Chapter 19
Author's Note: Just letting you all know that it starts to get a bit violent from here on for a few chapters at least. I apologize if that bothers anyone.
"You've got five seconds to tell me that you didn't let him do it, Jack!" Ed growled immediately into the phone as it started to ring.
"The kid held a gun to my head!" Jack lied, lowering his voice so that Catarina, who was in the backseat, couldn't hear him. "What was I supposed to do, Ed?"
"That is bullshit and you know it!" Ed exclaimed, knocking the empty coffee mug in front of him to the floor in frustration. "I don't have the time nor the patience for any crap, Keller!"
"See?" Jack sighed as the conversation was turning out just like he knew it would. "I told him that you wouldn't believe that!"
"You just wait until I get my hands on you, you…" Ed started to threaten, trailing off as he realized that Cooper, Mike and Sam were all staring at him. Clearing his throat, his voice became quieter and calmer. "Please tell me that you got your daughter back at the very least."
"We're on our way home now." Jack smiled, "And I haven't totally lost my mind, Ed! Danny doesn't know this, but I managed to slip a tracking device into his jacket before we made the exchange. Should lead you guys right to him!"
"Well, whether or not you have a mind is still debatable!" Ed chuckled, slightly relieved that Keller had thought ahead. "But good work, Jack! You know, I, uh, think Jillian's actually in your neck of the woods right now and I'm sure that she would love to babysit Catarina if you've got something else you want to do."
"I did have this party I wanted to go to." Jack nodded, catching on. "You know anyone that will give me an invite?"
Danny's first thought as he slowly slipped back into consciousness was just how much he HATED the pounding headache, dizziness and nausea that came with being drugged. Groaning softly, he managed to force his eyes open momentarily, but closed them again as the room spun wildly around him. Focusing on his other senses, McCoy realized that someone had at some point taken the liberty of removing his jacket and shirt; he felt cold concrete against his bare stomach and chest. His hands were bound together somehow behind his back, and there was an overpowering aroma lingering in the air; a sickly, sweet smell Danny recognized as cigar smoke. Opening his eyes a second time, he saw the dimly lit feet and legs of someone sitting not too far from him, but far enough to be out of the spotlight that was apparently shining down on him. As he felt the contents of his stomach start to rise into his throat, Danny shut his eyes yet again.
"The dizziness should wear off here soon." The Professor casually remarked, not surprising Danny in the least. Opening his eyes and lifting his head slightly, he could see that it was in fact the older man who was sitting in the shadowy chair, watching his every move like a hawk and twirling a lit cigar around. Danny tried to slip out of whatever was binding his hands behind him at the sight of him. "Don't waste your time, or do you really think that we wouldn't make sure those were on tight?"
"Worth a shot." Danny replied, slowly managing to get to his knees.
"Always trying to be the hero everyone expects you to be." The Professor chuckled before taking a smoke from his cigar.
"Whatever." Danny dismissed, noticing for the first time that the walls of the room appeared to be covered from floor to ceiling in soundproofing foam; he remembered helping his father install some when he was younger. "So, what is all of this? Are you going to kill me now?"
"I'm afraid not." The Professor shook his head, "Killing you would be a waste, but it seems that, for some reason, you and I don't seem to be able to coexist peacefully. Have you ever considered just how much pain and misery you could have spared yourself if you had never tried to get revenge and deceive me in the first place?"
"What was I supposed to do? Let you get away with conning your way out of prison?" Danny replied, trying to get to his feet. "Let you possible take your revenge on Ed and Nessa? Not a chance in Hell!"
"And just look at where that protective instinct has led you!" The Professor laughed, nodding to someone behind Danny in the shadows. Suddenly, the younger man felt the bindings around his wrists being hoisted upwards, yanking him up onto his feet and only stopping when they were above his head; forcing him to involuntarily bow. He remembered hearing this position be referred to as Strappado, or The Ropes during the Vietnam years. "You continue to suffer needlessly because you care about those around you too much! I knew the minute that you found out about the little girl, you'd have some bold plan about trading places with her and here you are!"
"Not all of us can just run and leave people behind in times of trouble." Danny fired back, managing to raise his head.
