A/N… Probably one of my favorite chapters. This thing practically wrote itself. Skips around a little, but you'll catch on.
x x x
Friday, September 26, 2008
12:45 pm – South Street Seaport, Lower Manhattan, NY
Olivia was cold and growing steadily more exhausted.
Her NYPD jacket had fought against the elements earlier that morning and lost big. Each gust of wind she met with after she got to South Street Seaport carried rain, along with practically half the East River, leaving her soaked from head to foot. The clothes she wore clung to her body. To make matters worse, the storm had turned the parking garage into a wind tunnel at almost every junction, which only seemed to further deplete her body heat and any remaining energy she had left.
Although fighting fatigue, she tried to keep moving. At times, it was all she could do to stop herself from shaking just so she could focus.
But she knew this was nothing compared to what the little girl could be going through.
x
Earlier that morning, a 911 call came through that a little girl was left in a parked car, in a garage near South Street Seaport. The caller identified the girl as Alina Morrissey, one of the children missing from Tyler. The caller did not identify himself, didn't say if she was alive or which garage she could be in, and there was no mention of her brothers or the other missing children.
So Olivia and Elliot spent most of the morning searching parking garages, dividing up the parking levels between them. When they arrived at this garage, Cragen contacted them insisting it be their last stop. He wanted them to return to SVU even if she wasn't found.
Olivia was ready to argue with him. They had to be close to finding her. But between her initial brush with Hurricane Lilith this morning and conditions now, the storm had clearly taken a turn for the worse.
Even from below ground, she still heard the wind gusts and all they came in contact with. At times she could also hear the objects colliding, crashing and falling to the ground.
Just like they had seen that morning.
And then there were the screams and cries of distress that followed.
Each time it happened, Elliot and Olivia couldn't get there fast enough. But even when they could, there was little they could do.
x x x
Olivia stopped between the two lowest levels of the parking garage to catch her breath and to get her bearings before continuing on.
She glanced up and saw a sign above that informed drivers that this parking area was restricted for special permits only. Ahead of the sign was the gate and attendant booth. She also noticed that there were only a few working lights in the area, and most were just behind her and off to the right, marking the location of the nearest elevator.
Until now, she had been able to get by with the traces of daylight that shone through openings in the garage and a few remaining lights that weren't broken.
She looked a few feet ahead to the gate and saw that it had been forced open, leaving a gap that most cars could easily get past. She ran past the gate, and her heart began to beat a little faster, wondering if she had just stumbled upon the lot where Alina would be.
She guessed about twenty paces ahead of her was the start of the ramp. The lane went around a tight curve to the left and then descended into the lowest level. She retrieved the flashlight from her jacket pocket as she approached the start of the ramp.
Olivia froze before taking another step.
Shining her flashlight down the path she would take, she saw that the ramp descending before her would disappear in about seven steps. Water had risen as high as the ramp.
She stared in disbelief at the sight before her.
The entire parking level below her was completely flooded.
x x x
Earlier that morning…
7:10 am – SVU locker room
The rattling and banging was getting louder.
As Olivia approached the locker room, she noticed the sound was almost in a steady rhythm. She opened the door and found the source.
Elliot was furiously beating his fists against the metal lockers. She slowly moved toward him from the side, but he still hadn't noticed her. His face was red, and his eyes swollen and red-rimmed from a combination of crying and a lack of sleep.
Because he wore a blue tank top that morning, she could also see the tension in his arms, shoulders and neck. There was blood on his knuckles, hands and wrists. He may have been trying to get rid of the tension, but it didn't appear to be going anywhere.
"Elliot? What the hell are you doing?"
"Leave me alone, Olivia!" he responded angrily. Elliot backed away from the lockers and walked over to take a seat on a bench. He rested his face into his hands.
Olivia followed him to the bench and stood in front of him with her arms folded. "What's going on with you?" she asked.
"Who the hell cares?" he responded without looking up.
"What do you mean, who the hell cares? I care! Elliot, have I given you any reason to think otherwise?"
After a moment, he looked up at her remorsefully. "Liv, I'm sorry, I-" He shook his head. "I didn't mean..."
"El, what's going on?" she asked, concerned.
"Kathy…sold the house," he replied. "She got this job offer and wants the family to move to Washington D.C."
"You're moving to D.C.? When?"
"No, I'm not going with them," he corrected.
"But….?"
"Just her and the kids. She got the offer in January," he began. He glanced around at the locker room, and collected his thoughts. "She really wants this job," he added. "She wanted a change of pace, too. Thought it would be good for… the kids. For us. But Liv… I can't," he said. He dropped his head down in shame. "I can't make a change like that. Can't even make a decision that quick. That was January and I still haven't wrapped my mind around the idea."
