>??? >0630.../// Ava woke up screaming. Her eyes snapped open and immediately she was assaulted with bright fluorescent lighting stabbing into her eyes. She shut her eyes reflexively, her breathing coming in heavy, sob filled gasps as her shaking hands slapped over her torso. She searched for injuries, for bloody tears in her flesh like the ones she witnessed in her nightmare. She felt something tug at her hands as she tried to move them and was suddenly aware of a loud, shrill rapid beeping piercing into her ears. [i]What the fuck is going on!?[/i] Her mind screamed, her heart started beating faster than before and the beeping grew louder and more rapid. At the sound of her struggling and screaming, a door burst open and curtains were ripped away to reveal a man bedecked in scrubs; blue pants and a floral pattern shirt. He had tired eyes that his hopefully calming smile tried to reach, but to no avail, “Calm, calm, it’s okay!” He cooed, glancing at her vitals, and satisfied nothing but the fright was getting to her, looked back at her, “Do you know where you are? What happened?” Ava jerked at the voice and peeled open her eyes, squinting both from the lights and the absence of her glasses. “W-who are you? Where am I!?” She asked, her eyes adjusting enough to the lights that she could make out the scrubs he was wearing. She looked away from him, her eyes frantically darting around the room to take in her blurred surroundings. It looked like she was in a hospital room, but why was she in the hospital? Her mind started racing over the past evenings events, but the last thing she remembered was failing to get into the CPS database and then going to sleep. “It’s okay, Miss, you’re in the hospital. You’re safe. I’m Tony, what’s your name?” He asked, stepping back so he wasn’t looming over her. “Why am I in the hospital?” She asked, her breathing starting to slow but there was still a quickness to it born of fear and confusion. “You were found wandering. No ID, no shoes, nothing.” He looked sorry, clearing his throat, he said, “A gentleman brought you in, but he left before you woke. Do you have anyone you can call?” “Gentleman?” Ava asked, her breathing returning somewhat to normal but her heart felt like it was trying to fly out of her chest. “Yeah, yeah I have people to call.” She said, rubbing her hand over her sweat slick forehead. “What did the man that brought me in look like?” “Five-ten, six-foot, maybe? Black hair, white guy.” Tony said, scratching his own dusky skin, he was just a head taller than Ava, “Kinda looked, I don’t know, sad. He seemed like he cared a lot, he was really worried. Never gave us a name though.” “Did he have an accent?” Ava asked with a frown, her mind whirling. It sounded like...But it couldn’t have been. Tony shook his head, eyeing her vitals again before continuing, “No.” he shrugged, “Not one from around here. West coast, far from here.” Ava continued to frown as she processed the information and tried to keep herself calm. “Okay, uh, I need to make a phone call, but one last question. Did I do or say anything...unusual?” “You were screaming. When we stabilized you, you kept talking about Tom. Was that the guy’s name?” Tony asked. “The one that brought you in?” “I...don’t know.” Ava answered, a chill running up her spine as the name rang familiar. “Uh, can I get a phone and a pad of paper and a pencil? Also what hospital is this?” As Tony pushed himself off the wall he was leaning on, he smoothed out his scrubs and spoke, “United Hospital Center.” He smiled, “I’ll go get a phone and some paper.” He turned back to her before he left, eyebrow quirked and pursed lips, “You know, if you get the feeling like you might’ve known this guy… like he did something to you… we’re more than happy to contact the police or something.” He tried to regain a more positive stance, “But I am glad that you’re alright. I’m sorry for the fright you had.” “Thank you.” Ava smiled tiredly, trying to ignore the creeping sense of dread in her stomach as she pieced together what happened. “I don’t believe he did, I think he was just...a kind bystander that helped out a sleeping walking woman.” Tony chuckled and nodded, “Me too.” [hr] EARLIER.../// Donnelley woke up reaching for his gun. There was frantic knocking at the door and he looked at the clock, barely six o’clock in the morning. