-1Title: Out of Time
Author: 1st endeavor
Disclaimer: All the characters and references to the show "NUMB3RS" are the property of Cheryl Heuton and Nick Falacci,, CBS and the Scott Brothers. I am not making any profit from this and no infringement is intended.
A/N: I would like to thank Rowena Chase, Eternal Sleep, Jaiden Chase and ALEO for giving me my first reviews. Unfortunately, I have been having some technical problems and I lost them.
I would also like to apologize to anyone who may have received multiple notifications, also due to the afore mentioned problems. However, that has been resolved and I am ready to move forward.
Thank you for your wonderful reviews and I hope you'll let me know what you think of the next chapter. So, without further ado, I present to you Chapter 2 of my story "Out of Time".
Chapter 2:
9:00 a.m.
David walked back in the war room and looked around for the senior agent. Don was sitting at his desk, reviewing the video again. The younger agent couldn't begin to imagine how he felt. Charlie was his friend and team mate, but he was Don's younger brother, how in the world did you deal with something like this. Shaking his head as he walked over to the senior agent's desk, "Man, I don't remember them covering anything like this at Quantico."
Megan and Colby joined him by the desk. "Don, the tech's have everything set up, as soon as we get the signal they'll start tracing, we'll record at three different stations, don't want to risk not getting a good recording of these videos.
Reluctantly, the agent turned off the video. He didn't have time for this, he had to focus on the case if he had any chance of helping his brother. He looked around at the agents waiting for his instructions.
"Let's review what we do know" he stood up and walked back to the board and Charlie's picture.
"We know the motive now, revenge and greed…but we still don't know who it is.. Until we get that piece of information, were not going anywhere."
"Like I said, the tech's are all ready, we might be able to get something from the next transmission." David added as he joined Don at the board.'
Colby frowned "Two minutes won't be enough time to trace the signals, this guy is really smart.
"But he's not smarter than Charlie." Megan put in thoughtfully.
Don turned his head and gave her an appraising look, "Yeah, what have you got?"
She shook her head, "Nothing specific yet….it was something Charlie said….sounded a little familiar., but I haven't placed it yet, I'll need to watch the video again."
Don's cell rang, taking if from his pocket he glanced at the phone and his shoulders sagged a little as he recognized his Dad as the caller. He couldn't talk to him now, not yet, he closed the phone and let the call go to his voice-mail. Absently returning it to his pocket he looked up to see three pairs of concerned eyes watching him. Feeling the need to explain, he shrugged his shoulders "It was Dad…I…I'll call him back in a few minutes."
He had to pull himself together, his brother depended on him and letting him down was not an option.. "Okay, what do we know about the cases that were downloaded from the courthouse?"
Colby went back to his desk and grabbed a folder, "I ran down the perps from the Koverchenko case and everyone involved is still behind bars."
"So, we can rule out the Russians," looking over at David he added "You got anything?"
"No, their all doing time too, except Duque got into some trouble with one of his fellow inmates…he's stuck in solitary confinement for a few days, which brings us to your case," he nodded to Megan as he closed the folder.
Megan pulled her hair back, glanced down at the folder she was holding and shook her head. "Nothing here either, everyone involved in this case are where they are supposed to be, nothing stands out. I'm going to watch the video again, I know there is something here. Charlie is trying to tell us something….something he said."
"Were missing something then, one of these guys has Charlie, we'll just have to go through them again." Shaking his head as he walked back to his desk "We've got to get a break from somewhere."
Flashback 8:00 a.m.
Charlie looked around his prison. A small cot in the corner, complete with a blanket and a pillow, one small table in the middle of the room and a chair. On the table there were two 16 oz. bottles of drinking water, a couple of snack size bags, one of pretzels and one of potato chips and for desert, a Snicker's bar. They certainly weren't going out of their way to see to his comfort, still he supposed he should be grateful for these few amenities.
Not that he had much of an appetite, especially after making that video. Shifting his focus back on his surroundings, he noticed another door at the rear of the room. Opening the door he was relieved to find a bathroom, not as clean as he would have liked it, but it looked serviceable, obviously his captors wanted him to be as self-sufficient as possible and that was just fine with him.
Concentrating back on the room again he estimated the height of the room, from ceiling to floor to be around eight feet. There was a small air vent in the corner across from the cot, too high for him to reach even if he could find something strong enough to stand on.
There wasn't any air coming from the vent so he could forget about any fresh air circulating around the room, it was going to get uncomfortable in here. Tilting his head to the side, he could just make out the video camera stuck in the vent, perfect spot for it, the entire room was visible from there with the exception of the area directly underneath the vent. Continuing his investigation of the room he noted that the walls and floor were a dark gray and made of cement. All in all, a very dismal looking room with a wall lamp near the door that provided enough light for the entire room. There was a slight dampness in the air, so he had to be below ground, a basement of some kind, some abandoned business….hotel maybe…he mused. He touched the surface of the cold cement with his fingers and felt despair at how isolated he was. His only means of communication with anyone was in the hands of his captors. Leaning back against the wall, he closed his eyes and let his head fall back against it. There had to be something that he could do, he had never given up on anything before and he certainly wasn't going to start now. Pushing himself away from the wall he started pacing the length of the room.
