Disclaimer: I don't own Numb3rs or the characters and have no financial gain.
Scamander
Don Eppes weaved behind the nearest tree, then leaned out to see around it. He held his glock tight to his body and he flattened himself against the trunk. Scanning the trees around him, Don was sure he saw a shadow move just a few feet away.
Where is my team? How come I'm the only one out here? Don thought as he sprinted to a new tree and took cover. The shadow seemed to move away from him, and Don stealthily sped after it, moving from one tree to the next. He found himself crossing between two trees to stand at the top of a shallow ravine. At the bottom was a fast-rushing river that flowed smoothly away toward a small rapids just a mile ahead.
Don was just beginning to doubt he had actually seen the shadow when a powerful blow hit him on his head, causing his vision to blur. Don staggered to his left, turning to catch sight of Tom Jacobs, their suspect, holding a large branch. Jacobs was a big man; he'd played football at UCLA before getting tossed out for raping a coed. He still looked like he spent most of his time in the gym, bench-pressing cars – that is when he wasn't committing treason and espionage.
Jacobs swung again, catching Don in the chest and knocking him to the ground. Don's head came down hard on a rock, and his head spun faster. To Don's dismay he found that the gun in his hand was no longer there. Don tried to scramble to find the gun, but as he dragged himself to his knees, he found himself feeling sick.
Out of the corner of his eye, Don could see Jacobs going for the gun, and Don used every ounce of strength to dive for the gun first. The two men struggled with each other, rolling closer to the edge of the ravine. With a startled cry from both men, they tumbled down the side and towards the river.
Don came to a stop and lay on his back stunned, staring up at the twilight sky. Coop would be so disappointed in me. How could I let him get behind me? Damn, LA is making me soft! Don's thoughts seemed to drift back and forth, and he lost track of time lying there.
Despite the fogginess, Don tried to clear his mind as he felt Jacobs grab him by the shirt collar, dragging him towards the river. Don struggled, trying to grab hold of the suspect's hands but was unable to wrest himself free.
"Agent Eppes, I've had about enough of you. You have caused me more trouble than anybody else, and I'm about to put an end to it," Jacobs sounded matter-of-fact as he continued to pull Don into the river.
Don gasped as the ice cold water hit him, soaking through his jeans and under the Kevlar vest, wicking through his shirt to his skin. He continued to fight, trying to pull free of the larger man. His mind was still moving slow, and it wasn't until his ears filled with rushing water that he realized what Jacobs intended.
The water covered his face, filling his nose and mouth before he got a chance to suck in a large breath of air. The rushing water became a ringing in his ears as all the sounds of the forest around him faded to a dull echo. Don opened his mouth to let out a cry, and he began choking on the river water.
Jacobs pulled him back above the surface for just a moment before plunging him back into the water. Don shook his head back and forth as the air he had barely gasped in disappeared. His chest hurt, the ice water crushing his chest and causing him to feel as if his chest would explode.
Don's mind flashed back to being six years old again. Their family had gone to the pool on a hot Saturday afternoon. Don had been so happy to be swimming. His father was swimming laps while his mother sat on the edge holding the baby Charlie in the water. Don wandered away and began playing with the rope that sectioned off the areas of pool. Doing flips around the rope, Don actually made himself dizzy. When he came to a stop he was disoriented. After a few moments of panic, as he bumped his head on the floor of the pool, Don struggled to the surface, gasping for air and crying. When he looked around, he realized that not only had his mother not even noticed that he had almost drowned, but no one had either. At the time he was as outraged as a six-year-old could be.
But right now was real. That same feeling of panic and helplessness gripped his heart. He struggled with the hands holding him down, his cry for help swallowed up by the icy mountain river. He swung weakly at the face above his, as his throat closed, locking both the water and air out of his lungs. The freezing water chilled him to the bone, and he felt the strength leaving his limbs. As darkness surrounded him, Don found himself picturing his father and Charlie. I am sorry, Dad… Charlie… I love you.
