InsaneJournal

Blair flinched when his eyes opened again and he caught a glimpse of black boots right near his nose. Rolling partway onto his back, he looked up to find himself at the feet of Lee Brackett. Perfect. This, then would be Plan B.

 

A half distinct whine from the shadows told Blair that Nunie was still there with him, but there was no sign of Bagheera anywhere. This meant that the cat would most likely be with Jim. That was small comfort when he was trussed up like a Thanksgiving turkey.

 

Brackett squatted down close by, a cell phone in hand, and dialed a number that Blair recognized as Jim’s. After a few moments it was answered, Blair could imagine the terse answer of ‘Ellison’ from the other end of the line. Brackett smiled. “Mr. Ellison, so glad you have your cell phone with you. By now you are aware that your… friend… is not where you left him last.”

 

Blair rolled his eyes at the obvious melodramatic attitude of his capture. Yeah, it was gonna be one of those days. Jim must have growled out a threat of life and limb if anything was done to his little buddy, blah blah blah, because Brackett chuckled in response. “Yes, well, I’m sure Mr. Sandburg will feel ever so much better knowing that you are willing to do anything I tell you in an attempt to keep him from harm.”

 

Yeah, most likely Jim was swearing to exact retribution on Brackett if he so much as harms one hair… Brackett snarled into the phone, “Just be at the La Cueva in an hour. No one else, just you.”

 

When he hung up, Blair could hear Jim still snarling in the phone. Well, Jim actually cared about him. That felt kind of… nice. Not that it wasn’t how he would feel towards anyone that had been kidnapped to hold against him.

 

In the mean time, it appeared that Blair was stuck waiting for n hour before his partner would show up. Well, that took care of that question. As to what Bracket had in mind for him next, it soon came apparent s his feet were cut apart and he as hefted to his feet. Brackett steered him up the stairs out of the basement he had been dumped in, and out to his sedan.

 

They drove around for a bit until they pulled up behind a restaurant. Obviously the infamous La Cueva that Jim had been ordered to visit in an hour. It simply translated to ‘The Cave’, and didn’t that seem fitting for a snake like Brackett?

 

Brackett pushed him through the backdoor of the hole-in-the-wall eatery and shoved him into a nearby chair. Pulling the gag from his mouth, he was offered a sip of water, which he took begrudgingly. “Hungry?”

 

 Blair shook his head. Like he needed the indigestion? Brackett shrugged his shoulders and after offering him one more sip of water held up something that made Blair's blood run cold. It looked a bit like a dog collar, well the leather strap part with the corresponding buckle part did, the flat bit in the center with a flat protrusion sticking from it not so much.

 

"Open up, little guide, this little trinket will make sure that you aren't able to pass on any hints to your partner, intelligibly anyway. That wouldn't be very good for me at all now would it?"

 

Blair clamped his mouth shut and tightened his lips into an impenetrable barrier. There was no way he was going to willingly allow anyone to gag him, but that didn't seem to faze Brackett at all. He seemed to know just how to accomplish his goal. The ex-spy pinched Blair's nose and twisted savagely. When Blair's mouth opened involuntarily at both the denial of air and the pain, Brackett deftly slipped the device into place and buckled it tight. Blair robbed of his main means of fighting back glared at the older man narrowly.

 

Brackett didn't care about the younger man's rage, if anything he was amused. His eyes traveled over the disheveled figure balanced precariously on the chair, taking in the wildly curling hair and the snapping eyes and leered. He drawled mockingly, "Well, well, well... it's too bad that we don't have any time to play, or that you would rather play with fire than me. You are an absolutely delicious sight. My mouth is watering here." Blair's glare became scathing and the ex-spy reared back as if stung.

 

"Well if that is how you are going to play it, I'll just have to satisfy another appetite then won't I?" Blair's gaze warily followed his captor as he went to get a plate of food from the people who owned the establishment. Blair wondered what the ex-spy had told them when he was dragged in, tied and gagged, un-gagged and then re-gagged. A vision of Brackett telling the staff offhandedly, 'Oh, sorry, just blackmailing the policia into doing bad things for me, not to worry, you’ll get your cut.’ Blair sighed, if only as a means to stop the giggle that wanted to surface.

