The green Checker pulled into the parking garage, uniforms passing between their squads and the door on the far wall. Professor Ellison stepped out from the passenger side while Detective Sandburg closed the driver's side door.
"Okay, just a quick talk with my Captain, Banks approves you, and we'll get you credentialed." Blair's smile matched his breezy statement. His thoughts sped on how he was going to sell Simon on this.
"Why are we doing this, again?" He turned with an open, non-committal expression. Jim fell in with the long haired detective. He had some ideas about why he was doing it.
"You said you wanted to do this." The scramble to re-convince Ellison was evident on Blair's face. Ever since the organ harvesting operation had been wrapped up, he had been interested in what else the professor could do. For that, he'd need an explanation beyond 'well, he's got heightened senses, technical is so busy...' Slipping him in as an Observer was the best he'd come up with.
"I said I was willing. You'll notice a difference." Jim paused for a second. His face crinkled.
"What is it?" Blair tried to be subtle as he leaned into the professor's space.
"Just... I thought I smelled blood." It was hard figuring out the importance of his sense impressions. Sometimes they were heightened out of all proportion.
"Really? Probably the squads." He escorted the larger man through the door. "I did cut myself slicing a bagel this morning." He looked at the finger as they walked.
Behind them, one of the uniforms opened a squad trunk to pull out some equipment. The blanket got caught, revealing the bloody face of an officer. It was no longer flowing. Pulling the blanket back over, the trunk was slammed shut. The big man carried the black duffel to the side.
Simon looked at the two men in his office. Sandburg had been there frequently. The other was Ellison, which was unexpected enough. Without a lawyer arguing for defamation of character, or something of the sort. But here his top detective, his 'I'm better on my own' detective, and the man Sandburg had first thought was their serial killer, were trying to arrange observer status. "Professor, I'd like to talk to my detective for a moment. Alone." He waited for the academic to exit, close the door and step away. "What the hell are you thinking?!"
Blair waited for a pause in the diatribe. "Ever heard of a poison pen? In this case, wordprocessor. This is to keep him quiet about that misunderstanding. He needs some background for a novel."
"And that is supposed to make me feel good about this?"
"He's not going to be using any cases. He just needs a feel for police procedure. Cops buy books too." Blair did his best sell. "When he rides, it'll be with me."
Banks massaged the bridge of his nose. "Fine, get him started on the paperwork."
Blair walked out of the office and found Ellison, who wasn't looking too pleased. Sandburg put two and two together. His face mixed contrite with encouraging. "Had to go with something he'd believe." The professor didn't reply. Nor was he leaving. Blair took control. "Vera is the next stop. She'll have all the paperwork." He headed slowly in the right direction. Footsteps followed. *Yes.*
"Hello, Vera. He'll be needing observer forms." Sandburg leaned on the counter, smiling happily at the graying secretary.
She piled up a tall stack.
"Is that 'White Shoulders'?" Jim sniffed unobtrusively.
Vera stroked at her neck just under her chin. "Is it too strong?"
"Not at all. Reminds me of an important lady I knew."
Blair headed out. Three was clearly a crowd, and Ellison would be doing paperwork for the next several hours.
Vera blushed. "If you have any questions, just ask. Oh," she dipped under the desk. "Department policy requires drug screening. You're not taking anything for allergies?" She sat the cup in a plastic bag on top of everything else.
"Blair. Good work on that ferry bombing. Those two aren't going to be going anywhere." The large black man walked alongside Blair.
He looked over at Joel. "Kincaid's still out there."
"But disappearing the way he did, who's to say the Sun's Patriots haven't disbanded?"
"And the sun won't rise again." Blair looked up to see Rhonda with Darryl. "Hey!" It'd been awhile since Banks' son had come to the PD.
Darryl noticed the long haired detective, waving and swaggering over. The two tapped fists twice and knocked them together. "How's it going?"
"Going okay. You excited about your fishing trip?" Simon had mentioned the trip to Blair a few times.
"Weekend of the dope-ist party." The youth shifted, showing his annoyance.
"Ouch." Blair put a hand on the young Banks' shoulder, walking with him. "Their dresses will be tighter at the next party."
Darryl grinned, shaking his head. "Think so?"
"Know so. Keep the guilt trip to a minimum, 'kay?" Blair put out his hand.
Darryl gave him five, sliding the hand away and snapping. He stepped through his dad's door.
"You've got a way with kids, Sandburg." The dark-haired woman leaned down slightly.
"Thanks, Plummer."
