Kidnapped - Part 3
"Mon! Mon, can you hear me?" Wayne cried, shaking the girl. Getting no response, he picked her up, carrying her out into the night air. Her skin was like ice, but the faint pulse and quiet breathing gave him hope. He ran with her, hurrying back to the car where Ryan and Nikki Lynn waited. Ryan's eyes widened as he saw the look on Wayne's face. Nikki Lynn, by now somewhat recovered, gasped as Wayne climbed into the backseat, cradling Mon's frozen body in his arms.
"Drive!" Wayne ordered, startling Ryan out of his shock. Ryan started the engine and they were soon flying down the road. Wayne held Mon tight against him, rubbing her arms in a desperate attempt to warm her up. Nikki Lynn pulled the slightly damp blanket from around her own body and draped it over Wayne and Mon, figuring that it was better than nothing. She was much relieved when they pulled up in front of the hospital.
* * * * *
Greg, Colin, Holly, and Mel had been waiting for quite some time. Repeated attempts at calling Ryan's cell phone were thwarted by the annoying "The cellular customer you are trying to reach is currently outside the calling area" recording.
"Something's wrong," said Colin., "They should have been here by now."
The moon hung bright and full in the sky, and the streets around the La Brea tar pits were nearly empty.
"I'm sure they're fin," Mel said, reassuringly... But deep down, she had the nagging fear that things were far from fine. Holly took the opportunity to change the subject.
"So who is this... What did you say her name was?..." Holly asked.
"Nancy Caliban," Colin supplied, "We have no idea who she is... Although Ryan seemed to think the name sounded familiar."
"It sounded familiar to me, too," said Greg, "But I can't seem to place it."
"Well, did she say anything that might give us a clue as to how she knows you?" asked Mel.
"Most of what she said was just angry ranting... Something about us picking Wayne..." Colin began.
"Oh my God..."
"What?!" three voices cried in unison, turning to look at Greg.
"I think I just remembered why her name sounded so familiar..." said Greg, "Us picking Wayne over her... It didn't make much sense to me at the time, but now that I think more about it..."
"What?!" Holly asked, impatiently.
"I think she and Wayne auditioned together... for Whose Line," Greg continued, "In fact, I'm almost certain that she auditioned in the same group as Wayne did... Well, her and about ten other people... But I remember her because I think I made some crack about her last name..."
"What about her last name?" Mel asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Caliban is a character in 'The Tempest'", Greg explained. At the blank look he received, he added, "You know? Shakespeare?"
"Oh... right," said Mel, trying to remember if she ever had to read that...
"Anyway... If I remember right, her audition didn't go too well. She was either very nervous, or just not very good. Either way, she didn't get called back. Wayne did."
"So you guys did kinda pick Wayne over her," said Holly.
"I guess you could look at it that way..." Greg replied.
"I'd say Nancy *does* look at it that way," Colin added...
* * * * *
Wayne looked on anxiously through the small window of the trauma room. Mon looked positively lifeless as the doctors hurried to raise her body temperature. Wayne turned as he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"She'll be alright," said Ryan. Wayne nodded absently.
"How's Nikki?" he asked.
"Angry," Ryan replied with a slight smile, "I don't think she likes hospitals... I believe her exact words to the nurse were: 'You're going to have to physically restrain me if you want to stick *me* with any needles'."
"Needles?" Wayne asked.
"They wanted to start an IV," Ryan replied.
"What for? She seemed fine..."
"Dehydration," Ryan replied, "Apparently, Miss Caliban left the girls without food or water for a few days."
"So what did you do after she wouldn't let them start an IV?"
Ryan's smiled widened, "I physically restrained her while they stuck her with a needle."
On seeing Wayne's somewhat shocked expression, he quickly defended himself.
"I *had* to... I was the only one she wasn't willing to injure..."
"What about Linz and Brad?" asked Wayne, smiling for the first time in hours.
"We're just fine, thanks," a familiar voice replied. Wayne and Ryan turned to see Brad standing a few feet away.
"They're keeping Linz overnight for observation, but she's fine, and so am I," Brad continued, "What about the others?"
"Nikki Lynn is ok, but Mon..." Wayne turned back to the room, where doctors were bustling around Mon. He watched, his features set in a grim expression as they wheeled her out of the room and out of sight.
"What happened?" Brad asked, staring wide-eyed.
"She almost froze to death," said Wayne, his voice dull and monotone. The three men stood in silence for a moment before Ryan finally spoke up.
"We need to tell Greg and Colin where we are," he said, "They've got to be worried by now."
"I'll go... I've had just about all I can stand of hospitals today," Brad volunteered. Wayne nodded and handed him his car key.
