Grissom, Ecklie and Greg, in the meantime, waited in the parking lot of the park, listening to the reports through the walkie talkies from the various sources around the island. However, when Brass reported that a group of men had caught up with Catherine and Sara and had captured them and tied them, Grissom almost jumped with fright, thinking that their plan had been discovered. The next minute, he also heard that Nick and Maggie were at the meeting spot and were also captured and tied. Afterward, Brass and his men saw them moved, but they could not see where.

"Ursula Kearns is also missing, Grissom," Brass said. "We need to see where they took the rest of them, but I think she's been left behind with her siblings or is hiding someplace. The other four have been taken down a pathway, but we can't see where."

"Follow them when you can, Jim," Grissom replied urgently. "Or, have one of your men follow them. Can you see where it leads?"

"No, but we can try to catch up with them. It's a pretty tight squeeze, if I must say so. Brass over and out."

"And you call them back-up, Gil? Come on, you know that they'll get out of it alive, if they think quickly enough." Ecklie sounded smug, as if he knew it all, hearing the conversations as each C.S.I. was reported ensnared by the criminals. "They do, after all, have C.S.I. O'Keefe in there and she's pretty handy with a gun, if you remember correctly."

"It doesn't mean that she'll lead them out alone, Ecklie," Grissom replied coolly, calmed as he handed Greg his walkie talkie to handle while he took care of his superior. "She's smart as a whip, but without the others, she's almost as lost as they are. It's more of a matter of teamwork and if they can pull it off, the way they are now."

"But, with Nick Stokes in there, there's a greater risk that all of them will be lost. There are more factors that you are also ignoring."

"Since when have you been interested in my team, Ecklie? Nick Stokes and Maggie O'Keefe are, as far as I have figured, good friends right now and have supported each other throughout this investigation. If you think otherwise, it might be a possibility, but it's a far-fetched one, something these people might put into consideration if it's true in any way. As for Sara and Catherine, they pose no real threat, but are more of hostage material, not dead bodies."

"Well, with Sara Sidle romantically connected to you – as the lab has been rumoring for years, might I add – these people might have a reason to kill her because of your position. And Catherine Willows might be equally be a target because of her investigative skills, seeing as how she put many people behind bars."

Grissom ignored the jab about Sara and almost agreed with Ecklie's assessment about Catherine. "You may be right, Assistant Director, but we have nothing to indicate one way or the other. Greg, have you heard anything from Brass or his men yet?"

Greg jumped at the mention of his name, the walkie talkie almost dropped. "Nothing yet, Grissom, but some of the men have mentioned landing on the island and getting to the meeting place and finding no path yet."

"Let's just hope Brass finds them soon then," Ecklie added, "because –"

"Gil, we've found the path!" Brass' voice crackled over the walkie talkie. "It's under a trap door in the clearing. The men have followed it and it ended on the other side of the island, where a boat dock is."

"Have you found anything else?" Ecklie asked, taking the machine out of from Greg's hands.

"Ursula Kearns' body and nothing more," Brass reported with a tone of regret in his voice. "We've preserved the scene and are getting more men to go down the pathway, avoiding the body. We'll find them soon, I promise you, Assistant Director."

"We can only hope," Grissom mentioned, knowing how much Brass was kissing ass to Ecklie and how much he hated reporting to Ecklie instead of him.

~00~

"Maggie, you haven't talked for an hour now. What are you thinking, other than getting out of here? You're usually the one with the genius plans and the brilliant schemes. You tell us what to do and we'll work as a team to get out of here." Sara grunted, as if she were punched in the stomach, and continued to move her hands against the ropes, but without much success. The rocking of the boat did not help her cause, either, but hindered it more.

Being carried in an underground path did not help things as well. With Nick whimpering, Sara and Catherine scheming about escape and Maggie closing her mind to the case, their ride to the small room on a boat was no nice walk in the park, quite literally.

"Sara, I don't think your comments are helping," Nick only replied, struggling along with his co-workers to work off the shock – and the ropes – that tied them together. "I think that, if we all thought of something together, then we'll get out of this situation together."

"I just can't believe it," Catherine pondered.

"I can't either," Nick added. "So, we're on a boat. There are two men here with us outside, up the ladder, and more men outside searching for Brass and everybody else in the park. I just hope that they don't meet the same ending Ursula did. I'm sure we're next on the list."

