Joey had worked out the new plan that Chandler had recently told him in his head, and then told the other hostage as well when no one was looking. They knew they had to act soon, as they watched their two captors bickering over money and their future plans. Chandler was getting weaker by the minute, as their captors were getting more desperate by the second.

"Chandler.. are you sure you're physically capable to do your part in this plan?" asked Joey for the eighth time.

Chandler sighed out of frustration, "I don't have a choice, they think I'm dead. This is the only way it can be," he paused, " Joey, promise me something though, if you have the chance to get out alive, you'll take it."

"What? I can't do.."

"Please Joe, for me. Will you do that for me?"

Joey looked sternly down at his friend. He would do anything for him. He nodded his head to Chandler's question without giving a verbal answer. He looked up, "We need to do this now," Joey murmured to Chandler. "Are you ready?"

Chandler nodded back and closed his eyes and he remained in the same position on the floor. Joey moved away from Chandler slowly so he wouldn't catch anyone's attention, and was now directly inline with the back door they had hidden behind the shelves. He signaled roughly across the room to the other hostage, who began to wail, and cry, and carry on, just as he told her. As he hoped, both thieves did an about face at her sudden action.

As he leapt into action, everything happened all at once.

Chandler watched everything that happened from the ground. He wasn't sure how he did it. Maybe it was the adrenaline rush that had been growing ever since they discussed the plan. Or maybe all the anger, fear, terror, and worry mixed into one was finally beginning to explode inside him. He somehow managed to jump up from the spot on the floor, and made a mad break. He was in mid step when three uniformed officers burst through the backdoors. The sight of them filled his vision and he gasped. All he could see was what seemed like a never-ending wall of guns, and they were all aimed in his direction. After being terrorized for so long by his captors, his first reaction was to get as far away from them as possible. It didn't even occur to him that they were here to help until after he ducked away and saw that they were policemen.

Eyes wide in shock, Joey hurled himself off to the right to avoid them, dragging the other hostage with him. Thief Number Two made a grab for him, and knocked him and the other hostage to the ground. Joey twisted to the side, taking the brunt of the impact. His hip and his head collided painfully with the floor, and he cried out as he saw stars. The thief continued to pin him down as the other hostage was able to wiggle free from the ensuing fight.

Chandler slammed into Thief Number One with a vengeance, bowling over him. The thief didn't even see him coming. His fury and pain were getting the better of him. He tried to channel it, and use it to fuel his attack. Unfortunately, it was so intense that he almost couldn't see straight. The blood he had spotted on Joey's back from when he was grazed by a bullet, and all the torture the captors put himself and Joey through had finally made him completely snap; he was almost out of control. The source of his hatred lost his weapon in the assault, and it skidded away from him on the floor. He hadn't been expecting an attack from the presumed dead man on the floor. Despite this advantage, Chandler was smaller than he was, and knew he wouldn't stand a chance to fight him as soon as he regained his senses. He struggled to bury his anger for a moment to be able to think his way out of this situation, but his pain and hatred were too much. He partially succeeded however, and his observant eyes spied the fallen gun several feet away. He used the fallen man as a spring board and pushed off of him as he went for the gun.

Joey struggled under the assailant, as he tried to get a firmer grip on him. The assailant had the advantage of being on top though, and kneed Joey in the stomach. As he gasped out in pain, the man took out his gun and cocked the lever towards Joey's head. However, when he noticed three armed police officers leveling their guns at him now that they had a clear shot, he quickly threw himself off Joey while taking a shot at the intruders. One of the three officers fell, clutching his neck. Another screamed into his radio to halt the attack. The assailant then grabbed Joey from behind with one monstrous arm that encircled his throat, the other jammed a barrel of his gun against his flesh. Joey fought as much as he could. He was rapidly losing his grip on the situation. The "plan" had failed unless he could find a way free. He tried not to focus on Chandler. He was in no place to help him at the moment, and he would drive himself to insanity if he worried about him. He would have to take care of himself for now.

