"Yeah, I got you. We’re on our way." The slim redhead raised eyes to take in their cavernous surroundings. The tin roof looked about a thousand feet overhead, with a web of scaffolding and walkways crisscrossing the space.
Scully swallowed the overwhelming urge to scream. She was saving up her fears and frustration and anger for one unfortunate soul. God help this ‘Attila’ when she got to him.
At least they now knew where their suspect was, if not all of his hostages. A small army of federal agents surrounded the compound, and she and Reyes and two dozen other agents were working their way through the maze of crates and boxes inside the dilapidated central warehouse. There was no way anyone could get out without being seen. Skinner was among those inside. Somewhere along the way, this had become a personal battle for him, too.
Thunder crackled outside and the already insufficient lighting flickered. Great, thought Scully glumly. Just what we need. As the first large raindrops resounded on the tin of the roof, she discovered that Attila apparently shared a lock fetish with the Lone Gunmen. It took a couple of minutes to get through them all.
When she did, she walked into an empty room.
As it turned out, each and every door had been given similar treatment. And every single room was empty, with one notable exception. In the uppermost room, they found the identical shards of the hidden radio transmitters that the Gunmen had been wearing.
Moans of disappointment rippled through the FBI teams, and most started to walk away, but Scully’s voice was sharp. "Stop right there. They’re still here. We just haven’t found them yet."
Reyes murmured, "We’ve checked everywhere, Scully. They’re not here."
The redhead snapped coldly, "You’re wrong, Agent Reyes. They ARE here. All of them. I can feel them." Scully’s large blue eyes scanned the rafters and the walls, taking in the open doors that led to nowhere. "There was nowhere to escape, anyway. There are too many people to move that quickly. We know they’re here, and I don’t intend to spend another night without my family." Raising her voice, she shouted, "I know you’re here, Attila! I know you can hear me! I’m not going to walk away this time. Be afraid, because if anything happens to the people I love, I’ll send you straight to hell myself, you bastard!"
Raucous laughter echoed from everywhere. "My, my! Here I was admiring Sydney Fox, when it was the little red hen who has the spit and venom! You can’t kill me, though. No weapon on earth can kill me. I know what you’re thinking, my dear, and it won’t work. I can anticipate your every move, because I can read your mind."
Go to Part Twenty Eight.