Danny was forced to sit and watch the screen on the wall again. A wave of dread was beginning to form in his stomach as a fuzzy picture of a news report filtered through slowly. That knot significantly tightened when he saw the car wreckage behind the pretty reporter. Daphne at the side of him, gasped in horror "That's Velma's car!" They could hear the reporter's words crystal clear now and Danny didn't like it one bit.
"The car was apparently being pursued by a truck, which according to witnesses was trying to run them off the road, unfortunately Miss Dinkley lost control of the car as it smashed into an oncoming vehicle and down the ditch. The driver of that other vehicle was not badly hurt and has been taken to hospital as a precaution. Miss Dinkley had to be cut free from wreckage and is in a critical condition in hospital. The passenger in Miss Dinkley's car, Special Agent Martin Fitzgerald was also hurt in the crash but his injuries are not thought to be life threatening…"
Danny could not believe what he was hearing. Not Fitz! Moss looked delighted "An added bonus there with your partner! This day just gets better and better."
Danny did his best to comfort a distraught Daphne; this man was intent on totally destroying her and he was succeeding. For the thousandth time, Danny prayed for a rescue.
Jim Moss strode confidently into the room, where Freddy Jones was bound and blindfolded. Then he set up the video wall, the same as before, quickly removed the blindfold and left the room once again. He enjoyed the anguish on Jones's face as he watched the news report, and then watched a little video of Daphne's torture. Fred Jones screamed and screamed and screamed.
All the time in the car all Samantha could think about was Martin, they had received a phone call from him, assuring them he was okay and pleading with them, there main job was to find Danny and Daphne. Still, Samantha was worried, he sounded very disorientated on the phone. She had hung up the phone, acutely aware of Jack's concerned gaze.
"You OK Sam?"
Samantha offered Jack a weak smile "Yeh I guess I'm just worried about Danny and Martin" Her reply was none to convincing for Jack, he watched as she played absent- minded with her hair. Viv, who was driving, glanced in the mirror at Samantha and Jack. They both looked so tired so run down, cases became that bit more pertinent when somebody you know is involved. Danny's abduction had shocked and affected everyone. Viv would give anything to have him back by her side, mocking her with those playful eyes and telling jokes that nobody found funny. It seemed Samantha had been hit hardest, Danny was like a big brother to her, and there was an empty void without him. Viv could only pray that they would have him safely back by their sides soon.
"This it?" Sam questioned incredulously as they pulled up outside their destination, 10 minutes later. Her eyes swept the area in front of her, she had expected some rundown estate, it was actually quite a populous area in the centre of one New York's biggest suburbs. There was a block of apartments and shops on one side and a couple of factories and warehouses.
"Yep I guess he picked somewhere as least suspicious as possible" Jack said studying the scruffy piece of paper he had scrawled the information on. "This is the district, now I'm thinking in one of the warehouses" he said surveying the smart buildings in front of him. "But we have to check each apartment too." Samantha nodded, her eyes already wandering to the parked car in the alley, partly hidden. Jack followed her eyes, seeing the car that they had positively identified as Moss's.
"All units stand by" he instructed, as he and Sam cautiously approached the white Clio. The car was empty it seemed except for a black balaclava on the backseat, on closer inspection, Sam spotted something else, a cell phone on the floor, Danny's cell phone. She exhaled sharply as Jack reached in to pick it up. The car had been abandoned. Samantha heard faint murmurings just then, coming from the trunk. Jack heard it as well, "somebody's in there" Samantha whispered, nausea rising, as she prayed that it was Danny. Samantha stood with her gun poised hovering over the lid, she nodded a signal to Jack it was ok to break the padlock and the trunk flew open. Staring back at Sam with terrified blue eyes was a bound and gagged Jake Beckett, she lowered her pistol slightly as she saw he posed no immediate threat. She and Jack helped the stricken lad out of the trunk. Apart from a nasty bruise on his right cheek that had swollen, he looked fine. Sam tore the tape off his mouth, wrists and ankles. Jake rubbed at his wrists gratefully. "Thank you" he muttered to Samantha his eyes firmly fixed on the floor. Jack snapped him out of his mini trance. "Jake, where is your father, do you know?"
