Here's Part 9.... thanks for all the wonderful feedback as usual!
Some bad language underneath along with violence.... you know, this Wald
guy is starting to piss me off....
~/~
5th and Broadway
April 13th, 2004
7:25 AM
Olivia took a deep breath, ignoring the searing pain in her wrist as she tried to keep the weapon in her hand steady. She glanced over her shoulder yet again to make sure that Elliot was still behind her. He was, and he gave her a small smile to reassure her that everything was going to be okay.
Olivia tried to control her breathing. She appreciated Elliot's attempt at reassurance, but she knew this was dangerous.
They weren't stupid. They had called Cragen on the way to the abandoned apartment building that Wald told them he would be at. Despite Cragen's insistence that they wait for backup, Olivia and Elliot were creeping into the apartment building. Olivia had told Cragen about the hostage and Wald's threat to kill her within an hour if she didn't show up.
It was a complicated feeling, but Olivia felt guilty. She felt guilty that this woman had been kidnapped in the first place. If she had been able to do her job the day before and had apprehended Wald, the woman would not be in this situation in the first place.
Olivia snapped back to attention when she heard a loud creak. "This place is a fucking hellhole," Elliot said softly, looking around the remains of an apartment building as they walked through the dark halls.
"I know," Olivia replied, quickly glancing down the hall.
"Can you see okay?" Elliot asked, looking back at the door, which was about 100 yards away.
"Yeah, the sunlight is making a good guide," Olivia replied absently. They didn't want to use flashlights out of fear of getting caught by Wald.
Elliot opened his mouth to reply but was cut off by the sound of a gunshot. He grabbed Olivia's jacket and pulled her down, instinctively covering her body with his. "Are you okay?" he breathed in her ear when no shot followed.
"Except for my two hundred pound partner sitting on me I'm okay. You?"
"Fine," Elliot replied. "I hope that wasn't aimed for us." He helped Olivia up, checking over her quickly to make sure he didn't hurt her when he pushed her down. Seeing the dirt on her cast, Elliot said wryly, "So much for keeping the cast clean."
Olivia shook her head and moved forward. "The shot sounded like it came from here," she whispered, nodding towards a large open room.
Elliot nodded and walked ahead of her silently, positioning himself in front of her so he could enter the room first. Thoughts of pigheaded partners ran through her head despite the fact she was somewhat grateful with his macho tendencies, at least in this case.
Elliot swung his gun around. He caught a flash of material and he aimed his gun, only to feel a prick in his arm. Before Elliot knew what was happening, he was on the ground, unconscious.
Olivia saw Elliot fall. She had heard the familiar sound of a Taser gun being released and she knew Wald was around. However, her worries were on Elliot, and she moved towards him, cursing the darkness in the room.
A strong hand grabbed her injured wrist and pulled it down. Before Olivia had a chance to hiss in pain, she was spun around. The last thing she saw was a fist moving toward her face.
Olivia was knocked out the second her head hit the ground.
~/~
Elliot moaned, trying to shake the tingly feeling that was still overwhelming his body. 'That son of a bitch stunned me,' Elliot realized. 'This must be how Liv felt afterwards...'
Olivia!
He became more alert, looking around. It was then that he realized his hands were tied behind his back. Glancing to the left, he saw that Olivia was next to him.
She also was restrained, and Elliot could tell that she was tied to a metal pipe. Moving his hands around a little, he realized that he was tied to a pipe as well. It was a fairly uncomfortable position. Elliot moved his hands some more, somewhat relieved that he was able to move them somewhat. With some tugging, he would probably be able to get out of the restraints fairly quickly.
Elliot glanced at Olivia again, thinking that Wald probably knocked her out. His blood boiled when he saw the bruise forming against her pale cheek and a cut along her temple. Elliot's heart sank when he saw the thin layer of blood trailing down her forehead and down her cheek.
"Liv," he whispered, moving his leg with some difficulty to nudge her with his foot. "Liv, I need you to wake up baby."
