THE EXPERIMENT

by Nancy Thysell, the Nifty Lady

The man stepped into the darkened doorway and waited. He knew his prey would come this way and, like any successful predator, he was patient. He settled back against the cold metal of the door and pulled his coat tighter about him so that no glimmer of a reflection would give away his hiding place.

The nights in Los Angeles could be incredibly chilly and tonight proved to be no exception. The man huddled tighter against the door. He wasn’t a tall man. He only stood at five-foot-six and that was with heeled boots. His black hair was so thin that he had considered shaving his head bald. He rubbed his head absently. "Yeah, like Kojak," he thought, "...and then I can carry around a supply of lollipops." He laughed at his own joke before checking his wristwatch. Where the heck was he? He was running late today!

The sound of someone approaching quicken his pulse with anticipation. Finally.

John Gage was jogging. He had started training for the Fire Fighters Olympics a couple of weeks earlier. He wore a fire department sweatshirt over his lean frame. Despite the night chill, he had chosen to wear his running shorts this evening. He had been building up his endurance to run the 10K event. Each night that he didn’t work, he had been jogging, increasing the distance with each run. The community park near his home had proven to be a great place to run. Fairly even paths meandered through the area with mileage markers along the way. He liked running at night like this because there were no distractions. The park was always nearly deserted by this time. Occasionally he had startled one or two young couples into hasty proprietary behavior. That only amused the carefree bachelor besides suggesting that perhaps he should give some lucky lady a call on his return home.

As he neared the structure that housed the park’s restrooms, he slowed his pace down to a walk. At this section of his run, he would usually grab a drink from the water fountain, catch his breath and then head for his predetermined evening’s turning point. It was getting easier with each night’s run. He remembered how his partner and friend, Roy DeSoto, had pushed him to enter the event his year. Yeah, leave it to Roy to make him sign up and then sit back on the sidelines. He stopped and pressed the foot pedal on the stationary water fountain and bent over to drink the cool, refreshing water. When he finished he splashed some of the water on his face, stretched and turned to resume his run.

But a small movement caught his eye and a dark figure loomed before him. Suddenly, an extremely bright light temporarily blinded him. The man moved closer keeping the intense beam from the portable lamp trained on the blinking jogger.

Johnny raised his hand to shield himself from the strong light.

"Hey man! Cut the light, would ya?" he asked. He had an uneasy feeling about this encounter and began to weigh his options.

"I have a gun trained on you Mr. Gage," the disembodied voice informed him. He felt ice shoot down his spine. He tried to determine if he recognized the voice but it didn’t sound familiar. "I suggest that you not try anything heroic."

Johnny raised his hands in a placating gesture.

"Okay. What do you want?" he asked.

"For the moment, I want you."

Johnny considered this a moment, wondering exactly what that meant, and trying to quell the mounting fear he was experiencing.

"All right. You have the upper hand," he conceded. His hope for any reprieve died with his realization that the park had been totally deserted this evening.

"That’s fine Mr. Gage. It is best that you cooperate." The man fumbled in his pocket and retrieved a pair of handcuffs and tossed them to Johnny. They landed near his feet and Johnny watched as they landed.

"If you would be so kind as to attached the handcuffs to your right wrist," he man directed. Reluctantly Johnny reached for the cuffs and did as he was told.

"Very good Mr. Gage. I see the fire department has taught you to follow instructions quite well. Now, I need you to turn around and put both hands behind your back."

Johnny turned around and put his hands behind his back and waited. The light was turned off and he heard the man approach. He waited until he felt the man was close enough before he made his move. Swiftly he turned bringing his right arm up wide, trying to strike out at his assailant. But his assailant, though smaller in stature, was quick on his feet. Johnny’s arm sailed over his head missing the man entirely. Angry, he pushed his revolver into Johnny’s ribs, and the momentum of the turn forced Johnny to the ground on his knees.

"That wasn’t a wise move Mr. Gage," the man hissed as his prisoner tried to catch his breath. Johnny’s earlier run had taken more out of him than he had realized. Johnny was roughly pushed face down on the pavement and both wrists were roughly locked into the handcuffs. He tried to kick out with his feet in an attempt to get at his attacker but the barrel of the gun was quickly placed against his temple as a firm hand held his head to the ground.

"That will be enough of that Mr. Gage. I have no qualms about pulling this trigger, here and now, if that’s what you prefer."

The calmness of the man’s voice sent chills through Johnny’s being. He had been involved in enough hostage situations over his years in the department to recognize the dead seriousness of his attacker. He stopped struggling.

"That’s better. Now, get to your feet."

Johnny did as he was instructed, rising clumsily without the use of his hands. The gun was in his back now.

"Very well done. We’re going to head for the parking lot near the 5^th Street entrance. You are familiar with that parking lot, aren’t you Mr. Gage?"

When Johnny failed to respond immediately, the gun was pressed forcibly against his back.

"Cat got your tongue?" the man taunted as he pushed Johnny forward.

"No. I know where the parking lot is."

"Then perhaps we should head in that direction. After you Mr. Gage."

Johnny was beginning to find the man’s polite tone maddening but he moved forward as directed. The 5^th Street parking lot was empty save for a lone vehicle--a paneled, windowless van. Upon reaching the van, the gunman unlocked the sliding panel while he kept the gun trained on his captive. The door slid open noisily and he pushed Johnny into its interior. There was a single bench in the middle of the van. Johnny got to his feet and sat on the bench.

"I’m sorry Mr. Gage, but I’m going to have to insist that you move to the rear of the van and sit on the floor, please."

Johnny looked at the man. He still hadn’t had a good look at him and the dim lighting of the van didn’t aid much. And it was beginning to concern him now that the man wasn’t trying to hide his face from him. He turned and moved around the bench and lowered himself to the floor. The man leaned over the back of the bench and using a chain, secured Johnny’s cuffed wrists to the side panel with a pad lock. Then he produced another shackle which he attached to Johnny’s ankle and secured to the opposite panel.

"Now, Mr. Gage, if you please, which pocket contains your keys?"

Johnny looked sullenly at the man before finally answering.

"My left rear pocket."

"Thank you." The man reached into the thin pocket and retrieved not only Johnny’s keys but his wallet as well. The man gave the young paramedic a toothy grin.

"Excellent!" he remarked as he reviewed the contents of Johnny’s wallet. Johnny heard the driver’s door open and another person entered the van.

"I believe we are ready to go," he addressed the new person. The ignition was turned over and as the gunman sat on the bench above him, the van was placed into gear and driven from the park with Johnny wondering what was going to happen to him and more importantly, why?

***************

Roy DeSoto arrived at Station 51 two days later to begin another shift. The engine crew consisting of Marco Lopez, Chet Kelly, and Mike Stoker were all in the locker room, changing from their civvies into their uniforms. Roy greeted his coworkers amicably.

"Hey Roy!" Chet called. "You really think Gage has a chance in the 10K?" the stocky Irishman wondered out loud.

Roy chuckled. "Yeah, Chet. This time, I think I do. He’s been in training now for a couple of weeks. Last shift he said he was up to four miles. By the time the Olympics roll around, I think our boy is a shoe in."

"Well, he better be! The reputation of good old 51 is on the line this time," Chet groused. "Where is wonder boy anyway?"

Roy frowned glancing at his watch. Johnny only had five minutes to make it in. He started to say something when Captain Hank Stanley opened the door to locker room and ushered in a nervous looking, young paramedic.

"Guys? I want you to meet Jeff Moran. He’s going to be subbing for Johnny for the time being. Roy, Jeff just finished training over at Station 36." Hank then introduced each of the members of his crew to the young paramedic. He could tell each of them wanted to know why Johnny wasn’t there but they didn’t ask.

"Marco, pal? Find Jeff here a locker to stow his things. Roll call will be in fifteen minutes. Roy? Can I see you in my office?"

Roy followed his captain out of the locker room and into the captain’s office with growing concern.

"What is it Cap? What’s going on? Where’s Johnny?"

Hank took his seat behind his desk and indicated that Roy do the same.

"That’s what I’d like to know," he said seriously. "Headquarters notified me this morning that they received a letter of immediate resignation from Johnny yesterday by certified mail."

"What?" Roy responded in disbelief and sat heavily on the wooded chair. "He wouldn’t do that without talking to you or me!"

"That’s what I thought. I was hoping he had said something to you. Did something happen last shift that I don’t know about?"

Roy tried to think but nothing came to mind.

"No Cap. I can’t think of a thing. About all Johnny could talk about was the upcoming department Olympics. He’s been working so hard to be ready to compete. This doesn’t make any sense at all!"

