Author's Notes: I had planned to go a little further with this chapter but decided that I had a reached a good ending spot. I hope you enjoy it. Once again thanks for all the wonderful reviews.

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 6

"We should be doing something." Sam insisted as he stared down the hall toward the laundry room. Following Sarge's orders, he and Ed had moved to a secure location where they could keep an eye on the door leading into the room but wouldn't risk being seen. Sam's irritation and frustration had grown by the second as he thought about how close he was to Jules without being able to do anything to help.

Ed just looked at him. "Okay, what do you suggest?"

Sam shot him a glare. Ed's calm didn't help him in the slightest. In fact, it just made things worse. Why wasn't Ed more upset? Jules was his friend, had been long before Sam ever joined the team. Ed always took the safety of everyone on the team seriously and felt as personally responsible when things went wrong as they all knew Sarge did. Ed was a tactical person, accustomed to being able to make and follow through with a plan of attack for any situation. Sure, he could patiently wait on a sniper's perch for however long it took to resolve a situation because even then there was a tac plan in progress. Sitting there doing nothing should be bothering Ed just as much as it was bothering him. So why wasn't he showing it?

"I don't know. Get Team Four down here so we have the man power, storm the room with CS gas and flash grenades, disorient the subjects and take them down."

Ed nodded, so calmly that Sam wanted to shake him. "That could work but you know we can't do that. We don't know the condition of any of the hostages except for the fact that we know someone is seriously injured. We can't use CS gas for fear of causing further harm. You know I want to get in there just as much as you do. However, I can't and won't do anything that's going to put Jules or the guards at further risk. I know you don't want that either. Come on Sam, I know you are worried about her - we all are. Don't let that worry strip you of what you know is right. Wanting to rush in headlong, to hell with the consequences, is a rookie mistake. You quit being a rookie long ago. We're going to get in there and end the situation, and we're going to do it without unnecessarily risking the well-being of any of the hostages, including Jules. Until we have that plan, we're going to trust that Jules can and will take care of herself."

Sam slowly nodded, his irritation receding like air from a leaking balloon. Ed was right; he wasn't a rookie any more. He never would want Jules or anyone else to think he was anything less than confident in her abilities to take care of herself. He just couldn't shake the image of all that blood or the fear that any or all of it had belonged to Jules. It reminded him too much of how close he'd come to losing her twice already. Wasn't the saying 'the third time's the charm'? Could she survive a third dangerous situation the way she had the first two? "I get all that, Ed. I just feel helpless. We're so close and yet we still know nothing. Couldn't we at least get Spike or Raf to bring us a snake cam so we could get eyes in? Maybe if we knew exactly what was going on in there, the locations of both the hostages and the subjects, we'd have a better idea of what the best tactical plan would be. We both know it's going to come down to tactics ending the situation. Negotiations will only go so far and then they are going to stall. We know what they want and we know it's not going to happen. Sarge can't negotiate a standstill; he may be the best but he's still limited."

Ed had to admit that getting eyes in would be helpful. He was reaching to turn his radio to transmit when they caught a flash of movement down the hall. Ed punched Sam's arm and pointed. Someone was coming out of the laundry. As they watched, a man wearing prison garb slipped quietly from the room dragging someone with him. His back was to the two SRU officers so he wasn't aware of their presence until he bumped into the solid form of Ed standing right in his path. With a muttered curse, he dropped his hold on his burden and spun around.

"Jeeze, shit, what the hell are you trying to do? Give a man a heart attack?"

Ed folded his arms across his chest, giving the convict a stern look. "We could ask the same of you. Where do you think you're going?"

"It's not what it looks like." The inmate stammered.

Sam knelt beside the injured guard, checking his injuries. Though someone had obviously been taking care of the man, his injuries were still extreme. He looked up at the prisoner. "Looks to me like he's dying."

The man flushed. "Okay so that part is what it looks like. That's why I'm getting him out. I'm saving his life. I'm not part of the prison break."

