Inside the SRU van, Spike was trying desperately to trace Cassie and Jules' beepers while Parker and Ed talked with police officers.

"Thank you," Parker finished, before coming to sit down beside Spike.

"They've promised to keep an eye out for the girls and Danforth," he said. "We'll find them, and we'll get them back."

Spike merely gave Parker a frantic look before returning to his screens. Parker sighed, and clapped his teammate on the shoulder. He should have seen this coming. Just because Spike and Cassie showed their affection in a different way didn't mean they didn't have a bond.

"I understand that you're worried about Cassie," Parker began in an undertone. "But this isn't going to help your focus, this... concern. For Cassie's sake, try to relax, alright?"

"I'm fine, Boss," insisted Spike. Parker simply gave him a look, and the tech expert relented. "Alright, I'm scared shitless for Cassie. But she's tough. She'll make it, and so will Jules."

Parker smiled. "Good man. Keep it up, Spike."

The remainder of the team entered the van, all of them looking stoic, Sam seeming equally as upset as Spike.

"We've checked all the exits and questioned nearby civilians," Sam said. "The only thing out of the ordinary was a car parked near the library, and even that didn't raise suspicion."

"Did anybody get a plate number? Winnie can't find them if they don't have a plate number," Wordy asked concernedly. Spike punched one of his keyboards.

"Nothing. I can't get a latch on their beepers!"

Ed laid a hand on Spike's shoulder. "Calm down. This isn't the time to get frustrated." His words seemed to do a good job of calming Sam down as well, halting the man's furious pacing.

Just then, Winnie's voice came on. "Sarge, I've got activity on Jules' headset. Do you want to take it?"

"Patch me through, Winnie," Parker said grimly. "Spike, trace-"

"Already on it, Boss," Spike muttered, intent on his computer screen once more.

Parker took a deep breath, glancing around at his team. "This is Sergeant Greg Parker of the SRU, may I ask who is calling?"

The line crackled for a bit before a hoarse voice replied, "This is Blake Danforth. I believe you have something I want."

Parker paused. "I know you have two of my officers, can I inquire about their condition?" "They're both alive." Spike heaved a sigh of relief with the others, but the next words made him freeze. "For now. The brunette is," a small moan could be heard in the background, making Sam flinch, "just waking up. The red-head put up quite a fight once we left the Metropublic."

Spike grinned to himself. "That's my Cassie."

Parker also smiled at the mention of Cassie's furor. "I'd like to understand the situation a little better, Blake. How can we help you? How can I get my officers back?"

"Give me the hostages you took from me," said Danforth. "Give them to me, and I'll let your nosy colleagues go."

"And if we can't?" asked Parker.


"Then they die."

Cassie resisted the urge to glare at Danforth, who had taken Jules' mic and was now talking on it to who she hoped was Parker. Beside her, Jules was slowly coming to, blinking her eyes in confusion at the unfamiliar scenery around her. How could she have been so stupid? Of course that had been a bomb; she'd survived one her first day on the job. Not to mention she'd lost her weapon in the confusion, the only thing that would have kept her and Jules safe. Stupid, stupid!

"What's going on?" muttered Cassie's companion. "I remember you telling me to get back, and then everything went white. Where are we?"

"Captured," Cassie said darkly. "Because of my stupidity, we're in the hands of Danforth and his gang. No doubt he's going to use us as leverage to get Mr. and Mrs. Wood back."

Jules gave her friend a small smile. "It's not your fault, Cassie. This could have happened to anybody; it's happened to Sam, and Spike. We're only human, and despite everything, we can't always be perfect."

"You're right," Cassie agreed. "I just-"

"I don't care!" Danforth yelled into the stolen microphone. "I said, I had plans for that bitch, and if I can't go through with them on her and her lap dog, I'll improvise!"

"Uh oh," Jules muttered worriedly as Danforth gave her and Cassie a crazed look. "He's escalating."

They could faintly hear Parker on the other end trying to calm the gangster, but Cassie knew about Danforth; she'd read his report over Spike's shoulder. He was renowned for flying off the handle-a result of all the drugs he'd taken over the years.

"I was gonna show Margo who's boss!" Danforth screamed. He raised his gun at Jules.

"Put your weapon down, Danforth!" Cassie said loudly. "If you shoot an officer, you'll be digging yourself a bigger pit than you're already in!"

Danforth, crazy as he was, heard Cassie's words and took them to heart. He slowly lowered his gun, panting.

"If Margo isn't willing to give herself up, then perhaps a little more leverage is needed," he said quietly to himself. Then, he shouted at his boys, "Pack it up! Plan B!"

