Section 70:
Jim had a death grip on the wheel of his truck as he and Blair drove to the last known address of Michael Holleran, as listed in his military record. He didn't actually expect to find him, but he needed some direction. He pulled up to the front of the dark and obviously abandoned house. It had probably been a bright yellow at one time, but now had faded to a dirty off-white. Paint peeled off in large flakes and many of the roofing shingles were missing. He looked over at Blair who was working on trying to get out of the truck. Jim placed his hand gently on Blair's chest and pushed him back into the seat. "You stay. Keep an eye out in case we need backup." Blair nodded and smiled slightly back at him.
Jim pulled his gun out of the holster and pointed it towards the afternoon sky as he crept towards the house. He ignored the pain in his head as he extended his hearing to detect anyone in the house. He heard a steady dripping of water, a skritching noise that he would rather not investigate as it was probably vermin in nature, but no heartbeats or anything else that would indicate human activity. Thank God the buzzing didn't start again. He was experiencing a bit of a heebie jeebie feeling, of course he would never tell Blair that. He'd never hear the end of that one. He did know to listen to his instincts. He learned that lesson in the jungle from Incacha. He stood before the front door and waited. What the hell did he expect to happen? Did he think that this house was booby-trapped, waiting for him to stumble into it? Why not? Holleran has been two steps ahead of him this whole time. He touched the doorknob and began to turn it. It opened with minimal resistance.
He stepped into the darkened room and scanned it for anything out of the ordinary. The curtains were covered in a thick layer of dust and were hanging off the rods in many places. There were a few pieces of scattered and broken pieces of furniture and some paper strewn around. No obvious signs of recent human occupation. He walked cautiously into the kitchen. The stale smell of old food and the metallic tang of rusty water filled the small galley kitchen. The cabinets were left hanging open and empty. He backed out slowly and walked further down the hall. The bedrooms and bathroom were all empty and dirty. Nothing unusual…yet. He was sure that there had be something, some sign of where to go next. Holleran was an expert of covering his tracks, but he'd never dealt with a Sentinel before. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath and let it out slowly. There. That was something. He caught the edge of something not right. Something chemical, something….explosives, gun oil, and something else that he couldn't quite place. He found the door to the basement and opened it. A stronger wave of the odor hit him and he wavered on his feet. No, don't lose it now. Get past it. It can't hurt you. He kept up the internal dialog in an effort to stay focused on his task. It could mean stopping all of this and Blair could be safe.
In the relative darkness, he could make out makeshift tables and stools. A lot of scuff marks on the floor. A lot of traffic. Planning Central for Holleran and his team? He ran his fingers over the surface of a shelf against a back wall. It had no dust. Something Holleran missed. He moved the shelf and found some papers that had fallen behind. Very strange that they would be so careless. The papers contained the words Simon Banks- 56 Reynolds Ave., Apt. 3, Daryl Banks- Cascade Senior High School, Blair Sandburg- Rainier University, Hargrove Hall B-12, 852 Prospect Ave. He turned around sharply and started back towards the stairs when he heard a small click followed by a steady ticking noise. Shit! It wasn't carelessness, he wanted me to know that they knew everything about me. Before he killed me. Jim's mind seemed eerily at peace as his body propelled him at a speed he didn't really know he was capable of. He made upstairs and out the front door in three heartbeats. He leapt off the porch and onto the lawn just as the house exploded into a giant fireball.
He felt his head connect with the ground as the wave of heat passed over him.
Section 71:
I woke up in a haze of disorientation and pain. I blinked several times and began to panic as I realized that I couldn't see anything. I was blindfolded. My arms were tied tightly behind and my shoulders were beginning to ache from the strain. I determined that I was sitting upright on a hard chair and that my feet were tied to the chair legs. I tested the bonds and found that they didn't give at all. Shit! What happened? They drugged me? I shook my head in an effort to clear my thoughts and try to calm down. Panic was not going to get me out of this. I wasn't aware of any sounds except my pounding heart, so at least I seemed to be alone. The whole place virtually reeked of death. I knew where I was. I was with the man with the intense eyes. The killer.
I decided that since I had no hope of working myself out of these ropes or whatever they were, I would play possum. If they thought that I was still out, I would be able to delay whatever they had planned. Maybe. My heart hammered against my ribs as I tried not to think about what they would do to me. What they did to that poor girl. I let my head fall forward and I tried to think about what to do.
I took some deep breaths and tried to slip into a meditative state, hoping it would help me come up with some insight. I followed the instructions Blair had given me before when we were trying to find Jim. Use it to find me.
I found myself in the peaceful pool and heard the waterfall cascading down behind me. I wished desperately that I could transport my body here and be free of my current situation. You'll get out of this, somehow. I strode slowly out of the water, still wishing that I could prolong my stay here and not face what was out there. My feet slipped slightly on the grass as I climbed up the hillside and into the familiar clearing. I sat down and waited for inspiration. For something to happen.
I must have dozed off for a bit because it seemed to be some time before I noticed a small grey and white wolf sitting on the outskirts of the clearing. He was just looking at me and waiting for something. Yeah, I know how you feel. I decided it was a good idea to just stay and wait. The wolf had the right idea. I let the warmth of the sun penetrate into my skin and relaxed my muscles. Was it possible to meditate inside a trance?
Section 72:
Blair's head snapped up in surprise as the explosion propelled Jim off the porch and rocked the truck. Jim! He flew out of the truck and crouched next to Jim who had just started to shake his head and try to get up.
"Jim? Are you okay?" Blair helped to lift the larger man to a sitting position.
"Yeah, I guess so. I think my brain's been rattled around enough now." He stopped and looked at Blair. "He knew I would come here. He left 'clues' for me to find. He wanted me to know that he had a bead on all of you at all times. That he could take any of out whenever he damn well wanted to. He also didn't intend on me getting out there."
"Man, I'm glad you did. I would have had a lot of trouble explaining this to Simon." Blair smiled and helped Jim to his feet. "Are you sure that you're okay?"
"Yeah. When this is all over, I think that we will have to find the most remote cabin and camp out for about three months. Cut the chances of contact with the crazies." Jim shook his head again and walked to the truck. He opened the passenger side door and sat down. "We'll wait here until the black and whites show up. Then we'll have to fill in Simon." Jim laid his head on the headrest and closed his eyes.
"I was afraid you'd say that." Blair leaned up against the side of the truck next to Jim, trying to think about what to do next.
