by Dylan Keefer
“I dunno,” number one said scratching his head. “I feel like they need to know that we're serious about all of this before they act. We might need to send a message.”
“We aren't going to hurt anybody,” number three whispered. “We aren't, right?”
Micah mentally noted that number three was a girl, and by the way, she carried herself, she was only a girl. Probably a teenager.
“We've already hurt someone; or did you not notice the dead security guard,' scoffed number four.
“We wait until…”
“Hold on.” Micah saw number four hold up a finger and look towards him. He pretended to have his eyes scanning the area. When he dared look back again, the four of them had moved far enough away from him to make out the words.
The girl who had been collecting electronics was staring at him. She was probably wondering when he was going to man up and save the day, and Eli wasn't helping.
“Look at these people around us,” Eli whispered. “Someone is gonna crack and do something stupid.”
“Besides you? What are you doing here?”
"It's a bank. I need money like everybody else. Trust me; I have better things to do than sit here under the gun of some inexperienced criminals."
“More people to torture?” Micah growled. “I swear that you aren't going to get out of here a free man.”
“You should probably work on us getting out of here period. I sense a problem coming up very soon.”
Micah scanned the hostages. Nervous looks. Shifty eyes. Thought processes working over time. It wasn't easy realizing that you were in a situation like this. Micah stopped looking. Sure enough, they weren't the only ones having conversations. Three of the bank workers were seated together. Mouths were barely moving, but they were definitely planning something.
Number four stepped back in front of the group with number one. They both had chairs and sat down facing the group.
“All right, people. Hopefully, the cops outside do what they need to do, and you'll all be outta here in time for a late lunch.”
“You don't need all of these hostages, you know. The more hostages, the more attention.” Micah groaned. He wasn't sure if it was a manager or just one of those personal bankers, but the guy was probably spouting off something he saw on a TV show. Please, stop, Micah thought to himself. Number four turned his attention to the man.
“And you are an expert in hostages situations? You want to tell me my options?”
The banker stood up slowly. “Just let the customers go. It shows that you aren't here to hurt anyone, and the workers here will cooperate with you fully. I promise.”
Number four and number two laughed to each other. “I tell you what. How about you sit down and shut up, and I won't send you out like I sent that security guard.”
The banker didn't sit. Instead, he kept his hands visible but continued to talk. "Come on. You obviously are just caught up in a bad situation. You don't want to hurt anybody else, and it isn't too late to…"
Micah jolted when the gunshot sounded. He started to reach for his, but Eli's hand stopped him. Number four had just fired into the wall above the banker who dropped back down the ground immediately. Several screams and cried echoed in the bank. Number two and three looked back from where they were but didn't seem too rattled. Number four addressed the group.
“Listen. This man is right. We don't want to hurt anyone else, but if we have to, we will not hesitate. We've got nothing to lose. Do you?” There were no responses. Eli removed his hand, and Micah relaxed. Number four lowered his gun. “Good. Now stay seated and shut up!”
Chapter Three
The gunshot caused a brief few seconds of silence where everyone started to think the worst. Ailani quickly began to order his men to move any bystanders away from the area. Reporters were busy addressing cameramen. Raine stood by Tai as they were reading the information on the laptop in front of them. If it weren't for the few sentences she had read, panic wouldn't have been the first resort.
“Tink dey shot sumbody?” Tai asked.
“I don't know,” Raine said. “We need to find this stuff, Tai. Whatever they need this serum for, I'm pretty sure that they are willing to do anything to get it.”
Nothing showed up when they searched for that particular serum, but a lot populated when they searched Commander Walt Painter. Raine stared at the words 'decorated,' 'honored,' 'revered,' and knew that this man was not just some average Joe. What caught her eye were several articles about Victor Painter, his son. The tumor is located at the base of the brain stem. The placement of the tumor along with the rapid growth in the past few months has increased the likelihood that this cancer cannot be stopped. All attempts to slow down the progression have been futile. Raine saw Ailani walking towards her.
“I've got SWAT on their way just in case,” he said. “Tell me that you've got something.”
“Tai and I need to go to Tripler,” she said. “I have a feeling that whatever this serum is that it won't be easy to get. Tell them that I'm on it though.”
Ailani frowned as she nodded to the phone in his hand. “You're going to leave me with this, huh. I brought you here for this, you know.”
Raine knew. She also didn't want to admit that knowing Micah was in the bank, too, was causing a little more than just a twinge of anxiety. She needed something else to occupy her mind and finding the serum so that she could prevent any harm to the people inside the bank was the only option.
Ailani held the phone to his ear as he watched the two of them go.
“Yeah,” was the answer.
“This is Officer Ailani Kimo Kaihale. I'm the officer in charge out front.”
“What happened to the woman? The doctor?”
“She's gonna see if she can find your serum. We are trying to make sure we help everybody in there including you. We heard a shot out here. Just want to make sure no one is hurt.”
“Nobody's hurt,” the man said gruffly. “We just needed to establish the roles in here. As long as everyone cooperates, it'll stay that way.”