"Well, I’m not sure what’s going on but I don’t like it. I tried to call his apartment and was informed that the number has been disconnected."

"I wonder what could have happened. This isn’t like Johnny," Roy commented worriedly.

"Tell you what, when you and Jeff get through checking out the squad, why don’t you swing by his apartment on your way to Rampart for supplies?" Hank suggested. Roy raised an eyebrow at his captain’s suggestion.

"You don’t think that’s too much out of our way for a swing by?"

"Not under these circumstances. Besides, you have a spare key to his place, don’t ya?"

Roy nodded in affirmation.

"Well, why don’t you see what’s going on?"

"Okay Cap. I will." Roy rose to leave and stopped at the door. "And Cap..."

"Yeah Roy?"

"Thanks." He smiled tightly.

"Just get some answers."

"I will," Roy assured his superior and headed for the squad, anxious to get started so they could get to Johnny’s.

As soon as roll call was over, Roy showed Jeff where the cleaning supplies were so they could get their housekeeping chores done quickly. He was finishing up in the dorm when on an impulse, he felt the need to check out Johnny’s locker. He made his way into the locker room and stood in front of Gage’s locker. He hesitated before yanking the door open. He was stunned to find the locker completely bare. Everything was gone! Smokey’s poster, Johnny’s extra uniforms, his shoe shine kit, and even the clutter that normally covered the bottom. Roy felt stunned. When had Johnny done this? He knew that Johnny had joked about buying an extra uniform to stay ahead of the Phantom’s water bombs just the other day. This whole scenario was making less sense as each minute passed. He shut the locker door to find Chet staring at him.

"Roy?" Chet asked uncertainly.

"Yeah Chet?"

"What’s going on with Johnny?"

He looked at the stocky man through worried eyes. "I wish I knew, Chet. I wish I knew."

"So how come we have a replacement?"

Roy sighed. Chet would find out sooner or later. He leaned against the locker door and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Chet. Johnny’s resigned."

Chet’s jaw nearly hit the floor it dropped so far.

"Resigned? Without saying a word to anybody? Why? What happened?"

"I don’t know Chet. But I plan to find out." Roy felt renewed determination. He headed out to the squad and made fast work of checking the supplies. Poor Jeff couldn’t even keep up with him and the next thing he knew, the squad was on it’s way to Rampart for supplies.

***************

If Jeff was curious as to the round about way Roy was taking to Rampart, he didn’t say anything. He knew that Roy had been in the first paramedic training class and had been responsible for recruiting and encouraging firemen to enroll in the training. He was highly respected by the doctors and nurses at Rampart and through out the department. So Jeff kept silent. Roy pulled into the parking lot of Johnny’s apartment building and parked. He had hoped that Johnny’s Land Rover would have been in the lot but it wasn’t.

He turned to Jeff as he slid out from behind the wheel. "Jeff, I want you to monitor the radio for any calls. Contact me on the handi-talkie if we get a run. I shouldn’t be gone long."

Jeff nodded and sat back to wait.

Roy bounded up the stairs, two at a time, and ran down the hall to Johnny’s apartment. He knocked loudly several times before using the spare key to let himself in. He opened the door, calling out Johnny’s name. Silence was his only answer. He pushed the door open and was shocked by the empty apartment. Everything had been removed except for scattered fast food trash wrappers. Roy walked through the apartment. Not a single stick of furniture remained. Nothing. It was as if Johnny had never been there. He was about to turn to leave when a noise from the bedroom window caught his attention. On investigation, Roy found a dream catcher still hanging from the curtain rod. That puzzled him even more. Of all things that Johnny would have removed, this dream catcher would have been on the top of his list because his mother had made it for him. Roy took the rod down and removed the artifact. Somehow, this told him that Johnny had not done this of his own free will but what had happened? He was truly disturbed by his friend’s unexplained disappearance and he was at a loss as what to do next.

But dispatch had something else for him to do as Jeff called him on the HT to respond to a call. Roy hurried from the apartment, being certain to lock the door behind him and taking the dream catcher with him.

***************

Johnny awoke to find himself in the small confines of a bedroom. His only light was a lamp sporting a twenty-five watt bulb. The bed he was on was surprisingly, his own bed and the linens were his as well. But he was still handcuffed by his left wrist to the headboard so his movements were limited. A few items had been provided within his reach to handle any mother nature emergency. A fresh pitcher of water with a clean glass sat on the night stand. All these things were items from his apartment. He was beginning to wonder what these people had done. He was still in the dark as to why they had abducted him.

From the past 48 hours, he had determined that there were at least two other people involved besides the gunman but so far "Shorty," as Johnny had dubbed him, was his only contact. Johnny leaned his head against the head board. They had been giving him some type of a drug off and on and now his head pounded unmercifully. He wondered if Roy and the others were looking for him and then chided himself for doubting the tenacity of his friends.

The door opened and a young woman entered the room. Johnny figured that she might be in her early twenties as she wore her black hair long and straight. She was wearing bell-bottom hip-hugger blue jeans with a tailored shirt knotted below her full breasts. Despite the dimly lit room, she wore tinted glasses that obscured half her face. He thought that perhaps she was pretty. She placed a plate with a sandwich and some chips on the night table. Johnny reached out and grabbed her wrist with his right hand. She instantly froze at his touch.

"Can’t you help me get out of here?" he begged. The girl shook her head and stepped back. Johnny maintained his hold. "Please? What do you want with me anyway?"

He tried to search her face for an answer but found none. She backed away another step and pried Johnny’s fingers from her wrist. Then she turned and retreated quickly. Johnny sighed and leaned back against the headboard again. If only he knew the purpose for all this. He picked up the sandwich–peanut butter and jelly–again. He poured himself some water and slowly ate his dinner. Didn’t these people know how to cook?

***************

The next morning, Hank and Roy drove over to police station to see if they could file a missing person report on their friend. The desk clerk took down the information. When they tried to have an APB made, they had to enlist the help of several officers that had worked along side A-shift over the years. Finally the clerk was convinced that this was really a missing person and not just someone who picked up and left and the APB was issued.

They left the station moderately hopeful that this would do some good. There just didn’t seem to be an answer for Johnny vanishing.

***************

It was dark in the room and Johnny awoke with a start, realizing that he wasn’t alone. He turned in the bed to discover the young woman asleep beside him. He also discovered himself to be naked and wondered when that had happened. His captors must be drugging his food.

"Hey!" he whispered to the woman but she didn’t respond. Then he realized that she must have been drugged as well. If only he could make sense of what was happening to him. He found his boxers on the floor and slipped them on. Then he lay back down on the bed and tried to get as comfortable as he could considering the handcuff and the woman beside him.

***************

Morning came and Johnny awoke this time to find the partially clad young woman wrapped around his body. Any other time he might have welcomed this situation but this wasn’t one of them. He gently disengaged himself from her and sat on the edge of the bed and ran his hand through his matted hair. He felt dirty and wondered if these people would allow him to take a shower. He rinsed his mouth out with some water and wiped it with the back of his hand. He jumped as he felt her hand touch his shoulder and he turned to look at her.

"Was I okay?" she asked timidly.

"What?" he didn’t comprehend what she was asking him.

"Last night...did I please you?"

"Uh...I don’t remember last night," he stammered. She cast her eyes down.

"Oh. I see," she said and sat up on the opposite side of the bed and began to pull on her jeans.

"What did we do?" he asked her, finding her long hair tantalizing and resisting the urge to touch it. She turned slightly as she replaced her shirt and buttoned it.

"I think you can figure that out for yourself," she said flatly and rose to her feet. As she crossed to the door, Johnny called out to her.

"Wait."

She stopped and turned to look at him.

"Would you ask them if I can have a shower?" he asked hesitantly.

She shrugged her shoulders. "I’ll see what I can do." And with that she was gone.

***************

A week passed and Johnny began to discern a pattern. Each morning he would wake to find "Raven", as he nicknamed her, beside him in bed with no recollection of the night before. Raven would bring his breakfast. Then Shorty would come in and draw a vial of blood from him around 9 o’clock in the morning. An hour later, he was allowed fifteen minutes of unencumbered freedom in the bathroom. He could shower and change into fresh clothing but they wouldn’t allow him to shave. His mustache and beard always grew in thin and straggly but he had no choice but to let it be. He barely had the energy to dress himself. Whatever the drugs were that they were giving him, they were real energy zappers. After that Shorty or Raven would take him out onto the porch of the house and let him breath in the clean mountain air for an hour, chained to the porch bench. That was his favorite part of the schedule. Then they would return him to the bedroom where he was left alone with his thoughts until dinner was served. He was given another bathroom break after dinner. Then somehow, he’d be fighting to keep his eyes open. Johnny never could detect anything in his food but soon the blackness would overcome him. He never even knew if anything took place between him and Raven. But she was always there in the morning. She no longer asked him about the night before and he felt she was embarrassed.

