AN: Another somewhat short chapter, but it's come to my attention that Maldonado wasn't getting her chance to shine. So here she is! We all know one can't be the Captain of a precinct unless they've had their chance in the field. Bit more violence, bit more angst, and with any luck some kind of resolution in the future. Reviews are love! Lemme know what you think!

Notes: As per usual - I own nothing. Just borrowing for a bit. The condition of return, however, is still up in the air. Unbeta'd, so any errors are still mine. Enjoy!

Update: Just the final addition before I hit chapter 6 - MOAR action! Thanks for the reviews and hits on the story! Loving this particular fandom, gotta tell ya!

Chapter 5

She wasn't a victim, though she could portray one with ease. Maldonado was simply careful. Watch the enemy, judge their strengths and weaknesses and when they least expect it, exploit them. She would lure them away from Stahl and the incapacitated Kennex to let them spread out and work their magic. She'd given Stahl a few non-verbal cues, hoping like hell the young detective caught what she was attempting to convey. She hadn't made Captain without totally blindsiding many an assuming man. They saw weakness in her soft, brown eyes. They didn't see the core of absolute badass that she kept hidden. And why should they? They were all on the same side. But Maldonado wasn't one to go flaunting her skills.

Unless she had to.

And in this case, she needed every trick and tactic she had available to her. So she walked calmly, bound and ever observant and listened to what wasn't being said. To the radios as they crackled to life with each and every report of violence and bloodshed outside the precinct walls. Divide and conquer.

She hadn't told Kennex that she'd been compiling a file on the absent ex-lover based on suspicions. She hadn't told Kennex that during his coma she'd collected DNA in his apartment that brought up a file that would have been nearly an inch thick had she printed it out on paper. It had been better to let him believe that Anna was well and truly gone. Or so she thought. But if Anna was going to allow her minions to heal John, to let him watch before he died - or worse - well, who was she to stop John from learning all she had on the bitch?

Maldonado had noted the decided absence of Dorian. The DRN had either fallen behind (which would screw them horribly) or he was waiting for the opportune moment. She truly hoped it was the latter. With the Insyndicate forces pulled into different parts of the building, Dorian would be a very valuable asset for them.

She was thankful that the dark haired bitch had underestimated her. Just as everyone did. Avery came to mind and she fought to keep the knowing smirk from lifting her lips. Avery had misjudged her, calling her weak and easily overlooked. For the moment, she could do little save for being led away from the bullpen and her office. But she really hoped that the universe wouldn't screw them too badly. Let Dorian find them and keep them safe, she prayed silently.

Soft blue lights flickered throughout a darkened office. They danced and spidered along an impassive, dark eyed face, while systems rebooted and rerouted for maximum efficiency. The electromagnetic shock to the system had fried several synthetic synapses. Relays would need to be replaced, but there was enough for the auxiliary systems to be able to function without too much delay. Slowly, life returned to the DRN's face, eyes flickering from black to unnatural blue, and Dorian pushed himself to sitting.

He was a little twitchy, systems still flickering wildly, which wasn't quite right. And there were still damaged bits that weren't quite ready to function correctly. Still, the probability of his failure was considerably less than a human in perfect health. Dorian ran through his processes, and brought up the last few memories. The white mask that had descended upon them and John's reaction immediately replayed. Knowing John, the detective would have been the one responsible for pulling him out of sight. And then he would have thrown himself into the fray to distract the Insyndicate Operatives until he could be of use again.

But considering he had rebooted alone, and a rather considerable amount of time had passed, it was clear that Kennex had not been successful. He should have had Rudy staring down at him, working through the fried and damaged bits of his system. Were he human, Dorian would have cursed Kennex's impulsiveness. But he wasn't. Dorian was running silently, and going through every probability. Anything that wouldn't result in success was quickly cast aside. Only when he was certain he could succeed, did he move.

So, weapon in hand, Dorian slipped from the office and made his way down the hallway toward the bullpen to see what had happened during his incapacitation. On a human, the expression he wore would have been one of grim determination. On the DRN, it was simply his running face.

John was somewhere beyond livid. There weren't words to describe just how pissed he was that he'd been overpowered so easily. He'd awakened in an agony the likes of which he'd never before encountered, not even awakening from the coma. And he wasn't alone. Stahl, looking a little worse for wear, knelt next to him.

