Unfinished Business

[Andrea Anderson]

( Related to events in this thread )

August 21, 2012

"Ah.. Hey, Raye.." Andrea spoke softly into the phone. Maybe a little too soft. There was a pause in the message then, as the redhead took a few seconds to look about herself. A park was her current location. At a picnic table among many others of its kind. Out in public, a good number of people around even though it was midday.

".. I don't know if it's me just, like.. being paranoid or whatever.. but." Another pause. This was her shifting phone hands so that she could use the right to press a few fingers against her forehead. ".. I dunno, it's weird.. I went to get some groceries, no problem.. Then I went to the bookstore next, right? Well, when I leave I see this, like.. black car.. Can't tell what type, it was nothing fancy. But I swear I saw it before when I left the first place.. At first I thought it was no biggy, you know.. Blacks a popular color, right? Could just be a coincidence.. but now I'm not sure. I just got out of the post office and I saw it again. Was, like, parked on the other side of the street."

Andrea perked up a little and looked about again, then spoke once more into her cell phone. "It just got me thinking.. you know, that text you sent. I was going to come by the loft but, I don't know.." Hearing herself say it out loud, she might of sounded somewhat crazy. ".. Anyway, I'm at the park.. It's, like.. open space with people, so it should be safe.. Right? I mean.." There was another pause of self doubt.

".. Call me back, alright..? This is a little freaky.."

Unfortunately, Raye had the music blasting throughout the loft while she painted with a manic flourish. She didn't hear the phone ring nor the subsequent beeps to tell her there was a message. Once the urge to create chaos upon canvas was purged, she walked over to turn off the stereo before moving to the fridge to get some orange juice. That was when she heard the beeping of her phone upon that long oaken trestle table.

Checking the phone, she noted the missed call from Apple at 1:49 pm. Her glance shifted to the upper right corner of the phone to check the time...3:22 pm. The fact that there hadn't been a second or third call and no texts already had Raye quirking a brow. She dialed onto her voicemail and listened to Apple's message.

Jaw clenched, she saved the message and then dialed Jack. "Look, I don't know what the hell you are playin' at, Jackson, but don't fuck with my girlfriend. You wanna know what I'm doing and where I am...you deal with me." Whatever Jack said in reply had an immediate effect upon Raye and she paled a little.

"I...Jack, I gotta go."

Dialing voicemail again, she listened to Apple's message once more. Dialing again, she listened to the background noises, trying to isolate anything that might tell her what park the redhead had been at. She had to force herself to calm down, trying to slow her breathing down. No reason to panic yet. She just needed to call Apple and find out where she was and go get her.

She dialed the number and listened as it went immediately to voicemail. "The hell..." Dialing again, it immediately went to voicemail again. "Shitshitshit. Okay. Alright. She just turned it off to prove a point. Yeah, it sucks to not get a response, Andrea..I get it." This was muttered under her breath as she dialed again...and again...and again. "FUCK!"

Something nagged at Raye and she couldn't kick the feeling that all was not well. This wasn't something Apple would likely do to prove a point. She wouldn't leave a message like that and then turn her phone off. She would answer and whine or be pissed but she wouldn't play games and worry Raye.

After the tenth time of getting voicemail on the first ring, Raye dialed Jack, trying to force her voice to sound far more calm than she felt.

"Jack...I need your help. I...I think somethin' happened to Andrea. I got a message from her a couple of hours ago and she was being followed. Black car, nothing fancy but she couldn't distinguish what type. She said she was at the park with people around and thought she would be safe." She listened to Jack as she slid her shoes on and grabbed her bag and keys. "Yeah, I know that. How would she know, though?" She held up the Ducati as she pushed back the kickstand and rolled it into the warehouse elevator. The overhead metal door was pulled closed as she pushed "B" to descend to the basement level, the phone still jammed between her shoulder and her head as she continued to listen and make little comments in reply.

"No, I don't have time to swing by there. I am gonna scout out all of the parks around here. She said she had been shopping, at the bookstore, and then the post office. You pull all that up on your fancy little magic box and tell me the most likely spot. Call me back." She hung up then dug the headset from her bag and put it on followed by the blacked out helmet. The Ducati was started and after the engine was revved into a loud purr, Raye peeled out of the private parking garage below her new residence.

