The Escape
The Escape: Of the Timberland
TORONTO, Canada
Sam steps out of the shower onto the tiled locker room floor of the Strategic Response Unit. He has been a member of Team One for a little over a year now. He is fitting in alright but things are still awkward. The rest of his team is in the briefing room getting ready to debrief. Sergeant Parker had sent Sam to the showers to clean up when they had returned.
His arms and chest had been covered in blood when a little girl involved in their last call had jumped into arms after they had been able to talk down her father from hurting her and her mother. Everyone was extremely grateful that no one had died that day. The little girl had been bloodied from being hit multiple times by her father. Sam had been in the house, he and Ed covering Greg as the boss negotiated. Once the man surrendered the gun, the young girl leaped into Sam's arms, frightened and crying into the young constable's shoulder. He had cradle the girl in his arms as the EMTs examined her, taking both she and her mother to the hospital. When they were heading to the SUVs, Greg noticed Constable Braddock staring rather mortified at the blood staining his body and how he seemed to be rooted to the ground.
"Sam? You okay, buddy?" He nodded his head slowly, his eyes glued to the blood. "C'mon buddy, we can get all that blood off back at the barn." Greg reassured, gently placing his hand on Sam's back, guiding him to the truck. The Boss kept checking on him during the quiet ride. "Hey Sam? You did good today."
He feels much better now with all of the blood off of him. He walks back into the briefing room quite exhausted. The debrief goes quickly, there was not much to discuss: the day had been fairly uneventful. Just as they walk out of the room, Sam's phone rings.
"Hello?" He answers, stepping away from the group listening to the other person. "Yes sir. I understand, sir." Listens. "Yes sir, you can send the coordinates to this number. I'll be there ASAP." Pause. "Yes sir. Thank you, sir." He listens. "I hope so too. Bye." He whispers.
"Everything okay, Sam?" Ed asks.
Sam glances up at his TL confused for a moment. "Yeah. Fine." He briskly walks to the locker room for his duffle bag.
"Hey Greg. Something's up. Sam's acting weird." Ed pulls Sergeant Parker aside. "He received a phone call and something's going on. Might have been his father or someone else from the military. He kept saying 'sir'." He fills the sergeant in.
Greg nods and follows Sam. The rookie is about to walk out of the locker room, duffle bag in hand.
"Hey Sam. Eddie said you got a call. Is everything alright?" He asks innocently enough.
"Everything's fine! Can't you just leave me alone?!" Sam snaps, clearly miffed. He skirts his way around his sergeant.
"Sam." Greg gently grabs his arm. The young constable freezes for a moment, his sergeant witnesses the panic in his teammate's eyes and quickly releases his grip. "We-"
"Stay out of my business!" He nearly shouts, storming out of SRU headquarters.
Team One is gathered behind Greg, hearing the shouts. They exchange glances but no one wants to go after their teammate.
3 Hours Later
OTTAWA, Canada
"Yes sir, I understand the situation. I want to know exactly what you plan on doing about it." Sam states, growing very frustrated.
"Sam, this is no place for irrational thinking. I know you want to help him and we will be sure to include you in this mission as much as possible but we cannot start without sufficient information. We'd be wasting time he does not have." The sergeant motions to the paused video of General Braddock tied to a chair, bloodied and beaten, crimson gag in his mouth forced to talk. He says his captors will release him as soon as Samuel comes so they can "talk" about all this. Jason's eyes were pleading for Sam to not come anywhere near them and for someone to rescue him very soon. The video had been sent four hours earlier and military officials had swiftly contacted The General's son. Sam had been mortified at the gruesome sight of his dad and wanted to start the rescue process immediately. "Sam, I know you want to get out there right now but, buddy, they're after you. Can't you see that? We need to keep you safe; we'll take care of your dad."
"But I know where that is! I know where they're holding him!" The constable blurts.
"What?! Why didn't you say anything?"
"I – I just realized where I recognized it from. Remember our safe house near the Great Lakes? It's gotta be around there. I recognize the wood outside, they always have a yellow-greenish tinge whenever you photograph them – or if they happen to be in a poorly shot hostage video."
