A/N… Sorry for the delay. We're finally about to catch up to Chapter 1. You'll recognize the scene but I'm not covering it in the same detail.
Starting to get stormier. Not even close compared to what's to come! ;)
I know it's been a long lead-in, but we're definitely getting there. E/O is about to turn a corner. The next few chapters will be big, and yes, they should come quicker. I just did three big updates this time.
x x x
Thunder echoes across the sky as Olivia opens her eyes. Gradually, Elliot comes into focus.
He's squatting down beside her. Concern looms in his tired eyes. "Liv…you okay?"
She nods in response. Still sore from where she hit the pavement, she's slow to get up.
He offers his hand to help her and reflexively she takes it.
As she stands, the scent of smoke and gasoline stirs her attention to the burning Ford Focus about 100 feet away. The grassy area just beyond the embankment had also caught fire.
Sirens wailing in the distance begin to sound much closer.
Gazing around a bit, she sees that the Tower PD officers, Keith Sykes and Royce Baker appear to be okay. Keith hobbles a little on his right knee, as the two of them make their way over to man the crowd of onlookers.
"Gina and Ben?" she poses to Elliot, while her eyes drift around the area in search of them.
He shakes his head wearily. "No sign of them yet." He gestures toward the embankment, indicating the next place they should check. She nods and they start in that direction.
A fire truck and the paramedics pull in, stopping near the back of the lot. They show their badges to one of the firefighters as he steps off the truck. Olivia briefs him quickly, mentioning the two detectives they are searching for. He follows them to the embankment.
They peer down the grassy slope toward the open field. A few feet from the edge of the grass fire, lies Ben. Gina is just a little further down and to his right. Neither of them appear to be moving.
Meanwhile, the wind gusts fan the smoke and flames further down the grassy slope, toward the open field.
As some of the firefighters attend to the blaze, others head down with flame-retardant blankets to protect those in the vicinity. Two EMTs follow to assist the injured detectives.
The car fire is soon under control, and they begin working to control the brush fire.
Suddenly, there's another crackle of thunder. With the next gust of wind, there's the scent and feel of rain.
The storm is closing in on them.
As the blaze is being contained, two more EMTs hurry over to assist Ben.
Elliot goes to Ben, while Olivia makes her way toward Gina. "How's she doing?" she asks the attending EMT.
"Smoke inhalation, a couple of cracked ribs and maybe a fractured knee," they inform her. "Although she's more concerned about her partner…"
Wincing in pain, Gina makes another feeble attempt to get off the stretcher to go to Ben. Olivia urges her away. "They're with him. It's going to be okay. Come on, let's get you checked out."
They return to the lot, Gina is taken to the nearest ambulance and prepped for transport. Olivia's eyes pan around at the fury of activity. Three fire trucks, the bomb investigation unit, and four more police vehicles have arrived from the local precincts.
Several onlookers are forced back with police barricades.
The wind continues to gust. Rain begins as a steady shower.
The next police vehicle to arrive belongs to Officers Callie Long and Mike Tennyson from the Tower PD. Mike and Callie spot Olivia and move swiftly over to meet her. "Where's Gina and Ben?" Callie asks concerned.
Elliot walks up beside Olivia, just as she answers Callie, "They think Gina may have a fractured knee and a couple of cracked ribs. I haven't heard any status on Ben yet…" she turns to Elliot, "…have you?"
Elliot frowns. "Ben's critical. Head injury, internal injuries… Doesn't look good. They've got a medevac coming in."
"I'm calling Captain Franks," Mike says, stepping aside from the group.
Elliot heads over to assist officers Baker and Sykes, while Callie and Olivia go to check on Gina.
Callie shakes her head, disheartened. "Ben's the best I've ever worked with. He's gotta pull through."
Olivia nods. "He's a great cop. Tried to disarm the bomb and save Paul's life, but there was no time. Gina and Ben were probably the closest."
Callie nods. "Stuck to each other's side, as always."
Olivia thinks over her partnership with Elliot. The fear that something could happen to him would never go away, despite their recent differences. If Elliot had been injured, she'd be just as concerned as Gina.
"They seem pretty close," she adds casually.
"I was a little skeptical about how they'd handle it all, but they've convinced everyone."
