This
story is a sequel in the Knee High To A Grasshopper series, featuring Melvin
Meyers as Johnny’s biggest problem creator. Although it’s not a necessity to
read the previous stories in this series first, it might help since there are
references to things in them in this story. They can be found at
<http://audreys-efanfic.freeservers.com/custom.html> in the Melvin
Stories section. Also the story The Fireman, which takes place prior to this
one, can be found on Two Chickies, the earlier ones on JGP.
Another Fine Mess
By
John Gage woke with a start. Quickly
sitting up in his bed, he grabbed the wind-up alarm clock . . .the clock that
had stopped ticking at three-eleven in the morning.
Oh crap! What time is it?
Being that his bedroom was still fairly
dark, the paramedic hoped he wasn’t running very late. He sat up and threw back
the covers, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. Once on his feet,
Johnny picked up his watch on the dresser. He sighed in relief when he saw it was
six-thirty. . . only a half hour later than he wanted to get up.
After a quick shower and shave, and dressed
in his red boxer shorts, Gage headed to the kitchen to get himself a glass of
orange juice. As he downed the cool liquid, his eyes wandered to the kitchen
clock . . . the paramedic did a double take.
What the?
He glanced at his watch, back to the clock
on the wall, then once again at his watch. It still said
“Ah man! My watch stopped!”
The time in the kitchen being accurate,
Johnny knew he had approximately five minutes to get dressed and out the front
door in order to get to the station on time. He quickly set the nearly empty
glass on the table and started to rush out of the kitchen. In his haste, the
paramedic didn’t pay attention to where his feet were in relation to solid
objects along his path. As a result, he slammed his right pinky toe into the
doorframe between the livingroom and kitchen. White-hot pain shot through the
man’s toe and radiated up through his foot. He leaned with his hands on the
doorframe, foot off the floor, a string of swear words emanating from his
mouth.
Regaining his composure, Gage placed his
right heel down so he could get to a place to sit. A new round of pain shot
through his foot, back to front. He lifted it and hopped over to the couch on
his left foot. Plopping down, Johnny swore again. His toe was already extremely
red and swelling. He was going to have to call Captain Stanley and let him know
he would be late. Gage hoped the toe wasn’t broken and that the swelling would
go down.
~*~*~
A few hours later, the dark-haired
paramedic was back at home after a trip to Rampart, confirming what he’d hoped
didn’t happen. He stared at his propped up right foot with the two end toes taped
together.
“You had to break, didn’t ya?”
It was a tough drive to the hospital with
his right foot bare and hurting, but Johnny had grinned-and-beared it, knowing
he had to get the injury x-rayed. Not only for his own benefit, and also so he
could give a valid reason to the captain for not being able to pull his duty
the current shift after all.
Johnny stared at the television screen,
where another game show was just beginning. “This is gonna be a long day,” he
grumbled.
~*~*~
The men of A-shift were having a busy
morning. Since starting their shift a few hours before, they’d responded to two
fires: one a warehouse, the other a home. Finally getting some down time to
relax,
“So, how’s the crip doing?” Kelly asked.
Marco frowned at the stocky fireman. “Chet,
at least wait till Johnny’s back before you start in with the comments.”
“I’m practicing for that day.”
Mike and Marco exchanged glances and rolled
their eyes.
“He’s doing okay,”
Dwyer, who was pulling overtime to fill in
for Gage, snickered. “I can’t imagine the guy stuck on the couch. I’ll bet he’s
here next shift, even if he has to paint a shoe on his foot and a smile on his
face to hide the fact it still hurts.”
~*~*~
After a day of not doing anything but
watching television with his foot propped up and an ice pack on his toe
periodically, Johnny climbed into bed. He wasn’t sure he was tired enough to
sleep, but he reasoned that at least time would go faster if he wasn’t awake to
watch the clock. The paramedic’s eyes opened wide the first time the covers
touched his injured toe.
How can such a small body part hurt so damn
much?
Johnny stuck his foot outside of the covers
and laid his right leg on top of the blanket. After nearly two hours of lying
in bed, he finally fell asleep.
~*~*~
Rolling over in his bed, Gage slowly opened
his eyes. The room was dark, indicating it was either still nighttime or very
early in the morning. What woke me up? A sudden realization of a burning
sensation in his right little toe gave the paramedic the answer as to why he
was awake.
“Man, don’t you ever quit?” He grumbled at
his toe. Naprosyn . . .I need the Naprosyn Early prescribed.
The man slowly got out of bed, running a
hand through his hair, and hobbled towards the bathroom. Unfortunately, along
the way, he didn’t see the shoes he’d left across the room, and banged his
already sore toe. White-hot pain once again shot through the injured toe,
causing Johnny’s eyes to water.
“Shit, that hurts!” Putting his weight on
his right heel, toes off the floor, he quickly limped into the bathroom and
flicked on the light. A brief search in the medicine cabinet brought the reward
of the desperately needed pain reliever. He filled a plastic glass with water
and swallowed two tablets, hoping they would do the trick.
An hour later, Johnny sat on his couch,
still waiting for the pain to go away. The dark-haired man frowned. For being
such a small injury, the broken toe was proving to be one of the more annoying
ones to deal with.
“You’re ruining my life, you know,” Johnny
said, talking to his toe again. He sighed and decided there was only one thing
left to do. . .give up. Gage lay down on the couch and turned his attention to
the television where the morning news was coming on.
The newscast opened with a report of a
large department store fire that was just being extinguished after a night of
firemen being at the scene. The only injuries had been to the fire fighters,
since the store was closed, but the building was huge and it was now a total
loss.
Upon hearing that firemen had been injured,
Johnny sat up, his attention intense on the screen. Had his shiftmates been
called to the fire? He tried to look beyond the reporter to the trucks in the
background. Sure enough, there was Engine 51, Captain Stanley waving somebody
over.
At least Cap’s okay. . .I hope the others
are. . .
Suddenly a familiar face joined the
television reporter. Johnny’s attention shifted from the background to the man
currently being interviewed. It was Melvin Meyers. Gage listened intently as
the fireman explained what happened to a couple of others who were helping to put
out the blaze. Much to Johnny’s relief, they were men from Station 45 and the
injuries were very minor. However, according to Melvin, the paramedics from
Station 51 had treated the men and they were taken to
Next the reporter brought up the subject of
Melvin being an inventor who had appeared on the Mike Douglas show at one time.
When asked about his creation that could shrink people, Meyers answered with
enthusiasm and honesty. Yes, he had appeared on the Mike Douglas Show and yes,
he indeed had created a substance that could shrink a person. He quickly added
that he didn’t have any of the stuff left.
Johnny shook his head. “Mel, Mel, Mel. .
.they’re gonna have a field day with you. Why did you have to be so open?” He
sat back and sighed. “Poor guy should’ve kept his mouth shut.” As he waited for
the reporter to come up with questions to mock the fireman, Gage was surprised
at what came instead.
“Can I just say one thing?” Melvin asked.
“Sure. It’s all yours.”
“I just want to say hi to John Gage if he’s
listening. His partner, Roy, said he got hurt yesterday. . .the guy’s accident
prone,” Meyers explained. “He’s a paramedic with Station 51, but I ran into him
during one shift where I swear the guy was a disaster magnet. He hurt his
ankle, got in an accident with their squad, got a concussion, and suffered
smoke inhalation! All in less than twenty-four hours!”