“So, nobody is hurt at all?” Ailani pressed. “We also have witnesses saying there was a shot when the bank was first taken over.”
There was a brief pause. Then, “Like I said. None of the hostages are hurt.”
Ailani knew there was a lie in there somehow. He took a deep breath and spoke. “Listen, I'm your man out here. We are going to get your serum, but it may take a little longer than sixty minutes, okay.”
Click. Ailani, squeeze the device hard as he brought it away from his ear.
Raine closed the phone slowly and brought it to her lips in thought. Tai looked over at her.
“Wat dey say?”
"No such thing," Raine said. "R33PM doesn't exist in any records in the hospital. They do, however, have Victor Painter as a patient there, but they couldn't give me information."
"We gon see wen we get der," Tai said confidently. "Kahi malaila O kekahi e loaʻa O ke ala. Where there is a will, there is a way."
“You're so inspirational, Tai,” Raine laughed.
“You worried bout Micah?”
“More than I'd like to admit.” They had been allowing this facade of friendship to play out without addressing some key things in their life. As much as she wanted to start over again. She knew that she couldn't as long as Eli Samuels was out there wanting to ruin her life.
“Micah knows wat he's doin',” Tai said whipping his steering wheel from side to side dodging traffic. He drove like a maniac with the calmness of a guru. “No worries.”
They arrived at Tripler main gate, and Tai made sure that he kept the flashing lights on when he pulled up.
“What's the emergency?” The officer at the main gate asked.
“I'm Lieutenant Tai Ulafala, MP,” Tai produced his ID. “We got an emergency that got to do wit a bank robbery downtown.”
“We need to get a hold of the doctor who is taking care of a patient here, and we need to do it fast,” Rai
ne leaned over the center console of the truck.
The guard looked at them strangely but went back inside of his post. Within a moment, he leaned back out and nodded to them.
“You’ll go up to Neurology. Fourth floor. Wing C. Someone will meet you there.”
When the guard gave the okay, Tai floored the gas pedal sending the truck into a squeal. Raine glanced at her watch as they jumped out of the car, and ran into the Oceanside entrance of the center. They had made it there with forty-three minutes to spare. They kept their badges out for anyone who gave them a suspicious look, and Raine was very aware that her shorts and tank top combo didn’t scream authority. Neither did Tai’s Hawaiin shirt and khakis. All of this military is making me think about Micah again. C’mon, Raine, there is nothing wrong. You’re about to save the day.
When the elevator opened up on the fourth floor, they were greeted by several uniforms. Raine could tell by their demeanor that they were not going to deliver good news. “Lieutenant Ulafala, I presume.” An older gentleman looked Tai in the eye; briefly glancing at his wardrobe.
“Yes, sir. And dis is Doctor Raine Michelson of HPD. We here lookin’ fo…”
“My name is Colonel Roger Edison. I am the personal doctor for Commander Painter and his family. I’m sorry to stop you here, but we aren’t able to help you with your search.”
“What do you mean you can’t help us?” Raine frowned.
“I mean that I can’t help you. We received your calls about a serum, and there is no such serum. Wherever you got your intel, they were wrong.”
Raine glared at the men accompanying him. She cleared her throat and offered a small smile. “Colonel Edison, there are several hostages being held at gunpoint in a bank downtown. The men holding them specifically mentioned R33PM and Commander Painter.”
“Miss, if I’m hearing correct, then you are searching for something based off the word of criminals.”
“Criminals who mention Commander Painter by name,” Raine said. “Any reason why they would equate the two?”
“Commander Painter is a decorated officer. I’m sure the list of people who know of him is very deep,” He nodded to them. “I don’t want to waste your time, and I do have a lot of work to…”
“Sir, no disrespect, but someting don’t smell right,” Tai scowled. “You sayin day you know nutin bout dat serum? Lives are at stake.”
“Yes, they are,” Edison said. “Everyday. Excuse me.”
Raine felt a burning anger boiling in her as he left and the soldiers that accompanied him stood by watching them. Tai swore out loud, and Raine put a hand on his shoulder. "Calm down, Tai. We are going to figure this out." Tai grunted but pulled out his cell phone. He stepped away, but the eyes of the soldiers followed him. As much as the Colonel was trying to disparage their search by discrediting the source, the fact that he met them at the elevator and did not want them going further suggested that there was something there.
A doctor appeared from around the corner holding some folders. She glanced briefly at the soldiers, but only gave a nod which was returned. Passing by Raine on the way to the elevator, the doctor whispered, “come with me.”
Raine didn't turn right away but waited until she heard the elevator open before turning around to see the doctor nodding at her.
"Tai, come," Raine said stepping into the elevator. Tai followed while still on the phone. "Wat do you mean we can't talk to him?" Tai's frustration was growing. Raine rarely saw this side of him. She never saw him angry. Frustrated. Concerned. Never angry. Tai hung up the phone and noticed that he and Raine weren't the only ones in the elevator.
“Who dis?” Tai said.
“My name is Healani. I’m a med student. I overheard what you were talking about with Colonel Edison. He’s been informed since you first called that someone was coming here to look for R33PM.”
