Parking the truck behind Rafe's sedan, Ellison and Sandburg exited their vehicle and made their way toward the uniformed officers standing at the entrance of the alley. A plain-clothed man stepped through the officers and waited until they approached. It was Det. Franchs.

"Ellison. Sandburg. This one is... bad." The detective looked almost green.

With a nod, Jim moved passed and into the alley. Blair hesitated.

"How bad?"

"He was castrated. I don't know if he bled to death from that or from the word carved into his body."

Blair looked the larger man in the eye, seeing how upset the veteran detective was, and waited until he could finish.

"The word 'rapist' was cut into his chest. I guess who ever did it decided to make the punishment fit the crime. God, what a way to die. You don't want to see it, kid." Franchs caught Sandburg's arm as the smaller man started to step past.

"Have to back up my partner. Thanks anyway," Blair voiced quietly. Franchs nodded and released the arm.

Stepping through the officers, Blair started up the alley to where he saw Jim standing up and turning away from the body. He was able to see the legs of the victim jutting out from behind a dumpster.

Jim walked quickly to intercept Blair before he got too close. "Don't come any nearer, Chief. You don't need to see it." Taking his friend by the arm, Jim led him back toward the entrance with Rafe and Brown following.

"Fine with me, man. It has to be bad if Franchs is getting green around the gills. Were you able to detect..."

"The smell is there, Chief. He's from the same place," Ellison answered the unfinished question. At the strange looks provided by both Brown and Rafe, he explained. "On the last two victims, I detected a strange smell, but couldn't figure where I remembered it. Last night, we had an unwelcome visitor at the loft that Sandburg walked in on. Luckily, he didn't do too much damage."

Blair rubbed the side of his face that showed an obvious bruise. "Speak for yourself," he mumbled barely loud enough for the others to hear.

Jim laid a hand on Blair's shoulder. "No damage to the loft, that is. He did ransack Sandburg's room, but you really couldn't tell." Blair rolled his eyes, eliciting chuckles from the others. "An important fact is that there was a lingering odor in the loft that matched what I smelled on the last two victims and now this guy. It's a musty, sort of earthy smell you would get from an old mine cave."

Blair took over the explanation. "So the logical assumption is that the intruder came from the same place as the homeless victims, who were taken to a place that was always warm and dry. An abandoned mine somewhere not too far from where we've been finding the bodies."

"What did he want from your room?" Rafe asked.

Blair looked up at Jim, his eyes asking for permission. The taller man gave a single nod. "Ever since I've been allowed to ride with Jim, I've been keep journals about him."

"You mean about all that stuff he can do," Brown prompted.

"Yeah, his senses. I needed to record his abilities and track his progress as he became more comfortable with using them and learned new stuff."

"All those notes were what you used to write your paper." Brown's statement caused Sandburg to flush slightly in embarrassment. There wasn't any reaction from Ellison.

Rafe brought the conversation back on track. "And the only thing taken last night in the break-in was these journals? Why?"

"We," Blair looked pointedly at his partner, "believe that the intruder wanted them for the sentinel Jim is sensing. Luckily, he only got a few. Most of my notebooks are stored away."

"Quiet!" Ellison ordered, swinging around in the alley. "Did you hear that?"

The other three men fell silent, stretching their hearing. But the only sounds that came to their ears were cars from the nearby street, low conversation from the uniformed officers and the police radio. Ellison, on the other hand, obviously heard something more and started walking back up the alley. The other three followed.

The passageway ended in a 'T", the two ends dead-ending at back doors of businesses. Ellison stopped and canted his head to enhance his hearing ability. Zeroing in onto the sound, he strode down the left branch and to another dumpster. He stopped suddenly.

"One of you call an ambulance," he called back quietly. Seeing Rafe take off back up the alley, Ellison returned his attention to the woman and squatted down. "It's all right, ma'am. I'm a policeman."

Moving up to his partner, Blair saw the object of Jim's attention. An obviously traumatized woman huddled down beside the dumpster, her eyes wide in a blank stare. She clutched a blanket tightly about her body, flinching when Blair's foot scraped the ground, but not becoming aware of her surroundings.

"Jim, check the area with your nose. She might be that guy's victim." Blair gestured back toward the body. "Maybe they left her here to get some professional help that they couldn't provide in their community."

Ellison took a breath. He looked at his partner, nodded, then turned his attention back to the woman. "Ma'am, can you hear me?" The woman flinched again, clutching the blanket tighter.

Rafe returned and moved closer to Ellison. "Paramedics on the way, Jim. Need a hand?" He took a step toward the crouched man, but halted at the squeak of fear that emanated from the woman. Carefully, he moved backwards until he was at Brown's side.

"Let me try, Jim." At the nod from his friend, Blair moved carefully forward. "You're safe here, ma'am. No one will hurt you." He dropped his voice down to the level he always used with Jim when his senses went out of control and continued to murmur phrases of safety. He mentally concentrated on projecting feelings of security toward the woman. After a few minutes, she blinked and her eyes lost some of the blankness. Turning, she looked at the two men in front of her, brown eyes locking onto Blair's dark blue ones. He continued to talk to her soothingly until he heard Jim whisper that the paramedics had arrived.

"We're here to help you. There are two people who want to take you to a very safe place. Will you let them do that?" The woman continued to look at Blair as he reached an arm out, palm open. When she didn't shy away, he leaned forward and lightly placed his hand onto her arm.

Flinching slightly, the woman looked down at the hand, then back up into the kind face of the long-haired man in front of her. She allowed him to help her stand up and walk away from the wall, toward a man and woman in uniforms. She hung back when the two strangers took a step toward her.

Ellison moved around his partner toward the paramedics. He spoke quietly to them until they nodded. Turning to Sandburg, he motioned with his hand and stepped back.

As if he was helping an aged person over rough ground, Sandburg gently led the woman forward to the female of the medical pair and released her. She started for a moment, looking at Blair with fear flooding her eyes. "It's okay," he told her carefully. "These two will take very good care of you. All right?"

The woman stared into his eyes for several long seconds. Then, accepting whatever she saw in the gentle blue depths, she nodded and shuffled forward into the woman's arms. As she was led past the bloody remains of the murder victim, the paramedics shielded her from the body. Without any incident, the woman was placed into the ambulance. It drove off with a scream of the siren.

"Way to go, Hairboy!" Brown exclaimed, throwing an arm around the neck of the smaller detective. In a camaraderie type manner, he tightened his hold and rubbed Sandburg's head. "You really have a way with the ladies, good and bad."

"Cut it out, man," Blair groused, trying to wriggle out of the hold. "Come on, H. Not the hair."

A strong hand latched onto Brown's wrist, wrenching the arm away from Sandburg's neck. Looking at who'd grabbed him, Henri saw the stern face of Jim Ellison. The taller detective, still holding firmly onto the arm, took his other hand, grabbed Brown by the front of his shirt and slammed him back against the nearby brick wall. A low, almost feral growl rumbled from his throat.

"Stay back!" Blair shouted, jumping forward to stop Rafe from going after his partner. Henri was struggling in Jim's grip; trying to get loose, but not for air. Seeing this, Blair stepped around until he was facing his partner and placed one hand to the side of Jim's face and the other around his wrist.

"Jim, I'm all right. Henri wasn't hurting me, so you don't have to protect me." Blair's voice dropped down to the special timbre reserved especially for his partner. "Listen to me, Jim. You can let Henri go. He's your friend and you're starting to scare him. You're scaring me, man. Come on back." Beside his voice, Blair also sent his plea through their bond.

Blair saw a flicker of recognition in the blazing blue orbs and the hands relaxing. Jim blinked, took a deep breath, and released Henri. Taking advantage of the situation, Blair inserted his own body between the two men, grabbed onto both of Jim's hands and gently moved his friend back a few steps.

"Blair?" Jim looked down into his friend's face, concern plastered across the smaller man's features. "What happened?"

Sandburg grinned and relaxed, releasing Jim's hands. His partner was back. "You tell me. What were you just feeling?"

Ellison shook his head, trying to clear the fogginess that remained. "I thought... you were in danger and I had to help you. What's going on?"

Blair looked backward to see Rafe holding onto Brown and walking him away from the pair. Turning back, he saw fright building into his friend's eyes. "It's okay, Jim. You just went into a major sentinel mode thinking that H. was trying to hurt me. You made him let go, but you didn't hurt him. It was amazing, man. I've seen you get really intense when there was danger around, but I've never seen this aspect in you. How are you feeling now?"

Ellison rubbed a hand across his face, his mind still confused. He knew he should talk to Sandburg, but he couldn't put into words the emotions that had flooded through him and still were affecting him. With a shake of his head, he started walking out of the alley.

"Jim, don't shut me out," Blair called out to his partner's back, causing Jim to halt in his tracks. He looked back over his shoulder.

"I--I'm not, Chief. I just need..." Jim motioned toward the street, then resumed walking.

Accepting the answer, though not understanding it, Blair followed. He kept a conscious hold onto his connection with Jim, monitoring the intense feelings he was getting through the bond.

When Ellison reached the bed of his truck, he stopped and leaned against the side. Listening, he heard the conversation between Brown and Rafe, the former trying to convince the later that he wasn't hurt, just confused about what had just happened. He could also hear the approach of Sandburg behind him, his respiration and his heart rate slightly elevated. The younger man stopped and leaned against the truck.

"It was like I wasn't in control, but someone else was," Jim finally said, continuing to look away from the scene. "He felt that you were in danger and had to make sure that you were safe. I was watching it happen, and didn't want to stop it."

"Do you think that He is somehow connected with your sentinel abilities?"

"More like He is the sentinel in me."

Blair rubbed his furrowed brow, trying to figure out what it all meant. "Can you feel Him now?"

Jim shook his head in the negative. He opened his mouth to try and explain when the sensation of the other sentinel being nearby tickled the edge of his senses. He straightened his stance and started scanning around the area. He felt Blair's hand take firm hold of his arm.

"You're feeling him nearby, that other sentinel, aren't you?" At his partner's nod, Blair took a firmer hold and stepped closer to Jim's side. "Don't allow the feeling to control you. You have to... you can control it. Where is it coming from?"

Feeling Blair's anchoring hold, and soft low tones giving his guidance, Jim allowed his whole attention to focus on the intruding feeling without fear of getting lost. Swinging his gaze around the area, the strongest feelings seemed to be coming from down the street. The logical part of his mind told Jim that the Stark Housing Projects is in that direction.

Major Crime, Same Day, Early Afternoon

Ellison stood in front of the large wall map of Cascade. Searching the street names, he placed a finger at one point and reached a hand back to his partner. Sandburg handed him a straight pin with a small red flag attached. He placed the pin where his finger had been pointing "The first body was found here on the east side. The second was over here to the west." He grabbed another pin and placed it at another point on the map.

"The third was near the Bay Street Bridge, to the southeast," Blair added, placing a pin at a coordinate. "With this last guy over--"

"Back toward the west," Jim finished. "Each body was found from one to four blocks away from the Stark Housing Projects. That just seems way too coincidental."