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and grasped up the pistol on his nightstand. Still in his boxers, he put his eye to the peephole and saw Avery, looking up and down the hallway before he went back to beating the shit out of his door. He ripped it open and grabbed Avery by the shoulder, hauling him in stumbling. “Shit!” “You wanna wake up the whole goddamn floor, son?” Donnelley jabbed his finger into Avery’s chest, to which the younger man stepped back and smoothed his shirt down, fixing Donnelley with an indignant eye. “She’s fucking gone, dude.” Avery opened, and Donnelley was frozen in confusion. “What?” “Ava, she’s fucking gone, dude.” Avery swallowed, running a hand through his hair and swearing under his breath. “Fuck.” Donnelley threw on a pair of pants and rushed out the door, tossing the handgun on his bed, Avery on his heels. “I woke up the guys and the girls are already awake.” Avery said from behind Donnelley, paying half-attention as he pounded a fist on THUNDER’s room. “Open the fuck up, Queen, Ghost.” Donnelley said, voice raised. When the door opened, Queen stood with rumpled hair and a leopard print sleep mask shoved up on his forehead. His eyes sharpened as he saw the expressions on the men's faces and he stepped back, opening the door to let them in. He stood in his black silk boxers, the full extent of his tattoos on display over his lean muscled chest and back. "Morning, boys. What's up?" “Get dressed,” Donnelley spoke pointedly as he made his way in, before glancing down at his own naked torso, “Ava’s… missing.” Queen's attention snapped up, clearing the sleepiness. "How the hell is she missing with that hillbilly helicopter hovering around her?" While he joked dryly he was pulling on a pair of jeans and digging out a clean t-shirt. Queen sat on the bed to put his boots on, glancing at Donnelley. Ghost dressed swiftly, layers of hard muscle disappearing beneath his usual “gray man” aesthetic. Cargo pants, navy blue shirt, hiking boots, and his gun. He pulled on a dark brown ball cap and stood. “It’s not like you weren’t sniffing at her panties,” Ghost grunted. “Does she have a phone? Has anybody tried calling her yet?” Queen only ticked his eyebrows up with a sly smirk as he tucked away the compact handgun and knife, concealed from view. “She left it.” Avery spoke, a voice of defeat already that Donnelley wanted to shove out of the room. “Meet up in the men’s room.” Donnelley left it at that, heading there quick as he could, but making a detour to put on a shirt and a pair of jeans, as well as to grab his gun. By the time he got to his destination, he saw both Dave and Jason fully dressed and nodded at their readiness. He knocked at the lady’s room, hearing the shuffling of the girls getting ready, “It’s Donnelley.” He said. Laine yanked the door open, dressed comfortably in black leggings and a Blondie t-shirt. "I'm calling the hospitals," she said, moving out of their way and picking up her phone. Dave joined Donnelley, his face creased with worry. He had a dip jammed in his lip and his hat pulled low over his sleep-tousled hair. “We gonna go lookin’, or what?” He asked. “What’s the plan? Should we start goin’ to hospitals?” “We need to figure out what the fuck even happened,” Donnelley said, rubbing the wrinkles in his forehead, he turned to Laine and Pari, “You two didn’t notice Ava walk on out?” Pari shook her head, “No. We were all asleep, the girl’s quiet.” “Nobody noticed anything?” Donnelley growled. Pari said nothing, just got to work packing her things. “I thought we were safe-“ “Obviously fuckin’ not.” Donnelley held a knife-hand in Avery’s face, sighing as he withdrew it, “Call Detective Roy, see if State PD has anythin’ on anybody who looks like Ava. Fuck it, call Dawant, I don’t give a shit. Check with the front desk to see why they didn’t fuckin’ ask what the hell was goin’ on, check cameras.” Donnelley paused, rubbing a slow hand along his lengthening beard, “If they came through, why didn’t they spring Jay?” Laine tapped her phone, "No one fitting her description at the Clarksburg hospital. I'll try the others. Anyone check with the front desk?" She was already going to the door, her brow furrowed. Laine had shared a bed with Ava as Pari took the other in the motel room. A fist of guilt gripped her heart, she must have slept through whatever woke Ava and prompted her to leave the room. Dave started at the mention of Jay and his goons, his work-weathered hands balling into iron-hard fists. Without a word he stormed down the hall, banging on THUNDER's door until the imposing figure of Ghost pulled it open with an annoyed glare. "Jay," Dave snarled, pushing past the operator. His blood was boiling, handsome face twisted with rage and worry. He barged into the bathroom and snatched Jay by the throat, opening the conversation with a thunderous punch that flattened the Nazi's nose. "Where the fuck did they take her?!" Ghost quirked an eyebrow but said nothing, simply leaning against the bathroom door and watching the show. “What the fuck are you talking about!?” Jay screamed back, his voice noticeably more nasally after the blood started pouring from it, “What the fuck!” “Dave, stand the fuck down!” Donnelley’s voice came from the doorway, his hand held out in peace but his face stern, “You think they’d leave their boy? Leave him alive, at least? We keep shoutin’ somebody’s gonna come askin’, let that fuckin’ prick bitch go.” Queen glanced at Ghost then shrugged, going over to Dave to try and separate him from the helpless Jay. "C'mon, listen to Tex," he said, grabbing Dave's upper arm to pull him away. Dave snarled and shoved Queen away, but stopped himself from swinging. With visible effort he mastered himself, taking deep, slow breaths. Finally he turned back to Jay, pointing a blunt finger at him. "If you're lyin' to