A/N: This fic MIGHT seem like it's directly following the Cahill vs. Vesper series/plotline, but it's different, I promise! I'm using some of the same details to lay the foundation, but trust me, it will veer really soon!

Warning: My action writing might suck. Feel free to leave your comments and suggestions on how I can improve. Or you can tell me to stop and I will. Seriously. ;)

Additional note: You can read this without reading my other two fics before this (that were mostly romance), but if you want, check out the epilog to my "When Love and Trust Entwine" story. That's where the action starts!

It was hopeless.

Amy Cahill fought the feeling as hard as she could, but after a few minutes of desperately trying and failing, she gave up.

For the first time since the Clue hunt, she had no idea what to do.

"Shouldn't you be contacting someone?" Dan snapped from somewhere behind her.

'I don't know! I'm not ready for this!' she wanted to scream at him, but only let out a breath and tried to think, to pull her thoughts together enough to form something coherent. She was the temporary Madrigal branch leader, yet she felt as if she wasn't prepared to take on the task in front of her.

She thought nothing would top Casper's attack at the airport, which included his stealing Gideon's ring and kidnapping her close friend, Sinead Starling, but this was almost more than she could handle. For the past four years, Amy had been trying to prepare for a Vesper attack. She had set up the Cahill command center at Grace's mansion, kept in contact with the other branches, trained under Fiske to take over the branch one day, and also trained herself for this.

But when she, Dan, and Nellie had arrived back at the mansion, preparing to take the news to Fiske and see what his action plan was, they found out that he was missing. At first, Nellie had commented that he must have had to run an errand, but when they entered their uncle's office, it had been torn to pieces. There was a sign of a struggle—of course, complete with no actual evidence that could pinpoint someone to the attack, not that it mattered, they all knew who it was—and all of his personal belongings, his car keys, and his car were still there. It could only mean one thing.

He had been captured by the Vespers too.

But why? What could they want? They have the ring.

Amy was hoping that they would release him now that they had what they wanted. Maybe they kidnapped him for a bargaining chip, in case Casper and his assistants failed to get the ring. But nearly thirty minutes had passed since the time of the attack, and no contact had been made.

"This is crazy," Nellie moaned, running a hand through her hair. She was obviously stressed, which made Amy's anxiety increase.

But she had a job to do and knew it. Dan was right. They had already wasted enough time. None of their other Madrigal contacts knew anything, though Erasmus was on his way now. She knew that he would help, but it they needed the entire force of the Cahills for this, Amy could feel it.

It was time to contact the other branch leaders and see what they knew.

—

She was prepared to see four puzzled faces on the video screen when she sent out the emergency call. What she wasn't expecting, was to be met with utter chaos.

"This is crazy!" Ivan Kleister said before anyone could get a word in, his face red with anger. "You must have heard the news! Our whole branch is in an uproar. Who was that person?"

Though the Tomas leader's voice was loud, Cora Wizard, leader of the Janus branch, overpowered his. "They almost got Phoenix! Amy, where is Fiske? And Patricia, where is Alistair? Where's Ian? We need to find out what is going on."

Amy's heart felt like it was trying to leap out of her chest, and goose bumps prickled her skin. Had something happened to Alistair? And what about Ian? His flight should have landed over six hours ago.

When she spoke her tongue was thick, but she pushed through it and managed to get out, "We think the Vesper's kidnapped Fiske. And they got Sinead Starling only hours ago, in the Boston airport."

All three faces on the screen halted, staring at Amy for a couple beats, before Patricia Oh snapped out, "How do you know it was the Vespers? Was that who forced Alistair into that limo?"

"It must be them!" Ivan said before Amy could respond. "The low-down dirty knuckleheads got Reagan Holt too! Her dad called me thirty minutes ago and threatened to skin me alive if I didn't get to the bottom of who lifted her into that helicopter!"

Feeling like her head was spinning, Amy stated, "Maybe we should go one at a time here. Ivan, what happened with Reagan? Did you see who it was?"