Olivia stops walking abruptly, and turns toward Callie curiously. "Handle…what?"
Callie studies the New York detective a little longer. "Oh… You probably didn't know about those two… They're...'involved.'"
Her eyes widen. "No, I guess I didn't."
"Been together for about a year and a half to two years. Partners for maybe three years."
"And Captain Franks doesn't have a problem with that?"
She shrugs. "They have the best close rate in the county. They work great together. When they met, it was instant chemistry. Ben broke off a two-year engagement, then things got a little more complicated. They couldn't be in the same room together without all of this feuding going on. So Franks threatened to split them up unless they worked out their differences. Finally, they confronted their feelings for each other. I guess they got all of that pint-up sexual tension out of their system," she says with a suggestive grin. "They've been great to work with ever since."
x
Heard from a nearby radio…
"…*screech*…*screech*…*screech*…*long tone*
"The National Weather Service has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for the following counties:
Flynt and Lantern…until 8pm Eastern Daylight Time.
At 3:45pm EDT, trained weather spotters reported a severe thunderstorm producing wind gusts in excess of 60 mph and heavy rain. This storm was located near North Alley moving east at 20 mph.
Locations in the warning area include: Hollow Heights, Tower, Cold Brook, White Cove, North Alley and Sedrick.
Severe thunderstorms can produce damaging winds, destructive hail, deadly lightning and very heavy rain. Heavy rains flood roads quickly, so do not drive into areas where water covers the road surface. Severe thunderstorms can also produce tornadoes with little or no advanced warning. For your protection, move to an interior room or on the lowest floor of your home or business. Persons in these areas should be on the lookout for threatening weather conditions and listen for later statements…"
x
Elliot, Olivia and officers Tennyson, Baker and Sykes stand by, as Ben is lifted into the medevac. Officer Long, who had been on the phone with the precinct, finishes her call and addresses the group.
"Highway patrol spotted the Ford pick-up headed toward North Alley."
Olivia nods. "Let's move out."
"Quick update…" Officer Long begins, after they're underway. "Last report has our suspect heading west on Highway 413. North Alley officers are headed there now to intercept."
"Copy that, thanks Callie," Olivia replies, eyeing the map. "That puts him four miles north of Highway 80," she relays to Elliot.
He nods. "Thanks, Liv."
Callie picks up the radio again. "Conditions are starting to get worse up that way. They have heavy thunderstorms north of Route 80 to Sedrick and Piedmont. Latest weather report puts the greater threat to the south and west of us. But it's all heading in the same direction we are," she concludes with a sigh.
"Figures," Officer Sykes huffs. "Thanks, Callie."
After studying the map to get a sense of the area, Olivia settles back.
They drive in and out of rain showers, while thunder echoes prominently in the distance.
Conditions change rapidly as they enter the on-ramp to Route 80. The rain picks up and visibility reduces.
"Shit…" Elliot fusses, eyeing the road conditions. He flips the wipers on high and turns on the defrost. Hot air blows from the vents. They'll have to suffer through it just so he can see out.
The unmarked white Ford Taurus ahead of them is being driven by Officers Long and Tennyson. Officers Sykes and Baker are behind them an unmarked blue Crown Vic.
The average speed of most of the traffic is already down 10 mph, so most of the cars are actually driving the speed limit. Traffic's a little light right now, but who knows how long that'll last.
He's already dreading this.
Elliot grabs the radio hastily. "How long are we on this stretch of road?"
A moment later, Tennyson answers. "We're checking in with the North Alley officers for a visual. We'll holler back."
"Copy. Thanks, Mike."
The wipers are barely keeping up with the heavy rain. The mist off a Van Lines truck to his right and the Ryder truck just ahead of that, are making it harder to see. Wind gusts sweep across the highway, causing the Van Lines truck bed to sway into his lane from time to time.
A Swift truck pulls past him on the left, then signals to move into the middle lane ahead of Tennyson and Long.
With no visual on the suspect, there isn't much point in trying to make time. Elliot drops his speed about 5 mph to give them room.
He grips the wheel, as wind gusts make the steering more difficult. He drops back a little more when he sees the Ryder truck having trouble keeping the lane.
The windows seem to be getting foggier. He cracks his window to try to clear it, even though he's getting wet. He sets the defrost fan higher, then sits back and huffs.
