Disclaimer: I own nothing involved with the television series "Lie to Me" and I won't pretend to.

Author's Note: Enjoy, then please review. :)


3. It's Amazing What Hunger Can Do

"Lightman?"

Cal snapped back into focus as he clearly heard the strained voice on the other end.

"You alright, Loker?" he asked, glancing at his teammates around the room.

"I'm alive." Loker chuckled nervously, sounding a bit like he was at the end of his rope. Well, he had the right to; he had nearly been shot and they still weren't sure if Eli would ever be able to get back home and laugh it all off in his Loker-like fashion.

"How did they know you were connected to the FBI?" Cal thought aloud. "I don't remember you ever mentioning it on your end." All that was heard on Eli's end was quick breathing and weary sighs. Then, it hit Cal. "They're listening in on our calls."

"What? Huh?" Eli muttered, sounding as if he was spacing out.

"They're listening in on our calls, Loker." Cal growled, frustrated. Eli said nothing, just inhaled deeply and exhaled the same way.

"Well, Lightman, we need to get some of these people out." Eli explained. "What are you willing to give these guys?"

"What am I willing?" Cal scoffed. "I'm not willing to give them anything! But, I guess I don't have a choice, do I?"

"Why are you even on this case?" Eli hissed. "Is it because Reynolds wanted you to see if this guy was serious? 'Cause I think he's pretty serious."

"Would you rather have some idiot of the FBI doing negotiations? How well would that go, huh?" Cal argued, intent on defending himself.

"If it wasn't for you I wouldn't be in this bad of a mess! I'd probably be sitting quietly with the rest of the hostages."

"When have you ever been quiet!?"

"Oh, yeah, like you are? You blab about the FBI and I get a gun in my face!"

"I'll put a gun in your face!"

"Stop that!" Gillian demanded, snatching the phone from Cal. "Loker, it's Foster."

"Ah, finally; someone with sense." Gillian smiled.

"What's going on?" she inquired.

"We need to get some of these hostages out and I need to know what your end is willing to give in exchange." Eli sighed. "I'd appreciate an answer pretty soon...as in, preferably, now."

"Right, I catch the urgency, but maybe you should discuss it with your guys first. What do they want? Maybe some food or something?" Gillian replied. She couldn't believe she had just said 'your guys' as if Eli was now a part of the thieving group, but it had slipped out.

"Right...okay then..." Eli huffed. "I'll just...go talk with the psycho guys right now..."

"Don't use any radical honesty." Gillian teased, attempting to lighten up the situation. Of course, how far could a joke go in this sort of event?

"Yeah, yeah..." Eli replied, and a hesitant minute later, he hung up the phone.

Gillian slowly put down the lab phone and looked at the screen, watching Eli pull himself up off the floor with some difficulty and talking with the other captives. She smirked, then calmly turned to Cal. She smiled at him sweetly.

Slap.

"What is your problem!?" she shouted.

"Hey, he started it!" Cal protested, putting up his hands in defense.

"Quit bickering!" Ria interjected, stepping between the two. "This is no time for this crap. Focus."


Eli didn't know how well negotiating with crooks would go, but it was necessary and there was no possible way around it. Actually, there was, but that would include death somewhere in the equation...

"Are you guys okay?" he asked the other hostages, who nodded slowly in reply.

"Are you okay?" queried the elderly woman, staring at him. He smiled. She reminded him of his own grandmother, but he couldn't quite find the right words to describe her.

"I'm fine." he whispered, his quiet reply oddly loud in the silent lobby. Sure, he was fine, if you didn't count the sudden faintness, the dizzying nausea and the fear that he would do something stupid and get them all killed. From now on, breakfast may be a wise idea; perhaps it was the most important meal of the day when you planned on being a hostage in a bank robbery. Heck, even lunch would've been great right now. But, no. He went to the bank for his lunch break, therefore, he had gotten no lunch. No food, no energy, no luck. How in heaven's name was he going to make it through this day when he had trouble trudging through a normal day? If he didn't get shot, he was probably going to die of overexertion. Either way, it was a pretty...interesting way to go.

"Hey, I hear you're trying to make a deal." the leader said gruffly as he reentered the lobby. The prisoners huddled together in fear, hoping that if they stuck together, they would somehow be protected.

"Yes, my...boss is willing to give you something in exchange for hostages." Eli explained bravely. He wasn't going to mention the deal was originally meant for only a few of the imprisoned citizens, if the man hadn't already been told, in hopes that they could work out a deal for all of them to be released.