[Andrea Anderson]

Andrea waited.. waited. It had been five minutes and still no response. Maybe she should text her a few times just to be safe. ".. Yeah, but.." It's probably nothing. She thought to herself. All of this was just her being paranoid, it had to be. Seriously. A car, following -her- of all people? Raye might have a shady past, but she just couldn't see something like this happening to herself.

If it was true though.. who could it be? The first suspect that came to Andreas mind was obviously the man who drove her from the Red Dragon Inn back to about a block or so away from the loft. He had a different ride, but who's to say he didn't have a few more cars in his garage?

".. it could be him.." It was becoming more and more believable. Andrea cast another look around the park. Children playing with their mothers close by to watch, a few older couples walking around, and joggers doing what joggers did best -- run. Andrea set sights back to her phone and continued the text; but she kept interrupting her own self with thoughts. If it was that same man, would he have given up already? But even those thoughts were interrupted -- and not by the redhead.

"Excuse me, Miss..!" Andrea looked up instantly. A tall blonde haired woman stood before. The expression on her face read one of worry and even panic. "Excuse me.. have you seen my son? Here, I.. I have a picture of him. He was over there, playing, and.. I.. I.. looked away for only a second and.. Oh god."
Andrea stood then. Her own thoughts pushed aside. It was strange how easily a person could forget their own problems when something as simple as a lost child came into the equation. Stepping away from the picnic table, her phone left behind on it, Andrea moved closer to the woman and reached out. "No.. I'm sorry, I haven't. But, it's okay.. Calm down - I'll help you lo.." Her voice fell flat then; the instant she felt something pressing against her stomach.

".. Make no sounds, a bullet in the belly isn't the best way to go."

Andrea did just that. She didn't speak. Fear had closed her throat and all she could do was stand there, still in silence. It took the unknown blonde woman to finally get her to move by wrapping an arm about her own and giving it a tug. The gun, now hidden snugly pressed against the redheads side, was a constant reminder that she should do as she's told.

"Good. Now walk." And when they did, the blonde began to laugh. Small talk, talk that Andrea didn't even follow. Bits and pieces.. `Oh you MUST try this dress I found!`- `My husband would just die if he caught me doing that..!` Along with many others those small moments they found themselves walking past a small group of people. She spoke, Andrea smiled.. Why? Because she told her to. Smile -- act like everything is fine.

When she did drop the smile, it was only because something hard slammed against the back of her head when they made it to that black car.. and all she could do was drift into the world of unconsciousness.

"Nn.. What the..." Were the first words that left Andreas lips once she regained consciousness. Eyelids squeezed tightly against one another, then fluttered open -- yet she couldn't see anything. Everything was dark - that's all she knew. What time of day it was, how long she had been out of it -- these questions weren't answered.

Panic struck her then. She moved, or tried to move frantically, but that only caused a sharp jolt from the back of her head. Hand instantly moved to feel at it, which caused her to wince once more. Realization of what just happened, no - what was going on - had finally struck her.

".. Oh f*ck.. oh f*ck.." It was all she could say through shaken breaths. Her legs kicked and pushed against the ground, causing her body to slide against the hardened floor before she went pushing against what would most obviously be a wall. The more time went on, the more she began to recognize the small things.. It was hot, humid. She was sweating right now. No, she must have been sweating for quite some time. A hand rose up to press against the wall; higher and higher it rose. It felt lukewarm, metallic. Fingers curled into a fist and she began to bang. Hard. Banging against that wall with all her might.

"LET ME OUT OF HERE!" Andrea screamed. "LET ME--!!" Then came another bang, but it wasn't from her. It was hard, rough, and caused the wall to tremble. Yelling followed, but it sounded non-common.. She couldn't make it out. Followed by that bang, a light appeared from the end of that room. Casting only a split second of illumination throughout her unknown cell before it closed off, and the sound of clicking heels followed.

"Easy enough translation, young lady.. he's saying you should be quiet." The voice sounded out from within the darkness.. then, another flash of light.