"Sam, there could be a million places where the forest looks like that, son. We can't afford to go on a wild goose chase! All I can see from this video is a dark room, probably a basement, and your beat-up father."
"Fine. If you won't help him, then I will! He's my dad and I am not going to lose him again to these bastards." Sam stands abruptly, his chair tipping over and clattering to the floor.
The basement of an abandoned cabin:
Two large men clad in black prowl around General Braddock, relishing in the wheezing of their prey due to their most recent beating.
"If he comes, we will still kill you. You know that right?" One snarls.
Jason cuts his eyes at the man, earning another blow to the face.
"He'll never fall for it." He wheezes, though he fears his son is already on his way.
"Oh, I wouldn't be too sure about that." The second laughs creepily before slugging the military General again, knocking him unconscious.
4 Hours Later
Sam is driving tensely as he navigates through the maze of twisted back roads. He comes upon the place in the road where their old safe house used to be. It's nothing more than a decaying cabin now. He knows, he just knows his father has to be in one of the abandon houses deeper in the woods. It's growing dark and he knows he won't make much headway in the blackness of the forest so he decides to stay the night in his car and map out plans. He didn't know these woods all that great but he knew them well enough to navigate them.
"I will find you, Daddy. I just hope I won't be too late." Sam promises as sleep overtakes him.
Morning: Early
The young SRU constable wakes slowly. His brain tries to sort out his muddled thoughts into something comprehensible. He rubs the sleep from his eyes and climbs out of the car, beginning his journey into the timberland.
By noon, Sam is a few miles deep into the forest. The pale morning light barely filters through the dense foliage. He stumbles over an unseen root and whimpers as he crashes to the ground. Sam sits on the forest floor, rubbing his left knee. Trickles of blood seep through his khaki pants.
'I must've skinned my knee.' He thinks, his bottom lip quivering as tears well in his eyes.
He whimpers for a few moments before heaving himself off the ground, grabbing the tree behind him for support as he tests his knee.
'Awwh, it hurts.' Sam pouts. 'But I gotta find Daddy first then he'll make my knee feel better.'
He begins walking in the same direction as before. He knew there was a cabin right by the little creek that ran a mile or so behind their old cabin. He could see the small creek and all he had to do was follow it until he reaches the abandoned cabin. Jason had taken a very young Sam through the woods one summer, playing in the creek and the very abandoned cabin he sought for today.
By evening, he spots a cabin but it's not the one he remembers. He finds it hard concentrate as he tries to locate a suitable place to camp. He sits in the growing darkness, leaning against a tree, clutching his small backpack against his chest as he slips asleep.
The Next Morning:
Sam wakes with a start hearing a noise in the forest. It takes several minutes for him to recognize where he is and what he's doing there. His knee is sore and his tummy rumbles. He doesn't have any food with him. Only one bottle of water and his army knife are in his backpack.
'Maybe I should've brought food with me. Oh well, oww, my knee hurts still. Daddy! I have to find Daddy!'
He walks without stopping, never growing confused or unsteady on his path. Sam is on a mission and he is determined to succeed. In the fading hours of afternoon, he hears a dull thud and a loud shout of pain. He instinctively drops to the ground, flattening himself among the leaves.
'Daddy!' He thinks excitedly, knowing he's close.
He dashes to the cabin hidden in the thick foliage. Almost ten minutes later, Sam stations himself outside of a low, rectangular window that looks into the dark basement. He knew this is where his daddy was. He could recognize the green-tinted timberland anywhere. Sam cautiously peers into the room below. He gasps as he spots his father tied tightly to a chair in the middle of the room. Through the grimy window, he cannot tell how badly The General is injured but he plans on rescuing him as soon as possible. They will escape the timberland by the night, Sam is certain of that. He watches as five man enter the room, cackling. He can barely contain his fury as they beat his father. Two hours after they leave, Sam taps on the glass. Jason's head pop up and quickly spots his son's worried face in the small rectangular window. He hold conflicting emotions: of course he wants to be rescued but they'll hurt Sam if he comes in and no one will hurt his Sammy again.
Jason mouths 'Stay' to his son but he shakes his head no wildly.
