Sidney Kasal whirled around when a hand was placed on his back, the distraction welcome as he was still attempting to stop himself from crying. Tears abated quickly and thorough confusion took their place, the chief's mouth now wide open in shock.

"Oh shit." was all he could manage to mutter, as he now stood face to face with Jack Corrigan, whom he had originally thought was the madman responsible for this horrid situation.

"Jack?" he asked softly, he and Greg now thoroughly lost as the man nodded.

Jack Corrigan's eyes traced around the scene; flashing lights, emergency vehicles, and officers captured his attention for a brief moment before he turned back to Sidney and began to explain himself.

"Heh… I turned on the TV today and was interested to learn that I was apparently holding several hostages. It was a nice thing to get out of the shower to hear…"

Sidney couldn't help but chuckle just a bit at the man's predicament, the amusement quickly giving way to worsening confusion. Lifting up the tape to allow Jack underneath it, Sidney escorted him forward until they arrived at the side of Officer Green.

"Officer…" he said, motioning towards Jack when the woman turned his way.

"Dr. Kasal, you know this is a closed perimeter – you may not bring pe—"

"Officer Green, I'd like you to meet Jack Corrigan." Sidney said, cutting her off.

The officer's eyes widened as called for her chief, leaving them to converse with the man who had previously been their number one suspect. Sidney's attention drifted in and out of the conversation as his thoughts skipped back to how his phone outburst had worsened the situation, hoping silently that everyone inside was okay.

When the conversation drew to a close, Officer Brooks hesitated, his hands on his hips as he thought the circumstances over. With slight hesitation he picked up the phone once more, silently hoping that enough time had elapsed between the present and when the shot was fired. He dialed and waited while it rang on the other end.

"Chief!"

Sidney spun around at the shout by force of habit, quickly realizing that the chief being summoned was not himself. Instead, the police chief was now quickly moving to a member of the swat team, who was looking at the scene with a pair of binoculars. Sidney watched as the man handed the binoculars over to the chief, both men quietly conversing about whatever they saw before they turned and settled their eyes on Sidney.

"Dr. Kasal." the chief began, Sidney walking quickly to meet him. "Do any of the six we mentioned have any sort of experience in law enforcement?" he asked Sidney.

"Yes actually. GREG?!"

Greg came rushing to Sidney's side, curious as to why he was being summoned.

"Cybil used to be on the police force, right?" he asked. Greg turned to the officers with a nod, confused and slightly worried as to where this was going.

"Yeah, she quit med school to pursue law enforcement in Chicago. She was on the force for years before she came back to medicine… why?"

The Kasals peered at the chief who now sported a slight smirk.

"We're not confirming anything. However, from what we just saw, it looks like everyone is okay for the moment."

-o-

"…Twins?" Derek asked, his expression contorted into a look of utter shock. "That means you're…"

"Jack's brother, Erik. It's a pleasure, to meet you all."

Silence immediately flooded the hallway. The six friends and colleagues traded glances though no words were spoken, each person too shocked by the plot twist to even begin to process it. Erik's dark eyes scanned every one of them as they attempted to put the pieces together, deciding quickly to just tell them instead of watching them struggle any longer.

"Everything would have been fine if you would've saved her." he sneered, voice dripping with contempt. "From the moment I entered the room until she was bleeding to death, she honestly believed that the person stabbing her was her lowlife husband. My plan was perfect: once she got better, she would've run to me just like she promised me all those years. But, YOU…" he snapped, pointing to Derek with his free hand.

"…You ruined everything."

"Sorry to burst your bubble here, but I'm pretty sure you ruined everything when you stabbed her!" Leslie shot back, her friends snapping their eyes to her with surprise at her outburst.

Erik Corrigan smiled the slimy grin that made every single one of them cringe. One after the other his boots hit the tile loudly as he walked towards Leslie, his eyes locked on her even as he bent forward at the waist to bring himself closer. She shrank back against the wall and Tyler placed a protective arm across her torso, glaring at him with contempt.

"You know…" Erik cooed, throwing Tyler's arm aside as he stroked Leslie's face with the back of his hand. He watched her visibly squirm as he continued to touch her, tracing his hand from her face and down her neck slowly. Moving his hand down further, he forcefully grabbed onto her left breast, squeezing it firmly as she let out a painful cry.

"…one more little outburst from you, you pretty little thing… and everyone here, including your little boyfriend... will watch you get raped…"

Acting on pure instinct, Tyler shot his foot out and forcefully made contact with Erik's gut, the gunman immediately releasing his hold on Leslie. She began to cry and leaned into Tyler's arm, who protectively pulled her tightly to himself while still glowering at the man in front of him.

"Tyler!" Derek yelled, trying warn his friend from attempting such an assault again as the bastard just laughed off the surgeon's "attack". Tyler paid Derek no mind at this point, unwilling to sit by and let the woman he cared for be threatened any longer.

"You do NOT talk to her like that, you son of a bitch!" Tyler snarled, becoming more upset when all Erik did was laugh in response.

