Law and Order: SVU
Duty Calls: Chapter 10
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The SVU boys thanked the Crime Lab guy and walked off into a private interrogation room. Fin shut the door quietly behind them.
"Captain…" Elliot whispered, feeling the agony his partner would surely feel. "It's her father!"
Cragen was grim. "We don't know that for sure."
Elliot stepped closer. "We don't have to have his DNA. We have the fingerprint. And we have how he acted. He never tried to kill her. When that bullet grazed her arm, it was because she protected Jordan. When she got that black eye, it was because she defended herself and didn't go quietly. When he shot at her, he knew she was wearing a vest. And even slamming her ankle into the car door could have been an accident. But even though this guy is a sick bastard, there's some kind of twisted paternal instinct buried in him. I mean, he volunteered to be her bodyguard. And maybe not just so he could get close to her."
Huang nodded. "That's why I couldn't identify the killer's motive with Olivia. It was such a strange fixation, and I didn't remember that her father raped her mother. I said it was a complex fascination. He obviously knows that Olivia is his daughter, and he's obviously suffering from a lot of guilt. Enough to push him over the edge. And even though I think he plans on killing himself and her, he's probably going to do it quickly, without causing her any suffering."
"Some father of the year," Munch grumbled, angered by his helplessness.
"Cap, we have got to keep this out of the papers," Fin said quietly, his eyes bright with anger. "If this detail got out, it would crush Olivia."
Captain looked around. "No one knows but the five of us, and probably, Olivia. And the perp obviously. He'd be the only one to worry about talking. When we get there and stop him from doing whatever it is he's planning, he won't give a damn about Olivia's feelings, twisted paternal instincts or not."
Suddenly, another officer burst into the room. "I'm sorry, Captain for interrupting," she said breathlessly, "but someone's reported an explosion."
"Where?" Cragen asked, following her out of the room. The others filed out close behind.
"And why the hell do we care when Olivia's gone?" Elliot muttered furiously.
She looked up. "It was at an abandoned home. A neighbor reported it. But when I looked up previous owners, I found this."
She passed Cragen a slip of paper with a name scribbled on it. Cragen read it aloud, the name almost freezing in his throat.
"Previous Owner: Serena Benson""Detective Benson's squad car was also spotted near the scene."
Elliot paled instantly, and without thinking, he took off running out the door. He threw open the door to his car, jammed the keys in, started it, and sped off, almost forgetting to shut the door. Because of that, his colleague's shouts were not lost on him. He only chose to ignore them.
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Det. Olivia Benson had been truly afraid only a few times in her life. Sure, some perps made her nervous or creeped her out, but only a few select times had she really feared for her life.
Now was one of those times.
The opposite end of the house was burning. A small explosion. It was far enough away that it didn't hurt her, but the flames were spreading quickly. She couldn't hear anything but the roar of fire and her kidnapper's deranged laughter.
Adrenaline soared through her veins as she frantically struggled to get her feet released. Pain screamed through her entire right leg with every movement, but the pain was dulled by the urgency and the horror threatening to close her throat.
Finally, with a scream she was able to get her feet free. She sagged against the column, exhausted. She couldn't even use her shirt to cover her mouth and nose against the smoke, and it was starting to make her dizzy.
She coughed violently as she struggled to pull her arms out of the cuffs. Pain screamed in her ribs with every cough, every sudden movement, and she was starting to lose her breath, both because of the smoke and her sore ribs. Sticky warmth began to run down her hands, but she ignored it all and kept trying, tears of pain and from the sting of the acrid smoke running down her face.
Another explosion—closer the time—sent debris flying towards her. Olivia curled into a ball, and hid her head between her knees, bracing her body against the column. Her ears rung from the blast, and sweat poured down her face from the heat around her.
Oscar Bane threw himself in her face. The flames around them reflected in his dark eyes. "We're going to die, little Olivia!" he hissed into her ear. She kicked him with her good leg. He only laughed, and moved closer to the flames, watching them as if hypnotized.
Olivia fought to get to her feet, ignoring the excruciating pain in her ankle. Then, she pulled as hard as she could against the handcuffs, holding her breath. Then, when the pain got to be too much, she screamed as she fell back, tears of helplessness running down her face.
Another explosion went off. She instinctively threw herself back into her crouched position, and fought the urge to just let go and pass out. Smoke threatened to choke her, the flames were yards away, and who knows where the next blast would come from.
"Elliot!" she whispered hoarsely, the tears cooling her hot face. "Help me!"
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Elliot knew the address by heart. He'd been to Olivia's mother's home with her when the funeral was going on and Olivia was sorting through her mothers things. Often, they'd talked about Olivia's past, and he'd helped her. He'd listened.
His siren screamed and he floored it, driving as fast as he dared. Cars flew out of his way. He heard other sirens. Behind him, surely it was the rest of SVU. Down the road, firemen. Maybe the bomb squad.
Soon, he could see a cloud of black ominous smoke billowing in the sky.
Eyes wide, he floored it. "Hang on, Liv!" he begged silently.
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The handcuffs weren't budging, and Olivia was suffocating. She tried to keep her breaths even and shallow, but considering she was terrified, it was difficult. And she was inches from passing out from smoke poisoning, and the flames were getting closer. Another explosion went off on the other side of the house. She braced herself against it, then began tugging against the handcuffs resolutely, ignoring the insane man meandering calmly around the flames.
"It's no use struggling, Olivia!" he taunted maniacally. "We will die soon! As father and daughter!" With this, he pulled out a knife, and put it to her throat. She froze.
"Stop fighting it," he whispered, tracing the line of her jaw, almost tenderly. "Soon, the one under us will go off, and neither us will feel any pain."
