EM7 6 - My Brother's Keeper

EM7 Episode 6

My Brother’s Keeper

By Aussie Lass

This story and its artwork have been rescued. We have tried to contact the author, but gotten no reply. Since we had permission to list her stories on Lady Angel's M7 Library (now M7FC), and I hate to see good stories lost, we are hosting it here for safe-keeping.

Posted in August 2003

DISCLAIMER: I have based these characters on those from the western television series "The Magnificent Seven"... which belong to MGM and Trilogy Entertainment. No infringement of copyright was intended and no profit has been made from this story... so, please don't sue me. It wouldn't be worth your while.

AUTHOR NOTE:

Episode Six is a simple story. It does not have the involved story lines of previous episodes. It is basically a straight hurt/comfort fic with a character focus on Vin and Chris... although all of the boys are there. I have added the odd picture just for fun. Some don't match exactly what is happening but it's nice to have the boys to gaze at every now and then. (g)
I have no medical knowledge and know little about military and security organizations, so there are likely to be inaccuracies. I invite you to enjoy my story for what it is... a rumble about six hunks and one drop dead gorgeous, handsome, strong, cute guy - you pick which of the seven fits that description! (g)
This story is a fantasy! If you are looking for a realistic story that is based on facts, this is not it. I have made everything up.
I am not a professional writer - I'm just someone who loves the boys. My beta readers are volunteers who have willingly given their time to help me and I will always be in their debt. Any errors are mine alone. There are a number of spelling, grammar and punctuation differences between Australia and the USA... please forgive me for writing with an accent. (g)

This is not a Death Fic

Part One

The night air was refreshing after the almost tropical heat of the day. Chris Larabee stretched his back and made himself more comfortable on a deck chair positioned only a few feet from the swimming pool, which featured a small waterfall at the far end. The tranquil area was bathed in soft light from the outdoor lamps placed in the midst of the thick foliage that screened it from the rest of the estate.

Four Corners was Larabee’s own piece of paradise. The property, nestled on the northeastern border of Virginia, extended as far as the eye could see in all directions. Chris had always dreamed of acreage like this but had never believed he would own such a place. Not that he actually ‘owned’ Four Corners. The ranch house, sheds, stables and hundreds of acres of land were commissioned to Em7 as a training facility, though that was for appearance’s sake. Four Corners belonged to Chris. Larabee would never be able to thank Ezra for the gift.

Chris sighed contentedly and glanced to his left. Beside him was Vin, who was unusually talkative this evening. Tanner appeared to be trying to make up for the time lost in the years he had been separated from his best friend. They had been two very long years for Chris. Every moment of every day the colonel had lived with the guilt of having left Vin behind in a war zone. The pain and self-reproach had gnawed at his soul, but deep down in some hidden part of his being, Chris had known Vin was alive.

Larabee smiled to himself and silently gave thanks. His instincts had been correct and now Vin was where he was supposed to be - back with his team. The squad had expanded since the days of the Katinda War and had taken a new name. The five man STF1 had become the seven man Executive Mediation Seven, a tactical response team that handled a diverse range of missions not restricted to the types performed in the South American War. For example, the day just concluded had seen them solve the mystery that had been haunting one of their own. For the first time in two years, Ezra was free of the accusations that had left him on death row convicted of treason and murder. The case had been complicated, but Em7 had gradually peeled the layers away to reveal the astounding truth, identify the true perpetrator and finally capture the guilty party.

Chris was pleased with the outcome and had ordered his men to take the evening off. Standish and Wilmington were at Ezra’s mansion watching movies. J.D. was on a date with Casey. Josiah and Nathan had gone to bed happy men because their new investment, Percy‘s Parasol, had run second in a horse race; and Vin was beside Chris lounging on a deck chair around the pool at Four Corners. All was as it should be.

“She was the biggest bear I’d ever seen. And she wasn’t happy,” Vin chuckled.

Chris snorted. “Naturally, you did the sensible thing and walked away.”

Tanner flicked his mischievous gaze to his friend and grinned. “Nope.”

The shrill ringing of the phone interrupted the relaxed mood. Larabee glanced at his watch. It was almost midnight.

“I’ll get it,” Vin offered.

“No, it could be Liam. I’ll take it.” Chris had been hoping his brother would call. They had parted company badly and despite all of the lies and grief Liam had brought, he was still Chris’ younger brother. As Chris rose to his feet, he pointed to the plain brown package he had placed on the ground next to Vin earlier in the evening. “That’s yours. It’s been hanging around here for ages. Must have arrived when we were in South America.”

Vin watched his friend go, praying for Chris’ sake that the call was from Liam. No matter what he thought of Larabee’s brother, Liam was a part of Chris’ life.

Tanner picked up the package and studied it without any true interest. His mind was churning over the possible and likely difficulties Liam would bring in the future. Vin tipped the harmless looking box on its side, slipped his fingers under the wrapping and began to draw the paper back...

Chris slid the double glass door open and then pulled it closed. He wanted some privacy if it was Liam. The colonel dashed through the lounge room with its eighteen foot ceilings, past the staircase that led to the internal landing off which were the eight bedrooms on the first floor and into the huge entry hall. “Larabee,” Chris answered, scooping up the phone

“Chris, we have a situation developing,” Travis informed the leader of Em7, his voice raised with anxiety.

“I have two men who may not be fit for active duty,” Chris replied. Ezra had a broken arm and was coming to terms with the roller coaster of emotions he had been forced to ride over the past fortnight and Vin was recovering from severe head trauma.

“I hate to say this, but your team may be the only one with the power to stop this from becoming an international incident.”

“I’ll need more information,” Chris prompted. “How...”

Abruptly, a startled cry from outside distracted Chris. A split second later, the glass doors in the lounge room shattered inward. Chris was thrown to the floor. A deafening roar devastated the night and a fireball lit the darkness, engulfing everything under the stars. Chris was hit by a blast of hot air. Dazed, he dragged himself to his knees. There was blood trickling down one of his arms. Confused, Chris wiped it away. Instinct and experience forced him to his feet and he stumbled into the lounge room. Nathan and Josiah appeared on the landing above, their shocked faces illuminated by the flames outside.

“Are you all right?” Nathan screamed.

Larabee stared up at his companions, his mind moving in a vacuum. What the hell was going on?

“Where’s Vin?!” Josiah roared as he and Nathan clambered down the stairs.

Chris’ head snapped to the right. Vin’s cry... the package! “OH GOD!” Larabee raced across the room and climbed through the smashed doors. A billowing cloud of black smoke blanketed the area, flames flickering among them. “VIN!!” Chris scanned the area frantically. The deck chairs, where he and Vin had been sitting only moments before, had splintered into a million pieces, their remnants scattered everywhere, but there was no sign of Vin. “VIN!”

“Where is he?!” Nathan cried as he and Josiah raced to join Chris. The trio began to cough as they spread out and searched for their missing friend. The heat was horrific and the fire was spreading.

“We can’t let it reach the house!” Josiah yelled, collecting the hose and spraying the flames that were leaping out toward the walls of the building. Inside, the smoke detectors went off and activated the expensive sprinkler system.

“VIN?!” Chris screamed. His chest felt tight. This couldn‘t be happening. “VIN?!”

“He’s not here!” Nathan said, shoving the barbecue to one side. “Where is he?!”

“He was on one of the deck chairs,” Chris shouted.

“That’s got it,” Josiah called with relief, surprised at how quickly he had been able to put the flames out. The house was safe and the fire was restricted to the garden which was providing only limited fuel. Sanchez turned the hose onto plants and then raced to the main tap and activated the garden sprinkler system. Instantly, water sprayed from every direction.

“VIN?!” Nathan shouted, blinking through the smoke and welcome water spray that was dousing the flames.

Josiah spotted a form in the pool - Vin floating face down. “There!” Sanchez took three running steps and dived in.

Chris dashed to the water’s edge. “NATHAN!”

Josiah turned the lifeless figure over and dragged him to the side.

“VIN!!! GOD!“ Chris and Nathan hauled Vin’s limp body from the water.

“Help me support his neck. He could have spinal damage.“ With Larabee’s and Sanchez’s help, Jackson rolled Tanner onto his side and checked his air way before rolling him back onto his back and thrusting his head to Vin’s chest. With a passionate curse, the medic grabbed Vin’s mouth and began to blow air into his still lungs.

“Check his pulse!” Nathan ordered between breaths.

Chris grabbed Vin‘s wrist. He repositioned his fingers several times but to no avail. “No pulse,” he cried, leaping back and placing his hands in the middle of Vin’s chest.

“Hang on,“ Nathan ordered. The medic paused, turned his ear to Vin’s mouth and listened. “I’m not getting any air into him. There’s an airway obstruction. Get out of the way!” Nathan roughly shoved Chris back, guided Vin onto his side, all the while supporting his neck and hit the heel of his hand against the unconscious man’s back, sliding his hand forward as he did so. “Come on! Come on!” Jackson demanded, repeating the blow. Abruptly, Vin’s lungs spasmed. Water and vomit gushed from his mouth. “YES!” Nathan cried, gently rolling Vin onto his back and restarting resuscitations.

Without prompting, Chris started cardiac compressions.

“I’ll call an ambulance,” Josiah yelled, heading for the house.

“No, prepare the chopper,” Nathan ordered. He blew a deep breath of life giving air into Vin. “We can’t wait.”

“You got it.”

Chris pumped Vin’s chest, forcing the unconscious man’s heart to beat. The package had been a bomb! “Nathan?”

“Keep going,” Jackson ordered, firmly.

Chris searched for Vin’s face, which was partially obscured by Nathan. “Don’t do this, Vin!”

Nathan reached for Vin’s neck to check his pulse. “Come on, Vin,“ he prayed aloud. Chris held his breath. “He’s got a pulse,“ Nathan announced, “but he’s still not breathing.” Chris could do nothing but watch helplessly as Nathan breathed for Vin. “Get some blankets,” the doctor ordered between breaths. “And tell Josiah to hurry up!”

Larabee scrambled to his feet and rushed off to carry out Jackson’s instructions.

Nathan paused and again listened. The breath he had just blown into Vin was expelled, but there was no sign of any independent breathing. “Come on, Kid. Breathe for me!” The doctor restarted resuscitations. In the background, he heard Chris shouting to Josiah, but it was almost ten minutes before the two men reappeared.

“Chopper‘s ready to fly,” Josiah puffed. “How do you want to do this, Nathan?”

Nathan blew a breath into Vin. “I can’t stop. He’s still not breathing.” Another breath. “Cover him with the blanket.... “ Pause for a breath. “...We need to carry him so I can.... continue with the resuscitations... and you need to... make sure his neck... and back stay straight.”

“Hang on,” Josiah ordered, racing from sight.

Chris crouched beside Vin, picked up his friend’s wrist and felt for Tanner’s pulse. “It’s still beating,” he murmured.

“He’s not burned,” Nathan commented.

Larabee nodded. “I heard him cry out. He must have realized it was a bomb and threw himself in the pool to avoid the explosion.” Chris placed his hand in the middle of Vin’s chest. “Come on, Vin.” Tanner’s skin was pale. Larabee squeezed his best friend’s shoulder, praying that somehow Tanner would sense his presence. All the while Nathan forced air into Vin’s motionless lungs. “Come on, Cowboy. You aren’t gonna die like this,” Chris whispered.

“Out of the way, Chris,” Josiah ordered. He had collected one of the spare deck chairs from the shed at the back of the house. It was folded flat. “We can carry him on this. It‘ll make it easier for Nathan to keep going.”

Together, Chris and Josiah lifted Vin onto the deck chair, careful to support his spine while Nathan performed his life saving task. Larabee and Sanchez took an end each, lifted the makeshift stretcher and smoothly carried Vin to the chopper.

Once aboard, Josiah raced to the controls.

“The blankets,” Nathan ordered.

Chris pulled the door shut as the chopper lifted off, then grabbed the two blankets he had slung over his shoulder and began to cover Vin. Finished, he sat back, his eyes again drawn to Vin’s face.

“Ring ahead,” Nathan snapped, before lowering his head to breathe into Vin’s mouth.

Chris nodded, took his cell phone from his pocket and called Buck’s number.

“Wilmington’s stud farm. Head stud speaking.”

“Buck...” Chris paused. “A bomb exploded at Four Corners.”

“What?! Is everyone okay?!”

“Vin’s not breathing. We’re headed to the hospital.”

“I’ll let them know you’re coming. Ezra and I’ll meet you there. I’ll contact J.D... What’s Nathan say?” Buck’s voice was shocked and emotional, but he had a job to do.

“He’s performing E.A.R.”

“We’re on our way, Chris. Just hang on.”

Chris pocketed the phone and began to review what had happened. Why hadn’t he checked the package before giving it to Vin?! Hell, he knew every would-be assassin in the country wanted the bounty on his friend‘s head! Josiah should have screened the parcel.

Larabee watched as Nathan again paused, checking to see if Vin had started breathing on his own. Chris prayed. Nathan cursed and leaned over Vin and breathed into him.

“Keep an eye on his pulse for me,” Jackson ordered.

Chris picked up Vin’s wrist and immediately felt the rhythmical beat of Tanner’s heart.

“I can’t see any wounds,” Larabee commented.

“He would have felt the concussion from the blast...” A breath. “...even in the water. But it protected him from... the shrapnel and flames.”

“Why’s it taking so long for him to start breathing?”

“Could be a hundred reasons,” Nathan offered. “How’s his pulse?”

“Yeah, regular.” Chris drew in a long breath, his eyes once again falling to Vin’s ashen face. “I gave him the damn thing.”

Nathan glanced at Chris as he came up from giving Vin a breath. “There’s no way you could have known.”

“Five million dollars, Nathan. I should have thought! I should have checked!”

**********

Buck was pacing at the emergency room entrance to the hospital. Ezra watched him from the main desk where he was trying to find out some information. The doors flew open and J.D. rushed in.

“Buck?!”

“They haven’t arrived yet.”

“An explosion?!” the younger man asked. “How? What caused it?”

“Chris said a bomb.”

“A bomb? At Four Corners?”

“All he said was that Vin wasn’t breathing,” Buck mumbled, shouldering past J.D. as he headed outside to wait.

Ezra approached Dunne from behind. “They should be here in the next five minutes.”

J.D. watched Buck through the glass doors. “If it was a bomb, how badly hurt are they?”

“Chris only mentioned Vin.” J.D. glanced at Ezra. Standish nodded his agreement. “The others may be injured as well, but, by the sound of it, Vin took the worst of the blast.”

“But a bomb. How would anyone plant a bomb at Four Corners?”

“It would be easy, my friend. We are only there sporadically and there are no close neighbours.”

“How bad do you think Vin is?” Dunne asked, quietly.

“My guess is as good as yours. Burns, obviously. Outside of that, I don’t dare contemplate.”

J.D. swallowed. “He’s been through so much in the last few months.”

Ezra rested his hand on J.D.’s shoulder. The younger man was right. Ezra had only known Vin for three months. He had been shocked when he’d learned of the sharpshooter’s existence. He’d worked with Larabee and the others for months and no one had ever made mention of another member of their team. Then there had been the revelation that Vin had survived the war, was home, had amnesia and that he was the target of a five million-dollar contract. Worse still, one of the parties wanting to collect the bounty was a group of mercenaries called the Hawks.

Standish sighed. Vin had been shot that day when they had gone to find him and he’d suffered mental and emotional trauma following the return of part of his memory. The experts had given Tanner little chance of surviving or keeping his sanity, but he had done both with the support of his former team. Since then, Vin had survived several attempts on his life, not to mention being shot in the leg in South America and suffering a head wound when saving Ezra’s life at Swallow Pass.

“We just have to pray he gets through this one, too,” the gambler whispered.

**********

Thanks to some not so gentle persuasion from Buck, the helicopter was greeted in the parking lot by a team of nurses and doctors.

Nathan started shouting instructions to the medical personnel the moment the door of the chopper was wrenched open. Vin was swiftly moved to a stretcher and raced into the hospital, Jackson still giving the breath of life.

The swinging doors shut in Chris’ face, the distressed man watching through the glass window as his friend was whisked off down the hallway.

Buck gripped Chris’ shoulder. Larabee glanced across at him and then turned to the other men crowded behind him. “That damn package. It was a bomb. ‘I’ gave it to him.”

“He didn’t appear to be suffering any burns,” Ezra commented.

Chris swallowed and nodded. “He must have realized what it was. He would have had three or four seconds after setting it off.”

“He dived in the pool,” Josiah explained.

“Hell,” J.D. murmured.

“It saved his life, but...” Chris shook his head. “We found him floating face down.”

“How long was he in the water?” Ezra asked.

“No more than sixty seconds. We dragged him out of there almost straight away,” Josiah assured the others.

“So why isn’t he breathing?” J.D. asked.

Chris shrugged in frustration and wandered away from the group.

The others stared after him. “While the water would have protected him from the fire and shrapnel, he still would have felt the force of the blast in the water,” Josiah explained.

“But... I mean, it sounds like he should be okay... right?” J.D. clarified.

Josiah sighed. “I don’t know.”

**********

“Mask!” Nathan ordered. A nurse handed one to him and the medic placed it over Vin’s nose and mouth, the automated pump taking over the job of forcing air into the unconscious man. “I want a tube!”

“Are you a doctor?” one of two doctors asked, entering the room.

“Dr. Jackson,” Nathan stated. “I want a brain scan and...”

“With all due respect, doctor, we’ll take it from here.”

Nathan glanced across at the ID badge worn by the speaker. “No, Dr Moffit, you won’t.”

“You know the protocol, doctor,” the other physician stated, firmly.

Nathan’s eyes hardened. “This is my patient! I will be the primary on his case. If you don’t like that, get the hell out of here!” Jackson turned to the startled nurses. “Get him out of those wet clothes and where the hell is that tube?”

“Let me help you doctor,” the second physician offered, taking the tube from one of the nurses.

Nathan nodded his thanks. Moffit stormed from the room.

“What happened?”

“Long story,” Nathan muttered, using a light to examine Vin’s pupils.

“He a friend?”

Nathan shook his head. “Family,” he whispered, pausing for a moment to study Vin’s face. “And I’m not going to lose him!” Nathan snapped, returning his full attention to directing those around him. “Get that tube down his throat. Nurse, why aren’t these clothes off him, yet? Where’s the scanning equipment?!”

**********

Buck walked up to Chris and handed him a cup of coffee. Larabee nodded and Buck took a seat beside his friend. They were sitting in the crowded waiting lounge. Since Vin had been brought in, two ambulances had arrived with car accident victims. Family members were collected in one corner, their soft sobbing and tight voices echoing in the room.

Buck wanted to say something to comfort Chris, but he really didn’t have the words needed. “Nathan’s with him,” he offered.

Chris sipped the coffee.

“We’re damn lucky he had the sense to dive in the pool.”

“Yeah,” Chris murmured.

“Any idea where the package came from?” Buck asked.

Chris’ face darkened. “I should have checked.”

“Now hang on a minute, pard. You...”

“He’s got a five million-dollar bounty on his head, Buck and we’ve done nothing about it.”

“Chris, we looked into it and there’s nothing we can do. We just have to protect him the best way we can.”

Chris rose to his feet. “Well, it’s not enough! He’s going into hiding. I’m not allowing him to risk his life any more.”

“What sort of a life would Vin have in hiding, Chris?” Buck appealed.

“He’d have life, Buck. That’s more than he may get next time. I never should have encouraged him to join Em7. I should have insisted on him going into hiding.”

“For the rest of his life?”

Chris swore and began to pace.

Buck shot Josiah a glance. Sanchez rose to his feet and approached Chris.

“Don’t! I don’t want to hear it, Josiah,” Larabee spat. Josiah backed away.

**********

It was almost an hour before Nathan reappeared.

All of the men rose to greet him.

“He’s doing okay. Still not breathing on his own, which is a concern, but he hasn’t sustained any injuries.”

“So why isn’t he breathing?” Chris demanded.

Nathan licked his lips. “I can’t be sure. Look, basically he was outside in that blast. If he hadn’t dived into the pool... we all know what an explosion like that does to a person. He was out there when the bomb went off, Chris. We just have to wait.”

“Wait?!”

Nathan raised his hand for calm. He could see the torment on Chris’ face. Torment, guilt and a demand for the impossible from the medic. “I’m doing everything I can. Look, I really think he’s going to be okay, it’s just that we have to wait a while for him to recover from the initial shock. Once he starts breathing again, I honestly think he’ll be okay.”

“How long?” Chris asked.

Nathan shrugged. “I don’t know, Chris. I wish I could tell you, but I just don’t...”

“By morning?”

“Chris,” Buck urged. “Nathan’s doing what he can.”

Larabee lowered his face. “Yeah. Sorry, Nathan. I just... but you think he’s okay.”

Nathan flicked his eyes to Josiah looking for support. “I... I can’t be certain.”

“Nothing in the world is certain. If Vin has anything to do with this, he’ll be up and about in no time.”

Chris shook his head. “A week ago he was in a coma!”

Nathan nodded. “Yeah, I know. It may be part of why it’s taking a while for him to come out of this. Right now, it would probably be best for the rest of you to go home. There’s nothing any of you can do here. Chris, I’ll take you to him.”

Buck, Josiah, Ezra and J.D. watched their companions stride off.

“I guess he’s right,” J.D. murmured.

“He’s not breathing,” Buck disagreed. “When he starts breathing on his own, I’ll go home.”

**********

Chris walked into the private room and felt the dreadful sense of deja vu flood over him. How many times had Vin been lying in a bed like that in the past three months? This time, however, Tanner was on life support. The room was filled with the sound of the equipment beeping and the pump forcing air into Vin‘s lungs.

Larabee walked up to his best friend. “Jesus, Vin. You’ve got to stop doing this to me.”

Nathan smiled gently. “You and me both. How about you let me tend to those scratches, Chris?” Larabee’s arms were covered in small cuts from the shattered glass that had exploded indoors.

“Not now.“ Chris picked up Vin’s hand and squeezed it. He still couldn’t fathom that he had given Vin the bomb.

Nathan moved to the other side of the bed and sat down. “Talk to him,” he prompted.

Chris snorted and sat down. “Tanner, I don’t want to be here all night. For God’s sake, pull your finger out and start breathing.”

**********

“Let’s get out of here.”

“I said I’m staying,” Buck thundered.

“Relax, Brother. I meant out of this room.” The wailing of one of the women was becoming distressing.

“How about the cafeteria? I’ll bet Nathan could use a coffee,” J.D. suggested.

“Yeah.” As the group moved off, Buck’s phone rang. “Hi General. We’re at the hospital.” Buck listened for a few seconds and then glanced at his friends. “Orrin was on the phone to Chris when the bomb went off. Yeah, Chris is fine. Vin..., well, we’re still waiting. He’s not breathing on his own... Yeah. I’ll call as soon as we have any news.”

**********

J.D. knocked lightly on the door. Nathan beckoned him in. “Hi, I thought you might like a coffee, but they’ve run out so I got you a hot chocolate. I hope that’s okay.”

“Thanks, J.D.” Nathan was grateful. He felt exhausted - emotionally, mentally and physically. Over the past few days, he’d had very little sleep.

“How’s Vin?” J.D. asked, stepping up closer to Chris.

“No change,” Larabee whispered.

“He looks okay. A bit pale, but he looks okay.”

Nathan nodded his agreement and watched the youth leave. “We just have to wait,” he repeated. “He’ll be fine.”

“I know,” Chris agreed.

Jackson glanced at the clock. It was two thirty a.m. He placed the cup of chocolate on the bench beside him and shifted in his chair trying to get comfortable. Jackson knew it was going to be a long night, though he felt certain that by morning his friend would be breathing on his own and should have regained consciousness.

Nathan’s exhausted mind wandered back to the day the team had learned Vin was alive. He had never felt such complete and total relief in his entire life...

"He's alive," Chris whispered. No one responded immediately.

"Who's alive, Chris?" Josiah asked gently.

"Vin's alive. Dammit, boys, he’s alive! He was rescued by the Australian platoon he saved, sent home secretly by Colonel Gaston; was in a coma for eight weeks; has no memory of the war; was a part of the CIA witness protection programme until a couple of weeks ago when he took off without explanation. Now he's missing and there's a pretty good chance that the five million contract is on his life." It all tumbled out of Chris's mouth in a single breath. The other men were startled.

"He's alive?" Josiah asked, trying to come to terms with what his leader had said.

“Chris?”

“He’s alive,” Larabee repeated...

Part Two

Nathan studied the monitor on his left. Morning had arrived and Vin was still on life support. Jackson made some notes on the clipboard hanging on the end of the bed.

“Nathan, what’s going on?” Chris demanded. His voice was tinged with anger. “You said he was going to be okay.”

Jackson sighed. “Chris, Vin was caught in an explosion. A hell of an explosion. By some act of God he wasn’t blown into a million pieces like the deck chairs.” Nathan shook his head and lowered his voice. “I can’t see any reason why he’s not breathing. The brain scans came back clear. There were some...”

“Don’t give me a medical lecture, Nathan! Just give it to me straight.”

“Chris, I am. I... I thought he would have regained consciousness by now. I’ve phoned a friend who is an expert in brain trauma. He’s coming over from Eisenhower Hospital. He should be here in an hour.”

Chris nodded. “Sorry, Nathan. I’m just worried.” He picked up Vin’s hand. “I feel so... I gave him that damn package, Nathan. ‘I’ handed him the bomb!”

“Stop it, Chris. This isn’t your fault. Right now, I need you to stay positive. I’ve got enough to be worrying about without worrying about you.” Jackson strode from the room.

Chris sighed. Nathan, too, was tired and the last thing the medic needed was to be hounded. Chris turned back to study Vin’s face. He seemed so relaxed. Like he was simply sleeping. “Wake up, Vin.”

Out of the blue, Chris felt a rush of anger. Someone had wanted to kill Vin. “Damn %$#$ing bounty. When you wake up, we‘re going to have a serious talk. No, I‘m going to do the talking and for once in your damn life, you‘re going to do the listening. You‘re going into hiding, even if I have to drag you there hog tied.” Chris swallowed and he squeezed Vin’s hand. “Come on, Cowboy.” Silence... apart from the sound of the valve refilling with air before it forced the oxygen into Vin. Chris ran his hand through his hair, shut his eyes and whispered quietly, “Just start breathing. We’ll worry about you waking up later. Just... just start breathing.”

Chris was overcome by the feeling he was being watched. Buck and the others were standing at the door.

“We don’t want to interrupt,” Buck stated, quietly.

Chris invited them in with a nod.

“Nathan said there’s no change,” Ezra commented, walking around the other side of the bed. His green eyes narrowed as he studied Vin’s face. “Despite all of this,” he said, motioning to the equipment, “he looks in good health.”

“The bruising from the bullet wound is fading,” J.D. agreed, laying his hand on Vin’s arm.

Buck just stared. “So why isn’t he breathing?” His voice was low and distorted.

Josiah slid his arm across the floundering man’s shoulders. “He will in his own good time, Buck. Nathan believes that Vin will be fine in time.”

“How much time? He said that last night!”

“Calm down, Buck,” J.D. chastised. “Vin’ll bounce back from this. He looks okay. He just has to...”

“...start breathing,” Chris whispered. They all looked at him. Larabee’s eyes were ringed with dark circles of fatigue and anxiety.

The men fell quiet.

“Dr. Jackson has called in an expert,” Ezra offered, positively.

“Nathan knows what he’s doing,” Josiah agreed.

Buck glared at the others. “He’s not breathing! How the hell can you just stand there and make out that nothing’s wrong?! He’s not breathing!”

Josiah took firm hold of Buck’s arm and ushered him out of the room. J.D. swallowed. “He’s right.”

Chris glanced at the boy and then returned his attention to Vin. Ezra and J.D. departed without further comment.

Larabee learned closer to Vin. “I need you to start breathing. You hear me, Tanner? You need to start breathing on your own.” Chris waited for a response. In many ways, he was even expecting one, but Vin’s eyes remained closed. The clinical sound of the machine echoed in the room. Chris was losing the battle to remain calm. While Vin looked well, as the others had said, the fact that there was a huge tube coming from his mouth and all manner of machines attached to him to monitor his vitals and keep him alive shattered any hope of that fairy tale.

“We’re going out to McKenna’s. You said there was a place you wanted to take me. I thought we might do it this weekend. Of course, that’s going to mean you’ve got to get out of that bed.” Chris swallowed. He couldn’t keep it up. Buck was right. How the hell could they all pretend nothing was wrong? Vin wasn’t breathing. Larabee dropped his face and shut his eyes. What was it Nathan wasn’t telling them?

**********

Chris stepped back and watched as Nathan and his colleague from Eisenhower Hospital examined Vin. Larabee could only understand half of what they were saying, but both sounded positive. After forty minutes, they disappeared briefly.

When the doctors re-entered the room, Chris rose to his feet. “Well?”

“Chris, this is Dr. Tim Raymond. We were at Med school together.”

Larabee extended his hand. Tim smiled.

“So what’s going on?”

Tim indicated for Chris to sit, then he and Nathan leaned against Vin’s bed. “In a nutshell, he’s not breathing. Everything else is fine. His brain activity is normal considering his condition.”

“So, why isn’t he breathing?” Chris asked, carefully.

“Technically, because his brain simply isn’t sending the signal to his diaphragm to move so his lungs can inflate.”

Chris frowned. “So, how do you treat that?”

“We have to wait,” Nathan stated, gently.

“For how long?”

“Chris, all indications are that it won’t be long. Nathan tells me that Vin has had quite a time of it lately. Bullet graze, induced coma, recovering from amnesia. Right now, his brain is resting. As soon as it has recovered from all of that, it will switch Vin’s breathing back on.”

“So, there’s no need to worry?” Chris asked. This all sounded too good to be true.

Nathan exchanged a look with Tim. “Chris, we’re ninety percent sure.”

“What about the other $%$#ing ten percent?!” Chris growled.

Tim raised his hand for calm. “That ten percent belongs to Vin and God.”

Chris climbed to his feet slowly. “And just what the hell is that supposed to mean?!”

Nathan stepped between Chris and the target of his rage. “That means we can only make a human judgment, Chris. You know that. We’re telling you that Vin should be okay in a few days.”

“A few days! Last night you said...”

“Last night I was making a diagnosis based on the facts I had. Now, I’m re-evaluating that judgment.”

“Oh, so when he doesn’t wake up this week, you’ll make another re-evaluation?!” By this time, Chris’ voice was bouncing off the walls.

Josiah moved into the room. “Come and walk with me, Chris.”

“No! Nathan, tell me the truth. Is he going to be okay?!”

Jackson and Larabee stared at each other. “Chris, I can’t tell you what you want to hear. I can’t give you a one hundred percent guarantee. I wish to God I could, but... I can’t. My personal and professional opinion is that we will be taking Vin home by the end of the week. That‘s the best I can give you.”

**********

The rest of the day stretched out... and Vin’s condition remained unchanged. The next day crawled by and still Vin remained on life support. Nathan’s assurances were becoming less convincing and he and Dr. Raymond had taken to having hushed conversations.

Chris watched Raymond leave the room. Nathan approached the exhausted man. “Why don’t you go home for a shower? I’ll stay with him.”

“It’s been two days, Nathan.”

“I know. The others will be coming back in an hour or so. Why don’t you go home for a shower and a fresh change of clothes and you can meet them in the cafeteria for dinner?”

Chris shook his head and stared down at his hand curled around Vin’s. “I have to stay. I have to let him know he’s not on his own.”

“He knows that, Chris.”

“Why don’t you go home for a shower, Nathan?”

“I had one here, earlier today.”

Chris sighed. “I know it sounds like I blame you, but I don’t. I just...”

Nathan rested his hand on Chris’ shoulder. “I know, Chris. I love him too.” But Nathan knew he didn’t depend on Vin like Chris did. Chris had started living again only once Vin had re-entered his life a few months earlier. After surviving both the death of his wife and child and having had to abandon Vin in Katinda, Nathan feared Chris would not be able to endure a third loss.

********

Another day passed. And another. Gradually they blended into a week... then two weeks and still Vin was on life support. During all that time, Chris left his best friend’s side only to go to the bathroom and to shower in the doctors’ lounge. The rest of the boys continued to visit twice a day for a couple of hours each time. Nathan’s assurances had now stopped and were replaced by phone calls to other experts.

Vin had lost weight; unused muscles withering, his face gaunt. He no longer looked like he was going to wake up at any moment. Now, he looked ill.

“Chris, you have got to go home for some sleep. You look like you’re gonna collapse out of that chair,” Buck appealed.

“Buck, I’m not moving until he starts breathing again.” Larabee’s voice was low and determined. He looked dreadful. His face was lined with worry and his eyes had become dulled with anxiety.

Wilmington swallowed. He didn’t dare look at Vin. The man lying in the bed did not look like the strong, athletic man Buck knew. “And what if he doesn’t?”

“DON’T SAY THAT!”

Tears began to stream down Buck’s cheeks. “Chris, it’s been two weeks.”

“So?! Do you think we should just walk away and leave him? I did that in Katinda. I never should have called off the search then. I‘m not going to abandon him a second time.”

“Chris, that’s not what happened and you know I‘m not asking you to walk away, but Vin’s in a coma and you need some rest.”

“He’s still there,” Larabee whispered.

“What?” Buck asked, puzzled.

Chris swallowed. His left hand formed a fist and he gently thumped his own chest over his heart. “I know he’s still there, Buck. I can feel it... him. I don’t know why, I just know. Just like I knew he wasn’t dead in Katinda and just like I knew he was in trouble in Swallow Pass, I know that he’s still with us. We just have to wait.”

Wilmington rose to his feet. “Okay, Chris. Can I get you anything?”

“No.”

Buck strode toward the door, stopped and glanced back at his oldest friend, who was staring down at Vin. Buck shook his head and left the room. Chris wasn’t moving from that chair until he knew Vin was going to be okay.

**********

Nathan glanced at the clock on the wall. It was after midnight, sixteen days after the explosion. Vin’s condition had continued to deteriorate. Now, his heart was no longer working without help, necessitating another life support machine.

Chris had fallen asleep in the chair next to Vin. Jackson picked up the blanket beside the bed and covered the sleeping man before checking his patient and wandering off to the doctor’s lounge to get some sleep himself.

Chris shifted uncomfortably.

Cowboy.

Larabee awoke startled. “Vin?” Chris stared at the monitors but nothing had changed. He‘d heard Vin‘s voice! “Vin?” he asked, leaning over his best friend. Abruptly, he was overwhelmed with emotion. There was a coldness all around him - an emptiness he hadn‘t known for the longest time. Since the day Vin had walked into his life he hadn’t felt alone - even when Vin was missing in action, Chris had always felt his best friend’s presence. But now... “VIN?!”

Chris grabbed the call button and pressed it. “NURSE?!” Chris leapt to his feet, grabbed Vin’s shoulders and began to shake him. “Vin? Vin, don’t do this!”

Two nurses rushed into the room, followed by the doctor on call.

“DO SOMETHING!” Chris screamed.

“Get back!” the doctor ordered. He hurried to the monitors and studied them. “What happened?”

Chris stood, his arms hanging uselessly at his sides. His face was contorted with horror, his eyes on Vin’s face. “No. No, dear God, no.”

“According to this chart, nothing’s changed,” the doctor informed Chris. “Did something flash or... Sir?”

Chris looked like he was in a trance. Slowly, he sank down into the chair.

“Sir?”

“Dr. Jackson is the primary on this case,” one of the nurses stated quickly. “Do you want me to go and get him? I believe he went to the doctor’s lounge a few hours ago.”

“Yes, please.” The doctor walked across to Chris. “Sir?” It was obvious Chris was distressed. “Can you hear me?” The young physician glanced at the remaining nurse.

“He’s been here for two weeks and basically hasn’t left that chair,” the woman stated sympathetically.

At that moment, Nathan raced into the room. “What’s wrong?”

“Your patient is fine, but...” The doctor stepped back from Chris. “This man is on the point of collapse.”

Nathan crouched beside Chris. “Chris?... Chris?”

Larabee’s eyes were riveted to Vin, his face twisted with anguish and horror.

“Chris?”

Larabee reached out and took Vin’s hand and then lowered his head.

“Chris?” Nathan pressed. Jackson glanced at the other doctor. “I need another bed brought in here.” Both nurses raced off to carry out the instruction. Nathan turned back to Chris. “Chris, I’m bringing a bed in here for you. You have got to get some sleep.”

“Nathan,” Chris whispered, his voice trembling. “Vin...”

“He’s fine,” the other doctor assured the distraught man as he handed the chart to Nathan to examine. “His condition has not changed in any way.”

“He’s right, Chris. Vin’s fine. Were you dreaming?”

Tears began to slide down Chris’ ashen cheeks. “Oh, Vin,” he whispered.

“Chris? Nathan handed the clipboard back to the other doctor. “Chris, I want you to focus on me. Chris?”

Larabee didn’t move. Nathan rose to his feet, took Chris by the arm and tried to ease him to his feet. Larabee refused to budge. “Chris? The bed’s here. I’m not asking you to leave the room. You can stay here with Vin, but you have got to get some rest. I want you to get into the bed.”

“Leave... me... alone.” Larabee’s voice trembled as he spoke.

“Chris?”

“Nathan, I... just leave... me... alone.”

Jackson drew in a deep breath and conceded. “The bed is there if you need it. You should use it. I don’t want another patient.”

Chris didn’t respond. His face stayed down.

Nathan sighed, glanced at the nurses and doctor and then led them from the room. Only then did Chris look up. Tear tracks were smudged on his cheeks. Larabee stared at the monitors that continued to beep as they had done for the past two weeks before looking back at the deathly pale face of his best friend. Chris rose to his feet, leaned over Vin and picked him up into his arms. For a long time he held the frail body of his best friend. Finally, Chris lowered Vin back to the bed, sat down in the chair, leaned his elbows on the edge of the bed, clasped his hands, rested his forehead against his hands and cried.

**********

Nathan returned to the ward an hour later to find Chris hadn’t moved. The doctor decided not to say anything. He moved to the monitor and examined the read-out. Jackson swallowed. He rushed to the chart at the bottom of the bed and then back to the monitor. For several seconds he just stood. Nathan stared down at Vin and then, very slowly, he closed his eyes.

