Not a flicker of light lit the room within, and there was no sound of breathing to indicate that a body occupied the king-sized bed in one corner of the room. The only resident of the space within was darkness, entire and absolute.

Tenebrosity unnerved Aidan. He wasn't nyctophobic, but when he was little, he'd always been scared that there were things in the dark. Lurking, watching. Not monsters or anything of the like--although Aidan now knew that there very well could have been--but snakes. If there was anything Aidan truly hated, it was snakes, especially those of the poisonous variety. In former years, Kieran tormented him about it to no end, until Aidan found that his brother harbored a particular terror for insects--especially those of the poisonous variety. After that discovery, they were even, and Kieran derided him no more.  

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, Aidan moved lightly to where Sean stood, looking at the ceiling. He tilted his gaze upwards, following Sean's to where a patch of darkness that was blacker than the rest of the ceiling lay; a trapdoor.

"The girls must have beat us to the punch," Sean murmured, his tone low enough that it barely reached Aidan's ears. "You first?"

Aidan smirked thinly. "After you. I insist." 

Returning his attention to the trapdoor above them, Sean gauged the three-foot distance before bending his knees and launching himself into the air. His fingers latched onto the lip of the trapdoor, legs pumping as he hauled himself upwards, disappearing into the blackness above. Aidan waited twenty seconds, bouncing on the balls of his feet several times before he propelled himself upwards, hands grasping for and finding the ledge as a bloodcurdling scream rang out somewhere above his head.

His muscles strained as he pulled himself up, onto the bottom step of a flight of stairs. Rising to his feet, he stumbled up the narrow, steep staircase, making only a half-assed attempt to silence his approach. Emerging into a dark room that was lit only by a single candle, he took in the situation at a glance.

Sean and Francesca were huddled against the wall, watching, horrified, as Raven convulsed and shuddered in Ismael Samar's arms. 

"What did you do to her?" Aidan shouted, eyes sparking dangerously, although he dared not approach them. 

Samar set Raven tenderly down in the armchair as her seizures died away, tossing a small bottle to Aidan with one hand. Half an inch of translucent liquid remained and, eyes straining to decipher the tiny lettering, Aidan read the prescription sticker on the side of the bottle.

"A sedative. You used a sedative on Raven." The absurdity of it all almost made Aidan want to laugh. "She'll kill you for that."

"It should wear off in several hours," Samar answered, nonchalant. "And as for her killing me... well, she didn't the first time, so I suppose that I'll just have to hope that my luck holds. I couldn't have her interfering, though."

Aidan stared incredulously at Samar, who continued blithely, his attention turned to Sean and Francesca. "I can't have you two interfering either, unfortunately; my apologies for the abrupt notice."

As he was speaking, Samar pulled a small handgun out of his pocket. His arm was a blur of movement, nearly indiscernible in the dim light, and Sean and Francesca's reactions came too late. The missiles from Samar's gun hit them square in their chests, a bare moment apart, and they crumpled soundlessly to the floor.

"Tranquilizers," Samar explained. "They'll wake in an hour or two. As for you, my men are waiting below, so it's your choice whether or not to run."

Aidan scanned the room, searching for a nearby exit. However, the only perceivable egress was directly across the room, behind Samar. Squaring his shoulders, he turned back to Samar, who was waiting with a raised eyebrow.

"I hate tranqs," was all Aidan said.

At that, Samar chuckled. "Sorry, mate. I don't take chances."

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A/N:

Well... that went downhill quickly. Writing this feels like watching a goddamn spy show XD I hope it's at least a little believable, though. Vote if you liked it, and always feel free to comment or PM me with your thoughts! Have a wonderful rest of your day/night, everyone ^w^