Author's Notes: So sorry for the delay; school started back this week after the Christmas break and it's always hard getting back into the swing of things. I am blown away by the feedback I've gotten for this story. I'm glad that you are enjoying it and I hope that continues.

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 4

Ed and Sam exchanged a look and Ed reached to turn his transmitter back on. "Talk to me, Spike. What do you have?"

"Three subjects in prison uniforms. They look like they are raiding the kitchen; maybe getting supplies to take back to the others? Do you want us to detain or just maintain surveillance?"

Ed was about to answer to just to watch and follow; he and Sam might be on to something with the direction of the blood stains on the floor that indicated where someone - hopefully not Jules from the amount of the blood - had been dragged toward, but he couldn't be one hundred percent certain his theory would pan out. Obviously the three raiding the kitchen would eventually go back to where the others were holed up and they'd find Jules and the other guards. Before he could get the words out of his mouth though, Greg interjected through the radio.

"Spike, any sign of the hostages?"

"Negative, these three are alone and they don't seem to be in communication with anyone."

"Detain them. We need to get a line on who we are dealing with and these three can give us that information."

Ed didn't contradict the call, didn't protest that it was a tactical decision and one he should be making. He understood why Greg had made the decision and while it might not have been his first choice, he couldn't say it was a bad one. He saw that Sam didn't look happy though. Once again, Ed turned off his transmitter.

"Sam, we need the information."

"And if the others involved realize we've arrested three of their people and take it out on Jules and the others?"

"Honestly, I don't think they will. Retaliation of that sort suggests a level of loyalty that I don't think exists here. I think the whole 'no honor among thieves' will play in here. I don't think whoever is leading things is going to be too upset to suddenly be three less in the break out attempt."

Sam let out a huff of frustration. "You hope."

Ed nodded, understanding the frustration only too well. "Yeah, I hope. And if we take the other option? Let these three lead us back to where the others are? We have three more potentially dangerous subjects threatening harm to the hostages. Either option we take has potential dangers for Jules and the guards."

Sam nodded, almost reluctantly. He was acknowledging the truth of Ed's words not necessarily his total agreement with the assessment. "So how do you and I proceed? Whoever lost this blood doesn't have a lot of time."

"Spike," Ed spoke into the radio in answer to Sam's question. "Can you and Raf handle things on your end without Sam and me?"

"Sure, no problem. You got something on your end?"

"Sam and I have found where Jules was more than likely captured. There's a blood trail and we're checking it out. Boss, you better have EMS on standby."

"Already taken care of. Be careful, Eddie, we don't know who or what we're dealing with here."

Ed figured the guard had already reached the office and filled them in on what he'd discovered. He acknowledged Greg's concern and then turned to Sam. "Let's go find Jules."

- FP - FP - FP -

Jules recognized the voice in her ear, but it didn't cause her to relax. It wasn't the voice she wanted to hear: the warm, reassuring voice that never failed to make her stomach do tiny flips or send a tingle of desire down her spine. Barring that, she could have been happy if the promise of rescue had come from any of the equally familiar voices of her teammates, men she trusted implicitly day in and day out. Instead, the voice belonged to someone who, the last time she'd heard it, had been filled with anger and just maybe a hint of malice. It wasn't one to inspire relief or promise of safety. She narrowed her eyes, but nodded slightly to show she wouldn't scream. Not that screaming or making a sound would help her in this room where the only ones who would want to help her were similarly restrained. But the hand crushed against her sore mouth released her and the body that went with the hand and voice came into her vision.

Barrett Browning didn't look any happier to see her than he had when she'd left the conference room. The way he looked her over from head to toe was vastly different from the looks Snake had given her before he'd attacked her but didn't make Jules feel any safer. She frowned.

"You're a part of this?" She hissed out in barely a whisper. He hadn't been in the room earlier, she'd specifically looked for him without really thinking he would be involved. Her gut had said he'd gotten caught up trying to protect his brother but wasn't really dangerous. Now seeing him kneeling in front of her made her question that feeling.