Suddenly stopping in the middle of the room he looked back up at the vent "two minutes…for two minutes every hour the F.B.I. will be able to see me, that's how I can communicate with them." He frantically searched through his pockets, they had to be there….they just had to be…and suddenly his fingers closed over the cool objects, when he opened his hand there lay two pieces of chalk. "Yes! This will work, the cement wall will make a perfect chalkboard." Of course, there were a few variables to consider but it would be worth the risk and since he didn't know when the two minutes would start, he'd better begin right away. Choosing the wall that had the most area covered by the camera, he took a deep breath and began to write on the concrete wall and at the same time he prayed that his kidnappers were mathematically challenged .
9:30 a.m.
Leaving Assistant Director Wright's office, Don let out a sigh of relief. The meeting had gone better than he thought it would and after watching the video, the director had not only agreed to leave him in charge of the case but had also stated that all resources of the F.B.I. were now at his disposal. He knew the director had been sincere with his offer, the man had worked closely with Charlie on a terrorist case and seemed to have developed a deep respect for his brother.
Agent Stendhauser's excited voice caught his attention as soon as the door of the elevator
opened. The petite technician was announcing an incoming signal and his team rushed to the war room to view the video.
Covering his mouth with his hand, Don stood beside his fellow agents and watched as his younger brother appeared on the large plasma screen. He almost laughed in relief just to see him alive…and writing on the wall? That part certainly looked normal, he was moving with the same frenetic energy he used when he was working on one of his equations…and then all too soon…he was gone…and they were once again staring at a blank screen.
Don turned and ran to the video room where the technicians were working. "You got that recorded, right?" he asked breathlessly.
"Yes, sir and we are printing out still photos as well. I've sent copies of the video to your computers and you can open it anytime that you are ready."
A male technician approached him "Agent Eppes, we didn't have enough time for a trace, this is going to be difficult without knowing when the signal is going to become available."
"There has to be a way to trace it, keep trying!" He hadn't intended to sound angry and he tried to soften it "Please, just keep trying." The technician nodded his head and went back to his station.
His team had followed him to the tech's station and now they returned with him to the war room. Saving the large screen for the next transmission, they watched the video over again on a smaller screen.
"What's he writing?" Colby asked as they gathered around the screen.
With a shrug of his shoulders his partner added "It looks like some kind of lesson plan for his
students, but why would he do that?"
The older agent was watching his brother closely. "Charlie doesn't just do something….I mean…he's got to be trying to tell us something…you know…..give us some kind of clue." Running his hand over his mouth, he studied the video a little closer. "He would have to hide it though…you know….so the kidnappers wouldn't suspect anything."
"Yeah, but Don, I think David's right, it does look like some sort of lesson plan, maybe he's just trying to keep busy."
Megan leaned a little closer to the screen, "No, I don't think so Colby. I think Don is right. It's exactly the sort of thing that Charlie would do, he is trying to tell us something…but what?"
Algorithms applied to one specific application:
Cake-cutting algorithm - Principle showing how a resource can be distributed seemingly uneven but allows each user to be satisfied with the outcome.
State Diagram - A graph whose nodes are states and whose directed area are transitioned labeled by event names.
Cake-cutting algorithm + State Diagram equals 1
Don started pacing the room "Equals one what?" Scrubbing his hands through his hair he looked at his team. "Come on guys…one person…one place…one…" he was interrupted by Megan as she turned excitedly back to the screen.
"One case, Don, one case! What if he's telling us that he has only used these two algorithm's together on just one case." Quickly walking back to grab the case folders she started handing them back to the agents.
"Don, you always put Charlie's equations in the reports, right?"
"Right, it's a part of the investigations."
Colby was the first to look up and sighed, "It's not this one, I remember he used that Game Theory thingy to figure out what Yuri was up too."
"Wait…wait…here it is!" The profiler called out excitedly, pulling the case up on her computer, she quickly scrolled down to the section that she was looking for. "Look, here are Charlie's notes, he mentions the cake-cutting algorithm when he was trying to figure out why that specific amount was asked for as a ransom…and here's the state diagram, he used it when he figured out the maze."
"Don, it's Nacio Duque!, he's the one behind this, he' s the one that has Charlie!" she was practically jumping up and down with excitement.
David shook his head, "Megan, I checked with Chino, the man is still there, he's in solitaire confinement."
"No, it makes perfect sense now." she clicked on the video of Charlie reading the kidnapper's message. "Remember, I said he was trying to tell us something, this is it, listen to what he says here."
"This is very thorough…methodical….you would make an excellent mathematician."
Stopping the video she moved her hands excitedly as she explained, "He said those exact words during this case. David you and Colby were out working on the case, and Don you weren't here, you were late that morning, but Amita and I were here and Duque kept removing our tracking devices that we had on Colby, and that's when he said it! she finished breathlessly.
"David you and Colby get up to Chino, see what's really going on with Duque and take a chopper, we don't have a lot time here.," furrowing his brow he looked over at Megan.
