Sunday Night
Tech-Pro's New Year's Eve Party
The Tech-Pros New Year's party was in full swing around him, but Jim Ellison wasn't paying attention to the actual party. He was using his senses in hopes of finding some trace of Lee Brackett or Blair.
Simon Banks walked up to Jim. "We're all set. If Brackett is here, we'll get him at your call. We cannot let him get out of the building with the laser."
"There's been no sign of him or Sandburg." Jim reported. "I've been making sweeps of this floor and the one above. But without Blair to help, I'm hesitant to try more than that."
"Jim, when he contacts you, let us go ahead and take him. If Brackett has the chip and the laser we can't risk letting him get away."
"And I can't risk him harming Sandburg." Jim countered. "Blair may not even be in the building. I need Brackett to tell me where he is. If we take him too soon, he may not."
"Jim..." Simon started to argue.
Jim's cell phone buzzed softly and he held up a hand to silence Simon.
"Ellison."
"Ditch Banks, retrieve the merchandise, and join us on the top floor. There's a lovely view tonight."
"Brackett!" Jim growled and glared at the phone as the connection went dead. "Damn. He's here and can see us, maybe even hear us. Although if he's hooked into the security cameras he probably can't hear us through the noise in the room."
"If you know where he is, let's move in and take him now." Simon tried again.
"I'm not going to risk Sandburg. Besides, if anyone is working with Brackett he or she might show up as well." The sentinel made another sensory scan of the room, wincing slightly at the too loud noises and a whiff of someone's too sweet perfume. Finding nothing to show that Brackett had tampered with the party area, Jim headed out of the ballroom.
He stopped at a small supply cabinet long enough to reach in and pull out a large gym bag. He unzipped the bag enough to make sure the laser was still inside where he had left it earlier. Closing the gym bag and hoping that Blair didn't hit him later for using his brand new bag, Jim walked swiftly down the corridor to the elevators.
A few moments later, Jim exited the elevator onto the top level of the convention center. He looked around the darkened room, looking for any sign of the agent or Blair.
Brackett stepped out of the shadows. "Good evening, Detective. It's nice up here tonight, isn't it?" The former agent called out.
"Where's Sandburg?" Jim responded. Now that he was away from the noise of the celebration, he could easily hear that there were three people on the top floor. His partner had to be nearby.
"Impatient, aren't we?" Brackett asked, his tone mocking. "Or don't you trust me?"
"Brackett." The Sentinel growled, letting his hatred of the man who dared threaten his Guide show in his voice. He moved forward, stopping only when the rogue agent held up a hand wrapped around a gun.
"That's far enough." Brackett became all business, as though oblivious to Jim's implied threat. "You have what I want?"
Jim took a deep breath, willing himself to calm down in order to complete his task. Carefully he set the gym bag on the floor between him and Brackett, moving back a step. "It's in there."
"Very good. Very good indeed." Brackett smiled. "No problems, I assume, since you are here and not in jail for breaking and entering. No ill effects from the drug? I tried to use something that wouldn't have an adverse effect on your senses."
"Your concern is touching. Just what are you planning on doing with that thing?" Jim asked. As he tried to keep Brackett talking, he searched for his partner, focusing on Blair's heartbeat and breathing.
"Purely business. I have a buyer lined up that will pay me enough to get out of the country for a while." Brackett stepped towards the bag. "And a business partner who has been quite generous by arranging my release from prison. Now if you'll back up Detective."
"Where's my partner?" Jim demanded.
"You mean you haven't already found him?" Brackett asked, giving Jim a surprised look. "Or maybe you just want to downplay those senses of your's. Must get awfully tiring trying to pretend they don't exist."
The former agent moved backwards, stopping at a small door with a lettered plate reading Cleaning. Keeping his eyes and gun trained on Jim, he reached out and opened the door. With a swift movement, he yanked a bound and gagged Blair Sandburg from the closet. Blair stumbled a bit at the sudden movement, Brackett's tight grip on his arm keeping him upright.
Jim turned his senses on his partner, quickly seeing that Blair was unharmed and not missing the anger that flashed in the dark blue eyes. The young man was furious at being used against Jim.
Brackett pulled Blair forward until they stood opposite of Jim with the gym bag between them. Releasing Blair, he trained his gun on the young man before reaching for the gym bag.
In the brief moment that Brackett's attention was on the bag, Blair threw a look at his partner then lunged sideways, throwing himself into Brackett, both men falling to the floor. Jim dove forward, kicking Brackett's gun away as the former agent struggled to shove Blair off of him. Getting a grip on Brackett's arm, he pulled the man up allowing Blair to roll into a sitting position.
"Are you okay, Chief?" Jim asked, mentally kicking himself as he realized that Blair was still gagged and couldn't answer.
"He's fine for now." A new voice answered. "If he stays that way pretty much depends on you."
All three men looked around quickly to see Charles Alderman, the president of Tech-Pros, standing in the doorway with Brackett's lost gun in his hand, trained on them.
"My business associate seems reluctant to kill you and Detective Sandburg, but I assure you that I have no such reservations." Alderman calmly told Jim. "Now release Mr. Brackett and step away from him."
Jim stared at the businessman. "I suggest you put the gun down. The police will be up here any minute."
Alderman pointed the gun at Blair's head. "Move away, Detective. Or he dies right now."
Pure hatred flashed across Jim's face as he looked at the man threatening his Guide. Not seeing an immediate way out, he released his hold on Brackett, but only moved away a step, towards Blair.
"Easy, Detective." Alderman warned.