About an half an hour later, Blair began polishing his glasses on the bottom of his shirt for the tenth time as he watched the heated discussion going on between Jim and Simon on the front lawn of the destroyed house. Forensics and several other members of Major Crime were sifting through the debris for any clues about the detonation trigger, type of explosive, or anything they could use to tie this to the coffee shop murder. Jim had explained the chain of evidence to everyone, obfuscating a bit to help maintain continuity with more widely accepted means of gathering information. He purposely left out Max's role and knew that Simon wouldn't necessarily bring it up in the large group. Blair was sure that she was one of the subjects that Jim and Simon were discussing loudly.
Max! He hadn't heard from her all day. He quickly dialed her cell phone to check in. It switched over to voicemail after three rings. He then called the station and talked to Rhonda. She told him that she'd hadn't seen Max in awhile and that she had left for the University. Something about picking up her books or something. He thanked her and hit 'end' on his phone. He had had the bookstore drop her materials in his office so he had hoped that she found them okay. As soon as Jim was finished, he would suggest that they stop by the University to check up on her. And to thank her for everything that she's done for them. He also hoped that he would be able to follow up on the 'first date' that he had promised her. Maybe when all of this was over. He felt a little better having sorted all of that out in his head, which was beginning to throb again. He wished he had remembered to bring some of his homeopathic medicines with him, but they were on the nightstand in his room right now. The growing presence of pain seemed to leave a feeling of tension in the pit of his stomach. Something wasn't right. Maybe he'd try her cell phone again.
Section 73:
The wolf seemed to be uneasy but never really looked at me. He paced around my vicinity and seemed to be getting more and more agitated. I tried to maintain my calm as much as I could, but his unease was rubbing off. I gave up on the meditation and stood up. I walked over to the wolf and put out my hand. He smelled it tentatively and then began to lick my fingers lightly. I sat down again and the wolf nuzzled my hand until I started to stroke his back. He sighed in pleasure and closed his eyes. "I know that this is all make believe in my head and maybe I needed something to take care of while the rest of me worries about my safety in the real world, but a wolf? Where did that come from?"
I stopped talking to the now dozing animal as I noticed the black jaguar I had seen before when I was looking for Jim had come out of the forest and into the clearing. He paced back and forth in front of the wolf as if he were guarding him. Okay. If the jaguar represented Jim, the wolf represented….Blair. Jim was trying to protect Blair from what…or who. I knew who it was. The same psycho who kidnapped me…out there. Cool. "Alright, guys. I know this is silly, but here goes. Come find me! I think that I'm in some sort of basement or warehouse, somewhere close, I think. Who knows, though. I could've been out for a long time. But if this guy wants Jim and Blair so bad, he wouldn't go too far away. Makes sense, right?" The jaguar glanced in my direction once in awhile, but did not seem to acknowledge my dialogue. The wolf continued to doze, sighing once or twice. Somehow, I knew they weren't on my trail. I sighed and prayed that whatever happened, would happen soon. I couldn't say here forever.
Section 74:
Blair's headache had gotten progressively worse and he had climbed into the truck and closed his eyes in an effort to dispel it. He had gotten nowhere trying to find out where Max had gone. The bookstore manager said that she had been there and he sent her to Blair's office. The anthropology secretary said that she saw her, but didn't remember seeing her leave. A new sense of urgency bubbled up from somewhere and his eyes snapped open. He needed to get to his office right now!
He ran over to Jim and Simon, who were both starting into the staring contest that they usually did when negotiations broke down.
"What do you want, Sandburg?" Simon said as he continued to glare at Jim.
"Uh, Jim. I think we need to get over to the university. I have a bad feeling. It's about Max."
"Not another bad feeling. Can't any of you get any hard evidence for once?" Simon stormed off in the direction of a few members of the Forensics team.
"Man, what's got his knickers in a bunch?"
"I think he's had just about enough of all of this mumbo jumbo as he calls it. We need to get some evidence against this guy and shut him down for good." Jim stopped, as his eyes seemed to go out of focus. A minute later, he blinked and started to talk again. "Jones in Forensics found some sort of weapons cache not too damaged in the explosion. They may have at least an initial match on residue and a gun barrel they can test against the bullet from the victim. He just briefed Claire and Simon."
"Great. Now we have a leg to stand on. Let's go. We need to get over to the university. I can't find Max."
"Do you think something's happened to her?"
"I'm not sure yet. I have a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach, like something's happened. I just want to be so wrong about this." Blair climbed into the driver's side of the truck and Jim acquiesced and climbed into the passenger side. He pushed his hair behind his ear and turned on the ignition.
"Chief, I hope you're wrong, too. She seems to be almost as good as you in finding trouble." Jim reached up for his seatbelt and pulled it down until he attached it to its mate.
That's what Blair was afraid of.
Section 75:
I awoke in that dark hellhole that I had so hoped was all just a bad dream. My arms had become lead weights and I couldn't even feel my legs anymore. At least I wasn't in pain. I hoped that wasn't because I was drugged again. I listened carefully and slowly opened my eyes. Nobody. I blew out my breath slowly in relief.
A few minutes later, I tensed up and then played asleep again as I heard footsteps clomping down a flight of stairs towards me. A few minutes later, someone pulled my head up by my hair. I jerked my eyes open in surprise at the pain.
"I see we're all nice and awake now. Do you think you could help me out a little bit?" The soldier smiled with a sickly sweetness that made my stomach drop into my shoes. He had dark hair and was wearing green fatigues and sneer that made you want to run far away from him. His name patch was ripped off. He ran his fingers down the side of my face and I pulled away in disgust.
"What do you want?" I asked defiantly. Probably very stupid.
"Nothing….much." His fingers ran down the side of my neck and ran around the rim of my shirt collar. I swallowed and prayed he would stop. I was in no position to fight back.
"Please. Stop." I tried to plead. He just smiled wider.
"Don't worry, you'll like it." He ripped the sleeve of my t-shirt off and ran his finger underneath my bra strap.
"No….no." I fought the tears of utter frustration that were forming in the back of my eyes. They burned with such intensity that I couldn't stop them. I wasn't ever going to get out of this.
"Sanchez! Stop messing with the prisoner. We need her reasonably intact for when Ellison gets here. Get back up here! You're on perimeter watch. Now!" A voice bellowed from above the stairwell. It was him.
"Yes, sir!" The soldier dropped his previous line of action and ran back up the stairs. He turned and looked back at me. "Don't worry, little lady. We'll have plenty of time for you later." He grinned that horrible, blood-freezing sneer again and I shivered.
The man from my visions walked slowly and methodically down the stairs and over to the side of my chair. "I don't believe we've ever been formally introduced. My name is Lieutenant Michael J. Holleran, U.S. Army. And you are?"
"Max." Try to make nice. Might keep you alive longer.