 

Brackett was saying nothing to him, not revealing any of his thoughts. For some reason the ‘Evil spy tells his secrets to the hapless victim’ sequence had gotten dropped from the script. Blair slouched in his seat, his head tipped forward as he stared at his toes. Time crawled by as he waited for Jim to show up.

 

Nunie snorted, and Blair flicked a glance at the shadows, wondering stupidly how the wolf had kept up with him when he was in Brackett’s car. But then, he was a spirit wolf, what did he need with a car anyway? ‘Shut up Sandburg, you’re going nuts… deep breaths, you’re panicking again.’ He took deep breaths.

 

He had almost managed to find his calm center when Brackett glanced at his watch. Jarred out of his meditation he was a bit fuzzy when Brackett turned to him and hissed, "Showtime!"

 

Brackett hauled him back to his feet and pushed him through the swinging doors that led to the restaurant proper, finding a table in the back of the empty room and setting Blair up in the chair facing the front door. From this angle he could see Jim’s truck as it pulled up in front of the building and Jim exiting the truck. At his side stalked Bagheera and suddenly Blair felt better.

 

Jim stood just inside the doorway, his eyes narrowed as he waited for them to adjust to the low light. The eyes went wide as he caught a look at Blair. Oh great, just what he needed. Humiliation over the gag in his mouth. He muffled a groan as he tipped his head down to hide the embarrassment behind his hair.

 

“Get that off of him.” Growled Jim. Brackett smirked as he stood, a gun raised to point at the cop.

 

“So I guess all that stuff about not being blackmailed was just tough talk, huh, Jim?” Brackett waved his gun and Jim stepped forward. Blair raised his eyes long enough to get a look at Jim, his hands on his hips as he pointedly didn’t look Blair’s direction. 

 

“Cut to the chase, Brackett.” Jim waited. Blair shrugged as he looked at Bracket as well.

 

Brackett smiled again as he stepped forward, waving the gun to show he wanted Jim to open his jacket. “You know the drill, Ellison. And since I have your partner incapacitated over there, you shouldn’t think about trying to pull one over on me.”

 

Jim obliged the spy by revealing his weapon, handing it over when he was silently ordered to do so. “Since you couldn’t get the virus, this was your backup plan? Steal my friend?”

 

“He who holds the Guide, has the Sentinel by the balls, as it were.” Brackett waved towards the jacket and pants. “Empty your pockets on the table. Keys, combs, coins, wallets -- everything.”

 

Jim did so, with the exception of putting his badge on the table. “I'm not giving up my shield.”

 

Bracket nodded, waving a handheld device over the badge and shrugging. “Now the obvious things I'm supposed to find. I'll take the wire in your pants. Unless you want me to have Mr. Sandburg get it out for you.”

 

Jim removed the wire, dropping it where Brackett indicated and watching as the man crushed it under the heel of his boot. Blair sighed quietly, so much for being tracked by Simon and the others. Brackett waved another device around the sided of Jim’s face.

 

“All right, I'll take the protein transmitter.” He paused at Jim’s blank look. “Look, don't waste my time or yours. That molecular protein transmitter may be new to you cops but it's been on the covert black market ever since the Russians stole it. And this scanner makes it obsolete. Now, no more games. If you don’t do as told, I can simply kill you partner right here and now. All your best-laid plans just went to hell. We have work to do so we'd better get a move on. Or can you handle having his death on your conscience?”

 

“My conscience?” Jim growled. Brackett smirked as he helped Blair up with a hand under his shoulder, steering him towards the back of the restaurant.

 

“Certainly not mine. I’m parked out back, you will drive and Mr. Sandburg with sit in the back with me. Let’s move.”

 

o-O-o

 

When they arrived at the destination that Brackett had led them to, it was to find themselves outside an army facility. Jim parked and turned to lean over the seat, staring at Brackett, who had his arm around Blair’s waist, a gun in his side.

 

“What are we doing here, Brackett?” Jim asked. Blair remained as silent as a lamb with the gag still stuck between his teeth.