Olivia sees him becoming agitated. "El…relax."
"I'm fine," he snaps irritably.
She sighs heavily, indicating that she doesn't agree.
"I've got this, Liv…"
She sits up in her seat, hits the inside air circulation button, then settles back and gazes out the window. The lower half of the windshield finally starts clearing.
"Thanks," he mumbles.
While she's still upset over what happened at the courthouse, this has been a very long day for both of them.
Any hope of them leaving town tonight is probably shot, which undoubtedly has him irritated.
But he's just riled up enough to want to get this guy.
Definitely something they can agree on.
Needing a distraction, Elliot turns on the radio. He settles on a Pittsburgh classic rock station. As the song ends, the DJ begins the hourly news and weather updates.
x
"And now for a check of the weather…
"We have some severe weather moving into our area this afternoon and evening. This is all part of that storm system that produced those tornadoes out to our west. Sounds like they mean business, guys. If you're heading out tonight, be sure to stay up-to-date with the storm conditions. Better yet…stay home and stay off the roads. Doesn't sound like a good night to be out.
"The weather for the Pittsburgh area this afternoon and evening includes; heavy rain, wind gusts up to 80 mph, nickel-sized hail, and the possibility of a few strong tornadoes. If a tornado is spotted, please for your own safety, get inside a sturdy building. Move to an interior room or the lowest level of your work place or residence.
"Right now, we're under a severe thunderstorm warning until 10:00pm and a tornado watch until 8:00pm. Tonight, mostly cloudy with isolated thunderstorms possible, high of 72. Tomorrow, partly cloudy with a chance of thunderstorms. High of 88.
"Back to the music in just a bit. We'll kick off this hour of music with Led Zeppelin's, 'Fool in the rain' next…"
x
Mike picks up the radio. "Suspect's vehicle entering the highway at Pear Street, four minutes behind us. North Alley has one vehicle on him. No back-up available. Looks like North Alley PD have their hands full with the weather. Fortunately, they've kept a good tail on him."
Olivia grabs the radio. "Copy that. Let's stagger the vehicles a bit, so he doesn't spot the convoy." Elliot pulls into the left lane behind a Jeep Cherokee.
"Copy," Baker echoes, then shifts over into the right lane. Long and Tennyson remain in the middle lane.
A few minutes later, the North Alley officer joins the frequency. "Attention, units… This is Archer and Grady, North Alley PD. We're starting to pick you guys up on radio, so we must be getting close. Suspect's still in line of sight. He's speeding up and slowing down, switching lanes, but doesn't seem to have spotted us since we've been hanging back. Unfortunately, it looks like we're having some transmission problems. We're going to have to get this checked out. When you see the Ford pick-up, give us a holler, we'll take the next exit."
"Copy. Thanks, Tim. Do what you've gotta do, and hey, great work by your North Alley crew. We'll be sure to mention it to our Captain," Tennyson commends the two assisting officers.
"Thanks, Mike. No problem at all."
A couple minutes later, Elliot spots the pick-up in his rear view mirror and grabs the radio. "Six o'clock..."
"Copy."
"Copy. We see him too."
James approaches in the center lane, then moves over into the left lane just ahead of Elliot.
To Elliot's right, there's a Wal-Mart truck. He grabs the radio, "We've got a truck passing us in the center. When he's gone, Sykes and Baker take the middle lane. Let's try to box him."
"Copy," Baker replies.
"Might need to wait on that, Stabler. Left shoulder's going to run out very soon. This merges into a two-lane a little further up." Tennyson adds.
"Hey, is there someone else in the vehicle with him...?" Olivia says to Elliot, leaning forward in her seat. She takes the radio from him. "Hey guys… I'm seeing a second passenger!"
Elliot speeds up, trying to get a closer look.
"What was that again, Benson?" Tennyson responds. "Sorry, I didn't copy."
"Possible hostage, front passenger seat. Girl, short brown hair, maybe 18 to 24—"
Suddenly, James speeds up and pulls into the center lane in front of the Wal-Mart truck. He cuts over again, entering the right lane just as two more cars are shifting into the right lane from the entrance ramp.
The first car merging onto the highway—a Geo Prizm—slams on his brakes to avoid hitting the pick-up. The car skids into the center lane in front of the Wal-Mart truck.
