A/N: I may have told a few people that when I was typing this chapter, it spiked to 12000 (actually 13000) but because I do not wish to get blamed for putting your eyes out... I cut the 3000 off to the next chapter, so there will be a cliff on the climax. Sorry...(at least you only need to deal with 10000, 'kay?)
The doctors and Chief could see signs of rush from the endoscopic surgeon- in Tomoe's disordered hair and occasional signs of sweat. It was certain that she sped through something- the question was if it was through a tornado or a hurricane.
Dr. Kimishima was the only one who wasn't able to see the frightened Tomoe's ragged appearance, but the sound of her apology for her to realize who just entered the room. "Calm down, tell us what happened..." Though it seemed obvious enough, she needed the details to get the chase started.
Dr. Tachibana was gasping- hard enough to lead Maria to say, "Damn...don't tell me you just ran all the way here from the mall?" The paramedic was then forced to help her friend to stand; the terror and panic was going to spread throughout the hospital like wildfire if any other staff member saw Tomoe like this. To her logic, Tomoe's exhaustion meant that she encountered a thousand roadblocks...of people- maybe the early Easter shoppers. "Naomi, give her a minute." As much as she would like some info, she can't push it.
"Even with your...skills-" Gabriel avoided descriptive words associated with 'abnormal' and continued on, "The message was almost twenty minutes ago. (Tomoe's fast as lightning for all I know...)" He shot a look at the complex device in the ceiling at the room and said, "We know they got her. Now what do we do?"
The medical examiner gave no answer. She assumed that everyone knew Tomoe was their only hope of finding the whereabouts of their doctor.
Hank and CR-SO1 keep quiet despite the state of affairs unraveling right in front of them. They were standing in the back corners of the room, waiting in tense silence. Interrupting though they knew nothing would just be a waste of time- doing so may make the chance of survival for the kidnapped doctor even slimmer.
Chief Patel, however, was about to explode in outrage. She felt the same as Dr. Torres, but this was getting way out of hand. "Damn it!" Swearing as loud as she did wasn't welcomed, but it somehow seemed appropriate enough that no one objected...though no one followed the example. Esha had fists slammed to the conference table and muttered, "I thought the kid would get in some trouble, but this is..." She then turned her head and mouthed 'impossible,' knowing that this time, it really was.
Tomoe finally managed to say under her breath, "Alicia and I...we were..." She released herself from Maria's hands and continued, "We were returning to Resurgam when a black vehicle-" Gabriel recommended that she 'speak plainly' so she said, "I believe three men were in it. They threatened to kill me-"
Dr. Cunningham cut Tomoe off and asked, "With what? If it was a knife...then you could've..." 'Fought honorably' was his next choice of words, but Tomoe answered 'guns' and he shut up after.
The witness went on, "Alicia had no choice but to..." Tomoe couldn't explain the rest- but the others were clear of what ended the phrase. All the endoscopic surgeon could say to defend herself was, "I couldn't...do anything- I'm so sorry-!" She could feel her eyes begin to well up, but no tears came out.
Those listening couldn't grow angry at Tomoe's plea. It was impracticable and completely useless to throw a fit at the single witness. No one could say much to comfort her, either, because it was apparent enough that everything was not 'fine' yet.
Dr. Freebird could only say, "We're glad that you are safe." He didn't think his words had much affect- she was still horrified as before.
"So can you give us a description of anything?" Dr. Kimishima asked hurriedly. "You say you saw three men, do you remember their appearances? And the license or model of the car? How about the street name? Anything?" Her desperation was beginning to unnerve the paramedic.
"Naomi, give her a break!" Maria's outcry quieted the medical examiner. It also surprised some of the others in the room- for they thought in the beginning that she would be willing to do anything to get Alicia back. "Tomoe just ran all the way here for god's sake!" But they had to agree with letting the witness catch her breath- it was unreasonable to give her any more reason to panic.
"I understand that, but we currently know nothing about this. What do you suppose we should do?" The voice coming from the speakers was serious, if not already. As Maria couldn't reply, Naomi stated, "Dr. Tachibana. Our hopes of saving Dr. Rosellini are on you."
Tomoe was conflicted.
She couldn't see the faces of the three silhouettes through the black screening of the car- she may be wrong with the gender.
She doesn't know the names of the brands of vehicles in the world. After all, she doesn't drive or operate such machinery...she was also foreign herself.
Though she may have been able to memorize the license plate number, it all happened too fast for her to remember.
The street name...she didn't know; Dr. Rosellini was the one guiding her, and they were in conversation at the time.
Though Tomoe explained not a thing to the others, they easily read her lost look and could tell she knew nothing that could answer any of Naomi's questions.
The room came to abrupt silence. Everything seemed hopeless.
"Wait!" Tomoe's shout came out of nowhere, but it sparked some promise. "Hanzou...He was not too far at the time- I sent him to follow..." The endoscopic surgeon then began to run out of breath again, even after how much time passed when she arrived. "We can still save her-!" She had a small sense of glory, though her actions have yet to come through.
"Good one-" Esha and Maria both said in collaboration. They expected some quick thinking from Tomoe, and here it was.
Gabriel wasn't expecting the butler to make such a move. "Nice one...(Though...for an old guy...)" He glanced to the side with a cigarette hanging from his mouth, thinking about the time when Hanzou somehow managed to enter a plane leaving Japan that was already in the air. "(That guy was able to catch the plane that time...I suppose he can chase a car...)"
"Then we still have a chance...Now we can only wait." The medical examiner said before the room went into silence once more. She was giving orders to her agent in the distance, then she too ran out of words.
They have no idea who abducted Alicia. They don't have names nor a single physical description.
They did know when the kidnapping took place and how it occurred, but not where or how the kidnappers know to get her.
They have no clue where the perpetrators are hiding. The message they received was anonymous, so it was doubtful they could figure out anything more about the location of the missing girl. All they could do was wait for the butler to return.