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Elliot jumped out of the car and didn't bother turning it off. The yard of the abandoned home was swarming with firemen unloading the hose, and bomb squad members trying to get a strategy together.
The building was on fire. One end of the house more than the other. The center hadn't been touched yet. As he stood there, another explosion at the front right side of the house went off, sending people diving to the ground.
All except Elliot.
He snagged and helmet and vest from the ground, covered his mouth and nose with his shirt, then ran at the door, shoulder first.
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"You really were a beautiful woman, Olivia. It's too bad you have to die. Because no one can save you now!" Oscar Bane screamed in her face, knife against her throat.
Suddenly, the smoldering door splintered as a body crashed through it. "Wanna bet!" Elliot yelled, rolling to his feet and pulling his gun.
Oscar Bane shoved the knife against Olivia's throat with a savage yell, but it was cut off as a single shot burned through his head, and he fell into the flames.
Elliot got to his feet and ran to Olivia.
"You're late!" she rasped hoarsely, a smile of relief in her slightly dilated eyes.
"Sorry," he smirked, moving around behind her. He paled when he found handcuffs instead of rope.. "Where's the key, Liv!"
Before she could answer, another explosion sent Elliot to the floor.
"Elliot!" she yelled, hoarsely, pulling frantically against her cuffs.
"I'm fine!" He stood up and wobbled slightly. Scrapes and cuts covered him, and he was clutching his right arm. Blood trickled down his cheek from a deep head wound. "Liv, we gotta get outta here!"
With that, he pulled out his gun again, and put it against the chain on the cuffs, being careful of her torn and bloodied wrists. "Don't worry," he yelled over the roar of the flame. "I won't hurt you!"
"I know!" she croaked. "Do it!"
The shot went off, cut the chains of the cuffs and embedded in the rotting wood.
Olivia sagged, moaning as the feeling came back into her arms as she stretched them.
"Come on!" Elliot said, grabbing her hand and running. But Olivia's gave a cry of pain as she put weight on her ankle, and she fell to one knee. Her slacks caught flame, as Elliot swept her into her arms and ran towards the door. Flames licked the frame of the entrance ominously.
Just as another explosion went off, Elliot clutched Olivia to his chest, closed his eyes, and screamed as the blast threw them through the flames.
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Cragen's car screeched to a halt. He, Munch, and Fin practically leapt from the car.
"REPORT!" Cragen bellowed, eyeing the burning house with dread. An ambulance was waiting outside already, paramedics at the ready.
Munch and Fin were putting on vests and helmets while a bomb squad officer ran to answer the captain.
"Detective Stabler went in, sir!"
Cragen paled again. "What! Is Olivia in there!"
"We don't know, sir."
Suddenly, a shot rang out. Cragen grabbed at his chest as he felt his heart jump. He couldn't breathe for the cold hand of dread suffocating him. Five officers were holding back Munch and Fin who were screaming profanities and their friends' names.
"Take your hands off of me, bastard! Elliot! Olivia!"
"Touch me again and I'll throw your punk ass into the burning building!"
Then, another explosion crashed through the building. Everyone on the lawn dove for cover.
Moments later, another shot rang out. Then, another explosion sent two bodies soaring through the fire and into the ground in a heap. The man was clutching the limp form of a woman and wouldn't let go.
"Olivia! Elliot!"
Munch and Fin burst from the grip of the other officers and dragged their colleagues from the flaming house until they were a safe distance away. The paramedics ran up.
Captain Cragen threw himself to his knees next to them. He grabbed Olivia's limp bloody wrist and felt desperately for a pulse, ignoring the paramedics frantic protests for him to back off. Her pulse was weak and erratic, but she was alive. She was covered in soot, and her slacks were smoldering, and her ankle was bent at old angle, and her wrists were bloody, and her black eye looked worse, and her own breaths were haggard, coarse gasps, but by god, she was alive. And Elliot wasn't letting go.
Cragen stumbled back. "Please!" he gasped, swallowing the emotion in his throat. "Help her!"
He turned to Elliot. He wasn't bad off, but his face was contorted with pain but Olivia was wrapped in his arms. Tears streamed down his face as he trembled violently.
"Liv, I'm so sorry, I love you, Liv, please don't leave me. You were so brave, Liv, please don't leave me, I love you!"
Quietly, the paramedic whispered in his ear that he had to let go for them to help her. With a shudder, he relinquished his hold on her.
Blood ran down the side of Elliot's face from a head wound, but he got up with Munch's help, and took deep breaths of the clean air. The howl of the water hoses fought with the roar of the fire. Elliot turned to Cragen, and gripped his Captain's arm with his good hand, leaving a black, bloody mark on Cragen's shirt.
"The perp… he's… dead… I shot him…knife… he was going to… kill Liv!" Elliot rasped as he caught his breath, his eyes never leaving the ambulance.
"Ok, Elliot. It's fine. No one, not even IAB can question that Olivia was in danger. Get in the bus." Cragen soothed shakily.
Elliot wobbled slightly, but Fin steadied him, concern radiating from his serious eyes. "Yes, sir!" Elliot said jokingly, as the paramedics helped him in. Munch and Fin moved to join them, and when the paramedic started to protest, they shot him a glare that would freeze Medusa. Minutes later, the ambulance screamed off into the distance.
Cragen turned to the building, and watched as the cool waters were slowly subduing the flames.
"Thank you," he whispered to Whoever might be listening, a tear threatening to trail down his cheek.
"But if she dies there's going to be hell to pay," he muttered to himself. He told the nearest fireman to look for a body when the fire went down, then without another thought, he got in his car, and sped off to catch up with the ambulance.