Dani startled awake, not realizing she'd fallen asleep. She pulled her legs back toward her trying to conserve body heat. She was so cold. Her shoes and coat were gone. The cream-colored wool pencil skirt she wore was filthy and damp. She glanced around her cell noticing for the first time the plastic bucket in the corner. Her mortification didn't stand a chance against her body's needs. She quickly made use of the pail and returned to her corner. She pushed into it even though the cement wall was cold and leached body heat from her. She wrapped her hands around her knees and leaned forward just until her back and shoulders were off the wall. There was a loud shout of laughter outside her door. She heard people out there occasionally. Once, someone pounded on the door and sent her terror spiking, before a laugh echoed and the sound of their footsteps faded away. She dropped her cheek on top of her knees and stared at the side wall.

They wanted something from her dad. Danielle knew him well enough to know he'd give any amount of money to get her back, but if they wanted weapons? She closed her eyes tightly. She'd heard her dad's lecture about weapons falling into the wrong hands. He was a stickler for government regulations and compliance. He would never knowingly allow a criminal to illegally possess one of his weapons. No, if they wanted weapons, she knew he wouldn't pay.

She straightened and shoved more tightly in the corner when footsteps halted outside the door. She blinked as bright light flooded her six by ten cell. A rusty, dented, metal bowl hit the floor along with a plastic bottle of water. Half the food in the bowl fell onto the floor.

"Eat," a man grunted, before the door shut again. Danielle crawled to the center of the room and grabbed the water bottle. She could tell the cap had been opened. She unscrewed the top and sniffed the water. If they wanted to drug her again, it would probably be easiest to do it at meal time. She took a sip of the tepid water and recapped the bottle. If there were drugs in it, she wanted to mitigate the magnitude of the effect. The bowl contained a broth with beans. Danielle balked at the smell. She needed to eat, but she wasn't going to eat that. At least, not today. She pushed back into the corner. It was getting darker. The small window at the very top of her cell no longer illuminated her cement prison. Danielle dropped her head back. She wondered if her father had called Justin or if work had called him when she hadn't shown for her scheduled meetings. How long had she been gone? Where had they taken her? She didn't hear any city sounds, so probably somewhere upstate? Maybe? Wherever it was, it was quiet. No aircraft or vehicle sounds. There was no distant wail of emergency sirens or the erratic punctuation of horns and with a window at street level, it should. No, she was outside New York City, and that wasn't good. She could be anywhere upstate or maybe they took her south towards Virginia? There were a lot of places they could hide her out of sight, fairly secluded areas not more than a long car ride outside of the city.

A quick flash of red caught her attention. She stood and walked over to the far side of the cell. There it was again. The tiniest flash of red. She got close to the wall and stared through the darkness. A camera. She immediately glanced at the pail. Maybe it wasn't a wide-angle lens. Her captors were watching her. Not that she could escape. The only way out was through the ceiling, and that wasn't an option. The walls were smooth and even though she could free climb proficiently, getting up these walls and being able to work her way into the ceiling was next to impossible. Danielle inspected the corner under the camera. She might be able to crabwalk her way using the side walls as support, but without equipment, she'd fall before she could remove the ceiling tiles and figure a way out. Not only that, but there was a little problem called a camera. Danielle scurried to her corner at the sounds of a person walking. She waited, but the person outside the door lingered. There was no sound for several moments and then she heard the sound of footsteps echoing as they left. A chill of fear ran down her spine. Of all the things she'd been through, that pregnant pause outside her door scared her the most. Why did they stop? Why had they left? What had they wanted? Her mind chased thoughts down terrifying rabbit holes. She wiped away a tear that escaped. She wanted to go home. She wanted to be with Justin. She prayed her father had made the right choice and knew if he did, the right choice wouldn't result in a happy ending for her. At least she'd had happiness for a little while. She closed her eyes and hugged her legs. Justin's chiseled features and dark hair filled her mind's eye. She should have told him she loved him. Tomorrow is never guaranteed. She knew that, and still she hadn't told him her truth. Her mother's maniacal laugh ran through her memories. At least they hadn't said goodbye. She'd cling to that.

* * *

Justin crawled up to the edge of the wooded area behind the flat-roofed fortress comprised of smooth forty-foot-plus walls of concrete block covered in beige plaster—typical middle eastern construction. The sun was just starting to set, and he could see the guards walking on the top of the sandstone structure. The walls were smooth without handholds and the moat circled the entire compound. But he didn't care about that. He held Jacob's binoculars and examined the construction and angles of the outside walls. The team had moved as close in as they dared so he could look for a way in. There was only one option and that was a chimney climb. There was a jig in the wall making a three-sided rectangle of the sandstone. If he could reach that jig, he could get up the wall. He'd drape over the top when Jacob gave him the all clear, then the earpiece would be turned off. He didn't need or want help beyond that point. Jacob's team would take their places after he’d cleared the wall and then he'd find a way to neutralize the alarm system. His eyes swept the building one more time. No visible power lines meant a generator or underground power. Both were easy to ascertain and depending on what power source they used, he'd know where to go to nullify the alarm system.

"You can climb that?" Jacob's hand extended asking for the binoculars again.

Justin passed them to him. "Yes. No problem." He wasn't concerned about the climb. He'd make sure his equipment was secure, so it didn't make any noise, and then he'd scale the forty-foot walls.

"How are you going to get across the moat?" Dixon, or Drake, whichever, had bellied up beside them.

Justin pointed toward the far corner. "There is a rock halfway and a log on the other side that I'll use."

"Dude, you do realize the expanse of that jump, right?"

He whipped his head toward whichever twin was talking to him. "I know how to do my job. What about you? How are you crossing the damn moat?"

"Oh, hell, that's easy. When we get your word the alarms are defeated, we take out those four guards and cross the bridge. The gate is opened, and we traverse to the main building, go through the front door, taking out anyone in our way, and then we head downstairs, get the lady and get out. You make your way out while we are inside."

Justin swiveled his head toward Jacob who nodded in agreement. He rolled onto his back and closed his eyes.

"You going to sleep, dude?" That came from the twin on the opposite side.

He shook his head. "Running the blueprints through my mind. I have two possible power sources, and I need to determine the most likely place for the panel to be positioned. If I have a primary, secondary and tertiary location selected for both, I'll find the panel faster."

"That wall is at least fifty feet high." Doc sat with his back against the tree, blocked from view by a large outcropping of branches.

"I'd estimate forty to forty-three feet," He replied.

"Where do you think the power will be?"

"In a compound this size, I'd have a structure to house the incoming electrical and fiber or telephone cables. If the main structure has an UPS, it could be there also.”

"A UPS?"

"Uninterrupted power supply or maybe a secondary generator." He kept his eyes closed. He knew what he had to do, and he knew how to do it. The wildcard factors here were numerous. Personnel, power, positioning, type of alarm, type of triggering system, redundancy and most of all, where were they were keeping Danielle.

"Let's pull back. We'll break open some MREs, grab a bite and rest before we begin. We have at least four hours before it’s dark enough for you to scale that wall without being seen.