A/N: I want to thank all of you for the response and support for this story. Thanks to everybody who hasn't given up on me. This chapter is for you. Enjoy and don't forget to review afterwards.
Chapter Thirteen
One hour earlier, 4a.m.
The Coffee Clutch was filled with a quiet murmur. The small television up in the corner behind the counter was tuned to the news, which was reporting the Sterling Star Hotel hostage crisis. CeeCee sat at a small table across from Gina. She was nibbling on a blueberry muffin with a half cup of tea in front of her.
"You have to relax," Gina informed her, tearing her eyes away from the TV. "It's not good for the babies."
"I know, but I can't help it," CeeCee replied looking down and rubbing her belly absently.
"Yeah, I can't help but worry about Suze," Gina agreed, "I can't even imagine what it is like in there, being held at gunpoint, not sure if you're going to walk out alive." Gina shook head, her copper-colored curls bouncing back and forth, and shuttered from the image her words brought with it.
CeeCee set down her muffin, finished with it, and wiped her mouth off with her paper napkin. "It's no use thinking of that, Gina," she told the other woman, "What we have to do is hope and believe that everyone will make it out alive, no matter how much the odds are stacked against them."
Gina nodded, her eyes going to the TV screen. "Oh, look," she said sarcastically, "This reporter is acting like she knows something about what's going on when really the police aren't saying anything. She's so professional and detached. God, I just want her to shut up."
CeeCee laughed, but her smile disappeared as quickly as it came. She looked over at Gina, gathering her stuff together. "I'm going back to the hotel."
"That's it, then," Suze said, "I guess no matter how many times I turned you down, your feelings never really changed. I still can't believe you used my name as the code."
"It shouldn't surprise you," Paul replied, "I love you. I always-"
"7-7-4-6-6-6 is the code," Suze interrupted him, not wanting him to finish that thought. "Those numbers will stop the briefcase from self-destructing. It's exactly what Diego wants to get us out of here."
"Or at least one of us," Paul stated.
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Everybody was silent and still as they watched Adam move away from Seven's body. Four stalked over to him, his gun drawn. "I hope you enjoyed your last act on earth," Four threatened. Adam didn't do or say anything; he just accepted it.
Diego came over from where he was by the doors. "I decide who lives or dies," he reminded Four.
"He just killed one of our men," Four protested.
"Silence!" Diego shouted. Nobody dared to move or even breath loudly, not even the other gunmen. Diego turned to the rest of the hostages. "Show's over, kiddies. Go back to whatever you were doing." He, then, turned to Adam.
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"Ok, um, we're good to go," David said.
"You opened the vault?" Molly clarified, questioningly.
"Once I press this button, the override goes into effect," David explained. He looked at Rob, and then at Molly. Turning back to the computer, he pressed the button.
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Jess couldn't take it anymore. She jumped up from her spot on the floor. Ruth tried to stop her, but Jess shrugged her off. Rob moved around the front desk, stopping himself from going any further. "I knew it. I knew it-I knew it from the first time you snapped," Jess yelled at Adam, taking a few steps forward. "You don't care about any of us; you just want revenge for the bullets exchanged when your wife was walking out. The only person who might be the only one to survive this whole thing. I want to hear you admit it! Come on, say it, you freak! Say it!"
"Bravo," Diego clapped, walking toward Jess, "Lightning girl finally showing off her true colors." He started to take her arm, but she jerked her arm away from him as fast as she could.
Rob started to move forward again, but Two stopped him. "I'll take care of this," she told him. She walked to Adam, "Hey, hothead?" She shot him, and he fell to the floor.
Jess, realizing what she had done, looked toward Rob, and took a few steps toward him.
"Hold it right there," Diego stopped her, his gun on her.
"Somebody's getting trigger-happy in there," Jake Ackerman said, loudly and frustratingly, "We haven't got another hour to wait for that vault to open!"
"Look, we don't know whether that was actually targeted or if it's simply a warning," D.A Jacob Manning stated.
" 'Simply a warning'. My brother and stepsister are in there, man," Jake A. argued, "If they come out feet first with bullets in their heads, am I supposed to care about this-"
"Look, we know Mr. Diego wants the briefcase-that's the reason for this whole debacle," Jake M. reasoned, but getting frustrated himself, "Once he gets it, he's going to need live hostages and he knows it." Jake turned to a detective. "Get him on the phone."
"Oh, great, great," Jake A. retorted, "And if my siblings are eating bullets while you're chatting on the phone-"
Officer Todd came up to Jake right then. Placing a hand on his shoulder, Todd said, "Jake, calm it down a notch."
