-1
A/N: I do not own the characters or any references to the show "NUMB3RS" and no infringement is intended.
Thank you for your reviews and a special note to montez; "I found a boat."
Chapter 12:
Back on the dock, Agent Reeves was pacing the edge of the water like a caged lion, even seasoned Lt Walker knew to stay out of her way. Her fists balled at her side and the intense look upon her face would have given pause to even the worst of offenders.
"Where are they….his hands were tied….he can't swim….they've got to find him fast!" she was mumbling to herself and alternately looking at her watch and the harbor, and becoming more and more agitated by the second.
"How long has it been….they'll have to come up for air soon…how long can a person stay down there and still survive? Does anybody see them!?"
She was talking too fast to get any answers from anyone and stopped suddenly and turned when she actually heard someone respond.
A young officer standing nearby answered one of her questions. "Three minutes Agent Reeves…. in three minutes a person will lose consciousness, five minutes and the brain will suffer from ….uh….lack of oxygen." He stammered after receiving glares from the agent and his lieutenant. Swallowing hard he added, "I'm just saying….ah…..ah…I'll go and check along the dock area,"
"That might be good idea, son'" his lieutenant advised as he covered his mouth with his hand to hide the smile that was beginning to appear there. He had never met a woman who could intimidate a man the way Agent Reeves could.
Turning back to the agent he tried to keep his voice calm, "Look Reeves, they've only been down there for a minute and I've got men all along the dock watching for them."
Suddenly, Don's head broke the surface of the water startlingly them; he took a few gulps of air and disappeared once again. Sinclair and Granger popped up a few seconds later and after inhaling a few breaths of air they followed him back down.
The agent brought both hands up to her face, "Oh, my God….they can't find him!"
"There was a storm last night, the water isn't as clear as it usually is, that's probably why they are having so much trouble locating the professor. They'll find him Reeves, I know they will." although his words lacked the conviction that it had held only moments ago.
She looked back at the water, she wasn't sure he really believed that, thought he might be saying it just to keep her hopes up…still, she wasn't ready to give up yet. She started pacing again, she couldn't help it, it was either pace or jump in the water herself.
Turning back to Walker she stopped and asked again "How long have they been down?"
The lieutenant sighed and looked at his watch again "We're going on three minutes…this isn't good." the worry was more evident in his voice this time.
"Does anyone have eyes on the agents in the water? he called out. Negative responses came back as his officers reported in.
"Spread out along the entire dock, the next time they come up they're all going to need some help, that water has got to be pretty cold this early in the morning."
They kept watching the water…nothing…ten minutes….fifteen minutes….panic was beginning to take control over her professionalism. She looked at Walker, his solid demeanor was beginning to crumble.
Her eyes followed the dock and came to rest on the ambulance that had been called to the scene and now waited along with the rest of them.
LAPD and San Pedro police officers along with several more FBI agents lined the dock and surrounding coast line, all carefully watching the water for the five missing men. Two officers had gone in to look for them and had just popped back up to the surface. They swam back to the dock and were helped out of the water. Shivering from the cold, they were quickly wrapped in blankets.
Megan and Gary hurried over to them.
"Daniels, Moser, any sign of them." Lieutenant Walker asked anxiously.
"No sir," Officer Daniels responded. "It's really muddy down there from the storm, it was difficult to see anything."
Officer Moser added, "The water is really cold sir. If they stay down there much longer all of them will end up with hypothermia." he paused and then asked. " Should we go back down, sir?"
"No, get dressed and go warm up. We'll send two more officers down and the coast guard should have some diver's over here within the next twenty minutes."
Megan frowned, she had contacted the Coast Guard but she felt it was taking way too long for them to get there. She had never been good at waiting, particularly under these kind of circumstances and she had a really bad feeling that if she didn't do something soon today's events would haunt her for the rest of her life. Something was terribly wrong, three agents, one professor and a madman, and no one had surfaced in at least twenty-five minutes.
A shadow fell over her and she looked up at the sky. The sun had disappeared behind some dark clouds and they were moving fast. The wind had shifted it's direction toward them, bringing another storm in from the outlying ocean. She could feel the temperature dropping as the wind started blowing stronger and the sea started getting rougher.
