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The Murky Depths

Chapter 5

Olivia had been stuck at 1 PP for most of the day and was now headed back to the precinct, tired and stiff for sitting down for hours with only one short break. She preferred to be working in the field where she could keep active, see what was going on and not be stuck behind a desk, handling paper work and getting tired from the dry and warm air that swirled around in her office on a daly basis.

She decided against taking a cab and instead walked the ten minute drive to stretch her legs and hoping that the air would help her feel more awake and focused. The sun peeked through white puffy clouds and there was a light breeze that ruffled through her dark brown shoulder length hair. Things with Amanda was going okay. Since that evening, about a week ago when Liv had brought the two cappuccinos, they had gotten slightly closer to each other. They had even gone out for lunch together once and found one another's company quite pleasant even though they only kept their conversations light and mostly work related.

Fin was delighted to see that his partner was slowly starting to trust and relax around their boss. He was so use to seeing Amanda so tense and stressed, always trying to be one step ahead of everybody else, to prove to the squad, and mostly Liv, that she was capable of doing a good job. Carisi also seemed to be happy with the way things were going and could sense a change in the air when it came to the two female detectives. Carisi had even secretly witnessed an incident between the two when Olivia had thrown Amanda a compliment about the shirt she was wearing and how it brought out the colour in her eyes. He was glad that they seemed to be getting on better all of a sudden but decided not to mention or question it, not wanting to make a mountain out of a molehill.

It was just after lunchtime and knew that at least one of her detectives had gone out for a bite to eat and she was right. Walking into the pullpen she spotted one empty desk, Amanda's. "Amanda still on her lunch break?" she asked Fin, who was deeply engrossed in an open file infront of him.

Looking up, he frowned and looked at the time. "She should be back by now. I'll call her." he said, whipped out his phone but there was no answer from the blonde. "Weird! She always answeres her phone, especially during working hours. She's probably on her way back."

Olivia nodded and looked over at Carisi just as his phone rang. Fin and Liv could both tell that something serious was up as their colleague turned completely white and pasty looking and his hands were shaking so bad he could barely hold onto the phone. When he hung up Liv placed a hand on his arm and told him to sit. His body didn't move an inch, he just looked at Fin and said with a shaky voice. "That was a buddy of mine on the force. The bank around the corner is being robbed as we speak."

Now is was Fin's turn to go ghostly white and his heart began to work overtime. He looked at his boss and the saw the worry, confusion and dread in her deep brown eyes. "That's why Amanda is not back yet. She had to go to the bank."

All three of them just stood still for a second, trying to process what had been said and what had just happened. It's quite amazing how many thoughts can pass through your mind in just a split second but it seemed like they all had the same thought as they grabbed their badges, guns, coats and ran out of there as fast as their legs would carry them.

After running two blocks they rounded a corner and was immediately met with flashing sirens, a barrier had been put up around the premises, uniforms everywhere, the SWAT team with the big guns and Tucker from IAB who was also a very skilled negotiator. As Liv saw the chaos playing out in front of her, her stomach clenched at the thought of Amanda being inside with some crazy and unpredictable perp, gun pointed at her, scared and confused as to why this was happening.

"What can we do, sarge? She's in there, she could be hurt or much worse, she could be..."

"Don't you think I know that, Carisi." Liv's stern voice interrupted as she let her eyes wander over the scene, taking in everything that was happening. One of her own was in danger and there was little to none she could do about it. "I'm gonna talk to Tucker and see what's going on. Stay here and don't even think about doing something stupid."

She left her two male detectives and ran towards the IAB van and spotted Tucker straight away with a serious look on his face, writing down possible suspects on a white board while just finishing a conversation with someone through an ear piece. As he saw sergeant Benson's concerned and worried gaze he made sure to disconnect the call and walked over to her. "Benson, what are you doing here? Last time I checked you worked sex crimes." he said, confused as to why she was there.

"One of my detectives is in there. Amanda Rollins." Liv stated with great concern. "What are we looking at? What can we do?" she pleaded but tried as hard as she could to stay proffesional.

"You can't do anything." said Tucker and sighed. "This is not a sex crime, plus, you and your squad are too close to one of the hostages, making it too personal for you to have anything to do with this case. I've got all my men working on this, some are already inside the building trying to find another way in where they're being held while I've been trying to reason with, what appears to be the leader."

"So we're just suppose to sit back and do nothing?" she snapped, took a step closer to invade Tucker's private space, acting intimidating.