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Jesse walked over to the police commissioner, Tom. He waited patiently until the commissioner was free before he spoke. "Look, if you plan on storming that lobby in the next hour, I need to set up a triage area now," Jesse requested.
"We've got paramedics on site," Tom informed him. He looked down at a paper an officer was showing him, said something to him, and they walked away.
"Paramedics? Tom, that's not enough," Jesse explained, just a tiny bit outraged. "You're crazy if you think Tasha's going to be the only casualty. We need to be able to save multiple live simultaneously, which means a team of E.R. doctors standing by. When dealing with gunshot wounds, we don't have time. Tasha's already been in there way too long. She doesn't have the time-"
"I got it, I got it," Tom interrupted, "I'll call the hospital, they'll send personnel. I'll have a triage set up within the hour."
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Jake Manning was reconnoitering with a police officer. "Todd, one more thing I want you to take care of before we storm the lobby." Jake turned slightly and pointed to someone. "I want you to arrest Jake Ackerman."
Since she wasn't able to change CeeCee's mind or even think of any good enough reasons not to, Gina drove them back to the Sterling Star Hotel and the police barricade. They were silent most of the way, not really sure if there was anything to be said.
"You know, I can't find a way out of this nightmare," CeeCee confessed, picking at the hem of her dress.
Gina sighed, "I hate to be the voice of doom here, but no matter how tonight plays out, you-we're-trapped. This night is going to be imprinted in the mind of everybody involved. It will take a while to be able to put all of this behind us. Even then, I think all the hostages are going to come out of this changed, or, at the very least, have a new outlook on life."
"How am I supposed to do this?" CeeCee questioned, "I can barely make it through five minutes without thinking of the worst. How am I going to get through the next month should the worst happen? I don't think I can do this without-" She broke off on a sob.
"Hey, hey, hey, don't even think like that," Gina soothed, thought she was caught off guard and not really prepared to comfort an upset pregnant woman. "You can't let those kind of thoughts take over. Think of the positive, and absolutely refuse to let the negative in."
CeeCee wiped her eyes and nodded, a few tears still slipping past.
Lena sat against the wall next to the vault door, fanning herself slowly. She eventually stopped and tossed the fan aside. "Why bother?" Lena stated, "The air in here gets hotter by the minute."
Alex sat across from her at the opposite wall with the briefcase next to him. "Yeah. It won't be much longer," he told her, "The vault is set to open in an hour and a half, give or take."
"Have you given any more thought to my plan?" Lena asked, propping her arm up on her leg and resting her chin in her hand, tapping her fingers against her cheek.
"It could work," Alex replied, "except for the part where you and I make a run for it."
"Ok, well, what's our alternative?" Lena questioned, "I mean, you don't actually think you're going to walk away from this, do you? The cops are probably swarming this place by now, and they're not going to wait forever. Eventually, they're just going to start shooting their way in. And once that door opens, you're going to have two choices-surrender or die."
Alex leaned forward. "Lena, you're the one that's in danger," he responded, "One planned this all out. He's going to come in here, grab this briefcase, blow up the lobby, and cover's the team's escape by killing the hostages."
"You would actually help him do that?" Lena replied, with doubt in her eyes.
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The phone in the lobby began ringing.
Diego spoke to two of his men. "Dump him in the supply closet," he instructed them in dealing with Seven's body, "and hurry back." The two men dragged the body out of the room as Diego angrily stalked over to the still ringing phone. He grabbed it off the hook. "No, D.A. Manning, I'm not interested in anything you have to say!" Diego yelled into the phone, then slammed it back down. He turned around to see Nicholas standing up and heading over to check on Adam, who Mike had helped prop against a pillar. Diego pointed his gun, "Dr. Nicholas-Dr. Nicholas, you already have a patient." He moved his gun over, "You, Nurse Kara, check on the rabid dog. Now!"
Kara jumped up, shakily, squeezed Nicholas' hand when she passed him, and rushed over to Adam. She dropped down to her knees, and nearly stopped at his appearance. He could barely hold the towel to his stomach where he was shot. He was very pale, barely able to catch his breath, and his eyes were half-opened.
"What's the verdict?" Diego asked from across the room.
Kara checked his pulse. "He-he's alive-barely," she announced, "My god, there's so much blood. I-I need some help."
"Just tell me what to do," Mike offered, still keeping pressure on his own bullet wound, but volunteering his help.