"Are you ever going to call me Carolyn?" She smiled.
"Not until you say Blair." He looked over at the short-haired technician. "Want to grab lunch?"
"I'm real busy today. But if you can be ready in five minutes..."
Two men walked down the PD corridor. One was from the garage, the other a shorter, red-haired man. They opened the door to the communications room and started firing at the women and men stationed before the consoles. Quickly they took control.
The smaller man started typing on the keyboard, the words appearing on the computer screen. "That takes care of the units in the field. Now, to send out the rest of the gestapo." He adjusted the boom on the headset. "We have a plane down at the waste water reclamation plant by the airport."
Uniforms surged into the garage, units pulling out in exodus. They were shortly replaced by delivery trucks pulling in. A sandy haired thin-lipped man jumped out of one of the trucks. As two officers exited the far door he shot them with due prejudice. He smiled flintily, striding to the door as others pulled the cops aside.
Professor Ellison stepped from the personnel office, heading for the men's room. He still couldn't believe he was going along with Sandburg on this. Maybe he would use it for a story. Would serve the kid right. Ellison stepped through the door.
The retort of an assault rifle startled him as he washed his hands. Quietly, he slid to the door and peered out. A large black man in a suit was being led down the hall by an armed man. The leg wound was bleeding freely, the scent quickly flooding Jim's nostrils. He tried to focus instead on the rest of the movement of people. The teen had picked a bad day to visit whomever. Noticing the man heading his way he stepped away from the door.
The gun-totting man entered the restroom, sweeping his eyes under the stalls. Finding nothing, he exited.
Inside one of the stalls, Ellison bided his time crouched on the seat.
"It's not just my voicemail." Carolyn pulled the flip phone from her ear.
Sandburg looked over as he drove. "The fail safe should have gone up. Try 911."
She dialed, again getting the line unavailable tones. "Nothing."
"Something's wrong." He spun the wheel, taking a sharp turn back to the station.
Blair pulled into the ramp heading down, noticing the closed gate at the last minute. Blair shifted into reverse. "Get down!" He didn't like the scenerio. The hail of bullets pocked the hood of the Checker and then the concrete uncovered in the retreat.
The group of hostages with the wounded Taggert was hustled into the Bullpen, already full of captives from the rest of the building. Men bristling with weapons watched over the assembly.
The thin lipped man entered, smirking at Joel. "Gentlemen, we've made history today. Justice for a change will be done."
Blair tried to raise units on the car radio. All he got was static. "They've jammed communications."
"Who?"
"For sure or best guess?" Blair slipped from the car and knelt beside it, ostensibly checking the tire. "I'd say we've got a second dawn on our hands."
A car pulled up, Banks pouring forth over to Blair's side. "What's going on? I can't--"
"Get down!" Sandburg leveraged the larger man down beside the Checker. "We've got a problem."
"Darryl's in there!" The big man struggled to his feet, Blair fighting to pull him back to cover.
"So is the professor. Look. We've got to keep our heads. It looks like Kincaid." Sandburg wrestled with his enraged superior. "He'll be okay."
Simon looked at the detective, knowing that it was an empty assurance. "Picked a hell of a day to get him his ride along papers." Simon looked for some sign of his son's continued safety.
Ellison heard the militia-man turn and walk straight for the stall. With nowhere to run he kicked out at the metal door, banging it sharply into the surprised man. The wanna-be commando reeled back and fell. The professor stood over him and then stooped to remove the clip from the fallen man's weapon. He slipped cautiously from the washroom to put distance between himself and his would-be captor.
Kincaid looked at the surveillance screen. He could see Captain Banks outside. "He's got to be worried sick about his boy." The militia leader looked at his two lieutenants. "Hand me that phone. Is that Detective Sandburg by him?"
The identification was affirmed, the three men looking at the half-obscured image predatorily.
Simon wrapped up one call only to have his phone ring again. He didn't have time to say anything.
"Banks. So good you could join us."
"Kincaid." He could feel his stomach dropping as Sandburg's hunch was confirmed. *You hurt him...* Kincaid would make a point to know his hostages.
"Smile when you say my name. You've lost six men already. Casualties of war. Captain Taggart is losing blood rapidly. Your boy needs to learn some respect. I want my POWs back. They will be released to my chopper in fifteen minutes."
"I need hostages back before I can start taking demands."
"Very well. One coming out."
Plummer, Banks and Sandburg looked up in shock as the Bullpen window rained down as automatic fire shattered the glass. Then Darryl was being forced through the opening.