'No. I help you.' Sam motions exaggeratedly, a goofy smile on his face as if he's proud of his "plan."
'Oh Lord, he hasn't taken his medicine.' Jason thinks though he cannot help but smile at his boy's eagerness to help him. 'He doesn't understand the danger is in here and what risks he'd be taking by coming in.'
Before he can fully understand what is happening, a creaking noise sounds eerily in the quiet room. Sam is slowly opening the small window.
"Daddy." He whispers excitedly as he crawls through the window, landing surprisingly quiet on the concrete floor below, grimacing as he hurt knee absorbs the impact of the five foot drop.
"Are you okay, Pooh Bear?" Jason asks softly, seeing the pain in his son's eyes.
Sam doesn't respond. "It's okay, Daddy. I'm going to get you out of here away from the bad me. I promise." He begins to work the thick ropes around his father's arms and leg off with the knife.
The General cringes as the blood rushes to his shoulders. He had been tied in that position for four days and who knows how many days before they had him captured and drugged.
"Sammy." He states shakily, wrapping his aching arms around his son's sturdy frame. "I missed you so much." He whispers into Sam's ear. His son returns the gesture clinging to his father, tears leaking from his eyes.
"I thought I wasn't gonna see you again, Daddy." Sam cries. "I so worried 'bout you. Dey weren't gonna come find you, Daddy an' I couldn't let you get hurt. I love you."
Tears roll down Jason's cheeks as he embraces his only true child. He scoops Sam into his arms, kissing his nose to make him giggle. A few more moments pass as father and son reignite their impenetrable bond.
"Alright sweetheart, we have to get out here before those bad men come back, Pooh Bear." Sam immediately points to the window. "Yeah, uh, I think it's going to be a lot harder to get back up there than it was for you to jump down." He chuckles. "But there is a side door once we can get back up into the cabin. I've noticed they haven't locked the door since I've been tied up so if we can make our way into the house, we have a pretty good shot at taking off into the woods without them noticing or, if we had to, we could outrun them. Oh, what about your leg? Does it hurt, Sammy?" He remembers his son's reaction when he jumped into the basement.
"Yea, I skinned it 'cause I fell in the woods tryin' find you." Sam pouts.
"Sweetie," A sad look passes over the father's face. "Can I kiss it and make it feel better?"
His son nods his head vigorously, his lopsided grin returning. Jason kisses the grass stain on his son's khaki pants just as Sam loses his balance, crashing into the metal folding chair. The General's eyes grow wide as he pulls his son off the floor.
"Now Sam! Now! Run!" He pushes his son through the basement door in the direction of the side door.
The five men came running as soon as they heard the crash. The seven men practically collide. Bodies smash into each other, guns jab into ribs, shots fire into the ceiling. Chaos reigns as Jason frantically screams abouve the din.
"SAM! RUN! RUN SAMMY! JUST KEEP RUNNING! I LOVE YOU!"
The current SRU officer refuses to listen to his father's orders. He spins around on his heels, hightailing it back to where his father struggles with the stronger men.
"DADDY! DADDY!" He screams, fighting his way through the guns and bodies, wrenching his father out of a man's tight grip and dragging him out of the cabin. Both men run as fast as they can into the timberland.
Sam yelps and crashes to the forest floor. His father is by his side instantly, hauling him to his feet with one simple command.
"Run, just run."
And run they do. For a near forty-five minutes, they keep up the speed of a flat-out run before Sam crumples to the ground.
"Sammy? Baby! C'mon, it's okay. You're okay, sweetheart." Jason tells his gasping son, wanting to continue jogging at least.
Sam does not move. He cannot breathe enough air. His head is light, the world spinning, his hearing and vision fade in and out.
"C'mon Sammy! We have to keep moving!" He urges again, trying to help his son to his feet.
The constable collapses onto the ground once more, his legs unable to hold his weight. He finds enough strength to shake his head no as he closes his eyes, trying to slow his heart down. The General, once again, wraps his arms around his son preparing to lift him when he pulls his hand back quickly. He can barely force himself to look at his hand, now covered in a sticky, crimson substance. Blood. Sam's blood.
