MUAHAHAHAHA! That wasn't an evil laugh, just an excited laugh. I've been looking forward to writing this chapter. It's got another cliffy ending, though, so brace yourself. And don't forget to review!

Disclaimer: Please see previous chapter.

Chapter Eleven: The Prairie, the Factory, and the River

When Milligan heard his name, he stopped dead in the middle of a sentence. His mouth still slightly open, he turned his head to look up the hill - and his mouth fell totally open in astonishment.

Reynie Muldoon was in a struggle with none other than McCracken. Even as he shouted to Milligan, McCracken clapped a hand over Reynie's mouth. Milligan caught a glimpse of Reynie's brown eyes, wide and scared, before McCracken dragged him swiftly away, out of sight.

Milligan stood stunned for another half-second. Then he ordered Hardy, who was also gaping, to go and alert Mr. Benedict. The other sentries too, but Mr. Benedict was top priority. He hurled himself into the van and revved the engine.


The grass tickled Reynie's bare foot as McCracken escorted him - none too gently - back to the Salamander. "You chickies are hard to round up," he informed Reynie.

His friends, each with a matching Ten Man that gripped them by their shoulders, greeted him with rueful smiles when he looked at them.

Sharpe opened his mouth as they approached. "McCracken - "

"Get in the Salamander, please," said McCracken politely; his voice was laced with venom. Everyone present fell silent.

McCracken stopped pressing his hand to Reynie's mouth and thrust him forward. He ascended the ladder compliantly, not daring to do or say anything else. Sticky and Bludgins followed suit. Kate climbed the ladder with Hertz very close behind her; Crawlings came up with Constance soon after.

McCracken was the last to get in the armored vehicle. Without bothering with words, he shoved Garrotte roughly aside and grasped the steering wheel himself. Kate watched him, glowering ferociously.

"Sharpe," he called lazily, "I think our little friends need a handkerchief - would you kindly lend them one?"

The children stiffened.

Sharpe grinned. "With pleasure," he replied. He pulled out the elegant white cloth with a flourish.

The Ten Man gave the four of them an appraising sort of smirk. He had the air of somebody picking out a coffee mug or refrigerator magnet. Finally, he took hold of Sticky's chin and raised the handkerchief.

CRASH!

The whole world seemed to lurch tremendously - Something very large, very fast, and very powerful rammed into the Salamander. The great vehicle tipped; and everyone inside it fell over one another.

Constance fell on Reynie. Hertz fell on Sharpe. The two of them fell on the other Ten Men, who fell on each other. McCracken tripped over poor Kate and very nearly flattened her. And Sticky - Sticky toppled over the edge of the Salamander with a yell of fright.

As soon as it had come, it passed. The Salamander righted itself, and McCracken said something that would have warranted Reynie to cover Constance's ears, had they not both been clambering frantically over the side.

Reynie hit the ground, hard, with his upper arm. He grunted with the impact, and Constance complained that he was squeezing her too tightly. He scrambled to get to his feet – and the moment he did, two people leapt after them.

Kate and McCracken hit the ground at exactly the same time, on their feet. However, Kate was far lighter than the enormous Ten Man, and so she recovered more quickly than he did. Strong powerful fist collided with square jutting jaw, and McCracken went reeling bakcwards.

She winced and recoiled; McCracken's huge chin was not exactly soft. Unfortunately, he was every bit as cunning as he was big – he swung his foot out, and his shiny, well-polished black shoe succeeded in knocking Kate's ankles and sending her sprawling in the grass.

Without further ado, McCracken brushed off his suit coat and took a step toward Reynie, who instinctively took a step and gripped Constance ever the more tightly. She made a whimpering sound and clutched at his sleeve.

McCracken laughed. He then stepped on Reynie's foot very hard, causing him to double over in the pain of it.

"Thank you," he said with a hearty wink. The next thing Reynie knew, Constance was in McCracken's arms and the Ten Man as well as girl were both back in the Salamander; McCracken must have decided that just one child would suffice for ransom purposes.

Reynie saw Kate dash over to an unmoving, tea-colored body. "What happened to Sticky?" she cried. "Is that...is that blood?"

"I don't know," Reynie wheezed. "Listen – McCracken – he - !"

Reynie's desperate words were drowned out by the desperate words of someone else, emanating from a demolished van that might have once been black. "Kate! Children! Kate!" called Milligan's deep voice. "Hold on! I'm here! Hang on!"

