Chapter 66

A/N Happy 2019. I wanted to make this a sort-of Die Hard-style action in this chapter.

January 1, 1913

It is the new year, and it had been a little over a week since Jesse's kidnapping from the church, and things were no better for the newly-wed, as she had spent sleepless nights wondering what has happened to her beautiful husband. Jessica was in the kitchen, preparing breakfast when Jack ran into the kitchen, his barefoot clapping on the linoleum floor.

"Mommy, where's Daddy?"

Jessica sighed. She was getting worried, as she didn't hear from her husband since Christmas, before they left for Philadelphia. She was especially worried of her little brother, and if he could fight his way from the situation he was in. She was more worried of the elder Bukater, whether she could live on her own, after Jack helped rescue his friend. She only saw Fabrizio for a night, before he boarded the train onward to Philadelphia the next day, in helping Jack and her husband in what would be the daring rescue that would soon follow.

"Daddy had to go and get your uncle from a bad man, or shall we say, a pirate." Jessica knew her son enjoyed pirates, so that was the only analogy she could give to her son. Jack could envision his uncle, Jesse, sword fighting with Blackbeard, and his loyal sidekick on his shoulder the parrot. He could see Jack, his father, and his "grampa" on the ship, also fighting Blackbeard and his bad crew.

During their stay at the Almstead residence, Marion's parents were still comforting their youngest daughter, as they knew their sons were also in the assistance of finding and rescuing Jesse from the Hockleys. Soon, Jessica serves the breakfast, as everyone makes their way to the table. Marion simply picked at her eggs, potatoes, and bacon; the memories of watching her now husband doing the cooking came flooding back. She closed her eyes, and pictured the beautiful sight of Jesse, handing her a hot, steaming plate of food, smiling, and that hair always hung over one eye. He knew how to cook a scrumptious meal, as a tear rolled down her cheek. Her mother tries to encourage her daughter to eat something at least, and had even told her that Jesse would make his way out. Marion's mother didn't place the blame on Jesse, it was just an unfortunate series of events that had led up to that time. She had erased all doubt once she laid eyes on Jesse, as Marion didn't tell her mother what Jesse really looked like, or what he had done.

...

Back at the Hockley steel plant Cal and his servant kept Jesse in a locked office, and was on constant watch, as they knew he tried to make his daring escape back in the storage room, and somehow had gotten his hands on some food. Cal knew that gutter rat would try to make his way into his plant as well, and try to rescue Jesse, like it was back at the ship. Cal was getting tired of this old charade going on.

"Where is Rose?!" Cal shouted, as Jesse only looked on at him. He had been repeating that question since he was taken in captivity, just for meeting Rose, and worse, Jack had taken her away. Cal didn't want to deliver any more punches; Jesse was too valuable to be beaten to a pulp or killed. He had already suffered a bruise below his left eye, as if trying to make a payback for his back on the Mauretania. Jesse also suffered a minor concussion, and a cut on his lower lip.

"How about we make his father pay a ransom for the return of his son?" the servant had suggested many times now. Cal puts his hand on his chin.

"Yes. That's exactly what I was thinking. Earlier I thought we could have a small get-together, but instead, a ransom will be needed. How does that sound, my boy?" Cal rubs his hands together, as a diabolical plan begins to fall into action.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. The servant goes to answer it, while he holds the pistol, ready to shoot. He opens the door. A telegram was sent from his father, and it needed to be sent urgently to Cal. The servant slams the door, then hands the telegram to Cal.

He swiped the telegram from his servant, then reads the contents contained therein. He slowly brings the paper down, as a single tear slowly falls from his eye. His father's health was failing, from the stress that his son was never going to bring home a wife, and to provide an heir to his company. He had also unfortunately named Cal as the sole proprietor to his fortune, and his business, despite not bringing and marrying, in the will he had written many years ago. He squeezes the paper, as he wasn't ready to give up the fight, not at least he still had Jesse, in his clutches. He had to go on with his plans, even if his father was dying in the hospital.

His servant looked out the window. This could complicate things, or it could go his way.

"Sir, there's someone walking up the drive."

Cal walks to the window. Mr. Williams was making his way to the plant. Cal quickly tied Jesse's arms behind him, then gagged him once more.

