The Coldest of Hearts - Part Two
Cassie sat quietly while they tied her ankles up after they had trussed Jack up well, viciously pulling on the ropes until they dug into his skin.
She was afraid that if she said anything they would hit out again, so she kept quiet.
"Don't try and untie him if you know what's good for you!" threatened Brinks.
Thankfully they left the light on when they left. Cassie shivered, whether from fear or cold she couldn't have said, maybe both.
"Jack?" she whispered as she shuffled herself closer to the prone man.
She drew herself awkwardly to her knees and leaned over the still figure. They'd trussed him tight, his hands were behind his back, and he was face down on the cold concrete floor.
She shook his shoulder anxiously. "Jack please wake up," she begged.
He groaned slightly. "Jack," she urged.
One eye opened and peered at her blearily. "Cass?" he whispered.
Cassie sighed with relief. "Are you okay?"
"Um, think so, gah!" Jack groaned as he tried to lift his head up.
"Stay still," begged Cassie when she saw the flicker of pain cross what she could see of his face.
Jack's eyes flickered shut for a moment and he swallowed harshly before he struggled, and with Cassie's aid, flipped over onto his back. "Crap!" he muttered as the room swam for a moment and he fought the nausea that threatened.
"The bleedings stopped, but you're gonna be awfully bruised," said Cassie as she eyed the wound on the side of his face.
"It'll be okay. A few bruises won't matter," Jack said with a grimace as the room spun again.
Cassie's frightened face pulled him out of it, and he eased himself up and shuffled back to prop himself up against the wall. "Come here," he whispered and Cassie crawled close to lie against him.
"It's cold," she muttered.
"Yeah I know," Jack responded, watching their breath making puffs of clouds in the dim light. "What time is it?"
Cassie struggled, pulling at her sleeve with her teeth to check her watch. "Almost eight," she sighed.
"Damn, your Mom will be having kittens right about now" Jack winced with feeling.
"Think they'll send a rescue team out soon?" asked Cassie with a sigh.
"Soon," Jack promised. He knew although the alarm would be raised when they didn't return to Janet, nothing much would happen until he failed to report in to the SGC, and that wouldn't be until 2200 hours, having drawn a late shift to cover Hammond while he was on leave. The search would commence, but Jack realised they would have no idea where to begin as Janet had probably thought, like Cassie had, that they were merely going to another rink.
"They won't be looking just yet, will they?"
"Not for a while yet," Jack answered honestly.
"What do you think they're going to do with us?"
"Hopefully they'll just leave us tied up while they do what they have to and then leave."
"They didn't hide their faces ... and we know two of their names," said Cassie in a whisper.
For a moment Jack wasn't sure how to answer her on this. He thought rapidly, not wanting to distress her any further - for now at least.
"They said they were waiting to be picked up. Maybe they're leaving the country and it won't matter if anyone can identify them."
"Oh ... maybe," said Cassie, her voice a tiny whisper as she huddled closer to him.
"Where's your hat?" asked Jack suddenly, glad to have a change of topic.
"In my pocket,"
"You should have put it on," accused Jack. "See if you can get it out and on. It'll help keep you warm."
Cassie sat up and struggled to get her bound hands near her pocket. After fumbling a little she managed to snare her hat and began to pull it on clumsily.
"Keep flexing your fingers, it'll help," Jack suggested.
Cassie waggled her fingers and gave him a grin from beneath the lopsided hat.
"Good girl, let's try and get some rest for now."
Jack sat quietly while Cassie huddled into him. He was stiff and cold, aching, but held still while Cassie fell into a light sleep, murmuring occasionally, but still sleeping.
Jack sat worrying about just how long their captors would keep them alive. He had huge doubts that a rescue team would find them in time. Eventually the cold and the quietness lulled him and his head dropped onto his chest.
xoxoxoxo
The door opened with a bang. Jack's head shot up from the doze he'd fallen into.
Cassie woke with a start and gave a small cry as the pain from her bound wrists made itself felt.
The man called Si entered with a tray, putting it down on the floor quite near to them.
"Please untie her hands. Just for a little while," Jack pleaded.
"I uh, I need a bathroom," said Cassie in an embarrassed whisper.
The big man gave a roll of his eyes. "Hostages are more trouble than they're worth!" he growled. "You too?" he asked Jack.
Jack nodded. He didn't feel the need urgently, but who knew when he'd get the chance again.
"Okay, one at a time. You first," he said to Cassie.
He hauled Cassie to her feet roughly by her hands and she cried out in pain at his grasp.
"Hey!" Jack protested, "Go easy, she's only a kid."
