Deeper Into Hell

7 - Rescue Mission

Rene sat in the house alone as everyone was out with their family for the week term break. She sat on her bed, listening to music until she felt a shiver go down her spine. She removed her earphones and listened carefully to her surroundings. Suddenly, a loud bang was heard. The front door had been shot open. Rene hurried to her feet and rushed towards her bedroom door. She ran out into the hallway and spotted the unknown organisation enter, armed with guns. 
"You're surrounded!" A man shouted up. His eyes slowly drifted around the house. He stepped slowly forward "We know you're here!" He yelled again. Rene panicked and sneaked towards the bathroom. Unexpectedly, a gun was pointed in her face. She froze on the spot "Turn around." He ordered. Rene raised her hands and did as she was told. She walked down the stairs with a gun pointed towards her back "Rene Adams. How lovely to meet you." The man greeted. 
"What do you want?" Rene asked bluntly. The paused for a brief moment "You." He replied. The man behind her turned his gun around and knocked her out. 

Randall sat around the dinner table with his family. He jumped when he felt a jolting pain to the side of his head, dropping his fork onto the plate in the process. His family members fell silent and looked at him "Everything alright, son?" His father asked. Randall rubbed the back of his neck "Yeah...everything's fine." He muttered the lie. His little sister, Rebecca, leaned across the table "So, who's the girl?" She asked. Randall removed his hand from his head and looked at Rebecca "Huh?" He questioned. 
"You've got a girlfriend?" His mum asked. Randall laughed lightly "It's complicated..." He replied. He secretly pulled his phone out and texted Rene, but to no response. He began to worry and became very fidgety. His right leg began to bounce frantically. His eyes scanned the room nervously, and he fiddled with his fingers. He gave in to the worry and stood up abruptly. His family all looked at him "Are you sure everything's okay?" His mum double-checked. Randall sighed "I need to go." He finalised. He threw his napkin down on the table and left his house. 

As he drove to the house, he put Jack on speakerphone "Listen, dude, I felt a striking pain to my head, what else can it be?" Randall questioned. Jack just sighed "Rene is tough, she can fight off anything." Jack praised. 
"Not when they're armed and rumoured to be from space," Randall replied bluntly. He arrived at the house and spotted the front door kicked down "I'll call you back..." Randall mentioned as he hung up and slowly got out of the car. He ran into the house "Rene!" he yelled. His heart jumped out of his chest as he searched every room in the house. He opened up her bedroom door to find her phone lying on the bed with the music still playing from the earphones. Randall quickly pulled out his phone and recalled Jack "What's the news?" Jack asked.
"We have a problem..." Randall said in a panicked tone. Rustling was heard from Jack's end as he sat up in suspense "What?" he asked worryingly. 
"Rene's missing..." He informed. 

Rene's eyes opened slowly; she was witnessing double of everything. The room was dark and damp. One light hung above the ceiling, but it was flickering. The only sound she could hear was a buzzing sound coming from the light and her heartbeat. She tried to move her hands, but they were tied to the metal chair. She used every bit of energy she had left to look around "Hello!" She shouted weakly. A man emerged from the darkness. His face had a scar coming from the left side of his forehead to the right side of his jaw. His eyes hungered for power "Who and where is your grand magus?" He asked. 
"I don't know what you're talking about." She replied as she put her head down tiredly. The man lightly laughed with evil intent "Do you see this?" He asked as he approached a machine. Rene lifted her head and spotted the machine. Buttons covered it, but a large lever with a red handle hung from the side. He then approached her with a headpiece. She tried to fight it as he placed it on her head "Fighting it will only make it worse." He informed. 
"If you're gonna kill me...do it." She hissed. The man laughed as he leaned against a metal table that sat in the middle "I'm not going to kill you." He laughed. Rene furrowed then he leaned forward "I'm going to torture you until you give me what I want." He corrected. 
"What do you want?" Rene asked as she leaned her head back. 
"Answers." He simply replied, then he made his way over to the machine. He placed his hand on the lever "Now I have a couple of questions." He opened "Who is your grand magus? And where is Midnight?" He asked. 
"I lost my memory some time ago. I have no idea what you're talking about." She stated honestly. 
"Maybe this will jog your memory?" The man wondered. He placed his hand on the lever and pulled it down, which sent an electrical shock wave from the machine to her headpiece, shocking her. She began to shake violently in her seat. 

Lilith, Randall, Jack and Hamish gathered in the living room "I hope this is worth me leaving my family." Lilith cursed. Randall nodded "Rene is missing and it's-," Randall was interrupted by a consistent pain in his hand. He bent down and shrieked in agony. Everyone jumped to attention "What's happening to him!" Lilith panicked. 
"It's Rene!" Randall was just about able to speak them very words. He held onto his head, then it suddenly stopped. 

The man pulled the lever back up "Want to tell me now?" he asked. Rene came around from the pain "Listen! My memory was removed. I'm no help!" She pleaded. The man sighed deeply and heavily. "You will tell me!" He shouted as he pulled the lever down again. This time he turned the voltage up by forty. The lights flickered even more due to how much power the machine was creating. 

Vera rushed into the room and instantly knew what was happening "They're torturing Rene...aren't they?" She questioned. Jack shrugged "I have no idea! Randall will recover from the headache one minute, then it'll happen again the next." He told. Vera nodded "I could cut the link between Alpha and Greybeard for a period of time so we can find her" She suggested. 
"Do everything you can." Lilith allowed. 

"Tell me!" The man shouted frustratedly and angrily. Rene fired back "I don't remember!". The man turned the voltage up even more and pulled down the lever. Rene began to seize as memories flowed back. Every single memory of Randall, the order and the Knights. The man cut the power, and she stopped seizing "I'll be back in an hour..." He hissed before leaving the room. 

Lilith did a locator spell which led the group to a bunker. Hamish looked at Randall, his eyes were squinting every couple of minutes "You okay?" He asked. Randall nodded "Yeah...don't worry about me." He informed. Two figures began to approach through the darkness. A bolt hit into the tree beside Jack "Holy shit!" Jack shouted as he stared at the bolt. 
"Vera?" A familiar voice spoke. Grafton and Nessi approached "Sorry about that. Thought you were one of them." She apologised as she dropped the guard of the crossbow.