Jake was pissed off. Tired, hungry, sore, aching and most definitely pissed off! He was losing track of how long he’d been there, wherever ‘there’ was. He slowly lifted up his head and looked around. Why did it look familiar, why did he feel he should know where he was? His arms and shoulders ached unmercifully and he glanced up at the wire that bound his wrists together, and the chain that held him suspended beneath a metal beam. It looked like he was in some kind of warehouse, but where…and why?
A door opened noisily behind him, and he struggled to turn and see who had walked in. His captor had made no attempt to hide his identity from Jake, and when he walked round to the front of him, Jakes’ eyes widened in surprise.
“Good sleep, Mitchell?”
Jake lashed out at his captor, who stood just out of range of his feet.
“That won’t get you anywhere, and you know it. I think it’s time we contacted your friends isn’t it. Now, what shall I send them for their ‘proof of life’? Some hair? A finger, perhaps? I know.”
He stepped towards Jake, a blade in his hands, and quickly cut the leather cord from around his neck.
“This will do nicely. Let the games begin.”
With that, he turned on his heel, laughing as he left Jake alone once again.
“I’m fucked!” muttered Jake.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mike, Darren, David and Jenny sat around Jake’s desk wondering what to do next. It had been almost a week now and no sign of Jake anywhere. All their contacts had come up empty handed, and there had been no demands from anyone. The military had come up empty handed too. The silence was broken by Mikes’ cell phone. He checked the caller ID and frowned as he showed it to the others before answering.
“Talk to me!”
“Special delivery!”
The phone went dead. Mike sat there staring at it.
“What’s going on?” asked Jenny.
“Go check the mail, honey,” Mike replied.
Jenny ran out to the reception desk just in time to see a messenger heading back towards the lifts. She picked up the packet he had left and returned to the others. She handed it across to Mike, and sat down waiting for him to open it.
Everyone held their breath as Mike tore the end of the package open. He reached inside and pulled out…a black leather cord. Attached to the cord was a pewter Maori symbol representing the spirit of freedom. Jenny and Mike recognised it at once, it was one of three Jake owned, the others representing ‘fearless’ and ‘strength’. Jenny put her head in her hands and quietly wept.
David picked up the discarded envelope as Mike slowly turned the pendant over in his hand.
“There’s a note in here,” he exclaimed.
He handed it over to Mike, who opened it and read *We’ll be in touch*.
As Darren and David continued to examine the packet, Mike picked up the phone and dialled.
“Sam? I need to speak with Emily, please…Emily, someone’s taken him… we got the proof this morning. Can you let Angie know?”
“She won’t speak to any of us, Mike. It’s as if she thinks we’re all in on whatever she believes Jake is up to.”
“Damn! Well, there’s nothing we can do about that for the time being. Right now, our main objective is to get him back as soon as possible. We’ll sort Angie out after. I’ll keep in touch.”
As he replaced the handset, he looked up at three pairs of eyes, watching his every move.
“Angie has cut herself off from everyone up there. She thinks it’s some giant joke that Jake and the family are playing on her. Still, we can’t worry about that now can we. There’s more important stuff to take care of.”
No-one dared leave the office as they had no idea how they would be contacted. So they called out for food, and settled down to wait. Later that evening, Jakes’ direct line rang. Mike answered. It was the call they had been waiting for. The first thing Mike did was to demand proof that Jake was still alive. The kidnapper seemed very helpful, and told him that was no problem. Mike set the tape running.
“Jake?”
“Mike, I don’t know WHERE I am, or why I’m being held. All I know is that I’m in a HOUSE somewhere….”
Mike heard a grunt, and guessed that Jake had been silenced before he said too much.
“There, you see, he’s still alive and kicking…or trying to kick anyway.”
“What is it you want for his safe return?”
“Return? Did I say I was going to return him? Oh no, Mr Taylor, I never said you would get him back. I just wanted you to know he’s still okay…for now…I’ll be in touch soon, and you can talk to him again…if you’re lucky. You’ll definitely be able to listen to him though.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Shit! This is no K&R, whoever this bastard is, he has no intention of letting Jake go. This is personal!” said David, looking worried.