Blinding. Andreas lids closed themselves off to the world while a weak arm rose up to press against her face. She tried to look, and even as her eyes grew used to the light, she couldn't quite make out much.. Maybe only an outline of the woman who stood behind those bright flood lights.

".. W.. what do you want..?!" Andrea yelled out, which caused another bang to sound out.

[Andrea Anderson]

"For you to use your indoor voice. Andrea, that is your name - correct? If you'd please lower your tone some.." The shadowy outlined figure grabbed hold of a chair and began to pull at it. The sound of metal scratching against metal filling Andreas ears before the woman settled herself down to sit. "My associates have questions they'd like you to answer.. I know this is a cliche thing to say, but things will go easily if you work with us.. Or.."

She heard the sound, but the feeling of those prongs piercing her skin was all that mattered in the end.. that, and the voltage of the electrical current that flowed through her body. The redhead fell against the ground, her body seized up, her teeth grit, and all she could do was groan out in pain as the shock did its work. When it was over, she was left twitching. Her lips parted to let loose shaken breaths.

"It's your decision.. I only hope you make the correct one." Then - it happened again. Andrea cried out in anguish, and her body wreathed when it was over. "Will you use.." The pause came, and another shock passed through the redheads body. "your inside.." and another. ".. Voice..?" Andrea tensed up, expecting it to happen one last time. Her body, though alert only minutes ago, now laid there physically tired by the constant abuse it was suffering.

"Y.. yes.. please.. Stop.." Was the only words that could escape trembling lips.

It must of been what the woman wanted to hear. The soft clicks of those heels echoing throughout the room as she stepped closer.. and then, with a tug, those prongs were pulled free from the ground-bound Andrea. "Rest up.." She said in a soft voice. "We'll be speaking with you soon.. Now, remember our little talk. Indoor voice."

Andrea peered up then, but she still couldn't make out much. The woman's back now toward the flood lights, which caused a shadow to be cast over the fallen redhead. Andrea didn't speak, not even a sound. The only sound that came would be the soft click of heels. The flood lights shutting off behind the unknown woman, only for the small light of that opening door to replace it.. and once it was closed, Andrea was left in the darkness - alone.

Rayvinn slid a finger under the edge of the helmet and tapped at her earpiece as she heard the beeping of the incoming call. Assuming it was Jack, there wasn’t any sort of greeting aside from, “What did you find?”

“I found something that belongs to you, Rayvinn. If you would like it returned the way it was found, you had better return what is mine. Do we understand one another?” The voice was deep and thick with an accent that Raye had heard before, though not associated with this particular voice.

“Who is this?”

“Let us just say you have been expecting us. Or at least you did. Did you think we had forgotten”

“She has nothing to do with any of this. It’s between me and you. Let her go and your death will be swift and without the torture you can expect otherwise when I get my hands on you.”

“You are in no position to threaten me or demand anything. I have what you want and you have what I want. You either deliver or your lovely friend will tell me where it is...after much persuasion.”

“You sonofabitch...if you harm one...” The call went dead as the man hung up.

Cursing heatedly, Raye pulled over and retrieved her phone from her pocket and dialed Jack. Once he picked up, she paused to take a deep breath, calming herself.

“Jack...the Armenians have Andrea.”

[Andrea Anderson]

August 23, 2012

"I don't know.. I don't know." It's all she could say to the questions. Always the same, like some sort of list.. and every time -- all she could do was say the same three words. `I don't know.` At first it was longer, with pleading involved.. but as time went on, it slowly dwindled to those three words.

"I don't know.." she answered again.. and, like always - it wasn't good for her.

There were three of them. The woman she met from the start, and two others. Most of the time it was the woman she spoke with. The smaller man, she liked him.. or as far as liking your captors can go. He was the one she would've rather been with compared to the other two. He was soft spoken, never lifted a finger at her, and was the one who made sure she ate and drank. The other.. Andrea would of rather not be left alone with him. There was something about his voice, it just sounded menacing. Without her glasses, and even more with the lack of light at times, she couldn't quite make them out.. but their voices, that's what she remembered.

She didn't know how many hours it had been, how many days. Time and date was something she couldn't read anymore. Could she have slept for eight hours? Or was it just two? They kept her awake off and on, keeping her disoriented; Andrea couldn't help but wonder how she even lasted this long.

