"Mind DisenGAGEment"
By: Lorrie
The following story is based on the characters of the TV Series "Walker, Texas Ranger". The characters belong to CBS Productions, Top Kick Productions, etc., but the story is mine. ALL DISCLAIMERS APPLY. (No copyright infringement is intended.)
"Gage, Sydney, I have a new assignment for you. I'll be honest, I'm not crazy about giving you two this one."
"Why?" Sydney asked.
"Come in here." Walker motioned to one of the interrogation rooms. "Are you familiar with Juan Santiago?"
"I've heard of him. Isn't he a drug lord based near Houston?" Gage replied.
"That's right. He and his boys have supposedly developed a new mind control drug that they're about to put out on open auction." Walker replied.
"Mind control? How?" Sydney asked.
"That's what the two of you are going to find out. The word on the street is that Santiago is recruiting people to help manufacture the stuff. Gage, you'll go in as David Adams and Sydney, you'll be his girlfriend and partner, Donna Nichols. Gage, since you've worked the Houston area before, you be extra careful. We don't know who Santiago may already have working for him. If you spot anyone who might blow your cover, both of you get out of there. Understand?"
"Understood." Gage replied.
"Hey guys, I've got your backgrounds set up. You're both drug dealers, you've worked for Miguel Cruz in Austin for the past six months and had to move on when Cruz was arrested a couple of weeks ago." Trivette stated.
Sydney and Gage prepared to leave for Houston. Once on the plane, Gage turned to Sydney, "Hey Syd, are you OK with this?"
"Yeah, sure. Why do you ask?"
Gage shrugged. "I don't know, you just seem a little up tight."
"I'm fine. What about you? Aren't you even a little concerned about running into someone you've put away down here?"
"I hadn't really thought about it." Gage lied, he had thought about it and the odds of running into someone he'd put away were pretty good.
The plane landed and Sydney and Gage grabbed their luggage, rented a car and headed towards Santiago's warehouse by the directions Trivette had given them. "OK, it should all be set up, Santiago should be expecting us." Sydney knocked on the warehouse door
"Tony, see who it is." Tony got up, following Santiago's instructions and opened the door. "You must be Donna and David."
Santiago walked across the room to meet the new recruits. "Your reputations are most impressive and you Senorita are more beautiful in person than I ever imagined." Santiago said with a heavy Spanish accent.
"Gracias, Senor Santiago." Sydney met Santiago's hand with her own, which he immediately brought to his lips and gently kissed.
"Ah, David, I am very taken with your lady in case you had not noticed." Santiago taunted.
Gage had noticed alright, but he knew Sydney could take care of herself and if she could get close to Santiago, she had a better chance of finding out about the mind control drugs. "I noticed. I came to Houston for a change of scenery, if you know what I mean." Gage smiled.
"Good. We understand each other."
"Mr. Santiago, you have a call," one of the guys called out from another room. "There's not really a call, Mr. Santiago. That new guy is a Texas Ranger."
"David? No, he is from Austin and worked with Miguel Cruz until Cruz was arrested."
"Mr. Santiago, I'm very sure he's a Texas Ranger. He arrested me about six years ago for drug possession. His name is Gage and word is that he moved to Dallas and is some big shot ranger there now working with Cordell Walker."
"This Walker I have heard of. Thank you Pedro for this information. I believe we may have just found the missing piece for our demonstration this weekend. What about the lovely Donna, is she too a Texas Ranger?"
"I don't know. So far I haven't found anything on her."
"Perhaps Mr. Texas Ranger has been playing her as well. Take him to the basement." Santiago motioned for Pedro to leave and carry out his orders.
Gage was talking to Tom, another recruit, when Pedro entered the room. "Tom, did you know you are talking to a Texas Ranger?"
"You're crazy." Gage said as Tom backed away from Gage. "I'm David Adams, from Austin, I worked with Miguel Cruz until he was busted about two weeks ago."
"Do you not remember me Ranger Gage? You busted me about six years ago here in Houston." Pedro stood in front of Gage. "I really hate Texas Rangers!" Pedro threw a punch to Gage's right jaw, catching him off guard and knocking him to the floor. Gage was immediately on his feet; he punched Pedro in the jaw, and then kicked him in the chest, causing him to sink to the ground. Tom came at Gage, but Gage dodged his punches and flipped him to the ground.
