I took some creative liberties with the organization of the Colby's spy network. I also tried to predict David's reaction to Colby telling him he was undercover as a spy and was not an actual spy. I think this should be a trend. Everyone has written about the fallout after the Janus List(David's reaction, Don's, Charlie's, Megan's, Liz's, Alan's, Colby's) but I have not found anyone writing an alternative ending. So, here we go.
Disclaimers:
1.I don't own Numb3rs.
2.I am not particularly interested in politics and was not in any way attempting to comment on official governmental policies.
"David"
"Hey, Colby". David looked up at his friend before looking back down at the papers in front of him.
"David"
"What?" At second glance, Colby looked on edge and nervous. David knew he had been talking with his Army friend, Dwayne Carter. Maybe memories from the war have been screwing with his head again.
Colby glanced down a hallway then stared pointedly at David and started walking that direction. David stood up slowly, suddenly feeling like the entire office was staring at him. Colby pushed open the door to an empty room and walked in.
"I found Dwayne on the footage from Lee's lobby…" He trained off, the expression on his face making it painfully obvious that this was not an easy topic.
"Yea?"
"He told me that he was going to apartment because he was sleeping with Lee but I could tell he was lying". Colby finished, the words rushing out of his mouth, like he was afraid he would stop talking if he thought about it too much.
"So…" At this point, Colby turned suddenly and looked David directly in the eyes, almost like he was trying to read him. This lasted a full ten seconds, which is a lot longer than it seems when your partner is staring you in the eyes, reevaluating whether he can trust you.
"What, you don't trust me?"
"Well, in about ten seconds you won't trust me". Colby muttered ominously. This alarmed David; it was like a terrible catch phrase from movies
"What are you talking about?" David asked, praying that whatever Dwayne got himself mixed up in, he at least left Colby out of it.
"You know I worked Military CI. Well, Dwayne worked it with me and he is still working it...so am I". Colby paused. He shifted on his feet again and continued to look uncomfortable. He started talking again. "Dwayne has been meeting with Lee for months to pass her information in exchange for money to give to his kid".
David found himself annoyed with Colby's friend, but he was still unclear about what exactly was going on.
"So we arrested him. Solve closed, what's up with you?"
"I said I am still working military intelligence and this is the classified part, the literal if I tell you I will have to kill you part. The DOJ thought the leak was on Don's team. They didn't know about Dwayne. They thought it was one of you, so they…"
David felt an overwhelming sense of betrayal at his government. It was a hard nut to swallow, that someone he had never met considered him capable of selling out his country. Then he refocused, shoving aside his confusion and letting his rational brain think.
"So they send you in to investigate us?" David said after a pause.
"Yes". Colby looked him dead in the eye.
"So this whole time you have been reporting on us for the DOJ".
"Yes".
"And lying to us?"
This one seemed to trip Colby up.
"You are trying to find a explantation so that isn't true".
As least, Colby the decency to look him in the eye when he said "Yes", killing David's faith in his bosses and his bosses' bosses and putting his trust in Colby in question.
Colby started talking vaguely behind the red cloud that was David's vision.
"I am undercover, deep cover, obviously".
"Why are you telling me this now?" David cut off Colby, unwilling to listen to him mutter his way through an explanation.
"Dwayne is down. He was one source of information, but he getting it from someone higher up the chain. It is a network and I am the only one left in a position to bring it down".
"And me"
"What?"
"Colby, you just told me all about the code word clearance mission you have been running. You dragged me into something you are cleared to know, but that will get me throw in federal prison".
"It was worth the risk".
David snorted, disgusted with him.
"So my being in prison doesn't matter to you at all"
"David, I trust you. It took me ten minutes to figure you and the rest of the team could not possibly be the mole. In fact, I need your help, because if Dwayne was compromised, someone else in the mission might be too".
"I didn't ask to be recruited into your spy mission".
"Well, they didn't ask me either".
"So that makes it okay for you to force it on me?"
"No, David". Colby signed, saddened that David could not see the larger implications of this, but also remembering what he felt when he got the mission.
"I didn't betray you, someone high up in the government did. I was undercover, but I never told them anything about you. They hardly know anything about you. Past the first meeting when I told them you weren't a spy, your name never came up".
"Is this supposed to make me feel better?" David asked, sounding less angry, but still hostile.
"Yes. I didn't betray you and I trust you. Ball is in your court". Colby turned and walked out of the room, letting the door shut behind him, leaving David alone with his thoughts. He just hoped that David opened it again.
"So we will what, run around taking down spies and generally spying?" David asked as he jumped into the elevator beside Colby.
Colby looked into David's eyes again and saw a hesitant trust, like David wanted to believe Colby but he needed something to confirm it.
"It is a little more complicated than that, but in layman's terms, yes".
"And yet the laymen know nothing about it". David's words were critical, but his tone was lighter, like an attempt at a joke. Colby had no idea what he did to deserve David's help on this but it was pleasant to walk around without feeling like a fraud to the people he worked with.