*************
 
“Hutch, I’m telling ya, I’m a big boy now and I can take care of myself!”  Starsky shouted at his blond haired partner.  His dark curly hair was plastered to his neck in the July heat and his blue eyes shot sparks as he regarded the man on the other side of the desk.
 
Ken Hutchinson looked like he had been struck.  “All I’m saying Starsk, is that you need to slow down.  This is your first week back after all.  The docs said....” he didn’t get to finish his sentence.
 
“Man, I am tired of you and the doctor’s and everyone else telling me what I should be doing!!!  I’m fine.”  David Starsky stood up, kicking his chair back.  “I got shot okay?  It’s not the first time, it won’t be the last, and I don’t need you reminding of that every minute of every damn day.  Just leave me the hell alone!!!”  Starsky stared at Hutch for a long minute before turning and stomping out of the room.
 
Starsky stalked down the hall and out of the building.  He practically ran to his beloved red and white Gran Torino and stood by it’s side, hugging his arms to his body.  In his heart, he knew that Hutch was worried about him. The shot had nicked his head and given him a major concussion.  He had been unconscious for nearly a week before showing signs of waking up.  He had been lucky that the doctors had moved fast to slow the build up of pressure in his brain, pressure that would have killed
him.    He had spent two months on the injured list, with Hutch playing nursemaid over him the entire time.
 
At first, Starsky had welcomed the help, but during the last two weeks of his enforced “vacation”, he had begun to resent Hutch’s continued presence.    Even now that he was back at work, Hutch continued to try to do for him, bringing him coffee, handing him his jacket, asking if he was really sure he was up to the job.  Starsky had put up with it for two days before blowing his stack.
 
Starsky rubbed his hands over his face, knowing that he had to go back inside and apologize for losing his cool.  Hutch had only been worried about him trying to do to much too soon.  They had been involved in a major car chase yesterday and had helped on a drug bust just hours ago.  The perps had all been captured after a quick exchange of gunfire.  Starsky had actually captured the final suspect after a mile long foot chase and a violent, if brief, fight.  Hutch had had to help his tired partner up off the hot concrete when Starsky’s legs had refused to support his weight.
 
Starsky had been embarrassed at his weakness and insisted on returning to the station to begin the paperwork.  It had been Hutch’s suggestion for him to go home early and get some rest that had triggered the explosion.  Starsky hated needing help and resented the fact that he could be read so easily by his partner.  Starsky sighed again, this introspective wasn’t helping him, he still had to apologize to Hutch. Pushing himself off the car, Starsky decided to make a quick trip to the little cafe he and Hutch frequented.  Both men had missed lunch and the coffee shop made great sandwiches.  He would get lunch for them both and then make his apologizes.
 
Pulling up to the cafe, the curly headed detective parked on the side street around the corner from the building.  The coffee shop sat on the corner of the small side street and had no parking in front.  Starsky paid no attention to the other two cars parked on the street as he walked to the entrance.  He pushed open the small door and walked up to the bar stretching across the back of the room.  A smile crossed his face when he saw the petite woman behind the bar.  Her reddish brown hair was
tied back in a bun and a white apron was tied around her trim waist.
 
“How ya doing, Lyn?”  Starsky asked, sitting down on one of the red vinyl stools in front of the counter.  He and Lyn Schwartz had been friends for a few months now, and had even gone out together on a couple of dates.
 
Lyn didn’t smile back.  “I’ve had better days, Dave,” the frightened waitress said, keeping her hands flat on the top of the bar.
 
Starsky heard footsteps behind him and whirled on the stool, not managing to get his gun out before he found the business end of a .357 pointed at his head.   Starsky put his hands out to his sides and stared hard at the face behind the gun.  “Take it easy now, no one needs to get hurt here.” he said softly.
 
“Take your own advice, mister and keep your hands where I can see them.” the gunman advised.  “Matt, take his keys, then tie the both of them up.”   Matt, a lean young man with red hair, came forward to collect Starsky’s keys.   He jumped back in fear when he spotted the Beretta tucked into Starsky’s shoulder holster.
 
