Previously on The Essence of Existence…
"Wait, there's someone trapped underneath?" The first worker asks.
"Do you have any shovels? Maybe even a car jack?" Hastings asks the men as she digsaround the opening, or, she tries. The ground is frozen and it's to no avail. Mulder tries to squeeze himself through but he's too big.
"Scully!" He tries again, and now he sees movement.
"I'll see what we have at the tool shed." The Brooklyn guy takes off while the other stays behind trying to figure out a way to aid them.
"Mulder!" Her voice is low and exhausted as she coughs. She has to be wounded. "In here- We're in here."
-38-
He needs to get them out of there, fast. Mulder gets off the ground and looks around for something- a tool or another type of machine that could help. Getting the FDNY involved, even though he'd love to have a Jaws of Life handy, would raise too many questions.
"Quick, grab those pipes," he signals to Anne and the MTA worker. Stray metal pipes lay discarded just a few feet away. They drag them over and set them over a broken piece of the crane's arm that lays detached to the side to create an angle that could allow them to lift some of the wreckage.
"What are we doing?" the man asks. "Shouldn't we call the paramedics? The fire department?"
"No, push!" Mulder shouts. He pushes down with all of his might. The tenderness caused by Curtis' blows to his ribs pulls and burns but he doesn't care. For all he knows, they could be wounded and bleeding; he needs to take them out immediately. "Harder!"
The other MTA worker brings a pickaxe and successfully breaks ground around the opening, making the space just large enough to maneuver. Mulder signals for him to trade places so he can get to work.
"I think I can…" Mulder stretches and worms through the opening. He grazes her skin; it's covered in blood. She moves just slightly under his touch. She's alive.
"Grab my hand, Scully!" He strains; he can't move any deeper. "Scully… please."
They really don't have endearing names for each other, none that they've consciously established, but the way his voice drops with his plea, infused with all the urgency and love he could ever muster for the only person that managed to break through all the barriers of his self-imposed life mission… it speaks of a care and endearment larger than any concept. For that split moment there's just silence and the buzz of his blood tormenting him with the painful perspective that this might be the last time he feels the warmth of her skin.
Air comes back to his lungs in a rush when her grasp wraps firmly around his fingers.
"That's it, hold tight…" Mulder pulls, careful but swift. Scully grabs onto him strongly, one hand on his and the other hugging their son to her chest closely as he drags her out. He hears her moan in pain as they move and it worries him. But she's alive. Her eyes are looking at him deeply and relieved, with the most beautiful shade of blue he ever remembers seeing. She's alive.
"Are you okay? Is he okay?" He asks frantically as he helps her sit up. Her face is scratched, bloody, but there are no deep gashes to worry about. William is unconscious.
"I think, my ribs- but William… he just…" Her tears wash away the blood staining her face.
"Do you think we need to take him somewhere? Are you-? " Mulder whispers to her, frustrated and not even able to complete a thought as he checks on his son. His body is limp but his breathing is steady. They really cannot afford to go to a hospital, but he'll figure something out if the situation is dire enough.
"What do you want to do?" Hastings asks, careful and shy, trying to block the MTA workers from seeing William's face. He's gotta commend her for her discretion.
"His pulse is steady and he doesn't seem to have any wounds… but Mulder," Scully trips over her words, confusion written all over her features. "He just- if you'd seen him; he was the one that did this. He was the one that …killed her."
Mulder looks at the boy. A ten year-old- his ten year-old just managed to end someone's life… despite who it was, he can't help but feel a crushing sense of dread by the fact that he's had to do it. Who are you? What mysteries am I yet to know about you? Did he really kill a supersoldier? What's the extent of his powers?
"Sir," Hastings prompts again. "What do you want to do?"
Mulder checks on the officer's expectant face and Scully's. They need to do some serious damage control. He feels the faint movement of his son's body in his lap, stirring back to consciousness.
"William, buddy, are you okay?" He asks.
"I'll be fine," the kid assures him and tries to sit up.
Hastings steps aside as her radio sparks to life, LT's voice filtering through.
"Not yet, Will. Not yet." Scully carefully stops him from exerting himself and checks him further despite her own injuries. She avoids moving her right arm; she must have injured it at some point, but she continues and it's so like Scully to put everyone else before her.
"Excuse me, who did you say you were, again?" The African American asks, confused and obviously suspicious now.
"Agent," Hastings says, dismissing the man's probe. "LT is good to go."
Castle stands nervously. The shooting ceased and he can hear sirens approaching. A sense of dread and anticipation sits heavy in his stomach in a mix of emotions… Anticipation of what's to come. It's almost over, just a few more moments of uncertainty... followed by even more moments of uncertainty. Who is he kidding?
Four men have climbed down already, ordering him to evacuate, but he won't move yet. Not without her.
"No! Please!" A girl pleads, crying as they drag her down forcefully. A member of the cult, he gathers. Her face is young; she can't be much more than eighteen. Her brownish skin is splattered with blood that isn't hers and he wonders just how grotesque the scene is upstairs.
