Major Crimes Division, Thursday, Mid Morning

The atmosphere within the office area of Major Crimes was charged, bustling, in chaos. A typical day for those who spent any amount of time around the area. Ellison was sitting in front of his computer with Sandburg hanging over his shoulder like a vulture surveying a kill. The other detectives around were trying to hide their merriment at the comments coming from the pair, but it wasn't easy.

"Jim, the Internet is not a den of corrupt and pornographic websites built only for people without a life. There's a lot of information out there if you would just learn how to search for it." Blair reached for the computer mouse sitting near the keyboard and had his hand slapped away.

"How, Chief? Every time I put a search out it comes back with no matches. Why are you doing this to me?" Jim slapped his hand against the side of the monitor as if to make it pay attention to him.

"Uh, well...~chuckle~... it could be that you're limiting yourself, man." Blair was trying not to laugh but the antics of his friend proved that some behavior was learned. Jim was beginning to treat the computer as if it was a living entity, same as he had been accused several times. "Okay, remember what I told you about search engines? You know, those programs..."

"...that take the topic you want and searches through the websites to find any hits. Yeah, I remember."

"Well, the main thing to do is not limit yourself to just one. Here, let me show you one that I use. It's called Dogpile and..."

Ellison leaned back to allow his friend access to the keyboard. "It's called what? Sounds like something found in a yard."

With an exasperated sigh, Blair typed in the appropriate web address and then hit the enter key. "It's a website that will use multiple search engines to give you your widest search. Come on, man. I know the cop part of you doesn't like to do this, but think outside of the box. Here, now type in the topic of your search and click on the fetch key."

"Fetch?!?"

"You should listen to him, J.J. It's these kids we're beating the bushes for anymore." The two men looked up and saw McLin standing in front of the desk. He was once again in uniform but the cock-sure attitude was missing. He looked like a schoolboy standing in front of the principle's desk. "I was getting ready to leave for Seattle and was hoping to talk to you before I left."

Blair stood up straight and looked carefully at the man in front of him. The shadow he had seen earlier in the week was now expanded out from the man's eyes. It was almost like a halo around his head. Taking the initiative, Blair decided to give the two an opportunity to talk. "Hey, look at the time. I've got to go, Jim. I've a meeting at noon and another right after that. I'll be late if I don't haul ass now. It was nice meeting you, Major."

McLin reached his hand out to the long-haired man. "It's Mac, Blair. And it was a pleasure meeting the man who has lasted this long being J.J.'s partner. Not an easy job I can tell."

Blair took the hand and shook it, smiling like he had just won first prize in a contest he never expected to win. "More than you know. See you at the loft tonight, man." Blair slapped his partner on the shoulder, took his jacket off his chair, and walked out of the bullpen.

"He can be a little obvious," Jim said politely, watching his friend walk away until he was out of sight. Then, he turned his attention to the man in front of him and waited. McLin didn't fidget but Jim could tell he was not comfortable. "Let's go for a cup of coffee."

McLin just nodded and followed Ellison towards the unit's breakroom. It was empty and there was a new pot of coffee sitting on the maker. A strange sight for the usually popular room. "You still drink it black?" Jim asked, reaching for two mugs.

"It's pretty hard to find a cow on the battlefield and the powered milk from an MRE is still bad enough to grow hair. What do you think?" Came the reply.

Ellison chuckled softly. How many times had he heard that phrase used back in the service? It had become a standard joke between the two men, something to break the tension when situations started to get too serious. Like now.

"You're acting like you've just stolen the General's jeep, Mac."

"You don't think I have a reason to be nervous? Pissing you off used to be like signing a death warrant. From what I've witnessed, you haven't changed all that much." The tone of the man's voice changed to one of regret. "I never wanted to do anything to lose your friendship, J.J."

"You haven't...yet," Jim said, looking at his friend carefully and seeing him relax slightly with his words.

McLin sighed and, grabbing a chair at a nearby table, sat down leaning forward with his arms resting on his knees and staring at the cup in his hands. "I'm sorry, Jim. When I first saw you on Monday, I had this wild thought that we would have an opportunity to work together again, partners like back in the service. Then I find out that you have a partner, whom you've been with almost four years, and who's closer to you in friendship that we ever were. Guess I was jealous that you've got the thing that I've never been able to find." The last words were spoke almost in a whisper.

Ellison remained quiet, allowing the other man to voice his feelings.

"I meant what I had said about his looks not being a problem. Yeah, I called him a 'new age hippie,' but I didn't mean it in a mean way."

"I called him a neo-hippie, witchdoctor, punk when we first met," Jim interrupted. He smiled at the look thrown at him by McLin. "It's a hard lesson to learn about making assumptions over how someone looks."

Mac snorted. "Never 'assume' anything. All it'll do is make an ass outa you and me. Anyway, I guess what I've been looking for the most is where I belong. When we were together, I thought it was with the Rangers in Special Forces. Then, when we got split up, the future didn't look so set in concrete anymore. Thinking you were killed in Peru hurt, J.J."

"The reports of my death--"

"Yeah, yeah, smartass. You were lucky that satellite picked up your wreckage, or you could still be running around the bush half naked."

Both men were silent for a couple of minutes. Ellison thought about what would have happened if it the crashed helicopter hadn't been located. Would he still be with the Chopec and acting as their Sentinel? He'd lost all track of time after he had healed and the eighteen months hadn't seemed that long. His life would be so different now.

McLin watched Ellison's face as the emotions from whatever memories he was experiencing flashed across it. At one point, a lost, haunted look appeared. It was the same one his face had worn in the picture on the cover of Time magazine after he had been rescued. But as quickly as it appeared, it was gone.

"Fate seems to have a strange way of taking all of our plans and making them useless," McLin finally said to break the silence. It also broke Ellison away from his thoughts and brought his attention back to the room.

Jim smiled and said, "Doesn't it? Where I am now isn't where I had expected to be eight years ago. But I'm not regretting the path my life is taking."

"Then I'm glad you've found...~cough~... your place...~cough~ in life." Grabbing a handkerchief out of his pocket, McLin quickly covered his mouth for the coughing spasm. It was a short one, so he just as quickly wiped across his mouth and tucked the cloth back into his jacket.

"What are you hiding from me, Mac?" Jim asked, concern evident in his voice. At the angry look that appeared on the other's face, he quickly held a hand up to stop any words. "And Sandburg hasn't told me anything, if that's what you're thinking. I thought I saw blood on your handkerchief after that fit on Monday. Then, you were sick to your stomach after drinking and have had coughing fits now that sound like your lungs are full. I'm not a doctor, but I can tell something is wrong. Give."

With a sigh, McLin straightened up in the chair. "I picked up a little lung ailment. Nothing to get nervous about but the lingering cough has been a problem. I...I wasn't supposed to take this trip, but I hate having quacks tell me how to live my life. Hell, J.J, I've caught worse things over in the Orient and they haven't killed me yet. Get me back to Colorado, and the dry, high altitude and clean, mountain air will clear it all up. Anything else you need to know, Florence?" Smiling at the concerned look Ellison continued to give him, he waved his hand to dismiss the incident. "So, where do we go from here?"

"How about lunch?" Jim could tell by the other's heartbeat that he wasn't getting the whole truth. Not wanting to get into another fight, especially since his friend was going to leave, he let the subject drop and turned to dump the rest of his coffee down the drain of the sink behind him. "I know this great Chinese place not too far from here. Service is a little slow but the food makes up for that."

"That would be great. Uh, mind if we have a couple of tag-a-longs? Two people from my team showed up at my hotel this morning. We were going to meet for lunch then drive to Seattle." McLin handed his empty cup to Ellison. "It'll show them that Special Forces officers can have a life after leaving the service and not end up in mental institutions."

The air clearer between the two men, they walked back to the bullpen to grab Jim's coat and then head for the elevator.

Hargrove Hall, Same Day, Afternoon

"So, you really think I can complete the program in three years?" Rafe asked Blair, the two exiting from the building housing the latter's office. He and the teaching fellow had spent the last hour and a half outlining the best way to complete a Master's degree program in the field of archeology.

"Sure, if you can take the amount of classes I outlined each semester. Of course, the wonderful world of police work does have the ability of destroying plans, you know," Blair answered. He made a show of adjusting the sling holding his right arm stable. The shoulder was barely hurting this morning and he had tried to get away from the loft without it. However, his roommate disagreed and eventually won the argument, convincing the grad student of its necessity.

Rafe laughed, understanding what the smaller man was saying. He'd know Sandburg for only a short time since joining Major Crimes. In that time, he had seen the observer put his life on the line several times for the department and his partner. Rafe had also heard the stories of what happened to the younger man before he had come on board in the section. And then he had been a witness to Blair's near death in the fountain here at the university. He could see it now as the two walked away from Hargrove Hall. How could so much happen to someone who was only supposed to 'observe' their police society was hard to believe, much less have personal knowledge.

"It's not the police work I'm worried about. Do you know what kind of hell I'll go through if H., your partner or the others at work learn what I'm doing? Not to put you down, Blair, 'cause I have as much problem with my 'GQ' image as you do with your...uh, well..."

"Either retro or New Age look would be considered PC. Take your pick, man. I've been called both as well as one or two other things that we won't go into."

"Yeah, right. Well, if they find out what I'm studying, let's just say that it goes against the grain." Rafe gave Sandburg an intense look.