“Okay, well, he sure sounds like someone
who knows how to find trouble. Hope it wasn’t anything serious this time,
John,” the reporter said, in mock sympathy. “And that closes our story at
The rest of the news was background sound
to Johnny. His attention was focused on the fact Melvin had once again called
him accident-prone. . .and listed the injuries . . .on TV!
“
~*~*~
What Johnny and Melvin weren’t aware of was
that someone else had taken a lot of interest in the interview. Brett Hayden,
Jack Tweed, and Scott Mathews also had tuned into the newscast and were very
intrigued with Melvin’s past. They had heard that a man may have invented a
chemical that could shrink a person, but that it hadn’t been proven as a fact
yet. Rumor was he’d been responsible for the disappearance of John Gage at
least two times, but Gage could never recall what had taken place. Now was
their chance to go directly to the creator himself and get the whole story.
“So what are we gonna do?” Jack asked the
others. “Try to get him at his own station? His helmet had a forty-five on it,
so that’s all we’d have to find.”
“We find the station, wait for the guy to leave,
and follow him home,” Brett answered.
“And. . .?”
“Jack, think! We kidnap him and keep him
till he makes us a batch of the shrinking stuff. . .then we get rich!” Brett
explained.
Scott nodded in agreement. “It’ll be a
piece of cake.”
“Let’s go,” Brett Hayden said as he stood
up and turned off the television. “They’ll be heading back to the station
soon.”
The three men went out the door, hoping
they’d found their pot of gold.
~*~*~
Johnny opened his eyes and looked around
the room. A different show was on the television screen, which meant he’d
apparently dozed off sometime during the morning news. He sat up and swung his
legs over the front of the couch. Getting to his feet, Johnny slowly limped
into the kitchen. He glanced at the clock on the wall.
Fifteen after eight. I wonder if Roy’ll
stop by after work?
As if in answer to his question, he heard a
knock on his front door. Johnny quickly hobbled into the livingroom.
“I’m coming! Hang on!”
When he opened the door, there was his
partner waiting patiently on the walkway than extended out from the second
floor apartments.
“How’s the toe?”
“Oh, man. Don’t ask.” Johnny motioned for
Roy to come in. “You know, I never realized how much a little thing like this
could hurt,” he said as he closed the door.
DeSoto grinned. “You staying off of it?”
“Yes, I’m staying off it. But I’m so tired
of TV, Roy, I’m going nuts.”
“It’s only been one day.”
“Yeah, but it was one long day.”
Roy looked around the room. “You need
anything?”
“Nah, I’m okay. I’m even hoping to be back
at work tomorrow.”
“I don’t know, Johnny. You don’t want to
rush it. Think of how much you’d need to use that toe.” He glanced down at the
injured foot. “Besides, it’s still swollen. You think you could get your shoe
on okay?”
“I’ll play it by ear,” the younger man
assured. “I just can’t stand the thought of being stuck in here for much
longer.”
The blonde paramedic nodded in
understanding. “Well, stay off it, keep an ice pack handy and maybe you’ll be
back soon. What did they say at Rampart?”
“Just what I already knew. I broke it. But
it should heal fine.”
“Okay, well, I’m gonna head on home. It was
a long night,” Roy said, yawning.
“Yeah, I saw on the news.” Johnny narrowed
his eyes. “Say, how come you told Melvin I was hurt again?”
“I don’t know. . . because you were?” The
older man shrugged. “Did he call ya?”
“No, they had the department store fire on
the news. And Melvin had to bring my name up. . .”
“He did?”
Johnny nodded. “Yeah, he did. And listed
the injuries I got that time I had a bad shift. . .well, that time I had a bad
shift and kept running into him. He called me accident prone on TV!”
“What’s the big deal? Hardly anyone’ll even
know who he’s talking about.”
Gage splayed his right hand on his chest.
“Roy, I’m not accident prone.”
The senior paramedic glanced at his
partner’s injured toe again. “If you say so. Look, give us a call if you need
anything, okay?”
“I will,” Johnny said. “By the way, what do
you mean ‘if you say so?’”
Roy grinned again. “Nothin’. I believe ya.
Now go get that foot up.”
Johnny watched his front door close then
hobbled over to the couch. “If you say so,” he mimicked. “Ha, ha. Very funny.”
~*~*~
About seven minutes later there was another
knock at the door. Gage had just sat down and gotten comfortable. “It’s open!”
He yelled.
The dark-haired man figured his partner had
forgotten to tell him something. Thinking it was Roy, he started, “What’sa’
matter. . .Melvin?”
“Hi, John.” The man was still in the
doorway.
Gage got to his feet and stepped towards
the visitor, smiling. “Well, c’mon in. C’mon in.”
Meyers complied. “Thanks. I just wanted to
make sure you were doin’ okay. I know you’re used to being hurt, but--”
“Melvin, look. . .I’m not accident prone.
This was just one of those things, ya know? It could happen to anyone.” Johnny
spread his arms wide for emphasis.
“If you say so. . .”
The paramedic scowled at the comment before
deciding to ignore it and carry on. “Who’s your friend?”
“Who’s my friend? Whataya mean?”
Gage motioned towards the doorway. “Your
friend.”
“I didn’t bring a friend.”
“You didn’t?”
Melvin shook his head.
Johnny hobbled closer to the open door. “Can
I help you?”
The sandy haired man stepped into the
apartment, a dark-haired man behind him.
“As a matter of fact you can,” Scott
answered. He and Brett flashed badges up for the two firemen to see. “You’re
both under arrest.”
“Under arrest?” Johnny asked in
disbelief. “For what?”
“Drug dealing,” Brett explained. “We’re
undercover cops. We’ve been following Mr. Meyers for quite awhile and we know
you two have had private meetings before.”
“I’m not into drugs!” Johnny protested. He
glanced at Melvin, who was standing with his mouth open in shock. Meyers shook
his head slightly, indicating he was as much at a loss for what the policemen
were talking about as Johnny was.
“Both of you, hands up against the wall,
arms and legs spread apart.”
“You can’t come into my apartment and
arrest me. I haven’t done anything.”
“Get your hands on the wall and spread ‘em
now!” Scott yelled, pulling out a gun.
Both firemen complied. Scott and Brett
briefly frisked the two prisoners, Melvin still in his uniform, and Johnny in
gray sweatpants and a white t-shirt. In the mean time, Meyers and Gage
exchanged puzzled glances.
“What did you get me into?” Johnny mumbled
under his breath.
“I didn’t do anything. I’m as much in the
dark as you--” Melvin stopped when he felt his arms jerked down behind him. He
could feel the cold metal cuffs clamp around his wrists.
Johnny lost his balance as his arms were
unexpectedly pulled down and back. He banged his forehead on the wall and the
pain in his broken toe flared as he put more weight on it. “Oww! Hey, take it
easy, will ya?” The only answer was the metal handcuffs being snapped on his
wrists.
“Okay, let’s go,” Scott said, as he lead
Gage toward the doorway.
“Wait, can’t I at least get shoes on?”
“You can call for someone to bring you some
at the station.”
Johnny frowned. He couldn’t get both shoes
on anyway, but if he could just find a way to stall, maybe Chet or someone else
would be by. He gave up the idea of stalling when it became obvious these cops
meant business.
