Under Pressure
Chapter 12
Disclaimer: I own nothing of Ashes to Ashes or even Life on Mars, it all belongs to the BBC and Kudos.
Thanks to my lovely beta KimmiCakes! aka Kim
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Thank you to those who have left comments so far! You have been so very encouraging and lovely!
It had started to rain just as the street lights came on and the team were all huddled in a disused building off to one side, tucked safely out of sight for the moment. The uniformed police were waiting further back to be called in, but they had to wait until everyone was fairly certain that Isabelle was going to be at the location.
After the arrival of Martin, Mike and a blonde haired mystery woman (which had sounded more like a song than a list of potential criminals when Chris had repeated it twice over) there had been a dark blue Mercedes arrive as well, the four occupants hadn't been identified as all of them were wearing their hoods up; but it had been suggested that two of them looked like they had been pushed or forced to head into the building.
The plan was pretty straight forward, the CID team were to divide up into three groups of four, two teams were to enter the building and one team was to remain outside. Gene had made it clear he wanted Ray and Chris on his team and when Alex had gone to suggest she should head up another team he had objected loudly. So against her wishes Alex was going to have to go with the three Amigos… though thinking on it she did feel safer at the thought of sticking with Gene in this case.
Shaz had been instructed to remain with the uniformed officers and act as the liaison officer, as suggested by Alex. Her job would be to ensure that everyone knew what was going and who was going where, admittedly the task had been given to her to ensure she was kept out of harms way; Shaz knew that but hadn't objected.
Genes' team were going to be leading the raid on the location, no one was still a hundred percent sure that Isabelle was even in the building but at least now there was a better chance of finding out what was going on and possibly getting a stronger lead to finding her. Gene led them along the side of the building to the old entrance; the door creaked as it was pulled open but thankfully there was no one in the immediate area.
"If you see anythin' bloody well tell me first!" Gene ground out in hushed tones, his gaze directed at Alex.
They didn't respond verbally for fear of revealing their location to their ambush targets. Eventually they made their way up to the third floor, suddenly gun shots rang out and they all ducked into safe spots checking around them to see where the shots came from. The room was silent and time seemed to pass incredibly slowly; no-one spoke and there were no further shots fired. Alex was surprised that Gene hadn't gone running in guns blazing but clearly he had realised that it wasn't the best option.
"Gene!" Alex whispered loudly; she couldn't see him from her position tucked between the wall and a pipe. She waited a beat before calling his name again, slightly louder this time. "Gene!"
"What!" She nearly jumped as he peered out from the shadows, in front but slightly to the left of her hiding place.
"I think the shots were up a level…"
"Well done Sherlock anythin' else you'd like to point out?!"
If Alex had been able to see Gene's face clearly then she would have given him one of her 'thank you very much' looks.
"I think we should go back for more armed officers and re-group; we just don't know how dangerous they could be!"
"Again with the smart inputs… what about the other team then? We have radio silence in place for a reason Drake!"
Alex glared in the general direction of where Gene had been; he had gone back into the shadows. Gene however had a point, they couldn't well leave the other team alone in the building and now that shots had been fired the matter had become more serious.
"Maybe I should go back with Ray or Chris and alert them?"
"No!" Genes' voiced wasn't hushed and Alex wanted to whack him one with her gun, his tone thankfully was more hushed the next time he spoke. "We are not splitting up!"
"Well then what do we do!?"
Suddenly a voice shouted out from the level above them; there was a muffled exchange and then shots range out. There was more yelling and one clear voice could be heard shouting over the others.
"I knew he'd rat on us! Now the bastard pigs are here!" Something else was yelled and then the person responded again. "Take those two to the roof… we'll deal with him now!"
More gun shots were fired and then Gene's radio crackled into life.
"GUV!" The radio crackled with interference, "it's Burges… we're on floor four… shots have been fired; Ullah is injured and we need backup! Guv, are you there?!"
Alex was about to radio the uniformed team and get them in as soon as possible but before she could Gene had stepped out of his hiding place and was speaking into his radio.
"On our way… 'ang in there."
Stumbling out of her hiding place Alex joined Gene, both of them were well aware of the fact that the situation had now gotten out of hand; one officer was already injured.