At this point, Gage knew that his cover had been blown. He needed to find Sydney and get out before it was too late. He headed for the door and was met by Santiago and two other he'd not seen before. "Mr. Santiago."
"David, or should I say Ranger Gage?" Gage's heart was racing. "Grab him!" The two men grabbed Gage and held him, waiting for further instruction from Santiago. One of the men produced a stun gun from his pocket, Santiago nodded. The man held the stun gun to Gage's throat, Gage screamed in pain, then collapsed. "Take him to the basement."
Gage gradually began to regain consciousness. He tried to move his arms and legs but realized that he was restrained to a hard, straight back chair. His arms were clamped to the chair arms with leather bands, his legs were pulled close to the chair legs with the same type of bands, there was also one across his chest and some sort of device held his head up straight and facing forward. He couldn't move! There was no light at all in the room. Gage's mind began to torment him. "Where am I? Am I blind? Where is everyone? Syd?" Gage's thoughts were interrupted.
"Ranger Gage." Santiago's voice cut through the darkness. "We are ready to begin. Momentarily you will feel a burning sensation in your left arm as the drug enters your vein through the IV we've put in place."
Gage felt tears stinging his eyes as the burning sensation began. He tried to close his eyes but found that they were held open by some sort of unseen restraint.
Santiago guessed that Gage was trying to close his eyes. "It will do you no good to try to close your eyes. We have them held open with special clips so you won't miss anything."
"Won't miss what?" Gage asked.
"You are not permitted to speak. Put the chin strap in place, make sure he doesn't bite his tongue." A figure reached in front of Gage's face and placed a strap under his chin and fastened it at the top of his head so he couldn't open his mouth.
"Where is Syd?" Gage thought for a moment, then the drug took effect, Gage's thoughts were no longer his own.
"Ranger Gage, I know you can hear me. In a moment you will see various pictures in front of you. These people are your enemies. They want to hurt you. They will hurt you and the only way to stop your pain is to kill them."
A slide projector flashed a picture of Walker on the screen in front of Gage, immediately an electric shock was sent through Gage's body for thirty seconds, again he tried to close his eyes, but couldn't. Alex's picture was shown and accompanied by the same electric shock, then a picture of Rick Perry, Governor of Texas was shown accompanied by a thirty second shock.
"See Ranger Gage, these people hurt you. Give him the second dose of the drug." Gage felt the burning sensation begin again in his left arm then slowly creep through his already pain filled body.
Upstairs, Sydney was beginning to worry, but she had to be careful. It appeared that someone was watching her every move. She had tried twice to get to her cell phone to check in with Walker, but had not been able to find any privacy. "Where is Gage? I haven't seen him since we got here. I'll have to ask Santiago about him when he comes back from wherever he went."
"Tom, do you know where Santiago is?" Sydney asked as Tom walked by.
"He's busy at the moment Chiquita, but I'll let him know you're looking for him."
"Thanks." Sydney replied. "Gage is in trouble, I just know it," she thought as she went back to her room.
Back at Ranger HQ, Trivette looked over at Walker. "Walker, you look worried."
"Gage and Sydney have missed both of their check-ins. Something's wrong."
"Maybe they're just having a hard time getting a minute away from Santiago to call." Trivette replied.
"Maybe, but something just doesn't feel right."
Meanwhile, back in Santiago's basement, Gage had been put through another grueling session. "Give him the third dose and increase the shock time to ninety seconds each." Santiago ordered and it began again. Gage was very weak and all he could think about was how much pain he was in and how he had to stop it at any cost. "Stop the pain, Ranger Gage." Santiago's voice commanded.
"Pedro, release his right hand and give him the weapon, then run the session again." Pedro obeyed, giving Gage a .45 loaded with blanks. Governor Perry's picture was flashed on the screen, Gage pointed the gun at his head and pulled the trigger, he did the same with Alex's picture, then Walker's image appeared, he paused for a moment until the electric shock coursed through his body again, he then shakily pointed the gun at Walker's image and pulled the trigger.
"Release him and take him to the room, he is ready for tomorrow. We will give him the final dose in the morning."
Gage closed his eyes tightly and opened them again. "Was it just a dream?" He tried to get up, but found that he was restrained to the bed. He laid back down and drifted into a fitful sleep.
Santiago found Sydney in his office waiting for him. "Donna, what are you doing in here?" He asked with anger in his voice.