"That's what has me wondering. Why archeology and not--"

"And not something that would be more fitting for someone like me?" At Blair's nod, Rafe's gaze softened and took on a distant look. "I had this uncle...on my mother's side. He was a museum curator back east and when I was young, I spent a few summers with him. He told me lots of stories about the different digs he went on in his younger days and I guess the passion he had for the subject rubbed off onto me. I knew that archeology wasn't what I wanted to do for a living, but it would be something nice to pursue in my off time. I just don't want to be ridiculed because of it. I have enough problems with being a junior detective."

Laughing again, Blair held up his free hand in surrender. "Don't worry, man. I'm the last person they'll learn your deep, dark secret from. That is until you make some fantastic discovery. Then I'll be crowing the loudest about how I mentored you with your program. What's the matter?" Blair noticed that the detective's attention was focused on a building across the parking lot they were passing.

"What's that building over there? The one with the bars on the windows on each floor except the top which only has vents. No, don't stare." Rafe gestured with his chin and then grabbed Blair's left arm and continued walking when the other stopped.

"Huh? It's the HAZ/MAT Research facility. Why? What did you see?"

"The same place that the university tends to keep dangerous and volatile material?" Once the two had neared a group of bushes, the detective pulled the grad student off of the sidewalk. His attention was on the building he had indicated earlier.

"You see something wrong? Ah, man, not again!" Blair exclaimed. "The building was getting some upgrades with the power this afternoon, so it's supposed to be fairly empty except for one or two of the scientists, maybe their grad students and a few security people." Pulling out his cell phone, he looked in the direction of the science building. All he saw was a group of people going through the doors.

Drawing his service revolver out of it's holder, Rafe checked the load. "Call the precinct and let them know that I've spotted five suspicious people entering the building, one for sure is packing a semi-automatic rifle. I saw him fumble with it before they went in." Then he took off across the parking lot, over the lawn and up the stairs of the building he had been watching. Standing beside the doorframe and out of sight of the glass doors, he leaned forward and peeked into them before pulling back. Then he heard a sound he instantly dreaded. "What do you think you're doing?"

Blair was crouched near the young detective, punching in the speed dial numbers for Jim's phone at the office. He had removed the sling and stuffed the cloth in his jacket pocket. "Backing you up, man. I know that you're not supposed to go in without it and if we wait for anyone to show up, the situation could get out of hand."

"No way, Sandburg. Anything happens to you and I have to explain it to your partner...just before he kills me. Besides, you're still recovering from injuries. You get back to your office and stay there." Rafe tried to sound angry and firm, but the adrenaline pumping through his body had taken the edge off it.

Blair wasn't listening. His partner didn't pick up his phone, so he tried another number.

"Banks!"

"Simon. It's Blair. Listen, man, Rafe and I are at the university and he said to tell you we need some help. We had been talking at my office and were walking across the cam--"

"Sandburg, just spill it."

Rafe opened the door to the building and slid through the entrance. Blair looked through the glass and watched the other carefully scan the entrance area then move quietly towards a nearby wall and press his body against it. Blair had his attention brought back to the cell phone when he heard Banks yell his name again. "Sorry, man. Uh, remember the special building on the university here? The place that Alex had robbed last year? Right, the HAZ/MAT building. Well, we've got another group here and it looks like they're trying the same thing. Rafe said that it's five guys and he saw that one had a gun. We've got trouble here and need backup. Lots of it. Hey, gotta go. Rafe's headed in and he might need some help. Oh, hey, could you also call Jim? I'm gonna turn off my phone now. Thanks. See ya." Ending the conversation before the police captain could yell more, Blair closed up the phone, slid it back into his pocket and entered the building. He caught up with Rafe as the detective crept up to the stairwell door.

"Calvary's been called," Blair said softly. "I also noticed that the elevators are dead, stopped on the fifth floor. No movement."

"Thanks. Now go back outside and wait until the others show up," Rafe whispered, giving the younger man a stern look, then carefully opened the door. Stepping into the stairwell, he realized that Blair was following behind. "Sandburg..."

Blair shook his head, curly hair flying, and whispered, "I know this building and where everything is situated. First floor has nothing but offices, second has the classrooms and the next two have mainly labs. The special labs and vaults are on the fifth. See, you need me, man."

Silently groaning, Rafe just grabbed the other's arm and pulled him closer and then started up the stairs. Blair stayed close onto his heels.

"Damn! It's locked. What's this door doing locked?" Frustrated, Rafe carefully tried to turn the knob on the door that would have led to the fifth floor of the science building.

Leaning back against the wall, Blair closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm the anxiety that had been building in his body the minute he stepped into the building. He was used to following his partner in situations like this and not having Jim around felt strange and a little scary. It wasn't that he didn't trust Rafe's police abilities, but he had grown dependent on the secure feeling he normally had with his Sentinel. A firm hand on his arm brought his attention back to his surroundings.

"Sandburg. I said why would they lock this door? Who'd have the keys?" Rafe asked quietly.

"The fifth floor is the special laboratories and storage vaults. The whole thing is kept secured," Blair answered, succeeding in speaking in a calm whisper despite the quaking he was experiencing inside. "They installed special doors after last year and you can only exit the floor here. The only ones who have the keys are the scientists and security. How were they able to get past the security on the elevators?"

Rafe just grimaced and searched around the stairwell for another way onto the floor. There wasn't any. "Probably with someone on the inside. Let's get security, then. Son of a bitch, this is wasting time!" Waving at his companion, the detective started back down the stairs. When they had reached the fourth floor, Blair suddenly stopped and tried the door onto the floor. It opened easily.

"Rafe, wait. I've got an idea." Blair moved onto the floor, Rafe following silently behind him. "They may have upgraded the security through all the conventional entrances to three, but I don't think they thought about one."

"What? Sandburg, where are you going?"

Opening a door that read Storage, Blair felt around for a light switch and flipped it to illuminate the room. Grabbing the detective, he pulled him into the room and closed the door behind them. "This floor has some of the laboratories used with the classes. There's not supposed to be any classes this afternoon because of some work being done so there shouldn't be anyone here except for those prepping for a lecture. They probably picked today for fewer witnesses."

"And hostages, thank God. What is supposed to be in here, a secret door or something?"

"Almost better, man. That." Blair pointed to the grate of the ventilation system near the ceiling of the room. It was just large enough for a small man to climb into. Grinning at Rafe, Blair moved towards one of the shelves near by and started shifting the supplies housed on them to the floor. With a sigh, Rafe joined him and helped cleared the shelves so they could move it into position.

Outside the Science Building

The '69 blue Ford belonging to Det. Jim Ellison screeched to a halt near the police vehicles blocking access to the area around the university science building. Following close behind, a four-door sedan was barely able to stop from slamming into the truck with its abrupt decrease in speed. Ellison leaped out of the truck cab and trotted over to where he saw his captain standing, surrounded by other Major Crimes detectives and some personnel in S.W.A.T clothing. He was followed closely by McLin.

"What's going on, Captain?" Jim asked, searching around the area for the one person he thought for sure would be waiting for him. He, McLin and two members from McLin's team had just finished their lunch and were talking when the phone call came. Banks had only told Jim about the possible situation, not who was involved.

Seeing the concern on his detective's face, Banks sighed. "He's not here, Jim."

Ellison looked sharply at his captain and then followed the other man's eyes to the building being watched. He cut off the angry words that wanted to stream out of his mouth and waited for the rest of the information.

"Sandburg called about 30 minutes ago saying that he and Rafe saw five suspicious people entering the building and one of them had a weapon. He turned off his phone and, as far as I know, they're both in there. According to security, the building is supposed to be fairly empty due to some systems upgrade happening today. They found that some of their systems have been over ridden and can't contact any of the people who are supposed to be working in the labs up on five. They thought that the interruptions were caused by the upgrade work and weren't concerned until we got here." Banks turned to the open back of the nearby S.W.A.T. van. There was a large schematic of the building's interior laid out.

"Damn it!" Ellison swore under his breath. "Why was Rafe here at the university in the first place?"

"He asked for the afternoon off and I gave it to him, Jim. What my detectives do on their time off I don't feel is any of my business. At least not until now." Banks knew that Ellison's question had been rhetorical but he needed to head off the anger towards Rafe before it festered. He could see that the detective beside him was trying to figure out where to lay the blame.

Jim had known something was going on with his partner, but it was all so nebulous. With little concentration, he felt along the bond to Blair: anxiety, slight fear and a little weariness was what he felt along with some discomfort from his previous injuries. The most important thing was that his friend was all right and apparently still running around the building free. Tilting his head slightly, Jim focused his hearing towards the building. He quickly located his partner and, by the echoes, it sounded like he was in some area surrounded by metal.

"No, if we go in that direction it'll lead right to one of the vaults and the openings there aren't big enough to crawl through." Blair's breathy whisper came through clearly. "Just go all the way to the end and turn right at the 'T' and we'll end up at the men's room."

Jim heard the grunted reply and figured that Rafe was there with his friend. Shifting his focus around, he heard other voices that weren't trying to be quiet. The intruders were threatening someone they had found in one of the labs in order to get cooperation. Apparently, the vaults hadn't been opened and one of the scientists there was trying to explain why he couldn't open them. He flinched at the sound of flesh striking flesh and the resulting cry of anguish.

"What's the situation, J.J.?" McLin was at his elbow, surveying the area with a calculated practice. Ellison stood silent. "J.J.? What's the matter?"

Noticing the scene, Banks moved up by Ellison and placed his hand on the others shoulder, giving it a strong squeeze. "Jim, do you see something?" He hoped that he had the ability to bring his detective's attention back, realizing that the man was listening for his partner. It worked.