Ivan told the story quickly. The Holt family had been on vacation and was out swimming in the Atlantic Ocean when a helicopter hovered over them, and two men appeared, snatching Reagan and lifting her into the chopper before anyone could get to them. "Reagan's such a good swimmer," Ivan explained, "that she was too far out and the Holt's couldn't swim faster than the men were. They were disguised, of course, wearing all black with masks, and the helicopter was black too. No one at the coast guard or the beach could identify the helicopter. Eisenhower was furious."

Patricia Oh spoke next, her voice monotone—at least in comparison to Ivan's—but Amy could see the worry that was crinkling her brow.

"Alistair was seen being forced into a limo. It's almost the same story as Reagan's kidnapping. It was a woman and a man, but they were disguised similarly, and the limo was all black too. A bystander tried to follow, but got derailed."

"Phoenix is fine, fortunately," Cora stated, her voice a mixture of relief and concern. "He was at Jonah's concert in Tokyo and was almost taken afterward from backstage, but one of the security team members saw it and between three other men, they stopped it. The two masked figures escaped, though."

Amy nodded. She remembered Jonah mentioning that his little cousin was going to meet them with his mother in Tokyo, his next tour stop, but she had never met him. "What time were the two kidnappings and the attempt?" she asked.

They relayed the information to her and found out that they were all at the same time, exactly two hours before Amy, Dan, and Sinead had landed in Boston. Trying to be as quick as she could but still give adequate information, Amy relayed her story.

"It was definitely Casper Wyoming," she concluded. "Dan and I both recognized him from the suspected Vesper agent file. But we didn't recognize the other two people with him."

Though her tone was business-like, Amy felt her prior dread grow even more. This was serious. They had attacked, and though not in the way she had expected, had still caused damage. Worse yet, it was confusing. Why had they left her and Dan and taken Sinead instead? The Cahill siblings were the ones that had won the Clue hunt. Weren't the Vespers after the serum that would make them the most powerful people in the world? Though no one (besides a choice few) knew that Dan had the serum locked in his head, Amy still would have thought she and Dan were more at risk for something like a kidnapping.

It didn't make sense, but she was determined to figure it out.

"Erasmus is on his way here, to the command center," Amy informed the others. "Meanwhile, we can only hope that someone contacts one of us soon."

"What about Ian Kabra?" Cora asked. "Where is he?"

Amy licked her lips. During the entire call, she had forced the fact of Ian's absence to the back of her mind. But now it—combined with Natalie not answering any of Dan's calls since they had arrived at the mansion—was at the forefront of her thoughts, bringing the feeling of helplessness back in a forceful rush.

"I have no idea."

—

It took a few seconds for Ian to realize where he was, and that was somewhere awful.

"Disgusting," he muttered, the smell being the first thing that leaked into his senses. Sewer and something decaying—that's what it ranked of. Was he in some sort of sewer passage underground? But then he caught a slight breeze and heard a horn honk from what sounded like only meters away and realized that he was outside. At least the sewer system was out.

Groaning as he shifted his aching body to a sitting position, he tried to remember how he had gotten here. His head was killing him, he knew that much, but why was he in an alleyway? Now that he was more coherent, he took in the narrow strip of land, the rotting garbage, the grisly scenery and identified it immediately.

Running. Hiding.

It was starting to come back to him. He and Natalie had exited the airplane in the Heathrow Airport, only to almost get attacked by three disguised individuals, all men by the look of it. They had narrowly escaped the imbeciles (thanks to his and his sister's cunning Lucian minds) and made it to the limo. There, they had tried to contact their security at their mansion, as well as the Lucian board. However, their phones wouldn't work for some reason, like the signal was being blocked.

Frustrated, Ian had tapped his driver to try to use his, only to find that the man was slumped over the steering wheel, apparently drugged. It was strange because they were at a stoplight several kilometers from the airport, so the drug must have been slow-acting.

But that was all he could recall. Rubbing his head, Ian looked around for his sister, hoping that she could shed some light as to how they had gotten here, but his heart sank an instant later when he realized that she wasn't there.

