Chapter 5
Six hours later Nate was awake again and although in pain was not incapacitated. Parker had retrieved the sample and Eliot had had it delivered to his friend and Hardison was going through everything he had found out about the man who had done the shooting. There was nothing on him though, nothing that explained what he had done. He was a normal citizen with no priors and no connection to them or any one of their ex-clients. He had a wife and two young children and worked as an accountant in the city. He was not a hitter, at least not that Hardison could determine. The only other news was that the man had died in prison from a toxin yet unidentified, probably the same one killing Nate which confused them even more.
"He killed himself with his own toxin?" Parker asked as Hardison gave them the information.
"None of this makes any damn sense." Eliot said looking at Nate.
"But that leaves us with nothing." Sophie said and Nate could hear the despondency in her voice.
"Ok…Hardison get me all the information you have on any of our ex-marks who were involved with the medical field. Sophie, did you ever deal with anything to do with pharmaceuticals when you worked on your own…"
"No…" Sophie said wracking her brain. She had never had any dealings in that line, not when she was working on her own. They had taken down a few marks who were involved with toxins before though.
"Nate…" Eliot said stepping forward as he saw the man cringe in the bed and shut his eyes.
Sophie watched and felt Nate squeeze her hand as the waves of pain washed over him and pressed the call button. Immediately a nurse entered the room and after looking at the patient told them she would be back shortly. She disappeared but returned after a minute and injected Nate with the sedative that the doctor had prescribed. Nate's heart rate slowed, and his body relaxed as the sedative took effect. The nurse told them she would let the doctor know and that he would be by to examine Nate in a short while.
"Eliot…" Sophie said her eyes swimming in tears as she looked up to him.
Eliot said nothing, there was nothing he could say, they had no leads, his friend had not gotten back to him yet and Nate was dying in front of them and there was nothing they could do to help him or stop it. He closed his eyes as he contemplated their situation and then his phone rang.
"Eliot think I have isolated it."
"Geoff that's great when can you have the antitoxin?"
"I'm working on it. It's a bad toxin man and complex, I don't know who concocted it but, well they knew what they were doing. It's one thing to find the kind of toxin and another to get a working antitoxin."
"What are you saying Geoff?"
"I am saying I may not be able to get one developed in time, I am working on it and will get it to you as soon as I can, just wanted to let you know of the progress."
"Thanks Geoff." Eliot said softly. This was not good news he knew, Geoff was one of the best toxicologists and doctors in the army, he and Eliot had worked together a few times on black ops missions, that was how they had met and they had remained friends since then.
"Eliot?" Sophie asked as he hung up the phone.
"My friend has isolated the toxin."
"That's great man…" Hardison almost shouted.
"Eliot what's wrong?" Sophie said seeing the sadness and despondency on the Hitters face and feeling her stomach knot.
"Geoff is trying to develop an antitoxin but…apparently this, this toxin is different and he…well he will try and get one as quickly as possible."
Sophie held his gaze and read the message in it, that they may not be in time to save Nate even if his friend did develop one. Then she shook her head slightly and turned back to her husband.
"Nate darling, they have identified the toxin and they are working on the antitoxin, you have to hold on Nate, for me, for your family, for our child you hear me Nate you have to hold on." She said as she stood and kissed him gently on the forehead.
Eliot watched them and felt the emotion rise in him. They had no answers and only questions, the man in question who had done this was a nobody and had killed himself using the same toxin that was killing Nate, none of their previous marks seemed responsible, they had no idea who had sent the guy after Sophie or why and his friend might not be able to get an antidote before this toxin took Nate's life. His family was in danger, and there was nothing he could really do about it and he felt helpless and impotent.
An hour later there was a knock at the door and Eliot was immediately on high alert. He opened the door ready for anything to be met by two men both showing him their badges. They were Portland police detectives and were there to question Nate about the incident at the bar. Behind them stood a woman and another man, both showed their ID's as members of the FBI.
"He is unconscious." Eliot informed them as they entered the room.
"Yes we spoke to the doctor, we were hoping one of you could give us some information on what happened." Detective John Phillips said as he looked at the man in the bed and then at the rest of the people in the room.
"It happened just like we said, a man came in the bar and started shooting, Nate was hit. I took the shooter down when I came in and that is all we know. Why is the FBI interested?" Eliot explained what happened as he knew it again and then looked towards the other two who had also entered the room.
"We believe that Mr Ford was a victim of a man who orchestrates random attacks in public places. His MO is to get a man or woman, tell them that a family member of theirs was infected with a toxin as were they, but if they did as they were told they would be given the antitoxin, in this case he was informed that his wife was injected with a type of toxin and told he would get the antidote if he carried out the attack, which he did. I believe that Mr Ford has also been infected with a toxin from the bullets that were fired as that has been the case in every other incident. Now this is the fourth such attack in random places across Portland." Special Agent Conrad told him.
