I am here with chapter five for you. Due to the suggestions concerning Cassie, I'm gonna go a different way with this than I had first intended. So bear with me as
I am now making it up as I go :). And I want to thank my new Beta, Saraofearth, for the much-needed help. I've never been too good at being thorough when it
comes to spelling, punctuations, and such. So thanks! gives big hug
Loyalties Chapter- 5
There was much tension in the room as the kidnappers and hostages alike anxiously awaited the return call from Pope. It had been almost two and a half hours, and they had yet to hear back from him. They were all getting quite antsy, especially the hostages, as they wondered exactly what Carl Ray would order his daughter and the other kidnappers to do if he didn't call back in the allotted time.
Lincoln sat beside Sucre, keeping his gaze locked on his brother, who was now sitting propped up against the wall opposite him with a despondent look on his face. Michael was staring at nothing in particular as he tried hard to hold in any sounds that might be accidentally released due to the condition he was in. Lincoln had never felt as helpless in his life as he did now, looking at his baby brother hurting, and being able to do absolutely nothing about it.
The thick silence was suddenly broken by Abruzzi.
"I know that generally in situations such as this, it is not wise to ask questions." The greasy man started in his lazy manner, "But one thing that I think we deserve to know, Pope's family and us others alike, is exactly why we are being detained in a manner such as this?"
"Why don't you just ask Henry's wife?" Carl Ray responded, looking pointedly at the woman.
"Mr. Ray, I have no idea what you're talking about. Until today, I had never even heard of you." she said in a wavering voice.
"You expect me to believe that you knew nothing about your husbands past escapades!" he asked incredulously.
"No, I don't expect you to believe it either. But regardless, it is the truth." she answered firmly.
He stared hard at her for a moment, and then decided that she truly didn't know what he was speaking of.
"I suppose it is only fair that you know what that slimy bastard of a man did. Even if only to let you know what kind of person the man you each so lovingly call 'husband', 'father', or 'grandfather' really is.
"Let me start first by telling you that me and Henry go way back. We attended college together, and grew to be as close as brothers, and even afterwards always stayed in touch.
"As I'm sure will come as a great shock to you, I was, until almost three years ago, a police officer. But like more police officers than you could probably imagine, I let myself be led astray. After several years on the force, it became common for certain informants I dealt with to let
me know when something was going down. I was told that I could take advantage of it to make a little extra income on the side. Very early on in the game, it came as a pleasant surprise for me to find out that my old buddy Henry was among the many who took part in such deals as these.
"One night, a little over three years ago, a particularly reliable informant let me know of a hot deal that was going down, and if approached properly, could lead to a lot of easy money. Me, being the good friend that I was, decided to offer Henry the chance to go in with me on it, as he had done for me on several occasions. After telling him all the details, he declined my offer though, saying he was going to stay on the path of the straight and narrow since he had acquired his position as warden at the prison. I was disappointed, but I respected his choice and harbored no ill will towards him for wanting to change his life for the better. After all, I did love him like a brother. I left his house that day thinking of him as such. It never crossed my mind that he would betray me." Carl looked around the room after saying this, and was satisfied to see that with the exception of the injured man, he held everyone's attention while telling his story. He continued.
"The night the deal was to go down, I was called away on a case, and since this had often happened in the past, my son Scott filled in for me. It was simple, intercept a Chinese man who had came to our country to take part in a drug and arms deal run by one of our local crime lords. My people were waiting on him at the landing strip to take his money before he got off the plane. Imagine the surprise they felt when the FBI was there also, along with Henry Pope. He had told them an informant had tipped him off, and had led them straight to my son. Scott, being the devoted son he is, took the fall for the whole plan, knowing that if I were implicated in the crime it would ruin me. To make matters worse, an FBI agent was killed in the bust, and even though Scott swore to me the man had not died by his hand, a ballistics report on the bullet taken from him showed the shot had been fired from his gun. The agent killed just happened to be the one
who had been guarding the money that had been intended to trade hands in the deal, and it magically disappeared. Poof! It vanished into thin air. Not long after that, Henry bought himself and the wife a new house and a nice new car for you, if I remember correctly." he said, looking questioningly at Mrs. Pope, who looked shocked by this new revelation.
