Chapter 4

"We are gonna have to retrace his steps," Alex said to Bobby as they waited for Claire to make up some counteragent. The Official went back to his office. He had given Eberts some time off while this business was going on. He wanted as few as people as possible to know what was gong on. Eberts would just have been annoying, asking questions like an annoying little kid. He was also calling hourly to ask when he could go back to work.
The Official sat down at his desk. He was reaching for his briefcase when his telephone rang.
"Yes," he said into the mouthpiece in a terse voice.
"Sir, it's me. I was wondering when you needed me back at work," Eberts said on the other end of the phone.
The Official sighed and said "When I say so, Eberts."
"Are you sure you don't want me to come back a little early?" whined Eberts.
"Yes," replied The Official.
"Are you sure?" asked Eberts.
"Shut up, Eberts," replied The Official hanging up the phone.
The phone rang again straight away. The Official sighed and picked up the phone.
"Eberts. I told you not to come back," he shouted down the phone.
"Still shouting at your employees, I see," a different voice said over the phone.
"Bernard," The Official said recognising the voice.
"You got it in one, chief," Bernard said.
"What do you want?" The Official asked getting up from his chair. He walked to the door and opened it. He saw Alex and Bobby walking toward him. He motioned them to come in. Alex and Bobby went into the office. Bobby picked up the other line and started to order a phone trace.
"You know what I want," replied Bernard watching Darien through the glass window. He could hear Darien saying the alphabet and naming an animal with the letter.
"You think you deserve it?" asked The Official seeing the thumbs up from Bobby indicating the trace had begun. Bobby brought his two hands together and then moved them apart indicating that The Official needed to keep Bernard on the line long enough for the trace to get an address.
"I do. I have one of your agents here. If you don't meet my demands by noon tomorrow he's a dead man," replied Bernard.
"You were a good agent, Bernard. What happened?" The Official asked watching as Bobby put two fingers up indicating that the trace needed two more minutes.
Bernard laughed. "You got a trace going, Chief?" he asked.
"No," replied The Official.
"My demands stand. I'll be in touch," he said and hung up the phone.
"Damn. Just another 45 seconds and we would have got him," Bobby exclaimed in disappointment.
"Did we even get a general location?" asked The Official. Bobby shook his head.
"He had a scrambler on the line," he said.
"Dammit," exclaimed The Official.
"He said he'd be in touch before Noon tomorrow right?" Alex said as an idea formed in her head.
"Right," replied The Official and Bobby.
"Tell him you will meet him somewhere to discuss it. We can have SWAT agents surround the area. Take him down," she explained.
"Sounds like a good idea," replied The Official.
"It does but there's only one problem," Bobby said. "Fawkes may not have till Noon tomorrow."

Bernard hung up the phone. He watched Darien through the glass. Darien was still playing the alphabet animal game to himself except he was stuck on H. Cristelle had gone home long ago. He was sorry that he had asked Cristelle to go along with the plan but he needed her to help him carry it out. Bernard checked the monitors and then looked back at Darien. Darien looked like he was having some sort of seizure. His body was jerking on the bed. Bernard grabbed some of the tranquilliser and ran into the room.
Darien's seizure had stopped before Bernard had time to give him the tranquilliser. Darien lay still on the bed. His eyes were closed and he was breathing normally. Bernard reached over to check the pulse on Darien's neck. All of a sudden Darien's eyes flew open. Bernard stepped back startled for a minute when he saw how bloodshot Darien's eyes were.
"Fooled ya, didn't I?" Darien asked twisting his head to look at Bernard.
"You certainly did," replied Bernard. He tapped the syringe in his hand. "Try anything else and you will get another dose of this and this time you will never wake up."
"Let me ask you something, Bernard," Darien said staring at the thin bespectacled man with the receding hairline. The pain in his head was worse. He was doing everything in his power to stop himself from going in QSM but it looked like he was going to lose that battle. Maybe Hobbes and the others would find him but he wondered if it would be too late.
"Ask away," replied Bernard.
"It's just a little insignificant question really but what do you hope to achieve from this?" asked Darien.
"Well you know what it is like to be wrongly accused of doing something wrong, I'm sure," Bernard said.
"If I recall, what you did was wrong. Manufacturing evidence, interfering with witnesses..." replied Darien
"I didn't deserve to put in the slammer for 12 years," Bernard replied angrily.
"Well that's what you get breaking the law," Darien said. "And you want to get back at The Official because he testified against you?"
"I know a lot more about The Official than you do. He's not all lily white in all of this either," Bernard said.
"I know the Official is...a law onto himself at times..." Darien closed his eyes as he fought the pain in his head. "But what do you want him to do?"
"I want him to suffer the way I did for the last 12 years," replied Bernard watching Darien closely.
"You don't know anything about suffering, buddy," said Darien. He shot a glance at his tattoo. There was one segment of green left. "Did you plan your revenge while you were in prison?"
"I thought about nothing else," admitted Bernard.
Darien watched as Bernard walked out of the room.

"Has he called back yet?" Bobby asked coming into The Official's office with a cup of coffee.
"No," replied The Official rubbing his eyes.
"Miss Monroe sent a SWAT team over to Bernard's house," Bobby said.
"Good," replied The Official.
"Sir, if it's not too bold of me to ask," Bobby said knowing he was bound to be chewed out by his boss. The Official stared at his top agent for a couple of seconds.
"Don't ask," he replied.
"Yes sir," sighed Bobby. The two men both heard the door open and saw Alex come through the door.
"The SWAT team went over to the house, sir. They didn't find anything. Not even the armoury Darien was talking about," she said.
"We should have kept a closer watch on the house," Bobby said looking at his boss again. The Official looked tired and weary.
"I can't sit here waiting," Bobby said starting to pace the office.
"We can't do anything till he calls back," Alex said.
"Yeah while we are not doing anything my partner is going fruity by the minute," replied Bobby wringing his hands together.
"Well you pacing is not going to help," Alex said in annoyance. "I'm worried just as much as you are."
The Official watched in distachment as his two agents started to argue about who was worried the most. All of a sudden the phone rang. All three jumped at the sound of the ringing. The Official picked up the phone and Bobby picked up the other line to begin the trace.
"Well chief. I hope you have considered my requests," Bernard said.
"I have. I was wondering if you wanted to meet somewher...neutral to discuss it," replied The Official.
"That would be nice. I have a better idea though," Bernard said.
"What would that be?" asked The Official watching Bobby as he was getting the call traced.
"How about a trade?" suggested Bernard.
"What kind of trade?" asked the Official.
"Your agent, who doesn't appear to be very well by the way, for your acknowledgement of your involvement in what happened," replied Bernard.
"I didn't do anything wrong, Bernard," the Official said. Bobby indicated to him that he needed to keep Bernard talking for a little longer.
Bernard laughed. "Really," he said.
"Look can we meet somewhere to discuss this?" asked The Official.
"Ok. How about...the lion enclosure at San Diego Zoo...in one hour," replied Bernard.
"Ok," replied The Official as Bernard hung up.
"Well?" The Official asked Bobby.
"We got him," replied Bobby as he took down the address.
"Agent Monroe, get a team together to go to San Diego Zoo in an hour," ordered The Official looking at the piece of paper that Bobby handed to him. Alex reached for the phone to get the SWAT team.
"Can't we just go to the address and get Fawkes out?" asked Bobby.
"Bernard called from a phone booth down the street. He's double crossed us," replied The Official. "You and Agent Monroe come with me. We're going to the Zoo." With that The Official stood up and walked out of the room. Bobby and Alex followed him.

TBC

Nearly there everyone