The Wal-Mart truck, unable to stop in time, plows into the car.
Elliot and Olivia collectively gasp when they witness the impact.
"That sonofabitch!" Elliot exclaims, eyeing the pick-up that caused the accident, as it speeds off.
The Prizm is knocked into the left lane in front of the Jeep Cherokee. The Jeep, which now happens to be three vehicles ahead of Elliot and Olivia, also collides with the Prizm. The car is tossed into the concrete barrier and finally comes to rest in the center of the road. Glass, oil and car parts scatter over the road surface. The frame of the car is barely intact.
With most of the traffic coming to an abrupt halt, Elliot and the other two police vehicles turn on their lights, steer around the cars and pull just ahead of the accident site.
They get out of their vehicles and rush over to assist.
Tennyson calls in the accident, requesting back-up from highway patrol.
Heavy rain continues, blanketing the road surface and washing some of the accident debris off to the shoulders. Cars enter the highway behind the accident, causing a back-up in the right lane.
The driver and the passenger in the Prizm are pronounced dead at the scene.
Six more people with serious injuries are taken to area hospitals.
x
Almost an hour later—tired and soaked from the rain—Elliot, Olivia and the four assisting Tower PD officers exit the highway and head north toward the town of Sedrick, where the red pick-up truck was last spotted by authorities.
The rain lifts just before they enter the town. The four officers and two detectives split up to search for the pick-up.
Olivia and Elliot head west down a two-lane highway with almost no traffic.
A few miles up the road, they spot him. James pulls out of a gravel driveway and takes off, heading away from them at 60 mph.
The pick-up goes about another 500 feet, then makes a sudden 180-degree turn in the middle of the road. He heads toward them, increasing his speed and driving down the center of the road.
Elliot shakes his head. "What the hell is he doing?"
Suddenly, James swerves wide to avoid him. Elliot turns on his lights, does a quick turn in the middle of the roadway and follows.
"He's playing us again," Olivia groans. She grabs the radio. "Units, what's your 20?"
James picks up his speed as Elliot increases his. It's another mile and a half before they reach a four-way intersection with a flashing light. James plows through it without stopping.
"Units…?" Olivia calls again after another minute.
As the wind changes direction, the rain picks up. Larger rain droplets and pea-sized hail begin hitting the windshield.
"Long…Tennyson…Sykes…Baker…? Do you copy?" Olivia raises her voice.
"Forget it, Liv..," Elliot says to her. "The storm is probably messing with the reception."
James suddenly veers off the road, into an open field. Elliot takes a wide turn and follows.
The rain soaks into the muddy field and steering becomes more difficult.
Elliot curses and grinds his teeth, thinking of all the ways he'd love to punish this prick.
The back wheels slip, mud splatters up onto the windshield. He's not getting as much speed as he needs.
Meanwhile, James swerves, makes sudden turns, and does what he can to prevent Elliot from closing the distance. Elliot continues to try and keep him in his line of view.
His eyes briefly glance down at the gas tank…
Less than a quarter tank. Might be enough.
But who knows how long this is going to continue?
A paved road running parallel to the field suddenly comes into view on their left. James takes a sharp turn and heads toward it. Elliot follows.
That does it, Elliot thinks to himself when they finally reach the road. He closes the distance to a few feet. Gripping the steering wheel, he prepares to run him off the road.
"Elliot…"
"I got him, Liv…"
"Wait! Elliot…"
James abruptly pulls off the roadway once again. He follows, assuming he's about to cut through another open field.
But James jerks the wheel and pulls back onto the road.
As Elliot starts to get back on, the back tires spin, causing the Crown Vic to fishtail. He tries to straighten the wheel, and turn back, but the wheels continue to spin.
He hops out of the car, takes his revolver and fires off two shots—one hitting the frame of the cab.
The revolver remains tightly gripped in his hand, as he watches him get away.
The rain continues to come down heavily. He's getting soaked, but he doesn't care.
Right now, it's about the only thing that feels good.
"ELLIOT!"
Finally, he lowers his weapon and turns to face her. "What…? What did I do this time, Olivia?" he bites back.
She gets out of the car and takes a few steps toward the driver's side. Those brown eyes of hers turning a frightening shade of dark.
