Part 25 The Final Act.
As the phone disengaged Mark felt his knees buckle and he began to drop towards the floor. Two strong pairs of hands caught him, but he did not even notice as they guided him to his chair and set him down in it.
His emotions had been strong when Steve had been missing, the fear that his son may be hurt or even dying whilst he was unable to help had been overwhelming. Finding his son close to death and having to operate to keep him alive had filled him with an apprehension and dread that had almost robbed him of his ability to function, but both situations paled into insignificance compared to what he now faced.
Listening to his son being tortured, knowing what this woman had done to Richard Fielding was too much for him to bear, Thoughts and emotions tumbled through his brain so rapidly that his mind shut off from his senses. He saw nothing and heard nothing as he was helped into his chair. Too distressed to contemplate what agonies were being inflicted on his son.
Amanda, despite her own reactions to what she had just heard, was at Mark's side in an instant, crouching so that her head was level with his. Collins and Newman, who had helped Mark to his seat, stepped back to let her in.
She stared into Mark's unseeing eyes, realising that he was probably going into shock. "Mark," she said firmly, "Can you hear me?" She got no response so she tried again repeating the phrases. When there was still no response she stood and looked at the two law enforcement agents. "I think he may be going into shock," she said, "Can you help me get him to the ER."
"Of course," Newman said, Collins nodded.
"No." They all looked down at Mark who had unexpectedly spoken. It took him a moment to say anything else and all in the room watched quietly as he engaged in an inner struggle that was reflected in the lines on his face.
Mark fought his way back from the brink of despair, one thought pulling him through as he attempted to clear his mind and focus. Steve was still alive, and whilst he was alive there was still hope. He concentrated on that, pushed what he had heard to the back of his mind, suppressing the images of Steve in pain that it invoked..
Finally he was able to speak again. He looked up first at Amanda and then at the others in the room. He took a deep breath. "Steve needs my help, he needs all of our help if we are going to get him out of this," he said quietly.
He adjusted his position in the chair. All eyes were firmly fixed on him, he had everyone's full attention.. "We have less than an hour to figure out where those files are," he continued "Any ideas?"
Steve looked up with pain filled eyes into those of his tormentor. She had pulled the knife clear and was watching the blood run down his chest, her expression one of serenity.
"You know," she said with a wistfulness in her voice that belied the situation. "I almost wish there was some information I needed to extract from you." She turned the knife around watching the blood run to the end. "I failed with Richard, I wonder if I could get you to break."
She turned the knife and dragged it across his collar bone. Satisfied by the noise as it scraped the bone itself. Steve grimaced with the initial strike but then, using all his reserves of strength, he turned his face to a mask, determined not to let this woman take satisfaction in his suffering.
She watched him intently. "I have a feeling though that it would be even more difficult with you and, unfortunately, I just don't have the time."
"What a shame," Steve said, still for some reason unable to prevent himself from using sarcasm that could only anger the woman in front of him and, if it were possible, bring him more pain. "My heart bleeds for you," he continued. Perhaps it was the only way that he could show her that she was not in total control, not yet. She hadn't broken him yet.
Stephanie smiled again, "and it would have been so interesting." She plunged the knife into the muscle at the top of Steve's right arm and he could not stop the cry that was ripped from his throat, nor the movement of his arm as he tried to pull away, the rope biting into his wrist. The helplessness of his position never more clear.
He took a deep breath and relaxed his arm. Then he lifted his head and almost panted out the words. "It... wouldn't matter... how.. much time...you... had," he said defiantly.
Stephanie pulled the knife back and placing her finger on the tip she spun it around watching it as if fascinated by it. She then looked deep into Steve's eyes. "Maybe I'll find out if that's true when I come back." The words sent a chill down Steve's spine. "Especially if your father doesn't bring the files with him. I wonder how much it would take to persuade him to tell me where they were."
Steve glared up at her. "You're really sick."
She turned her attention back to the knife, carefully and deliberately she wiped the blood off across Steve's shirt, making him think that at any moment she was going to turn it and cut him again. The action almost as cruel as the cuts.
She sighed heavily and reluctantly stepped back replacing the knife in its sheath. "Well I have things to prepare." She stated matter of factly. She started to leave the room. "Don't go anywhere will you." She called back over her shoulder as she headed for the door.
Steve let his face relax, let his emotions show, The pain carving deep lines across his forehead and hollowing out his cheeks. He drew in long deep breaths, concentrating with each one on relaxing. He needed to clear his mind so that he could try to figure out what he could do. He had no doubt that his father would come after him and, when he did, he would be in grave danger, a danger that Steve had tried so hard to protect him from. He had to try and do something about the situation before that happened.
He looked down at the ropes binding his arms to the chair. If only he could get his left arm free.
Alison looked across at Mrs. Emma Fielding, she had been watching her for much of the last hour, but had tried to avoid being too obvious. The woman was undoubtedly beautiful, Alison had to admit, although she estimated that she was about ten years older than herself.
Alison had realised from what she already knew and from what she had learned in the debriefing that Steve had risked his career and his life to save this woman and she could not help the feeling of jealousy that that engendered in her. A feeling that she would have had even if she had not overheard the conversation that Steve had had with Stephanie.
Now, as she looked across again at the attractive woman who was sitting almost opposite, she heard those words again 'My God you still love her don't you?' and, although the reply had been whispered so faintly as to nearly be inaudible, she knew she hadn't imagined it. Steve had replied with a 'Yes'. That single word had cut like a knife. Steve had helped this woman not through duty or obligation, but because he loved her and where did that leave his relationship with her?
Alison tried, not for the first time in the last hour, to push all of these thoughts and emotions to the back of her mind. None of this was important at the moment. What was important was that they got Steve back with them safe and well. She could deal with the rest of it later.
If Mark could pull himself together and focus after all that they had just heard then surely she could do the same. She looked across at Emma. "You say that Richard told you he hid the files in his favourite place?" She asked.
Emma nodded. She too had been studying, as surreptitiously as possible, the woman who had been introduced as Steve's girlfriend. She came across as beautiful, intelligent, personable and strong. In fact the perfect match for Steve Sloan. Emma reciprocated the feelings of jealousy, knowing that Steve had possibly found in Alison, somebody that he could love.
"Then can you think of anywhere else, apart from the boat, that he may have described in that way?" Amanda picked up on the questioning.
Emma turned to look at her tears of frustration forming in her eyes. "I'm sorry, no. There was nowhere else he went."
"How did he spend most of his time?" Mark asked.
"When he wasn't working?" Emma asked rhetorically. She thought a little. "He used to sit for hours in his office on his computer."
"On the Internet?" Alison asked a hint of excitement building in her voice.
"Yes," Emma replied, "At least I think so."
"Then that's it." Alison said eagerly. "That's where he hid the files. Dr. Sloan do you..."
But Mark was already logging on to his office computer. He moved aside offering the keyboard to Alison who had barely sat down before her fingers were dancing across the keys.
Captain Newman coughed to get Mark's attention away from the keyboard, as he watched Alison expertly work through different screens. "Dr. Sloan, I'm going to go back to the station, put together a team ready for when we hear from this madwoman again. I'll be back as soon as I can."
"No," Collins all but shouted. "I don't think.." but Newman was ready for a confrontation. He had almost been expecting it ever since he had found out Collins' identity. A jurisdictional argument seemed inevitable, but he was damned if he was going to leave the rescue of one of his officers to the NSA. Especially since it was one of their agents that was holding, worse than that, torturing his man.
"I don't care what you think," he snapped back. "That's one of my men out there and I have every intention of ensuring I get him back."
"Agreed," Collins said in a conciliatory tone, "but I know how this woman has been trained, I know how she's been taught to operate and, more importantly, I can tell you what resources she's taken with her."
"I'm listening," Jack Newman said in a less defensive tone.
"Our best chance is a small team of crack men who can make their way into her location without being seen," he paused. Mark now had his attention on their conversation, so he tried to word his next sentences carefully. "Assuming that we can find her, if we go in with a large police presence then she will kill lieutenant Sloan. With the number of people she has killed already she really has nothing to lose. Our best chance is to have a few men, preferably trained in counter insurgence techniques. We need to get in and take her out before she knows we are there."
Newman looked at him. "That would be highly irregular and against every procedure.."
"I know," Collins said. "It's breaking with my procedures too, but everything I've heard and read over the last few days tells me that we should do everything in our power to save lieutenant Sloan and worry about the paperwork later."
Newman looked at him, he was normally a stickler for the rule book, in fact it was his job to be like that, on the other hand everything Collins was saying made sense.
"I'll take full responsibility, I do have the authority, technically, to take over. So if anything goes wrong I'll take the flak." Collins added weight to his argument. He had already lost one good agent, possibly two if Baker did not recover. He did not want Steve Sloan's death on his conscience as well. He would do whatever was necessary to help get him back and take Agent Harris down.
"Please," Mark said, adding a slightly more emotional appeal to the argument. "If it will help to save Steve..."
Newman held up his hands in defeat. "OK, I'll do it your way. I have one or two favours that I can call in. There are a couple of sharpshooters on the force who fit the bill and I'll come along myself."
Collins looked him up and down. "Ex -Seal right?' he said pointing at the Captain.
Newman looked a little surprised, he had indeed been a Navy Seal before leaving to join the force but it had been a long time ago, he wondered just how rusty he was. "Yes," he replied, "but how did..."
"Guess it takes one to know one." Collins interrupted. "Come on we have," he looked at his watch, "less than fifty minutes to set this thing up." The two men left the room.
Mark, Amanda and Emma all exchanged glances as the two men left, they had all been intent on the exchange and now were left with nothing to do except lose themselves in their own thoughts, but down that line lay nothing but worry and despair.