It looked like he had more to say, but remained quiet. After a minute or two Olivia spoke up. "So what are you going to do?"
"Nothing. Everything's already been decided," he replied haplessly.
There was one more piece to the puzzle that would explain all the weeks of phone calls, fights and Elliot's avoidance of home. She swallowed once and started her next question with some hesitation. "El… Are you and Kathy…" She wasn't sure if she wanted to finish the question although it was pretty clear what she was asking.
He looked over at her briefly and then looked away. "We have," he answered. "We, um… We signed the papers….in March."
Elliot had always been devoted to his family. But he also was committed to protecting the public. It was never a matter of choosing one over the other. He tried for years to make it all work. He put all the blame on himself when it didn't.
But over time things had changed. The kids were growing up. Kathy wanted a change of pace. Olivia could tell this was all difficult for him to take.
But she knew that one factor was especially difficult.
She saw the concern in his eyes and felt the lump forming in her own throat. She likened it to sympathy pains between them. After ten years it was almost as natural for them as breathing.
Then she asked the question she knew was number one on his list of concerns. "What about the kids, El?"
"We've got joint custody," he answered her. "She said we'd work out visitation schedules. I can really see them anytime. But…" He glanced back up, looking at her through tear-stained eyes. "I just don't want to be that far away from my kids. Maureen's been talking about moving to Boston. Not sure when that'll happen though. And Kathleen's transferring to the University of Maryland in January. I can't leave New York. I'm…." He shook his head, trying to suppress whatever was building up again for Olivia's sake.
"El, I'm so sorry." She touched his shoulder to console him while she searched for something to say to him. But nothing sounded right to her.
A minute later she got up and opened one of the lockers near them. Removing a small, black canvas bag, she set it down and sifted through it for a clean rag, peroxide, gauze and tape. She returned the bag to the locker, took the items she had set aside, and stepped out of the locker room for a minute. When she returned, she walked over toward him and sat down.
Elliot looked up when she walked back in. When he saw what she had planned, he offered her his right hand. She took the dampened rag and cleaned the blood off his hands and then took care of the cuts.
"I know I could move to D.C., get my own place near the kids, take a transfer or whatever," Elliot supposed. "Then I get to see my kids." His face fell. "But you know Liv…it's still when the job permits! And then I'd just be starting my life over." Elliot shook his head. "I might be selfish, but I don't want to make that kind of change right now. Too many changes going on as it is."
He looked at his newly-bandaged right fist. "I keep getting mad at Kathy for this. Blaming her." He shrugged. "Maybe it's me," he admitted.
"El, there is no one at fault here. There are just decisions being made. By you and by Kathy. The kids are getting older and Eli will probably have an easier time adjusting to these changes because he's young. You and Kathy have to decide what works best for you now." She could still see the guilt in his eyes. "Look, think of it this way. Would you rather have one of your kids attend some school close by that makes them unhappy, just because they thought it would please you? Or would you rather they go somewhere that makes them happy, even if it's far away?"
Elliot grinned sheepishly and gave a slight shrug. "Well…"
Olivia rolled her eyes and gave a half-smile. "Elliot…"
He thought for a minute and nodded. "Yeah, I know. But Liv, I-"
"They love you, Elliot," she interrupted him. "They love you no matter where you live. But you're not the type to just make a major life change in a few short months. That's just not you. And maybe this will be good for the kids. Or maybe, in a couple of years, they'll decide they hate it and want to come back. You don't have to feel bad about making the decision to stay because it works best for you."
He nodded in agreement of what she said. "I just can't get used to the idea of them not being here. There are nights when I finish a case and I- I need to see them. I need…my kids!" He swallowed once, figuring that would get rid of the lump in his throat. It hadn't. "With all the slime that's out there. All the kids living or getting killed on the streets. Sometimes I just need to see for myself that they're still safe." He rested his face into his hands.
"I know," she said. She put her hand on his shoulder. "Let me know what I can do to help. We can work things out around here too, El. Rotate weekends. We'll figure this out."
"Yeah, I know." He turned his head and smiled at her. "Thanks."
For a minute, neither one spoke.
Olivia wondered how much thought Elliot had actually given to D.C. and decided to ask. "So…" she began. She turned to look at him. "Suppose you had a lot more time to think about it. Would you really consider moving to D.C.?"
