"Here's
our boy," Pete said over the wire he wore. "Get ready, people."
He
and Jesse took up their positions in the road, making it impossible for the
truck to pass them without leaving the road.
The truck came to a stop and Pete approached the driver's side. "Thanks for stopping," he said as
he stepped up on the runner by the driver's door.
"Got
car trouble?" the driver asked as he slid his door open. "I can radio for a tow truck for
you."
"That
won't be necessary." Pete showed
the man his gun. "We'll just
borrow your truck, if you don't mind."
Banks
opened the passenger door while Jess, Alex, and the others opened the rear
doors and climbed in the back. Blair
quickly closed the doors behind them.
"What
is this, man? All I have is
uniforms!"
"We
need uniforms, dude. Go
figure." Jesse grinned as he
crouched by the driver.
"Oh,
god, don't shoot me. Take the
truck."
"Thank
you. We will. Now, come on, out you go."
The
driver stumbled out and Pete stepped up into his vacated seat. Banks got into the passenger's seat.
"That
car really doesn't run, but if you wait here, you may be able to find out how
to get your truck back. But whatever
you do, do not come to Millennium. Show
up and we will just have to assume that you're one of the bad guys we're
after. Understand?" Pete told the
man.
"Yeah. Who are you?"
"Believe
it or not, we're the good guys."
Pete smiled. "The FBI will
be through here shortly. It you are one
of the bad guys, you'd better disappear."
He slammed the door closed, put the truck in gear and drove around the
LTD. "Okay, gentlemen and lady,
that was the easy part. Next, we take
the gate."
The
truck was quiet, only the sound of the engine and the tires on the road filled
Pete's ears. This was it. All or nothing time. If this worked, cool. If it did not, they could all be dead before
the FBI even got there. Behind him, the
others began to pull on some of the uniforms.
He took a deep breath and rolled his head on his shoulders. It would work.
Moments
later, he pulled the truck up to the front gate of Millennium Research. The guard walked over to the truck. Pete slid the door open and grabbed the man
by the collar, dragging him inside before the other man could even react. "Hello, come on in." He literally tossed the man into the back
where Brown and Rafe promptly tied his hand and feet with hard plastic
ties. Connor gagged him just as
quickly. So far so good.
Taggert,
who had found a guard uniform among the white coats and scrubs, hopped out of
the back. Alex threw him a box. As soon as Pete pulled the truck forward,
Taggert started setting the explosive charges.
Anyone trying to leave the compound would get a rude awakening. Pete moved on, slowing as the truck reached
the eastern wing of the building. Alex
jumped out, taking with him another box of explosives. There were three exits besides the loading
bays at the north end. It was Alex's
job to take out the few outside guards they had seen and then blow those exits,
forcing the occupants to exit through the docks. Now, all that remained was to take control of those loading docks
and wait for the fireworks. Pete prayed
that they would find the bays mostly deserted.
It was later than he wanted for this operation, but the truck had been
their best way in and it did not run until after lunch. Besides, Ryan's people could not get in
place in time to hit any earlier. He
hoped that these people opted for late lunches. He had actually expected more outside guards than the three he
had seen so far. Either way, Alex would
take care of them; that he trusted. He
pulled up to the first loading bay, backing in just as a regular delivery
would.
"How
many do you see?" he whispered.
"I
got three on my side," Banks answered.
"Six." Jesse was at the rear doors, peeking out of
the window. "And one in an office
off your side, Pete."
"Ten,
not bad. We can do this. How many armed?"
"About
half, I'd say." That was Brown.
"We've
got them outgunned for the moment.
Don't expect that to last. Get
ready. Here comes our first
target."
A
man approached Pete's door. "Hey,
Mike. You're a little late."
"And
I'm not Mike." Pete got out, gun
leveled at the man who raised his arms in surrender. "Come here."
Pete motioned with his gun. He
took the man by the front of his shirt and spun him, wrapping an arm around his
throat to use him as a shield. He
banged on the side of the truck, the signal to the others.