"Ah, I see that you've been talking to your new boss." The Professor smiled after taking another smoke. "Tell me, Danny! How is my old battle buddy, Cooper? Still the strong, yet silent type?" Laughing, the older man shook his head as Danny glared silently back at him. "Besides, I hardly think that you of all people should be judging me for what I did. I mean, calling in an airstrike on your own men?"
"Don't." Danny warned quietly, not taking his eyes off of The Professor. He decided against questioning him as to how he even knew about what happened during McCoy's last tour of duty; it was supposedly classified. "You have no right—"
"Merely pointing out the hypocrisy of the United States Marine Corps." The Professor interrupted, putting up a hand to silence McCoy. "I mean I was smart enough to make the only logical decision that someone could make in those circumstances and got dishonorably discharged, while you, for all intents and purposes, murder your entire unit and are welcomed back a hero, medal and all."
"I wasn't supposed to survive." Danny pointed out, hating himself for playing into The Professor's hands.
"Trying to play the selfless hero right to the bitter end, were you?" The Professor rolled his eyes, getting to his feet. "You continue to surprise me with just how predictable you are, Danny! Willing to sacrifice yourself for the supposed greater good? Well, I assume that most people would find that admirable." He paused momentarily, taking a moment to appreciate having Danny McCoy right where he wanted him. "However, I find it utterly ridiculous myself! I mean, what kind of idiot gets himself and his entire unit into a no-win situation like that in the first place?"
"I really don't care what you think, coward!" Danny exclaimed, earning himself a powerful backhand across the face. Wincing slightly as his arms were forced to bare his entire body weight for a moment, he faintly tasted the metallic flavor of blood in his mouth and could feel a slight, warm trickle from his bottom lip.
"No, Danny, I'm not going to kill you." The Professor smiled as Danny looked back up at him. "I distinctly remember telling you your ultimate fate a few years ago in Ecuador. Remember?"
"I will never work for you." Danny shook his head, remembering that conversation all too well.
"I don't recall saying anything indicating that you had a choice in the matter." The Professor remarked, rubbing out what was left of his cigar on McCoy's chest. The younger man winced at the resulting burn. "It is really going to be a long and painful process: the transformation from what you are now to what I will turn you into. You seem like you'll be quite the challenge, but I suppose that I can take satisfaction in the fact it will be fun: breaking that stubborn will of yours."
Suddenly grabbing McCoy's throat, the gray-haired man leaned in closer so that he was inches away from the younger man's ear. The unnatural position he was in already making it difficult to breathe, Danny could feel himself start to suffocate as his captor clamped down on his windpipe.
"And rest assured, my young friend," The Professor whispered into Danny's ear, smiling as he tried desperately to get free, "that I can and WILL break you."
Gasping for air the minute The Professor released his grip on his throat, Danny was totally unprepared for him punching him just below the chest; a direct shot to McCoy's liver! He made noise of discomfort as the strength to even stand vanished, forcing his already aching arms and shoulders to bare his entire body weight yet again for the few minutes until he could right himself.
"I wouldn't worry too much." The Professor smiled at his captive's uncomfortable squirming to find his feet again. "I have no doubts in my mind that Ed Deline will eventually find his way here to try and save you, but unfortunately for you, he should be too busy with Henderson to be of much use. It really is a blessing that you shouldn't be in any shape to care by that point!"
"Screw you." Danny glared, still trying to catch his breath.
"Such manners!" The Professor shook his head, turning and walking over to a table right next to where he had originally been sitting. There appeared to be several different objects on the table, but, thanks to the dim lighting and distance, Danny couldn't make out what they were. "You're already forcing me to dip into my toy collection here! Of course, I also have some medical supplies as well, just in case you decide to do something stupid and try to die on me."
"I will before I'll work for you." Danny promised as the older man walked back towards him with a wooden rod in his hands.
"Shame! You appear to be quite the slow learner." The Professor remarked before striking Danny across the back. "Consider this your first lesson: you don't have a choice in the matter." He jammed the rod into McCoy's stomach, prompting the younger man to groan in pain. "I WILL get through to you eventually, Danny." With a smile, he tapped the back of McCoy's knees just enough to make his feet go out from under him yet again. A well-chosen expletive left Danny's mouth. "It's just a matter of time."
"How much farther, Mike?" Ed asked, turning his head to look at the aforementioned man as Cooper continued to drive Deline's own cherry red Hummer down a deserted road. Mike was busy typing away on his lap, trying to track down the signal from the device Keller had put in Danny's jacket while Sam (who had not wanted to stay behind at the Montecito) leaned in to read over his shoulder.