"What the hell is wrong with you? There is someone else in that truck! A girl! Dammit, Elliot, you lose your head and you could have killed another innocent victim!"
"If James doesn't kill her first!" he argues.
"He's playing us, Elliot…" she counters. "It's you and me that he wants!"
"He'll kill whomever he has to, to prove his point. That girl doesn't stand a chance!"
"That may be the case… But I'm not risking another innocent life, and I'm sure as hell not going to have it out here, with you, in this storm! So you'd damn well better get a grip!"
After she gets back in the car, she grabs the roll of paper towels from the back seat, pulls a few sheets off and starts trying to dry herself off. She reaches over and turns the heat up.
Elliot sighs heavily, lowering his head. The rain finally slows to a light shower.
Yes, he forgot about the girl…
He gets back inside the car. After a couple of failed attempts to get them unstuck, he slaps the steering wheel agitatedly and huffs.
As he tries to work up the nerve to ask Olivia to take the wheel so he can push, an SUV pulls up just ahead of them on the shoulder.
A girl and two guys get out. The girl and one of the guys appear to be about college-aged. The third guy appears to be in his 40s. He wonders if they're lost or looking for help.
Elliot rolls the window down just a crack, a little rain comes inside.
"You guys stuck? Need a push?" the older one asks Elliot.
They want to help…? Unexpected, but very good timing. "Umm…sure."
"Put it in neutral." They stand at the back of the Crown Vic. Elliot steers toward the road. After they rock it a couple times, the car is freed.
"Hey, thanks!" Elliot replies.
"No sweat. We're storm chasers," the younger male replies. "Happens all time time. I'm Sam, by the way. That's Levi and Alexis—the rest of the crew." He looks back at Elliot. "I'm taking a wild guess that you all are…cops?" he says.
"You got it."
"I saw the New York tags. What brings you out this way?"
"Long story. Police business, I guess you could say," he responds, shaking his head. More like a game of cat and mouse, he muses to himself. "I'm Elliot. This is my partner, Olivia."
Olivia smiles. "Nice to meet you all."
"Did you guys say you were…storm chasers?" Elliot inquires curiously.
"Yeah, that's right. We're a ways from home too. Home's in Iowa for Levi and me. Alexis is from Wisconsin. We're all go to school in Illinois."
"That is pretty far."
"Nature calls…" Sam gestures toward the sky. "We love this stuff. We sort of favor the Midwest storms. Pretty badass beast we've got going on here. Looks like we might get initiation very soon. Dryline's to our west. We're planning to head southwest a little and try to intercept it."
"So what do you do when you intercept it?" Elliot inquires.
"Call it in, first. We've got a dash camera set up to get some footage. If we get anything good, sometimes the news stations want it," he smiles. "You can get money for footage, bragging rights if it's a good storm. That sort of thing," Sam explains.
"Yeah, I get it. But you don't always know where or when those things are going to drop."
"We can get a pretty good idea of which storms are organized and which ones are falling apart. This one above us is a dud. It was Levi's idea to head north. That didn't pan out like he thought," Sam turns sharply and grins mockingly at Levi, who shrugs in response. He turns back to Elliot and Olivia. "Anyway, we're heading south."
"Why risk it? Can't it drop right on top of you?"
"Oh, it can…" Alexis rolls her eyes. "We were in a bad spot this one time, and it could have been avoided. We were already seeing ground-level circulation. I kept yelling at Sam to turn around," she glares at him. "Damned thing nearly did drop on top of us!"
"We don't usually get that close,'" Sam adds. "Except as Alexis mentioned. That was an accident because I had been looking for a better road option. That was two years ago and she's still giving me business about it," Sam turns to look at her sheepishly. He wraps his arm around her. "But she's my girlfriend, so I guess that's to be expected." He turns back to detectives. "Anyway… Yes, to answer your question, there are areas you can rule out for the sake of visibility, but they change with the storm. Any tornadoes that form to the north are going to be very rain-wrapped. Too much haze makes them harder to see. We look at the conditions a lot. We also love to chase the dryline," he replies.
"Dryline?" Elliot repeats.
"Boundary separating moist air from dry air. Storms that produce tornadoes can form anywhere, but the dryline is a much better set up," Alexis answers.
