Friday, September 26, 7:17 am – Holiday Inn, North Philadelphia, PA
"…The nor'easter that formed from the remnants of Tropical Storm Eachann, is now centered over Poughkeepsie, NY, with sustained winds at 55 mph and wind gusts to 65. The storm is moving south at 20 mph.
Unfortunately for the metro area, the nor'easter is headed straight into Manhattan, where the city is already seeing the outer bands of Hurricane Lilith. The combined effects of both of these storms are undoubtedly going to be costly and devastating.
We'll bring you more coverage on both of these storms when we return…"
x x x
Mike hit the power button on the remote control and tossed it on the bed next to him. He sat with his back against the headboard as he put the last of his toiletries in his suitcase and closed the zipper.
He groaned at his predicament. He couldn't get a plane out of Philly. It took him hours to find a rental car, and he hadn't even made it as far as the New Jersey border before he was turned away.
"The Jersey Turnpike is closed beyond exit 3 to traffic due to localized flooding," the uni directing traffic informed him.
Two weeks in Philadelphia, and he didn't care if he ever saw the damned city again!
The only vacancy he found meant driving back into Philadelphia and heading just north of town. After he secured his room, he stopped off at a diner near the hotel and drank a pot of coffee with a local cop who happened to be from the Bronx. Mike wanted to get home to New York, and he couldn't even get out of Pennsylvania. "I've never wanted to see New Jersey worse than I do now," he recalled telling the local cop.
His current plan was to head north through Pennsylvania and into New York State although he knew there was still the nor'easter to contend with. The last traffic report he heard said roads had closed up as far as Albany. But he didn't care. He'd drive around Pittsburg and into Canada if that's what it took to finally get to Buffalo where he hoped Casey would be.
He'd been trying to convince himself that she simply stopped off along the way because the roads got bad.
Then she'd probably call him when she finally got there and tell him about all the people that cut her off as she got into Buffalo. She'd tell him about her day and the Collins case that seemed like it would never end. Then she'd say she would most likely be asleep, but to be sure to wake her up when he got to Buffalo.
She had also been known to drop her cell phone in her briefcase or bag whenever she had to take a trip somewhere.
He picked up the remote control again and began to fidget with it.
She's Casey. She'll be fine, he told himself.
But he knew she was nowhere near Buffalo.
She got side tracked on that retrial case and didn't make it out on time. She was stuck in that damned office and probably didn't have any food or emergency supplies ready.
And he was scared to death.
He took the remote and threw it at the opposite wall. It smacked hard against the wall and dropped to the floor somewhere behind the TV cabinet.
x x x
7:43 am – SVU bullpen
"Stay here a second," Fin quietly told Kaleb. He nodded and obeyed.
Cragen quickly narrowed the gap between them. "Fin! What the hell is he doing here?"
Fin looked his Captain in the eyes. "He wouldn't go with them to the shelter, Captain. The hospital said that he's still having nightmares, and I didn't know how he'd handle a storm shelter in that situation after what he'd been through. I made some space for him to stay with me until the storm is over. Then I'll take him back, and we'll search for his mom again," he explained. He braced himself for whatever was coming.
Cragen narrowed his eyes. "What were you thinking?" he asked, raising his voice sternly. "I'd say it didn't even cross your mind to clear it with me first. Except you know this is unacceptable!"
Fin nodded. "I know, and I'm sorry. But we've done nothing for him! We can't even find his mom! He's got nobody!" Fin realized he had raised his voice. He took a deep breath and continued calmly. "Captain, he trusts me. I can't be the one to let him down."
Cragen shook his head. "Lots of our vics are stuck in situations like that. No it's not ideal, but they do cope. You can't fix his situation any better than you can the others!"
"I'm sorry, Captain," Fin said again.
"Look Fin, I-"
Cragen, Fin, Munch and Kaleb all glanced up toward the lights when they suddenly flickered off and on in the bullpen.
Cragen looked back at him and continued. "As much as you want to help Kaleb, in this case, it's not your responsibility. He needs to be at the shelter."
"I know," Fin admitted.
Cragen saw the guilt in Fin's eyes and knew it stemmed from more than just going against procedure. He put his hand on Fin's shoulder and lowered his voice a bit. "Listen Fin, I know from time to time you still feel bad about how things went with you and your son but you can't let that cloud your judgment."
Fin nodded.
The lights flickered off and on once more. Both Fin and Cragen glanced up again briefly.
Cragen sighed. "Look, I don't like this, but I guess we have no choice. Kaleb stays with you until this is over. But the minute this thing clears out, you've got to get him to child services, you got me?"
"Yes, Captain."
Cragen dropped his hand from Fin's shoulder and briefly glanced over at Kaleb before he headed back for his office. Kaleb became interested in something on Munch's computer monitor. Munch had noticed his interest and motioned for him to come over. He offered Kaleb a snack-sized bag of pretzels from his desk drawer and then showed him a game on his computer to keep him busy while Cragen and Fin talked.
