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.)
"Lumberjack" Chapter 2
by Lorrie
Sydney and Trivette were still at the rest stop when Adams drove by. "Trivette, wasn't that Joshua Adams?" Sydney asked. Trivette nodded. "Where do you think Gage and Walker are?"
"I wish I knew." Trivette replied worriedly as they watched the fire climb the mountain.
"Should we go after Adams?"
"We don't have anything to charge him with." Just then Anderson came speeding down the road on the logging rig, barely holding it in the road. Sydney noticed a black and red flannel shirt hanging loosely from the end of one of the logs.
"Trivette, I think that was Gage's shirt on the end of one of those logs."
"Sydney, do you know how many red and black flannel shirts there are in the world?"
"Humor me Trivette, please." Trivette couldn't ignore the pleading look on Sydney's face and cranked up the rig.
"Ok, Ok. Call Alex and let her know what's going on. We'll try to pull him over for a conversation. That way we don't blow our cover and we don't take any chances on Walker and Gage." Trivette positioned their rig just behind Anderson's as he laid on the horn and flashed his lights.
"What the?" Anderson asked himself as he pulled his rig over.
Trivette got out and approached Anderson's rig. "Hey man, are you with Adams Logging?"
"That's what it says on the truck." Anderson answered sarcastically.
"We were supposed to have picked up a load over an hour ago."
"The fire forced evacuation of the camp. Everyone's gone. I've got to get this load down to the docks."
While Trivette was talking to Anderson, Sydney climbed up onto the back of the rig and retrieved the shirt. She brought it to her nose and inhaled. "I knew this was his." She said after smelling his cologne.
Sydney went back to the truck and was soon met by Trivette. "Well?" He asked.
"It's his." Sydney held the shirt to her cheek. "Trivette, they're in trouble, I can feel it."
*****
Walker stepped outside and surveyed the forest. The fire was getting closer, he and Gage needed to move.
Back inside the cabin, Walker approached Gage, who had fallen into a feverish and fitful sleep. "Gage." Walker shook him slightly. "Gage, wake up!"
Gage opened his eyes and shook his head slightly trying to ignore the agonizing pain in his left side. "Walker?" He said quietly.
"I'm sorry buddy, we're going to have to move. The fire's getting too close."
Gage glanced around the lab. "What about all of this evidence?"
Walker thought for a moment, then remembered the mini camera. "I think I have three more shots left." He quickly snapped pictures of the lab set up and the supplies.
"All right, now let's get you out of here." Gage painfully put his left arm around Walker's shoulder and lifted himself up without putting any weight on his left leg.
"Now what?" Gage asked as he once again let the pain show on his face.
"Let's see if we can get about 200 yards away from the cabin, then we'll blow it up."
"Blow it, why?"
"If the fire gets to it, it's going to blow anyway and I don't want any unsuspecting firefighter to be too close when it does. Plus the explosion should get some attention and maybe some help for us."
Gage nodded, understanding that this may be their only shot out of this mess. Walker helped Gage to a safe distance from the cabin then returned to set up an explosion.
"So how long?" Gage asked as Walker ran towards him.
"A couple of minutes." Walker glanced at his watch. A few seconds later, there was an earth shaking "BOOM!"
*****
Anderson arrived at the docks and was met by Adams. "Did you leave Jessup and Cooper?"
"Yes. Jessup was trapped underneath a fallen tree." Anderson replied.
"Good, their deaths will look like an accident." Adams looked at the load. "There's the white oak." He pointed at the label.
Anderson climbed onto the back of the rig with a small chainsaw and sawed the end off of the log. The saw went through the log only to reveal another solid end.
Adams stared hard at Anderson. "That's not the right log!"
"No sir. Let's try another one." Anderson replied worriedly as he looked at the ends of the logs, searching for the fake end.
"Anderson! They did load it, didn't they?" Adams yelled.
"I'm sure they did. Jessup must have switched labels on me." Anderson replied. 'At least I hope that's all he did.' He said under his breath.
"I don't care what Jessup and Cooper did, just find that hollow log!"
*****
"Engine 3, check out that explosion." The Fire Chief ordered.
By the time that the crew from Engine 3 made their way to the origin of the explosion, the cabin was pretty well burnt to the ground.
Walker heard the firefighters approaching. "Hey, over here!" He yelled.
Two of the firefighters ran to Walker and Gage's location. Walker flashed his badge. "I'm Ranger Cordell Walker and this is Ranger Francis Gage. We were on an undercover assignment when the fire broke out."
"How is he?" One of the firefighters asked, pointing to Gage, who had once again passed out.
