## Giving Back

Post by dreadnaught3200 » Sun Apr 27, 2008 2:47 pm

Hey everybody.
Iâ€™ve been coming to this forum as a guest for quite some time, and Iâ€™ve wanted to give something back. Unfortunately I donâ€™t have any true stories of my own to tell, so I decided to write this.
Bear in mind a few things.
Iâ€™m not the greatest writer. Not by any stretch of the imagination. So please forgive for me for my many mistakes and clumsy sections.
Also, you may notice that I give no physical description of the damsel in distress. I did this so you can use your own imaginations. You can picture anybody you like, be it yourself, or somebody else.
Also this is a kidnap/action kind of deal. It doesnâ€™t focus solely on being tied up. But the victim is still tied an outrageous amount so hopefully that shouldnâ€™t be a problem.
I think thatâ€™s it.
Hope you enjoy it.
The dying California sun was dropping over the horizon, casting an orange evening light over the land. It poured light through the western facing windows and left the east covered in shadow.
Bathed in the orange light, Susanne Kathler sat at her dining room table, calmly looking over a sheet of music.
Sheâ€™d had a fairly relaxed day. All she had done was driven herself to school, gone to her classes and come home. Her homework load was surprisingly light considering she was graduating from grade twelve two months later.
But she hadnâ€™t been assigned anything for homework that day, and thus had an entire evening to do as she pleased.
Her spacious Los Angeles house was completely empty, a norm for a weekday. Susanne was an only child and with her mother being a Physician and her Father working for the department of finance, she was often alone.
It had never been a problem for her, she had always been able pass the hours. Usually she would go out with her friends, or study. Her parents had never needed to hire a nanny for her, and now that she was seventeen it was out of the question.
Slowly she stood from the table and walked over to the nearby CD player. She selected the track, pressed play, and picked up her music again.
She paid close attention as the Handel Aria began to play and she followed along in her music. After listening to it once, she restarted the track and sung along.
In the middle of the piece, the phone in her left pocket began to vibrate. Somewhat irritated, she pulled out the phone and pressed pause on the CD player.
â€œHello?â€ She answered.
â€œHey you.â€ Her friend Shelly answered.
â€œHey Shel, whatâ€™s up?â€
â€œNothing much, I was just out and about and I thought Iâ€™d see how you were doing.â€
â€œOh well, Iâ€™m fine.â€
Susanneâ€™s intuition told her Shelly had another reason for calling.
â€œWhat are you really calling for?â€ Susanne asked.
â€œYou know me too well.â€ Shelly replied.
â€œI know.â€
They both giggled.
â€œWell, I was at Starbucks and I ran into Mitch.â€
â€œUh huh.â€
Susanne knew where this was going.
â€œSo we got to talking, and he started asking about you.â€
â€œYes?â€
â€œWell, I think he wants to ask you out.â€
â€œBut I told you, I donâ€™t like him!â€
â€œNot at all?â€
â€œNo!â€
â€œOk, wellâ€¦ Iâ€™ll tell him that.â€
â€œHeâ€™s still with you?â€
â€œYes.â€
â€œOh, even better.â€
â€œThatâ€™s cruel!â€
â€œI know.â€
â€œOk, I gotta go now.â€
â€œRight. Love you!â€
â€œBye.â€
Shelly hung up.
Susanne sighed and put her phone away. This wasnâ€™t the first time one of her friends had called on behalf of some adoring guy. But Susanne never cared, she had better things to do with her time then get caught up in some pointless high school melodrama.
She went back to happily went back to her Aria.
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Outside the house, a white delivery van lurked. Its occupant was watching and waiting.
His phone rang.
â€œYah?â€ He answered in a low tone.
â€œWere on.â€ His cohort on the other end answered.
â€œConfirmed?â€
â€œYes.â€
â€œRight. Iâ€™ll meet you in about an hour.â€
He hung up.
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Susanne was boiling a pot of spaghetti as the classical music continued to play from the kitchen CD player. Considering that usually neither of her parents were home until around seven, she often made dinner for them.
After retrieving some meat sauce from the refrigerator and putting in a sauce pan to boil, she pulled her cell phone from her pocket and began sifting through her text messages. Just in case anyone interesting had left her a text that she missed.
There was a knock on the front door.
She put her cell phone down and ran to answer it. If it was Mitch she was going to kill him.
After unlatching the front doorâ€™s many bolts and locks, she opened the door. She had never understood why her father had needed to install so many. But sheâ€™d never asked why.
â€œGood afternoon.â€ The visitor said.
He was a delivery man, tall, green eyes, athletic build. He was wearing a fed ex uniform.
â€œHello.â€ Susanne replied.
â€œI have a delivery for Richard Kathler.â€ He said with a smile.
â€œOh, heâ€™s not here right now. Iâ€™ll sign for it.â€
â€œOk.â€
He handed her the sheet and a pen. She began to sign it.
As she was looking down, he spoke quietly.
â€œDonâ€™t scream and you wonâ€™t get hurt.â€
â€œWhat?â€
She jerked her head upwards.
Facing her was the barrel of a silenced pistol. Stunned, she stood there and did nothing. Sheâ€™d never touched a gun before, much less had one pointed at her face.
â€œI want you to listen very carefully. Iâ€™m going to put my pistol away, you are going to drop the package on the mat, lock the door then close it from the outside, and walk with me to my truck, where you will get in the back. Do you understand?â€
Trembling, Susanne nodded.
â€œIf anyone comes by, you will act normally. If you let them know whatâ€™s going on in any way, I will kill them and you. Are we clear?â€
Once again, she nodded.
She did as he told her, she took the package, dropped it the mat, locked the door and followed him down to the street.
She prayed no one would see them; she wouldnâ€™t be able to hide her obvious fear.
Fortunately or not, no one appeared. The man led her to the back of his truck and opened the door. Still trembling, she stepped inside the van and moved to the other end. The delivery guy climbed in after her and shut the door.
â€œAlright, I donâ€™t want to hurt you. But I will if you make me. Understand?â€
Susanne offered no reply.
â€œWe can do this the easy way or the hard way.â€
From a duffel bag on the floor he pulled a bundle of ropes.
Susanne instantly understood what his intention was, she also understood that he had a gun and no compunction to use it, opposing him would be suicide.
â€œTurn around.â€ He ordered.
She turned around.
He pulled both of her hands behind her back, took one of the lengths of rope and began tying. He looped the rope around her wrists horizontally, then vertically, pulled it tight and knotted it off. He made sure to tie it above the joint, out of range of her fingers.
Susanne was already on her knees, so it was easy for him to pull her ankles together and tie them in much the same fashion as her wrists.
Finally he took his longest length of rope and tied it around her chest, pinning her arms down.
Being satisfied that she couldnâ€™t escape, he pulled a roll of duct tape from his bag and pulled a length off the role without cutting it.
Susanne sighed, this was going to hurt to take offâ€¦ If he took it off.
He put the piece of her mouth and began to pull the role cleanly around her head. He did this several times before ripping it off.
â€œAlright.â€ He said quietly as he left the back of the truck.
After walking around to the driverâ€™s side he started the van and drove away.
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Around nine oâ€™clock, Dr. Elizabeth Kathler pulled her black S.U.V into the driveway of her home. Parking it in the garage, she gathered her belongings and went inside. It had been a long day and she was exhausted. Though she had some funny stories about neurotic patients she was eager to share with her daughter.
She pushed open the back door and stepped inside.
â€œSusanne! Iâ€™m home!â€ She called out.
There was no answer.
â€œSweetie?â€
Elizabeth continued inside, waiting to see her daughters face. But there was no face to be found. She searched the house, but Susanne was nowhere to be found.
She pulled out her cell phone and called her husband.
