Three hours later
The active charcoal was a wondrous thing to behold, it neutralising effect on different drugs and the calming agent within the anti-sickness drug made me feel wonderful after my last bout of sickness half an hour ago. I heard quiet voices behind the curtain and grinned as they crowded in around the bed, they all looked fine with no injuries which means the arrests went smoothly with no other issues.
"How you feeling after the salt drink and meds," Spike asked.
"A lot better thanks, tell me that was worth it?" I replied.
"Ten arrests, two hundred charges across four different agencies and three countries – you're the talk of the town! The doctors said you will be alright for work tomorrow night; call me in the morning when you get home and if you need a couple of days then just say so alright!" Parker replied.
I nodded and took the ribbing that I knew was coming due to the close quarters dancing routine I had performed on Spike; I was well aware he enjoyed it by several indicators – but apparently I was now an informal dance instructor for undercover agents! I eventually kicked them out and Spike handed me the gear to change into tomorrow morning, I gave him a massive kiss before he headed off and I fell asleep.
The next morning I was released when Spike arrived to pick me up from the recovery unit, I had got myself organised early enough and had asked the doctor to check my back due to the bruising I knew I would have. He gave me a prescription for some anti-inflammatories and deep heat patches and told me the damage wasn't too bad, but would be sore for a few days. He padded off the area for me for the trip home and noticed my firearm in my bag.
"It's alright doc, I'm a member of the SRU," I replied showing him my ID.
"Good to hear, too many weapons on the streets these days! By the look of your face you had a wild night, at least one black eye, seven stitches on your hairline and a bruised cheek – was it worth the risk?"
I nodded and headed out with Spike who was waiting outside of the curtain and he said he was taking me out for lunch then home to rest for a while; I grinned and slid gently onto the passenger seat, he had noticed my discomfort and I told him about my back and what the doctor said – it was just the same info as yesterday but with some more bruising! After a lovely lunch and a quick trip back home, I headed for a really hot bath and sank in it with a deep sigh and grin across my face, Spike came and joined me as he passed me some water and my anti-inflammatory.
"How's the back doing?" he asked gently.
I leaned forward and he flinched as he saw the bruising; right across the top of my shoulder was deep dark bruising and lots of broken blood vessels, he grabbed the sponge and layered the water across my shoulder which was wonderful feeling. He left me after a while and found me an hour later fast asleep on the bed under a blanket; the bruising had started to show on my face despite the quick icing I had used on it last night – I was going to look spectacular at work tonight.
I walked into the gym at work to a chorus of claps from Team five and half a dozen bottles of concealer handed to me to say I should get the bruises covered in case I scare someone; they were rather spectacular and I was getting ribbed from the imprinted ring mark across my cheek which had to get photographed to show who had hit me. I was still getting slagged off when Spike came into the gym and saw what was happening; he came across to me and whispered in my ear, I nodded and turned around to reveal my back.
I heard everyone gasp and wince as they spotted the massive bruising snaking down my back.
"OW! Okay, your bruises are valid points of pain!" they gave up immediately on seeing my back.
I high fived Spike and started to get warmed up for the treadmill and the gym circuit we were about to do with the rest of the team. Ten minutes later I had my ear phones in and was jogging quite happily on the treadmill listening to some violin style dubstep from an artist who I had just discovered; she was amazing and perfect for a relaxing workout. I opened my eyes when I heard the alarm go off and saw that it was Team four callout; I slowed down and headed to get changed in case of back up required; as I made my way to the changing room I was stopped by Ed who was pointing at my back.
"You got that last night?" he said turning me around to get a good look at it.
I felt his fingers go over the bruises and he could feel the swelling over the whole area, he looked at me as he turned me back around to face him.
"Yeah, my scars are tight recently and when they restrained me they tore internally – no serious damage just severe bruising and the mess on my back – all good. I left an incident report about it with Winnie for the boss so he knows," I replied.
