The Escape: Of the Homeland
In a dark room, somewhere far away
A man sits hunched at his desk, staring intently at a computer screen. He watches in anger as two men walk through a private airport, military personnel surrounding his two targets. The CCTV footage fuzzes to black and white stripes for several moments as the streaming freezes over the bad internet connection. He taps several buttons on his phone.
"They're preparing for takeoff." He speaks. "Wait for my signal. They need to think they're safe."
.
ALASKA, United States of America
Two men dressed in black step off a small private plane. The younger one tightly clutches the elder's hand as they walk to their cab two suitcases in tow.
2 Hours Later
Jason unlocks the door to a medium-sized cabin on the outskirts of a small village. He steps inside and immediately cranks up the thermostat up to start the gas fireplace. He sets down their suitcases and heads back out to the waiting cab to fetch his son.
"C'mon Sammy." He coaxes his son out into the snow and into the house.
Sam sits on a loveseat next to the warming fireplace. He watches his father unpack their suitcases, placing their things in their respective adjacent bedrooms.
"Daddy? Dis our new home?"
Jason stops and sits down next to his son. He nods. "Yeah Sammy, this is our new home for a while; just until things settle down back at home."
"N'Kay." Sam states. "I like it here." He smiles widely, his eyes shyly avoiding Jason's gaze.
"Well I'm glad you like it." The General cracks a half-smile, kissing Sam's cheek. His face lights up when his son giggles.
He stands after a moment and continues to unpack. This would be their new safe house for now. Hopefully they would not have to stay long before returning to Canada. The military, but more importantly, Duke, had suggested he and Sam get the hell out of the country until they catch these guys. Between Greenland and Alaska, Jason had chosen Alaska. At least there were some people that lived there and from the looks of it, they weren't too unwelcoming.
After dinner, Sam and his father went to bed. Twenty minutes later, a light knock sounds on Jason's bedroom door.
"Daddy?" Sam calls quietly.
"Yeah baby. What's going on? Is everything okay?" He asks, opening his door.
"Can I sleep with you tonight? My bedroom's scary." Sam's eyes plead.
"Of course, Pooh Bear. C'mon, hop in here kiddo." He helps his son into bed and curls around him, pulling the thick covers over both of them. "Night Sammy. I love you." He whispers as his son snuggles further into him.
Over the next week, the pair meet the locals whom are more welcoming than Jason had originally expected. Sam is settling in nicely. The General was surprised that his son had not thrown a complete fit at the mere idea of leaving Canada, SRU and his teammates and even more shocked that Sam had actually been excited about leaving! 'Maybe he trusts me more than I thought he did.'
3 Days Later
Jason is sitting in the kitchen waiting for Sam to wake. They had made a fairly precise schedule on just about all of the daily routines and although Jason is not opposed to his son sleeping in, he is growing steadily concerned. Sam had never overslept this late before. The General stands from the table and walks to his son's bedroom. His stomach flips as he knocks on the door.
"Sam? It's time to wake up, Pooh Bear. Sammy?" He calls, pushing the door open. "Oh God." His heart drops like a shot down helicopter in enemy territory. Jason rushes to his son's bedside. "Sammy?" He breathes, placing a hand on the hot forehead beaded with sweat. "C'mon talk to me, sweetie."
"Daddy?" Sam whispers hoarsely.
"It's okay, Pooh Bear. I'm sure it's just a cold or the flu." He stutters, his brain working fervently to find an explanation for why his son looks so terrible so suddenly.
"I don't…feel very…good." He mumbles, his eyes closing to mere slits once more.
"It's alright, Sammy. I'm sure you're going to be fine in just a few days. Daddy'll take care of you, sweetheart." He strokes his son's forehead gently.
Over the next thirty-six hours, Sam's condition has deteriorated severely. He can no longer open his eyes or talk abouve emitting a quiet moan, his fever has risen significantly to 103.6 F. Jason has stayed up with him all hours trying to coax him to drinking and calming him down every time he gets sick. When Sam has a seizure one morning and never regains consciousness, Jason hurries out of the cabin to the doctor's nearby house.
