Chapter 22

Two days later the team watched Nate walked towards the warehouse where the meeting would take place. All had been put in place. They were using Sterling and Interpol to do the takedown and they too were in place. It was now up to Nate to bring it all together.

Sophie watched him walk and saw the way each step was an effort on his part. His breathing had improved over the last two days but she could see he was in constant pain and she was worried about how much he was not saying, not telling them to avoid them pulling them out of this final stage. There was nothing she could do now. It was in motion and either it would be a happy ending or not, she could not control that.

Eliot watched Nate walk towards the warehouse. He was well aware that Nate as a ticking time bomb, he could drop down dead at any time from heart failure, respiratory failure or God knows what else. The man should be in a hospital. He wasn't though he was walking into a warehouse in which a woman wanted to kill him, and her men were. He was alone, they were out here, but Eliot knew that if anything did go down they would not get to Nate in time to save him. This had to go exactly as Nate had planned or it was going to end badly for him.

Parker was on the far side of the building watching Nate as he walked towards the warehouse. She was worried about him. She thought of Nate as something more than a father figure, he was the man who trusted her, believed in her, cared for her, without wanted to change her in any way. Archie was her father figure, the one that had taught her everything. Nate was the man who accepted her for what she was. He was the man who had taught her there was more to life than just stealing. He was the man who had given her a family, taken her into his family, unlike Archie. He was the man she would die for without question. Now he was walking alone into a warehouse where he could be killed and she had no control of the outcome. She was ready though. She was ready to carry out Nate's plan not matter what.

Hardison watched on the monitors as the man he admired and cared for walked towards the warehouse. Hardison admired Nate. He wanted to be like Nate, a mastermind, seeing everything, being able to work out the problem and execute the plan. He cared for Nate deeply and watching him walk towards the warehouse from which he could very well never emerge from was difficult. But he was ready, like he knew the others were. This plan would work. Nate's plans always worked in the end.

Nate walked towards the warehouse. He took in the surroundings and could almost see the unseen people lurking, her people and his. He was still in a lot of pain but the pills the doctor had given him helped. He just had to get through the next few hours and then it would all be over. He kept his eyes on the door and saw Jacob step out with five men, all heavily armed. He smiled slightly and carried on walking until he stood just in front of the man.

"Jacob."

Jacob did not greet him back he motioned to his men to search Nate which they did nearly toppling the man over as they did so roughly.

"Not in the best of shapes are we Nate?" Jacob said noticing the sheen of sweat on the man's forehead and his unsteadiness.

"Let's get this over with."

"In such a hurry to die aren't you. Well you got it coming. She is not going to fall for your charms again Nate, third time unlucky." Jacob smirked then motioned for the men to escort Nate into the warehouse.

Nate did not need to do much to make this work. Hardison had managed to get everything they needed from Jacob's computer. He just had to make sure all the players were there. Jacob, the lieutenants and most of all Jenifer. Then Sterling could come in and swoop them all up and it would be over. He had made a number of phone calls that would ensure each of the players would be present, and of course his visit to Jacob had ensured Jeni's presence. He looked around the warehouse but did not see any of the other three men he had wanted there. He also did not see Jeni. One of the men pushed him forward as his gait slowed and he stumbled a little before regaining his balance and then was brought to a stop almost in the middle of the large cavernous space.

"Ok Nate I got all the cameras. Jenkins is arriving now and there are two other cars on the way." Hardison reported.

"She has a lot of men here Nate." Eliot added. "All heavily armed, she is not going to go down easy."

"Then she will go down hard." Sterling chipped in.

"Nate be careful." Sophie whispered.

"I see her. She just arrived at the back." Parker reported from her viewpoint.

Nate listened and knew that all the players were converging and the play was about to start. Nate stood still with the five goons and Jacob surrounding him. He watched as Jeni walked into the warehouse directly towards him. She walked right up to him and then slapped him across the face hard before stepping back again.

"You did it again."

"You shot me."

"Yes but you just can't stay dead can you Nathan? Even that you had to take away from me."

"Sorry." He said then looked around the warehouse. "Still up to your old tricks though I see."

"Why did you want to meet me, and why here? If this is a trap Nate."

"Trap, no Jeni no trap. I am going to take you down again, but this time with all of them." Nate said indicating her three lieutenants who had now arrived, Jacob and herself.

"And how are you going to do that. With Sterling?" She asked and could see a flicker of surprise on Nate's face. "Or your team?"

Nate said nothing he just stared at her. What did he miss? What was he missing, something was wrong.

"I lost all the cameras…" Hardison's anxious voice came through the coms.

"Yes I know about Sterling." Jeni said drawing Nate's eyes to her. "I know about all of them."

Just then Nate heard Sterling and another man. Sterling was being told to stand down. Apparently Jenifer was an asset that they did not want to compromise. So that was what he had missed. She was still working with the NSA or CIA or one of the other agencies and they were going to protect her.

"Nate…" Sophie's voice floated through the coms fear evident in her tone.

"Stay out of here. Sterling be careful this is like Nassar." Nate said softly. This was over unless Sterling understood his message.

"We can't just leave you." Parker said.

"Stay out of here, it is over." Nate said again and looked at Jeni who knew he was talking to his team and he did not care. "Get the hell out of here that is an order." He said harshly.

"Yes tell them to run. You have no more use for them and they have no use for you anymore." Jeni laughed at him. "They are just hired hands anyway aren't they? Walk away all of you, walk away and you live." She said knowing they could hear her too.