Barrett recoiled as if she'd slapped him. "Of course not. Every bruise on me has one of their names on it. I wouldn't have anything to do with anything they planned - not that they would have included me. Curtis was escorting me back when the explosions happened. I took advantage of it. Shoved Curtis in a supply closet, grabbed his key card, and took off. I was going to take advantage of the craziness of whatever was happening and get out of here. Go find my brother and get him out of the country before you and your buddies ruin his life. Then I saw your vest and the blood and knew you hadn't gotten out. I shouldn't give a damn what happens to you after what you did. I should have just ignored it and kept going."

"Why didn't you?" It wasn't an accusation.

"My mom raised me and Gary on the idea that you didn't hurt a woman. As I walked away from the evidence that you were in danger I could feel her disapproval from the grave. I couldn't leave you at the mercy of these animals no matter how much I might hate you. Mom would never forgive me if I did. I'm going to get you out of here. Even if it means I lose my chance to help Gary, I gotta do this."

Jules shook her head. "Get Parker Douglas out of here instead."

Barrett looked over at the injured guard. He frowned. "That's not what I risked my life and freedom to come in here for."

"You have to. He's injured."

Barrett looked down at the hand that he'd used to cover her mouth. Then he turned his palm out to show her. He didn't say anything but let the smear of red do the talking for him. She was injured as well.

"I'm fine. Nothing compared to him. He's going to die if he doesn't get medical attention. You've got to help him."

Barrett snorted derisively. "What do I care what happens to him? The only reason I even came back to help you is because I couldn't turn my back on what my mom taught me. It's not like him or any of the others ever did me any favors."

Jules glanced around the room. She wasn't sure how Browning had avoided detection so far, but she couldn't count on that luck lasting long. If they spotted Browning and realized he shouldn't have been there, then he wouldn't have an opportunity to get anyone out. She had to convince him to help Douglas. She took a deep breath, struggling not to wince at the pain the movement caused her sore ribs. "Barrett, you said earlier you don't do anything without thinking about the consequences, without making sure it was in the best interest of you and your brother. Did you mean that?"

The look he gave her was steely. "I'm in here aren't I? Though if I really had Gary's best interests at heart, I wouldn't have come back for you."

"Get Douglas out of here. Get him to medical help. If you do that; then when I'm out of here, I'll put in a good word for your brother. I won't make any guarantees but you do this and I'll help your brother as much as I can. Perhaps convince the prosecutor or the judge to be lenient or at least sentence him somewhere he wouldn't have to look over his shoulder every minute. I don't know what I can accomplish but I promise I'll do everything I can."

Barrett didn't look completely convinced but his gaze did waver just slightly. He looked from her over to the injured guard and then back to the other inmates who had initiated the escape attempt. He shook his head. "I can't do it. You I could easily throw over my shoulder and make a break for the door before they ever noticed what was happening. Hell, I bench press probably twice your weight on a daily basis, but if I tried to do the same with him, I won't make it. What'll happen to me then? Bad enough when one or two of them laid into me, but all of 'em at one time? They'd kill me as soon as look at me. Besides, looking at what they've already done to you; I ain't too sure you'll live long enough to put in any kind of word with anybody. The way I see it, I can get you out of here, lock you in a closet much like I did Curtis and still get out of here before anyone knows what's going on."

"My team is going to make sure I get out of here and get out alive. I swear to you, if you don't help Parker Douglas right now while you have a chance; if he dies because you do nothing, then I swear to you I'll make sure you are charged with his death the same as the rest of these guys." Jules also looked around the room at her captors. Dog was off the phone and didn't look happy. She wasn't surprised. Sarge wouldn't blindly give in to any demands as easily as she suspected the inmate expected him to. The others had gathered around him; she figured they were making their own demands, wanting to know what was going on. "Right now, they're distracted. You've got a chance to get him out of here without anyone paying you any attention. I'll make sure they stay distracted."

Barrett blanched. "How're you gonna distract them? They'll either kill you or beat you senseless. What's this guy ever done for you that you'd risk that?"

Was that what everything boiled down to for the young man who'd never been given a real chance? What's in it for him? "He doesn't have to do anything. My job is to protect lives. If you were lying there in his condition, I'd do everything possible to see that you lived as well. Believe it or not, I'd do the same if it were Dog or Snake, not because of what I'd get out of it but because it's the right thing to do. Please, Barrett, I really believe you are a good person. You wouldn't have come back for me if you weren't. Get him to safety. Tell my team everything you can about what's going on in here. Trust them the way I trust them. I'm going to be okay. Parker Douglas might not be so lucky if he doesn't get help."

