A/N: this is the penultimate chapter….
.
.
.
Kate went to sit on the navigator seat on the bridge with a huff.
"Someone is not happy." Nikki raised her eyebrows from her seat at the captain's chair. It was her and Swain's turn for duty watch tonight and she was glad for a bit of distraction.
"Men are stupid sometimes," Kate commented.
Swain chuckled from the helmsman's seat, "what did Dutchy do now?"
Nikki looked at the two of them, intrigued, "what happen during the outing this afternoon? I heard it was successful, but I didn't know all the details."
Swain continued cheekily, "2Dads got a kiss from Agent McGregor here and Dutchy is probably jealous right now."
"What?" Nikki's eyes widened at Kate, "you kissed 2Dads?"
"On the cheek…." Kate rolled her eyes, "the guy deserved it. He was brilliant today. Without his quick thinking, we wouldn't be able to get the third bomber's name."
"You kissed him in front of Dutchy?"
Kate glared at Nikki, "why does it matter? He's not my anything. It was on the cheek and we're on the job."
Nikki and Swain looked at each other, wondered if they needed to spell it out. "Umm, Agent…. I don't know if you have noticed, but Dutchy likes you."
"Lieutenant, I'm not stupid," Kate sighed, "he asked me out already and I've said yes but only after the mission finishes. So, I don't know what his problem is tonight."
"Oh…." Nikki met Swain's eyes again, mouthing to him that they needed to check the betting pool as to who won the bet.
"He thinks that I lie to people 24/7, as a hobby, not just when my job requires it." Kate scowled, "I would've laughed out loud if it weren't so insulting. I like watching period drama and reading cheesy novel on my couch, not walking around playing tricks on people on my spare time."
"I see," Swain nodded, "he's not comfortable with your play-acting with 2Dads today."
"What play-acting?" Nikki frowned.
"We were posing as a couple to get some information from a coffee shop owner."
"Oh wow…. No wonder," Nikki grinned, "Agent, let me ask you this, if Dutchy had to pretend to kiss someone to gain some information, would you be jealous?"
"What?" Kate shook her head "for work? Of course not, the keyword is pretend."
"Really?" Nikki laughed, "you're a better person than I am then. Because if that had been Josh's job, my fiancé by the way, I would've been mad."
"Why would you be mad?" Kate asked, "if your relationship is secured, and presumably it is if you are marrying him, then I don't understand."
"I think that's it, Agent," Nikki smiled softly at her, "you just worked out the reason why Dutchy is acting the way he is right now."
Kate just looked at Nikki blankly.
"You two aren't officially an item yet," Nikki explained, "Dutchy is probably feeling insecure. He can't kiss you; he can't claim you publicly; he just had to stand there and watched you being touchy-feely with another guy without the security of knowing that you're his."
Kate opened and closed her mouth a few times before blurting out, "that's ridiculous. I'm not a damn property."
But before their discussion could continue, Kate's mobile suddenly rang.
It was a random number. She frowned at her screen but clicked the answer button anyway, "Kate McGregor speaking."
"Oh Hi, it's Ben from the coffee shop. We met today and you wanted to know about a poker club on Mosby Rd?"
Kate's eyes widened, "Oh, yes, Ben. How are you tonight? You have some more information for me?" She then covered the microphone part on her mobile and whispered to Nikki and Swain, "it's the coffee shop guy."
"Yes, I remembered more. On his last visit around a month ago, I tried to strike up a conversation with him and asked him where he lives. I think he mentioned sharing a house with couple other tradies on Hargreaves Rd. That's basically a couple of streets parallel to my house. I got curious so I went for a walk there just now."
"I'm sorry?" Kate got up from the chair in alarm, "you did what?"
"Yeah, I know who lives on this street for years. There was only one house that was recently advertised for rent. No 18. So, I went here just in case you're right and there is a poker gathering."
"And?" Kate prayed that the man was not in a dangerous situation right now.
"It's dark. Doesn't look like anyone is here."
"Are you still there?"
"Yes."
"OK, Ben, listen to me." Kate paused and took a breath, "I need you to go back to your house now. Lock the door and text your address to me. I'll come to you soon. Do not open your door to anyone else."
"What's going on?"
"I'll explain in person later, but I need you to go back to your house now. Please don't hang around there."
"OK, but I need explanation."
