Early morning in Toronto, and the cool autumn breeze brushes up against Alex's face as she runs down the path next to the lake. "Wait up!" Spike laughs. Alex turns around and runs in place as Spike runs up towards her. "Why don't you just hurry up, slow poke" Alex laughs. Spike stops running and leans over to catch his breath. "Slow poke? Huh?" Spike questions. "Always" Alex snickers.
Spike then quickly stands up straight and looks at Alex with a smirk on his face. He takes a step towards her and places both hands on her cheeks. He leans in and kisses her softly, and then instantly runs passed her. Alex turns around shocked. "No fair. You cheated!" Alex yells as she runs towards him laughing.
As they reach the parking lot, Spike is leaning against his car with a smile on his face. "Who's the slow poke now?" he smirks. Alex walks towards him and shakes her head. "You. Cheated" she smirks as she now stands right in front of him. Spike wraps his arm around her back and smiles. "How so?" he asks pulling her closer. "Just, like this" Alex whispers. She leans in and places her lips on his, as she brings her hands up behind his head and through his hair.
She then pulls back and walks towards her car as Spike watches her. "I'll see you at work" Alex states. "See you at work" Spike snickers as he then gets into his car, driving away. Alex sits down and starts her car, following Spike away from the parking lot and through the busy streets downtown.
***
Alex quickly changes and runs back out of the locker room, almost running into Greg. "Woah. Careful Alex" Greg smiles. "Sorry, dad" Alex says. "Come with me. Let's go see Eddie" Greg explains as he gently grabs Alex's arm and pulls her along.
Greg walks over towards the weapons room and holds up a large target. "Hey! It's one hole. How many shots?" Greg asks. "Twenty" Eddie admits as he hangs back up his gun. "That's nice. That's why you're still my number one" Greg states. Eddie then turns around with a large grin on his face and looks at Greg and Alex. "That's why I'm always number one" he laughs.
Suddenly Greg slowly looks to the floor with an upset look on his face. "Ed. We're being sued. Wrongful death" Greg sighs. Alex looks over at him quickly shocked. "What?" she questions quickly. "First year plaza" Greg explains.
Alex looks down to the floor remembering the call.
Alex watches as the subject becomes aggressive again and points the gun towards Greg and the the other officers, and they all quickly duck. "Hey! Look at me! What did I just say?" Alex yells causing the subject to look at her. "The choices you make, will determine what happens to you! That was a very bad choice to make" Alex continues.
"A bad choice to make would be something like this!" he yells as he points the gun towards Alex. She looks over and notices the son running towards his father. "No!" Alex yells as she runs towards him and quickly hears the gunshot from Eddie's sniper.
"They can't do that! He had a gun pointed to my head" Alex argues. "Well, I guess his son didn't see it that way" Greg states. "So we're being sued? Or I'm being sued?" Eddie asks as he walks between Greg and Alex. "Technically, you" Greg admits quietly. "Eddie he can't do this!" Alex quickly says as she steps towards him. "He can Alex. He just did" Eddie explains as he looks up at Alex from the bench that he was now sitting on.
"The force is behind you one hundred percent. I'm behind you, Ed. Frank McAndrews is going to talk you through it" Greg admits. Eddie looks at him quickly. "You brought my lawyer back?" Eddie questions. "He wants you down at the courthouse this morning, Deposition" Greg answers. "I'm on shift" Eddie states confused. "Ed, we need to be seen taking this seriously. If we stall, they go to the press, this thing gets legs. Just hold your nose and go down to the court house. They don't have a case" Greg explains.
Ed stands up and turns to face Greg. "Are you kidding me? The guy walks into a building, shoots a woman dead, holds another woman hostage, turns his gun on you and Alex. I do what I'm hired and trained to do? Come on!" Eddie states frustrated. "I know that is the truth about what happened, nobody doubts that" Alex says as she steps forward towards Eddie, but he walks back into the weapons room.
He quickly hits the table frustrated. "Somebody does!" he snaps as he looks back Alex and Greg. "It's the guy's son, Eddie. Everyone grieves their own way. You know that. They look for someone to blame" Greg explains softly. Eddie looks down to the floor and sighs. "Well look no further" Eddie says. "Eddie" Alex whispers. Eddie shakes his head and walks towards her giving her a quick hug. "I gotta go" he whispers back.
Eddie drives to the courthouse and gets out of his car to see Frank standing there waiting for him. "So, Who's gonna be there?" Eddie asks as they both walk towards the front door. "That lawyer, her tape recorder, a bailiff. I hear there's gonna be a couple of dancing girls. You know, we went through this all before. You know, we went through it all for the inquest, right? Stick to the facts, you got nothing to worry about" Frank jokes. Eddie stops walking and looks up the the building. "What?" Frank ask as he turns around and looks at him. "Ed, give me one hour. You tell the story, and I work my magic, and then unfounded lawsuit disappears, you're back in your cape and tights. You're saving the world" Frank continues as he walks back over and stands beside Eddie.
Eddie looks over at him, emotionless. "You're still reading comic books, huh? That's nice" he questions. Frank looks at him and glares. "Let's do this" Eddie snickers and pats Franks back, walking in front of him and into the courthouse. They both walk towards a large set of doors.
Back at headquarters Alex walks through the halls looking at her phone. "Hey you" Jules smiles as she runs up beside her. "Hey Jules" Alex smiles as she puts her phone back in her pocket. "Did you hear about Eddie?" she questions. Alex nods. "Yeah. I was there when my father told him about it. He was upset, and I don't blame him. It's stupid" Alex explains, as her and Jules walk into the briefing room and sit down.
