A/N: Alright, getting my lazy butt in gear now. Enjoy!
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It was fast approaching an hour since the robber had demanded the chopper, and the police still hadn't gotten one. Ryder was getting anxious. Danny was afraid he'd soon get trigger-happy. He shot nervous looks at his distant cousin every few minutes.
Sam noticed these looks. Just as the hour was about to be up, Ryder stood, fingering the gun. Danny stood slowly, as well, obviously ready to jump in the way. Sam stood, too, walking towards Ryder, who scowled in reply.
"What?" he demanded.
"Shoot me. It's been an hour," she answered.
"Trying to be a protector, too, huh? Danny-boy here'll tell you how hard a role it is, right, cuz?"
Danny scowled as Ryder laughed at him.
Sam moved closer to the gun, frowning. "Just shoot me, dammit!"
Ryder blinked, shrugged. "Fine. I needa shoot someone, anyway. It'll look bad if I don't keep my word, right?" He leaned in, whispering to Sam, "Plus, it'll be fun to see the Protector squirm when everyone else starts getting hurt. He has a problem with that, y'know?"
"Yeah," Sam growled back, "I do."
He scowled in reply, then shot her left shoulder.
She leaned over, gasping in pain and shock.
"Don't," he snarled, "talk back to me. Ever." He turned and walked away, so Danny took his chance to limp quickly to Sam, making her lie down.
He glanced about catching the eyes of the remaining hostages. "Is anyone here a doctor?"
A young woman nodded.
"How do I help her?"
And so he found himself bandaging Sam's shoulder, apologizing for not having any painkillers. Once he was done with that, the doctor then ordered him to tend to his own wounds.
He shook his head. "I'll be fine. I heal fast." He limped towards Ryder, ignoring Sam and the doctor's protests.
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"Well, well, the Protector is comin' to me! What a nice surprise!"
"Next time, shoot me."
Ryder's smile slipped from his face, replaced by a frown. "Where I aim my gun is up to me. You just need to jump the right way."
Danny set his jaw. "I will."
Ryder scowled. "I'm half-tempted to shoot that stupid smile off your face. Or, at the very least, shut you up."
Blue eyes stared him down. "Go ahead and try."
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No one knew what was going on back there, but they did hear the fight. Everyone avoided getting closer, worried the man would shoot again. Finally, Ryder stepped back out, dragging a limp, unconscious, obviously beaten Danny behind him. He tossed the boy onto the floor and grabbed the phone and a hostage. Using the hostage as a shield, he again went to the window and waved the phone at the police. It rang not two seconds later.
"I want the copter. Now," he demanded. "No, five's too many. I'll give you three. …You keep arguing with me, and you'll have three bodies! You've made me wait an hour already. That's two people, shot and bleeding out. You make me wait another half hour, and I'll double that. It's your choice." He hung up, kicking the phone away as it rang again. Then he turned from the window and dropped the hostage.
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Danny was just waking up as the next half hour came around. He saw his cousin fingering the gun and jumped up, ready to get in the way. As Ryder aimed the gun, Danny moved in front of him.
"Dammit, Protector, move!"
"I—I'm doing y—you a favor," Danny mumbled, still weak. "The m—more l—living hostages you have, the more the p—police will l—listen. If you f—freak them out, m—make them think you're killing, they'll just b—barge in once they hear enough g—gunshots."
Even as he was saying the word, his cousin pulled the trigger twice, reaiming quickly in between the two.
Danny gasped and crumpled, a puddle forming beneath him as blood poured from his stomach and knee.
Ryder pulled the teen up by his collar, shaking him. "You want me to make a deal? Cute. But you jump in the way of my shot again, and I'll kill everyone. How's that for a deal, huh, Protector?"
He dropped Danny, kicking him once before turning away. Sam and the doctor rushed over to Danny, bending down beside him. The doctor checked over all three of his gunshot qounds, pulling off his shirt and tearing it into strips to bandage what she could.
Meanwhile, Sam kept Danny awake. "That's four shots, Danny. Four people down to the police. They're thinking he only has nine healthy hostages, and two of those would be us. They wouldn't have expected for him to shoot his helpers. Whether you know it or not, you're outthinking him, Danny. You can do this. You can finally lock him away, Danny."
The doctor sat back on her legs. "I've done all I can."
Sam nodded and was about to reply when the phone rang. Ryder angrilly stalked over and picked it up. "What?" he snarled.
"We need at least four hostages to get the copter to you."
"I said three."
"Yeah, well, copters are expensive. It's four hostages or you'll have to wait."
"Nn…fine. I'll send four out."
"Injured first."
Ryder chuckled. "You just love seeing that damned Protector, don't you? My little helper-cousin?"
"What do you mean?"
"He keeps getting in the way of my shot. I've shot him and beat the crap outta him, but he's still getting in the way."
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Gibbs wrote out an order while still speaking to the man. "So, you've shot him four times?" He lifted the paper to show DiNozzo.
It read 'Search Ryder and a murder from eleven years ago. Input the name/nickname Jazz as a sister for the deceased.' DiNozzo took off.
"No, no," the man on the phone said, "I shot him three times. I shot his friend, the other helper, once, too. She got in the way, like him."
