Author's Notes: I appreciate all the reviews from Chapter 1. I hope you continue to enjoy the story. I hope the start of 2014 has been good for everyone. I only have a few days before my break ends and I go back to work so I'm hoping to make good use of the time. Language warning, there is one instance of the f-word used in this chapter. I'm not a fan of the word, but I think it's probably realistic to think inmates in a prison would use such harsh language. I'm still trying to decide if I need to up the rating for future chapters due to extremely harsh language and some adult situations. I prefer to err on the side of caution and put the rating too high than too low.

For those that are wanting more JAM moments, they will come. However the first few chapters will be more like a regular episode with glimpses into the character's thoughts and feelings.

Disclaimer: The show Flashpoint and its characters were created by Mark Ellis and Stephanie Morgenstern and belong to them and the networks who air the episodes. Since the show has ended, our only way of getting new Flashpoint is through fan fiction. This story is my attempt to help fill the void, and the only profit I make is the warm fuzzy feeling reviews give me. Anything that does not come directly from the show is my own creation and should not be used without my permission.

Break Out

Chapter 2

"Jules?" Sam screamed into his headset. His heart had skipped several beats when the explosion had blasted through his ear. Jules's name was repeated by every member of Team One after he called out to her. He held his breath expecting to hear coughing and then a report of "no harm." He was pretty sure that despite any reassurances, she would still be injured- the blast had sounded too close to her for her not to have been, but hearing her claim to be okay would at least temporarily make him feel better until he was on scene and could see her condition for himself.

"Jules, status report." Sarge's plea was the last one to come through. There was still no answer. There was not even the static and confusion that they should be hearing after such an explosion. It was just dead.

Ed shook his head. "Maybe her radio was damaged."

Raf frowned. "If it was bad enough to damage her radio, what would it have done to Jules?"

Sam didn't want to hear that. He wanted to hear that everything was fine. He would be worried if it had been anyone in the team in that position. This went way beyond that. It wasn't just that their teammate was by herself across town without back up during an explosion. This was Jules, and she was more than just a teammate. So much more. It was taking everything in him to be as calm as he was. He looked at Spike. "What do you think, Spike? How bad of an explosion was it?"

The demolition's expert looked positively sick. At any other time Sam would have realized that this explosion was reminding Spike of the one that had taken Lew. But it wasn't even in Sam's capabilities to think of that now. Spike shook his head. "I can't tell just from hearing the explosion. It was a damn explosion and maybe right on top of her. Isn't that bad enough? We gotta get there. What are we standing around here for?"

His question spurred everyone into motion. Without hesitation Sarge directed Sam and Spike toward the SUV he was going to while Ed and Raf went to the other. Sarge took a deep breath. "Winnie, get the warden back on the line. Find out what the hell just happened. Tell him we're en-route to the prison. Get Team Four on standby."

"Copy that, Boss."

Sarge climbed into the driver's side of the SUV. There was no way he was going to let either Sam or Spike drive. He knew Ed and Raf were concerned about Jules, but he also knew Jules's apparent plight would affect Sam and Spike more than the other two. Greg turned off his transmitter as he put the SUV into drive. He glanced at the other two and motioned for them to do the same.

"Sam, Spike, I know you're worried. I am too. However, we won't know what we're dealing with until we get there and get more information. For now, we have to trust that Jules can take care of herself. What I need to know right is that both of you can stay objective. I know you want to be involved in whatever is going on, and I don't particularly want to turn things completely over to Team 4. I don't think you want that either, but if it's what's best for Jules and what's going on at the prison, then I'll do it."

"We can handle it, Boss." Sam promised. He would promise anything to stay on the call. He would promise and then follow through with that promise. Not just because he didn't want to be left out of helping Jules but because failure to do so would have ramifications that would far exceed just this case. It wouldn't be the first time he'd had to push his concern and protective instinct aside to follow the priority of life. He'd done it when the bio lab had exploded a few months ago and Jules had been trapped inside, bleeding and breathing in dangerous anthrax spores. It had been hard, especially when he had to walk past Jules and rescue the injured civilian instead of scooping her up in his arms like he'd wanted to. It had been hard, but he'd done it. Because of that moment, he and Jules had proven themselves capable of handling a relationship while remaining on the team. No matter what, he would do the same now. Although he hoped that this time wouldn't prove to be as dangerous as that last time.

