Apologies for the delay... life and all. Anyway, here's another chapter. Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed so far, I hope you enjoy the next installment.
Chapter 7
"Midway?" Danny started. "I don't know."
"If you don't want to, that's okay. But I'm going out there. I can then report back, without you needing to step foot on the island," Jack replied.
"Jack, it would make far more sense if I came out there."
"But don't need to go out now, you can wait. Let me check it out first."
"Do you know what you are looking for?"
"Do you?" Jack replied, instantly regretting the harshest of his words.
"No, but you know as well as I do how memory can work. It can be stimulated by the environment. If I go back to the place I had been potentially held, my memories might come back." He looked away from for a moment. "I know what you are thinking. I may go there and crack up, but I'm cracking up now. I'm going to pieces not knowing what happened to me. Why it happened to me, or where I've been for the last five years!"
"I don't know Danny, it's quite a risk."
"Please Jack!" Danny pleaded. "I need to know. If it's good news, or bad, I need to know."
Jack looked at Martin for a moment, before pausing. "Okay then," he finally said.
Danny swallowed several times. "Thank you."
Martin having been silent for the duration of the conversation cleared his throat. He didn't know if it was a good idea or not. Going to Midway had the potential to send his friend into shock, yet he agreed with Danny. Going back to the place he had been held was the best way to find out. He just hoped whatever they found on the island wasn't too traumatic. "I'll look at getting a plane out there," he finally said.
It was somewhat difficult to get a flight to the Midway Islands, and he was loathed to use his father's influence, but somehow he managed it. That's why they found themselves on a small plane, flying over the endless expense of ocean. He wanted to talk to his friend, but the tense jaw and restless eyes, never leaving the window told him otherwise. He had no idea of Jack's plans when they reached Midway, or indeed, what lay on those islands. He glanced across at the man in question, at his folded arms and tense body, and wondered if Jack himself knew. It wasn't something they taught at Quantico. Best friend goes missing without a trace, turns up five years later not knowing where he'd been or what had happened to him. He closed his eyes as he felt the plane begin to decent. He found himself questioning if they were doing the right thing. Where they looking in the right place? Even, if Danny was ready for whatever they discovered, or if they found nothing at all.
"Leave him"
Martin turned slowly, feeling the sweat unhurriedly trickle down his back, to face the owner of the voice. "But"
"He needs time. He needs to try and make sense of whatever happened to him," Jack explained, looking at the still figure, sat silently staring out to sea. "He knows we are here. He knows we won't leave him."
"Does he?"
"What?"
"I don't think he has a lot of faith in people, he expects them to abandon him. He had it growing up and then, well after the shooting everyone abandoned him again when he need them the most," Martin said hotly. He winced as he watched the other man's eyes fall. "Shit Jack, I didn't mean it like that."
"No Martin," Jack replied holing his hands up. "No Martin, I deserved that. I keep trying to blame it on the workload or being too tired, but." He sighed and paused. "But, in reality how long does it take to ask someone how they are, if they need anything? I doubt Danny would have said anything, but at least he would have known someone was looking out for him, that he had someone to talk to if he needed."
Martin looked down, realising for the first time what had really happened in those six weeks he was on sick leave. "Too be fair Jack, none of us did. We were all too involved in our survival to help anyone else."
Jack nodded. "Danny," he called out to the silent figure. Seeing the head slowly rise, he continued. "Danny, we're going to look around the island. You can join us if you want, but if you don't want to; you've got a radio if you need anything."
Danny looked up and felt himself nodding. He desperately wanted to go with him friends, but he just didn't feel ready yet. He didn't feel ready to discover what happened to him over those lost five years. He knew he had been on these islands, he hadn't told Jack or Martin yet, but he knew. As soon as he had stepped foot on the low lying atoll, everything seemed so familiar, yet he couldn't place it yet. After all what would he say to them? 'I know I was here, but I don't know why?' He shook his head, even in his head his thoughts it sounded stupid. So he didn't even what to think of how they would sound out loud.
He returned his glaze to the sea, to its emptiness but to him it seemed so peaceful. A flock of albatross flew over his head, their call softening his thoughts. He tried to make sense of his thoughts, but found none. All that was alien to him before, he seemed to greet with open arms. Just what had happened to him and for what reason?
Jack cursed as he stumbled over another tuft of grass. There didn't appear to be much on the islands. Apart from the runway, there didn't appear to be any recent signs of human life. He knew of Midway from World War Two, and had vaguely heard it was an emergency runway, but never really paid much attention to the low lying atoll. But then, why would he? He never expected one of his agents to go missing, and then end up on this isolated, inhospitable island. Danny hadn't said anything, but he knew it was the island the moment they touched down. There was something about Danny's body language. He wondered how the hell Danny had survived here for those five years. Martin, maybe, but Danny…. Danny was a city boy, who hated the outdoors. How did he managed to survive in such an hostile location for so long.
"Jack!"
He jumped slightly as the voice pulled him out of his thoughts. "Have you found something?" he replied, as he started to walk down towards Martin.
"Yes," Martin replied, as Jack got closer. He held up what appeared to be a camera and some form of transmitting device.
Jack frowned. "What am I looking at?"
"This is a short range transmitter," Martin said pointing to the device.
Jack nodded. "What's the range?"
"I'm not sure, but my best guess it 5 miles, and that would be its maximum range."
Jack looked around. "Where the hell it would it go?"
"Either it would transmit to another device which would broadcast it further or-"
"Danny!" Jack exclaimed.
"What?!"
"Or whoever set that device, is still on the island and kidnapped Danny," Jack yelled over his shoulder as he ran in the direction of Danny.
A/N: According to my research the Midway Islands have a population of 60, with the occasional tourists. It also has one of the emergency runways for the Pacific (landings in 2011 and 2014). However, of the purpose of this story, it is inhabited and no planes had to made an emergency landing.
