The Swat members stopped outside the library, as Hondo put his fist in the air.
They all looked at each other, ready to get in and take the mysterious witness in custody.
As Hondo gave them the green light, Luca and Deacon immediately execute the order, entering the library with their assault rifles pointed.
"Don't shoot! Don't shoot!" One of the inmates prayed them, putting her hands up. "We are unarmed. We don't have anything to do with this, please!"
"Metro Swat, don't be afraid, we're here to help." Hondo and his team quickly inspected the room, only finding four inmates and a wounded guard laying on the floor.
"What happened here?"
"Men with guns," the inmate tried to explain. "They got in, and beat the guard up because they didn't find who they were looking for..." she glanced at the woman on the floor. "They got out just a couple minutes ago."
"That stupid troublemaker legs it!" Another inmate added, "They were looking for..." she couldn't finish her sentence that the FBI agent's insistent calling made her silent.
"Joanna!" he yelled, making his way toward the women.
"It's me, Morris. Show yourself!"
"Don't be so loud!" Chris intervened annoyed, "Are you crazy? Do you want to draw the whole penitentiary's attention on our position?" she looked at her teammates, discouraged.
"Where is she?" Morris ignored her, and started insistently interrogating the presents. "Where did she go? She was here, right? Did they take her?"
"Stop it right now!" Hondo faced him, noticing he was making the inmates even more tensed than they already were. "Let us do our job."
Then he turned his attention to Deacon, who was knelt by the guard, checking on her status.
"It's alright," Deacon helped the guard lift in a sitting position. "Are you okay? Any serious wound?" He cautiously checked on her.
"No... I'm..." she murmured.
"I'll manage..."
"What happen to Joanna?" Morris abruptly interrupted her.
"Why are you all interest in that stupid..." the lady said again, with an irritated tone, but Morris quickly stopped her from commenting further.
"They came here asking of her, didn't they?"
"You are FBI, right?" The guard forced her voice out. "I knew something was odd with her situation here."
All the other present looked at each other surprised, starting to murmur between themselves.
"I need to know where she is." Morris continued, careless. "Now."
"She was here right before those armed guys irrupted, but then I lost sight of her..."
"You lost her? Isn't it your job to..."
"She was gone before they could find her, isn't it better?" The guard tried to protest.
Morris rolled his eyes, getting more and more frustrated, but before he could say something not very nice to the guard, Chris intervened.
"Stop it! This was an impossible situation, okay?" she interrupted him.
"She must have sneaked out during the commotion."
"Um, I doubt that," Luca intervened, "She must got out of here before they even got in. There's no way they could not notice her going out. They're too well organized."
"I told you," Morris added, "She is a smart lady."
"So we have to find her first." Hondo cut the discussion short.
"Right, captain obvious..." Morris kept looking around, nervous.
At that point Hondo had to use all his strengths to ignore the comment, and stay focused on the mission.
"Hey, at least the guard is right, we still have a chance to find her before they do." Chris was trying to calm Morris down, knowing that his willing to acting solo was the last thing they needed.
"We need to know where the mercenary went," Hondo turned to the inmates, "Did they say anything about their next move? Or can you at least tell us which corridor did they took?"
"They went that way," one of the lady instantaneously replied, pointing them in the right direction.
"Yes, they went there, but I doubt Bale did." the guard intervened.
"Why?" Morris tone raised even more eager.
"I directed them to the cafeteria only to buy some time..."
"So you don't think she went there?" Hondo was carefully listening to her, while Deacon quickly took out the map to visualize what she was saying.
"I can only guess that she would more probably hide in the laundry..." The guard continued. "I think she has some friends there."
"You were very helping, thanks," Hondo said, then he turned to Morris, "Do you know something about that?"
He shook his head, disturbed that his witness was hiding things from him.
"They are probably already here," Deacon pointed at the cafeteria on the map, "And by now they would have already acknowledged she is not there, so we have to move quickly."
"Alright guys, Chris, Tan, you two need to escort them out." Hondo glanced at the guard and the inmates, "We can't risk the men to come back at them."
Chris and Tan reluctantly nodded, knowing they had to follow the orders, but feeling like they were abandoning Street there.
"You think you can walk?" Chris asked to the guard, helping her get on her feet.
She nodded, barely maintaining her balance.
"I got her, let's go," one of the inmates promptly intervened, "Please..."
"Alright, let's go!" Chris nodded, looking Hondo in search of his approval.
"Go, and keep your radio open, we will need you back as soon as they are safe." Hondo said, then he turned to Morris and the rest of his team. "We take this corridor, and reach the laundry from this way." He waited that they all nodded and make his sign to go. "If the mercenary went here, we should not encounter them."
...
Back in the visiting room, the tension was raising the maximum level. Being there was like being in a powder keg only waiting to explode.