"I'd be careful, Tyler." he said in a menacing tone as he flashed his weapon as a stern reminder of how helpless they all were. "Remember who has the gun, here. You're lucky I still have my patience with all of these outbursts, because if I didn't, you'd all be dead right now. So, before I lose said patience, I suggest you all just sit there and just shut the fuck up!"

Derek turned his head to the side until he saw Angie, who was staring up at Erik with a brave expression that masked the pure terror that he knew was underlying. He wanted to comfort her somehow; but in his own state of uncertainty, he wasn't sure that it was even possible at this point.

Cybil, on the other hand, remembered something vital from her days on the force as she watched the drama unfold. Her eyes watched Corrigan like a hawk, waiting patiently to make her move until he finally turned his back to them. However, before she could, the sound of a ringing phone startled her back into her place, as he was now eyeing the six once more. His stare made it clear that punishment would come to anyone who dared attempt anything while he answer the call, before eventually walking to the phone and lifting it from the cradle.

With his back now turned to them once more, Cybil shakily raised her arms up over her head, her hands now in front of the window. Her colleagues watched as she made several hand motions, silently hoping that the people outside were smart enough to be watching with binoculars.

"What are you doing?" Victor asked quietly, careful not to draw unwanted attention.

"Back on the force, I remember being in these situations. It was so much easier to know how to proceed if we knew anything about the status of those inside…" she said, holding up six fingers to signify the six of them. "I'm trying to give them a signal – anything that will tell them what's going on in here. I just hope they understand..."

After holding up six fingers, she flipped her wrists upside down and pointed, showing that all of them were seated underneath the window – and shortly after, gave two thumbs up to signify everyone was still okay. She repeated the gestures several times, only yanking her hands down when Erik turned towards them yet again.

-o-

"Someone's flashing a number '6', two thumbs up, and pointing downward… we could read that as 'There's six of us in here, we're right under the window, and there are no injuries…'" Green said, watching out of the corner of her eye as Sidney heaved a giant sigh of relief. "That's one of the reasons we asked if someone in there was former law enforcement."

"One of the reasons? What's the other?" Greg asked, curious.

"Dr. Kasal…" Officer Green began. "We can start to take some risks because someone in there obviously knows what they're doing. It's our hope that she'll be able to figure out our plan, and hopefully, it'll allow them an exit."

Sidney nodded, slightly weary of the situation. "Okay, how can I help?"

"We need a floor plan of the hospital - we're sending someone in."

"What?!" Sidney yelled. "You can't do that – one wrong move and he's going to kill everyone in there! I won't stand for this."

"Enough, Director." the chief snapped, cutting him off. "We're not sending anyone in to try to break up the situation… we're sending in a member of the SWAT team for something just a little different."

"I'm listening…" Sidney replied, hands on his hips.

-o-

"See, what you cops don't understand is that there is nothing you are going to negotiate with me. The only thing I want is the blood of this doctor on my hands; for him to spend his last minutes in agony, just as my wife did."

There was a short pause before Corrigan stormed over to the window right in front of Cybil, looking out and down below.

"You're lying – I'm Jack, whoever you have downstairs is an imposter! I can't even see him, you bunch of fucks…!"

As Erik grew more irate, Cybil grew nervous: they either had to get out or calm him down, because unchecked rage likely meant imminent harm to any of them.

Erik stepped away from the window and walked towards Derek and Angie's office, his back now turned to all of them as he continued to bicker with police on the other line. Racking her brain for a possible countermeasure, Cybil's train of thought was derailed as she registered a small click from the door about ten feet away from them. Her eyes widened, trying to decipher whether it could be someone unlocking it from the other side or if the noise was just a figment of her desperate imagination.

"I have to go check the door." she whispered as quiet as could be, Erik still with his back to them.

"What? Cybil, are you nuts?! You'll get yourself killed!" Tyler snapped, looking at the charcoal-haired woman as her eyes flashed a determination that wouldn't easily be overcome.

"Listen to me – we can't all just sit around like this! I'm the one that's had training here, remember? And I just heard that door click, which leads me to believe they sent someone up to unlock it. So, I'm just going to check. If it's open, we may have a shot at a real escape. If not, at least I can say I tried."

"No, you can't. Cybil, you're staying here!" Victor exclaimed in a whisper, slight annoyance in his voice.

"Both of you just be quiet, and listen to me. Tyler, do you have your cell on you…?"

"Yeah…" he said shakily, pointing to where it rested behind his back.

"Think all those hours of messaging your sweetheart will come in handy, and you can send a message to Sidney?"

He gulped. "Sure – what do you want it to say?"

"Send him a message telling him to mute his phone and give it to the police." she said, looking over at Erik. "After you send the message, wait a few seconds and then call him."

"Oh, so they can listen and know what's going on…?" he queried.

"Exactly." she replied quietly.

They paused as Erik whirled around again, still fighting with police on the line. He stared on at them momentarily before turning away yet again, just as Leslie, Derek, and Angie leaned forward to try to hear what was going on.

"Sit back." Cybil instructed them. "Tyler will fill you in after I'm done talking."