Amanda stood up, she couldn't help with the search for files and she needed to do something. "I was going to check on Jesse before the phone call," she said quietly. "If you need me I'll be in his room." She moved towards the door.
Mark looked across at her, with everything that had been happening to Steve he had once again had his concerns for his young friend eclipsed and he felt a slight twinge of guilt over it. Jesse was as close to him as anyone, apart from Steve, could be and Mark had not really had chance to digest properly what had happened to him.
It suddenly hit him that he might lose them both, Steve and Jesse. There was no guarantee that Jesse would come out of the coma that he had fallen in to. In fact he was only alive at all because machines were keeping him that way. He was torn once again by his commitments to two of the people who mattered most to him.
Alison had briefly stopped her typing and was watching him. "It's all right Dr. Sloan, I don't need your help for the next few minutes, in fact Emma is going to be of the most use to me since she knew her husband best." She smiled, a soft mournful smile. "You go and see Dr. Travis we can manage for a little while."
"Thank you," Mark said quietly and joined Amanda as she left the room.
Emma stood and headed over to the computer screen. She pulled up a chair and sat down next to Alison. "Tell me how I can help." She said determinedly.
Mark and Amanda walked down the corridor towards the ICU with similar feelings of trepidation as they had had the last time. It seemed so unfair that Jesse had come through one life threatening situation only to be plunged into another.
Both of them tried to avoid thinking of the possible complications that could now arise. Even if he pulled out of the coma, Jesse was now much more susceptible to infections, even pneumonia and his injury was going to take even longer to heal.
If he did not pull out of the coma... Neither of them cold cope with the thought of losing him any more now than they had only a few days before.
"Have you seen him since.." Mark began.
"No," Amanda answered, not needing the rest of the question. "The doctor was with him when I arrived back at the hospital and you arrived shortly after that."
They stopped at the nurses station to get an update and then braced themselves as they headed towards his room. When he had last been in ICU it had been to monitor his condition. All the signs then had been positive and still it had been hard to walk in and see him attached to tubes and monitors.
Now the prognosis was uncertain, and the tubes and monitors were literally keeping him alive and it was so much harder. For Amanda those last few steps might as well have been taken in lead filled shoes. She felt Mark grip her arm. Not sure who was supporting who, they walked into the room together.
Amanda gasped at the sight of the small still form on the bed. She had never seen Jesse so pale and even though she had known what to expect, the sight of the tube attached to the ventilator helping him to breath made her stomach knot in anxiety. She turned and looked into the eyes of her old friend beside her and saw the same deep concern reflected there. "It's so unfair," she said quietly and buried her head in his shoulder, letting the tears flow.
Mark wrapped his arms around her fighting back tears of his own. Jesse was too gifted a doctor and too good a friend to be suffering like this. Amanda was right the world was not a fair place. This had happened to Jesse only because he cared enough to help.
Amanda allowed the loss of control only for a few moments. She was not here to feel sorry for herself, she was there for Jesse. She pulled back from Mark and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I'm sorry it's just the shock of seeing him like this again so soon," she said quietly.
"I know." Mark said.
Amanda walked over and sat down taking Jesse's hand in hers. "I don't know if you can hear me or not," She said softly, her voice cracking slightly with the emotion. "Mark's here with me Jess but he can't stop. He's got to go and help Steve," She looked up at Mark and gave him a slight smile, "but he wants you to know that he's thinking about you and waiting for you to get better. We all are." The last few words were almost strangled off as Amanda struggled to maintain her emotional control.
Mark squeezed her shoulder and she put her hand up to take hold of his, appreciating the gesture.
She took a deep breath and continued to speak her voice getting stronger with each sentence as she began a narrative of what they had found out in the last few hours. She dropped her hand back down taking Jesse's hand in both of hers, the physical connection important to her.
Mark listened quietly for a few minutes before reluctantly taking his leave, knowing that Jesse was in good hands. He squeezed her shoulder again and indicated that he had to go. Amanda smiled at him and waved slightly but did not break her narrative. She had to believe that at some level Jesse could hear her voice and if he could then it might help to bring him back to them.
Mark walked out down the corridor, his fragile emotions were already being torn apart by what was happening to Steve, seeing Jesse like that just adding to the emotional burden. He mentally shook himself, he needed to be strong. When this was all over he could deal with the emotions but not now, now he needed to go and help Steve.
He tried to focus his mind on the problem at hand but it was getting more and more difficult. He knew that he was being pushed to the limits of his emotional endurance and beyond.
Steve had tried unsuccessfully to loosen the ropes holding his arms to the chair. In fact all he had achieved was some painful rubbing of the skin around his wrists. There was not enough slack to get him free. He looked down and tried to assess his situation again.
He was tied in a wooden armchair, both his wrists had been tied to the arms and a rope was secured around his chest holding him firmly to the back but Stephanie had not secured his legs to the chair. Presumably, since he had been barely able to stand when she had pushed him into the room, she had deemed it unnecessary, and that could be just the mistake that Steve needed.
Slowly, painfully he leant forward, pushing himself to his feet awkwardly, as he stood half bent bringing the chair with him. Standing up at all would have been difficult. To stand to such an arduous position took every ounce of his determination not to black out.
He stood and allowed the now familiar nausea and dizziness to pass. And then scanned his surroundings for what he needed. There were two doorways to the room, both of them open. He chose the widest which, fortunately, also gave him the best angle of attack and took several deep breaths.
Using all of the energy that he could muster he charged at the doorway turning to angle the back of the chair so that it struck hard. There was a gratifying splintering of wood which was accompanied by an explosion of pain, as the jarring of the impact sent shock waves through already torn and bleeding muscles and Steve fell to the ground, once again unconscious.
Stephanie drove through downtown LA, lamenting the fact that she had not had more time to 'work' on her prisoner, but she needed to get herself into position so that she could check that Dr. Sloan was alone when he brought her the files. The most risk in any hostage situation was taken when picking up whatever the ransom items were, and Stephanie had chosen to move things along quickly to give the opposition as little time as possible to set up their own plans. Unfortunately this also meant that she had very little time.
She intended to lure Steve's father back to the warehouse where she had left Steve, it would be easier to get him to hand the information over if he could see that his son was still alive. Then she would kill them both and make her escape, but before any of that could happen she would have to make sure that Dr. Sloan was neither bugged, nor tailed to her location.
She parked the car in the parking lot and checked the sensors. Anyone getting into this vehicle wearing any sorts of electronic surveillance device would set alarm bells off. She got out of the vehicle and jumped into the cab which she had waiting for her and headed for her second location.
Mark reentered his office still struggling to maintain emotional control. He was greeted by two worried smiles as Emma and Alison looked up at him.
"How's Jesse?" Alison asked.
"No change, I'm afraid, he's still in a coma," Mark replied quietly as he moved into the room.
"Oh," Alison said, her smile fading slightly. She had hoped for something positive. She turned her attention back to the task at hand. "I think we've made some progress." She gestured at the computer screen and Mark moved round to look at it.
"With Emma's help I've managed to access her husband's Internet history and I've got a list of the web sites which he is responsible for maintaining. He has five of them." Alison explained, unable, despite the situation to keep the excitement out of her voice, she smiled up at Mark, "and one of them is called 'My_favorite_place.com.'"
"I don't understand how this is going to help us find the files." Mark stated. "Do you expect something on the website to give us a clue where to look?"
"That's just it, if you know what you are doing and I have every reason to believe from what Emma has told me that Richard did, then you can hide files of any size on your web pages."
"But then anyone could have access to them, couldn't they?" Mark asked, still not convinced.
"Only if you know what you are looking for. It's very easy to conceal a link to another site which you then restrict access to by a password."
Alison turned back to the screen as the web page came up. "All we have to do is scan the page for a hidden link." As she spoke she expertly traced the mouse across the screen avoiding any obvious links until she hit one in the bottom left hand corner of the page. She clicked the mouse and was rewarded with a screen requesting a password. "OK Emma, he would have used something that he would expect you to know in case anything went wrong. Any suggestions?" She asked turning to look at her.
Emma thought for a few moments, "Try Sarah," she said, "or Tim. Those were the names we were going to use if we ever had children, but we somehow never..." She stopped speaking, not wishing to open that particular emotional can of worms.
Alison tried both names individually but neither worked, then she put them both in together. The password was accepted and the screen changed abruptly. "Oh my God," Alison said quietly when she saw what came up. "Have you any idea what we have here?"
Both Mark and Emma shook their heads.
"These are encryption algorithms for data files. With these you could gain access to literally thousands of Top Secret encrypted government files and even if the government knew you had it, it would take them years to re- encrypt the files that this gives you access to. There would be very little they could do to stop you."
Mark let out a breath. "No wonder there is so much money at stake on this." He looked back at the screen. "Can you make me a copy."
Alison looked at him, tears in her eyes. "Mark we can't let this fall into enemy hands. It could do too much damage."
"And I don't intend to," Mark said resolutely, "but if I don't at least have the real files with me, then it may cost Steve his life and I'm not prepared to let that happen."
Alison thought about it only for an instant. "I'll make that copy."
Steve opened his eyes and tried to focus on his surroundings, he was completely disoriented and it took him a few moments to even realise that he was lying on the floor. Every part of him hurt, with sensations that ranged from dull aches to screaming agony and it was hard to think about anything other than the pain, but slowly his mind cleared. There was something that he needed to do, something that he knew he could not achieve lying here.
Tentatively he lifted his head slightly and looked down. He was lying in some sort of dilapidated office, how? And then he remembered he had been brought here, tortured here, he tried to shut off the sensations of terror that that brought to his mind. He had been tied to a chair and helpless whilst Stephanie Harris had cut deep into his flesh. With the memory the pain returned and he had to take a deep breath. No, these were memories he could not dwell on. He needed to focus on why he was lying on the floor.