~*~*~
Going down the flight of steps outside to
get to the ground level proved to be a challenge for Johnny. He tried to put
all the weight on the heel of his right foot when he had to step down, but a
couple of times he was forced to step down too soon and a sudden pain shot up
his broken toe, carrying into his foot. The paramedic bit his lower lip, trying
to stay composed.
As they got to the car in the parking lot,
Jack opened the back doors. Johnny was forced down into the backseat. He tried
to be careful of his right little toe, but banged it on the back of the
driver’s seat getting in.
Damn, it’s never gonna heal at this rate.
“Look,” he said through gritted teeth.
“Just let me call someone. They can vouch I don’t have anything to do with
drugs!”
“We can sort all that out at the station,”
Brett re-emphasized.
Gage sighed. This was going to be a longer
day than the one before. A quick glance out the window looking for any
onlookers revealed none. Then Johnny remembered that it was the time of the
morning when most of his neighbors would either be at work, or taking their
kids to school. Apparently anyone else was busy inside his or her home.
Figures. . .the one time I need a nosy
neighbor, they’re all busy.
Johnny watched as Melvin was placed in the
front seat beside the driver. Scott sat on the other side of Meyers. This was
the first time that something began to feel very off to Gage. Why weren’t he
and Meyers together in the back? A sudden pinch in his right arm caused the
paramedic to turn his attention to Brett, who was just getting onto the seat
beside him. The man was putting an empty syringe into a plastic bag.
What the. . .? Johnny began to feel woozy
and light-headed, his eyelids heavy. He tried to say something, but his mouth
wouldn’t cooperate. The paramedic blinked hard in an effort to clear his head,
but it was useless. Before long, the man beside him blurred and faded, as the
drug induced darkness encompassed Gage. The paramedic slumped limply against
the left passenger door.
~*~*~
Chet tapped on Johnny’s apartment door. He
could hear the sound from the television, but no one heard his knock. He banged
a little harder and waited. Figuring Gage must be asleep, Kelly walked back to
his car and pulled out of the lot. He would try to call later in the day to see
how the injured paramedic was fairing.
~*~*~
Johnny slowly lifted his head and squinted,
peering at his surroundings. He wasn’t sure where he was, but he remembered
being arrested. It was a long room with bare cement walls, a pool table at one
end. Closer to him there was an old brown vinyl couch up against a wall. Tears
were evident where stuffing was sticking out. On the other side of him there was an old white, dented washing machine.
This isn’t a cell.
As he became more aware, he recalled the
pinch in the arm and the empty syringe. The paramedic tried to move, but he was
unable to do anymore than shift slightly on his bottom. His arms were held
behind his back with the handcuffs and he was leaning against a metal support
beam of some kind. When he moved his hands, he could tell they were on the
backside of the pole. Johnny’s legs were tied down at the ankles to a floor
drain grate. A woozy feeling coming over him again, he closed his eyes. He
figured he must’ve been there awhile, as his bottom was sore from sitting on
the cold concrete floor and his neck was stiff from his head hanging down. Gage
wished he could at least rub the sore muscles and ligaments, but it was not
going to happen.
I wonder where Melvin is? I hope he’s okay.
Man, what do these guys want, anyway? Him? Me? Is this my fault?
Johnny’s thoughts were interrupted by the
sound of a door opening and footsteps coming down stairs. He waited quietly for
the person to appear in the large room.
“So, you finally woke up, huh? ‘Bout time,”
Brett said, sitting down on a couch near a wall. He took a swig from a beer
can.
Although there were no windows, the room
was well lit from a bare light bulb in the ceiling a few feet from where the
steps were. Johnny stared at the man, wondering if he should say anything.
Suddenly a sick feeling came over him.
They haven’t worried about hiding their
faces from me at all. Oh shit. . .I’m not gonna get out of this alive.
“What. . .what do you want?” Johnny asked,
his voice rough from a dry throat.
“Haven’t figured it out yet?”
The paramedic shook his head.
“You were in the wrong place at the wrong
time.”
“I was in my apartment. . .minding my own
business.”
“Ah, but your friend decided to visit you
right after work. . .we thought it was his place at first, but then we saw you
and figured we had to take you, too.”
“Why?”
“We want him to recreate the chemical that
can shrink things. . .the guy’s claimed a few times on TV that he did it.”
Brett squished the now empty can in his hands and tossed it in the corner of
the room. “If he does succeed, we need someone for him to try out his creation
on.” The man shrugged. “You’re it.”
Johnny stared at the man in disbelief. “You
really believe he can do that? You guys are nuts!” Although he still had recollections of being
in a world of huge insects, mice and other things, Gage hadn’t quite figured
out why and decided now was not the time to bring it up. “Where is Melvin? Is
he okay?”
“He’s a lot better off than you.” Brett
stood up and pulled a chain on the light, leaving the paramedic in the dark.
“You better hope he can do it. Or it ain’t gonna be pretty for either one of ya.”
With that, the man left. Johnny shuddered
in the cool, dark basement. How was he going to get out of this? And how long
would it be before anyone missed him since he really wasn’t expected at work
the next shift?
~*~*~
It was early evening when Chet stopped by
Johnny’s apartment again. The fireman had planned on visiting sooner, but it
had been a busy shift the night before and he’d unintentionally fallen asleep
in the afternoon.
Kelly could hear Johnny’s television again
as he knocked on the door. Like earlier in the day, he didn’t get an answer.
“Gage! It’s me . . . Chet! Open up,
man!”
The Irishman waited a few minutes before
trying to peek through a crack in the curtains that were in the livingroom
window. He could see the empty couch and into part of the kitchen beyond, but
there was no sign of Johnny.
Maybe he went to bed or somethin’.
Kelly shrugged and headed back to his car.
He’d stop by Roy’s and see if the other paramedic had gotten a hold of Gage.
~*~*~
Johnny sat in the dark, listening to his
stomach growl. He hadn’t eaten or drank anything since he’d woken up on the
couch in his apartment. He had no idea what time it was or if it was a new day
already. He shifted his weight on his sore bottom, trying to find a comfortable
spot. But the concrete was making it a challenge. Gage moved his hands in an
effort to get them free of the handcuffs, but it was no use. Nothing was going
to give. The dark- haired man sighed.
Man, what am I gonna do? I’ve gotta get out
of here.
Suddenly the lights came on and the
paramedic squinted in the unexpected brightness. He could see that Scott had
come down in his stocking feet.
No wonder I didn’t hear him.
“Whatsa’ matter? Too bright for ya?”
“A little,” Johnny rasped. “You guys have a
shade you can put on that light?”
Scott laughed. “Yeah right. This isn’t
exactly the Hilton, ya know.”
Gage snorted. Boy, did he know.
“You hungry?”
“What do you think?”
The sandy-haired man squatted down beside
Johnny and held out a tuna sandwich. Gage didn’t relish the thought of eating
food this guy had handled, but food was food. And he was hungry enough that it
didn’t matter.
“Can you uncuff my hands so I can eat?”
“Take a bite.”
“Huh?”
Scott held the sandwich up to Johnny’s
mouth. “I said, take a bite.”
Seeing he had no choice, Gage did as
suggested. His captor then set the remains of the sandwich on the floor an
arm’s length away. He left and returned with a glass of water.
“Here, you need to wash that down.”
The paramedic gulped down the cool liquid
as Scott tipped the container. When the water was gone, Johnny licked his
moistened lips. “Thanks.”
