Chapter Seven
Alan ran along the side of the quiet highway for he didn't know how long, the golden light of dawn shone on the highway casting deep shadows but he paid it no mind. He just kept running, adrenaline banishing the pain from his battered abused body. Mindless in his desire to escape, to put as much distance between himself and his kidnapper as possible, before his kidnapper awoke.
Ahead Alan spotted the familiar turn off for Wharton Academy, if he could reach there, then he would be safe for now at least until he could go home. Reaching the junction he turned in the direction of Wharton and continued running, pushing his body for just a little more speed. The vast campus of Wharton Academy was only three to four hundred metres down the road from the junction, far enough away that the noise of the road which would in an hour or two becoming busy with traffic would not reach it.
After a couple of more minutes of running with the only noise he could hear being the calls of birds in the morning chorus the gates of Wharton Academy came into view. With the small security pillbox near them always manned. Alan sighed in relief as he approached the gates and came to a stop. As he did so he felt the surge of adrenaline that had fuelled his escape fade away and terrible exhaustion take its place, exhaustion and pain as his body decided he was no longer in danger.
Alan groaned and felt himself crumple to his knee's before collapsing completely, as darkness raced up to envelop him. Faintly he heard a shout and through the darkness beginning to obscure his vision he saw the guard on duty in the pillbox running his way. Then darkness enveloped him completely and carried him away into a world where the pain in his body and mind didn't exist, and there was only peace and rest.
Jeff Tracy's Hotel Room
Two Hours Later
Jeff was awoken from a fitful sleep by the sound of someone knocking on the door for admittance. He barely remembered last night after Detective Howard's visit and the devastating news that the man who had kidnapped Alan was a sexual predator. He remembered breaking down and crying on Penny's shoulder but he didn't remember anything after that. He certainly didn't remember going to bed, unless he'd cried himself to sleep and Penelope had then put him to bed on her own, or with Parker's assistance.
Throwing the bedclothes off himself Jeff rubbed the sleep from his eyes and noticed that he was still in the clothes he'd been wearing last night, though his shoes had been taken off. Jeff carefully got out of bed and made his way to the door and opened it, wondering who it was. He wasn't surprised to see that it was Parker.
"Excuse me Master Tracy but Detective Howard is here to see you," Parker said and it didn't escape Jeff's notice that there was a hint of anger about something in Parker's voice. His cockney accent was slightly stronger as it always was when Parker was angry about something.
"What does he want Parker," Jeff asked. "Is there news about Alan?"
"Yes Master Tracy," Parker said though he did not want to elaborate on what that news was at the moment.
"Allow him to come in here Parker," Jeff instructed a chill of dread suddenly running down his spine. "And then go and get Penelope." Parker bowed slightly.
"Yes Master Tracy," Penelope's faithful manservant said and withdrew closing the door behind him. Jeff went over to the living area and sat down bracing himself for potentially some bad news. News that he feared was Detective Howard coming here to tell him that they had found Alan's body, that Dennings had murdered his youngest son.
Jeff shuddered at the very thought. Don't think that way Jefferson Tracy, he told himself firmly, Alan's alive. Until your told otherwise Alan's alive. He clung to that thought and the desperate hope that his youngest son was still alive, as a drowning man would cling to a life preserver. Alan had to be alive, he had to be, because he didn't know what he would do if he weren't. How he and the rest of the family would cope with the loss if Alan were to be dead.
A knock on the door brought Jeff out of the increasingly bleakness of his thoughts and fears, for which he was infinitely grateful.
"Come in," he called. The door opened and Detective Howard came in along with Sergeant Royce and Jeff knew immediately from their posture that Alan was alive, that they weren't coming here to say that he was dead. Still Jeff remained tense as their posture did indicate that something was still wrong.
"Good morning Mr Tracy," Detective Howard said.
"Good morning detective," Jeff replied. "Parker tells me that you have some news about my son."
"Yes Mr Tracy we do," Howard answered. "Alan's been found. He turned up outside Wharton Academy. Apparently he escaped Dennings on his own. He collapsed within moments of being found."
"Collapsed," Jeff repeated even as joy that Alan was indeed alive and away from Dennings filled his being, though it mixed instantly with concern and fear. If Dennings had done something to Alan then when Jeff got a hold of him Dennings was going to be sorry he had ever been born. "Is he alright?"