Si growled, but let go of Cassie's hands. He pulled a large knife from his belt and held it up to her face, laughing as she showed fear and then with a quick movement slit the ropes on her wrists. He bent and did the same with the rope around her ankles.
"Latrines this way!" he snarled as he grabbed at Cassie's jacket roughly, and hauled her hobbling out of the room, the door closing behind them with a bang.
It felt like an eternity before they returned and Jack only relaxed when he saw that Cassie was okay.
Si bent and slit the rope around Jack's ankles, hauling him up. "While we're gone you get some of that down you, girl," he nodded towards the tray that held water and some chunks of bread.
He didn't cut the ropes that bound Jack's wrists, but propelled him towards the door. Jack staggered as the blood began returning to his feet. His head swam from the combined effects of getting up too quickly and the blow to his head before they tied him up, but the man didn't give him chance to rest and pushed him forwards.
Jack could smell the latrines before he saw them as they turned the corner.
Si then slit the ropes from Jack's wrists and roughly pushed him towards the urinal.
Jack bit down as the blood returned to his fingers with a rush of pain and he flexed them trying to get them working properly.
"Hurry up!" snarled the big man impatiently.
"Uh yeah, just a moment, my fingers are a bit numb," said Jack as he tried to get his zipper down. With the second fumble he managed it and at last he managed to pee. Jack's brain was frantically working while about his business, using the time to check out the room.
All too soon Si was manhandling him back down the corridor, but Jack had weighed up the best time to make his move.
As soon as Si pushed him into the room he feigned stumbling forward, and with a quick movement turned and let fly, knocking the man down. He knew he wouldn't get a second chance, so he made sure his punches counted, smashing into the man's face a couple of times with all his strength.
Making sure the man was out for the count, he grabbed the knife from the limp man's hand and ordered Cassie to get him the ropes. He quickly bound the man, and grabbing Cassie's hand, pulled her out of the room. He shut the door behind them and dragged her back towards the latrines.
Once there he quickly moved to the boarded up windows and used the knife to begin prying the boards loose. He knew they wouldn't have much time; it might only be minutes before someone went looking for Si.
Soon Jack had cleared enough wood from the window to get through.
"Just in case, you remember where the truck is?" he whispered hurriedly.
Cassie nodded.
"Okay, now listen carefully. I've hidden my cell phone in the truck under the back seat, on the floor. If it's clear, we are going to get to the phone and get some help. If not then plan B, get the hell out of here, okay?"
Cassie nodded again.
"Good girl, hup," said Jack and boosted Cassie up to the window. He followed her closely and they crouched in the darkness for a moment to let their eyes adjust.
They made their way across the open ground as quietly as they could with the snow crunching beneath their feet.
They reached the warehouse in a few minutes. Jack listened hard for a moment in the stillness of the night, and only when he was convinced nothing was stirring, did he let them continue.
They entered the warehouse, the noise of the door opening seeming awfully loud in the night air. Jack's truck stood silently, its bonnet open and Jack quickly ascertained that whoever had disabled it, knew their stuff.
He pushed Cassie gently towards the truck's rear door, while he quickly checked the back of the vehicle. He shook the fact from his mind that these men were somehow in possession of the latest proto-type of a missile – one that was quite capable of taking out a large city all by itself! He hauled himself up and ran his fingers over the missile head, checking for the panel he knew was there. Using the knife, he quickly removed the screws and lifted the panel.
He drew a quick breath as he realised the missile was actually set, ready for firing and all but armed, and quickly cut into the wiring, removing a small, but vital box, without which the missile was doing nothing and going nowhere.
Pocketing the box, he jumped down from his truck and checked around the warehouse. He noticed the small door at the rear and hurried back to Cassie. She'd retrieved his phone and switched it on and was frantically trying to dial.
"No signal," she hissed at him.
He had wondered why the men hadn't contacted their base when their truck had broken down – now he knew. "Okay, we need to get further from here. The signal's being blocked by the last ridge."
"Can't you make the truck work?" she asked.
"Sorry Cass, they've disabled it, we need to hoof it out of here, I know they've got other vehicles, but we can't hang around." Jack shoved the cell phone deep into her pocked as he heard a door banging and shouting from the barrack block. He pulled Cassie towards the back of the warehouse and through the rear door he had spotted.
He knew that someone would already be heading for the main gates, so he took off in the other direction, holding back his pace so that Cassie could keep up with him.
All too soon Cassie was gazing up at the wire fence that loomed before them.
"I can't climb that," she squawked.
