Jo's cell phone rings and the caller ID reads: Abe Morgan. She answers the call and hands the phone to Henry.
"Abraham, where are you?" Henry barks into the phone.
"On my way back home."
Henry almost deflates in a sigh of relief. "Abraham...I was so worried-"
"Dad." Abe interrupts. "I'm with Adam."
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Abe ends the call and shoves the phone into the change compartment under the dashboard. "Satisfied?" he roughly asks Adam.
"You sound upset, Abraham." Adam coldly observes as he watches the passing scenery.
"You bet, I'm upset!" Abe spits at him. "I don't understand why you wanted me to lie and make them believe I was...on my way..." His brow furrows as realization hits him. He angrily glances over at his unwelcome passenger and nods his head up and down. "To throw them off. Give you time to pull off another of your cockamamie schemes." he scoffs and glares at Adam.
"You forget, Abraham," Adam calmly reminds him but in an icier tone, "I promised your dear father that I would never harm a hair on you." He slowly turns his dark, emotionless eyes to Abe and hisses, "But that was before he did what he did to me."
"So, what? You're gonna kill me? Is that it? That's your biggg plannn?" He's aware that he's dangerously close to the edge in drawing Adam's ire, but he hopes that the newest members of his father's net of friends are tracking his whereabouts via his phone's GPS or his car's GPS equipment. He's managed to drop under the speed limit, unnoticed by Adam - he hopes. It would give them time to catch up to him and his creepy passenger.
"WHAT I need for you to do right now is just DRIVE!" Adam snarls the words out and sends a chill down Abe's spine.
Abe glances at his cell phone and quickly back at the roadway ahead of him. 'I see why Mom drove your evil butt off the road back in '85.' He sadly recalls also that she took her own life shortly after the crash in order to prevent Adam from finding Henry or him. But he has no plans to emulate her actions anytime soon.
"Okay. Calm down. Just...lemme ask you something." Adam doesn't reply, but he continues anyway. "Why do you hate him so much?" He glances at Adam. "I mean before he sent you to zombieland?" Abe notices Adam's jaw, rigid with anger. "I mean is it because he found a way to have a little happiness in this world despite his condition?"
"I would advise you to tread lightly, Abraham." Adam quietly hisses.
'Like a snake.' Abe silently observes.
"Oh, c'mon, you can tell me. We were at Auschwitz together. We both survived. There's no one else around to hear." Abe wonders to himself why he's pushing this maniac but he still continues. "Is it because he's taller than you? Better looking? Smarter? He is a highly educated medical professional and gifted crime solver. I mean, the way I understand it, women wanna be with him, guys wanna be him." Abe laughs and thinks to himself that he's losing his own mind and Adam's gonna plug him any second with that gun he recovered from the crashed van.
Adam remains quiet and calm as he eyes Abraham and adjusts his grip on the weapon. He recalls how advantageous it was that he'd died and rebirthed only moments before the crash near 20 feet of water, after the portable life support equipment on his high-tech gurney had failed.
40 minutes earlier...
The white van registered to Victor Caswell, but driven erratically by a very nervous Reuben Barnes, gradually merged onto I80, headed toward the Center for Scientific Discovery research facility in Ithaca, NY. The geneticist's grip on the steering wheel slipped occasionally because of his sweaty palms. He had mixed emotions about the present journey he was on. For one, he was now an accomplice to kidnapping. His original plan to convince both Lt. Reece and Dr. Morgan that his new serum just might be the mysterious patient's only hope for recovery, had been unfortunately altered when forced to include Vic, whom he viewed as nothing more than a heartless opportunist who cared nothing about advancing medical science for the greater good . Barnes was still convinced, however, that he would be redeemed once the John Doe's current malady was cured, and he would be hailed a hero, a pioneer, a true man of vision. A strange fast-paced beeping had disturbed his daydream of grandeur.
'What's that sound?' He asked urgently. The van lurched a bit as he watched Vic's reflection in the rear view mirror.
'Some of the equipment's malfunctioning. Watch your driving, Barnes!' Vic cursed loudly and placed the gun he'd been teasing Adam with (Amy Mitchell's gun) in a side compartment on the gurney. He bent over from his seat and peered at the readouts on the specially-designed equipment by NASA engineers. 'Not special enough.' Vic fumed under his breath. He frantically readjusted the controls on the equipment as Adam's body went into shock.