Chris glanced up at the doctor. His face was blank but his agonised eyes were filled with knowing. Nathan opened his mouth to speak, but couldn’t find his voice. Without a word, he hurried from the room.

When morning arrived, Buck and the others found Chris sitting in the chair, bent forward, his hands clasped and his head down. Attempts to talk to him were met with silence.

Buck and J.D. stepped out into the hallway and went in search of Nathan. They found the exhausted doctor seated in the doctor’s lounge, his eyes red and puffy.

“Nathan?! Are you alright?” Buck cried, rushing to his friend.

Jackson swallowed and tears began to fall down his cheeks unrestrained.

“I’ll go get Josiah,” J.D. offered, backing out of the room.

“Nathan?”

“Last night...”

“Yeah, the nurses told us. Chris started yelling and they called you, but nothing was wrong. There’s no change in Vin’s condition. Chris is on the point of collapse, though. Could we shove a needle into him and knock him out?”

Jackson wiped his eyes with his sleeve. “Vin’s brain activity reduced dramatically overnight and this morning...”

“What does that mean?” Buck demanded, a lump forming in his throat.

Nathan’s mouth moved, but he lowered his head.

Dr. Raymond, who had been sitting across the room, rose to his feet and walked across to the pair. “It means that this morning, all brain activity ceased.”

“What?” Josiah demanded as he, Ezra and J.D. entered the room.

Tim Raymond could see that Nathan wasn’t in any condition to pass on this information. “Clinically you friend is dead. I’m so sorry.”

“But... NO! No, I just looked at the monitors and they look the same!” Buck cried, leaping to his feet.

“Just about everything is the same, apart from the fact that his brain has stopped functioning. The machines are the only things keeping him alive. I’m sorry.” With that, the doctor backed away.

Buck stared at Nathan. “Tell me he’s wrong. TELL ME!”

Nathan looked up at his friend, his face filled with so much pain. “I haven’t told Chris yet.”

“Vin’s dead?” Buck sobbed

“I’ll tell him, if you like?” Tim offered. “Vin was a close friend. I know how hard this must be.”

“No. I’ll tell him,” Nathan stated firmly. He had spent the past three hours trying to decide how to tell Chris. “I’ll tell him,” he whispered. Jackson turned to his other friends. “I’m so sorry. I did everything I could but...”

Josiah walked forward and wrapped Nathan in his massive arms. “We know, Nathan. Vin was in the best hands in the world. It was just his time.”

Buck stood watching his friends, then he walked forward and wrapped his arms around Josiah and Nathan. Together they cried.

J.D. had silent tears running down his face. Ezra slipped his arm across the younger man’s shoulders and led him from the room. They, too, had loved Vin, but the others shared a closeness forged through battle. Ezra respected that.

**********

Nathan entered the silent ward but stopped just inside the door. Across from him, the life support machines continued to force Vin to remain ‘alive’. For several seconds Nathan looked at Chris, sitting in the chair leaning over.

“Chris?” When Larabee failed to respond, Nathan walked up to him and then crouched directly in front of his friend. “Chris, we need to talk... I... Vin has no brain activity. I... he...”

“I know,” Chris whispered.

Nathan looked surprised.

Chris raised his head. “Last night. He’s gone.” Chris had felt it. He had felt his best friend’s presence leave. The monitors may not have picked up the subtle change, but Larabee had registered it in his soul. “Cowboy,” Chris whispered. Vin had said his goodbye.

“Chris... I...”

Larabee reached forward and hugged Nathan. The doctor sobbed. “I don’t blame you, Nathan. I... He’s gone.”

**********

It was almost an hour later when all of the men collected in Vin’s room. The atmosphere was oppressive. Nathan had handed all responsibilities to Dr. Raymond.

“Gentlemen, it is at this point that I would speak to the family, but I understand Vin has none.”

“You are gravely misinformed,” Ezra stated quietly. “His family is right here.”

“Of course. I need you all to understand that the only thing that is keeping Vin’s body alive is the life support. We can leave him on that indefinitely, if that’s what you want. However, your loved one is gone. Nothing in medical science can start someone’s brain once it ceases to function.” Tim waited. “If anyone has any questions, I’d be happy to try and address them.... No one?“ He hated doing this. Dr. Tim Raymond had done more than his fair share of these meetings. He was an expert on head trauma and unfortunately, patients suffering head trauma had a high death rate. “Nathan says that you, Chris, have enduring power of attorney?”

“What?” Buck asked.

“It’s something you place in your will. It means that if you are ever in a position where you are unable to make decisions for yourself, you name the person who can make them for you. In this case, whether or not to turn off the life support,” the doctor explained.

“No! No, we can’t just...’turn’ him off’!” Buck screamed. “He might... I mean, there may be a chance...”

“He’s gone, Buck,” Chris stated in a hushed voice. “That’s not Vin. Vin left here last night.”

“But, Chris. Please... don’t do this.”

“Buck,” Josiah stated gently. “Vin wouldn’t want to be left on life support like this. We need to set him free.”

“He already is.” Larabee directed his attention to the doctor. “I’ll sign the papers.” Chris’ voice was incredibly even. He appeared so calm and in control. It was unnatural.

Buck covered his eyes with one of his hands. His body shuddered.

“I’ll make the arrangements. While I do, may I suggest that each of you take your time to say goodbye.”

Chris rose to his feet. “Josiah, you can go first.” Larabee inclined his head to the door and the others followed their leader out of the room.

One by one, Vin’s family said goodbye. They all shed tears. Buck was shattered. He had to be physically assisted from the room. Finally, it was Chris’ turn.

“Chris?” Josiah prompted.

Larabee shook his head.

“Chris, it’s important that you say goodbye so that you can grieve.”

“That isn’t Vin. That’s an empty shell. Vin said goodbye last night.” His face was so hard. Josiah feared Chris was shutting all emotions out. There was rage simmering inside Chris that was being fuelled by his grief. It was only a matter of time before it ignited. There was no telling how Chris would handle that.

“Have you said goodbye, though? Chris, I really think...”

“I couldn’t give a rat’s ass what you think, Josiah.”

Once again, Vin’s family collected around his bed. Also present were Dr. Raymond, a nurse and a police officer. Dr. Raymond nodded to Chris. Larabee stepped up beside the wall and placed his hand over the large red button, which had a glass slide over it to prevent anyone touching it accidentally. Chris slid the glass back. Immediately, an alarm sounded. Dr. Raymond turned off the blaring sound and nodded his encouragement to Chris.

Larabee had not looked at Vin all day. Now, he allowed his eyes to drop to Vin’s withered frame. That wasn’t Vin. Chris refused to accept it was. He withdrew his best friend’s harmonica from his pocket and fingered it in his left hand. Chris searched his feelings and his mind filled with an image of his smiling friend. “I’ll see you in hell, Cowboy.” With that, Larabee depressed the button controlling the life support. The machine’s rhythmical beating became slower. Finally, it ceased all together.

Nathan watched Vin’s chest, which had been rising and falling. He prayed he and the other doctors were wrong. He prayed with all his being that Vin’s chest would continue to rise and fall... but it didn’t. Vin had taken his final breath. Peacefully, surrounded by those who loved him, Vin passed away. Everyone in the room stood in silence, most with their eyes down.

Without a word, Chris left the ward.

“Chris?” Josiah called after him. Sanchez shook his head. “He needs some time,” the preacher explained to the others.

Buck walked forward and picked up Vin’s hand. “I thought you were going to show them, Vin. I thought he’d turn off the machine and somehow you’d still be breathing. You’ve beaten the odds so many times, I was sure you would again. God, I miss you so... much... all ready,” Buck sobbed. His friends crowded around him and offered what comfort they could.

**********

At some point, the boys collected themselves and left Vin’s room. It wasn’t easy. They gathered at Ezra’s place. There had been no decision to do so, but Ezra had pulled out of the hospital parking lot first and the others had simply followed him home.

Ezra shook his head. “He’s still got the phone off.” Larabee had completely disappeared. It had been hours since he had left the hospital. Now, the boys were getting worried.

“You don’t think that he’d... I mean, you don’t think that Chris would... do himself any harm?” J.D. asked

“Everything that meant anything to Chris is laying in the morgue at the hospital,” Buck whispered.

“Buck, don’t sell yourself short. Chris loves you. Hell, he cares about all of us. I know Vin and Chris were close but...”

“J.D., you don’t understand,” Buck murmured. J.D. could not possibly understand what it had been like when the team had lost Vin in Katinda. Chris had shouldered all of the responsibility for that decision.

“No, Buck, you‘re the one who doesn‘t understand. You, Chris and Vin are the closest brothers I’ve ever met,“ J.D. stated gently.

Buck nodded his thanks to J.D. and then left the room. He couldn’t handle the emotions and needed to get away.

“Chris blames himself for what happened. He gave Vin the bomb. He kept saying that. He blames himself for abandoning Vin in Katinda,” Nathan pointed out. “We’ve got to find him or we’re going to be burying both of them before the day’s out.” Nathan had seen the look on Chris’ face at the hospital and while Larabee had appeared unnaturally calm, his eyes told a completely different story. In them, Nathan had seen something that terrified him - a total absence of emotion. “We need to find him,” Jackson repeated. “He’s going to self-destruct.”

“Alright gentlemen, let us pool our thoughts. Where would he go?”

“His burnt out ranch?” Josiah suggested.

“The saloon?” J.D. asked, quietly. He knew that Chris had drowned his sorrows after the Katinda War.

“Four Corners?”

Nathan frowned. “No, McKenna’s.”

“McKenna’s?” Ezra asked curiously.

“Yeah. He said something about Vin wanting to take him out there.”

Ezra opened the phonebook. “Hello, Reg? It’s Ezra. I’m a friend of Vin’s... yes, that’s right... no, I’m afraid he’s not well.” Ezra went on to break the news and to ask Reg to call if Chris happened to appear out there.

“I say we each take a spot and go there. See if we can find him,” Josiah suggested. “I’ll take his former ranch.”

“Buck and I’ll take Four Corners,” J.D. offered.

“Nathan?”

“I can’t think of anywhere else he’d go, Ezra.” Jackson was consumed by guilt. He had told them all that Vin would be all right. How could he have been so wrong?

Ezra’s heart bled for Nathan. He could see that his friend was blaming himself. However, the group’s focus had to be Chris. Ezra, too, had seen the unnerving look in Larabee’s eyes. There had been no emotion. Larabee was out of touch with reality and in that state, he could well do just about anything.

Part Three

Larabee drove his car under the sign spanning the driveway. Three dogs rushed out of a barn and ran at him, but Chris ignored them. The animals stopped several feet from the car and continued barking.

Chris sat, staring at the house. He had refused to think of anything during the journey. Now, he was confronted with where he was. What the hell was he doing here?

The door of the ranch house opened and a man stepped out, carefully studying his visitor as he climbed from the car.

“Sit down!“ Reg yelled at the dogs. “Hello there. Can I help you?”

“Yeah. I’m looking for a place. I don’t know its name but... a friend of mine used to go there.”

“You talking about Vin?” Reg asked.

Chris looked startled, but nodded.

Reg’s face flushed with sorrow. “I just heard the news. Fella called Ezra rang. You must be Chris.”

Larabee didn’t answer.

“He sounded a bit worried about you. I reckon you should give him a call and let him know you’re okay.”

“Do you know the place Vin was talking about?” Chris asked. His voice wavered as he struggled to maintain control of his emotions.

Reg nodded. “I think I do. Vin used to go there a lot. It’s a hard climb.”

“That’s the place. Can you show me?”

Reg stared at Chris for a few seconds, making a judgment about Larabee. Finally, he nodded. “This way.” The stout man led the way around the back of the barn. The land stretched out behind it. Reg pointed to a set of hills several miles in the distance. “See them mountains. See that high bit with the flat top? That’s where he used to go.”

“Thank you.” Chris turned to leave.

“Now, hang on a minute. Are you fixing on going up there?”

Chris continued to walk away.

“Listen mister, I’m trying to help you. If you want to go there, you’ll need a horse, some supplies and some climbing equipment.”

Larabee turned around slowly. Reg nodded. “Vin Tanner was a good man. You look like you thought so too. Come on and I’ll get you a horse and that equipment.”

“Thank you.”

**********

Ezra grabbed his cell phone from his pocket. “Standish.... he is? Thank, God... where’s he going?... Thanks, Reg. I’m on my way.”

Ezra dialed his companions, they met at the airfield and then Buck flew them to McKenna’s.

“He left here a good two hours ago. He’s headed for Flat Top... see that mountain there?”

“Reg, we’re going to need horses and...”

“Yeah, I thought you would. I’ve saddled a couple. Didn’t realize there would be so many of you. Just let me get another three ready.”

**********

Chris checked the final peg. The climb hadn’t been as hard as he’d expected. He’d looked for what he thought would be the easiest spot to climb and hadn’t been surprised to find pegs already hammered into the side of the mountain. This was the spot Vin would have chosen. He had probably hammered them in himself.

Larabee pushed up and stepped onto the plateau. Immediately he was buffeted by the winds. He scanned the area around him. “I’m here, Vin. You wanted me to see it and I’m here.” Larabee walked across the mountaintop and stopped at the edge. He was hundreds of feet in the air. Below and around him in every direction was lush green woodland. The blue sky was cloudless. Above, a hawk soared. Chris swallowed and tears came to his eyes. It was beautiful. This was Vin’s world. This was the world Vin had deserved.

Standing alone atop the mountain, Chris allowed the winds to accost him. Up here, he felt close to Vin. He didn’t know why, he just did. This was where Vin’s spirit was.

**********

One by one, Chris’ friends climbed the mountain. Larabee glanced back over his shoulder. Buck walked forward. The others stayed back. Larabee and Wilmington stared at each other and then Chris slipped his arm across Buck’s shoulders.

“There, Buck. He’s free.”

“I know,” Buck whispered, emotionally.

“That’s where he is. Not back in that hospital.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“He wanted us to come here,” Chris explained. “I had to come.”

“You should have said something. We were worried.”

Chris stared at Buck, smiled, released his friend and walked a few paces forward, staring up at the bird soaring across the brilliant blue.

Buck watched Chris for a few moments and then wandered back to his companions. “He’s okay. He... Vin must have talked about this place. He needed to come here.” The others nodded and withdrew, wanting to provide Chris with the time he needed.

Chris stood alone, watching the hawk as it dived toward the ground, leaving everything around it in its wake. It was free. Free of pain, like Vin. Suddenly, Chris became overwhelmed by the myriad of emotions boiling inside him. The grief he had denied himself swallowed him. Every part of him ached both with his new loss and with the memories of his wife and child. Larabee had let them down. He’d let them all down. Chris squeezed his eyes shut with force. It was his fault. They’d depended on him for protection and he’d failed them. The pain of his guilt was unbearable as was the agony of realizing that he would have to go on without three of the four people he cared about most in the world.

“It sure is beautiful,” J.D. commented, scanning the area.

Nathan was focused on Chris as he battled his own guilt. He’d told Chris that everything would be okay. He’d been so sure. Chris had believed him. How could his judgment have been so wrong? “I wish...“ he started, but something drew his attention. “Chris?” Larabee was walking toward the edge. “CHRIS!”

“Dr. Jackson?”

“CHRIS, DON’T!”

Chris Larabee didn’t stop. Directly in front of him was the freedom he craved. Before his horrified friends could reach him, Chris stepped off the edge. “Cowboy,” he called as he plummeted.

“Dr. Jackson?”

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

“Dr. Jackson?”

Nathan awoke startled. He stared up at the nurse leaning over him.

“I’m sorry to wake you, doctor, but you said you wanted to be informed if there was any change.”

Nathan’s head snapped to the clock on the wall. It was three fifteen. Vin had been checked into the room at two fifteen. Jackson glanced at the now cold cup of chocolate J.D. had collected for him forty-five minutes earlier.

“Dr. Jackson? Are you alright?”

Nathan climbed to his feet and studied the monitor. He glanced at Chris. Larabee was watching him curiously from the chair on the other side of the bed. “You okay, Nathan?”

“Huh? Yeah. I... why the hell did you let me go to sleep?” he yelled at Chris angrily.

“Whooh. Calm down. It was only for a few minutes and you obviously needed it,” Chris explained. Larabee glanced at Vin. “He’s doing fine. Has just started breathing on his own. See,” Chris pointed to the monitor.

Nathan’s face paled. “Thank, God.” Jackson lowered his head. His body shuddered. When he looked up, Chris was standing beside him. “Nathan?”

Jackson reached out and hugged Chris. He held him tightly, his breathing shaky as he tried to get on top of the emotions threatening to consume him.

“Hey, easy there, Nathan.” Chris could feel his friend trembling. “Easy. Easy. Everything’s okay.”

“I... God, Chris. I...” Chris patted Nathan’s back and then stepped away, studying Jackson with concern. Nathan wiped his eyes with the back of his sleeve. “Sorry, I... when I slept I... hell.”

Chris was still a little confused, but he decided that providing Nathan with a focus might help. “I’m no doctor, but I think he’s looking better. Not so pale. What do you say, doc?”

Nathan collected himself and examined Vin thoroughly. “Yeah. Yeah, he’s fine. Should wake up soon. I...” Nathan shut his eyes again. The nightmare continued to affect him. Chris patted his back. “How about you and I go and get a cup of chocolate. Apparently there’s no coffee left.”

Nathan nodded. He glanced down at Vin. His friend looked healthy, like he was ready to wake up at any moment.

Nathan drew in a breath to try and steady himself. It had been a nightmare. The worst kind for it had felt so real. Thankfully, that was all it had been. Vin was fine, just as Nathan had originally stated. He had started breathing again within an hour of being admitted, just as Nathan knew he would. The doctor’s judgment hadn’t been wrong.

Nathan felt emotionally drained. His dream had ended with Chris taking his own life. Did Nathan really believe that was what Chris would do if anything happened to Vin?

"You okay?" Chris asked, again.

"I'm just relieved, Chris. And I want you to promise me that if... no, it doesn't matter."

Larabee smiled easily. "What?"

"Nothing, Chris. Nothing."

Chris continued to eye his friend, puzzled. He could see the emotion still held in Nathan's dark eyes. "Come on. You need to get out of here for a while." Chris slid his arm across Nathan's shoulders and led him from the room.

**********

At three thirty, Chris and Nathan returned to the ward. Jackson checked his patient and then settled in one of the seats. “He’s getting stronger. It won’t be long. Hell we’re lucky he dived in that water.”

“Yeah, I know. When he wakes up, we’re going to have a serious talk and for once in his damn life, he’s going to listen. He’s going into hiding, even if I have to drag him there hog tied.”

Nathan burst out laughing. “My God, I know you well, Chris.”

“Huh?”

Nathan grinned. He’d dreamt Chris had said those very words.

“I’m serious, Nathan.”

“Yeah, I know you are and I wish you luck.”

Chris scowled and then smirked at Nathan. “It’s going to be one hell of a fight,” he agreed.

“Yep, I look forward to seeing it.”

Vin moaned. Both Nathan and Chris leapt to their feet.

Chris placed his hand on Vin’s shoulder. “Easy, Cowboy.”

Nathan glanced at the monitor and nodded. “Yep, here he comes.” The doctor placed his stethoscope on Vin’s chest and listened to his breathing.

Vin stirred and started blinking.

“Take it slow, Vin. Everything’s fine.”

Tanner’s eyes focused on Nathan and then he glanced across at Chris.

“Don’t try to talk. You’ve got a tube down your throat,” Nathan explained. Vin returned his attention to Nathan. Jackson recognised the request. “Yeah, just give me a minute and I’ll remove it. Your breathing is sounding real strong. It may be uncomfortable while I’m doing it,” Nathan added as he set to work.

Vin looked over at Chris. Larabee smiled a wide, relieved, genuine smile. “Good to see you awake,” he whispered.

Vin tried to speak.

“Don’t be so damn stupid. Wait until Nathan has the tube out of you.”

Tanner rolled his eyes. Larabee winked. Moments later, Vin’s throat was clear of the obstruction.

“Okay?” Nathan asked. His patient attempted to swallow and groaned. “Yeah, it’ll be a bit sore. Don’t try to talk for a while,” Nathan explained, flicking a light into his patient’s eyes. “Just give me a minute and I’ll get you some water. Do you have feeling in your fingers and toes?”

Vin nodded.

“Any pain?” Nathan asked.

The injured man shook his head.

“Then I have got to say, Vin Tanner, you’re a picture of glowing health, considering what you survived.” Nathan squeezed Vin’s hand.

“Do you know where you are and what happened?” Chris asked.

“Yeah. That’s another person I’m gonna have to take off my Christmas card list.” Tanner’s voice was a little scratchy but full of witty sarcasm. The smile on Chris’ face fell. He swallowed.

I thought I‘d lost you, Vin Tanner.

I ain’t goin’ nowhere, Cowboy.

“You’re everything and more than Liam’s supposed to be,” Chris whispered, emotionally.

“Chris...”

“No, it needs to be said.”

Nathan made his way out of the room. He had no right to hear this and to be honest, he didn’t want to. After what he had been through as a result of the horrific nightmare, he knew he wouldn’t be able to handle it anyway.

“You’ve said it. Ain’t no need for more,” Vin insisted. He shut his eyes briefly.

“You get some rest. We can talk later.”

“We ain’t got nothing to say, Cowboy.”

“Don’t bet on it.”

Vin’s left eyebrow drew down inquisitively. “What’s that supposed to mean?... Oh, hell. You aren’t gonna go all Nazi on me are you?”

“If that’s supposed to mean, am I going to insist that we take better precautions with you’re life, then that‘s exactly what I‘m doing. You’re going into hiding. There isn’t going to be any discussion. I’ve already thought it through. I think I know a place and some people who can help.”

“You’ve got it all worked out?” Vin demanded, his strained voice rising with anger.

“Not all of the fine details but, yeah.”

“And do I get a say in your master plan, Mien Furher?”

“Vin, it’s time we started acting responsibly. You’ve got a contract out on your life and...”

“Hell, is that why all those people have been tryin’ to kill me, Chris? Thanks for pointin’ that out.” He moaned at the end of the sentence. Talking was painful.

“That’s enough. We’ll talk about it later.”

“We’ll talk about it now! Chris, I’ve told you before, I ain’t livin’ in a cage.”

“I’m not going to put you in one, but we’ve...”

“No.”

“Vin, I’m not giving you a say this time,” Chris growled. His tone of voice was an order. This was Colonel Larabee talking.

“Who died and made you God, Larabee? You’re not in charge of my life. I know you like to think you are, but you’re not!”

“Now, hang on a minute...”

“Chris, I love you like a brother and I’d die for you, but I ain’t gonna let you tell me how to live my life.”

“What life?!” They glared at each other. Chris shook his head in frustration. Why couldn‘t Vin understand? “Do you have any idea of how close you came to dying?”

Vin raised his hand and opened his thumb and forefinger about two inches. “This close? Or was it this close?” he asked, moving his fingers closer together. Vin smiled and then bounced his eyebrows. “Larabee, I’ve had closer shaves than that in Kat. You and I both know that. Besides, whoever set the bomb wanted to kill me, not collect the bounty. If they’d wanted the money, they’d need some way of proving they killed me. You can’t do that with a bomb. Nope, this was just a gift from some bastard I musta pissed off. Can‘t think who. I‘m such a lovable person. It wasn‘t you was it?”

Chris stared down at Vin. Unfortunately, he was so relieved that roasting the hell out of Vin was out of the question. “Do you have any idea how much I hate it when you’re right.”

Vin sighed and closed his eyes. “My life long ambition’s to piss you off, Larabee.”

Chris picked up Vin’s hand and squeezed it affectionately. “Get some rest... but this isn’t over.”

“Nope. Don’t reckon it is. I’m thirsty.”

“I’ll go and get you some water. I...”

“Hey, Vin!” Buck bellowed as he rushed into the room. Nathan had just informed the others that Tanner was awake.

Vin opened his eyes and smiled as his friends crowded around him, each and every one of them beaming. Tanner started to draw himself up.

“Hey, what do you think you’re dong?” Nathan asked, rushing forward.

“I want to sit up.”

Buck adjusted the pillow behind his friend and then turned to Nathan. “You were right on the mark, Doc. You said he’d be fine the moment he started breathing again, and he’s sittin’ up in bed after just waking up. Hell, Nathan, you really know your stuff.”

Jackson felt his face flush. Again, the nightmare rose up in his mind. He still found it hard to discern fact from what he’d dreamt.

Josiah eyed his best friend carefully. Something was weighing on Nathan’s mind. Now wasn’t the time, but clearly Nathan needed to unload.

“Looks like I owe you again, Nathan.” Vin swallowed painfully.

“I’ll get you that water,” Chris offered, noting his friend’s discomfort.

“Nathan performed E.A.R. on you the entire way in the chopper,” Josiah explained.

Vin offered his hand. Nathan stared down at it, knocked it out of the way and hugged Vin.

Buck and Josiah exchanged a glance. It was unusual for Nathan to be so demonstrative with his emotions.

Vin grinned. “Give you a bit of a fright, doc?” he asked.

“I’m just very, very happy to see you awake.”

“As we all are, Vin,” Ezra added. Tanner winked at Ezra. He and Standish had been through a lot together while on the run and stuck in Swallow Pass. Ezra patted Vin’s arm. Ezra was a member of this family now. A family he cared a great deal about.

Most of the men found themselves trying to direct their attention from Nathan who appeared particularly emotional.

“How long you boys been at the hospital?” Vin asked, deliberately taking the focus from the distressed medic who was now trying to hide the tears once again streaming down his face.

“Only a few hours.”

“Four Corners okay? Thanks, Chris,” Vin murmured, taking the glass from his friend and sipping from it.

“We haven’t been back to have a look. The bomb blew the glass doors in and the pool area is cactus.”

“We’ll have to find out who sent my little gift. Any ideas?” Vin drew in a deep breath, shut his eyes briefly before forcing them open. The others were talking around him. Tanner blinked several times trying to focus on their words. He felt incredibly tired.

J.D. grabbed the glass of water slipping from Vin’s fingers as sleep finally consumed him.

Buck patted Vin’s brow. “Yep, you just rest, Kid and leave the rest to us.” Together, Buck and Chris lowered Vin down, Chris tucking the blankets around the sleeping man.

“Alright, boys. He’s just fine. He needs to rest,” Nathan ordered, having regained his composure.

“How long will he be in hospital?” J.D. asked as he moved toward the door with the others.

“To tell you the truth, the sooner I can get him out of here the better,” Nathan murmured, his eyes flicking to the red emergency stop button which the life support machine had been plugged into.

“Brother, how about you join me for a walk?”

“No I... yeah. Yeah, thanks Josiah,” Nathan whispered. “Chris, if there’s any change at all, you call me.”

Larabee nodded. Once the room was empty, Chris sat back in his chair. “It’s going to be one hell of a fight, Tanner,” he murmured. “This time, you’re going to do it my way.”

**********

Nathan and Josiah left the hospital, crossed the road and began to stroll through the park opposite.

Josiah gave Nathan several minutes to clear his mind. “Talk to me, Nathan. Did we come closer to losing Vin than you let on?”

“No,” Nathan answered quickly. They continued to walk.

“Nathan?”

“I fell asleep and... Josiah, I haven’t had a nightmare like that since I came back from Katinda. It was so real that I’m still not sure how much of it didn’t happen.”

Josiah listened thoughtfully. “And in your dream, Vin died?”

“Chris had to turn off his life support and then... “

“He committed suicide?”

“Yes,” Nathan responded, stopping to stare at Josiah. “How did you know?”

Josiah shrugged and urged Nathan to keep walking. “It is probably the same fear we all share. We know what Chris’s been through. First his family and then losing Vin in Katinda. Chris is strong man, but every man has his breaking point. “

Again, Nathan stopped walking. “You think he would? If I’d been wrong and Vin had died, you think Chris would have taken his own life?”

“First of all, you weren’t wrong. I’m going to say that again, just to make sure you’re hearing the words. You weren’t wrong. You were right. You saved Vin’s life.”

Nathan sighed. That didn’t help to calm his bubbling emotions.

“As for the workings of Chris’ mind, I think only God could help you with that. Chris is a tortured soul. He has been since the death of his wife and son. Vin’s helped to repair his soul, but if Vin were to be taken from us, I think Chris would take it badly. Whether he would take his own life or simply stop living, I don’t know. Either way, there is nothing we can do about it. It’s part of who Chris is.”

“It scares me, Josiah,” Nathan whispered.

“What does? That Chris may choose to kill himself if anything happens to Vin or that he would choose to leave us?

Nathan frowned.

“Or does it scare you that you may be responsible for Chris’ death, real or emotional, through your failure to save Vin next time?”

Nathan began nodding. It was all beginning to make sense. “Yeah.” Yes, that was it in a nutshell.

“You are human, Nathan. One of the most caring, sensitive humans I’ve ever known. You are also one hell of a doctor. But you are human. Some decisions are God’s, not yours. Your dream was a result of all of the emotion and responsibility you feel for the rest of us. We shouldn’t place that sort of pressure on you.”

“I don’t mind, it’s just that... sometimes it’s hard.”

Josiah smiled. “God put you on earth for a reason, my friend and I thank him for that every day.”

Nathan returned his friend’s smile. “And I thank him for a friend like you, Josiah.”

The pair started back for the hospital.

“Thanks.”

“Talking crap. It’s what I do,” Josiah chuckled.

“You do it well,” Nathan laughed. The tension in his body was easing. Josiah was right. Then again, he usually was.

**********

General Travis arrived at the hospital at 8:00am. “Boys,” he greeted.

“Hi, General. He’s sleeping.”

“I’m pleased to hear that. I need to speak to Chris, urgently.”

“Go on in,” Buck encouraged.

Travis walked into the ward and nodded to Chris. “I hear he wasn’t breathing for almost three hours.”

“He’s fine. Been talking and making my life hell already,” Chris commented, offering his hand.

“I need to talk to you. We have a situation.”

Chris’ face screwed up.

“I do understand if you want to turn me down after all you’ve been through, but it could turn into an international incident and the President has asked that you handle it personally.”

Chris nodded. “Yeah, okay. What’s our time line?”

“Three days.”

“Nathan’s talking about taking him home this afternoon. Once he’s settled, I’ll ring you.”

“Thank you.” Travis glanced at Vin. “Any idea who sent the bomb?”

“No, but we’ll find out.”

Travis studied Chris’ face. “I’m sure you will.”

**********

“Would you get the hell off me. I can walk on my own!” Vin snapped as he stepped from the chopper. Buck, Nathan and Chris continued to mill around him, Ezra, Josiah and J.D. half a pace behind.

“Vin, take it slow,” Chris ordered.

“Slow my ass. I keep tellin’ you fellas, I’m fine. Look, not a scratch on me,” Vin grumbled, striding away from the chopper with the rest of his friends clambering after him. He was feeling smothered. Every ten seconds one of them was asking if they could help or if he was all right.

The sun was just beginning to set. Nathan had kept Vin in the hospital past lunchtime, despite his patient’s complaints and rapid improvement. A week earlier, Jackson knew he had released the injured sharpshooter sooner than he should. This time, he wasn’t prepared to make the same mistake. To everyone‘s astonishment, however, Vin was in good health and showed no ill effects from what had happened, outside of a headache and a raw and slightly swollen throat.

“Vin, you stopped breathing for three hours! Three hours!” J.D. cried.

“I started again,” Vin dismissed.

“You should be taking it easy, brother.

“Three hours, Vin,” Buck repeated.

“You need to heed Nathan‘s advice, Vin,” Ezra asserted.

“If Nathan hadn’t been at Four Corners...”

Tanner stopped and spun around and his six friends almost ran into him. “Look, I can tell things must have seemed a bit tight, but I’m fine. What’ve I got to do to stop you bastards from treating me like a sick calf?”

Nathan raised his hand for calm. “Alright, we’ll back off, but let me remind you of a few things.“ Nathan’s voice was tinged with irritation. “Just over a week ago, you were in a coma. Yesterday, you got out of bed for the first time in over a week. Last night, you weren’t breathing for three very long, and might I add, very worrying hours for the rest of us. I think we have a right to be a little concerned... don’t you?”

Vin shrugged. “And now I’m breathing again, on my feet and fine. Even you said I was fine. You fellas need to relax.” He turned back toward the house. “I’m hungry. And Nathan, you’re not cooking.”

“I’ll cook,” J.D. offered.

“Now that sounds good. Larabee, you and me got some talking to do. I... holy shit.” Vin had just entered the lounge room. The room resembled Ground Zero. There was glass everywhere. The couches had been tossed across the open space and the television was smashed, but Vin’s attention was drawn to the area beyond the shattered doors. Slowly, he crunched across the broken glass and stopped to stare out at where the pool area ‘used’ to be. The only thing left was the pool itself. Everything else was black and burned. The beautiful landscaped gardens were smouldering. There was a small crater to one side where the bomb had gone off. The crystal clear water of the swimming pool was blackened with ash.

Chris stepped up beside Vin. “Now can you understand why we’re worried?”

“Shit. How the hell did I survive this?” Tanner was astonished. He hadn’t had any idea of the size or ferocity of the blast.

“We found you in the pool. We guessed you must have jumped in there.”

Vin stared flabbergasted. “I don’t remember,” he whispered. He hadn’t expected anything like this. Finally, the shocked man looked over at his best friend. “Jesus, Chris.”

“Yeah.” For the first time, Vin was beginning to understand what the others must have faced when the blast went off.

The rest of the group appeared beside Larabee. Buck, Ezra and J.D. hadn’t seen the devastation and while Chris, Josiah and Nathan had, they too were shaken at being confronted with it again.

“My God, you were lucky, Vin,” J.D. whispered.

“Yeah,” Tanner agreed, quietly. Reality was beginning to crash into place. There was no way he should have survived this.

“It‘s incredible that less than twenty four hours after the blast, you‘re back on your feet,” J.D. murmured.

“I don’t remember any of it.” Vin ran his eyes over the area again. There was shrapnel everywhere. If he hadn’t jumped into the pool he would have been cut to pieces. “I guess we should clean up.”

“Leave that to me. I shall make some phone calls and hire some people to restore the area to its former self,” Ezra offered.

“Not until I’ve had a good look and I’d like to get a forensic team out here,“ Josiah ordered.

Chris and Vin’s eyes met. I’m sorry, Chris. I didn’t realize it was this bad.

“That’s why we need to talk.”

Part Four

Larabee and Tanner moved to the kitchen, leaving their companions the task of searching for any clues the bomb may have left.

“There’s been one too many attempts, Vin. Just ignoring the fact that there’s a contract on your life isn’t working.” Chris proceeded to outline what he felt were Vin’s two options - not that they were very different in Vin’s eyes. Both meant the younger man had to leave.

Tanner didn’t comment throughout the twenty-minute lecture. He nodded several times but outside of that, made little response.

“That’s the way I see it. We stage your death and you go into hiding or we just make you disappear. I know some people who can make it happen. We’ll probably send you interstate. Texas if you like.”

Vin sighed, nodded and rose to his feet. “Yeah, alright, Chris.”

Larabee frowned. He had expected some sort of discussion... argument, but Vin was conceding without comment. “Have you got anything to say? Any preference?”

Vin shook his head, wandered across to the fridge and opened it. His shoulders were slumped and his eyes distant. “Whatever you think is best. I’m willing to do it your way.”

“Vin?”

Tanner grabbed an apple and returned to his seat. “Yeah, both sound okay. I’m not much of an actor so staging my death might be a bit difficult. Whatever you think?”

“Vin I... “ Chris paused, again studying the deep disillusionment in his best friend’s face. “I’m doing this for you.”

Vin stared at Chris. “Yeah, I’m sure you believe you are.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Are you doing this for me, or for you?“ Vin challenged softly.

“What?“ Chris cried.

“You can’t handle the thought of me being killed. I can understand that, but I don’t understand your solution. You’re talking about sending me away so I‘m out of the way. I may as well be dead.“

“Out of the way! Vin, I don’t want to see you get hurt and I’ll do whatever it takes to protect you, even if that means having to send you to Antarctica.“

Vin shook his head in frustration. Chris was blinded by emotion. Tanner searched for a way to make his friend see sense. “Okay. Fine. I look at it this way, Chris. Let’s pretend that three months ago I’d listened to you and went into hiding. You’re right. There wouldn’t have been the car trying to run me down, or the bomb at my unit, or the package here, or bullet wounds in South America and Swallow Pass. I’d have been safe. I’d have missed out on spending time with you and the boys, meeting Nettie, and being there when you needed me, but I’d be safe. But what if I’m then killed in some freak accident.”

“Vin...”

“Let me finish. An accident, you know, a car accident, struck by lightening... liver cancer. That would mean I’d have spent the final three months of my life away from the people I care about and pretending to be a person I’m not. On the other hand, if that same freak accident really did happen today, what could I look back on? The last three months of my life have been spent doing what makes living worthwhile. Riding the horses with you. Listening to Buck’s boasting. Getting to know J.D. and Ezra. Putting up with Nathan’s cooking and the Preacher’s stories. Defending my country with people who mean more to me than my own life. Are you listening to what I‘m saying?”

Larabee studied Vin in exasperation. “You’re not likely to be killed in a car accident or struck by lightning or develop cancer.”

“And how do you figure you‘re gonna protect me from any of those things? Chris, there’s just as much chance of something like that happening as me being killed as a result of the contract. Your way, I exist but stop living. My way, I live, not just exist. In both cases the contract’s still there. But, like I said, I’ll do what you want, Colonel.” Vin rose to his feet and headed for the door.

“Vin,” Chris whispered. His emotions were churning. “You know I don‘t want to send you away. It‘s just that...”

Tanner nodded. “Good. ‘Cause, I don’t wanna go. I’m willin’ to let fate decide and if I’m killed tomorrow or next week, or next year, I would have lived one hell of a life.” Vin grinned. “Come on. You need to get changed.”

“Changed?” Chris asked.

“Yeah. I want to take you to McKenna’s.”

Chris shook his head. “We can’t. I’m waiting for Travis’ call. We’ve got a mission coming up but after the mission, we’ll go.” Larabee and Tanner stared at each other. The discussion was far from over as far as Chris was concerned.