The whole ordeal still made no sense to Johnny. If only they would tell him "why", then maybe he could be at peace.

***************

Roy stood inside the large door of the apparatus bay and stared out over Station 51's parking lot and watched the traffic rush by on the 405–a mass of flickering lights in the dark. He swirled the liquid in his coffee cup before taking a sip. It had been a hard three weeks and he had begun grieving in earnest for his lost friend. Each day he awoke with the hope that he’d get a phone call or a letter in the mail–something that would explain his friend’s sudden departure. He choked back his emotions as he wondered where Johnny could be. It seemed like his coworkers at the station and his friends at Rampart had been able to go forward with their lives. Roy was trying but he was finding it almost impossible to do so without any answers. He tossed the remains of his cup out and turned to go back inside. He found Hank Stanley watching him.

"You okay, Roy?" his Captain asked. Roy nodded.

"For now," he responded flatly. "I guess I’ll turn in." Hank watched his senior paramedic cross the bay to the dorm. He was worried about him and had grown angry with Johnny for disappearing like he had. It was a cruel and mean thing to do to your friends.

***************

It was a Saturday morning, Johnny reasoned when he awoke to hear a tv set playing cartoons. After two months, he had begun to give up on his friends finding him. He sat up in bed and discovered that not only was he alone in the bed but the handcuff was gone. He pulled on his shorts and a T-shirt and quietly walked over to the door and silently turned the knob. He pulled the door open about an inch and peeked into the outer room. The room was dark save for the light from the black and white portable tv. He couldn’t tell if anyone was in the room or not. Taking a chance, he opened the door and stepped into the room. Raven’s head popped up from where she was seated on the couch.

"You’re not supposed to be awake now!" she gasped. Johnny moved toward the front door albeit a bit unsteadily.

"Don’t try to stop me," he warned her bluntly. She relaxed back into the couch.

"I don’t have to. You won’t go far," she stated flatly.

"Why? What do you mean?" he asked cautiously as he neared the door.

"Because they finished the fence yesterday," she informed him.

"Fence? What fence?"

"The ten-foot, barbed-wired, chain-linked fence that surrounds this prison!" She crossed her arms over her chest unhappily.

"What do you mean prison?" Johnny asked with his hand on the door knob.

"Go on. You can go outside. You’re free to go where ever you want. No more handcuffs or ropes or chains," she said with exaggerated gestures of her hands. Johnny pulled the door open and stepped outside. It tasted like freedom but because Raven made no attempt to stop him he wondered. He ran out into the yard and was surprised how breathless it made him. How had he gotten so out of shape in such a short period of time? He had been running nearly five miles a day before his abduction. Johnny rested his hands on his knees and breathed deeply. Then he walked down the gravel driveway. Before long he reached the fence Raven spoke of. Indeed it was 10-feet high and covered with razor sharp spirals of barbed-wire. This would not be easy to overcome. He followed the fence around the perimeter of the property until he returned to the secured gate at the end of the driveway. Someone had gone to considerable expense to build this fence and imprison him there. Again Johnny tried to think of someone who could hate him this much but he continued to draw a blank. He returned to the house. Raven looked up from the couch as he entered.

"You hungry?" was all she asked. Johnny nodded and followed her into the kitchen. A few minutes later they sat at the table eating in silence.

"Why are you here?" he finally asked. Her dark eyes glared at him.

"Because I’m part of the experiment too."

"Experiment? Just what the hell is going on here?" he demanded of her. Raven slowly chewed the food in her mouth. Johnny waited impatiently for her to swallow.

"Doc has been working on some kind of a special research project," she began. "I’m not sure exactly what all is involved but he needed people for the clinical testing." She stopped and looked into Johnny’s eyes. "Native Americans."

"I’m here because I’m part Indian?"

Raven nodded. "Me too."

"But why this way? Couldn’t the doctor have gotten volunteers for this? Why hold us against our will?"

Raven half laughed. "Because Mr. Gage, you survived that monkey virus."

"What?"

"You have special antibodies because you survived that virus. That makes you different from all the other Indians!"

"You’re kidding!" Johnny said in disbelief. Raven shook her head.

"If only I were." She pointed to a thick folder on the counter. Johnny crossed to the file and picked it up. It was his medical records from Rampart. He turned to her with questions in his eyes.

"His staff is very thorough. Since the night you disappeared, you’ve resigned from your job, moved out of your apartment and had your ‘new’ doctor request your medical records be transferred here."

"So, that means my coworkers and friends just think I picked up and moved away–without even saying goodbye."

"That’s about it." Raven rose and began to wash the breakfast dishes.

"But my friends, they’d never believe I’d do that!" Johnny protested.

"It doesn’t matter. They have no idea what happened except that you’ve vanished and apparently by your own decision."

Johnny sat down heavily at the table. He looked over at the young woman.

"Is that what they did to you?"

Raven turned and wiped her hands on her jeans. "Basically," she replied somewhat vaguely.

"I’m sorry. Your family must be frantic."

"No. Like you, I have no family missing me."

"Like me?"

"You know what I mean. There are no family members out there expecting you to call or come home for a visit."

"But I have friends that are like family to me."

"I’m sorry. That must be hard for you," she said softly. She looked so sad that it tugged at Johnny’s heart.

"I don’t even know your name," he finally admitted. She smiled slightly.

"I’m Shannon Lightwing."

"John Gage," he said extending his hand which she took shyly.

"It seems silly to be meeting like this after all we’ve gone through," she said quietly and dropped Johnny’s hand. She stared at her feet.

"What exactly have we gone through? I don’t recall much because of the drugs, I guess. Have we...have we been intimate?" Johnny asked awkwardly not sure how to pose the question. Shannon blushed as she nodded.

"Yes. Doc is hoping that we’ll conceive an offspring."

"It makes us sound like we’re animals in a zoo!" Johnny snapped angrily. Shannon placed her hand, tentatively, on his arm.

"In a way, we are. We’re his guinea pigs," she explained.

"Well, I’m nobody’s damn guinea pig!" Johnny began to pace the room. He stopped and looked over at the young woman. "Shannon?"

She looked up at him. He could see the hurt in her beautiful dark eyes.

"I...I didn’t hurt you? Did I? I mean when we..."

She shook her head. "No. Well, the first time hurt a little but I guess I didn’t understand it. After that it didn’t hurt. Besides, Doc used that drug on you before the hypnosis."

"Hypnosis?"

"He used the drug to put you under and then he had you recall certain events in your life. Once he had that information, he would bring me to you and instruct you to reenact that event. You were always very gentle."

Johnny hung his head in shame. He would never have relations with anyone against their will and now to find that he had been manipulated in this manner.

"I’m sorry Shannon."

"It’s okay John. We’ve both been placed in an impossible circumstance."

"No! It’s not okay. This isn’t right!" he said heatedly. Shannon crossed the room and stood close to Johnny.

"We can’t change that nor this," she said, cupping her belly. Johnny’s eyes grew wide.

"You’re not...you’re not pregnant, are you?"

"I think so. Doc is doing a pregnancy test now," Shannon informed the stunned paramedic. For as much as the young man wanted a family, he knew that this was not the way he wanted it.

"I’m really sorry Shannon," he tried to apologize.

"Don’t be sorry, John. Be happy! You’re going to be a father!" Shannon tried to sound upbeat but this wasn’t her idea of making a family either. Johnny took her hand and patted it.

"Don’t worry. Somehow we’ll work this out," he promised. "Somehow we’ll get out of this."

***************

Dr. Kelly Brackett strode purposefully down the corridor of Rampart’s ER toward his office. He was stopped by the ER’s head nurse, Dixie McCall.

"Kel?" the nurse addressed him informally.

"What is it Dix?" he asked impatiently. He had a heavy schedule that morning and really didn’t have time for small talk.

"Do you know a Doctor Vincent Taroboli?"

Brackett rubbed his chin, trying to recall if the name was familiar. It was odd enough that it would stand out if he did.

"No. Can’t say that I do. Why?"

"Because his office called the other day and requested all of John Gage’s medical records."

"How do you know that?" the doctor demanded.

Dixie arched an eyebrow, mischievously at Brackett. "Oh, I have my ways."

"Where is this Doctor located?" Kel inquired.

"Evidently he has an office and clinic in Palm Springs. That’s were the records were sent."