He tried to lift himself further so that he could get to a sitting position, as he did so he realised that his arms were not free, as he moved his left arm, a large piece of wood came with it. He stared at it for a moment and then like a flood the rest of his memory returned.
Gritting his teeth against further pain he swung his legs round and managed to get himself to a position where he was leaning against the wall, having to scoot along slightly using his legs and his good arm to avoid sitting on splintered fragments of chair.
He had achieved his aim, the chair had shattered leaving him tied only to pieces of it. He took several deep breaths to calm himself from the exertion and then pulled the pieces of wood out from the ropes secured around his wrists. He wiped the sweat out of his eyes and pushed his hair back.
Now he had to try to figure out his next move. If Stephanie hadn't heard him smashing the chair then it was a fair bet that she was not in the building. Which meant what? That she had gone for good?
No, the only reason she had left him alive was to use him as a bargaining tool to get the files she needed. He was her insurance to ensure that his father handed the files over. She would bring him back here and when she had what she wanted she would kill them both.
Steve now had a choice did he try to get away and find help in the hope that he could stop Mark coming for him, or did he stay here and try to help his dad out when he arrived.
Steve realised that he had no idea how long he had been unconscious for, his father could be here in the next few minutes for all he knew and that meant that he had no choice. Using the wall for support he started to push himself to his feet. He would have to find himself some sort, any sort of weapon, and somewhere to hide.
Collins knocked on the door to Mark's office, they had less than ten minutes before Stephanie was due to call back. Without waiting for an answer he and Captain Newman walked in they were both wearing black combat fatigues and flak jackets.
"Hi Any Progress?" Jack Newman asked without preamble.
Mark held up a CD triumphantly. "We have the files."
"Well done," Collins congratulated. "You've managed to do in less than an hour what no one else could do in days."
"We had a powerful incentive," Mark replied ruefully. Then he allowed himself a small smile as he indicated Alison "Plus a very intelligent not to mention highly expert computer genius on our side. How have you done?"
"Everything's set up, we just have one problem" Collins replied.
"What's that?" Mark asked
"We need to figure out exactly where she is keeping Steve. I got Agent Steele to do some checking whilst we were getting things ready and Agent Harris has taken enough technology to spot any sort of electronic surveillance device a mile away." Collins shifted uncomfortably. "With her training she would easily be able to spot if you were being tailed, so once she has you out there we won't be able to follow you."
Mark swallowed. "Then I'll just have to hand over the files and hope that she let's Steve go."
Collins shook his head. "You've seen what she's capable of, that's simply not going to happen."
"So what are we going to do?" Newman asked beginning to wonder if he should have put so much faith in Collins.
Collins turned to look at Alison. "Hopefully we are going to use that young woman's expertise along with my security clearances to find out where she is." He looked back at Captain Newman and Mark. "Harris has only had a few hours to set this up herself. So I'm willing to bet my life that she has used Agency resources. Every field agent of her rank has access to 'safe houses' which only they and their immediate superiors have access to information on. Fortunately for you I'm her immediate superior so I should be able to trace those locations. She doesn't know that I'm involved yet so she won't be expecting anyone to find her.
"But if there is more than one of them. How will we know which one to go to?" Newman asked.
"That's where Miss Porter comes in. She should be able to check computer logs for activity about each of the sites. We can use that information to work out which is most likely."
"Let's get on with it then," Alison said checking her watch. "She'll be calling any minute."
"Yes but first," Collins took out an earpiece connected to a small box, He motioned to Mark. "Here let me put this on you."
Mark looked at the wire, he had worn something similar before. "But I thought you said that she would spot something like this a mile away?"
"Yes but she'd be suspicious if you went out there with nothing. We let her find this and make you dispose of it,"
Mark smiled, "And it will help put her guard down."
"Exactly." Collins replied.
The phone rang. Everyone in the room stopped and stared at it. It took Mark a moment to gather himself before he moved over to answer it. He swallowed hard, knowing that there was the possibility that he would have to listen to Steve being hurt again. Then he hit the answer button. "Hello Dr. Sloan," he said.
Stephanie's voice crackled into life over the speaker. "Ah Dr. Sloan. Do you have the files for me?'
Mark answered trying to keep the shake out of his voice. "Yes, is my son all right?"
Stephanie allowed a slight laugh. "Well that's all relative doctor, but if you mean is he still alive? For the moment yes. If you want to keep him that way I want you to follow my instructions to the letter. Drive to the following address and await further instructions."
Mark wrote the address of a downtown parking lot onto a notepad. "Let me speak to my son please?" he asked imploringly
"Follow the instructions and you will see him soon enough." Stephanie answered coldly. "I'll expect you at the lot in around 16 minutes and I know you won't be stupid enough to bring a tail." The line went dead.
Mark just stood for a few moments staring at the phone, partly relieved that he had not had to listen to his son suffer any more, partly sorrowful that he had not heard the reassurance of Steve's voice so that he knew for definite that he was still alive.
It was Newman who moved first. "Sixteen minutes is barely enough time to cover the distance. You'd better get going."
Collins had moved over to the computer and had started typing, He looked up. "Remember keep her guessing as to whether you have the discs on you or not until she leads you to Steve. Hopefully by that time we'll be there and waiting."
Mark smiled and nodded. He did not consider what he would do if Collins was wrong or his plan did not work. If the backup did not arrive then he knew he would just have to play it by ear. He was glad Amanda wasn't around, she would have objected strongly to him going through with this, given that he would be on his own,
He headed for the door glancing back just before he went through he saw Collins and Alison concentrating hard on the computer screen.
Steve felt a slight chill run through his body, he shivered and leant back heavily against the wall.
He had managed to find himself a good vantage point where he could remain hidden from view. The factory consisted of a large machine room from which most of the machinery had been moved long ago, leaving a large empty room with a ceiling two stories high. On the ground level there were rooms leading off down one of the long sides and these had accompanying offices built above them on the upper floor with stairs leading up at either end and an open corridor with a low wall that stretched for the length of the building. From the upper corridor you could look down at the whole of the machine room.
At one end the corridor also stretched along the width of the building and here there was a large selection of junction boxes and electrical housings built out of the wall. It was here that Steve had chosen to hide. From his position he got a fair view of the entrances and exits to the building and he would be difficult to spot unless you went past him and turned round. He had also managed to find himself a length of metal pipe to use as a weapon.
Satisfied with what he had accomplished he settled back to assess his own condition. The physical exertion of getting himself up here had taken a lot out of him and he was fairly sure from the temperature of his skin that, without the antibiotics, his fever was beginning to return. He also knew that he had lost a fair amount of blood from the three knife wounds that Stephanie had inflicted, although they were only flesh wounds designed for pain not to kill, they were all still bleeding. He allowed himself to sink to a sitting position and set about putting pressure on the wounds as best he could.
Apart from that all he could do was wait and try to stay alert so that when Stephanie returned he would hopefully be in a position to defend himself.
Mark drove as quickly as he dared through the early afternoon traffic. He needed to get to the parking lot as quickly as he could but he couldn't risk being stopped by the police just in case Stephanie was watching him. He knew that it was a foolish idea to believe that she would be on his tail the whole time, but he also knew that she would be around at some point on his journey. She would need to check for herself that he was alone.
The journey took around fifteen minutes but it seemed like forever. Mark tried hard to concentrate on the traffic but his thoughts kept drifting to his son and the cry of pain that he had heard over the phone. He knew his son well, knew what a high pain threshold he had and knew that he would have been determined not to cry out. Whatever Stephanie had done to him must have been agonisingly painful and Mark could not help but suffer with his son over and over again as the memory repeated itself in his head.
Arriving in the lot Mark sat wondering how he would be contacted and how long he would have to wait. It turned out not to be long, as a sharp knock on his side window made him jump. Mark turned to see a boy of around 12 staring at him. He lowered his window.
"Is your name Mark Sloan?" the boy asked.
"Yes it is." Mark replied, realising with some surprise that this must be his contact.
"Lady told me to give you this," he said lifting up an envelope. "Said you'd give me twenty bucks."
Somewhat bemused Mark reached into his pocket and pulled out a twenty dollar bill. He exchanged it with the cautious boy who did not release the envelope until he had a firm grasp of the money.
"Thanks," the boy said and ran off.
Mark looked down at the envelope, Stephanie had obviously promised the boy the money to ensure that he would stick around. Inside he found a set of car keys and nothing else. No instructions, he tore the envelope open to check but it was empty. He climbed out of his vehicle and looked around. Then he began walking around the lot, time was of the essence and he needed to figure out which car the keys belonged to.
Almost kicking himself when he realised what he was supposed to do, Mark started to walk methodically up and down the rows pressing the button on the remote key until he came across the car whose lights blinked in response to his signal. He moved over to it quickly and climbed in.
Once inside he looked around. There was a cell phone on the seat which rang on cue. He answered it.
"Well Dr. Sloan I was beginning to wonder if you were going to figure that one out or not." Stephanie's voice answered brightly.
Mark was not in the mood for small talk. "What do you want me to do next?" he asked.
"First I want you to lose the wire Dr. Sloan, I did tell you not to wear one didn't I?"
Mark climbed out of the car and removed the hidden earpiece and accompanying box and dropped it onto the ground. Then he climbed back into the vehicle.
"Thank you, now listen carefully for your next destination..."
"We just lost Sloan's signal," Newman said moving across the room to where Alison and Collins were busy working on the computer. "That means he's on his own and we," he emphasised the word, "have very little time."
