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.
Facing the doors Voight felt eyes on him and casually turned to source the person focusing on him. His old friend gave him an imperceptible nod. They needed to talk. The Sergeant sent a silent message of agreement in a look before turning back to the doors as they opened on the top floor. From here they had three flights of stairs to ascend and a glance at his watch informed him they could not afford to delay. Noon was fast approaching. The gruff man stepped purposefully out into the corridor knowing the others were following. AD Murphy struggled to keep up with Voights' pace. He was no longer the young, fit man he used to be and too many fast food meals on the go over the years had denigrated his once athletic build. He didn't complain about his discomfort however. It was nothing compared to what Baker was no doubt experiencing and Jay was likely to. Frowning he looked back to where the injured man on crutches was bringing up the rear with Al casually staying at his side, an immovable Sentinel. The features of the younger Detective were blank as he pushed himself to move quicker than his body obviously wanted. The New Yorker could not see King letting this end well. He just hoped Jay could cope with that.
With just three minutes to spare the Unit and Murphy stepped out onto the rooftop automatically spreading out to find the objective. A curt shout from Antonio, who had rejoined the men just before they reached the exit stairwell, brought everyone to his position on the west side of the building. Looking across at the Radisson Blu Aqua rooftop they could all see the tied up man. Without a word Jay dropped his crutches on the concrete and took his offered rifle from Al who had appointed himself his Assistant for the job in hand. In the background Voight quickly issued orders even as he surreptitiously kept an eye on the injured man.
The midday sun of the spring day was bereft of warmth but despite this Adam could see the sweat running down Bakers' strained features as he checked the Dentist over through his binoculars. Kevin at his side was more interested in the rooftop rather than its' tied up occupant. The directive that no one was to enter the Radisson invited the possibility that King was in fact close to hand. The question was would he dare taking the risk that his instruction would be disobeyed and chance capture? Mouse had found an air conditioning cover to place his monitor on and was busy going over the various exits from the Radisson. If Jay was successful and King was close by he wanted to make sure they didn't waste unnecessary time trying to locate his probable means of exit if he was in fact in the other hotel.
Standing slightly back from the Intelligence Unit in their full tactical gear Murphy looked out of place in his dark blue jeans and black sweater. He wore a bullet proof vest under the sweater but with his physical bulk it could be easily overlooked. He had not intended to be in attendance at the hotel this morning but Parker had been unable to get out of the conference he was due to attend since he was the Keynote Speaker so the Psychologist had requested his fellow New Yorker to help in his absence. Murphy had been surprised by the request because he knew the Assistant Director intended to help. Unfortunately he had not had the time to query his younger friends' unnecessary request but now as he looked over to where Al was holding out a telescopic sight to the injured Detective they were all worried about it dawned on him. Parker expected this to go south and in lieu of him being there he wanted the AD present on the remote chance he could offer some comfort. Hell! Murphy cursed internally. He had no magic words to combat the consequences of an unsuccessful shot.
"That's not helping," a quiet voice at his side startled him.
"Damn Voight warn a guy next time!" Murphy admonished softly as he looked at the newcomer even as he tried to jump-start his heart again.
"However this goes down Halstead will deal with it," the Sergeant stated perceptively, "he doesn't need to see our worry."
"He looks like hell."
"And no doubt he feels like hell but that won't stop him."
"You think he can make the shot?" Murphy couldn't keep the surprise out of his voice.
"He's the best of the best."
"He tell you that?"
"What do you think?"
"Right," Murphy scoffed at the notion of the former ex-Ranger boasting, "so you really think he'll pull it off?"
"That depends on King. He won't want Halstead to succeed but I'm not sure how he can rig things to be assured of a favourable outcome."
As Jay attached the telescopic sight to the rifle in a well practised manoeuvre he found himself unknowingly mirroring Voights' thoughts. Was there a way for King to ensure he failed even if he took the shot?
"One minute," Al informed at his side, noting the ease in which his young friend readied the weapon system unaware of the awed expressions on his friends' faces with the exception of Mouse.
"This gets done we go to the Radisson either way," Voight walked over to the two men and signalled Al to leave.
"Yes Sarge," Jay acknowledged the words even as he readied his aim, eye placed by the sight.
"You show King he doesn't know everything Halstead," the Sergeant instructed with a hefty dose of confidence before patting his subordinates' shoulder, "about time we took charge."
"Copy that Sarge," Jay spoke quietly as he focused on the IED with its' easily clear clock signalling thirty-five seconds remaining.
Stepping back to where Al waited Voight eyed the rooftop opposite.
"As soon as the Kid takes the shot all bets are off. I want you, Murphy, Atwater and Mouse with me over there ASAP."
"Mouse will want to stay," Al pointed out.
"Which is why I need you there. He'll listen to you because of your military background, he respects that. Dawson and Ruzek can take care of Halstead and make sure King doesn't make an appearance here."
"Sure," the dishevelled Detective nodded not bothering to voice his concern for Jay, it wasn't necessary to.
As Jay lost himself in what was usually euphemistically called the 'kill zone' his attention zeroed in on the IED. He ignored Baker. Right now the man would only be a distraction, one he did not need. Taking his eye away from the sight momentarily he closed his eyes and felt the slight breeze on the left side of his face. Opening his eyes he quickly adjusted the sight and again got into position. Looking through the sight focusing on the three visible wires he again thought about the unexpected ease of the shot. Checking the thick red, brown and yellow wires wrapped loosely around a bundle of dynamite sticks he set the target in his minds' eye. The red wire was the loosest one, making it easily accessible without hitting the dynamite. He had only one shot at this, quite literally. King had been quite explicit about that. Just as he had been explicit about the timing and the shooting of the red wire.
Several feet away watching the stressed Dentist through the binoculars Adam switched his attention to the IED. Fifteen seconds remaining. Within moments a single shot shattered the silence and the Detective felt his heart stop. The clock was still counting down and the yellow wire had been severed not the red one! Turning his head he looked at Jay in stricken disbelief. The unthinkable had happened! His friend had made a catastrophic mistake and Baker was about to pay the price ....
tbc