Looking very much like it was taking every effort in him to do so, Barrett finally agreed. Then he added. "I hate to repeat myself but how are you going to distract them? Doesn't look like you can get over there where they are on your own and if you bring them over here, there's no way I'm getting him out unnoticed."

Jules nodded. "I know. I have an idea. Get out of sight until I clear the area for you. Then get him out and don't look back. You hear me?"

"Yeah." Barrett practically growled. "This is seriously fu…" Seeing the look Jules was giving him, he didn't finish his thought. Instead he moved to crouch in a space between one of the driers and the wall. Once she was sure he was out of sight, Jules looked back over where Dog and the others were standing.

"They aren't going to negotiate with you without proof of life."

"Shut up, Bitch. No one asked you nothing." Snake insisted while keeping his distance. It was clear he was still upset at not getting to carry out what he'd tried earlier, but equally clear that he wasn't going to go against what Dog had told him.

"I'm SRU; that's my team you are dealing with. I know how they operate and right now they don't even know if I or any of the guards are even alive. Let me talk to my boss; he's the man on the other side of the phone. I can let him know we're alive, get the ball rolling on those demands you want. That's what you want, right?"

Dog crossed back over to where she was sitting on the floor and jerked her to her feet. Once again she had to bite back a groan as pain exploded through her. She couldn't remember the last time she'd ever felt that sore; maybe she'd never felt this bad before, not even after she'd been shot. Of course, she'd had some pretty heavy duty painkillers after being shot so she really couldn't compare the two.

Dog dragged her over to the wall where the phone was. He nodded to Bear who came up behind her, gripping her arms tightly in his meaty hands. Once he was sure she couldn't go anywhere, Dog released his own hold on her and picked up the phone. Jules resisted the urge to glance back to where she'd been sitting. She hoped Barrett was following through with getting Douglas out but she couldn't risk drawing anyone's attention back to the area. She was glad everyone's attention was on her; whether it was because the others were eager to know their demands for freedom were going to be met or because they were still lusting after her despite Dog's edict that no one touch her she couldn't be sure. She didn't really want to dwell on it. As long as they kept their focus on her and gave time for Barrett to get the injured guard out, it didn't really matter.

"I got someone here that's going to convince you we mean business. You might want to listen to her 'cause if I don't start getting what I want, things are gonna change drastically."

Dog held the receiver to Jules's ear. She took another painful, deep breath before speaking. "This is Jules Callaghan, Strategic…"

"Jules, thank God. Are you okay?" She could hear the noticeable relief in his voice. She could almost see him wherever they had staged, pacing back and forth as much as the cord on the phone would allow. She could see him taking off his cap with the hand not holding the receiver and then wiping his forehead with the crook of his arm before returning his hat to his head. She wondered how many times he'd already done so.

"Nothing I can't handle, Sarge." Her voice never wavered or gave any indication of the pain she was in. She glanced at Snake defiantly as she did so. He glared back at her but there was just a hint of a smirk on his face like he was imagining what he would like to do to her.

"We're working toward a resolution to this. You know we're doing everything possible to get you and the others out safely. Just hang in there." She knew he was choosing his words carefully in case the conversation wasn't completely private. She was also pretty sure despite her best intentions, Sarge had probably picked up on even the barest, even imperceptible hint of pain in her voice. The only other person she believed capable of doing that was Sam.

Sam. Even thinking his name made her feel a little better, like the thought of him could envelop her in a comforting hug and soothe away the pain. When this was over, and it would be over soon and she would be out and safe, she wouldn't complain if he wanted to take her in his arms and vow to never let go. In fact, she'd welcome it without a thought to whether it made her seem weak.

"Boss, they want a ride out of here. A vehicle that will hold about twenty men and a clear path out of the prison." She gave the demands she knew Dog had already insisted on while also giving Sarge a clue as to how many subjects they were dealing with; pretending to do just what she told Dog she would do. "They say if you don't, they'll kill us all."

