Disclaimer: We don't own CSI:NY, if we did 5x25 wouldn't have happened. It did, however, so we are playing with the cards we have been dealt.

Didi - sorry we can't reply in person, but thank you for your review - I may be pointing out the obvious here, but if you kill us you won't get an update!

Lost in New York - our endings should be illegal? - We loved that thought - it would be worth it to be arrested by our gallant heroes (particularly Don and Mac)!

afrozenheart412 - Thank you for naming our bad guys -The Evil Quartet.

Chapter 10 - Looking for Answers

Day: 12

Opening Scene: West side rail yard

Time of Day: Mid Morning

Month: Mid September

Forthcoming Events: UN General Assembly Opens
Heads of Government General Debate (less than 1 week's time)

Struggling to keep from falling as his feet slipped and slid on the rain-slicked ground, Flack charged over to the car left askew a few yards from the river. Mac's car; with no sign of either Mac or Stella or anyone else. It was immediately apparent that they had indeed been called to a hoax scene. There were no patrol cars, no uniformed officers, no police tape. No body, or bodies... That at least was something to be thankful for, he thought as he stopped at the truck and looked wildly around, trying to catch his breath.

His hair was plastered down over his scalp from the rain now blowing in sheets and swathing round him. It blurred his vision as the raindrops pelted into his eyes, but he could see enough to fill him with dread. The car was clearly abandoned; the engine left running, both front doors wide open, as well as the trunk; a silver kit dropped on its side a few feet away.

Feeling as if he was moving in a slowed-down unreality, Flack took a step closer. There was something on the ground, and as he toed it with his shoe carefully, moving it out a sludge of muddy water, he saw it was a phone. He crouched down, and pulling a handkerchief out of his pocket, picked it up carefully. It was in two halves, the screen split and the casing cracked, but he still recognised it as Stella's, and his heart plummeted.

Wrapping it in his now muddy handkerchief and placing it in his pocket, he walked to the front of the vehicle, worst case scenarios tumbling through his mind - his friends attacked, injured... or worse. The keys were still in the ignition, and using the sleeve of his jacket, he turned them and the engine rattled into stillness. There was anything but silence though; the wind sighed and moaned, and the metallic beat of raindrops battering the car created a cacophony of nightmare. The foreboding inside him increased. There was no sign of anyone or anything but himself, the abandoned car and the downpour.

Flack swept rain off his face and walked away from the car.

"Mac? Stell?" He waited.

There was no answer.

"Stella! Mac!" He hollered, and found himself striding over the ground frantically, stopping every few steps to spin round and shout again.

"Mac! Answer me! Come on guys! Stella! Mac!"

But there was no answering call, and he knew he had not expected one. The stretch of ground was blank, and had no places to conceal anyone. There was no sound from any other living person but himself.

Holding his hands to his head, Flack groaned in fear and hurried back to his own car. There he put a call out to dispatch, informing them that Detectives Taylor and Bonasera were MIA, then he picked up his phone and called Hawkes.

A few minutes later, and he was back outside, uncaring of the rain, knowing he could not possibly get any wetter. The water had saturated him to his skin, but he could not care less. His friends were missing.

Flack breathed heavily as he made a more calculated search of the area whilst he waited for Hawkes and the back up he had ordered. The evidence was scant, and what little there was, was now severely compromised or destroyed by the rain; there was the truck, the kit, Stella's phone, and nothing else he could see. Any tire tracks or footprints were long washed away by the force of the rain. But there was a lot of ground to cover. And there was the river; a brooding expanse of navy water, the surface pocked by the rain as it heaved against the edge. His eyes were drawn to it and his footsteps slowed as the feeling of lead in his stomach increased. Suddenly his legs seemed to weaken and shake as he was drawn closer and closer to the edge as a possibility dawned in his mind. He looked down into the depths and struggled to breathe.

No... They couldn't be... No...

