[June 3rd] [Perry Mason] Lux Aeterna, 3

[insaneladybug.livejournal.com]

Title: Lux Aeterna, scene 3
Day/Theme: June 3rd - They met once again
Series: Perry Mason
Character/Pairing: Lieutenant Tragg, Lieutenant Anderson, Sergeant Brice, some OCs
Rating: K+/PG

At last! I worked on this a bit last night and then for several straight hours now. It just kept not looking done. Hopefully it is now. And now I must write the weekend blog post.

Tragg got kicked around so much in The Broken Ties that I decided this time around he should have the better of the villains. After all, Tragg is awesome.

Takes place some time after theme #1.


By Lucky_Ladybug

Lieutenant Arthur Tragg could not help the boyish grin of excitement as he entered the clearing in the canyons and faced the raggle-taggle group he had been whipping into shape. He never would have imagined that this collection of boys and girls would make a decent fighting unit when he had washed up on shore at their cabin following his escape from Florence’s castle. But as they had nursed him back to health and as he had trained them, he had discovered hidden strengths within them all. Now, he felt, they were ready to find the others and face Florence. She would be overthrown yet, and by all kinds of people she would not expect.

The one thing Tragg regretted was that there had been no way to contact anyone down in the city. These young people had no working methods of communication, not even a short-wave radio. And of course, Tragg’s cellphone had been damaged beyond repair when he had plunged into the water far below Florence’s fortress window. Even if it had still worked, there were no signals up here, deep in the mountains.

He hoped the others were all alive and alright. And that they would forgive him for his silence. He had wanted to go back as soon as he was well enough, but by then he had already had the idea to train these kids for the resistance and had begun the task. And he had not wanted to bring them to the city until they were ready.

There was Bill, in front of course. He was always raring to go. He had been one of the most enthusiastic pupils. And Cat had not been far behind. She was currently holding the tree branch she had carved into a spear. Primitive, but they worked with what they had. In the city they would hopefully get hold of more modern weaponry.

Her younger sister Candy had been more reluctant but had learned well. Tragg hoped it was enough. He did not want to drag someone entirely unsuited into battle. And they would need every person possible in this fight.

Troy was often cracking jokes and had a difficult time sobering up. Tragg was still not sure whether he really took everything so light-hearted or if it was his way of covering up his nervousness. But at least he was a strong fighter. If they could just figure out how to keep his mouth shut, he would be a valuable asset to the team.

And then there was Maggie. Something about her quiet and mature seriousness, with the occasional spark of teasing mischief, reminded him of Maureen. She had put up a wall ever since they had met, and though Tragg had tried, he had been unable to breach it. He still wanted to get to know her better, but there was certainly not much time now. They needed to focus on the task at hand.

“Well, Lieutenant?” Bill spoke up. “How did we do? Did we make the cut?”

Tragg nodded. “All of you passed, with flying colors.” He gave them one last, searching look. “I feel we’re ready at last to go meet up with the rest of my resistance squad.”

“Yes!” Troy exclaimed, clenching a fist. “Finally, some action!”

Tragg fixed him with a stern glare. “This isn’t a game,” he scolded. “I hope that you—all of you—recognize that. I’ve been training you to face serious, life-threatening danger. I won’t lie; any one of you could die on our mission.”

“Whatever you say, man,” Troy said.

Cat rolled her eyes. “It’s not a joke. He means it!”

Candy looked more nervous than ever. “I know,” she whispered.

Tragg gave her a kind look. “It’s equally possible that you’ll all make it through,” he said. “If you keep in mind what I’ve taught you, you’ll certainly have a better chance.”

“Hey, I’m game,” said Troy. “We just have to make sure we’re not caught before we even get back to town.”

“And that’s why we’re going to travel through the trees as much as possible,” Tragg said. “By the time we get down to the city it should be dark.”

“But we’ll still have to be careful,” Maggie put in. “Florence’s guards are everywhere at night.”

