Chapter Thirteen: The Beginning of the End
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Taking a deep breath, Danny kicked the door to the office open to find the captive Ed Deline waiting for him. He let his pistol drop slightly upon noticing that Keller wasn't in the room, and he rushed to his mentor's side.
"Ed!" Danny greeted, kneeling by the older man.
"Get out of here, kid." Ed ordered.
"I'm not leaving you." Danny replied, relieved to see that Deline was alive and in semi-good health. He looked around. "Where's Keller?"
The door to the room slammed shut, getting both McCoy and Deline's attention. As McCoy got to his feet again and aimed his pistol, he could see Keller standing just inside the room with a rifle in hand. To Danny's horror, he noted that it was aimed directly at Ed's head.
"You've had your fun, kid," Keller said with a smile. "But now, playtime's over." He nodded at the pistol. "Give it here, or I blow Deline's brains out."
"Take your shot, Danny." Ed encouraged quietly.
"What?" Danny asked, wondering if he had heard right. He looked at Ed curiously.
"Take this son of a bitch out." Ed replied, looking up at his protégé. "Don't worry about me."
"You've got five seconds." Keller ordered.
Looking from Keller to Ed, Danny felt unsure of what to do. He could take Keller out now, but, under the stress, he wasn't sure if he could hit him fatally or not. The other man would definitely have time to take Deline out, and Danny had no way of knowing how good of a marksman Keller was. Closing his eyes, Danny could feel his arms drop to his sides. He just couldn't risk it.
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"This is a long way from the Montecito parking lot." the figure commented as Mike gasped. Although the sun was blocking the figure's face, the voice was recognizable.
"Mary?" he asked, crawling out of the hole. As he stood up, he chuckled at the dark blonde woman in front of him, and hugged her tightly. "What in the hell…"
"That's what I was asking." Luis said as he walked over to Mike and Mary. Seeing that it was safe, Nessa and Sam also crawled out of the cave. "What in the hell were you guys thinking? I knew that Danny was crazy enough to attempt this, but you three?"
"Where is Danny anyway?" Mary asked, looking at Sam.
"He's rescuing Ed." Nessa replied, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Or trying to, anyway."
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"I'm sorry, Ed." Danny sighed, opening his eyes and looking at his mentor. "I just can't do it."
"It's all right." Ed assured as Keller walked over and took Danny's pistol from him with ease. After he set it down on the desk, he motioned with his rifle to the middle of the room. Getting what he meant, Danny followed Keller over to the exact spot. Knowing what was coming, Ed tried to get out of his restraints again.
"You shouldn't have gotten involved with this, kid." Keller remarked as Danny felt the handle of the gun collide with his already bruised ribcage. As a sharp, constant pain filled him, he let out a cry of pain and sank to his knees. Grabbing his stomach, he looked at the ground. He heard the chair move as if Ed was trying desperately to break free. However, this seemed to anger Keller more as he kicked Danny powerfully in the same spot, causing the younger man to cough up blood.
"Let that be a warning not to do that again." Keller said, looking at the irate Ed. "I'm pretty sure that pretty boy can fight his own battles." He turned to Danny. "Or he could if he wasn't so out of his league."
"You bastard!" Danny said, slowly getting to his feet. He still had traces of blood on one corner of his mouth, and was holding his stomach with one arm. "I will stop you!"
"Can't say that you're not good for a laugh." Keller smirked before getting punched in the face by Danny. The ex-Marine followed that up with a punch to the gut and another shot to the head. As Keller stumbled back, he dropped his rifle. Danny caught it, and aimed at the handcuffs on Ed's wrists. If he could just hit the chain that connected them, Ed would be free. He could tell that Ed understood what Danny was planning as he nodded at the ex-Marine and let his hands relax.
Just as Danny fired his shot, Keller charged at him and ran him into the wall behind the two. The back of Danny's head made contact with the concrete of the wall, and the ex-Marine slumped to the ground unconscious.
"Well," Keller said, picking up his rifle. "That takes care of that."
As he turned around again, Keller nearly dropped his rifle again in shock. An irate looking unchained Ed Deline stood with the pistol clenched in his hands. From the smile on his face, it was clear that he had been waiting for this moment for a long time.
