Title: Devil's Hand
Author: Cindy Ryan
Story status: Complete
Universe: ATF—created years ago on the Magnificent Seven fanfiction list. The boys live in modern day Denver as members of an elite ATF team.
Category: Angst
Summary: An old enemy of Buck's and Chris's resurfaces intent on shattering the team. But nobody takes down the Seven. Not without a fight.
Notes: I wrote this story about five years back and have had it posted at other sites. Decided to post it here so I'd have all my stories in one spot.
Jonathan Zellar chuckled as he sat in a black corvette in a downtown parking garage. The red haired man shook his head as he looked at the classified section of the local newspaper.
"Wilmington, you're getting way too predictable in your old age," Zellar commented as he read the small ad, "All right then, I'll see your bet and raise it."
Zellar glanced at the car's dashboard clock before backing out of the parking spot.
Landing upright on the landing below was no problem.
Regaining his balance once his feet hit the cement was quite another. Ezra discovered as his hands flailed in an effort to keep himself upright.
Standish nearly tumbled down the stairs before he finally grabbed the metal railing and pulled himself into a standing position.
Through the whole thing Mary had remained still which disturbed Ezra greatly.
Ezra climbed over the pile of debris and knelt next to the reporter. He discovered a pulse but it was thready and weak.
Her breathing wasn't labored which led Standish to believe that none of her ribs were broken.
One blessing.
Standish rose halfway and turned on his heels setting about the task of clearing the debris.
Ten minutes later Ezra had managed to clear away most of the smaller chunks of concrete. But three of them were too heavy for him to lift so he left them where they were.
During which time Ezra had taken in his surroundings. The landing above them which led to the ATF office was out of the question as far as escape was concerned. The next flight down from the duo was blocked off by debris.
But all of the debris was cleared away from Mary and that was what mattered the most at the moment.
Ezra sighed inwardly as he leaned back against the wall. Now all he could do was wait and keep Mary comfortable until the Calvary arrived.
That is of course if there wasn't another bomb.
Buck Wilmington maneuvered through the quiet cemetery. As he got closer to his destination the dark haired agent felt guilt start to build. He should've come here sooner than this.
Twenty feet...
Fifteen feet...
Ten...
Buck swallowed hard as he knelt next to the grave. He took off his hat as he gently caressed the name carved on the tombstone. Since there hadn't been anything left of JD's body there was no need for a grave. But the tombstone served as a memorial to the fallen agent.
Wilmington closed his eyes briefly as memories threatened to overwhelm him.
Damn it...this should be the other way around.
Buck opened his eyes as he placed three comic books by the new headstone, "I figured you'd get more use out of these than flowers," Wilmington began swallowing hard to keep his voice steady, "I'm sorry I didn't come sooner, kid, but I had things to take care of."
Wilmington glanced down at the numerous items placed by the headstone. JD's badge was nestled among a half dozen flower bouquets.
Buck swallowed hard as he traced the picture. He had always teased JD about that photo the kid looked about twelve in it.
The dark haired agent shook his head sadly...too young...too damn young.
"If I could switch places with you kid, I would," Buck commented softly as he fought back tears, "It wasn't your time yet...I miss you JD."
"Well isn't this a touching scene," a male voice said from behind causing Buck to stiffen.
Zellar.
Wilmington rose slowly to his feet turning to face his enemy gun drawn, "For a dead man you look pretty good, Zellar."
Jonathan Zellar chuckled, "Did you really think a puny explosion would take me out?"
Buck glared at the older man as he thought back to that day. The explosion of the two railroad cars had nearly taken out half the railroad yard along with Chris.
"Let's get down to business," Wilmington replied as he pulled back the trigger on the gun.
Vin Tanner was halfway back to Chris's ranch when he heard the call for the bomb squad come over the police ban.
The tracker's heart constricted as he listened to the details.
Vin swung the jeep into a hard u-turn leaving half an inch of tire on the pavement.
As he headed back toward the office Vin did a headcount of who had been at the ranch.
Tanner's grip tightened on the wheel as he passed slower moving vehicles wishing he had a siren.
The only one who had left had been Ezra.
Vin could only pray that the call for the bomb squad would turn out to be a false alarm.
The Seven was barely recovering from nearly losing the kid.
They couldn't handle another loss.
"What the hell is taking so long?" Chris Larabee demanded as he stood surrounded by four members of the bomb squad. It had been ten minutes since he had arrived at the office and the robot was still sitting by the bomb squad truck.
Patrick Miller was a seasoned veteran of the Denver police force. The last ten years of his career had been spent as head of the bomb squad.
"There was a glitch in the computer program," the brown haired man replied calmly, "It took us a few minutes to fix it and reboot the system. Ketner's sending the robot in now."
Larabee opened his mouth to reply but quickly closed it. Instead of the curt reply he had planned he gave Miller a curt nod before turning around to face the familiar building.
