by Violette
Part 1
AU - ATF Universe
Disclaimer: I don't own them. I'm just taking them out to play for a while.
Warnings: Language, violence, mayhem
Rating: PG
Genre: gen, drama
Summary: Ezra, Vin, and JD are on the road to testify at a trial. Naturally, things don't go smoothly.
Acknowledgements: Thanks to MOG for creating the ATF Universe in which I am so fond of playing.
Notes: This is an answer to the Road Trip challenge for the Writer's Roundup 2004 zine.
The Road Trip Challenge 2004: offered by NotTasha
The guys are on a long journey -- whether it is by car, horse, wagon, train, plane, boat -- you get the picture. The story must have at least two of our guys. The story must be about their journey: something that happens along the way, the process of continuing the trek, the problems with close contact for so long -- whatever works for you. AND, it must contain at least one of the following: a dam, a painfully posed photograph, a badly performed show, a magnificent waterfall, illegal swimming or a search for breakfast food. It must contain the following words: canyon, cowboy, optimist, gabby and akimbo ..... One more thing. The story should be under 5,000 words.
Must you eat constantly, Mr. Tanner? Ezra asked, sending an annoyed glance at the man in the passenger seat.
Grinning, Vin stuffed another handful of pork rinds in his mouth.
Ezra grimaced. I don't know how you can consume that swine by-product.
S'good, Ez, Vin replied, unperturbed by the look of disgust being sent his way.
I like em, too, JD piped supportively from the back seat.
Rolling his eyes, Ezra muttered, Why am I not surprised.
The three men were on their way to Billings, Montana to testify at the trial of Frank Garber, an illegal arms merchant they had arrested two months earlier while they were on loan to the Montana FBI office. The bust had occurred while they were making initial overtures to Garber. Ezra had gone undercover as a wealthy weapons dealer, with JD portraying his young nephew and assistant, and Vin in his usual role as bodyguard, or personal security consultant,' as Ezra preferred to call it.
Garber, impressed with their credentials, had invited them along to a deal he was conducting, ostensibly to display his own status as a high-end player in the arms trade. Ezra later called it a fine example of miscreant stupidity, since the hastily-arranged bust had resulted in the arrests of both Garber and the representatives of the gang he was dealing with. Hundreds of weapons and several kilos of cocaine were removed from the streets, as well.
As the only friendly' witnesses to the deal, their testimony was needed at Garber's trial, which was the reason they found themselves driving down the highway toward Billings. They were traveling in an agency car, since Ezra refused to use his personal vehicle, JD's car was too small, and Vin's was notoriously unreliable. They would have preferred flying, but there had been a budgetary crackdown of late and, in an effort to cut costs, they were being forced to drive. A good-natured argument had erupted regarding who cost the ATF more: Ezra, who regularly charged suits and expensive dinners with bad guys to his expense report; Vin, who suffered the most injuries and required the most costly weapons; or JD, who was always demanding newer and better electronics. In the end, they conceded it was a tie.
Hey, there's a rest area with food up ahead, JD said, pointing to a sign stating that fact.
I could use some lunch, Vin agreed.
Ezra gave him an incredulous look. After all that you've already consumed, you're still hungry?
I'm a growin' boy, Vin said with a grin.
You're a human garbage disposal, Ezra retorted, stifling a sigh as he signaled his turn into the truck stop.
Vin refused to be baited and merely laughed at the put-out southerner.
I'll drop you by the door, Ezra said. I'll join you after I refuel the car. He gestured toward the gas pumps to one side of the rest area.
We need gas already? Vin queried. We've only been on the road for two hours.
The car only had half a tank to start with, Ezra explained.
Want us to order you something? JD offered.
A salad and some coffee would be acceptable.
See ya in a few! JD said, jumping out of the car to join Vin.
Shaking his head at the younger man's energy, Ezra navigated the car toward the gas pumps, wincing at the inflated prices. The cost of convenience, he muttered under his breath as he parked beside the pumps.
Vin slid into a booth by the window carrying his bag of food from Burger King. He liked McDonald's french fries better, but had to admit that BK made decent burgers.
JD joined him a few minutes later with his own bags of food. I got Ez a chicken caesar salad. You think that's okay?
Yeah, as long as it ain't greasy, he'll like it, Vin replied.
JD unwrapped his burger and took a bite, turning to look out the window. His brow wrinkled in confusion when he spotted what appeared to be their car heading for the exit. Hey Vin? I think Ez is leaving.
Vin looked in the direction JD was pointing, frowning when he noticed that there was more than one person in the blue sedan that was accelerating toward the exit. With a muttered curse, he jumped out of his seat and ran outside, chasing after the vehicle, but it had already merged back onto the highway. he cursed aloud, pulling out his cell phone and dialing the state police.
His expression blank, Ezra gripped the steering wheel tightly, driving with great care down the middle lane of the highway. Some might have mistaken the white-knuckled grip for fear, but they would have been wrong. Ezra was furious. He had just finished filling the gas tank and climbed into his car, looking forward to lunch with his associates, only to be met with a gun in his face as he attempted to close the car door. His own weapon was in his suitcase, which was currently locked in the trunk. He had planned to wear his holster, but had been running late and decided he would don it later.
the man had said, he and his companion climbing into the backseat of the car. They were an odd pair. One was short, with shaggy hair, an unshaven face, and unkempt clothing. The other man – the one wielding the large-caliber gun – was tall and dressed impeccably in designer slacks and a polo shirt.
