Brothers In Arms

by StoryGal85

Don is faced with his greatest challenge when Charlie is kidnapped!

NUMB3RS

Brothers In Arms

CHAPTER ONE:

Don Eppes was a seasoned FBI agent who had seen many strange things. He had seen phsyco killers, serial killers, mass murderers, horrible bloody crime scenes that would give any normal person nightmares. But the scene before him now was somehow the most eerie yet.

There was no blood covering the walls, no bodies lying about missing limbs, or some crazy killer holding a gun or a bloody knife, just a peaceful sunny day on the LA freeway. A lone man stood just under the shadow cast by the underpass holding a small detonater. It wasn't the man that was so disturbing, it was the fact that Don had been in almost this exact same situation three months previous.

"I want to speak to, Proffesser Charles Eppes!" The man repeated for the second time.

"Why do you want to talk to him?" Don asked. The first time the madman had said his little brothers name he had become suspicious. He and his team had faced almost exactly the same situation three months ago. The man had asked for Charlie then too. Don looked up into the pilings of the bridge and felt his breath catch in his throat. There was enough C4 there to blow the bridge completly. As well as a good sized peice of the freeway around it on all sides.

"No questions!" The man shouted, "Just get him here within half an hour or the C4 goes."

Three months ago the situation had been slightly different. The man had connected cell phones to each different peice of C4 and then if his demands were not met he blew a section. But at least they had had some bargining time. This time the madman held a single detonater wired to the whole lot of the plastique. It was the type of detonater that you had to hold continuous pressure on. If the pressure was released it would blow. Simply shooting the perp was out.

Don looked at the rest of his team, "Well do you see any other option?"

Megan shook her head, "Maybe all he wants to do is talk to Charlie." She suggested.

David pursed his lips, "Maybe but that man out there is willing to kill himself just to talk to Charlie. Radicals like that don't usually give you their itenerary."

Colby nodded agreement with David's statement, "We should be careful."

Don nodded, "But what about him asking for Charlie? It couldn't be the same as last time. That man wanted to give us a clue through numbers. This man just wants Charlie...so why?"

Megan shrugged again and tapped her watch, "I don't know but you had better call, Charlie soon or we are going to miss our deadline."

Don nodded and flipped his cell phone open. After hitting speed dial number three he waited for an answer. The phone rang three times before his little brother answered, indicateing he had been in the middle of something.

"Hey, Bro." Charlie greeted after reading his caller ID and seeing his brother's number.

"Hey, Charlie," Don greeted. "Hey we have a situation here and we need your help."

"Sure!" Carlie agreed readily, he loved working with the FBI. "Where are you?"

"Makinaw bridge, west side."

"I'll be there in fifteen minutes," Charlie said and then hung up. Don closed the phone and felt a sinking feeling in his gut. Something felt wrong, besides the fact that a crazed man was asking for his little brother and threatening to blow up a good section of the LA freeway if his demands were not met. Something was simply wrong.

True to his word, Charlie was at the scene, standing in the back of the FBI van inside of fifteen minutes. Don breifed his brother on the situation and then turned to Megan.

She placed a paper full of figures into Charlie's hands, "We have written down everything we have on this guy which isn't much I might add." She paused to let Charlie examine the paper. "You think its a copy cat?" She asked, reffering to the Janus List case of three months ago.

Charlie shook his head, "No, too many inconsistensies...." The rest of his explaination was cut off by the bomber.

"Surely you are not going to try my patience, Agent Eppes!" He spoke into the microphone attached to a tv screen the FBI had sent out a few minutes before. "Your brother must be here by now!" Waving the detonater menacingly at the camera he continued, "Send him out here now of I WILL blow the C4!"

Don pushed the transmit button, "He's here," he said into the mike. He then flipped the tv screen on so the bomber could see inside the van. "You wanted to talk to him so go ahead."

"I don't think you heard me correctly, Agent Eppes," The madman said menacingly, "I said send him out HERE now!"

"That isn't going to happen," Don said, the thought of his brother out there alone and unprotected sent shivers of fear down his spine.

"Then you sentence hundreds of people to death!"

Don paused frowning, "We have already cleared the bridge. The only one in danger is you."

The bomber allowed a satisfied smile to cross his lips, "Do you honestly think that I would not have taken steps to ensure your cooperation?" He gestured about him wildly, "This bridge is only the first explosion that will trigger many more all along the freeway!"

Megan gasped, if he was telling the truth and there were other places along the freeway that were wired to blow when the bridge went and if the bomber made good on his threat...hundreds of people could die! There was no way the FBI could clear the freeway around the area even with LAPD's help. They didn't even know how far the C4 could be spread! The situation looked black.

"How do we know you're not bluffing?" Don asked, his throat dry. He had been going over the same train of thought as Megan.

The bomber grinned, "You don't. You have five minutes to decide."

Don switched off the screen and mike then turned back to his team, "Can anyone verify?"

Colby shoof his head, "LAPD is starting a search but we don't even know where to start. There is no way we can have this taken care of in five minutes."

Don sighed and rubbed his forehead.

"I'll go, Don," Charlie said softly.

Don shook his head, "No way. He could kill you."

"And if I don't go many more people could die!" Charlie said with a bit more anger than he had intended.

Don looked at Charlie, his mind working desperately to think of another plan...but there was none and time was running out. Sighing in defeat Don keyed the mike on, "Alright, he's coming."

"About time, you were almost responsible for hundreds of innocent lives, Agent Eppes."

Don keyed the mike off once more and then grabbed a bullet proof vest and slipped it over his brother's head. Megan had a comm unit prepared and David took the precaution of placing a tracking device under Charlie's watch.

Colby tapped Don on the shoulder, "Think we should give him a gun?"

Don shook his head, "Charlie's still new to guns, it could just make the situation worse."

Colby nodded and placed his gun back in it's holster at the small of his back.

"Well I guess I'm ready," Charlie said, forcing a smile. Don closed his eyes in a silent plea for help then patted Charlie on the shoulder and opened the door.

"Move slow, keep you eyes open and be careful!"

"I will," Charlie said with an excited gleam in his eye. Even though what he was doing could be dangerous he was pumped to be out in the field with his big brother.

Don acted like he was going to say something else but settled on, "Be careful," once more.

Charlie nodded and began the slow walk out to the waiting bomber.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

CHAPTER TWO

Don watched tensely as his little brother walked slowly out to the center of the road. When he was within ten paces of the madman, Charlie stopped on Don's command in the earpiece he was wearing.

"Alright, here I am. What do you want?"

"Come closer, I don't like having to shout," The bomber said.

"Don?" Charlie asked into the tiny mike at his collar.

"Six steps closer, Agent Eppes," The bomber said holding the detonater loosely in his hand.

"Alright, Charlie," Don agreed to the man's demand. He watched as his brother took the extra steps. He now stood within three feet of the madman.

"Well?" Charlie asked, "What do you want from me?"

In an instant the man went from standing still to immediate action. He dropped the detonater, which sent all the men sent to cover Charlie running for cover, and slugged Charlie. As the younger Eppes fell backward two men jumped out from the darkness of the overpass and grabbed the unconcious man. An SUV backed quickly into sight and Charlie was thrown into it. By now the FBI agents realized that the detonater was a false alarm and had begun running for the car. A sudden explosion as the SUV took off threw three men into the air. When the smoke cleared the car was gone and so was Charlie!

"GPS location!" Don shouted, panic building inside him.

A tech sitting at a computer tapped a few keys then reported, "We are following him on both the tracker in his watch and his cell phone. They are headed west on 25'th street."

"Sattelite?"