"Waiting for you. I thought you had deserted me."
"I have been busy making preparations for tomorrow."
"What is so important about tomorrow?" Sydney asked.
"Tomorrow, my dear Donna, tomorrow we sell the most incredible drug to the highest bidder. We have a grand demonstration planned and David has agreed to be part of that demonstration." Sydney smiled a fake smile wishing she knew where Gage was and what Santiago had done to him. "Once we have made the sale, you and I will leave for the Cayman Islands."
"What about David?"
"Alas, he will probably end up dead or in jail." Santiago laughed, which made Sydney worry even more.
Santiago arose early the next morning and met Pedro in the hallway. "Uno momento Pedro, I want Donna to see our project in action." Santiago woke Sydney and together the three of them headed for the basement. "Wake up Ranger Gage, it is your day of revenge. Your day to end your pain and suffering." Gage began to stir. "Pedro, take him to the chair."
Gage tried to clear his mind, he wanted to take these guys out, to stop what they were doing, but his body wasn't responding to his thoughts, everything felt sluggish. He looked around and saw Sydney with Santiago. "Is she in on this?" Gage thought.
Pedro restrained him to the chair, leaving his right hand free to hold the .45, and then started the IV. Governor Perry's picture flashed, Gage pointed the .45 at his chest and pulled the trigger, then Alex picture flashed, he hesitated for a second, but pulled the trigger, then Walker's picture appeared and he hesitated for a second, but pulled the trigger. Sydney jumped each time Gage pulled the trigger.
"See my beautiful Donna, David IS our demonstration, or should I say Ranger Gage." Sydney had a look of pure terror on her face, what had they done to Gage. She could only imagine what torment they must have put him through to turn him into this killing machine.
Governor Perry was scheduled to make a speech in front of the Dallas Courthouse later this afternoon. Alex was to be presented a certificate of appreciation for her work with the H.O.P.E. Center. Santiago had his private jet fueled and ready to go, he loaded up his men, along with Sydney and Gage. Sydney sat beside of Santiago, across from Gage. She watched as he made no movement the entire plane ride, his eyes looked distant, like he wasn't really there.
Santiago's party arrived at the courthouse fifteen minutes before the speech was to begin. "Are the buyer's here?" Santiago asked.
"Yes sir. They are each wearing a red rose bud in their lapel to identify themselves to you. Once they demonstration is complete, they will forward their bids to your e-mail address." Santiago nodded.
"Where is Ranger Gage?" Santiago asked.
"He is in place."
"You have given him the cue phrase?"
"Yes. When the Governor says 'Thank you Mrs. Alex Cahill-Walker for all you've done.' our Ranger friend will be programmed to begin the demonstration."
"Very good. Donna are you ready to watch?" Santiago asked Sydney. She only nodded in response.
The Governor took the stand and called Alex up to join him. After a brief presentation speech he ended with "Thank you Mrs. Alex Cahill-Walker for all you've done." At that moment, Gage pulled his .45 and went straight to the podium. He pointed the gun at the Governor.
"Gage stop! Put it down!" Walker shouted. Gage pointed the gun first at the Governor, then at Alex, then at Walker. Sydney ran up behind him.
"Gage, put the gun down! No one here wants to hurt you."
Gage shook his head. He could hear Santiago's voice, "These people have hurt you and the only way to stop the pain is to kill them." Gage raised the gun again and pointed it at the Governor, he pulled the trigger just as Walker pushed the Governor out of harms way. Sydney and Walker simultaneously fired at Gage, Sydney from behind, and Walker from in front. Walker's bullet hit him in his right shoulder, Sydney's shot hit him in his left leg, just above his knee. Gage went down in immense pain. Sydney ran to her partner.
"Gage! Gage!"
"You and Walker both shot me." Gage said hoarsely.
"You didn't leave us much of a choice. You were going to shoot Alex and Governor Perry."
Gage closed his eyes tightly in pain as Walker grabbed his hand. "Hang on Gage. You're going to be OK." Gage nodded as moaned in pain.
Walker and Trivette rounded up Santiago and his boys and had the Dallas Police take them into custody.
The paramedics arrived and carried Gage to St. Matthews where he was rushed into surgery while a stunned Alex and Sydney sat silently in the waiting room. "Sydney, what happened in Houston?" Alex asked.