"I ain't leaving you here man." Eliot growled.

"We are not leaving you here with her and them." Sophie added.

"Do as you are told." Nate hissed hoping to God they would realise trying to take on all these guys would be suicide not only for them but for him.

"So tell me Nate darling." Jeni said stepping closer to him and putting her hand on his cheek. "Just how are you going to take me down again?" She said then placed her lips on his. "Now Nathan Ford is dead. It is true, it's in all the obituaries, all the newspapers, gunned down by an unknown assailant, so what am I going to do with this imposter?" Jenifer said stepping back.

"So you are still working for the government?"

"Yes silly. I am the best, better than your Hardison, better than anybody. They need me and beside I know too many of their secrets now."

"Ah…" Nate said in understanding. Jeni had blackmailed the agencies, she had probably gathered information on their illicit activities, unsanctioned actions and he knew there were many of those.

"So what now Jeni."

"Now Nathan you are mine to do with as I please." She said then speaking a little louder so his team could hear her. "I hope there is nobody in our way when we leave because Jackson here, well he knows better than to aim for the chest."

Nate knew that was meant for the team and he hoped it would help to keep them out. He knew they had not left and Eliot was going to try to extract him.

"Nobody is going to stop you Jeni." He said softly. "They will obey, besides they won't get paid with me not walking out here will they?" He said hoping his team understood what he was doing and that Jeni still considered them merely as his team and nothing else.

"Oh Nate…please don't ask me to do this." He hear Sophie almost sob. "Don't ask me to leave you behind with her."

"Besides Jeni I…I…I…" Nate tried to say but a searing pain in his chest took his breath and his voice away. His legs buckled and he fell to the ground writhing in pain and then remained still.

"What the hell…"Jeni said stepping back from him.

Jacob moved forward and knelt down beside the Mastermind. He lay face up his eyes open and staring up at the ceiling unblinking his body perfectly still. He grabbed the shirt of the man and ripped it open exposing the vest that Eliot had asked him to wear. Removing the vest he revealed Nates chest with the contusions from the shots he had taken from Jeni. Jacob felt for a pulse but found none. He looked up at Jeni and shook his head.

"What's happening…Nate…Nate…" Sophie called. They no longer had the cameras and had no idea what had just happened in the warehouse.

"So I did kill you after all…" Jeni said kneeling down beside Nates body. She leaned over and put a gentle kiss on his lips and then stood.

The team heard her words and became still. Was Nate dead, was she saying Nate was dead? How, why, there were no gunshots. No she was playing with them. Nate was not dead. Eliot closed his eyes knowing what must have happened, Nates heart was just not strong enough and the cardiac event that his friend has said might occur had.

"What do I do with him?" Jacob asked as Jeni started to walk away back towards her car. She did not answer the man, she just kept walking a tear escaping her eye despite herself.

"Eliot we are going in." Sterling's voice came over the coms. "Hardison I hope to God you have what Nate said you have."

"I do." Hardison said and then all hell broke loose.

It took only a mere five minutes of intense chaos before Sterling's men got the upper hand and in the aftermath Jenifer lay dead along with her second and two of her lieutenants. Sterling spotted Nate on the ground in the middle of the room. His shirt had been ripped open and his vest removed but Sterling could see no evidence of any injuries. He dropped to his knees beside the man and felt for a pulse. He felt nothing, leaning in he tried to see if Nate was still breathing but there was nothing.

Just then Sophie and the rest of the team came running into the warehouse straight towards him.

"Nate…" Sophie called as she saw the prone figure with Sterling kneeling over him and sped up coming to a stop at Nates body.

Sterling looked up at them and shook his head sadly. Nate was gone. Jeni was right she had killed him after all.

"No Nate you are not dying on me. Not today, not now." Sophie cried out and dropping to her knees started doing CPR. Sterling sat back on his knees and watched her feeling emotion welling inside of him despite himself, but he did not try to stop her.

Eliot dropped down and told Sophie he would do the compressions she could breathe for him and instructed Hardison to get an ambulance ASAP telling them that they had a cardiac arrest victim. Eliot felt in his heart it was pointless but he was not going to tell Sophie that. He would do the CPR, he would get the ambulance and then they would deal with the reality of what had happened. Parker and Hardison stood by and watched as Eliot and Sophie tried desperately to revive the man as they waited for the EMT's. It took the ambulance less than five minutes to drive into the warehouse stopping just short of where Nate lay. They got out and moved to assess the patient. Hardison pulled Sophie away to allow them to do their work and Eliot stood up moving away and giving them space.

"No pulse, no respiration." The EMT said to his partner. "I'm going to bag him get the defib ready."

They worked on Nate shocking him four times. On the last time he felt for a pulse and stated that he had one, weak but a pulse. They quickly moved to get him into the ambulance, the one EMT climbing in with him still working the bag which was pumping oxygen into Nate's body. They allowed Sophie to climb in and then drove off at high speed heading for the nearest hospital.

Eliot watched them leave and then turned to Sterling.

"What changed?" He asked curious as to how Sterling had got whoeveritwas to let him take Jeni down in the end.

"Nassar." Sterling said simply and walked away. Eliot watched him leave remembering that Nate had said something about Nassar to Sterling before everything went down.

"They are taking him to Mercy General." Hardison said as he turned and headed for the van which stood just outside the warehouse door.