Olivia stirred slightly, muttering, "Leave me alone, El."
He nudged her again, more forcefully this time. "What?" she asked irritably, opening her eyes and wincing in pain.
"Are you okay, Liv?" Elliot asked sympathetically.
"My head hurts," Olivia complained, leaning her head back.
"I need you to stay awake, okay? I think you have a concussion."
"Mmm," Olivia agreed absently. She snapped back to reality and cried, "Elliot! Are you okay?"
"Besides feeling like the Coyote on Looney Tunes after he grabbed the wire, I'm okay."
"Where are we?" Olivia slurred, her thoughts still somewhat incoherent.
Elliot glanced around and answered, "I think we're in a storage room." He noticed that there were mops and brooms still in the fairly large room. It was about ten feet by fifteen feet, he noted from the slight bit of light coming from the hall.
Olivia nodded slightly, then asked, "What the hell happened?"
"My guess is that he ambushed us. I don't think he was expecting two of us."
"No, I wasn't." The voice cut through the quiet room, causing Olivia and Elliot to jump involuntarily. "It was only supposed to be you." Wald swung a flashlight in Olivia's face, the bright light temporarily blinding her. Olivia closed her eyes against the brightness, resisting the urge to kick Wald in the groin. "Who else is here?" She was silent and Wald moved around her, kicking the wrist tied to the pipe. Olivia moaned in pain, stars appearing before her eyes as Wald grabbed her shirt and asked again, "Who else is here besides you two?"
"No one is here," Elliot shouted. "Get your fucking hands off of her!"
Wald moved away from Olivia, stepping over Elliot and punching him in the mouth. He grabbed Elliot's chin and pointed a gun in his temple. "Shut your fucking mouth, hero," Wald hissed, pushing his face away. "I would hate to stun you again." He stepped away and turned his attention to Olivia. Elliot watched, anger and worry coursing through his veins as he felt the metallic taste of blood filling his mouth. "Who knows you are here?" Wald questioned Olivia.
She was silent for a moment. Wald moved again to strike her and Elliot blurted out, "Our Captain! Our Captain knows we're here and is probably on his way."
Wald turned angrily to Elliot and drew back his foot, kicking Elliot in the stomach. Elliot drew his knees up to his abdomen in pain, and Wald screamed, "I told you to shut your *fucking* mouth!" He slapped Elliot across the face.
"Stop!" Olivia yelled, tears springing in her eyes. "Don't hurt him! I brought him here with me! It was my idea. If you hurt anyone, it should be me!"
"Liv, shut up," Elliot groaned, attempting to sit up. Using the butt of his pistol, Wald smacked Elliot across the face.
"Damn it, stop!" Olivia yelled again, tears flowing down her cheeks. "Don't hurt him! I love him!"
The words flew out of her mouth before she realized what she admitted. Elliot snapped his eyes open and looked at her, surprised.
Wald stepped over to her and grinned evilly. "So you love the little hero here?"
"Yes," Olivia said, swallowing. She hesitated before adding, "I love him with all my heart."
Wald absently twirled the gun in his hands and stated, "So, I'm assuming you would do anything to save your little hero here."
Olivia immediately answered, "Yes," knowing what he was referring to.
"Liv, no," Elliot said hoarsely, knowing as well.
She looked at him, smiling weakly to let him know it was okay. "I'd do anything to make sure doesn't get hurt," Olivia whispered.
"I want to fuck you," Wald said softly, reaching a large hand down to stroke her face. "You've been on my mind since we had our little fight in the alley."
Olivia's stomach churned but she nonetheless answered, "You do what you have to do but I don't want him hurt."
"I can't guarantee that," Wald said, looking at Elliot, who was frantically tugging at his restraints.
"Well, then, you can't have me."
"I don't think you're in a position to tell me what to do," Wald said with a chuckle, starting to undo his pants.
