Thanks for the reviews.

Acknowledgements are on first page

This was going to be the last instalment, however it will be far too long and ten is a nice round number. So this is the penultimate one.

CHAPTER 35 (sorry there were two chapter 33's last time!)

The time dragged for those in the Whitehouse waiting for something to happen. Hoping and praying for good news. Josh was well liked despite his tendency to speak before engaging his brain. Most people who worked closely with him had experienced his sensitive caring side. Often seemingly small gestures showed how much he loved those around him. Antique books and non-anniversary flowers, a father and son reunited, unquestioning support for a lapsed alcoholic, loyalty to a sick man, a goldfish named Gail, an introduction over chilli, a dimpled smile and a lover's touch.

People went about their business amid the tense atmosphere. Only the Senior Staff and their Senior Assistants were privy to the details, however everyone knew Carl was at GW and something had happened to Josh. Even if they didn't know much the tension amongst the Senior Staff was palpable, and there was a rumour circulating that a lady, believed to be Josh's mom, was in the residence. As 4 o'clock approached Leo, Sam, Toby, CJ, Charlie, Donna, Rachel Lyman, Abigail and Jed Bartlet assembled in the Oval. Soon they were joined by Ron Butterfield.

"Donna, how's Carl?"

"He's conscious now Sir. He doesn't remember anything after boarding the plane. He's going to be fine, should be home in a couple of days. His mom's here now looking after the baby so Cindy can stay with him." Although Donna addressed her answer to the President, she couldn't help but glance over to Ron as he came in attempting to read the expression on his face.

"Ron."

"Sir, everything is in place. I will be getting live updates from Mike who is with the team following Coleman." The President nodded in response.

The room's occupants waited in silence as Ron listened to his earpiece.

"He's at The Marriott in the bar. He's sitting with a blond man, I.D. as yet unknown." Ron paused as he listened again, "Coleman has accepted an envelope and is leaving. The blond man is staying and has ordered another drink." Ron concentrated for a while then looked up at the faces staring intently at him. "They have Coleman and there are two teams on our unsub."

"When will we know something?" Sam couldn't sit still anymore and began to pace the crowded room.

"Mike will give us an update every half an hour. He is going to question Coleman personally." Ron informed them.

"Charlie perhaps you could organise some coffee for everyone please." Leo asked the young man.

"Yes Leo, I'll get on to it." Charlie looked relieved to have something to do as he left the room.

CHAPTER 36

The next two hours went by without much happening. The blond man, who was identified as Simon Masters had remained at the bar. It had been confirmed, he was staying at the hotel. So they wouldn't be able to follow him until he left the next day. Mike was still getting information from Coleman who had been reluctant to talk but a deal had been struck.

At 7 o'clock Mike entered the Oval and was greeted by expectant faces.

"Mike what have you got?" The President wasted no time in getting down to it.

"Okay firstly Simon Masters is part of the group known as The Dark. He's mainly used as muscle. He's also a weapons and explosives expert, trained in the marines. He became involved with them when his younger brother was diagnosed with AIDS. We know he is staying at the Marriott tonight and has a 6 am flight to Phoenix. We know that's where he flew to DC from. He left his car at the airport which agents in Phoenix have already located and fitted with a tracking device. They are also keeping it under visual surveillance just in case. We are counting on him to lead us to Josh."

"Another night, we have to wait another night?" It was the first time Rachel Lyman had spoken for sometime. Her voice reflected the anguish expressed on her face. Sam tightened the arm he already had around her shoulders pulling her closer to him.

"I'm sorry Ma'am but Masters is our only real lead. We haven't been able to locate Marco Capelli. We think he must be with Josh." Mike swallowed, "I really wish I could give you some better news."

Rachel looked up at Mike, "I know Mike. I'm sorry. I know he's your friend this must be difficult for you as well."

"I have to admit at this moment I would give almost anything to see that smug Lyman grin." Mike's smile was infectious as everyone was momentarily lost in images of a smug swaggering Josh Lyman.

"What do we know about this group 'The Dark'?" The President drew everyone out of their reverie.

Mike looked nervously at Rachel, unsure how much to say in front of her. She noticed, "Just let us have it Mike. It can't be worse than anything I have imagined." Rachel sat up straighter in her resolve.

Helping himself to coffee Mike stopped to gather his thoughts. "We don't know as much as we would like to, we got some information from Coleman," he admitted. "We know that they are a small but determined organisation whose members appear to have one thing in common. They have lost a loved one to AIDS. They believe that homosexuality is un-natural. They work on the premise that their family members cannot be gay because they know how they were brought up. Therefore they must have been corrupted in some way. So they tend to blame the first person known to have had sex with their son, brother or nephew."