me, I'm gonna kill you," he growled. "By Jesus, I swear it. I'll kill you with my bare hands." Queen saw the violence flash in Dave's eyes and held his hands up though he kept himself in a defensive stance in case the Ozark boy had second thoughts. “What the fuck, what the fuck, man…” Avery had a hand to his forehead and was looking between Dave and the door, just waiting for a cop to come strolling in. Dave growled and pushed his way out of the room, storming back to his own quarters. Ghost watched him go, then shot a glance at Queen and Donnelley. "Didn't think the hillbilly was a fighter," he said. "At least he can throw a punch." Queen grabbed some toilet paper and wiped at the blood on Jay's face and examined the damage to the nose. Satisfied the man could breathe, he tossed the paper in the toilet and flushed. "Oh yeah, hell of a right hook to the tied up guy," Queen replied, then turned to Tex. "Want us to drive around the neighborhood, maybe she just went for a walk or something." Ghost snorted and rolled his eyes. "She probably just quit. But if we're going to panic, I guess we're going to panic. You're driving, Queen." Donnelley put his hands on his hips, looking from the path of destruction that Dave left to Jay, and the river of blood cascading down his confused face, “Shotgun, I guess.” [Hr] Laine returned from the office, holding the phone to her ear as she spoke, "Yes, mid twenties, a lot of red hair, glasses. Caucasian, petite build. I think she was wearing a t-shirt, with a cartoon on it. Yes, I'll hold again." She leaned against the wall just inside the door, folding her free hand under her other arm as she waited. Across from her, Donnelley sat on the edge of the bed, watching Laine as she stared at the ground with the phone to her ear. He wondered just how and why this could happen. He’d made a promise to Ava that she’d never be alone, and he aimed to keep that. He held his phone in his hand and he looked down at it, no calls or texts from Ava still. He was worried. But nobody needed another person to be flying into panic like Dave and his fists. “How many have you called?” Laine looked up and said, "Two, the hospitals in Clarksburg and I'm calling the one closer to Bridgeport. I'm on hold." She put her hand on her hip, huffing a sigh as the audible Muzak tinkled over the phone. Donnelley sighed, putting his cell away and looking at Laine, “I need to ask you about Ava.” He said, “About what she saw and what happened.” Laine shook her head, "I don't know much, other than I saw her screaming and clawing at her eyes as we got into the salt circle but I'm pretty sure it was before it arrived, I think, but it was chaotic." The hold music cycled once more as Laine continued, "Something came into the house, something big and...well, I closed my eyes after reading the word that Renko gave us." “Try to think back if you can. Did she see it before or after?” Donnelley asked. Laine closed her eyes, the line clicked but went back on the infinite loop of smooth jazz. She pictured the scene, of Dave ushering Pari and Ava to the salt circle. Just before the thing appeared. "Before," she said, opening her eyes. "When Dave brought them out of the room she was screaming and scratching, he got her to stop but the panic was there. It was before. You might talk to Dave, he mentioned something about 'before', said he had a talk with her about what happened." Donnelley nodded, slow as he looked away from Laine. From what Ava had told him, he knew it was true. Why Foster had taken personal interest in Ava was beyond him, perhaps just a way to protect an asset that could be valuable in the future. Stick her in a place no one would think to look- Logistics- and pluck her out when the time came. When the time came… time for what? Donnelley sighed, he was getting in his own head, like Iraq. He gave Laine a small smile as he stood, “We’ll find her. She’s alright.” Donnelley nodded, trying to sound like he knew for a fact, “Thank you for talkin’ with me.” He turned for the door and stopped just short, “Some of the boys and I are going for a ride, see if we can find her on a stroll, maybe. Just call me if you need anything.” Laine nodded, meeting his gaze the gnawing fear she felt but refused to voice reflected in his eyes. "Ma'am, you still holding?" Laine almost dropped her phone at the interruption of the hold music. She tapped the speaker button and replied, "Yes, I'm here." "Sorry for the wait, but we did have someone brought in that matches your sister's description." "Is she okay? Can I talk to her?" Laine snapped at the morsel of information. "I can't release any information," the nurse said then paused, "But she's awake." [hr] >UNITED HOSPITAL CENTER >CLARKSBURG, WV >JUL.22?.2019 >0630.../// Tony knocked before he entered again, a cell phone and some printer paper in either hand. He wheeled the little desk over to Ava’s bed and placed both items down, along with a pencil he retrieved from one of his pockets, “Here.” Tony smiled, taking a seat on one of the chairs, “Phone’s mine, by the way. Need a phone book or...?” “No thanks, I know the