A/N: I had a bad day today. Felt like kicking something, so this is what I wrote…enjoy! And don't forget to review
Don woke late that morning. He couldn't believe it. Something could have happened that would help him find Charlie and where had he been, sleeping. He hoped there was something new, even if he would have missed it being found, but it would mean he could do something to find his brother. He would rather have that, then being the person who found the clue or Charlie himself. Something felt different today. He couldn't put his finger on it yet, but something was different. Something was going to happen. It was like a tickling at the back of his brain and a squirming in the pit of his stomach, something would happen. Great, my brother disappears and I develop spidey senses. Don walked into the office and went straight to the coffee machine, he had a feeling he would need all the coffee he could get.
He barely sank down into his desk chair when Megan came up with a new case ordered to them by Merrick. Battling the rage at being given another assignment while his brother was missing he could only stare at her for a moment. Then the rage fizzled down to a simmer, his logical mind kicked into gear. Of course they would be given a case, there was nothing to do for his brother, no leads, no clues, and no contact, so why leave agents just sitting there on a stalemate case when they could solve other cases that were able to be solved. He hated to admit it, but Merrick was right. He gave Megan a small nod and drank deeply, draining his coffee mug.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, just fine" Don mumbled. He briefly glanced at the file his partner had given him. The victim was physicist or scientist, something along those lines, he hated to admit but he didn't really care, he was too worried about Charlie. Following Megan to the crime scene in his SUV he fought hard to push down the feeling that something was going to go terribly wrong.
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Charlie lay flat on his back desperate not to move. Everything hurt so much. The hunger pains had ebbed for a while now to a dull sort of numbness, but the bruises from the beatings had not. Escort, as he now called the guy that came to fetch him when he was needed, had come twice more. Each time he'd asked Charlie very politely if he would cooperate, each time Charlie said no. A beating equal to the first would follow immediately after his refusal. Then after the third beating, Escort asked him if any amount of risking his life they put him through would make him cooperate. The question caught him by surprise and he actually had to think about it. Lying he'd said no. He knew that if they really tried, and did more than they were all ready doing, he would eventually break, but he could never let them know that. He only hoped his voice had sounded more confident than he really was.
His mind spun itself in circles contemplating the question. What were they going to do now? They must be going to try a new tactic. Surely they wouldn't simply give up on him? Not yet at least. If they were, they would just kill him. Seeing as he was still alive that couldn't be it. Whatever it was they were planning, it most certainly wouldn't be good, and he couldn't be around when it went into motion. That was when he decided; he wouldn't make Don do all the work. He was getting out of here and now. Slowly he rose to his knees, gulping down the shooting pains it sent up his torso. Leaning against the wall he managed to rise to his feet. His legs wobbled beneath him weakened by hunger and his body trembled beneath his weight, but he didn't let that stop him. In the opposite corner he found a lone water bottle, practically finishing it in one gulp. He didn't plan on being here long enough to ration it out.
Slowly he slid his way along the walls to where the door was. Locked. Of course, only an idiot would leave a hostage in an unlocked room. He jerked the door back and forth until his arms grew tired hoping to break the lock. Just as he figured the lock was stronger than him, but he needed to try everything. You never know when your luck will kick in. He tried banging on the door until he was sure he'd broken some bone in his hands. He yelled and hollered at his captors. If they were going to keep him here, then he was going to be more trouble than he was worth. He didn't care if it was smart to be troublesome, he would probably live longer if they found his useful to keep around, but he wouldn't do what they asked and he wouldn't be a long term captive, at least a live one. Eventually they must have gotten sick of listening to him because the door opened and Escort entered looking irate and held a chemically soaked rag over his mouth and nose. Fighting himself Charlie breathed in the sickly-sweet smelling chemicals and watched helpless as the world faded away and his little rebellion was over.
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Don parked his car just outside the yellow crime scene tape. They were in the middle of the industrial sector with many of its factories working away despite the scene down the street. A local officer was already taking the statement from the person who discovered the body. He was happy to see the task taken; he didn't think he could muster up the proper sympathy for an innocent civilian that found a dead body at work. He marched over to the body, not hurriedly, but slowly and deliberately, fighting to maintain focus. The body was a white male whom looked to have been in perfect health, until you reached the small hole between the eyes, and the pool of blood surrounding his head.
He went through the day, completing various tasks required of him, with less than half a mind on what he was actually doing. The uneasy feeling that something was wrong or would go wrong never disappeared; he simply ignored it until he forgot it was even there. The day was a blur, forgetting things just after he'd been told, constantly distracted. The day felt immensely long, tasks were eventually completed, and people began to meander home, nothing left in the day to do. Don and his team were nearly an hour away from being able to go home when something between two warehouses caught his eye. He wasn't sure what had attracted his attention, but it was enough to drive him for further investigation.
The area was a little narrower than an alley way and as long as the buildings. It was empty. Nothing and no one was there, so what had caught his attention? He turned back to go to the crime scene. He must be getting jumpy. Abruptly two men jumped out of nowhere at him. One assailant grabbed his legs while the other wrapped his arm around Don's arms and chest, holding a chemical soaked rag to his mouth and nose. Don wriggled his hardest against his restraints, he tried to call for help but every time he took a deep breath to call for help he would feel as if he were suffocating and be forced to take another deep breath. The drugs sapped the strength from him and his struggles quieted. The last thing he saw was Megan, a long ways away. Her figure blurred into thousands of little grey pixels and disappeared. The assailants loaded Don into the trunk of the get away car and drove away at the same rate as nearby traffic, unnoticed by all.
A/N: See there's another chapter for you happy folks…but I still feel the need to whump something, I'm having a horrible week, so don't be surprised by another update soon. Oh, and since I'm having such a bad week please review, if for nothing else for sympathy give me my pity reviews!