'I thought you said this equipment was state of the art!' Barnes shouted to make himself heard above the failing equipment's whirrings and beeps. 'You told me that you knew how to operate all of it!'
'Will ya just shut up and drive? You're gonna make us crash! And what good will that do ya?' Vic shouted back as he began CPR on Adam. 'C'mon, breathe, you son of a witch!' he muttered angrily. 'Breathe!' The singular, high-pitched tone that the patient had flatlined, replaced the various whirrings and beeps.
The life-or-death activities in the rear of the van drew Barnes' attention away from his driving. He watched in the rear view mirror in dismay as Vic continued CPR on Adam. Vic yelled at him again to pay attention to the road but then Adam's body vanished in a sudden flash of white light that temporarily blinded them both in the confined space.
Barnes instinctively slammed on the brakes causing the van to dramatically fishtail and then spin around. The van eventually lost a battle with a big rig which caused the van to overturn several times, slide off the roadway and land upside down in a shallow waterway. The geneticist was stunned but aware that he was wrong side up in a van that was slowly filling with water. His aversion to the use of seatbelts probably helped him avoid drowning since many times they don't work after a collision; especially under water. He was able to free himself from the van's confines with the help of a few strangers. Vic, he'd seen, had not survived and he was keenly aware that he'd survived mainly because of the rapidly healing properties of the serum he'd derived from Ben Larson's blood. The same serum he'd pumped into his own body. And the mysterious patient? That was the 64 thousand dollar question. Where was he? What in the name of Heaven and earth, had happened to him?'
vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv
Adam gasped and gulped air into his lungs as he bobbed up in the water. It was just deep enough to allow him to rebirth in it, but yet so shallow that he cleared the surface all the way up to his knees before splattering back down into the thick marsh where he hid, shivering. He had come back just in time to see the van as it slid off the roadway and came to rest upside down in the water. He managed to slosh his way to the van, recovered the weapon he'd observed the now deceased Vic playing with just before the crash, and wrapped himself and the gun in a wet blanket from his gurney before it sank further into the shallow waters. Other motorists had gladly helped him from the water. They'd even cheered when they saw he was uninjured. He'd played along with being the rescued victim.
He'd then spotted Abe, and made his way over to him. What a strange stroke of luck, he'd thought. He realized that he wouldn't have to commandeer a stranger's vehicle. Henry's precious son was there - why not take advantage of it?
Abe had not seemed all that surprised to see him because, after all, he knew that Adam shared his father's condition.
'Fancy meeting you here, Abraham.' Adam had greeted him with the barest of smiles although genuinely surprised himself.
Abe had eyed him warily, then looked over at the van as good samaritans helped Barnes out of the water. He looked back at Adam who shivered and clutched the wet blanket around him. Abe said nothing but motioned for him to follow him to his car. Adam had obliged him and displayed genuine gratitude for the dry clothes and shoes Abe handed him. In that brief moment, Abe thought, Adam had looked like a regular human being. As he dressed, Abe turned away to give him a bit of privacy.
'A nurse who works at Bellevue called and told me that Barnes and a male nurse named Vic, stole you out of your hospital bed.'
'Quite right.' He finished dressing. 'You can turn around now. I'm decent.'
That's debatable, Abe thought as he turned around to face the troublesome immortal. 'What had they planned to do with you? Use you as a guinea pig?'
Adam ignored his questions. 'I'm curious. Just how is it you happened to be here just at this moment?'
'I was on my way to see Barnes at that center of his in Ithaca. This white van cut me off so I followed it to give the driver a one-fingered salute but when I pulled up close enough - it was the man of the hour himself, Barnes. So I dropped behind and followed...until the crash. Then I pulled over to the side of the road because I knew you were in the back of the van and, uh, well, that flash of light right before the crash told me that you had, uh, blinked out.'
'What a creative way to describe my - departure. And how ingenious and adventurous of you, Abraham. You truly are your father's son, I see.'
They both watched the response team pull Vic Caswell's lifeless body from the water. Abe then offered to take Adam back to Bellevue but he'd declined.
'Okay, you don't want to go back to Bellevue, that's fine. But I think it would be a good idea for us to discuss some things.' Abe said.