The last question: Why?
"Why would they go to such lengths as to kidnap her?" Dr. Sartre finally broke the long pause. Though this question may not be of any help, it certainly was worth asking. His words caused the others the grow curious enough to start talking amongst themselves.
The Chief and paramedic both felt the same. "Yeah, what kind of excuse do these idiots have to steal one of my best staff here?" Though Esha's words weren't exactly what was running through the others' minds, it was a good reason for her to be furious. "And what do these morons think they are- they better have one hell of a good reason!" Maria's harsh questioning wasn't as popular at the moment, either. Both went on their own spiels.
"All I know..." The medical examiner waited for the room to quiet down before stating, "Dr. Rosellini told me herself that she had every reason to believe that the group behind Sara's death was aiming for an incurable virus that could potentially become.. man's worst nightmare. But whether this is the same group, I wouldn't know." She had the computer mouse run around the screen while she was speaking, showing her impatience.
"This could be pulled by her best friend, the government, for all I know." Gabriel grumbled. His right hand was covering his cigarette and mouth as he went on, "Those guys were desperate to get her back. The news this morning couldn't just be a coincidence, huh?" His 'they're trying to cover you up' was not off the mark; so far it's all possible. "I mean, where else could a black car that came out of nowhere be from?"
Dr. Kimishima countered the diagnostician's reasoning, "No, they wouldn't approach this with such a transparent lie." The pointed hovered the words of the inbox message. "If they indeed kidnapped her, why would they send this in the first place?"
Dr. Tachibana, who heard the past few sentences, was shocked to hear the government being involved. "So...is this why Alicia was acting like such this morning..." She lowered her eyes to her own shame of not realizing earlier. "The national government..."
"Dr. Kimishima! They sent another message!" The voice was most likely who Naomi referred to as 'Little Guy.' As what he said, a few letters reading 'new' showed up on the upper right hand corner of the screen next to the word 'inbox' on the screen. But before the pointer had a chance to click on it, the agent added, "Also, I received word from Chief Wayne that the federals are on this case, too. If we give them a location, they're sending in U.S. Marshals..!"
"What?" Gabriel could take in that he was mistaken about his suspicions earlier, but the two last words from Navel took him a while to break down. "Those guys are sending in Marshals... (They don't even know if the kidnappers are on the most wanted list in the first place-)" He commanded to Naomi after taking the cigarette out of his mouth, "Show us you new mail, Naomi-!"
"No need to yell, Gabe." The mouse hovered over the blue word 'inbox' and clicked it. The message was even shorter than the last, and read:
'Moments ago-
She's dead.'
"No!" Dr. Torres was about to bolt out of the door- her destination was unknown, but she didn't have time to care.
"Maria-!" Tomoe felt the paramedic push past her. She knew this action was enough to cause the entire hospital to go into an uproar. That would become the worst case scenario for everyone- a professional hospital full of terrified staff.
"Hank! Hold her down-" Chief Patel's command was carried out with out a moment's hesitation from the orthopedic surgeon. She was barely able to control herself as she shouted upwards. "This has to be a lie-!" Her cry timed exactly with Maria's 'they killed her.'
What Esha yelled was what the others hoped. No one was able to support or deny the reliability of the message. CR-SO1, Gabriel and Naomi were the ones left brainstorming a reason to prove the lie in the message to calm Dr. Torres and themselves for the matter.
There was a long pause. Tomoe, seeing the solemn face of the diagnostician, lowered her head and whispered, "It can't be..." Everything would be her fault- she would never be able to forgive herself. "Please, Dr. Cunningham...Dr. Kimishima- please tell me how this is false!"
Tomoe's upset face was another thing Gabriel really wouldn't want to see in his lifetime- it somehow reminded him of Joshua, who was still in his office, unaware of everything that was going on. "I know for a fact that this has to be a lie, something ain't right." The 'Master of Deduction' title was put on the line for real this time. He looked at the bleak message for a while, then to the sides. "There has to be something..."
The left showed the column of the basic rundown of the e-mail program. This wasn't much worth looking at. The right- wait...for this short of a message, why would there be a scroll bar?
"Is that it?" Dr. Sartre noticed the same thing, following the direction Gabriel was looking in. His words sparked the attention of the other doctors- especially Maria, who was suddenly stopped struggling with Hank.
Dr. Cunningham hastily commanded, "Naomi, scroll down." As ordered, the medical examiner clicked on the scroll bar and slid down, revealing the rest of the message.
'68riykhmbn '
Confused looks were seen throughout the room. Gabriel didn't have time to comment on them, but he would've have especially said Maria's was priceless. The kid's was somewhat of at sight to behold, too.
It was clear Dr. Kimishima was taken by surprise as well. "Is it.."
"A new slang?" The diagnostician's serious expression didn't quite match the pun he gave, but Esha still glared at him for it. "What? If the kid were to leave us a note, she wouldn't put it in code. I don't think she would have spent much time to make 'I'm at so-and-so' complicated." He was being pretty sensible- and everyone knew that.
"Does anyone know what that means?" Esha muttered out after a long stare to the screen. She couldn't think of a fitting acronym, particularly for the two numbers in front of the jumble of letters. "(This is giving me a migraine...)"
CR-SO1 came up with a more precise explanation, "She's still alive- she could have hit the keyboard before they sent the message." He didn't get any praise, but subtle nods in agreement were made.
Gabriel finally spoke with his real opinion, "The kid's right. These letters come in a close order going down the keys." He then felt awkward- the only reason why he knew that was because he refused to use RONI's assistance to fill out patient charts, but that wasn't a bad thing right now.
"That's probably what did occur..." The medical examiner sounded as if she had something else on her mind. No one gave much attention, though.
"Damn it-!" Dr. Torres broke away from Hank's hold. "Tomoe-!" Her shout wasn't necessary to get the weary endoscopic surgeon's attention. "Where's your butler already?" Tomoe showed no sign of angst with Maria's demand.
