A/N-Thanks for all the reviews and comments of encouragement. I'm enjoying writing this story. Researching hostage negotiations is intriguing...and it feels like Bridger and the gang are taking over this story. :)
Keep the reviews coming. They make me smile :)
Lucas huddled in the corner and wrapped himself tightly into a ball. So many gunshots. So much screaming. Who else was shot? He tried to make himself as small as possible. He thought about his blue jeans and a dark shirt; surely, no one would see him back here unless he made his presence known. Stay calm. I need to stay calm; otherwise I won't be any good to the captain, and he needs me to help him get hostages out. Lucas lifted his chin and peered into the darkness. He strained his ears to catch some of the conversation, but all he could hear was muffled voices.
"Lucas?" a voice whispered loudly from the darkness. "Are you there? It's me, Commander Ford." Commander! I'm here! Lucas bit his lip. He felt so frightened that he didn't want to move or say anything. What if the terrorist heard him? He didn't want to chance getting caught. Lucas peered into the darkness, straining his eyes to look for movement or shadows.
"Lucas, answer me quietly. Dosa won't hear you. He's busy talking to Bridger and Sheppard." Lucas could hear the tranquility in the commander's voice. How does he stay so calm? He's always so damned composed.
"C-commander." Lucas' voice was so low that he wasn't sure that the commander would hear it, but he dared not speak any louder. He tensed up and hid his face in his knees when he heard movement. He could feel his pulse thumping in his neck. A soft shuffling sound came towards him.
"Lucas, where are you? I can't see you."
Lucas trembled in the darkness. He forced himself to breathe in through his nose and out through his mouth. He could hear his therapist, Eric's, voice in his head reminding him how to calm down and focus. He cupped a hand over his mouth when he felt the commander's shoe hit his foot. He reached out with his other hand and grasped the man's pants in his fist. In seconds, he saw the commander's face in front of his.
"You ok?"
Lucas nodded in the darkness. "Yah. Is Captain Bridger?" He felt Jonathan's warm hands on both his shoulders.
"He's fine. Everyone is fine for now. Damn it, Lucas! What were you thinking sneaking in here?" Lucas chewed the inside of his lip as the commander shook him firmly while scolding him.
"S-Sheppard wouldn't listen to me about the back doors. I-I told him they were there, and I could get him in but he ignored me. He thinks I'm some dumb kid…" Lucas could hear the commander sigh in the darkness. "Look, you can sneak some hostages back here, and we can get them out."
"Lucas, this isn't some game on the internex. Dosa is killing people! He's unpredictable, and Bridger is doing his damnedest to keep things together. Sneaking in here has only complicated matters! Don't you see that?"
Lucas pushed the commander away and rose to his feet. "I know it's not a game, Commander!" Lucas lowered his voice realising his words came out louder than he expected. "If you can get back here undetected, you can bring other people back with you. We can get them out!"
Jonathan shook his head. "NO! Look, Bridger wants me to get you out of here. Can you open that door without setting off an alarm?" Lucas frowned. He felt his heart rate increasing when he realised that the commander wasn't listening to him.
"Commander, remember when Schraeder commandeered SeaQuest? I was so scared that I hid with my eyes closed. I'm not hiding under the floor boards like I did then. I'm still scared but I can help! I'm taking your advice."
"My advice?"
"Yes. You said I should make the fear work for me. Remember? Well, I'm not hiding this time, Commander, and I'm using my fear to help. You said you weren't worried about me letting you down. Are you now?"
"Lucas, for crying out loud, you were being held hostage at the time! This time you put yourself in harm's way by choice. You should have stayed outside where you were safe!"
"The captain needs my help!" Lucas felt his frustration level increase as he tried to convince the commander to listen to him. He kept talking and trying to explain himself until Commander Ford surprised him by shoving him into the wall roughly.
"That's it, Lucas. Enough! Shut your mouth and listen to me, alright?"
Lucas' eyes grew wide and began to tremble as he looked at the commander. The man's voice was fierce and stern. It wasn't very often that the commander spoke like that, but Lucas knew he meant business.
"I want you to open that door again. Once it's open, the two of us are going to get out of here. Do you understand?"
Lucas swallowed hard and shoved the commander away from him as hard as he could.
"You're going to just leave Captain Bridger, and the rest of the crew behind?" Lucas stared at the commander in disbelief. "Dosa could kill them, Commander! Don't you get that? Don't you care?"
Jonathan relaxed his features. "Of course, I care, Lucas. I don't expect you to understand. I know this is difficult and you're scared. Captain Bridger gave me an order, and I have to follow that order." You might have to follow it, Commander, but I don't.
