Here is the beginning of the take down. I hope it seems realistic. This part is harder for me as I'm better with the touchy/feely conversations. Thanks to my sweet daughter, Melissa, who was my sounding board as I tried to make it work.

Chapter 6

Spike walked with his sergeant toward the SUVs. He summarized the messages on Taryn Blazer's phone. "Most were intelligible drunken whining, but yesterday there was a clear threat that someone was going to pay for this. Have to figure that he sobered up enough to aim because Wordy was hit."

"True, who knows what kind of state we're going to find him in now. When you get back to the truck, I need to know whatever you can find on James Blazer's friend, Ray. Faster is better." Greg's tech specialist called, "Copy that, Boss" as he lengthened his strides and went on ahead. Within minutes, Spike fingers were flying across his keyboard. "Okay, Ray Price is not one of the good guys. He was military, training in munitions, when he was dishonorable discharged three years ago after being caught with meth amphetamines. His landing back in civilian life has been rocky at best with various petty larceny and drug charges. Never enough to put him away for any length of time though. The address that Mrs. Blazer gave us shows a multifamily house. The second apartment looks to be empty at this time which is good because we're going to want eyes in before entry with the munitions history."

"Okay." All eyes turned towards Ed. "We going to take our time with this. Let's find discreet place to park and do some recce. Boss, I'm going to leave it to you and Jules to decide if negotiation is an option here." The team moved towards the trucks and began their trek towards Oak Rd. As Ed and Sam pulled away, Ed glanced over at his stone-faced younger team mate. "What's on your mind, Sam? Spill it."

The ex-military man continued looking straight ahead as he was driving, but frustration was evident in voice. "Ed, negotiation? How can that even be an option here? These guys are probably drunk, possibly high, celebrating gunning down a police officer and could be in possession of explosives. How can there be anything but tac here?"

The older man shook his head and replied carefully, "I hear ya, Sam, but we look at all the options before coming up with a plan. And yeah, I agree a peaceful surrender sounds farfetched, but we consider it. Greg and Jules have worked magic at other times when the situation looked too hostile for talk. Until they tell us that talk is no longer an option, it's an option. You hear me?" Sam gave his team leader a reluctant "Copy that."

In the second SUV a similar conversation could be heard. Greg looked over at the woman he considered to be his second. "What do you think, Jules? Any point of connection here? Thoughts?" Jules grew pensive and then offered, "It's going to be really tricky. If it's just James Blazer there's probably a better chance. We could appeal to the father in him getting back to his kids sooner. Use the idea of getting the family help through this. I think if he's with his friend…Whew, it's going to be tricky. He'll want to save face." Greg agreed with her assessment. It was rare that he didn't depend on negotiation as the first, second and third choices, but in this case it seemed like a long shot.

Meanwhile, conversation was tense in the third Chevy Suburban. Raf had teased Spike that there might be an explosive device for his enjoyment and Spike snapped at him irritably. There was a couple of minutes of silence and then Spike apologized to the rookie officer. "I'm sorry, Raf, I shouldn't have jumped down your throat like that. It's just that the fact that these probably drunk or high guys may have access to explosive material is not something to joke about. Remember the bomb that Alexi built? It was scary because it was beautifully built and powerful, but he meant to bring down the building—not people. Most likely, if these guys have something, it will be something meant to bring down members of the team. Can't find anything happy about that."

"I hear you. It's been a long day and it's not over. We'll be careful." Raf said reflectively. The two constables bumped fists as they followed the other two trucks into an alley. In the rearview mirror, Spike could see the command truck pull him behind him.

The team gathered around Spike and the computer as they looked at blueprints of the building. Spike spoke quickly, "This is a side by side rental. The right side is empty, but I'm not sure how we'll gain access without them seeing us. Both the front and rear doors are within sight of Price's side. The basement windows here on the side look promising, but they're small."

Jules piped up, "I can get in through there. Lower me into the basement and I'll go up and open one of these first floor windows. It'll take some rope, but it shouldn't be hard to make entry."

Ed shook his head, "I don't like it, Jules. We have no eyes in to see what you're going into. None of the rest of us can fit through that window. The first floor windows are out of reach if you need help fast."

The female officer responded, "What's the other option? This gives us the option of stealth and recce once we get in there. If I run into a problem, you can use the ram and come in the front door."

Ed looked at Greg and Greg looked at Ed. "Your call, Eddie, but if it's stealth and surprise we're looking for…."

"Okay, we'll do it. Raf, grab some civvies from the truck. Go check it out and tell us what you see as we pack up here."

