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Silent Torture

Episode 7 written by Allison

Original air date:  

Disclaimer: The characters in the following fan fiction do not belong to me. They belong to CBS and Viacom and other powers that be. I am only using them for the purpose of writing this story. No money is being made from this writing it is for entertainment purposes only. And now on with the show...

Lieutenant Steve Sloan of LAPD Homicide stretched his long frame and yawned then pushing his chair away from his desk stood and lifted a thick file, planning to read it over when he got home.

It had been a long day which had started at 7am when he had taken a protected witness to a safe house on the outskirts of the city. The two officers who were with her had orders to stay there for the 48 hours before she was due to give evidence. That way there was no risk of officers being followed as shifts changed.

Happy that she would be safe until the trial of Daniel Morgan, a drug dealer she had told the police about, Steve hefted his jacket over his shoulder and made his way out of the office.

It was beginning to get dark as he strolled over to his car in the precinct parking lot.

The car park was never empty, with officers shifts changing throughout the day and night and a large red ATV was parked beside his Chevy.

He walked round the side of it to his driver's door, a move that effectively blocked him from the view of the precinct entrance.

As he clicked his car key to unlock the door the rear door of the ATV opened and someone stepped out. He paid little attention, but as he reached out to open his car door he felt something hard being pressed against his side and his blood ran cold as a voice said: "Don't make any smart moves Sloan."

He froze as a second figure appeared at his side and he felt hands running over his body before his gun was removed from his waist holster.

"What do you want?" he asked. The answer came in the form of a hard punch to his right kidney that made him cry out and his knees buckle.

Hands grabbed him and pulled him upright as he gasped in pain. "You'll have plenty of time to talk later cop," a voice said. "Right now we want you in the vehicle. If you try to run we'll shoot you down. Understand?"

Steve nodded his head, still unable to find his voice after the vicious blow to his back.

Hands pushed him roughly towards the ATV and he was bundled into the back and held face-down while his arms were tugged behind his back and tied with rope.

The door closed, the engine started and the vehicle sped off.

He lay with his face on the carpeted floor as the movement of the vehicle jostled his body back and forward. He had no idea who these men were or why they had grabbed him but he had a sickening feeling he was going to find out sooner rather than later.

Twenty minutes passed and then the car lurched to the right and stopped. The rear door was pulled open and he was pulled unceremoniously out into what looked like a warehouse.

Three men stood nearby as his two abductors marched him over towards them.

All three wore plastic masks that distorted their features and overalls that made them totally anonymous.

He came to a halt in front of the men and the one in the middle started to speak: "Lieutenant Sloan I'm so glad you could join us. This will be concluded very quickly if you tell us what we want to know and no harm will come to you. However, if you decide not to co-operate the results will be very uncomfortable for you and completely unnecessary since you will tell us in the end what we want to know."

Steve waited for the punch line, his mouth dry from nerves.

The man continued: "We want to know where you are holding Louise Mitchell, the witness in the Morgan trial. A simple request. That's all we want. An address. You give it to us and within 24 hours you will be free. So speak!"

Steve swallowed hard then opening his mouth said the only thing he could. "Go to hell!"

He heard the man in the mask sigh and saw him shake his head. "Such a pity. We could have done this amicably. Oh well. Perhaps you like pain Lieutenant. We are certainly going to find out."

With that he nodded to the two men holding Steve. "You know what to do with him."

Hands grabbed him again and he was frog marched across the warehouse into a smaller room where two looped ropes hung from the roof beams.

His hands were untied and he gasped as one of his attackers stepped in front of him and tore his shirt open. He heard buttons bouncing off the floor. Then the shirt was pulled down his arms and thrown on the floor. Each attacker roughly took hold of an arm and thrust his wrists through the looped ropes, pulling them tight and leaving him strung up, his feet on the floor but his arms pulled tightly above and to the side of his head.

The masked men had crowded into the room and he heard one of them say: "Proceed".

