By the time he reached the main floor, Mike could already hear the sirens of approaching fire trucks drown out any other noise in the foyer of the Hall of Justice Building.

Several distraught police officers had crossed his path, dutifully nodding their heads as he barked orders about evacuating the building and to man all entrances and be on the lookout for suspicious activity.

What that kind of activity looked like was hard to guess at this point, his own speculation ranging from Osorro disguising himself as a mailman, or even pretending to be someone wanting to file a report at a different department to gain access to the elevators, or even just walking in as his arrogant self.

But one thing was for sure. The infamous arsonist wasn't known to make mistakes; instead, he executed his maneuvers in deadly precision.

When the front entrance of the building seemed adequately secured, Mike took a minute to rush downstairs, where the staff from booking greeted him, busy evacuating the building while keeping all jail inmates safely restrained, the downstairs parking garage a cacophony of cars moving in at out at varying speeds.

Through the gap in the exit doors, he could see two fire trucks taking up their spots as hose line was rolled out and several fire fighters entered the building to find the source of the problem.

Suddenly, a hissing sound coming from the elevator shaft disrupted his focus, followed by an explosion that shook the entire building.

Mike felt his knees grow weak at the unwelcome sensation stemming from a place he'd grown so fond of over the years, a place he deemed to be one of the safest spots in this entire city. And yet, his faith was currently undergoing another test he wasn't sure it could withstand.

Figuring that the elevator cart had somehow become detached from the safety wires and violently crashed to the ground; Mike said a silent prayer that it had been unoccupied at that time, while motioning for the approaching firefighters to head into the direction of the issue.

Unable to do much down here, he worked his way to the stairwell on the other end of the hallway, once again mastering the forty-some steps to the main floor, the rest of his homicide squad slowly trickling in from the upper levels.

Mike let his eyes drift over the group for a moment, trying to take inventory of everyone present, not liking what he saw.

"Lessing…where's Keller?", he yelled over the noise of hectic voices and footsteps coming from the stairwell, drowned out only by the shrill fire alarm.

The African American Inspector glanced up, needing a second to recognize him, then shrugged.

"I don't know. I left a few minutes before Norm did, maybe they're both still up there."

"What do you mean, up there? We've got a fire going on in this building! I told everybody to evacuate.", he yelled back, barking up the wrong tree but unable to hide his growing concern.

"I'm sorry, Mike, I really don't know…"

Lessing couldn't get more out before the crowds of people coming down the stairs pushed him along.

Shaking his head in frustration at a strategy that clearly hadn't gone to plan, Mike nodded unperceptively before diving into the steady stream of traffic like a salmon swimming upstream.

A few of the guys he brushed into muttered a complaint under their breath that was quickly silenced when Mike glared into their direction, his face being recognized by the staff of other departments, the grievances quickly turning into lowered heads as the parade continued toward the main floor.

Grateful that the smoke hadn't completely enveloped the stairwell yet, Mike made his way up one floor at a time, his thighs screaming at the unusual workout, the burning sensation reaching all the way into his lower back by the time he arrived at the second floor.

Just as he looked up, Hassejian came barreling down the steps, a thin layer of perspiration on his forehead as he navigated the narrow corridor leading downstairs.

"Norm!", Mike called, waiting for the Armenian detective to acknowledge him, "Where's Keller?"

"I don't know. I never saw him. I figured he'd followed you downstairs to look for Osorro."

Feeling the weight of several tons weighing down his soul, Mike stopped in his tracks, not completely sure he heard right.

"I specifically told you to tell him to meet me down here."

"I know that. But I never saw him up there. I was keeping an eye on the guys leaving but didn't see him, Mike."

"Well, he's not down here…", the Lieutenant said, unable to hide the worry and disappointment in his voice as he pointed his chin upstairs again.

He could see the brief flash of hesitation in Norm's features before the Armenian detective followed his lead, nodding somberly.

"After you, Lieutenant."