I’m sorry, Vin. I just... I don’t want to see you hurt.

I understand that.

This isn’t over.

Yes, it is, Cowboy. Vin tossed the apple core to his friend and wandered from the room saying, “Besides, I thought we’d decided that this bomb wasn’t a result of the contract.”

Chris cursed softly. He’d been so sure he’d worked out a way to protect his best friend. He’d send him away. It would hurt like hell, but Chris could live with that. The only thing that mattered was Vin being safe. Unfortunately, he’d been so obsessed with shielding his friend from danger that he hadn’t considered the emotional consequences for Vin.

**********

Ezra stared at the phone, feeling torn. He was seated in the study with the door closed. On one hand, he knew it wasn’t any of his business. On the other, Vin wouldn’t do it himself - Ezra was certain of that. Standish picked up the receiver and dialed the number he had scribbled in his notebook.

“Good Morning. Could you please put me through to Children’s Services?” Ezra waited. “Good morning. I am trying to track down some information on the relatives of a child who was placed in your care a number of years ago... Name? Tanner. Vin Tanner.”

**********

J.D. watched as Josiah examined the remnants of the package. “Anything?” the younger man asked.

“It takes time, J.D.,” Josiah explained. “The forensic team should be here shortly.”

Dunne sighed and headed for the study. He wanted to download his e-mail.

As J.D. opened the door, a book hurled across the room and struck the wall. “Ezra?”

Standish composed himself quickly. “I apologise for my outburst. I have been on the phone for an hour and... maybe you can help me?”

“Sure. What do you need?”

“I need to get into the private records of the Texas Child Services.”

J.D.’s eyebrows raised. “Why?”

Ezra drew in a deep breath. “It’s difficult to explain, but I must have your word that you will not mention it to anyone?”

“Have you got a kid?!” J.D. cried, leaping to the wrong conclusion.

“No, of course not,” Ezra whispered, indicating for his companion to lower his voice. “I... Vin mentioned to me he has an uncle whom he hasn’t seen in many years. I thought I might assist him to locate this long lost relative.”

“Oh? Vin ask you to?” J.D. asked, warily. He knew Vin was a private person and found it difficult to believe that Tanner would make such a request.

“Not exactly.”

“Ezra, I don’t think it’s a good idea,” J.D. cautioned.

“Your opinion is noted. Will you help me?”

J.D. frowned.

**********

Josiah listened to the forensic report. He hadn’t been expecting the crew to turn up much and by the look of it, he’d been correct. The team had arrived a couple of hours earlier and while the report was only preliminary, it didn’t sound promising.

“We can try and trace some of the components,” one officer mused, “But I don’t like our chances.”

Josiah nodded. “Yeah. Thanks.” The big man sighed. Chris wouldn’t be happy. Larabee wanted definitive evidence to identify the bomber. Josiah had nothing to offer. He doubted his leader would take the news well.

**********

That evening after dinner, Nathan and Buck cleared the table so Chris could spread out a large map. The men took seats and focused their attention on their leader.

“We have a mission set for the day after tomorrow. Ezra, do you think you’ll be fit enough to join us?”

“As long as it does not involve any abseiling or climbing,” Standish stated with a grin.

“So when the hell are you going to let me sign your cast?” Buck prompted.

“There won’t be any climbing,” Chris confirmed, flashing Buck a look that conveyed the fact this was a serious discussion. “This,” the colonel stated, indicating the map, “is a diagram of the Scientific Research Station in San Roboria.”

Vin frowned. “That’s a hell of a lot of security for a research station.”

“It depends what the topic of the research is, my friend,” Ezra commented.

Chris nodded. “Most of their research requires uranium.”

“Nuclear?” Nathan asked, shaking his head. “I thought they were supposed to be a nuclear free country.”

“Yeah, and the Easter Bunny is supposed to deliver Easter Eggs,” Buck murmured.

“That’s about the size if it,” Chris agreed.

“So what’s our mission involve? Closing it down?” J.D. asked, apprehensively.

“No. Some sensitive documents have made their way into the wrong hands. Our government wants them back.”

“What’s in them?”

Chris shrugged. “Something the President would prefer others don’t see, that’s all that concerns us.”

“So, why the delay? If it is embarrassing enough to warrant retrieval, why not immediately?” Ezra inquired.

“It won’t be embarrassing for another few days.”

“Oh, I see,” Buck murmured nodding and then shaking his head. “No, I don’t.”

“The government made a secret recommendation to a friendly partner. It turns out that recommendation was made without knowledge of other extenuating circumstances and now they want the blunder covered up,” Chris explained.

“Why not just admit it?” Nathan asked.

“Well, in Travis’ words, ‘It could spark an international incident.’

“Good reason,” Buck conceded. “So we have to break into this place and get back the documents before the other news breaks.”

“Yep.”

“And again, I ask, why wait two days?” Ezra pressed.

“San Roboria has a state holiday on that day. The facility should be deserted apart from security.”

“Aren’t security the only people that concern us anyway?” J.D. asked.

“Makes our job easier if civilians aren’t there to get in the line of fire,” Josiah explained.

Chris turned to Ezra. “Retrieval of documents is right up your alley. I’d like to hear your thoughts on how we should do this.”

“Of course,” Standish agreed. “Do we know the exact location of the documents or are we going to have to search the facility for them?”

Chris glanced down at his notes. “We know which room.”

“Does that mean there’s an inside man?”

Larabee shook his head. “Not to my knowledge.”

“Then I think we should find out for sure.”

For the next hour the men discussed the mission. The compound was large and surrounded by a No Man’s Land patrolled by dogs and soldiers in jeeps. It was decided that Ezra, Buck and Nathan would sneak into the complex and Josiah and Chris would remain outside ready to provide a distraction should it be needed.

“I could be here,” Vin stated thoughtfully, pointing to the top of a building. “I’ll have a good view of... What?” he asked, assessing the wide eyes of his companions.

“You aren’t coming,” Chris dismissed. “Josiah, you could plant...”

“Why not?” Vin asked, calmly.

Buck glanced at J.D. and shook his head. This was going to get ugly, and Buck truly did hate ugly.

“You’re not coming,” Chris repeated.

“Am I entitled to an explanation, or is this simply part of your master plan to keep me out of the way?”

“Ouch,” Buck whispered.

“Look, Vin...” Chris started.

“If I may, Colonel?” Nathan asked. “You’re not fit for duty, Vin. Maybe in a week, but not yet. It’s as simple as that. Chris asked me and I made the decision. A medical decision.”

Tanner eyed Jackson and he nodded once before returning his attention to Chris.

“Which brings us to the problem of the contract on Vin’s life,” Chris announced.

“Chris,” Tanner growled.

“It’s something that has to be discussed and the sooner the better.”

“I agree,” Nathan murmured. “Hey, don’t look at me like that, Vin. I’m the one who has to patch you up each time. I’m just a bit concerned that at some time...”

“You won’t be able to put Humpty Dumpty back together again,” Vin grumbled.

“We’re worried, Vin. Can you blame us?” Josiah asked.

“No, but this is my life. My decision.”

“You don’t care how it affects us?” Josiah asked gently. “You don’t live in isolation, Vin. What happens to you, happens to us. That’s the way of family.”

Vin signed and nodded. “Yeah, I get that, but Josiah, I ain’t gonna let Eli Joe win. If I crawl into a hole and hide, he wins.”

“Vin, the explosion could have killed you. If it had gone off in the house, it could have brought the roof down and we’d have been digging you, Chris, Nathan and Josiah out of the rubble,” Buck pointed out. “I agree that hiding isn’t the answer, but putting in place some extra precautions is definitely necessary.”

Vin stared at Buck. His words struck a nerve. “We’d have been digging you, Chris, Nathan and Josiah out of the rubble.” Chris, Nathan and Josiah. It was only by some miracle that his friends hadn’t been caught in the blast.

“Vin?...Vin?... Vin?” Josiah asked for the third time. “You with us?”

“Huh? Yeah. Sorry. Just thinkin’ on it.”

“I think we need to do more than just consider extra precautions,” Chris argued.

“Chris, we can’t over-react,” Ezra pointed out.

“OVER-REACT! You didn’t pull him from the pool. You didn’t watch as Nathan...” Chris swallowed. “Sorry.”

“You didn’t lose your wife and child or know what it is like to lose a brother in the jungle and carry the burden of that guilt with you every day of your life,” Josiah preached softly.

Larabee’s face stripped with colour. “Don’t go there,” he growled.

“Think on it, Chris. The decisions we’re making effect Vin‘s life. We all need to be thinking clearly and at the moment, you‘re not.”

Chris looked like he was about to reach out and throttle Josiah. “I am thinking clearly, Sanchez. The most clearly I’ve ever thought on this. Vin’s life is in danger and I’m not about to stand by and wait for someone to finally get lucky.”

“It’s not your decision alone,” Josiah explained. His voice was soft. “We all must have a say. Especially Vin.”

Chris glared at the other men. They didn’t understand. Couldn’t they see what the future was likely to hold?

Vin reached out a hand and laid it on Larabee’s shoulder. Chris’ muscles were knotted like steel cords. Larabee wasn’t coping. Vin could understand that. If the shoe were on the other foot, he dared not think how he would be acting.

“With all due respect, fellas, I think it’s my decision,” Vin stated firmly. “I need to think on it a bit. I reckon I know how each of you feel and I’ll take that into consideration. I... I just want some time to get everything straight. Okay?” The question was for Larabee. “I’ve heard what you’ve said, Chris. And you may have a point. I just need some time to get things worked out in my head.”

“Okay,” Chris conceded. “But you don’t go anywhere without one of the boys with you. You don’t touch anything unless Josiah has checked it first. You don’t get into a car or on that bike of yours until Buck has checked to make sure it’s safe. You don’t...”

“I get the picture, Larabee.”

“Good.”

**********

In a small rented room in Washington, a man sits in the darkness with the receiver of a phone clutched tightly to his ear.

“So, you can help me?” he asked eagerly. Immediately, he regretted taking the larger breath that came with his energized outburst. His broken ribs were still very sore.

“For two and a half million, I’d off my own mother. So, who’s the target?”

“Bastard called Tanner.”

For several seconds there was silence. “You mean Vin Tanner? You aren’t talking about the five million dollar contract on the STFI sharpshooter?” This man’s voice held the same apprehension as a dozen before him.

“Yes.”

“Hell, get real! He’s one of Larabee’s men and Larabee is one bastard I’m not prepared to %$# with.” The phone was slammed down in Liam’s ear. The younger Larabee’s face shadowed with anger. He picked up the phone and tossed it across the room, before bending over and nursing his ribs. Everyone he’d called over the past two days had demonstrated the same reaction. No one was prepared to go after Tanner because of who he was - no, because of who Liam’s brother was!

Liam stood and stared around the dump, though the word dump was far from an adequate description. This was the bottom of the line. The carpet on the floor was bare with ground in filth and fleas. There was no electricity and the only light he had was from a single candle placed on the small table beside the blanketless cot that would serve as his bed. The shared bathroom down the hall was putrid and there was a smudge on the walls that could only be one thing. The smell of unwashed bodies and faeces was so strong in the common room it had made Liam retch. However, this was all he could afford and being on the run meant he had no other choice.

Chris had been going to help him. Chris would have helped him too if it weren’t for Tanner.

A rat ran across the ten-foot square room, stopped and studied Liam for a few seconds and then continued on its way. Liam grabbed one of his shoes and threw it at the vermin but missed. His hands shook with rage. He didn’t deserve this! None of this was his fault. He had to get out of here.

**********

Chris and Ezra spent most of the next day discussing the upcoming mission. The contract on Vin’s life wasn’t mentioned. Just after lunch, Tanner got on his horse and rode off.

“Someone better let Chris know,” J.D. murmured when he, Buck and Josiah discovered Dingo was missing.

“Are you volunteering?” Buck asked.

“Is there really any reason to disturb the colonel?” Josiah asked. “After all, Vin’s quite safe here.” As Josiah made the claim, the noise of the reconstruction team Ezra had hired to repair the damage done by the explosion, echoed through the house. “I guess he isn’t.”

“I have an idea,” J.D. suggested. “How about we go out and find him and bring him back before Chris finds out. I could leave a note saying we’ve all gone riding.”

“Too late,” Buck whispered as Chris entered the room.

“Ezra and I think we’ve got most things planned out.” Larabee scanned the area. “Vin?”

“Needed some time to himself,” Josiah offered vaguely.

Larabee nodded, turned and disappeared back into the study saying, “Just make sure he doesn’t wander too far away and that you know exactly where he is.”

The moment the door closed, Buck, J.D. and Josiah shot out of the house, mounted horses and took off like the hound of Hell was after them - well, not yet, but he would be shortly if they didn’t get Vin Tanner’s ass back to the house.

**********

Buck led the way. He could guess where Vin headed. The same place Chris always did. Wilmington’s horse started the climb up to Simpson Bluff. When the land levelled out, Buck guided his mount toward the spot overlooking the valley below. Dingo whinnied ahead. Buck sighed; Vin was seated on a log with his back to the approaching men.

“Chris send ya?” he asked without turning.

“No, but if he finds out that you took off on your own...”

Tanner glanced back over his shoulder. It wasn’t the Larabee glare but it was damn close. “I’m not some kid who can be ordered around.”

“Didn’t say you were, pard. I just think he may have a point this time. It’s gonna make all of us feel a hell of a lot more comfortable if we know there’s someone with you,” Buck added, grinning. “Come on, Vin. For the most part, I agree with you. Chris is actin’ like a bull in a China shop, but like he said, he pulled you from that pool. Just at the moment he’s feelin’ a bit raw. Give him the benefit of the doubt. He’ll calm down. He always does.”

Vin returned his attention to the valley and frowned.

“Look, you remember how he wanted you to wear a bullet-proof vest?” Buck laughed. “He saw the problem with that after a while. He will this time too.”

Vin sighed. “Maybe.”

Josiah sat down beside Vin. “You want to talk about it?”

“No.”

“Well, how about I do the talking? You feel...”

“Josiah, I don’t know how I feel. I just want to be left alone to deal with this myself. Can you all understand that?”

“Yeah, we can. But since when does a family walk away when one member is hurting or in trouble.”

“Josiah, we aren’t a family. We’re just seven guys who happen to work together,” Vin mumbled.

Josiah rose to his feet and glanced back at Buck and J.D. who were both frowning deeply. “Do you really believe that, Vin?” With that, Josiah walked up to his companions and coaxed them to follow him a good distance away.

“He’s trying to justify things by removing us from the issue. If he has to leave to go into hiding, it’s going to be much easier on him if he can convince himself he’s only leaving behind six guys he happens to work with.” Josiah explained, quietly.

“I didn’t realize he was so upset,” Buck murmured.

Josiah drew in a deep breath and released it slowly. “Chris is talking about sending him away to hide in... to use Vin’s words... some hole. How do you think he feels? Put yourself in his place. To be sent away from everyone you know and care about. That‘s what he‘s facing at the moment.”

“Chris can’t send him away,” J.D. argued. “I mean...”

“Like Chris, you are putting your feelings ahead of what is right for Vin.”

“What is right, though?” Buck asked.

“I don’t know. Only Vin can decide. Like he said, he knows how we all feel and he’ll make his decision with that in mind. However, in the end, it just might be Chris’ wishes he’ll follow, because Vin always places Chris first.”

Buck, Josiah and J.D. stared at their friend who was sitting so still at the edge of the Bluff.

“So what do we do?” J.D. asked.

“We have to change Chris’ mind for both Chris and Vin’s sakes,” Josiah preached. “I don‘t think either of them realize just how much they depend on each other.”

**********

The San Roboria Scientific Research Station was not a large facility. It consisted of only two single storey, rectangular buildings. A simple electrified fence surrounded the buildings but beyond this was twenty acres of rugged land, sparsely covered with trees. This area was patrolled by dogs and soldiers in jeeps and a second electrified fence bordered this region.

The actual compound was patrolled by more than a dozen armed soldiers. None of this was a concern to Em7. The base security system was linked to a central computer that J.D. could hack into via a satellite link and Ezra had vast experience in breaking into such facilities. Standish had systematically investigated a number of options and discovered that there was an old sewer running directly below the property. It had been replaced by a new pipe system when the facility had converted from an oil refinery to a research facility.

Chris pointed on the map. “The tunnel passes directly below the building at around about this spot.”

“So how do we get out of the tunnel and into the building?” Buck asked.

“There is a grate in the centre of the yard,” Ezra explained, “just beyond this door. We come up through there, enter the building, remove the documents and make our escape the same way.”

Vin frowned. “Surely the guards would be watching the grate?”

Ezra shook his head. “Doubtful. If they were concerned about it, they would have filled the tunnel in with cement. These men are paid soldiers waiting for a large-scale attack. They have not thought beyond that. Soldiers rarely do... no offence.”

Chris smiled. “I would have filled it in with cement.”

“You are an intelligent man,” Ezra stated with a wink.

“So, let me get this straight. J.D. stays in the van on the road and disables the electrified fence, jams their communications and shuts down their alarms. Ezra, Nathan and I crawl through the tunnel, out the grate and break into the building?” Buck confirmed.

Larabee nodded. “While you’re doing that, Josiah and I will enter the region between the two fences and move in as close as we can. We’ll find a place to hide. If you run into difficulty, we’ll be close enough to cause one hell of a distraction. Then, you retreat through the tunnel and Josiah and I’ll make our way back across the No Man’s Land and meet you at the van. J.D. reactivates the security systems and we disappear into the night. Any questions?”

“Yeah, this seems too easy,” Nathan murmured.

“What’s wrong with easy? I like easy,” Buck argued.

Nathan flicked his gaze to Chris. “And what if there are guards watching the grate?”

“You contact Josiah and I and we’ll cause a distraction for you.”

“It’s a public holiday. Some of the guards may take the day off,” Buck mused.

Nathan was still shaking his head.

“We could always add more difficulties if it would make you feel more comfortable, Nathan,” Chris chuckled.

Jackson smiled. “Thanks. So, Ezra knows exactly which room he’s going to?”

“Yes. I should be in and out in no more than ten minutes.”

“Piece of cake,” Buck agreed.

Vin glanced at Chris. “And I’m still not coming? I could join you and Josiah and...”

All of the other six men were shaking their heads.

“It was worth a try,” Tanner grumbled. “So, I get to stay here and twiddle my thumbs waiting?”

“No, you’re coming with us,” Chris stated. “I’m not leaving you here. The security at Four Corners has already been breached. I want you where I can keep an eye on you. We’ll book you into a hotel and pick you up on the way out.” Vin looked unimpressed. “Well, it’s better than being here, isn’t it?” Chris snapped. “Run it by the numbers.”

“One: We drive out to the facility and stop at the tunnel entrance on the side of the road,” Buck started.

“Two: Nathan, Buck and I climb down into the tunnel and make our way to the grate inside the facility,” Ezra continued.

“Three,” Josiah stated. “J.D. taps into their security and disables the electrified fences and then Chris and I enter No Man’s Land and move as close as we can to the facility.”

“Four: Ezra, radios me when he and the others are ready to climb from the grate,” J.D. said.

“And if there’s a problem, I request a distraction,” Ezra added.

“Five: J.D. shuts down all of the internal security and Buck, Ezra and I climb from the grate and break into the building,” Nathan continued.

“Six: Vin twiddles his thumbs in a hotel room while drinking the whiskey he orders using room service,” Tanner murmured.

Buck winked at his friend. “Six: Ezra locates the documents and he, Nathan and I make their way back to the tunnel.”

“Seven: J.D. reactivates the internal security and everyone heads back to the van.”

“Eight: J.D. reactivates the electrified fences.”

“Nine: The boys come and collect Humpty Dumpty who should be well and truly drunk by that time,” Vin finished.

Chris glanced at Vin and smiled. “If Humpty Dumpty’s drunk, there won’t be anything anyone will be able to do to put him back together again after I finish with him.”

Vin bounced his eyebrows. “A challenge. I like a challenge.”

Part Five

Em7 flew to South America the next afternoon. Tanner made no further attempts to convince Larabee to include him in the mission. Everything that could be said already had been. On the team’s combat plane, the sharpshooter sat silently, watching as his companions prepared for battle. Not that it should be any battle. If everything went to plan, Em7 should be able to sneak in and out without anyone being any the wiser.

When the team landed, they secured the van J.D. had hired and a short argument over where to leave Vin followed.

“Couldn’t I just wait in the van with J.D.?” Tanner asked.

“No. If anything goes wrong, I don’t want you in the firing line while you’re not fit for duty,” Nathan argued.

“The firing line? The van’s not going to be in the firing line.”

“We’ll dump him somewhere before we set off,” Chris stated, finishing the discussion.

“I feel like a damn suitcase,” Vin grumbled. It was decided that the injured lieutenant should be booked into one of the motels close to the airport. Ezra was appalled by the condition of the two that were available and forced Buck to drive by them, insisting on Tanner being taken to the exclusive Rydes Hotel another ten minutes drive away.

Vin remained quiet as Ezra booked the room, the rest of the boys waiting outside in their rented van. The lobby was the size of a house, a glittering chandelier hanging in the centre. Vin felt decidedly out of place in his jeans and buckskin coat.

Finally, Ezra walked away from the front counter and held out an access card to his unhappy partner. “The penthouse,” Standish announced with pride.

“Why the hell do I need the penthouse? I’m only gonna be here a couple of hours at most. I was happy to wait at the airport lounge.” Vin felt angry, disappointed and tired. The ordeal he had been through in the past few days had settled on top of the emotional turmoil of the past three months.

“You couldn’t be comfortable in the airport lounge. Here you can lie down and rest if you need to, or watch television. I have made arrangements for anything you order from room service to be added to the bill.”

Vin sighed and accepted the key card. “Thanks, Ezra.”

Standish stared into his friend’s disillusioned face. “We will be back in a couple of hours. There really isn‘t anything to worry about. Compared to leaping over waterfalls and climbing cliffs, this should be a pushover,” he chuckled, trying to make light of the moment.

“Yeah, I know.”

The false smile slowly slipped from Ezra‘s face. “Then what is wrong?”

“Huh? Nothing.”

“Talk to me, Vin. You stood beside me when I needed you to. Allow me to do the same for you.”

Vin sighed and shrugged. “Ain’t nothing wrong, Ezra. Just... just have a lot on my mind.” His hands were shoved deep in his pockets as he avoided eye contact with his friend.

“Colonel Larabee will change his mind about the contract. He won’t go through with sending you away. He just needs some time. Relax,” Ezra assured as he turned and headed for the double glass doors. The boys were on a time schedule and coming here had already used up precious minutes.

Vin watched his companion leave and shook his head. No, Chris wasn’t about to change his mind this time. Tanner walked to the elevator and pressed the button. The doors slid back immediately. “May I help you with your bags?” a porter asked.

Vin snorted. “I look like I’ve got any bags?”

“Sorry, Sir.”

Vin grimaced. “It’s been a bad day and that ain‘t your fault. Sorry.”

Some moments later, Vin swiped the entry card and entered the luxurious penthouse. The door closed behind him automatically. Tanner stared around the silent room that the President himself had once stayed in. The carpet was royal blue, the chairs made of leather and the fittings in gold. Vin saw none of it. His mind was totally consumed with thoughts of his dilemma. Vin firmly believed that up until this point it was just dumb luck that one of the others hadn’t been caught in the cross fire. While he was prepared to live his life with the bounty on his head, he didn’t feel he could continue to endanger the people he cared about.

Vin crossed the room and slumped into one of the lounge chairs. He dropped his head back and stared up at the ceiling. For a long time he sat contemplating his options. There really wasn’t any option if he was to do the right thing by his friends.

The young man cursed and withdrew his cell phone. He started to dial a number he hadn’t rung in almost four months. Half way through he stopped, cursed again, rose to his feet and began to pace around the room.

**********

The night was a kaleidoscope of stars and combined with the moon’s pale light, they illuminated the side of the road where Em7 had parked their van.

In the back, J.D. was making the final adjustments to his sophisticated equipment. “Keep going,” he ordered Buck. Wilmington, who was on the roof of the van, turned the compact satellite dish further to the left. “Stop!”

Covering the lit end of his cigar with his hand, Chris puffed on it thoughtfully. “Are we almost ready?” he asked. The time to leave was fast approaching. They needed Buck, Ezra and Nathan to get to the end of the tunnel by 4:25am. That was when the guards changed over. It was the most likely time the yard would not be patrolled.

Ezra climbed from the back of the van. He, like his companions, was dressed completely in black, a headset on his head and black grease paint on his face. “I am ready.”

Josiah checked the sight on his rifle and joined Chris. Nathan adjusted his headset and stepped up beside his colonel. Buck grinned as he leaped down from the van roof.

Larabee nodded, stamped out his cigar, picked up the butt and flicked it into the back of the van, ensuring no evidence of their presence would be left, and picked up his rifle. He thrust his hand out. One by one the others placed theirs on top, J.D. jumping from the vehicle to do so. They bounced their hands once and then the men went their separate ways without comment. Each knew what role he had to perform.

Buck, Nathan and Ezra lifted the grate only ten feet from the van and climbed down into the abandoned sewer. Chris and Josiah climbed a fence and set off across the paddock. J.D. jumped into the back of the van. “Okay, let’s do a communications check. One, are you reading me?”

“Check,” came Chris’ clear reply.

“Two... no, Vin’s not here. Three?”

“Check,” Nathan acknowledged.

“Four?”

“May God walk with us today.”

J.D. grinned. “Five?”

“Check,” Ezra responded.

“Hey, what about me?” Buck asked.

“What about you, Wings?” J.D. chuckled. “Okay, all channels open. One, I take it you want me to close channels once we’re on?”

“Yes.” Chris preferred his men weren’t in direct contact with each other. J.D. could relay messages and check with the colonel on anything controversial. If the boys could hear one another, it may distract them and if one of them were to go down, the others would react rather than waiting for orders.

**********

An entire world away, Vin lay sprawled on a lounge chair in the darkness. He glanced at the clock on the wall. 3:25am. The boys would have started by now. Tanner squeezed his eyes shut. He would have felt so much better if he’d been able to stay in the van with J.D. Then, if anything went wrong, he would be there on hand to help. “Damn it, Chris.”

**********

3:30 am

“I tell you, the smell here is worse than your socks, captain,” Ezra murmured as he, Nathan and Buck proceeded through the abandoned concrete tunnel. The pipe was tall enough for Ezra to stand up in, but both Nathan and Buck had to stoop as they moved.

Buck who had taken point, adjusted the flashlight. “Hang on, boys. There’s something ahead.”

“Something? Like what?” Nathan demanded, staring into the gloom.

“The ceiling’s come down,” Buck stated, lighting the area.

“Can we still get through?” Ezra asked.

“Yeah, yeah I think so. It’s going to be a tight fit... oh, and my socks don’t smell this bad.”

“I suggest you seek a second opinion.”

**********

3:35 am

Josiah and Chris stared up at the electric fence surrounding the No Man’s Land. “Six, take down the electric fence.”

“Yes, Sir... It’s off.”

Josiah and Chris climbed the structure, both landing in a crouch on the other side. The night vision goggles they wore enabled them to see clearly. “Clear.”

“Fence is back on,” J.D. responded.

**********

3:40 am

J.D. adjusted his headset and began to work on the satellite dish. Using the powerful microphone attached to it, he would be able to pick up the guards’ conversation from several miles away. As soon as he heard them talking to the relief guards, he would signal the team in the tunnel to climb out through the grate.

“Wings, I’ve tuned into the guards. I can hear four voices... they’re talking about having to work on a public holiday,” the computer technician chuckled.

“Them and us,” came Buck’s reply. “Four of them together? Them boys aren’t doing their job. Makes ours a whole hell of a lot easier. This is going to be a piece of cake.”

“I hate it when you say that,” J.D. heard Nathan scold. “Every time you say that, something goes wrong.”

**********

4:00 am

Chris raised his hand for Josiah to stop, the two men scanning the open paddock. They knew dogs and at least one jeep of guards patrolled this area.

Josiah pointed. Chris nodded. To the right there was a jeep parked. The two men melted back into the scrub.

“How many?” Josiah whispered.

“Two,” Chris replied.

“So why aren’t they mobile?”

Chris frowned. The guards weren’t moving.

“Asleep?” Josiah asked.

“Not our concern. Let’s move on. We need to get to the facility to back the others up and we’ve only got twenty-five minutes to reach it.”

The pair moved off in a crouch, Chris taking one last look at the motionless figures that appeared as a white glow in his goggles. Something felt wrong.

**********

4:05 am

J.D. listened to four guards at the complex. The youth opened a Mars Bar and took a large bite. Missions like this always made him hungry. He still remembered his first one with Em7. His computer training hadn’t prepared him for anything like this. Nothing had, but J.D. loved it. The adrenalin rush was like nothing else he had experienced. J.D. knew he was a part of something truly important. He was serving his country in a way few others had dreamed of.

Abruptly, one of the guards J.D. was eavesdropping on called for silence. The Em7 agent stopped chewing. All conversation ceased. J.D. turned up the strength of the microphone. He could hear movement but no talking. For several seconds the agent attempted to re- establish contact.

“One, I’ve just lost contact with the guards. They stopped talking. Sounds like they went off to investigate something, but I’m guessing.”

“Roger, Six. Try to find them again.”

“Yes, Sir.”

**********

4:15 am

Buck shone his torch ahead. The number crudely painted on the side of the tunnel indicated he had found the manhole they were looking for. Wilmington signaled the other two forward and pointed above. “Bingo.”

“Now we just sit and wait for J.D.’s signal,” Ezra murmured.

“Six, let One know we’re in position and ready.”

“Roger, Wings. The guards are no longer talking so I’m assuming they’ve moved back into their designated positions. I’ll let you know when the changing of the guards is taking place.”

“No, problemo. We’ll sit tight. Wings, out.”

Nathan was shaking his head.

“Relax, Nathan. A minor hiccup. Don’t go getting nervous on me.”

“We don’t have Vin’s rifle to cover us this time, Buck. I hate to say this, but I’ve gotten used to knowing he’s there to watch our backs.”

**********

4:20 am

Chris and Josiah crouched behind a fallen tree, less than fifteen feet from the electric fence surrounding the compound. From here they could see the large rectangular building the others would soon be breaking into.

“I don’t see any guards,” Josiah muttered.

“Must be indoors.”

Josiah glanced at his leader. “You trying to convince me or yourself?”

“Shut-up, Sanchez. Six, have you picked up any voices in there?”

“Only yours and Josiah’s, Sir. There isn’t another sound in that compound.”

“Where the hell are the guards?” Chris growled.

“Should we abort?” Josiah asked.

“We can’t. We have to get those documents.” Larabee scanned the silent building in front of him, his available options playing over in his mind. If the guards had somehow spotted them, it would make life difficult, but not impossible. Vin would have come in handy if things hit the fan.

“Sir?”

“We proceed. Six, inform the others of the situation and tell them to move in, but keep their eyes peeled.”

“Yes, Sir.”

**********

Vin couldn’t sit still. He continued to pace around the huge penthouse apartment, his eyes constantly drawn to the clock on the wall. He paused, watching as the hand dropped to 4:25am. Vin drew in a deep breath. The boys would be moving in, which meant J.D. should be contacting him shortly. Chris had said he couldn’t be there, but he hadn’t said anything about not being in contact with his team and so Vin had arranged for J.D. to call the moment the boys entered the facility.

Vin picked up his cell phone and fingered it anxiously. “Come on, Kid. Call me.”

**********

Buck climbed the ladder leading to the manhole grate and peered outside. All was silent. Bracing himself, he edged his shoulder under the grate and pushed upward. The rusty grate creaked as Buck lifted it. Nathan literally crawled up over his partner and climbed from the tunnel, scanning the area with his revolver ready. “Clear.”

Buck pushed the grate back and followed. Ezra joined them and with a nod, the trio set off for the side door to the building. “Six, I need the security down.”

“You got it, Five. It’s... it’s already down. Shit! I didn’t take it down. I’ll contact One.”

Ezra glanced at his companions. “The security is already down.”

“What?” Nathan cried.

Ezra shrugged.

“Five, One says to proceed. You fellas be careful.”

“We are to complete our mission,” Ezra relayed to his partners.

“I don’t like it,” Nathan murmured. It was deathly quiet. “The security’s already down. No guards. I‘ve got a bad feeling about this.”

“Shut-up, Nathan. You’re starting to make me nervous,” Buck grumbled as he covered his companions from the rear.

Ezra glanced right and left and then jogged out of the shadows across open space, re-entering the shadow of the building when he reached the door. Buck and Nathan followed him, stopping a few feet from the entrance and facing the empty compound, scanned the area with their weapons. Standish withdrew a small wallet from his pocket and took out his Jackknife Lock Pick set. “Ezra?”

“Patience, my friend.” A split second later, the lock tumbler fell into place and Ezra opened the door. “After you, gentlemen.”

The trio moved inside, Ezra closing the door behind them. They found themselves in a hallway lit by security lights. Buck moved back into point position and Nathan the rear. Together the group silently made their way down the corridor past several closed doors, Ezra checking that each was locked as he passed. The last thing they needed was someone stepping out into the hall unexpectedly.

Ahead, Buck noticed that one on the right was ajar. He held up his hand for the others to pause. Quietly, the captain edged forward to the door and peered through the crack. Buck’s face flashed with surprise and then he withdrew. “Six, I just found two guards. Both dead. Boys, we aren’t alone here!”

**********

Chris listened to the message and cursed. “Someone else must be after those documents. Continue as planned. We have to get our hands on them.” Larabee licked his lips and mumbled, “ Shit, I wish you were here to cover us, Vin.”

**********

“Howdy, Vin. They’re inside. Sorry I didn’t call earlier,” J.D. stated. “Things have been a little hectic.”

Vin changed the phone to his other ear. “Problems?”

“The boys have just found some unconscious guards. We aren’t the only ones here tonight.”

Tanner shook his head with frustration. If Chris had allowed him to join J.D., at least he’d have been there if things went wrong. Consciously, Vin urged himself to calm. The boys would be able to handle whatever arose.

“Keep this line open. I want to know what’s going on,” the lieutenant ordered.

“The colonel will have my guts for garters if he finds out I’m doing this.”

“Let me worry about Larabee,” Vin growled.

“Hang on, I’ve got to go. I’m putting the phone down.”

Vin returned to pacing. He could hear J.D.’s voice but it was too soft to make out the words. He hated not knowing what was going on. Realizing he could do nothing to change the situation, Tanner returned to reviewing the dilemma that constituted his life. Basically, he didn’t feel he had any option. Vin had made some difficult decisions in his life, but this one left him feeling empty, even though he kept assuring himself he was making the right decision for everyone.

The troubled man crossed the room, picked up the receiver of the hotel phone, placed it to his free ear and completed dialing the number he had started to call earlier.

“Banks,” came the sharp reply.

“Agent Banks. It’s Vin Tanner. I... I need to talk to you.”

“Tanner?” For several seconds there was silence. “I thought you no longer wanted to be a part of the witness protection programme?”

“I...” Vin wasn’t sure what to say. His heart was telling him one thing and his head another.

“Aren’t you with Em7 these days?”

“Can you help me?” Vin demanded in a hushed and pained voice.

“Yeah, I can help you. Your case was never officially closed so technically, you’re still my responsibility. So, are you saying you want to disappear again?”

Vin licked his lips and sighed. Was that what he was saying?

**********

Buck led the others through several corridors and up a set of stairs. The room they were searching for was at the top and on the left. When the group reached it, they found the door open and the office ransacked. Buck and Nathan entered first, their multi-fire revolvers doing complementary arcs of the room. “Clear,” Nathan barked.

Ezra crossed the carpet and stopped in front of the bookcase. The contents had been pulled from it and were scattered on the floor. Standish counted the shelves and then reached in with his hand, activating a panel in the back. It slid back, revealing a safe. “It looks untouched,” he informed his companions. Ezra flexed his right hand, placed his sensitive fingers on the dial and set to work.

Buck held the door ajar, watching for signs of life outside. Abruptly, he closed it with a gasp.

“Buck?” Nathan whispered.

Wilmington held his finger to his lips and readied his weapon. Ezra froze. Nathan stepped up beside his companion. Footsteps filled the corridor. Buck turned and signaled his partners to move back. They were about to have company!

**********

“One, I have picked up voices in the compound. Two only. They’re talking about the documents.”

“Can you triangulate and give us an approximate location?”

“Give me a moment. Yeah, they’re... hang on, more voices... shit, at least a half dozen!”

**********

Buck nodded to Nathan. The door opened. A man in combat fatigues entered. Nathan tackled him, Buck shut the door and Ezra covered him with his gun. Jackson expertly pinched a nerve in his captive’s neck before the soldier could cry out. As Nathan rose to his feet, he spotted a tattoo on the unconscious man’s arm. It was a picture of a...

“Shit, he’s a Hawk!”

Ezra blinked. “One of the mercenaries that went after Lieutenant Tanner?”

Nathan stared up at Buck, his face a mask of surprise and horror. Wilmington’s eyes were on the tattoo. “J.D, patch me through to Chris, NOW!”

**********

Chris glanced at his watch. The boys had been inside for six and a half minutes. By now, Ezra should have located the safe.

“Colonel! I’m opening channels!” J.D. yelled in his leader’s ear.

“Six, what the hell is...”

“One, we’ve just captured us a Hawk,” Buck barked.

“What?” Chris’ mind began to whirl. The Hawks! Here? They could only be after one thing. “Secure the documents and get the hell out of there. We’re on our way! Josiah!” The two men sprang to their feet. “J.D. get this damn fence down!”

**********

“Hello? Vin?” Banks asked. There was no answer. He’d heard Tanner curse at the top of his lungs and then the phone had clattered to the ground followed by the sound of what could only be a door slamming. “Hello?” Confused, Banks replaced the receiver. Vin Tanner was a strange man.

**********

“Ezra?”

Standish rushed across to his companions, shoving the documents he had just removed from the safe under his shirt. “Ready. And just what is our strategy in light of the fact there are mercenaries on the premises?” he asked, watching as Nathan and Buck dragged the unconscious Hawk around behind the desk.

