Returning the Favor
Chapter 6
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"Where are you?!" yelled the distraught young man. Bosco remained on the floor where he landed when the man started firing. At least he knew that Faith and the others were safe. Now, it was up to him to get himself out of this. He reached to his side and turned down his radio, fearful that the traffic on the radio would alert the man to his location.
He was able to peek around the corner of the desk and saw that the man was about 25 feet away from him, turning in a circle to try to find out where Bosco was.
"You better come out, or I'll start shooting this place up some more!" he warned.
"Well, I'd be pretty stupid if I came out now, wouldn't I?" Bosco said. "What's your name?" he asked, stalling for time.
The man turned in the direction of the sound of Bosco's voice. "Larry," he answered.
"Okay, Larry. I'm Boscorelli, but people call me Bosco for short," he said. "What is it that you don't think we understand, Larry?"
"Corporations like this. They don't try to help the individual employee. It's all about what's best for the company overall. I worked my ass off for this company for 15 years and they just let me go - just like that!" he said, helplessness in his voice.
"Okay. I can understand that that's frustrating, Larry. I do. I've been in situations like that before," he said, trying to gain the man's confidence. "But, why take it out on all the other poor schmucks working here? That's the part I need for you to explain to me, Larry. Can you do that?" Bosco asked him, again peeking around the corner of the desk and seeing that the man was slowly making his way toward Bosco's voice.
He quietly shimmied along the floor further away from the man, trying to think up a plan to end this peacefully. No one else - particularly him - needed to get hurt.
"Because they were all in on it! Don't you see? It was a conspiracy. It was sabotage of my career! I was loyal to this company, these people, for 15 years and what did I get for it? Huh? I got 'let go,'" he sneered.
"Well, Larry. I certainly understand how you're feeling," said Bosco realizing that with the conspiracy theory thing working, the man was clearly out of his mind. "But, you know I can't just let you go around shooting innocent people, right Larry?"
"Oh, you act like I'm gonna be able to just walk out of here if I give up. I'm not stupid. I watch television," he said to Bosco, moving toward the sound of his voice more quickly. Bosco looked around the partition he had crawled behind and saw the man gaining on him.
"Yeah, well, Larry, television is overrated, I've found," Bosco said, looking around for another place to go.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door to the stairwell. "Finally, a hostage negotiator," thought Bosco as he listened to the officer on the other side of the door try to talk to Larry.
"I'm not talking to anyone but Bosco!" Larry yelled across the room.
"Perfect," Bosco thought to himself. "Larry, they can get you more than I can. I mean, I'm in here with you. What can I do?" Bosco said, trying to convince the man to talk to the negotiator.
"I don't care. Neither one of us is leaving here alive," Larry warned him.
"This is getting better and better, Boscorelli," he said to himself. He heard Faith's voice coming over his radio faintly. He turned it up slightly and heard Faith.
"Bosco, are you okay up there? Are you hit?" she asked him.
He whispered back to her, "No. I'm okay for now. But, this guy's out there. There's no way he's gonna go quietly," he advised her.
"What part of the room are you in, ESU is getting ready to break in, so stay as low as you can and cover your ears," she warned him.
"10-4 that. I'm in the southeast corner of the room," he said, as he looked up and saw Larry standing over him with the weapon in his hand. He left his hand on the key to the microphone so it would be broadcast over the radio, allowing ESU to know that the man was right near him.
"Get up," Larry ordered him.
"I don't think so, Larry," Bosco said to him, knowing that ESU was coming through the door any minute. "Because ESU is coming through one of these doors any second according to my partner," he said, indicating the radio clipped to his shoulder. "Now, you should either give up or get the hell out of the way, 'cause ESU only knows how to come in shooting," he warned the man.
Larry took a moment to look around the room for a place to hide. He started to walk away toward a hiding spot. "Go now!" Bosco yelled into his radio, diving for the floor. The next second there was a loud crashing noise. A concussion grenade was thrown into the room and he covered his ears and head.
The man raised his gun in Bosco's direction and ESU fired. Larry fell to the ground with his finger on the trigger, spraying bullets around the room.
Everything seemed to be in slow motion as Bosco felt the first first of two bullets rip into him.
The radio was full of the sound of Bosco's voice, "10-13, Officer down. Repeat Officer down," followed by no further transmission.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TBC...
