"Ms. Perez, this is Sergeant Bailey from ETF and Officer Sands, he's the negotiator trying to get in contact with your daughter."

"Well, actually, they're the ones trying to contact her," Sands indicated the pair of techs working the computers in the back of the command truck where they all were gathered. "I'm just here to talk if that ever happens."

Bailey spoke up, "That's where we're hoping you can help us, Ma'am. We think that if you tried to call your daughter, she'd be more likely to answer."

Ms. Perez nodded, understanding what the situation was. "How do we do that? Do I just pull out my phone and call her?"

"Not exactly. See, we would plug you phone into our systems, and wire the call through there. It'd just be like talking on speakerphone, or over the speakers in your car. But this way we can record it and use it again if we have to later."

"Right, and on her end," the older of the two techs said, "it would appear just as if the call is coming from your phone, your number, your contact info. And it shouldn't sound any different."

"Should I tell her you guys are listening?"

"That's up to you," Sands said. "You know your daughter best. If you think that will help then by all means. Otherwise, you don't have to volunteer anything unless you want to. Bottom line, everybody here, your daughter included, should want this to end the same way, everybody leaves here safe. We just have to help her understand that."

"So, is that what I should say?"

"If you think that will work," he said. "If you'd rather have us do the talking then just try to convince her to listen to us. Either way, it's better then what we've had going for us."

Ms. Perez looked around at the officers gathered in the back of the truck, Andy couldn't imagine the amount of pressure and stress she must have been feeling. After a couple moments, Ms. Perez reached into her purse and withdrew her phone. The younger tech relieved her of it and plugged it into his terminal.

After a minute, he signaled that the phone was integrated with their systems and they were clear to proceed.

"Okay, ma'am," Bailey said, "whenever you're ready."

Andy noticed the involuntary spasm in the mother's eye, the suddenly shaking hands, signs of her understandable nervousness. "Ms. Perez," Andy said, "remember we all want the same thing here. We want your daughter out of this as much as you do. What happened to her brother, your son, was tragic. But, right now, no matter what you or your daughter think of us, we are only here to help her out of the danger she has herself in."

Ms. Perez took what Andy said, whether it changed anything, Andy wouldn't know. Ms. Perez picked up her phone and placed the call. It rang an uncomfortable six times before a surprised, distracted voice answered on the other end.

"Mom? What, uh, what's going on? I'm a little busy so if it's not import-"

"Cynthia, listen to me. I'm here, I know what's going on."

Cynthia didn't answer initially. "So, what?", she said finally. "The cops brought you here because I wouldn't talk to them.

"Baby, why are you doing this. Why?"

"I … I can't."

"What do you mean you can't. You're threatening to kill yourself and anybody who tries to help you!? What is happening?"

"They don't want to help me!", Cynthia spat back. "You know what those pigs did to Darron, why would they want to help me."

"Cynthia, Darron has nothing to do with this. We all want this to end peacefully. We all want to go home safely tonight, right?"

"It's not that easy, mom. I'm sorry…"

"What do you mean? Just surrender, then you'll be okay. That's the only way. Would you really do that to me, Cynthia? Make me have to bury my only remaining child?", Andy noted the strain increasing in the mother's voice and shared a look with Bailey. They both knew this was it, right here. What happened next was either going to cement the outcome of this situation one way or the other.

After several moments, Cynthia spoke again. "I'm sorry mom, like I said it's not the easy. I can't just surrender. I'm sorry you got dragged into this."

Sands spoke up from the other side of the table. "Cynthia, my name is Harry, you may not believe me or anybody else but I want you out of there in one piece, now what do we need to do to make that happen? C'mon, Cynthia, what do you need from us?"

There was silence, as if Cynthia was pondering her answer. She said, "I love you mom, remember that. Goodbye," Cynthia ended the call. Ms. Perez screamed out a crying 'no' and lunged for the door, Andy reached and held her back while Bailey bolted through ordering Alpha team to move in. Then a single gunshot rang out and the mother strained against Andy again before collapsing into Andy's arms, sobbing into her shoulder and gently beating fists on Andy's chest. They both knew what happened.

