I don't own Numb3rs.


"Megan, will you please just listen to me?" Colby pleaded.

"I already heard you, Granger. 'Oh, we shouldn't have Megan come with us, she might get hurt.'" Megan mimicked him. "I've been doing this for five years, you know."

Colby sighed, and mentally slapped himself. "I didn't mean it that way, Meg."

Megan rolled her eyes. "Yeah right."

"Can you please just let me explain?" Megan sighed, stopped in her tracks and turned around to face Colby. "Thank you... Megan, this guy goes after young women who are single, and rapes them. I don't want you there because I don't want anything bad to happen to you."

"I can take care of myself." Megan mumbled.

Megan tried to walk away, but he grabbed her arm. "Sometimes, people aren't as invincible as they think."

Megan's eyes softened and she sighed. "Okay."

"You can come." Colby said, but by the look in his eyes, Megan knew that he wouldn't let her go that easily. "But will you promise me that you'll stay in the car?"

"Sure." Megan agreed

Colby nodded. "Alright, let's go."

They walked outside and into his car. Megan stepped into the passenger's seat while Colby got into the driver's seat.

"So, where is this guy?" Megan asked him.

"Don said that he was in a grocery store." Megan raised her eyebrows. "He's looking for some hostages."

Megan scratched her head. "Why would he go to a grocery store?"

Colby shrugged. "Well, there are alot of people in there... it would be easily to snatch someone in there. The problem is, we don't even know who he is, or what he looks like."


A few minutes later, Colby and Megan arrived at a grocery store, where FBI cars and SWAT trucks were set up. Reporters and cameras were surrounding the crime scene, as well as civilians. After parking the SUV, Colby and Megan stepped out of the car and walked over to where Don and David were standing.

"What's she doing here?" Don asked, pointing to Megan.

Megan glared at Don, getting annoyed. "Hey, I can take care of myself, okay?"

Don gave Colby a look and was about to say something, but David interrupted them. "Alright, we have to call the negotiators soon. We're lucky that he hasn't killed anyone in there yet."

"How do you know that he hasn't?" All of them looked at her. "Well with all the noise going on here, it might be easy to miss a gun being fired."

Don nodded his head in agreement. "Good point... we need to start talking to the man to make sure that he doesn't do anything."

Colby turned to Megan. "I want you to stay in the car... lock the doors and keep your gun in the seat with you. I'll give you the signal if its okay to come out, or if we need you."

Megan nodded and walked over to Colby's SUV. Stepping into the car, she locked the doors.

After watching Megan enter the SUV, David turned back to Don and Colby. "How the hell are we supposed to catch the man if we do't know what he looks like?"

"Just don't let anybody in or out of the building." Don told both him and Colby, and walked away.


Meanwhile, inside the grocery store, a man walked over to a window, and peered out of it. Looking back, he watched at the hostages who were lined up against a wall, fear evident in their eyes. Cell phones were held in a basket, along with any other communication with the outside world. Glancing back out the window, he noticed Megan walk over to the SUV.

"If any of you try and escape, you'll all be killed. I have guards set up around the whole store. And don't even think about trying to use their cellphones... their batteries have been destroyed." The man warned them, and snapped his fingers.

Men with masks over their heads came out from a room, and took their positions around the store, guns in their hands.

Walking over to one of the guards, he said, "If any of the hostages so much talk, kill them."

All of the hostages gasped, hearing what their captor said to the guard. Walking over to a secret back entrance, he exited the grocery store and walked outside. Being able to get past the SWAT members, he walked into the crowd of civilians, being able to blend in with them. Staring at the SUV which Megan was in, he smiled.

A smile made of pure evil.