Elliot looked at her quizzically and then looked away and pondered the thought for a minute. Slowly he started to nod. "Hmm, yeah, maybe," he replied, his voice reflecting a newfound interest. "Nation's capital and all." He shrugged. "Why not?" He peeked at her out of the corner of his eye to see her expression.
She raised an eyebrow.
"Hmmm. But, you know I'd have to take my partner with me; no one else will put up with my crap," he explained. He waited for her reaction.
Olivia turned to look at him. "What do you mean I put up with your crap?"
His eyebrows lifted. He laughed a little. He turned to look at her again. She was the one person who could always see right through him yet he couldn't resist the urge to try every once in a while. Admittedly, he loved the glares she shot him when he had tried.
She smiled and leaned closer to give his shoulder a light nudge.
His smile faded out and his expression grew serious as his eyes glanced around the locker room. "No, I meant it. I love New York; my home is here." He gave her a light nudge back and then looked toward her again, allowing his gaze to remain on her for a moment. "Thanks, again, Liv. Really," he said sincerely.
"Anytime, El." She smiled back, meeting his gaze.
But now it was his turn to ask. He shifted uncomfortably on the bench and then looked up at her again. "So…" he began. "Would you be disappointed if I moved to D.C.?" he asked. He smiled at her shyly.
"I'd want you to be wherever you're happiest, El," she replied honestly.
He nodded slowly. "Oh, okay." He accepted her answer, but his smile slowly faded.
"I'd miss you though," she added softly. She turned to look at him again.
"Same here," he said. His smile soon reappeared.
They broke eye contact when the door to the locker room opened. Munch poked his head in. "Elliot, Olivia…. Captain's looking for you. Something's come up."
x x x
7:28 am – SVU bullpen
(Heard faintly through Munch's desk radio)
"…At 5:45 am this morning, Hurricane Lilith made landfall at Long Branch, NJ as a category 2 storm. Lilith continues to weaken, but remains a concern for northern coastal regions of New Jersey and the New York metropolitan area. A hurricane warning remains in effect for the tri-state area until 5:00 pm. A tropical storm warning is in effect for southern portions of Connecticut and all of New York until 10:00 pm. A flash flood warning has also been issued for central and northern portions of the New Jersey coast and the New York City metropolitan area and New York coastal regions until 10:00 pm.
Currently the storm is centered 40 miles east of Perth Amboy, NJ. Wind gusts to 101 mph were reported at the eye wall. The storm is moving east-northeast at 30 mph, but is expected to pick up speed as it approaches the metropolitan area…"
Elliot, Olivia, Munch and Cragen had gathered around Olivia and Elliot's desks.
"Anyone heard from Fin?" Cragen asked the group.
"He said he was coming back here last night," Munch replied.
"Well, if anyone does hear something, please let me know. It would be good to know where he is, but I also need to confirm who all is going to be here."
Olivia briefly glanced out one of the windows in the bullpen. The rain continued to fall, heavily at times, against the surrounding windows. Aside from the broken window incident that morning, Lilith thus far looked like just another weak tropical storm that would soon pass.
"We got a 911 call this morning about a little girl left in an abandoned car in a parking garage near South Street Seaport. The caller identified the little girl." Cragen sighed. "Gang… It's Alina Morrissey."
All three detectives perked up at the news.
"The caller gave nothing else specific. We don't know if she's alive. He just said she was there and ended the call. Munch and I will be going over that tape carefully. We can't say for certain that the caller is our perp, but we can't rule it out either. Right now, I'm going to have Elliot and Olivia check out a couple of garages and see if we can find her."
Elliot and Olivia grabbed their badges, revolvers and jackets and prepared to head out.
"Should we try and contact the Morrissey's, Captain?" Munch asked.
"We will, but not just yet," he answered. He turned toward Elliot and Olivia. "I know I don't have to tell you both this, but keep an eye on the weather. I want us to find her, but I don't need you two risking your necks if things get too dangerous out there."
"Yes, Captain," they both replied.
"Keep me posted," he said before they turned to leave.
They neared the exit of the bullpen and noticed Fin walking toward them with Kaleb Knight a step or two behind. Both of them were soaked by the rain despite the umbrella Fin toted in his left hand.
"Hi, Fin. Hey Kaleb!" they each greeted.
"Hi!" Kaleb responded back, enthusiastically.
"I need to pick up a few things," Fin explained. "Kaleb's staying with me until the storm has passed," he added.
"Cragen know?" Olivia asked Fin, raising an eyebrow.
Elliot briefly glanced over his shoulder and saw Cragen coming toward them. "If not, here's your chance," he answered.
