Hi everyone, Sorry it took a while, but between my lack of motivation and having problems with this site it took a little while to get this chapter posted. Thanks for all of the great reviews and another special thanks to Tefla for her help.
BANG!
That was all Nick heard as he lay on the floor after connecting painfully with Harris. The force behind his motion had caused the CSI to bounce off of the man, but at the same time, Harris fell, and tipped the chair that Erin was bound to. With agonizing slowness Nick lifted his head and glanced over to see if Erin was alright. Already he was fighting down the nauseous feeling in his stomach. He knew that he had not imagined the gun discharging. A ripple of uncertainty passed through Nick as he turned his gaze onto that of Erin's form. She wasn't moving. A bright pool of red liquid had settled itself around the back of her head. It took a minute for Nick to actually comprehend the situation. A gasp then tore itself free from his body and broke the silence as a thought rocketed through his mind. 'She can't be dead.'
Instinct told him that he had to get up and check her. He attempted to get up from his position on the floor, but found it difficult with his arms cuffed behind his back. The best he could do was sit up and even that was a struggle and all the while he kept looking over at the unconscious woman in front of him.
He heard a scream of rage come from Harris and before he knew it the man was kneeling in front of him and gripping his vest. Nick could see a pure venomous look in the man's eyes. He swallowed and waited for the assault to start. He looked away from Harris and back towards Erin. He glanced at her chest and could see it going up and down. He closed his eyes in relief. 'She's still alive.'
He was roughly pulled up by the hair then fell back to the floor after receiving a ferocious blow to the ribs.
"Mr. Stokes you try my patience. You ruined my game!"
Nick remained silent on the floor staring up at Harris. He watched as Harris brought back his leg and prepared himself for the onslaught of kicks. The first kick was swift and struck him in his already broken ribs.
He grimaced in pain as he could feel the sweat rolling down his bruised face. The pain was excruciating and with kick after kick his eyes kept going back to Erin.
Harris could see Nick glancing at the girl, "She's dead Mr. Stokes or she will be soon. One problem solved … one more to go."
Nick again remained silent and glared at his captor. He was unsure how long he would be able to maintain his own grip on consciousness and that worried him. He knew that he'd seen Erin's chest move with the rhythm of breathing, but how serious was her wound? His attention was brought back to the issue at hand as another blow struck him.
Harris had held back with the beating so far, but Stokes' silence had pushed him to his limit. Putting a bullet in his head was just a little too quick and easy manner of death for the CSI. This man had to suffer.
Harris finally lost all control and kept kicking Nick. He grinned evilly. Stokes couldn't protect himself since he was still cuffed. Every kick and punch hit home.
He felt a touch on his shoulder and looked over at one of his men that stood there with the uncertainty of interrupting his commander's entertainment.
"Um sir … your meeting is in fifteen minutes."
Harris looked down at the now unconscious CSI, "Take them both back to their cell. Their time here has come to an end."
At that moment more men appeared in the room. All glanced down at the two unconscious bodies that lay on the floor without much reaction. Harris looked over at them expectantly.
"You were undetected?"
"Yes sir. We were able to set the charges without being detected."
"How long?"
"Twenty-five minutes from now sir."
"Good that will give us enough time to get the disk and get out of here."
The ropes that had held Miss Matthews to the chair were being cut as he spoke. He would have just left her in the chair, but his men did not feel like carrying extra weight. He glanced back down at the two prisoners as they were grabbed roughly and dragged from the room. It was a shame that he could not have ended their lives with his own hands, but he was sure that the surprise he'd left behind would finish the job. A smirk was etched on his face as he spoke. "Let's get out of here."
With that Harris and his men left.
The ride to Capral Enterprises was short and silent. Each person in the car thought of his or her own scenario that could possible take place. Each person was silently wondering if they were going to get there in time to save Nick and Erin.
As directed every police car and emergency vehicle dispatched ran silent, which meant no sirens. They did not want to alert anyone to their presence until they were ready.
The initial plan was to get to the building and evacuate it by pulling the fire alarm. That way every person would be clear of the building just in case there were any explosives planted. Somehow Brass had a gut feeling that there were going to be explosives involved. The bomb squad commander had already instructed him that they were to remain out of the building until otherwise directed. That order had annoyed Brass to no end, but he knew he had to set an example to all of the patrol officers and to the CSIs that rode next to him. So he would wait it out.
The group finally arrived at the building from the outside it was a nice normal building. It was sunny and the sky was clear a typical day in Vegas, but inside he knew Nick was in danger.
The police were met by the chief of the fire department who walked into the building with one of his men to pull the fire alarm. The story was they had to test the fire alarm. If they shared the real reason they were there, there would a major panic and a lot of people could get hurt.
Brass and the four CSIs watched the interaction between the Fire Chief and the security guards in the building. He hoped that they wouldn't run into any problems evacuating the building. He saw the guards nod in agreement then watched as the Chief pulled the fire alarm. They could hear the alarm from where they stood and soon the lobby and outside were flooded with office workers.