"Please, my son needs help. I can't lose him again." He sobs pleading.
The doctor, Richard Grey, quickly grabs a large bag and follows the army general back to his cabin. Once in Sam's bedroom, Dr. Grey rapidly assesses his patient.
"Can you toss me a liter bag of Ringer's Solution?" He asks, grabbing a needle and catheter from his bag. Dr. Grey cleans the top of his patient's left hand with an antiseptic wipe before inserting the needle, attaching the catheter and the IV into the tube. He hangs the large bag on an IV pole and sets the drip of the fluids on the fastest setting. "How long has he been unconscious?"
"He had a seizure about an hour ago. I must've forgotten to give him his medicine this morning. He's been having such a hard time opening his mouth. I -"
"It's okay. There wasn't much you could have prevented. He has what we call ice-fever." Dr. Grey states.
"What in the world is that?"
"It happens when someone with a compromised immune system or if they are just not very healthy, comes in contact with an extreme temperature change; such as moving to Alaska. It usually sets in about a week later when the body can no longer regulate its temperature. Hence why he's having a fever. His body is overcompensating. It is so cold, his body is working very hard to keep warm and he is making himself very sick." The doctor informs.
"What can you do to make him better?"
"Well, he needs to eat. Preferably a high calorie, high fat diet. We can give him some food when he starts to wake."
The two men wait and watch for any signs that Sam is waking. Three hours later, he stirs slightly. Dr. Grey shows Jason what to feed his son and helps Sam as he struggles to open his jaw. With eyes closed and fever hovering at 103 F, the constable eats an incredibly small amount of food but he's eating nonetheless.
Over the next three days, Richard stays in the Braddock cabin. He is extremely worried about Jason's son but he does not allow any of his concerns show. The young man's father is far too troubled about his sudden illness to mention that Sam is not recovering at all like he should be by now. On the fourth day, the young constable does not wake. He does not stir, he does not grunt or groan, he has slipped into the abyss of unconsciousness once again. Dr. Grey sticks his new thermometer into Sam's ear. It reads 104.9 F.
"Jason? We need to get him to Ataninnuaq. He is what his name means – one who has lived and knows things. He is our healer essentially as well as a very wise old man." Richard states grimly.
"Why do we need him? You're the doctor!"
"I have done all I can with modern medicine and he is not getting better. If you want him to live, you will take him to Ataninnuaq. This is all I can do for him. I'm sorry." Dr. Grey packs up his bag and walks to the door.
"Where are you going?!" The General calls after him. "How am I supposed to find this healer person?"
"If you truly want to find him, your soul will lead you to him. Dress him in the hide parka if you take him outside." And with that, Dr. Richard Grey is gone.
Jason breathes out a heavy sigh as he walks back to his son's room. He is as motionless as ever and is having some trouble breathing. Tears fall silently onto the bear-hide parka lined with caribou hair as The General carefully dresses his limp son. He carries Sam out into the snowy tundra, protectively shielding him from the biting wind. Jason sets out walking east to the outskirts of the village, feeling like this healer's home is this way. Even in his thick ski parka, the bitter wind rips through the material.
'I need to get a hide parka soon too.' He thinks. He had bought one for Sam as soon as they arrived but thought he would be fine in his. Wrong.
He continues to walk through the packed snow. About ten minutes later, he comes across a small cabin with a little puff of smoke wafting out of a short chimney. He hesitates at the door, not knowing if he should knock or simply walk in. They were learning that most people in this Alaskan village do not knock so he opens the wooden door and steps into the cabin. He is instantly thrown into darkness, moments later, his eyes finally adjust to the dim lighting. A small fire burns in the center of the cabin and the rest of the house is lit by only a few short candles. A man, whom Jason assumes is Ataninnuaq, sits quietly in the corner of the one room house simply observing everything.
'He must be ancient.' Jason thinks, barely making out the weathered face and greying hairs.
"Please, can you-" He starts but the old man's hand signals for him to stop.
"Give me the boy." Ataninnuaq states abruptly, holding his arms out.