â€œHello?â€ He answered in his bass tone of voice.
â€œHey honey itâ€™s me.â€
â€œYeah I remembered to get milk on my way home. Iâ€™ll be there in about two minutes.â€
â€œNo itâ€™s not that.â€
â€œOh, really? What is it?â€
â€œDid Susanne call you?â€
â€œNo. Why is she not home?â€
â€œNo.â€
â€œThatâ€™s odd.â€
â€œShe never goes anywhere without phoning one of us.â€
â€œI knowâ€¦â€
They both stayed silent for a minute.
â€œIâ€™ll make the call.â€ Elizabeth said.
She hung up on her husband and re-dialed, 911.
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Susanne waited on the uncomfortable floor of the van. Sheâ€™d spent the first twenty minutes of the trip struggling wildly against her bonds, but to no avail. They were too well tied.
As she gave up and began to wait, she tried to consider what she knew about her situation.
She knew that this wasnâ€™t a random act, whoever was doing this was well financed and professional. Only well connected people have silencers for their guns. She also knew by the way he talked that this guy was educated and covered all his bases when giving instructions. He wasnâ€™t stupid.
â€œThis has to be something high profile.â€ She tried to say, but was thwarted by the duct tape gagging her.
She understood that she knew next to nothing of value, and nothing that could help her escape.
After another half hour of sitting on the floor, the van finally came to a stop
Susanne nervously waited for captor to show himself, which he did.
â€œWere stopping here. As I said before, I donâ€™t want to hurt you. But if you make noise and draw attention, I will.â€
She nodded.
Quickly he pulled a piece of cloth from his pocket and tied it around her head to blindfold her.
Susanne was thrown into darkness. But she felt herself being dragged to the door and thrown over the manâ€™s shoulder.
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Richard had jammed on the gas as soon as he had hung up with his wife. When he arrived he found the police were already there and Elizabeth was waiting outside.
He pulled his car onto the driveway and stepped out. He ran to his wife who he embraced.
â€œAny news?â€ He asked.
â€œNo.â€ She replied.
â€œOk, Iâ€™m going to have a look around.â€
Elizabeth just nodded, worriedly.
Richard advanced into his own home and began surveying. Police men were scurrying about every which way searching for clues.
After looking around the kitchen, he headed back outside again. He heard his wifeâ€™s voice and she didnâ€™t sound pleased.
She was facing a police officer and they were arguing.
â€œMy daughter wouldnâ€™t do that.â€ Elizabeth insisted.
â€œI know itâ€™s hard to accept. But in most cases like this, the teenager has simply gone off with their friends and will probably re-appear late tonight.â€ He tried to explain.
â€œNo. My daughter isnâ€™t most teenagersâ€™ officer. She was different.â€
â€œMaâ€™am, thatâ€™s what all mothers think. But we canâ€™t jump strait from missing person to kidnap, we donâ€™t have the evidence.â€
Richard intervened.
â€œThe evidence in the house screams kidnap.â€ Richard said coolly.
â€œSir, what are you talking about?â€
â€œDidnâ€™t you notice the two pots on the stove, she left them on and now the contents are boiled down messes. Not to mention her cell phone is still open on the counter. â€œ
The young officer didnâ€™t say anything.
â€œIâ€™m sure the inspectors have considered that andâ€¦â€
A higher ranking officer tapped the younger one on the shoulder and whispered into his ear.
â€œOh.?â€ Was all the young officer said before he walked away.
Richard returned to the house and continued looking around. After searching all three floors he was returning outside when he noticed a small package on the floor right next to the front door.
â€œThe things we miss that are right in front of us.â€ He lamented.
He picked up the package and brought it outside.
â€œWhatâ€™s that?â€ Elizabeth asked him.
â€œI donâ€™t know.â€ He replied.
He tore the strip from one end and opened the package. All that was in it was small cassette tape.
â€œI can play that in my case recorder.â€ Elizabeth exclaimed.
She searched through her bag and retrieved the tape player. Her husband took it and put in the tape.
It began to play.
â€œNot so tough now are youâ€¦ Captain?â€
Shivers ran down Richardâ€™s spine as the hauntingly familiar, raspy voice taunted him.
â€œIâ€™ve taken from you what matters most to you in the entire world. Your precious little Susanne will be my guest until you have my son returned to me. And for your daughterâ€™s sake, I suggest you do it quickly.â€
The tape stopped.
Under his breath he cursed the name Quentin Meyers.
The police at the scene all looked around in confusion.
â€œIsnâ€™t this guy an accountant?â€ One of them asked.
Richard shut his eyes and breathed heavily. He had sworn to leave this life behind him, but now his daughterâ€™s life was in the balance. He stood and turned to Elizabeth.
â€œI have to go.â€ He said solemnly.
â€œI know.â€ She replied.
They kissed, then Richard turned around and dashed to his car.
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The man carried Susanne over his shoulder from the van into a building. Someone had met him inside.
â€œYou got her.â€ The new guy exclaimed.
â€œYes.â€ The man replied.
â€œOk, take her downstairs to the storage room.â€
â€œFine.â€
The man continued walking, after a moment he walked down a set of stairs then further into a cold room. His shoes resounded on the concrete floor.
After a moment he set her down and leaned her against something.
He set to work on her bonds again, removing the rope around her chest and untying her hands. A moment later he re-tied them and then pulled the rope back around her chest and pulled her snugly against something.
Finally he pulled off her blindfold.
Susanne opened her eyes, but they were so watered she had to strain to see anything. After a moment of blinking, she was finally able to see the room.
It was a spacious storage room with a concrete floor, shelves lined the room, but werenâ€™t tall enough to hide the unfinished walls.
Looking behind her, Susanne saw that the man was finishing tying her to a pole in the corner of the room. Once he had finished his work, he stood and headed to the door where his cohort was waiting for him.
Curiously, he pulled his pistol from its concealed holster and handed it to the other man who immediately checked the magazine.
â€œYou didnâ€™t load it?â€ He asked.
â€œNo of course not.â€ The man replied.
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Richard pulled up to an ordinary looking apartment building near the centre of town. Taking a left, he headed into its underground parking lot and stopped at the guard post on the way in.
The security guard looked at him with surprise.
â€œHi.â€ He said awkwardly.
â€œYeah.â€ Richard replied.
â€œDidnâ€™t expect to see you here.â€
â€œNeither did I.â€
â€œWell, pleaseâ€¦ Go on in.â€
The security guard lifted the gate to the garage. And Richard drove inside.
He found his old parking spot empty when he came to it, and he pulled his car in. It was eerily familiar.
He headed to the elevator, pressed the call button and stepped inside.
â€œAuthorization?â€ A voice called.
â€œHey Bill.â€ Richard said quietly.
â€œRick?â€
â€œYes.â€
â€œWowâ€¦ Iâ€¦â€
The elevator started and headed to the top floor of the building.
Upon arriving he stepped over the old carpet that read â€œC.I.Aâ€
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After the two had left, Susanne started struggling again. But after another twenty minutes she once again realized that she was thoroughly stuck.
By now her wrists had gone mostly numb, so much so that sometimes she forgot entirely about the pressure on them and tried to move, and she was reminded again that she was bound.
As she did in the van, she tried to think about what she knew about her situation. The man hadnâ€™t loaded his gun. He had been bluffing the whole time. Some one wanted her alive, very badly.
The only other thing she knew, was airplanes were constantly passing overhead. There was only one place in L.A where planes flew by that often, and that was L.A.X.
But even if she knew where she was, she was still tied to a pole and had no way of telling anyone. She was still helpless.
As the night drew on, doubts and fears began to plague her mind.
â€œWhat if they kill me?â€ She wondered.
