Tom mason took another shaky breath as he listened to his son scream, and squeezed the radio that the sound was coming from.
His strong son, his baby boy, had been kidnapped by a psychopath and was now being tortured and it was all to get back at him.
Tom held back his tears and bit his lower lip, trying to compose himself so he could say with absolute clarity and conviction "I'm gonna kill you." That bastard pope was leading him on a sick scavenger hunt to find his son and Tom could only hope that Hal would be alive when he found him.
Pope laughed through the radio and told Tom again how much trouble Hal was in before giving him his next location to frantically run to. Tom started moving and heard Pope's attempt at sincerity as he said "I really hope you get to him in time." before the radio went silent.
Tom knew this was his fault. He had allowed pope to stay with the second mass despite how obviously untrustworthy he was. The man had never deceived anyone about his intentions. From the beginning it was clear that pope was on no one's side in this war but his own. And Tom had let him stay.
And then Sarah was killed and Pope had been right, if it had been his family he never would have waited to save them but no matter how it happened it was Toms fault and everyone knew it and now pope had Hal and that was his fault too.
That son of a bitch wasn't going to get away with it this time. After all the second and third chances the maniac had been given Tom would have no remorse in killing him.
He just needed to find where Pope was keeping his son first. Tom was desperate to get his boy back but he knew he had to be careful about what he said because there was no predicting what could set the man off.
The professor arrived at the address Pope had given him and looked around the empty playground. This small park had been overtaken by nature and half destroyed by war and Tom briefly thought about how it would have brought happiness to so many children before the invasion but was now being used to taunt him about the fate of his son.
The father blew out a frustrated breath and ignored the heavy scent of rot from the moldy playground as he clicked on the radio again.
"Pope give me back my son. He hasn't done anything to you, just let him go and take me instead. Pope I'm losing patience give me back my boy or I will come and kill you."
Tom heard the click of the radio being turned on before hearing again the rough angry voice of his son's kidnapper.
"You know what I'm losing my patience too Mason. You can have your son back."
Tom then heard the worst sound he could have ever heard. Shuffling feet and shaking chains as his son desperately tried to get away and the panicked cries of Hal begging pope to stop. Tom wanted to yell at the criminal, to beg again for his son's life but his air was taken from him when a gunshot rang out, sharp and loud through the small radio.
For a few seconds Tom felt as if his heart had stopped because the radio was silent and he had no way of knowing if his son was alive or not. The gunshot sounded so utterly final and Tom's mind was assaulted with the image of his son lying dead, bullet hole though his skull. For a moment, a moment that lasted far too long, the father thought about how he would have to tell Ben and Matt that their older brother was dead.
But then a pained whimper broke the father's heart all over again. His son was alive. But for how long. It occurred to the new president that he may still have to decide between burying Hal and coming back to the second mass empty handed or dragging his son's body back to his consequently smaller family. Pope laughed cruelly and there was shuffling from his end of the radio.
"A bullet to the stomach is a painful way to go Tom, you better hope you get to him fast enough to get this bleeding stopped cause let me tell you your boys not gonna be able to do it and he definitely won't last much long if you don't."
"Please pope I'm begging you, tell me where he is."
"He's already bleeding out Mason, and this floors none too clean you better hope it doesn't get infected."
There was another thump as Pope kicked Hal in the ribs and Tom could hear the crunch of bones before the strangled sob of his son. Tears blinded the father for a moment before they fell down his cheeks as he cursed himself for what hell his son was going through.
"Please John let me find my son, let me save him. I'm sorry about Sarah, your right it was my fault, I should have saved her but please… please give me my son." His words were hardly understandable through his agonized sobs but they seemed to be good enough for Pope because he rattled off an address and Tom quickly scribbled it on his map.
Hal's ragged breathing was suddenly clearer and Tom new that pope must have placed the radio next to his son as he slowly bled out. This man was beyond cruel shooting his son and then making him listen to him as the life slowly seeped out of him only hoping he would get there in time.
Tom could hear Popes heavy footsteps as he walked away from the walkie-talkie leaving only soft whimpers of his son. The professor started running to his final destination and prayed Pope had given him the right address.
"I'm coming Hal, you just hold on I'll be there soon son." He tucked the radio under the strap of his bag so that he could have it close enough to his face to hear and talk to Hal but still be able to run.
He was about fifteen minutes away and knew that it may be too long. Hal could bleed out before he got there and there was no telling if any major organs had been hit. He was very aware he could be listening to the last breathes of his first born and pushed his tired legs to run faster.
"Dad?" wheezy, strained breathing made Tom feel guilty for his endless sir supply as his son struggled to speak.
"It's okay if you don't….it's okay."
Tear momentarily blinded Tom but he shook them from his eyes and kept going. His son was trying to tell him it was okay if he couldn't save him, he was giving up and that was something that this father would not allow.
"No Hal, I'll get there, I'm not leaving you and we are not giving up. Just put pressure on the wound Hal you know what to do."
The sound of tugging hands on chains met Tom's ears through the radio and he mentally cursed Pope for making an already hopeless situation more difficult.
"My hands are tied and Dad…..it hurts, it really hurts." Tom knew that his son was trying to be strong and he was older than he was when the damn aliens first invaded but he was far too young to be a soldier in this war. This war that had taken almost everything wanted to take his son too.
"It's okay to cry Hal, I know your strong just stay awake and keep talking to me and I promise I will find you." He was only five minutes away now but it still seemed an impossibly long amount of time.
"Hal give me a minute I'm going to radio Anne and get her to come and she can fix you up and we'll get you home."
Trying to keep his running pace steady as he grabbed the radio from his strap he heard Hal's moan.
"There is no home Dad. Just tell Ben and Matt and Maggie I love them okay? Don't take too long burying-" the boy's words were broken off by his coughs, pained and wet in a way that worried Tom.
"Don't take too long burying me, just get to DC. It's important Dad."
The father shook his head frantically. "We'll make a new home Hal. Once this war is over we will make a new home for all of us and you will be there to see it so just stay awake I'm calling Anne but I will get to you soon."
Not wanting to take too long, knowing that Hal could say his last words without Tom hearing them if he did, the professor tuned the radio to a frequency he knew Weaver and Anne would be listening to and puffed out his message between gasps of air as he ran.
"Hal's been shot, we need help now! Send Anne with a vehicle as soon as you can please!" He gave them the address and only waited long enough to hear Weaver tell them they were coming before tuning it back to Hal's frequency.
"Hal, you still there? Hal!" There was only a low moan in response but Tom could see the building Hal was in now and he pushed his legs to run faster. Running into the building Tom looked ion a few of the rooms but knew it would take too long to search each one when his son could be anywhere. And he didn't know what he would do if he had been given the wrong address.
"Hal I'm here I'm right outside, make some noise so I know where you are!"
It took a few slow seconds but he soon heard the weak thump of Hal's boot kicking metal. Tom's head spun around towards the sound and he launched himself in the direction it was coming from, heart almost beating out of his chest at the thought of finally reaching his son.
Running down a hallway Tom could see Hal's splayed legs, one still kicking, in the end room and sprinted forward.
Hal had heard his dad coming and let his leg drop to the floor, exhausted, but smiled when his father finally came to view in the doorway. He hadn't thought he would ever get to see his Dad again and he was glad he wouldn't be alone when he died.