Sydney began explaining the whole story of how she and Gage had got separated after arriving at Santiago's. "Alex, someone must have recognized him. Santiago knew that he was a Ranger. I blew it. I wasn't there to cover his back and they got to him. Earlier this morning, Santiago had me watch as they injected Gage with that, that drug of his and forced him to view pictures of you, Walker and the Governor. He shot at each of the pictures. I don't know what they did to him, but they evidently tortured him pretty bad to get him to try to kill anyone." Sydney began to cry.
"Shh. Honey, it's going to be OK." Alex tried to comfort her.
"It will never be the same between us Alex. How could it be? I shot him and he doesn't even remember what he did. He will never trust me again."
"We'll get him the help he needs. I'm sure Walker knows someone who can help deprogram him and maybe even restore his memory of the past few days."
Walker and Trivette came in just as Alex was trying to comfort Sydney. "Sydney, don't second guess yourself. You were just doing your job. You were protecting Alex and Governor Perry."
"I know, but it still doesn't change the fact that I feel like I betrayed Gage."
"I've contacted a friend of mine in Washington. He's ex-CIA and specialized in mind control. I know he's worked with a lot of spies who were experimented on and has had great success. He's flying out tonight."
"Thank you Walker."
The doctor approached the waiting room. "OK Rangers, he's out of surgery. His shoulder wasn't too bad, but his leg, well. . ."
"What about his leg?" Sydney asked, dreading to hear the answer.
"The bullet hit the bone just above his knee and shattered it. We had to put in a steel plate with two screws. It's going to be awhile before he'll be walking on it again."
"Oh no." Sydney began to cry again. "Why did I have to go for his leg? I could have shot him in the arm and he wouldn't have been able to shoot."
"Sydney, don't do this to yourself." Trivette consoled.
"He'll never speak to me again."
Walker and Trivette went quietly into Gage's room. His shoulder was bandaged and his leg was in a cast and slightly elevated. "Gage, are you awake?" Walker asked.
"Yeah, I'm awake." Gage replied without much emotion.
"Can we talk a minute?"
"Sure, what do you want to talk about? Why you and Sydney shot me?"
"Do you remember anything from the past 48 hours?" Trivette asked.
Gage looked up towards the ceiling. "The last thing I really remember was getting on the plane with Sydney and heading to Houston for an undercover assignment."
"You and Sydney were undercover as drug dealers, David Adams and Donna Nichols. You were trying to get close to Juan Santiago. He developed some sort of mind control drug. It looks like he tried it out on you buddy." Walker explained.
"I sort of remember a dark room and not being able to move. I couldn't even close my eyes. There were pictures of you and Alex and, oh man, and Governor Perry." Gage closed his eyes. "Oh man. Walker, they injected me with something that burned like hell and then each time they showed a picture, they would give me an electric shock that felt like it was frying my insides." Gage started breathing hard.
"It's OK Gage. You're safe now. It's all over."
"Are the Governor and Alex OK?" Gage asked.
"Their fine."
"What about Sydney? Where's Sydney?" Gage asked fervently.
"She's in the waiting room. She's afraid you'll never want to speak to her again."
"Why?"
"Because she shot you."
"She did her job. She was protecting Alex and Governor Perry. How could she think I'd be mad at her for that?"
"I'll go get her." Trivette started out the door.
"Gage, I've contacted a friend of mine in Washington. He's sort of a psychiatrist. I want you to talk to him about what happened to you, OK?"
"You really think I need a shrink?"
"I think you've been through a lot and I want to make sure you're 100% before you come back to work."
Gage nodded his head. "It looks like it's going to be awhile before I'm back at work anyway." He looked down at his left leg.
Sydney quietly came into the room. "Yeah and that's my fault."
"It's not your fault Sydney. If anyone's to blame, it's me. I should have spotted Pedro long before he saw me and had a chance to get to Santiago."
"I should have never left you." Sydney said.
"You had an opportunity to get close to Santiago to find out what he was up to. You did your job and Sydney, you did it very well." Gage smiled.
"I just wish things hadn't have turned out like this."
"It's OK. I needed some time off anyway. I heal quickly and this won't be any different. I promise." Gage kissed Sydney's hand. "Now, can I see your smile?"
Sydney smiled. "Thank you for forgiving me."
"I could never hold anything against you Sydney. I care about you too much." Gage kissed her hand once again.
