FIC: In a Mirror, Darkly: Chapter 21/?
Title: In a Mirror, Darkly: Chapter 21
Author: Valerie Vancollie (valeriev84 [at] hotmail.com)
Characters: Don, Charlie, Alan, David, Colby, Nikki, (surprise)
Rating: 15
Summary: There was a certain irony to the situation, that the brother who was a federal agent had been abducted to be used as leverage against the brother who was an applied mathematics professor at a highly respected college. Don Whump, Charlie Angst!
Betas: aleo_70 & fredbassett
Spoilers: Uncertainty Principle, Vector, Man Hunt, Protest, Dark Matter, Spree, Two Daughters, Brutus, Finders Keepers, One Hour, The Janus List, Breaking Point, Black Swan, When Worlds Collide, The Decoy Effect, Jack of All Trades, Arrow of Time, The Fifth Man, Greatest Hits, Angels and Devils
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Numb3rs characters, items or situations. I only lay claim to the original aspects of the fic.
Part V: Don: Basement
Chapter 21:
Wednesday, 14:36
Basement, Unknown Location
Luckily, or unluckily, Don didn't have to wait long before Keane stormed into the room, a thunderous expression on his face.
"Lawson, out," Keane ordered, waiting until the boy was gone to turn his attention to his prisoner.
"Trouble in paradise?" Don inquired with a small smile.
It wasn't the smartest thing in the world to do, he knew, but Keane already planned to execute him and allow Frazer to torture him some more beforehand. All in all, Don rather thought it couldn't get any worse, so he could take as many potshots at Keane as he wanted to.
"You're even more dangerous than I realized," Keane finally replied. "I underestimated you. It won't happen again."
"I take it Frazer got Banner to talk."
"Oh, yes, Jeremy spilled his guts all about the bee you placed in his bonnet."
"The bee I..." Don trailed off, comprehension dawning. "Is that what you told Frazer it was? A trick of mine?"
"Didn't really need to, he's already more than willing to believe you capable of nearly anything."
"Not to mention the fact that he'd never listen to anything I'd have to say."
"Exactly," Keane agreed, looking at him calculatingly. "Now, what am I going to do with you?"
"What? You afraid I'm going to cause even more trouble? I'm flattered."
"No, but then, I hadn't thought you would yesterday."
"That's because you left me a weak link to chip away at. Now there are no more opportunities," Don argued, not wanting to get drugged again.
"Oh? And how do you figure that?"
"Frazer, as I said earlier, hates me too much to listen to me and Lawson is too terrified of what you'll do to his sister to even think about resisting, let alone contemplate it."
"We did find the right weakness there," Keane agreed, his features twisting into a malicious smile. "Just like with your brother. So, tell me, Agent Eppes, how does it feel to be used against dear Charlie like this, hmm? What does it feel like to be nothing but a helpless pawn, unable to do a damn thing about what's happening to both you and your baby brother?"
The words were like a punch to the gut, but Don forced his expression to remain bland. He'd just scored a victory of sorts, he wasn't going to allow Keane to needle him so easily now.
"Same way you'll feel once you're in jail, I imagine," Don retorted.
Keane regarded him in surprise for a moment before he threw his head back and laughed. "You really don't give up, do you? Pray tell, just how do you see me ending up in jail? I hold all the cards here."
"And yet I was able to cause you problems and I'm just one, unarmed agent. Imagine what my team could do."
"What, you mean beyond chasing their tails?" Keane shot back, chilling Don.
"What?"
"Oh, you didn't think I'd leave things up to chance as far as they were concerned, not after going to so much trouble in other areas, now did you?"
"What did you do?"
Don fought to keep his tone as near to emotionless as he could manage; a team leader worried about his people instead of a concerned friend. He had no intention of giving Keane any more ammunition than he already had.
"Simply gave them a false trail to waste their time following. I'm not stupid, Eppes, I know what kind of response would be provoked if something happened to a team while looking for a missing supervising agent. I've no intention of unleashing that kind of fury on me."
"And yet you have no qualms about killing either Banner or me, which will result in the same kind of responses. Well, at least in my case."
"Yes, I doubt the NSA would be much interested in avenging Banner's death, not once they learn the truth of what he did. But even if they were, it wouldn't matter to me, as I'm sure you've already figured out for yourself."
"It won't work," Don stated, the conviction in his voice not as strong as he'd wanted it to be. "There'll be traces of your presence."
"Funny, that's the same thing a two-bit cop in Detroit told me and yet there was never any question in the investigators' minds that my cover story was what really happened."
The words confirmed the suspicion that had been growing in Don's mind that this wasn't the first time Keane and Blakely had orchestrated this type of scenario. If he got out of here, he'd need to see if he couldn't uncover some more of their work. Luckily Keane had now given him a very good starting point.