Fin turned to watch Munch and Kaleb interact. He'd do what he could for Kaleb while he was there. With any luck, he might also get him to open up more about the perp and his experiences, and they'd have more to work with when the storm cleared and the investigation could continue.
At the very least, Fin thought, Kaleb was content.
x x x
8:57 am – Office of Captain Don Cragen
"….Hurricane Lilith remains a strong category 2 storm as it moves into the New York harbor. Unfortunately, each hour the weather picture is looking more and more grim as both storms approach the metropolitan area…"
Cragen lifted the cup of coffee he got from the coffee station earlier and took a sip.
He swallowed the sip, but then made a face. Munch made this, he realized. He sat the cup down, grabbed up some extra cream and sugar packets on his desk and began to add those to his cup one at a time.
His eyes remained on the flat screen TV monitor ahead of him. He reached over and turned up the volume.
"…As we reported earlier, hurricanes in the North Atlantic travel much faster then they do in the gulf region and the southern United States. So as a hurricane moves north from the gulf, it is continually picking up speed. Lilith is no exception. The storm started out with a forward speed of 15 mph and is currently moving at a speed of 40 mph into the northeast.
This particular weather scenario gets worse when we consider the landmasses of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. In a hurricane that moves counterclockwise, the coastal waters are continually being forced up on shore."
The diagram on screen was a picture of the hurricane as it spun toward the coast. Cragen watched it intently.
"With the hurricane's increasing speed and the angled land mass of the shores of New Jersey, Long Island and Connecticut, storm surge from a category 2 storm like Lilith, is really going to be closer to that of a category 3 storm.
Consequently, we're talking about 'very large' waves of water being forced up on land."
Cragen's eyes grew wide as he looked at the images that showed projected flooding levels for a category 3 storm. "Oh, dear God!" he gasped.
"Unfortunately, we're also looking at not one, but two storm systems. The combined effects of both in terms of storm surge and total rainfall are difficult to project. Over the next few hours, the weather picture is going to change dramatically…"
He rose from his seat, picked up the remote control and hit the power button.
As he went to get on the two-way radio, he wondered how hard he'd have to fight Elliot and Olivia to get them to drop what they were doing and get to a shelter.
His hand grasped the door knob and his head slowly leaned forward against the door.
For the love of God, just let them listen to me this time!
x x x
11:15 am – Office of ADA Casey Novak
Casey sat at her desk holding a hot mug of coffee in both hands, waiting for it to cool as she listened to the rain pounding against the ceiling above her head.
The wind had really picked up. She didn't notice it at first; it was mostly just when she stepped into the hallway. But soon she could even hear it from her interior office. Sometimes, it would almost shake the building as it hit.
She hated it. Hated storms. Why couldn't she have just left like she intended to?
Mike, Vicki and her parents were probably frantic, and she had no way to contact them.
But this was all her fault.
x x x
Yesterday, she discovered a very important piece of the puzzle in the Collins case.
The missing medical bracelet belonging to thirteen year old Melissa Collins. Melissa was severely asthmatic from birth and had always worn it.
Jay Sigmore, Melissa's stepdad said she had lost the bracelet two days before she was reported missing. Incidentally, Jay took off the day before her body turned up. That and other reasons made him the primary suspect.
Jay's defense attorney discovered a loophole early on when a witness vouched for his whereabouts on the night of the attack, and he was released.
Fortunately for Casey, she found other evidence that the witness had lied, and she got the case re-opened.
She happened to glance back at an email last night that O'Halloran had sent her a week ago. He had two pictures scanned in and sent at her request. At the time she was looking for something entirely different.
Then last night she saw it.
Casey spent hours enlarging the two pictures on her computer. It was definitely the missing bracelet. That, along with more evidence, and she finally had what she needed to convict Jay Sigmore.
Too tired to drive, she fell asleep on her couch.
She walked out to get her car before 8:00 am that morning and saw what the storm was doing. There was no way she'd be able to drive in that. She also found people scrambling about and dodging flying pieces of debris, so she quickly retreated back to her office.
This will all be over by evening. Or that's what she last heard.
She'd be better off in her interior office on the third floor, then in her car with flooded streets and random pieces of wood, glass, scraps and other trash being hurled around. She had even convinced herself that Mike and Vicki would feel better knowing she wasn't on the road.
She was able to get on the computer that morning until the connection started dropping. She tried to send Mike an email, but wasn't sure if it actually went through. She already knew he wouldn't be checking it until he got back to Manhattan. He wouldn't be expecting it.
x x x
When it had cooled down enough to drink, Casey lifted the coffee mug in her hands to her lips and took a long sip.