"You will get one. Just please go home now."
"Will do."
Kate closed the line and looked at her two companions on the bridge, "we have an address."
.
.
.
"Do you think he's in there?" 2Dads whispered as he was circling the perimeters of 18 Hargreaves Road with Charge and Bomber.
"I don't know." Charge whispered back. "I think we'll find out soon." He slowly climbed up the stairs towards the backdoor, followed by the two junior sailors.
"Charge, do you copy?"
"Yes, loud and clear, Dutchy."
"Are you in position?"
"Yes, we're ready." Charge positioned himself on one side of the door while 2Dads was on the other side with Bomber behind him.
"Alright, on three. One… Two… Three!"
Charge and 2Dads rammed the door open with their shoulders and moved into the house. Together with Bomber they cleared the kitchen, two of the bedrooms and met up with Dylan's team in the living room.
"All clear at the back of the house."
"All clear at the front too." Dylan then hit the switch next to the front door to light up the house.
Kate turned on the safety of her own gun and slipped it to her thigh holster before making a beeline to the dining table where papers could be seen scattering around on it.
"Schematics of the bombs." She commented as she flipped through the stack of papers.
"Do you think he'll come back here?" Swain came up next to Kate. "Should we stake out the house for the next 24 hours just in case he's coming back?"
"I'm not sure he's coming back here," Kate pursed her lips, "this house is now compromised. We don't know how many eyes he has around this place. And with us banging on the door like this, there is a risk that we've overplayed our hands."
"Agent, you need to see this." Dylan came out from one of the bedrooms and handed Kate another stack of paper.
"What is it?" Kate took the papers from his hand and froze before looking up to him in alarm.
"It's a fake medical ID for Pleasant Island Hospital." Dylan's eyes turned gloomy. "And there is a blueprint of the hospital among that stack.
.
.
.
"Katie, you don't need to worry about me." Jim looked at Kate with a frown, "and you shouldn't be here if there is a bomb threat to this hospital."
"In case you haven't noticed, you're the one with two bum legs, Jim. I can run if I need to, but you can't." Kate glared at Jim, "I've spoken to your doctor, and he agreed to release you to Swain's care, so that you'll be within Hammersley's secure environment."
"Yes, dear." Jim sighed.
Kate patted Jim's thigh, "it's your own fault that I still have such power upon you, because you haven't removed me from your list of medical proxies."
Jim chuckled, "better you than my mum. She could've had a heart attack if someone had called her at this hour telling her about my predicament."
"Poor Judy." Kate remembered Jim's mum fondly. "Come on, let's move you now." She then nodded at Swain who then signalled to the orderlies waiting outside the room to come in.
"Katie…." Jim squeezed Kate's hand, "be careful please."
"Of course." She squeezed his hand back before releasing him as the orderlies carefully moved him from the bed to the waiting wheelchair.
She stepped out to the corridor and stood beside Dylan as they both watched the wheelchair getting smaller and smaller before disappearing behind a swing door.
"One less person to worry about." She commented before looking up to meet Dylan's eyes. "How is it going?"
"The hospital is in lock down with code purple status. No one is getting in and out except authorised personnel. Pictures of his fake medical ID have been circulated to hospital staffs and local police manning the entrances. We could start canvassing the hospital as soon as you're ready."
She appreciated his strict focus at this point of time. Even though they had a pending personal matter to discuss, he had been nothing but professional ever since she had told him of the call from the coffee shop owner.
"Alright, where should we start?"
.
.
.
Charge shone his flashlight to one of the maintenance rooms in the basement level before closing the door again. "Clear on this one."
"Same here." 2Dads answered after closing the opposite door.
"Clear on this one too." Bomber chimed in behind 2Dads.
"Alright, only a few remaining." Charge moved forward a couple of steps before a loud bang startled them.
"Charge, do you copy?"
"Yep, loud and clear. Did you hear that bang, Dutchy?"
"That's the fire door closing behind Rahman, he is in the stairwell, heading down towards you. We're going down after him. Be ready to cut him off."
"Copy that." Charge signalled to 2Dads and Bomber to move towards the fire door a few metres ahead.
Charge was just positioning himself next to the fire door when it burst open, and Rahman pushed him to the ground and ran past him. "Shit!"
"Charge, are you OK?" Bomber stopped and crouched to check on him.
