Title: Trap the Bunnies

Author: Lisa

Disclaimer: I don't own Stingers, etc. etc. and have no affiliation with anyone who does. :P

Note: Ooh and all the titles join together to make a rhyme. Oh and I hate physics and anything electrical, I'm not even tall enough to change a light bulb, so all the people who know how electrics work, congratulations but I'm allowed to exaggerate here. hehehe

I've been watching too much morning tele! Hehehe Narr, it's cute! Kinda uh...not cute...considering the storyline...okay I'll shut up now! :P



Mac watched from the doorway as Angie knelt on top of the bunk bed, laughing. Oscar and Pete were on the lower one, playing with the mattress and trying to knock her off from underneath.

"My parents used to do that to me," she mumbled. They looked up. "Remind me why I let you get bunk beds. If I remember, we had two perfectly good singles."

"Ah," Pete replied, sticking his forefinger up in the air to make him seem more professional. "You see, these are more fun."

"And it's better for space," Oscar put in. "Say we all need to camp here? There's only two beds."

"Yeah I bet I know who you'll be sharing with," Pete mumbled, before out of nowhere, a pillow came straight at him, thrown from above. Moments later Angie was on her stomach leaning over the edge and looking in. Pete moved to throw the pillow back in her face but she stuck her tongue out quickly and went back up.

"Well," Mac said. "Just be careful. I don't want any liability suits if you knock her off." She went to leave. "I'll be at a meeting, I'm sending everyone else home early. You're all to stay."

"Is Danni staying?" Angie asked. Mac nodded.

"Yep, staff meeting."

"Everyone else is staff though."

"Just us," Mac replied softly. "We've got to talk." They nodded slowly. "Right well I'll be back in an hour or so. Don't kill each other and uh," she paused. "Make sure you close that window up there. I see you've opened it-"

"We can reach it now!" Oscar exclaimed. She nodded, smirking.

"Yes, well, it looks like it might rain."

"Yes mum," Pete replied as she left.

*

The fingers played along the computer mouse, clicking along. The eyes watched the screen. Latest news: Storms headed for southern cities. Perfect. The perfect cover under which to have some fun. The person made the call.

*

Mac tilted her head, looking through the windscreen at that moment smeared with heavy drops of rain. It had started when she'd arrived at HQ, and was still going two hours later. The meeting had gone on longer than she had thought – hopefully everyone was still around...She tried the door again. Nothing happened. Usually the roller door tinkered up. But nothing was happening. She pressed her button again. Lightning lit up the sky and from what she could see, the door looked completely normal. She took out her mobile – dead. Oh fantastic, she thought. Stupid electrical companies couldn't even keep their airways open in the middle of an electrical storm! She groaned, contemplating what she was going to have to do. Her umbrella was in her office. Dammit!

She opened the car door and jumped out. She was going to get wet whether she sat there for a long time or not, and she didn't want the inside of her car damaged in the process. Rain hit her from all sides and she struggled to walk towards the roller door.

"Not a happy chappy," she mumbled, examining it from the outside. Looked fine. She pressed the button on the side. It was supposed to be a default in case they ever got stuck. Nothing. Fantastic, she thought dryly, how fantastic! She began to walk around the side of the factory before realising that the high wire fence was locked also. It was never locked. For the first time somebody did something right and it was at the worst possible time. She gazed up, barely able to see the top of the fence. The silver seemed to run into the grey sky, and she had to squint, the drops of water filling her eyes. She'd never been good with eye drops, this was more than she could handle. She sighed. Climb it she would.

*

"Oscar!"

Oscar rolled his eyes at Angie and she laughed as he went to investigate the problem Pete had just alerted him of. Danni was beside him. She turned, spreading her arms.

"I can't get out!" she exclaimed.

"I had a look mate, it's your problem," Pete replied.

"Oh thanks."

"You can't get out?" Angie asked, walking up and trying it electronically, before unplugging it and trying to pull it up manually. "Did you try it like this?" Pete rolled his eyes.

"Of course I did." She tugged on the bottom. It wouldn't budge. "This had to happen after Mac left," she mumbled. "Did anyone see anything?" They shook their heads.