She shuttered, "Blah! Who drinks instant coffee anymore? Mike, why can't you drink real coffee?" she said aloud in her empty office, shaking her head as she looked at the cup. "Even Munch's coffee beats this!"
Mike Cordoneski, a colleague in the next office whom she directed her comment to had already left town a few days ago. He was a law clerk who did background research for her and made notes, often filling in the gaps on a few cases when she was in a time crunch or other situations warranted it. Because he took classes at Columbia and he wasn't always there when she was, he gave her a key to his office so she could get in to see whatever file or notes she needed. He also kept a small refrigerator fairly well stocked, and a cabinet with various non-perishable foods. He insisted she help herself and she would often contribute to the stash as well.
She liked Mike. He was a nice guy, good to work with, and he often made her laugh with his impressions of some of the judges. Rumors had begun to circulate at one point that they were dating. It happened around the time she started to date Logan.
The whole situation became laughable after everything eventually got straightened out. But for a while there was some confusion and tension. One of the things she did to fix the situation was to start calling the one she was dating, 'Logan.'
x x x
The lights flickered off and on, and a sudden gust of wind seemed to shake the building.
Oh, she hated storms!
Well…it wasn't completely just that she hated them. She was just a little bit afraid of them.
She took a deep breath, rubbed at her temples to try and lessen her tension headache, and remembered that she was safe in here. Things were going to be okay, she told herself.
She began to recount what she had going for her right then. She still had power. She had food; Mike's concept of coffee; almost a full case of Aquafina and shelter, which was really a home away from home-her office. If boredom struck, there was also her IPod and two books in her drawer, if she opted not to pick at more cases that were scheduled for trial or arraignment in another week or so. She'd be okay even if she got stuck there all weekend. She's spent the weekend in that office more times than she could remember.
Suddenly, the lights flickered off.
She took another deep breath and waited for them to come back on.
She waited…
And waited…
And waited...
Casey dropped back in her seat and tried counting to ten.
But they never came back on.
"Damn!"
x x x
12:25 pm – South Street Seaport – Manhattan, NY
"Freeze! NYPD!"
The man slowly raised his hands up. His back was toward Elliot, and he turned his head to the right and glanced over his shoulder.
Elliot flashed his badge for the man to see. "Detective Elliot Stabler, Special Victims Unit. Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to back away from the car," Elliot ordered. He approached the man slowly with his gun drawn.
The man was young, maybe mid-twenties; about Elliot's height; medium build with medium length wavy hair that lay over his head in wet strands like a dirty wet mop. He had on thick camouflage pants and a black winter coat that had an NY/NJ Port Authority logo on it. With the thick boots he wore, he almost looked like he was dressed for a New England nor'easter that would soon be dumping about two feet of snow. He may have been expecting to be outside for a while in these conditions though.
Elliot spotted him on fifth floor parking level near the front of the parking garage. The man had pulled out a Swiss Army knife and was trying to pick the lock open on a Pontiac Grand Am that was maybe ten years old.
It was too much of a coincidence that he was in here during this storm after they received the call that morning, Elliot thought.
"This isn't what it looks like!" the man said defensively.
"No? Well then how about you tell me what you were doing picking a lock on this car," Elliot asked sternly. "And in the middle of a hurricane, no less," he added, looking at him suspiciously, while gesturing around them.
"It's MY car!" the man responded indignantly.
"Oh, yeah? Prove it!" Elliot countered. "Let's see some ID first."
He reached into his jacket pocket with one hand, held a billfold up in the air and waited for Elliot to walk up and take it from him.
Elliot opened the leather billfold and looked. In one side there was a New Jersey driver's license, the other held a Port Authority identification card. He read the name. Darnell Randon. "Care to tell me why you're breaking into this car, Darnell?" Elliot asked. He handed him back the billfold.
Darnell accepted it and shoved it into a pocket inside his coat. "I wasn't breaking in, Detective. My keys are inside and under the driver's seat. As you can see, I work for the Port Authority, and I usually leave my car parked here when I'm on shift. Long story short, I left quickly yesterday morning and must have dropped the keys, and then it took me a while to get back here," he answered. "I obviously can't get my car out right now," he stated, gesturing to where the gaps in the garage wall opened up to the outside. "But I'd at least like to get some clothes and things I have inside of it."
"Why haven't you evacuated already?" Elliot inquired. He continued to look at him suspiciously.
"Like I said, it's a long story," Darnell replied.
"How about you give me the abridged version?"
He slowly turned around to face Elliot and kept his hands up. As he turned, another gust of wind blew in and blasted him in the face with wet, grain-like particles. He shielded his face briefly. "It's- It's my cousin, he kind of took off with a lot of my money. I know he's in some kind of trouble. Anyway, I think I knew where he was headed and I-"
"Wait!" Elliot interrupted him. As Darnell talked, Elliot heard a scream coming from somewhere close by. He knew there were people outside still struggling to get to shelters, but this sounded entirely too close.
