Author's note.

This chapter is a little shorter, but I felt like I should post it to tie up a few loose ends...give you a little run down on what happened in the Summit room. Now our characters are safe from Dosa and out of the woods...*maybe*

Time to put everyone back together again.

Enjoy :)

Hollow voices echoed around him as Lucas attempted to put his head up, but he couldn't lift it. He felt a heavy weight on top of him, and his face was squished to the floor. He fought with all his strength to get up, but he couldn't move. Something had him pinned down. His heart was racing as he felt his adrenaline spike, and he felt himself panic as he frantically scratched at the floor to escape. He could hear footsteps and odd clanking noises. He strained his ears to make sense of the voices he was hearing but he couldn't. Everything sounded all jumbled up in his ears. He felt his stomach churning as he again struggled to drag himself out from under the burden on top of him. The weight was crushing him so that he thought he would be smothered. He heard whimpering, and it wasn't until someone said his name that he realised it was his own crying he was hearing.

"Lucas! Hang in there, kid; it's okay. We'll get you out."

Lucas kept crying and his weeping turned to sobs as he felt the weight lifted off of him. Instinct seemed to kick in and he jumped to his feet, immediately endeavouring to bolt away, but he felt strong arms wrap around him.

"Let me go!" he screamed in terror. His whole body was trembling all over. He couldn't stop the waves of panic from racking though his body.

"Shh, Lucas, it's okay. It's Colonel Hitchcock. You're safe, Lucas. Listen to me, pal, it's okay. It's over and you're safe." Lucas couldn't stop trembling, but the voice sounded soothing and safe. He felt his knees go weak beneath him and he collapsed. As he felt himself fall, he thought he saw Captain Bridger in a pool of blood on the floor. He heard a bloodcurdling scream as he fell into blackness.

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"Dr. Westphalen?" said a faraway voice. "Kristin?" A gentle hand on her cheek. "Can you hear me, Doctor?" Something warm being placed on top of her. A blanket maybe?

Kristin's eyes fluttered as she struggled to open her eyes. Blasting bright light hit her pupils as she blinked and tried to open her eyes. She struggled to move and cried out as piercing pain gripped her consciousness.

"Oww…" she heard herself whimper. She felt such burning pain in her chest as she gasped for air and began to cough. She looked up to see unfamiliar faces overtop of her. Her vision was blurry, and she was working hard to clear her head to figure out what happened. She felt her head being lifted slightly and then an oxygen mask was placed over her mouth. She immediately felt like she was being smothered and panic started to kick in. Relax, Kristin, don't fight it. It's oxygen, breath it in slowly, she reminded herself. How often had she had to restrain patients who panicked when the oxygen mask was put over their mouth and nose? The first reaction was to feel smothered. It was easy to forget when you were the one on the receiving end.

"It's okay, Kristin. It's just some oxygen to help you breathe easier. Don't fight it." Kristin stopped struggling and inhaled. "That's right, good; relax and breathe deeply now." The voice sounded soothing in her ear.

"You've been shot, and we're going to transport you to the hospital. Just relax and don't try to move. Everything is going to okay, Kristin." Kristin turned her head and tried to focus her eyes on the voice speaking to her. It was a man who appeared to be in his late twenties. He had a caring face with warm, honey-brown eyes. He smiled at her with compassion. Kristin found herself getting lost in the man's friendly eyes. She stared at him trying to clear her mind. Shot? How did that happen? She was attending a Summit, and they had just finished eating dinner. Where's Nathan? Lucas? I thought we were going to hear another speaker. She felt a sharp prick in her hand and she whimpered.

"Sorry, Kristin. I'm putting an IV in your hand; try not to move. You're going to be just fine." Kristin saw the man wink at her in an endearing way. He reminded her of Miguel which made a smile come to her face. Miguel was a nice man.

"Miguel?" She stumbled over the name, and her tongue felt thick.

The man seemed to understand that she was trying to figure out his name, and he patted her arm gently.

"My name is Kurt, ma'am. We're going to lift you up in a minute and get you on a stretcher. It may hurt a bit, but it will be over soon, alright?"

Kristin kept looking into the man's eyes. His eyes were so warm and kind. She found herself disappearing into his eyes like a dream. She could hear his voice speaking her softly in a captivating voice. She felt herself being lifted up and her whole body burned in agony.

"AHH. Oww! S-stop!" she murmured weakly.

The brown eyed man leaned over and winked at her again with a bright smile.

"It's all over, Kristin. You're okay now." Kristin felt another warm blanket cover her and she closed her eyes in appreciation. She felt warm and safe.