"We were busy playing on the beds remember?" Oscar mumbled, walking over and checking it out, before opening the circuit box. "Oh shit," he mumbled, glancing down at the cord Angie had pulled from the door. "Ange you all right?" Angie stepped back, nodding.

"Yes..." she replied softly. "Why?" Oscar knelt down, looking deeply into the prongs of the cord. He reached out very slowly, picking it up. He hesitated, before clipping it back into the board as quickly as possible and taking a step back. Nothing happened.

"Someone's been messing with this," he muttered. Pete walked forward.

"Were those things always there?" he asked, motioning to a couple of clamps in either corner. Oscar knelt down as Angie did as well. Danni and Pete stood back, letting the two experts handle things. Oscar was, of course, a bigger expert than Ange, but compared to Danni and Pete...they grinned at each other, knowing they'd been thinking the same thing.

Angie got closest.

"Are they holding the door down?" she asked.

"Seems it," Oscar replied. Angie reached out to see if she could pry them off as Oscar's eye caught on the thin metal wires running around their corners. He reached out, pushing Angie back before she touched them. She fell back onto the concrete, hitting her head.

"Stone!" she cried as Pete and Danni dove to her rescue, helping her to sit back up. But as soon as Oscar knew she was going to be okay, he was flicking through his wallet. He pulled out an old bottle cap. They watched carefully as he let it drop onto the clamps. A small spark flared but disappeared almost soon as it had appeared.

"So it's wired to shock?" Pete asked. Oscar shook his head.

"Not exactly shock." He disappeared for a moment before returning with a piece of bread and a glass of water. He poured the water around the clamp. "Okay get back, make sure you're not standing in it," he whispered, standing back himself as he dropped the bread into the water. Sparks flew, thought not very far, and the toast became wet, and very hot. He got Angie's hand – she was closest to him – and held it just above where the bread was lying. He could feel her wrist shaking under his strong grip, but he wasn't letting it get too close, and he was holding her, it was in his interest to be safe also.

"Shit," she whispered. "What's that?"

"I'm not sure of the voltage, or what the hell they've done!" He managed a laugh. "But it wouldn't have taken long if they knew what they were doing." Danni folded her arms across her chest.

"They did it from inside?" Oscar turned around, still resting on his heels, nodding.

"Oh yeah."

*

Mac cursed as she sat on top of the fence. It was always hardest to get the second leg over. Her lead foot was secured in the wire, at least she was sure of that. She grimaced, concentrating as she pushed herself up and turned her body, swinging her second leg over the top, clutching to the thickest rail she could. As she started to climb back down, she could feel the fence bending towards her. Please don't fall on me, she wished. That would be the perfect way to go. 'I was killed when a wire fence fell on me.' She started laughing at the thought, not concentrating as much. It seemed to work for a while, that is, until she slipped. She landed on her feet after realising a second too late, her weight forcing her right onto the ground. She cursed again at the pain shooting through her left ankle, holding still for a minute. It was becoming bearable. She'd be fine. She stood, managing to limp towards the back entrance. Now, this was going to be interesting.

Mac got to the back door only to find that it too, was not working. Wouldn't open. No matter how hard she tried. She was supposed to be an expert at this door. This was her door damnit! Well, not hers, but it was the only other entrance apart from the roller door that she used all the time. The only people who actually knew about it was herself and Pete, but Peter wouldn't have done this. Bernie had passed on the secret, and because of Peter's past with Bernie, he knew it too. She leant her head into the wet wood as the rain continued to pelt down. This was crap! She couldn't be stuck outside the factory. Its security was meant to keep other people out, not her! She kept walking, before noticing one of the lights on inside. Around the other side of the building, all the lights had seemed to be out, but this one wasn't. Maybe there was someone in there? She looked around, before remembering there had been a pile of industrial rubbish near where she'd fallen. At least there were lights on, that was a start. Phones would be better...

She returned with a couple of stones of concrete.

