After arriving home and eating a light lunch Kayce laid on the couch with the intention of only resting a few minutes. She had forgotten how tiring pregnancy could be. While allowing all the possible outcomes of this evening’s talk to drift through her mind she dozed off.
Steve was in Rudy’s lab getting minor adjustments made to his arm. The doctor was uncomfortable with the direct line of questioning from his friend. Steve wanted to know if Rudy noticed anything unusual about his wife lately, if he felt she was acting strangely. Rudy just stated she seemed normal to him. In his mind it was the truth knowing all she had been through she was acting as normal as could be expected. The doctor pushed through the repairs quickly wanting Steve out of the building by the time Kayce arrived. Rudy wanted time to talk with her alone while he removed the tracking device from her arm.
David Ashbury arrived at his destination within the hour. He saw her car in the driveway and quietly meandered around to the back door. Efficiently using his picklock he was able to gain entry almost immediately. He found his beloved Kay asleep on the couch. His trained eye went immediately to her stomach, which was no longer as flat as it was a few months ago. With a knowing smile on his face he silently stepped forward while carefully pouring the liquid on a rag. He knew if he forcefully placed the rag on her face she would immediately resist so he was very careful. He placed the wet fabric just centimeters from her nose and mouth, getting enough of the chloroform into her system to relax her before he place the cloth against her face.
The attack was so subtle that Kayce never even stirred. He quickly picked her up and took her away but not before leaving a note in the counter.
Steve left Rudy and drove around town running errands. After picking up groceries he headed home hoping to find Kayce. His gut told him something was going on and he planned on getting to the bottom of whatever it was. He arrived to find her car in the driveway. He proceeded to put the groceries away assuming his wife was somewhere in the house.
As he went about emptying the two brown paper bags he had blindly placed on the counter the phone rang. It was Rudy Wells.
“Steve is Kayce there?”
“Why do you ask?” Steve responded coldly having a strong feeling that whatever was going on the doctor knew about it.
“Well she was scheduled to see me an hour ago and she never showed I thought maybe she forgot.” Rudy explained ignoring the chill in his friend’s tone.
Steve held the phone to his ear with one hand as he took the last empty paper bag off the counter. It was then he saw the scribbled note. The blood drained from his face at the words before him.
“Steve?... Steve, is she there?”
“Ah...no, Rudy she’s not.” He swallowed hard and finished in a soft far away tone of voice, “She’s been kidnapped.” He distractedly hung up on his friend while still staring at the note. He took a deep breath and headed swiftly to his car.
Rudy hung up his phone and headed immediately to Oscar’s office to find his boss getting disturbing news by phone. After being informed of David Ashbury posting bail the two men in Oscar’s office were confident he had Kayce but weren’t sure where. They also knew time was not in their favor because they knew what the deranged man was capable of.
Steve drove to Oscar’s office his mind still reeling from the written note he found at the house. He wondered if it was true and if it was how long she knew. He couldn’t believe she would keep something like that from him. Then there was this delusional Ashbury. Why in the world would he think the baby was his?
Reviewing Kayce’s experience the last time David took her and her subsequent nightmares, the same nightmares Kayce would not share with him, the pieces began to fall into place as Steve swung into the parking lot. On the elevator ride up to the OSI offices he knew Rudy was probably aware of his wife’s condition. He wondered how much the doctor knew of the paternity.
With a slam of the door Steve flew into Oscar’s office without knocking confident he would find them both there. He was on the physician like a junkyard dog.
“WHY RUDY? WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME? WHY DIDN’T SHE TELL ME?” He glared at the brown eyes with blue eyes as cold as ice. Rudy knew he didn’t have the answers to calm his angry friend.
“She didn’t want you to know, at least not right now and wouldn’t let me tell you.” He explained plain and simple. But nothing about this situation was plain or simple. Steve took the last half step toward Rudy and choked out the final question, one he wasn’t sure he was ready to hear the answer to, “Why does Ashbury think he is the father?”