 

“Well as long as you are still in the dark, I am still one step ahead of you. Drive up to the shack.” Brackett directed. Jim glared at him once more before turning to drive once again. The guard that stepped out leaned over to look in the car. Blair ducked his head again to cover the gag.

 

“Identification please, gentlemen?” asked the guard. Blair felt the gun removed from his side and barely had time to grunt a strangled scream and shove hard at the rogue to throw his aim off balance before Brackett pulled the trigger. Jim pushed himself against the door knocking the guard away as well, keeping the man live if out cold.

 

Brackett began to curse as Blair bucked in his hands. Jim put himself between the gun and the guard, his face a mask of fury. “There'll be no murder on my watch.”

 

Brackett struggled to control Blair, finally putting the gun back against hi side and hissing in his ear, “You can die right here, I won’t care one way or another.”

 

“Blair!” Jim called. “It’s okay, calm down.”

 

Blair instantly stopped all movement, glaring back at Brackett to disguise the fear that tripped his heart. Jim moved the guard back into the shack and came to climb inside the car again. He turned and leaned over the back of the seat, his eyes on Blair but his words for Brackett. “He’ll behave. But you can take the gag off now, I think I have an idea of what’s going on. One of your ‘overthrow the government’ scenarios?”

 

“Someone's read my file.” Brackett smirked as he readjusted his position and settled himself back in the seat next to Blair. He didn’t move to take off the gag. Blair sighed. “That traitorous bastard Jack Kelso bring you up to speed on that?”

 

“You've got a lot of nerve calling anybody a traitor.” Jim smirked as he watched the gun.

 

Brackett rolled his eyes, “The republic that I swore allegiance to was overthrown years ago. The people in charge today -- they're the traitors. Let's go.”

 

Jim turned back to drive the car again. “Just a patriot out to save us from ourselves, huh?”

 

“You have no idea what your government's up to!” snapped the agent.

 

“Maybe not,” sniffed Jim as he drove, “but last time I checked my government wasn't kidnapping hapless grad students at gunpoint.”

 

o-O-o

 

They had driven as far as they could go and Brackett had dragged Blair out of the car, without un-gagging him or un-cuffing him. Blair’s wrists were beginning to chaff, as was his mouth, and he could really go for a sip of water right about now. He could also go for a nice relaxing night at home in front of the TV with Jim, pizza, beer and a game.

 

Instead he was staring down at a checkerboard styled bridge with red and black squares. Brackett was telling Jim all about it so Blair tried to pay attention.

 

“It's a grid of electrically triggered mines surrounded by a charged fence. They change the pattern every 24 hours. Your sentinel abilities are the only way to get across without a map. I figure you should be able to tell the difference between active and dormant mines. These banks are also charged. There's one way in, one way out.” Brackett shoved the gun deeper into Blair’s side, eliciting a groan from him. “And I’ll be keeping a watch on Mr. Sandburg here, if I don’t make it across alive, neither does he.”

 

Jim smiled patiently. “And what happens if I zone? You said it yourself, he’s my ‘Guide’. I need him to keep me grounded, so that means he stays with me.”

 

Brackett glared at Jim for a moment before shifting the gun away from Blair and pulling a collar out of his jacket pocket. “I thought you’d say that, so I have a backup plan.” He clipped the collar around Blair’s neck. There was an audible snickt, and a hum as from an electrical charge. Then the hum snapped away under white noise.

 

Brackett shoved Blair back towards Jim, “The collar holds a small charge, nothing major. Just enough to take his head clean off if I press the detonator. And if you are thinking of ditching me, the detonator has a deadman switch. I die, he goes boom!”

 

Brackett handed Jim the keys to the cuffs and waited impatiently as Jim released Blair’s hands and removed the gag. Blair sighed and unconsciously leaned into Jim a moment. He was still in danger, but now he could talk.

 

“You all right, Chief?” asked Jim as he massaged the sore wrists. Blair nodded once before glaring at Brackett.

 

“No thanks to Wacko over there.”

 

Bracket faked a yawn. “Oh how touching…” he smirked.

 

“You’re touched, all right, Brackett,” snarled Blair as he moved to stand behind Jim. He continued to work his mouth in odd positions to get the stiffness out of his lips and jaw. Jim held his ground, arms crossed over his chest and his eyes firmly fixed on Brackett, giving Blair all the time he needed.