Spike didn't answer from his spot in the back seat of the SUV. Sarge glanced over to ther rearview mirror to look back at the young man who seemed lost in his thoughts. "Spike? Buddy, you okay?"

Finally Spike nodded ever so briefly, but he really wasn't sure what question he was answering. An explosion. Why was it always an explosion that threatened - sometimes more than threatened - his friends? Losing Lew to the land mine had been a worst nightmare come true. Sometimes still at night he woke up from nightmares reliving that moment when Lew stepped off the mine and ended any chance him of saving him. Sometimes those nightmares morphed so that instead of Lew it was one of his other teammates. More recently those nightmares also forced him to relive the moment of seeing the four dots that represented his friends and teammates disappear from the screen after David Fleming's men had set off the C4 charges in the Metro Evidence Depot. Those moments when he thought he'd led four of his friends to their deaths - again by explosion- would forever haunt him. Now, he had no way of knowing if Jules was alive or just seriously injured thanks to yet another explosion. Was there something he could have done differently? Could he have reacted quicker to her comment about a suspicious package that would have gotten her to safety before it exploded? Why hadn't he been the one gathering intelligence during the call instead of Jules? If he'd been there at the prison, wouldn't he have had a better chance of preventing whatever had exploded from being successful?

"Sarge," Winnie's voice came through all their headsets even though she was addressing Greg. "talked to the warden. Best he can tell, there were about a dozen simultaneous small-scale explosions all through Detention Block C. He's lost contact with the guards inside that building as well as CCTV. He believes the inmates in that block have tried to stage a break out but so far no one has emerged from the building, including Jules."

Sarge turned his transmitter back on. "Copy that. Go ahead and have Team Four respond as well. We're going to need the help."

"Copy that."

Greg glanced in the rearview mirror to where Spike still seemed more lost in his thoughts than present in the vehicle. "Spike, we're going to need floor plans for Detention C."

Broken from his reverie, Spike nodded and reached for his computer, pulling up the requested information. Sam looked over at Sarge. He was trying not to think about inmates in a maximum security prison trying to break out of the building Jules was trapped in. He could remember the last hot call that had taken them inside a prison's walls. Desperate men like that could do desperate things. They were hard to talk down because they had nothing to lose. "Are we still going to go in less lethal?"

Sarge nodded. "You know the answer without asking, Sam. Right now the best thing going about this situation is that our subjects are not armed."

Sam just looked at him. "Except for explosives. How the hell do inmates get their hands on explosives?

"Not that difficult." Spike muttered almost under his breath as he pulled up the schematics for the detention centre. "Between the laundry and the kitchen, they would have access to seemingly innocent materials that in the right hands could be rigged for a homemade explosive. Especially 'small-scale' explosions like the warden reported. All it would take is someone with a little chemistry know-how. "

Sam frowned, still frustrated with not knowing anything. The fact that it was a small-scale explosion should have made him feel better. Small-scale suggested less damage, less chance that Jules had been severely injured. He couldn't feel better, couldn't relax his guard until he knew for sure she was okay. Actually make that, he couldn't relax until she was standing beside him doing her best to assure him and everyone else that she was fine regardless as to what the evidence truly said.

As Sarge pulled up to the gate at Toronto East Detention Centre, it automatically opened. The guards at the gate had apparently been alerted that they were coming and were ready for them. Spike, who was able to push aside his emotions now that he had a task to focus on, was able to direct Greg straight to Detention Block C. Jules's SUV was already parked in front of the building, and Greg pulled in beside it. Ed was pulling up behind. Sarge looked over at the two men riding with him.

"Okay, Team, let's go find Jules."