Tragg nodded. “We’ll keep to the shadows, the backs of buildings, and alleys. And it’s my feeling that we should leave without further delay. What do you think?”

There was a chorus of agreement.

And so, the little band ended their sojourn and struck out. Each wondered what fate awaited them in the city below.
****
Andy was on patrol that night—alone, due to Sergeant Brice’s life-threatening injuries. He could have taken on a temporary partner, but at least for tonight he preferred solitude. It was sometimes hard to gauge which officers were not on Florence’s payroll. Luckily, the great majority of the police were still on the side of righteousness. But the few bad apples were difficult to weed out. Some would pretend not to be and were actually spies, hoping to learn which officers really were part of the resistance. There were only a select few that Andy was sure he trusted.

He sighed sadly to himself as he cruised the streets. He had been appointed to a special taskforce after Florence had assumed power, assigned to make certain that law and order was kept on all the streets. That meant that technically he was supposed to help break up all rebel activities that he discovered. At least most of the groups operated in the shadows and did not openly protest. He did not like having to arrest any of them. There had been a time when some of them were bolder and often denounced Florence in the streets. But now they were afraid and in hiding. Andy’s own group felt it better to bide their time. And Andy was not in disagreement with that.

What could have happened to Lieutenant Tragg? Andy’s thoughts invariably turned back to that problem, no matter what else he contemplated. Tragg had been scouting one night and had never returned. And all the searching in the world hadn’t brought him back. It had been one of those searches that had led to Brice’s serious wounds. They still did not know if he would survive.

Perry had considered more than once that they should have spies of their own, infiltrating Florence’s fortress and learning the details of her dark plans. They might also learn what had become of the missing. But it had to be carried out in the most covert manner possible. Florence was unlikely to believe that one of them had turned traitor, so it had to be someone without any apparent connections to any of them. The few they had trained and set loose had not sent back any information in weeks. And even when they had made contact they had never discovered the truth about Tragg or the others.

It was driving all of them mad, but particularly Andy. If he thought he could get away with it he would try infiltrating himself. He knew all too well, however, that he would never be believed. Aside from Florence’s suspicious nature in general, it had been on a prior undercover mission of his when Vivalene and Florence had learned of his close tries to Tragg and Vivalene had tried to murder him. Florence would instantly deduce that Andy was looking for information on Tragg.

He had been a newly promoted Lieutenant when he had first arrived at Tragg’s precinct. Tragg had been friendly and welcoming, taking an instant interest in Andy’s career. By that time Andy had not been a stranger to the police department or how it operated, but he had been grateful for the seasoned policeman’s insight and guiding hand in the Homicide division.

He had wondered a bit if Tragg had been grooming him to take over when he retired. After all, Tragg had been with the department nearly twenty-five years by then. He would be eligible for retirement soon, and he certainly deserved a rest after all the work he had put in throughout a quarter of a century. But when he had voiced that theory to Sergeant Brice, the sergeant had laughed.

“Lieutenant Tragg won’t retire,” he had told a surprised Andy. “The Captain’s tried to talk to him about it more than once. He always leaves snorting about how he’s still perfectly capable of doing his job and doing it well. And how he doesn’t know what he’d do all day if he didn’t have the police department to come to every day. He’d even be willing to go to desk duty before he considers retirement. But considering the good health he’s in, he’s got a lot of years of field work ahead of him.”

And Andy had admitted that was likely true. Tragg was in better physical condition than some men younger than he. And he certainly loved the department. Andy had picked up on that right away. Perhaps he had slowed a bit of late, but not enough to render him unqualified for field duty.

But where was he now? Was he even alive? Florence could have had him killed, as Perry worried. Or maybe he was locked in a cell somewhere in her castle.

Thinking of all the possibilities always drove Andy out of his mind. He tried to steer his thoughts away from such macabre paths whenever he could. But it did not always work. It was even more difficult when he was all alone. And when he had no idea if Sergeant Brice would ever return to duty.