The other doctors and Chief watched as Tomoe clapped her hands and called the butler's name. And a split-second later, an aged man dressed in formal clothing appeared out of nowhere beside Chief Patel, responding to the summon, "Yes, Milady?"
Gabriel that noticed nobody jumped except himself. He didn't think the guy would make it- maybe two years really didn't affect him at all... or did he really do anything? "Wait, did you follow?" It looked as if nothing happened to the old man; there was no sign of rush, injury, or the common back pain.
"The vehicle went north-north-east from 47th Street. They traveled approximately 5.8 miles further into the industrious areas and stopped at an inhabited warehouse." The results of Hanzou's chase sounded similar to RONI would say, just in a more raspy voice.
No one interrupted as Dr. Kimishima asked her agent, "Little Guy, did you copy all of that?" Her question was more of a command than a confirmation. Navel responded 'yes' busily, as he was searching for possible results.
The doctors were running out of patience, specifically Maria, who was the nearest to the door and had her goggles ready to put on. She was thinking of the place which Hanzou described. The butler remained quietly, to make sure his task was carried out completely. Though he was quite fatigued- he never expected the Lady to send him in pursuit of anything, for he was simply a butler.
"It's the abandoned Riverside Ironworks Storage...Take highway 46 and exit on 5B- the warehouse should be the about five minutes away..." The paramedic took note of the every direction Navel said. The agent then informed, "The Marshals should be there in a few minutes, I've sent the directions to your GPS, Dr. Kimishima..."
Naomi added, "Remember, we could be facing explosives or hazardous materials...So warn the federals and ask for special forces. And be sure to follow, Little Guy." She then noted to one of the doctors at Resurgam before disconnecting, "And make sure Alyssa gets dinner, Gabe."
The diagnostician grunted. He almost forgot about the kids- the rescue of the kidnapped one seemed more of a priority than getting dinner for the ones safely playing in his office. "Geez..." He then looked across the room to discover that there was another problem.
"Dammit-! Let's go already!" Maria's temper was the least of the diagnostician's worries- Esha blocking the way out was more of a problem. "Chief-!"
Chief Patel was at the doorway, shaking her head as she explained, "Sorry, but I can't have you guys on another field trip. Some have to stay behind." She looked at the five doctors in front of her and said, "At least one-"
Maria was not going to give up anytime soon. Tomoe would bring the honor subject up if she was denied leave. CR-SO1 had no reason to make an excuse- he's probably the first person to go. Gabriel did have a few reasons to stay behind, but he made his point during the whole 'conference' that he was interested and should come along.
Dr. Freebird was the odd man out. "I trust everyone will be alright?" He knew that he could easily save the damsel in distress, but looking at Maria's and Tomoe's determined faces, he had to pass the chance to them. "I'll stay..."
Dr. Cunningham thanked his buddy by a pat on the shoulder. He also requested, "You mind getting the two kids in my office something to eat?" After seeing Hank nod, he said, "I owe you one."
Esha stepped aside. "Alright, you four get our doc back here." She looked at Maria and ordered, "Take the ambulances- I'm sending you guys as first response from Resurgam...and don't do anything stupid, you hear?" The four doctors ran past her, Maria shouting 'you got it' and Tomoe saying, 'I promise' as they passed.
Those two paired for Maria's ambulance, while the other two male doctors were left for the second ambulance- following Maria to the destination.
Riverside Ironworks Storage
Inside
2:35 PM
"To think you're that feisty..." A chestnut-haired male with glasses chortled at Dr. Rosellini, who wasn't bound to anything, but didn't attempt to flee yet. He wore a umber-colored vest with a scarlet tie- and like the other two men in the area, he wore a lab coat and a black lanyard that had a complex card key attached to it. "I guess age doesn't really affect how stubborn you get..."
Alicia only grumbled into the darkness of the desolated room, "I can't say much different about you." She looked the youngest compared to the three, but was not at all intimidated by the fact. She sat against a cargo box, attached to what seemed to be an IV line... "I never imagined you all would go this far...even if it was because of him." Her cold tone was greeted by one innocent smirk.
The same man continued to chuckle, his brown eyes looked away to another silver-haired adult. Though his expression was warm, but his words weren't as soft. "You should thank Eric for letting you get a second on the keyboard..." He glanced back at the girl and sighed, "But he did give you a pretty good deal."
"I'm not well known for keeping promises to arrogant people." The girl snapped. She glanced cautiously at the 'Eric' the guy in front of her referred to. This 'Eric' was working hard- with some hazardous looking fluids at a table filled with racks of dark-colored vials. He wore a black jacket and shirt under his lab coat, his lifeless blue eyes focused on the mixing process. The rest IV line that was attached to Alicia was at the man's reach- what he was about to do with it was unknown. Dr. Rosellini remained settled and sighed, "I could easily get away."
The 'guard' watching the captured doctor laughed and shrugged, "Wouldn't you rather stay behind to check out what we're doing...?" He winked at her with caring eyes and said, "You know us, and we know you...don't think this is going to be any more complicated..." The man then turned his head away and called, "Hey, Chris...got any news of outside?"
There sat a blonde man of the same age and height as the guard holding an open laptop on a crate. He groaned, "Stop annoying me." He wore a dark maroon shirt and had the same lab coat and lanyard- the most distinguishing feature was the silver chain with a cross dangling from his neck. He only raised his dull yellow eyes once at the talkative 'guard' and chided, "You do your job. Quit getting on my nerves with your babbling; Eric and Mirana would be happy to shut you up if you need help."
"No thanks." Everything that 'Chris' angrily scolded about was taken lightly by the 'guard.' He spun around to face the girl and sat on a nearby crate. His once-gleeful tone dissipated into a dark, brooding one when he asked quietly, "So, when do you think your heroes are coming to rescue you?" He expected no answer from the captured doctor. His sharp hazel eyes peered to the side as he said, "They'd be in quite a surprise when they learn about what Eric's planning...I don't think we can take prison after this..."
