Chapter 29

Eliot closed the door and immediately turned to Hardison.

"I think he has an earbud on him Hardison…see if you can get a signal." Eliot barked to the Hacker as he took out his phone and dialed Jules' number.

Hardison did not bother to ask how Eliot knew Nate had an earbud in his possession. He opened his computer and locked on to the only earbud that was moving.

"Jules…It's Eliot…"

"Eliot is Nate ok?" Jules responded immediately assuming by the tone of Eliot's voice that this call had something to do with the Mastermind.

"No…what did you do with Sterling…I mean what did Nate have you do?" Eliot asked.

"We had to get him away, I gave him the same drug I gave Nate to induce heart seizure." Jules explained without hesitation, something was seriously wrong.

"No it can't be that…How did you know what antidote to use on Sterling? " Eliot asked.

"Nate told me the time period to look in, based on his speculation on what happened to Burns after he was taken away by what he supposed was the CIA. I tested for all the compounds and found one." Jules said waiting to hear what this all about.

"Ok…Ok…Jules check those again, are there any in that time period that were produced or…or made in that period that are liquids that turn gaseous after being exposed to air?" Eliot asked urgently.

"Ok…but it's going to take a little time." Jules said. "Eliot…what's going on?"

"No time for that Jules, just get the likely antidotes for that and any other poisons you might think this guy Burns might use and let me know when you do. I'll fill you in then and tell you where to go." Eliot told his friend. "Jules, make it quick…"

"Right…" Jules said then the phone went dead as Eliot hung up.

"Are you going to tell us what the hell is going on Eliot?" Sophie asked the giving words the question on all their minds.

"I'll tell you on the way." Eliot told her fitting on his brace of knives. "Hardison, the signal…?"

"Got it, they are headed out of town."

"Ok…I'll drive let's go." Eliot said grabbing the keys and headed for the door followed by the rest.

"So where are we going…?" Nate asked as Burns indicated he should get into the driver's seat.

"Oh a place we both know…We are going to end this where it started." Burns said getting in the passenger's seat and keeping the gun trained on Nate.

Nate started the car and drove in the direction indicated by Burns. He knew where they were going. Burns was taken him back to the beginning, to the place where all of this had started seventeen years ago. As he drove neither of them spoke and Nate's thoughts drifted to the team. He was sure Eliot had understood his meaning when he spoke of Jules. He had slipped an earbud into his pocket before slipping out to release the team from the little office. They would be able to track him with its GPS. Now all he could do is go with Burns and try to stall until the team got to him.

"Eliot…" Sophie asked as they sped away.

"That little speech about Jules, it could only have meant one thing, contact him. I assumed Nate had some way for us to track him too, turns out he did, the earbud. Now you know as much as I do Sophie." Eliot said as he raced toward the Mastermind's signal. "Hardison…"

"Yeah man just keep going straight man, they are headed straight out of town. I'm checking the area they are traveling to for any links…hey, hey man, I got it." Hardison said jubilantly then continued. "There is a house out here that was owned by one John Burns…father of Jason Burns. That must be where they are headed."

"Great, get Jules on the line and tell him the address and tell him to get over there as soon as possible." Eliot said.

"Do you recognize it Ford?" Burns said as he told Nate to park the car in the driveway.

"Your father's house..." Nate said taking in the run down building his mind traveling back in time seventeen years ago. "You kept it?"

"Of course I kept it…it was part of the deal I cut. Fitting that you will meet your end here don't you think?" Burns said motioning to Nate to exit the vehicle.

The two men climbed out of the car and stood before the house. "Let's go Ford." Burns said ushering Nate into the house. "You know where to go don't you?" Burns laughed softly.

Nate looked at Burns then headed down to the basement, to Burns' torture chamber from all those years ago. Nate noticed that the place was clean and well cared for unlike the rest of the dilapidated house. The lab was fully functioning. In the middle of the room was the chair that Burns had restrained his victims in when he administered the poisons to them. This was his little house of horrors and Nate was about to experience his love of inflicting pain first hand.

"Take a seat Ford." Burns said pushing Nate towards the chair. Nate stumbled forward and into the chair. "Now Ford arms on the arm rests…" Nate obliged and before he could do anything two metal bars locked over his arms down to his wrists. "No escape I am afraid to say Ford, this is the end of the road for you." Burns said turning towards the work table at the back of the room and putting the gun down.