Scott stood up. “You want more to eat?”
Johnny stared at the sandwich on the floor.
He was hungry, but not enough to eat off the concrete. The paramedic shook his
head.
Scott shrugged. “Suit yourself.”
“Where’s Melvin?” Gage asked, as he watched
the man pick up the sandwich.
“You don’t have to worry about him. He’s
being well taken care of.” Mathews
grinned as he turned off the light. “After all, he’s the scientist. . .we need
him. You’re just the lab rat.”
Johnny could hear the man’s laughter as he
walked away and went upstairs.
And lab rats are expendable, Johnny thought
to himself.
~*~*~
Chet felt more at ease after talking to
Roy. Having found out that the senior paramedic had indeed gotten in touch with
his partner earlier in the day came as a relief. Strange as it was, Kelly had
to admit to himself that he was concerned when he somehow missed getting a hold
of Gage twice. It seemed like Johnny should’ve answered the door at least one
of those times.
Despite the relief, something made him want
to try once more. He pulled into the parking lot at the apartment complex and
climbed out of the car. As he got to the walkway on the second level, he
noticed right away that Gage’s curtains were still closed. Chet knocked a few
times then waited to see if he’d finally get a response. When he glanced away
from the front door, he saw a gorgeous young blonde woman built like a Barbie
doll coming down the walkway in his direction.
“I don’t think he’s home.”
Chet’s jaw dropped in surprise. “You know
Gage?”
The woman nodded. “I see him sometimes in
the laundry room.”
“I need to do laundry more often.”
She ignored the comment and continued. “I
think he was arrested this morning. I saw him being taken to a car in
handcuffs.”
“Johnny? Arrested?”
“Yes, I saw it out my window.”
“For what? What’d he do?”
“I don’t know, but you’ll probably get your
answer at the police station, if he’s still there.”
Chet nodded and stared at the woman, lost
in a trance. “Yeah, I guess I will. Can I use your phone?” What an opportunity
this would be. . .get invited into a
beautiful blonde’s home and find Gage . . .couldn’t ask for a happier
ending.
“Sorry,” she said, shaking her head. “I
don’t have one right now. It was disconnected when I ran late on my bill.”
The stocky fireman’s face fell as he was
brought quickly to reality. “Oh. Okay, well, I guess I can call Roy from the
police station. Thanks!” Chet wished he could stay and talk to the woman, but
he forced himself to put his shiftmate ahead of her in priority. A feat that
wasn’t easy for the fireman.
“Sure. When you see him, tell Johnny I’m
sorry, but I figured he’d get the standard phone call to at least let someone
know where he was.”
Chet waved as he hurried down the steps.
“It’s okay! I have a feeling he’d forgive you even if you were the one who had
him arrested!”
He climbed into his car and quickly pulled
out of the lot, heading for the police station.
~*~*~
Brett turned on the light in the basement
and stared at Johnny. The man was sent down to check on the prisoner when they
could hear him yelling from below.
“Well, what did you want?”
“Does a guy get to use the facilities
around this place?” The paramedic asked, his voice raspy and quiet from yelling
with a dry throat.
“Hold on. I’ll be right back.”
Gage watched Brett leave and go back up the
steps. He wondered what was up, but figured the guy probably needed permission
to let him use the bathroom upstairs. When the kidnapper returned, he had a gun
in his hand and Jack behind him.
“Okay, let’s get you on your feet,” Hayden
said, unlocking the handcuffs. Jack was untying Johnny’s feet. They helped the
unsteady man to his feet. For the first time, Johnny realized how much the
ordeal had affected him already. His right butt cheek was numb, and he felt
woozy from lack of food. His broken toe had been throbbing, but now it was
burning because he had to put too much weight on it getting up. Johnny winced,
immediately trying to ease the weight off his right foot.
“What’s your problem?” Brett asked, seeing
their prisoner’s reaction.
“My toe’s broke, you id--” The paramedic
knew better than to finish what he was about to say. “I broke my toe
yesterday.”
Neither of the two men replied, but simply
stepped back, leaving Johnny standing on his own in front of the floor grate.
“Well, what are you waiting for?” Jack
asked.
“I. . .here? I. . .gotta go. . .here?”
“Piss in the grate,” Brett demanded. “It’s
the only choice you’ve got.”
Eyeing the gun pointed at him, Johnny
ignored the awkwardness of the situation and took care of business. He hadn’t
been sure he could do it under gunpoint, but was relieved that he was able to.
Once he was done, Brett ordered that he sit back on the concrete floor. The two
men secured Gage back in the handcuffs and tied his feet to the grate. Turning
out the light, Brett and Jack left the dark-haired man trying to cope with the
burning sensation that was flaring in his aggravated broken toe.
~*~*~
Roy walked into the police station and
looked around for Chet. He could see the fireman at a desk in an apparent
argument with a police officer. DeSoto shook his head. Whatever it’s about,
he’d better not make things worse for Johnny.
Kelly looked somewhat relieved when he saw
the blonde paramedic approaching.
“Man, am I glad to see you.”
“What’s up? Did you find out why Johnny was
arrested?”
Chet shook his head. “Nope.”
“No? Why not?”
“That’s just it, Roy. . .according to these
guys here, he wasn’t!”
“He wasn’t?” DeSoto looked first at Chet,
then the policeman. Both were shaking their heads. “Well, where is he then? Why
was he taken away in handcuffs?”
“I have no idea,” the officer answered.
“Maybe it was a prank by some of the firemen you guys know. If they’re anything
like us, they’ll pull stunts like that. But I just know it wasn’t us, and
unless he’s missing for over twenty-four hours or you have reason to believe
there’s foul play involved, it’s not our problem.”
Roy stood in stunned silence. This wasn’t
what he’d expected at all. He’d take his partner being arrested due to a
misunderstanding over not having any idea where he was. Roy looked at Chet, who
was still insistent Gage had to be there somewhere.
“Chet. . .Chet!” Roy called out, getting
the stocky fireman’s attention. “Who told you Johnny was arrested?”
An entranced expression came over Kelly’s
face. “A chick at Gage’s apartment building. And, man, you shoulda seen her.
Long blonde hair, deep blue eyes, and a figure as perfect as a Barbie doll. I
mean this chick was awesome, man!”
Roy stared at Chet a moment, then once
again found himself shaking his head. “Chet, stay with me here. Johnny may be
missing, remember?”
“Well, yeah, I know. . .I know. But the
chick was hot! And even more amazing than that was the fact she knew who Johnny
was!”
DeSoto signaled for Chet to step away from
the officer’s desk. “Look, let’s go back to Johnny’s and see if we can find
anything else out. When we have more information, we can come back here and
talk to someone if we need to.”
The thought of seeing the woman of his
dreams again made Roy’s suggestion sound all that much better to Chet. After
agreeing they needed to go to Gage’s place again, Kelly followed DeSoto out of
the police station.
~*~*~
DeSoto and Kelly arrived at Gage’s
apartment complex in record time. The two men glanced around the lighted area
as they walked towards the building.
Gee, that looks like Melvin's car, Roy
thought as he and Chet passed a blue Buick Skylark on their way across the
parking lot. The paramedic let the thought go, his focus returning to his
missing partner.
When they got to Johnny’s apartment, Roy
knocked on the door, hoping he would get an answer. He tried the knob a couple
of times, thinking the door might be unlocked, but it wouldn’t open. Chet
peered in the window between the curtains. The Irishman shook his head.
