Authors Note: Sorry it took me so long to update! I had my wisdom teeth
out this weekend and I haven't felt like doing much. Thank you so much for
all the great reviews…I plan to keep updating this as often as my finals
schedule allows. Tell me what you think of this chapter, sorry about the
cliffhanger!
Just as suddenly as the gunfire had begun, it stopped. Jonathan laid still for a moment, then rolled on to his side to face the man lying next to him. Jim had most likely just saved his life and Jonathan was kicking himself mentally. The young Lieutenant was lying flat on his stomach, left hand clamped over his chest immediately below his right shoulder bone. Blood covered his hand and was beginning to cover the grass right below his shoulder. Jim's face was pale and drawn and his eyes were beginning to look glassy and his gaze was far away.
"Jim! Hold on buddy…" Jonathan was frightened now, wishing he had been shot and not Jim. Jim turned his gaze to Jonathan in an effort to concentrate. Jonathan cursed silently knowing here was little he could do for Jim at the moment.
"Don't worry yet Jonathan," Jim said, offering him a tight smile. Jonathan just frowned and searched for the rest of his crew. He could see Tony and Tim watching himself and Jim from the door of the communications hut. Lonnie and Miguel were crawling towards the door of the hut, seemingly unscathed, and for that Jonathan was eternally grateful. When they reached the door, they slid inside, greeted with relief by Tony and Tim. All four of the crew turned their attention to their two officers in the middle of the clearing, lying on the ground. They whispered nervously, trying to figure out what they should do to get Jonathan and Jim out of harm's way. Jonathan watched them whisper, feeling uneasy. It was far to quiet. Why had the gunfire just stopped? He turned to Jim, who seemed to have the same question on his lips.
"Commander!" Miguel was speaking as quietly as he could manage, still trying to be heard across the expanse. Once he had gotten Jonathan's attention, he and Lonnie pointed to their guns and then to Jonathan and Jim.
"They're going to cover us," Jim remarked with half a laugh, immediately regretting the movement. "Up for a run Jonathan? After all, you were late coming down to the gym this morning…" Jim's voice was light, but Jonathan didn't miss the undercurrent of pain and tension.
"Can you make it?"
"Of course I can. Get my gun though." Jonathan nodded and picked up Jim's gun from where he had dropped it, right in between the two of them. Jonathan nodded at Miguel and held up three fingers. Lonnie and Miguel nodded back.
"Three…Two…One…" Jonathan jumped to his feet and pulled Jim up with him at the same moment Miguel and Lonnie stepped out of the door and gave covering fire. Jonathan flinched when here heard Jim's sharp intake of pain at the harsh movement, but gave his friend a push forward. The covering fire lasted until they had made it to the hut. Tim and Tony eased Jim through the door and Jonathan shoved equipment out of the way, finally sitting Jim on one of the consoles. Miguel kept a vigil up at the door, watching the woods for any sign of hostiles.
Lonnie was already busy cutting away Jim's uniform shirt around the bloody spot.
"What happened sir? Who's shooting at us?" she asked hurriedly.
"I don't know."
"It came out of nowhere," Jim said, gritting his teeth as Lonnie peeled back the blood soaked cloth from the actual wound.
"That was not the smartest thing to do Jim! You should have let me get shot in my own stupidity!" Jonathan said in a worried way, glancing at his second in command who was obviously in pain.
"You're welcome Jon, don't worry," Jim tried to remain nonchalant, but gasped in pain as Lonnie took a closer look at the wound. Jim was gushing unhealthy looking dark red blood and his flesh was torn up. Lonnie swallowed hard. "How is it?" Jim asked. "I take it that it could be a whole lot better."
"Dear God…I've never treated real bullets, sir. Who in the world would use real bullets? No wonder they were outlawed!" Lonnie's voice was shaky, ignoring Jim's question.
"I don't know Lonnie. Hang in there Jim. This isn't going to be easy. From the looks of it, you need to get back on seaQuest immediately, but I don't see that happening…" Just as Jonathan was speaking, a beeping filled the small hut. Everyone except Tim looked around in a half panic.
"It's a communications signal! Someone's trying to call here!" Tim said, searching through the equipment Jonathan had dumped on the floor a few minutes earlier. He found a small great comm box and glanced up at Ford. "Should I answer it?"
"Go ahead."
Tim nodded and flipped the receiver on.