She could picture her mothers face filling with tears, all her friends huddled together crying, her father shutting himself into his room for days on end.
â€œI had so much living I could have done.â€ She lamented in her mind. â€œI never even had a boyfriend.â€
Suddenly she snapped out of it.
â€œThey havenâ€™t killed me yet!â€ She decided as she once again began to search for a way out of the situation. But in the back of her mind, she knew it was futile.
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Richard walked up to his old partner.
â€œEthan.â€ He said.
â€œRick. Itâ€™s been a long time.â€ Ethan replied.
The two hugged.
â€œThe cops phoned, told us about what was going on. Weâ€™ve arranged that this branch is on the case.â€ Ethan explained.
â€œThanks.â€
â€œAlright, letâ€™s get your daughter back.â€
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Susanneâ€™s night passed slowly. She drifted off to sleep a few times, but never for very long. Though, because there was no clock in the room, she had no idea of what time it really was.
It seemed like days before the door opened again.
â€œMorning.â€ Her captor said.
She didnâ€™t move.
â€œLook, Iâ€™m going to be civil here. Iâ€™m going to let you go to the washroom, alright.â€
Susanne nodded.
â€œBut, I canâ€™t let you touch the tape. Not yet. If itâ€™s not the exact same way when you come out again, I wonâ€™t let you go again. Understand?â€
He walked over and untied Susanneâ€™s feet, then moved up and untied the rope around her chest and finally her wrists.
Susanne stood slowly, it was hard to move considering how stiff she was.
The man put a hand on her right shoulder and led her from the room into the hallway beyond.
The remainder of the building looked much the same as the storage room did, concrete floors, unfinished walls, lights bulbs without covers.
He led her to a small bathroom which he sent her into and shut the door.
The room had no windows, thus no escape route.
Susanne saw no reason to get herself into more trouble and decided not to touch the tape. She needed to stay in this guyâ€™s good books if she was going to find a chance to escape.
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Rick and his partner poured over books and records. They searched for any kind of clue that could lead them to Quentin Meyer, but nothing had turned up.
â€œIâ€™m going to get a soda.â€ Ethan declared as he stood from the table.
â€œOk.â€ Richard said. â€œIâ€™ll get started on the old stuff.â€
He pulled another box from the stack lined against the wall, these were the old mission records.
One file he noticed caught his attention immediately. August 6th 1987
Richard opened it and began looking over its contents. They brought back so many memories.
He glossed over Ethanâ€™s report:
Recon task force C-H-42 led by agent Richard Kathler launched an assault on a newly discovered cocaine plant under the ownership of Quentin Meyer in Panama. Agents engaged in moderate combat, terminating thirteen suspects at the cost of two agents suffering injuries. Quentin Meyer was not on the premises, and had instead entrusted it to his son Jacob Meyer who was arrested, extradited to the U.S and sentenced to life imprisonment on fifteen counts of drug trafficking.
Richard let out a little chuckle. â€œModerate combat?â€ He murmured sarcastically.
The memories came pouring back, the adrenaline, the gunfire.
Ethanâ€™s head abruptly came through the door.
â€œHey Rick! We got something!â€
Richard jumped to his feet and clambered through the door. He followed Ethan as he dashed into one of the other offices.
â€œWhat have you got?â€ Rick demanded.
A slender black woman sitting behind the desk was holding a information sheet about a piece of property.
â€œA known associate of Meyerâ€™s owns a building near L.A.X, its been vacant for years, but people started coming and going from it two days ago.â€
The two agents considered this.
â€œIt could be nothing.â€ Ethan suggested.
â€œIt could be everything.â€ Richard countered.
â€œWant to check it out?â€
â€œLetâ€™s go.â€
The two took off towards the elevator.
â€œWait!â€ Ethan exclaimed as he spun around, charging back to his office.
In his office Ethan grabbed two objects from his desk and came back out. He put one of the two in his pocket and held the other in his hand. As he came back, Richard saw what it was.
â€œYou may need this.â€ Ethan told him.
Richard accepted it and held his old pistol once again. He took a moment and looked at the bottom of the handle. The E heâ€™d carved into it was still there.
â€œWhat does that E stand for anyway?â€ Ethan asked.
â€œElizabeth.â€ Richard replied.
â€œYour wife?â€
â€œYeah.â€
Richard darted for the elevator, Ethan hot on his heels.
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After finishing in the washroom, it wasnâ€™t long before Susanne was back on the van again. Her captor had tied her in the same way as heâ€™d done the evening before, ankles, wrists, and arms to torso.
This time he hadnâ€™t bothered to blindfold her.
â€œIâ€™m sure youâ€™ve figured out where we are by now.â€ Heâ€™d told her.
After he finished binding her outside of the washroom, heâ€™d carried upstairs in his strong arms like a baby and piled her into the back of the van.
Without any further ado, he drove off. Susanne had expected the noise of the aircraft to fade, but it quickly became apparent that it was only getting louder. In fact, a few minutes after leaving, the truck stopped again. The jets of the aircraft were almost deafening as they passed by.
Her captor climbed in the back of the van again.
â€œAlright, this is about where weâ€™ll part company you and I.â€ He said.
Susanne couldnâ€™t help but think â€œOh what a tragedyâ€ sarcastically. But she was still taped and unable to make sarcastic remarks.
â€œI just have to get you onto that plane.â€
Susanne nearly jumped. Her mind raced, how could they be putting her on a plane? Where would they go? How could anyone possibly find her in another country?
â€œSo I have to keep anyone from seeing you. Soâ€¦ hereâ€™s whatâ€™s going to happen. Iâ€™m going to spread out this quilt and your going to roll into it and Iâ€™m going to carry you over in it alright? Just do us both a favor and co-operate.â€
He did as heâ€™d said and threw a quilt into the back of the van. Susanne knew she had no choice, and did as heâ€™d asked.
â€œCurl your legs up.â€ He ordered.
She obeyed.
Once sheâ€™d made herself small he wrapped the bundle of blankets around her and picked her up again. She didnâ€™t struggle. There was no point.
She felt herself being carried up a few steep steps and then heard the hum of a running aircraftâ€™s engines.
After a moment she was set down and the man removed the quilt.
â€œWell this is it kid. Just let me do one last thing.â€
He reached down to her head and started pulling off the duct tape. Since it had been stuck on all night, it was thoroughly glued to her face, and was very painful to pull off. But after a minute or so it was gone.
Susanne could finally take large breaths again and breathed heavily.
The man patted her shoulder and left, dropping a spare piece of rope on his way.
After a moment of heavy breathing, she started looking around. The plane sheâ€™d been put in was a small, a gulf stream private jet. She was near the back in the galley away from the seating area on the left hand side.
She could only see a corner of the seating area, but as far as she could tell, no one was sitting in it yet.
It didnâ€™t take long for the occupants to arrive though. She heard three voices. The first a middle age man, the second an Asian sounding woman, and the third a chilling raspy voice. For some reason Susanne felt afraid of this voice. Something told her, that raspy voice was her true enemy.
The three were talking about business. They talked about â€œloadsâ€, â€œdropsâ€, â€œbuyersâ€, finally when the word â€œdealersâ€ were used she knew. These were drug smugglers. Of what, she didnâ€™t know.
After a few more minutes of waiting, she heard the door shut and the somewhat familiar motions of a plane taxiing down a runway, and lifting into the air.
â€œIâ€™m so screwed.â€ Susanne said to herself quietly.
She wanted to smack herself afterward. She couldnâ€™t think like that. She just had to keep an eye out for any opportunity to escape.
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Rick and Ethan pulled up to a lowly looking single story building near L.A.X.
â€œThis is the place?â€ He asked.
â€œYes.â€ Ethan replied. â€œLetâ€™s go.â€
The two got out and approached the door.