The General swallows nervously before gently laying his son in this man's stretched out arms. The house is silent for several moments as the fire crackles softly.
"Ice fever. He has been very sick. You waited. Why." The old man demands.
"Dr. Grey said he would get better within a few days. He stayed with us the whole time but he left today. He said he couldn't do anything else for him."
"You should have come as soon as you discovered him. He has the jerks, does he not?"
"The jerks?" Jason asks quite baffled.
"Seizures. Bad ones."
"Oh, yes, then I suppose he does have 'the jerks'. How did you know that?"
"I can give him an herbal remedy. It will work much better than the 'advanced' medicine you have him on. It will not make him sleepy either."
Jason stares confused at Ataninnuaq. How the hell did he know all of this?! He had never even seen Sam before, they didn't live in the same country until a little under two weeks ago.
"You brought him too late I will however try my hardest to revive him. You love him very much but there will be consequences for your delayed decision, ones your son will have to pay." He continues.
The General's mind stumbles over the word 'revive'. Had Sam passed while they were walking? No. Can't think about that now. He would have noticed if he had, right?
"Revive as in bring him back to the conscious world, not from the land of the dead." Ataninnuaq clarifies. He can only nod at the healer. "The fat you have been feeding him is good but blood is better. He needs to eat meat with fresh blood in it. You have three days to kill a hare and bring it back. He will die if you do not succeed in time." He pauses for a moment before continuing. "The bow and quiver are there." He points to a shelf near the door. "You need to wear the bearskin parka and caribou hide pants to stay alive. They should fit." He then turns silent and focuses his attention on Sam.
Jason notices that the old man had stripped his son of his parka and his protective layers of clothing.
"Why can't you help Sam now?!" He exclaims, growing frustrated.
"Why should I? I did not make him sick." Ataninnuaq states calmly.
"And I did?!"
"No, but you waited. You always wait, Jason. One in your positon cannot afford to wait and yet you always wait when it comes to young Samuel. You are too worried that you are going to make the wrong decision but you only hurt him more by waiting."
Jason bumps into the shelf behind him, startling himself even more. He had begun backing up at the beginning of the healer's response. "H-how do you know my name? How do you know my son?!"
Ataninnuaq simply glances up at the frightened father. "You are wasting your son's time. He does not have long before the stars whisper his name and whisk him to the heavens abouve where they will take care of him due to your failures." He then looks downwards at the torpid boy in his lap, not gazing back up again.
Jason quickly dresses in the hide parka and pants, grabbing the bow and quiver from the shelf and hurries outside, needing a breath of cold, fresh air to even begin to process what just happened. He searches desperately for a rabbit until dark, not finding any. He heads into the woods to try to find a place to camp.
Back in the small cabin, the healer rubs oils on Samuel's face, gently massaging the salve into his skin. The young man shows no sign of waking. Laying him down on the polar bear hide rug, Ataninnuaq exits to chip a decent chunk of ice from the edge of the near-empty meat cache outside. The twelve Siberian husky in a large fenced area, howl as they smell the bloody scent of meat. The old man cuts the best, fatty parts off the caribou meat, throwing it over the fence for the dogs to devour. He brings the small remaining portion inside to cook. He places the ice in a large metal pot and hangs it over the fire to boil into drinking water, once it is finished, he can then begin to cook the meat. He moves over to where Sam lies inert.
"Your father loves you. I expect he will finish his quest in time to save you, because only he can now."
The daylight passes quickly for Jason, he finds a hare but cannot knock his arrow fast enough to be able to shoot.
"I still don't know why I have to kill a rabbit with an arrow! It seems a bit ridiculous. A rabbit? Why a rabbit? Why an arrow? Why me?!" Jason mutters to himself, his stomach rumbling. "And the whole three days thing or Sam will – will die." He chokes thinking about his very sick son. He didn't even have the chance to say goodbye, if, God forbid, he passed away.