"Here's another piece to add to your puzzle, Jim." Taggart moved up to the chart, holding some papers. "Bunco has received reports from some of their snitches that a few of the working ladies have disappeared from their normal routes, which happen to be not too far from that area." He pointed to a couple of areas on the map that were within a half mile of the Projects. "A couple of the pimps have been throwing fits thinking their girls have either deserted or were stolen from their stables. Now, whether or not the disappearances are connected..."

"Anything from B and E?" Banks asked, looking at Rafe and Brown.

"No clear pattern, but there have been some burglaries in the area," Brown answered, referring to the computer pages he was holding. "Mostly from some of the grocery and clothing stores. The managers of the food chains found boxes of canned goods missing, but not so many to have it considered anything more than pilfering. One or two restaurants have reported food missing from their freezers, but no indication of break-ins. Employees are under suspicion with those." Brown answered.

Rafe pulled out his notebook, and flipped through a couple of pages. "We did check around for odd burglaries like you asked and there hasn't been anything officially reported. However, on a hunch, I did go talk to some of the specialty stories that were near to the murder sites and asked if they had had strange things happening, but just didn't report them. While they didn't see any evidence of theft, several are going to perform inventories just to be sure. The manager of the pawn shop over on Bay Street didn't want to admit anything was missing, but one of his employees told me later that a few things were gone."

"Let me guess, they were things that weren't quite legal and should have been reported to the police in the first place." The sarcasm was heavy in Banks' voice.

"You got it, Captain. One piece was a fully automatic rifle along with bullets. Also taken were a couple of knives and a Tazor. Considering the amount of bondage paraphernalia hanging in that shop, along with the other junk, I'm surprised the guy could even keep track of anything there."

"This guy must be a real sicko," Blair commented.

"The owner of the shop or the one who stole the stuff?" Ellison asked quietly, then raised his voice back to the group before receiving the answer. "Everything we have points to the Housing project being used as a base of operations. However, there is no sign that anyone is living there."

"With the size of the area, if we start a building to building search, several can be expected to slip away." Banks moved to stand in front of the rest of his team. "Especially the guy we're after. So, until we're able to locate where this group is, this will become a night operation of surveillance only. Set up your schedules and let's try to get this case solved as soon as possible." To dismiss the group, Banks waved his hands in a shooing motion. "Sandburg, Ellison, either of you know where Connor has disappeared to?"

Blair's head jerked up to look at Jim. The older man gave him a small shake of his head before turning back to his desk. "Not since last night, sir. Why?" Looking around the bullpen, Blair realized that the Australian inspector wasn't present.

"Do I need to get permission from you to find out where one of my people are, Sandburg?"

Blair gave an embarrassed smile. "Uh, no."

"I didn't think so. If she calls or comes in, I want to talk to her." Walking into his office, Banks closed the door firmly behind him.

Blair walked over to his desk. "Someone must not have had his daily Valium." Hearing Jim snort in agreement, Blair sat down and stared at the phone, trying to decide if he was going to call Megan or not. He'd hoped that she would be in by now so that he could apologize for their interrupted evening.

"Are you going to call her or not, Chief?" Jim's voice broke through his thoughts. Looking over, Blair saw his friend staring at him.

"What?"

"Are you going to call Connor to apologize for the interruption of your plans last night?"

"Developing that psychic sense, Jim?"

"Nah, just using my vast experience of being able to read your expressions. Pick up the receiver and dial the number so that we can get some work done. I'm going to check with Brown and Rafe on what time they want to take tonight and, when I get back, I expect you to be done and ready to work." Giving Blair a smack onto the back of his head, Jim walked away.

"Partner abuse," Blair spoke just loud enough for his departing friend to hear. He saw Jim raise a hand to signal that he heard the remark. With a quiet chuckle, Blair turned his attention back to the telephone in front of him. Just as he leaned forward to pick up the receiver, it rang. Startled, he hesitated before answering it.

"Detective Sandburg."

"Sandy? I'm glad you were the one that answered."

"Megan? Is something wrong? Where are you? Simon wants to talk to you."

"Nothing is wrong. Well, not really. I was checking around the Bay Street area hoping to find Christopher, and my car has broken down. It has petrol, but the engine won't turn over. I've a call into my service club, but it's going to take them over an hour to get here. Do you think you could come and pick me up?"

"Sure. Just let me leave a note for Jim and I'll be right there. Where are you?"

"About a block from those boarded up buildings on King. Not really the type of area I would have chosen to break down. Could you hurry?"

"As fast as I can. Just stay in the car and lock the doors. Bye." Hanging up the receiver, Blair looked around to see if he could find Jim. Not seeing his partner in the vicinity, Blair grabbed a pad of paper and hastily scribbled a quick note. He placed it in the middle of Jim's desk, grabbed his jacket off the coat rack and was out of the Bullpen before anyone could stop him.

Ellison returned to the bullpen stuffing the last of a donut into his mouth. He'd been side-tracked by the young lady who brought around the snack wagon when he saw his favorite confection sitting on top. Knowing the argument he was going to get from his partner, Jim had taken his time returning to his desk in order to enjoy the donut.

Upon reaching his desk, he saw the note in Blair's handwriting. Picking it up, Jim felt a shiver crawl down his spine as he read the message. It was simple enough, but why did he have this feeling of apprehension? Looking up, he saw Joel Taggart walking past. "Hey, Joel. You see Sandburg leave?"

The large, black captain changed his direction and approached, glancing down at his watch. "He passed me in the hallway, heading for the stairs maybe 10 or 15 minutes ago. Why? Something wrong?"

Ellison scanned the note again, his face a mask of concern. "No... I don't think so. He left a note saying that he was going to go pick up Connor. Her car broke down. I just have this feeling..."

"Knowing about your feelings on things, I'd trust them, Jim."

Nodding in agreement, Jim started heading for the elevator, picking up his jacket on the way. Taggart met him at the doors. Waiting for the car to arrive, he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and punched in the number for Blair's cell phone. It rang almost four times before it was answered. "Sandburg, where are you?"

"Oh, hey Jim. Didn't you find my note?" Background noise indicated that he was still in his car and in traffic.

"Yeah, I found it. But why didn't you wait for me or at least take someone with you?"

"Come on, man. I'm just going to pick up Megan; it's broad daylight. We'll be back there before you know it. I can see her car now."

Ellison clutched the receiver, closed his eyes and did a quick count to ten before he spoke. "Chief, I'm getting one of those feelings with this." He felt a tap on his arm. Looking over, Taggart was motioning for him to get onto the elevator.

"Really? That's pretty cool, Jim." The excitement in Blair's voice could easily be heard over the line. "We'll have to talk about this when... What the hell?"

"Sandburg? What's happening?"

"Her car is empty. Hold on. Let me check the door."

Before Jim could say anything, he heard the car being placed into park and a door opening. By the sound of it, Blair was carrying the phone with him. "Sandburg? Blair, get back to the car," he practically yelled into the telephone. Jim increased his hearing so that he could hear his friend walking away from the vehicle. There was a metallic sound, which he figured was Blair testing the door handles. Then he heard Blair call Megan's name.

"This is really strange, Jim. It looks like she locked the car up and left. Wait. There she is. There's a kid with her."

The elevator opened up into the basement garage and Ellison trotted quickly over to his truck. Taggart followed close behind. "Sandburg, I want you to get back into your car and- -" He was interrupted when he heard a shout on the other end of the phone. "Sandburg!" Both men jumped into the truck, the engine roared to life and careened out of the garage.

"Hey! What do you guys think you're doing?"

Blair's yell wasn't into the phone, but it was loud enough to make Jim yank the receiver away from his ear. Carefully returning it to his ear, he listened as his partner broke into a run, heading toward the voice of Megan arguing with someone. He didn't notice Taggart placing his red police strobe light onto the dash.

"Sandburg!" he yelled, hoping to get Blair's attention.

"Why don't you guys--" Blair's statement was interrupted by a loud crackling sound over the telephone, then it went dead.

"Is he all right?" Joel was clutching at the back of the seat with one arm and the armrest on his door to keep from being tossed around the truck interior.

"Here," Ellison growled, throwing his phone at Taggart. "Try dialing his number. Speed dial number is 1. It sounded like he saw Connor in trouble and he was going to help. The phone just went dead."

Joel struggled to comply with the request, but it was hard to use the phone and keep from being slammed around the inside of the truck. After two attempts to call Blair, he closed up the phone. "It says that the phone is no longer in service. That sounds bad."

"Very," came the grim reply. Jim slammed on the brakes of the truck, just barely missing a bicyclist, then stomped on the accelerator to bring speed back up. The feeling that his partner was definitely in trouble resonated through his body and Jim was having a hard time keeping his attention on the road. When the cell phone call had ended abruptly, Jim had felt an electric surge through his bond with Blair, something akin to grabbing a live wire. And while he wanted to take the time to feel along the connection, make some type of contact with his friend; the protector Jim recognized as being the other part of him was trying to take control.

"Call it in, Joel. We're going to need backup," Jim ordered, picking up Blair's and Megan's empty cars in the distance.

Screaming to a halt behind the Volvo, Jim was out of the truck before the dust even started to settle. The driver door to his partner's car was still ajar, attesting to the earlier sounds. Scanning around with his enhanced vision, Jim zeroed in on a small gray object lying near to the boarded up building he knew to be the former Stark Housing Center. It was a cell phone, and it didn't look to be in too good of shape. He ran to the building.

Reaching the phone, Ellison picked it up. It was Sandburg's, but it smelled like it had been struck by lightening. The casing was cracked and Jim could see a small spark, causing a wisp of smoke. Turning his attention to the area, he didn't hear Joel trot up beside him.

Using the training Blair had hammered into his head over and over, Jim used his hearing to listen for voices, breathing, anything that could point to where his partner had been taken. Suddenly his nostrils flared, picking up the unique scent he knew to be Blair's along with other odors-- Megan's perfume, cigarette smoke and the unmistakable smell of musty cave.

A rusty screech caused Ellison to jerk. He rubbed an ear and focused his hearing back in the direction the sharp noise had occurred. He heard a grunt, as if someone had just picked up something heavy, and a muffled sound that could have been a female. They came from the building in front of him. "This way," he uttered in a low voice and moved toward the large piece of plywood that was blocking the nearby doorway.

Only it wasn't blocking the entrance the way it was meant to. Looking carefully, Ellison saw that the plywood was being held in place only by a couple of large wood screws in the upper left corner. With little effort, he was able to shift the blockage to the side and enter the building. He was barely conscious of Taggart following him in, his whole attention concentrated on seeing, hearing, smelling where Sandburg had disappeared. Inhaling deeply, Ellison found the scents that led him into the building and overpowering smell of gasoline. But there was also something else. A different odor was captured by his nose; it tickled at his memory.

"I don't see anything, Jim," Joel voiced quietly. "Did they come in here?"

"I can smell Connor's perfume, Sandburg's new after shave and the same odor that I found on all the murder victims. They came this way." Gliding forward a few steps, Ellison halted when he 'heard' someone speaking to him, the tonal qualities touching another memory.

"Not this time, Ellison. There's not going to be a path for you to follow," the familiar voice said, then was silent.

"Jim?" Joel touched the other's arm to get his attention.