Elliot and Olivia quickly headed out.
Fin stopped short when he saw the captain walk toward him. He extended the hand with the umbrella outward to halt Kaleb, briefly. "Stay here a second," he said quietly to the boy. Kaleb nodded and obeyed.
Cragen quickly narrowed the gap between them. "Fin, what in the hell is he doing here?"
x x x
8:00 am – South Street Seaport, Lower Manhattan
Elliot pulled up in front of a parking garage along South Street and parked the car. With the wipers still on full-speed, they could see currents in the flooded streets. Some gutters had overflowed along the curbs and flooding seemed to be worse near the intersections.
"You ready?" Olivia asked as she took a hold of the door handle. She gazed up at the sky, noticing thicker, lower clouds moving in on the horizon. Random wind gusts shook the car from time to time, and sheets of rain fell heavily and almost endlessly.
He shut off the car. "I…guess so," he answered her as his eyes scanned the conditions around them.
They had seen the remnants of some tropical storms before, but had no idea what to expect from Lilith as things progressed. They looked at each other one more time for reassurance, and then opened up their car doors.
A gust of wind caught the door on Olivia's side and swung it wide open, causing the handle to slip out of her grasp. She got out quickly but then struggled to get the door closed again.
Elliot fought to get out of the driver's door. The winds held the door closed, almost trapping him inside. Finally he crawled out the passenger side door and made his way toward his partner.
She had seen his predicament from where she stood on the curb. He saw her trying not to laugh as he approached her. "What?" He gave her a half-smile.
"Nothing," she smirked.
They quickly headed toward the entrance to the garage. A sudden wind gust swept through the street and seemed to intensify the rain for the moment. By the time they reached the gate, they were both thoroughly soaked.
"Four levels," Elliot noted. He ducked under the gate, and Olivia followed. "I'll check the bottom two, you take the top two?" he suggested.
Olivia agreed and headed for the stairwell a few feet away, quickly taking the stairs to the top level. Twenty minutes later, she caught up with him as he checked the last few cars.
x x x
9:14 am
The weather conditions had steadily worsened. Elliot struggled to steer the car and barely got above 15 mph. The weather report about an hour ago said that sustained winds in Manhattan were 35 mph with wind gusts to 45, and the storm was still centered near central New Jersey.
As Elliot drove, Olivia's eyes panned around and alerted him to pedestrians who would frequently cross the road in front of them, headed for the storm shelters.
x x x
The remaining residents who hadn't evacuated now tried desperately to leave or at least to get to the hurricane shelters. There were several people out on the roads. A few buses, some cars, but most were on foot. The pedestrians moved along quickly, carrying what they could to the available shelters.
The city had opened several temporary shelters in lower Manhattan. The plan was to have the temporary places open just to keep people with nowhere to go safe until they could get buses to transport them to high rises, and places built to better withstand the hurricane conditions.
x x x
Elliot pulled up in front of the fourth garage, a place on Pearl Street. They found the others to be mostly vacant. There was no sign of Alina or evidence she had been there.
As he turned off the car, the CB squealed on. A bunch of incoherent sounds and static came through the speaker. Finally, they heard Cragen's voice. "Olivia? Elliot….?"
They both reached for the CB, but Olivia grabbed it first. "Yes, Captain," she replied.
"What's your location?" His voice came through more static.
"Pearl Street. Near the intersection of Beekman," she replied.
"…you….both…..soon ….this …. copy?" Cragen's voice cut in and out.
Olivia and Elliot exchanged a puzzled look. "Could you repeat that, Captain? You're cutting out," she said.
At first they heard nothing. They waited and a minute later, he came through quieter but much clearer. "New storm report. Even if she's not found this time, get back soon! It's too risky out there! You copy?"
She glanced over at her partner. Both were tired, hungry and cold, but neither one was ready to give up. "Copy. Yes, Captain," she replied and returned the CB to the dash.
Olivia yawned, dropped her head down and rubbed at her temples, mentally preparing herself for one more search.
"Li-i-i-iv!"
Her head snapped up when she heard her partner's panicked voice. He leaned close to the steering wheel and stared out the front windshield.
She followed his eyes, and they both watched in disbelief and horror as the wind carried a section of the roof off a building and deposited it in pieces over the street where several people were waiting to board a bus for the storm shelter. The bus had been empty at the time.
Both of them instantly sprung from the car, fighting a sudden wind gust that threatened to pull them backward, and then took off running in the direction where the roof had landed.
The area where the roof landed covered about a quarter of a city block. The wind swept through and began to further break apart sections of the roof. Loose wood, siding scraps and metal pieces soon became dangerous projectiles that were lifted and tossed about.