"He has a broken leg and probably some internal bleeding, he's been spitting up blood for the past few minutes."
The firefighter pulled out a two-way radio. "We have two Texas Rangers up here Captain. One of them is hurt pretty badly. We need to see if we can get a chopper up here."
"Ten-four, copy that." Replied the Captain.
*****
After hearing the explosion, Trivette and Sydney drove back to the foot of the mountain and identified themselves to the Fire Chief.
"I just had a call from two of my men. Your guys are alive. One of them is hurt pretty badly, so we're sending a chopper up to get them."
"Do you know who's hurt?" Sydney asked, already sensing that it was Gage.
The Fire Chief shook his head. "No ma'am. They should have them down in a few minutes and you and Ranger Trivette can ride to the hospital with them if you like."
"Thank you."
*****
"Easy, easy. His leg's busted up pretty bad." The firefighter yelled as they began to lift Gage onto the stretcher.
Gage cried out, in spite of himself, as they moved him. He closed his eyes tightly and shook his head. "Oh God, it hurts!" Once he was loaded into the helicopter, Gage fought to stay conscious.
"Hang on Gage, we're going to stop and pick-up Sydney." Walker held Gage's hand.
"Walker," Gage whispered. Walker leaned near. "I switched - ends on logs. Drugs - still in the camp." With that, Gage passed out.
"Where in the camp? Gage?" Walker looked at his tired, injured young partner. "It's OK Gage, we'll find them."
When they reached the bottom of the mountain, Walker got out of the helicopter so Sydney could be with her husband. "Sydney, he's going to be alright, you have to believe that."
"How bad is he Walker?" She asked as she boarded the helicopter.
"It looks pretty bad." Sydney buckled in and the helicopter lifted off, heading towards Methodist Hospital.
"Trivette, let's get to the docks. We've got to get to Anderson before he discovers that the cocaine isn't in that load."
"How's Gage? What happened?" Trivette asked as they drove.
"A tree fell on him. His left leg is broken and I'm pretty sure he has some internal bleeding."
Trivette looked at Walker. "Are you OK? You seem like something's bothering you."
"I'm OK, thanks to Gage. He pushed me out of the way of the tree." Walker mentally reviewed the events of the day in his head.
"That sounds like something Gage would do."
"He said he was thinking of Angela." Walker smiled.
*****
End Chapter 2
"Lumberjack" Chapter 2
by Lorrie
Sydney and Trivette were still at the rest stop when Adams drove by. "Trivette, wasn't that Joshua Adams?" Sydney asked. Trivette nodded. "Where do you think Gage and Walker are?"
"I wish I knew." Trivette replied worriedly as they watched the fire climb the mountain.
"Should we go after Adams?"
"We don't have anything to charge him with." Just then Anderson came speeding down the road on the logging rig, barely holding it in the road. Sydney noticed a black and red flannel shirt hanging loosely from the end of one of the logs.
"Trivette, I think that was Gage's shirt on the end of one of those logs."
"Sydney, do you know how many red and black flannel shirts there are in the world?"
"Humor me Trivette, please." Trivette couldn't ignore the pleading look on Sydney's face and cranked up the rig.
"Ok, Ok. Call Alex and let her know what's going on. We'll try to pull him over for a conversation. That way we don't blow our cover and we don't take any chances on Walker and Gage." Trivette positioned their rig just behind Anderson's as he laid on the horn and flashed his lights.
"What the?" Anderson asked himself as he pulled his rig over.
Trivette got out and approached Anderson's rig. "Hey man, are you with Adams Logging?"
"That's what it says on the truck." Anderson answered sarcastically.
"We were supposed to have picked up a load over an hour ago."
"The fire forced evacuation of the camp. Everyone's gone. I've got to get this load down to the docks."
While Trivette was talking to Anderson, Sydney climbed up onto the back of the rig and retrieved the shirt. She brought it to her nose and inhaled. "I knew this was his." She said after smelling his cologne.
Sydney went back to the truck and was soon met by Trivette. "Well?" He asked.
"It's his." Sydney held the shirt to her cheek. "Trivette, they're in trouble, I can feel it."
*****
Walker stepped outside and surveyed the forest. The fire was getting closer, he and Gage needed to move.
Back inside the cabin, Walker approached Gage, who had fallen into a feverish and fitful sleep. "Gage." Walker shook him slightly. "Gage, wake up!"
Gage opened his eyes and shook his head slightly trying to ignore the agonizing pain in his left side. "Walker?" He said quietly.
"I'm sorry buddy, we're going to have to move. The fire's getting too close."
Gage glanced around the lab. "What about all of this evidence?"
