Disclaimer: Sorry. Don't own the show. Don't own the characters. I'm just borrowing them for a while.
Thank you all for the wonderful reviews! I know some bits are kinda cliché but anyways…
Here we are… the plot! Finally…
Don parked the car in the driveway and practically leaped out of the vehicle. Terry followed suit, holding the file that she had taken from the office by her side, as they both jogged to the front door. The news that Charlie had just given them about the connection between the three victims gave them the adrenaline boost they needed to regain their focus on the case. And if he was right about the five other people who were about to lose their lives… they would need to catch the murderer before it was too late.
"Hey Dad," Don pulled his father into a swift hug at the door, "Charlie's found something in this case and…"
"There's no need to explain, Don." Alan released him quickly. Don sprinted to the basement. Alan Eppes beamed at Terry, who had been standing behind his son, "Hello Terry. Are you staying for dinner?"
"If that's convenient, Mr. Eppes. It's good to see you again."
A few seconds later, Don and Terry were standing around Larry Fleindhart, eagerly waiting for what he had to say. Larry still looked pale, but had regained his composure and was trying to look relatively calm.
"These people… these three attorneys who were murdered were once members of an organization named Delta Blue." Larry pulled out the sheets with the information that was collected on the three victims. "If you haven't heard of them, then that's okay… because only fifteen people in the world are supposed to know of its existence."
Larry leaned back and took a deep breath, "About ten years ago I met a man named James Well. He practiced law publicly, but later on he told me that he was the founder of a private organization… a group of people who wrote a program that could crack any safe… any password in the world. The program was named MINOTAUR. Take a bank for example. Delta Blue had the power to remove funds from any one account in any bank in the world and transfer the said amount to another location without being traced. It was the perfect program. Delta Blue wanted to use this program to stop the spread of corruption in the world. Using MINOTAUR, James once prevented a billion dollar drug deal from taking place."
Don exchanged a look with Terry. This sounds like something that could be used for grand theft! Why hasn't the FBI heard of James Well or Delta Blue before?
"Now, we all knew that if this program got into the wrong hands… terrible things could happen. Priceless treasures could be stolen… Money could be taken from innocent people and used for criminal acts… So James protected it, with a series of pass numbers that no one outside of Delta Blue would know about. Eight people were chosen by drawing lots, and each was given a random series of numbers in such a way that only they knew their pass number. In other words… there are eight pass numbers protecting this program, and the only people who know what those pass numbers are, are the eight members of Delta Blue who were given those numbers."
"And the two other victims who were killed after James Well…" Terry inquired, "They were members of Delta Blue who had the pass numbers to break through the firewall."
"That's right. Which means that whoever is killing these people would have three of the eight pass numbers protecting MINOTAUR. Now, Delta Blue was made of fifteen people at any one time," Larry continued, "I'm still one of the fifteen because I'm not dead yet, but I wasn't chosen to have a pass number. I don't know if that makes me safe or not, but if these people find me… then I actually will have nothing to tell them."
Larry paused and took a sip of water. His hands had started to shake, "When I heard James was dead… I thought it might be a random killing. I heard about the other two attorneys being… murdered and I didn't even think that it might be Henry and Andrew."
"The press didn't release the names of the two most recent victims… because the LAPD didn't want people to panic." Don put a comforting hand on Larry's shoulder, "I know it's hard, Larry, for you to talk about your friends like this. But it's good that you're giving us this information. It may help to prevent more people from dying."
"I know…" Larry took a deep breath, "We haven't met for years… The last time all of us talked was when we feared MINOTAUR was about to be stolen."
"So this isn't the first time the program was targeted?" Terry asked, as she hastily scribbled some notes into her notepad.
"Yes. About five or six years back there was a threat from a non-government organization, the Antagonists. Or at least that's what they called themselves then." Larry paused, trying to remember the details, "It was quite a scare… But they couldn't infiltrate the pass numbers. We warned them that the system would shut down if they guessed more than ten times. They didn't want to risk losing MINOTAUR. So they backed off… and we never heard from them after that. James still changed all the pass numbers though, in case they managed to figure out one or two."