Miller turned to the young black man, "How's it look, Ketner?"
"Ready to roll, boss," John Kenter replied grimly his fingers hovering over the controls.
"Send her in," Miller ordered as all pairs of eyes turned to watch the small robot slowly enter the building.
Chris's gaze never left the door. He hadn't known Ezra long but Chris trusted the man's instinct's.
The two agents hadn't exactly seen eye to eye when Standish first joined the ATF. But Chris had respected the man's arrest record and over the past year Standish had become an important part of the Seven.
And a friend.
No matter what happened here today Zellar would not shatter the Seven.
Larabee heard footsteps approaching him and he didn't have to look to see who it was.
"How's it look, cowboy?" Tanner asked grimly as he followed Larabee's gaze to the small robot.
Chris shook his head, "Not good. Everybody in the building's accounted for except Standish. Dispatch confirmed that he was the one who called in the evacuation order."
"Damn," Vin said quietly, "How many?"
"One bomb already exploded taking our office with it and most of the eleventh floor," Chris replied as he folded his arms across his chest, "Travis won't let anybody in until the bomb squad gives the okay."
"Standard procedure, Chris, "Vin stated, "You know that."
"Yeah, I know," Larabee replied softly, "I just have this feeling that if Ezra was in there when it blew he doesn't have much time for us to stand around and follow procedure."
Chris ran a weary hand over the back of his neck as he turned to look at his friend, "What'd you find out about Buck?"
Vin sighed, "Nothing good. I found the hotel but he was already gone. And from what I found he knows about Zellar being behind the car bomb."
"Damn," Chris replied darkly.
Both men glanced up as Travis approached them. Vin straightened at the grim look on the Judge's face.
"What is it?" Larabee demanded quietly.
Orrin put his cellular phone back in his pocket as he replied, "Just got a call from one of the reporters at the Clarion. Mary told him she planned to stop off here before returning to the office. That was an hour ago and nobody's heard from her."
A chill raced up Chris's spine as he looked back at the shattered building, "To hell with procedure," Larabee replied angrily as he stormed past Travis and entered the building.
With the career he had chosen Nathan Jackson was used to tense situations. It came with the job. But this one was different.
Nathan sighed as he turned away from the window and glanced at the VCR clock. It had been over twenty minutes since Chris had left here like a bat out of hell and still no word.
The healer turned at the sound of soft footfalls on the wood floor, "JD you shouldn't be out of bed."
JD ignored his friend as he glanced around the room, "Where's Chris?" He asked softly.
Nathan took in the dark bruises and cuts on his friend's face and the white bandages covering his hands as he stepped forward, "No arguments, JD. Come on, lets get you back into bed. You pulled out that IV didn't you?"
JD stood his ground, "What's going on, Nathan?" The young agent asked anxiously, "Something happen to Buck?"
Nathan placed a hand on the youth's shoulder turning him around, "No, Buck's fine. Chris just had some things back at the office that he had to take care of."
Zellar didn't flinch as Buck aimed the gun at his head, "Do we really need to end this with senseless violence?"
Buck glared at him, "That's how it started didn't it?" He asked coldly as he vividly remembered armored car guard's wife having to tell their nine year old daughter that her father was never coming home.
Jonathan tilted his head to the side as he folded his arms across his chest, "Revisiting memory lane are we?"
Buck ignored the question as he struggled to fight the rage that was building. He now understood why Chris drowned himself in a bottle after his family's death. This bastard was cracking jokes while JD was gone...
"I never pegged you as a coward, Zellar," Wilmington replied in a clipped tone as he took a step forward, "I understand the poetic justice of the bomb but it's still a cowardly move. If you wanted me dead there were other ways to do it. You obviously knew where I was; knew what my habits were. "
"One man's opinion on cowardliness might not be the same as another's," Zellar replied with a smile, "But I do see your point of view. Why don't you just ask what you really want to know...about the boy's death."
At the mention of JD, Wilmington's eyes narrowed into slits, "The bomb was never ment for me, was it?" Buck asked as realization dawned, "You knew that the kid's bike was in the shop."
Zellar smiled widely, "Very good, Agent Wilmington. I was beginning to think you wouldn't figure it out. You are correct if I had wanted you dead I could have killed you at any moment. But because of the agony I suffered after the incident at the railroad yard I wanted you to feel that suffering."
Ezra leaned forward and gently brushed a stray blonde bang away from the widow's forehead.
He wished he had paid more attention to Nathan's lectures on first aide. It concerned him that the reporter had yet to awaken.
Standish rocked back on his heels as he monitored Mary's breathing. It was labored and uneven.
Which caused Ezra to wonder if he hadn't cleared the debris away soon enough. A broken rib could easily cause a punctured lung if the rib was at the correct angle.
