12th Precinct, Present Time

To Serve and Protect

Chapter 15 - Highway To The Dangerous Zone

Ukraine Front

They were speeding to the Polish border to avoid the Russian invasion. Signs of war were everywhere. Missiles in the air, fighter planes and helo's overhead, buildings being hit, people fleeing, collateral damage all around. The local radio stations were keeping people informed as best they could on the invasion. It was chaos but so far they had avoided contact with the Russians.

Jackson Hunt looked at his fuel gauge and then realized that the three full 5 gallon gas cans they had brought with them had allow them enough to get well past the Polish border. His granddaughter Alexis had been taping videos of the invasion as they headed to the Polish border and has enough for several more Podcasts for her online paper 'The Scroll'.

"Grandpa Jack, how are you doing? I made you a sandwich if you are hungry", she hands him a sandwich. They had enough food to last them to the border and then some.

"Thanks Pumpkin", he replies using his son's affectionate name for her and taking the sandwich.

They had been traveling all night with lights out to avoid detection. Jackson used his infrared night goggles that allowed him to "see" in the dark. Earlier, they had sought concealment in a forest to avoid being spotted and attacked by Russian fighter aircraft overhead. That was at the start of the invasion. Jackson had then decided to wait there in the forest for the night and then head out under the cover of darkness. It was a wise choice as they had come across many vehicles and bodies that had been hit earlier during the day by the Russian Air Force.

Dawn had happened about an hour ago, and they were about 170 miles from the Polish border. So they could be there in three to four hours depending on their travel speed, road conditions, and presence of Russian troops. When they had traveled last night, they tried to use the main highway mostly, but where country side roads could get them where they had to go with much more chances of not being detected, they opted for the side roads. They were now on the main highway to Poland.

Fletcher's Secret Lair

The shower had Kate fully refreshed. The Buddy Portable Shower also heated the water in its reservoir with a built in butane heater, run off a gas canister. So Kate not only took a shower, but a hot one. As she dried herself off with the thick soft towels her captor had provided, she inspects the lingerie she was to wear for later. It was extremely X-Rated and one her husband would love to strip off of her for one of their romantic nights together. Kate makes a mental note of the brand and style of the lingerie. She plans to buy it for her husband after all this is over, or maybe take this one if it was not taken as evidence when she is rescued.

She will keep up the pretense of going along with Fletcher on his disturbing fantasy for her until the very last moment... if it should go that far! If this role play went to that extent, then she would be prepared to use physical force to stop Fletcher. She was hoping for one of two possible good outcomes, number one, Rick saves her before this role playing gets more complicated than it already had become, or two, her captor truly is unable to do the 'deed' as his dysfunction prevents such, then she would strike and physically disable him.

She no sooner finishes checking her hair, makeup, outfit when she hears Fletcher knock on the bedroom door.

"Dinner is done, time to start your night of total surrender to me!"

The tone of his voice is lustful and deeply disturbing in it's tone. His remark, sends a chill down Kate's spine. She feels totally exposed and vulnerable here. She takes a few calming seconds and then answers as seductively as she can, "Are you sure you are up for this, Sir", knowing he will get the meaning of her double entendre. When he did, he would realize that Kate just paid him a verbal left handed compliment. She hoped it sent him a message however veiled it may be.

Fletcher pays no attention to how she stated her message but replies sarcastically back to her, "That is not the pertinent question here. The question should be, 'are you ready to become my submissive slave?', here only for me, to do what I demand from you. Fail to do my bidding tonight and not satisfy my proclivities, and I will end you, as I take what I want from you! Is my message clear!"

So he did get the message and his reaction showed his anger. His response is dark and sinister and certainly not one of a man who has intimacy problems. Kate starts to doubt that her plan to stop Fletcher is an effective plan. He has a height and weight advantage over her. Kate being a skilled martial artist can size up a opponent with a mere glance. What she sees in her captor is he can easily overpower her, but Kate knows she will respond with speed, skill, and ferocity if it came to that. He will not ravish her without paying a price. A price that might end in his death rather than hers. In the very least, she would injure him severely.