Kara smiled at him, but shook her head anyway. "Well, you can't risk making your own bleeding worse, so-Jess? I need you to help me."
Diego happily grabbed the back of Jess' jumpsuit, and pushed her over to the trio. Jess, however, struggled against him the whole way. "No, no, no, no, no, come on," she protested, "I don't want to do it, I won't." Diego pushed her down to the floor.
"Jess, please," Kara pleaded. She tried to check on Adam's wound without totally removing the towel.
Jess looked at Adam, then at Kara. She sighed, and moved in to listen to Kara's instructions.
"The next time a hostage attacks one of us, don't hesitate," Two directed Rob, "Shoot to kill-got it?"
Rob nodded, hoping that it wouldn't come to that.
Diego move around the other side of the front desk, where Molly and David were. "Move," he ordered David.
David fumbled out of the way, even though Diego just wound up pushing him anyway. Diego stood next to Molly. "Oh," Molly whined, and flinched away from him.
"Our medical staff seems to have their hands full, and I hate to make you all bloody," Diego warned her, "and I won't if your weird little friend here made progress." He glanced over at David.
"Look, uh, no worries," David reassured, "I got the override running like I said, ok? Your vault will be opened in a half an hour."
"Well before the cops are expecting it. Good work, Mr. Ackerman," Diego grinned at him, "You may have just saved Molly's life."
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"If you have a plan, you need to tell me about it before Diego gets back in here," Suze stated to Paul. She was getting restless. Her butt was falling asleep from sitting in the hard chair, and her wrists were hurting from being tied. She shifted in her seat and moved her hands to get the blood circulating.
Paul was slouched in his chair. "The cops know what Diego wants by now, and I could bet all the money I have that they're going to storm that lobby as soon as the vault opens," he responded.
"That means Diego knows that, too," Suze finished with a sigh.
"That's right, and he's going to want to run with the briefcase and he's not going to be able to do that because he doesn't have the access code," Paul explained, "So what I'm going to do is….I'm going to give it to him, in exchange for your release."
Suze turned her head to look at him. "You can't do that," she told him.
"One of us has to stay alive," Paul said, "And I think Jesse will agree with me that it will be you."
"Well, you know what? I know the code, too," Suze snapped, "So who's to say I'm not going to tell him that and use it for your release instead?"
Jake Ackerman stalked over to the district attorney. He had overheard the D.A. and an officer discussing about having him arrested. "You can't put me in jail!" he argued with the other Jake.
"Yes, I can," Jake Manning corrected the young man, "I'm charging you with obstruction of justice."
"You got pretty thin skin, don't you, Manning?" Jake A. yelled, "All I did was point out that your plan has some faults."
"I really don't have time to argue with you, ok," Jake M. replied. He turned to Todd. "Could you please cuff him?"
Todd moved toward Jake, but he stopped the officer. "Come on, I got family in there!" Jake A. protested, this time to the police commissioner. "Don't take me out of the loop, I might be some help!"
Tom looked at him and the rest standing around for a few minutes. He finally sighed and said, "Sorry, Jake," Tom apologized, "I have to side with the D.A. There's no way you'll stay on the sideline. As soon as we turn our backs, you'll rush in there. I can't allow that."
"Ok, fine. Are we all happy now?" Jake M. said, "What are you waiting for? Could you please take him downtown?"
"Will you at least let him stay on the scene until his family is out?" Todd asked, trying to help Jake out.
"Todd, he is a loose cannon," Jake M. told the young officer, "I don't think I have to explain that to you."
"You arrogant bastard," Jake A. muttered and tried to walk away.
"You stay put," Tom warned him, grabbing his arm to stop him.
"You're going to get a bunch of people killed!" Jake A. pointed out.
Tom spoke to Todd. "This is your friend, and-and he'll convince you do whatever he wants." Todd nodded solemnly.
"You don't fool me, not for a minute," Jake A. broke in. Detective Rodriguez came up to him, handcuffing his hands behind his back to begin to lead him away. He didn't stop talking; he wanted Tom to hear him. "You don't believe in this rinky-dink operation. You want to save those hostages yourself, but you haven't got the guts, and you can't take me standing here reminding you of that!"
"You know what your problem is?" Lena started, sitting up straighter against the wall, "You need to see the hostages as people, just like you see me."
"No, I don't," Alex responded, fiddling with the briefcase.