Cassie felt someone roughly shove her to her feet, another thug doing the same to Jules. As the man pushed her to the door, Cassie glanced out a half-open window to see a street sign. Luck seemed to be on her side.

"45 Meadow Lane!" she yelled before Danforth disconnected the mic. Cassie hoped her team had heard it.


"Did you get that?" Parker asked Spike. He'd heard the vaguest echo of something before the line had disconnected.

Spike was glaring at the computer screen. "Yeah. That no-good bastard was going to shoot them-" he caught the slightly frustrated look on his superior's face and blushed. "Oh. You mean the directions? 45 Meadow Lane."

Parker nodded. "Let's go, team. Sounds like they've left the building, but maybe we can find some clues as to where they're going."

"Excuse me," asked a voice. Parker turned around to see Mrs. Wood standing anxiously next to her husband. "Did you say 45 Meadow Lane?"

"Yes." Parker was instantly alert. "Is that an important address? Is there something we need to know?"

"Well..." Mrs. Wood's face was confused. "All that struck me was it's incredibly close to where we live."

"And Jenny's school," Mr. Wood added. That last bit of information struck Parker and his team.

"Jenny is..." Parker asked, already signalling his team to their SUVs.

"Our daughter," Mrs. Wood confirmed. "Mine and Jacob's."

"A little more leverage might be needed..." Parker repeated to himself. "Eddy?"

The team leader, already in his vehicle, copied that he'd heard and he, along with Wordy, were on their way to Jenny's school immediately.

"Can I ask you where your daughter goes to school," Parker asked the couple.

"Sir Henry Woodward Primary," Mrs. Wood answered. "Mr. Parker, please... what is going on?"

"We have reason to believe that Danforth is going after your daughter," Parker answered as Spike exited the van to join him. Mrs. Wood gasped and her husband latched onto her shoulders to keep her from falling. "Don't worry, Mrs. Wood. We'll get your daughter home safely."

"Five minutes out. We've got the school in lockdown," said Ed from Parker's mic, "and the school security is checking the building. No sign of Jenny so far."

"Ah." Parker hid his wince.

"No, wait!" That was Wordy. "Pulling up to the school now. Subject has just taken the victim into a beige minivan."

"Go after them, Wordy," Parker said as he, Spike and Sam left the Woods to head to their SUV. "If you can get Spike a license number, we'll track it from the car."

"Come on, come on," Spike was muttering to himself, fingers flashing across the large tablet in the SUV. When Wordy finally shouted out a license plate number, he was typing that in and waiting impatiently for the GPS satellite to kick in. His haste was understandable - if they could track the gang members to their new hideout, not only would they retrieve Jenny, but Cassie and Jules as well.

"An old ironworks factory on the East side," Spike finally told his team with a note of triumph in his voice. "235 Destrier Court. A lot of exits, but I'm betting they're either boarded up or guarded. Windows are plenty, but the ones on the ground floor are very high up."

A sort of adrenaline began to fill Spike's veins. They were so close now. Cassie would be safe.


All things considered, Cassie thought, this was actually not a bad prison.

She and Jules were currently stuck inside a small room inside yet another of Danforth's hideaways. It was cramped, badly lit, and stunk of iron and sweat, but it could be worse. They had chairs, and a table with food on it, and - Jules had pointed out - the one window could be reached by stacking the chairs on the table. And they'd already made those plans. Working together, the two girls had shoved the table right under the window, and stacked the chairs into one pile, so all they'd have to do is lift them up when the time came.

"Limp fries and soggy burgers," Jules muttered, poking at the take-out meal their guards had so graciously supplied. "I'm in heaven."

Cassie rolled her eyes, taking a handful of fries and stuffing them in her mouth. "I'm starving. And we had worse to eat when my dad was out of work."

"Well, I'll try to save your life if they end up poisoned," Jules smirked.

The door to their 'cell' banged open, hitting the wall with a metallic smash. In the doorway stood Danforth, gripping the upper arm of a little girl menacingly.

"You can come out," he hissed, causing tears to well up in the little girl's eyes, "when Mommy comes to get you."

With that, Danforth shoved the girl into the room, and pulled the door shut again. Sobs began to wrack the little girl - a blonde child who couldn't have been more than six years old - who clutched a small white coat around her tightly.

Cassie exchanged a glance with Jules. Another hostage, this time a small child. What was Danforth playing at? At this rate, he'd never get out of jail with all these offenses he was heaping upon himself.

Jules cleared her throat, causing the little girl to jump. Her wide blue eyes stared at Jules and Cassie in fright.

"Don't be scared," Cassie said soothingly, holding out her hand. "My name is Cassie. This is my partner Jules. We're police officers."