The doctor was glued to the spot by Steve’s unwavering glare, the shock of Steve’s knowledge of the situation slowly sinking in. He knew Steve would fly into a rage at the truth. He hid behind professional ethics, “I can’t tell you that Steve…. patient/doctor privilege. I’m sorry.” He held his breath seeing Steve’s face turn crimson red, his hands clenched as tight as his jaw. Steve already knew what the doctor wouldn’t say. The younger man was almost relieved that no one said the words out loud. He could at least maintain some level of denial that anything happened between his wife and her ex-husband, the same maniac that had her in his possession again.
Oscar was quiet as the tense conversation continued between the two men. When the silence fell he inquired, “Would someone please tell me what is going on?” His face displayed his confusion.
Steve glared at the doctor and asked in a deep scathing tone, “Well Rudy?” He wanted to hear Rudy’s explanation. The physician refused to answer so Steve replied to his boss’ question, “I found this note at the house.” He removed it from his shirt pocket and handed it to Oscar who read it out loud. Rudy’s stomach tightened and his heart sank that Steve had found out this way.
‘You should have stayed out of the way from the beginning. I’m taking my wife back to raise our baby together. If you try to find us she will not be safe. I would rather have her die by my hand then lose her.’
When Oscar finished Steve sunk into a chair. “Kayce’s pregnant?” The tall man asked and Steve just shook his head at the question. “And you didn’t know?”
Steve nodded again and came swiftly back to his feet unable to sit still. “Apparently the good doctor here knew.” He glared back at Rudy who wouldn’t make eye contact with the angry husband.
“Rudy?” Oscar asked for clarification.
“Yes, she’s pregnant.” He looked up but that was all he would say.
“Why does Ashbury think it’s his?”
“I can’t answer that Oscar.” Steve couldn’t take the dodging anymore and stormed out of the room, several scenarios of what may have transpired between Kayce and David filling his head.
Oscar’s phone rang. His team of agents had come up empty it was as if the couple had disappeared into thin air. The director slammed the phone receiver down and swore. ‘How could this happen again?’ He thought.
“Oscar calm down. What did they find out?”
“Nothing Rudy, absolutely nothing!”
The two sat quiet, unsure what to do next when Rudy spoke up realizing he hadn’t met with Kayce that day as planned, “Oscar the tracking device, she still has it in her arm.”
Oscar threw the doctor a grateful expression as he dialed the property department for the equipment to locate the signal. The tension between Rudy and Steve was so thick Oscar asked his secretary Callahan to try and locate Steve in the building, he knew his friend wouldn’t travel too far in case a lead on Kayce’s whereabouts came to light.
The equipment arrived in Oscar’s office at the same time a withdrawn Steve appeared.
It didn’t take Oscar long to set up the machine. He mentally noted to himself to give the designer of this equipment a bonus as soon as this situation was over. The device on his desk had incredible range on the ground but when they plugged into the government satellite system they could locate Kayce worldwide.
Oscar had the screen displayed on his wall monitor. It didn’t give Steve and Rudy much relief to see a United States map appear instead of just a map of the east coast. Oscar saw the fear in Steve’s eyes and shrugged apologetically. “I figure he’s had several hours and could have her anywhere.”
Steve nodded his understanding that Oscar was just jumping ahead trying to save valuable time. All three were surprised when the blip appeared just east of Montana.
“He wouldn’t take her home would he?” Steve asked in confusion and Oscar nodded negatively seeing the small blinking light move steadily toward the northwest. Steve commented out loud, “He must be in the air.” The distraught husband was fighting the overwhelming urge to bolt from the office and jump into a plane to rescue his wife. He used every ounce of discipline he had to stand still and see where the glowing dot stopped. It took over ten minutes before the speck became stationary, its taunting blink daring Steve to come get him.
“Alaska.” Steve said softly and turned as Oscar quickly sifted through the file on his desk. “There is nothing in Ashbury’s file that even remotely points to Alaska.” He said with frustration.