“Play the tape back,” snapped Mike.
They played the tape again and again, it didn’t take long as Jake hadn’t been able to speak much.
“What am I missing here?” asked Mike. “There has to be a clue.”
“Listen to the way he’s stressed a couple of words, boss. I think he’s in a warehouse!”
They played the tape one more time, and a small smile slowly appeared on Mikes’ face.
“Shit, Davey. When the fuck did you get so damned smart?”
"Must be the taining," David replied with a grin.
“Okay, let’s put this together. He’s in a warehouse, he’s not up for ransom, so…he’s being held by someone he knows, either personally or professionally, and they are bearing one mega grudge. All we have to do now is work out who and where.”
Mike looked at the others and grinned, at last they had something to work on, even if it was, as yet, a mere crumb. They were going to find Jake, hopefully before the bastard did him any permanent damage.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The blast of icy water brought him back to awareness in an instant, and with awareness came the pain. He stifled the groan trying to escape his lips. No point in letting the bastard know he was hurting, and hurting bad. It took him a few moments to realise that he was no longer hanging from the beam, but was hog tied on the floor. The door didn't close completely as his captor left.
“The bastard’s getting sloppy,” he thought.
Just then, his captor strode back in, dragging a wooden chair behind him.
“UP!”
Jake stayed where he lay.
“I..SAID..UP!!”
The next thing he knew, Jake was dragged up roughly and thrown into the chair and secured tightly with cable. His captor then left the room, returning a few moments later with a camcorder.
“Time for your 15 minutes of fame, Mitchell. Or in your case, more like 15 seconds! Smile for the camera.”
“Fuck off, you worthless piece of shit!” Jake spat.
Ignoring him, the man placed the camera onto a stand, pulled on a hood, and pressed record.
“Well, gentlemen, as you can see, your friend is still alive, but not kicking as hard as he would like. I do hope you like the changes I’ve made to his personal appearance. I think black and blue suits him, don’t you?”
At that point, the hooded man walked over to Jake and pulled his face up to enable a clear shot of the damage he’d already inflicted. Jakes’ right eye was swollen shut, his lip split in a couple of places, and there was a jagged gash down the left temple, with dried blood caked down his cheek and neck.
“I didn’t stop at his face though, I’m nothing if not thorough.”
He then ripped open Jakes’ shirt, revealing bruises and what looked like burns across his chest and stomach.
“I thought I’d work my way down, don’t want to miss anything now do I. He’s not really up to having a chat with you today, but I thought you’d like to see how he’s progressing.”
“Mike, don’t listen to this bastard…don’t agree to anything…there’s no time...”
Jake was stopped with a punch to his mid section. Despite his efforts, he let out a grunt of pain, and doubled over, trying to catch his breath.
The man walked back to the camera, switched it off and removed his hood.
“That should do nicely, Mitchell. Let’s see what your friends make of it shall we?”
Leaving Jake tied to the chair, he walked out with the camera, whistling a merry tune as he went.
“Psycho prick,” Jake muttered under his breath.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The tape arrived an hour later by messenger. They went into the office to watch. Mike tried to keep Jenny out, worrying about the content, but she couldn’t be persuaded to wait, and joined them around the screen. She gasped at the first glance of her boss, but managed to keep herself together. The three men were looking closely at the damage, but thought that it looked superficial...so far. Then they all looked into Jakes’ face as he began to speak.
All too soon the recording stopped, and true to his word, Jakes’ captor made no demands at all.
“Run it through again, just the part were Jake is speaking..”
“More stress on words, this time listen and time,” said Darren. “What does he mean?”
They played the whole tape again. On the third play, David jumped up from his seat.
“I know what he means! Play it again and listen to the background noises.”
They played it once again, they heard planes, and they also heard a clock striking the time.
“Shit, listen, what time did this package arrive?”
