Disclaimer: I own nothing involved with the television series "Lie to Me" and I won't pretend to. But, I do own this tale. :)

Author's Note: Alrighty...This is my new story idea and I'm not sure how good it'll get, so we'll see what you think by the end of this chapter. :) Please let me know if you like it and if you think I should continue! Please read, then tell me what you think! ^.^ Reviews, please!

Eli walked into the bank with a sigh. It wasn't often he came to bank, considering he had very little money to put into his account. But, it was his lunch break and he was planning to pick up some groceries after his day at The Lightman Group; this was the only time he had to withdraw what little money his bank account held.

He nearly released an impatient growl when he stepped through the front doors. There was only one teller helping at the counter with five people in line, including a rather elderly woman at the front. This same senior citizen dragged out each word in her old age and asked questions that required irritatingly long answers. Honestly, Eli thought another bank employee should pull her into an office or something to discuss her inquiries; anything to keep the line moving.

The door behind Eli pushed open, sending a rush of wind inside. Great, more people to add to the waiting line.

"Everybody, get your hands up!" shouted a gruff voice, causing Eli to freeze in his place. Slowly, he raised his hands and turned his head discreetly to see who had entered. There were four men altogether, garbed in black clothing, but not bothering to cover their faces. Each one held a pistol and pointed it carefully at each bank employee and member of the waiting line, including Eli. Eli moved his eyes ahead of him again, examining the expressions of his fellow hostages, seeing the expected fear and shock. His heart melted in sympathy when his gaze fell upon the old woman, who stood stunned with the sort of look on her face that made it look like she was about to keel over. The bank employees weren't about to move and the young teller tried to hold back her sobs.

"You people!" the leader addressed, staring at the bank employees menacingly. "Get up here with them." The man gestured towards the poor citizens in the line as Eli continued to stare at the robbers secretly over his shoulder. The bank employees quickly came to the front of the counter, careful not to lag behind or do anything to peeve the new hostile threat before them.

"Everybody, sit on the ground...now!" demanded the head thief, and everyone was more than obedient, dropping the floor with haste. There was a small moment of silence and Eli glanced in the direction of the man's gaze. The elderly woman. She still stood, petrified and silent.

"What did I say? Get down, lady!" the man commanded, taking a step forward and making Eli flinch. He was, after all, the closest to the action at this point. The leader leaned his head to the side, his body language and expression stinging with irritation and aggression. Eli knew the gun wasn't just for show. "Do you think I'm kidding? Get on the frickin' ground!" The man's fist curled in frustration and Eli's heart leapt in his chest.

"Wait!" he shouted, jumping up with his hands still raised. What the heck was he doing? He was going to get himself killed! "Don't shoot...please." His mind raced as he realized he was lucky he didn't get shot just for standing so abruptly. Startling a crazy man with a gun didn't seem like a smart move, as it would most certainly end in death. "I'll...I'll help her; j-just don't shoot." Eli pleaded, inching towards the elderly woman. He could feel the other captives' stares of awe and curiosity, inciting a fast-paced pulse within his veins. Like a butter knife making its way through frozen ice cream, the realization that he was the focus of the criminals' attention sunk in. He couldn't let that bother him right now; it wasn't going to help. When he finally made it to the old woman, he slowly brought his hands out of the air, settling them delicately on her shoulders.

"Please, sit down, ma'am." he instructed softly, looking at her with a begging gaze. She nodded slowly and he helped her steadily get down to sit on the ground, seating himself beside her. Only a moment ago, this woman had irritated him for holding up the line, as well as his time. Now, he had somehow assumed the position of her protector. Somebody should do it; if it was his own grandmother, wouldn't he want someone to watch out for her?

"Against the counter, now!" the man demanded, and people began scooting towards the side of the counter, leaning against its unusually comforting wood. Eli and the elderly woman were already against it, watching the robbers with careful eyes. So much for getting groceries after work: if Eli made it out alive, he was getting Chinese takeout and planning out a strategy to blackmail Lightman into paying him well over a satisfactory paycheck. Maybe he could just concoct a get-rich-quick scheme and live comfortably while he worked as an unpaid intern at The Lightman Group. Either way, he was disappointed that his life was buried in the depths of bad luck, and it was very possible his short existence was coming to a screeching stop.

The hostages sat in silence while three of the men began their endeavors of robbing the bank. The leader lagged behind, keeping a steady eye on the innocent beings before him. Those who were distraught enough to let out small whimpers earned themselves a quieting glare from the captor, who paced along the line warningly. In the distance, the sound of muffled sirens vibrated through the air and Eli watched as the man's face contorted to one of pure fury.

