Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of CSI:NY; they belong to Anthony E. Zuiker and CBS.

Author's Note: This one doesn't fall into my "series." It was just a plot bunny that wouldn't leave me alone.

CHAPTER ONE:

Danny Messer loved upstate New York.

Sure, there was a certain air to the city that was uniquely its own. And Danny would much rather get a hot dog and a good Irish beer from a street vendor than go hiking through the forest and live off of berries and nuts. He'd also rather deal with a runaway fugitive than bears, but the Adirondacks were beautiful in their own right. Glass and concrete skyscrapers were one thing, but every now and then it was good to get out of the city for a while...but only for a while. Danny Messer was born and bred a New Yorker. It was nice, though, to remember there was more to New York than just the city. He had been upstate for four days, and was more than ready to come home. He missed his job and Lindsay Monroe like hell.

He cranked up the radio and dashboard-drummed along with .38 Special as he made a left and turned out of the small town of Mountain Spring. How original. Mountain Spring. Real innovative, folks. He wasn't sure why Mac had suggested he go out to teach this training course to a bunch of hillbilly cops, but they had been a pretty professional group, considering the biggest crime they'd ever encountered was a poaching case where one guy got shot in the leg.

All right, that was him exaggerating.

Actually, in the past few months, two people had died in Mountain Spring under suspicious circumstances. And a year before, someone had died in an apparent highway robbery. It had seriously skewed their reputation as a safe little community. They had no idea how to deal with these serious of crimes, so they had called down for some assistance. And Mac was more than happy to send someone their way to educate them in the ways of basic forensics.

Danny had protested. "Why can't you send Mont-Lindsay?" he demanded. "She'll feel right at home up there."

Mac had simply rolled his eyes. "Because she and Stella are on the McDermott case. Sorry, Danny, you've been elected. Besides, it's basically a three day jaunt in the mountains. Get you out of the smog and noise for a couple of days. What's so bad about that?"

Now, as Danny drove down a county road towards the next town (where he would have to stop to get gas), he realized Mac had been right. He had enjoyed the past couple of days. It was good to get out. No gridlocked traffic, no screaming people, no blaring horns. He'd actually heard a bird the other day. He'd sort of forgotten there were more birds in the state than pigeons. He turned his headlights on. Dusk had just fallen. He set the cruise control and leaned back to enjoy the ride. A light snow started to fall and Danny flicked on the wipers.

A black pickup truck pulled out from a dirt road behind him and kept a close distance. Danny noticed it right away. He'd been a detective long enough to know what a tail looked like. He took a turn off the country road to see if the guy was really tailing him. Sure enough, he turned off as well...and began to pick up speed.

"Aw hell." Danny reached a hand over into the passenger's seat and searched for his cell phone. He knew it was buried under some papers and his kit on the seat somewhere. He fished for it, keeping one eye on the road, one in the rearview mirror, and a firm grip with his left hand on the wheel. Behind him, the pickup sped up and without warning, slammed into Danny's bumper. The jolt shook him pretty good. Danny fought for a grip on the wheel and the road, and his fingers closed around his phone. He hit speed dial two. Snow was falling thicker now, and the wipers were having a hard time keeping up.

The pickup slammed into him again. Danny's rented car swerved on the now-wet road. Come on, Mac, damn it, pick up! "Pick up!" he yelled out loud.

The truck sped up next to him and ran into the driver's side. The force caused Danny to swerve. He dropped his phone as he grabbed the wheel with both hands, trying to keep himself on the road. The pickup rammed him from behind again. The rental car fishtailed right, sending Danny into a spin. The car slid toward the shoulder. The passenger's side wheels slid horizontally off the road and into the ditch. The car rolled. Danny gave up trying to control the vehicle and threw his hands over his eyes. He was pretty sure he screamed, but he didn't know for sure. He heard crunching glass and twisting metal. His head hit the steering wheel...and then blackness took him.

What felt like a world away, Mac Taylor kept a white-knuckled grip on his office phone. Panic etched his voice as he yelled, "Danny? Danny!"

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