- FP - FP - FP -

Jules slowly regained her senses. Her stomach threatened to upend itself, reminding her of the one time she'd ever experienced seasickness. Even before opening her eyes, she was assessing her situation. Her body was in motion but not of its own power. She wasn't floating on a boat somewhere but was being dragged. She could feel unfamiliar hands grasping her under her armpits. She could also hear someone breathing heavily but it didn't appear to be coming from directly above her.

"Shit, Dog, this dude weighs a ton. How come you got the pretty girl and I get this tub of lard."

Jules could tell the complaining voice was coming from her right and was the source of the heavy breathing. She wanted to open her eyes but held back. She wasn't quite sure what exactly was going on but she was pretty sure she could get more information if she pretended to still be unconscious.

"Quit bellyaching' about everything, Snake. You just want to have an opportunity to cop a feel."

"Hell yeah, Dog. Like that's not why you grabbed her so quick. Why we even taking this lug hostage anyway? I'm surprised he even still alive but he ain't gonna stay that way long. He a mess."

Again Jules wanted to vomit. Were they talking about Parker Douglas, the guard that had been escorting her out of the prison? She remembered him seeing the trash bag sitting in the hallway, remembered reporting the suspicious package to Sarge, remembered warning Douglas not to touch the back, remembered the guard ignoring her warning, but most of all remembered the sudden explosion throwing her back against the wall. She wasn't an expert on demolitions the way Spike was, but she knew all too well the effects that even a small explosion could have on a person. The bomb had been right in the guard's hand. How could he have survived such a close blast?

She pushed aside her worry for the man she'd only just met. Worrying about his condition wouldn't help him or her get out of this situation. Even with her head pounding she could figure out that her visit to the prison to talk to Barrett had coincided with an attempted prison break. She was thankful she had followed protocol and left her gun locked in the SUV. At least she hadn't added a loaded weapon into the mix.

First, she concentrated on what her body was telling her. She needed an idea of how injured she was in order to properly plan how to proceed. Her head was pounding and her ears were ringing. The former she was sure was from colliding with the wall and the latter was probably from the explosion itself. As her body was dragged down the hall, the movement made her more than a little aware of various bruises and aches. Fortunately though, she couldn't feel any signs of serious injury. That was good; whatever was coming, she'd be able to fight back if necessary. And fight back she would.

The grip on her arms was suddenly released. Her body dropped to the floor, and she was unable to suppress a slight groan as the movement jarred her sore body. The toe of a shoe nudged her.

"Look who's wakin' up. You just stay put if you know what's good for you."

Knowing it was no use pretending any longer, Jules opened her eyes. Her first glance was down at herself to confirm her earlier assessment of her injuries. No major injuries that she could see. She did notice that her Kevlar vest had been removed as well as the rest of her gear. The rest of her uniform was intact; a fact that made her feel better after hearing the two men talking about copping a feel.

Next she glanced over at Parker Douglas. Her heart sank. The guard was unconscious and it was probably a good thing that he was. No matter how small an explosion is, when you are at ground zero of it, it's huge. He'd lost a lot of blood; his uniform was drenched from the waist down to his mid-thigh. The hand that had held the bag had taken the brunt of the blast. He hadn't lost the hand in the explosion itself but whether a doctor would be able to save it later was uncertain. It was obvious to her that he needed a doctor sooner rather than later.

Finally, she looked at her captors. They were dressed in the standard uniforms but the one who had been dragging had added her utility belt and empty holster. The only thing missing from her gear was the Kevlar vest. She imagined the only reason it had been left behind was that since it was fitted to her small frame, it wouldn't fit him. She wasn't sure what good the rest of her gear would do him but she was pretty sure him wearing it was more of taunt at her than anything else. Though he had a hard look in his eyes and seemed to command loyalty, she wouldn't have given him a second glance if she'd seen him in regular clothes out on the streets. The other man, however, looked wild and dangerous. Looked every bit like the monsters Douglas had been talking about just before finding the bomb. He was small and wiry, but had a wild predatory look that reminded her of a rabid dog or the slithery reptile he was named for.

