Kate walked to the small office where the airport's security guard was stationed. She had tried to look for him from the airfield where he was usually patroling, but then decided to walk to check if he was watching at the monitors from his station.
"Knock knock?" Kate notified her arrival as she opened the door and popped her head into the small room. The room was filled with small tv-screens monitoring the whole area. She wasn't sure who was on duty tonight, not that she would have remembered their names, she hadn't had much time to interact with the company's employees, she'd been working more and more lately. She refused to think it was because of Jack but she had to admit that her social life had been, frankly, dead, after Jack and she'd filled the void with work. But her father needed help too, she explained to herself. He'd been awfully down and depressed after what had happened with Marie and, although Kate knew there'd been only little they could've done, she couldn't help the guilt she sometimes felt. She had lost enough family members already and was clinging on to her father, although she knew he was getting older and she could see that.
"Anyone here?" She tried but there was no response. She left the room and closed the door behind her. The sun was rising and the airport was quiet, there were still hours to the first employees to arrive. It was still a bit chilly after the night. Kate was wearing a knee-lenght skirt, a white silky blouse and high heels and she found herself shivering a bit. She wished she had taken her coat with her. To be honest, she didn't know why she'd made such a big deal out of dressing nicely. She refused to think it was because of Jack. Why did she let Jack to have such an impact over her life although she had worked so hard to get over him.
"I won't let men to define who I am." She thought furiously to herself, but then a sudden laughter surprised her. "No wonder why I'm still single and my love life is a big mess... Well, that is if there was one!" Kate was about to start walking back to where Jack and Tony were but as she turned, a shadow caught her attention. She stopped and took a few steps back.
"Oh my God!" She gasped as she saw the security guard lying on the ground behind a corner. She rushed to him and kneeled down to help, but as her hands got covered with blood she realized the guard hadn't fainted or anything, but he had been shot. She checked his pulse just to confirm what she already feared. Why was it always like this with Jack? She'd thought she'd left all this behind when she walked away from him. She took a deep breath while taking the guard's gun. She knew how to shoot, she had even killed someone. It was on the day she first met Jack. Should've known by that where a life with him would lead.
"How long are we going to keep them there?" Chase nodded towards the holding room at an upper level. The window allowed him to watch whatever was going on inside the room without being seen by the people inside. There were 7 people, staff members, some of them Chase knew by name. They had taken them by surprise and locked inside the room. They were sitting on the floor, most of them looking scared. One woman was crying but no one was comforting her.
He and Lilah had managed to send the rest of the staff home out of the way before they continued with the plan they'd come up with, but decided to keep a few to ensure their safe escape if anything went wrong. They had closed down the whole building. No incoming calls, messages, nothing. No one was to leave the building, no one to enter it. It's for our protection, Lilah had convinced him.
"As long as it's necessary." Lilah answered. She enjoyed being in command and telling Chase what to do. "If everything goes the way Ryan has planned, the helicopter should be here to pick us up if and when the sale is over these people can walk out unharmed. We're not cruel." The last part she added partly to comfort Chase and partly to make him more nervous. She was aware what he had done during the night and knowing what a boy scout Chase basically was, she liked to see him sweat a bit.
"Should we bring Michelle and Kim there too?" Chase continued asking questions. He felt it so much easier when someone else was making these decision for him. Even if that someone was Lilah, although he felt very uneasy around her.
"No, they might just put wrong ideas into the minds of these poor computer geeks." She laughed. She sounded like a wicked witch from Disney's animations, Chase couldn't help noticing.
"Besides, I have no idea how that stupid, but I must admit, unbelievably lucky bitch got out of the house alive, but I'm used to finishing what I've started."
Chase didn't reply to Lilah's last comment. As he was watching his not-so- lucky fellow workers locked in the room, he couldn't help feeling sorry for them. And he couldn't help thinking about the choice he'd made. He hadn't known it would affect so many lives...
"Guys! You're not seriously taking orders from a guy like Chappelle?" Jack tried to make a conversation and postpone the end that Chappelle had planned for them. And he was also trying to buy some time.
The phone and the guns were lying in the corner where they'd kicked them. He could reach them with a dive but he probably would get shot if he even blinked his eyes.
