'The Weekenders - Part 8'
"Orion's Reach" Ranch House
McDaniels Family Residence
Appalachian Mountains, VA
Saturday 15.20pm EDT
Harm paced the living room floor, it had been an hour and half since Mac had been kidnapped by Palmer and Palmer still hadn't called back.
"What is taking him so long to call?" he asked Casey.
Casey looked at Harm, he was about as grief stricken as one man could get.
He and Mac had only just admitted their feelings to each other and now she had been kidnapped by Palmer.
"Harm he's toying with you. He wants you to be so desperate to find Mac that you'll do anything to get her back!"
Harm nodded.
"I would!"
Clay came in from the living room.
"I called Langley, they're sending a Sweeper team up to help with the search and then they'll take care of Palmer...permanently."
Harm's cell phone rang.
"Rabb"
"My, my, Harm you're sounding a little stressed...what's wrong?"
Palmer taunted.
"Palmer if you hurt her , I'll kill you."
Palmer laughed.
"Hmm the Major looks lovely lying unconscious on the floor. Tell me Commander what would you do to get her back?"
Harm gritted his teeth.
"What do you want Palmer?" he asked.
"I want you to come to the falls ALONE at 6.00pm tonight and make sure no-one follows you."
"Fine 6pm...the falls."
"The Major sends her love." Palmer taunted.
Harm flipped his cell phone shut.
"What does he want?" Clay asked.
"Me"
Harm answered as he walked outside.
Cave Behind Weeping Maiden Falls
Appalachian Mountains
15.39pm
Mac stirred on the hard dirt floor, the dark fog of unconsciousness drifting away.
Her first conscious thought was that she was cold.
She opened her eyes and looked around.
Stone walls greeted her.
The walls were smooth and slippery with moss and the smell of water hung thickly in the air.
Her mind reeled in confusion.
Where was she and how did she get here?
She thought back to when she and Harm had gone for a walk.
She had been racing up the mountain towards the bluff, she had just passed Harm on the bend after he had fallen over then....
She remembered feeling a sharp pain and thinking she had been stung by a bee, then there was nothing.
She felt her thigh where she had felt the bite.... there was a small lump.
She looked around the room again.
Sitting up she fought the sudden wave of nausea that threatened to overcome her.
Someone had set this room up to accommodate her, there was a cot and blanket folded on the other side of the cave, and a small supply of fresh water in a washstand.
She rose to her feet and walked over to the stand splashing some of the cold, clear water on her face.
She thought about the sequence of events. She had felt the sting and now the nausea, she was fairly certain she had been hit with a tranquilizer dart.
But who would want to kidnap her?
That question was answered seconds later when Special Agent Clark Palmer walked into the cave.
"Palmer...what the hell am I doing here?"
She snapped moving towards him.
Palmer merely smiled and leveled his pistol at her.
"Why, we're playing house Major."
"Where's Harm?" she asked.
Palmer smiled.
"At the moment Harm is worrying his pretty little head about where you disappeared to. But he'll be seeing you soon enough."
"You're a psycho Palmer, you need help!"
Mac bit out.
Palmer merely laughed at her.
"Oh Major, I'll have all the therapy I need as soon as Harm gets here."
"You're gonna die Palmer...I'll make sure of it."
She growled.
Palmer gave her a nasty grin.
"You'll be too weak from the sedative for at least another 3 hours Major...so I very much doubt you'll be doing anything. "
Mac looked towards the entrance of the cave.
"Oh and I wouldn't suggest trying to escape Major, this set of caves has claimed quite a few lives. People just seem to get ...lost in here."
Palmer chuckled and walked back out of the small cave.
Mac sat down heavily on the mattress in despair.
"Orion's Reach"
McDaniels Residence
Appalachian Mountains.
The sweeper team arrived 58 minutes after Clay had called them.
The black -hawk helicopter landing on the field in front of the house.
Harm had given up waiting by the phone for Palmer to call again and had decided to search for Mac himself.
Clay and Casey had warned him not to leave the house, but he knew they would be busy at the house for a while co-ordinating the sweeper team.
He walked out into the woods behind the house, following the trail that he and Mac had followed earlier that day to get to the waterfall.
His sidearm pressed comfortingly against his ribs as he walked the pine needle covered trail, his footsteps making no sound.
He rounded the bend where he had fallen and Mac had passed him on the way up to the bluff.
He stood still on the bend and looked up towards the cliff face.
'Mac where are you?' he thought.
A rustling of leaves in the bushes startled him from his thoughts.
He drew his pistol and pointed it towards the bushes. A small jackrabbit scuttle away from him.
Harm exhaled deeply, he was on edge and way to jumpy.
He clicked the safety on his pistol when he heard a low growl from behind him....
Harm turned around slowly, clicking the safety back off his pistol.
There on the path behind him was the biggest most magnificent looking Wolf he had ever seen.
The wolf snarled again...baring it's long white fangs.
Harm looked at the wolf again, it's yellow eyes glowing even in the shadows of the forest.
It crouched down and prepared to spring at him.
Harm raised the pistol and fired as the wolf, fangs bared ,leapt at him.
What happened next defied all rational explanation.
Harm heard and felt the pistol's report, felt the wind rush past him as the wolf leapt.
Saw the bullet hit the wolf.........and watched as it passed right through him leaving the wolf unscathed.
Harm looked over and saw the wolf sitting not 3 feet away from him.
"What the hell was that?"
He asked himself.
**An introduction**
He heard a ghostly whisper say.
Harm looked dumbfounded at the wolf...was he hearing things or was that wolf talking to him?
The wolf sat there his yellow eyes glowing, he looked at Harm and Harm could feel the wolf's thoughts.
"Who are you? What are you?" Harm asked.
**I am Tacoma, Guardian of The Caves**
"You're what?"
**Guardian of The Caves**
"How can I hear you?" Harm asked.
**Telepathy I believe you mortals call it.**
Tacoma replied calmly.
Harm's mind raced.
He'd had supernatural experiences before, but seeing a dead pilot was one thing...hearing a wolf talk to you was another.
He wondered bemusedly if perhaps, this was how Alice felt when she stepped through the looking glass.
He watched as the wolf Tacoma walked away from the mountain and back towards the waterfall and an instinct older than time told Harm to follow him.
"Where are we going" he asked
**To find your love**