Liv? He considered briefly. He struggled to listen for it again over the racket the storm produced outside the walls of the garage.
Just then, he heard it again. It definitely wasn't Liv's voice. It was a child's!
"I heard that too. Sounds like it's coming from over there," Darnell suggested. He kept his hands up where Elliot could see them, but quickly pointed with his left hand toward the staircase about thirty feet behind him, in the left front corner of the garage.
Elliot looked at Darnell, then followed the direction where he had pointed. He realized Darnell was right when the scream echoed once again. "Come on," he told him.
They took off running for the staircase. A wind gust whipped through the level and although they tried to avoid it, they were constantly being blasted with rain, sand, dirt, gravel and other particles. The rain was felt instantly. The blowing sand or gravel hurt, but only after it had already braised the skin.
Shit! I can't see!" Darnell yelled when a granular piece of something got into his eye. He stopped almost halfway to the stairs and turned his body to shield himself from another wind gust. His hands immediately went up to his eyes.
"You okay?" Elliot asked.
He squinted and rubbed at his eyes some more. They finally fluttered open and he blinked several times. "Yeah, let's go."
There were two staircases in the entire garage-one in the front of the garage where they now stood, and the other one in the back. The staircase in the front of the garage happened to be open in some spots to the outside. It only went down to the ground level. The lower levels could be accessed from the vehicle ramp or through the staircase in the back of the garage.
Elliot tucked his gun away briefly, walked up and opened the door. A little girl with long brown hair sat on the second step from the bottom with her head down crying. She lifted her head when she noticed the door had been opened.
"Alina Morrissey?" Elliot said her name and waited for her to nod her head in confirmation. He squatted down to talk to her. "It's okay," he said, trying to settle her a bit when she startled and backed away from him. "Hi, Alina, I'm Elliot. I'm a police officer. I'm going to get you out of here, okay?"
She nodded slowly but continued to cry softly. She kept her eyes on him.
Are you hurt?" he inquired, wanting to make sure she wasn't injured before he reached for her.
She shook her head. "I want my mommy," she said quietly, but tearfully.
"We'll get you to her, but first, let's get you out of here and to somewhere safe and dry, okay?" Elliot stood up and offered his hand to help her up.
She studied him for a moment while he waited for her to either get up or else extend her hand.
Finally, she reached both of her arms up for him to pick her up.
"Okay," he smiled. "Come on, Alina." He reached over to pick her up. Alina immediately leaned into him, but she continued to cry. He wanted to ask her if she remembered who brought her there, but decided he'd wait until she settled down a little more.
When he first saw her, he noticed a large red imprint on her cheek that may have come from leaning on something or possibly being pushed into or hit with something. There was no blood from the spot or anywhere else that he could tell in his initial assessment.
She wore a pair of tan pants, a white shirt and a red sweater, but no jacket. Her clothes had been soaked through from sitting on the stairs, and she probably had been wearing them for a while. She appeared groggy, cold, and quite scared, but that was all he could determine until she could be checked out by a doctor.
He lightly patted her back trying to help settle her down a little more as he stepped out of the stairwell with her.
Darnell's eyes opened wide when he saw her. "Oh my God! Alina!"
Alina continued to cry softly into Elliot's shoulder and hadn't heard her name being called.
Elliot's eyebrows furrowed. "You…know her?" he asked.
"Yeah, she goes to Tyler. I also work for NY public schools part-time as a bus driver. She's not on my route but I've um, I've met several of those kids," he explained, keeping his eyes on Elliot. He noticed Elliot's eyes narrow accusingly and begin to darken a bit. "It's not what you think, Detective. I don't know how she got there," he said defensively. He shook his head and looked away. "I'm just…glad she's okay," he added quietly. It was barely picked up by Elliot.
Elliot kept a questioning gaze on the man.
Alina's crying finally ceased and she lifted her head to look at Elliot. She lightly poked her finger at his collar bone a couple of times. "El-liot?" she questioned, making sure she heard his name correctly.
He smiled. "Yes, honey, that's right. I'm Elliot."
She smiled back at him, glad for the comfort he seemed to provide her. Suddenly, she turned her head and noticed the other man standing behind her.
"Hi, Alina," Darnell greeted her and smiled. He slowly approached them.
Elliot watched her curiously as she looked at Darnell. It looked as though she tried to place him from somewhere but couldn't. She turned her head back toward Elliot and rested on his shoulder again.
Elliot looked back at Darnell. Alina had shown no recognition of him and definitely didn't appear frightened by him. So there is a chance he may have been telling the truth earlier, he thought.
Elliot prepared to take Alina out of there until, off to his right, he suddenly heard his name being called.
"Stabler!"
"Hey, Marksen," Elliot greeted the sergeant he recognized from Manhattan's eleventh precinct.
