Vincent and Maya pushed through the curtain. The scene in the front room of the bar was tense. Sam was stood near to the bar, his pistol trained on the barman. It looked to Vincent as if he was shaking.

There were hushed conversations taking place at the occupied tables, but as Vincent looked over, they fell silent. It seemed to him that no one had left. Sam had managed to keep things under control out here.

The pair walked across to the panicking Sam.

Vincent placed a hand on his shoulder. “Everything okay Sam?”

He quickly glanced over his shoulder to Vincent and back to the barman. “Just about… When you started shooting back there, people started to panic and tried to leave. I did it just like you said, I fired a couple of shots into the ceiling and told everyone to stay seated. It was going to plan, but he was reaching for something under the bar. I’ve had him like this ever since.”

The barman was standing back from the bar, his hands in the air.

“You did good.” Vincent twisted and gave Maya a nod.

She stepped up to the bar, leaned over and reached behind. She was searching for whatever it was the barman had reached for. A moment later she pulled out an ancient looking shotgun. She stepped back, with the weapon trained on the barman.

She looked across to Sam. “Looks like you made the right move. Things would’ve got messy in here if he’d used this!”

Seeing the weapon now safely in Maya’s hands, Sam relaxed somewhat. “What about you two? From the sound of things, it got messy back there.”

Maya shifted her balance as she looked to Sam while still watching the barman out of the corner of eye. “It did, but both of us were unharmed.”

Vincent patted Sam’s arm, so he lowered the pistol. “It’s okay Sam, we found out everything we needed to. Your family are alive, we know where there being kept.”

Both of Sam’ arms dropped to his side as he turned to face Vincent. “Really? They’re really okay?”

Sam was shaking again, but for a different reason than before.

Vincent smiled as he nodded reassuringly. “We won’t know for certain until we go there and find out for ourselves, but that’s what the boss told us. I don’t think he was lying.”

The pistol slipped from Sam’s hand and fell to the ground. He stepped forward and threw his arms around Vincent. “Thank you! I don’t know what I could’ve done without your help.”

Vincent awkwardly patted Sam on the back. “I told you I’d help, didn’t I? Let’s hold off on the celebrations, until we know for sure.”

Sam let go of Vincent and took a step backwards. “Right, yes, you’re right sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

Then Sam’s expression turned serious. “But what about your friends?”

“I don’t know if they’re okay, but now I know where to look for them.”

“What are you going to do now?”

“After we get your family free, I’m going to look for them…” He looked across the bar, the people there were still huddling around the tables. “We should get moving. Now the shootings stopped, the local’s excuse for police could show up any time.”

Sam nodded. “Right.” He bent over and picked up the pistol he had dropped.

Vincent turned to Maya. “Come on we’re leaving.”

She waved the shotgun in the barman’s direction. “What do you want to do about him?”

Vincent waved it off. “Just leave him.”

The barman dropped his hands. “What did you do back there, are they all dead?”

Maya’s finger twitched on the trigger of the shotgun. “Hands back up!”  

The barman realising his mistake, pulled his hands back up in the air in a flash.

Vincent turned and stepped to the bar. “It’s okay Maya…” Then he looked at the man. “Not all of them.”

The barman was trembling, he had turned white. “W-what about the girls?”

“They’re alive.”

He breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank god.”

Vincent gave him a questioning look. “What are they to you?”

The barman was silent for a moment as he seemed to weigh up the quest and if he should answer it. “One of them is my sister… It’s the only reason I work here, if not I’d have nothing to do with place.”

“That explains it then. I promise you she’s okay. You’re probably going to need to look for a new job though.”

The barman didn’t look to concerned about that prospect.

Vincent signalled to Maya and the three left the bar, then stepped out into the street. It was quiet outside. The gunshots had cleared the area. There were just a couple of curious locals that were still watching on.

Seeing the rubberneckers, they hurried along the street before anyone could get a good look at them. They turned into the nearest side street and then started making their way to the building that the boss had told them about.

 

 

 

Milo slowly opened his eyes. He had to blink because the bright light from the room was making him squint. It took him some time to get his bearings, this place was completely unfamiliar to him, and his head was swimming. Then he tried to move. He couldn’t, there were restraints on his wrists and legs. All he could do was lift his head up a little, which he did in an attempt to work out where he was.

Then the events leading up to his awakening came flooding back to him. He and his sister had been kidnapped. They were the only survivors from the reserve. Their captors had been holding them in a makeshift cell and the only interaction they had with them, was when they were brought food.

After that there had been a hissing sound and a strange smell. It was gas, they had both tried not to breath it in. They struggled to stay conscious, but they couldn’t. Then blackness, then he was here. Wherever here was.

The ceiling above his bed was pure white. He was surrounded on all sides by curtains, there was no way for him to tell where he was, or who else was here.

Fear struck him like a lightning bolt. He strained against his restraints, then shook himself madly and called out. “Felicia!”

