Shackled Ch. 18

Apart.

He leaned over and looked into the eyepiece and placed the dead man's eye over his so that the scanner could read it. He held his breath for a few seconds, and then the black screen on the terminal lit up. He let his breath out slowly and then stood up. The terminal had a maintenance jack. He plugged one end of the cable into it and then pulled out his comms unit. He dialed a number and listened.

"Mr. Hansen?"

Victor.

"Knock it off will you," he whispered. "How many times do you I have to tell you it's Liam."

Victor paused.

"But my mother is sitting next to me."

Hansen laughed.

"Shit, ok then. It's Mr. Hansen for now," he said. "You at a terminal?"

"Yep."

"Ok," said Hansen. "I'm in. I'm about to plug this comms unit into the machine and then you can do your stuff. How much time will you need?"

"Should only be a couple of minutes, Liam," said Victor. Hansen heard a noise on the other end of the line. It sounded like a thud. "Er...I mean....Mr. Hansen."

Hansen chuckled to himself. Mrs. Chan.

"Ok. I'll plug the unit in and put it down. We'll be able to watch it on the screen?"

"Yes."

"Do we need to do anything once you disable the shackles or are we right to go?"

"You should be ok to just get out of there. We can extract the shackles later. Miss Black will be able to do it."

"Ok, I'm about to plug it in then," said Hansen.

"Hey, Liam," another thud, "Ow!...umm....Mr. Hansen?"

"Yes?"

"How come I get all the geek jobs and never get to go out and have fun?"

"Well you Asian boys are all techno wizards, aren't you?"

"That's a generalization. We're not all nerds and mummy's boys, you know. On the next job I want to go out. I can fight and shoot you know...."

Another thud.

Shit.

Mrs. Chan was going to kill him at this rate.

"Ok, I'll see what I can do, but I can't promise anything."

"Why?"

"Your mother would kill me."

He took the comms unit from his ear and plugged the cable into it. Now it was connected to the system. He made sure to place his arm over it and pretend he was pressing the buttons on the terminal's touch pad. In seconds, the terminal screen started scrolling around to different screens as Victor took control of it.

Hansen watched the screen and whispered.

"This is it, Emma," he whispered. "In a few minutes we'll be free and you won't have to run around with me and make me coffee anymore."

Laura giggled.

"Or breakfast."

Hansen shook his head.

Free.

Hansen wasn't a sentimental man, but he did feel a slight twinge at the prospect of he and Emma being separated.

Maybe she was only here because she had to be. Maybe once she was free she would....

The women stood to one side of him, quiet now, acting suitably contrite, but the hallway was empty. He watched the screen, flashing with different data to different locations. It was all a blur to him

Come on, mate. You sound like some sort of hero from a romance novel.

What?

Give it a rest. I'm in here too. You know how much I hate soppy crap like that.

I wasn't being soppy.

You're really gonna miss being shackled to the scientist? Give me a break.

Fuck off.

If your mind was big enough I'd start playing a violin. No room in here though.

If my mind was big enough, I'd work out how to get rid of you.

That won't happen. Ever.

We'll see.

Still making eye jokes?

Hansen groaned.

Hurry up, Victor, he thought. Just hurry the fuck up.

****

While Liam was busy getting them separated, Emma was busy watching the small screen as well as looking over her shoulder, hoping that they could get out of there soon. Still...it seemed a little bittersweet. She would have no real excuse to stick close to him soon. She'd have to stick close to Simon while they worked out a solution to their problem and Liam did the muscle work. Strangely enough, it terrified her. She didn't want him getting hurt or worse...the nagging feeling that they would lose what connection they had formed once the shackles were gone was another fear. It seemed illogical, but fears never did bring much logic to the table.

Pressing close, she sought the warmth of his body. His solidness that had brought her so much comfort. Taking a deep breath, she glanced at Laura who was enthralled with the process. Vaguely she wondered if the tall blond would enjoy extracting the shackles as well and how exactly that would go.

