Greg gave himself a moment to mourn the loss of his two team members. He looked around, searching for something to say. Jules was standing nearby. She stood stock-still, staring blankly at the building where Sam had lost his life. Greg's heart went out to her. He called her name, and she turned her head towards him, hurt and anguish in her eyes.
"Boss, we have another device down here."
Spike's voice broke Greg out of his grief. "Can you disarm it?"
"Standby." Spike responded. A few moments passed, and Greg was sure Spike was using one of his tools to examine this new bomb.
"There's a chemical fuse on the device. I can't remove it without detonating the device."
"How much time do we have?" Greg asked.
"Maybe five minutes." Spike replied.
Greg's mind went into overdrive. Five minutes. That's not enough time to get them out.
"Spike, get out of there." Greg ordered.
"Wait boss, we have survivors down here. We can't leave them."
"How many?" Came Ed's voice. The calm within the storm.
"About eight. One's trapped under rubble."
"We're heading in." Said Ed.
"No good." Spike replied. "The hallway is collapsed on either end. We're trapped here.
Greg's mind started spinning again. He focused on the solution, not the problem.
"Jules, do you have the building plans?" Jules didn't reply.
"Jules?" Greg turned to look at Jules. She shook herself out of her shocked state and looked at Greg.
"What? Oh, yes." She disappeared into the command truck and re-emerged with plans for the building. Ed joined them as they spread the plans out on the hood of the SUV. They examined the plans and Ed pointed to a wall separating the building's basement from the nearby subway tunnel.
"Here." He said. "I can go down that shaft and set a charge that will break through the wall. Then we can use a harness to get the survivors out.
"Good." Greg replied. "Do it."
Those in the area leapt into action. A PD tow truck was driving onto the plaza and back up near the shaft entrance leading down to the subway tunnel. Ed oversaw the effort to open the grate and scope out the shaft for any obstructions.
"Spike, How are you doing down there?" Greg asked.
"I think I can buy us some time. This is a pencil fuse. It's really old school." Greg could hear Spike opening something and then a liquid pouring. "I'm pouring liquid nitrogen into it to freeze it. It should buy us about 40 minutes."
"Good thinking, Spike." Greg replied. Finally, something looks to be going right!
"Spike." Ed's voice came through the radio. "I'm going to come down this shaft and set a small charge to break through the wall."
Greg could see Ed tethered to a rope that was being lowered down the shaft. He had a small bag with him. As Ed's head disappeared below the lip of the shaft, Spike's voice came over the radio.
"Hold on a sec… There is a motion sensor on the device. Let me disable it before you do that, so we don't set off the device."
Jules left the command truck and approached Greg.
"Boss, we have information on who the bomber is." Jules said.
"Do you have an address?"
"Yes."
"Good." Greg replied. "Send a photo to Sam and Ed's phones and head over there."
"Copy that." Jules said, tapping out a command on her phone as she headed to an SUV. She climbed into the car and headed out away from the scene, towards the subject's house.
"Boss!" Spike's voice came over the radio. "The subject! He's one of the civilians down here."
What? Greg thought to himself. "Spike, are you sure?"
"Yes! He's the security guard. The one who called in the package." Spike replied quickly.
"Ok, Spike." Greg replied, trying to remain calm. "Don't spook him. Do you think he's got another device, or a remote detonator?"
"I don't think so." Spike replied. "He's got no bag with him, and if he had a remote, I think he would have used it by now.
"Ok, good." Greg replied. "Ed, how are you progressing?"
"Nearly there." Came Ed's voice, slightly echoing in the concrete shaft.
"Spike, move away from the wall near you, towards the room the civilians are in. Prepare them for a small blast." Ed's voice said. Thank god he can focus. Greg thought.
"I'm clear." Came Spike's reply.
"Boss." A new voice came over the radio.
"Winnie?" Greg asked. "What do you have for me?"
"No good news, I'm afraid."
She sounds like she's been crying. Greg thought. He steeled himself for her news.
"Jules was in an MVA on her way to the subject's house. She was hit by a tractor trailer that lost control and T-boned her as she went through an intersection."
Greg stopped. He held his breath. He wasn't sure he wanted to hear what was next and he had a horrible feeling about what it would be. He felt his chest constrict painfully.
"Boss, she was killed in the accident."
There was silence on the radio. Greg couldn't believe it. Three of his team killed inside an hour on this call. And Jules! She was one of the best!
"Boss…?" Winnie's voice came through the radio again.
"Copy That." Greg said quietly.
"Boss?" Ed's calm voice came through the radio. It helped Greg get centered again and focus on the job.
"Yeah, Eddie?" Greg replied.
"Shall we continue?" Ed asked. He rarely asked that question, so it was a measure of how upset Ed was about what had been happening to the team.
"The safety of those civilians is paramount." Came Greg's reply. "Let's get them out of there."
"Copy that." Ed replied. "Spike, are you ready?"
"Ready." Spike replied.
"The charge is in place. Timer is set." Ed replied. "Bring me back up."
Greg could see the tow truck attendant pull the lever that would bring the rope up with his friend. The attendant moved the lever back, and then activated the pulley again. His posture changed, and he looked frantic. Greg took a stop forwards, towards the truck.
"What's the problem?" Ed's voice came over the radio.
Greg saw the attendant grab his radio. "The winch is frozen. I can't pull you up or down." The attendant's voice betrayed his concern.
"Keep trying!" Ed ordered. Greg could see the rope shifting. It was obvious Ed was starting to climb the rope to get to safety. Greg watched, everything seeming to work in slow motion. The attendant, working the winch controls. The rope, vibrating with Ed's efforts to pull himself up. The smoke, fire and debris that exploded from the shaft.
When the dust settled, Greg straightened from where he had crouched to protect himself from the blast. He turned and looked with horror at the shaft. Ed's broken body lay sprawled on the concrete near the shaft opening.
"Ed!" Greg yelled, running towards him. He reached Ed's body and checked for a pulse. There was one. It was faint, but there was a pulse. Ed opened his eyes and looked into his friend's eyes.
"Greg." Ed said quietly. Greg leaned down and put his ear close to Ed's mouth, to better hear his words.
"Tell Sophie…Tell her I love her." Greg raised his head to look at his friend.
"You'll be telling her yourself." Greg said. "EMS is on its way."
"Loved you... like a brother." Came Ed's quiet reply. Then he closed his eyes.
Greg stared at Ed for a moment, and then felt for a pulse. There was none. His best friend was gone. He sat there on the pavement, holding Ed's broken body, trying desperately to hold on to his sanity. Tears flowed down his face.
"Sir, you have to let him go." One of the paramedics said, breaking the silence around Greg.
"We'll take care of him, sir."
Greg reluctantly surrendered his best friend to the paramedics. He watched in a detached way as one checked for breathing and a pulse. The paramedic looked up at his partner and shook his head. Confirmation that Greg's best friend and the best sniper Team One had ever had had left this world.