Author's Note: Thanks for kicking my butt, Chase's-Gurl. I thought no one would notice if I slacked for awhile here, but glad to see I was wrong. To make excuses for myself, I've been packing my belongings into card-board boxes as I'm (finally) moving away to begin my studies and it took me hours to find the computer from the chaos I currently live in ;) And I've also tried to postpone writing these last chapters as I've counted there won't be that many left to write.. sob (I just can't let go, with the 24 on summer hiatus and all!!).. But here you are, I try to get a grip and write the remaining ones as soon as possible!
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Chase rushed the stairs down to the basement-level. He tripped while running and almost fell but got his balance back before rolling down the stairs. Lilah's gun, which he had been holding perhaps too carelessly, flew through the air and landed on the ground making a hollow sound that echoed in the stairway. Chase stopped to breath. He had to get a grip. He tried to hold his hands steadily before him, but couldn't stop them from shaking. He slowed down and reached to get the gun.

"You can do it, you can do it." Chase repeated to himself. He walked to the door which led to the room where they held Kim, Michelle and the other guy. What was his name again, he couldn't remember although he wanted to.

They had been quiet for awhile. Kim held Alex's hand in hers. She didn't even know the guy, hardly even spoken to him, but there she was, holding his hand feeling much safer with him than with her boyfriend. The situation was absurd, it almost made her laugh. Although her conversation with Chase had perhaps made her understand a bit more why he did what he did. It was the story of her life: with a father-daughter relationship like hers, who would ever expect her to find a trustworthy guy who she could some day marry?

The lock clicked and the door opened. Michelle lifter her head to face what was coming. She saw Chase entering the room with a gun. Her heart almost stopped beating – this was it, then? This is why she had survived the blast, almost gotten Alex killed, just to be shot to death by a kid younger than she was, suffering from a low self-esteem. She would never see Tony again, she couldn't apologize for the way she'd behaved earlier, she was always nagging about nothing though she knew it wasn't easy for Tony either. They could never have kids, he would never cook her dinner and she would never again hold him in her arms. She didn't want to die, there was too much she hadn't said or done.

"Come on, we have to leave, now!" Chase whispered checking his back, just in case.

"What, leave?" Kim stuttered. Michelle was puzzled too. If he was going to do it anyway, why not do it here?

"I know this doesn't count for much but I'm sorry. Kim, I'm sorry, I don't know what I was doing." He addressed his last words to Kim and continued: "Michelle, I... I just didn't know. I didn't know what they were up to! I swear!"

"Yeah.. You didn't know, that makes a big difference.." Michelle mumbled bitterly. She wasn't really convinced on Chase's sudden burst of guilt.

"Whatever I say won't change the situation, but I need your help." Chase pleaded. "We... I have to try to do something, I can't let things to run like this anymore. I won't let them kill you."

"Who, Ryan?" Michelle asked trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

"No, yeah.. Him too, I guess, but mainly Lilah. She had it all under control. Chappelle has a chopper coming, he'll pick her up in an hour..."

"So they didn't include you in their final plans after all, did they?" Michelle asked putting two and two together. "They ditched you and you decide to change sides again, how convenient."

"Is that what happened?" Kim opened her mouth. "You didn't come here for us, you're doing this for you?"

"No!" Chase answered. Why had he thought they'd be glad that he'd be letting them go? "I'm doing this for us all, please, help me stop them. Help me contact Jack and stop this. Hell, I'm risking my life here too! If I make it alive I know I'll be spending the rest of my sorry life in jail for this!" He lowered his voice and tried to lighten up the situation: "If Jack doesn't kill me first."

Kim forced a smile: "I'll bet he will."

"You'll help me?"

Kim looked at Michelle. Michelle went through the alternatives in her head - there weren't many.

"We have to get Alex to the hospital!" She demanded.

Chase nodded. "I know, and we will. I have Lilah locked in a room, this is her gun, I took it."

Michelle struggled to get up. "What do you suggest we do?"

"First we tie her up, then we get Jack. Then we get Chappelle."

Kim was still holding Alex's hand. Michelle didn't know what was going on in her mind, she didn't even dare to guess, but she knew what was going on in her own mind. "Sounds like a plan to me."

The gate to the garage was closed and the office, where the security guard would sit, was empty. Jack got out from the car and walked to the gate. He tried to enter his security code to get the gate to open, but with no luck.

"Shit!" He yelled and kicked the gate.

"Let me try." Tony opened the car door and walked to Jack.

"It was to be expected, wasn't it?" He stated when he had tried to enter his own code twice.

"I know, I'm just so frustrated and pissed knowing that my baby girl might be in there..." He hit the wall with his fist.

"Take it easy, you're not helping anyone!" Tony shouted trying to calm him down. Kate stepped out of the car as well.

"How are we going to get in?"

"Not we, Kate, just me and Tony." Jack turned to Kate. "You are going to wait in the car."

Kate looked at Jack her face completely expressionless. "We can start arguing about this and lose time, if you want."

Jack sighed, how could one woman turn his world upside down like this. He certainly was not the person to take orders from others, but from her... He knew he would end up losing the battle with Kate. He might have the strenght but she had something that he couldn't handle. She had something in common with Teri there, Jack thought for a second, but wiped the thought out of his head. He would not start comparing and living in the past now.

Chase led Kim and Michelle through the corridor.

"Here, I left her in here." He pointed.

He turned to face Michelle. "Here, you take this." Chase handed her his gun. He was holding Lilah's. Michelle was surprised. Was Chase really that serious, she thought. This might be their way out of the building.

"Just in case, you know." Chase added.

Michelle was tempted to point the gun at Chase and just grab Kim and run. But she didn't. She decided to stand behind him.

Chase opened the door and took a few cautios steps in. Michelle followed and reached to see the room. It was empty.