"Wait a minute, do you think this guy I smart enough to do all this high tech stuff too?"
Pulling her hair back again, she scrolled back down through the case file, "I'm not sure, maybe, he did know how to use the VOLP systems in the Santiago kidnapping."
"Guys, while your up there, get a list of all of his cellmates and anyone he's been in contact with. Let's see who he's been talking too."
The younger agents hurriedly grabbed their jackets and headed to the elevators.
Don thoughtfully walked back to the now blank plasma screen. Maybe they were finally getting somewhere. Without turning around he said "Megan, maybe you should call Amita, see if you can get her to come here, tell her we need her on a case. Charlie may decide to start adding a few equations to help us out…but don't tell her about Charlie." With a sigh, he added, "I'll tell her when she gets here."
Don posted another picture of his brother on the board, this one was a still photo made from the latest two minute video. Just as the kidnapper had said, in the lower left hand corner of the picture was the time and the money that was being offered. It had only been a few hours and already the tally was over two million dollars. So far Charlie's pictures were the only ones on the board, they thought they had a suspect but until they had more proof it was only speculation. They would know more when David and Colby returned from the prison .
Walking back to his desk he sighed and taking out his cell phone he hit the speed dial and waited for his father to answer. He didn't really want to give him the news over the phone but he couldn't…no, he wouldn't leave here until it was time to get his brother back from the bastards that were holding him. His call went to voicemail so he left an urgent message for his Dad to return his call. Deciding that he could use another cup of coffee, he closed the phone and returned it to his pocket, and made his way toward the break room. He was so lost in thought that he didn't notice the elevator door opening as he walked by it and ran into a man stepping out.
"Uh…oh….sorry, I didn't see you" he apologized turning away, but then the frantic man grabbed his arm and pulled him back. Angrily, he started to jerk his arm back when he looked up and realized who actually had a hold of him.
The Alan Eppes that stared back at him was not the composed man that he was accustomed to seeing, as a matter of fact, he was the exact opposite. He was very agitated and Don could tell from the look in his eyes that something had distressed him very deeply.
"Donnie! Donnie! I can't find Charlie….do you know where he is? He's not at Calsci, he's not answering his phone and I found his…..
"Dad? Dad! What are….he tried to get in a word, but his father's tirade continued.
car but he's not there either…and I've tried to call you but you haven't returned my calls…I didn't know what else to do, except come here." Alan paused momentarily to take a breath and his son saw an opportunity to take control of the conversation.
He started to tell him to calm down when he caught part of what his father was saying.
"You found his car….where…Dad tell me where Charlie's car is?"
Taken aback by his son's question, he stuttered a little in his answer. "Uh…I…I mean I found it parked along Butler street, it's just two blocks from the house, if he had car trouble why didn't he call or just walk home? Donnie, there's something terribly wrong, his satchel is still in the car, and you know he would never leave his laptop somewhere like that, I don't understand….do you know where he is?" He looked into his son's eyes and saw the pain and worry there and it was as if his heart had stopped.
Alan brought his hands up and covered his mouth for a moment, and then he shook his head "No, he can't be gone….you know something don't you….tell me it's not too late, tell me that we haven't lost your brother! He pleaded with him, his eyes searching for some sign of hope in his sons eyes.
Don took a moment to organize his thoughts, his Dad had a right to know the truth and telling him anything less was just not acceptable . Taking a deep breath he looked up to meet his father's troubled eyes.
"Come with me, there's something I need to tell you." taking his father's arm he steered him toward a vacant conference room. Along the way he informed Megan of the location of Charlie's car so she could get a forensics team on it right away.
She didn't mean to stare but Megan couldn't help but watch through the glass as Don explained the events of the last few hours to Alan. The agent's back was turned toward her but she could clearly see the emotions as they registered on his father's face. Shock, horror, denial that this fateful event could really be happening, anger that someone could do something like this to his youngest son and finally acceptance and the fear that went along with the realization that it really was true. When they embraced to give one another some comfort, she turned away, wiping away her own tears and found herself face to face with Amita.
Amita's eyes were wide and she had her hands over her mouth, she too, had witnessed the heart-breaking scene between father and son.
"Megan, where's Charlie? Her voice was trembling and she was becoming alarmed. "Why are Alan and Don so upset….some….something's happened to him, hasn't it?" She continued on without waiting for an answer. "He didn't come to school this morning, he's not answering his phone and now….this." she said waving her arm in the direction of the Eppes men.
"Calm down, and I'll take you to Don, he wanted to talk to you first." taking the girl gently by the arm she started to lead her to the door of the conference room.
The Professor pulled back and shook her head. "Why were you crying? He's gone ..isn't he, I've lost him, haven't I.?" she asked as tears began to fall down her cheeks.
Grabbing her by the shoulders Megan embraced her in a fierce hug "He's not dead but he is in a lot of trouble and if we are going to save him, we will need your help, okay?" she spoke quietly, her voice thick with emotion.
Looking her straight in the eye, Amita nodded her head. The agent gave her an encouraging smile and turned and knocked on the door. Father and son both looked over and Don stood and motioned for them to come in.
