Daddy's Girls: Chapter 17

Author's Note: Ahh, the long awaited next chapter! I know I've said it before, but we're getting close to the end, and the fun's just started! Please keep reading and reviewing!

Elsewhere on the compound, Buddy was taken to a room that was dimly lit. The guards forced Buddy into a chair and restrained him down. Jon then entered with a metal briefcase and set it down on a nearby table.

Before Jon could start the interrogation, Buddy gritted his teeth in anger, "What did you tell her back there?"

"That's private business between me and Miss. Trakker. Somehow I don't think she'll be too keen on disclosing that." Jon nodded to one of the Contra World soldiers to begin.

"Who said you could talk yet?" The solider shouted in Buddy's ear, as he slammed his fist into his face causing blood to drip down his mouth.

"Now Mr. Hawks." Buddy looked up slightly shocked that the man knew his name, "I want to know who told you about my little get together last night."

Buddy continued to remain silent, which consequently resulted in several punches being administer to his upper and lower body.

"This doesn't have to be like this?" Jon insisted, "All I need is the name of your informant."

Buddy spitted out some blood and cough slightly. "Never gonna happen. AHHHHH!" he screamed as the guard dislocated his right shoulder. The pain was nearly unbearable, but he wasn't willing to let it show on his face.

After it was clear the warm up session wasn't working, Jon opened the briefcase and pulled out a syringe. "Listen Hawks." Jon remarked as he lifted buddy's badly beaten head up and smiled. "It's like good cop bad cop."

"Yeah I kind of figured, he's the bad one and you come in and save the day."

"No not really, you see he'll threaten to kill you and he'll beat you, but won't ever do it." with those words Jon stabbed Buddy's leg and injected him. "I'm the bad cop Hawks don't forget that, I don't bother with words."

The eyes in Buddy's head rolled back as he let out a horrific scream. Once the sudden shock disappeared from his system, he starred at Jon wanting answers, "What was that?"

"Oh just a little something I picked up last night. It's quite effective. You see this genetically engineered virus can shut down your entire nervous system. Don't worry the effects aren't instant, but after 24 hours of circulating through your body it will kill you."

"So you plan to unleash a virus upon the population and wipe everybody out." Buddy concluded.

"Well dominating the globe wouldn't be fun, if there is nobody to worship you. Sure they'll be some sacrifices, but countries will willingly pay up a decent sum of money, especially when we have the only antidote available."

"That's just plain sick!"

"You may see it that way, but I see it as business. Now if you want to live you'll tell me who contacted you!"

"I'm still not gonna tell ya anything." Jon placed his hand on Buddy's dislocated shoulder applying an immense amount of pressure. Buddy shook with pain, but wasn't willing to let out another scream echo throughout the room.

"I think after the first couple hours you'll change your mind. Especially when those three scared little girls are hovering over you, with no one else to turn too. Oh does it hurt when I do that?" He watch with amusement as Buddy's face became pale, "Here let me help you." With out any warning he slammed Buddy's shoulder back into place, causing him to shriek out in agony.

"We're through, you can take him back to his cell." Jon remarked as stood up ready to leave, until he pulled a digital watch out of his pocket, "Oh I almost forgot." He attached the watch to Buddy's wrist, "This is a reminder, that when the clock ticks down to zero your dead. That is unless you decide to talk."

Buddy lifted his head up to match Jon's gaze with determination to defeat him, but Jon just dismissed it as a fool's death wish.

It felt like forever since Buddy was taken away, but the girls were a bit relieved to see their long time friend standing before them. Annie, Jess, and Roxanne all stood around him like curious little children a waiting story.

"Buddy are you sure your ok?" Jess remarked staring at the marks left upon his face.

"Despite what I may look on the outside, it's only ego that's bruised." He rubbed his soar shoulder and continued to smile as if nothing had happen, "So nothing happened while I was away?"

Jess's eyes shifted between Roxy and Annie wondering who would speak up first, "No."

"That's good to know. Ok girls I came up with a plan to get us out of here." Buddy rubbed his face as he could feel sweat dripping down his forehead, "Annie your going to be our decoy. I over heard the guards talking about how you're off limits Mayhem's orders, so I think if the guard sees you sick on his watch he might react with out thinking twice."

"That's a good idea," Annie smiled with hope, "I wonder why I didn't think about that."

"Then I'll jump the bastard, from there we'll make the plan up as we go along. Jess I think you're the best actress we got here so you'll scream for assistance."

"I didn't know you knew I was acting?" Jess winked.

"Alright…I'll just…" Buddy fell on all four breathing heavily, "Who turned up the temperature in the room?"

"Nobody did," Annie replied, "What's wrong?"