***
"I had the subject in the crosshairs when my Sergeant called Scorpio. I put my finger on the trigger" Eddie explains back at the courthouse. "So, from that point on, it was your call whether to shoot or not, is that correct?" the lawyer asks as she sits in front of him. "That's correct. It was my call" Eddie states.
Suddenly the door to the room opens and a Security Guard whispers something to the guard on the inside. Once the Guard leaves, the other Guard turns around and locks the door and Eddie looks over confused. "What's going on?" Eddie asks. "I'm not finished, sir" the lawyer says and Eddie looks back at her and nods. "Just a sec" he smiles. "What's going on?" he yells as he looks back at the Guard. "Their evacuating" the guard starts to explain as Eddie goes to stand up. "I gotta ask you to sit tight till all prisoners have been returned to the holding cells and we can safely clear the building" the guard finishes.
The lawyer looks over at Frank shocked. "He hasn't finished" she states. Frank then looks at Eddie and places a hand on his shoulder. "Yeah, uh, maybe we should just finish this up, Ed. I'm sure it's nothing. Is this nothing? He would tell us if it was something" Frank says as he looks over at the Guard. Eddie nods his head not even listening to Frank as he pulls out his phone and dials Greg's number. He walks towards the Guard as Frank continues to call his name. "Strategic Response Unit.
Unlock the door. Come on!" Eddie advises loudly as Greg's phone goes straight to voicemail. The Guard finally opens the door and Eddie walks into the busy hall and dials Alex's number.
Back at Headquarters Alex sits beside Jules and listens to Greg as he explains the plans for the day. The phone then starts to ring and she quickly takes it out of her pocket. "Alex" Greg warns. "Sorry, dad. It's Eddie" she admits as she answers it and holds it up to her ear. "Alex, it's me!" Eddie states. "Hey, Eddie. You at the courthouse?" Alex questions as the alarm suddenly goes off.
"Team One, gear up. Hot call! Active shooter at the Courthouse, downtown" Sally states as Team One quickly heads towards the garage. "Looks were coming to you" Alex says as she quickly grabs the file from Sally and runs after the rest of the team. "I figured something was up" Eddie admits. Alex holds the phone with her shoulder and opens the file. "Looks like he charged a security barrier, and he fired a gun" Alex explains as she gets into the SUV. She quickly turns on her headset and presses a button on the laptop, putting Eddie through the headsets as Greg gets in the passenger's seat.
"What's his twenty?" Eddie asks as Alex steps on the gas and follows behind Lou and Spike. "He ran down the corridor. He could be anywhere-- Courtroom, Judge's Chambers, Holding cells. Guy's mid twenties. Black. Weapon's a handgun. Oh, and he was wearing a parole device" Greg explains as he now looks down at the file. "An ex-con. Fantastic" Eddie says sarcastically and then hangs up the phone.
Alex watches in front of her as Lou and Spike start to slow down. "Lou! What's going on? Why so slow?" Alex questions. "It's not me! It's Sam" Lou quickly replies. "Sam?" Alex asks. "Sorry. I had to think about where I was supposed to turn" Sam admits. Once he turns he quickly speeds up again, followed by Lou and then Alex.
As they make their way Eddie runs towards the front lobby of the courthouse. "SRU. My team is on their way. How many shots fired?" Eddie quickly questions. "One, so far" the officer states. "Ones enough. Did he say what he was looking for?" Eddie then asks. "Said he needed to see one of the prosecutors. My guy didn't get his name. Probably looking for a courtroom" the officer explains. "How many are there?" Eddie asks quickly. "Nine, three on each floor. Kid went that way" the officer says as he points right.
Eddie quickly looks that way and then back at the officer. "You got uniforms on the exits?" he asks. "Yep" the officer advises as he writes notes down in his notebook. "Okay, we're going to have to set up a Command Post. Tell your guys to stand down. I need building plans, I need video" Eddie explains as he looks the officer in the eyes seriously. "Okay. Room 240 is free. We'll send everything up. Security video's all wireless. Up the stairs" the officer says as he points towards the stairs. "Gotcha" Eddie states. Eddie runs towards the stairs and then quickly stops, looking back at the officer. "Left? Right?" he questions. The officer looks up at him. "Uh, second floor, take a left. Oh, you'll need these" the officer says as he throws Eddie a set of keys.
Eddie runs upstairs and everything is quiet. He looks to the left and pulls out his gun as he walks. He continues to walk towards the staircase and suddenly hears voices upstairs. He quietly runs up the stairs and lifts his gun up. "Everything okay, folks?" Eddie asks as he watches the subject pull a female Security Guard closer towards him, using her as a shield. "He's got a gun!" the female panics. "Turn around, get out of here now or I will kill her. I swear I will" the subject yells.
Eddie continues to walk around the railing and towards the other set of stairs. "I said get out of here!" the subject snaps. Eddie looks up at him and slowly raises his hands. "Okay, you know what, I'm just working security. So I'm just going to go ahead and set this down. I'm going to take the clip out, and put it right here, okay? Just, uh...tell me what you want" Eddie explains. "I want to talk to Dan Cheznik!" the subject shouts. "The lawyer, right? Okay, well, you know...you know what, I got a cell phone in my pocket. I've got the keys to the building. Let me just call my boss here, and we'll see if we can find him for you, okay?" Eddie advises. The subject slowly nods and then quickly holds the gun closer to the Guard. "Okay. But you do anything stupid, and I will shoot her, right here, right now. I promise you I will." "I hear you. I'm just going to reach in my pocket here, get my phone, call my boss, okay? That's all. It's okay" Eddie nods.