"Who triggered the silent alarm?" the leader yelled, directing his gun at each bank employee with vehemence in his body language. Eli was nervous, and the strange feeling of obligation wouldn't allow him to refuse protecting the other hostages. He knew whether or not the gunman was serious; he was the only one who was sure. Besides, he had only ever been a researcher in a quiet office; if he tagged along on field work, he didn't witness such brutal violence as cold-blooded murder. Eli wouldn't be able to stand it, and he suspected that the old woman wouldn't either. Heck, none of those captives probably could, so why shouldn't Eli try and prevent such hostility? If he was going to die anyway, it might as well be for a worthy cause.

"Who was it, hm? Nobody's going to say?" the man growled. "I might as well kill all of you stupid bankers; you're no use to me." Eli watched the man's finger slightly pull at the trigger, his heart stopping from the stress of the moment. Again, he jumped up, his arms raised in peace.

"No! Don't!" he yelled, panting from the adrenaline flooding his body. Why was he doing this? He couldn't be sure.

But, he was scared out of his wits.

"Lightman!"

Cal turned to see Agent Reynolds jogging towards him and his face pulled into one of confusion.

"What is it, Reynolds?" Cal inquired, shoving his hands in his pockets casually.

"I just got a call about a bank robbery and hostage situation in the works." Ben explained, his face reflecting the seriousness of the event.

"What?" Cal inquired, squinting as he looked intently at Reynolds.

"My superiors are hoping you can help in this case." Ben sighed. "You are an approved negotiator, right?"

"Yeah, yeah." Cal replied, heading back the way he came towards the lab. "Can you get video feed?" Ben followed, effortlessly keeping up with the scientist's pace.

"Yeah; apparently we have access to the cameras in the bank lobby." the agent explained. Cal pushed open the door into the lab, scanning the room quickly for employees. There was only one computer tech and a lone Ria sitting idly in a chair, waiting for commands. She had developed boredom from the lack of activity at the office, though she was now sitting on the edge of her seat when excitement trailed in with Cal and Ben.

"Get into the camera feed." Cal ordered Reynolds, then swept the room once more with his eyes.

"Where in the bloody world Loker?" he asked Ria, sounding bothered. She shrugged in reply.

"He said he had an errand to run; maybe he's held up somewhere." she suggested. Torres glanced between Cal and the serious FBI agent, anxious to know if some important case just came up.

"What's going on?" she queried as Reynolds finished his quick tapping on the computer keys.

"Bank robbery and hostages." Ben replied curtly, finishing the connection to the bank cameras and putting up the image on the large plasma screen for a clearer view. Cal ran his vision over the scene, his eyes fierce and eager to read the culprits of the crime. Almost as soon as his sight started the examination, they stopped abruptly on a head of dark, brunette waves.

"Torres, who do you think tha' is?" Cal inquired, unsure if he was seeing the picture right. She narrowed her eyes, as did Reynolds, and stared at the man Cal was pointing at. Ria gasped as she soon realized who it was.

"Loker." she sighed, fear gripping her heart. Not only was he a hostage in this hazardous occurrence, but he was the only one standing with a gun aimed at his chest. What did Eli get himself into?

"What in the bloody name of heaven and earth is he doing?" Cal asked angrily, his concern spilling out in the form of frustration and stress. Of course, his question went unanswered, as everyone was as privy to the information as he was: nobody knew anything.

"I would kill for some audio on this thing." Reynolds growled, watching the young researcher raising his hands higher and conversing with the captor. Ben had no idea what was going on and it was torturing him.

"I want a phone number." Cal ordered.

Eli's brain felt like it was thinking a million miles a minute. He was searching for the right words to say, and the several emotions rushing through his body caused the letters and ideas to blur past his thoughts. Sometimes he would catch the right words...sometimes he didn't.

"L-look, they're t-trained to automatically press the silent alarm; any one of them could've activated it." Eli stuttered, nervous at the fact he could find a bullet in his chest any second now. The bank employees glanced fearfully at him, unsure if he was really helping or just making things worse. "But, they're more useful in this situation than you think. The more hostages you have, the more leverage you have against the cops." Eli pointed out quickly. Honestly, he wasn't sure if more captives would help the thieves' case, but it was worth a shot. "Plus, I'm sure they know more about the bank than your guys do." The man's expression and stance relaxed and Eli allowed himself a small glimmer of relief.

"You have a point." the man snarled, gazing at Eli carefully. Small sighs sounded from the line of hostages and Eli internally celebrated the tiny victory. "But, you're really getting on my nerves." The man aimed his gun more thoroughly at Eli.

Time to panic?