"That's an awfully big building do you think they will be able to find any potential bombs?" Greg asked.
"They have special equipment to detect explosives and they are also bringing in special dogs that are trained to sniff out explosives. So between the two we should be good to go. With any luck they may just find Nick and Erin too."
Warrick listened silently to the detectives explanation and so far he wasn't too happy with the chain of events that were unfolding. He slowly started to pace back and forth. So far he had been on the sideline with all this. Nick was his friend and he had a responsibility to him. He couldn't let him down … no he wouldn't let him down.
"There's got to be something we can do!" he snapped.
The group looked over at the obviously stressed out Warrick, but Catherine was the first to speak up.
"Look Warrick, we are doing everything we can right now. We have to remember the safety of all those people in the building and not to mention the officers that are putting themselves on the line to clear that building. We are not going to chance anyone getting hurt because we go in half-cocked and looking for trouble. That wouldn't do anyone any good especially Nick and Erin and you wouldn't do us any good by going in there and getting yourself blown up."
Warrick stood there and listened to Catherine. Not even an hour earlier they were at each other's throats now she was trying to settle him down. He looked into her eyes and could tell she meant every word she said. He slowly nodded and turned away.
"They will be looking for Nick … right?" Sara questioned.
"I have informed both the Fire Department and the bomb squad that Nick and Erin are in the basement of the building. So my guess is that they will hit that area first. Don't worry they will find them."
The CSI nodded her head and looked back at the action that was taking place in front of them. They all wished that Nick and Erin would walk out with the rest of the people that were exiting the building, but she knew they wouldn't.
Grissom could feel his anxiety level increase as he drove to the meeting point. He knew that he had loads of backup and he also knew that Harris would not leave that warehouse a free man if he had anything to do with it.
The drive to the warehouse was a relatively short one, but to Grissom it felt like an eternity. It was now early morning and people were driving to work. Any normal day he would just be leaving to go home. Not to a meeting to save one of his guys. He sighed to himself. He hoped that the rest of the team could get to Nick before all hell broke loose.
He remembered what Carl had said. There may be explosives in the building. If Grissom were a guessing man he would have to say that Harris had planted some explosives. It was clear to Nick that he was a dead man and what could be a better way for Harris to cover up his mistake by blowing up a building.
He cringed at that thought. Nick had been buried alive only just recently. Grissom really hoped that history wouldn't repeat itself. Just as like last time they were doing everything they could to save both Erin and Nick.
He brought his truck to a stop just off to the side of the warehouse. He wouldn't give this guy a clear shot of him just yet. He was supposed to come alone and he laughed at that order. He knew Harris wouldn't be alone this could turn out to be anyone's game, but he was prepared to play.
Grissom slowly exited his truck and checked his pocket to make sure that the disk was still there. He started walking towards the warehouse entrance as he was instructed to do. The entomologist could feel the eyes of the SWAT team on his back. He knew they would protect him.
As a CSI he rarely at times was ever in the heat of danger. Sure there had been times when a suspect had never left a crime scene or came back to it … but that was part of his job. He had only had to use his gun once and once was enough. Sure he had to pull it out a few times, which rushed back another memory that Grissom had tried to forget. When it came down to it, Grissom would do what was necessary to get Nick back.
Grissom was shocked that this man – Harris had specifically gone to him for contact, but he was not surprised. Neither the Sheriff nor the Chief had access or even remotely understood what they did in the lab. Harris was going to regret underestimating him.
He finally made it to the door and slowly peered in waiting for some kind of trap to befall him, but when there wasn't he moved himself in farther. He waited until his eyes adjusted to the light. Though it was daytime outside it was actually dark inside the warehouse. The warehouse had been abandoned for years. All of the windows were boarded up causing the darkness that Grissom now stood in. After his eyes finally adjusted he noticed a table in the middle of the room with a metal box on top. It was just as Harris had said. According to Harris' instructions Grissom was to put the disk into the box and leave. He knew it wouldn't be that simple.
Grissom walked up to the table and did a casual once over again looking for any types of booby traps. He knew that this man was in the military and specialized in this sort of thing. Grissom may not have been in the military, but he was a trained forensic expert and could tell things in a room that the average person couldn't. He eyed the box and finally deemed it safe. He opened the lid, pulled the disk from his pocket placed it in the box and closed the lid.
He casually looked around the room one last time before exiting the building. He hoped he would spot the man that held Nick. He turned back around and headed towards the door with a loud sigh. Just as he was about the walk through the door he finally heard a voice.
"Stop right there Mr. Grissom."
Grissom jumped at the voice and silently scolded himself for being surprised. He had been expecting this. He put his arms up in surrender. He stayed where he was and didn't move for now he was going to let Harris think he had the upper hand.
"Harris I presume." He said with his back to the man.
