Disclaimer: Don't own the characters. Not making money off of them

Rating: K+ (Genfic, just a little of violence).

What is it about? A kid is missing, some strange things happened all around and the team have to find out what, why and who is behind all of the...'twisted facts' in the case.

Characters: All of them, well, lets think a little... Oh! I forgot somebody... well, guess you all know who...

Thanks Laurel for your beta work!

Part 8

When they got to Martin's room he was already asleep due to the medication. Sam swallowed a little gasp and Danny scuffed a foot a little nervously at seeing Martin so pale and still in the bed. His face was severely bruised and a large white bandage was wrapped around his head. His left arm was encased in the temporary cast and propped up on several pillows.

Brian struggled free of the wheelchair and went to Martin's side. He reached up to touch his hand and Sam reacted quickly to make sure he didn't touch the IV attached to his wrist. But Brian just grasped Martin's grown-up fingers in his tiny little hand and held on carefully.

Danny smiled a bit and walked behind Brian, lifted him up, and set him gently on the bed. Brian let out a small sigh as he snuggled his head on Martin's shoulder and placed one of his arms protectively across Martin's chest. In moments his eyes closed and he was breathing deeply.

Danny and Sam exchanged looks at the obvious affection the little boy had for their friend. Danny grinned and just shook his head thinking of how Martin had made the past days bearable for Brian. Sam gently stroked Martin's cheek, she needed to touch him for just a moment to reassure herself that he really was here and alive.

Turning she saw Danny watching her and let a small shy smile flit across her face.

"I'm going to go and buy some clothes for the both of them. They'll need something for tomorrow, and if we have to leave quickly…"

Leaving the statement hanging Sam stepped out of the room to complete her errand.

Danny looked around the room and decided that he would settle into the corner chair. He turned on the television and set the volume on mute. He couldn't concentrate on anything, and his eyes kept flicking to the sleeping forms on the bed. Exhausted he let his mind wander over the past three days and wondered at what the next days would bring.

Back at the office…

"From the information in files Victor had sent to us, this Michael Fanning is actually the undercover agent in Coltwell's case; Martin was at Quantico at the same time and shared some classes with Fanning, so they know each other. Fanning was also involved in several other cases related to associates of Mr. Coltwell. Seems some evidence was missing in those cases by the time they went to court and in each case the judge had to dismiss the charges."

"Any proof that Fanning was involved?"

"None, in fact, no investigations were conducted in any of the reasons for the missing evidence."

That got Jack's attention. "How could that happen?"

"So far, no one is talking. Speaking of which, anything from upstairs?"

Jack shook his head, "I'm sure I'll be summoned soon enough. How about the Hoskins'? Have you been able to get through to them?"

"They aren't answering their phone, cell, home, or office, and the agent that is outside says the place looks quiet and very dark."

"Alright, we're going to have to do something about them soon. I don't like that there's no news from the Hoskins residence, or that they haven't been lighting up our phone lines asking for updates, or waiting in our lobby. It's late and their house is quiet, Brian is safe, I'd like to keep it that way for a while. Why don't you go home, get some sleep, I'll head to the hospital."

"I don't think that's a good idea. Well, let me rephrase, the going home and getting some sleep is a great idea, however, you going to the hospital isn't. No one knows where Martin and Brian are right now. If you go there and someone is following you…"

"You're right, as usual." Jack smiled as Vivian cocked her head at him, reminding him that she was often right. He watched as she gathered up her files and headed out of his office. Then he picked up the special phone Victor had gotten to him and punched in Danny's number.

"Danny, how is he doing?" He listened intently at Danny's lowered voice on the other end. He figured Danny was talking softly so as not to wake Martin or Brian.

"The doctor says he's doing fine considering he hasn't eaten in about three days, has bruised and maybe even some cracked ribs, a broken left arm, and oh yeah a severe concussion from being shot in the head. Other than that he's spectacular. And, he hasn't opened his eyes since coming into the hospital so I can't ask him what happened."

Jack listened as the words flew out of Danny's mouth. He knew his agent was tired, tense, and worried. He also knew that Danny was deeply concerned about Martin and what being shot was going to do to his state of mind. Hell, Jack thought, it isn't even me lying there and I wonder what Martin getting shot is going to do to my state of mind.

"Listen, everything is quiet on this end, it's late and we're all tired. Viv's gone home to get some rest and I'm heading home soon. Ask him about an FBI agent Michael Fanning, if he remembers him. I need you and Sam to try and get as much rest as you can where you are and then take Martin and the boy somewhere safe. I don't even want to know where it is" Jack's stomach tightened as the words left his mouth. As much as he knew it was for the best having his agents where he honestly could say he didn't know their location, he hated feeling as though he was putting them closer to harm than safety. How did things get so screwed up?