"There's Jess. She's in love, and having a baby. I'm pretty sure she would be celebrating with her husband if she wasn't being held up in a lobby with your psycho partners," Lena continued on like he hadn't spoken, "And then there's Nicholas. He's a doctor. He works so hard that he was supposed be having a nice night out with the love of his life if he wasn't here. And, yeah, I know it sounds corny to say 'the love of his life.' But Nicholas and Kara, they have this real-life, fairy-tale romance. Kara's my sister, and did I mention she's in here, too?"
"I don't need to hear this," Alex said. He wanted to cover his ears, but he couldn't do it.
"And then there's CeeCee," Lena added, "She's pregnant. So, not only would you be killing her, but you would responsible for the death of an innocent, unborn child."
"It wasn't supposed to turn out like this, all right?" Alex interrupted.
"How did you think it was going to be?" Lena threw back at him, "Your boss gave you a mask and a gun and told you not to let anybody leave."
"It was a job-five minutes, in and out," Alex explained, "He made the plan; we followed. There wasn't supposed to be real flesh-and-blood people involved."
"You're not down with this," Jake said as the officer led him to a wall away from the police, right where some hospital staff were setting up a triage area. "Come on, you can't be happy with how the police are handling it."
"What's your point?" Det. Rodriguez pointed out.
"My point is, don't chain me out here while that idiot gets my family shot," Jake said, frustratingly. The detective didn't listen to him, however, and began handcuffing him to a drainpipe.
A curious nurse was watching the interaction. She was an older woman, and was keeping an eye on them as she checked off necessary medical items. "What's that about?" she finally had to ask.
"Jake is being detained by the police department," Det. Rodriguez explained, "He's a danger to himself and the hostages." Jake rolled his eyes as he leaned against the drainpipe. "He's probably going to ask you to help him out. Under no circumstances are you to do that. He'll act on impulse and end up getting a bunch of people killed."
"Well, that's the police's business, it's not mine," the nurse agreed.
Det. Rodriguez walked away after that, and Jake called out after him. "Thanks a lot, pal. Maybe I can do something for you sometime." He lowered his voice. "Clown." Jake caught the nurse looking at him. "Cops, huh?" He laughed. Then, he sobered up. "Hey, you got any family in there?" Jake asked the nurse, "I got two; my brother and stepsister. They've got their whole lives ahead of them."
The nurse shook her head, starting to move away.
"Come on, I'm not one of those guys that's going go off halfcocked, and get a bunch of people killed," Jake begged her, "I'm not!"
"I know who you are," the nurse replied, going back to her work.
"I'll cover you, I swear. I'm-I'll make sure that they think I got myself out of this," Jake continued, but with less effort. He knew she already made up her mind not to help.
At that point, Jesse walked up to the triage area. "Ok, glad to see you," he said, "This is a good start. We need to get a triage set up-at least three tents and enough supply-"
"It's covered," the nurse interrupted.
Jesse looked confused. "Look, I just put in the request a couple minutes ago. How could it be covered?"
Dr. Brendan Cox walked up just then. "We were already on our way," Brendan told Jesse, "You're not the only one to see a potential for serious casualties, Jesse."
Jesse smiled his appreciation at his friend.
The door to the office Suze and Paul were in suddenly opened. Diego walked in with a pleasant expression on his face. He moved around Paul to stand in front Suze. "You're missing all the excitement," Diego said, "The young man with the pregnant wife I'd sent out of here killed one of my men, but not to worry-he was shot for his trouble. I knew you'd want to come back and be a part of things."
Suze fought to keep her emotions off her face. She didn't say anything to him; just fixed him with a stare.
"I'll make you a deal," Paul announced, "I told you I know the code to the briefcase. I'll give you the code if you let Suze go."
"Oh, wow. What have you done to win such devotion?" Diego asked her, "I mean, this man would lie to St. Peter to protect you."
"He's not lying; he knows the code," Suze assured him.
"Well, then I take it to reason you know it, too?" Diego questioned.
Suze stared at him hard. "No, I don't," she lied.
Cocking his head, Diego searched her face. "Well, there's no way for me to find out if you're really telling the truth."
"Listen to me, Jesse de Silva gave you six numbers," Paul explained, "By the time he got to the second, he was bluffing."
Diego walked around to face Paul. "And I have your word on that, do I?" he inquired.
"The first three numbers in the sequence is seven, seven, four," Paul supplied, "I'll give you the last three when you release Suze."
"Oh, you're quite a wheeler-dealer, aren't you?" Diego replied.
"The cops know you're waiting for the vault to open," Paul stated, "As soon as it does, they're going to come get you, Felix Diego."
"Well, then how fortunate that the vault's going to be opened earlier than they think," Diego smirked.