Olivia nearly panicked until she heard a bang near the front of the building. Wald swung around and hissed, "What the hell is that?"
"The cavalry," Elliot answered weakly, relief running through his body for the moment.
Sure enough, they heard a voice, "Andrew Wald! This is the NYPD! Show yourself!"
"I have hostages and I swear I'll kill them if you come near me! I've already killed one."
Olivia's eyes widened in horror at his words and she looked around. Sure enough, a young woman was to her left. She nearly passed out at the sight of the woman's lifeless body, a bullet hole through her forehead. Of course, in this field Olivia saw many dead bodies, but this was different. Someone had died because of her.
She turned her attention back to Wald, who was yelling, "I'll kill them! I'll kill them!"
"Wald!" Elliot nearly sighed with relief at Cragen's voice. "Wald, my name is Don Cragen and I am Olivia and Elliot's boss. I'm going to offer you this: let me know that Olivia and Elliot are okay and we'll back off. Okay?"
Wald glanced at the detectives and quickly said, "Fine."
"Liv, El, are you guys okay?" Cragen called through the darkness.
"Yeah, we're just a little banged up," Elliot answered.
"Are you alone?" Cragen asked, mentally cursing the two for being stubborn and not waiting for backup.
"There's a dead woman in here," Olivia called. Elliot was aware of the guilt in her voice when she said this.
"That's enough," Wald cut off Cragen as the Captain started to ask another question. "Now back the fuck off or I'll shoot them."
"Okay," Cragen called, ordering the S.W.A.T. team to move back.
Wald yelled in frustration and paced across the small area. The room was enclosed so Wald knew that a sniper couldn't get him.
Olivia looked at Elliot and attempted to smile. Unfortunately, it came off shaky. "We're going to be okay," she said softly, stretching her leg to touch his, a sign of comfort.
Elliot nodded and leaned his head back, working on the ropes that bound him. "We'd better be okay," he sighed. "I have to ask you how long you've loved me."
Olivia blushed in the darkness, worried about their situation despite the confidence she had tried to bestow upon Elliot.
~/~
End Part 9
~/~
5th and Broadway
April 13th, 2004
7:25 AM
Olivia took a deep breath, ignoring the searing pain in her wrist as she tried to keep the weapon in her hand steady. She glanced over her shoulder yet again to make sure that Elliot was still behind her. He was, and he gave her a small smile to reassure her that everything was going to be okay.
Olivia tried to control her breathing. She appreciated Elliot's attempt at reassurance, but she knew this was dangerous.
They weren't stupid. They had called Cragen on the way to the abandoned apartment building that Wald told them he would be at. Despite Cragen's insistence that they wait for backup, Olivia and Elliot were creeping into the apartment building. Olivia had told Cragen about the hostage and Wald's threat to kill her within an hour if she didn't show up.
It was a complicated feeling, but Olivia felt guilty. She felt guilty that this woman had been kidnapped in the first place. If she had been able to do her job the day before and had apprehended Wald, the woman would not be in this situation in the first place.
Olivia snapped back to attention when she heard a loud creak. "This place is a fucking hellhole," Elliot said softly, looking around the remains of an apartment building as they walked through the dark halls.
"I know," Olivia replied, quickly glancing down the hall.
"Can you see okay?" Elliot asked, looking back at the door, which was about 100 yards away.
"Yeah, the sunlight is making a good guide," Olivia replied absently. They didn't want to use flashlights out of fear of getting caught by Wald.
Elliot opened his mouth to reply but was cut off by the sound of a gunshot. He grabbed Olivia's jacket and pulled her down, instinctively covering her body with his. "Are you okay?" he breathed in her ear when no shot followed.
"Except for my two hundred pound partner sitting on me I'm okay. You?"
"Fine," Elliot replied. "I hope that wasn't aimed for us." He helped Olivia up, checking over her quickly to make sure he didn't hurt her when he pushed her down. Seeing the dirt on her cast, Elliot said wryly, "So much for keeping the cast clean."