"Oh, Sergeant Jeff Marksen, this is Darnell Randon, he's currently locked out of his car and needs some help. This is Alina Morrissey, one of the missing kids from Tyler. We need to get her to one of the shelters and try to locate her parents when the storm passes," he explained. Elliot leaned closer and spoke to Jeff directly. "We really need to get her checked out too, but I'm not sure how that's going to be possible," he said.
Jeff nodded. He recalled hearing about the 911 report earlier. "I understand," he replied. "We have a medic there, I'll see what I can do," he added quietly.
"What brings you up here?" Elliot inquired.
Jeff rolled his eyes. "Who do you think, Stabler?" he replied with a laugh.
Elliot nodded. Cragen. Their captain often spoke to him.
"Yep, Dad's worried," Jeff teased. His expression grew serious. "We do need to get out of here. Last storm report said that we are about to get slammed with the eye wall in the next few of hours, and that was around ten o'clock," he said, glancing at his watch. "We'd better hurry," he added.
"I need to find my partner," Elliot said.
"Oh yeah, Benson. Where is she?" Jeff asked.
"Somewhere on one of the lower floors looking for Alina," Elliot replied, nodding once in the direction of the little girl, who was just drifting off to sleep in his arms.
Jeff nodded. "I'll take her; you go get your partner," he said. Jeff lightly touched her back. "Come on, sweetheart, let's get you out of this stormy mess."
Alina stirred awake and turned her head to look at the man. He was shorter than the one called Elliot who held her; he was bald and a little stocky, with a rust and silver-colored goatee and a deep scar across his right cheek. He smiled back at her pleasantly, but his face looked strange and a little scary, she thought.
She looked back at Elliot, shook her head and clung to him tightly, burying her face into his shoulder. "Uh-uh, wanna stay!"
Elliot looked at her and smiled. "Honey, it's okay. Jeff is an old friend of mine." She lifted her head slowly and listened. Elliot continued. "He's a police officer too. You can go with him; you'll be okay. He'll make sure you get somewhere safe and help find your mommy too, okay?"
Alina looked from Elliot to Jeff. She liked the policeman named Elliot-there was something comforting about him. His voice was calm, and she felt safe. She also knew that policemen were okay. They'd make sure she got home. If Elliot called the other policeman a friend, he was probably okay too, she figured.
At Elliot's request, she nodded, removed her arms from around his neck and offered them to the one behind her.
Jeff smiled. He had no children and was recently separated, but he had always wanted kids. "I bet you're hungry," he asked her when he had her on his hip, and she started to relax a bit.
Alina nodded several times in agreement.
"There's room for all of you at the precinct," he said, making eye contact with both of them. He turned to Elliot. "You know where we are. And hurry, Stabler, or your Captain will have my neck. We've got radio contact but it's touch and go, and the power's out. We'll see you in a bit."
"Thanks, Jeff. Are you okay with getting there in this mess? With her and all?" Elliot asked.
"I've got Gibbs and Parrish with me, thanks," he said. Jeff carried Alina to the front stairs and moved quickly but cautiously down toward the main level. She smiled back at Elliot. Her smile faded when she noticed he wasn't coming with them.
Darnell started to follow Jeff and Alina but then paused. "You want help finding your partner?" he offered.
Elliot knew he'd stand a better chance of finding her with both of them. He wanted to accept, but he couldn't risk Darnell's safety. "You really should go with them," Elliot stated.
Darnell shrugged. "Yeah, I know. But, it's okay. It'll be quicker with two. We'll cover more ground."
Elliot smiled. "Yeah, thanks Darnell. That would be great. We'll find her and be out of here quick." He took out his cell phone, glanced at the display and shoved it back in his pocket. Panic hit him once again.
Liv… Oh God, please let her be okay.
x x x
12:43 pm – Muller's Diner - East Stroudsburg, PA
"Dammit, Casey answer!"
Mike sat at the counter, with his cell phone cradled between his left shoulder and his ear. His hands nervously gripped the edge of the counter.
It was his tenth attempt that morning to contact her. He checked in with Vicki periodically too, but she still hadn't heard from Casey.
The more frantic the media and people around him got, the more panicked Mike became.
More of the evacuation traffic was also being routed through Pennsylvania. That, along with being skirted by Hurricane Lilith finally led him to pull off for some coffee.
If he didn't settle down soon, he was liable to do something stupid, he realized.
He finished off a small bowl of clam chowder and picked at the free blueberry muffin that the waitress offered to lift his spirits. He briefly mentioned to her why he was passing through the town. Had he been in a better mood, he'd make a note to come back. It was one of the best diners he had visited and one of the best meals he'd eaten in days.
He noticed that about ten to fifteen people had gathered in front of a flat screen TV monitor near the main dining area, to look at the news coverage of the storm. It was the only thing on anywhere. Mike had already heard enough of the storm in the car and figured it was more of the same. He dropped his cell phone into his trench coat pocket and dug out his wallet to pay the check.