He still blamed himself for what had happened to Brice. And in some way he wondered if it was his fault about Tragg, too. Maybe if they had been scouting together, whatever had happened would not have happened. Maybe Tragg would be safe.

On the other hand, maybe they would have both just met whatever fate Tragg already had.

He frowned at the movement out of the corner of his eye. Bringing the car to a halt, he looked towards the direction of the mountains. He was sure something had darted behind a tree. He climbed out of the car, beaming his flashlight in that direction. “Who’s there?” he demanded.

Now there was a definite rustling in the bushes. It sounded like someone hissing, “A cop! One of Florence’s goons!”

Another voice responded, but it was too low for Andy to make out. When a figure walked out from the foliage, however, Andy froze in utter, shocked disbelief.

“Andy, it’s me!”

And it was. Andy nearly dropped the flashlight. Lieutenant Tragg was coming into view. He bore a slight limp and looked somewhat careworn, but otherwise he was the same.

At last Andy found his voice. “Lieutenant?!” he choked out. He hastened forward, meeting his friend and mentor halfway. “Lieutenant, we . . . I . . . I’ve been so worried! We didn’t know if you were dead or alive . . .”

He gripped Tragg’s shoulders. Nothing he wanted to say was coming out right. There were so many words, so many feelings to put into words, that he wanted to voice. But how he could accurately tell of his deep-rooted fears, his increasing panic that Tragg was dead? How could he accurately describe his overwhelming joy that Tragg was alive and well?

Tragg smiled, resting his hands on Andy’s arms. “Florence probably thinks I’m dead,” he said. “Unless she’s even smarter than we’ve thought. Actually, I’ve been training some new members for the resistance.” He sobered. “I’m sorry I haven’t been in touch. There wasn’t any way to communicate where I was.”

“I knew you’d contact us if you could,” Andy said. He paused and blinked, finally processing what else Tragg had said. “But . . . new members?”

Tragg glanced over his shoulder. “Come on out. Lieutenant Anderson’s one of us.”

Slowly five young adults emerged from the trees. Andy stared in amazement. They stared back, still not sure what to make of him. But then one of the girls smirked, leaning on her carved wooden spear. “So you’re the fabled Lieutenant Anderson,” she greeted. “Lieutenant Tragg’s told us about you. He said you’re one of the top members of this group you’ve got going.”

“Yes,” Andy said. “That’s right.” He looked from her to Tragg and back. “How did you meet?”

“The Lieutenant was half-drowned when he showed up at our cabin,” a boy with shaggy dark hair piped up. “Said he jumped out the window at Florence’s castle. That impressed us right away. We were hanging in the woods where we’d be under her radar.”

Andy turned to gape at Tragg. “You jumped out the window?!”

Tragg looked uncomfortable. “Eh. We’ll talk about it later. We’re on our way to the place. We’d ask you for a lift, but I don’t think we’d all fit.” He glanced at the police car.

“I’m on duty,” Andy said apologetically. “I don’t dare take all of you in the squad car. But I don’t like the idea of all of you wandering the streets. The sentries are everywhere. And if one of Florence’s spies should find you . . .” He pondered the problem. “I could call Perry and let him know you’re in town.”

Tragg nodded. “Tell him to expect guests. We’ll be alright. Maybe we’ll meet him along the way, maybe we won’t. We might get there before anyone can come for us.”

Andy frowned, looking to Tragg’s leg. “You’re limping,” he protested. “And you’ve already walked all the way from that cabin. There’s still a long way to go from here.”

“Bah, I’m fine.” Tragg waved a hand at Andy.

If he hoped his students would agree, he was wrong.

“You should go with him, Lieutenant,” another boy said. “We’ll follow behind. If we see any sentries we’ll just melt back into the shadows.”

One of the girls nodded. “You’ve been walking for so long. And your leg still isn’t healed from your ride down the river.”