Olivia shook her head and moved forward. "The shot sounded like it came from here," she whispered, nodding towards a large open room.
Elliot nodded and walked ahead of her silently, positioning himself in front of her so he could enter the room first. Thoughts of pigheaded partners ran through her head despite the fact she was somewhat grateful with his macho tendencies, at least in this case.
Elliot swung his gun around. He caught a flash of material and he aimed his gun, only to feel a prick in his arm. Before Elliot knew what was happening, he was on the ground, unconscious.
Olivia saw Elliot fall. She had heard the familiar sound of a Taser gun being released and she knew Wald was around. However, her worries were on Elliot, and she moved towards him, cursing the darkness in the room.
A strong hand grabbed her injured wrist and pulled it down. Before Olivia had a chance to hiss in pain, she was spun around. The last thing she saw was a fist moving toward her face.
Olivia was knocked out the second her head hit the ground.
~/~
Elliot moaned, trying to shake the tingly feeling that was still overwhelming his body. 'That son of a bitch stunned me,' Elliot realized. 'This must be how Liv felt afterwards...'
Olivia!
He became more alert, looking around. It was then that he realized his hands were tied behind his back. Glancing to the left, he saw that Olivia was next to him.
She also was restrained, and Elliot could tell that she was tied to a metal pipe. Moving his hands around a little, he realized that he was tied to a pipe as well. It was a fairly uncomfortable position. Elliot moved his hands some more, somewhat relieved that he was able to move them somewhat. With some tugging, he would probably be able to get out of the restraints fairly quickly.
Elliot glanced at Olivia again, thinking that Wald probably knocked her out. His blood boiled when he saw the bruise forming against her pale cheek and a cut along her temple. Elliot's heart sank when he saw the thin layer of blood trailing down her forehead and down her cheek.
"Liv," he whispered, moving his leg with some difficulty to nudge her with his foot. "Liv, I need you to wake up baby."
Olivia stirred slightly, muttering, "Leave me alone, El."
He nudged her again, more forcefully this time. "What?" she asked irritably, opening her eyes and wincing in pain.
"Are you okay, Liv?" Elliot asked sympathetically.
"My head hurts," Olivia complained, leaning her head back.
"I need you to stay awake, okay? I think you have a concussion."
"Mmm," Olivia agreed absently. She snapped back to reality and cried, "Elliot! Are you okay?"
"Besides feeling like the Coyote on Looney Tunes after he grabbed the wire, I'm okay."
"Where are we?" Olivia slurred, her thoughts still somewhat incoherent.
Elliot glanced around and answered, "I think we're in a storage room." He noticed that there were mops and brooms still in the fairly large room. It was about ten feet by fifteen feet, he noted from the slight bit of light coming from the hall.
Olivia nodded slightly, then asked, "What the hell happened?"
"My guess is that he ambushed us. I don't think he was expecting two of us."
"No, I wasn't." The voice cut through the quiet room, causing Olivia and Elliot to jump involuntarily. "It was only supposed to be you." Wald swung a flashlight in Olivia's face, the bright light temporarily blinding her. Olivia closed her eyes against the brightness, resisting the urge to kick Wald in the groin. "Who else is here?" She was silent and Wald moved around her, kicking the wrist tied to the pipe. Olivia moaned in pain, stars appearing before her eyes as Wald grabbed her shirt and asked again, "Who else is here besides you two?"
"No one is here," Elliot shouted. "Get your fucking hands off of her!"
Wald moved away from Olivia, stepping over Elliot and punching him in the mouth. He grabbed Elliot's chin and pointed a gun in his temple. "Shut your fucking mouth, hero," Wald hissed, pushing his face away. "I would hate to stun you again." He stepped away and turned his attention to Olivia. Elliot watched, anger and worry coursing through his veins as he felt the metallic taste of blood filling his mouth. "Who knows you are here?" Wald questioned Olivia.