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Nicholas pushed some hair off of Tasha's face. "Do you want some more vodka?" he asked her, gently, "It might help with the pain."
"I don't-I don't feel anything right now," Tasha answered, hoarsely.
She's getting weaker, Nicholas thought, We can't count on this guy releasing us. When that vault opens, we're out of time. He looked up and across the room, catching Kara's gaze. He wished they could still be together, even though he knew they had a responsibility to the wounded. As he stared at her, he conveyed all his love for her in his eyes.
Kara caught his look, and knew what he was doing. We're not giving up, she persuaded him with her eyes, We're going to get out of here somehow.
Nicholas held her gaze. Not if we don't come up with a plan, and, I mean, right now.
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"I'm not sure if I just saved the universe or set us all up for certain death," David admitted as he leaned against the wall.
"You did what you had to do," Molly tried to reassure him. She was leaning on the desk, her chin in her hand.
"Yeah, I just-I just hope I did the right thing." David looked out around the room at the group of people who he may have just condemned all to death.
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Kara continued to treat Adam, keeping pressure on his wound with his jacket. Jess helped her as much as she could while still watching the room. She shifted her weight. "Ok, I think it's time for me to slip away," Jess whispered.
Kara picked her head up to look at her, startled. "Wait for Rob's signal," Kara whispered back.
Jess looked at Rob, willing him to give her the signal. Suddenly, Suze and Paul came back into the lobby followed by Diego, wielding his infamous gun. "Good news, ladies and gentlemen," Diego announced, smiling his creepy smile, "Thanks to our friends, David and Paul Slater, our little gathering will come to an end in a matter of minutes."
"How's Jake?" Todd asked Detective Rodriguez when he approached after cuffing Jake Ackerman to a drainpipe.
"Not happy, but he's safely out of the way," Rodriguez answered, taking up his position again, "Look, I'm sorry I had to-"
"No, forget it, you were just following orders," Todd replied.
Rodriguez watched Todd intently, and knew instantly what the other officer was thinking. "Don't do it, alright?" he warned his friend, "You got orders to follow, too. You got to let Jake-"
"He just wanted to save his brother and sister, okay," Todd interrupted, "A part of me wants to let him do it. My only priority is to save Lena."
Rodriguez put his hand on his friend's shoulder. He told him, "As soon as we get inside, I'll get any hostage you come across and you focus on Lena."
Todd nodded, keeping his eyes on the hotel.
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"Jesse, we can handle things here," Brendan said, "You should wait in the back of the barricades for-"
Jesse interrupted him before he could finish, "We're about to be flooded with God knows how many casualties, one of them would be Susannah. I intend to be here to give her whatever care she needs."
Brendan continued setting up supplies in the triage area with a couple of nurses. "You took yourself off call," he pointed out.
"You're going to need extra personnel," Jesse pushed.
"Listen to me, wait a minute," Brendan stopped what he was doing, leaning a hand on a nearby stretcher. "You know that a doctor who is emotionally tied to a patient is a disaster waiting to happen. So, for Susannah's sake, I'm sending you out of here. Effective immediately." He walked away after that.
Jesse just stood there.
"Psst."
Jesse turned to see where the sound had come from, and saw Susannah's oldest stepbrother, Jake, handcuffed to a drainpipe. Jesse looked him, curious of how he had gotten himself restrained.
"Hey, Jesse," Jake called to him, "You know, the idiots in charge of this are going to blow it. They're going to run this rescue mission into the dirt. Help me. Help me get out of this. I swear to you, I will get into that lobby and bring Suze out."
Jesse was so tempted to go along with it. He'd been thinking along the same lines himself. But if he went in, he could very well end up getting his querida killed. That will not happen. Susannah will not die. So, taking a deep breath, Jesse walked away from Jake and his proposition.
Diego walked around the lobby, in and out of the hostages. "The police are most likely planning their rescue attempt for 5:30 a.m., just when the vault is supposed to open," Diego was saying. He stopped in front of the main desk. "But we've got a surprise for them, don't we? It's going to unlock sooner than that. Correct, Mr. Ackerman?"
"Yeah, any minute," David nodded, solemnly.
Diego smiled at him, and turned back to the rest of the hostages. "Which gives me ample time to secure the briefcase and open it. If what is in the vault is actually an equinox, then Mr. Slater will give me the rest of the code. If it isn't, then I stick to my original plan. I'll blow this lobby to kingdom come, and use the many deaths to cover my escape. There's a chance that some of you might survive the blast, but no chance at all that you'll survive a gunshot wound to the head. So, keep behaving and pray to whatever you believe in that Paul Slater is telling the truth for once in his life." Diego turned to David and Molly. "Molly, David, come with me. Now."
