Author's Notes: As of right now, I'm thinking this chapter might be as strong as it gets, so I really don't want to raise the rating for this one chapter. Checking back over the ratings, I think it can still fall under the heading of a T rating but be warned, this chapter is definitely a very strong T. It contains some stronger course language (including the F word a few times, but I have a hard time seeing hardened criminals not use it.) and mildly suggestive adult themes. If that bothers you, then you might not want to read the last section. I try very hard to follow the rules so if anyone thinks I should move the rating up, please let me know, and I'll be glad to change it. That being said, I hope you enjoy the chapter. Thanks for all the reviews so far. They mean the world to me.

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 3

"Sgt. Parker, we could have over 100 men on the loose in this building." Warden Jenkins paced back and forth in the small office just inside Detention C where the command post had been set up. "With CCTV out, the only way we have of knowing just how many are involved is to do a check of the entire building."

Greg frowned. He didn't want to send his people in without knowing more about what was going on with the prison break but he knew the warden had a point. He especially didn't like that they'd been on the scene more than twenty minutes and he still didn't know what was going on with Jules. He knew she could take care of herself in normal situations, but he had no way of knowing if she was injured from the blast. "Nobody has left the building. Inmates might be running free in the building but they've got to want more than just that. They've got to have demands. Why haven't they given them to us?"

"Boss, let us start a systematic sweep of the building." Sam argued. "Even going in less lethal, we've got a better chance of making a tactical move instead of waiting for them to make demands."

"Sam's got a point." Ed agreed. "We can at least get a better idea of what we're dealing with if we do reconnaissance. Get in there, find where they are holed up, where they have the hostages, make sure the inmates that aren't involved are secured…"

Greg waved off his arguments. "Yeah, yeah, I get it. It's a good plan. We've got to get eyes in somehow and it doesn't seem that it's going to be electronically. How are you going to go about it?"

Ed indicated the large floor plan of the building that that had been spread out on a desk. He pointed out the office they were in which was right at the door. The hallway the office opened to was relatively short before making a sharp turn to the right.

"I want to send Team Four up to the upper floors; that's where the cell blocks are. They can divide up into three groups- Charlie, Delta, and Echo - to secure those areas. I want Raf and Spike to be Bravo team on green. Sam and I'll be Alpha on red. Once those areas are clear, we'll both take black."

Greg was glad that Ed had thought to keep Sam close. The young man was holding himself together remarkably well given the circumstances but Greg knew it was killing him not knowing what had happened to Jules. He nodded. "Okay, do it. Reconnaissance and containment only at this point. Hold off on tactical if you find where the hostages are being kept until we know more about the threat they are facing."

Ed nodded. "Copy that."

After outlining the plan to the different teams, they broke off down the hallway. Each teach had a key card that would allow them access to the locked areas. As they moved along the hallway, Sam kept glancing down at his weapon or specifically the tape on the bottom of the clip that marked it as non-lethal. Ed noticed. He made sure their radios weren't transmitting so they could speak freely. "You'd rather be walking these halls with something other than rubber bullets, wouldn't you?"

Sam nodded slightly, barely glancing over at Ed. "Wouldn't you? I mean I understand why we can't go in fully armed…"

"But if it comes down to Jules being threatened, you'd rather have a solution you knew you could trust to end the situation." Ed finished for him. "I get it, Sam, I do. Same as I knew none of us were happy with just waiting around hoping the ones doing this are going to produce their demands."

Sam's frown seemed permanently etched on his face. "Demands we won't meet because we can't give them what we all know they are going to want - their freedom."

Ed knew what was really bothering him. "Jules is going to be fine, Sam. She's tough, and she can take care of herself."

"Yeah," Sam breathed out trying to sound unaffected. He consulted his PDA where the floor plan was displayed. "Looks like this hallway leads to the visitation rooms. It's possible they've gathered in the common area. It would be big enough to hold quite a few people."

Ed stopped in the middle of the hallway and turned to face the younger man.

"Sam, I know you're worried. Hell, we all are. You don't have to act like you aren't concerned about her."

Sam's expression never wavered but his blue eyes revealed his worry anyway. "Don't I? Seems like the chief made it pretty clear that even though Jules and I have been allowed to stay on the same team, that could change if we cross professional boundaries. I can do this; I can remain objective and do my job, just please don't ask me to dwell on what could be happening."

Ed nodded. "Okay, I just don't want you to feel like you've got to hide your feelings from me. We've all got your back just as much as we have Jules's."

