A few hours later:

Mal picked up the discarded watch.

"Damn it! They're gone!"

"Well, it's a shame you don't get points for stating the obvious," Casey grumbled back.

"You're just grumpy 'cause your worried," the Captain smirked back in a childish tone.

Morgan sighed.

"Erm... guys?" he attempted to grab there attention, "There may be a better time for this."

Casey grunted, scanning the room for any clues as to where the two missing agents could be. He spotted Walker's bag and headed for it.

There was a yellow post-it-note attached:

You want them back?

Oasis of Serenity

0813

"A spa?" Mal asked. Morgan and Casey shot him bewildered glances.

"What? You've never heard of the serenity?"

"What the hell do you want from us?" Sarah snapped.

She and Chuck were currently tied up, back-to-back, against a massive marble pillar in a large room god-knows-where.

"From you?" the silver haired stranger keeping them hostage shot back, "Nothing."

"Then why are we here?" she shot back.

"You two," the man gestured to each of them in turn, "are bait."

Chuck looked offended and slightly hurt. "Just bait? But the whole 'Agent Carmichael. At last, we meet ' thing made it seem like-"

"Well I'm sorry if I offended you in any way. I just like to talk big in front of my men. They seem to respect me more if I act the part of 'evil British baddie'. It's quite strange, to be honest."

Chuck raised an eyebrow, causing the grey haired man to grin wickedly.

"Of course, there are other, more... brutal... ways of earning respect."

The nerd gulped. "So," he asked, a little shaken, "Who are we bait for?"

"For now we plan on capturing, torturing and finally killing both Colonel John Casey and Captain Malcolm Fillion. Through that we will easily kill Gertrude Casey - nee Verbanski - and, in the end, the whole of Verbanski Corp. will fall."

The man's smile grew as he spoke, "It is however, an added bonus to take down Carmichael Industries in the process."

"And who are you, exactly?" Sarah asked, breaking a long moment's silence.

"We are Alliance Industries. The only true spies the world has ever known and I," he bowed, "Am simply known as 'The Chairman'"