number.” She said, giving him the best smile she could muster. “I...I don’t suppose I can have some privacy during this call?” She asked, her voice hopeful. “Oh, yeah. Sure.” Tony stood, and gave her another smile before he rounded the corner outside. Ava watched him leave then picked up the phone to quickly dial Donnelley’s burner. “Please pick up. Please pick up.” She whispered to herself as she held the phone to her ear, her eyes darting to the doorway. “Who is this?” Donnelley’s voice came quick and firm, not recognizing the number from the sparse contact list in his issued phone. Ava felt some of her anxiety ease away hearing the familiar voice. “It’s me, Ava.” She said, her voice softening unintentionally as she felt emotion well in her chest. “I’m at United Hospital.” “You’re at the hospital?” He asked, his voice equal parts confusion and relief, “We’ll be there. Are you hurt?” “No, just freaked out.” Ava answered. “I‘ll tell you everything when you get here.” [hr] >UHC, Clarksburg, WV >0700.../// Donnelley had the door open even before the vehicle came to a full stop in the parking space, stepping out and heading straight for the front door. Once they’d gotten confirmation that Ava was here and that they knew her, they were given the directions to her room. At every moment on the way here, and peering around every corner of the hospital’s hallways, Donnelley was looking for anyone watching them. The possibility this may be a trap did not elude him, get the team out in the open and snap photos of them, get their identities. But the long walk was uneventful. They made it to Ava’s room’s door and Donnelley gingerly opened it. He stepped inside and the sight of Ava seemingly unharmed lifted a weight from his shoulders, “God, you’re alright…” he smiled. Ava straightened up in bed when the door opened, the sight of Donnelley’s familiar face making relief flood through her. “Hi.” She said, giving a weak smile as she waved to him. “I’m sorry.” Dave had been tense since the morning began. From the beginning he had seen himself as a sort of protector; he couldn’t really hang with the tactical boys on equal footing, but he was hell in a gunfight and viciously protective of his friends. When Ava went missing, it had felt like a failure. He’d let his guard down, and the most vulnerable of their little family had vanished from under him. He slipped past Donnelley and approached the bed, bending down to pull Ava into a firm hug. “Thank God, I thought they had ya,” he said, squeezing her tightly. “Are ya alright? You okay? Not hurt or nothin’?” Ava squeaked from the strength of the hug, her arms pinned to her sides but she lifted her hands up to pat and hug Dave back as best she could. “I’m okay.” She answered, her voice muffled by his shirt as the scent of cologne mixed the smell of earth and pine filled her nose. She relaxed a little more. “I’m sorry for scaring you all.” Laine appeared beside Donnelley in the doorway, the worried furrow of her brows still visible. "You sure did, what happened?" “I slept walked.” Ava answered, patting Dave to release her from the hug. “Right into the hospital?” Donnelley asked, “Do you remember anythin’? At all?” “I remember a horrifying nightmare with the Hound.” Ava said when Dave pulled away from the hug. “According to the hospital staff I was screaming and crying about ‘Tom’.” She shuddered feeling the terror and anxiety start to creep back but she tried to focus on getting everything out. “They said I was found wandering and that a man brought me in. He didn’t leave a name or anything, but I had my suspicions so I drew this.” She pulled out a folded up piece of paper from behind her pillow and handed it over to Dave. “It’s Renko, I showed it to the nurses that saw him bring me in and they said it looked a lot like him.” Laine crossed her arms, studying the picture from her vantage point then looked at Ava. "Who is Tom?" Ava shrugged stiffly and shook her head, her expression paling. “It’s...from the nightmare.” She straightened up in the bed and looked at them all, pleadingly. “Can we leave?” “Yeah, ‘course we can,” Dave tucked the picture in his pocket and gave Ava a gentle pat on the shoulder. “We’ll talk about all this later. Gonna get you outta here first.” “Tom,” Donnelley said, eyes wide as he looked to Laine, “No…” Donnelley swallowed hard, placing his hands on his hips and pacing the room before he left, gingerly letting it close behind him before making his way back to the vehicles. He’d assumed Tom had maintained contact with Foster, maybe he’d been on a case that was pressing or his Supervising Agent with the FBI was grilling him harder than Jason’s. He hadn’t been around for a while, though. [hr] Donnelley rapped his foot on the concrete in mania, dragging hard off a cigarette and paranoid eyes scanning the parking lot with an anxious violence set in his shoulders. The ring in his earpiece trilled again before being cut off and replaced with Foster’s voice, “Donnelley.” “Foster, Ava had another dream-“ “Get to Massachusetts.” Foster said, words quick, “As soon as [i]fucking possible.[/i]”