Suddenly, the identity of the mystery odor came to the forefront of Ellison's mind. "Get out of here, Joel. The place has been rigged and it's going to blow!" Running into the black captain, Jim forced the other back out of the building. They both took off at a dead run toward the cars, making it only half way there when the explosion occurred.

The blast picked the two men up, tossing them haphazardly like loose debris in a tornado. Although he'd been prepared for the detonation, Ellison still hit the ground hard and rolled several feet before stopping. He rolled over to lie on his back. He felt stunned, a high pitched ringing joining the pain that echoed throughout his head. His eyesight filled with swirling black spots. Some liquid was trickling across his forehead, right at the place that seemed to hurt the most. Reaching a hand up to touch the area, Jim felt the familiar texture of the liquid. It was blood. Jim closed his eyes with a groan and rolled over onto his stomach to attempt to stand up.

Sirens filled the air as Bank's Taurus slid sideways around a nearby corner and skidded to a halt beside Ellison's truck. Brown's car barely stopped in time to miss slamming into his superior's vehicle. Several patrol cars, coming from the opposite direction, cordoned off the streets around the area. Almost in unison, the cacophony of sirens stopped.

Banks was out of his vehicle first, racing over to his two downed men. Close behind followed the equally worried Brown and Rafe. "Jim!" Reaching the struggling Ellison, Banks tried to ease him back down. However, the other wasn't cooperating.

"'m alright," Jim mumbled, brushing away the hands trying to help him. He continued to struggle to his feet.

Sighing, Banks looked over to where Taggart was lying. Brown was checking the injured man out while Rafe was waving over the paramedics. "How is he?"

Brown looked up. "He looks bad, Captain. Left arm is broken for sure, head wound, but I'm not sure about anything else." The paramedics arrived and ushered the black detective aside.

Turning back to Ellison, Banks jumped forward to catch him as the man's legs gave away. "Lie down, Jim. Lord knows what you've hurt."

"Sandburg. He's... in the building." Jim tried to stand up again, this time collapsing into unconsciousness.

Looking over at the smashed and burning structure, Simon felt his heart sink. "God, I hope not."

Emergency Room, Cascade General Hospital, Early Next Morning

Ellison jerked away when the intern lifted his eyelid and flashed a light at his pupils. Swinging an arm sharply, he caught the man in the abdomen and knocked him away. Rolling in the opposite direction, he fell off the gurney he'd been lying and landed in a crouch, arms raised in a defensive manner.

~cough~ "Det... ~cough~... Detective," the intern wheezed from the wall he was leaning. "Please get... ~cough~... get back onto the gurney."

Shaking his head to clear away the confusion, Ellison slowly stood up and surveyed the room. He recognized that he was in a hospital, the antiseptic smells and lack of color were definitely a give away. Focusing on the young man in the white lab coat clutching his stomach, Jim asked, "My partner. Did they bring him in?"

Pushing away from the wall, the Intern cautiously walked toward the detective. "Captain Taggart is down the hall being taken care of. I need you back on the gurney, Detective, so that I can finish my examination. Please sir?" The man patted the bed.

"No, my partner. Blair Sandburg. Short guy, long, curly hair, talks about a mile a minute. Was he brought in here, too?"

"The only other one that came in with you was a large African-American man. I was told his name was Joel Taggart."

Tilting his head slightly, Ellison listened for the sounds he associated with his friend: his voice, footsteps, heart beat. Nothing. Closing his eyes, he felt along the bond for his friend and almost sagged in relief when he found it. The golden connection was strong, but led away from the hospital. He could tell that his friend was unconscious, with pain radiating from his left hand.

"Detective, please get back onto the gurney or I'll call security."

Looking at the man standing across the bed from him, Jim could tell that the man's bluster was just an act. By the sound of his rapid heartbeat, the sweat beading across his head and the minor tremor in his voice, the Sentinel knew the man was trying to psych him out.

"Try it and I'll run you in for harassing a policeman," Jim threatened, walking past the man and out the door of the treatment room. The emergency room area was congested with medical personnel hustling through the hallways. He hadn't taken more than a half dozen steps when Simon appeared in front of him.

"What are you doing out here, Ellison? Did the doctor release you?" Banks grabbed his detective's arm to stop him.

"I'm fine, Captain. How's Taggart? He was behind me when the building blew."

Simon pointed toward a room at the opposite end of the hall. "Broken arm, concussion and they're not sure about his left knee. The doctor said she'd get back with me after she sees his x-rays."

Ellison nodded, relief spreading across his face. "That's one good thing. I'll need a ride back to the scene. I want to get back to help look for Sandburg."

"Jim."

Banks' voice dropped to the level that Jim knew his superior reserved for relaying bad news to family members. He raised his hand to stop the next words he knew so well. "Blair is still alive, Simon. I know he's not dead."

"The building is nothing but a pile of burning rubble, Jim. The fire department is still trying to put out the flames. No one could still be in there."

Taking his Captain's arm, Ellison led Banks out of the busy area and into a quiet hallway. "Then he has to be under the building. I know what I smelled and heard. Both Connor and Sandburg were taken into the building and I heard Connor's muffled voice about the same time something was pulled open. Then someone spoke to me."

By the look on his detective's face, Simon could tell Jim was trying to remember something. "The voice sounded familiar." It was a statement, not a question.

"Yes, I know it, but it escapes my memory right now. He told me that this time there wouldn't be a path to follow. I also smelled C-4 and gasoline in the building."

"C-4? Are you sure?" Ellison just stared at his Captain. "Right, you'd know. So whoever it was knew you and knew you'd use your abilities to go into the building."

"He's probably hoping that I will think Blair is dead, killed with him in the explosion-- "

Banks caught on to where Ellison was going. "And wouldn't even consider thinking there might be an escape route. He wouldn't know about your little..." Simon waved his fingers by his head.

Jim gave his superior a grim smile. "Our bond, which is letting me know that Sandburg is very much alive. That's why I'm going back to the area. There has to be another way into his underground lair." He tried to move out of the hallway, but was again stopped by Simon's hand on his arm.

"Hold it, Jim. As I said before, the fire department is still putting out the fire the explosion caused. It'll be several hours before that happens and maybe days before equipment can be used to clear the rubble."

Jim glanced down at his watch. "Blair may not have days, sir. It's already been about 20 hours. The other sentinel has him and who knows how long he'll stay in this area."

"I understand. That's why I sent Rafe down to City Hall to pull the maps on the sewer system under the area. Brown is down at the Federal Building to see if the Bureau of Mines has any information about any old tunnels that might be around that side of town." At Ellison's raised eyebrow, Banks dropped his head and rubbed his nose in slight embarrassment. "The smells that you experienced at the murder scenes and in your apartment. Even if Sandburg wasn't still alive, there's no way I'm letting this guy get away. He's murdered helpless people in my city and now has taken one of my men."

"Thank you, sir." Jim managed to keep the knowing smile off his face, hearing the anger in his superior's voice increase with his mention of Blair. The gruff captain cared more for the newest member of his detective squad than he liked to admit. "Can I catch a ride with you to the precinct? I don't think anyone bothered to bring my truck here, did they?"

Banks rolled his eyes and followed Ellison out of the hall. Lord help the person who had Sandburg. Vengeance had a name when it came to that young man... Jim Ellison.

Abandoned Mining Cavern, Somewhere Under Cascade

Like a light being switched on, Blair eyes flipped open to the area he lay. His muscles twitched and jerked in painful memory of the lightning bolt that had obviously knocked him unconscious. But it was a contest as to which hurt most, his head or his left hand. Raising the former carefully, Blair blinked his eyes rapidly to clear his fuzzy vision. A small groan escaped his lips as the throbbing across his frontal lobe increased. Trying to move his hands toward his head, he found that the one that hurt was caught on something and couldn't be pulled away. Looking up toward it, he saw something silver encircling his wrist. Pulling harder, the realization dawned that his arm was handcuffed to a nearby pipe. With his free hand, he reached around to feel behind his back. Another moan escaped his lips. They were his own handcuffs. Patting his pockets, he found that the key to the cuffs, as well as his pocketknife, were missing.

With a struggle, Blair dragged his still twitching body up until he was leaning against the wall behind him. Wiping his free hand across his face, he took a good look at his prison. There was a low wattage light bulb hanging from a wire across from him near an entrance that looked very familiar. Wooden beams lined either side of the opening and across its top. He couldn't see into the area beyond the entrance, the bulb not providing enough light.

Looking around his body, he laid a hand on the ground and rubbed at the surface. Stone or very compacted dirt, definitely not concrete. It wasn't damp, which was a blessing since Blair realized that his jacket and shoes were missing. The walls weren't smooth and the beams around the door clued Blair in that he was in some type of mine. He didn't have to have his sentinel's nose to tell that this was probably the same place the homeless murder victims had been living. The musty smell was strong and a memory flooded into his mind. Though it had been a couple of years, the incident with Quinn surfaced; Simon's kidnapping, his being shot and both of them almost being killed in an old, abandoned mine. It had taken weeks for him to heal and the past time of spelunking didn't give him the same enjoyment as it once had.

Reaching over with his right hand, he felt around the left one. The handcuff on the wrist was loose enough to not cause any damage, but Blair could tell he wouldn't be able to slip his hand out of it. Following the connecting chain to the other cuff, he felt along the pipe it was attached as far as he could reach. He hissed in pain as the action disturbed the injured appendage. As gently as possible, he felt around the hand. There were raised blisters on the palm and two of the fingers. Heat also radiated from the area.

"Shit!" Blair cursed, rattling the cuffs against the pipe. His memory was quickly returning on how he ended up in this situation. He'd seen Megan being held by two men and had run over to help her. One was holding an arm around her throat and covering her mouth. The other had both of her hands and was using his belt to tie her up. When he got closer to the group, he saw Megan's eyes widen as she struggled harder to get free. But before he could turn to look at what she'd seen, the lightning bolt had struck, grabbing his body in an agonizing hold and knocking the wind out of his lungs. Before he fell unconscious, he remembered seeing sparks flying out of the cell phone he was holding in his left hand. Whatever had hit him must have shorted out the phone and burned him pretty good. Now, the important questions that came to mind were who did it and why.

"Hello?" Blair called out carefully, not sure he really wanted to know who brought him to this place. "Can anyone hear me?"

"I knew you were awake, Blair. Luckily, you are a healthy person and were able to withstand the effects. I told those idiots to be careful, but you just can't hire good help anymore." The male voice coming from outside of his room held an amused tonal quality.

Squinting, Blair peered at the shadow that appeared in the opening. He knew the voice, having heard it somewhere before, but where he couldn't remember. "Do I know you?" he asked, trying to sound calm.

"Forgotten me already? I'm hurt. I thought I made a better impression the last time we were together. I see your foot healed okay." The shadow moved closer.

When the face of the man became illuminated, Blair jerked back against the wall, his heart hammering in his chest. "Danny," he whispered in fear. Blair struggled to contain the emotions that threatened to overwhelm him. The last person he'd thought he'd be meeting was this man.

A smile appeared on Daniel Wilkins' features, though it held no warmth. The tall man leaned in the doorway, his arms crossed on his chest. Blair's mind flashed back to the last time he'd seen the man: he was sitting half naked in a cabin in the Rocky Mountains holding a rifle on Danny, suffering with hypothermia and a broken foot and trying to protect Jim. He'd never been so close to killing someone.