“I don’t see ‘im at all, Roy. But the TV’s
still on.”
“Well, where did the woman you ran into
live?”
Kelly got a blank look on his face and
shrugged. “I don’t know. She came from that direction,” he said, pointing to
his left.
“Where exactly did you talk to her at?”
“Here. Right here on the sidewalk where we
are now. I was standing here at the door, and all of a sudden came this
gorgeous blonde out of nowhere.”
“Didn’t she say which apartment she lived
in?”
“No. And I didn’t think to ask. She was so.
. .so. . .you know. . .heck, I’m lucky I remembered Gage’s name to ask about
‘im!”
“There’s only one thing to do. Ask the
landlord where she lives. What was her name?”
The blank expression returned to Chet’s
face.
“Don’t tell me. . .you don’t know.”
“Well, I. . .”
Roy leaned his right shoulder on the
outside of Johnny’s still closed apartment door and glanced at his watch. It
was already eleven-forty. It was going to be a long night.
~*~*~
Gage somehow had managed to fall asleep,
but after an hour he found himself awake again. Not having access to his watch
or any windows in the room, he had no idea how much time had passed or if it
was a new day. He moved his head side-to-side in an effort to loosen his stiff
neck.
The room was dead silent in the pitch
black, no sound of footsteps on the floor above. Johnny figured by that fact,
it was probably sometime in the night. He wondered again about Melvin Meyers
and just what had happened to him. Maybe the men were treating him better like
they claimed, but even if that was the case, he had to be confined somewhere or
he would’ve come looking for the paramedic by now.
I wonder what Roy and the others are gonna
think when they find out I’m gone? I wonder how long it’ll take ‘em to figure
it out? He closed his eyes. I wonder how long it’ll be before I get feeling in
my ass again?
He tried to swallow, but his throat was too
dry. The only good thing was that he was so hungry, he’d already passed the
feeling of starving, and was feeling comfortable again.
Man, I’d even trade this for another day on
the couch watching TV.
~*~*~
Melvin was locked in a bedroom on the
second story floor of the house. The man had waited until he hadn’t heard a
sound from his captors for a while before trying to figure a way out of the
room.
When they had first brought him into the
room, he’d noticed that the doorknob was reversed and the interior button lock
was on the outside of the door. If that was all they were using, a piece of
wire would be enough to release the lock. Meyers searched around the supplies
he’d been given to work on the formula. There was a long piece of wire formed
in the shape of a figure eight to hold two glass jars together. Melvin took the
jars out of their holder and bent one end of the figure eight out straight. He
whirled the extended end round and round until it snapped off in one straight
piece. The fireman/chemist looked at the wire with a gleam in his eyes. This
could be his ticket out to find John, and get them both out of the house.
~*~*~
Johnny’s landlady let Roy and Chet into his
apartment. Once they stepped inside, it became obvious he hadn’t been there for
awhile. The television was on the same channel as in the morning, his bed was
unmade, no dirty dishes were in the sink, a single glass that once had juice in
it still sat on the kitchen table. The two friends knew the next step was to
call the police.
“It’s gonna be tough at work tomorrow if
we’re up all night,” Chet commented.
”Yeah, but you think you could sleep right
now anyway?”
Kelly shook his head in reply. He had to
admit, he couldn’t.
~*~*~
Melvin quietly snooped around the moonlit
house. He was determined to find John before he allowed himself to leave. Not
knowing which bedrooms upstairs might have any of the three criminals in them,
he decided his best bet was to not look upstairs, but rather take a chance that
Gage was somewhere on another floor. After a search of the main floor didn’t
turn up any sign of the paramedic, Meyers decided to try the basement.
~*~*~
Johnny looked in the direction of the
stairs. He could hear faint footsteps coming down. The paramedic hoped
whichever of the three men it was, that he would have a glass of water with
him.
“John? Are you down here?” Meyers
whispered.
“Melvin?” Johnny croaked.
“You sound terrible.”
“Melvin?”
“Yeah. Where are you? It’s too dark in
here.” Meyers felt along the wall for a light switch.
“There’s a pull chain light a few feet in
front of the stairs.”
At that information, Melvin reached above
his head, feeling for the chain.
“How’d you get down here?” Johnny rasped.
“I picked the lock on my door. These guys
aren’t real bright.”
Gage nodded. “No kiddin’.” There was a time
when he had figured Meyers was a few bricks short of a wall, but it was
becoming apparent the fireman/chemist was more like a genius that simply had
shortcomings in the social department.
The light came on and Johnny shut his eyes
against the assault from the sudden brightness.
“Sorry.”
“S’okay.” The dark-haired man squinted at
Meyers. “Maybe you should just go get help.”
“No. I got you into this. . .I’m gonna get
you out of it. . .we leave together.”
“But. . .”
Melvin untied Johnny’s feet then walked
behind the support pole that connected to the ceiling. “You’re still
handcuffed?”
“Yeah. I don’t think you’ll get me loose.”
“Maybe I can smash them,” Meyers said,
looking around for something small, but heavy.
“Melvin. . .”
“Or maybe I can pick the lock, like I did
with the door.” He pulled out the wire, straightening it again, and started for
the keyhole in the cuffs.
“Melvin. . .”
“What?”
“Get out of here. . .go get help. You
aren’t Batman and these guys aren’t cartoon villains. You can’t--” Johnny
stopped when he saw Melvin looking at him, a hurt expression on his face. “Oh,
okay, give it a try.”
Meyers smiled. “Just hang in there, John.
I’ll have ya free in no time.”
“If you say so. . .”
After a few minutes, the handcuffs popped
open and Melvin took them off his friend. Johnny brought his tired arms around
to his front and massaged his wrists.
“I told ya I could do it,” Meyers beamed.
He helped his friend to his feet.
Gage stood still a minute as he waited for
the room to stop spinning. It had been too long since he’d eaten and the
paramedic was light headed and weak. Soon the two men slowly made their way to
the steps. Johnny wasn’t sure he would last long before he would pass out. He
limped up the steps behind Meyers, both his sore toe and numb butt making the
climb difficult. As they got to the top of the stairs, Brett and Scott appeared
in the doorway. Startled, Melvin stepped back down a step, nearly losing his
balance. The sudden movement was enough to throw the already injured paramedic
behind him off balance and Johnny fell back against the wall, as he grabbed
onto the railing. Pain seared through his broken toe and he twisted his left
ankle in the process of trying to find his footing again.
“Ahh!” Gage groaned, as he tried to figure
out which foot was the best to put most of his weight on. Neither brought him
any relief. Great, now both feet are screwed up.
~*~*~
Scott escorted Melvin to the bedroom
upstairs and handcuffed the fireman/chemist to the front bedpost. “Just what
did you hope to accomplish with that stunt?” Mathews asked. “Now unless you’re
actually working on the project, you’re gonna be handcuffed to the bed.” He
shook his head. “You could’ve had it so good, if you just hadn’t been so
stupid.”
Meyers glared at the man. He’d think of
another plan. He had to.
~*~*~
Brett grabbed Johnny by his left arm and
quickly walked him down the stairs. Gage winced with every step, trying not to
lose his temper. It hurt like hell no matter what way he stepped on either
foot. When they got to the basement, Brett once again handcuffed the paramedic
to the pole and tied his feet to the grate.