"Come, Walter. You distract that man down there, while I go and take care of this one." Walter heads towards the front entrance, while Cal tries to get ahold of Jesse's toned shoulder as they make their way down a darkened corridor, while his employees looked on, horrified they might be next because of the strike. He had a small pistol pressed in the small of his back. They come across a door, and they both went in. There were shouts, sounds of metal clanging and sparks raining down as Cal continues to drag Jesse through the hazardous work place. They walked past a place where workers pushed a ladle containing molten liquid metal that being poured from the vat into a trough, and Jesse could feel the intense heat from the white hot liquid began flowing, and begins to sweat from it, making him look like he was just working there. They make it to another door, and disappears from sight, as Cal lets the door slowly close behind them.

...

"Hello. How may I help you today?" the female receptionist asked, looking up from her cluttered paperwork on her desk.

"Hello, might I inquire of Mr. Hockley?" Mr. Williams asks, as a large man stood towering over them. He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"I'll take it from here, miss." he says, then the girl stood up, before leaving the men.

"And you are?" Walter asks.

"I was a former associate of Mr. Hockley's, I was to inform him of a missing boy a week ago, at a wedding, and I was wondering if he has seen him?" Henry tries his best to come up with a convincing story, hoping the large man in front of him wouldn't recognized he was looking for his son.

...

Meanwhile, Jack, Jon and Fabrizio made their way across the large snow covered yard of the Hockley steel plant. They ran into Mr. Highland's sons, named Milton and Thomas. Thomas was the eldest of four children of the Highland family, and Milton was second. Thomas once worked for the Hockley's when he too left the business because of the unethical treatment of his employees, and gone back to working with his father in the mine outside of Pittsburgh, while his younger brother came in from New York. Their younger sister stayed back in Vermont, with her husband in Montpelier, where they originally lived, until Mr. Highland founded a mine near Pittsburgh. Thomas led the group, since he was familiar with the Hockley plant layout. They came to a locked door, when Jack began to fashion a piece of metal to make a key, that Jesse had taught him back on the Titanic, and unlocks the door.

They make their way inside, as an employee was shocked to see the men breaking into Cal's business. Thomas takes him to the back, where he knocks the person unconscious, but didn't kill him. They continue through, until Milton sees Cal, with Jesse in tow, in the catwalks above them. Thomas breaks from the crowd, followed by Jon and Milton, leaving Jack to his own devices. Jack went in the opposite direction from the men, and went up the stairs, leading up to the catwalks. Suddenly he hears a bullet wiz past before ricocheting. Jack ducks, then prepares his pistol. He stays down, until the bullet once again ricochets below him. He looks down, and sees a large man aiming for him, through the small openings of the walkway. With heart racing, and adrenaline pulsing through, Jack bolted, while the man is still shooting at his feet. Sparks fly from the ricocheting bullets as Jack makes a mad dash into a corridor, then he slams the door. He pants, as he sits down on the floor, and his matted hair fell in his face. Jack sits back, gun pointed forward, as he still breathes hard. He turns, before getting up, then makes a run again.

Milton makes his way to an office, gun drawn in front of him. He enters the office, then points the gun inside. He retracted the weapon, then cautiously walks in. He turns on the light, only to be greeted by rubbish in the room, with shelving carrying even more rubbish. He rolls his eyes, before walking out of the room.

Jon walks along the darkened warehouse, with a pipe in hand. He heard a loud banging coming from somewhere, as if someone dropped a barrel from a distance. His heart began pounding in his ears, as his eyes tried to adjust to the darkness. Suddenly he heard scrambling footsteps above him. He looks up, and sees Cal still dragging Jesse along. He fires a shot at Jon, nearly missing him in the shoulder. Jon runs along the corridor, until he came to a locked door. He tried to ram the door with his shoulder, but the door didn't budge. Instead, his shoulder began to ache, and he starts rubbing it. He heard shots coming from behind, then he turns. Eric pointed the gun at the door, opening it. Jon smiled, as his brother finally came to his aid once more. Both brothers run in, as they continue to find Jesse.

Matthew had finally arrived, much to his father's dismay for being so late. He was also as mad that Jesse was kidnapped, and wanted to kill the madman, but his father didn't want that to happen.

"Where the hell were you? Your sister tried to contact you, and yet you were always away from home." Henry shakes his head at his eldest son.