"Great," she thought, "just what we need, another storm. If it starts raining, we'll never find them in time."
The wind started whipping her hair around her face so she pulled a hair band from her pocket to secure it from blowing around and took another walk along the dock. She turned back and headed toward Walker but abruptly stopped in her tracks; turning her ear into the wind . She thought she heard something…it was very faint…."was that a yell for help?….no, make that several yells for help!!" The agent sprinted toward the sounds.
Walker caught up with her and she asked excitedly, "Do you hear them?"
"Yes….where are they coming from?" he returned breathlessly.
"I don't know…they sound really far away. Wait….. I think it's coming from behind…these boats!" and she ran faster.
Darting up another ramp that was alongside a large yacht, she quickly ran to the edge and frantically looked out into the harbor. The water was getting rougher with the approaching storm and the clouds overhead suddenly let loose with a downpour, making it even more difficult to see anything over the waves rippling higher with the onset of the storm.
Ignoring the rain, the agent anxiously pulled out her binoculars and began searching the harbor. The yells had stopped, either the rain was covering them up or they were unable to call out anymore. She fervently hoped that it was the former.
"Nothing…they have to be there…they must be further out." she thought to herself as she continued her search.
"Lt. Walker do you see anything?
He had his own binoculars out trying to locate them. "Nothing yet" he quietly responded.
The agent expanded her search area and concentrated further out into the harbor. Abruptly she stopped and focused her lens on an area toward the middle of the marina. She thought she saw something but then a large swell of water hid it from view. She took the sleeve of her jacket and wiped the water off of the lens and took another look …..and saw four heads bobbing up and down in the water before another swell took them from sight.
"I see them!" she yelled over the storm. "There….near the center of the harbor." she added as she pointed in the direction of the four men.
She frantically turned to Walker, "We've got to get a boat out there, they're out too far to swim back.!"
"We'll get the Coast Guard out there." he quickly responded.
Megan was shaking her head, "No, there isn't time…we need a boat now!" and she raced around him and headed for the last boat ramp where the tender for Bashere's yacht was still moored.
She ran up the ramp and jumped on board the boat with Walker and the two young police officer's that she had met earlier right behind her.
There was a San Pedro police officer on board and two cuffed crewmen sitting in the main area.
It was a large boat and completely enclosed, offering them protection from the rain. It could easily seat a dozen people or more. Luxurious seats and extravagant amenities dotted the interior and it was obvious that's it's owner spared no expense for his comfort.
The agent didn't care about any of this, desperately she turned to the San Pedro officer.
She flashed her badge and asked. "Is one of these men the pilot?"
The officer stood up and pointed at the older of the two crewmen. "Yes, agent, this man is the pilot…why?"
She ignored his question and turned to the man.
"Stand up." she demanded, and as he stood she roughly turned him around so his hands were facing the officer.
"Release him!"
"Agent?" The puzzled officer looked at her like she had lost her mind.
"This is an FBI operation and I am the lead agent. I expect you to do as I say." She turned back to the pilot. "I have four men who will drown if we don't get this boat out to them right away and you are going to take us there!"
Agent Reeves drew herself up and turned steely eyes on the officer, "I said ..release him!"
That look was all the officer needed to get moving. Quickly pulling out his keys he un-cuffed the man and started to lead him toward the controls.
"Wait!" the agent commanded and she turned to the other crewman. "Do you have any emergency equipment on board?"
The crewman nodded his head in affirmation.
She turned back again to the officer, "Release him, he's going to help these men gather all of the necessary equipment, isn't that right?"
"Ah…yes ma'm." he answered immediately.
"Let's get moving!" she commanded. "We've got to hurry!"
Lt Walker leaned out of the doorway and commanded another officer to remove the moor line and then joined Megan and the others in the wheel house. The pilot started the engine and backed the tender away from the dock and slowly turned it around and headed out into the harbor.
………………………………...
An ocean swell enveloped all of them and they went under.
Colby was the first up and gasped for air….he frantically looked around for his friends. The swells were coming faster and now rain had joined the mix which made it even more difficult to see anything. A movement to his right caught his attention and he turned in time to see David surface about ten feet away. The agent quickly swam over to his partner's side and grabbed his shirt to keep them from separating in the next swell.
