Chapter 3
Rick raced after Steve, looking into each of the cars, then corralled Robert to start with the alleyways. Peering into the last one by the Tribal Center, Rob saw his mom's purse on the ground next to a slow moving van. Yelling back at Rick that he had found something, he ran over to look only to see the same man who had walked his mother out of the party inside. "Hey!, where's my mom!", he yelled, then as the van sped past him, he grabbed onto the driver's side door and hung on, as Wainwright tried to drive away.
As the vehicle drove down the street, Rick saw his son hanging onto the door and ran after him, yelling for him to let go. As the van suddenly came to a stop, Rick expected to see Rob thrown, only to see a man's hand come out of the window and pin the boy's hands to the door. racing up to the van, Rick saw Wainwright holding a gun to Rob's head.
"Let go of my son, General, you can't get away with this! Where's my wife!" he yelled. The older man smiled, then said, "Take your son, and don't follow us, or you'll never see your wife again. If I see anyone following me, she's dead."
Rick reached out and caught his son as Wainwright dropped his hands, then helplessly watched the van speed out of town.
"Rob, are you all right, " he frantically asked the boy, feeling him shaking.
"Pop, I'm, I'm ok, but he has Mom, I saw her purse next to the van!" Steve came racing up and seeing the two of them out of breath, told them, "We'll catch up with him, Laurie turned her transmitter on."
Getting his wind back, Rick looked around, then asked, "Where's Oscar, I lost sight of him when we hit the door." Steve shook his head, "I got something from Laurie before she blacked out, I'm afraid Wainwright forced him into the van. He must have drugged the both of them."
"Pop, we've got to find them, he's crazy. He grabbed my hands and asked did I want to go with him, he was sure I'd make a good little soldier., " Rob said, trying to stay calm. Rick was horrified and embraced him, saying, "It's ok, you did right to try to slow him down. We'll find your mom and Oscar, I promise. Where's Robin?"
Just then Rudy came rushing up with Robin, who saw her pale-faced brother and flung her arms around him. "Rob, are you alright, Uncle Rudy saw you from the window when you were hanging from that van. Did that Wainwright get Mom?" Rick nodded at her, as Steve said, "She'll be all right, he took Oscar too, he won't let him hurt her."
Rudy took a deep breath, then told Rick, "We'd better get the sheriff and the Chief in on this, we'll need all the help we can get to find which base he'll take them to."
After meeting with Sheriff Gomez, Rick arranged for Rob and Robin to stay with him, in case Wainwright came back. Only the promise that he could help search for his Mom once they knew where she was kept Rob from following the others.
Steve called Oscar's assistant, Gregson, who got in touch with the Secretary. He authorized the release of the locations of all nearby bases, as well as the secret entrances to each. As each of the blue prints were issued from the Sheriffs fax machine, Steve and Rick analysed each one, then tried to match it to the intermittent transmissions from Laurie's watch.
Finally towards dawn, they narrowed it down to an abandoned air force base only 30 miles from Tempe, and Steve tried to reach Laurie, to let her know they were coming.
Driving in an unmarked car toward the base, Steve finally heard Laurie. He turned to Rick, saying "I hear her, she's locked in a room with really bright light, she says she's groggy but ok, except.." Steve stopped, then a horrified expression crossed his face. "Rick, Wainwright is threatening to use torture to force her to say what her secret is. She keeps denying she has one, but he wants to sell her and Oscar to the highest bidder. She's terrified, Rick, we've got to get there before it's too late."
A.J. who was driving, automatically floored it, as Rick told the colonel, "Tell her I'm coming, I love her, tell her if she has to, to tell Wainwright anything, make up something." Steve nodded, then replied, "She says she loves you, to be careful." As they drew closer to the perimeter of the base, Steve radioed ahead, making sure that no one had entered or left the area around the labs, where the transmitter seemed to be strongest. Suddenly the colonel froze, telling them, "Wainwright is dragging her down a hall, she's afraid he's going to torture her.."