"Do what you gotta Drake… I'm not goin' to sit around 'n let those bastards kill half my team!" Gene nodded at her briefly; Alex only understood his intentions after he started to jog along the corridor to the double doors leading to the stairs.
"Gene!!" She hissed out between clenched teeth but he had already gone; disappearing through the doors to the stair case. Ray didn't think twice before he went to follow him; he wasn't about to let Gene go up there alone and Chris was quickly on his heels.
"Ray! Chris!"
"All officers this is DI Drake… shots have been fired. Ullah is injured on the fourth floor. Go ahead but be aware that these are armed and dangerous people!" Alex rested her lips against the radio and stared at the doors ahead. She knew what she had to do.
Alex followed banging through the double doors and taking the steps two at a time, there were a couple of gun shots and it fell silent again. Alex paused at the door leading to the fourth floor; the glass had been shattered by bullets so she cautiously pushed it open with one hand.
Thankfully a few crates and machinery had given the team some cover; Alex ducked down and glanced through a gap. It was silent in the room and there was no-one to be seen. She slowly stood her gun raised ready to fire if the need was called upon; inching her way around the boxes Alex noticed DC Ullah leant up against a wall, a pool of blood was forming beneath his left leg. His hands were pressed against the wound but he seemed unhurt apart from that. Kneeling down at his feet Alex reached forward and placed two fingers on his wrist; she could feel his heart beat slow but strong beneath her fingers.
"Ullah…. Ullah it's Drake can you hear me?" Alex whispered his name hoping for some response. The young man stirred and opened his eyes gazing at her groggily. "Where are the others Ullah?"
His lips moved but Alex couldn't make out what he was saying. Alex could hear the sound of booted feet pounding on the ground as the uniformed officers entered the building below them.
"Ullah come on talk to me." Alex didn't really want to leave him alone and injured but she was desperate to find out where the hell Gene, Ray and Chris had gone. Pulling her radio out of her jacket pocket Alex pressed the button about to radio Gene when Ullah croaked something out.
"Ma'am wa…"
She felt the person behind her before she actually heard them, she tried to turn to face whoever it was but at that moment the world suddenly froze for a moment and slowly begun to tilt as if Alex was on a helter skelter; a sharp pain throbbed at the back of her head and then Alex saw nothing else as the darkness consumed her.
Her whole body ached; from her ankles still clad in her soaking wet boots, to the joints in her fingers which were constricted by the ropes that bound her arms above her head… hell if it was even possible it hurt to keep her eyes closed.
It hurt even more, she quickly learned, to open them and take in her surroundings.
Alex was propped up against a wall; she could feel the cold damp concrete against her back, someone had removed her jacket, as it slowly chilled her body. She wished they had left her jacket on, but she knew there was a good reason why they hadn't; the radio, her spare bullets and her gun were all gone.
Lying at her feet was an unconscious Caera; someone had in a moment of consideration for the pregnant woman draped a coat over her body in some attempt to keep her warm… or so Alex hoped. Now at least she knew who one of the mystery people were, she had probably been brought along for collateral to ensure that Martin did his job. That left the question of where Caera's children were and why hadn't the person she left to watch them done their job…
That would be something Alex could address later, but at the moment she wanted to get a better sense of her current location. Her head throbbed in a way that made it hurt to look at the light. Blinking slowly to try and focus her eyes again Alex was able to make out the room, if you could really call. It that was poorly lit with one flickering exposed bulb that hung down in the centre of the room; apart from some broken pipes the room was bare.
Alex could just about make out the form of Chris and Burges on the far side of the room, they too were unconscious and were tied with their backs to one another; that meant two people from her team were missing… Ray and Gene. Tugging at the ropes around her arms Alex attempted to see if there was any chance that they would come loose; but after a few moments of struggling she came to the conclusion that it was unlikely the ropes would come easily undone any time soon.
Pushing her body into a more comfortable position, Alex flexed her fingers as the numbness and pins and needles began to tingle at their tips. Carefully she leant her head back, avoiding putting too much pressure on the gash where she had been hit earlier; she could feel her hair was matted with blood. There was no way of telling how long they had been there without looking at her watch, and that wasn't going to be an easy feat; instead Alex decided it would be best to try and calmly work out what the hell they were going to do to get out of here.
