Not What You Think
By: Montez
DISCLAIMER: I love them but I can't have them. I hold no claim to Numb3rs other then my love for the show and the characters. And thank God for the brilliant people who came up with them. I do this for enjoyment only.
AUTHOR NOTE: This is my second attempt at a Numb3rs story. I was so overwhelmed with the positive response I got from my first story. I just hope I don't let you down with this try. Thank you.
No place is truly safe. We like to think our homes, where we shop and where we work are, but we know that little voice that is always in the back of our head. It's there to tell us to be cautious, don't truly let your guard down, but we all do at some point.
The campus he works on is an open campus. People can come and go freely. Charlie fells safe there, that is his world. To him magic is worked on college campuses, magic that he helps create. His home is his haven. The old style craftsman he shares with his father and his brother frequents so much, with the sturdy wood doors and solid windows. He's safe to come and go between house and garage where he lets the creativity his numbers bring flow freely.
Then there is his brothers work place. Though Don's job as a Special Agent with the FBI is dangerous in of itself, Charlie feels safe in this building. He rationalizes the shootings in the past as anomalies and that generally he is safer here than anywhere in LA.
So with his feelings of safety in place he enters the building and passes by the security desk without a thought of his safety in this building. More than half the people who work here are armed law enforcement personal and many of them know him by face if not by name. It wasn't a case that brought him here today, it was lunch. Don and himself had been trying to make it a point to have lunch together at least once a week, non-work related, and since Charlie had the afternoon off, he wanted to surprise Don by taking him out for lunch. Provided Don wasn't wrapped up in a big case.
As Charlie waited for the elevator he adjusted the strap on his ever present laptop satchel and glanced around. What he saw was a normal routine day in a federal building. He also caught a glimpse of several construction workers. Don had told him that the fifth floor was being renovated to hold a larger Tech area. Don had also mentioned that his name had been throw around to help set the area up, with a special area just for some of the programs and applications that he had helped develop.
As the ding of the elevator somewhat brought his attention back, he stepped and pressed 7 on the panel. Not really noticing that only one other person got on with him, a construction worker who pressed 5. As the doors closed the worker turned toward Charlie and stuck his hand out,
"Are you Dr. Eppes?"
Charlie, a little surprised a construction worker would know who he was, preceded to put his hand out with a smile,
"Yes I am, and you are?"
"Your problem", Before Charlie could respond a fist slammed into his stomach, taking his breath with it.
Charlie's mind couldn't think as another blow hit him. The man didn't speak and Charlie couldn't, as each attempt was stopped by the next blow. After the second blow to his head, Charlie started to see spots dancing in his vision. Still unable to mount a defense or reason for this punishment. Charlie recalled hearing the ding of the elevator again and prayed someone was getting on who could stop this pain. Unnoticed by Charlie the doors opened onto a very empty 5th floor. The man reached and hit the button on the control panel that would hold the doors open. Charlie tried to maintain his upright position, but the man returned to pin him up against the wall. All Charlie could see were the nearly black eyes that were full of hate looking at him, all he heard was,
"You need to find yourself a new hobby, Doctor." Then he felt a burning sensation in his side as the man stepped back and the doors closed.
Charlie was doing his best to stay on his feet, his hand had gone to his side where the pain was and to his foggy mind he noticed a stain on it, 'he got paint on me?' was the jumbled response his mind could come up with in response to the construction workers action, as he felt the dizziness get worse, the motion of the elevator not helping.
He tried to get his breath and to reason what had happened, maybe he was dreaming, he honestly couldn't tell at this point. He was brought back to some awareness again by the ding of the elevator, again signaling its stop, as he watched the doors slide open. Charlie unconsciously tried to straighten himself, his computer bag forgotten on the floor as he stepped out.
The floor seemed some what deserted with It being lunch time, he noticed a few people at their computers or on the phone. He know that he had wanted to find Don for some reason, but couldn't for the life of him remember just where to find him.
Colby rounded the corner nearest the elevator and caught Charlie's profile, "Hey Charlie."
Colby's friendly voice caught Charlie's ears and he slowly turned to face him. He was confused when he saw Colby's characteristic grin leave his face and it turn into fearful concern, as the agent dropped the file he was carrying and rushed toward him.
"I need to find Don". Was all Charlie got out before his legs gave out and Colby was able to stop his fall. "Oh Man, Charlie", Colby whispered as he grabbed him and glanced toward Don's desk. He saw his boss turned talking to Megan as he lowered Charlie to the floor. Once he'd eased Charlie down, he turned his head in Don's direction and yelled at the top of his voice,
"Don!……It's Charlie!……..We need an ambulance!"
Don had just finished the report he had been working on most of the morning. Megan was on the phone at her desk behind him, David had gone downstairs looking for the tech who had helped out on a recent case, and Colby had went looking for a file someone had called with questions about. Don hit print on his computer and turned toward Megan,
"Let's get the guys and head to lunch, I'm starving."
