Chapter 2

It was twenty four hours later and high winds and freezing rain buffeted the small plane making its way through the black night. It was freezing in the rear compartment where Lee Crane awaited the signal to jump. He adjusted his parachute for at least the tenth time in as many minutes. He had jumped from aircraft numerous times and wasn't worried about that; it was just this entire mission had him on edge.

"Five minutes to drop point, Captain!" called the pilot. The co-pilot made his way aft to help Crane prepare for the jump. Lee rose to his feet but almost fell as the plane continued to pitch wildly. The pilot fought to maintain control of his aircraft against the ferocious winds. He was concerned they may not be as close to the drop zone has he would like but he knew if he didn't head back soon, the plane might not return at all. He looked again at his instruments and decided they had reached the proper coordinates. He signaled the copilot who opened the hatch. The blast of wind almost knocked him off his feet. He looked apprehensively at Crane, worried the Captain might very well be killed in this jump, but Lee showed no sign of backing out. Lee fought his way to the open hatch, nodded his thanks to the crewmen, took a deep breath and jumped into the maelstrom.

As soon as Lee opened his chute, the force of the wind almost tore it from him. He cried out in pain as he fought to maneuver through the screaming gale. The rain and sleet blinded him as he struggled to make out any landmarks below, but all he could see was an inky void. He was supposed to land in an open field but with the fierce wind blowing him uncontrollably, there was no telling where he would end up. This was insane! He thought desperately. Any intelligent man would have waited until the conditions were more favorable but Lee knew they were under strict time constraints and he needed to be in place before the professor arrived.

The drop seemed interminable. Lee's body ached from fighting the wind and the pull of his chute. He knew the landing wouldn't be a good one and he could feel himself tensing up for the inevitable collision. It came sooner than he expected. He felt himself crash into the wildly whipping branches of a large tree; a sharp, shattering pain in his left arm caused him to cry out and for a few moments, everything went black.

When he came to moments later, Lee found himself suspended a few feet above the forest floor, his chute hopelessly tangled in the branches above. The wind was less fierce in this protected grove, but the conditions were dismal nonetheless. He was shivering uncontrollably despite his layers of clothing and when he moved his left arm, the agonizing pain caused black spots to dance across his vision. He took a few deep breaths and fought the rising nausea. When he had regained control he considered his situation. He was maybe 8 feet above the ground and under normal circumstances such a drop would not concern him. However, he had no doubt his arm was badly broken (lucky it wasn't his neck, he thought grimly) and such a fall could be extremely painful. He sighed unhappily. There wasn't any choice. He obviously couldn't remain where he was and perhaps if he fell just right, he would land on his feet and thus avoiding any further damage to his arm. With a deep breath, he carefully hit the release on his harness and felt himself abruptly plummet toward earth. Bracing himself, he prepared to land but just as he hit the ground, his feet slipped on the freezing mud sending him sprawling. He cried out as the pain exploded in his injured arm and again, unconsciousness seized him.

He had no idea how long he lay there but obviously long enough to be encased in a thin layer of freezing sleet. He grunted in pain as he pushed himself to sitting position, gingerly cradling his injured arm. He was soaking wet and shivering violently. He knew this was very bad. He had absolutely no idea where he was at the moment or how to find his way to Minden much less contact Dragos. Well, the first thing he had to do was find some shelter from this storm. He still had his backpack so once he was out of the elements he could hopefully figure out where he was.

Slowly, he rose to his feet, pausing a moment to let a wave of dizziness pass. He tried to study his surroundings but was blinded by the onslaught of icy sleet and rain. He reached for the flashlight attached to his belt and holding his injured arm pressed close to his body, he began to struggle though the dense forest in search of shelter.

He remembered little of that journey besides the bone-chilling cold and the throbbing pain of his arm. There was no path to speak of and he frequently found himself stumbling or skidding on the slippery and uneven ground. Roots seemed to maliciously rise up to trip him and it was all Lee could do to keep his footing. The colder he became the more he stumbled and the more difficult it became to maintain his concentration. He was fully aware he was beginning to suffer the effects of hypothermia but at the moment, there was nothing he could do to counteract its affects. Finally, his wavering flashlight briefly illuminated what looked like a small cleft in a rocky hillside. It might not be much, but perhaps it would be large enough to get him out of the wind.

