Morning Star
Chapter 12
Gage drove his bike like a wild-man. He encountered no other traffic which was both alarming and fortunate. He imagined that Walker or Trivette would no doubt be behind him soon and he could almost hear Walker chewing him out for taking off on his own like this, but in his present state of mind he didn't care. When he had Syd safe and he could hold her and protect her and tell her that he...well, then Walker could lay into him with the strength of ten tornados and he wouldn't mind a bit.
After about 70 minutes of driving Gage had still seen no sign of anyone or any place where Syd might have been taken. Then, just as his gas gauge moved slowly past E, Gage thought he could make out a cluster of buildings on the horizon. He abandoned his bike, stowing it in some bushes by the side of the road, and continued his trek on foot.
By now the midday heat had made this virtually abandoned desert-like area almost unbearable. Gage took small sips of water from the bottles he had packed in his emergency survival backpack, careful to reserve as much as possible. He had no idea how long he'd be out here or how much water Syd would need when he finally found her.
As he crossed the terrain Gage found himself thinking again of Syd. She had not been far from his mind since that fateful night when she had taken down Myser and had been shot herself in the process. But now, he was reliving some of his fondest memories of their times together. Sparring at the gym, playing football at Walker's, her unwavering support when he had lost his hearing, the way Syd's eyes sparkled when she laughed, especially when she teased him. It felt strange to be out here looking for her, rather than having her at his side.
Gage was startled out of his thoughts as he first heard, and then saw, a black car driving down the road away from the buildings and towards the place where they had found Syd's watch. Gage threw himself onto the ground as fast as he could, trying to make himself look like part of the terrain. There was no cover nearby, this was his only option but his actions were too late. The car slowed down and immediately Gage could hear gunshots aimed in his direction.
He began crawling on the ground as rapidly as possible knowing that to stand and run would surely be to sentence himself to death. He heard the car come to a screeching halt, followed by another screech and looking over Gage could see Walker's vehicle. Just as he saw the experienced Ranger exit his vehicle Gage felt a hot, searing pain burn through his left arm. The gunfire stopped and Gage, seeing that Walker had engaged the two men who emerged from the vehicle, stood up and ran towards the buildings which still seemed pretty far away.
When Gage finally came to a small clump of trees he stopped and rested, tending to his arm. The bullet had gone clean through but he was bleeding significantly and he could feel that he was getting light-headed from the loss of blood. Ripping open the knapsack he wrapped his arm in bandages and tied them as tightly as possible using his one free hand and his teeth. He gulped some more water and ate half an energy bar. He had heard no more gunfire, which Gage took to be a good sign. They were not following him nor had they shot Walker. Turning to look back he could no longer see the cars, they were beyond the curve of the horizon.
When he felt able to proceed, Gage stood and continued his expedition to the buildings where he was now surer than ever that Syd was being held. He trudged on for what seemed like forever and was in reality several hours. The intense Texas heat combined with the pain in his left arm and the head injury he had sustained just last night proved almost to be too much for Gage. As the buildings in the distance grew closer and closer, Gage had to stop more and more frequently.
His breathing laboured and his head spinning Gage finally arrived at the property he had been seeking all afternoon. The sun was beginning to wane and the heat was finally petering off as Gage collapsed against the once electrified fence with its tattered wooden sign swinging in the wind: "Dallas Psychiatric Hospital – Trespassers will be Prosecuted".
Despite her best efforts to stay awake Sydney had fallen asleep. Thirsty and hungry, cold and damp, her limbs stiff from being tied together, her shoulder and leg aching from her gunshot wounds Syd could see no way out of her prison.
She was awakened suddenly by a bucket of water tossed on her face and a bright light shone directly into her eyes.
"How does it feel Ranger Cooke?" the voice sounded familiar but Syd couldn't place it. What surprised her though was that it was female.
The gag was ripped off Syd's mouth and her tongue tried desperately to find any of the moisture left on her face. The light still shone in her eyes and she could not make out the face of her captor.
"Who are you? Why am I here?" Syd managed to croak out, her throat raspy and sore.
"Oh my dear Ranger, you really don't know do you?" came the voice in return. "You have done something very, very bad and now you are going to be punished."
With the last word the light went out and Sydney was suddenly kicked in the feet, the legs, the ribs, the arms, and even her head until she was rendered unconscious and left lying on the wet floor.
