What to Do?
Jasmine Jacobs
Chapter One
6 months before 'one year later' in 'Keep the Peace: Part 2'
Wednesday-1.00p.m.-SRU Main Office
"Where's Spike?"
"Huh?" Sergeant Gregory Parker looked up bleary-eyed from the piles of paper that stacked up in front of him. He had had a cold recently, and now he was paying for it with a lot of paperwork. All of this he had to do before he went to supervise Team One's training. "Didn't he check in late?"
Jules shook her head. "Sorry, boss. Winnie says she hasn't seen him since this morning, when he told her to go ahead. He told her that he would catch up to her, but so far he hasn't kept his promise. She's really worried. He's not answering his cell and he hasn't called."
Greg's phone buzzed.
His smile reassured her in a second. "Speak of the devil." He touched the screen and held the device to his ear. "Hey, Spike, buddy, where are you-?"
His smile faltered. Seeing his expression, Jules immediately felt a sense of dread.
"This is Sergeant Gregory Parker; I'm with the SRU, the Strategic Response Unit. With whom am I speaking with?"
Jules felt a slight shiver down her arm and she felt her goose bumps rise on her arms. Someone had Spike? Again? Not good. After what happened with David, Sam's sister's ex-boyfriend, she really didn't think he needed a repeat.
"I see. And how did you get your hands on my pal?" Greg's eyes narrowed. Jules swallowed hard. Sarge will fix this, she thought. With Team One's help. She forced her fingers to be still.
"Uh-huh," Greg murmured thoughtfully. "So you thought that-" he cut off, listening to the other end.
He listened for a moment before half-answering again.
"Yes, but-" then, "I see. So why-?"
He was interrupted once more by the mysterious caller.
"Okay. Okay. Can-can I talk to my buddy, please? I'd really like to know how he's doing, you know." Greg suggested. He winced once and spoke again, this time, to Jules relief, to Spike.
"Hey, Spike, what-?" he paused to put the phone on speaker. Winnie joined Jules by the edge of the table, leaning over, an extremely worried look on her face.
"Spike?" she blurted out, unable to restrain herself. "Spike, are you alright? Are you hurt?"
"Umm…" came the short reply.
"Spike?" she pressed closer to the phone.
"I'm…fine. I'm just in a…predicament, that's all." Spike drew a deep breath and continued to a hushed whisper.
"Boss, I need help. This bomb, it's really complicated and I can't figure out how to get out alive-" His voice broke off as Greg turned off the speaker held the phone tightly to his ear and gestured to Jules and Winnie to leave. They moved to the door.
"Yeah?" Greg's eyebrows scrunched together in worry. "Uh-huh. Yes. Yeah. Mhhh-hmm. Yeah-"his face went pale and his expression froze, except for his widening eyes.
He swallowed hard and turned to Jules and Winnie, who were standing anxiously nearby, his expression deadly serious.
"Guys," he said slowly, rising out of his chair and crossing the room over to them. "Get your gear.
"Spike is strapped to bomb," he announced grimly, striding past them.
"When he breathes, the timer runs.
"He'll be dead in less than an hour."