Walker thought for a moment, then remembered the mini camera. "I think I have three more shots left." He quickly snapped pictures of the lab set up and the supplies.
"All right, now let's get you out of here." Gage painfully put his left arm around Walker's shoulder and lifted himself up without putting any weight on his left leg.
"Now what?" Gage asked as he once again let the pain show on his face.
"Let's see if we can get about 200 yards away from the cabin, then we'll blow it up."
"Blow it, why?"
"If the fire gets to it, it's going to blow anyway and I don't want any unsuspecting firefighter to be too close when it does. Plus the explosion should get some attention and maybe some help for us."
Gage nodded, understanding that this may be their only shot out of this mess. Walker helped Gage to a safe distance from the cabin then returned to set up an explosion.
"So how long?" Gage asked as Walker ran towards him.
"A couple of minutes." Walker glanced at his watch. A few seconds later, there was an earth shaking "BOOM!"
*****
Anderson arrived at the docks and was met by Adams. "Did you leave Jessup and Cooper?"
"Yes. Jessup was trapped underneath a fallen tree." Anderson replied.
"Good, their deaths will look like an accident." Adams looked at the load. "There's the white oak." He pointed at the label.
Anderson climbed onto the back of the rig with a small chainsaw and sawed the end off of the log. The saw went through the log only to reveal another solid end.
Adams stared hard at Anderson. "That's not the right log!"
"No sir. Let's try another one." Anderson replied worriedly as he looked at the ends of the logs, searching for the fake end.
"Anderson! They did load it, didn't they?" Adams yelled.
"I'm sure they did. Jessup must have switched labels on me." Anderson replied. 'At least I hope that's all he did.' He said under his breath.
"I don't care what Jessup and Cooper did, just find that hollow log!"
*****
"Engine 3, check out that explosion." The Fire Chief ordered.
By the time that the crew from Engine 3 made their way to the origin of the explosion, the cabin was pretty well burnt to the ground.
Walker heard the firefighters approaching. "Hey, over here!" He yelled.
Two of the firefighters ran to Walker and Gage's location. Walker flashed his badge. "I'm Ranger Cordell Walker and this is Ranger Francis Gage. We were on an undercover assignment when the fire broke out."
"How is he?" One of the firefighters asked, pointing to Gage, who had once again passed out.
"He has a broken leg and probably some internal bleeding, he's been spitting up blood for the past few minutes."
The firefighter pulled out a two-way radio. "We have two Texas Rangers up here Captain. One of them is hurt pretty badly. We need to see if we can get a chopper up here."
"Ten-four, copy that." Replied the Captain.
*****
After hearing the explosion, Trivette and Sydney drove back to the foot of the mountain and identified themselves to the Fire Chief.
"I just had a call from two of my men. Your guys are alive. One of them is hurt pretty badly, so we're sending a chopper up to get them."
"Do you know who's hurt?" Sydney asked, already sensing that it was Gage.
The Fire Chief shook his head. "No ma'am. They should have them down in a few minutes and you and Ranger Trivette can ride to the hospital with them if you like."
"Thank you."
*****
"Easy, easy. His leg's busted up pretty bad." The firefighter yelled as they began to lift Gage onto the stretcher.
Gage cried out, in spite of himself, as they moved him. He closed his eyes tightly and shook his head. "Oh God, it hurts!" Once he was loaded into the helicopter, Gage fought to stay conscious.
"Hang on Gage, we're going to stop and pick-up Sydney." Walker held Gage's hand.
"Walker," Gage whispered. Walker leaned near. "I switched - ends on logs. Drugs - still in the camp." With that, Gage passed out.
"Where in the camp? Gage?" Walker looked at his tired, injured young partner. "It's OK Gage, we'll find them."
When they reached the bottom of the mountain, Walker got out of the helicopter so Sydney could be with her husband. "Sydney, he's going to be alright, you have to believe that."
"How bad is he Walker?" She asked as she boarded the helicopter.
"It looks pretty bad." Sydney buckled in and the helicopter lifted off, heading towards Methodist Hospital.
"Trivette, let's get to the docks. We've got to get to Anderson before he discovers that the cocaine isn't in that load."
"How's Gage? What happened?" Trivette asked as they drove.
"A tree fell on him. His left leg is broken and I'm pretty sure he has some internal bleeding."
Trivette looked at Walker. "Are you OK? You seem like something's bothering you."
"I'm OK, thanks to Gage. He pushed me out of the way of the tree." Walker mentally reviewed the events of the day in his head.
"That sounds like something Gage would do."
"He said he was thinking of Angela." Walker smiled.
*****
End Chapter 2