"Give the man a prize. How have you been, Blair? Kept up your study on Ellison's abilities as a sentinel? Oh, wait. Ellison wasn't the subject of your research because he isn't a sentinel. Isn't that what you told the rest of the world at the news conference last year?"

"What do you want, Wilkins? Where's Megan Connor?" Blair was secretly pleased that he was able to remove the fear he felt out of his voice. "Going from being a minor thief to a murderer is quite a career change."

Wilkins moved further into the chamber and squatted down in front of his captive. Blair flattened himself against the wall when he saw the long scar running along the left side of the man's face. It gave Wilkins an evil appearance. "You can blame yourself and Ellison for everything that's happened up to this point. Especially this." He fingered the scar. "Prize from my first fight in Denver. If you'd given me the help I'd needed--"

Anger blazed through Blair. "You weren't wanting help, you wanted me. You kidnapped me to help you control abilities that would help you continue your life of crime. Then there's the fact that you tried to kill my partner twice. Did you really expect me to just cheerfully help you after all that?"

Wilkins snaked an arm out and backhanded Sandburg across the face, knocking the smaller man over. "Your partner killed my brother. Don't forget that in your little trip down memory lane. I would have stopped Toby if he'd allowed me the chance. I gave your partner more of a chance than he ever thought of giving my brother."

Blair pushed himself back up into a sitting position. "What are you talking about?"

"Ellison tried to follow when you were brought down here. My men destroyed the entrance to our domain by blowing up the building over it. Ellison happened to be--"

"You BASTARD!" Blair's yell caused Danny to jerk back, wincing at the loudness. He tried to grab at the man, but Danny was just out of reach.

"I wanted him to suffer like Toby did, but I'll take my revenge in another way. You should have helped me when I asked, Blair. But then, if you had, I wouldn't have spent all that time alone in the Rockies and developed the rest of my senses. I'm a true sentinel now."

"You're nothing like a sentinel," Blair ground out vehemently.

"That's where you come in."

"You want me to help you now, after all this?"

"Well, I am the only game in town and your notebooks aren't that easy to decipher. How did you make it through college with such a lousy note-taking technique? I guess it really doesn't matter, since you'll be the one using them. Of course, we'll have to get the rest before we leave."

"Leave?" Blair tried to hide the fear that washed over him, but the smile that appeared on Danny's face told him he wasn't successful. The man did have some control over his senses.

"You don't expect to stay around here, do you?" Wilkins raised his hands to indicate the mine. "I've been able to... accumulate a small nest egg to afford more comfortable living quarters. Some place warm will be nice, since you didn't seem to handle snow too well. What do you think?"

Blair laughed, slight hysteria tinging the sound. "In your dreams, man. Like I told you back in Colorado, Jim is my partner, I'll only work with him and I'm not going anywhere with you."

Wilkins took off his glasses and stared into the eyes of his captive. Blair didn't flinch, raising his chin slightly. Chuckling and giving his prisoner a light pat on the cheek, Wilkins returned the dark shades to his face, stood up and walked out of the cavern. Stopping just outside of the entrance, he looked back. "I'll send your friend down to keep you company for a while. You can explain the future to her and what her place will be in it."

"What are you talking about, Wilkins? You leave Megan out of this," Blair yelled at the departing figure. "Danny!" Blair jerked forward to follow the man, but was stopped by the manacle on his arm. The movement awakened the fiery agony in his hand. Clutching the member, he concentrated on controlling his breathing and calming his emotions. Remembering what the maniac had bragged, despite the knowledge that he'd lied, Blair closed his eyes and felt for the connection with Jim.

There, the bond surged with the strength of his friend. But Blair could feel the same external forces that he'd felt at the precinct buffeting his Sentinel. Using the training he'd been receiving over the past couple of months, Blair sent a protective flow through the bond to assure Jim that he was well and, so far, safe. It seemed like forever, but he was finally answered with an answering comforting warmth. Relaxing, Blair smiled. Though he knew his friend couldn't hear him, he murmured, "I'm here, buddy. Just be careful when you come after me."

Simon Banks' Office

Jim Ellison paced the office like a caged animal. The intense feeling that he needed to go after his partner was almost overwhelming. With his attention concentrated almost wholly on his bond with Sandburg, he barely noticed when Banks came into the room.

Simon hesitated for a few seconds, silently debating his next step. Making the decision, he moved in front of his prowling detective and halted his movements. Jim froze, looking up and finally recognizing his location and the person standing in front of him. Staring into the dark eyes of his Captain, Jim could read the controlled anger Simon was holding in check.

"Can you feel anything, Jim?"

"I know he's alive and relatively unharmed."

"Then why are yo--" Banks choked off his question when he felt Ellison jerk in his arms, then relax and close his eyes. "What's the matter?"

After several long seconds, a smile appeared on Jim's face and he reopened his eyes. "It's Blair. He just sent me a... well, I guess you could say it was something to help me with all that is going on."

"So the kid is doing okay."

"Yes, sir. At least for now."

Banks sighed. "Now if we had a way to know about Connor." Releasing his hold on the other, Banks stepped back and leaned onto his desk. "If Sandburg was the target, why did they keep Connor?"

"Maybe the same reason that some of the prostitutes have found new homes."

Banks raised his eyebrows at that statement, but didn't comment. Movement outside of his office turned his attention in that direction. It was Brown and Rafe, both carrying papers and plastic. Banks jumped up to open his door for them.

"It took some digging, Captain, but I was able to find some pretty detailed maps of the area," Henri exclaimed, entering with some rolled documents. "Running under the whole northern part of the city is the former location of the Cordova Mining Corporation. It was pretty productive in the 1800s, but was shut down around the turn of the century." Moving to the desk, he dropped the papers under an arm and unrolled the one in his hands. "Then you overlay the schematics for the sewer system."

"Which just happens to have a main tunnel that runs under Housing Project," Rafe jumped in, unrolling a clear piece of vellum. He positioned the plastic over the map Brown held and all four bent over the desk.

"Here. An air shaft under this tunnel about a mile up." Banks pointed to the maps. "Probably wouldn't have taken too much digging to break through and connect the two."

"I wouldn't put it past them to have tapped into some utility lines for electricity and water. Where's the entrance?" Jim asked.

"Up here. About two miles north of the city," Rafe answered. "That makes it about five miles to where we think they might be. That'll be a really long walk."

"For me, about a 40 minute run if the tunnels are clear." Ellison straightened up and folded his arms across his chest. His stance and determined expression dared any of the others to counter his being involved. Any argument was halted by the buzzer on the telephone.

"Banks...uh, huh...You're sure?...Okay, send up the report." Hanging up the receiver, Simon turned to see his three detectives staring at him. "That was Captain York over in B. and E. Seems Rafe's questioning had some storeowners doing more thorough inventories and less finger pointing at their employees. Places that hadn't reported any material losses did find money missing from their safes. They didn't know since there was no indication of forced entry. Reports were filed and Forensics checked out the businesses. A specific set of prints showed up in three different locations so far."

The way Banks was staring gave Ellison a sinking feeling. "Someone that I know?"

Simon nodded. "Both you and Blair, from Colorado."

Jim heard the mysterious voice in his head again. Not this time, Ellison. He knew who it was. "Danny Wilkins." At the blank looks from Rafe and Brown, he explained. "Last year when Sandburg and I went to Colorado to be with Jim McLin, we went hiking after the funeral and met up with Wilkins and his brother. At the time, Daniel Wilkins possessed three heightened senses and wanted Sandburg to help him control them."

"Without you around if I remember your report."

"His brother tried to take me out permanently, Captain. To make a long story short, Toby Wilkins was trying to kill Blair and I had to kill him. Later, Blair chased off Danny Wilkins after he clubbed me then tried to kill me."

Brown chuckled. "I can just see Hairboy standing over you acting like a mean momma bear."

"You're not too far off the mark, H." Ellison smiled at the memory. "We let the authorities know what happened and gave them Wilkins' description, but he was never caught. I thought the way the homeless killings seemed to lead in this direction was too coincidental."

"But you said Wilkins only had three heightened senses. Didn't you tell us that there's another sentinel here?" Rafe sounded confused.

"My senses were heightened during the time I spent alone in Peru. I can only guess that the time Wilkins spent in the mountains before heading in this direction helped him developed the other two. He was pretty upset over the death of his brother."

"Which would give him ample reason to want revenge on you, Jim. Do you think he'd hurt Blair?"

"I don't think so, Captain. Blair is about the only one who can help him if he's having trouble with his senses. But I don't think he'll stick around here very long. He's very experienced in surviving in the wilderness and I'm sure he'll take one or two people with him."

"Sandburg to help him control his senses and Connor for..." Banks didn't have to continue with the line of thought. The other three men knew exactly what he meant. Simon saw the angry glint appear in his detective's eyes and the firm set of his jaw. He continued quickly to forestall the inevitable outburst. "We'll have to get down there before he decides to cut and run. There's no way you can just waltz into the area and move around Jim. You take Rafe and head in from the entrance of the mine. Brown and I'll try to infiltrate from the tunnel near the Housing project. Wilkins doesn't know either of us and we'd probably stand a better chance of blending in with the rest of the group than you two would."

Ellison stared at his boss for several long minutes, wanting to argue against the plan. His military training told him that a direct assault would probably create enough confusion to allow him and the others the opportunity to rescue Sandburg and Connor. But with another sentinel in the area, the element of surprise was lost.

"Let's go, Rafe. We've a drive before us and I hope you've got some different clothes handy." The young detective looked down at his clothing and grimaced. Armani suits didn't do well with crawling underground.

Cordova Mines, Same Day, Late Morning

Blair raised his head quickly from where it rested on his knees when he heard footsteps coming toward his 'room'. Wherever he was being held, it obviously wasn't near the rest of the community since no traffic passed his door. The darkness and loneliness hadn't started bothering him yet. It was the sounds of his underground prison that kept him from getting any rest. Creaks and groans seemed to echo through the area, making him wonder if a collapse was imminent. Then there was the throbbing of his injured hand. The burns had him using every meditation technique he could think of to reduce the pain, but he hadn't been able to concentrate.

"I brought you some company," a male voice announced from the doorway.

Megan Connor was dragged to the entrance and thrust into the cavern. From the little light available, Blair could see that she wasn't bound. Her hair was disheveled, her clothes fairly messed and she was also missing her shoes. He couldn't tell if there were any serious injuries, though. "Megan?"

"Oh, Sandy. Are you all right?" Connor stumbled forward and dropped to her knees in front of her friend.

Blair lifted his free hand and placed it along Megan's face. She flinched from the touch, heat rising from the bruise warmed his hand. "Have they hurt you?"

"I'm fine. I've been hit harder for having a smart mouth around my Da. What about you?"

Blair snorted. "Still feeling tingly from whatever they used on me."

"It was a tazor."

"Oh, so that's why I feel like I grabbed a live wire. Do you have any idea of where we are besides somewhere under Cascade?"

"They brought us through the basement of that building and into the sewer. I don't know how long we walked, but they had a hole for passage into these tunnels. They separated us after we got down here and I didn't know where they took you. What's going on, Sandy?" There was a slight tremor in her voice.

