Chapter Four: Circumstances Beyond Your Control
Colby pulled the SUV up onto the courtyard sidewalk, stopping directly in front of the three tiered fountain that decorated its center. A flash of lightning illuminated the glass front of the Spring Street Courthouse and the subsequent clap of thunder made Colby wish he'd brought an umbrella. A uniformed officer, rain poncho pulled up over his head, met him as he climbed from the vehicle.
"What the hell do you think your doing? You can't park up here."
"I just did."
He held open his badge, just as Megan descended from the passenger side door, pulling her raincoat up over her head.
"FBI. I'm Special Agent Granger, this is Special Agent Reeves."
Colby circled around the fountain and headed for the entrance to the courthouse building. He turned toward the officer and yelled over the driving rain.
"Where is your FPS Chief?"
Megan met him on the other side of the fountain, just as the officer answered.
"Inside. The man at the door will take you through. They are still evacuating the building. I'll let the Chief know you're here."
As they stepped around a group of men and women who were being ushered out onto the sidewalk, Megan cast a glance over her shoulder.
"Did you notice something odd about that?"
Colby pulled the door and held it open for her to pass through.
"About what? He was just doing his job."
"No, not the cop, Granger. The crowd."
"What about them?"
"There is one."
He gave her a inquiring look, but she didn't get the chance to explain.
"Agent Granger?"
A short balding man was striding across the lobby towards them.
"I'm FPS Chief Tom Anderson."
Colby nodded and extended his hand.
"Granger. This is Agent Reeves."
The man nodded and began to walk quickly back across the lobby.
"We have the floor secure, and we're holding position, waiting for you guys. Right now the fugitives are confined to the courtroom."
"Have they made any demands?"
"None. The courtroom cameras show at least seven hostages still alive, a few injuries, possibly critical. Multiple civilian fatalities from the initial escape. The prisoners left the courtroom through the gallery. Most of the survivors were able to get out, but after running into your agents in the elevator….they ended up back in there, but they're down to two and they haven't done anything but pace for the past ten minutes."
As short as Anderson was, both Megan and Colby were walking full speed to keep up with him and his pace only heightened the feeling of urgency. Colby took a few extra steps to get slightly ahead of the man.
"The FBI's Hostage Rescue team is right behind us. You said the SAC was on the scene and told you to call us. Where is he?"
They walked through the metal detector and it buzzed as they passed under. Anderson headed for the hallway that lead toward the offices in the back of the building.
"He's upstairs already. They were on the scene when the incident began. There was a Federal VWS team escorting a witness to court, and then your guy….Eppes."
Colby nodded as the man continued.
"They took the elevator right into the middle of the escape, they didn't have anywhere to go. Security cameras are on a digital system now, so we've got the whole thing recorded and ready for playback.
"How many down?"
"We've lost at least three security officers and you've got one down in the courtroom and one in the elevator. Special Agent Eppes is on the line in the main office. He sent Agent Snyder back down with the witness and the group that escaped the courtroom. They are in the first floor conference room. Eppes wanted to be notified the minute his team arrived."
Megan cast her eyes at Colby and both agents increased their speed, reaching the main security office before Anderson had made it halfway down the hall.
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Don held the cell phone tightly to his ear. Every sixty seconds or so, he checked his watch. Even though he knew exactly how long it would take to assemble and transport the Hostage Rescue Team to the courthouse, each second was one second to many.
He was following protocol.
He was following procedure.
And he wasn't sure how much longer he could restrain himself from rushing that courtroom.
The first response team had arrived, but Don asked them to hold on the ground floor and assist the FPS team. He didn't want to risk aggravating the situation in the courtroom until the special ops rescue team was in place.
Don found it impossible not to dwell on the possibilities that presented themselves with each passing moment. There was always the chance that Charlie and Robin had made it out of the courtroom with another group…Charlie would have called him…..They could already be on the ground floor….Robin would have called him.
But there was a chance. There was always a chance. Still, something inside him, deep down in his gut, told Don not to get his hopes up.
He was jolted out of his thoughts when a voice broke over the line.
"Agent Eppes? It's Anderson."
The man sounded out of breath.
Before he could answer, a familiar voice spoke up.
"Don?"
"Megan. Tell me something. I'm on nine. Do they have their eyes on up there?"