"We don't know yet," Detective Howard admitted. "He's been taken to Boston General Infirmary to be examined there. Two of my officers are there as well keeping an eye on him while the doctors assess his condition." Jeff stood up from his seat a determined look appearing on his face.
"Take me their now," he said without realising it using the commanding tone that he had always had, something only sharpened first by being in the military, then building his business and later founding and being the commander and chief of International Rescue. "I want to see him."
"Of course," Detective Howard replied, slightly intimidated by the command presence the man in front of him was suddenly giving off. There was no doubt about it; Jeff Tracy could be one intimidating guy when he wanted to be. Though at the moment Howard could see that Jeff's commanding presence was unintentional and was probably being used as a shield to hide his true feelings.
"We have a car ready outside," Howard continued, "we can take you to the hospital immediately. Do you wish to wait for your friend?"
"That will not be necessary," Lady Penelope's calm, refined English voice said from behind him making Howard jump. He turned around and was surprised to see that the British aristocrat was already dressed and ready to go and looking as beautiful as always. He would have expected her to take awhile to get ready just like he hadn't expected her movements to be so stealthy. He immediately made a mental note not to underestimate Lady Penelope; something told him that it could potentially be fatal to do that.
"Let us go detective," Jeff said drawing Howard's attention back to him. "I want to see my son."
"This way," Howard replied and led the way out of the suite the sounds of footsteps behind him letting him know that he was indeed being followed.
Boston General Infirmary
One Hour Later
Jeff paced restlessly around the relative's waiting room that they had been whisked into when they'd arrived at the hospital. The doctors were still examining Alan and wouldn't let him see his son until after they were done. They hadn't been given any information at all so far and that did not sit well with him, it didn't sit well at all. He wanted to go out there, wanted to see Alan and see him now. He didn't want to wait any longer, but he had no choice, no choice at all.
Lady Penelope watched Jeff pacing around without comment, she could tell it was helping him with his nerves and with his worry. Though he wasn't really showing it she could tell that for one of the few times in all the years that she had known him Jeff Tracy was scared and feeling helpless. She could only imagine what he was going through as he was facing at the moment one of any parent's nightmares. Not being a parent herself – though she hoped to be a mother someday – she had no real understanding of what Jeff was feeling at the moment.
A knock came from the door and Jeff paused in his pacing as the door opened and a young black woman in a doctor's coat came in. She closed the door and smiled warmly at Jeff.
"Mr Tracy," she asked.
"Yes," Jeff confirmed.
"My name is Doctor Lancaster," the doctor said. "I'm in charge of the medical team that has just examined your son."
"How is he," Jeff asked.
"Perhaps it would be best if we sit down," Doctor Lancaster suggested. Reluctantly Jeff went and sat down beside Penelope, he didn't like the sound of this at all. Doctor Lancaster took a seat nearby even as Penelope gently put one of her hands on Jeff's comfortingly.
"Well then doctor," Jeff prompted inwardly bracing himself for the worst.
"Mr Tracy I'm afraid your son is in quite a bad way," Lancaster replied. "He has sustained numerous blunt force trauma's to his body consistent with being repeatedly kicked and thumped. It's a miracle that no bones have been chipped or broken given the force he was hit with. As it is the damage is all soft tissue damage that will heal in time though it will ache for a week or two. And that's all we've detected evidence that Alan has been tortured." Penelope gasped and Jeff went a little pale.
"Tortured how," Jeff asked.
"We believe with electricity," Lancaster said. "There are electrical burns on his left side. From the look of them I would say that someone torched him either with a tazer or an electric cattle prod. The burns are not severe and will soon heal but it would have been very, very painful for him, and that's not all. During our examination we came across all the hallmarks of a rape, there is no doubt that sometime during his captivity Alan was subjected to a massive sexual assault."
"I see," Jeff replied outwardly calm but inwardly filled with rage that someone had done this to his son. The beating and torture were bad enough, but the rape made it worse, much worse because it had violated Alan in perhaps the worst possible way. Dennings had better hope that he never got his hands on him, because Jeff would not be responsible for his actions if he did.
Jeff closed his eyes and took a couple of deep breaths to keep his temper from showing, he couldn't loose his cool now, when all he wanted to do at the moment was scream. To let the anger show.
Penelope looked at Jeff and could tell that at the moment he was like a volcano about to undergo a cataclysmic eruption, she saw through his always in control Tracy mask and could see all the fury that Jeff was keeping inside. A fury she too felt, the Tracy boys were like family to her, for Alan to have been treated this way filled her with rage. If she ever found this Dennings character then god had better show him mercy because she would not, and a look at Jeff showed that he would show no mercy either. In fact he looked like he wanted to strangle Dennings with his bare hands.