“You’ve heard of that? The serum?” Raine asked. Healani nodded.
“Not only that, I know who created the serum.” The elevator door opened, and Healani put a finger to her lips. She walked out of the elevator, and the two of them followed a few feet behind. Raine felt her heart pounding as she realized that Healani’s revelation immediately made things more complicated. Now, instead of the men in the bank being wrong and confronted about it; they were right and going to be pissed about why they weren’t getting it—whatever it was. “What is R33PM, Healani?” Raine asked as they sat in an empty waiting room at the far end of another wing.
“It’s a virus,” the girl said. “I can only tell you what I know. I don’t know them personally, but several months ago, three medical students were working on a project that would help with easing PTSD in officers in the field. Every trial seemed to just set them back farther in their research. Apparently, they were using different animals that they had been subjected to traumatic experiences and studying the effects on the brain when they discovered one of the animals had a tumor. The serum that they made—completely eliminated the tumor. No trace.”
Raine closed her eyes. “Victor Painter.”
Healani held up the folder in her hands. "He has a tumor on his brain stem, and it's forming an aneurysm on top of it."
“How dis serum stuff get to da Commander,” Tai asked.
“Well, when something this big happens, you got to be careful who you trust with the information. They must have told the wrong people,” Healani shrugged. “I know that there are several instructors who would have been the first to know about the projects, but everyone knows Commander Painter.”
“So, the serum is under lockdown because Painter wants it for his son? Are you serious? How can one man prevent us from saving lives?”
“Because while it works against the tumor, it is also a virus, and there is no telling what it can do in the wrong hands,” Healani handed Raine the folder. “Listen, I’ve got to get back. If you really want to know what happened, you need to talk to one of the students who created it.”
“They here?” Tai asked.
"No. No." Healani stood. "They all kinda of disappeared off the face of the earth. That folder has their names and files though. Hopefully, that helps you find them."
When the girl left, Raine slammed the folder on the seat next to them. They didn’t have time for this, but she also knew that wasn’t going to get anywhere as a civilian—no matter what her position was.
“We shud call Ailani,” Tai said grabbing his phone. Raine nodded. Ailani was probably pulling his hair out. They had thirty minutes left.
I’ve got to get more from these guys, she thought. Tai was standing with his back towards her, and Raine knew that Ailani was trying to make sense of what Tai was telling him. She grabbed her phone and found the number she was looking for.
“Hello?”
“It’s Dr. Raine Michelson. Are you the one I talked to earlier?”
“I am. What happened to the man? What the hell are you planning? I told you what we wanted.”
“I know,” Raine said calmly. “I know. I’m working on getting it, but I need your help. Why are you looking for this serum? Why do you need it?”
“That’s not important. You just get it to us. Time is running out.”
“Listen to me,” Raine said firmly. “If you know that Commander Painter has the serum, then you know why and why he won’t give it up. I need your help here.”
There was silence on the other line. Raine closed her eyes in frustration. Think, Raine. Think.
"I know that you have put yourself in an impossible place and that you have done it for a good reason," she said softly. "You aren't criminals. I could tell. For some reason, you saw no other way than to do what you're doing now. I get it. I also know that you need me to get this serum for you. I am the best option you have. Trust me."
There. That had to be vulnerable enough to elicit the right response. Silence still echoed over the line, and Tai seemed to be wrapping up his conversation with Ailani.
“Caroline Mays.” That was it. The line disc
onnected.
“Who wuz dat?” Tai asked.
"It was information. C'mon, we need to find out where these kids are." She said grabbing the folder from the chair. The best option was to make headway and then ask for more time. Raine felt like she could get it if she played her cards right. Hopefully, Micah was playing his right inside the bank.
The mask was suffocating. The bank was suffocating. For the first time, she understood what claustrophobia felt like. It was scary. Though her eyes could see that she had enough space and air to breathe, her mind was telling her something different. It was telling her that this was the end.
There was an office out of sight of the other hostages and away from the windows that Macy could crouch down against the desk, placed the gun on the floor, and stripped off her mask. With the stripping of the mask came the tears—tears that had paused from the night before and now felt the freedom to fall. Before that, they had sprung a lot. Sometimes, she felt like the only one who cried though she knew that the others did, too.
Macy swallowed hard as she closed her eyes. It wasn’t easy to do that these days. The only images that she saw were those of her mother’s body lying on the hospital bed with machines beeping and monitoring every single signal that the woman was still alive. The tumor had caught them off guard. Adam had been the one to find his mom on the floor of the kitchen when he had stopped by during a lunch break to pick up something from home. Macy had been called out of class and Bryce had picked her up to take her to the hospital. The tumor had developed on the brain stem, and it was too dangerous to operate at that point in time. Chemotherapy was an option, but they weren’t wealthy. They barely had enough money to cover what hospital bills that were already piling up. Macy and Adam found whatever jobs they could to help, but they needed some sort of miracle. That’s when Bryce had a breakthrough.
He had met her while stationed in Hawaii. They had actually almost dated but decided that only being friends was a better option.
“Bryce, I have something! I have something big!”