The
next few minutes passed in the blink of an eye as Pete's assault group poured
out of the vehicle and subdued the guards in the bay. After Pete disabled the phones and the radios, civilians and
gunmen alike were rounded up and locked in the office. Then the first explosion, the one closest to
them, hit. The noise of it nearly
deafened them so that the succeeding two explosions sounded more like champagne
corks popping than the loud booms that they were. Fire alarms screamed and the sprinkler system came on. Jess climbed back into the truck and opened
his laptop. A few keystrokes and the
alarms and the sprinklers were off.
Pete waited for the mass exodus to begin, hoping that Alex had blocked
the other exits sufficiently to force everyone out this way, or at the very
least, Taggert or Alex would let them know if the plan had failed.
He
was so distracted that when the doors suddenly flew open, he jumped. People spilled into the loading bays. Most of them ran right past and out of the
building, never even noticing the men with guns. Until one of the Baker's armed men noticed them and the firefight
began. Pete shoved a woman down to the
floor and fired at the man taking aim at him.
The man fell and Pete moved to take cover, still firing at anyone with a
gun. He winced as he saw a civilian go
down. The man was alive, however.
"Stay
down!"
The
man froze and Pete turned his attention back to the guards. "So much for controlled chaos!"
Jim
was almost back to his cell with his guards when the explosions rocked the
building. A moment's hesitation on the
part of his jailers was all Jim needed.
He slammed a fist into the jaw of the man on his right, snatching the
man's gun away even as he slumped to the floor. Jim spun and shot the other man.
He turned back to the first guard to find him unconscious. He left him alive.
This
had to be the rescue attempt he had been waiting for. If it wasn't, he had just killed Kit Chase. Right now, though, he was free. People were pouring out into the hallways
and Jim wound his way through them. He
had to find Chase. He slowly opened his
senses, trying to filter out as he did.
It was no use, however. There
were too many people, too much noise.
If he had been looking for Blair, maybe he could have done it. But he did not know Chase with his senses
the way he did Blair. He dialed back
down to normal. Around him, people
screamed and shoved to get out of the building. He could have told them that the building was not burning. That was not the point. He needed them out of his way though. He pushed his way upstream. He had to find Chase the old-fashioned way.
Jesse
took aim from the back of the truck and fired.
Another armed man down, lots more to go though, and still no sign of Kit
or Ellison. He glanced at Blair. He seemed to be holding his own, firing at
the guards just as diligently as the rest of them. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Alex run into the loading
bay. Four gunmen went down as the man
unerringly picked them off as he took up position next to Pete. "Damn," he whispered. Alex was scary sometimes. Jess flinched as a bullet came dangerously
close to his head, striking the truck just inches from him. "Damn it." Alex shot the man before Jesse had even
recovered his position.
Most
of the first wave of civilians were out of the way now. They would be coming in waves, however, as
each wing of the building found their exit blocked and had to backtrack to the
loading docks. The next wave should be
arriving at any time. It was going to
be a bloodbath. Jess's Catholic
upbringing kicked in and he whispered to himself, "Hail Mary, full of grace…."
He hated killing; yet he fired again.
Rose
was panicked. He had locked the door
and refused to leave. The guard in the
room with them was upset. He wanted
out. Kit watched the two of them argue
from his position on the floor next to Alex Barnes.
"I
have to get out there! That's
gunfire. We are under attack!"
"We
have to protect the sentinel and guide.
We're safe here and here we are staying."
"Then
you stay! I'm going!" He tried to shove his way past Rose.
"Okay,
Alex, it's time to get out of here," Kit whispered to the catatonic
woman. He rose, using the wall as
support. When he was upright, he
propelled himself into the guard, taking him down. He slammed the man's head into the hard tile floor and came up
with the M-16. The guard was out. Kit
turned to Rose, who stood against the door, a stunned look on his face."
"Open
the door."
"Mr.
Chase, it's a madhouse out there. You
could be killed. Listen to reason
here. We should just stay here until
it's over."
"No
way. Baker is not going to let me
live. I am leaving here, and you are
going to help me."
"Why
would I do that?"
"Because
I have a big gun and absolutely no reason not to shoot you and go out that door
without you. It'll be more difficult,
but I can do it. Done harder shit,
after all. Now, unlock that door, then
go get Barnes over here. She's going
too."
Rose
hesitated and Kit shook his head.
"Okay, fine then. Good
night, fucker."
