Thanks for the reviews.
I had to steal parts from actual Flashpoint episodes. All credit goes to the writers of course.
I have never been toToronto or Woodbine Heights so please excuse any inaccurate depiction of the area.
Enroute to Woodbine Heights
1145 local
"Scopes?" Jules called.
" Check," came Leah's reply.
"Shields?"
"Check." This came from Spike.
"Rangefinders?"
"Check..."
.
"Rams?"
" Check."
"Baton rounds, pepper spray, CS gas?"
" Check, check, check..."
" Remmy?"
"Check."
"Lip balm?" Leah asked looking at Spike.
"Check..."
"Rookie?"
" Check!" Leah gave Kira a playful shove, and the taller blonde shook her head as they all piled into the vehicles. Ed was with Leah, while Jules, Spike and Kira piled into the second vehicle. "Winnie, update," Ed called as their sired blared.
"Report says it's a family member or members taking a young girl and mother hostage, first responders tried to approach but shots were fired. No injuries."
"Tell them to double the perimeter. Keep onlookers away. Jules?"
"Well, negotiations won't be easy. Winnie, get someone with the blueprints of the house so that we can make an IA if need be."
Minutes later, Team One arrived at the Edwardian house. "Ok, Spike, reconnaissance; see how we might get entry into the house. Jules, you take primary negotiations. Leah, you are my secondary but stay in the truck and coordinate. Kira, you stay with Leah." Upon Ed's orders, everyone moved to their assigned jobs except Kira, who muttered, "I go through so many training courses, and on my first SRU mission, I get to sit in the truck."
"Hey, When you're the democratically elected team leader, you get to make autocratic decisions," Leah told her, muttering the same words that Sam Braddock told her a couple of years ago. "Everyone's part is important. Winnie..."
"Already ahead of you. House is own my a Ms, that's Mike Sierra, Sonya Sanders and she lives with her twelve year daughter, Sierra. Husband Jonathan died about five years ago in a fishing accident in the Mediterranean. The phone number's on your screen."
"Ok, that doesn't tell us much. I'll search and keep digging at your end."
"Trying the number now," Jules said and Leah raised her eyebrows twice at Kira beyond the blonde rookie spoke into the auto-transcriber. "1106, Woodbine Heights. Team Leader Callaghan initiating neogtiat..." Kira's last word was cut off by a sharp gun shot.
"Shot fired! Shot fired!"
"Status!" Ed yelled.
"I'm ok guys," Spiked radioed. "Shot came from the left front room from the house. Keep the perimeter wide!" Spike ordered the other uniformed officers. "No one except SRU will approach!"
"Ok, let's try that again." The phone rang for several minutes before a gruffy accented voice answered. "Stay Away! Stay Away! This personal!"
"Hello, this is Constable Jules Callaghan with the Police Strategic Response Unit. May I know whom I'm speaking with?"
"Get lost! I solve it myself. Gónato!" The phoned slammed shut.
"That was pleasant," Jules muttered sarcastically. "That accent, definitely not local, well definitely not Canadian."
"This is Old East York, lots of migrants here," Ed added. "What was that last word? Kira, play it back?" They all gathered to listen but none of them could comprehend it. " ..to?" Leah tried to spell it out. "Spanish? German? Doesn't sound French..."
"Guesses don't help. What do we know about this Ms Sanders?"
"32 years old. Senior Manager at Broadcourt MNC. Travels a lot to Europe on Business trips and helped set up a company branch in Austria there," Leah read out from her screen.
"Rated highly by her employer. Speaks English, French, Dutch, German," Winnie radioed in.
"Ok start with those languages. Let's see what that last word means," Ed ordered. "And keep finding out more about Sanders." Simultaneously, Jules tried the phone number again but the sharp beep indicated that the house phone was cut off. "Well, that definitely changed things. Spike, we need eyes and ears in."
"Working on it boss but not easy with a gun facing us and this sort of...really old house."
"Work on it. Ladies, we need facts," Ed nodded towards Leah and Kira an he and Jules exited the van. "Business woman, travels..." Leah repeated.
"Would have a professional account," Kira immediately brought up the company's website on her screen. "Says the same info we know. Wait," Kira typed and clicked. "She's young enough to have social media...Facebook, oh wait, that's like fifty plus Sonya Sanders..."