We have them, Sir," another tech said.

"Keep an eye on 'em and report to me on my comm!" Don shouted as he and his team jumped into Don's FBI Suburban and took off after the kidnappers!

The kiddnappers had enough of a lead that the FBI agents could not get a visual on them. The only way they were able to follow them was via the sattelite imagery and GPS tracking signals. Don followed the tech's directions as he drove through the busy LA suburb at breakneck speed.

"Left on 32nd."

"Looks like he's headed for the south side tunnel," David commented from the back seat.

"Quickest way out of town," Colby agreed.

"If he's trying to get out of town," Megan added.

"If?" David asked.

"He might just be leading us off on a wild goose chase."

"Right on 54th."

"Still headed for the tunnel," David remarked.

Megan nodded silently.

"Left up on Hoover...uh oh," The tech said under her breath.

"What?" Dona asked a bit harshly.

"We just lost both GPS signals."

"Great!" Don said hitting his steering wheel with the palm of his hand. "How about satt.?"

"Still have them on visual, Sir," the other tech chimed in.

"Good let's keep it that way, Shoot!" Don said as he rounded a corner and had to slam on his brakes for the cluster of traffic stopped at a red light. There was no way he was getting through it. "Did they get caught at the light?'' He asked the tech.

"No, Sir. They made it through and are entering the south side tunnel."

"Shoot!" Don said again. It seemed like it took an eternity for the light to change and then once again he was after the perps that had his brother. "What's going on?" He asked the tech.

"They still haven't come out the other side, Sir. Oh wait, there they are! Entering the freeway."

"Great," Don muttered under his breath."I hope we can catch them."

The rest of the ride to the freeway was made in silence as the other members of the team sensed Don's anxiety. They all recognized the guilt he was feeling and knew it was better not to say anything at this exact moment.

"There!" Don shouted in triumph as he spotted the SUV weaving in and out of traffic, trying to get ahead of it's pursuers. Don had a much easier time as people slowed and pulled over for his flashing lights. It was only a matter of seconds before he closed the gap between himself and the SUV.

Trying desperately to get away the SUV took the nearest off ramp and headed once more into town. But Don had radioed ahead and LAPD had set up a road block at the bottom of the ramp. The kidnappers were forced to stop. The doors to the SUV flew open and a single man jumped out, a small machine gun in his hands, shooting at anything that moved. A police sniper took him out in a matter of seconds.

Don screeched to a stop and jumped out of the car at a dead run. Throwing open the back doors to the SUV he felt his heart jump into his throat. The car was empty! Turning to face Megan who had knelt down beside the downed terrorist he saw a look on her face saying that the man was dead.

"You idiot!!" Don shouted at the police officer who had shot the man, "He was our only lead!!"

"Don!" Colby shouted, grabbing his bosses arm and holding him back. "The guy had a suicide pill, the policeman only winged him."

Don sagged against Colby as the red hot rage left him in a rush, "I'm sorry," he mumbled to the police sniper. He nodded and Don walked back to his vehicle.

"Get the car to forensics and see if they can turn up anything we can use!" Don said to David and Colby then he got into the driver's seat and took off. He needed some time to think and the drive back to FBI headquarters alone would give him that. 'Dad!' He suddenly thought. He had to call his father...what would he say?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Amita Ramanujuan was worried. She had been looking for her boyfriend for close to three hours now without avail. She had gone to his T.A. who had said he had to skip out on a class for the FBI but he wasn't answering his phone. She could understand that he was probably busy and couldn't answer for a while but he had never made her wait three hours before unless he was really wrapped up in something. Decideing to push her fears to the back of her mind she tried to focus on the calculations she was working on for Larry Fleinhart, a friend of hers and Charlie's.

Half an hour later however with still no word from Charlie she felt her fear growing once more. Finally when she could take it no longer she decided to call Charlie's father, Alan Eppes.

"Please God," she prayed. "Please help Charlie to be ok."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Alan Eppes was awakened out of a sound sleep by the sound of his cell phone buzzing on the side table beside his recliner. Rubbing his eyes he sat up and picked up the tiny machine. 'Amita' it said in the caller ID window. Alan filpped off the TV and answered it.

"Amita dear, how are you?"

"I'm fine. Hey I was wondering if you knew where Charlie was? I have been calling him for almost four hours and he still doesn't answer."

"Hmmm that's not like him," Alan said quietly. "He's not on campus?"

"No he got a call from the FBI and left over four hours ago and no one has heard from him since. Frankly I'm getting worried."

Alan's reply was cut off by an electronic beep letting me know he had another incoming call. Looking at the phone he saw Don's name in the caller ID window. "Amita, Donny's on the other line, hold on a minute and I'll find out what's going on."

"Ok," Amita agreed readily.

Alan pressed SEND to switch the lines so he was talking to his son. "Donny, what going on?"

"Dad," on greeted. Was it Alan's imagination or was there a break in his older son's voice?

"Hey look, Amita is really worried about Charlie. Do you know where he is?"

Don swallowed hard, "That's what I need to talk to you about."

Alan suddenly felt cold at the tone to Don'e words, "Donny, what is it? Are you ok? Is Charlie ok?"

"Dad, I think this is something I shoud tell you in person. Are you at home?"

"Yes," Alan said softly, worry growing inside him. "What am I gonna tell Amita? She's on the other line?"

Don sighed, "Tell her to come over and I will explain it to you both."

"Alright, Son," Alan said. A click on Don's end let him know he was back on the line with Amita. "Amita dear, I don't want you to panic but I think Don has some bad news for us," Alan cringed at the fake sound of his words. "Come on over, Donny will be here soon and he will explain everything."

Amita swallowed nervous tears, "Ok...Alan?"

"Yes."

"Do...do you think...do you think Charlie's ok?"

Alan could hear the pain and worry in the woman's voice, "I hope so," he said gently. "I'll see you in a few minutes."

Amita silently hung up the phone and Alan placed his back on the side table. Charlie had to be ok...he just had to.

CHAPTER THREE

It was nearly an hour later when Don finally arrived. Amita saw his car through the Eppes' big picture window and announced his arrival to Alan, excitedly but without mirth. Alan nodded and opened the door. Don walked in with a slowness to his steps that ment he was the bearer of bad news.

"Donny?" Alan asked, Don however did not answer until he was seated on the couch. Amita and Alan followed suit.

"Dad, Amita," Don began not knowing quite what to say. What do you say in a situation like this? 'Hey Dad by the way your son was kidnapped? "There was a situation earlier today that we needed Charlie's help on. We thought we had it under control...but..." Don felt the overwhelming sadness begin to engulf him but he fought it back down.

"But?" Alan pressed, on the edge of his seat, his eyes wide with worry.

Don took a deep breath and continued, "Things got out of hand...they...they kidnapped Charlie."

Alan flew out of his chair and stood in front of Don, "WHAT?!"

Amita gasped and sank back into the cushions, her hand over her mouth.

Don bowed his head, "It's all my fault...I let him go out there all alone...I should have made him stay back..." A tear fell and Don angrily wiped it away. "I promised to protect him!"

Alan swallowed hard, "Donny," He said with forced calm, "Tell me exactly what happened."

Don nodded and after his father had once again taken his seat he relayed the story. Amita sat and quietly sobbed to herself while Alan just sat there with a shocked look on his face. He knew from the moment that his eldest son had become an FBI agent that something terrible could happen, but...It was always just a possibility not a reality. Until now.

"Are they...gonna'...kill him?" Amita asked, her voice breaking.

"No!" Don said quickly, "No they took him for a reason, until they get what they want Charlie is safe."