The army general sits down, his head in his hands. He loves Sam so very much, he cannot bear the thought of losing him, again. He does not spot another hare for the rest of the day in the dense forest. He curls up against a tree and falls into a restless slumber. Ataninnuaq's words resound in his head as he drifts asleep. 'You're wasting Sam's time, he does not have long, the stars will take care of him because of your failures.' Jason jolts wakes entirely exhausted and very, very cold. He hears the light snap of a twig and attempts to peer through the darkness, knocking his arrow in the bow, ready to release it at any sign of danger. He creeps to the edge of the woods where the bright moonlight glistens off the frozen bay and shoreline tundra.
There, in a pool of moonlight, a large, white snow hare sits quietly, unmoving. Jason's breath catches in his throat as he draws his arrow, almost too scared to release it – too scared to fail his son again. The serenity of the moment conflicts in his mind with the brutal act of murder he is about to commit. In one fluid movement, he releases the arrow and it flies with silent accuracy directly into his target, killing it on contact. He hurries to fetch his prize, thanking the rabbit profusely, feeling as if that is what he should do considering the hare's sacrifice.
He places the rabbit into the quiver, his hands shaking and frozen through his gloves. Jason walks in the direction he believes he had come from but much to his dismay, he finds his mind muddled and disoriented. He trudges through the snow until dawn, then he finds a familiar landmark he knew he came from the left of it. He had taken note of that. By dusk that is rapidly slipping into darkness, he stumbles into a clearing on the outskirts of the village. He spots Ataninnuaq's small home and falling often in the snow, he burst through the door, pulling the hare from the quiver and holding it in the air.
"I got it, I got it!" He exclaims excitedly. His mood is instantly crushed as he sees Ataninnuaq's grim face. "No, no! Sammy! How could he be gone?! You said three days! It's only been two! YOU SAID THREE DAYS!" Jason screams, sinking to his knees, cradling his son's head in his lap.
"This is the third night. You scarcely made it in time, he is hardly breathing. It will be up to Samuel to live now." The healer states solemnly.
"How – how has it been three days?" The General stutters. He tries to remember when he could have lost time when Ataninnuaq interrupts.
"You are sick. Hypothermia. Only the beginning stages. It is only a blessing from the stars that when you fell asleep, you woke again."
"Sleep. I must have slept for an entire day the second time I fell asleep!" Jason realizes.
"Then you are very lucky you woke at all." He pauses for a moment. "Quickly, give me the meat."
With expert skills, he skins the large hare and cuts small hunks of meat off, skewering them with a smooth, whittled stick. He turns the meat every few second for a couple minutes until most of the small bite-sized piece of rabbit is cooked. Ataninnuaq motions for the small jug of water to be handed to him. He dips his finger in the water, rubbing it on Sam's lips. Instead of the water rolling down his chin as it had been the past three days, Sam slowly opens his mouth just enough to feebly lick the water off his lips. The elderly man glances up at the young man's father, surprised.
"He heard your voice. He knows you have returned to save him." The healer states.
Jason continues to dab water on his son's lips. Ataninnuaq takes a piece of meat and pops it into his mouth.
"Hey! That was for Sam! I almost died trying to get that for him! How dare you-" He shouts.
The elder man hold his hand up, signaling for him to stop. He continues chewing the meat carefully. He brings a hand up to his mouth and swiftly spats out the rabbit meat that has been chewed nearly to a pulp. Jason looks rather disgusted at the meat. Ataninnuaq gently pries open Samuel's jaw after his father has his head slightly propped up so he won't choke. He places a quarter-sized amount of the chewed meat on his tongue, allowing Sam to taste it and simply swallow. They continue feeding Sam like this for over an hour, taking turns chewing the meat until it is soft and small enough for him to swallow. The young man soon falls asleep, taking no more meat as exhaustion overtakes him.
Ataninnuaq lays the 'boy' on the plush rug before kneeling next to a swooning Jason. His lips are tinged purple and his skin is cold as his eyes can barely open.
"You did good. You saved him. Now you need to rest, I will take care of you both." The healer reassures, bringing the glass jug of water to Jason's lips, pouring a small amount into his mouth. He lays The General down near the fire, placing a thick bear hide blanket over his shivering body.