"Where is this dryline?"
"Well…?" Sam looks over at Alexis, trying to recall where he saw it on the composite map. "Hillsdale? Montery?"
"Axeville, PA is the northeast extent," she reminds him.
He turns back to Elliot and Olivia. "We think the battleground tonight is going to be just over the border in Youngstown. Storms are going to fire up all along the Route 80 corridor. We're hoping to avoid that area for the sake of traffic and other storm spectators. It's going to be a busy night."
"Good to know. Well, thanks for your help. It's been interesting talking to you guys. Be safe."
"We will. You guys be careful, too," Levi replies.
Moments later, they're back on the road.
Olivia tracks the other officers down with her cell phone.
They had James on the radar again.
The three vehicles meet up along the county line road, and head west.
While the threat of severe weather is stronger in this area at the moment, there appears to be a partial clearing. Elliot wonders if it has anything to do with that dryline that the storm chasers were talking about. At least they're out of the rain for the time being.
It takes them twenty minutes to catch up to James.
As the convoy exits the highway, they split up once more.
They enter the town of Axeville, with James maintaining about a quarter mile lead. They're seeing signs of where a storm passed through earlier. Mostly localized flooding and wind damage. Downed tree limbs litter the sides of the road.
Continuing to follow their suspect, Elliot slams on his brakes just shy of a flooded roadway.
With a muddied shoulder and a downed American Beech tree jutting onto the road surface, there's nowhere to turn around.
Frustrated, Elliot gets out of the car and slams the door.
Olivia tries to reach the others by radio. After no response, she glances out the side mirror and sees Elliot attempting to push the tree to the side by himself.
She gets out of the car and heads toward him.
The wind is gusting, blowing her hair into her eyes. She grabs it and holds it back. "Elliot!" she calls to him. "You're going to try and move this thing by yourself?"
"Yeah, what'd you expect?" he answers her.
She eyes a section of the tree and wonders if they can break part of it loose without disturbing the downed power line that's caught in the branch. "We have a tow rope in the trunk, don't we?"
"Yeah, I think so…why?" He wanders closer to her and follows her gaze. "Good thinking."
It takes some effort. Soon, they're able to clear enough from the road so they're able to turn around.
Elliot returns the tow rope, then wanders a few paces back over to her. "Thanks," he offers, releasing a sigh. "You know Liv… I'm really am sorry…"
He sees her eyes shift upward toward the sky. Probably starting to worry about the weather, he assumes.
"You're right, I lost my head. I lost my head about a lot of things…"
She's probably ignoring him too.
He can't blame her. But he's got to try.
He knows she's still upset about Clayton and their fight at the courthouse.
"I'm sorry for what I said earlier. I didn't mean—"
"Elliot…" she halts him. She opens her mouth to say something, but doesn't. Shaking her head hopelessly, she turns and wanders back toward the sedan.
"Liv!" he calls after her as he follows. "Please, Liv…"
Olivia turns around and stops short of running into him. She takes a deep breath. "It's been a long day. Let's try to reach one of the guys on their cell phone, and if not, then we'll—"
The next strong gust of wind interrupts her, blasting them with rain and pieces of gravel. They cover their faces and hurry into the sedan.
Once seated, they crane their necks toward the back windshield, unable to see much except for the sprays of rain.
The last bit of daylight is starting to slip away.
Finally, they spot the source of the gravel—a large pile off the shoulder of the road that was left behind by some construction crew. The entire mound is getting sheared apart from the wind. Fragments of rock and gravel are being swept up in the open air and hurled toward the car.
"Dammit!" Elliot mutters as the pelts become increasingly more forceful. "Well, thank God for bullet proof glass," he vocalizes, struggling to get the car turned around amidst the chaos outside.
Olivia grabs for the radio, then sets it back down quickly a second later when the alert tones begin to sound through the speakers. She turns up the volume.
x
"…*screech*…*screech*…*screech*…*long tone*
"The National Weather Service has issued a Tornado Watch for the following counties in Pennsylvania… Lantern, Cold Trail and Rider… And in Ohio…Flood, Forest, Gray, Crow, and Peak counties…effective until 11pm Eastern Daylight Time.
