CHAPTER 14

Hutch felt the blood dripping from the tips of his fingers from his mangled wrists. He had been forced to watch helplessly as Joshua and his band of followers abused and tortured his defenseless partner. The physical abuse had been bad enough but now an element of sexual abuse had been added to the mix. The scene in front of him was one of chaos.

Starsky lay on the stone altar, his body twitching and jerking as whatever drugs had been forced down his throat stimulated his sexual desire. His erection bobbed against his stomach, fluid seeping from the tip. The two women continued to caress and fondle his body as directed by Joshua earlier adding to Starsky's confusion and disorientation.

Joshua had turned his attention to the woman who had been chosen to carry a child conceived from Starsky's seed that the cult believed would be the reincarnation of Simon Marcus. He fondled her and caressed her body intimately while she stood beside him passively. Hutch knew from previous contact with the cult that drugs were used extensively to keep most of the disciples in line and under Simon's influence. It appeared that Joshua had just as much influence over the followers as Simon had.

Some of the other disciples had paired off and were in various stages of copulation which Hutch had no doubt would erupt into a sexual orgy at the height of the ceremony. Sex and drugs two of the most powerful driving forces in human nature. Combine those two forces with disillusioned young men and women who were lost and seeking some sort of acceptance, and it was easy to see how someone like Simon or Joshua could easily take control and force them to bend to their will.

Hutch had struggled to free himself until the skin on his wrists was tore open and bleeding freely. He was weak from a lack of food and very little water since their capture but his mind was focused on one thing and one thing only. Saving his best friend from any further abuse. Being forced to watch the cult members torture Starsky and abuse him so far had torn Hutch apart inside. It was his job, his responsibility, to protect his partner, to give his own life to protect him, if that was what it took and he had failed in his duty. It was just another failure that Hutch would never be able to forgive himself for.

He had no doubt that they intended to kill Starsky in front of him and then to kill Hutch, but Hutch vowed that if he got the chance, he would take out as many of them as he could before he died. He would send them to hell where they belonged and then gladly die himself so he could be reunited with Starsky for eternity.

"It is time." Joshua declared, shoving the young woman beside towards the altar. She stumbled forward reaching out instinctively with her hands to keep from falling. Two male disciples stepped forward and took her hands preparing to help her to straddle Starsky's bound body. A guttural moan escaped from Starsky's lips as the young woman's body settled over his groin pressing down against his throbbing erection.

Suddenly, there was a burst of activity from the trees off to Hutch's left. "Hold it! Police!" a loud voice yelled out followed by the sound of a gunshot in the air. Several heavily armed men burst into the clearing, all holding guns. Hutch felt a surge of relief when he recognized Captain Dobey and two detectives from Metro among the blur of faces. It looked like the Calvary had arrived.

Several of the woman screamed and some of the men rushed towards the officers. Shots rang out and two of the men fell to the ground. "Hands up! Now!" The order came from a man wearing the tan uniform of a local police officer.

Joshua surveyed the intruders with a smirk on his hawk like face. He raised his hands slowly into the air in a gesture of surrender and said, "Do as they say. There's not reason for anyone else to die today…" He told the others who grudgingly complied without any further resistance.

The rescue party moved forward cautiously keeping a close eye on the cult members for any signs of attack. As one of the local officers pulled Joshua's hands behind his back and handcuffed him, the self proclaimed cult leader looked at the men who had fouled his plans and said, "Simon will prevail. Eventually, the dark angel and the white knight will fulfill their destiny as ordained by Simon."

"Secure the prisoners until back up gets here." Dobey ordered gruffly as he hurried to aide his two injured detectives. The young woman who had been straddling Starsky's body immediately scrambled to the ground and huddled beside Joshua covering herself as best she could with her hands. Dobey pulled off the lightweight jacket he had been wearing to conceal his weapon and gently draped it over Starsky's waist to hide his nudity while one of the other men began to gently cut the ropes that held him prisoner.

Two other men hurried to Hutch's side and began to cut him loose. They caught him in their arms as the big blond fell forward once he was free.

"Starsky…" Hutch mumbled, reaching out weakly towards his partner. "I need to be with Starsky…"

With gentle understanding and compassion, the two men led Hutch to his partner's side. Leaning heavily against them for support, Hutch reached out and gently brushed his fingertips along Starsky's beard roughened cheek.

"I'm here, buddy…I'm right here. You're gonna be okay now…it's all over…" Hutch's voice choked with emotion as he stared into the beloved face of his best friend. Starsky still seemed unaware of his surroundings but seemed to calm down at the sound of Hutch's voice and his gentle touch.

Hutch ignored the bustle of activity going on around him as the team of officers rounded up the rest of the cult members and secured them until backup arrived. He focused his attention solely on the dark haired man lying on the stone slab in front of him. Ignoring the pain of his own mangled wrists, Hutch reached out and gently took one of Starsky's hands in his own holding it tightly as they waited for the ambulance and paramedics to arrive.

Hutch was surprised that the cult had surrendered without any resistance but he didn't care what their reasons were for being so compliant. Joshua's parting threat echoed in Hutch's ears but he was accustomed to empty threats from suspects that he had sent away over the years. He and Starsky were still alive and that was all that mattered. Once more they had beaten the odds and now all that remained was picking up the pieces of their shattered lives and getting it back to normal again.

Hutch gazed at Starsky's face. The brunet appeared to have lost consciousness, only an involuntary twitch now and then of his muscles showing any discomfort. Hutch prayed that he would remain unconscious until he could be transported to the hospital so his injuries could be treated. He had suffered enough over the past few days.

Hutch felt his own strength waning but he stayed upright through sheer will power, watching over his partner until the paramedics arrived. Dobey appeared at his side and put a comforting hand on his shoulder, squeezing gently.

"The paramedics are on their way up the mountain with the other rescue team. They should be here in a few minutes. He's going to be fine…you both are."

"I hope so…it was close this time, Cap…too close. I almost lost him…" Hutch said in a choked voice "And I couldn't do a damn thing about it…all I could do was watch while they tortured him…" Hutch's voice failed him as tears flooded his eyes. Normally, he was able to keep his emotions under control and concealed from everyone but Starsky but at the moment, he was too vulnerable to care what Dobey thought about his unaccustomed display of emotion.

Dobey held his tongue, simply tightening his grip on Hutch's shoulder offering his silent support. He knew how close Starsky and Hutch were, closer than most partners. In Dobey's eyes they were two halves of the same whole, complete only when they were together. True soul mates in every sense of the word. He felt privileged to have witnessed the bond as it had developed between the two men he had come to consider a part of his family. He knew that Hutch would have as much trouble recovering from this ordeal as Starsky would for entirely different reasons. Starsky's injuries may be both physical and mental while Hutch's were definitely mental and emotional ones. Care needed to be taken to keep the blond from burying himself in guilt for not protecting Starsky from harm.

Dobey was relieved to see the paramedics arrive with the rest of the rescue team. He stepped aside as they hurried to the altar and began to assess Starsky and Hutch's condition. Within minutes, they had the two detectives stabilized and ready to take down the mountain to the waiting ambulance. Dobey watched as they were each laid on a stretcher. Men from the rescue party stepped forward to help carry their precious burdens out of the wilderness and to the safety of the hospital where they could receive the care they both so desperately needed.

Dobey was satisfied with the way the rescue and the capture of the cult members had gone down. Only two lives had been lost and the remaining cultists had surrendered without any resistance at Joshua's command. The heart of the cult had been lost when Simon was murdered. Joshua was simply a pale imitation of the dark master that had ruled with intimidation, manipulation and a blood lust that sent a spike of fear into the heart of men.