Chapter 39/40/41
Chapters Thirty-Nine, Forty, & Forty-One
Mon/September/2008 07:00 AM
Update regarding
On/Off - A Jekyll & Hyde
Story -
The text is off to the presses! Just waiting to
get the proofs, then I'll be able to give you all
plenty of information on the when and the where
and the how for getting yourself a copy!
Chapter 39
Phelps picked up the phone as his eyes scanned the building. “Ransom, you there?”
“Brick Ransom?” a voice from the handset asked him.
Phelps turned his attention to the voice. “Who is this?”
“This is Jeff Pepper,” the voice responded. “I’m calling you from inside the building.
“Mr. Pepper, we were afraid you might be in there-”
“Let me be quick about this,” Jeff interrupted him. “I need to know if my pilot is still on the roof.”
“That I’m not sure of Mr. Pepper.”
“Then find out. If he isn’t, then make sure he gets there. I’m going to be leaving the building in the next ten minutes, and I need my pilot to be waiting for me when I get to the roof.”
“Is it just you we’ll be looking for?” Phelps asked.
“No. I’ll be leaving with a couple of the men from inside, and I’ll need your assurance that they’ll be allowed to leave safely alongside me.”
What was this all about?
Pepper had to be making this call under orders.
Phelps watched Murray’s expression. The other agent looked at him closely.
“Of course, we’ll let you all take off without incident.” Phelps replied. “And Mr. Pepper-”
“Yes,” Jeff asked expectantly.
“Is everything all right? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” the voice responded. “ Just make sure Michael is on the roof when we get there-”
The line went dead. Phelps turned to Murray.
“You still know how to fly?”
Murray blinked. “I haven’t been at the controls in years, but it should come back to me.”
Good, cause Pepper’s requesting that his helicopter pilot meet him upstairs, and there’s no way I’m letting these guys use that guy to get out of here scott free.
“Just get me a uniform and send me up there.”
Chapter 40
“We’ll be heading upstairs shortly with Mr. Pepper.”
Tim was standing in the corner addressing Jason, Simon’s right hand man. He was still holding the phone receiver, twirling the ragged phone wires from when he’d pulled it from the wall at the end of Jeff’s call.
“As soon as we’re airborne, I’ll radio down and tell you what we’ve worked out.” Tim continued.
“And what will that be?” Jason asked.
Tim’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t you trust me?”
“Just want to know what to expect.”
Simon stepped forward, putting himself between Jason and Tim, “We’ll tell you when it’s final.”
Jason hesitated, “That’s fine.”
Tim reached towards Jason, pulled a gun from the man’s side holster, looked him in the eyes, then walked away. Simon clenched a hand around Jeff’s elbow and pulled him out of the room. They stepped out into the hall as the doors slammed shut behind them. As they walked away, Jeff caught a glimpse of Nina’s face, staring after him, her mouth set at a very unusual angle, she was worried.
Chapter 41
They were at the top of the glass-enclosed stairwell on the building’s south side when they heard someone coming, actually, several people coming. The footsteps were muffled, the voices hushed, to the point that Ransom damn near kept on going. Then one of the men coughed and Brick’s eyes shot open. The four of them rushed back up the stairs and slipped out of the stairwell on the first floor, where they prayed the oncoming group would continue upstairs.
Ransom leaned his head against his shoulder, squeezed the talk button on his radio, and wheezed into the radio, “We’ve got movement in the south stairs, can you give me an ID?”
There was a pause, then a voice responded, “Give us two seconds, Brick.”
The group waited, and the footsteps came closer. Two of the men were talking, arguing about how many “canisters” they could take on board with them. Then the voices stopped at the door to the first floor. Nick’s heart shivered. His three companions tightened their grips on their weapons. The radio on Ransom’s shoulder coughed feedback and his quickly held his hand over the speaker. Then the voices moved on, rising and falling with the sound of men carrying something heavy.
The radio crackled to life, “We’ve got three big fish. Looks like Griffin, his right hand man, and Jeff Pepper are heading up the stairs. They’re carrying some sort of flat or gurney between them. It’s loaded down with something, ain’t a person.”
Ransom turned to the three of them, “Three guesses what that is.” Then he spoke into the radio again, “Metal canisters, right?”
