Andrews was lying on the hallway floor. His gun was missing and he had a
large lump forming on the back of his head. She crossed the short distance
to kneel by his side. He struggled to sit up and she helped him, letting
him lean heavily against the wall. His eyes drifted past her face without
recognition.
"What happened? Where's Vaughn? Did the have my father with them?" she asked and got no answer. "Agent Andrews! Answer me!" she snapped. His eyes focused on her face.
"They took Vaughn." He said. "They crept up on us. I got knocked out by one of them. Don't know what happened after that." he said, answering her questions in reverse.
"Okay. Think you can get up?" she asked, offering a hand, wishing she knew what to do. She was scared for her father, for Vaughn.
"Yeah." He said, and with help from her, got shakily to his feet. Outside a car started up, but the car didn't drive off. She glanced at him, almost pleading.
"Go." He said "I'll be here when you get back." She thanked him with a quick smile as she ran for the stairs, scooping up the crossbow as she went. Andrews slowly made his way downstairs, where he picked up the phone to report a break in.
Less than a minute later, she was in her own car, a new jeep, following a black car which looked like a Toyota Celica. Hers was the bigger of the two, but the one she was following was faster. The car drove sedately, making it easy to follow, heading out of the city. She touched the brakes as they made a turn, frowning when the felt strangely soft. A moment later, she was forced to put it out of her mind as they hit the freeway. The black car in front of her suddenly sped up. In a moment she lost them as they pulled in front of a semi truck. She swore under her breath as she scanned the road in front, frantically searching for them.
She found them again moments later as they made a turn right, onto a fire road. She braked and just made the turn in the big jeep. On the road in front of her, the car was parked across the narrow dirt road. She yanked the steering wheel as hard as she could to the right trying to avoid what looked like an inevitable collision. The thick tires fought for traction on the slick ground and she felt the jeep start to skid- right towards Vaughn's car. She tried the brakes again, appalled to find that they weren't working.
Vaughn sat in the driver's seat, seemingly oblivious to the big jeep hurtling towards him. She pressed her hand down flat on the horn. The sound shattered the still air, but his still didn't move. She had nowhere to turn the jeep- there was a sheer drop on one side of the road and a cliff face on the other. Neither idea appealed to her greatly.
She pressed the horn again as she tried the brakes, hoping that by some miracle they would be working. They weren't. Now that she was closer to Vaughn's car, she could see that both of his hands were hand-cuffed to the steering wheel. Next to Vaughn's car, there was a small, wedge shaped rock outcrop. If she drove the jeep over that, she would miss Vaughn's car totally. If she was lucky, the jeep wouldn't land on it's roof or the driver's side.
She pressed the gas pedal slightly and squared her shoulders. As the jeep's wheels left the ground, it started to spin. It missed Vaughn's car by inches, but they didn't touch each other. It hit the road on the driver's side and skidded along the rough surface for a few feet before coming to a jarring halt.
"What happened? Where's Vaughn? Did the have my father with them?" she asked and got no answer. "Agent Andrews! Answer me!" she snapped. His eyes focused on her face.
"They took Vaughn." He said. "They crept up on us. I got knocked out by one of them. Don't know what happened after that." he said, answering her questions in reverse.
"Okay. Think you can get up?" she asked, offering a hand, wishing she knew what to do. She was scared for her father, for Vaughn.
"Yeah." He said, and with help from her, got shakily to his feet. Outside a car started up, but the car didn't drive off. She glanced at him, almost pleading.
"Go." He said "I'll be here when you get back." She thanked him with a quick smile as she ran for the stairs, scooping up the crossbow as she went. Andrews slowly made his way downstairs, where he picked up the phone to report a break in.
Less than a minute later, she was in her own car, a new jeep, following a black car which looked like a Toyota Celica. Hers was the bigger of the two, but the one she was following was faster. The car drove sedately, making it easy to follow, heading out of the city. She touched the brakes as they made a turn, frowning when the felt strangely soft. A moment later, she was forced to put it out of her mind as they hit the freeway. The black car in front of her suddenly sped up. In a moment she lost them as they pulled in front of a semi truck. She swore under her breath as she scanned the road in front, frantically searching for them.
She found them again moments later as they made a turn right, onto a fire road. She braked and just made the turn in the big jeep. On the road in front of her, the car was parked across the narrow dirt road. She yanked the steering wheel as hard as she could to the right trying to avoid what looked like an inevitable collision. The thick tires fought for traction on the slick ground and she felt the jeep start to skid- right towards Vaughn's car. She tried the brakes again, appalled to find that they weren't working.
Vaughn sat in the driver's seat, seemingly oblivious to the big jeep hurtling towards him. She pressed her hand down flat on the horn. The sound shattered the still air, but his still didn't move. She had nowhere to turn the jeep- there was a sheer drop on one side of the road and a cliff face on the other. Neither idea appealed to her greatly.
She pressed the horn again as she tried the brakes, hoping that by some miracle they would be working. They weren't. Now that she was closer to Vaughn's car, she could see that both of his hands were hand-cuffed to the steering wheel. Next to Vaughn's car, there was a small, wedge shaped rock outcrop. If she drove the jeep over that, she would miss Vaughn's car totally. If she was lucky, the jeep wouldn't land on it's roof or the driver's side.
She pressed the gas pedal slightly and squared her shoulders. As the jeep's wheels left the ground, it started to spin. It missed Vaughn's car by inches, but they didn't touch each other. It hit the road on the driver's side and skidded along the rough surface for a few feet before coming to a jarring halt.