"I just want to help my partner up off the floor." Reaching down, Jim gently pulled Blair up to stand beside him, steadying him as the younger man's hands were still cuffed behind his back. He reached for the gag and loosened it quickly before Alderman could stop him.
"Thanks, man." Blair whispered, wincing at the stiffness in his jaw from being gagged.
Glaring at the two detectives, the businessman glanced at Brackett who had moved to stand beside him. "Did he bring it?"
Brackett unzipped the gym bag and looked inside. "It's right here. All in one piece."
"Good. I've got the chip right here."
"You've got the chip?" Blair burst out, his voice raspy.
"I've had it all along. The chip you saw in the case was a decoy in case Mr. Brackett had problems getting it." Alderman smiled. "Either way I was sure to have the chip and all I needed was the laser. Through certain contacts I heard of Mr. Brackett here and contacted him about obtaining his release on the condition that he helped me get the laser to go with the chip."
"What are you going to do with it, now that you have it?" Jim asked, carefully watching Alderman and Brackett.
Alderman took the bag from Brackett and settled the strap over his shoulder. "There are some parties who are very interested in this device. With the chip, the power of the laser is increased significantly. The laser beam can reach further and with more accuracy than the technology in use currently."
"A perfect weapon." Jim muttered.
"Yes, worth several million dollars." Alderman pulled another gun from his coat and handed it to Brackett. "Now all we have left is to do something about the two of you."
"You go on, Alderman, I'll take care of them." Brackett said, taking the gun and covering the partners.
"You sure?"
"Yes. Just make sure my payment is deposited. This completes our business. It has been a pleasure." Brackett said.
Alderman nodded and headed for the door leading to the stairs. Watching the man walk away, Jim tensed listening for any sign of Simon in the hallway. He wasn't surprised to hear the police captain waiting in the stairway, one floor down. His attention was then pulled back to Brackett as the former agent stepped close.
"Now, Detective Ellison. Detective Sandburg. It's time for us to say goodbye." He motioned towards the closet where he had kept Blair. "Mr. Sandburg, please step over there."
"What if I don't?" Blair asked defiantly.
"I'll shoot you and your partner and put you in there myself. Admittedly, Alderman was right; I really don't want to have to kill you. Both you and Ellison are valuable resources." Brackett said.
"Go on, Blair." Jim said quietly, watching his partner and Brackett intently.
"Jim."
"It's okay," Jim assured him. With a shake of his head, Blair moved away from his partner but didn't step into the closet.
"Now Detective." Brackett said. "I'll need your handcuffs."
Without a response, Jim slowly reached behind him to pull his handcuffs from under his jacket. He reached out to hand them to Brackett, shifting at the last second to grab Brackett's arm, yanking the other man off balance. The gun went off as Jim swung his other hand around to punch Brackett in the shoulder, forcing him to drop the gun.
The two men went down, scuffling for the gun. Blair stepped as close as he dared, frustrated at the useless feeling that flashed through him. He caught sight of Brackett's gun and kicked it out of reach of the men. Suddenly, Jim got the upper hand and landed a blow to Brackett's jaw. The agent went still, dazed from the punch.
"Cascade Police! Freeze!" Simon Banks' voice rang out in the room.
Jim sighed, relief evident on his face, as he relaxed slightly, watching the police captain walking towards him, detectives and uniformed officers ran into the room. Several officers handcuffed Brackett and led him away.
"We got Alderman as he was going down the stairs." Simon told Jim. "Was he Brackett's partner in this whole scheme?"
"Evidently," Jim answered, his attention on his partner, checking him out for injuries. "From what little Brackett told us, Alderman is responsible for getting him out of prison and since Alderman left with the laser and the chip, he must be the contact with their buyer."
"An Agent McFarland from the FBI called this afternoon to inform me that he and another agent would be arriving to take custody of Brackett tomorrow. Let's hope he has better luck keeping track of Brackett." Simon said, turning to look at Blair. "Blair, are you okay?"
Blair stood patiently as Jim unlocked the handcuffs binding him. He slowly brought his hands around and gingerly rubbed the reddened wrists. "I'm fine, Simon." At Jim's concentrated look he added, "Honest! I'm fine. He didn't do anything to harm me, just kept me restrained.
"Thanks Jim." He added quietly. "And I'm sorry."
"What are you sorry for?"
"For letting Brackett take me. He jumped me as I was leaving the loft and I never knew he was there until it was too late. I guess I was a bit distracted."
The two men began to walk towards the elevator, following their captain.
"Distracted? Do we have a new neighbor?"
"Jim!" Blair protested. "No we don't have a new neighbor." The younger man imitated his partner's teasing tone. "But I was distracted by a woman."
"Hah! I knew it! Who is she?" Jim laughed.
"My mom. I got a letter from her and was reading it as I walked to my car. She wishes us both a Happy New Year."
Just then, their attention was drawn to sounds of celebration coming from the floors below them as well as the streets, as the city of Cascade welcomed in a new year.
"Happy New Year, Simon!" Both men called out, laughing at the good-natured grumbling that came from the man in front of them.
"Hey Jim, was that a copy of 2001: A Space Odyssey, I saw on the table the other day?"
"Yes. Thought we'd watch it to ring in the New Year."
"Sounds good to me, man. I'll make the popcorn and you can get the beer. Deal?"
"Deal."
"Happy 2001, Jim."
"Happy New Year, Blair."
Like this episode? Email the writer: vfoster@mindspring.com
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Stay tuned next week when a new Seattle-based drug makes its presence felt with crippling effects on a friend of Major Crime in "In The Blink Of An Eye" an all new The Sentinel.
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