"Father, you know how much work has accumulated over the past few months, and work is continuing to pick up." Matthew tried to defend himself on why he was late, but his father knew better, as he was going to the taverns and hanging out with his friends almost every night.

"I told you Jesse might get himself into this mess someday." Matthew says, as they silently walked towards the compound.

"Now's not the time for that! He's still your little brother. Give him a break." his father snapped.

Matthew and Henry began sneaking around the Hockley compound, as he began to worry about the safety and whereabouts of his son, and his friends that are pulling this rescue. They followed the freshly made foot prints in the snow, until they made their way to a door that had been picked. They entered, and heard something that was rustling in the dark, followed by a groan. Both Henry and Matthew saw a man slowly getting back to his feet. Matthew puts the man out again, before continuing through the corridor, until they were stopped by an enclosed fence. They looked up, and they saw a catwalk. Henry led the way, with Matt in tow, until they came to a gate that had been shot open. The men entered where they followed the staircase leading to the catwalks. They came to a 'T' intersection. Henry and Matthew embraced before telling each other to be safe, then separated. Henry dug into his coat pocket for his pistol, as he tried to adjust his eyesight in the darkened warehouse.

Thomas makes his back to the production floor, as workers around him pour hot molten steel in vats before pouring them in troughs. It was very hot, as Thomas wipes the sweat from his brow, even hotter than the mines he's ever been. He begins to turn around, when the door had locked. He continued through the mills, until he came to a door, that led him back to the front of the building. He pockets the gun, before making his way through the busy corridor as throngs of people, from workers to Hockley clients and associates, even lawyers, walk past. He kept a watchful eye out on both his new brother-in-law and the man that tried to kill him earlier. Suddenly he heard a door slam in the distance, despite the clamoring going on. He followed where the source of the noise came from, then went inside. There was another corridor with dimly lit lights hanging overhead.

There were only three doors in front of him. Thomas draws his gun once more, as he prepares to open the center door. He opens, and was immediately greeted to the outside, as snow began to fall. Thomas lowers his gun, then sees fresh footprints in the snow. He leans closer, as he sees a second set, as if being dragged. He drew his gun once more, then he carefully followed the sets of tracks in the snow, which led him to a smaller run-down shack.

...

Cal tied Jesse to a metal pole, then trained the gun to the door. Beads of sweat dot his forehead, as he knew he was beginning to be cornered by Jesse's friends and relatives. A door suddenly closed somewhere behind him. Cal turned, gun still trained, but all he could see was darkness. Jesse tried to slowly wriggle from his captivity, as Cal frantically searches who might be in the room. He shot blindly in the darkness, as one of the bullets whizzes past, narrowly misses Jack's head, as he tries to take cover behind a wooden barrel.

"AAAARGHH!" Cal screams, then charges to where the noise came from. Walter comes in, and Cal nearly shoots him in the enragement, as his blood was still boiling, and adrenaline was pulsing through his veins. He looks frantically, before making his way back to Jesse. He untied Jesse, as he holds the pistol next to his head.

"COME AND GET HIM!" Cal screams, as his voice echoes off the empty concrete walls. "COME ON!"

Jesse's heart begins pounding, as he felt the metal press into his skull, then Cal fires a shot into the roof of the building, before putting the gun back next to his head. Thomas slowly came out of the shadows, gun trained at Cal, as he tries to cover behind the tall yet wiry frame of the boy.

"Why don't you ever get fat?" Cal asks.

"I can't-" Jesse answers, as Cal got a good hold of him.

"Let's not do this." Thomas says, gun still trained on Cal.

"NO! Put down your gun, or this kid gets it!" Cal shouts, pushing the gun deeper against Jesse's body.

Meanwhile, Jack slowly crawls, still under the cover of the shadows. He pulls his gun, aiming carefully at Cal.

"Don't move any closer. I mean it! Don't come any closer! Stay where you are!" Cal yells at Thomas. He begins to drag Jesse into a darkened area of the building.

Thomas smiles, showing the gun to Cal before throwing the gun aside. Cal gave Thomas a sneer, before pointing the gun towards him.

"Big mistake, sir. And now I must finish my duty." He pulls the hammer, then slowly pulls the trigger, as Jesse shuts his eyes, preparing himself for the worst.

He heard the shot going off.