"Well, Max, it looks like we're going to be very close friends now. We seem to have acquaintances in common. Lt. James Ellison and that sniveling brat Blair Sandburg. He's never even been in the service you know. You can never trust civilians. How do you know the lucky pair?" He squatted down next to me so close that I could feel his warm breath on my cheek.
"I…I just met them a couple of days ago. That's all. I work with Blair at the university. I don't really know them at all."
"Then it's a real shame that you got all tied up in this thing, isn't it? I'm really sorry we had to tie you up and everything, but you can never be too careful. Won't be too much longer, you know. I left quite an obvious trail for them to follow, but in case they still manage to lose it, I'm sure you wouldn't mind making a phone call. Would you?" He patted my hand and stood up again.
I shook my head and blinked a few tears out of my eyes. Holleran strode back to the stairwell and ran up the stairs, two at a time. Then, I lost it. I was never getting out of this alive.
Section 76:
Jim and Blair arrived at Blair's office. The door was slightly open and the lights were out. Jim pulled his gun out and slowly pushed the door open completely. He scanned the room and even in the dark, he could tell no one was there.
"It's okay, Chief. No one's here." He flipped on the lights and looked around. Something wasn't right. A chair lain on its side, almost innocently. Jim tried to pin it down when he noticed that slight tang he now associated with the gunpowder residue from the donut shop. He sighed.
"Oh, God. He's got her, doesn't he?" Blair pulled the chair back upright and sat down on it. He put his hands up to his face and scrubbed his eyes roughly.
"I'll call Forensics and Simon. We need backup." Jim flipped on his cell phone and made the appropriate calls.
Jim stood in the middle of the room and took a deep breath. "That's it, Jim. Anything out of the ordinary? Any clues of where they may have taken her?" Jim ignored the slight buzzing that was building up in the back of his mind. He willed it away so he could do his job. He seemed to detect a metallic taste in the back of his mouth and a sharp odor. It reminded him of metal shop when he was in high school. The odor of hot metal and ash. He relayed the information to Blair.
"Where would be a good place to set up shop? Easy access to the city, lots of space and storage. Not too many eyes looking in your direction. I'm thinking Cascade Factory Steel and Metal Supply Company in the manufacturing district. It's been abandoned ever since the building companies found it was cheaper to import steel from Canada." Blair had gone into "professor mode".
Jim looked at him.
"What?" Blair looked surprised at Jim's look.
"C'mon, Blair. How would you know that?" It did make sense though.
"You listen to faculty members on campus enough and you pick up things. The structural engineering faculty has some definite opinions on the matter." Blair stood up. "Let's go. We have to get Max back."
"Slow down, Chief. I thought you were always the one about waiting for backup. I think we're going to need it here. From what we could tell, he has control of a highly skilled set of mercenaries." Jim walked around to the back of Blair's desk and put his hand on the back of the chair. The buzzing suddenly increased to a booming, causing him to cry out in pain and cover his ears.
"What, Jim? What's the matter?"
"Too loud. The buzzing. It's all I can hear." He let Blair lead him out of the office. The noise settled down to a more manageable level. He took his hands off his ears.
"Again?" Blair looked at him with a mixture of concern and surprise.
"It started when I was in the hospital after the shooting. It comes and goes. It hadn't been that bad until just now." Jim leaned against the cool tile of the hallway wall.
"I remember you told the doctor you heard a buzzing. Same kind?" Blair waited for Jim's nod in response. "Did it only occur after the shooting and in the hospital?"
Jim nodded again. "And right now. I had hoped it went away. It covers up my ability to hear just about anything else."
Blair paused for a minute and looked closely at Jim's face.
"Okay, working hypothesis here. Remember I told you that the bullet that grazed your head was custom-made. What do you want to bet that they're making them down at the steel company? Maybe the buzzing's in reaction to the metal or something in the metal." Jim always liked to watch Blair's trains of thought. They usually ended up at the right station.
"Like a contaminant?" Jim was trying to think of what additives they could put into steel. Or into bullets.
"Exactly. I think you should give your friend Claire a call and see if they analyzed the bullets yet. You may just be a metal detector now." Blair seemed quite satisfied with that.
"Great. Where's the nearest beach? We can look for coins next." Jim straightened up as the Forensics team filed past him and into Blair's office.
Blair was already dialing the Forensics lab at the station.
"Yeah hi, Wanda. It's Blair. I wondered if you could do me a quick favor…"Jim tuned out the rest of Blair's conversation with the young lab technician and tried to follow what the forensic analysts inside the office were doing. He huffed in frustration when they did not pick up anything unusual, even from the back of Blair's chair. A few minutes later, Blair smiled and hung up the phone.
"They didn't find anything, Blair." Jim clenched his jaw a little bit tighter in an effort to dispel the tension he felt in the rest of his body. It didn't work. It just made his teeth hurt.
"It doesn't matter, Jim. If you are able to detect silicon and manganese, normally additives put into steel to make into alloys, we're in business. The bullet they found contained trace amounts of these elements. Not usual components of bullets, according to Wanda. I also had her check with the city about what kinds of steel products the Factory Steel and Metal Supply Company produced. Guess what? They produced steel alloys using silicon and manganese. It must have permeated the whole place." Blair's features lit up in a small smile. Ah, hope is a wonderful thing.
"What are we wasting time here for? We can't wait anymore. We'll call Simon from the road and let him know what's going on." Jim took off at a jog down the hall and towards the parking lot. He ignored his burgeoning headache and sluggish muscles. Holleran was waiting for him.
"Whoa, wait for me, Jim." They didn't wait around long enough to see the bullet recovered from under the desk with Jim's name engraved in it.
Section 77:
I had no idea how long I had been down there. I lost track of time except to count heartbeats that were pounding in my head. I desperately tried to get back to the "mediation place", but was unable to feel secure enough to try it. I decided to try and get as much information as I could about these guys. Anything that might lend itself to my escape. I closed my eyes and tried to be open to any flashes that might come from this place.
"Hey, George, what did your wife pack for your lunch today? I got tuna casserole or something like that."
"Alright guys, our quota's just been raised. We need to increase production to make our budget for this quarter."
I let the old activities fade into the back of my mind. I was waiting for the most recent activities to suface.
I was then standing in the middle of a large factory. It smelled of disuse and a sharp metallic odor. Only frames and shadows of large equipment hulks surrounded the open area where the group was standing.
"Jiminez, Warren, you cover the north side. Harrison, Watson, Quarez, you're south. Sanchez, Cross, you're with me. We're doing an internal sweep. Check in every 15 minutes." Holleran gestured as he spoke, eyes flashing with intent.