Fighting the urge to take Liam's hand and give a squeeze, she remained calm, cool and a little distance as her eyes scanned the screen. What seemed like an eternity went by until finally the screen blinked, a long line of scrolling script filled it and then blinked again before the words disabled flashed in bright letters.

"It's done." She murmured and cleared her throat, relieved and disappointed at the same time.

"Time to get the hell out of dodge!" Laura added.

"How are we going to do that?" Emma asked, glancing over at the SPFs that still lingered in the background.

Laura flashed her a grin. "Just be ready to run."

Emma groaned and slanted Liam a look that wasn't a cheerful one as Laura launched into an over dramatic hysterical fit. She pushed at Liam, making him stumbled back and crash against the wall. "You bastard!! I can't believe you're gonna book us!"

Emma was jerked, still cuffed to Laura. "Work with me babe. I know you have it in ya." Laura shot back at Emma who's eyes widened.

Liam let out a grunt as the two men from behind began to yell. "Hey!"

A hand grasped her shoulder and tugged, bringing Laura up with her. "What are these whores doi --"

His words were cut short as Laura drew back her fit. Emma jerked to the side, stomping her foot onto the man's booted foot as Laura connected with his jaw. The man stumbled back with a curse as Emma wiggled her wrist free and moved away. Laura delivered a swift kick to the guys head, sending him down.

She heard Liam curse in return and watched as the second officer turn to join the action. Laura laughed almost gleefully as Liam shoved Emma behind his body. "Liam, for the love!" She began to protest, wanting to tell him she could take care of herself, but she was quickly hushed as Laura told them to run.

****

Victor finished whatever it was he'd been doing and Disabled started blinking on the screen.

He looked casually down at the comms unit under his hand. He reached down with his other hand and pulled the small cable out of the computer and then out of the comms unit.

"Excellent, Victor," he whispered into the unit. "Gotta go."

He hung up and then punched a message into the unit.

Have to get out. Front door. Trust your instincts. 2 mins.

He sent the message and pocketed the unit. Now they had to get out of here and it was unlikely he'd be able to just waltz out with the women. They were supposed to be hookers he'd picked up and charged after all. They would be expected to go to a cell.

Hansen patted the police issue automatic on his hip as he stood up and faced them. It wasn't his Glock, but it was a gun. Laura had the Glock. It wouldn't be any less deadly in her hands. Emma had nothing.

Except him.

Last girl that had only you to rely on....

Oh shut the fuck up will you. You're supposed to be helping.

Just saying.

Emma and Laura had been whispering behind him as he'd collected the comms unit. He thought they might have been trying to figure out how they could get out of here. He was looking for any form of inspiration. They were only about twenty meters from the entrance to the hallway so technically they weren't far from the entrance of the building. Also, most of the SPFs would be coming from the other end of the hallway as that's where their offices were. The only ones to worry about were the cops at the front desk and the odd few that were either on their way to leaving or entering the building and they were at a disadvantage as Hansen had the element of surprise. No one would be expecting a confrontation at an SPF administration building.

He watched as Laura moved a little closer and put her hands gently on his chest. He sighed. He'd worked with her for so long and knew her so well.

A fight.

She wants a fight.

She always wants a fight.

He sighed again.

The look on Laura's face changed and she shoved forcefully against his chest. He let the force of her push cannon him into the wall. He made sure to drag on some cables so that terminals crashed to the floor. Noise was disruptive to most people's concentration and he needed as much disruption as he could manufacture.

"You bastard!! I can't believe you're gonna book us!" she shrieked at him.

The cops they'd been talking to were now at the desk with the other cops manning reception.

Four, that's nothing.

If they don't get their guns out before you.

Thanks for the encouragement.

Just saying....

Hansen had his back to the wall, his hand slipping down to the SPF automatic. One of the cops got to Emma, wrenching her up by the shoulder. She tried to stomp on his foot, but it would be useless against his boots.