THE END
By: Lorrie
The following story is based on the characters of the TV Series "Walker, Texas Ranger". The characters belong to CBS Productions, Top Kick Productions, etc., but the story is mine. ALL DISCLAIMERS APPLY. (No copyright infringement is intended.)
"Gage, Sydney, I have a new assignment for you. I'll be honest, I'm not crazy about giving you two this one."
"Why?" Sydney asked.
"Come in here." Walker motioned to one of the interrogation rooms. "Are you familiar with Juan Santiago?"
"I've heard of him. Isn't he a drug lord based near Houston?" Gage replied.
"That's right. He and his boys have supposedly developed a new mind control drug that they're about to put out on open auction." Walker replied.
"Mind control? How?" Sydney asked.
"That's what the two of you are going to find out. The word on the street is that Santiago is recruiting people to help manufacture the stuff. Gage, you'll go in as David Adams and Sydney, you'll be his girlfriend and partner, Donna Nichols. Gage, since you've worked the Houston area before, you be extra careful. We don't know who Santiago may already have working for him. If you spot anyone who might blow your cover, both of you get out of there. Understand?"
"Understood." Gage replied.
"Hey guys, I've got your backgrounds set up. You're both drug dealers, you've worked for Miguel Cruz in Austin for the past six months and had to move on when Cruz was arrested a couple of weeks ago." Trivette stated.
Sydney and Gage prepared to leave for Houston. Once on the plane, Gage turned to Sydney, "Hey Syd, are you OK with this?"
"Yeah, sure. Why do you ask?"
Gage shrugged. "I don't know, you just seem a little up tight."
"I'm fine. What about you? Aren't you even a little concerned about running into someone you've put away down here?"
"I hadn't really thought about it." Gage lied, he had thought about it and the odds of running into someone he'd put away were pretty good.
The plane landed and Sydney and Gage grabbed their luggage, rented a car and headed towards Santiago's warehouse by the directions Trivette had given them. "OK, it should all be set up, Santiago should be expecting us." Sydney knocked on the warehouse door
"Tony, see who it is." Tony got up, following Santiago's instructions and opened the door. "You must be Donna and David."
Santiago walked across the room to meet the new recruits. "Your reputations are most impressive and you Senorita are more beautiful in person than I ever imagined." Santiago said with a heavy Spanish accent.
"Gracias, Senor Santiago." Sydney met Santiago's hand with her own, which he immediately brought to his lips and gently kissed.
"Ah, David, I am very taken with your lady in case you had not noticed." Santiago taunted.
Gage had noticed alright, but he knew Sydney could take care of herself and if she could get close to Santiago, she had a better chance of finding out about the mind control drugs. "I noticed. I came to Houston for a change of scenery, if you know what I mean." Gage smiled.
"Good. We understand each other."
"Mr. Santiago, you have a call," one of the guys called out from another room. "There's not really a call, Mr. Santiago. That new guy is a Texas Ranger."
"David? No, he is from Austin and worked with Miguel Cruz until Cruz was arrested."
"Mr. Santiago, I'm very sure he's a Texas Ranger. He arrested me about six years ago for drug possession. His name is Gage and word is that he moved to Dallas and is some big shot ranger there now working with Cordell Walker."
"This Walker I have heard of. Thank you Pedro for this information. I believe we may have just found the missing piece for our demonstration this weekend. What about the lovely Donna, is she too a Texas Ranger?"
"I don't know. So far I haven't found anything on her."
"Perhaps Mr. Texas Ranger has been playing her as well. Take him to the basement." Santiago motioned for Pedro to leave and carry out his orders.
Gage was talking to Tom, another recruit, when Pedro entered the room. "Tom, did you know you are talking to a Texas Ranger?"
"You're crazy." Gage said as Tom backed away from Gage. "I'm David Adams, from Austin, I worked with Miguel Cruz until he was busted about two weeks ago."
"Do you not remember me Ranger Gage? You busted me about six years ago here in Houston." Pedro stood in front of Gage. "I really hate Texas Rangers!" Pedro threw a punch to Gage's right jaw, catching him off guard and knocking him to the floor. Gage was immediately on his feet; he punched Pedro in the jaw, and then kicked him in the chest, causing him to sink to the ground. Tom came at Gage, but Gage dodged his punches and flipped him to the ground.
