Found

Jay looks down at the ropes around his wrists. What if they got separated? What if the Agency would kill them on sight? What if they wouldn't be able to get out like planned? He thinks of Katie and a tear forms in his eye. He thinks of his wife and swallows hard. He thinks of his other children as the lump rises in his throat.
God please... please bring us all home safe.

Derek leans his head back against the side of the van as they rattle down the road. He replayed Phinox's words over and over in his mind. It had been a long time since he'd done anything like this... a very long time. But the adrenaline rush was the same.

As they continue to drive, Reese looks in his side mirror to see the other van that Con was driving. As they come upon an intersection, Con turns off, breaking away from the other vehicle. Reese takes a deep breath. There was no need to say anything... he knew that the other team would go another route and circle around to get a good spot to watch the building. They would be taking a short cut to arrive and keep an eye out before this part of the team even arrived.

Reese's hands tighten a little around the steering wheel. "Jase? Scott? If you're in a position to talk, give us an update on how things look."

Jason and Scott crouch behind a row of unkempt bushes along the parking lot of the building. "We got two guys out front," Jason replies quietly. "Rifles." Movement catches his eye. "Make that three. Lookin' lazy though. They're bored."

"Good," Reese responds. "They'll probably be easy to surprise then."

Scott taps Jason's shoulder and points to the corner of the building that was their target. They now had a clean shot to make it through the shadows.

Jason nods. "Going in. Let you know when we've got Katie."

Carson looks up at the others in the lookout van. The ride had been pretty quiet. Everyone knew what they were supposed to do, and all were trying not to think of the worst.

Sitting sideways against the sides of the van, eyes meet each other, but few words are spoken. Laura leans forward to put her face in her hands, her worry for Katie getting stronger and stronger.

Ryder is next to her and he sighs. Katie was his friend too... one of the few he had. Without thinking, he instinctively reaches over to rub Laura's back for a second.

She turns her head to look at him, giving him a grim smile of thanks. Straightening up, she pats his leg before settling back again. Looking to the front where her brother was driving, she catches his eye in the rearview mirror. He throws her a wink.

It seems to take forever, yet not time at all to reach their destination. Con is the first to speak. "Hal, how we looking?"

"Everything's the same. No one has reached Katie yet and... perimeter is clear." Hal had been set up with another monitor in the cubicle that would show Dalton's feed of the satellite surveillance. The screen jumps. "Dalton, keep us together, buddy."

Con parks the van in a secluded corner in an alleyway at the edge of the town. Everyone filed out, checking their gear and ammunition. Carson sets his hands on his hips and wanders away from the others. Taking his binoculars, he can see the building where Katie was being held. There were trees... an empty grass lot... and another tall building not too far away. "Con... you're up for the building."

Con knew his job. It's exactly what he'd been trained for. Taking a rifle, he checks it over before slinging it over his shoulder. He would be their sniper. Without hesitation, he starts with long strides towards the building, keeping safe along a couple other buildings then the tree line. A fire escape ladder was his route to the top.

Carson makes sure Con is well on his way before turning to the others. "Laura, head for the trees. Safe spot but good vantage point. Move around to the side so you'll have a good angle to head anybody off if they try to run."

She nods, slipping into work mode. This was it. The only thing she pauses for is to reach over to Nate's hand and give it a squeeze. If she would have had the time to kiss him, she would have. But she has to move now before anyone realized they were there.

Carson points to Nate. "West side parking lot." He knew that Nate would have already seen the junked cars that would provide ample cover, and he needn't give specific orders.

He then waves to Ryder. "You're with me."

Ryder grits his teeth. Though concentrating on finding Katie, there was still a small burning inside of him that fed his dislike for Carson. But he had no choice to argue today. He and Carson head to the tall grass, drop down on their bellies and begin to army crawl to their destination. They would wind up at the edge of the parking lot, hopefully completely unseen.

Jason and Scott keep low as they dash from one tree to the next, then straighten to flatten themselves against the side of the building. They could both hear what the other teams were doing, and knew they were not alone. At this point, the hardest thing to maintain would be their timing.

Out of sight from the thugs around the corner, Jason and Scott find the door unlocked. Slipping inside, they pause to take a look around. Both knew the layout. They tiptoe at a runner's pace down the hall.

Suddenly someone emerges from a side room. The man is startled, his eyes widening. But too shocked, his reaction is slowed. Before he can get his walkietalkie to his mouth, Jason reacts. Moving with speed, Jason grabs the man, twists him around and puts him in a brutal chokehold. The man struggles, but is no match for Jason's adrenaline-driven strength. Within seconds, the man has lost consciousness.

Scott's heart pounds and his hands shake just a little. Jason looks to him with reasurance and nods. They had to keep going.