"Natalie?" His voice shook, so he cleared his throat and tried again, this time scrambling to his feet and peering around the dark alley. "Natalie, answer me! This isn't funny."

Was she passed out somewhere? Now that his brain was scrambling just as fast as he had stood, he was starting to remember more...

*Flashback*

They rushed out of the limo, leaving their bags and the driver there. Ian held his sister's hand as tightly as he could while scanning the street. It wasn't one of the busiest one's in London, but surely they could find someone to help them, or at least a taxi to get them to safety.

As if on cue, a black taxi pulled around the corner, causing relief to flood through him. Beside him, he heard Natalie breathe her own sigh of relief, and he squeezed her hand even tighter. Normally, she would have complained about the contact but she didn't say a word.

'Just get her to safety', he thought. 'She's your little sister and you have to protect her.'

The taxi slowed beside them, and Ian was about to push Natalie in ahead of him when he caught a glimpse of the driver's face. Something about it seemed familiar, and his stomach clenched.

"That's a Vesper agent!" he hissed at his sister, drawing her to his side as he stepped back, scanning the street for another taxi or a getaway car. He hadn't taken the time to study the agent to figure out which one it was, but something in his gut told him his instincts were correct.

"Sir?" the man asked, but Ian didn't spare him a look, already racing down the street as fast as he could, trying to find a busy cross-street or business. The problem was, they were in a residential area, far away from London's bustling center, and there wasn't a single restaurant or cafe in sight. Worse, the area they were in was not necessarily a good side of town. In fact, he would have to speak with his driver later about taking shortcuts through the sketchier parts of London.

Then, he spotted a small storefront that looked to be some sort of convenience store and gratefulness surged in him, barely surpassing his horror at the entire situation. But as they neared the store, Ian spotted another figure leaning on a lamppost at the corner, almost directly in front of the store. He wasn't sure of the person's identity, but he wasn't going to take any chances.

Slowing, he debated what to do, but Natalie was already tugging him to the side.

"I don't think he saw us," she whispered. "Let's hide."

Ian hesitated, not wanting to get trapped, but a quick look behind him changed his mind. Two figures were gaining on them, but another taxicab stopped to pick up two residents and momentarily blocked their view.

He allowed Natalie to haul him into an alleyway, where they crossed onto another street. This one was just as empty as the last one had been, with hardly anyone in sight, but they crossed two more and had made their way several blocks northwest before Ian finally slowed them.

"I think we lost them," he gasped out, trying to catch his breath. His ribcage protested from all of the activity, but he didn't feel safe yet.

They ducked in a small alleyway and took refuge between several large crates and dumpster bins and Ian saw Natalie reach for her phone.

"Don't!" he warned. "In fact, we should probably turn them off. What if they're tracking us?"

He hated to do so when help could be one phone call away, but his sister was nodding and already hitting her power button.

They sat for what seemed like ages (but in reality was only a few seconds) before Ian muttered, "We can't stay here for too much longer. They're probably scoping the streets. Let me look for a clearing and let's move on."

"Okay. Be careful."

He gave her a quick nod and then ventured out—not too far where he could be seen—and peered into the dark street. The sun had gone down while they had been running, but Ian could see from the street lights that it was clear.

Turning to call out to Natalie, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his head. He tried to scream but it got lost in his throat, and before he could catch himself, he was falling. He braced himself for the impact but it never came, blackness closing in on him.

The last thought he had was 'Natalie..."

*End Flashback*

Ian stood there, his muscles quaking, remembering the terror he felt. Ignoring the rush of pain, he combed the entire area, only to come up with nothing. There was no trace of Natalie, no trace of their cell phones, and no trace of anyone being there. No footprints were left, and the only thing he knew to do was to get out of there and get back to the mansion so he could get help. He had no idea what time it was, but from the rising sun, he had been passed out for quite some time.

That meant that the Vesper agent could have taken her anywhere. She could be halfway across the world right now; she could be hurt or worse, already de—

No. Don't think of that. You're the head of the Lucians, and you need to start acting like it!

Quickly, he made his way to the street, intent on finding a safe way home. Then, he would use every resource to get his sister back.