Carefully, he eased himself through the opening. It was maybe 6 feet deep and 5 feet high – just enough to provide some protection. Lee breathed a sigh of relief. He could feel his entire body slump with exhaustion from fighting the wind and all he wanted to do was lie down and sleep. However, he knew that was the last thing he should do. Awkwardly and painfully, he managed to lower his pack as he collapsed shivering to the ground. He leaned up against the damp wall and studied his injured arm. He could feel a warm trickle of blood dripping down his left hand. He clenched his teeth and removed his heavy outer jacket. It was soaked through and felt as if it weighed a ton. The sweater sleeve underneath was also wet but Lee realized it wasn't just from the rain. He carefully pushed the sleeve up and felt his stomach clench as he observed the odd angle of his forearm; a sharp piece of bone protruded through the flesh with blood seeping from the ugly wound. Again a wave of dizziness struck him forcefully and he was afraid he would black out. Taking several deep breaths, he steadied himself.

Great, he thought dismally. I'm not even out on this mission an hour and already I'm in serious trouble! I knew I should have turned this down!" He looked through his pack for his first aid kit. He had to stop the bleeding and somehow immobilize the arm. Lee was shivering so violently, he was having trouble opening the case. At last the pack popped opened and after digging out a sterile compress, Lee gritted his teeth as he clumsily pressed it against the wound. He closed his eyes wishing he could just sleep. He felt so exhausted perhaps a short nap would help him concentrate better…

No! His eyes snapped open and he struggled to sit upright. If he fell asleep now, chances are he'd never wake up. He shook his head dismayed that he almost allowed himself succumb. He needed to find help and to do that he had to figure out where he was. He dug through his pack again and pulled out his GPS device to check his location. Comparing the coordinates to his map, he realized he was at least 2 miles from the drop point but actually only about a mile from Minden. Maybe something would go right this evening after all. Lee studied the map carefully and saw that he was approximately half a mile from the road into Minden. If he could reach that, getting into the village itself should be easy.

Famous last words, Lee thought grimly as he checked the bleeding from his arm. The compress was soaked with blood so he changed it and renewed the pressure. After several long, painful minutes, the bleeding receded to a mere trickle and Lee awkwardly bandaged it. He had nothing with which to fashion a splint but found a square of fabric in the first aid kit to use as a sling. That would have to do. He knew he couldn't stay in the cleft much longer. It was getting harder and harder to stay awake and walking would at least help generate body heat. The bouts of shivering seemed to be coming on stronger than ever but Lee knew it was only a matter of time before the cold would overcome him, especially in his present condition. He had to find a warm, dry shelter and get out of his wet clothing. So, that meant he had to get to Minden and find Liviu Dragos.

With agonizing slowness, Lee managed to push himself back onto his feet. He picked up his waterlogged jacket with distaste but knew it would provide some protection. It took several clumsy attempts before Lee was able to get his good arm through the sleeve and settle the jacket onto his shoulders over the sling. He then slung his pack over his good shoulder and stepped back out into the storm.

He was relieved to find the wind and sleet had decreased considerably and was now down to at least a tolerable level. Checking his GPS again, he headed off to the north hoping to intersect with the road. Despite his determination, he found the going rough as he stumbled along but at least this time he had a destination in mind. It took him a good hour to finally reach the narrow road, barely more than a trail though the forest but to Lee, it was the most beautiful thing he could have imagined. Panting with exertion, Lee turned to the right and headed towards the village. He could actually see some faint lights in the distance and for the first time all night, he began to hope that this mission wouldn't be a complete fiasco.

No vehicles passed Lee on that dismal night and for that he was grateful. He didn't want to have to explain who he was or what he was doing wandering around in the forest. He shambled down the icy and rutted pavement thinking only of a warm bed and a hot cup of coffee. He was barely aware of his surroundings now; only the scattered lights ahead drawing him on. He could scarcely feel his hands or feet. When he reached the outskirts of the town he came to a stumbling halt. He swayed alarmingly but somehow managed to keep his feet. He pulled the map from his jacket pocket and consulted it for a moment before continuing on into the silent, sleeping village. After a few false turns, he finally found himself on the doorstep of a small, ramshackle cottage at the end of a lane littered with soggy piles of reeking refuse.