"You can't do this!" Another girl cries; she's even smaller, a weak looking dirty blonde with swollen eyes and a sob on her lips. "Please. Please we just want to go home!"
"Shut it." The man pushes them past him and towards the landing of the second floor.
"Move! Fast!" One man barks as he comes down, followed by Reyes.
"What's going on? Monica - Where's Kate?" Castle asks her while she surveys the evacuation. Fear is starting to get the best of him.
"Move, you two! Down the hall! The rest, down the shaft!" The rogue assassin orders, pushing the pleading girls forward. More men come down the stairwell, but there's no sight of her yet.
"Doggett and White went a level lower, they're okay." Esposito informs Monica. "Our captain has confirmed the deployment of the whole cavalry, so that's them we hear."
Everyone is escaping so where is she?!
"Castle, clear out," Reyes orders him. But he won't. He meets defiant eyes with the woman. Come down to me, now.
The sirens and patrol cars approach them and she holds Curtis, his body limp and leaning against the curb, cuffed; a noticeable bruise is spreading through his temple.
"Officer Velazquez, what's going on here?" Detective Sole climbs out of his unit followed by Karpowski.
"Detective Sole, just in time," Velazquez responds, jumping at her practiced explanation. "This is Curtis Weaver, sir. Hastings and I caught him about to shoot Agent Miller."
"The leader of the cult?" Karpowski asks this time. "Was he escaping the advance team?"
"Ma'am-" Velazquez starts, but Sole quickly shoots another question her way.
"Where's your unit?" This is the one that she was dreading having to explain.
"We- We were responding to a call about a detonation two blocks West." She continues with her script. "LT is over there checking it out, meanwhile Hastings and I canvassed the area and saw the scuffle."
Sole looks at her, as if trying to decide if he wants to believe her or not, but she makes her best attempt to seem nonchalant.
"Is he alright?" The old detective asks. "Did he have any part in that explosion?"
"I'd say so sir, though Agent Miller would be the one to give you the details," she improvises.
"And where's Miller?" Sole asks, naturally. "Where are Esposito and Beckett?
"Miller-He… took off with Hastings…" She tries to explain with a believable inflection. "They're checking the perimeter. As for the others…" Velazquez turns towards the direction of the complex in a silent nod.
An FDNY ladder truck passes them, blasting the siren and startling Curtis awake.
"Velazquez, put him in our unit," Karpowski orders. "And gather your teammates - get to the site already."
She nods her confirmation as an uncooperative Weaver fights back weakly. Karpowski hikes it towards the complex while Velazquez and Sole drag Weaver into the idling Taurus. The man huffs, reminding her of a raging bull, angry and manic.
She fears that a simple cage won't be enough to dull his intentions.
"Flanagan, is your crew complete?" Skinner asks as he comes down and lands near Castle.
"Yes, sir," the man commanding the rogue group responds right away. And then Castle hears the distinct and strong tapping of heels he's learned to identify over the years.
"Castle!" Beckett's voice calls out and he already thinks that - by far - this is the most beautiful and relieving sound he's heard in his life.
"God, Kate!" He rushes to her, trapping her in a tight embrace. Her hair tickles his skin and he revels in the feel of having her back. But it's short lived. They have to get moving.
"Carmichael! Grab that end. Jam it against the doors." Flanagan instructs, grabbing a heavy metal desk and both men hurry to drag it closer to the doors enclosing the hall, setting it up to block the entrance.
"Please, please don't," the second girl is on the verge of hysteria. It dawns on him that they're planning to trap them in the area that's about to be under the blast from the bombs they've set up on the roof.
"What are you doing?" Castle turns to the men, questioning them, outrage brewing in him. "They're just kids!"
"You were ordered to clear out. Get out of our way," Flanagan defies.
Esposito stands to the side, obvious hesitation written all over his face. He was once a soldier, but now he stands for different values. Values that he knows he stands strongly for. But Javier doesn't act on his impulses, even though Castle knows that the detective is aware he sees the injustice before them. For a moment his sense of impotence takes over him. He won't stand for it.
"No!" Castle exclaims, shaking his head. "I can't allow this madness anymore."
Beckett joins him in his objection, standing by his side in silent protest, her eyes meeting Reyes' troubled expression.
The moment dissolves as Beckett takes a step towards the door and the sobbing girls. Reyes tries to block her but Beckett stands defiant.
"Move out of the way," Kate orders, resolute. Castle has seen her this angry before and it never ends well. Reyes hesitates, and meets eyes with him as well. He can't play devil's advocate with this situation; it would betray what they stand for… even when he knows that the woman can make a logical argument to justify their intentions. "You two, out, with me," Beckett instructs to the younger women, helping them climb over the desk.
"Beckett if you do this, they become your responsibility," Monica warns.
"Then so be it," she states, dragging the girls away, their faces already showing a profound relief through their fear.
Monica looks away. She's holding back, Castle can tell.
"They won't be long," Skinner warns them, taking a look towards the end of the hall. The supersoldiers must have figured out their intentions or at the very least are just doing the natural thing and trying to escape this mayhem. They have to make it out and blast them before it's too late.