It was the only thing he knew to do.

—

Amy sighed, looking over at Dan and Nellie, who had been standing off to the side during the video call. "I'm going to have to call the Starlings. And then Jonah."

She wasn't looking forward to it. Really, she should have contacted them first, but hated being the bearer of such awful news. What if the Vesper's had killed her cousin, along with all of the other kidnapped Cahills?

"I'm going to try Natalie again," Dan decided. "And Ian too. I'm really worried now after hearing about the other kidnappings."

Amy was too but didn't voice it, reaching for her cell phone. The Starlings should be first, she decided and made the phone call.

It was tough, but none of her friend's family freaked out, instead, taking it calmly, almost how Sinead took bad news. Their distress still leaked through their serene expressions, but Amy promised that they were working on finding out what happened, and after the Starlings stated they would start on their own research, the phone call ended.

Then it was time to call Jonah. Amy had no idea what time it was in Tokyo, but he answered on the second ring.

"Yo Amy, did ya hear what happened? Phoenix almost got kidnapped after my show last night!"

"I did hear," she said quietly. "I just got off of a call with all of the branch leaders."

"You did?"

His voice sounded curious now and even worried.

"Can we switch to a video call?" she asked, and within seconds, she was face-to-face with him.

He looked tired yet alert, and suddenly she didn't want to tell him. She decided to start with Fiske, Reagan, and Alistair's kidnapping first, then went on to how no one could get ahold of Ian or Natalie.

"Whoa," he cut in. "I hope they're okay. Looks like they're after one person from each branch. I wonder if they'll try to snatch someone else from the Janus."

"They may," Amy agreed, then inhaled a deep breath. "There's more. The reason we think it's the Vespers is because Dan, Sinead, and I got attacked by one of their agents at the airport here."

"What? A Vesper agent? Are you guys all okay? Is Sinead there? I've been tryin' to call her but she's not answering."

"Let me tell you the whole story," Amy said quickly. She saw the worry grow but he only nodded. Trying to keep her tone even, she explained in detail the entire thing but halted when she got to the part when they woke up.

"Jonah…" she trailed, then plunged on. "Sinead wasn't there. When we woke up, Nellie had found us, but only me and Dan. The ring and Sinead were missing, and still are."

On-screen, Jonah's face froze, and at first it was hard to tell if it was due to a bad connection or him.

"I'm sorry," she added. "But we're going to do everything we can from here to find—"

"I'm coming there," he bit out.

"But your tour—"

"Consider it canceled," he interrupted her, his tone growing more urgent with each word. "There is no way in heck I'm gonna continue it with her missing. Let me talk to my dad and I'll be there ASAP."

Amy nodded, his determination somehow making her feel better. The other leaders had discussed meeting here in Attleboro but then decided to stay put until they knew what the Vespers were after. It would make more sense for the Cahills to stay in their parts of the world for now, but Amy still appreciated the assistance from the cousins that she felt like were her own siblings. Hamilton had texted her right before she called Jonah to inform her that he and Madison were on their way, and she agreed. The more help the better, and their presence would help, if only to calm her down.

Meanwhile, the Cahills in London and the board of the Lucian branch were trying to track down Ian and Natalie, and Amy hoped that they would find them soon, uninjured and alive.

Once she hung up she looked over at Dan, hopeful. But he was throwing his phone across the room, frustration on his face.

Staring at him, Amy debated on what to say. But there were no words that popped into her head, so she didn't say anything as he walked over to join her.

Nellie was the one who broke the silence. "Well kiddos, we'll do what we can. In the meantime, maybe you should get some sleep."

They stared at her in astonishment, but she explained, "After that flight, I'm sure you're exhausted. And what if what the Vespers want requires lots of strength and energy? Besides, there is nothing else you can do until Erasmus gets here."

The words made sense, but Amy didn't think she could sleep. Dan must have agreed because he shook his head. "We slept on the plane. And I don't think I could anyway, not until I know where Nat is."