"Stay with us, Mrs. Travis," Ezra pleaded softly, "I do not wish to be the one to tell Mr. Larabee of your passing."
Chris had made it to the fourth floor before Vin caught up with him. The Tracker didn't say a word but Chris knew he wasn't pleased with his actions.
"I couldn't sit there any longer, Vin," Larabee stated quietly as the duo raced up the stairs.
"I know," Vin replied as he rounded the corner of the sixth floor, "History won't repeat itself, Chris."
Chris closed his eyes briefly as memories of three years ago came flooding back, "It better not."
JD watched Nathan carefully as they entered the small bedroom. Ezra wasn't the only one who could read poker faces and Nate wasn't doing a very good job of it.
Something big was going on and JD was being kept out of the loop.
JD knew that Chris and Nathan were only doing this to protect him but JD didn't want to be protected.
If he had he would've chosen a different career.
"What's going on Nathan?" JD asked as he sat down on the corner of the bed, "And don't tell me its nothing because if it was nothing Buck would be here."
Nathan paused in his task of reorganizing the few medical supplies in the small leather bag.
If he told JD what was going on Chris and Buck would kill him.
But if he didn't tell the youth Nathan knew JD would leave and find out on his own which could end just as disastrously
Nathan turned and helped JD to his feet, "Let's go sit in the living room. I'll answer all the questions I can."
Chris Larabee did a double take as he suddenly found himself being slammed against the left wall of the stairwell.
As air returned to his lungs Chris finally saw the five foot piece of concrete laying where he had been standing only seconds before.
"Thanks," Larabee replied as he glanced at Tanner.
The tracker nodded as he gestured to the flight of stairs above them, "I don't think we can get any farther this way. We'll have to get to them from above."
Chris nodded as he turned toward the door, "If they're even on that floor."
Vin followed him out into the darkened corridor, "The bomb guys are sure that this bomb is the same kind as the one that took out Buck's truck. If it is they wouldn't have much time to find safe haven before it went off."
In a tackle most professional football players would envy Buck slammed Jonathan Zellar to the ground.
Buck crushed his right forearm against the older man's throat.
He wasn't thinking...not really.
All he could see was the kid.
JD had finally found happiness and this bastard had taken it away as an afterthought of revenge.
"Let's see, "Buck began in a voice clipped with emotion, "How many different ways are there to kill a human being without a weapon? Shall we try them all?"
Zellar struggled to speak as Wilmington's hands tightened around his throat, "Y-You won't k-kill me..."
Wilmington snatched Zellar up by the shirt collar and slammed him against a nearby tombstone, "And why wouldn't I? Why would I even waste my breath talkin' to scum like you."
Zellar smiled, "You kill me you won't find out..."
Buck's eyes narrowed as he tightened his hold on Zellar's throat, "Find out what?!"
"That your grief is only an illusion," Zellar replied with a cold smile.
Ezra Standish glanced at his watch surprised to see that it hadn't been broken during the explosion.
It had been nearly forty minutes since he and Mary had first discovered the bomb.
The Calvary was long over due.
Which led Standish to two possible conclusions.
One: that the bomb in the break room hadn't been the only one.
Two: That his esteemed colleagues had written them off as a lost cause.
Knowing Chris Larabee as well as he did Ezra knew the second option wasn't an option.
Ezra shrugged out of his dark brown coat and covered Mary's still form.
With Mary still unconscious Ezra wasn't sure how long they could sit there and wait for a rescue.
JD was halfway out the door before he realized he was only wearing a long t-shirt.
The youth reluctantly turned and headed back toward the small bedroom
However Nathan caught him before he reached it, "Don't even think it, JD. You're staying here."
JD glared at him, "Buck needs us! I'm not going to just sit here while he destroys his career."
"I think his career is the last thing Buck is thinking about right now," Nathan replied quietly.
JD ignored the wave of dizziness that threatened to topple him, "That's exactly why we can't just sit here, Nathan."
Nathan placed a gentle hand on the youth's shoulder, "JD, you know Chris won't let Buck do anything stupid."
Exhaustion won over any half-baked plan that JD was cooking up.
Nathan reached forward to catch the youth before he hit the floor.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Orin Travis demanded as he approached Patrick Miller.
Miller blinked, "Moving the robot to another part of the building so we can do a complete scan."
"Did I tell you that you could move it?" Orin asked in a clipped tone.
Miller shook his head, "No Sir, I just thought this would be..."
"Larabee needs all the information he can get to save those two people," Travis replied as he glanced at the building, "And we're going to get it to him which means leaving the robot where it is to do the scan. If there is another device we're wasting precious time moving it."
Miller nodded as he motioned to Ketner, Preliminary readouts tell us that there is only one device."
"Do you want to gamble their lives on preliminary results?" Travis asked sharply.
"No Sir," Miller replied as he stepped away to see if Ketner needed any help.