A Death in the Family Ch. 02

"That's a good idea," I said, "but we have to get Todd out of harm's way first. And you know, the only way to get Todd out of there may be to get him down into that tunnel. The bullets are going to be flying, and if there are explosives, they might be set off. I just need to find a way to sneak in there and get Todd over there---"

"Let me make one thing very clearrrr, Mr. Crowbarrrrr." said Chief Moynahan. "You are not going to do anything but monitor from this command post. And that goes double for Captain Croyle."

"But sir..." I said.

"But nothing!" growled the Chief. "You're too close to this. And you're the General here. We have an excellent SWAT Team and highly trained Officers. They will do the job. Is that clear, Commander?"

"He's right, you know." said the Sheriff, to me.

I was not happy about it, but I said "Yes sir." I observed a lot of Police Officers relaxing. I realized the Chief had told them to make damn sure I didn't try to lead from the front and go in there, and they didn't relish having to try to stop me if I did.

"Is that clear, Captain Croyle?" the Chief asked.

"No sir." Teresa said resolutely. "If I see a way to get my husband out of there, I'm going to take it."

"Hold on, sir." said Commander Ross, seeing the Chief's face get red as he was about to explode. "Let me talk to her." Cindy led Teresa away from us.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"It's going to be okay." Cindy said. "We'll get Todd out of there. But don't do that to the Chief and get your ass fired. He's trying to resolve this. And he's right to hold you back. You're too close to this. So is Don, for that matter."

"I feel helpless." Teresa said miserably.

"You can't be the one to save everyone, every time." Cindy said. "We're going to have to let the others do it, this time..."

"Okay." Teresa said. "Oh God..." Cindy held her friend for a long few moments, unable to tell if Teresa was praying or crying...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The Chief and Sheriff had also stepped away from my vehicle.

"I should suspend her for that." said Chief Moynahan, still visibly angry.

"Let it go, Cav." said Griswold. "It's a tense situation, here. And she just told you the truth, even if you didn't want to hear it."

"Come on, Grizz." said Moynahan. "It's about respect for authority. It's about loyalty to the Force, even if it is her husband in there."

"Let's worry about it later." said Griswold. "We've got a much bigger crisis to worry about. And I'm more worried about Don trying to do something than Teresa."

They came back to me. "I know it's bad for your nephew, Commanderrrr," said the Chief. "But we may need your help more to keep your Captain of Operations from doing something that might get her killed, too."

"He's right, you know." said Sheriff Griswold. I just nodded. I felt helpless. And I hate feeling helpless...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"We're getting a video feed." said Myron Milton. I rushed over. The video showed Quint Starr yelling at Todd.

"Where is the Mutanix?!" Quint was yelling.

"It's not here." Todd said weakly, though loud enough for the camera's microphone to pick it up. "I told you, we sent it away from here after you idiots tried to nuke the County to get it."

"Yeah, I owe your goddamn uncle for stopping that one, after what we went through to get that nuke." snarled Quint. "One more time... you call the bastards in that other building and tell them to bring the Mutanix here."

"Won't do any good---"

*WHITCHOO!* The whip snapped under the chair, blasting Todd's testicles again.

"AAAUGH!" Todd cried out.

"You know, this isn't working." said Quint. "You're just a fucking numb nuts. Let's open your mouth." With that he took pliers and put them in Todd's mouth and began working them around. My nephew screamed, then gurgled. Then Quint pulled out the pliers along with a tooth.

"Oh geez..." I said. "Don't let Teresa see that. And call the Hospital; if we get him out alive he's going to need an oral surgeon."

*WOOP!*

"Incoming transmission." said Myron. "Directly from the warehouse. They're overriding the frequency of the feed."

The monitor went staticky then came back. "I'm sure by now you know who I am, Commander Troy." said Quint Starr, standing right in front of the camera. "And you know that I'm not going to play around. Here's the program: you will bring the Mutanix files and Peter Blassingame to this warehouse. You will do so by flying the TCPD Bell 206 helicopter and landing it on the loading dock."

Quint Starr continued: "We will board the aircraft, with Todd Burke, and you will fly us to a location we will give you once we're in the air. Once you deliver us, you and your nephew will be allowed to fly home. I would suggest the Hospital..." He held up the tooth to the camera as he spoke. "...which means you won't have time to pursue us."

"In order for us to see our landing zone," Quint said, "we have to have daylight, and you're burning that daylight now. Once the sun sets, we will kill Todd Burke and fight our way out of here, killing as many of your inept cops as we can. We'll know you've accepted our terms when we hear the helicopter landing. Until then, your nephew will be getting his balls scratched."

*WHITCHOO!* "AAUGH!" we heard in the background.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"You can't do it." Cindy said. "They'll kill you and Todd just as soon as they get off the helicopter."

"Yes, they will." said Sheriff Griswold. "Don? Don?"

I was in a reverie. It took a minute to come out of it.

"So that's it." I said. "The Consultant of Crime, all over again."

"What?" asked Chief Moynahan.