“He’s got a gun, Len!” Matt’s voice cracked in fear.
 
Starsky could see Len tightening his finger on the trigger.  He forced himself to remain calm and stared his captor in the eye.
 
Len spared a glace at his partner.  “Go get Luke, then search this guy.”  Matt walked quickly to the back of the cafe as Len focused his gaze back on the dark haired man in his sights.  “Who are you, mister?”
 
“I’m a cop.”  Starsky saw no point in trying to deny what would soon be obvious.  He could only hope that he could keep the three men from killing anyone today.
 
Lyn was watching the drama unfold before her with growing horror.  She had no doubt that the three gunmen would kill her and Starsky before they left.  She looked longingly at the small red button under the shelf.  Charlie, the owner as well as the cook, had put in the silent alarm two months ago after the store beside them had been robbed.  Lyn slid her hand forward to the button, keeping her brown eyes on the men in front of her.   Her hand found the button and pressed it.  She felt beads of
sweat pop out on her forehead and moved her hand up slowly to wipe her face.
 
The redhead and a tall black man joined Len and Starsky at the bar.  Luke did a fast, but thorough search of Starsky and found his gun, badge and handcuffs.  Without a word, he backhanded the hapless detective with his own gun and stood over him, noting with satisfaction that his victim was unconscious.
 
“Stop!”  The words were out of Lyn’s mouth before she could stop herself.  “You’ll kill him!”  She bit her fist to keep herself from saying anything more as Luke turned the gun on her.  Certain she was going to die, Lyn closed her eyes and waited for the shot that would end her life.   Laughter greeted her instead.
 
“You’ve got nerve woman.  I’ll give you that much!”  Len motioned to the prone detective.  “Get over here.”  His green eyes never left her face as she came around the end of the bar and knelt down beside Starsky.  Len threw her the cuffs.  “Cuff his hands behind his back.”
 
Sobbing quietly, Lyn did as she was told, trying not to make the cuffs very tight.  Len’s hand jerked her away as she fastened the second cuff.  He grasped the cold metal and tightened it as far as he could squeeze it.  “Now he ain’t goin’ nowhere.” he muttered under his breath.
 
Lyn scooted back to Starsky as Len stood back up.  Untying her apron, she used a corner of it to blot the blood from his lip.
 
“Ain’t that sweet.”  Matt looked down at her with a leer on his face.  “Why waste your time on a pig? I’ll let you take care of me.”  Leaning down toward Lyn, Matt was suddenly flung on his back by a well placed kick from the downed officer.
 
“Keep your hands off her.”  Starsky spit out as he struggled to sit up.
 
“Why you!  I oughta....” Matt raised his gun to hit Starsky, stopping only when Len laid a hand on his shoulder.
 
“Later Matt.  Right now, I have plans for him.  His car has got to be here somewhere close.  We can use it to make our getaway.  We’ll take the hero with us.  The cops won’t risk his life, no matter what they say about not ‘negotiating’ for their own.”  Len gave the officer a sardonic grin.  “Ain’t that right, cop?”
 
Starsky struggled to hold his tongue.  Anything he said right now would only get him and Lyn killed.  He looked down at the floor, willing the headache to pass so he could think clearly.  A slight smile crossed his face when he heard the approaching sirens.  Beside him, he could feel Lyn’s nervousness.

“I’m scared.  These guys just burst in.  They’ve got Sid locked in the freezer.” she paused to rub her arms.  Stealing a sideways glance at the gunmen, she added, “I called the cops, Dave. We have a silent alarm.  Help is on the way.”
 
“Good girl.” Starsky whispered back.  He raised his head to look at their captors.   The sounds of approaching sirens cut through the hot air, silencing whatever he was about to say.
 
“Cops!  Dammit Len!!  We’ve got cops all over the place!”  Matt screamed out as he broke out the nearest window and fired off a shot at the leading black and white unit.
 
Len rushed over to the younger man, landing a hard punch to his face and knocking him down to the ground.  “What the hell are you doing?” he yelled.  “Are you trying to get killed, little brother?”

