Author's Note: This chapter is where things start to get interesting. As a bit of background for the new team members, I'll introduce them to you. The team now consists of Greg, Ed, Spike, Sam, and Leah, along with two new members: Ty and Bobby. Ty is a former cop who's kind of taken Wordy's place in focusing on hard entries and providing manpower and protection for the team. Bobby is a former Army sniper like Sam, and that's his primary job—he also has limited experience disarming bombs. Don't worry, Jules is still in play—she'll show up probably in the next chapter.

Hopefully this chapter won't be too confusing—as a head's up, I jump around a lot from different people's points of view, mostly Winnie, Spike, and Greg.

I really struggled with this chapter, especially in writing about the bomb. I have no knowledge whatsoever about that sort of anything. So if that part of the chapter's not great, just focus on the emotion and intensity of the scene. :)

Don't own Flashpoint, sadly. Where's my Spike?

Chapter Three

Team One pulled up to the Kennedy Building, sirens blaring and lights flashing. A steady stream of civilians were making their way out of the building, escorted by security guards and the police officers already on the scene. The team hurried to unload their equipment.

"Alright, team, our first step is to locate the bomb," Greg began. "Winnie's sent the floor plans to all your phones. Leah, you're my second; stay in the command truck and keep going over Maccabee's criminal record—maybe there's some sort of pattern or continuity in his style, find his signature. Spike and Ty, take the basement; you're Eagle 1. Sam and Ed, the first floor, Eagle 2. Bobby, find a police officer and have him help you clear the second floor, Eagle 3. Work your way up until you locate the device."

"Okay, guys, my guess is that the device will be in the basement," Spike announced as he and Ty began jogging toward the building, weaving through the evacuating civilians. "Remember, no one touches the bomb until I get there, and everyone evacuates once it's located."

"Got it, Spike," Ed confirmed for the team.

Spike and Ty quickly followed the building schematics to locate the stairs leading down to the basement. According to a security guard, the floor was clear of civilians—their only task was to search for the device.

The basement of the building doubled as a massive file room for the law offices above, as well as an old storage area and the location of some old office and conference rooms. The men split up to search the floor more quickly. There were lots of places to hide a bomb—file cabinets, stacked chairs behind which a bomb could easily be hidden, tables to put it under. Spike ordered Ty to use extreme caution, especially searching the file cabinets. Even jostling one containing a bomb could set it off.

From up above the other two teams confirmed that the first and second floors were clear, and they were moving on to the third and fourth. Spike and Ty continued searching.

Spike was just finishing clearing his half of the basement when Ty yelled for him. "Bomb located."

"Eagles 2 and 3, evacuate the building," Greg ordered.

Spike jogged over to where Ty was standing in front of one of the file cabinets in the center of the room. The second drawer was pulled out, revealing the bugger that had brought them all out for the day. "Go on, Ty, I'll take it from here."

"Ty, exit the building," Greg continued.

"Copy that." Ty clapped Spike on the shoulder. "Careful, bud."

"Boss, we're on our way out," Ed informed. "Spike, break it down."

"Okay, it's in a file cabinet, takes up a whole drawer. X-raying now." He knelt down in front of the cabinet, carefully moving the x-ray device in front of the drawer and studying the screen to see what was inside. "Okay, I've got four batteries plus anti-handling measures. Timer's in plain site on the top—36:44. No chemical detections. Definitely C4, maybe some dynamite." He sat back on his heels. "Boss, it's a bad one."

"How bad, Spike?"

"I'd clear the adjoining buildings, and the streets within a hundred meter radius—if this goes off, it's taking the building with it. It's right in the middle of two major supporting crossbeams for the building. Whole thing will implode."

Winnie sucked in a breath and quickly covered her mouth with her hand. She couldn't let her fear for her husband travel to the rest of the team—they needed her calm and cool. She muted her headset and took in a few deep breaths before switching it back on. "Boss, Leah and I have finished looking through Maccabee's criminal record. Guy's unpredictable—different switches, different materials with almost every bomb he's been confirmed as maker."

"Winnie's right, Boss," Leah agreed. "Biggest bomb he took credit for went off in a government building in Brazil thirteen years ago. Took the whole block with it—87 people died."

"Okay, thanks, Leah," Greg responded. "Try to find some schematics for Spike; maybe that'll help him out. Winnie, switch to channel two—everyone else stay where you are."

Winnie swallowed and did as Greg had requested. "Yeah, Boss?"

"How you doing, Win?" Greg asked bluntly. "You going to be okay with this call? We can always call someone in to relieve you if it's too difficult."

Winnie squeezed her tear-filled eyes shut and tried to keep the emotion out of her voice as she responded, one hand on her belly. "This is where I wanna be, Boss. I'd like to stay."

"Alright, Win. Let's go back to three."

Greg switched back his headset just as Ed and the rest of the team came jogging out of the building. "Ed, get police working on evacuating adjoining buildings and moving the perimeter back as quickly as possible. We don't have much time."

"I'm on it."