"Sammy." He chokes, using the crook of his right elbow to lay Sam's head on his shoulder brushing through his hair with his clean left hand. "Stay with me, sweetheart. Daddy's going to take care of you." He promises.
His son's eyes are bleary slits as he shoves his hand into the bullet hole in Sam's lower back. Jason prays it did not damage his kidney. He helps his son stand, wrapping his arm around him to stabilize Sam, taking most of his weight. He kisses his twenty-seven-year-old son on the cheek, feeling him slowly slipping away from him.
The night approaches quickly. Jason helps his son sit and lean against a tall tree while tries to keep him warm. It is late in October and the nights are crisp and chilly.
"Stay with me, baby. Hang on just a little longer. We'll get help for you tomorrow and by this time tomorrow night, we'll be home nice and snug in bed." He promises, hoping with all his heart that it will come true. He cannot lose Sam. Not after everything they have been through. "I love you so much, Sammy. Please don't give up on me yet."
Sam weakly grasps his father's figure and lays his head on his shoulder, his eyes closing as exhaustion and blood loss conquer him.
TORONTO, Canada: SRU HQ
"Alright team, we're in a race against time to locate Sam and General Braddock." Greg states.
Team One, a military commander and a small army search and rescue unit gather in the briefing room. It has been nearly three days since Sam took off and a little over a week since General Braddock disappeared. The commander relayed the information Sam had given him two days ago, feeling guilty for not immediately accepting the young constable's hypothesis on his father's location.
"There is very good chance that Master Corporal Braddock followed through with his proposition and is searching for or has already found his father. The problem is pinpointing even their general location." Military commander, Sergeant Steven Willis states exasperatedly. "We do know where the old safe house used to be though so at least that gives us something to go off of. However, we do not know General Braddock's condition, he could be in rough shape."
"We'll get EMTs to follow us to the safe house in an ambulance." Ed announces. "Hopefully Sam brought proper equipment along with him to be able to take care The General if he needs medical attention."
"Sergeant Willis, does Sam know this area? Has he been there recently? I know you said it was their safe house and since Sam recognized it, he must have been there at least once, but what about recently? Would he remember it very clearly?" Greg asks.
A middle-aged man steps forward from the group. "Sir? If I may."
"Go ahead, Duke." Sergeant Willis answers.
"Yes, Sergeant Parker, Sam does know the area quite well. Along with it being one of their old safe houses, Jase – erm, General Braddock would often take Sam there during the summer when he was younger to camp and other father/son activities." Duke states softly. "He has not been there in the past ten years, however, do not underestimate Sam's ability to remember certain things with remarkable detail and accuracy. You wouldn't believe how many conversations, quotes, movie clips, book paragraphs, directions, maps and other odd things he remembers with perfection." He smiles slightly at the confused faces of Team One. "If he has set out to find his father, which I believe he most certainly has, he will find him and do everything in his power to bring him back home."
"Well what are we waiting for?" Ed asks. "Let's go bring our men home!"
Team One, the select army officials and a team of EMTs set out driving to the safe house near the Great Lakes.
The Woods: The Next Morning
Jason gently wakes his son. Much to his dismay, Sam's wound has not clotted and he has blanched significantly. Weakened by hunger and exhaustion, the two men walk slowly through the forest heading for their abandoned safe house where Sam's car is parked or, by some miracle, to find a car passing by on the desolate road. By mid-morning, they reach the road. Staying in the protection of the forest, Jason and his son limp as they follow the road.
"Daddy." Sam whispers hoarsely. "I don't feel good." He mumbles.
'He's been shot in back, is bleeding out and he just "doesn't feel good." Sammy truly is a warrior.' Jason thinks as he scoop his son into his arms. "Rest, sweetheart. Daddy'll take care of you." He promises.
After another hour or so, Sam falls limp in his father's arms. The General's tears spill onto Sam's shirt, leaving small, wet circles on the t-shirt. He kisses his son's forehead, promising once more to get help for him. Jason continues to walk on mindlessly even under his son's dead weight. No cars have passed but he knows they should arrive at the car before this time tomorrow for sure. Just as he is about to stop for the dusk is closing in on them, Jason hears a loud rumbling of a car. No. Not a car. Many cars. He runs out into the middle of the road, wildly searching for headlights on the dark road.
