Hi All,

You have me so blushing here, people are starting to think I have some weird skin condition –grin! -

Goph – Those are funny puns… I may use some of them. Thanks!

Special thanks to my oldest brother for the trucker information. And as always Kreek, Eli, wuemsel and Kelli!

Chapter 2

First there were words. Words that softly intruded upon his slumber, they were whispered and easy to ignore, at first. Then they grew more heated and louder. Hutch didn't want to listen. He just wanted to sleep. Sleep and not feel anything, like before. The words kept intruding, they ping-ponged from somewhere in front of him, from one man to another.

"Well, that's it, it won't fly again without a lot of repair work"

"No shit? Whatever made you think that?"

"I don't know, perhaps the damaged wing and smashed landing gear had something to do with it! You're suppose to be the-"

"Hey! Shut up! Not so loud!" one voice cautioned the other.

"Don't tell me what to do! You sorry-"

"I said SHUT UP," Hissed one of the two voices that had begun to rouse Hutch from his peaceful, pain-free black cocoon of sleep.

"Why should I?"

"Because I think he's waking up"

"Well, why didn't you say so?"

"I just did, listen up Jack-"

"Shhhh, he'll hear you," Returned a heated whisper from the second person.

"Jackass, that's all I was going to say, you are a jackass"

"Uh-huh, sure, I'll bet that's what you were going to say, I'm gonna see if there's anything else that I can salvage from the plane"

Hutch listened as the pair of voices as they fell to a murmur. Perhaps they had moved a little further from him to continue their conversation. He awoke slowly. His head hurt. It hurt so much he was pretty sure even his eyelashes ached. It was a fact that every hair on his head throbbed with pain. He didn't think that was possible, but the proof was in the roots of his hair. A groan escaped past his clenched teeth.

"Hey, I think you're coming around some more"

The voice came from somewhere close. Hutch tried opening his eyes and managed to pry one open just enough to be blinded by light. Another groan escaped him and he turned his head a bit, which put his head into shadow. He then heard someone move close and heard grass squeak under someone's foot as they approached.

"Detective? Are you with us?" The sound was closer now.

The owner of the voice gently shook his arm. "Detective?" Hutch was pretty sure his teeth were beginning to ache. And why not? Now everything from his neck up hurt. Nothing like having everything hurt in unison.

"Detective Hutchinson… c'mon now, wake up" The hand shook his arm a little harder "That's enough for one day… you need to wake up now" there were a few pats to his face "Come on… that's enough sleep for one day… up and at 'em detective!"

Hutch bit off another groan as he was helped to sit up. He pried open his aching eyelids and saw it was the FBI agent that was helping him. "What happened?" he shook his fuzzy head to clear the cobwebs and instantly regretted it. The forest spun madly around him and he had the intense urge to vomit. He wrapped his arms around his stomach.

"Plane crash, the pilot had to make an emergency landing" The agent helped him sit up enough to lean against a tree trunk.

"Is everyone okay?" Hutch looked about groggily, taking in his surroundings. He put his hands to his head to keep it from rolling off of his shoulders. He had to close his eyes as the guy with the jackhammer in his head tried to wack them clean out of their sockets.

The fed shook his head and his expression saddened, "Unfortunately, no, Mallard is dead... The pilot and I are gonna bury him in a few minutes"

"Dead? Dammit! How did that happen?" Hutch's sense of failure was great even though he knew that he had not had anything to do with it. It had been an accident after all.

"I just told you, we were in a plane crash… I guess his neck snapped upon impact, it was enough to knock you out… does anything besides your head hurt?" Gray eyes peered into his.

"My stomach, but I think its because my head hurts so bad. Wonder what I hit it on?" Hutch gingerly rubbed at the lump on the back of his head.

"Concussion… yeah, that would account for the nausea. Anything else hurt?" The agent put out a hand to assist the detective in rising.

Hutch grabbed the proffered hand and let himself be pulled to his feet. "Give me a minute" he held onto the fed's arm to steady himself, his other hand went to his head in an attempt to keep it from falling from his neck. He was very tempted to let it. If it weren't attached, it wouldn't hurt so much. He took a couple of deep fortifying breaths.

"You alright now?" The agent gave him a concerned look.

"I will be. So, what's the plan?" Hutch looked about the small clearing, surveying the scene of the crash. He could see the pilot digging around in the fuselage and throwing the occasional item from the plane and onto the ground. He slowly let go of the fed's arm. His legs were shaky and seemed to be made of Jell-O.

"Plan?" The agent scratched his head and looked at him.

Hutch threw a disbelieving look at the agent "Uh, yeah… you know, as in 'rescue'… How long do you think it'll be before they get here? Hey, how long was I out anyway?" his stomach did a lazy spin to the left as he awaited the answer. He could feel his face turn green and the back of his tongue burned with stomach bile and the taste of it made his upper lip curl. His legs wavered beneath him.

"You don't look so good… maybe you should sit back down" The fed grabbed the detective's elbow to steady him.