“We need to get down the stairs. Chris and Josiah will create a diversion for us to get out of the building.” Buck pulled the door open a crack and peered outside. The hall was empty. “Cover me.”

Nathan and Ezra stepped up to the opening, revolvers drawn. A single bob of the head was exchanged between the trio and Buck eased outside. The well-trained soldier made his way to the top of the stairs and scanned the area below. Seeing all was clear, he signaled the others forward.

**********

“J.D., talk to me,” Chris ordered. He and Josiah were within the compound, hidden behind a small shed not far from the door their team had used to enter the massive building. The moonlight was fading and dawn was fast approaching.

“There are about a dozen men scattered around the outside of the building. Most are in pairs.” J.D. had no visual, but using the powerful microphone attached to the satellite, he was able to count the different voices. “There’s a group of three men on your left,” the technology expert continued, triangulating their position using the satellite. “They’re discussing the fact that it’s taking so long to find the documents.”

“Five, have you secured the documents?” Chris asked.

“Affirmative. We’re at the door. Are we clear to move?” Ezra asked.

“Hang on,” J.D. ordered. “We’ve got movement. One, everyone outside is converging on your area.”

“Boys, use the escape plan alternative. I’ll make my way around to that door.” Chris glanced at Josiah. Sanchez nodded and disappeared into the darkness.

Larabee spotted five men appear around the side of the building. He couldn’t hear their voices. “J.D., what are they saying?”

“They’ve found the man that Buck and the others took out. They know someone else is here.”

“Damn,” Chris cursed. “Four?”

“Almost done,” Josiah responded.

“Wings?”

“The place is crawling with these guys! We’ve counted at least twenty-five. There are a lot more of these bastards then there were three months ago.”

“Twenty?!“ With the dozen outside that was at least thirty. Obviously Kane had been recruiting. “Are you in place?”

“There‘s no way we‘re gonna make it to the other door,” Buck informed his colonel.

Chris scratched his chin. If the Hawks had an army, he needed to change the plan. The original escape plans had been designed with thoughts of a few security guards - not an army of mercenaries. “Wings, are you near the windows on the east side?“

“Yes.“

“Use the Dresher escape plan.”

“Dresher?... Oh. Yeah, got it.“

Moments later, Larabee heard shots from inside the building. Chris crept to the edge of the shed and waited as the group he had been watching raced toward the building and entered. Chris licked his lips and scanned the area. He needed more information “J.D.?”

“Okay, I’ve tapped into their security cameras and now I have a visual.” He hadn’t thought it would be possible, but necessity was the mother of all invention. The screen in front of J.D. was divided into six squares, each showing the view of the six outside security cameras. “All men outside the building are now inside.” There was panic in J.D.’s voice. Buck and the others were in trouble.

Chris, however, was looking relieved. “Wings, you’re clear.” Larabee turned to the line of windows. One opened and he spotted Buck climbing from it. “J.D.?”

“Everyone’s still inside. That was brilliant, Sir.”

“We’re not out of this yet.”

Chris left his cover and raced across to join his men as Nathan dropped out of the building. “Four?”

“Done, Sir.”

“Make your way to where we entered. We’re all going back across the No Man’s Land.”

“What about the tunnel?” Ezra asked. “Surely...?”

“One grenade and we’ll be trapped like rats,” Buck explained.

“Oh.”

“Move,” Chris ordered. The four men jogged along the side of the building. They could hear shouting from the interior. Larabee and his men made it back to the fence and began scaling it. Josiah was only one step behind them. The moment the explosive expert’s feet hit the ground, Chris ordered. “Fence.”

“Fence is back on,” J.D. responded. “There are men leaving the building, Sir. A dozen at least... and they aren‘t happy.”

“Josiah, now.”

Sanchez depressed the small detonator in his hand. An explosion rocked the night. Em7 raced across the thinly treed area, listening to the shouts of confusion behind them.

“Down!” Nathan shouted without warning. The men dropped. Bullets sailed over their heads coming from the direction they were heading. Their escape had just been cut off!

“Guards or Hawks?” Buck asked, crawling along the ground toward some trees.

“How many?” Josiah growled.

“J.D.?”

“I’m not picking up any voices.”

“Then they’re Hawks.”

Chris and his men made it to the trees and the limited cover they would provide. There was a small explosion from the compound and the electric fence came down.

“We need to go through whoever’s blocking our path to the van,” Chris growled, adjusting his goggles. What he saw made his blood turn cold. “There are ten of them.”

“Ten?!” Nathan shrieked.

“Sir, We’ve got a $#&*ing army coming up behind us.”

Chris spun around and watched the two dozen white outlines approaching. They were caught in the middle. Larabee cursed. He knew they weren’t going to get out of this. He simply hadn’t calculated on coming up against the Hawks.

Part Six

“Sir?” Ezra asked. The entire atmosphere had changed. Up until this point, Ezra had believed they had everything covered. As he watched his companions checking their weapons he could tell they were digging in for the fight of their lives.

“Buck, you cover our rear. Everyone else, stop them coming around the sides of us. We can’t let them encircle us.” Larabee’s voice was so calm that the hair prickled on the back of Ezra’s neck.

“There are too many, Chris!” Standish, cried.

“Ezra, you need to get those documents back to the van.”

“But...”

“Go!”

“But the rest of you?”

“We should be able to hold them off for a few minutes,” Nathan stated in the same calm voice as his leader. These men were veterans. They understood the situation. More importantly, they accepted it.

“Go!” Chris repeated.

Ezra blinked. He couldn’t leave them. He couldn’t. They were going to stand and fight to protect some official’s blunder. Let that person face the music. It wasn’t worth dying for.

“Forget the documents. We need to...”

“GO!” Chris shouted.

**********

J.D. felt helpless. He could tell by Chris’ voice that things were serious. What should he do – grab his rifle, run across the paddock and back his team up, or stay here and wait for Ezra. Torn, confused and terrified for the safety of his friends, J.D. did the only thing he could think of.

“Vin? We’re in trouble. I’m sorry I’ve been out of touch but all hell’s broken loose! The boys are pinned down. They‘re up against an army of those mercenaries – the Hawks. What should I do?… Vin? Vin are you there?”

J.D. swallowed. Did that mean Vin was coming? But how would he get here? And even if he did come, what would he be able to do?

**********

Ezra crept across the plain, his eyes darting around him. The night vision goggles enabled him to keep an eye on the ten men scattered to his left and right. As long as they didn’t have the benefit of the goggles, he had the advantage.

Ezra’s mind was racing. He couldn’t and wouldn’t walk out on his team like this. There had to be something he could do.

**********

Nathan spotted a group of three men break away from the main squad and head left. Jackson took aim and fired. One fell. The other two retreated. Something inside Nathan cried out quietly. He was a doctor and yet, his position in his chosen field saw him take human life. It was a paradox that Nathan had never truly come to terms with.

“J.D., I need to be able to hear what’s going on over there,” Chris stated.

“Yes, Sir. I’m placing my headset up to the speaker.”

“They must be able to see us, Colonel,” a voice resounded in all of the team’s ears. The powerful microphone was picking up the conversations taking place among Em7’s enemy.

“Night vision. They’re professionals all right. I want those documents. Get ready to rush them.” Chris exchanged a glance with Buck. It was definitely Kane and he was about to attack. They wouldn’t have a chance.

“J.D., patch me through to their frequency. NOW!”

“Hang on. I’ll need a minute to find it.”

“We don’t have a minute.”

“Got it. Go ahead, Sir.”

“Hey, Dougy. What part of the sewer did you drag yourself from?” Chris asked.

For several seconds there was silence.

“Well, well, well. Now it all makes sense, Larabee. I couldn’t believe someone was...”

“Outclassing you?” Chris chuckled. “Attacking us wouldn’t be wise.”

“You’ve got a steel pair of them, Larabee. You’re pinned down and surrounded.”

“If you believe that, then you tell your men to move forward.” The challenge hung in the air. “We’re waiting.”

Via the powerful microphone, Chris and his men heard...“Tanner’ll pick us off the moment we move.” They were afraid of the sharpshooter with good reason. Vin was lightning fast and deadly accurate. He, alone, would cut down a dozen men in mere seconds. Kane and the soldiers who had served with him in Katinda had seen him do it before.

“Tanner? Relax, Colonel. I can guarantee Tanner isn’t with them. He’s dead.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Kane growled, unaware that Chris was listening.

Larabee’s face set in a frown.

“We could tell you were worried about them so we sent Tanner a little surprise through the post.”

Chris shot each of his men a look. The Hawks had sent the bomb that had almost killed Vin!

“And just what the hell does that mean? You sent Tanner a bomb?” It was clear that Kane wasn’t happy.

“Well, yes, Sir, but I thought...” The sound of a shot echoed through the disappearing night.

“No one asked you to think asshole! I don’t want a war with Larabee. Besides, if anyone is going to kill Tanner it’s going to be me. Is that clear?!”

It took every ounce of Chris’ self control not to react.

“If Tanner is dead, Colonel, there’s no reason why we can’t attack. There are only about five of them. They wouldn’t stand a chance.”

“Get ready boys,” Chris ordered, switching back to the Em7 frequency. “Take out the ones on the edges first. I don’t want them to circle us.”

“Yes, Sir,” came the snapped reply from his three men.

“So, Larabee, I hear you’re a man down.”

“Who told you that?”

“Tanner with you?”

“Strange question.“

Douglas Kane didn’t respond. There was silence. Clearly, Kane was weighing his options.

“Chris, we’ve got a problem. Look.“ Josiah pointed to the horizon. A pink and yellow glow was appearing. In about fifteen minutes, the sun would begin to rise and blind Em7. They were looking directly into it. If Kane realized and attacked on sunrise, Larabee and his men wouldn’t see them coming!

**********

Ezra had been listening to everything going on via his headset. He knew he was right in the middle of Kane’s men - the ten blocking Em7’s escape. Standish stopped moving and crouched. If Kane attacked, from here he should be able to do some damage. He wasn’t exactly disobeying orders but he had to deal with the documents. Then, he was free to do what needed to be done.

**********

For ten minutes, Em7 waited, listening to the heated discussion of their enemy. Kane and the more experienced soldiers weren’t prepared to take on the former STF1. The newer members couldn’t understand why.

Finally, Em7 heard the one thing they were dreading.

“Sun’s gonna rise right in their eyes, Colonel Kane. They won’t see us coming.”

“Good point. Larabee, you there?”

“Be best if you and your men turned around and left and we’ll do the same thing, Kane.”

“I can’t do that, Larabee. I’ve promised my client the documents. I’ll tell you what, you get one of your men to bring them over here and I’ll walk away. I guarantee the safety of your man. You have my word.”

Chris fingered his rifle and then checked the three men who had stood along side him so many times in situations like this. They were ready. “Our government wants the documents returned, Kane. I’ve been hired to retrieve them.”

“Then it’s a stalemate. ”

“Walk away, Kane.”

“I have it on good authority that Tanner isn’t with you - for one reason or another. Without his rifle, you won’t stand a chance.”

“One, I have destroyed the documents. I am in place behind the ten men preventing your retreat,” Ezra informed his leader.

Larabee‘s mind began to churn. Ezra was behind the other ten men. “Now, Dougy, do you really think I’d be stupid enough to attempt something like this without a sharpshooter? Go on, send a couple of men out and you’ll see if Vin’s here or not.”

Buck, Nathan and Josiah tensed, each man covering a third of the area in front of them. They didn’t need to worry about the rear now. Ezra had that covered.

“So, maybe I believe you, but in about two minutes the sun is going to come up and you’re staring straight into it.... Well, Larabee?”

Chris’ bluff had failed. Larabee’s eyebrows drew down. Ezra held the key. Maybe there was a way to get at least some of his men out of this alive. “Boys, we’re going to retreat.” Buck, Nathan and Josiah exchanged a relieved glance. “Forget the main group. Centre all fire on the ten men between the van and us. If you go down, you won’t see the bullet coming.“ They wouldn’t see it because it would come from behind them. “Watch for Ezra. Ezra, get ready. “

“To coin a well-known phrase, I was born ready!“

“Two each, boys and then it’s a race back to the van. Keep your heads down and good luck.” They were about to turn the tables on the ten men stopping their retreat - that group would be staring into the sun. The likelihood of taking a bullet in the back was high, but Em7 would go down fighting. “J.D., have the motor running.”

“Yes, Sir. I...“ Dunne understood only too well that his team was not going to come out of this unscathed. “Good Luck, boys.”

Meanwhile, in the Hawk camp... “Alright, men. Get ready. The moment the sun appears we’re attacking.” The words filled each member of Em7 with an immediate rush of adrenalin.

“Here it comes!”

“Get ready. Five...” Kane barked.

Larabee pulled his goggles off. They would be no help in the sunlight.

“... four...”

Buck swallowed. “See you in hell, boys.”

“... three...”

“Right there with you, Buck. Father in Heaven, guide our bullets today.”

“... two...”

“Let’s show these bastards what it is to be Em7!” Nathan roared. Muscles tensed. Eyes narrowed. Weapons were aimed.

A distant and recognizable rumbling filled the air and paused Kane’s countdown. Eyes lifted to the sky.

“Chopper,” Buck muttered. “Shit.”

“God protect us,” Josiah preached. An overhead chopper would cut them down easily. They had no place to hide from it. “The angel of doom has arrived.”

“Like shooting ducks in a barrel,” Nathan murmured. So this was how it was going to end?

Chris stared up at the approaching helicopter. He raised his rifle ready to defend his team. Instantly, a familiar feeling filled his being. A knowing. “Boys, it’s Vin!“

“WHAT?“

“ARE YOU SURE?!“

“Two, do you read?” Chris barked into his headset. It was Vin. Chris knew it as certainly as he knew his own name. He didn’t know how Vin had done it, but somehow Vin had borrowed... no, more likely stolen, a chopper. The only problem was, that if Vin put down to pick them up, they’d all be killed. “Two, do you read?”

“One, I read you loud and clear,” Tanner responded.

“SON OF A BITCH!” Buck cried.

“I need some indication of where you are down there.”

“We’re surrounded, Vin. If you try to put down...”

“I’m hands free, Colonel and I’ve got my rifle. You just need to point them out.” Chris shook his head, his body flooding first with amazement and then relief. Hands free - someone else was piloting the craft. Vin was free to cover his team.

“Two, follow the line of the fence. Part of it’s down. Kane and his men are about twenty feet in front of it.” The chopper swooped lower.

“Found the bastards On your mark, Sir.”

Chris turned to the others. Buck, Josiah and Nathan were smiling widely. Chris winked at them. They weren’t out of the woods, but things were definitely looking a hell of a lot brighter.

Below, the Hawks weren’t sure what was going on, but the sun had just eased up over the horizon.

“Now!“ Kane bellowed. The Hawks charged, peppering the trees with bullets. Chris and his men hit the ground instinctively.

The side door of the chopper yanked open and the staccato of a rifle lit up the night. The mercenaries leading the charge were cut down. Vin continued firing, each and every bullet finding its mark. He reduced the Hawks from a squad of thirty-six to a confused group of twenty-four in only a few seconds.

“Go!“ Vin shouted.

Larabee and his men sprang to their feet on Vin’s signal and shot out of the trees, firing at the ten men blocking their path to the van. From behind the small group of Hawks, Ezra opened fire. Now, it was their turn to be caught in the middle. One after another the small group of mercenaries fell until none were remaining.

Behind them, the main group of Hawks was diving for cover.

“Shit! It’s got to be Tanner. Retreat!” Kane screamed. “He’ll cut us to ribbons. Retreat!”

Chris and the others joined Ezra and the men powered on across the No Man’s Land. There was the slightest bob of approval from Larabee to Standish that left a smirk on the Gambler‘s serious face. Chris’ praise was something that was never dished out lightly or often but that little nod spoke volumes.

“Two?”

“They’re in full retreat. What do you want me to do, Sir?”

“We’re almost back to the van. Hang on.”

The chopper hovered above the compound for a few moments and then arced across the open land toward the road. Below, Vin could see his team. Buck waved and Tanner returned a single finger salute.

“Okay, Two. We’re clear. Meet you back at...at EP,” Chris ordered.

“EP? Ohhhhh,” Vin chuckled. “Understood. Meet you at EP. Two, out.” The door of the chopper was pulled closed and then it swept off to the left toward town.

Chris watched it for several seconds his breathing finally beginning to slow.

“And you’re thinking of sending him away,” Buck stated, shaking his head.

Larabee turned to glare at the other man.

Buck shrugged. “We would have been deader than a beaver hat if he wasn’t part of the team.”

“If he hadn’t been ill, he would have been with us and we all would have died,” Chris snarled.

“I don’t know about that, Colonel,” Nathan mused. “Kane wouldn’t have attacked if Vin had been here. We heard him say that. He‘s the best sharpshooter in the world and no one is prepared to take him on.”

“Shut-up. Let’s get out of here.”

Nathan and Buck exchanged a glance. Buck bounced his eyebrows. “Damn lucky he’s one of us. Damn lucky.”

“You’re pushing me, Buck,” Chris growled under his breath. “Keep it up and I’ll...”

“Damn lucky.”

**********

Vin rested his head against the seat and shut his eyes briefly. The boys were safe.

“That was incredible. I haven’t been involved in anything like that since the war!” the chopper pilot cried, a smile of excitement plastered across his face. “So, that really was Larabee down there?”

“Yeah,” Vin mumbled, glancing at the middle aged man beside him and reflecting on all that had happened. When the sharpshooter had overheard the word ‘Hawks’ on his cellphone he hadn’t waited for any explanation. Instead, he’d rushed to the airport with only one thought in mind - joining his team. He had charged through security, holding his badge out in front of him and headed straight across the tarmac for the team’s plane. Thankfully, Em7 was known and respected worldwide and thus security immediately recognized the distinctive star shaped badge.

It was as he reached the aircraft that he had started to actually consider the situation. If it were the Hawks then his team were outnumbered and needed help as soon as possible. The only way Vin would be able to help was if he was hands free - in other words, he needed someone to fly him out there. After a frantic scan of the area, Vin spotted a pilot leaving his chopper....

The pilot spotted the young man racing toward him and stopped.

“I need you to fly me out to the San Roboria Research Facility!” Tanner shouted.

“I don’t do charters, sorry,” the pilot answered in heavily accented English.

He attempted to step around Vin. Tanner withdrew his revolver. “Look, I don’t have time to explain. My team is in trouble and I have to get out there. Now, turn around and get in your chopper!”

The pilot stood frozen, his eyes on the gun waving in front of his face.

“I’ll take you,” a voice behind Vin stated, calmly. Tanner glanced back over his shoulder. The speaker was American, in his fifties and wearing a baseball cap bearing the insignia of the Katinese War Veterans’ League. “You’re team’s in trouble, you say?”

Vin eyed the man. “You’re a pilot?”

“Flew over 480 combat missions in Katinda, son. I think I’ve earned my wings.”

Vin thrust his badge at the man. “Vin Tanner. Em7. I need a ride out to the...”

“Vin Tanner? The STF1?”

Tanner nodded.

“Sergeant Mark Wilson, the 93rd Division,” the man snapped, saluting Vin. “My wings are your wings, lieutenant! This way!” the veteran called, racing toward the hanger.

“I have to collect my rifle and some other gear. I’ll meet you there.” Vin raced in one direction and his new friend in the other. The pilot originally accosted by the intense sharpshooter shot off in a third direction.

“Mad men,” he cried. “Americans!”...

“Hell, that brings back memories, Lieutenant,” Mark cried as he guided the helicopter back to the airport. “I’ve got to tell you, I’ve never seen anyone shoot like you. Wait until I tell my wife I flew Vin Tanner. She won‘t believe me. Sonia’s a veteran herself. Katinese. She was the prettiest little thing I’d ever seen. Married her and we moved here.” Mark laughed at the fact he was rambling. “She won‘t believe me. I know she won‘t. You’ve got to come back to my place for breakfast so I can prove it to her.”

Vin smiled as he removed his headset and let it slip down around his neck. His head was aching and his body felt weary, but the relief he felt drowned out such feelings. “Weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have been able to do much to help my team. I’m in your debt, Mark.”

The pilot glanced at Vin and beamed a smile the size of Texas at him. “Can’t believe I’m sitting beside ‘The Chopper’. So, is it true you can bring down a chopper with a single shot?”

“A long time ago.”

“Man! Wait until I tell Sonia!”

Vin reached into his pocket and withdrew his phone. He had a strong urge to speak to Chris. He needed assurance all of the boys had come through unscathed. Unfortunately, as he stared down at the screen, he realized the phone’s battery had gone flat. Tanner sighed. He would have to wait until he could rendezvous with his team at EP. The thought brought a smile to Vin’s face.

**********

There was silence in the van as it sped back toward the city. The adrenalin that had been pumping furiously through the veins of the occupants was now taking its toll. Chris called it ‘crash’ time. Time when his men’s bodies crashed back down to earth after riding the adrenalin high.

Larabee glanced at Dunne. He nodded to the youth. J.D.’s expertise had saved his team again. If it hadn’t been for the powerful microphone, Chris wouldn’t have been informed of his enemy’s intentions. Nor would he have learned that the bomb that had almost killed Vin had been sent by one of Kane’s men - a man Kane had dealt with.

Larabee withdrew his phone and typed in Vin’s number. He waited. “Damn.”

“Doesn’t he have it on?” Josiah asked.

Larabee shrugged and pocketed the cell phone.

“Try the radio.”

“We’ll be out of range. It’s not important. I just wanted to... It can wait.”

“So, what did you do with the documents?” J.D. asked Ezra, curiously.

Standish smiled. “In my days working for SeCReTs, I often needed to destroy documents.” Ezra withdrew a four-inch aerosol can from the small pouch around his waist. In the leather bag he kept all manner of ‘goodies’ that assisted him to carry out his role. “A charming chemical affectionately called, ‘ink erase’. You spray it liberally on the top page of a document and it soaks through the other pages and dissolves the ink leaving blank paper within two minutes.”

“I don’t remember telling you to destroy the documents,” Chris growled, but there was a sparkle in his eyes.

“True, Colonel, but I felt it was one of those times when I should use my initiative.”

Larabee smiled. “We’re damn lucky you did.”

Ezra matched his leader’s smile. “Then I’m sure you will agree, we were damn lucky, to use your refreshing turn of phrase, that Lieutenant Tanner was within range and able to precipitate our liberation. I have to admit, while I was fully cognisant of your motives for sending him away, and in fact supported them, I find myself forced to re-evaluate my earlier decision and...”

“Shut -up, Ezra.”

“He’s right, Chris.”

“Shut-up, Josiah.”

“We need, Vin,” J.D. whispered. “He’s one of us. Without him, there’s a hole in our team.”

Chris drew in a deep breath and released it slowly. “Yeah, I know.”

**********

Vin climbed from the chopper and offered his hand to Mark. It had taken several minutes to convince the retired soldier that breakfast was out of the question.

“Well, next time you’re in these parts, you look me up.”

“I will,” Vin promised.

“Can you pass a message on to the rest of your team?”

Vin’s right eyebrow rose curiously. “Sure.”

“You tell them that they really are heroes to men like me.”

Vin stared at the veteran in front of him. The words were so sincere. “We never set out to be.”

“That, son, is why you are.” Mark saluted the younger man, turned and walked toward the hanger. Vin watched him until he disappeared and then started in the direction of the team’s plane. Out of nowhere, eight security guards appeared with weapons drawn.

“Put the rifle down!” one yelled in his native tongue. The others raised their weapons at the rifle wielding man.

Vin was fluent in most South American languages and was able to recognise the words. “Relax. I’m a member of Em7. I’m just going to reach into my pocket and take out my...”

“Freeze!” Safeties were clicked off and revolvers were cocked.

“Whooh! Easy, fellas. I’m one of you!” Vin cried.

**********

It took almost an hour for Vin to convince airport security he wasn’t a threat. They had wanted to confiscate his rifle and that had caused a minor scuffle but finally, he seemed to be getting somewhere. The security chief was on the phone to the CIA and doing a lot of nodding. Vin was seated across the desk from him in a small room, a security guard standing at each of his shoulders. Tanner glanced at his watch. Chris and the others would be arriving back at the hotel shortly. Larabee would have a cow if he wasn’t there.

“Look, I really need to...”

The chief raised his hand for silence. Vin snorted. Moments later, the chief replaced the receiver. “The CIA is faxing through a picture of you so I can confirm your identity. Then, you will be free to go.”

“You’ve got about two minutes before I’m walking out of here.”

On the runway, planes and other aircraft continued to come and go. One of the new arrivals was a black chopper containing men in combat fatigues - all tattooed with the small symbol of a hawk.

**********

“How many did we lose?” Kane demanded of his second in charge as he moved to the back of the chopper. Men were draped everywhere, many covered in blood.

Marks swallowed. “Half, Sir. They cut us to pieces. We’ve got a lot of wounded back here. Do we unload them and get them to the hospital or...”

Kane frowned. “No. I want to get out of here. Tell Jones to fuel up. We’re leaving. I want to put some distance between Larabee and us. I don’t think he’ll chase us down, but there’s no sense tempting fate.”

“Sir, I... look, I understand as well as anyone how good the STF1 is, but there are only the five of them and...”

“Yeah and look what those five men did to us today!” Kane spat back.

“We were taken by surprise, Sir.”

“By surprise?! We outnumbered them 6:1.”

“True, but with Tanner in that chopper...” Marks shut his mouth. His leader’s face was becoming darker by the minute. “We don’t want a war,” he agreed.

Kane stepped back into the empty cockpit and sat down, his anger churning. His men were among the best in the world and yet Larabee and his small band always had their measure. Why?

Something caught Kane’s attention as he stared out across the airfield. The mercenary's eyes narrowed. Through the huge glass windows of the airport he could see an outline. Kane blinked twice. He had to be seeing things! It was too far to see the figure’s face, but Kane would recognize that buckskin coat anywhere! “Tanner!”

**********

“Anyone else hungry? I’m starving,” J.D. announced as the group alighted from the van and entered the lobby of the Rydes Hotel.

“We can call for room service,” Buck stated.

“No, we’re leaving as soon as we collect Vin. I don’t think Kane will come searching for us, but I don’t want to give him the opportunity,” Chris stated, stepping into the elevator.

“But J.D.’s hungry,” Buck whined. “So, am I. You know I always get hungry after a mission.”

“I want to be in the air as soon as possible,” Chris repeated.

Ezra led the men to the door of Vin’s room. There were only two penthouses on this level.

“Wow. Do you reckon that door number is made of gold?” J.D. asked examining it as Ezra knocked lightly.

The men waited. “Vin?” Chris called. There was no response. Chris stepped forward and pounded on the door. “Vin?! Open up.” Still silence.

Larabee frowned.

“Maybe he decided to wait at the airport,” Nathan suggested.

“No, I told him to meet us here.”

“Well, maybe he was held up?” J.D. offered.

“Chris shook his head. “He should have been back ages ago. Vin!” he repeated, banging on the door.

“Colonel, allow me,” Ezra offered, removing a small piece of plastic from his pouch. He entered it in the swiping device and jiggled it a few times. “I gave Vin the only entry card, but this little card has always proved helpful when trying to gain entry to...” The light turned from red to green. Ezra smiled, opened the door and bowed as the rest of the men entered.

“He’s not here,” Buck reported after checking the bedroom.

“And he‘s not answering the phone,” Chris murmured. “Let’s get to the airport.”

“Chris, relax. He probably decided to get something to eat and is waiting for us....”

Larabee was gone.

“Yep,” Buck muttered. “Minor over-reaction, boys.”

**********

Vin shook hands with the security chief and rushed through the airport. There were small groups of travelers gathered in various lounges but the public holiday seemed to have kept most people home.

Tanner stepped onto the escalators and stared down at the huge open terminal below. People were lingering on the right and left, collecting at the check-in counter to get their tickets and waiting at the baggage collection area. Announcements about delays aired every few seconds. Vin watched the people going about their business with a certain amount of envy. They were normal people going about their normal lives. Such a luxury would never be his.

Onlookers pointed warily at the man in the buckskin coat and gave him a wide berth because of the powerful rifle slung over his shoulder. Vin had intended returning it to the team plane, but there wasn’t time now. Chris and the others would be arriving at the hotel any minute. Vin spotted some public telephones and decided to give his leader a call. In the frame of mind Larabee had been in recently, he’d probably panic if he arrived at the room before Vin.

Tanner fished around in his pocket for a coin but stopped, realizing these telephones didn’t take American money. With a quiet curse, the sharpshooter crossed the expansive room and lined up behind a woman being served at the check-in counter. The girl behind the counter smiled as her customer moved off and Vin stepped up.

“How can I help you, Sir?”

“I need a coin to make a phone call. I only have American money.” Abruptly the woman’s eyes enlarged. “Don’t worry, I’ve been checked by security. I’m one of the good guys,” Tanner explained shrugging his rifle further back on his shoulder.

“I... I... yes, of course. If you want to change some money you need to go to...”

“TANNER!” The name echoed around the terminal. Vin spun around. Colonel Douglas Kane was standing at the bottom of the escalators, a collection of his mercenaries around him. The men on either side of the Hawk leader raised their rifles and opened fire!

Part Seven

“Chris, you really are going to have to get a handle on things. Vin’s a big boy and more than capable of looking after himself,” Buck stated earnestly to Chris who was in the passenger seat of the van.

“He should have been back ages ago,” Larabee insisted.

“There are a hundred reasons why he could have been held up. None of them mean he’s in trouble, Chris. You do realize that if you keep this up, Vin’ll clobber you. He hates being fussed over and you’re fussing like an old mother hen. Look, I understand how you feel. Hell, I feel the same way. I want to protect him too, but not at the expense of ruining his life. Vin hates being caged in and without knowing it, that’s what you’re doing.”

Chris swallowed. He had been listening to Buck, but Wilmington’s words faded as pounding in his ears began. A heavy feeling consumed every part of his soul. Without reason, Larabee’s heart rate increased. The knowing he shared with his best friend was screaming.

“Can’t this van go any faster?” Chris growled.

Buck shook his head with tired amusement, but floored the accelerator.

**********

“GET DOWN!” Vin bellowed, diving over the counter. Terrified screams filled the terminal as people scattered. The rifle fire continued. Glass shattered, the lights exploded and bullets smacked into the walls. The sound was deafening, echoing around the room. There was no sign of security. Kane’s men had already taken care of them.

“Enough,” the mercenary leader ordered. His men held their fire. The sound of bullets echoed out, replaced by the whimpering of surprised travelers. “Tanner?”

Vin crouched low, his back pressed against the counter. He slipped his rifle off his shoulder. Around him he could hear the sobbing of innocent civilians. He couldn’t stay here. Kane and his men knew his position. He had to try and stay on the move.

“Tanner, throw your rifle out.”

Vin drew in a deep breath and glanced left and right. The counter was several feet long and afforded him ample cover just so long as he didn’t allow any Hawks to sneak up on either side. However, there was nowhere else to go. He would have to make his stand from this spot.

Sharing Vin’s concealment behind the counter were three women, all shaking and weeping with terror. Vin strained to listen. He knew the Hawks would be fanning out and closing in on him. His mind raced.

“Tanner, throw out your rifle.”

“Go to hell!” Vin spat back, checking his weapon.

“Give yourself up, or I’ll order my men to open fire on these people.”

Vin froze. Kane wouldn’t... would he?”

“I’m growing impatient, Tanner.”

Vin fingered his rifle. He could take Kane and a number of his men out before they brought him down, but how many innocent people would be injured or killed in the crossfire? Fighting to the death was his choice, but he couldn’t inflict that upon others.

“Last warning before my men start picking them off one by one.” The cries and sobbing increased. People were hiding behind posts, indoor plants and anything else they had been able to find. Others were curled up in balls on the ground, their hands over their ears trying to block out the memory of the gunfire. Vin searched his racing mind for options. The bottom line was, he simply didn’t have any. Not surprisingly, Vin’s thoughts turned to the one man he knew could get him out of this... if he were here.

“Time’s up!“ A single shot rang out, accompanied by hysterical yelling. “NO!” Vin screamed, leaping up and aiming his rifle at Kane.

“A warning shot, Tanner. The next one takes out a civilian. Throw down your rifle.” Vin assessed the opposition. There were a dozen Hawks. Too many for him to handle on his own and obviously the security guards who had swooped on him earlier weren’t coming.

“Nelson,” Kane ordered. The man beside him adjusted his aim to centre on a fourteen-year old boy trying to hide behind his suitcase.

“NO! Dear, God no!” the boy’s mother cried, flinging herself over her child.

“Don’t!” Vin shouted.

“You’re call, Tanner.”

Vin’s eyes were drawn to the woman desperately trying to protect her son. Tanner cursed, swallowed and lowered his rifle. All of the Hawks’ weapons turned toward him.

Douglas Kane smiled. He’d won. Tanner would never relinquish his rifle in battle. The leader of the Hawks knew the sharpshooter would have fought to the death but this was different. Kane had innocent hostages. “Drop the rifle.”

Vin scanned the room, the terrified faces of the two dozen people who had found themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time weighing on his shoulders. He had no choice. The Em7 sharpshooter tossed his rifle over the counter. It clattered to the ground with a crash - a crash that signalled his last hope of survival. Vin glared at the leader of the Hawks. Kane would kill him. The colonel had wanted to since the day Vin had warned him to keep clear of Chris. “Bring him out here.”

Two men closed in on the captured lieutenant. Vin leapt over the counter to meet them. One grabbed his arm, but Vin shrugged the mercenary off roughly before striding toward Kane. He stopped in front of the other man, a dozen rifles still centred on him.

“Let the people go,” Vin ordered in a soft but firm voice.

Kane glanced at one of his men and nodded. He had no further use for them. Vin watched with relief as the hostages were told to leave. All ran for safety.

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the war hero. I can’t tell you how long I’ve waited for this moment,” Kane snarled.

“You’re a dead man, Kane. Chris and the others will hunt you down.” Vin’s voice was calm. It had the same quality Larabee’s had when he had been pinned down. Experience enabled him to function on a different level when all looked lost. Vin accepted his fate with the knowledge his life would not be lost in vain and that his death would be avenged.

Kane smiled evilly. “You don‘t understand me like Larabee does. I gave Larabee my word I wouldn’t seek war with your team and I meant it. This is different. You’ve just fallen into my lap. The fortunes of war. Larabee’s a soldier. He’ll understand that.”

“You don’t know the first thing about my colonel, asshole!”

The mercenary behind Vin slammed his rifle across the defiant man’s back. Tanner catapulted forward into another Hawk who shoved him backwards before smashing his fist into Vin’s stomach. Tanner doubled over, waited a few seconds for the burning pain to reach its climax and ease and then forced himself upright. He would not give these bastards the satisfaction of seeing his discomfort.

“You’re a cocky sonofabitch, Tanner.” In Katinda, Vin had stood up to Kane in front of the mercenary’s own men. He’d done so to protect Chris...

Kane was guessing that the longhaired young man in the buckskin coat was the sharpshooter. “I’ve heard a lot about you Tanner. If you join me, I can offer you a lot more than Larabee ever could.”

“Reckon you should be leavin’,” Vin stated without aggression.

“Your men are loyal, Larabee.” Kane signalled his troops. The squad began to back away and disappear. “If we are lucky, we shall not meet again. However, if we do, I suggest that you watch your back, Colonel.” It was a threat.

Vin raised his rifle and stepped forward. “He doesn’t need to watch his back. That’s my job. So if I ever see you within a mile of the Colonel, I’ll kill you.”

“You threatening me, boy?” Kane snarled.

“No, I’m warnin’ you. You threaten Colonel Larabee again and I’ll have a bullet with your name on it ready an waitin’.”

“We all do,” Buck added.

“Tell your men to relax. I give my word that I won’t come after you, Larabee.” Doug Kane could feel his rage boiling. Larabee and his scruffy sharpshooter had degraded him in front of his Hawks, but if he wanted to live, Kane knew he needed to walk away and stay away. “Just so you know, Larabee. You have my word about staying out of your business and not coming after you. And I’m true to my word. It’s the only thing I have and actually believe in.”

“Good. You have my word, I won’t ever seek you out unless you make the first move, Kane.” ...

Kane would never forget that day nor could he let it go. “I’m going to enjoy killing you, Tanner.”

“It’ll be the last thing you ever enjoy,” Vin snarled. Again, the rifle thrashed across his back. This time, Vin anticipated it and moved with the blow, lessening the impact. Winded, he struggled upright again.

“Yep, balls of steel, just like Larabee. It’s a shame we’re on opposite sides. You would have made my team almost invincible.”

“I have to respect the person I work for, you pathetic piece of shit,” Vin spat. This time the blow was across the back of his head. Vin collapsed to his knees aware of the dampness running down his neck. One of Kane’s men grabbed the front of his shirt and hauled him to his feet.

“Alright. Let’s go. We’re taking him with us. I will hear him beg for mercy before I’m done,” Kane claimed with satisfaction. Tanner was grabbed, his arms forced behind his back and secured with a pair of handcuffs stolen from the security guards. Once cuffed, Vin was shoved toward the exit, a mercenary on each side firmly holding his arms.

Vin’s mind was racing again. The terminal was empty. In the distance, he could hear sirens. He just needed to stall long enough for the police to arrive. Even as the thought formed, Vin knew the police would be outclassed, but the boys wouldn’t and by now they should have discovered he wasn’t at the hotel, which meant they had to be on their way here. He needed to stall for time.

Vin slowed his pace. The men behind him shoved him roughly. Vin fell to the ground. Ahead, Kane stopped and glanced back. “What’s going on? Get him up.”

Again, Vin was dragged to his feet. Before Kane and his men could continue their escape, a harsh voice thundered through the empty terminal. “KANE!”

“Larabee!” the Hawk leader cried, searching wildly.

Vin glanced over his shoulder and what he saw sent his heart soaring. Chris, Buck, Josiah, Nathan, J.D and Ezra had just burst through the glass doors at the far end of the building. The sound of their boots echoed in the expansive cavern.

“There!” Buck cried.

“They’ve got Vin!” J.D. yelled.

