Title: Repercussions 3

Author: FraidyCat

Disclaimer: Don't blame it on me.

Summary: Oh, maybe this will turn into a whole Janus story to get us through the summer.

A contingent from the FBI, the CIA and Homeland Security were given access to Monsiour Granger.

One joint questioning session was arranged before Colby Granger was transported by the NSA to Leavenworth. It was during that transport, he knew now, that he would "escape".

He was not told who to expect in the bright interrogation room, and as he was led in, his steps short, clipped, shackled -- he was surprised to see Don, Megan. Even David. The FBI by far had the largest representation of agents in the room; He recoginzed Martel and Simmons, who specialized in this sort of thing. Merrick was overseeing his group. Maybe Colby's team...well, his former team...maybe they were there as victims, not as agents.

Colby did not allow the relief he felt at seeing Megan in one piece show on his face. He couldn't look at David at all. He knew this would be a brief questioning, since he didn't intend to say a word. Director Tompkins was also in the room, ready to yank him out at the slightest provocation.

He stood between two guards, one on each side of his handcuffed wrists, and allowed himself to meet Don's eyes. God, the hatred. The betrayal. Colby swallowed and turned on the performance. "What? No Whiz Kid?" His eyes skittered around the room. "Charlie works for at least two of these agencies. Surely one of you could have shared a little of the fun."

Don bolted up from a chair on his side of the table, a blur of movement that drew Colby's gaze again. At least two people were holding him back. The hatred and betrayal in his eyes was replaced by pure fire. "Charlie is none of your damn business, Granger. Don't worry about Charlie."

Colby didn't flinch, but tried to convey a message with his eyes. Please, Don. Please understand. Charlie is not safe.

Don impatiently shook off the hands that restrained him and broke eye contact. He turned slightly and aimed his next words at Director Merrick. "I want out," he demanded, surprising everyone in the room who had ever even heard of him. "This asshole isn't going to say anything anyway. This is a waste of time. Either let me kill him, or let me out."

Colby swallowed again, knowing that Don Eppes was not exaggerating. Left to his own devices for even a few seconds, Colby Granger would be a dead man.

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Charlie regarded his brother's sullen face over the pizza. "You're sure this is all right? We could order Chinese, or find some righteous leftovers of Dad's in the freezer..."

Don raised a bottle of beer to his mouth, took a deep drag and slammed it back onto the table. "I said pizza was fine; it's fine, dammit."

Charlie set his own slice carefully onto his plate. "So," he said, awkwardly, "Dad called. Aunt Ida is better."

"Umphf." The comment was unintelligible. Aunt Ida was a little annoying, but she was their father's sister, and a stroke at her age could be serious. Charlie pushed a little harder. "It's good that she moved to San Diego last year, to be near Cousin Karen."

"Damn cheese isn't even melted."

Charlie sighed, gingerly picked up a tomato and dislodged a green pepper hiding beneath it. He hated green pepper on pizza. He had only ordered that for Don. He had been a little surprised to find his brother's SUV in the driveway when he got home. Don knew that Dad was out of town and there would be no impressive home-cooked meal that evening. But he must have come here for a reason, and Charlie, for one, was tired of trying to pry it out of him.

"Tompkins called me last night," he informed his brother, deciding the time for pulling punches was over. "He wanted me to be there today. When you all questioned Colby. I also got a call from Timmons at Homeland Security. I confess I was expecting to go there as part of the FBI group, if I went at all."

That got Don's attention off the kitchen table. He looked up at Charlie and his eyes flashed anger. "Leave it alone. Just leave it alone, Chuck."

Frustrated, Charlie pushed back his chair and stood. He crossed to the refrigerator and opened the door. Standing in front of it, he let the frigid air blast him in the face. "I'm part of it, Don. Why can't you see that? We should be helping each other here, not pretending it never happened!" He backed up a step and slammed the door, pivoting slightly to look at his brother.

The disgust on Don's face was less than comforting. "You're not part of it, Charlie, not really. You don't have any idea. You just visit, belch out a few theories and leave. You don't know what it's like to depend on someone to watch your back and then find out he could have put a bullet in it at any time over the last two years."

Charlie staggered back a little as if the blow had been physical. A visitor? A visitor? Belch out a few theories and leave? He had wanted Don to talk, but he hadn't thought he would be his brother's target. The back of his eyes stung as he stared at Don, hurt. "Fine," he whispered, pivoting again to push through the swinging door into the house proper. "Enjoy the fucking pizza."

He didn't register Don's soft, full-of-regret, "Charlie...". The two syllables did not enter his consciousness at all, on the other side of the door.

Mostly because Colby Granger had stepped out of the shadows and knocked him out with one punch, catching him before he hit the floor.

Quietly, Colby dragged him to a corner of the dark dining room, and gagged him. Then he used Don's handcuffs, which he had found on a side table in the living room -- along, thankfully, with his service weapon -- to secure Charlie to a table leg. Stealthily, he finished dousing all the lights that were lit on the ground floor and crept back into the dining room.

Don was next.