It was clear that she'd put up a bit of a fight based on the bruising on her face, and it was something he'd missed upon first observing the scene. She didn't smile, it was clear that her split lip prevented her from doing much, but she nodded once. She was alright. They'd need to be careful. Glancing around, he realized they were in Maldonado's office, though the Captain wasn't in sight.

Neither was Anna.

He took stock, the two white masks that were guarding the door; and the others that milled about with the various detectives and suits out in the bullpen. He'd been relieved of weaponry, and it took a second to realize that he'd had his wounds tended to. Odd. He'd expected them to let him bleed out. Though, he found he couldn't immediately complain. They hadn't even removed his prosthetic. Had Anna not known about it to remove it? It was an unexpected gift.

Sitting up, he kept his movements slow and took stock of the healing injuries on his person. There was no need to rouse the ire of the armed White masks, or reopen wounds. They were being watched and he didn't know how much Stahl had been able to relay to Maldonado before they'd arrived. It was almost as though she was reading his mind.

Her voice was barely a breath while she huddled closer to him. To an outsider, it appeared she was seeking comfort from him. Though the truth of the matter was actually quite different. "I was able to get to the Captain before they ambushed us. Told them some of what Dorian told me. She was taking the woman down to the Evidence Vault." The woman. Anna. He nodded once and she gestured to his body. "She was adamant that they fix you up so you could watch."

Watch. That didn't bode well.

He furrowed a brow, continuing the charade of offering comfort and let her help him sit up further. The Evidence Vault. They were still after whatever it was they'd made an attempt for the first time. Interesting. He had no doubt that Maldonado would be able to handle her own, and he could see that there were fewer white masks than there had been. First things first, though, he needed to disable the two inside the office without injuring those outside. The only thing they had going for them, at that moment, was the fact that Maldonado's office was bullet-proof. And the door was closed.

Glancing once at Stahl, he could see she was plotting too. He wanted to smirk at the clear message she was trying to convey with her eyes. She was spending too much time with Maldonado. And in that moment, he couldn't have been more thankful. She nodded imperceptibly and moved to stand, holding both hands out. To the white masks, she looked wounded and helpless. "Please," she said softly, imploring them. "He needs water. Can I get him a bottle of water?"

Looking the part of an invalid, which wasn't all that hard, John settled back. It gave him a bit of an advantage. The two white masks fell for her ploy (amazingly) and turned toward her to argue getting a bottle of water to the detective. Neither wanted to allow her to leave, and neither wanted to leave the office to get the water for the man.

John kept watch, and waited til the pair were focused on Stahl. And then he moved. It hurt. There weren't words to describe the pain that flared through his body. But he was up and moving almost as soon as they focused on the small brunette. Taking the chance that they'd open fire on the pair, he launched himself at the first white mask. Stahl, as slight as she was, took the second. When all was said and done, Kennex swore he'd take her out for a drink to celebrate just how deadly and efficient she was. But for the moment, they had other concerns. His white mask put up a fight, earning himself a broken neck for his trouble. John growled, dropping the body. He turned to assist Stahl, and marveled as she was lowering the second down to the floor.

Of course, that was when the bullpen floor became a field of chaos. John glanced out, and spied Dorian. Dorian, who had been incapacitated and was now laying waste the remaining white masks. Dorian, who was making his way toward the hostages kneeling on the floor. He nodded grimly and opened the door to the office, letting Stahl exit first. "They have Maldonado. They're going down below to the Evidence Vault."

Dorian nodded and looked off and away. John had no doubt he was accessing the mainframe. "I'll scramble the code for as long as I can. But we need to scramble and get down there. She can't take them alone." He then turned to Kennex to assess the injuries. They'd been tended to and none were life-threatening. The detective was pumped, adrenaline surging through his system. But he was well within the realm of safety. "Did they tend to your wounds, John?"

John nodded, wanting to ignore his own well-being, and limped toward the large, fake plant. He pulled out his rucksack, dragging it across the floor so he could retrieve his weapons and load himself for war. "Let's do this."

With the small army of detectives and those who had been working in the building proper, Kennex felt like they maybe stood a chance catching up to Maldonado and maybe even finding an end to the Insyndicate nightmare.

Or so he could hope.