She couldn't hear gun shots anymore, so that meant either one of two things… everyone was dead… or they knew that there were now hostages and were currently making plans; Alex prayed that it was the latter. Alex couldn't tell how much time passed before Caera begun to stir, eventually the woman sat up with some difficulty.
"Caera are you alright?"
"I'll be fine," Her hands ran across her bump, she tensed for a moment but then visibly relaxed. "Baby is still kicking away alright."
Alex was thankful to be able to move her legs without worrying she was going to kick Caera, wiggling around Alex tucked her feet under her body and shivered. The damp was starting to get to her and Alex knew that meant Caera must be feeling it as well.
"Can you get up alright?"
"Yeah… I think so." It took Caera a few moments to get her balance, the cold and hard concrete floor had made her body sore and stiff. Once upright Caera slipped her arms through the sleeves of the coat, which Alex only then recognised as being Genes'. She made no comment as Caera attempted to untie the knots in the rope that bound Alex to the pipes.
"Caera you need to keep calm but... can you remember... were your children taken as well?"
"No! No they are fine still at home with that lovely officer you sent," Caera pressed her hands to her cheeks as she the potential horror of the situation dawned on her. "I just popped out to see a friend and then the shops… it was nice having some time to myself. I didn't think… I should have stayed with them. They'll be wondering where I am... Orlaith will be wanting her dinner and Colly will be needing a bath… My poor boy will think I have abandoned him!" Alex could see that Caera was becoming distressed, and that was certainly not what the heavily pregnant needed especially when they were already in a stressful situation.
"They're in safe hands Caera. The officer will undoubtedly report you missing and the team will hopefully work out that you might be here. I promise you that they will take care of your children for you."
Caera didn't make any comment and only sighed softly as she resumed her fight with the knots.
"Whoever tied these must have been a boy scout," Alex smiled up at Caera who was obviously trying to help lighten the mood and change the subject. "Thankfully for us, growing up with three brothers meant I learnt a few things myself."
Alex felt the ropes loosen around her wrists, she tugged gently and the knot tying her arms up above her head to the pipes came loose. Caera went over to Chris and Burges and begun to loosen the ropes binding them together whilst Alex fought with the last of the ropes around her wrists. Apparently their captors didn't intend to keep them tied up for long if they had just abandoned Caera without tying her up.
Alex came over to join Caera and carefully checked Chris over making sure he hadn't been shot or hurt at all; thankfully he was fine as was Burges.
The door swung open unexpectedly and Alex turned to face whoever was about to come in. A young woman with bleach blonde hair and oversized sunglasses stood in the doorway; for a moment Alex had hoped it was going to be back up but it was unlikely.
"What a surprise." The woman's heels clicked loudly on the concrete floor as she approached the group. Behind her stood Mike and some unknown bloke who were propping up a bruised and battered Ray between them.
"Ray!" Alex was stopped by the cold barrel of a gun being pointed directly at her.
"I'd keep still if I were you sweetheart; I'd hate for this to go off accidentally now." Alex recognised the voice but couldn't quite place it. That was until the blonde woman removed her sunglasses and it dawned on Alex… it was Lola. "Do you like the new hairdo Detective Inspector?"
Alex bit her lip, barely resisiting the urge to make some sarcastic comment and instead cast her gaze on Ray who had groaned in pain at that point.
"Where is DCI Hunt?" Alex directed her question to Lola but continued to watch Ray, who was beginning to stir. It was clear that Lola was the brains in this group; Alex was infuriated with herself for not seeing sooner how much of a manipulative cow this woman had been earlier, but even she had been fooled by the tears for Anna.
"Aww are you worried about your boss?" Mike commented, his tone sarcastic before he shrugged Ray off onto the floor and dealt him a swift kick in the stomach.
Alex winced in sympathy for Ray who was curled on his side, one arm clutched to his chest. Gods she hoped it wasn't broken as she didn't exactly have anything to help fix it with.
"Your Governor is busy… right, now then darling you are coming with us." Alex expected to be grabbed but it was Caera who was dragged away from Chris and Burges by Lola.
"She's pregnant! Look take me!"
