Well. Okay. Pretty sure this is the longest chapter (and one of the toughest) I've done yet but for the life of me, couldn't find a cut-off point. I have a feeling though that fans of a certain character (who is impressing me very much so far this season) may appreciate that. Anyway, take this as you will. Thanks so much to indigo and livullman for the reviewage, more to come soon!
After confirming with the police that Khaliq was in CIA custody, breaking a few traffic laws along the way that luckily didn't catch up to her, Carrie turned into the driveway at Langley.
Once parking she made her way to the side entrance, then swiped her key card to access the stairwell to the underground bunkers.
When she reached them the eager, electric, take no prisoner's gleam in her eyes was replaced with a fierce glare. Seeing she wasn't alone.
"What the...how did you even..."
"Took a shortcut. I had a feeling you were headed here.", Quinn sighed, following her down the next flight of stairs.
"He hasn't formally confessed. I think the Metro cops were just fed up and said fuck it, let someone else deal with him."
Pleased, Carrie nodded and hurriedly continued down the stairs.
"We'll have some say in how this fucking plays out but not the final say. If Saul doesn't make it though, the balls even more in our court."
When Carrie stopped walking and turned, jaw clenched and teary eyed, he sighed, shrugged.
"Just telling it like it is."
Once they reached the bunkers Quinn paused in front of the door, then stopped, turned to face Carrie with a sympathetic but stubborn look.
"What the fuck, Quinn. We're not just going to watch him over the monitors all night, are we?"
"Well I'm not."
"What are you saying? I'm not allowed in?"
"I'm saying, that.."
"Quinn. That bastard in there kidnapped Farrah and shot Saul in the chest! He put him in a fucking coma!"
"I know. I was there both times. But right now, this is hitting way too fucking close to home for you."
"Are you saying I can't handle it?!"
"I'm saying, you have the same look in your eyes that you did after we brought Roya in. After I stabbed Brody in the hand...speaking of which..."
"Jesus, I'm not here to talk about Brody! I'm here to get answers."
"Answers that I can get.", Quinn said.
"Look, you can watch the entire interrogation on the monitor. I'll even wear a goddamn earpiece so you can relay your questions to me."
"No, Quinn.", Carrie refused. "I have to do this."
"I won't allow it."
"You have to.", she reminded. "You said so yourself less than an hour ago. With Saul incapacitated I'm in charge."
"Not of me. Pull that shit on Galvez or Virgil or Max."
"What about your elevator promise." Carrie asked, arching a brow as he glared.
"That was to help you help Brody."
"Well Saul is just as important. And he would want me to do this, Quinn. I fucking know it."
Seeing him still looking skeptical, concerned, Carrie resorted to another strategy. She was already overemotional so the tears came easily.
"Please, Quinn."
"Goddammit.", he muttered under his breath.
"One condition, I'm in there with you."
"Fine, I'll wear an earpiece."
"No, Carrie. I mean me standing right next to you behind that table."
"I don't do two man interrogations, Quinn. That was one thing they decided not to bother training me for."
Going over to a nearby shelf he saw her grab a headset and an earpiece. Placing the latter, she handed him the former before brushing past him towards the door to the bunker. Before she could open it though he tapped her on the shoulder.
"Fuck, Quinn. What-"
"Nothing. Just, eviscerate the fucker.", he encouraged.
Nodding she slowly exhaled then opened the door. Khaliq was shackled at his wrists to the table, and his ankles were cuffed to the floor. He was restless, jittery, trying to play it cool while the fear in his eyes gave him away.
Carrie was relieved. This man clearly was not a hardened criminal. Of anything he resembled a scared, in over his head kid. She almost felt sorry for him.
But then she remembered how Farrah had acted in the children's lounge. How she sounded, looked.
Anger, fear, pain, betrayal had been all over her face, and the man seated across the room from Carrie had put it there. Within seconds he was back to being a good for nothing cocksucking gunman.
Silently she took a seat in the chair across from him. Her face set to an emotionless, steely mask as Khaliq looked on mystified and agitated.
"You? Why did they send you! Why am I here, not at the police station?", he exclaimed.
"They couldn't spare the holding cell so they farmed you out to us.", Carrie snorted.
"What happened was an accident. There was a struggle and the gun, it just went off."
"And shot my colleague in the fucking chest.", she snarled, standing up.
"Also that gun was registered in your name. You used it to try and abduct a six year old child."
"That child is my sister!"
"Who you've done nothing but terrorize since you reentered her life.", she spat.
"And here I thought your leaving her in the care of your warmonger father was enough of a low for you. You've proven me wrong, Khaliq. Ask my colleagues. That doesn't happen too often."
Sitting back in the chair she folded her arms over her chest, looked casually at him.
"You can ask the one outside watching this entire interrogation. The one who just told me to eviscerate you. I admit, I was surprised he asked me to. He's normally the bad cop. He stabs the hands that I bandage up."