Shaking himself slightly, Ellison turned his attention away from the building. "Sorry, I...uh...thought I had seen some movement on the second floor. Looks like whoever is in there isn't aware that they've been seen. Our people must be okay so far." Jim emphasized 'our' to alert Simon to the fact that he had found Blair and Rafe.

Seeing that Ellison's attention was back with the group, McLin stepped in and asked, "What did you say this place holds?"

"Anything from simple chemicals and compounds to teach students up to and including substances that are considered highly toxic and dangerous. Rainier often receives grants and research funding from the government. We're trying to get information as to what might be here at this time," Banks replied, understanding the reason for McLin's question.

"Christ, this sounds like a terrorist operation, something that my team would be called in to handle...if we were sure of the situation." McLin looked at Ellison and raised an eyebrow but the detective had turned back towards the building.

"Twice before, people have been able to break into the laboratories and steal hazardous stuff. The first time involved an ex-CIA agent who was able to get the Ebola virus. Security was upgraded after that." Banks took over the conversation when he noticed that Ellison was again focusing on the building. "The second time was last May and involved the theft of two canisters of VX gas. Apparently, the new security hadn't been good enough so they've tried some new procedures. We were lucky with both of those last times that we were able to recover the substances and catch the perps."

Stepping back from Ellison, McLin motioned to the Captain and spoke quietly, "That second incident was the one that involved J.J.'s partner, Sandburg?" At Banks nod, and by the way Ellison was acting, McLin understood what was going on. "Captain, let me get the people I left at the car. All three of us are trained to handle these types of incidents. Hell, that's why our group's been formed. We're willing to provide any assistance you need." As he spoke, he was unbuttoning his jacket and loosening his tie for removal.

"Thank you, Major. Any help will be appreciated." Once the man had left, Simon turned his attention back to Jim and grabbed his arm to get his attention. "Can you still hear them?"

"Yes, sir. Apparently, they crawled through the ventilation system to get up to the fifth floor. They're moving towards the men's room on the backside. Damn it, why did Rafe take him along?" Ellison's fist were clenched as he paced back and forth a few feet.

"Come on, Jim. You know that Rafe wouldn't have done anything to put Sandburg in danger unless the kid did some fast talking. And you know he could easily do that with anyone but you or me."

"I know. I just wish Sandburg hadn't turned off his cell phone."

"Well, I've got a bad feeling that this group is not just your ordinary, run of the mill, bunch of nutcases. From what I understand about the security that was installed, it would take some real pros or having one or more people on the inside. Security didn't know about anything happening until we arrived."

"How are you doing?" Rafe had noticed that Sandburg started clutching his right arm protectively as soon as they had crawled out of the vent into the deserted men's room. The younger man's face also looked pale and he was sweating. It hadn't been an easy crawl, trying to be as quiet as possible and yet maneuver through the tight areas.

"It's nothing, man," Blair answered and then tried to wave off the concern. "What do we do now?"

"I handcuff you to a pipe and keep you here safe if you don't tell me what is really wrong with you." Rafe's whispered threat caused Blair to look at him carefully. The young detective had never displayed this type of assertiveness before, but then the observer had only seen him working with Jim, Simon or Henri. The others were senior in rank and always in charge of the operations. This knowledge, or lack of what made the detective tick, was cause for nervousness.

"Uh, well, my shoulder's just a little tender with all the workout it's getting and my ribs aren't too happy, either. The doctor said they were minor injuries. You know how they can act up."

"Anything else?"

"Except for some nervousness, no. Honest, Rafe, I wasn't hurt that bad. Do you think Jim would have even let me out of the loft if I had anything remotely serious with my injuries? The guy can be the 'mother hen' from hell, if you know what I mean." Blair gave Rafe what he thought was one of his most convincing looks.

The other man looked at him carefully and then dropped his head with a heavy sigh. "I'm dead. Jim's going to kill me three ways from Sunday because of this...right after Simon chews me a new ass." Blair grinned to himself, knowing he had won this battle. Rafe sure was a lot easier to convince than Jim ever was.

"Okay, we'll do the standard sweep procedures and you stay right behind me. Right?"

"Sure, man...what's the standard sweep procedure?"

"Just stay behind me, Sandburg." Crouching near the door, Rafe quietly turned the knob, pulled the door open a couple of inches and listened. Not hearing any movement, he pulled the door the rest of the way opened and slid out of the room and into the hallway. Blair followed close behind.

Banks and Ellison were hovered over the building schematics with the leader of the S.W.A.T team and McLin. They were finalizing their plans when Brown came running up to the group.

"Problems, Captain. Either they've found out that we're here or they never had any plans of trying to leave the building by normal means." Out of breath, the black detective bent over to make it easier for his lungs to draw in air. He had been around on the backside of the building checking escape routes. "It looks like they are setting anti-personnel mines or something at the back doors and chaining them. There's no one at the front side, yet."

"That's it, Captain. We have to move now before they get the building sealed up," McLin spoke up, adjusting the kevlar vest that had been loaned to him. "Tech Sergeant Quintana here is my expert on communications and wiring. She can help you break into the comm and computer system of the building." The female Air Guard member, looking comfortable with the loaned combat gear she wore, smiled confidently at Banks. The Army Specialist standing beside her, geared the same way, gave her a comradely slap on the back. "Torres there is the pro on NBC, uh, chemicals and other volatile material. He's also an expert with EOD."

"Great, then we'll put Quintana with the S.W.A.T. group that's going to take the system down. That will cause the fifth floor to be locked down and the group will be trapped. Get tapped into the comm system and see if you can listen in through P.A.," Simon ordered, pointing to the group of black clad police standing to the side. "Taggart, you take Torres with you towards the back and see what you can do to disarm whatever they've planted at the back door. Brown, go with them."

"On it, Simon," Joel said, taking a firmer hold on his equipment bag. Looking at the two assigned to him, he motioned with his head to follow him and then trotted off.

"Mac and I will try to get in the front before they block it," Ellison said, looking towards the building. His enhanced eyesight told him that nothing had been done to the front doors, yet. "If we can't, then we'll find another way in."

"Like Panama?" The grin on Mac's face was almost fiendish. He checked the pistol that Jim had loaned him and then tucked it into his belt. The assault rifle he had slung over his shoulder felt more comfortable.

"It better not be," Jim shot back, remembering the situation. While the operation to break into a drug lord's compound and capture him alive had been a success, he had come out of it with a concussion and a scar that was effectively being covered by his hair. McLin had come out without a scratch, something that Ellison was still embarrassed about. He grimaced when he saw Banks looking at him with a raised eyebrow. Rubbing the bridge of his nose, Jim lowered his voice and said, "Let's just say that Panamanian women don't take too kindly with being rousted out of bed in the middle of the night in order for their patron to be arrested."

Banks laughed, enjoying the tension relieving emotion. In situations like these, having high spirits and a positive attitude could only help them. "Okay, and I'm with you to take your partner's place." Ellison looked at Banks face and could read in it what the captain was referring. With who was involved in this situation, Jim could easily end up in a zoneout trying to focus too hard. Simon had proven himself in the past of having some success in breaking the detrimental condition. "Commander, you know what you need to do with your people." The S.W.A.T. commander nodded and moved over to his group of officers.

"Let's move out, gentlemen. J.J., you're point," McLin said and placed his hand out, palm down. Jim placed his on top and, after a moment, Simon added his. Both Ellison and McLin gave the Army grunt of 'huah' as they lifted and the lowered the hands in a sharp movement that broke the handclasps apart.

Jim led the two men on an indirect route to the side of the research building, then behind the bushes lining the front and up to the stairs. Holding his hand up to stop the other two, he crawled underneath the railing at the edge and flattened himself against the wall by the door. With a careful movement, he leaned forward, glanced through glass of the door and leaned back. With his enhanced sight, he was able to see all the way down the hall. Nothing. Bringing his hearing online, he was able to hear what sounded like the elevator doors opening on one of the upper floors. He guessed the fifth. Motioning to the others, Ellison opened the door quickly and moved into the building. McLin then Banks followed behind, checking the doors to each of the offices they passed. All were locked

Trotting to the stairwell door, Jim snapped his fingers and pointed to the elevator as he passed to indicate that one of the cars was on the way down. That information made the other two men abandon their checking of the doors and catch up with the detective who had reached the door to the stairs and was holding it open. The three disappeared into the stairwell and closed the door just as the elevator reached the first floor.

"The fifth floor can't be accessed from the stairs without security, but I'm guessing that the intruders would have sealed off the access anyway or at least have them guarded. So, we'll go up to the fourth and try to use the same vent that Rafe and Sandburg took," Jim whispered then vaulted up the stairs.

"How does he know what the others used?" McLin quietly asked Banks. Simon just shook his head and followed his detective up the stairs.

Reaching the door to the fourth floor, Jim listened carefully. He could hear someone walking down the hall towards them. Looking at the other two, he raised one finger. Pointing to Mac, Jim leaned against the door and took hold of the knob. Passing his weapon to Banks, McLin stood opposite of his friend. Doing a countdown with his free hand, Jim got to number one and, stepping away from the door, opened it quickly.

The young man holding on to the door knob had a shocked look on his face as he was jerked into the stairwell. Before he could make a sound, McLin knocked his rifle towards Banks, who grabbed it tightly, and then punched the man out. Ellison caught the body before it hit the ground and pulled it completely into the area, allowing the door to close again. Using plastic cuffs, he tied the man up to the railing.

Moving back to the door, Jim listened again. No more people walking around on this floor, so he extended his hearing up to the next. He froze when he heard Rafe shout a warning to someone.

