Part 3
Chapter 13
Time had no meaning for him. It became like everything else, superficial compared to the constant pain invading his senses. Whatever drug Whelan gave him
heightened his body’s senses to the point where he felt everything. He’d tried to pull his hands from the pain caused by the nails but the clamps around his wrist
restricted his movements. He could see the bag of IV fluid slowly seeping into his arm, each drop falling into the tiny reservoir. He laughed as he thought of how
much he’d love to be lying in a hospital bed instead of sitting in this chair at the hands of a madman. ‘You’d love that one, Vin,’ he thought.
“Set up the camera, Davey.”
Chris heard the order and glared at the hated man who gave it.
“How are you doing there, Chris, you ready for another demonstration of my work?”
Larabee swallowed around the lump in his throat as the man knelt before him. “Go to hell,” he said.
“Oh, Chris, this attitude of yours simply will not do. Have you ever seen those cattle prods ranchers use. They are a thing of beauty. So long and sleek, so much
power in my hands,” Whelan grinned as he lovingly caressed the two foot long item he’d picked up off the floor. “This one is slightly modified so I can give you as
much pain as I wish. Oh, it won’t kill you but it will make you feel a little uncomfortable I’m afraid,” he said as he tapped the prod on his palm.
“It’s all set, Mr. Whelan.”
“Thank you, Davey,” Whelan said.
Chris watched as his tormentor tore open a package of batteries and slowly, methodically inserted them into the prod. He knew there was nothing he could do to
stop what was about to happen but he faced forward directly at the camera mouthing a name over and over. He prayed that Standish, who’d become very adept at
reading lips would notice and be able to pick it out.
“Look at me, Chris,” Whelan ordered. “I said look at me,” Whelan repeated as he placed the end of the cattle prod on Larabee’s left knee.
Chris looked up at the man he’d come to hate and waited for what he knew was about to be inflicted. The sudden jolt of electricity running through his body caused
him to cry out and clench his teeth as he tried to ride out the agony. His body, unable to move in the confines of the chair, struggled to get away from the new torture
heaped on it by the soft-spoken madman.
Whelan smiled as he watched his victim try to escape the excruciating pain he was inflicting on him. The strangled cries coming from the man’s throat seemed to ignite
the passion the torturer had for his work. The malicious grin on his face as the blond’s cries filled the large room gave proof to the words describing him as the best in
the business. A man who could do anything to anyone and right now that anyone was Chris Larabee.
Chris felt the prod removed time and again only to be placed on a different part of his body. Each time Whelan depressed the button a jolt of pure agony ran through
his body. He was past the point of caring now and just let the screams rise from his throat in a continuous pain filled cry for help. He had no idea when the torture
stopped because his body continued to thrash as if the electricity still flowed through him. Tears fell from his eyes and rolled down his cheeks as he closed his eyes
and willed it all to stop.
“Chris, you know better that that,” Whelan said as he once again placed a needle into the IV feeding into the blond’s forearm. “I told you I won’t be letting you get
any sleep. Would you like to say anything to your friend right now?” he asked.
Chris continued to fight the spasms flowing through his body as he looked at the man kneeling beside him, “I’ll kill you,” he said simply.
“Such idle threats, Chris. I asked if you had anything to say to your friend. I’m sure Mr. Tanner is worried about you,” Whelan said.
“Oh, God, Vin,” the blond cried before he could stop the words.
“Turn off the tape,” Whelan ordered as soon as the words were out of Larabee’s mouth. “I think Mr. Tanner will enjoy that little message. So much pain came
through in your voice,” he smiled as he placed his hand gently on his victim’s cheek.
“I swear if I get outta here I’ll kill you with my bare hands,” the blond grated out.
“Do you really think that’s possible, Chris, I mean your hands look awful sore and painful right now,” Whelan laughed as he ran his hands over the blond’s swollen
thumbs, eliciting a cry of pain from the man. “You see I have total control of your life right now and there’s nothing you can do about it.
Chris watched the man as he walked into the shadows. Whelan was taking everything he valued away from him. He knew he’d cried out during the last segment of
torture but that didn’t hurt him as much as calling out Vin’s name. He knew exactly what it would do to Vin when he heard his voice crying out on the video. Hanging
his head, knowing there would be no sleep for him with the fiery drug running through his system he let the tears of pain and anger flow freely down his cheeks. ‘It’s
not your fault, Vin, it’s not your fault,’ he thought.
Chapter 14
“You going to tell me what happened, Vin?”
Vin Tanner sat on the table watching as Dr. Stacey Midland closed the wound in the palm of his hand. He’d known her since he’d come to work for The Firm. She
was always there to help any member of The Firm and she had charts on all of them, his and Chris’s being the largest. “I cut it,” he said simply.
“I gathered that,” Midland laughed. “I want to know what you cut it on. By the way where’s your shadow?” she quipped.
