"Nathan James, where are you?" Chandler asked again

His radio call went unanswered. No-one from the ship was responding. That meant the bridge crew was either not there or they weren't able to get to the radio. Either way, something bad must have happened.

"Anything, captain?" Burk asked when he noticed his captain's empty stare

Tom just shook his head, not looking over at the officer. He was still too deep in though to pay attention to anything.

'What the hell is going on?' Tom thought 'There's no way that Mike would willingly leave the bridge unattended. They must be under attack somehow' he realised

"Come on Burk, we gotta move- find out what's happening" he ordered

Tom walked over to where his father and children were still crouched on the ground waiting. His father was muttering comforting words into the kids' ears, trying to stop them from panicking. Tom tried to think of what to do with them. No matter what, he had to make sure what was left of his family was kept safe.

Tom racked his brain to try and think of a place for them to go. He hadn't been to Baltimore that many times before, so there were few places that he knew of. But, then, it clicked.

"Dad…" Tom said to get the older man's attention "there's an old restaurant on St James street, near the edge of the city. Do you know it?" when he nodded, Tom continued "Good. Take the kids there and wait for me. I'll get to you as soon as I can"

Tom took a moment to look at his children. How they looked so much like their mother

"You be good for your granddad, okay kids?" he asked them quietly, doing his best to smile at them reassuringly

"Okay daddy" they both said in unison, still clinging to their grandfather's jacket tightly

Tom nodded to his father and they rose at the same time

"Keep them safe" Tom said to his father

"I will" he said as he took one of the kids' hands into each of his own and began walking down the street, away from Tom

When they turned round the corner and Tom could no longer see them, he put his mind back to the task at hand

"What do we do now, sir?" Burk asked him

Tom sighed as he rested his hands on his hips "Get back to the docks and find out what's going on. Maybe see if we can link up with Lt. Green and Jeter. Hopefully, they won't have gotten mixed up in whatever's going on yet"

Burke nodded in agreement and followed as his captain led the way towards the dock, on foot.

…

Tom walked through the darkened streets of Baltimore. So far, they hadn't run into a single person yet- not the inhabitants, his crew or Granderson's men.

The docks was just a few blocks away from them. He thought he could hear the sound of helicopters in the distance coming from the direction of his ship. He still couldn't see the Nathan James but he was damned sure whatever was going on was big.

"Captain" a voice called out to him from his left

Tom looked around and spotted Lt. Green as he exited one of the warehouses, Jeter close behind him, clutching his wounded shoulder

"Lieutenant. Thank god you're alright" Tom greeted

"Likewise, sir" Danny greeted as he came to a stop next to the captain

"We were just heading back to find you guys. How you holding up, chief petty officer?" he directed towards Jeter

"Good enough to hold a weapon, sir" he said stubbornly as he gestured towards the gun in his hands

"That's good to hear – you may be needing it. Have you been able to find out anything?" Tom asked, nodding in the docks direction

"Yes, sir. Somehow, Granderson's men seem to have taken control of the ship. They've got it locked down tight. They've taken the bridge crew hostage and I think they've got reinforcements on the way from their base" Danny reported

Tom cursed under his breath and sighed heavily.

'Goddamn it, Granderson. You and your self-righteous bullcrap!'

So, that meant that his crew were all hostages as well. Every single one of them was in danger and it was up to the captain to get them out.

"Captain, from what I saw, we're not gonna be able to take the ship back with just the four of us" Jeter pointed out "Way I see it, we'll be needing some help"

"Not to be a pessimist or anything, captain, but, we don't exactly have that many friends round here" Burke said as he waved one of his arms around for emphasis "Who can we ask for help now that Granderson's turned against us?"

Tom just looked at Burke with a one-sided smirk "I think I might have a few ideas" was all he said

…

"Sir, are you sure about this?" Danny questioned as he, Burke, Jeter and the captain walked back into the more populated areas of Baltimore

"I remember Granderson talking about a group- she called them 'rebels'- in the city that have been fighting against her for a while now. They sounded organised and capable and they might just be interested in helping us. Now, we just have to find them" Tom reasoned

It was several minutes of searching later before they actually found someone to talk to. They spotted a hooded man, hunched over a fire who had his back to the approaching group.

"Hey!" Tom called out to him, startling the man "Mind if I talk to you for a sec?" he asked as he walked up to the man. Instead of talking, the man tried to run – out of fear or just not wanting to talk to others, Tom didn't know- but, Danny was on his heels in an instant, dragging him back.