Blair was sure that anyone within 50 feet could hear his heart pounding. As he crept behind Rafe down the hall, he held his breath each time the detective had motioned him down and then took a quick look into a room they had arrived at. How many labs were there? He knew that as they had checked the five that were in this wing, their odds of finding the intruders increased with each empty room. Ahead was the intersection into a hall that, when you turned left, would stretch along the length of the building.

Swinging around the corner, Rafe tread carefully up to the first doorway and waited until Sandburg settled beside him. Leaning carefully around the doorsill, Rafe saw that this lab was set up different than the others. It had a short hallway inward and then you had to turn left. Motioning to Blair to stay put, Rafe crept into the hallway. Before he had made it two steps, a man holding a .45 pistol came around the corner.

"Freeze! Cascade P.D!"

The man didn't obey the order. Bringing his gun to bear, but not aiming, he pulled the trigger. Just before the bullet struck Rafe, he also fired. His bullet caught the man in a perfect heart shot, killing him. The man's bullet caught Rafe high in the chest, throwing him backwards into Sandburg, who had just come around the corner.

Blair wasn't prepared when Rafe came crashing back into him. Both men stumbled back across the hall and into the wall, Blair's back taking the full brunt of the collision against the hard surface, and the two slumped apart onto the floor. The ache in the shoulder, that Blair had been trying to ignore, flared into a sharp, stabbing pain that sent him wavering on the edge of consciousness. Forcing the blackness that threatened to wash over him away, he pulled himself up and turned to the still detective beside him.

"Rafe!" he said aloud, not caring who heard him. "Oh, no. Come on, man. Don't be dead." With a shaking hand, he reached for the other's throat. Relief flooded over him when he felt a pulse. Shifting the unconscious man around so that he lay flat, Blair saw the growing stain of blood on the jacket. He tried to press down onto the wound with his right hand while he searched the others pockets for a handkerchief, but the pain radiating from his shoulder prevented him from applying very much pressure. Finding what he was looking for, he took the cloth and pressed it down onto the wound with his left. Rafe groaned.

"It's okay. It's okay, Rafe. I'll get some help, man," Blair said frantically and fumbled for his cell phone with his free hand, ignoring the pain the action was causing. Pressing the speed buttons for Jim's cell phone, he felt cold steel being pressed into the back of his neck just as he heard the ominous click of a gun hammer being cocked.

"Hang it up," an angry voice said, "and move away from him."

Blair dropped the phone but kept his hand pressed against Rafe's chest. The injured detective's eyes were open and looking fearfully at something above the younger man's head. "He's bleeding. Let me take care of him." The answer he received was a sharp blow on the back of his head. The darkness returned and this time it swept him away.

Banks and McLin had seen Ellison freeze as he listened against the door. Simon was about to grab the detective when they heard the sound of two, muffled gun shots. McLin jerked at the noise and reached for the door but couldn't get to it. Jim was frozen there, his hand clutching the knob.

"Jim, JIM!" Simon growled loudly and grabbed the man's shoulders. Mac looked on, confused at the scene in front of him.

Jim had had his hearing locked on the situation on the floor above involving his partner. When had heard Rafe shout, fear coursed through him. Immediately after the sound of the two gun shots, he knew he heard Blair cry out in pain and was sure that he had been hurt somehow. Pain and terror had crashed through their bond, reverbing through him and then it was cut off. That was what caused him to zone.

"Christ, don't do this to me now, Ellison! What does Blair say?" Simon frantically looked into the blank staring eyes. Using brute strength, he was able to force Jim away from the door and back against a wall. "Come on, Jim. Hear me and come on back."

"What's wrong with him, Captain?" McLin asked, confusion evident in his voice

"You wouldn't believe it if I told you. Let's just say that this happens in situations that involve Sandburg and the kid is the one that really knows how to handle it." Simon watched the eyes of his friend as they slowly started focusing. When Jim blinked a couple of times and started to relax, Simon released the breath he didn't know he was holding and sagged in relief.

Giving the captain a suspicious look, McLin cracked open the door to the fourth floor and listened. Hearing nothing he said, "I'm going to check out the floor." He disappeared through the door and it shut behind him before Banks could say anything.

With a shake of his head, Jim was back aware of his surroundings and looking into the concerned eyes of his captain. He answered the silent question they were asking. "They're both alive. I think Sandburg has been injured and Rafe was shot. Blair was trying to take care of him when he was knocked out. It was just...a shock when all his emotions I was feeling just stopped."

"How bad do you think Rafe is?" Banks asked.

"I'm not sure but he must have been bleeding pretty good to scare Sandburg. He told Rafe not to be dead and had been trying to dial his cell phone when the terrorists found them." Ellison rubbed his face with his hands. It had been a while since he had experienced a zoneout and the incident always left him feeling disjointed for several minutes afterwards.

"Can you tell how many are upstairs?"

"Besides Rafe and Sandburg, I've picked out a group of about six people together in one room. They must be the hostages..." Jim paused and listened for a minute or two. "Our people have been placed with them and I figure that one of the people is probably a guard."

"Location?"

"Far end of the building. There are three others in another room closer to this end. How soon before we take control of the building?"

Banks adjusted the head set he wore into the building and then keyed the mic attached to his vest. "S.W.A.T. Commander this is Banks. Has the back door been cleaned and what's the ETA on the system?"

"We're ready in this end, Captain. The back's been neutralized and they're working on the front now. Give the word and your world goes dark."

"Have you been able to tap into the P.A. system?"

After a short pause, the reply came back, "Still need about another five minutes. ~light chuckle~ The sergeant says that this system is probably twice as old as what she's used to working and just as stubborn."

With a smile at Ellison, who was also listening, Banks gave the order, "Stand by until we get into position on five."

"Let's go find Mac and get up there," Ellison said and opened the door.

McLin was walking back in their direction. Following behind him was an older man in a lab coat leading a young woman clutching her purse to her chest. "Found them hiding in a class room. Guess our unconscious friend there hadn't looked too hard for them," he said with a satisfied grin.

Pointing to the stairs, Banks hustled the pair through the door. "Go down to the first floor and you'll meet some officers that'll get you out." Then he grabbed his radio mic and warned about the approaching civilians.

McLin stepped up to Ellison and looked at him shrewdly. The detective could see the questions the other wanted to ask but knew he could not give an answer. So, all McLin did say was, "You gonna be okay to continue?"

"Try and stop me," Jim answered with a growl. "Let's find the vent that'll lead us upstairs. The minute we take out the power, they're going to panic and I want to be in position." Leading the way, he started walking down the hallway.

Blair could hear what sounded like someone moaning in his ear and he wished they would stop it. His head was hurting enough. What'd he do, get into an accident, fall and hit his head, get Jim mad enough to hit him? When he decided to open his eyes, and saw an upside down and very worried face of a girl looking into his, memory flooded back. He had been trying to help a wounded Rafe and someone hit him with something very hard.

"Where are they?" he whispered to the face above him. The scared female looked up and over his legs. Blair followed her gaze. Not too far from them and leaning in the doorway, stood a man holding a rifle. He was paying attention to something outside of the room.

Slowly, and with assistance from the girl, Blair sat up. The movement caused his head to throb more and a wave of dizziness washed over him. He clutched his eyes shut and gritted his teeth against the nausea that threatened to take control. Holding his head and taking several deep breaths to steady himself, Blair opened his eyes again and looked around.

He was definitely in one of the laboratories. Spaced throughout the room were solid benches, the type that had cabinets for storage underneath the table tops with built in sinks. Instead of chairs, tall, backless stools surrounded each bench.

Behind him to the left and against one of the benches sat an older woman. She was holding on to a younger woman who was sniffling softly. Looking to the right, Blair saw Rafe. He didn't look like he was conscious. Farther over and against the wall was a younger man sitting beside a gray-haired man holding a bloody rag to his face. The young man was giving the gunman angry looks as he tended his injured professor. Rolling to his knees, Blair started to crawl to the wounded detective.

"Hey," the gunman said, bringing his weapon up and pointing it at Blair. "Where do you think you're going?"

Leaning back onto his knees, Blair looked at the man squarely in the face. With more calmness than he felt, he said, "I'm going to look after my friend. He's been shot." He kept his gaze on the gunman and several tense seconds ticked on by. Then, with a grunt, the gunman turned away and watched down the hallway again.

Blair sighed with relief and crawled over to Rafe. Reaching him, the Observer could see that the detective was conscious but in terrible pain that could easily be seen when he opened his eyes. His breath was rapid and shallow and a thin glaze of perspiration covered his face. The front of his coat showed a large bloody stain radiating from the upper left side of his chest.

"Hey, man. How're you doing?" Blair asked softly. With inordinate care, he opened Rafe's jacket and unbuttoned the shirt underneath. He then carefully lifted the edges of the material and looked at the wound. It was still seeping blood.

Seeing Sandburg lean over him gave Rafe an immense sense of relief. He tried to give the other a brave smile but it came out looking more like a grimace. "You... ~cough~...okay?"

"Nothing that an economy size bottle of aspirins wouldn't take care off," Blair said softly, carefully pulling the clothing back into place. He looked around the room to see if there was anything handy to help him treat his friend.

"Ho...how...b-b-bad is it?" Rafe grabbed Blair's arm, bringing the other's attention back to him. "Truth."

Blair considered using his skills of obsfucation, but the way Rafe was looking at him changed his mind. With a sigh he said, "It looks bad to me, but I don't know much about wounds. I've only seen a couple, and one was mine, but the bleeding has almost stopped. I guess that's good."

"At least it wasn't you," Rafe replied softly as his eyes fluttered shut.