"I'm not sure, Mr. D." Mike admitted, glancing up at the man who was riding in the front passenger seat. "According to this, we're almost right on top of them! We need to make a left up ahead and go off-road for about a half a mile."
"Nothing out here but rocks and sand." Cooper remarked, exchanging a nervous glance with Ed as the group hadn't passed a town or any real sign of life for quite a while now. "You sure, Mike?"
"Positive." Mike nodded, continuing to type away.
"Ed," Sam said quietly, tapping the older man on the shoulder, "You don't think that this is just some sick game that Keller is playing, do you?"
"Unfortunately not, sweetheart." Ed sighed heavily, his stomach flipping around with worry. "I think Jack finally learned his lesson about double-crossing me back in Ecuador." Shaking his head, he let out his frustration by punching the dashboard lightly. "When I get my hands on that idiot kid—"
"What in the hell?" Sam interrupted, staring out the windshield. "What is that?"
"Son of a bitch." Ed muttered, wrenching his eyes shut after following Sam's gaze. Illuminated by the vehicle's headlights, a small, crumpled mass of fabric lay just ahead of the Hummer, pinned to the earth by a rather large machete. Deline could hear Cooper let out a deep breath beside him before bringing the vehicle to a stop. "God damn it."
"Oh my God." Mike said quietly as the group got out of the car. A silent, somber-looking Ed walked over and knelt down next to the mound while Cooper, Sam and Mike himself stayed back a few steps. The African American man shook his head slowly in disbelief. "That's Danny's jacket! I've seen him wear it a million times! Those bastards KNEW we'd try to track him down somehow."
"Now what do we do?" Sam asked worriedly, watching as Ed pulled the knife out of the ground. "We've got to keep looking for him!"
"We will." Cooper promised, keeping his own eyes on Ed.
"Get back to the car." a quiet Ed ordered, holding the jacket to his chest as he stood up and turned towards Mike and Sam. "Mike, call, uh, Mitch and see if he can get ahold of our friends in traffic control. Maybe they've got, uh, a camera around here or something that can help us out."
"On it." Mike nodded, walking back to the Hummer with Sam.
"What do you make of all this?" Ed asked Cooper once they were alone.
"That, whatever we're going to do, Danny needs us to do it as soon as possible." Cooper replied, folding his arms across his chest. "I'm afraid that we might be running out of time."
"I do have an idea." Ed nodded back, "It's crazy and the kids will NEVER go for it, but it could be our only shot. I just need you to trust…"
"I've heard enough about you to know to your ideas are usually good." Cooper interrupted, holding up his hands. He still didn't quite trust Deline completely, but there was no time for that now. "What do you need me to do?"
"I need you to promise that, no matter what happens to me, your first priority is to get Danny and those two back to Vegas where they're safe." Ed replied.
"That's going to be a tall order." Cooper nodded, realizing that Ed was talking about possibly sacrificing himself. "You have my word that I'll do my best."
"But?" Ed raised an eyebrow.
"But Danny and I are Marines." Cooper smiled, "We can't just leave a man behind."
"Let him drop." The Professor ordered, tossing aside the blood covered halves of the wooden rod right before Danny could feel the line holding him up go slack.
Gasping for air, the tall, brown-haired man quickly sank to his knees before falling onto his side. He had lost count of many times the older man had struck him with that stupid stick and, although almost all of his body hurt, McCoy could tell from experience that a few of ribs had broken during the process. What he couldn't tell was what was hurting him more: his abdomen or his shoulders that were crying out to be released from their awkward position.
"Had enough yet?" The Professor asked, smiling down at his captive.
"Go to hell." Danny replied before coughing up a large amount of blood. He added some internal bleeding to the mental tally of injuries, and continued to glare up at his longtime foe. "Pain is temporary."
"Wondered when we would see your interrogation training show itself." The Professor laughed, casually kicking him in the back of the head. With a groan, McCoy immediately saw stars temporarily spinning around him. "Your drill instructors and Ed Deline would be so proud!"
"I swear," Danny replied as the door opened, "I WILL kill you."