"Yeah, Sam and I figured as much. She's gone to pick-up some clothes for them both so we can move quickly. Jack, this kid is amazing, and Martin, well hell; Martin did some great work keeping the kid safe. You should be proud of him."

"I'm proud of all of you. I want you to check in regularly, ever couple of hours once you leave the hospital. At your next call-in you can tell me what Martin remembers of Fanning.

Jack disconnected the call and straightened the files on his desk. His mind was churning with the information he had received during the day. Martin and Fanning were classmates in the Academy. Fanning has been involved in undercover work with associates of Coltwell for the last four years and never once has any of the busts come to fruition. Each time some valuable piece of evidence came up missing and the case was thrown out of court. Jack stopped gathering the files as his eyes scanned the most recent tidbit of information. Greg Wilson, one of the street kids that had been involved in dealing drugs and was caught up in one of the earlier investigations was nearby. He was in Rikers. Jack planned to pay him a visit in the morning.

5:00 a.m. at the hospital

Martin gradually became aware of sounds. At first they were muddied but slowly they clarified into a muted beeping sound. Then the sound of someone breathing softly became clear. As he was processing the sounds around him he became aware of something else, softness. He was lying on something soft and he was warm, the chills he remembered were gone. At last he decided he might as well open his eyes and see what else was around him. Once the decision was made it took a moment for the brain to process the command and then his eyes parted. Blinking rapidly he tried to clear his eyes to take in any details of where he was.

His eyes felt gritty so he raised his hand to rub them. Well, he tried to. His right arm wouldn't move at all and his left arm felt so heavy he didn't have enough energy to lift it. Panicking at the restriction he began to thrash a bit, and heard the beeping change from a soft steady beep…beep…beep to a faster cadence.

As he fought to move a figure appeared at his head and he felt a hand on his forehead. A light clicked on overhead causing him to close his eyes against the brightness and he heard a voice, a voice he knew, a voice he trusted calling him name.

"Martin. Martin. Take it easy. It's Danny, you're okay."

Martin calmed and blinked his eyes against the light. After a moment the light dimmed enough for him to open his eyes. There was Danny, looking down at him. Martin opened his lips and was surprised at the croak that escaped his lips, a croak where his voice should be.

"What? Where?" It was too much for his dry throat and he coughed lightly. Not a good idea. Instantly his chest flared in pain as his ribs protested. That was a signal for all the aches and pains to chime in and make themselves known. As Martin tensed against the pain that flooded his body and pounded his skull he felt a cool cloth against his forehead and someone calling for a nurse. That sounded like Sam he thought as he fought through the wave of pain.

He felt something pull slightly at his right hand and opened his eye to see a nurse inject something into the IV line. After a moment he felt his body relax, and the pain diminished to a reasonable level. As his breathing returned to normal he opened his eyes again and saw Danny and Sam hovering over him. He grinned lopsidedly at them and was relieved when they grinned back.

Sam held a cup of water with a straw to his lips and he sipped gratefully. The cool liquid refreshed his parched throat and he tried again to talk. This time the results were better.

"Where am I?" Not the smartest question, he already knew he was at a hospital.

"Hospital." The answer was short and sweet. Yup, he already knew that, crack agent and all that he was. Okay, time to try again and maybe redeem himself a bit.

"Why?"

Sam's turn to answer. "Cause you're hurt." Damn, they weren't going to make this easy on him. Frustrated he tried to lift his right arm again to rub his still pounding temples but once again the arm wouldn't move. He turned his head a bit and then he saw him. Brian.

Somehow the little boy had slept straight through all of Martin's actions at waking, the nurse coming in and giving him a light sedative to calm him and was still sleeping peacefully beside Martin, his head on Martin's upper arm.

Seeing the boy opened the floodgates of Martin's memory. He remembered the Hoskins' house, a phone call with the kidnapper, a small room, fists and boots hitting his body, drawing pictures with Brian and then anger at the careless treatment of the little boy, then nothing.

"I remember…them…" the sudden movement made him feel nausea, his head hurt a lot, but he relaxed a little before going on "I saw some photos in the house... I found them on the desk and in a photo album,... didn't recognized him... he was with the Hoskins, at a dinner place... and there was another man I don't know there too. But it was Michael Fanning from the FBI and the Hoskins, they seem to know each other very well." Then he thought for a while and added "There were many of them taken on a small airport or something like that, can't remember the name... it was on the back in the picture" he was so tired that he couldn't follow his own thoughts, his eyes began to close, and he fell asleep again. Because if Danny and Sam were here then they were safe. He smiled sleepily at his friends and relaxed back into sleep.