Nate watched as Burns set to work. He tested the restraints and realized that he was secure; there was no way he could get out of them.

"So Burns, you never did answer me on the boat. Why wait seventeen years?" Nate said genuinely interested and needing to get Burns talking, he needed to buy the team some time to get to him.

"I was busy." Burns answered over his shoulder. Nate could see he was busy preparing some kind of solution and knew it was meant for him.

"So you said." Nate said casually. "Care to elaborate…I'm just curious."

"Ok...I will oblige your curiosity. Well let's see." Burns said turning to face Nate. "They... and you know who they are…They kept me very busy and very confined during those first years. They needed me, wanted my knowledge, in exchange for that I got to live, amongst other things." Burns said. "Then when I was in a position to act…well it was pretty pointless."

"Pointless…?" Nate repeated his brows knotting into a frown.

"Yes, pointless. I realized that even if I did go after you, no matter how much pain I inflicted on you it would be pointless." Burns said then smiled at him. "You probably would have invited me in and thanked me for killing you, for punishing you. I was not going to give you that." Burns explained. "So I decided to wait and watch. Actually I thought you would kill yourself at one stage, you had the weapon and you did come close didn't you?" Burns said raising his eyebrows to emphasize the question. "It would have been poetic justice if you had blown your own brains out but you didn't. I was actually a little disappointed that you never did I can tell you."

"Sorry to disappoint." Nate replied nonchalantly.

"Oh well, then you became worth my interest again a few years ago, and now here we are." Burns told him then turned back to his workstation. Silence settled between then as Burns continued to prepare his potion. Then turning back to Nate he looked at him with such a look of evil in his eyes that Nate actually cringed.

"Now Ford this…" Burns held up the syringe he had filled with fluid. "This is a concoction I made with you in mind." He smiled at Nate and looked lovingly at his poison. "The pain it causes is quite exquisite." He said stepping towards Nate.

"Turn up here Eliot…yeah, there's Burns' car." Hardison said as they pulled into the driveway of the old house. "Jules will be here soon, he said he was on his way." Hardison shouted as they all piled out of the car and raced to the door of the house. Eliot brought them to a halt at the door. Parker quickly opened it and Eliot moved in. The hallway was deserted, the house silent.

"You three…" He indicated Sophie, Hardison and Maggie. "You head upstairs. Parker and I will take down here. Be careful guys and if you spot them, call." Eliot said. The three nodded and headed off up the stairs. Parker and Eliot started checking the downstairs rooms.

"Eliot…Basement." Parker said as she opened the door quietly and saw the stairs headed down. Eliot nodded and they descended the stairs quietly and carefully. When they reached the bottom they came to a heavy metal door that was closed and locked.

"They are in there I am sure." Parker said.

Eliot nodded his agreement, but was not sure what to do. They could hear nothing from behind the door and it was not going to be easy to open. He did not want to spook Barns into acting before they could get to him. "Parker…?" He asked looking at the Thief then at the door.

Parker nodded and se to work on the door. A few minutes later Sophie and the others had joined them having completed the sweep of the upstairs area and finding nothing. "Done…" Parker said stepping back to make room for Eliot.

Eliot indicated that they should stay back then lifted his foot and kicked the door open and rushed into the room. What he saw made his movements more urgent. Nate was restrained in a chair in the middle of the room with Burns bent over him. The man was busy injecting Nate with some form of substance. Fear gripped Eliot and he moved with the speed of desperation grabbing the man and throwing him into his workbench and away from Nate. He glanced momentarily at the Mastermind and then concentrated on Burns who was going for another vial of liquid. Before he could get to it however Eliot buried one of his knives to the hilt in his chest.

Burns looked down at the knife then into the eyes of the Hitter. "You… are… too… late…" He said haltingly then crumbled to the floor dead.

Well Burns is dead but what about Nate. Are they too late? Did Burns manage to inject Nate with the poison? If so will Jules arrive in time and will he have the right antidote? Sorry for the cliffhanger, but I won't let you hang too long I promise. Thank you all for your reviews and I look forward to reading what you think of this chapter too. Please keep them coming…