The gun seemed so close. Chandler could reach it. He swore he could. He could almost get it... He howled out loud in panicked rage as he felt a hand clamp on to his ankle. He kicked out savagely.

"No!" he screeched. With all of the adrenaline fueling through his body, it took him a moment to feel the pain, but all of the sudden, there it was. The torn skin around his lower leg oozed with fresh blood. Chandler stared back at it in horror, and then found the source of his hurt. He cursed himself. How could he have been so stupid as to not assume that the man had a knife? The cut wasn't as deep as it could have been, thankfully. He knew it wouldn't necessarily stay that way. He'd gotten off with a warning, nothing more.

His pause was just enough to give his adversary the upper hand. He threw himself over Chandler, and then rolled backwards, pulling Chandler up with him, using him as a shield. Chandler yelled in protest, but dared not fight it. The two remaining cops halted in their tracks. One knelt down by their fallen comrade. Moments later, a dark look passed his face as he stood up from the corpse.

"One step and I gut him," the thief hissed.

A small noise escaped Joey's lips as his eyes took in the sight before him. Still on the floor, Chandler was on his side facing him, blocking all access to the man behind him. The tip of the knife glinted from its position by Chandler's throat as it caught a ray of sunlight streaming through the window. Chandler's eyes were barely open. Joey could tell that his friend was not going to last much longer. He looked like death. But the thing that scared Joey the most was Chandler's look of pure hatred, nothing else. He had never seen that expression before from Chandler, and it scared him just as much as seeing that knife to his throat. I lost him once, please don't make me go through that again, Joey pleaded in his head as he too, still had a gun to his back.

"You realize every exit to this place is swarming with cops, don't you?" one of the policemen said.

"That may be, but he'll be dead before I am," as he pressed the knife harder into Chandler's throat for added effect, "I guarantee you that."

--

"I want to know what's happening. Goddamn it, I want to know what's happening," Rachel muttered, pacing the floor.

"Me too," Monica said through gritted teeth. "Have they moved in yet?"

"Just did," Daniels reported grimly, lowering his radio.

"And?" Phoebe yelped. Ross was getting worked up again.

He held up a hand signaling her to wait as he listened to the mad chatter coming through the tiny speaker. They were across the street in front of the store for their own protection, so therefore they had no idea what was going on. He moved away so he could listen.

"Does anyone have anything to throw?" Ross seethed. "How can he do that?"

Monica went ahead and kicked the steps of a nearby stoop. She didn't have anything to throw.

A loud shout from the direction of Lt. Daniels caused them all to snap their heads around.

"Shit!"

"Oh, God," Rachel's whispered, her face drained of color.

"What happened?" Monica cried.

"An officer is dead. They shot him. He's dead."

"Fuck!" Ross and Monica shouted as the same time.

"What about the others?" asked Phoebe desperate to get some decent news about the situation.

"We've got a problem."

"No shit we've got a fucking problem!" Monica shrieked. "What is going over there?"

"We're working on it."

"WORK FASTER!" Ross spat. He looked around and saw the hopeless faces around him. "I'm going over there," he said suddenly.

"No you're not," Daniels replied.

"This is going to end soon, which means Joey is coming out of there, whether he is dead or alive and I need to be there."

"God Ross, don't say that," said Phoebe cutting him off and looking physically ill.

"..Either way, I'm going to be there when he gets out, when they both get out." He said solemnly. It was suddenly the most important thing in his life. He had to be there when this was over.

"You need to stay here for your own safety," Daniels begged.

Ross ignored and turned to walk away.

"I'll arrest you for entering a restricted area!" said Daniels at one last desperate attempt to stop Ross as he began to cross the street.

"That's fine, arrest me the minute this all is over."

"I'm going with him," said Monica to others as ran after Ross.

"Me too," Phoebe added.

"We're all going," Rachel said as they too ran across the street.

"God almighty," Daniels muttered under his breath as he ran after them, "Just promise me you'll stay back and keep out of the way."