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Sam Sheppard pulled off his bulletproof vest and tossed it on the table. His head felt foggy and exhaustion was enveloping him. He collapsed into the chair in the command room and leaned his head against the wall. He wouldn't have believed what happened if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes. He never expected things to end like they did. Sam raked a hand through his hair as he remembered the chaos that ensued after the lady doctor shot off the weapon she stole from the tactical officer. It was obvious the woman wasn't in control of her faculties at the time. She'd knocked the officer to the floor, snatching the assault rifle and shooting Dosa in the head. It was a perfect shot. Better than any marksmen could have done and Sheppard imagined it shocked every officer in the room. Dosa crumpled to the floor, crushing the Wolenczak kid beneath him. The shock of the attack set off Dosa's men who opened fire in a panic on the rest of the room. Sam knew at that point that the men had nothing left to loose. They weren't going to surrender, and they were determined to take everyone else with them. The doctor was the first to be shot. The man called Zain took her down with a clean shot to the chest. Sheppard had been ushered back against a wall and shoved to the floor, unable to see much of what happened next. He did see the captain dive for the boy, only to be shot next, also by Zain. It was only a matter of minutes before the tactical forces took out the last two gunmen and the room fell silent. The hostage situation had finally come to a close in a bloodbath. When Sam had stood to his feet and took in the room, he felt his stomach lurch within him. The room looked like something out of horror movie. Everyone stood as if paralyzed for several minutes just breathing and trying to digest the devastation. Tactical personnel took off their helmets and other gear, dropping it to the floor as they gaped in disbelief. It had been a long time since any of them had seen a situation as disturbing as this one.

"Commander?"

The soft voice caused Sam to jump, his adrenaline surging once again. There was no doubt in his mind that he was still gun-shy. He didn't even know how long he'd gone without sleep. He was past being just edgy. He felt like there were no words to describe how he was feeling anymore. Sam rubbed his eyes trying to clear his vision and when he finally looked up, he saw Rick Hitchcock standing over him.

"Sam? You ok?"

Sam sighed. "No, to be honest, I'm not. I'm not sure I'm ever going to be okay again." Sam knew he sounded ridiculous saying that. That's a stupid thing to say, you idiot. Of course you're going to be okay. You're just exhausted.

Rick sat down. "It wasn't your fault, Sam. You did your best. No one likes the outcome, but it wasn't your fault."

"I know," said Sam, standing to his feet heaving a sigh. "Doesn't mean I don't feel like a failure."

Rick put a hand on his shoulder. "I've been watching the paramedics take out the survivors, and I am without words."

"How's the boy?"

"He's catatonic. I helped paramedics get him in the ambulance, but he's unresponsive. He's been beaten, his leg had a nasty, infected gash in it, and I'm not even sure of his other injuries," replied Rick, dropping his hand and shaking his head in dismay. "The poor kid is in shock."

Sam clenched his jaw. As much as the kid had been a huge thorn in his side, he never wanted to see the poor boy hurt so badly.

"Bridger?"

"Nathan was shot in the shoulder and again in the chest. One of the officers said he tried to grab for Lucas as Dosa fell and Zain shot him at a pretty close range."

"I saw that. That man should have stayed down." Sam felt his temper flare at the man's stupidity. What had Bridger been thinking?

Rick shook his head. "Lucas is his son, Sam; maybe not by blood but certainly in all the ways it counts. There was no way he was going to idly sit by and let anything happen to the kid if it was within his power to protect him. I've been told that Nathan was obsessed with keeping the kid safe, and Dosa didn't make it easy by any means."

"Is he going to make it?"

"I'm not sure. The paramedic said his prognosis wasn't good," admitted Rick, walking across the room to pour another cup of coffee. "Want one?"

"No thanks, at this point, I'm going to be peeing coffee for a month."

Rick smirked as he took a long gulp. "Dr. Westphalen is one lucky woman; that's for sure. She took a clean shot to the chest, and the bullet missed all of her vital organs. Paramedics said she will be just fine with time."

"That woman is senseless," said Sam, staring at the notes and pictures on the wall. He couldn't remove anything as it all needed to be carefully documented and photographed. Sam groaned as he thought of the reams of paperwork he had in his future as he made up reports of the event.

"She's a hero, Sam. She might have reacted out of a panicked protective instinct for Lucas, but she ended things."

"I'm not sure tactical is going to look at it that way," commented Sam.

"To hell with tactical!"