"I guess I don't blame you," Nellie conceded. "But I at least want you to eat something. In fact, I'm going to go whip up some stuff right now."

Amy didn't tell her that she felt so nauseated that she probably wouldn't be able to keep down anything. Nellie seemed just as worried as she and Dan, and cooking would probably help her calm down a little.

Once their former au pair was gone, Amy looked at her brother. "Now what?"

But a beeping sound from one of the monitors sounded, and after a pause to comprehend, both of them were racing towards the source of the sound.

The words on the monitor had them both breathing a sigh of relief.

It read: Incoming video call—Location: The Tower of London. Cahill Agent: Ian Kabra

—

Ian waited tensely for Amy to appear onscreen.

It had taken him only minutes to reach the Lucian base in London (his aim being to contact Norman Wendorf, the head of the Lucian board.) It turned out that the man was at the base, along with most of the other board members, who apparently were all waiting for Ian to contact them. He had sat there in stunned disbelief as they updated him on the happenings of the last six hours. The attack on Dan, Amy, and Sinead, the kidnapping of the latter, the theft of Gideon's Ring, and then the other kidnappings. They had left him with his head buzzing and feeling even more helpless than he had when he first realized Natalie was missing.

That wasn't just a random attack. They want something from all of us. But what?

After finding out that Amy had headed the meeting in Fiske's stead, he decided that she would be his next contact point. He was sure that she—and Dan—were worried sick about them.

She probably isn't nearly as worried about me though as Dan is about Natalie, he thought with some disappointment. He forced his mind away from all of that for now, though, there were more important matters to occupy himself with.

The call picked up, but instead of Amy, Dan was the first person he saw, his face pinched with both hope and worry.

"Ian thank goodness!" he snapped. "I've been trying to call you and Natalie for hours. Where is she? Are you guys okay?"

"I need to talk to Amy too," Ian barely managed. "Is she there?"

Her face appeared only seconds later, her facial expression much like her brothers. "Ian, I'm so glad to see that you're alright!"

The words caught him off-guard, but he cleared his throat. "Yes well, it's not all good news I'm afraid. Natalie—" the word got stuck in his throat as he thought of her.

"Is she there?" Dan asked, but his face had already fallen, like he knew the answer.

Ian shook his head. "Kidnapped I believe."

Quickly, he recounted the story of their escape from the airport and then race through London's less than reputable streets. "She was nowhere in sight when I woke up," he concluded grimly. "I came straight here where Norman updated me. Sinead was kidnapped too?"

"Yes, almost the same way Natalie was. When Dan and I came to, she had disappeared."

That came from Amy. Dan was still standing there but seemed to be in some sort of haze, grief and pain twisted on his face.

Ian knew the feeling but had already had time to deal with his emotions. Now, he only wanted to find his sister and possibly—as his cousin Jonah would say—'kick some Vesper butt' in doing so.

"What's our plan?" he asked, hoping that Amy and the other leaders had some solid leads to go on.

But as Amy filled him in, he realized that their hands were tied, at least until the Vespers got into contact with them. Maybe the 'mysterious' V1 who had sent both threatening notes in the past was at the head of this.

We should have taken that note more seriously, he lamented, thinking back over it. While he thought he had handled it well, surely there was something else they could have done. At least a move like keeping their flights and then charting a private jet would have thrown the Vespers off. But Ian hadn't even been concerned with that, thinking that they could investigate more when they arrived back at the Lucian base.

If you would have handled things better, your sister would be here now, helping you plan how to get everyone else out. Instead, she's part of whatever horrid plan these people have.

"Amy," Dan suddenly interrupted. "You have an email that just came through. It's from a blocked sender."

"Blocked sender? That's impossible. How"—but realization was the next emotion on her pretty face, and her eyes widened. Ian watched her mutter a few words and type furiously on the laptop that Dan brought over, then her facial expression changed as she scanned over the screen, but he couldn't interpret it.

"What?" Ian demanded, hope crushing the feeling of helplessness.

"It's a note"—she swallowed, her voice barely above a whisper, and Ian felt his heartbeat pick up—"from Vesper One."