Rick raced after Steve, looking into each of the cars, then corralled Robert to start with the alleyways. Peering into the last one by the Tribal Center, Rob saw his mom's purse on the ground next to a slow moving van. Yelling back at Rick that he had found something, he ran over to look only to see the same man who had walked his mother out of the party inside. "Hey!, where's my mom!", he yelled, then as the van sped past him, he grabbed onto the driver's side door and hung on, as Wainwright tried to drive away.
As the vehicle drove down the street, Rick saw his son hanging onto the door and ran after him, yelling for him to let go. As the van suddenly came to a stop, Rick expected to see Rob thrown, only to see a man's hand come out of the window and pin the boy's hands to the door. racing up to the van, Rick saw Wainwright holding a gun to Rob's head.
"Let go of my son, General, you can't get away with this! Where's my wife!" he yelled. The older man smiled, then said, "Take your son, and don't follow us, or you'll never see your wife again. If I see anyone following me, she's dead."
Rick reached out and caught his son as Wainwright dropped his hands, then helplessly watched the van speed out of town.
"Rob, are you all right, " he frantically asked the boy, feeling him shaking.
"Pop, I'm, I'm ok, but he has Mom, I saw her purse next to the van!" Steve came racing up and seeing the two of them out of breath, told them, "We'll catch up with him, Laurie turned her transmitter on."
Getting his wind back, Rick looked around, then asked, "Where's Oscar, I lost sight of him when we hit the door." Steve shook his head, "I got something from Laurie before she blacked out, I'm afraid Wainwright forced him into the van. He must have drugged the both of them."
"Pop, we've got to find them, he's crazy. He grabbed my hands and asked did I want to go with him, he was sure I'd make a good little soldier., " Rob said, trying to stay calm. Rick was horrified and embraced him, saying, "It's ok, you did right to try to slow him down. We'll find your mom and Oscar, I promise. Where's Robin?"
Just then Rudy came rushing up with Robin, who saw her pale-faced brother and flung her arms around him. "Rob, are you alright, Uncle Rudy saw you from the window when you were hanging from that van. Did that Wainwright get Mom?" Rick nodded at her, as Steve said, "She'll be all right, he took Oscar too, he won't let him hurt her."
Rudy took a deep breath, then told Rick, "We'd better get the sheriff and the Chief in on this, we'll need all the help we can get to find which base he'll take them to."
After meeting with Sheriff Gomez, Rick arranged for Rob and Robin to stay with him, in case Wainwright came back. Only the promise that he could help search for his Mom once they knew where she was kept Rob from following the others.
Steve called Oscar's assistant, Gregson, who got in touch with the Secretary. He authorized the release of the locations of all nearby bases, as well as the secret entrances to each. As each of the blue prints were issued from the Sheriffs fax machine, Steve and Rick analysed each one, then tried to match it to the intermittent transmissions from Laurie's watch.
Finally towards dawn, they narrowed it down to an abandoned air force base only 30 miles from Tempe, and Steve tried to reach Laurie, to let her know they were coming.
Driving in an unmarked car toward the base, Steve finally heard Laurie. He turned to Rick, saying "I hear her, she's locked in a room with really bright light, she says she's groggy but ok, except.." Steve stopped, then a horrified expression crossed his face. "Rick, Wainwright is threatening to use torture to force her to say what her secret is. She keeps denying she has one, but he wants to sell her and Oscar to the highest bidder. She's terrified, Rick, we've got to get there before it's too late."
A.J. who was driving, automatically floored it, as Rick told the colonel, "Tell her I'm coming, I love her, tell her if she has to, to tell Wainwright anything, make up something." Steve nodded, then replied, "She says she loves you, to be careful." As they drew closer to the perimeter of the base, Steve radioed ahead, making sure that no one had entered or left the area around the labs, where the transmitter seemed to be strongest. Suddenly the colonel froze, telling them, "Wainwright is dragging her down a hall, she's afraid he's going to torture her.."