She was silent for a moment. Wald moved again to strike her and Elliot blurted out, "Our Captain! Our Captain knows we're here and is probably on his way."
Wald turned angrily to Elliot and drew back his foot, kicking Elliot in the stomach. Elliot drew his knees up to his abdomen in pain, and Wald screamed, "I told you to shut your *fucking* mouth!" He slapped Elliot across the face.
"Stop!" Olivia yelled, tears springing in her eyes. "Don't hurt him! I brought him here with me! It was my idea. If you hurt anyone, it should be me!"
"Liv, shut up," Elliot groaned, attempting to sit up. Using the butt of his pistol, Wald smacked Elliot across the face.
"Damn it, stop!" Olivia yelled again, tears flowing down her cheeks. "Don't hurt him! I love him!"
The words flew out of her mouth before she realized what she admitted. Elliot snapped his eyes open and looked at her, surprised.
Wald stepped over to her and grinned evilly. "So you love the little hero here?"
"Yes," Olivia said, swallowing. She hesitated before adding, "I love him with all my heart."
Wald absently twirled the gun in his hands and stated, "So, I'm assuming you would do anything to save your little hero here."
Olivia immediately answered, "Yes," knowing what he was referring to.
"Liv, no," Elliot said hoarsely, knowing as well.
She looked at him, smiling weakly to let him know it was okay. "I'd do anything to make sure doesn't get hurt," Olivia whispered.
"I want to fuck you," Wald said softly, reaching a large hand down to stroke her face. "You've been on my mind since we had our little fight in the alley."
Olivia's stomach churned but she nonetheless answered, "You do what you have to do but I don't want him hurt."
"I can't guarantee that," Wald said, looking at Elliot, who was frantically tugging at his restraints.
"Well, then, you can't have me."
"I don't think you're in a position to tell me what to do," Wald said with a chuckle, starting to undo his pants.
Olivia nearly panicked until she heard a bang near the front of the building. Wald swung around and hissed, "What the hell is that?"
"The cavalry," Elliot answered weakly, relief running through his body for the moment.
Sure enough, they heard a voice, "Andrew Wald! This is the NYPD! Show yourself!"
"I have hostages and I swear I'll kill them if you come near me! I've already killed one."
Olivia's eyes widened in horror at his words and she looked around. Sure enough, a young woman was to her left. She nearly passed out at the sight of the woman's lifeless body, a bullet hole through her forehead. Of course, in this field Olivia saw many dead bodies, but this was different. Someone had died because of her.
She turned her attention back to Wald, who was yelling, "I'll kill them! I'll kill them!"
"Wald!" Elliot nearly sighed with relief at Cragen's voice. "Wald, my name is Don Cragen and I am Olivia and Elliot's boss. I'm going to offer you this: let me know that Olivia and Elliot are okay and we'll back off. Okay?"
Wald glanced at the detectives and quickly said, "Fine."
"Liv, El, are you guys okay?" Cragen called through the darkness.
"Yeah, we're just a little banged up," Elliot answered.
"Are you alone?" Cragen asked, mentally cursing the two for being stubborn and not waiting for backup.
"There's a dead woman in here," Olivia called. Elliot was aware of the guilt in her voice when she said this.
"That's enough," Wald cut off Cragen as the Captain started to ask another question. "Now back the fuck off or I'll shoot them."
"Okay," Cragen called, ordering the S.W.A.T. team to move back.
Wald yelled in frustration and paced across the small area. The room was enclosed so Wald knew that a sniper couldn't get him.
Olivia looked at Elliot and attempted to smile. Unfortunately, it came off shaky. "We're going to be okay," she said softly, stretching her leg to touch his, a sign of comfort.
Elliot nodded and leaned his head back, working on the ropes that bound him. "We'd better be okay," he sighed. "I have to ask you how long you've loved me."
Olivia blushed in the darkness, worried about their situation despite the confidence she had tried to bestow upon Elliot.
~/~
End Part 9