At least she tried.

Laura landed a perfect right hand on his chin and the cop went down backwards, his fall broken by a small terminal desk. Emma's hand came free from the cuffs and she fell away towards Hansen. He threw his helmet off even though it protected his head. They were much harder to fight with and took away his spatial awareness.

He moved towards Emma and pulled her behind him just as Laura kicked the first cop in the face. This time his face went slack and he slid down to the floor.

"Fuck me, Laura," he said. "You couldn't think of anything more subtle?"

The cop's partner was now running towards them, trying to draw his gun at the same time.

"You fucking whores!" he cried.

Emma tried to say something to Hansen, but he couldn't make out what it was as he shielded her with his body. Laura looked at him momentarily with a slight nod. She'd take care of the approaching cop.

"Run!" she yelled.

He didn't know if it was a distraction to her plan or not, but he ran towards her, not away from her. To the approaching cop it would look like they were trying to close in on her together.

Good.

"I've got her on this side," said Hansen.

The other cop stopped about five meters from Laura. He was breathing hard and he looked down to his unconscious partner on the floor.

Hansen clucked his tongue to himself.

Bad move, mate.

As soon as his eyes moved to his partner, Laura jumped off one step and planted her foot in the middle of his chest. The air was pushed out of lungs and he was sent crashing into a terminal. As he slid down, she drove her knee into his face, snapping his head back and leaving him with a broken nose. She started to reach for the Glock....

"Fuck it," yelled Hansen. "The desk cops. They're more important."

Laura nodded at him and started down the hall towards reception. To the untrained observer it would look like they were doing the wrong thing going back towards the entrance and more cops, but the whole exchange had taken less than thirty seconds and the cops on reception would still be confused as to what was happening. They would have no idea that two whores would be causing more than just a minor disturbance. They had cameras, but all they'd see would be a scuffle. Hansen just hoped that it took them some time to absorb what they were seeing and that there weren't too many more police coming back to base at this particular moment.

He grabbed Emma's hand and pulled her roughly with him, trailing Laura by about ten meters. He heard her behind him and took a quick glance behind to make sure there were no cops coming into the hallway.

"Come on, Irish," he said, "we don't have much time."

Hansen now had the automatic in his hand. The time for subtlety was past.

He heard the cops cry out at reception. They were out of his line of sight and then he heard the shots.

Laura.

By the time he made it to the end of the hall and ran into the reception area, the cops were sitting with their faces down on the desk, blood pooling around their heads like a red halo. He pulled Emma past them and ran to Laura.

"I guess their paperwork's fucked," he said. "Do we need anything to get out..." but he stopped, hearing shouts behind him.

Cops in black uniforms were coming down the hallway towards them.

"Duck," yelled Laura.

He threw Emma hard onto the floor just as Laura started to shoot back down the hallway. He dropped to one knee and started shooting as well, a deadly hail raining though the passage. The cops hadn't even drawn their guns and four of them went down. One of the cops used a shot colleague as a screen and sat on his haunches next to a terminal. Laura started to move back in his direction.

"Fuck him," shouted Hansen. "The door. Give me a hand."

"What? Another one?" she laughed, but she turned back towards him.

Fire was now coming out of the hallway, but the cops were shooting blind. He and Laura each grabbed one of Emma's arms and started to run for the entrance. He could hear more shouts behind them now.

I hope the doors don't need security on the way out....

He had the police armor on so he ran straight for the door, slightly in front of Emma and Laura, intending to smash through the glass, but the glass panels slid open. Hansen figured Laura must have killed the cops on reception before they'd had a chance to lock down the entrances.

They had at least thirty meters to run before they made it to the street and safety of the car.

The shouting behind him was getting louder. There were more cops and they were getting closer. Their shooting had stopped, but it was only a matter of time before they got a visual on them and started firing again.

"Run, Emma," he said, letting go of her arm so that Laura could pull her along. He turned to face the building they'd just escaped from.