The street erupted in panic as several frightened evacuees either ran away from the scene, stood in disbelief of what had just happened, or fought to try and get to their loved ones.
Elliot and Olivia moved in, identified themselves and took control of the crowd.
Two officers, Danny and Jeri, partners from the 80th precinct in Brooklyn, and an EMT worker, Griffin, came up and worked with Olivia and Elliot to clear pieces of the roof away and get to those who may be hurt or trapped. The most they could do, however was to help them get free or administer CPR. Griffin had limited supplies and had already run out of gauze. He used what he could to make temporary bandages and splints.
Elliot and Olivia pulled one elderly man free from the debris who appeared to have suffered a blow to the head. He died instantly.
A young woman was also found dead at the scene. Three children were removed from the wreckage. One was dead, two had life-threatening injuries.
Danny helped a young Hispanic boy whom he appeared to know. He spoke Spanish softly to the boy, calling him by his name. The boy appeared to be weak, but somewhat responsive.
But as the winds picked up, so had the number of incidents that occurred. Several more were injured or killed by the pieces of debris that blew around.
After tending to a teenage girl, Elliot glanced up and saw a large, metallic object come loose from the same building and get swept up by the wind. He noticed a disoriented man holding his injured wife, who stood with his back to it and moved quickly to try and get them out of the way.
As he got them to safety, Elliot was struck in the left temple by a piece that had broken away from it.
He immediately reached his hand up for his head. Despite the heavy rain that may have washed some of the blood away, he could tell he had a gash where it hit.
He tried to keep going. He noticed someone else in need of help, and he started toward them. However, he soon felt himself fading out. The last thing he heard was the sound of his name being called. He collapsed onto a pile of insulation material and broken ceramic tiles.
"Elliot!" Olivia saw it happen and took off running toward him. She found herself ducking out of the way of more scraps that suddenly lifted from the roof.
A crowd gathered where he had fallen and looked over him with concern. He lay on his back with his knees partially bent and his legs were covered up by a piece of dry wall. The crowd watched as Olivia approached him. She removed the dry wall, tossed it to the side and moved closer to him.
"El?" She leaned down over him and touched his arm. "El…can you hear me?"
No response.
Her stomach was in knots. Grief quickly settled over her.
Although she knew she was shielded by the crowd, when she saw him laying there it felt like something had just blindsided her.
"El?" She called to him again, weakly.
She sat down beside him, and reached for his wrist to check his pulse. She noticed that the gauze she had put on his knuckles earlier had soaked through but somehow remained on. His skin was cold and wet from the rain and just for a second, she held his hand in both of hers trying to get it warm again. She thought maybe he'd respond to her. Maybe he'd just know that she was there the way he could any other given time.
Her fingers reached up toward his wrist until she felt his pulse. It was weak and it scared her to think that it could even be slowing down.
Then her hand reached up toward his face. His warm breath grazed her fingers and suddenly she felt the smallest glimmer of hope.
She sat back and looked at his face. He had about a two inch cut across his forehead that continued to bleed. There was a some discoloration near the spot where he was hit and one cut just below his left eye.
"El?" She released his wrist, but kept her hand on his arm. "Come on answer me, El…"
No response. No movement. Nothing.
Her eyes remained on his face while her thoughts drifted back to the day of the Saul Piccard incident. This unfortunately was worlds different from that day. Now there was no way to call for a bus. There was little she could do at all.
The glimmer of hope was fading with each passing minute.
She reached up and brushed his cheek with her hand. "Come on, answer me, baby, answer me!" Her eyes kept scanning his face, arms and legs for any sign of movement.
Tears filled her eyes. Panic had set in. Every second that ticked away only made it worse.
He was still. His color had washed out. "Come on, El."
No response. Nothing.
Rain continued to fall heavily. The air was thick with sand, gravel and fragments of other particles. As it picked up she leaned over him slightly to shield him from some of it. It was probably a pointless effort, but it was something. She had to do something.
She checked his pulse once again and it hadn't changed. She let go of his wrist and took his hand once more. "Please, El…"
A minute passed and then another. Still no movement.
What if he didn't respond? she thought. She couldn't save the others. How would she ever be able to save him?
She was losing what patience she had left. "Dammit, El… Answer me!" Tears started to fall from her eyes, and she reached up to wipe them away. "Answer me…."
"Dammit!" She was scared to death. They had just the one EMT around, who happened to be with a little girl that was very critical. Olivia occasionally looked up toward Griffin but she knew Griffin had to stay put. All she could do was to stay with Elliot.