Sam nodded as they started forward again. "Copy that. It's not just what the chief would say though. Imagine the hell Jules will give me or any of us when we get her back if she finds out we overreacted without information."

Ed couldn't help but smile at the thought. Sam did know Jules pretty well. Before he could respond, they both heard the clatter of boots coming their way. They both readied their weapons, ready to fire the rubber bullets if necessary. The figure rounded the corner and drew up short when he saw their guns.

"Don't shoot. I'm a guard here."

Both Sam and Ed lowered their guns just enough to remove the immediate threat but remained ready to resume their stance if the uniformed man before them proved to be lying. Ed took a step closer. "What's your name? How did you get here?"

Sam couldn't take his eyes off the object in the guard's hand. Kevlar vest, small enough to fit only one person he could think of. "Where did you get that?"

The guard still seemed nervous, as was evidenced by the way he was gripping the vest. He cleared his throat. "My name is Geoff Curtis. I was escorting a prisoner back to his cell when we heard several explosions. It caught me by surprise; I don't mind telling you. Browning got the drop on me, took my key card, pushed me into a supply closet, and locked me in. It took me a little while to use my knife to pry the bolt out of the hinges in order to get out. What's going on?"

Sam passed Ed and approached the guard. He wrenched the vest out of his hand. He could see the name Callaghan stitched on the back; no question that it was Jules's. "And this?" His voice was harsh and demanding, as if he were questioning a dangerous subject rather than an innocent victim.

The guard swallowed hard. "I found it just down the hall there. I guess it belonged to the officer who was talking to Browning. I didn't see any sign of her or Douglas. Just…." he didn't finished his statement, looking a little green.

"Just what?" Ed pressed. Ed stepped closer and checked the man's badge. The picture and the name matched both the man and the information he'd given.

The guard just shook his head, unable to answer. He just pointed back to the way he'd come. Sam and Ed continued down the hall. After they turned the corner, what had upset Curtis was pretty obvious even before they reached the area. Sam felt his stomach turn as they quickly approached.

Scorch marks indicated it was the site of one of the explosions that had been reported. What really drew their attention, though, was the blood that was splattered on the floor. So much blood that it had to have come from a serious injury. Shards of something metal also littered the surrounding area. Sam knelt down and studied the shrapnel carefully. His jaw rocked. "Looks like the bastards had the bomb set up to cause maximum damage even if it was small scale."

He looked down at the vest in his hands. He could see similar pieces of metal embedded in the material. The vest would have protected her torso but what about the rest of her? Was any of this blood hers?

Ed looked at the guard. "So you were with Barrett Browning when the explosions happened? Do you think he was a part of this?"

Curtis shrugged. "I don't even know what the hell 'this' is. He certainly didn't waste time taking my key card and locking me up. With that access card, he could be anywhere in this building or out of it. Hell, by this time he's probably slipped out one of the back doors and gotten clear out of the area. Look, do you know where Douglas is? We've worked together for years and he's a great officer and a good friend to boot. I'm worried about him."

"We don't know anything more than you do." Ed admitted. "We're going to find out though. We need you to get to safety first. We've got a command area set up in the office. We've cleared the area between here and there so you'll be fine so long as you don't deviate. Tell Sgt. Parker everything you've told us."

The guard swallowed hard and nodded nervously. Without any protest, he turned and disappeared down the way Ed and Sam had come from. Once the two SRU officers were along, Ed continued to survey the scene.

"Looks like whoever was doing the bleeding was dragged that way." Ed pointed out to Sam, ignoring the guard. "I'm going to get Raf and Spike to join us. I think this blood trail is going to lead us right to our subjects."

Sam visibly flinched. Ed looked at him. "Sam, we don't know that all or any of this blood belongs to Jules. She could be just fine."

Sam gripped the vest he was holding tightly. It was as if holding it was the same as holding Jules. Ed was right; they didn't know if or how badly Jules was hurt, no more so than they'd known since the explosion itself. But he did know that Jules was missing. If she was unharmed or not in danger, they would have heard from her by now. Her silence and absence told him enough. Jules was in the hands of dangerous men and could be seriously injured. He couldn't get past that thought. He looked back at Ed. "You really believe that?"

Ed nodded. "I'm going to believe that until or unless I get proof positive that I'm wrong."

"Ed, Sam," Spike's voice came over the headset. "We've got subjects in sight."