“It doesn’t matter.” Steve commented as he headed out the door before either of his friends could respond. Oscar and Rudy had to practically jog to catch up with the swift, urgent strides of their friend. In Steve’s car on the way to the air base he remained silent as he struggled to push the thought of Kayce’s pregnancy to the outer recesses of his mind. Right now he could only focus on how to get her back unharmed.
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Rudy, sitting in the backseat, remained silent wondering if his 14-year friendship with Steve was permanently damaged from his withholding of information. If anything it would take a long time to repair.
Meanwhile in the dense, cold wilderness Kayce struggled to open her heavy eyelids having a strange sense of déjà vu. Her mouth was dry and her limbs felt like lead. She could barely move her head toward the sound of his voice. He spoke of their future together, the three of them as a family while he pulled the heavy blankets up to her chin. He wasn’t surprised that she didn’t respond knowing the injected drug was already pulsing through her veins. He hoped he had enough of the sedative left to keep her immobile until they arrived at their final destination. He had seen her temper flare over the years and wasn’t interested in experiencing her wrath again. David finally left the room, closing the door behind him and a helpless Kayce let the warm tears flow steadily down her cold cheeks.
Within minutes she had drifted to parts unknown, no longer thinking about her distressing situation. The last thought to cross her mind was Steve would never find her before David whisked her out of the country.
The flight to the US military base in Alaska was quiet, each man lost in his own thoughts. Steve was unable to sit still throughout the flight, his anxiety growing with the altitude. He knew if Kayce were hurt he would kill Ashbury, if only to keep his wife safe in the future. Rudy watched as his friend paced at the back of the plane. He had never seen Steve as agitated as he was right now.
With their plan laid out and reviewed Steve was packing a few items he might need. Rudy volunteered to accompany Steve, knowing Kayce or the unborn child may be in need of medical attention especially after her first pregnancy was life threatening and ended with the loss of the child shortly after its birth. Steve initially balked at the ridiculous idea but Oscar made the final decision. Steve did not hide his displeasure as he clipped his radio to his belt, grabbed his bag and abruptly headed to the helicopter, ignoring Rudy’s presence.
On the non-descript chopper Rudy attempted to at least apologize for his part in the deception. Steve remained silent, staring out at the tree tops, unwilling to respond to Rudy’s words. The doctor was worried if anything happened to Steve while trying to rescue Kayce he would die thinking Rudy willingly betrayed him when in fact it was an obligation to his patient.
Stepping out of the rotorcraft both men tensed at the cold wind coming over the mountain, causing their breath to dance before their faces as they exhaled. Steve finally spoke when the two men were deposited on the rugged ground and the rotorcraft lifted off. “Listen Rudy I’m not totally sure what happened between Kayce and Ashbury. My mind is full of unsettling thoughts and images that I just can’t sort them out right now. I don’t know if I’m more angry at you for not telling me, Kayce for deceiving me, or Ashbury for…for…” He couldn’t finish the thought. Taking a deep calming breath he finished, “I do know I need a clear head right now to do what needs to be done. We can sort all this out later when it’s over.” He didn’t wait for a reply. He turned and began the trek to the log home over the next ridge. Rudy followed closely, the cool air cutting through his fleece-lined jacket.
Steve and Rudy made it to the well-appointed lakeside cabin in time to see David loading a helicopter. The pair knew he had to be stopped but their first priority was to find Kayce before dealing with Ashbury. Steve just hoped he had her close by.
“Come on.” Steve directed in a whisper as he headed through the dried brush around to the backside of the cabin. He peeked inside the un-curtained window and was half relieved to see his wife on the bed. The fact that she didn’t respond to his gentle tapping on the glass had him worried.
“Rudy she’s not moving. We need to get her out of there before that maniac comes back.”
As Steve’s words left his lips he saw movement in the bedroom and ducked to the side of the window. Ashbury had returned to place some clothes into a duffle bag and said something to the unresponsive woman on the bed before heading back outside to the helicopter. What the pair of rescuer couldn’t hear was David telling Kayce they would be taking off immediately, a snow storm was heading their way.