"Wait! All right!" Rose turned and ran his card key through the slot. The door opened and Rose hurried over to
Barnes. He pulled her up from the
floor.
"After
you." Kit motioned with the
gun. He left his crutches behind and
limped out after Rose and his burden.
Now, if he could just find Ellison or Pete. Ellison and Pete would be even better, but he would settle for
one or the other at the moment.
The
second wave of civilians brought with them a second wave of gunmen. It was expected, but definitely not
welcome. Simon swore out loud as Rafe
took a bullet in his shoulder. It was
his left, though, and Simon could not help the pride he felt as Rafe got up
still firing.
He
made a quick check of the rest of his people, his eyes resting on Sandburg just
a split second longer than the others.
Blair was silent, his face a blank mask as he fired on their
adversaries. He would never have
believed it if he had not seen it for himself.
Sandburg was not firing over their heads or at their feet. He was shooting at them and hitting
them. Somehow, it made him sad. He shook his head. He needed to pay attention or he would manage to get himself
killed.
He
was getting worried, however. There was
still no sign of either Jim or Kit.
Simon began to worry that the men had been moved. It was entirely possible, for that matter,
that they had never been there at all.
But he could not dwell on that, though, as the third wave of people
spilled into the loading bays. They
were early, damn it. The terrified
people realized quickly that they would be safer in the building than in the
bays, however. They reversed their
course. Unfortunately, the armed guards
were not so easily deterred. They
joined their compatriots in the firefight.
Too bad for them that they were out in the open, Simon thought, as he
picked off another one from the relative safety of his cover. Despite the lousy odds, the good guys, as
Devereaux had proclaimed them, were going to win this one. Now, if Jim would only show up.
Jim
moved swiftly through the now deserted halls, trying doors as he went. So far, he had found nothing and no
one. He swore. Rose might have hustled Chase and Barnes out
of the building and taken off with them by now, for all he knew. He wanted desperately to call out, but he
knew it was not as safe as it seemed.
Baker was in the building. A few
small explosions and a fire alarm would not fool him. He would not let go that easily.
He would fight. Jim extended his
hearing cautiously. The sounds of
several pairs of boots were headed his way.
He ducked into an office and waited, listening.
"Find
them! And get me some more help
searching this building."
"Sir,
most of the others are in the loading bay, holding off the intruders."
"Surely,
not all of them need to be there! I
want Ellison, Chase and Barnes found.
Now, soldier!"
"Yes
sir, Mr. Baker." The footsteps
dispersed in different directions. The
man Baker had been speaking to called on his radio as he passed the office
where Jim hid. "We need some help
in here. The prisoners are loose."
//"We
need help out here! We're being
slaughtered. They're entrenched and
we're in the open! Get your asses out
here!"// came the reply.
Jim
almost laughed. As the man turned the
next corner, Jim slipped back out into the hallway. So Chase and Barnes were free too. If he were Chase, where would he be? On the way to the loading docks maybe. No, Barnes was a problem.
He could not walk into a firefight with a feral Alex Barnes in tow. Chase would know that. Jim moved away from the loading docks. Chase would be trying to find another way
out somewhere.
Jim
was not coming out. Neither was
Kit. Blair sat down on the floor and
thought about his options. While they
were stuck in the loading bay, Rose or Baker could be sneaking off with Jim and
Kit. And Alex Barnes and Jim's baby, he
reminded himself. No, that was not
acceptable. He had to get in that
building and find them. He just had to. If he could slip around the boxes on the
left, he could possibly circle around the guards and slip through the door
before anyone knew he was gone. Pete
would kill him. If Simon did not beat
him to it. But he could not wait any
longer. He tucked the 9mm in his belt
and with one more glance to make sure that no one was looking, began inching
his way over to the left side of the room and the boxes that would hopefully
shield him from sight.
It
had not occurred to Pete that Blair Sandburg had been much too quiet, much too
invisible for far too long until he caught sight of him moving silently around
the perimeter of the docks. He was
trying to get around the gunmen and get to the door to the rest of the
building.
"Damn
it! Banks!" When the other man looked at him, he pointed
with his gun.
"God
damn it!"
Pete
switched on his mic. "Blair, what
are you doing?" The calm,
nonchalant tone was an effort.
"They're
not coming out. I'm going to look for
them."