Kane’s eyes met Larabee’s for the briefest of seconds. “GO!” Kane shouted to his men. The mercenaries raced toward the exit, Vin hauled between his two captors, one with his gun pressed into Vin’s badly bruised back.

“Hold your fire, they’ve got a gun on Vin!“ Josiah yelled.

Tanner shot another look at his team. They wouldn’t fire while the gun was in his back. Vin’s eyes connected with Chris’.

Now!

Tanner understood the unvoiced signal. Immediately, he shoulder-charged the soldier who didn’t have the revolver on him and dropped to the ground in one fluid movement - away from the weapon covering him. Larabee drew and fired twice, taking out both mercenaries. It was a perfectly orchestrated move... one the pair had used before.

Tanner rolled onto his side and sat up, watching the Hawks retreat. Booted feet raced passed him as four of his partners gave pursuit, Buck roaring like a banshee. Tanner swivelled around to face Chris as he approached.

Without warning, Larabee’s eyes enlarged. One of the retreating Hawks had turned and was taking aim at Vin’s back.

“No!” Chris screamed, shooting straight and true, but too late. The other man had already fired. The bullet hit Vin square in the middle of the back. Tanner cried out, startled, as he was knocked to the floor, the impact sending him sliding along the ground several feet before he become deathly still, face down.

“NO!” both Chris and Nathan shouted as one.

The horrified pair swooped on their companion.

“Vin?!“ Chris cried, grabbing his friend, rolling him over and lifting him off his arms. Tanner blinked up at his team-mates, shocked by both the impact of the bullet and the pain. Desperately, he gasped for breath.

“Easy,” Nathan urged, as he pulled Vin’s buckskin coat up. “Chris, get out of my way! I need... Thank, God!”

“Huh?” Chris asked, confused. It was only then that he saw the source of Jackson’s relief. Vin was wearing his bulletproof vest under his coat. The impact had knocked him forward but the bullet had been stopped, caught in the intricate weave of the vest.

“He’s winded. Sit him up!” Nathan instructed. Together the two men did so. “Breathe slowly, Vin.” Tanner nodded and within seconds his breathing was coming easily. “You’re going to have one hell of a bruise, Kid.” Bulletproof vests stopped bullets, but it was like being hit by a truck.

“Bastard shot me in the back,” the Em7 sharpshooter panted as his partners eased him to his feet.

“You okay?!” Chris demanded, eyeing his friend with concern. Vin was pale, but then, Vin hadn’t been the healthiest of colours before all of this.

“I feel like I‘ve just been kicked in the back by a mule!”

“Colonel, the Hawks are climbing aboard a plane. Do you want us to continue the pursuit?” Buck demanded via Chris’ headset. In the past, Em7 had allowed the Hawks to go on their way.

“I WANT KANE!” This time, Chris really wanted Kane. He wanted to put his hands around the other man’s throat and throttle him.

Vin shook his head. “Abort the pursuit, Chris.”

Larabee glared at his lieutenant.

“We don’t want a war, Colonel. Our boys are outnumbered. We need this to finish here and now.”

“He came after you!” Chris spluttered.

“No, he didn’t. I just happened to fall into his lap. He didn’t seek me out, Chris.”

“Waiting confirmation of your order,” Buck yelled. “Hurry up. They’re leaving.”

“Abort,” Chris snapped, his eyes boring into Vin. The two men held their ground. Larabee didn’t like having his orders questioned, but common sense forced him to accept Vin was right. Gradually, the anger and fear abated. “Thank, God you wore the vest. Are you hurt?”

“They roughed me up a bit. Just a few bruises,” Vin answered, honestly. “That bullet stung a bit. I‘d forgotten how much they hurt. I think I‘d prefer to take the actual bullet.”

“Come and sit down and let me take a look at you,” Nathan ordered. “You’re head’s bleeding.“ Vin didn’t move. Jackson realized his leader and second in command were conducting an argument on a level only they were privy to. The medic discreetly moved off to check the three Hawks Larabee had shot.

Vin and Chris continued to stare at each other.

What happened?

They ambushed me.

How did they disarm you?

“Hell, Larabee, I was outnumbered 12:1.” Vin shrugged. He had hostages. What could I do?

“What were his intentions? Did he say anything to you?

Vin considered Kane’s threat and decided Larabee didn’t need to hear it. “He said a lot of things to me. I don’t think he likes me very much.”

Larabee’s brow furrowed and then a smirk appeared on his face. “That right?”

“Don’t reckon he thinks much of you either, Cowboy,” Tanner claimed, matching his friend’s smile.

Chris placed his hand on his best friend‘s shoulder. Vin was okay. A little bruised and battered, but otherwise okay. Chris allowed his relief to surface. “One day, Tanner. One day, I‘m gonna knock your smartass head off.”

“One day, Cowboy. Not today,” Vin chuckled. Larabee guided his best friend across to some chairs and assisted him to sit.

Tanner grimaced. “Hell that hurt. Can’t believe some cowardly bastard shot me in the back.”

“We need to get those cuffs off you,” Chris murmured, taking out a handkerchief and pressing against the back of Vin’s head to stop the blood flow. “Ezra’ll have something. He’s got all manner of gadgets in that pouch of his.” Vin wriggled uncomfortably. Larabee patted his friend’s back. “Hang on. I’ll have you out of them in a minute.”

The other members of Em7 returned at the same moment as a dozen police. The law enforcers looked jumpy. “Ezra,” Chris snapped, sharply. “Deal with them.”

“Of course, Colonel.” The maestro set off to do what he did best; con others into accepting his view of reality.

“No, wait! What about these cuffs?” Vin called.

“Hey, Vin. You okay?” J.D. asked as he and the others encircled their companion.

“Anyone know how to open these damn handcuffs? And does anyone have any Aspirin? Can’t believe that bastard shot me in the back!”

“He’s okay,” Buck chuckled.

**********

There was a lot of gasping, cursing and swearing from Vin’s companions when Nathan peeled the bulletproof vest off the injured man. The bruising was extensive and covered his entire back from his shoulders to his hips. Clearly, the bullet hadn’t caused all of it.

“Jesus, Vin,” J.D. gasped.

“I’m just pleased to be out of those cuffs,” Vin murmured, nodding his appreciation to J.D. who had searched the airport and found the key on the unconscious body of a security guard.

Nathan examined Vin‘s back, shook his head and then turned to Josiah. “I need some ice. Lots of ice.”

Sanchez nodded, patted Vin’s shoulder and set off to find some.

“Those bastards,“ Buck growled.

“You’re gonna be sore,” J.D. murmured.

“Some of these bruises are deep. What did they use to inflict them?” It certainly wasn’t a fist.

Chris handed his friend some Aspirin, which Vin accepted gratefully. “Back feels okay. Head’s buzzing a bit.”

“As soon as Ezra finishes explaining to the local boys, we’re leaving.” Chris cursed quietly. He had intentionally left Vin out of the mission so he could recover.

Vin read his friend’s thoughts and chuckled, “It’s just not your day, Cowboy.”

“Ezra shouldn’t be much longer and then you can lay down on the plane.”

“I left my wallet in the room,” Tanner informed his companions. "We'll have to go back for it."

“Ezra has to pay the bill anyway,” Buck pointed out.

Some time later, Josiah returned with the ice and Ezra reappeared.

“Well?” Chris asked.

“Everything has been dealt with, Sir.”

“You’re worth your weight in gold, Ezra,” Josiah chuckled

“We’re heading back to EDP,” Chris ordered, helping Vin to his feet.

“EDP?” Buck asked.

Vin grinned. “Ezra’s Damn Penthouse.” Chris winked at his friend.

**********

“Captain Wilmington, there really wasn’t any need for you and Mr. Dunne to accompany me. I am sure I will be able to locate Vin’s wallet without assistance.” Ezra swiped the card and watched stunned as Buck and J.D. bolted into the room. Buck raced straight to the kitchen, opened the mini-bar fridge and began thrusting the contents at J.D.

“What are you doing?” Ezra demanded.

“Relax, Ezra. It’s free.”

“It is far from free. It goes on the room bill.”

“Like I said, it’s free. J.D., grab those M & M’s.”

**********

There was silence on board the team plane as Buck guided it toward the United States. Most of the boys had slept for the first hour. Nathan continued to change the ice on Vin’s back, muttering his anger and disgust.

Tanner rose, shrugging off the ice, and made his way to the front of the plane to take a seat next to Chris. Larabee watched his friend move uncomfortably. “You’re going to stiffen up.”

“Reckon so. Probably won’t be able to move tomorrow.”

Chris returned his attention to staring out in front of him. Unlike the others, Chris hadn’t slept. His mind was far too active. He had spent the time trying to come to terms with his own stubborn nature. “I’m sorry.”

Vin didn’t look at his friend, but nodded.

“I overreacted.”

“Yep.”

“You’re not making this easy.”

“Exactly.”

Chris glanced at his friend. Vin turned and held Chris’ gaze.

“I guess I deserved that. Look, I’m not going to push you to go into hiding. How the hell can I send you away? Looks like I need you around to save my ass every time I get into trouble.” Chris smiled and slipped his arm across his best friend’s shoulders. “We’ll work everything out somehow. We’re just going to have to take extra precautions and maybe set up some sort of roster to ensure you don’t go anywhere on your own.”

Vin stared at his friend, his expressive blue eyes displaying a new agony.

“I know you hate being hounded, but... look, we’ll work something out that works for you and puts my mind at rest, okay?”

Vin drew in a deep breath and turned to stare out the window. Okay? No, that wasn’t okay. That still placed his friends in the firing line. Tanner’s emotions were in turmoil, but he had made his decision - the only decision he felt he could.

**********

Nathan woke up to the shrill ringing of the phone beside his bed. He glanced at the clock and sat up quickly. He’d overslept. Not that there was really any time he needed to arrive at the office, but normally, Nathan would have been arriving about now.

Em7 had arrived back in the States just after lunch the day before and then had a debriefing session, followed by a session in the pool to ease their aching muscles. Vin had missed the pool session. He’d fallen asleep in the car and J.D. had volunteered to sit and watch over him.

The phone continued to ring. Jackson swung his legs over the edge of the bed, rubbed his eyes and scooped the phone up. “Yeah?”

“Hey, Nathan.”

“Vin?”

“Yeah. I... I’ve got a bit of a problem. I can’t move. Man, have I stiffened up.”

Nathan started laughing.

“Yeah, it might seem funny to you, you unsympathetic bastard, but I’d just like to point out that it took me ten minutes to get out of bed and now I want to go to the toilet but I‘m not game in case I get stuck on it!”

Nathan’s laughter increased. “Okay, Vin. I’m on my way.”

**********

“Morning boys,” Buck greeted happily as he stepped out of the elevator. The big man searched for his injured companion. “Vin not in yet?”

“Nathan’s taken him to the hospital for x-rays and some physio.”

“I’ll bet that was popular,” Wilmington chuckled, sitting down at his computer and switching it on.

“I’ll bet he’s sore,” J.D. stated, turning on the television to see the morning news.

“Boys,” Chris greeted, appearing out of his office. “Just had a phone call from the President. He’s very grateful we...” Chris paused and pointed to the television screen.

J.D. turned it up.

“... a well renowned scientist, has been arrested in France. Von Hoffen had been one of the front runners to lead an investigation into corruption in the aerospace programme. It was rumoured that he had support at the very highest level, but that has been denied. It would have been a political disaster if this suspected terrorist had been given free access to...”

“No prizes for guessing what was in those documents then.”

“At the highest level,” Ezra murmured. “Their mistake almost cost your lives.”

Chris patted Ezra’s shoulder. “Okay, boys. Let’s wrap up the mission. Buck, a full check on the plane, please.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Ezra, inventory of what needs to be replaced.” Standish nodded. “Josiah, contact the police and find out what they’ve filed on the incident at the airport.”

“You got it.”

“J.D., find the Hawks. I want to know their whereabouts.”

“That won’t be easy, Sir. I imagine they will be doing their very best to hide from us.”

“When I employed you, I was told you were the very best. Find them.”

J.D. sighed. “Yes, Sir.”

“As soon as Nathan gets in, send him to me.”

“You expecting Vin?” Buck asked.

“Depends what Nathan says,” Chris replied, turning.

“And Vin’s remaining a member of Em7?” Wilmington pushed.

“Why the hell wouldn’t he?” Chris asked as he disappeared into his office.

Buck turned to his companions and grinned. “See, I told you he’d come around.”

At 11:00 am, Nathan and Vin arrived. As Vin stepped out of the elevator, Buck burst out laughing.

“You’re walking like you’ve shit yourself, Vin.”

“Shut-up, Buck,” Tanner grumbled, making his way to his desk, his steps slow and deliberate. Nathan discreetly shook his head to the others. Vin wasn’t in a good mood. He was in considerable pain and the physiotherapist had been, in Vin’s words, ‘a sadist!’

“I can drive you home, Vin,” Jackson offered.

“I’m fine. I keep tellin’ you, I’m fine.” With difficulty, Vin lowered himself into his chair. Nathan snorted with amusement and sympathy. “You’ve got another physio appointment tomorrow morning.”

“Great,” Tanner muttered.

“If you need any more painkillers, just let me know.”

Vin grunted and picked up the phone.

Nathan smiled and headed into his colonel’s office.

“How is he?” Chris asked, without looking up from the report he was reading.

“Sore.” Larabee closed the file and sat up. “They used a rifle on his back, Colonel. He’s black and blue and can barely move.” There was an underlying hint of anger in Jackson’s voice. “Next time we come across the Hawks, I’m gonna beat some bastard senseless.”

“Should he be here?”

Nathan shrugged. “He’s as stubborn as they come. You know what he’s like. I think it’s best we just leave him. When he’s ready to fall in a heap, we can take him home.”

**********

Buck dived out of his chair and raced across to the printer. The other men looked up curiously. Buck plucked the printed sheets from the machine and began dancing on the spot.

“Okay, against my better judgment, I’ve got to ask,” Ezra drawled.

“Nothing,” Buck chirped, returning to his place and pouring over the information.

Ezra glanced at Josiah. Sanchez, whose desk was behind Buck’s, rose to his feet, quietly walked up behind Buck and squinted down at the pages that had so captivated his companion’s attention. The other men waited. All of a sudden, Josiah burst out laughing. It was loud and genuine.

Buck sprang to his feet and pulled the sheets close to his chest. “Josiah!”

“What is it?” J.D. giggled.

“From what I was able to read,” Sanchez started, “it’s some sort of beauty pageant... for men!”

“It isn’t a beauty pageant!” Buck cried, indignantly. “Miss Magazine, one of the biggest sellers in the nation I’ll have you know, is searching America for the sexiest man.”

“Uh-huh,” Nathan chuckled. “And you’re interested because...?”

Buck snorted. “You’re just jealous, Jackson.”

“So, you’re thinking of entering the competition?” J.D. asked, innocently.

“Why shouldn’t I? First prize is a million dollars.”

“A million! Let me see that,” J.D. cried. The youth snatched the form and scanned it. “Category?”

“Yeah, there are fifteen different categories you can enter. The top one from each then competes against the others to find the winner.”

“What sort of categories?” Vin asked.

“Occupations. They’re looking for the sexist musician, writer, artist, teacher, soldier, doctor, fireman, sportsman, policeman, politician, tradesman, manager, model, labourer and finally a miscellaneous category for those that don‘t fit into any of those.”

“And which category are you going to enter? Model?” J.D. laughed.

“Windbag,” Vin chuckled.

Buck sat down huffily. “You all won’t be laughing when I win.”

“And how is the prize calf selected?’” Josiah asked.

“You have to fill out the form and send a photograph and then they do interviews. If I get to the interview stage, I’ve got it in the bag.”

“Your animal magnetism?” Ezra asked with a smirk.

Buck bounced his eyebrows.

“Assuming the judge is a woman,” Nathan pointed out.

Buck frowned. “It wouldn’t be a man, would it?”

“There are some fellas out there that like other fellas,” Vin mused.

Frantically, Buck began searching the form for indication of the judge’s sex. “It doesn’t say. It wouldn’t be a man... would it?”

**********

Just after three pm, Ezra quietly entered his leader’s office. Chris glanced up. “Be quick. Vin and I are leaving for McKenna’s in a few minutes. I don‘t think he‘s up to it, but he‘s dug his heels in and insists on it being today. ” Standish remained just inside the door after having pulled it closed. Larabee closed the file and began sorting the other papers on his desk. “Ezra?”

“I... I have some information.”

Chris frowned and put down the papers he held. He didn’t like the look on Ezra’s face. “About what?”

“About... My actions were borne of the purest intentions.”

“Ezra,” Chris growled.

“Vin mentioned to me that he had an uncle he hadn’t seen since he was five and I... well...”

Chris rose to his feet. “And?” he demanded.

“And I found him. He lives in California with his wife and three children. I... I had intended telling Vin but, I’m not sure... I thought...”

Chris shook his head and sat down. “Vin doesn’t need this yet. He’s only had his memory back four months. He has enough to deal with. You should have left it alone.” There was annoyance in Chris’ voice but not true anger.

“Yes, well, on that note, I will leave this information in your capable hands. I am sure you will make the correct decision,” Ezra mumbled quickly as he backed out of the room.

“Thanks a whole hell of a lot, Ezra. Talk about passing the buck.” Chris sat back in his chair and thought about what he’d been told. Vin had a right to know, but was now the time? Did Chris have the right to keep such information from him?

Part Eight

It was late afternoon when Larabee set the small chopper down at McKenna’s. Chris waited for the blades to slow before turning to his companion.

“Vin, this is ridiculous. You can barely walk.”

“Come on,” Tanner ordered, his voice tinged with annoyance.

“We can come back in a few days when...”

“No, today.” With that, Tanner climbed from the chopper stiffly and walked across to greet Reg.

Larabee shook his head. “Stubborn bastard.”

Not long after, Tanner and Larabee were on horseback and heading for Flat Top.

“So, you said you spent some time here?” Larabee asked.

Vin nodded. “The foster family I’d been staying with was killed in a car accident so I took off. Ended up here.”

“Here is a nice place to end up,” Chris commented, scanning the open land around him. The rolling hills were green and the mountains looming over them dark in contrast. “How long did you stay?”

“About two years. Joined the army and had to leave.”

“So, tell me about this spot we’re going to?”

Vin didn’t reply immediately. The sound of the horses’ falling hooves serenaded the pair of riders. “A friend took me there,” Vin finally explained. “He called it Dream Space. A place somewhere between dreams and reality, I guess.”

“Friend?”

“Kojay. A Native American. He sort of took me in. He was a good friend.”

The tone of Vin’s voice informed Chris that this was leading into an area Vin didn’t want to discuss.

“How’s your back?”

“Aching like hell.”

“That’s your own damn fault.”

Vin glanced at his friend and smiled. “I guess I deserved that.”

Larabee returned his friend’s smile. “Damn right you did.”

“I’ll bet Nathan is still cursing me.”

************

“I honestly don’t know why I bother. It’s the waste of breath I truly resent,” Nathan complained. The rest of Em7 were still in the office.

Buck glanced at Josiah and rolled his eyes. Nathan hadn’t paused for breath since Vin and Chris had departed.

“There is no way someone with a back in the condition his is in should be riding a damn horse.”

“You know Vin always has to learn the hard way,” Buck muttered, returning to his work.

“Chris could have prevented this if he’d wanted to. He could have ordered Vin.”

“Nope, wouldn’t have worked. The colonel can order Lieutenant Tanner what to do, but Chris doesn’t have a hope of ordering Vin about, you should know that by now, Nathan.”

Jackson opened his mouth to comment but the ringing of his phone saved the others. “Jackson.... Hey, Liz... Married?!... Yes, of course I’m happy for you, but isn’t this a bit sudden?... Uh-huh. You’ve set a date? When?! I really don’t think there’s any reason to rush... I’m happy for you. I am. I just...I think you could wait a few years before... I know it’s your life, but...”

Josiah watched his friend flounder and glanced at Buck. Liz was Nathan’s youngest sister and something of a wild child. There had been a number of times in the past that Nathan had received phone calls in the dead of the night to get her out of trouble.

“Liz... Liz... no, have you spoken to Mum and Dad? Well, don’t you think we should all meet this fella before you get married?.... Yeah. I can be there next weekend. That sounds like a good idea. Uh-huh. I’m sure he is. I’ll see you then... Yeah, I love you to, Liz.”

Nathan replaced the phone, sat back and sighed deeply. He realized all of his companions were waiting. “Liz wants to get married.”

“We heard. Next weekend?”

“I have to fly home. I’ve convinced her to bring him to meet the family.”

“The joys of family are many,” Josiah preached.

“Joys?” Nathan muttered, sarcastically. “Liz hasn’t been a joy since she hit puberty.”

“We all suffer ups and downs as a result of our relationships with kin,” Sanchez stated.

Nathan glanced at Buck. “You’re the lucky one, Buck. You’ve got no family.”

“I’d give everything I own to see my mother again,” Wilmington whispered. Nathan immediately flashed his friend an apology.

J.D. sighed. “Yep, me too, Buck. I miss my mum so much.” Dunne paused. “I hear from my dad every now and then. He’s... he’s an alcoholic. He’s remarried and she has children. They’re older than me. Dad usually calls when he needs money.” The young man’s voice was filled with regret.

“Yes, well, my mother has a tendency to bring me grief as well,” Ezra offered.

Josiah’s thoughts turned to his sister. “Yep, having family can be a blessing. Then again, the blessing can become a curse when we least expect it,” he murmured.

**********

In a run-down boarding house, on the edge of Washington DC...

Liam sat down on the edge of his filthy cot, his cell phone clutched to his ear. He was shirtless, the garment soaking in a bucket because Liam could no longer stand the stench. He had refused to use the shower facilities in the building, instead, sneaking into the locker room of a gymnasium a few blocks away. At least he felt clean, but the grime around him still turned his stomach.

His takeout meal was sitting on the bench beside him, flies skating across it.

“Yeah, but where’d you get my number?” he asked the caller, suspiciously. The explanation was plausible. Liam swallowed as he thought about the proposal. It was better than he’d hoped for and it would mean he could get out of this rat hole. “Yeah, I can get him there… I know where it is, but I want my cut now!”

**********

When Chris reached down and pulled Vin to the top, Tanner stayed on his knees panting heavily. Larabee crouched next to him both angry and concerned. “I never should have let you do this.”

“I... I’m okay. Just need... to catch my breath,” Vin insisted. “Help me up.” Chris looped his hands under Vin’s arms and lifted his friend upright. Tanner gasped, held his breath and then released it slowly. Finally, he nodded.

Chris continued to shake his head. He had argued against climbing the mountain, but Vin had been determined, threatening to go even if Chris didn’t.

Tanner inclined his head before Larabee could say any more on the matter. Chris followed his gaze and froze. The look of shock and wonder on Larabee’s face made Vin smile. It had been his own reaction when he had come here for the first time.

Chris walked across the fifteen-foot length of the plateau and stopped at the edge. Out in front of him was nothing but sky. Below, he could see tree tops. Slowly, Chris turned a full three hundred and sixty degrees. It was like he was suspended in the sky. The wind buffeted him, awakening all of his senses. Finally, Larabee turned to his best friend. “This is incredible!”

“Yep,” Vin agreed, happily. He’d wanted so badly to share this with Chris. He knew Larabee would love it.

Chris turned back to the scenery and found himself lost in its expansive beauty. Vin stiffly made his way over to join him. For a long time they stood shoulder to shoulder soaking up all that nature had to offer - drinking in the depth of their friendship.

When Vin became tired, he led the way to a fallen log on the opposite side of the plateau. With Chris’ help, he lowered himself onto it and Chris joined him. The pair sat, again silent. Words were out of place here. These two men shared a soul and this was the place it dwelled. This was the very origin of the knowing they shared.

It was almost an hour before either spoke. “So, I guess we should start thinking about how to implement increased security for you. I have a few ideas...”

“Don’t, Chris. Not here.”

“Vin, we can’t avoid the topic. It has to be discussed and the sooner the better.”

“Not here,” Tanner repeated, quietly. Vin’s emotions rose up. He had insisted on coming here today because tomorrow he would be gone. No longer would the contract be an issue for his friends. He prayed they would understand. “I... I don’t want to hurt any of you,” he whispered, emotionally.

“You don’t want any of us to get hurt in the cross-fire?” Chris clarified.

Vin swallowed. No, that wasn’t what he meant. He meant he didn’t want his leaving to upset his friends, but he couldn’t correct Chris. If he told Larabee his plans, Chris would say something to stop him and Tanner knew he had to go. He had to, to protect his friends.

“Vin, how about you let us make our own decisions about that?” Chris stated, sliding his arm across the younger man’s shoulders. “I don’t want you worrying about it. Okay?”

Again, the pair fell silent. The minutes blended into hours and the sun set in a spectacular fashion. Out of the blue, Vin rose to his feet with a grunt of pain.

“Did you want to leave?” Chris asked. Larabee certainly didn’t. He had quickly discovered why Vin’s friend had called Flat Top, Dream Space. Up here, it was like nothing else existed. The worries of the world faded into obscurity.

“Have you heard from Liam?” Vin asked. Like Chris, he didn’t want to leave and so, changed the subject.

“No.” Chris sighed. “I want to help him, Vin. I have to help him. I promised my mother I’d look after him. I guess I created a rod for my own back in promising to be my brother’s keeper.”

“Yeah, I saw that as a curse once, too.”

“Huh?” Chris asked curiously, walking across to stand next to his companion.

There was the slightest twitching at the side of Vin’s right eye as memories returned. He had written a poem during the war that he’d called “My Brother’s Keeper”. Without warning, some of the words came back to him.

“We were nothing more than a group of soldiers
Five of our country’s willing
Placed together by faceless bureaucrats
To perform an impossible task in hell
Witnesses to the barbarism as other good men fell

You had your own way of coping with the insanity
‘In this group, we must think, act and move as one.
We are responsible for each other in every way
It is your job to protect the team from the dreaded reaper.’
In short, you expected me to be my brothers in arms' keeper.”

Chris Larabee would never cease to be amazed by his friend’s ability to captivate emotion. “I remember the day I told you it was your job to keep us alive.”

“It scared the hell of me, Chris. I’d never had to be responsible for anyone else before.”

“I’d like a copy of the poem, when you have time.”

“If I can remember the rest. I guess we should head back.” Neither man moved.

“I guess so.”

It was well after dark before the pair actually left Flat Top Mountain. Thankfully, there was a bright moon to light their way. By the time they returned the horses to the stables Vin’s movements had stiffened badly and Chris had to help his friend climb into the chopper.

Larabee wanted to take Vin to Nathan’s where he could spend the night under the careful ministrations of the team medic, but Vin refused and Chris had no choice but to take him home.

Larabee glanced at his watch as he helped Vin from the car and walked beside him up to the door of the apartment nestled at the back of the Saloon. It was after midnight and the night was quiet, but the lights from the parking lot lit the small area.

“I’ll see you tomorrow. Are you going to be okay?” Vin’s face was shadowed with pain, but he had refused to admit it.

“I’ll manage, Chris.”

“Do you have enough painkillers? Maybe we should call Nathan and let him...“

“We can’t ring Nathan in the middle of the night. I’m fine. He gave me some tablets. I’ll take them as soon as I get inside. Relax, boss.“

“Thanks for sharing Flat Top with me. We’ll have to go out there again soon.“ Chris smiled and turned toward the car.

“Chris?!” It was a startled cry without any obvious reason. Vin swallowed. This was it! This was the last time he would see Chris. There would be no next time for Flat Top... no next time for anything. All of a sudden, Vin felt the full weight of what he was going to do and it caused his chest to tighten.

“What?” Chris asked. He could see the turmoil in Vin’s face. “Vin?” Larabee had sensed there had been something on Vin’s mind all evening, but he knew better than to push. “How about we talk about it in the morning? We’re both tired.”

Vin stared at Chris and nodded automatically. Larabee strode toward the car. When he reached it he realized Vin was half a step behind him. “Vin?”

“I... Chris...”

“Talk to me, Vin. Please, tell me what the hell’s wrong?“ The two men stared at each other, both searching the other’s soul.

Vin drew in a deep breath and finally shook his head. “It’s nothing. Really. I... it’s okay.“

Larabee waited a few seconds and then acknowledged Vin’s decision with a single bob of the head. He patted his best friend’s shoulder and opened the door of his sedan. He desperately wanted to help, but despite the agony he could see reflected in Vin’s face, Chris knew he had to turn away. Vin needed to come to terms with whatever it was first before he would be ready to talk about it.

“I’ll be there when you’re ready to talk, okay?”

Vin nodded and then dropped his face. Chris started the car and wound down the window. “If you want to talk later tonight, just ring me. I mean it.” Vin nodded but didn’t look up. He couldn’t face Chris. Only when his friend’s car had disappeared around the corner did Vin Tanner lift his head.

The moonlight reflected off his glistening blue eyes as he watched his family disappear from his life.

**********

On the other side of the globe - in an Austrian cafe...

Wilhelm pulled out a chair and signaled the waitress with a casual flick on his wrist. The young woman smiled, recognising the regular customer who was always punctual and immaculately dressed.

“I think I’ll have the fish today,” he called, flashing his bright green eyes. The waitress nodded and disappeared into the kitchen.

The middle-aged man ran his hand through his dark hair that was just starting to grey at the sides, and opened the newspaper that had been left on the table by a previous customer. Without interest, he scanned the first few pages, looking up briefly to acknowledge the arrival of his wine. The renowned business consultant took a silk handkerchief from the pocket of his expensive suit and dabbed his forehead, reflecting on the fact that it was particularly hot for this time of the year.

Wilhelm continued to flick through the newspaper until he spotted a photograph. His eyes narrowed with curiosity. Quickly, he ran his eyes down the story about a Casino owner in the United States voted to have the best establishment of its type in the world. Wilhelm smiled. Maude had done well for herself. Just as he was about to close the paper, he read something that wiped the smile from his face. “Son?” Maude had a son?! Wilhelm squinted at the small picture of his former lover standing with a young man.

The waitress approached and smiled pleasantly. “Your fish. Will there be anything else today, Mr. Standish?”

**********

Light from a small lamp illuminated Vin’s office desk. The clock on the wall above him read 4:06am. Tanner had to leave his friends some sort of explanation and so, using the voice programme J.D. had installed on his computer, he dictated what he needed to. Lying didn‘t come easily, but it was necessary. Once finished, Vin produced another document, this one for Chris alone.

Tanner collected the two sheets from the printer and wandered into his leader’s office, small grunts of pain accompanying every step. The trip to Flat Top had been pure agony, but it had meant so much. He had needed to share it with Chris. They would never get another chance.

Vin placed both notes in the centre of the large desk, but paused and then retrieved the explanation of his leaving. It would be better if Nathan broke the news. Jackson was good at things like that.

Tanner exited Larabee’s office and after placing the note on Jackson’s desk, he scanned the room deliberately. His stomach dropped. His eyes flicked to each of this friend’s desks. In his mind’s eye he could see and hear them laughing and talking. The tendrils of doubt pulled at his emotions. Was running away really the answer? Vin found himself wishing he hadn’t taken the time he had spent with his friends for granted. The last four months, despite all that had happened, were the best of his life.

Abruptly, his cell phone rang. “Tanner.”

“Everything’s ready, Vin. I’ve set it up and your plane leaves in just under two hours. I’m here and waiting for you. You haven’t said anything to anyone?” Banks checked.

“No. I’ve left a note but it doesn’t say much.”

“Do you still want to go through with this?”

For several seconds Vin contemplated his answer. Now was his last chance to pull out, but Buck‘s words entered his mind and confirmed his need to go. “Vin, the explosion could have killed you. If it had gone off in the house, it could have brought the roof down and we’d have been digging you, Chris, Nathan and Josiah out of the rubble.“

“Yes, I‘m certain.” The answer was firm. “I’m leaving now. I should be there in about an hour.” Vin replaced his cell phone, took one last look at the office and then the determined lieutenant turned his back on his life.

**********

Chris arrived at work early. He entered his office, picked up the phone and once again tried to call Liam. There still wasn’t any answer. Chris suspected that his brother was reading his number in the cell phone display and was simply not prepared to talk yet. Larabee sighed and turned to his computer. As he did so, he noticed the note in the middle of his desk. Chris picked it up and smiled as he read the message.

Chris, I haven’t had time to work on it, but this is what I remember. Some of the lines don’t work and I think some are missing. One day I might finish it properly.

My Brothers’ Keeper

We were nothing more than a group of soldiers
Five of our country’s willing,
Placed together by faceless bureaucrats
To perform an impossible task in hell
Witnesses to the barbarism as other good men fell

You had your own way of coping with the insanity
In this group, we must think, act and move as one.
We are responsible for each other in every way
It is your job to protect the team from the dreaded reaper”
In short, you expected me to be my brothers in arms' keeper.

Those words filled me with the most soul tearing dread.
What had I done to be cursed with the burden of four strangers?
I was naive and failed to understand, blinded by the betrayals of my past.
Despite my resistance you took me in without question or fuss -
And before I knew it, I had embraced your views and become one of us.

You gave me your trust - a gift without equal
You presented me with unconditional loyalty and it has saved my life on more occasions than I dare count.
You would spill your blood for me, take a bullet for me, or lay down your life in the ultimate sacrifice.
All of this I acknowledge as certain, for I would do the same for you.
Such loyalty is rare and astounding, yet incredibly humbling, too

We started as soldiers - some may say flippantly, ‘brothers in arms‘.
Five strangers forced to be responsible for each other.
At some stage that ceased to be a burden... I can’t tell you exactly when
There is an invisible power that binds us - it is so simple yet enduring
It started with respect and loyalty and developed into faith and trust
A bond I can not explain or understand, but treasure as a must

I found myself my brothers in arms' keeper - a choice made by others
But by choice, I am now my brothers' keeper... for you are my brothers.

Chris sighed. He could see that the poem lacked the fluidity of Vin‘s usual work and clearly his friend was far from happy with it, but it was simple, confronting and honest. That’s what made Vin’s poetry so powerful. Chris rose to his feet and walked out into the main room. “Vin?” Obviously, his friend had come into the office early as well. “Vin, how‘s your back? Vin?”

**********

Tanner’s bike weaved through the morning traffic toward the international airport. His mind was still racing and his emotions churning. He was doing the right thing... wasn’t he? Sooner or later one of the boys was going to get hurt because of some assassin trying to collect the bounty on his head. Vin knew he would never forgive himself if that were to happen.

As Vin took the exit off the motorway, his phone rang. He answered it without thinking. “Tanner.”

“Vin?! Vin, I need help. They’re going to kill me!”

“Liam?”

“I’ve tried to ring Chris but his phone’s busy. Please, Vin, you’ve got to help me!” Liam’s voice was hysterical. Vin glanced at his watch. His flight would be boarding soon. “Oh, God. I can hear them coming!”

“Calm down. Where the hell are you?” Vin listened carefully. “Yeah, yeah, I know where it is. I’m coming.” Tanner cursed as he thrust his phone back into his pocket. He did a ’U’ turn, drove up the exit lane the wrong way, swerving around cars and headed toward the docks. “Great. Now I’m Chris’ brother’s keeper as well!”

**********

Chris had spent a few moments searching for his best friend before remembering that Vin had a physio session. He was curious why Vin had come into work early and then left, but no doubt his lieutenant would explain when he returned.

Less than half an hour later, the elevator opened revealing the rest of the team who had all arrived in the underground parking lot at the same time. The noise was deafening as Buck denied his involvement in something, J.D. laughed, Ezra expounded his disgust, Josiah preached tolerance and Nathan called for everyone to stop shouting.

“Morning, Chris,” Buck boomed. “So, how was the mountain climbing?”

“It was good. Vin just about killed himself but it was good. He’s got a physio appointment this morning doesn’t he?”

Nathan nodded. “I called in to pick him up, but he must have taken the bike. I told him he should be resting. Riding horses and bikes, and mountain climbing were not what I meant.” Jackson sat down at his desk and immediately spotted the note in the middle. He picked it and read the first few lines. “What the... oh, shit.”

“Bad news?” Josiah asked. Nathan continued to read, and the words ‘oh shit’ were repeated over and over again under his breath. Slowly, the blood drained from the medic’s face.

“Nathan?” Chris asked, walking across to his friend. “Something wrong?”

Jackson glanced up at Chris and pulled the note to his chest. For several seconds he floundered, trying to come to terms with the information himself and searching for a way to share it with his companions.

“Nathan?” Ezra asked, as the rest of the men joined their leader. Whatever news Jackson had just received, it was serious. Josiah placed his hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Liz?”

Slowly, Nathan shook his head. “It’s a note from Vin. He’s... he’s decided to leave.”

“What?!” J.D. cried.

“Leave? What do you mean, leave?” Buck asked, genuinely confused.

Chris’ brow furrowed. Acid from his stomach rose up. “Read it,” he ordered in a deathly quiet voice.

Nathan lowered the note and began to read the words Vin had dictated that morning. “Boys, this isn’t easy and so I’m not doing it in person. I’m sick of being a target. I don’t want to die. So, I’m leaving. I need to completely disappear. That means no contact with anyone an assassin may follow or use to find me. I know this is selfish, but it’s my life. I’m going to go somewhere where no one will find me. Somewhere that I can start a new life. I hope you understand.

Please don’t try to follow me. You won’t be able to. My time with the STF1 and Em7 is the best of my life, but if I want my life to continue, I have to leave. The next bullet or bomb may find its mark and that scares the hell out of me. Our friendship means almost everything, but if I’m dead there is no friendship to share. I thought I could cope, but I’m not as strong as I thought I was... or as strong as you need me to be. Everywhere I look, everything I do, I have to look over my shoulder. I can’t live like that. I tried to hide it from you, but I can’t any more. I’m sick of being scared. For my own sanity, I have to go into hiding. I wish there were another way, but there isn’t. If you try to find me, you may only lead the assassins straight to my doorstep. I hope you respect my decision enough to let me leave without having to look over my shoulder for you.

Chris, get a new sharpshooter for your team. You guys need one. It just can’t be me. I’m not sure I ever should have become a soldier in the first place. My real loves are elsewhere.

Please understand and don’t worry about me. I’ve been fending for myself since I was five. You never know, maybe one day in the future my situation will be different and I can come out of hiding.

