Tolerance Book III

Chapter Sixty-Nine: Opposites

Bank

Frowning and giving a shrug of non committal Jay crumpled up the paper and tossed it in the nearest waste basket wordlessly.  He wanted to give the impression he did not know either way.  If Billings was getting paranoid he would be easier to manipulate but if he was after discovering the listening device matters could take a decidedly deadly turn immediately.  The Detective hadn't seen the older man even remotely interested in the area he had planted the miniature device so he had to assume the note was not in fact founded on its' discovery.  Knowing the man clearly intended to communicate with him non verbally at times bolstered his hope that the time had come to finally ensure the Hostages were given their freedom.   Taking the hint and not addressing the note he listened as Billings continued to deal with his failure to accomplish the given task.

"You surely don't expect me to grant leniency when you have more or less admitted you failed on purpose do you?"
"I don't expect anything," Jay shrugged, he sensed the other man was actually contemplating deviating from his plan, "you're the one in charge".
"Yes I am."
"So what's it going to be?"

Will and Conor were again grappling with astonishment.  Jay now appeared to be actively expediting a Hostages' demise!  The Surgeon had a brief notion the head wound he had sustained prior to departing the bank might be more serious than initially diagnosed and could be impacting his friends' behaviour.  Eyeing the auburn haired man assessingly however he decided that was not the case.  His eyes, although shadowed with dark circles from exhaustion and pain from a no doubt residual headache, were clear and focused.  Conor tried to appreciate that silver lining but his concern was ratcheting up.  Will was continuing to struggle with his pent up anxiety.  Purposefully antagonizing a known Killer who was brandishing a weapon was a form of madness as far as he was concerned.  It seemed so reckless that his worry was now battling with his anger.  As he considered that however it struck him that 'reckless' was definitely one trait never attributed to his younger brother.  It just wasn't in his nature, unlike Wills.   That realization gave him pause for thought and his rational side thankfully came to the fore before he could surrender to the almost overwhelming impulse to intervene.

Command Post

Outside the bank the Unit, sans Mouse, alongside Murphy and Parker were listening avidly to the conversation taking place.  The young Detective had once again gauged the Killers' way of thinking and although it was still up in the air if a Hostage would be lost it was obvious to them all Billings was unknowingly being swayed by Jay.  His acceptance of the Detectives' no nonsense admittance of not taking a life had as expected been met with displeasure but the older man had not become enraged.  The men quietly discussed the pros and cons of Jay persuading the Serial Killer to abandon the bank and consequently the Hostages.

"What's the game plan here?" Als' quiet voice cut through the various discussions, as usual he didn't waste words but got down to the real issue.
"We let Halstead escape with Billings," Murphy declared solemnly, it was not a decision made lightly but he was convinced it was the right one.
"I agree," Voight concurred before his Subordinates could voice their concern, "we have no idea what type of bomb is in there.  We need those Hostages out as soon as possible."
"Sarge isn't that going to be difficult with Will and Conor?" Antonio questioned, he couldn't envision the pair being happy about Jay going with their Captor.
"They're going to be an unknown factor," Voight conceded gravely,  if either man gave away their link to his youngest Detective it could put everyones' lives in even more danger.
"They're not going to put Jay at risk," Kevin defended.
"Not intentionally," Al agreed, he didn't like the older Halstead or Surgeon being involved but that was out of their hands.
"We need to work on how to get those Hostages out ASAP as soon as Halstead gets Billings away," Voight noted, there was no doubt in his tone that he expected the green eyed man to succeed in what they now perceived as his intended agenda.
"What if Billings decides to blow the place as soon as they get some distance away?" Adam, as ever, abandoned tact and asked the question no one wanted to consider.
"Then we deal with it!" the grizzled Sergeant replied tersely, that was a worst case scenario and one he was not going to dwell on.
"Jay will be watching Billings like a hawk," Antonio offered then infused confidence into his tone as he added, "he won't let him detonate it."