They knocked, but got no response.
Losing patience, Richard kicked the door in and charged inside with his gun drawn. Ethan followed. Heâ€™d almost forgotten his partnerâ€™s lack of patience.
The two tore the building apart, but to no avail. If anyone had been there, theyâ€™d gone.
While checking downstairs heâ€™d come across a storage room which heâ€™d stopped to investigate. The room was empty except for the shelves on the unfinished walls and a drain pipe in the corner of the room.
For some reason his Fathersâ€™ intuition kick in, somehow he knew, Susanne had been there. He just knew.
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Susanne tried to listen to the passengerâ€™s conversation, trying to pick up any information she could. But theyâ€™d talked about nothing except business. They hadnâ€™t said a word about her, why they took her, or what they planned to do with her. Nothingâ€¦ Until the threatening raspy voice said:
â€œNow, I understand my cargo was delivered?â€ He asked.
â€œYou mean the girl?â€ The Asian woman asked. â€œYes sheâ€™s over there.â€
Footsteps approached. Susanne braced herself.
The man appeared in front of her. He was tall, but he hunched over to his right side as if heâ€™d been injured. His skin was covered with acne and he had long grey hair which flowed down behind his head. He seemed to look older than he really was; the cane he walked with didnâ€™t help.
He just stood there gazing at her for a minute.
â€œWhat do you want with me?â€ Susanne finally asked.
He stayed silent for a moment.
â€œI donâ€™t really want you. You are just the means to an end. Itâ€™s your Daddy Iâ€™m more concerned with.â€ He half whispered.
â€œMy Dad?â€ She asked.
â€œYouâ€™ve noticed my limp doubtless? Thatâ€™s because a bullet entered the side of my chest and shattered several of my ribs and damaged countless muscles. Do you know who put it there?â€
Susanne had no idea.
â€œYour Daddy.â€
Susanne shook her head in disbelief. It couldnâ€™t be. Her father was an accountant. He didnâ€™t do the drug trade, he wasnâ€™t a secret agent or anything. It was a trick it must be.
â€œYouâ€™re lying.â€ Susanne said.
â€œBelieve whatever you like, but if you are anything like him, youâ€™ll be too smart to think Iâ€™m wrong.â€
She didnâ€™t know what to say.
â€œAnd if youâ€™re anything like him, youâ€™ll also be crafty.â€ He said while gazing at the ropes that bound her. â€œIâ€™m not sure you canâ€™t escape from those. Iâ€™m sure youâ€™d find a way.â€
He considered the situation for a moment.
Without warning he knelt and grabbed the spare rope from the floor. He forcefully rolled Susanne onto her stomach and grabbed her bound wrists.
He pulled the spare rope around the ropes binding her wrists and then through the bonds on her ankles and finally pulled both of the loose ends in opposite directions, pulling her hands and feet together. He wrapped both of the loose ends around her hands and feet respectively and knotted it off, putting Susanne into a tight hogtie.
â€œThat should hold you I think.â€ He said louder. â€œYou see, your father loves you more than anything else in the world. And to think heâ€™s had you to live with and protect your whole life. But he took my son from me, who I love just as much, if not more. If he canâ€™t return my son to me, then I wonâ€™t return you to him.â€
With that the man stood and left Susanne there.
She knew he wasnâ€™t lying. She began to wonder how well she really knew her father.
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Elizabeth sat at her kitchen table, worrying. She hadnâ€™t slept that night, how could she? In a flash her world had been turned upside down. Her daughter was gone, taken from her by some maniac. Neither Elizabeth nor her husband had revealed Richardâ€™s past to their daughter. Theyâ€™d hoped the past wouldnâ€™t come back to haunt them, yet it had. Now Susanne was caught up in it and had no idea why.
Elizabeth stared down to her mug of tea, stone cold after sitting for three hours.
She felt the urge to weep, but she couldnâ€™t let herself. She knew Richard wouldnâ€™t, Susanne wouldnâ€™t either. She needed to be strong.
â€œWhy did we never tell her?â€ Elizabeth asked herself. â€œNow I may never see her again.â€
In asking herself that, she found herself reliving old experiences.
Sheâ€™d met Richard when she was an intern working in an obscure town in Arizona. It was a military town based on the airborne training camp nearby. Richard had been sent back from the South Korean garrison to be an instructor at this base, and he quickly became famous throughout the town.
Sheâ€™d met him one night in one of the few local bars. Richard was the centre of attention at a lively gathering of G.Iâ€™s and Elizabeth was getting a drink with some of her fellow interns at the end of one of her gruelingly long shifts.
Richard noticed her and slipped away from the party. He sat down beside her and bought her and her friends some drinks. The two hit it off.
They began exchanging letters and seeing each other whenever they could. After theyâ€™d been dating for a few months Richard was contacted by the C.I.A and offered a position. He was legally bound to tell no one, but he told Elizabeth.
Her letters helped him survive the long process of C.I.A training and they continued to see each other whenever they could.
On his first undercover assignment in the Ukraine, he came by a very ornate ring. Deciding that providence had given it to him, upon his return to the States he immediately proposed to Elizabeth. She accepted.
The months and missions continued to pass. Elizabeth became pregnant, and began asking her husband to leave the C.I.A, fearing for his life.
A few months after the mission in Panama, Richard was called to lead the search for Quentin Meyer after his failed attempt to rescue his son from Prison. Richard foiled the attempt and continued to pursue Quentin. Along the way, the two finally met. Quentin fired a blind shot as he fled the scene, which landed not even a millimeter from Richardâ€™s head. Realizing the danger he was putting himself in, he decided his wife and child were more important than his career and left the C.I.A.
Eighteen years had passed since then. The three had lived a happy and contented life together, until this. Their past had returned to visit them. And it was their daughter who was suffering.
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Were they hours or days? Susanne couldnâ€™t tell. All she knew was that escaping from this situation was become more difficult with each passing moment. She was thirty thousand feet up in the air, on a plane with a man who had a vendetta against her and her family.
She strained against the ropes.
Sheâ€™d tried lying down on her side, but she was so tightly tied that she always ended up back on her stomach again.
With nothing else to do, she found herself wondering about her father. Sheâ€™d always been really close to him, yet heâ€™d never breathed a word to her about what he did before she was born. Sheâ€™d always known him to be athletic, but never knew to what extent. The thought boggled her mind. But even more so, sheâ€™d never even considered the thought that her father had killed anyone.
â€œWhy didnâ€™t you tell me?â€ She found herself muttering.
After several hours which felt to her like several days, the plane began to descend. Susanne couldnâ€™t keep herself from despairing, now she was thousands of miles from home. It would take a miracle for anyone to find her now.
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Richard and Ethan retreated back to the C.I.A building.
â€œItâ€™s alright, weâ€™ll just have to keep looking.â€ Ethan tried to console his partner.
â€œI know. Iâ€™m not giving up.â€ Richard replied solemnly.
Both of them knew that their chances of finding any leads were incredibly slim, but neither said anything.
Back in Ethanâ€™s office they once again began to pour over records, searching for anything that could give them a lead. To neither of their surprise, they found nothing.
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The plane touched down, jostling the bound Susanne into the air briefly before crashing back down onto the floor again with a painful thud.
Before long it came to a stop and one of the doors was opened. Try as she might, Susanne couldnâ€™t put herself into a position where she could see the cabin and had no idea what was going on.
Before long a man she hadnâ€™t seen before approached her. Susanne didnâ€™t get a clear look at him before he knelt down beside her. He undid the hogtying rope and allowed her feet to drop to the floor. A few seconds later he began untying her ankles.
When he had finished she gratefully pulled her legs apart and shook them out. He then took hold of one of her arms and pulled her to her feet.
