Title: To Lose, To Save
Summary: The team thought they were dealing with a routine hostage situation; a druggie looking for a fix, what they didn't expect was to deal with another hostage situation involving their own truck and Spike. Not as funny as it sounds. Main Character Death.
Disclaimer: I don't own any recognisable names, nor will I ever. I own the plot and unrecognisable names.
Spoilers: Although it is set in season 1(ish) because it's the only season that I have seen from beginning to end multiple times, there may be some slight spoilerish comments for later season's. They are just passing mentions and some readers may just read past them and not realise, but to be safe I'll mention here.
Warnings: Main character death and mentions of suicide.
A/N: This story has changed direction so many times I've lost count. I'll tell more at the end of the story because I don't want to spoil the story.
-Chapter One-
A car's engine running but not moving, shards of glass swimming within a cocktail of blood and rain, the air scented with the musk of sweat, blood, and burning fuel.
One person face, cut and bleeding while his eyes burned with tears. Four guns trained on him as he toyed with his own gun with shaking hands.
"Lower your weapon or so help me!" one yelled as the swaying man drew his weapon to his head.
"Sorry."
A bullet was fired.
Two men entered the side door of the truck, engine still running. Once in they wasted no time to reach their friend. One kneeled beside the bleeding man on the floor as the other stood in shock.
The man on the floors head lulled to the side as the other shook his shoulder.
"Spike!"
-Two Hours Earlier-
"Spike, soon as you get the location of the bother let me know. He may be our best way in," Greg said as he walked out of the operating truck.
They were currently working a hot call involving a hostage situation at an entrainment rental store. According to witnesses the subject had barricaded himself in a back room of the store with seven civilians including the store owner, deputy manager, and the boyfriend of one of their witnesses.
They had managed to identify the subject after Spike had hacked into the 'way too easy' security footage. The subject was a; Charlie Gideon, 47 year old, unemployed, and recently released from prison after serving five years of a seven year sentence. His brother, Stuart Gideon, 39 year old police officer, was registered as his guardian after it was revealed that Charlie had a mild form of autism, the reason for his early release, with an additional case of cocaine addiction.
The current theories running around the heads of the SRU team was: was this s case of a druggie after money to score or was Charlie after money for some other reason. The team were also worried about the effects a forced entry would have on Charlie and his fragile mental state, which is why Spike was given the task of tracking down the brother and getting all information he could about the brothers Gideon.
In his search so far he had found out that Charlie was the oldest brother, both mother and father had an extensive criminal history ranging from drug abuse to handling stolen property, when Charlie was 11 both parents died of an overdose leaving the two children in the care of their elderly grandparents, the grandmother died when Charlie was 22 eight years later the grandfather died, the year after Charlie served his first year in prison for GBH.
In all Spike wasn't surprised about Charlie's history, but when he began reading about Stuart his eyebrow rose.
When Stuart was 22 he enrolled with the police after being declined from the army and has remained in the same position for the course of his sixteen years as an officer. As Spike scanned though Stuart's service record red flags popped up in his head.
"Boss, the brother is on suspension?" Spike said, a puzzled expression gracing his face while he scanned though a report on his screen, "no reason given as to why just that he's suspended until further notice. It does note that there have been concerns about his current mental status."
After clicking a link to further reports alarms bells replaces the red flags as he looked at the flashing box on his screen, "Bo…" he began but the sensation of the cold metal of a gun against his neck stopped his lips from continuing.
"Stand up and turn around," a voice behind him ordered, the gun not moving as he commanded every muscle in his body tensing as he did.
All he could see of the man was the outstretched arm, hand firmly holding the gun that shinned under the white glow emanating from the many computer screens. For one second he was almost blinded as the gun flashed across the air colliding with his temple causing him to become dazed. Before he could fall to the floor the man's over hand took a firm grip on his head by his hair, pulling so tight he thought he felt a couple of hairs being pulled out by the roots.
"I'm sorry about this, but if you cooperate it will be easier," the voice whispered as his mic was yanked from his ear.