"Parker here" Alex answers her phone as she climbs out of her SUV. "Boss, hey, it's me. Yeah, I'm in a stairwell off the third floor with a young man...What's your name?" Eddie shouts as Alex looks confused. Team One huddles up around her. "Young man? What are you saying, Ed? Are you telling me you're with the subject now?" Alex questions, making the team look at her, shocked. "Yeah" Eddie answers. "Okay, hang tight. We're right outside the building" Alex states as she motions for the team to run towards the building.
"We're looking for a for a prosecutor named Dan Cheznik" Eddie continues. "You got your gun, Ed?" Alex asks quickly. "No, no, no. it's C-H-E" Eddie starts to say. "Are you telling me that he's got you at gunpoint?" Alex questions as Team One look back at her quickly. "That's right, yeah. We just need a location for the young man and the lady here" Eddie advises. "Okay, he's got a hostage?" Alex asks confused. "Correct" Eddie states.
Alex quickly nods at the team, letting them know what's going on. "Do you want the team on immediate action plan? Just give me yes or no" Alex says. "No. He's a prosecutor" Eddie answers and Alex shakes her head no. "Okay, just stay on the line with me, Ed" she replies. "Boss, I'm going to have to call you back" Eddie states. "Okay" she sighs as he hangs up the phone.
Alex looks over at the team and puts her phone back in her pocket. "Stairwell off the third floor. The guy's got two hostages. One's a young woman" Alex explains. "How do we know?" Sam asks. "Cause Ed's the second hostage" Alex starts as Team One looks at her worried and confused. "Guys, he doesn't have his gun with him" she continues.
The Team quickly look around and talk to each other as Greg walks over beside Alex. "You want to be Ed for the day?" Greg asks. Alex looks up at him and smiles. "Oh what fun. It's like running a daycare. Except these guys are cops with guns" Alex snickers as she looks over at everyone. "Guys!" she yells causing them to quickly go quiet and look at her. "Okay...Okay, Ed's asking for a deliberate action plan. A twenty on a lawyer named Dan Cheznik. Wordy, first priority-- let's find Dan Cheznik.He's the target" Alex starts. "On it" Wordy quickly agrees and turns and walk away. Alex then turns to Jules. "Jules, you're on the subject. Pull all profiles on guys wearing parole bracelets. Okay, let's find out who this guy is" Alex continues. "Got it" Jules smiles and runs towards the Command Post Truck. "Spike, you and Louis, you're with me today. If anything exciting comes up. You'll be the first to hear about it" Alex smiles and then looks at Sam. "Sam, I need you to get a vantage point. See if you can find Eddie and the Subject" Alex finishes. "Copy that" Sam says as he runs back out of the courthouse.
"Okay. He's charming, he's good-looking. Ed's going to be fine" Alex reassures as she shows Greg the photo of the subject that Jules just sent her. "Let's go" Greg then states. Alex's phone then starts to ring and she answers it. "Hold up!" she says as she holds it up to her ear. "Hey, Eddie. You okay?" Alex asks quickly. "Boss, any luck for my friend here?" Eddie questions. "No, we're still working on that. Can you stay on the line with me?" Alex answers. "They're working on it. It's just going to take a sec. I'm just going to stay on the line here and get some information" Eddie explains to the subject.
Alex listens closely and hears the subject freaking out in the background. "Boss, I'm going to need you to call me back" Eddie answers. "Copy that, Eddie. Just stay cool, okay. Slow him down. Put him on our time, okay?" Alex explains quickly. "Copy that" Eddie agrees and then hangs up the phone.
Alex, Greg, Lou, and Spike walk towards Wordy as he talks to the officer standing in the lobby. "Where can I find Cheznik?" Wordy asks. "Cheznik He's prosecuting the Frasano case. That's Courtroom Seven, third floor. Room's already been locked down" the officer answers. "What's the best way up there without getting near our guy in the stairwell?" Alex questions. "Rob will take you up" the officer advises as another officer walk towards them. "Rob" Alex greets with a smile on her face. "Okay, you can tell your guys to fall back. We'll take care of it from here. Thanks" Greg says.
Alex looks at the tablet in Wordy's hands showing the courthouse blueprints. "Clear out a courtroom. We contain him inside there. You know what, let's stick with Courtroom Seven. Two birds with one stone" Alex explains. "Gotcha. We get the prosecutor out of there while we prep it for tactical options" Spike explains. "That's good. Plus we tell the kid one less lie" Alex agrees. She then takes the tablet from Wordy and walks over to Rob.
"You know the layout here? Any windows?" Alex asks. "There's a bunch of windows looking out on King's Court, but you'll never see through them" Rob explains. "That's alright, we'll take care of it" Alex answers and turns back to her team. "We'll get the subject contained, we'll settle him down. We already settled that Alex is team leader. Let's come up with tactical options, and just let me know when the room's clear, okay?" Greg asks. "Alright, let's go" Alex demands as she starts to walk down the right corridor towards the stairs.
Eddie stands with his hands raised in the air slightly. "He's going to call back, right?" the subject asks frantically. "She, and yeah. She'll call back" Eddie explains as he looks up towards the subject. Eddie looks around and takes a deep breath. "So, uh...this prosecutor must have...must have really done something bad to you, huh? To get you to pick up a gun and come back in here and...risk your life. What were you convicted of?" Eddie questions as he looks back at the subject. "Murder. Okay?" he snaps. "He convicted me of murder."