"So, only two of them are hurt."
"Yep."
"So send them and two others."
"No. You'll get your four, but you won't get my helpers."
"Alright. We'll get the chopper here, but you'll need to give us more hostages once it gets here."
"Of course." He hung up.
DiNozzo ran back over as Gibbs did the same. "Well?"
"Ian Ryder. Maddie Fenton is the kid's, Danny's, mom. He had two sisters, Jazz and Danielle, but Danielle was found dead, by Danny, eleven years ago. Danny said it was Ryder, but no one believed him."
"Do we know yet who the hostages are?"
"Four tellers—Sarah Goode, Tom McLeod, Johnathan Smith, and Sam Manson. Sam's the only other teen besides Danny."
"There should be eight others."
"Yes. Louis Rhodes, Julianna Andrews, Steven Jones, Ashley Davis, Virginia Anderson, Anthony Richards, Jefferey Woods, and Dr. Laura Katz."
"Doctor?"
"Yes. From what we can tell, she's at least attempting to help any injured. She's also been keeping everyone calm."
Gibbs nodded. "We need to get her to stay in there."
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Ryder quickly gathered up two of the adults and two tellers, shoving them towards the door. While he was busy with that, Sam bent over Danny to check that the gun was still in his pocket. The doctor noticed and shifted to hide whatever Sam was about to do from Ryder.
Sam pulled out the gun, fingering it, realizing she was one bullet away from escape. How had Danny kept from shooting? Glancing about gave her her answer. There were still too many people who could get hurt.
She sighed and put the gun away in her own pocket. It'd be better off with her, seeing how Danny kept Ryder's eyes on him.
The doctor moved back. "What are you planning?" she asked quietly.
"Honestly, I have no idea. I just know I'll have a better chance than Danny at nailing this guy."
The doctor chuckled. "That's for sure. I am Laura Katz." She extended a hand.
Sam smirked, taking it. "Sam Manson. This is Danny Fenton."
Dr. Katz smiled sadly, looking down at him. "He's very brave."
Sam snorted. "Or stupid."
Dr. Katz glanced back at her. "Then so are you."
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Danny woke up again after the hostages left. He glanced around, slightly panicked and just barely refraining from shifting into his ghost-mode. He couldn't risk exposing his secret with all the police and reporters right outside, and he wasn't too sure of the other hostages. "Where—?"
"He gave four hostages to quicken the time to get the copter," Sam said.
"Any ideas on making him give up seven more?"
Sam snorted again. "Yeah, kill him."
Danny glared at her.
Dr. Katz frowned at them both. "How about this? I saw the—" she nodded at Danny's pocket where the gun had been— "so how 'bout we get the hostages out of your line?"
The two teens blinked at her. "That's…a good idea…."
She smirked. "Well, one of us better have their head together." Then she moved off to organize the hostages, leaving Danny and Sam the task of distracting Ryder and convincing him to let the hostages stay where Katz put them.
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"Oh, so the mighty Protector's awake, huh?" Ryder snarled.
"Yeah, I am."
"You watch that punk little attitude or I'll—what's goin' on over there?" he growled when he saw the hostages shuffling about.
Sam stood in his way. "If they're all together, they'll be easier to manage."
"Easier to kill them all if someone gets in my shot again, too," Ryder stated, glaring at Danny.
Who sent an equally vicious glare back. "You'll have to shoot me first," he declared.
Ryder cocked the gun. "That can be arranged."
"You'd blow any chance at escape."
"How ya figure?"
"I'm your ride outta here."
"So I don't kill ya. Doesn't mean I can't shoot ya."
Danny inhaled sharply, wishing he hadn't phrased his ultimatum so loosely.
Ryder grinned. "I'm right, aren't I? The big, bad Protector's run outta ideas!" He chuckled. "Just like last time, huh? You ran outta ideas then, too."
Danny's hands balled into fists, his whole body shaking.
Frightened, Sam backed away some. She could've sworn his eyes had flashed green….
Ryder laughed. "Couldn't even save your sister, but you think you can save them?" He gestured with his gun towards the hostages.
Danny moved to block his aim.
Suddenly, Ryder wasn't laughing. "What'd I tell you, huh?! You want me to kill all of them?!"
"You dealt with the cops," Danny began, "now, you deal with me. Let three more go."
"No. Cops were givin' me somethin' in return. Whadda you got for me?"
"Me. You'll have your ride. I won't get in your way again. In return, you send half the hostages out."
"How do I know you'll hold to that deal?"
"You're the one with the gun," Danny said boldly. "If I don't, you can shoot me."
"Or," Ryder replied, raising his gun, "I can shoot you now."
The hostages, who had been murmuring, all went silent.
Danny bit the inside of his lip. "You could," he admitted.
Ryder chuckled again, cocking the gun. "You really want to die, don't you? Huh, Protector? 'Cause if that's what you want, I'll be more than happy to give it to you!"
The gun sat dead between Danny's eyes, and the teen stared the man down as his finger tightened on the trigger.
BANG!
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A/N: K. So the two alternate endings will be posted nearly simultaneously. Let me know, after they're posted, which you think should be/is the real ending. See you soon! BYE!