The older taller man straightened up and looked down at the sergeant. "Yes." he simply stated and went back to his task without another word. Fin and Carisi had come up behind and heard everything, sighing in frustration and anger. Then, Tucker's phone rang and everyone around turned dead silent. "Hello."

Just like everyone suspected, it was the ring leader again and Liv gestured for him to turn on the speaker so they all could hear what was going on. "Things just turned ugly." the deep and raspy voice said, making Liv shiver from dread and terror.

Tucker frowned but stayed calm. "What do you mean?"

The perp laughed wickedly through the speaker then suddenly changed his demeanor and shouted at the top of his lungs. "There's a fucking cop in here!"

Olivia immediately locked eyes with Tucker and ran her fingers through her hair, taking a deep breath and let it out slowly as the perp continued. "Me and the cop have come to an agreement. I'll let the hostages go but she stays." he snarled and the line immediately went dead.

"She's making sure everyone else is safe." Fin whispered from a distance and let his eyes wander over the big brick building that was sealed off. "What the fuck, Rollins." he kicked an empty can of coke that was lying on the ground. "What do we do now?" he asked to no one in particular, merely thinking out loud.

"We wait until the hostages are out. The less people inside, the more control we have over the situation." Tucker informed as they all turned their attention to the big double glass doors, waiting for the swarm of terrified people running in all different directions, crying and screaming. About a minute later it all happened just the way they expected.

Twenty-seven people came running out from inside the bank, including the staff, but there should've been twenty eight, Liv thought and paced back and forth on a small area, making everyone who was watching dizzy. Carisi finally placed a hand on her arm and gave her a gentle squeeze in reassurance, even though his eyes were just as clouded with worry as hers. "She'll be fine. She's strong and stubborn."

"It's the stubborn part I'm worried about." she said, her voice full of concern for the blonde.

"It's the stubborn part that's going to get her through, sarge." by saying those words he hoped to calm their sergeant some and possibly himself and Fin along the way. It was an agonizingly long wait to see what was happening next. Every nerve, every cell and every hair follicle on Liv's body was on full alert and all her senses became magnified as the adrenaline steadily pumped through her veins. Fin looked as if he had been turned into stone due to his rigid posture, deadly serious face and anger making his body tremble. Carisi appeared calm and collected but Liv could see the anxiety and worry seeping through. They were all extremely concerned for their coworker's and friend's safety.

"We've got visual." someone yelled from inside the van and they all scurried over to the small tv screens that was now showing three armed men with heavy guns and masks and a small blonde tense looking woman. Amanda.

"What are they saying?" Fin wanted to know.

"The camera's only allows visual." Tucker informed and zoomed in on the perps and the female detective. "Can we get a lip reader in here asap?" he demanded, never taking his eyes off the monitors.

"God, she looks so scared." Olivia whimpered sympathetically, not fully aware that she had said it out loud. She just wanted her detective out of there, safe and sound, unharmed and sooner rather than later.

Amanda's heart was pounding so violently it was a miracle that the three men couldn't hear it or for her pumping muscle to burst from the effort. She was scared, no doubt about it, who wouldn't be? But she didn't want to let it show and therefore did her best to hide it by taking slow deep breaths when the men weren't looking. Her gun had been taken from her as soon as they spotted it and found out that she was indeed a cop, leaving her totally defenseless against their heavy firearms.

"Look, I know the people out there. They're not going to stop until this situation is under control and cleared. I know how they work, how they think and how they operate. You can use me to get out of here alive. Just tell them what you want and they'll make it happen." the trembling in her voice couldn't go unnoticed and she mentally kicked herself for not being able to control it.

After a long conversation she had, somehow, managed to talk the three men into letting the others go and to keep her as some sort of guarantee and a ticket out of there. They had been trained in the academy for situations like these but everything she had been taught, everything she had been told was now nowhere to be found inside her memory no matter how deep she tried to dig into her mind. Then it dawned on her that she was already doing everything she should be doing. Stay calm, do what they say, make it look like they are in control, make them feel like they have the upper hand, hold all the cards and call the shots. There was not much she could do now, except to wait for help to arrive.

She knew the place was swarmed with cops and security. She could see the flashing of the red and blue lights, hear the sirense that had now ebbed and the chaotic chatter and yelling from the people outside. She wondered if her squad was there. Had they been informed that she was being held hostage in a bank robbery? Were they looking at her through the cameras? Were they working on getting her out of there? She was desperate to get out, desperate to see her squad again, desperate to see Liv. To apologize to her for shouting at her that night, even though she had already apologized, to say how sorry she was for all those times she had been late for work and for using lame excuses to justify her tardiness and how sorry she was for those times she had messed up at work, whether it was regarding a case or private matters. But this was where she found herself at now, caught in the crossfire, a hostage, the middleman, trapped between two different sides of the law, the wrong and the right, heaven and hell, good and bad.

