Disclaimer: I do not own anything recognizable from either Mag7 or Glee. I also don't own the ATF AU (I think MOG does). I am just borrowing to play! (Disclaimer good for all chapters…just in case I forget to post it!) By the way, as we are coming down to the end, I want to make sure and say thank you to all of the wonderful people who have been reviewing. It is a wonderful thing to find a review waiting in my inbox.
JD's quiet voice drew everyone's attention. Giving Santana's shoulder a final pat, he pulled his communicator out of his ear and passed it to Buck. Then he turned and began typing rapidly on his laptop. Nobody spoke, nobody moved; they simply sat and watched the young computer expert as his fingers danced over the keyboard. The silence grew oppressive as the minutes clicked by. Buck nearly jumped as the communicator signaled.
Stepping away from the group, he activated it. "This is Buck."
In the control tower, Puck frowned. "Ah, Buck?"
Chris turned to him with a frown. "What the hell is Buck doing on the line? Where's JD?" Before Puck could try asking, the supervisor came up beside the blond agent. "Puck, find out what's going on. I'll finish with the instructions and we'll head back."
"Yes, sir," the teen replied. "Buck? Chris wants to know what happened to JD."
"Beats the hell out of me. He's typing away at his computer like a madman…hasn't spoken in fifteen minutes. Tell the boss man he might want to head back soon."
Puck looked over at the agent. "Hey, boss? Buck says we might want to head back. JD's doing a number on his computer and isn't talking."
"How long has he been quiet?" Chris asked, distracted by the supervisor.
"Fifteen minutes."
Chris's head snapped around and pinned the boy with a look. "iFifteen?/i Shit." He turned a glare on the supervisor as she tried to ask a question. "The bomb's deactivated and your security people are well aware of the process for logging evidence. You want to know more? Check out the report when it's written. I've got another issue to go check on."
Striding away from her, he gathered up Puck and headed out of the tower. As Puck hurried along behind him, he spoke into the phone. "We're on our way back. Boss is pissed."
Buck snorted. "Boss is regularly pissed. Nothing new there."
"How's Rachel?" Puck asks, voice shaking.
"She's hanging in there, kid. Nate says she's fighting for it," Buck answered, his strong voice falling into a soothing rhythm. "He's not going to let her go, and neither is your friend Santana. She's keeping her company until you get back, okay?"
"Yeah, sure," Puck answered.
As they entered the elevator, Chris took the phone. "What's going on, Big Dog?"
Puck leaned against the wall of the elevator, ignoring everything else as he focused on getting back to the others.
iJust get me back to Rachel. Please God, she's gotta be okay!/i
Back at the scene, JD continued typing furiously on his computer. No one knew exactly what was going on, but they knew it had to be potentially desperate. Across the room, Ezra continued talking to parents and making arrangements for their children to remain in Denver for a while longer. He had noticed the spreading silence with concern, but his training had allowed him to remain collected while speaking with strangers on the other side of the country.
Before any other calls, he had notified the Lima police department about the situation. The captain had agreed to go speak with the Berry's personally. Ezra appreciated the courtesy. They should not find out by way of a phone call from a stranger in the ATF. All of the other parents had agreed to allow their kids to stay on the condition that they called personally to confirm everything. He would arrange that after the current crisis ended.
"Oh, thank God!" JD slumped over his keyboard, heaving a sigh of relief. Burying his face in his hands, he took several deep breaths as he tried to slow his racing heartbeat.
Buck crouched beside him. "Kid?"
"Give me a minute." After another long moment of silence, the young agent sat up and glanced around. Focusing on one of the security guards, he motioned him over. Buck moved out of the way, but stayed close. JD pointed to his screen. "You'll need to take a team here. The device has been disarmed, but it will need to be dismantled."
"Yes, sir." The guard signaled to a group of men and they hurried out of the room. Chris and Puck passed them as they entered. Chris strode over to JD while Puck helped Santana off the floor and took her place.
JD looked around at the others before focusing on his boss. "There was a fifth device. Looks like our guy there planned his own exit. The sensors didn't catch it because it wasn't 'live'…someone had to turn it on. Maybe with a phone call or something."
"It's been disarmed?" Chris demanded.
"Yeah," answered JD. "But he had a partner."
Chris sighed. "Don't they always. Gather your stuff together and we'll pass it on to Homeland Security. That part's out of our hands." He gazed around at the others in the room.
A radio squawked. As the paramedic answered, Ezra rejoined the group. The medic looked at Nathan and then glanced up at Chris. "The storm's breaking. An ambulance was dispatched ten minutes ago or so. It shouldn't take them too long to get here."
Chris nodded. "Josiah, Buck, JD; you three stay here to finish the mop up. Find the kids' group and let them know what's going on. Ezra?"
"I managed to contact their parents. They shall all be permitted to remain in Denver provided they call and speak with their parents personally."
"Good," Chris answered. He turned to look at the teens. "Why don't you all get started on that while we're waiting for the ambulance? Santana, if you'll fill Josiah in on the rest of your group before you call your folks?"
Santana nodded and walked over towards the older agent. Tina accepted the phone from Ezra and started dialing her parents while Mike used Vin's. Brittany refused to move out of Vin's lap and Puck stayed down by Rachel quietly murmuring.
Buck spoke up. "Chris, Brittany's a blood-type match for Rachel. We'll need her in the ambulance as well."
"Okay," Chris replied. "Brittany can ride up front with the driver while Puck's in the back with Rachel. Vin, Ezra, Nathan and I will follow with the rest of the kids." He turned to his undercover agent. "Ezra, I want you to get in touch with the hospital. Have them contact the parents and get authorization forms signed."
"Already started," Ezra reassured him. "My first and last calls went to the Lima PD. On that final call, I requested their assistance on acquiring said forms. When all of the forms are in their possession, they intend to call me and let me know. We should have the forms in hand by the time we reach the hospital."
Chris gave him a nod and a small smile. "Good. That'll make things easier. What about Rachel's parents?"
Ezra raised an eyebrow. "Apparently her fathers are currently away on the first week of a three-week cruise. Ms. Mara Puckerman currently holds her emergency parental consent form. Ms. Puckerman has agreed to send over an authorization for Rachel as well. The Lima police have assured me that they will continue trying to reach one of her fathers in the meantime."
A dark scowl flashed across Chris's face before he could suppress it. He hated seeing adults treat their children so lightly. Children should be cherished and protected, not left to fend for themselves for weeks at a time.
A sudden flurry of activity came hustling through the door. The Lima teenagers watched in fascination as things started happening at an exceedingly fast pace. An ambulance crew hauled a stretcher over to the prone figure while members of Homeland Security followed them. As the crew began prepping Rachel for transport, the new agents stopped to hash out the situation with the ATF men. The next several minutes passed by in a blur as the ATF handed over control of the crime scene. Brittany and Puck followed the stretcher as the medics rushed towards the exit. Nate rushed alongside, explaining why the two students would be accompanying them. Chris finished speaking with Homeland Security and then gathered up the rest of his team and the teens.