"You know you'll sit in jail for the rest of your lifes waiting to be executed?" Tony continued. He saw where Jack was heading.
"You like to keep your distance, right? Did your mothers warn you not to talk to strangers?" Jack tried.
The other man holding the gun laughed. "Didn't your mother ever told you not to stick your nose into other people's business?"
He was talking with a strong accent and Jack guessed he was from Eastern Europe perhaps.
"No, but atleast we're communicating now!"
"Not for long." The man laughed.
Jack saw a shadow approaching the door and caught a glimpse of Kate trying to hide around a corner. He wasn't sure if Tony had spotted her. She lift the gun she'd taken from the guard and aimed. Her hands were shaking. Jack hoped that the men wouldn't turn around.
"Hey guys, I was just wondering. What is it with bad guys and big guns. Maybe you could explain that to me..:" Jack started trying to distract them enough so Kate could pull herself together. "I mean, are you just trying to compensate something with the size of your guns, get it?"
"Shut up!" The man shouted annoyed. "Look, mr. Bauer. No more talk! You can consider those were your last words."
He had no time to pull the trigger when Kate shot him in the back. At first she looked scared but then she looked terrified as the other man turned to aim at her. It all happened in just seconds. Jack dived after his gun, grabbed it and shot. And then he shot again, and again and again until the man dropped to the ground and didn't move anymore.
Kate had also dropped to the ground. She was covering her head with her hands. Jack rushed over to her. He kneeled next to him and put his arms around her.
"Kate, are you ok?" He whispered. "I'm so sorry."
Alex coughed and Kim immediately turned him gently to his other side so he wouldn't choke on the blood he had been coughing for some time now.
"We have to get him to the hospital, Michelle!"
"I know." Michelle sighed. She was sitting next to Alex and holding his hand. She had no idea what to do. She had already tried kicking the door, banging the door, shouting through the door and none of it was working. And she was tired. Whatever adrenalin rush had kept her up and going since the blast, especially carrying Alex to the basement, was now gone. Her head was hurting. The numbness she'd felt in her fingers was there again and the bandage on her arm was getting wet from blood. She felt like just closing her eyes and wishing that when she opened them, all this would be gone.
"Knock knock?" Kate notified her arrival as she opened the door and popped her head into the small room. The room was filled with small tv-screens monitoring the whole area. She wasn't sure who was on duty tonight, not that she would have remembered their names, she hadn't had much time to interact with the company's employees, she'd been working more and more lately. She refused to think it was because of Jack but she had to admit that her social life had been, frankly, dead, after Jack and she'd filled the void with work. But her father needed help too, she explained to herself. He'd been awfully down and depressed after what had happened with Marie and, although Kate knew there'd been only little they could've done, she couldn't help the guilt she sometimes felt. She had lost enough family members already and was clinging on to her father, although she knew he was getting older and she could see that.
"Anyone here?" She tried but there was no response. She left the room and closed the door behind her. The sun was rising and the airport was quiet, there were still hours to the first employees to arrive. It was still a bit chilly after the night. Kate was wearing a knee-lenght skirt, a white silky blouse and high heels and she found herself shivering a bit. She wished she had taken her coat with her. To be honest, she didn't know why she'd made such a big deal out of dressing nicely. She refused to think it was because of Jack. Why did she let Jack to have such an impact over her life although she had worked so hard to get over him.
"I won't let men to define who I am." She thought furiously to herself, but then a sudden laughter surprised her. "No wonder why I'm still single and my love life is a big mess... Well, that is if there was one!" Kate was about to start walking back to where Jack and Tony were but as she turned, a shadow caught her attention. She stopped and took a few steps back.
"Oh my God!" She gasped as she saw the security guard lying on the ground behind a corner. She rushed to him and kneeled down to help, but as her hands got covered with blood she realized the guard hadn't fainted or anything, but he had been shot. She checked his pulse just to confirm what she already feared. Why was it always like this with Jack? She'd thought she'd left all this behind when she walked away from him. She took a deep breath while taking the guard's gun. She knew how to shoot, she had even killed someone. It was on the day she first met Jack. Should've known by that where a life with him would lead.