“My shadow?” Vin asked, his tired mind not working as fast as it normally would.
“Doesn’t Chris usually come in with you. Please tell me he’s not in another room waiting for me,” she laughed.
“How is he, Dr. Midland?” Sanchez asked as he stepped into the suture room.
“He’ll be fine, Josiah. I’m almost finished. I was just asking him about his shadow. Is Chris in here as well?”
“No, Ma’am, he’s not here,” Sanchez answered as he saw the look of anguish on the patient’s face.
Midland’s eyes rose as she looked from Sanchez to Tanner. She knew these men, knew how protective they were of each other, and knew something bad had
happened to one of her most frequent patients. “What’s going on, Josiah?” she asked.
“I can’t go into it right now, Doc, all I can say is Chris is missing,” Sanchez answered.
“From the looks on both your faces there’s more to it than that. I know you can’t go into details but should I be expecting a visit from your leader when you find
him?”
“Yes,” Tanner said softly.
“Damn, I hate when you say it like that, Vin,” Midland said. “All done. Just make sure you keep it clean and dry,” the doctor ordered as they left the room. ‘Well,
Chris, what kind of trouble have you got yourself into this time?’ she thought.
Chapter 15
“Mr. Tanner.”
“Yes, Tom,” Vin said as he stepped into the security office.
“This guy has another package for you.”
Vin’s knees threatened to give way as he took the tape from the young man’s hands. He knew by the shape and wrapping what it contained and if Buck Wilmington
hadn’t chosen that moment to step into the office Vin would have collapsed.
“Easy, Vin, you alright?” Wilmington asked as he grabbed the younger man’s elbow, his eyes falling on the package he held. “Damn! Let’s get the others,” he hissed.
“You want me to check this guy out, Mr. Tanner?” Tom asked.
“I don’t think it’ll do any good but check him out anyway, Tom,” Tanner said as slowly walked to the elevator.
~~~~~~~~~
“I set up two VCR’s, Vin. This way we can tape it as we watch it. I know the guy who’s doing this probably set it up so it can’t be taped but it’s worth a try,” Dunne
explained as he finished hooking up the second VCR.
“Thanks, JD,” Tanner said as he put the tape in the first VCR. “Set it to auto tape.”
“Done.”
Vin pressed the button and started the tape. The first thing that caught Vin’s attention was the pained look in his friend’s eyes, the second was the IV pole standing to
the right of the chair, the tubing running into Larabee’s right forearm.
No one moved as the man in the shadows began speaking to their friend. They listened as he explained what he was going to do to the blond this time. They watched
silently as he placed new batteries in the cattle prod. Their silence ended when the screams of agony ripped from the Chris’s throat. They watched as spasm after
spasm jerked his body against the restraints that held him in place. They watched as the man placed a needle into the IV, explaining how Chris would not be allowed
to rest. As the tape neared the end they heard the man ask Chris if there was anything he had to say. All eyes turned to Vin Tanner as they heard the words that
came from the blond’s lips. “Oh, God, Vin.”
The tape began to rewind.
Jackson was the first to reach the younger man as the color drained from his face. “It’s alright, Vin,” he soothed.
Tanner shook his head as his friend’s pain filled voice played over and over in his mind. ‘Oh, God, Vin. Oh, God, Vin.’ He knew he’d hear those words as long as
he lived. “It’ll never be alright again, Nathan,” he whispered.
“Yes it will, Vin. We’ll get Chris back and when we do he’s gonna need you to be strong for him.”
“I put him where he is, Nate. He’s there because of me,” Tanner said as he threw the remote across the room.
“Did that make you feel better?” Jackson asked.
“No.”
“It never does. Shall we see if JD’s idea was successful?”
Vin nodded his head and settled back into the chair as JD started the first tape. Once again the screen was black. “Try the other one, JD?” Tanner suggested.
The second tape played, not as clearly as the first one but they were able to watch it.
“Mr. Dunne could you kindly rewind that part?” Standish asked after a minute of the tape had elapsed.
“Sure thing, Ez,” Dunne said.
“What is it, Ezra?” Wilmington asked hopefully.
“I’m not sure it’s anything, Mr. Wilmington. I just want to check something. Stop, JD, rewind it again and play it forward in slow motion.”
All eyes watched the face of the man strapped in the chair. His lips moved imperceptibly and Ezra Standish, who’d become adept at lip reading picked up on the
name his leader and friend had been repeating. “You can stop now, Mr. Dunne.”
“What did you see, Brother?” Sanchez asked.
“I do believe Mr. Larabee was endeavoring to give us a name,” Standish told them.
“What name?” Tanner asked.
“He was repeating the name Gary. Does that mean anything to you?”
