Cavanaugh Snippet: Learning How to Hunt
Cavanaugh Snippet: Learning How to Hunt
By PaBurke
Summary: In the Learning How to Fly ‘Verse, Cavanaugh needs to learn an important lesson about hunting- first, pick the right prey. He attempts revenge on Dean Winchester by kidnapping his father.
Rating: PG13
Cavanaugh woke up and tried to roll over. It didn’t work. It took him a couple minutes to realize that he was tied to a chair and a couple more to recognize the man who was standing and glaring before him: John Winchester.
This was not at all how things were supposed to turn out.
When Cavanaugh had started down this path, he had taken care to read the Evil Overlord List and the SGC evil overlord list. He hadn’t made any mistakes. He was smarter than John Winchester. So why was Cavanaugh the one tied to the chair instead of Dean Winchester’s father?
John Winchester threw something at Cavanaugh’s face. Cavanaugh winced, but it didn’t hurt. He had not idea what John Winchester would do and that scared the shit out of him.
“Why did you try to taze me?” Winchester finally growled.
Cavanaugh kept his mouth shut. The main downfall of all those other Overlords was that they talked too much. Cavanaugh would not make the same mistake.
John Winchester glared. Cavanaugh dropped his eyes rather than spill what was supposed to happen. How was he going to get out of this mess? His hands were tied too tight. Winchester must be good at all the knots that Cavanaugh had had to research and then practice for this kidnapping-gone-wrong.
“I’ve got all day,” Winchester said. “And it don’t hurt me none to leave you there.”
The horrible grammar made Cavanaugh sit up. Dumb hick. It must be animal cunning that must be the only reason that Winchester got the drop on him. It wasn’t that Winchester (either of them) was smarter than Cavanaugh.
The (dumb) hick pawed through Cavanaugh’s ‘kidnapping bag.’ That wouldn’t have any clues. He had picked it up in the SGC Marine Requisition Office. Again, from reading the Evil Overlord List, Cavanaugh knew better than to keep any kind of identification nearby during an illegal activity. Winchester sat back on his heels and looked Cavanaugh up and down. Cavanaugh raised his chin defiantly.
“You’re from the SGC,” Winchester declared.
Cavanaugh couldn’t keep his shock off his face. Winchester (the younger) must have violated Operation Security. When he returned to the SGC, he would report him. He’d get Winchester booted off of Atlantis after all. This debacle wasn’t total rubbish. He would get revenge for Winchester taking his naquada generator and getting Cavanaugh transferred from Atlantis to the Mid-Way Station and then from the Mid-Way Station to stateside. In the meantime, he protested, “I have no idea what you’re blathering about.”
“That’s a Marine’s duffle and you ain’t no Marine. You can’t fight worth shit and whatever made you come after me was personal. I don’t know you but you know about me. You have enough computer knowledge to track me down. You have to be determined to find me. Did Dean sleep with your girl?”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Cavanaugh spat. “Like any woman is worth enough to remember for more than a week, let alone plan a felony in her memory. This is about science! This is about furthering the knowledge of the human race!”
Winchester looked scary for a moment, and then his face lost all expression. Cavanaugh had hit a nerve; he just wished he knew which one and how to use it to his advantage. “You aren’t McKay, are you?” Winchester asked.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Cavanaugh said. “I’m smarter than McKay. Just because he can add some numbers together the SGC handed him the whole, damned science department. He does whatever Sheppard wants and neglects science to build weapons for his pet Colonel, who flatly ignores the Geneva Conventions, I’ll have you know.”
Winchester was quiet. Cavanaugh had said too much at one time and the stupid man was taking time to think about the words of his little speech.
Winchester grunted and dug his cell phone out of his pocket. He used speed dial and waited. “One of your scientists came after me with a tazer. Call me if you want him back.” Winchester closed up the phone and tossed it onto a table. Obviously, he had left a message.
Winchester walked away and out of the building. Cavanaugh struggled with his bindings, but they held firm. Cavanaugh had no idea where the crazy man had gone, but Cavanaugh wanted to be gone before he returned.
The phone started ringing.
Cavanaugh immediately stopped struggling. He didn’t want Winchester to see how close he was to escaping.
The phone continued ringing and Cavanaugh couldn’t hear Winchester returning. The phone turned silent for a moment or three and then began ringing again. Still no Winchester. Cavanaugh was furious. He could talk his way out of this if he communicated with SGC personnel. They would surely believe him over Winchester. Cavanaugh would declare his innocence and since there were no security cameras where he had planned to kidnap Winchester, he would be his word against a mechanic. Anyone with a lick of sense would believe Cavanaugh, especially since he was the one currently tied up.
The phone stopped ringing for a moment and then began again. This time, Winchester returned to the building and moseyed over to the phone. He must know that the SGC personnel would put him in jail and was just delaying the inevitable.
Winchester picked up the phone and grunted. A pause and then he asked his prisoner, “You Cavanaugh?”
Cavanaugh’s face must have been answer enough. Winchester grunted the affirmative into the phone. Another pause. “I’m leaving him here, tied up. You want him, you come get him. I’ll leave the phone for triangulating his position. If you don’t keep him away from my boy, I will.” Winchester hung up the phone and glared at Cavanaugh. “I’d keep you away from Dean permanently.”
Cavanaugh huffed at the empty threat. If Winchester really had the balls to do something, he would now not later. Winchester left the building again and this time he didn’t return. Cavanaugh was alone. He tried not to be frightened because nothing was happening. But if anyone came they could take total advantage of him. Cavanaugh fought with the ropes to no avail. He was still there hours (maybe even days later) when General Jack O’Neill arrived to free him.
O’Neill looked him up and down and cut Cavanaugh’s ropes. Cavanaugh would have harangued him for his slowness, but he had lost his voice hours ago yelling for help.
O’Neill gave him seconds -mere seconds- to move blood back into his extremities and then he handcuffed Cavanaugh’s hands together. “Cavanaugh, you’re under arrest for attempted battery, kidnapping and violating your non-discloser form. And whatever else I can think of.”
“Hey!” Cavanaugh protested.
“Mostly you’re being arrested for being an idiot. What the hell were you thinking? Trying to abduct John Winchester? We’re putting you away for a very long time. It might be the only way you’ll live to your next birthday.”
Cavanaugh wasn’t sure how this plan had gone so horribly wrong, but it had. And after he had read the Evil Overlord List too. Obviously, some things weren’t covered in the list.
Cavanaugh had to admit in his heart of hearts that he made a horrible bad guy.
*lhtf*