Blair ran his free hand through his hair to brush it back from his from his face, glanced at the figure standing watch just on the other side of the entrance, then dropped his voice. "We've got to get you outta here as soon as possible."

"Me? What about you?" Megan whispered.

"It's not as important for me to get away. You, on the other hand, can make a big difference on how things proceed from here. Do they leave you alone at all?"

"I've had 'Mr. Congeniality' as my shadow since they brought us down. But that doesn't matter. I'm not going anywhere without you."

"Don't argue with me, Megan. They won't do anything to hurt me. I'm sure of that. However, they can and will use you against me as well as other ways. You have to escape." Blair accidentally tried to use both hands to emphasize his words, rattling the injured one and causing the pain to flare up again. He sucked in a lung full of air to keep from crying out.

"Sandy?" Megan moved closer to look at Blair's hand. Taking it carefully into her own hands, Megan gently probed the palm. She hissed at the appearance. "How did this happen?"

"My cell phone exploded when I got zapped. Burnt my hand pretty bad." Blair clenched his teeth at the jostling, but his mind kept thinking. "See if you can get them to unlock the handcuffs so you can treat me."

Megan nodded and stood up. "Hey, he's hurt. Get these off him and get me a First Aid box." When the man hesitated, she took a step closer. "His hand is severely burned. If he's as important as your boss thinks he is, you better do as I say."

The threat obviously worked. The man came into the cavern and pushed Connor to the side, dismissing her as he knelt by Sandburg. He looked closer at the manacled hand before digging into his pocket for a set of keys. Just as he was reaching forward to unlock the handcuffs, Connor hit him from behind with doubled fists. Dazed, the man struggled to get back up, but a foot slamming into his head to drive him back down and completely into oblivion.

"Remind me to not make you angry," Blair murmured, looking at the unconscious man across from him.

Connor fumbled for the keys that had fallen and turned back to her friend. Trying not to jostle his injury, she released Blair from the handcuffs.

"Do you remember the way out of here?" Cradling his hand, Blair stumbled to his feet.

"Of course, follow me. I can get us to the ladder we had to come down." Carefully peering through the entrance, Connor led the way out.

"How does it look, Jim?" Rafe was trying to stay as close to Ellison as he could without bumping into the man. There was little or no light that he could see, but the other wouldn't let him use a flashlight.

"Clear. I can hear some distant echoes, but they're far enough away that we don't have to worry yet." Jim was jogging at an easy pace, one that he used when he wanted to do a mileage run. He could hear Rafe easily keeping up with him, though the man's breathing was tinged with anxiety. "This pace okay for you?"

"Yeah, sure. However, it would help if I could see where I was going. Can you really see that clearly?"

Ellison smiled. He knew that Rafe was very curious about the extent of his abilities, but restrained his curiosity out of politeness or maybe a little fear. "It's as bright as day. If you want to, hold onto my jacket. Sandburg does it all the time."

He heard a mumbled, breathy 'thanks' and a light tug on the back of his jacket. They had started into the abandoned mine after confirming that Banks and Brown had found a way in from the sewer system after arresting a man guarding the entrance. Then, breaking through a wooden barrier across the entrance, the two started their journey. A couple of officers were left at the entrance to ensure that no one would escape back out that way. Several more were positioned at the entrance Banks used, awaiting orders.

About a hundred feet in, Ellison had found an elevator shaft. It didn't work, but ropes they'd brought with them allowed the two men to move downward to the next level. Straining almost to the point of zoning, Jim was able to hear some very distant echoes of voices. They had to be on the right level. There was some lighting in the shafts, attesting to the idea that the occupants had found someway to get electricity in the mine. The musty, unused smell was also very strong.

The one thing Ellison didn't mention to Rafe was the increased feeling of the other sentinel. As they moved closer to the part of the mine they felt the homeless people were living in, Jim could 'feel' the presence of the other. Though he hadn't seen any evidence of that sentinel's animal spirit, his own spirit guide had appeared and was pacing with them. That was another topic he didn't, wouldn't bring up to Rafe. He didn't think the young detective could handle the information.

A sound brought Ellison up short, causing Rafe to stumble into his back. "What do you hear?" Rafe's voice whispered from behind.

"An alarm signal." Through the bond with Blair, Jim 'felt' an increase of pain in his left hand along with a feeling of panic. Shortly after a new pain suddenly flared with his right knee. "Let's pick up the pace. Something tells me Sandburg is the cause of it."

"How much farther?"

Connor sighed. Her voice held a note of irritation. "You're starting to sound like a bored child on a long drive, Sandy."

Blair peered nervously around them as they slunk through the tunnels. "I'm sorry. Memories of the last time I was trapped in a cave are making me nervous. At least this time I don't have a hole in my leg."

"You were shot? When was that?" Megan whispered, stopping to look at her companion.

Blair waved a dismissing hand. "Way before your time. And don't ask Simon or Jim about it. Their memories aren't much better."

"You know, it really gets tiresome hearing you blokes discuss old cases," Megan complained in a low voice.

"What are you talking about?" Blair's head swung up in surprise.

"Nothing," she said crossly, then stopped abruptly. "Wait, here it is. Bugger!"

"What?"

"The lower part of the ladder is missing. I'm sure there had been one here earlier. We're going to need something to climb up." Megan looked around in frustration.

Peering up the dark shaft, Blair positioned himself under it. "Come here and I'll give you a boost. When you get up there, see if you can find something to drop back down for me to use."

Connor shook here head. "Forget it. It's obvious that you're the one they want. Besides, I'm taller. Let me boost you up and you can find something for me to use."

"Damn it, Megan! Can't anyone else take the lead around you? I put up with that macho crap every day with Jim and I don't need it from you. So shut up, get over here and climb." Bracing his left leg back, Blair positioned his right at an angle as a step. He then crossed his arms out from his chest akimbo style, left hand placed to keep it from further injury.

The force and anger in Blair's voiced surprised the Inspector into silence. Obeying, she moved closer and placed a stocking foot on the offered leg. Seeing Blair brace himself, she pushed off with the foot on the knee, stepped carefully onto the arms and leaped upward. Just barely was she able to grab the bottom rung of the ladder. Slowly, rung by rung, Megan pulled herself up until she was completely on the ladder and climbing to the next level.

Reaching the top, Connor almost shrieked in surprise when strong hands grabbed her arms and helped her out of the shaft. Looking up, she saw the concerned faces of Banks and Brown. "Captain," she breathed in relief.

"Are you all right, Connor?" Banks asked.

The inspector nodded. "Do you have a rope, anything we can use to get Sandy up? He's down there with an injured hand and the ladder doesn't extend down far enough for him to reach it."

Without a word, Henri pulled off a knapsack he was carrying and dug through it until he located a coiled rope. "Think this one can reach?" he asked, handing the hemp to his superior.

"I'll make it reach. You take Connor and get her up above. Sandburg and I'll follow as soon as I get him up here. Go!" Banks ordered when the two hesitated. Watching them leave, he keyed the mic clipped to the inside of his jacket and spoke in a low voice. "This is Banks. Two coming out." He returned his attention to the shaft.

"Sandburg," Banks whispered loudly. When his newest detective appeared at the bottom of the shaft, Banks breathed a sigh of relief. The young man didn't look too worse for wear. Uncoiling the rope, he threaded it down toward Blair. Before it was half way down, an alarm sounded. It was an odd ringing noise, something probably left over from the time when the mine had been in use.

Blair swung around in fear as the ancient klaxon rang in his ears. Someone found that he was missing. Knowing Wilkins' abilities, Blair was sure that man would be able to track him down quickly. Turning back to the airshaft, he motioned sharply for Simon to get the rope down to him in a hurry. "Here I come," he called when the rope was close enough, not caring who heard him now. Leaping, he grabbed the rough hemp with his good hand. Bracing himself, he reached further up with his injured hand.

Searing pain burned through his arm and up to his head, the cord biting into the blisters and easily shredding them. "PULL!" he yelled. Blair felt the rope jerk upward as Simon complied. Just inches from being able to grab the ladder, pain in his hand turned white-hot and shot through his arm, ripping through his body. He couldn't hold on any longer.

Releasing the rope, Blair collapsed to the ground in a heap. He tried to land on his feet, but his brain wasn't able to coordinate the action and his right knee connected to the earth first. It popped, causing almost enough pain to override the agony in his hand. Curling into a ball, his mind totally concentrating on the suffering in his body, he didn't hear the approach of others.

Banks, however, was aware of the arriving company. Quickly, he pulled the rope back up and fell back from the hole. The only way he'd be able to help Sandburg now was to make sure no one knew he was there.

"He's there!" a voice shouted through the tunnel.

Daniel Wilkins strode angrily through the underground passage toward the speaker. He grabbed the smaller man by the throat. "I know exactly where he is, Teddy," he growled. "The next time you raise your voice within 50 feet of me, I'll have your tongue cut out. You're lucky I'm not going to punish you for using that alarm." Thrusting backward, Wilkins slammed the other against the nearby wall. He stepped past the man without another glance. His head still hurt from the shrill sound of the alarm.

Unable to use his hearing, Wilkins used his sense of smell to lead them to Sandburg. He'd found him where he'd expected his prisoner to be, in the tunnel that had access to the upper world. "Tom, Bernie, get him to his feet." The two men that had been following behind Wilkins stepped forward at the order and grabbed Sandburg by his arms, dragging him up to face their leader. "Where's the Aussie bitch, Blair?"

Blair struggled to stand on his own, his right leg not wanting to hold his weight. Looking up at the angry man in front of him, he just stared at the dark sunglasses shading the eyes. Blair wasn't able to dodge the backhanded blow that slammed into his jaw. Definitely more powerful than the earlier punches, blood slowly welled from a cut on his lip.

"It'll go easier on you if you tell me where she is. I've plans for her."

"Tough shit, man. She's gone and you'll have to do without getting any tonight." Another blow rocked Blair's face. Stubbornly, Blair pulled himself up and shook off the hands holding him. He swayed in an effort to maintain his balance, but his head was raised in defiance. Taking a fast step forward, he surprised the others by delivering a sharp right cross to Danny's jaw, knocking the larger man back a couple of steps. Tom and Bernie immediately lunged forward and grabbed Blair's arms to restrain him.

Rubbing his reddening jaw, Wilkins gave a frustrated sigh at the stubborn attitude the smaller man was displaying. Nothing was going as he planned. He'd intended to mainly use the woman to ensure Sandburg's obedience. Now it was going to take stronger actions. "Take him to the central chamber. Teddy, go gather the rest of community and have them assemble near the pole."

As Sandburg was hauled away, Wilkins stood still in the passageway. Whenever he allowed his anger to get the best of him, his senses usually seemed to become a little more sensitive. This time, however, they seemed to be deadened, as if they were shorted out briefly. Tilting his head slightly, Wilkins tried to listen around the area to see if he could hear where Sandburg's friend had gone. He knew it couldn't have been too long ago that she'd taken off, but he couldn't hear anything. Not being able to extend his hearing, he gave up and followed after his men.