Moving forward, they find the room their looking for. Hearing voices, they go flat against the wall, guns ready. But the two men emerging go the other direction toward the far exit. Jason recognized Rod and his blood boils. A nudge to his arm brings him back to their task and he and Scott move into the room. The door to the basement.

Turning quickly, Jason locks himself and Scott into the room. If anyone came back, that would buy them just a little more time. Thankfully, the door to the basement was open. Trying the lightswitch, nothing happened. Jason retrieved his flashlight and held it out in front of him, along with his gun. Down, down they descended into the dark, damp basement.

Scott's heart was racing, and for a moment, he gets hit with a wave of diziness. Stopping, he grabs at the railing, giving a little gasp.

Jason stops and turns, looking up into Scott's face. His eyes begged him to keep going. He needed him. Katie needed him.

Doing his best to recover, Scott bravely keeps going. His mind tried to play tricks on him, trying to get him to think that he was back in his old cell. He half expected to see the same rats that had shared his meals. His hand moving through a spiderweb makes him cringe. But he keeps close to Jason's back, following him all the way.

Jason sweeps the room with his flashlight. They were alone. Except for the huddled body at the pole in the middle of the room. Oh, Katie. His heart leaps into his throat, and it takes all the raw strength he has to hold himself together. "We're in."

Reese breathes a sigh of relief. "We'll be there soon. Don't dawdle."

It had taken Jason and Scott a little longer to get inside than planned, and now time was of the essance. Moving quickly, Jason is the first to reach Katie. He slides down on his knees next to her and so gently reaches out to tilt her face up. He saw the marks. He saw the blood. His heart screamed inside of him. "Katie..." His voice was so soft, almost timid. "Katie, can you hear me?" With no response, he leans forward, putting his ear close to her. She was still breathing. "She's still alive." No one had to respond - he could feel everyone's relief. But this was far from over.

Scott kneels down behind Katie, turning on the light on his hat. Sweat trickled down the side of his face. He wanted to take the time to see Katie's face and to tell her it was all going to be okay, but that was Jason's job. Unzipping his backpack, he goes for his tools. A small screwdriver is drawn out and he aims it for the corner of the bomb, but his hand is shaking uncontrollably.

Jason sees him, and grows serious. "Scott... come on... you can do this."

Panic wells up inside of Scott. Not only was he fighting against the memories and flashbacks, but he was holding one of his dearest friend's life in his hands. He wasn't strong enough. He wasn't brave enough.

"I know you can do it, Scott." Hope's words ring in Scott's ears. He remembers the confidence in her voice. She had faith in him... she had helped bring him this far. Closing his eyes, he remembers her voice... her touch... her confidence in him.

Opening his eyes again, he looks down. His hand was steady. He starts to take the casing off of the bomb.

Jason takes a wet cloth and tenderly wipes Katie's face, tucking her hair behind her ears and cleaning off all of the dried blood. A tear runs down his cheek. Don't leave me now... please don't leave me now... We've come too far... you've hung on this long... hang on a little longer... we'll get you out, I promise.

Jason can feel the emotions rising within him. The words were still only words in his mind, but like a magnet, he could feel the emotions starting to wrap around them, trying to form their own communication. The drugs were starting to wear off.

In a hushed tone, Jason sings a sweet lullaby, hoping that if Katie could hear them, that it would bring her comfort.

The quiet singing seems to put everyone in a strange state of peace. The whole team could hear him, and they knew why he was giving his gentle reassurance.

Reese stops the van and stares ahead towards the building that could be seen in the distance. "Is everyone in position?"

One by one, the other members check in. Everyone was accounted for. Everyone was in place. Reese looks back to Phinox. "We're ready on your signal."


The morning comes in more lazily than in a long time. The team takes their time getting up – for once, taking a break from their early-morning routines. A couple of the guys eventually get up and make some coffee. Hunter leaves and returns with some pastries for breakfast and Myla works on picking up the living room after the evening before with a throw pillow fight and popcorn. It’s getting a little late, and everyone’s starting to pack up, when suddenly someone realizes that Kyle hasn’t been up and about.

“Did he eat breakfast?” Chloe questions.

Blake shakes his head. “I haven’t even seen him up.”

“Surely he’s not still asleep with this racket.” Jordan heads for the bedroom.

“I dunno.” Shawn shrugs. “I haven’t been back in there since I got up.”

Jordan rolls his eyes and keeps his route to the bedroom. He half suspected that Kyle had slipped out unnoticed. But reaching the room, he discovers he was wrong. He seeks Kyle still lying flat on the far bed, on his stomach with his head turned away from the noise.

Jordan couldn’t believe Kyle had slept through everyone’s chattering and moving around. But maybe he’d finally gotten a good night’s sleep. “Yo, Kyle!”

No answer.

Jordan goes closer and shakes the bed. “You gonna sleep all day?”

Still no answer.

“Kyle…” Jordan moves around to see Kyle’s face, then reaches down to shake his friend’s shoulder. “Kyle!”

