Chapter #8

The doors banged open once more in the large police headquarters. Donovan slowly walked up the isle through the work desks to the very back room. He reached for the handle just as Kevin O’Connors whirled around the corner.

“What are you doing here?!” he shrieked angrily.

“Working. What are you doing here?” Cedar smirked and turned the knob. Without another word, he slid into the room, slamming the door on O’Connor’s face.

The room was dimly lit and messy. Papers were scattered everywhere and the room was scented with a thick tobacco smoke. Captain Wilson sat behind his desk, pipe in hand, as he scanned through a couple of papers.

He looked up over his glasses at Cedar quickly and then returned to scanning through his papers, “It’s pretty bad, huh?”

“Yes, sir, it is,” Donovan removed his hat and sat down in the seat in front of the desk.

“Why else would you be here, right?” Wilson sighed as he set the paperwork down and put the smoke pipe in his mouth.

“Things are beginning to look grim-,” Donovan started, but the door suddenly burst open with an antsy O’Connors standing in the doorway.

“Boos!” Kevin exclaimed, “I’m sorry boss, he got past security-.”

“I told him to come, “Wilson interrupted calmly.

“What?! But he’s not supposed to be back in here!” O’Connors argued as Craig Elders hustled into the room to see what the ruckus was all about.

“He never really left. You, on the other hand, are fired, O’Connors!” Wilson quickly turned back to Donovan, “So, anyways, what do ya think he’s planning?”

O’Connors burst into a cackling fit, “You have no idea what he’s planning to do.”

Wait a minute, Cedar realized, I’ve heard that before…

Donovan shot up out of his chair, gun already aimed at Kevin’s head, “Block the doors!”

The entire group began to swarm into the police office, ready for action.

“Have no fear, The Ignited is here!” Aaron shouted out.

“The ‘Ignited’?” Martin looked over at him, annoyed.

“What? I’m working on it!” Aaron chuckled. Martin just shook his head in reply.

“Aww, look. Cedar’s little posy is here too!” O’Connors cackled aloud, “I didn’t think they’ll get in the way though, ey, Craig?”

“I don’t think so, Kevin,” Elders smirked.

“Not when there’s a bomb inside the room, ready to go off in…” O’Connors looked down at his watch, “…thirty seconds.”

Wilson choked on the smoke as everyone in the room froze in fear.

“Heheh, that’s more like it,” Kevin grinned, “Now, if you excuse us, we’ll be off!”

Elders shot a long string of gauze that wrapped around a stapler on one of the desks. He then chucked it at the large window on the other side of the room. Glass flew everywhere as the window shattered. Wind rushed in, scattering papers everywhere. Kevin looked back at Donovan.

“Don’t look so shocked, Donny. We were both there that night. We were just a step ahead of those robbers. We were breaking into the safe when the bloody electric plant blew up,” he sneered, then turned to Craig, “let’s get the hell out of here.”

The two men quickly jumped out of the window and disappeared from sight.

“Roger! Quick!” Donovan roared.

Verlin had already begun duplicating, each duplicate searching high and low for anything resembling a bomb as everyone else stood watching the odd scene taking place.

One of the Verlin’s suddenly shouted, “We’ve got it!”

“At his own bloody desk. Should have saw that coming,” Wilson winced as he ran over to the desk in the center of the room.

“Bloody hell! It’s C4!!” one of the policemen cried.

“Where’s our bomb specialist?!” Donovan shouted.

“O’Connors was our bomb specialist,” Wilson rubbed his forehead.

“We got ten seconds people!” one of the police officers shouted, looking down at his watch.

Clare stepped forward, “I can get rid of it.”

“What?!” Aaron looked at her bewildered.

“Nine seconds!...”

“I’m the only way,” she looked at Donovan, “We’ve got to get rid of it.”

“Eight seconds!...”

Donovan gently removed the bomb from under the desk. He held it out and before Clare could take it, Henry jumped in the way.

“Clare! Maybe I can hotwire it! Maybe Aaron could hold in the blast with gravi-.”

“We can’t take chances!” Clare grasped his hands and looked deep into his eyes, “Henry…I love you.”

Tears formed in her eyes as Henry just stood in shock and despair. After all these years, he thought, and she tells me NOW?!

“Seven seconds!...Six!”

Clare moved around Henry and grabbed the bomb from Cedar’s hands.

“Wait!” Henry shouted, whirling around to see Clare disappear from sight.

“Five!...Four!...”

The room stayed silent. The only sound was the racing heartbeats in every person in the room.

“Three!...Two!...”

People held their breath as the long second came and went.

Suddenly there was a small rumble from the distance. A large cloud of dust and debris rose from outside the city as some officers looked out the window. Sighs of relief came from most of the people, except for one.

Henry slunk to the floor, holding his head as tears poured down his cheeks…

~