Always Go Back (Jack Reacher Fanfiction)

Chapter 7: Called Out

The pain was unbearable. It consumed Gunner's thoughts and his entire being as his body twitched and convulsed despite him being tied down on the table. They didn't want him to hurt himself, or so they said, but it didn't really do much. His eyes rolled back in his head as he vomited all over himself and started to choke back on him. He was humiliated and panicked at best.

"Continue to hold him down. If I don't inject this in the right part of the temporal lobe or I could risk killing him," snapped one of the scientists that Sage had grown to hate.

Gunner felt hands press down on his head, neck, shoulders, and haunches. He was forced on his stomach and the belts and restrains were tightened around almost ever part of his body.

Pain turned to anger as he let out a snarl as he continued to twitch and convulse. It was the worst pain that he had ever felt. Being shot in action hurt less than this. His stomach continued to churn as he struggled not to vomit once more. He shivered as he heard clippers shave off part of his fur on the side of his head by his ear. He was guessing that was where the so called 'temporal lobe' was.

He felt something wet briskly brushed against it before he felt the needle. "This is going to hurt," whispered the scientist.

As soon as the needle entered Sage's brain he entire body went rigid and the pain that he had felt moments ago felt like a dream.

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Sage awoke with a whimper as he sat upright. He looked around before he saw that Reacher was still asleep. Reacher let out a moan in his sleep before he rolled over and draped his arm over his face.

Sage gritted his teeth. The last thing he wanted to do was wake Reacher because of all that he had done for Sage the night prior. He let out a sigh as he gazed at the door. Usually when he wanted to clear his mind a run was always an option. He wasn't feeling up to a run, but perhaps a jog would be a little more in his wheelhouse. He would take what he could get.

He leaped from the bed and opened the door with his nose cautiously. He padded down the hall and outside. He walked around for a bit before he broke into a jog around the building. He tried to slip into a rhythm, but he was just sluggish and slow. He growled a bit as he came to a halt and arched his back in a stretch.

Suddenly, the scent of gunpowder tickled his nose. He turned and saw a car a half mile out and that was where the scent was coming from. He lowered into a crouch and shoved his ears forward. "Reacher."

He pelted back toward the motel before a bullet whizzed right past his ear. He lowered down and nearly tripped over his own paws. He lowered down into a crouch before he forced himself back to his paws. This was going to call for some adaptability and innovation.

He bypassed actually going into the motel and just headed to the side of building since they had a room at the end of the hall on the first floor. He reared on his hind legs and pressed his paws against the glass before he let out a few powerful barks, praying that Reacher would wake up. Deep inside he knew that he would since Reacher was such a light sleeper.

Sage drew back and pressed his haunches against the wall as he tried to figure where would be the best spot for a surprise attack. There wasn't much cover and he sort of stood out. It wasn't like he could actually do all that much. He was just going to have to use his size and strength to intimidate them. That's all that he could really do.

He headed toward the car with his teeth bared in a snarl. He had no idea who they were, but if they wanted him dead then there had to be a reason.

He heard more shots and struggled to figure out where they were firing at. He ducked downward as a shot came from behind. He turned and looked over his shoulder to see Reacher coming forward, offering a distraction for Sage.