"Kincaid!" Banks kept his eyes on his son as he shouted into the phone.
Jim halted as he heard the terrified pleading of a young man. What could he do? He slipped out of sight just before more armed men passed.
Sandburg, Banks and Plummer had moved to cover inside the nearby sandwich shop. Blair looked at his captain in sympathy as the older man closed the phone. Kincaid's men had pulled Darryl back inside but it was merely a reprieve. It wasn't hard to imagine what the governor had said. "I can get inside."
"How?" Carolyn looked at him, perplexed.
"There's a manhole cover in the garage. Get Public Works to send over a schematic for a four block radius. Simon, we'll get him out." Blair turned and looked at the cafe owner. "Tommy, you've got a fax machine?"
The large Native American proprietor smiled. "Who doesn't?"
A fire engine pulled up outside, and one of the men came inside. "We've got a gas leak. Evacuating the area."
The cluster held up their badges and id. "Police business." Sandburg turned back to their discussion.
Tommy leaned in, passing over his keys to Carolyn. "It's in the back office. Lock up when you leave. Gas leak." His eyes crinkled as he left.
Inside, Jim continued his game of cat and mouse. The PD wasn't designed for 6 foot mice to hide from heavily armed cats. Fortunately, he had advance warning of their movements.
Blair applied force to the crowbar, shifting the manhole cover. Banks, also wearing a kevlar vest, turned from his trunk with two flashlights.
"Blair." Carolyn leaned down, hands on bent knees.
He pushed the hairband tight. "I know. Be careful." With a smile, he slid down the ladder. Blair waited for Simon to climb down. "Too bad it wasn't one of Ma Bell's."
"Cute." The two men followed the sewer tunnel.
Simon looked at his watch and then back at the map. "There is supposed to be a turn somewhere around here."
Blair closed his eyes, stood still for a moment, thinking of the path they had taken and then pointed up ahead. They were almost by the ladder, rather beneath the half ladder before it became apparent. The lower rungs had been cut away.
In the communications room, the garage screen displayed the manhole cover as it lifted. The two men missed Banks coming out and running for cover. They turned in time to see Sandburg slip from the hole.
"Kincaid, we have a problem."
Simon headed for the red door.
"Clear!" Simon dived for cover and Blair fired as the door opened seconds later. A bullet struck him and Sandburg went down.
Banks finished the militiaman. He looked up at the now destroyed security camera, caught in the cross-fire, before turning to Blair. "Good catch."
Blair struggled to his feet. Man, that hurt. "Straight to the vest." He quieted while Banks answered the congratulations meant for the dead intruder. He hurried after his captain further inside. Rescuing the hostages was the only option.
They were in the stairwell when there was an ominous rumble.
"What was that?" Banks asked Sandburg.
"Somebody didn't get what he wanted." He scowled, and then continued upwards, gun parallel to his kevlar-covered chest. What had Kincaid gotten hold of this time?
Jim smiled. Sandburg had somehow made it into the building. He frowned when he noticed the much closer militiamen. Looking right at him. He hadn't even heard them. He let himself be led away.
Blair and Simon made their way down the hallway, checking doors and rooms as they went. Finally they approached the elevators.
"They've cut power." Simon stood in front of the open-doored car.
Kincaid wasn't making this easy. At least it meant it wasn't a trap. "We'll take the stairs." Blair hurried over, slamming in the stairwell door when it wouldn't budge.
"I've got the key." Simon fished for it as he spoke.
Blair twisted the doorknob. "They've welded it shut. Come on."
Simon looked at the door before following his detective.
Kincaid looked Ellison up and down. "So you eluded my men, took one out. That makes you the enemy. Any last words?"
Jim stood tall, his wrists cuffed behind him. "It's over Kincaid. You're not getting out of here." Question was, would any of the rest of them?
Kincaid looked up into the cold eyes. "Who are you?"
One of the Sun Patriots walked in with the field phone. Kincaid picked the handset from the case. He smiled as he got word of the release of his men. He returned the receiver. "Time to tie off loose ends." He pulled his gun.
"The Lieutenant's right. You won't escape." Taggert grimaced as his wound was stepped on again.
"Lieutenant?" Kincaid looked at the taller man. Better and better.
"Lieutenant Ellison."
"I think you've just earned yourself a stay."
Blair wheeled the modified police motorcycle into place before the stairwell door. "Got the battery?" He pulled the spools away, trailing red and black wires.