"If I give away my hostages...what do I have left against the police?" scoffed the man, looking at Eli like he was an idiot. Eli took a deep breath, glancing at the line of captives.

"You'll have me; I'll stay." he offered. Ah, heck, he was already this deep in; why not just jump the rest of the way? "There's no way the FBI will let me get shot." That wasn't necessarily true, as Eli recalled that Reynolds wasn't on very...friendly terms with him. But, at least the rest of the hostages would be released.

The crook narrowed his eyes in Eli's direction, thinking it through. Loker silently prayed for a small blessing, though keeping his sights on the man.

"Alright, I'll keep you and the two bankers in the back." agreed the criminal. "Everyone else can go free when we get a good meal through those doors." Eli looked at him with confusion, unsure if it was a joke or not. Could he really be willing to trade captives for something as trivial as food?

"Look here: my man heard some talk about trading for food over that phone call of yours, and we haven't eaten since yesterday. Besides, you'd be doing us a favor by getting rid of these sniveling brats. As long as we have three hostages and some food, we'll let them go." the man snarled, irritated with Eli's puzzlement. So, it was that easy. He couldn't blame them; if he had hostages at his disposal, he probably would've gotten some food too.

"Call your friends and set up the deal. Tell them that when it gets here, we want the delivery boys to come straight up the door for you to take. Then, we'll give them hostages." the man ordered, stepping a bit out of the lobby to talk quietly with one of the other thieves.

Eli picked up the phone and dialed The Lightman Group and added the extension numbers to the lab. Then, he waited. Soon, half his worry could be walking out those doors.


"Oi, Loker." Lightman answered, having been watching his employee communicate with the crook.

"Lightman, I got a deal," Loker sighed. "and it's a pretty good one."

"Well, wha' is it then?" Cal inquired, eager to know of what Loker had secured.

"He'll release all the hostages besides two others and me if you bring them some food." Eli relayed. Cal counted hostages on his fingers, then subtracted the three that were to stay. It wasn't much, but it was much more than he originally expected.

"What does he want? Fast food? Chinese? Did he say?" Cal asked.

"I have the impression that they really don't care what it is as long as it's good and edible." Eli muttered.

"I don't know about edible, but fast food should work, shouldn't it?" Cal suggested, looking at Gillian. She had a hand settled over her mouth and a worried stare in her eyes.

"I'm pretty sure they'll take it." Eli answered as his figure on the screen looked about him fearfully. "Tell the delivery guys to bring it straight up to the door and I'll take it personally. After it's in, they'll release the hostages...and, please, make it quick."

"That is why it's called fast food." Cal mumbled just before Eli hung up the phone. Lightman turned to his comrades, glancing at each of them.

"We've got a deal."


Eli seated himself beside the old woman and allowed himself a moment of relaxation while he waited for the transaction to begin. Actually, as much relaxation as he was allowed.

"Alright, you guys will be getting out of here soon." Eli promised the line. They all seemed to be friends now, not bonded by conversation or similar interests, but just by sharing a stressful situation where fighting wasn't helpful and friendship was forced. They appreciated each other's company, because it meant they didn't have to pull through this alone.

"What about you?" whispered the young woman on the other side of the old lady.

"I'm...I'm staying here." Eli answered hesitantly. As he imagined them escaping through those doors, rushing out to safety and aid, he couldn't help but feel a longing to do the same. He would be stuck here, in this crazy place with those psycho people. His safety wasn't guaranteed, nor was it coming so soon. At least he could share his last conversations with his deranged boss, who really wasn't so deranged when you depended on him for a familiar voice to speak to. Nah, he was still deranged...in his own Cal Lightman way.

"But...uh..." Eli looked around himself, standing up slightly to grab a pad of paper sitting idly on the counter with a pen and scribbling a quick message on it. He tore the page off, somehow dodging the crooks' notice. "When you get out, call this number and read Dr. Cal Lightman this message." Eli handed the young woman the note, but avoided her gaze entirely. She opened it up to preview it, gasping at the contents.

"No!" she exhaled. The old lady between them looked alarmed, curious as to what the note entailed.

"What is it? What does it say?" she whispered, looking between Eli and the woman.

"I'm not saying they have to do it, it's just...if all else fails..." Eli trailed off, risking a look at the criminals still conversing in the shadows beside the lobby. "Just read it to Dr. Lightman; make sure he's the one on the phone." Hesitantly she nodded, her eyebrows pulled up in sorrow. The old woman huffed with frustration that she wasn't let in on the secret while the other hostages looked on with evident curiosity.

What was the message?