Quote:

Quote: from CrazyIvan on 2:19 pm on Dec. 24, 2002
Osprey keeps his gun out and up, laser sight and all the other trimmings on as he works his way around the room, clearing it of any...unwelcome customers.

"Looks like Stewart and Company just upped the ante."

Brian moves about the back room, finding no signs of any lingering danger in the immediate area. Buzzard's body is laying face down with four obvious exit wounds...one to each knee and a coup de grace double-tap to the head and chest.

Gavin mutters a brief prayer in Gaelic under his breath for Buzzard's soul and reaches for his cell phone with an exasperated sigh. His fingers move almost on automatic for the speed dial for headquarters.

Gavin's call goes through with the usual expeditious manner, but this time Nightengale himself answers the phone.

"I've been waiting for someone to call. Where's Buzzard and have you found his laptop yet?"

Gavin informs him of Buzzard's condition and that the team has yet to find his computer. Nightengale sighs with some remorse but maintains his composure.

"Indeed. Make finding Buzzard's computer top priority. If he failed to activate his encrpyt/burn device, this could be a major security risk. Even more disturbing is the fact that we couldnt' remotely disable it, which leads me to believe someone already got to it."

"Well, fook. Harry, have ya found anything yet?"

Harry's toxological search yields nothing more than some elevated levels of dust and pollen...no doubt from the antiques in the storage room.

22-Victor, 1:28am PST

From the layout of the safehouse, it appears that Stork is used to getting late night business. In a hidden corridor of the house stands a state-of-the-art interrogation/operating room. The sterility and cleanliness of the room is only disrupted by a centrally located hospital bed. It appears to be equipped for both treating and beating a patient.

Artis holds down Annie while Stork secures her to the bed frame. Annie's wrists and ankles are bound by steel restraints with magnetic locks.

"You can release her now. It would take a plasma torch 20 minutes to cut through those. I'm going to triage her wounds and set up an I.V. just so she doesn't go into shock. Can you tell me what exactly happened to her?"

Annie breaks in,

"The fucker shot me then ran me ov-"

Stork shoves some gauze in her mouth then covers it over with some medical tape.

"As I was saying, can you tell me what exactly happened to her? It will help me in my examination."

"We were tailing our target when she and her partner intercepted us. My partner managed to slip away from them but they caught up to me. I made it to the car - Annie here jumped on the hood, so down the Strip I go. I hit the brakes, the Terminator here flies off, I give her a burst with the heavy machine guns and then run her over. I'm pretty sure she got both tires. Basically, what she said. I'm gonna give my guys a call and see if they found anything useful."

Artis begins dialing up the team as Stork gives Annie the once-over with her medical equipment.

Blunt trauma to the back of the head...probably from falling off the car. Right side of torso appears to be intact, 3 cracked ribs and partial collapsed lung on the left quadrant. Fractured scapula and left humerus. Hairline fracture to left radius. Massive contusions on left femur and fibula. Damn, I can't believe she's still alive.

The team informs Artis of their current location and of Buzzard's demise.

Brain leans against the wall, thinking.

"This was sloppy...I say we plant something on him and get the police all over this. Stewart is too much of a professional to get netted, but an investigation would make enough noise, especially if we got someone like narcotics on it, to distract him for a bit. But of course, you gentlemen are a bit more experienced with this than I am."

He squatted down, looking at the two wounded knees. It gave him the chills...more than one SAS trooper had been found in Ireland looking like Buzzard.

Gavin shook his head. "The police would just get in our way as much as his. We know Artis nabbed one of the fantastic bitch twins." At this, he winces and rubs his abdomen, feeling the fresh scab where he'd been cut earlier in the evening. "Hopefully the lass will tell us more. Anyway, let's finish up here. We ought to check the other rooms for clues."

Gavin follows a particular blood spatter out towards cash register area of the store.

*click*

He freezes in his tracks as his boot lace catches on a wire strung across the bottom of the door jam.

"Err...I wouldn't call 'em sloppy, laddy. More like they weren't plannin' on the first wave comin' through the back door. A little help here?"

UNLV Hospital E.R. Parking Lot, 1:42am PST

Detective Schwartz and Jess arrive at the hospital. The LVPD are stringing up the ubiquitous Crime Scene: Do Not Cross tape around the front doorway of the emergency room. Schwartz flashes his badge to the OIC and the nylon barrier is lifted for them. Jess sees the local CSI taking photos and bagging up evidence. Detective Schwartz taps one of the kneeling investigators on the shoulder.

"Catherine, how's that daughter of yours? What have we got here?"

The blonde-haired woman finishes her sampling of the blood-spattered asphalt, puts a small white object in a flask, then looks up at the detective.

"She's fine, Mel. It looks like a patient got a little hysterical on the way to the ER. The meat wagon had just arrived here when, in the process of escaping from the paramedics, our attacker stabbed one of them and knocked two teeth out of the other one. He was kind enough to kick them out of the ambulance before he took off. There's an APB out on the ambulance."