I wish you all the best and again thank you for the friendship we‘ve shared,

Vin.”

By the time Nathan finished reading, his voice was a distorted whisper. No one moved or spoke, too stunned at hearing their absent friend pour his heart out on paper. Then, there was an explosion of curses, yelling and expressions of disbelief. Their voices rose to a crescendo.

The only person to remain quiet was Chris. Everything that had happened the day before now made sense. Vin’s agony when Chris had turned to leave caused Larabee to squeeze his eyes shut. Vin had been trying to say goodbye.

“He really doesn’t think we believe a word of any of that crap?!” Buck cried, his face red with emotion.

“He’s scared alright. He’s scared for us!” Josiah added.

“He’s worried we’ll get caught in the cross fire,” Ezra agreed, dismissing Vin’s claims.

“When I get my hands on him I’m going to beat the crap out of him,” Buck screamed, slamming his hand into the desk.

“Calm down, brother. Vin has done what he feels he needs to.”

“What he needs to? What the hell about us? What the hell is that selfish bastard thinking?!”

“That selfish bastard has walked away from his family so that they might live,” Sanchez stated, quietly.

“That’s ridiculous!” Buck was beyond listening to reason.

“Put yourself in his shoes, Buck,” Nathan whispered. “All of the bullets are aimed at you and you know the rest of us will stand between them and you. Vin’s worried one of us is going to get hurt.”

“That’s just stupid!”

The shouting echoed out and all of the men found themselves staring at their leader who had sunk into the closest chair, his face reflecting an emotion none of the men could identify. Larabee reached into his pocket, withdrew his cell phone and punched in Vin’s number.

**********

Vin continued to zigzag through the traffic, praying the highway patrol wouldn’t spot him. His phone began to ring. Quickly, he dug it out of his pocket and was about to answer it when he noted the caller ID. For several seconds Vin contemplated his options. No doubt Chris had read the note. If he spoke to Larabee... but what about telling Chris about Liam? Vin thrust the still ringing phone back into his pocket and focused on getting to the docks. He’d assess the situation when he got there and if he needed back-up, he’d call Larabee and face the music then.

**********

“He’s not answering.”

“He was in here this morning so he hasn’t got far.”

“Where would he go?” J.D. asked.

“McKenna’s?” Ezra asked.

“No, he’ll leave the country,” Chris growled. If Vin were determined to protect his companions, then he would move the perceived danger as far from them as possible. “Call the international airport and have an APB put out on him. I want him stopped from boarding any planes.” The other men didn’t move. “WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!”

Ezra scooped up his phone. “Yes, I want Airport Security... I am calling on behalf of Colonel Christopher Larabee of Em7.... Yes, THE Em7. We want an all point’s bulletin on a man called ‘Vin Tanner.’ He may be trying to leave the country. He won’t be using his name... Shoulder length brown air and he is likely to be wearing an old buckskin coat... Approach with extreme caution. He is to be detained, but do not harm him in any way. This man is injured and unaware of how ill he is... Fax a picture?” Ezra glanced at his companions.

“His ID photo,” Chris snapped. Dunne dashed into Chris’ office and returned with a copy of the requested item from the personnel files.

“We are faxing it through to you now. What’s the number?” Ezra copied it down, handed it to Buck who raced it across the room to J.D. “I want to emphasize that you must approach this man with caution. He may be armed but he is not be harmed in any way. Is that understood?... We’re on the way.” Ezra put the phone down.

Chris nodded. “Let’s go.”

“Sir, we aren’t certain that Vin will leave the country. May I suggest...”

“He wants to protect us. He’ll take the danger to the other side of the globe,” Chris growled, heading for the elevator.

**********

Vin left the highway and circled around to the docks. He scanned the numbers of the dilapidated buildings looking for the ‘42’ Liam had mentioned. When he spotted it, Vin slowed, drove into the driveway and pulled up. This area of the docks had been deserted for years. Three full blocks of empty buildings waiting for redevelopment. The bricks were crumbling with age, neglect and vandalism. Anything not nailed down was long gone.

Vagrants and the homeless were the only people to frequent the area, now. Most of the windows of the buildings were smashed and there was graffiti scrawled across the walls. Signs on the outside read “This is private land. Trespassers will be prosecuted.”

Vin frowned and turned off the motor of his bike. “Liam?!” The young man’s voice echoed off the silent buildings. Tanner restarted his bike and began to drive down between the abandoned factories, warehouses and apartment blocks. This certainly wasn’t a part of the nation’s capital that tourists ever saw.

The driveway veered around the side of an apartment block. Ahead, Vin spotted Liam, waving frantically. Tanner gunned his bike. His senses warned him something was amiss. A large sedan loomed at him from the right! Vin’s head snapped toward it. It was coming straight for him! There was no time to swerve! Somehow, Vin lifted himself out of the seat a split second before the car smashed into his bike. He was thrown and landed heavily on the hood of the dark green sedan, his shoulder and hip taking the impact. There was a crunching sound as his bike crumpled. “NOOOO” His Harley!

Momentum caused the Em7 lieutenant to roll across the hood of the vehicle. As his back connected with the car, Vin roared with pain and then the pain stopped as unconsciousness swallowed him. The sedan slammed on its brakes and Tanner’s limp body was catapulted to the asphalt with a sickening thud. He rolled several times before coming to a stop in an untidy and bloodied heap on his side.

**********

The team chopper lifted off from the base airstrip. It was only fifteen minutes to the international airport by air. The occupants aboard were still stunned and each added to the conversation that was focused on rationalizing their partner’s thinking.

“Whatever Vin’s thinking and whatever was his motivation, I think we better let Chris do the talking when we get there,” J.D. suggested. “Vin isn’t going to listen to anyone else.”

Buck glanced at his leader, trying to assess if Larabee was indeed the best choice for such a task.

“I’ll talk to him. The rest of you...” Larabee’s voice faded and his eyes glazed.

“Chris?”

The hair on the back of the colonel’s neck prickled and his stomach lurched. He recognized the feeling - he was sensing his friend’s anxiety, and that usually meant that Vin was in trouble. This time, however, the knowing only lasted a few seconds. Just as quickly as it had swept over him, it was gone, leaving only a dreadful sense of foreboding.

**********

Liam Larabee cried out, startled. He had known the plan but actually seeing a human being flung like a rag doll over the top of the car and smashed into the pavement made his stomach turn. Before he knew it, he was running toward the limp bundle in the middle of the road.

The doors of the sedan opened and two men calmly stepped out. As Liam reached Vin, one of the men crouched and checked the still man’s pulse. “He’s alive.”

Liam found himself giving thanks to God. He stepped back as the second thug moved to Vin’s side. Roughly the two men dragged Vin off the ground, tipping him onto the shoulder of the bigger man.

“Hey, careful!” Liam cried. The thugs stared at him, curiously. “I mean... sorry.” Liam watched as Vin was carried around to the back of the car and unceremoniously dumped into the trunk. “He’ll suffocate.”

“What do you care?”

Liam licked his lips. He had wanted revenge against Tanner and had actually contacted a number of assassins urging them to collect the bounty - asking only for a small finder’s fee to help him pay off his debts. However, no one had wanted anything to do with the Em7 sharpshooter. Then, out of the blue, someone who had heard of his search had contacted him. They were interested in Tanner and asked if Liam could deliver him. For his part, Liam would receive a cool half a million dollars. All of it had seemed like a dream come true. However, the reality had become a nightmare. As Liam stared down at the bloodied face of his brother’s best friend, he suddenly wanted to back out of the deal.

“He’s hurt,” Liam spluttered. “He needs a doctor.”

“You were the one wanting to see him dead.”

“I want to call this off,” he cried.

“Too late, Sunshine. Max, check him.” Liam watched as the thug called Max examined Vin’s head, listened to his breathing and then withdrew the Em7 lieutenant’s revolver. “He’ll live, Tyler. For a while, at least.”

Tyler nodded and withdrew a hypodermic needle from his pocket.

“What the hell is that?!” Liam screeched.

“A little insurance. Tanner’s one of the best soldiers this country has ever seen. We don’t want him causing any trouble until our boss is ready for him.”

“Your boss? Oh, shit. Look, I don’t think...”

Tyler ripped Vin’s sleeve up and lowered the needle. Liam lunged at the other man. “NO! He doesn’t deserve that!“ Max grabbed the hysterical man and pulled him back. Liam watched horrified as the needle was inserted into Vin’s arm and the contents injected into him. “Oh, God. No. You never said anything about this!”

“You knew our intentions,” Max growled.

“I...” Liam felt his entire world collapse around him. What the hell had he done?

Tyler turned around and scrutinized the shaking man. “Put him in the car,” he said to his partner. “We can’t trust him. We‘ll ask the boss what‘s he wants done with him.”

“No! Wait! You can’t. We had a deal. Where’s my money? You said…” Max punched the yelling man in his stomach. Liam doubled over, his vision blurring for several seconds. He stared at the hulking thug who shoved him into the back seat of the sedan. In that moment, Liam realized it wasn’t his money he should be worrying about, but rather his life!

**********

“Ezra, ring security and find out if they have him,” Chris called back to his agent. Larabee searched himself for understanding. Over the time he had known his best friend, Chris had learned to read the unique knowing they shared. The warning he had just felt had been sharp and intense. Now, it had been replaced with a dull ache. Was something wrong? Or had whatever danger Vin had been in passed? “Tell them if they lay a hand on him, I’ll tear them apart with my bare hands!”

“Chris?”

“I don’t know, Buck. I... I can’t explain it. For a moment I thought... but...” The dull ache in Chris’ soul throbbed rhythmically. In the past, when Vin was in trouble, Chris had sensed his best friend’s emotions - the very adrenalin rush that came with anxiety. That was the basis of their knowing. Somehow, someway, Chris and Vin had a connection that allowed them to sense this sudden dramatic change of emotion; perhaps because they truly did share a single soul. In this case, the knowing had flashed briefly but was now gone, replaced by an ominous feeling in the pit of Larabee’s stomach. Something deep down inside him told him that Vin was more than in trouble. The feeling he was experiencing was similar to the prickling distress he had experienced when Vin had been unconscious in Swallow Junction. “He‘s hurt,” Chris whispered to himself. That’s what it was. “Buck, we need to get there quickly.” The words were strained and left Buck and the others fearing for the safety of their missing partner.

Part Nine

The green sedan pulled out of the docks area and entered the motorway. In the backseat, with a gun pressed into his ribs was Liam Larabee. His eyes were glazed, staring out straight in front of him. Unconsciously, he continued to crack his knuckles, his face twitching with each crack. He couldn’t understand how things had gone so wrong... again. Somehow he had to talk his way out of this, but terror had stolen his voice.

In the trunk was Vin Tanner, unconscious and with a powerful hallucinogenic drug pumping through his body.

**********

Em7 alighted from the chopper and jogged toward the terminal. The security chief, a Federal Agent wannabe, met them as they arrived, his chest puffed out with self-importance.

“Do you have him?” Chris asked, his desperation to hear the word ‘yes’, causing him to shout.

The security chief shook his head a little startled. “No, Sir. We haven’t. However, we will continue...”

Chris turned away from the man and faced his team. “He’s not here. I... I‘ve got a bad feeling. Something‘s wrong. I can’t tell you why I think that, I... I just know.”

Josiah gripped his friend’s shoulder. None of the men even considered suggesting that Chris was over-reacting. They had all learned to trust Larabee’s instincts on matters that involved Tanner.

“So, where to from here, Sir?” Buck asked.

Chris shook his head. “I don’t know. I was sure he’d head for the international airport.”

“Perhaps he did and was detained.”

“An accident?” Chris asked. “J.D., ring the highway patrol and check and see if there have been any accidents on the highway this morning.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Ezra opened his mouth to say something, but his attention was drawn to a man facing the doors anxiously checking his watch. “Banks,” he whispered.

“Ezra?” Nathan asked.

“Over there! He’s the agent who was in charge of Vin’s Witness Protection Programme!” Standish cried, recognising the man from Vin’s file.

Em7 converged on the CIA agent. Banks looked up and his eyes widened. “He told you? I explained to him that...”

“Where is he?!” Chris yelled. Again, concern fuelled the volume.

“YOU HEARD THE MAN! WHERE’S VIN?” Buck bellowed, grabbing Banks and slamming him into the wall.

“Easy, Buck,” Nathan warned, pulling his friend back.

“What the hell is your problem?!” Banks screamed, straightening his jacket.

Chris stepped forward, his face less than an inch from the man who may hold the answers he needed. “My sharpshooter has gone missing. What do you know about it?”

Banks swallowed. “He rang me. Said he wanted to rejoin the Witness Protection Programme, but this time he wanted to leave the country.”

Chris drew in a deep breath. His instincts had been correct. “So where is he?”

“I don’t know. He was supposed to meet me here half an hour ago. I’ve tried ringing him, but he’s not answering.”

Chris turned to J.D. as he rejoined his friends. “There was one accident but it didn’t involve a motorcycle, Sir.”

“We know he was at the office this morning and we know he was headed here. It gives us an area to start,” Ezra pointed out, optimistically.

“He didn’t make it here though, which means something changed his mind along the way,“ Nathan mused.

“Someone he wanted to say goodbye to?“ J.D. asked.

“Nettie,“ Chris and Buck stated together.

“Keep going,“ Larabee urged.

“Something out of the blue presented itself. Something he saw on the highway,“ Buck offered.

“A phone call?”

“Good, keep going,” Chris encouraged.

“We need to put out an APB on his bike,” Josiah suggested.

“Maybe he backed out altogether and went home... or to Four Corners to think.”

“Or McKenna's. All right. J.D., check his phone records. Find out if he’s received any phone calls this morning. Josiah, call Nettie and then McKenna’s. Nathan, contact Ray and ask him to ride over to the house and check and see if Vin’s at Four Corners. Buck, call his apartment, his cell phone, the office and anywhere else you can think of. Ezra, call the police and have an APB put out on his bike.”

“May I suggest a means better than the police?”

“Go on.”

“It has been my experience that if you want to find something you need as many people as possible looking and our police force is grossly undermanned. However, we have an abundance of cab drivers. I’ll offer a reward. If he’s out on the road somewhere, they’ll find him.”

Chris patted Ezra’s shoulder in thanks. “Good. That’s great thinking. All right, boys. Move.” Chris turned to Banks. “Tell me what he said.”

“Colonel Larabee, I can not betray the confidence of...”

Larabee grabbed the front of Banks’ shirt. “My best friend’s missing. If anything happens to him I won’t be held responsible for my actions. TELL ME WHAT HE SAID TO YOU!”

**********

The green sedan continued to hurry along, just under the speed limit. Liam had found his voice and for thirty minutes, he had been trying to convince his captors to let him go.

“Look, I SWEAR I won’t say anything to anyone.”

“You seemed awfully concerned about Tanner.”

Liam licked his lips. “I just hadn’t ever seen anyone...” He swallowed. “I hate him. It was just a reflex reaction. Do what you want to with him.” Max continued to stare straight ahead. “Keep the money. I don’t want it. Just, pull over and let me out. Please.”

“Stop whining or I’ll plug you now.”

Liam’s face drained of colour. “You can’t kill me. You can’t!”

Max turned and smiled at the quivering man.

Up front, Tyler answered his ringing phone. “Yes, Sir. We’ve got him... No, he‘s alive.” Tyler glanced up at Max in the mirror. The other man shrugged. He was alive last time they had looked. “Yes, we know you want him alive. Uh-huh. We’ll meet your there, Sir.” Tyler replaced his phone.

“You want him alive?” Liam asked. His nightmare was getting worse. What if Vin escaped and told Chris of his involvement in this. “He has powerful friends,” the terrified man spluttered, clutching at straws. “You should kill him now!“ Neither of his captors reacted.

Liam felt helpless. Nothing was working. “I’ll do anything. Just let me go. I don’t care what you do to Tanner. Just let me go.”

**********

Em7 were in one of the waiting lounges being watched by a flock of nervous security guards.

Chris continued to pace. His team was collected around him, trying to offer whatever support they could. Unfortunately, it wasn’t helping. Nothing anyone could say could ease the soul haunting agony their leader was experiencing. All but the Em7 leader were still clinging to the slim hope that Vin had simply been held up and was on his way to the airport.

J.D., who had been on the airport computers tapping into Vin’s phone records, jogged across to his companions. “Vin took only two phone calls this morning that didn’t come from one of us. One was from Agent Banks and the second one only lasted about twenty seconds. Here‘s the number,” the young man stated, handing a piece of paper to Chris. Larabee’s eyes enlarged.

“Chris? Do you recognise it?” Buck asked.

“It’s Liam’s number.” Chris stared at his friends, confused.

“LIAM?!”

“Your brother Liam?” J.D. asked, amazed.

“Why would Liam call Vin?” Chris asked, bewildered.

“Well, clearly, it was this phone call that changed Lieutenant Tanner’s itinerary for the morning.”

Chris dug his phone from his pocket and punched in his brother’s number. After a few seconds, he cursed. “It’s turned off.” Chris began to shake his head. “Why would Liam call Vin?”

“Maybe he was in trouble and couldn’t reach you. So he called Vin.”

“Why wouldn’t he call Buck if that were the case?” Josiah asked. “Liam’s known Buck for years.”

“Which is exactly the reason why he wouldn’t ring me,” Buck growled. Wilmington was going to comment further when a terrifying thought struck him. He flicked his eyes to Chris and knew he couldn’t voice the thought. Liam was after money to pay his debts. Vin’s life could provide more than he needed.

The sudden ringing of Ezra’s phone caused all of them to jump.

“Standish... Yes, I’m offering ten thousand dollars to anyone who can give me information on the Harley... Where?!”

“Ezra?!“ Chris begged.

Standish nodded, reaching out and gripping Chris’ arm. “They’ve found his bike.” The other men gave cries of relief. “The docks?” Standish pulled the phone from his ear. “Does anyone know...”

Chris snatched it. “Where at the docks? Yeah, I know it.” Chris thrust the phone back at Ezra. “Come on.” Why Vin had gone to the docks wasn’t important. He knew where he was and that was all Chris cared about.

**********

The sky above, which had promised a fine clear day, was clouding. Buck set the team chopper down in the centre of the road, next to the taxis he had spotted from the air. The cab driver watched with gaping jaw as Em7 disembarked. They truly were an awesome sight.

“Wow, you fellas must really want...”

“Where is it?!” Chris yelled.

The cab driver pointed. “I got a flat tire. When I finished changing it, I went in there looking for a tap to wash my hands. It’s around the side of the big building. Just sort of stumbled across it. So, do I get the ten thousand dollars?” The last two sentences were shouted at the back of the disappearing men.

Chris sprinted down the driveway, his fear for Vin’s safety providing him with speed he hadn’t had since his twenties. When he rounded the corner, his heart leapt into his throat. “No!“ Directly in front of him was a mass of smashed metal.

Chris froze, his eyes on the twisted wreck of Vin’s pride and joy.

“Oh, God,” J.D. cried as he and the others arrived. Nathan and Josiah raced forward, both spotting the blood on the ground several feet from the bike.

“He’s hurt,” Nathan confirmed.

Ezra scanned the area. “VIN?!... VIN?!”

“Spread out. He may be here somewhere,” Larabee ordered, regaining his composure. All but Josiah began to search, shouting their missing companion’s name. Sanchez examined the bike.

“He was hit by something,” the ex-preacher shouted to his companions. “Whatever it was is gone.” Josiah frowned, thoughtfully. Whatever it was had probably left with Vin in it.

Chris jogged back to Sanchez. “Call the hospitals. If it was an accident, whoever hit him probably took him to hospital.” Larabee’s eyes were drawn first to the mangled bike and then to the blood on the ground. Chris’ soul ached. He’d known. Somehow he’d known Vin was hurt. “We have to find him.”

“Chris! Look!” J.D. yelled. Larabee turned and followed the excited man’s pointing finger. “A security camera.” The youth dashed off just as a police car rounded the corner.

Larabee took out his badge and handed it to the two local officers who stepped from the car.

“Em7? Shit! It’s an honour, Sir. Can we help?”

“This bike belongs to a member of my team. He’s missing.” Chris pointed to the security camera. “Do they work?”

The senior police officer nodded. “The city provides a security guard between 7:30 pm and 5:00am. Night is when most of the trouble happens. During the day, the cameras are turned on. So, what happened here?”

“That’s what we’re trying to find out,” Josiah stated, stepping up beside Chris. “Nothing, Sir. No one admitted fitting Vin’s description.

One by one the other members of Larabee’s team returned, each shaking his head. Finally, J.D. appeared, clutching a videotape to his chest. “It was recording, Sir! I need to get this to a video player.”

“I live about ten minutes drive from here. You’re welcome to use mine,” one of the policemen offered.

The six members of Em7 divided between the police car and cab and were driven to a simple house in the suburbs. The group waited tensely as J.D. rewound the tape, pushed play and then searched using the fast forward button. “There’s no sound, but we still might see something to help.”

For almost twenty minutes the men saw nothing but the empty alley behind the building. Chris started pacing. This was their best chance for a lead, but it was taking so long. Where the hell was Vin? How badly was he hurt?

Finally, a figure appeared on the screen. J.D. slowed the tape. All of the men squinted.

“It’s Liam,” Chris identified in a breathy voice. For about ten minutes, Liam stood waiting alone and then he answered a phone call. After completing the call, he disappeared from the screen for almost fifteen minutes before reappearing and making a call of his own.

“He’s calling Vin,” Ezra pointed out.

“But why,” Buck demanded.

Chris looked at Buck sharply, recognising the suspicion. “He must have been in trouble and wasn’t willing to phone me. He knew Vin’d come... for my sake, Vin would have gone. Liam knows that.”

The group continued to watch the tape. Fifteen minutes later, Liam started waving. Then his face blanketed with horror and he raced down the alley and out of the frame. J.D. wound the tape through but there wasn’t anything more until the members of Em7 appeared on the screen.

“We must assume that Liam witnessed Vin’s accident,” Ezra stated. “J.D., can you tell how long after that we arrived?”

Dunne nodded. “Give me a minute.” The youth fiddled with the machine and then turned to his companions. “About an hour.”

“Which places us about two hours behind his captors,” Josiah agreed.

“Captors?” one of the policemen asked. “Doesn’t Tanner have a price on his head? Five million dead or alive, isn’t it? They may not have taken him alive.” The moment the words were out of his mouth, he regretted them. Six sets of eyes turned on him. Six of the toughest men in the world glared.

“He’s alive,” Chris growled. The time for emotion would come later. Now, Em7 had to do what needed to be done to find their missing partner. Larabee’s tone snapped his men into action.

“Your brother must have been taken as well.”

“Liam was likely to have been their original target. Vin just got caught in the middle,” J.D. added.

Chris glanced at the younger man and nodded.

“The condition of his bike suggests a car hit him. We know he’s hurt because of the blood we found,” Ezra summarized.

“That sort of impact... he’s likely to have internal injuries. We need to find him quickly,” Nathan stated firmly.

“We will,” Chris claimed in a hushed snarl.

Ezra turned to the cab driver. “What were you doing at the docks? Surely few people would request rides to and from that area.”

“I took a fella down there earlier and he told me to come back in two hours. It was that young fella on the video.”

“Liam was expecting his business to take a couple of hours and he was expecting to leave again.”

“But for some reason, things turned sour so he called Vin for help,” Josiah added.

Buck had his own theory, but didn’t voice it.

“I want to go back to the docks and search for any other security cameras. One of them may have a picture of the car we’re looking for,” Chris announced, heading out of the door. His brother and his best friend were both in danger and Chris Larabee was determined to rescue them both.

**********

On a highway leading out of Washington, a bundle in the trunk of a car moved. Vin groaned loudly as consciousness started to return. He opened his eyes to a swirling black pool. His vision refused to focus. Pain pulsed through his body. Vin tried to swallow but his throat was too parched. Conscious thoughts wouldn’t form. He was drifting uncontrollably through a drug-induced hallucination.

Vin moved again and screamed, though no sound escaped his mouth. His world lurched and everything began to spin. Dark shapes rose up in front of his eyes and headed straight for him. He tried to duck away from the horror attacking him, the movement sending burning pain through his chest. He pushed his hand out in front of him in an attempt to ward off the images.

Through the muddle of his thoughts, one face appeared, an oasis of safety. “Chris?” It was a cry for help. A desperate plea. What was going on? What was happening to him?

In that split second, Vin’s thoughts cleared enough for him to realize he was in trouble. The drugged lieutenant reached for his pocket and felt for his phone, then reality dropped out from under him and he was falling, the whole universe whirling around him. Faceless images rushed him from all directions, clawing fingers raked his body and snagged his hair. Vin recoiled from them and the pain of the movement once again temporarily gave him clarity of thought. Where the hell was he? Somewhere dark. In his hand he was holding something. What? My phone. Vin hit three buttons in sequence - the speed dial combination for safety.

“VIN!” the small phone yelled in euphoric relief. “Are you all right? Where the hell are you?”

Vin could detect distorted noise but not words. “Chris................... help.........,” he panted weakly. Any further words were lost in a void of pain and confusion. The phone spilled from his hand as the black shapes attacked him. Tanner recoiled desperately, but he couldn’t move. He was trapped... trapped in a drugged hell with no escape.

**********

Several seconds earlier, when the phone in Larabee’s pocket rang, he jumped, ripping it free of the material at the speed of light. The caller ID displayed so prominently caused him to cry out with relief as he answered. “VIN?! Are you all right? Where the hell are you?” The other members of Em7, all of whom had been spread out searching the docks for further clues, heard their leader’s shout of joy and raced to gather around him.

“Vin?” Chris repeated, waiting. The others exchanged looks of curiosity as they arrived.

“Chris.... ........... help....”

“VIN?! What’s wrong?” Chris listened. He heard the phone fall. “VIN?! Vin? Can you hear me? Tell me where you are! Vin?” Larabee turned to his companions helplessly. “I... he’s not...”

Ezra grabbed the phone from his leader and held up his hand for silence. If the phone line was still open, a great deal may be ascertained from the sounds in the background. For several seconds the Em7 agent strained his hearing. “He’s in a vehicle... The noise is loud - echoing. I’m guessing in the trunk of a car.”

Chris cursed and ran his hand through his hair, his friend’s cry for help ringing in his ears.

“I can hear him breathing. It’s labored. Panted. Nathan?”

Jackson took the phone from Ezra and listened. “He’s in distress.”

Chris turned and paced away and then returned watching as Nathan tried to establish contact with the injured man. “He’s hurt,” Chris explained. “Maybe he’s lost consciousness.”

“No. I can hear him,” Nathan argued. “Not words, but he’s... he sounds like he’s disoriented. Drugged maybe.”

“Drugged?! Oh, shit. Give me the phone.” Chris pulled the small device to his ear. “Vin. Vin focus on my voice. Pick up the phone. Where are you? I need you to help me find you.”

Ezra walked away from the group, dragging J.D. with him. “Unfortunately, if Vin is in the trunk of a car, he can provide us with little information on his position even if Colonel Larabee can re-establish contact. I have been assured that tracing a cell phone is impossible. Is it?”

J.D. stared at his friend. “Technically you can’t. I know they do it in movies all the time but unless you’ve got access to… unless... I... I might have an idea. I’ve never tried it. It’s just a theory really. One that my professor insisted couldn’t be done.”

“Now would be the time to prove your mentor wrong.”

J.D. nodded. “I need to go back to the office.”

Ezra approached the other men. “Gentlemen, J.D. and I are returning to the office to pursue a theory young Mr. Dunne has. It may enable us to establish the position of Vin’s cell phone.”

“I didn’t think that was possible,” Nathan commented.

“Men said that flight was impossible a few hundred years ago and they were wrong,” J.D. stated with determination.

“I’ll take you,” Buck offered. He turned to inform his Colonel, but Chris was speaking into the phone, urging Vin to pick it up.

“Go. I’ll explain,” Josiah promised.

“Vin? Come on, Cowboy. I need you to pick up the phone.” Chris shook his head in frustration and then listened to his friend’s distressed breathing. Vin was lying in the trunk of a car being taken to God’s knows where probably to be murdered for the bounty on his head. Chris had to get through to his best friend. He had to! “Vin?!”

“Chris. He can’t hear you. Leave it, but keep the line open. J.D.’s going to try and...”

“Dammit, Josiah, I can hear him.” It was tearing Chris apart. He could hear the pain and desperation in every one of Vin’s strangled pants. “They’ll kill him. Once they reach wherever they’re going, they’ll kill him for the money! We’ve got to find him!

Sanchez nodded, clapping his hand firmly on his leader’s shoulder. “Easy, Chris. I know this is hard, but don’t fall apart. He needs us more than he ever has before.”

Larabee squeezed his eyes shut, Vin’s tormented gasps resonating through his soul.

**********

Liam listened as Tyler took another call. “Yes, Sir. I understand. We have a small issue. The idiot who lured Tanner to us... Yes, Sir.” Tyler flicked his eyes up to the rear vision mirror and nodded. Max smiled.

“What? What does that mean?” Liam asked, terrified.

“An underground shopping centre parking lot?” Max asked, assuming they would use their usual plan for disposing of problems.

Tyler nodded, guiding the car from the highway. “The Grand Plaza isn’t far. We can do it there.”

“Do what there?!” Liam howled.

For the next ten minutes, Liam Larabee grovelled, whimpered and cried, begging for his life. Finally, Tyler drove the car into the entrance of the parking lot. Max hid the gun under his jacket as they pulled up to the ticket booth. “Move and I’ll kill you… slowly,” the thug warned.

The moment the car stopped, Liam attacked the door, but Max held him still. The parking attendant didn’t notice, issued the ticket without even looking sideways and went back to reading the paper. Tyler smiled. So predictable. Max jabbed the gun into Liam’s ribs. The young man screamed.

“Scream again and you’re dead.”

“Please. Please I’ll do anything.” Tears of terror spilled down his handsome face.

Tyler took the car to the bottom level where there were no other vehicles. This level didn’t fill until lunchtime. The car’s engine stopped.

***********

J.D. continued to shake his head. “It’s not going to work. The satellite connection’s down. Of all the %^%$@ing times for it to go down!”

Buck slammed his fists into the desk and Ezra swore. They’d thought that J.D. might actually be able to pull off the miracle they needed, just as he’d done, so many times in the past.

J.D. looked up at his friends. “I can’t get a connection. There’s a problem with the satellite. I’m sorry.”

Buck patted his friend’s shoulder. It was a long shot anyway, Kid. Ezra, call Josiah and tell him we struck out. Come on, let’s get back to the Docks.” They all knew that with each passing minute, the chances of finding their friend before the kidnappers collected on the bounty were diminishing.

**********

Vin rolled into the side of the trunk as the car pulled up. The movement caused his broken ribs to burn, but the pain cut through the murkiness. The noise that had been hammering through his skull also stopped as the car engine and vibration of movement ceased.

“Vin! Lieutenant, pick up the phone!”

“Chris?” The word spun in his brain.

“Lieutenant, pick up the phone!”

While Vin could recognize the tone as that of his best friend, he couldn’t decipher the words. Again, the void swallowed him, only to be replaced by swirling brightness.

A distorted face loomed over him.

**********

Chris continued to shout into the phone. He had heard the motor of the car stop, heard Vin cry out then whisper his name. “Vin?! Pick up the phone!” Larabee paused. Something was happening. “No... no, please, no!” Chris Larabee’s blood ran cold. There was a good chance he was about to hear the murder of his best friend.

**********

Tyler stared down at his prisoner. Tanner was laying on his back, face covered with blood and eyes blinking as he desperately tried to find a way to clear the nightmare gripping him. The kidnapper took out a second needle. Probably an unnecessary precaution as it was clear the first shot was still working and would for a long time yet, but Tanner was fighting back and Tyler didn‘t want him causing any trouble. As the kidnapper injected the drug, Tanner‘s eyes centred on his face. “Well, hello there, Sunshine. I’ve given you enough to stun an elephant. You’re doped up to the eyeballs. You don’t look too dangerous to me.”

**********

Chris heard the voice, listened to the words and reacted instinctively. “RUN! VIN, RUN!”

**********

The unexpected pain from the jab broke though Vin’s drugged hallucination. The Lieutenant heard his Colonel’s order and acted!

He sprang at the man leaning over him, knocking him backwards. Both tumbled to the ground. Again, pain coursed through the sharpshooter’s battered body and again that very pain gave him temporary clarity of thought. For a split second his vision focused and he recognized Liam being held. He felt Tyler’s gun below him. Vin rolled, withdrew the weapon from the holster and fired at the figure gripping Larabee’s brother. Max staggered backward, groping for his shoulder before falling to the ground with a startled cry.

“Liam, run!“ Vin screamed. Liam shot free and raced toward an exit. He glanced back once, watching as Vin used the car to drag himself to his feet.

“He’s getting away! Stop him! I’ll take care of Tanner,“ Tyler yelled at his partner, but Max was rolling around on the ground in agony.

“I can’t! I’ve been shot!“

Tyler cursed and lunged at Vin, but Tanner turned the weapon toward the kidnapper. Tyler froze. Drugged and injured, this was still the best sharpshooter in the world and it would be a couple of minutes before the second dose of the powerful drug started taking full effect. The thug knew Vin had no idea of what was going on. He was acting on instinct alone, but that instinct had seen him free the twerp who had set him up and allowed him to shoot straight enough to take Max down. For a split second, Tyler considered attacking the swaying man, but he decided against it. There was something about Tanner‘s eyes that told him despite everything, Vin Tanner was going to fight to the death if necessary. The thug shuffled backwards before getting to his feet, turning and fleeing in the opposite direction to Liam. For several seconds, Vin leaned against the car. The pain faded, but as it did so, the swirling, faceless images returned and his ability to focus disappeared. Attacked by the warped nothingness and unable to interpret anything around him, Tanner pulled himself up and staggered away from the car.

Part Ten

Chris, Josiah and Nathan had heard the shot explode through the phone. They had also heard Vin’s cry of ‘Liam, run‘ followed by the conversation between the kidnappers. For several seconds the Em7 agents stood, their concentration on the small plastic phone. “Can you hear anything?” Nathan asked, hesitantly. He wasn’t sure he wanted the answer.

“Nothing,” Josiah whispered. “They‘re gone. It sounded to me like Vin made the shot. He covered Liam‘s escape.”

Chris nodded. “Liam got away but Vin...” Josiah took the phone and ended the call. There was little sense remaining connected. There was no sound at all on the other end now and J.D. hadn’t been able to trace the call.

Chris felt both relief and increased concern. His brother was safe but there was no indication that his best friend had escaped. Had the speaker who’d said he would ‘take care of’ Tanner, done just that? Or had Vin got away too? Whatever was happening, Vin‘s situation didn‘t sound like it had improved. “We have to find him!”

**********

Liam raced up the stairs, climbing three at a time. After two flights, he found he couldn’t breathe, but still his legs pumped until he came to the door leading to the ground floor of the shopping centre. Grand Plaza was part of the Westfield group. The centre was the size of three football fields in length and it had three floors linked by escalators. Liam shot out of the door, directly into the path of startled shoppers. He had to get away. Behind him, the door sprang open. Liam didn’t wait, nor did he turn; he raced off again, weaving through the morning shoppers until he spotted the most wonderful thing he had ever seen - two policemen.

“Help! I need your help!” Liam shouted, racing up to them. “Down... in the parking lot... Two men with guns...”

“Whooh, slow down. Men with guns?!” Liam nodded. “Stay here!”

“No!” Liam shouted, grabbing the closest officer. “Stay with me! They kidnapped me. Please!” The police officers exchanged a glance and then one radioed for help while the other guided Liam across to a seat. “Calm down, Sir and tell me what happened.”

“I have to call my brother.”

“Later. Right now I need some information. Two men?”

Liam nodded, his eyes darting from side to side. “Vin shot one of them.”

“Vin? Who’s Vin?”

“I’ve got to call my brother. He’s Colonel Christopher Larabee - Em7.”

“Em7?! This involves Em7?” the officer repeated. “Here, use my phone.”

**********

“There’s got to be something we can do!” Chris growled. He had never felt so helpless in all his life.

“At least Liam’s safe. We need to regroup and...” Nathan started. Larabee’s ringing phone cut short his suggestion. Chris snapped the device up, but there was no caller ID. Larabee prayed that somehow Vin had escaped and found his way to a phone.

“Vin?!”

“Chris! Chris, it’s Liam.”

“Liam! Are you all right? What the hell happened? Where are you?!”

“Chris, you’ve got to come. Vin...” All of a sudden, Liam’s head caught up with his mouth. He didn’t want Vin to be found safe. Tanner would know Liam had double-crossed him.

“Vin? What about Vin?! Is he all right?! Do you know where he is?!”

“Do you care if I’m alright?!” Liam spat.

“&^%$ Liam, I don’t have time for this. I need...”

Another voice took over. “Colonel Larabee?”

“Yes, who the hell is this? Where’s my brother?”

“Officer Garton. I’m at the Grand Plaza Shopping Centre on the west side of DC with your brother. He said that he was kidnapped. Apparently, there are two gunmen and someone called Vin. Can you verify his story?”

“Do you have a location on Vin?” Chris’ chest tightened with anticipation and hope. He could hear Garton relaying the question.

“No, Sir. According to your brother, this ‘Vin’ shot one of the kidnappers before making his escape.”

“Thank, God.” Vin had escaped. He was free, but he needed help. “He needs to be found. He’s injured and needs urgent medical help. I’m on my way!”

Above, the team chopper appeared and began to make its descent.

Chris thrust his phone into his pocket and raced toward the landing helicopter filled with renewed hope. Nathan and Josiah followed him shouting, “Chris, what‘s going on?”

“Grand Plaza Shopping Centre. Liam‘s safe. Vin‘s missing, but he escaped from the kidnappers.”

**********

Gloria Swan pulled her car into the parking lot. There had been an attack here only last week, but there was no other place to park. The mother of two always went to a level where she could leave her car close to the elevators as an added precaution. The young woman opened her door, took the two steps that brought her to the elevators and pushed the button to summon it. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted movement and recoiled, shocked. Coming towards her was a man. His face and shirt were covered in blood. He was weaving from side to side, one arm across his chest and one on the wall for balance. Gloria’s initial reaction was to get back into her car and speed away, but she found herself frozen. As he came closer, she could hear his strangled breathing.