All that happened in less than three seconds, probably, but to all involved it felt stretched out to eternity, racing towards the inevitable.

Outside Bailey approached the vehicle with the rest of Alpha team and one of his men reached in through the window. Checking for a pulse, he shook his head. Bailey removed his helmet and got on his radio, "Alpha-1, subject is 10-45, self-inflicted GSW." He took some steps away from the vehicle and yelled, "We need this perimeter pushed back again, way back." Took a couple more steps and said into his radio, "Romeo, return camp. I want to know what you saw."

"Roger Alpha-1."

Bailey took a couple of deep breaths and turned around to see his squad and some regular officers gathered around the car just in time for it to explode in a large fireball. He barely noticed though, because the explosive force knocked him back and he hit his head on the pavement. Then there was nothing.

Andy was still holding on to the grieving mother when she felt the truck rock followed by the sound of the explosion almost simultaneously. "What, the hell?" Then her radio came alive with shouts about an explosion and numerous officer's down. Calls to rush EMS to the scene.

"Sands, can you take Ms. Perez? Don't let her leave."

"Of course," he replied.

That taken care of, Andy stepped around the corner of the truck to view the damage outside. The car Cynthia was in was a flaming wreck. Debris was littered all over and numerous windows were broken on nearby buildings and vehicles. And there were some battered bodies to, no civilian, thank god. The perimeter was far enough out. Andy could hear the approaching sirens of more emergency vehicles and personnel. They were desperately needed.

Some of the officers caught in the blast were already getting up and moving away, some limping, some fine other than some dirt and ripped and tattered clothing. Others weren't so fortunate. Those closest were thrown back and covered in pretty severe burns from what Andy could see. Most of them appeared to be ETF. Where was Bailey? The fact he wasn't taking charge right now was concerning. She grabbed her radio and ran through her channels calling for Alpha-1 to respond. She wasn't getting anything until Romeo, Bailey's recon man in one of the towers called back. "He was in the blast. I saw it all. He several feet from the car, further than everyone else but the force still took him."

"Did you see where he went?"

"It was somewhere over behind that green car by the fire hydrant. I'm on my way down but the whole building I'm in is evacuating so it's slow going for me."

Andy looked up and noticed people flooding out of numerous nearby buildings, responding to the explosion. They were being funneled beyond the perimeter by some officers so they were out of the way of any danger. Andy located a possible green car by a fire hydrant and ran towards it. Behind it, sure enough, was Bailey. He had no helmet and appeared to have banged his head on the ground. Andy couldn't find any external bleeding, but he had a significant welt in his head and he was out. Breathing, thank God. "15-Sierra-3, I have Alpha-1. About 10-15 yards away from the subject car. North side of the street behind a green car. He's breathing but unconscious with a large swelling on his head."

"Copy that Sierra-3, EMS is heading your way."

"Roger." Then to Bailey, "C'mon, Bailey, hang in there, man. Help's coming.

"Sammy," Oliver had jogged over to Sam's desk, "that hostage situation downtown went south."

"Andy?", Sam stood up and Dov braced himself to follow suit.

"She's fine. Let me explain." So, Oliver did. "Right now, with Bailey on the way to the hospital, she's running the scene. I'm on my way down, figured you'd want to know."

"How many dead?"

"So far, I only know of the driver. But that'd be very lucky if that's all it is.

"Jesus… Do you need us there for anything?"

"Actually, Nash and Ward are already on the way."

"Oh, really?", Dov said. "What' Guns-and-Gangs' interest?"

"Well the driver, was a POI in an ADW case on a banger they were working."

"Interesting," Sam grabbed his coat, apparently having made up his mind he was heading to the scene anyway. Oliver noticed.

"Yes, so they'll be running the investigation. But I'm sure they'd take the help."

Sam was a half-step behind Oliver down the stairs while Dov was still grabbing his coat. "C'mon partner, pick it up," Sam called over his shoulder, not looking back.