Amita nodded and tried not to think of what might be happening to her love.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A searing pain at the base of his skull was Charlie's first sensation as he bagan to regain conciousness. The second was the ropes biting into his wrists, binding him to a chair.

"Well, well, well. Look who finally decided to join us," A man's voice said. Charlie noted that the voice had a slight middle-eastern accent to it. Realizing that the voice was coming from behind him, Charlie twisted around to get a look at the speaker. The sudden movement caused a wave of pain to rush over him that almost made him black out.

"Careful, Proffesser Eppes," the voice chided, "It will be a while still before the effects of your little 'accident' wear off."

Charlie squeezed his eyes shut until the feeling of nausia wore off. Reopening them he saw a tall middle-eastern man standing directly in front of him.

"Allow me to introduce myself," the man said, "I am Akeelah Sumjhad," he added with a slight bow.

'Sumjhad,' Charlie thought, 'That name sounds familier...' Then suddenly he remembered! Tahmud Sumjhad had been arrested and summarily executed as part of a sleeper cell Charlie helped identify.

"Ah, I see you recognize my name," Akeelah said, reading Charlie's expression. "Good, good. Then you realize that I want nothing more right now that to kill you slowly?"

Charlie stiffened, How had Akeelah known he was involved in the sleeper cell identification?

Akeelah placed his hands on the chairs arms and leaned forward unil his face nearly touched Charlie's, "For now the higher authorities say you are more valuable alive...but I will have my revenge for my brother's sake." He added menacingly. Then straightening the terrorist motioned for two of his men to bring over a camera tripod. "Before we get down to what you can do for our cause..."

"I will never help you!" Charlie shouted.

Akeelah smiled, "I was hopeing you'd say that...Forcing your cooperation will be most enjoyable. But as I was saying before you so rudely interrupted me, we have a little presentation to make to the FBI." He stopped for a moment to adjust the camera angle so that it was zeroed in on Charlie. Looking up he smiled at his prisoner, "Would you care to give us your brother's cell phone number?"

"No!" Charlie said defiantly, "You won't get anything out of me!"

Akeelah laughed, "Bravo, Proffesser! I am afraid you were portrayed to me as a very different person. I am pleased to see you have some spirit." Still smiling he pulled a cell phone out of his pocket. Charlie recognized it as his. A ray of hope peirced the gloom of the moment as a happy thought struck Charlie. Ever since the 9-11 attacks, cell phone had built in GPS tracking devices! Then Charlie remembered his watch, David had placed a tracking unit under the face! The FBI had probably been tracking his every move and were surrounding the building even as they spoke!

Akeelah's cruel laugh broke into Charlie's thoughts of being rescued, "You are thinking that your brother is going to come in and save you? Well I have some bad news for you. We found the tracking device planted in your watch. And your cell phone is powered off and so the GPS inside is effectively disabled."

Charlie hung his head in despair, what was going to happen to him now?

Yelling something in arabic, Akeelah smiled at his prisoner, "Now we contact the FBI."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Don paced inside his office cubicle. He had just returned from his Dad's to a complete dead end on the satt. imagery. They had no way of knowing which car the kidnappers had switched to while in the tunnel, and so no Idea of which one tr track.

Don slowly sat on the edge of his desk and picked up the framed picture he had there of he and Charlie on high school graduation day. Looking at the smiles on their faces made him feel helpless. Where was Charlie? What was happening to him? Was he ok?

"Nice picture," Megan said as she sat down on the dest next to Don.

Don forced a half-smile. He did not want to let Megan see how bad he was hurting, "Charlie was so excited to be with me that day."

Megan swallowed a lump forming in her throat. Despite Don's best efforts she could see the anguish in his eyes. She was trained to read people. She wished she could say something to ease his pain but knew that any assureances she could make would be unfounded. She settled for placeing a comforting hand on Don's shoulder.

The shrill ring of Don's cell phone broke into the solomn moment. With annoyance Don pulled it out of it's holder and glanced at the caller ID window. Charlie, it read. Excited and a bit shocked, Don motioned for the techs to begin triangulation with a snap of his fingers and then he answered the phone.

"Charlie?" He asked hopefully.

A deep voice with a middle-eastern accent answered instead of the familier one Don was hopeing for. "Turn on your computer, Agent Eppes."

"What? Who are you?"

"Turn on your computer and you will find out."

Don wordlessly flipped open his laptop and powered it on.

"Good, now give me your host number."

"Why?" Don asked, trying to stall long enough for the techs to triangulate the caller's position.

"Don't try my patience, Agent Eppes. It would be bad for your brother's health."

"591A-93765-21345," Don said hastily.

"Wonderful, now give me one minute," the phone went silent for a moment then a live video feed connected on Don's screen. The image being portrayed made Megan gasp and Don's heart jump into his throat. Charlie was sitting, tied to a chair in the middle of the shot. Blood caked his hair and one side of his face from the bridge attack.

"Let me talk to him," Don said in a low voice.

"Oh he can hear you, Agent Eppes," The voice paused for a moment then continued, "We are pressed for time here as I am sure your people are tracing this call so I'll get right to the point. I want Sam Davis freed from prison and an exchange made for your brother."

Don motioned for Megan and Colby to start searching all recent cases for a Sam Davis. "Are you alright, Charlie?" Don asked, stalling for time.

Charlie looked up into the camera and Don flinched at the look of fear in his little brother's eyes. "Don?" He asked in a small scared voice.

"Yeah, Buddy. I'm here."

"They found the trcking device..." He was cut of by a quick backhand across the mouth from someone with his back to the camera. When he once again stepped out of the way there was a growing bruise on Charlie's jaw and blood ran freely from his nose.

"If you hurt him you are not getting anything!" Don said forcefully, trying not to break down and scream in helplessness at the man who was hurting Charlie.

"As long as I get what I want I will not touch him," The voice said. "Now, about Davis..."

Don glanced over at Megan who shook her head saying that she had not turned up any matches yet. "Who is he?" Don asked.

The voice laughed, and someone came up from behind Charlie and placed a knife against his throat, "Don't play games with me, Agent Eppes. Surely the life of your brother is worth more than that of a convicted killer?"

At this Megan typed in new search parameters to exclude all but convicted murderers and to her relief a name popped up.

"Don," she said pointing to her screen. Underneath the man's name and picture was the word EXECUTED and yesterdays date. Don felt his breath leave him, how could they bargain with a dead man? Maybe the terrorist didn't know that Davis was dead. Don decided to play it that way and hoped he'd made the right decision. "Alright, get the knife away from Charlie and we can talk."

The man with the knife stepped away from Charlie at a request in arabic from the negotiator. "Well, Agent Eppes? I am waiting."

"We have Sam Davis, where do you want to make the trade?"

A tsking sound could be heard over the phone, "Bad, bad, choice, Agent Eppes. The purpose of his call was to see if I could trust your word. I can see now that I can not!" The voice continued in arabic, barking out a command.

Coldy jumped out of his chair, "Don, he just gave the order to kill Charlie!"

"No wait!" Don yelled into the phone desperately, "Please we can still talk!"

"The time for talking is over, Agent Eppes," The man spat.

Don stared at the look of sheer terror on Charlie's face. "Please, you still need him!"

The only answer he recived was a gunshot. Charlie's body jerked and his eyes went wide. He looked down at the growing blood stain on his chest then back up at the camera. He tried to say something but another gunshot slammed into him throwing his chair over backwards where he lay, not moving.

"NOOOOOO!!!" Don screamed but no sound came from his mouth. He just stood and stared in shock at his brother's body before the screen went black.