"Yeah, but that was probably when things were still going according to plan."
"You've ruined my original plan, that's true, but I've always been very good at improvising," Keane declared. "Besides, I don't think you've realized the negative consequences of your actions yet."
"Like what? What could you possibly do to me that's worse than what you've already got in store for me?"
"Oh, I wasn't talking about you, at least not directly, nor about what I could do in revenge, merely what I need to alter to make up for Banner's... ah, defection."
"Still thinking like a soldier, eh? I'd have thought you would have lost that by now," Don replied, his heart sinking.
"It's served me well for decades, why mess with it? Now, the first consequence is that poor Lawson's burdens and role just became a whole lot larger. Without Banner, it falls to him to carry out Jeremy's parts of the plan when it comes to the NSA. As for your brother, well, I obviously can't go see him as that would ruin the cover story, nor can Lawson, which leaves only Frazer."
The nausea was back and Don's blood ran cold at the thought of the fugitive near his brother, let alone interacting with him. He jerked at the ropes tying him down before he'd thought about it and was left cursing in pain as his left hand exploded in a fiery ball of agony. What would otherwise have been all consuming now wasn't, in light of the imminent threat to his brother.
"No!"
"You've left me with no choice," Keane replied simply. "Consequences of your actions, all of that. But don't worry, I've already told him not to touch Dr. Eppes, he's too valuable to us."
"You've told him? Have you considered that may not be enough?"
"Sure, which is why I told him he'd not be allowed another go at you if he harmed your brother."
Hysterical laughter bubbled up within Don. So his options were to wish for no more torture, which would mean Frazer hurting Charlie, or to wish for Charlie to remain safe and be the center of attention of the sociopath with a knife again. Not a good set of options even though there was no question in his mind which he'd choose if given the choice. He could only hope Frazer didn't realize which option would affect him more. The man had shown no inclination to do anything but torture him and he sincerely hoped it remained that way. It should, though, as Frazer didn't strike him as the type who'd be satisfied with leaving him alive even if it was to live with eternal regrets. The fugitive was too hands on for that and too direct in his approach.
Don had killed his brother and thus Don had to die, slowly and painfully. It was as simple as that. Well, except for the fact that he'd now seemingly added Coop to his vendetta as well for being there when it happened.
"He'll behave," Keane stated confidently.
Just then the door opened and the man in question entered the room. Don tensed up instantly, all of his attention shifting to Frazer as the greater threat even though the logical part of him knew it wasn't smart to dismiss Keane so readily. Rational thought held little sway at the moment though.
"Did I forget to mention that Banner's loss also means you'll be seeing more of Darien for meals and bathroom breaks?" Keane asked innocently.
Don's eyes flashed briefly to Keane before returning to Frazer. So that's why the man had not punished him yet, he'd done that enough himself. Well, on the bright side, there was one less person for him to deal with if he managed to escape.
"Did you miss me?" Frazer asked, opening his knife as he approached.
Involuntarily, Don flinched, ignoring the resulting laughter in favor of keeping his attention focused on the blade. God, not again. Instead of going for his face or chest as before, the knife was directed at his left wrist. It was with a start that Don remembered what Keane had said about bathroom breaks, but it was enough for him to gain some control over the terror that had swamped his mind. The hard won control was nearly shattered as Frazer sliced into the skin as he cut the rope.
"Oops," Frazer said, a delighted smile on his face. "My bad."
Don opened his mouth to snap back a retort, but clamped it shut as the fugitive lifted the knife to his lips and licked it clean. He closed his eyes and fought down the urge to vomit, having caught the expression on the psychopath's face.
"Mmm."
It came as no surprise when the knife cut into his other wrist after the handcuffs had been snapped into place around both wrists. He opened his eyes in time to see Frazer close the knife, blade still bloody, once he'd cut the ropes tying his ankles to the chair. Why would he do that?
"Up you get," Keane ordered, motioning with his Beretta.
With clenched teeth, Don did as he was told. The routine went as normal until he approached the desk on his way back to his chair. The glint of light reflecting off of something on the floor caught his eye and he glanced down, seeing a shard of glass lying partially obscured beneath one of the many hard drives. Instantly realizing that this was the opportunity he'd been waiting for, Don pretended to stumble and braced himself, knowing the sign of weakness would be too much for Frazer to resist. As expected, a blow landed on his back and he let it take him down, rolling towards the hard drive and the glass.
"Clumsy bastard," Frazer said, amused. "Not so tough now, are you?"
Don ignored Frazer's taunts and did his best to ensure he managed to grab the glass shard in such a way that it was carefully hidden from view in his right palm. This was almost definitely going to be his only chance of getting out of here on his own and he wasn't going to waste it. The glass had most likely come from the tray of dishes Lawson had dropped yesterday and if he were caught with it, he didn't doubt Keane would do a thorough sweep to ensure no other shards remained. Once he'd secured his prize, he turned his attention back to his surroundings and tried to roll away from the kick Frazer had aimed for him, but wasn't quite fast enough. There was an audible crack as another of his ribs snapped and Don bit his lip to prevent himself from screaming.