"What about Ally?" Castle asks, but as Skinner is about to respond they hear a dragging sound and the metallic pang of a fire door closing.
"Wait!" Diana's voice comes booming from inside and running toward them. "We bought us a few more seconds; they're locked behind."
"Move! Now!" Esposito shouts, urging the last of the group out and down the stairwell. The daunting woman climbs down before them, her jacket astray in her haste to run; Castle can see the signature that deems her inhuman. So can Kate, he confirms it when he meets her eyes. They get to the bottom floor and dash out, passing the bodies and the debris, through the West gate and onto the street.
"Everyone out?" Skinner asks, as he surveys the group.
Castle looks around; Beckett is tight by his side… Reyes looks up and toward the roof, expectancy in her eyes. Esposito is bent over, catching his breath… the rogue group of men sprawls around. Skinner meets eyes with him; he's checking his watch.
"It's been over three minutes," he says, looking back at the entrance of the building. "She should be out by now too."
He too looks intently towards the West gate. Come on, Ally… Make it out.
"This is some serious ammo, LT," Velazquez observes as she peeks into the dark van. "Who are these people? Are we even sure we're on the right side here?"
"That isn't the only weird thing. See this?" Tolliver climbs out the side door, landing on the blast stain and signaling to what he can only classify as a crime scene. "This is where the explosion happened."
"What could account for this undamaged area?" Velazquez asks him, grazing the change in texture of the paint job, curiosity obviously sparking wild.
"I don't know but- I think the right questions would be: Who were they attacking? Who was the attacker? Why so much ammo? And do we really want to know?" He cracks his neck and turns his head at the sound of an incoming car. It's their NYPD van. "Here they come."
Miller makes a U-Turn, backing the rear end of the vehicle closer to the rear end of their van. The doors open and everyone climbs out: the FBI agent, Hastings… and a woman and boy hiding his face in a black hoodie. They're both hurt if he was to judge by the way they walk.
"LT. Velazquez," Miller orders, hitting the ground running. "Transfer all of the load to their van."
"Who are they?" Velazquez asks, but Hastings ignores her while she helps him to move the boxes out.
The red head walks slowly towards the front of the other van. She's seriously hurt, wheezing and leaning on the boy and Miller; her face is bruised, blood stains her porcelain skin. That boy, LT considers… could it be?
"There were a couple of guys that came out looking," LT informs Hastings. "I sent them on their way, but it cost me fifty bucks. You're buying my lunch for a week."
Hastings meets eyes with him and he shrugs. It was better than to keep them hanging around for this.
"You know very well that your lunch bill goes much higher than that," Hastings retorts.
"Are they okay?" He asks this time. LT is starting to worry; he might not stand in the way, but that doesn't grant he can just ignore what's limping in front of him.
"Scully, I can't let you do this; you can't drive, you're not okay," LT overhears Miller say to the woman. Obvious worry is painted all over the features of the agent. She shakes her head, but only half-heartedly.
"Velazquez," Miller calls out after he's done helping Scully up into the van's front seat. The officer comes to him, cautious.
"As soon as we're done, drive her to the nearest hospital," he orders, weary, and for a moment it seems like he's hesitant about it. "Do not let the boy out of your sight. LT, Hastings and I will take the NYPD van back to the complex-"
"Aren't the paramedics already right here? Ambulances, something more appropriate than this?" Velazquez interrupts Mulder assessing the situation. LT tends to agree with her. This woman needs medical attention right away.
"Just do what he says," Hastings barks at her, losing her patience.
"Anne, no. Isn't he the Van De Kamp boy?" Velazquez counters back, stating what LT had suspected. Hastings stops her actions and goes to her.
"I told you we'd have to think outside the box for this one." Anne levels with her but Velazquez won't have it.
"What are we doing?" She spews. "They're obviously hurt. Who is this woman? Are they part of the cult?"
The sooner that he finishes this task, LT thinks, the sooner they can go back to their supervisors... and maybe find a plausible way to explain to inquiring minds their part in this whole strange operation.
Miller walks over to them and grabs Velazquez by her arm, turning the woman to him, forcefully.
"Officer Velazquez, you're in this team for a reason, you're here because you're trusted." The volume and harshness of his words speaks to his compromised position in the situation. LT wonders just what is the truth about Miller, what's he missing here. "Can I trust you to stop asking stupid questions and obey your orders?"
"Dad!" The boy shouts from inside the van, and LT meets eyes with Hastings and Velazquez. Both of his female counterparts are just as surprised, their shock coming just in time to hear the distinct and loud bang of a C4 detonation.
A/N:
I love that many of you not only are coming to this story but also finding my other ones and enjoying them. Thanks so much for all your reviews and favorites, they make my day! I hope that the "breathing break" that I gave you with the last chapter was good enough, because... I don't think you'll get one anymore!
Also, I'd like to give a shout out to Ky03elk and Marie, who give the bestest feedback. And rest assured, Marie. The fic is done; by tonight, most likely, all chapters will be in the system, waiting to be posted.
As always, thanks from the bottom of my heart to my unicorn, that even when we're both so exhausted, we can still make time for each other's crazy!