I heard the distinct clicking noises of guns being loaded. I walked up closer to the men and could look into their eyes. They were scared. Scared they weren't going to make it out of this alive. I wasn't so sure I was either.
"When Ellison gets here, I want him isolated. You can do whatever you want with whoever else has the misfortune of being with him. People have a bad habit of dying around him." The hatred this man had for Jim was tangible and hung in the air like a foul stench. "Move out!"
"Yes, sir!" The soldiers said in unison.
I faded back out.
What the hell happened to have started all of this? Well, it didn't matter much because I was only an expendable bait to bring Jim and Blair here. The hope that they were coming was also the only thing that was going to get all of us killed. I was covered in a cold sweat and began to shiver slightly. Oh great, all I need is to go into shock. Great help I was.
Section 78:
Jim, Blair, Simon, Rafe, Megan, and Brown all met just outside the plant's outer fence. Megan had a pair of binoculars trained on the front entrance to the plant. Simon was on the phone with the SWAT team advising them as to the best way to get in without being detected. Blair continued to wring his hands in frustration in not being able to do anything. Blair had blanched when Simon told them about the bullet they had found in his office. Jim hadn't reacted at all. Holleran knew exactly what he was doing. Jim started pacing, listening for something to give him some idea of how many were inside and their possible locations.
"There!" Megan shouted. "I have three perps on the north side of the facility coming towards the front. Probably a perimeter detail. Fully armed. Looks like AK-47's. Probably handguns, too."
Jim glanced in the direction she pointed and nodded. "You're right…Uh, you're probably right." Blair glared at him as Jim leaned against the side of the truck.
Blair came up and leaned up next to Jim. "Any idea what's going on in there?"
"I think I can distinguish about ten heartbeats inside and around the general perimeter. Some are pretty close together, and some are louder than others, but I think they are pretty well dispersed around the facility. Should be able to get in no problem. They're probably expecting us. So I wouldn't expect to get in, get her, and get out without a fight." Blair sighed again at Jim's grim description and pushed his hair behind his ear.
"How are we going to do this, Jim? They'll kill her."
"I don't think they will, not right now at least. Holleran wants me and is using her to get me here." Jim rubbed his forehead.
The SWAT truck pulled up and the fully armored officers poured out of the back. The SWAT captain jumped out of the front and ran over to talk to Simon. The officers began fanning out, looking for cover in the surrounding industrial buildings.
Jim kept shaking his head in an effort to dispel what he knew was coming next.
"What's wrong, Jim?"
"That buzzing's back. That and the chatter from the SWAT headsets is making it very difficult for me to hear what's going on in there." He said quietly to Blair as he pointed to the facility.
"Alright, Jim. I know you think I'm a broken record when I say this, but you can filter all of that out. You know why you have that buzzing noise, imagine that there are those chemicals in the air. Just imagine them fading away, blowing away on the wind. The radio static is also nothing. That also just dissipates into the wind. All you need to hear is inside the facility. It's the only thing. How many heartbeats are there again?" Jim closed his eyes.
A few minutes later, Jim answered. "There are ten, I think. One seems very far away and it's very fast. Below street level, maybe in a basement or something. The others are higher, but controlled. They are moving slowly around the building."
Just then a staccato volley of bullets sprayed in their direction. Jim covered his ears and screamed in pain. Everyone dove for cover.
"Jim, okay. It's okay now…They know we're here." Blair patted Jim's back.
The SWAT team returned fire as several members of their team cut holes through the fencing surrounding the facility. The SWAT officers zig-zagged through the grounds towards the building, catching cover where they could.
"Blair!" Jim's wild eyes betrayed his panic.
"What's the matter, Jim?" Jim's eyes moved to Blair's mouth.
"I can't hear anything now, except the buzzing. I can't hear you!" Jim practically screamed.
Simon crawled over to where Jim and Blair were crouched behind the truck.
"Simon, we have a problem." Jim kept shaking his head and looking around wildly.
"You mean besides being a sitting duck with a maniac taking shots at us?" Simon glared at Blair inches from the ground. Once again, Blair found himself contemplating the axle of a vehicle. How the hell do I keep getting involved in this kind of thing?
"Jim can't hear anything. He…" Blair turned to look over at Jim and saw that he was gone. "Oh, shit." Major problem.
Section 79:
I forced myself to keep my breathing regular and not to panic. I jumped when I heard weapons' fire outside. So, they were here then. I looked up at the ceiling. Please let Blair be okay. I couldn't live with myself if anything happened to him or any of them.
Three black-suited men with what looked like black ski masks and large guns burst into the basement area in which I confined and ran towards me. I drew in a deep breath to scream but one clamped his hand over my mouth and breathed into my ear. "Cascade SWAT. We're here to help you. C'mon." The man cut my bonds with a wicked looking knife and pulled me out of the chair. "Can you walk?" I nodded numbly. They looked more like ninjas than police officers except for the large white letters on their backs "SWAT". The officer dragged me along and up the stairs. He held me behind him as he and the two other officers sprayed gunfire up the stairs and into the upper hallway.
"Clear!" one of them said and we all followed up and into the upper hallway.
This was too easy. Holleran wouldn't let them just waltz in here and take me back. "This has to be a trap. He wouldn't let me go without a fight." I turned to the officer he was holding my arm but he didn't react. I was about to repeat myself as I stumbled and fell into the wall.
An officer screamed in utter misery and pain as his lay on the floor, his eyes held the desperation of knowing he was going to die. I heard screaming in the background and gunfire. I looked down and saw my foot practically catch on an almost invisible string…
"Boobytraps! This whole place is wired!" I screamed and pulled away from the officer. "You have to get out of here, now. Be careful of the wires on the floor. He has them rigged like mines!" The two officers ahead of me whipped around to face me at my warning.
Then, three soldiers came around the end of the hallway and opened fire. The officer directly in front of me went down and I fell on top of him in surprise. Another officer ran forward and tripped a mine. The scream and the gurgling noise in his throat as he died would never leave me. The last officer, who managed to grab me and hold me down, sent a volley of bullets in the soldiers' direction. They swung back around the corner from where they came. The officer grabbed me and pulled me back down and around a corner behind us.
He pushed me up against the wall and whispered, "Stay here." He seemed to be saying something into his headset.
"Wait! Where are you going?" I asked in desperation. He wasn't going to leave me here. Two more SWAT officers came around the corner and saw the injured officers. They started talking on their communications gear, but I didn't stick around to find out what would happen next. They were better equipped to deal with those poor men than I was. I had to follow the other officer.
He slowly made his way down the hall, running his fingers along the wall as if it was his lifeline. He kept shaking his head, as if he were having an argument with himself. I slid slowly along the same wall towards the officer, hoping to keep him in sight. He was now my only means of escape, no matter how oddly he acted.