"Enough!" Keane barked. "We can't risk him getting a life threatening injury until we have what we need. Besides, you need to get to CalSci."
A moan escaped Don as he forced himself to his feet but, despite the pain, he didn't think anything vital had been punctured by the rib. He was intimately acquainted with the feeling of a punctured lung after all. Slowly, he walked back to his chair and gingerly lowered himself into it. The clenching of his fist to keep hold of the glass shard likely made it look like he was angry or in pain, which he was, so it seemed to arouse no suspicions as Frazer tied him down and removed the cuffs once more.
"I'll give your brother my regards, shall I?" Frazer baited.
"Go to hell."
/
Thursday, 17:09
Basement, Unknown Location
The soft, rhythmic tapping of computer keys was the first thing Don heard as he slowly surfaced once more. The dryness in his mouth and the residual haze in his mind instantly brought back the memory of Keane sticking him with a needle yet again. Now that he'd proven how dangerous he really could be even while tied down, the man was taking no chances despite the fact that there was no one left for him to influence as he had Banner. It was like closing the barn door after the horses were long gone, but Keane had been unconvinced.
A quick glance about proved he and Lawson were alone.
"Greg," Don said softly, not wanting to startle the boy like he had the last time.
"What?" Lawson replied warily.
"My brother, is he alright? Frazer went to see him."
The question caused a softening of Lawson's features and the boy briefly brought the footage from Charlie's office up on the monitor for him to see for himself.
"He's fine. Frazer scared him some, but didn't hurt him."
"Thanks."
"I- I'm supposed to call them when you're awake."
Don sighed. He should have been expecting this. Keane was probably going to drug him continually now, only allowing him to wake in between to prevent him from making a mess. He'd been put under so quickly yesterday, he'd not had much time before he'd lost consciousness, but he'd figured out how best to hold the shard to minimize cutting himself and maximize cutting the rope and he'd managed to wedge the glass shard between his wrist and the arm of the chair. When the glass had first sliced his skin, he'd nearly dropped it, the rush of emotions accompanying the breaking of his skin around a sharp edge catching him completely off-guard given the lack of a knife present. The realization of just how deeply Frazer had managed to affect him followed swiftly. That did more to shake him than the actual torture itself had.
Was this his reality now? To break down every time he managed to accidentally cut himself? The thought chilled him and his mind rebelled at the lack of control it represented. The thing he'd always feared the most was getting injured on the job in such a way that he lost control of part, or all, of his body. To become dependent upon others for simple, everyday things. In some ways, this was similar to that, only the handicap was mental instead of physical. His response and reactions were out of his control, they just slipped out at the sight of Frazer or a knife. And now, apparently, also at the sensation of his skin getting cut open and his blood running from the wound.
In the end, Don had managed to keep hold of the glass, though it had taken the thought of what Frazer would do to him if he didn't manage to escape in order to continue. He'd have to keep in mind just how good of an incentive that was, it should help him overcome any obstacle thrown in his path.
Like now, the knowledge that Frazer would shortly be down in the room with him, using his knife, was nearly enough to incapacitate him with dread. And terror, though he'd never admit that to anyone. Don had hoped to be able to cut himself free and escape by avoiding both Keane and Frazer as he was in no condition to take on either man, let alone both of them, whether together or apart. That, however, didn't look like it would be an option. It appeared that Keane was serious in his intention to keep him doped up until they got what they wanted from Charlie. He could either act now or wait for his team to rescue him.
Given how long he'd already been a prisoner, what Keane had said and what would happen to him if his team failed to get here in time, it was really a no-brainer. The mere thought of getting stabbed again once, let alone multiple times or with the amber drug, was enough to make him seriously consider damn near suicidal options. Hell, he was pretty sure that if it looked like they were close to the point of his planned execution, he would give serious thought to simply forcing Keane's hand by having a go at them. If he was going to die, then it would be on his terms, not Keane's and most definitely not Frazer's. Not if he had anything to say about it and Keane would find he was still allowing him far too much free rein to stop him from doing that.
All of which meant he'd have to try something when Keane and Frazer were not only in the room with him, but alert, armed and ready for him to try something. Well, unlike his brother, Don had never let the odds influence him. In fact, he normally thrived on impossible odds, so this should be a good thing. Really, it should. Not wanting to risk the shard being discovered or losing it when he was drugged once more, he realized that not only would he have to do it with Keane and Frazer around, but he'd have to do it now as well.
"Then you'd better do as they said," Don replied. "Tell them I'm awake."
Chapter 22