OUT OF TIME - PART THREE

PREVIOUSLY
"They think I'm screwing around. Not going to take me seriously, oh yeah? YEAH!! DON'T SCREW WITH ME!!! DON'T $#&*@ WITH ME, YOU BASTARDS, I'LL MAKE YOU ALL PAY!" He turned to the hostages and aimed his gun into the crowd

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BANG
Kelly had ducked her head as soon as she saw the gun lifted, and kept it buried in her arms. This can't be happening.. This can't be real, I'm going to open my eyes and be in bed, at home, safe. But she wasn't, she was trapped in the 1st National Bank of Llanview, with a crazed gunman and his two henchmen, and they had just shot someone else. She heard a cry to her left, from the crowd at the front of the counter, and another cry of dismay. She couldn't bear to look. It has to be over soon, it has to be. I'm just going to stay here and not look at anything, ever, just wait for it all to be over.. But of course she had to look, because she knew a lot of the people in this bank, and she was just waiting for the gunshot that would take someone she knew.. Kelly raised her head, and saw the people huddled at the front, and saw the body, and was nearly sick.

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Tea Delgado saw the gunman turn and aim his gun at her. A thousand thoughts flew through her head. This is it. This can't be it. I'm not done yet. She thought of the take-out she had waiting in the car, and her brothers, Starr, and the work she had to do tonight, and her lousy rotten darling husband.. Funny the things you think of when you're about to die. BANG. A middle-aged graying man in a suit gasped with pain and slumped to the ground, a bullethole in his neck, a few feet from her. It took a few seconds to register, and then she cried out in a low voice, at not being dead, at the unmoving body near her. Several people bent over him, but Tea could no longer move. The gun was shaking violently, still aimed in their direction. Would it fire again? They all froze, waiting for the moment to pass. The gun lowered, a sigh breezed through. Tea noticed all at once that her dress was stained with blood, and that she was shaking uncontrollably. She closed her eyes.

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Todd opened his eyes and fully expected it to be her laying there (oh please God no), but it was the man, the one who had been sitting next to her. He forced himself to focus, on some way to get to her, but he couldn't stop staring at the gun, at her, he couldn't even think clearly anymore.. Get it together, Todd, for once you've got to do stuff right. Everything depends on this. I can't let them hurt Tea, or everything is over. He watched the two lackeys approach their enraged leader, who was still raving, but he had put the gun away. No more shots for now. At least Starr is safe. They didn't see her, they never saw Cassie or River so they won't think to look. They won't get Starr. She'll be ok.
The three were back at the doors, and yelling through. "You see! This is what happens! It would be a good idea for you to cooperate now! We've got enough prisoners in here to keep us occupied for quite awhile, even if we shoot one now and then!"
Todd Manning was not a brave man, he knew. He was a selfish, pigheaded, spiteful man, who had learned in his messed-up childhood on through his equally messed-up adulthood that the only way to come out on top in life was to look out for number one. Because you can't count on anyone else, not when it really mattered. You take care of yourself, everyone else watches out for themselves, and you survive by your wits as someone else takes it in the gut. That's life. Survival of the fittest. But then, there were times when he was willing to put it on the line, when he didn't even think about it, just went with the moment. Like when he rescued his sisters kids from the car wreck. But that doesn't count. Kids. Anyone would do that. What happened the last time someone threatened his family? He just stood there. Michael Mahoney knocked his wife unconscious, held a gun to him and threatened to shoot them all, and what did he do? He just stood there. They were all saved only by the arrival of Patrick, who was promptly shot for his trouble. And died saving them all. It still tears at him, that he owes this man he so hated his life, and the lives of his wife and daughter. But noone was going to step in and rescue them now. And there was Tea, the same woman who had been brave enough to fight Mahoney to save Starr, the woman he had come to love with all of his heart, she was in danger. And he knows he has to act. It goes against every instinct that has been instilled in him throughout his miserable life, but he has to. This time he was not going to stand by and let a madman threaten to rip away all that was precious to him. Because Tea had given him the courage to fight. He watched for his chance.