"You brother has paid the price for your insolence, Agent Eppes. Maybe the next time we contact you, you will be more truthful!" And then the phone went dead. Don stoo shock still, willing time to reverse itself and this nightmare to go away because that's all it was...right? This wasn't really happening. Charlie was just at school, teaching his class like always...wasn't he?

"Sir?" A voice broke into Don's thoughts and he turned to see one of the techs standing there with a map in his hands. "We were able to trace the call to a warehouse on 63rd street.." Don snatched the map and he and his team headed for the parking garage. "...and...Fillmore..." the Tech finished then sighed, "Oh well."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Larry Flienhart heard a soft footstep in the doorway of his office and looked up to see Amita standing there with a shocked look on her face. Rising from his cross legged position on the floor he walked quickly over to the trembling woman. Placing his hand gently on her arm he escorted her to a chair and helped her to sit.

"Amita?'' He asked softly, "Are you alright?"

Amita shook her head and tears spilled from her eyes, "No..." and then she broke down into a fit of sobbing. Larry knelt beside her chair and pulled her into a comforting embrace. He held her until the deep wracking sobs subsided then he looked up into her tear-streaked face.

"Is it something you want to talk about?"

Amita nodded and fresh tears began to fall as she told he story. She explained how she couldn't contact Charlie and then Don told her and Alan the he had been kidnapped.

Larry took the news as best he could, Charlie was his best and favorite student. He couldn't bear it if anything were to happen to him. He let Amita finish her explanation then he helped her to her feet, drying her tears with his handkerchief. "Come on, dear, we are going to the FBI."

CHAPTER FOUR

Don felt his hear pounding as they neared the warehouse they had traced the call to. Most likely the perps were long gone but there was always a chance that LAPD had secured the perimeter fast enough to keep them inside. Don pulled his bullet proof vest over his head as he walked over to the police chief, Corey.

"Are they inside?" Don asked.

"Not sure, there has been no movement from within since we set up the perimeter ten minutes ago."

Don nodded, "You and your men run backup, my team will go in." At the chief's nod the FBI agents converged on the building. A chorus of "FBI's" rang out as the team broke trough the door and entered the building. To everyone's dissapointment the large room was empty except for a chair in the center.

After the all clear was shouted, Don and Colby walked over to the chair. Blood covered the wooden slats and pooled on the floor underneath it. Don knelt down beside it and put his head in his hands. Why? Why Charlie? He always expected that if something happened it would be to him, not his little brother. He always considered Charlie the smart one, not only for his astounding math skills, but his choices in life. Charlie was well grounded, had a nice girlfriend, a great job that he loved, a big house...Don on the other hand couldn't seem to keep a relationship going for more than a year, lived in a tiny apartment...This couldn't be happening! Charlie was the good one.

Colby's hand on his shoulder cut off Don's musings, "I know you don't want to deal with this right now but unfortunatly you have to. We found some new evidence."

"What is it?" Don asked, rising to his feet, blinking hard to keep the tears from falling.

Colby swallowed hard, "We found a body...it's been badly burned, but it's wearing Charlie's clothes."

Don nearly choked, "Where?" He managed to get out.

"Over here," Colby said, motioning to the corner. Don followed the former marine as if in a trance. There was a knot of LAPD and FBI agents surrounding the body and Don had to push his way to the front. A charred body stared up at him through empty eye sockets. Don pushed down a wave of nausia. He had never felt squeamish before at a crime scene but this was different. This was possibly his little brother...The body was the right size, wearing the right clothes, even the bits of hair that remained melted to the skull were the right color. Don felt as if his legs were going to give out. Colby's strong hands caught him before he could fall.

Colby eased Don outside the building and held him as he vomited. When he was finished, Colby sat with him on the sidewalk next to the building. They sat there in silence for the next ten minutes until Don had regained his composure.

"If you need to talk to someone..." Colby said gently, "I know a bit of what you are going through." He said regarding the buddies he lost in Afganistan.

Don nodded and rested his head back against the cool siding, "Thanks, Colby."

Colby nodded, and sensing that Don would like to be alone, he stood and walked back inside. Don sat in silence for a moment, visions of Charlie's infectious laughter, his unruly hair, his sweet smile, his innocent eyes...Don shuddered. After his mother had died he had thought himself immune to this kind of pain. Unable to feel it any longer...but Charlie...Don felt a single tear slip down his cheek and he visciously wiped it away. He couldn't be seen crying! He was the leader of one of the best units in the LA branch of the FBI! He was calloused and tough as nails...wasn't he?

Another tear fell and this time, Don hardly even noticed. He hurt so much he thought he might die right there. Why? Why had this happened? Why, God? Why did it have to hurt so bad? Please, God...help me!

Suddenly Don realized who he had just called upon for help. He had not really thought about God for many years. He had blamed his mother's untimely death on Him and refused to have anything to do with him...until this moment. Suddenly he realized what was missing in his life...the only one who could get him through this...And he began to pray...he got on his knees and prayed harder than he ever had before.

"Father God, I...I know it's been a long...long time. And I know I...blamed you for my mother's death...I was hurting so much then...I...I thought it would be easier than asking for your help...I realize now how much I was mistaken, and I ask for your forgiveness...You have been there for me all along, even when I had turned my back on you...I...Thank you, Father. Father? You know what has happened today better than I do...If...if there's any way...that Charlie could still be alive...

Please Father! Please help him...he's so young...and it's my fault he's even in this mess, please save him...please...please."

When his prayer ended, Don sat up with a renewed sense of purpose. He felt as if despite all the happenings of today that everything would turn out alright. God was in control, and the more Don thought about it, all of his miraculous escapes from death...he knew ithout a doubt that God had been there all along with a guiding hand. Don smiled, "thank you," he whispered. "Thank you!"

CHAPTER FIVE

Charlie slowly became aware of his surroundings as the drug he had been injected with wore off. Gratefully he noticed the pain in his head had eased but a dull ache in his chest spoke of the high powered darts he had been shot with. The fake "blood" had dried on his shirt, but unlike real blood it remained bright red.

After several unsuccessful attempts at undoing the ropes he was tied with, Charlie lay back, exausted. The room was dark but Charlie sensed it was small. A closet maybe? Was he even still in LA?

The sound of approaching footsteps had Charlie backing into the farthest corner, feeling around for anything he might use as a weapon. His hand closed on a wooden dowel of some sort and he held it behind him at the ready.

"Now what, genius?" Charlie thought to himself. "You can't swing this with your hands tied behind you." Deciding that it might come of use later however, Charlie stuck it into the waistband of his pants and pulled his shirt over it. He had just finished hiding the dowel when the door opened and two men roughly grabbed his arms and drug him out into the seemingly blinding light of a hallway.

"Where are you taking me?!" Charlie screamed at the men, trying to fight against their grip. But it had been almost ten hours since his pitiful little lunch at the college cafeteria. He was having fond thoughts of the greasy food and that in itself was enough to make him realize he was hungry.

"No questions!" One of the men said in a heavy accent.

Charlie shut up and quit the futile struggle to get away and instead decided to save his strength for later...he might need it.

The two thugs pushed open a door at the end of the hall and stepped through into what looked like an office. It was abandoned and empty but there were light marks on the floor where desks might have stood. Similar marks on the walls spoke of filing cabinets that had been removed. In the middle of the room sat one desk and the two men pushed Charlie roughly into it. On the table sat a computer and Akeelah. The arab was smiling as he used his foot to pull Charlie's desk chair over closer to him.

"Sleep well, Professer Eppes?"

Charlie tried to swallow his fear, "What do you want from me? And what was that show you put on for the FBI? You know they won't believe it!" Charlie said loudly, half to convince himself.

