THE PAWN

A/N: Last chapter. I hope that you've enjoyed this story - please let me know. Thanks to all those who followed/reviewed - it means a lot to me. I have another long one in mind, but next week I'm off to the seaside without a computer, so I'll write as much as I can and start to post it when I get back - that way, there won't be a break in the middle. I also have an idea for a one-shot, which may pop up before I go if I can get it finished in time.

Disclaimer: As before, some of the dialogue and action in this chapter does not belong to me, but to the episode "Snow Day".

And finally, Adam gets his hug...

Chapter Ten

Something was very wrong. Adam and Danny sat opposite each other in the trailer, exchanging nervous glances. They couldn't see the gunmen, but they could hear a lot of noise. The NYPD had rolled up outside some time ago, but nothing much had happened - just a lot of muffled shouting, and a heightened sense of tension in the warehouse. At one point, Adam even thought he heard a helicopter buzzing overhead.

"What do you suppose they're doing now?" he whispered.

"Who? Flack, or the bad guys?" Danny shrugged. "Guess we'll find out soon enough."

"Detective Flack'll get us out of here," said Ruben confidently. "Man's a legend. Give him time."

Danny shook his head. "Time's just what he doesn't have. We're playing by their rules, and we're following their schedule. They want him to be here, with all his manpower, tryin' to save us. God knows what they're doing back at the lab."

"Th-they had gas company uniforms," Adam broke in, suddenly. "In the trunk of their car. They were putting them on as they left. It was just before they threw me in here. I wasn't quite myself, but I... I remember. Sorry," he added, glancing at Danny. "I guess I should have mentioned it earlier."

"Okay - but you had other things on your mind at the time," his friend said kindly. "So, we know what they're doing. How do we tell Flack?"

Harris opened his mouth to voice an opinion. Just at that moment, however, Pat climbed back into the trailer. He glared at them through the eyeholes in his balaclava. "What?" said Danny, belligerently. He just can't help himself, thought Adam in dismay. "We makin' too much noise? Can't hear your future goin' down the toilet?"

Infuriated, Pat was about to strike when Jackie hailed him. He had been speaking to someone on a walkie-talkie - Lee, no doubt, guessed Adam - and now he had his instructions. "Bring me the cops."

Pat unhooked first Harris and then Ruben. Gun in hand, he shoved them over the edge, down into the warehouse.

Adam and Danny exchanged glances. Nodding his head, Danny watched as Adam slid the Marquis bottle out of his pocket. The lab tech, meanwhile, was keeping one eye on Jackie.

"Put these on," snapped the Irishman, tossing a set of overalls to each of the cops. With two guns aimed straight at them, Harris and Ruben had no choice. "Come on. Let's go," urged Jackie, twitching with nervous energy. The game was coming to an end at last, and he couldn't wait to make his final move. Next to come out of his bag was a rifle - useless, no doubt - which Pat began to tape to Harris's outstretched palms.

Danny beckoned to Adam, and the lab tech tossed the bottle across, unnoticed. Snatching it out of the air, Danny hid it in the crook of his arm. Then he looked back at Adam's face. Realisation was beginning to dawn in the little man's eyes as he watched the elaborate preparations being carried out before him. Weapons, taped to the officers' hands. Duct tape across their mouths. A black balaclava dragged over each man's head. And the final touch - as Jackie and Pat removed their own overalls, a perfect NYPD uniform on each of the real gunmen.

"They're setting them up to be slaughtered," gasped Adam, full of horror. "Flack's going to kill his own men!" A memory came to him, cold and clear - the detective standing in front of a corpse - and he knew that this would destroy him. "Danny! We have to do something."

But things were moving too quickly, and now it was their own lives that were in danger. Jackie screamed abuse down the line to Flack, play-acting for all he was worth. Then, dashing his walkie talkie to the ground, he leapt into the trailer. His intentions were shockingly clear. Their deaths were to be the catalyst that brought about the massacre. Adam scrambled backwards, but Jackie veered towards Danny - and that was his one mistake. Because Danny was not as helpless as he appeared. He uncoiled like a spring and dashed the contents of the bottle in Jackie's face. The gunman screamed as the acid burned into his skin. Using the last of his strength, Danny leapt to his feet and slammed the man into the opposite wall beside Adam. The little man felt the force of the blow run right through the trailer wall and down his back. A couple of punches were all it took, after that. Jackie fell to the floor, one arm across Adam's lap. He shoved it away, repulsed. At the same time, Pat jumped into the truck, lifting his gun to fire a spray of bullets that would tear the men to shreds. He never got the chance. Danny dropped to the floor and used Jackie's own gun to shoot the man where he stood. The recoil ploughed into his shoulder, knocking him back, as all hell broke loose and Flack's team stormed the warehouse.

This time, it was Adam who leapt to his feet. Danny had reached his limit, but the danger was immediate, and the little lab tech couldn't bear to think about what would happen if he failed. Dropping down from the trailer, he almost stumbled and fell, but managed to save himself. There were dark figures everywhere by now, faceless in their riot gear. Only Flack was recognisable, screaming at the two 'gunmen' to put their weapons down. Adam ran right out in front of them, not caring about the bullets, only wanting to stop the bloodshed before it began. "Don't shoot," he kept screaming, for all he was worth. "Don't shoot, don't shoot, they're cops!" One hand still curled in pain, but the other was busy, pulling the masks from Harris and Ruben, letting the men see the tape across their mouths. "The other guys are back there. They're cops, okay?"

Flack stared at him in astonishment - the little lab tech, with his face all battered and bruised, facing down an entire squad of armed policemen. Waving his arms, he redirected his forces to search the warehouse. Gently, Adam began to peel the duct tape from Ruben's mouth. As Flack slipped past him, he bent down and murmured softly:

"Good job, Adam Ross."

"Yeah - thanks, man," breathed Ruben, as soon as he was able. Beside him, Harris nodded fervently.

xxxxxxxxxxx

Once the building had been properly cleared, the paramedics entered. Harris and Ruben were whisked away first, and Adam was left alone for a moment, standing in front of the trailer with a dazed look on his face. He watched in delight as Lindsay ran into the warehouse, making straight for Danny, and taking him into her arms. She helped him down from the truck with some difficulty. Flack moved in to help, but her whole world was Danny, and she barely even noticed him. Smiling softly, Adam ducked his head. Suddenly, he remembered something. Reaching out to a passing officer, he mumbled in his ear. The policeman looked back at him, startled, before hurrying away towards the nearby car. Adam nodded, satisfied.

"Hey. Adam?"

She sidled up behind him, with a strange look on her face. Adam turned.

"What is it, Lindsay?"

The next thing he knew, he was wrapped in her arms, his face buried in her hair, his bruises protesting. Adam gave a little squeak of pain, and Lindsay drew back, dismayed. "Oh - oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't realise it would hurt. I only wanted... I wanted to say thank you."

"For what?" Adam's eyes were wide, and startled. Lindsay smiled back at him, and her smile was beautiful.

"For wanting to save me," she whispered. "Looks like you're my very own white knight..."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Julie stood at her gate and watched the station wagon move away from the sidewalk. A pale face stared back at her through the window, and a small hand waved goodbye. Adam's eyes were red, but he was smiling, and so was she. Maybe they would never see each other again - but they would never forget. Friendship had made him safe at last, and so they would be friends, at heart, for ever.