"Well, at least that’s good news. Now we have an idea where Gage disappeared to."

"I don’t know Kel. I was curious so I called his clinic and was told that Dr. Taroboli is strictly a research clinician."

"That’s odd. What would he want with Johnny’s records then?" Kel’s mouth twitched as he contemplated this bit of news.

"That’s what I wondered. Something doesn’t feel right about this. Should we notify Roy?" Dixie wondered aloud, knowing the answer before she even spoke.

"Absolutely! Dixie. Would you call Roy and see if he’d be available for road trip to Palm Springs tomorrow?"

"You’d better believe I would!" Dixie smiled as she reached for the phone.

***************

The wind blew through the open windows of Kel’s car as they headed for Palm Springs. Dixie was riding shotgun with Roy and Hank in the rear. It had taken some persuading on Roy’s part but he finally convinced Hank and the others that Johnny needed them and that somehow he was in trouble. Behind them, Mike Stoker followed in his truck with Chet and Marco. Once the word was out about this clinic, nothing would keep Station 51's crew from going in person.

Arriving at their destination, it was decided that Kel and Roy would be the only ones to go into the clinic, figuring too many people might scare them off.

They entered the foyer of a simple, yet tastefully decorated office. The receptionist/ nurse looked up from her desk.

"Yes? Gentlemen? How may I help you?"

"Yes. I am Dr. Kelly Brackett from Los Angeles. I’d like to see Dr. Taroboli," Kel informed her.

"Is Dr. Taroboli expecting you Dr. Brackett?" she inquired.

"No. I don’t have an appointment but I was hoping that he could spare me a few minutes since I’m in town."

The woman smiled politely. "I check and see if he has time to meet with you. Please have a seat while I check on that for you."

Roy paced nervously as Kel waited calmly by the desk for the woman’s return. She was gone nearly five minutes.

"I’m sorry Dr. Brackett, but Dr. Taroboli is in the middle of an experiment and won’t have time to meet with you. He wondered if perhaps you would be able to schedule an appointment for another time?"

Kel shook his head. "No, I’m afraid we’ll be returning to Los Angeles this afternoon." He handed the woman his card with his best smile. "Perhaps you could give him my card and ask him to call on me at his earliest convenience."

"Certainly Doctor," she replied as she took the card.

"Thank you for your help," Kel said and he and Roy took their leave. The others were waiting impatiently for news. They quickly retired to a nearby restaurant to plan their strategy.

Over a quick lunch, they decided to rent another vehicle so they could stake out the clinic and follow any of the vehicles that left the parking lot. They all had a strong feeling that this was their only link to finding out what had happened to their friend and they weren’t going to let go until they knew for sure!

***************

The day stretched into the late afternoon. Mike’s truck was in line to pull out after the small, two-door sedan as it left out of the parking lot. Brackett followed a Cadillac next. Finally, Roy and Hank in the rented car followed a Ford station wagon.

They each followed their respected vehicles to suburban homes with no one else entering or leaving the homes. Four hours later they reconvened at the restaurant, discouraged for their efforts.

"We need professional help," Roy pointed out. "We can’t do this ourselves!"

"What do you suggest, Roy?" Hank wanted to know. The group sat around the round table with cups of coffee that the waitress seemed to be continually filling.

"I think we need to hire a private investigator."

"A P.I.?" Chet asked, incredulously. "How can we afford something like that?"

"I wouldn’t worry about that now, Chet," Brackett stated. "I know I can afford more than you hose jockeys but we need to find someone first. Anybody here know one?" Kel looked around at the firemen for an answer.

After a few minutes of silence, Mike spoke up. "Well, a friend of mine that I went to school with has an uncle that’s a P.I. and he’s located in Los Angeles."

"Do you know what his name is?"

Mike shook his head. "I can’t recall it right now but I think I can find my buddy when we get back to LA."

"Well, then I suggest we return to LA and find this guy and turn it over to him. At least now we have something for him to go on," Brackett resigned himself to their limitations. The group was in agreement.

"Well, gentlemen and Dix...it’s late and we’ve had a full day. I suggest that we find a motel to stay the night. We can check out our suspects once more in the morning before we head back...just in case."

The group agreed and they left to find a motel with enough vacancies to accommodate their group. The firemen had no qualms about sharing a room since they shared the dorm at work. Marco and Chet took one room, Mike and Hank another, and finally leaving Roy to share a room with Kel. Dixie, of course, got her own room. Despite the long day, each member of the group found falling asleep that night difficult. They were all anxious find their friend.

***************

On their next off shift day, Mike led the way to the office of his friend’s uncle–Barnaby Jones Investigations. They entered the office and were greeted by Jones’ lovely brunette secretary/receptionist, Betty Jones. She directed them into Barnaby’s office. The very tall, grey-haired detective with the warm smile and friendly demeanor rose to meet the concerned group.

"Mr. Jones, I’m Dr. Brackett. Allow me to introduce you to our group," Brackett began. He introduced each member to the detective, ending with Mike. "And this is Mike Stoker, he was a classmate of your nephew, JR I believe?"

"Why yes. I do believe I recall Jebediah mentioning your name before Mike. Please, make yourselves comfortable gentlemen. Miss McCall, may I offer you this chair?" Dixie smiled. She couldn’t help but notice the twinkle in the detective’s eye as she seated herself.

"Thank you Mr. Jones."

"Oh please, call me Barnaby. Everybody does," he informed her with a smile.

"Then, thank you Barnaby. And please, call me Dixie." Barnaby smiled brightly at the lone woman.

The men either found a chair or a wall to lean on. Once everyone was settled. They began explaining to the detective their concerns over their missing friend, laying out for him all that had transpired in the past month. Barnaby took notes and asked them a few questions as the meeting progressed.

"So...do you think you can help us?" Roy asked when they had covered everything.

"Well, I have to be honest with you folks. It’s not much to go on but then we have more resources than the average person for finding missing people," he assured them with a smile. The group felt renewed hope and quickly discussed what fees would be involved.

As soon as the "Find Johnny" group left, Barnaby asked Betty to track down Jebediah. They had to get busy because this trail was already nearly two months old.

***************

Another month slipped by and Johnny had begun spending a majority of his time, jogging the perimeter of the compound. It allowed him to work out his frustrations as well as strengthen his body. Because they had furnished the cabin with his belongings from his apartment, he had all of his books at his disposal. After it was apparent that his friends weren’t going to find him any time soon, he divided his time between studying his paramedic manuals and jogging. He couldn’t imagine what his friends could be doing and why no one had located them. He began to feel like the proverbial "needle in a haystack" that probably no matter what his friends were doing to find him, they didn’t know where to look.

Shannon was just beginning to show her pregnancy now and was suffering a lot of morning sickness. Johnny felt helpless around her. He tried to be supportive, after all she was carrying his child, but he had no emotional bond with her. It wasn’t like she was even a girl friend, though under different circumstances he would have found her attractive and intriguing. But under this situation, he was angry at being used and manipulated and that kept a wall between the two of them. He also couldn’t help but feel that somehow, Shannon was doing things to sabotage any means of escape.

When he returned from his run, Shorty’s car was parked in front of the house. Johnny frowned. That probably meant he’d be taking blood from them again. He absently rubbed the inside of his elbow. They had drawn blood so often he was beginning to feel like a pin cushion. Shorty was waiting for him on the porch.

"Good morning, Mr. Gage," Shorty addressed him as he approached the house. Shorty never came to the house anymore without the company of a muscle bound assistant. "Goliath" as Johnny referred to the giant of a man, made sure that Johnny complied with Shorty’s instructions. But Johnny had given up trying to resist some weeks ago when Shorty had made it very clear to the young paramedic that harm would come to Shannon if he failed to cooperate.

"Good morning," he responded somewhat breathlessly.

"Did you have a good run?" Shorty asked as he indicated with a gesture to John that he should go inside.

"It was okay," Johnny replied flatly. He walked in the house and made his way to the kitchen and sat down at the table. He knew what was coming and just wanted to get it over with.

"My, my, my! Aren’t we the cooperative one today!" Shorty exclaimed happily as he pulled on a pair of latex gloves. Johnny eyed the gloves suspiciously. "Good news, Mr. Gage! The doctor has requested a complete exam today. If you would disrobe please."

Slowly, Johnny removed his clothing and subjected himself to the exam. Shorty allowed him to redress before drawing the prescribed vials of blood. Then he handed John a container for a urine sample.

"Don’t take all day," Shorty warned. Johnny rolled his eyes after he turned his back on the man and headed for the bathroom. He was weary of this routine and wondered how long he would be subjected to it.