A voice immediately answered from the other side of the curtain to his right. “Calm down Milo, you’ll injure yourself if you don’t!”

He fell still. “Felicia!” This time he said the name in relief.

“Yes, it’s me! I’m so glad you woke up. I was worried that I was here all alone and something had happened to you.”  

“I’m okay, just a little woozy. What about you? Are you okay?”

“The same, just woozy, but I’m okay.”

“Where are we?”

“I don’t know. I only woke up a little while ago and I’ve been strapped to the bed the entire time.”

“I don’t like this…”

“I don’t either, but you need to stay calm.”

The pair were hushed as they heard a door open somewhere beyond their curtained blocks. There were people talking.

“We’ll take the girl up first. Have her prepared.” Said the first voice.

“Yes doctor.” Answered the second.

There was a swoosh and a clink as the door closed. Footsteps approached, then Milo could hear the curtains being pulled in the cubical next to his own.

Felicia’s restraints clinked as she tried to move and get a better look at her visitor. “Who are you?”

“I’m here to look after you, now please stay still.”

“Hold on what’s that. No, no, I don’t want, I don’t…” Felica’s voice trailed off.

This sent Milo back into a panic. He begun violently flailing inside his restraints. “Felicia! Felica, please answer me!”

She didn’t answer, all he heard was the same footsteps approach his own cubical. The curtain was flung open, and a woman dressed in an unfamiliar unform stepped inside.

 He stiffened up. “Who are you? What happened to Felicia?”

The woman smiled. “Your sister is fine. I need to stay still.”

“What? No!”

The nurse approached him, a full syringe in her hand.

Milo struggled against his restraints, insistent he wouldn’t stay still so she could inject him. It was no use, she tightened the cuff on his wrist and attached another just under his elbow. He couldn’t move at all.

The syringed pierced his skin. “Ow!”

“I told you to stay still.”

His eyelids grew heavy. “Felicia! Felic…” Milo’s consciousness faded once again.

 

 

 

The trio were standing outside a large, residential looking building. It had taken the group about ten minutes to locate the building the boss had indicated. It was situated away from Dissolutions main streets, so the area was quiet. This didn’t mean it was pleasant.

Just like the section where they found the first hideout, most of the people that were frequented the area appeared to be down and outs. In the two minutes that they had been waiting outside the entrance a few very dishevelled looking people had come and gone from the building. It appeared that it was connected to the gang, at the very least many of the inhabitants were their customers.

There was no sign of guards in the small foyer of the building. Seemingly satisfied that it was safe, Maya approached the entrance. The doors opened in front of her.

She turned back to the others. “Aren’t we going inside?”

“We are.” Vincent turned to Sam. “Come on, let’s go and find your family.”

Maya stepped inside the foyer, closely followed by Vincent and Sam.

There was a working elevator from the room and there were steps at the far end, next to the corridor that led to the ground floor.

Maya passed the lift. “Let’s take the steps. It’ll be safer.”

Vincent nodded in agreement. “Okay, steps it is.”

Sam laughed. “Steps again… Just glad this time I’m not injured!”

The three climbed the steps towards the seventeenth floor. They didn’t pass a single person on their way up.

As they reached the floor, Maya signalled for them to stop as she approached the door.

Vincent checked his bio scanner. “What is it?”

He wasn’t picking anything up in the corridor, but he knew Maya carried a much more sophisticated device.

She looked back. “A strange reading… It appears they’ve taken the lift down. We’re clear, let’s go.”

She slowly pushed the door open and stepped into the corridor. Vincent followed her, holding the door open for Sam.

The room they were looking for was at the far end of the corridor.

Its door had been modified. Most of the doors in the corridor had the standard electronic mechanisms and would open automatically for their owners. Not this one. The extra lock required the mechanical key they had been given by the boss.

Maya held out her hand. “The key?”

Vincent reached into his pocket and pulled out the key, then passed it to Maya.

The mechanical lock clinked loudly as she turned the key. She pulled on the handle, but the door didn’t budge. “Damn him, there’s another lock!”

“What? We can’t get inside.” Sam asked alarmed.

Maya shook her head. “Don’t worry this will only take me a moment.”

She quickly overrode the security for the door. It slowly opened.

Maya stepped to the side. “I think you should go first.”

Sam nodded. “Thank you.” He stepped inside.

There was rustling just inside the door and a woman’s voice. “It’s okay, it’s okay.”

Sam slowly made his way along the short entrance corridor, then he stepped out into the room beyond.

A woman was holding her children, they were huddled into the far corner of the room as they waited.

The children were first to break the silence. “Daddy!”

There was a muffled gasp as she recognised the man stood before her. “Darling, but how! They told me you were dead…” The woman let go of her children, stood up and ran to her husband.

He welcomed her embrace and held her tightly. “It’s okay, I’m okay. We’re all going to get out here, you don’t have to worry about them anymore.”