He sensed someone stepping behind him and felt his groin tighten in anticipation.

A long time seemed to pass and then his back seared with pain as a leather belt hissed across his flesh. He screamed. The belt scored across his back again, and again. Then it stopped and he sagged on the ropes.

A voice spoke. "Ready to talk to us Lieutenant?"

His back was on fire but he raised his head and looking at the plastic faces said: "Never".

The apparent leader snorted behind his mask and nodded to whoever was behind the police officer. The assault began again, burning, cutting, tearing into his flesh and he felt himself slip into a kind of mental limbo in a bid to cope with the assault.

Doctor Mark Sloan looked at his watch for the sixth time in ten minutes and shook his head. He had expected his son home over an hour ago and now he was fretting because the dinner he had so carefully prepared for him was incinerating itself in the oven.

Going into his den at the beach-house he shared with his son he picked up the phone and called the precinct. When he got through he asked the desk-sergeant if Steve was still on duty and was puzzled when the man said: "Gee no Doc. Steve left here ages ago."

Mark thanked him and disconnected before punching in the number for Barbecue Bob's, the diner Steve owned jointly with his friend Dr Jesse Travis. Jesse answered on the second ring: "Barbecue Bob's! How may I help you?"

Mark smiled and his white moustache twitched on his lip. "Jess It's Mark. Have you seen Steve around?"

He sensed Jesse shaking his head at the other end of the line. "No Mark. He's not on duty tonight. He told me he was going straight home. Maybe he got caught up in a case."

Mark shook his head and said: "No Jess. I've checked with the precinct. He left there ages ago. I'm beginning to get a little worried. He normally calls if he's going to be late."

Jesse smiled. "Hey, maybe he's got a date."

Mark sighed. "I wish that was the reason Jesse. But if he was going to stand me up for a new girlfriend he would still have told me. Apart from anything else he knew I was cooking dinner tonight. You know how he doesn't like to waste food."

"Yea, tell me about it" the young doctor said. "What're you going to do?"

Mark ran a hand through his silver hair. "Well I guess I'm going to have to call Captain Newman. He can start the ball rolling. I would have thought if he'd been in an accident or something I would have been notified. After all Steve carries plenty of identification on him."

"Yea" said Jesse. "I'm sure he's alright. Hey, let me know when he turns up and I'll give him a roasting for you."

Mark smiled. "Thanks Jesse, I will."

He hung up and called the precinct again, this time asking for Steve's senior officer. When the Captain came on the line he explained the situation and he heard the strain in the Captain's voice and sensed he knew something. "What is it?" he asked. "You know something don't you."

Captain Newman sighed into the phone. "I hope I'm wrong Mark. But Steve was the only one who knew the whereabouts of a safe-house we're using for a protected witness. The case goes to trial day after tomorrow and there are people who would not want this witness to give evidence. They will be very keen to find out where she is ahead of the trial."

Mark gasped. "You're saying someone has taken Steve to make him tell them where your witness is?"

The Captain nodded at the phone: "I think it's a very real possibility Mark. I'm sorry. Look, let me check things out at this end and I'll get back to you."

Numbly Mark Sloan agreed and put down the phone.

He slumped into his leather chair behind his old desk and ran a hand over his face. Steve was too honourable a police officer to give way to threats and intimidation. He felt his chest heavy with fear. He knew if they tried to force the information out of Steve he would refuse to divulge it and that meant they would hurt him, and keep on hurting him.

"Oh God Steve where are you?" he whispered into the empty room.

Hell was where Steve was. He was sure of it. Burning with fire and his flesh torn by pain. He had passed out finally as the lashing continued and they had left him slumped there, the ropes biting into his wrists, until he had started to come round again.

Now as he groaned with the return to consciousness he saw his torturers come back into the room.

One of them held a knife in his hand, the blade glinting in the glow from the electric light hanging high above them.

"You really don't have to go through any more of this" the man said, standing so close Steve could smell his aftershave.