Blair's heart jumped a couple of beats until he realized that the detective had only passed out. "Well, I guess this is also a good thing." Looking around to see if anyone was close, Blair started to talk in a low voice. "I know you're near, Jim. I can feel how angry you are, like you're standing beside me, so calm down. I'm not hurt, at least not like Rafe. He was shot in the chest, upper left side. The bleeding has slowed, but he's unconscious now. He was able to take out one bad guy. There's five other hostages here and one guy at the door holding a gun on us."

"Who are you talking to?" The girl he saw when he had come to had moved closer and heard him.

"Uh, just talking to myself. I'm Blair Sandburg."

"I know, I've seen you on campus. Lisa Carter," she said with a shaky smile.

"Have you seen how many of them there are?" What better and less conspicuous way to get information to Jim than by just asking questions?

"I think there are five others. Two were students already up here. They tried to get Professor Elias to open the vault in Lab Three, but he refused. They beat him." Lisa's voice trembled.

Taking her hand and giving it a squeeze, Blair asked the question he knew Jim and the others would be wanting. "What's kept in that vault?"

"It's not for my field but anyone who goes in there to work is required to wear the badges that test for radioactivity. I'm figuring something like plutonium."

"Oh, God," Blair whispered, thinking about what could be done with material like that if the men succeeded. "What lab is this one?"

"Nothing hazardous, just simple chemicals. Do...do you think someone will come? You know, to rescue us?" Lisa looked towards the gunman in the doorway, her lower lip trembling.

Giving the frightened girl's hand a squeeze and a confident smile, Blair dropped his voice to a conspiratory level and said, "I can guarantee it. But I think a diversion would help the situation more." Looking at the titles on some of the bottles sitting on the lab tables, an idea blossomed. "Lisa, I'm sure you remember your first year stuff, right?"

"Sure, but why?"

"Have you ever watched those old episodes of MacGyver?"

"I found another entrance into the vent system down the hall," McLin announced trotting up to Ellison and Banks. "It'll be tight but I think usable." They had found the room Rafe and Sandburg had used to access the ventilation but McLin had suggested trying to see if there was other ways to get up to the next floor. 'A good soldier never uses the first option presented to solve a problem' he said to the others when they were ready to climb up the shelves.

"You think we should split up?" Banks asked his detective.

"It's probably a good idea. We don't know where the others were caught and a reception party could be waiting for whoever pokes their head out first," Ellison answered. He had climbed to the top of the shelves and was sitting at the top...listening.

"If this was my operation..." McLin started and then looked at Banks.

"Yeah, I see what you mean. Okay, you two stay here and use this entrance. I'll go up the other one. If this one is a trap, you'll have backup. If not..." Simon checked the load in his revolver. It still had a few shots left in the magazine, but he decided to put a fresh, full one in.

"We'll have them between us and be in a better position to divert their attention away from the hostages. Great minds think alike, eh J.J.?" McLin gave the captain a feral grin and then looked at his friend. Ellison was still perched on the shelf, his head tilted as if listening to something. "J.J.? You hear something?"

Coming alert, Ellison jumped down from the shelf. "Uh, I thought I hear a voice but I must have been mistaken. Mac, could you check the hall and, uh, see if it's still clear?" It was clear to the Army major that the two detectives needed to speak together so he just nodded and trotted back out the door.

"I heard Sandburg and he knows we're near. Rafe's been shot in the chest but holding on and he said he wasn't hurt but I can tell he wasn't completely truthful. There are five other hostages and they're all together in one of the labs on that end. Rafe was also able to take out one of the bad guys but there's one guarding them and three others trying to break into one of the vaults," Jim said quickly.

"Any clue what they're after?" Simon asked, climbing to the top of the shelf.

"Something dangerous and radioactive. From what I can hear, they haven't gotten into the vault yet." Ellison stopped talking and listened again. "Damn it! We better get moving, Simon. Blair's going to do something as a diversion and I think he's going to try to be creative."

Mumbling a string of curses, Banks threw Ellison a dirty look and then disappeared out of the room and down the hall. He just missed running into McLin, who had been leaning against a wall near the door.

After Banks passed by him, McLin moved into the room and then positioned himself in front of the shelves and crossed his arms over his chest. When Ellison tried to move past him, McLin stepped into his path. "You want to tell me what's going on?" When Jim just stared at him, Mac took a deep breath and continued. "Something's up with you. Now, I may be just some dumb, old soldier but I'm not that dense to not notice it. You hear things people are saying at a distance as if they're in the same room, and how you've been able to see things that I would need binoculars for I don't know. But I do know that Sandburg is an important part of it and Banks is also involved. So give."

"Mac..." Jim started, the uneasy lie hovering on his lips, but Mac interrupted.

"Don't snow me, Ellison. If you've got some advantage that can help us here, clue me in so we can use it together."

Jim looked back down the hall for several long seconds, his personal conscience warring with his logical mind. Turning back, he looked carefully and realized that he saw a different McLin standing in front of him. This wasn't the man who had competed with him back in OCS, or followed him as his military career flourished until they had been forced to separate. This McLin looked at him like a soldier waiting for the orders to a mission he had been wanting his whole life. Jim knew he couldn't lie.

"Okay. I have a...a gift I guess you can call it, Mac. Something that has been with me since I was a child but had never fully developed until Peru. The only way to explain it is that my senses are very sensitive. All five of them. Sandburg has been the only one that has understood what they are all about, how to keep them under control, and how to use them right. The captain and now you are the only other people who know what I have. Can you guess why?" Jim glared at the man in front of him, but Mac stood his ground.

"What? You think I'm gonna blab this to the world? Call you a freak and run away screaming my head off?" McLin laughed comfortably and that allowed Ellison to relax slightly. "So, if you can hear at a pretty good clip, what's happenin' up there?" He pointed to the ceiling.

"There're still four gunman, one's holding Sandburg, Rafe and five other hostages in one of the rooms on that end of the hall. The other three are trying to break into a vault back this way. We need to get up there 'cause Sandburg is going to try to do something to create a distraction and I don't think it's going to be any thing simple." Giving his friend a shove to the side, Jim pulled the strap of his rifle over his head and positioned the weapon as comfortable on his back as possible. "Damn, this is going to be a tight fit."

"Jesus, what's he gonna to do? Set the building on fire?"

"No, he's going to try to use something he learned from a TV show."

"That science guy show the kids all watch?"

"Worse. MacGyver." With that, Ellison climbed up the shelves and pulled himself into the vent.

Blair knew when Jim was finally on the floor. In the back of his mind, he could almost hear the challenging scream of the black jaguar, his Sentinel's spirit animal. That knowledge gave him the courage to go through with the plan he had devised, even if it did sound strange...and dangerous.

Lisa Carter was no stranger to the chemicals that were kept available in this lab. She also knew that cleaning fluid was kept in the storage cabinets in each bench. With the right combination of ingredients, she was going to create a confusing smoke screen. If the timing worked, and it was enough of a surprise, he would be able to take out their guard and allow all of the others to escape. The objective? Get them to the bathroom and away through the ventilation.

It had taken some convincing, but he got the guard to allow him to check out the injured professor sitting with the young student. Blair was able to pass the plan along to them and get their assistance in getting Rafe out. Lisa had informed the other two hostages and it was now time for the next phase.

Handing the sling he had stuffed into his pocket earlier to Lisa, Blair stood and walked over to where the guard was standing at the door. Lisa stood up and slowly stepped back until she was against the lab bench. Seeing the two people moving, the gunman had instantly come alert and pointed his gun at Blair. His attention bounced back and forth between the two hostages.

Trying to project the appearance of being harmless, Blair raised his left hand in a position of surrender and slowed his pace. His right arm was hurting too much to make any unnecessary moves so he kept it at his side. "Hey, easy man. It's okay. I just need to ask you a favor." Blair pitched his voice to one of calm confidence, the same low tone he used with Jim. "Lisa needs to find some stuff to help my friend and Professor Elias. She knows where to get it on the shelves over there."

"Go sit down or I'll shoot you," the gunman threatened. He shifted back out the door a couple of steps to keep the distance between him and Blair.

"Whoa! I'm not doing anything so why would you shoot me? We need to help the injured men or they are going to die. And if they do, a murder rap is a more serious offense than what you've done so far." Blair continued to move forward another couple of steps. The gunman shifted another step back, which was just enough for Lisa to be out of his line of sight. Taking advantage of the situation, she picked up a beaker of liquid she had recognized, grabbed a small jar of sulfur powder and ducked down behind the lab table.

"Get back into the room," the man ordered and swung the butt end of the gun into Blair's midsection. The move surprised the grad student and he would have dropped to the floor if he hadn't been grabbed by his jacket and dragged back into the room.

Looking around, the man pulled Blair back upright and gave him a shake. "Where is she?"

"Who?" Blair gasped in pain, holding his stomach. He hadn't expected the man to hit him, at least not near his injured ribs. Trying to get his breath back was almost impossible unless he took a deep inhalation and that just hurt too much.

"The girl. Where is she? Tell me or I'll kill that man." Releasing Blair, the man pointed his rifle at Rafe.

Before Blair could move, Lisa stood up from behind the bench. "Wait, I'm here," she called out. "There's smoke coming from this cabinet here and I was trying to see what was causing it. We keep dangerous chemicals in here."

Suddenly, the man was able to see the smoke she was talking about. It was billowing around the bench from both sides. Moving quickly he came around one side of the bench, motioning to Lisa to move away. As she had said, the smoke was coming from the cabinet. The smell of whatever was burning began to fill the room, causing all of the occupants to start coughing.