Gage emerged from his semi-conscious state against the fence as he heard a vehicle pulling into the hospital grounds. His senses on high alert again he saw three figures enter one of the buildings while another one remained with the car which was a non-descript beige vehicle. Gage edged his way along the fence, careful to keep his movements to a minimum. About ten minutes later the three figures emerged from the building and returned to their car which promptly sped off and down the road, in the opposite direction from which Gage had come.
As soon as they had left Gage looked for a way through the fence. It was far too high to climb, especially with his injured arm, and it would take too long to go all the way around to the entrance. He was sure that Syd was in that building, he could almost feel her there. He had to go and get her while the assailants were gone; there was no telling when they would return.
At last Gage found a spot in the fence where some wild animals had dug underneath the wiring, and mindful of his injuries, he carefully crawled through. Once on the other side he broke into a run and headed straight for the building marked A.
He entered through the same makeshift doorway that Syd had been ushered through earlier and encountered the same horrific stench of death and decay. His gun pulled Gage called her name as loud as he dared and began a search of the building. The main floor was dark and empty, peeled up carpeting and linoleum creating trip hazards everywhere. Upstairs was also dark, except for the one large room at the centre of the building where the gaping hole had not been boarded up. Through that window came a cool breeze and the smell of an approaching rain storm, but the light it gave offered no sign of Syd.
Back on the ground floor Gage searched for an entrance to the basement. He knew that most of these old hospitals had basements that contained isolation cells for the 'good' of some of the inmates. He found a locked door and after trying the lock he forcefully kicked the door open using one of his more recently acquired martial arts moves and was able to prevent further injury to his wounded arm.
The stairs were dark and Gage fumbled for his flashlight. The smell of animal droppings and decay was even worse down here and Gage practically choked to keep from gagging.
"Syd? It's Gage. Are you here?"
No answer.
"Sydney Cooke!" Gage called again as he carefully made his way down the rotting stairs. This time he thought he heard something. It was faint and it could have been an animal but he called again.
"Sydney! Tell me where you are, I can't see anything."
"G...ggg...age?" weak and hoarse her voice came to him and he felt the vice around his heart vaporize.
He headed in the direction that he heard her voice come from and found a row of, as he had suspected, isolation cells. The power from his flashlight fading Gage glanced briefly into each one until he found one at the end, the door swung shut and he shone his flashlight through the bars.
Inside laid his partner in a pool of water, or was it blood? She was lying in a prone position, her neck twisted at an awkward angle. Her long, dark hair was matted to her face and he could see that her arms were bound behind her back.
Gage tried to open the cell door but discovered it was locked. His kickboxing skills would not come into use this time; he needed to find a way to pick the lock.
"Hang on Syd, I'm coming." Gage reassured her but received no response. Frantically he tore at the lock with his pocket knife, trying each one of the tools, holding his flashlight in his mouth. Tears began to blind his vision as he each successive implement proved unsuccessful. Suddenly though, in the midst of his frustration, the lock gave and the door swung open.
Gage dove into the dark cell and gathered Sydney in his shaking arms. Clutching her to him his tears flowed freely as he felt for her pulse. He found it, though it was weak and her breathing was shallow. Sighing with relief he stood up with her frail form in his arms and although he stumbled several times managed to carry her out of the cell, up the stairs, and out of the building.
When he got out in the fading light of day he could see that the gunshot wound on her leg was bleeding significantly and that deep bruises were beginning to form on both her arms and face. He imagined that the rest of her was in just as rough shape. Biting back the rage that he felt, Gage looked around and could see that they were still alone on the abandoned lot. Despite the impending thunderstorm which was threatening to arrive, he knew that none of the buildings would be a safe hideaway.
He spotted a large stand of trees on the far corner of the property and he guessed that a river must run through the area. Carrying his precious cargo he headed in that direction as fast he was able. The abandoned psych hospital site remained deserted and Gage was able to make it over the protection of the forested area.
Setting Syd down several feet into the woods he hunted for a place to use as shelter, and as thunder rolled overhead he was successful, finding a decent size rocky cave set into the river ravine. Racing back to Syd he found her struggling for consciousness.
"Gage?' she queried, her eyes trying to focus on his face as it came into view. "I thought you left me."
Collecting her in his arms once again, Gage whispered into her hair, as his tears threatened to fall again.
"No Syd, I'm not going to leave you, not ever."
And he carried her to the safety of the shelter he had found, just seconds before the skies opened up.
