Turning emotionally detached again in the fraction of a second, Danny walked back over to the stairwell to grab his shotgun, before joining the rest of the group.
Steve had to twist his head in an unnatural angle to keep an eye on the welcoming committee, a sick feeling spreading in his stomach when he saw them head straight toward Mike.
"It would appear that I will get to know you a lot better now, Lieutenant Stone…", the surgeon hissed, then pointed his chin at the handcuffs holding his partner in place, "Get him ready, Bobby…"
He hadn't had the nerve to ask Mike what his blood type was, but the look in the seasoned Lieutenant's eyes had given it away early on. Suddenly, the thorough explanation of compatible blood types he'd given DeWitt began to hit a lot closer to home.
"Mike, I think it's time you tell him about your Hepatitis B problem..."
Through the groups of feet and legs in front of him, Steve could see his partner look up briefly, his blank stare leaving little room for interpretation. Clenching his jaw, he took a deep breath, his mind racing as he tried to come up with a plan to stop the inevitable.
In the end, with both, his arms and legs tied up, he was left with very few options.
When big Bobby bent down to manipulate Mike's handcuffs, Steve waited until he heard the release click, before pulling his knees up as far as possible and kick out at him. Already expecting the maneuver, Bobby never hesitated and moved a few feet over, just enough to get out of range, before turning around and smirking at him.
"It's time to put an end to this foolishness…", the surgeon sneered, as he watched Bobby unceremoniously drag Mike up to his feet, the Lieutenant's legs buckling at first after the prolonged time spent in chains. Steve could hear him groan in pain, as he was pushed up against the concrete wall to make room for the others to work.
"You will not get away with this…", Mike growled from behind, but was quickly silenced with a backhand to his cheek. Steve flinched when he saw his partner collapse against the wall before sliding down, only to be dragged back onto his feet again.
"As for you, Inspector, it's time for us to part ways."
Feeling a rush of adrenalin flood his body at the sight of two hypodermics in the hand of the man kneeling down next to him, Steve began to fight the handcuffs even more, not caring when the cold metal began to bruise and rub his wrists raw.
Seemingly amused by the sight, the surgeon hesitated for a minute, then smiled, before summoning Danny.
"Pull his head back. I need to get to his jugular."
With his nervous breaths coming in short gasps, his heart pounding frantically in his chest and dulling any outside noise, Steve barely heard Danny approach until he felt strong fingers reach underneath his jawline, forcefully tilting his head back and off to the side.
With a satisfied grunt, the surgeon ran his thumb across the blood vessels in his neck, searching for his target area.
"It's quite a shame, really.", he whispered and readied the first syringe, his gloved hands squeaking as he took the cap off to expose the needle, "I'd hate to waste your organs, but your blood type is not compatible with any of my current orders. And I lack the time to find new…potential customers while we are busy relocating our…facilities. The air bubbles in this solution will cause you to have a heart attack or a stroke, depending on where they settle first. The outcome will be painful, but death should occur quickly."
When the panic building up made the world around him slow down to a near standstill, Steve looked up at Mike, who was leaning against the wall, a .32 handgun trained at him in case he tried to move.
The terrified blue eyes meeting his began to well up with tears as he clenched his jaws, his expression filled with guilt, anger and deep sorrow.
And the agonizing reality was that neither detective was capable of doing anything to avoid the impending, and utterly heartbreaking tragedy.
Steve groaned, when he felt the needle slide into his jugular vein, causing the right side of his neck and chest to explode in pain. Bringing up his knees, he kicked his legs out, his cowboy boots pushing the dirty carpet aside as he worked through the agony crippling the rest of his body.
The injection set his nerves on fire, causing his muscles to spasm in protest and his heart to skip several beats, before resuming its regular rhythm.
With the surgeon's hands so close to his face; he could feel the slight trembling of gloved fingers against his skin, as he readied himself to press the plunger, the smell of rubber mixing with the dampness of the basement.
"Stephen…", Mike whispered from a few feet away, his lip trembling, as he mouthed a quiet apology.
"Michael…"
It had taken most of his energy to stifle another groan and say his partner's name instead.
Refusing to give the surgeon the pleasure of appearing desperate in his last moments of life, Steve made sure his tone sounded much like a cordial goodbye after a sales meeting, hoping that the lightheartedness in his voice would end up being a soothing memory in his best friend's heart.
Glancing back up at those caring blue eyes he trusted with his life, Steve hoped, then begged and then prayed, that the cavalry would arrive before Mike too would be killed.