Keeping an eye on the girl, who was still stepping back around the bench towards Rafe, he forgot to keep the other on Blair. Braced for the pain he knew it was going to cause, Blair held his breath, picked up one of the tall stools near the bench and swung it at the gunman. "Good night, asshole," he said quietly. The wooden stool caught the man squarely in the back and shattered, sending him crashing to the floor. Blair almost followed the man but was able to catch himself on the bench.

Just then, all the lights went out. Three seconds later, red security lights flared on. In the dimness, the occupants of the room could easily hear the different security devices activating. With an audible clang, metal bars snapped down through the vault door at the back of the room. Echoes of other safety measures could be heard throughout the floor.

"Come on, let's move!" Blair snapped at the stunned people. Pulling himself back up, he staggered over to Rafe. Unconsciously, he held onto one of the legs from the smashed stool.

The young man that had been sitting with the injured professor came over at Blair's signal and started to lift Rafe. The movement caused the detective to groan briefly before he sagged into unconsciousness.

Blair helped the student pick up his friend, sling him over his shoulders in a fireman's carry, and move out the door of the room. "Go down the hall to the right and into the men's room. The vent grating should still be down. There should be police waiting on the lower floor." Guiding the older woman and the girl she had been comforting, Blair pushed them out next with the professor close behind.

"What about you?" Lisa asked, coming up behind him.

Holding his side and trying not to cough, Blair caught her arm and shifted her ahead of him. "I'll just...~cough~...be a minute." What he didn't tell her was that he intended to cover their back trail and make sure the other three terrorists didn't try to recapture their hostages. In the darkened hall, he didn't see her frightened glance back at him before she turned and ran after the others. If he had, the fear he had been struggling to hold back might have broken loose. Now, where is your ever trusty Sentinel when you needed him, he thought briefly and then felt for the wall to guide him down the hall and towards the other terrorists.

Closing his eyes, Blair 'felt' for Jim. He was nearby but the sensations Blair was getting were strange. There wasn't any anger or fear, just a cold, intense feeling of concentration. Jim had to be in his Sentinel mode, which didn't bode well for the terrorists.

Trying to relax with the knowledge that his friend was near, Blair whispered a short prayer and then opened his eyes. He was startled to see a wolf, his wolf, sitting and watching him. Seeing that he had the man's attention, the animal stood and turned to trot down the hallway in the same direction the others had gone. When Blair didn't follow, the animal stopped and looked back.

I can't go that way. Jim's this way, he mentally spoke to his spirit guide. The animal whined, trying to project his concern to the human. Shaking head, Blair turned and looked down towards where he knew the rest of the bad guys were. I could use some help here, wolf, Blair thought to the animal. Understanding, the wolf moved past him and padded slowly down the hall, leading the way in the dim light.

Pulling his large frame out of the ventilation vent, Banks was just barely able to keep from crashing to the floor. He thought he had made a considerable amount of noise getting into the room as is. I'm getting way to old for this stuff, he thought, catching himself before he fell. Freezing in a crouch, he listened carefully to see if his 'graceful' entrance had been heard. Not hearing anything moving in his direction, he breathed a sigh of relief and keyed the radio mic. "Banks here. On the ground and set." Then he moved to the door and waited.

Jim stood by the door of the empty lab room listening down the hall as McLin silently dropped down from the vent. Listening carefully, he easily picked up Blair's voice. "Good night, asshole." Then there was the sound of something wooden being smashed. Jim couldn't help but grin at the tenacity of his friend. Reaching for the mic attached to his vest, having already heard that Simon was in place, he contacted the S.W.A.T. commander. "Ellison here. Take it down."

The words were barely out of his mouth when the floor went dark. An almost inaudible click was heard from the speakers embedded in the ceiling tiles. The people below could now hear everything going on. Ellison waited for the emergency lights to click on before kicking his enhanced sight online. Peeking out the door of the room, the hallway was a bright as day to him. Using hand signals, Jim motioned that they should head down the hall to the left and in the direction he could hear the terrorists. They were already starting to panic and one was moving down the hall in the direction of Blair and the others. Pointing down the hall, he held up one finger.

McLin gave him a nod and motioned that he would go check on the two. He pointed at Ellison, motioned down the hall and then gave him a thumbs up. Mac knew that the safety of the hostages, and especially his partner, was forefront in Ellison's mind and the moving terrorist could shift the advantage of the situation if he had hostages.

Flashing back with his fist in a pumping motion, Jim carefully opened the door and then shifted silently out of the room at a crouch. McLin started to follow but froze when he felt a cough building in his chest. Angrily, he clamped down on his throat muscles and struggled to stifle the noise. It was a fierce fight, but he was able to keep from making more that the most minimal noise. The effort left him gasping for air.

Moving towards the barely visible hall intersection at a crouch, Banks suddenly froze when he heard footsteps coming towards him. It sounded like several people and then he heard a muffled but pained moan. Standing up, he waited until the first person came around the corner and then called out softly, "Cascade P.D. Follow me." There was a couple of startled gasps and then silence. Simon led the way back to the bathroom.

"He's been shot," the young man carrying Rafe said as he carefully laid the injured man onto the linoleum floor.

"Is anyone else hurt?" Banks asked, feeling his detective's throat for a pulse. It was steady but rapid.

"They smacked around Professor Elias, but I don't think it's too bad. Professor?" The injured instructor, leaning against a wall, motioned that he was okay.

"Okay, I want you all to climb into the vent and get down to the next floor. Once there, head for the stairs. There will be officers waiting to get you out of the building." Looking over the group moving towards vent, Banks realized that there was someone missing. "Where's Sandburg?"

A young coed knelt down beside the wounded detective and used the sling she was still carrying to press against the wound in his chest. Being moved had started him bleeding again. "He said that he would be along in a few minutes. I think he went after the guys in the lab."

"Damn it!" Banks cursed. Keying the radio, he spoke quietly, "Jim, Blair's moving towards you."

The warning wasn't necessary. Ellison could hear the accelerated heart beat of his friend along with his ragged breathing, although Sandburg was trying to be quiet. He could also hear the footsteps of the single terrorist moving down the hallway in the direction of his friend. It was going to be a race to see who was going to reach whom first.

The shadow of a large, dark feline tickled the edge of his eyesight and he turned in that direction. Crouched along the wall ahead of him was a black jaguar. The green-yellow eyes stared at him, conveying the message that it was time for the Sentinel to take over from the cop. Jim gave the animal a slight nod and moved silently down the hall. Gracefully, the animal stood and moved to his side, pacing him.

McLin moved like a wraith up to the door leading to the room housing the last two terrorists. He listened to the men talk angrily to each other. Knowing that they had to be captured as quietly as possible, he moved into the room and used the sound of chambering a bullet into the breach of his weapon to get their attention.

The two men were standing near the still closed door of the laboratory vault. One was trying to unsuccessfully manipulate equipment that was still attached to the sealed door. The other man was turning to move back towards the door entrance. Both froze at the metallic sound that came from the entrance. McLin moved further into the room, his weapon raised and trained on the terrorists. Understanding the intent of the unvoiced message, the two men raised their hands in surrender.

Despite the emergency lights, Blair was almost blind as he crept down the hall. His rash action in taking out the terrorist had taken its toll on his ribs and he didn't even want to think about what was wrong with his arm. The main thing was that the bad guys were this way and he was the only one between them and the others he had helped get away. Blair was not going to let the bad guys win.

Feeling along the wall, Blair had just reached the open doorway of another room when he heard the tread of footsteps coming towards him. He froze for a minute and then thought he heard a low, warning growl at his feet. The sound caused the hair on the back of his neck to stand. Trusting the warning, Blair shifted through the door and pressed his body as thin as possible against the wall and clutched the stool leg in his left hand. He concentrated on calming his breathing.

Several tense minutes went by as he waited for whomever he had been warned about. Blair was in a shadow of the room, able to see out into the hall and pretty sure that he couldn't be seen by anyone who might glance in. Nervous, he was about to check on the hallway when a figure finally moved up to the door. The form was not much taller than him and definitely bulkier. It wasn't Jim. Raising the piece of wood slightly and holding his breath, he watched as the figure paused at his opening. Then it moved on and Blair relaxed, relieved that he hadn't been found.

His relief, however, was short lived. The man was traveling in the same direction that the others had gone and that wasn't acceptable. Clutching his weapon with a nervous grip, Blair quietly moved out of the room and started down the hall after his quarry. He hadn't traveled more that a step or two when he was suddenly enveloped by two, strong arms. A hand covered his mouth before he could make a sound. With little effort, he was dragged back into the room he had just exited.

In a moment of pure panic, Blair began to struggle frantically against the grip despite how much pain it caused. He tried to bring his piece of wood up, but couldn't find the leverage.

"It's me, Chief," Jim breathed in his ear. He felt his friend's body freeze in his grip and then collapse against him, heart beating at a thunderous rate. Jim removed his hand from the other's mouth but kept hold of the quaking body.

Blair's knees shook so hard that he was barely able to stand. As the adrenaline quickly fled from his body, pain receptors came back online and reminded him of the different areas of his body that were damaged. If Jim hadn't been still holding onto him, Blair was sure that he would be on the floor by now. So he just stood there, trying to absorb the strength of the man holding him up.

Jim knew Blair was injured, could feel it through their bond. The sensations were so strong that it almost felt like it was he who had been injured and was now scared. The sensations flooded his mind, overwhelming him and he couldn't shut them out. "Chief," Jim said, clenching his teeth to keep from moaning.

Blair heard the strained voice in his ear and, struggling to stand on his own, turned to look at his friend. Jim was standing against the wall, head back and eyes closed and panting for breath. While he still maintained contact with the smaller man, his left arm was wrapped around his ribs, similar to how Blair was holding his.