“This is it.” Steve said as he used his bionic strength to open the warped and weathered window. He tensed as it made an eerie screeching sound. He gracefully hopped through the window and went to his wife’s side. Rudy followed him closely. Sitting on the edge of the bed Steve tried to waken the young woman while the doctor sifted through the black bag next to the bed. Pulling out a small half-empty vile he commented, “Steve, it looks like he drugged her again.” He held up the evidence.
“Can you reverse it?” Steve asked hopefully as he watched Rudy route through the bag again until he retrieved another vile. “It looks like we are in luck.”
The doctor quickly filled a clean syringe and injected the pregnant woman. Not wanting to wait for Ashbury to return Steve lifted his limp wife into his arms and headed to the window. Rudy take her until I get outside. Rudy did as instructed and handed the light bundle out to her waiting husband. The three made their way to a covering about 100 yards from the cabin. Steve could feel Kayce was beginning to wake up and wasn’t sure if she would immediately recognize him. He didn’t want her screaming and exposing their location.
He gently laid her on the cold, hard ground still supporting her head and shoulders. “Kayce, can you hear me?” She slowly opened her glassy eyes and was in total disbelief. She didn’t think it could be true. Her breathing came in pants as she instantly clung tightly to her husband’s neck. “Oh Steve.” She cried with her face buried in his shoulder. He could feel her body shake as he tried to settle her.
David was more than a little angry when he returned to the bedroom to find his wife gone and the window open. Noticing the wet boot prints on the wooden floor he knew he had company, at least two unwanted guests. He reminded himself to be cautious as he checked that his 9mm automatic was fully loaded. He stopped to think for a moment. ‘There could be more than two. Yes, it would be better to get away clean and come back for her later instead of risk getting caught.’ He didn’t want to start a shoot out with whoever was sneaking about.
Deciding he had everything he needed at the moment he quickly ran to the helicopter.
Kayce was now alert and being helped to her feet by Rudy. Steve, using his telephoto lens, saw the helicopter rotors began to spin, the large jet engine bursting to life. Steve explained his plan placing two fist size rocks in the pockets of his jacket, “I’m going for the chopper and I need you two to stay here and out of sight okay?” Rudy and Kayce nodded.
“Be careful Steve.” Kayce offered as Steve headed off in a bionic run.
Arriving at the helipad, the loud machine had already lifted off the ground; Steve retrieved a rock from his pocket. Using his right hand he sent the primitive missile toward the tail rotor. He knew disabling the tail rotor would cause the rotorcraft to spin erratically in the opposite direction of the main rotor. Control of the craft would be near impossible, forcing Ashbury to return to the ground where Steve would be waiting for him. Unfortunately the observant pilot spun the tail rotor out of the way of the flying projectile.
Steve cursed as the rocked missed its mark.
He leaped as high as his manufactured legs would send him, barely catching the skid with his right hand, the copter gaining altitude swiftly. Kayce stood at Rudy’s side, both holding their breaths watching the tense scene playing out over the large lake.
The unexpected weight imbalance from the 175-pound arrival got the pilot’s attention instantly and he immediately adjusted the controls. Ashbury attempted to shake the uninvited guest off but his attempts failed. He opened the lightweight door, aimed and fired his 9 mm three times at the unwanted passenger clinging deftly to the metal rung.
Kayce and Rudy heard the gunfire; their stomachs tightened with anxiety, watching Steve dangle close to 100 feet in the air. With the strong air currents from the spinning blades Steve didn’t feel the bullets flying past him. Reaching into his pocket with his left hand he retrieved the last rock. Carefully switching his handhold he placed the rock into his right hand and using his telephoto lens as a sight he let the solid sphere fly. The impact of the rock on the small spinning rotor caused sparks to fly and the metal blades to disintegrate.
Kayce and Rudy stared as the craft began its frantic dance to stay airborne. Ashbury continue to gain altitude in small increments, needing to escape. Steve, now holding on with both hands, tried to decide his best and safest option to disengage himself from the flailing bird.