* * * * *
Brad returned nearly an hour later, Greg, Colin, Mel, and Holly in tow. It was nearly one in the morning.
"How are they?" Mel asked.
"Nikki Lynn and Linz are fine. They won't tell us how Mon's doing," Wayne answered. Holly sat down next to him, putting her arm around his shoulders.
"She'll be alright," she said softly. Wayne nodded. It was Colin who broke the following silence.
"We think we've figured out just *who* Nancy Caliban is," he said suddenly.
"What?!" Wayne cried, "Who is she? Why did she kidnap the girls?"
They all listened intently as Colin and Greg explained.
"I remember her, I think," Ryan said when they finished, "She was pretty angry by the end of the audition. I think she knew she didn't do very well."
"Or maybe, the way she saw it, she was being upstaged by Wayne," Mel piped up.
"That would explain the bitterness," Greg commented dryly.
"If she's that angry at me," said Wayne, "Then I don't think we've seen the last of her..."
* * * * *
They passed the rest of the night in oppressive silence, the occasional question or comment doing nothing to spark conversation or alleviate the sense of morbid concern that hung in the air. They slept sporadically, and lightly.
At last, morning came. Mel stretched, her muscles sore from spending the night in the hard, uncomfortable chair. She stood up and woke the others, who murmured half-conscious protests before finally remembering where they were.
"Where's Holly?" Greg asked, yawning and scanning the group.
"I don't know. She was gone when I woke up," Mel replied, "She probably looking for the nearest cup of coffee..."
Wayne was already on his feet, looking for someone who could tell him how Mon was doing. Ryan set off to check on Nikki Lynn and Linz, while the other sat around, still half asleep.
* * * * *
"Hi Wayne," Mon said groggily. Wayne sat down next to the bed, relieved to see she was alright.
"Hi yourself," he responded, smiling. He had rushed into the room the moment the nurse had told him she was awake, ignoring her protests about visiting hours and hospital regulations. "You had us all worried."
Mon was about to reply when two rather large orderlies stepped into the room.
"I'm sorry sir, but visiting hours are nine to five. You'll have to come back later," one of the said. Wayne sighed and turned to Mon.
"I'll be back in a couple hours, ok?"
Mon nodded, leaning back on her pillow. Wayne stood and walked past the two orderlies and out the door. He heard the two men follow suit, closing the door behind them, and then suddenly a thud that seemed to echo through his skull, and the world went dark.
"Good work boys... Now pick him up and follow me," Nancy said as she approached from down the hall, "I have plans for him..."
* * * * *
"But you're supposed to be in bed," Ryan protested.
"I'm fine," Nikki Lynn replied, turning to the doctor who stood next to Ryan, "Now either you take this IV out of my arm, or I'll do it myself."
Ryan could tell by the tone of her voice that she meant it. The doctor finally gave in and removed the IV.
"Just remember, young lady," he said, clearly not at all happy about the situation, "You're doing this against my professional opinion."
"Fine. If I collapse in the hallway, you can say 'I told you so'," Nikki Lynn responded with a note of finality. At last, the doctor gave up and left the room, mumbling something unflattering about Nikki Lynn.
"I get the feeling you don't like doctors," Ryan sighed.
"Now whatever gave you that idea?" Nikki replied, an innocent grin plastered on her face.
"Hey NL? What the hell did you say to that doctor?" Linz called from the doorway. Ryan groaned.
"Don't tell me you're leaving against medical advice, too," he cried.
"Nope," said Linz, "I've been released."
"Can we go find the others?" Nikki asked, already headed for the door, "I want to find out how Mon is."
* * * * *
Holly inhaled the aroma of her coffee as she made her way back to the waiting room. It had been a long night. She absently wondered why Nancy had gone after the Brady Bunch instead of directly after Wayne. The only explanation she could think of was that Nancy wanted to hurt Wayne... to torment him. 'Great,' she thought, 'A female version of Wax... Just what we need.'
At the very moment, she happened to glance down a small side hallway as she walked by... and stopped dead in her tracks. Wayne's unconscious body was being half-carried, half-dragged down the hallway, towards a service elevator by two very large men. At least Holly *hoped* Wayne was just unconscious... Holly flattened herself against the wall, and cautiously peeked around the corner. A woman hurriedly waved the two men into the elevator.
"That's gotta be her," Holly whispered to herself. She resisted the urge to run down the hallway and try and help Wayne, knowing that she would be able to do nothing if she got caught, too. The group boarded the elevator, and the doors slid shut. Holly darted from her hiding place, and stopped in front of the elevator, watching the panel above it that showed which floor it was on. It stopped at the sub-basement...