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Everything was going to hell in a handbasket, and fast. The third robber, lean and silent, pulled the gun from his partner's hands, who protested. "Hey, what the @#@$ you doing?" He held it out of reach, opened the chamber. The shorter of the three crowded in, peered at the gun. "Look idiot, you're almost out of bullets," the motormouth panicked.
He handed the gun back to his leader, and looked him in the eye. "We have to find a way out, without getting ourselves shot up. Make a deal, somewhere." They stared at each other for a few seconds. Then the quiet one turned and walked to the front, passing the latest body, jumped the counter, and started typing on the computer terminal near the wounded teller. He gave neither body a second glance, entranced in the information on the screen.
The other two robbers stood at a loss for a moment. Then the tall one, the leader, grabbed the phone off of the nearest desk, where he had slammed it without hanging up as the negotiator approached. He carried it without speaking to the doors; his partner followed. "Here," he told him, "you hold the gun. Watch those guys," gesturing at the police, "if any of them start sneaking up on us, shoot 'em." Quiet for once, his lackey held the gun in position and glanced wildly around, through the doors, around behind them to check for an ambush from any of the hostages. However, they no longer paid much attention to the majority of the hostages out of their immediate area; after the "object lessons" they'd already been given, noone would be dumb enough to try anything. They were too petrified to even make noise, much less move. Negotiations began again.

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Well now, that was a disaster. Why on earth hadn't Resch ditched his gun? He must have had it strapped inside his coat, and they caught a glimpse of it as he reached inside. Could this be bungled any more? Now if I were still Commish... But of course, Bo was no longer Police Commissioner, he was a civilian, and, what's more, a hostage. Strange to be on the other side of the police barracade. But even here his old cop instincts were going nuts, working out various plans of action. Most of which were hopelessly crazy. But that was all he had to go on, and he had to do something. He couldn't just sit here and watch people get shot. He only hoped that he could pull it off without getting anyone hurt, most especially his nephew Joey, who was ready to act on his say-so. A good kid, Joey. Not so much of a kid anymore. If he could just get ahold of the one, get the gun off of him, it would give the police an opening to rush in. There was only the one gun. He was sure of it. He just had to catch the tall one off guard, create a distraction of some sort and jump him. Get the two partners on the other side of the room so they couldn't help. They weren't watching the folks in the back as much, so they had some leverage for movement. What he needed to do.. He started whispering to Joey.

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There was now a sizable crowd outside, as more and more Llanview citizens gathered for word of their loved ones. Unfortunately, the police knew little more than they did. Vicki Carpenter was now standing at the police barracade with Andrew and Nora and the crowd of onlookers. She feared her son Joey may be inside, although she had no way to know for sure. No one seemed to know where he was, and the police, if they knew, refused to verify the identities of anyone within the building. She had left frantic messages at several locations for him to call her on her cell phone immediately. The phone was now close at hand in her purse, and stubbornly refused to ring. As soon as she arrived she joined Nora and Andrew at the barracade, and they had been there for some time. Not much was said between the three of them, but their silent companionship was a comfort. They were all in the same boat.
There were other groups nearby: families huddled together, workers milling about who had intended to enter the bank and now lingered in morbid curiosity, glum bystanders who had pulled over from the road to see the commotion, children banished to the fringes, curious but largely unaware of the drama unfolding before them, paramedics waiting for their chance to assist any gunshot victims they may find when this was all over. There was a sharp tension in the air, an aura of panic that threatened to burst loose at any time. What on earth was going on in there? No one knew, and that was the hardest part.
The evening news was running live from the scene, and had been for some time from one station or another. If you hadn't known it was a hostage situation you would have thought it was a political campaign site or some other harmless media event, and not the tragedy which was surely unfolding within. Vicki was torn between disgust at the media circus and her own professional instincts which were already sounding out "the story". But it was a momentary thought only; she was here not as a reporter or editor, but as a mother. A very worried mother. A scared to death mother actually. There was nothing she could do here but wait, and pray.

