**thanks for the feedback... enjoying the comments... I'm writing this on the fly... and sometimes a section is the length it is... because that's where the pause/breath in the story appears... i hope you'll bear with me***

Elizabeth stumbled a little, her hand reaching out for the wall to steady herself, but the hand on her arm jerked her along. "Wait, wait," she breathed, "let me get my balan-"

"You're getting out of here, hurry up."

She somehow managed to keep her feet under her as the masked man dragged her along the hallway. She tried to look back, to see if anyone else was following them. "But why me? There are other people in there who-"

"Just you," the harsh words startled her and she stumbled along behind him, "that's all."

There were a pair of doors just ahead with a blinking sign above it.

EXIT.

"But, Emily and-"

He shoved the door open and she stumbled out into the cold night air. She had no idea where they were. None of the buildings looked familiar. She turned back to the masked man. "I don't understand-"

Mac rubbed his hand over his face wondering if it was just the cold or his fear that robbed his skin of warmth. Maxie was in the Metro Court... working on the first floor, God knows what was happening to her at that very moment.

As the different units radioed in with their sit reps he tried to keep cool and calm, but somewhere in his mind he worried that Frisco would have done a better job. Frisco, who had training for this sort of thing. He would have been better... he would get Maxie out safely.

Luke watched on the monitors as Lucky barreled down the stairs toward the lobby. He saw the wild look in his son's eyes... the sheen of sweat on his skin... being honest with himself... he acknowledged he'd seen the shake of Lucky's hands.

The boy was in no condition to do something like this. Lucky's concern for Elizabeth was going to get her killed... but most importantly... Lulu was down there and Luke couldn't let anything happen to her.

He picked up his phone and dialed.

Mac looked at the caller ID on his phone and sighed. "Scorpio," he barked, "Luke... Luke... I don't have time to- what? - who?" Mac looked toward the Metro Court and spat his next words into the phone. "I should have known you would try something stupid and- Lucky?" Mac looked at Cruz and the two shook their heads. "Dammit...he's headed where?"

Over the police car barrier, Mac saw the solitary form leaving the hotel's front doors. He motioned and SWAT swarmed forward to check it out.

"He's going to do what? Damn fool." He growled. "I'll take care of it, Luke... STAY PUT."

Hanging up, he looked over at Cruz. "We're going in... Lucky's going to try something... and we have to get there before all hell breaks loose."

SWAT members got their orders as Mac and Cruz ran up to join them, guns at the ready.

Alan tried to stop them from going in. He tried to grasp Mac's arm as the Commissioner moved past, but an EMT technician took him in hand and got him to a stretcher. Alan continued to try to tell them... let them know that Jason was inside... in disguise. "Please," he begged, "tell them."

Jason felt an unsettling tremor deep in his middle. He was a man used to clear thinking under pressure, but every second... every moment that Elizabeth was gone from the room his whole body was filling with a deep, abiding panic.

Sam, her normal voice raised to a near unbearable whine, argued with the leader, allowing Jason time to try to figure out a way to follow after Elizabeth without a bullet in his back.

Emily, her heart filled with fear, clung to Nikolas' hand.

An echo of sound pounded in Jason's ears from the direction of the staircase.

Sam, was getting nowhere with anything. The leader had threatened her and Jason had done nothing. She'd tried to flirt with the man and all he'd done was sneer. She was running out of tricks and she had never really been known for her patience. It appeared that if they were all to get out of this it was going to be up to her.

Cruz watched the SWAT team assemble before the doors of the Metro Court, carefully avoiding any holes in the spray painted shield. He quietly offered a prayer for the safety of all within. He had no hope that they'd all get out alive, he just hoped that they would save as many as they could.

It all seemed to happen at once...

Sam lunged for the leader, her hand reaching for his side arm.

The stairway door burst open and drew the attention of nearly everyone in the room. Lucky, his face shining with perspiration swept his gun over the group assembled in the lobby, whether he was looking for friend or foe, there was no way to tell.

The lobby doors blew open a moment before several flashes seemed to blind the majority of the people in the room.

Gunfire spattered around the room and people began to scream.