A/N This story's scenario was requested by a friend.

Door of Dread

Chapter 1

Neal Caffrey spent an uncomfortable hour confined in the back of a delivery van. Blindfolded, handcuffed from behind the back, he sat slumped and dejected. His apprehension, focused entirely on his partner's predicament and whereabouts, distracted him from his own discomfort. Refusing to even contemplate an escape scenario, he was determined to verify Peter's location.

The van eventually pulled up in front of a decrepit, abandoned warehouse facility somewhere on the outskirts of the city. Neal, pulled roughly out of the back of the vehicle, was forcefully shoved through the front entryway of the two story building. The two men escorting him took pleasure in causing his stumbling over cartons and assorted debris on the floor. When he fell to his knees or bumped against the men, his captors enjoyed pushing him back and forth between each other.

The trio proceeded through an old reception area once housing the customer service desk, sales offices, and administration. They passed through numerous hallways, bypassed the corridor that led to the receiving and shipping dock, and headed for the stairway leading to the second floor. The entire building was strewn with trash, old liquor bottles, cartons, and pallets highlighting years of neglect. A foul smell of decay permeated the structure. Neal, his senses distorted, felt nauseated and disoriented.

Unaware of the staircase looming in front of him, the FBI consultant tripped on the first step and landed heavily on his side.

"Thanks for the warning," muttered Neal, as he was jerked upright and shoved forward.

"Be careful Caffrey," laughed one of the men. "If you're not careful, when you get to the top of the stairs, you could fall backwards."

"Watch it, Joe. Don't push him down the stairs," warned the older of the two guards, who Neal knew as Roberts. "O'Reilly wants him alive. Maybe for the vendetta he has planned for the fed."

"I wouldn't want to be Burke, that's for sure," replied Joe shaking his head. "He's going to use him to even the score for his time in Marion and Florence."

Neal knew the man responsible for his captivity, Timothy O'Reilly, had formerly been released from ADX Florence. The most secure prison in the country, Peter had referred to the supermax as the "Alcatraz of the Rockies". A Colorado federal prison designed with the highest security measures, it was known as the "cleaner version of hell." Prior to his transfer to Florence, O'Reilly had been housed at the US penitentiary at Marion, Illinois. The prison had been exposed for violent abuse of the inmates after several security guards were knifed and killed in separate incidents. The newspaper coverage had described the use of beating, food deprivation and stun guns on prisoners. A number of the inmates incarcerated there were later transferred to Florence. Sinking in despair, Neal understood Peter's life was in grave danger.

One day earlier, Peter and Neal were investigating the case of stolen art works and jewelry from the Jefferson Art Center in Queens. They had received a tip from an informant that a possible link to the robbery could be verified by questioning a former security guard named Matthew Roberts. Waylaid by the gang of thieves upon arrival at Roberts' home, there had been no warning of imminent danger. Roberts had invited them inside and mentioned his suspicions of certain art center employees. With Peter writing down information for verification, several men had appeared from behind and assaulted the agent as Roberts pulled a gun on Neal. Disarmed and security monitor removed, the agent and his consultant were quickly moved to a holding area near the waterfront district.

After capture, Peter and Neal discovered, to their chagrin, that O'Reilly had been the mastermind not only of the Jefferson robbery but of the several heists preying on traveling jewelry salesmen attending trade shows. Pulling up behind unsuspecting salesmen in the parking lots, one of the gang members would shatter the driver's side window while accomplices would smash open the back window and grab the suitcases holding the gems. Although millions of dollars worth of jewelry were stolen the items would eventually be fenced for a smaller percentage of their value ensuring quick profit.

The O'Reilly crew of four men had been working undetected for several months. Having amassed a considerable amount of money they were now determined to safeguard it at all cost. The lives of law enforcement officials were of no value to them. Timothy O'Reilly had already, in no uncertain terms, made known his hatred of federal agents. He had spent yesterday afternoon arranging transfer of his operation to the abandoned warehouse facility while offering veiled threats about Burke's welfare. Early in the morning, with no explanation, Peter had been removed from Neal's location and relocated to the new facility. Neal had been anxious to be reunited with his partner.

After reaching the second floor, the thugs and their captive proceeded down several hallways originally housing additional administrative support, HVAC systems and reserve storage. Neal assumed the men were intentionally circling the same passageways to confuse his bearings. How was he to find Peter in this maze of corridors if they weren't placed together?

Suddenly, one of the men clapped his hand on Neal's shoulder and shoved him to the left. They must have entered a side room, because Neal heard O'Reilly's voice a short distance away.

"Well, now we have our second prisoner with us," said O'Reilly. "Glad you could join us, Caffrey. Take him down the hall and place him with Burke for the time being. I'm sure he wants to see his keeper." He motioned to a fourth man in the room. "Hey Johnson, follow them down and remove Burke's cuffs," he ordered the junior member of his group.

Within this group of criminals, Neal had only experienced a modicum of ease with Johnson. Younger than the other captors, this ex-felon seemed to harbor no ill will toward the prisoners. At the holding location, while O'Reilly had been absent, it had been Johnson who offered them some meager food and water. Although Johnson seemed surprised about Neal's status as a fed's confidential informant, he uttered no disparaging remarks or engaged in rough treatment of either captive. He had kept himself aloof from any caustic words and physical manhandling.

Propelled back through the doorway and guided down the hall, Neal had to struggle not to stumble as the men quickened their steps, eager to be finally rid of their burden. Proceeding about fifty yards, the men stopped; Neal heard them opening a heavy door. Shoved forward and yanked to a stop, he felt his handcuffs removed.

"All right, Caffrey. You can take the blindfold off now," said Roberts.

As Neal removed the cloth binding from his eyes, he looked around in trepidation. His gaze took in a large, filthy room devoid of furnishings. In the sparse light, against the far wall, he spied Peter, handcuffed, lying in a fetal position motionless on the floor.

"Not yet," he was instructed as he struggled to move forward, Roberts adding, "It seems your friend had a scuffle with O'Reilly."

Held back by Roberts restraining arm, the consultant watched Johnson kneel down by the agent and remove the cuffs from behind his back. As the young gang member backed away, Peter began to stir, and the captors left the room.

"Peter!" Neal rushed to his friend's side. He slowly turned Peter over on his back, wincing with dismay as he saw the bruised and bloody features of his mentor. Barely conscious, the agent cringed at Neal's touch and attempted to pull away.

"Hey, it's me, buddy," he quietly reassured the injured man, restraining him gently. "Just hold steady. I'll get us out of here," he promised.