"Nah, I'll be fine… I think. You didn't answer my questions… How long was I out?" Hutch wobbled little and then locked his knees to keep them from buckling.

The fed looked at his watch "about an hour, that's a long time. I think you should sit back down, you really don't look so good"

Hutch's stomach heaved, "I don't feel so good" His stomach cramped and then heaved once more, hard. He leaned over and vomited, hard. His vision went black and his legs gave way.

XXXX

Starsky checked his rearview mirror, then his side mirrors. Dammit. He was pretty sure they were being followed. He shot a glance at the sleeping fed. He heard the squeak as more gas was released. Good thing I don't smoke. If anyone were to light a match right now, this whole car would explode. Starsky held his breath as long as he could before reluctantly inhaling. Ugh, just as bad as I thought it would be, good god man, what have you been eating? On second thought, I don't wanna know…

Starsky heard a snicker from the back seat. He checked the rearview and the passenger met his eyes in the mirror. They both snickered. Then they both heard another long squeak. And they burst out into juvenile guffaws.

The passenger smirked "Huh, I think that one had skin on it"

Starsky burst out laughing and the passenger joined him. Starsky was laughing so hard that it was difficult to drive. He had to control his mirth or they would end up in the ditch.

The fed woke up "wha's so funny?" He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and yawned loudly. He sniffed the air "Whew! Who cut one?" He shot Starsky and the passenger a disgusted look.

Starsky and the passenger burst out laughing again.

Starsky wiped the tears from his eyes "Uh, no one cut 'one' There was a lot more then just one, trust me. Besides 'he who smelt it, dealt it'" He arched an eyebrow at the fed.

"No kidding" The passenger quipped. "Really, no kidding" he waved his hand in front of his nose to disburse the smell.

"Oh grow up boys, really" the fed shook his head in exasperation "We've got a job to do and you two are yuckin' it up, try to be serious… at least act like you're grown-ups"

Starsky scowled at the fed "Hey, I'm not the one who's sleepin' on the job here! Mr. FBI, or should I call you 'Mr. Squeaky Cheeks'?" the passenger burst out into laugher again, Starsky grinned at him in the rearview and watched as the man fell over in the seat he was laughing so hard.

"Really, that is so juvenile, it would behoove you to act like an adult… How I got assigned to you is a mystery to me" The fed sniffed "And my name is Carl, Carl Toots, not 'Squeaky Cheeks'" he sneered.

Starsky snickered again "Toots, Squeaky Cheeks, s'all the same ta me…" he broke off the sentence as he checked his mirror. "Hey Drake, stay down back there, I think we've got company"

Carl peered nonchalantly around "Got it, green four-door Dodge?" he arched his eyebrow at the detective as if to say 'see, I do know how to do my job'.

"Yep" Starsky mentally altered his opinion of the fed. He was pretty good to have spotted their tail so quickly after having just woken up… too quickly perhaps? Starsky would just have to trust him, for now.

The curly haired detective again checked his mirrors to see where the tail was. Whoever was driving the Dodge was good. He stayed a few cars back and followed without appearing to follow, but then again, this was a highway; they had no choice but to follow. He sped up and changed lanes. Their tail followed suit at a distance. Yep, it was tail alright.

Starsky scanned ahead and noticed several semi trucks and headed for them. It he could plan it just right, he could have himself a rolling roadblock and use the big rigs as a shield to separate him from their tail. He wished he had a CB radio so he could talk to the truckers and maybe get a little help. He would just have to hope that things would work out.

They did have a police radio in the car, but they were under strict orders to use it only if necessary. He hoped it wouldn't become necessary. Starsky pushed the accelerator down a little further, incrementally increasing his speed. He didn't want this to become an all-out car chase. He just needed to get just a little distance between them and their pursuers ... If things went well.

"What are you up to?" The agent's inquiry momentarily broke Starsky's concentration.

If Hutch were in the car, he would know just what the brunet had in mind. He might bitch about it, but he would know. Now Starsky had to explain or make the fed and the passenger nervous. He did not need either of them anymore nervous then they all ready were. "See those big rigs up ahead?"

"Yeesss" The agent drew the word out and gave the detective questioning glance.

"They don't know it, but they are gonna be our cover. I plan on usin' 'em to loose our new friends in the green Dodge back there. Get the road map out of the glove compartment. We may have to take a detour if I can't shake 'em this way."

"Detour? I don't know about that, we are suppose to stick to the planned route" The fed obediently dug in the compartment, searching for a map.

"Plans change and just maybe they know what route we're gonna take. If we're gonna make it to the courthouse, we may have ta get there by a different way. It shouldn't matter how we get there, just as long as we do"

"Alive might be helpful," The agent said drolly.

The passenger muttered from the backseat "And no holes or broken bones in me would be nice as well"

"Nice to know you both have confidence in me" Starsky grumbled.

"Hey, can I sit up yet?" The passenger whined.

"NO!" Both Starsky and the agent shouted.

"Well, at least we can agree upon something" Starsky slid a glance at the agent.