 

Brackett allowed it for another few minutes before waving back at the bridge. “Any time you two are ready to get this show on the road?”

 

Jim leaned back a bit, leaning a shoulder into Blair, who leaned back to acknowledge his readiness. Then they went to work. It was slow going, with Jim using his out stretched foot as pointer for his sense of sound, square with hum they pass, square without hum is safe. Eventually they made it across without trouble, Blair being the perfect anchor for the Sentinel and keeping him from zoning or spiking.

 

Once they were all on the other side of the bridge, Brackett used a device on the control box. “There, now no one can come after us.”

 

“What did you do?” asked Blair. Jim looked at the box and growled.

 

“He set the entire bridge to be mined. There is no path through.”

 

Bracket smiled. “And now we have other things to attend to.” He waved his gun at them, directing them onward. Blair raised his hands and stepped back, turning and walking where indicated. They reached a building with a door and a combination lock with several lights above it. Brackett gestured towards the lock. “That's a motion sensor. Any jiggling with the lock will set off the alarm. So you'd better get it right the first time.”

 

Blair sighed. “Touch, Jim. Use touch to get it right, and listen to my heart to keep yourself from slipping.”

 

Jim nodded and set to work. He got it right on the first try. He opened the door and let Blair walk in first. Bracket stayed one step behind them as they entered a hanger. There in the center sat a stealth jet. Blair whistled low at the sight.

 

Brackett moved around the jet, his gun hand tracing the lines on the wing. “Gentlemen, the newest weapon in our country's arsenal -- the A.V.C.X.”

 

“Jim?” called Blair as he stepped loser to the jet. “Where are we?”

 

“This is a company skunk works,” Jim replied as he walked with Blair, one hand on his shoulder, “A secret development lab for the C.I.A.”

 

Brackett smiled, “That's right. And this is a one-of-a-kind prototype. Even Congress only suspects that it exists and the classified surveillance technology on board is priceless on the black market.”

 

Jim took another step forward as Brackett moved to get into the jet. The Air Force'll be on your ass before you're out of local air space.”

 

Brackett chuckled, “I'll worry about that when it happens.”

 

Jim grabbed his arm, “What about the collar?”

 

Brackett looked back at Blair, “Ah yes… you do look fetching in that, Mr. Sandburg.”

 

Blair blushed deeply and Jim glared harder. Brackett smiled a he reached in his pocket and clicked off a button on a small handheld device, which he tossed back to Blair. He then wrenched his arm out of Jim’s grasp and climbed quickly into the cockpit of the jet. Blair looked at the device, perplexed to find that it was something as simple as a modified dog collar used to train dogs with an electric fence.

 

Jim looked at the device, and then the collar, and began to swear vehemently as he turned back to the jet. Blair stayed out of the way of the jet as Brackett began to fire up the engines. Jim climbed in and grabbed the agent around the neck, hauling him out and throwing him to the ground before switching off the engines.  He then jumped down and snagged Brackett around the neck in a choke hold.

 

Blair stalked over, dark blue eyes locked on Brackett. He felt embarrassed and humiliated by the spy. He was angry and hurt by this entire ordeal. And it was all Brackett’s fault. He knelt down next to Brackett, who was struggling for breath as Jim held him tightly. “You think it’s funny to make a fool out of us, Mr. Brackett?”

 

Bracket drew in a breath, wheezing and struggling. Jim relaxed his hold a bit at Blair’s glance, and let the man breath. Brackett chuckled, “You have to admit, you were easily fooled.”

 

Blair rolled his eyes. “Misdirection and illusion. You wanted to keep Jim under control and you used me to do it. Big mistake.”

 

Brackett still smiled, “And how is that?”

 

Blair sighed dramatically as he patiently explained. “You have shown Jim that I am the weakness in his defense. Now I must show him that I am not weak, that I am not the hole in his defense. To grab me does not make him vulnerable. To do this… I must hurt you… maybe even kill you.”

 

Brackett stared back at him. “You wouldn’t.”