The girl closed her eyes and sighed, "I'm well aware of what's happening before me. To be frank, Matthias, I don't give a damn for what'll happen to you." The man disapproved of her negative comment, but didn't respond to her chilling words. "You may leave me alone now."
"Thank god for Mirana...always knowing what to say at Matt's face..." The blonde man typing rapidly on his black laptop sneered. He returned to working- his work, based on the prisoner's point of view, was to keep track of outside movement and keep out interference for as long as possible.
"Not appreciated." The 'guard,' now revealed as 'Matthias,' looked back at the girl with furious eyes. "So you do remember...huh. I thought he put it out for good." He grabbed the girl's arm and glared in a mocking way, "I think you should worry more about yourself, remember where you're at now." As the kidnapped girl tried to pull out of the his grasp, he said, "Because you're gonna become the one patient those doctors will regret saving..."
"Enough, Matthais..." The man who was working at the table with volatile fluids commanded. His voice had no distinct tone, but it was clear that he was not pleased when he said, "Don't forget what he told us. Stop wasting time with her." He then said to the kidnapped doctor monotonously, "Excuse his actions if you are able."
"I still can't believe he made you leader..." Matthias forcefully threw the girl back to the crates as he stood up. "Are we screwed yet, Christopher?" His composure had completely changed- his casual, friendly presence was completely drained out into an unmerciful, dark one.
With his name called, the bland man stood up as well, with the laptop held by one hand and the other on the mouse pad. "The feds are sending the Marshals in. The command was just given out." His attention was to the 'leader' of the operation, Eric. "I put the lights out on the road and began to jam all communications, but don't think that's going to hold them for long. They'll be here in ten minutes. Eric, we should get started now, if you want to make this happen."
Alicia looked at the IV line that was attached to her arm- specifically to the spot where the black bruise was. She lowered her eyes, for she knew what the three researchers now intended to do. "The fact you did something similar to Isabella before me makes me sick." She looked up to the ruing leader of the group, who finally had an expression. "This is one brutal retribution you wish to carry out."
Eric turned away from the girl and sighed, "You are against it, aren't you?" He didn't receive and answer and looked back. "This isn't justice, it's as simple as a man's desire to harm another." The other two followers were still silent from the girl's first statement. The blonde was first to object, "Isabella was with us- what happened to her was an accident." The other put it in another way, "It was a slight flaw in out part."
"Means and methods are supposed to mean nothing to us...huh?" Dr. Rosellini closed her eyes and replied, "I'm against this." She raised her crimson eyes to the three men in front of her and asked, "You all aren't as radical as Aaron, but...I thought you three would keep a quiet life with the freedom you all had. Not this."
Mathias took off his glasses and advised, "Sedate her already, we don't have much time left, Eric." He then said, "If I were you, I wouldn't. The sedating would only get in the way." His eyes seemed darker without the glasses, but his sight was not at all affected. He walked away- out of the view of the girl.
The dim room became somewhat brighter as the two old lamps placed on the sides the room were turned on. Christopher, the blonde man who was in charge of stalling the outside rescuers with a computer, shut the laptop and went with the leader to the table. "I really don't want to do what Matt said, but he's got a good point, those Marshals are closing in." He glanced back at the girl, whose silver hair was disordered after the small fight with the 'guard,' and apologized briefly, "This is gonna hurt Mirana, sorry."
"You really need to apologize...?" Though Alicia could flee right now- all exits seemed to be impassible. Resistance would have to wait, along with the reinforcements. "(By the looks of it...he's not lying at all.)" She noticed that the inside of the IV line already had motion, sharp, intense pain followed momentarily.
On the Road
2:47 PM
Four vehicles chased the pursuit of police and Marshals: two ambulances and two normal, everyday cars. Those driving immediately discovered that all traffic lights were put out in the area, causing a large number of car jams even to the highways and basically their entire path.
Dr. Kimishima's Car
Agent Navel and Dr. Kimishima were in separate cars, but their cars were each equipped with a hands-free communication device. Naomi, who had the advantage of the GPS, was able to find a different path that had smaller streets.
"The kidnappers must have found a way to hack into the traffic light system..." Little Guy's statement was already obvious to the medical examiner. "Dr. Kimishima, at this rate, we'll reach the destination in an hour...if we're lucky." The agent's voice was out of hope.
"The group with Chief Wayne are arriving from the other side... Little Guy, if we could get off the highway and use the neighborhood streets, how long will it take us?" Naomi's eyes were looked to the edge of the freeway- the road below was less crowded and could give them a chance to reach the hiding place of the perpetrators in time. "There's an exit to the right of us here."
"If we can get off there, we should be able to reach the storage in less than fifteen minutes!" Little Guy reported- he then asked, "Should I tell-"
"You can tell them, but that'll cause the streets below to get jammed." Naomi switched lanes to get closer to the unused exit. "They'll figure out soon enough. Take this exit." She looked up into the mirror showing the cars behind her- the Resurgam ambulances were far in the back. One of them constantly make honking noises, which was beginning to start a wave of beeps and horn sounds among the cars stuck on the highway.
"Alright, Dr. Kimi-" The line sounded as if it was hung up, but the medical examiner knew better than that.
"They cut off communications, it seems." But Naomi was sure the agent got her message. She neared the exit and mumbled to herself, "These kidnappers seem more experienced to be simple enraged citizens..." She had her hand on her right pocket, which held her cellphone. As she waited for the path to the exit becomes clear, she hoped that the abducted doctor could stay alive long enough.
Resurgam Ambulances
The radio transmission to the other ambulance was cut off as well, but it was not as much of a disappointment for the driving diagnostician and sitting surgeon.