All night, the knowledgeable one watches both younger men giving water, food and comfort to each as they fall into fitful slumbers. The next morning, Jason wakes first. He feels much better than he has in the past three days. Ataninnuaq helps him eat and drink. Placing a weathered hand on his forehead, the healer feels the heat returning to his body.
"The ice has left your veins and your lips are not their deadly shade of purple as they were all night but beginning to be warm pink and flush again." Ataninnuaq notices.
Nearly an hour later, Sam starts to stir until his eyelids begin to open. The healer intakes his breath sharply as he sees the young man's eyes. He reaches for a battered bottle of unused oil, quickly rubbing it on Sam's eyelids and on the dark bags underneath. He sighs as Jason squeezes next to him to see his son.
"What's wrong?" He asks, hearing the sigh and seeing the old man applying an oil of some kind to his son's eyes. "What's wrong with his eyes?"
"I told you there would be consequences for your delayed actions, consequences Sam would have to pay."
Jason nods unsure of what the healer is trying to say.
"What could be wrong with him? He's alive! He's awake! He's going to be okay! Isn't he?"
"Come, look at his eyes. A milky white film has coated them."
"Well, what is it? It will go away won't it?"
"In time. No more than a summer and winter before the film will disappear. But for now, Samuel is blind." Ataninnuaq states.
Jason's face drops as he gazes into his son's once crystal clear blue orbs now turned a translucent milky white.
"Sammy." He chokes, placing his hand on the side of his son's face.
"Daddy?" Sam whispers weakly. "Wh-where are you, Daddy?" His hands feebly reach for his father's soft voice. Jason takes Sam's hands and brings them to his face, his son's hands feeling around his eyes, nose and lips. "Daddy." He whispers a bit stronger, now satisfied knowing his father is next to him.
"How could this happen? I came in time."
"This is punishment for not bringing him straight away. Ice fever is ruthless. It harms and kills and blinds. I could have prevented this. But this is your punishment, having to watch your son suffer."
"But this is only temporary, right?"
"Yes, it can last up to a year and then it should fade, everything returning to normal again. His vision will not stay impaired. As for now, however, he will only see black; deep dark blackness. You will need to protect him and watch his every move to make sure he stays out of harm's way. He trusts you very much to keep him safe and that is what we expect you to do." Ataninnuaq states, standing to fetch more ice.
"When should I take him home?"
The healer turns around to face The General.
"Give him one week's time to recover."
One week later, Sam and Jason are home again. The General is having a hard time adjusting to his son's temporary handicap but Sam doesn't seem to hardly notice. As soon as he hears his father's voice every morning, he knows everything is going to be okay.
2 Weeks Later
Sam and his father have come back from their daily walk around the village, visiting the locals and popping in for old, legend stories that the young constable enjoys so much. Jason has been growing a bit worried about his son. Ataninnuaq has given him an herbal remedy for his 'jerks' as the healer calls them and it has been working phenomenally; Sam has not had a seizure in weeks. However, The General is more concerned about his son's autism (ASD). They have been steadily running out of it and Jason has been cutting his son's dosage to try to make the medication last. He cannot order any more medication either, for fear of giving away their location. This is their safe house after all and it's not so safe if their attackers know where they are. He decides to talk to Ataninnuaq to see if he has any suggestions for alternative medicines.
'Ugh! I forgot to pick up those herbs Mrs. Caternshee was going to give us. I'll have to go back before the storm hits.'
"Alright, here we are, Pooh Bear." He states as they reach the door. He leads Sam inside and sits him down on the couch. His son can pretty much find his way around the house without assistance. "Hey Sammy? I have to run back out for a minute. Will you be okay here?" Sam nods his head absent-mindedly. "Okay, thanks sweetheart. I love you. I'll be back in just a few minutes." He promises.
Twenty minutes later, he returns. His heart drops to his feet as he sees their cabin door wide open, snow blowing into the house.
"SAMMY?! Sammy!" He shouts, quickly searching the house for his son. "No, no no no no no!" He drops the herbs on the floor and pulls the door shut tight as he races back to the village and Dr. Richard Grey's house. "Sam," He pants. "Sam's gone. He must've wandered off, he's not in the house, he'll freeze out here!"
