AN: The reviews I got for the last two chapters were one of the best Christmas gifts! Thank you for the encouragement and continued support. I'm currently sick in bed, but what better time to do some writing? If I'm feeling up to it (and get some more motivation from all of you), I'll post another chapter later this afternoon. You all keep me writing. You rock! (:

OA's POV~

It doesn't take too long for me to realize Dana and Jubal are not going to give me the real Javelins. They say they can't, but that means risking Maggie's life. I can't let her die because they want to press their luck, press Maggie's luck. But there's no way I can get to them on my own. I don't have access to the weapons. So, I do what I can.

"Put a few of the real ones in the back. If they check them, and we have to assume they will, everything will look up to par. We can't risk them checking to find out we scammed them. Maggie will be dead before we can apologize."

I stare down Dana who is watching me. Her eyes flicker to Jubal, and I know she is considering it even though it's a big move. He gives the smallest nod, and I've never been more thankful for the man sitting next to me. I breathe a sigh of relief.

Dana makes the necessary calls leaving out a lot of unnecessary information. This is a risk we are all taking, a risk that could get us fired, and in so much trouble because the higher ups would never agree. We don't negotiate like this. But none of us voice this worry and none of us really care. Maggie needs us. Now.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jubal tells me to get some sleep while I can, but the thought of sleep while Maggie is suffering is impossible. I haven't eaten anything or gotten any sleep since it happened, but I hardly notice.

I still have 6 hours before I can expect a call from this mystery man, now identified as Jose Guerra. We still have a lot of work to do, but know he has at least one close associate and maybe more. With the Zetas behind this, we are dealing with a powerful, financially stable group who have the means and motive to get what they want. We need to know everything about them. So I work.

Then Kristen appears before me, and I look up from the file I've been reading. I moved to a hotel, and Kristen, Jubal and Dana met me after we figured out a plan. Dana had to return to the office after we decided on the plan, but Jubal and Kristen had stayed here to help with information research.

"There's been some chatter off biological weapons within Zeta communication. Anthrax seems to be the big one. Before you do anything, you have to be vaccinated. Jubal's orders. The chances it's connected is next to none, but he wants to make sure we cover our bases. Normally someone would come to administer, but with the necessity of keeping this secret, I'll call in a favor for you and bring it here myself. I'm not a nurse, but I think I can give it to you," she says putting a hand on my shoulder for a moment and then walking away back to where she is working at a table in the corner of the room.

I can't help but think of Maggie being exposed. Now there's even more to worry about. There's much more to do, and now with the possible threat of biological warfare, we have even more to uncover. Kristen says it's unlikely there's a connection, but the fact she says anything at all to me is a warning.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I'm shaking in my chair when the phone in front of me rings. It's sitting on one side of the table. Jubal and Kristen take up the side across from me. Dana is on conference call with us from her office. We had all been nearly silent while we counted down the minutes to then next contact. It came only two minutes late, two minutes that felt like years. I answered trying to make my voice steady and strong.

I hear Maggie call for me, asking, begging me to find her and for a few moments I lose the ability to remain calm. I start shouting at him telling him not to hurt her, to let her go, saying I will take her place. Then she screams, a truly horrific, desperate sound. She screams my name, and it cuts me to my very soul. But then Jubal's hands are on me, shaking me to get my attention, to get me to calm down and Jose tells me to stop or he'll slit her throat. My voice dies, and I just sit there breathing trying to find my calm. I know she needs it, needs me focused.

Then he says she needs to be punished, that she has been bad. I don't know what that means, but it makes me want to vomit. I tell him I have what he wants, that it's ready for him. He tells me what to do. He tells me where to drive them and what to do when I get there. Jubal is recording the conversation while Kristen is trying to trace the call.

Then he says he might release her if I do this. Might? That's not good enough, but I know better than to press my luck. So I'm quiet. It kills me, but I bite my tongue and continue to listen. When he's done speaking I look to Kristen. She shakes her head so I have to keep him talking.

"Let me speak with her. Prove she's alive." The words are out before I know what I've asked, and I find I'm holding my breath praying he lets me hear her voice. I need to hear her, crave her voice like the desert craves rain.

He gives me 15 seconds. I hear her voice. She's there. She quiet, she's hard to hear, but she's there. She's alive. Alive. I exhale, feeling my body refill with hope I had lost. "I'll find you. I promise!" And then she's gone.