The main office was equipped with walls of small video monitors and one larger screen in the center console. The video feed from the camera in the 10th floor courtroom was being fed to the main monitor and Megan looked over the scene.
What she saw there sent her heart into a downward spiral that landed in her stomach with the force of an atomic bomb. Even with the poor resolution that the security camera broadcast, she could clearly make out Charlie on the floor in the middle of the gallery walkway. From the way he was propped up against the bench, she could tell he hadn't landed that way intentionally. She leaned forward against the table and examined the grainy picture.
"Yeah. Uh, Don?"
Colby shook his head at her. NO. If he doesn't know, he doesn't need to know right now.
Megan brought her hand up and clenched her fist over her mouth.
"Don, We've got seven visible hostages."
Don took a deep breath as his heart rate doubled. Seven. There was still a possibility that Charlie and Robin were among the hostages. As much as that thought terrified him, it was better than the alternative that had already tried to root itself into his mind.
"Condition?"
Megan was still examining the picture on the monitor. The two gunmen where pacing the floor and the younger of the two was waving his gun around the room. They appeared to be arguing, or perhaps conversing enthusiastically. The hostages were sitting in two groups. On the far right Robin Brooks was kneeling next to Charlie on the floor. She had both hands pressing on Charlie's abdomen and appeared to be a state of panic. A boy, the youngest de Gattás kid was behind him between the benches. Just across the gallery a group of four women sat huddled close together. She shook her head at Colby and answered Don through clenched teeth.
"Hard to say."
And then she waited for Don to ask the question.
The question she knew she would have to answer.
"Is there…..…Can you see either of them?"
Megan squeezed her eyes shut and responded, afraid of what he would ask next.
"Yeah. I do."
"And?"
She didn't answer right away and Don felt his heart skip a beat.
"Tell me, Megan."
"Charlie's down, Don."
He already knew. From the moment he had realized the escape path had led the gunman through the courtroom, he had known. Don bit his lip hard enough to draw blood.
"How bad?"
"Alive. Beyond that……..Don, I just can't tell."
"Robin?"
"Looks okay. She's with him. So is the kid."
As Colby listened to Don's reaction, he watched the screen carefully. Charlie wasn't the only one who appeared to be injured. The group of four, huddled on the other side of the gallery had two that were obviously sporting serious wounds as well. He knew they had little time to act. Despite his confidence in Don as the Special Agent in Charge, negotiating with two armed felons when your girlfriend and your brother are among the hostages…..well that just wasn't something they trained you for at Quantico. It wasn't something anyone would be equipped to deal with. Even someone like Don Eppes.
"Don, nobody expects you to………….."
"Granger. Don't."
Colby wasn't surprised by the resolve in Don's voice. He had never lost his cool in a hostage situation. In fact, Don was one of the most imperturbable negotiators he had ever seen in action. But there was a first time for everything and Colby wanted to give him the chance to gracefully bow out of this one.
"I can call in Bohannon."
"Bohannon is in Counterintelligence, Colby. He's not a negotiator. These guys aren't spies. They have hostages. We have to try to talk them out, first. Besides, they are federal prisoners attempting an escape. That's our jurisdiction and this would have landed in our laps even if I hadn't been here already. FPS secured the scene and now it's ours. That's how this works. I don't need another SAC in here. I've negotiated hostage situations before. I've been point man for the Hostage Rescue team before. Either way…I can do my job."
It almost sounded to Colby as if Don were trying to convince himself that he could handle this. Colby wasn't ready to buy it.
"And you're damn good at it too, Don. But you've never had to go up against this…………..Not with these kind of stakes."
There was a long pause before Don spoke again.
"I know. I know. But, we'll go by the book, Colby. All the way."
Megan snapped her fingers at him, drawing Colby's attention to the security cameras from the back lot behind the building. The Hostage Rescue Team had arrived, dressed out in full gear.
Colby sighed and relented to the senior agent.
"Okay, boss. By the book then. David's here with HRT."
"Good. They suited up?"
"Yeah."
"Send 'em up. Granger? I need you up here. Bring my gear."
"Got it."
"Megan, I need you to be my eyes down there."
"Got it covered, Don. They've got all surveillance up and running. I'm looking at you now."
"Okay."