The van was what had crashed into the Salamander, and it was all the worse for it. Milligan was trapped inside, trying to fight his way through the crushed doors and shattered glass. On the other hand, the Salamander itself had barely a scratch on it and was obviously still operational, as evidenced by the rumbling motor.

The Ten Men were about to take off with Constance, Sticky was injured to an unknown extent, and Milligan was powerless to assist them. What else was there to do but follow them? There was no time to think, only time enough to leap onto the Salamander and madly cling to it for dear life as it shot away.


McCracken punched a number that Constance couldn't see into his sleek and glossy-looking business calculator, and then tossed it onto the ground where the wreck of a van was, as well as her friends. Constance remembered easily the magnitude of these calculators' destructive power, and her stomach plummeted with sheer dread.

"HELP!" she shrieked, over and over again. Hertz, who was carrying her, pressed her face to his chest, so that her voice was muffled and she couldn't see. The smell of cologne in her nostrils was overpowering; she couldn't breathe very well either.

The engine started, loud in her ears. She could sense motion – they were picking up speed rapidly. When the wind was positively screaming and her hair was whipping and flapping so much that it hurt, the pressure on her head relented and she could turn it.

McCracken was at the wheel like the captain of a ship (she thought longingly of Captain Noland, who had once rescued her and her friends from a similar encounter with the Ten Men). Bludgins was sitting near the front with his briefcase in his lap and his sunglasses glinting in the light cast by the setting sun. Garrotte was standing next to McCracken, his hand on a rail, looking out at the fields soaring past. Sharpe and Crawlings were sitting near Constance and Hertz. All of them were looking perfectly calm and amiable.

Until Milligan's head appeared atop the ladder, that is. He waved at Constance with an anxious expression; the Ten Men leapt into action, not looking quite so cheerful anymore.

"Bludgins," yelled McCracken, "Take care of Milligan."

Bludgins didn't need to be told a second time. He strode over to the edge of the Salamander where Milligan was. He raised his briefcase – and dropped it. Bludgins teetered, and then Milligan pushed him backwards. The briefcase took to the air and flew out of sight, narrowly missing Constance's head, while the Ten Man himself slumped against the opposite rail.

"Consider me taken care of," said Milligan in a satisfied tone. He turned his tranquilizer gun on Sharpe, who immediately raised his own briefcase to fend off any attack. Three more feathered darts appeared in the hard leather.

Sharpe twisted his neck and slid his necktie loose. Constance could see a familiar-looking metallic fringe on the narrow end of it. Sharpe lashed out with the tie as though it were a bullwhip. There was a skin-tingling twang of metal hitting metal as the end of the whip snapped on the edge of the Salamander where, seconds before, Milligan's head had been.

Milligan jumped on board, rolled several feet, and then sprang to his feet. He whipped something out of his jacket and threw it at McCracken, who had just ordered Garrotte to take the wheel. It hit McCracken squarely in the face. He dropped his briefcase and staggered, collapsing in the back of the Salamander.

Constance knew he was feigning, though – he'd gotten the idea from Kate. She tried to tell this to Milligan but the roar was too loud for her tiny voice to make itself heard.

Milligan was now shoving Garrotte away from the steering wheel and taking hold of it himself. Crawlings straightened up, and extended his arms forward. Constance could just hear the growing electric whine.

McCracken's eyes snapped open, momentarily abandoning his pretense. He shouted at Crawlings, "No, don't, you imbecile!"

But too late. Crawlings had thrown caution to the winds – and caution wasn't the only thing: The flickering wires were windswept immediately, backfiring and striking Crawlings himself as well as Hertz. And since Hertz was carrying Constance, she too was shocked. For the second time in her life, she felt electrifying pain and then blacked out.


Luckily, there was a sort of small metal ledge on the side of the Salamander that served as foothold. Otherwise Kate and Reynie would never have managed to hang on. There was also a handle-shaped bar that curved out, and then back in, which they could hold on to with their hands. Gradually, the Salamander started moving faster and faster until everything looked like a blur except Kate to Reynie, and he to her.

It seemed to be driving very jerkily, as if control of the wheel was constantly shifting persons. One particularly sudden lurch actually caused Kate to lose her grip; she would have died if not for Reynie.

She broke lose with a scream, but at the same time Reynie grabbed her hand with one of his own. He felt like his arm was being pulled out of its socket. Summoning buried strength that he didn't know he had, he and Kate tugged until she latched on securely again.