It surprised Steve that Ashbury was crazy enough to try to gain altitude and not follow the emergency procedure to shut down the engine and auto-rotate down. The rotorcraft continued to lurch and spin. Steve knew attempting to force the copter to climb was useless, causing the craft to struggle more violently. He knew the bird was going to crash and crash hard. Looking over his shoulder he saw the lake was still below him with landfall coming up fast.
The body of water was his only chance to distance himself and avoid the impending crash; he certainly couldn’t ride it down. Taking a deep breath he let go of the skid as it assisted with violently flinging him off at an odd angle. Looking like a limp rag doll he fell the 200 feet into the frigid water.
Dr. Wells and Kayce were running toward the lake as the helicopter hit the ground just beyond the small body of water and exploded just seconds after Steve dropped. They couldn’t see him after he hit the water but waited patiently for him to resurface.
Steve’s body tensed as it ungracefully hit the solid wall of water partially on its side. The hard impact jarred his whole body causing him to sink quickly. His head pounded from the blow the water inflicted on his head and body. The darkness taunted him as he struggled to find the water’s surface. He never anticipated the water would be this cold and fought off the panic when his bionics immediately shut down.
Breaking the surface Steve was choking on the water and gasping for air, dizzy from both the head injury and unexpected extreme cold. He eyed the closest shore, 200 feet away and only yards from the cabin. He swam as best he could with the use of only his left arm, desperately fighting the blackness chasing him.
Finally to shore, he painfully dragged his aching, waterlogged body up onto the land. The harsh coughing to expel the unwanted water in his lungs caused the dark curtain to fall abruptly. Seconds later Kayce and Rudy dropped to their knees finding Steve lying on his left side freezing cold, soaking wet and completely unresponsive.
Rudy took his upper body and Kayce grabbed his legs as they carefully carried Steve to the cabin. Kayce made quick work of the locked door with a well-aimed bionic kick. Rudy ordered Steve placed in front of the fireplace in hopes they could get him body temperature back to normal quickly. Kayce went to find towels and blankets while Rudy quickly used the matches and kindling next to the hearth to start a fire. Kayce returned and placed the pile of towels and blankets next to their injured friend.
The doctor directed his care in an urgent tone of voice, “Give me a hand, we need to get these wet clothes off. He’s already hypothermic.” Both caregivers noticed Steve’s lips were blue and he wasn’t shivering from the cold.
Rudy pulled an unconscious Steve into a sitting position and leaned the wet, limp body against his chest, his head resting on the doctor’s shoulder, while Kayce peeled off his wet jacket and shirt. She dried his upper body off completely before Rudy gently lowered him back to the floor. Kayce then moved to his feet and began removing his boots and socks so they could get his pants off. While they attended to his immediate needs the small pile of kindling began to grow, throwing light and heat on the pair who was carefully wrapping a now dry Steve in a large blanket.
Rudy quickly added logs to build the fire while Kayce ran outside. Rudy moved to Steve’s left side to begin his examination, grateful there were no bullet wounds. Steve had yet to move or utter a sound, his lips still held a bluish hue. The slam of the door caught the doctor’s attention when Kayce returned with several medium rocks, which she quickly placed in the firebox. Rudy watched her and asked, “What are you doing?”
“He’s not getting warm fast enough. Once these get hot we can place them on the blanket around his torso and throw another blanket over him to keep in the heat. Rudy smiled at her ingenuity and moved his attention back to his patient.
A few seconds later she asked, “How is he?”
Rudy’s face could not hide the fear that welled up in his chest. “His heart rate is only 40 beats per minute.” He released the limp wrist and slid his right hand under the blankets at Steve left shoulder. With his hand on Steve’s bare chest, counting its slow rise and fall he watched the second hand of his watch travel between the black numbers. “His respirations are only 6 per minute.” He informed the young woman who was staring at her still husband.
“That’s way below normal isn’t it?” She asked while placing the hot rocks around his trunk before draping another blanket on top.
