Summary: Darius was giving a press conference but now the fate of everyone in the building is in his hands.
Prompt: Hostage
Warning: Discussion of suicide
An Eye for an Eye
Darius still isn't quite sure how he came to be in this predicament. He'd just finished a press conference concerning the new nanotech his company is releasing when he found himself manhandled into a room. It's been weeks since his last encounter with Bennett supporters and a few months since they'd captured and tortured him. Since then, Harris personally ensured that he had better protection and more than the usual secret service agents than past former presidents. His first thought when being roughly gagged is that it's them again. They've been persistent he knows though much of it has been stopped by the secret service and additional protections he's placed around Tanz Industries.
He comes to sitting in a chair with Kyle, one of the secret service agents assigned to him, standing in front of him, staring down, arms crossed. The agents aren't known for their friendly appearances, but the look Kyle has is much sterner than usual.
"Wh… What's going on," Darius asks, feeling the muddledness of regaining consciousness.
"Shut up and listen. There's a bomb strapped to your chest. If you do anything, I don't have any qualms with setting it off. Now, there are about a hundred or more people out there. And not just reporters. There's some that you care about out there." Kyle gestures towards the door. "If that bomb goes off, it'll take them out too. Tanz Industries will be dust as will everyone inside."
"What do you want?" Darius hides the growing panic. Grace and Liam were at the press conference and Alycia is working elsewhere in the building. With his disappearance, the numbers have probably increased with law enforcement coming to resolve the situation.
"You're going to go out there and take responsibility for all of the deaths you've caused. And then you'll take this." Kyle holds a vial three-quarters full of a milky liquid.
"Let me guess, that'll kill me?"
"Watch the cheekiness or everyone will die instead of just you."
"When will you people understand that the decision was out of our hands. Bennett was involved in criminal activities and was the illegal president. Nothing that happened as a result of that was mine or MacKenzie's fault."
"My family's dead," Kyle yells, choking back a sob as he takes a step forward, the trigger for the bomb moving into Darius' sight. It's a deadman's switch.
"I'm sorry. A lot of people died in the last several months as we thought the world was coming to an end." Darius is capable of being diplomatic, but he wishes Grace were here. She's much better at forging connections and de-escalating situations.
"I know. I'm not the only one. Half of the reporters out there have lost family and you're going to pay for what you've done."
"Look, I'm sorry for your loss but this isn't the way to get your satisfaction."
"We've tried other means and been denied. We won't let our families have died without retribution. Now, take this and get up and if you try anything, remember they're all dead." Kyle hands Darius the vial and pulls him to his feet. Standing, Darius feels lightheaded but keeps his balance. As he's pushed out of the room, roughly nudged forward he considers how he's going to get out of this mess.
All too soon he's on the same stage as before, to the shocked gasps of those in attendance. He hears the snaps of cameras and clamoring of voices as Kyle pushes him to the podium. And then it's silence as everyone waits for him to speak. Out in the crowd, he spots Grace and Liam. The whole room is held at gunpoint by the agents assigned to Darius for protection. Outside, through the tall windows, he sees the police he expected and he thinks he can spot Harris, but that might be hopeful thinking. He has a photographic memory, not perfect vision.
"Remember what I said," Kyle whispers to him from where he stands behind Darius. "You have five minutes before I take the decision out of your hands."
"Look, perhaps we could come to some kind of alternative arrangement. Compensation, perhaps," Darius speaks lowly, hoping that no one can hear but Kyle.
"You think my wife and kids are worth whatever sum you can offer? You think their families can simply be replaced by money," Kyle asks, voice loud enough now for everyone to hear.
Darius swallows heavily, looking down at the podium counter for a moment before looking up. He licks his lips as he thinks. Back when the asteroid was coming, he had no problems flying a suicide mission to save the planet, but he does now. It's not that he would so easily sentence so many to die but it's the situation and lack of guarantee that everyone will be safe after he dies.
"Answer me one question," Darius says, looking down again. "What promise do I have that you'll let everyone go after I do this?"
"A risk you'll have to take, I'm afraid."
"No, I want a guarantee that my death will save them."
"You're not in the position to make demands here. Now, sixty seconds or they all die."
"You can still walk away from this and I'll make sure that nothing happens. No charges."
"Thirty seconds, Mr. Tanz."
"Fine," Darius says tersely. "Ladies and gentlemen, I'm sure that some of you know why you're already here. Time, unfortunately, is brief, so I'll make this quick. I have chosen to accept responsibility for the deaths that occurred over the last several months as related to the asteroid. I am very sorry for your losses and only wish that there was more I could do." Darius is as kind as he can manage in his words, hoping that he can prevent any additional loss of life. He hears gasps and murmurs and camera clicks. He sees the puzzled looks on Grace and Liam.
