"Must be some line."

"What?"

"The bank," Jake said, to Cody.

"Oh," Cody looked up from his twelfth Solitaire game. Noticing the time, he said, "Yeah, one heck of a line."

Suddenly Jake's cell phone rang, and he answered it. "Hello."

Cody paid no attention, until Jake jumped to his feet. "WHAT?!"

Alex and Monica, talking about Monica's new boyfriend, heard him and came over.

"We'll be right there," Jake said, hanging up. He grabbed his jacket, as he said, "Frank is a hostage in a robbery at the bank he went to!"

"What?!" they all said.

"We have to hurry, they said he's hurt."

Everyone grabbed their coats and ran out the door.

********************

This is it; I'm dead, Frank thought. He knew how hostage situations went in bank robberies, and from what his hazy mind was able to take in from what went on around him, he knew he would bleed to death before the situation was resolved.

He gasped as a wave of pain shot through him and closed his eyes as he clutched the wound, trying to stop the bleeding. He tried to get a look at the injury, to see how bad it was, but it was so agonizing that he couldn't even move. The man had twisted the knife, and he knew there had to be some serious damage.

Suddenly he heard voices, realized they were coming from the outside. Police, with bullhorns. You're wasting your time, he thought.

"Jay!" he suddenly heard. "Make sure the hostages stay where they are, and drag Donovan over there."

Jay frowned. He knew that moving Frank could be very dangerous.

"Well? What are you waiting for?"

Jay sighed, as he went over to Frank. "I'm sorry, man," he said, grabbing him under the arms as gently as he could. "I didn't want anyone to get hurt."

Frank had to bite his lip, dazedly watching the trail of blood he was making as Jay dragged him over to the group.

"Stop right there," said Artie.

Jay stopped, about 8 feet from the group.

"We wouldn't want any hostages risking their lives to save him, now would we?" Artie said, with a sneer.

Jay sighed, and lowered Frank down gently. He took out his handkerchief and knelt beside him, trying to press it to the wound without hurting Frank too much.

"What are you doing?" Artie demanded.

"Trying to stop the bleeding. We can't use him if he's dead!" Jay hated phrasing it that way, but he knew it was the only way Artie would allow him to try to help.

Artie seemed to think about that for a minute. "Yeah, okay."

Suddenly the phone in the bank started to ring, and they ignored it. It continued, however, for so long that they realized it was the police who were calling, obviously intending to negotiate.

Artie picked it up, and barked, "What?"

"This is Chief Morgan of the Chicago Police Dept. The bank is surrounded, let the hostages go and give yourselves up."

Artie started laughing.

Jay looked up from where he was still holding his handkerchief to Frank's wound—realizing that it was completely soaked with blood already—and looked at Artie, wondering what was going on.

"I ain't givin' up nobody," Artie said. "Least of all, Frank Donovan! I just might let him die on the floor!" He laughed again, and slammed the phone down.

********************

Jake flew into the bank parking lot, and screeched to a stop. They all jumped out and ran over to the herd of policemen. Two of them tried to block their path.

"Hey! Get back!"

"No! Let them through!"

Jake pushed past the two cops and followed the voice of his friend. "Jimmy!" he called.

Another policeman ran over to them. "Jake! Morgan's over there," he said, pointing.

"Thanks," Jake said, starting to walk in that direction.

Alex, Monica, and Cody wondered who Jake's cop friend was, as they watched him run back to his position.

They all followed Jake to the Chicago PD's chief, who was standing there with a bullhorn.

"Chief Morgan," Jake said, the UC team having worked with him before. "Frank is in there?"

The chief nodded. "Yeah, the thief volunteered that info."

"How do you know he's hurt?" Alex asked.

"Do you know how bad?" asked Monica.

The chief shook his head. "No. The man said he'd let Frank die on the floor, and that he'd be the last person he'd let go. So we're assuming Frank's hurt, and this psycho has some kind of grudge against him."

"Do you know his name?" Cody asked, hoping he did so he could look the guy up and see what connection Frank had to him.

Morgan shook his head.

Jake sighed. "So what are his demands?"

Morgan shrugged. "He didn't tell us yet."

Jake picked up the phone the police had tied into the bank's line, and dialed the number that was next to it on the cruiser's hood, written on a piece of paper.

Alex, Monica, and Cody all watched apprehensively, knowing Jake was no negotiator.

Artie picked up after the fourth ring. "What?"

"What do you want in exchange for the hostages?" Jake asked, not bothering to identify himself.

Artie frowned. "Who're you?"

"Jake," he said, leaving out his last name. "Look, we know you have a wounded man in there, why don't you let him and the hostages go, and we'll give you what you want."

Artie laughed. "I ain't letting out the wounded—or should I say dying—Frank Donovan. You aren't getting him back, even if I let the others out!" He hung up again, laughing gleefully, enjoying the game.

The others saw Jake suddenly turn pale, and nearly drop the phone. They all ran over to him.

"What is it?!" Alex said, afraid of the answer.

"He said that Frank…is dying."

They all just stood there, stunned.

"No…" Alex whispered.

"Maybe…maybe he lied, to scare us?" Cody said, hopefully.

"Monica?" Alex asked.

Monica shook her head. "It's possible…I wouldn't put it past a sicko like him."

Jake gave a huge sigh. He picked up the phone again, and dialed. When he heard it picked up, he spoke before Artie had the chance. "Who are you? What is it that you want?

"Revenge," Artie said. "Sweet revenge."

"What do you want for the hostages—and Frank?"

Artie paused, thinking. "Transportation out of here, alive, and with my newly acquired wealth."

Jake sighed. He'd seen that coming.