"Elliot!" She cried quietly, still holding on to his hand with both of hers.
Olivia leaned closer to his face and continued to talk to him, hoping he'd respond to her voice. To her touch. To something. To anything. "Elliot, please! I need you out here! I need you! Please El! I-"
She stilled when she felt it. One of his fingers moved within her hands. "El…?"
Thinking she imagined it, she stayed still. Soon she felt it again. Two of his fingers flexed just a little.
"El? El, can you hear me?"
His head moved a little. His eyes blinked and then slowly opened.
"Elliot!" She smiled, and a sigh escaped her lips. She reached one hand up to wipe a few tears away.
He looked up at her as she slowly came into focus. He studied his surroundings and soon it came back to him. He saw the panic in her eyes. "Liv…"
"You okay?" she asked. "I can go get Griffin." She released his hand and started to get up.
Jeri walked up behind Olivia and stopped to offer assistance. "Glad you're back, Elliot," she said. She touched Olivia on the shoulder. "Hon, I'll go get Griffin, you stay with Elliot," she told her.
He tried to sit up on his own. "No. No, it's okay, I – I'm fine," he told them. He grimaced and reached for his head.
Olivia quickly moved toward him to support his back as he sat up. "El, are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'll be okay."
She stood on his left and Jeri got on his right side and they helped him stand up.
When he was standing he turned to look at Olivia. He saw the tears she kept trying to cover up. He could still see worry in her eyes and even after several minutes it hadn't let up. He understood, but tried to reassure her. "Liv, don't worry. I'll….be fine."
"You'd better be," she said with a shy smile. But the smile faded away quickly and worry filled her eyes again.
x x x
More EMT workers and officers showed up to help. They tended to more injured evacuees and got them on buses to go to the shelters. Several remained critical. A few had passed away.
Griffin checked Elliot's blood pressure and treated the spot on his head. Elliot insisted he was okay, and they made their way back toward the garage in silence. As they walked back, Olivia kept an eye on him. His responses were a little slower, she observed. She stayed by his side the entire time. They stopped to help a few more who were injured while trying to evacuate.
Winds and rain continued to pick up. It was hard to fathom how much worse it could get.
When they reached the car they stopped, so that Elliot could try and contact Cragen to give him an update. He got inside the car to make the call.
x x x
Olivia couldn't hold it together for much longer.
She still couldn't settle down from the events of that morning.
The storm. The injured that they couldn't save. And then Elliot getting hurt.
Her will was strong, but fighting the storm on top of everything else took a lot out of her.
And they still hadn't found Alina. Still couldn't get to her or to any of the other children, and she had already convinced herself that none of them were going to be found alive. If the perp hadn't killed them, the storm would.
Olivia turned her back to the car and started to cry. Raindrops fell against her cheeks and soon merged with the tears. She couldn't see much at that point if she tried. She dropped her head down and temporarily retreated from it all.
She didn't see or hear him get out of the car. She never saw him walk up.
But suddenly, she felt his arms wrap around her and gently pull her toward him.
"It's okay, Liv," he whispered into her ear. He reached his hand up and brought her head down toward his shoulder, to shield her from the rain. "It's okay."
He didn't have to ask what was wrong. He just knew.
"It's okay," he whispered to her again. His hand lightly stroked her back while she leaned into him.
The streets were flooded. The wind was picking up, and she could still hear things crashing in the distance. People were getting injured or killed. The Tyler children still weren't safe. The city was in a state of chaos. She and Elliot knew that this was going to be one of the longest, toughest days of their careers.
But for a brief moment, he shielded her from it all. And she was safe.
"It's okay, Liv," he whispered again.
A moment later, she lifted her head away from his shoulder to look at him. He leaned closer to her again to speak over a sudden wind gust. "Are you okay?" he asked, concerned. "Liv, we don't have to-"
"No, I'm okay," she interrupted. She wiped a few tears away and attempted a smile. "Thanks, El."
His thoughts drifted back to the locker room earlier that morning. He smiled back warmly. "Anytime, Liv."
They went into the garage. His head still ached, and even he didn't know how good his reactions would be. But it was just them, and he knew Olivia was thinking the same thing. They were the only hope Alina had. They had to find her.
"What did Cragen say?" she asked him when they got past the gate.
"Couldn't reach him. Can't get a signal," he replied. He took out his cell phone again. "Nope, still dead."
Olivia took out her own cell phone and looked at the display and then back at Elliot. "This isn't good."
