Nancy sat at her desk at the office, typing on the computer. It was late at night, most of the other men and women who worked at the office building had gone home hours ago, but Nancy still had a lot to do if she was going to finish the project on time.
The 36-year old woman stifled a yawn. She blinked a few tears from her eyes, as the screen blurred. “Ugh…” She reached over to her mug, took a sip and groaned. The coffee had gone cold while she’d been absorbed in work.
For a moment, Nancy debated whether or not to head over to the employee break room, two floors up. It was decided a moment later when she yawned again. “Might as well.” She thought to herself. “I won’t get any work done at all if I’m falling asleep at my desk…”
Standing up from the desk, the young woman strode across the room and stepped out into the hallway. The floor was dark, the rooms were empty, the lights turned off. Nancy didn’t think there was anyone else in the building apart from herself, Carl, the night security guard on the first floor, and Michael the janitor.
Hurry perhaps a bit more than she might have had she not been alone, Nancy took the stairs up two flights to the employee break room. Flipping the lights on, she busied herself preparing a fresh pot of coffee. After a few minutes, the water boiled, the machine spitting out a welcome stream of rich smelling liquid.
Nancy poured herself a large mug of coffee, and added cream and sugar, before heading back down to her empty office. Only her office wasn’t empty anymore. The figure sitting at Nancy’s desk was just as surprised as she was, as she stepped through the door. The man leapt up, the chair tipping over behind him, as he raised a pistol.
Terrified, Nancy turned, trying to flee. Instead of the bark of a gunshot she was expecting, there was a soft “pfft” sound. An instant later, the young woman felt a sharp pin-prick in her back. Immediately, Nancy felt all the strength leave her body. The mug slipped from her fingers. It shattered on the floor, staining the carpet brown with coffee. Slowly, the young woman sank to the ground, slipping into unconsciousness…

Sometime later, Nancy came to. A wave of disorientation washed over the young woman. Everything was dark. She tried to sit up, but her arms and legs refused to obey. She groaned, her voice sounding off, muffled somehow.
As her senses returned, Nancy realized she was lying on the ground, on her side. Her hands and feet were secured with tape. More tape covered her lips, silencing her, and across her eyes, leaving the young woman in darkness. She was in some sort of vehicle, which was moving very quickly.
Nancy moaned in horror, as she realized she’d been kidnapped. But by who? And why? A thousand nightmarish scenarios flashed through her head, as the car ride seemed to stretch on for hours. Finally, she felt the van pull to a stop. A door, nearby, was opened. Nancy felt a gust of cold night air wash over her. Gloved hands grabbed her and lifted her out of the van.
The young woman felt herself being carried a short distance. A minute later, she was set down, sitting, in a padded chair. She trembled, whimpering into her gag as she heard a voice speak. “It was lucky for us; you decided to work late tonight.” A man said, “Otherwise we’d have had to pay a visit to your house. We managed to grab some files from your computer, but we still have a few questions for you, regarding this project of yours…”
A hand reached forward and peeled back the tape over Nancy’s mouth. Hesitantly, she spoke, her voice soft and trembling. “Who are you people? What are you going to do with me?”
The unseen man spoke again. “We just want some information from you. If you cooperate then no harm will come to you. After words, you will be drugged again. You will sleep for eight hours, and when you wake up, you won’t remember that any of this ever happened. As far as you know, it will just have been a nightmare.” He paused, and then spoke again, voice grim. “Or, if you want to be stubborn, we will have to resort to more unpleasant means to convincing you to talk. Which will it be?”
Nancy shivered with fright. Hurriedly she nodded. “Alright! Alright, I’ll talk…”