“3.45,” replied Jenny.
“The clock is striking 3.00! He’s closer than we thought. Somewhere near the airport?”
“Can you play it one more time, boss?” asked David
They listened to the tape one more time.
“I know where that is! That clock is in Coogee! It’s about a thirty minute trip from there to here, not too far from the airport, and the distinctive clock. Now all we have to do is find the warehouse.”
“Hey, good work, Sherlock. I knew there was a good reason for taking you on,” winked Mike.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Once they’d worked out what area Jake was being held in, it didn’t take too long for their contacts and operatives to close in on the warehouse. Mike was letting no-one talk him out of going in on this one. He chose Darren and David to go with him, he felt they’d earned the right after the preliminary work they’d put in.
They waited until last light to make their move. All was quiet, and they were pretty sure the kidnapper wasn’t inside. David went round the back of the building and found a low window. It didn’t take him long to force a silent entry, and he was soon letting the others in via a side door.
Not wanting to risk showing a light, they all donned their night scopes, and began searching the building. The inside was made up of individual storage units. The search was going to take a little longer than expected. They split up, Mike taking one side, Darren and David working the other.
The first few units were completely empty. About halfway into his search, Mike hit pay dirt. A wooden bench was pushed up against one wall. A filthy cloth thrown over it like a makeshift blanket. Attached to the wall was a metal ring, with two lengths of chain, complete with two metal shackles on the end. On the wall he also found something very disturbing…a bullet hole surrounded by blood! Only one thing was missing…a body.
Just then he heard his name quietly called. He left the room and went to where Darren and David were standing in an open doorway to another unit, staring at a bundle on the floor.
“Holy shit,” Mike exclaimed, rushing into the room and kneeling beside the bundle on the floor.
He reached out his hand to touch it…the bundle moved a fraction, and groaned!
“Help me get him up… now!” Mike hissed back at his men.
They quickly, but gently lifted Jake’s inert body from the ground, and Mike threw him over his shoulder. They made their way back to the side door and exited the building as quietly as they had entered. Just as they had settled Jake into the back of the car for the trip to the hospital, they noticed a figure heading towards the warehouse.
“Fuck!” spat Darren. “I know who that is.”
“Who?” asked Mike.
“It’s Collins! Training officer up at the unit. He hates Jake.”
“Okay, this takes it out of our hands. You two go keep an eye on him, I’ll make a quick call.”
It wasn't long before around half a dozen army vehicles pulled up outside the warehouse and black clad figures silently disembarked, quickly surrounding the building. A familiar figure stepped out of the lead car and came over to Mike.
“How is he?” Colonel Fisher asked.
“He needs to get help pretty fast,” replied Mike.
“Right, we’ll get him to the military hospital. Less fuss that way, don’t you think?”
“Whatever you say, Colonel.”
Just then, the warehouse door flew open and Captain Collins was dragged out between two very large special forces operatives. He was handcuffed and thrown into the back of the first truck, which was soon heading off towards the city.
“What will happen to him, Colonel?” asked Darren.
“Well, Hill, he abducted anofficer at an official regiment function. He’ll face a court martial as soon as we can get it arranged. Until then, I’m sure the men will keep him nice and safe,” the Colonel replied with a wink. Jake was a very popular member of the regiment, and most of the men in the trucks were his mates. Oh yes, Collins would be VERY well looked after until his trial.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Angie was running late for her shift. She’d rushed her shower, missed out on breakfast, and was just headed out the door when her phone rang.
“Shit!” she exclaimed.
She hesitated for a second. Should she let it ring and head out? It could be important. It could be the hospital. She headed back in to answer it.
“This better be important,” she snapped down the receiver.
“Angie? It’s Mike.”
Silence.
“Angie? Are you there?”
“What do you want, Mike. I’m running late.”
“It’s okay, I’ve already called the hospital to let them know you won’t be in for a couple of days.”
“You WHAT?”
“Angie, I need you to come down to Sydney for me. It’s important.”
“If you want to talk to me about Jake, I’m not interested,” Angie said.
