AN: I will be playing a little with science in this chapter and the next, and I may make stuff up. I don't mean to, but it turns out that I don't know that much about science and fires.
Everyone in the main hall turned sharply at the sound of gunfire coming from another part of the hotel. The man in charge leaped off the stage, heading over to his guards standing by the main exit. Jack and Tony edged themselves just a little bit closer, straining to hear what he said.
"Take some others and go find out what that was," he ordered, his voice low and menacing. "And if those were our men, remind them about discretion and silencers!"
Jack was close enough to see the faces of the guards. Although they kept their expressions blank, he saw the fear that lurked behind their eyes. Whoever their leader was, he wasn't a man to be crossed; Jack suspected that his order to "remind" the other men went much further than just words.
The sound of bullets being fired had caused his heart to skip a few beats. There were people he cared about out in those halls, and Jack knew that Ava had a penchant for getting shot at. Audrey was missing as well, and the thought that she had somehow gotten in the middle of all this made him sick to his stomach. He needed to get out of that room.
"I think now's our chance," he whispered to Tony.
His friend nodded. "We can make a break for it while they're distracted. You got a plan?"
"I'll ram their leader, throw him to the floor. Then we break through the guards."
"That's a shitty plan, Jack."
"You got a better one?"
"Yeah. I ram the big guy. I'll be coming from the side and he might not see me until it's too late. Plus, I've got a clear path - you've got two old people you'll have to get around. He'll see you coming and put a bullet in your head."
Jack saw that he was right. "You really think you can take him down?"
"I do remember how to tackle people."
"On my count then," he whispered. "One, two...THREE!"
Both men lunged forward. Tony barreled into the leader, bringing them both down to the floor in a crash and tangle of limbs. Jack veered toward the exit, using the distraction to knock one guard over and slip past him into the corridor. But as Tony struggled to his feet, intent on joining his friend, someone grabbed his ankle, pulling him back down to the ground. Looking back, he saw the sneering face of the man in charge of their captors, and in desperation, he kicked out with his foot, catching the man in the face and forcing him to lose his grip. Finally free, Tony pushed himself up again, only to feel a sharp pain in the side of his head as one of the guards struck him with the butt of his gun. His vision swam and receded into darkness as he lost consciousness and fell to the floor with a thud.
Running down the corridor, Jack turned to see his friend captured. His first instinct was to go back save him, but he knew that it would never work. If he hesitated or turned back, the guards would open fire and mow him down without a second thought. And since he didn't know where any of the other agents were, Jack had to act as though he were the only one that could end the hostage situation. The idea that that might very well be the truth made him nauseous, and he shoved it away. Raising the gun he had holstered under his tuxedo, he fired two shots, smiling in grim satisfaction as two of the guards went down. The others raised their automatic weapons and took aim, telling Jack that his time was up. He turned and ran as fast as he could as bullets flew all around him, praying that Tony would make it out of there alive.
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Bullets flying, Ava flipped the heavy mahogany tale, using it as a shield for herself and her companions. The glass of the windows was all but gone now, but still the shooters continued to fire. Wincing as the bullets bit into the wood, she looked over at the others.
"Fuck 'em," she muttered.
Michelle, Curtis, Bill and Ava all turned then, peeking out over the table as they returned fire. They heard grunts and cries of pain as their bullets found their mark, and the barrage of automatic fire lessened. They stopped to reload their guns, but Ava looked up sharply when she heard the sound of another Glock firing from the direction of the corridor.
"What the hell?"
One of their attackers cried out as he was thrown through the empty window into the conference room. Ava caught a glimpse of someone out in the hall, and she was up and over the table in a matter of seconds, Curtis by her side. When they got out the door, they saw Jack fighting two of the gunmen, with a third one about to jump into the fray. Without a word, Curtis threw himself at the third guy, knocking him to the ground before severely pummeling him. Ava turned to take on Jack's second opponent, but the man had pulled out a nasty-looking knife and she knew that she couldn't get there in time. Reaching for the utility belt she had strapped to her thigh, she pulled out her own knife, throwing it forward with all of her might. It struck him in the neck just as Jack knocked out the last man, and then the hallway was eerily quiet for a few seconds.
"We don't have long," Jack started. "They're -"
"Where's Tony?" Ava demanded.
The look on his face sent a chill straight to her heart. "They've got him."
Her hands trembled, but she managed to keep her voice steady. "How?"
"We were trying to escape and he got caught -"
"And you just left him there?" she asked, her voice rising as it filled with anger and hurt.
"I had no choice, Ava -"
"You always have a choice," she spat out. Staring at him for another few seconds, she pulled out her gun again, reloading it. "You guys take care of Raines - I'm going after Tony."
"No." They all turned at the sound of Bill's voice. "Our first priority is to get the package out of the building safely."
Ava stared at him incredulously. "And you need five agents to do that? You don't need me."
"I disagree."
"Fine. You stand here and disagree. I'm going to go save Tony."
Jack stepped in front of her. "And how are you going to do that, Ava? By running into the room, guns blazing?"
"You don't think I can?"
"I think Tony would tell you to do your job."
Her hand lashed out as she struck him across the cheek. "Go to hell, Jack. What happened to you, anyway? A year ago, you would have been leading the charge. But now you've got a cushy D.C. job and what? Suddenly you want to abandon your friend and take the easy way out?"
"That's not fair," he hissed.
"No, it's not. But you don't really deserve much better right now."
"Enough!" Bill yelled. "Jack said we didn't have much time. I'm assuming that means there are others coming our way. Let's find a place that isn't so exposed."
Ava stood there for a second, but she knew that they were right - this wasn't the place for an argument. Swallowing down the emotion that was threatening to choke her, she stalked back down the hall.