He spun her around, and before long he pulled a blindfold around her eyes. He then led her away, stopping to pick up the ropes before he left.
Once again she had to rely on her senses beside sight.
He led her through the aircraft cabin, and led her out onto the steps. The air she stepped into was warm and humid. Theyâ€™d gone south, into the tropics.
She was led across pavement which changed to gravel. Nearby she heard wind rushing through thick brush.
After a minute or so she was stopped in front of what sounded like running truck. Another moment and she was grabbed by her arms and lifted onto it, roughly being sat down.
Whoever had lifted her then pulled her arms behind the seat and had sat down in a seat nearby.
She was still in the open air, meaning the vehicle was probably a jeep of some kind. The fact that her captor felt comfortable leaving a bound and blindfolded prisoner plainly visible meant they couldnâ€™t be anywhere near a populated area.
Some voices caught Susanneâ€™s attention. They were speaking rapid Spanish. She couldnâ€™t identify the accent, yet it was a small clue that she committed to memory.
Another jeep started its engine and drove away, Susanneâ€™s jeep followed.
After a few seconds of driving the gravel gave way to dirt. The dirt road was bumpy with many twists and turns. Often, plants would brush the sides of vehicle, some even came so far inside they brushed on Susanneâ€™s legs. They were headed into the woods.
The jeeps drove for what seemed to be an hour.
When they finally came to a halt, two Spanish men called to each other for a moment, then chain link began to rattle.
The jeeps started and drove for another thirty seconds before coming to a stop again.
The occupants of the vehicles began to disperse. An arm took hold of Susanneâ€™s shoulder and lifted her off of her car seat. He walked her forward a few steps, then unceremoniously pushed her off of the truck.
She fell to the ground, landing on one of her bound arms.
She only had a moment to writhe from her pain before the arm came and pulled her to her feet again. They began to walk.
Susanne noted the dirt on the ground change to a creaking wood floor. She walked for a few minutes through a wooden building, making a few turns. Finally the arm stopped her from moving.
He untied her arms, and lifted her blindfold.
As she blinked to recover her watery eyes, he pushed her strait ahead and she stumbled into a wall. Before she knew what was happening, she heard the sound of a door shutting and being locked.
Spinning around she found herself facing a locked door, on either side of it the wood was grated, allowing her to view the room beyond.
But for the moment she didnâ€™t worry about that, instead she focused on massaging her wrists which had been tied for what seemed like days. They were lined by deep red welts from the rope and were bruised in several places.
After spending a few minutes massaging them, she looked to the business at hand.
The room couldnâ€™t have been more than eight feet by eight feet. There was a wooden chair in the corner of the room and a small table.
She walked up to the door and looked through the wooden grating. It appeared to be a two level hallway. Directly across from her was square window without glass, and above it was a walk way built onto the wall with windows spaced eight or so feet apart on both floors. Looking as far as she could down the hallway, it seemed the hall went on for a distance. Leading her to believe there were more cells like the one she was in.
What she paid more attention to was the window. Outside she saw it was night time, and she was across from a large open courtyard, several wooden buildings along its perimeter, a chain link fence surrounding the compound, two guard towers around the entrance and jungle beyond that.
The kind of person whoâ€™d taken her was a big time crime lord. Susanne concluded there was only one way that anyone could become this powerful in this part of the world by crime. She was dealing with a cocaine producer.
She kept looking out the window to find evidence of this. Several trucks were parked between the buildings. Guards wearing camouflage walked across the courtyard periodically.
After sheâ€™d taken everything in, she sat down on the chair and continued to massage her wrists, she began thinking of her father again.
â€œIf Dad was after someone of this caliber, who operates in a different country, heâ€™d have to be a Government agent of some kind. C.I.A? N.S.A? But maybe if heâ€™s a secret agent heâ€™ll know where to look. Heâ€™ll know where to look for me?â€
In the back of her mind she knew how unlikely that was. Any operation of this size that the Government knew of would have been taken down already.
She noted how hastily it seemed the camp had been built. Maybe they were never discovered because they moved from camp to camp?
As she considered, she heard the lock on the door rattling.
It opened, and a guard dressed in camouflage entered holding a tray of food. He set it down on the table and left, locking the door on his way out.
She grabbed it and began to eat. She hadnâ€™t realized how hungry she was, but she hadnâ€™t eaten for a day.
The food was simple, rice, beans and strips of some kind of meat. But Susanne didnâ€™t care, hunger is the best seasoning. The guard had given her a knife and fork to eat with, as well as a bottle of lukewarm water.
She downed the water in one chug and devoured the food within a matter of minutes.
Once finished, she pushed herself away from the table and leaned against the wall.
â€œWhat do I do now?â€ She asked herself.
Her mind somewhat refreshed she began to look past the door. But in looking past the door she noticed something interesting about the door. There was a lock on her side of it.
She studied it for a minute.
â€œLocks can be picked.â€ She said to herself.
She looked around for something she could use. But there was nothing. All she was the chair, table, plate, knife, fork andâ€¦
â€œThe fork?â€ She asked herself.
Quickly she grabbed it.
She began to feel the prong of the fork. Taking one with her finger tips she began to bend it back and forth.
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Ethan had fallen asleep, his forehead resting on the table, his cigarette still smoldering on the nearby ash tray.
Richard couldnâ€™t possibly sleep, but couldnâ€™t possibly read any more. He was forced to resign himself to the fact that there was nothing. Quentin Meyer had covered his tracks far too well.
He got up from the table and walked away. Quietly he made his way through the office to the stairs. He took the stairs upward and found himself on the roof. Heâ€™d used to go on the roof when he needed a break and he needed one now.
He looked up to the starry night sky.
After a few minutes he considered going back downstairs to steal one of Ethanâ€™s cigarettes. But he quickly stopped himself. Elizabeth had persuaded him to quit shortly after they met.
Elizabeth! He remembered. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed home.
â€œHello?â€ His wife answered, sounding like sheâ€™d just woken up.
â€œHi honey.â€ Richard answered.
â€œHowâ€™s it going? Any news?â€
â€œOne lead, but it was a bust.â€
â€œOhâ€¦â€
â€œBut donâ€™t worry. Iâ€™m going to find her. I will.â€
â€œI know. Youâ€™ve never failed a mission.â€
â€œAnd Iâ€™m sure as hell not going start now.â€
â€œWellâ€¦ keep looking.â€
â€œI will. How are you doing?â€
â€œDonâ€™t worry about me.â€
â€œAlright. Iâ€™ll keep at it.â€
â€œBye.â€
They hung up.
Richard continued to stare at the stars in the sky. He could only hope that his Susanne was seeing the same ones.
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Susanne worked furiously on the doorâ€™s lock. She managed to break two prongs off the fork and was attempting to pick the lock with them. Sheâ€™d never tried to pick a lock before, but was trying anyway.
As she felt around the lock with the two slender objects she began to become familiar with its working and slowly began to manipulate them.
After half an hour of work, the lock gave way.
Slowly she pushed the door open and inched her head out.
The hallway was empty. Looking to the right, the hallway continued for a few meters then opened into a door frame which led to the courtyard.
Susanne knew the courtyard was being patrolled and new she couldnâ€™t go that way.
Looking to the left, the hallway continued further than on the right and led to a left turn in the hallway and what appeared to be stairs.
Susanne grabbed the knife sheâ€™d been given and brought it with her. She knew it couldnâ€™t do any good unless at really close range, but it was better than nothing.
She crept from her cell and headed down the hallway to the left.
Sheâ€™d been right in assuming there were other cells, it seemed to be the purpose of this floor was a holding area. None of the other cells were filled as far as she could tell.
Quickly and quietly she moved down the hallway to the left turn which did indeed lead to stairs.