“Are... are you alright?”

The man paused, blinking in her direction, but she could tell by his dilated pupils that he had no idea of what was going on.

“Have you been in an accident?”

His face twitched and he gasped. Instinctively, she moved toward him. Abruptly, the arm he had wrapped around his chest snapped up, a revolver in his wavering fist!

Gloria screamed and backed away.

“Stay... away... from... me!”

Gloria nodded and when her back struck her car, she raced around it, peering at the injured man from the other side.

The bell on the elevator rang. The man with the gun jumped, gasped and fell heavily against the wall.

As Gloria watched him, her need to offer assistance overwhelmed her. He was hurt and disoriented. “I don’t want to hurt you,” she called. “Let me help you.”

The elevator doors opened. The injured man turned his sagging head toward them. With effort, he dragged himself from the wall and entered the small cubicle. Automatically, the doors closed and he was whisked away.

When the doors re-opened, Vin was struck by sound and light. He stumbled forward into the shopping centre. Shoppers pushed around him to get aboard the elevator. Gradually, people began to gasp and point. They could see he was injured. Several moved forward to help him, but Vin raised the gun trying to ward off their attack. Screams filled the centre and people raced away from him.

Vin, confused and unable to make out the moving shapes and warped noises around him, was left alone.

**********

As the team chopper closed in on the area, the men spotted the mass of police cars converging on the Shopping Centre.

“Great. Someone’s overreacted,” Buck muttered.

“Chris,” Ezra shouted. “I can see a SWAT team van down there!”

“Buck get us on the ground!” Larabee ordered. The police were after armed gunmen. They may not make any distinction between them and Vin!

**********

Police Chief Burke had rushed to the scene, not because there were two armed men running amuck in the Grand Plaza Shopping Centre, but because there was some garbled account that this incident involved Em7 and helping out the top tactics unit in the country certainly wouldn’t hurt his career.

“Evacuate the shopping centre! Get that SWAT team inside. Find the gunmen,” Burke snapped, his double chin bouncing as he stepped from his car on the bottom level of the parking lot.

“Shouldn’t we wait until Colonel Larabee arrives,” Officer Garton suggested.

“Until Em7 arrives, I’m in charge,” Burke growled. If he could clear the situation up before the arrival of Larabee, a commendation was in the bag. “Now, where’s the witness?”

**********

Inside the centre, an announcement was being repeated over the loud speaker. “Please move toward the exits in a sensible manner and evacuate the mall.”

Vin gasped. The noise was attacking him. He held onto the wall, trying to orient himself. Abruptly, an alarm began to sound. The noise split through Vin’s head. His hands shot up to cover for his ears as he tried desperately to keep the blare out. The revolver fell from his hand. Despite the warped images and piercing shrill of the alarm, Vin knew he had to keep the gun. He reached one hand down for it. His side lit up with fire and he crumpled to his knees, and then tumbled to his side. Groping, he found the gun and with one hand over his ear, he forced his legs under himself and got back to his feet. This was now a battle for survival and Vin Tanner was a seasoned survivor! He would go down fighting.

**********

Buck dropped the chopper between two police cars. Officers swarmed the craft. Larabee stepped down, his badge out in front of him. “Larabee. Em7. Who’s in charge here?!” The police backed off. Em7 were wearing headsets and fully armed. They had come for action and no one wanted to get in their way.

“Colonel Larabee. We’ve been expecting you. Come this way, Sir. We’ve found the car. Commissioner Burke is in charge of the operation and he’s down there.” Chris and his team ran with the uniformed officer.

“Have the gunmen been found?” Chris demanded as he passed the young officer now that he knew where he was going.

“No, Sir. Both are missing. However, we have a witness who says that one of the men has been shot.”

Ahead, Em7 saw the car surrounded by a dozen men and women. Liam spotted his brother. “CHRIS!” The younger Larabee shot forward.

Chris threw his arms around Liam and held him for several seconds. “Thank, God you’re alright.”

“Oh, hell, Chris. I’ve never been so scared. They were going to kill me. They would have killed me but...”

“Vin?” Chris demanded, pulling away. “Where is he?”

Liam shrugged. “I don’t know. He shouted for me to run and I did. I didn’t look back. I... I’m sorry. I was so scared.” Tears again began to fall down his cheeks.

Chris drew his brother in. “Easy, it’s alright, Kid. No one expected you to do anything. Vin’s trained. He knew what he was doing. Easy. Ezra, liaise with this Commissioner and establish a background. Tell him I‘ve just taken over. Nathan, look at the car and tell me how badly Vin‘s hurt. The rest of you, JUST FIND HIM!”

Buck and J.D. shot across the parking lot, heading for the level above. There was a chance Vin was hiding among the cars there.

Ezra raced over to the man who appeared to be in charge. “Standish, Em7.”

Burke smiled broadly, grabbed Ezra’s hand and pumped it vigorously. “Agent Standish. I apologise for the annoying alarm, but we want to ensure that everyone has evacuated the building. Don‘t worry, I have everything under control.”

“Colonel Larabee has just taken over this operation,” Ezra snapped.

“But...”

“The gunmen?”

“There is a good chance that they’re still inside,” the Commissioner stated, flustered. “I have a SWAT team in there and...”

“And our colleague?”

“Nothing, I’m afraid, but...”

“They’ve got nothing!“ Ezra shouted to Chris before scanning the parking lot. Spotting something dark on the ground, he jogged across and crouched. “Blood,” he called back to his leader.

Only a few feet from Chris, Nathan and Josiah were examining the trunk of the car to assess their companion’s condition.

Nathan shook his head. “He’s lost a lot of blood.”

“Head wound,” Josiah offered. “They bleed a lot. Don‘t panic yet, Nathan.”

Chris squeezed his brother’s shoulder. “I need your help. What can you tell me about Vin? What’s his condition?”

“The car hit him. His head was bleeding.”

Jackson spotted a small vial and withdrew it. His eyes widened. “Oh, shit.”

“Nathan?” Josiah asked.

“Bylantide!”

“Bylantide?” Josiah repeated.

Nathan swung toward Liam and Chris. “Liam!” Nathan interrupted at the top of voice. “Liam, did they inject him with this?!”

Liam looked up and nodded. Chris felt his stomach drop. The look on Nathan’s face said more than any words. “How bad?” Larabee demanded.

“It’s one of the most powerful hallucinogenic drugs ever developed.”

“They gave him two injections of it,” Liam whispered.

“What?!” Nathan cried. “Two?”

“They gave him one at the docks and then, when they pulled in here, they were going to kill me. They said they were going to give me an overdose. Max, one of the kidnappers, held me with a gun under my chin. The other one opened the trunk of the car to get the cocaine he was going to inject me with. He noticed that Vin was sort of awake, so he injected him again.”

Nathan cursed, his handsome face lining with worry. “He’ll be out of his mind.”

“Explain,” Chris demanded.

“Bylantide scrambles the senses.”

“The brain is unable to interrupt any messages being sent to it. Right now, Vin won’t have any idea of what’s going on because everything he’s seeing and hearing is scrambled,” Josiah elaborated.

“We’ve got to get these alarms off and get any police out of there! Boys, come back here,” Nathan ordered his companions via the headset. “Don’t approach Vin. He’ll fire on anything that moves - including us!”

J.D. glanced at Buck. “He must be terrified,” the younger man whispered as the pair headed back to the bottom level of the parking lot.

**********

Vin was drowning in the screaming clamour and garbled pictures. He had to escape!

The drugged lieutenant staggered forward past the empty shops. The alarm continued to reverberate in his head. He couldn’t stand it. Vin lifted his gun and fired, praying that would make it stop.

Elsewhere in the shopping centre... “Commissioner Burke. We’ve just heard a shot. Permission to move in?” the leader of the SWAT team requested.

“Yes, yes, move in!” There was excitement in Burke’s voice. This was still his show and if the SWAT team had one of the gunmen, Larabee would be very grateful.

Lieutenant Benson nodded to his team. The men entered the stairwell and made their way to the floor below. With precision, they emerged, each covering the other. These men were well trained and accomplished at dealing with armed threats.

“There,” one whispered. They could see a man coming toward them.

The SWAT leader frowned. “We have a visual on a man. He’s injured... disoriented. Do we know if anyone else is involved in this?” In the background, Benson heard Officer Garton telling Burke that Vin Tanner was supposed to be hurt. “Tanner?!“ Benson’s eyes grew wide. “Stand down,” he ordered his men immediately. “He’s Em7!” Benson and his men raced toward the stumbling, weaving Tanner.

Vin stopped seeing the moving shapes ahead and cried out in surprise, his revolver coming up. “GET BACK!” The SWAT team ducked for cover.

“Lieutenant Tanner, relax. We’re on your side,” Benson shouted. Unfortunately, the words were lost in the jumble of sensations that scattered Vin's senses. The only thing he understood was that he was hurt and people were trying to kill him.

Benson studied Tanner. “Commissioner Burke. We’ve got a problem. We’ve found Vin Tanner, but he’s incoherent and injured. He won’t let us get close to him. He...”

Vin opened fire on the men.

“Sir, we’re going to have to take him down!”

**********

Commissioner Burke raced across to Chris as Nathan delivered the lines, “Don’t approach Vin. He’ll fire on anything that moves - including us!”

“Colonel Larabee, my men may have found your man,” he announced triumphantly.

“Where?” Chris demanded, leaving his brother’s side.

“Is he alright?” Josiah asked as Buck, J.D. and Ezra returned.

“We need to get Nathan there!”

“My SWAT team has just located him in the shopping centre and is moving in to...”

“NO!” Nathan shouted. “Tell them not to approach him. Vin’ll shoot anything that moves. And get this alarm off. Get it off now! His senses are already overloaded!”

“I...”

Chris grabbed the front of the Commissioner’s shirt and took the radio from his chubby hand. “Larabee, Em7. SWAT team, stand down and evacuate.” Chris waited.

“Affirmative, Sir. We’re moving out. Tanner has gone in the opposite direction. He’s in a bad way,” Benson reported. “Confused, incoherent. A lot of blood on him. And he’s not mucking around. He was shooting to kill!”

“Where is he?”

“On the first level, moving south.”

Chris turned to the Commissioner, thrust the radio back at him and roared “The alarm. Get it off!” With that, Larabee and his men dashed toward the elevator. They’d found Vin and now he was only seconds from the help he so desperately needed.

“NO!” Nathan screamed. Jackson’s mind was racing, assimilating the information he’d just heard with the knowledge he had of the drug. Part of him wanted to run to his injured friend’s side, but logic was over-ruling. “Wait! We need to handle this carefully. He’ll attack us.”

“Don’t be so damn ridiculous!” Buck shouted. “We’re talking about Vin.”

Chris slammed his palm against the panel to summon the elevator. The other men stared back at the team medic.

“He won’t know us, either. Chris, Vin won’t recognize us. He’s running because he’s caught in a sea of sights and sounds he doesn‘t understand.”

Chris spun and glared at Nathan. “He’s hurt for Christ’s sake! He needs medical help!”

“Chris, I know that, but we can’t just walk up to him. If he sees a mob coming at him...”

“Fine, I‘ll go alone!” The doors opened and Larabee stepped in.

“No, Chris, for God’s sake, wait. You’ll need to bring him down. “ Nathan had just had his suspicions confirmed by the SWAT team. Vin had no idea of what was going on and would fight to the death to protect himself. “Chris...” but the doors slid closed in Nathan’s face. Jackson slammed his fist into them with frustration. “Damn it, Chris will you just listen to me? I love the bastard too, you know!!“ Nathan screamed into his headset. “Will you be able to bring him down, Chris? Will you? You won’t have any choice.”

“I’ll wing him if I have to.”

“It’ll kill him. He’s already lost a lot of blood. Can you hear me?! Chris, he‘s hurt and if you rush in there and are forced to be rough, he could go into shock. Are you listening to me?!“

“I‘m listening.“

Nathan released a shaky breath of relief. “Give me two minutes and then I’ll explain. I’ve got to get on the phone to get a drug here that may save his life!”

“Save his life?!”

“Two minutes! Don‘t open that door until you hear from me!” Nathan fumbled for his phone, but Buck thrust his into Nathan’s agitated hand. Nathan called the operator requesting a number and then waited impatiently while he was put through.

“What’s happening?”

“Nathan’s making a phone call. Just hang on, Sir,” Buck urged.

“Sergeant Jackson certainly sounds like he knows exactly what he‘s talking about.”

“8&^&%#!”

“Put me through to the director, NOW!... Dan, Nathan Jackson. I need some Tribeone to bring down a Bylantide victim... Grand Plaza Shopping centre.... Thank you! And I’ll need some Viflayide... yeah. Two lots... I guarantee it, personally.” Jackson nodded to his team mates as he ended the call. “Chris, I’ve just called the Washington Drug Research Laboratory. They’re sending over the drugs I need.”

“Fine, you let me know when they arrive. I’m going to find him.”

“Hang on, Chris, listen to what Nathan has to say about Vin‘s condition,” Josiah encouraged, calmly. “Vin needs help, we all know that, but you going up there blindly isn’t going to do that. You’ll just be another part of the terror he’s suffering from unless you handle this the right way.”

Above, Chris stood, his hand hovering over the button that would open the door separating him from Vin - Vin who’s cry for help still echoed in Larabee’s ears.

“You’ll end up having to hurt him and in his condition he may not survive it. Please,” Nathan repeated. “I know how desperate you are to help him... God, I am, too, but for Vin’s sake, you’ve got to do it my way.”

Nathan waited. He heard his colonel curse quietly. To save his best friend‘s life he was being told to let him suffer. “Tell me what I need to know.”

“The drug will be here in fifteen minutes.” The Washington Drug Research Laboratory had its own chopper, which it used to courier emergency drugs when needed. “Vin has been overdosed on the Bylantide. The drug I’ve got coming will knock him out without reacting with the drugs already in his system. Then I can get him to the hospital and treat the overdose and other injuries. It’s the only way we’re going to be able to take him down without hurting him. At the moment, he‘ll be out of his mind and it will be getting worse with each passing minute. The problem is going to be getting this drug into him.”

“What about a tranquilliser dart?” Ezra asked.

Josiah shook his head. “Could kill him. Bylantide is a very powerful drug. There’s no telling what the reaction would be if it were mixed with a standard tranquillizer. That‘s why Nathan‘s called for the Tribeone. Its chemical components are...”

“Stop your damn chemistry lesson and talk to me. Is there anything else I need to know? I’m going in!“ Chris bellowed at Nathan. This was all worse than Chris had imagined and the throbbing in Larabee’s soul was becoming worse. Hang on, Cowboy.

“Chris, before we do anything, we’ve got to devise a way to get the drug into him. He isn’t going to let anyone get close to him, not even you.”

“You decide on a method. I’ll let you know when I find him. I won‘t approach him, but I’ve got to find him, Nathan. He‘s hurt and confused and... I‘ve got to find him.”

Nathan could understand that. “Yeah, okay, but be careful, Chris. If he sees you and you don’t see him...”

“I’m in the shopping centre. I can’t see him. I’m heading south.”

Buck shook his head. “I’m going up there to help him.”

“No,” Jackson ordered, firmly. “One person approaching Vin is going to be bad enough. There’s no telling how he’ll react to two.”

“Maybe we could sneak up on him, tackle him and then one of us could inject him.”

Nathan shook his head. “By this time, the second dose of the drug will well and truly be in his system. He won’t let anyone get close to him.”

“Why don’t we just wait until the drug wears off,” J.D. interrupted.

“We can’t. He’s hurt,” Buck growled. The helplessness was getting to Wilmington. For the past four hours he and his companions had known Vin was injured and in danger. Now they knew where he was, but Nathan was telling them they couldn‘t help him.

“He’s likely to have internal injuries,” Nathan explained to Dunne. “He could bleed to death if we leave this much longer and I’ve got to treat the overdose as soon as I can. It can cause brain hemorrhaging if not treated quickly.”

“Then you get up there!” Buck exploded.

Nathan drew in a deep breath and released it slowly. “You think I don’t want to, Buck?” Wilmington cursed and paced away, J.D. following him.

“What if we were to empty a tranquillizer dart and replace it with the drug you’ve collected?”

“Too dangerous. Some of the original tranquillizer could still be in it and the combination could kill him.”

Josiah, who had been on the phone for the past few minutes, replaced it. “Colonel, I’ve just spoken to an expert on the drug. I can give you a little bit more information on what Vin‘s going through.”

“Go ahead.”

“Nathan was right. Vin won’t see you. He’ll see a distorted person approaching him, not you. He won’t hear your voice. His senses are the source of his hallucinations. That’s what Bylantide does. Humans rely on their senses to provide their reality. Vin no longer has one. He’s hurt and he’s confused and anything presented to his senses will only make that worse. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“Clinical tests on this drug showed that people couldn’t even recognise their own wife or children. The drug also stimulates the hormone that tells us we’re scared. However, I’ve read that in seasoned soldiers, the ‘fear hormone’ is interpreted differently by the mind. As we know, experience in battle conditions enables soldiers to channel their fear. Medically, they have in fact reprogrammed their response to the ‘fear hormone’ so that the reaction is no longer fear but an urge to fight. That’s why Vin fired on the SWAT team. He knows someone’s after him. It’s his only reality at the moment. His body and mind are being told to fight. He may not be able to overcome that. He’ll interpret you, like any other stimuli as his enemy and will fire on you without even knowing what he‘s doing.”

There was silence from Chris.

“Colonel, it is important that you acknowledge your understanding of what Sergeant Sanchez is saying,” Ezra prompted.

“I understand.”

“Do not move in until the drug arrives,“ Nathan repeated.

“Affirmative.“

Buck returned to the group and clapped his hand on Nathan’s shoulder. Jackson nodded, accepting the wordless apology. “How about the rest of us spread out up there and help to locate him? Then we can contact Chris and...”

“No,” Larabee stated over the headset. “Vin will never forgive himself if he takes one of you down. I’ll find him. You boys work on a way for me to get close enough to inject him. And get this damn alarm off!”

**********

Vin stumbled into the wall and paused. He winced, raising the hand holding the gun to cover his other ear. The sound was tearing him apart and then without warning, it stopped. Vin lowered his hands and tried to focus his vision. Everything was blurred and moving of its own accord. His chest, shoulder, head and side were aching. What the hell was going on? Where was he?

Vin pulled himself upright, took a couple of steps and reached for the wall for balance, but there was nothing there. He fell to the ground and lay for several seconds. Instinct forced him to his knees. He was inside a shop. Weak and in pain, Vin’s mind was clear enough to know he couldn’t go on. He’d have to make his stand here. The injured man dragged himself to his feet and made his way to the back of the store. He stopped at the wall and turned to face the entrance, his back pressed against the wall.

When they made the mistake of coming for him, he would open fire!

Part Eleven

Chris’ eyes were on the ground, following the regular drops of blood. The trail stopped at the base of an escalator. Larabee lifted his eyes. Above, he could see the railings of the other two levels of the shopping centre.

Vin was acting instinctively and moving to take control of the high ground. Of course, if he was up there and Larabee stepped onto the escalator, he would be a sitting duck. Chris turned, jogged back to the elevator and rode it to the top floor, confident that this was where he would find his best friend.

As Chris stepped out of the elevator, he immediately sought cover. “Boys, I’m on level three. I’m sure Vin has come here. Has the drug arrived?”

“Helicopter is overhead now, Sir. I’ll be up there with the injection in a few minutes. We haven’t been able to devise any way of getting it into him, yet.”

“I’ll get it into him. You just bring it up here.”

“Chris... I...”

“We don’t have any choice, Nathan. Besides, this is Vin. No matter what’s going on in his mind, it’s Vin. I can’t believe he’ll fire on me.”

Chris hugged the wall of the shops as he made his way to the top of the escalator. There he found the continuation of the blood trail. Larabee followed it, spotting smudges on the wall where Vin had tried to hold himself up. Chris’ emotions screamed. Hang on, Cowboy. Just, hang on.

Ahead, the blood trail stopped. Chris edged up closer to the open doorway of the gift store. Vin had to be inside. “Boys, I think I may have located him.”

“Is he alright?” Buck demanded.

“I don’t have a visual, yet.”

“Colonel, wait. Nathan and I are on our way up.”

“Turn left as you come out of the elevator. You‘ll see me,” Chris confirmed, backing away from the opening. He needed to get the drug. Once he had it, he could help his best friend.

Chris waited about ten feet from the entrance to the store. He glanced back as Nathan and Josiah approached cautiously. Josiah had a bulletproof vest slung over his arm. Larabee pulled it on quickly and then accepted the needle from Nathan.

“Does it matter where I jab him?” the colonel whispered.

Nathan shook his head. Larabee withdrew his revolver and handed it to Josiah. “I won’t use it on him and if we have to struggle, I don’t want him getting a hold of it.”

“Chris, be careful. You said yourself, if Vin hurts any of us, he’ll never forgive himself.”

Larabee nodded. “Wait here. I’ll call you when I’m ready.”

Josiah offered his hand to his leader. “Our prayers are with you both. Remember, every sound and every image is perceived by the brain as an attack. So every word you say... the very sight of you will be Vin’s worst nightmare. Good luck, Colonel.” Both Josiah and Nathan understood that Chris was the only hope they had of saving Vin’s life. Time was running out.

“Chris, focus on the fact that he won’t know you. Whatever you do, don’t forget that!” Nathan urged.

Chris stared at Nathan and found he couldn’t accept that. Without saying anything further, Larabee turned and walked up to the doorway. He drew in a deep breath and edged into the small gift shop. At his feet, he could see Vin’s blood. Larabee lifted his eyes and at the every end of an aisle he spotted his companion. Larabee’s heart leapt into his throat. Vin was a mess. His head and chest were covered in blood. He was on the ground, his back to the wall, his head sagged to the right and his breathing coming in rapid pants accompanied by grunts of pain. Despite all of this, he held a revolver in his two hands and had it raised and ready to fire.

“GET BACK!”

Chris almost responded instinctively. His urge to rush forward to help and protect his best friend was overwhelming. Chris wanted to tell Vin everything was okay, but Josiah’s final words echoed in his mind. “Remember, every sound and every image is perceived by the brain as an attack. So every word you say... the very sight of you will be Vin’s worst nightmare.”

Chris set his shoulders and tried to remove himself from the emotion of the situation. He could see and hear Vin’s desperate struggles. It took incredible self-control to ignore his heart’s demands and act based on the logic his mind was insisting was the only way. Hang on, Vin. Just hang on. Chris took a step forward.

The gun wavered.

No, Vin. Don’t shoot, Cowboy. Without words, how on earth was he supposed to let his friend know it was him? Vin couldn’t interpret any of the garbled signals sent by his senses, which was why Nathan had kept saying that Tanner wouldn’t know Chris. Larabee had to pray his best friend didn’t pull the trigger until he could get close enough to disarm him. He needed to take it slowly so he didn’t startle the already confused soldier.

Chris took another step.

“GET BACK!” Vin gasped. He could see something approaching; a large formless something coming for him. His chest tightened. The pounding in his head grew more intense. Vin removed one of his hands from the revolver briefly to rub his burning eyes hoping to clear his vision. His surging adrenaline was urging him to shoot.

Still, Chris said nothing and took another step. Relax, Cowboy. I’m not going to hurt you.

Chris watched Vin’s blinking intensify. Tanner was trying to clear his vision enough to make the shot. Larabee quickened his pace, the words relax, Vin. I’m not going to hurt you, repeating over and over in his mind.

Perspiration mixed with the blood on Tanner’s face as he battled for understanding and control. The revolver in Vin’s hands sagged. His breathing increased rapidly. Tanner drew his legs up and attempted to force them under himself, but he had become too weak and collapsed back down with a yelp of frustration and pain.

“...aren’t... taking... me.... bastard.”

Chris took the final two steps. Vin snapped the revolver up. His finger curled on the trigger!

Vin, NO! The silent words screamed in Chris’ mind.

Tanner’s face changed. Looming over him was a frightening image. His mind was telling him to pull the trigger - to fight! But, something nebulous was touching his soul; something warm and safe. “Chris?”

Relief flooded Larabee and he had to physically bite down on his lip to resist the urge to speak and assure his injured friend that everything was all right. Slowly, Chris crouched beside Vin and pulled the revolver from Tanner’s tightly clenched hands. Give it to me. Easy, Vin. Easy. Just relax. Let me have the gun. Finally, Chris freed it from Vin’s fists.

Larabee took out the needle and pushed up the sleeve of Vin’s coat. The colonel was moving swiftly but without any sudden movements.

“Nooo!” Tanner shouted, weakly, pulling away. Chris took his friend’s arm and injected the drug. The sharp pain allowed Vin to focus for a split second. His eyes met Larabee’s. “Chris.” This time it wasn’t a question, but an acknowledgment. It was Chris. Deep down inside him, he had known all along… that was why he hadn’t pulled the trigger.

Yeah, it’s me. Easy, Cowboy. It’s going to be all right. Quickly, Chris removed the bulletproof vest and then his own coat before wrapping it around his best friend. He would have to wait until Vin was unconscious before calling for Nathan or Vin could react badly.

Chris squeezed Vin’s shoulder as he ran his eyes over his injured companion. Tanner‘s pupils were badly dilated and still blinking. There was a huge egg on the side of his head and a split that explained the blood loss. Chris took out a handkerchief and pressed it against Vin’s head. Tanner jerked. Larabee applied reassuring pressure to his friend’s shoulder. Easy, Cowboy. Easy.

Tanner began struggling to get to his feet. He was confused and his need to get a way was overriding almost everything else. Chris held him down, praying the drug would begin to take effect. Vin was making soft, desperate pants as he wrestled against the conflicting messages being sent to his brain. On one hand, he knew he was safe - Chris was there. On the other hand, he couldn’t focus and he needed to find somewhere to get away from the images attacking him from within.

Chris watched helplessly as Vin battled for control over the drug, his friend’s gasps and erratic movements eating into Larabee’s very soul. So, Chris did the only thing he could. He wrapped his arms around his best friend, drew him in and held him. Tanner’s body continued to quake and shudder. Easy, Vin. Easy.

For Chris, there was an incredible sense of relief. After four hours of knowing the younger man needed help... after hearing Vin actually say the words, Larabee was now able to offer assistance. It’s going to be alright, Vin. I promise, it’s going to be alright.

“Chris... I... what’s going on?” His voice was uneven and desperate.

Larabee clenched his jaw and squeezed his friend gently - it was the only form of communication he could afford to use. Everything’s okay, Vin. Finally, Tanner’s jagged breathing began to slow and his twitching eased as the drug Nathan had sent for started to take effect.

“Chr...is...?”

Larabee patted his friend’s back. It’s okay, Vin. It’s okay. I’ve got your back. Everything’s going to be all right.

Vin continued to move and flinch for another full minute.

You can stop fighting, Vin. Let go. It’s going to be all right.

Finally, Vin became still. His ragged breathing eased to a regular wheeze. Chris became aware of the fact that he was gradually supporting more and more of his best friend’s weight. With a soft moan, Vin succumbed to the drug, his body relaxing. Chris released a tired breath of relief. He knew help was pacing anxiously outside the entrance to the store. “NATHAN, GET IN HERE.”

Larabee had barely got the words out when Jackson shot into the room. Nathan raced down the aisle and dropped beside Chris. For a single moment he paused, taking the scene in. Nathan needed to remain impartial, but it was difficult. The medic lifted Vin from Chris and with Larabee’s help, laid him on the ground, Chris supporting his unconscious friend’s head. Larabee heard the approach of others. He wasn’t surprised to see Buck, J.D., Josiah and Ezra clamouring forward.

“Oh, shit. Oh, shit look at him,” Buck whispered, his voice breaking.

“Get a stretcher up here,” Nathan ordered as he placed a stethoscope on Vin’s chest. “Chris, get some pressure on his head. I need that bleeding stopped.”

Larabee grabbed a pad from Nathan’s bag and pressed it against the wound on Vin’s head. He stared down at his best friend’s pale features that were a stark contrast to the blood splattered all over him.

“How did you get the drug into him?” Josiah asked.

“He let me get close enough. I knew he wouldn’t pull the trigger. At some stage he realized it was me. He was talking to me.”

Josiah shook his head. “That’s incredible, Chris. The amount of drug in his system and... “ Then again, Josiah found he wasn’t truly surprised. “Two minds. One soul,” the ex-preacher whispered, emotionally.

Chris glanced at the others who were milling and waiting for instructions. “Clear the traffic downstairs. J.D., get the dog squad here and see if they can pick up a lead on the kidnappers. Ezra, deal with the media. I want complete silence on Vin’s part in this. Liam was kidnapped. That’s the story. That explains our involvement. Josiah make sure the Commissioner, SWAT team and police know that. Buck, get ready to fly.”

“No, I want to take him by ambulance,” Nathan argued, as he pulled Vin’s shirt up and began examining his patient’s chest, shoulder and hip.

“Go!” Chris ordered.

“Yes, Sir,” the other four men snapped as they raced off.

Chris watched Nathan, listening to the words being muttered as the doctor made his diagnosis. Larabee waited, knowing Jackson would give him a report as soon as he could. Experience allowed Chris to interpret Nathan’s hurried but calm movements. Jackson was worried, there was no doubt about that, but Vin was doing okay. Chris could tell by Nathan’s quiet curses.

“Okay, let’s transfuse him,” Jackson stated, pulling some of Vin’s own blood from his bag. Ezra had grabbed it from the medical cabinet at the office before he’d left. “Thank, God for Ezra‘s forethought. This will help.”

Two ambulance men appeared at the store entrance with a stretcher. “Bring it in here.”

Chris rose to his feet and stepped back, watching as Vin was lifted onto the stretcher, Nathan leaning over him and monitoring his vitals the entire time.

“Okay, let’s move,” Jackson ordered, handing the bag of life giving blood to Chris to support. “Chris, stay with us. If... he may need you.” Medicine was one thing, but Nathan had seen Vin and Chris pull each other through at times when medicine didn’t have a chance.

**********

In the street outside the shopping centre...

Commissioner Burke stared at Josiah. “But I don’t understand. I thought...”

“Commissioner, those are Colonel Larabee’s ‘requests‘. Unless you’d like to countermand Larabee.” Josiah started steely eyed at the small plump man. “I assure you, that wouldn’t be wise.”

“But people will ask questions,” Burke pointed out, meekly. His commendation was slipping through his fingers.

“Our liaison officer is making an official statement to the media now.”

The SWAT team leader nodded his understanding. The few police who were privy to what had actually happened also nodded. There was no way on God’s earth they would disobey a ‘request’ from Colonel Christopher Larabee.

“Liam Larabee, the Em7 leader’s younger brother was kidnapped. He was able to escape here in the parking lot. There are two kidnappers on the loose,” Josiah repeated.

Commissioner Burke shrugged. “I still don’t see why...”

“Yours is not to reason why. Now, this is completely off the record,” Josiah stated, lowering his voice. “If Vin’s involvement in this leaks out, people could lose their lives.”

Commissioner Burke’s eyes enlarged. He wasn’t sure if Josiah was making a threat or simply stating a fact.

**********

In the underground parking lot...

“Anything the dogs pick up will need to be reported to Colonel Larabee, immediately,” J.D. informed the handlers. Two of the three Alsatians had their noses on the ground, trying to pick up a scent. The final dog was sniffing the back seat of the car, his handler standing encouraging him.

“Immediately they come up with anything,” J.D. repeated.

“Yes, Sir.”

**********

Outside the police perimeter...

Ezra had just finished making a statement to the press and was asking for questions.

“Is Colonel Larabee’s brother all right?” a reporter shouted from the back of the mob.

“He has sustained some minor cuts and bruises and is, of course, very shaken.”

“Does Colonel Larabee know the reason why his brother was targeted?”

“At the moment we aren’t sure, though ransom has not been eliminated as a possible explanation.”

“The kidnappers bit off a bit more than they could chew,” one reporter remarked. “What sort of idiots would knowingly take on the best response team in the world?!”

Ezra smiled impatiently. “If you will excuse me, I have a great many things I need to be doing.” The moment Ezra turned, the false mask of self-assuredness fell. He still didn’t know what Vin’s condition was, but if what he’d seen was anything to go by... Ezra was concerned.

**********

Inside the shopping centre...

Buck repeated his instructions to the shopping centre management. They were free to clean up the blood, but were not to discuss what they discovered with anyone. Wilmington then returned to the street to co-ordinate clearing the crowds. It really wasn’t something he had ever been trained to do, but when his colonel gave him an order, he carried it out.

As Buck arrived outside, he spotted Nathan and the ambulance men wheeling a stretcher, Chris beside them. Thankfully, the ambulance was pulled in close to the building and the media had been kept at a distance.

Vin was pushed into the back of the ambulance, Chris and Nathan climbing up beside him, while the ambulance men raced to the front of the vehicle. Nathan reached out to close the doors, but paused. Lined up, shoulder to shoulder only a few feet from the ambulance were his four colleagues. Their faces were set in deep frowns of worry.

“He’s going to make it,” Nathan stated with confidence and then yanked the doors closed. The vehicle pulled away without sirens.

Josiah clapped Buck’s shoulder in relief. “I suppose we better go and help to clear this crowd,” Sanchez proposed, striding away. Wilmington released a long deep breath. His emotions were still on a knife-edge. So many things could have gone wrong. If the kidnappers hadn’t stopped at the shopping centre to kill Liam, then Vin would not have been able to escape. If Vin hadn’t somehow known it was Chris, then he could have shot Larabee. If... Liam! There was an explosion of raw emotion in Buck’s stomach.

Wilmington spun around, searching for Larabee’s brother. He spotted him standing alone at the entrance to the parking lot. “YOU BASTARD!” Buck roared, stomping toward the cowering figure. “What the hell really happened?!” Liam backed away, but his back struck the concrete wall.

“Buck!” J.D. cried, latching onto Buck’s right arm, but Wilmington shoved the boy away.

“You knew about the contract, didn’t you?!” the enraged captain thundered, every step reducing the distance between himself and his prey.

“Captain Wilmington, you need to...” but Ezra too was swept aside as Buck bore down on Liam.

“You set Vin up! You called him there so they could collect on the contract! Didn’t you?! DIDN’T YOU?!” When Buck was only a foot from Liam, he was jerked to a stop. Josiah had rushed across to his rampaging friend and grabbed his left arm. Wilmington strained against the failsafe restraint, but otherwise didn’t appear to be aware of it. He raised his right hand and thrust a finger at Liam. “You set him up. You pathetic piece of shit!”

Josiah pulled Buck back and spun him around away from Liam. “Come on, Buck. Let’s go to the hospital. Vin may need us.” But Buck’s head was twisted back toward Liam and he continued to shout, pulling against Josiah.

“IF YOU EVER COME NEAR HIM AGAIN, I’LL TEAR YOU APART! ”

Josiah started walking away, dragging Buck with him. “Let’s go. Chris may need you.” The last words grabbed Buck’s attention. He turned and met Josiah’s calm blue eyes. Wilmington swallowed and nodded. Josiah stopped dragging his companion and instead slipped his arm across Buck’s shoulders.

Ezra, who was still on the ground, rose to his feet, his narrowed and suspicious eyes on Liam. “I think perhaps you had better find your own way to the hospital,” he suggested, quietly.

“I’m getting out of here,” Liam cried, watching Buck leave.

“I am sure your brother will want to see you... to thank you for all you did in helping us find Vin and save his life. I know Chris is very grateful.”

Liam stared at Ezra. “He is?”

Ezra smiled one of his perfect smiles. “Of course. If it weren’t for you, we may not have found him in time. We’re all in your debt.”

Liam considered the words, his eyes flicking to Buck.

“Captain Wilmington is upset. He’ll calm down.”

Liam nodded. “Yeah.”

“Then we shall see you at the hospital?” Ezra asked.

“Yeah.”

“Good. Chris will be pleased.” Ezra walked toward the helicopter and his stomach turned. If Buck was right and Liam had indeed set Vin up, Ezra wanted to make sure they knew where he was. Of course, it would have to be up to Chris to decide what to do about it.

**********

When Buck and the others entered the emergency room, it was empty apart from Larabee. Chris rose to his feet.

“How is he?” Buck asked.

Chris nodded and patted Buck’s arm. “He’s okay. He lost a lot of blood but Nathan’s already transfused him with some of his own.” Larabee glanced at Ezra. “Thanks. Nathan said it made a hell of a difference.” Standish simply smiled his relief. “Vin woke up on the way here. Nathan said it was impossible, but he did. He was still fighting. He wouldn’t give in.”

“That’s our, boy,” Josiah agreed, quietly.

“I spoke to him and he answered. He could hear me.” It had been a struggle, but somehow Tanner had interpreted Chris’ message among the garbled noise his senses were providing. Larabee shook his head. “He asked about Liam. Wanted to make sure he was alright.” Chris stared down at the ground. He felt emotionally drained. The last few hours had seen him on a shocking roller coaster ride.

“And his injuries?” Ezra pressed gently as Buck guided Chris to a chair.

“Four broken ribs for certain. Nathan doesn’t think his skull, hip or shoulder are broken, but he’ll need to do x-rays. “

“The drug?” J.D. asked.

“Nathan said something about what he had to do. I didn’t understand a lot of it, but there’s a new drug out that helps to neutralize the effect. It eases the pain as the person detoxes, but it costs thirty-five thousand dollars an injection, which puts it out of reach of most drug addicts.”

“Shit,” Buck murmured.

“He’s going to need at least two,” Chris explained.

“Where do we get it from?” Ezra asked, whipping out his cell phone.

“Nathan’s already got it. He had it sent across from the Laboratory with the other one. He said he knew the cost shouldn’t be a problem.” Chris was staring at Ezra with exhausted but grateful eyes.

“If you will excuse me, gentlemen, I shall make arrangements for the money to be sent.” Ezra spun around and started down the corridor.

“Ezra,” Chris called.

Standish glanced back. “If you dare to thank me, I warn you, I will take supreme offence.”

Chris dropped his eyes to the ground and then raised them to his friend. “I can’t begin to...”