Ed reached out and unclipped the key card from the inmate's clothes. He turned it over and looked at the name attached to the badge. He frowned and showed it to Sam. "If you aren't part of this, then why did you lock a guard in a closet and take his access card, Mr. Browning? Sam, can we safely get the guard out of here by moving him or do we need EMS?"

EMS had staged outside the detention block where it was safe. By protocol the medics weren't supposed to enter the scene until all potential threat had been neutralized and the scene had been declared safe. However, exceptions could be made when a life was on the line and the medic's safety could be ensured.

"I wouldn't try moving him." Sam insisted. "It's bad enough he was dragged all the way to the laundry room and now back out again. It's chancy bringing EMS in this far though."

Barrett Browning shifted uncomfortably. "It wasn't my idea to move him in the first place. If he dies, it's not my fault."

Sam ignored the comments; if he allowed himself to focus on Browning, he just might give in to the baser emotions that had been plaguing him since realizing Jules was in trouble. Instead, he focused on the guard's injuries. He felt only a twinge of guilt that he was glad that it wasn't Jules lying in front of him, slowly but surely dying. He wanted to see her, wanted her out of that room with every fiber in him, wanted to hold her and have that physical connection that would assure him that she was okay, but he didn't want to even contemplate her being in this desperate a shape.

"We'll see where blame lies later. You better just hope he doesn't die." Ed warned before turning back to Sam. "Radio Sarge, have Raf or Spike bring the medics down as far as the visitation rooms and then they can bring the stretcher the rest of the way. They can bring the snake cam with them when they come."

Sam nodded and turned his radio to transmit. Ed looked back at Browning. "And you are going to tell me everything you know about what's going on in that room."

"I told you I didn't have anything to do with anything. I'm innocent."

"If you were innocent, you wouldn't be standing here with that guard after locking up Curtis in a supply closet. But you know what, I don't really give a damn if you are innocent or not. The only thing I'm concerned about is that you were in that room with everyone else. That means you have knowledge that I need and you are going to give me everything I want to know. Do you understand me?"

The man nodded slowly, eyeing Ed warily. "I really don't know nothing. Yeah, I heard the explosions and used the distraction to overpower Curtis. I had my reasons for getting out of here and I would have been a fool not to take advantage of the situation. I guess I really am a fool because instead of getting while the getting was good, I doubled back to here."

"Why?"

"Does it matter?"

Ed stepped closer to him, his height and his no-nonsense expression making him look even more formidable. His voice level never rose past a cold even tone. "Yeah, it matters."

"There was an SRU officer here earlier talking to me; a nosy female cop that didn't know how to mind her own business. She was a real bitch and I was pissed as hell when she left."

All the emotions that Sam had been keeping a lid on since the call began switched to barely controlled fury hearing Browning talk about Jules in such a way. He started to rise, determined nothing and no one was going to stop him from planting his fist in the man's face. Or so he thought.

Before Sam could even get to his feet, Ed had Browning pressed against a wall, his arm shoved brutally against the man's chest, just shy of jamming it into his throat. "Maybe you missed the patches on the uniform. We're SRU as well, just like that 'nosy female' you've been speaking of so derogatorily. She's our teammate and, more importantly, she's our friend. As a matter of fact, we're pretty worried about her so you probably want to tone down the bad mouthing and start telling us what we really want to hear."

"Chill out, dude. I'm trying to explain; I was pissed but when I realized something was going down and she was trapped in here; I couldn't turn my back." Barrett continued, sounding more contrite after Ed's warning. "I risked my neck sneaking in there to rescue her, but she wasn't having any of it. She insisted that I get him out instead. There was no arguing with her and before you say anything, yes, I did try. I was tempted to throw her over my shoulder despite her protests and get out of there before anybody noticed."

Sam muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like 'then why didn't you?' Ed glanced back at him but didn't release his hold on Browning. Ed wasn't surprised by Browning's story. Of course Jules would put the welfare of the injured guard above her own. It was something they would all do, but especially Jules who wouldn't want the fact that she was a woman to give her preferential treatment.