She climbed up the stairs, but stopped before she reached the top.
She inched her head over the top just high enough to see. The hallway led to the right, but into a large open room. On one side of the room were several old couches, a pool table and several smaller tables, but at the other end of the room was a man working at a computer.
A computer! Susanneâ€™s heart leapt.
The man at the computer wasnâ€™t dressed like a guard, he was dressed in casual street clothes. She recognized him as the man who had gotten on the plane with the old man and the Asian woman, the one who had taken her off the plane.
She knew he would have to be neutralized before she could get to the computer. She searched for something to use.
Nearby she noticed several pool cues lined on the wall. Quietly she stepped onto the top floor, slid the knife into her left pocket and grabbed one of the pool cues.
Quickly and quietly she moved across the room and approached the man. He didnâ€™t turn around.
She managed to get right behind him without making a sound. She raised the pool cue over her head and smashed it against the back of his neck as hard as she could.
He fell to the floor, unconscious.
She grabbed the computer mouse and started to work.
The man had been calculating numbers, determining the profits of their criminal business. She closed that program and went into the main screen.
She looked around for anything that could help her.
She noticed that it was connected to the internet. â€œYes!â€ She said to herself quietly. But more importantly she saw a program entitled â€œGPSâ€.
She opened it. A long list of coordinates appeared, next to each one was the name of a specific vehicle or building. At the bottom of the list â€œserverâ€ was listed.
â€œYes! Yes! Yes!â€ She whispered to herself.
Quickly she copied the coordinates and rushed into the internet. She opened her e-mail as fast as she could.
Her father had figured out to send e-mails strait to cell phones and had taught her how. As fast as she could, she wrote the coordinates into a message and sent it.
Quickly she turned away from the computer and started to head back the way she had come.
As she headed down the stairs she found herself face to face with a guard dressed in camouflage. He immediately raised his AK 47 and took aim at her face. She put her hands up in surrender.
He pulled a walkie talkie off his belt and said something into it in Spanish.
He motioned for her to back up into the room again and she obeyed. With the gun in her face she didnâ€™t dare move, though the guard seemed to have no intention of moving either. The two ended up staring at each other.
A few minutes she heard an eerily familiar, labored walk. The man with the cane appeared. After seeing her, he chuckled.
â€œIâ€™m impressed.â€ He declared.
Susanne said nothing in reply.
â€œNo one has ever escaped from those cells before. But I shouldnâ€™t be surprised that you were the first.â€
He walked up to her.
â€œSo what did you do in your free time I wonder?â€ He asked flippantly.
He saw the computer and the man on the floor next to it. He motioned for the guard to go tend to him.
While the guard did so, the man approached Susanne. She stood her ground.
Once he was close enough, he wound up his arm and backhanded her in the face, sending her crashing to the ground.
â€œI suppose Iâ€™ll have to keep a closer eye on you now.â€ He remarked.
As Susanne was on the floor, the man at the computer awoke.
â€œWhat happened?â€ He asked.
â€œShe knocked you out.â€ The old man replied.
The computer man said nothing, just glared at her.
â€œQuit standing there! Check the computer! Did she send a message?â€ He demanded.
The computer man checked his machine.
â€œI donâ€™t know. But even if she did, it wouldnâ€™t have gotten through.â€ He said.
Susanneâ€™s heart sank while the old man smirked. He motioned to the guard and yelled:
â€œBring her.â€
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Richard had sat down on the rocks that lined the roof, still staring at the sky.
Heâ€™d kicked his mind into overdrive trying to think of any way he could find a lead. But there was no evidence left at the house. No fingerprints except Susanneâ€™s had been found on the package.
â€œWhat do I do?â€ He asked himself over and over again.
Suddenly, his cell phone rang once.
He pulled it out of his pocket, expecting to see a message from Elizabeth. But he couldnâ€™t have been more wrong.
In a moment of sheer disbelief that he would continue to relive for the rest of his life he saw the name â€œSusanneâ€.
He tore the phone opened and saw the message.
A disbelieving smile broke over his face. He tore up from the ground and raced back to the stairs. He practically ripped the door of its hinges as he sprinted past it down the stairs.
Back in the office, he charged past Ethanâ€™s office and yelled â€œETHAN! GET UP!â€
As he charged into the central area he yelled, â€œI need a satellite uplink now!â€
The workers still on the floor gathered around him, asking him what was going. He simply showed the message, they all stared in disbelief.
â€œI got it!â€ Someone yelled from an office.
Richard pushed his way to the office and jumped in front of the screen. He punched in the coordinates his daughter had sent. A GPS satellite kicked into gear. Re-aiming itself to find the commanded target.
A world image came on the screen and a red dot appeared in the target area.
Richard stared in disbelief yet again. The dot pointed to eastern Colombia.
He told the satellite to print out a close up image of the target area. It revealed a camp that fit the profile of a makeshift Cocaine producing facility.
â€œGet me a flight out there!â€ Richard yelled as he turned around.
The office was already at work.
Richard stood and left and headed to Ethanâ€™s room. He found his partner on the phone. Once he finished up his conversation he put the phone down.
â€œI pulled a few favors.â€ Ethan announced.
â€œAnd?â€ Richard asked.
â€œA transport is being gassed right now, with any luck weâ€™ll be out there in five hours.â€
â€œWe?â€
â€œYou donâ€™t think Iâ€™m going to sit this one out do you?â€
Richard smiled. Ethan was still his partner.
The two tore out of the office and charged for the elevator.
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Susanne expected to be thrown back into one of the cells, but she was proven wrong. After being led down the stairs she was taken out into the court yard and led to another building.
The inside revealed itself to be a living space, for the old man she assumed.
It was two floors like the others, and the bottom floor seemed to be a large sitting room or living space for the old man.
Susanne was led to a chair in an open space.
The old man motioned for her to sit. Susanne groaned, she knew what was coming. Quietly she sat down on the chair and waited.
The guard stayed and watched her while the old man vanished upstairs.
She took a moment to look around the room, searching for any possible means of escape. Nothing seemed to present itself.
In one corner of the room was a round table with four chairs around it, with a chess board in the centre. Another corner was home to two old leather couches pressed against it with another small table in between them. In the centre of the room was a desk with another computer, square windows lined all four walls.
A minute after he left the old man returned, holding rope.
Susanne groaned at seeing it. Sheâ€™d been tied up for hours and hours on end, and even though she knew it had been just over a day, it seemed like weeks.
The old man forcefully grabbed her arms and pulled them through spaces on the back of the chair. Pulling them together, he took his rope and began to tie. He ran rope around them in a figure eight pattern and then pulled the rope tight. He ran the rope vertically through her wrists a few times then knotted it off.
Next he took another rope and wrapped it around her stomach and the back of the chair, he looped it around three times before tying it off.
Finally he took two ropes and tied both of her ankles to the chair legs separately.
â€œIf I didnâ€™t know better, I wouldâ€™ve said that could hold you.â€ He said sarcastically. â€œBut since you are your fatherâ€™s daughter, Iâ€™m going to make extra sure.â€
He walked to a drawer on a small cabinet on one of the walls and pulled out two objects. Neither of which Susanne could clearly see at first.
As he walked back towards her they became clear. In one hand was a hammer, in the other, a bag of nails.
Susanne felt a surge of fear. â€œWhat could he possibly be doing with those?â€ She wondered.
He reached her and simply stared at her for a minute.
â€œYouâ€™re wondering what Iâ€™m going to do with these I take it.â€ He said.
Susanne didnâ€™t reply, she knew he already knew what she was thinking. It was obvious.
He smirked and knelt down next to the chair. Somewhat to Susanneâ€™s relief, he picked out a nail and pointed it diagonally at the base of one chair leg. Taking the hammer he hammered the nail through the chair leg and into the floor. He repeated this for each leg.