"You assume correctly Mr. Grissom. Now please turn around keep your arms where they are."
Grissom did as he was instructed. He turned around and was finally able to see the man that had caused Nick all that pain and suffering. He tried to keep his face impassive. The man had a grin plastered on his face like he had won the lottery. When Grissom actually looked at the man he would never had thought that he was a killer. He looked like a typical executive, but an executive with the means to kill and he had the means in his hand at the moment. The weapon looked familiar then it came to him. It was Nick's gun and he could no longer hold the look of impassiveness.
Harris had watched the CSI from a darkened corner in the warehouse. He could tell by the CSI's mannerisms that he was no fool. He checked for traps as he walked in and at the table. He had to hand it to the guy he was cautious and with every right to be. Harris had no intention on killing this man because he wanted the famous Gil Grissom to suffer the loss of one of his CSIs. It was perfect that it wound up being Stokes. With his past history he knew this would cause the CSIs to suffer.
He observed Grissom as he placed the disk in the box and started to exit the warehouse. Harris figured this was a good time to show himself since Grissom's back was to him.
"Stop right there Mr. Grissom."
He watched as the CSI flinched. He was actually surprised by that. Did the CSI think he wouldn't show up to check the authenticity of the disk. The CSI raised his hands in surrender. 'Yep this guy was no fool.'
He glanced around as the CSI spoke, "Harris I presume."
"You assume correctly Mr. Grissom. Now please turn around keep your arms where they are."
The CSI did as he was instructed. He couldn't help but grin. So far everything was going according to plan. He realized after a few moments that the look on the CSI's face had changed from impassive to anger. This intrigued him what had happened in such a short time to cause this change. He knew this man was angry about Stokes and then it came to him.
"I see you are admiring my new gun. I just came into it recently." Harris said with a smirk.
Grissom kept quiet afraid to speak the words that were on his mind.
"Now I see where Mr. Stokes get the silence from. I'm sure you two are really fun at parties."
Again Grissom didn't speak.
Harris went to the box and opened it. He looked like a kid in a candy store when he picked up that disk. He glanced up at Grissom who was still glued to the same place.
He bent down and pulled out a laptop and proceeded to turn it on and place the disk into the drive. The screen lit up and Harris knew he had the original disk. He was smiling from ear to ear. He pulled the disk out of the laptop and proceeded to put it in his pocket. The laptop found its way back into the bag that it came from.
Harris looked over once again at the CSI supervisor.
"Very good Mr. Grissom. You follow instructions well, but now I must take my leave of you."
Harris started walking backwards from Grissom expecting the CSI to pull something.
"Wait you haven't told me where Nick is."
"I know." Harris said with a evil smirk.
"I kept my side of the bargain now you keep yours." Grissom hollered.
"I don't ever play fair, that's how you come out on top. Now I'm sure you'll have a nice life after you have mourned the loss of your CSI. Goodbye Mr. Grissom."
"You're not going anywhere." Grissom said in an even tone.
Grissom was an avid lover of chess and if he were playing a game of it right now two words would come to mind 'Checkmate'.
"Oh … I'm not. What makes you think that?"
Both men could hear the clicking of guns and Harris smiled. He had brought his men for back up and they were stationed around the warehouse. As the men came into view Harris realized they weren't his men, but police officers. He could feel the anger welling up inside of him. This was not supposed to have happened and he could hear the words of Nick in his head not to underestimate Grissom.
It was finally Grissom's turn to smirk, "Sorry your friends aren't going to join the party."
Harris was once again fueled by his anger and made a run at Grissom, but he never made it to the CSI before he was tackled, disarmed and handcuffed by four SWAT team members. He struggled with the four men even though he was still handcuffed, but after a few minutes he knew getting away was hopeless. The four officers escorted Harris to the door with Grissom following.
The sharp light from the sun blinded Grissom momentarily as his gaze locked with that of Robert Harris. The expression that the soldier was wearing was that of not only malevolence, but also of hatred … all directed at him. As Harris was escorted past the entomologist Grissom could only watch as the man resisted any forward movement.
As if knowing that Grissom's gaze was upon him, Harris stopped all motion before sneering at the older man. With a calm movement, Harris merely winked at Grissom before speaking. "Your missing CSI, let's just say you don't have long to find him."
Grissom listened to the words and then said a few of his own, "Oh about that … we already have a team over at Capral Enterprises extracting him right now."
The look on Harris' face was priceless and Grissom couldn't help but say one more thing before Harris was taken away.
"You made one mistake in all this Harris."
"Yea. What was that?"
Grissom walked over to the handcuffed man and reached into his pocket and pulled out the disk, "Well it's been a known fact that the marine core has had a very honorable and proud tradition to never leave a man behind. That was your mistake Harris you left a man behind and now we have you."
There you have it the long awaited chapter. Hoped it was worth the wait. As usual please review. Thanks!