"All right Ellen," she told herself. "You were never a star softball player, but you could throw. Kind of." She squinted, closing her left eye as she hurled one of the rocks at the window, jumping up and down as she watched it hit it! "Yay!" she whispered excitedly. Her ankle was starting to bother her though, so she stopped jumping so much. She looked at what she had to throw. If a piece of concrete so small had hit the window, a bigger piece might break it? It could. No one had come to the window to see what the fuss was about, but since it was raining, and there was a tin roof, it might be difficult to hear? She found the biggest piece of concrete she could, and aimed.

*

Angie scratched her head as Pete returned with four hot chocolates.

"So we're all stuck here?" she asked. Pete shrugged.

"Guess so. Phones are down. Good thing they've got the lights and microwave going though, or we'd be stuck." He wasn't going to tell them about the second door. No point and it was a trade secret. He'd just been there, tried that. It had the same clamps the roller door had, and he wasn't going anywhere near it.

They stopped as a loud thump was heard.

"Is it hailing?" Danni asked. Angie shook her head.

"You should hear it when it does – feels like you're having an anxiety attack!" Oscar stood and went looking, Pete following. Angie shrugged, before following also. Danni was tossing up whether or not she could be bothered, before standing too. She just couldn't help not knowing.

They wandered around for a while, each splitting up and looking for something, someone...

Oscar returned not too long later with a large chunk of stone in his hand.

"Does this look like hail to you?" he asked. Pete took it.

"It's concrete!"

"It came through the window in the overnight room." Pete's brow creased as Angie had a thought.

"Mac!" she exclaimed, hissing as she bolted to the room.

*

Mac was about to throw in another one when she saw something through the rain. She squinted, managing to stand on one foot. She'd ditched the shoe - it felt too tight. Someone was in the window. Or something. It was there, that was all, blocking light from inside. She looked up, trying to stop the rain from falling into her eyes, and not really succeeding.

*

Angie turned around.

"Hurry up!" she exclaimed as Pete returned with the heavy-duty industrial flashlight. Oscar was up next to Angie, clearing the remaining glass from the window. Once he was done, shaking his hand in relative pain and ditching the towel he'd used, Angie leant out of the window, shining the torch down.

*

Mac felt a sudden burst of light hit her and ducked her head immediately; the drops of water taking on a new shape, new colouring. Her eyes adjusted to the light slowly, and she looked back up. The figure in the window was more of a shadow, the light concentrated on her. It looked like Angie. She moved forward, limping and waving.

*

Angie turned back to Oscar and Pete, who'd also joined her on the top bunk.

"See they did come in handy," Danni remarked, preferring to stay on the ground. Four and a quarter people up there would be getting a bit careless.

"I think she's limping," Angie mentioned, concerned. "But it's Mac all right." The wind had changed direction and rain was spraying lightly in their faces.

Oscar watched as drop settled in Angie's hair. Each separate drop small and clear. He let a small smile come to his face before she whacked him across the chest.

"Get the ladder I'm going down."

"What?" he exclaimed. "Why?"

"Because I'm the only one who can fit through this window-" She cast a look at Oscar. "Although..." They laughed. "No I think she's hurt. She can't climb a ladder by herself, and she can't get in any other way! I'm lighter, I won't tip the ladder as much."

"What about the window in her office and things like that?" Danni asked. Pete shook his head.

"Their locks were moved to the outside, locked. We don't have the keys and we can't get outside to unlock them. We'd have to break them."

"No one noticed this?" Angie asked. They shook their heads as Pete replied.

"The locks look no different. It's not as though that's how we spend our days, observing the locks."

"We have security people though."

"Yes," Pete replied, insinuating the obvious. "We do. And they know more about it than us, which isn't necessarily a good thing. Not in this situation." Oscar jumped down as Angie and Pete kept talking, and he and Danni went to find the ladder. They lifted it back onto the top bunk and Danni watched humorously as they attempted to release it through the window.

*

Mac took a quick step back as she saw the large metal instrument coming through the window. Mustn't be any other way in, she thought, watching as it hit the ground, struggling to steady on the wet, smooth surface below.