"The Consultant of Crime set it up for me to die in a helicopter." I said. "But his plans were thwarted... and by Todd's mother, of all people." (Author's note: 'A Tiny Slip', Ch. 02.) "So they're going to recreate it, and kill both me and the son of an Israeli Agent..." I slipped back into the reverie. When I came out of it, all eyes were upon me.

"So what do we do?" Cindy asked.

"Give them what they want." I said. "The Mutanix plans are beyond our reach, but they may not know that. I'll fly the chopper in, with Peter Blassingame on it... wearing a suicide vest. They'll have to let us go at the end if they want him to stay alive, and for them to live if they're near him."

"It's an idea." Sheriff Griswold said. "It's not playing by the rules, but it's the only way you might survive."

"No." said Chief Moynahan. "We're not letting that piece of shit rapist out of jail. And you are not flying in there and giving yourself up, Commanderrrrr. They may shoot you and fly the chopper themselves."

I winced; I hadn't thought of that. Yes, Quint probably could fly a chopper, or one of his thugs could... "We'll let the SWAT Teams handle it." said the Chief, as if he was reading my thoughts.

"How do we get Todd out of there?" Teresa all but yelled. "I'll fly the damn chopper, but give us that chance!"

"We'll get him out, ma'am. Alive." said Irwin. "I promise you. Give us that chance." Teresa looked into Irwin's eyes, then nodded. She then bowed her head, knowing there was no other way.

"The Chief is right." said the Sheriff, loudly enough for everyone to hear. "It's time for your training to pay off. Get ready for an urban assault..."

Part 14 - Going In

"This is Bettina Wurtzburg, KXTC Channel Two News!" said the redheaded reporterette as she stood behind the KXTC van near the entrance to BOW Enterprises driveway on County Road 5. "Channel Two News has learned that BOW Enterprises CEO Todd Burke continues to be held hostage on the company grounds, and that they have made demands that include having a helicopter brought to the property. Police have surrounded the grounds, but have given KXTC no comment on their plans to rescue the young entrepreneur..."

Other Media were lined up on the road. Police cars were barricading the driveway. Captain Damien Thompson had given a briefing confirming that there was a hostage, but had given no other information... at least to Bettina. She had noticed that he had allowed KFXU's Priya Ajmani to come to his vehicle behind the Police barricade and ask questions, but Bettina's efforts to get through had been rebuffed by heavily armed Police Officers.

"I'm getting sick of this." Bettina said to her cameraman and the mobile van driver. "I say we drive past these pricks and find out what's going on up there."

"I agree." said Amber Harris, who had kept herself hidden, but was in the second KXTC van.

"They might shoot us." said Scott Turnbull, Bettina's cameraman.

"Yeah, but I don't think they will." Bettina replied. "Come on, let's go. Both vans!"

They got in the van, Bettina riding shotgun and the cameraman in back. The driver suddenly pulled out and along the farmland next to the road, bypassing the barricade. The other van followed.

"Checkpoint One to Base!" said the Officer at the barricade. "Two KXTC vans drove past us through the farmland and are coming up the road to your position!..."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Hearing the call, I looked up and saw the vans in the distance coming up. "I am sick and tired of this bitch!" I snarled. I began running up the road towards the vehicle, drawing my service weapon.

"Stop! Stop, Commander!" yelled Chief Moynahan, who began running after me. As the van approached, I aimed at the windshield of the vehicle...

*BLAM!* BLAM!*

The first mobile van's tires exploded and the vehicle nearly turned over on its side. It veered sideways into the soft dirt of the farmland and came to a stop. Police vehicles came up and surrounded it. The second van had turned around and was hurtling back towards the other Press vans.

"Commander, why did you shoot?!" yelled Chief Moynahan as he came up to me.

"I didn't, Chief." I said. "See?" I showed him my Beretta 96 and cleared it, showing no round in the chamber and a full magazine.

"So... who did?" asked the Chief.

"Me." said a voice coming out of the darkening landscape. To my utter shock, it was FBI Supervisory Agent Melina Allgood. And I realized that only 'The Huntress' could shoot that accurately to take out the tires like that.

"Melina, what are you doing here?" I asked, shock in my voice.

"Seeing if I can help." Melina said. "The father of one of my children is in there."

As we walked back to the command post, I observed Melina. She did not look well. She noticed me peering at her. "Yes, I've been sick." she said. "I'm getting over it."

"Why don't you let my favorite doctor look at you." I said, meaning Laura.

"Let's get through this." Melina said. "Any possibility I can get a sniper shot at the perps?"

"No." I said. "Too many of them. You get one, the others will kill Todd, or set off any explosives they may have in there..."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

It was beginning to get dark; the sun was touching the horizon.

"We haven't heard from the bastards again." growled Sheriff Griswold. "I figured they'd have sent a message asking where we are? It's getting late."

"Unless Quint meant what he said, and has no problem with a suicidal battle." I said. "From what I understand, the guy is a few Jokers short of a full deck."