"That's bullshit!" Sam exploded.

"Of course it is but these people are no where close to rational." Toby tried to calm his deputy.

"Mike, so they think anyone else is perverted, as what a result of their upbringing?" Sam ignored Toby and looked directly at Mike.

"In a manner of speaking yes that is what they believe. As far as Marco is concerned he brought up a straight normal son. Josh would be seen as the perverted one because either his upbringing is unknown or he comes from a wealthy Ivy League background. Marco sees privilege as a breeding ground for deviants. Coleman's words not mine by the way." Mike held his hand up to ward off the fire he saw in Sam's eyes.

"This is unbelievable. It's like being in the Twilight Zone. What do they do to these so called 'deviants'? " Leo asked quietly his reluctance to hear the answer evident in his voice.

Taking a deep breath Mike surveyed the room. The set of his face showed his resolve to continue. "They refer to them as a 'Cause', implying that they caused the person's subsequent behaviour. In Joey's case this would mean they believe Josh caused him to go to San Francisco and have relationships with men. Basically Josh perverted him. " Mike paused to let that sink in. "They then have people they refer to as 'Infectors'. These are the men they believe passed on HIV to their loved ones."

Leo looked at Mike, "You didn't answer my question Mike."

"They kill them Leo. They always kill them." The stunned silence that followed was broken by the sound of a ringing cell phone."

Mike opened his phone with a shaking hand, "Yeah Casper."

"Where?" Mike listened.

"Okay, thanks. Keep me informed." Mike ended the call. "We think we have a sighting of Marco Capelli just outside Phoenix."

"Are they following him?" CJ demanded.

"They are following it up. He was seen at a gas station an hour ago. We took the risk of agents making enquiries in and around Phoenix. Once we got a picture of Capelli from the DMV. We will move resources now, concentrate our search."

"Mike, if they always kill the Cause. Why do you think they took Josh? Why not just kill him when the crash didn't? That's got to be a positive thing that they didn't, hasn't it?" Donna wrung her hands as she asked the series of questions.

"Honestly I don't know. They have a place they take the 'Infectors', we think this is where they have Josh." Mike explained.

"What do they do with the 'Infectors?" Donna needed to get all the information in her head even if it was difficult. Mike paused before answering.

"According to Coleman they get someone, to be honest by the time they know their son etc is HIV positive the real Infector is possibly dead. They take the person to this place and withhold all medication. They spend their last days or weeks in pain surrounded by images of the person they may have infected. Coleman says he thinks they have a doctor there. He's never been there and has no idea where it is. So I don't know how accurate his information is."

After two more hours of inactivity Mike's cell rang.

"Casper." Mike listened.

"When?"

"How many?"

"I'll get on a plane as soon as I can. I want to be there." Mike ended the call.

"Mike?" Sam stood and walked towards the agent.

"They've found Capelli. He was seen going into a compound on the outskirts of Phoenix not far from the gas station. They're watching the compound." Turning to the President, "Sir they'll need your say so to go in."

"Can we wait for you to get there?" The President queried.

"I don't think we should Sir, but we should wait a little while to see what Intel we can get. It might be safer to get heat traces done so we can see how many people there are and where they are located. If I start to head down there now I might get there before they are ready." Sam grabbed Mike's arm. "Please let me come with you."

Mike shook his head, "Sam I understand, I do, but I'm not sure that's a good idea."

"Please Mike, Sir. I promise I'll do as I'm told I won't get in the way. I need to do something. Please." Sam begged Mike and President Bartlet.

"Take him with you Mike. When they have a plan let me know and I'll give the go." "Thank you Sir." They both said as they hurried from the room, Rachel and Sam exchanged smiles as he passed her. She understood his need to be there. She would rather remain, not sure how she would cope it they found Josh dead.

CHAPTER 37

"Here I got you your cigarettes from the gas station." Marco handed the pack to the doctor.

"Thanks. Masters called. He'll be back in the morning. Coleman's been paid off but Masters said he was asking lots of questions. He doesn't trust him."

"He doesn't know anything though so he's no threat. He just likes being the big man about town that's all, a stuffed shirt."

"We have another assignment, so once Lyman is done we will be going to California few a few days."

"Warmth, nice." The doctor closed his eyes to indicate bliss.

"Have you checked on our guest?" Marco brought him back to reality.

"Oh yeah, he's so far gone I think suicide will be a merciful release from his mental torture. Leave him a bit longer and tomorrow morning we will give him the opportunity to end it all." The doctor smiled at the thought.