'And I assume you're referring to the situation between your father and me.'
'Yeah. Don't you think by now it's time to bury the hatchet?'
'And we merely shake hands and go our separate ways, is that it?' He raised his eyebrows and moved his head from side to side as he spoke.
'Like a snake.' Abe thought again. The man simply repulsed him. He wished with all his might that he could wave a wand or weave a magic spell to rid them of him. Permanently. Not since he had returned from Vietnam at age 21, had he wished so hard for the impossible.
He and Henry had reluctantly agreed that from that moment on, he would only address Henry as "Pops" or "Dad" in private. Because of Henry's strange condition that forever made him appear 35, he no longer looked believable as the father of a 21-year-old young man. It was yet another painful twist in their odd relationship that they'd both had to adapt to. Abe recalled the heartbreak in his father's eyes as he spoke words that were as poison to their souls. He'd lain awake and cried most of the night, all the while wishing with all his might for his father to have peace. For his strange condition to merely vanish. But no amount of wishing had ever worked. And, sadly, it wasn't going to work now, he realized.
'That would be great.' he told Adam. 'I mean you must want to get back to your own life, right? Ya gotta admit that these petty mind games have gotten you both nowhere fast.' Adam grunted, only mildly amused at the younger man's seemingly careless use of the English language. Abe opened the front passenger side of his car and waited. After a few moments, Adam slid into the seat and Abe closed the door.
More stubborn than Dad, Abe grumpily observed as he walked around and climbed into the driver's seat. Ten times as stubborn.
'Where to?' he asked Adam.
Adam uncovered the gun and pointed it at him. 'Ithaca.'
Abe rolled his eyes, shook his head and silently bemoaned his own gullibility. He put the car in gear and managed to rejoin the northern flow of traffic. He grunted at Adam, 'You. With a gun. Why am I not surprised?'
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All the color drains from Henry's panic-stricken face, his eyes dart rapidly back and forth as he processes his son's words. He struggles to think clearly on what he should do next.
Jo places her hand on his arm. "What is it, Henry? Is Abe okay?" She'd never seen him this way before. It alarms her and she dreads his answer.
"Adam's got Abe, Jo." He hands the phone back to her. "That psychopath has my son!" He turns to run back to her car and she runs with him.
"Where are we going?" she asks breathlessly.
"Abe said he was on his way home and that Adam was with him." He breathes heavily, not from exhaustion, but from anger and exasperation. If he could, he's sure he would wring Adam's neck with his bare hands. "Jo - the door. Please open the door on my side; let's go!" he desperately implores.
Jo unlocks the doors and they climb in, but an idea hits her. Once inside the car, she pecks on her phone and shushes Henry with a raised finger as he impatiently urges her to get the car moving. After several moments, her face lights up and she calmly says, "Abe's phone is still on. I'm guessing that Adam doesn't know that. And you know else, Henry?" She turns the phone's face towards him that shows a red dot moving in an upward direction on the screen. "Abe's not headed home." She points to the red dot. "They're headed north." Both she and Henry reach the same conclusion at the same time and voice it in unison: "The Center!"
Jo passes the phone to Henry with explicit instructions to "just hold it". She opens the glove compartment, pulls out an older, fliptop phone, and uses it to call Reece.
"Hey, Lieu. We're on our way to Barnes' research facility." She looks at Henry as she holds the phone to her ear. "Er, yes, it appears that Adam has Abe and they're on their way there in Abe's car." She nods as she starts up the car and merges once again with the northbound traffic.
Henry listens intently to the one-sided conversation as he pulls his lips in and furrows his brow.
"Yeah, sounds like a plan." She asks Henry about Abe's car, his license plate number, anything. But he can't concentrate enough to dig the information out of his worried mind. As she watches his struggle, she reassures him that the techs will pull the relevant information out of the DMV database.
He suddenly recalls one day seeing Abe fiddle with cords and pieces of a small, electronic device which he'd then placed under the carpet in the trunk of his car. In case his car was ever stolen or aliens abducted him, he'd jokingly told Henry. They'd had a good laugh over it at the time, but now he lauds Abe's actions as a stroke of genius.
