Chapter 38

Eliot stared at Sterling for a moment then nodded his thanks to the man. He turned to Hardison and asked him what he had managed with the security around the Warehouse.

"Camera's all over man…I hacked them and put them on a loop so we should be good there. Parker took care of the laser beams so we are good there." Hardison said. He and Parker had been busy for the last couple of hours taking care of all the security that the assassin had put in and around the warehouse. "I don't know what's inside though. This is state of the art stuff Eliot, he is very thorough." Hardison warned.

"Yeah, we also don't know how many men are in there with him…I mean do you think he is working completely alone in this?" Parker asked.

"I don't know Parker but whatever is inside we will deal with. Hopefully Hardison has taken care of all the outside stuff so he won't see us coming. Surprise is our best ally now and we can only deal with what is there when we get in." Eliot said. Eliot knew that Hardison was good at what he did, he was the best, each of them were the best in their fields. That is why they mostly win. That is why they were going to win this time too he thought.

"So what's the plan?" Sterling asked.

"Ok, well you need to split your men. There are two entrances to the warehouse, excluding the vehicle entrance. Hardison can you get that thing open?" Eliot asked.

"Yeah, already working on it, it will be open when you need it to be." Hardison confirmed. Anything that was electrical or computer run he could hack and he could bend to his will. That was his gift and he was using it to good effect now.

"Good. Then we will go in simultaneously at all three entrances. We make the entrance loud and in your face. We need to throw them off balance that will give us an edge. I don't think they will be expecting us, Hardisons work with the monitors and the other security will lull them into a sense of security. We need to use that." Eliot said talking to Sterling more than the others. Sterling nodded and left to brief his men on the plan.

"Where do you want us?" Sophie asked.

"Right here, I don't want any of you going in." Eliot said looking at all of them and seeing shock, then anger, then revolution on their faces.

"You kidding right?" Hardison asked in disbelief.

"No, Hardison I can't have you three in there. I don't know what we are going to be up against but I know it is going to be fast and furious…"

"You can't expect us to stand out here and just let you and Sterling go do your stuff…" Parker said, she for one was not going to wait around she was going to go in a help save Nate.

"Parker…all of you listen to me. I can't do what I need to if I am worrying about you. I need to be able to…I just can't…Please, I need you guys to stay out…" Eliot said unable to express himself fully under the intense and angry gaze of his friends. "I need to concentrate on Nate and that won't happen if you three are in there."

"Eliot we are quite capable…" Sophie started to say but Eliot interrupted her.

"I don't doubt that Sophie…but you will be a distraction, to me…I can't divide my attention. My focus need to be on Nate, on getting him out alive. I can't do that if I am worrying about getting you three out alive too." Eliot tried to explain, not very well he thought.

Sophie just stared at Eliot for a minute. She knew what he was trying to say but to ask her and the others to wait outside not knowing what was going on inside the warehouse…she did not think she or Parker or Hardison would be able to do it.

"I know…I know you want to be in there…I know you want to help…but you will be helping more if you stay out here, and stay safe. Please guys…let me do what I do." Eliot asked.

"Ok…" Sophie said gently and held up her hand to still both Parker and Hardisons objections. "Ok Eliot we will let you do your thing. But you have got to promise to keep your earbud in and if something goes wrong…" Sophie looked at him with steel in her eyes, "Then we are coming in…this ends here one way or another."

They were interrupted by the arrival of two vehicles and the sound of the opening of the vehicle entrance. They watched intently as the vehicles entered the building and then the door closed again. It was time. They could not wait much longer, all the players were on the board and the game was about to start. Sterling walked up to the group and informed Eliot that his men were ready on his signal. Eliot nodded and told him to get them into their positions at their respective entrances.

"Eliot, be careful…but bring Nate back to us." Sophie said. She was torn between her concern for Eliot and her fear for Nate.

Parker looked at the Hitter then sprung forward and threw her arms around him. Once he had disentangled himself from the young their Hardison was there to grab him and pull him into a hug.

"Stay out here…promise me you will stay out." Eliot said. He knew these people and although they had said they would remain outside he was not sure they would. "Sophie…"

"We will not go in…None of us will Eliot, I promise you that. You concentrate on staying alive and getting Nate out alive." Sophie said tears brimming in her eyes.

Eliot looked at all three of them and then made his way over to Sterling and the three team leaders he had with him. They spoke for a few minutes making sure everybody understood the plan. Eliot had instructed that they go after the men who had entered in the vehicles as well as any other security that might be inside. Eliot was going for Nate. He would deal with the hitman; it was Sterling and his men's job to cover his back.

"On my count…" Eliot said over the Comms. "Three…two…one…go, go, go." He said and the stillness of the morning was shattered by the sound of small explosives as each door was blown simultaneously. They entered the warehouse quickly in a haze of smoke and then the air was shattered once again this time by the sound of gunshots and screams.

OK we are at the final stages…thanks for the reviews as always really appreciated.