When he returned, only Goliath was in the room, standing guard in front of the bedroom door. He set the specimen on the table next to Shorty’s medical bag.

"Where’s Shannon?" he asked the giant.

"He’s examining her."

For some reason, Johnny felt a flush of anger. He had come to realize early on that Shorty was not a doctor but some kind of a nurse practitioner. It angered him now that he was in the bedroom alone with Shannon.

"Shannon? Are you all right?" he yelled out. There were muffled sounds from the bedroom.

"She’s fine, Mr. Gage," Shorty responded. "I’ll be out directly."

Johnny waited impatiently for the other man to emerge from the bedroom and when he did, Johnny was alarmed at his disheveled appearance. He lunged at the man but was restrained by Goliath.

"What did you do to her?" he demanded angrily. Shorty smiled broadly at the younger man.

"She’s fine, Mr. Gage. Just fine," he replied smugly as he adjusted his clothing, tucking his shirt back inside his slacks. Johnny had to fight back an urge to kill the man with his bare hands. Shorty took in his enraged expression.

"Oh, come now, Mr. Gage. It’s not like she means anything to you."

"Don’t you dare say that to me! She’s a human being! And she’s carrying my child. If you ever touch her again, I swear I’ll kill you!" Johnny hissed through clenched teeth.

"Tsk, tsk. One shouldn’t say things they don’t mean," the man taunted. If Goliath hadn’t held him at that moment, Johnny’s rage would have torn the man apart. Shorty calmly crossed the room and placed the specimen container in his bag and removed a loaded syringe. He turned back to Johnny.

"Help Mr. Gage take his seat," he instructed the body guard. Goliath roughly pushed Johnny to the chair at the table. Then he stood behind Johnny, placing his hands firmly on Johnny’s shoulders to hold him in the chair. Shorty swabbed his forearm and inserted the needle into a vein. Johnny winced as he felt the prick followed by the burn of the injection. He looked up into the face of his tormentor.

"What did you give me this time?" he asked, not really expecting an answer. A feral smile formed on Shorty’s lips.

"Does it really matter, Mr. Gage?"

Johnny shook his head. "No. I guess it doesn’t."

Shorty collected his belongings and closed them inside his bag. "Follow us out to the car, Mr. Gage. We have your groceries," Shorty informed him.

Johnny followed Shorty outside. Then he and Goliath carried the bags of groceries back into the house. He thought it odd that there were so many cans of chicken soup this time. In a matter of minutes, the bags were unloaded and Shorty and Goliath were gone. As soon as Johnny was certain they had left, he hurried to the bedroom to check on Shannon.

He found her curled into the fetal position, sobbing quietly. He sat on the bed beside her.

"Shannon?" he spoke softly. "I’m going to touch you now. Is that all right?" At her consent, he placed his hand gently on her shoulder. "Shhh. It’s okay. I’m here, now. Don’t cry."

Shannon turned into his arms and allowed him to envelop her in his embrace. He was able to console her for a long time. He had to stuff down the anger he felt toward the evil little man. Finally, Shannon fell into an exhausted sleep and Johnny rose to finish putting away their groceries. As he stowed the items, he became conscious that he was developing a fever and that his joints were aching. By the time he had finished his task, he felt as though he was going to vomit. He barely made it to the bathroom in time. He staggered to the bedroom and collapsed onto the bed. The moan that escaped his lips, awakened Shannon. She was immediately alarmed at Johnny’s feverish body. She quickly helped him get under the covers. Then she went and retrieved a thermometer and took his temperature. She was stunned when it registered 103 degrees.

***************

Doctor Taroboli entered the small house carrying his bag. An impressive man, he stood tall at six-foot three. His hair was salt-and-pepper grey, including his goatee. His eyes were pale blue behind his prescription, wireless framed glasses. Shannon ran to him as soon as she heard him enter. Shorty and Goliath were behind him.

"He’s sick Doc. Really sick," she wailed anxiously grabbing the doctor’s hand to lead him into the bedroom.

"Don’t worry child. I’ll tend to him," he assured her as he gently removed her hand from his. He pushed past her and entered the bedroom, closing the door behind him. He sat on the edge of the bed, pulled on latex gloves, and began taking Johnny’s vitals. He was impressed and pleased at how quickly the disease had ravaged the young man. He drew a vial of blood and placed it in his bag. Then he removed two syringes. He injected one into Johnny’s arm and the other into his hip. Johnny moaned slightly at the intrusion but the fever clouded his mind. Soon, the one drug took affect and Johnny slipped deeper into unconsciousness.

"You should be feeling better soon," the doctor addressed his unconscious subject. He pulled out a folder and entered his findings. The virus had progress rapidly. Now he hoped the antibodies would do likewise. He smiled as he rose from the bed and removed his gloves.

"Yes indeed, Mr. Gage. You have proven to be a most remarkable test subject. Thanks to you my research project is months ahead of schedule." With that, Dr. Taroboli closed his bag and left the bedroom. He instructed Shannon to force liquids into Johnny, indicating that the chicken soup would be probably the only food he’d be able to stomach for a number of days. It would take Johnny over a week to recover from the virus. The only thing he could compare it to in his mind was when he had suffered from the monkey virus. Once the virus had run its course, Johnny’s energy was extremely low and it took more than a week before he felt "normal" again.

As he started jogging again to rebuild his strength, Johnny was beginning to wonder if perhaps his friends and coworkers had accepted the notion that he had left voluntarily. There was no way for him to know if there was anyone out there looking for him or Shannon. Just as there was no way to know how long "Doc" planned to keep them as his test subjects. His anger at their treatment was channeled into his running. If nothing else, he was determined to stay in top notch shape as long as he could.

***************

It was a damp and wet morning when Barnaby Jones pulled into the parking lot of Station 51. Another month had passed and it was time to give the men an update. The tall and lanky detective unfolded himself from his car and strode purposefully to the building, ringing the doorbell for entry.

"Hello Mr. Jones," Mike Stoker greeted their visitor at the door.

"Morn’n Mike. Is everybody here?"

"Yes sir. Come on in to the day room," Mike invited him to follow him. The crew all looked up at their entrance with anticipation.

"Welcome to Station 51 Mr. Jones," Hank greeted as he stood and offered his hand to Barnaby.

"Why thank you, Captain Stanley," the older man drawled.

"Do you have some news for us?" Roy asked unable to restrain himself.

"Why don’t you have a seat first?" Hank gave Roy a look as he pulled out a chair from the table. "Can we get you some coffee?"

Barnaby waved his hand as he took the proffered seat. "Thank you, no. I know you’re all anxious to hear what I have to say."

All ears were on the detective. "From what we’ve been able to determine, this Dr. Taroboli has nearly lost his license two or three times for questionable research practices. Either he’s been able to talk his way out of the sanctions or he’s paid someone off."

"What kind of research is this doctor into," Roy wanted to know.

"Something to do with genetics and exotic viruses. I don’t pretend to understand the nature of his research. Jebediah is in Palm Springs now keeping an eye on the good doctor. If there’s a link between this doctor and John Gage, we’ll find it."

"So, what you’re saying is...we don’t know anything more than we did before?" Chet asked, incredulously.

A slow smile formed on Barnaby’s face. "Not exactly young man. But sometimes these cases take time. I promise you, I won’t quit until I have all the answers."

The disappointment in the room was obvious but they trusted the investigator to do what they had been unable to do. Barnaby left the men of A-shift, feeling he had let the men down. He hoped that Jebediah would turn some information for them soon.

***************

Johnny felt as if he was looking at the world through a fun house mirror. Images bobbed and weaved before him. He turned his head to his right and Shannon loomed into view. She turned sad eyes at him. He felt the hands of someone supporting him, keeping him upright. A man in a black suit was standing in front of them, talking to them but Johnny couldn’t make out the words. He struggled to focus. He could make out the appointments of an office. He looked down at Shannon again. Her stomach protruding from beneath a blue maternity blouse. He thought fleetingly of his child and wishing he could do something to make this right for Shannon. The man was directing a question to him and he stared at the man’s mouth, trying to make out the words.

"Answer him Gage," Shorty hissed in his ear, prompting him. Johnny tried to turn a questioning look in Shorty’s direction. "Just say ‘yes’," Shorty ordered.

"Yes?" Johnny said thickly and was relieved when the man turned his attention to Shannon. He was growing frustrated at being unable to understand what was going on. It seemed the harder he tried, the less he understood. Then everything seemed to be over and Shorty and Goliath were helping Johnny and Shannon back into the van. Johnny heard the door slide shut as he fell unto Shannon’s lap and lost consciousness.