Matt raised his hand to his lip to check for blood.  Nothing was visible on his hand, causing the redhead to relax slightly.  “I’m sorry, man.  I got shook.  It wasn’t supposed to go down like this.  You said this would be easy.”  Blue eyes locked onto the green ones in front of him.
 
“In the building.  This is the police.  Throw down your weapons and come out with your hands behind your head.”  The disembodied voice was hard and flat.
 
Len smashed out more of the glass with his gun butt.  “Stay out pig!  I”ve got hostages.  One of them’s a cop, so unless you want a dead man on your hands, you just back off!”
 
The voice came back.  “Who is in there with you?”
 
“Wouldn’t you like to know!!”  Len thought fast.  “Get me a car!  Me and my friends want out of here.  You get us a car and an escort to Mexico, then I’ll turn the pig loose.”
 
“I can’t do that.  Just send out the hostages and I promise you won’t be hurt!”
 
“Hah!  I know how you pigs operate.  You go get me someone I can talk to.”  Len motioned with his hand for Lyn to walk over to him.  Slowly, the woman walked to his side, feeling her heart stop beating as he grabbed her by the neck and held the gun to her temple.  Together, they opened the front door and stepped out.
 
“You wrong move and she’s dead!!  I don’t need her, so don’t push me!!” his voice was cracking with the strain.
 
One of the officers stood up, carefully pointing his gun at Len.  He addressed the girl.  “Are you all right, Miss?”
 
Lyn swallowed hard before answering.  “I’m ok, but.....”
 
“No more talking.” Len hissed into her ear.  His hand closed harder on her throat.  Now he called back to the cops.  “One hour!  One hour, then I start killing people.”  The gunman and his hostage disappeared back inside the cafe.
 
Officer Pete Malloy resumed his position behind the door of his squad car and reached for the radio. “This is One Adam 12  We have a situation at 792 East Wyman.  Send back-up and a hostage negotiation team.”
 
“10-4, Adam 12.  Back up is on the way.  ETA is 2 minutes.”
 
“Roger.  One Adam 12 out.”  Malloy mopped his brow as he stared at his watch.  Two minutes, time enough for anything and everything to go wrong.

*************
 
 

“Parker, Samuels!  Get out to 792 Wyman and back up the hostage team there.  We have a bunch of crazies holed up in a diner.  The SWAT team is on route but I want you there just in case.”  Captain Dobey watched in satisfaction as the two detectives raced out of the room without a word.  It was good to know that at least some of his men obeyed without question.  Now he turned to look at one of his detectives who almost never obeyed an order without getting his say.
 
“Hutchinson!  Where is that partner of yours?”
 
Hutch looked up at the clock in surprise.  Nearly an hour had passed since Starsky had stormed out of the squad room.  “I don’t know Cap.  He walked out earlier.  He was really wiped from this morning.  I’ve been expecting him to call.  My guess is he went over to Huggy’s for some lunch.”  Hutch tried to sound nonchalant, not an easy thing to do with his heart trying to force it’s way into his throat.
 
“Well, find him and get back on those reports.  Vice has been calling me every half hour wanting them.”  Dobey looked once more for his errant detective before striding back to his office and slamming the door.  Hutch grinned as he picked up the phone to call Huggy.
 
Huggy Bear was a tall and lean black man with a sordid past.  He had been one of Starsky and Hutch’s first reliable snitches and had turned into one of their closest friends.  Huggy had started out life as a con man, but now had his own bar, a little place called The Pits.  He still kept a close eye on everything that went on in the district and, more often than not, knew what was happening before the parties involved knew.  Everyone trusted Huggy, in spite of his close ties to Starsky and Hutch, a fact
that was no secret.
 
“Hey, Huggy!” Hutch’s voice boomed over the phone.  “Is my overgrown kid of a partner there?”
 
“Sorry man.  I ain’t seen him all day.  What’s up?”  Huggy’s eyebrows creased together when he heard that Starsky had pulled a disappearing act from his job.  “I’ll ask around.  He probably went home.  Have you called there yet?”
 
“That’s my next call, Hug.  If you see him, tell him to get his butt back here.  There’s no way I’m doing all these reports by myself!”  Laughing, trying to cover the worry in his voice, Hutch hung up and dialed Starsky’s home phone.
 