"Good. I'm going to get some rest. You should to. I've set the alarms everything is secure." Marco wandered off in the direction of the rest area where there were cots. He changed direction and headed for the AV room. Pulling the blind aside he looked through into the dimly lit room. He could just see the figure in the chair. Face showing pain both physical and psychological, but the eyes, despite the tear tracks they were more distant than Marco had ever seen on someone who was alive. "Ladies and gentleman Josh Lyman has left the building." He said quietly to himself as he closed the blind. He headed back to the rest area and lay down on one of the cots.

The pressure on his chest felt like a knee which would fit in with the feeling of his face being slapped. "Come on Capelli rise and shine."

Marco opened his eyes and tried to push the man off him and reach his weapon. "Looking for this?" The man on top smiled and held up a knife.

He was dragged up, handcuffed and pushed towards the door. Here he was handed to two men who roughly pushed him into a cage in a van. In the next cage he could hear the doctor saying, "Oh my god" over and over.

"Come on Sam the area's secured and they found him. He's alive but in a bad way." Mike told Sam as they sat in the SUV awaiting news. The entry had been easy in the end. There were only two people inside and one of them had gone out for a cigarette turning off the security alarms. The other man was found sound asleep probably assuming that the alarms would wake him if the perimeter was breached.

Sam and Mike hurried into the building, following the EMT's that had been called to see to Josh. Sam stopped suddenly as he caught sight of Josh. "Josh," he breathed shocked by his lover's appearance. Collecting himself he ran to him. "Josh I'm here. I'm here baby, can you hear me?"

"Sir we really need to get to him." Sam didn't realise he had pushed past the EMT's in his haste to get to Josh. "Sorry." He said stepping away to give them room to work.

"Josh can you hear me? Josh I'm an Emergency Medical Technician we're here to help you."

"He's on something coming through the IV. Can someone get the bag from next door so they can test it to see what he's being given?" Mike responded and sent a man to do their bidding.

"Tachycardia 140, thready."

"BP 90 over 50."

"Respiration 34, shallow."

"Can we get his arm off the wall?" Mike nodded to another man who proceeded to undo the ring and release Josh's hand.

"There's reduced peripheral circulation on the left. Plaster's too tight."

Sam watched as they checked an unresponsive Josh over, gradually becoming aware that there were images playing on the walls. The lights were on in the room so they weren't obvious at first. Then he heard the sounds, sirens, gunshots, and voices. He looked at Josh and saw for the first time the vacant expression in his eyes. He didn't know where Josh was but he wasn't here with his body. "Mike the walls, look."

Mike looked. "Get whatever is being played here we'll need to analyse it." He instructed. Mike had noticed Josh's vacant eyes as well. "PTSD?" He queried with Sam.

"Worst I've ever seen him. What the hell have they done to him?" Sam sighed blinking away the tears that threatened to fall.

"You're his partner?" The EMT addressed Sam pulling him back to the moment.

"Yes, Sam Seaborn."

"What can you tell us about his medical history?"

"He was shot in the chest. He had a collapsed left lung and they had to repair his pulmonary artery. He has to watch his blood pressure and still gets stiffness in his right arm. He has to be careful if he gets the flu because of his heart and lungs. He had a car accident and is paralysed from the waist down." Sam knew he was babbling but hoped he got everything out. "He has PTSD." He added more quietly.

The EMT nodded. "Wow he's been busy. Thanks that was very helpful. Does he take any medication?"

"Yeah he takes Aspirin, Captopril, and Ativan if he needs it."

"Thanks." The EMT turned his attention back to Josh.

The EMT's huddled together discussing something. "What's wrong?" Mike asked.

"He's really dehydrated and the plan is to get him to DC. We're not happy to use the IV site they put in here as we don't know what's being going through it. His left arm is not an option neither is his head. It's not recommended for paraplegics to have IV's in their feet or legs. We don't do central lines, so I would suggest we get a doctor here ASAP to get some fluids into him centrally, lower his heart rate and see to his left arm.

"I'm on it." Mike spoke in to his radio, then listened. "Ten minutes."

The EMT nodded in response.

Sam's cell vibrated in his pocket. He answered it, "Sam Seaborn."

"No he's still here Sir. We're waiting for a doctor to stabilise him and put a central line in. Then he can be taken straight to GW."

Sam smiled a little as Dr Bartlet came on the speaker phone.

"No Ma'am they've been giving him some drugs and don't want to use that line, his left arm is broken. He has bandage on his head and looks like he's been punched in the face a few times."

"No he's not saying anything."

"Yes he is conscious, but …he's not quite here. They, they had some film playing. I didn't see it all but some of it was Rosslyn. There were sirens and gunshots. He didn't even respond to me."