At this point, Gage knew that his cover had been blown. He needed to find Sydney and get out before it was too late. He headed for the door and was met by Santiago and two other he'd not seen before. "Mr. Santiago."
"David, or should I say Ranger Gage?" Gage's heart was racing. "Grab him!" The two men grabbed Gage and held him, waiting for further instruction from Santiago. One of the men produced a stun gun from his pocket, Santiago nodded. The man held the stun gun to Gage's throat, Gage screamed in pain, then collapsed. "Take him to the basement."
Gage gradually began to regain consciousness. He tried to move his arms and legs but realized that he was restrained to a hard, straight back chair. His arms were clamped to the chair arms with leather bands, his legs were pulled close to the chair legs with the same type of bands, there was also one across his chest and some sort of device held his head up straight and facing forward. He couldn't move! There was no light at all in the room. Gage's mind began to torment him. "Where am I? Am I blind? Where is everyone? Syd?" Gage's thoughts were interrupted.
"Ranger Gage." Santiago's voice cut through the darkness. "We are ready to begin. Momentarily you will feel a burning sensation in your left arm as the drug enters your vein through the IV we've put in place."
Gage felt tears stinging his eyes as the burning sensation began. He tried to close his eyes but found that they were held open by some sort of unseen restraint.
Santiago guessed that Gage was trying to close his eyes. "It will do you no good to try to close your eyes. We have them held open with special clips so you won't miss anything."
"Won't miss what?" Gage asked.
"You are not permitted to speak. Put the chin strap in place, make sure he doesn't bite his tongue." A figure reached in front of Gage's face and placed a strap under his chin and fastened it at the top of his head so he couldn't open his mouth.
"Where is Syd?" Gage thought for a moment, then the drug took effect, Gage's thoughts were no longer his own.
"Ranger Gage, I know you can hear me. In a moment you will see various pictures in front of you. These people are your enemies. They want to hurt you. They will hurt you and the only way to stop your pain is to kill them."
A slide projector flashed a picture of Walker on the screen in front of Gage, immediately an electric shock was sent through Gage's body for thirty seconds, again he tried to close his eyes, but couldn't. Alex's picture was shown and accompanied by the same electric shock, then a picture of Rick Perry, Governor of Texas was shown accompanied by a thirty second shock.
"See Ranger Gage, these people hurt you. Give him the second dose of the drug." Gage felt the burning sensation begin again in his left arm then slowly creep through his already pain filled body.
Upstairs, Sydney was beginning to worry, but she had to be careful. It appeared that someone was watching her every move. She had tried twice to get to her cell phone to check in with Walker, but had not been able to find any privacy. "Where is Gage? I haven't seen him since we got here. I'll have to ask Santiago about him when he comes back from wherever he went."
"Tom, do you know where Santiago is?" Sydney asked as Tom walked by.
"He's busy at the moment Chiquita, but I'll let him know you're looking for him."
"Thanks." Sydney replied. "Gage is in trouble, I just know it," she thought as she went back to her room.
Back at Ranger HQ, Trivette looked over at Walker. "Walker, you look worried."
"Gage and Sydney have missed both of their check-ins. Something's wrong."
"Maybe they're just having a hard time getting a minute away from Santiago to call." Trivette replied.
"Maybe, but something just doesn't feel right."
Meanwhile, back in Santiago's basement, Gage had been put through another grueling session. "Give him the third dose and increase the shock time to ninety seconds each." Santiago ordered and it began again. Gage was very weak and all he could think about was how much pain he was in and how he had to stop it at any cost. "Stop the pain, Ranger Gage." Santiago's voice commanded.
"Pedro, release his right hand and give him the weapon, then run the session again." Pedro obeyed, giving Gage a .45 loaded with blanks. Governor Perry's picture was flashed on the screen, Gage pointed the gun at his head and pulled the trigger, he did the same with Alex's picture, then Walker's image appeared, he paused for a moment until the electric shock coursed through his body again, he then shakily pointed the gun at Walker's image and pulled the trigger.
"Release him and take him to the room, he is ready for tomorrow. We will give him the final dose in the morning."
Gage closed his eyes tightly and opened them again. "Was it just a dream?" He tried to get up, but found that he was restrained to the bed. He laid back down and drifted into a fitful sleep.
Santiago found Sydney in his office waiting for him. "Donna, what are you doing in here?" He asked with anger in his voice.
