Disclaimer: I own none of the characters involved. All rights to Global Television Network.
I
Sam Swarek was on his way back from the bakery when the window next to him exploded into a shower of razor-sharp projectiles. Instinctively, he ducked, dropping his bag and car keys to the floor to bring up his hands as a shield. Something pierced his arm, but Sam was too busy to notice. There were people screaming, the cries of sirens in the distance and he was pretty sure he'd heard gunshots. And then there was a boy who was lying on the sidewalk after he'd been thrown through the storefront window.
"Hey, are you alright?", Sam asked, crouching down next to the young man. His right hand cautiously gripped his weapon while he checked for a pulse. Just when he'd found a rapid heartbeat, the young man suddenly lurched to his feet, knocking back the Detective. Realizing that his witness was about to take off, Sam reached out, but only succeeded in further loss of balance as his fingers grazed the man. With a muttered curse, Sam landed flat on his ass and silently congratulated himself on his clumsiness. At least Andy wasn't around to gloat.
"Wait!", he shouted, jumped up and gave chase. Although there had been several bloody cuts on the victim, he wasn't slowing down. On and on they went, neither of them gaining. Sam was breathing hard, calling out for the blond, obviously athletic kid to hold up. Maybe, he reasoned, he wasn't even chasing a victim but a perpetrator? Whatever the case, he was determined to catch the guy, so he quickened his pace again. Finally, the runner's luck seemed to have run out and Sam was able to pin him against the wall when the young man misjudged a narrow corner.
"Stop, dammit! Just... wait a minute. Why... are you running? What happened?", Sam gasped, turning the young man around so he was facing him with his back pressed to the wall. It was just a child, Sam realized with relief. Barely eighteen years old, maybe even younger. Big blue eyes, now round with panic.
"I-I-I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to... I never meant... I... oh God, I'm..." The kid must be in shock, he wasn't making any sense. Sam smiled a little and stepped back in an effort to seem less threatening. "Calm down. It's alright. You're safe now."
"No! No, you don't get it! You... you don't... they're gonna kill us!"
"Who?", Sam inquired. His training was kicking in, all alarm bells ringing. Something about this whole situation wasn't right. He was turning around to take the youth back to the station when he heard footsteps right behind them. How could he have missed them before? They were already closing in. It took only a second to rip out his gun, but he was too late.
"I wouldn't, if I were you." A cold voice chided and something equally cold was pressed against the nape of his neck. Carefully, Sam took his finger away from the trigger of his weapon and lifted his other hand in a gesture of surrender.
"Okay. Just don't do anything stupid. I don't know what's going on here, but it sure isn't worth killing for", he said as levelly as he could and gave up the gun when it was pried from his loose grip. His eyes met the blue orbs of the kid in front of him, contained desperation meeting naked fear. But there was something else, too. Recognition. So who were these guys? And how were they connected to the smashed store window and the shots?
"Look, whatever problem you have with this kid, just put the gun away and we can talk about it, okay? I'm gonna turn around and then we can have a conversation. Be reasonable, I'm sure you don't want to kill anyone." Or else I'd be dead already. Which of course doesn't rule out my imminent death. Sam was sweating in his black leather jacket, adrenaline cursing through his veins and his muscles burning from the pursuit. Steeling himself, he gradually began to turn his head around, only to be rewarded with a rough blow to his back.
"No! Don't. Stay right where you are!"
"Okay, okay. I'm not moving", Sam reassured the attacker. The longer he stood in the alley, the more clear it became that the criminal wasn't an experienced fellow. If anything, he seemed as panicked as the blond teen on the other side of the Detective. The gun on his neck was shacking ever so slightly.
"You've got to make a decision soon. There are gonna be cops all over this place in a few minutes", Sam warned, putting himself and the criminal on the same side. C'mon, he urged inwardly, make a run for it.
"He's right, man! We've got to move!", another voice chimed in. So there were two of them, maybe more. This was getting worse by the second, but Sam wasn't ready to give up yet.
"Let the kid go. He won't talk, he's scared out of his mind", he pushed on. There were murmurs behind him, then the first voice agreed.
"We know where to find you, Jeremy! We'll know if you rat us out!"
"I-I-I would never...", Jeremy answered, close to tears. Although the poor boy was trembling all over, Sam sincerely hoped he was lying and would call 911 as soon as he was out of view. He could really use some backup.
"Fine, go! Run, before I change my mind!" Jeremy didn't need to be told twice. He bolted, never looking back. Sam sighed quietly, both because he didn't rate the chances of Jeremy phoning the police very high and because he'd at least rescued the civilian from this impending catastrophe. One less person to worry about.
"Now what do we do? We can't walk away, he'll scream for help and then we're toast!" The second attacker interjected. Sam was about to offer another suggestion and maneuver himself out of this mess when he felt the gun push deeper into his exposed skin.
"Shut up! I'm thinking."
"Think faster! They'll find us any second. The sirens are close!"
"I..."
"Boyden!"
"Fine! We take him with us. He won't be able to talk to anyone if he isn't here anymore, right?" Oh no, this wasn't happening, Sam thought and groaned inwardly. He didn't even have time to brace himself before something hard collided with his temple and his world was lost in darkness.
II
"McNally!"
"Yes?" Andy turned around, surprised to find Tracy standing right in front of her. Moreover, her best friend seemed to be angry. Frowning, tense posture, hands resting on her hips... yep, something was definitely bothering Detective Nash.
"What's up? You're looking kind of agitated."
"Your boyfriend stood me up. We were supposed to meet an hour ago!"
"So...?", Andy inquired and raised an eyebrow in annoyance. She didn't like the way Tracy was accusing her of something Sam was responsible for, even more so because it was just a missed appointment. No need to get worked up about it.
"Sorry", Tracy said and took a chair next to Andy in the office. "It's just that we're working on this huge case and Steve was coming by to go over the details this afternoon and I'm not sure about the CI we questioned last week. And..."
Andy smiled, getting the feeling she knew the real problem. "So, Detective Peck is visiting and you want to make a good impression. He's quite handsome, isn't he?"
"Andy! It's not like we're dating... yet." Andy snorted, clapping her friend on the back in a friendly manner.
"Yeah, right. I'm sure you'll impress Detective Peck, no matter whether you discussed the files with Sam beforehand. Just smile at Mr. Handsome and he'll forget all about the CI."
"Oh, stop it", Tracy answered, but she was smiling, too. Changing the topic, she picked up a note on Andy's desk and asked what the officer was working on.
"There has been an assault on Main Street. I'm headed there right now, gotta help clean up. I heard a window was destroyed and a small fire broke out. There were also some bullet shells found, but no casualties."
"Well, have fun."
"Thanks." Andy was already pulling on her jacket and heading for the door, her mind on the job. Nevertheless, she couldn't quite shake the worry that was gnawing at her insides. Sam wasn't usually late for work. She'd call him as soon as she got back to the station.
A/N: Hey guys! This is my first Rookie Blue fanfic.
Do you like it? Do you think I should continue?
Please rate and review, I'd really appreciate it.