Another pause, “That’s our guess. Pepper just called in and requested his pilot.”
“Shit. Okay. Over and out.”
Brick switched off the radio and turned to his team. Well, his team and Nick. That stupid, lucky little monkey Nick. Morgan was probably counting down the seconds til she saw him again, saw him, and smooched him, and- bah!
“We’d better split up on this one. You guys go downstairs, get those people out of here. I’m heading for the roof.”
“No backup?” Gomez asked skeptically.
“No backup. You’ve got a lot of people you’ve got to evacuate.”
“If that’s what you think’s best,” Luke replied.
“Go,” Ransom barked as he slipped open the stairwell door and looked up through the flights, then down towards the basement. He motioned downstairs, then mounted the stairs and started climbing, taking them two at a time.
Nick watched Brick go, then glanced over his shoulder at Luke and Gomez and started for the basement.
The temperature rose with each step downward. The air was out.
They were just outside the door to the second basement level when they stopped short. Nick’s hand was reached out for the handle for the first door when Luke’s hand shot out and grabbed his wrist.
“Hold it.”
“What.”
Luke pointed a finger at the strike plate to the right of the handle, where a thin white wire ran out from between the door and the frame, was held to the wall with a thin piece of tape, then ran down the wall and back under the door.
“Is that wire always there?”
“No.”
“Didn’t think so.” Luke turned to Gomez, “he’s got the place wired, just like the other episodes in his file.”
Nick looked at them questioningly.
Gomez scratched at his brow. “The guy we’re dealing with isn’t too well known for letting his hostages go free. He has a nasty habit of blowing them up as he’s making his escape.”
“And in this case?” Nick asked.
“In this case, one of his guys inside might come out to check on things, and boom. Or, second scenario, we come in to save the day, and end up doing the job for them.”
“Either way, it’s boom?” Nick asked.
Gomez turned to Luke, “Not necessarily. With any luck, Luke here hasn’t spent all his free time late looking at internet porn, and did a little studying on disarming explosive switches.”
“Sorry,” Luke responded. “It was all porn, all the time. Haven’t gone over that disarming stuff since I first signed on.”
Gomez’s face fell. “God damn rookie assho-”
“I’m kidding.” Luke interrupted. “Gimme five minutes.”
Chapter 39
Phelps picked up the phone as his eyes scanned the building. “Ransom, you there?”
“Brick Ransom?” a voice from the handset asked him.
Phelps turned his attention to the voice. “Who is this?”
“This is Jeff Pepper,” the voice responded. “I’m calling you from inside the building.
“Mr. Pepper, we were afraid you might be in there-”
“Let me be quick about this,” Jeff interrupted him. “I need to know if my pilot is still on the roof.”
“That I’m not sure of Mr. Pepper.”
“Then find out. If he isn’t, then make sure he gets there. I’m going to be leaving the building in the next ten minutes, and I need my pilot to be waiting for me when I get to the roof.”
“Is it just you we’ll be looking for?” Phelps asked.
“No. I’ll be leaving with a couple of the men from inside, and I’ll need your assurance that they’ll be allowed to leave safely alongside me.”
What was this all about?
Pepper had to be making this call under orders.
Phelps watched Murray’s expression. The other agent looked at him closely.
“Of course, we’ll let you all take off without incident.” Phelps replied. “And Mr. Pepper-”
“Yes,” Jeff asked expectantly.
“Is everything all right? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” the voice responded. “ Just make sure Michael is on the roof when we get there-”
The line went dead. Phelps turned to Murray.
“You still know how to fly?”
Murray blinked. “I haven’t been at the controls in years, but it should come back to me.”
Good, cause Pepper’s requesting that his helicopter pilot meet him upstairs, and there’s no way I’m letting these guys use that guy to get out of here scott free.
“Just get me a uniform and send me up there.”
Chapter 40
“We’ll be heading upstairs shortly with Mr. Pepper.”
Tim was standing in the corner addressing Jason, Simon’s right hand man. He was still holding the phone receiver, twirling the ragged phone wires from when he’d pulled it from the wall at the end of Jeff’s call.
“As soon as we’re airborne, I’ll radio down and tell you what we’ve worked out.” Tim continued.
