~Tord's pov~

It had been over five hours since Angel has gone missing. I've been forcing my surveillance team to check the security footage for any signs of Angel. Did she run away? Was she kidnapped? No. She'd never run away. She loves me too much to run. But, who would kidnap her? I mean, who would kidnap the wife of the feared Red Leader?

I stand behind my surveillance team, waiting in patient anger for an answer.

"Red Leader," A small feminine voice caught my attention. I turn around and see, my bodyguard/secretary, Riley. She looked up at me with a firm and emotionless gaze and no expression on her face.

"What is it, Riley." I reply

"There's a message for you in the conference room." Riley said.

My eyes widen and I quickly push her out of my way, causing her to fall but I didn't care. I ran to the conference room and sure enough, there was a message on the holo-tablet waiting for me. I click the message icon and it pops up before my eyes.

If you want to see your wife alive again, come tonight at 10:00 pm. Meet me at the shipping yard in warehouse C-25. Come alone. Failure to comply will end badly for your wife.

- Rebellion Leader.

I read the message over carefully. So, the Rebellion Leader finally wants to meet face to face? Fine then. They said to come alone, but they never said that I couldn't bring a weapon. I take a look at the time and see that its  8:17 pm. I have time, I should prepare for the worst.

~Angel's pov~

My eyes tiredly flutter open. I tried to move my hands, but they wouldn't budge. I looked down and see that I'm tied down to a chair with rope. As I struggle, the rope rubs against my wrists in the most painful way. If I keep this up, my wrists will be rubbed raw and scarred.

I stop moving and take a breath, trying to calm down. I take a look at my surroundings and see nothing but darkness all around. But as my eyes adjust to the lighting, I see a tall figure standing up against a wall. I stare for a moment just to make sure that my eyes weren't playing tricks on me. But as soon as the figure moves, I know that it's no illusion. The figure steps closer to me and stopped until it was at least four four feet from me. I could tell it was a guy due to the silhouette of the body.

"Who are you! What do you want with me!?" I yell at him.

"Which question would you like me to answer first?" He said calmly. His voice sounded very familiar.

"... the first one?" I say, unsure of myself.

The figure turns on the lightbulb that was hanging above him and stepped into the light. I couldn't believe my eyes...

"E-Edd?" I ask quietly. Edd glares at me and scoffs.

"Glad you still remember me." He said sarcastically.

This is not the Edd I remember. Edd was so sweet and kind and had no capacity for rude sarcasm. Now, he's a little taller, he wore a black trenchcoat over his tattered green hoodie, his hair looked unkept, both on his head and his face, and he doesn't have his cheerful smile. It was as if he was a completely different person.

"Edd... What happened to you?" I ask innocently. But apparently I struck a nerve.

"You and you Damn husband happened to me!" He yells. I flinch a little and look at him in shock. He just cursed?

"Do you know how much of a living hell Tord has made this city and the other neighboring countries?! He's made it so No One can leave! He holds executions if you try and excape! He watches everyone single move, and if he sees something he doesn't like, he kills them!"

This can't be true. Tord would never do such a thing... would he? Edd took a deep breath and calmed down.

"Im sorry... I didnt mean to yell. Do you know what happened when Tord took over?" Edd asked.

"Well, I was with him when he took over London and--"

"No, not that." Edd interrupted. "Let me rephrase it. Do you know what happened to us after Tord took over?" Edd re-stated. I took a moment to think. I didn't really know any specific details.

"Well... I know that Tom, Riley and Matt joined him. I was honestly happy when they did I--" I stopped when I saw Edd clench his teeth and ball his hands into fists.

"That's not even close to what really happenen." He said bluntly. I look at him in fear and confusion.

"Riley and Tom didn't join him by choice. Tord kidnapped them. He tortured them until they finally submitted to him. Tord ran experiments on them and broke them down to the point of no return. He made them become his bodyguards and practically slaves. Unfortunately, due to all the stress that Tord put them through  Tom's eye cancer only got worse and now he has to wear that visor so he can see... As for Matt..." Edd looked behind him and there stood the tall ginger. He had a robotic eye and jaw. His face no longer blessed with his beautiful smile.

"I was viciously attacked by Tord's soldiers..." Matt said solemnly.

I gasps quietly. Theres no way that this happened. These were Tord's closest friends. He trusted them. He was like a brother to them. None of this can be true.

"I'm going to negotiate a deal with Tord in roughly an hour. That's why I brought you here. I'm sorry, but your the only person that Tord would do anything for." Edd said bluntly but apologetically. I look down and sigh. He was right. Tord would do anything for me, so I was a perfect bargaining chip.

"Its nothing personal, Angel. Honestly, you were like a sister to me when we were friends. But times have changed and we just want to bring the world back to what it was." Matt said.

His word stayed in my head. I felt so terrible for them... what has Tord been hiding from me?

To be continued