Tolerance Book II

Chapter Fifty-Two: Mission Impossible

21st Precinct

Silence reigned momentarily in the office as Jay put down the receiver, glad he didn't have to relay the conversation with King to the gathered men.  It was Als' quiet voice which summed up the situation with his usual laconic delivery.

"That's going to be difficult."
"You think?!" sarcasm dripped from Adams' tone as he paced in front of Jays' desk.
"He can't expect Jay to try it," Antonio decided.
"He clearly does," Kevin argued unhappily, glancing at the clock as he rose.
"We knew it was going to be an impossible task," Parker noted evenly from where he stood between Voight and Murphy outside the formers' office.
"Well?" Jay ignored the comments and instead turned to look over at Mouse who had been busy pulling up plans and specs.
"They're 900 meters apart Lieut," the IT Specialist inadvertently reverted to his military chain of command as he imparted the information, even as his fingers continued their well choreographed dance over the keys.
"Doable," Al stated mildly knowing the M24 had a recognized range of 800 meters which could be extended in the right hands.
"You just said it was going to be difficult," Adam reminded as he handed the injured man his crutches after he stood up.
"That doesn't mean it's impossible."
"Let's get this show on the road," Voights' authoritative voice instructed even as he double checked his handgun in preparation for what lay ahead, "time is not our friend right now."

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Pulling up outside the modern glass visage of Loews Chicago Hotel on North Park Drive, a short distance from Navy Pier, the men quickly exited the two black SUVs and purposefully headed inside.  There was no time to waste.  King had been quite emphatic about that.  Their arrival in full tactical gear drew concerned looks as expected and Antonio broke away from the group to speak to the Manager and Security.  Quickly locating the bank of elevators thanks to Mouses' directions the Unit together with Murphy piled into an empty car.  Once inside each man contemplated the task ahead.

"Still can't believe King okayed Jay having help," Adam finally spoke up, he hated silence.
"No doubt he has his reasons," Kevin surmised.
"Which are?"
"He wants an audience to see me fail," Jay explained calmly, he had important things on his mind right now and his ego wasn't one of them.
"Still think we should have someone in the Radisson," Mouse aired his unease as he watched the floors pass by on the panel.
"He was quite adamant that would get the person killed," Kevin shook his head in disagreement.
"So how hard a shot will it be?" Adam wondered aloud and was met with exasperated expressions, "What?  I'm just asking that's all."

As he leant against the wall of the elevator behind the other men Jay had tuned out the voices around him.  He needed to be focused if he had any chance of pulling this off.  That King had chosen two buildings just over 800 meters apart confirmed the theory that he was setting the Detective up for failure, but one that would see him come close to hitting the target.  The M24s' range of 800 meters was acknowledged as being the most effective but ultimately the success of a shot depended on several factors not least of which was the Sniper.  Sighing internally Jay knew if conditions were right the shot should not in fact be too difficult for him and that caused concern.  Was it possible King had inaccurate intel on his expertise in the field in question or was there something he was missing? Thinking back to the unhinged mans' instructions he recalled the casual disregard displayed for one Paul Baker now apparently on the rooftop of the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel.  King had stated Mr. Baker, a Dentist, had been abducted on his way to work and was now tied to a chair under which a bomb  was already counting down.  King had instructed Jay that the bomb could only be stopped if the red wire was cut and that was where Jays' skills came in.  Although there was no precedent of bombs being diffused in such a manner, apart from in Hollywood movies at least, there had been no point in arguing with King so the ex-Ranger had wisely refrained from doing so.  Al leant against the side of the elevator and contemplated the chances of saving Baker.  He knew Jay was more than just the 'best' with a rifle he was in fact in another league altogether but the distance between the buildings did not tally with their expectations.  It seemed Jay had a good chance of accomplishing the task King had set up and this knowledge did not sit well with the veteran Detective and former Sniper.  Surely King would have wanted to ensure Jay had no real chance of hitting the target yet the distance between the two hotels gave him the scope to achieve his goal.