A/N Thanks for the reviews and kind thoughts.
Here is another chapter...enjoy! :)
Katie sat down beside Mitch quietly. He looked up briefly only to have his face redden slightly as he wiped tears from his face.
"Am I disturbing you?"
Mitch cleared his throat and shook his head. "Um, no…sun is so brilliant today, isn't it?"
Katie nodded. It was a stunning day. Bright sun, no clouds and a warm wind. It was one of those perfect, beautiful days in which wonderful memories were made. One of those days your heart and mind longed for.
"It's lovely, for sure. Working on a submarine makes me appreciate this weather even more."
"Yeah, I can imagine." Katie looked at him, seeing him struggle to gain control of his emotions. A part of her felt the need to look away so he could gain his composure. She realised how much she didn't know about the man. Lucas had seemed quite friendly with him, but it dawned on her how much of a complete stranger he was to her.
"Mitch, I'm very sorry for laying that guilt trip on you."
Mitch put up his hand. "It's fine. You asked me to keep an eye on Lucas, and I let him wander off on his own. It's me who should be apologizing to you." Katie pursed her lips. No, Mitch. None of that was your fault. You couldn't have known Lucas would take off.
"How long have you known Lucas?"
"I just met him today actually. He's an intriguing young man. He surprised me with how much he knew about science." Oh, he knows more than you realise.
"Lucas tends to have that effect on people when they meet him." She paused for a moment. "Mitch, it wasn't fair of me to ask you." Katie's eyes glistened. "I was so upset over Ben, I was desperate to know if he was okay and you were there. Lucas seemed so comfortable with you."
"How is your husband?"
"He's my ex, and he's stable, thank God." Please stay that way, Ben.
Mitch nodded and dropped his eyes for a few moments. "My best friend and colleague, Matt Tucker, is still in that room." Mitch let out a soft chuckle. "He was being such a jerk earlier, teasing me about being late. I got lost getting here." Mitch looked at her, blinking back the tears that had formed in the corner of his eyes. "Suddenly, nothing else seems all that important anymore, does it?"
"Don't give up hope."
"Oh, I'm not. You just caught me in a weak moment."
Katie smiled warmly. "Who says tears mean you're weak? It means you're human." Katie saw Mitch nod and wipe at a few more tears lingering on his cheek. It surprised her how drawn she felt to him. Earlier she had been bitterly angry with him and now she could see he was just as much a victim in all this as she was. Having to stand by helplessly and having to wait was almost unbearable.
"Probably the only difference between you and me right now is that I'm used to this kind of thing happening. Only, I'm usually caught in the middle of it with them."
"How does Lucas fit into all this?"
Katie swallowed, this time not being able to prevent the tears from escaping. "He's family…it's hard to explain. Lucas, well…" Katie struggled to find words and her voice caught in her throat. She felt so guilty that she had left him alone when he needed her the most. He'd been scared and so alone. How could you be so stupid to leave the poor kid by himself?
"He's a great kid, Commander." Katie smiled through her tears. She knew Mitch felt a connection to Lucas now as well. "How's he connected to all you submariners anyways, if you don't mind me asking?"
"It's complicated, but Captain Bridger is his guardian."
Mitch's eyes widened. "No wonder he was freaking out. I wish someone would've told me that in the first place." Anger flashed in Mitch's eyes.
"I'm sorry, Mitch. I should have but I was so distraught over Ben."
Mitch waved her words away. "No. No, I understand. I'm not mad at you, Commander. I'm just angry in general. This whole situation is…" Mitch hesitated a moment and seemed to be searching his pocket for something. He sighed.
"Did you lose something?"
"Yes, my phone. I gave it to Lucas to call you, and he never returned it."
"Why didn't he use his own?"
"He connected it somehow to another computer in one of the rooms…I can't even pretend to know what he was doing. At any rate, he asked to use mine so I let him. Things just kept escalating, and I forgot to get it back."
Katie reached into her pocket and pulled hers out, offering it to him. "No one can figure out Lucas when it comes to computers. He can hack into anything. Here, you're welcome to use mine."
"Thanks, but I was going to check my email." Mitch paused a moment. "Wait, let me see that a moment." Mitch took her phone. "Do you have email set up on it?"
Katie nodded.
"Why can't we email Lucas on my phone? The terrorist might not have thought to check if the kid had a phone on him."