"Okay, okay slow down. Take a breath, now explain what happened." Richard states calmly. Once Jason has explained the situation, Dr. Grey hurries him to the meeting building in the center of the village, calling for an emergency meeting.
Word is spread quickly and the majority of the village is in the large building within minutes. Dr. Grey begins describing Sam to the locals, telling them he has gone missing. Their reactions are not helping the situation. Many are chuckling and waving their hands placidly, some walk out.
"What is wrong with you people? My son is missing!" Jason nearly screams.
"He has simply gone off to find himself, to find his soul. Everyone does at one point, usually when they are young. He needs this. He will return when it is time. You have no reason to be so panicked, Jason." A man about The General's age states.
"You don't understand! He hasn't wandered off to 'find' his soul! He's blind!"
The faces of every person in the room blanch. They had not known that.
"Well shoot! Why didn't you say that first?! We got a storm coming! There's polar bear out there, he could walk too far out in the bay and fall in the ice! We have to get moving!" The same man cries. They instantly begin assigning teams and areas to search. Walki-talkies are distributed to each team and they quickly set out with first aid kits, snow mobiles and high hopes of finding the young man before the storm hits. They have four hours, give or take.
Everyone searches for Sam, adrenaline and worry rushing through their veins. Jason has no idea where Sam could have gone, it's not like Sam really knows where he's going either, or if he has his hide parka and pants on still. Hypothermia could set in quickly without the proper protection. Jason is a panicked mess. He needs to find his son. He needs to know that he's okay. Two hours pass, no one has seen any sign of Sam, the wind from the approaching blizzard is clearing all tracks that might have given them significant clues. Another hour of yelling and radio silence passes, some of the groups further out have started to double back, perhaps they missed the young man the first time.
Nearing the fourth hour and the very strong blizzard sweeping in from the bay, nearly everyone's hopes are destroyed. Sam would surely die of hypothermia if he were swept up in the blizzard and by the time they could send out another search party, an animal would most likely have eaten all of his remains.
"Sammy!" Jason cries, tears frozen on his face, bitter wind stinging every millimeter of exposed skin. "Sammy I love you!" He sobs.
Dr. Grey and the obnoxious man, Clipper Suek, as well as the rest of their small group try to comfort him but it is useless. They all know that the chance of finding Sam on their way back is extremely slim and they need to turn back now before they are caught in the storm.
Clipper stops just as they are about to turn around. "Polar bear." He states, nodding north-westward. They group turns to find the silhouette of the looming creature a few hundred yard diagonal to them. Clipper and Richard hold their rifles low but ready to fire as they approach the bear. Jason follows behind.
The gigantic creature rears, standing on its two hind legs as the trio comes nearer. It lets out a low, loud growl. Then, it does something strange. It looks down at something on the ground in front of it, taking a huge paw and gently strokes at whatever is hidden behind the bank of snow.
"Must be a mama, don't want to get too close then. They can be awfully protective of their babies." Clipper states in a warning tone.
Jason shakes his head. "No, it's a male. See?" He points to the barely visible gender defining parts not quite hidden under its thick fur.
Richard and Clipper look closer and agree. "Well that's just plain weird. Why's he acting like a female? What's he got in front of him that he's so protective of?" Clipper asks for everyone else. "We'll figure it out, he'll make nice meat for a good long time this winter and maybe he's got a fresh kill and we'll have that too." The group advances further.
Suddenly, Jason has a strange urge to begin talking to the bear, cooing at it, almost like a child.
"It's okay, we're not going to hurt you. That's it. Good boy, good boy." He murmurs repeatedly.
They are within a yard of the bear and he could easily swing his giant paw at them, killing the three of them but the great beast drops onto all fours, nudges the object in front of him with his nose and slowly lumbers off, stopping and watching the humans from a safe distance. The three men quickly scale nature's embankment.
"Oh. My. God." Richard stutters. "Jason? You might want to see this." He motions to the object below him.
His stomach in nervous knots, Jason peers over the snow.