Molly and David looked at each other. They slowly started to move around the desk. "Faster. Out," Diego ordered as they left the room.
When they had left the room, Rob casually walked over to Jess and Kara. He knelt down, pretending to be asking if Adam was alive or dead. Instead he, discreetly, pulled something out of his pocket and handed it to Jess. Jess instantly recognized it as a black ski mask like the gunmen wore.
"Wait for my signal," Rob instructed again, in a whisper.
"Ok," Jess nodded, taking the mask and keeping it hidden from the other men.
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Diego, Molly, and David came up to the vault. David was ahead, with Diego behind holding onto Molly's arm. "Why isn't the door opened?" Diego asked, motioning toward the vault door.
"Uh, you see that keypad?" David explained, pointing to the square keypad to the right of the door. "I have to tap in a manual command."
Diego gave him an impatient look. "Do it," he ordered, "If either you or Slater are playing games with me, I'll make sure Molly dies slowly and painfully." Gripping her arm tighter, he yanked her closer to him and she couldn't help the whimper that escaped.
With a last glance at Molly, David walked to the keypad that will finally open the vault.
"You have to believe me," Alex was saying, tapping his fingers on his thigh, "I don't want you to get hurt."
Lena nodded, "Then just stick to what we talked about. Hand over the briefcase and-"
She was interrupted by the sound of the vault unlocking. They both looked surprised and alarmed, but Alex didn't waste any time in jumping to his feet and pulling his mask back on.
"It's too soon for the vault to open," Alex said. He picked up the briefcase as Lena scrambled away from the door to stand beside him.
The door opened. Diego grinned, "Get in." The three of them walked inside to join Alex and Lena. "Well done, Mr. Ackerman," Diego replied, then turned to Alex, "Sorry about the lockdown. Now, hand over that briefcase."
Alex glanced down at Lena, and then back to Diego. "The self-destruct is armed," Alex stalled, "There's no way of knowing how much time is left."
"An equinox, indeed. Fortunately, we have a hostage to pressure Paul into giving me the code." Diego said, placing his arm across Molly's shoulders. "And if he's not on the level, this beautiful, young lady dies."
Diego turned to Alex expectantly. "Well? What are you waiting for?" he questioned, "Hand it over." Diego extended his hand for the briefcase.
Alex hesitated once again, looking down at Lena then back at Diego. After an agonizing minute, he handed the briefcase over.
"Gracias." Diego took the briefcase, almost admiring it.
Jake sat on a crate, leaning against the brick wall behind him. He rubbed at the hand that was cuffed to the drainpipe. He sighed, letting out his frustration. Suddenly, he sat up straighter when he saw his stepmother, Helen Ackerman. "Hey, mom, over here," Jake called.
Helen looked over at him, cocked her head in a disproving way, and walked over to him. "What did you do?" She asked him when she reached him.
"Nothing but ask that dimwit D.A. a couple of reasonable questions," Jake shrugged, "Now I'm, you know, looking at my options and you happen to be one of them. We both want to get Suze and David out of there. You can help me make that happen."
Helen stared at him, skeptically.
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It grew closer to the deadline. and the atmosphere outside the lobby was just as intense as it was inside. The police gathered together, going over their plans. They needed everything to be airtight, and there to be no heroics or last-minute decisions.
"Okay, let me get this straight," Jake Manning said to the team around him, "So we have to storm the lobby at 5:30 A.M., because that's when the vault automatically opens. The theory being that we're cutting Diego's men off between the vault and the lobby area. Now, he's going to know what our strategy is, so we're going to cut the power fifteen minutes before we go in to shake things up a bit, and make him think we're going in early. Is that it?"
"Yes, sir," the captain answered.
"After, we fire the smoke grenades and the tear gas through the windows, secure the lobby and the surrounding offices, then move toward the vault," Police Commissioner Tom replied.
"Ok, wait a minute," Todd broke in, "There is one serious injury in there, maybe more. Their breathing might be compromised, tear gas could hurt them."
"We have no choice," Tom admitted.
"Then, we don't do it," Todd replied.
The captain simply stated, "It's part of the protocol."
Diego leaned in to Two. "Watch that one. I may need her in a minute," he instructed. Diego walked over to Paul as Two went over to Suze, gun drawn.