Spike and Raf's arrival with the stretcher interrupted further interrogation. Ed didn't trust Browning not to bolt so he kept his eyes - and his hand- on him while the other three team members transferred the injured guard to the stretcher. Browning watched them nervously. "He gonna be okay?"

Ed frowned. "Do you care?"

"About him? Not really. I care about myself though. The little bit… I mean your friend threatened me. Said if he didn't make it, she'd make trouble for me. So I guess you could say I got a vested interested in whether he lives or dies. Not sure why I bother. It's not like I had anything to do with him getting hurt and it's because of me that he's even out of there with a chance to live. But I also know how the law works and her word would carry a lot of weight if she started trying to make things tough on me. So I guess it's better for me all around if he lives."

"Because it's all about what's best for you." Sam muttered. As much as wanted to forget all of his training and lay into the inmate for his earlier comments about Jules and his continued selfishness, he was glad that it was Ed who had stepped in. Ed could make the point while maintaining a semblance of control that would prevent either of them from called on the carpet for police brutality. Anything he did would be questioned with added scrutiny because of his relationship with Jules.

"Why the hell not?" Browning argued. "Ain't like no one else is looking out for me and my brother. I've got to look out for myself. So? Is he or ain't he?"

Sam looked back down at the guard that Jules had insisted be rescued. His medical knowledge was limited but it didn't take much to know he was in bad shape. "I don't know."

Raf looked from the injured guard to Browning then back to Ed. "We'll get him to the medics so they can get him to the hospital. What do you want to do about him?"

Ed glared at the prisoner. "I still need information from him. After the medics have taken care of the guard, come back here. Maybe by then, Mr. Browning here will have given us something that can help."

Raf nodded. "Copy that."

Spike handed Sam the snake camera. "She's alive, Sam. Sarge talked to her."

The entire exchange on the open line into the laundry room kept playing over and over again in Spike's head. He was now pretty sure Jules was only goading Dogland in an attempt to give Browning a chance to get away, but that knowledge didn't make it any easier listening to what sounded like her being hurt. If it had been that difficult for him just listening, how much worse could it be for Sam to see it first hand? But then again, he couldn't deny that it had also been a relief just hearing her voice and knowing for sure she was alive. Maybe it would be the same for Sam.

Sam accepted the surveillance equipment and the unspoken warning Spike had given him. Spike had chosen his words carefully; she was alive, not okay. He wasn't stupid. He knew any officer in Jules's current position would be a target for all the pent up rage and blame some prisoners maintained against cops for their current circumstances. The fact that Jules was a female only made her situation more precarious. As much as he'd been trying not to think of what the men holding her prisoner could do to her, the thoughts hadn't strayed too far from his mind. In ordinary circumstances, he'd lay odds on Jules being able to hold her own in a fight and to be able to protect herself. However when the odds were over twenty to one with the one probably injured, he wasn't sure the odds were completely in her favor.

"We're going to make sure she stays that way."

"Copy that." Ed agreed. He looked at both Raf and Spike. "Go on and get him to the medics and get back here. We don't have much time."

Browning squirmed a little under Ed's hold. "You're right about that, you know."

Ed just glared at him. "Right about what?"

"Not having time. You see my face? It's nothing compared to what they have and will do to your friend. At best, they're going to kill her." Immediately he sensed his words hadn't been taken kindly by either Ed or Sam. "Trust me, it would be better for her if they did kill her. You don't know these guys like I do. Hell, I don't want to know them the way I do. The things they'll do to her, no one should have to go through. Each of them will take a turn with her, playing out their sickest fantasies. By the time they're finished with her, she'll wish she'd let me get her out of there when I tried. That or she'll wish they'd killed her outright."

Ed tightened his hold on Browning, fully expecting that all the control Sam had demonstrated thus far was about to fly out the window with the inmate's predictions. He wasn't sure he'd even try to stop him if he did. Therefore, he was surprised when Sam merely turned his back on Browning and moved toward the door. The blond sniper started to thread the small camera under the door, angling it for the best view. Ed watched him for just a moment and then turned back to his prisoner. "You better hope you're wrong."