"Commander Ford, can you hear me?" The very soft feminine voice chilled all six inhabitants of the hut and frightened Tim most of all. It was a voice each one knew all to well. The voice belonged to the vindictive Dagger, Mariah. Very slowly, Jonathan left Jim's side and knelt next to Tim to answer her.
"Yes Mariah, I can hear you," his answer was slow and deliberate.
"Good, I was hoping you would know it was me. I apologize for the use of such trickery to get you here, but I doubted you would have responded to an invitation, and I know well enough that Captain Bridger would never pass over a distress call. I know you are most likely boiling mad, so I just want you to listen. Your launch has been secured by my employer's men. The hut you are in right this moment is surrounded. I hope you believe that considering the witness of the gunfire a little earlier. The last bit of information I have for you is the most important, so listen carefully Commander. Although I was not at your little fire fight, I am outside now and they have told me that they succeeded in their mission – getting you into that hut and wounding one of your officers," she paused for a moment and Jonathan looked at Jim who was listening intently. Tim looked horrified and Tony seemed to be pale. Miguel and Lonnie stood frozen in their places by the door, watching the clearing, but they were clearly listening to every word Mariah was saying. "Now the purpose of me telling you this is for you to believe every word I have to say. Getting you to this island was a master work of a plan and everything had to be completed. The men had orders to shoot one of your officers for a reason. That reason is that you surrender now to me. Though you are not scoffing at me now, you are probably thinking that you would never surrender. Please think again. Every bullet fired from those guns was coated in a thick form of poison that only I have an antidote for. Don't believe me? I may not know which of you officers was shot, but I hope you are looking at them right now. The wound should be oozing a disgusting dark red blood that looks sickly. I would guess that within five minutes that color will be closer to black. Your officer will become feverish within this five minutes and most likely lose consciousness. Then the convulsions start. After the convulsions start, you have exactly ten minutes to surrender to me, or I assure you, I will be too late to save your officer. I give you my word that if you surrender, I will give provide the antidote right there in front of you. When you are ready to surrender, and I hope that you will take me seriously, you must exit the hut one at a time and throw your weapons to the left. Walk fifteen paces and wait. The last person to exit the hut should be you commander and all you should have in your hands is your unconscious officer, or your other officers will be shot. I hope this is understood. You have about thirteen minutes before you lose your chances. Don't be a fool Commander, the navy would hate to lose a good officer," with those final words, the communication ended and all five of his officers turned to look at Jonathan.
"Now what?"
Just as suddenly as the gunfire had begun, it stopped. Jonathan laid still for a moment, then rolled on to his side to face the man lying next to him. Jim had most likely just saved his life and Jonathan was kicking himself mentally. The young Lieutenant was lying flat on his stomach, left hand clamped over his chest immediately below his right shoulder bone. Blood covered his hand and was beginning to cover the grass right below his shoulder. Jim's face was pale and drawn and his eyes were beginning to look glassy and his gaze was far away.
"Jim! Hold on buddy…" Jonathan was frightened now, wishing he had been shot and not Jim. Jim turned his gaze to Jonathan in an effort to concentrate. Jonathan cursed silently knowing here was little he could do for Jim at the moment.
"Don't worry yet Jonathan," Jim said, offering him a tight smile. Jonathan just frowned and searched for the rest of his crew. He could see Tony and Tim watching himself and Jim from the door of the communications hut. Lonnie and Miguel were crawling towards the door of the hut, seemingly unscathed, and for that Jonathan was eternally grateful. When they reached the door, they slid inside, greeted with relief by Tony and Tim. All four of the crew turned their attention to their two officers in the middle of the clearing, lying on the ground. They whispered nervously, trying to figure out what they should do to get Jonathan and Jim out of harm's way. Jonathan watched them whisper, feeling uneasy. It was far to quiet. Why had the gunfire just stopped? He turned to Jim, who seemed to have the same question on his lips.
"Commander!" Miguel was speaking as quietly as he could manage, still trying to be heard across the expanse. Once he had gotten Jonathan's attention, he and Lonnie pointed to their guns and then to Jonathan and Jim.
"They're going to cover us," Jim remarked with half a laugh, immediately regretting the movement. "Up for a run Jonathan? After all, you were late coming down to the gym this morning…" Jim's voice was light, but Jonathan didn't miss the undercurrent of pain and tension.
"Can you make it?"
"Of course I can. Get my gun though." Jonathan nodded and picked up Jim's gun from where he had dropped it, right in between the two of them. Jonathan nodded at Miguel and held up three fingers. Lonnie and Miguel nodded back.