Both of them stood panting, the wind stinging their faces and whipping their hair. They were shaking violently. Finally Kate said, "Thanks for that."

Reynie nodded.

The mentioned ruins of the Olli Voyle Steelmaking Company building were in sight now. Reynie saw a pile of rubble and damaged foundations, as well as a wide expanse of upper floors, supported only by weathered and tottering wooden beams scattered all beneath it, exposed to the open air.

He also realized that they were on a collision course. His stomach flying away with the wind, he jostled Kate's shoulder and pointed fearfully straight ahead – at the heap of wood rubble. Kate let out a gasp that went unheard. The obstacle was getting larger and larger. They cast around feverishly for anything, anything at all; but what could they do in their current position? Nothing. They threw their free arms around one another and closed their eyes. Reynie listened to the howling wind in his ears, as braced for the crash as anyone could have been at that moment...

...But it didn't come.

They opened their eyes again and found themselves skirting the side of the huge plane supported by wooden beams. Someone on board had changed direction at the absolute final second. In fact, the Salamander was slowing down. Once Reynie could hear himself think again over the rushing, they peeked up to see what was going on aboard.

When Reynie saw who was driving, he thought he might faint with relief (though falling would have been inadvisable). It wasn't Garrotte. It wasn't McCracken. It wasn't even a Ten Man. It was Milligan.

However, like most comforting things it seemed lately, Reynie's relief was short-lived. While Milligan was occupied with the wheel, something caught Reynie's eye in his peripheral vision. Garrotte was stalking toward Milligan behind his back. He lifted his briefcase like a club -

Both Reynie and Kate cupped their hands around their mouths and yelled, "Milligan, watch out!" (Actually, that was what Reynie said; Kate shouted, "Look out Milligan, behind you!" so it sounded like a garbled, "Millikout watchilligtan eehynde you!")

Milligan got the message. Though surprised and delighted to hear their voices, he kept his wits about him. Wrenching around, he was startled to see Garrotte swinging his briefcase at his head like a baseball bat. Milligan ducked and shot Garrotte in the leg with his tranquilizer gun. The Te Man froze and seemed to throw his briefcase accidentally. He plucked the dart out angrily, but then went cross-eyed and fell on his face.

The two kids cheered and high-fived. Milligan turned around and let the Salamander stop. Kate and Reynie climbed on board with difficulty, because they weren't near the ladder. Kate cried, "Oh, Milligan!" and ran to hug him. They both winced at the other's grip while Reynie watched smiling.

It was a bittersweet reunion. "I'm so glad you're both safe," said Milligan.

"'Safe' is a pretty broad term," said Reynie dryly. He looked around. The Salamander was littered with fallen horrors – briefcases and Ten Men alike. They were all there. And yet...

"Milligan," said Reynie, his brow furrowing as he tried to recall who was missing, "Where's...? - Uh, um, uh, M-McCracken's awake!"

He was right. The Ten Man had not truly been knocked out, and Reynie had spotted his hand inching toward the handle of the nearest briefcase (Crawlings's). McCracken sparng to his feet with a snarl of "It takes more than a boomerang to take me out!", and sent the briefcase sky-high. It fell open, and deadly office supplies cascaded everywhere. Several staple removers hit the floor and began clattering around like wind-up teeth, chomping about rapidly with sharp points that made them look like piranhas; a leather-clad cigar box flew at Kate's face. She jerked her head to the side and it smashed on the floor. Everyone paused in spite of themselves to see what was inside it (except McCracken, who of course already knew). Strewn all over the floor were...a couple of AA batteries and a bunch of tiny springs. Pandora's box was fake – an empty threat.

McCracken made a grab for Reynie's collar, snapping him out of his reverie about all the times he had thought with terror of a small box with nothing in it. Reynie slid nimbly underneath a bench, McCracken's closing hand barely brushing his hair. He came up again behind McCracken. Then he hesitated.

Everybody was frozen, watching and waiting to see what other people was going to do. Reynie saw McCracken's eyes flit to the left. He looked over there too, and saw Constance lying unconscious under Hertz's arm. In that single second, all of them seemed to make up their minds: Reynie ran over and scooped up Constance, so as not to leave her there alone in present company, and the two Wetheralls advanced upon McCracken.