* * * * *
Holly skidded to a halt in front of Greg, but only after nearly knocking Brad and Mel to the floor as she ran past.
"Holly?!" Brad yelled in surprise, "What's wrong?"
"She's got Wayne," Holly replied as she tried to catch her breath.
"Who's got Wayne?" Nikki Lynn asked. She, Ryan, and Linz had hurried down the hall when they had caught sight of Holly in such a rush.
"That woman! The one who abducted us! Nancy Caliban," Holly cried in frustration. 'Who the hell else would I be talking about?' she thought, but decided to keep the comment to herself.
"Oh God," Greg gasped, "Where did she take him?"
"To the sub-basement," came Holly's quick reply, "He was out cold, and she had two guys dressed up as hospital staff with her."
"Linz, you and Nikki Lynn go find a security guard and tell him what's going on," Greg directed, "They rest of us are going down to the sub-basement."
Before anyone had time to argue, Holly and Mel headed off in the direction that Holly had just come from, Ryan, Greg, Colin, and Brad right behind.
"Come on," said Linz, "I have a feeling they're going to need help down there. The sooner we get hospital security on this, the better."
* * * * *
"Wake up."
The voice was soft, but insistent... menacing. Wayne squeezed his eyes shut against the pain that radiated though his head before finally forcing them open. He looked up into the eyes of the woman who stood over him, and in his still somewhat dazed state, he wondered how she had gotten so tall. It took him a moment to realize that he was lying down. He tried to move, but found that he was securely strapped to a small table.
"Did you enjoy me little game?" she asked, "The girls *were* supposed to die... You sort of ruined that part, but still, it was fun watching you an your friends running all over the place trying to find them. It really doesn't matter. I'll just kill them off later. After I kill you."
As Wayne's head began to clear, he found his voice.
"I know why you're mad at me, but why are you involving the girls in this?"
"Oh, you *know* why I'm mad at you, hmmm..." Nancy's features, which under normal circumstances would have been rather attractive contorted into an expression of rage.
"You really think you understand me? I *doubt* it! Would you like me to enlighten you?" she ranted. She didn't wait for a response from Wayne, "*I* should be the one on Whose Line. If you hadn't gotten in my way, *I* would be the star. *I* would have the recognition! You stole that from me! You upstaged me *every* chance you got during my audition!"
Wayne winced as she backhanded him. Nancy leaned over him, lowering her voice to a whisper and leaning in close.
"But do you know what *really* annoys me? I was *so* much better than you, and they still picked you over me. All because your flashy little song and dance routine, which just *begged* for attention! It was because of you that they didn't call me back to be on the show. You stole the spotlight from the people with *real* talent... like me! I'm not only doing this for myself, but for everyone else you upstaged that day. And you want to know why I decided to bring your precious little 'Brady Bunch' into this? It's because they should have been *my* fans! Not yours! Mine! And I'm going to kill them... just so that you can die knowing that their days are numbered and it's all because of you!"
Nancy suddenly looked up as the sound of elevator doors opening echoed down the hallway and into the room.
"Well, I'll just bet that's them now," she said, flashing him a malicious smile, "I do hope you're no claustrophobic..."
Before Wayne could ask what she meant by that, Nancy gave the table on which he lay a hard shove, and it slid back into the wall. Wayne's eyes widened as he found himself in an uncomfortably tight compartment, cold air wafting around him. He lifted his head, looking down the length of his body toward the small opening at his feet where Nancy stood.
"It was very gracious of you to let me kill you in a hospital... Saves me the trouble of having to hide your body..."
With that, she swung the door at Wayne's feet shut, and Wayne was engulfed in darkness. The door suddenly opened again.
"Oh, and by the way... Don't bother holding out any hope of getting out of here. These things are completely airtight. You've got *maybe* ten minutes of oxygen in there."
With a quiet laugh, she closed the door again.
"Help!" Wayne yelled, but in the back of his mind, he wondered if anyone would even be able to hear him from in here...
* * * * *
Ryan stepped cautiously out of the elevator.
"Be careful," he called back over his shoulder. The others quickly followed him out into the hallway. Fluorescent lights buzzed overhead. Mel couldn't help but shudder at the deathly quiet of this section of the hospital.
"Where are we anyway?" she asked. Holly gasped as she saw the sigh above the double doors at the end of the empty hall... the *only* doors in the hall.
"The Morgue," Holly replied quietly.
* * * * *
"You two, aver there," said Nancy, motioning to a curtain that hung from the ceiling. The two men who had carried Wayne to the morgue obediently hid themselves, and Nancy sat down on a nearby table, as the double doors swung open.