"I know. Let's do what we can and get back." He studied a map on the wall which gave the layout of the garage along with emergency exits.
Olivia watched as he tried to make out what was on the map. She knew he should be checked out by a doctor and hated that he couldn't.
He was finally able to pick out what he needed. "Looks like six levels here, then two lower levels. Your choice," he said.
They headed for the stairs. "I've got levels 1 and 2 and the lower levels," she said.
"I've got the rest, then I'll come find you." He continued up and then stopped on the sixth floor.
x x x
As Elliot started to check the cars, a bad feeling crept over him.
He'd had this premonition during cases before, but only about three times since he became a cop.
First time, it was a hostage situation where several innocent civilians were killed. He was a rookie at the time.
A second time, was just before he, Munch and Fin were called as backup to respond to a shooting at Eugene Hoff's apartment. Without any background information on the situation or how it would end, he knew this one would leave a lasting scar.
The last one was almost two and a half years ago. It happened while they were on the Gitano case. The premonition hit him just as they reached the bus terminal.
He never knew who it would involve. The victims. Witnesses or family members of victims. His coworkers. It could be either one or all of them. He never knew until it happened. But his gut had never misled him.
Something was about to go horribly wrong.
x x x
12:55 pm – South Street Parking Garage, Lower Manhattan, NY
~Present
Olivia stood there trying to plan a way in.
Outside, the roads had gotten bad, but they were nothing like this. This was something she'd only seen before in the news headlines along with the words 'Katrina,' 'levees,' and 'New Orleans' somewhere in the captions.
She could see through the lot to an ascending exit ramp and noticed three parked cars on it, all facing her. They weren't far from where she stood, maybe forty to fifty feet. Her best guess was that they were sedans, but limited lighting made it difficult to tell the make and model.
Taking a few steps toward the water's edge, she shined the flashlight around at various spots and tried to see where the water was coming in. The stairs were one possibility. Since they had to be in the same spot as the other levels they began below the water surface. Soon she noticed water pouring down through three air vents. There had to be drain pipes below the surface as well. As the rain picked up, it all flowed down to this level.
She didn't care about wading into the area, she was already soaked. But she had no idea what could be down there. The water was far from clear. The storm had likely picked up water from the East River and with everything else blowing around, she had no idea what to expect when she got in there.
There could be cars below the surface. If Alina was down there, there'd be no way she'd survive.
She knew she was taking a risk by going in. Unless Elliot already found her, this was the only place left she could be.
It might be their last shot.
She waded into the water until it was up to her waist, and then began to swim toward the exit ramp. It wasn't a very big lot. Her best guess was that it could hold about twelve to fifteen cars and a few more on the exit ramp.
Finally, she dove below the water's surface. The water, no surprise, was very cold. She guessed it was about eight to ten feet deep and clouded with dirt, gravel and too many other substances to identify. She might as well have been swimming in the East River.
As she dove deeper it got darker, but from her recollection of the other levels, and a couple of lights on the farthest wall that surprisingly still worked, she could make reasonable guesses at some of the objects. There were no vehicles. She located parking pylons and trash cans that were cemented in place which were both near the staircase. The only cars in that lot were the ones she spotted when she got there.
Olivia swam up to the surface to catch her breath. Treading water for a minute she looked to see how far she was from the cars on the exit ramp.
She continued to swim for the edge of the lot and soon rounded the corner to the ramp on the exit side. She stood and waded toward the passenger side door of the first car, a Chrysler PT. The car sat lower on the ramp than the other two and the water level came up to the windshield.
After checking in each of the windows, she forced open the lock on the driver's side, and popped the trunk latch. Finding nothing there, she moved to a Nissan Altima, two parking spaces over.
Finding nothing in the Altima, she turned to the third, a Toyota Camry which was parked one space over from the Nissan. The Camry had a green Enterprise sticker on the bumper.
She looked into the passenger side window of the Camry and saw a note taped to the dashboard on the driver's side, close to the window. She couldn't see what it said, but figured it was directions or else the driver was tracking mileage. She popped the trunk latch and checked inside. Finding nothing there, she went around to the other windows. Finally, she approached the driver's side window.
Her eyes soon fell on the note.
She's in the staircase, Detective.
I didn't kill her, but I won't promise she'll survive.
- A servant of the storm.
P.S. Good luck finding the others.
Olivia thought her heart had stopped.
She slowly stepped back from the car. Instinctively, she reached for her gun and checked all around her. That note could have been placed there anytime and he could be long gone. She had to assume he wasn't.