The crowd gasped loudly all of a sudden, and it caught his attention. He moved away from the cashier line and wandered toward the TV. When he walked closer, he saw that the expressions on the faces of the crowd ranged from stunned to frightened. He walked around to face the screen and then realized why.
And then his heart stopped.
He knew it was going to be bad, but in his own mind, he never imagined anything like this.
The current footage being aired seemed to be from different webcams around Manhattan. Some appeared to have already been damaged by the storm so the images were weak, but they still clearly told the story.
In one shot, he noticed that the flood waters had risen about as high as the door handles of the cars still parked near the curb. Ground level apartments, hotels, stores, restaurants, bars, and office buildings all had to have at least a foot of standing water inside. Wind gusts continually tore up the buildings, carrying scraps of wood, metal and glass, through the air. The wind forced the flood waters through alleys and into more buildings. Several cars and buildings were clearly destroyed.
Some of the places shown on the screen he quickly recognized. Nuevo, a café where he and Casey caught lunch during the first week they began to date. It had been a rushed lunch because Casey was due back in court. He still remembered everything about the date; what she wore, a story she told about her and Vicki when they were younger and even what they ate.
A billboard sign had smashed through the front of Nuevo, and most of the roof was now gone.
As more images were shown, he began to wonder where the people were. He overheard that less than an hour ago, there were many evacuees still rushing to get to the shelters.
But then something else dawned on him. There were already casualties.
As a member of the NYPD, he'd seen a lot.
This was just unbelievable.
He felt his eyes begin to well up with tears as he watched the reports and heard the bleak tone in the newscasters as they gave their accounts.
"…For years, the Office of Emergency Management and the City of New York have feared something as catastrophic as what you are witnessing.
Ladies and gentlemen, unfortunately, the storm has just now begun to bear down on the great city of New York..."
The screen changed, and a new map showed an illustration of how the city would be impacted.
"As Hurricane Lilith moves through, the storm's powerful wind gusts are going to force more of the coastal waters up on land. As you may have already heard, this is what is known as storm surge. This is going to mean even more widespread flooding for New Jersey, New York and Connecticut, with the greatest impacts in the New York City metro area.
Experts say a hurricane of this magnitude can produce as much as ten to fifteen feet of storm surge in some areas. That is on top of the flooding you already see."
Several people in the crowd gasped.
"Unfortunately, New York City is now facing the brunt of two storms. What we are anticipating, however, is large-scale damages from both of these storms, and the impacts will certainly be long-lived.
If you have loved ones in the area, please do not attempt to try and get to them at this time. Emergency officials are prepared to respond as soon as the storms have cleared, and they can safely do so.
Today, our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone in the path of these two dangerous and deadly storms.
We will be providing continuing coverage of Hurricane Lilith and the nor'easter. Stay tuned to CNN…"
Mike swallowed hard. "Case…"
x x x
1:10 pm – South Street Seaport – Manhattan, NY
"Olivia!" Elliot called out from the ground floor. Even his volume, that had been known to rattle unrelenting perps in interrogation or stop one of his kids from ever coming home too late again, was no match for the 90 to 100 mph winds that howled through his city.
It was getting later and later, and Lilith was nearing full-force.
God, where are you, Liv?
Something was wrong. Very wrong. Everything about the way they were connected told him this. He didn't know if it was solely because of the storm or something else was contributing to his fears. He could always read her when she panicked, and he had already picked something up.
Something had happened. She was hurt. She caught the perp just before he fled the garage, and there was a struggle. All of these thoughts raced through his mind as he tried to hurry through the level.
The flooding on that level was just over his knees and it must have consisted of water that had been picked up from the East River. It was thick, cloudy and grotesque and it was making him nauseous just to stand in it.
But it didn't matter. He had to find her.
As he finished checking one side of the level, Elliot met Darnell near the garage exit along the wall. Darnell stood there out of the way of the incoming wind gusts and torrential rain, completely awestruck from watching the winds tear apart street signs and rooftops.
In the total time it took for them to start down to the second floor and arrive where they were now, the sky had gone from traces of sunlight and overcast with enough light to see, to almost nearing a night sky.
They were less than three blocks from the dock of South Street Seaport, where the pier that once held many shops, was now barely recognizable.
"Come on, we'd better hurry," Elliot said, as he started quickly toward the back staircase.
Darnell started to follow, but soon noticed an odd roaring sound coming from somewhere and stopped. "Elliot, wait!"
He spun around and looked at him. "What?"
Darnell stood there facing Elliot with his right side to the garage exit. His side was catching the incoming rain almost full-force as he stared straight ahead to the pier and strained to hear over the storm. "What in the HELL is that?" he asked frantically.