Section 80:
Blair kept grinding his teeth in an effort not to ask Simon what was going on again.
"Look, Sandburg, if you don't get out the way and stop that jaw clinching, I'm going to stop it for you." Simon said out of his own clinched teeth.
"Simon, what do you think's going on?" Blair peered through Megan's binoculars. The rest of the detectives had suited up with the SWAT team and proceeded into the facility a half and hour before.
He put a finger on his headset and listened for a minute. "So far, they've reported three enemy casualties. One of our guys is being brought out now. A few teams have gone radio silent, so we won't know what's going on for a little while. And before you ask, no, there's no news on Jim. He's probably in there." Simon gestured towards the facility, now under siege from both sides. "Why don't you take care of directing the EMT's? You have enough experience with them." Simon stopped glaring for a minute and almost smiled. He pulled out his cigar, lit it and stuck it in his mouth. He began pouring over the schematics strewn over the hood of Jim's truck again in an effort to pinpoint the movements of the officers and perps. The SWAT Captain was on his comm. gear listening intently for tactical information to relay to Simon.
Blair sighed and waited for the EMT's to arrive to take the injured officer to the hospital. He prayed it wasn't Jim.
Two uniformed SWAT team members brought out one severely injured officer who had been shot in the neck. Blood flowed out of him and over the hands of the officer holding him up and trying to stop the bleeding. The injured officer briefly picked up his head and his eyes connected with Blair. It was something in those eyes that told Blair he wouldn't survive the night. Two other officers brought out a dead comrade, wrapped in a dark blanket.
The EMT's arrived and loaded the injured officer after quick assessment and treatment. One of the EMT's nodded at Blair as he closed the doors to the back of the ambulance. Blair called the coroner to pick up the other officer who had been laid carefully on the ground. He saw that the four officers were preparing to return to the facility after they finished speaking with Simon and their Captain.
"Have any of you seen Jim Ellison in there? Did you find out anything about the hostage, Max?" Blair grabbed the shoulder of the officer closest to him.
"Sorry, Sandburg. We didn't see him or the hostage, but the facility's pretty big. I'm sure Jim's fine. He can take care of himself. We've gotta go. We're still looking for the hostage and for a way to end this. Keep Jones company until…the coroner arrives, would you?" The officer jogged off to join his teammates on their way back in. Blair nodded as he watched the men go back in.
Dammit! He felt so helpless bring stuck out here. He managed to snag a comm. set from the inside of the SWAT van and turned it to the channel he knew they used. At least he could hear what was going on.
"Alpha One to Base. Alpha One to Base, do you copy?"
"Copy, Alpha One. What's your status?"
"Two additional targets sighted and out of action. Beta Two and Three coming out with prisoners. Five additional targets believed to be at large. Next report 15 minutes. Alpha One out."
"Copy that."
"Gamma Three to Base. Base, do you copy?"
"Gamma Three, go ahead."
"Base, additional one target acquired and removed from action. Beta Two, meet at insertion point for deposition of target."
"Beta Two, affirmative."
"Copy, Beat Two. Gamma Three out."
"Delta One to Base. We're under heavy fire, quadrant four, level two. Request support. All teams be advised, stay clear of tripwires and aware of your surroundings. There may be hidden explosives. Use extreme caution."
"Copy, Delta One. Alpha Team report to quadrant four, level two for assistance. Confirm when in position Alpha Team. Use extreme caution. Base out."
"Copy, Base. Alpha Team out."
"Copy, Base. Delta One out."
Blair had a strong feeling that this wasn't going to end so easily. They still hadn't located Holleran, Jim, or Max for that matter. Holleran wouldn't go down without one hell of a fight.
Blair glanced at his watch again. Twenty minutes had passed since the last transmission. The SWAT captain was getting a little nervous and decided to break radio silence to try and raise any of his team members.
"Base to Alpha One. Do you copy?" Static.
"Base to Beta One. Do you copy. Base to Beta One. Copy?" Static.
"Base to Gamma One. Base to Gamma One. Copy?" He paused. "Does anyone read?" Static again. Then, a voice.
"Base, this is Lt. Holleran, U.S. Army. We have taken your men. They are alive, for now. They are considered POW's and will be treated as such. I am willing to begin negotiations to secure their safe release with Lt. James Ellison only."
"Uh, copy Holleran. Stand by."
"Copy, Base. Standing by. Don't keep me waiting too long."
"Base out."
"Holleran out."
"All so civilized. Either that guy's crazy or he's really crazy. And he has my men. Captain, did you say that Ellison might be in there? Any chance they have him too and this is all just a big game to keep us off guard?" SWAT Captain George Simms was beginning to sweat. He swiped the back of his hand over his forehead.
" I think that if they had Ellison, that would've been the first thing he would have told us. Holleran thinks we have Ellison." Simon dropped the cigar from his mouth onto the dirt and ground it in with the tip of his shoe.
"Uh, sirs?" Blair was suddenly behind the two Captains.
"What?" They both asked in unison.
"The whole point of this was to get Jim here. Jim's here but Holleran doesn't know that. I need to go in and find Jim. Let him know what's going on. We need to find Max before something else happens."
"Sandburg, I know you want to help…"
"Look, Simon, I know you're going to give me the 'you're just a civilian observer speech' but you know I'm right. Jim's the only one who can get us all out of this mess."
"Look, Sandburg, I know you have a lot of confidence in Ellison and I do too. I've seen him work, but if Holleran's captured all of my men, then we need to bring in more back-up. We're talking National Guard now." Captain Simms told Blair in a condescending tone.
"Sir, I appreciate your insight, but Simon, uh, Captain Banks, knows of Jim's unique abilities in situations such as these."
The SWAT Captain was beginning to protest when Simon cut him off.
"Captain Simms, call for the National Guard. In the mean time, Civilian Police Observer Sandburg and I are going in. Sandburg, get Rafe, Connor, and Brown on the horn and apprise them of our situation. Tell them to set up a perimeter. Let's go."
"Good luck, gentlemen." The SWAT Captain acknowledged.
Section 81:
I could think about nothing else except to follow the man in black. He alone held my ability to survive this nightmare. Of that, I was absolutely sure. Oh, man, how did I ever get into this? My head felt like it was stopped up with cotton and my insides were so tight, I felt like I could have exploded at any second. I continually watched for tripwires or anything that was out of the ordinary. Out of the ordinary? What did I know about any of this shit? The officer would periodically look back at me and then gesture for me to follow him. Like I'd forget to do it or something. He seemed to be the picture of calm, except that I thought I saw the tip of his gun wavering just a little bit. So he is human.