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David Sinclair and Colby Granger crept through the trees. Jacobs had disappeared into the treeline and quickly lost them. Don had moved faster than either of the younger agents expected, surprising both David and Colby with his ability to track the suspect. They had lost Don not long after entering the woods, and the two agents were soon left feeling ineffectual.
"David, do you see anything?" Colby whispered as he whipped around, his gun held in both hands and his eyes searching the trees.
"Nothing, Colby," David answered, his gun held a little looser then Colby held his, but his eyes were just as wary of the surrounding area. "Damn, Don is good. He disappeared like a ghost."
"I don't think that was such a good idea. What if he needs backup? I don't think he meant to get separated from us," Colby replied, walking another few feet forward before he almost loosing his balance as he stepped into air.
"Colby, watch out!" David's hand shot out grabbing Colby from behind and halting his fall forward.
Colby stared down at a rushing mountain stream for a few seconds before the image below him registered. "Don! Damn it! David let go!" Colby pulled out of David's grip and began to slide down the ravine to the river below.
David looked down and saw Don floating face down in the river and moving quickly downstream towards the rapids. The Kevlar vest Don wore seemed to weigh him down, causing him to sink further in the water. His arms floated stretched out behind him while his feet brushed against the rocks on the bottom. The retreating Jacobs was just disappearing into the trees on the other side of the river. David raised his gun, but the shot was too late. Colby reached the bottom and started out into the water just as David began to descend. David grabbed the radio off his belt.
"Agent down! Agent down! We need an ambulance, now!" David reached the bottom of the ravine as Colby turned Don over onto his back, lifting his face out of the water. Colby dragged the motionless body of their leader to the bank of the river. With David's help, Colby pulled Don out and laid him on the ground.
"Come on, Don. You've got to pull through. Damn, he's freezing," Colby said as he began CPR, pushing down rhythmically on Don's chest. "He's not breathing, David. Help me!"
David tipped Don's head back to clear his windpipe. "You're right, he's like a popsicle. That water must be ice cold."
"Trust me, it is," Colby stated before beginning to count, icy water running down his face. Emergency vehicles broke the silence of the woods, as more voices drew closer. "Come on, Don, breathe!"
"Colby, David, what is it? Oh damn, Don!" Megan Reeves slid down the embankment and joined her teammates. "Paramedics are on their way, should be here any second. What happened?"
"We lost track of Don in the woods. We got to the edge, and Colby saw Don in the water – face down. Jacobs went further into the woods, I saw him head through the trees right there. I got a shot off, but he was gone," David pointed to a break in the trees. "We didn't have time to go after him. Don needed help immediately."
"You did the right thing, David," Megan said as she knelt down next to the men and laid a hand gently on Don's still chest.
David and Megan watched while Colby kept pushing on Don's chest. Then a slight wet cough came from Don's lips.
"Colby, stop!" David cried, before turning Don on his side as water poured out of his mouth.
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Charlie Eppes sat in the FBI radio van listening to the radio chatter. These were the times he hated the most: the waiting. The young professor sat in the back of the FBI truck holding the earphones tighter to his head as he listened to the whispered voices of the surrounding agents. The worry always ate at his stomach during these periods, and while he wanted to be there to see his work through to the end, he also hated having to dwell on the fact that his brother was in danger.
He had been called in to help locate possible hideouts for Tom Jacobs based on his previous actions using Bayesian Analysis. The equations had led Charlie and Don to the edge of Sequoia National Park and the foot of Mount Whitney. Don and most of the LA office had set off on the almost four hour trip to the National Park, Charlie tagging along feeling like a ten-year-old again.
"Agent down! Agent down! We need an ambulance, now!" David's voice almost knocked Charlie out of his seat as the agent shouted into his radio. Charlie froze the control panel in front of him blurred as his eyes watered. No, not Don! Please, not Don!
TBC
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