Her gut instinct was to reach out and grab the ankle of the man nearest her. The one who had dragged her from the hallway where the explosion had taken place to this more unknown area of the prison detention block. Even battered and bruised, she could have him on the floor and incapacitated before he knew what had hit him. She held back, however. She couldn't risk more harm coming Douglas. What really stilled her hand, however, was the approach of about ten more inmates. They didn't look happy.

"Dog, there ain't no van waiting outside. What's going down? You said you'd have our ride out of here waiting when we got here. You settin' us up?"

The guy who had dragged her - was Dog really his nickname or was it a general expression - seemed to be the leader of this band. Jules watched him carefully. He fiddled with the long flashlight on her utility belt. "I know it ain't there. Something must have delayed him. It was too late to stop the diversion when I realized Lenny was late. We'll have to improvise. That's why I said to grab the guards and bring them here. Warden Hardass will have to give us what we want if we're threatening his men."

One of the newcomers indicated Jules with a jerk of his head. "I don't ever recall that vision of loveliness tucking me in at night. Maybe in my wettest dreams but not in reality. Where'd she come from?"

"How the hell do I know? She was on the way out so we got lucky." He reached back to the utility belt and removed the supply of zip cuffs. He kept one and tossed the rest to one of the other inmates. "Make sure the guards are secured. Don't want them getting ideas of being a hero. You did get them all, right?"

"We couldn't find Curtis." One of the men, whose eyes had never left Jules, admitted. "He ain't nowhere to be found. Guess he turned yellow when he heard the explosions and got the hell out of Dodge."

Dog- or whatever his name was- rolled Jules over on to her stomach and grabbed her wrists. Again, she contemplated struggling but knew at this point it would be futile. She allowed him to slip the plastic around her wrists and winced when he drew the cuff tighter than was necessary. She refused to give him the satisfaction of making an audible protest. She lifted her head and twisted it so that she could look up at him, keeping a calm expression on her face.

"Look, it sounds like you've got plenty of hostages. Parker is hurt and needs immediate medical care. Why not let him go? If you let something happen to him, then things aren't going to go well for you."

He just laughed. "You should worry more about yourself than him. I think we'll keep him. Give them a reason to hurry up and make us happy." He grabbed her arms and pulled her to her feet. She wobbled just a moment before she regained her balance. He looked at the others. "Get Douglas in there with the rest of guards. I got a few questions for our guest here."

There was some grumbling but the rest did as they were told. Dog shoved Jules brutally up against the wall, his arm across the top part of her chest just below her neck. "So that uniform of yours says J. Callaghan. What does the J stand for? Something deliciously sexy and feminine like Jade, something ordinary and sensible like Jane, or maybe since you're a little girl playing in a man's world, you've got a name to go alone with that like Jo."

Jules didn't want to cooperate with him at all. But she also knew it was in her best interest to make him see her as a person. Harder to eventually kill someone that you've gotten to know. "Jules. My name is Jules Callaghan. I'm with…"

"SRU," Dog finished for her. With his other hand, he fingered the patch on her sleeve. "I can read." His hand drifted further in to touch the patch on her left pocket. She didn't react to the fact that he was essentially touching her breast, especially when he started to stroke the area almost sensually. She kept her eyes directly on his, his touch infuriated her but she refused to let him see that it bothered her. No reaction at all was usually the best way to handle unwanted advances, even if the one making the pass was a convicted inmate. He grinned. "I also see where it says you are a sniper. I guess that makes you pretty dangerous, huh? At least with a gun."

Jules narrowed her eyes. There was such a thing as not making a reaction and another for being a doormat. Jules Callaghan was no doormat. "Cut these cuffs off me and I'll show you how dangerous I am even without a gun."

He took a step closer to her, pressing her more firmly into the wall, pinning her there with his body. "I'll be more than happy to see how dangerous you are. Later though. When I show you my 'gun' I don't plan on there being an audience. What are you doing here?"

She thought about making a quip that she hadn't had much choice considering he'd dragged her unconscious body through the detention centre. But she knew it was better not to antagonize the man any more than was necessary. "I was here interviewing an inmate. Do you really think the warden is going to give in to your demands?"

His grin just widened. "He will unless he wants nine dead guards."

