Untouchable (LGBT - SciFi - Romance)

Chapter 25

Two weeks later, Max was on his way to the All Stars when two men stepped out of the shadows in front of him. He felt a rush of adrenaline when he saw the plasfoam masks. Was this just a random assault, or the payback his father had been threatened with? He braced himself to attack, he'd worry about who the men were after he took them down. Then he saw the stunner.

He threw himself sideways in a desperate attempt to avoid the blast but it caught him on the shoulder. He was just aware of the man coming forward and firing one more blast into his chest before he lost consciousness. He didn't feel a thing as they picked him up and draped an arm over each shoulder, carrying him along between them, looking for all the world like three companions with the middle man a little worse for wear.

Michael Banner stared after them in alarm. He had been on his way to join Max at the All Stars but had been held up by a last minute call from the hospital and arrived just in time to see the men pick Max up from the pavement. He wondered briefly about trying to stage a rescue but he was unarmed and he hadn't been trained in combat. No, much as he wanted to spring to Max's rescue, it would be far more sensible to follow them and call for help.

He took off in pursuit, keeping as far back as he could without losing sight of the trio. Silently, he used his wristcom to send an alarm and then a message direct to Captain Martinez at Patrol headquarters. Automatically, he sent a copy to Alan. If only Alan was on Capella, instead of kays away in space, on board the Qatar! Although Banner was now employed at Capella hospital, Alan was still waiting for a transfer to Patrol headquarters.

The kidnappers were moving at a brisk pace through the narrow streets, staying clear of the main thoroughfares and it took Banner a while to realise their destination. They were heading inexorably towards the docking bays. They were going to take Max off station, once they were in space they could take him anywhere.

Where was the Patrol, Banner wondered rather frantically? He couldn't let the kidnappers take Max aboard a ship, he would have to try and stop them himself. Somehow.

Captain Martinez dispatched two patrol officers to help Banner as soon as he got his message. Diaz and Rivera were tracking the signal emitted by Banner's wristcom, but the narrow streets made it difficult for the hovercar to travel much faster than running speed. As soon as Martinez realised Banner was heading to the docking bays, he ordered a second team to go straight there, hoping to intercept the kidnappers. Officers Kelly and Huynh were patrolling a couple of streets away when they got the order, and although they were on foot, Kelly thought they'd get there before the hovercar. They started running.

The two men dragging Max between them hurried towards a small space yacht, its lights already signalling red and yellow, flashing a warning of imminent departure. Banner followed as closely as he dared, still wondering how to stop them. He looked around frantically but couldn't see any Patrol officers, he couldn't wait any longer, he would have to tackle the smaller of the two men, try and delay them until the Patrol arrived. Surely they couldn't be too far away? Just then he saw a security guard, standing to one side, idly watching the three men. Thank god!

"Stop those men!" he shouted. The guard turned to stare at him in astonishment. The two kidnappers also stopped for a moment to glance quickly back over their shoulders. If only he could hold them up for a few more minutes until help arrived. Unfortunately, the guard was slow to react. He was an older man, apparently near retirement, overweight and far from prepared to find himself actively engaged in a physical confrontation. In fact, from the way he had turned frowningly towards Banner, it seemed he thought he was the threat, not the men in front of him.

"They're kidnappers! The Patrol is coming, we just need to stop them taking Max aboard," Banner tried to explain as quickly as he could, rather breathlessly running forwards as he spoke.

The guard turned back and started walking hesitantly towards the men, who simply continued to drag Max nearer the open door of the ship as fast as they could. Banner reached the guard, noticing that at last he'd finally drawn his stunner. Finally, thank god! "Quick, stop them!" he ordered.

"I don't think so," smiled the guard, pointing the stunner at him. For a split second Banner thought the guard had made a simple error of judgement, before it dawned on him that he was the one who had made the mistake. The guard was one of them. He brought his wristcom up swiftly to his mouth as if to send a message, just as the guard fired and the blast knocked him to the ground.

The guard bent down and roughly searched him. "Better take him with you," he advised the two kidnappers. "If the Patrol's on its way, there won't be time to dispose of him here."

The taller of the two men nodded. "Get rid of the wristcom, will you?" In less than a minute, Max and Banner were bundled aboard the ship and the door closed behind them. The guard walked over to a nearby disposal unit and casually tossed the wristcom inside, then kept going at a slow, measured pace. He was at the other end of the docking bay when Kelly and Huynh arrived.