"Well, hello again," she said as Ryan and Greg stepped into the room.
"What had you done with Wayne?" Greg asked, suspiciously, glaring at the woman.
"Oh, he's... around..." she smiled.
"Where is he?" Ryan demanded as he took a threatening step toward her. He suddenly felt strong hands twisting his arms behind his back. A step behind him, he heard Greg yelp in pain, and he knew that Greg was in a similar situation.
"I suggest you refrain from threatening me..." Nancy hissed.
* * * * *
"Can you hear what's going on in there?" asked Mel.
"Shhh..." Colin shushed her as he listened at the door, "I don't like this. I get the feeling she's expecting us..."
Suddenly, the doors flew open, throwing Colin back, into Brad and Holly, and the three of them tumbled to the floor. Mel looked on as the two men who had kicked open the doors stalked toward them. Behind them, Mel could see Ryan and Greg handcuffed to a pipe that ran along the far wall. The two men seized Mel and Holly as Nancy appeared in the doorway.
"Let go of them!" yelled Brad as he clambered to his feet.
"Ah, ah, ah," Nancy taunted, "You wouldn't want Carl and Alex here to hurt your little friends, now would you? Both of you, on your feet and inside."
Brad helped Colin up, and then quickly stepped through the doors.
"Over there," Nancy directed, pointing to where Ryan and Greg stood. She followed them over, and before they knew it, both Colin and Brad were also handcuffed to the pipe. She turned to Mel and Holly.
"Now for you two."
Nancy's henchmen dragged the girls over to the opposite side of the room, tying them back to back, making sure they weren't going anywhere. Nancy brandished a gun.
"I realize this isn't quite as clever as the little death traps I made for you girls earlier, but it's just as effective. And once I finish with you two, I'm going to go and take care of the three who are still lying helpless upstairs..."
She motioned for her men to guard the doors as she took aim at the girls.
'She doesn't know Nikki Lynn and Linz went for help!' Mel thought with a sudden spark of hope. The doors slammed open once again, admitting a half dozen security guards, and another half dozen police officers, all of whom had their guns drawn... And right behind them stood Nikki Lynn and Linz...
"No!" Nancy screamed.
"Nancy Caliban, you are under arrest for kidnapping and attempted murder," said one of the officers.
"Oh really?" Nancy answered in a mocking tone. She glanced at her two men, who threw themselves at the police, as Nancy turned and ran out the doors at the other side of the room. By the time the two men were under control and in handcuffs, she was long gone.
"Don't worry," said one of the officers, "We'll have every cop in town looking for her in a matter of minutes. She won't get far."
"But where's Wayne?" Nikki asked. Linz untied Holly and Mel while one of the police officers unlocked the guys. One of Nancy's men laughed as he was being escorted out.
"You'll never find him in time," he snickered.
"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Brad. The man didn't answer, smiling gleefully. Mel paled.
"I think I know..." she said, looking over at the refrigeration units that lined two of the walls in the room.
"Oh my God," said Nikki Lynn. Everyone in the room who wasn't already busy with something tore into the units, yanking open the square, metal doors, searching for Wayne. With every passing minute, the search became more and more desperate, the searchers finding some of the cabinets empty, and other occupied, but no Wayne. Suddenly, Mel cried out.
"Over here!"
Mel slid the metal platform out from the tiny cabinet, revealing Wayne's motionless body. Holly quickly joined her, as did everyone else.
"He's alright," said Holly, her fingers pressed against Wayne's neck, "Just unconscious.
The group breathed a collective sigh of relief as Wayne began to come around. Minutes later, he was on a stretcher being taken upstairs, despite mild protests that he was fine.
* * * * *
"So they still haven't found her?" Mon asked. The group had crowded into her room, detailing to her all that had happened.
"Not yet," said Ryan, "No one seems to have seen where she went... She just disappeared."
"And what's worse," Wayne continued, "She's probably angrier than ever now..."
"The police will find her, Wayne," said Linz, "She can't run forever."
"I've already called Lion," Ryan added, "And he's putting together his own search."
"You girls be careful when you get home," Greg piped up, "She managed to abduct you once... She might try again."
"Don't worry," Nikki Lynn replied, "We're gonna be keeping a eye out for her. Just make sure you guys don't spend so much time worrying about us that you forget to watch your own backs."
* * * * *
Nancy glared at the road in front of her as she sped down the highway.
'You may have stopped me,' she thought, 'But next time... Next time I won't underestimate you, or your little 'Brady Bunch'... You haven't seen the last of me...'
The End.
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