- FP - FP - FP -

As Snake ripped her uniform shirt open and sent buttons flying every where, the other inmates let out catcalls. Jules figured for most of them, it had probably been years since they'd seen a woman's breasts. Fortunately that hadn't changed with the ripping of her shirt. The black t-shirt she always wore beneath her uniform kept her covered. She'd never been more glad to be wearing it than she was right then.

Even though her skin was still covered, it didn't stop Snake's hands from exploring. He groped her even through the material even as his lips never left hers. She couldn't deny that she was afraid; only a fool wouldn't be in her situation. However, she'd never been one to give in to fear, and she certainly wasn't one to let someone try to take advantage of her without a fight.

Her hands might be restrained behind her back, but her legs were free. Snake had straddled them as he had pressed his advantage. She kicked upward, catching him unawares as she made contact with his groin. With a curse, Snake released her and took a step back. His reaction was swift as he backhanded her savagely.

Jules didn't hesitate either. Even as her already pounding head reeled from the slap, she was drawing her legs up and kicking out. This time she caught him square in the chest. Snake flew backward, landing heavily on the floor. Even though she'd taken him by surprise, he didn't wallow in it. Almost immediately, he scrambled back to his feet and launched himself back at her.

He swept her off the drier to the floor, pinning her beneath him. One hand grabbed her jaw and squeezed painfully. He was breathing hard. "You little bitch. You like it rough? Good, so do I so long as I'm the one doing the roughing. You gonna wish you'd just been nice to me. Now I'm gonna fuck you so hard you're eyes are going to bug out."

She struggled as much as she could considering her hands were pinned beneath her. She kicked at him and spat out her own string of curses. His hand that wasn't gripping her jaw roamed down to her waist. He was trying to pull her t-shirt up to reveal what he hadn't been able to show when he'd ripped her uniform. Even thought he was straddling her body and outweighed her by at least forty pounds, her thrashing about made his efforts difficult. Balling his hand into a fist, he punched her several times in the stomach. The grip on her jaw tightened, making her momentarily wonder if it was possible for a human hand to crush the jawbone into pieces.

Around them, the other inmates were still making catcalls and laughing at Snake. One asked if Snake needed help controlling a helpless woman. Jules bristled at the idea of being called helpless; she'd show him who was helpless. The imprisoned guards were also calling out in protest of what Snake had tried to do instead of encouragement.

Suddenly his weight was thrown off her. She was breathing hard and wasn't sure how much fight was still left in her if he came back for another try. She'd give it everything she could because there was no way she was going to let him get what he was after without a struggle.

Dog was standing over her but was glaring at Snake. "What the hell do you think you're doing? We ain't got time for this shit."

"Damn you, Dog; what'd you do that for? I'm gonna teach that Bitch a lesson. In case you ain't noticed, right now all we got is time until you figure out how we're getting out of here. After six years of not getting anything, you really expect me to leave that untapped? Just looking at her, even in that uniform, has me so hard I can't stand it."

Since Snake was still lying on the ground where he'd sprawled after Dog had shoved him off Jules, Dog lashed out, kicking him solidly in the leg. "Then do what you've done for the last six years - probably longer seeing as how you probably couldn't even pay a whore to sleep with you. Take care of it yourself. Ain't nobody getting a piece of her until I've had my fill of her. That's not gonna happen until we're out of here. You got that? After that the rest of you can do whatever the hell you want to her. Until then, hands off."

Snake pouted. "Aw, come on, Dog. Just because you want to wait for some damn reason, why should the rest of us? Let me just get a little taste of her. What would it hurt?"

Dog leaned down. "You and just about every man in this room wants a piece of her just from seeing her. You go fucking her and getting the room smelling all of sex and it's gonna be like sharks smelling blood in the ocean. Nobody's gonna be thinking about getting out of here. They're gonna be thinking with another piece of their anatomy other than their brains. That's fine when we're out of here but until then I need think thinking straight."

Snake snorted. "Like we're not doing that already."

Glaring, Dog narrowed his eyes. "You don't like following my orders, you don't have to stay. There's a cell upstairs with your name on it and you can go another six years without fucking something other than your hand. Got it?"

Snake nodded, but it was obvious he wasn't happy about it. "You better hurry up and get us out of here, Dog, or you won't be able to stop any of us from having our way with her."

Dog turned his back on Snake and looked down to where Jules was still lying on the ground trying to get her breath back from Snake's assault. She'd been watching the exchange in silence, almost fascinated that one of her captors was protecting her virtue from the others. She didn't delude herself. She heard what he was saying all too clearly. He wouldn't have any problem allowing and even participating in every vile act Snake had been set on doing to her. This was a delay not a stop.