I guessed about ten minutes had passed when the officer suddenly stopped and I almost ran into him. He held his hand on my shoulder as if to tell me to wait. It looked like he faded out for a second because the focus in his eyes seemed to dull. He breathed in deeply about three times and then waited. I heard footsteps and was about to hit the deck again, when I noticed the officer didn't move. What the hell was he waiting for? To be plowed down like the others?
He pulled off his black ski mask and I saw it was Jim! He shook his head again and winced. He put his head against the wall and waited. I hoped that he knew what he was doing. He was all I had now.
"Jim?…Jim?" I tried, but he ignored me and waited.
The tip of a gun came around the corner and Jim stood up, grabbed the gun, and put the owner of the gun in an instant headlock.
"Hey!" came the pained reply. Jim instantly released the person who was dressed the same as he was. It was Simon! Blair came around the corner right behind. Jim grabbed him and pulled him down to a crouching position.
Blair's eyes lit up when he saw me. "Thank God. Max, you okay?" He whispered to me.
"I'm fine. Jim got me out." I breathed a small sigh of relief. We may have a chance now.
"Man, I hope we can all get out of this now." Blair turned on the balls of his feet to face Jim who was at the head of our weird procession, all crouching against a wall. "Jim, can you hear me?"
Jim mouthed something to Blair that I couldn't make out. He held up four fingers on one hand pointed down to one of the lower levels. Was he okay? I looked out beyond our hallway and saw that the hallway opened up to a large open area, at least three stories deep. The odor of burnt metal was strong here.
"Okay, Jim. That's okay. We'll figure out something else." Blair patted the larger man's arm. He then turned to Simon and whispered, "Jim still can't hear anything, but he's trying to use his other senses to compensate. He also thinks there are four bad guys right below us."
"Does he know anything about the hostages?"
Hostages? I thought I was the only one. Jim can't hear anything? Then how…? I wanted so badly to ask what was going on, but decided now was not the time. I had to trust that they would get me out of this.
"Hang on, let me see." Blair asked a question very slowly to Jim without actually using his voice. Jim responded with a nod and pointed in the same general direction. "He says he thinks they're all together below us. Hey, Simon?"
"Yeah, Sandburg?"
"Why don't I get Max out of here and you and Jim can go play Rambo? My not having a gun or any tactical training may be a little detrimental to my health." Blair whispered as he looked over at me.
"Best idea you've had today, Sandburg. How did I let you talk me into coming in here with you anyway?" Simon pulled a small handgun out of his boot. "Here. Take this. I'll feel better if you do."
Blair looked over at Jim as he held his hand out. Jim nodded as Blair took the gun and held it out like it was contaminated with E. coli bacteria. Oh God, we're in trouble now. Blair then held the gun as he was supposed to and shoved it onto the waistband of his jeans.
"Neo-hippie witchdoctor…" popped into my head along with a picture of Blair in a white lab coat. I dismissed it and waited for instructions. Jim smiled slightly as he gestured for Simon to follow him.
"Sandburg, exactly the way we came in. No exceptions. You understand?"
"Yeah, Simon. We'll be careful. You do the same." Blair pulled me behind him and we began our escape to the outside.
"Base, this is Timberwolf. Do you copy?"
"Timberwolf, this is Base. Switch to channel Zebra." Blair switched his comm. gear to channel 34 as he had been instructed by the SWAT Captain before they went in. Obviously, Holleran already knew what the other comm. channel was.
"Base, this is Timberwolf. Switching to channel Zebra….I have the package. We're returning to base. Timberwolf out."
"Base, acknowledged. Base, out."
"Timberwolf? Blair, are you a closet jarhead or something?" I whispered to him.
"I've just been hanging out around Jim too long. Or maybe in another life. C'mon let's get out of here." He grabbed my hand and we slowly proceeded down another hallway. I prayed that the thundering of my heart wouldn't give our position away. Then, the facility's surroundings melted away into the wilderness.
"Oh, God. I'm shot. He shot me." A surprised and bedraggled looking Blair looked at Jim, his hand on his injured leg.
"C'mon, Chief. We'll get out this. Stay focused. Daryl will stay with you here while Simon and I track that wacko down. This will be all over soon." Jim half-dragged, half-carried the injured man towards a dark tunnel entrance.
"Okay, Jim." Blair winced in pain as they moved him further down a dark tunnel. Naked fear played with the younger African-American boy's features as he followed the three men….
I blinked as I returned to the present. Great. No wonder he seems so comfortable with all of this. I'll have to ask him about that sometime, if we ever get out of this.
Section 82:
The buzzing had gotten to the point where Jim didn't even try and fight it anymore. There was no filtering, no ignoring it, no dialing it down, or any working around it. He could feel the vibrations of people moving around the facility through the walls. The metal gurters supporting the facility transmitted sound and movement to his sensitive fingertips. The only problem was it took an inordinate amount of concentration to work around his overloaded hearing. His muscles betrayed his concentration by spasming slightly. Just enough to be annoying. He was very concerned that he was going miss something and get himself and Simon killed. He turned and glanced back towards Simon. They continued to move towards their target, a large operations bay, located now only twenty yards away.
He could feel a constant pattern of tapping from somewhere in front of him. Somewhere close. Like someone tapping his foot or something. Maybe a nervous habit. Whatever it was he could use it as a homing beacon. He gestured to Simon to take the other side of the hallway as they stood in front of the door that lead to their target. Jim laid his hand over the door and waited. The thumping continued, stronger than ever. He felt slight vibrations from many directions. He slid his hand to the bottom of the door, trying to detect air movements. The facility must be pretty well sealed because even he couldn't feel any air movement from the other side of the door. If anything, the buzzing was getting louder and more insistent. He screwed up his eyes in an effort to dispel the painful distraction. He looked over at Simon, waiting to give him the signal that he was going in. Simon mouthed the words, "Are you okay?" Jim nodded lightly, not wanting to set up the waves of pain in his head again.
Jim then got the strangest feeling that they shouldn't go into the room. He waved Simon away from the door and began walking back slowly. Then, he grabbed Simon's arm and began to run back towards where they had just come. Simon seemed to be yelling something, but Jim couldn't hear him. Just run! About fifteen seconds later, a large explosion rocked the floor, sending both men to their knees.
Jim blacked out.
Jim returned to consciousness to the insistent shaking of his shoulder.
"Jim, are you okay?" Simon's voice wavered, revealing his worry for the detective.
"Yeah, I guess so….Holy shit! I can hear you now!" Simon helped Jim to his feet.
"What do you say we go get this guy?" Simon slapped Jim on the back.