Akeelah laughed and began pacing behind the still bound man, "That was merely a decoy to buy us a little time, time enough for you to complete the task we have for you."

"Which is?"

Akeelah sat once more on the edge of the desk, "First you must eat. You look half starved." With that said he pulled a paper bag out from behind the desk. Inside was a sub sandwich and a bag of chips. "Untie him!" Akeelah shouted to one of his men.

Once his hands were free, Charlie dug into the food with gusto. He figured it wouldn't be poisoned if they still had something for him to do. He thought as he ate about his situation. No doubt the FBI would figure out that he was still alive

soon, if they hadn't already. They would find him...Don would be coming to rescue him. Of this Charlie was quite sure.

Akeelah waited patiently for the young man to finish his food, "Finished?"

Charlie nodded, "Now..."

"We get down to buisness," Akeelah interrupted. "Here is what I need from you, Professer. I need you to write me an algorythim that will allow me access into LAPD's computer systems."

Charlie's eyes bugged, "WHAT?!"

Akeelah shook his head patronizingly, "You heard me."

Charlie shook his head, "That's impossible!"

Akeelah's smile lost a degree of it's warmth, "It had better not be or you're a dead man!" He hissed.

Charlie could not help the cold shivers that ran down his spine at these words. He had a feeling that if it came down to it he'd wish for death rather than what these men would do to him.

"Do I have your cooperation, Professer Eppes?"

Charlie thought about what he was being asked to do. If Akeelah had access to the LAPD's mainframe he could concieveably open every cell door in the prisons, allowing murders, rapists and other unsavory characters out to kill and harm many people. And that wasn't all. If he had enough computer savvy he could hack into the city's mainframe and wreak havoc with police trying to stop the riots that would doubtless start at the release of so many dangerous criminals! In the end it could cause possibly hundreds of lives.

"I am waiting!" Akeelah said impatiently.

"No!" Charlie said finally. "I won't do it!"

Akeelah sighed, "I was afraid you'd say that," then with a snap of his fingers another man came into the room holding a blindfolded and gagged woman. Even with the blindfold Charlie recognized her immediately.

"Amita!" he shouted, trying to rise and go to her.

"Charlie?" She called back as best she could with the gag in her mouth. The fear was evident in her voice.

"Well, Professer Eppes!" Akeelah shouted. "What will it be? Help us? Or watch the girl die a horrible death!?"

The hood holding Amita began to twist her arm painfully behind her, she screamed in anguish.

Charlie felt panic rising in his chest, "Wait!" The hood stopped twisting Amita's arm at Akeelah's command.

"I'll do it. But I want a few minutes alone with Amita first!"

Akeelah smiled, "A reasonable request, you have five minutes." Akeelah smapped his fingers and the man dragged Amita over to a chair beside Charlie and shoved her into it.

"We will be watching you so don't try anything," Akeelah said motioning to a camera mounted on the wall, then he and his men walked out into the hall, closing the door behind them.

Charlie quickly removed Amita's gag and blindfold and pulled her into an embrace. She clung to him and cried into his chest.

"Oh, Charlie. I'm so scared. I thought you had been killed!"

Charlie pushed out to arms length and brushed the tears from her face. "It's going to be ok. Tell me what happened, how did they get you here?"

Amita took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, "Larry and I went to the FBI building to see if we could get some information and talk to Don. But when we got there Don was gone. We waited for awhile and while we were there the news came in that you were suspected dead! I was so scared I couldn't think straight." She closed her eyes and tried to regain her composure.

"Larry said we should go to your house and wait with Alan for Don to get back. We headed out and on the way we were ambushed! Four men in black hoods forced us off the road and grabbed me. They hit Larry over the head, threw me into a van and took off!" A sudden thought struck the terrified woman, "Oh no! Larry! I hope he's ok!"

Charlie pulled her close and stroked her hair, "Hey I'm sure Larry's just fine. He was probably just knocked out. He's probably getting help right now," Charlie said calmly but inside he wondered if his friend was out there lying in a ditch, hurt or maybe...No! He refused to let himself think of that possibility. Larry was resourceful guy. He would be just fine. He had to believe that.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Larry Flienhart sat in Alan Eppes' comfy armchair with an ice pack pressed to the back of his head. He moaned when Alan switched on the light.

"I'm sorry," Alan said switching it off once more and turning on a small table lamp instead. "How's the head?"

Larry moaned again, "I now understand what the term "clobber" means."

Alan smiled, at least Larry was ok, "So you haven't remembered anything?"

Larry sighed and shook his head, "No. It all happened so fast that I couldn't catch the license number and all the guys were in hoods. All I know is that they were tall and strong."

"Donny's on his way over here to talk to you," Alan said, "You didn't see the color of the vehicle they were in? The make?"

Larry shook his head, "I have always been terrible at stuff like that...It was an SUV or Surburban of sorts...unless it was a truck..."

Alan sighed, "Come on, Larry!! Can't you think of anything?!"

Larry looked up in shock at the sound of his friend's voice, "I'm sorry, Alan. I didn't see anything..." He said apologetically.

Alan put his head in his hands, "I'm sorry, Larry...I didn't mena to yell at you, I just..."

When he looked up there were very real tears in his eyes, "I am just so worried..."

Larry put down the ice pack and moved to sit beside the grieving man, "I know, so am I...But they'll be ok. Don will find them, safe and sound."

Alan nodded but didn't feel any relief, Larry's words were somehow hollow and unfulfilling. Something was missing...something that Alan had lost when his wife had died...Something that could ease this pain he felt. Alan closed his eyes and tried to think. What was it he and Margaret had used to do when they were upset or worried? Pray. That was it, they had prayed for hours sometimes, and afterwards they always felt better. As if they could release the burdans that they bore and finally stand up straight again.

Thinking of his dearly departed wife brought back a flood of memories. Don falling from the monkey bars when he was four. He had landed on his head and when he came to he couldn't move. Alan and Margaret had been so frightened when the doctors said he might be a quadraplegic for the rest of his life. But they had not given up, they knelt down right there in the waiting room and prayed until the doctor's finished with their son. When he came walking out of the OR with a smile on his face they had cheered and praised God, unashamed of who saw them or what they thought.

Two weeks later Don was once again running on the playground with the other children as if nothing had happened. Praying had brought a sense of peace that nothing else could. They had simply known that everything would be all right, even if the answer had been for Don to be paralyzed it would have worked out because the Creator of the universe was watching out for them.

Now his youngest son and his son's girlfriend were being held prisoner by terrorists. If he ever needed God's love and protection it was now.

"Pray with me?" Alan asked Larry softly. Larry nodded and the two men knelt on the floor and prayed silently but fervantly for God to spare Charlie's and Amita's lives. They remained there, praying until a knock on the door announced Don's arrival.

Alan stood and walked over to the door to let his son in. Don stood there in the porch light, a haggard look on his face.

"Donny?" Alan asked, worridly, "Are you all right? Is there bad news?"

Don stepped inside and gently closed the door behind him, "It's not confirmed but... he paused and passed his hand over his jaw, there is a possibility that..." His cell phone ringing interrupted Don's sad announcement.

"Eppes," he answered.

"Don!" Colby said on the other end of the line, excitement evident in his voice. "The results just came back from the lab on that body we found at the warehouse."

"Yeah?" Don asked, praying for the answer he wanted to hear.

"It's not Charlie!"

Don's legs gave way and he sat on the nearest chair in relief, a goofy grin plastered on his face, "They're sure?"