Then.. there was a change. She fell asleep, and when she awoke -- she was resting against a slightly carpeted floor. She couldn't see, everything was still dark, but it was because something had been covering her head this time. She didn't speak, she was afraid to. The voices of at least two of them alerted her to their presence. Indoor voice.. the reminder filled her thoughts. The first time wasn't the only time she had to learn that lesson, and now -- she had become a master at keeping her voice low.. it stopped the pain, and whatever stopped the pain was good.

The air conditioning felt good too.. For how long had she been subjected to the humid heat of her cell? And now - with the rumble below her, it was obvious that they were on the road. Andrea moved to rest her head against the vibrating floor.. It's sad, that this was some sort of highlight of her past few days; it was a few days, correct? She didn't know.

The light shaking of the vehicle called to her like some sort of lullaby, and soon enough she fell asleep once more.

When she awoke again, it was to the feeling of being thrown upon something soft. It was a bed, it had to be a bed, it felt like a bed. Her arms were tied behind her back, she couldn't do much with them but flail about lightly - but the sounds of those voices speaking in a language she did not know stopped her movements. All she did was lay there and breathe; trying hard to listen and make out whatever she could -- but more importantly, keep herself from angering them.

What came next was a few low words.. she thought she heard the woman's voice, something about taking a look around. The rest -- she couldn't make out. There was sound of stepping feet, and then the opening and closing of a door off in the distance. The first thought that came to her mind was; Are they gone..? The answer to that question came as weight pressed against the bed, and soon enough her back. The air squeezed out of her lungs from the pressure that was suddenly placed upon her.. and then, she hood was pulled away. She couldn't speak, the gag stopped that.. and her eyes did their best to adjust, but she couldn't see anything past a blur without her glasses. She laid there.. If the blonde woman was gone, then.. It was that realization that she started to thrash, and when that happened -- the voice spoke out.

"I don't know. I don't know.." The voice whispered against her ear. She knew that voice, it was him.. Why did it have to be him of all people?! It made her skin crawl, her stomach ache, it made the fears fall -- even more with knowing that in his tone, it was meant to be a mocking jest of her own repeated plea of an answer to their questions.

I don't know.. I don't know..

[Andrea Anderson]

Andrea was left on the bed when it was over. Flailing, fighting, it could only go so far.. She was exhausted in the end, not only physically -- but spiritually as well. It was like nothing even mattered at this point. She felt broken, worthless. Yet everything around her was noted. The way that cigarette smelled after it was over.. how the bed sunk, then sprung up once he left her.. The pain she felt. She laid there, without a sound - without attempting to even try to move a muscle outside of what naturally came; breathing.

Andrea laid there till the sound of that door opened.. then heated words, raised voices. All in the language that she knew nothing of. She was touched, and her body seized in reaction. The one doing so, by the sound of the soft grunt, it was the woman. It came when she hoisted her and began to do a mix of carrying and dragging her across the room. Andrea dared not look at anything, and instead kept her head limp and focused on the ground she was carried across. The ground turned from a darker color, to something more light - and those raised voices were soon muffled out thanks to the closing of a door.

She was placed down against something hard, and with a tug and finally release, her arms were free to move from behind her back; but all she did with them was hug about risen knees while huddling in the corner. The woman kept quiet, too quiet. Andrea wondered if she would talk, but what came instead was the sound of rushing water raining down from what had to be a shower overhead. At first it was cold. The feeling causing her to suck in a breath and shudder, but the warmth came soon enough. Andrea grit her teeth and dipped her chin to her neck. A sudden intake of a breath, one that was kept held. The water came, and it did its best to hide the tears that began to flow down her cheeks.

"Here."

She finally heard the blonde woman's voice, but it came with a grasp of her fingers. Her right wrist taken, lifted up, and turned about so her palm faced the other; only then did she feel an object placed within. She knew from the touch, it was her glasses.. But - she didn't want them. She didn't want to see perfectly, she didn't want to see the scene she was in. The blurriness obscured reality.. but with these, it was making everything seem absolutely real. She squeezed them within her fingers and sucked in another breath.

