. There's people like that out there everywhere. Sometimes we're going to get them, other times we're not. There's nothing to explain them or why they're on this Earth."
"Or why they kill innocent people." Chris knew if Buck hadn't found them, they would have been added to the list of victims. "How'd you find us anyway. I know you’re not that good." Chris smiled at him.
"Blood on the pavement outside the window. Ezra must have cut his back and chest on it. Idiots didn't bother to clean it. There are some small miracles in this world."
"Please do you mind. I have a headache." Ezra growled under his covers.
"The headache you have now is nothing compared to the headache I'm going to get with your belly aching Ezra. Now shut up and go back to sleep." Chris growled just as dangerously.
"Kay." Ezra rolled over. "Just make a little noise so people would know your awake, think they would be grateful, show a little sympathy but no. They have to get a little pissed and have a go at you. I mean it's not like I've just come back from a holiday in the South of France, no, I've been through hell and back. Sympathy. No. Mr Larabee doesn't know the meaning of the word."
"Shut up Ezra!" Chris and Vin both told him.
"Okay!"
The End
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