Don searched the hallway and found the camera in the back corner. He hadn't even seen it up till then. He turned and looked directly into the lens.
"Let's get the team set up before we attempt contact. There's no telling what these two assholes are going to try. Guys, we know what happens when these things go wrong. We can't let this one go wrong. "
Colby and Megan exchanged a quick glance and Colby headed out the door to meet David and the team. Megan picked up the phone, taking Don off speaker.
"Eppes?"
"Yeah?"
Don was still looking into the camera.
She lowered her voice to a whisper.
"Are you ok?"
Megan watched the shadow pass over his face and it was obvious he was unsure of how to answer. Finally he decided on honesty.
"No. No, I'm not. I just shot one of the bastards. And Rawlings is dead. I'm guessing Sam is too? He was with Charlie."
"Sam Travis? They said we had one down in the courtroom. So, I'd say you're right."
"How is Charlie? Tell me the truth. How does he look, Megan? How bad does it look? Really?"
Megan looked again at the television monitor. Robin had sat down next to Charlie and she was holding his hand. Even in the black and white grainy security picture, she could see the blood that covered the front of her friend's shirt. He had his eyes closed now. In all honesty, he looked like he was dying….if he wasn't already dead. She swallowed hard, trying to prepare for something she had never done before. She didn't want her voice to shake when she lied to Don Eppes.
"He looks okay, Don. Scared. He looks scared. They all do."
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Charlie sat and listened to his heart pounding. His blood pressure was dropping and his heart rate was increasing to compensate. He glanced down at the once blue ladies suit jacket that was being pressed against his torso. His blood had already saturated the delicate material. Wondering how long he would be able to bleed like this and still have a minute chance at survival, Charlie closed his eyes and tried to remember basic anatomy. Upper right quadrant, lower chest……there were a lot of things in there that could sustain substantial damage without being instantly fatal. Liver, Pancreas, the Biliary Tract…..any of those things could take an indirect hit from a bullet without killing him if he received prompt medical attention.
Charlie found himself strangely amused at this feeble grasp for optimism.
The two remaining prisoners continued to pace and shout at one another and Charlie knew any chance at 'prompt' medical attention was long gone, and any chance of not bleeding to death was quickly settling into a sticky pool beneath him. Charlie could feel a warm sensation across his back as the blood from where the bullet had exited his body saturated his jacket. His favorite jacket. Corduroy. For a moment Charlie felt aggravation at the thought of having to take his jacket to the dry cleaners. Again. Could they get out blood? This flash of irrationality startled him and he realized he was quickly losing his ability to maintain cognitive thinking. Somehow that knowledge frightened him more than the sight of his own blood.
Robin felt Charlie's fingers lace through her own. Her hands were still shaking despite her best efforts to control it. She watched out of the corner of her eye as Frankie scooted up close to Charlie's side and took his other hand. Although she was afraid to take her eyes off of the two young men pacing the room, Robin forced herself to focus her attention on Don's younger brother. His complexion had paled considerably in the past ten minutes and Robin knew they were running out of time. Charlie needed help and he needed it fast. He had his head leaned back against the bench and his eyes were pinched shut. His body was tense, but his obvious efforts to stagger his breathing led her to believe that he was still conscious, but obviously in pain and trying to breath through it. She was aware that pain, in and of itself, can cause severe symptoms of shock. Compounded with the blood loss, the chances of getting Charlie out of this room alive were fading fast. Moving her eyes to the security camera, Robin hoped that they could see the details of what had happened in here. She had to believe that Don was on the other side of that camera and that he was prepared to handle this. Normal procedure in a hostage situation was to outlast the perpetrators. She had learned from Don that the longer this kind of situation lasted, the better the chances are that everyone would walk away. But somehow, she doubted Charlie would be able to survive the hour without medical attention. And these two guys were never going to give up without getting something in return.
And the only thing they could possibly have to gain would be their freedom. She didn't have to be an Assistant United States Attorney or the significant other of a federal agent to know that there was no way in hell the FBI was going to give these men their freedom in exchange for the seven civilians in this room.
If they couldn't talk them out, they would have to come in and take them out.
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Authors Notes: Sorry so much longer than usual between posts. Bad week. You've all been so generous with your comments and I really appreciate your taking the time to leave them!
Chapter Five: Rules of Engagement May Not Apply