“Can I at least have a drink of water?”
Johnny asked, his voice barely audible.
“You’re lucky I don’t shoot you right now
and put us all out of our misery. You’ve been nothing but a pain in the ass
since we brought you here.”
Johnny looked at the man in astonishment.
First of all, it was not his idea to be brought here. Second, he’d been quiet
the entire time except for when he needed to go to the bathroom. The third
thing was, he’d love to have a little pain in his ass. . .at least he’d be sure
it was still there. The paramedic opted to keep silent. Now was not the time to
piss off this man just to make a point he probably wouldn’t see anyway. Gage
frowned as he shifted his gaze to the floor.
Brett nodded at the defenseless man.
“That’s smart. Keep quiet and you may get breakfast in the morning.” He turned
to leave, making sure the light was off before he went upstairs.
Gage sat alone in the pitch dark, feeling
more helpless than he had since this whole ordeal had started.
~*~*~
Roy and Chet stared at the television
screen at Roy’s house. The two men had notified the police about their missing
shiftmate, and gave them what little facts they knew. The landlady was able to
give the officers the apartment number of Chet’s dream girl by the description
Kelly gave, but the woman was not at home when they attempted to contact her.
Now DeSoto and Kelly were watching an old
B-horror flick, trying to pass the time. Both men would shift their attention
to the telephone often, in hopes the police, or Johnny himself, would call with
some news.
“Whataya think Cap’s gonna say when he
finds out Gage is missing?”
Roy glanced at Chet. “I think he’s gonna
wonder why we didn’t tell him sooner and then give us the third degree on what
we know.”
“Yeah.” Chet shifted in his seat. “What do
you think happened?”
“Well, if Melvin Meyers was involved like
the other times, I’d say Johnny was a victim of some crazy circumstances. But
being that Mel--”
“What? You stopped with Mel. . .Mel what?”
“I do know where he lives. Let’s go.”
Chet stood up, ready to follow the blonde
paramedic. “What are you thinking?”
“Melvin wanted to know where Johnny was the
other day. Now all of a sudden my partner is gone. What do you think?”
“I don’t know, Roy, but it’s more than what
we’ve had to go on so far.”
The two firemen got into Roy’s car and
headed for Melvin’s apartment. Halfway there, Roy hit the brakes, nearly
putting Chet into the dashboard.
“What the hell. . .?”
“Sorry, but next time, have your seatbelt
on, would ya?”
“Oh. . .oh sure. Next time warn me you’re
gonna stop in the middle of the road.” Chet stared at the driver. “So, why did
you stop?”
“Do you remember seeing a blue Skylark in
the lot at Johnny’s place?”
“Uh. . .no. But I wasn’t lookin’. Why?”
“Just call it a hunch.” Roy turned the car
around and headed back for Johnny’s apartment.
~*~*~
Gage tried to fall asleep, but the
discomfort of the floor, the throbbing in his left ankle and the burning pain
in his right little toe was making it impossible. He was also back to feeling
nauseated from hunger. The night couldn’t go fast enough for the unfortunate
man.
What did I do to deserve this? Was it that
last prank I played on Chet to get even? He looked up into the blackness above.
“I swear what he did to me was far worse than that,” he said, his raspy voice
cracking. “After all, I had to go on a run soaking wet. He just had flour all
over his head. . . and shoulders . . .and pants. . . and shoes.”
The paramedic sighed. There had to be a way
to pass the time. I know! Johnny closed his eyes and pictured every woman he’d
been out with, one at a time. Maybe with a little luck, counting women would
have the same effect as counting sheep.
~*~*~
Roy pulled his car up near the blue Buick
Skylark he had noticed earlier. He got out and walked over, pulling on the
driver’s side door. By luck it opened.
“Is this Melvin’s car?” Chet wondered.
“I don’t know, but he drives one like it,”
Roy explained. “I’ll know for sure once I find the registration.” He opened the
glove box and pulled out a handful of papers. Many were credit card receipts
from various stores. He manages his finances about as well as Johnny does. At
the bottom of the stack was the paper Roy had hoped to find. The vehicle
registration verified that it was indeed Melvin’s car and those were Melvin’s
receipts.
DeSoto climbed out of the car and pulled
Chet over to his own car with him.
“Well. . .?”
“Chet, it’s Melvin’s car. And he left it
unlocked, so what does that tell you?”
“He wasn’t planning on being out of it
long.”
“Right. And it also means, he might be with
Johnny wherever he is. Johnny’s Land Rover has been in the same spot all day,”
Roy said, pointing across the lot. “And I know this car was in this same spot
when we were here earlier. That girl really must’ve seen Johnny taken away in
handcuffs. . .what we need to know is if anyone else was. . .”
“Yeah. Like Melvin Meyers.”
“Right. Let’s go to a pay phone and call
the police.” The blonde paramedic started to get into his own car. “They’re
gonna need to look into the possibility of a double kidnapping.”
“I can’t believe this,” Chet said, walking
around to the passenger side.
“I know what you mean. But it doesn’t
surprise me if Melvin’s involved.”
~*~*~
Johnny woke to an already light room. As he
opened his eyes, he once again found himself squinting as he waited for his
eyes to adjust to the brightness. He could hear a sort of clicking noise,
followed by a thud. It was Brett playing billiards at the other end of the
room. The man looked up from his game and smirked. “Sorry I woke ya, Sleeping
Beauty.”
Gage yawned. “What time is it?” He croaked.
“Seven thirty-three.”
“In the morning?”
Brett nodded. “I find I play my best in the
morning.”
“Can I have some water?”
Brett didn’t reply, but rather continued to
play his billiard game. Johnny glanced at his injuries and was surprised at how
much his ankle had swollen. It was almost three times its normal size. His
broken toe was black and blue, the bruising traveling up the right side of his
foot, and it was at least twice its size still as well.
“Do me a favor,” the paramedic said in a
quiet tone. “If Melvin really makes something that shrinks things, have him put
a little of it on my ankle and toe.”
Brett snorted and set his pool cue down.
Johnny watched as the man headed up the stairs. Soon Hayden was back with a
small glass of water.
“Here.” The kidnapper put the glass up to
Johnny’s lips.
The paramedic drank the water as quick as
it was put into his mouth. When the liquid was gone, Brett stood up, the glass
in his hand. It was only a minute before Johnny found himself vomiting the
water up. Hayden jumped back, an angry expression on his face.
“What did you do that for?”
“I couldn’t keep it down.” Johnny looked at
the wet spot on his right pant leg and the small puddle on the floor beside
him. Great!
“Well, you ain’t gettin’ anything to eat
now, that’s for sure,” Brett said, disgusted. “You blew it, buddy.”
Gage didn’t care anymore. He ached
everywhere, and what didn’t hurt was numb. The dark-haired man just wanted the
whole thing to be over with, and hopefully that would be with these idiots
behind bars for a long time.
The guys should be going to work about now.
I hope they know I’m missing.
~*~*~
Hank Stanley waved Roy over to his office
as the paramedic walked towards the dayroom. Once they were inside the small
room, the captain closed the door and motioned for Roy to sit down. The blonde
man opted to stay standing, as did Hank.
“I’ve been notified that John and Melvin
Meyers are missing.”
“That’s how it looks,” Roy replied. “At
first a neighbor thought Johnny was arrested, but the police had no record of
it.”