Kate takes a yoga-like calming moment and then responds to his ominous warning, "You Sir have no idea! I will test your stamina, so do try and keep pace. The one who yields first will not be me."

"Feisty, I like it. We'll see if your bravado matches your claims. Yours my pet shall be a complete defeat and submission to my will. I do not plan on being the first to yield. It is you who must worry about keeping pace with me. So disappoint me at your peril."

"Touche! We will see how well you parry", she retorts, in defiance to what he had declared.

Her banter with Fletcher was meant both to challenge and to aggravate him. She did not want to appear too willing so she is playing hard to get. It is also a delaying tactic to his evil plans for her, but knowing his character profile, she also knows he loves a challenge. This as she had surmised Fletcher wanted some spice to appeal to his already big ego. By her being difficult to suppress, that was foreplay for him. So all the sweeter it would be for him once he forces her into submission. She fully intended to flame his dark desires by dangling herself in front of him. She would be the carrot to his stick. This teasing meant to distract and annoy him to delay him momentarily from killing her.

After their vocal tryst, they were both ready for dinner. Seems their verbal sparring match had created an appetite in both of them. Her captor had cooked the dinner and it is a well prepared dinner. One of Kate's favorites... steak, baked potato, grilled vegetables with wine, lots and lots of wine. Fletcher could give her husband a run for the money when it came to culinary skills.

The dinner was delicious and she was ashamed to enjoy it given her circumstances. Towards the end of their meal her captor raises his wine glass for a toast. By then they were on their third maybe fourth glass and Kate was experiencing a buzz. As she sipped her wine for the toast, she felt dizzy, the room starts to spin, and then nothing, she blanks out.

She comes to after awhile, but does not know how long she was out. Then she notices. Her wrists are cuffed above her head, and she is suspended from the ceiling with chains. She feels the pain in her wrists from her weight. To relieve the pain, she has to stand tip-toed on the floor.

Then she sees her captor. He speaks to her once again in a predatory manner.

"Now we begin our play session my captive Pet! You are here to please me. Your sexual charms will be sampled tonight. I so look forward to it."

Fear runs thru Kate's body. She can not fight back and stop him in her current position. She had not anticipated being retrained like this for their night's event. She is helpless to do anything and Fletcher has her right where he needs her. He has complete control over her; to subject her to whatever his disgusting desires leads him to do. He can take from her what he wants, and she will have no fight against it. This man is a true monster. There is no place in hell good enough for this deviant.

Fletcher comes up to her, eyeing her lustfully. Kate is shivering involuntarily. Her body is betraying her despite her efforts to stay calm. She has never been in such a situation as to be so helpless and so defenseless from a predator. She is trying to still her mind. She will not let her fear take over, but her body continues to betray her thoughts. Kate's body is shivering involuntarily. Fletcher interprets her shaking as fear, deep fear, and it feeds his lust to have such control over the victim he chose.

Her captor comes up to her. He enters her private space, knife in hand. He cuts away her teddy, ripping it away from her body and throwing it carelessly down to the floor, leaving her exposed. She now is clad only in the skimpy bra and tong string panties that came with the lingerie ensemble. He stares at her so lasciviously and Kate sees in his eyes his intent to savage her, to possess her, to bend her will to his. It is sheer domination he seeks of her, in mind and in body. She feels so dirty and is again repulsed with this view of the man intent to take her by force.

She realized that Fletcher's dysfunction is not showing up in this behavior. She was hoping to see it and respond by taking him out. But chained up as she is, even if the dysfunction come out, she could not take advantage of it. Her Plan A was not going as she had thought it would.

"Please sir, don't do this, I've been good as your pet. Have I not?", her voice is trembling as she speaks, trying to appeal to his better judgment. She is sounding so defeated, so helpless, and it boosts Fletcher's ego once again. He has reduce this strong woman to this now pathetic state.

"Oh my pet, I told you I would sample your charms tonight. I am a man of my word. This is how I treated my last pets, before I took them forcefully, after I killed them, giving them peace. They did not speak or even scream out when I finally took possession of their bodies, so satisfied and content they had been to please me. But you must keep pace. You promised you would not yield first. Are you not a woman who keeps her promises?"