"That was only one fucking time, Carrie. Hold off on getting his and her's knives and gauze for the bunker, okay?", Quinn piped up in her ear.
"It's an interrogation tactic. It makes the suspect weak, vulnerable. Demonstrates our control. By the time my colleague's through with them, they're generally on the cusp of cooperating. Then I come in."
Uncapping a water bottle she brought in with her she took a sip. Flashing back to Brody for the briefest of seconds before her eyes iced over more.
"I thought you'd like to know that the man you shot tonight, that you left critically wounded and lying in a hospital bed, is the one who recruited me. He trained me himself, taught me every fucking thing I know.
Before the first interrogation I ran alone, he told me my job, my only one, was to find out what makes people like you human. Not what makes you criminals, terrorists.", Carrie emphasized, knowing Khaliq had caused enough terror for her and Farrah both to qualify.
"The thing is though, I can't find it. I can't see the humanity in someone who abducts a child in broad daylight, almost gets her killed and then not a month after the fact, attempts the same fucking thing and nearly succeeds.", she snarled.
"He didn't succeed, Carrie. Even if he pulled five guns on us he wouldn't have succeeded.", Quinn said, sounding pained even still.
"I can't find a shred of decency in someone who knowingly pulls a gun anywhere near a child. Let alone uses it to force her away from the people who actually love her. People who selflessly risked their lives tonight protecting her. Farrah knows who really cares about her. That's why you came packing heat, right? You knew force and fear would be all that could motivate her to go anywhere with you!"
Carrie hissed as Khaliq snorted, rolled his eyes.
"Farrah ran to me! She wanted to see me! The only person she ran from was your good friend the hit man."
"Hey, I prefer the term hired assassin. Christ, I'm black ops not a fucking Godfather character.", Quinn scowled.
Biting the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing, Carrie subtly tapped her right foot. Signalling she needed confirmation on Khaliq's comment one way or the other.
"Farrah ran to Khaliq initially but Saul got hold of her, talked about you and she calmed down. And after seeing his holster, she wouldn't have gone to fucking Disney World with him if he asked."
"Well right now, after seeing you were the only one armed, not only is Farrah scared to death of you she's furious with you."
"How would you know? You were not with her at the square tonight!", Khaliq spat as Carrie got to her feet, walked around to his side of the table and rested her hands on it. Then leaned down so she was eye level to him.
"She had a nightmare about you. In the children's lounge a few hours ago. She started crying out, yelling at you to go away, to leave her alone! 'emši! sebni!"
Not needing to speak Arabic fluently to understand what she was communicating there, Quinn nodded approvingly.
"Good job. He looks rattled. Keep at it."
"You are lying!", Khaliq growled as Carrie stared him down icily.
"No, I'm not. She hates you, Khaliq. Not only that, she fears you. And it's a direct fucking result of what you've done. Jesus, don't you just want to make it right?", she asked, getting a look she took to mean yes.
"Just turn yourself in. Fucking confess, own up. At the very least it'll give Farrah some closure. Maybe eventually she'll even forgive you."
"Forgive me? For an accident?", Khaliq asked incredulously.
"You say I should confess. There is nothing for me to confess to. There was a struggle. The gun went off. Did you even consider that the man who wrestled me to the ground could have pulled the trigger?"
"He's lying. The gun was in his grip the entire time, Carrie. Only his prints are on it, and they checked both our hands for residue and I came back clean. Tell him it's all in the report and the ice cream girl can back everything up.", Quinn interjected as Carrie scratched the side of her nose, indicating she heard him and understood.
"We have witnesses, Khaliq. And the report filed by the police. And proof it was your gun. The residue from it is only on your hands. Only your fingerprints are on it. You brought it to the scene with every intention to shoot it.", she said bitterly as he scoffed, shook his head.
"It was your actions that forced the struggle. The struggle that resulted in the shooting of the deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency of the United States. You really think the top brass will cut you a deal?", she snorted.
"Also, forget about you for five seconds and consider this. If you take this to court, try and plead your case, who do you think they'll call up as the first witness? You're going to make Farrah rehash every fucking horrible thing she saw? In front of a crowded courtroom with lawyers screaming at her? You'd put her through that kind of hell just to save your sorry ass?"
"Farrah would not betray me in court."
Seeing red, Carrie moved back to the opposite side of the table, looked at Khaliq menacingly.
"Let's get one thing clear here. Farrah is not going to so much as set eyes on your goddamn picture after what's happened. You understand me? I'll flee the country with her before letting you drag her into a courtroom."
"Interesting you say that.", Khaliq muttered to himself.
"I'm really hoping that's a confession you just muttered under your breath."
"I was just saying, Farrah will protect me in court. Once I tell her I can easily keep the two of you apart."
