Disclaimer on chapter one.
AN: Here you go #14 for your reading pleasure. Little more background...little more to the story. Thanks for all the reviews up till now and as always, opinions of my readers always welcome! dark rolling sea.
Chapter Fourteen
Janie felt the ice melting. The water was running down her shoulder, soaking her shirt. She was still attached to the kitchen chair, held captive in the cabin. She had tried to break the restraints but was unable to this time. Her shoulder throbbed with each heart beat, the pain pulsating through her arm and chest.
The stranger that had grabbed her had disappeared from her sight some time ago. It had given her the opportunity to escape, but she just couldn't free herself from the restraining duct tape. Tears had rolled down her cheeks for a while now, as the fear continued to hound her. She felt that she was going to die here.
It was late afternoon by now, if she was seeing the sun correctly. She had no idea of the exact time, but thought nightfall would be coming soon. Would nightfall bring her death? Closing her eyes tightly, she willed herself to remain calm. She knew panic was the last thing she needed coursing through veins now. Time would tell, and in present state, she didn't have much choice or say in the matter.
The sun continued its path across the sky and soon the tendrils of evening were all around the cabin. The stranger had not returned. Maybe he had left her here to starve, or die of dehydration. Feeling the panic well up in her once again, she struggled against the restraints keeping her in place. It was of no use.
Movement caught her eye causing her stomach to flip flop. Holding down the urge to vomit she watched as the shadow came to the door. Maybe it was help; most likely it was him returning. He stepped through the doorway and her heart fell, he had returned. The sunglasses hid his face, but she could still see his smile. He squatted in front of her and removed the soaking towel that used to hold the ice.
"Not much longer now. He's back and he thinks those agents will keep him safe. Those crutches will surly slow him down though," he said softly before rising to his feet and walking away.
"Who?" Janie asked confused. Grayson wasn't on crutches, was he? The stranger didn't stop, didn't turn, and he definitely didn't answer her. She sat, shocked and afraid, as the sun continued to set.
With his prisoner secure Storm felt safe enough to leave her behind. The escape attempt had worried him but the second time he affixed her he knew she couldn't go anywhere. He sat in the shadows and watched for Grayson's return. He didn't have to wait long.
The two cars pulled in and Storm watched Grayson hobble to the door. He could tell the younger man was pained, physically and emotionally, as he searched for the last of his family. Only a matter of time now. He stayed put until Levi drove the older agent and Grayson away.
Then he decided it was time to return to the cabin. The sun was starting to make its way across the sky and nightfall would be coming soon. It was cover of darkness that he was waiting for. He would make the call at dusk; he would draw Grayson into the open with what he had to say.
Grayson had put himself in the back seat. He had expected Gibbs to take the passenger side as Levi slid behind the wheel, but he didn't. He ended up in the back with Grayson. Grayson knew why. Gibbs was going to try to force the entire story out of him. Maybe it was time to tell it. No one else, not even Levi, knew the whole story.
He had told the doctors that he didn't remember what happened that day. He had told them it was all blank. He had told them a lie. Grayson knew what happened. His memory of that day was clear and sharp. Why? He didn't know, but he did know if he told those doctors they would believe him. Most head injuries don't remember what happened, and could lose a couple days along with the traumatic event. So they had believed him.
But he wasn't sure Special Agent Gibbs would give in so easily. The story that he told, about the explosions, was the one he had been fed by the higher ups of his command. They had constructed a likely story, but Grayson knew it was all wrong. He knew what he saw, and what he remembered, but he thought that those in charge wouldn't like the story he spun. He felt Agent Gibbs gaze upon him, felt his own body heat rising.
Grayson felt himself grow nervous; this was when it would all come out. The reason they chose him for the job, the reason why it almost failed. Gibbs would want to know the details of what happened, the details of Storm's injuries. Grayson would have to relive those moments that haunted his dreams.
"You ready to tell me what really happened?" Gibbs asked him. Grayson's eyes darted to the older man then back to the window. Levi looked up in the mirror.
"He's told you everything he knows, Agent Gibbs. He doesn't really remember that day, only what he was told," Levi said softly. Gibbs glanced at him briefly before looking at Grayson again.
"No he hasn't," Gibbs replied matter-of-factly. Grayson couldn't stop the small smile. Gibbs was good. "He remembers."
"You're very perceptive," Grayson said softly as he stared at the passing scenery.
"And I think there was a specific reason for you being chosen to go after this Storm character. You have a deeper connection to him than you're willing to admit."
"You're right," Grayson finally gave in. He glanced up to catch Levi's astounded eyes in the mirror before continuing over to Gibbs. "I do remember what happened there and no, its nothing like the story they spun. They tried to use the radio transmissions and satellite images to piece it together, but…"
"But what?" Levi asked from the front seat. Grayson continued, his eyes never leaving Gibbs'.
"We went off com for a while. There was a gap in the timeline that they covered up because they never knew what happened," Grayson replied. He waited a moment but Gibbs simply stared back at him. He took a deep breath and continued. "I was picked because I had known Jonas for a long time."
"Jonas is Storm?" Gibbs asked.
"Yes. Jonas Bale. We first met in Boot, ended up doing some time in the same unit together. Then went our own ways when we both…specialized our careers. He went off the reservation though. At first they had him. A handler would usually go with as his spotter, or support man. But he was dealing on the side in his down time."
"Black market?" Gibbs asked.
"He went private when he could, taking all kinds of jobs, stuff no one else would do. Made a name for himself as the Storm. Then he went AWOL, and eventually they charged him with desertion. Problem was no one could track him down, and when someone stumbled upon him, they never came back. He was that good."
"But you were just as good," Gibbs said leaning against the door of the car. Levi took another turn.