Stumbling backwards, he tried to draw his eyes and his mind away from the horror of the deep, dark water. Something caught under his heel then. Wiping water off his face and shaking his head furiously to clear some of the rain from it, he dropped down to see what it was. Another phone. Intact, but with a blank screen. Flack stared at it, and his hand hovered above it, before his fist clenched and he rose to his feet, bile rising in his throat at the implication.

Mac's phone. At the edge of the river. He and Stella missing...

Flack released a torrent of curses, his hands clutched to his head and strode away and then back again in a desperate fear.

This could not be happening. It could not. This could not be real.

Not knowing what else to do, Flack bent down again to the phone, and then his eyes turned again to the river. Rain fell down his face and he could not move to wipe it away. He let it fall, let it drown him...

-----

Lindsay hurried into the lab and rounded up Sid, Adam and some of the lab techs. After everyone had gathered in the conference room, she called the noisy rabble to order and let out a deep breath before speaking. She placed her hands on her hips to hide the fact that they were shaking so much; aware that this was the first time she had taken charge. Normally Danny would be the next in line, but with him still recovering from the crash, and it being considered best that Hawkes was with Flack at the scene in case a doctor was needed, it fell to her. So not only was she addressing the whole of the lab personnel for the first time, but she had to deliver the bad news she had only just received herself, that the boss and his second in command were currently missing. After that she somehow had to motivate them and get them working again, and she hoped desperately that the circumstances would help her with that.

As she looked at the confused faces surrounding her, she knew they were wondering why she seemed to be taking centre stage. She was relieved that among them were the friendly faces of Sid and Adam. With a brief nervous glance at the ME, who smiled encouragingly at her, she drew another breath.

"I have some concerning news..." she began and everyone exchanged apprehensive glances. "At the moment it appears that Detectives Taylor and Bonasera are missing. ... They were called to the West Side Rail Yard earlier this morning, .... a call which we now believe to be a hoax. Adam has tracked the GPS for Mac's SUV and Detective Flack has found it abandoned in the same area as their call out."

A series of concerned murmurs echoed around the conference room. Lindsay could feel her stomach doing flip-flops as she fought to retain her own composure to deliver the message and get everyone working again. "Dr Hawkes is on his way to join the search which is being set up as we speak. Detective Flack is also still on scene."

"What's happened to them?" asked Adam, glancing nervously around the assembled crowd. A few echoes of his words followed from other people.

Lindsay shook her head, wishing she had the answer to that, or that someone would give it to her. "We don't know Adam. There were signs of a struggle, Flack has also called out divers to search the river in the area..." Horrified gasps followed the last statement, and Lindsay hurried on with her speech before her composure crumbled "I know you are all very concerned, but we need to keep things running here. Adam, for now, take whatever you think will be useful and join Hawkes. Sid, we need the autopsy report and any trace evidence we can get from the body this morning. It's another one with similarities to Stratton. For everyone else we need to focus on the case, and I know that's hard, but we cannot do anything for Mac and Stella at the moment here, and this is where Mac would want us to be, we have to figure out the link to the UN."

"Lindsay, are we bringing in anyone else?" Another question came from Adam.

"I've already passed over any new cases to Quinn Shelby in Jersey, she's also on hand to lend any support and advice we need. The top priority for this lab is the three cases connected to the UN and anything which comes in from Adam and Hawkes at the Rail Yard," Lindsay stopped speaking and stood with her hands on her hips as everyone stared at her without moving. She glared at them, and suddenly her fear boiled over into frustration. "What are you all standing around for, you know what you have to do, GET ON WITH IT!" she shouted. Quickly everyone filed out to go about their appointed tasks. Some threw her surprised looks as they departed; probably because they couldn't ever remember her shouting at anyone, except Danny. If she was honest, Lindsay had to admit that the shout had even surprised herself. It was a rare occurrence for her to raise her voice. That fact alone made her realise just how bad the situation was, and how much it was affecting the whole team already.