Shortly after the passageway had cleared, Banks climbed quietly down the airshaft ladder and waited at the bottom rung; listening. When he felt certain there wasn't anyone around to hear him, he dropped down into the tunnel. Pulling his weapon out of its holster on his hip, he started walking in the same direction the others had traveled.

Ellison and Rafe stood at the junction of three tunnels. Sparse lighting led down each tunnel as well as indications that someone had used them recently.

"Which way?" Rafe asked, panting to catch his breath.

Ellison closed his eyes and felt for his partner, instantly feeling him in the far right tunnel. Opening his eyes, he looked in that direction. "Sandburg's that way."

"You can hear him?" Rafe's eyes widened in surprise.

Ellison smiled cryptically. "No, it's his, uh, after shave. You can't miss it. We're going to have to move really careful now. Wilkins is probably not all that far away and the plan is shot if he sees me first."

"Then let me take point." Rafe took his hands and rubbed them through his styled hair, giving it a snarled look. Grinning at the raised eyebrow Ellison was giving him, he next rubbed the ground. Patting his dirt covered fingers across his face and rubbing his eyes, Rafe changed from a stylish, GQ detective to a down-on-his-luck man. "Now let the Captain tell me that I can't do a homeless look."

Ellison smiled and slapped Rafe on the arm. Pulling out a square of paper from his pocket, he unfolded it, held it against the wall and trailed his finger across it. "We're about... here. The right tunnel leads fairly straight with a large cavern another half mile up. I'll stay about 20 feet back. When you see either Wilkins or Sandburg, freeze and whisper. I'll hear you."

"Got it." Giving Ellison a high sign, Rafe turned and started cautiously up the tunnel.

The bravado Blair had displayed in front of Wilkins quickly faded as he was half carried, half dragged through the tunnels. His captors had stopped briefly by the small cavern where he previously had been held and retrieved the handcuffs, binding his hands in front of him. As the tunnel they were traveling gradually widened into a large cavern, Blair's eyes gazed at the size and appearance of the area.

The cavern had probably once been a major intersection for the mining operation with the roominess to allow several ore carts to be moved around easily. Though the carts and the tracks they traveled were no longer present, the room still had the feel of a place of production. A makeshift chair of plywood and crating sat at the far end with whole crates set up nearby as tables. On the crates sat groups of canned goods and clothing, some still in their original boxes. Two large men stood at either end, obviously guarding the supplies. A small group of men and women were huddled in the room.

In the very center of the cavern stood a large wooden beam that stretched from floor to ceiling. It was to this that Blair was manhandled. His arms were lifted up until the chain between the handcuffs slid over a hook imbedded in the center of the pole, leaving his back exposed to the rest of the room. Like sentries, they stood on either side of Blair. The height of the curved metal on the pole was enough to make him stretch, almost standing on his toes. If he sagged, the cuffs bit into his wrists. Because of the damage to his knee, Blair had to allow his wrists to take the punishment.

"A serious infraction in the rules of our community has occurred," Wilkins announced as he entered the cavern. He still wore the dark sunglasses, the brightness of the area obviously bothering his eyes. The milling people spread around the outer edges of the area, more entered from another tunnel until there was about 30 present. "This man took a woman from our group and tried to run away to the upper world. Luckily, we were able to prevent him from exposing our home to those from above." In a dramatic fashion, Wilkins paced around the cavern, gesturing first at Sandburg, then toward the ceiling.

"It's a lie," Blair called out. "My friend and I were kidnapped by this man--" He gasped in agony, then went into a coughing fit as one of his guards drove a fist into his side.

"Those who violate the rules of the community will be punished. Didn't we all agree to that?" Silence filled the room. Many of the people had their heads lowered, their attention anywhere but toward the center of the cavern. Their silence obviously angered Wilkins. "When I offered you the opportunity to get out of the weather and away from those who would harass and harm you, didn't you readily agree to abide to the rules of the community!" With looks of fear, several nodded.

"And the consequences for violating them apply to all. Thomas," Wilkins called softly to his henchman. Walking over to the chair against the wall, he dug into his pocket, pulled out a pair of foam earplugs and unobtrusively fitted them in his ears. His hearing had come back online during his trip back through the tunnels. Wilkins rubbed at his brow as he sat down, pain still throbbing through the lobe.

"What's... ~cough~ what's the matter, Danny? Sensory spikes causing problems? Get used to them, buddy." Bernie placed another fist into Blair's side, robbing the smaller man of his breath.

Thomas stepped up behind Blair and pulled a large knife from his belt. Grabbing the bottom of his captive's shirt, he slit the material all the way up to the collar along the ribs, exposing Blair's back. Reaching a hand behind his back, he pulled out a wide leather strap he'd had tucked in his pants.

"You don't want do this, Danny." Blair strained his head around until he could see the other sitting passively in the chair. Fear crashed over him at the thought of what was about to occur.

Wilkins looked at him passively, gauging Sandburg's stance. Calmly, he stood up and walked over to his captive. Leaning over, he spoke in a low voice. "Agree to help me freely and we'll leave now."

"I won't help you with your senses no matter what you do," Blair answered defiantly.

With a sigh, Wilkins turned and returned to his chair. He raised a hand. "First offense, 10 lashes."

"NO!" Blair yelled, his eyes wide in horror. He gave a yank at his wrists in an attempt to loosen the hook that held them, but it was futile.

The first lash fell hard, instantly raising a welt. Blair jerked violently against the pole, a sharp cry escaping before he could clench his mouth shut. He thought he'd heard the painful yelp of an injured canine followed by the scream of an angry jungle cat echo through his mind. Shaking his head to clear it, he turned to glare at his enemy. He silently swore to not give the man any satisfaction by crying out further. As each lash fell, Blair jerked again and again, his blazing eyes returning to stare at the man who ordered the punishment. But no further sound escaped his mouth.

After the tenth stroke landed, Blair allowed his eyes to close, his breathing coming in hard gasps. The whole of his back felt like someone had poured acid down it, the marks of the lash going from neck to waist. Blair couldn't tell if any blood had been drawn, but at this point he really didn't care. His body was quickly becoming one whole mass of screaming pain, from his wrists down to his knees, and he struggled to keep control of the tears that threatened to spring from his eyes. Mentally, he threw out a cry for help from the one person he knew would be there for him.

Rafe paused for a moment, leaning around to look through an opening shored up by old wooden beams. It was really starting to bother him that he hadn't come upon anyone in his travel through the tunnel. He'd found evidence that people were living in the mine, bundles of clothing and blankets in side tunnels, but not the actual residents. Just as he stepped forward to continue on his path, a hand grabbed his arm. Turning sharply, Rafe relaxed when he saw that it was Ellison. How such a large man could move so silently baffled the younger detective.

"Wait," Jim breathed in the other's ear. He tilted his head and focused his hearing forward just in time to hear Wilkins say First offense, 10 lashes. Blair's cry of horror and the following pain through the bond caused Jim to suck in a quick breath and stumble back a few steps, his eyes clenched shut.

Rafe reached for Ellison when the larger man paled and stepped back. Knowing he had to be silent, Rafe gave his friend a shake to get his attention. He was shocked when Ellison opened his eyes and looked at him, the light blue orbs filled with pain and anguish.

'What is it?' Rafe mouthed, giving the other another shake when he continued to stare. Ellison's expression suddenly changed to one of cold fury.

Jim was feeling each blow that was falling onto his partner's back. When the heart- wrenching cry flooded to him through their bond, a change came over him. The human part of him known as Jim Ellison, cop, detective and friend disappeared and the Sentinel took over. Shrugging off the hands that held him, he reached behind his back, pulled his revolver out and checked to ensure a bullet was chambered into the barrel. Then, with no consideration of the noise he might be making, the Sentinel stalked down the tunnel in the direction of his injured Shaman. Beside him flowed the inky form of his spirit guide.

Gliding down the tunnel with stealth, Banks approached the cavern where he could hear the others. He'd been surprised that he'd made it as far as he had without being detected. If Wilkins was a sentinel as Ellison had informed them, there shouldn't have been any way for him to sneak up on the group. But here he was, making steady progress.

Coming close to the entrance, Simon almost burst into the room when he heard Blair's outcry of pain. Luckily, his police training overrode his natural reaction to try to help the younger man. Silently, he stepped up to the entrance and peered into the large cavern. The sight that met his eyes shocked and angered him.

All in the room were focused on the individual hanging from the center pole, receiving the final blow to his back. Simon cringed at the sight of the angry welts raised up and down Blair's back. His heart went out to the smaller man sagging against the pole where he was attached. Simon stepped back when the only seated figure in the area stood up and paced to stand by Blair.

Banks was ready to make a move if the man he figured to be Wilkins made any further move to hurt Sandburg. He'd readied his revolver and prepared to enter the cavern, but froze at Wilkins' action. The man had stopped abruptly and was searching around the room. Banks was sure he was looking for him.

Wilkins could swear that he was hearing the angry scream of a jungle cat. Swinging his eyes around the room, he locked on to the opening to a tunnel he remembered eventually led to the mine entrance. Wilkins stumbled back a step when a large, black jaguar stalked out of the passage. Right behind the animal came the imposing figure of Jim Ellison. Pulling a large knife from a sheath on his belt, Wilkins stepped closer to Sandburg and pointed the weapon at his ribs.

"FREEZE!" Banks voice boomed from the back of the cavern. The black captain stepped into the area and trained his weapon on Tom and Bernie when the two started to pull out their own weapons. They looked at Wilkins, but their boss was not paying any attention to their plight. What made up their minds to surrender was the entry of a third person into the cavern, his revolver also pointing in their direction. Rafe was trotting into the cavern and away from the entrance at an angle to cover the two men he knew were reaching for weapons.

"Drop your knife and move away, Wilkins," Banks ordered, walking cautiously toward the center. The other people that had been between him and Wilkins were now cowering in small groups against the wall. Others had fled up any tunnel they could find.

Danny Wilkins acted as though he hadn't heard the order. His whole attention was on the approaching Jim Ellison. "You took from me, I take from you." The knife pressed against Sandburg's ribs, drawing blood. The young man didn't even jerk.

"I don't think so," the Sentinel snarled.

"Jim." The Sentinel heard Sandburg's whisper. He glanced momentarily at his friend, the blazing intensity streaming from his eyes softening briefly as he took in the other's appearance. He felt a surge of energy flow into him through his bond with his Shaman, removing the fatigue that had been affecting his body. He knew what he had to do.

"This is between you and me, Wilkins."

"Tell the others to back off." Wilkins glanced momentarily at Rafe standing off to the side.

The Sentinel looked over at Banks as he lowered his revolver and placed it back into the holster at his back, then turned back. Maintaining his eye lock on his enemy, he took off his jacket and tossed it to the side. "Take care of Sandburg, Captain," he said to Banks, stepping over to where Tom was standing and taking the knife from the man's hand.

"Jim?" Banks stepped closer. His detective looked different from the man he knew. Ellison's eyes were full of an almost unholy light, his face became cold and emotionless and his movements smooth and taut like the feline he called his spirit animal. Everything about him screamed warrior. Wilkins, on the other hand, just looked dangerous as he sidestepped away from Sandburg toward the center of the cavern.

"Simon," Blair groaned, catching his superior's attention. "Can... you get me down?" He'd swung his head around and was staring at the larger man with pain-filled eyes.