"I say, Hoo Yah!" Jim's renewed sense of purpose buoyed both their determination to end this.
"Get on the comm….."
Section 83:
"Jim! Simon! Do you read?" Blair had abandoned the call signs in his panic as we had felt the blast shake the building around us. I waited in tense anticipation as the silence continued. Blair looked at me with such pain in his eyes, I could feel my stomach clenching in commiseration.
I leaned up against the wall and a flash came to me.
Jim and Simon were about to enter a room blocked by a heavy, solid metal door. Jim paused and slid his hand up and down the door and the surrounding wall. He looked at Simon as Simon said something to him. As if in slow motion, the two men backed away from the door and started running. The door blew off its hinges and the force of the blast pushed the two men down.
Simon was the first to get up and rushed over to Jim's side. Jim was unresponsive for a few seconds but then started to come around. Simon kept asking Jim if he was okay. Finally, Jim answered, "Holy shit! I can hear you now!"
"Get on the comm. and check on the status of our backup!"
"Yes, sir. Base, come in. This is Ellison…."
I snapped back and smiled widely at Blair who was still waiting in tense anticipation.
"Blair, they're fine. And Jim can hear now. They should be calling into the Base any second now." I breathed another sigh of relief and watched as Blair's features softened with the news. Blair's hands flew up to his comm. gear. He smiled again.
"C'mon, we have to get out of here and let Capt. Simms know what's going on. Good job, by the way. You're useful to have around." Blair took my hand again as we continued again towards the outside.
"Thanks, I think. You, too. We will have a lot to talk about when we get out this."
"More than you think."
Finally, we reached the outside and ran out into the darkness.
Section 84:
"We have to end this. Now." Jim turned on his comm. gear, "Base, this is Ellison. Attempting to acquire primary target. Banks is point on secondary objective. Remaining operatives are active on perimeter. Ellison, out."
"Base, affirmative. Backup ETA 5 minutes. Base, out."
Jim could hear the SWAT Captain's pounding heartbeat and rapid breathing through the communications equipment. He was afraid for his men and of getting out of all of this in one piece. Jim was, too.
Jim cocked his head in a position that even Simon recognized as his 'Sentinel pose'. Jim was listening for something only Jim could possibly hear. Holleran was going through a great deal of trouble to get him off the trail of the captured officers. Holleran's hostage, Max, had been liberated and maybe he was starting to get desperate.
Jim's eyes refocused on his Captain. "Okay, Sir. The National Guard is arriving. Can you brief them on what's going on and make sure that Max and Blair are okay?"
The Captain nodded. "What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to take out the remaining perps and get the SWAT teams out. After that, it's between Holleran and me. That's what all of this was for. I think it's time to give him what he wants. Get the other detectives out of here. I don't want anyone else to be in a position to get hurt."
"Good luck and be careful, Jim. I'll say it because Sandburg isn't here to do it."
"Thanks, sir. You, too."
Simon took off down the hallway while giving a briefing over the comm. to Captain Simms and the arriving National Guard troops.
Jim finally allowed himself to succumb to a little bit of the overwhelming exhaustion he was feeling. All the pain, the guilt, and the pressure of not knowing what this crazy wants to do was all catching up to him. He ran his fingers through his short hair and started off towards the main floor of the facility. Hopefully, he could pick up a trail.
He reached the main floor a few minutes later and looked up and saw the hallways of all the other floors. A slight wave of vertigo passed through him, but he dismissed it and kept moving. He heard murmuring and the whine of electronic equipment to his left so he turned and followed it.
He came to a door marked "Operations Room" and stopped. The voices were coming from inside and were much louder now.
"Just shut up. If you don't sit there and shut up, I'm going to start picking you off, one by one. Do you understand?…I said, Do you understand? Answer me when I address you, soldier!"
"Yes, sir!" Several voices said in unison. The officers. He thought that he was actually hearing everything a little like in an echo. Maybe one of the comm. gears wasn't altogether off. He listened a little bit closer to his comm. gear. He heard the sliding noise of boots pacing the floor. Probably three, circling the perimeter. The remaining perps. He also heard the scratching of rope on metal, probably the officers trying to get untied in the southwest corner of the room. Holleran wouldn't be here, not yet anyway. Their game was far from over, but he could end this game now.
He shouldered open the door and laid down cover fire as he dove into the room, praying he didn't hit any officers. He made it behind a large computer server and looked out briefly to see where the soldiers were located. One was moaning in pain and holding his stomach. Good, he got one of them. That meant two more were still active.
"Ellison! We know it's you. Holleran said you'd try this. Show yourself or we'll kill the hostages. Collateral damage. Can't be helped in times of war!" One of the soldiers yelled at Jim's general vicinity. Also good. They didn't know where he was hiding, but they could find out soon enough. He waited.
One of the remaining two came just close enough…Jim leapt out of his hiding place and grabbed the man, putting him in a half-nelson and ripped the gun out of his hand. The man yelped in surprise and tried to struggle. Jim dragged him out into the center of the room in full view of the remaining soldier. Jim held his gun up to the head of his captive.
"Is this what you want? I can kill him and be over to you in a few seconds. You'll never know what hit you. Come out and throw down your weapon. You know you won't get out of this without my help. I will attest to your cooperation." The soldier he had a grip on struggled again until Jim tightened his hold. "Stop moving if you know what's good for you." He hissed into the man's ear.
The last soldier walked into the center of the room, his left arm dangling. Three blood droplets splashed onto the floor. The gun was held weakly in his other hand. He threw the gun to Jim's feet and sank to his knees, his hands folded on his head. Cheers from the officers rose up. Jim threw his captive on the ground next to the injured soldier and pulled his knife out to free the officers.
"Officer, I trust you can handle this from here."
"That's an affirmative, Detective!" The officer whose nametag read L. Smith replied. "We'll see you on the outside."
"I have one more objective to complete. Here." He tossed his comm. over to Smith. "Fill in Captain Simms. The National Guard unit should be on its way here. Oh, and tell Banks and Sandburg to keep their asses in the truck. I don't need anymore civilians being used as human shields."
"Yes, sir!"
Jim hefted his gun back on his shoulder and walked out of the room.
"I have a man to see about a watch."
Section 85:
"Simon, Jim said what?"
"That he was going to meet with Holleran and end this."
"And you let him?"
"Have you ever tried to argue with him when he's in soldier mode?"
"What happens now?" Blair chewed his lip in frustration.
"We send in the National Guard unit to secure the facility and we end this." They both turned to see the fifty National Guard soldiers pass by them in smaller groups of five to ten, fanning out as they got closer to the facility.
"I hate waiting."
