Tolerance Book II

Chapter Sixty-Three: Countdown

Stepping into the Sergeants' office reinforced immediately the urgency of the sutuation.  The oppressive tension which filled the room was unmistakable.  Closing the door behind him Jay leant back against it as he casually dislodged the painkillers from under his tongue and stuffed them in his pocket.  Despite Als' admonitions the ex-Sniper had learnt long ago to use pain.  To Al it was a distraction but for the younger man, depending on the situation, it was a tool to avail of to sharpen his focus.  Ranger School had taught them both to use anything and everything at their disposal to complete a mission.  In Jays' case however he had already learnt in his tumultuous childhood to handle pain and with that hard-earned knowledge had come the realization that he could use his suffering.  Whether that use manifested itself in sourcing strength to go on from past painful episodes survived or in honing his ability to compartmentalize or in some other manner varied in accordance to the circumstance.  Right now he allowed the throbbing pain coursing through his injured leg to ground him.  In so doing he ensured he was not overwhelmed by the responsibility he carried.  Of course the responsibility for the lives of the three men in the office was a self imposed one but that did not lessen the burden. Talking quietly he quickly informed the avidly listening trio of what they suspected King planned to do.  Even as he talked Jay took a number of photos with his cell before e-mailing them to the IT Specialist.

"So he's somewhere with a rifle right now waiting to strike?" Murphy sought clarification even though the Detective had been thorough in his grim update.
"Seems likely," Jay nodded, there was no need to add that there was no absolute certainty.
"Heck of a time I decide to go on a diet.
My last meal will be a salad!"
"Least you'll look good in the coffin," Voight pointed out sardonically.
"Jeez guys! Your optimism is really encouraging," Parker observed before gesturing to Jay, "a couple of us are actually young and we'd appreciate the chance to get as old as you two."
"Did he just call us old?" Voight demanded of the HS man even as he turned slightly to try to check the blinds behind him without it being obvious.

Sliding his cell into his pocket Jay advanced into the room and stopped when he stood with his back purposefully to the window, as if he didn't have a care in the world. The move also gave the Sergeant a reason to turn around fully towards the window. Jay had scrutinised the blinds as he approached but had not noticed anything untoward.  Showing his enemy his back would hopefully convince King they were not as of yet considering a threat from outside.

"What am I looking for?" Voight checked even as he sought to find anything out of the ordinary.
"Wires, holes in the framework of the window .... ,"
"What would holes do?" Parker raised an eyebrow.
"They can be stuffed with explosive."
"Bet you're glad you asked," Murphy chided his long time friend, he had decided to make a concerted effort to respond to their situation with light hearted comments rather than succumbing to the stress again.
"Every day's a learning day," Jay pointed out appreciating the intent behind the words, as his eyes scanned the desk that separated the seated men "without moving your feet can you tell if there's any depression or elevation under the carpet?  It looks even from here.  Just don't make it obvious you're checking.  I don't know how much King could see if he is watching."
"Are the others trying to pin down his location?" Murphy enquired as he performed a visual inspection of the floor as requested without moving his head.
"There are five buildings he could use but we can't rule any of them out ... ,"
"It would take too long to go through them," Voight saved his subordinate from giving the bad news knowing they needed to vacate the office ASAP and then gave his assessment, "there's nothing obvious Halstead."
"The floor seems even," Parker reported as his fellow New Yorker nodded beside him in mute agreement.

Outside the office Al had sent Antonio downstairs to find out what was delaying the Bomb Squad.  The explosives' experts should have arrived at the precinct well hefore now.  That meant one of two things.  Either King had arranged the delay or the Squad was out on another shout.  The latter possibility was unlikely as a delay in response time would have necessitated the Unit heing notified.  Looking back into the closed office he caught Jays' eyes momentarily.  They both understood the gravity of the situation. There was an invisible clock ticking down and only King knew its' timing.