"Good job that we have our location then." Newman said standing up and stretching his back. "It's an abandoned factory."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Newman asked but neither man gave a verbal answer they just turned and rushed out of the door.
Alison stared at the screen for a couple of minutes. She'd been so caught up in the activity of the last couple of hours that there had been no time to react emotionally, in fact, she had actively suppressed it. Now that there was nothing more she could do but wait, she felt an overwhelming urge to just sit and cry for a while, had she been alone she would probably have done just that, but she was not alone.
She turned to face the other woman in the room and realised that Emma was probably in a worse state than she was. After all she had lost her husband and had been living through a nightmare worse than anyone for the last few days.
Emma returned her gaze and for a few moments there was an awkward silence between the two women, both still unsure of how to deal with the other.
It was Alison who spoke. "I don't know about you but I could use some coffee Care to join me?"
Emma smiled at her. "That would be nice, thanks" and the two women who loved Steve Sloan left the room together taking some comfort in each others company.
Mark cursed as he found the envelope with yet another location to drive to. This was the fifth so far and he didn't seem to be getting any closer to finding Steve. He felt like he had covered half of LA on some bizarre treasure hunt, his next clue leading him to a locker at the bus station.
He remembered watching Steve act as the runner for a hostage drop once before. He had never quite appreciated just how frustrating it was for the person being sent from stop to stop, without seemingly getting anywhere, until now. He climbed back into the car and checked his watch, once again he would be lucky to keep to the time scale he had been set.
Steve heard the car drawing up outside the building and forced his tired muscles to respond as he attempted as quietly as possible to push himself to his feet. He risked a glance across to the entrance door and spotted Stephanie entering the factory and then he pulled back into his concealed position in case she should glance up.
She was back which would mean that at any minute she could be coming looking for him. If he hadn't already been sweating, he would have broken out into one as he considered the possibility of her finding him. He gripped the iron bar more tightly.
"OK Sloan I'm back," he heard her call out. "Time to continue where we left off." He knew that she was calling to him like this to increase his apprehension. She expected him to still be tied up and the clear implication of her words, that she was going to inflict more pain, could only have been intended to increase his mental suffering and, even though he was not waiting where she expected, this cruel taunt still had some effect, as Steve's anxiety levels increased. He leant back against the cold brick and swallowed trying to push down the fear that even this woman's voice could now instill.
Stephanie was quite pleased with herself when she returned to the warehouse. She was certain that Dr. Sloan was alone and could not be followed. He should be arriving in a few minutes when he had picked up the last address on his tour of the city, the address that would bring him here.
For once everything seemed to be going to plan. She would show Sloan to his father and get the files. She might even get a chance to enjoy herself when killing them as an added bonus for all the trouble they had caused her.
As she approached the room where she had left Steve she could not help herself, she shouted out a taunt just so that he would know what was coming. He had had nearly two hours to sit and contemplate his fate and she wondered if he would be any less defiant.
Her initial reaction when she entered the room and, instead of seeing a bound and helpless prisoner, she saw shards of wood strewn across the floor was one of shock. This quickly turned to anger as she realised that her plans had once again been ruined. This was becoming an all too familiar situation and this time when she found Sloan she would make sure that he suffered.
Allowing her frustration and anger to come out in a screeching yell, she moved through the room and checked the rooms beyond but Steve was not there. She moved back into the factory. There were too many offices to search she would have to wait until she had dealt with Steve's father who would be arriving soon.
She stood and cleared her mind, deciding what to do she ran back to her car and retrieved a rifle from the trunk and then headed back into the factory, climbing the steps two at a time she took up a vantage point watching the entrance.
Mark arrived at the factory and saw a car parked by one of the entrances. He climbed out blinking in the bright sunlight, as it contrasted with the tinted interior of the car. He walked over to the entrance and stepped inside.
The factory interior was dim and it took time for Mark's eyes to adjust back again. He gazed into the room unable to make anything out clearly. "OK, I'm here and I've brought the files."
There was no answer.
"I'm here for my son," he shouted out into the cavernous room still unable to make out anything in the shadows.
Stephanie pointed the rifle and took aim. Without Steve she had no bargaining chips to use on the old Doctor so she would just have to take the risk that Mark was carrying the files with him. She would shoot him and take the discs off the corpse. Then she would look for Steve Sloan.
Steve peered out from his vantage point and realised to his horror what Stephanie was about to do. There was no chance to warn his father. Even if he shouted a warning his dad was too far out in the open and would not make it to cover before Stephanie could shoot him.
Steve looked around frantically he needed a diversion, a big one and quickly. Without really considering his actions Steve wrenched open the junction box nearest to him. He took a step back and threw the iron bar hard into the box.
The resulting explosion of energy and sparks, thundered around the empty factory, reverberating off the walls and making the windows shake.
Startled Stephanie turned her whole body and the rifle in the direction of the explosion. She spotted Steve and in a single action aimed and fired.
Steve, however, had been way to close when the box exploded and he was flung backwards across the parapet where he landed heavily on his back.
Mark looked up and saw Steve, yelling his name in a voice that conveyed the fear and anguish of a father..
Stephanie was momentarily confused she could no longer see Steve but his father was standing looking up at where his son had fallen. The old fool didn't even have the sense to move or seek cover. She turned her rifle round and pointed it at Mark.
Four shots rang out.
Jesse found himself unable to breath, there was something in his throat and he could not seem to get enough air, he began to choke, he lifted his hand up to his mouth. There was something there. It was stopping him breathing he started to panic and then he heard Amanda's soft voice, talking to him, reassuring him. He opened his eyes and looked up into hers and saw that she was smiling down at him and he started to relax.
He felt her remove whatever was in his throat and he took the deepest breath that he could. He looked around and took his bearings. He smiled at her and tried to speak but his mouth was too dry, she gave him some ice chips and he sucked on them slowly. "You know," he said croakily. "If you're always going to be around when I wake up," he took a deep breath, "Then we're going to have to get married."
Amanda couldn't help herself , she began to laugh and cry at the same time. Jesse was awake and if he could joke like that then he was suffering none of the problems that could be associated with coma. "Oh Jess," she said with all the love of a true friend but he had already drifted off again.
Mark took the stairs two at a time with a speed and agility that belied his age. His only thought was to get to Steve. He did not spare a second glance for Stephanie's body which lay staring at the ceiling with sightless eyes.
He ran along to where he had seen his son fall. He stopped by Steve's side and dropped to his knees and even as he assessed his son's condition the tears began to fall. First he checked for a pulse. It was there but weak and thready. Then he started cataloguing the injuries.
As he looked at Steve's battered and bruised body he barely knew where to start. There didn't seem to be anywhere where he could touch his son without causing him pain. He looked at the fresh cuts that Stephanie had inflicted on him, momentarily tracing his finger over the ragged edges of the wound where she had twisted the knife. Then he snapped himself back. Steve needed treatment not sympathy.
Steve's hands had second degree electrical burns on them and if Steve's rib hadn't been broken before, the force of the impact had broken it now. He was just lucky that the shock hadn't stopped his heart. His breathing was rapid and Mark knew that his son was going into shock.
"Steve, can you hear me?" He said, knowing that trying to get Steve conscious was the only defense he had until the EMT's arrived, if only he had brought his bag. "Steve!" he repeated desperately, but there was no response.
He became vaguely aware of other people around him. A hand was placed on his shoulder. "Mark," Jack Newman said, "How is he?"
Mark looked up. "We need to get him to a hospital now."
"Don't worry," Newman said gently. "We had the Medivac chopper on standby just out of hearing range of this place. They'll be here any minute."
Mark turned his attention back to his son. "Steve, come on I need you to wake up for me." he tried again to rouse him. This time he got a slight movement, encouraged he carried on "That's it Steve wake up."
Steve's eyes fluttered open, wide and crystal blue, "Dad?"
Mark leant forward so that Steve could see him properly. "I'm here son."
"Thank god you're OK." Steve said and his eyes closed again.
Mark knew that he should try to keep Steve awake but somehow he just didn't seem to be able to make any words come as he looked once again at his sons battered body and knew that all that Steve cared about, even through all that pain, was his well being. It was too much for him and he sat back and wept, grateful that at that moment the EMTs arrived.
The rest of the journey back to Community General was a complete blur for Mark. He remembered flashes and then nothing until he woke up in one of the hospital beds. Amanda sitting at his bedside.
Mark was confused. "How....?" he began.
"You collapsed," Amanda explained gently. "Emotional and physical exhaustion. You made it back with Steve as far as the ER."
"Steve?" He didn't need to say any more.
"Has a catalogue of injuries that would put most RTA victims to shame and had a recurrence of the infection you treated but there is nothing life threatening. He's in ICU until some of his injuries heal but he's going to be fine and," Amanda said smiling, "before you have to ask Jesse is going to be fine too. He came out of the coma a few hours ago and I had to practically physically restrain him to stop him coming down to check on how you are." She laughed. "Whilst I'm at it, Nathan's going to be OK they're keeping him in overnight for observation and the other young NSA agent, Baker is out of danger too."
"And how are you honey?" Mark asked concerned that Amanda seemed to have the weight of everyone else's problems on her shoulders.
"Oh, I'm fine but I can see I'm going to get exhausted from visiting everyone." She continued to smile at Mark. She couldn't help it she was just so relieved that everyone was going to be OK. "Maybe I should check and see if we can take over one of the wings of the hospital for all of you? and I could try bulk buying the grapes."
Mark smiled back up at her but she could see the tiredness in his eyes. She gently kissed him on the forehead. "Now you get some sleep and maybe you can help me with the visiting in the morning."
"I'd really like to see Steve now," Mark said but his eyes were already closing.
"I know you would," Amanda said gently to his sleeping form.