"Positive," Colby said happily, "It's a fourty to fifty year old man, most likely middle eastern."

"Praise the Lord!" Don said leaning back in the chair, his eyes closed. Thank God, his little brother was still alive! At least for now. "And the blood on the chair?"

"Stage blood."

Don released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, "Thanks, Colby."

"My pleasure," Colby said, "As soon as we have anything on the deceased I'll let you know," he added, and then he hung up.

Don closed his phone and opened his eyes to see Larry and his father's worried faces looking back at him in eager anticipation of the content of the phone call he'd just received.

"Well?" Larry asked nervously.

"It's a long story," Don said motioning for the two to sit, "But at least it has a happy ending so far."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

CHAPTER SIX

"What you got on our, Vic.?" Don asked as he walked over to his desk where Colby, David and Megan were waiting for him.

David tapped a key on his computer and a picture came onto the screen. It was of a middle-eastern man in his late thirties, "Rafiq Zufar, this picture was taken by the press in 1994 after he was mugged by some teens who thought he was involved in illeagle activities. They claimed he was smuggling weapons into the country but they had no proof. The media had field day with it, claiming that racial hatred was to blame for the incident. The kids said they had gone to the police before but nothing came of it so they decided to take care of it themselves," David paused, "Looks like they might have been right."

Don nodded, "Any known associates?"

Megan smiled, "Yes, a mexican, Luiz Armand, suspected of smuggling drugs and weapons over the border. We were alerted to him two weeks ago by an anonymous tipster and have been keeping tabs on him."

"Do we know where he is now?"

"Yes," Megan nodded, "He is in south Cali. Usually hangs out at a bar there called the Blue Horse."

Don grinned, finally a lead, "Let's go talk to, Senor Armand."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Charlie worked furiously at the computer screen, writing an algorithym for the terrorists that would allow them access to LAPD's computer networks. Or so they thought. Akeelah ahd placed a man to watch Charlie, waring the young mathmetician that the man was very knowledgeable in computer programming and so not to try anything. Charlie had noticed however as he worked that the man had no idea of what was going on.

Taking advantage of the freedom to do what he wanted to without the terrorists knowing Charlie had begun to write a program that would indeed break into the system and appear to allow access for a few minutes but then it would terminate as if the police department had blocked them out. When it did a message would flash on each and every computer screen with Charlie and Amita's location. He had been able to use GPS triangulation to figure out his position.

"How much longer?" Akeelah asked impatiently.

"Not much longer," Charlie said, not taking his eyes from the screen. A sudden thought occured to him and he typed another command into the algorithym. "Done."

Akeelah came around to face the computer, an eager look on his face, "Are you in?"

"It will take five minutes to connect then it's in," Charlie explained.

"Good," Akeelah said. A quick motion to one of his men and Charlie was once again bound and placed on the floor next to Amita. Charlie noticed with relief that the arrogant men had only tied their hands leaving their feet free for the next phase of his plan.

"You ok?" He asked the frightened woman next to him.

She nodded, "Yeah, I think so. Charlie, what's going to happen to us now?"

Lowering his voice to a whisper, Charlie explained his plan to the increasingly excited Indian girl.

"It just might work!" She said in an excited whisper.

"Shhh," Charlie shushed her, "We can't act there is anything going on."

"Right," Amita agreed.

"We're in!" Akeelah crowed from the desk chair. His men crowded around the screen. "Now to keep them busy..." he muttered under his breath as he typed in some commands.

"Is the bomb in place?" Akeelah asked a tough looking man, holding a sawed off shotgun.

"It's in the basement of the Federal Building just like you asked," the man said with a slight grin.

At this bit of information, Charlie looked up shocked. The Federal Building? FBI headquarters...Don! He had to warn his brother somehow. "Amita, did you just hear that?" He asked in a whisper.

She nodded.

"No matter what we have to warn the FBI about the bomb."

"What do you mean, no matter what?"

Charlie swallowed, "I am going to try and get us both out but if it doesn't work...if only one of us escapes..."

Amita shushed him, "Don't talk like that!" She reprimanded him, "We are both leaving together!"

Charlie nodded and didn't press the point. He was still dizzy from the blow to the head he had taken and wasn't sure he could make it to safety, but there was no sense in worrying Amita with that bit of information. Not yet.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Don and Colby opened the door to the bar to a room full of cigarette smoke. The lights were dim and the music was loud. It made it very difficult to identify people, just the way the shady clientel liked it.

A quick scan of the room revealed no one fitting Luiz's description. Nodding towards the back room Coldy strode off and Don casually leaned on the bar keeping an eye on the occupants of the room. A muffled shout from the back room and then a man came running hard for the front door. Don stuck his foot in the way, tripping the man who went sprawling to the floor. Colby arrived a few seconds later, a lovely bruise on his cheek where he had been hit with some blunt object.

Don reached down and cuffed the man the lifting him by his collar he pushed him out the door. David and Megan were waiting outside at the car and when they saw the mission had been successful they jogged over to meet Don halfway.

"All right, Mister Armand," Don said fiercely, "You are going to tell us everything you know about a man named Rafiq Sufar!"

"I don't know who that is," Luiz said morosely.

Don tightened his grip on the man's collar and turned him around so their eyes met. "My little brother was taken by men associated with this Sufar and I am going to find him if I have to beat the information out of you!" Don said, a glint in his eyes that made Luiz think that the Agent might just make good on his threat.

"Look, Mister. They'll kill me if I squeal!"

Don slammed the man up against the black FBI suburban, "I don't think you heard me."

"All right, all right!!" Armand screamed, "My last delivery was to a place in LA."

"Where?" Don growled.

"The old industrial section! An abandoned office complex! i have the address in my wallet!"

Don nodded at Davis who slipped the wallet out of the crooks pocket. Inside was a buisness card with an address written on it.

"Now let me go!" The man howled.

Don smiled, "I don't think so, Pal. You are under arrest for the illeagle transportation of weapons over the border and for possesion of illeagle substances," Don cited as he pushed the man into the car, "You have the right to remain silent..." He quoted the rest of the required rights then nodded at David who wheeled the SUV out of the Blue Horse's parking lot and back towards LA.

Once back at FBI headquarters Luiz Armand was quickly booked while Don and his team prepared to go to the office complex Armand had told them about.

"Agent Eppes?" A young man asked, sticking his head into the armory where the team was gearing up.

"Yes?" Don answered tightening the velcro straps on his bullet proof vest.

"LAPD just called in claiming their system just went haywire. Our system also frizzed out for a few minutes."

Don frowned wondering what could have caused all the computers to mess up at the same time, "That is interesting but I don't see what it has to do with me." Don said.

The young man held a piece of paper out to Don, "This message flashed across all of our screens a few seconds after our systems were restored.

Don took the paper and quickly read the message. It was GPS coordinates and underneath was one word, Charlie. Don's heart skipped a beat. The coordinates on the paper were the same as the address they were headed to now!

"Charlie's given us his location!" Don said to the rest of his team, "We're moving out now!"

CHAPTER SEVEN

Darkness enveloped the house just as Charlie had planned as his plan began to take effect. As soon as the connection had been formed between the terrorist's computer and LAPD's the command Charlie had typed in was processed and executed. The transformers on the entire block had been shut off plunging it into complete darkness.

"Run, Amita!" He shouted. He and Amita had been ready for the darkness and as soon as it came they were on their feet, running hard for the exit. They passed one guard still dazed by the sudden blackness and Charlie threw everything he had into a punch to the man's gut. Charlie wasn't a fighter but his momentum and the element of surprise drove the man back with a whoosh of expelled breath.

