Well I don't know about you, but it is September the first where I am, so I figured we'd start a new month off on the right foot. Enjoy!
Chapter 13: Proof Of Life
Doris and Duke arrived at the Hale and rushed into the bullpen. Marching across the room she slammed the satchel, that she'd confiscated, down onto the smart table before Toast.
"What can you do with this?" She asked as she stood there with her arms crossed over her chest.
"Any number of things, I'm sure. What do you want me to do with a satchel?" Toast asked and nearly brushed the bag away - it was in his way and he was deep in the middle of trying to find this woman's son. The look on Doris's face, when he finally did look up at her, changed his mine.
"In the satchel there is a laptop." Doris hissed.
"Where did you get it?" Toast asked, still not convinced that he should abandon his search for Steve and Danny.
"Right from the hands of Gladys McMahon."
Toast stared at her in shock that stopped his progress.
"She got away, but I got this. Is it useful?"
"More useful than anything else we've come across." Toast answered and cautiously and gently tried to free the device from it's carrying case. "There is more in this bag than just the laptop." Toast stated and stopped what he was doing and threw his hands up into the air. "Catherine," he called and the woman came running.
Snapping on a pair of latex gloves, Catherine handled the bag with care and freed the laptop before passing it to Toast and taking the bag herself.
"She's all yours, Toast." Cat winked and moved the bag off the smart table and over to another work station.
"All right, Lovely, let's see what you can tell me. I want to know all of your dirty little secrets!" Toast stated and opened the laptop. As he did, the last program that Gladys had been running popped up and sprang to life.
5-0
Kono and Chin walked into the bullpen, having met up with Lou on their way through the Hale, just in time to here the crackling on the transmission as Toast plugged a microphone into the laptop.
"Hello. Hello. Can anyone here me?" Toast asked cautiously.
When the laptop had first flashed to life the speakers crackled and hissed but soon the faint sound of voices could be heard, but not made out definitively.
"Toast?" Steve and Danny asked in unison as the sound of shuffling and scrapping gave way to a much clearer transmission. "Did you catch Gladys?" they asked together.
"How did you get this frequency?" Steve asked excitedly - there was hope and relief in his voice.
"Steve, where are you?" Doris demanded as she jump forward.
"We're not really sure. We know that we are trapped in a flood drain and there are booby traps all along the downward flow. If it starts to rain we're in big trouble down here and we don't really have time to try and back pedal up the drain - if we could get the lock on the grate to budge."
"Can you trace the frequency?" Catherine demanded as she spun on Toast.
"I can try."
"Hurry, there is a storm coming!" Doris ordered.
"You'll never get to them in time." Duke said as the sound of thunder rattled the Hale.
"We will!" Doris yelled.
"We've got to move!" Danny shouted and there was true panic in his voice.
"Not this again." Kono stated as her breath hitched in her chest as she back away from the smart table and right into Danny's office door. She couldn't hold back the sob that escaped as she sank down against Danny's door and pulled her knees up to her chin - this was starting to feel too much like the last time.
5-0
The sound of thunder rumbled as Lori jumped out of the car and felt the first rain drops on the back of her neck.
"I think that's all we can do here." Charlie stated as he looked to the sky and it flashed before his eyes.
"At least the rain held off this long." Lori said and dropped the camera into it's protective case before the clouds above opened up and poured down on them.
"Excuse me!" A man called and waved at them - the woman at his side did the same to try to get the attention of the two investigators who were blocked off by barricades and police tape. "Hey! Excuse Me! We know where Steve and Danny are!" the man yelled and at the sound of the names Lori and Charlie jumped and rushed forward.
"Let them in!" Lori stated as the rain fell more freely.
"We have to hurry. They don't have much time." The woman stated frantically as she reached out and grabbed Charlie's arm. "They are in a storm drain up in the valley. They are trapped down there and we couldn't get them out."
"Who are you?" Lori asked as her suspicious and her hope flooded her senses.
"We just want to help." The man said and the clouds opened up and the rain fell heavily around them.
5-0
"Steve, leave it! We've got to move!" Danny yelled again as the water started to flow gently but quickly down the drain and away from them - it wouldn't be long before the trickle became a flood.
"It needs to transmit!" Steve stated and raised the metal box over his head. "They need to trace it!"
"So leave it as high and dry as you can and lets go! How are you going to get us through the maze of traps without your hands free?"
Steve seemed torn for a few moments. He ignored the voices from the box in his hand and heard only the rising panic in Danny's voice and the sound of the thunder above them.
"You want to take our chances down the tunnel?" Steve asked frozen in his spot.
"I'd rather run than be washed down stream out of control. Besides fire can't exist where water is present so there is one obstacle out of our way." Danny yelled over the sound of the water flowing into the tube.
"Then run!" Steve stated, dropped the radio and rushed forward willing Danny to follow.