“Yeah, I understand you and Kelly were up
most of the night doing your own bit of detective work.” Stanley took in the
shadows under his senior paramedic’s eyes. “You guys gonna be okay to work this
shift?”
DeSoto nodded. “Yeah, we’re okay, Cap. I
think we both got a few hours of sleep. No telling if Johnny did where ever
he’s at.”
“So any ideas what may have happened?”
“Well, I got a call early this morning
telling me the witness to the ‘arrest’ saw another man in handcuffs besides
Johnny, so I’m assuming that was Melvin.” Roy sighed. “You know how it is, Cap.
Whenever Gage and Meyers get together, things just seem to go wacky.”
The captain cracked a small smile. “You
aren’t kiddin’. There was the time John disappeared when he went to look for
Melvin’s rat in that building fire, only to appear out of nowhere over a day
later in the same building during another fire; then turning into an accident
waiting to happen when he found out Meyers was in the fire department.” Hank
shook his head. “And, of course who could forget that time when John was
missing and then suddenly appeared in that mud puddle soaked head to toe, like
he’d been swimming in a muddy lake.” Hank thought back to the first weird
instance and remembered Roy trying to convince him John had shrunk “Roy, you
don’t suppose. . .?” He glanced at the paramedic and saw a look on his face
that was a combination of shock, surprise and disbelief. “Ah, never mind. We
don’t know if Melvin was around then, anyway. But why would they be taken
together?”
Relieved they didn’t have to rehash the
possibility that Johnny was once shrunk to the size of a bug . . .more than
once . . .Roy shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m gonna try to call Johnny’s aunt in
San Francisco after roll call to see if she’s heard anything about a ransom.
She’s the only relative I can think of that they’d contact. I would’ve had the
police call her, but I forgot all about her until this morning.”
Stanley held out the receiver to the phone
on his desk. “Call ‘er now. Roll call can wait a few minutes.”
~*~*~
Staring at the pool table, Johnny wished he
could do something more than just sitting on the floor to pass the time. Even
just to have the sound of a radio would be better than nothing. The paramedic
glanced up at the uncovered light bulb. At least this time they had left him
with some light. He didn’t feel as shut off from the world.
The sound of two sets of footsteps brought
the man out of his thoughts. He watched as the sandy-haired man and the
pool-playing host came down the stairs. Both men soon stood in front of Gage.
After a few seconds of silence, Johnny spoke.
“Well?”
“We’ve been discussin’ what to do with
you,” Brett said. “And we decided we messed up when we brought you here in the
first place.”
If the paramedic could’ve thrown his arms
up for emphasis, he would have. Instead he could only express himself verbally.
“No kiddin’.”
Scott stepped around alongside the
prisoner. “Well, you’re still gonna come in handy. . .just in a different way.”
Johnny wasn’t sure he was ready to hear the
rest, but he had a feeling there wasn’t going to be a choice.
“Either your buddy meets the deadline for
creating that chemical we want, or you’re gonna be dead.”
Johnny looked from one man to the other in
disbelief. He then stared at Scott. “So when is this deadline? How long has he
got?”
“Until nine o’clock tonight. If it’s not
ready then, you’re history.”
“Nine o’clock? What ever happened to
midnight?” Johnny asked, hoping to gain a few extra hours. “Bad guys always
give people till midnight.”
Brett rolled his eyes. “That’s just on TV.
Besides, we’ll need all night to dispose of your body.”
Gage shook his head. This was unbelievable.
His life was in Melvin’s hands. And it all depended on the chemist/fireman
inventing something that never really existed . . .or probably hadn’t. Melvin,
you’d better be thinking of another plan to get us out of this place . . . and
soon!
“Now,” said Scott as he turned to take
something from Jack, who had just come down to join them. “Just so you don’t
have to sit here all day thinkin’ about dyin’, we’re gonna give you somethin’
to make you sleep. It should last until about seven or so.”
“Oh, nice,” Johnny said sarcastically. He
winced as a needle was stuck into his right arm. After a few minutes, the
paramedic felt himself drifting away, his head bobbing as he tried to keep it
upright. He lost the battle and slumped to the side, his head hanging down.
~*~*~
Melvin pulled the piece of wire out of his
pocket. The chemist/fireman smiled as he held it up. He knew he could get free
of the handcuffs holding his one arm to the bedpost and also the locked door of
his room. He would just have to wait until nighttime again, when the captors
would be asleep. This time he would leave without Gage and get them some help.
A sudden noise outside his room, had the man quickly putting the wire back into
his pocket.
The door opened, revealing Scott. “Ready to
start your work day?”
Melvin nodded and forced a smile.
“Good. Because we have a new deal for you.”
When he saw he had the prisoner’s attention, the man continued. “You have until
nine o’clock tonight to have the project complete and ready for us, or your
friend downstairs dies.”
“Nine o’clock?” Melvin wondered. “What
about midnight? I thought people always got until midnight?”
Scott shook his head, and sighed. “You two
must watch the same movies. It can be whatever time we want it to be. There’s
no set rule for deadlines,” he defended. “And we say it’s nine o’clock. Got
it?”
Melvin nodded, his mind racing as what to
do next. He didn’t have until night to make a move. He’d have to do it sooner.
But what could he do? His eyes traveled over the supplies in the room. He had
an idea.
“I’ll call you guys up here as soon as it’s
ready.”
Scott nodded. “Good. We thought that would
get you to work faster.” He unlocked the handcuffs and shut the door as he
left.
Meyers could hear the push button lock
being set. The fireman/chemist quickly went to work mixing ingredients.
~*~*~
Roy had gotten a hold of Johnny’s aunt and
confirmed that ransom wasn’t involved; at least not yet. She hadn’t heard a
word from anyone. The paramedic assured the woman he would keep her informed of
any news he received.
After roll call, the men were assigned
duties before being sent on a call for a multiple motor vehicle accident. Dwyer
was pulling duty for Johnny again, which was a relief to Roy. If he was going
to have to work beside someone else, it was good that the person was a
paramedic he knew real well. This way Gage’s replacement would understand if
DeSoto was miles away in thought between runs.
~*~*~
A few hours later, Melvin held up the glass
of mixed chemicals. He kept the solution a distance from his face as he studied
it in the light. Looks good, I just hope it works. He left the filtered mask
that he had been working in over his nose and mouth, and slowly poured the
liquid into the floor vent. Feeling slightly light-headed from the fumes,
Melvin grabbed a pillow off the bed and placed it over his nose and mouth as
well.
Hopefully it won’t get to Gage as fast
since he’s in the basement, so we can still get out of here.
The fireman/chemist looked at his watch,
eyeing the time he started the experiment. Hopefully in another hour or less,
he and Gage would be on their way out the front door of the house. No way was
he going to leave John behind knowing these guys wanted to kill him.
~*~*~
Scott and Brett sat watching television,
while Jack was out running an errand. The two kidnappers began to feel
different but neither gave it thought. The process of change was so slow, that
by the time they realized something was very wrong, they were both near the
point of dozing off. Brett stood to find out what the cause of his wooziness was,
and simply collapsed on the floor. Scott was slumped down on the couch.
~*~*~
After popping the lock on the door again,
Melvin quietly snuck down the stairs. He paused after each step, waiting to
hear if there was any sign of someone coming towards him.