9:00 a.m. the next morning - Riker's Island

Jack looked up as the door buzzed open and Greg Wilson was ushered in by the guard. He nodded to the guard who withdrew. Greg looked around suspiciously, his tough exterior not quite masking his 19 years. He was tall, wiry and had a wariness about him that suggested life had been unkind.

Jack indicated the chair but Greg just stared at him. Ignoring the defiance Jack proceeded.

"I'm Special Agent Jack Malone from the FBI. I'm here because I have some questions for you."

"Whatever."

Jack opened the file in front of him and slowly laid out the pictures he had brought with him. Greg tried to pretend he wasn't interested, and Jack ignored him, just continued to place the pictures so Greg could see them from his side of the table, and then he sat back and waited.

He didn't wait long as curiosity won out over defiance and Greg went from careless, disinterest in the pictures to heightened intrigue.

"I know these this one, this one, this one, and that one." He pointed in turn to pictures of Peter Hoskins, Joan Hoskins, James Coltwell, and Michael Fanning.

"Where do you know them from?"

"This guy and the lady," Greg pointed again to Peter and Joan Hoskins; "sometimes they would be at the meeting place where I picked up the drugs. I don't know her name but his is Paul, or Peter or something. They're married. He's some kind of scientist. He cuts the drugs. She didn't do anything with the drugs, she was some kind of broker I think, you know, she has contacts outside the country and she would make the deal to get the drugs here and the money there. I heard them talking one night about how she handled the marketing end of things and he handled the quality end so the others, especially this guy" Greg pointed to Coltwell this time, "should be more respectful to them."

Greg sneered as he said the word respectful. It was obvious he didn't have any respect for them or anything, he just did what he had to do to survive, and he didn't care about the consequences to others.

"Why didn't you say this to anyone before?" Jack couldn't hide the irritation in his voice thinking that with the information this kid had the FBI could have made better inroads into Coltwell's organization. Of course, he remembered, a 19 year old kid who moved drugs on the streets wasn't what the district attorney would consider a star witness but it was more than they had before. No one had ever suspected the Hoskins were into dealing drugs, little Brian's kidnapping was taking on more sinister implications. Then Jack really got a surprise at Greg's next statement.

"This guy," Greg pointed to Agent Michael Fanning, "he's a real piece of work. He's the other guy's bodyguard or something, real tough guy."

Jack's gut twisted as he watched Greg point first to Michael Fanning, and then to James Coltwell. Fanning was his link to the FBI and would ensure no one ever got too close. Jack thought hard for a few moments and Greg just stood there, not realizing the jeopardy he had just put himself in, or the shock that the man in front of him was reeling from. All Jack could think was how lucky they were to have Martin safe, and then he realized that safe was now a very relative term. Finally he made his decision.

"All right, we're done for now. I'm going to get you moved out of here and someplace safe. Stay here while I make a call."

Greg just shrugged. One room was just the same as the other, and he didn't think he had made any great revelations.

Jack spoke with the guard telling him to hold the prisoner in the room while he made a quick call. He stepped outside the prison and used the secure phone to call the district attorney. He knew this man to be above reproach and trusted him with this particular task. Besides, the DA owed Jack a few favors for pulling his butt out of the fire on a couple of cases in the past and he knew the other man would be willing to do the favor to trade in some of his markers.

Within the hour he had arranged for Greg Wilson to be placed in protective custody and moved to a safe house in the city. His next step was to contact Victor and update him on the developments of the morning and see if the Assistant Director would be able to get through to Van Doren. Jack needed her assistance and the power she had in the city to get things done. He checked his watch and was relieved to see that Danny would be checking in soon. There would be a lot of updating on both sides of the call and he wanted to know that Martin could be moved from the hospital. Jack now knew that the hospital was not a safe place.

1:00 p.m. in Van Doren's office

Three people sat around the table reviewing information and looking for new angles. For the first time in the past few days Jack felt like they were finally getting somewhere. Victor had been updated a couple of hours ago and had not wasted time. Van Doren was now firmly in their corner, Sam, Danny, Martin and the little boy were headed someplace safe and Jack was able to plan his team's movements rather than let circumstances cause him to react.