"Are you going to be alright for full action or do you want to stay in the truck to ease off last night?" he asked with concern quite obvious on his face.
"Nah I'm good boss, little achy but nothing more than that!" I replied.
At that moment the boss came along the corridor and saw my back, I nodded to him and Winnie passed him the folder with my report in it; I shrugged at Ed and followed him into the first aid room where Jules was waiting for us to do a check.
Parker was standing there looking at the incident report and flinching when he saw the bruises, I was sight to behold but the other guys were worse off thanks to me getting in a few well aimed kicks, punches and claw marks.
"Was this why you had to go to the physiotherapist yesterday?" he inquired.
"Yeah, I thought I had pulled a muscle from repelling down that cliff and latching onto the rocks, wanted to get it checked out to rule out anything else; it turns out that my scar tissue is tight and it ripped internally when I was restrained, worst damage is the bruising and the ibuprofen keeps the ache in check." I replied.
I had a double top on and Parker turned around while I stripped them off and wrapped a towel around my chest, he needed to check the wound with another female to ensure that I could work in all areas as required during the course of the night's events.
"Looks like road rash, what did the doctor give you – heat pad?" Jules asked as she helped me back into my tops.
"Yeah they are in my locker and I take ibuprofen if needed, might need some help with the pad after I'm ready to go?" I asked.
She smiled and nodded. Parker cleared me for duty and just asked for me to keep him up to date with recovery and if there is any issues that could put me off certain tasks. I nodded and signed the form and headed for the hot showers and to get changed with Jules who had just come back from swimming with Sam. Twenty minutes later I was sitting down on the bench while Jules stripped the heat bandage down and layered it across my back as I moved my shoulders so it moulded to my skin so I had freedom of movement. I sat up and pulled on my tank top and gear just in time for the alarm to sound for us to get geared up; we headed out the changing room and across to Winnie who was getting information from the 911 call centre.
"Bank robbery in progress, Queen Street and Victoria – shots fired – more information coming ASAP!" she shouted to us.
Jules and me headed to the weapons locker and grabbed our bags as we started putting our tactical gear, mirrors and ammo into the compartments and strapped on our firearms; seconds later the men arrived and followed the same pattern we had. All four of us picked up our rifles too and headed out to the garage and loaded our gear up; I was driving with Spike and Wordy since we were down one SUV until tomorrow, hitting the lights and sirens we all left the garage and hit the 410 to our destination.
"Alright guys, Bank robbery in progress; three armed subjects have taken 19 hostages and four unarmed security guards. Shots have been fired and the first responders have seen minimum of two fatalities being thrown out the buildings second level. No contact has been made and the uniforms have cleared the square block – approach with caution."
"Copy that!" all of us replied to Parkers update.
I looked at Spike and checked my watch; ten minutes since the call and hopefully no more people were going to get hurt or killed before we could get there and diffuse the situation either way. I checked the EMS system for what rigs were on the site and who the lead paramedic was – it was Steve – he could handle himself and was on response when the SRU was called out to any incident. I sent him a message and alerted him to our arrival time and if there was any information he had while witnessing the events.
"Boss, Intel suggests that one of the hostage takers has been wounded in a fight, some of the hostages tried to take control and the paramedics heard machine gun fire – extra EMS have been deployed to the site and are awaiting our orders for recovery." I called over the radio.
"Copy that Mac – Alright guys new deal!" replied Parker.
"Sam your Sierra; Mac and Wordy you are on entry on white wall, Spike with me and Jules on direct to threat entry once we get eyes in to evaluate locations. Mac, connect with EMS and be prepared for medical evacuation in case this incident goes south."
"Copy that boss," I replied.
"Spike, have you got the schematics up on the system yet, we need to know the layout of the building and any hidden surprises it may have since it's an older building!" Ed called.