"You are?" asked the child, her sobs beginning to cease. "But... the bad man has you here!"

"I know," Jules said. "That's because we got kidnapped too. But don't worry. Our friends are coming to find us, and they'll help get you home to your parents."

By now, the little girl had hesitantly taken Cassie's hand. When both SRU members gave her soft smiles, she threw herself forward and hugged Cassie around her waist. Startled, she returned the embrace.

"It's going to be okay, sweetheart," Cassie whispered, stroking the young one's hair. Jules smiled.

"Can you tell us your name?"

"It's Jenny." Her voice was muffled from being hidden in Cassie's uniform. "Jenny Wood." Jules' eyes snapped towards Cassie's. Jenny Wood. She had to be the daughter of Jacob and Margaret Wood; it was too coincidental that Danforth would capture a little kid with the same name.

"Okay, Jenny," Cassie said, crouching down to the child's level and taking both her hands in her own. "I'm going to ask you to be very brave, and to do what we tell you to do, okay? Can you promise us that?"

Jenny nodded, wide-eyed.

"Jules and I have an escape plan," Cassie said, pointing towards the small window. "We're going to put the chairs up on that table, high enough so we can reach the window. Jules will go first, and when she's on the ground, I'm going to ask you to climb up to the window, and jump down. Jules will catch you, and I'll be right behind you, taking care of you."

"Okay," Jenny whispered.

Minutes passed. Jules and Cassie entertained the young girl with stories and jokes. Then all three of them could hear yelling voices in the distance, muffled by the metal door, but still audible all the same. Flashing lights could be seen through the window.

Cassie smiled at Jenny. "Those are our friends, Jenny. Time to get out of here."

Letting go of the child, she and Jules grabbed the stack of chairs, heaving it onto the table with grunts of effort. Jules began to scale the chairs like a monkey, reaching the window and prying the latch open. She opened the window as far as it could go. Giving a thumbs up to Cassie and Jenny, she started pushing her body through the gap.

"Okay, Jenny," Cassie said. "Time to climb. Quickly now!"

She picked Jenny up and placed her on the table, clambering up behind as well with the intention of helping the small child with the climb. Jules was halfway out the window and had turned to accept the handoff when the metal door opened, and Danforth and a crony burst in.

"No!" Danforth said, voice filled with rage. Cassie tried to hoist Jenny up to Jules, but it was too late: both gang members grabbed the legs of the table and pulled. With a crash, both chairs and escapees came tumbling down, Cassie desperately trying to keep Jenny tucked to avoid hitting her head. They hit the floor with a groan. Jenny had begun to sob again, and Cassie held her tightly, checking her over for any sign of injury.

"On your feet!" yelled Danforth, yanking Cassie up by the hair. She yelped, glancing up at the window and breathing in relief to see no sign of Jules. When the crony reached over to grab Jenny, Cassie pulled her hair from Danforth's grip and swooped the child up into her arms.

"I've got her," she told both men coldly. Danforth merely grunted, and pulled out his gun.

"Start walking," he told Cassie, poking Jenny with the weapon, who cowered into Cassie's shoulder. Giving the foul man a glare, the SRU member walked out of the room.


Jules listened desperately for more sound coming from the room she'd just exited. But there was nothing. Nothing at all. Cassie and Jenny were still in Danforth's clutches. Jules hissed in frustration, but shook her head. It wouldn't help her friend or the little girl if she lost her temper. She needed to get back to her team and help them find the two remaining hostages.

Ignoring the throbbing pain in her left ankle - the fall had been higher than Jules had anticipated and done with sudden urgency - the freed officer crept around the front of the factory, where the lights seemed brightest. She grinned when she saw her teammates leading arrested gang members out of the building.

Sam gave a yell of joy when he spotted her. Handing his prisoner over to the authorities, the sniper sprinted over, grabbing Jules and swinging her around with enthusiasm.

"I've got her, Boss!" Sam called out happily. "Jules is safe!"

Immediately a clamour could be heard on Sam's line, everyone wanting to know if that was true and adding their own sentiments. Finally, Parker made himself heard.

"Get her over here, Sam."

Sam looked anxiously at Jules. "Are you okay? Cassie said you'd been buried under rubble... and we heard over a mic that Danforth was going to shoot an officer-"

Jules held up a hand. "I'm fine, except for a few bruises and a sprained ankle."

Sam merely stared at Jules, his expression unreadable. But it made Jules blush.

As soon as they got back to the SUVs, the rest of the team was there to make sure Jules was alright. Everyone except for Spike seemed happy. The tech officer was glancing around in confusion. Then he grabbed Jules by the arm.

"Where's Cassie?"