"Oh come now, didn't you wonder where he got the money for all your new toys? Surely you're not that blind. My son got a life sentence with no chance for parole, and you get a new house, a car, and who knows what else! Hardly seems fair, wouldn't you agree? So I quit the force and bided my time until the right opportunity came along to get my boy out. I must admit, it was a lucky break for me when he was sent to Henry's prison though. I couldn't have asked for a better setup. So now you all know the reason behind this, and I do feel better after getting all that off my shoulders." He concluded with a grin.
"I can understand your anger towards myself and my family Mr. Ray, but do you have to let those feelings impair your judgment concerning these other men who had nothing to do with this?" Mrs. Pope asked after allowing all he said sink in.
"Unfortunately, my daughter has a tendency to take in strays, and by doing so last night, she has given me no choice but to detain them also. I can't take the chance of anything going wrong. And if that means keeping them here also, then so be it. I'll have no loose ends." he said raising his hands in a show of helplessness. "Cass, I'm gonna walk outside for some air, make sure everyone behaves while I'm gone, Dear." he instructed, eyeing the people pointedly. He walked out after she nodded her head in agreement.
"You do realize, dear Cassie, that your father has no intentions of letting any of us leave here alive, don't you?" Abruzzi asked, breaking the silence that had descended over the room.
"And what makes you think, Mr. Abruzzi, that I give a damn?" she said with a sweet smile.
"They're gonna kill us man!" Sucre whispered to Lincoln worriedly.
"Not if we kill them first," Lincoln replied softly.
"You are one crazy fucker, Lincoln Burrows. Just how do you plan on us killing seven people when there's only five of us? Well, four actually, 'cause Fish ain't exactly in the best shape," He added, casting a wary eye to the young man. "Plus, three of those guys have guns. How are we supposed to do anything with no weapons?"
"There's a weak point in every wall, Sucre. You just have to pinpoint it, and when you do, everything has a tendency to fall into place. I thought that the girl might be that weakness, but now I'm starting to have my doubts…" Lincoln trailed off.
"Well you better figure out who it is and quick, because if you don't, the whole damn walls gonna fall on us." Sucre whispered back.
"I will, it should-" Lincoln started to respond, when their conversation was interrupted by the sound of Kim's frantic voice.
"Michael! It's okay, Michael. You'll be okay," she was practically yelling. Lincoln looked up to see his brother doubled over on the floor, simultaneously throwing up and gasping for breath.
"Daddy, you gotta do something!" she cried frantically, looking at her father with pleading eyes.
"L-Lincoln," Michael managed to gasp out, calling for his brother. The man quickly got up and rushed over to him.
"Hey, get back over there." Paul said, walking over and grabbing Lincoln by the shoulder.
"No! If you're planning on shooting me, then you can just go ahead. 'Cause I'm staying right here. And get your damn hands of me!" Lincoln yelled angrily.
Paul looked as though he was about to do just that when one of the other men said, "Jesus Christ, Paul. Just let him stay over there with his brother. What the hell would it hurt?" he asked.
"Alright," Paul said after a brief pause, and released his hold on Lincoln. "But don't try anything, or I'll shoot your precious brother right between the eyes" he said menacingly. The man trudged back to his previous spot, glancing suspiciously at Lincoln.
Michael finally quit retching, and Lincoln took his outer shirt off and wiped his brother's face with it. He then put his arm around him and pulled his body against his in a hug.
"Help me Lincoln." Michael said weakly, his whole body shaking. "I don't want to die."
"I'm not gonna let that happen, Michael. I promise." he replied gently, pulling his brother even tighter into his embrace. "You're going to be just fine. I'm gonna get you outta this mess, just like you did for me. You hear me?"
Michael nodded his head against Lincoln's shoulder.
Sitting there, he started formulating a plan as he looked at the man who had took his side in staying with his brother.
He had found the weak link, and soon everything would fall into place.
TBC
I know, kinda angsty and stuff :(. But necessary in setting the big finale that will come after a few more chapters. So ta ta for now! Oh, don't forget to review!