Chapter 6
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Where are you?!" yelled the distraught young man. Bosco remained on the floor where he landed when the man started firing. At least he knew that Faith and the others were safe. Now, it was up to him to get himself out of this. He reached to his side and turned down his radio, fearful that the traffic on the radio would alert the man to his location.
He was able to peek around the corner of the desk and saw that the man was about 25 feet away from him, turning in a circle to try to find out where Bosco was.
"You better come out, or I'll start shooting this place up some more!" he warned.
"Well, I'd be pretty stupid if I came out now, wouldn't I?" Bosco said. "What's your name?" he asked, stalling for time.
The man turned in the direction of the sound of Bosco's voice. "Larry," he answered.
"Okay, Larry. I'm Boscorelli, but people call me Bosco for short," he said. "What is it that you don't think we understand, Larry?"
"Corporations like this. They don't try to help the individual employee. It's all about what's best for the company overall. I worked my ass off for this company for 15 years and they just let me go - just like that!" he said, helplessness in his voice.
"Okay. I can understand that that's frustrating, Larry. I do. I've been in situations like that before," he said, trying to gain the man's confidence. "But, why take it out on all the other poor schmucks working here? That's the part I need for you to explain to me, Larry. Can you do that?" Bosco asked him, again peeking around the corner of the desk and seeing that the man was slowly making his way toward Bosco's voice.
He quietly shimmied along the floor further away from the man, trying to think up a plan to end this peacefully. No one else - particularly him - needed to get hurt.
"Because they were all in on it! Don't you see? It was a conspiracy. It was sabotage of my career! I was loyal to this company, these people, for 15 years and what did I get for it? Huh? I got 'let go,'" he sneered.
"Well, Larry. I certainly understand how you're feeling," said Bosco realizing that with the conspiracy theory thing working, the man was clearly out of his mind. "But, you know I can't just let you go around shooting innocent people, right Larry?"
"Oh, you act like I'm gonna be able to just walk out of here if I give up. I'm not stupid. I watch television," he said to Bosco, moving toward the sound of his voice more quickly. Bosco looked around the partition he had crawled behind and saw the man gaining on him.
"Yeah, well, Larry, television is overrated, I've found," Bosco said, looking around for another place to go.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door to the stairwell. "Finally, a hostage negotiator," thought Bosco as he listened to the officer on the other side of the door try to talk to Larry.
"I'm not talking to anyone but Bosco!" Larry yelled across the room.
"Perfect," Bosco thought to himself. "Larry, they can get you more than I can. I mean, I'm in here with you. What can I do?" Bosco said, trying to convince the man to talk to the negotiator.
"I don't care. Neither one of us is leaving here alive," Larry warned him.
"This is getting better and better, Boscorelli," he said to himself. He heard Faith's voice coming over his radio faintly. He turned it up slightly and heard Faith.
"Bosco, are you okay up there? Are you hit?" she asked him.
He whispered back to her, "No. I'm okay for now. But, this guy's out there. There's no way he's gonna go quietly," he advised her.
"What part of the room are you in, ESU is getting ready to break in, so stay as low as you can and cover your ears," she warned him.
"10-4 that. I'm in the southeast corner of the room," he said, as he looked up and saw Larry standing over him with the weapon in his hand. He left his hand on the key to the microphone so it would be broadcast over the radio, allowing ESU to know that the man was right near him.
"Get up," Larry ordered him.
"I don't think so, Larry," Bosco said to him, knowing that ESU was coming through the door any minute. "Because ESU is coming through one of these doors any second according to my partner," he said, indicating the radio clipped to his shoulder. "Now, you should either give up or get the hell out of the way, 'cause ESU only knows how to come in shooting," he warned the man.
Larry took a moment to look around the room for a place to hide. He started to walk away toward a hiding spot. "Go now!" Bosco yelled into his radio, diving for the floor. The next second there was a loud crashing noise. A concussion grenade was thrown into the room and he covered his ears and head.
The man raised his gun in Bosco's direction and ESU fired. Larry fell to the ground with his finger on the trigger, spraying bullets around the room.
Everything seemed to be in slow motion as Bosco felt the first first of two bullets rip into him.
The radio was full of the sound of Bosco's voice, "10-13, Officer down. Repeat Officer down," followed by no further transmission.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TBC...