Jake's eyes froze with fear "You haven't found them yet?" he said clearly dismayed.
"You didn't really give us a lot of information to go on Jake, and we were distracted by a car accident involving one of our agents." Jack said quickly. "Are they in this building?" He said gesturing towards the dark warehouse the car was parked near.
"Yeh" Jake nodded. "They were on the first floor"
"Ok" Jack digested this information, planning their next move; Moss would undoubtedly have some form of surveillance, probably watching them right now. Jack had to get this exactly right or Danny and the girl would die, assuming they were still alive now. Moss was a dangerously disturbed, unpredictable man, and they had to play this right. Playing his son against him was unlikely to work, Moss had displayed contempt for his son. "Jake, do you know if there is a back entrance?"
"Yeh there is a fire escape" He shrugged back.
"Samantha take the back entrance, we'll take the front. Samantha and her team disappeared around the back of the building. "What can you see, Sam? Any sign of the hostages?"
"Nothing Jack, the first floor is empty, no sign of life" She winced at her own unfortunate choice of words.
"OK Sam keep searching, were going in the front"
Martin Fitzgerald had one hell of a headache, he moaned as his head throbbed and looked questioningly at his surroundings, a hospital room. He groaned as memories of the crash came flooding back. His bandaged head seemed to be the only memento from the accident. He got up from the bed and felt the room spin slightly but that was the only pain he could feel. The nurse walked in as he was trying to leave "Mr Fitzgerald what are you doing?"
Martin ignored her, grabbed his stuff from the table. "Mr Fitzgerald" she implored. "You're still not well, it really wouldn't be a good idea to leave unless its matter of life and death…."
Martin turned around to look at her "Believe me miss, it really is" and with that he swept out the hospital and made his way on foot to the district where Danny was being held.
Moss watched as the FBI and SWAT swarmed into the area, it wouldn't be long before they found him. It was a minor inconvenience, this would be over sooner than he planned that's all. The Agent had tired of trying to fight, he had left him locked up to die. Daphne was tied to the chair in front of him, blood running down her face, mixed with salty tears, unconscious. She only needed one final blow and then she would be dead. He leaned into the camera, learing at his helpless prisoner who was watching the death of his girlfriend. He heard a noise outside the door and realised he would have to end this quickly Steve was ready to run,
"Come on Jim, lets get this over with" He pleaded, glancing anxiously at the door.
"Its seems a shame to cut this short! Oh well" he shrugged nonchalantly before viciously slashing Daphne's throat. He watched satisfied as the blood begun to trickle "night princess" he whispered before disappearing through the trapdoor. Steve didn't have time to react.
Jack and SWAT burst into the room, shooting dead the unarmed Steve instantly. Jack's eyes swept over to the girl tied to the chair and the fresh bloody slash on her throat. He swore, "we need medical help" he cried as Viv ran over to the girl, paramedics swarmed into the room trying to stop the blood flow, they rushed her out strapped onto a gurney, on her way to hospital. Jack went to the dead man and was horrified to realise it wasn't Moss, "DAMMIT!" He swore. Jack urgently relayed the information to his teams "Target is not down, repeat target is not down""
He surveyed the bloody carnage around him, wondering how Moss had escaped.
Samantha had heard the gunshots and prayed that it was good news. She came across a room with a bloody handprint on the door, she tried it, locked. Taking a step back she lifted her pistol and fired off the lock, as she opened the door her heart soared.A bloody prisoner but it wasn't Danny. It was Freddy. How the hell did he get here! He was tied to a chair and gagged. Samantha rushed forward to free him, just as she was reaching to remove the gag, she saw Freddy's eyes bulge in fear. Moss burst into the room with a wild eyed look and waving his gun around, he knocked Samantha to the floor with a crushing blow. "I may have failed to kill her but I sure as hell will not fail this time with you" He said to the helpless Freddy lifting his gun to fire with deadly accuracy at Freddy and Samantha who was paralysed to stop him, she closed her eyes.
Two shots rang out, the sound echoing around the building; Jack looked up in shock and fear.