***************

Morning came and sun light streamed through the open window into the bedroom that Johnny and Shannon shared. He had grown accustomed to her being next to him now after all these months that they had been together. He knew that she had been depressed and he tried what he could to help her. He gave her back rubs to ease the discomfort the baby placed on her. Through much cajoling, he had talked her into walking the perimeter with him twice a day.

They had long talks and had learned almost everything there was to know about each other. He had learned that her connection with the "Doc" went back several years. Apparently her mother and father were young when her mother became pregnant. Then her father had been drafted into the military and shipped to overseas before they could be married. Before she was born her father was killed in an freak accident. Then her mother died giving birth to Shannon. As a half-breed she was ignored by the tribe and was placed in foster care. Somewhere along the way, she was taken in by Doc and his wife and raised like his own daughter. She had adored Doc’s wife who had passed away when she was ten. She found herself basically on her own as Doc immersed himself in his research.

When Doc had approached her, she had agreed to help with this "experiment". She really had no idea what she was letting herself in for but she was willing to do anything for Doc. In a way, Johnny could understand how she had allowed herself to be involved in this whole mess. But his anger grew knowing that Doc could do this to someone that he had raised like a daughter.

Shannon had mixed emotions about the pregnancy and even more confusion about her relationship with Johnny. She had fallen in love with the handsome paramedic and was heartsick that he didn’t feel the same way. As for Johnny, he had grown to love Shannon, but not as a man loves a woman but more like as one loves a member of his family. He could see the hurt and sadness in her eyes but he couldn’t pretend to feel differently about her.

Johnny slipped from the bed and put on his robe before crossing the living room to the bathroom. As he stood at the sink he rubbed his hand over his face and stared at his image in the mirror. His hair was long enough to pull back into a pony tail. He had grown accustomed to the growth of his facial hair despite being unable to trim it. Though he didn’t remember it, someone had shaved it all off when he had been sick. And that had to have been five or six weeks ago. His head pounded from the drugs they had given him the day before. He felt his anger rising as he thought how these people played with his life. He reached for the knob on the medicine cabinet door with his left hand and was startled by a seeing a ring on his finger. He turned his hand in front of this face and stared at the simple gold band. Now what? Confused he turned an ran back to the bedroom and awakened Shannon.

"Shannon?" he called as he shook her shoulder. She awoke groggily and looked up at Johnny through half opened eyes.

"Wha...what is it?" she mumbled. Johnny grabbed her left hand and saw a matching gold band on her ring finger.

"This! Tell me about this!" he demanded, indicating the rings. Shannon rose up on her right elbow and pushed her hair back to look directly at him.

"We were married yesterday," she told him.

"Married!" Johnny exploded. "How in hell did that happen?"

"Doc said he didn’t want us to have an illegitimate child. He arranged everything. That’s why Mr. Newman drugged you yesterday so that they could take us to the Justice of the Peace." Shannon sat up on the bed and rubbed her back. Mr. Newman, Johnny had learned was "Shorty’s" name.

"But how? What about a license and blood tests?"

"You don’t need blood tests in Nevada. Mr. Newman took us to the JP and the judge provided the license and performed the marriage."

"Nevada? We went to Nevada?" Johnny was incredulous. He sat on the bed and ran his hand through his hair. What more could these people do to them?

***************

Years of training had given Jebediah JR Jones the ability to get information where others had failed. He had begun the task of sifting through Dr. Taroboli’s trash each night after the cleaning crew was done in the building. Fortunately the office trash was separated from the medical refuse. He found it curious when he came across an envelope from Justice of the Peace, Rory Wagoner. The return address was just across the state line in Nevada. But what really caught his attention was that the envelope was addressed to Mr. and Mrs. John Gage in care of the Taroboli Clinic. Smiling, JR pocketed the envelop. Finally he had something positive to report!

***************

Shannon was moaning and Johnny was instantly awake. He felt her forehead and knew she was burning up with fever. He was frustrated because he knew they had nothing in the house to deal with such a high fever and no way to reach "Doc" either. He began placing cool rags on her forehead and tried giving her alcohol baths in an attempt to lower the fever that was ravaging her body. For twenty-four hours he tended to her, trying to get her to keep liquids down and worrying about her and the baby. Finally Newman and Goliath arrived. He drew blood and gave Shannon an injection. He gave Johnny some pills to administer. He took blood from Johnny and finished by giving him an injection. Johnny no longer questioned what it was because Newman never gave him a straight answer anyway. He just hoped that it wouldn’t make him ill this time. He was smart enough to realize that the Doc was using him to experiment with viruses and antibodies. He gave Newman a sullen look. How he would like to wipe the smug look off the man’s face! Someday, maybe someday.

***************

JR Jones entered the court house and found his way to the records department. Searching through the books he finally found what he was looking for–a marriage license. Justice of the Peace, Rory Wagoner performed the marriage between one John Roderick Gage and a Miss Shannon Lightwing. The witnesses were Vincent Taroboli and Edgar Newman. Excited JR made a copy of the license and then went in search of Judge Wagoner’s office.

The judge was a friendly old soul. JR figured him to be in his sixties and the judge invited him into his office.

"How can I help you, young man?" he asked as he settled himself behind a large oak desk.

"I understand you performed a marriage recently..."

The judge laughed. "Young man, I perform marriages nearly everyday!"

"Well, this was between John Gage and Shannon Lightwing?"

"Oh yes. I remember that one. Tsk. Tsk. Such a shame."

"Why? What happened?" JR inquired.

The judge leaned his elbows on his desk, bringing his fingertips together and spoke, conspiratorially. "Because that was a shotgun wedding if I’ve ever seen one!"

"How so?"

"Well, the girl must be five months pregnant and the boy...well, I think she could have done better. He was so strung out on drugs. Such a shame. The girl’s father was determined that the baby be legitimate. That’s the only reason I agreed to perform the ceremony."

"You said the girl’s father was there? What was his name?"

"Why are you asking me all these questions?" Wagoner asked suspiciously.

"Well, I’ve been hired to locate Mr. Gage. It’s a private matter," JR replied in hushed tones.

"Oh. I see. Well, Doctor Taroboli is the girl’s father. I understand he adopted her when her mother died in childbirth."

JR made a few notes on his pad. He was about to continue when the judge continued. "Yes, Dr. Taroboli has had many trials in his life."

"Really. You know the doctor well?"

"Not that well. I knew his wife better than him. She passed away, oh, some ten or twelve years ago. Between losing his son over seas and then his wife...well, he just seemed to work harder."

"What happened to his son?"

"He was in the army, stationed in Germany, I think. There was an explosion on the base. A freak sort of thing and he was killed. I know it devastated Millie. He was an only child. It wasn’t long after that they took in the girl. She was an infant. Her mother died in childbirth. I think she lived on a reservation...Indian. The child was a half breed and unwanted. I know she filled a huge hole in Millie’s heart."

"But if the Taroboli’s adopted her, why is her name Lightwing on the marriage license?" JR pressed for an answer. The judge shook his head.

"Personally, I think the doctor liked retaining her mother’s name. It allowed him to distance himself from her heritage. That way he could present himself to the public as a generous man, taking in a poor unfortunate Indian bastard," Wagoner said with distaste. "But you should have seen Millie! When she brought that child around, you knew she was something special. She would just beam!"

The judge relaxed back in his chair, remembering his friend a moment. Then he looked over at JR.

"Is there anything else I can help you with?"

JR collected his things and stood and extended his hand. "No, Judge Wagoner. You have been very helpful."

"Well, if I can be of any further assistance, you let me know. Oh, and give Dr. Taroboli my best when you see him," the Judge told JR with a wink. JR smiled and left quickly to find a phone so he could call Barnaby with his findings.

***************

As much as the information that JR had uncovered helped, they still were no closer to actually finding Johnny. Research showed that the "good" doctor own multiple land holding in and about Palm Springs. Any one of which could be a location to hide someone. JR had staked out the doctor’s home for weeks hoping for some sign that Johnny and the girl were being held there but it proved futile. Barnaby had arrived to begin checking out the doctor’s land holdings. The work was tedious and time consuming, yielding nothing. Their reports to the anxious firemen and Dr. Brackett were disappointing. Eight months had passed and they felt were no closer to finding Johnny than they had the day they discovered he was missing.

"Well, I think we ought to just go in that doctor’s office and make him tell us were Johnny is!" Chet said angrily, one rainy afternoon at the station. The men were relaxing in the day room, waiting for anything to do.

"And what good do you think that will do?" Hank asked tersely. "You really think he’s going to just up and say...certainly. Let me take you to him?"