"As soon as Rob gives me the signal, I'm out of here," Jess whispered to Kara. She kept Rob in her line of vision so she wouldn't miss the signal.
"You were right; it is an equinox," Diego was speaking to Paul. "But if you're lying about the access codes, you better tell me. If you don't want Susannah's blood on your hands."
"I already told you what you needed to know," Paul insisted.
"Very well," Diego said, "Then give me the last three numbers."
"I will!" Paul agreed, "You've got to release everybody, first."
Diego narrowed his eyes in irritation. "You're trying to change the rules midstream?" Diego threw at him. He made a motion at Two. "She will shoot Susannah as easily as she shot the last young man. Now, give me the code!"
Sirens wailed into the night.
"I've got to pick the lock," Jake explained, "Check and see if you have a ballpoint pen or a hairpin or something like-"
"Oh, sure. Let me just look in my purse for-oh, wait. I don't have it on me, because my children are being held hostage in a hotel," Helen exclaimed.
"I'm sorry, but you're going to have to scold me later," Jake pleaded, "Right now, I need your help."
Helen planted her hands on her hips. "Why should I?" she demanded, "The police obviously thought they were doing the right thing chaining you up here."
"Does 'storming the lobby at dawn' sound like a great solution to you?" Jake countered, "Listen, those people took that lobby twelve hours ago. That wasn't their original plan; they planned to get in there and out, but what they came for, they couldn't get and they have waited-with all of Carmel's heavy artillery surrounding them. That means they're not going to leave until they get what they want. That also means that the hostages could very well be collateral damage."
"So you're going to run in to the rescue?" Helen questioned.
"Are you going to trust their lives to the police or me?" Jake questioned back.
"Now!" Diego ordered, his patience was wearing thin. "I want the code in its' entirety, or Two shoots Susannah right here, right now."
"Who are you kidding?" Suze cut in, "You're going to kill us all anyway."
Two pushed her gun into Suze's side, who flinched. "Shut your mouth!" Two exclaimed.
"You kill Suze, you take away my motivation, Diego," Paul informed the man, "I'd be happy to die with the last three numbers. Then, where would your big plans be?"
The two men stared at each other. Diego narrowed his eyes. "It seems that we are at an impasse, so I shall be a reasonable man and reconsider your offer. The code for Susannah's freedom."
"7-7-4-6-6-6," Paul said, after a few minutes of silence.
More silence followed. No one in the lobby dared to breathe.
"He's bluffing," Two stated.
"No, he's not," Diego disagreed, "He's trying to save the only thing in the world that matters to him. Paul Slater would never knowingly try to sacrifice his love, would he?" He turned to the briefcase to put in the code. "7-7-4-6-6-6," Diego counted off.
While Diego was distracted, Rob tipped his head ever-so-slightly to the side. Jess caught the signal. She slowly got up, moved behind the pillars and pulled on the mask. She left the lobby quietly.
The red light on the briefcase turned to green as it was disarmed, making a beeping noise. The hostages all let out a collective sigh of relief that it was the correct code. "Ah, success at last," Diego smiled. He turned to Suze, "Well, Miss Simon, I'm a man of my word. You're free to go."
Suze looked at the rest of the hostages in the room. She spent the past hours with all of them in this room. She couldn't go while they could all die. "No," she declined, looking at Diego.
"Suze, leave now," Paul urged, through his teeth.
"Not without you and everybody else," Suze insisted.
"Well, that's not very smart," Diego replied, listening to them. "though it's touching. Is that your final answer?"
Before Suze could answer, however, the lights went out. The following events would only last a few minutes, but they felt like they lasted an eternity. "They cut the power!" Two exclaimed, grabbing for the briefcase, which had been set on a chair.
"They're coming in early," Diego called to the rest of his men. "Give me the detonator now!"
XXXXXXXXXX
"Commissioner, somebody just climbed out. Behind the sign," Detective Rodriguez told Tom, handing him his binoculars. They watched as someone climbed out onto the roof and appeared behind the sign of the hotel.
"One of the hostages?" Tom questioned, looking through the binoculars.
"They're all in black, wearing a mask," Todd added looking through his own pair of binoculars.
"It's one of the perps," Tom said. He put down the binoculars and pulled out his gun, pointing it at the person. The other officers followed suit.
"I don't see a weapon, Tom," Rodriguez replied.
"Be ready to shoot if he pulls a gun or makes a threatening move," Tom ordered. They all stared at the person, waiting for their next move.