"This is an Potentially Dangerous Situation. Strong tornadoes, hail up to golf ball size, wind gusts in excess of 60 miles per hour and dangerous lightning are possible for storms that form in, and close to the watch area…
x
The pelts continue hitting the car as Elliot flees the area.
He's starting to feel the strain in his arms, just from keeping the car in the lane.
"You want me to take over driving?" she offers.
"I'm okay right now—" His eyes drift over to her.
Remembering that he needs to be more of a team player instead of shutting people out, like Cragen constantly reminds him, he amends his words. "Umm…I'm okay for the time being. Might need you to take over later."
She nods. "No problem, El."
Moments later, she receives a call from Officer Keith Sykes.
Elliot hears drips and drabs of the conversation. His focus is mainly on the road.
The clouds have this layered appearance. Not much rain, but the winds are continually gusting. Most of the traffic is scarce, which is probably a good thing.
Olivia ends her call. "They're all caught up in storm-related emergencies. We're on our own for now. They're keeping Gina overnight. She should be able to go home tomorrow. Ben's in ICU. Still critical," she tells him. "No update on James."
"Thanks," Elliot replies, frowning. "We know James is still out there."
"Probably setting another trap," she adds grimly.
"Might as well try to find a bite to eat while we regroup?"
She nods, then lowers her gaze back toward the map. "Give me the next street or location when you see one."
He glances at the county sign as they pass it. "Just entering...Lantern County…" His head turns abruptly toward the radio when the next weather alert sounds. "Another one…?"
x
"…*screech*…*screech*…*screech*…*long tone*
"The National Weather Service has issued a Tornado Warning for Lantern County in Pennsylvania, until 5:45 PM EDT.
"At 5:18PM EDT…Trained weather spotters reported a funnel cloud near Coresville Ohio, crossing the border into Torres Valley, Pennsylvania.
A tornado may develop at any time. Doppler radar showed this dangerous storm moving east at 40 mph.
Locations impacted include…Torres Valley and Axeville in Pennsylvania.
"Take cover now! Move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building. Avoid windows. If in a mobile home, a vehicle or outdoors, move to the closest sturdy shelter and protect yourself from flying debris…."
x
"Liv…?" Elliot glances up toward the sky uneasily.
"Yeah?"
He gestures to his left. "There's something over that way… Ten O'clock. See it?"
Olivia leans closer to him and peers through the windshield to have a look.
"Give it a second…" he says, waiting until they pass a large cluster of trees.
There's only a slightly darker contrast to early evening sky. Olivia sees the edge of the wall cloud just as pieces of hail start hitting the windshield.
"Let's find some shelter."
x
Elliot pulls off the road five minutes later. They wander inside a mostly empty food store in the business district of Torres Valley.
An anxious store manager begins directing customers to the back of the store.
Two store clerks and a couple of baggers close the remaining registers.
The store manager sees Elliot and Olivia, and notices their badges immediately.
"We're just looking for shelter," Elliot explains.
"Oh… By all means," he replies, attempting a smile. "But, please head toward the back of the store. There's been a tornado sited."
Elliot and Olivia glance at each other, then back at the manager.
Olivia arches an eyebrow. "A tornado sited?" she repeats quizzically.
"Yeah, we just heard it was a funnel cloud," Elliot explains.
He dashes toward the door to usher two more customers inside. "One just touched down… Local news reported it."
Then the manager looks past Elliot and Olivia, at the two children—one standing on the window ledge that's two feet off the floor, the other climbing into an empty cart.
Meanwhile, their mother is leaning over a grocery cart full of bagged food items, searching through one of her bags as she talks on her cell phone.
"Hey…kids! Get down from there! Ma'am…? Ma'am…? You and your children need to head to the back," he instructs frantically.
She continues sifting through her bag, appearing to not have heard him. Elliot and Olivia head over to assist.
"Hey, Ma'am," Olivia prompts, holding her badge. "A tornado's been sited. You and your children need to head to the back of the store for safety."
Elliot approaches the kids and sends them back to their mom.
When the three are on their way, Elliot and Olivia return to the store manager.
"Sir, why don't you head to the back, too. We'll hang out here just in case anyone shows up," Olivia offers.
"I hate these storms. Too many directions to look, and these customers become an unruly mob who can't stand to follow directions."
Elliot grins. "Unruly mobs are second nature to us."
