Disclaimer: I am in no way connect with the show. This story is for entertainment purposes only. I understand if my story is not to your liking but I ask that you respect the work and effort put into it. Feedback is welcome as well as gentle criticism.

Summary: Alternative ending to Trapped. Stella is racked with guilt when Danny is gravely injured in the panic room. Jerry Gordon takes Danny hostage and the team must figure out how to get him out of the panic room before it is too late

Panic Attack: A Moment Too Late

Stripped down to nothing but a white ribbed t-shirt and dress slacks. Danny Messer sat on the edge of a small twin bed sweating profusely. For nearly 12 hours he’d been stuck in a panic room with a dead body and no way to get out.

Although a locksmith stood on the outside of the thick padded door drilling to no avail it was a slow and grueling process. It was getting uncomfortably hot and the body of Hunter Hudson was starting to decay.

At least Stella had a suspect, the housekeeper, Linda Cortez, Danny thought trying to make light of the situation. Rising to his feet he moved slowly over to the TV monitor, which allowed him to see the main room of Hunter Hudson’s mansion.

”Hey Jerry,” he called to the locksmith. “You gotta get me outta here!”

“I’m tryin, Pal’” Jerry grinned into the small video monitor.

“C’mon my partners got a suspect in custody. It’s goin’ down and I’m stuck in here!”

“Won’t be long now,” Jerry grinned igniting the sound of the drill.

Back at the lab, Stella stood before the half-naked housekeeper, Linda Cortez. Linda was stripped down to nothing but a baby blue bra and matching set of panties so that Stella could probe her body for cuts. She was looking for anything that would give her a secondary blood trace.

“You what I’m thinking, I’m thinking you got greedy. You got sick of Mister Hudson so you killed him or you had him kill himself, now that I see you don’t have any cuts on you, I now you had a partner.” Stella proclaimed in disgusted before tossing the woman her clothes. “Get dressed".

Circling the table where Linda’s personal effects laid, Stella paused at the sound of the cell phone. That ring tone she’d heard it before. It was the same ring tone the engineer, Jerry Gordon had on his phone. During their initial meeting Jerry had confessed to Stella that he and girl had bought the matching ring tone.

Picking up the phone, Stella looked at the caller I.D. Jerry. Quickly she flipped the phone open. “Jerry!” Nothing but silence rang from the other end.

“She stays here!” Stella shouted bolting from the room. Her only thoughts were that Danny was literally trapped at the mercy of the killer. If Jerry should happen to open the door to the panic room before Stella and Flack arrived, the young CSI could wind up as toast.

---

At the Hudson mansion, Jerry snapped his cell phone shut. The cops were on their way. He had but only one alternative; use the cop inside the panic room as leverage. Rising to his feet he quickly punched in the code to unlock the door and watched it slide slowly across the marble flooring.

Inside, Danny was elated to see that his path of freedom had finally been paved. “Jerry, Thank you, Jerry,” grinned breathing in a small wiff of fresh air. The moment soon deadpanned when he noticed Jerry advancing towards him with a small caliper handgun.

”Jerry, what are you doin’?” Slowly Danny started to raise his hands at the sight of the gun.

“I want you to call your partner, tell her to let Linda go” Jerry ordered tossing Danny his cell phone. The young CSI caught the phone with ease.

“It was you” Danny accused darkly, his upper lip beginning to curl as his hands started slowly heavenward “You could open this door the whole time” he added waving his left arm in angry frustration

”Stop moving” Jerry spat, thrusting the barrel of the gun forward. “Stop!”

Danny gazed at the bandage on Jerry’s upper forearm. The man had a cut, the secondary blood transfer they’d been looking for. “Where’d you get that cut?”

“Stop moving” Jerry snarled angry that his he had an uncooperative hostage on his hands.

What’s the matter, you get tired of waiting so you just decided to finished him off yourself?” Danny taunted inching slightly forward.

“That whack job had it comin” Jerry retorted keeping the gun trained at Danny’s chest. “Stop moving, get on the phone!

“Take it easy” Danny motioned.

“Pick up the phone!”

“I will” Danny returned softly as he slowly started to lower his hands.

Jerry’s inpatients was growing the by the second, “Call your partner!”

“Fine I will!” Danny roared back, flipping the phone open so that it looked like he was dialing. Out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of a glimpse of Stella and Flack entering the house from the secondary monitor that was positioned on the corner wall. Unfortunately Jerry saw it too and instinctively slapped at the button of on the wall commanding the mammoth door to shut.

“Call your partner!” Jerry thundered missing the sound of footsteps coming up behind him.

“Partner’s right here!” Stella shouted aiming her weapon through the crack of the huge door as started it slammed shut.

At the sound of Stella’s voice, Jerry rushed towards Danny capturing the hyper CSI in a headlock. Danny struggled briefly until he felt the barrel of the gun slam into his gut. He heard the sound of gunfire followed by an excruciating sense of pain as the tip of the bullet impaled the skin under his thin ribbed tee. Gravity started to pull him down to the floor making his body go limp in Jerry’s arms.

”You have one hour to release Linda” Jerry raised the barrel of the gun to Danny’s right temple, “Or the next one’s going right through his brain".

---

Mac Taylor and the rest of his team arrived at the Hudson home in record time. “How’s Danny?” he questioned along with two other worried faces.

“Bleeding thanks to me” Stella breathed out, “If only I’d minute a sooner” The second in command shifted uncomfortably as Mac made his way towards the monitor which was now dark.

“Is this the monitor?” he asked Flack.

”Yeah, but he’s had it turned off since he shot Danny” the homicide detective answered as Mac started to gaze about the room noting Jerry’s arrangement of power tools.

”How close was he to getting inside?”

“With the new door?” Flack’s brow raised, “Couple of hours I think”. But the truth was no one knew for sure if Jerry Gordon had actually been working towards a new door or if he'd just been stalling for a moment like this.

A grey flash illuminated the room and Mac’s head suddenly snapped to attention. The monitor was on and alive with Jerry’s face.

“Who am I talkin’ to?” the locksmith asked in a thick accent.

Mac moved closer to the small television screen so that he was certain Jerry had a close-up of his face. “Detective Mac Taylor, Crime Scene Investigations”

Jerry nodded, attaching a slight smirk, “well Detective Taylor, it seems you have something I want and I have something you want”

Jerry moved away from the screen so that Mac could get a good glimp of the twin bed. Danny was laying on top of the mattress with his left hand pressed over his wound. From what Mac could see blood was covering the back of Danny’s hand and fingers.

“How do I know my man’s alive?” he asked Jerry noting how still Danny seemed.

Jerry made a half turn so that he was looking at Danny. “They want to know if you're still alive,” he grumbled waiting for a response. When none came, Jerry purposely marched over to the bed and jammed his fist inside Danny’s wound.

”THEY WANT TO KNOW IF YOU ARE STILL ALIVE!”

“AAARGH!!!”

Mac winced at the sound of Danny’s howl. The younger mans body jerk violently.

“Satisfied?” Once again Jerry pressed his face close to the monitor. He was so close that Mac could literally see the pours on his face.

”What do you want?” Mac asked as Jerry took a step back.

”I want Linda”

Mac felt his stomach twinge. He hated himself for what he was about to do. He only hoped it wouldn’t cost Danny his life. “We don’t make deals with terrorists” he stated coolly watching Jerry’s face, as it remained impassive.

“Then I guess your man dies, ”Jerry lifted his arm fingering the switch to the monitor before it went black.