"Alright," conceded Lucas. "I'll open the door."
Lucas found his way in the darkness to the security box on the wall. He fished out his PAL and shone the light on the box so he could see to input the codes. The inner code would be the same as the outside code. From the corner of his eye, he could just barely make out the commander's form in the darkness. Several minutes went by until he found the right sequence of numbers and the door softly bleeped. Shoving the door open as quietly as possible, Lucas gestured to Jonathan to go first out the door. Both of them blinked their eyes as the brightness of the sun partially peeped into the room.
"Good job, Lucas. Now take me to Sheppard."
Lucas shook his head. "I'm sorry, Commander." With one quick, fluid movement, Lucas pulled the door shut in the commander's face, locking him outside the room. Darkness enveloped the room once more. Captain Bridger needs my help, Commander. Now you can go help Sheppard.
Lucas reached for his PAL and typed: COM. FORD. FREE. Lucas leaned against the wall, listening to his own heart beat quickly in his chest. Within a few seconds, his PAL vibrated in his hand. It read: GOOD. STAY SAFE.
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Sheppard watched as the paramedics carried out the dead woman. Dosa had ordered his men to carry the woman outside the door and drop her there like unwanted baggage. He felt his stomach churn as he clenched his fists. Damn you, Dosa. We gave you food, for crying out loud. You didn't need to take her life. It felt like time was standing still as boxes of food were being dragged into the room by the female hostages. Sheppard made eye contact with Bridger, who stood stock still with a gun trained on him.
"Get that baby!" ordered Dosa from inside the room.
Sheppard stood in the doorway, feeling helpless as he watched one of the gunman yank the infant from her father's arms.
"No, please! Leave her alone!" shouted the man, a look of desperation in his eyes. Sheppard watched as one of the SeaQuest crew quickly went to the man's side.
"Let her go, Mr. Anders. She'll be safe! The paramedics will take good care of her." The baby's father reluctantly conceded, looking defeated. Sheppard watched as the man dropped his arms to his side and walked towards a covered body. Must be the baby's mother. That poor man. The gunman carried the baby roughly towards him. Sheppard held his breath. It looked like the man would drop the infant as he haphazardly carried it across the room.
"Hurry up and get that food in here, ladies!" Dosa's voice was commanding and portentous. Sheppard saw him cast a glance at the gunman carrying the baby so recklessly under one arm. Dosa scowled and made a move towards his own man. Sheppard gasped when he saw Dosa reach for the baby just as it slipped from the other man's arms. Oh, my gawd! That was too damned close. Sheppard clenched his jaw tightly and saw Bridger wince involuntarily. Many others in the room heaved a sigh of relief when the infant was safe in Dosa's arms. Safe in a terrorist's arms. Talk about an oxymoron. What a joke!
"You're a bastard, Tarek!" said Dosa. There was a bitter tone in his voice as he walked towards Sheppard.
"Who the hell cares about that kid? Gawdamnit, Dosa. All they're doing is stalling you! Can't you see that? Be the leader Ibrahim believes you to be!" scolded the man, Tarek, in return. His voice was full of anger and disgust. Your men are losing faith in you, Dosa.
Sheppard swallowed hard as Dosa grew closer to him. Dosa stopped and stared at Sheppard. He held out the baby out to him with an unwavering glare. Sheppard reached out and took the baby in silence. The baby began to squirm and cry. Sheppard drew the infant in close to his chest and rocked it on instinct. Dosa continued to stare him down. Before Sheppard could open his mouth to utter another word, Dosa spun on his heel and opened fire on Tarek. Sheppard closed his eyes briefly to block out the scene, expecting the worst. This man is freakin' psychotic. He can kill in cold-blood without batting an eyelash. When he opened his eyes, he was surprised that the gunman was still alive, groaning and clutching his shoulder in agony.
"You son of a bitch! You shot me!" screamed the man.
"Shut the hell up, Tarek! Don't challenge me again, or I'll blow your friggen head off!"
Dosa turned to face Sheppard again. "Get me some first aid supplies and the kid's father can go free!" Sheppard hugged the baby as close to his chest as he was able without smothering it and slowly walked out the door. From the corner of his eye, he could see Bridger's face grimace as he stared at the injured gunman writhing in agony of the floor. Blood seeped from the man's injured shoulder as he screamed obscenities at Dosa. The other gunmen in the room had unmistakably pale, worried expressions on their faces which didn't fall on blind eyes. The chain of command was crumbling, and Sheppard was drinking in the scene.