"Put them on.. and wash yourself." Came next.

The sound of something hitting the hard floor met her ears. When she did finally find the nerve to shakingly slip glasses over her features; the first sight she was graced with would be image of a bar of soap resting against shower floor.

[Andrea Anderson]

Two Days Earlier...

”Jack...the Armenians have Andrea...”

“Damnit, Rayvinn...we knew this was going to come back to bite you in the ass. Did I or did I not tell you to keep an eye out for them?”

“Yanno Jack, this isn’t really the time to get into this. There might be something a little more important than your need to always be right...something like, hmm...MY GIRLFRIEND BEING KIDNAPPED!”

“You both quit staying at her room in the Outback. When I first heard the chatter amongst a few of my people that they were back for the portals, I tried to set up surveillance on the both of you again. You, being the huge pain in my ass that you are, managed to keep me from finding where you were staying. I tried to get that information when Hank picked up Andrea to give her a ride home but you managed to teach your girl a few tricks on evasion. Are you ever going to just let me do my job and protect you, Rayvinn?”

Raye sat there, astride the bike, and stared straight ahead through the blacked out visor. It was several moments before she could compose herself enough to speak and when she did finally, her voice was barely above a whisper.

“So...you...knew they were back? You knew they had come back for me but you didn’t bother to share this information with me? You knew this and even after you couldn’t spy on me, you still didn’t bother to warn me so that I could protect her from this exact situation? Are you really going to sit there and pretend to give any sort of f**k at all for my well being when you couldn’t even summon the decency within yourself to give me a warning.”

The truest sign that Rayvinn’s anger was about to boil over...the sting of hot tears that seeped from the corners of her closed eyes. the visor was lifted so she could reach up and swipe quickly at her cheeks then grip the bridge of her nose.

“Jack, we will discuss this later. Right now I need to find Andrea before they realize she doesn’t have the information they need. We both know what extremes they will go to in order to come to that conclusion and what will happen once they do. Were you able to trace that call?”

She may have just arranged a truce with the man but the moment Apple was safe again, Raye planned to deal with her “friend” and his part in making her worst nightmare come to fruition.

“I have a pretty good idea of the general vicinity. I was also able to isolate the background noise from his voice and narrowed it down further. They called from a storage facility near the docks. I already have Hank there with a team, Raye. Go back home and wait for me to...”

Jack would hear the click of the call ending as Raye hung up. The entire time the man was on the phone baiting her into arguing, it was simply to give Hank time to get into position for a strike without Raye getting in the way. The roar of the Ducati being revved up drowned out the sound of a particularly colorful string of expletives as the elf sped towards the docks.

[Andrea Anderson]

Just as Jack had planned, Rayvinn didn’t arrive until after Hank’s team had already swept the entire area and turned up nothing other than the proof that the girl had been there.

She saw Hank walk out of a metal storage unit, his face wearing a scowl that was so out of place that it would have been comical had the circumstances been less dire. He looked up from his conversation with a man in full tactical gear, when Rayvinn approached.

“She was here Raye...”

Hank paused for a moment, to let the implication sink in before he spoke once more. “They moved her and quite recently it appears. Whomever was set to guard Andrea, left their drink and there were still whole ice cubes in it. My guess is that they were already in the process of moving her when you received the call.”

Raye used a backhanded motion to slam her helmet against the side of that thin metal wall. Again and again she crashed into the unrelenting metal until the fiberglass of the helmet actually cracked. Hank encircled his arms around hers and with a vice like grip subdued her, hugging her back to his chest. Her knees buckled then as she let out a strangled sob and allowed Hank to bear her full weight.

“Sshh, Raye. We’re going to find her. I promise you, I will find her.”

[Andrea Anderson]

Two Hours Later...

Raye’s phone rang with Hank’s picture flashing upon the screen. She pushed the button to accept the call and brought the phone to her ear.

“Hey, Hank...please tell me you have something.”

“I do, Raye. There was a dock worker that remembered seeing two dark haired men carrying someone. There was a blonde woman with the men and guess what kind of car they were in? You guessed it,, a black sedan. Same car, same woman seen at the park. Now we have something to work with.”