Jeff opened his eyes again.
"Can I see him," he asked in a calm collected voice that was in its way more threatening and frightening than a bellow.
"Of course," Doctor Lancaster replied. "We've given him some sedatives and pain killers so he's fast asleep at the moment. But you can see him by all means."
"Thank you," Jeff said standing up.
"This way please," Doctor Lancaster answered standing up. "I will take you to him."
"Thank you doctor."
"Jeff do you want me to call the boys and fill them in before I join you," Penelope asked.
"If you wouldn't mind Penny," Jeff answered.
"It's no problem I'll go do it now then come and find you," Penelope replied standing up. Jeff looked at her and smiled his thanks; he fully realised that Penny was offering to go and call the boys so he could have some privacy with his youngest son. Penelope smiled back. Then Jeff turned back to the doctor.
"Lead on then doctor," he said. Doctor Lancaster smiled then led the way outside into the corridor and through the hospital to the private room where Alan lay asleep.
Penelope for her part accompanied as always by Parker headed for the closest videophones so they could call Tracy Island and fill the rest of the Tracy boys in on what had happened to Alan. She wasn't looking forward to it, but they had to be told, they had to know. And she guessed that Jeff would be in no fit state to tell them after he had seen Alan. So she would tell them.
Alan's Hospital Room
Doctor Lancaster led Jeff into Alan's room.
"I'll leave you alone with him now," she said. "Myself and the police will be just outside if you need us."
"Thank you doctor," Jeff replied. Lancaster smiled and left closing the door behind her. Taking a deep breath, dreading what he would see Jeff approached Alan's bed and carefully pulled the sheet back so he could look upon the whole of his son's body. And instantly saw red. Alan's flesh was covered in bruises where he had been hit, bruises, which now turned his skin a myriad of shades of black, purple and blue. Alan's left side was covered over with a dermal regenerative bandage to deal with his electrical burns from where the monster that had done this to Alan had tortured him with a cattle prod.
Slowly he put the sheet back as it had been and pulled up a chair so he could sit down besides Alan, as he was doing so he heard Alan murmuring in his sleep.
"It's alright Alan I'm here," Jeff said softly and gently took his youngest son's right hand and although Alan was unconscious felt faint pressure on his hand in return. Alan seemed to quieten with the contact and sleep peacefully. That's it Alan sleep peacefully, he thought, your safe now, I'm here. As soon as the doctor's give the okay I'll take you home then you'll be even safer. That monster is not going to get near you again. You're safe. Just rest my son. Rest.
Tracy Island
Five Minutes Later
Scott watched as Lady Penelope's image vanished from the vidcom screen in his father's office. They had all gathered in here as soon as the signal from Lady Penelope had been received and they'd all heard what she had said, what Alan had been put through by Dennings.
It was horrifying to say the least and Scott couldn't help but feel responsible. He was the oldest; it was his job to protect his siblings from harm. Yet with Alan he had spectacularly failed and allowed Alan to be taken by a monster that happened to look like a man. The rational part of his mind told him that as he was hear on Tracy Island, thousands of miles from where Alan was, he could have done nothing to prevent it. But his heart, burning with rage at what had happened to Alan, couldn't see it, couldn't believe it. He was sure that if he'd been there he would have been able to do something to stop Dennings.
"Damn him," Scott said angrily standing up literally shaking with barely suppressed anger. He wanted to hit something, anything but preferably Dennings, to let it go, let the anger out.
"So help me if I get hold of Dennings I am so going to," Johns voice said sounding colder than arctic ice as it always tended to when John was well and truly livid, tears of pain and rage could be seen running down Johns cheeks. It was the only outward sign of John's inner rage, at the volcano that was ready to blow inside of him. If he ever got hold of Dennings then he would definitely not be responsible for his actions.
Sitting next to him Gordon was doing the same crying softly to himself, even more upset than anyone else, and there was the fact that he'd known somehow, known from his nightmares last night that Alan was being hurt, being violated. How he'd known he didn't know, just like Alan he just knew things from time to time though not as often as Alan seemed to, but it didn't matter. He'd known and not been able to do anything to stop it.
"Get in line bro," Virgil answered John anger in his voice as like Scott he literally trembled with suppressed rage, "get in line."