As the phone disengaged Mark felt his knees buckle and he began to drop towards the floor. Two strong pairs of hands caught him, but he did not even notice as they guided him to his chair and set him down in it.
His emotions had been strong when Steve had been missing, the fear that his son may be hurt or even dying whilst he was unable to help had been overwhelming. Finding his son close to death and having to operate to keep him alive had filled him with an apprehension and dread that had almost robbed him of his ability to function, but both situations paled into insignificance compared to what he now faced.
Listening to his son being tortured, knowing what this woman had done to Richard Fielding was too much for him to bear, Thoughts and emotions tumbled through his brain so rapidly that his mind shut off from his senses. He saw nothing and heard nothing as he was helped into his chair. Too distressed to contemplate what agonies were being inflicted on his son.
Amanda, despite her own reactions to what she had just heard, was at Mark's side in an instant, crouching so that her head was level with his. Collins and Newman, who had helped Mark to his seat, stepped back to let her in.
She stared into Mark's unseeing eyes, realising that he was probably going into shock. "Mark," she said firmly, "Can you hear me?" She got no response so she tried again repeating the phrases. When there was still no response she stood and looked at the two law enforcement agents. "I think he may be going into shock," she said, "Can you help me get him to the ER."
"Of course," Newman said, Collins nodded.
"No." They all looked down at Mark who had unexpectedly spoken. It took him a moment to say anything else and all in the room watched quietly as he engaged in an inner struggle that was reflected in the lines on his face.
Mark fought his way back from the brink of despair, one thought pulling him through as he attempted to clear his mind and focus. Steve was still alive, and whilst he was alive there was still hope. He concentrated on that, pushed what he had heard to the back of his mind, suppressing the images of Steve in pain that it invoked..
Finally he was able to speak again. He looked up first at Amanda and then at the others in the room. He took a deep breath. "Steve needs my help, he needs all of our help if we are going to get him out of this," he said quietly.
He adjusted his position in the chair. All eyes were firmly fixed on him, he had everyone's full attention.. "We have less than an hour to figure out where those files are," he continued "Any ideas?"
Steve looked up with pain filled eyes into those of his tormentor. She had pulled the knife clear and was watching the blood run down his chest, her expression one of serenity.
"You know," she said with a wistfulness in her voice that belied the situation. "I almost wish there was some information I needed to extract from you." She turned the knife around watching the blood run to the end. "I failed with Richard, I wonder if I could get you to break."
She turned the knife and dragged it across his collar bone. Satisfied by the noise as it scraped the bone itself. Steve grimaced with the initial strike but then, using all his reserves of strength, he turned his face to a mask, determined not to let this woman take satisfaction in his suffering.
She watched him intently. "I have a feeling though that it would be even more difficult with you and, unfortunately, I just don't have the time."
"What a shame," Steve said, still for some reason unable to prevent himself from using sarcasm that could only anger the woman in front of him and, if it were possible, bring him more pain. "My heart bleeds for you," he continued. Perhaps it was the only way that he could show her that she was not in total control, not yet. She hadn't broken him yet.
Stephanie smiled again, "and it would have been so interesting." She plunged the knife into the muscle at the top of Steve's right arm and he could not stop the cry that was ripped from his throat, nor the movement of his arm as he tried to pull away, the rope biting into his wrist. The helplessness of his position never more clear.
He took a deep breath and relaxed his arm. Then he lifted his head and almost panted out the words. "It... wouldn't matter... how.. much time...you... had," he said defiantly.
Stephanie pulled the knife back and placing her finger on the tip she spun it around watching it as if fascinated by it. She then looked deep into Steve's eyes. "Maybe I'll find out if that's true when I come back." The words sent a chill down Steve's spine. "Especially if your father doesn't bring the files with him. I wonder how much it would take to persuade him to tell me where they were."
Steve glared up at her. "You're really sick."
She turned her attention back to the knife, carefully and deliberately she wiped the blood off across Steve's shirt, making him think that at any moment she was going to turn it and cut him again. The action almost as cruel as the cuts.
She sighed heavily and reluctantly stepped back replacing the knife in its sheath. "Well I have things to prepare." She stated matter of factly. She started to leave the room. "Don't go anywhere will you." She called back over her shoulder as she headed for the door.
Steve let his face relax, let his emotions show, The pain carving deep lines across his forehead and hollowing out his cheeks. He drew in long deep breaths, concentrating with each one on relaxing. He needed to clear his mind so that he could try to figure out what he could do. He had no doubt that his father would come after him and, when he did, he would be in grave danger, a danger that Steve had tried so hard to protect him from. He had to try and do something about the situation before that happened.
He looked down at the ropes binding his arms to the chair. If only he could get his left arm free.
Alison looked across at Mrs. Emma Fielding, she had been watching her for much of the last hour, but had tried to avoid being too obvious. The woman was undoubtedly beautiful, Alison had to admit, although she estimated that she was about ten years older than herself.
Alison had realised from what she already knew and from what she had learned in the debriefing that Steve had risked his career and his life to save this woman and she could not help the feeling of jealousy that that engendered in her. A feeling that she would have had even if she had not overheard the conversation that Steve had had with Stephanie.
Now, as she looked across again at the attractive woman who was sitting almost opposite, she heard those words again 'My God you still love her don't you?' and, although the reply had been whispered so faintly as to nearly be inaudible, she knew she hadn't imagined it. Steve had replied with a 'Yes'. That single word had cut like a knife. Steve had helped this woman not through duty or obligation, but because he loved her and where did that leave his relationship with her?
Alison tried, not for the first time in the last hour, to push all of these thoughts and emotions to the back of her mind. None of this was important at the moment. What was important was that they got Steve back with them safe and well. She could deal with the rest of it later.
If Mark could pull himself together and focus after all that they had just heard then surely she could do the same. She looked across at Emma. "You say that Richard told you he hid the files in his favourite place?" She asked.
Emma nodded. She too had been studying, as surreptitiously as possible, the woman who had been introduced as Steve's girlfriend. She came across as beautiful, intelligent, personable and strong. In fact the perfect match for Steve Sloan. Emma reciprocated the feelings of jealousy, knowing that Steve had possibly found in Alison, somebody that he could love.
"Then can you think of anywhere else, apart from the boat, that he may have described in that way?" Amanda picked up on the questioning.
Emma turned to look at her tears of frustration forming in her eyes. "I'm sorry, no. There was nowhere else he went."
"How did he spend most of his time?" Mark asked.
"When he wasn't working?" Emma asked rhetorically. She thought a little. "He used to sit for hours in his office on his computer."
"On the Internet?" Alison asked a hint of excitement building in her voice.
"Yes," Emma replied, "At least I think so."
"Then that's it." Alison said eagerly. "That's where he hid the files. Dr. Sloan do you..."
But Mark was already logging on to his office computer. He moved aside offering the keyboard to Alison who had barely sat down before her fingers were dancing across the keys.
Captain Newman coughed to get Mark's attention away from the keyboard, as he watched Alison expertly work through different screens. "Dr. Sloan, I'm going to go back to the station, put together a team ready for when we hear from this madwoman again. I'll be back as soon as I can."
"No," Collins all but shouted. "I don't think.." but Newman was ready for a confrontation. He had almost been expecting it ever since he had found out Collins' identity. A jurisdictional argument seemed inevitable, but he was damned if he was going to leave the rescue of one of his officers to the NSA. Especially since it was one of their agents that was holding, worse than that, torturing his man.
"I don't care what you think," he snapped back. "That's one of my men out there and I have every intention of ensuring I get him back."
"Agreed," Collins said in a conciliatory tone, "but I know how this woman has been trained, I know how she's been taught to operate and, more importantly, I can tell you what resources she's taken with her."
"I'm listening," Jack Newman said in a less defensive tone.
"Our best chance is a small team of crack men who can make their way into her location without being seen," he paused. Mark now had his attention on their conversation, so he tried to word his next sentences carefully. "Assuming that we can find her, if we go in with a large police presence then she will kill lieutenant Sloan. With the number of people she has killed already she really has nothing to lose. Our best chance is to have a few men, preferably trained in counter insurgence techniques. We need to get in and take her out before she knows we are there."
Newman looked at him. "That would be highly irregular and against every procedure.."
"I know," Collins said. "It's breaking with my procedures too, but everything I've heard and read over the last few days tells me that we should do everything in our power to save lieutenant Sloan and worry about the paperwork later."
Newman looked at him, he was normally a stickler for the rule book, in fact it was his job to be like that, on the other hand everything Collins was saying made sense.
"I'll take full responsibility, I do have the authority, technically, to take over. So if anything goes wrong I'll take the flak." Collins added weight to his argument. He had already lost one good agent, possibly two if Baker did not recover. He did not want Steve Sloan's death on his conscience as well. He would do whatever was necessary to help get him back and take Agent Harris down.
"Please," Mark said, adding a slightly more emotional appeal to the argument. "If it will help to save Steve..."
Newman held up his hands in defeat. "OK, I'll do it your way. I have one or two favours that I can call in. There are a couple of sharpshooters on the force who fit the bill and I'll come along myself."
Collins looked him up and down. "Ex -Seal right?' he said pointing at the Captain.
Newman looked a little surprised, he had indeed been a Navy Seal before leaving to join the force but it had been a long time ago, he wondered just how rusty he was. "Yes," he replied, "but how did..."
"Guess it takes one to know one." Collins interrupted. "Come on we have," he looked at his watch, "less than fifty minutes to set this thing up." The two men left the room.
Mark, Amanda and Emma all exchanged glances as the two men left, they had all been intent on the exchange and now were left with nothing to do except lose themselves in their own thoughts, but down that line lay nothing but worry and despair.