“I’ll be at Jack’s in a few minutes. I’ve had no luck finding Dave. If he doesn’t want to be found, he won’t be. Hopefully now we won’t need to involve him.”

She ended the call and rode the few miles back to Jack’s Survival Range, a survival enthusiast’s utopia. The upper level was a store and shooting range but that was mostly just a cover for what was happening on the lower level.

When she walked down those stairs and scanned her prints to gain access, Raye was confronted with the sight of one of the Armenians strapped into a chair. She recognized the features common to this particular brand of human immediately. Without warning the elf was upon the man, sharp boned fist punching repeatedly into his face.

“Where the f**k is she?”

When the man didn’t speak, Rayvinn pulled the dagger from the sheath that lay against her lower back, and quickly pressed it against his inner thigh. A firm poke broke through the fabric of his slacks and as well as his skin. Not expecting this, he yelped in pain and looked up at Jack who stood only a few steps away from Raye.

The Aurk had expected exactly this behavior from the chaotically dangerous elf which is why he had called her. Hank had found the man and Jack had been interrogating him without success. He had methods to glean information from a person, but he needed the man in one piece and he needed the information quickly. Sometimes it just took putting the right kind of fear into a person and the right kind of fear at this moment was a distraught, crazed elf with a penchant for violence and retribution. She also just happened to now be pressing the tip of that razor sharp dagger against the man’s genitalia.

“If you think I won’t make you a woman without a single ounce of remorse, you best think again. This is your last chance to keep yourself intact. Tell me where the redheaded woman is. If you don’t answer by the time I count to five, you will remember me for the rest of your life.”

He widened his eyes in surprise and Raye just smiled at him. “Oh yes, I plan to let you live...but what kind of life will it be for you if you lose what makes you a man? And when we find her, which you know we will, I will be sure to let your accomplices know that you led us to them.”

She was slightly more than a little deranged but her methods of interrogation were unsurprisingly effective

“One...”

He smirked at the wild haired elf leaning over him. “Boz,” calling her a bitch in his native tongue.

“Two...”

Rayvinn’s face held no expression at all. She acted as if this was something she did on a daily basis and therefore was unbothered by the prospect of torture. The Armenian man continued to stare at her.

“Three...”

He spit at her and growled out another word in his native language, this time it was “Agarka,” which meant ‘whore’. To which she replied with a blank expression and...

“Four...”

Using the tip of her dagger she quickly sliced the button from his slacks as if making ready to fulfill her gruesome promise. This was the prodding the man needed and he shrieked aloud and began to speak rapidly to Jack. He wouldn’t even glance at Rayvinn, however.

Once she was satisfied they had the truth from the man she leaned down and kissed his cheek before slamming her elbow into his nose. Jack shook his head, accustomed to her craziness, and watched her gear up before heading back upstairs to join Hank whom had just arrived.

[Rayvinn]

“We have the location.” Raye’s tone was gruff as she made that announcement to Hank. A hand, surprisingly delicate for the damage it could deal, lifted to rub across her furrowed brow. The stress of the situation was wearing down the facade of sanity that Raye had been playing at; she had been trying to put on a “normal” face in an effort to keep Jack satisfied that she wasn’t a loose cannon right now. Hank placed a hand upon Raye’s shoulder and gave it a light squeeze. “She’s gonna be alright, Rayvinn. They want you, more specifically they want the information you have...they aren’t going to do anything to jeopardize getting it. They have to know that if they kill her, they will never get what they want.”

Raye shook her head lightly as she looked up at Hank and then spoke, conviction born of experience thick in her voice, “There are far worse things than death, Hank.” Her gaze moved past him as her mind travelled back to a time not so far past. Hank knew what Rayvinn was referring to, he had been her caretaker after the mission to Istandor had left her broken almost beyond repair. There was nothing he could say to alleviate her fears or to vanquish her demons so he just gave her shoulder another squeeze and offered her a way to channel her frustration. “Jack wanted me to lead the team but I think you should take point on this one, Raye.” He paused for a moment to let the words sink in, then questioned softly, “You’re ready for that, aren’t you?”