Alex runs up the stairs behind Rob and Spike, Wordy, and Lou follow behind her. "Guys, we can't stall him much longer" Greg advises through the headset. "Copy" Alex answers as she reaches into her pocket and pulls out her phone. She dials Eddie's number and holds it up to her ear as she continues to run behind Rob.
"Yeah?" Eddie's voice questions. "Okay, Courtroom Seven. For real. We're clearing it out now, so stall him. Take it slow. We're looking at the building plans right now" Alex confesses. "She doesn't have a location on the prosecutor yet, alright? But she's trying" Eddie quickly reassures. "Plan A, less lethal. Working on a surprise entry" Alex explains as she hears the subject in the background. "She's working on it...She's working on it. Just give her a second" Eddie says loudly. "Plan B, lethal from across the court. The frosted windows looking west. We're going to need to use thermal. You copy that?" Alex asks. "Yeah" Eddie replies quietly. "Okay, we've already got video. We'll lay in the audio. Look for an earwig on the prosecutor's table" Alex continues.
Alex listens and hears the subject's voice again. "What's she saying!" he snaps. "It's Courtroom Seven. Courtroom Seven" Eddie answers. "Which floor. Show me! Let's go!" the subject shouts. "Alright, she's scared...alright? You're making it worse" Eddie shouts. "Walk now!" the subject snaps. "Eddie?" Alex questions. "Just put the gun down" Eddies says slowly and then hangs up the phone.
Alex stops and looks back at the team as they approach the courtroom door. "We need to be as quick as we can in here. Copy?" Alex questions. "Copy" everyone agrees. Alex opens the door and walks in. "I'm Officer Parker, Police Strategic Response Unit. Which one of you is Dan Cheznik?" Alex asks. "That'd be me" a confused man answers as he steps forward. "Alright, come with me. The rest of you on your feet. Leave your things. We need you to clear this room immediately" Alex explains as she walk towards Dan and grabs his arm gently and leads him into the back room.
She walks back out and quickly places the earwig on the prosecutor's table. "What the hell are you doing there?" Dan ask loudly as people run into the back room. Alex ignores Dan and looks at the large crowd in the courtroom. "Guys, we need you to move fast. We'll answer all your questions outside" she explains. "Okay, so Dan Cheznik one of the top senior prosecutors in the country. Near perfect conviction record" Jules explains. "Alright, they're almost at the courtroom. Still a half dozen people in there. Alex, how's audio?" Greg questions through the headset. "Done" Alex answers "Earwig's on the table."
Alex stands by the back door and waits for Spike. "OkAY, subject is in the corridor, seconds away" Greg shouts. "Spike. Let's go!" Alex panics as Spike runs up the aisle. He stops and bends down. "Wait Hey, no. Up" Spike says as he lifts an older woman to her feet. "They're at the door!" Greg panics as Alex hears the keys fiddle around. "Go. You don't get it, do you? I have nothing left. I'm not afraid to use this. I will kill you both, leave you both lying here. I do not care anymore" The subjects voice says loudly. "Okay, come here. That's it" Spike says as he lifts the woman up and runs towards the door. "Come one buddy. Just buy us a minute" Greg mumbles as Alex looks back and sees Eddie's eye looking through the door. She slowly nods and closes the back door quietly.
"Come on!" The subject yells as he pushes Eddie into the door, making it open. The subject looks around quickly. He then looks at Eddie unimpressed and takes the keys out of the door, closing it back up and locking it. "You lied. You said he'd be here" the subject hisses as they walk up the middle of the aisle. "And they told me he would be. I thought he would be" Eddie explains. "You lied! You lied just like everybody else! This wasn't supposed to happen, oh, my gosh!" the subject snaps as he raises his gun towards Eddie and loosens his tie.
In the back room, Alex looks at Dan Cheznik. "He came into the courthouse with a gun looking for you, and you have no idea who he is?" Alex asks confused. "That could be anyone. You remember every bad guy you've arrested?" Dan questions with a smirk on his face. "Funny" Alex states sarcastically. "Any idea why he'd go after you?" "Sure. Same reason I live in a bunker, drive home in an armored car. I'm a prosecutor who does his job well" Dan smiles.
Alex takes a deep breath and gently moves Dan away from the crowd of people. "Look, just so you know, that's my teammate staring down the long end of this guy's gun. So if you want to be smart with me and answer all my questions sarcastically, I'll just throw you back into that room and feed you to the hungry shark. At least I would get my guy back" Alex explains seriously as Dan looks at her scared. "So if I were you, I would start thinking real hard about the answers you give me" she continues. Dan quickly nods his head and Alex takes a deep breath.
"Any hate mail recently, any threatening phone calls?" Alex asks. Dan looks to the ground and thinks. "Actually yeah. I ve been getting both of those from some guy named, Michael Jameson" Dan answered. "See was that so hard?" Alex snickers and walks away from Dan. "I've got an ID. Subject is..." Jules begins to say through the headset. "Michael Jameson" Alex interrupts. "Exactly. Twenty-Six years old, released from Kingston Penitentiary twelve weeks ago" Jules continues through the headset. "What did he do?" Greg asks. "1197, he raped and murdered one Katie Bakerton" Jules explains.
Alex phone starts to ring and she puts it up to her ear. "Eddie?" Alex questions. "He wanted me to call. He wanted me to tell you guys that you have fifteen minutes to deliver Cheznik to me or one of us dies" a woman's voice explains softly. She starts to cry and the phone quickly hangs up. "Sarge. Did you get that?" Alex asks quickly as she puts her phone back in her pocket.