"Yes Rachel, but this is a really bad episode. He seems almost catatonic." Sam couldn't stop the catch in his voice as he looked at the unusually still Josh Lyman and spoke to his mother on the phone.

"We'll be back in three hours Mike said. So I'll see you all at GW." Sam couldn't wait to get off the phone.

"I will thank you Sir." Sam closed his phone.

"Doc's here." Mike said as he led a man into the room.

CHAPTER 38

The flight to DC was uneventful. Josh remained unresponsive but stable. Sam tried several times to get a flicker of recognition from the man he shared his life with. Nothing and eventually Sam sighed and gave up content in holding Josh's right hand.

The transfer to GW was by helicopter which landed on the roof of the hospital. Sam followed closely by the gurney as it left the elevator as Josh was taken to be assessed in the ER. Waiting for them were Rachel, CJ, Toby, Donna and Leo. Dr Bartlet was standing with the waiting medical team.

Rachel ran forward to see Josh; her hand flew to her mouth as she saw her son. Tears rolled down her cheeks, "Joshua, oh my Joshua. What have they done to you?"

Sam and Rachel hugged as Josh was whisked into the room that was guarded by agents.

They were shown into the waiting room. So familiar, the third time they had waited for news of Josh. Donna busied herself getting coffees for people, CJ and Toby discussed what to tell the press, Leo updated the President and Sam and Rachel sat in silence holding hands.

Eventually Br Bartlet came in to update them. "Okay he's going up to ICU for tonight as they are worried he might have some side effects from the drugs and he is having an occasional arrhythmia. He's dehydrated and on IV fluids. Working down he has a laceration to his head which we think he got in the crash. It's been cleaned and sutured. He has obviously been punched in the face but luckily nothing is broken just severely bruised and a few more lacerations which needed attention. His left arm has two fractures and he will need surgery to pin them, but for now he has back-slab to immobilise it. The plaster has been removed and he has normal circulation and no lasting damage. He has a bladder infection due to a dirty catheter that was put in and an infection at the IV site due also to dirty equipment."

"Dr Bartlet do you think they reused the equipment?" Sam was thinking about the 'Infectors' that had been housed there.

Understanding what Sam was asking, "We believe the equipment was used as single use but the doctor's hygiene was poor. They are going to do blood tests for hepatitis and HIV, if you give permission. Josh doesn't have capacity to make any decisions at the moment." Abigail Bartlet looked troubled as she spoke. The sight of Josh being in such mental trauma was distressing for her. God only knows how Sam and Rachel were dealing with it.

"Yes of course I give permission." This wasn't the first time Sam had used the medical power of attorney he held for Josh.

"Sam they are going to get a psychiatrist to see him later, but if his metal state doesn't improve he may have to go to the psychiatric unit."

"No! I won't have him in a place like that. It will be the end of him. No one will trust him again. I'll take him home and get private care for him. I'll get Dr Keyworth." Sam was vehement. "I'll help you, he's not going to some institution." Rachel was just as vehement.

Whatever Abigail Bartlet was about to say was interrupted.

Mike came in to the room followed by a man pushing a trolley with a TV and DVD player. "I need you to see this. It's what they had Josh watching."

Mike set up the TV and everyone gathered round to watch in shocked silence. The images before them were mostly computer generated from press pictures. It was very realistic. Josh being shot, blood all over his chest, a house on fire, Joanie's grave, screams, gunshots and sirens on the sound track. Then Sam, a gunshot and Sam with blood on him. A body bag being unzipped to show the face of a now dead Sam. All the time the screams and sirens interspersed with classical music, brass bands playing Christmas carols, and all to start again round in a loop Josh being shot, house burning, Joanie's grave and Sam being shot, blood and in a body bag.

CJ walked to Sam and pulled him into a hug. "I just need to hold you to make sure it's not real. Poor Josh, no wonder he can't cope with what he saw."

"He was sleep deprived, drugged, dehydrated, frightened, in pain and then they left him alone in the dark and exposed him to that repeatedly." Mike confirmed what had happened.

"Torture, he was tortured to within an inch of his sanity." Toby's anger showed in his voice.

"They must have known about the PTSD. I mean the actual details. It is so specifically designed to trigger him in the worst possible way." Leo surmised.

"He thinks I'm dead. I have to show him I'm not dead. I have to go to him." Sam tried to get out of the room but was stopped by the First Lady.

"Sam we need to get some specialist advice. Call Dr Keyworth, Josh needs him." Sam nodded.

In the end Donna made the call. Reminding Stanley what Josh had told her when she asked why he was getting Josh to see someone else. "He's not too easy a case for you anymore Dr Keyworth." He agreed to come day after tomorrow as it was hoped Josh would be medically stable by then.

TBC for the final part