"Just thought we'd come and see how things were going." Henderson casually remarked as he walked into the room and over to the pair: Leo following in his wake. Pausing right as he reached The Professor's side, the former senator smiled as he surveyed the man on the ground. "Damn! Looks like we've been missing out on all of the fun, Leo!"
"You cry like a little bitch yet, G.I. Joe?" Leo taunted before making a comical face. "Please, Big Ed! Come save me from the big, scary bad guys!"
"Screw you, Broder." Danny replied through gritted teeth as the three men around him laughed.
"I see that his manners haven't improved." Henderson commented, turning to The Professor.
"Well, we have only just begun." The Professor pointed out, nodding his head at whoever had control of the pulley system. As Danny was yanked back up onto his feet, the older man walked back towards the table where his "toy collection" lay. "In the meantime, I'm sure that our friend here would appreciate any updates you have on a possible attempt to rescue him."
"We don't have much." Henderson replied, "Ed and some of the others were just now able to find his jacket, thanks to that tracking device Keller put on him."
"Tracking device?" Danny muttered in surprise.
"Oh, you didn't know about that?" Henderson asked, prompting Danny to shake his aching head. "Well, I'm afraid that it's not going to be of much help to you, Danny Boy! You see, Broder here had some of his buddies leave your jacket far, far away from here. I mean, we wouldn't want Ed to break up this party already, would we?" He smiled widely as The Professor walked back over with a cattle prod in his hands. "Sadly, it looks like Ed might be giving up. From the looks of things, it appears that they're preparing to turn tail and head back to Vegas."
"Well, that won't do!" The Professor shook his head, "I mean, with gas prices being what they are these days? We really should be gracious hosts and extend the courtesy of giving them a hint on how to find this one."
"I wouldn't want Ed Deline to find me if I was in your shoes." Danny confidently remarked, raising his head to stare at the three men surrounding him. "Not unless you three bastards have a death wish!"
"You—" Leo started to threaten, taking a few steps forward.
"You know," Henderson interrupted, putting an arm out to block Leo. "I really don't think that our friend here understands his current position."
"A shame, isn't it?" The Professor agreed, resting the tongs of the cattle prod against Danny's bare chest. "I'll be kind enough to give you a way out, Danny. Just tell me that you'll willingly work for me and you won't have to suffer."
"Not a chance." Danny shook his head, bracing himself for what was coming.
"Then, consider this lesson two: you're not in any position to be making threats." The Professor shrugged, turning the cattle prod on.
A powerful burning sensation ripped through his body, prompting McCoy to clench his teeth together to keep from crying out in pain. He would NOT give these assholes that satisfaction! He could feel his strength dissolve and his feet go out from him yet again, but the usual pain that would radiate from his arms was being masked by this new sensation. Closing his eyes tightly, he tried to concentrate on the mantra he had been taught during his time in the Marine Corps.
"Pain is temporary." he whispered to himself, "Pain is temporary."
"Now, this isn't going to kill him, right?" Henderson wondered, looking over at The Professor. Neither man showing any sort of sign that they overheard McCoy.
"High voltage with a very low current." The Professor reassured, "Extremely painful, but shouldn't even leave a mark on that handsome body of his. Honestly, I'm more concerned with how long he's kept in this position. It has the potential to cause serious nerve damage, and there is also the risk of him suffocating on us." He nodded to the person operating the pulley as he turned the cattle prod off. "Let him fall."
Powerlessly, Danny again sank to his knees before falling forward to the floor as the last of the electricity worked its way through him. He tried to regulate his breathing, but found himself challenged by just how weak he felt and a warm darkness that threatened to surround him.
"My answer." he managed to gasp out while coughing up more blood. "Still no."
"Now, be reasonable, Danny Boy!" Henderson gently replied, kneeling down next to McCoy and rolling him onto his back. "No one here really wants to see you suffer like this! Myself? Well, you're nothing more than a bargaining chip I can use to get Ed Deline right where I want him. And our friend here is only offering you what be a very lucrative position if you play your cards right. I mean you would certainly make enough to take care of that little family of yours."
"I'd rather die than join him." Danny firmly replied, feebly trying to get out of the restraints on his wrists.
"Pity." Henderson shook his head, getting back to his feet and gesturing to Leo. All gentleness gone from his voice. "Give me the boy's phone. I think it's time we give our friend, Ed, a call."
To be continued...