"Let's go," she barked.
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They back down to the first floor, finding another empty conference room. Locking the door and closing the blinds on the large windows, the group stood there anxiously, unsure of what their next move should be.
"So where is this package?" Ava finally asked.
Paul Raines looked around uncertainly. "I've got it."
She stuck out her hand, snapping her fingers impatiently. "Give." He gave her a wary look and she sighed. "Give me the damn thing."
"You weren't my contact -"
"No, I was," Curtis said. Leaning over, he reached into the inside pocket of Paul's tuxedo and pulled out a disk. He examined it for a moment before handing it over to Ava.
"Seriously? You didn't even make an attempt to hide it."
"I didn't think people were willing to kill over this."
Ava gave him a withering look. "Please tell me you're not that big of an idiot."
Before he could answer, Audrey stepped forward. "Who do you think you are? Paul risked his job and his life -"
"To what? Make it incredibly easy to get caught?" Ava shot back.
The women glared at each other, both taking a step forward. Michelle and Jen rushed between them, pushing them back.
"She's not worth it," Jen murmured.
"No!" Audrey was snapping at Michelle. "She has no right -"
"Ms. Raines," the female agent said calmly. "I don't really care if she has a right or not. The plain truth is that she could break you in half, so I suggest you keep your mouth shut for now."
"Ava," Jack said, warning in his voice. "You need to calm down."
"Don't. Don't you dare talk to me like I'm some hysterical woman. You don't get to boss me around anymore, Jack. You lost that right when you went gallivanting off to Washington."
"Ava's right," Curtis suddenly interjected, and everyone looked at him. "We have to go back. Tony's not the only one down there - Chloe is trapped, too."
Jack's eyes closed. "Fuck."
"Not to mention the other hostages," Jen said quietly. "You guys might be the only agents left alive. If you don't help them..."
"We split up then," Ava said. Looking over at Bill, she tried to gentle her voice. "It's our only choice."
He stared at her for a moment before nodding. "Unfortunately, I think you're right. Ava, you, Jack and Curtis go back. I will get you back-up as soon as I can."
"What about us?" Audrey asked.
"Shoot out a window and go," Ava said. She handed Michelle the gun with the silencer that she had taken from one of the guards. "Take care of Jen."
"I will," she promised. "Curtis?"
Ava smiled. "Always."
Bill nodded. "We'll see you outside then."
"God willing," Ava breathed. "Good luck."
"You too," Jen said, squeezing her arm.
Jack walked over to Audrey, reaching out and pushing a stray hair behind her ear. "You'll be safe with Bill and Michelle."
"What about you?" she asked, her voice shaking. "You're not an agent anymore, Jack. This isn't your job."
"I'm needed."
She nodded, understanding that there was nothing she could do to change his mind. Reaching up, she kissed him chastely on the cheek. "Come back safely," she whispered.
Without another word, the group split up, Bill leading them down the hall toward the back of the hotel. When they had disappeared, Ava turned to look at the two men standing beside her. "Let's put this thing to bed, shall we?"
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Tony's eyes opened slowly, and it took him a minute to realize where he was. The first thing he saw was a great vaulted ceiling, and all he could think of was that it didn't look anything like the ceiling in his bedroom. Then it slowly came back to him, and he remembered the escape attempt, and getting hit in the back of the head.
As though thinking about the injury made it hurt even worse, Tony almost moaned in pain. Biting back any noise, though, he let his eyes wander around, taking in his surroundings. He was lying on the stage, his head next to a speaker. He could just see the leader, the man he had tackled, standing on the other side, talking to one of his guards. A wave of loathing swept over him, but he knew that his best bet lay in pretending that he was still down and out.
He let one of his hands drift slowly across his tuxedo jacket, checking to make sure there no broken bones or wounds. He didn't find any, but his hand did stop suddenly when he felt a bulge in his inside pocket. Frowning, it took him a moment to remember that he had slipped a Taser in there on the way to the dinner. Ava had kept it in her clutch, but she didn't feel comfortable having it in something that someone could easily take. So he had taken it for her, slipping it into his pocket with an amused smile.
Ava.
She was somewhere in the building, probably wherever the gunfire had come from. He sent up a silent prayer that she was alright, that Jack had found her and they were moving away from the danger. Of course, he knew her too well for that, and he wouldn't have been surprised if she was right in the thick of things, causing all kinds of trouble.
A low hum sat in his ear, and Tony slowly realized that the speaker next to him was making the noise. At first he couldn't make any sense of it, since the power had been cut. But then he remembered the spotlight on the stage above him, and he knew that at least some of the power had been restored. If there was electricity running, then maybe he could...
He let his eyes move again, and was startled to find Secretary Heller standing right by his head next to the stage. The man stared right at him, not blinking, his eyes boring into the agent. Slowly, Tony pulled out the Taser just enough for the older man to see. Heller stared at it for a moment, and then his eyes flicked to the speaker before he looked back at Tony, nodding slowly.
Do it.
Tony knew that it was dangerous. There were still hundreds of people in the hall, and Ava and Jack were still somewhere in the hotel as well. People could die. But he also knew that they needed a distraction - something big enough that would allow them to get as many people out as quickly as possible. It was his only option. Just as he tensed his body to move, however, a large military boot stepped down on his chest.
"Well look who's awake," the man in charge drawled. "How nice of you to join us again."
Tony didn't have time to think. Lifting one leg, he drove his foot into the man's groin as hard as he could and then threw the heavy foot of him. As the leader fell backwards, clutching himself, Tony reached for the Taser again, checking to make sure that it was on and charged. Sending up one more prayer, he pressed the button before plunging the weapon into the mass of wires behind the speakers.