Sheppard handed the baby off to the first set of hands who reached him. "Get some first aid supplies in there NOW!" he demanded. "Get that portable toilet in there!" Sheppard felt his hands shaking as he plunged them into his pockets. He didn't want to admit he was shaken but he was. He'd been a hostage negotiator for a long time, but it never got any easier, especially when he was face to face with the hostage-taker. Seeing how vulnerable the hostages were and how much power the hostage-taker exuded shook him to his very core.
Sheppard rubbed the tension from the back of his neck and walked towards the entrance again. He did a quick mental count as women began to file from the room. Police officers grabbed the women as they streamed through the doorway. The women were whimpering and crying. Fifty-eight. Sixty-two. Sheppard closed his eyes briefly as he heaved a heavy sigh of relief. If his calculations were correct, seventy-five hostages had been released. That was a HUGE relief. Come on, Bridger. Talk him down. Don't give in on me now.
"We've got your medical supplies, Dosa. Why don't you let the doctor go as well?" Sheppard could see SeaQuest's chief medical officer lying on the floor near the stage. She appeared to be unconscious or, perhaps, injured.
Dosa walked towards the father of the baby and grabbed him roughly by the arm. The man rose to his feet weakly, having been staring at his dead wife.
"Go to your child! Teach her what happened today. Tell her we did this so she could live in peace and not under the totalitarianism of the UEO!" Sheppard watched the man nod silently, cast one last forlorn look at his wife's body and walked stoically towards him. Sheppard held his breath as the man strode across the room. When the man reached the door, he stopped briefly and cast one last look in his wife's direction.
"I hope they blow your friggen head off," said the man loudly and walked out of the room. Sheppard cringed and stared at Bridger once more. Don't drink the coffee, Bridger. I pray the intel my people got on you was right on the money. Good luck, man.
Dosa sneered. "The next time I see your face, Sheppard, it better be showing me Abdul's release." He raised his weapon into the air and fired a round of shots again. "If not, I'm afraid my demonstrations will resume. I will kill every hostage in this room one by one. Bridger, shut the door!"
Sheppard stood in the doorway, memorising the faces of every man he could as the door slammed shut in his face. Tactical needs to find a way to take him out.
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Katie all but ran into the building when she heard the gun shots from outside the conference centre. Once inside, she was surprised to see so many people milling around the hallways. Is it over? Did they apprehend the terrorist? Katie felt her hopes rise within her as she pushed passed officers, and other people cluttering the hallway. She kept burrowing through the crowd of people until she ran smack into Sheppard who was standing talking to one of his personnel. Katie stepped in front of the other man, making no apologies for doing so.
"Dosa?" Her face fell and her hopes faded when Sheppard shook his head.
"He released some hostages but he still is in control of the room."
Katie sucked in her lip and felt her stomach quiver. "None of the crew?" Sheppard shook his head, a stark expression on his face.
"Katie!" a voice called out from behind her. Katie swung on her heel and turned to see Jonathan rush up to her. Without thinking and with relief, Katie embraced him. Immediately her face reddened and she pulled away apologetically. She noticed that Sheppard was equally shocked by Jonathan's appearance.
"What the hell? Where did you come from, Commander?" said Sheppard, not hiding the shock on his face.
"Jonathan, how did you get out?" echoed Katie.
"Lucas." Jonathan took a deep breath. "He broke the code and sneaked into the room through the back door." Oh, my gawd, no! Lucas, I told you not to do anything stupid.
Sheppard cursed loudly. "HE WHAT? Where is that damned kid?"
"He slammed the door in my face once I stepped outside." Jonathan looked at the floor perplexed. "He's still in the room." Katie felt the colour drain from her face. Lucas is inside with the terrorists. Oh Lucas, why did you do such a foolish thing?
"That must have been the cryptic message Bridger was giving me. He mumbled something about a stage and Lucas being inside. I didn't know what he was getting at," said Sheppard, slamming an angry fist against the wall. "Damn that kid!"
"Katherine!" Katie turned to see her father approaching them, with Mitch Brady close behind. Katie felt her anger flash when she saw Mitch. He'd promised her that he'd watch out for the kid. She bit her lip from saying anything. I trusted you!
p"Meeting in the command room in ten minutes, people. I need some air!" With those loud, commanding final words, Sheppard stalked away. Bitter frustration lingered in the air. Katie could tell Sheppard was ticked and probably needed some space before he lost his cool. Lucas being in that room was more than just a simple complication. It could mean the difference between life and death for every hostage in that room. As much as Lucas wanted to help, he might have sentenced everyone to death.
Trying to bite her tongue, Katie took a deep breath and exhaled sharply glaring at Mitch. She stood glowering at him as she listened to Jonathan and her father talk about how things were progressing in the room. Finally she could bear it no longer.