Amanda stood up, she couldn't help with the search for files and she needed to do something. "I was going to check on Jesse before the phone call," she said quietly. "If you need me I'll be in his room." She moved towards the door.
Mark looked across at her, with everything that had been happening to Steve he had once again had his concerns for his young friend eclipsed and he felt a slight twinge of guilt over it. Jesse was as close to him as anyone, apart from Steve, could be and Mark had not really had chance to digest properly what had happened to him.
It suddenly hit him that he might lose them both, Steve and Jesse. There was no guarantee that Jesse would come out of the coma that he had fallen in to. In fact he was only alive at all because machines were keeping him that way. He was torn once again by his commitments to two of the people who mattered most to him.
Alison had briefly stopped her typing and was watching him. "It's all right Dr. Sloan, I don't need your help for the next few minutes, in fact Emma is going to be of the most use to me since she knew her husband best." She smiled, a soft mournful smile. "You go and see Dr. Travis we can manage for a little while."
"Thank you," Mark said quietly and joined Amanda as she left the room.
Emma stood and headed over to the computer screen. She pulled up a chair and sat down next to Alison. "Tell me how I can help." She said determinedly.
Mark and Amanda walked down the corridor towards the ICU with similar feelings of trepidation as they had had the last time. It seemed so unfair that Jesse had come through one life threatening situation only to be plunged into another.
Both of them tried to avoid thinking of the possible complications that could now arise. Even if he pulled out of the coma, Jesse was now much more susceptible to infections, even pneumonia and his injury was going to take even longer to heal.
If he did not pull out of the coma... Neither of them cold cope with the thought of losing him any more now than they had only a few days before.
"Have you seen him since.." Mark began.
"No," Amanda answered, not needing the rest of the question. "The doctor was with him when I arrived back at the hospital and you arrived shortly after that."
They stopped at the nurses station to get an update and then braced themselves as they headed towards his room. When he had last been in ICU it had been to monitor his condition. All the signs then had been positive and still it had been hard to walk in and see him attached to tubes and monitors.
Now the prognosis was uncertain, and the tubes and monitors were literally keeping him alive and it was so much harder. For Amanda those last few steps might as well have been taken in lead filled shoes. She felt Mark grip her arm. Not sure who was supporting who, they walked into the room together.
Amanda gasped at the sight of the small still form on the bed. She had never seen Jesse so pale and even though she had known what to expect, the sight of the tube attached to the ventilator helping him to breath made her stomach knot in anxiety. She turned and looked into the eyes of her old friend beside her and saw the same deep concern reflected there. "It's so unfair," she said quietly and buried her head in his shoulder, letting the tears flow.
Mark wrapped his arms around her fighting back tears of his own. Jesse was too gifted a doctor and too good a friend to be suffering like this. Amanda was right the world was not a fair place. This had happened to Jesse only because he cared enough to help.
Amanda allowed the loss of control only for a few moments. She was not here to feel sorry for herself, she was there for Jesse. She pulled back from Mark and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I'm sorry it's just the shock of seeing him like this again so soon," she said quietly.
"I know." Mark said.
Amanda walked over and sat down taking Jesse's hand in hers. "I don't know if you can hear me or not," She said softly, her voice cracking slightly with the emotion. "Mark's here with me Jess but he can't stop. He's got to go and help Steve," She looked up at Mark and gave him a slight smile, "but he wants you to know that he's thinking about you and waiting for you to get better. We all are." The last few words were almost strangled off as Amanda struggled to maintain her emotional control.
Mark squeezed her shoulder and she put her hand up to take hold of his, appreciating the gesture.
She took a deep breath and continued to speak her voice getting stronger with each sentence as she began a narrative of what they had found out in the last few hours. She dropped her hand back down taking Jesse's hand in both of hers, the physical connection important to her.
Mark listened quietly for a few minutes before reluctantly taking his leave, knowing that Jesse was in good hands. He squeezed her shoulder again and indicated that he had to go. Amanda smiled at him and waved slightly but did not break her narrative. She had to believe that at some level Jesse could hear her voice and if he could then it might help to bring him back to them.
Mark walked out down the corridor, his fragile emotions were already being torn apart by what was happening to Steve, seeing Jesse like that just adding to the emotional burden. He mentally shook himself, he needed to be strong. When this was all over he could deal with the emotions but not now, now he needed to go and help Steve.
He tried to focus his mind on the problem at hand but it was getting more and more difficult. He knew that he was being pushed to the limits of his emotional endurance and beyond.
Steve had tried unsuccessfully to loosen the ropes holding his arms to the chair. In fact all he had achieved was some painful rubbing of the skin around his wrists. There was not enough slack to get him free. He looked down and tried to assess his situation again.
He was tied in a wooden armchair, both his wrists had been tied to the arms and a rope was secured around his chest holding him firmly to the back but Stephanie had not secured his legs to the chair. Presumably, since he had been barely able to stand when she had pushed him into the room, she had deemed it unnecessary, and that could be just the mistake that Steve needed.
Slowly, painfully he leant forward, pushing himself to his feet awkwardly, as he stood half bent bringing the chair with him. Standing up at all would have been difficult. To stand to such an arduous position took every ounce of his determination not to black out.
He stood and allowed the now familiar nausea and dizziness to pass. And then scanned his surroundings for what he needed. There were two doorways to the room, both of them open. He chose the widest which, fortunately, also gave him the best angle of attack and took several deep breaths.
Using all of the energy that he could muster he charged at the doorway turning to angle the back of the chair so that it struck hard. There was a gratifying splintering of wood which was accompanied by an explosion of pain, as the jarring of the impact sent shock waves through already torn and bleeding muscles and Steve fell to the ground, once again unconscious.
Stephanie drove through downtown LA, lamenting the fact that she had not had more time to 'work' on her prisoner, but she needed to get herself into position so that she could check that Dr. Sloan was alone when he brought her the files. The most risk in any hostage situation was taken when picking up whatever the ransom items were, and Stephanie had chosen to move things along quickly to give the opposition as little time as possible to set up their own plans. Unfortunately this also meant that she had very little time.
She intended to lure Steve's father back to the warehouse where she had left Steve, it would be easier to get him to hand the information over if he could see that his son was still alive. Then she would kill them both and make her escape, but before any of that could happen she would have to make sure that Dr. Sloan was neither bugged, nor tailed to her location.
She parked the car in the parking lot and checked the sensors. Anyone getting into this vehicle wearing any sorts of electronic surveillance device would set alarm bells off. She got out of the vehicle and jumped into the cab which she had waiting for her and headed for her second location.
Mark reentered his office still struggling to maintain emotional control. He was greeted by two worried smiles as Emma and Alison looked up at him.
"How's Jesse?" Alison asked.
"No change, I'm afraid, he's still in a coma," Mark replied quietly as he moved into the room.
"Oh," Alison said, her smile fading slightly. She had hoped for something positive. She turned her attention back to the task at hand. "I think we've made some progress." She gestured at the computer screen and Mark moved round to look at it.
"With Emma's help I've managed to access her husband's Internet history and I've got a list of the web sites which he is responsible for maintaining. He has five of them." Alison explained, unable, despite the situation to keep the excitement out of her voice, she smiled up at Mark, "and one of them is called 'My_favorite_place.com.'"
"I don't understand how this is going to help us find the files." Mark stated. "Do you expect something on the website to give us a clue where to look?"
"That's just it, if you know what you are doing and I have every reason to believe from what Emma has told me that Richard did, then you can hide files of any size on your web pages."
"But then anyone could have access to them, couldn't they?" Mark asked, still not convinced.
"Only if you know what you are looking for. It's very easy to conceal a link to another site which you then restrict access to by a password."
Alison turned back to the screen as the web page came up. "All we have to do is scan the page for a hidden link." As she spoke she expertly traced the mouse across the screen avoiding any obvious links until she hit one in the bottom left hand corner of the page. She clicked the mouse and was rewarded with a screen requesting a password. "OK Emma, he would have used something that he would expect you to know in case anything went wrong. Any suggestions?" She asked turning to look at her.
Emma thought for a few moments, "Try Sarah," she said, "or Tim. Those were the names we were going to use if we ever had children, but we somehow never..." She stopped speaking, not wishing to open that particular emotional can of worms.
Alison tried both names individually but neither worked, then she put them both in together. The password was accepted and the screen changed abruptly. "Oh my God," Alison said quietly when she saw what came up. "Have you any idea what we have here?"
Both Mark and Emma shook their heads.
"These are encryption algorithms for data files. With these you could gain access to literally thousands of Top Secret encrypted government files and even if the government knew you had it, it would take them years to re- encrypt the files that this gives you access to. There would be very little they could do to stop you."
Mark let out a breath. "No wonder there is so much money at stake on this." He looked back at the screen. "Can you make me a copy."
Alison looked at him, tears in her eyes. "Mark we can't let this fall into enemy hands. It could do too much damage."
"And I don't intend to," Mark said resolutely, "but if I don't at least have the real files with me, then it may cost Steve his life and I'm not prepared to let that happen."
Alison thought about it only for an instant. "I'll make that copy."
Steve opened his eyes and tried to focus on his surroundings, he was completely disoriented and it took him a few moments to even realise that he was lying on the floor. Every part of him hurt, with sensations that ranged from dull aches to screaming agony and it was hard to think about anything other than the pain, but slowly his mind cleared. There was something that he needed to do, something that he knew he could not achieve lying here.
Tentatively he lifted his head slightly and looked down. He was lying in some sort of dilapidated office, how? And then he remembered he had been brought here, tortured here, he tried to shut off the sensations of terror that that brought to his mind. He had been tied to a chair and helpless whilst Stephanie Harris had cut deep into his flesh. With the memory the pain returned and he had to take a deep breath. No, these were memories he could not dwell on. He needed to focus on why he was lying on the floor.