"Sam!" He cries, leaping over the low wall of snow to cradle his son. "Oh Sammy, you scared me so badly, Pooh Bear. I love you. I love you so much!" He whispers, tears freely flowing down his cheeks.
"I can't believe it." Clipper states in a low voice, still very aware of the nearby polar bear. "That bear was actually protecting your son. He must've known that we were going help him, that's why he walked away and probably why he's still waiting, making sure we'll take him back to the village." He pauses, shaking his head in astonished disbelief. "That's incredible. I've never seen anything like that before."
Richard helps Jason lay his son in the bed-like structure behind the snow mobile, checking him for any injuries inflicted by the bear.
"No injuries, just the growing stages of hypothermia. He's been out here for a while, I'm surprised it's not more advanced. That polar bear must have been keeping him warm. But we do need to get him back to the village ASAP if we don't want it to get any worse."
The group takes off, snow flying behind them. Jason watches the massive white bear as they speed away. He sits near the edges of the forest watching them until they are far enough away and he stands, lumbering off.
Sam is immediately dropped off at their house and Richard begins medical treatment to reverse the effects of hypothermia immediately. In a few days, Sam is awake and talking. He is very tired but his body returns to normal temperature and over the course of a week, he is back to his peppy, lovey self again.
Jason insists that his son sleep with him until he is fully recovered and although neither would admit in public, they absolutely adore cuddling up next to each other in bed every night.
All is at peace when Sam curls into his father and says: "I love you, Daddy" in his slight lisp and goofy smile. They may have troubles, Sam may be blind and autistic, but both are happier than they have ever been before, at peace with all their troubles living in a small Alaskan village.
TORONTO, Canada
Team One has been agitated ever since Sam was in the base hospital. They have been unable to speak to their teammate since he left the station that day in search for his captive father. The military did alert Greg that both would be placed in a safe house, having absolutely no contact with their friends, family or current associates. They had also strongly advised that the team filled Sam's position with a 'temporary' replacement until they had taken care of the pressing situation at hand. Sam was gone and they had no way to contact him. More than that though, is they had no idea when he would able to come back, if ever! They had hastily chosen a replacement they could tolerate, but he was no Samtastic. There are many days when Team One wonders if they will ever see Sam again or if his father going to hide him away forever? Will he ever come back to the team?
In a dark room, very far away:
"Everything is ready, sweetie. You just have to tell me when you want to finish them once and for all." He states, kissing his 'wife.' Once her lousy husband is dead, they will have a joyous marriage together. Jacqueline had only insisted she did not file for divorce with the General because it would "hurt them more to know I want to and will kill them both." She had stated.
She nods. Our king cobras slither and hiss on the floor, swirling around her ankles.
"Come Salem." She coos to her shiny black cobra. He hisses in delight, slithering up her arm and draping himself around her neck. She looks down at my snake, Circe, with disgust. "Kill." She commands coldly.
Salem immediately slides to the floor. The ghostly silver streak running down his flank glistens dangerous as he rears and strikes Circe. In one fluid movement, his venomous fangs puncture her neck. For a moment, she tries to fight but she quickly flops limply in Salem's locked jaws. Dead. Salem releases his kill and slithers back to Jacqueline, rising up, his body dancing as he waits for praise.
"Good boy." She states, giving him a single pat on the head.
The man's face drops as he watches Circe be killed, a helpless bystander. Still unable to comprehend why his fiancé ordered his snake's death and mystified by Salem's dangerous training, he simply stares at Jacqueline as she begins to walk out of the room. She snaps once and Salem quickly follows her, stopping as she does at the threshold.
"Clean that miserable excuse of an animal up will you?" She states coldly, spinning on her heels, Salem closely following her.
'A deadly attack will surely ensue.' The man thinks. 'I only wonder who will fall victim.'
A/N: Please review! I apologize for the slow post and long chapter! I just finished my final exams on Friday I'm finally finished with school! Final chapter coming shortly, we'll see who ends up being the victim in this 'deadly attack'. Thanks again for reading! I love reviews from you guys!