"This was random?" Hardison asked as he listened to the man. Nobody was after Sophie or Nate this was just some sick person who had done this with no rhyme or reason.
"Did his wife get the antitoxin?" Sophie asked listening to the men, if his wife got the antitoxin and it was the same they could help Nate.
Conrad looked at the woman and his face softened slightly, he could see the angst and desperation on her face and knew her husband was dying, and her hope was that they had an antitoxin for him.
"No. I am sorry whoever it was has never honoured his word, and both the men or woman he forces to do this succumb to the toxin as well as the person he infected to convince them to do it. We have our people working on an antitoxin but up to now we do not have one. I am so sorry." Conrad told her. "Anything you can tell us, anything at all, did he say anything before firing, did he target anybody, was he focused on Mr Ford? Please anything you can tell us could help."
"No…" Sophie said casting her mind back to that evening. "No he walked in the door and then started firing, it seemed as if he was firing at me and Nate…Nate…he stepped in front of me and…" Sophie stopped thinking of the incident and her voice faltering.
"So he targeted you?" One of the detectives asked.
"I don't know, he started firing as he walked through the door, it could have just been that I was in his line of fire." Sophie said pulling herself together.
"Well there have been no specific targets in the other attacks." Agent Dorothy Penton answered. "It has been the same scenario, man walks into a bar, restaurant or some other crowded area and opens fire, random shooting."
"And in every shooting was the bullet laced with the same toxin?" Eliot asked.
"Yes." Penton replied. These were no ordinary victims she surmised, they were professionals, in what she was not sure. "Also they randomly fire but once they see their bullet hits one person they keep firing at that person to the exclusion of others, most of the shooting victims have died from the gunshots and not from the toxin. Was this the case here too?"
"Yes…yes Nate was hit twice and if Eliot had not intervened he probably would have carried on shooting and, and Nate would have been hit more." Sophie informed them.
"As far as we have been able to determine the shooter seems to be under instructions to empty the gun into the victim once he has hit a target, any target."
"What the hell man?" Hardison asked looking at the FBI men. Agent Penton looked at him and shook her head, she understood how the man felt but had nothing to give him to help the situation.
"Yes well thank you for your help and I…I am sorry." Detective Benson said before anybody could say more. "If we get any further information we will let you know."
None of them said anything as the detectives and FBI left and Eliot closed the door behind them. He turned back to Sophie.
"This was all random…" Sophie said shaking her head. "Why us, why Nate…dammit has he not had enough happen to him, why…"
"Sophie." Eliot said walking to her side. "Sophie I don't know why, I don't know why he can't catch a break, but we just have to believe that Geoff will get that antitoxin we have too…"
"They have been after this madman for how long…they have been looking for the antitoxin for how long…Eliot…"
"I know, I know Sophie, but we have to hope, that is all we can do now." Eliot said.
In truth he was relieved even with the situation they were facing. He was relieved that this was simply a random attack by some sick bastard, it meant she was safe, nobody was after them, nobody was after Sophie. Eliot suddenly looked up as he heard a change in Nate's heart monitor, the beat had become erratic and he could see the man was struggling to breathe, he quickly pressed the call button and pulled the pillows out from behind his head. Sophie looked at Eliot with alarm and gripped Nate's hand tightly.
The doctor and nurses entered the room and hustled them all out closing the door. They all stood outside the door, straining to listen to the chaos going on inside the room and ten minutes later the door opened, and the doctor emerged.
"Nate…"
"Mrs Ford, Mr Ford went into respiratory arrest, his heart is failing, and he is no longer breathing on his own. I am afraid there is nothing more we can do for him he is on full life support and even so…I am sorry it will not be long now. I really am very sorry." The doctor told them.
Sophie stared at him and then pushed passed him and into the room making her way to Nate's side. He was now surrounded by more machines and a pipe extended from his mouth feeding him the oxygen that the ventilator provided. The beeping monitor told her that his heartrate was not only slow but also very erratic and she knew the doctor was right, it was only a matter of time now these would be the last hours she spent with him. She sat down beside him taking his hand in hers tears spilling from her eyes as she waited, dreading the sound of the flatline she knew was coming.
Eliot, Parker and Hardison joined her at the bedside Parker taking Nate's other hand in hers. She was fighting to control her emotions as she looked down at the man. Hardison stood beside her holding her free hand offering her support as much as he could. Eliot stood beside Sophie with his hand resting on her shoulder. They would at least be here, all of them, they would be with him and he would not be alone when it happened he thought.
