A/N: This Chapter went through several re-writes. I knew where I wanted to take the story, just not the particular road to travel down. I needed to set up the next chapter. I hope I did ok:) Let me know what you think! Thank You so much for being so wonderful. I
Disclaimer: I own nothing and make no money off of this work.
It was the longest three hours of Red's entire life. In the time between Lizzie had hung up the phone and the time they landed, Red had a small army gathered to lay waste to anyone that thought to get between them.
Stepping out onto the tarmac, Red was shouting orders when three military Humvees screeched to a halt within feet of Red, Dembe, and his men. They immediately drew their weapons.
"Put your weapons down. All we need is Reddington. If you fire one shot, I promise you that you'll never find the pieces of Elizabeth Keen and we will slaughter you where you stand."
Powerless in his inability to control the situation, Red knew that he would be taken. He had to give his team time to plan.
"Gentry, wonderful to see you again!" His tone indicated that was anything but the truth. "You seem to believe that Agent Keen is worth saving to begin with. I assure you that although she has been…useful in certain aspects, Agent Keen is entirely replaceable. You do away with her and I'll have her replacement in my bed by tomorrow night." I'm so sorry sweetheart! I can't let him know how important you are to me.
Gentry exits the middle vehicle. He knows Red won't kill him without knowing the location of Elizabeth Keen.
"I know you are lying. If you are not lying then you are one hell of an actor. Mrs. Keen seems to believe that you will save her. That you care for her. I can't wait to see the look on her face as the hope of being rescued dies… It's a shame really, to waste that beautiful body. I too, have sampled her…usefulness. Maybe I will keep her after I kill you."
The only indication that Red had even heard, was the tick in his cheek, his gaze hard, resolute.
"Well, I suppose you should get on with it. I am not overly concerned with Keen as I am my other people. I will go with you, but you will leave my people here alone. They do not deserve to pay for my sins. You can even lock them in the hanger if you believe that they will cause trouble."
"Raymond-" Dembe was cut off with a look from Red. A slight shake of his head let Dembe know that Red had a plan and being taken was part of that.
Red stepped closer to the vehicle that Gentry had exited, placing his hands behind his head in supplication. "Shall we go?"
Laughing, Gentry was gleeful at Red's easy compliance. He thought he'd have to fight for him. Signaling his men, two jumped out to usher Red forcefully into the same vehicle as Gentry.
Within minutes the rest of Gentry's men had Red's companions secured in the storage hanger. Their weapons were left outside, abandoned.
"How did you accomplish it? How did you know who Keen really was. Entertain the last wish of a dead man. It will keep my mind off of how awful it smells in here. Honestly, when was the last time any of you showered?"
"Cameras. Facial recognition had her pegged within minutes of entering the museum. Once she was tagged in my system, the algorithm created by my people put an alert out for area hotels. Once she entered the lobby, my people ascertained the rooms you procured. I had people infiltrate the catering and laced your food with something special. When the ambulance left with Agent Keen, I was slightly disappointed that I didn't get you, but beggars can't be choosers. The agony on your face as she died in front of you was pleasurable enough."
"Ah. That makes sense. I commend you for seeing your plan through. However, what you saw as agony, was my disappointment in losing a talented lover. And the safe house?"
"A little more challenging, since he's so well trained, but I had my people follow your man from the hospital with the supplies."
Red realized that his worry and love for Lizzie had doomed him for failure. His weakness cost him everything.
There was radio chatter from the front of the vehicle. A distress signal? He couldn't quite make it out, but Gentry touched his ear piece, trying to concentrate harder.
"Why is a little girl causing you so much trouble?!" That's my girl. "We have Reddington, we no longer need her. Put a bullet between her eyes." Oh god no.
3 Hours Earlier
Lizzie whipped her head around at the sound of gunfire, for a short burst, there was nothing except the report of bullets hitting the house. When they stopped, she whispered "Report". All team members checked in. They must be testing their defenses. I've got this covered, bitches. Seeing a moving target outside through her open window, she took careful aim and fired. The resulting cry of pain from her target was more satisfying than she'd like to admit.