He stood up again.
â€œYou wonâ€™t be escaping from that.â€ He said quietly as he turned and walked away.
He waved his hand to the guard, who finally left, while he found his way to the stairs and disappeared from sight.
Susanne was alone again. As usual she began testing her bonds. But these were better tied than any of the previous ones. She tried rocking the chair back and forth, but with the nails in the floor, it didnâ€™t move an inch. She might as well have been stuck in concrete. She wasnâ€™t going anywhere.
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Elizabeth paced back and forth through the kitchen. She didnâ€™t know whether to be hopeful or more worried, all she knew was her husband had called her and said â€œI know where she is. Iâ€™m going there now, Iâ€™m going to get her out.â€ Elizabeth had asked where. He replied. â€œColombia.â€ The two exchanged a few more words, but heâ€™d had to hang up.
Thus Elizabeth knew next to nothing about where her husband was going or doing, all she knew was that he was flying to Colombia where her daughter had been taken.
While she was happy that her daughter had been found, she couldnâ€™t enjoy the fact. If Quentin Meyer had taken her all that way, then he wasnâ€™t going to give her up without a fight.
â€œWhat if he kills her at the last moment?â€ Elizabeth kept asking herself.
Before sheâ€™d gotten the call from Richard about where he was going, sheâ€™d simply been sad. But now, her sadness was mixed with fury, fury for her lack of involvement. She wanted to go and rescue her daughter herself, even though sheâ€™d never fired a gun in her life.
She knew there was nothing she could do, but she couldnâ€™t just accept it. She had to do something. But what?
The cycle was infuriating, she could do nothing, but she couldnâ€™t stand to do nothing.
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Richard sat on the transport aircraft, cleaning his gun. It was a habit heâ€™d made when he was an agent. When he was flying before a mission, he would always sit and clean his gun.
Before Richard and Ethan had left the building theyâ€™d gone down one floor to the armory. There theyâ€™d picked out their weapons and black tactical armor. Then theyâ€™d driven out to the nearest military base.
The transport aircraft had been prepped by the time theyâ€™d arrived and the two boarded it strait away. It took off and began carrying them to their destination. The pilot was on orders to reach Colombia as fast as he could, meaning the journey would take about three hours.
While Richard was still afraid, for his own life and his daughters, he felt a strange comfort in the fact that the uncertainty was over. He knew where his daughter was and he was going to get her back.
He tried to concentrate, he knew heâ€™d been thrown back into world of espionage and counter-insurgency after almost eighteen years, and to pull this off right, heâ€™d need to be just as sharp as heâ€™d been so many years before.
â€œI just got off the phone with base.â€ Ethan said.
Richard jumped, heâ€™d been so lost in thought he didnâ€™t even see Ethan approach.
â€œAnd?â€ He asked.
â€œThey manage to get us a unit of Infantry and five helicopter gun ships.â€
â€œNice. I guess there wonâ€™t be anything subtle about this attack.â€
â€œNope.â€
â€œAlright then. Anything else?â€
â€œYes, but they wouldnâ€™t tell me what it was.â€
â€œWhat?â€
â€œThey just said theyâ€™d arranged something special for one of the choppers.â€
â€œWhatever that means.â€
Ethan shrugged.
Richard went back to cleaning his gun.
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The night crawled past. Susanne drifted in and out of sleep.
It seemed when her eyes were open she was in the chair, but whenever she closed her eyes she found herself somewhere completely different.
As this process continued, she found herself losing track of time. Was it five minutes? Was it an hour? She couldnâ€™t tell.
Suddenly she found herself back at home. Somehow she knew she was dreaming, but it seemed real enough. She was at home alone, reading. Then her mother arrived. Susanne met her at the door and greeted her with a hug. A moment later her father stepped in the door. She gave him a hug as well. Then she remembered.
â€œDad, why didnâ€™t you tell me?â€ She asked.
He didnâ€™t answer.
â€œWhy didnâ€™t you tell me?â€
No answer.
She asked a third time and got much the same response.
Suddenly she found herself back in the chair. She dragged her eyes open, realizing that sheâ€™d woken from her dream back into her nightmare.
â€œDid you realize you talk in your sleep?â€ The old man asked her.
She was startled, if she hadnâ€™t been tied down she would have jumped. She hadnâ€™t even realized he was standing there.
â€œNo.â€ She replied quietly.
He stared at her coldly for a minute.
â€œWell in any case, youâ€™re keeping me awake.â€ He announced.
She noticed he was carrying a long piece of cloth in his left hand. She knew what it was for.
The old man walked behind her and pulled the cloth between her teeth and tied it tightly behind her head. Cleave gagging her.
He walked away.
Slowly she tilted her head against the chair back and tried to sleep again. Hopefully she wouldnâ€™t dream anymore.
As soon as she shut her eyes, she found herself somewhere completely different.
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As soon as Richardâ€™s plane touched the ground, he was at the hatch waiting. As soon as it slowed down heâ€™d opened the hatch and leapt out onto the ground below.
He found himself in the classified Special Forces base in Colombia. Like heâ€™d been promised, a unit of camouflage clad infantry ran to and fro, preparing for their mission.
Further away, five gun ships were nearly prepped, the last of their fuel and ammunition being loaded.
He and Ethan headed towards them.
Near the gun ships, a uniformed colonel was giving orders. The two C.I.A agents guessed he was the CO of the base.
â€œExcuse me sir.â€ Ethan asked cordially.
â€œYes?â€ He said while turning around. â€œOh youâ€™re the agents.â€
â€œYes we are.â€
â€œWell as soon as were finished loading the choppers, theyâ€™re all yours. Weâ€™ll pack as many infantry as we can onto the choppers and the rest are following by truck.â€
â€œGreat.â€
â€œWhich one of you is in charge?â€
â€œI am.â€ Both agents said.
They looked at each other for a moment.
â€œHe is.â€ Ethan admitted.
â€œOk.â€
The colonel turned away and continued with his work.
The two agents approached one of the choppers and noticed something strange about it.
â€œItâ€™s fitted with loudspeakers.â€ Richard observed.
â€œYah.â€ Ethan said, a smile coming to his face.
â€œWhat for?â€
â€œDid you ever see Apocalypse Now?â€
Richard suddenly understood, he broke into a smile.
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The night passed slowly. Susanne continued drifting between dreaming and being awake, though she slept longer and longer.
Finally as the night sky began to brighten as the sun approached the horizon, Susanne awoke and stayed that way.
She knew it would still be hours before anyone in the camp stirred aside from the tranquil movements of the night guards. So she knew it would still be hours before anyone came to check on her and perhaps untie her.
But she knew there was no guarantee that the old man would feel safe locking her in a cell again, and she might stay in the chair forâ€¦ She had no idea how long.
As she sat there wondering, she shifted her bound left leg around as much as the ropes would allow her, trying to keep circulation. That point she noticed her left pocket, there was a long slender object in it.
The knife! She remembered.
She began to think furiously for ways she could get it. She began trying to move her arms back and forth, shift her leg around or do anything to try and move it. But nothing worked. Susanne couldnâ€™t move and thus the knife was still useless to her.
She resigned herself again.
The time inched past, slowly the sky grew brighter and brighter until finally the first rays of sunlight began to began to flicker over the green canopy of the jungle.
With the sun came a strange sound. At first it sounded like a buzz. But as it got louder she began to hear notes and rhythms. She began to recognize the music. She began to hear Bruce Dickensonâ€™s voice.
She recognized the song as â€œNumber of the Beastâ€ by Iron Maiden.
â€œWhy are the guards turning their music up so loud?â€ Susanne wondered.