Barrett frowned. "Why? It's not like I'm one of the ones in there hurting her. I tried to get her out. Anything that happens to her because she wouldn't leave isn't my fault. You think I want anything to happen to her? It's in my best interest for her to get out of this alive. Besides threatening me if I didn't get Douglas out, she promised to help my brother if I did. She can't do that if she's dead."

Ed shook his head. "You're a real piece of work, you know that?"

Browning simply smiled. "Believe what you want. I like to think of myself as a realist."

"Then realize this, punk," Ed warned him. "If you know anything that will help us get everyone out safely, you better own up to it. After all, it is in your best interest."

The inmate considered Ed's words carefully. "I'm surprised I got out of there with Douglas alive. Dog - he's the guy in charge in there - is ruthless; he's not going to let anyone or anything stop him from getting what he wants. I didn't know he was planning this; not like he talks to me with anything but his fists. However, I've spent enough time around him to know he's made no secret of the fact that he doesn't want to be here. A man gets that desperate, he's capable of anything."

Spike returned alone. "Raf is leading the medics out with the guard and then he'll be back."

Ed nodded and handed Barrett over to the demolition expert. "Watch him. I'm going to see how Sam is coming with the camera."

Spike nodded as Ed walked toward the laundry door. The tactical leader placed a hand on Sam's shoulder. Sam was still maneuvering the camera around trying to get the best picture. He was staring intently at the small screen, his brow furrowed in concentration.

"I gotta tell you, Sam; I'm proud of you. It couldn't have been easy listening to what Browning was saying about Jules. I wouldn't have blamed you if you'd lost your cool. It wasn't easy for me to listen to someone talk about Jules being hurt that way; I can't imagine if it had been Sophie."

Sam barely glanced Ed's way before returning his attention to the screen. "You think I needed Browning to tell me what those guys would want to do to Jules? It's been on my mind from the moment we realized she was probably trapped in here. I know what we're dealing with here. The thing is, I also know who they are dealing with. This is Jules. She's tough, tougher than practically anyone I know. They can try their worst but they're gonna have a fight on their hands if they mess with Jules. She's not going to make it easy for them to do anything. She'll fight back with everything she has and if she can't fight back physically then she'll fight back mentally. Even if they do manage to hurt her the way Browning was suggesting, they can't break her. She's Jules and she's unbreakable. She'll be fine; I'll make sure of it."

Ed couldn't help but be proud of the young man, even prouder than he'd been in Sam's restraint. This was such a contrast to the fears Sam had expressed earlier, but he sounded more like himself. In fact, Sam sounded so convinced that Ed had to believe him. "We'll all make sure of it."

"There." Sam adjusted the picture on the screen slightly, his breathing quickening. Sitting on the floor of the laundry room was Jules. It was obvious her hands were restrained behind her and it looked like her feet were bound as well. There was a gag in her mouth. Despite being so heavily restrained, Sam could tell Jules had retained some of her fire. He'd never been so glad to see her. He let the camera linger on her for a moment more, not wanting to lose sight of her. Then he changed the view so they could see the rest of the room.

The two men noted the location of each of the hostages, all of which at least seemed to have their hands bound. They also noticed where the inmates seemed to be in relation to the hostages. Sam frowned.

"That room is a tactical nightmare. Looks like this door and that outside door are the only two ways in. Any advantage of surprise we could get busting in would be lost before we could get enough people in to contain the situation. Even if we use the gas and flash grenades there's no way we can get the drop on them before they could hurt the hostages."

Ed nodded; Sam had a good read on the room. "Then we've got to do something to change things."

Sam looked at him. "Any idea what?"

"Not a clue."

- FP -

Author's Notes 2: So no Jules in this chapter but since the last chapter only had a mention of Sam, I thought it was only fair to return the favor here. I hope to have chapter 7 ready to post by the weekend. If it goes like I have it in my head, there will be a lot of action and maybe even a death. (I know; I'm cruel to tease.)