"I know, Sandburg, I know." The Captain put his hand up to his comm. unit. "Wait, the SWAT officers are coming out now."
Ten exhausted officers ran out towards the SWAT van and immediately formed a circle around Captain Simms. The Captain began gesturing wildly, but looked decided more relaxed. A few minutes later, an officer jogged over to where Blair, Simon, and Max were standing by Jim's truck.
"Ellison asked me to tell you that he was okay and that he was going after Holleran himself. Something about a watch. He also said to…"
"STAY BY THE TRUCK." Simon and Blair said in unison with the officer. The officer gave them a funny look and finished his message.
"Yeah. I see this is more of a usual operation than an unusual one, huh? Anyway, the National Guard unit is in and some of us will be securing the perimeter. I can update you as soon as we know anything else."
"Do you know where Jim is?" Max asked, the first thing she had said since they came out of the building.
"Negative. He gave me his comm. gear. He seems pretty capable, though. I'm sure he'll be fine. I have to go. As I said, I'll keep you updated."
"Thanks, Officer."
"No problem, Captain." He jogged back to join his team.
"Problem." Max said. "Holleran's going to take Jim hostage and kill him."
Section 86:
"Holleran! I'm here. Let's do this!" Jim stood back in the center of the main floor with all of his senses on full alert, his hands up.
"I've waited a long time for this. To see my brother's killer. How does it feel to have his blood on your hands?" Lt. Michael J. Holleran strode into the center of the floor with his AK-47 trained on Jim.
"Your brother died for his country. I had nothing to do with that. I survived, he didn't. It's a tragedy, but that's what happened." Jim looked directly into Holleran's eyes.
"I heard what the military told us about what happened. I know he was Special Ops, like you. The government wouldn't tell us what I know really happened." Holleran's heartbeat sped up as he became more incensed. Jim hoped he could work him up enough to make a mistake. He only needed a moment.
"What if I told you you were right? Boss was a great man. A great officer, a great CO. We did not exist as far as the government was concerned. We were in places where we shouldn't have been. We all paid for that. All of my team paid with their lives. I think about their sacrifice every day." Jim fought to keep his voice dispassionate and even. He didn't want to provoke the man to act too soon.
"Sacrifice?! You talk about it like they had a choice. All the training I received was to take you out the way my brother was taken out. An eye for an eye, so to speak. My brother's death killed my father, broke apart all that remained of my family. You had to have betrayed your unit. That's why you were spared. Given commendations for valor and honor." Holleran's heartbeat heightened even further as he spit out the last words. The tip of his gun wavered as he spoke, revealing his high emotion. A little bit more.
"Wait. I have something from your brother. He wanted me to give it to you. I'm just sorry I wasn't able to give it to you before." He slid his hand slowly into his pocket and pulled out the pocket watch. "Here, it was your dad's. Boss wanted you to have it."
"YOU DO NOT GET TO BE INVOLVED WITH MY FAMILY! I know what you're trying to do. It won't work. You will be dead before we end all of this." He grabbed the watch out of Jim's hand and threw across the room. It smashed into a million pieces and scattered all over the concrete floor. "Now move it. You're going to go on a trip and see my brother again."
Holleran shoved Jim to the stairwell and up to the roof, passing several teams of National Guard and SWAT. No one stopped Holleran as Jim waved them off. He heard the officers report their position as they observed them pass by.
"Bullet in the back is fitting, I think. A good death for a traitor. Hell, I'll even give you a head start. Go, run away, see how far you get." Jim could tell this man's grip on reality was tenuous at best.
"Look, Holleran. We can stop this right now, before we add assault of an officer of the law to your list of crimes." Jim started, not sure of how to get through to the man.
"Do you think I give a shit about that? I killed that girl, for Chrissake. She betrayed us. If you can't count on your own, who can you count on?" Holleran laughed at his own words. This man doesn't intend to be around to pay for his crimes. He intends to be a martyr for his cause.
"Do you think you're being noble here? Do you think your brother or your father would approve of the way you're handling this? Your men are captured. You're all alone now. This isn't honorable. It's cowardly."
Holleran exploded into a rage, threw down his gun, and rushed Jim. Perfect. Jim and Holleran collided and Holleran managed to get Jim on the ground. Jim threw a punch that landed squarely on Holleran's jaw, but it didn't seem to phase him. They exchanged blows and Jim managed to land a few on Holleran's head and chest. What the hell would it take this lunatic down? Jim felt Holleran's steel-toed boots cutting into his ribs, momentarily knocking the wind out of him. Somewhat dazed, Jim prepared to block another series of punches and kicks, but Holleran fell away from him. Blair stood over of the two of them holding Holleran's gun.
"Sandburg? What the hell did you do?"
"Well, I guess I knocked him out with his own gun. Cool, huh?" He helped Jim get back to his feet. Jim winced as he felt his ribs. One or two broken, bruised heavily at the very least. Felt like a truck had hit him.
"Yeah, thanks." He pulled out his pair of handcuffs and put them on Holleran. "I could've handled this, Chief."
"Yeah, but Max said that I'd better help you or…"
"Or nothing. I'm sure you could've handled it, but I thought I'd save you some injury. Okay, man?"
"Does Simon know you're up here?"
"What do you think?" Ten soldiers streamed onto the roof in military precision and surrounded Holleran, Jim, and Blair.
"Target contained. Returning to Base," one of the soldiers said into his comm.
It was over.
Section 87:
"Max, I think I owe you a date." Blair carried two mugs of chamomile tea to the kitchen table. Sunlight was streaming in through the French doors and I sighed.
"Oh, I think you may owe my a little more than a good time. You have a lot of 'splaining to do." I tried to give my best Ricky Ricardo impression.
"Uh, I guess so. Yeah. Jim?" Jim looked up from his spot at the counter in the kitchen as he poured himself a glass of orange juice.
"It's okay. We owe a lot to her. Helped you to save my ass. Hell, she saved my ass, too. " Jim nodded at me and went upstairs to his room.
"Okay, after all that ass-saving going on, I think we need to get a few things straight." I stood up and walked over to Blair, who was sitting on a kitchen chair adjacent to mine. I sat down on his lap, just inches from being face-to-face.
"Um, yes? What can I do for you?" His eyes sparkled and his nose crinkled up just a bit when he smiled at me.
"Shut up." I kissed him directly on his soft lips. "Okay, now you can talk."
"Ummm? Can we do that again?"
"Sure. Then we can go to this teahouse that I know about on campus. It's a great place to talk….."
THE END.
(Well, for now anyway.)
Stay tuned, Sentinel-junkies. I have a sequel in the works called Sensitive. Same great characters, new and different owies. Please read and review. I love hearing from all of you! Thanks.