“Had the injections been 350 million each, it would not have been a problem and the money would have been well spent,” Ezra whispered. With that, he turned and headed down the corridor.

Buck and J.D.’s jaws dropped. They turned to each other, both trying to speak, but shock had stolen their voices.

“700 million!” Buck finally spluttered.

“700 million,” J.D. echoed. “He’s got 700 million!”

“He didn’t say that. He said that it wouldn’t be a problem. I have no doubt Ezra would go to the National vault and rob it if he had to,” Josiah chuckled.

Chris smiled for the first time. “I wouldn’t put it past him.”

“Gentlemen, my stomach is telling me it’s lunchtime. How about I go and find us something to eat?” Josiah invited.

“I’m not hungry,” Chris murmured.

“A shame, because you’re going to eat,” Buck encouraged, sitting beside Chris as Josiah subtly dragged J.D. off so his companions could have some time alone. “So, you spoke to him?”

Larabee nodded. “Not a lot. Just enough to let him know he was going to be fine. Nathan said the detox will be rough, but apparently this new drug is pretty incredible. It will keep him out for the next couple of days as his body’s chemical balance returns to normal.” Chris glanced at Buck. “I really didn’t think that he’d get through this one so easily.”

Buck slid his arm across his oldest friend’s shoulder. “He’s a fighter. I never doubted it.”

“Where’s Liam?”

Buck drew in his breath. “I... we left and came straight here.”

Chris sighed. “He has a right to feel angry. He’s right. The only thing I was interested in was finding Vin. I’ll have to try and make it up to him.”

Buck said nothing. At that moment, Nathan appeared. The two men stood.

Nathan gave them a weary smile. “His body is already responding to the drugs and the transfusion has replaced much of the blood he lost. The x-rays picked up a fifth broken rib, but his skull, hip and shoulder are just badly bruised. There was some minor internal bleeding but that’s under control now. He’s lucky. It could have been a hell of a lot worse. Where are the others?”

“Ezra’s arranging the money and J.D. and Josiah have gone to get us some lunch.”

“You mentioned that an overdose could cause brain damage?” Buck asked carefully.

“Yep, it can, but there’s no danger of that now.”

Buck silently gave thanks under his breath.

“He’s resting comfortably at the moment. Chris, you look like you could use a change of clothes,” Nathan commented, eyeing the blood on the front of Larabee’s shirt. “I could, too. Buck, would you mind?”

“Yeah, sure,” the captain agreed, standing up. “But, I’d like to drop in and see him for a minute if that’s okay?”

Nathan smiled his understanding and led the way to Vin’s room in intensive care. The doctor walked straight across to the nurse and whispered something while Chris and Buck waited at the doorway as instructed. Nathan looked up and nodded, beckoning them in. Vin’s head was bandaged and the blood was gone. His face was pale and his chest strapped, but he looked a great deal better than he had only an hour earlier. The young man’s breathing was still a little panted though, which concerned Chris. Larabee reached for his friend’s shoulder and lifted his eyes to Nathan.

“He’s still battling against the overdose. If it wasn’t for the injection I’ve given him, he may still be thrashing around. I guess, on the inside, he still is.”

Vin’s body’s twitched and he made a grunted sound in the back of his throat.

“I thought you said he was resting comfortably!” Buck exploded.

The nurse rose to her feet, sharply. Nathan raised his hand to her and turned to his companion. “Lower you voice, Buck! This is intensive care!” The look of horror on Buck’s face eased Nathan’s anger. Larabee glanced at Wilmington, patted his back and then sat down in the chair beside Vin. Buck had difficulty controlling his emotions at times like this.

Nathan sighed. “Look, considering the fact that he’s got an overdose of Bylantide pumping through his body, believe me, this is comfortable. Many victims have to be strapped down. The Viflayide I’ve given him is keeping him calm while it’s neutralizing the drug. He’s not in any pain at the moment, but he’s still unsettled because he hasn’t stopped fighting. Others would have given up by now but this is Vin. I’m confident his determination will speed up his recovery.”

Buck swallowed. “Hell, I’m sorry, Nathan. I’m snapping at you again.”

Jackson grinned. “That’s another beer you owe me.”

Vin moaned loudly and his body twitched. Chris leaned down close to his friend’s ear and began speaking to him. Almost immediately, Vin calmed.

Nathan glanced at Buck and winked. “Like I said, before he wasn’t resting comfortably... now he will.”

**********

As Ezra returned to the waiting room, Liam entered through the double glass doors. Standish stopped walking, monitoring his reaction. Ezra was not used to feeling rage, yet Larabee’s brother seemed to incite it. Behind him, Ezra heard the approach of J.D. and Josiah. Liam spotted the three men and strode across the room.

“So, how is he? Has he regained consciousness? He probably won’t remember a lot of what happened, will he?” The words tumbled from his mouth.

“Before he left for the hospital, Nathan said Vin was going to be okay. We’ve been waiting for news but it looks like we’ve missed Nathan. He must have taken Buck and Chris to Vin’s room,” J.D. offered, helpfully.

“Sandwich?” Josiah asked, handing one to Liam.

“Thanks.”

“Take a seat. Nathan will be back down shortly to let us know what’s going on,” Josiah explained as the men took seats in the large open room. “So, what the hell happened? Why did you call Vin and not Chris?” Josiah asked the questions gently. Ezra was impressed. In the mood he was in, he felt his tone might have been closer to Buck’s.

Liam swallowed. “I was meeting with the men who I owe money to. I wanted to make arrangements to pay off so much a month, but I could tell by their voice on the phone that it wasn’t going to be okay. I panicked and called for help.”

“Why Vin?” J.D. asked, his mouth full of ham and pickles.

Liam shrugged. “I couldn’t call, Chris. Not after...” Liam’s voice faded. “I’d seen Vin in action at Four Corners. I knew he could protect me and... I guess I knew he’d come. I mean, he hates my guts, but I’m Chris’ brother and I get the feeling Vin would do anything for Chris.”

“Yep,” Josiah murmured. “So, Vin arrived and...?”

“That car just exploded out of nowhere and ran him down. I begged them to let him go but they wouldn’t listen. They put Vin in the trunk of the car and I was forced into the back seat with one of them. He kept a gun in my ribs the entire time.”

“So why did they stop at the shopping centre?”

Again, Liam shrugged. “They said they were going to kill me.”

“I’m curious why they didn’t simply overdose Vin on the cocaine,” Ezra murmured. “Why use a drug as expensive as Bylantide if they were going to kill him.”

Liam’s face shadowed with apprehension. “I don’t know. I’d like to see my brother.”

“Nathan will be down shortly to let us know what’s going on. Chris will be with Vin.”

“My brother and Tanner are really, really close, aren’t they?” Liam’s voice was level but there was an underlying current there. Ezra’s eyes narrowed. Liam’s story about what had happened didn’t ring true and the look in the young man’s eyes was one of hate.

“They’d give their life for each other,” Josiah dismissed, also aware of the emotion on Liam‘s face. “Any of us would.”

“Hey, Buck!” J.D. cried, standing up and rushing toward his friend as he and Nathan appeared out of the elevator. “Just stay calm. Liam’s...”

“I see him.”

“Now, isn’t the time,” J.D. whispered.

Wilmington strode into the room. Liam sprang to his feet, ready to run.

Josiah stood and placed himself between the two men. “How is he?”

“Chris’ with him,” Nathan stated. “Five broken ribs and mostly bruising. The next couple of days are going to be tough as his body gets rid of the drug, but that injection I’ve given him is helping.”

“Has he said anything about what happened?” Liam asked.

“What’s wrong, Liam? Have you got something to hide? Afraid Vin won’t support your lies?” Buck growled.

“Whooh, easy, big fella,” Josiah soothed.

Liam glared at Buck, turned and strode out of the waiting room. “I don’t have to take this!”

“Buck, I’m not sure that was wise,” Ezra murmured.

“He set Vin up,” Buck snarled. “Did any of you tell Liam about the contract on Vin’s life?”

J.D.’s eyes doubled in size. Buck was serious. Dunne had taken little notice of his companion’s ranting outside the shopping centre, but now he realized Buck had meant what he’d said. Josiah and Ezra glanced at each other. Unfortunately, they shared the captain’s suspicions. Nathan just stared at the other men unable to believe his ears.

“Buck, Liam’s an asshole but he wouldn’t...” Nathan’s voice faded and his face shadowed with horror.

“Nathan?” Buck pressed.

“I told him. I mean... we were just talking and I... Oh, my God. But he wouldn’t... Buck, he wouldn’t, would he? He‘s Chris‘ brother for God‘s sake!”

Buck dropped his head back to stare straight up at the ceiling.

“We were just talking and Liam said something about Vin not trusting him. I told him that Vin didn’t trust anyone because of the contract. I didn’t think there was any reason why I shouldn’t... I mean the contract on Vin’s life is a well known fact and... Oh, God.”

Josiah slipped his arm across Nathan’s shoulders. “Nathan, relax. Liam’s a petty criminal. Let’s think about this logically. I really don’t think Liam would go after Vin. Stealing cars is a long way from assassination. Besides, he has no reason to go after Vin.”

“Five million dollars is a powerful reason in any man’s language,” Ezra murmured.

“Not to mention the fact that Liam’s jealous of Vin,” Buck whispered. Wilmington lowered his head to look at his companions. “I don’t trust, him.”

“There is a very good chance that he’s involved in this for sinister reasons,” Ezra confirmed. “His explanation about what happened lacks clarity or sense. The car couldn’t have exploded from nowhere. It had to have been sitting there all along. Also, if Vin wasn’t their target, why didn’t they kill him immediately and dump him in one of the deserted buildings at the docks? What better place to dump a body? Why drug Vin? They wanted Lieutenant Tanner alive.”

“Yeah, but who are ‘they?’”

“Hang on. If they were after the contract, then surely they would have killed Vin anyway? I mean, you can’t collect the money unless he’s dead.”

“Carting a corpse around can get a might uncomfortable. Better to drug him and keep him unconscious until they were ready to produce evidence of the kill to collect their money,” Josiah offered.

“Let’s face it. They weren’t exactly gentle,” J.D. added. “You don’t slam a car into someone you want alive.”

“Then why use, Bylantide? There are a dozen other drugs less than a tenth of the price that would have done the same job. They wanted Vin alive,” Ezra repeated. An uncomfortable silence settled on the group.

Josiah walked across to the glass doors to stare out after Liam. “Why?”

**********

On the other side of DC...

Tyler Robinson poured himself a drink and turned to his employer. “I’m sorry. I underestimated Tanner.”

“The idiot who lured Tanner for us?”

“He escaped also.”

“Unfortunate. Where’s Max?” the seated man inquired.

Tyler drained his glass and poured another. “Max became a liability. I had to dispose of him before the police arrived.” Tyler had no doubt that his partner would squeal to save his own worthless neck, his injury had become a liability. .Max Romera's naked body was buried under 10 tonnes of freshly poured cement - a brutal foundation for Washington's newest highrise.

“I acknowledge that I am responsible for losing you five million dollars, Sir. I will make it up to you.”

The man behind the desk smiled. “Five million dollars? Oh, the contract?”

“Then you’re not after the contract?” Tyler asked, curiously.

“If I had wanted to collect the bounty on Tanner’s head, I would not have insisted that you take him alive.”

“Then why do you want him?”

Tyler’s boss rose to his feet and walked across to a window. “I don‘t. Like your good self, I am but an employee carrying out my employer‘s request.”

Part Twelve

Chris spoke to his best friend quietly. Vin had been restless for the past hour. Nathan explained that much of it was Vin’s insistence to fight against what was happening to him. Jackson rose and checked the monitor.

“He’s doing fine,” the medic assured. “Just keep talking to him. It seems to help.”

Chris sighed and nodded, watching as Vin moved agitatedly. The injured man was conscious, but the drug Nathan had given him was restricting his awareness. “Relax, Vin. You’re okay?”

Tanner’s eyes opened a slither and then closed. It wasn’t the first time. “He’s confused. He doesn’t understand,” Chris murmured, picking up Vin’s hand between his own. Tanner groaned. “Easy, Cowboy. Just let the drugs do their work.”

“You want some coffee?” Nathan asked, rubbing his eyes.

“Yeah. Yeah that sounds great. Can you ask Liam to come up?” There was guilt in every syllable. Chris hadn’t even thought about his brother until now. “I need to talk to him, but I can’t leave here.”

“Sure, Colonel.” Nathan strode toward the door, glanced back and decided that Chris needed more than a few minutes with Vin.

Chris watched Nathan leave and then turned to his unsettled companion. “You saved Liam’s life,” he whispered, emotionally. “I don’t have the right to expect that of you, but I do.” Chris had heard exactly what had happened over the phone. Considering the condition Vin had been in, it was an incredible act of courage. “I know you didn’t do it for him.” Vin’s face twitched and his eyes flickered open briefly. Chris squeezed his friend’s good shoulder. “It’s okay, Vin. I know you feel like crap, but you’re going to be fine.”

Vin groaned, the sound echoing in the small room. Chris frowned. “It’s really hurting, isn’t it? Damn bastards.” Vin moved again with an accompanying moan. Larabee laid his hand on his friend’s brow. “Easy, Vin. You’re going to be fine.” Tanner’s face was distressed. Chris cursed, wishing there was more he could do to ease his friend’s discomfort.

Without warning, Vin began to thrash weakly. “Whooh, easy, Cowboy.” Chris took Vin’s shoulders and gently pressed them back to the bed. “This isn’t going to help those ribs Nathan’s taped.” Vin’s eyes opened a slither and then closed as he settled.

Chris sat back in his chair, once again picking up Vin’s hand. “Just relax. You’ve got no need to be fighting.”

When Jackson returned almost an hour later, he handed Chris a cup of coffee. “Liam dropped in for a few minutes earlier and then left.”

“Buck?” Chris asked. There was no anger in his voice.

Nathan sipped his coffee. “By the sound of it, Buck didn’t exactly put out the welcome wagon.”

“I guess I can’t blame him for that. He blames Liam for all of this, but then, Buck blames Liam for just about everything.”

“Your brother doesn’t have the best of records, Chris.”

“Yeah, I know.” Larabee acknowledged. “The point is, no matter what...” Vin shuddered, groaned loudly and his eyes opened. He blinked several times and his eyes remained open. “Hey, there. You’re not supposed to be awake.”

“Chris?”

“You’re in the hospital. You’re fine and so is everyone else. Relax, Kid,” Nathan encouraged. Vin’s eyes closed. Nathan frowned. The drug was supposed to keep Vin under. “He’s still fighting it.”

Chris leaned over his friend. “Vin, open your damn eyes. Come on, lieutenant.”

“Chris, what the hell are you doing?” Nathan demanded, watching as Vin’s head rolled toward Chris and his eyes opened.

“You need to rest. Do you hear me? Close your eyes and relax. I’m right here to watch your back. Got it?”

Vin blinked at Chris.

“He doesn’t understand, Chris.”

“I... ain‘t... deaf.”

“Vin?” Nathan exclaimed. He had assumed his patient was aware of Chris and could perhaps recognize the tone of Larabee’s voice and that was why it seemed to help him stay settled, but it was clear that Vin understood exactly what was being said around him.

“Feel... like I’ve... got the... hangover... from hell.” He found the effort of talking too much and closed his eyes.

Chris was smiling widely. “You don‘t know the half of it, Cowboy.”

Nathan was flabbergasted. He began checking the monitor. “I know he’s fighting like hell, but there’s no way he should be aware like that.”

“It’s a good sign?” Chris asked.

Nathan nodded. “Hell, yes. I thought it might take four or five days for him come out of it, but if he’s this aware now, it won’t take nearly that long.”

Chris squeezed Vin’s shoulder. “Nathan’s having kittens here, Vin.”

If Chris didn’t know better, he’d swear there was a smile on Vin’s pale lips.

**********

Night descended on DC. Buck, J.D., Ezra and Josiah were playing monopoly in the waiting room. They had already incurred the wrath of the matron twice because of the noise. Nathan was having a meeting with a couple of other doctors in another part of the hospital and Chris hadn’t moved from Vin’s side.

Tanner’s afternoon had been disturbed as he periodically thrashed in response to his body’s battle with the drugs in his system. He had been moved out of intensive care and was now in a private room. Thankfully, for the past fifteen minutes he had been quiet.

Without warning, Vin muttered something.

“Huh? You trying to tell me something, Cowboy?”

Vin’s heavy lidded eyes opened. “Feel... like shit.”

“Then I have good news,” Chris stated with a genuine smile. “You look like it too.” Chris gripped his friend’s hand. Vin was in pain both from his injuries and the detoxification he was going through.

“Am I... dying?” There was a half smile on Vin’s face.

“I’m not that damn lucky.”

“I’m thirsty.”

Chris took a glass of water from the side table and gently lifted Vin’s head. Tanner gasped, reaching for his ribs. “Sorry, Vin.” After a couple of sips of water, the injured man’s eyes closed. Chris lowered his friend’s head and sat down. Vin groaned softly, again. “I know, Vin. I know,” Chris murmured, patting his friend’s arm. It was going to be a long night. “Try to sleep.”

Some moments later, Chris turned at the sound of a quiet knock on the door. “Liam?” he cried, rushing across and throwing his arms around his brother. He held the younger man for some time before drawing apart. “How are you doing?”

“Yeah, okay, I guess. It’s sort of a surreal feeling. They were going to kill me, Chris. I don’t think I can quite believe it.”

Chris nodded ushering Liam into the room. “You need to speak to someone. Josiah’s good. He’ll help you through it.”

Liam smiled. “I’m not exactly the most popular person with Josiah or any of the others. Let’s be frank and say they hate me.”

Chris sighed and shook his head. “They don’t hate you, Liam. They’re just wary of you. You really haven’t given them a reason to trust you.”

“So it’s completely my fault?... Sorry. I’m just on edge.”

“And that’s understandable. I want to talk to you about what happened.”

Liam’s face shadowed.

“Relax,” Chris stated, indicating for Liam to sit on the chair while he sat on the side of the bed. “You were trying to pay off your debt when it all went wrong?”

“Yeah.”

“I’ll pay it.”

Liam snorted. “Chris, you don’t have the sort of money I need.”

“I’ll get it,” Chris stated, firmly.

“But...?”

“I’ll get it. You can pay these bastards off and then start with a fresh slate... We can start with a fresh slate.”

Liam’s eyes widened. “Do you mean that?”

“Only one condition. The same one as before. You have got to tell me the truth. No matter how bad it is or you think it is, you’ve got to be honest at least with me.”

Liam swallowed and his eyes brimmed with tears. “I promise. God, Chris. I just want for us to be... to be close again. Like when we were kids.”

“I want that too. Liam, I...”

Vin groaned. Chris spun around and picked up his friend’s hand. “Easy, Vin.”

“He’s awake?!” Liam cried, leaping to his feet.

“Sort of,” Chris murmured, before leaning down close to Vin and speaking to him. For almost two minutes he continued to talk until Vin finally settled again. Behind Chris, Liam watched and with each passing second, his jealousy boiled. Chris wanted them to be close, but Tanner was always there to come between them. If Vin awoke and told Chris that Liam had been trying to collect the bounty, then Liam would lose any chance of starting a fresh with his brother.

“He’s settled again,” Chris stated, turning back to Liam.

“He saved my life. How do I... I... Chris, I have a few things I need to say to him.”

“Oh,” Chris stated, a little curiously. It was obvious that whatever Liam had to say he wanted to say in private. “I really can’t leave him.“

“I... I understand. I just...“

Chris’ heart bled. “Look, I want to go to the bathroom anyway. Keep an eye on him for me for a couple of seconds, but shout if he becomes unsettled. He can be a handful.”

Liam nodded gratefully, followed Chris to the door and closed it after him.

**********

“Buck, you only moved four places. The die says five,” J.D. pointed out.

“I did move five!”

“If you’d moved five, you’d be on Mayfair and owe me six hundred dollars.”

“Rubbish!”

Ezra rolled his eyes. “This is like having teeth pulled.”

Buck opened his mouth to comment when he spotted a group of young nurses collected at the nurses’ station. “Ahh, a flock of nurse... or is that gaggle? No, definitely a herd. Excuse me boys, I have a herd of nurse to round up.” With that, Buck rose to his feet and with his animal magnetism sent out in front of him like radar, he swaggered off to share himself around.

Josiah smiled. “I guess that means Buck’s out.”

“So am I,” Ezra stated, standing and stretching his back. “I’m going to take a walk. Perhaps I will come across more stimulating company in the parking lot.”

“Just you and me, J.D.,” Josiah yawned.

“You can’t play monopoly with just two people,” the younger man complained.

“I’ll let you be the banker.”

“I‘m hungry.”

“That makes two of us.”

“The cafeteria?”

“The cafeteria.”

**********

Liam froze for a split second, his mind racing. He only had a couple of minutes. His eyes were drawn to Tanner who had become decidedly restless since Chris had left the room. Quickly, Liam rushed around the bed and looked at the monitor. It wasn’t life support so turning it off wouldn’t affect Vin’s condition. Across the bed, in the chair Chris usually sat in, was a pillow. Perfect! Liam ran around the bed, picked up the pillow and stepped forward. For a couple of seconds he stared down at the injured man. Tanner had saved his life… for Chris. Liam’d seen the look in Vin’s eyes at Four Corners. Chris’ friend hadn’t tried to hide what he thought of him. Like Buck, Vin hated him and both were turning Chris away… stealing and replacing Liam’s relationship with his own brother. Liam’s rage ignited. He wasn’t going to stand by and let it happen. “He’s my brother, Tanner. Not yours.”

Liam lifted the pillow. He would smother Vin. Then, Tanner would no longer be in the way. It was for the best. Chris wouldn’t understand that at first, but with Tanner out of the way, they could go back to the way things had been years earlier.

Liam raised the pillow.

“Is he alright?” a cultured voice asked from the door.

Liam spun around, his face a mask of guilt and horror. Ezra stared at him and then his green eyes dropped to the pillow. Ezra Standish, a man who prided himself on self-control, exploded. He tackled Liam and slammed him into the wall, shouting, “WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU GOING TO DO?!”

Chris heard the cry and rushed down the hallway. “Ezra?” he asked, bursting into the room. The gambler’s knuckles, clenched around fists full of Liam’s shirt, were almost as white as Ezra’s enraged face. “Ezra?!” Chris cried.

Larabee’s voice snapped Standish back to his senses. His mind zapped at a million miles an hour. Liam had been going to smother Vin with the pillow! He’d been going to kill Vin, but Ezra had no proof. He couldn’t even be sure that was what he’d seen. Liam had had his back to the Em7 agent.

“Let go of me?! I was just checking him. He was moving about.” Liam cried.

Chris walked up to Ezra and physically pulled his hands from Liam. “Ezra?”

“I... I saw him leaning over Vin and I...”

Chris nodded to Ezra. “Thanks.”

Liam’s mouth dropped open. “Thanks?”

Chris raised his hand for calm. “Ezra didn’t know you’d come back to the hospital. He saw someone leaning over Vin and he reacted instinctively. With the contract on Vin’s life, we can’t afford to take any chances. Are you both alright?”

Liam shrugged, putting the pillow down and straightening the front of his shirt. Ezra’s chest was still heaving with raw emotion. He needed to tell Chris what he thought he’d seen but... “I’m okay,” he whispered. Chris leaned over Vin, patted his arm and assured his best friend that everything was all right. His words gradually had a calming effect on the restive man.

Ezra glared at Liam and slowly backed out of the room. “Chris, I don’t believe you should leave his side. He became quite distressed during your absence,” Ezra forced out through his tightly clenched jaw.

Larabee didn’t turn, but acknowledged the advice with a nod. “Yeah. I can see that. Relax, Vin.” Ezra knew he needed to leave or he would do or say something he would regret later. With one final glare at Liam, Standish walked from the room.

Vin started to thrash. “Whooh. Calm down,“ Chris soothed, taking Vin’s shoulders. “There’s no need for you to be moving around. Calm down, Cowboy.“ The thrashing ceased and Vin’s eyes opened briefly. “It’s okay. Settle down. Everything’s fine.“

Liam watched his brother for a few seconds. “I... I guess I should be going.”

“Huh? Oh, okay. You let me know some details and I’ll arrange the money.” Despite the words, Chris remained focused on Vin. Liam turned and glared at Tanner before leaving the room.

The younger Larabee strode down the hallway, his rage ready to ignite. He lashed out at a trolley to one side of the corridor sending it crashing into the wall. As he stopped at the elevator, Ezra stepped out of an alcove. He had placed himself there as a silent sentry. If Chris left the room again, Ezra would be there to provide protection for Vin.

The two men glowered at each other, but Liam’s resolve faded under the scrutiny of Ezra’s ice green eyes. Liam considered trying to explain that he had been going to use the pillow to make Vin more comfortable, but Ezra was looking directly into his soul.

“I suggest you heed Captain Wilmington’s warning. I know you don’t believe Buck would carry out his threat...” Ezra paused and stepped forward so that his face was less than an inch’s from Liam‘s... “Rest assured, I will!”

True to form, Liam backed away from Ezra and fled down the stairs. Standish stood, still in two minds. Finally, he decided that telling Chris would achieve little. Liam was Chris’ brother. Without concrete proof, Chris would automatically defend his sibling.

Instead, Ezra returned to his companions downstairs. When he explained the incident, Buck completely lost it. The others chased the hysterical man out into the parking lot. Buck was determined to find Liam, but the younger Larabee had long gone. Ezra didn’t doubt for a moment that Buck would have killed Liam on the spot. Finally, the men calmed the captain and were able to discuss what had happened. It was agreed that until Vin recovered, one of them would remain on the door at all times. Vin was not to be left alone until he was able to look after himself. Tanner would also need to be warned of the attack as soon as he was able to understand. Telling Chris would only cause more animosity and so the men agreed to shoulder the burden. No one felt particularly comfortable with the decision but they saw no other alternatives.

**********

Las Vegas - the city of lights. Maude Standish adjusted the framed certificate and stepped back from the wall to admire it. She still couldn’t believe her establishment had been voted the best in the industry. Maude wrapped her arms around herself and then scanned her elaborate office on the top floor looking out over the city. She had worked damn hard for all of this. Of course, she knew she owed much of it to Ezra, though she would never admit it. Ezra was behind the mysterious money that regularly kept appearing in her bank account. Money she had been able to use to build up her investment. Now, she was well and truly self-sufficient.

Maude walked across to her antique oak desk and picked up the framed photograph of her son. She smiled and kissed the picture. As she did, the phone rang. The smile on Maude’s face changed from one of genuine love to one of gloating satisfaction. No doubt it was another person ringing to congratulate her and eat humble pie. The woman walked around the desk, sat down in her leather chair, removed her earring and picked up the phone. “Maude Standish.” She heard the distant beeping indicating it was an international call.

“Hello, Maude.” Maude’s brow furrowed. In a long, distant part of her memory she had recognition. All of a sudden, Maude’s eyes enlarged. “Wilhelm?”

***********

Just over fifty hours after Vin was admitted to hospital, he regained full consciousness. The sharpshooter was in considerable discomfort, but he was awake and lucid. Nathan and Chris helped Vin to sit up, Tanner grimacing as his ribs protested.

Nathan signaled the others to enter and Vin’s friends crowded around the bed, watching as Tanner took a few seconds to focus. Clearly, he was a little disoriented and Nathan had warned that this visit needed to be short.

The sight of his companions produced a smirk on the injured man’s face. J.D. was moving from one foot to the other, shoveling popcorn into his mouth; Josiah was seated on the end of the bed grinning like a Cheshire cat; while Nathan was at the foot of the bed holding the medical chart and scribbling notes; Ezra was seated on a chair on one side of the bed, unconsciously shuffling a deck of cards; Chris was hovering like an old mother hen and Buck was leaning over him beaming. These men were the constant in Vin Tanner’s life. Wonderfully predictable.

“Hey, Kid. It’s good to see you awake.”

“Get out of his face, Buck,” Nathan ordered, without looking up.

Ezra paused in his shuffling, assessing his friend’s condition with narrowed eyes. Vin looked uncomfortable, his brow deeply creased with the throb of a splitting headache, an after effect of the detoxification process. The bandage around Tanner’s head was gone, replaced by a piece of medical tape that revealed all of the deep bruising on the left side of his face. His shoulder and ribs were strapped but the swelling around both was evident.

“You’re only sitting up for a few minutes, Vin,” Nathan repeated for the third time since agreeing to the visit. Vin shifted carefully, trying to support his ribs.

“How are you feeling, Vin?” J.D. asked, between mouthfuls.

“Like shit,” Tanner muttered. His own voice split through his head and he squeezed his eyes shut to help block out the pain. His companions exchanged looks of sympathy.

“Do you remember what happened?” Nathan put down the medical chart and concentrated on his patient.

Vin glanced at the medic, thought about it and finally shook his head, gingerly. The only thing he could recall were the emotions he had felt - fear, anger, confusion and a dozen others. “Buck landed a plane on me?”

“I resent that. I’ve never landed on anything... yeah, okay. Except J.D.’s car. One minor mistake and a man is labelled for life.”

“Minor mistake?!” J.D. cried. “You landed on my car!”

Again, Vin smiled.

“Hey, Vin. My application was accepted!” Buck cried, ecstatically. The other men began rolling their eyes. Buck had been crowing about it for the past four hours.

“Application?” Vin asked, trying to get comfortable.

“You know, the Sexiest Man in America Competition.”

“The beauty contest,” J.D. clarified.

“I’ve told you not to call it that! I’m up to the interview stage. There are a hundred of us, but they are going to whittle that down to only fifteen. My interview is scheduled three weeks from now. Give me time to get into shape.”

“You need it. Look at your stomach!” J.D. chuckled.

“Says he who has a mouth full of popcorn.”

“Boys, keep it down,” Nathan scolded.

Vin glanced at Chris and grinned. Larabee squeezed his shoulder. Vin sighed. Chris had pulled him through this. He’d been aware of his best friend at his side throughout the past two days. Thanks, Chris.

Larabee smiled. Any time.

“You received a phone call from Liam,” Ezra offered, providing some sanity and drawing the conversation back on track. Tanner shrugged. He didn’t remember.

“Liam was in trouble and you went to help him,” J.D. added. “At the docks.”

Vin’s eyes glazed slightly. His memory cleared. “Is Liam okay?” he asked.

Chris nodded. “I spoke to him last night.” The other men again exchanged glances as their emotions bubbled below the surface. “He’s still a bit shaken, but he’s alive, thanks to you.”

“My bike! Oww, hell. My bike,” Vin cried. The exclamation caused him to gasp.

“Hey, calm down there,” Nathan chastised as Vin grabbed his head in his hands.

“Prognosis is unsure but the mechanic has hopes of a good recovery,” Ezra stated smiling.

Vin cursed and continued to rub his temples. “Man, my head feels like it’s gonna explode. Can you give me anything for it, Nathan?”

Jackson shook his head. “Sorry. You’ve got enough drugs in your system as it is.”

“Great,” Vin muttered. Exhaustion radiated from his bruised face. His squinted eyes closed briefly and the frown on his face deepened.

“I think that’s enough,” Nathan ordered, cutting the visit short. “Time to lay down.”

“It doesn’t help,” Vin complained. “Don’t go. Talk to me. It keeps my mind off it,” Vin urged. “So, I went to the docks... I remember. Liam was at the end of the alley and then... the car hit me. They were after Liam. He called me for help.”

“This time you weren’t the target,” Chris agreed.

“However, I think now would be a good time to discuss those new security measures Chris has been talking about,” Josiah interrupted. “If one of us had been with you, this wouldn’t have happened.”

Vin’s face flushed. Everyone was well aware of what Vin had just realized. “There won’t be any need for any new security measures,” the injured man whispered.

“Why?” J.D. asked, innocently.

“Because...” Vin struggled to find the words.

“You really didn’t think we’d believe a word of that bullshit you wrote?”

“I meant it, Buck.” Vin focused on a spot just past his friend’s shoulder. “I’ve decided to leave for my own sake. It’s my life. I was hoping you fellas would understand.”

“You truly are the worst liar I’ve ever met,” Ezra scolded. “You’re a grown man and you simply have no talent for lying. You’re an embarrassment!”

“He’s right, Vin. You can’t look a person in the face when you lie... or at least, you can’t look someone you care about in the face when you lie,” Nathan explained, gently.

Vin swore. “None of it makes any difference!” he snapped. “I’m leaving. I want to go into hiding.”

“Because you’re worried about us,” Josiah whispered.

“I’m going because I have to,” Vin growled. “Because I want to.”

“Because you’re worried about us,” Josiah repeated.

“For God’s sake! Don’t you understand?” Vin reached for his temples again with one hand and tired to support his ribs with the other. “I don’t want your deaths on my conscience!”

“Like I said, all because you’re worried about us.”

“So,” Chris stated coldly, entering the conversation for the first time. Up until this point, Larabee had been silent. He was overtired after having sat in the chair beside Vin for two days and nights. Tanner‘s recovery had amazed all of the medical personnel at the hospital. Viflayide combined with Tanner’s own determination had allowed Vin a speedy detox but it hadn’t been easy on the injured lieutenant. He looked dreadful and the fight he had put up had left him drained. The headache he was suffering from was akin to a migraine and his battered and bruised body was stiff and sore. He had no respite from the terrible ache from his ribs, shoulder or hips because he couldn’t afford to take any painkillers outside of some foul tasting herbal tea Nathan kept forcing into him.

All of this Chris was well aware of, but it was time to put an end to this foolishness about Vin leaving. “So, there are no words any of us can say to change your mind?” Vin shook his head. “Fine, then listen to your own ^%$ing words!”

The other men watched as Chris withdrew a folded piece of paper. He’d had Buck collect it from the office.

Larabee read the words printed on the sheet in a hushed whisper. “We started as soldiers - some may say flippantly, ‘brothers in arms‘. “ Chris’ face was a mixture of emotion, no one more prominent than any other. Vin stared at his best friend as his own words filled the room. Part of him wanted Larabee to stop. Another part was listening to the message and assimilating it for the first time since he had written the poem three years earlier.

The honesty and raw emotion of the words left Ezra with his head bowed. The thoughts and feelings being expressed were his own. As he listened to Chris recite Vin’s thoughts, he accepted that he, too, had gone through the same amazing course of denial, immersion, unwitting acceptance and now conscious acknowledgement of the fact that he no longer saw the responsibility for his partners as a burden, but an underlying principle on which his life was based.

Ezra drew a deep shuddering breath. A hand was clamped down on his shoulder from the left and one from the right as Nathan and J.D. both moved to support him.

Chris’ cheek twitched as he read the final words. “I found myself my brothers in arms' keeper - a choice made by others. But by choice, I am now my brothers' keeper... for you are my brothers.” For several seconds no one moved. Larabee folded the note, replaced it and then looked at Vin, grabbing his friend’s attention and holding it with an unflinching stare. “Vin Tanner, you are our brother and we choose to be your keepers. It isn‘t your choice. It‘s ours.” Larabee thrust his hand out above Vin’s chest - the team’s silent call to arms. Buck slammed his on top of Chris’. One by one, Josiah, Nathan, Ezra and J.D. did likewise. Chris then picked up Vin’s hand and placed it on top.

Vin swallowed hard. He opened his mouth to argue, but the resolute faces staring back at him weren‘t willing to listen and his own words had condemned what he had been trying to do. Slowly, Tanner shook his head, the agony of what all this meant to him advertised in his pained blue eyes.

“It is the price you pay for having family, Vin,” Josiah preached, softly.

“I really didn’t have a chance, did I?” Vin mumbled.

“No, brother, you didn’t”

Chris placed his other hand over Vin’s and squeezed it. He accepted what Tanner had been trying to do, for in his friend’s shoes he would have done the same. Chris also understood better than anyone how hard it was to carry the burden of knowing he may be responsible for the deaths of those he cared about. Well?

Vin scanned the hard, determined faces of his companions and finally he nodded his unconditional surrender. Smiles formed and nods of triumph were exchanged. The men dropped their hands.

“So, I guess we better talk about these new security measures,” Vin stated, quietly. It was the ultimate acknowledgment of the fact that he’d lost the battle.

Chris sat down on the side of the bed and offered his arm. Vin stared at it for a few seconds and then his snapped along its length. There was nothing on Heaven or Earth that could shake the bond this pair shared. Two minds. One soul.

All for one.

And one for all, Vin conceded.

**********

At that very moment, in the hushed library of a gentlemen's club, two men sat playing chess.

“My men failed,” one said as he moved his marble Queen sideways.

“Failure is a term I'm unfamiliar with,” the other responded, moving a pawn, then sitting back and rubbing his gray beard.

The first player took the sacrificed pawn curiously and glanced at his companion waiting for further comment.

The bearded man’s black queen skirted across the checkered board and paused between two squares. “To take the King, one must first remove the pawn who escaped earlier.”

“It shall be done.”

“I don’t doubt that.” Their eyes met briefly and the older placed his queen. “Then, you must again try to steal the knight for the knight is the key to protecting the king.”

“I understand, but what of the others?” The white bishop slid across and took the knight as instructed, and it was then that his opponent’s elaborate strategy became clear.

The bearded man smiled with satisfaction and moved his queen to sit two squares away from the defenseless white king. “Checkmate, I believe.”

**********

At the hospital the others watched with relief as Vin and Chris exchanged the grip that symbolized their brotherhood.

“It isn’t much fun when your family gangs up on you, is it, Cowboy?” Larabee’s genuine relief radiated from him as the pair dropped their hands.

“Tell me about it,” Vin grumbled, but his own relief was evident. The last thing in the world he‘d wanted to do was leave, but he just hadn’t seen any other option until Chris had read the poem. For the first time, Vin saw things with absolute clarity. They would protect him, not because they wanted to, but because they needed to. Just as he would protect them for the same reasons. As Chris had pointed out, the choice had never been his, it was theirs. The risks were understood and accepted willingly.

“Okay, let’s have some suggestions for keeping our sharpshooter in one piece,” Chris prompted.

Everyone had specific ideas on how to ensure Vin’s safety and offered them eagerly and passionately. Within moments, the men of Em7 - arguably the toughest men on earth - were bickering like siblings.

Stay tuned for Episode Seven... coming soon.

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