"I've
got him, Pete." Alex suddenly
disappeared from his side.
"Will
you people just wait, damn it, and we'll all go look for them!" That was Banks.
"Screw
this. This is stupid. One grenade, Pete, and we can clear this
place!" Jesse's patience had
reached its end. He shot another
guard.
"Yes,
and clear it of us, too, Jess. Too
close."
"Not
if we get around to that door and throw it back in with them."
"That
might work." Connor, that time.
"It's
a fucking mutiny!" Pete dropped
back onto his ass and thought about it for a second. They were cutting down the guards, but the bastards kept coming. Baker had been more prepared than Pete had
thought. The lack of outside guards was
no doubt an attempt to fool them into overconfidence. But if they blew the bays, how would they get out? The damn thing could collapse on them and
they would be trapped. The windows were
bulletproof so it would be hard as hell to get out that way. "The truck."
"What
about the truck?" Banks asked.
"We
could blow the truck. It's outside the
bay, but it'll still make them run for cover, giving us a chance to get by
them. Jess—"
"On
it."
"On
three, then. Ready, people? One, two, three!" Pete left cover just as Jess threw the
grenade into the back of the truck. It
was a hell of a risk. They headed for
the door at a flat run. For a moment,
the Millennium gunmen seemed confused then one of them yelled,
"Grenade!"
Instantly,
they dived for cover, allowing Pete and the others to run right past them. "Go, go, go!" Banks shoved his people ahead of him. "Sandburg, I'm going to kick your ass
when this is over!"
Blair
did not even acknowledge the threat as he passed through the door, Alex right
behind him. Pete counted off…Jesse,
Connor, Brown helping his partner, Rafe, then Banks. Finally, he made it through the door, just as the blast hit,
basically throwing him into the wall.
Banks slammed the door.
"If
this were the army, you'd all be on report.
You know this, right?" Pete
groaned as he starting pulling himself up from the floor.
"Don't
look at me, Devereaux. I was with
you." Banks grabbed his arm and
helped him into a full standing position.
"Oh
no, don't give me that. I heard you say
we'd all go look for them in a minute, or something to that effect. Help me find something to block this
door. Let's keep them out there
now. Good idea, yes? And remember, we ran some of the civilians
back into the building, so be on the lookout for them. A fucking mutiny. I can't believe it."
Alex only grinned at him. It was
infuriating. Brown brought him a large
office chair, and they wedged it between the door and wall. It would hold for a little while. Then he heard them. Sirens and choppers. He glanced at his watch. "Damn FBI. They are never on time."
"I
can make you a very wealthy man, Chase."
"Shut
up and keep moving."
"I
have people willing to pay for the services of a sentinel and guide. If you can get her functioning, we all could
be very rich."
Kit
grabbed the man by his thinning hair, snatched his head back, and growled in
his face, "Let's get some things clear here. One, she is a person, not a machine. Two, if I'm the guide and she's the sentinel, what the fuck do we
need you for? Three, I'm just not
interested. Four, you get me out of
this building now and do it quietly, or I will shoot you and leave your
miserable carcass bleeding in this hallway.
I am not in a good mood. Do you
understand me?" He released the
man, shoving him forward, almost causing Alex to fall. He grabbed her and she turned to look at
him. They ended up steadying each
other.
"It's
working," Kit heard Rose whisper.
Kit
glared at him. "I said, keep
moving. And you had better not be lying
about that other exit."
Alex
Barnes pulled Kit's arm over her shoulders.
Kit was as amazed as Rose seemed to be, but he let her help him.
"The
elevator to the basement is this way.
The tunnel leads to a small storage building at the rear of the
property. We can get out that
way."
"I'm
sorry. Did I fucking ask for an
explanation? No, no, I don't think I
did. I said, quietly! I hate the sound of your voice, man. Get it?"
"Yes,
of course." Rose moved a little
faster. Now that Alex was supporting
him, he could move faster as well. He
had to get out of the building.
The
sound of an explosion startled him.
"That came from the north."
"Yes,
I think—"
"I
said, shut up! That wasn't a
question! Jesus, you don't understand
English, do you?" Kit shook his
head. That had been the direction of
the gunfire. He hoped that Pete had set
off the explosion rather than being caught in it.