“Listen, I know you’re angry with him, but I do really need to see you down here.”
“Angry doesn’t get close, Mike. Not only does he break a promise, but he doesn’t call to explain, and then he vanishes completely. It’s been over two weeks without a word to anyone. The joke is getting old.”
“I know, babe. Please, get down here and let me explain something to you. I can get the jet up there to pick you up in no time.”
Angie sighed before answering. “I’ll catch a train.”
“You’ll get the plane! Get over to the airport, it should be with you within the hour.”
“Very well. I’ll come down, and I’ll listen. Just don’t expect me to believe anything you tell me about that creep.”
She hung up the phone and went to the bedroom to change out of her uniform. She was about to call for a cab when her doorbell rang. She opened it to see Sam standing there.
“G’Day, Angie.”
“What are you doing here?”
“Thought you might like a lift to the airport.”
“What is this, another Mitchell conspiracy?”
“Look, luv, I don’t know what the hell is going on either. Mum and I don’t know what’s happened to Jake anymore than you do, and mum's worried sick, so give us a break eh? Do you know how much you’ve hurt her by cutting us all off?”
“I…I’m sorry. I just…”
“I know luv. You feel Jake let you down, and you couldn’t bear to see anyone who reminded you of that fact eh? Come on, get in the ute.”
“Do you know what Mike wants, Sam?”
“No, luv. I don’t. He called and asked me to get you to the airport ASAP, so…here I am, at your service.”
Angie reached up and kissed Sam on the cheek.
“Thanks, Sam. I’ve really missed you.”
Thirty minutes later she was fastening her seat belt and waiting for the A&M company jet to take off on its trip to Sydney. She had no idea what Mike was up to, but she was certain it had something to do with Jake. She had to admit that her initial anger…no, rage, towards Jake had turned into worry. If he couldn’t keep his promise there would be a good reason why. But he would have contacted her to explain…wouldn’t he? If he could!
90 minutes later they were making their final descent, and Angie was becoming very nervous. Her belt was off as soon as the wheel hit the runway, and she began pacing up and down the cabin as the jet taxied to the hangar. Out of the window she saw Mike standing by the car. As soon as the door was open she was down the steps and standing in front of him.
“Is this about Jake?” she asked
“Get in the car, Angie.”
“Come on. Mike. Talk to me. Is this about Jake?”
“We’ll talk when we get there, okay?”
“Jake’s office? The apartment?”
Mike stared straight ahead, negotiating the rush of traffic heading from the airport towards the city. Angie didn’t recognise the turn he took sometime later, but she knew they weren’t heading into the CBD. She said nothing, knowing Mike was in no mood to reply.
The car was weaving through the back streets and Angie soon lost track of where they were. Evening was fast approaching and it was becoming dark. Mike finally pulled up outside a large, red brick building. It looked like a back entrance. He opened the car door and ushered her out. Taking her by the hand, he pulled her towards a doorway.
As soon as they were inside, Angie realised they were expected. A uniformed man rose up from behind a desk and greeted Mike, asking him to follow down a narrow corridor. Angie saw a door open in front of them and a large man stepped out.
“That will be all, lieutenant.”
“Sir.”
Tom Fisher held out his arms to Angie, and she fell into his embrace.
“Hello, little one. Long time no see.”
“Hello, Tom. Why am I here?”
“I needed to see Tom for a few minutes, Angie. I didn’t think you’d mind,” said Mike.
“Angie, walk with us,” said Colonel Fisher.
Angie was confused. She was sure that Mike had asked her to come to Sydney to talk about Jake, and now here she was with Jake’s former commanding officer, godfather, and good family friend, in some army offices. Just as she was about to ask what was going on, they went through a set of double doors and a familiar smell greeted her.
Antiseptic!
This was a hospital!
She looked at Mike and then at Tom. They had both stopped by a closed door. Tom placed his hand on her shoulder and asked her to go in. She slowly opened the door and all three entered the quiet, dimly lit room.