Katie felt her heart leap in her chest. Maybe this was a way they could get intel on what exactly was going on in that room. "Do it!" Katie watched as Mitch opened her email program up and quickly sent an email to his phone. "Will it make a noise?"
Mitch shook his head. "No, it's on vibrate. Lucas should feel it vibrate in his pocket, but no one else will notice." Both of them sat quietly waiting. C'mon, Lucas, let us know you're there. Katie felt herself holding her breath. Would Lucas even think to check the phone?
"He might not look at it, Mitch. He might think he's prying. He's…" Just as Katie was forming her thoughts, her phone signaled that it had a new email. Mitch handed her back her phone, and her hands trembled as she looked at it. It read: Mitch Brady in the inbox. She quickly clicked on the email to see that Kristin was emailing her back.
"It works, Mitch. We've got to let Sheppard know that we have a way to communicate!" With those words, Katie was on her feet and all but running into the building. Noise from behind her told her that Mitch was close on her heels.
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Sheppard glanced over the schematics to the Summit room again. His expression hardened as he slammed his fist on the table. The diagrams were so out of date since the renovations were implemented. The room was completely different with a raised stage and podium at the front. The owners of the establishment had yet to get them the updated plans, saying that they had misplaced the blueprints. Figures! Typical of the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing. Sheppard's heart was still racing in his chest. His hands were shaking as he clutched a pen in his hand. His mind burned with the memory of Bridger being shot. The vid-link had been broken, and he hadn't seen much except the shocked look on Bridger's face when the gun fired. He didn't even know if the man was still alive or how badly wounded he might have been. Dosa had refused to answer the vid-phone any longer. They were completely working blind now.
"According to the Admiral, he was sitting here." Colonel Hitchcock's voice startled him slightly as he forced himself to focus again. He looked at where the man's finger pointed to the stage. The admiral was still sitting white-faced in the room but hadn't said one word since the vid-link ended. All of them were thinking the worst. Captain Nathan Bridger might be dead.
"What's taking so long to find out about that latch?" said Admiral Noyce, finally finding his voice once more.
"My people are working on it, Admiral. The personnel here are iffy on things in that room. They just finished renovating a few days ago, and it seems like most of the staff here just aren't that knowledgeable on the new upgrades." Sheppard studied the schematics more closely, bringing the tip of the pen to his mouth. Why a latched door? For storage? Sound equipment? His phone rang suddenly and he grabbed it on the first ring.
"Sheppard."
"We can't be sure, but the manager says the latch was put in the floor for storage under the stage, sir."
"Any outside access?"
"It's speculated that there's access through the back of the building. I have people checking it out. Want me to inform Tactical?"
"Negative. Get back to me first." Sheppard hung up the phone. He looked at the Admiral.
"It's a storage area under the stage with possible access from outside. My intel is checking it out now."
"A way in?" said the Colonel, a hopeful expression on his face.
"Perhaps, and it's a helluva lot better than trying to get in through the ceiling," said Sheppard, running a hand through his hair. He felt so tired. He glanced at the clock on the wall to see that it was nearing noon now. More than 16 hours had gone by since Dosa penetrated the room. To his calculations, there were still roughly 75 or more hostages inside, four of them SeaQuest crew, five with the Wolenczak kid. He'd all but lost track of how many were dead or injured. What I wouldn't give for an ice cold beer about now. They had exhausted their negotiations. If Bridger was injured or dead, negotiations were finished. Tactical was ready to infiltrate.
"Lucas has Mitch's cell on him!" Sheppard felt the tiny hairs on the back of his neck stand up on end when Commander Hitchcock burst into the office. She was holding her own cell phone in her hand and was closely followed by the scientist from Berkeley. Sheppard held up his hands to silence her.
"What the hell are you talking about, Commander?"
Katie took a deep breath, still winded from running to the command room. "Mitch lent his cell to Lucas before he took off. He still has the cell. Mitch emailed his phone and Dr. Westphalen replied."
Sheppard sucked in a breath. "Ask her if Bridger is alive?" Sheppard saw the colour drain from the commander's face. He forgot that she hadn't been in the room when the last vid-link had been made. While she obediently emailed the question, Sheppard's vid-phone rang again. Sheppard grabbed it quickly, this time stepping out the door to take the call in private. He opened the link to see Dosa's face.
