Authors Note: Here is the third chapter, tell me what you think. Hope you
enjoy!
"Absolutely not," Jim's voice was firm and steady as he spoke. "Don't even entertain the thought Jonathan. To start with, you know the UEO's policy on terrorist attacks, and that is what this is. Secondly, we have no idea if she's telling the truth! It's probably all a lie. Thirdly, I would never ever let you surrender on the account of my life. Who knows what plan she has for you. She's gone through a lot of trouble to get us here and I will not be the one that plays right into her plans…" Jim showed no signs of ceasing his tirade, but Jonathan waved his hand at him.
"Relax Jim, I didn't say anything yet. Let's say I did believe that she poisoned you…I don't think I believe that she would help you… We have to figure out something else…" Jonathan stopped speaking though, because he was truly beginning to believe Mariah. The blood oozing from Jim's bare chest had turned to a black color. Lonnie had seen it to.
"Jim!" she reached out to touch the dripping blood.
"Don't touch it Lonnie!" Tony's voice was urgent. Jim looked down at his wound, swallowing hard. He looked back up, realizing then that his vision had started to blur. He felt very cold and everything seemed to be shaking.
"Jonathan…" he tried to speak, but the darkness seemed to be overtaking him.
"Jim!" Tony yelled, catching the young Lieutenant as he pitched forward. He caught Jim and Jonathan was at his side. They lowered Jim to the ground, but it was clear that he was unconscious. The blood flow had increased.
"Mariah wasn't lying. She doesn't lie when it's about getting her own way," Tim's voice was deadly soft. "Commander, I don't doubt that Jim'll die without that antidote."
Jonathan didn't look at Tim for a moment, merely staring down at Jim's face. What would Bridger have done? Just as he was asking himself this, Jim's body began to shake and convulse.
"Commander!"
"Hold his head still, sir!" Lonnie's voice was desperate as she tried to hold Jim's arms to the ground. Minutes that seemed to stretch into hours passed until Jim's body stopped shaking. A fine sheen of sweat covered the young man's body and the wound bleed freely.
"What do you think Lonnie?"
"I think Tim's right. I think Mariah wasn't lying. Sir…if Jim dies…"
"Jim isn't going to die…but you all have to make a choice. Jim didn't want us to surrender, but I can't sit back and watch him die. I'm willing to risk my own life and give myself over to whatever sick plot Mariah has in mind, but I can't order you to do the same. It's your choice what you want to do."
"No question sir, Jim's my friend," Miguel had waited only seconds before answering.
"Yeah, I owe him for cards, maybe this will cancel out the debt," Tony said trying to remain casual with a shrug of the shoulders.
"I can't…I won't leave him," Lonnie said slowly, as if there was some sort of deeper meaning to her words that none of them knew about. The only one who remained silent was Tim. It was understandable that he was thinking back to the time when Mariah had used him to get back at the crew of the seaQuest. Jonathan was unsure whether it was fear of her or fear of the guilt Jim might feel later on that caused Tim to hesitate. While they waited, Jim's body began to shudder again, this time the convulsions came quicker and were more violent. His breath had turned shallow as if it were no longer important. Tim helped Lonnie hold Jim's body still so he wouldn't thrash and hurt himself.
"Ok, I'm in," he said quickly to Jonathan.
"Listen closely…don't tell her anything beyond name, rank, and serial number. I won't let her touch you if I can help it. I'm in charge, so don't try anything heroic, Jim's already done that and gotten himself in a mess. Our first objective is escape after we know Jim's going to live. Understood?" He got affirmative nods from all of his officers. He smiled at them reassuringly and then pointed to Miguel. "You go first Miguel…and good luck."
"Yes, sir," the dark haired sensor chief turned back to the door and stepped slowly through, as if to signify he meant no harm. He tossed away his gun and put his hands up, carefully counting out how many steps he took. He was joined by Tony soon after. Tim came next, looking to his friends for support. Lonnie was nearly right behind him and they all looked around, expecting to see at least something, but nothing moved. Jonathan was last out, carrying Jim as carefully as he could. He moved slowly and deliberately to show he wasn't hiding anything. He didn't want to risk another firefight. As soon as he reached the other four officers, two dozen men dressed in army fatigues and combat paint melted out from the forest, all bearing nasty looking pistols that undoubtedly shot the poisoned bullets. Mariah was among them, dressed like them, minus the face paint. She did not have a gun in her hand, but one was strapped to her hip. She carried a small black box in her hand and she walked straight to Jonathan.