"You know we won't let that happen. Tell them we're checking into their demands but it would be helpful if they showed us some good faith. Maybe release one or more of the hostages."

If she relayed his message, it might put their focus on the restrained guards and then they would notice the escape attempt. She couldn't do that. Suddenly she realized she was losing the attention of a few of the inmates who were bored with just a mundane conversation. She had to do something to get their attention back or else Barrett wouldn't have an opportunity to get Douglas out unnoticed. Knowing that what she was about to do would infuriate Greg until he knew the reason behind it, Jules made a silent apology to her boss and friend. "Yeah, they're not going to do that. Don't worry about us. Not like these guys are any real threat anyway. I mean they actually think you're going to let them just walk right out of here. Stupid, huh? But I guess that's what you get when you are dealing with the dregs of society."

"Jules, what are you doing?"It was as much a warning as a question.

Not that she needed a warning. Bear's grip on her arms tightened to the point she wasn't sure if he was going to cut off all circulation or snap her bones in two. Maybe both at the same time. Dog snatched the receiver away from her ear and swung it at her, once more causing her face to explode in pain. She carefully controlled her reactions and didn't make a sound though it would have been easy to whimper. But she once again had everyone's attention firmly on her. She just wished they didn't all look like they wanted to tear her from limb to limb.

"Listen, Bitch," The warning was just as clear in Dog's voice as it had been in Sarge's but it was nowhere near as friendly and concerned. "You're supposed to be telling him how important it is to yours and everyone's well being for him to meet our demands quickly."

He put the phone back to her ear. She took several breaths to get the pain under control. It's just pain, she reminded herself, bruises on top of bruises. Nothing that won't heal; better to take a few lumps then let an innocent man bleed to death. You can take it. "Sarge?"

"Can they hear me?" A sure sign that he wanted to fuss without an audience.

"No." Let them think he'd asked if she was hurt. Let them think whatever they wanted to think.

"Jules, don't antagonize them. We have three in custody so we know who we are dealing with. They are dangerous and have nothing to lose in this. They are capable of anything."

Jules kept her expression neutral; if Dog thought she was getting useful information he would take the phone away. She remembered him sending three people - the names were escaping her at the moment making her wonder if the blows she'd taken were starting to take a toil on her - to the kitchen to gather food while they waited. Were those the three Sarge was talking about? "I'm sure by now you've got snipers all in position. It wouldn't surprise me if they already had their laser sights trained right on about three or four of these bozos. You could take out most of them one shot each. Do what you've got to do, Sarge; I'll be fine."

Almost in tandem, those standing in front of the barred windows at the top of the room took several steps toward Jules. She hid a smile at the movement; she had them worried and moving away from her previous location. Though she could almost imagine the dressing down Sarge would give her later, she couldn't lose her advantage. "You can always start off with some good CS gas and flash grenades just to totally disorient them. They don't have weapons so you could put an end to all this without even breaking a sweat."

"Jules, I'm sure you have a reason for everything you are saying. Whatever is going on in there, just remember, you aren't alone in this. We've got your back and we're going to get you out safely. Don't forget, whoever you are trying to protect in there, we need you too."

Tears that had nothing to do with the pain of her injuries filled her eyes. She recognized that his words were similar to ones she'd not quite as nicely flung at him after he'd gotten involved in an incident a couple of years earlier. A time he'd put his life at risk trying to handle a situation all on his own. It's different. That time he wasn't so much protecting someone's life but a memory he didn't think a young girl could handle; she was trying to save someone's life. He hadn't known the team was there trying to save him and she was counting on the fact that they had her back and would rescue her in time.

Before she could assure him that she wasn't being stupid, that the risks she was taking were calculated and thought out, Dog snatched the receiver away again. "Look, you want your pretty little friend back in one piece, you get me a van and you get it fast. The quicker you do that the better off they'll be in here. You don't have time to waste; we got a guard in here that's not looking too good. He ain't gonna make it if you don't move fast. I'm surprised she ain't told you that; she's been so concerned about him."

Jules's heart sank when he looked past her to where Douglas had been left. She saw Dog's face twist with anger and could practically see smoke coming from his ears. He dropped the phone and wrapped his hand around her neck, squeezing hard. "Where the hell is he? What have you done?"