"Uh just tired," He crawled his way over to the wall and sat up against it.

"Buddy?" Roxanne spoke up noticing something abnormal. "Why is there a watch ticking down on your wrist?"

"What are you hiding from us?" Jess asked irritated

"Yeah this is no time to be keeping secrets," Annie insisted.

Buddy sigh realizing the three of them we're ganging up on him, "Cause that's how long I have to live." The three girls stood there paralyzed by his words. "Jon injected me with some sort of virus, that Contra World plans to spread for a profit. He claims he'll give me the antidote, if I tell him what he wants to know."

"What is it he wants to know?" Annie asked curiously.

"Who my informant is."

"Then I don't see why you can't tell him," Roxanne insisted.

"I'd be betraying a friend. Even if I did tell him, do you really think he'll give me that antidote? I want you girls to go on with out me."

"WHAT?!" The three shouted in unison.

He took a few deep breaths before continuing, "I'm just going to slow you down."

"That's out of the question!" Annie spoke up as if she was a newly appointed leader, "Either we all go or we don't go."

"Can't you at least, listen to a dying man's last request?"

"There has to be a better way!" Annie remarked unwilling to listen to Buddy's plea.

"We're not going to let you sit here and die alone," Jess grabbed his hand squeezing it.

Roxanne stood there puzzled by his words. I'd be betraying a friend. In her mind the logically thing to do was to give up the information, but she knew she wouldn't be able to convince him otherwise. Yet he did have a point, there was no guarantee he'd receive a cure. It's not fair, why did it have to be him? He's the only one who treats me like a person. She continued to stare at him to quench the questions in her mind.

Meanwhile, Buddy was oblivious to Roxanne's concerns and continued to argue with Annie about escaping. He tried vainly to appeal to her more sentimental side, "Annie, I didn't get you this far to have you end up a prisoner of Contra World…"

"And your family didn't get me this far to have me abandon you here!" Annie immediately retorted. "They'd never forgive me!"

Buddy wanted desperately to tell her that Jesse and Matt probably wouldn't even miss him, but Jess piped in again. "Forget it, we're not leaving you."

"Discussion's over," Roxanne added with an air of finality.

He sighed deeply, becoming too weak to really argue anymore. A stray thought crossed his mind, and he began to chuckle inwardly at the irony of the situation. Jon's virus would kill him long before Matt, Dusty, and Brad ever got the chance.

The moment the doors opened at Ecstatic Brad Turner, Dusty Hayes, and Matt Trakker walked in determine to find answers. Matt took off towards the VIP section to speak with the club's owner. He figured he could blackmail the man for information, for letting three minors into the club. Two of whom come from respectable families. That alone was enough to give the press a field day to shut the joint down. Dusty decided to make his way around the room asking for any information about a man named James or any details that could hint the where about of the girls. Brad figured he'd take a second chance at the bar.

"Excuse me."

The bartended looked up, "Oh your that guy from last night. You find your girl?"

Brad sighed, "No actually I'm looking for three missing girls and a friend of mine." His eyes locked with the bartender hoping to see some sort of reaction, "We think their in some kind of danger."

"You don't say," He paused for a moment, as if he wasn't sure how to respond to that. "I'm sorry to hear that. I wish there was something more I could do for you."

"Yeah well there is. Do you know somebody by the name of James? My friend had some sort of arrangement with him last night."

"James…" He ponders awhile as if deep in thought, "Nope! Nobody I know. Here," The bartender puts a napkin in front of him along with a beer, "on the house."

Brad pushes the drink towards the man, "Thanks, but I'm not interested."

"Trust me pal, I wouldn't pass this drink up." he then spoke in a more threatening tone, "Cause if you offend me any further, I'll have security knock your tail hide out of here. I could careless about your sob story."

The 'you got to be kidding' look spread all over Brad's face, but the bartender didn't look like he was joking. His eyes shift to the tall glass in front of him. This wasn't time to sit down for a cold one, but then again maybe the bartender knew something he didn't.

As Brad took a sip of his drink, Dusty clamped his hand on his shoulder, "What the heck do ya think your doing partner? This is no time for happy hour."

"I uh…"

"Out of everybody I would of thought you'd take this serious. Especially considering how protective you'd been about that girl."

"This is not what it looks like ok, I'm trying to get info from the bartender. He was here last night, maybe he remembered something."

"Remember something? Looks more like he's helping ya drown your sorrows with a couple of beers."