Jess keeps her game face, as is to be expected from someone who basically already knew what she'd find at the scene.

*Sometimes I really wish I hadn't signed up for deep-cover operations...*

She then turns to Schwartz.

"Excuse me, Detective, I think I'm just standing in your way now. If you've got no further questions for me, I'll go home. Please call me when you find Andrew."

She then turns away and draws out her mobile, trying to raise Harry.

Detective Schwartz scratches his temple for a long second, runs his hand over his five o'clock shadow and silently nods.

"Yeah...I guess yer right. This ain't no place for a lady of your refinement. Here's my card, call me if ya have any more info. I'll also call you if yer friend turns up, although it looks like he'll be wantin' you to post bail fer him. Tell one of the officers that Detective Schwartz asked them to drive you wherever you need to go. Take care."

Just then, Harry picks up on the other end.

Jess manovers away from everyone nearby, then talks into the phone with hushed voice.

"Hummingbird here. The prey is on the loose and hunted, but my cover appears to be intact. I'll know when he's found, but I have the sneaking suspicion that a little manpower from our contractors could speed that up. Have you found Buzzard ?"

Brian quickly makes his way toward the door, his gun snapping up as he keys his comm.

"Buzzards dead, and we very may well have just screwed the pooch ourselves."

He grins, trying to keep a confident air as the situation rapidly spirals out of control, asserting his power on what he could.

"Not expecting the back door IS sloppy. Just not as sloppy as we might have liked."

Quote:

Quote: from Gatac on 2:51 pm on Jan. 2, 2003
Jess manovers away from everyone nearby, then talks into the phone with hushed voice.

"Hummingbird here. The prey is on the loose and hunted, but my cover appears to be intact. I'll know when he's found, but I have the sneaking suspicion that a little manpower from our contractors could speed that up. Have you found Buzzard ?"

There is a noticable pause between Harry's first hello and his next reply.

"Oh. Hello. Um, we're over at the antique shop. Um...get over here right away...we have an...uh...explosive situation here. Use the back the entrance."

*Back entrance ? Explosive situation ? Something tells me that I really, really won't like what's coming up.*

Jess hangs up, then turns to the next police officer to redeem her Special-Weekend-Only free ride courtesy Detective Schmidt, in a manner that's slightly more restrained than her bikini approach.

Jess walks up to a male uniformed officer (his nameplate reading Holtman). He is doing crowd control around the ER entrance.

She taps him on the shoulder,

"Um....excuse me? I was told by Detective Schmidt that someone would be able to provide transportation for me."

Officer Holtman turns around,

"Huh? What? Lady, I'd really like to but as you can see I'm..."

He then takes the time to notice Jess' near drop-dead gorgeous looks. The fact she's wearing a slinky cocktail dress probably didn't hurt either. Officer Holtman glances over to Detective Schmidt who gives him an affirmative nod. He cracks a wide smile and snaps off a half-salute.

"Ok...sure. Let me just get someone to take over for me and we'll be on our way."

Officer Holtman yells over to cop flirting with one of the hospital nurses.

"Hey Beckerstaff, you're a married man...get over here!"

The two have tete-a-tete about the current situation. Jess makes out something like,

Hey. I won't tell Janice about your little rendevous with the nurse if you take over for me.

Beckerstaff reluctantly accepts and takes over for Officer Holtman. He walks back over to Jess.

"My cruiser's parked right over there. I'll have you home in no time."

22-Victor

Stork tells Artis that it might take a while to get anything out Annie and that she'll call him if any breakthroughs are made.

Antique Shop-Backroom

Harry whips out his Leatherman (TM) all-in-one tool.

"I got this, no problemo. Ok buddy...just don't move or all of us are toast."

Alright Harry, remember your training...

1) From the cover of the firing position, move the "Safety" to the "On" position.
2) Disconnect the M57 firing device from the blasting cap wire.
3) Remove the Shipping Plug and Priming Adaptor.

Harry meticulously goes through the steps, the initial small beads of sweat become a downpour soaking the brim of his hat. He takes it off and wipes his brow.

(sigh)

"Ok. That should be it."

Just then, Brian looks at Harry's progress.

"Err...Harry? Is it just me, or did you forget to remove the blasting cap from the detonator well??"

Harry was just about to give the all-clear...

"Crap...you're right. Thanks."

Gavin looks 3 shades of white and slowly nods...

"Yeah, mate...thanks. I guess some of you English ain't bad."

Harry removes the blasting cap, with the wire finally being cut. Everyone closes their eyes as Harry clips the wire.

*snap*

Everyone opens their eyes in relief.

"There, that wasn't so bad...was it?"

As the team begins to relax, their phones ring...it's Father Goose.