As soon as everyone had hurried away, Lindsay's commanding attitude deserted her and she flopped into a chair, exhausted. Adam, after giving her a look of sympathy and respect, rushed away with the others, to collect his gear. Sid was set to follow and then paused in the doorway.

"We'll get through this Lindsay. We all will, including Mac and Stella. Whatever's happened, they're resourceful and know how to get themselves out of a difficult situation," he peered over the top of his glasses at her, and then asked. "Has anyone told Danny yet?"

She looked up at the friendly ME, grateful for the calm reassurance he offered. As she looked at him she could tell that it was affecting him too, he looked tired and drawn and his skin was still pale from his recent illness. She felt awful for what this was doing to their team, the way they were suffering again because of the crime wave which the city was facing. Ever since May it had been one thing on top of another; losing Jessica Angell had been bad enough, but to almost lose Hawkes the same day and for Flack to still be suffering so badly.... And just as they were beginning to pick themselves back up again, the events of the last few days were threatening to topple them all; Danny's accident, and now Mac and Stella's disappearance. She really wished there was something that she could do to make it all right, to see her friends really smile again. To have them all safe around her. Blinking she realised Sid was still there, patiently waiting for an answer.

"No," she sighed. "I haven't told him, and I'm not looking forward to it. He's supposed to be resting, but- I guess it's probably better he hears it from me." She sighed again heavily, knowing just how he would take the news ... and how much attention he would pay to doctor's orders once he knew. Knowing Danny as well as she did, she was well aware that news like this would bring him straight to the lab to help, doctor's orders or not.

Sid gave her an understanding smile. "Danny's tough, he deserves to know, and you need his support too, even if it is from the end of the phone."

She nodded at Sid's words. He was right in a fatherly sort of way, and she was grateful that he was there to help them all through whatever was going on. He had a quirky, and sometimes misunderstood sense of humour, but could also give wise and measured counsel and that was exactly what they needed right now.

-----

Danny, lying back on the couch, propped up by cushions, grinned at his daughter. Lucy was in an equally supine position, amusing herself by tugging at the toys hanging from her baby gym.

"You having fun there, baby girl?" her proud father called to her, and she chuckled in response.

It brought a sigh from Danny though as he shifted uncomfortably, and resented his reduced mobility. The worst of it was not that he was taken away from his job, but that he was unable to indulge himself playing with Lucy. He could almost imagine that the look she was giving him now out of her blue eyes was a questioning one, wondering why her Daddy was not joining her on the floor to tickle her tummy or throw her up in the air and swoop her round the living room - only when Mommy was out of course.

That thought brought a small grin back to Danny's face, swiftly followed by a groan as he shifted again.

He hated the fact that Lindsay was having to take on more shifts, due to his absence. As much as he knew she loved her job the same way he did, he did not want to be the dependent one in the relationship, as he felt now. And even though he knew Lindsay would give him a kick in the pants for even thinking it, he felt it his role to provide for his wife and daughter. Instead, here he was lying on the couch, relying on Lindsay to look after most of Lucy's needs, and some of his needs, for at least the next few days. If he could have managed it, Danny would have taken his aggression out on his punch bag. However, he had to content himself with hammering his fists into one of the cushions that surrounded him.

Then he realised that Lucy was watching him with a look of what could be nothing but amusement. She chortled loudly, and smacked one of her toys. So hard, it spun round the top of the baby gym. Danny raised his eyebrows.

"Nice wrist action, Luce! You wait till Daddy's healed, and you're older, and we'll be out there pitching, you and me. We'll be the best team in the park..."

His phone interrupted him. Grimacing, he eased it out of his pocket and answered it, hearing Lindsay's voice on the other end. The tone of her voice immediately made him sit up, regardless of the discomfort.

"Linds... What's up? What's happened?"

He listened in growing horror as she told him, her voice breaking a few times as she relayed the latest disaster to befall the team.

