City
Hospital
20
Hours Missing
"All I'm saying Martin is that you should have consulted me first," Jack told him pushing open the swing door and entering the bustling ER.
"You told me to deal with Dr Mason and I did. Considering what Jake told us I thought him a threat to the investigation," Martin reasoned. Behind them Danny rolled his eyes at Sam, Jack had spent the entire drive to the hospital chewing Martin out and Martin still didn't get it.
They'd come to the hospital after the local FBI office had phoned round all the hospitals in LA asking about someone suffering mild gunshot injuries. Martin was sure that he'd winged Tony Preston at least once and at this point in the investigation, any possible lead was looked at. This particular long shot might have panned out and at the moment it was their only hope.
"I agree, it's just I think there is better ways of dealing with that than arresting him. Dr Mason is going through hell right now as it is, without you adding to it," Jack finished, reaching into his jacket pocket for his FBI badge and walking to the reception desk.
"Agent Malone." A voice called, Jack turned round, it was Kate Turner.
"Dr Turner," Jack greeted, "Perhaps you can help me. We're looking for the man that was brought in suffering mild gunshot wounds."
"He's in trauma two with my husband. He arrested him as soon as he heard that you were interested," Kate told them leading the way, automatically Danny and Martin unbuttoned their jackets, they'd already had one dealing with this man, this time they were going to come out on top.
Kate opened the swing door stopping in her tracks nearly causing Jack to bump into her. The room looked like a hurricane had hit it, though that obviously wasn't the case. Detective Turner was lying unconscious on the other side of the room, a small pool of blood under his head, his holster was open and his gun was missing. Kate ran over to his side, checking his vital signs instinctively.
"I don't understand, I was in here just a minute ago," Kate told them, Jack nodded reaching under his jacket to his own holster pulling out his gun. Suddenly a scream rent through the air, Jack ran to the door issuing orders on the fly.
"Martin call for backup, tell them we've got an armed and dangerous man loose in this hospital. Then go with Danny, call security and get them to seal off this floor. Sam you're with me. No heroics, I want him alive but not if he's a danger to anybody," Jack ordered, taking the lead. Sam followed, as soon as they entered the ER a nurse screamed dropping the stack of charts she'd just picked up again. By the desk a LAPD uniform was talking into his radio, he drew his gun when he saw Jack and Sam.
"Stop LAPD." he yelled, taking the classic weaver stance. Jack who still had his badge in his hand held it out for inspection.
"FBI. I'd ask you to remain calm, there is a slight situation but it's under control," Jack told them, keeping his voice quiet and calm. The officer nodded and straightened.
"My partner just went after the guy. What can I do?" he told them
"Give us your radio. Watch the stairs and shut down the elevators. We think we've got him pinned down to this floor and we'd like to keep it that way. Where did he go?" Jack asked, taking the radio from the officer.
The officer pointed to the corridor on the left and headed off in the opposite direction, he spent a lot of time at this hospital one way or another and knew his way around, he went to the maintenance room where the fuse box was. He opened the door with a conveniently placed spanner which he used as a crowbar. There was a switch here that turned off the elevators, it was just which one. Choosing a wire which looked vaguely familiar the officer pulled it plunging the hospital into darkness. He'd cut off all the power by mistake.
One the other side of the floor Danny and Martin looked at each other when the lights went off, they didn't know if that was good or bad. Resigned they withdrew the torch that all FBI agents had to carry at all times, it's beam cut through the darkness showing them the way down the corridor. Not far away both Jack and Sam had their torches out, both praying that backup would get there soon, the tension everytime they had to open a door, knowing that they could get shot at, was unbearable. So far all they'd encountered was rooms full of scared patients, who screamed upon seeing their guns. This was definitely the worst way to work.
Outside
City Hospital
20
hours missing
Sean Mason pulled up outside the hospital in his 'borrowed' sedan. The FBI agent it belonged to was bound and handcuffed in the trunk, he'd heard over the radio about the possible finding of Tony Preston. Then he'd heard that he was armed and playing hide and seek on the fifth floor with four FBI agents. He knew he'd never manage to bluff his way in, even with the FBI windbreaker. However, he knew this hospital better than anyone, there was more than one way in.
Confidently Sean parked, bypassing the main entrance he headed into the shadows at a trot, acting like he had every right to be there. Nobody challenged him and soon he reached the door he was looking for, it was old and the plant in front was partially obscuring it but he knew from experience it wouldn't be locked. Smiling slightly Sean turned the handle, as expected the door opened easily. His 'borrowed' torch in one hand and his 'borrowed' gun in the other Sean entered the dark depths of the hospital.
Once upon a time this had been a surgical ward, now it was abandoned and forgotten. For a time it had been used as a maintenance corridor enabling workmen to magically appear anywhere in the hospital, however even that primitive use was long over. Nobody had been down here in years except for him, one curious third year medical student. Now it would serve another purpose. Sean reached his destination, the old maintenance lift. It had been abandoned in favour of a newer more reliable system, it still worked though and the tunnels for it still wove all over the hospital. With a little difficulty Sean squeezed in, he leaned out and pressed five on the control panel. The old system clanked to life.
"Going up," Sean whispered. Unbeknown to him as soon as the lift had gone up a floor Eddie moved out of the shadows looking worriedly at the lift. After staring at the control panel for a moment he determined there wasn't anything he could do. He headed back down the corridor to a dimly lit room at the end.
"Three hours kid and then it'll all be over. One way or another," Eddie told the bound and gagged figure in the corner, Emily Mason. Dried tears stained her cheeks, fear and fatigue consumed her.
"Daddy," she whimpered behind the gag for the umpteenth time, this time Eddie didn't even tell her to be quiet because he no longer cared. Within three hours it was all going to be over, one way or another.
City
Hospital: Danny and Martin
20
hours missing
Danny waved Martin forward, they were working in the standard leapfrog approach, enabling them to always cover each other. Caution was the name of the game and they didn't intend to be the losers. At the end of the corridor they could see a shadow, something or somebody was laying on the floor. Taking their time they approached.
"Shit," Danny swore, it was the LAPD Officer, he was dead. Danny didn't need to check his pulse to ascertain that, he was missing half his face. Grimacing Danny reached down and retrieved the dead officers radio, as respectfully as he could Danny wiped it on the officers uniform, trying to remove at least some of the blood. Once done Danny hit the transmit button and spoke into the radio.
"Officer down. Officer down. Requesting assistance," Danny reported, licking his dry lips nervously. Over on the other side of the hospital Jack and Sam froze when their commandeered radio squawked. Hearing Danny's report they exchanged a worried glance hoping it wasn't Martin, quickly Jack hit the transmit button.
"Danny who's down?" Jack asked, knowing that it could be that uniform that went after Tony Preston in the first place.
"Uniform," Danny replied relief heavy in his voice. "We got nothing here Jack. When's backup arriving?" Both Jack and Sam let out a breath they didn't even know they were holding.
"Soon hopefully, maybe they'll fix the goddamn lights as well. We got nothing here either. Report if you find anything," Jack ordered.
"Copy that," Danny acknowledged. Neither Jack nor Danny realised the significance of them getting each other, the radios they had weren't set to general broadcast they were on intercom. Nobody else could hear them.