"Well, it’s bound to be better than just waiting around here for Mr. Jones to call!" Chet groused.

"Chet, they’re doing all they can," Roy said quietly. "I want them to find Johnny as much as you do."

Chet softened a bit. He knew how much more Roy was hurting than anyone else. Johnny was his best friend. This ordeal had been tearing him apart.

"I know Roy. I just get so frustrated!"

The telephone rang and Captain Stanley crossed the room to answer it.

"Mr. Jones...uh Barnaby, yes!" He listened intently as his crew waited, breathlessly.

"We can leave here tomorrow as soon as our shift is over!...Yes, I know exactly where that it. We should be there by noon. Thank you!" He hung up the phone and turned a smile to his men.

"Barnaby thinks he’s located the place Johnny’s being held. He’s not 100 percent sure but he wants us with him, just in case." Hank rubbed his hands together. "You all up for a road trip tomorrow?"

Roy rose to his feet eagerly. "You’d better believe it!" The rest of the crew nodded their agreement. It was going to be a long night as all the men were impatient to get on the road to Palm Springs.

Roy called Dr. Brackett to give him the news and he and Dixie agreed to meet them in Palm Springs the next day. Finally, something positive was happening.

***************

Just after one a.m., Johnny was awakened by Shannon’s moaning. He turned on the light and check on her. She was restless and thrashing in her sleep.

"Shannon? Wake up, hon," he gently prodded.

"Ohhhh, John. It hurts," she cried.

"Tell me what’s happening," he urged even though he had a good idea. Doc had left him with an ob kit in case they were alone when Shannon went in to labor and for that he was grateful. He suspected that she was in labor now. He checked and was relieved that her water hadn’t broken.

Shannon curled into a ball as the next contraction hit. Johnny helped her with her breathing and tried to get her to relax. They probably had a long way to go before their baby would be born. He hated the fact that they were alone with no way to reach anyone.

***************

Just after noon, the caravan of vehicles arrived at Barnaby and JR’s motel. He had maps to the location drawn up for each of them. After a brief meeting, the convoy was headed into the nearby mountains, with renewed hope.

It took nearly two hours to reach the mountainous location. As they came up the long dirt road, they were met by the intimidating fence. The men looked at the secured gate. Hank turned to his men.

"What do you suggest, guys?"

Mike looked at it a moment. "Well, if I had Big Red, I’d drive right through that."

"Anyone have any bolt cutter’s in their trunk?" Marco asked.

Mike looked sheepishly as his feet. "Uh, cap? I sorta borrowed some tools from the engine," he admitted. Hank grinned.

"Well go get them! I just hope you let B shift know."

"I kinda mentioned it to Steve as I was leaving," he confessed as he ran to his truck for the tools. He returned with the bolt cutter.

"Better make sure that fence isn’t electrified," Hank cautioned before Mike began cutting. After a quick inspection, they determined that it was safe and they began to cut away at the gate.

Soon the caravan was driving up the gravel path to the small cabin.

Johnny was with Shannon in the bedroom when he heard the cars. He was surprised to hear more than one. Her water had broken and now the contractions were minutes apart. He hated leaving her but perhaps Doc had brought his bag so he rushed to the door. Upon opening the door, Johnny was stunned at the scene before him. The yard was crowded with his coworkers and friends’ vehicles. He couldn’t believe his eyes as he saw them step into the yard--Hank, Roy, Marco, Chet, and Mike from the Station, Dix and Dr. Brackett along with a very tall, older gentleman and a young, dark-haired man. He was speechless.

The group looking at Johnny was likewise, speechless. Before them stood a skinny man, with hair below his shoulders, a scraggly beard and mustache. None of them were certain if it was Johnny standing before them or not. It was Roy who finally found a voice.

"Johnny?" he called out, hoping he was right.

"Roy? Is that really you?" Johnny responded incredulously. He ran from the porch and embraced his best friend first then he grabbed each of the others.

"It can’t believe you’re here!" he exclaimed happily. Before anyone could say anything, Shannon screamed from inside the house. Johnny turned his head sharply.

"Shannon! Dr. Brackett do you have your bag with you?"

Kel nodded as he waited for Johnny to continue. "Shannon’s in labor. Her contractions are minutes apart."

"Dix. Get my bag. Johnny is there time to get her out of here?"

"I don’t know doc. I’m so glad you’re here. I don’t think I could have handled this alone," Johnny admitted as he led Brackett into the cabin. The others followed Dixie into the cabin. Hundreds of questions running through their minds but the group was unusually quiet. Walking to the cabin was almost like being in Johnny’s apartment because it was furnished with his things. Roy accompanied Dixie into the bedroom.

"Shannon?" Johnny said gently. "This is Doctor Brackett. He’s a friend of mine. He’s going to help you, okay?"

Shannon nodded fearfully not knowing what to make of these strangers as Johnny continued. "You remember me telling you about the head nurse at Rampart? Well, this is Dixie. And this other guy here is my best friend Roy. Remember, I told you all about him too?"

Johnny sat on the bed and held Shannon’s hand through the next contraction. Dr. Brackett did his exam and sent Roy to get towels. He knew this was not going to be an easy delivery. A half hour into it he sat back in frustration.

"Johnny? We need to get her to a hospital. This needs to be by Cesarean!"

The color drained from Johnny’s face. "Do we have enough time? How far is it to a hospital?"

"I don’t know," the doctor answered tersely. "I just know we can’t do that here!"

"Doc," Roy suggested, "we could put blankets and stuff in the back of Mike’s truck and put her there. Now that we know where we are we could be at a hospital in an hour."

"Then let’s do it! We’re wasting time," Kel barked. Roy quickly told the others what was happening and what they needed to do. In a matter of minutes, they had a bed assembled in the rear of Mike’s pickup and helped to move Shannon out to the truck. She cried out in pain as they lowered into the truck bed.

"Okay, Roy, I want you to ride in the cab with Mike. If we need anything, Johnny will let you know. Dixie and I’ll ride in the back with Shannon. The rest of you, follow us. Hank, if we have to stop for anything, you keep going and alert the ER that we’re on our way."

"You folks go on. Jebediah and I are going to hang around for a while and see if anyone shows up," Barnaby informed the group. He was hoping that perhaps the good doctor would come by for a visit. "I’ll see if I can get the sheriff up here on my car phone to take a look around."

"Thanks Barnaby. We’ll see you later at the hospital," Roy said. Soon they were all turned around and driving in earnest for the valley below.

The drive to the hospital was one of the scariest Johnny had ever experienced. The wind whipped wickedly around the open truck bed. Dr. Brackett and Dixie monitored Shannon as best they could under the circumstances but the combination of the rough ride and her contractions was making it difficult. Johnny held her head in his lap, bending over to shelter her as much as he could.

After what felt like an eternity, they pulled up to the ER entrance of the Palm Springs Hospital. Roy jumped out and ran inside for a gurney. An ER attending followed him out to Mike’s truck and they quickly transferred Shannon to the awaiting stretcher. Dr. Brackett and Dixie ran along side the stretcher, rapidly informing the young doctor of Shannon’s vitals. Roy and Johnny were stopped at the treatment door. Johnny turned away, finally allowing himself to relax and nearly collapsing from the stress. Roy caught him before his knees totally buckled and then the rest of the guys were there with a lending hand. Johnny smiled at his friends. He drank in their faces. He was so happy to see them all. The group entered the waiting area and huddled together so they could hear first hand from Johnny what had happened.

Johnny sat twisting the gold band on his finger. He was anxious about Shannon but he filled the time relaying his ordeal to his friends. They listened in stunned silence.

"We almost didn’t recognize you Junior," Roy chuckled when Johnny had finished, trying to break the tension.

"What?" Johnny asked confused.

"Yeah, your hair Gage! Geez, don’t you ever cut it. And what do you call that mess on your face?" Chet teased. Johnny smiled as he rubbed his hairy chin.

"I guess they didn’t trust me with a razor or scissors," he confided. "Damn, what’s taking so long? I hope she’s okay."

"So John. Is she having your baby?" Hank asked delicately. Johnny looked at him sharply and then softened his demeanor.

"I think so...from what she told me. Even this," he said holding up his hand with the wedding band. "They had me drugged so much of the time, I had no idea what I did or didn’t do."

They were interrupted by Dixie appearing at the door to the waiting room.

"Johnny?" she called. The men turned to look at her. She had a rather solemn look on her face.

"Dix?" Johnny asked hoarsely.

"You’d better come with me," she replied. Johnny rose to his feet, unsteadily. Roy rose with him and supported him as they follow Dixie to the treatment room.