"Yes you can." Jack hurriedly snatched off his jacket, and holding it by one sleeve, slung it above them so that it lay over the top of the barbed wire on the top of the fence.
"Come on," he urged. Cupping his hands together, he waited while Cassie put her foot into the cradle he made, and as she pushed up he used the momentum to boost her higher. She found she could just get her hands to the top of the fence and as Jack pushed harder, she heaved herself up, using Jack's jacket squirmed uncomfortably on to her belly on the fencing.
"Roll yourself over feet first and let yourself down by your arms before you let go," whispered Jack as he backed up from the fence.
Nerves swam in her stomach, but Cassie followed his directions and let herself drop to the floor. The thump that resounded through her feet and to her knees as she hit the ground wasn't too bad, and she stood panting, wondering how Jack was going to get over.
She watched as Jack backed up and then moved away a little as he came running at the fence. He launched himself up and managed to grasp the top of the fencing, hauling himself up and over with grace, and had silently landed beside Cassie before she knew it.
"You've done that a few times," she accused.
"Came in handy sneaking out of boot camp," he confessed, giving her a quick grin as he snagged his jacket back off the wire. The rips in it didn't matter for now, as long as it could keep him warm.
Jack quickly put on his jacket and grabbed Cassie's hand, and together they made for the tree line. The moon was shining quite brightly, which made the going easier for them; on the other hand it would also make it easier on their captors to follow them.
From the forest, Jack heard the gunning of a truck in the distance and knew their pursuers were already out on the road. The high-pitched engine noise that followed gave him extra worry as he recognised the sound of motorbikes.
Jack pushed the pace as hard as he could until Cassie began slowing and gasping, and he stopped, leaning over slightly to recover himself. The night air was cold and their lungs ached as they tried to draw breath.
Jack panted, "Check the phone again."
Cassie fumbled in her pocket and checked the phone, shaking her head in disappointment.
"We'll try again after the ridge," said Jack, keeping his expression carefully neutral.
After a few minutes they resumed the fast pace the best they could. Cassie's heart was thumping madly and she longed for a proper rest, but she fought along valiantly, not wanting to let Jack down.
Jack knew the lie of the land and his main worry was to get past the ridge. He knew the road was more or less the only way down; the alternative was too steep, and too hard, especially at night. On his own he knew he might have made it, but he couldn't risk Cassie's life that way.
The thick trees gave them cover, but it also made the going more difficult in the darkness. Cassie's stumbling tore at Jack, but she never complained and he felt immensely proud of her valiant effort. He just hoped she could keep going, if not neither of them would be going anywhere.
Jack knew the ridge wasn't far away. They'd heard the high pitch of the motorbikes, possibly two from what he could judge, and he knew the men were searching the roadside.
He looked around for a sheltered spot and picked a large outcrop of rocks. He drew Cassie over to it with him and knelt down, making Cassie sit.
"I need you to stay put a little while," he whispered.
Cassie's face lit with fear. "No, please ..." she beseeched him.
"It's the best way. I need to scout out where they are. Once we get by that ridge we'll get a signal and help will be on its way." He squeezed her shoulders comfortingly. "You've been so brave Cass, just a little longer now."
Cassie's face lit with a tremulous smile and she sniffed, rubbing a dirty hand across her face, smearing the dirt already there. She was still holding back the tears and Jack drew her into a quick hug.
"The road is the only way down." Jack pointed out the direction of it. "As soon as you get the chance to make that call, speed dial 1 first, you'll get General Hammond, if not 2, okay? That's Carter. Tell them you're on the old Fort Johnson road, close to Almond Ridge. Cass hon, tell them six men, that we know of, and that they have a NEM 303 and to get in touch with Peterson, okay.
Cassie's eyes went wide at that. "A what?"
"The missile they have. It's very important. Now repeat it to me."
Jack made Cassie repeat the information and he knew she would remember it. "One other thing, just in case, don't let them find the cell phone on you, okay?"
Cassie didn't need him to expand on that. She nodded in swift acceptance of his warning. He gave her a quick hug and his parting shot was to wait one hour only and then get to the road and sneak on down!
"You're coming back!" she demanded.
"Course I am, that's just in case I get, erm, well stuck, okay?"
Cassie nodded and checked her watch. Jack smiled at her and moved off quietly.
xoxoxoxo
Cassie sat shivering lightly, now that the adrenalin and the heat from running were dissipating. The night suddenly seemed filled with noise, twigs crackling and trees groaning. Checking her watch once again showed her that time was almost standing still. "Please hurry back Jack," she whispered into the night.
xoxoxoxo