"Think Trent is in there with him?" asked Cindy.

"No." I said. "This mission has 'Quint' written all over it. Trent would've been calmer, and not been fooling around with the torture as much... and he'd have contacted us again by now."

"Incoming transmission." said Myron. We headed over. Myron said "Quint has been beating up Todd some more. Blows to the face and body. They've stopped whipping his back, but occasionally hit him from underneath."

"Any sign that they have explosives?" I asked.

"No sir." said Myron. "And I've only seen these two on the video. If there are others, I haven't seen them."

"They're in their positions, waiting for our ambush at any moment." said Teresa, who was not watching the video, but keeping her back turned.

"What if there are only the two we've seen?" asked the Chief.

"No sir, they're there." said Lt. Hugh Hewitt, coming up to us. "The east wall has been in darkness for a while, so a couple of guys snuck over the River and got us some IR images. They're there, between the pallets. The good news is that if they stay there, we can rush through the door and get behind some pallets, and they'll have to expose themselves to take a shot at us."

"What's your plan, Hewitt?" I asked.

"Sir," Hewitt said, showing us a drawing on his notebook. "We're going to assault on your mark."

Lt. Irwin came up. "Sir, I've got two men, Sergeant DeLong and Sergeant Carter, that are going to go with me and access the underground tunnel. If it's not wired for explosives, we'll get in position and come out when they hit the doors. I doubt they'll hear the Coke cans on the lid of the tunnel once Hewitt here starts blasting them." Hewitt grinned in response.

"How are you going to coordinate that?" asked Sheriff Griswold. "You won't be able to get radio signals down in that tunnel."

"Yes we will, sir." said Irwin. "We have these." He displayed a radio that had a fiberoptic cable the thickness of fishing line attached. "We're going to have the line running as we go down the tunnel. The signal will come over the line, from us and to us, and it also means the bastards won't intercept it."

I nodded, and Irwin continued: "We also have these kevlar blankets. We're going to get to Todd Burke, get him out of the way, and cover him with these blankets that will hopefully stop any bullets as well as any explosives they set off. If it's all M-4s and small-arms fire, it should be okay."

"I should lead that." Teresa said. "I'm smaller and faster than you guys. I can get there more quickly."

I pulled Teresa over to me and had her sit down on the SUV tailgate next to me. "If you go in, I'm going to have to go with you. And I am not smaller and faster than these guys. So I'm sitting this out, which means you are sitting this out. Okay?"

"No sir, it's not okay." said Teresa forlornly. "But since it's the only way to keep you from going..." I put my arm around Teresa in a hug.

"Okay, guys." I said. "It's as good as we've got. Make it so. And good luck." I got up and shook Hewitt and Irwin's hands. Teresa got up to shake their hands, and ended up hugging them. Then they stalked off, leaving us to monitor as events unfolded...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Bettina and her crew are under arrest, and their vehicle impounded." Cindy said after disconnecting the cell phone call that had come to her. "Jack Muscone stepped up to the mike and told them that the FBI had shot her vehicles tires out from under her, and would do the same to anyone else that tried to interfere with us during this incident."

"Nice of him to take the blame for that." said Teresa. "But why did he do it?"

"Because they were going to blame yooooooo, Mr. Crowbar." said Chief Moynahan.

"That's probably it." I said.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Lt. Irwin, Sgt. DeLong, and Sgt. Carter crept along the tunnel. "No wires, no explosives." said Irwin, who was leading. They got to the end of the tunnel, seeing the lid above them that led to the warehouse.

"Okay, DeLong," said Irwin, "you're going to push me up, then Carter will push you up. Carter, you stay here. We'll bring Burke here and lower him to you."

"Roger that, sir." said Carter. "Y'all be careful up there..."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Guys, they're going in." said Myron. We crowded around the video monitor to watch.

"Geez." I said, my stomach in knots. "I can't help but think I've missed something, that they have a twist for us."

"No other way to find out." said Cindy. "At least you're not the one walking into the trap, this time."

"I would be, if Rudistan wasn't standing there ready to tackle me." I said, looking at Rudistan right in front of me.

"You know it, sir." said Rudistan, who was not jovial at the moment. "And Captain Croyle, too."

"I absolutely hate putting others in harms way when I could be doing this myself." Teresa muttered.

"I know how you feel, Teresa." said the Sheriff, more as a father than as our boss. "But this is part of being a leader at the Captain and above level."

"Yes sir, I know." said Teresa, not mollified.

"Signal given." said Myron. "Here we go."

We heard an explosion, which was the blowing open the doors, then shouts. We heard gunfire erupt on the cameras. I was watching the feed from Quint's camera, which had the sound turned up.

"Aw, shit!" I heard Quint yell. Then I saw him bend down and pick up something, and I recognized it.

"Oh, shit!" I yelled. "That's a 50-cal!" I watched in horror as Quint turned to fire it at Todd.

Then the camera fell over and the video went out. The audio was still working.

"Nooooooo!"

*Ratta-tatta-tatta*

To be continued.