For an hour, the team trying to penetrate the house fired from one side and then another. They couldn't get a bead on exactly how many men were out there, but Liz's estimates were around 10 left. It was time to put their 2nd phase into play. "Move to the front." The security team on the first floor were to move to the front of the house and fire randomly into the night, while the upstairs team were to move to the back, wait for the intruders to set off the charges at the back door, and pick off any that weren't already dead.
The explosion that signaled the breach was larger than Liz expected. Well, I don't think Red is going to get his deposit back. When they reached the backstairs landing, there was a gaping hole in the back of the house and at least 4 dead bodies. They proactively opened fire into the hole, hoping to stop anyone else. After a few minutes of quiet, a shot rang through the dark, hitting the man next to her in the chest.
"Position Compromised, draw their fire."
Shots volleyed from the front half of the house while they made their way back up the stairs. "Phase 3, take the high ground." They left the front open for infiltration, but it seems their adversaries wised up and wanted nothing to do with attempting to take the front door.
They gathered upstairs, with only one man down, they had an advantage. While they covered the stairs from both sides, Liz made her way down stairs. They couldn't afford to sit around and wait for them to call reinforcements. Taking out her knife, Liz prepared for close quarters fighting. A gun would give away her position.
Waiting in the entryway by the front door, gunfire continued to rain down the back stairs, but a lone man came towards the front stairs, hoping to take their team by surprise. Her body screaming to move, Liz waited until he was at the bottom of the stairs, crept behind him and slit his throat.
Ducking back to her hideaway in the foyer, Liz blinked back the black-spots in her vision. Her pain so intense, she felt as if she would pass out. Taking some deep, silent breaths, she forced herself to focus and regroup for her next adversary.
Hearing more than one set of footsteps, she grabbed her gun in her left hand, she wouldn't be able to get more than a couple shots out before they got a bead on her. Head shots it is.
Before she had the chance to step from behind her hiding spot, members of her team shot at them from behind, ducking as to not get hit by a stray bullet, she yelled "We need one alive!" The gunshots immediately stopped, only moans from the ground remained.
Stepping out and making sure there were no other opponents to take out, she whispered "Split up, cover the immediate area, make sure there are no more of these bastards laying low.
After they departed, she walked up to the nearest person moaning on the ground. A woman! Upon ripping the night vision goggles off of her face, she realized it was Tara Crane. "What the hell are you doing here? What is a paper pusher doing playing Rambo?"
"Fuck you. I put in 6 years as a Marine. The only reason you are still alive is that Vincent took half of my men to kill your man."
"What do you mean? I have no man."
"Reddington. Sending him to Dubai was my idea. We needed time to get my men in place and to plan both of your abductions. About right now, he is being readied for execution. So, no matter what happens here, you leave with the knowledge that your lover is being eviscerated into pig food."
Taking a deep breath, Liz knew exactly what needed to be done. She drew her gun, placed it in between Tara Crane's eyes, and then pulled the trigger."
A scuffle at the back door had Liz snapping her head and her gun towards the noise. Ressler! "We found him coming up the driveway."
"Hey Ressler, you missed the party. It's ok though, we're about to throw another one and you can tag along for that one."
"I see. Since when is the FBI in the execution business?"
"I was feeling a bit peckish… Not a good enough excuse? PMS then. Whatever you need to believe to help you sleep at night find that happy place, we need to move and I don't have time to hold your hand through the grey area. We're crossing that river and getting Red."
Objections from Ressler and her security team rang through the air. Looking to her team leader she said "I am going, you are supposed to protect me, so it looks like you are tagging along."
Ressler interjected, "We need to think about this, bring a team in. We can have one ready in a few hours. We have no idea what is waiting for us over there."
"We don't have time. He's our asset and they are going to kill him! That's not going to happen, not today. They think that the team is going to bring me in. Why don't you guys dress in their jackets, take their guns, and hopefully we can get in close enough to Gentry to put a bullet in him"
"Liz, that's not how we do things. That's not justice."
Moving away to gather supplies and help ready the team, Liz whispered. "Looks like we have a very different opinion of justice these days."
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