"Look, man, I-I don't want any trouble" the man stuttered out in response, wrapping his arms around his chest almost protectively. Damn kept a firm grip on the man's arm

"Relax, I just wanna ask you some questions" Tom assured him "The men fighting against Granderson. Where can I find them?" he asked seriously

"I-I don't know what you mean man" the man answered quickly, too quickly. Tom didn't buy it for a second

"Son, my people are in danger and I need their help to rescue them. I'm asking you to tell me. That's all I want to know" Tom said

"I'm telling you man, I don't know anything" the man tried again

Danny rolled his eyes. This wasn't getting them anywhere. Time for a new approach. He roughly threw the man in his grip against the wall and slammed his arm to the side of the man's head threateningly.

"You listen to me, and you listen right now" Danny growled "The woman I love and my unborn child are currently in danger and I'm not really feeling too patient right now. Do you really think there is anything I won't do to protect them! Now, WHERE ARE THEY?!" he screamed the last bit the man

"Okay! Okay! Okay" the man said, holding his hands up in surrender "They operate out of an old office building. The place is called 'R&S'. I don't know how many men there are, but, there are a lot of them" he rushed to say

Danny quickly looked the man up and down to make sure he wasn't lying. When he was satisfied, Danny released the man and stepped back slightly.

"Anything else captain?" Danny asked

"Just one thing…" Tom said. He stepped up next to the man "Tell me about their leader" he demanded

"The guy runs by the name Thorwald. No-one ever really sees him but he's effective. That's all I know, I swear" he said, glancing nervously at Danny.

"Thanks for your help" Tom said as he nodded to the man "Burk, give this man one of your ration packs" he instructed as he started to walk down the street again.

"Yes, sir" Burke said as he passed a small packet to the man before following the captain.

"What now, captain?" Jeter asked

"Now, we see just what kind of people these guys are"

…

Tom, Danny, Jeter and Burke cautiously approached the building. By the looks of it, it used to be a loading bay for trucks. There were two men stood intimidatingly by the door, carrying guns strapped to their chests.

"My name is Captain Thomas Chandler" Tom said with his hands raised non-threateningly "I'm from the USS Nathan James. I've come to speak with your leader. I believe he calls himself 'Thorwald'"

"Sure. Drop your weapons, first" one of the two men taunted

"Not a chance" Danny told them

Tom held his hand up for Danny to be quiet as he tried again

"We just want to talk" Tom stressed "I have a proposition for him that he might find interesting" he said

"Oh, really? Your little alliance with Granderson didn't work out for you, then?" the second guard joked

Tom stared at the floor for a second before returning his gaze upwards

"Look, I just think that-" Tom made the mistake of taking a step forward. All of a sudden, the two guards raised their weapons and pointed them at Tom. The response was instantaneous. Danny and Burke had their weapons raised as well, ready to defend their captain. Every one of them was yelling at each other, their voices mixed up with each other's. It turned into a standoff and Tom was standing right in the middle of it.

"Wait!" a voice thundered from inside the building. Seconds later, a middle-aged man with greying hair and short stubble wearing a black t-shirt and trousers came walking out "Cool it, guys" he instructed. As if it was an order, the two guards lowered their weapons and returned to a casual stance.

"I take it you're Thorwald" Tom assumed "My name is-"

"I know who you are" Thorwald interrupted "We've been monitoring Granderson's communications for a while now. I take it since you and I are actually speaking, you've realised what's actually going on" he said. There was no heat in his voice, just curiosity

"I have" Tom said "And, I came here to ask for your assistance. I need your help to take back my ship"

Thorwald just smirked and rested his hands on his waist "Now, why would I want to do that?" he asked

Tom stepped forward-this time the guards didn't move- and looked up at Thorwald "Because, I think you want to get rid of Granderson just as much as you do. Hell, maybe even more" Tom said "You help me take back my ship, then I'll give you anything you need to take her down. Weapons, men, supplies- it's all on the Nathan James, and I'll use it to help you afterwards" Tom stuck his hand out "Do we have a deal?" he asked

Thorwald just stared at Tom's hand, considering it.

…

Kara was stood with her hands raised as she stared at Lt Norris, the Baltimore police officer. She was trying desperately to not antagonise the man holding the gun to her head. She wasn't just fearing for herself, but for the baby inside of her. She felt a slight wetness build up in the corner of her eyes.

