Well, here is the Ninth (Yes, I said Ninth) Part of The Fragile. Parts 1-8 will be going up soon as a general first half (you know they'll all be together, and I'll be doing a little editing and stuff.) Props to Robin for mentioning me in her SIF she recently posted. Robin, you own. J
As always, I haven't won Powerball, so Court TV and NBC own Profiler. Oh yeah, White Hats are the good, benevolent hackers out there in cyberspace, trying to make security better for companies with computer networks. They own too. J
P.S. Have a few Author's Notes at the bottom. Kinda long. Some are not for people that have just eaten, so I've given ya'll fair warning.
The Fragile
Pt.9
(George's P.O.V)
I glance nervously from Agent Green's face to Bailey's, wondering if since she wasn't working as a subordinate under Bailey, then whom exactly was she working for. I make a mental note to ask Bailey if he wants me to do a background check on her later.
Neither of them speaks for awhile; both keep their eyes locked on one another, as if they were deep in a silent conversation. Finally, Dana speaks.
"Bailey, just because Fiona asked that I be brought in doesn't mean that you can't trust me," She said, brushing some of her brunette hair out of her face. Bailey's eyes widen slightly in surprise, but otherwise, his expression doesn't change.
"I don't know what you mean."
"I think you do, Bailey. I think you do. But have it your way. We can talk about it later." She turns her gaze towards me, and smiles faintly. "So, where are you guys staying her in beautiful Macon?" Her tone was faintly sarcastic, and even Bailey smiled a little before replying that we were staying at the Macon Bed and Breakfast about fifteen minutes away from the hospital. Dana nodded and said she'd drop off her things there, then return.
As soon as Dana leaves the room, Bailey glances over at me, and I know what he wants me to do almost before it's out of his mouth.
"No problem Bailey," I say, with a sharp crack of my knuckles. "Any information on her I'll have for you within the hour."
"Good," Bailey nods before he turns to Grace and asks her to go with him and check out the area where John and Sam were ambushed. The two of them leave and I plug my laptop modem into the phone jack. In minutes I'm into the Bureau's Personnel files, and soon I bring up Agent Green's.
-Access Denied-
"What the hell…" This can't be right. I frown, glaring at the monitor before I try something else.
-Access Denied-
"A challenge, huh?" My lip curves slightly upward into a smile. I haven't had a good one in awhile. Typing a list of commands into my computer, however, does nothing. I begin to lose my temper.
"Why won't you let me in?" I growl, rubbing my temples. I've cracked so many other pages and sites it isn't even funny, even when they had anti-hacking services protecting the sites. But now? Now I couldn't even do a hack into a Bureau agent's file?
"I'm hurt," I say flatly, my eyes narrowing. There's got to be a crack in that other profiler's armor somewhere.
I don't even notice the time going by, and all I get is the same message, taunting me…'Access Denied'. I'm so absorbed in my challenge that I don't hear the door open behind me.
"If you wanted to know my background, Agent Frailey, why didn't you just ask?" Agent Green's voice makes me jump in my chair as I hurriedly exit out of my hacking program. Dana sits down in a chair and regards me with those cool green eyes of hers. A quote floats to the top of my mind; something about the eyes being portals to the soul. There is pain in hers. Pain and something else; a thirst for violence that I have only seen in the eyes of some of the people we catch.
"Like you would have just told me? I think not," I reply, regarding her sarcastically. She cocks her head slightly to the side and gives me a look. ~ Just like Sam ~ A hurried thought rolls through my brain.
"You find that hard to believe? You sure as hell won't be finding it out that way," She replies, her voice loaded with just as much sarcasm as mine was. "Trust me, you wouldn't believe how many White Hats the Bureau has had try to break into that file. They can't do it. Neither will you."
"And why is that?"
"Just because my name is listed in the personnel files doesn't mean my whole file is there." She opens up a can of Coke she had brought in from the vending machine outside, and takes a sip. "You'd have to dig very deep for it…and by that time you'd be caught. Trust me…it's not worth the hassle."
"So tell me about yourself then. Why isn't your file with everyone else's?"
"My file is classified…only a few people have the access to open it. Since you're not one of them…it appears your shit out of luck, if you pardon the expression."
I sigh, turning my computer off. "What's on your file that would make it classified?"
"That I don't even know. An agent from my Field Office in Boston, Matt Palmer, was updating the personnel files when he found that I apparently didn't have one. We made a few calls, and found out that access to it was not allowed to us." Her voice is laced with bitterness as she takes another swig of the soda.
"Okay…so why don't you tell me about yourself then. I promised Bailey I'd be able to hack into your file, but since that isn't going to happen…"
"I entered the Bureau four years ago, trained underneath the best Profilers the Academy had. After I got out, I was partnered with Special Agent Dell Morgan, and we were sent to Boston.
A year ago…" Dana pauses for a moment, reliving the events in her mind, "A year ago there was a serial killer running around loose in Maine. He was a transplant. Didn't commit any crimes at all until he went to Maine…" She shakes her head. "The state doesn't have the death penalty. They believe it to be too…harsh a punishment." Dana sneered faintly. "Even after what happened, they still believe it to be too harsh. Opportunistic serial predators like states like that. They won't have to pay the ultimate punishment if they're caught.
"He stalked his victims for a week, followed them everywhere they went, you know, familiarized himself with their routine, began fantasizing of what he would do to them…
When he made his move, he would keep them alive for only five days, putting them through the worst torture you could ever imagine. We found the bodies raped, stabbed, strangled, whipped and dismembered…both pre and post-mortem. He would make them eat dog food when they got hungry…wanted them to know they were nothing but pets to him, and just as disposable." Dana shudders faintly.
"What happened?" I find myself leaning on the edge of my seat, waiting for her to tell me.
"I took it upon myself to become his ideal victim," Dana replies, before turning her back to me and lifting up the back of her shirt, revealing more scars than I could conveniently count at the moment.
"You went undercover?" Dana nodded, lowering her shirt and turning back to me.
"You can say that. It…wasn't the most pleasant experience I've had to go through. I only lasted four days, unlike the others."
"Why only four?" She smiled, and I found that I already knew the answer.
"Because I had the opportunity to kill him before the fifth. The odd thing is…I don't remember it happening." Dana shakes her head slightly before changing the subject. "Does that tell you enough of what you need to know? I stopped that motherfucker from hurting and killing any more women. I can sure as hell stop this one."
This time, I don't doubt that one bit. Dana glances at John and sighs.
"It's too bad, about this one," She comments suddenly, and I risk a questioning glance at her.
"What do you mean?"
"He feels powerless. Doesn't want to be in a hospital room. He'd much rather be grinding Jack into a pulp right now with the rest of you."
"How do you-?"
Dana smiles mysteriously, and gets up out of the chair, heading towards the door.
"I just do. Tell Bailey that I'm on my way. I know where he went." She leaves, and I'm left staring at the door, wondering how the hell she knew anything…
Author's note: Yeah, this part was a little sick. The part about Maine not having the death penalty is true. L Also, the thing about the serial killer making his multiple captives eat dog food is in fact real…it was Gary Heidnik. He was not a very nice boy, capturing women for his own personal harem and torturing them for days upon end. Two of his captives he killed, one by electrocution and the other one I guess just starved to death. But Heidnik mixed the dog food with parts of one of the women he killed. (Seriously, I'm not making this up. I got it out of the Encyclopedia of Serial Killers A to Z.) He was basically a sick son of a bitch who is now, I am pleased to note, dead. Anyway, I know, I know my story's getting' a little weird J but I do hope you'll all continue reading (and hopefully reviewing, hint hint)
~ Demonchilde