By his words Kate now sees how truly delusional and twisted her captor is; it is terrifying for her! She fights for control of her body and her mind. She will not surrender to this hideous maniac. She turns quiet and goes to her safe place in her mind. In his eyes she sees his dark primal hunger. His need to dominate his female victims. He is looking at her, penetrating her, with that look, those eyes so sinister. Kate feels violated by his stare as he looks at her like she is his to possess. A treat that his hunger will consume, will devour , to quench his insatiable need to finally have her submit to him. Total submission for him, the unbridled surrender he had wanted from her.

Now Kate knows what he truly meant about being submissive, but her mind is racing. This does not fit his profile or did it? Was this the only way he could get so aroused so as to consummate his twisted hideous perversions about her?

He takes the point of the knife and teases her body with it, but not drawing blood. He runs the tip of the knife up and down her whole body. He teases her legs with it, runs the point of the knife up the side of her legs, then brings it to the inside of her thighs. Moving up her long sexy thighs just short of her core. Kate remains so still , not wanting to move and cause the knife to stab her and draw blood. She is totally and truly terrified of her fate here!

Fletcher then brings the point of the knife to her breasts. He teases her from the outside thru the thin material of her teddy bra. He fondles her breasts with the knife like he is caressing them. Kate closes her eyes and lets the fear come and tries to dispel it. She prepares herself to die at that very moment and thinks of her family. She feels sorrow that she will not see them before the end of her life, her existence.

Then it happens! A loud alarm beeping from Fletcher's lap top. The sound of the alarm fills the rail car with it's annoying loud tone and tenor. It is deafening to the point of hurting one's ears. Her tormentor is startled and drops his knife, looking to his computer to view the screen. He sees them, the SWAT team, surrounding his rail car. Then a window is shot out and two objects are hurled thru the broken and now quite open window. One is a smoke grenade, the other a gas grenade.

This is just the distraction Kate needed. She pulls herself up on her chains, raises her legs, and with full strength, hits Fletcher directly on his chest. He falls back from the hit. Before he can recover to react to her chest kick, Fletcher gags as he starts to inhale both the smoke and gas from the two items thrown into his car. Moments pass, leaving Fletcher on the floor now totally incapacitated and out cold.

Kate upon seeing Fletcher gagging on the smoke and gas released into the rail car, takes one final breath and keeps it in her lungs. She does not know how long she held her breath, but she starts to pass out. Her eyes drift close. Then she feels it, an oxygen mask around her mouth and nose, she takes in a huge gulp of clean air. Next she feels her wrists being released from her overhead restraints. Someone had used bolt cutters to free her from her chains. She had lost consciousness for a brief moment but when she recovers and opens her eyes, it is with the view of her husband, cradling her. Rick takes off her oxygen mask and plants a kiss, so longing and so passionate, to her lips.

"Kate, I thought I had lost you", he says, "but now I have you back!"

Polish Border With Ukraine

They made it, they were safely in Poland, and none the worse for wear! Along the way they had passed a damaged car with a women, holding her baby, and crying over the body of a man. Jackson quickly stopped the SUV. They carried the injured man to their SUV and put him in the back seat along with his wife and child. Alexis took the front passenger seat and they speed towards the border, all the while the woman thanking them profusely for their help. When they arrive at the border, they release the family to the Polish authorities. That woman and her family were but one of the many who were now seeking asylum in Poland.

"We made it Lex!", Jackson says to his grand daughter, as they are now at the safe house.

"Thanks to you grandpa Jack. Thank you for having my back."

"It is my duty as your grand parent to keep you safe and also because I love you so Lexy."

Alexis' heart softens at her grandfather's remark. She gives him a big hug and kiss.

"Ok already, we still have another hour or so to prepare to leave the safehouse to get back home. So let's take showers, change to clean clothes, and then depart for our air transport. We can get more sleep on the plane. Sound good to you pumpkin."

"Lead the way grand dad!"