Since her return from Istandor, Jack and Hank had been walking on eggshells around her. She hadn’t been on mission or even allowed to assist in any tactical training or recon work. She had been given time to convalesce, as if she had just battled cancer or some other debilitating disease; in truth she had been battling the demons of post traumatic stress. The fact that Hank thought she was ready to take lead meant so much more to her than just being able to deal out revenge on her enemies, though that was certainly a perk! Raye nodded lightly as she made eye contact with Hank. “Yes, I’m ready,” she replied quietly before stepping away, clapping her hands sharply to gather the team’s attention.

“We have reliable intel that places our targets at an old hotel just outside of RhyDin City. Ms. Anderson is being kept on the tenth floor, south side, with two men and one woman as guard. The remainder of their force will likely be on the first floor guarding all exits. There are no other civilians as this hotel was recently purchased by the group and has not been opened for official business yet. Your orders are to secure all exits, including elevators and stairwells, for floors one through nine and neutralize all targets. Hank and I will infiltrate the tenth floor and extract Ms. Anderson using whatever force necessary. You are being given sketches of the three most important targets, those that are personally guarding Ms. Anderson. If you encounter them, subdue them with minimal force. I need them alive in case she isn’t found during this operation. Any questions?” Rayvinn met each team member’s gaze, the leader instilling confidence into her troops; a part she had always played well. One of Jack’s aide’s was passing out sketches of the three captors as well as a photograph of Apple printed from Raye’s phone. When she was confident that there were no questions, she nodded sharply at the group before turning on her heel and making her way to the helicopter that awaited the arrival of she and Hank.

[Rayvinn]

As the two buckled in and adjusted their headsets, Hank looked over at Rayvinn. “You’re quiet.”

“Just thinking about the mission,” Raye responded softly. Her mind was occupied by what she might find when they broke into that room. Would Andrea be alive? Would she want to be?

Hank placed his hand over Raye’s and gave a gentle squeeze. “Don’t think about it, Raye. If you think about it, you won’t be as focused on the rescue and something can go wrong.”

The elf nodded as she checked the pockets of her military tactical pants for the fourth time to be sure she had extra clips for both of her handguns; she did, of course. Each weapon was also removed from its holster and checked before being replaced, kevlar vest was secured over her tee shirt, com was working. Everything was ready and they were only two miles out from their destination. Absolute in her focus and determination, Rayvinn retreated to that quiet place within her mind as she always did just before a mission.

She felt the helicopter touch down before the voice in her headset notified them. Raye nodded curtly at Hank and hopped out, booted feet landing upon the concrete of the hotel rooftop with a soft thud. Her sidearm was pulled from the holster, the safety disengaged and her index finger rested gently along the barrel next to the trigger. Quick steps led them both to the rooftop doorway that led into the hotel which was secured only with a padlock. Raye smirked a little and watched Hank break the lock with the butt of his gun before removing it and tossing it away. He opened the door and Rayvinn moved inside first, utilizing her training and clearing the area visually before advancing. They continued this way, progressing slowly down the stairway between the tenth and eleventh floors until they reached the door leading onto the tenth floor. Hank looked at Raye and waited for her to give the signal that she was ready before he quietly opened the door and she stepped rapidly over the threshold with her weapon held in front of her.

There was a moment of surprise as she realized there was no one posted outside of this doorway. Either the Armenians were overly confident that they wouldn’t be found or Raye and Hank were walking into a trap. Eye contact was made between the two agents before Raye nodded and proceeded down the hall in a slow, sideways walk with Hank covering her should the trap be sprung. At the end of the hall she pressed her back to the wall and waited for Hank to catch up to her position. Once he was next to her, Raye lead with gun first and leaned around the corner to see if there were any guards. This time she noted two outside of the door at the far south end of the building, just where their intel had placed the room in which Andrea was being kept.

Rayvinn looked back at Hank and pointed at her eyes then lifted two fingers. He nodded and moved around so that they would be able to step around the corner at the same time to take out the two targets simultaneously to avoid alerting those inside the room of their presence; silencers were in place on both of their weapons so there was no need to worry over the sound of the gunshots from this far away. Raye lifted her hand and raised her index finger to start the countdown and once her ring finger raised at three, they both stepped into the hallway and took their shots. Without a sound, two bodies crumpled to the floor. The pair moved back into the cover of the intersecting hallway and waited for a few moments in case someone inside had heard the bodies drop.