He tried to lift himself further so that he could get to a sitting position, as he did so he realised that his arms were not free, as he moved his left arm, a large piece of wood came with it. He stared at it for a moment and then like a flood the rest of his memory returned.
Gritting his teeth against further pain he swung his legs round and managed to get himself to a position where he was leaning against the wall, having to scoot along slightly using his legs and his good arm to avoid sitting on splintered fragments of chair.
He had achieved his aim, the chair had shattered leaving him tied only to pieces of it. He took several deep breaths to calm himself from the exertion and then pulled the pieces of wood out from the ropes secured around his wrists. He wiped the sweat out of his eyes and pushed his hair back.
Now he had to try to figure out his next move. If Stephanie hadn't heard him smashing the chair then it was a fair bet that she was not in the building. Which meant what? That she had gone for good?
No, the only reason she had left him alive was to use him as a bargaining tool to get the files she needed. He was her insurance to ensure that his father handed the files over. She would bring him back here and when she had what she wanted she would kill them both.
Steve now had a choice did he try to get away and find help in the hope that he could stop Mark coming for him, or did he stay here and try to help his dad out when he arrived.
Steve realised that he had no idea how long he had been unconscious for, his father could be here in the next few minutes for all he knew and that meant that he had no choice. Using the wall for support he started to push himself to his feet. He would have to find himself some sort, any sort of weapon, and somewhere to hide.
Collins knocked on the door to Mark's office, they had less than ten minutes before Stephanie was due to call back. Without waiting for an answer he and Captain Newman walked in they were both wearing black combat fatigues and flak jackets.
"Hi Any Progress?" Jack Newman asked without preamble.
Mark held up a CD triumphantly. "We have the files."
"Well done," Collins congratulated. "You've managed to do in less than an hour what no one else could do in days."
"We had a powerful incentive," Mark replied ruefully. Then he allowed himself a small smile as he indicated Alison "Plus a very intelligent not to mention highly expert computer genius on our side. How have you done?"
"Everything's set up, we just have one problem" Collins replied.
"What's that?" Mark asked
"We need to figure out exactly where she is keeping Steve. I got Agent Steele to do some checking whilst we were getting things ready and Agent Harris has taken enough technology to spot any sort of electronic surveillance device a mile away." Collins shifted uncomfortably. "With her training she would easily be able to spot if you were being tailed, so once she has you out there we won't be able to follow you."
Mark swallowed. "Then I'll just have to hand over the files and hope that she let's Steve go."
Collins shook his head. "You've seen what she's capable of, that's simply not going to happen."
"So what are we going to do?" Newman asked beginning to wonder if he should have put so much faith in Collins.
Collins turned to look at Alison. "Hopefully we are going to use that young woman's expertise along with my security clearances to find out where she is." He looked back at Captain Newman and Mark. "Harris has only had a few hours to set this up herself. So I'm willing to bet my life that she has used Agency resources. Every field agent of her rank has access to 'safe houses' which only they and their immediate superiors have access to information on. Fortunately for you I'm her immediate superior so I should be able to trace those locations. She doesn't know that I'm involved yet so she won't be expecting anyone to find her.
"But if there is more than one of them. How will we know which one to go to?" Newman asked.
"That's where Miss Porter comes in. She should be able to check computer logs for activity about each of the sites. We can use that information to work out which is most likely."
"Let's get on with it then," Alison said checking her watch. "She'll be calling any minute."
"Yes but first," Collins took out an earpiece connected to a small box, He motioned to Mark. "Here let me put this on you."
Mark looked at the wire, he had worn something similar before. "But I thought you said that she would spot something like this a mile away?"
"Yes but she'd be suspicious if you went out there with nothing. We let her find this and make you dispose of it,"
Mark smiled, "And it will help put her guard down."
"Exactly." Collins replied.
The phone rang. Everyone in the room stopped and stared at it. It took Mark a moment to gather himself before he moved over to answer it. He swallowed hard, knowing that there was the possibility that he would have to listen to Steve being hurt again. Then he hit the answer button. "Hello Dr. Sloan," he said.
Stephanie's voice crackled into life over the speaker. "Ah Dr. Sloan. Do you have the files for me?'
Mark answered trying to keep the shake out of his voice. "Yes, is my son all right?"
Stephanie allowed a slight laugh. "Well that's all relative doctor, but if you mean is he still alive? For the moment yes. If you want to keep him that way I want you to follow my instructions to the letter. Drive to the following address and await further instructions."
Mark wrote the address of a downtown parking lot onto a notepad. "Let me speak to my son please?" he asked imploringly
"Follow the instructions and you will see him soon enough." Stephanie answered coldly. "I'll expect you at the lot in around 16 minutes and I know you won't be stupid enough to bring a tail." The line went dead.
Mark just stood for a few moments staring at the phone, partly relieved that he had not had to listen to his son suffer any more, partly sorrowful that he had not heard the reassurance of Steve's voice so that he knew for definite that he was still alive.
It was Newman who moved first. "Sixteen minutes is barely enough time to cover the distance. You'd better get going."
Collins had moved over to the computer and had started typing, He looked up. "Remember keep her guessing as to whether you have the discs on you or not until she leads you to Steve. Hopefully by that time we'll be there and waiting."
Mark smiled and nodded. He did not consider what he would do if Collins was wrong or his plan did not work. If the backup did not arrive then he knew he would just have to play it by ear. He was glad Amanda wasn't around, she would have objected strongly to him going through with this, given that he would be on his own,
He headed for the door glancing back just before he went through he saw Collins and Alison concentrating hard on the computer screen.
Steve felt a slight chill run through his body, he shivered and leant back heavily against the wall.
He had managed to find himself a good vantage point where he could remain hidden from view. The factory consisted of a large machine room from which most of the machinery had been moved long ago, leaving a large empty room with a ceiling two stories high. On the ground level there were rooms leading off down one of the long sides and these had accompanying offices built above them on the upper floor with stairs leading up at either end and an open corridor with a low wall that stretched for the length of the building. From the upper corridor you could look down at the whole of the machine room.
At one end the corridor also stretched along the width of the building and here there was a large selection of junction boxes and electrical housings built out of the wall. It was here that Steve had chosen to hide. From his position he got a fair view of the entrances and exits to the building and he would be difficult to spot unless you went past him and turned round. He had also managed to find himself a length of metal pipe to use as a weapon.
Satisfied with what he had accomplished he settled back to assess his own condition. The physical exertion of getting himself up here had taken a lot out of him and he was fairly sure from the temperature of his skin that, without the antibiotics, his fever was beginning to return. He also knew that he had lost a fair amount of blood from the three knife wounds that Stephanie had inflicted, although they were only flesh wounds designed for pain not to kill, they were all still bleeding. He allowed himself to sink to a sitting position and set about putting pressure on the wounds as best he could.
Apart from that all he could do was wait and try to stay alert so that when Stephanie returned he would hopefully be in a position to defend himself.
Mark drove as quickly as he dared through the early afternoon traffic. He needed to get to the parking lot as quickly as he could but he couldn't risk being stopped by the police just in case Stephanie was watching him. He knew that it was a foolish idea to believe that she would be on his tail the whole time, but he also knew that she would be around at some point on his journey. She would need to check for herself that he was alone.
The journey took around fifteen minutes but it seemed like forever. Mark tried hard to concentrate on the traffic but his thoughts kept drifting to his son and the cry of pain that he had heard over the phone. He knew his son well, knew what a high pain threshold he had and knew that he would have been determined not to cry out. Whatever Stephanie had done to him must have been agonisingly painful and Mark could not help but suffer with his son over and over again as the memory repeated itself in his head.
Arriving in the lot Mark sat wondering how he would be contacted and how long he would have to wait. It turned out not to be long, as a sharp knock on his side window made him jump. Mark turned to see a boy of around 12 staring at him. He lowered his window.
"Is your name Mark Sloan?" the boy asked.
"Yes it is." Mark replied, realising with some surprise that this must be his contact.
"Lady told me to give you this," he said lifting up an envelope. "Said you'd give me twenty bucks."
Somewhat bemused Mark reached into his pocket and pulled out a twenty dollar bill. He exchanged it with the cautious boy who did not release the envelope until he had a firm grasp of the money.
"Thanks," the boy said and ran off.
Mark looked down at the envelope, Stephanie had obviously promised the boy the money to ensure that he would stick around. Inside he found a set of car keys and nothing else. No instructions, he tore the envelope open to check but it was empty. He climbed out of his vehicle and looked around. Then he began walking around the lot, time was of the essence and he needed to figure out which car the keys belonged to.
Almost kicking himself when he realised what he was supposed to do, Mark started to walk methodically up and down the rows pressing the button on the remote key until he came across the car whose lights blinked in response to his signal. He moved over to it quickly and climbed in.
Once inside he looked around. There was a cell phone on the seat which rang on cue. He answered it.
"Well Dr. Sloan I was beginning to wonder if you were going to figure that one out or not." Stephanie's voice answered brightly.
Mark was not in the mood for small talk. "What do you want me to do next?" he asked.
"First I want you to lose the wire Dr. Sloan, I did tell you not to wear one didn't I?"
Mark climbed out of the car and removed the hidden earpiece and accompanying box and dropped it onto the ground. Then he climbed back into the vehicle.
"Thank you, now listen carefully for your next destination..."
"We just lost Sloan's signal," Newman said moving across the room to where Alison and Collins were busy working on the computer. "That means he's on his own and we," he emphasised the word, "have very little time."
