Chapter Three

A huge clap of thunder was what woke JD up the next morning. He didn't really like thunderstorms and it startled him. He nearly jumped but the pain from his legs and arm stopped him.

"Easy JD," Buck said placing a hand on JD's shoulder. "It's just thunder."

JD nodded and settled back down on the blankets. Buck covered him back up with the blanket that had flew off of him when he tried to sit up.

"Try to get him to eat something, Buck," Nathan called over.

He helped JD sit up and handed him a sandwich after unwrapping it. He finished it and took a swig of water from the canteen Buck handed to him. The storm continued, threatening rain.

"I think we should move everyone into the plane where it will be dry," Chris said as he walked over holding his ribs, which was starting to hurt a lot more again.

They agreed to that and started getting everything back in the plane. They got Vin to his feet and with help from Josiah and Nathan they were able to get him on the plane and stretched across three seats. By the time they got him settled he was sweating and in extreme pain. Nathan gave him a small shot of morphine and he soon drifted off to sleep. Nathan decided to give a small amount of morphine to JD before moving him, since he was in so much pain as it was. Josiah and Nathan lifted him up and carried him into the plane. Ezra followed with the pillows. They laid him in the row behind Vin and propped his legs back up on the pillows and covered him with a blanket. The others followed suit and was soon sitting around the plane. Chris started to doze off when a hand dropped onto his shoulder, startling him making him jump and he gasped in pain.

"Sorry Chris," Nathan said. "Didn't mean to startle you. Just wanted to see how you was doing?"

"Feeling a lot better," Chris said catching his breath. "Just don't do that again."

Nathan checked his ribs and went to check on Vin and JD and Chris drifted off to sleep. At the base camp, Travis and Mary watched as the storm clouds started to move in and saw no hope in anyone going up in any plane or helicopter to look for them.

"They're not going to go up in this weather, Orrin," Mary said to her father-in-law. "Why can't we go off by ourselves?"

"I don't think that's such a good idea, Mary," Orrin said. "With just the two of us we won't get too much ground covered."

"What if you had more help?" a voice behind them said.

Turning, they saw ATF Teams 3-5 standing there.

"What are you doing here, Jack?" Orrin said Jack Demina, leader of Team 3. "Go on back to Denver."

"We want to help find Chris and the others, Orrin," Amelia Demarest, leader of Team 4 said to their boss. "We just couldn't sit around the office while they're missing somewhere in the mountains."

Travis grinned and nodded in appreciation of their help. Knowing that Jackson wouldn't want them going off by theirselves, especially with the approaching storm, they decided to go off on their own.

"Travis, I just wanted to let you know before we leave that Amos Ventura is out for revenge on Chris and the boys for what happened to Victor Tajos," Jack said to Orrin. "They were last seen heading for the airport not long before they left for their vacation in Utah."

"So, they're probably looking for the guys also," Orrin said. "I just hope they aren't the ones that caused their plane to crash. If so, they're probably tracking them down ready to exact revenge on all seven."

After getting their duffel bags and supplies, they set out, managing not to be seen by Jackson or any of the others and headed into the mountains in search of their friends. Meanwhile, Ventura and the two men with him were about two miles from the crash site. They could see smoke coming from somewhere but couldn't actually pinpoint the direction or how far.

"Adams, what is your position?" Ventura said into the walkie talkie.

"Not far from you," Adams said back. "I see you from where we are. We're heading in your direction now. We think we know where the plane went down."

He switched the talkie off and they waited. Ten minutes later Adams and the other two came in view and they hurried over to them.

"We've seen smoke about two miles away from here," Adams said. "From where we was, we think we saw a part of the plane and he could tell that a lot of trees were down."

"Good, let's head out," Ventura said and they started in the direction that they was already headed in.

Soon they came in sight of the wrecked plane. They didn't see anybody but as they got close they heard voices from inside the plane.

"Let's do this," Ventura said and they got their guns and rifles out and made sure they were loaded.

In the plane, Nathan was checking JD's legs and it looked like the bleeding had completely stopped this time. He was still burning up with a fever and he put another wet cloth on his forehead. Vin's fever was doing a lot better but he kept a wet cloth on his forehead for now. Everyone was getting ready to settle down since they couldn't do anything else. Nathan went in search of his medical bag which he was certain he had left outside. Ventura and the others watched as Nathan came out of the plane and went looking for something.

"Deal with him," Ventura said to Adams.

Nathan was bent down grabbing his medical bag when a arm circled his neck and pulled him upright and he dropped the bag.

"Don't move," Adams said as he swung Nathan around to face the others.

"In the plane," Ventura ordered.

When the guy let go of Nathan, he bent down and grabbed the medical bag off the ground and walked toward the plane. The others, except Vin, JD and Chris who were still asleep, looked up as Nathan was shoved into the plane.

"What the heck," Josiah said getting to his feet.

"Sit back down right now, Sanchez," Ventura said entering after Nathan and trained his gun on Josiah.

Looking around he spotted Chris laying on a row of seats and crossed over to him and nudged him with the butt of his rifle, jerking Chris awake making him clutch his ribs in pain. Ventura reached down and pulled him to his feet by his hair and threw him to the floor. Chris yelled in extreme pain as he painfully hit the floor hitting his ribs hard on the floor.

"Leave him alone Ventura!" Buck yelled as he leapt forward to grab Ventura.

Ventura turned and slammed the butt of the rifle into Buck's stomach, taking the breath out of him and he doubled over in pain.

"I'll do anything I want to do, Wilmington!"

Ezra helped Buck to his feet after his caught his breath. Chris was still on the floor, in too much pain to move.

"Tie their hands behind their back," Ventura said to the others. "We move out tomorrow at first light."

Since Vin and JD weren't going to give them any problems, they left them alone. Nathan stayed close to them just in case they needed anything. Adams and Ventura remained inside the plane while the others stayed outside to keep an eye out for anyone.