"Oooh. How ominous.", Carrie laughed, semi-amused.
"Why don't you twirl your mustache and tilt your black hat a little more there, Khaliq. Tie me to some fucking railroad tracks.", she scoffed.
"Your so called threats don't mean shit. In case you forgot you're shackled to the goddamn table."
"Sabina Amir.", Khaliq said coolly as Carrie's eyes widened ever so slightly.
"Excuse me?"
"She is the one who put together your so called foster arrangement, did she not?"
"In case you're forgetting I'm not the one being interrogated here!"
"But you are the one who is nervous. Because I am right. Ms. Amir placed Farrah in your care. If only she had done it through the proper channels."
"You're one to talk about doing things by the fucking book!", Carrie spat. Trying to conceal that up until now she was completely confident Sabina had.
"I believe she would have if she had been given the proper amount of time. But your Agency requested the process be expedited. A rush job, as you call it was done. I know, I did my research. Did you ever wonder why Farrah was entrusted to you so quickly? Why you were able to leave Baghdad with her in just a matter of days, with nobody questioning you?"
Not getting a response Khaliq continued.
"I'm sure if the foster arrangement ever became an issue Mr. Berenson would explain himself to a committee. He was the one who helped set it up. But since right now he cannot explain, if the truth came out, how would it look to the court if a government employee, an unstable government employee was found to be illegally caring for a child."
"You don't know what the fuck you're talking about.", Carrie growled.
"You have no say whatsoever in what happens to Farrah. You're about to be put away on criminal charges."
"Well if I am put away, you will be too, and then who will my sister have? Kidnapping is also a crime, Miss Mathison."
"I didn't fucking kidnap-"
"You fled a country with a child who is not your own. I saw to it that Ms. Amir was promptly removed from duty. And if I am found guilty, if Farrah does not tell the truth, that there was a struggle and that this was all a horrible accident, then you will be removed from your duties too. To my sister, maybe even to your job."
Watching, blindsided as all this played out on the monitor, Quinn recovered and cleared his throat. All the while imagining reaching for his holster, walking to the two way mirror that looked into the bunker and shooting through the glass. One clean shot to end all this.
"Carrie, he's bluffing. All he's saying is complete bullshit. He's fucking desperate. Just stay on him. You're in control here, remember that."
Seeing her hand go to her hair, her eyes widening and tearing up he bit his lip, swore under his breath.
"Just turn it back on him. Scare him. Tell him how well a man who maims law enforcement holds up in prison. The guards will fucking destroy him."
The feed on the monitor was grainy but Quinn could see her jaw clenched, her hands shaking, and mentally kicked himself repeatedly in the ass for okaying this.
"Okay Carrie enough with this. I'm taking over and I want you out of there. Grab the water bottle and back away from the table if you acknowledge."
When she didn't move a muscle Quinn swore and got up from his desk, still watching the monitor as he slowly backed out of the room towards the door.
"I'm not fucking around, goddammit!"
Still not getting a reply, watching the screen he paled when instead of reaching for the water bottle, Carrie's right hand reached back for something in her back pocket.
"Fuck.."
Warily he looked away from the monitor to the shelf where she'd grabbed the earpiece, and something else from.
"Motherfucking.."
Sprinting from the control room to the bunker, Quinn threw the door open only to see the flash of metal, then the blade sticking out of the back of Khaliq's hand.
There was only one medic on site, but Quinn had thought to text him as soon as he realized the knife was missing from the shelf.
After the medic entered the bunker, swiftly removed the knife and retrieved pain medication, disinfectant, bandages, Khaliq cried, swore, called Carrie every derogatory name in the book as she stood pale, shaking off to the side.
Cautiously Quinn approached her, gently taking her by the arm to guide her out of the bunker. Once outside after he shut the door, he was set to yell, curse her out. Until he saw her staring down at her trembling right hand that was smeared with blood.
Biting his lip he swore before ducking into the nearby bathroom. Once he wet some paper towels he came back out, saw her standing straight-backed against a wall and trying to catch her breath.
"Hey, easy. Deep breaths, Carrie. You're fine.", he assured, reaching for her hand with the towel but she jerked back and away from him, took off for the staircase.
"Carrie! Shit.."
Running up both flights of stairs, hands shaking so much she could barely get the doorknob, Carrie cursed and kicked at it until it gave before running outside, choking back tears and fighting for air. When her legs started shaking too she cursed, dropped to her knees.
Once outside, seeing her knelt on the lawn, Quinn was hesitant to approach. Assuming she wanted space after sprinting off the way she had. But when he saw, then heard her start to cry...
"Carrie."
Kneeling beside her he took off his jacket, draped it around her shaking shoulders before warily slipping an arm around her. Rather than recoiling, fighting him off (which he was far more prepared to handle), she hid her face in his shoulder and sobbed.
"Shhh. It's alright, Carrie. It's alright."