The three obliged, now trying their best to avoid looking at Cybil in an attempt to keep the focus off of her.

The Iron Vixen's dark brown eyes scanned the area until they stopped in the middle of the floor, gaze now fixed on what she had been looking for.

"Okay, it's going to be a bit risky… but you need to get your phone into that vent."

Just across from the six and maybe three feet away sat a covered vent on the floor, so close yet so painstakingly far away.

"Those vents are shallow, but the tops lift off…" she explained. "…if you can get your phone into there, it'll be able to pick up just enough to help: they have equipment out there to magnify the sound like you wouldn't believe."

Tyler's fingers worked away at his Blackberry though his eyes never left Erik. Within a matter of seconds he completed the message and sent it to Sidney, before sitting back against the wall and biding his time.

"Now, Victor…" Cybil said, her eyes meeting those of her dark-haired friend.

"Now you're dragging me into this?" he scoffed, which earned him a slap in the arm.

"Yes, Victor. So sorry for trying to save our lives…" she snapped, eyes shooting him an evil glare.

Victor sighed. "Okay, what?"

"If something happens to any of us, you have to make some sort of signal to them outside that says what has happened and how many are still left. If I get shot…" she said.

"Cybil, don't talk like that. Please." Victor interrupted, his expression incredibly disturbed by the thought and even more-so by the ease with which she spoke of such things.

"Hey, it could happen." she chided, unfazed by the risk. "Anyway, if something were to happen to me, you're going to hold up five fingers, and then try to make a shooting motion, or just… something, to let them know what's up."

Victor swallowed hard and nodded. "O-Okay."

Tyler and Cybil saw their chance as Erik began to yell again, storming into Derek and Angie's office as he searched the people below for the so-called "brother" that was ruining his grand plan.

Quickly, Tyler dialed Sidney and moved over to the vent, plopping the phone inside of it as he skidded back towards the wall. Breathing a sigh of relief, Leslie hugged him as they looked over at a hunched over Cybil, who was just inches from the door.

"Please be open, please be…"

A chorus of blood curdling screams rang through the small hallway as Cybil crumpled to the floor, holding her side as she screamed repeatedly.

Derek, Angie, Tyler, Leslie, and Victor turned towards Erik, who without their knowing, had walked back out into the hallway. Pacing angrily to the counter, he promptly slammed the phone in his hand back into its cradle while glaring at Cybil's now motionless body, his unamused stare then shooting back at the remaining five.

"Trying for a DARING ESCAPE, huh?!" he screamed, gripping the gun in his hand as he pointed it at them, five colleagues now huddled together in tears. "You guys just won't FUCKING LEARN!"

The gun discharged again.

-o-

"Chief!" Sidney yelled while holding up his phone and running towards the officer. "I got a message from inside…!"

Within a split second, Sidney was surrounded by three officers and the chief, all of them questioning his claim.

"It says, 'Mute your phone, give to police'…" he read, lingering before he handed it off to the chief.

Just mere seconds later, it began to ring, flashing the name "Tyler Chase" on the screen. The chief quickly accepted the call and placed it immediately on mute per Tyler's text instruction. He brought it to his ear, his other hand plugging the unoccupied ear as he strained to make out the noise on the other side. Unsuccessfully able to identify anything of note, he ran to the SWAT team's van and hopped inside with Sidney's phone, returning minutes later to Sidney, Greg, and his waiting officers.

"They managed to hide the phone somewhere, so it's giving us a complete blow-by-blow of what's happening in there. The team is hooking it up to their equipment as we speak – they'll quickly be able to magnify and isolate the sound, and hopefully we'll be able to hear what's going on."

"Dr. Kasal, we'll need you and Dr. Hoffman to come with us and identify any voices we may hear." Officer Green instructed.

Sidney and Robert were only able to take a single step each toward the van before they both recoiled at the sound of another gunshot ringing through the air. Horrified shrieks rippled through the crowd of employees that remained gathered nearby, devastation palpable.

"Oh, God!" Sidney cried, immediately covering his face with his hands. He closed his eyes and prayed silently as panic grew in the mass of onlookers behind them; shouts, tears, and frustration clouded his mind as he attempted to focus on begging God for assistance.

"Fuck!" Officer Brooks yelled as he hung up the phone. "There is a LOT of screaming – he definitely got someone this time!"

Sidney removed his hands from his face and turned back to Robert, his anguish mirroring that of his director. The men simply looked at each other stone faced as an officer looked up at the window through his binoculars.

"Chief, the window!" he shouted towards his commanding officer, prompting Sidney and Robert to whirl around and face the building as well.

Very faintly, everyone down below saw a white, pasty hand raise up and signal a number.

"How many?!" Sidney asked as he and Robert rushed over to the officers with Greg hot on their heels. The officer pulled away from the binoculars and turned his head to face Sidney with a grim stare.

"They're signaling 'five'…"

Everyone outside watched as the hand was quickly pulled down, just as another gunshot rang out.

Sidney's heart dropped straight into his stomach.