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"I'm going to set off the fire alarm," Bo told Joey.
"And you are going to do this... why?" "Well actually, YOU are going to set off the alarm. Over there."
"Oh, great. Me. And how will I be doing this?"
"My lighter. In that wastebasket," points across the room. "You're setting off the sprinklers. The goons go over to check it out, the gunman-"
"Goes nuts and starts shooting people. Good idea."
"Hold on. He has to shut it off, and the panel is right here above us. They've cased the place already; they knew the layout before they got here. It's everything else they messed up on. So he knows where it's at. Of course he doesn't know the code, but he's going to play with it anyway. They'll probably get one of the bank tellers over here to shut it off, but while they're getting over here I'll be taking down the gunman."
"Ok, cowboy, and get us riddled with bullets while you're at it. This idea sucks."
"But you'll do it?"
"Of course. How are you taking down the gunman again?"
"I didn't say." Bo grins.
"Fine. Ok. So I'm going over there now, I guess? Yeah. So you're going to give me a signal or something?"
"You'll know. Hey! Be careful."

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On the computer terminal, the third robber typed furiously through the database. The bank profiles of the Llanview elite. They picked this bank for a reason: it was a rich part of town. The people on the floor before him probably made more in a day than he would see in months. They would bargain for these people; maybe there was a way. The Powers That Be weren't about to let these Important People get hurt, oh no, they would deal, maybe even pay. Even just one of these people could bring a hefty sum, if they could get out with one.
Suddenly he came across a name he recognized. Someone who was scheduled for a meeting just as they had broke in, which probably meant that he was in the bank at this very moment. Oh yes. Yes yes yes this was perfect. The man has the whole town crawling at his feet. He could move the #$!@ing airport here if he wanted, he could get us out. Bingo.

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Tea was starting to feel a little lightheaded. Of course, now would not be a good time to faint, so she sternly focused on the painting on the opposite wall. Tried very hard not to focus on the man lying across the room, and especially not on the (dead? alive?) man nearby. Just breath deep, and hope and pray that it will all be over soon. A person should not be expected to undergo the kind of trauma and tension that is involved in seeing people be shot, and knowing you may very well be next, and it was getting to be too much for her. She knew if she saw that gun pointed at her one more time, she would just start screaming, and she wouldn't be able to stop. She tried to think of something to calm herself, but all she could think of was the man with the gun. How long have we been here? Look at the painting. Breathe. It can't be much longer. Something's going to happen.
She knew right away when the hand brushed her shoulder, without even turning around to look, that it was Todd. She hadn't even seen him in the building, but when she felt the touch, she knew. Just for that moment, for a sweet breathless few seconds, everything was all right.
She turned her head to look behind her, and their eyes met, and it was all she could do not to rush into his arms, to be safe and whole again with him. But she knew she couldn't, it was not safe, their lives were in danger. Anything to draw attention could get them both killed.
She turned away from him, but in one quick motion her hand sought his. He held her one hand in both of his. She could feel her strength returning, because noone could hurt her now that he was here.

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NOW Bo cautiously tried to signal Joey.

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"J!" The third robber left the computer terminal, hopped the counter. The leader slammed down the phone, disgusted with the progress. "What?!" He snapped irritably, causing the hostages nearby to jump. The three converged in the center of the room, and talked in a low voice. Then, suddenly, the tall gunman walked to the nearest hostage, a young man in jeans, and pointed the gun at him. "I have a VERY VERY important question for you. Do you think you could answer this question for me??" The hostage nodded vigorously. "That's good. My question for you is, do you know of a man named Todd Manning?" The hostage hesitated a second, then nodded. Everyone knew him. He was famous, or maybe infamous was the more correct term.
"Very good, my friend, now, do you know what he looks like, is he here?" Nervous, he looked around the room furtively. "ANSWER ME." The man continued to panic, looking around in stark fear. The woman next to him (sister? friend?) burst out, "He's over there! By the counter! That's him! There!"
Oh. Cr@p. Todd let go of Tea and tried to retreat from her, but the gunman was quickly there, aiming his gun at him. "Why hello there, Mr. Manning. You, you are my new best friend. You're going to help us get out of here, aren't you? Or, I could blow your head off. Which would you prefer?"

Next: One more shot
Conclusion