Chapter 16.

Brass had his team widening the search area. Nick was talking to Warrick, whilst Greg and Grissom were looking at the bodies in the box.

" Scary huh? I really thought we'd lost them Grissom, I don't think I've ever felt that sick before", Greg told Grissom. Grissom looked at the younger Csi. He knew that for a long while Greg had had a crush on Sara, possibly still now, but he cared for her.

" Well they aren't. Sara and Catherine and now we have to focus on finding them. We need to keep that clear Greg", Grissom told him.

" Trust me, it's crystal clear", Greg reassured him and himself.

Concrete seeped into every part of the hole and began to sink onto the box. Dean and Michael were gently smoothing it off then scattered sand onto the surface.

" It's gone quiet. I don't like quiet, that's always a bad sign. And I'm not enjoying it being in here", Sara sounded.

" Sara are you ok?", Catherine asked. Sara was a little fidgity and agitated.

" Brings back bad memories that's all. Ok, so I'm in a box, not under a car, but I'm still in the desert and being left for dead by some psycho. Story of my life", Sara said as she gave a little giggle after.

" Well I hope you're not going to fall to bits on me Sidle, that I don't need. Two sharp women are better than one, remember?", Catherine sternly said.

" Yeah I remember", Sara smiled.

Looking around the box as best they could, Sara noticed a bobble effect on the ceiling of the box and nudge Catherine to look up.

" You think they're the spikes starting to show through?", Sara asked.

" Could be, more than likely. It's when when they shoot through, that's when I'll start getting worried. I don't know what I'm looking forward to most, being impaled or having an acid scrub", Catherine thought out loud.

Nick and Warrick were with the cops and made there way over the brow of a hill. Warrick scanned the area, when something caught his eye to the left.

" Nick, there, I see tyre tracks going over that other hill", Warrick pointed. Nick began to run in the direction of the tyre tracks, which surprised Warrick who sprinted after him.

" Hey man slow down, Nick!", Warrick said as he caught up with his collegue.

" We can't hang back Warrick, they don't have time. Trust me they don't wanna be underground for long. I can't have them in that position, they're my team", Nick explained.

" It's not you in that box Nick, and Dean won't make this easy. You gotta pull back and think a moment man. This is different", Warrick tried to explain to Nick as best he could. He knew this would affect Nick and it wasn't easy for him either. This was the second time he'd have to rescue someone he cared for from being buried alive.

" I know Warrick but a moment is something don't have", Nick answered then set off towards and over the hill. Warrick carried on after him.

Dean and Michael started the cement truck and began to move out of the area. Nick and Warrick heard the grumble of an engine and sprinted faster and over the hill. They saw the truck head towards them.

" I don't think they plan on stopping...Nick, Nick!", Warrick shouted whilst backing off, but Nick stood his ground and drew his gun.

" Well I plan on stopping them", he said to himself.

The truck carried forward as Nick raised his gun and aimed it at the truck. Brass, Grissom and Greg caught up with them and stood on the brow of the hill.

" So we're just gonna stand here and watch?! Guys, guys, teamwork!", Greg shouted as he he stood to the right of Nick, gun drawn also. The others looked at eachother and then joined them. Nick, Greg, Warrick, Grissom, Brass and several other cops stood in line on the hill with their guns drawn.

" Hold the line. Dean either stops himself or we stop him", Nick ordered. The truck grew closer and closer. Dean slammed on the brakes and waited in the truck. Michael leaned out the truck and aimed a gun at the team. As the team braced themselves, Dean climbed out of the truck and stood on the hood.

" Well, gentlemen, it appears we have a stand off", he shouted to them.

" Catherine, how's your ass?", Sara asked mischieviously.

" Sore, as is the rest of my body and just because we're stuck in a box, underground, with no apparent escape and with the thought of an excruciating death facing us...Sara, it doesn't mean you can cheeky to me", Catherine joked back. " We need to find a way out of here. The longer we leave it, the worse off we're gonna be. Any idea's?".

Sara took yet another look around the area they were in and shrugged, " Well put it this way, when I was under that car, the one thing that struck me was I was going to die if I stayed where I was so I say lets dig ourselves out", she said.

" The only problem with that is we create more pressure both below us and above us. What if the spikes come down whilst we're digging?", Catherine offered.

" Like I said, we're gonna die anyway. I'd sooner die trying if that's what's going to happen", Sara said.

" Dean, I think you should step down and tell us where Catherine and Sara are. You're out numbered with no where to go, give it up", Brass shouted across.

" I always have somewhere to go Jim, just like everyone else outthere tonight. Oh, um, pardon me, everyone except poor Catherine and Sara. Did you like my little heart stopper waiting for you in the other grave?", Dean sniggered.

Nick cocked his gun, " Dean, you have no choice, give it up now!", he said.

Dean began to fumble in his jacket pocket and pulled out a hand grenade. The team watched as he lifted his arms up over his head and and held the grenade in one hand and his other hand over the pin.

" Well now, gentlemen, you don't want to push me because I will pull the pin. Which you probaly think wouldn't be a bad thing but your Csi colleagues are below ground, just over the hill behind me, in a pressure sensitive box. The force of the explosion could...well let's just say they'd get the point", Dean explained then began to laugh.

The team looked at eachother, what did Dean mean by that, their puzzled looks said. Greg moved closer to Nick and spoke quietly in his ear.