Once he was on the main floor, he saw Brett
on the livingroom floor in a heap, and the top of Scott’s head over the back of
the couch. The third man was nowhere to be seen.
Great! I’d better get Johnny and get us out
of here fast! I hope the other fool’s not with him.
When Melvin got to the basement, he saw
Gage slumped over, feet still tied to the floor, his arms secured behind the
pole. The dark-haired paramedic’s eyes were closed and he appeared to be
breathing deeply. . .too deeply. . . as if in slumber.
“No, John, no. . .not yet,” the
fireman/chemist’s muffled voice cried out. Melvin hurried over to his friend
and untied the man’s feet. “You gotta wake up, Gage. We gotta get out of here.
Now!”
Once he got the handcuffs released, Meyers
watched in dismay as Johnny fell over and lay on the floor in a heap. There was
no sign of consciousness at all.
“I didn’t mean to knock you out, John.
C’mon, wake up.”
When he still didn’t get a response, Melvin
laid Johnny out flat and gave a sternal rub. Nothing.
Nothing? But how . . .?
As he started to lift the man’s upper torso
and insert his arms under Johnny’s, Melvin noticed a tiny puncture mark in
Gage’s right arm.
“Oh no. They drugged you. . .and I drugged
you. . .oh shit. . .”
He wasn’t a paramedic, but Melvin knew that
too much of any sedative in a person’s system was not good at all. And he had
no idea just how much John had received between him and the kidnappers. He was
too small of a build to drag Gage up the stairs by himself in his own weakend
condition. The only hope was to get out of the house and find help. Meyers
slipped his arms the rest of the way under Johnny’s and dragged the man towards
the couch. Once beside the piece of furniture, he laid the paramedic down and
carefully pushed him underneath. Then he took off the filtered mask and placed
it over the unconscious man’s face, securing the elastic band behind his head.
Meyers held his own hand over his nose and mouth tightly as he got to his feet
and ran for the steps. He had to get out before he breathed in any fumes as
well.
~*~*~
Meyers flung open the front door of the
house and was met by Jack. The startled fireman jumped back, the surprised
kidnapper doing the same. After a moment of staring at one another, both men
made a move.
Jack stepped inside, as Melvin glanced
towards the basement.
“What are you doing out?” Jack demanded.
“I. . .I . .they. . .your buddies let me
out because I got the project done. But they tried it out on John Gage and he
escaped!”
The kidnapper shook his head. “He did not.
The guy’s asleep in the basement.”
“No! He was asleep, but part of the
chemical reaction to shrinking woke him up. It’s powerful stuff! He ran out
when he was about two feet tall! Now who knows what size he is!”
Jack eyed Meyers carefully. “Where’re Brett
and Scott?”
“Uh . . .uhm. . . super strength is a
reaction to shrinking, too. John knocked them out. Just pow, and they were out
for the count.”
Jack pushed past the fireman and looked
into the livingroom at his two unconscious friends.
“Holy shit! They are out!” He spun around
and stared at Melvin. “No way a little guy did that.”
“Yes,” Meyers said, nodding. “Yes, he did,
I swear! Go look! He’s gone!”
Jack pulled out a gun and pointed it at the
fireman/chemist. He motioned for him to come along. Melvin held his breath,
hoping the fumes wouldn’t over power him before he could get out of this latest
fix.
Both men peered in the basement below from
the top of the stairs.
“He. . .he is gone!” Jack said, astonished.
“Well, little legs can’t get him too far! C’mon!”
“C’mon?”
“Yeah, c’mon. You’re gonna help me find
‘im!”
As they ran out the front door, Melvin
wondered how he was going to get help to John in time.
~*~*~
Roy and Dwyer were on their way to a call
for a dog bite victim, when a car whizzed past them, going well over the speed
limit. Suddenly it slowed and veered off the road, coming to a stop in an open
lot. The driver’s door flew open and Melvin Meyers stepped out, waving his arms
wildly.
“Meyers?” Roy questioned in disbelief.
“Huh?” Dwyer looked through the windshield
at the man coming towards the edge of the street.
“Call us in as a still alarm. Have them
send another unit on the dog bite run, and a police unit to our location.”
As soon as Roy brought the squad to a stop,
he jumped out, and trotted over to Melvin.
“What are you doing here? Where’s Johnny?”
The look of fear that came over Meyer’s
face alarmed the blonde paramedic even more.
“What kind of trouble have you gotten him
into now?”
Melvin shook his head. “I. . .I didn’t. .
.look, Roy. . .oh never mind. But there’s one of the kidnappers passed out in
the front of that car,” he said, pointing to the vehicle he’d gotten out of.
“He was making me drive to go find John and when the guy passed out, I decided
to go to a police station. But when I saw it was your truck I was passing, I--”
“Find Johnny? I thought he was with you?”
“He was. . .he’s not really gone. That was just--” Melvin could see the
paramedic was growing impatient. “He’s at the house they were holding us in. We
gotta hurry!”
“Where is it?”
“Let’s get in the squad and I’ll direct ya
there.”
As they trotted to the truck, Roy noticed
Meyers seemed somewhat unstable on his feet.
“You okay?”
“I think I’ve been close to passing out,
myself, but I’ll be okay.”
“Is your ‘passenger’ all right? Over all, I
mean. . .”
“I wouldn’t worry about ‘im. . .it’ll wear
off.”
DeSoto couldn’t help but wonder what the
fireman wasn’t telling him. Gut feeling was Meyers had done something to get
away, and the man in the car was the unsuspecting target.
Melvin continued talking, informing Roy of
his partner’s condition, as the fireman/chemist got in on the driver’s side of
the squad and slid over to the middle of the seat. “I think John overdosed on
sedatives. It was an accident. But, Roy, John wouldn’t even respond to pain.”
The senior paramedic was beyond concerned.
This latest bit of news unnerved him. And what was bothering him more was he
knew Johnny needed help and they couldn’t leave to give him that help until
police arrived to take over the unconscious criminal.
Relief came as the siren from a police car
could be heard approaching. The three firemen waited a moment until the cops
arrived. They explained what was going on, who was asleep in the car, and had
the officers request more units to the area.
“Let us get the suspect in our custody,
then we’ll follow behind you,” one officer directed. “You’re gonna need police
to go into the place before you anyway, just to make sure it’s clear for you to
get to your buddy.”
Roy couldn’t argue the point. He and Dwyer
couldn’t rush in not knowing what was going on in the house. That could spell
disaster for everyone, especially Johnny.
~*~*~
Brett pushed himself up off the floor as he
slowly came to. He shook his head in an attempt to clear it, but the movement
only made him dizzy.
Scott was sitting on the couch, his elbows
on his thighs and his face in his hands. When he heard his friend stir, he
looked up.
“Man, I feel hung over.”
“What happened?” Brett asked, still on his
hands and knees.
“I don’t know, but I have a feelin’ our pal
upstairs had somethin’ to do with it.”
The two men stared at each other a minute,
then both suddenly got to their feet and ran to the still open front door.
“Ah, man, I’ll bet he got away,” Scott
said, frowning.
“Yeah, maybe so. But I doubt his snoozin’
friend downstairs did.”
The two once again exchanged a glance. If
they still had a hostage in the basement, there was a chance of luring the
fireman/chemist back.
Having a feeling Brett was thinking the
same thing as him, Scott said, “I need more fresh air before I go in that
basement.”