"You don't even know what we have intended for this wife of a rat." Caera didn't struggle as she was shoved towards Mike. She recoiled from his touch and wrapped her arms across her stomach protectively.
"You know you could let her go, it would be in your favour as well. Letting a pregnant defenceless woman free could mean that they don't come in guns blazing after you. You know that they are after a fatality outcome currently especially as you are holding a MPs daughter hostage." Alex turned her attention to trying to reason with Mike, if Lola was the brains then he would be the brawn and although Lola would be the potential mastermind he was probably the one in control of the rest of the men.
Mike simply laughed and strode towards Alex; he stood as close as physically possible without touching her at all. Leaning in he breathed in her scent and whispered into her ear.
"If I take you what do you get out of it, sweetheart?"
Alex kept her breathing deep and measured making sure that she didn't convey her true feelings of repulsion at that moment.
"As much as I hate to break up this little party the task at hand seems to have been forgotten." Mike pulled back hand, his finger tips brushing against Alex's arm before he turned to face the owner of the voice.
Stood in the doorway was Tony Hayler, a gun in one hand and a piece of rope in the other.
"We've got cops crawling all over the place and she," Tony pointed at Alex. "Is our only chance of a ticket out of here… the rest of them we can leave to be picked up later by their colleagues."
Grabbing Alex roughly by her arm, Mike dragged her to the door with Lola close behind. As she was pushed out into the corridor Alex was greeted by the sight of Gene, propped up against the wall, his hands bound behind him and looking far worse than Ray. Without thinking about the current predicament she was in, Alex pulled her arm free of Mike's grip and pushed passed Tony; she knelt by Genes' side.
"Gene?" Alex tentatively touched his cheek, bringing her hand under his chin she guided his head up so that he was looking at her; his right eye was swollen and the skin around it was turning a yellowish purple hue; it would be a fantastic shiner in a day or so. Gene also had various other bruises, a split lip and a bloodied nose. "Oh… Look what they've done to you."
"Can't be that bad... doesn't feel much anyway," Gene managed to croak out in his gruff tones, a smile playing at the corner of his mouth. They both knew he was concealing the pain and trying to keep strong for her; her fingers lingering on his cheek Alex gave him a soft smile and squeezed his shoulder. Next thing she knew she was hauled to her feet and lifted over Mike's shoulder in a fireman style carry. Alex let out a gasp of shock and tried to fight against Mike but his strong arms kept her still; one hand lingering close to resting on her arse, his fingers curled into the back of the waistband of her jeans.
"If you hurt 'er Tony you bastard I'll make sure your life is a livin' 'ell!" Gene ground out, the tone of his voice making it clear that this was no joking matter. Gene would willing kill Tony and anyone who harmed his team... let alone laying a finger on Alex.
Tony just grinned and stepped around Gene and walked off, Mike following closely behind.
Lola was still stood in the doorway of the room; she stepped aside as her unnamed associate dragged Gene into the room and dumped him beside Ray.
"Should I tie her back up?" The bloke thumbed in the direction of Caera who was now knelt beside Ray checking him over and murmuring to him.
"Nah… I wouldn't bother Don. They won't be able to get out of this room anytime soon."
"Dreamer, you stupid little dreamer; so now you put your head in your hands, oh no! I said 'Far out, - What a day, a year, a laugh it is!' You know, - Well you know you had it comin' to you, now there's not a lot I can do."
The tape player blared out another Supertramp song; apparently someone rather liked them and deemed now an appropriate time to play it. Alex smiled at the irony of the words and closed her eyes; she could see the logic though as she was unable to hear the discussion being held between Mike, Tony and Lola currently. Don, whose name she had learnt after he had tied her up for the second time, was sat next to the tape player. It would seem he was unbothered by the decisions that would be made without him; Alex on the other hand was desperate to know what was being said. Martin was nowhere to be seen but Alex could hear see the blue lights of the police cars making rhythmic patterns on the wall to her left.
On the far wall, curled over in one corner and incredibly dusty looking was a childs' drawing; in the centre was a little girl clutching at a balloon as she stood before the big tent of the circus. It was an obscure item to have left in the disused office but at that moment in time Alex wasn't that surprised at what her subconscious was trawling up from the recesses of her deranged mind.