"Come on, Charlie!" Amita franticly shouted. Charlie grabbed her hand and they kept running. The sound of running feet and angry shouts grew louder behind them.

Charlie's head was pounding and his breath was coming in great gasps, there was no way he could outrun the men closing in behind them, "Run!" He shouted again and he released Amita's hand.

"No, Charlie!" She yelled, stopping and going back for him. "You can do it! Come on!"

Charlie shook his head unable to catch his breath, "You have to go get help!"

"I'm not leaving you!" She shouted, tugging on him. "So if you want me to get out you have to come too!"

Charlie did not have the energy to argue so he stood and began jogging down the hall. They reached the door and opened it, running out into the cool night air. It refreshed the two and the ran faster, down the sidewalk towards the highway.

"We're going to make it!" Amita shouted happily as the lights of a convenience store came into view. "We're going to make it!"

Charlie nodded and urged her on.

A shot rang out and Charlie felt something slam into his shoulder and he dropped to the ground. Amita screamed and ran to his side, trying desperately to pull him back to his feet. Charlie's arms and legs didn't seem to want to move no matter how hard he tried, "Go!" he gasped out to Amita.

She shook her head stubbornly, "I won't leave you!"

"Please, Amita. Go get help!" Charlie begged, tears forming in his eyes.

Amita paused, looked back at the approaching pursuers and then she kissed Charlie and took off at a dead run. One of Akeelah's men broke off from the main group and sped off after the woman. A frightened scream reached Charlie's ears and he felt utter despair engulf him. They had caught her. And now they would both be killed.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Unit 43. Shots fired in general vicinty of Sam's Convenience store on 4th and Aspen...." The police scanner in the FBI suburban squawked. Don's heart rate increased in fear, that was where Charlie was!

"Unit 43 to Dispatch," Another voice came over the scanner. "Am in range of said location, will drive over..."

Don picked up the mike, "Unit 43, this is Agent Eppes of the LA FBI. I am on my way to 4th and Aspen right now. We have reson to believe a terrorist cell may be in that area with two hostages. No count on how many men but assume they are all armed heavily. Stay back until we get there. ETA five minutes." He interrupted.

"Roger Agent Eppes, will wait for your arrival at the convenience store. Unit 43 out."

Don hung up the microphone and gave the suburban a little more gas, five minutes seemed like far too long. "Please, God," he prayed silently, "please protect Charlie and Amita."

The whole block was eerily silent compounded by the fact that it was in total darkness. Don felt as if even his quiet breathing were too loud. He and his team had left their vehicle down at the convenience store and walked up to the building stealthily. Don glanced down at his PDA and the sattelite imagery on the screen showed five heat signatures spread out through the building, three more in a smaller room. Two of these were close together, backs to one another.

"That's them," Don whispered to his team and Officer Coleman, pointing to the screen.

They all nodded and then prepared to enter the building. It would have to be fast and quiet if they were going to get the hostages out alive. Don pumped his arm in the air, signaling everyone to enter.

The door swung in easily after David picked the lock. Night vision goggles gave the law enforcement officers the advantage and they were able to spot and tranquilize the two guards before they could yell a warning to their compatriots. Don knew from the schematic of the building he had looked at earlier and the sattelite images that the room Charlie and Amita were in was on the second floor so after he and his team secured the first, taking out two more men in the process, he moved towards the stairs.

With Colby on one side and david on the other at the base of the stairs, Don started climbing, keeping low. He cleared the top step and looked down a long hall only to see it empty. Motioning for evryone to follow him up he started opening doors along the hallway. All were empty until he reached the last one. He opened it and saw to his relief his brother and Amita sitting tied back to back in a pair of chairs. Quickly glancing around the room he saw no hostiles so he ran over to the bound hostages. He drew in a quick breath as he neared and sitched on his flashlight. Charlie's shoulder and entire right side was covered in blood. He sat in the chair, his head slumped foreward, his eyes closed.

"Oh Don! Thank God!" Amita cried, ''Charlie's been shot!" She said, doing her best to twist in her seat so she could see what was going on. "Don pressed two fingers to his brother's neck to see if there was a pulse. To his relief it was there, faint and thready, but there.

Charlie moaned and started to come to at Don's gentle touch.

"Hey, Charlie," Don said with a grin as he began to untie his bonds. Megan began doing the same to Amita's. "You feel like getting out of here?"

Charlie chuckled softly, "You bet. What took you so long?"

Don smiled, "I stopped and grabbed a bite to eat along the way."

Charlie's smiled and his eyes started to close.

"Hey!" Don said, patting Charlie's face, "Wake up! This is no time to be sleeping!"

Charlie blinked and tried to focus, to stay awake but the darkness looked so inviting. He started to drift into unconciousness once more when Colby rushed into the room.

"Don, we have to get out of here now! The terrorists rigged this place to blow!"

"How much time?" Don asked, working furiously at the knots.

"I don't know," Colby said whipping out a knife and handing it to Don.

"Got it!" Megan said helping Amita to stand after untieing the ropes that held her. "Come on, Amita." Megan said heading for the door.

"No!" Amita shouted trying to twist free of Megan's grip on her arm, "Not without Charlie!"

"Get her out of here!" Don shouted, frustration pouring into his words. The ropes that bound Charlie still hadn't broken. "Colby, help Megan get Amita out of here."

Colby started to argue that he should stay and help but the look in Don's eyes told him better so he walked over to Amita and escorted her out.

"You should leave too," Charlie said, his words slurred somewhat from the pain.

"I'm not leaving you, Charlie!...There!" Don said triumphantly as the rope finally gave. Charlie was clearly in no condition to walk so Don slung him over his shoulder in a fireman's carry and jogged for the door.

He was halfway down the stairs when the blast hit. It knocked him off his feet and he fell the rest of the way down to the first floor. He remembered scrambling over to Charlie and throwing himself over his body in an attempt to shield him from the blast and then everything went black.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Alan, , Megan, Larry and Amita sat in the hospital waiting room waiting for news. Don and Charlie were both in surgery and had been for the last two hours.

Amita had cried until she couldn't cry anymore. Now she simply sat next to Alan, leaning her head on his shoulder, her stare vacant. Larry sat with Megan. They were holding hands, hoping for the best. They sat that way for another long hour and a half until finally the doctor came to the door. They all stood as if in one accord.

"How are they?" Alan asked, his voice husky, "How are my boys?"

The doctor placed a gentle hand on Alan's shoulder, "The younger one, Charles, came out of surgery a few minutes ago. He sustained a severe concussion, several bruises and a gunshot wound to the shoulder. The bullet passed clean through however and barring any latent effects from the head injury he should be out of here in a couple of days."

A great sigh of relief swept through the crowd at the news, "And Don?" Alan asked.

The doctor shook his head, "He's still in surgery. We took a piece of wood the size of a knife blade out of his back. He's got a severe head injury and some internal damage as well. We had to relieve the pressure on his brain..."

"But is he going to be all right?" Alan asked, fear evident in his voice.

"I just don't know yet, Mister Eppes. I'll know more when he gets out of surgery."

Alan nodded, "When will that be?"

"Within the hour if God wills."

"Thank you...when can we see, Charlie?"

"In a few minutes," the doctor said gently, "But only one at a time. I don't want him excited."

Alan thanked the doctor once more and then sat back down with Amita. The general feeling in the room seemed a bit lighter and less oppressive with the good news about Charlie. But the lack of news on Don served to lessen the joy they might have otherwise felt.

Megan stood and pulled her cell phone out of her pocket, "I need to call in and see if they were able to disarm the bomb," she said as she walked a little distance away and dialed Colby's number.