However a delay was a good start. A delay would give her time to catch her breath and prepare mentally and physically for a second attack. A delay would give the team time to back her up with either a successful negotiation or a tactical plan that would bring this to a close. She trusted her own skills but she worked with a team for a reason. One person against all these men wasn't good odds but those odds increased exponentially when you put the whole team on it.

Even though she was watching what was going on, she wasn't prepared for Dog to suddenly turn on her and kick her as solidly in the ribs as he'd earlier kicked Snake. She folded up and let out a gasp of pain and a mild curse. Before she could recover from the kick to her already sore ribs, Dog kicked her again, this time hitting her upper thigh. Immediately she felt sharp needle-like sensations piercing her leg.

"Shit, ouch."

No way in hell a kick should hurt that much. Jules thought. Her eyes were watering from the pain but she still managed to glance down at her leg. She was surprised to see dots of blood along the outside of her left thigh. There was no way a kick would cause such an injury nor the fiery pain that was accompanying it. Had she been hurt worse in the explosion than she thought? Injuries that had hidden themselves among the other aches and pains of being thrown against the wall but had made themselves known when aggravating by the sudden kick? She glanced again and saw black dots poking out of the pants legs at the blood sites. She mentally cursed again. With everything that had happened, she hadn't even realized she'd caught shrapnel in her leg in the explosion. Even though it hurt like anything, she didn't think it had caused serious damage, even where Dog had kicked her.

Dog knelt down beside her, a new plastic zip cuff in his hands. "Don't think I'm trying to help you. Once we're out of here I don't give a shit what happens to you. In fact I'm going to love hearing you scream until you have no voice left. That's got to wait until I can enjoy every minute of your pain. For now though, I've got to make sure no one else gets any ideas on fucking you until then."

He slipped the zip cuff around both her ankles and tightened the cuff much like he'd done when he had restrained her hands. There wasn't as much give with her ankles as there had been with her wrists but the tightness was just as painful. She welcomed the pain though because it meant it would be harder for her captors to give in to their sexual urges. Dog stood and looked at the other men.

"Anybody loosens those cuffs answers to me. You got that?" Seeing no protests, Dog stood again. "Now, if no one has any more delays for us, I'm going to call in our demands like I was trying to earlier. The sooner I can do that, the sooner we can get out of this hellhole and start having some real fun. Any objections?"

There were none. If she'd had any doubts before, Jules now knew exactly who was in charge here. She wasn't sure if it made her feel better or worse to know the other inmates listened so closely to his orders. She rolled just slightly to her right, away from the side that was burning with pain and managed with great difficulty to get to a sitting position once more. Lying on the ground made her feel too vulnerable.

Once she was upright, one of the guards just a couple of meters away from her looked at her and mouthed a question if she was okay. She nodded slightly. It wasn't the whole truth but compared to the alternative she was just fine. She looked to her right where Douglas was lying on the floor, the only captive that wasn't bound, not that they could use that to their advantage. Bear hadn't returned with the medical supplies yet. She couldn't tell much from where she was but it didn't look like the injured guard was doing well.

Jules suddenly had a feeling of being watched. She turned her head slightly and realized that Snake was sitting right beside her with his face just centimeters from hers. She jumped slightly before she could control her reaction. She hadn't expected to see him there so close to her face, or maybe she half hoped he would slink off somewhere and sulk after what had happened with Dog.

His eyes were fairly dancing and he looked more reptilian than he had previously. He smirked at her. "I guess you think he saved you, huh? Got you all trussed up so me and the other boys can't play? He ain't done shit, Bitch. All he's done is make me want you even more. Once I finally do get my hands on you, you gonna wish we'd killed you to start with. That's a promise."

He leaned in even closer, ready to kiss her once more. Jules turned her head trying to avoid his slobbering attempt, but Snake grabbed hold of her ponytail and gave her hair a yank, holding her in place. Once more his lips covered hers and his tongue tried to slip past her tightly clenched lips. Seeing she wasn't going to cooperate, Snake bit down hard on her slightly protruding lower lip. Then he laughed and stood up.

Jules tasted something coppery and knew he'd drawn blood with his bite. She couldn't help but wonder if a person could get rabies from a snake bite or would she just have to worry about his venom? Before she could ponder the question too much or think about whether the punchy way her thoughts had gone meant she was experiencing a little bit of shock, Bear returned carrying a large medical box. He knelt beside Parker Douglas and started to treat his wounds. Jules watched him carefully.

