I'd like to thank those of you who reviewed the last chapter. I'm so glad you're enjoying this.
Danger Zone.
By Lingren.
Previously:-
Sam looked to Paul to explain the details then she told them her theory. Silence fell among the friends at the implications and hope rose that they would find the missing Colonel, and that he would have a valid explanation for his actions, before the police could arrest him.
Chapter 9
The booted toe pushed at the soaking wet bundle lying in the road in the rain. It rolled over and grunted; the Police officer glancing sideways at his colleague with a sigh and a shake of his head.
"Hey! Wake up there!" he yelled, but there was no further movement from the ground.
Friday nights were always the same. They seemed to spend an awful lot of weekends picking up drunks out of the gutter, and this one was no exception.
They each took an arm and yanked him upright.
"Okay mister, on your feet!" the taller of the two yelled. Once they had him on his feet they caught a whiff of the drink spilled down him. He positively reeked of the stuff.
The scruffy drunk jerked out of his grasp with an resentful cry.
"'Isss Colonel...to you!" he snapped indignantly, slurring his words and squinting crossly at them. "Wh're'm I?"
"In the middle of the road pal...Colonel!" the other officer barked with a laugh, emphasising his rank.
"Wha road?" he asked, not getting the answer he needed. If only he could think straight.
He didn't get an answer but the officers did bundle him into the back of the squad car. He slouched over the back seat, and closed his eyes against the rising nausea and the thumping inside his head. God, did he feel bad! There was a full orchestra playing inside his head and he couldn't think where he was, who he was or how he got there, nor for that matter how he'd gotten so drunk?
A flashlight lit his face and he shied away from it even with his eyes closed.
"Gahhh!"
"You gonna be okay? I don't want you barfing all over my car! You need to stop, say so!"
Jack gave a nod, but that made him dizzier, he lay his head back and drifted off into a hazy sleep.
They drove him back into town. He'd be better off sleeping in the cells tonight. He had no identity as such on him, that they could see, but then it was dark out there in the middle of nowhere.
Once back at the local jail, they sat him down and questioned him, but he couldn't tell them anything. He couldn't even recall his name in full; just that he was a Colonel, and his name was Jack. He remembered someone calling him Jack or Colonel, but nothing else.
They took his fingerprints, hoping that they might have something already on file. He shivered and the officers realised he was cold, and still wet, so they got the Doc to take a quick look at him. The aged medic gave him a quick exam then passed him as fit, and it was then that they discovered his dog-tags. He was dunked under a shower to wash away the stench of alcohol and dressed in overalls, he was then led to a cell, where he was pushed in with several other drunks who had been rounded up for the night too.
"There ya go Colonel! Sleep it off with your new pals!" the officer snorted, highly amused, as he pushed him into the cell and locked it behind him.
The theme was picked up straight away by the other, more belligerent men in the cell and he was in for some not so gentle ribbing.
"Oooh a Colonel huh? Well, lookie here folks, we got us a Colonel to share our luxshury accom...accomm'dashun!" he slurred with glee, giving Jack a none too pleasant shove.
Jack stumbled and fell back against the wall, giving rise to his temper. He straightened himself up and pushed back, then finding his own space he slumped onto the bench, holding his head in his hands, his elbows propped on his knees. There was a lot of shuffling to accommodate the newcomer, but tempers were already flaring.
"Wha'sss he in for Serg?" the most argumentative of the group asked.
"It seems our Colonel here is wanted for kidnapping, assault and rape," he replied with a sneer. "He beat up a young girl and then raped her. Make him feel welcome now boys."
It bothered him that he couldn't think straight. They had all been shocked when they'd discovered that he was a real Colonel in the Air Force. They had run his name through the records and made an even more startling discovery; he was in fact wanted for kidnapping, assault and rape in Washington DC.
He sat there trying to think. He'd been read his rights, but he couldn't think for the life of him why he'd been arrested. He knew in himself, that he wouldn't dream of doing anything so heinous, so why were they holding him. Well, okay, he was drunk as a skunk, but apart from that he was sure he was innocent.
A hand shoved him so roughly that he fell off the bench, unexpected as it had been and it caught him unawares. Being drunk took away his ability to read situations properly as he normally would.
There was a round of laughter.
"You know what we do to rapists, COLONEL? Especially to people like you who are supposedly in such exalted positions in society," one of the other prisoners yelled in his ear, his alcohol laden breath wafting over Jack's face from close quarters. "We don't like drunken bastards who beat up on women and then rape them."