"So Martin remembers seeing photos of Fanning and others standing with the Hoskins at an airport, does he think the airport is around here?" Good idea. Laurel

"That's what Danny is hoping. All in all it would be pretty careless of them to take a picture at the same airport they use to smuggle drugs into the country but the more I learn about Fanning and Peter Hoskins the more I realize they are pretty arrogant." Viv looked at Van Doren, watching her thoughtfully. When Van Doren nodded in agreement they both looked over at Jack as he cleared his throat.

Viv was thinking and she said it aloud "maybe if we send him a list, he could remember the name..."

"Victor is looking into Fanning and every agent that has been involved in cases that relate to Coltwell or his associates. He's going to send us a list of names and some photos that we can send on to Martin. We need to find the airstrip. Vivian, get with Mac and look at the photos that the lab crew took at the Hoskins. We can enlarge the photos and take a look at the photos on the walls and try and narrow down airstrips. It's a long shot but it's all we have of this angle right now."

"Alright, Jack. When you spoke with Danny earlier, did he say how Martin was doing?"

"He said the doctors had ruled out any kind of skull fracture, but he did have a fairly serious concussion. He'll be suffering from significant headaches and risks blackouts if he doesn't rest properly. Also, they were affixing a rigid cast to his left arm. Fortunately it's a clean break and should heal without complications. The rest of him is heavily bruised, including three ribs. Rest is the order of the day, sleep, take the Tylenol for the pain and don't force any memories. Although he is able to remember most things, there may be some gaps from the past few days."

Jack was amazed at the relief he felt in himself as he related the condition of his agent. He remembered the silence at the other end of the phone when he had told Victor the same news. Although he couldn't see the man he could visualize the relief on the man's face. He had seen it before when news came assuring them of Martin's survival after the shooting. He smiled inwardly as he remembered seeing the through the infamous Assistant Director's tough exterior and glimpsing the fear of a father for his son.

Victor hadn't liked the idea that he wouldn't have contact with Martin and wouldn't know where he was. Jack didn't like the fact that three of his agents were outside his reach either but at least he had limited contact with them even if he didn't know where they were.

Outside of NYC

Danny stood up and stretched his back letting all the kinks work out of his spine. The computer he had just hooked up was connecting to the account that Victor and Jack had set up for secure information exchange. As the connection was completing he looked around the room.

They had gotten two rooms with a connecting door between them. Sam and Brian would stay in one room and Danny and Martin would stay in the other. The door between the two rooms was to remain open. The hotel was a Marriott Residence Inn so the rooms came complete with stove, refrigerator, microwave and a few generic dishes and silverware. Sam had gone out and purchased food and some more games and clothes for Brian. She was next door fixing Brian a snack.

Martin had slept most of the ride up and Brian had settled into his car seat in the back with Sam. Occasionally Danny would glance in the rearview mirror and catch Sam as she tried gamely to stay engaged with the little boy. Brian was quite a character and he chattered on about the sights as they drove. Danny knew Sam wasn't all that comfortable around kids but he also knew that although she lacked experience with them, she truly liked kids.

The computer beeped as the connection was completed and the account registered new mail had arrived. Movement behind him caused him to glance back and he saw Martin was awake. Danny quickly saved the files to the hard drive and then rose from the desk and brought the computer over to Martin. The first file contained several photos. They were from an awards dinner for the FBI. In the photo Michael Fanning and two other agents were collecting an award together. Danny stiffened as he read the caption out loud.

"Agents Michael Fanning, Bert Nichols and Joshua Talbot, damn, Nichols and Fanning are friends."

"Yeah" Martin was startled at Danny's statement. "Mike and Bert are friends. They take a vacation each year in Florida and go deep sea fishing, have for years."

"Martin, Jack had a meeting with Van Doren and four agents, two from Chicago, one from Florida and one, Bert Nichols, from DC. They indicated they had an agent on the inside. Looks like that agent is Fanning, but if he and Nichols are friends, and go deep sea fishing in Florida each year, what if they are more than just friends. Florida is where we suspect the drugs enter the country. I know, I know." Danny held up his hand as Martin rolled his eyes.

"I know, no big surprise that drugs come into Florida, however there are a lot of coincidences here. Fanning and Nichols are friends, they are working Coltwell's case, Coltwell has never been indicted due to lack of evidence, evidence which disappears all the time when Fanning is involved. What if they are partners in this whole thing? What if Fanning and Nichols are just stringing agents Garland, Trenton and Collins along?"

"Collins, do you mean Robert Collins?"

"Yeah. Why?"

Martin spoke his words slowly. "Danny, Robert Collins has part ownership in a deep sea fishing company down in Florida. When Mike and Bert go on vacation each year, they go with Robert Collins."

TBC