*

"Be careful," Oscar urged as Angie started to slide through backwards. She nodded.

"I will. Look this doesn't reach the top so you're going to have to pull us up a bit."

"Not a problem," Pete added as she disappeared from their site. "This is going to look too funny," he mumbled, and Oscar grinned.

*

Mac held the bottom of the ladder steady, half-using it as a leaning tool, as Angie came down. She had been about to ascend herself before the torch was shone and she saw a pair of legs sticking half way out the window, then getting a grip on the metal steps.

Ange turned her head as she realised she was getting closer to the ground.

"You couldn't have broken a lower window?" she called, jumping onto the ground. Mac smiled as Angie took her hands, grounding herself.

"Sorry, it was the only light I could see from out here!" They had to strain to hear each other but it wasn't too bad.

"Are you hurt?" Angie asked. Mac nodded, pointing to her ankle.

"Jumping the fence."

"You go up ahead of me. I'll be directly behind you. You use my hand like a crutch, got it?" Mac nodded, slightly unsure. Climbing fences, climbing ladders, it was all the same and she was just as bad at climbing as she was at throwing – although she had had some luck in that area tonight. Maybe this would be the same. Angie took her hand tightly as they both got back onto the ladder.

*

"All right, you ready?" Pete nodded.

"I'll take Mac, you get Ange." Danni laughed.

"Well that was obvious!" Both men looked down at her and she shrugged.

"It was!"

Pete had a look out the window. They were reaching the top of the ladder and he reached down, finding Mac's hand clutching onto the top rail. She took it, trusting though he could feel her shaking, as Angie helped her stand up onto the upper rungs. Pete took her neck and ducked it through before finding her waist and pulling her in on her stomach. They both fell back onto the bed, Mac looking down into Pete as he held her, sitting her up.

"You right?" he asked. Mac nodded silently, watching as Angie got through all right also.

"What the hell happened?" Mac asked, looking around as Pete wrapped a towel around her from behind, trying to dry her off.

"Someone's been having a bit of fun with our security," Oscar mumbled. "We're stuck in here too."

Angie dried off, hopping down from the bunks with Oscar. Pete got down also and reached up, grabbing Mac as she slid half way down and helping her stand.

"How's the ankle?" Angie asked. Mac shrugged.

"I'll live." She turned to Pete. "I'm going to go dry off, get changed." He nodded, and they watched her limp out as fast as she could.

"So what happens now?" Danni asked.

"I think that one's up to Mac. All I know is, we're not going anywhere until whoever it is that did this 'un-does' it."

*

Mac returned twenty or so minutes later after a nice, long and warm shower, in the freshest clothes she could find. Everyone else was sitting on and around desks, chatting quietly amongst themselves. They looked up as she approached.

"Ah look it's miss casual!" Oscar exclaimed as she limped up to them.

"Yeah, yeah it's all I could find. I took most of my stuff home to wash. It's in my car."

"Which is-"

"Parked out the front of the door..." She drifted off, before cringing. "With the headlights still on. There goes my battery!" They laughed as Pete stood.

"Here ya go, sit down, feet up." Mac smiled, taking the seat, grateful for the chance as she let her feet rest up on the desk. Oscar peered at the swollen ankle.

"Do you want us to strap it or something?" he asked. "It's not broken?" Mac shrugged.

"Did I get a chance to perform an x ray on myself between falling off the fence, climbing a ladder and being hauled through the window onto Church?" He grinned.

"We've got some bandages around here somewhere?" She nodded, voice softening.

"That'd be good Stone." He jumped off the desk. "Thankyou!" she called out after him. He waved behind him, brushing off the comment playfully.

Danni sighed.

"This is going to be a long night."

"Who's to say this will be fixed in the morning?" Angie asked.

"It better be!" She shrugged.

"It's not too bad Danni. The water works, there's lots of food, comfortable beds-"

"Which reminds me," Mac cut in. "Did you manage to cut off the rain into that room?" Pete nodded.

"Yep we stuck some thick plastic tarp or something over it." Mac nodded.

"Good."