"Sounds good to me", Megan replied as she hung up the phone. Just then Colby's booming voice was heard over the office noise. Don and Megan both stood, they saw Colby kneeling on the floor, then it suddenly registered what Colby had shouted.
"Did he say Charlie?", Don took off in a run toward Colby as Megan grabbed her phone to call for an ambulance.
In the seconds it took Don to cross the bullpen, he was sure that he was mistaken on hearing what Colby had shouted. Why would Charlie be here today, but his thoughts all but left his mind as he rounded the last desk and saw Colby desperately trying to get Charlie's shirt unbuttoned.
"Charlie?", Don dropped next to his brother and could only look, "What the hell happened?" He shouted at Colby only now noticing that the junior agent was trying to stop the blood that was coming from his brother.
"I rounded the corner and he was just standing here", Colby didn't even look up as he was focused on the wound in Charlie's side.
"Oh my God", Megan whispered as she come around the corner. This seemed to bring Don back to his senses.
"Charlie?" Don gently took his brothers face into his hands and turned it toward him. He noticed the bruising starting to form along his jaw and around his eyes, which were closed. "Come on Charlie, open your eyes." Don whispered and watched as his brother fought to do just that. Don jumped, when Charlie's eyes shot open and he took in a sharp breath. "Sorry", Colby said, "I want to try and get the bleeding stopped." Colby was putting pressure on Charlie's wound with the towels Megan had gotten from the break room.
"Where's the paramedics?" Don asked not taking his eyes off his brother.
"Should be here anytime." She replied.
Don noticed that Charlie was staring at him, "Charlie?" Don's voice was just above a whisper, "Charlie, can you here me?"
Charlie unconsciously gave a lopsided grin, "Wanted……..take……..you to lunch…….have……wait", Charlie tried to take a deep breath, but couldn't.
"Charlie, can you tell me what happened?" Don tenderly put his hand on his brothers head. He noticed the smile fade as Charlie tried to remember. "I'm tired, Donnie", Charlie's eyes started to close. Don felt a chill run down his back as Charlie hadn't called him Donnie in a long time. "Charlie I need you to stay awake, we got help coming," Don glanced at Colby, who nodded, "Charlie?" Charlie's eyes had closed as he gave in to his exhaustion, Don panicked, "Charlie!?"
Don instinctively reached toward his brother's neck, checking his pulse, grateful to still find it there, but he noticed his breathing getting shallow. The elevator dinged, Megan turned hoping it was the paramedics, as the doors opened David saw Megan standing there,
"Megan is Charlie here? This looks like……" His sentence trailed off as he stopped and saw the owner of the computer bag he was holding unconscious on the floor with Colby holding a bloody towel to his side.
"Lock down that elevator, if that is were you found Charlie's bag", Megan stated as David gently laid the bag back inside it and hit the switch to shut down that elevator. David turned back to Megan, "What?", she handed him her cell, "Call evidence response to get up here and start processing that elevator." David nodded and stepped back, He'd get the story later, right now someone needed to secure the 'crime scene'.
The next elevator dinged and three paramedic's exited it with a stretcher and gear in tow. Don stayed next to Charlie as Colby moved back to let the medic take over applying pressure to Charlie's wound.
"Sir, I needed you to move back," One of the EMT's placed a hand on Don's shoulder.
"NO!" Don snapped back, not wanting to leave his brother's side. "Sir Please?"
"Don", Megan had walked to his other side to try and get him to move. "Back off Reeves!", Don nearly snarled as Megan could see Special Agent Don Eppes was gone and Big Brother Donnie was not going to leave his little brothers side willingly. "Don they need to work", she reached for his arm, but he jerked away. David had appeared next to Megan, she turned to him, "David help me". David having seen how Don can be when it came to something being wrong with Charlie prepared himself.
"Don they need room to work", David's voice held all the authority an FBI agents voice can hold as he took a position next to Don. When Don didn't respond David firmly grabbed a hold of Don's upper arm in an attempt to get him up. When Don again jerked away from on of his agents, David did exactly what he didn't want to have to do. He grabbed Don from behind and pulled him up. David knew Don would fight him, it was instinct and he was ready for it. "David get off me", Don yelled as he tried to twist out of David's grip. David saw Colby come up behind him and as Don again tried to get loose, both Colby and David pushed him up against the wall.
"Damn it David, let me go!, I need to be with him!"
David leaned in close to Don and nearly whispered, "You will, but they have to work and you need to calm down or they won't let you go with him".
That got Don's attention as he stopped struggling and David released him. Don turned as the medics were getting Charlie strapped to the stretcher. "I'm coming", he said. The EMT looked at David, 'That's his brother." That was all David needed to say as the EMT allowed Don on the elevator with them.
Colby, David and Megan watched as the elevator closed with a very still Charlie strapped to a stretcher and Don with a helpless expression that none of them had ever seen before. David looked at Megan's lost expression, Colby's blood stained hands and asked what they all so desperately wanted to know,
"What the hell just happened?"