"Good job that we have our location then." Newman said standing up and stretching his back. "It's an abandoned factory."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Newman asked but neither man gave a verbal answer they just turned and rushed out of the door.
Alison stared at the screen for a couple of minutes. She'd been so caught up in the activity of the last couple of hours that there had been no time to react emotionally, in fact, she had actively suppressed it. Now that there was nothing more she could do but wait, she felt an overwhelming urge to just sit and cry for a while, had she been alone she would probably have done just that, but she was not alone.
She turned to face the other woman in the room and realised that Emma was probably in a worse state than she was. After all she had lost her husband and had been living through a nightmare worse than anyone for the last few days.
Emma returned her gaze and for a few moments there was an awkward silence between the two women, both still unsure of how to deal with the other.
It was Alison who spoke. "I don't know about you but I could use some coffee Care to join me?"
Emma smiled at her. "That would be nice, thanks" and the two women who loved Steve Sloan left the room together taking some comfort in each others company.
Mark cursed as he found the envelope with yet another location to drive to. This was the fifth so far and he didn't seem to be getting any closer to finding Steve. He felt like he had covered half of LA on some bizarre treasure hunt, his next clue leading him to a locker at the bus station.
He remembered watching Steve act as the runner for a hostage drop once before. He had never quite appreciated just how frustrating it was for the person being sent from stop to stop, without seemingly getting anywhere, until now. He climbed back into the car and checked his watch, once again he would be lucky to keep to the time scale he had been set.
Steve heard the car drawing up outside the building and forced his tired muscles to respond as he attempted as quietly as possible to push himself to his feet. He risked a glance across to the entrance door and spotted Stephanie entering the factory and then he pulled back into his concealed position in case she should glance up.
She was back which would mean that at any minute she could be coming looking for him. If he hadn't already been sweating, he would have broken out into one as he considered the possibility of her finding him. He gripped the iron bar more tightly.
"OK Sloan I'm back," he heard her call out. "Time to continue where we left off." He knew that she was calling to him like this to increase his apprehension. She expected him to still be tied up and the clear implication of her words, that she was going to inflict more pain, could only have been intended to increase his mental suffering and, even though he was not waiting where she expected, this cruel taunt still had some effect, as Steve's anxiety levels increased. He leant back against the cold brick and swallowed trying to push down the fear that even this woman's voice could now instill.
Stephanie was quite pleased with herself when she returned to the warehouse. She was certain that Dr. Sloan was alone and could not be followed. He should be arriving in a few minutes when he had picked up the last address on his tour of the city, the address that would bring him here.
For once everything seemed to be going to plan. She would show Sloan to his father and get the files. She might even get a chance to enjoy herself when killing them as an added bonus for all the trouble they had caused her.
As she approached the room where she had left Steve she could not help herself, she shouted out a taunt just so that he would know what was coming. He had had nearly two hours to sit and contemplate his fate and she wondered if he would be any less defiant.
Her initial reaction when she entered the room and, instead of seeing a bound and helpless prisoner, she saw shards of wood strewn across the floor was one of shock. This quickly turned to anger as she realised that her plans had once again been ruined. This was becoming an all too familiar situation and this time when she found Sloan she would make sure that he suffered.
Allowing her frustration and anger to come out in a screeching yell, she moved through the room and checked the rooms beyond but Steve was not there. She moved back into the factory. There were too many offices to search she would have to wait until she had dealt with Steve's father who would be arriving soon.
She stood and cleared her mind, deciding what to do she ran back to her car and retrieved a rifle from the trunk and then headed back into the factory, climbing the steps two at a time she took up a vantage point watching the entrance.
Mark arrived at the factory and saw a car parked by one of the entrances. He climbed out blinking in the bright sunlight, as it contrasted with the tinted interior of the car. He walked over to the entrance and stepped inside.
The factory interior was dim and it took time for Mark's eyes to adjust back again. He gazed into the room unable to make anything out clearly. "OK, I'm here and I've brought the files."
There was no answer.
"I'm here for my son," he shouted out into the cavernous room still unable to make out anything in the shadows.
Stephanie pointed the rifle and took aim. Without Steve she had no bargaining chips to use on the old Doctor so she would just have to take the risk that Mark was carrying the files with him. She would shoot him and take the discs off the corpse. Then she would look for Steve Sloan.
Steve peered out from his vantage point and realised to his horror what Stephanie was about to do. There was no chance to warn his father. Even if he shouted a warning his dad was too far out in the open and would not make it to cover before Stephanie could shoot him.
Steve looked around frantically he needed a diversion, a big one and quickly. Without really considering his actions Steve wrenched open the junction box nearest to him. He took a step back and threw the iron bar hard into the box.
The resulting explosion of energy and sparks, thundered around the empty factory, reverberating off the walls and making the windows shake.
Startled Stephanie turned her whole body and the rifle in the direction of the explosion. She spotted Steve and in a single action aimed and fired.
Steve, however, had been way to close when the box exploded and he was flung backwards across the parapet where he landed heavily on his back.
Mark looked up and saw Steve, yelling his name in a voice that conveyed the fear and anguish of a father..
Stephanie was momentarily confused she could no longer see Steve but his father was standing looking up at where his son had fallen. The old fool didn't even have the sense to move or seek cover. She turned her rifle round and pointed it at Mark.
Four shots rang out.
Jesse found himself unable to breath, there was something in his throat and he could not seem to get enough air, he began to choke, he lifted his hand up to his mouth. There was something there. It was stopping him breathing he started to panic and then he heard Amanda's soft voice, talking to him, reassuring him. He opened his eyes and looked up into hers and saw that she was smiling down at him and he started to relax.
He felt her remove whatever was in his throat and he took the deepest breath that he could. He looked around and took his bearings. He smiled at her and tried to speak but his mouth was too dry, she gave him some ice chips and he sucked on them slowly. "You know," he said croakily. "If you're always going to be around when I wake up," he took a deep breath, "Then we're going to have to get married."
Amanda couldn't help herself , she began to laugh and cry at the same time. Jesse was awake and if he could joke like that then he was suffering none of the problems that could be associated with coma. "Oh Jess," she said with all the love of a true friend but he had already drifted off again.
Mark took the stairs two at a time with a speed and agility that belied his age. His only thought was to get to Steve. He did not spare a second glance for Stephanie's body which lay staring at the ceiling with sightless eyes.
He ran along to where he had seen his son fall. He stopped by Steve's side and dropped to his knees and even as he assessed his son's condition the tears began to fall. First he checked for a pulse. It was there but weak and thready. Then he started cataloguing the injuries.
As he looked at Steve's battered and bruised body he barely knew where to start. There didn't seem to be anywhere where he could touch his son without causing him pain. He looked at the fresh cuts that Stephanie had inflicted on him, momentarily tracing his finger over the ragged edges of the wound where she had twisted the knife. Then he snapped himself back. Steve needed treatment not sympathy.
Steve's hands had second degree electrical burns on them and if Steve's rib hadn't been broken before, the force of the impact had broken it now. He was just lucky that the shock hadn't stopped his heart. His breathing was rapid and Mark knew that his son was going into shock.
"Steve, can you hear me?" He said, knowing that trying to get Steve conscious was the only defense he had until the EMT's arrived, if only he had brought his bag. "Steve!" he repeated desperately, but there was no response.
He became vaguely aware of other people around him. A hand was placed on his shoulder. "Mark," Jack Newman said, "How is he?"
Mark looked up. "We need to get him to a hospital now."
"Don't worry," Newman said gently. "We had the Medivac chopper on standby just out of hearing range of this place. They'll be here any minute."
Mark turned his attention back to his son. "Steve, come on I need you to wake up for me." he tried again to rouse him. This time he got a slight movement, encouraged he carried on "That's it Steve wake up."
Steve's eyes fluttered open, wide and crystal blue, "Dad?"
Mark leant forward so that Steve could see him properly. "I'm here son."
"Thank god you're OK." Steve said and his eyes closed again.
Mark knew that he should try to keep Steve awake but somehow he just didn't seem to be able to make any words come as he looked once again at his sons battered body and knew that all that Steve cared about, even through all that pain, was his well being. It was too much for him and he sat back and wept, grateful that at that moment the EMTs arrived.
The rest of the journey back to Community General was a complete blur for Mark. He remembered flashes and then nothing until he woke up in one of the hospital beds. Amanda sitting at his bedside.
Mark was confused. "How....?" he began.
"You collapsed," Amanda explained gently. "Emotional and physical exhaustion. You made it back with Steve as far as the ER."
"Steve?" He didn't need to say any more.
"Has a catalogue of injuries that would put most RTA victims to shame and had a recurrence of the infection you treated but there is nothing life threatening. He's in ICU until some of his injuries heal but he's going to be fine and," Amanda said smiling, "before you have to ask Jesse is going to be fine too. He came out of the coma a few hours ago and I had to practically physically restrain him to stop him coming down to check on how you are." She laughed. "Whilst I'm at it, Nathan's going to be OK they're keeping him in overnight for observation and the other young NSA agent, Baker is out of danger too."
"And how are you honey?" Mark asked concerned that Amanda seemed to have the weight of everyone else's problems on her shoulders.
"Oh, I'm fine but I can see I'm going to get exhausted from visiting everyone." She continued to smile at Mark. She couldn't help it she was just so relieved that everyone was going to be OK. "Maybe I should check and see if we can take over one of the wings of the hospital for all of you? and I could try bulk buying the grapes."
Mark smiled back up at her but she could see the tiredness in his eyes. She gently kissed him on the forehead. "Now you get some sleep and maybe you can help me with the visiting in the morning."
"I'd really like to see Steve now," Mark said but his eyes were already closing.
"I know you would," Amanda said gently to his sleeping form.