Tanner’s face paled as he looked at the still face on the TV screen. His mind wondered back to the night at Chris’s ranch. The night they’d shared stories of a lost
friend. The night before this whole nightmare began.
“Vin, do you know who Gary is?” Wilmington asked anxiously.
“I do,” Tanner admitted as he fell heavily back in his chair, five sets of eyes watching him anxiously.
“Would you mind telling the rest of us?” Wilmington asked.
“He’s a dead man,” Tanner said.
“I’ll agree with you there cause if I get my hands on the son of a bitch he will be a dead man,” Sanchez snarled, surprising them all with his language, something the ex
preacher seldom used.
“No, Josiah, I mean he’s already dead. He died in Beirut six years ago.”
“Then it can’t be the same Gary,” Dunne said.
“Chris would never have said the name if it wasn’t. Something tells me Gary Wilcox didn’t die at all and if he’s got Chris then it’s all my fault and I’ll take care of it,”
Tanner ground out angrily.
“We’re a team, Vin, there’s no way you’re doing this alone,” Wilmington assured him.
“Mr. Wilmington is right. We’ll find Mr. Larabee together,” Standish said.
“Alright we work together,” Tanner agreed, ‘at least for now,’ he thought. “JD run a check on Gary Wilcox. If he is alive I doubt he’s still going by that name so see
if you can get a set of prints and call in every favor we’re owed. I want to know if this really is Gary Wilcox before we waste too much time searching for him.”
“I’m on it, Vin,” Dunne said as he opened his laptop.
“Josiah, see if you can enhance the video so we can get a better look at the son of a bitch who’s doing this to Chris. I want to know who he is and what his
connection is to Gary,” Tanner stared at the TV screen, forcing himself to control his anger as he instructed the others on what he wanted done. He knew they’d
listen to him without questioning his authority.
“I get the impression that this man enjoys what he does. That makes me think he’s a hired professional. I’d like to check with some acquaintances of mine who may
be able to help,” Standish said.
“Sounds good, Ez,” Tanner agreed as he watched his friends start working now that they had something to go on.
Chapter 16
“Turn on the camera, Davey,” Whelan said as he replaced the bag of IV fluids over his victim’s head.
Chris Larabee was exhausted and in pain. The drug Whelan was feeding him kept his body from the sleep it needed and every waking moment was filled with pain.
He knew with those five words things were about to go from bad to worse and there was nothing he could do about it. He kept his eyes forward as he heard Whelan
setting something on the table next to the chair that held him captive.
“It’s all set, Mr. Whelan,” Davey said.
Whelan knelt in front of the blond, a sadistic smile on his face. “Well, Chris, are you ready for the next round?”
“I’ll kill you,” the blond hissed, his voice stronger than it had any right to be.
Whelan laughed, loud and long at his victim’s empty threat. “I wish I could free you just to see what you’d do to carry out that threat. Alas there is no time. We must
get back to the business at hand. Oh, that’s funny, business at hand. How are your hands? They look kind of swollen,” Whelan said as he kept his back to the
camera. “Can you still move your fingers and thumb?” he asked, when there was no answer forthcoming from the blond he grabbed both thumbs and viciously
moved them, eliciting an anguished scream from the trapped man. “Guess you’ve still got some feeling in them. That’s gonna make this all the harder on you I’m
afraid,” he explained as he moved to the side of the chair and into the shadows. “You do realize that this is all Mr. Tanner’s fault don’t you?” he asked, knowing the
drugs he was giving the man would leave him susceptible to suggestions.
“It’s n...not Vin’s fault. It’s yours and Wilcox’s fault,” the blond said.
“Now that wasn’t very smart of you, Chris. We’ll just edit that part out of the tape. We’ll let Mr. Tanner know where you are and who has you when the time is
right. Until then we shall enjoy each other’s company,” Whelan laughed. “You know you really should think about what I’ve said. If it weren’t for Vin Tanner
breaking his promise you wouldn’t be here.”
“Vin didn’t break his promise,” Larabee said forcefully.
“Oh but he did and you’ll come to realize this when the time is right. For now let’s get down to business. Have you ever watched the old TV shows filmed during the
war?” he paused waiting for Chris to answer. “You’re not very talkative today are you? Do you recognize these?”
Chris looked at the items Whelan held in front of his eyes. He recognized them instantly, having suffered through a similar torture at the hands of his captives in
Vietnam before being rescued by James Curran and his Seal team.
“I see you know what they are. Have you ever been subjected to them?”
“Y...yes,” Chris answered before he could stop himself.
“That’s too bad. I was kind of hoping to introduce you to the joys of bamboo sticks myself. Oh well I guess I’ll just have to make sure I make it more memorable
than your other experience. You know the old saying this is going to hurt me more than it does you? Well that doesn’t apply in this instance,” he said as he grabbed
the thumb on his victim’s right hand and viciously shoved the thin shoot underneath the nail.