"Grid G17, sir" the excited voice informed him.
"Hold your position! We're coming," he said while getting his team in motion by merely pointing.
15 minutes later, through now completely dark woods, they made their cautious way toward the fire. There was a figure squatting next to it. At Sam's silent "Go!" the team rushed into the clearing.
"DON'T MOVE! GET YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR!"
The figure froze, then slowly raised his arms, at the same time stopping a suddenly leaping wolf with a word. "Dief!" The wolf stopped but growled at Sam.
Sam strode around the man, confident of his team's backup. When he saw his face he felt a moment of embarrassment.
"Let up, kids. Wrong guy!"
The man visibly relaxed as the team holstered their weapons. Gerard looked him over. Youngish, dressed in jeans, boots, leather jacket and wearing a Stetson.
"I'm Deputy U.S. Marshal Samuel Gerard, sir. I'm sorry we disturbed you. May I ask who you are and what you're doing here?"
"Deputy Gerard? I've heard of you. I'm Constable Benton Fraser of the RCMP. I first came to Chicago on the trail of the killers of my father, and for reasons that don't need exploring at this time, I have remained as liaison at the Canadian Consulate. This weekend I'm off duty and came to spend some time in these magnificent woods."
The team listened with open mouths to this monologue. Finally Cosmo gathered himself enough to mutter "Wow, I just woke up!" before stomping off to contact the search teams again. The others turned to various communications devices too, leaving Sam and Fraser relatively alone.
"What do you mean, you've heard of me?" Sam asked.
Fraser smiled. "I have a friend at CPD, Deputy. You have a somewhat legendary reputation there..."
"That's because I don't take any crap and I always get my man." Sam growled in his trademark growl. Just as long as the Mountie didn't give him any crap either.
"Understood." Fraser replied. He cocked his head to one side and listened intently for a moment. "You're looking for a fugitive? Male, 6 foot 2, wearing... "
"Have you seen him, Constable?" Gerard demanded.
"No, I just heard him running over there." He pointed. "About half a mile."
"You heard... never mind. Cosmo!"
"Yeah?"
"Constable Fraser thinks he might be over there... so move a team over to G16. We'll go check it out. Get me some helicopters up here, it's taking too long on foot!"
"Right."
"Biggs!"
"Yes Sam?" Bobby Biggs lumbered over.
"You and Cooper go along that side of the ridge. Stay in contact, people! Constable, let's go!"
Decisiveness as always catalysed action, and everyone bustled to carry out their orders.
Sam and Fraser left the clearing, the wolf leading the way. As they moved through the trees Sam was pleased to notice the Mountie didn't make a sound, and recalled something said about Mounties.
"Constable," he whispered. Fraser stopped to listen. "Do you Mounties still always get your man?"
"We try to," Fraser replied, setting off again.
They followed the curve of a ridge until Sam could also hear the sound of someone running wildly, crashing through brush.
Sam's radio crackled, and he turned it off immediately, silence being imperative. They entered another clearing, only dimly lit through the overhanging branches.
Fraser slowed down. "There's something... " he began. Suddenly the very ground they were standing on collapsed and they slid down into the darkness. "Oh dear," said Fraser and for a while Sam heard nothing more.
* * *
He came to suddenly. Someone was throwing rocks and sand on him. Looking up from where he lay prone, he saw a dark figure high above, aiming a shotgun.
He scrambled up, stumbled over Fraser, and dragged him into the dark, out of sight. The sound of a frustrated curse floated down, then silence. Fraser groaned. The wolf padded over and licked his face, whining. Gerard watched it distrustfully. To be trapped in a pit with a wolf...
"Constable Fraser." Sam tried to wake him.
Fraser opened his eyes. "Oooh... I'm sorry Deputy, I should have seen that." Groaning he got to his knees and fondled the wolf's ears. "Yes Dief, here we are again."
"Again?" Sam wondered.
"Yes, well, Diefenbaker and I met in similar circumstances," Fraser began. "I was patrolling in the Yukon when I heard him whine, and I found this wolf pup in a pit. Trying to get him out I somehow fell in myself, and how we got out is a long story... "
"Well, this time it will be easy," Sam assured him as he took his radio. "We'll just call the team."
Click. Shhhhh. Click.
As Fraser launched into a detailed explanation of why the radio wouldn't be able to receive or send from a certain distance beneath the ground, Sam looked around their trap.
It wasn't a pit, for one. It was a tunnel, leading off in either direction with a hole in the roof. With a rope and grappling hook it would be easy … but, first they had to have a rope and grappling hook.
"Constable. Con..." Fraser shut up. "Do you have a flashlight? Mine's not going to last long."
Fraser produced one, and by mutual consent they set off to the left, following the upward tunnel, reasoning the exit would probably be higher up than lower.
* * *
After Sam and the Mountie left, Cosmo rustled up the helicopters. Trying to reach Sam, he could hear when he switched off the radio, and understood his need for quiet.
Ten minutes later Biggs radioed in.
"Cosmo, we've lost whoever it was. Did Sam get him?"
"I don't know. We haven't heard from him. Can you get a visual on him or the Mountie?"
But searching revealed no trace of them. The searchers passed the hole in the clearing by feet only, never noticing it in the dark.