"Colby," he gasped. "You see… Don …or ….Charlie?"
"No." the other agent had to shout to be heard over the sounds of the storm and the surf. Can't….see….any….thing…in…this….crap."
"We've…got….to…find…them." David yelled back.
Suddenly Colby shouted, "There! Over there!" he could just barely see the tops of their heads and he wasn't sure how much longer they could remain above the water. "Come …on….hurry!"
They swam another fifteen feet and Colby grabbed Don while David latched onto Charlie. Both men were gasping for air and Charlie let out a moan as David tried to pull him from his brother, but Don had a death grip on the younger man and wouldn't let go.
"Don….Don…let….him…go!" The agent shouted at him.
A grim determination appeared in the older man's eyes and he resolutely refused to release his brother. "NO!" he shouted back. "We….stay…together!"
"Man….your….hurting….him….let…him…go….I'll…take….him." the junior agent pleaded with him.
A look of awareness seemed to appear on Don's face and he loosened the grip around his brother's chest a little but not completely and then he spoke to the other two agents.
"You….guys…should…head…for….shore, you…might….make…it."
Disbelief was etched on the faces of both agents. After all they had been through, did Don really think that they would just leave them here to die but before they could respond the older agent spoke again.
'Please….I….can't…..ask….you….to…die….for…us, maybe…bring…help….back…in…time…to…save…us." It was getting harder to talk while simultaneously trying to breathe and still keep them both from going under.
They were all surprised when they heard Charlie speak. It was hard for the younger agents to hear him so they moved around so they could see his face.
"Please….make…Don…let….me…go." he rasped as loudly as he could. "You…three…could….make…it….to…shore." he coughed as he swallowed some water.
"NO!" Don said angrily. "Don't ….think….that…way…Charlie." his voice softened as he said his brother's name. "But…you…guys…need…to…go."
"My…choice…Don….I'm….staying." David replied as he fought to keep his head above the water.
Colby spit out some water and added "I'm… not …going…. either…. we …. live or… die…. together."
………………………………...
The pilot steered the tender toward the center of the harbor under the direction of the agent in charge. Visibility was poor but the FBI agent and the police lieutenant were watching the water closely through their binoculars.
Megan would lose them when the high swells hit and then find them again as the swells subsided. Once, she even lost them completely and in a blind panic almost took the controls herself just to get the boat to go faster. Fortunately, she hadn't lost all of her common sense and thankfully, Walker was there to keep her grounded.
"We're getting closer," she yelled to the pilot, "We have about fifty feet to go."
"Which side of the boat are they on?" he asked.
"On the starboard side." the other crewman called back.
The pilot veered the boat away from the people in the water.
"What are you doing?! Megan hissed at him, "we were almost there!"
"I have to pick them up on the windward side." he responded, and seeing her confusion he added, "Upwind… there's a better chance of rescue on the upwind side of the boat."
"This better not be some kind of trick." she returned angrily.
"No ma'm it isn't , it's the truth. How close are we now?" he asked.
"Twenty feet," the lieutenant answered him, "ten feet…stop! "We're right along side of them now."
The pilot quickly put the boat into neutral and held it as steady as he could in the rough seas.
The other crewman lifted the door covering and they all looked down into the water.
All four of the men had somehow managed to keep from going under, but barely. They were so intent on staying afloat that no one realized the ship was only five feet from them.
Megan went to the doorway and got down on her knees so she was closer to the water. She leaned out and yelled their names to try and get their attention.; she wasn't having any luck, either they didn't hear her or they were too far gone to notice. The agent crawled back into the interior.
"Give me a lifejacket, I'm going in." she commanded as she began to remove some of her gear.
"Agent Reeves, you should let us go in, we can help them get into the boat." Officer Daniels said motioning to himself and his partner.
The agent knew he was right, her friends would stand a better chance of surviving if the two men when in after them so she agreed and handed life jackets to both of them.
Walker was beside them giving out instructions.. "You'll need to get life jackets on all of them as soon as possible, that will give them more of a chance because it may take us a while to get them out of the water."
"I'll hand them down to you after your in. Try to get the Professor out first, he may have some serious injuries. Be safe gentlemen."