Don blocked her vision at that moment and grinned at Alex as he squatted in front of her; he patted her cheek gently at first earning a dirty look from Alex. "Aren't you lucky… you get to come with me…"
"Lovely." Alex didn't disguise her distaste in her voice; the music had stopped playing now but the group still continued their in depth discussion.
What shocked her was the sudden sharp stinging slap across her right cheek that forced her head to turn. Blinking back tears Alex brought her gaze back to match that of Don; she closed her eyes as he brought his hand back but no second blow came. Instead she was dragged to her feet and hauled out of the room.
Lead along corridor after corridor Alex soon lost all sense of what floor she was on or where she was headed. Eventually Don stopped outside double doors which lead into the old disused canteen; Don nodded gesturing that she should go first so hesitantly Alex pushed open the swing doors, thankfully having her hands bound infront of her didnt hinder the task. She was surprised to say the least to find Isabelle sat at one of the dusty tables, a book in one hand her other hand cuffed to the table.
"Isabelle…"
The young woman looked up at Alex and smiled; it was easy to see that she had been crying; the streaks of mascara running down her cheeks were a giveaway along with her tired red eyes. Alex now was wondering why she had been brought here by Don.
"Is it time Don?" Isabelle spoke softly as she closed her book.
Alex was perplexed as to why on earth Isabelle seemed so calm at sight of one of her captors. It was only then that Alex felt the binds around her wrists loosen, she turned to look at Don fearful of what might happen but instead she found him smiling softly at her.
"Sorry about having to slap you back there... but I had to make it seem realistic," Alex stared at Don perplexed by what he was saying. "Don't worry DI Drake my name is Don I am an undercover officer sent from another division to help you."
"Un…undercover? But Gene never told me?"
"No I'm afraid you all had to be kept in the dark over this matter or else the mission would be jeopardised."
Alex stepped back, her legs bumping against the table Isabelle was sat at; rubbing at her wrists she stared at her hands. Alex couldn't quite take in all the information that she was being given; so Don wasn't really a villain… he was an undercover officer… then what did that mean for the rest of them? What was really going on? And how much of a wild goose chase had they really been lead on?
"So none of them know what is going on! You left us in the dark!" Alex slammed a hand down on the table and looked between Don and Isabelle, fury had taken over from confusion. She was angry that anyone could allow them to get embroiled in such a situation without a care for her colleagues. "Well then I think it is about time you told me what the hell is going on!"
"I think firstly you should sit down DI Drake, this might take a little while." Isabelle smiled at Don as he un-cuffed her from the table and tucked the cuffs back into his belt. "And don't worry the others won't be coming to look for us for a little while yet."
Alex glanced at the doors and contemplated for a moment running out and seeking help but she knew she had to listen to what was about to said. Without knowing what was really going on here they could all be in a lot more danger than first realised.
Caera undid the last of the ropes binding Gene's wrists together; she thanked God that she hadn't been tied back up giving her the opportunity to check over the new additions to the room. Caera recognised DCI Hunt, despite the fact he had been beaten quite badly but she was unaware of who exactly Chris, Ray and this Burges were.
Chris was awake now but still quite groggy, the poor guy had been hit over the head with something pretty heavy. Thankfully the gash on his head had stopped bleeding but Caera knew there was a chance he had concussion… her mother had been a nurse and for a short time… well before she fell pregnant with her eldest, Caera had entertained the idea of becoming a nurse herself.
Motherhood had called on a few good first aid skills here and there but nothing that would be suitable to ensure that these men didn't have anything more seriously wrong with them.
Ray was alright after Caera had checked him over again, his arm thankfully wasn't broken but his left shoulder was dislocated. Caera didn't have a clue what to do in a medical sense but she knew that if she didn't do something then there was a chance that the poor guy would suffer more for it. After some gentle coaxing from both Caera and Gene, Ray had relented and with some basic guidance from Caera had helped Chris and Gene pop his shoulder back into place. She could only hope that they had done more good than harm in the long term.
Caera admired these men who didn't grumble about their injuries; Ray had even managed to keep quiet as his shoulder was put back into place. Using the coat as a semi sling Caera had attempted to ease the pain that Ray would be feeling.
Now they were sat together by the door listening carefully and wondering what the next plan of action was.