"Copy. Okay, Team One, we've got a fifeteen-minute deadline. Spike, Lou, where are we in Plan A?" Greg questions. "Looking for a point of entry to the balcony. Might be a rooftop. Where there's a will, there's a way" Spike explains. "Copy that, if that's the only way in. Sam, Wordy, where's Plan B?" Greg asks. "Cheznik's on his way down with Alex. We're heading into position. We'll let you know when we're there" Sam says quickly. "Copy" Greg answers.
Greg looks at the computer screen and watches Eddie and the subject. "Boss" Jules suddenly says worried. "What's up, Jules?" Greg questions quickly. "I've got the ID on the girl he killed. You going to want to see this" Jules explains as she hands Greg the piece of paper. "Oh my god" Greg whispers. "It looks exactly like her" Jules states. "They could be twins" Greg admits.
The door quickly opens and Alex walks in with Dan. "Sit. Stay quiet. The shark tank is still full" Alex smiles as she walks around the desk behind Greg and Jules. "Is that the ID on Kaite Bakerton?" Alex questions as she picks up the piece of paper. She looks down and her eyes immediately go wide. "Oh my gosh" Alex whispers. "What's going on?" Sam questions. "Alex?" Spike asks. "Katie Bakerton looks just like...me" Alex explains quietly as she continues to looks at the picture of Katie.
"That's why you looked so familiar" Dan quickly says as he jumps up and points. Alex looks up at him seriously. "Shark Tank" she warned and he slowly sits back down. Alex puts the paper down and quickly looks at the screen and notices Eddie walking towards the table. He reaches over and picks it up quickly and he then turns to the guard and says something to her. Alex, Greg, and Jules watch as the woman walks in front of Eddie and the subject quickly points the gun at her. Eddie immediately puts the earpiece in his ear and puts his hands back down.
"Hey, Eddie. If you can hear me, I need you to look up" Alex explains. She watches as Eddie slowly looks up and then back down again. "Great. Okay, Just keep him contained close to the balcony, we'll drop from there" Alex explains.
"You stole a gun, you come in here, and you're telling me you don't want revenge?" Eddie questions. "I want my name back!" Michael explains "And I want to know how they got a confession out of me when I never confessed. Two years, I've been waiting for the file to show up: the government's case against me. Well, today it did. And now my lawyer's telling me that the file isn't there. Now, I need to talk to the man that put me away, and I want him to look me in the eye and tell me what happened" he continues as he holds the gun up at Eddie.
Alex heads towards the door. "Where you going?" Greg asks quickly. "I have an idea. It might possibly give Plan A extra time if needed. I'll be on the headset" Alex explains. "Okay" Greg nods. Alex looks at Jules and smiles. "Think you can take over, until I get back?" Alex questions. "Of course" Jules smiles. Alex snickers and walks out of the room. She runs outside and quickly jumps into the SUV and drives away from the courthouse.
A few minutes later, Alex arrives in front of a nice, cozy looking house and gets out of the car. It was surrounded in a little white picket fence and a nice garden around the front porch. Alex walk up and knocks on the door. She then hears a noise behind her and she quickly turns around to look, but nothing was there. The door then opens and Alex turns back around to see a woman looking at her shocked. "Katie?" the woman whispers.
Alex slowly shakes her head and smiles. "Hi. My name is Officer Alex Parker with the Strategic Response Unit" Alex greets. "Oh my goodness. You look so much like my daughter, Katie" she explains as she reaches out her hand and touches Alex's face gently. "That's actually who I'm here to talk about. I know what happened, and I am so sorry for your loss. But, one of my team members are being held hostage by the guy that did it. I need to help my team mate. So if you don't mind I would love to ask you a few questions" Alex states. "That's horrible. Of course. Come on in" the woman agrees.
Alex walks into the house and looks around as the woman walks into the kitchen. "Would you like a coffee or anything?" she asks. "I would, but I can't stay long" Alex admits as she looks down at a picture of Katie standing between her parents. "It's weird to see a person who looks identical to you standing between people you don't know" the woman says as she walks into the living room. Alex quickly turns around and smiles. "Yeah it...it kind of is" she admits as she sits down on the couch. "My name is Anne" the woman admits. "It's nice to meet you Anne" Alex smiles. "My husbands name is Phillip, but he's at work" Anne explains.
Alex takes as deep breath and looks at Anne sympathetically. "I wanted to know more about Katie. What was she like? How did she act? Was she more girly-girl or tomboy?" Alex asks. "Uhm. Katie loved fashion. She loved art as a whole. She could sing, dance, paint, draw. Anything, you name it, she did it. She was smart, and kind and loving to everyone. She didn't like to see anyone upset or scared. She was one of those people who would jump in front of a bus for anyone. The one thing I never really knew about her, is her best friend she would talk about all the time. His name was...Mikey" Anne explains. "She sounds like a wonderful person. I'm sorry she's gone" Alex admits.
"One last question before I have to head back. What was it that she wore the most. I mean, what did she usually wear? Jeans and a t-shirt? Tights? Skirts? Dresses?" Alex questions. "Usually jeans and bright floral tops. She loved to stand out" Anne explains. "I know this is going to be really weird, and you don't have to say yes. But, do you think I could borrow a pair of Jeans and a floral top from Katie?" Alex asks. Anne looks at her confused and then smiles. "Of course. It's to save your team member right?" Anne asks. "Yeah" Alex advises. "I'll be right back" Anne grins.
"Eight minutes to deadline, Jules. Find out who Michael's lawyer is. Get him on the phone" Greg demands through the headset. Alpha Team, what's your twenty?" Greg asks through the headset. "Approaching blue, Alpha One?" Lou's voice questions. "Top of the world" Spike answers.
