The Dharma Revelation

Chapter 36

"Stop saying that you failed," Vincent said to Daniel. "How were we supposed to know this was their end game?"

Daniel shook his head from the passenger seat. "We should have listened to Nasir. This wasn't about the CCE. It never was. They only wanted Dharma."

"And how were we supposed to know that?" Vincent repeated.

Daniel sighed in silent agreement. He watched the road ahead as the rain continued to fall. The occasional flash of lightning in the distance helped to illuminate the highway.

He took out his mobile phone and texted Eric, asking him to meet him at Union Memorial Hospital.

Despite Caleb, Aaron, and Petra squeezed so tightly together in the back, the car seemed somehow empty without Dharma.

"What happened back there?" Daniel asked Aaron.

Aaron had a haunted expression on his face and didn't answer. But his hand went reflexively to his throat.

"Somehow she healed him," Caleb answered. "I saw the whole thing. I--" He trailed off.

Vincent cleared his throat, "Well, we're going to get you two to the hospital, just the same. Your injuries from your capture need attention."

"Were they pretty rough on you guys?" Daniel asked.

"Yeah," Caleb answered. "They thought everything through. It was pretty easy for them to nab me, but they weren't expecting Aaron and Banacek—that took them by surprise. Unfortunately for us, they were more than a match. There were a lot of them. In the building where we were held, there were at least a dozen men--and a couple women as well."

"So, what did they do?" Vincent asked. "Torture you until you told them about Dharma?"

"Torture? No. They did question us heavily, but they already knew Dharma was the center of our attention. The questions they asked about her were detail-oriented. Somehow they already knew the bigger picture."

"What did you tell them?"

"The truth," Caleb shrugged. "They were very convincing. Cavanaugh shot Banacek—made us watch. He said he had no problem killing all of us until he got what he wanted."

"And what was that?"

"Dharma," Caleb said. "She is some sort of threat to their organization."

"I bet she is," Daniel said.

"How do you want to handle this?" Vincent asked Daniel as he parked the car near the emergency room.

"Why don't you check Aaron and Caleb in," Daniel suggested. "I will wait here with Petra. Then, when you return, I'll go after them."

Vincent looked at him in surprise, "What do you mean, go after them?"

Aaron broke out of his catatonic silence and leaned forward, "Go after Dharma?"

"Yes."

"Are you okay?" Vincent asked Aaron. "You have been in a daze since we left the restaurant."

"No, I'm not okay," Aaron answered. "They took my daughter. They took..." He trailed off as he tried to contain his emotions.

"I'm going to get her back," Daniel said.

"How?" Vincent asked.

"Before we left Osiris," Daniel explained. "I attached a small GPS device onto Dharma's hair. My brother gave it to me in case they came after me, but I had a bad feeling," Daniel shook his head. "Thank God I put it on her. Anyway, I sent my brother a message after we left the restaurant, asking him to meet me here at the hospital. I plan on getting the tracing hardware from him and following Cavanaugh. Eric can't help me because they will be watching him, and his car is probably being tracked."