"Your captain said that you were one of the best driver's in the department"

"You spoke to my captain?" Starsky stole another glance at the agent and then checked his mirrors for the green car. He couldn't afford to get distracted at this point.

"I do my homework" Came the smug reply.

Starsky grunted in response. He needed to focus on the situation and not so much on the conversation. He increased his speed to gain on the big rigs ahead. He would have to tread his way through them and not anger the truckers at the same time. At least not right away, he was hoping the men in the green Dodge would do that.

He made his way to the first in the line of trucks, a flatbed hauling lumber. He eased the car into the line up. Just a few more maneuvers and he would be in the clear. He checked his mirror for the tail. Still there, though he really didn't think that he could have shaken them so soon anyway.

He slipped in front of the flatbed. So far, so good. "Watch my right side, let me know if I'm clear or not" He wouldn't have to tell Hutch, but his partner wasn't here. The next few minutes were going to be tricky. He checked his mirrors again and found the green car had moved up, apparently having figured out what he had in mind.

Starsky sped up and pulled to the left, in front of a Mac truck pulling a cattle trailer. The Mac slowed a bit and Starsky slipped in front of it. A Peterbuilt pulling a reefer trailer was next to be passed. He checked his mirrors again; the green car was edging up. He had to be very careful now, if he upset the truckers, they might close ranks and trap him instead of the green Dodge.

They began to climb a hill and Starsky noticed one of the trucks had its left side blinkers on and he then knew how to gain points with the truckers. It might slow him down, initially, but it should pay off. He hoped. He flashed his headlights and hung back. Sure enough, the Kenworth driver pulled in front of him.

"You let him get in front of you! What the hell did you do that for?" The agent snapped "We're gonna get sandwiched in here, they'll catch up!"

"You'll see" At least, I hope you'll see… In the mirror, he could see the green car had just cut off one of the trucks. Starsky smiled. Now, just a little cooperation from the truckers and they should be in the clear.

The green car moved up some more. As they gained the top of the incline, the Kenworth turned his right side blinkers and soon pulled into the right lane. Starsky sped up and pulled along side of the Kenworth. He made eye contact with the driver, who in turn touched the brim of his baseball cap and gave a slight nod. Starsky nodded back and then hooked a thumb back in the direction of the green car. He saw the trucker check behind him and once more he nodded. Starsky waved and pulled ahead.

"What the hell is going on?" The fed looked from the truck driver to Starsky and back again.

"As I said, you'll see" As expected, the big rigs before them started to open up and make room for Starsky. As he wove his way through the convoy, he noticed that the green car get sandwiched between the trucks. They would keep him there until they tired of the game.

The fed looked back at the trucks. The green car could not be seen. "What did you just do back there?"

"I was polite"

"Polite? I don't get it… what did you do to get them to do that for you?" The agent scratched his head, totally confused.

"I was polite. I didn't cut them off; I made room for the Kenworth when he asked for it. In turn, they made room for me. Who ever is driving the green car doesn't know the rule" Starsky said smugly and increased his speed a fraction.

He didn't want to go too fast. Getting pulled over for speeding by the State Highway Patrol was not in the plan. It would slow them down and it would take time to explain what the problem was. He didn't have any worries about getting off, but it would take valuable time and he did not want to have the bad guys catching up with them.

"Rule? What rule?"

"Be nice to truckers and they'll be nice to you. It's really never a good idea to piss off someone who is driving such a large vehicle. They can squash you like a bug. Some of them are pulling over fifty thousand pounds of whatever. One wrong move and splat! You're street pizza"

"Can I sit up now?" The passenger asked.

"Sure" Starsky went back to scanning the road ahead. "Check the map. We need to get on a different road before they get themselves out of the mess that they're in. The truckers won't hold them off for long."

"Why not stay on this one?" The agent gave him a sidelong look.

Starsky raised an eyebrow at the fed "Because they know where we are now. We have to change routes and keep them guessing, now, where is the next exit ramp?"

"Are we gonna stop anytime soon? I gotta take a leak" The passenger interrupted them with a whine.

"Thanks for sharing" Starsky rolled his eyes "I'll see what I can do, maybe I can talk to those men following us and see if they won't give us a few minutes of privacy so you can take your wiz in private"

"Well, I can hold it for a little while, I guess" The passenger crossed his arms over his chest.

"Well, you're going to have to" The agent broke in.

"Yeah? Why's that?" Starsky shot him a quick look.

"We just got our tail back" the fed was looking out of the rear window.

"Dammit! I thought we'd have a little more time than that" Starsky hit the steering wheel with the palm of his hand and started to scan the highway for the green car.

"Here's some more bad news" The agent opened up his coat and pulled his gun from his shoulder holster.

Starsky sighed heavily "Now what?" he followed suit and pulled his gun from his holster and set it in his lap.

"Looks like there's two vehicles now"

"Terrific"

TBC

AN: I think I'm done with the 'bathroom' jokes now... sorry if I offended anyone.