He couldn't deny it, but he also couldn't accept it. He just didn't recall anything.
There were murmurs of agreement from the others at this, and Jack felt a tingle of unease shudder along his spine. He backed away and sat in the corner, curled up on himself, but they weren't going to leave him alone.
A boot was the first thing to connect with his body, hitting him in the thigh. Surprisingly strong arms grabbed him and yanked him to his feet, where he staggered a little. His reactions were slow and clumsy therefore when the fist made contact with his chin, he slumped heavily between the two men holding him. His legs were like jello and his head was reeling.
The ring leader spoke again backing up his words with action.
"You know what we do to your kind, Colonel? We don't like your kind round here, assaulting our women," he sneered, getting up real close, his fist punching Jack in the ribs so that he doubled over in agony once more.
They straightened him up again and the bully continued with his punishment. Blows rained down on him and he was powerless to defend himself. Finally when he thought they had finished, the biggest lout of them all stepped forward, glaring down at his blood spattered face.
Jack was breathing heavily through the pain of battered ribs; his nose was bleeding, as was his lip; he had a cut above his left eyebrow where the skin was already scarred and vulnerable to split at the least provocation, and it was bleeding yet again, sending a red stream trickling down the side of his face.
The guy stood there for a moment and Jack wondered what he was going to do. He soon found out, much to his detriment, when the giant of a man, kneed him in the groin and made him collapse in pain. Released from their hold, he lay protecting himself there against further attack.
"Damn you, you bastard!" the man spat. "You and your kind should be castrated. Yeah maybe we'll do that here and now..."
The officer silently approached. He had been watching from a distance, keeping an eye on them, but he couldn't allow it to continue. He rattled the bars with his night-stick, ordering them to settle down now. Which they did with little grace and a lot of resentment.
"Okay, okay. You've had your fun boys, now leave him alone!" the officer barked, meaning it. If they started on the Colonel again, then he would have to remove him to another cell.
The men backed off, leaving Jack lying on the floor wondering if he was going to survive this. He hurt just about everywhere, but his main concern was for the family jewels right now. He didn't mind putting up with busted ribs or split lips, but his reproductive parts were another matter. He just hoped they'd still be in working order when he recovered.
OoOoOoOoO
The car eventually slowed and pulled up outside the lonely cabin. It was the first time any of them had been there, except Teal'c. Sam had always refused to go there with Jack, knowing that if she did, she would have given in to temptation and crossed that line with her superior officer. Daniel had just plain refused, telling Jack he didn't want to go.
The sun had risen long ago, and now was high in the sky. They sat in complete silence looking at the serene setting and wondered why they had refused to come with Jack. It was beautiful.
Sam slipped from the car and walked slowly towards the veranda of the wooden cabin. It had been lovingly looked after and tended. It was Jack's pride and joy; his home away from home; his haven from the SGC and all the responsibilities that being the 2IC involved. The scenery around the lake was stunning, peaceful, and it held a calming quality that she personally hadn't found anywhere else to date. She vowed there and then that if he ever asked her again she wouldn't say no.
She caught her breath in wonderment, and pushed herself up the step to knock on the door.
There was no answer, so she peered in through the little window, trying to see if he was there and just ignoring them. The place appeared deserted, and Holland covers were draped over the furniture showing that the cabin hadn't been disturbed for some time.
Sam sighed and turned back to the others who were all looking round the grounds, and Daniel who was standing on the little dock, surveying the lake in silence.
He began to wonder why he kept telling Jack that he wasn't interested in coming here, when it was so peaceful and beautiful. No wonder Jack had loved it here; no wonder he always tried to escape here. He was sorry that he had refused to come when Jack so desperately wanted to share this peace with them, his closest friends. He knew that when this was over, that he would accept the invitation to come next time Jack offered; that is, if he bothered to ask in the future.
He turned away when he heard Sam's disappointed voice behind him, then walked back to the car.
"He's not here. It doesn't look as if he's been here for some time," she said sadly.
Teal'c agreed, having been all the way round the cabin and found no trace of their leader and friend.
It was then that Davis' cell phone rang. He answered it, holding a short and terse conversation with someone on the other end. Sg-1 looked to him for enlightenment, but Davis' face betrayed his dark thoughts.
"What is it? What's happened?" Sam and Daniel asked together, fear for Jack escalating in their hearts.
"That was the police department. They arrested the Colonel in Jackson county, Wisconsin last night. They're shipping him to Washington just as soon as the hospital releases him."
TBC