It took Raf just minutes to modify his outfit to fit into the neighborhood. He meandered down the street and spoke quietly into the Bluetooth ear piece. "Streets quiet. No lights on the right side of the house. Lights and TV on the left. I don't see any movement. Both driveways are quiet. The brown Honda is parked all the way down the driveway on the left." Raf pulled out his cell phone and pretended to make a call.

Ed, Sam and Jules geared up. Sam adjusted a headlamp on Jules' head. Stepped back and, with a quick grin, said, "Nice look." Jules gave his hand a quick squeeze as he finished. She appreciated that he gave the appearance of complete confidence in her, but knew if this was him going in on his own, she would have some worries. The three quietly made their way to the driveway. Sam got to work on the window while Ed and Jules stood watch. In minutes, the officer lifted the window and poked his head into the darkness. "I can't see much, give me a flashlight."

Just then they heard Raf's voice in the headset, "I see movement in the house. Looks to be five adult males. Wait, front door is opening and three are leaving. None look like our guys though. Opposite direction than you, Ed. Give me a minute, I'm going to make myself scarce." He nonchalantly walked away from the house.

In the driveway, Jules started toward the open window. Ed stopped her and stepped closer, "Jules, go carefully. You see anything hinky you turn around and come back. Don't take chances." The petite officer looked sharply up at her team leader, she went to poke a finger at him, saw his face and softened. She patted his vest and replied, "Got it, Ed." She then smiled at Sam and then lowered her through the window.

Jules settled to her feet and looked around the damp basement. She heard the skitter of feet and jumped just a bit. The change in her breathing could be heard in the headsets. Sam questioned her, "Jules, you okay? What is it?" The reply came quickly and calmly, "No harm here, guys. Just some mice…or rats."

Ed just couldn't resist a little teasing. "Juliana Callaghan, are you going to tell me that you are afraid of a little mouse." The other officer knew exactly the comeback that was needed here. "It's okay, Ed. Just run down to the shelter and borrow me a CAT!" Chuckles from everyone on the team broke the tension.

The team leader broke in with, "Hey, now. That's hitting low." Greg's soft, "Focus, people" ended the banter. Attention returned to the job at hand. Jules carefully walked toward the stairs. She noted that they looked sturdy and started up while updating her team. The door was unlocked and opened into an empty kitchen. Constable Callaghan made quick work of clearing the room, the attached pantry and a half bath near the back door. She continued into a large open room that looked to be a "L" shape. It, too, was empty. Quickly, she unlocked the first window and tested how easily and quietly it would open. Within minutes of her entry into the basement, Ed, Sam and then Raf joined her in the house. "Jules, Raf, clear the upstairs. Absolute stealth. Let's not give them any clue that we're here. Spike, any idea where we should try to put eyes in?"

The tactical technician poured over the blueprints. "Ed, look for vents on the shared walls. You might be able to get the snake straight through. Otherwise, we're going to need the silent drill. That will take a while. If we could get a look at the back door through the kitchen, we may be able to do a stealth entry right through there. Have to make sure there's no surprises waiting though. That side is a mirror image of this one."

As the Bravo team returned to the first floor, the team leader instructed them to take the fiber optic camera to the kitchen and attempt to gain access. Sam began unpacking the snake and the men examined the vent. The teams worked silently and quickly. Soon both cameras gave them eyes into their subjects' house. Greg and Spike looked at the images intently. In the living room the men were sprawled in front of TV showing a horror film. There were half full bottles of beer on the table in front of them with empties scattered on the floor. The dark butt of one handgun could be seen on the table, as well.

"Ed, can you get a look at the front door? I'm looking for any type of jury rigged alarm system. Remember the rigged grenades at the meth lab when the boss was taken?" Spike's voice took on the staccato rhythm it frequently did as his brilliant mind worked to cover all the bases. Ed obliged and twisted the camera toward the front door. Sure enough there was a makeshift can and pin assembly attached to the front door. Spike sighed, "Well, that's not good. Jules and Raf, can you get me a look at the back door?" The team all looked frustrated when they noted the similar set up on the rear door.

Jules moved the camera to show the basement door was not completely closed. Her voice came over the headset, "Okay, Sarge and Ed, we could gain access through the basement again. Lower me through and I'll come up. Spike can talk me through disarming this thing and then I'll let you in." Greg and Ed were shaking their heads, but Spike stood up and emphatically shouted, "No, Jules, that's not happening! Not happening!"