"Let's use the elevator as shelter." Simon ducked down on one side and Blair did similar on the other. Banks nodded.
Blair touched the wires to the battery terminals, exploding the cycle and blowing the door from the frame.
"What the hell was that?" Kincaid only half-listened to the answer from the radio. He collared one of his men. "Go down there and kill whomever is in my building."
Ellison kept his face blank, knowing exactly who was in the building. What had Blair found to detonate?
Simon and Blair ascended the stairs, providing each other cover. Blair waved Simon to one side of the door, taking the other himself. The man that came through didn't know what happened as he was one twoed. Quickly they stripped him of his radio and weapons, handcuffing him to the railing.
"We better hurry. The helicopter should be arriving any minute."
Simon just shook his head as they made their way for Major Crimes.
Kincaid addressed his assembled men, giving them their orders to move out and regroup at a codenamed location. "Ellison will be coming with me. An insurance policy." He pulled aside his two lieutenants. "You'll stay here. Liquidate the hostages." He went back and wrenched Ellison's arm, dragging him along.
Sandburg and Banks pulled open the door and carefully crouch-crawled across to the communications room. Blair guarded the door as Simon sent out the message for the squads and cycles to return to headquarters.
"I think we better move." Sandburg didn't like the way men were flowing out from the Bullpen.
The red-haired man gripped his assault weapon. "Everybody over to the wall. Turn around. I don't want to see any faces."
"You're being left to hang." The rumble of Joel's voice was unmistakable.
Blair quickly gestured to Simon for them to rush the door. The overpowering of the militiamen was both sudden and seemingly endless as Darryl threw himself into action. Banks punched the man threatening his son.
Taggert groaned from the floor. Tripping the larger one had been further insult to his leg. "Kincaid took the Professor."
Simon and Sandburg both looked dumbfounded. Blair tore out of the Bullpen. Banks clutched his son to him, finally calling over Rhonda to watch Darryl. He moved after his detective, heading instead downstairs.
"You really are as dumb as you look." Jim knew Sandburg was coming, but just how fast he wasn't able to judge.
"I'd suggest you shut up and go back to being the silent hero."
"But I love to hear myself talk. Do it often enough in freshmen lectures."
"Funny." Kincaid shoved his hostage into the chopper, gun on the bigger man. "Take us up."
Blair reached the roof as the helicopter started to take off. Running, he launched himself at the landing skid. The rooftop receded as they climbed.
Jim looked for some sort of advantage. Once they made it to water his usefulness was over. So would his portion of the flight. As he thought, he discerned an extra heartbeat. Just below the helicopter. He then heard two metallic clicks. Handcuffs being latched. *You just don't quit. Bet you have Timex stamped somewhere.*
"We're leaning to the right." The pilot tried to compensate.
Kincaid looked out the window. He couldn't believe Sandburg was hanging from the runner. "Let's see if he'll land on his feet." He opened the door, gun drawn. "Say goodbye to your ninth life."
Ellison lashed out, knocking Kincaid through the door. He tumbled, catching ahold of Sandburg.
Sandburg choked out a moan at the weight hanging from his legs.
"Land this bird!" Kincaid's grip was slipping.
The pilot kept heading over the water.
"You heard the man." Jim leaned in intimidatingly.
"What are you going to do?" The pilot kept hold of the stick.
"See Silence of the Lambs? The book's more graphic." Ellison smiled crazed from next to the pilot's jugular.
Simon looked up as the helicopter settled to the roof. Kincaid dropped from his hold on Sandburg and was quickly grabbed by uniformed police. Blair unlocked the cuff from the skid and jumped away from the chopper. The pilot rushed into the waiting cops' arms.
"Keep him away!"
Ellison stuck out his tongue waggling. The pilot blanched rewardingly.
Kincaid halted his escort beside the Captain. "This isn't over, Banks."
The much taller man looked down. "It is for you. Get him out of here!" Banks walked over to the helicopter. "You okay, detective?" This had to top everything Sandburg had ever pulled.
"Won't be on the pitcher's mound soon." Blair squeezed his shoulders one after the other. He waved off the police trying to pull Ellison from the roof. "He was one of the hostages." He stepped closer, trying to judge the wear of the day on the professor. "What did you say to him?" Blair looked at the police escorting the pilot. The man was clearly terrified.
Jim rubbed his ear once Banks unlocked the cuffs. "Can we talk about this somewhere quieter? Like a dorm party?"
Simon laughed. "Can we not make a habit of this?"
The end.