The Unquantifiable Variable
By Becky Sims
April, 2005
The Eppes family and the characters and situations from the TV show "NUMB3RS" are the property of the Scotts and the creation of Cheryl Heuton and Nick Falacci. No infringement is intended, and no profit is being made.
Chapter Seven, Part one
Don walked around to the back of his Suburban where his father and Amita waited. They both started to rise, Amita from the curb, Alan from the floor of the car where he'd been sitting. The raised chassis made it about campstool height, much more comfortable than the ground.
"Charlie's still okay," were the first words out of his mouth, and his father sank back.
"We heard the screaming."
"The little girl. Jason – that's the hostage-taker – has a damaged face. He kept his mask on until just a little while ago. I guess it's pretty bad."
"What are you doing now?" Amita asked.
"We got a little breather. Jason wants a car, but Charlie told him he can't drive it. We told him it would take time to work it out, and we're sending for a pizza in the meantime."
"Pizza?" said Alan, outraged. "How can you think about pizza when your brother's life is in danger?"
Don waved his hand at his father. "Not for us, Dad; for them. It keeps him waiting for something – sets up some time with no pressure. We get a chance to reason with him when he's not all hyped up."
Alan scrubbed at his face. "If I weren't already going gray from all the hijinks you two have pulled, this would do it." He looked up. "How is he? Really?"
Don shook his head. "Physically, I think he's probably okay."
Amita moved closer to his father. "But mentally?"
Don chewed his lip, wondering how much to tell them.
"Donnie . . ."
"He's scared, Dad, that goes without saying, and with reason. Jason isn't exactly balanced – he's had some bad stuff happen to him, and he's gone over the edge. Charlie's managed to build some kind of rapport with him, and that should help protect him, but with someone like this, there could be hidden triggers, things that would set him off that we just don't know about. We're keeping the situation as stable as we can, but Charlie – well, he's at his numbers, and they aren't making him feel any better."
"Did he tell you?" Amita asked.
"Not really. Something about no better than calling ten coin tosses right." He regretted saying it as soon as it was out of his mouth, because she paled and had to steady herself against the side of the car. Fortunately, his dad didn't notice.
Alan rubbed at his forehead. "Not good, but then Charlie probably didn't figure in one very important factor." He looked up at his son. "You."
π π π
The deadline for the pizza was closing in on them. The delivery man had actually arrived, but had parked out of sight of the front of the store and was now taking off his jacket and hat to pass them to an agent. As requested, the pizza had not been cut, and the box had a plastic bag inside with plates, napkins, and a plastic knife. Most hostage-takers wouldn't let their hostages anywhere near a knife, even a plastic one, so that meant that Jason would have to cut the pizza and share it with Charlie. One more step in the web of dependency the Eppes brothers were building; Charlie instinctively, Don by design.
Terry had volunteered to drive the car for Jason as she was the least physically threatening agent they had. Don knew her appearance was deceptive – she was strong, quick and wily – but it worked in their favor. Jacobsen had called the hardware store and Jason had answered, and they'd gotten into a long, involved discussion about cars and their relative worth. At the end of the call, Jacobsen told Jason that someone had reported that the pizza was on its way, and he'd work on getting the right car while he and Charlie got something to eat.
They all gathered at the back of the Command Post van.
Jacobsen finished his report on the conversation. "He's agreed to let the delivery man set the pizza just inside the door. From his state of mind, we'd better use someone who doesn't look too intimidating."
"I can't do it if I'm going to drive," said Terry. "He'd know we were up to something if he saw me do both."
"I want you with the car," said Don. "You know Charlie so you'll be able to pick up any subliminal messages he's sending off, and you can handle whatever comes down."
He looked at his team, which now included Nolan. They were all looking to him for direction, everyone seeming to have forgotten their reservations about having the brother of a hostage in charge. "The most likely time for everything to go to hell is when Jason comes out to get in the car. Terry, you're going to have to time it close. Stop by the parking spaces, not by the store. You can't let him actually get in; it just has to look like it. Tell the shooters that I want to keep this guy alive if we can, but Charlie is not expendable—" he glanced at the police detective, "—and not just because he's my brother. This situation does not warrant saving the hostage-taker at the expense of a hostage's life. Just the same, he's not so much a criminal as just someone who's been screwed pretty bad by life. If we can get him through this and get him some help, he might be okay in the long run. I want to brief the shooters personally – David, can I get just them on a channel?"
"I'll set it up."
Nolan nodded. "It all sounds good. I'll brief my men as soon as we finish here. So, next question, who delivers the pizza?"
Don ran the personnel at hand through his mind. "That young policewoman. She seems to have her head screwed on straight."
"Yeah. MacDill. She's not as young and inexperienced as she looks – just got out of four years in our youth undercover program."
"Even better," said Terry. "If you'll ask her if she'll volunteer, I'll brief her on what we want her to do. She'll be the only pro who'll get a chance to see the layout up close. You'll need to know as much as you can if you have to do an entry-and-clear."
"Okay," said Don. "We call Jason, tell him the pizza's coming in. Your MacDill gets what intel she can without compromising her cover, and we meet back here. Then we take what she's got and build an entry-and-clear plan as a backup. We need to relieve Shooter Three in the back so he can be in on it. If something blows up during the pizza drop, Shooters One and Two take out Jason. All clear?"
Everyone nodded.
"Let's go."