Raye peeked around the corner before looking back at Hank then indicated with a flick of her hand that they should move on. Both stepped from their cover and made their way down the hallway, gazes sweeping in all directions for danger. It didn’t take long for them to arrive a couple of doors down from the room they assumed held Andrea, and Raye spoke in a low, calm voice. “What is the status on levels one through nine? Sound off.” In only a few moments she had confirmation that all nine levels were secured by her people. There would be no need to dispose of the bodies or take the next steps too quickly.

After nodding to Hank, Rayvinn pulled her other handgun from its holster and readied herself. When he turned the doorknob and gently pushed the door open, she stepped through with purposeful strides. A narrow hallway led from the door into a larger room with two doors on the right. Raye indicated with a gesture that Hank should take the doors and she would enter the main room, drawing most of the attention. He would dispatch any threat and remove Andrea from the premises, assuming she was behind one of those doors.

One last nod and those strides carried her into the entryway of the room; Hank heard the light clicking of her silenced weapons as she fired a shot from each of them simultaneously. He didn’t stop to check on the elf, having his own responsibility to perform on this mission.The first door he opened had been a small closet and once he cleared it, the door was closed and he moved on to the second door.

[Rayvinn]

As he entered he heard a female voice sobbing; Hank felt a conflicting sense of relief that he had found Andrea still alive along with a sense of dread as he stepped further into the bathroom and saw her sitting in the corner stripped of her clothing. A towel was grabbed from the counter and held out to her as he looked behind himself to the doorway he had just walked through. There stood Rayvinn with a rough looking darker skinned man held before her with her hand entangled painfully into his hair and a gun to his head. “The area is secured.” Her gaze shifted down to where Andrea was crumpled upon the floor and covered haphazardly by a towel. She watched as the redhead cringed and attempted to scoot further back as she looked at the man that Raye held before her. The elf’s face remained void of emotion but her eyes flashed with barely suppressed rage, having no doubt what had happened. The man was given a rough shove into the bathroom towards Hank. “Secure him,” she commanded roughly. Hank subdued the prisoner with a chickenwing hold and watched as Raye bent down to help Andrea up from the floor.

The redhead sobbed into the elf’s shoulder, her body shaking violently; every cry pierced Rayvinn’s heart until she was certain she couldn’t survive another moment. That was when she stepped back from Andrea and held out her weapon. “Take it,” she commanded the redhead with a voice thick with emotion. Apple could do little more than obey orders at this point so she reached out a trembling hand and accepted the gun. Raye moved to stand behind her and to the side and helped the redhead raise the pistol, aiming it at her rapist’s groin area.

“Pull the trigger.”

Apple sobbed and crumbled back against Rayvinn, wrapping her own arms around her waist. Raye held her for a moment as her own tears stung her eyes and trailed down a face straight out of a nightmare. She turned Apple back to face the man once more and pulled her arm up.

“If you do not do this, you will never be free from what he did to you. You will always be his victim and he will own part of you.”

An delicate boned hand wrapped around Andrea’s to help steady the gun as it was once again aimed at the man, though this time the redhead had it aimed center mass. Raye leaned in to whisper near the other woman’s ear.

“Pull the trigger.”

There was a split second of silence before the weapon was discharged and Andrea’s abductor stood holding his hands over a rapidly growing red spot just a little below his heart. Hank let the man go as he started to drop and looked up at Rayvinn and Andrea, the latter of the two staring wild eyed in disbelief at the man bleeding out on the bathroom floor. Rayvinn stared blankly for a moment before steering Andrea around the body, still alive but slowly losing that fight, and off into the main room. Her clothes were pulled from the bed and Raye assisted her in getting dressed while trying to block her view of the other two bodies laying dead on the floor, each with a solitary bullet wound to the forehead.

Once Apple was dressed and being led to the elevator, Raye tapped her intercom, “Rescue successful. Hank and I are bringing Ms. Anderson down now, have a car ready to take us to the medical center.”