Hastily, Banks shoved his revolver back into its holster and gently grasped Sandburg's forearms. Rafe arrived at his side and assisted in lifting the smaller man high enough to slip the handcuffs off the hook. Cradling Blair in his arms, trying not to touch the inflamed skin on his back, Simon lowered him gently to the ground. "Get something to cover him. He's going into shock," he ordered the hovering Rafe.

"I...I need to...see," Blair mumbled, twisting in Simon's arms. He gasped sharply as something brushed against his back.

"Stay still, Sandburg. You could do more damage." Fumbling through his pockets, Banks searched for and found his keys. The handcuffs on the younger man looked to be police issue. He was able to unlock one cuff before Sandburg pulled his hands away.

"No," Blair growled. "I can he-help Jim. Let me--" He finally got his body turned around until he was leaning a shoulder against Simon's chest and still have a good view of the cavern.

Rafe rushed up and unfolded what he hoped was a clean blanket and gently draped it over Blair. "It's the best that I could find. Should we try to get him out of here?"

The young man jerked at the feel of the coarse cloth that lightly touched his back, then tried to push away any sensations affecting his concentration. He had to focus on his Sentinel and help him defeat the interloper that threatened them both.

Banks felt Sandburg's hand latch onto his arm, the mild, tingling shock from the touch startling him. The smaller man was panting, obviously in pain, but his attention was turned toward the center of the cavern and the two men circling each other. Something inside told Simon that he shouldn't move Blair, at least not until the fight was over. "Let's wait until we can get the paramedics down here to him. Go lead the troops back here and make sure they don't come in like gangbusters. Go on, the situation is under control." Simon added the later when he saw his detective hesitate.

As Rafe left, Banks leaned his head down until he could look into the smaller man's face. Blair's eyes were open, but he looked like he wasn't really seeing anything. The tingling in his arm changed to the feeling Simon remembered from his office. The flow of energy through his own body to the man in his arms was disconcerting. "Sandburg," he said, anxiety in his voice.

"I'm okay," Blair answered the unasked question, his voice sounding stronger. "I need your help."

"What should I do?"

Blair turned his head to look into Simon's eyes. He could read concern in the dark orbs, but also fear. He gave the other a tired smile, hoping to convey confidence. "Just be... you, Simon. The strong friend I know and can depend on."

Simon searched Blair's face, reading the strength and confidence in the pained features. Giving the smaller man a nod, he carefully adjusted the body leaning against him to a more comfortable position and both men turned their attention to the action in the center of the cavern.

The Sentinel felt more than saw that his Shaman was being cared for by his Chief. The energy flowing to him was strong and balanced, strength and confidence filtered all through it. With that worry off his mind, he was able to concentrate totally on the enemy sentinel in front of him. He felt calm, more in tune with his body and senses. That would be his advantage over the one in front of him.

Wilkins was barely containing his anger and his senses were shorting out. He'd thought he had at least some time before Ellison found them, thinking that the man would have had to spend a day or two searching through the ruins of the building for their bodies. How the man had been able to locate them so quickly bothered Wilkins. Twice now they were able to get back together under almost impossible odds. It seemed as if the two had some type of locator beacons on each other.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Wilkins brought his entire attention to the man facing him. Testing, he jabbed forward with his knife only to have it swish through air. Ellison had easily evaded the move, able to read the action seemingly before it occurred. He countered. Wilkins wasn't able to move fast enough to avoid the returning thrust and felt a burning sensation along his rib cage. First blood was drawn. Anger increasing, Wilkins pursed his lips together and released an ear splitting whistle, hoping to disrupt the other's attention. Ellison was a sentinel and should be as sensitive to sound as he was.

Senses heightened to a fine degree, the Sentinel saw Wilkins shape his lips and unconsciously dialed back his hearing. The loud noise to all others in the cavern was shrill and ear splitting. But to the Sentinel, it was nothing more than a bird whistle. He gave the other a grim smile, letting Wilkins know that he was unaffected, and made his move. Using the training that had been engrained into his body and soul during his years in the Army, the Sentinel went on the offensive by charging forward with his arms moving in a blurring motion. As he got closer, his knife hand swinging to the outside. When Wilkins moved his weapon to counter and deflect the blade, a hand shot forward to clip him on the side of the head. The dark glasses covering Wilkins' eyes went flying, causing him to squint at the brightness of the room.

"Not bad, Ellison," Wilkins panted, stumbling back and to the side to catch his breath. He quickly circled around to keep his opponent from having a straight shot at him. "I think I'll just wound you and leave you here to let Blair know that I can be benevolent. He might be a little more cooperative when we leave, knowing that you couldn't help him." Wilkins eyes trailed over to where his former captive leaned against the large black man. He almost faltered at the intense look of confidence Sandburg wore on his face. The deep blue eyes were locked onto Ellison.

An almost feral grin appeared on the Sentinel's face. He could smell the fear beginning to pour off the other, see the sweat marring the man's brow while he was not even breathing hard. "You'll have to kill me to take him, Wilkins. And in doing that, you'll have lost him completely. Blair and I are one in ways that you'll never be able to fathom. One such as you tried to separate us before. She failed and you will, too."

With that, the Sentinel shifted, feinting to the right. As Wilkins went to block the move, the Sentinel tossed the knife into his left hand and made a controlled sweep. The blade cut deeply into Wilkins knife arm. As the man cried out and grabbed at the bleeding wound with his free hand, the Sentinel shifted the knife back to his right hand and struck again. This time the blade sliced down the right side of Wilkins' face. The wound almost mirrored the scar on the left side.

"Aaaah!" Wilkins screamed, stumbling back to fall onto his ass. Releasing his knife, he clutched at the gaping laceration on his face, blood flowed freely down his neck. Looking up, Wilkins watched Ellison step closer until the man loomed over him. Death stared down at him, its bloody knife pointing menacingly at Wilkins' head. Standing beside him was a large, black feline, its eyes blazing green and a snarl on its lips. "Please," Wilkins moaned, hands holding both of his wounds.

The Sentinel stared down at the other, silently debating whether to finish off his opponent or make the man suffer more. His decision was made by another. The energy he'd felt flowing into him from his Shaman faltered, just enough to turn his attention away from the sentinel. Swinging around to look, he saw that his Shaman had his eyes closed and was slumping back against his Chief. The flow stopped completely and all that remained was the normal bond between the two men. Seeing signs of pain etched across the smaller man's features, in that instant Jim Ellison returned. The change was obvious to anyone paying attention: his features were no longer cold and inhuman, his body relaxed out of its fighter stance and the fire slowly died from his eyes.

Moving his gaze around the cavern, he noticed that Brown and Rafe were nearby as well as a couple of uniformed officers. The black detective was covering Tom and Bernie while they were being disarmed and handcuffed by an officer. Rafe was crossing the floor toward Wilkins to take control of the injured man.

"Jim," Banks called to his detective. Quickly, Ellison moved across the room to kneel by Sandburg, laying his knife onto the ground. "I think he passed out. Can you tell..." He left the question hanging, not wanting to mention their connection.

Ellison cupped his hand under Sandburg's chin and lifted the still face to take a better look. The lower lip was split, but not bleeding, and a reddened area along the jaw indicated physical abuse. Gently lowering Blair's head back down until it rested against Simon's chest, Jim lifted the blanket away from the body to look at Blair's back. He ground his teeth at the inflamed stripes across the flesh, a few bleeding slightly, but most just swollen and obviously very painful.

"Not...pretty, is it?" Blair mumbled, slowly opening his eyes and lifting his head to look at Jim. A lop-sided grin tried to form on his mouth, but it looked more like a grimace. "Hey, Jim."

"Hey yourself, Chief. How are you doing?" Ellison grinned back.

"Used, abused and ~cough~ ow. I'm ready to get out of here. Can we?"

As he reached forward to take possession of his partner, Ellison heard a struggle from behind and a muffled 'oof.' Unconsciously, he dropped his hand to grab the knife by his knee while he swiveled his body around. Wilkins had hit the uniformed officer in the stomach, dropping the man to his knees. He was battling with Rafe over the possession of the uniformed officer's service revolver.

Flipping the knife around until he was holding the blade by his fingers, Ellison shouted, "DOWN!" Rafe obeyed instantly, releasing his hold on Wilkins and dropping to the ground.

Wilkins was just bringing his arm holding the revolver down when he felt something slam into his breast, knocking him back a few steps. Looking down, he saw the handle of a knife sticking out of his chest. With an expression of disbelief, he looked back up into Ellison's face and tried to speak. No words came out. Then, his eyes rolling to the back of his head, he collapsed backward to the ground. He was dead before he hit.

The cavern was enveloped in silence. All eyes stared at the unmoving body of the once leader of the underground community. Rafe, folded on the ground near Wilkins, leaned over and placed a hand at the man's neck. Feeling no indication of life, he looked over to his Captain and shook his head. Climbing to his feet, the young detective went to help the officer the dead man had attacked.

Henri Brown crouched down next to Banks and Sandburg. He was eyeing the smaller man. "Paramedics are on their way, Captain. I'm not sure they'll be able to get a gurney down through that airshaft, though."

Blair shifted away from Simon and struggled to get to his feet. "Don't need a gurney. Help me up."

"Just sit still, Sandburg. You'll be falling on your face in five seconds if you stand." Banks held onto his struggling friend. Inadvertently, his arm brushed the other's back, eliciting a sharp cry.

That drew Ellison's attention back from the body of the man he'd just killed. Hunkering down, he placed his hands on either side of Sandburg's face. His friend reached up and grabbed an arm by his good hand. Ellison could feel the agony his friend was in. "It's okay, Chief. Draw in the strength and concentrate like Roni taught you. You can force the pain away until we get you above. That's it, breathe slowly and take back control."

Clutching his friend's arm, Blair recalled the training that had momentarily fled from his brain and obeyed the guidance. He used Jim's face as his focal point, pulled his breathing back into line and began controlling the waves of pain rippling along his back. As the pain lessened, so did his awareness of his surroundings.

As he saw Blair's eyes begin to glaze over, Jim smiled. Along their connection, he could tell that his friend was in control and could now be moved. It would be like guiding a puppet, but at least he couldn't feel any pain. "Help me get him to his feet, Simon. He can't do this for too long, but I think we can at least get him up into the sewer system before his strength gives out. It will help if the paramedics are ready with some type of sedative when we get there."

"Rafe," Banks ordered, jerking his head back toward the tunnel. Understanding, the younger detective took off. Turning his attention back to the man in his arms, he placed his hands under Sandburg's arms and lifted. In front, Ellison pulled on his friend's arms and both men brought the smaller man to his feet. Slowly, the three began walking out of the cavern. Filing behind, the people of the community followed.

Cascade Hospital, Two Days Later

Ellison walked through the open door to the hospital room, knowing that his friend was not asleep, but not expecting to see him standing at his window. The stance of Sandburg's body indicated that he was disturbed and it probably had something to do with the grim figure of Megan Connor who had breezed past him in the lobby.

"Hey, Jim." Blair didn't turn around from the window.

"Didn't go too well, did it?" Jim asked calmly, sitting on the side of the hospital bed.