To be continued...
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Taking a deep breath, Danny kicked the door to the office open to find the captive Ed Deline waiting for him. He let his pistol drop slightly upon noticing that Keller wasn't in the room, and he rushed to his mentor's side.
"Ed!" Danny greeted, kneeling by the older man.
"Get out of here, kid." Ed ordered.
"I'm not leaving you." Danny replied, relieved to see that Deline was alive and in semi-good health. He looked around. "Where's Keller?"
The door to the room slammed shut, getting both McCoy and Deline's attention. As McCoy got to his feet again and aimed his pistol, he could see Keller standing just inside the room with a rifle in hand. To Danny's horror, he noted that it was aimed directly at Ed's head.
"You've had your fun, kid," Keller said with a smile. "But now, playtime's over." He nodded at the pistol. "Give it here, or I blow Deline's brains out."
"Take your shot, Danny." Ed encouraged quietly.
"What?" Danny asked, wondering if he had heard right. He looked at Ed curiously.
"Take this son of a bitch out." Ed replied, looking up at his protégé. "Don't worry about me."
"You've got five seconds." Keller ordered.
Looking from Keller to Ed, Danny felt unsure of what to do. He could take Keller out now, but, under the stress, he wasn't sure if he could hit him fatally or not. The other man would definitely have time to take Deline out, and Danny had no way of knowing how good of a marksman Keller was. Closing his eyes, Danny could feel his arms drop to his sides. He just couldn't risk it.
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"This is a long way from the Montecito parking lot." the figure commented as Mike gasped. Although the sun was blocking the figure's face, the voice was recognizable.
"Mary?" he asked, crawling out of the hole. As he stood up, he chuckled at the dark blonde woman in front of him, and hugged her tightly. "What in the hell…"
"That's what I was asking." Luis said as he walked over to Mike and Mary. Seeing that it was safe, Nessa and Sam also crawled out of the cave. "What in the hell were you guys thinking? I knew that Danny was crazy enough to attempt this, but you three?"
"Where is Danny anyway?" Mary asked, looking at Sam.
"He's rescuing Ed." Nessa replied, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Or trying to, anyway."
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"I'm sorry, Ed." Danny sighed, opening his eyes and looking at his mentor. "I just can't do it."
"It's all right." Ed assured as Keller walked over and took Danny's pistol from him with ease. After he set it down on the desk, he motioned with his rifle to the middle of the room. Getting what he meant, Danny followed Keller over to the exact spot. Knowing what was coming, Ed tried to get out of his restraints again.
"You shouldn't have gotten involved with this, kid." Keller remarked as Danny felt the handle of the gun collide with his already bruised ribcage. As a sharp, constant pain filled him, he let out a cry of pain and sank to his knees. Grabbing his stomach, he looked at the ground. He heard the chair move as if Ed was trying desperately to break free. However, this seemed to anger Keller more as he kicked Danny powerfully in the same spot, causing the younger man to cough up blood.
"Let that be a warning not to do that again." Keller said, looking at the irate Ed. "I'm pretty sure that pretty boy can fight his own battles." He turned to Danny. "Or he could if he wasn't so out of his league."
"You bastard!" Danny said, slowly getting to his feet. He still had traces of blood on one corner of his mouth, and was holding his stomach with one arm. "I will stop you!"
"Can't say that you're not good for a laugh." Keller smirked before getting punched in the face by Danny. The ex-Marine followed that up with a punch to the gut and another shot to the head. As Keller stumbled back, he dropped his rifle. Danny caught it, and aimed at the handcuffs on Ed's wrists. If he could just hit the chain that connected them, Ed would be free. He could tell that Ed understood what Danny was planning as he nodded at the ex-Marine and let his hands relax.
Just as Danny fired his shot, Keller charged at him and ran him into the wall behind the two. The back of Danny's head made contact with the concrete of the wall, and the ex-Marine slumped to the ground unconscious.
"Well," Keller said, picking up his rifle. "That takes care of that."
As he turned around again, Keller nearly dropped his rifle again in shock. An irate looking unchained Ed Deline stood with the pistol clenched in his hands. From the smile on his face, it was clear that he had been waiting for this moment for a long time.
To be continued...