"Wha-?" Elliot stilled when he heard it too. His eyes opened wide.
And just as unexpectedly, they soon felt it.
Elliot moved closer to where Darnell stood, and looked out toward the pier.
They caught sight of the source of the noise at almost the same time.
A very large wave of water had rolled up from the shore just as a big gust of wind hit. The wave rolled over the flood barriers, over the pier, over the street, and over cars…
And it just kept going.
It made a loud thunderous sound, rattling the ground like a minor earthquake as it rolled in.
"HOLY SHIT! IT'S COMING THIS WAY!" Darnell exclaimed.
"Upstairs!" Elliot yelled. He ran inside the staircase and threw the door open for Darnell. They bolted up the stairs, trying to get as high up in the garage as they could before it hit.
It was the same staircase where they found Alina earlier and it was open to the outside, so they were still continually being blasted with winds, rain, sand, dirt, glass and other materials. It only increased as they got higher. They tried to shield themselves as they ran up the steps.
They reached the second floor landing and started up to the third when the wave finally crashed into the garage.
The initial hit nearly threw them both into the set of steps leading up to the third floor.
Darnell fell toward the steps and then struggled against the force of the water to stand back up again. A second wave hit and splashed upward with such a force that they both had to hold on to the railing to keep from getting pulled downward.
They held onto the railing for a minute longer, waiting as the water continued to whirl around them, smacking against the sides of the stairwell. Finally as it started to ease up a bit, they each caught their breath and looked at one another in disbelief.
Elliot turned around in the staircase and happened to glance through the openings in the stairwell to the outside of the garage near the second level. He saw that water was now pouring down to the level below it almost like a waterfall. He suddenly paled. "Oh, God! NO! OLIVIA!" He took off back down the flooded stairwell and Darnell followed.
"OLIVIA! Oh my God!" Elliot's heart slammed against his chest cavity as he made his way down there. He slipped on one of the steps, but caught himself just before he smacked into the door to the ground floor.
He pushed the door open against the greater force of the water behind it, which made it difficult to move. He was stunned by what he saw. The water level had risen and now, he was standing in water up to his hips.
"LIV!" he called out, his voice echoing against the concrete walls. His eyes panned around hoping that maybe she noticed something and had already come to the ground level. He gasped for air, still trying to catch his breath.
Elliot waded quickly through the water, eventually opting to swim until he reached the entrance to the first lower level. He noted that the entrance went around a little turn and had a slight incline before it leveled off and then descended into that parking area. He walked on, relieved once he reached the leveled area and stopped having to fight the force of water running down the ramp against his strides.
A few lights on the wall shone into that level. He got to the descending part of the ramp and froze.
Everything below ground was now completely flooded out.
"Oh…God!" Elliot uttered weakly. He went from panic to something closer to shock.
Elliot couldn't move. He couldn't breathe. There was a pain in his chest that seemed to quickly take hold of his body. He had to go in there, but somehow he couldn't even take a step.
Darnell caught up and stood next to him. "Man, I don't know what to say."
Elliot just stood there, shaking. His hands reached for his head; he pressed both palms into his forehead. "Oh God… No! No! Liv! God, don't let her be down there! God, NO!"
But she was. He felt it.
He stared ahead in disbelief. The flood waters continually ran down the ramp toward that level. The vehicle entrance to the level was completely obscured by the murky waters. All he could see now was a concrete wall that appeared to rise up from the water surface to the top of the ground level's ceiling about twenty feet above his head. He couldn't see through to even tell if she was trying to get out.
He had to move. He could still save her.
"Elliot, are you okay? You look really sick, man. Maybe she isn't even down there. Maybe we should check the shelter. See if she's already there."
"No, she's not there, Darnell," he said firmly.
"How do you know? She may have tried to leave when it got bad," he suggested.
"Because I know my partner!" he snapped. "I've got find her!"
Elliot headed down the ramp but Darnell grabbed his arm to stop him. "Are you crazy or something? Come on, let's just get out of here. It's only going to get worse out there."
Elliot glared at him. "I know! I've got to find her!"
He turned away and Darnell grabbed his arm once again.
"Are you completely sure she didn't already leave?" he asked. "Like maybe she's there and just waiting for you," he suggested.
"She wouldn't," Elliot replied quickly. "You don't know Olivia. Come on, I've got to get down there!"
Darnell shook his head in disbelief. "Man, you ARE crazy! Who is she? Your girlfriend or something?"
Elliot turned toward him again, almost knocking into him. "Damn it, I NEED to FIND my PARTNER!" he snapped.
They were both quiet for a second. Elliot took a step back and tried to settle himself down.
A moment later, he turned back toward Darnell with his voice a bit more settled. "I'm sorry. Look, I really need your help. I'll help you with whatever trouble your cousin is in. Anything! You name it!" he pleaded.