Hutch listened with increasing worry as Starsky’s home phone continued to ring.  “14...15....16....Damn!” Hutch slammed down the receiver as he realized his missing partner wasn’t going to pick up the phone.  The blond man picked up a pencil and tapped nervously on the desk, trying to decide where Starsky might have gone.   He leaned forward again and picked up the phone, dialing an extension number to the radio communications center.
 
“This is Sgt. Hutchinson.  Connect me with Zebra 3.”  Hutch requested.
 
“Right away Sgt.  Hold please.”
 
Anxious moments passed as Hutch clutched the phone tightly.  Finally, the officer came back on.  “I’m sorry Sgt.  Zebra 3 isn’t answering radio communications.  I’m showing Sgt. Starsky as logged in at Metro.”
 
“Thank you.” Hutch said simply, as he hung up the phone.  He stared at the clock again.  “Where the hell are you, Starsky?”

*************
 
Lt. Bud Evans made his way up to where Pete Malloy was crouched down behind his patrol car.  “What do we have in there?”  The slightly built hostage negotiator was known for his no-nonsense attitude and get-it done strategies.  Malloy almost felt sorry for the men holed up in the cafe.

“It looks like two, maybe three men, all armed, with at least two hostages.  We’ve seen a woman, and they claim to have a cop in there.  We haven’t been able to confirm that.”  Malloy reported, resting his gun hand on the open window of his car door.
 
Evans sighed, this wasn’t going to be easy.  “We have a report of an attempted bank robbery over on Wilson about 30 minutes ago.  Three men, all armed, got away with nothing.  Have you run the plates on the cars parked in front of the cafe?”
 
Malloy shook his head no and holstered his gun, taking out a note pad to start writing down the license plate numbers of the cars he could see in the immediate area.  With that finished, he would run checks on all of them, hopefully coming up with the name of at least one of their suspects.
 
Inside the cafe, Len surveyed the scene outside.  He hadn’t planned on things going wrong with the bank heist.  The operation was planned perfectly, until the car had refused to start.  The three men had been forced to run from the approaching sirens, abandoning their ill gotten gains in the process.  They had run until Matt had seen the empty diner, electing to hide until the ruckus had died down.
 
Luke had shoved the cook into the freezer while Matt and Len sat with the waitress out front.  To a casual observer, it would have looked like business as usual inside the diner.  Things had been working perfectly until the arrival of Starsky.  Len looked at his hostage again, “Damn pig.” he muttered aloud.
 
Making a decision, Len stood up and motioned to Luke.  “Go get the cook and bring him out here.  We might as well have all our eggs in one basket.  Cop, you better hope that your friends out there don’t decide to try something stupid.”
 
Starsky leveled a look on the man that would have frozen an iceberg.  “I don’t care what they do, as long as your ass goes to jail for a long time.”   Cold eyes bored into the green fury in the gunman’s face.  “If you’re smart, you’ll let Lyn and the cook go, and just deal with me.  The cops out there will be a hell of a lot more patient with you, if they know that it is another cop in here instead of civilians.  I won’t panic, unlike the girl here.”  Starsky favored Lyn with a gentle smile, his lips curving up in
encouragement.

“Doesn’t work like that, cop.  I’m calling the shots here, not them, and not you.”  Len broke off as Luke and the cook entered the room.
 
Luke gave the older man a hard shove, sending him sprawling into Lyn.  Both the man and the woman hit the floor as Lyn tried to catch her boss.  Starsky jumped up from the stool he was seated on.  “Easy there! An old man isn’t gonna cause you any trouble.”  Now he turned to the cook.  “Are you ok, Sid?”
 
Sid rubbed his arms for warmth.  “I am now.  What’s going on out here?”  The balding cook listened as Starsky outlined the problem.  “Sounds like these three are on edge.” Sid stole a glance at Lyn before leaning conspiratorially close to the trussed up detective.  “What do you think our chances of getting out of here are?”  The look in Starsky’s blue eyes gave him the answer he dreaded hearing.

*************
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