***
Suddenly footsteps cause Alex to lose focus and turn around to see Anne standing there with a pair of dark blue skinny jeans and a burgundy long sleeve babydoll shirt with pink roses on it. "I also got you a pair of light brown boots. I just thought it would help with the outfit" Anne explains. "Thank you, so much Anne. I have to get going" Alex smiles as Anne hands her the outfit.
Alex runs out to the car and looks back, waving at Anne. She gets in the SUV and starts it, driving back towards the courthouse. She grabs the clothes and runs back in and heads straight for the bathroom to change.
"Bravo Team, where are you?" Greg asks. "Ma'am, we need the room. Please come with me" Wordy's voice says through the headset. "Almost same position. How's Ed?" Sam questions as he kneels on the ground and points his gun out the window. "He's hanging in there. He's trying to get this kid to open up" Greg admits.
"Maybe...maybe I look at myself differently, too. It's like I know exactly what happened that day. I remember perfectly. And my brain keeps playing tricks on me and I start to go over it and over it in my mind and asking myself if maybe I remember it differently. If maybe I was wrong" Eddie explains slowly. "I did that for eleven years. They charged me as an adult, but I was 15 when they put me away. Never finished high school, never had a job. Never kissed a girl. And, I don't know anything about anything, but I know what happened that day, and I know I didn't kill Katie" Michael admits.
"Why don't yo...Why don't you tell me about her? What was she like?" Eddie says calmly. "She's amazing. Incredible smile. She didn't have to be, but she's nice to everybody. Didn't matter what kind of family you had, house you lived in, she just saw you. So, I showed up the first day at school, and I'm twelve, the only black kid in the class It's like they'd never seen it before. The kids are whispering and moving their desks. And I'm feeling like I just want to fall into a hole and disappear. Well, she comes right over and she sits beside me, smiles and tells me we're going to be friends. And just like that, we're friends" Michael smiles as he slowly lowers the gun.
"Three years Three years we were best friends until...I fell in love with her" Michael continues. "Did Katie feel the same way?" Eddie asks. "I don't know. The day I told her, we rode to the park, she was sitting on the back of my bike, I was swerving, she was laughing. We were having such a great time. Just being together. Just us. Man, it was a perfect day" Michael states. "And then I just said it. I mean, I told her I loved her." "What did she say?" the Guard asks curiously. "She said I was sweet. She leaned against me, kissed me on the cheek, and she asked me to give her a ride. And I said yes. I doubled her...doubled her to the corner near her house. She wanted me to drop her off" he answers.
"And that was the last time you saw her" Eddie says quietly as he looks up at Michael. "Yeah" Michael agrees. The Guard looks at Eddie and Michael shocked. "I remember this. I remember seeing her picture in the paper. I'm so sorry" she says as she takes a step closer. Michael wipes his eyes and sniffles.
In command post, Greg goes over what happened to Katie with Cheznik. "She was raped, dumped in the woods. Tied her ankles, tied her wrists, slit her throat, covered her face with a T-shirt. Couldn't stand to see what he'd done" Dan starts. "All the evidence pointed to Michael. She was killed with a knife; he had a knife that fit the specs. She was raped before she was killed. Well, we knew from Michael's transcript he had said he wanted more from Katie" he continues as he looks up at Greg. "He was the last person to see her alive."
"Eleven years in the joint. This guy still sounds like apple pie" Greg huffs. "Yeah, well, psychopaths, they spend years perfecting their stories" Dan admits. "Sarge, I just got off the phone with Michael Jameson's lawyer. He backs it up. He says all the evidence against this guy was circumstantial, and he confirms that the material was missing from his file" Jules explains as she looks over at Dan suspiciously, followed by Greg.
"Bravo Team in position. Frosted windows, limited joy" Sam's voice states through the headset. "Stand by. We're three minutes away" Greg says. "So, the case against this guy, what'd you have on him?" he asks Dan. "You name it" Dan shrugs with a smile on his face. "Well, that's what I'm asking" Greg states quickly. "Hey, who's on trial here? I'm not the one waving the gun around" Dan argues as he stands up from his chair. "Okay, but my guy is in there facing a gun because this kid came after you, and I'd kind of like to understand what it is that's pissing him off" Greg admits. "You need me, I'll be outside calling my attorney" Dan says as he turns to walk out the door.
"Sir, you do not leave that hallway. You stay with Security. I may have more questions" Greg states as Dan turns around and glares at Greg. He walk out the door and Greg quickly turns to Jules. "Hey, Jules, get Michael's lawyer back on the phone. Let's find out what this Cheznik, isn't telling us" he demands. "I'm on it" Jules says. "Alpha team, what's going on? Where are you? We're two minutes away from deadline" Greg announces. "It's going to be tight" Lou admits as him and Spike crawl slowly through the vents.
"So, you sat up there and you told your story and...What, you thought the jury would believe you?" Eddie asks as he takes a step towards Michael. "They did. Until Cheznik puts some guy on the stand, some guy that'd been in a holding cell with me for five minutes. And he gets up there and he tells the jury that I confessed to him. That I told him that I killed her" Michael says as he starts to slowly become annoyed. "So, this guy says that you confessed to him. What did you say?" Eddie questions calmly. "Nothing! Not a word, not even a hello" Michael argues. "And that's what you told the jury?" Eddie asks as he takes another small step closer towards Michael making him back up.