"I'm coming in..." he started, and held up his hand, even though he knew she could not see him. "No, hear me out... Linds, you're short of people as it is, you're gonna need everyone you can get... I'm okay... Okay, maybe not great, but... Whatever, I'm not gonna argue with you... I'm coming in... Lucy's good, she's fine... Ma can look after her, I'll call her right now, she'll be here in ten... No, don't say anymore, I'll see you soon as."

He ended the call, cutting Lindsay off mid-flow, and feeling mean for doing so. Then he lay back for a moment and let a whoosh of breath out of his mouth. What his wife had just told him had stunned him - Mac and Stella missing? What was happening to them all? There had to be someone behind all of this... And he was not going to be absent from discovering who it was.

Danny shook his head and muttered to himself. "This is not good..."

He stared at his phone, before dialling his mother's number. As he waited for her to pick up, he looked at Lucy again, who was completely oblivious to the drama that her parents were experiencing. She was carefree and happy. As she should be. And he knew that he would do everything to keep things that way.

------

"Don!"

Hawkes hurried across the waste ground, thankful that the heaviest rain seemed to have abated, but he still had to dodge the large puddles which dotted the area as he made his way towards the lonely figure crouching at the edge of the water. He could feel the water lapping the bottom of his pants as he failed to avoid one particularly deep gully, but he pressed on. He had noted the uniformed officers securing the scene and a van had pulled up alongside his own SUV bearing more bodies to aid the search. They knew what they had to do, that wasn't his concern, what worried him the most was the drenched figure currently ignoring the activity beginning around them. It didn't take much observation to note that Flack was soaking wet and completely despondent. The hunched shoulders and steely gaze gave it away.

Hawkes rested a hand on the detective's shoulder, feeling an involuntary shiver as he slowly turned his head and rose to his feet, turning to meet the worried face of the former ME. The doctor's trained eye picked up the haze of shock and despair on his friend's face. Acutely aware of Flack's earlier demeanour Hawkes knew it was vital that the detective was quickly engaged in some positive action before he gave in to the overwhelming depression which seemed to be engulfing him.

"Don... what's happened? Where are they?"

He shook his head and managed to choke out two words.

"They're gone..."

"Listen, back up's here, and they're going to need some direction, what can you tell us?" Hawkes waited for a moment, hoping he was allowing the detective time to gather his thoughts, but the almost vacant look in his eyes told him that a little directional questioning might be more appropriate. "Don, you were first here, we need to know what you know, what you saw." Don looked around slowly and then half nodded but didn't speak. "Was there anything besides the car here?"

Don looked around again and with his gaze fixed on Mac's SUV he rubbed his hand across his face attempting to remove the rain from his eyes. "No ... nothing, ... The engine was running, otherwise it's just as you see it. Wait... Stella's phone ... I got Stella's phone." He fumbled in his pocket and withdrew the muddy handkerchief and gave it to Hawkes, who looked at it then unwrapped it carefully and sighed when he saw the state of it. Wrapping it up again he pulled an evidence bag from his pocket and dropped the bundle into it.

"Any signs of a struggle?"

"Nah, too wet, you should have seen it..." he stopped as he glanced at his watch. "Half hour ago, it was worse than this," he shook his head, still dazed. "How could they just disappear?"

"We'll find them, there's probably a rational explanation for this."

Hawkes felt the detective's eyes drill into him. "Yeah, and right now not a good one."

"At least they're together and they're resourceful. Did you find their weapons or IDs?"

"Nope, just Mac's phone over there by the water. Seems intact, left it for you guys to pick up."

"Why did you pick up Stella's?" Hawkes asked, a quizzical look on his face, it didn't make sense to have picked up one but not the other, and there again, both should have been left for CSI to collect.

"Almost trod on it in the mud over there," Flack waved his hand towards the vehicle, "Figured it would be safer in my pocket."