Jules noticed he didn't say anything about her. She resisted the urge to shudder, realizing whatever he had planned for her would happen whether his demands were met or not. She knew several things he didn't know however. One, there was no way she was going to let him or anyone of the men in that room lay a finger on her without a fight the likes they'd never seen before whether her hands were bound or not. Two, he wasn't going to be going through the warden to even give his demands. She had a feeling the rest of the team was already outside the detention block setting up a command post. That led her to the third and perhaps the most important thing she knew that Dog didn't. Team One - Sam - would never allow anything like what he was insinuating to happen to her. All she had to do was bide her time, ignore the headache and other aches and pain she'd suffered in the explosion, protect herself and the others as best she could, and give her teammates time to work their magic.

He shoved her inside the big room. Jules realized they were in the laundry room for the detention block. It made sense for it to be the location they had gathered in for the escape. There were several large washing machines and driers but what made it an attractive location in Jules's eyes was the exterior door. She knew some prisons used a laundry service and some required inmates to do the laundry themselves to be productive. She wasn't sure what system The East used. She scanned the room, trying not to be obvious about her examination while at the same time taking in everything.

With the exception of Parker Douglas, the other guards appeared bruised but relatively unharmed. The inmates had spread them out so they weren't close enough to whisper to each other and make plans. Jules thought that was smart of them; too many times hostage takers put all their hostages in one place to make it easier to watch them but neglected to think about how the disadvantages.

She counted at least twenty-five inmates gathered in the room hoping to escape. She knew the detention block could house about four times that many. She wondered if the missing 80 or so inmates were still locked in their cells or were roaming loose somewhere else in the building. She didn't see Barrett in the room, but she wasn't really surprised. Given the recent beatings he'd taken, she didn't see him fitting in enough to join with a group that was trying to break out.

Dog pushed her down to sit in front of one of the industrial driers. She thought back to the innate telling him that Curtis was the only guard that was unaccounted for. Wasn't Curtis the guard who was supposed to have escorted Barrett back to his cell? She hoped Barrett hadn't done something foolish in his anger over revealing what had actually happened that night at the mall.

"So what? We're just gonna sit here and wait on every fucking cop in Toronto to arrive?" A man whose arms were larger than most men's legs stood in front of Dog, those imposing arms crossed against his chest. "You swore this was a foolproof plan, Dog. Now I want out of here and I want out now. How you gonna make that happen?"

Dog didn't seem intimidated at all. "Relax, by tonight, this place will be nothing but a memory. Let the cops come; ain't like they're gonna come in here guns blazing and risk killing their buddies. I imagine we'll be hearing from the warden any minute now. Have a little faith, Bear."

Dog? Snake? Bear? Was she in a prison or a zoo? Jules had to admit the way she was being stared at made her feel like she was in a zoo. "Look, I know the main infirmary is in a different building but surely you've got some sort of medical supplies. It won't do you any good if Parker dies before you even get a chance to make your demands. At least bandage his wounds and give him a chance to live."

She couldn't help but plead the guard's case one more time. His skin had turned really pale and she was worried that he'd lost so much blood that nothing would save him. She had to do everything in her power to prevent that.

Dog glanced over at her first and then over at Parker. Then he looked back at Bear. "You're about the only one here with any sort of medical training. Go get the first aid kit and see what you can do for him. Flannery, take Smithers and Andrews down to the kitchen and get what you can food wise. We don't want to go hungry. I'm going to see if I can get someone to pick up on the house phone. Get our demands out there."

It was as if the men knew better than to really go against his orders. The four men left the laundry as Dog went to the beige phone on the wall. Snake approached her, grinning predatorily. She couldn't stop him from lifting her from her seated position and setting her on edge of the drier. He touched her cheek.

"Yeah, they can do all those things. Me, I've been waiting to get a piece of tail for almost six years now. I think you'll do just fine."

His lips captured hers in a hard, possessive kiss. His tongue tried to force its way past her lips but she'd clamped her mouth shut and wouldn't let him in. His hands skimmed down to her uniform shirt. Gripping both sides of her shirt, he gave it a yank causing buttons to go flying.