By midnight the manhunt had turned into a search-and-rescue operation as the team took over all resources to look for their leader.
* * *
Hours later, flashlights spent, Sam and Fraser sat dispiritedly in the tunnel. They had long since lost their sense of direction.
"You know," stated Sam. "I don't like tunnels."
"Really? Why is that?" Fraser asked.
"I don't like getting lost." Sam was gruff. "And I always end up in some dark, wet tunnel trying not to get lost."
"At least this one isn't wet." Fraser replied, while going through his pockets. Some minutes later he miraculously produced a little fire, feeding it flakes of wood that he carved from the wooden support beams in the tunnel.
"You're a handy guy to have around." Sam remarked as they sat watching the flames. "I just hope the kids caught Gaiman. They never have their priorities straight."
"Aren't they likely to catch him?" Fraser inquired.
"Oh, they'll catch him. They're good. It's just that they might call off the hunt to look for me... It's a bad habit I can't get them to shake."
"You've been lost before?"
"No, but there was the time I got shot... We were searching a swamp and one guy stupidly let himself be used as a shield. I tried to talk to the fugitive but he shot me in the vest. My whole team rushed to me and he got away." He shook his head ruefully at the memory. "I should have shot Royce myself that day..." he mused.
* * *
Dawn had broken and Cosmo was as tired as he'd ever been. Searching through mountainous woodland all night was much harder work than he would have thought. Making his way to the command center he was accosted by a tall, dark haired man dressed in an Armani suit.
"You in charge? Ray Vecchio, Chicago PD. What's happening?" He spoke with a soft Italian accent.
"Marshal Renfro." Cosmo replied. Damn, he looked scruffy next to this guy.
"We're still looking... but what's it to you? This isn't your jurisdiction." "I know, I know. Benton Fraser is my partner."
"You're partnered with a Mountie? Never mind. Come with me, I'll give you a grid number to search."
Ray followed him meekly into the trailer.
* * * Fraser woke up from a dream where he was chasing a guy over some rooftops. He had to jump over each yawning chasm and they kept getting wider. Eventually, he fell... and fell... and woke in darkness. Lying still and listening to orient himself, he could hear Gerard's quiet breathing and Diefenbaker's occasional snore.
He got up stiffly and set about lighting the fire again. As the first flames licked the wood he heard the familiar sound of a shotgun being cocked.
"Move and you're dead," a menacing voice whispered.
Fraser kept still. The owner of the voice glided through the shadows and into the circle of firelight. The shotgun gleamed.
"Wake the cop," the man instructed.
"Deputy..."
At the sound of his voice Diefenbaker suddenly snarled and leaped at the startled man. Fraser didn't have time to be surprised before Gerard and Dief were both struggling with the man. The shotgun clattered to the ground. Fraser picked it up and hit the man satisfyingly hard over the head with it. His eyes glazed over and he toppled to the ground.
"Whew!" Gerard exclaimed. "I hope you have some rope, Constable."
Tying up Gaiman, Sam suddenly grinned at Fraser. "You're lucky your wolf decided to sleep on my legs."
"Why is that, Deputy?"
"I woke when you were lighting the fire and heard Gaiman … so I just kicked the wolf off me to wake him up ... a very useful Big Dog." He playfully rubbed Dief's ears.
"He'll never let me forget this," Fraser lamented. "Deputy..."
"Call me Sam."
"Alright. Sam, Gaiman came from the direction we were going in. Dief should be able to find the way out by following his scent."
"Good idea. Let's go."
Together they hauled Gaiman's inert form to his feet and followed Diefenbaker down the tunnel.
* * *
Ray was clambering dejectedly over a large rock, supplying a running commentary as he went.
"FRASER! Fraser, you idiot. Look at what that tree did to my jacket. FRASER! You're the Mountie, why do I have to look for you? FRASER!" Rounding a corner he came upon the entrance of an old mine.
"No way I'm going in there," he muttered. "FRASER! FRASER!" he yelled inward. Seconds later he was fighting for his life to ward off an ecstatic wolf.
"Get off me! GET OFF! Help! Help!"
"Dief!"
Fraser dropped his part of the burden Gaiman presented to restrain Diefenbaker.
Ray lay on his back, blinking up at Fraser. "Benny! You ok?"
"Yes, thank you Ray. What are you doing here?" Fraser went to help Sam pick up Gaiman again.
"Doing here? Doing here?! I was looking for you!" He got up and inspected his clothes while ranting on. "I'm peacefully watching the news when I hear a Constable Benton Fraser has disappeared along with some Deputy Dog with a madman running around..."
Fraser smiled. "Thank you, Ray."
Gerard stood watching the two friends. It was nice to see such friendship. Sometimes he felt so alone... his stomach rumbled. Never mind friendship right now.
"Can we get a move on? I'm hungry and you should know I get very cranky when I'm hungry."
Ray stopped in mid-tirade. "You Gerard? I'm Ray Vecchio, CPD. I remember you from the Kimble case... got your man, I see."
Sam acknowledged the oblique praise with a look.
"Right. Where's my team?"
"Looking for you, of course," Ray answered with a smile.
Gerard sighed. They were good kids, sure, but they still hadn't kicked that habit.
© Slef December 1998. Any thoughts on this? Let me know! http://beam.at/lonesome_alien