Brad put a hand on his head ready to lose his cool with Dusty. He was angry, heck they were all angry. They had no outlet for their frustrations, before you know it the three of them could very well kill each other. His eyes drifted back to his drink still unwilling to finish it, but then he caught something black on his napkin. The drink was sweating through the napkin revealing something written on the backside. Down right ignoring Dusty's yammering, he flipped the napkin over to reveal the note, Diner 2 am.

Brad finished off the drink, then left a big tip with a thankful nod towards the bartender. "We're gonna get Matt and go."

"Go? Are you crazy? We have work to do."

"I know," He then handed the note, "Let's go get some coffee across the street and regroup."

The arguing between Annie and Buddy stopped hours ago and left an awkward silence throughout the cell. Jess and Annie were still trying to figure out how to make Buddy's plan work, without leaving him behind. Meanwhile, Roxy was watching Buddy out of the corner of her eye; it was growing more apparent that his condition was getting worst. The rising heat in the room was already unbearable, but Buddy looked like he was feeling the worst of it. At first he only felt dizzy, but now it looked like he was fighting for his life. He clenched his eyes together trying to block the pain, yet the way his body trembled and jerked said otherwise. Buddy was doing everything in his will power not to scare the girls any further, but the mask on his face could only cover his true feelings for so long. He balled his shaking fists attempting to ignore his body, but he couldn't help letting a few groans slip from his lips.

To Roxanne this was unbearable to watch, she couldn't stand there pretending like nothing was happening. She knelt down besides him and eased his clenched fist, "Buddy stop straining yourself you need to lay down."

"I'm ok really," He took several deep breaths before continuing, "you girls get some rest I'll watch you."

"Why are you doing this to yourself?" She stared into his dazed eyes searching for answers. Before he could reply, Roxanne felt overcome by grief and threw her arms around his neck in an embrace.

Buddy's heart sank realizing how difficult it must be for them to watch him struggle. He placed his hand to her head, "It will be alright...uhhh."

"No more excuses tonight," She forced him to lie down on the ground and placed his head into her lap. He attempted to protest her comfort, but he was too weak to resist.

Annie's attention drifted towards Roxanne and Buddy. What is she up to? If anything I should be the one holding his head, after all its only fair to return the favor. She's not even family to him. She pulled her knees up to her chin and rested her head on top of them, sighing inwardly, wanting to do more but unsure what. Other than claw Roxanne's eyes out that is. Figures, ever since I met her, she's done nothing but take the people I love away from me…

Roxanne placed a gentle hand on his forehead and pulled it away slightly surprise, "Jess, he has a fever can you do anything for him?"

"The only way I can think of to keep his temperature down is…. removing his clothes."

"You're kidding, right? Please tell me you're kidding!" Annie's eyes were wide with shock. "You … you can't strip him of his clothes. He's like a brother to me."

"I can and will… this is no time for modesty, Annie. Besides, he's a) got nothing that I've never seen before and b) he's probably seen the two of us naked more often than we know, when he changed our diapers."

With an arched eyebrow, Roxy looked from a furiously blushing Annie to a very determined Jess and back, until a ripping sound reached her ears. Jess was ripping Buddy's shirt open with such force that the buttons started to fly.

"Why do I have the feeling this isn't the first time you're doing such a thing," Roxy noted.

"Maybe cause it isn't. Annie, would you please move your bony butt over here and help me with his pants?"

Shuddering inwardly, Annie walked over to Jess and started to pull off Buddy's shoes.

Buddy's eyes drifted from looking upward at Roxanne, to Jess and Annie stripping him down to his boxers, "Don't tell your dads about this ok?"

"Just as long as nobody at the ranger station finds out about this," Annie remarked still blushing. "I'd never be able to show my face up there again."

"Trust me, Red," Buddy reassured her, "other than your father, they're some of the LAST people I'd want to know about this."

Jess rolled her eyes, "Your taking this whole situation out of context. Look at it as future practice for when you have your first night with Scott."

"Do me a favor and shut up!" Annie snapped as she lightly pushed Jess out of the way and yanked Buddy's pants off. I can't believe I'm doing this…I am going to be sooo dead if anyone finds out…

"See, that wasn't so hard, but you were a little clumsy undressing him," Jess remarked critically. "Definitely need to work on your style... maybe Scott will volunteer... it's for his benefit too"

Buddy managed to squeeze out a laugh, before cringing in pain. "Good one Jess," He added before slowly closing his eyelids and drifting off to sleep.

"Why did you have to say that?" A beat red Annie asked.

"Laugher always is the best medicine for a sick person," Jess defended.

"Well then you need a hell of a large dose!" Annie tossed back irritably as she resumed her position in the corner and tried not to die from embarrassment.

Roxanne ignored the bickering and stroked Buddy's hair. He may look peacefully, but his face clearly showed he was still in pain.