Author's note: I really don't have an apology that can suffice for neglecting this fic for so long; not without sounding fake anyway. The good news is that, due to a recent creative "binge", I do have a back log of chapters so I should be able to regularly update until I get this done. THANK YOU for waiting. It will NOT happen again.

Chapter 11

"Where do I even begin?" Danny sighed, leaning back in his chair. For the next half an hour or so, he heard himself recounting the details of everything that had happened between himself, Ed Deline, Bill Henderson, and anyone else that had been involved in the whole affair. He found Cooper to be a good listener; occasionally asking a question, but for the most part, just silently nodding his head. Now, Danny could never be sure, but he swore to himself that he saw Cooper's face twitch at the mention of the name "Reuben McDougal".

"That is quite the tale." Cooper commented after Danny had finished. The dark-haired, mustached man nodded his head. "And this Henderson guy is still out there somewhere?"

"As far as I know." Danny nodded, "I'm sure that Ed would let me know somehow if he had gotten his hands on him."

"I'm sure he would have as well." Cooper agreed, only knowing Ed Deline by reputation. "Did he ever say what became of McDougal?"

"Nah," Danny sighed again, still hankering slightly for revenge. "Just that he's somewhere where he won't bother us." He suddenly decided that now was a good of a time as ever to question the facial tic. "You know him?"

"I have a history with him." Cooper said as Danny's cell phone went off. "Better answer that."

Deciding that that was Cooper's way of telling him that whatever "history" was between himself and the man known as the Professor would remain a secret for now, Danny looked down at the Caller ID before putting the phone to his ear.

"Hey, Mikey."

"You forget to close your trunk?" Mike said, keeping his eyes on one of the many monitors in the surveillance room. The on-screen image being a very familiar yellow and black Chevy Camaro.

"My trunk?" Danny repeated before shaking his head. "Never opened it."

"Well, someone did." Mike replied, "And unless someone else drives Bumblebee around here..."

"Bumblebee?" Danny again repeated, not getting the reference.

"Yeah, like in Transform..." Mike started before deciding that Danny would probably not get the reference. "Never mind. You want me to check it out?"

"I'll meet you down there." Danny agreed before hanging up. He turned his gaze to an interested Cooper. "That was Mike. Apparently, someone opened the trunk of my car and just left it."

"Sounds to me like someone wants you to go down there." Cooper said as he and Danny both got to their feet.

"Probably just someone trying to punk me for some reason." Danny shrugged before taking his pistol out of his desk drawer and putting it in his back pocket. "But just in case…"

"I've got Mitch keeping an eye on the area," Mike said as he caught up to Danny and Cooper, who had arrived in the parking garage a mere few seconds before he did. "And a couple of guys nearby if we need more support."

"Appreciate it, Mike." Danny said, taking the handgun out of his pocket. Something felt off to McCoy; it seemed too quiet for his liking. He exchanged a nod with Cooper and could tell that the older man felt the same thing. He wasn't at all surprised when he took out his own pistol from the inside of his jacket. "Ok. You two, watch my back."

"Careful, man." Mike said, his own uneasiness showing.

His eyes darting around the parking garage for any sign of movement and his finger on the trigger, Danny slowly crept towards the Camaro. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt so on edge! Upon reaching the vehicle, he slowly removed a hand from his gun and put it on the top of the trunk.

That had apparently been the signal! A masked man dressed all in black came out of nowhere and started to try to wrestle the gun away from Danny.

"I don't think so." Danny growled, trying to maintain his grip. He was taller than his assailant, but slightly lankier. He wondered why Mike and Cooper weren't offering to help, but a quick glance their direction determined that they too had their own assailants to deal with.

WHAM!

The momentary attention lapsed had been all Danny's attacker had needed to sucker punch him square in the jaw. The garage spinning around him, McCoy tried to grab on to a nearby vehicle to steady himself. His attacker, fully in possession of the handgun, threw it out of his reach.

"Behind you, D!" Mike shouted, momentarily in enough control of his own to warn Danny of another masked man sneaking up behind him.

However, Mike's warning came too little, too late. Danny had barely enough time to register what he had said before a hood was thrown over his head, blocking out all light. He could feel the man who had approached him from behind hold onto his arms while someone (Danny guessed the man who had attacked him first) wrapped a rope around his ankles. He struggled against his captor, but whoever was holding him was a lot stronger than he was.

"Danny!" he could hear Cooper shout as footsteps rapidly approached. He heard the man holding him say something in a language he didn't understand and could feel the tightening of the rope around his legs. McCoy still tried to struggle as he heard whoever had been doing the tying reply in the same language. There was something very familiar about that voice! The sounds of a brief struggle before the sound of a body falling to the ground was quick to divert his attention back to the moment.

"Cooper!" Mike yelled, "You assholes are going to pay for that!"

Still trying to get free, Danny's efforts only intensified when he heard a clicking noise he immediately recognized as a taser followed by Mike screaming in pain before the sound of another body falling to the ground.

"Mikey!" Danny yelled before someone punched him in the stomach. Someone had a hell of a good right hook! Wheezing, Danny could feel the man behind him loosen his grip as McCoy double over slightly. All plan of a counterattack was immediately foiled by the feeling of someone putting his arms in front of him and tightening a rope around his wrists.

There was more chatter and laughter in the language the men had been speaking. While a couple of the voices sounding familiar plagued him, what concerned Danny more is that he couldn't hear anything from Cooper and Mike, and where in the hell was the backup Mike promised?

The next thing Danny knew, someone was picking up legs while another grabbed him around the torso. He still tried in vain to maneuver free before he could hear the familiar voice giving an order, and feeling his feet being set down on something slightly elevated from the ground.

"Danny!" Cooper's voice was finally heard again with a slight pained twinge to it. "You bastards..."

More foreign talk before footsteps heading off to where Cooper's voice had come from. The sound of a fight reaching his ears, Danny still tried to struggle but found it hard to move. Whatever the men were setting him down, it was a VERY tight fit.

It wasn't until he heard the slamming shut of the hood and the start of the engine that Danny realized where he now was; he was in the trunk of his Camaro!

"No!" Cooper said as he watched the first masked man hop into the driver's seat of the Camaro and peal out of the parking garage. During the most recent struggle, he had been knocked back to the ground again; blood slightly dripping of an opening on his forehead. As he got to an elbow, he noticed that the black clad men had backed off and that Mike was slowly beginning to regain consciousness after blacking out from being tased. "Where the hell is Mitch?"

"Unfortunately, we had to temporarily disable your eye in the sky." One of the men said as he took off his mask. "Sorry about that."

"I don't believe it." Mike said, getting to his knees. His eyes narrowed as he looked at the speaker. "Keller."

To be continued...