She looked out to the courtyard. The guards were coming out of the buildings seeming just as confused as her.
Suddenly she looked out and saw five shapes moving in the sky. As they approached, the music got louder.
As they came closer, she began to recognize what they were. They were helicopters, and they were diving strait for the base.
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Richard sat in the co-pilots seat of the lead chopper.
â€œRemember to check your fire!â€ He yelled through the comm. â€œWe donâ€™t know what building sheâ€™s in so donâ€™t fire on any of them!â€
He listened as the music reached its first crescendo, timing perfectly with his assault.
â€œFire at will.â€ He ordered.
The pilot aimed his rocket pod toward one of the guard towers and fired. The rocket raced through the air and struck the tower blowing out its top deck and sending its burning remains crashing into the tower next to it.
The gun ships broke formation and began zooming around the base in circles, raining lead on its inhabitants.
Each gunship was equipped with two pilot controlled guns, rocket pods, and two passenger controlled gattling guns. Combined with the infantriesâ€™ assault rifles, it was a massive amount of firepower.
The gattling guns made themselves felt, pelting the ground around the trucks and ammunition dumps, filling them with holes and killing anyone within them.
The mercenaries guarding the complex ran every which way, some fleeing into the jungle while others stood their ground and offered token resistance.
A few mercenaries boarded and jeep and attempted to drive into the cover of the jungle. Richardâ€™s pilot responded by firing a rocket and destroying it.
â€œLand the ships!â€ Richard ordered.
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Susanne was both thrilled and terrified. It seemed the helicopters were making a point not to fire on the buildings, so she knew she was relatively safe. But sheâ€™d never been near a battle before. It was overwhelming to be near so much gunfire and so many explosions.
The old man came charging down the stairs, a pistol in his hand.
â€œYouâ€™re my bargaining chip. If I die, you die.â€ He yelled.
He pulled a knife out of his pocket and quickly cut the ropes tying her to the chair, starting with her hands and finishing with her feet not touching her gag.
He pulled her off of the chair and pulled a zip tie from his pocket. He quickly used it to bind her hands behind her back. He roughly pulled her up the stairs.
As she was being half lead, half dragged, she saw out the window. Two of the choppers had landed and troops were beginning to emerge from them.
The old man knew this as well.
He pulled her onto the top floor of the building and backed up against the far wall. He took his pistol and jammed it against Susanneâ€™s head. He simply waited. He knew he couldnâ€™t escape.
Outside he heard a man holler â€œSheâ€™s in there! Sheâ€™s in there!â€
Troops entered on the lower floor.
â€œThis floorâ€™s clean!â€ One yelled. â€œTheyâ€™re upstairs.â€
Two sets of footsteps clambered u
There's a permanent tension in music isn't there? On one hand you have three chords, you know, four four and three chords. Then there's the people like me, who say "Well, why don't we add a fourth chord and put it in five four?" - Bill Bruford

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Post by dreadnaught3200 » Fri May 02, 2008 7:30 pm

Oh woops. I was in such a rush to post it I didn't realize then ending got cut off. I'll fix it later.
There's a permanent tension in music isn't there? On one hand you have three chords, you know, four four and three chords. Then there's the people like me, who say "Well, why don't we add a fourth chord and put it in five four?" - Bill Bruford

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Post by dreadnaught3200 » Fri Jun 13, 2008 8:37 pm

Just in case anybody is curious, I've re-written the end that I lost. Sorry about being so slow, I've been insanely busy. Hope you like it.
Two sets of footsteps clambered up the stairs and emerged. The two infantry were dressed in black armed with assault rifles which they pointed at the old man. But they knew Susanne was in the way and didnâ€™t approach.
The shooting outside was beginning to cease as the last of the guards were either subdued or fled into the jungle.
Suddenly two men clambered up the stairs.
They were both dressed in black as well, both wearing tactical armor. The first Susanne didnâ€™t recognize. But as she looked closer she recognized the second. It was her father.
â€œDaddy!â€ She tried to cry out.
He leveled his gun at the old manâ€™s head.
â€œGive it up Meyer!â€ He yelled.
â€œIf I go, Iâ€™m taking your daughter with me. If itâ€™s the last thing I do on this earth, I will take this from you!â€
â€œOh no, youâ€™re not going to die. Youâ€™re going to be re-united with your son. In jail.â€
The old man didnâ€™t say anything else.
Susanne squirmed. For the first time she began to cry.
She saw her father aim down his sight, trying desperately to get a clean shot at the old manâ€™s head. But she knew it wasnâ€™t going to come.
She tried to think of anything she could do to help him, to help herself. Suddenly she remembered the one card she had to play.
Slowly she reached her bound hands around to her left pocket and pulled out the knife. Taking the handle into her hands, she pulled them forward and then jabbed the knife as hard as she could.
The knife went clean into his chest. His arm dropped as he yelped in pain.
Susanne charged away from him and dropped onto the floor.
Her father and all the others pressed their triggers. The old man was struck by hundreds of bullets reducing him to shreds before his body hit the floor.
Richard walked forward to the corpse of his old enemy. Without hesitation he raised his weapon, he let go of all of his control and let his anger rage. He pressed the trigger and emptied his clip into the corpse.
He raised his head and dropped his weapon.
Richard charged over to his daughter who lay panting on the floor, he dropped to his knees.
His hands fumbled as he reached behind her head and untied her cleave gag. Ethan came behind her with his pocket knife and cut the zip tie.
She lunged at her father and embraced him as tightly as she could. He did the same. Neither of them ever wanted to let go.
â€œYou saved me.â€ She said quietly.
â€œYou saved yourself. I never would have found you if you hadnâ€™t sent that message.â€ He said.
She pulled away and looked at him.
â€œThe message?â€ She asked. â€œThey said it wouldnâ€™t have gotten through.â€
â€œWell it did.â€
She was overcome, she broke down into uncontrollable sobs. Her father held her tightly, quietly stroking her head.
â€œItâ€™s over now.â€ He said quietly. â€œWeâ€™re going home.â€
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Richard took Susanne onto one of the choppers which immediately took them back to the base, where they both boarded the transport home.
On the flight home, Richard told Susanne about his past as a soldier and as a C.I.A agent, most importantly about his run ins with Quentin Meyer which led to her kidnapping.
She was receptive to his story.
â€œAre you angry?â€ Heâ€™d asked her.
â€œNo. I can understand why youâ€™d want to leave this life behind.â€ She replied.
On arriving back in L.A, the two had gone strait home. Elizabeth was overjoyed and embraced her daughter in the same way her father had in Colombia. But by then, Susanne had regained her composure and attempted to comfort her mother.
â€œItâ€™s over now.â€ She said quietly. â€œIâ€™m home.â€
With the family re-united, they spent the next few days together. Susanne and Elizabeth were introduced to Ethan, and Richard informed him that he would not be returning to the C.I.A. Ethan understood.
Somehow the story was leaked to the media, and before long the phone was ringing off the hook for interviews. The Kathlers declined them all except oneâ€¦ They did agree to appear on Opera.
After that, Elizabeth finally went back to work, as did Richard a few days later. That same day Susanne went back to school, and made sure to tell her friends all kinds of hair raising stories of adventure.
In the afternoon of her first day back, she found she had the house to herself as she so often did. Like she so often did, she pulled out her music and began to sing.
As she happily sang Quilter, her cell phone rang.
She picked it up and looked at the caller ID display. It read â€œMitchâ€.
She opened the phone planning to pick up the call. She thought about it for a moment. Then she decided.
â€œNah.â€ She said as she closed the phone
There's a permanent tension in music isn't there? On one hand you have three chords, you know, four four and three chords. Then there's the people like me, who say "Well, why don't we add a fourth chord and put it in five four?" - Bill Bruford