Title: The Rules of the Game (6/?)
Author: X_tremeroswellian
Email: X_tremeroswellian@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: Only in my dreams do I actually own anything. All are property of Edward Allen Bernero and John Wells.
Rating: PG-13 for language, violence and sexual content
Spoilers: Up through and including "233 Days."
Summary: Bosco and Faith find themselves in a predicament in which they can use only their instincts to survive.
Distribution: My site Only Time, 55-HQ, and fanfiction.net. Others, just ask and I'll probably say yes.
Category: Story
Subcategories: Action/adventure/thriller/suspense/romance/friendship/drama/angst...does that narrow it down too much? *wink wink*
Feedback: Makes me write faster.
Author's Note: I sort of got this idea from a third season episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. But just for the very general plot idea. The rest came out of my own messed up mind. :)
Dedication: For Dem and Bree
The Rules of the Game (Part Six)
He was disturbed from his peaceful, dreamless sleep by the sound of a barking dog. He grimaced, annoyed, wishing his neighbor would shut the damned mutt up so he could go back to sleep. He shifted positions slightly, groaning as pain shot up his neck.
What a great way to start the day, he thought, not opening his eyes. He idly wondered if he'd remembered to set the coffee pot the night before. He hoped so. He tried to move his left arm, and when he found himself unable to do so, he opened his eyes, blinking rapidly, then squinting. When his vision cleared, his gaze immediately landed on Faith, who was lying next to him, her head on his arm, still asleep.
Bosco's eyes widened momentarily, then he relaxed slightly as he recalled their situation. His eyes drifted shut again.
The damn dog was still barking, only it sounded closer this time. And this time he realized there was more than one dog.
"Oh, fuck," he uttered as his eyes flew open. "Faith, wake up!"
She opened her eyes, squinting. "Boz?" she whispered sleepily.
"We have to get up and run right now," he told her urgently, his voice low as he pulled her into a sitting position.
"What's going on?" she asked, confused.
Bosco rose to his feet, reached down and pulled her to hers, as well. "The hunters. They're coming."
Faith's eyes widened.
He grabbed her hand. "Come on!"
Sully knew the moment he stepped into the precinct that morning that something had happened. The officers at the desk all wore grim expressions, and looked at him with sorrow filled eyes.
Dread knotted his stomach as he made his way back towards Swersky's office. In the hallway outside, Davis was sitting on the bench next to Steve Gusler, whose eyes were red-rimmed.
Sully swallowed hard. "Davis?"
His partner looked up at him, stared back for a moment. "They, uh...they pulled 55-David from the Hudson River a few hours ago," Davis said, dropping his gaze to the floor again, his voice low.
He stood there, frozen in place by shock. " No," he whispered.
"They haven't found the bodies, yet," his partner added, his voice catching on the word 'bodies.'
Sully sank down onto the bench beside him, feeling sick. "I can't believe this."
The three officers sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity, when the lieutenant's door suddenly opened. Swersky stepped out into the hallway. "We have a man in custody," he said, his voice grim.
They all looked up at him in surprise.
"We lifted a set of prints from the inside of the car. From a man we've arrested before." Swersky's gaze focused on Sully. "A man you and Yokas arrested."
Sully stared back at him uncertainly.
"In connection to Theodore Chevchinko."
"Son of a bitch," he muttered, closing his eyes.
"The FBI is getting ready to question him now. He's turned down his right to have a lawyer present."
Sully looked at Davis and Gusler, then back at his boss. "I'd like to be present for the questioning, Lieu."
Swersky nodded. "I thought you might. Let's go."
"Tell me again where officers Boscorelli and Yokas are."
"In the river," the younger man replied.
The FBI agent glared at him. "Their bodies weren't found in the car."
He shrugged. "They are dead."
"Did Theodore Chevchinko order their murders?"
"I know of no one by that name."
"My ass," Sully muttered, watching through the two way mirror and shaking his head. He turned away, anger growing inside of him.
Davis glanced over at him, worried. "Sul, you okay?"
He turned to his partner, a grim look on his face. "There's something I have to do."
"What?"
Sully's gaze flickered to Swersky, who was watching him. "Just a hunch I have. I'll be back." Without another word, he left the room, Davis, Gusler and Swersky all staring after him.
"You know, despite all the physical training we went through at the Academy, I'm a little pissed that they didn't spend any time preparing us for this," Bosco said as they paused momentarily to catch their breath.
"Yeah, well, somehow I doubt they figured that two New York City police officers would have to worry about being hunted in the middle of a forest," Faith replied, breathing heavily and looking around.
"Good point. But still. When we get back, after I kill Chevchinko, the first thing I'm doing is contacting the supervisors at the Academy and telling them to bring all the new trainees to this island for a couple days."
They both fell silent, listening for unusual noises. They didn't have to wait for long. The dogs were barking again.
Faith and Bosco looked at each other.
"Damn it," she muttered.
"Come on."
They started to run again. His legs were sore and tired, but he didn't let himself slow down. He glanced over his shoulder once in awhile to make sure she hadn't fallen behind.
He wasn't sure how long or how far they'd gone when he heard a low but constant rumbling somewhere up ahead of them.
"Bosco, what's that noise?" she asked as they ran.
"I don't know," he admitted.
The dogs were getting closer. He could hear the barking a lot more distinctly than before.
With every step forward, the rumbling grew louder, but he didn't see anything that could be causing it. He looked over his shoulder to see if the dogs were close enough to be seen now.
"Bosco, look out!" Faith suddenly grabbed his arm and yanked him back none too gently.
He turned to see what she'd pulled him away from and found himself staring down a steep cliff. The river they'd been following abruptly dropped off into a huge waterfall that emptied into a large body of water several hundred feet below them.
Bosco took a step away from the edge, turning to look at his partner, then behind them where he could see the dogs running toward them in the distance.
They were trapped.
"Oh, fuck."
Sully unlocked the door to his apartment and stepped inside, closing the door behind him. His wife was sitting at the kitchen table, reading the newspaper.
She looked up at him, surprised that he was back already. "John, what is wrong?"
He dropped his keys onto the kitchen counter and focused his gaze on her. "The FBI arrested a man who claims he killed my friends that are missing."
Tatiana lifted a hand to her mouth, horrified. "Oh, John, I am so sorry."
"The man works for a friend of yours," Sully informed her, his eyes narrowed.
She looked at him in confusion. "What?"
"Enough of the lies, Tatiana. Or Natasha. Or whatever your real name is," he snapped, glaring at her. "I want to know everything you know about Theodore Chevchinko. And I want to know right now."
Bosco's heart pounded heavily against his chest. He looked at the dogs that were now only a few yards away, then down at the waterfall, and then at Faith.
Her eyes wide, face place, she stared back at him. "You're not really thinking what I think you're thinking, right?"
A shot rang out through the air, slamming into a tree only a foot away from him. "Do we really have a choice?"
She looked from him, back toward the dogs, who would be on them in a matter of seconds, then down at the lake below.
Another shot. This time he felt the ricochet of the splintering wood as it stung his arm.
Bosco looked at her intently. "Faith?" he said urgently, every muscle in his body tense.
Wordlessly, she reached out for his hand, a frightened look in her eyes. He slid his hand into hers without hesitation, interlacing their fingers as he swallowed hard. "On the count of three."
Faith nodded, squeezing his hand tightly. "One."
"Two," he said, squeezing her hand back.
Bosco and Faith looked at each other, and then in unison said, "Three!"
They jumped.
Go to Part 7
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