" Dean's buying for time, which in my opinion means that he doesn't intend us to find Sara & Catherine alive. If they are over that hill, we're moments away from helping them. Nick, he's been pulling our strings from the get go, now it's time to cut them", Greg pleaded.

Catherine had been punching away at the ceiling of the box for several minutes to no avail. As she laid back down she noticed Sara had gone quiet or more quiet, she'd already noticed that she didn't last long punching the box.

" Hey Sara, you're not giving up on me are ya?", she asked.

Sara turned to Catherine, " Not yet, I just feel a little tired. Sorry", she said.

" Don't apologise sweetie, just stay with me ok, don't even think about going to sleep, you got that?", Catherine said in a slightly stern tone. Sara nodded in agreement.

The box started to creek, at that moment a spike shot through the top and stuck between Catherine's legs.

" Whoa! That was close. We really need to get out of here, I think the concrete is setting fast!", she said.

" I agree, that spike looks more painful than a fork", Sara said mischievously. Catherine gave her a look, as if to say " Don't push your luck" then smiled, just glad that Sara was still fit enough to crack jokes.

Dean shouted across to Brass, " So Jim, what will it be, you gonna shoot me. Your daughter's already dead, why not go for the double and kill your other girl too!".

" You really want me to shoot you Dean?", Brass shouted back.

" You haven't got the guts Jim", he replied back.

" Really?", Brass aimed and fired his gun at the truck's tyre. As he did the truck went down on one side and Michael immediately fired back. All the team fired their weapons. Michael took a hit and slouched out the window of the truck.

Dean stood his ground, unphased by the gunfire. The team held their fire and waited for Dean to say something.

" Time to be with your daughter Jim", Dean said as he went to pull the pin out of the grenade. Brass fired and hit Dean with a precision headshot, as he slumped to the floor, the grenade bounced of the cab into the sand in front of him.

" Did he pull the pin?!" Warrick asked.

" I don't know!", Nick said as Grissom sprinted forwards, " Grissom! Don't!", he shouted.

Grissom had barely got down the hill when an explosion knocked the entire team off their feet.

" That's a yes then", Greg commented.

Almost in time with eachother, after hauling themselves back to their feet,slighty dazed, the whole team got up and ran over the hill towards Catherine and Sara's position.

" Catherine! Catherine!", Sara shouted at her.

" I'm ok, it's ok. Sara I'm ok, ok,", Catherine tried to sound strong as she applied pressure to her thigh where a spike had gone clean through.

" What do you suppose that explosion was?" Sara asked.

" No idea, but it just added to our predicament", Catherine replied.

The team reached their location and immediatey started to scrape the cement off with the shovels the uniforms brought with them as they made their rescue attempt.

" Sara! Cath!", Grissom and Nick both shouted.

Sara and Catherine both looked at eachother then shouted, " Grissom! Nick!, Get off the box! It's pressure sensitive, spikes will impale us!".

" We're not on the box,we're scraping the topping off to relieve the pressure. Are you two ok?", Grissom shouted back.

" We're not as good as before this happened, Catherine has a spike through her thigh", Sara answered.

" Listened guys, when you get through the box, just rip the top off and drag us out, we're lying on a bed of sponge that's soaking up acid, much longer and we'll feel the burn-get it. Forget about the spike in my thigh, just take the damn top off and get us the hell outta here!", Catherine shouted back.

The team worked furiously to get to the box, fives minutes passed and they were finally rid of the concrete. They worked at the dirt and sand like men on a mission. But paused when they heard panic.

" Guys it's getting damp in here! Get us out! Do anything, just get us out!", Catherine and Sara screamed in panic.

" Hold on!" the whole team shouted back. Warrick and Nick leaned over the box from the edges of the hole while Grissom Greg and Brass held onto them to stopped them from falling in and possibly killing the girls.

They had moved enough dirt to be able to get their hands to the box, as they both got a grip on the box lid they gave it wrench each. The lid moved slightly.

" Again!", Warrick shouted. They yanked at it several times.

Catherine had her eyes shut tight to shut out the pain of the spike in her thigh. Each time they tugged on the lid, the spiked came out of her thigh bit by bit.

" Hold on Cath", Sara said as she held her hand.

Just then dirt fell onto them and daylight poured in on them, hurting their eyes.

" Need a hand ladies?", Nick asked.

" Just get us out!", Catherine and Sara screamed at him.

Warrick grabbed Catherine and passed her to Jim and Nick got Sara then passed her to Grissom as they got out of the hole.

Catherine and Sara both lay in their partners arm's. " So, you miss me?", Catherine asked Jim, " Every second. Just lay still and enjoy the sunshine", Jim told her whilst holding her in his lap.

Grissom, cupped Sara's cheek as she too laid on him for support, " I love you Mrs.Grissom", he said to her. Smiling and planting a small kiss on his lips, Sara replied, " You make me happy", she said with a wink.

Nick, Warrick and Greg looked on at their colleagues. " You know I'm kinda feeling-single. How come we can't find romance?", Greg asked. Nick and Warrick looked at him then at eachother then back to again and shrugged, " We're picky" Nick said.

The paramedics had made their way to the team and began to tend to Catherine and Sara. Brass and Grissom backed away for room and stood with the younger Csi's.

" I am, I have to", Sara said to Catherine.

" Sara Sidle, you dare and I will...", Catherine warned her.

" It's Sara Grissom, and I have too", Sara said wickedly.

Greg turned when he heard his name being shouted. " Greg! You're gonna love this one", Sara shouted.

Catherine shuddered, "Sara!!!".

THE END.