"Uploading to everyone now boss, the main entrance is reinforced glass and way to exposed to use either the explosives or the ram; next best entry would be through the basement by explosive charge. I can cover the noise of the explosion by triggering the alarm again – but you're going to have to start contact and explain to them about the trigger – just tell them it's a safety feature and its automatic." He replied as we hit the city centre.
I followed the other SUV and came to a stop beside the opposite building near the bank, EMS and the other patrol cars had set up the cordon and triage unit with distance to spare and we all headed out to find out any more information from Inspector Stratham who was waiting for us at the CT that had arrived with Jules. I headed over to Steve to find out news on the dead and possible wounded inside and If they had seen anyone leaving or entering the building from their vantage point; they hadn't and it wasn't a good sign considering there was a minimum of 21 hostages and guards in there at the working end of an automatic machine gun. I headed over to the rest of the team and grabbed my gear from the back of the truck and pulled the double strap bags over my shoulders; one for medical and the other with extra ammo, mirrors and other toys we could use to play with. My rifle was secured in the back as standard and Spike looked at it as he checked out weapons and readied them for me as I loaded up our handguns and put them into our holsters.
"I'll never get used to seeing that in your hands!" he whispered.
"Good, because when you do then I know I have used it too much!" I replied.
We closed the back door and headed over into our units for deployment to the black wall entry point, which was going to be the only way in for us since any entry on the main wall was going to cause too much flying shrapnel and give us no concealment. I broke off with Wordy and Spike to organise the explosive entry charge and check the two dead bodies that had been thrown out the side windows of the second floor; both were beyond any help I could give except a prayer and I tagged them quickly before re-joining them both.
"Sarge two male victims shot at point blank range in the alleyway behind black wall, the wounds suggest it was execution and not random fire – this could be personal."
"Copy that!" the Sarge replied.
Spike and Wordy readied the explosive charge and we covered his exit towards the truck so he could access the security feed and find out where the blank spots where in the building. Four minutes later we got the call to check our PDA's.
"Alright guys, Black wall is secure with no CCTV footage inside or out until you get the basement stairs which will take you to the main office complex; from there you need to take the left stairwell to the top and that will lead to the main bank lobby. At my count there is four hostage takers and sixteen active hostages, three are wounded but mobile. I can't get the cameras to zoom guys so I can't ID anyone in the bank!" he called frustrated.
"Copy that Spike. Alright I'm going to start the calls guys and on Spike's signal detonate the charge and make your way to the stairs and hold position." Parker replied.
I nodded to Wordy and took point cover at our hiding area for the explosive charge, he laid the shield over our heads and nodded he was set for entry. We heard the boss make the phone call and start negotiations, the person on the phone was arrogant and very demanding, Parker managed to bring him onto our time in a few minutes and alerted him to the fact the automatic alarm trigger about to kick in.
"I BUILT THIS BANKS ALARM – ATTEMPT ANY ENTRY AND I SPRAY THE PLACE WITH LEAD!" he screamed down the phone.
"All teams hold, hold!" shouted Ed over comms.
We stood down and made the charge trigger safe, I looked at Wordy and waited for further orders on what we were going to do. Spike and the boss were having a heated discussion and we were ordered to fall back to the CT for further information. We backed out the basement through the black wall exit and headed along the long alleyway that was wide open; both of us heard the click at the same time and pulled each other out of the way as a spray of machine gun fire littered the alleyway. We were behind the garbage bins and we both took aim to the upper storey and opened fire on the window where the gunfire came from. We both watched as we hit the shooter and he tumbled out the window and landed headfirst onto the ground snapping his neck. We proceeded along the wall to get cover and I leaned down and looked at the man; his neck was obviously broken and his skull was caved in from landing on the kerb. I shook my head at Wordy and after a quick check we covered each other and got back to the CT point.
"Are you both alright?"