They weren't a gabby pair, not speaking other than to direct him to shut up and drive. He glanced in the rearview mirror, his eyes narrowing in anger as he memorized the features of the two men in the back seat. Nobody kidnapped Ezra Standish and got away with it. The memory of Vin running behind the car brought a faint smile to his lips. There was no doubt in his mind that, one way or another, these miscreants would get their due.
Vin sighed as he clicked off his phone. Just once, he would have liked to complete an assignment without mishap. The state police were on alert for the car, and he and JD had been instructed to await their arrival. Vin was not one to simply sit around, so he scanned the area surrounding the gas pumps with a practiced eye. There had been no other vehicles at the pumps when Ezra had pulled in, and the only people nearby were the two young men inside the small cashier's office. Vin sighed again. Leave it to Ezra to use the pumps furthest away from the only potential witnesses to his abduction. Not expecting much, he made his way toward the small office.
Can I help you? the young clerk asked cheerfully as Vin came through the door.
Holding up his badge, Vin said, I need to ask you a few questions.
This is becoming tiresome. Ezra glanced in the mirror at his silent passengers yet again. Other than the weapon that remained pointed at his back, they were not paying him much attention, more concerned with watching out the windows to ensure they were not being followed. His one attempt at conversation had been met with a hard cuff to the back of his head with the barrel of the .44 the taller man carried. Ezra frowned again. He had much better things to do than play chauffer to a pair of ne'er-do-wells. All he had to do was figure a way out of this seemingly impossible situation. He smirked to himself in the mirror. Piece of cake.
JD nibbled on a cold french fry, lost in thought. He and Vin had given a statement to the state police, using their badges to maximum effect in requesting aid, but so far, there had been no sign of Ezra or the car. The gas station cashiers had only recalled seeing some men near the car, but could give no useful description. Vin had scouted the rest of the area prior to the troopers' arrival, discovering an old car parked behind the restaurant, steam still rising from the radiator. According to the police, the car matched the description of the getaway car used in a bank robbery in a town thirty miles away. The police had impounded and towed the disabled car away, dropping JD and Vin at a car rental firm at their request. Vin convinced him that it would be best to stay as close to Ezra as possible, but now he was starting to wonder if it was the right decision.
In his head, JD knew they would do little good racing down the highway, but he felt even more useless just sitting around, waiting for news. Vin had promised that they would stop and regroup if they hadn't heard anything by five o'clock, since they still needed to get to Billings for the trial. He sighed and wrapped up the remainder of the lunch he had bought at the rest stop. His appetite had deserted him once he realized that Ezra had been kidnapped.
At first, he and Vin thought that it was some of Garber's men who grabbed Ezra in a ploy to keep them from testifying. But now, it appeared to be simple bad luck that the escaping bank robbers had selected Ezra as their victim. He grimaced at that thought, hoping that Ezra kept his sharp tongue in check, for once. The suave undercover agent had proven to have a knack for annoying the bad guys with his sarcasm and extensive vocabulary.
JD looked up as a sudden thought struck him. Did you call Chris before we left?
Vin shook his head. Ain't gonna call unless I have to.
Chris'll be pissed if he finds out, JD warned.
He won't have to find out if we get Ez back quick enough, Vin countered.
JD sighed, hoping Vin wasn't just being an optimist in his assumption that they would indeed get Ezra back.
Ezra lifted his head off of the airbag, squinting to clear his vision. A smile slowly spread across his face as he surveyed his surroundings. The shorter of his two abductors lay in a bloody sprawl across the crumpled hood of the car, one leg dangling over the side, while the other lay at the edge of the smashed-out windshield. Turning his head carefully, Ezra noted with satisfaction that the other miscreant lay in a twisted heap on the floor of the backseat. He started to laugh despite the pain that coursed through him at the action. His plan had worked!
It hadn't escaped his notice that neither of his abductors wore a seatbelt, while his own, out of habit, was securely fastened. At first, he had dismissed the idea of crashing the vehicle as too dangerous, the product of too many late nights watching bad movies. But as the long drive continued, it began to look like a more attractive option. It had to be better than whatever the two men had in mind for him at the end of this journey, he reasoned. All he needed was an appropriate place to put the plan into action.
The place presented itself sooner than he expected. Ezra spotted the bridge in the distance and prepared himself for action. His captors were still ignoring him, their attention firmly on the other vehicles surrounding them. Testing his seatbelt one last time, Ezra took a deep breath before turning the wheel sharply to the right, sending the car careening into the bridge abutment. The impact triggered the airbag, which abruptly halted his forward momentum.
Are you all right sir? The young man peered at him anxiously through the broken window.
Ezra laughed again, giddy with relief at being alive to answer.
Just relax, help with be here soon, the young man said anxiously, giving him a worried look.
Ezra's mirth subsided as his head cleared. Fumbling in his pocket, he withdrew his cell phone, pressing one of the programmed speed dial buttons.
Vin snatched up his cell phone and snapped it open the moment it rang. His shoulders sagged in relief at the sound of the familiar, but shaky voice on the other end. Ez? You okay?
It's Ez? JD perked up, watching Vin hopefully.
We'll be there as soon as we can, Ez, Vin said, his jaw clenching as he dropped the phone and stepped on the gas.
JD grabbed the phone. He sighed and shut the phone. He hung up.
He was in an accident, Vin said tersely.
Aw hell, JD said, frowning with concern.
Vin agreed.