It was safe to say the ambulance the men were in were the last of the smaller vehicles in pursuit. "Damn. At this rate, the kid's gonna be long gone and those idiots would escape..." Gabriel was about to pull out a cigarette and light it up while he was waiting. This jam looked like it's going to take days.
Dr. Sartre was in the passenger's seat, trying to look for the beginning of the obstruction of cars. It was endless from where he was sitting. "Isn't there another way to get there?" He tried to speak over the increasing volume of the horns from the cars in front of them.
"Can't hear ya, kid...Maria's making a riot with the horn..." The diagnostician actually did hear what the surgeon said, but was already way ahead of looking for an answer. He skimmed the road in front of him and looked for a way out of the mess. "There's an exit- it's not 5B like Naomi's agent said...but the road below looks clearer. Should we take it...?"
The question was slightly rhetorical, and the passenger had little reason to give this much thought to voice his answer. "Yes-" He continued with a question to the driver, "Do you know the way from there?"
"I need to get Maria off, too. She should be able to take us from there." Gabriel gauged the distance from the two ambulances. "Hey, kid. You think you can hold onto the wheel so I can run out an tell her?" It didn't occur to the one listening that he was fooling around.
"But-" The one thing Dr. Rosellini always used to make fun of him was the fact he didn't have a drivers license.
The diagnostician undid the seat belt and opened the door, not at all catching on to what the surgeon said. He darted past the cars, which all honked even more madly.
CR-SO1 yelled, "Hey!" He was then confronted with the problem of keeping the car still. He grabbed onto the wheel and rushed into the driver's seat, accidentally hitting the horn button and causing the diagnostician to react suddenly by ducking at the loud noise in the process. With the little experience he had, he accidentally stepped on the gas as well. The ambulance moved a foot before the surgeon caught his mistake and switched to the brakes.
The ambulance was close from running the diagnostician over and into the blue car in front of it. Gabriel hastily slipped by and went to the window where Maria was pressing the horn button wildly. "Maria!" He slammed his fist on the window, hoping at least Tomoe saw him so Maria could notice.
The paramedic opened the door and had a quizzical face. "What do you want, Gabe?" She heard what the diagnostician had in mind and looked at the nearby exit on the right marked 4A. "Yeah, I saw a couple of cars go out there..."
"Well, they're smart. If we do the same, would you know how to get to that warehouse?" Gabriel then glanced back at the ambulance the surgeon was operating and said, "Nevermind, just do it. We'll follow; just make sure we get there fast." He sprinted back without Dr. Torres having time to object.
Maria closed the door and had a blank face as she looked at the traffic ahead. Tomoe asked her about what diagnostician had to say, but the paramedic was busy elsewhere. She was concerned that Gabriel completely left out the fact that she was the one honking away and starting the mass of loud noises. "(...Uh...)"
Tomoe turned her head to face the front and murmured, "I hope Alicia's alright..." Her voice was unheard of because of the outside noises.
Dr. Torres could tell what the passenger said through her somber face. She faced forward and looked for a gap to squeeze the ambulance through. "Hang on there, Alicia..."
When Gabriel returned to the ambulance far behind Maria's, he was welcomed with an angered expression from Dr. Sartre. "You didn't tell me you were that clueless...(This kid almost ran me over...)" The driver waited for the passenger to switch seats and regained control of the ambulance. He then waited for a chance to switch to the right-most lane to get off at the exit.
Riverside Ironworks Storage
Inside
3:12 PM
"Looks like they're here." The chestnut-haired man, also known as 'Matthias' to the other assailants, was at the far corner. He noted the incoming presence of officials even though it was obvious through the loud sirens. "Should we go according to plan, Eric?"
The leader was watching the condition of the kidnapped doctor as he was asked the question. "...This part of it was up to you..." He was in a crouched position, his pale blue eyes only glimpsed at the watchman only once. "I think it's not necessary. If we continue this, she won't be able to stay conscious for much longer."
"You're the leader, make a decision." Matthias said irritatedly as he walked closer to the captured girl, who was as the leader described, almost unconscious. "You want this to be effective...right?"
The third man, Christopher, was at the table with a face full of angst and hesitation. "...I know we don't want to kill her...but if it does..." He stopped, knowing the others got the idea. "We'll be long gone, but don't you want a chance for them to survive...? She's it."
The other two were silent. The sound of sirens were growing, and they needed to choose quickly before their work was all in vain. "...Mirana, want to tell us your opinion?" It was the watchman that asked the question, but not in a desperate manner.
Dr. Rosellini was still in a sitting position, but she felt like she was about to lash out at the others. She couldn't believe herself to be able not pull off the line for this long...whether it was a wise move or not, remained unknown. "Hah...you're asking for my thoughts?" Her breath was very weak, giving the three men more doubts on resuming. "Indecisive..." Though in a mocking way, her face showed no smile. "It all depends on how you wish to be remembered as."
Eric lowered his eyes and stood up. Christopher read this action as, "You really want her alive and well, huh?" He turned around and looked at the table and vials in front of him. "Her best chance of survival was if we didn't do this in the first place. If we're gonna keep at it..."
"Matthias...go ahead with your side of the plan." The silver-haired man commanded in a resentful tone. He looked back at the girl and said, "We need as much time as possible." He glanced at Christopher and announced, "We're continuing."
The brown-eyed 'guard' grinned slightly as he swiped a gun from the table counter and loaded it. "...Letting me do the most difficult things. Can't say I like the way you think, Eric- but it's sure nice of you." As he finished loading the barrel of the firearm with six bullets he sighed, "Though I think you're regret it once you learn the next victim's got a family or something." After his small tattle, he set out to further in the building- where he awaited forces from a connecting edifice to arrive.
"Matt sure likes to take his time..." The blonde man grumbled as his hands were diligently working on a next combination of fluids. He then looked at the leader shadily and asked, "...Did he get it yet?"
"No. None of us are receiving it, not until..." Eric paused, his answer was filled with uncertainty, so he simply put it as, "The last moment..."