"You know, I can't think with you all talking morbidly like that," Maggie finally said with frustration, her mind still racing, the grief felt for her friend still there, as if Ursula's betrayal had been nothing more than a friend's argument over a trivial matter. She still couldn't believe what had conspired under her nose – what she could not figure out in the time the two had been friends – and could not still comprehend it fully. It was not denial, for sure, but incredulity over the whole case entirely.

"Ah, so the genius of our time finally speaks!" Sara exclaimed with sarcastic glee. "So, tell us, Maggie: how are we getting out of here before the reinforcements come?"

"I don't know yet. I can't think –"

"Neither can I, if it makes you feel any better," Catherine interrupted. "I haven't been able to reach anything in my pockets. They took away our guns, but they didn't take away the tools. However, with the way they tied the ropes, I think they did themselves a great favor and kept us stationery."

"No, but gee, thanks for the encouragement, Catherine." Maggie shook her black and white head of hair, trying to think about what to do. "I would have thought you had some plan by now."

"Not yet, but I'm working on it too."

"Hey, you idiots, shut up down there. The Boss said that one word of escape out of any of you, you'll all be shot in the head and dumped in the water for the Detective to find. And he'll be doing the honors, so it'll be long and painful."

"Ahh, the joys of being a captive again," Nick said nervously, his joke obviously spoken to keep the tension down. "Hey, big guy, wanna come down here and tell that to our faces?"

"Jesus, Nick, are you trying to get us into trouble or what?" Maggie hissed. "I don't feel like getting killed right now, you know!"

"Wait, wait…" Catherine cautioned quietly, motioning her strawberry blonde head upward. "Four of us, tied behind the back with our hands bound and our feet free after being dropped off here. Think about it!"

"Oh, the possibilities are endless." Sara's next sarcastic comment went past the head of the guard (but had groans from the others), who climbed down the ladder of the boat to face the four stiff C.S.I.'s.

"What the hell did I tell you to do, asshole?" the guard asked Nick as he stood before the C.S.I., the gun aimed at Nick's head. "Didn't I tell you the shut up?"

"Oh, forget about it, Earl," the other guard from above called out, a faraway voice that was possibly on the other side of the boat. "That one isn't worth it. Besides, the Boss said to be nice to that one. He's the one who's gonna be gone last."

"Aww, did you have to tell them who was getting killed last? Come on, man, you know better than that –"

"So do we," Catherine interrupted as she managed to get up and swing a leg under the guard in front of Nick. Stumbling as he went down, Earl the guard tried to grab Nick to choke him, but failed when Catherine walked over and put one of her feet on his throat, her hands suddenly free, the ropes dropping to the floor in a heap.

"Wow, how did you do that?" Sara asked, a sneaky suspicion in her mind.

"Trade secret," Catherine replied, rubbing her wrists and then picking up Earl's gun, her foot still on his throat, choking him lightly. Then, to the guard, she added, "Listen up, Bubba, tell your buddy up there, if he asks anything, that we're fine and nothing will happen to you…yet. Try something and I have your gun. Understand?"

Earl nodded.

"Ok, Earl. Now, I want you to get up and untie everybody here. Remember, I have your gun and I will shoot to kill you and your buddy if you try to get help."

Again, Earl nodded and got up as Catherine took her foot off of his throat. Then, wordlessly, he obeyed the C.S.I., untying Sara, Maggie and Nick. Scowling as he helped Nick up, he sat down where he used to be, as Catherine motioned with the gun, and allowed Sara to use the ropes against him. On a second thought, as she thought about the second guard, Sara also gagged Earl, taking out an old sock out of her from earlier, knowing that her dirty laundry from the locker room was finally being put into some good use.

"That was great, Catherine," Nick said quietly as they were all free. "But, what now?"

"Wait, I think," Maggie suggested.

"I agree," Sara added. "There is only this idiot and the other on the boat. The others are all out searching for Brass. We're pretty much alone."

"Hey, Earl, it's quiet down there. Everything ok?" The other guard walked towards the ladder. "Are those C.S.I.'s being pains in the ass again?"

"Showtime," Catherine whispered, realizing their predicament quickly and then pointing out positions around the small room on the boat that they were confined it. "Take your places now and on my signal…"