Johnny was scared to ask Dixie anything. She placed a surgical mask on his face, opened the treatment room door and ushered Johnny inside. Roy hung back in the hall to wait. Dr. Brackett was still with Shannon and the ER attending, Dr. Ted Daniels, was working on the baby. Johnny was drawn to the baby. The doctor looked up.

"Mr. Gage?" Johnny nodded. "This is your baby daughter," he announced. Johnny looked down on the tiny miracle before him. She had a shock of black hair. Johnny could see that she was breathing with difficulty. He had to resist the urge to touch her.

"What’s wrong, doc?" he asked in a whisper.

"She’s in some respiratory distress. We’re going to place her in an incubator and try to ease her breathing," the doctor explained as a nurse wheeled in the incubator. Johnny watched as they placed her inside and hooked up the equipment. And then she was swept out of the room and rushed to the nursery.

The awe he felt, he couldn’t begin to describe. He had a daughter! He then turned to the activity surrounding Shannon and he crossed to her side. He could see that she was in a great deal of pain. The C-section had been performed before they could administer anything.

"Hi Shannon," he said softly. She looked up at Johnny through pain filled eyes.

"Did you see her," she asked. Johnny nodded.

"She’s tiny but she’s beautiful," he admitted. Shannon kind of smiled.

"They showed me her too. But they wouldn’t let me hold her," she gasped through her pain.

"Well, I’ll see to it that you get to hold her all you want later," he promised.

"Thank you. Oh, Johnny I was so afraid for her. I didn’t want her to grow up alone like I did."

"That’s not going to happen. Everything’s going to the okay now." He pulled back his mask, leaned in and gently kissed her forehead. Being married to Shannon like this, while it wasn’t what he had planned for, he knew that they were his responsibility now. His family...Shannon and his baby girl.

"Shannon? I think I’d like to call our daughter Raven, if that’s okay with you?"

Shannon smiled. "Raven? I like that. Can we also name her after my mother? Raven Lightwing Gage?"

"That’s sounds beautiful. I think it’s perfect!" Johnny agreed.

"Johnny, I think we’re just about done here," Dr. Brackett spoke up. "We’ll be giving you something for the pain soon Shannon. Then you’ll be going to your own room."

"Okay. Thank you doctor," Shannon whispered. A gurney was brought into the room and as they began to transfer Shannon to it, she began to go into a seizure. Quickly she was transferred back to the treatment table. The doctors and nurses began to frantically treat her. Johnny was pushed from the room, white as a sheet.

"Johnny?" Roy asked in concern.

"She went into a seizure Roy! Oh god! What if she doesn’t make it?" he sobbed. Roy pulled his friend into a comforting embrace.

Ten minutes later, a very discouraged Kelly Brackett emerged from the treatment room, followed by Dixie. He looked immediately into Johnny’s face.

"I sorry Johnny. We did everything we could."

"She’s...she’s dead?" he choked out. Brackett nodded sadly.

"I’m sorry. Her heart..."

Johnny’s knees buckled and Roy caught him as Kel rushed to his side.

"Noooo! She can’t be! I promised her I get her out of there safely. She can’t be dead!" he moaned. Dixie found an open treatment room and guided her friends inside and closed the door for privacy. Johnny was falling apart as Roy led him to the treatment table and made him sit. Dixie came over and enveloped Johnny in her arms as he broke down and sobbed. Kel touched Roy lightly on the arm.

"I’m going to go tell the others."

"Okay doc," Roy responded as Kel left the room. He turned to watch his grieving friend, worried about his emotional state.

***************

A lot transpired over the next few hours. Barnaby had reached the sheriff’s department and they had investigated the cabin. By the end of the evening, Dr. Vincent Taroboli, Edgar Newman, and Vik Nathan were charged with kidnaping, holding someone against their will, illegal use of experimental drugs and viruses, among other charges. It was little comfort to Johnny to learn of their arrests as he sat by his small daughter’s incubator. He had convinced his friends that they should return home but Roy had stayed on so Johnny wouldn’t be alone. He got a room at the motel near the hospital.

The motel phone rang about three in the morning. Roy groggily reached for it.

"Hello?"

"Roy, it’s Johnny."

Roy was instantly awake. There was something wrong, he could hear it in Johnny’s voice.

"What is it, Johnny?"

"The baby...Raven...oh Roy! She didn’t make it!" he sobbed.

"I’ll be right there!" Roy promised. He threw on his clothes and ran for his car. In five minutes he was back at the hospital. He found Johnny in the maternity waiting room, sobbing into his hands.

"Johnny?" he approached cautiously. His friend raised his head. His eyes red and puffy from his tears.

"Thanks for coming Roy." Roy took the seat beside his friend.

"What happened?" he asked as Johnny regained his composure.

"She went into respiratory arrest. She was just too little," Johnny explained. He fought to stem back the tears that threatened as he remember the nurse asking him if he wanted to hold his baby. And he had held her for a long time. She had looked so perfect from her beautiful hands and feet to her crowning soft hair. Parting with her had been the hardest thing he had ever had to do.

"Oh man. I’m so sorry!" Roy offered as he rubbed Johnny back as he would one of his own children in a soothing manner. He couldn’t imagine after all Johnny had been through that in less than 24 hours, he had lost a wife and a child. He took Johnny back to the motel and put him to bed. His friend fell into a deep but dreamless slumber. In the morning he would go with his friend to make arrangements for the funeral. It broke Roy’s heart to see Johnny like this but he was also overjoyed at having his returned. He knew that they would all help Johnny recover his life.

***************

It was several days before Shannon’s body would be released for burial. An autopsy had to be performed. The medical examiner determined that her heart had suffered damage, probably from some kind of illness or virus. There was nothing that could have been done for her. Chalk another one up for Dr. Taroboli.

In the interim, it was learned that Shannon’s real father had indeed been Dr. Taroboli’s only son. He had forbidden his son to marry Shannon’s mother. In a rage, the son had enlisted in the army and subsequently was shipped overseas. He had been planning to send for Shannon’s mother when he was killed in an accidental explosion. Shortly after that, Shannon’s mother died in childbirth. Millie Taroboli claimed the child from the foster care as her grandmother, intending to bring up her son’s child. But Millie’s health wasn’t good and she died when Shannon was only ten. Dr. Taroboli shut himself off from the world and immersed himself in his research. Somewhere along the line, his thinking became out of balance and he became obsessed with viruses and decided that the Indian blood line was the cause. He read an article about a firefighter paramedic that had survived the monkey virus and learned that he was also of Native American descent. That one fact set the wheels in motion.

The doctor and his cohorts would eventually be tried and convicted and sent to prison for a very long time.

But currently, Johnny was dealing with burying his wife and child. He was informed that before she died, Millie Taroboli had made arrangements in their family plot for her granddaughter to be buried along side her son and Shannon’s mother. The day of the funeral, all of Johnny’s friends returned to Palm Springs for the service at the cemetery’s chapel.

To his friends, Johnny looked like his old self. He had gotten his hair trimmed to department regulations and shaved his face clean. Brackett was relieved to learn that Johnny had continued to study his paramedic manuals during his months of captivity and that he could take a re-certification exam directly. Now dressed in a new, dark blue suit, Johnny stood beside the white casket at the head of the room amid dozens of floral arrangements. The casket was open and he gazed down at Shannon’s peaceful face and then to the little one she held in her arms. He had arranged for them to be buried together like this. He placed a tiny dream catcher that he had spent the night making beside them as Roy came and stood beside him.

"You okay?" he asked. Johnny nodded stiffly.

"Yeah. I guess." He brushed a tear from his face and looked at his friend. "I promised her that she could hold Raven for a long as she wanted. I guess...I guess she wanted to forever," he said choking on his words. Roy placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"I guess you’re right," he agreed, holding his own emotions at bay. The chaplain entered to begin the service and Roy guided his friend to a seat. JoAnne DeSoto sat on his left and Roy sat on his right to sustain him through the service. They had left their children at home feeling they were too young to understand what was happening.

Supported by his friends and coworkers, John Gage endured the funeral of his wife and child. Numb from the ordeal that he had been through, he reclaimed his life that day as his best friend and his wife, brought him home to Los Angeles. He could now pick up the pieces of his disrupted life although, it would never, ever, be the same.

THE END

"The Experiment" ©2000 Nancy Thysell. "Emergency!" and its characters © Mark VII Ltd. All rights reserved. No infringement of any copyrights or trademarks is intended or should be inferred. This is a work of fiction, and any similarity to actual persons or events is purely coincidental.