Nick was out of the hospital as soon as the doctor's would allow. There was very little the Texan hated more than hospitals. The feel, smell, look. He hated everything about them and wanted to be there for no more than what was necessary. He was soon back at his home, still sore but doing much better than he had been in that basement. He had been given a good amount of pain killers, but Nick only took one when he absolutely had to. He hated medicine almost as much as hospitals.
Nick had just been about to fall asleep when he heard a loud knock at his door. He almost fell off the couch at the sudden noise. He quickly turned the TV off and sat up, flinching at the pain that shot through his ribs. He didn't get up to go answer the door for fear of who was behind it. Dave and his crew of countless henchmen were still at large, and Nick didn't doubt they'd be back after him soon enough.
"Nicky it's me." He heard Catherine call from outside.
Nick sighed in relief and went over to the door, opening it to reveal a worried Catherine. "What's wrong?" He asked, her worry spreading into him.
"They got Warrick." She said, exasperated.
"What?" Nick asked, shaking his head. "How did that happen?"
"He was coming in to work and they grabbed him right outside, but we didn't notice until he was an hour late and no one had seen him. Dave Collins keeps calling the crime lab, and will only talk to you."
Nick got dressed as quickly as he could without causing himself too much pain. He just threw on a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt, then was out the door, following Catherine to her car parked in his driveway. They drove to the lab in complete silence, neither one of them knowing what to say. When they finally made it to the lab, as soon as they walked through the front door all eyes were on Nick. Everyone undoubtedly had heard what had happened and watched as Nick and Catherine made their way to the layout room, where Grissom and Brass were waiting for them with Sara and Greg.
"Why does he want to talk to me?" Nick asked once the doors had closed behind him.
"I don't know." Grissom said honestly. "But he won't say anything else until he hears you on the phone. He calls every ten minutes...so in about three he'll be calling back."
"Can't we just trace it and find out where he is?" Nick asked. He really didn't want to talk to the man he had been deathly afraid of for the last twenty years.
Brass shook his head. "We tried. The number and location are blocked. He knew we'd try to trace it."
Nick sighed and sank down into the chair next to Greg. He ran his hands through his hair several times and finally looked back up at Grissom and Brass. "What am I supposed to say?"
Brass sighed as well. "Find out what he wants, and if Warrick's still alive."
Nick visibly flinched at that thought, but pushed it to the back of his mind.
"We still don't know anything yet, so find out as much as you can." Grissom said as calmly as possible.
Before Nick could say anything else, the cell phone in the middle of the table rang. Nick hadn't noticed it until it had started ringing. He looked over at Brass, who nodded, so Nick reluctantly picked it up and opened it. He held it up to his ear for a second before answering.
"It's Nick." He said, his voice surprisingly steady.
Dave laughed lightly on the other line. "You finally made it. I was starting to get worried."
"Where's Warrick?" Nick asked, cutting right to the chase.
"He's sitting right next to me, and cooperating a lot better than you did."
"Let me talk to him." Nick said.
Dave was quiet for a second before answering. "I don't think I can let you do that."
Nick took that as a bad sign. "If you did anything to him I swear I'll kill you."
"He's fine Nick, relax. I just don't think you talking to him is the best idea. But let me stop beating around the bush here. What would you do to get your friend back?"
"Whatever you want me to do." Nick answered.
"Good answer." Dave said. "Have you ever been a Batman fan Nick?" Dave asked.
Nick wak caught off guard by that question. "What?"
"Batman." Dave repeated. "I loved him when I was a kid. But my favorite was always the Riddler. He always asked great questions that required thinking. I love riddles, do you?" Nick closed his eyes, knowing where this was going. "I hope so, because we're going to play a little game. I'm going to ask you some riddles. If you get enough of them right, I'll let Warrick go. But for every one you get wrong...well, let's just say you better not get any wrong."
"I don't have a choice in this do I?"
"Sure you do. You can answer the questions correctly or incorrectly. It's up to you."
Nick clenched his jaw, trying to stay calm. "Okay." Was all he could say.
"Great." Dave said, sounding upbeat. "Here's your first question, it's rather easy: how can you throw a ball as hard as you can and have it come back to you without it hitting anything, having nothing attatched to it, and having no one catch it and throw it back to you?" Dave paused for a second before saying, "you have thirty seconds. After that, I'll call back and you'll answer the phone with the answer to the riddle."
The line went dead.
"What did he say?" Grissom asked.
"He asked me a riddle I have to answer in thirty seconds or he'll do something to Warrick..."
Nick thought as hard as he could, but the question didn't make sense to him. It was hard to think clearly with his friend's life on the line. Everyone in the room was completely silent as they watched Nick try to figure whatever it was out. A second before the phone rang Nick figured it out, just in time.
"Throw it straight up in the air." He said after he had flipped the phone open.
"Very good Nick." Dave said.
Nick forgot what he had wanted to say next when he heard the gunshot on the other end of the line. It was so loud that everyone else in the room had heard it from the phone. Nick jumped, almost dropping the phone from surprise.
"What the fuck?" Nick would have yelled if he could, but he was so scared he could barely choke it out. His face had gone so pale everyone around him was afraid he was going to pass out.
"Don't worry Nick, that wasn't aimed at Warrick. This particular revolver that I'm holding in my hand has eight bullets. Well, only seven left. That means you only have to answer seven more questions correctly. When you get them right, I put a bullet in the wall. Get one wrong, I put a bullet in your friend."
"This isn't funny. Stop fucking around and just tell me what you want." Nick said, his voice a little on edge.
"What I want? I want you to understand that I have total control over you. You're powerless, making me even more powerful. You know what I want you to do."
Nick was done talking. Instead, he sat there silently and waited for Dave to tell him his next riddle.
"Now...which is the correct way to say this: seven and five is thirteen, or seven and five are thirteen?"
Again, the line went dead, leaving Nick to think this one through. He shut the phone, immediatly trying to think of which was the grammatically correct way to say that sentence. The layout room was silent, except for when Nick was speaking into the phone. No one else spoke to Nick or anyone else in the room. But somehow, the silence spoke louder than any of them ever could.
It had only taken Nick a few seconds to figure it out. The rest of the time he had he looked around at his friends and tried to reassure them with a smile. It didn't work as well as he was hoping for.
"Neither way is correct. Seven and five equals twelve." Nick said into the phone after he had answered it.
Nick was met with another gunshot, which again made him jump. His hands were starting to shake and he felt like he hadn't slept or eaten anything in a very long time.
"Sit tight, don't be so nervous." Dave said. "Relax, that room looks comfortable enough."
Nick felt his heart skip a couple beats before its pace quickened altogether. He looked all around him, but saw no visible cameras.
"Yes Nick, I can see you." Dave said mockingly.
Nick's hands started shaking harder and he felt like he was going to throw up.
"Take a break and calm down. But don't you dare leave that room. Get comfortable, it's gonna be a long night."