"Anyway," Angie resumed. "Whoever did this will come back. There's no fun in just trapping us here, letting us starve to death or whatever they think is going to happen. Other people work here, they'll get curious. Once the phones go back on we'll be able to call people – there's no point." She paused. "I must say though they chose it well, because the phones did go down. I wonder how they knew that might happen..." Oscar returned and sat on the desk opposite Mac, carefully lifting her foot into his lap.

"What size is this?" he joked. Mac rolled her eyes.

"I have big feet all right?"

"O-kay..."

"Don't worry Stone," Angie commented. "Yours are still the biggest."

"How would you know?" Danni asked suspiciously. Angie blushed.

"He told me."

"A-huh...You know what they say...Big feet, big-"

"No, it's okay," Oscar replied, cutting her off. "It's just that Mac's is very swollen. Tell me if I'm hurting you," he stated as he began to wrap the bandage around her foot. Mac cringed, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.

"It's all right," she managed, opening her eyes when he stopped.

"Really?"

"Yeah, yeah, strap it up. It'll be fine. I'm assuming we have Panadiene here." Danni nodded.

"I'll get you some." Mac shrugged.

"I'm not an invalid. You can let me do stuff."

"Yeah, well, just take it easy for the moment. I couldn't find any crutches in our prop box," Oscar started. "So just prop yourself up on us."

"Ooh," Mac joked. "Sounds like fun!" Pete rolled his eyes as she looked over at him. "What?" she asked. She shook his head silently. "Peter?"

"No, it's nothing." Oscar watched as Mac's eyes dropped to her lap. There was a long period of silence before Pete got up and walked away, Angie following quickly, resting a hand on Mac's shoulder as she passed.

"So," Oscar started again. "This guy going to come back do you think?" Mac nodded.

"Angie was right. It only lasts as long as the phones are out. Until then we can't call anyone."

"But how do you know the phones are out?"

"My mobile wouldn't work..."

"That was almost an hour ago. If phones are still out, technically lights should also be. The internal system was dead but that could easily be on purpose. Our employee number could have the machine set to 'don't come in for a couple of days' and no one would know."

"It's harder to break windows in storms though."

"Yeah, it is." He clipped the small metal pin into place and held her ankle in his lap. He could see it wasn't hurting her as much and it should probably remain as still as possible. He remembered doing first aid back at school, and then again at the academy. Bandaging, however, was more 'back at school' stuff. Snakes, etcetera – he'd done an oral exam on treating snakebites when he was twelve years old. A+. Hadn't forgotten it.

"So is it twisted or sprained?" Mac asked, smiling softly as she leant back in the chair, closing her eyes.

"No idea," he replied. "I'm only the bandage man."

"Oscar, if they were to come back for us. If this was just a method to trap us, make us easier to catch and kill – sort of thing – how would they get back in?"

She opened her eyes as Oscar's boot thumped onto the chair next to her. He reached out, pulling up the leg of his jeans to reveal his police issue in its holster.

"There are much lower windows to shoot through, much easier access. You only chose the top because it looked like we were there? The lights were on, yeah?" Mac nodded. "The lights are on all over now."

"Why don't we turn them off?"

"I think we will..." He drifted off. "The thing is," his voice softened as he hesitated. "If they come through from somewhere, Mac, you know you can't run away." She nodded.

"Yeah, it's okay."

"None of us can run though. You maybe not literally but we'll all be caught eventually."

"What will they do, do you think?"

"I have no idea." Danni returned with a glass of water and knelt beside Mac.

"I found this stuff, it's dissolved, probably tastes like dirt but-" Mac shook her head, smiling as she drank it.

"Thanks Danni."

"Where's Church and Ange gone?" she asked. Mac turned her head to her office, where the glow from the lamp illuminated two figures standing opposite each other, talking. "I'll go check it out," Danni mumbled, walking over and climbing the stairs. Mac looked over at Oscar, who was watching her silently.

"What's the matter Mac?" he asked. She bit her bottom lip.

"Can we start turning out those lights now?" He nodded slowly, lifting her ankle and resting it carefully on the desk.

"Sure, I'll be right back."

TBC