The Ten Man, like a cornered wild animal, lashed out savagely with a letter opener that had still been in his pocket. There was a blur of slashing silver, before Kate screamed and staggered backwards, clutching her left forearm, into the arms of her father, who had rushed to catch her after McCracken's lupine reaction. They both backed into the controls and accidentally triggered them.

The Salamander swerved wildly. Again, every human being on board fell over the metal floor as the many unconscious bodies rolled over it. Constance rolled into the ladder, and fell over the edge. Before she could hit the ground speeding, however, Reynie slammed into the rail and caught her. With the little girl still in his arms, he stumbled over to the opposite corner. Meanwhile Milligan was trying to help Kate, whose arm was bleeding freely, whilst avoiding McCracken. Reynie recovered his common sense before the rest of them, and slammed the lever the Wetheralls had accidentally shifted back into its original positon.

Instantaneously, the Salamander came to a complete halt; everybody stumbled to the front, and Reynie very nearly fell over the edge. None of the unconscious Ten Men, miraculously, had fallen off the edge. As they all regained their bearings, the fake ambulence was driving back towards them, from the distant remains of the factory. It stopped beside the larger vehicle, on the side opposite the ladder.

Milligan, understandably preoccupied, shouted to the children, "Get OUT! Jump onto that van!" for he and McCracken stood between them and the ladder.

Reynie didn't need to be told twice. He went first, leaping on top of the white van (and breaking off the siren) with Constance in his arms. There was a yell inside at the impact, and the Ten Man McCraig's torso poked through the driver's seat window and saw Reynie. He flicked his wrist; a pencil flew straight at Reynie. Reynie jumped, and it flew underneath him and up into the Salamander, skewering Milligan's hat.

The Ten Man's next attack was to grab Reynie's ankle and yank him off his feet. Reynie's chin struck the top of the van painfully, and he saw stars and dropped Constance. Fortunately the pencil had attracted Kate's attention and she'd jumped down to help just in time to catch the sime-conscious toddler. The Ten Man, in a fierce struggle with Reynie (who was losing badly), sneered at her. "Coming to help your boyfriend?" he jeered.

He was silenced by a faceful of Kate's shoe sole. He flew backwards and was knocked out cold before he hit the ground.

"Nice one," said Reynie, and Kate grinned.

Milligan, not willing to leave the children to their fate, pushed McCracken with all his might and was on the ground before the Ten Man had even struck the back wall. He stuffed the unconscious McCraig into the back alongside an unfamiliar man who'd been previously bound and gagged, and seated himself in the driver's seat. Kate climbed in beside him, while Reynie took the back seat with Constance.

"Fasten your seatbelts straight away," Milligan said. "This will be a rather bumpy ride."

The car bolted away from the Salamander, but within seconds the aquatic tank was gaining on them.

"What happened to Sticky?" Reynie asked in a rather high voice. "And who is this?" He opened one of the incarcerated man's eyelids.

"Sticky's fine, don't you worry. And that's Mr. Rubicund."

"Milligan," said Kate apprehensively, "why are we heading for the ruins?"

"No time to explain," said her father distractedly. "Just trust me, okay? And please be quiet now, this requires a good deal of concentration."

The Salamander was now so close that they could see McCracken's murderous face; it made Reynie shudder. Milligan flipped a switch, and all the windows rolled down into the doors, out of sight.

"What was that for?" said Kate.

"Don't want them to shatter," muttered Milligan, who was now trying to force the windshield out of the car while driving at the same time.

Kate looked scared. "But why would they shatter?"

Milligan did not answer.

The air rushing through the open windows made Reynie's ears pop unpleasantly. McCraig's lips flapped in the wind. All at once, quite suddenly, the air changed - and so did the light.

The fake ambulance was now rolling at top speed under the ruins, with the Salamander thundering along behind it. Milligan was a rather talented driver, and the van was moderately small. That meant that he was able to weave in between the wooden columns without crashing into any of them. On the other hand, the Slamander was large and bulky as well as armored, so McCracken was making no trouble to avoid the rotting beams, which were being slammed into and sent flying by its hull, or else crushed under its treads. In any case, the beams were disappearing at an alarming rate, and the upper floors were groaning under the strain.

Milligan nodded. "That should do it," he said to no one in particular. Quite without warning, he turned sharply and slammed his foot on the gas pedal; the van shot like a bullet towards the bright, open prairie. Once they had escaped the shadow of the old crumbling building, he slowed down considerably and looked behind him.

"What are you doing?" Reynie asked in a high voice. "He's still coming!"

