A/N: Alright. New chapter coming your way. Hope you're enjoying it. I also noted that my previous two chapters got screwed up. I'll get all that fixed within the next 24 hours.

Our assigned duos were thrown out the window.

When I got to the garage, I opened the back of one of the black SUVs. Just before I could put my gear into the SUV, Ed calmly came by and said, "Hop in with me."

Confused, I followed Ed, and put my gear in the back of his SUV.

"Radios?"

"Check."

"Magazines?"

"Check."

"Breaching kit?"

"Check."

"Flashbangs?"

"Check."

After the quick equipment check I had a moment to take in the surrounding scene.

Everyone just works right off each other. They compliment each others action palettes.

I snapped back to reality, as I threw my MP5 in the back seat of the SUV and got in the passenger side.

Finally we took off.

Parker and Spike lead the convoy, followed by me and Eddie, and Sam and Jules taking up the rear. The command truck was 5 minutes out.

"Ok Team," said Parker over the radio, "We got two unidentified women- one holding her co-worker hostage at gunpoint. Talked to the uniforms and security on scene at the Vista Towers: We have a 6-floor office building, and security has cleared floors one, four and five of all civilians. Uniforms have set a hard perimeter. No one in or out. Detectives on scene are reporting that the armed woman was mentioning an affair. We also have conflicting identifications- some reporting the hostage as Emily Dryder, an eighteen year old intern, and some saying its Samantha Smithers, of thirty-three years of age."

"Terrific." Eddie muttered, "Spike, we got blueprints?"

"On the PDAs."

I pulled out my PDA and showed Ed the schematics.

"Ok team," Ed bellowed through the radio, "Spike, your on intel in the truck. Me and Perra are alpha, stealth entry from roof exit, clearing floors six to three. Sam, Jules; entry through rear employee entrance, clearing floors one to three. First team to find our girls will get eyes and ears in- do you copy?"

A combination of "Yes Sir", "Copy that" and "10-4" rang through the radio.

Finally on scene, I grabbed the MP5 from the back seat, clipped it to the modular load bearing vest. From the back hatch, I grabbed the bags containing the snake cameras, audio receptors, breaching kit, lock picks, and the door stethoscope.

I followed Ed up the fire escape. Spike must've been moving fast on the intel because he had an update for us.

"Ok Ed, I'm tapped into the security camera feeds- we got one hundred and twenty three stationary cameras in hallways and common areas only. None of the offices."

"Spike, I got some info for you to run," came Greg's voice.

Me and Ed listened in, but we were too caught up in our duties to really catch wind of the information that Greg had.

Ed got up to the roof exit door. He took the right flank, and I got the left. He tried the handle. Locked.

Understanding my role, I selected the two lock picks required for this lock. In seconds, the lock bolt receded.

"On my count Bravo." Ed said, "One, two, three!"

Ed entered the building, and I followed. We immediately scanned the area and continued on. Now facing us was a set of steps that went to the sixth floor mezzanine. Using the piggyback system, Ed descended and I covered his flank. He did the same as I descended.

"Sixth floor mezzanine clear." Ed claimed.

Again, we descended next flight of stairs. The sixth floor. I readied the door stethoscope.

Ed covered my front, as we pushed forward. We stopped at each office door and I pressed the metallic pad of the door stethoscope to the door, to listen and hear if there was any noise on the other side. By clearing the offices this way meant the call would be more efficient.

"Bravo- what's your status?" Ed asked.

"We need EMTs! 2nd Floor at office 2345, overlooking the atrium! Spike look back on the cameras, see if we can find our shooter!" Sam instructed.

"Sixth floor clear!"

Again, down more stairs. At the bottom of these stairs though, were two security guards.

"The floor has been cleared." one guard whispered, "Offices checked, no one is hiding."

"Thank you sir," I responded, as me and Ed methodically carried on, "Wait here, and an officer will be up to evacuate you."

As we walked away, I spoke on the radio for the first time, "Spike, two Security guards at fifth floor stairs descending black wall requiring a uniform evac."

"Good to hear your voice Perra," Spike replied, "I can get your voice registered with the auto-transcriber now."

"This is SRU Constable Scarlatti requiring available uniforms at Vista Towers, fifth floor stairs descending black wall for a civilian evacuation." Spike said, as he put out an all-call.

"Second floor clear" Jules radioed in.

"Where are you?" Ed muttered, just enough so I could hear him, but not enough for the radio to pick it up.

I put the stethoscope up against the door. This time I heard faint yelling, and crying- at the same time.

"Eddie." I muttered, "Got joy."

"Boss- office 4111, to a Jade Mirth." Ed informed over the radio.