"So this organization might have decided to strike again… a little harder this time." Don mused, looking over Terry's shoulder to see what she had written, "We need to know everything you can remember about the Antagonists, Larry."
"Yes, of course." Larry shut his eyes for a moment, thinking. "They sent James an anonymous letter once… telling him that they were watching him. He was so worried for his family, but in the end they disappeared and we kind of… forgot about it."
Terry's face went white at the mention of an anonymous letter. Could it be…?
"I suppose you want the names of the other people in Delta Blue… for protection." Larry's voice interrupted her thoughts, "It's only a matter of time before another person is killed."
"Dinner's ready!"
Charlie jumped at the sound of his father's voice. He had been silent for a long time, thinking about what his friend had just told all of them. Even though Larry said he didn't have a pass number to access the program it didn't mean that he would be out of danger. The people who killed the three members of Delta Blue might still come after him. Charlie couldn't help but worry.
"We're coming, Dad." Don poked his head out the door before sprinting back towards the three ashen faced people by the table.
"Give us the names, Larry." Terry said gently, pulling out a fresh page from her notepad, as Charlie straightened himself up and glanced worriedly at his brother. She had quickly regained her composure after having frightening thoughts about a certain letter she received, "We'll see that this people are given protection from the FBI immediately."
&&&&
Dinner was a quiet affair. Alan Eppes had prepared spaghetti for his sons and their guests, and although it was delicious, no one seemed to have much of an appetite. Everyone was… thinking.
Charlie was running numbers through his head to calculate the chances that Larry would get injured or, god forbid, killed.
Don was hoping fervently that the other members of Delta Blue would get protection as soon as possible. He had called the office and teams had been sent out immediately to the houses of all the people Larry had named. The call had been made fifteen minutes ago.
Terry's thoughts, on the other hand, kept going back to the mysterious note that she had received. What if the letter had been sent by the mysterious 'non-government organization' that Larry had mentioned? If those people were willing to kill to further their cause… then she had a good reason to be worried.
Larry took nervous stabs at his spaghetti, feeling more anxious than ever. He knew that Don and Terry would do everything in their power to catch the men who killed his three friends, but… would they manage it in time? Larry just wished that he was far, far away from Los Angeles, writing a paper on astrophysics or something, and not thinking about how the city suddenly seemed a much more dangerous place.
It was an uncomfortable silence.
Suddenly remembering something, Don glanced at his partner for a moment, a question on his lips. But he stopped. Although she was looking downwards, he could still see the dark circles under Terry's eyes and the exhaustion written on her face. He wished he could just reach forward and hold her hand; just to make sure she was okay. But such an action could be… misinterpreted.
Even though Don cared deeply for Terry, he wasn't prepared for his feelings to be rejected by her. How would he know if she felt in any way the same feelings he had for her? He had crossed the line from friendly affection to god-knows-where a long time ago, and still he didn't want to lose whatever relationship he had with Terry for the sake of his seemingly teenage emotions. After all, why jeopardize both their careers for something that he was probably just imagining anyway? Don respected her too much to do that to her.
The sound of his cell phone ringing brought an unexpected interruption to the silent table. A second later, Terry's phone began to ring. The FBI agents exchanged a glance. Alan took a stab at his dinner. Charlie and Larry looked up at the two of them, with their cell phones ringing in their pocket, alerting them to the dangers that were just outside the door. This can't be good.
"Eppes."
"Lake."
Their respective conversations were short and blunt. Everyone had stopped eating to watch the agents' responses. Don hung up first, quickly followed by Terry.
"I'll be there in ten minutes, with Agent Lake. We'll see you there. Make sure someone calls David in Washington and informs him of this. And tell him to come home. We need him here. This may be a lot bigger than any of us imagined."
Terry glanced over at Don for a moment, an unreadable expression on her face, "Yes, sir. I'll be right there."
The two of them got up, with hardened looks on their faces. Words were stuck in their throats. Three pairs of eyes followed them nervously as they set their chairs back in place.
Larry looked up at them, half-expecting the news. His heart was hammering in his chest so hard that he felt as though he couldn't breathe. "What happened?" he managed to say. Next to him, Charlie squirmed with anxiety.