"Oh God, Jim! I'm sorry," Blair said in an anguished whisper. Taking a careful breath and concentrating hard, he pictured the feelings and emotions coming from him similar to water flowing from a faucet. Mentally, he turned the knob of the faucet to a closed position. The image was along the same idea of what he had taught to Jim about turning the dials down on his senses. It obviously worked. Jim relaxed and opened his eyes, his breathing calming down.

"I'm sorry, Jim. I never..." Blair started to apologize but was stopped by his friend again covering his mouth with a hand.

"S'okay, Chief. We'll talk about it later. Are you going to make it?" The words were barely audible. At Blair's nod, Jim eased him over to the wall next to him, leaned through the doorway and tuned his hearing towards the hall.

Back in the direction he had come, Jim could hear stealth-like movements coming towards them. Taking a careful sniff in that direction, he could tell that the person approaching was McLin. The Army major's scent was indescribable but very familiar to the Sentinel. Leaning out a little further, he saw the other. There was grunting sounds farther back up the hall, which meant that Mac was successful in his endeavor to take out the other two terrorists. That left just the one.

Turning to look the other way, Jim was met with the barrel of a rifle pointing at his face. He hadn't heard the man come back their way.

"Come out." The weapon jerked a couple of times towards the center of the hall. "Move!"

Putting his hand up behind him, Jim motioned for Blair to stay back in the darkened room. Hopefully, the man thought that Jim was the only one there. Then, raising his hands up in the 'surrender' position, Ellison moved slowly into the hall.

"Where's the other?" the man asked, glancing nervously at the room.

"I'm it, buddy. However, there are going to be a whole slew of police up here in about 5 minutes. You might as well give me the gun," Ellison spoke confidently, making his body relax like he meant what he was saying.

"Then they'll find your body waiting at the elevator. I'll make sure the other one is there to keep you company. You screwed up a simple operation that would have opened the eyes of Cascade to the danger they are in from the government."

"What were you going to do, something along the lines of Oklahoma City?" Jim spoke calmly, trying to keep the man's attention on him. He could hear McLin moving into position behind him. "Do you think anyone will listen to the message you're trying to send if anyone dies?"

"Maybe, if those that die are part of the government's machine." The man raised the gun and sighted down the barrel towards Jim's head.

"NO!" Blair shouted and came charging out of the doorway towards the gunman, wooden weapon held crossways in front of his body.

"Firing!" McLin yelled at the same time, coming up behind Ellison.

As if it was coordinated, Jim jumped into Blair's path and tackled him to the ground at the same time that McLin fired his weapon. McLin's bullet easily missed the moving detective and struck the terrorist in the face. Unfortunately, the gun he had been pointing at Ellison fired.

Blair wasn't sure why he was laying on the floor with the ceiling on top of him. The last thing he remembered was Jim standing in the hall, hands raised, and the terrorist getting ready to shoot him. Without thinking, Blair had charged forward to prevent his friend from being killed. But then, the ceiling fell in and hit him. He had also felt rather than heard his damaged ribs crack under the abuse. The pain's going to hit any moment, now.

Ellison raised his head carefully and looked towards the last place he had seen the terrorist standing. The man was lying flat on his back, arms thrown out wide, blood pooling under his head. Blair shifted slightly under him and then groaned at the pain the movement cause.

Jim moved off of his friend and keyed the radio mic, "This is Ellison. Area is secured. Get the power back on." Banks voice quickly followed over the radio, ordering a medical team for an officer down. Turning to Blair, he saw the young man moving and helped him roll over. "You okay, Chief?"

"Just the usual," Blair groaned, clutching at his side. "You?"

"I'm okay. Just stay quiet there. Mac?" Jim called and looked down the hall where the man had been. McLin was lying on his side near the wall unmoving. Ellison rushed to his Army buddy and gently shifted him around until he laid flat. The movement caused the injured man to groan softly and then cough, blood bubbling out of his mouth. Opening his eyes, McLin looked at Ellison with a dazed expression. When the lights in the hall flared on, he barely flinched.

Checking his friend over, Jim saw that the bullet fired by the terrorist had hit McLin squarely in the chest but had been stopped by the kevlar vest. He couldn't figure out why the man was coughing up blood. "Where are you hurt, Mac?" Jim asked softly, using his senses to check the other out. The heart rate was up, but that was expected from all that had happened, and temperature was slightly elevated. McLin's breathing was also labored, his lungs sounding like they were full of liquid.

"Everywhere, but...~cough~...I'll live. Where's that...~cough, cough~...damn mule that kicked me?" McLin reached up to wipe his mouth. Looking at the bloody fingers, he sighed and then looked up at his friend. "It's not from... anything that happened here."

Despite Jim's warning about being still, Blair moved over and knelt by McLin's head. Noticing the observer, his eyes sent a questioning look. Blair shook his head in the negative; he hadn't told Jim anything about the illness. "But you should," he said softly.

Jim looked sharply at Blair. The young man just shifted over to lean against the wall. Blair closed his eyes to help him concentrate on controlling his breathing to help ease his pain. But he also did it so that he gave the appearance of not listening into the conversation the other two had to have.

"The one thing I don't...~cough~...want from you is pity, J.J." McLin started, locking his gaze onto the blue pair of eyes staring down at him. "I don't know how long it's going to take but what I have will kill me and it won't be fun."

"There's no treatment?" Jim asked, shock evident in his expression.

"Sure, if I wanted to extend the amount of time I spend in pain and sick and without my hair. No guarantees that any of it will work and the odds are low that I'd last beyond a couple of years."

"Doesn't sound like the Ranger I used to know, who used to quote the creed with me before each mission."

"I'm not a quitter, J.J. But I learned about trying to fight losing battles. Probably would have been better if I had gone with you to Peru." McLin gave a short chuckle, which caused him to cough again.

"Are you sure you checked into everything? There's been some pretty amazing discoveries lately."

"They're still going to make me retire, J.J. It's S.O.P. What can an old war dog like me do outside of the service? I'd rather go out on top and with my dignity."

"We'll discuss this later. Medics will be here shortly. Ready to sit up and get checked over?" Ellison took his friend's hand. Nodding, McLin allowed the detective to pull him up and lean him next to Sandburg against the wall. "I'm going to check on Simon and the others. You two stay here and play nice." Patting McLin on the shoulder, Ellison stood up and trotted down the hall.

Tearing at the straps holding the kevlar vest in place, McLin slowly pulled the breast plate away and rubbed at the area of his chest that was bruising from the force of the bullet strike. Looking over, he saw that Sandburg was panting quick, little breaths with his left arm wrapped around his chest. The right lay limply onto the floor. "You doing okay there, kid?" he asked. "Sandburg?"

"Huh? What's wrong, Mac?" Blair jerked back to awareness, grimacing at the pain the movement caused. He looked over at the man next to him and then around the hall. "Where's Jim?"

"Down the hall checking on the others. Help'll be here soon. We sure are a pair, aren't we?"

"This is...old hat for me," Blair groaned, leaning his head back against the wall and gritting his teeth against the waves of agony that started moving across his chest. It felt like there was a band of barbed wire surrounding his chest and it was getting tighter by the moment. "Lay down..." he finally said and slowly leaned over on to his left side.

"Sandburg? Aw, shit...J.J!" McLin shouted down the hallway. The words were barely out of his mouth when he saw the man running back towards them.

"Chief? What's the matter? I'm not feeling anything!" Ellison quickly dropped down beside his partner, checking for a pulse. He also 'felt' for their bond. It was there, but he couldn't feel that anything was wrong. Seeing Sandburg was laboring to breathe, Jim eased him over onto his back then looked up at McLin.

"He was talking with me and then it looked like someone shut off his air supply. You can't tell?" McLin asked, remembering the conversation he had overheard between Ellison and Banks outside of the storage room on the second floor.

Jim didn't answer but started checking Blair over. He could feel that the right shoulder was damaged, dislocated, which was causing heat and swelling around the area. Then he opened Blair's coat and, carefully moving his hand down the right side of the rib cage, found the cause of the problem. Despite the gentleness of his touch, Blair tried to jerk away and moaned in pain.

"Broken ribs for sure, but I can't tell if he's punctured a lung. Blair, you've shut me out and I can't tell how bad you're hurt. Come on, buddy. Let me back in," Jim said to his young friend as he carefully gathered him into his arms, hoping the contact would help reestablish the connection.

"Give me your radio. I'll find out what's taking the medics so long," McLin said, taking the headset off of Ellison and pulling the radio out of its holder. Standing up slowly, he started walking in the direction of the elevators.

Jim gently brushed back the damp long, curly hair that had obscured Blair's face. He could see how much pain the young man was in but still couldn't feel anything along their bond. "Relax, Chief. I've got you. Take slow, shallow breaths for me. Can you hear me?"

Blair tried to do as Jim asked but he couldn't seem to concentrate. Opening his eyes, he looked up into concerned blue ones staring down into his. "Hurts..." he panted. "Can't get..."

"I know, buddy. But, you need to open back up to me so that I can help you. Okay? Please, Blair. Let me in." The pleading sound in Jim's voice finally made it through the haze of pain clouding his mind. Acquiescing, Blair let go of the barrier he mentally used to block Jim out.

The first thing that came through was a wave of pain. But this time, Jim was ready for it. Using it like a beacon, he honed into the different areas of his friend that were injured. Besides the ribs and shoulder, he could also tell that there was a painful area in the back of Blair's head. Moving his hand gently, Jim felt around the area and found a lump. Must be from when he was knocked out. He could tell that the area wasn't lacerated and that was one good part of his friend's injuries. The other was that none of the others were life threatening.