The man ran the blade of the knife gently down Steve's cheek, tipping the blade under his chin till it reached his muscled chest. Then gripping it tightly he slashed down, opening a six inch gash across his tanned skin.

Steve screamed and the man brought his knee up hard into his crotch. Steve's body was gripped with pain, made worse by the fact that the ropes prevented him from bending over to dull the pain as he would naturally have done otherwise.

Far away he heard the voice say to him: "You are a very stupid man. Not brave. Not clever. Just stupid. You are going to die for this stupid woman. Do you think she would do the same for you?"

The knife flashed again, this time across his abdomen and darkness enveloped him as blessed unconsciousness washed over him once more.

Mark Sloan jumped when the phone on his desk jingled and reaching out grabbed it like a lifeline. "Hello, Mark Sloan."

A voice spoke. "Mark it's Captain Newman. I can confirm that Steve was taken out of the parking lot here at the precinct. His car is still here and a bundle of reports he was carrying was scattered on the ground beside it. We do have security cameras covering the car park and when we checked the film we saw Steve leave the building and head across the lot. Unfortunately he then disappeared behind an ATV and we lost sight of him but what I can tell you is that when the ATV pulled out of the lot Steve's car was there and Steve wasn't."

Mark sighed. "So you think whoever was in the ATV grabbed Steve?"

Captain Newman confirmed that then said: "The good news is we got the license plate and we've traced it to a woman named Lucy Grant who lives on Mulberry. I've sent officers over to her place to question her. Just hang tight Mark. We'll find him."

Mark Sloan thanked the Captain and hung up, slumping back in his chair to resume his vigil.

Just then the doorbell rang and he loped down the hall to answer it, hoping it was some news. Standing on the doorstep was his colleague Dr Jesse Travis who stepped into the hall and said: "When I didn't hear from you I suspected something was wrong so I thought you could use the company."

Mark patted the young doctor's shoulder. "Thanks Jess. I certainly can. Captain Newman thinks Steve has been abducted by someone trying to halt the Morgan trial."

"What!" Jesse gasped. "How would taking Steve do that?"

Mark explained about the protected witness and together the two men went through to the lounge to wait together.

Half an hour later Mark's phone rang again and he grabbed it from its cradle. "Mark Sloan!" he shouted.

"Mark, it's Captain Newman again." The caller said.

"Oh thank God. Have you found him yet?" Mark asked hopefully.

Then his face fell as the Captain replied. "No Mark, not yet. But we have a definite lead. The ATV owner is the sister of James Dolan who happens to work for Daniel Morgan. She said her brother borrowed her vehicle and she hadn't seen him since. But the good news is that she said he worked out of a warehouse in Midtown that was currently being renovated and was empty at the moment. It sounds like a good place to hold someone incommunicado. We're just about to head out there with a S.W.A.T. team. We're keeping our fingers crossed on this Mark."

Mark Sloan sighed and rubbed his face. "Captain, I want to be there."

He headed off the Captain's objections by saying: "He's my son! If he's been hurt I want to be there to help him. Please Captain, tell me the address."

Reluctantly the Captain gave in but warned: "You stay put in your car till we check the place out right doctor?"

"Yes, yes" Mark said, gratefully.

Hanging up he explained to Jesse what was happening then grabbing his car keys hurried out the door, followed by the blond haired doctor.

The convoy of police vehicles reached the warehouse only seconds before Mark and Jesse. Parking out of sight of the metal grilled windows the police officers grouped together to be briefed.

Despite being told to stay in his car Mark and Jesse stood on the periphery of the group to listen to the briefing. Captain Newman was speaking, explaining what he wanted his officers to do, then looking over to the doctors said: "The ATV is parked out front. We may be in luck here. But please Dr Sloan stay out of the way until we give you the all clear. If Steve is in there he'll need you to be in one piece for him."

Mark nodded and moved back to his car with Jesse in tow.

Not knowing his father was so nearby Steve was nevertheless thinking about him. His dad would be really worried by now. What was worse though was the thought that he was going to die in this godforsaken place and the grief that would cause his father.