Chapter 12
Gage drove his bike like a wild-man. He encountered no other traffic which was both alarming and fortunate. He imagined that Walker or Trivette would no doubt be behind him soon and he could almost hear Walker chewing him out for taking off on his own like this, but in his present state of mind he didn't care. When he had Syd safe and he could hold her and protect her and tell her that he...well, then Walker could lay into him with the strength of ten tornados and he wouldn't mind a bit.
After about 70 minutes of driving Gage had still seen no sign of anyone or any place where Syd might have been taken. Then, just as his gas gauge moved slowly past E, Gage thought he could make out a cluster of buildings on the horizon. He abandoned his bike, stowing it in some bushes by the side of the road, and continued his trek on foot.
By now the midday heat had made this virtually abandoned desert-like area almost unbearable. Gage took small sips of water from the bottles he had packed in his emergency survival backpack, careful to reserve as much as possible. He had no idea how long he'd be out here or how much water Syd would need when he finally found her.
As he crossed the terrain Gage found himself thinking again of Syd. She had not been far from his mind since that fateful night when she had taken down Myser and had been shot herself in the process. But now, he was reliving some of his fondest memories of their times together. Sparring at the gym, playing football at Walker's, her unwavering support when he had lost his hearing, the way Syd's eyes sparkled when she laughed, especially when she teased him. It felt strange to be out here looking for her, rather than having her at his side.
Gage was startled out of his thoughts as he first heard, and then saw, a black car driving down the road away from the buildings and towards the place where they had found Syd's watch. Gage threw himself onto the ground as fast as he could, trying to make himself look like part of the terrain. There was no cover nearby, this was his only option but his actions were too late. The car slowed down and immediately Gage could hear gunshots aimed in his direction.
He began crawling on the ground as rapidly as possible knowing that to stand and run would surely be to sentence himself to death. He heard the car come to a screeching halt, followed by another screech and looking over Gage could see Walker's vehicle. Just as he saw the experienced Ranger exit his vehicle Gage felt a hot, searing pain burn through his left arm. The gunfire stopped and Gage, seeing that Walker had engaged the two men who emerged from the vehicle, stood up and ran towards the buildings which still seemed pretty far away.
When Gage finally came to a small clump of trees he stopped and rested, tending to his arm. The bullet had gone clean through but he was bleeding significantly and he could feel that he was getting light-headed from the loss of blood. Ripping open the knapsack he wrapped his arm in bandages and tied them as tightly as possible using his one free hand and his teeth. He gulped some more water and ate half an energy bar. He had heard no more gunfire, which Gage took to be a good sign. They were not following him nor had they shot Walker. Turning to look back he could no longer see the cars, they were beyond the curve of the horizon.
When he felt able to proceed, Gage stood and continued his expedition to the buildings where he was now surer than ever that Syd was being held. He trudged on for what seemed like forever and was in reality several hours. The intense Texas heat combined with the pain in his left arm and the head injury he had sustained just last night proved almost to be too much for Gage. As the buildings in the distance grew closer and closer, Gage had to stop more and more frequently.
His breathing laboured and his head spinning Gage finally arrived at the property he had been seeking all afternoon. The sun was beginning to wane and the heat was finally petering off as Gage collapsed against the once electrified fence with its tattered wooden sign swinging in the wind: "Dallas Psychiatric Hospital – Trespassers will be Prosecuted".
Despite her best efforts to stay awake Sydney had fallen asleep. Thirsty and hungry, cold and damp, her limbs stiff from being tied together, her shoulder and leg aching from her gunshot wounds Syd could see no way out of her prison.
She was awakened suddenly by a bucket of water tossed on her face and a bright light shone directly into her eyes.
"How does it feel Ranger Cooke?" the voice sounded familiar but Syd couldn't place it. What surprised her though was that it was female.
The gag was ripped off Syd's mouth and her tongue tried desperately to find any of the moisture left on her face. The light still shone in her eyes and she could not make out the face of her captor.
"Who are you? Why am I here?" Syd managed to croak out, her throat raspy and sore.
"Oh my dear Ranger, you really don't know do you?" came the voice in return. "You have done something very, very bad and now you are going to be punished."
With the last word the light went out and Sydney was suddenly kicked in the feet, the legs, the ribs, the arms, and even her head until she was rendered unconscious and left lying on the wet floor.