Street looked down at his sweated hands, feeling powerless and totally useless once again, still trying to catch his breath after the beating he took earlier.
"Hey," Two made a sign to Nine, who reached him in the corner of the room.
"Ready for hevac, as soon as One has the lady we are out of here," he looked him straight, "I really don't like how things are stirring up."
Nine nodded, and headed back to his other mates.
'Come on guys, you're almost out of time there...' Street thought, carefully watching his captor's moves.
Suddenly Nine caught his look, and immediately went toward him.
"What are looking at, uh, you want to play the hero, don't you?" He approached him. "Or you just need something from me?
"No...You want to taste this." He pointed his gun straight at him, making Karen raise her head, ready to jump on him any minute. "Don't you? Come on, make your move buddy."
"No, I, I'm sorry," Street looked down, while reaching out to his mother with his right arm, to prevent her doing anything reckless.
"Yeah, you better be, litle piece of junk." Nine's tone was getting seriously intimidating.
'Please let it go... let it go...' Street kept preying in his mind.
"Hey, stop playing there, Nine!" Two interrupted him. "We don't have time for that now, stay focused on your task!"
Hearing those words Street closed his eyes, and sighed in relief.
'Okay, just breath Jim...' he thought, trying to lower his heartbeat rage and get back control of himself.
...
Hondo, Luca and Deacon entered the laundry, gun pointed, followed by the FBI agent, who immediately started to check the surroundings to find his witness.
The two guards that were there instantly reacted, pointing their teasers on the newcomers.
"Hey, hey, we're metro Swat!" Hondo lowered his gun to ease the pressure on them.
"What the hell is going on here?" one of the guards instantly asked, while the other one promptly started rounding up the inmates.
"There was an incursion. Didn't you hear anything?" Hondo approached them.
They both shook their heads, trying to hide their fear.
"A bunch of mercenary are here to take care of one of your inmates." he continued.
"Mercenary? And they are in here right now?" The guard started frenetically looking around, as to find some instantaneous way out.
"Joanna! Come out!" Morris yelled again, regardless he has been told to stay quiet. "It's me, Come on, you can get out, you're safe!"
The two guards look at them incredulous.
"We have reasons to believe that a first group of armed men took control of the principal entrance and the visiting room, while a second group is wandering around, looking for this particular inmate: Joanna Bale.
"Bale? She should not be here..."
"Yet there she is..." Luca drew the attention on a woman standing in one of the laundry basket.
"It must be her, right?" he said as the two guards looked back confused.
"Hey, you okay?" Morris carefully helped her out, "What the hell were you planning to do? Uh?" he whispered to her, holding her arm tightly.
"You should contacted me, follow the protocol!"
"Screw the protocol!" She tried in vain to free herself from the man's grab. "I was just trying to survive."
"Yeah, okay..." he shook his head, without the minimum intention of letting her go. "We are going to take you out of here, now."
"Wait, what about the other hostages?" Luca objected looking around. "We have to continue searching, we can't leave them in here with those men."
"I don't care about the other hostages! My job is to keep her safe, and that's what I'm going to do."
"Alright, calm down now," Hondo intervened. "We have to take all these ladies out before we can move further. We're going to reunite with Chris and Tan, then we'll make our move to free Street and the rest of the hostages."
Luca soundly exhaled, trying to control his disappointment.
"Don't you have something more than those playthings?" Hondo asked to the guards, pointing at their teasers.
"We have guns and shotguns, but they are locked up in the armory."
"No, we have no time for that," Hondo exhaled, "Stay among us, and all is gonna be fine."
...
Chris and Tan successfully took their rescued hostages to the back door.
"25 David to command," Tan took his radio out. "We're ready to exit with multiple hostages, what's the situation out there?"
'You're clear to go 25 David.' Hicks instantaneously replied. "We have our own snipers covering for you now.'
"We're coming!" Tan said to his commander, then he turned the ladies, "Alright, stay among us and everything will be fine, let's go!"
As Tan finished his sentence, Chris opened the door, and made her way out, followed by the others.
As promised, the Swat snipers covered for them, neutralizing the mercenary on the roof, and they could reach their base safe and sound.
"Come with me, madam," an EMT promptly helped the injured guard toward the ambulance to check on her, while the LAPD took care of the inmates.
"Okay, let's go back in." Chris eagerly said, heading again toward the correctional.
"Stop!" Hicks ordered her. "Hondo and the others found the FBI's witness, they will be out of there any minute now."
Chris looked at him clearly upset, her first thought was for her friend, who was held hostage by a group of ruthless soldiers, not for the mysterious lady.
"Just wait for them, so we can take stock of the situation before making this thing even worse."
"But we can't waste time," Chris' voice showed all her anxiety. "Street is still in there!"