But Milligan simply held up a hand. "Wait for it..."

There was nothing for it but to watch. McCracken's smile had disappeared, wondering why Milligan had stopped. Suspicious, he slowed down as well.

That was possibly the biggest mistake a Ten Man ever made.

Had he gone a bit faster, he might have made it out. Unfortunately for him, however, he was still underneath the building when the remaining pillars all snapped, and the entire building collapsed on top of the Salamander.

Kate cheered and punched the air; Milligan breathed a sigh of relief. Reynie could do nothing except grin broadly. "You did it, Milligan!" Kate cried, hugging her father. "It wasn't just me," he replied. "You've all performed brilliantly."

"Wait a minute," said Reynie, suddenly wary. "What's that sound?"

They all fell silent. There was a faint roaring sound in the background.

The children wrenched around in horror, thinking the Salamander was still going. Milligan, however, merely smiled. "It's the river," he said calmly.

Kate and Reynie both said "Oh!" and laughed at themselves. Milligan did not laugh.

"Okay," he said in a businesslike manner. "I'm going to need you to tell me everything you know about Curtain's location-"

"We know exactly where he is," Kate interjected proudly. "Third Island."

"The abandoned prison complex?"

"That's the one."

Milligan looked impressed. "All right, I'm going to take you straight back to Mr. Benedict and then I'll go-"

The outcry from Reynie and Kate totally drowned his last words. "NO!" they both cried in outrage, and then Kate began to go into a furious tirade about always being left out of everything.

Milligan wasn't having any of it. "Absolutely not. You two have already been through quite enough."

But you don't have time to drop us off back there!" she protested. "By the time you get to Third Island Curtain will be long gone."

Milligan had no argument for this. After thinking hard for a minute, he said, "Okay, new plan. Kate, I know you know how to drive."

Kate looked shocked.

Milligan gave her a sly look. "You think I haven't noticed you sneaking out to drive our old car around the farm every night? Anyway, we're not far from Mr. Benedict's house. I'm going to need you to drive there - and straight there, don't take ANY detours - while I go to apprehend Curtain. Right now he's all alone at the prison-"

"Not counting S.Q.," said Reynie.

"-So he should be a cinch to nab."

"But if we have the van," said Kate, "What will you take?"

"I'll be going on the river," said Milligan, "in the Salamander."

Two seconds' ringing silence followed these words, and then Reynie said, "You're not sane. The Salamander is buried under ten feet of wood rubble."

Milligan was shaking his head. "The Salamander's too tough to be crushed by that. The whole purpose of that was to incapacitate McCracken."

Kate blinked nervously at Milligan. "What if he" - she jerked her head at the Ten Man in the back seat - "wakes up?"

Milligan handed her something long and dark. Craning his neck, Reynie saw that it was his tranquilizer gun. Kate looked up at her father with round eyes, the weapon trembling in her hands. "But-"

"I've got other things to use on Curtain. I'm trusting you with this; it's only to be used in dire emergencies." He hugged them both. "I have to go now."

With that, he exited the car and sped off toward the thinning cloud of dust.

The second he was gone, Reynie turned to Kate. "We're following him, right?"

"Of course we are," said Kate.

"But what about McCraig? He's in here with Constance."

Kate said, "Maybe I should just put another tranquilizer dart in his arm or some-"

"No! Too much of that kind of drug can be lethal."

Kate frowned. "Hmmmm," she said. "Oh, well. Those darts last for hours; we're not going to be gone that long."

The two of them stepped out of the fake ambulance and peered towards what used to be the factory. It appeared that McCracken had gotten a reprieve; a large square wooden plank had fallen on the Salamander, doing nothing but striking McCracken's head and knocking him out. Kate hoped he would at least have a nasty bump for a few weeks. Milligan had now managed to start the Salamander and was driving it steadily in the direction of the river. Kate and Reynie were just wondering how they were going to follow him when the storage chamber door flew open behind Milligan's back and out came Sharpe.

"I knew it!" cried Reynie as Kate gasped. "I knew he was missing!"

Several thing happened at once. Just as the Salamander was plopping unceremoniously into the water, Milligan began to fight with Sharpe. Kate and Reynie tore off towards the great armored vehicle.

They skidded to a halt at the ladder, which was bobbing up and down. They could hear the sounds of combat above, but couldn't see. Kate leapt onto the ladder and climbed onto the deck. Reynie attempted to jump after her, but at this point the Salamander was drifting away from the bank - just far enough to make it impossible for Reynie to jump onto it.