“Usually we breathe 12 to 14 times a minute at rest.”
Rudy took a deep breath and stared at his unresponsive patient.
“What is it Rudy?”
“The depressed vital signs could be from a concussion or the hypothermia. I wish I had a stethoscope, without it I can’t tell if there’s any heart arrhythmia which is common in hypothermia.”
“So his heart can just stop without warning?” She asked in panic.
Rudy nodded his head. “We’ll just have to watch him closely. Why don’t you try and rest?” He nodded to the bedroom.
“Rudy of there is any chance of us losing him before the sun comes up I’m not leaving his side.”
After a half an hour Steve’s lips lost their bluish tone and his vital signs improved slightly but he remained unconscious despite his friend’s attempt to rouse him. Rudy watched as Kayce was fighting the weariness that was setting in. “Kayce please, you need to rest especially in your condit...” Kayce looked at the doctor and took a breath to argue when she saw his face fall. “Rudy?”
He looked her in the eyes as realization set in, “Kayce, with everything that was happening I never told you.”
“Told me what?” She asked concerned.
“Steve knows about the pregnancy and he also knows David was claiming paternity.” He voice was deep and sullen.
“How did he find out?” She asked knowing the doctor wouldn’t betray her confidence.
“David left a note at your house when he took you.” He replied.
Kayce swallowed hard and looked down at Steve’s relaxed features. “Oh God.” She said and closed her eyes. She so needed for him to wake up so she could talk with him.
“Why is he still unconscious?”
“I’m not sure. It could be because of the hypothermia or it could be a concussion from impacting the water or…”
“Or what?”
“The bionic system has a fail safe built in for extreme cold temperatures. It’s a three step sequential process for progressive temperature changes. Since the temperature change was so drastic and instantaneous it may have just shut down everything at once which would be a shock to his nervous system.”
“So his arm and legs won’t work when he wakes up?” She wondered how they would get him out of there.
“No they should now that they are back to a warmer temperature.” Kayce nodded.
Rudy looked at his watch, “The sun will be coming up soon.”
She looked around the small cabin, “Do you have a radio? Will Oscar send us help?”
Rudy nodded at the intact but waterlogged device, “Unfortunately Steve’s radio didn’t survive the water. Don’t worry. Oscar knows our location and if he doesn’t hear from us soon he will probably come in with a military escort.” He offered her a weak smile but she just looked down at the handsome man at her side and wondered what she would say to him when he awoke. Would he ever forgive her?
After Kayce’s exhaustion kicked in it didn’t take much for Rudy to relocate her to the couch, covering her with a blanket. She fell quickly into a deep sleep. The doctor took a sitting position on the floor between Steve and the fireplace where he could easily tend to both without much effort.
As he slid another log on the fire he heard Steve moan. He watched as his friend’s eyes slowly and painfully opened.
“Steve.”
“Rudy? What happened?”
“You deplaned from a helicopter in a rather ungraceful fashion.” He smirked.
Steve placed a hand on his face trying to dull the ache. He suddenly remembered what had transpired. He instantly choked out, “Ashbury. Where is he?”
Rudy calmed him with a hand on his blanketed shoulder, “Easy Steve, He’s dead. The chopper crashed shortly after you were thrown off.”
”Kayce, where’s Kayce?” He asked in a tired voice and looked at his friend who gestured towards the couch with a nod of his head. Steve turned his head and relaxed the moment he saw her peaceful face as she slept.
Rudy smiled, “She was exhausted but she wouldn’t leave your side.”
“Why?” He asked with his eyes closed hoping the room would stop spinning.
“Because you were hypothermic after falling into the lake. Don’t ask me how but you somehow managed to get yourself to shore. We got you in here and warmed up. It was close there for awhile.” He said in all honestly.
Letting his arm drop to his side, Steve took a deep breath as he recalled the experience in a mumbled voice, “The water… much colder… than… anticipated. My bionics… shut down. I thought… drowned.” His voice trailed off as he descended into a deep slumber.
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