Next, she reached for her cell phone to try and call Elliot. It was a long shot that she'd reach him, but she had to try. She pulled her cell phone out of her jacket pocket. The display was clouded. She cleared and checked the display, and it was just as she suspected. No signal. She quickly keyed the license plate number into her phone and then shoved it back into a zipper pocket in her jacket.
She opened the driver's door and swiped the note from the dash. Holding it carefully by the end to reduce covering up any evidence, she tucked it inside a small evidence bag, making sure it was completely sealed and put the bag into the same zipper pocket with her other things. She got out of the car, quickly waded in and then dove down below the surface, swimming until she found the staircase.
The door had been left open as expected, allowing much of the run-off from the upper levels to flow down to this level. Entering the stairwell, she swam up the staircase, carefully scanning for any sign that Alina had been there. Water had settled near the bottom of the first group of stairs and as she got to the landing and rounded a corner, she was able to walk up the last few steps. She reached the door to the first lower level, but still saw no sign that Alina had been there.
Olivia opened the door to the first lower level. She was surprised to see how much the flooding had picked up. At least she could still walk through the level. After a quick check through she saw no sign of Elliot or Alina and nothing else appeared different, so she returned to the staircase.
As she scanned the steps up to the first floor, ground level she began to wonder if he had led her astray. It was all she had to go with and for now it was the best piece of evidence they had.
Reaching the ground floor, she opened the door to the parking level. As soon as she stepped out the door, she was hit with straight-line winds and rain that poured in through the spaces in the parking decks.
Olivia immediately closed her eyes and shielded her face with one hand while the other reached behind her for the door to the stairs. Sand, gravel and larger fragments were entering the level from the outside and blowing around in all directions. It brushed past her face and she felt as if she was being sand-blasted with the addition of rain.
She backed into the staircase and when she was able to open her eyes again, she attempted to peek through a gap in the door. Olivia gasped at what she saw. Maybe thirty minutes or more had passed since she had last seen the ground floor level. The conditions from earlier that morning paled in comparison to what she saw now. Buildings were practically being stripped apart in front of her. Glass shattered off of skyscrapers. Dozens more objects were being hurled through the air, like the ones they saw earlier.
There would be no way to avoid being hit now.
She quickly retreated back into the staircase and closed the door, grateful to be in an enclosed area.
Olivia walked up the first few stairs to the second level and noticed a stream of water flowing down the staircase toward her. After she climbed two more steps she stopped dead in her tracks. She could hear the sound of water rushing in from somewhere. It sounded close. She continued to listen and tried to place its direction.
It suddenly got louder. She looked up just as water started down the stairs toward her. It was like a water pipe had burst open somewhere. She grabbed on to the railing to keep from losing her balance.
The water was up to her ankles and rising. Slowly, she lifted her feet and tried to climb the stairs. It wasn't safe here, but she knew that water had only one direction to go. She had to keep moving upward.
Each step she took almost forced her backward. The stairs quickly became slick, it was almost like climbing up a waterfall. She fought just to remain standing while she looked for any signs of Alina.
Soon it became impossible just to stand.
When she reached the landing and rounded the corner, Olivia caught sight of something resembling a block of wood about a foot wide coming toward her. She quickly braced herself against the side to stay out of its way, while struggling to maintain a grip on the railing. The object passed by her, and she looked toward the top of the staircase. The next floor was just six steps away. The door to the staircase had already blown open, and wind was rushing in.
She took another step, and then another, shielding her face while trying to watch for anything else that might be coming her way.
The water seemed to pick up more. It was now almost like a dam had burst open somewhere.
Olivia never saw it coming.
From somewhere below the water surface, something hit her hard in the ankle, she felt a dull pain shoot through her foot and she lost her hold on the railing.
She felt herself fall backwards and quickly reached for anything she could get ahold of. The railing. The wall. Her hands touched all of these as well as the steps on the way down.
Finally, her shoulder, back and head smacked hard against the door to the first floor ground level. The water continued to rush all around her, constantly spraying her in the face where she landed.
Olivia struggled to get up. She tried reaching for the railing, but it was out of her grasp. There was nothing to hold onto so she used her feet to stand, leaning mainly on the one that wasn't in a lot of pain.
But as soon as she was almost standing, another surge of water hit her. It was coming faster and stronger. Instantly, she was thrown backward again. Water flowed all around her like a violent whirlpool, leaving her with nowhere to go.
Pain gripped her head and quickly spread through her body.
"Ellllliiiot…" she called weakly as she gradually began to fade out.
It was after 1:00 in the afternoon in Manhattan, but darkness had already set in.
Next chapter: Nor'easter