"Bonnie. Shit."

"Nice to see you too," she said, with a cold smile on her face. "So, are you going to ask me for a dance or do I have to ask you, shy boy?"

She must have been waiting at the door and she'd slipped in behind them as they came out. She turned her head to smile at him one more time, her black hair framing her face, and then dropped to one knee at the same time he did, holding her gun in her familiar two handed grip.

A synchronized ballet.

Of death.

She paused, her eyes ahead. They were both on one knee, shoulder to shoulder, their guns raised. She was waiting for his order.

"Now!" he yelled.

They started firing at the entrance and cops fell as they ran into the foyer. None made it near the entrance. They kept firing even when there were no cops to be seen, to make sure that Laura and Emma could make it to Carl and the car.

His gun emptied first and Bonnie kept firing. She motioned with her head to the front of her pants while she kept firing the gun, increasing the intervals between shots to three, maybe four seconds.

"Don't be shy," she said grimly, still firing the gun.

He rammed his hand down the front of her pants and pulled out another police issue automatic.

They must have got another one.

"The things I find in the most unlikely places," he said.

She laughed.

"Lucky I didn't wear larger pants, never know what else would have been down there. But then again," she said, all the while firing, "there's not much down there you haven't seen."

He almost blushed, but this wasn't the time for it. He raised the fresh gun and started firing, timing his shots between her's so that it seemed like there were more gunmen than there actually were.

Gunpersons, Hansen.

He ignored the Voice in his head and kept firing. He heard screeching tyres behind him and he hoped it was Carl. He heard Laura shout, "Here," and he knew that it was.

The gunfire was making his ears ring. Bonnie stopped firing. She was out. She threw the gun down and looked behind her. She stood up and something heavy the size of a tennis ball landed in her hands. He heard the rat-a-tat-tat of machine gun fire behind him and paused for a second and looked around.

Laura had the gun at her hip and was blasting away into the now bullet-ridden entrance. She looked like an angel, her blonde hair in the light, except most angels didn't smile like her or have tight biceps flexing under the weight of a machine gun and its recoil. He looked back. He couldn't see any cops.

Any live cops.

Bonnie passed him the spherical metal object – a bomb. She turned and caught another one. Then Carl moved away from the car and Emma and Hansen could see he had one in his hand as well. Laura moved in front of them, covering the whole group in a veil of bullets, the machine gun sending its deadly trail in front of them. Carl, Bonnie and Hansen moved up beside her and she stopped shooting.

"I really wish more would come out," she said. "They're such chickens."

Carl laughed and looked back to Emma who was leaning on the car with a small metal box in her hand. He winked at her.

"I've given her the detonator unit. Don't see why she can't have some fun," he said.

Hansen smirked, but then shook his head.

"You realize this is now just gratuitous, don't you?" he said. "It's not going to achieve anything. You're all just going to blow the whole building to the ground because you like it. You know that, don't you?"

"Yes," they cried in unison and then started laughing.

"Fuck me, sometimes I wonder who's really running this show."

Hansen paused and smiled, looking at each one of them. The team.

His team.

"Ok, let's do it, then," he said.

Laura started again with the machine gun and moved forward a little further. Carl, Bonnie and Hansen followed her and separated slightly behind her into a fan shape and then threw the bombs in through the entrance so that as much of the building as possible would suffer the blast.

Laura kept firing and then started to walk slowly backwards as she saw the bombs fly into the building. The others turned and walked towards the car. Hansen knew they had to get out of the area quickly. The alarm would surely be out there now.

He looked at Emma standing by the car as he walked towards her. She was looking towards the building, holding the detonator unit in her hand, her finger lightly pressing on the green button on top of the unit. When he was only a few metres from her, he took a deep breath.

Laura stopped firing and they all stood and turned towards the building about fifty metres away. He could feel Emma at his shoulder. He slowly breathed the air out through his nose.

"Ok, Irish, start the show."

And then Hell rained down on the city.