He smiles back, starting to relax a little more. "Yeah, I'll bet."
"Go ahead sir, we'll keep an eye on things."
"Thank you." He walks through one of the empty check-out lanes, ushering his remaining staff toward the back.
Elliot and Olivia settle a distance from the door, close enough to keep watch. They perch side by side, against the one of the bagging areas. They gaze through the store front into the parking lot, where the rain is starting to come down heavily again.
"How the hell can they see a tornado in this mess?" Elliot ponders aloud, gesturing toward the window.
She shrugs. "I really don't know… Everything I know about tornadoes I learned in eight grade science class or from watching Twister."
Elliot smirks. "Yeah, about the same here."
The mist from the rain creates a dense fog. Loose shopping carts roll with the wind gusts. Standing water accumulates in the parking lot and streets.
So far, no one is trying to come into the parking lot, much less enter the store.
Directly next door, is a liquor store and a bowling alley. A few cars in the lot remain stationary.
At the local entrance street, a couple of cars pass by, creating a spray of water that splashes over the curbs.
The traffic lights, connected by cables, sway front-to-back with the wind.
Elliot turns his attention to his partner nervously. "Umm… Liv?"
She turns her head slightly and looks at him. "Yeah?"
He sighs, disheartened. "Look, I know you hate me… I just… I wish you didn't."
"I don't hate you," she replies.
"Yeah, right…" He lowers his head, guiltily.
"I've tried, trust me," she adds lightheartedly.
He lifts his head and looks at her again. He sees her smile and chuckles. "Now that, I can believe."
"We have too much history."
"Yes we do."
She sighs heavily. "You jump the gun, El. You do that more now, than you used to. There's no doubt that you have great instincts for this job. But the times you lose focus, can hurt us. You do things like attacking the suspect or fighting with an arresting officer, then we lose witnesses or we lose evidence. We're supposed to be a team. We both have to answer to Cragen or the brass, and I don't always have an excuse ready to defend you."
Elliot lowers his head again and sighs. "And about Clayton…"
"Look, I don't blame you for thinking he was guilty. Clay had a violent past. But there were enough unanswered questions out there for us to give Clay and Geoff a little leeway. I thought Clay was guilty too. I didn't know to trust Geoff until I talked to him, got a sense of who he was and heard Clay's story. Now, I hate the fact that we didn't protect Clayton when we had the chance. We could have set a better trap for James."
A couple minutes pass in silence.
He turns to her again. "I want to save our partnership…"
"You know it's not entirely up to me what happens," she replies earnestly.
"Think we can get them to hold off making any changes?"
"If you're willing to do what they're suggesting, I'll back you."
"I will." Elliot folds his arms. "I'd have to go through anger management and counseling even if they reassigned us."
"Right… Or some poor, unsuspecting transfer won't know what they're getting into," she teases. "I don't think anyone wants to see a repeat of Stabler and Blaine."
Elliot smiles. "I'd much rather work with you. Might as well come out of that psychobabble nonsense with a light at the end of the tunnel."
"Since you put it that way…"
He nudges her lightly with his elbow. "You really are a saint."
She looks at him curiously.
"That's what I told Blaine when he asked why you, or anyone else, would want to work with me."
"We've still had more good days than bad," she offers.
"Yeah, we have. I'll work at it, Liv."
"You'd better."
He shifts the focus back to the storm. "Well… This is fun."
"Looks like it's letting up out there," she says, seeing signs of the rain and wind starting to slow a bit more. "Guess it's moving out."
Elliot nods in agreement. "Did you follow what those storm chasers were saying?" he asks.
"Kind of."
"They said something about Youngstown being the battleground…?"
"That's about a couple miles from here."
"Next closest place to grab a bite to eat and a place to sleep…?" he grins.
"Only if you want to spend the night in a tornado shelter," she adds.
"Might not have a choice."
Their attention abruptly shifts toward the entrance door, when they hear several loud pops. One of the front windows suddenly shatters.
"What the hell?"
"Elliot!" Olivia grabs him by the arm, when her eyes fall on the rapid progression of holes in the glass front.
Bullet holes.
They duck down behind the nearest counter.
More gun fire.
The red pick-up truck speeds off.
"It's him."
x x x
TBC…