Chapter 7

"Hey Bartlet, wake up."

Jed was trying to, but his body kept drawing him back to a blissful unconsciousness state.

"Open your eyes."

He finally opened his eyes to see the face from the house. The burly man had at least a three-day growth on his chin and teeth which looked like they hadn't seen a dentist in years.

"You were in the house. Who are you? What do you want?"

"That's not important."

"Where am I?"

"You're where I want you to be."

"Where's that?"

"That's not important. What's important is that we finally have you."

"We?"

"Yes. We. And we've been waiting quite a while for you to join us."

"What do you mean?" Jed tried to shift his legs, but grimaced as intense pain shot through his body. He couldn't remember what had caused him to be injured so badly.

"I may tell you later. That is, if I want you to know. Then again, maybe I'll let you just worry about it for awhile. You're quite the worrier, aren't you?"

"Why would you say….Damn! I hurt like hell!"

"Let me take your pain away."

"No! I can stand it."

Whoever was standing over him grabbed his arm and gave him a shot.

"I said no! What are you giving me?" even as he felt the needle pierce his skin.

"Morphine. You need it for the pain."

Jed tried to respond, but darkness quickly enveloped him. There was no way for him to fight the effects.

He surrendered and soon felt nothing.

The five men gazed at the unconscious President.

"We need to move him now. He won't feel anything for a while."

"Why the hurry?"

"Idiot! Don't you think by now there are probably troops looking for him? We need to get out of here. Take him home and then deal with him there."

"Well, I want to deal with him here. I want his suffering to start now. He didn't give my boy a chance."

"Come on. We'll make him suffer plenty. But at home. Not here."

The men knew that it was only a matter of time before their tunnel was found and their hideout discovered.

The men placed the President's limp body into the back of a pick-up truck and tied him down on the stretcher so he wouldn't slide all over the back during the long trip home.

They didn't want their prize damaged by anything else other than themselves.

They had waited too long for this. And now their time for retribution had finally arrived.