We both nodded and headed over to where Parker was talking to the men inside, he advised them that he had recalled all his officers and the building was clear of police; Spike was inside the CT doing more CCTV searches and checking building plans to give us a better way in that didn't involve setting off any alarms. One of the biggest blunders this guy did in his temper tantrum was to state he created the alarm for the building, within five seconds we had his name and Spike was trying to ID him clearly by using other CCTV cameras from the street and traffic cameras. Parker came out to join us after the call to the bank and visually checked us all for any harm.
"Alright guys, the main hostage taker has been identified as Thomas Wyatt, he was the previous bank manager who was let go last year due to budget cuts; he is also under investigation by the FBI for money laundering and possible connections to M2 cartel in Mexico. The Feds believe that he has been storing large sums of cash in the safety deposit boxes of several alias' and he has come back to claim them for the gang."
"If a branch manager is let go in the UK, they are not allowed back onto the property or keep any accounts within their branch – is it the same over here too?" I asked.
"Yeah the regulations are specific to ensure client confidentiality and ensure safety of the safe and contents; this bank is one of the largest branches in Toronto and there must be a minimum $40 million in the building at the moment and that's not including any deposit boxes or valuables in the safe such as stocks or bonds!" chipped in Spike over the comms.
"Okay, so Wyatt has been sacked and lost control of the money and other valuables he was keeping secure for the cartel; they want their goods back and force Wyatt to rob the bank and then they try and escape. Those two people who were shot either tried to rush them or they were killed to send a message to us." Wordy summarised for us.
"Those dead men in the alleyway were dressed in business wear and were defiantly shot at close range due to half their heads missing, could this be two birds with one stone?" I asked.
I had never dealt with gangs such as these and although I read up on all the material I could fine and had contact with Guns and Gangs squad for training, it never prepared you for the facts of gang life – especially gangs like the M2.
"Spike is there any way to find out who the dead men are in the alleyway?" I asked.
"Negative the CCTV is damaged and they were lying face down – what are you thinking?" he replied.
"Okay this may sound stupid but Wyatt needs to break into the bank to get access to the vault safe and remove the boxes, to do so according to the security features he needs the most recent codes and finger prints of the new manager and deputy. Those two dead men could be those guys, they were Hispanic looking and if we can ID them, it could be a bank robbery to cover a double assassination."
"It's a different angle and it would make sense with the amount of firepower they have in there, not to mention the timing of the bank robbery – it was after the scheduled money drop, if they had come earlier it would have been closer to nearly $90 million in the vault" Spike replied looking up details and sending them to the PDA.
"BOSS – I have movement on the front wall!" called Sam over the comms from his perch.
We all looked at the main entrance as one of the masked men opened the door and then backed off slowly, Parker's phone started to beep and he answered.
"As a show of good faith to removing your officers, I am allowing one hostage to be freed. She is wounded and I will allow one paramedic to come and collect her – you have my word that the paramedic shall not be harmed." We heard over the radio.
I looked at Ed, he didn't like it either – nobody did – why would they do that for us removing ourselves from the AO? I signalled to Steve and asked him for his spare jacket and pulled it on to cover my vest and took the medical bag from him to play the part; Ed looked at me and shook his head as he ran over to me and stopped me from pulling the bag on.
"What do you think you're doing?" he demanded.
"There is a hostage being freed who is wounded, we can't let the paramedics in and if they try and test whoever goes down there then they need to know complex answers. I'm the logical choice – and I wasn't going to just go over!" I replied.
We had walked over to the rest of the squad and I handed my weapon over to Wordy since I could only manage my handgun if I had to transport the wounded in a hurry; Parker stood in the middle of the group and shook his head at me.
"If I let you go over there alone then it's risky and there is no guarantee they won't just open fire on you, or try and take you hostage," the boss stated.
"I know boss, you guys have my back and I'll be prepared for anything. I'm good to go boss – your call though!" I replied.
He looked at the ready paramedics and then back at me - i was the only option now since he couldnt put anyone else in danger, he nodded and i headed to get ready.