XXXXXXXXXX
Diego held up the detonator, looking around at all of his hostages. They all looked back at him with absolute fear. This was it. "Ladies and gentlemen," Diego announced, "It's been emotional."
XXXXXXXXXX
The person jumped down from the ledge of the hotel, and landed on a police car. All of the police officers were poised to shoot. The person climbed off the car and pulled off their mask. "It's Lightning Girl, Jessica Mastriani!" Tom yelled, "Hold your fire, hold your fire!"
"The lobby's wired to explode! Get everyone out!" Jess shouted, and ran to the police. You've got to get everyone out now."
XXXXXXXXXX
Suddenly, Rob ran up and punched Diego. Diego dropped the detonator, and he and Rob began to fight. Everybody looked on, terrified.
Alex picked up the detonator, where it had fallen at his feet. He was about to press it when he felt a hand on his arm.
"Don't," Lena begged him.
XXXXXXXXXX
"Hit them with the tear gas. Go on my command," Tom ordered, trying to hold Jess at bay.
Jesse moved forward, his hands in his pockets and looked worriedly at the lobby. CeeCee held her hand over her mouth, her other one on her belly. Helen took a few steps forward, but Andy stopped her from going any further.
"Jessica!" Toni tried to get to her daughter, but to many police officers were in her way.
XXXXXXXXXX
The tear gas shot through the glass doors, setting off the alarm. "Push the button, now!" Diego screamed at Alex, still fighting Rob. The gas was quickly filling up the room, but Suze still saw Paul go for Diego. They quickly disappeared. She knew he was going to take him to shadowland.
Suze saw Maria, Two, grab the detonator from one of the gunman and push the button. She lunged for the other woman, pushing and pulling her away from everybody. Suze thought of that long, foggy hallway with doors on either side and a starry night above.
XXXXXXXXXX
"They're going to know we're coming," Todd said as he put on his gas mask, getting ready to go in.
"At least they won't be able to see us," Rodriguez replied, also getting ready.
Jess stared at the lobby, wanting to do something since she couldn't take just standing here. Jesse leaned forward on the police car, worry written clearly all over his face. Screams and gunfire erupted from inside the lobby.
"Do something!" Jesse yelled at Tom.
"We got to get them out of there!" Todd said.
"Go. Go!" Tom shouted to his men. The SWAT team moved toward the lobby, gas masks on and guns poised. Everybody else looked on.
XXXXXXXXXX
The tear gas filled the entire room that none of the hostages knew which way to run for the exit. The SWAT team made their way in, but nobody could pick them out. Most hostages clung to each other, too afraid to even move.
Nicholas picked up Tasha off the couch, and ran to where he pictured the doors would be. "Kara!" he called out to her as he ran. He coughed a little from the tear gas he inhaled when he yelled. Kara heard her boyfriend call her, but she couldn't see anything through the gas. She tried to help Adam to his feet, so that they could try to get out. Nicholas found the doors, and burst through them, the cold fresh air felt a like a slap.
We're not going to make it to the door in time, David thought. Time was slipping away from them; there was no time for thinking. Acting fast, he took Molly's hand and pulled her behind the front desk. David pushed her to the floor, and shielded her from the inevitable explosion.
"Which way do we go?" Lena asked Alex. She was clutching her arms, sticking close to Alex.
"I think it's this way," Alex said starting to lead her to the doors. Suddenly, one of the other gunman grabbed Lena from behind and started to drag her away. He intended to use her to get away, obviously. Alex didn't hesitate. He rushed the other man, and punched him, yanking Lena away.
Having lost the ring leader, Rob wandered around trying to find Jess' family. He had to hope and think that Jess made it out, so he went to get the others. By the couches, Rob finally saw a shadow lying on the floor. As he got closer, he saw that it was Jess' oldest brother, Douglas. Rob knelt down to help him.
XXXXXXXXXX
Jesse ran around the police car, closer to the hotel. He looked for his querida to come out so that he could hold her in his arms and never let go.
Jess couldn't take it anymore. She ran for the lobby. A police officer grabbed her before she made it that far. Seeing as he was poised to shoot any gunmen who came out, a paramedic took a hold of Jess, too. "No. No!" Jess exclaimed, struggling to get out of their grips.
"Come on, querida," Jesse whispered, searching desperately for Susannah.
"Rob!" Jess screamed.
Suddenly, the lobby exploded. A white light engulfed everything, and both Jess and Jesse were pitched backward onto the asphalt.
A/N: I can't apologize enough for the long wait I keep putting you guys through. I hope you haven't given up. Please review :D