Pulling back from his exploration, Jim saw that Blair was still struggling to breathe. Underlying the pain and radiating across the bond was exhaustion. The adrenaline that had kept him going despite all the injuries sustained was depleted and the resulting exhaustion had Blair too tired to even get his breathing under control.

"Take it easy, Chief. Just listen to my voice and breathe with me. Take a slow breath in...not too deep, and let it out. Again buddy...breathe in...and...let it out." Jim spoke low, using the same technique that Blair had used on him so many times before. He also started to gently massage Blair's head along the temple area.

Listening and following the guidance of his friend, Blair was finally able to draw in precious oxygen and ease the panic that had been building. Relaxing in the security of Jim's arms, and succumbing to the hypnotic strokes of the hand on his head, he allowed his consciousness to retreat into a dark area that had been hovering nearby.

Cascade Hospital, Friday, Early Morning

It had been a real struggle to get his shirt on without someone helping, but Blair was determined to get dressed just as soon as he had been left alone by the morning nurses. They had come in before dawn to take his temperature and all the other vital statistics they said they had needed without any apology for waking him. But that was okay, since it gave him the opportunity to be ready to leave just as soon as Jim arrived.

Blair didn't remember being moved onto the gurney after the paramedics had arrived or the ambulance ride to the hospital. And everything that had been done to him after arriving at the hospital was a blur. The only thing that was crystal clear in his memory was the presence of his best friend through it all. When Jim had to leave the room, Blair could still feel him nearby, projecting himself through their bond to give the injured man reassurance that he was there. It was the last thing he felt as they gave him the sedative before starting to repair his injuries.

Now, trying to get dressed while being able to move only one arm easily, was a challenge but he didn't want to wait for someone to come and help him. He had told Jim to go home some time during the night. It was right after the night nurses had woke him to administer something to help him sleep. Now, he wished that Jim had ignored his request and stayed like he usually did. That he didn't stay had given Blair the reassurance that his injuries were not that serious.

Once the shirt was on and buttoned over his bandaged chest, the pants went on easier. It was when he was trying to get his shoes on that Blair was ready to admit defeat. He was struggling to bend carefully over when the door to his room opened.

"Do anything to damage those ribs again and Dr. Somers will make you stay another night, Chief," Jim said, entering the room and frowning at the sight before him. "You couldn't have waited for someone to help?"

"Frankly, Jim, I'm surprised that the hospital was able to keep him as long as they did," Simon said, entering the room after his detective. "How did you manage it, Sandburg?"

"Hey, Jim, Simon. Believe me, if I could've gone home with Jim last night, I would have. Uh, big guy? Do you think you can help me here?" Blair looked up and gave his friend a look of helpless expectancy as he pointed to his feet. "If I don't time my escape right, they'll make me stay and eat that stuff they call breakfast. Have you ever tried to down strained pettyjohns? Not a nice thing to give the sick, man."

With a sigh of exasperation, Ellison knelt down and helped slide on and tie his friend's tennis shoes. "If you're not going to eat here, I guess that means we can stop by the bakery for breakfast. You're still buying, remember?"

"No problem. I'll be happy to buy you a dozen donuts if that means I can get out of here now." Blair touched Jim's shoulder to make him look up. "How's Rafe? No one will tell me. He's all right, isn't he?" He relaxed when Jim smiled easily at the question.

"He's resting comfortably up in the surgical wing with Brown sitting by his bed. I got a feeling that he'll be getting questioned about why he thought he could take on those terrorists with only you as his back up just as soon as he wakes up." Finishing tying the shoelaces, Jim stood up and glared at his partner. Seeing that Blair had a distinctively guilty look on his face, Jim asked the question that had been on his mind since the start of the whole university situation. "What I want to know is what he was doing there with you in the first place."

"What? I can't make friends with the other detectives? What do I have to do, ask permission from you if we just want to get together for, uh, guy talk or something? Geez, Jim. Give me a break. I'm surprised you're not up there now trying to get the poor man to talk." Blair stood up and moved carefully to gather his personal belongings. He had tried to sound indignant about the questioning in order to keep his promise to Rafe, but it seemed to sound more like a whine. Jim just gave him a passive look. He could tell that he was getting a half-truth by the spike in Blair's heartbeat.

"No, H. volunteered to be there and I think he's trying to make us believe that it'll help Rafe if someone is with him when he wakes. It seems to help you. But, frankly, I really think it's so that he can protect Rafe from the captain's and my wrath. You, on the other hand, are grounded until we can get it straight about what your duties as an observer and my partner are."

"Gee, dad. Don't you think you're being a little harsh with the kid?" A voice said from the doorway. Turning around, Jim found McLin leaning against the door jam, once again in full uniform. He had been concentrating on his partner so strongly that he didn't hear the other man approach.

"Well, I better go check on how my errant detective is doing." Banks had made an immediate assessment of the situation and decided that he didn't need to be involved in whatever was going to happen between Ellison and McLin. "Major, it was a pleasure meeting you and thank you again for all the assistance you and your people were able to give." Shaking the major's hand, he exited the room.

"How're you doing, Sandburg?" McLin asked, genuine concern in his voice.

"I'll live, but I think the recovery time will be a little painful. How are you doing, man?" Blair sat down on the side of the bed, shooting his partner an annoyed look before turning his attention to the uniformed man.

McLin rubbed the center of his chest and said, "Got a pretty bruise, but it was worth it. Just stopped by to say good-bye and...take good care of J.J., kid. I know you'll do that without me saying it but I wanted you to know that I understand everything now."

Shocked, Blair turned from the Major and looked at his partner. Jim was standing with his hands tucked into his back pockets and staring at his shoes. "You...understand what? I-I'm not sure what you're talking about," Blair stammered.

McLin smiled and waved his hand in a dismissing manner. "Don't worry about it. Who'd believe a wild tale about a cop having super senses from an old soldier like me anyway? Just keep up the good work, okay? J.J., it was great to see you again. If you're ever in around Denver, make sure you stop by and see me. I'll show you what real work is. See ya, guys."

Just as McLin turned to leave, Ellison snapped to attention and lifted his right arm into a salute. "Recognizing that I volunteered as a Ranger, fully knowing the hazards of my chosen profession, I will always endeavor to uphold the prestige, honor and high esprit de corps of the Rangers." McLin froze and turned back to the room, his face still.

Jim continued. "Acknowledging the fact that a Ranger is a more elite soldier who arrives at the cutting edge of battle by land, sea, or air, I accept the fact that as a Ranger my country expects me to move further, faster, and fight harder than any other soldier."

Coming to attention, McLin saluted back and joined Ellison in reciting the Ranger creed. "Never shall I fail my comrades. I will always keep myself mentally alert, physically strong, and morally straight and I will shoulder more than my share of the task whatever it may be, one hundred percent and then some.

"Gallantly I will show the world that I am a specially selected and well trained soldier. My courtesy to superior officers, neatness of dress, and care of equipment shall set the example for others to follow.

"Energetically I will meet the enemies of my country. I shall defeat them on the field of battle for I am better trained and will fight with all my might. Surrender is not a Ranger word. I will never leave fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy and under no circumstances will I ever embarrass my country.

"Readily will I display the intestinal fortitude required to fight on to the Ranger objective and complete the mission, though I be the lone survivor." Finished, both men snapped their arms back down to their side and just stood looking at each other. The silence in the room was almost deafening.

Ellison was the first to speak. "To give up would go against every thing we were ever taught... everything you taught me, Mac."

"Damn you," McLin said quietly, his shoulders sagging in defeat. "You win, J.J. I'll fight this thing."

"You don't have to be alone," Blair spoke up, standing shakily and moving near Jim. The larger man gently placed his hand onto the uninjured shoulder to provide support.

"I can take some time to be with you, if you want," Jim said.

"We," Blair corrected him.

McLin looked at the pair standing before him. Looking as different as night and day, they acted like they were two parts of a whole. Straightening up, he smiled and reached a hand towards Blair. Shaking it carefully he said, "I'd like that. Thank you."

Then he turned to Jim. "Thanks, buddy. I'll be expecting you to show up. With the kid, you hear me? I've got a place up in the mountains and if the treatments don't work, well, I'd want you both to be there in the end." He reached out his arm to shake Jim's hand. Taking the offered limb, Jim pulled the man forward and gave him a hug.

McLin stiffened at first, then relaxed and returned the sentiment. Breaking away and stepping back, he gave the pair in front of him a wide smile, did a sharp 'about face' movement and strode out of the room.

Jim turned to Blair, seeing that the smaller man was now starting to tremble visibly. "Chief, sit back down until I can get a wheelchair."

Blair opened his mouth to protest but stopped when Jim gave him his patented 'I'll win this argument' look. Giving up, he allowed the other to move him to the bed. "Just make sure you don't start making time with the nurses, man. It's almost breakfast time and I'll blow this joint without you if you're not back in less than two."

Walking out the door, Jim spoke over his shoulder, "Why would I waste time, Chief. You're the one that has to buy breakfast and I'm hungry for something very unhealthy."

The comforting sound of Blair's laughter followed him down the hall.

~ finis ~

Comments? Questions? Positive critiques are welcome.

The R.A.I.D. team is a real component of Air and Army National Guard personnel. They are a dedicated group of people who are anxious to use all the training the military has given and is giving them to protect our cities.

If you want more information on Army Rangers, there is a good amount of information on the Fort Benning website. I enjoyed the research. Hope you enjoyed the reading.

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