"Now, take a good, last drink," Kyle says. Darius looks at the vial in his hands. Early death has always been in his cards but not this early. Still, as he looks out to Grace and Liam, seeing their worried, teary expressions, he thinks that if he can save them and Alycia, then this will be worth it. And so, with a slight smile to Grace, he drains the vial. It's a bitter taste and he wants to gag but forces himself to keep swallowing. The effect is quick, but it doesn't kill him right off. He collapses first, to the side, his eyes open as he sees the flashes of cameras capturing his last moments. He feels his body seize and pain radiate through as he lays there, unable to move or call out. He hears himself make pitiful moans, noises that sound more animalistic than human. He'd rather see Grace in his final moments, but instead, there's the face of a young woman, Macie. She's just out of school, he remembers from reading the reports of the approved reporters. She'd moved across the country for the job, leaving behind her family. And there she stands, crying as she completes her first solo news assignment. Macie is the last person he sees.
Waking up is unexpected and painful. He doesn't, can't open his eyes but he does have the sense of movement around him. Someone touches him, but it burns and he can't get away. They hold on tighter and the pain explodes as he fades back into unconsciousness.
How many times he wakes in partial awareness he doesn't know. But he does have a fuzzy feeling which he attributes to heavy doses of drugs when he finally does wake with some level of greater awareness and no pain.
"Darius," someone asks.
He mumbles something as he turns his head to try to find the speaker. His vision is fuzzy as he's losing consciousness again but he thinks that it's Grace and calls out to her. He feels her soft hand in his as he falls asleep.
They eventually tell him that's it's a full week after the incident before he wakes long enough to converse, though his mind remains muddled thanks to the drugs that he's still on. Without them, he'd be in unbearable pain and plagued with seizures as the drug works its way out of his system. Still, he doesn't like the fog that's consumed his mind. It makes talking, thinking difficult and leaves him searching for words or pausing as he processes what's been said. The others have helped a lot, especially Harris as he still is listed as a proxy for medical decisions. It was something done years ago when his Huntington's diagnosis was first made and he let Harris know. The two had talked and Darius made him aware of his wishes for his last years.
"When can I get out of here," he asks. He's awake for at least a few hours at a time now and has been up on a few occasions, though his balance was off.
"The doctor said a few more days at least. She doesn't want to send you home so drugged up," Liam says. Once they saw that he was improving, they moved to a rotating schedule. Liam and Alycia are there most often given the flexibility of their schedules as department heads and CEOs in training.
"I'll be fine. I just want out of here. C… can't you get Harris to ov… override them?"
"Harris is refusing. You have to stay in here, Darius. You didn't see what we did. You were lucky the dosages were wrong in that vial." Liam leans back in his seat as he talks with Darius. The urgency of the past week has thankfully faded as Darius has stabilized and become more alert. It unfortunately also means that he's itching to get out of the hospital.
"I'm not so… sure about that." Darius vividly recalls the pain.
"Would you rather be dead?"
Darius pauses for a moment as his mind drifts. Then, when he remembers what Liam said, he answers, "No, no, but this isn't fun either."
"I expect not, but at least Kyle and the others will have to answer for what they've done."
"No… D…" Darius stumbles for his words. "Not their fault."
"Not their fault? Darius, they tried to kill you and held that entire room hostage all because their loved ones committed suicide in the face of an asteroid and blamed you for it."
"They are dis… dis…" Darius shakes his head, growling in frustration. Liam stays quiet, having learned that finishing Darius' words only serves to aggravate him. "Dis'rauh'." The word is slurred but Liam understands it.
"It doesn't excuse their actions. And I know you don't want to press charges, but it's out of your hands. You are a former president and what they did was a serious crime."
Darius sighs. He's had this argument with Grace and Harris and both told him the same thing. Still, he can't help but think that if he could just get out of here he'd be able to do something. They've kept him from any electronic devices save for the TV.
"You should get some more rest," Liam says.
"That's all I do."
"You're still recovering, Darius. It's only been a couple days since you've been able to stay awake for more than a few minutes and not much more than that since we figured out how much pain you were in each time you woke up and got it managed. Just rest. Alycia and I have everything in order."
"I know and I tr… trust you two."
"But you're a control freak," Liam says.
Darius smiles. "Watch it."
"Darius, rest. Everything is taken care of. Your only job is to, for once, look after your own health. If you're not going to do it for your own sake, then do it for ours. I don't think any of us could take seeing you hurting so much again."
"Liam…"
"It was bad, Darius," Liam interrupts him, concern clear in his voice and face, "and I don't want to see it again."
"Alright." Darius finally gives in. "But I want to get out of here soon."
"There aren't any guarantees, Darius. But maybe in a few days if you behave. That means, eat and sleep when you need to. Okay?"
"Can you at least set up the TV so I can watch s… something more in… inter… better than soaps?" Darius can't hide his frustration.
"Missing your Doctor Who?"
"I'm sure you can set some'ing up."
"Between me and Alycia, I think we'll be able to get you your fix. But you have to rest here."
"It's a deal."
"Get some sleep then and I'll start working with Alycia on what we can do."
Liam texts with Alycia while watching Darius fall asleep. The man has been fighting sleep for much of the day, forcing himself to stay awake after dozing for an hour here or there. Though he's recovering, the drugs and damage to his body make him tired and the doctors have warned that without proper rest Darius will face long-term consequences. Even with rest, there's no guarantee that he won't have some effects. Getting the man to sleep, though, is difficult. Still, the battle has been won for now and Liam has a promise to fulfill.