'No. No, I'm not gonna cry now. Not here' she said to herself

So, Kara tried to stop the flow of tears that were about to fall. But, it obviously hadn't worked because soon she heard Norris

"What's wrong with you?" he asked truffle

Kara couldn't stop the single tear that ran down her cheek. She just couldn't stop herself from saying it. Even though it barely came out as a whisper

"I'm pregnant" she told him

Norris' eyes flashed down to her stomach for a second. He never stopped scowling but soon he readjusted his aim and pointed it at a more general direction towards everyone in the room, and not just at her anymore.

Kara heard the slight sounds of chattering filtering up from the crowd of her fellow cremated that had been forced to muster on the stern. Most of them confused, some of them panicked and some angry. Several helicopters hovered in the air next to the Nathan James while boats carrying men dressed in black and armed to the teeth slowly approached by sea.

"Now…" Norris started speaking again "What we're gonna do is-" he was cut off as a rocket burst out from one of the warehouses, a trail of smoke behind it. It collided directly into the side of one of the helicopters, blowing it to pieces.

A massive gunfight erupted. Groups of men tat Kara couldn't identify began to pour out from the warehouses, leaping onto the stern of the Nathan James. The crew ducked for cover when they realised they were in the middle of a massive crossfire. Two clear sides formed- this new group and Granderson who were currently fighting for control.

Bullets sprayed the other two helicopters and one of them finally went down, crushing one of the boats as it hit the water, igniting a huge fireball.

There were hundreds of faces mixed in together on deck, but Kara only fixed on one.

Danny

Danny had come for her. Danny was here. Now she felt completely safe knowing that he was fighting for her, fighting to get to her and their baby. All was right in the world for her.

And, of course, that was when everything went south.

The third helicopter was finally brought down by another rocket that came flying out of the same warehouse as before. It went down, missing the Nathan James by mere feet. But, it was enough to rock the ship violently, jerking everyone to the side.

The sound of Norris' gun going off echoed throughout the bridge.

Kara hadn't even realised anything had happened until she felt a warm liquid on the tips of her fingers. She looked down at her stomach to see a gunshot wound protruding out of her. The blood was quickly turning her blue uniform to a dark, red stain.

Everything seemed to stop all of a sudden for Kara.

She barely registered Slattery charging up and tackling Norris to the ground when everyone was still recovering from being thrown off their feet.

Next, her legs gave out and she soon toppled to the floor. She thought she heard someone behind her scream her name, but, she couldn't be sure.

She heard the sound of the bridge door slamming open.

"KARA!" she heard a familiar voice- Danny- scream

Kara felt her body being cradled against someone's chest and strong arms wrap around her. She looked up to see that it was Danny, looking around him screaming at someone to 'get the doc!'

She softly whispered up to him "Hey. You came"

"Yeah, I came. Course I came. When have you known me not to come, Kara…" Kara could tell Danny was panicking. He was talking quickly and trying to keep her mind active. Standard for medical assistance- always try to keep the person talking. "Eh? Even when you fell into the Arctic, I came. You remember Kara? All you wanted to do was see the glaciers as they went by. Didn't expect that reef to toss you overboard, I guess. Huh? Kara, come on? You remember, right?"

Kara felt a sudden urge to comfort the one she loved. She weakly raised her hand and pressed it up to Danny's cheek. All it did was smear blood over the side Danny's face, but he didn't care right now. Nothing mattered except Kara.

She quietly whispered to him "Hey, it's gonna be alright"

This only seemed to make Danny more on edge "Huh? Of course it's gonna be okay. You're definitely gonna be fine. I'm gonna make sure you're fine, okay? And, I'm not gonna hear another word about how 'over-bearing' or 'over-protective' I'm being, alright?" Danny said, not really thinking

Kara could only nod and whisper "Okay" she said weakly. Kara began to feel tired and she felt her eyelids begin to close.

"No, no, no, Kara. Come on, don't do that!"

Kara felt Danny shake her slightly, trying to wake her up more, bit she only felt more tired.

"Kara, come on, don't do this to me" she heard Danny say to her "Don't you close your eyes… No, come on Kara. Please. Please, keep your eyes open. KARA!

The last thing she saw before her eyes sealed was Danny screaming something she couldn't make out.

Then, darkness overtook her.

A\N: So, what happens to Kara? Does she survive? And, is the baby okay? Guess you're going to have to wait for the next chapter and read it.