"Three…Two…One…" Jonathan jumped to his feet and pulled Jim up with him at the same moment Miguel and Lonnie stepped out of the door and gave covering fire. Jonathan flinched when here heard Jim's sharp intake of pain at the harsh movement, but gave his friend a push forward. The covering fire lasted until they had made it to the hut. Tim and Tony eased Jim through the door and Jonathan shoved equipment out of the way, finally sitting Jim on one of the consoles. Miguel kept a vigil up at the door, watching the woods for any sign of hostiles.
Lonnie was already busy cutting away Jim's uniform shirt around the bloody spot.
"What happened sir? Who's shooting at us?" she asked hurriedly.
"I don't know."
"It came out of nowhere," Jim said, gritting his teeth as Lonnie peeled back the blood soaked cloth from the actual wound.
"That was not the smartest thing to do Jim! You should have let me get shot in my own stupidity!" Jonathan said in a worried way, glancing at his second in command who was obviously in pain.
"You're welcome Jon, don't worry," Jim tried to remain nonchalant, but gasped in pain as Lonnie took a closer look at the wound. Jim was gushing unhealthy looking dark red blood and his flesh was torn up. Lonnie swallowed hard. "How is it?" Jim asked. "I take it that it could be a whole lot better."
"Dear God…I've never treated real bullets, sir. Who in the world would use real bullets? No wonder they were outlawed!" Lonnie's voice was shaky, ignoring Jim's question.
"I don't know Lonnie. Hang in there Jim. This isn't going to be easy. From the looks of it, you need to get back on seaQuest immediately, but I don't see that happening…" Just as Jonathan was speaking, a beeping filled the small hut. Everyone except Tim looked around in a half panic.
"It's a communications signal! Someone's trying to call here!" Tim said, searching through the equipment Jonathan had dumped on the floor a few minutes earlier. He found a small great comm box and glanced up at Ford. "Should I answer it?"
"Go ahead."
Tim nodded and flipped the receiver on.
"Commander Ford, can you hear me?" The very soft feminine voice chilled all six inhabitants of the hut and frightened Tim most of all. It was a voice each one knew all to well. The voice belonged to the vindictive Dagger, Mariah. Very slowly, Jonathan left Jim's side and knelt next to Tim to answer her.
"Yes Mariah, I can hear you," his answer was slow and deliberate.
"Good, I was hoping you would know it was me. I apologize for the use of such trickery to get you here, but I doubted you would have responded to an invitation, and I know well enough that Captain Bridger would never pass over a distress call. I know you are most likely boiling mad, so I just want you to listen. Your launch has been secured by my employer's men. The hut you are in right this moment is surrounded. I hope you believe that considering the witness of the gunfire a little earlier. The last bit of information I have for you is the most important, so listen carefully Commander. Although I was not at your little fire fight, I am outside now and they have told me that they succeeded in their mission – getting you into that hut and wounding one of your officers," she paused for a moment and Jonathan looked at Jim who was listening intently. Tim looked horrified and Tony seemed to be pale. Miguel and Lonnie stood frozen in their places by the door, watching the clearing, but they were clearly listening to every word Mariah was saying. "Now the purpose of me telling you this is for you to believe every word I have to say. Getting you to this island was a master work of a plan and everything had to be completed. The men had orders to shoot one of your officers for a reason. That reason is that you surrender now to me. Though you are not scoffing at me now, you are probably thinking that you would never surrender. Please think again. Every bullet fired from those guns was coated in a thick form of poison that only I have an antidote for. Don't believe me? I may not know which of you officers was shot, but I hope you are looking at them right now. The wound should be oozing a disgusting dark red blood that looks sickly. I would guess that within five minutes that color will be closer to black. Your officer will become feverish within this five minutes and most likely lose consciousness. Then the convulsions start. After the convulsions start, you have exactly ten minutes to surrender to me, or I assure you, I will be too late to save your officer. I give you my word that if you surrender, I will give provide the antidote right there in front of you. When you are ready to surrender, and I hope that you will take me seriously, you must exit the hut one at a time and throw your weapons to the left. Walk fifteen paces and wait. The last person to exit the hut should be you commander and all you should have in your hands is your unconscious officer, or your other officers will be shot. I hope this is understood. You have about thirteen minutes before you lose your chances. Don't be a fool Commander, the navy would hate to lose a good officer," with those final words, the communication ended and all five of his officers turned to look at Jonathan.
"Now what?"