"What a terrible shame," her voice was soft and soothing as she stopped right in front of him. "Lieutenant Brody…" She reached out and touched his warm cheek. Jonathan took a protective step back.
"Don't touch him. Where's the antidote?"
"In good time Commander," she said, more business-like, and then motioned at one of the men. He strode forward and began cuffing Miguel's hands behind his back. Jonathan glared at Mariah as the man cuffed each one of the officers. Finally he finished and nodded at Mariah with some silent communication. "Put him on the ground Commander," she ordered. Jonathan hesitated, not willing to place his trust in Mariah's hands. After all, this was Jim… "Now Commander. You are running out of time…or should I say the Lieutenant is."
"You self-centered…" Tony started in on some sort of tirade, but it was quickly put to a stop.
"Tony…don't," Jonathan's response was cool as he carefully knelt and laid Jim on the ground as gently as he could. "Mariah, so help me…if you don't give him the antidote…"
"Relax Commander," Mariah began to assure him as his hands were being secured behind his back. "My employer has great plans for Mr. Brody. Don't you worry at all." Mariah knelt by Jim's side and opened the box, removing a nasty looking syringe. With ease, she located a vein in Jim's left arm and carefully emptied the contents of the needle into Jim's bloodstream. "There, now I kept my promise. He won't be dying due to poisoning anytime soon." Jonathan didn't like the way she said that at all and glared at her. He looked back to Jim, seeing that his tense muscles had relaxed and the convulsions had definitely stopped.
"So help me Mariah if you hurt him…"
"Idle threats Commander. Lieutenant Brody and I have a long history together. I may want some sort of revenge on him, but in this situation it isn't me you have to fear hurting your friend. He was unlucky enough to be the officer that got hit by the bullet. It could have been any of you. Now his fate awaits him. I told you, my employer went to great lengths to plan this operation. It's really to bad Mr. Brody is in such good physical shape…my employer might have canceled his plans otherwise if it were say…Tim." She snapped her head towards Tim, who stumbled backwards. She gave him a toothy grin to show all of them she had merely been trying to frighten Tim with the last statement. Jonathan, however, had other things to worry about. Mariah was giving him huge hints towards her employer's plans and Jonathan did not like any of it one bit. They were all in danger, and he had to get them out…somehow.
"Absolutely not," Jim's voice was firm and steady as he spoke. "Don't even entertain the thought Jonathan. To start with, you know the UEO's policy on terrorist attacks, and that is what this is. Secondly, we have no idea if she's telling the truth! It's probably all a lie. Thirdly, I would never ever let you surrender on the account of my life. Who knows what plan she has for you. She's gone through a lot of trouble to get us here and I will not be the one that plays right into her plans…" Jim showed no signs of ceasing his tirade, but Jonathan waved his hand at him.
"Relax Jim, I didn't say anything yet. Let's say I did believe that she poisoned you…I don't think I believe that she would help you… We have to figure out something else…" Jonathan stopped speaking though, because he was truly beginning to believe Mariah. The blood oozing from Jim's bare chest had turned to a black color. Lonnie had seen it to.
"Jim!" she reached out to touch the dripping blood.
"Don't touch it Lonnie!" Tony's voice was urgent. Jim looked down at his wound, swallowing hard. He looked back up, realizing then that his vision had started to blur. He felt very cold and everything seemed to be shaking.
"Jonathan…" he tried to speak, but the darkness seemed to be overtaking him.
"Jim!" Tony yelled, catching the young Lieutenant as he pitched forward. He caught Jim and Jonathan was at his side. They lowered Jim to the ground, but it was clear that he was unconscious. The blood flow had increased.
"Mariah wasn't lying. She doesn't lie when it's about getting her own way," Tim's voice was deadly soft. "Commander, I don't doubt that Jim'll die without that antidote."
Jonathan didn't look at Tim for a moment, merely staring down at Jim's face. What would Bridger have done? Just as he was asking himself this, Jim's body began to shake and convulse.
"Commander!"
"Hold his head still, sir!" Lonnie's voice was desperate as she tried to hold Jim's arms to the ground. Minutes that seemed to stretch into hours passed until Jim's body stopped shaking. A fine sheen of sweat covered the young man's body and the wound bleed freely.
"What do you think Lonnie?"
"I think Tim's right. I think Mariah wasn't lying. Sir…if Jim dies…"
"Jim isn't going to die…but you all have to make a choice. Jim didn't want us to surrender, but I can't sit back and watch him die. I'm willing to risk my own life and give myself over to whatever sick plot Mariah has in mind, but I can't order you to do the same. It's your choice what you want to do."