Sam burst out laughing. He didn't know where the laughter came from, but the look on Rick's face and his comment struck Sam as hilarious. His laughter was contagious and soon Rick erupted in laughter as well. The two men stood chuckling and laughing for several minutes until tears filled their eyes. The laughter had a way of releasing some pent up emotions for both men. Sam struggled to catch his breath as he leaned against the wall for support.

"I think I've lost my mind," he gasped as he attempted to catch his breath.

Rick clasped him on the shoulder. "No, my friend. Laughter is good medicine."

Sam took a deep breath and soon his laughter dissipated.

"Any of the other crew members survive?"

"Katie said that Miguel Ortiz and Tim O'Neill were both fine, with no serious injuries. I'm not sure of any other crew involved. Paramedics were taking out so many survivors. Many were just very shaken but unharmed."

Sam nodded feeling a sense of sadness settle over him. As many that were unharmed, there were so many more that lost their lives. The room had had a large pile of dead bodies in the centre. The memory sickened Sam. Such a senseless waste of life over the rantings of madmen.

A crisp knock was heard at the door and the time men turned to see Mitch Brady at the door. His face was downcast, and Sam thought he saw evidence of tears on the man's cheeks.

"Brady?" questioned Sam, wondering why the man was still on site.

"Do you mind if I come in a minute?"

"Not at all, please do," said Sam, ushering the man inside.

Mitch entered the room and sat on a chair against the far wall. Sam watched as Rick sat beside the young scientist. Something about Rick just radiated caring dad figure to all. Rick genuinely cared for everyone.

"Aw, Mitch, I can see how broken you are. Do you want to talk about it?"

Mitch's eyes flooded with tears and the man worked hard to blink them back. He cleared his throat carefully and licked his lips. The pain was so clearly visible.

"I feel numb," said Mitch, his voice barley above a whisper. "This whole thing is surreal. I got up this morning to come and teach a conference about keeping our oceans safe and clean for future generations. My colleagues and I didn't sign up to die. No one was supposed to die." The last word was choked out. Sam's heart ached as he saw Mitch collapse his face in his hands and sob. Rick put an arm around the younger man compassionately. Sheppard felt like he didn't know what to say or do to comfort Mitch. His head was in a fog and his stomach ached. He thought he could smell the odor of death permeating the whole building now that the Summit room's main doors had been opened wide.

"I'm so sorry, Mitch." Rick's soothing voice spoke softly. Sam was in awe at how much sympathy radiated from the Colonel. He touched Mitch's back in a fatherly way and whispered encouraging words that Sam couldn't make out. After a few minutes, Mitch gained his composure and sat up, wiping tears from his eyes.

"Ryan and Blake were not just my colleagues; they were my friends." Mitch's bottom lip was quivering as he spoke about his friends who were killed. "Ryan was going to be married next month. He asked me to be his best man." Mitch seemed to be looking at Rick for an explanation; like he wanted someone to help make sense of all the tragedy.

"I don't have any words to take away the pain, son. This world will bring us pain and suffering, there is no doubt about it, but somehow we have to rise above it and be men that still see the good in people."

Mitch nodded quietly as he continued to wipe his eyes and sniffle. Sam felt like he wanted to scream. What's the point of being a good man just to be targeted and killed for it? Maybe it's time to take action and just exterminate all the vermin like the rodents they are. When is it all going to stop? How many more innocent people were going to die because of revolutionists like Dosa and his mercenaries? Sheppard knew that Dosa would not be the last to steal innocent lives. And for what? They hadn't accomplished anything. And they lost their own lives as well. A foolish waste of time, resources and human life.

Sam looked up to see Commander Hitchcock burst in the room. Her face was white and she looked panic stricken.

"Daddy!" Sam was surprised to hear the professional woman address her father by that familiar name. The commander ran to her father and nearly fell into his arms in tears.

"Katie, what's the matter?" Rick wrapped his daughter in his arms. Mitch's eyes widened as he watched the scene as well.

"It's Captain Bridger; the paramedic said they don't think he's going to make it. They just used the defibrillator paddles on him a few minutes ago because his heart stopped."

Sam, Mitch and Rick all glanced at each other in silence while the commander began to weep.

Rick stood to his feet in determination. "C'mon Katie, let's head to the hospital. I'd rather not speculate on what the paramedic said. Let's go find out the truth."

Sam leaned back against the wall as he watched Commander Hitchcock and the Colonel leave the room arm in arm. Sam closed his eyes. As soon as he got up enough strength, he planned to go home and kiss his wife and kids. Life was too short to take people for granted.