"How long are we going to keep them there?" Chase nodded towards the holding room at an upper level. The window allowed him to watch whatever was going on inside the room without being seen by the people inside. There were 7 people, staff members, some of them Chase knew by name. They had taken them by surprise and locked inside the room. They were sitting on the floor, most of them looking scared. One woman was crying but no one was comforting her.
He and Lilah had managed to send the rest of the staff home out of the way before they continued with the plan they'd come up with, but decided to keep a few to ensure their safe escape if anything went wrong. They had closed down the whole building. No incoming calls, messages, nothing. No one was to leave the building, no one to enter it. It's for our protection, Lilah had convinced him.
"As long as it's necessary." Lilah answered. She enjoyed being in command and telling Chase what to do. "If everything goes the way Ryan has planned, the helicopter should be here to pick us up if and when the sale is over these people can walk out unharmed. We're not cruel." The last part she added partly to comfort Chase and partly to make him more nervous. She was aware what he had done during the night and knowing what a boy scout Chase basically was, she liked to see him sweat a bit.
"Should we bring Michelle and Kim there too?" Chase continued asking questions. He felt it so much easier when someone else was making these decision for him. Even if that someone was Lilah, although he felt very uneasy around her.
"No, they might just put wrong ideas into the minds of these poor computer geeks." She laughed. She sounded like a wicked witch from Disney's animations, Chase couldn't help noticing.
"Besides, I have no idea how that stupid, but I must admit, unbelievably lucky bitch got out of the house alive, but I'm used to finishing what I've started."
Chase didn't reply to Lilah's last comment. As he was watching his not-so- lucky fellow workers locked in the room, he couldn't help feeling sorry for them. And he couldn't help thinking about the choice he'd made. He hadn't known it would affect so many lives...
"Guys! You're not seriously taking orders from a guy like Chappelle?" Jack tried to make a conversation and postpone the end that Chappelle had planned for them. And he was also trying to buy some time.
The phone and the guns were lying in the corner where they'd kicked them. He could reach them with a dive but he probably would get shot if he even blinked his eyes.
"You know you'll sit in jail for the rest of your lifes waiting to be executed?" Tony continued. He saw where Jack was heading.
"You like to keep your distance, right? Did your mothers warn you not to talk to strangers?" Jack tried.
The other man holding the gun laughed. "Didn't your mother ever told you not to stick your nose into other people's business?"
He was talking with a strong accent and Jack guessed he was from Eastern Europe perhaps.
"No, but atleast we're communicating now!"
"Not for long." The man laughed.
Jack saw a shadow approaching the door and caught a glimpse of Kate trying to hide around a corner. He wasn't sure if Tony had spotted her. She lift the gun she'd taken from the guard and aimed. Her hands were shaking. Jack hoped that the men wouldn't turn around.
"Hey guys, I was just wondering. What is it with bad guys and big guns. Maybe you could explain that to me..:" Jack started trying to distract them enough so Kate could pull herself together. "I mean, are you just trying to compensate something with the size of your guns, get it?"
"Shut up!" The man shouted annoyed. "Look, mr. Bauer. No more talk! You can consider those were your last words."
He had no time to pull the trigger when Kate shot him in the back. At first she looked scared but then she looked terrified as the other man turned to aim at her. It all happened in just seconds. Jack dived after his gun, grabbed it and shot. And then he shot again, and again and again until the man dropped to the ground and didn't move anymore.
Kate had also dropped to the ground. She was covering her head with her hands. Jack rushed over to her. He kneeled next to him and put his arms around her.
"Kate, are you ok?" He whispered. "I'm so sorry."
Alex coughed and Kim immediately turned him gently to his other side so he wouldn't choke on the blood he had been coughing for some time now.
"We have to get him to the hospital, Michelle!"
"I know." Michelle sighed. She was sitting next to Alex and holding his hand. She had no idea what to do. She had already tried kicking the door, banging the door, shouting through the door and none of it was working. And she was tired. Whatever adrenalin rush had kept her up and going since the blast, especially carrying Alex to the basement, was now gone. Her head was hurting. The numbness she'd felt in her fingers was there again and the bandage on her arm was getting wet from blood. She felt like just closing her eyes and wishing that when she opened them, all this would be gone.