The others watched as a smile blossomed on her face and felt another bit of tension ease. Amita had told them about the bomb as soon as they were clear of the office and they had alerted the bomb squad. After pulling Don and Charlie from the wreckage and making sure they were on their way to the hospital, David and Colby had driven to the Federal Building to see if they could aid in locating the bomb. Thankfully it wasn't hard to find and the bomb squad was able to disarm it in short order. The only bit of bad news was that the leader of the terrorists had gotten away without a trace.

A yong nurse walked into the room holding a clipboard, "Mister Alan Eppes?"

Alan stood, "Yes?"

"You may see your son, Charles now."

Alan smiled, "Where is he?"

"Room 298, down the hall on your right."

"Thank you," Alan said as he walked away. The other sat back and waited.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Charlie lay under the light hospital blanket, an IV in his left arm, his right in a sling. The sound of machinery hissing as it helped his son breath was the only sound Alan could hear save for the labored beating of his own heart. He walked over to the bed and sat in a chair beside it, never taking his eyes from Charlie's face.

"He should be coming out of the anesthesia any moment now," A matronly nurse said as she stepped out of the room to give father and son a little privacy.

Alan reched out and grabbed his son's hand lightly in his own. Looking at his face Alan felt anger growing inside of him at the bruises and cuts that scored the young mans face and arms. One bruise on his jaw was dark and angry looking. Someone had hit him! Hard! Alan felt himself shaking in rage at the thought of anyone hitting his children. His eyes traveled down to the bandages on Charlie's shoulder. A gunshot wound, the doctor had said. The villans had not only beat him but shot him as well!

"Dad?" Charlie's soft voice whispered.

Alan jerked his eyes away from the bruises and bandages and into his son's warm brown eyes. "Hey there, How are you feeling?"

Charlie closed his eyes and drew in a shuddering breath. Opening his eyes again he forced a weak smile, "I'll be ok." A sudden thought struck him, Amita! "Dad, Amita...is she ok?"

Alan nodded a shushed Charlie, "She's fine, she'll be in to see you next."

Charlie visibly relaxed, "And Don?"

Alan swallowed hard, what would he say? The doctor had said not to get Charlie excited...if he didn't say anything Charlie would get upset but he couldn't lie..."Lord help me," Alan whispered.

"Dad?" Charlie asked, his brow puckering into a frown. "What's wrong?"

Alan did his best to smile, "Nothing, nothing is wrong. Donny's just...he's still in surgery."

"Surgery!" Charlie yelped, he had been knocked unconcious when he and Don had fallen and did not know what had happened.

"Calm down," Alan said sternly, "Your brother is going to be just fine. I can't tell you any more until I hear from the doctors."

Charlie nodded but the frown did not leave his face.

Alan stood and kissed Charlie's forehead, the only place that didn't seem to be covered in bruises. "I'll send Amita in," he said and then he left.

Charlie lay there alone and tried not to worry about Don. His older brother had always been there for him...always protected him. Who was ever there to look out for him? Charlie felt a single tear slip down his cheek.

"God?" He whispered, his voice sounding very much like a frightened child's, "God, please take care of Don...I know we haven't always been on the best of terms but...he's my brother and I need him. Please, God. Keep him from dying, please..." Charlie let the simple prayer hang there and felt another tear slide down his face.

The door opened and the harsh light from the hallway poured in, Charlie turned to look and saw Amita standing there, her hand over her mouth.

"Amita?"

"Charlie," she said, rushing over to him and gently kissing him. "Oh my goodness you look terrible, are you all right?"

Charlie smiled, he was sore and stiff and his right arm was numb but other than that he was feeling ok. His smile faded and he grasped Amita's hand in his good one. "I'm so glad you're safe."

She nodded and gently brushed a stray strand of hair off his forehead, "I'm fine. And I'm going to take care of you." She kissed him again.

Charlie savored the kiss, it made him feel as if everything would be all right as long as he and Amita were together.

"Amita?" Charlie asked, "Tell me what happen to Don. How he got hurt."

Amita frowned, "The doctor said not to upset you."

Charlie rolled his eyes, "I'm fine! But I won't be if someone doesn't tell me what happened to my brother!"

Amita placed a gentle finger on his lips, "Shhh, you'll get me kicked out!"

Charlie calmed down and repeated his question, Amita sighed, "Ok I'll tell you. Don was protecting you from the blast. He covered you with his own body."

Charlie felt sick, it was his fault that his brother was hurt. His fault that Don was lying on a cold operating table under some doctor's scalpel. He closed his eyes in an attempt to stop the tears but they came anyway.

Amita gently brushed them away, "What's wrong, Honey?"

"It's my fault..." was all he could choke out between the tears.

"You stop talking like that right now!" Amita said quietly but fiercely, "You didn't plan on getting kidnapped. You didn't tie the ropes, and you didn't set the bomb to go off now did you?"

Charlie shook his head, some of the guilt leaving him.

"Then it's not your fault so quit acting like it is! You hear me?"

Charlie nodded and a small smile came to his lips.

"Good because I want my husband without a guilty concience..." Amita stopped talking as if just realizing what she had said. She blushed a deep red.

Charlie smiled genuinely, "You asking me to marry you, Miss Ramanujuan?" He said teasingly.

Amita blushed harder, "That's your job."

Charlie's face grew serious, "You're right. And it's high time I did," he sat up as best he could. "Amita," he said seriously, "Will you marry me?"

Amita's smile lit up the entire room, "I thought you'd never ask me!" Charlie put his good arm around her and they embraced a bit awkwardly considering the positions they were in. Amita pulled away, "I love you."

"I love you too," Charlie said and they kissed, a sweet kiss of true happiness. At least for now, everything was all right.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It was nearly two hours before Don was out of surgery. It took another fifteen minutes for the doctors to agree for him to have visitors. Alan went first pushing Charlie in a wheelchair. He pushed the chair up to the bed and then stepped back outside, Charlie had asked for few minutes alone with his brother.

"Hey there, Bro." Charlie said with a faint smile, Don was pale and covered in scratches scrapes and bandages. "How are you feeling?"

Don smiled faintly, "Better now that I see you're all right."

Charlie reached out and slipped his hand into Don's, "Thank you," he said, tears spilling from his eyes. "You saved my life...you could have...died," the last word came out in a whisper. "I don't know what I would have done if..."

Don squeezed Charlie's hand, "Hey, I'm fine, you're fine, Amita's fine. We are all fine and we can thank God for it instead of thinking about what might have happened."

Charlie nodded, "You're right. Well you're always right," he added with a mischevious smile.

"Just the perks of being older and wiser," Don said, emphasizing the last word.

Charlie laughed, "I'm glad your ok."

"Me too, Little Brother, me too."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Charlie was out of the hospital in four days, Don had to stay for a week. After that he was on leave for six weeks to recuperate. He spent them at his brother;s house with his family.

Those six weeks gave him time to think about what was really important in life. It wasn't job or position or money, it was people. People that you touch throughout your life. And God. Most importantly your service to Him. Don decided during that time to rethink his life and make some badly needed changes. He was ready for them.

Charlie too decided to make some life changes. His brush with death had taught him one thing, life is short. You need to make the most of it while you can. He called the school and cut back on his teaching hours so that he would have more time to spend with the people he loved. And most importantly he decided to be baptized. Don had been baptized when he was twelve but Charlie had not wanted to then. Now he saw that his service to the Lord was the only thing that really mattered.

All in all the experience served to bring the Eppes family much closer to both each other and to God. They all prayed that nothing like that would ever happen again but reaped the benifits with joy. God is gracious!