Ed didn't have to tell me. I silently slid off my backpack and got a snake camera and started feeding it under the door. Using the handheld screen I got it into position. I pressed the big blue button.

"We got eyes," I muttered over the radio, "Two women. Gun confirmed. Looks like a 1911 frame, holding ten rounds."

"Nine if the civilian on 2nd was shot." Ed reminded. "Sam?"

"Talked to our victim. She saw the woman coming up the hall, and she tried to get the gun away from her. Superficial damage to her upper left leg. Size of the wound suggests a forty five automatic Colt pistol." Sam described.

"Boss-" said Jules, "While she was trying to get the gun, she managed to get a partial of the serial number. Spike, sending it on the PDA."

"Copy that." Spike replied, "I'll run it through the restricted registry."

"Perra-" came Greg's voice on the radio- "We got ears yet?"

I had just finished setting up an audio receptor to the video snake. "Roger that. Ears online."

Spike must've routed the audio that he was receiving from the receptor into the radios, because I could now hear the two women in the room, as if they were standing right next to me.

"Say it! Say it!"

"Nooo..."

"You cheated with my boyfriend!"

"No I didn't Marissa..."

Suddenly, the audio cut out, as Greg came over, "Ok- we got a read on our subject. Marissa Travers. Twenty six years old, we got the boyfriend here, and he's saying that she woke up this morning thinking that he had an affair. He tried reasoning with her, but she wouldn't listen."

"Where'd she get the gun?" Ed asked.

"Well, Mr. Weeks here has a legally owned handgun."

"And he didn't realize it was missing?" I piped in.

"Yeah, it's not adding up. I'm gonna try calling in."

The next five minutes were completely silent, but not without interest. Sam and Jules made their way up to us. Ed, Sam and Jules stacked up near the door, and Ed gave me hand signals to go to the next office and get a second pair of eyes in.

It didn't take me long to get the second eyes in.

"Second eyes in." I muttered over the radio.

"Spike what do you see?" Ed asked.

"There's no cover from your door, but the window looking to the south has been tinted from the outside, with about eighty percent tint."

"Ok. Boss?" Ed asked.

"She's shutting down. She wants an answer that's not there. I'm thinking a psychotic break."

"Ok, here's the plan." Ed instructed, as I got back to Ed, Sam and Jules, "Alpha on door entry, flashbang, and focus on the suspect. Sam, rappel down from fifth- window explosive entry, You'll have a two second head start before Alpha. Get the victim out of our line of fire. Jules- less lethal. Stay behind Alpha. Things go south, you'll need to descalate quickly."

"Copy that."

Sam took off for fifth floor. Me and Eddie stacked up to the door. To Ed's flank, was Jules with rubber bullets in her MP5.

"Sam, what's your 20?"

"Seconds away."

A few seconds after, Sam whispered into the radio, "Charge set. Ready for your go Alpha."

I had a flashbang readied in hand.

"Three, two..."

"Hold fire!" came Greg's voice, "The victim has been identified as Jade Mirth. She's pregnant. I repeat, pregnant. No flashes, no rubber bullets."

"Not much left in the tactical tool-bag Greg." Ed replied.

"We're gonna have to talk Ms. Travers down." Greg answered, "Jules, you up for this?"

"Copy that." Jules replied.

Jules handed me her MP5. I put it in my breaching bag.

She knocked hard on the door.

"Marissa Travers? I'm Officer Julianna Callihan with the Strategic Response Unit. I'm here to help you."

"I just want the truth!"

"Ok. We can work on that Marissa. But can we open the door, so we can talk better?"

No reply came.

Jules nodded to me and Ed. Eddie opened the door, and covered Jules, while I angled my MP5 to cover the victim.

"Ed, Kris," came Parker, "She's volatile and unpredictable. That gun goes up at either victim or Jules, you have Scorpio."

Jules popped her head out from behind the shield- also known as Eddie.

"Marissa, I want to help you. But I need you to put the gun down."

"No!" she yelled.

I tensed up, thinking the gun was going up, but it never did.

"Marissa," Jules continued, "A gun won't solve anything. You want answers, I can understand that. But this isn't the way."

Marissa wept hard, and lost grip on the gun.

It dropped to the ground.

Ed went forward, and kicked the gun away from Marissa. He got his cuffs out and started to cuff her.

I went forward to Jade.

"Are you ok?" I asked.

She nodded yes.

"Ok, were going to have you checked out by the EMTs. Spike?"

"Copy that. EMTs on their way to Office 4111." Spike's voice rang out.

I looked over to Ed and Jules. Ed was moving out of the office with the suspect, taking her down to command post to be processed. Jules had picked up the gun used by the suspect, cleared the magazine and the round in the chamber, and placed it in an evidence bag.

"Good job team." came Parker's voice.