The officers finished gearing up and after the crewman rolled down the ladder, they quickly descended into the water.
The four men had been floating closely together and were surprised when the officer's popped up beside them. They heard a shout and turned to see the boat and the lieutenant tossing a life jacket to each of his men. Without wasting anytime, they each proceeded to put a life jacket on the agent nearest him. When Officer Moser finished with Agent Granger he retrieved another jacket and headed back to Don. The older agent wouldn't relinquish his hold on his brother, so he couldn't get the jacket on him.
"Sir…I…need…to…put…this…on…you."
The agent shook his head, "Put…it…on…him…first." he said with a nod toward his brother.
At that moment his partner joined him with a jacket for Charlie. It took them a few minutes but they finally succeeded in getting the jackets on them while Don still clung to his brother.
"We…need…to…get…closer…to the boat." Moser shouted, "We'll help…you…climb…the…ladder."
Colby shouted over the noise of the boat. "His…hands….are….tied….he…won't… be …able… to… climb….up."
David yelled, "Can…you…cut….his…hands…free?"
The officer shook his head and yelled back, "No…it's too….dangerous….under….these…conditions…might cut….him…instead."
"How…do…we…get…him…on…the...boat?" Don yelled over the noise.
"If.. we… can get ….him …close ….enough… they will ..be able….to pull… him… into the boat."
They worked their way closer to the boat until they were gathered around the ladder. The crewman tossed a rope to one of the officer's in the water; he grabbed the rope and turned to Charlie.
"Sir…I'm…going…to…tie…this…around…your…chest…so…they…can…pull..you…up."
Before Charlie could reply, his brother spoke up.
"Be…careful….he…may…have…some…broken…ribs." He coughed and spit out some water and then continued.. "Tie…it…high…under…his….arms.
The officer took the rope and pulled it underneath the vest and high under the professor's arms. After making sure that his knot would hold , he gave the rope two sharp pulls so that the lieutenant would know they were ready.
Don floated near the ladder and anxiously watched as Charlie was slowly hauled up the side of the boat. His brother grimaced in pain at each tug of the rope and the older man silently prayed that he would survive the rescue attempt.
The rain came down in a deluge at the same time as a large swell of water washed over them, knocking the young mathematician sideways against the boat.
Don's heart stopped when he heard his brother cry out in pain and watched in horror as the rope slipped, dropping him back into the raging sea and out of sight. Panic-stricken the older man started forward only to see Charlie pulled back out of the water by the others on the boat.
His brother hung there, gasping for breath, and then they tried again to pull him up. This time they were successful and Don took a deep breath as his brother was taken over the side of the boat.
The older agent was next to go up and it wasn't until he started up the ladder that he realized just how exhausted he was. The younger officers helped push him up and he was pulled inside the boat. He sat for a few moments where he landed, then spotting Charlie stretched out on a cushioned bench, he slowly worked his way over to his side.
Megan was holding Charlie on his side so that the lieutenant could cut the ropes on his hands. Finally, the ropes were cut and she gently laid him back down on the cushions. The agent immediately began to wrap him up in blankets and called to someone to turn up the heat in the boat.
She grabbed another blanket and wrapped it around Don, and for the first time he realized how badly he was shivering. Holding it tighter around himself, he eased down on the bench that was directly across from his brother. He reached over and pulled the blanket a little closer to the young man's chin and Charlie turned his head and their eyes met.
"Hey, Buddy, how are you doing? " He asked quietly.
"Been better." his brother whispered back. "Cold…and my side hurts."
"I know, we'll get you warmed up soon, but you need to stay awake…okay? I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't have some broken ribs, too."
He didn't get a response, Charlie had closed his eyes. Don squeezed his shoulder and he opened them again.
"You've got to stay awake, try real hard to stay awake, okay? he asked anxiously.
His brother nodded his head and whispered "I'll try.
From his vantage point, he watched as first David and then Colby were pulled on board. and immediately wrapped in blankets by Megan as they joined him on the bench., each greeting his brother as they sat down.
Finally, the two LAPD officers were pulled in and the lieutenant closed the door. Once everyone was settled and covered in blankets, Megan made her way to the pilot and ordered him to head for shore.