"You said you were going to keep an eye on him! I trusted you, Brady! How could you let him just take off on his own?"
Mitch's eye's widened in shock at her accusation. "I-I'm sorry, Commander."
"You're sorry? He's gonna get everyone killed in there! This is all your fault!"
Katie heard her father gasp. "Katherine, this isn't Mitch's fault! Lucas took off. He's not exactly a small child. He has a mind and will of his own."
"Dad, you don't know what Lucas has been through. He's not himself!"
"Exactly! And Mitch is not his keeper, and you can't expect him to know how to deal with a teenage boy with PTSD. The man has known the boy for exactly two minutes, for Pete's sake."
Katie blinked back tears. "He's just a kid, Dad. And he's scared!" Katie watched as her father turned to her with a stern look on his face. It reminded her of the days when she was a teenager herself and she'd disobeyed him. He wasn't a man to be trifled with. "He promised to keep an eye on him!" Katie felt the need to explain herself further but then then closed her mouth.
Mitch put up his hands in surrender. "You're right, I did. I'm sorry. He took me off guard, Commander. I didn't expect him to take off like that."
Colonel Hitchcock clapped a hand on Mitch's shoulder. "This isn't anyone's fault." Katie saw her father cast her a piercing look. I get it, daddy. I'll apologise.
"I'm sorry, Mitch. My father is right. This isn't your fault." Mitch looked at her with sincere concern. As much as Katie had blamed him, it was obvious he was blaming himself as well. Katie felt guilt pierce her. It really wasn't his fault. Her father was right. If it was anyone's fault, it was hers. She shouldn't have left him alone knowing how frightened he was.
"I have to agree that Lucas isn't himself," said Jonathan. "He's showing classic signs of post-traumatic stress disorder. His logical reasoning is impaired."
Katie heaved a weary sigh, anguish written all over her face. If anything happens to Lucas, it's going to be my fault for leaving him behind.
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A half hour later, Sheppard stood in the command room giving a run down on all they knew. Jonathan had given them a detailed grasp of how things were progressing in the Summit room. While Jonathan finished up, Sheppard had made a mental note of all the people in attendance. Colonel Hitchcock, Commanders' Ford and Hitchcock, Mitch Brady— Sheppard still didn't understand why the man was involved at all except as Lucas' babysitter—and several of his key personnel who were providing him with intel on the hostage-taker, the gunmen and Bridger.
Sheppard glanced at his watch. "Things are going to start to get very uncomfortable for Dosa in there. The hostages are going to start to get sick very quickly."
Jonathan's eyes widened. "You poisoned the food?"
Sheppard nodded. "The coffee and donuts have all been drugged."
"How can you expect Bridger to continue wise negotiations if he's sick?" asked Jonathan, a worried expression flooding his face.
"If my intel is correct, Bridger won't touch any of it."
The Colonel frowned. "How so?"
"The coffee is instant decaffeinated and the donuts are chocolate," surmised Katie. Sheppard looked up to see Katie giving Jonathan a pointed look.
"Was my intel correct?"
Katie nodded. "The captain can't stand instant decaffeinated coffee."
"And he hates chocolate," finished Jonathan, a hopeful look on his face.
"And you think considering he's hungry and tired that he won't drink and eat the stuff anyways?" asked Mitch quietly from the corner of the room.
Jonathan stood up and paced the room. "Bridger has been on tours of duty for months without touching coffee just because it was decaffeinated. He won't touch it if he has a choice of other things to drink."
Sheppard chewed on his pen. "We sent in fruit juice and fresh fruit. If he doesn't like those items, he has other choices." He paused and looked intently at both commanders. If anyone knew Bridger, these two did. "Bets on him being drugged?"
Katie ran a hand through her hair. "He won't be." Sheppard saw her glance at Jonathan who nodded his head in agreement.
"Okay, good! Then my money is still on Bridger to keep negotiations firmly progressing," said Sheppard. I won't mention that I'm concerned about his decisions once that kid is discovered. Will Bridger be able to keep his head in the game then? My gut says no.
Sheppard picked up a pointer stick from the table and pointed at the blueprints on the wall. He looked at the colonel who eyed him carefully. The next bit of news he had to share wasn't going to go over well with the commanders but it had to be said. Tactical had finished waiting. Things were going to progress quickly from here on in. And that stupid teenager just made things ten times more dangerous for everyone. We got the baby out. We got the women out. We were leveling the playing field and now that idiotic, foolish kid gave Dosa more ammunition. And compromised Bridger at the same time!