"Yeah, but this guy, he knew stuff about how she died. Things that only the killer would know. Things that I didn't even know" Michael panics. "Talk to me Louis" Greg's voice says through Eddies earpiece. "We're almost there" Lou says. "Ed, one minute till the shooter's deadline and Alpha needs more time. You need to buy us more time" Greg says to Eddie.
Eddie looks back at Michael. "So, that's why you wanted the file?" Eddie questions. "Yeah, but none of it was there. Okay? Cheznik made sure of that" Michael explains. "Alright, you have got to forget about Cheznik, okay? And confronting him at gunpoint is not gonna convince anyone of anything. If you're innocent, put the gun down. A gun never solved anything. Believe me. The police are probably out there right now with a sniper. I know how they work. So, I'm asking you-- I am begging you...I am begging you-- just put the gun down" Eddie pleads calmly.
Michael looks at him and slowly become furious as he looks over at the clock. "No! It's over! You get over next to him and put your hands up.Now!" he snaps. "Spike, he's escalating. Where are you?" Greg asks quickly. "Fifteen seconds away" Spike whispers. "That's not good enough. Now. I need you now!" Greg yells as he slams his hand onto the desk.
Michael suddenly hears keys fiddling around outside and he quickly runs behind Eddie and the Guard, using them as protections. "What's happening!" Greg shouts frustrated. He looks at the camera and sees a girl wearing dark blue skinny jeans, and a burgundy coloured top. With light brown boots walk into the courtroom and close the door. She turns around and Greg and Jules gasp. "Alex?" they both ask.
Michael looks between the Guard and Eddie's shoulder and points the gun scared. "Now, Michael. You wouldn't point a gun at me, would you?" Alex asks as Eddie looks at her confused. Alex slowly and unnoticeably shakes her head and looks at him. Michael slowly walks out from behind Eddie shocked. "Katie?" he questions. Alex smiles. "Hi Mikey" she snickers. "It is you!" he smiles as he runs towards Alex and lifts her up, spinning her in a hug. "Well, duh. Who else would it be" Alex smiles as Michael puts her down.
"Boss, what's she doing?" Spike whispers confused. "She's being...Alex" Greg smiles. "No, she's being Katie" Jules corrects as they watch her on the screen. Luckily Alex grabbed another earpiece before she left for Katie's house. "Alex? If you can hear me, look up" Greg states. Alex looks up slowly and looks at Eddie and the Guard confused.
"Mikey. What are you doing?" Alex asks confused as she looks down at the gun in his hand. "I. Uhm. I needed to know the truth. They were going to send me to jail" Michael quickly panicked. "Hey! Look at me" Alex demands as she places a hand on Michaels cheek and makes him look at her. "You know how I feel about violence, Mikey. And here you are holding a gun up to two innocent people" she continues.
Michael looks back at them with regret. "Let them go, Mikey. Please" Alex begs and Michael looks back at her quickly and nods. "Okay. Okay. You guys can go! Get out" Michael explains. Eddie looks at Alex worried and she smiles. "Thank you, Mikey" she snickers as Eddie pulls the Guard out through the back door. "Eddie is out!" Greg announces through the headset and earpiece.
"We're set, boss" Spike whispers as he and Lou stand on the balcony over top of Alex and Michael. "Just give Alex a chance. She got Eddie out, now she just needs to get herself and Michael out. Hopefully she will help and he will come out on his own" Greg explains. "Copy" Lou whispers.
"Mikey. Talk to me. I want to help you. Seeing people upset makes me want to cry" Alex states as she pretends to put on a pout. Michal laughs and looks up at her. "Where have you been?" Michael asks. "I've been with you Michael. Every step of the way" Alex explains slowly. "But you....died. I saw it in the paper. I got arrested for it" Michael snaps as he starts to wave the gun around again. "Mikey!" Alex shouts. "Alpha team. Go!" Greg demands.
Alex quickly looks away and covers her face as a smoke bomb drops from above. "Police! Put the gun down now!" Lou's voice yells through the smoke. "Put it down now!" Spike shouts. Alex walks towards them and grabs onto Spike's vest. "You okay?" Spike asks concerned. "Yeah. I'm fine" Alex whispers as the smoke starts to clear. "Where is Michael Jameson?" Greg asks quickly.
The smoke finally disappears and Michael's kneeling on the floor holding the gun to his head. "If you won't let me talk to Cheznik, then get me a tape recorder" Michael states.
"Subject turns to suicide. Twelve-eleven PM" Greg says into the mic of the transcript. "Alex. Talk to him" he says. Alex steps between Spike and Lou and kneels down in front of Michael. "You remember me?" Alex questions as a smile appears on his face. Michael looks down to the ground and sighs as he continues to hold the gun towards his head. "Of course. How could I ever forget the girl I fell in love with?" he states as he slowly looks back up.
"Why are you doing this?" Alex whispers. He shakes his head. "I don't want to go back. I don't want to go back for killing you" he answers. "That's great ,Alex. He is so tired he is believing that you're some type of ghost. If he believes it, go along with it" Eddie's voice explains through the earpiece.
Alex takes her hand and gently wipes away a tear that falls down Michael's cheek. "I know. You shouldn't have had to in the first place. But, right now...today, you took one SRU officer and one Security Guard hostage at gunpoint, Mikey" Alex explains slowly. "An SRU cop?" Michael quickly asks shocked. Alex looks down and slowly nods her head. "He's a cop!" he panics. "Hey! It's okay" Alex smiles as she places her hand on his cheek, calming him down. "I need you to listen to me. Can you do that?" Alex questions. Michael nods his head and looks her in the eyes. "Alex, I got the prosecutor on tape saying that he would do anything to get a conviction" Eddie quickly states in the earpiece.