Fighting the pain that tore through his body he tried to picture his father's smiling face and wished he could speak with him one last time before . . . .

The leather lashed down again on his back and he felt the bile rise in his throat. He gulped, desperate not to give them the satisfaction of seeing him throwing up.

His head drooped and he could see the splashes of blood at his feet from the wounds on his chest and abdomen. Vaguely he wondered how much blood you could lose before you died.

He drew in breath, anticipating the next lash of the belt and gasped as World War 3 appeared to break out around him. There was shouting and gunfire and feet pounding on the concrete floor. He was aware of his attackers fleeing from the room and more gunfire. Then he heard a voice say: "He's in here Captain. You'd better get those doctors!"

Mark was looking anxiously at the front door of the warehouse that had been stormed by Newman and his officers. He heard the gunfire and tried not to think what it meant.

Then an officer appeared and yelled to him: "We've found him. We need you."

Both doctors ran across to the door and raced inside. Officers guided them towards a room at the far end of the building and Captain Newman stopped him in his tracks before he could enter the room. "Mark, he's alive but he's in a bad way. It's not pretty in there."

"I don't care" said Mark Sloan. Just let me in. I want to see my son."

He pushed past the Captain then and stopped in his tracks in the doorway when he saw what had been done.

"Oh dear God!" he said as he watched officers cut Steve down and lay him gently on the floor.

He hurried to his injured son's side. "Steve, Steve, it's dad. You're safe now."

Steve groaned, not sure what had happened or if he was dreaming that he'd just heard his father's voice.

Mark and Jesse checked his injuries as they waited for an ambulance. The bloodied leather belt that had been used was lying on the floor nearby and Jesse stared at it before saying: "My God Mark he must have been in so much pain."

"Yes" the older doctor agreed. "So much pain . . .  and yet they were still hurting him when the police broke in which means he didn't tell them what they wanted to know. That's just typical of Steve."

Jesse smiled. "Yea, it sure is." He looked up. "Hey, the ambulance is here, he'll get all the help he needs soon."

It was 24 hours later before the doctors reduced Steve's pain medication and allowed him to wake up. His father was at his side when the blond haired policeman began to come to. Mark watched as his son's face twitched and his eyes started to open. Then he reached out a hand and put it on Steve's shoulder, one of the few parts of his torso not covered in bandages.

"Hi son" he said quietly. "Welcome back".

Steve raised a hand and rubbed his eyes, trying to focus. Then his eyes adjusted and everything came into focus, including the worried face of his father looking down at him.

"Dad" he gasped in a hoarse voice. "I'm sorry."

Mark looked taken aback. "What have you got to be sorry about son?"

Steve adjusted his position in the bed and grimaced from the pain that lanced through his body. Then getting his breath back he said: "When I was in that place and they …they were hurting me I tried to block out the pain by thinking of you – but all I could think about was how worried you must be and then I thought that…if they kept doing what they were doing I would….I wouldn't survive and I thought what that would do to you."

Mark Sloan felt a tear slide down his cheek and sitting on the bed gently pulled his son into an embrace.

"Yes Steve, I was worried but all the time we were looking for you I prayed we'd find you safe and well. And look, we did find you – maybe not too well but you'll heal and I thank God for that. I'm just glad to have you back. But you know Jesse might not feel so benevolent."

At that Steve pulled back slightly and looked at his father. "Jesse? Why not?"

Mark's moustache twitched on his upper lip and he said: "Well, he can't believe you'd go to all this trouble to get out of doing your share of work at Bob's!"

Steve laughed, the groaned from the pain. "Oh believe me dad, I'd work a thousand shifts at Bob's rather than go through that again!"

"Glad to hear that partner" a voice said from the door and he looked over to see a smiling Jesse Travis enter the room. "All we need is to get that in writing and I can look forward to some leisure time again."

All three men laughed, relieved to be back together again.