“Please, Lieutenant,” a second girl pleaded.

Andy allowed a ghost of a smile at Tragg’s bemused expression. “You’re outvoted. Come on. If we’re stopped it will be easier to explain your presence rather than your friends’.” He drew an arm around Tragg’s shoulders and led him to the car.

Tragg gave the kids a sour look. “Traitors,” he growled.

They just smiled and waved.

Tragg sighed but eased himself into the car. Only after he was inside did he stop and blink in surprise. “You’re alone tonight, Andy?”

Andy nodded as he got in the other side. “Sergeant Brice . . . well . . . he . . . he was hurt.” This was the conversation he had dreaded since it had happened. He had wondered how he would tell Tragg of his longtime friend’s injuries and how they had been incurred. And he had wondered how he would ever deal with it if Tragg did hold him responsible.

Tragg stiffened at the news. “How?” he demanded. “And how badly?”

Andy started the engine, unable to look Tragg in the eyes. “We were looking for you,” he said. “We were out at one of Florence’s warehouses. And I . . . I wasn’t paying close enough attention to what was going on around us. Suddenly Brice yelled for me to get down and I found myself flat on the ground. I heard gunfire and Brice collapsed on top of me without another word. I was too dazed to know what had happened at first, but then I felt the blood. It was everywhere . . .” His voice cracked. It was a horrible memory, one he could not stop himself from replaying each day.

“Oh Andy. . . .” Tragg sounded horrified. “I should have come back when I recovered, even though the kids weren’t ready. I could have finished training them in the city.”

Andy whipped to stare at him. “Lieutenant, it wasn’t your fault!” he gasped in utter disbelief. Tragg could not understand what had happened or he would not say such a thing. “It was my fault. I wasn’t staying on guard the way I should have!”

“Because you were so worried about me. Andy, don’t you see?” Tragg turned to meet his eyes. Whatever he was going to say died on his lips. “. . . All this time, you’ve blamed yourself,” he realized in sickened horror. He grabbed Andy’s arm. “It wasn’t your fault!”

“Well, it certainly wasn’t yours,” Andy returned. “You were hurt yourself, and you were teaching those kids. . . .”

Tragg slumped back. “Oh, this is ridiculous,” he growled. “Nevermind whose fault it was, if it was anyone’s. Where’s Brice now? I want to see him.”

“He’s at Central Receiving Hospital. We didn’t have any choice but to take him there. Some of the staff is still on our side, luckily.”

Tragg seemed satisfied by the information. “Good. After we take these kids back to the place, I want to go to Central Receiving.”

“Of course.” Andy paused. His deathgrip on the steering wheel was loosening. Almost without him fully realizing it, his pain was alleviating. Tragg was safe. And the other issue Andy had been fearful of, Tragg blaming him, had not come to pass in the least.

“Lieutenant, I . . . I’m glad you’re back.”

“Yeah.” Tragg nodded. “I am too.”

Andy smiled. Tragg sounded gruff. The friendly facades were easy for him, but it had usually been difficult for him to show genuine affection towards his friends. The great majority of the time when he wanted to be affectionate, it came out gruff instead. Andy had gotten used to it.

“. . . I’m sorry for worrying you and everyone else.”

Andy looked to him in surprise. “You had a good reason for not coming back sooner. Except . . . what’s this about jumping out the window?!”

Tragg glowered. “Well . . . how else was I supposed to get away from that witch when she had me on one of her highest floors for interrogation?! She and her sister already used me in the past. I wasn’t going to let it happen again!”

Andy just shook his head in disbelief. Only Tragg. “No one could ever accuse you of not fighting tooth and nail for your independence.”

“And that’s just the way I want it,” Tragg returned.

Andy did not dare to admit it; he did not want to give Tragg any encouragement to pull any more crazy stunts. But in spite of his exasperation and aggravation, deep down that was the way he wanted it too.

Just as it should be.