“And what will that be?” Jason asked.
Tim’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t you trust me?”
“Just want to know what to expect.”
Simon stepped forward, putting himself between Jason and Tim, “We’ll tell you when it’s final.”
Jason hesitated, “That’s fine.”
Tim reached towards Jason, pulled a gun from the man’s side holster, looked him in the eyes, then walked away. Simon clenched a hand around Jeff’s elbow and pulled him out of the room. They stepped out into the hall as the doors slammed shut behind them. As they walked away, Jeff caught a glimpse of Nina’s face, staring after him, her mouth set at a very unusual angle, she was worried.
Chapter 41
They were at the top of the glass-enclosed stairwell on the building’s south side when they heard someone coming, actually, several people coming. The footsteps were muffled, the voices hushed, to the point that Ransom damn near kept on going. Then one of the men coughed and Brick’s eyes shot open. The four of them rushed back up the stairs and slipped out of the stairwell on the first floor, where they prayed the oncoming group would continue upstairs.
Ransom leaned his head against his shoulder, squeezed the talk button on his radio, and wheezed into the radio, “We’ve got movement in the south stairs, can you give me an ID?”
There was a pause, then a voice responded, “Give us two seconds, Brick.”
The group waited, and the footsteps came closer. Two of the men were talking, arguing about how many “canisters” they could take on board with them. Then the voices stopped at the door to the first floor. Nick’s heart shivered. His three companions tightened their grips on their weapons. The radio on Ransom’s shoulder coughed feedback and his quickly held his hand over the speaker. Then the voices moved on, rising and falling with the sound of men carrying something heavy.
The radio crackled to life, “We’ve got three big fish. Looks like Griffin, his right hand man, and Jeff Pepper are heading up the stairs. They’re carrying some sort of flat or gurney between them. It’s loaded down with something, ain’t a person.”
Ransom turned to the three of them, “Three guesses what that is.” Then he spoke into the radio again, “Metal canisters, right?”
Another pause, “That’s our guess. Pepper just called in and requested his pilot.”
“Shit. Okay. Over and out.”
Brick switched off the radio and turned to his team. Well, his team and Nick. That stupid, lucky little monkey Nick. Morgan was probably counting down the seconds til she saw him again, saw him, and smooched him, and- bah!
“We’d better split up on this one. You guys go downstairs, get those people out of here. I’m heading for the roof.”
“No backup?” Gomez asked skeptically.
“No backup. You’ve got a lot of people you’ve got to evacuate.”
“If that’s what you think’s best,” Luke replied.
“Go,” Ransom barked as he slipped open the stairwell door and looked up through the flights, then down towards the basement. He motioned downstairs, then mounted the stairs and started climbing, taking them two at a time.
Nick watched Brick go, then glanced over his shoulder at Luke and Gomez and started for the basement.
The temperature rose with each step downward. The air was out.
They were just outside the door to the second basement level when they stopped short. Nick’s hand was reached out for the handle for the first door when Luke’s hand shot out and grabbed his wrist.
“Hold it.”
“What.”
Luke pointed a finger at the strike plate to the right of the handle, where a thin white wire ran out from between the door and the frame, was held to the wall with a thin piece of tape, then ran down the wall and back under the door.
“Is that wire always there?”
“No.”
“Didn’t think so.” Luke turned to Gomez, “he’s got the place wired, just like the other episodes in his file.”
Nick looked at them questioningly.
Gomez scratched at his brow. “The guy we’re dealing with isn’t too well known for letting his hostages go free. He has a nasty habit of blowing them up as he’s making his escape.”
“And in this case?” Nick asked.
“In this case, one of his guys inside might come out to check on things, and boom. Or, second scenario, we come in to save the day, and end up doing the job for them.”
“Either way, it’s boom?” Nick asked.
Gomez turned to Luke, “Not necessarily. With any luck, Luke here hasn’t spent all his free time late looking at internet porn, and did a little studying on disarming explosive switches.”
“Sorry,” Luke responded. “It was all porn, all the time. Haven’t gone over that disarming stuff since I first signed on.”
Gomez’s face fell. “God damn rookie assho-”
“I’m kidding.” Luke interrupted. “Gimme five minutes.”