"Waiting for you. I thought you had deserted me."
"I have been busy making preparations for tomorrow."
"What is so important about tomorrow?" Sydney asked.
"Tomorrow, my dear Donna, tomorrow we sell the most incredible drug to the highest bidder. We have a grand demonstration planned and David has agreed to be part of that demonstration." Sydney smiled a fake smile wishing she knew where Gage was and what Santiago had done to him. "Once we have made the sale, you and I will leave for the Cayman Islands."
"What about David?"
"Alas, he will probably end up dead or in jail." Santiago laughed, which made Sydney worry even more.
Santiago arose early the next morning and met Pedro in the hallway. "Uno momento Pedro, I want Donna to see our project in action." Santiago woke Sydney and together the three of them headed for the basement. "Wake up Ranger Gage, it is your day of revenge. Your day to end your pain and suffering." Gage began to stir. "Pedro, take him to the chair."
Gage tried to clear his mind, he wanted to take these guys out, to stop what they were doing, but his body wasn't responding to his thoughts, everything felt sluggish. He looked around and saw Sydney with Santiago. "Is she in on this?" Gage thought.
Pedro restrained him to the chair, leaving his right hand free to hold the .45, and then started the IV. Governor Perry's picture flashed, Gage pointed the .45 at his chest and pulled the trigger, then Alex picture flashed, he hesitated for a second, but pulled the trigger, then Walker's picture appeared and he hesitated for a second, but pulled the trigger. Sydney jumped each time Gage pulled the trigger.
"See my beautiful Donna, David IS our demonstration, or should I say Ranger Gage." Sydney had a look of pure terror on her face, what had they done to Gage. She could only imagine what torment they must have put him through to turn him into this killing machine.
Governor Perry was scheduled to make a speech in front of the Dallas Courthouse later this afternoon. Alex was to be presented a certificate of appreciation for her work with the H.O.P.E. Center. Santiago had his private jet fueled and ready to go, he loaded up his men, along with Sydney and Gage. Sydney sat beside of Santiago, across from Gage. She watched as he made no movement the entire plane ride, his eyes looked distant, like he wasn't really there.
Santiago's party arrived at the courthouse fifteen minutes before the speech was to begin. "Are the buyer's here?" Santiago asked.
"Yes sir. They are each wearing a red rose bud in their lapel to identify themselves to you. Once they demonstration is complete, they will forward their bids to your e-mail address." Santiago nodded.
"Where is Ranger Gage?" Santiago asked.
"He is in place."
"You have given him the cue phrase?"
"Yes. When the Governor says 'Thank you Mrs. Alex Cahill-Walker for all you've done.' our Ranger friend will be programmed to begin the demonstration."
"Very good. Donna are you ready to watch?" Santiago asked Sydney. She only nodded in response.
The Governor took the stand and called Alex up to join him. After a brief presentation speech he ended with "Thank you Mrs. Alex Cahill-Walker for all you've done." At that moment, Gage pulled his .45 and went straight to the podium. He pointed the gun at the Governor.
"Gage stop! Put it down!" Walker shouted. Gage pointed the gun first at the Governor, then at Alex, then at Walker. Sydney ran up behind him.
"Gage, put the gun down! No one here wants to hurt you."
Gage shook his head. He could hear Santiago's voice, "These people have hurt you and the only way to stop the pain is to kill them." Gage raised the gun again and pointed it at the Governor, he pulled the trigger just as Walker pushed the Governor out of harms way. Sydney and Walker simultaneously fired at Gage, Sydney from behind, and Walker from in front. Walker's bullet hit him in his right shoulder, Sydney's shot hit him in his left leg, just above his knee. Gage went down in immense pain. Sydney ran to her partner.
"Gage! Gage!"
"You and Walker both shot me." Gage said hoarsely.
"You didn't leave us much of a choice. You were going to shoot Alex and Governor Perry."
Gage closed his eyes tightly in pain as Walker grabbed his hand. "Hang on Gage. You're going to be OK." Gage nodded as moaned in pain.
Walker and Trivette rounded up Santiago and his boys and had the Dallas Police take them into custody.
The paramedics arrived and carried Gage to St. Matthews where he was rushed into surgery while a stunned Alex and Sydney sat silently in the waiting room. "Sydney, what happened in Houston?" Alex asked.