 

Blair rolled his eyes, “I could, I would… you do not scare me, Brackett. But then, I don’t need to bloody my hands. All I have to do is have my Sentinel twist just so…”

 

Jim began to twist Brackett’s head enough to put a crick in his neck, holding him perfectly still. Blair kept his eyes locked on Brackett’s. “You see Brackett, you called me Jim’s Guide. He would do anything I tell him to, just to protect me. You’ve seen this in the way he has acted. The only people who know about Jim and his abilities are in this room. The only three people who know about my role as his guide are in this room. In order to protect Jim and myself, we only need to eliminate you.”

 

"B-b-but he's a cop, sworn to protect and uphold the law, the people - killing me would be wrong,” Brackett began to stammer. Blair smiled sunnily, it didn't reach his eyes but he knew it would creep the double agent out. It did.

 

Brackett opened his mouth to say something, anything, that would save his neck but fell silent when Blair held up a hand. “Jim’s a Sentinel before he was a cop. The first law to a Sentinel… eliminate threats to his tribe.”

 

Blair leaned in close, “I’m his tribe, you are the threat. And your demise in this space could always be explained away as accidental. He never would come under suspicion. "

 

Brackett rolled his eyes upwards, obviously trying to see what Ellison thought of all this - the blank expression he was confronted with seemed to terrify him even more. Brackett's gaze snapped back to Blair and he stared, eyes wide with fright, at him as he came to realize that he was indeed out of options. Blair took that moment to nod, and Jim squeezed. Brackett passed out.

 

Blair chuckled, “Man you have got to show me how to do that Vulcan nerve pinch thing. It is so cool when it’s not being used on me.”

 

Jim grinned as he began to collect Brackett for the trip back home. Along the way, they had to stop the guards who were coming up to the bridge and warn them about the override that Brackett had set up. Then they had to explain themselves and get debriefed.

 

In all, the day was a frustrating wash. Carolyn and Joel had been able to find Brackett’s hideout, nearly got blown up, then they could only sit on their hands with Simon to wait for word from Jim. When they got it, they were all greatly relieved to find Blair safe and whole. He was surprised by their excitement that he had been found and it made him just a tiny bit pleased to know that he would have been missed.

 

o-O-o

 

While Jim finished out his report at the station, Blair went home. He was exhausted and still a bit shaken by the kidnapping and the rest of the events he had been a part of. The most frightening of these being Brackett’s knowledge of Jim’s abilities. It set Blair’s mind on edge to think that a simple and obscure paper had gotten him into so much trouble. He could only imagine what an entire dissertation on a Sentinel could bring about.

 

Sitting on the couch, beer in hand, Blair let his mind drift, opening his thoughts and letting his imaginations roam free in silence. He almost welcomed the vision as it slipped in through his defenses.

 

* Blair sits at the table, typing into his laptop. Naomi comes up behind him, wrapping her arms around him and startling him. Blair stands and hugs his mother. He turns and takes a page from the printer, places it in a box and locks it. ~flash~ Blair leaves the loft, his laptop still on. Naomi leans over it and sends an e-mail, along with a file, and presses send. ~flash~ Blair and Jim sit in the truck, the vehicle swarmed by press calling out questions, thrusting microphones into Jim’s face, asking if he is a Sentinel.*

 

Blair sat up and stared across the room at the two spirit guides who appeared before him. “Shit…” he muttered. He stood, finished off the beer and went to throw the bottle away.

 

“Shit…” he muttered again as he looked around the loft, the place that had become like home to him. A place that could be taken away in an instant, in the time it took to make such a monumental mistake. “Shit.”

 

Nunie whined and Blair turned back to look at him, wrapped around Bagheera, both animals holding each other tightly. Blair sighed. Nunie was his spirit animal, he was certain. Bagheera could be Jim’s spirit animal. If that was the case, both animals were telling him that his first choice had to be his Sentinel… HIS Sentinel.

 

Blair picked up the phone and dialed a number from memory. H waited until it was picked up before calmly saying, “I’m an idiot… I’ll see you sometime next week. I have a lot to learn.

 

Diane chuckled lightly. “I look forward to it, Leerling,” she replied before hanging up. Blair smiled and , after looking around the loft, move purposefully towards his bedroom. He had a lot of work to do.