Chuckling humorlessly, Blair swung around and limped toward his partner. The larger man shifted to allow his friend access to his bed. With a small hiss, Blair carefully climbed onto the stark sheets. "Go ahead and say it, man. I can hear the 'I told you so' tone in your voice."

"I'm not going to say anything."

"But I can hear those words bouncing around your head. There is a spark between us, that much I know. But we both agreed that, eventually, we'd just get onto each other's nerves."

"She didn't look too angry when she left."

"Oh, she wasn't. At least not about us. In fact, I think she was a little relieved. It was a phone call she received before she left that had her chewing nails. Something about how much it was going to cost to fix her car. I'd hate to be her mechanic right about now."

"So what has you feeling down wasn't caused by--" Ellison raised his eyebrows, confused at the direction the conversation was going.

"Well, yeah it was in part. I mean, it'd be nice to one day find that special someone. Our line of work just doesn't seem to offer us the opportunity to meet nice women."

"What's this? The eternally optimistic Blair Sandburg, who always seems to have a plethora of women chasing after him on a daily basis, is admitting defeat in the game of love?" Jim smiled mischievously, finally getting a smile out of his friend.

Blair returned the grin. "No way, man. Quit is not a word in my vocabulary. Except for maybe trying to convert you away from the evils of Wonderburger."

"Lost cause, Chief."

"That's what I thought."

"Back to the original conversation, Chief. What is really bothering you?"

Blair's grin faded as he gazed into his partner's eyes. "I've been wondering whether you're the only sentinel around who's not some type of thief or psycho. I've met three in five years, Jim. You're the only one who's not bent on using your abilities to break laws."

"Are you trying to say I'm special?"

"Yeah, man. You are special. Very special. You've got this moral streak a mile wide, would give the shirt of your back to help someone and wouldn't even consider using your gifts to do wrong. Why is that?"

Ellison placed a comforting hand onto his friend's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "I don't know, Chief. Maybe you need to look into that, do a study or something. You are the brains of this partnership."

That gesture brought back the smile on Blair's face. "A study. Yeah, I can do that. Research into the backgrounds of Alex and Danny to see if there are any similar characteristics that sent them onto a different path. Of course, I'm going to have to look further into your background, you know. Talk to your father and brother and maybe some of your old classmates--"

"Time out, Sandburg." Ellison lifted his hands to halt his partner's rambling words. "Let's just get you home."

Blair's smile widened. "I can go with that. Any idea when I can get sprung from this joint? I think Dr. Somers has been avoiding my requests to see her."

Before Ellison could answer, Simon Banks entered the room carrying a bag. He set it down on the ground. "How long are you going to continue this gold bricking, Sandburg? Having two of my detectives off the streets is causing the Major Crime arrest record to slump." The tall black Captain tried to sound gruff, but the twinkle in his eye belied the friendship he had with the two.

"Just as soon as I can get released. The knee is doing better, my back's only a little stiff and at least it was my left hand burned and not the right. I'll be able to handle the load of work I know is probably waiting at my desk." Blair straightened up, trying to appear in better shape than he really felt. In truth, his back was still quite tender and his hand was bothering him more than he wanted to admit. He adjusted his hospital gown with his right hand to relieve the irritation it was causing to his back. The left was covered with thick layers of gauze to prevent infection of the opened blisters.

Ellison wasn't buying the act. He could see the effects of his friend's injuries in his eyes, the still present pain causing the blue eyes to darken. And along the bond between them, Ellison could tell exactly how bad it was. He stared at Blair until the young man lowered his gaze, dropping the false pretense of good health.

Knowing that something had passed between his two detectives that he wasn't to be a part of, Banks cleared his throat to get their attention. "Now that I have you both together, I'd like to know what came over you down in the mine, Jim."

"What? Something happened? When?" Blair leaned forward, concern in his voice.

Ellison gave his superior a confused look, searching back through his memory. "When was that, sir?"

"When you fought Wilkins. I'd swear that wasn't the Jim Ellison I know wielding that knife. Your eyes looked... I don't think I can explain how you looked."

Ellison rubbed his forehead. The memory of the fight was a blur. What was disturbing to him was that it felt similar to his recollection of the time spent in Peru after the crash so many years ago. "It's really strange, but I can't really remember too much about what happened." He sounded frustrated.

Blair shifted forward and rested his good hand onto his friend's arm. "Take it easy, Jim. The memory is there, but probably pushed back because of what happened. Okay?"

Jim searched through the calm gaze of his partner and friend. Seeing the trust and confidence there, he nodded and closed his eyes.

"Good. Now think back two days ago. You're traveling down the tunnel with Rafe, nearing the central cavern." Seeing Jim nod, Blain continued. "What happened next."

"We didn't want Wilkins to see me first so Rafe had taken the lead. I'd heard him stop to check out an opening when I... felt that something was wrong. So I moved up to where he was and stopped him. I listened to see if I could hear what was going on up ahead when I heard Wilkins order the whipping." Ellison's jaw clenched at the memory, the cry he'd heard from Sandburg after the first blow and the pain with each lash afterwards.

Blair gave Jim's arm a squeeze and small shake, bringing the larger man's attention back to the room. "That's in the past, Jim. Let it go and move on. Okay?"

"Yeah. Okay." The muscles around the jaw slowly relaxed and Jim followed his Shaman's guidance. Clearing his throat, he continued to recall the incident in the tunnel. After several long seconds, he continued. "Ah, after you called to me through the bond I..."

Remembering, Jim was suddenly back in the tunnel. Only this time he was aware that he wasn't in control of his body. He watched as his body continued forward through the tunnel and into the cavern to see Blair hanging from the pole in the center. Then he was in the middle of the fight, remembering all that happened, when a sharp blow across his cheek brought him back into the hospital room. Looking up, he saw the dismayed faces of Blair and Simon.

"Jim! What in the hell just happened here?" Banks exclaimed. "It took me almost 10 minutes to bring you around. You just about gave me a heart attack and I'm sure Blair has aged 10 years." Blair nodded in agreement, his eyes wide.

Ellison wetted his lips. "I was remembering the fight in the tunnel It wasn't me that fought Wilkins. Or at least, I wasn't really in control then." Looking firmly into Sandburg's eyes, he dropped the bombshell. "The sentinel in me took control when I realized that you were being tortured by another sentinel."

"The what!" Banks exclaimed.

"The sentinel in me. He stepped forward and took control and I had no problem in letting him do that. It was the only way that Wilkins could be defeated. I could tell that my senses were in tune with everything around me and I could almost anticipate the moves the man was going to make even though 'He' was in control. And you helped, Chief. I could feel you supplying me/him with strength and confidence in our ability to defeat him. I could also feel you, Simon. There was something of you coming through the energy Blair was providing."

"Oh, wow," Blair whispered, running a hand through his hair to brush it back from his face. "And you came back when the danger was over, right?"

Ellison dropped his head to stare at his hands. "Actually, I was trying to decide on whether to kill Wilkins or not when I felt the energy from you falter. That's when I remember being back in control."

Banks groaned. "I really don't want to be hearing this, Jim."

"I know, sir. But it's what happened."

Blair bounced on the bed, his excitement high. "This is like, so cool, Jim. I wonder if this development is because of your experience at the temple of the Sentinels or due to our bond. We're going to have to bring this up to Roni and see if she can help you get more of a handle on this. Wait, how are you feeling now?"

Jim pursed his lips and shook his head. "Fine. Like everything is back to normal. No danger. I can't feel anything different." Seeing the look in his partner's eyes, one that indicated the smaller man was thinking hard, Jim groaned quietly. The air of 'we need to test this' was all around Blair.

"Well, I really don't want to be around the next time your other one comes out. Jim Ellison in a bad mood is enough for me." Banks grinned at his detective.

"You don't see that side as much as I do." Blair leaned back, but still wasn't able to dodge Jim's hand that flew up to smack him lightly on the side of the head. He gave a quick grin to cover the groan that escaped from his movement. To keep the subject off of his condition, Blair turned to Simon. "I meant to ask you how you felt when you were helping me, Simon. I mean, I don't think I would have been able to go as long as I did without you there."

Banks stared down at the bed, rubbing his brow. He opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, trying to speak the words that didn't want to come out, before looking back up at his men. Both were watching him closely. "The only way I can describe it is that it was a head rush."

"Not tired or drained?" Simon shook his head. Blair pulled at his bottom lip, his eyes becoming distant. "So... I guess that means that I wasn't drawing anything from you. Like I said before, you grounded me. Keep me from burning out by allowing me to draw energy from my reserves and maybe some other place."

Jim tapped Blair on the forehead to get his attention. "We are not going to make it a habit of you doing that, hear me Chief?"

"Agreed. Strictly on an 'as needed' basis and I would be more than happy for the need not to appear for a very long time." The other two could hear the conviction in Blair's voice. "So, what's going to happen with all the homeless people Danny had with him? Are they being forced back out into the streets?"

"Social Services has stepped in and taken over their care. They are being offered places to stay, help to find any relatives that they can get assistance from, and counseling. No one is going to be back out on the street unless they demand it. Of course, those that we can prove were part of the robberies will have to stand trial. The city is also going to make sure that any and all entrances into the mine are closed and sealed after they disconnect the utilities." Simon bent down and picked up the bag he'd carried into the room, handing it over to Blair. "I think you'll want these, Sandburg."

Opening the satchel, Blair's eyes opened wide and he broke into a broad grin. "My journals. Thanks, Simon. Where'd you find them?" Pulling out a notebook, he leafed through the pages to check the contents for any damage.

"Brown found them in Wilkins' living area when he and Rafe were securing the scene. Apparently, he recognized your scrawl. I don't think we want these to be part of the case file on Wilkins."

"Definitely not."

"You're going to have to find a good place to store them, Chief. After I get to read them, that is." Ellison picked up one of the notebooks and started thumbing through it. Sandburg pulled it out of his hands before he got too far.

"I'd rather you read the actual dissertation, Jim. Easier to understand and--"

"And less chance of him seeing some of your more colorful comments about his behavior," Banks interrupted, a sly grin on his face. It widened into a broad smile when he saw the other's reactions. Sandburg colored in embarrassment and Ellison, his expression hardening, grabbed back at the journal. Stepping back, Banks exited the room. "I'll see you gentlemen later."

"Now Jim," Blair stammered. "A good researcher has to write down his feelings and opinions as accurately as possible when working with his subject. And you have to admit, there were times when you weren't the most genial person to be around and you tended to treat me as well some of the others with--"

"'Headstrong and belligerent during confrontations.' What is this, Sandburg? 'Territorial and possessive attitude could be strong indication of a sentinel's imperative to secure his tribal ground.' I think I want to see all of your books."

"I knew you were going to act this way if you saw my notes, Jim. That's why I want you to see what I wrote in the paper first. You always get touchy and tend to overreact."

"Touchy and tend to overreact? I think I really have a reason if this is what you say you've observed. Tell me when..."

Walking down the hall of the hospital, Banks chuckled over the voices he could still hear coming from Sandburg's room. He knew nothing would come from the argument, not if he knew the way the kid could soothe Ellison. This was probably the best thing that could happen to the two. Secrets were definitely not something that either of them should have from one another.

The end.

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