"Dog said you had medical training. Is that true?"

Bear nodded, barely paying her any attention. "Yeah, I was a combat medic in the army. This bastard doesn't look much different from some of the soldiers I treated in Afghanistan. Although he might be a sight worse off then any of them."

If Sam were there, he'd probably be able to find a connection with Bear that might help them get out of this mess. Who was she kidding? If Sam were there, he'd still be tearing Snake limb from limb for what he'd tried. Thinking of Sam made her want to smile and cry at the same time. She considered herself a strong person and could handle just about anything that was thrown at her, but she couldn't deny that right then, she would love to have Sam put his arms around her and just hold her as tightly as he could. She sniffled slightly. She couldn't give in to such thoughts yet. She was going to get out of this mess and then there would be plenty of time to let Sam care for and comfort her. Until then she had to stay focused on the moment.

"Is he going to be okay?"

Bear continued wrapping gauze around the worst of Douglas's injuries. He barely glanced her way. "You just better hope your buddies on the outside don't try to stall for time. Cause he ain't got none to spare."

She glanced back over to the wall phone where Dog was making his demands. She wondered if he was talking to Sarge. She would bet anything that he was. Just the thought that her team could be that close made her feel slightly better. No doubt for a call of this magnitude they'd called up another team - probably Team Four if she was remembering the rotation schedule correctly - to assist but Team One would be primary on the call. Not just because it was their shift but because when it came to negotiation and successfully resolving difficult calls, Team One was the best. Sarge would be on the other end of the phone, listening to Dog's demands while calmly trying to negotiate either the hostages' releases or at the very least information that would help the team. At the same time, Ed would have a tactical plan in motion to back up Sarge and to be prepared if negotiations failed. They worked well as a team, she thought with pride. They were her team, and even if she was in danger, she could help do her part. She took a deep breath, trying to push away the increased pain in order to focus.

"Bear, as a former medic, I know you don't want him to die. You were trained to save lives. You just said it yourself, he doesn't have much time. You can save him."

The big man looked at her, his eyes dark and stormy. "You don't even know why I'm in here. How do you know I don't want to see him die?"

Her heart was beating a little more rapidly and she wasn't sure if it was the situation or her injuries causing it. She took some sniper breaths, silently willing herself to calm down. She was treading on thin ice. She missed having Sarge's voice in her ear giving her advice and warnings during a difficult negotiation. She missed not have Sam's expertise on the mind of a soldier to help guide. Missed the team, especially Sam, in general. "Because you saw enough death when you served. The lives of soldiers you tried to treat in the field and couldn't save no matter how hard you worked. Give Parker Douglas a chance to live."

Bear shook his head. "I've done all I can, and you've said all I care to listen to. Shut up before I shut you up."

Jules realized she was treading on thin ice but also knew the guard didn't have the luxury of time to move more cautiously. "You could convince Dog to let him go. You've got me and the other guards as hostages and releasing Parker to get medical help will be a gesture of good faith to my team out there. You let him die when he could be saved and they aren't going to be as willing to help you." She wouldn't promise it would make Sarge or the warden release them. She knew there was no way they would let twenty-five potentially dangerous inmates leave the prison, and she wasn't going to lie to a subject. She hoped that it would at least make him think it was a possibility though so he would do the right thing.

Instead, she was caught by surprise at his next move. His large beefy hand swung back as he backhanded her in roughly the same place that Snake had earlier. Only Bear's hand felt twice as large and three times as heavy as Snake's had. Her head snapped to the side with the force of the blow; she saw stars and once again found herself sprawled on the floor. It felt like his hand had covered an entire side of her face, and she wondered if he'd broken her jaw with the blow.

"I told you I'd shut you up." He got up and walked away from her, not seeming to care if she was injured or not.

Jules just continued to lie there. Tears filled her eyes. The latest pain coupled with what she'd already experienced was almost too much for her. She didn't want to cry though. Not in front of all these men. It wasn't so much because she didn't want to appear to be weak but more because she didn't want to give them the satisfaction of having made her cry.

With that determination in mind, she put her shoulder to the floor and used it to push herself back up to a seated position. She moved her jaw up and down, wincing at the pain the movement caused but glad that it would move. Maybe he hadn't broken her jaw after all.

Suddenly a hand closed over her mouth, aggravating her injuries but silencing the hiss of pain at the same time. A voice spoke low in her ear. "Don't make a sound. I'm about to get you out of here."