"I have a friend. The one that you took hostage. He just got Cheznik on tape admitting that he would do anything to get a conviction. I also heard that your lawyer says there may be as many as eight similar cases. With the evidence he has Mikey, it's enough for an appeal" Alex explains. Michael looks at her shocked. "Please, put the gun down. Please Mikey. You can't die...Nobody dies today" she begs as her hand stays gently on his face.
"That cop. The one I held hostage. He told me something about going over things in your brain, over and over again" Michael starts to explain as he looks at Alex with tears running down his face. "But, there was this one thing that I-I kept asking myself over and over. I asked myself why you didn't want me to drop you off at home that day, why you wanted me to drop you at the corner. I started to think you didn't love me. You wanted me to drop you at the corner because you were meeting someone else. You had a date" he continues.
Alex shakes her head slowly and takes her hand away slowly. "No, Mikey. I didn't" Alex whispers but Michael ignores her. "Oh, my God. Whoever you were meeting, that's who killed you. It had to be...I promised you, the first time I went to your grave, that I would prove I was innocent-- not for myself but for you. So they'd start...they'd start to look for him, whoever he is. So justice would be done" he continues to say. "Mikey. You never broke that promise. It can still be done. You will get your appeal. Nobody dies today, Mikey" Alex explains. She places both of her hands on his cheeks and makes him look at him. "You made a promise to me, now I'm making a promise to you" Alex smiles.
She leans in. "I will always love you" she whispers in his ear. She then looks back at him and he lowers the gun. "You promise?" he asks. "I promise. I will always be with you" Alex smiles as she slowly takes the gun from his hand and stands up. "Put your hands on your head" Spike says sternly as Michael looks back at Alex as she walks towards the door. "Katie!" he yells. Alex turns around and looks at him as Spike and Lou lift him up with his hands behind his back. "I love you" he says. Alex forces a small smiles and nods. "You'll be okay, Mikey" she admits and then turns around and continues to walk through the door.
Police officers run pass her and they all seem like they're moving in slow motion as all of the emotions force their way to the top. All of the voices sound muffled as she slowly continues to walk, feeling her heartbeat in her chest. Alex walks outside and notices a lot of people gathered around the police tape. "Is that Katie Bakerton?" a girl's voice asks shocked. "She's dead. That's not possible" another voice says. Alex climbs in her SUV and starts the engine and begins to drives back to headquarters.
***
She sits in her car, and looks at herself in her little mirror. "I'm so sorry, Katie. I don't know who are, or what you were like, and here I am acting like you" Alex whispers to herself as the other SUVs finally arrive in the garage. Alex climbs out as the team jumps out of their cars and runs towards her, surrounding her in a group hug.
As they all walk into headquarters Sally waves Alex over. "Welcome back Team One!" she also shouts. "Thanks Sally!" they all yell as they walk towards the locker rooms. "What's up, Sally?" Alex questions. Sally looks over towards the briefing room. "There is an Anne and a Phillip Bakerton here to see you" she says. "Thanks Sally" Alex smiles. 'Also, love the outfit" she smiles. "Oh, it's not mine" Alex states as she slowly walks towards the briefing room.
She stands in the doorway as Anne and Philip look out the window. "Hey" Alex smiles. Anne and Phillip quickly turn around and their eyes go wide. "Oh my god" Philip whispers as she walk slowly towards him. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I'm wearing her clothes" Alex quickly says. "No need to apologize, dear. Your team member make it back safe?" Anne questions with a grin and Alex nods. "That's all that matters" Anne states.
Philip walks around Alex and looks at her. "It's unbelievable" he says. Alex stands there frozen as she starts to feel uncomfortable. Her breathing becomes quick as her heart begins to race. She was having a panic attack. "Alex, we were planning on going out for tea tomorrow. Do you want to come?" Anne asks sweetly. Alex looks behind them and notices the team looking at her from the door to the locker room. "I can't...I can't. Look, I am so sorry for your loss. I really am. And I can give you back the clothes and the boots, but I can not give you...Katie" Alex starts to panic as she starts to have trouble breathing. "I'm sorry. But I uh, I need to go!" she says as she runs out of the briefing room and down the hall past the locker rooms.
She keeps running until she is outside on the training field. She looks around frantically and suddenly feels the urge to scream... So, she does. Eddie walks out the back door by himself and slowly makes his way towards her as she stops screaming and sits down on the bench crying. "I bet you feel a little better now" Eddie says causing Alex to look back with tears running down her cheeks as she continues to struggle breathing. "Come here" Eddie whispers as he sits down next to her and pulls her. "You're okay...you're okay" he whispers as Alex leans into his chest.
Alex slowly begins to calm down and listens to the sound of the wind blowing and birds chirping. She could also hear the sound of Eddie's heartbeat through this now, soggy shirt. "I don't know how I stay so strong. I've had a gun held up to me twice, I've been kidnapped, twice, and now here I am pretending to be someone I don't want to be. Someone who died, violently" Alex explains quietly. "Alex. You are the most strongest and most fearless person I know. You can't give up now, Kiddo. This team would be nothing without you" Eddie smiles as he looks down at her and kisses the top of her head. "It would be boring too" Alex laughs as she pushes herself up and looks at Eddie with a large grin on her face as he then stands up beside her.
"There you are" Eddie admits as he places one hand on her cheek. "I'm not going anywhere. I promise" Alex smiles. She knew Team One was family, and you can't just walk away and give up on family.