"LinkedIn," Leah interjected.
"That's right, thanks!" Kira found the lady's business account. "Hmm. MBA Harvard, same info about work..."
"She travels alot, what about the daughter? Probably rich enough to hire a maid or a babysitter," Leah mused then typed furiously on her keyboard. "Yes! Hello, is that Melissa Haynes? Yes Constable Kerns, Police SRU. Yes you baby-sit a Sierra Sanders? Yes, any problems lately? Has the girl been acting peculiar? What about the mother, how about payment? Have you seen her..can you repeated that? Bald, tattoo with a cross...ok thank you very much." Leah ended her call then radioed, "Sarge, everyone, the babysitter for the girl mentioned she saw the mother video Skyping with someone. She couldn't remember the conversation but saw a man's face on the screen momentarily. Bald man, with a tattoo of cross on his right arm."
"Got it!" Kira exclaimed. "Sorry, uh Team, Ms Sanders also speaks Greek, well basic Greek. She was in Greece a couple of times, but not for business. I think found the man, Ioannis
Christopoulos. There are several pictures of her and this guy on their individual Facebooks. Could be and ex-lover or something."
"Gret work Leah, Kira," Ed radioed. "Spike? Visual and Audio? And Entry?"
"Definite not easy, CCTV all over. I've the house blueprints boss, and the best way in is via the roof. The tricky part is getting up the roof, there's not many blindspots with the CCTVs, assuming he's watching. There's only a narrow climb but after that entry is easy."
"Acknowledge. Jules?"
"I want one more try at negotiations, Leah, Kira, she's got to have a phone or phones." Soon enough Jules tried that number but it was engaged. "Ok, Alpha team is me and Spike. Bravo team, Sarge and Leah."
"How about me?" Kira asked.
"You back us up in the truck. You'll join Bravo team if need be." Kira wanted to protest, then remembered the earlier incident. Great, she thought as Leah geared up. "I get to watch just like a footballer sitting the game out.
Fifteen minutes later, the team had a parabolic microphone and a snake camera in and saw the man Ioannis holding the mother and child at gunpoint, the mother on her knees. "Bravo team, go round and try entry through that side door. Just as that order was given, Spike noticed the argument was getting even more heated. "He's escalating! Escalating!"
"Ok, no choice. IA...now!" Upon Jules command, both teams entered the study room, throwing several smoke grenades and flash bangs and shouting "SRU! Get down! Get down!" As soon as the smoke dissipated, Team One found only the lady Sony one the ground.
"EMT! We need an EMT here now!" Spike radioed.
"Subject is gone! Daughter is gone!" Jules cried. "Where can they be?" It was quite clear that there weren't any other exits in the room.
"Boo..k..case," the woman gasped and pointed. Leah touched it and immediately it sprang open, revealing a narrow staircase. "Let's go people!" Ed yelled and they clicked on their flashlights attached to their MP5s. "Kira, Winnie, what the hell is this?"
"Hold on...this house has a staircase, it should bring you to the basement of the building. There's also a ladder than emerges..to the side street."
"Copy. Kira? Kira?"
"No on in the basement boss," Leah radioed.
"Kira? Constable Marlowe, check in."
Kira had in fact exited the van much earlier, with full gear plus and a MP5. She had listen in to all the conversations and heard Winnie's comment about the ladder. They couldn't have gone far, she thought as she slowly approached the side alley. Suddenly, tin can clattered and Kira called out with her loudest voice, "SRU! Stop and drop your weapon!" The man immediately emerged, a Sig-Sauger P239 pressed against the pre-teen girl's head.
"You drop yours and or this girl is gone," he retorted in his heavy Greek accent.
"Look, you risk life in prison. She's just a child and..."
"She's mine!" He yelled, pressing the gun harder against the girl who was crying now. Suddenly he added, "Shoot me!"
"Hi..." Kira was caught off guard by that comment and did so, but only heard a 'click'. "Now you lose," he said before three burst of blood exploded from his chest.
"Subject is down, hostage safe!" Jules called, kicking away the pistol and checking the man.
"Basic rule Kira: You forgot to release your safety."
To Be Continued.