Lee leaned wearily against the doorframe and knocked three times in slow succession followed by two more then waited. Several minutes passed before the door was cautiously opened enough to allow a large, bushy haired man to peer suspiciously out. He caught one glimpse of Lee shivering in the doorway and flung the door open just in time to catch Lee as he started to slump to the ground. With a anxious look around, the man quickly pulled Lee inside and quietly shut the door behind them.

Warmth…blessed, soothing warmth was the first thing Lee noticed when he came to. He was lying on something soft and very warm. He was reluctant to open his eyes in case this was all a dream. "Captain?" a deep voice called softly. "Captain Crane? You must wake up." Slowly, reluctantly Lee forced his heavy eyes open. A heavily bearded face peered down at him with warm but worried brown eyes. "Captain?" the voice repeated. "Can you hear me?"

Lee blinked several times trying to bring things into focus. He was in a small room, a fire burned brightly in a stone fireplace in the far wall. It was dark except for a small lamp burning by his bedside. "Yes," he said hoarsely, "Yes, I can hear you. Where am I?"

The man beamed in relief. "You are in my home. I am Liviu Dragos. I have been waiting for you." He reached over to the bedside table and lifted a mug of steaming hot tea. "Here Captain, you must drink something warm. I was not sure you were going to make it; you were so cold!" Gently, he eased Lee into a sitting position and helped him take several sips of the soothing liquid. Its warmth seemed to spread though Lee instantly. He quickly finished off the mug and sighed in contentment. He then looked down at his injured arm suddenly aware of the dull throb of pain. It had been neatly splinted and wrapped. Dragos followed Lee's gaze. "I am no doctor," he smiled apologetically, "But you cannot live in such a remote place as Minden without learning some basic medical skills. I have had to set many broken bones in my time." He tilted his head as he studied his handiwork. "However, it should be seen by a real doctor when you get the chance. It was a nasty break and may very well become infected."

Lee nodded wearily and leaned back against the pillows. "How long have I been here?"

"A few hours only," Dragos assured him. "Now, perhaps you can tell me why you have come. I was not told any details of your mission, just that you would arrive tonight."

Something was bothering Lee but he was having trouble concentrating. Again, things seemed to be in order but his instincts kept sounding warning bells. He just couldn't put his finger on what was setting him off. "Captain?" Lee blinked rapidly aware that he had been starting to doze off.

"Oh," he said feeling dazed and he could feel the beginnings of a blinding headache, "I, uh, am supposed to meet Dr. Charles Atwood. An agent is supposed to bring him here tomorrow night." He frowned trying to think.

Dragos studied Lee carefully. "Is that right, Captain? Did you say Charles Atwood?"

Lee's headache was growing exponentially. "Yes," he replied grimacing in pain. He then looked up at Dragos and felt a cold lump in his stomach. "Why don't you know this?" he asked warily. Suddenly his eyes widened. He realized what was bothering him – Dragos knew his real name! He was supposed to know him by the alias Lee Michaels yet Dragos had repeatedly called him Captain Crane. He tried to sit up straighter but the room began to spin around and with growing dread, Lee realized he had been drugged.

"I think, Captain," said Dragos quietly, leaning in closer, "That you are lying. Why would you be sent to retrieve a man who was rescued over a week ago?"

Lee blinked in confusion. What did Dragos mean? How could Atwood have already been rescued? "That was my mission," he insisted stubbornly trying to fight through the increasing effects of the drug.

Dragos leaned back and shook his head. "Ah Captain," he sighed sadly, "I had hoped this would be a simple task. It would be so much easier on you if you told me the truth now. The secret police are on their way and they have methods far less…uh…pleasant. You could spare yourself much pain if you would tell me your real reason for being here."

Lee leaned back against the pillows, barely able to think beyond the hammering in his skull. His entire body now felt like lead and he could barely move. Still, he kept trying to figure out what was going on. "I have told you why I am here," he gasped painfully, forcing open his eyes to glare at the scowling Dragos. Speaking was becoming a major effort. "I was sent to escort Dr. Atwood to safety. That's all." With that, he closed his eyes again and let the darkness take him.