Sam walks toward Sebastian with his hands raised in front of him, palms up, the universal 'non threatening' stance. All of his tactical gear has been removed, even his vest. A risky move to make, one that could get him in major trouble if this situation increases in intensity. Sebastian tries to notice how the constable is behaving relative to his own behaviors, but the sight of his best friend walking away from him is distracting.
I deserve this. I got Zack involved in this mess, and he's smart enough to get the hell out before he gets hurt. I'm alone now, and it's entirely my fault. This is how it's supposed to be, just me here, except now Zack and the police are here. Once Zack tells the police the truth about me, they'll have to make their decision. I've made mine, I have the solution right here in my hand.
Zack can't bring himself, doesn't have the strength to look at his friend again. At the same time, he can't figure out how to place his left foot in front of his right foot and make his way over to Sergeant Parker of the Strategic Response Unit.
Team One notices Zack's hesitation and Sebastian's nervousness, and begin loading their guns with rubber bullets. If the situation were to escalate, they would want to proceed with less lethal tactics. After all, they are dealing with teenagers. True, both of those kids are emotionally unstable, but inciting more violence would be counterproductive. Jules watches Sam closely through the scope of her rifle and hopes that her boyfriend can get over the distrust since his previous negotiation. Sebastian needs someone to connect with him, to help get him home safely, and if Sam cannot do that, who else on the team can?
"I'm tired, Sam," Darren Kovacs spoke honestly.
"Then let's get some rest. Let's do this together," Sam reached out to the distressed sniper.
"Okay."
"Sebastian, I'm going to walk closer so we can hear each other better," begins Sam, quickening his pace and closing the distance, leaving them standing five feet apart. Sebastian is barely in control of his actions, the dehydration is apparent now, and he looks as if he could collapse at any moment. Emergency Medical Services are en route, thanks to Zack and Greg's previous calls. There's a small voice nagging in the back of Sam's head, worrying that by the time EMTs arrive, they'll be nothing left for them.
"He's reaching for his gun," the constable whispers an update to his team, keeping his voice low. Team One begins to enclose the negotiator and teenager in a smaller area to contain the situation.
"Please, go away," the teenager's voice is weak and nearing tears. "I just need to be alone right now." Please, go. Please take Zack with you and your team, talk to him, make sure he doesn't remember what happened here. Tell him that it was just a dream, that he stumbled upon a police training exercise, tell him anything but the truth. Please get my friend out of here, please get yourselves out of here.
"I'm not going to leave you alone," Sam promises and tries to establish eye contact with agitated boy who's standing a few feet and a world apart.
"Why are you lying to me?!" Sebastian's hoarse voice cracks as he attempts to scream, salty tears pouring down his cheeks. "He promised me that, too. He promised me that he wouldn't go, that he wouldn't leave, he promised and now he's GONE!" Sebastian managed to shout, his feet beginning to walk frantically across the dark forest floor.
"Sebastian, your friend is here. Zack is standing a few yards away with my sergeant. I can take you over to him, if you'd like," Sam speaks while gesturing with his arm for Seb to follow him out of the clearing. At this suggestion, Sebastian stops moving. He stands, almost frozen in place, while his body begins to shake. What originated as nervous tics escalates into an anxiety attack.
"No, no, he's not there. He can't be there. He's gone," utters the apprehensive adolescent. Zack is watching on and even though he is out of earshot, he grasps the meaning behind the words murmured by his mate. Zack's sentence to the police sergeant trails off as he sneaks glimpses of the negotiation, prompting the older man to ask 'are you okay, Mr. Adams?'
"Sir," Zack says, unable to keep his eyes off Sebastian,"there's something you should know." He gulps, gathers his courage, tells himself that this isn't another betrayal of trust, and says "Seb lost his roommate a few months ago. Kevin...they were very close, sir. I knew he didn't take it well so I've been trying to help him, but..."
"You did the right thing, Zack," Parker reassures the youth, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Can you tell me more about Kevin?"
Zack nods and looks up at the sergeant. "Kevin and Seb were roommates last year, at the Shepherd Hospital. You know, the..."
"Psychiatric unit downtown," Greg finishes Zack's sentence, leaving him uneasy.
"Yeah, that one. Seb wasn't supposed to be there, honest, it was a misunderstanding. Anyway, once he was there, they placed him in the only available room, with Kevin. They both have-well, Kevin had- issues with their parents, and school, and life in general. I don't really know much, except that for those months Seb was in Shepherd, Kevin was the only one he'd talk with. They were discharged the same day, except they never got to say good-bye. They had each other's emails and stayed in contact. One day...one day, Seb got a newspaper article attached to a message." Zack looks up now, not at the Sarge but at Sebastian.
"'Local Boy Found Dead in Lake Monroe'" Greg says to himself. He remembers reading that story during a workout before shift, after he had heard bits and pieces of the story from Dean. "Sam, Sebastian's friend committed suicide in April. His name was Kevin Richards," Greg informs his negotiator and team over the headset's first channel.
Sebastian walked down the hall and out the double set of double doors, dejected and elated. Bipolar. Time to return to home sweet home. He didn't look back on his way out, just shifted his bag over his shoulder and reached into his pocket. He patted it just to be sure that the small slip of paper inscribed with 'k-ricky407 ' was secure. Seb was relieved that he would be leaving the hospital that his parental unit had put him in, nervous about being re-accepted into 'normal' society. The good news was that he'd still have a piece of his 'inside life' with his 'outside life' to balance him out-Kevin's contact information. Sebastian returned to his house, which looked exactly the same as it did the last time he'd been there five months ago. That is to say, it was covered in dirty laundry, unopened electrical bills, dishes congealed with god only knows what and broken across the counters...home sweet home.
Sebastian's re-emergence in the school went unnoticed, as if no one even knew he was absent from the first months of classes. Only Zack knew, and he was smart enough to not say anything. Sebastian looked forward to checking his email, something he hadn't felt since middle school. His interactions with Kevin were his alone, no one else but the two of them involved, although Seb suspected that Zack knew but was kind enough to shut his pie-hole. Life was beginning to seem livable again. School seemed bearable, even the shithole of a place known as 'home' wasn't terrible. Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and contact with Kevin was the constant driving force. One new message-k-ricky407-no subject. What could be the harm in reading that? Sebastian opened the email, glanced at the attachment briefly, noticed how the message was signed, and hurled his iPod across the room. With a heavy heart and shaking limbs, Sebastian retrieved his iPod and read the end of the email. 'He really did love you, Seb. Please remember that.-jess-rickysmiles'. Kevin's sister had sent this message. Tears pooled in his eyes and formed rivers down his cheeks. Unable to resist, Seb finally opened up the article-it can't be true, he can't be gone...We promised each other.
"I know you promised, but you're gone now," Sebastian whispers. Sam hears this, pairs it up with the fact his boss just gave him, and steps so he is only a foot away from Sebastian.
"Sebastian, stay with me. Please, look at me. I understand," Sam looks into Sebastian's eyes, noticing that the young man's gun is moving up to chest level.