People were milling around in the entryway, moving the bodies of the guards out of the way so triage could continue on the injured rebels. Brian recognized Nurse Browne tending a man with an injury in his side.

"Nurse Browne? It's Brian Hayes, do you know where Cassidy is?" As he got closer he could see her patient was Jason, and he knelt down, staring at the man. "Jason? Where's Cassidy? What happened?"

"He's not up to taking questions, Mr. Hayes." She finished with the bandage and sat back on her legs. "You are looking better than I expected." Her eyebrows rose up at Leslie, who stood behind him.

"Right now I'm running on adrenalin." More gunfire had him jerking upright. "What's that? Where is it?"

"Mr. Cassidy brought Jason down and went back upstairs, that's all I know. He did say not to let anyone else up, but . . ." She looked around, shrugging.

Brian stood, helping her to her feet. "Will he be okay?"

"He'd be better off at the clinic, but yes, I think so."

"We'll leave you to it then."

"You aren't—"

"Yeah, we are, so forget Cassidy's order."

Helen watched the pair lope up the long staircase, and she expelled a long sigh.

At the top of the stairs they stopped, listening.

"You said they had the hostages in the courtroom?" Leslie nodded, but pointed down a different hallway. "What's down there?"

"That's where the gunfire came from."

"How do you know that?"

She pointed at a trail of blood with the toe of her shoe. He frowned and then hurried down the hall, flattening against the wall just outside the door. Taking a breath, he ducked and rolled into the room, gun up.

The scene stunned him. Bodies of three guards lay sprawled about the room, and stretched out, side by side, he saw Sean and Andrew.

Leslie followed, her weapon aimed at the two men in the corner. "Brian, behind you!"

He turned, another surprise. "Wait, don't shoot! It's Cassidy." He got to his feet and approached the men. "Reagan? Reagan, you okay?"

Cassidy turned, his face twisted in anger. "Brian? Oh, oh . . ." He seemed to deflate and sagged against the wall. The man in the chair was sobbing, his head down on his chest.

"What the hell?"

"He and his pals killed the boys and wounded Jason. I was trying to get him to tell where the Circle was hiding." He started sliding down the wall.

Leslie helped Brian get him to a chair. "We know where they are, Reagan. They're holed up in the courtroom – with hostages."

Cassidy stared at them. Had he caused all this misery and danger? So many believed in him and the objective. Was it worth it? Is it worth it yet? "Who are they – the hostages?"

Leslie explained what had taken place, and insisted they had to be rescued.

"How? There's only the main entrance, it would be another slaughter."

"There is an exit from the court down to the holding cells. You were there," she turned to Brian.

"That's right. That's where they took me at my trail." He shook his head. "I don't remember another way out from down there."

"Well there is. It's for the guards when they need to clean the cells."

Cassidy sat up. "The service door in that small courtyard."

Leslie nodded. "And I know how to get into the courtyard."

"Let's go." Brian turned for the door.

"Wait, wait. We can't do this alone." Cassidy stood, testing his legs. "And what about him?"

"He can help us get in," Brian showed a cryptic smile. The man looked up, fear apparent in his eyes. "And he will, won't you, pal?" The gun came up, aiming straight at his face. The man nodded, almost weeping.

"Hey!" the voice had them all tensing and looking about. "Up here."

Two faces stared down from the skylight. "Can you toss the rope up?"

Cassidy glared up at them. "Where the hell were you two?"

"When the pipe broke, we heard a guard coming and we had to jettison the ladder and hide. It was only luck he didn't hear it hit the ground. When the gunfire started, instead of checking the skylight, he made a beeline for the front. He came right by us and we took him out. We need the rope to get down."

"What can you tie it to?" Brian called, coiling the rope in his hands.

"The guard. We can wind it around him and another pipe. Should hold."

Brian looked to Cassidy, who just nodded. "Get ready, here it comes." He lobbed the rope up and they both grappled for it, pulling up as much as they needed. A few minutes later they were both inside and armed with the guns from the dead guards. Cassidy looked up at the body of the one they had used as an anchor. It had almost been pulled through the skylight, along with another broken vent pipe.

"We ready now?" Leslie asked, stepping quickly toward the door.

The small courtyard was also accessible from the kitchen, and the team stole silently inside and up the narrow staircase to the courtroom. Voices brought them to a halt, and they listened to what sounded like arguing.

"Inquisitor," Brian whispered, "I recognize the voice." They stayed, listening.

"You're all just a bunch of simpering whiners."

"For God's sake, man, they've overrun the Precinct! We're trapped in here."

"But we still have the advantage. These people here will win the day for us."

"Win the day – are you crazy?"

"When they see the first body roll out the door, they'll bargain. Trust me."

Leslie gripped Brian's arm fiercely. "We have to move."

"Shhh, hold on. We won't let that happen. Listen."

"We'll never get out of here no matter what lunatic ideas you have!"

"One more word, Simon, and yours will be the first body."

"Now hold on there, just because you've had seniority in The Circle doesn't mean it's absolute." Another member argued, and was quickly joined by the others.

"Well, then I am open to any of your brilliant proposals as to how we proceed." The sarcasm oozed.

"Negotiate." Someone said.

"That's what I was going to do, remember?"

"I mean without your idiotic threats. We could loosen the ban on A and E perhaps. Give them a sop and some vague promises."

"Until they demand more, you mean."

"We should strike now, while they're preoccupied." Cassidy mouthed clearly.

Without waiting, Leslie got down and crawled into the room, behind the gallery chairs. Peering between them, she could see the hostages all together in the prisoner's dock. Moving slightly forward, she could pick out the Circle members.

A shot rang out and she screamed as the wood from the chair back splintered in front of her face.

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Total to this point - 16,916