"Spike, how's it looking? You see any way around this thing?"

There was a long moment of silence before he answered. "Not sure yet, Boss. I'm going to try to disarm the anti-handling by freezing the mercury, but there're so many stray wires I could trip, I'm not sure about it." There was another long pause. "Boss, move everyone back; I'm not touching this thing until everyone's out of harm's way."

"You can't just sit there and wait for it to go off, Spike. If you wait too long you won't have enough time."

"I know, I know, I'm going to just start off with disarming the anti-handling and checking for trip wires around the drawer. It seems to be wedged in pretty tight—I'm going to see if it'll hold if I remove the bottom."

"Okay, bud, we're moving back; let us know if you need anything."

"I have everything I need—do not send anyone else down range. This thing could go at any time."

Spike turned to grab his bag and pulled out his screw driver and some acetone and dry ice. He set about trying to freeze the anti-handling.

What was he even doing here? This bomb could just blow at any time if he did anything wrong, and then he'd be dead. He'd never get to see Winnie again, never get to see his son. Boss, just call me off, let it blow, get someone else to do the job.

He quickly shook himself out of that mindset. Yes, things were different now. Before, it'd just been him and his ma. Now he had a family of his own, but that didn't change the fact that this is what he'd signed up to do—save lives. And this was how he did it, and no one else was able to right now.

His mind went to Winnie, and how scared she must be for him right now. She trusted him—knew he was good at doing his job—but it didn't stop her from worrying, especially now that they were about to have a baby. He let out a rush of breath, thankful the bomb hadn't gone off while he was freezing the anti-handling, and started humming the lullaby. I'm fine, babe.

It took twenty whole minutes before Winnie received word that the adjacent buildings had been primarily evacuated and adjoining streets blocked off. She'd set up a timer on the computer to keep track—13:27. "Spike, buildings and streets are evacuated, perimeter is pushed back."

"Thanks, babe." She chuckled and could hear him clear his throat awkwardly—they weren't supposed to use pet names over the headsets because it was copied into the transcripts. "I mean…Winnie."

"Spike, get started on that bomb," Greg interrupted. "Less than fifteen minutes left."

"I'm trying, Boss—are you and the team far enough away?"

"Yeah, Spike, we're good. Listen, if it comes down to it, you let it blow—give yourself enough time to get out of there and just let it blow."

"Will do; Winnie, Leah, have you found schematics for his other bombs?"

"Sending you schematics for the bomb in Brazil," Leah replied. "I only just found it; figured you might start there, seeing as this is another big one."

"Okay, thanks, Leah."

Winnie couldn't tear her eyes from the clock. She tried to distract herself, helping the police coordinate transportation of evacuees, providing alternate routes for people who needed to find a route around the blocked-off streets, scanning the security cameras of the Kennedy Building again and again to make sure everyone was out. There wasn't much chatter over her headset. All they could do now was wait, and Spike's only talk when he was trying to diffuse a bomb was usually just mumbling to himself. They waited.

Seven long minutes went by. 6:23.

"Spike, how's it going in there?" Greg asked, trepidation filling his voice. "You don't have much time left, buddy."

"I know, Boss," Spike replied, his voice filled with anxiety. "I'm almost there—I've identified the main trigger, but it's at the center of the bomb; I just need to find a way around the other trip wires to get to it."

"You think you'll have time?"

There was no answer.

Winnie concentrated on taking deep breaths, drinking small sips of water, trying not to pass out. Another dispatcher, Will, had come to relieve her, but she'd basically told him to back off and go sit in the briefing room until this was all over. It wasn't the first time she'd snapped at someone at work in the past eight months—he took it pretty well, especially considering the current situation.

She strained her ears for even the slightest sound from her husband, some sound of triumph that said he'd been successful, he'd come home to her alive.

3:02.

"He's surrounded the trigger with kill switches," Spike said at last, making Winnie jump. "If I even touch one of them, or cut one of the trip wires, it's going to blow."

"Spike, get out of there now!" Greg yelled. "You don't have enough time!"

"Just give me another minute—I can do it!"

"Spike, evacuate the building!" Ed yelled.

1:36.

"Spike, get out now!" Leah joined in. "You won't have enough time to get past the perimeter!"

Winnie couldn't breathe. She would have joined in with the rest of the team, urging her husband to just run, but she couldn't even seem to take in a breath, let alone form words, let alone speak. She gripped the armrests of her chair, leaned forward, Spike, please.

"Spike, get out of there now!"

0:45.

"You remember that time you said you don't date cops?"

35…32…28.

"Hey, Winnie, you think you wanna spend the rest of your life with me? Wanna marry me?"

17…14…11.

"I, Michelangelo Scarlatti, take you, Winifred Camden, to be my wife…Bella, guardo su di voi con amore."

9…8…7.

"Let's have a baby, okay? You'd be a great mom."

3…2…1.

Winnie could almost feel the explosion. It blasted through her headset, making the speakers shriek and her head spin. She jumped up from her chair, felt her stomach muscles tighten, screamed.

"Spike!"