"I had my talents just as he had his."
"Had, you saying you lost them?"
"Lost the ability to use them," Grayson replied looking out the window for the first time, needing a moment to recompose his eyes. The car was silent and he knew they were waiting for him to continue. He looked at Gibbs again. "They sent us in supposedly covertly. But my guess is he had someone leaking info to him. He knew we were coming. They were ready."
"You told me that."
"What I didn't say was that more happened before we set the charges. We actually came face to face with Jonas and Tails and Hawk didn't die in a blast. Rabbit and I managed to get out, somehow.
"When we got to the building Rabbit and I went to picking the back lock. We beat the cameras using the information given, which was a complete set up. As soon as the door swung open, we cleared it and went in. We were grabbed instantly. He had six guys waiting just off of our view point. It was a perfect set up spot, whoever got the info either knew what would happen, or Jonas provided it to them.
"We were taken through a maze of hallways and finally ended up in an inner room. There was nothing in the room, and I remember it being cold. Rabbit was so scared. Just remember him trembling and his eyes darting around and around. I…I just stood there, stock still waiting. I knew Jonas was coming; it was his style, that smile. He would come and he would smile at us.
"But the next time the door opened, Tails and Hawk were tossed into the room with us. I could tell they were frightened too. We were off com by now, our radios taken away. We waited for a while, I don't know how long, we didn't have a device to keep track, and you know when you're cooped up like that the mind lies. Anyway, finally Jonas made his appearance with two other men, heavily armed.
"The other three stopped moving and I could see in the fear in their eyes. Me, I just turned my attention on Jonas and gave him nothing. He smiled when he saw me and walked up to me. I'll never forget that look in his eye, the sick smile on his face. He said he was going to enjoy finally killing me."
"I thought you said you two were friends," Gibbs said.
"We were, very close, but as we grew into our own as soldiers we had two completely different views on things. I also was the first one to get him busted. I was a spotter for him on a mission. He took out the hit and then two other men on his own. It was then that they started dogging him. He spent some time in the brig because of me. Anyway, after he told me that, he looked at the other three, then back to me and told me they would die first and I would watch.
"I lunged forward at him but I caught the butt of a rifle on the corner of my eye, dropped me like a ton of bricks. As I was holding my head and struggling to my feet he produced a hand gun and shot Tails between the eyes. He fell to the floor," Grayson said, his voice breaking and lowering with each word before he stopped.
Gibbs watched him a moment and saw the tell tale signs of memory recall and he waited. Grayson's eyes were dull and faraway as he relived the next few moments of the story in his head. The young man finally looked up.
"He landed across from me, staring at me, with wide surprised eyes. There was nothing there anymore. I was on my feet then, ready to kill him. He had a smile on his face. But he wasn't done. Not by far. He grabbed Hawk by the neck and pushed him up against the wall and held him. I could see the terror in Hawk's eyes. They knew what Storm was capable of; they knew what he could do. We were all briefed.
"He asked me why we were sent there. I told him, to kill him. He didn't like that answer I could see the sneer in his smile. He shook his head and I thought he was going to kill Hawk but instead he simply knocked him across the temple. Hawk fell and stayed down. Jonas walked up to me then."
The car stopped and the two in the backseat looked up surprised. Levi shrugged his shoulders and got out of the car leaving them to finish their discussion. Grayson was a little bit relieved, but he also felt isolated. He saw Zack coming out of the cabin, and watched as Levi collared him and took him back inside.
"Continue," Gibbs said in a soft voice. Grayson looked at him and nodded.
"Things are sketchy. I get bits and pieces but I know that I took at least one more blow to the head. He cut…Hawk. Cut him bad. I remember that, trying to get information."
"What kind of information?"
"Anything he could. He just wanted to know what we knew. Hawk was whimpering. A bad ass spec op and he was whimpering. Made me want to throw up. I could see Rabbit trying to hold it all together, but he was slipping. There were probly six guards around the room, each heavily armed. We knew that things were going to get worse before they got better.
"I knelt down beside Hawk to help him tend to the cut, but Jonas kicked me off him and I was pinned by the throat to the wall by one of his goons. Jonas then squatted down in front of Hawk and knifed him in the side. It didn't kill him right away and we watched him…bleed to death. Jonas just sat there, hunched over and smiling, holding the bloody knife.
"I struggled against the guy holding me but took a few shots to my ribs for my trouble. My head was split, my ribs were aching, my lungs were on fire, but I struggled all the harder. Hawk was trying to cover his wound and apply pressure but he wasn't strong enough to ward off Jonas. He died there in front of us and then Jonas turned to Rabbit."
"I'd had enough. He was done torturing me in my eyes. I don't remember how but I got away from the guy holding me, ending up with his weapon. I killed him outright and took two shots at Jonas before turning to the others in the room with guns. Rabbit seemed to snap from his fear at the sound of gunfire and dove to the ground. He came up with a gun from somewhere. It all happened so fast I don't think my memory had time to imprint it you know?
"We managed to shoot our way out of that room, Jonas was gone, I don't know where he went. Rabbit and I managed to get down the hall before I stopped and planted the charges. It gave them enough time to converge on us. Rabbit took those hits like I told you before…and I tried to get away. Had to detonate, the ending is the same, but now you know. That's what really happened."
"He knew you were coming?"
"I'm positive of it. And now…now he's after me because I almost killed him. I know he had to be caught in the explosion, there was no way he escaped it. I guess he was just lucky, like I was."
"My team will find him," Gibbs said softly.
"I sure hope so because it's going to be hell on this leg if I have to go in after him," Grayson ground out as he exited the vehicle, making his way on his crutches towards his brother.
TBC…