Outside
3:24 PM
As the 'first responders' from Resurgam same upon the scene, they searched for a way through their next obstacles:
The hordes of local police, the government-promised Marshals, the rows of vehicles, annoying media staff and their equipment, choppers flying overhead, and to top it off, denial of entry into the warehouse.
Maria was first to act up from hearing Naomi admitting that no current action was being taken by anyone except the surrounding of the building and it's exits. "They can't just stand there, tell them to-"
"Dr. Kimishima! The jamming has been cleared..." Special Agent Navel interrupted with a laptop in his hands. "One group of the local police force found an entrance through another building- but one of them was put down and captured, they're waiting for commands from above..!"
"What? How..?" Naomi was already busy with the reasons behind the kidnapping, but a hostage just made things worse.
Navel replied to her, "It was the old 'back off or I'll shoot' method. The local police aren't too experienced with hostage situations..." His frustration was copied by others.
An older African-American in a trench coat stood near the group. Chief Wayne. Or plainly, David Wayne. "Tell them to hold back for now- focus on securing that possible escape route." His glasses received a strong glare from the sun that it was hard to tell who he was at first. "I've been told they are in possession of some very dangerous chemicals."
The medical examiner had a hand on her chin as she thought of what to do next. She heard Maria shout out more unnecessary calls for action and replied, "There may be flammable or explosive fluids in that storage house, blowing off the roof will just make things worse." She eyed the diagnostician farthest from the group and asked, "Gabe, what are you doing here?"
Dr. Cunningham was occupied staring at the two helicopters circling the building. He didn't answer, knowing that Naomi wouldn't think of him as that irresponsible. At least he hoped not. He simply pulled out a cigarette and lit it peacefully despite the noise-filled air of the area.
Naomi shook her head and turned back to her agent. "Little Guy, read us all the information you have on the situation." The diagnostician was the least of her concerns. "Oh, and do have we any idea of the ones behind this yet?" That question didn't come into mind in a while, but it was one that was still on everyone's mind.
"Not yet... there aren't and working security camera's in the storage building..." Navel could only say, "All we can confirm is that one of the perpetrators is male and that there are two hostages." He didn't have anything else on identities of those involved, so he continued with information about the structure, "All exits are now watched and reinforced...There are two ground exits and one connecting through the main building of the ironworks. The ceiling and rooftop are also covered, but it's unlikely that the assailants will take those routes. Oh, and this place was abandoned about five years ago."
"Dr. Kimishima, is there a way in?" Dr. Tachibana, who couldn't keep silent any longer, asked in a hasty way. Her wrinkled clothes were unchanged from when she first struggled during the abduction and arrive at Resurgam.
"I know there are lives on the line, but I can't speak for the higher officials." Naomi's words didn't satisfy anyone, which was to be expected. "And even if we could somehow enter, what would we do then? I doubt they'd would be as generous as to negotiate peacefully."
The fiery-spirited paramedic was growing more restless by the second. Her temper was about to spike. She growled, "So you're telling us that we came all the way here, just to wait for absolutely...nothing!" She managed to keep her hands and legs from doing anything irrational, but it won't be long until she thrashed out her full anger.
Naomi, David, Navel were completely clueless on how to respond to Maria's outburst without her erupting further. Tomoe and CR-SO1 remained as they were, but not at ease with what was just roared out. Sirens were the only things heard loud and clear.
Gabriel, who was only trying to get a view at the afternoon sky, couldn't be any more irritated by the whole scene. He leisurely stated, "Hey, though I'm not a fan of the way she said it, Maria's got a really good point." He took the cigarette from his mouth and broke off the ashed part as he sighed, "We came here to get the kid. Telling us we can't save her is the same thing as telling us we wasted time to get here." He looked at the three that held some control of the situation as he placed the cigarette back in and said, "If you're not going in, then at least let Maria and Tomoe loose. The kid may want in, too."
Dr. Torres let the small insult slip by as she agreed, "Yeah, send someone in or just let us do it!" Her foul mood seemed to be replaced by utter determination and unrelenting courage. "So what's the hold-up?"
"I can understand why you all want to enter..." Naomi then stared at the diagnostician. "Gabe, do you really have any reason to be here?" She was, in a way, delaying the doctors. Though it's true that she would like to enter herself, they had almost no chance of gaining permission.
Dr. Cunningham groaned, his back was turned from the others as he murmured, "I just want the kid back so Joshua and your kid won't go freaking out...and by the way, they're probably watching the TV right now...do we look-"
"Maybe if you actually stand over here and look somewhat focused and professional, you won't look as much of a bumbling idiot..." Naomi murmured under her breath. She took the real answer to be a secret the diagnostician just doesn't want to tell and continued on. If Alyssa really was watching, then she really shouldn't be wasting time. "Little Guy, let's see if the government is willing to let a few people in."
"...R-right away, Dr. Kimishima!" Navel began working on his laptop at blinding speed after the medical examiner's implied command. He also kept in mind that young Alyssa was probably eying him as well...
Maria had her hands on her hips and questioned, "Why is the gov in this in the first place? Since when do they-" She was cut off by Naomi.
"From the very beginning." The silver-haired woman frowned as she answered. "But last time they granted us access because we had Dr. Rosellini at our side to confront her husband, coincidentally." She began to ramble for a bit. "No, it wasn't a coincidence..." Naomi looked at the group of doctors and asked, "So how do you plan on taking care of this? Also, how and where will we be entering? I hope you have this thought through."
The one out of the doctors who showed the most tension and impatience on her face was Maria, who never needed to think twice or more in most cases of her occupation.
Tomoe took in a deep breath and called, "Hanzou." It was expected for what to happen next, but still too random for a butler to appear by her side at this time. "...Do you have a strategy on how we approach this..?"
The everyone never anticipated that the endoscopic surgeon would call out her butler; many didn't react too rashly, with the exceptions of the first-time Chief Wayne... "My...!" And the lousy diagnostician. "My god, Tomoe!"