Hawkes nodded; it was a logical explanation in light of the large pool of water the car appeared to be sitting in. It was clear the rain had quickly turned the area around them into something akin to a quagmire. It would have been almost comical watching the officers slide around if it weren't for the fact they currently had two missing detectives. He looked at Flack.

"Probably wise. I think the best thing is to get Mac's car shipped back to the lab for processing and getting photos of what we can, I just hope we can find something we can use."

"Good luck with that, 'cause right now Doc, it looks pretty hopeless."

Hawkes noticed the glazed look in the detective's eyes as he rested his hands on his hips and glanced around the waste ground. He paused for a moment as he mentally processed the conclusions they were coming to; that the lab boss and his second in command had been lured to the wasteland where they had been attacked and apparently abducted. Hawkes prayed that the search of the river would prove fruitless, at least then there was some hope that they were still alive. The team would not recover if they lost Mac and Stella, that was a certainty. He swallowed hard before he turned to Flack and rested a hand on his shoulder, acutely aware of his soaked clothes.

"There isn't anything you can do here now, why don't you go get dried off and meet us back at the lab? Maybe we'll have something by then which could use your expertise."

"I gotta be here."

"Don, you've done your bit, go get some dry clothes before you catch cold and I'll keep you in the loop on anything we find. I promise."

Hawkes waited while the detective scanned the scene again. The area was a haze of flashing lights through the mist as the area filled up with personnel, all involved in starting the search. Hawkes saw Don's brow furrow as the first divers took to the water, the splashes they made on entry hidden as the rain began to fall heavier once again.

"There's got to be something I can do ... anything, I can't just .. leave."

Hawkes could almost feel Flack's pain; on top of everything else to have two of his closest friends vanish must be affecting him badly, but as much as they could use the extra pair of hands, he wasn't trained the same way as the CSIs. There would be more appropriate jobs for the detective.

"Don, I know it's hard, but Lindsay's back at the lab facing them on her own, Danny's at home, but he'll know very soon what's happening, so they could both use a friendly ear. As much as I hate to say it, with all this rain, this place isn't going to have a lot to tell us. Adam's on his way to help, so maybe you should get your head wrapped around it and follow up on the DB from this morning, and if we get anything, you're the first call. We go anywhere, we'll need you then."

"I'm sorry Doc, I just..." Flack gave him a helpless look.

Hawkes squeezed his shoulder. "We've all got a role to play, it's just not your turn yet. I got things here, go dry out. Go on."

"Thanks," Don mumbled before striding away, oblivious to the number of potholes he waded through on his way to his car. Hawkes watched him go, letting out a large sigh as he scanned the area looking for what could be the smallest thing which would lead to the answers they so desperately needed to find their missing colleagues.

He prowled along the edge of the river, scouring every inch of ground for anything. After a few minutes searching, he saw a tip of something black sticking up from a puddle, so he bent down, and with gloved hands took hold. A badge emerged out of the brown water. Mac's. Hawkes recognised the number straight away; he had the numbers of all the team's badges memorised, which Danny had teased him about it on a number of occasions. Here though, it had proved its use.

Feeling his hand shake ever so slightly, Hawkes dropped it into an evidence bag, and swished through the puddle carefully, until his fingers bumped into something smooth. Another badge. Stella's this time. Another evidence bag came out of his pocket, and he dropped it in mechanically. Not daring to let any emotions into his mind now. As he straightened up, he looked out at the river and saw a disturbance on the surface of the water. He held his breath as a diver surfaced, and pulled the mask off her face. The woman spotted him, waved a frantic hand and yelled out.

"I found something!"

Lily has absolutely no clue at all how this cliff-hanger happened... cough. She is also currently avoiding eye contact with afrozenheart412.

Please review and tell us what you think! As ever, it helps the writing process. Thanks, Forest and Lily x

Also remember we've posted under our own names: Beacons of Home (Forest Angel) and Once upon a time in the Old West (Lily Moonlight)