Reynie attempted to grasp the ladder, but it was slick and wet. The two seconds that followed were the longest of Reynie's life. He took in the ladder, the battle above, the frothing water below, and the all too rapid descent into the river. Reynie braced himself for the fall, knowing that he would be sucked into the treads, but before he had entered the water, a sure, strong hand grabbed his own.

Kate's hand pulled with some effort until Reynie could see above the railing. Reynie laughed shakily. "Thanks, Ka-AAGH!"

The hand with an inescapable grasp on Reynie's own did not belong to Kate.

It belonged to McCracken.


Milligan swung a fist at Sharpe, who ducked and then swung his briefcase at Milligan's head. Thinking that Sharpe had a distinctly unfair advantage with this, Milligan decided to even up the score a bit. He hit Sharpe's arm in exactly the right place; the Ten Man yelped and dropped his briefcase, which still had multiple seringe-like darts sticking out of it. Sharpe snarled, but Milligan was too quick for him. Kate's father swooped down upon the briefcase, coming up with a tranquilizer dart in hand. Before Sharpe could stop him, he had jabbed the Ten Man's neckwith it.
Sharpe groped at the minute wound for a second, before slumping to the ground like all his fellows. Milligan turned around - just in time to see the unfortunate events unfolding right behind him.

Milligan saw his gun spinning over the side of the Salamander and splashing into the water. He also saw that Sharpe was not the only Ten Man who had made it through the crash. McCracken was in a fierce struggle with his daughter and Reynie. Reynie was being dangled in the air by his wrist, trying to kick McCracken's shins. Kate threw herself at the Ten Man, but he threw her right back. She landed in the corner on her arm, which was at an extremely unlucky angle, and screamed aloud. She did not get up.

McCracken turned his head and grinned triumphantly at Milligan. He pulled Reynie close, locking his elbow around the boy's neck. The Ten Man was in perfect position to break his neck.

No one moved.

McCracken laughed softly. "Looks a little like checkmate," he said conversationally.

Milligan started forward, but McCracken flexed his arm, causing Reynie to gag.

The message was clear. Milligan stopped.

"Now we're getting somewhere," said McCracken cheerfully, though he did not relax his grip. "Now, if you would please kneel down, nice and slowly, and slide all your weapons across the floor to me..."

"My gun was thrown overboard," said Milligan.

McCracken gave Milligan a knowing and patient smile. "I know perfectly well that you've got a belt under that shirt laden with items just as effective. Please, hand it over." He beckoned with his free arm.

Milligan stooped and reached under his shirt. But before McCracken knew what had happened, Milligan had reached over to an open briefcase lying on the floor and grabbed the only item still inside: a laser pointer.

Milligan held the pointer at the ready. McCracken lifted Reynie slightly off his feet; he began to choke.

"Put him down or I'll shoot you with this," Milligan said.

McCracken raised his eyebrows. "Do you really think the laser will hit me before I move Reynie into the shot?"

But Reynie yelled hoarsely, "Don't listen to him, Milligan! He's bluffing!"

McCracken's smile did not falter. "Oh, am I?"

"He knows Mr. Curtain wants us alive!" Reynie sounded a little less certain now.

"Mr. Curtain needs one of you," McCracken amended. "I can just bring Katie-Cat over there."

"Like hell..." said Kate fiercely through quiet sobs. Her arm had been broken by McCracken, and it was the first time she had spoken since.

"But if you cooperate, and do exactly as I say," McCracken went on, "then I swear not to harm a hair on this boy's head."

"HE'S LYING!" cried Reynie distressedly, but Milligan only looked at him in chagrin.

"Milligan isn't willing to risk it, is he?" said McCracken shrewdly. "He doesn't want to end a life."

Milligan snarled. "He will when his childrens' are on the line."

"Then it appears," said the Ten Man, "that we have come to a stalemate."

As if on cue, the unconscious Sharpe groaned. He was coming to.

McCracken smiled even more broadly. "Right on time," he said. "It wasn't a good move recycling that dart, Milligan: Apparently they don't work as well the second time."

Sharpe yelped when he realized what was going on and leapt to his feet. His alert changed into a smile when he saw that he and his partner had won.

McCracken spoke again. "You've only got one shot with that thing. There are two of us. You lose, Milligan. Now please do as instructed."