"If you would give me a minute." Hanzou was also not foreseeing another summon, but at least this time it wasn't for a pursuit. He evaluated the building and every detail of the area around it. "I'd presume from what I heard that this connection of the main building and this structure is the closest to those who had kidnapped our fellow doctor...perhaps it would be the wisest to go there? Now that the enemy has abducted another official, that should keep them well occupied if not yet. As for the course of action, I would think the best way is to remove that firearm, secure the hostages' safety and call for reinforcements."
"You heard the entire thing..." Gabriel was the only one to express his disbelief, as the others just disregarded the fact that the butler was with them the whole time. He tossed aside that note and asked Naomi, "We have permission to break in yet?" He made it sound like a rampage, knowing Maria was going to be the first one to bolt in, destroying everything and everyone that gets in her way. Maybe not that, but at least someone was going to get bruises. Hopefully, not him.
"Little Guy...?" Naomi spun around to face her agent, who waited with his laptop in hand. "How many?" She immediately read his face to learn that he would say 'yes;' it would be surprising for him if the government granted the request.
"...Three. As last time." Navel didn't think Dr. Kimishima could tell so easily. He turned the laptop for all to see if they needed to reconfirm the data. "I don't have the special camera and microphone this time...You'll have to go in on your own."
"I'll call through the cellphone." Naomi said. She turned to the group of doctor and said, "Who's coming? I'm interested to see who's behind this-"
Maria gave the screen of the laptop a long glare. Last time, it was Naomi, the kid, and Alicia who went. This time, it was Tomoe who must go. Naomi was interested, and the kid was still kind of a must-have. Gabriel and her were going to be the ones left out. Oh, and Tomoe's butler didn't really need permission. "I...will...uh..."
Dr. Tachibana looked to Dr. Torres, hoping to convince her, "Please, it's my fault that Alicia in there...Maybe not entirely my fault, but I let this happen- you must give me a chance to-"
Tomoe's face was enough for Maria to give in. "Alright..." The paramedic crossed her arms once more. "I'm waiting out here. But if I see trouble, I'm coming." She planned to wait at the front entrance- whether it was with Gabe and the others, she didn't know. "Don't make me wait too long...I'll be right in the front."
"Hanzou, I'll expect that you do the same, I want you to take any action to prevent serious injury..." Dr. Tachibana said, "I hope this can solve out peacefully, but this isn't the case..." She received a nod from her butler and walked up to Dr. Kimishima and Dr. Sartre, who were waiting for her to finish preparations.
"Good luck..." Chief Wayne didn't know what other thing to say, this wasn't his choice to make. "And be careful." He saw that Navel and the burly, green-haired diagnostician didn't say much, so he felt like giving the blessings of a safe return.
"Before you enter, I would like to mention that the enemy comprises of three...they also have a firearm, from what is learned. I would recommend that you make wise plan of action before taking them.
As the three had set off to the main building, a shot was fired- the sound coming from inside the building. The sound of voices and moving people were gone, only the overhead choppers and sirens made noise. Someone was injured or possibly even dead; the question was who.
Inside
3:49 PM
"He's dead." Matthias spoke now as if he was the ringleader of the group- he had just shot down, permanently, the officer he ambushed. "We're done, right?" His face lacked fear as he asked the question.
The blonde-haired male was stunned. He then saw the blood splattered on the floor and tried to look away from the corpse. "Matt, you should've at least..." Christopher paused as he glanced at the one next to him, "I thought we made it clear that we weren't taking anyone..." He then quieted himself, seeing it was hopeless to argue. He only repeated the question, "Are we finished?"
The lifeless face of the leader looked to the merciless follower, but never addressed him as the other did. He looked at the unconscious doctor farther away from the murdered policeman and stated, "...I suppose we are." He took three syringes from the table and lightly walked over to the girl. He removed the IV needle from her arm- which no longer had signs of discoloration. "...We don't have much time. Use it at the...last chance."
Mathias placed the firearm on the cargo box between the two hostages and sighed, "This went by pretty fast. The grand finale is already here..." He went to the table and looked at the remaining vials. "...You used all of it?" He looked at the silver-haired man, fully wary of the consequences. But he received no answer.
"We still going fight, right?" Christopher asked as he sat on the crate where his computer laid. "When are they coming? That shot seriously scared them off rather than..."
The leader abruptly took the firearm and aimed at the laptop next to him. He shot after a second's wait. "That should cause them to hurry." He crouched once more to pick up the syringes, all filled only with the tiniest amount. "Here." He threw one to each of the other two.
"What the-" The man who was sitting down was put onto his feet. He caught the syringe, but was still amazed at how fast the leader shot and destroyed his computer- specifically, the motherboard of it. He didn't feel any remorse for the destroyed machine, though. Christopher grumbled, "You two..." But it was getting to his nerves that no one gave him any warning.
"Great. I was going to contemplate on how we spent our time together...looks like I'm out of time. Now they think we really shot her dead." Matthias went to check the exits. "...We got company." He immediately noted the two lab coats worn by two out of three of the group. "Doctors."
Dr. Kimshima, Dr. Tachibana, and Dr. Sartre had already been spotted before they had time to plan out their next actions. Behind them were the local policemen, five total; they were too inexperienced to take much of a stand, though. The eight stood in the opposite side of the storage room.
"You would be the friends...I'd assume." The leader stood up and handed the gun to Matthais, who instinctively pointed it at the hostage. Eric said coolly, "She is still alive." His actions and words made it doubtful that they were plain mad- the reason behind the abduction was still hidden.
The five policemen pointed their guns as well, but couldn't do much at that point seeing that their captured co-worker was shot dead.. The three doctors who were slightly relieved to hear the news were then forced to think again as they saw Dr. Rosellini unconscious.