"You seem very sure of yourself. What makes you think that they will do anything we ask just go get you out of here alive? You're just one single stupid cop! There are plenty of cops around so why would they waste their time and resources on you?" the tallest of the men grunted as he walked up to her, tracing the tip of the barrel from her cheek down to her left nipple, pressing roughly against it, causing the blonde to whimper in pain.

"Just call Tucker again and tell him what you need and I'll make sure you get it." Amanda promised, knowing very well that it might not be as simple as that.

"The son of a bitch is touching her." Fin said between clenched teeth, his body shook from rage and wanted nothing more than to barge in there and shove that firearm up his ass and pull the trigger.

Liv watched as the barrel of the gun trailed down Amanda's upper body and it made her sick with worry of what might happen next. Seeing her detective in a hostage situation caused her blood to boil and there was nothing she could do about it. "Your men got a clear visual yet? Have they found another way in?"

Tucker's radio went off, informing him that they were now inside the building and were now trying to make it into the secluded area where the men were keeping Amanda against her will. "Wait for a clear view before taking any necessary actions." Tucker responded into his radio and watched the small screens as the leader, once again, traced his gun further down and came to a stop between Amanda's legs, pushing and rubbing her on the outside of her jeans.

"You like that, bitch?" the man whispered in a low voice and licked his dry cracked lips while the other two snickered and looked on. "You like it hard and rough?" he asked and added more pressure on her groin area, causing her to whimper in pain. "Oh, baby! I like when you make noises like that. What kind of a cop are you anyway?" he took a step closer so that he was almost pressed against Amanda's body, inhaling her scent, rubbing his nose lightly over her blonde locks.

"I'm an SVU detective." she responded in a hiss of discomfort due to the weapon that was assaulting her down bellow.

The leader laughed out loud, throwing his head back and pressed his gun harder into her sex. "How ironic." the men behind them chuckled at his words and Amanda felt a cold shiver run through her already trembling frame. "Tell me, detective, who will you call if you get raped? Your boss? Your captain? SVU?" the roaring and hollering of laughter echoed through the room, bouncing from wall to wall before it eventually died down and the man in charge leaned closer and whispered into her ear. "Strip!"

Amanda's body turned rigid from fear and she shook even more violently as his stale smoky breath spread across her face. She couldn't move even if she wanted or had to. She was frozen to the ground like an iron statue, cold, stiff and solid. "I said strip." he repeated with more force in his voice but Amanda still couldn't find the ability to move. His patience ran out and turned to the two armed men behind him. "Get her undressed. Now!"

Within a few seconds they had her coat and shirt ripped off and she was now standing in jeans, boots and a black bra, her skin cold and and body chilled from the shock and the low temperature inside the building. She tried to cover herself with her arms but the men held them back, laughing as they began to unbotton her jeans. Then, survival mode kicked in and she started to fight back, crying and screaming, throwing punches right and left, tears streaming down her face. One of the men lifted her up from behind while the other yanked her boots and socks off, all while the leader stood a couple of feet away, watching, smiling.

The jeans followed suit and the blonde was now left in only her bra and matching panties, shaking from fear and horror of what was about to come. Half naked she found herself being held from each side while the leader studied her body from top to toe, smirking and licking his lips repeatedly. "You have a nice body, detective. Mind if I have a closer look?" he chuckled and roughly grabbed a hold of her left breast and squeezed it hard, making the blonde squirm from the pain before anger suddenly bubbled up to the surface.

She surprised the man by spitting into his face and an animalistic growl ripped from her chest and throat, her will to survive became so strong she was willing to do anything to get out of there alive.

Still grinning from ear to ear, the leader slowly wiped his cheek with the sleeve of his jacket and stepped closer, standing so still and quiet in front of her that she was sure he could hear her heartbeat. Then, without warning, he slammed his gun into her lower stomach once before moving up and repeated his actions on her left side, assaulting her ribs. The pain was enormous and the need to curl up into ball on the floor became too much causing her knees to buckle and she was instantly let go.

Cradling her stomach and ribs as best as she could with her hands and arms she raised her head to look at the man standing infront of her, laughing and grinning like a demon from hell. He then raised his fist, ready to give her a hard punch across the face, when suddenly, there was a loud bang and she became aware of the warm, red and thick liquid covering most of her body before everything went black.