Darnell shook his head. Now he was getting annoyed. This was way too risky. He'd been nice to help this cop, but now it was past the point of putting himself in serious danger. "Look, I think we've done all we can! Let's just get out of here before another one of those goddamn waves hits!"
Elliot huffed and moved away from him.
Darnell followed him. "Come on, man!" He yelled at Elliot. "She's probably already saved herself and is sitting somewhere warm and dry having coffee and donuts, and WE'RE the ones getting screwed! And if that's not the case and something happened to her, then I'm sorry man, but there ain't a hell of a lot we can do! There is a fucking hurricane out there!"
Elliot narrowed his eyes at the man. He knew Darnell was scared, and he accepted that. But leaving now meant leaving Olivia behind. Possibly forever.
He knew Olivia would sooner risk her life then give up looking for anyone. Even if she doubted she could save them.
She would never give up.
Elliot took a step closer. "Olivia and I put our lives on the line every fucking day to protect this city and we've always got each other's back! She would NEVER leave me out here. If the situation were reversed, she would have already risked her own life to save me, just like she's done every day for ten goddamn years!"
"She is NOT somewhere safe and dry, waiting for her partner to show up, although I wish like HELL she was! Then I wouldn't have to think about out how the hell I was going to survive the next ten years without her!" Elliot's voice started to escalate and equally, it began to quiver. "But NO! She's down there because she thinks that a little girl is still out there and in danger! She cares more about protecting children like Alina then she does about her own life!"
He wondered when he started to cry.
"If you knew anything about her, there's no way you'd be saying that!" he continued with his voice cracking. "She is a goddamned SAINT! You don't know half of what she puts herself through to protect the public! Or some ungrateful prick like YOU! So I'm going to stay out here however long it takes until I find her! Because that's EXACTLY what she'd do for YOU, for ME, for ANYONE! So you can just go to hell!"
Darnell nodded, raised both of his hands up like he had just given up, and stepped back from him.
Elliot turned his back to him and tried to settle himself down. He pressed his palms into his eyes as the tears fell. He couldn't seem to stop shaking.
Darnell walked up behind him and put his hand on his shoulder. "Look I'm sorry. It's just that I've seen several people out there get killed, and it was nothing like it is now. It doesn't look good for her if she's down there, either. You go down there now, and you may never come back out. If she's the kind of person you say she is, even if something happened to her I'm sure she'd want you to be safe, Elliot."
Elliot reached up, grabbed his wrist and flung it off of his shoulder.
Darnell knew this was tough for him. "It'll be okay, man. Let's go."
"NO! I've got to find her!" He started down the ramp.
Darnell shook his head. "Okay fine, I give up! Find your goddamned partner!" he hissed. "I'm gone!"
And then it finally hit him. Elliot realized what he was doing. He couldn't let Darnell just head out of there alone looking for a storm shelter. There was nowhere for him to go.
Somewhere along the way, he had stopped worrying about Darnell's safety and put his focus on Olivia, whom he couldn't confirm was okay.
But he wasn't about to let anything happen to Darnell. He was just an innocent civilian.
Elliot turned back toward him. "Darnell, wait!" he yelled.
Fortunately, the flood waters pouring in prevented Darnell from getting very far. He stopped and turned abruptly to face him. "What?" he responded in an agitated tone.
"I'm- sorry. Let's get you to the shelter, and-"
Elliot suddenly froze when he noticed someone moving toward them in the dark.
By some stroke of good luck, it was Jeff.
Elliot breathed a small sigh of relief. Darnell could go to the shelter, and he could stay here and continue looking for Olivia.
"Any sign of her?" Jeff asked Elliot immediately.
He shook his head.
Jeff walked up until he was standing two feet away from him. "Elliot… I know you'd never give up on your partner. I don't want anything to happen to either one of you. But I think it's time to trust your partner to get to safety, and you come with us."
Darnell rolled his eyes and then nodded in agreement.
Elliot looked up and shook his head. "I can't," he answered firmly.
Jeff shook his head and sighed. He wondered for a minute if even Cragen could have made Elliot go at this point. Probably not, he thought. "Okay, I'll take him back," he began, gesturing toward Darnell. "You find Benson and get your tails to the station. And hurry, Stabler!"
"Thanks, Jeff," Elliot replied. "I owe you."
"Just get back safely," he replied. Jeff turned to Darnell. "Come on. When we get to the garage exit, you'll want to stay below the water's surface as much as possible," he instructed. "It's not pretty out there. Whatever you do, don't panic. I'll guide you."
Darnell nodded and started to follow Jeff to the exit.
He abruptly stopped about ten feet away from Elliot and turned around to look at him. Elliot was starting toward the entrance to the next level.
"Man you're nuts!" Darnell remarked with disapproval. "I hope she's worth it!"
Elliot stopped and slowly turned back around to face him.
"She is!"
Next Chapter: Storm Surge