Dr. Kimishima took in their appearances in consideration. They looked like normal citizens, but evidence of the room and what was in their hands proved otherwise. The scent of a fire was in the room; she saw ashes and a dying flame to the far right of the room- burned string and plastic were in the debris. There was also a table filled with empty vials and glass matter- that must have been where the 'dangerous fluids' came from. A destroyed computer laid on a cargo box- it must have been the one to receive the latest gunshot. Last and most important, there was a small semi-transparent line that stretched from the table to next to the kidnapped doctor...was it an IV line?
For all this information let her come down to one question, "What did you do to her?"
The brown-haired man holding the gun answered for the group, "Telling you now will ruin the point of everything." He cocked the pistol with relaxed expression. "I suppose this will be a long wait?"
The other two didn't share the casual sense as he did, but they certainly didn't show much much fear for what'll come next.
The three doctors were unsure what to do. Tomoe looked at both Naomi and CR-SO1 hesitantly, but never announced what she was planning. Her attention was at the gun, which threatened the survival of Dr. Rosellini. She closed her eyes in decision. When she opened them, she had already taken action.
"What-" The man that held the gun realized that it was taken out. He watched as Tomoe slid the firearm on the ground. "...Not bad." He then grabbed Tomoe by the shoulder and held a syringe next to her neck. "Don't think it's that easy."
Dr. Kimishima picked the gun off the floor and pointed it at the assailant holding Tomoe. "It would be wise to give in now."
Outside
Same Moments
Dr. Cunningham and Dr. Torres stood in front of the door leading inside the storage. They were behind the butler, talking.
The paramedic was beginning to make pace. She muttered, "Dammit. That shot..." Her arms were crossed, but it was no sign that she wasn't going to go in for the diagnostician. "I hope she's not dead..." She lowered her head, waiting for some signal for her to barge inside. "Those idiots better not do anything stupid..."
"Tch, if she's dead then they would be done with this place." Gabriel grumbled. He swerved the cigarette side-to-side in thought and said, "Besides, that kid's way too tough to just die like that..."
"Hah, you're gotta be kiddin'. It's like every moment I look at her, she's dying one way or another." Maria grinned as she spoke. "But yeah, I guess you got a point there." She got out of her happy mood and looked back at the current situation. "Right now..."
The diagnostician tensed up a bit. Right now 'tough' really doesn't cut any slack on how soon you can get shot. "...She'll be fine. Every time we try to save her, it always work out..." he then saw the uneasiness on Maria's face and threw in, "You know, I never see you get injured these days. (Even though you always jump into things headfirst...)"
Maria's green eyes faced Gabriel's yellow ones as she replied at the random statement, "I can't say that I find that funny, but come to think of it... Tough people get in the most trouble these days, huh? I used to see Hank breaking with a bunch of sweat, but now not anymore."
"Hank, huh?" Gabriel always thought hid old buddy as the one with all the muscle, but ever since that purple-eyed girl came by, he's a bit different. "And the kid?"
"Huh? Which one?"
The diagnostician shrugged. "Obvious." He took the cigarette out of his mouth.
Dr. Torres smirked. "You aren't talking about Alicia now, are you? If you put it that way, then she really is tough." She then eyed Gabriel curiously, "I can't remember the last time you said her name..." Her smirk grew into a laugh. "Still holding a grudge...huh?"
"What? I wasn't talking about..." Gabriel groaned and said, "Hey, focus..." He didn't enjoy being the reason behind Maria's joke. Tomoe's butler was looking at him with a face, too. "Geez. Just leave me alone..."
"I must admit, this is one of those rare occasions where you two would have a decent conversation." Hanzou said. He looked to the door and sighed, "Though it is somewhat of a disappointment that this idle discussion is during a time of danger."
The two were quieted as they heard the butler's words. They started to pass the blame to each other. "H-he's the one who started it!" "Me? Hey, it-"
Another gunshot was heard.
The outside gathering of people went silent once more- this time, the recovery was quicker. Media and news reporters were first to start the wave of noises. But this time, it was more chaotic than ever. The three that waited at the door looked at each other for a brief moment.
Maria uncrossed her arms and had them close to breaking down the door. Hanzou blocked the way, along with other forces there. Gabriel held onto her other arm in attempt to slow her.
"Get outta my way-" Dr. Torres tried yelling, but she was thrown back by Gabriel in the midst of chaos. "Gabe-! That could've been..."
"Calm down-! That could have been someone on our side that pulled the trigger!" His scolding significantly lowered the paramedic's volume. He turned to the Naomi's agent and boss not far behind them and called out, "Hey, do you two have any idea what just happened in there?" His cigarette was thrown out by the recoil when he pulled back Maria.
Chief Wayne shook his head slightly and said, "I can't say for sure that there are any injuries or casualties, but we cannot do anything until we receive word from Naomi that the assailants are no longer in possession of any potential weapon and threat..." He looked at the enraged Maria Torres and advised, "I know this is becoming a burden, but you have to wait more, an entry uncalled for can result in a disaster."
The paramedic made a 'humph' sound and glared at the barricaded entrance. "A disaster. Hah." She pulled her goggles to her forehead, mumbling, "Isn't it already..?" The diagnostician looked at her, amused at how composed she was at the moment. He agreed; a kidnapping, traffic jam, and getting shown on TV without permission was a 'disaster.' Though he wanted to admit, he had a really ugly feeling that this wasn't the end.
End Note: (It's short, kay?)
Wow! You made it this far! Okay, here's to my opinions:
I didn't feel like anyone was going to answer my questions, so I don't have any now. But I would like to know it I revealed too much about the future chapters. If it was obvious, please tell me!
Oh, another thing, chapter 37 is the resolution to this, and even with the extra 3000, it shouldn't be too long. (I'm expecting 7000 total words, tops). Also, I must commend the written edition of Trauma Team that surpassed this story's word count...Good for you, TwistedJabberjays! But as of now, this story is clearly not even CLOSE to the end... :3 (wait, that's bad for me... TT-TT)