Before Spike could respond he was pushed backwards so his body would collide with the desk behind him, his head striking against the cold metal. As he recovered on the floor he could put a name and a face to his attacker, after all he had only just been reading about him.
Stuart knelt in front of him, a roll of duct tape in hand, "I'll try to be careful," he whispered as he placed a torn piece of tape across Spikes lips and then another piece around his hands binding them together, "but this has to be done, I have to do this, it's my fault, I have to deal with it," he rambled on as he stood.
Spike looked up in panic as he watched Stuart toy with the gun in his hand before he placed it on the desk. The kick was aimed at his chest leaving him breathing in the adhesive of the tape that slightly covered his mouth, the next two where aimed at his stomach, four, five and six hit his arms and legs, the seventh and the last hit him between his shoulder blade and neck leaving him reeling on the floor blood pooling in his mouth after he bit his lip.
As he watch Stuart search the desks an idea came to him. Very awkwardly, he pulled the radio from his pocket, and after muting it he placed it behind the bin under the desk, making sure that the correct button had pressure on it.
Stuart pulled him out from under the desk by his legs shoving a phone in his face as he ripped the tape from his lips, "who's in charge out there?"
"Charlie, it's Greg Parker of the SRU again, just seeing how you are. It'd be really great if you could answer the phone so we could speak to each other, it'd be real nice to hear your side of things."
He waited a while but once again, no answer came from Charlie who just continued to walk in front of the seven scared hostages who were all sitting on the floor huddled together. One of the hostages in the room was still crying and each time Charlie walked past her she would inch closer to who they guessed was her older brother because of the likeness in feature they shared.
"Look Charlie, all we're concerned about is getting everybody out of this alive we'd like to have your help with that," he stopped to think, lowering the bullhorn he turned to his team behind him, "Spike any word on the brothers ETA?"
He waited for a reply but nothing came.
"Spike, you hearing me bud? Any word on when the brother will get here?" he repeated, voice rising slightly. He waited longer but still there was no reply, he turned and began to walk towards the truck, "Spike if you've taken now as an opportunity to take a cat nap I will not be impressed."
He was about a meter away from the truck when his phone began to ring, "Hay Spike, trouble with the coms?"
"Spike can't talk right now."
All the colour was drained from his face, "who is it that I am speaking with now then?" he asked. Ed and Jules, whom were standing near noticed the change in both his voice and appearance.
"What's going on?" Jules questioned as she stepped closer.
Greg raised one hand to silence her as his other hand holding the phone lowered and hit the speaker button in one quick action, "I'm Sargent Greg Parker of SRU, who am I talking to?" he repeated his question while trying to keep his voice calm. He wasn't doing that part well.
"Well Sargent Greg Parker of SRU you can call me," he stopped and for a moment Greg thought he may have hung up, "call me Nathan Grants okay?" he asked, his voice taking a higher attitude.
"Okay Nathan, you want to tell me what you're doing with one of my officer's phone?" he blanked out the shocked expression that Jules face morphed into.
Ed for his part just stood there, expression unreadable as he starred at the truck, his fingers tightening around the gun he held.
"He gave it to me, how else do you think I would get it?"
Greg cleared his throat as he processed that statement. He had hoped this was a mix up; that maybe Spike had dropped his phone on his way inn, he hoped that Spike would come out of the truck and stop his rising fear. "How is Spike? I'd like to know if he's there with you."
They had been joined by Lew, Sam and Wordy who had noticed that something was wrong. Before any of them could think of asking a question they all heard the pain filled cry drift from the phone in Greg's hand.
"Does that answer your question Greg Parker? Now I want my br…my friend to be released NOW, or this," another cry of pain echoed from the small speaker, "will be the last time you hear anything from Spike!"
The next thing they all heard was the beep of the phone as the call was disconnected.
To Be Continued…
And that's the end of the first chapter. Hope people are interested. I've got the whole story written up and will try to get the chapters out as quick as I can.
Please Review, they help.