Team One:
The day has been exhausting. They found Sam's car parked in the driveway of the old safe house but has found no other signs of the missing father and son.
"It's getting dark, gang. We need to pull over to stop for the night." Greg's voice crackles over the com-links.
"Boss wait!" Spike shouts. "I've got a figure in the road about a quarter of a mile ahead of us. I can't make out who it is."
"A figure?" Duke asks turning to Sergeant Willis, a questioning glint in his eyes. 'Is it Sam or Jason?' they ask.
"Everyone stop here, leave your headlights on and approach the subject with extreme caution." Greg instructs.
They park their vehicles in a manner where the entire road and much of the forest's edge remained brightly illuminated.
"Police! SRU! Stay where you are! Put your hands in the air slowly!" They bark, carefully closing in.
"Please! Someone help my son! Help my son!" An unfamiliar voice chokes with tears.
The Army unit and SRU have their flashlight on their guns turned on and they direct them to the unseen body in the man's arms.
Duke squints to get a better visual of the man he is standing a ways back from.
"Jase!" He cries, pushing his way through the startled SRU members.
"Duke?" The voice calls in return, unsure if he is correctly recognizing the voice.
The Army medic quickly reaches General Braddock's side and shines his flashlight over Sam's pale, grey face. He glances up at Jason, noticing the tears welled in his friend's eyes. It must have been bad. Duke carefully lifts Sam from Jason's arms feeling the bullet wound and lays him on the road.
"EMS get over here. Reggie, grab my bag." He barks.
All of a sudden, everyone is unrooted from their spots and come rushing forward. The paramedics go to work quickly on their patient, trying to stabilize him and stop the bleeding. Meanwhile, Jason sways on feet watching the EMTs hovering over his son.
"Jase, you need to sit down, buddy. You're not lookin' too hot." Duke states, gently helping his friend to the ground. Jason nearly faints half-way down. "Can you tell me what happened?"
"Sam – shot." Is all he can croak out.
Duke nods and begins a very quick examination of his patient.
"Sam-" Jason mumbles trying to sit upright.
"Jase, the medics are stabilizing him right now okay? You don't look too bad yourself. We're going to get you both to the base ASAP alright?" He soothes his friend. "He stable enough?" He asks the paramedics.
"It's as good as it's going to get without surgery." One of them answers.
"Good, get him in the truck. Sergeant Willis, we're going to need a chopper to airlift them to the base as soon as we get to a suitable landing place. They won't last the drive." Duke states, helping Jason stand very slowly.
The Sergeant nods and dials a number on his phone. "There's a place about ten miles from here that a copter can meet us and take both of them to Ottawa."
With that, Sam is placed on the gurney and situated in the ambulance. Jason and Duke climb into the backseat of a military vehicle. The General is incoherent when he talks which worries the Army doctor and he soon passes out, another bad sign.
The helicopter ride to the base is much quicker than expected. Sam is in surgery within the hour and Jason is situated in a room being treated with antibiotics, fluids, oxygen, pain killers and a mild sedative. He has four cracked ribs from the beatings, obtained an infection from the open wounds on his body and he grew extremely dehydrated during his captivity. His son makes it out of surgery with no damage to his kidney miraculously and is expected to make a full recovery in due time. Duke has Sam placed in the same room as his father so neither will freak out when awoken. He also gives the twenty-seven-year-old both of his medications having a feeling he has not taken them in the past two days. Sam has one seizure during the night but it ends quickly.
The Waiting Room
Greg and Jules are pissed. They have been informed that no one is allowed to visit either Braddock for security purposes. Team One has only been told that both are recovering. Duke comes out a bit later stating he will be by both their sides the entire time. Heavily armed officials guard Sam and Jason's room, four men always on the post. One week later, Duke suggests they wake both men at the same time as to not cause any more emotional distress. Jason begins waking faster than his son but once Sam's eyes flutter open, he is smiling as wide as one could imagine. He grips his grown son's hand tightly and kisses it before he turns to Duke.
"It was them. They won't back off now. They're after us."
A/N: Please review! Chapter 2 will be up soon!