Sydney began explaining the whole story of how she and Gage had got separated after arriving at Santiago's. "Alex, someone must have recognized him. Santiago knew that he was a Ranger. I blew it. I wasn't there to cover his back and they got to him. Earlier this morning, Santiago had me watch as they injected Gage with that, that drug of his and forced him to view pictures of you, Walker and the Governor. He shot at each of the pictures. I don't know what they did to him, but they evidently tortured him pretty bad to get him to try to kill anyone." Sydney began to cry.
"Shh. Honey, it's going to be OK." Alex tried to comfort her.
"It will never be the same between us Alex. How could it be? I shot him and he doesn't even remember what he did. He will never trust me again."
"We'll get him the help he needs. I'm sure Walker knows someone who can help deprogram him and maybe even restore his memory of the past few days."
Walker and Trivette came in just as Alex was trying to comfort Sydney. "Sydney, don't second guess yourself. You were just doing your job. You were protecting Alex and Governor Perry."
"I know, but it still doesn't change the fact that I feel like I betrayed Gage."
"I've contacted a friend of mine in Washington. He's ex-CIA and specialized in mind control. I know he's worked with a lot of spies who were experimented on and has had great success. He's flying out tonight."
"Thank you Walker."
The doctor approached the waiting room. "OK Rangers, he's out of surgery. His shoulder wasn't too bad, but his leg, well. . ."
"What about his leg?" Sydney asked, dreading to hear the answer.
"The bullet hit the bone just above his knee and shattered it. We had to put in a steel plate with two screws. It's going to be awhile before he'll be walking on it again."
"Oh no." Sydney began to cry again. "Why did I have to go for his leg? I could have shot him in the arm and he wouldn't have been able to shoot."
"Sydney, don't do this to yourself." Trivette consoled.
"He'll never speak to me again."
Walker and Trivette went quietly into Gage's room. His shoulder was bandaged and his leg was in a cast and slightly elevated. "Gage, are you awake?" Walker asked.
"Yeah, I'm awake." Gage replied without much emotion.
"Can we talk a minute?"
"Sure, what do you want to talk about? Why you and Sydney shot me?"
"Do you remember anything from the past 48 hours?" Trivette asked.
Gage looked up towards the ceiling. "The last thing I really remember was getting on the plane with Sydney and heading to Houston for an undercover assignment."
"You and Sydney were undercover as drug dealers, David Adams and Donna Nichols. You were trying to get close to Juan Santiago. He developed some sort of mind control drug. It looks like he tried it out on you buddy." Walker explained.
"I sort of remember a dark room and not being able to move. I couldn't even close my eyes. There were pictures of you and Alex and, oh man, and Governor Perry." Gage closed his eyes. "Oh man. Walker, they injected me with something that burned like hell and then each time they showed a picture, they would give me an electric shock that felt like it was frying my insides." Gage started breathing hard.
"It's OK Gage. You're safe now. It's all over."
"Are the Governor and Alex OK?" Gage asked.
"Their fine."
"What about Sydney? Where's Sydney?" Gage asked fervently.
"She's in the waiting room. She's afraid you'll never want to speak to her again."
"Why?"
"Because she shot you."
"She did her job. She was protecting Alex and Governor Perry. How could she think I'd be mad at her for that?"
"I'll go get her." Trivette started out the door.
"Gage, I've contacted a friend of mine in Washington. He's sort of a psychiatrist. I want you to talk to him about what happened to you, OK?"
"You really think I need a shrink?"
"I think you've been through a lot and I want to make sure you're 100% before you come back to work."
Gage nodded his head. "It looks like it's going to be awhile before I'm back at work anyway." He looked down at his left leg.
Sydney quietly came into the room. "Yeah and that's my fault."
"It's not your fault Sydney. If anyone's to blame, it's me. I should have spotted Pedro long before he saw me and had a chance to get to Santiago."
"I should have never left you." Sydney said.
"You had an opportunity to get close to Santiago to find out what he was up to. You did your job and Sydney, you did it very well." Gage smiled.
"I just wish things hadn't have turned out like this."
"It's OK. I needed some time off anyway. I heal quickly and this won't be any different. I promise." Gage kissed Sydney's hand. "Now, can I see your smile?"
Sydney smiled. "Thank you for forgiving me."
"I could never hold anything against you Sydney. I care about you too much." Gage kissed her hand once again.
THE END