Nothing.

Now a little concerned, Jason sits on the edge of the bed and shakes his friend again. “Kyle, come on… wake up.”

“He still asleep?” Heath asks from the doorway.

Jordan keeps trying, doing everything he can. “Come on, Kyle, buddy, daylight’s burning.” With the concern worsening, he checks Kyle’s pulse. “Kyle?”

After several more minutes of the same, Jordan finally looks up at Heath grimly. “Call 911. I can’t wake him up.”

Heath doesn’t wait to ask questions, and spins around, diving for the phone in the living room.

The others are immediately on alert.

“What… what’s wrong?”

“What happened?”

“Is he okay?”

Suddenly, the bedroom is full, a quiet but fearful chaos ensuing. Jordan stands, holding the others back. “Whoa, guys, leave room to breathe.”

Chloe’s lip trembles. “He’s not…”

“No,” Jordan answers. “He’s breathing, though his pulse isn’t great. I can’t get him to wake up, and that’s not normal. Something’s wrong.”

He hears Heath explaining to the 911 operator, asking for an ambulance. He scans all the eyes in front of him, including Alice's. “Does anyone have any idea what Kyle did before bed last night?”

Chloe swallows hard, a tear running down her cheek. “He still had a bad headache. I…I gave him some pain killers. I don’t think he had any supper though.”

“Okay, we wait for the paramedics. Stay cool and sit tight.”


"...so I thought when Dad's done with whatever it is he's doing, that then maybe we could -" Liz's words are cut off as there is a knock at the door. Both she and Axel are sitting on stools at his small kitchen counter, eating breakfast. She looks at him with question. "Expecting company?"

"No. But that never means anything." Axel slides off his seat and ambles to the door. Opening it, he's surprised at the visitor. "Taylor? What's up?"

Taylor steps inside only when invited, and gives a little sigh and shrug. "Oh, just... hadn't seen you much since the band hasn't been practicing much and, um, I just, um..." Her eyes drift down, then up, then to the kitchen. Her eyebrows rise. "Liz?"

"Taylor!" A smile spreads on Liz's face. "Long time no see!"

"Yeah! ...yeah." Taylor looks to Axel for an explanation.

He chuckles. "Unexpected visitor. Long story. So... something you needed to talk to me about?"

"Well, um... yeah, I just..." Taylor looks to Liz again, then back to Axel.

Axel gets the idea, and he turns around, motioning with his head for Liz to make herself scarce.

Liz tries to hide her grin as she picks up her bowl of cereal and aims for the living room. "I'll, just... catch the morning news on tv."

Taylor gives and awkward laugh and steps toward the empty kitchen. Turning around, she looks up at Axel, her face slightly flushed. "Look, um... I know things are alright between us, and I know if I asked, you'd probably say I didn't need to explain anything, but... it would make me feel better, okay?"

"Okay." Axel leans back against the counter expectantly. He felt just a tad awkward himself, but if Taylor needed this, then he would allow it.

Taylor takes a deep breath. "I wanted to give you my genuine apology for my behavior in the past. I... I was foolish and... and caught up in some weird emotions and... I never meant to make you feel uncomfortable."

Axel shakes his head. "You don't-"

"No, let me finish," Taylor interrupts. She paces in a small circle as she talks. "I like you, Axel. I always have. I mean... who doesn't?" She manages a short chuckle. "But I see now that I was invading your space and... that I had misinterpreted my own feelings and acted inappropriately. Yes, at the time I thought I wanted to be more than friends, but... after making a complete fool of myself and then stepping back and really taking a good hard look, I see how much I value our friendship and... I see that you and I really aren't meant to be anything but friends."

She finds a little more strength with each word. "I see you and Jess and I'm so happy for you guys, and I really hope that things work with you two. I just... I wanted to say I'm sorry for hauling off and acting on impulse and embarrassing the both of us. And... I just wanted to make sure that... well..." Her eyes lower again. "...that I could still have you for a friend and the big brother I never had."

Feeling Axel's hands on her shoulders, she looks up quickly. "Forgive me?"

Axel is smiling and he shakes his head. "How many times do I have to tell you that I do? Quit stewing about it. I'm okay, you're okay, and yes... we're still friends."

Taylor finally smiles and nods a little sheepishly. "Okay." A slight laugh surfaces. "Would this be a bad time to tell you that I have a date tonight?"

"What?!" Axel steps back, pretending to be shocked, then throws her a wink. "What's the lucky guy's name?"

"Bill."

"Bill?" Axel quirks an eyebrow "That's a-"

"A fine name," Taylor cuts him off, sticking her tongue out.

"Is he handsome?"

"Of course."

"Good clean guy?"

"Couldn't get any cleaner." Taylor grins. "Thanks, Axel. Will I see you at our next practice?"

"Far as I know."