Kristen looks to me, disappointment in her eyes. I know she didn't get it. But when she shows me the screen I see she narrowed it down. She was close. That will help significantly.

Then I remember what he said. '90 minutes' rings through my brain and I'm in motion.

Kristen calls my name and I turn to look at her. "I was able to get a vaccine from someone I trust, but it's only one dose and usually people get three over the course of a few weeks. If there is exposure, you will have to take the antibiotics. There's still a risk, so be careful." I nod and let her inject me. I barely feel it, though I know it should hurt, and she apologizes for not really knowing what she's doing. The pain pales in comparison with what I'm already feeling.

We are going over the plan one last time when Jubal comes in from the parking lot. "The tracker is in one of the back crates," he explains.

I look to Kristen. "The one we're using is so small it should avoid human detection, and shouldn't be caught on any scans. Guerra said he'd release Maggie, but just in case he doesn't, this will help us get her back."

I nod taking in her words, thankful for this addition to the plan. Then Jubal is talking again. "All you are doing is getting the truck where it needs to be, letting him check them, and then watching him leave. That's it. Then you get back here however you can. We'll take it from there."

I grab the door handle before Jubal speaks one more time. "Be safe."

I nod and am out the door.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I pull into the parking lot nearly 20 minutes early. I park and wait. That's all I feel I've done the whole time. Wait. Wait. Wait. But I don't wait long. I see headlights coming from the entrance to the parking lot. The car stops and a man gets out. He comes to the driver's door and opens it.

"Get down. Slowly." I see the gun in his hands pointed at my head and comply. The anger builds and I want to beat the living hell out of him, but I'm no good to Maggie dead. So once on the ground I follow his other demands. "Lay down on the ground." "Put your hands on your head." "Stay still."

I let him check me for weapons but have not to find. Finally, he takes the key from my hand and goes to the back. He tells me to follow, so I do. He opens the door and scans the inside for what I assume to be bugs. He doesn't find anything which is the second miracle of the night after hearing Maggie's voice. Then he takes one box out and sets it on the ground. Like I expected he doesn't take the first one, but one from the row behind. Luckily I figured he would and planted the real ones there. I breathe a quiet sigh of relief. Luck hasn't been on our side thus far. It's time for a success. He opens the box, scans it much like Quinn did when we were in the middle of 'purchasing' from Martin Vickers. It checks out and he smiles. Then, he pulls a bullet from his pocket. But it looks strange, like it had been tampered with. He puts the round in the Javelin, turns around to face the abandoned building and fires.

When the bullet explodes, a devastating sight, I notice a strange cloud of gas fills the air. My eyes widen as I put pieces of the puzzle together. Anthrax. Weaponized missiles that explode and emit deadly bio warfare. I'm still in shock when the guy turns around. He obviously loves the feeling of holding such a powerful weapon. The euphoric feelings are apparent on his face and in his voice as he shouts in victory.

He puts the Javelin down in the box, grabs his gun and holds it out. "Turn around and kneel."

I can't fight because he has to lead us to Maggie, but I know me on my knees means one thing. A bullet to the back of the head. Even if I wanted to fight, I'm six feet away and have no weapon. If I lunge at him, I'm dead, if I run, I'm dead. I'm dead no matter how this plays out. I hesitate and he screams, " I said on your knees!"

He grips his phone with his other hand making further threats without needing to say a word. I know what will happen if he calls his boss. I slowly nod knowing at least the tracker is still in place, that Maggie can be found even if I'm dead. I hear Jubal talking quietly in my ear saying "No, no, OA, don't!" but I can't think, just do what I'm told. Rain drops start to fall despite it being December. It's cold, but helps me focus on my task at hand. Maybe there's something more I can do, something more than accepting defeat. But it's too late. There's a sharp, intense pain. I fall to the ground, and everything I know fades away. Maggie is the last thought I have.

BREAK~

When Gorge calls me saying he has the weapons, that they check out, that the bullets we've made work, and that there was no sign of outside involvement, I'm ecstatic. I can taste the win, it's so close. I look at Maggie through the monitor, the camera capturing her as she hangs, broken in the basement. I know now there is no way I can let her go, but that I would rather keep her here and eventually kill her. But now is much too soon. And after OA sees her die, he will be clay in my hands. He will help me finish them all off. It's time to go back down and see my sweet Maggie.

AN: I may be channeling my inner Jose here. But I'll update soon and all will be revealed in due time. I hope you are enjoying. Thank you so much for your encouragement. Please keep it coming!