"No question sir, Jim's my friend," Miguel had waited only seconds before answering.
"Yeah, I owe him for cards, maybe this will cancel out the debt," Tony said trying to remain casual with a shrug of the shoulders.
"I can't…I won't leave him," Lonnie said slowly, as if there was some sort of deeper meaning to her words that none of them knew about. The only one who remained silent was Tim. It was understandable that he was thinking back to the time when Mariah had used him to get back at the crew of the seaQuest. Jonathan was unsure whether it was fear of her or fear of the guilt Jim might feel later on that caused Tim to hesitate. While they waited, Jim's body began to shudder again, this time the convulsions came quicker and were more violent. His breath had turned shallow as if it were no longer important. Tim helped Lonnie hold Jim's body still so he wouldn't thrash and hurt himself.
"Ok, I'm in," he said quickly to Jonathan.
"Listen closely…don't tell her anything beyond name, rank, and serial number. I won't let her touch you if I can help it. I'm in charge, so don't try anything heroic, Jim's already done that and gotten himself in a mess. Our first objective is escape after we know Jim's going to live. Understood?" He got affirmative nods from all of his officers. He smiled at them reassuringly and then pointed to Miguel. "You go first Miguel…and good luck."
"Yes, sir," the dark haired sensor chief turned back to the door and stepped slowly through, as if to signify he meant no harm. He tossed away his gun and put his hands up, carefully counting out how many steps he took. He was joined by Tony soon after. Tim came next, looking to his friends for support. Lonnie was nearly right behind him and they all looked around, expecting to see at least something, but nothing moved. Jonathan was last out, carrying Jim as carefully as he could. He moved slowly and deliberately to show he wasn't hiding anything. He didn't want to risk another firefight. As soon as he reached the other four officers, two dozen men dressed in army fatigues and combat paint melted out from the forest, all bearing nasty looking pistols that undoubtedly shot the poisoned bullets. Mariah was among them, dressed like them, minus the face paint. She did not have a gun in her hand, but one was strapped to her hip. She carried a small black box in her hand and she walked straight to Jonathan.
"What a terrible shame," her voice was soft and soothing as she stopped right in front of him. "Lieutenant Brody…" She reached out and touched his warm cheek. Jonathan took a protective step back.
"Don't touch him. Where's the antidote?"
"In good time Commander," she said, more business-like, and then motioned at one of the men. He strode forward and began cuffing Miguel's hands behind his back. Jonathan glared at Mariah as the man cuffed each one of the officers. Finally he finished and nodded at Mariah with some silent communication. "Put him on the ground Commander," she ordered. Jonathan hesitated, not willing to place his trust in Mariah's hands. After all, this was Jim… "Now Commander. You are running out of time…or should I say the Lieutenant is."
"You self-centered…" Tony started in on some sort of tirade, but it was quickly put to a stop.
"Tony…don't," Jonathan's response was cool as he carefully knelt and laid Jim on the ground as gently as he could. "Mariah, so help me…if you don't give him the antidote…"
"Relax Commander," Mariah began to assure him as his hands were being secured behind his back. "My employer has great plans for Mr. Brody. Don't you worry at all." Mariah knelt by Jim's side and opened the box, removing a nasty looking syringe. With ease, she located a vein in Jim's left arm and carefully emptied the contents of the needle into Jim's bloodstream. "There, now I kept my promise. He won't be dying due to poisoning anytime soon." Jonathan didn't like the way she said that at all and glared at her. He looked back to Jim, seeing that his tense muscles had relaxed and the convulsions had definitely stopped.
"So help me Mariah if you hurt him…"
"Idle threats Commander. Lieutenant Brody and I have a long history together. I may want some sort of revenge on him, but in this situation it isn't me you have to fear hurting your friend. He was unlucky enough to be the officer that got hit by the bullet. It could have been any of you. Now his fate awaits him. I told you, my employer went to great lengths to plan this operation. It's really to bad Mr. Brody is in such good physical shape…my employer might have canceled his plans otherwise if it were say…Tim." She snapped her head towards Tim, who stumbled backwards. She gave him a toothy grin to show all of them she had merely been trying to frighten Tim with the last statement. Jonathan, however, had other things to worry about. Mariah was giving him huge hints towards her employer's plans and Jonathan did not like any of it one bit. They were all in danger, and he had to get them out…somehow.