"I know," Hicks looked straight at her. "But these are my orders, did you understand, officer Alonso?"
Chris reluctantly nodded, and turned his back on the commander, letting all her frustration out.
...
"Clear, let's go." Deacon said, getting out of the laundry followed by Luca.
"Come on, get out, get out," Hondo ordered, pushing the ladies out.
Morris was the first to step out the door after the two Swat members, always keeping his witness on his side, with the others inmates following him, then it was the guard's turn, and finally there was Hondo, who closed the line, covering everybody's back.
The now large group was almost midway to the exit when Deacon put his fist in the air, preventing them to move further.
"Shh, I got movement." He whispered, trying to peek what was going on in the next corridor.
"It's them!" He looked back at his boss, alarmed.
"Come on, this way! Hurry up." Hondo led them back to a small room. "Be quiet..."
He couldn't finish his sentence that the mercenary spotted them, and started shooting.
'Careful, do not hit her!' Deacon heard those words coming from the leader of the mercenary.
Bullets started flying in every direction, as the Swat members started firing back, and they could barely reach the room, closing the door behind them.
"Come on, Come on, get covered." Hondo reversed a table, and made the inmates hide behind it, while Luca and Deacon blocked the door with a couple of cabinets.
"You think they saw her?" Hondo asked Deacon, glancing at Joanna.
"They sure did," Deacon confirmed, "They're not going to leave us alone till they have their hands on her."
"Yeah, that's what I was thinking too." Hondo soundly exhaled.
"Damn it!" Morris yelled. "We have to find a way out. Now!"
"Be quiet once for all!" Hondo yelled at him, out of patience.
"Let. us. do. our. job!"
"Fine," Morris surrendered to Hondo's bitter tone. "But you better find a solution quick!"
"20 David to command," Hondo took his radio, "We have a situation here..."
...
"One this is two, we lost our sentinel on the roof, do you want me to send out someone else?"
'We have bigger problems here now,' One's voice sounded from the radio.
'Swat took her! I repeat, Swat have our objective right now.'
"Damn it!" The bad guys in the visiting room looked at each other, frustrated.
"I knew this was not going to end well..." Nine said exasperated.
'Okay, that's good, Hondo has control now.' Street thought, starting to hope it was all going to end soon.
'We trapped them, they don't have a way out.'
'And that's not good!' Street state of mind immediately changed.
"Okay, so just got in and take care of them!"
'No, no, no, you can't!' Street thought, with his hands starting shaking again. 'My team will handle it, they... they...' he tried unsuccessfully to prevent the panic to kick in.
Grace noticed his altered state, and took his hand in hers, making him look her straight.
He took a deep breath, and nodded at her trying to be as much reassuring as he could.
"It's okay, they got this, you saw them in action..."
'They barricaded inside,' the radio sounded again. 'It will take a while to flush them out, and we don't have so much time! They must have called for backup by now!'
"Screw them! Just kill them all then!"
Horror stamped on Street's face as he imagined his friends blown up by some heavy explosive he expected they could have in their arsenal.
'No, no, no, I have to do something...'
'We can't, you idiot! The client wants the lady alive, don't you remember? He needs information from her.'
"Yeah, right... Sorry boss..."
'Thank God!' Street thought half relieved. 'They've got time. They will manage this.' He kept repeating to himself.
"So what are we doing now?" Nine said, getting more and more anxious.
'Well, I'm expecting them to try to negotiate.'
"Of course," Two said, with a sadistic smirk on his face. "You are thinking about hostage exchange. It's good that we have some good one here with us." he said, looking directly at the mother and the kid.
'Ok, I'm out of time... I have to make a move...' Street tried to convince his paralyzed body to move, 'I can't let them take him... I can't...' he tried his best to stop the shivering.
...
As Hondo's voice sounded from the radio, shock invaded the Swat members at the camp.
"We have to get back in immediately, they need us!" Chris put pressure on the already stressed Hicks.
"Backup is on your way, Hondo, hold on." Hicks nodded answering the radio.
"It's good that we're ready to join the party." Munford said getting there at that exact moment.
"Good to see you, sergeant," the commander nodded to him. "Hondo's team alongside a bunch of hostages should be in here, barricaded in this room," he pointed at the spot on the map. "You need to go there, and free their way for the exit. But be careful, they are very well armed there."
"Copy that, we're on it."
"Where do you want us sergeant?" Chris quickly moved to his side, ready to jump back in the action.
Munford looked her, then he turned to look at Hicks.
"Take them, Hondo needs all the help he can get."
"Alright, listen up guys," Munford called all his team to him, "We go in this way," He indicated the corridor on the map, "Then, Rocker, you take Chris and Tan, and round them this other way. Understood?" He looked straight at them till they made him a sign the orders were clear.
"Come on, let's roll. Fast and clean."