"No," said Kate softly.

Milligan stared anguishedly at her. He unfastened his utility belt and slid it across the floor, where it came to rest at McCracken's well-polished shoes. McCracken knelt to pick it up, and Kate said in a louder voice, "No!" McCracken ignored her. Reynie could only watch in horror.

Then, at a nod from McCracken, Sharpe approached Milligan and produced a pair of handcuffs from his pocket. Milligan stared sadly at Kate and Reynie as the Ten Man bound him to a metal bar on the railing of the Salamander.

"Milligan, no!" shouted Kate. McCracken glanced at her and chuckled.

When Milligan was incarcerated and devoid of any weapons, the leader of the Ten Men said, "Right." he pulled his handkerchief out of a breast pocket and pressed it to Reynie's face.

This time Milligan was the one who shouted, "NO! You said-"

"Milligan, I don't make promises to my enemies," said McCracken coolly.

Reynie was now struggling with renewed vigor. He bent his neck as far as it would go, he tried to bite McCracken's fingers, he stomped on the Ten Man's feet, but nothing helped. He tried to remember what Kate had said about resisting the drug, but his mind was already going blank. Everything was swimming before his eyes... Kate's face was going black... No, he thought... Hold on...

McCracken tossed Reynie's unconscious body unceremoniously onto the floor, where he came to rest very close to the edge. Then the Ten Man began advancing ever so slowly on Milligan. Kate was now weeping and yelling incoherently. She hated McCracken more than any other excuse for a human being she could think of. The sound of her sobs was only making McCracken grin more broadly. "Sharpe!" he commanded sharply. "Give me your pointer."

Sharpe tossed the silver laser pointer to his captain, who caught it and aimed it, not at Milligan's heart or head, but at his leg. "I'm going to enjoy this," said the Ten Man. "I don't think you need to die right away. We'll let it sink in a little, first. Let's see... I'll start-"

"PLEASE!" Kate screamed in despair. Milligan looked at her one last time, and knew that he could not bear for her to watch the Ten Men torturing him. She was still screaming mingled pleads and dire curses at the Ten Men.

But her voice was cut off by a particularly violent wave from the river. It splashed water onto the deck and caused it to rock back and forth just enough for the unconscious Reynie to topple overboard.

"He'll drown!" said Milligan.

"Like I said," McCracken said unconcernedly, "I only need one of the cherubs."

Milligan knew that Kate could save Reynie, even with her broken arm, but she was too busy whimpering about him. In that moment Milligan made his choice. He kicked out at an open briefcase while the Ten Men were still staggering, and the only item still inside it flew into the air: a ball-point pen. He snatched it with his mouth and shoved the tip into the inside of his own cheek. It did not stick, but fell to the floor. However, it had punctured the tissue and the fast-acting poison was already working. As it coursed through his veins and he fell to kind of half-kneeling position, held up by his handcuffed arms, he tried to convey with his eyes to Kate that she had to save Reynie. Milligan heard her final wail of grief before it was all snuffed out like a candle.

Kate wanted to run to the Ten Men and tear them to pieces, she wanted to pummel them into oblivion, but she could not run, she sould not punch; the pain was still to intense. The churning water would numb it enough to go after Reynie, if she could manage to drag herself over to the ladder without being grabbed. Saying a silent apology for abandoning her father, but knowing he had already gone beyond help, she launched herself over the edge and plunged into the water. McCracken was bounding after her, and Sharpe was yelling for him to stop. "It's not worth it!" he shouted, but McCracken roared, "IF THEY BOTH DROWN, MR. CURTAIN WON'T HAVE ANY HOSTAGES!" Then the river engulfed her and she heard no more from above.

The water was stone-cold and pitch-black. Kicking frantically and trying to swim with her good arm - the one with the long gash in it that was spreading dark red clouds of blood in the water - she futilely searched for a hand, a foot, hair, anything of Reynie's to grab on to. Once she felt McCracken's hand groping for her ponytail, but she escaped him.

By now she was totally disoriented. The only way she knew the difference between up and down was the bright light coming from the surface. She sensed tendrils of darkness creeping up around the edges of her vision. Knowing that she had only seconds before blacking out, she kicked a few feet up towards the air. The darkness was all-encompassing now, and her limbs had stopped moving. Her last thoughts were ones of utter hoeplessness.

The entire Mysterious Benedict Society was now unconscious, injured, and in mortal peril.