"Time's up, Commander. Where is my link to Abdul's release?"
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When Nathan opened his eyes, he grimaced at the shooting pain in his shoulder. The first thing he saw when his vision focussed was Kristin's worried expression. He made a move to get up, but she forced him to stay put.
"Lay still, Nathan." Nathan closed his eyes again, groaning at her persistence. His shoulder was killing him, but he wasn't dead. For heaven's sake, Kristin, just let me sit up already. He opened his eyes again, and this time he saw Lucas' pale face staring down at him.
"Help me up, kiddo," said Nathan. Lucas made a move to help him, but Kristin stopped him.
"I said lay still!" Her voice was commanding. Stubborn woman.
Nathan sighed. "Kristin, I'm fine." He took a deep breath and forced himself up to a sitting position. He earned a dirty look from Kristin, but he ignored it. He definitely was in pain but it wasn't intolerable at the moment. If anything, his head ached from hitting the floor when he was thrown backwards from the impact of the bullet hitting him at such a close range. He speculated that he passed out from the blow to the head, rather than the shock of being shot. Nathan looked at his bandaged shoulder with a scowl. Dosa could have killed him at such close range. Why hadn't he?
Nathan leaned against the chair leg wearily and looked around the room, trying to spot the whereabouts of Dosa. From where he was sitting, he couldn't see much. He rose to his feet slowly, feeling his head spinning slightly. He felt Kristin come to his side and force him to sit down.
"You're a stubborn man, Captain." Nathan could hear the frustration in her voice.
"Where's Dosa?"
"He could have killed you, Nathan!"
"How bad is it?"
"Not bad," she admitted. There had to be a reason why Dosa didn't shoot to kill. Nathan's eyes met with Lucas'. The boy looked like he had gained his stability again. He looked very grateful to see Nathan awake.
"I-I thought he killed you."
Nathan placed a warm hand on his cheek. "Nah, only the good die young, kiddo. I'm far too ornery to go yet." Lucas rewarded him with a small smile.
"Nathan, Lucas brought in a cell phone with him. Katie is emailing with us." Nathan's eyes widened at the information. Kristin handed him the cell phone, and he read the emails coming in from Sheppard now. Unbelievable.
"Where's Dosa?"
"He ordered his remaining men to drag the rest of the bodies to the middle, and three of them disappeared onto the stage behind the curtain." Kristin nodded in the direction of the gunman who faced the room, looking rather sick. "Dosa left him in charge, but he doesn't look very healthy." The lone man stood by himself watching them all rather despondently. Dosa was missing, as well as two of the other gunman. Nathan surmised they had been ordered to watch the newly discovered back entrance.
"He doesn't look very threatening." Nathan looked at Tim and Miguel who still were sitting with their heads down. "How are those two doing?"
"Not good, Nathan." Kristin looked around the room purposely. "Most of the sick hostages are borderline dehydrated. There isn't anything left for them to drink. Most of the water is gone, and no one wants to risk drinking anything left in those food boxes. We don't know what was poisoned and what wasn't for sure." Nathan handed the cell phone back to her.
"Tell them exactly what's going on in this room." Nathan lowered his voice. "Negotiation is over, Kris." He saw Kristin nod. He knew that she knew as well as he did that the situation was precarious. There was a good reason to believe that none of them were going to survive this. As far as Nathan knew from searching the room, the only access into the room was through the ceiling ventilation system. Dosa had done his research well despite the many surprises thrown at him.
"What are you going to do?"
"Dosa might be done with me, but I'm not finished with him by far."
"Nathan Bridger, he shot you!" The panic in her voice was unmistakable.
"He could have killed me but he didn't. Why is that?" Nathan rose to his feet.
"I don't give a damned why he didn't, Nathan." Nathan could see the tears shimmering in her eyes. He didn't expect her to understand. I need to handle this, Kris. Trust me on this.
Nathan offered her a warm smile, and then turned to Lucas. "Keep an eye on her, Lucas." He saw the almost imperceptible nod from the teenager. He ruffled the kid's hair. I love you, kiddo.
As Nathan strode across the room, he made notes about things in his mind. Most of the hostages looked sick, and the ones who weren't sick were quiet and lethargic. Discouragement was radiating in the room. The gunman patrolling the room didn't look much better. I could take this guy out just by blowing him over. He looks like he's ready to fall over any second. As Nathan approached him, the man seemed to perk up and pointed his gun at him.
