Federal agent Hannah Scott, picked up her ringing phone. An electronically altered voice said, "There is a bomb in the building. 666 seconds and counting.  She looked down at her watch. 

6:36 a.m.
~*~  ~*~  ~*~

An unfamiliar guard roughly shook Gia awake. "Get your clothes on. There's been a bomb threat."

"A bomb threat?" she wondered as she pulled on her ugly prison attire. She and the other few people in the holding cells were ushered  out of the area and towards an emergency evacuation exit.  Police officers  were rushing back and forth, shouting orders. All the prisoners in front of Gia were pushed out the door. As she tried to follow, the unfamiliar looking guard grabbed her arm.

"This way!"

"Huh? "

"You go this way," he said , pulling her back down the empty hallway. They were the only ones left. No one had noticed when they hadn't  followed  the group.

"Where are you taking me?" Gia asked, fear sneaking up her spine. Could this be Helena making her move?

The guard ignored her as they came to another steel door. He unlocked it, swinging it open. They exited into a long alley that was abandoned except for a large van. He pulled her towards the van.

"Hey, wait! I'm not getting in that thing," she protested. She kicked him in the shin. His grip on her tightened and he continued to pull.  She sped up, moving in closer. She managed to bend forward far enough to bite the hand that held her wrist. She clamped her mouth down, sinking her teeth in. He screamed as the blood  gushed. While he was distracted by pain, she kicked his shin again. He stumbled and she freed herself. She took off running down the opposite direction.

She heard them before she saw them. Six black sport utility vehicles came swerving down the alley. She jumped out of the way as the first one sped through. The rest came to a swift stop. They were all lined up in a neat row.

Gia was panicking. She didn't know what to do. This was more than just a bomb threat.  Trouble was brewing and she was right in the center of it.

The doors to the first SUV opened and four big burly men in military fatigues hopped out. There were large rifles slung over there shoulders. Behind a garbage can, Gia hid, watching as three of the men went over to the guard she had attacked. They started punching him in the face. When he finally fell to the ground, two of them kicked him repeatedly.  Gia could do nothing but tremble. Were they going to do the same to her? She couldn't let anything happen to the baby.

The fourth man started calling her name. “Gia Campbell!! If you're back here, come out!"

She pressed her back against the brick wall behind her.  Maybe she could run for it....

The doors to three more SUVs opened. More uniformed men got out.  They started searching for her. Finally, three of the abnormally huge men located her, grabbed her roughly, and hauled her from behind the garbage she had been squatting in. "We found her!" the first man shouted triumphantly.  She stood between the three of them. Without thinking, she kicked one in his precious manly area and took off running. 

A beefy hand pulled her back by the collar of her denim shirt. He turned her around, slapped her, and then threw her over  his shoulder.  Two of the other commando muscle men, yanked Gia away. One held her, while the other started beating up the one who had slapped her.

"What the hell is going on?!" she screamed loudly.

As she was escorted towards the parked vehicles, the door to the very last vehicle opened. Three people exited. Her eyes bugged out of her head as Nikolas ran forward and scooped her up into his arms.

"Gia! I was so worried! You came out the wrong exit."

"What? What? What?" she said through sudden tears. "I was scared...I didn't know...and some guard wouldn't let me go with everyone else....he brought me...back here..."

Stefan and Alexis watched the scene with impatience. Time was running out. "Get Gia in the car, Nikolas. She can slobber all over you later," Stefan ordered.

He gestured for the commandos to do the same. He smiled smugly as he saw the battered form of the police guard. "Alexis, do you see what my mother sent? "

"You think it was Helena?"

"Of course it was! She sent one measly guard and  a rickety van. Will she ever stop underestimating me," he said proudly.

"Maybe," Alexis retorted, pinching Stefan in the arm, "she was trying to be inconspicuous. Unlike some people. You know...people with twenty trained military guards, rifles, and  enough Lincoln Navigators to open a car lot."

"It's called being prepared, Alexis."

"It's called overkill, Brother. Now lets get going before all of those cops figure out that there's no bomb." She looked down at her watch.

6:45 a.m.

They all loaded up, each truck pulling out. They were careful not to crash into the raggedy van or roll over the unconscious man. Nikoklas and Gia huddled together in the back row of seats. She was shaking and Nikolas held her tightly. "I can't believe you did this for me!"

Stefan and Alexis sat in the center. Stefan turned. "It was a pleasure."

"It was a pleasure for *him*. He got the opportunity to best Helena," Alexis interjected.  Shifting to Stefan, she asked, "How did you know that Helena was going to try and grab Gia."

"I didn't know when, but I knew she would. It's exactly what I would have done in her shoes. Gia's a threat to her bond with Nikolas."

Nikolas sighed. "Do you have to keep saying things like that?  I would prefer to forget Helena."

"Me, too," Gia added.

Alexis was grateful as their driver finally pulled out of the alley. The cars in front of them scattered, each pulling off in a different direction. She looked at  the digital clock in  the console.

6:47 a.m.

Ten seconds later, the Port Charles Police Department  imploded  in a swirling siege of fire.  There were huge clouds of burning black smoke as the building collapsed in on itself.

The vehicle swayed slightly at the impact. Everyone looked through the back window in terrified silence. Stefan, however, looked forward, instructing the driver to continue on their planned course.

"The bomb threat was fake!" Alexis shrieked.

"Was it?" Stefan asked nonchalantly.

"You  never said you were going to blow up the police department!!!"

Stefan turned to her, with a truly evil smile, he replied, "You never asked."
~*~  ~*~  ~*~  

End of chapter Twenty Four, Please e-mail any feedback by clicking on the mailbox below :)

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