"I'm so sorry Larry… but there's been another murder. With the same MO. A single shot to the right temple. The people from the crime lab are processing the scene as we speak." Terry took a deep breath, "The LAPD thinks it's the same people who killed the attorneys."
"Who… where…. Who was it?" Larry finally found his voice. A heavy silence had fallen on the dining room of Charlie's home.
"Gail Fox." Don said, putting his cell phone in his pocket, "She's a paramedic."
&&&&
Police cars were surrounding the complex where the ambulance was parked, their lights still flickering. There were so many police officers in the area that it looked almost like a raid. But they were out of luck. The person who had shot Gail Fox had long disappeared. And the security camera that was scanning the area had been taken. The only evidence of its existence was the wires sticking out of the wall, sharp and cleanly cut.
Terry was bent over the body, blonde hair falling over her face, as the LAPD detectives spoke nervously in quiet voices to one another. Dr Fox was a woman in her early forties, with a petite figure and short, reddish hair. Wordlessly, Terry turned her over and examined the bullet wound on the right side of her head, above her ear. It was a quick death, painless, but a murder nonetheless. It was looking a lot like someone was trying to steal all the pass numbers to access MINOTAUR. And killing all those in his or her path… Was it possible that the group from six years ago that had threatened Delta Blue was once again taking action?
Terry shivered, and not because of the cold.
Behind her, Don was speaking to the security guard who had found Dr Fox's body. Writing a few sentences into his notebook, Don thanked the guard and walked over to the blonde woman kneeling in front of him. He put a hand on her shoulder. Terry turned around and caught his eye. He saw in her eyes what he himself felt. We need to act quickly. These people are moving faster than we thought.
"The guard says that Dr Fox usually worked nights, and without a partner. It was normal for her to come here at this time. Whoever did this… would have known her schedule. They might have had her followed. It's all been very well planned. The next few members of Delta Blue had better be careful." Don put a hand on Terry's arm and led her away from the body, "You should really get some rest, you know. I'm going back to the office to write up a report for this, and make sure that the others are given protection. I'll send you home first."
"Don…" Terry wanted to tug away and tell him that he didn't need to do her work for her, but the touch of his hand on hers seemed so… comforting. For a moment she forgot about the case and the investigation at hand.
"They only need one person to do all that, Terry." He gave her a small smile, "I can take care of it."
&&&&
They drove to Terry's apartment in silence, both ingesting the details of the murder and how they were planning to catch the murderers before they killed more people. Two FBI agents had escorted Larry back to his house and were now camping outside his front door, hoping to catch whoever was targeting the members of Delta Blue. All the other members had been secured with protection, and all Don and Terry could do was hope that it would be enough to prevent any more murders.
What they had to worry about now was… how would they find the killers?
Don parked the SUV in front Terry's apartment building. The inside was brightly lit, even though there was not another person in sight. For some reason, he didn't want her to get out of the car. There was something… wrong. He still didn't know what had been distracting her the whole day.
If something happened to her… I wouldn't be able to forgive myself.
Terry unbuckled her seat belt, said thank you in her wonderful soft voice, and opened the door. Don watched as she slid out and walked inside the building.
Terry was about to walk up to the elevator when she was stopped by her partner, who had put his hand on her shoulder. He followed me in, she began to wonder why he was being so protective.
Don had an unfathomable look in his eyes. "You'll tell me if there's something bothering you, won't you?" he asked, in an almost pleading tone of voice.
Terry thought of answering, but stopped. She didn't want to keep him away from his job. Both of them knew that there was a lot to be done, and Don would be at the office until very late. She appreciated that he was willing to do some of her work for her, but she wasn't willing to make him worry about her too much.
"Of course I will, Don." She grasped his hand reassuringly, "I'll take care of myself, don't worry. Just… call me if anything comes up, alright?"
"Sure." He let go of her hand and nodded. "I'll see you at work tomorrow."
Terry had to smile as she walked into the elevator. As the doors closed, she caught a glimpse of Don Eppes standing just a few feet away, his eyes following her, making sure that she went up safely. It was nice to know that he was always looking out for her, just as she was for him.
Good night, Don. She thought, his dark eyes appearing in her mind.
At that same moment, as Don turned around to leave, he murmured half to himself.
Sleep well, Terry.
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