"Back away! What do you want? Didn't Dosa's little gift let you know he was finished negotiating?" Nathan felt his shoulder throbbing. He didn't need the reminder that Dosa had shot him.
"Where's Dosa? I want to talk to him."
The man stood to his feet and moved threateningly towards him. Nathan took a few steps back and placed a chair in front of him. The man leered at him but as he moved, he tripped and stumbled. Nathan heaved the chair at him as he struggled to gain his footing. A hostage from the table behind him had the presence of mind to help and between the both of them, they managed to subdue the gunman. The man lay on the floor, staring up at them while Nathan covered his mouth. The other man held the gunman's weapon on him.
"Not one word," warned Nathan. Nathan could hear his heart beating in his own ears. Would Dosa have heard that commotion? He glanced around the room as he flipped the gunman over with his one hand, sitting on him and pulling the man's hands behind his back. Ugh, my shoulder hurts like hell. Nathan bit his tongue as he struggled to keep the man's hands behind his back. If the man fought him too much, Nathan felt like he would lose the upper hand. Almost as if the other man could hear his thoughts, the guy lurched forward and bashed the gunman hard in the back of the head with the end of the gun. The man stopped struggling and went limp. Nathan looked at the other man still holding the gun with sincere appreciation. The dark-haired young man managed a weak smile and handed the weapon to Nathan. Nathan accepted the weapon and tucked it into the waist band of his pants
"Good thinking on your feet," said Nathan, tying the gunman's hands together with the belt from his pants.
"Dosa is on stage. I thought you were a dead man when he shot you at such close range." Nathan stood up, wiping his sweaty palms on his pants.
"So did I. Thanks for your help." The younger man nodded. Nathan sighed, looking down at the unconscious mercenary. He needed to get the guy out of sight for now. Nathan reached down and grabbed the man by his feet.
"We need to get him out of sight. Help me move him." Nathan and the other hostage managed to drag him over to where the other bodies were piled. Nathan chewed his lip for a second before ripping a long strip off a table cloth. He reached down and gagged the unconscious man. He hoped it would keep him out of the picture for a while. Nathan groaned as his shoulder gnawed at him painfully. He glanced at the white material that Kristin had made into a make-shift bandage; it was stained crimson red from his blood. He gasped louder than he meant to and the noise brought Kristin to his side once again. Her eyes widened when she realised what had happened. She placed a firm hand on his shoulder, putting pressure on the wound and causing him to wince.
"It took me a long time to get the bleeding to stop last time, Nathan. You reopened the wound." Her voice sounded frustrated. "I can't stitch you with the bullet still firmly lodged in there, and I can't take it out under these circumstances. Please, you need to rest." Nathan shook his head. With his free hand, he reached into his waistband and grabbed the gun. He pressed it into Kristin's free hand.
"Do you know how to use it?" Kristin's eyes were wide with shock and horror. The gun wasn't a simple run of the mill weapon. She may not have even seen one like it before. Just because she worked on a military vessel didn't mean she would know anything about weaponry. The scientists on my boat are going to take some courses in this if we ever get out of here. Some self-defence courses wouldn't be a bad idea either. Kristin's eyes remained transfixed on the gun.
He shook her. "Do you?"
"N-no."
Nathan took the gun and showed her how to use it. He saw her hands shaking and her lips trembling. "Don't hesitate to use it if you need to, understand?" He saw her nod. Her face was white. He knew she was used to saving lives, not taking them. Shooting firearms wasn't exactly on her resume.
"Look, tell Sheppard that he needs to get Tactical to move now." Nathan saw her hesitate and he shook her again. "Go now!"
"What are you going to do, Nathan?" Her lips trembled.
"I'm the negotiator, Kris. I'm going to keep doing my job. Now go!"
Nathan took a deep breath and headed towards the stage area. He needed to keep Dosa and his other men occupied. He turned to see Kristin standing beside Tim and Miguel. She looked up at him with her face ashen. He could see her mouthing one word. Lucas. Nathan's eyes frantically scanned the room, but he couldn't see the kid anywhere. He felt his heart beating anxiously in his chest. Lucas had disappeared.