"Yes," Charge groaned before getting up with Bomber's help and then pushed her ahead of him, "Go, Go!"
Bomber ran following 2Dads who had run after Rahman first. "Where do you think he's going, Charge?"
"I think on that end is the Generator Room." Charge replied, "he's going after the power supply."
The sound of punches reached their ears as soon as they rounded the corner and to their horror, 2Dads was struggling with Rahman for the control of the dead man's switch.
Charge then moved decisively behind Rahman and whacked the man's head with the butt of his gun, causing the man to collapse and drag 2Dads down with him.
"Are you OK?" Charge crouched down next to 2Dads who was breathing hard after the struggle.
"Yeah." 2Dads grimaced, "what do I do with this?" referring to the ominous red button which was currently pressed down by both his and Rahman's thumbs.
Charge was speechless at the situation they found themselves in, "sorry mate, I don't know."
.
.
.
"The hospital is 90% evacuated now. Only the most critical patients are left. We're working with the hospital administration to transport them to another medical facility across the island," Nikki reported succinctly to the group as they were standing outside just behind the barricades.
"That's good, X." Mike nodded then turned to Kate, "any news from AFP for bomb disposal squad, Agent?"
"Unfortunately, the closest AFP office to us in Cairns doesn't have any bomb disposal expert on stand-by. So, they'll have to fly someone in from Brisbane, which will take at least 5 hours."
Mike shook his head in frustration, "5 hours is a long time for 2Dads to hold out for."
"Sir," Swain interrupted as he was just coming back from checking in on his teammates inside the hospital, "they're moving the intensive care patients now."
"Very good," Mike paused, "how is 2Dads going?"
"He's determined, but it's been an hour since the tussle and his hands started to struggle. Bomber and Charge are still with him to keep his spirit up.
"Sir, I'd like to give it a go at disarming the bomb or at least getting 2Dads out of harm's way." Dylan stated, to the surprise of his teammates and Kate.
"Dutchy," Mike tightened his jaw, "I know you went through specialist training before your gulf deployment, but I'd imagine the reality is quite different."
"I've done it with a live bomb too, Sir, not just in training environment." Dylan held firmly, "it was redacted from my file because it was a classified mission."
"Dutchy, I don't know about this," Mike pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Sir, you just said yourself that 5 hours might be too long for 2Dads," Dylan continued, "give me 30 minutes to assess the situation, if I can't do it without harming 2Dads, then we'll think of another way."
"OK, 30 minutes," Mike relented, "but not more. I'll come and check myself after 30 minutes, so don't even think of unnecessary heroics, understood?"
"Yes, Sir."
Dylan was about to turn and make his way to the hospital entrance when Kate grabbed his arm and said, "I'll come with you."
"What? No…." Dylan shook his head, "I'm pretty sure this isn't one of your expertise…."
"But this is my assignment. I was the one that brought this calamity to all of you. I need to see it through till the end."
"Agent…." Dylan felt the first shred of fear at the thought of her being so close to the bomb for longer than necessary.
"Rahman is now unconscious, but he could suddenly wake up when you were in the middle of disarming the bomb on his body. You need another person to watch over him, making sure you're not interrupted." Kate argued further, trying to appeal to his sense of logic.
"Then Bomber or Charge can do that."
"No." Kate shook her head, "they all have friends and family to go home to. Let's make sure they can do that." She then smiled ruefully, "on the contrary, hardly anyone would miss me even if I got blew up."
Everyone didn't know what to say to that, including Dylan himself, so he did the only thing that he had wanted to do ever since he had encountered her green eyes again in Hammersley after their one night together; he grabbed her face and kissed her deeply.
The rest of the group couldn't hide their reaction to the scene in front of them, although they tried. Nikki ended up covering her mouth with her hands to hide her excited squeal; Swain smiled softly before averting his eyes while Mike's eyes simply widened at the new development.
Ignoring everyone else except the woman in front of him, Dylan then cradled Kate's face on his hands before meeting her stunned eyes, "I will miss you, you stubborn woman. So, don't you dare to even think of dying on my watch, do you understand?"
Kate responded by grabbing his hands on her face tightly, "you're not dying on my watch either, big fella. So, you better let me come with you."
Dylan shook his head fondly, "fine, we'll do this together then…."
.
.
.
To be continued….