Gage emerged from his semi-conscious state against the fence as he heard a vehicle pulling into the hospital grounds. His senses on high alert again he saw three figures enter one of the buildings while another one remained with the car which was a non-descript beige vehicle. Gage edged his way along the fence, careful to keep his movements to a minimum. About ten minutes later the three figures emerged from the building and returned to their car which promptly sped off and down the road, in the opposite direction from which Gage had come.
As soon as they had left Gage looked for a way through the fence. It was far too high to climb, especially with his injured arm, and it would take too long to go all the way around to the entrance. He was sure that Syd was in that building, he could almost feel her there. He had to go and get her while the assailants were gone; there was no telling when they would return.
At last Gage found a spot in the fence where some wild animals had dug underneath the wiring, and mindful of his injuries, he carefully crawled through. Once on the other side he broke into a run and headed straight for the building marked A.
He entered through the same makeshift doorway that Syd had been ushered through earlier and encountered the same horrific stench of death and decay. His gun pulled Gage called her name as loud as he dared and began a search of the building. The main floor was dark and empty, peeled up carpeting and linoleum creating trip hazards everywhere. Upstairs was also dark, except for the one large room at the centre of the building where the gaping hole had not been boarded up. Through that window came a cool breeze and the smell of an approaching rain storm, but the light it gave offered no sign of Syd.
Back on the ground floor Gage searched for an entrance to the basement. He knew that most of these old hospitals had basements that contained isolation cells for the 'good' of some of the inmates. He found a locked door and after trying the lock he forcefully kicked the door open using one of his more recently acquired martial arts moves and was able to prevent further injury to his wounded arm.
The stairs were dark and Gage fumbled for his flashlight. The smell of animal droppings and decay was even worse down here and Gage practically choked to keep from gagging.
"Syd? It's Gage. Are you here?"
No answer.
"Sydney Cooke!" Gage called again as he carefully made his way down the rotting stairs. This time he thought he heard something. It was faint and it could have been an animal but he called again.
"Sydney! Tell me where you are, I can't see anything."
"G...ggg...age?" weak and hoarse her voice came to him and he felt the vice around his heart vaporize.
He headed in the direction that he heard her voice come from and found a row of, as he had suspected, isolation cells. The power from his flashlight fading Gage glanced briefly into each one until he found one at the end, the door swung shut and he shone his flashlight through the bars.
Inside laid his partner in a pool of water, or was it blood? She was lying in a prone position, her neck twisted at an awkward angle. Her long, dark hair was matted to her face and he could see that her arms were bound behind her back.
Gage tried to open the cell door but discovered it was locked. His kickboxing skills would not come into use this time; he needed to find a way to pick the lock.
"Hang on Syd, I'm coming." Gage reassured her but received no response. Frantically he tore at the lock with his pocket knife, trying each one of the tools, holding his flashlight in his mouth. Tears began to blind his vision as he each successive implement proved unsuccessful. Suddenly though, in the midst of his frustration, the lock gave and the door swung open.
Gage dove into the dark cell and gathered Sydney in his shaking arms. Clutching her to him his tears flowed freely as he felt for her pulse. He found it, though it was weak and her breathing was shallow. Sighing with relief he stood up with her frail form in his arms and although he stumbled several times managed to carry her out of the cell, up the stairs, and out of the building.
When he got out in the fading light of day he could see that the gunshot wound on her leg was bleeding significantly and that deep bruises were beginning to form on both her arms and face. He imagined that the rest of her was in just as rough shape. Biting back the rage that he felt, Gage looked around and could see that they were still alone on the abandoned lot. Despite the impending thunderstorm which was threatening to arrive, he knew that none of the buildings would be a safe hideaway.
He spotted a large stand of trees on the far corner of the property and he guessed that a river must run through the area. Carrying his precious cargo he headed in that direction as fast he was able. The abandoned psych hospital site remained deserted and Gage was able to make it over the protection of the forested area.
Setting Syd down several feet into the woods he hunted for a place to use as shelter, and as thunder rolled overhead he was successful, finding a decent size rocky cave set into the river ravine. Racing back to Syd he found her struggling for consciousness.
"Gage?' she queried, her eyes trying to focus on his face as it came into view. "I thought you left me."
Collecting her in his arms once again, Gage whispered into her hair, as his tears threatened to fall again.
"No Syd, I'm not going to leave you, not ever."
And he carried her to the safety of the shelter he had found, just seconds before the skies opened up.