She conveys the information to Reece, then ends the call and snaps the phone shut. "Lieu says not to worry; the techs will take care of everything." She points to the phone in Henry's hand. "Tilt the phone towards me a little so I can see the - that's it, thanks. Keep your eyes on that red dot. It's tracking the GPS in Abe's phone." He nods but she catches the bit of confusion in his expression.
"We're doing double duty on this." she explains as she pushes the speed limit through the traffic. "My phone is tracking the GPS in Abe's phone, while Lieu's having someone at the precinct track the GPS in Abe's car. In case that psycho gets wise to the phone being tracked, we can still track the car." She gives Henry a small smile. "We're gonna get to him, don't worry. Lieu's also alerting law enforcement up ahead-"
"What you call a BOLO, right?" Henry asks, panic once again in his face and voice. "Jo, there's no telling what Adam will do if they try to approach him or pull the car over."
"They won't, Henry." she assures him. "They're being advised to identify and pursue at a distance - not to approach." She eyes him quickly, then looks back at the road. "We want eyes on them; we want to make sure that Abe remains safe and unharmed until we can catch up to them."
Henry relaxes a little, nods, and manages a weak smile. He looks down at the phone in his hand, at the still moving red dot, and back up at the onrushing roadway ahead. "I'm afraid, Jo." He blinks back his tears. "I'm so afraid for him." He grips the phone and swallows a few times, and in a shaky voice, whispers, "The last time that someone I loved was alone with that man..." his voice chokes.
Jo blinks back her own tears. Tears of anger. Anger towards Adam for his past misdeeds against Henry and his family. She wants so much to comfort Henry for his loss and for how much he's suffered at Adam's hand. But she knows she must keep her emotions in check. She wills her cop's instincts to take over and help her to stay on point.
After 15 minutes Jo is notified that Abe and Adam have been spotted but as per orders, they will pursue at a distance, and not approach. Both Henry and Jo release a sigh of relief at the news.
During her several years as a cop, Jo has seen it lots of times before; when a parent hears promising news of their child's whereabouts. She sees once again the unmistakable parental love and concern that her unofficial partner has for his son. No matter that outsiders may mistakenly conclude that Abe is the family patriarch, she knows the truth. It both warms her heart and breaks it at the same time. How awful, she thinks, that the two men have been forced for decades to hide their true relationship because of Henry's condition.
Suddenly, the red dot stops moving.
"It stopped! The red dot, it stopped moving!" Terror-stricken, Henry shakes the phone in his hands and points the screen at her. "Jo, what does it mean?"
She calmly but firmly pries the phone from his hands and looks at the screen. "Just as I feared, Henry. Adam must have tossed the phone out of the window." With her eyes on the road ahead, she soothingly reminds him of the secondary option of the car's GPS. "We've still got a good eye on them."
The phone's screen now displays a red dot moving northward once more. She smiles and hands the phone back to Henry with the same instructions as before. He gratefully takes the phone and holds it with the screen tilted towards her. She smiles and points at it and declares, "That's the techies tracking the GPS equipment on Abe's car."
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A few minutes earlier...
Abe squirms uncomfortably in his seat and frowns at Adam. "Look, I don't know about you, but I gotta pull over." Adam doesn't reply. "I gotta take a leak!" Adam slowly looks him up and down, but still doesn't reply.
Abe points to a truck weigh station. "I can pull over there, go in the bushes, maybe you need to go, too, I don't know, but I DO!"
"If you must." Adam finally responds. "But be quick about it!" He snatches the phone from under the dashboard and rolls down the window. "While we're at it, let's just get rid of this." He tosses the phone out of the window and rolls it back up.
Abe pulls off the roadway towards the weigh station thinking he'd like nothing better than to wipe that smug look off of Adam's face. 'OK, so he figured out about the phone. Let's hope he doesn't figure out about the GPS in the trunk.'
"There they are, Henry." Jo excitedly reports. She opens the flip-top phone and presses the speed dial button for Lt. Reece. "Lieu, we have a 20 on them. We tracked them to a truck weigh station off of..." her voice trails off as she looks in her rear view mirror and sees Reece and Hanson in the car behind her. She grins and announces, "Cavalry's here, Henry."
Henry can barely contain himself as he watches Abe and Adam exit the vehicle and head for the privacy of their respective bushes.
"What are they doing?" Jo asks as she parks the car at the exit of the weigh station in order to avoid detection.
"Nature calls, I suppose." Henry says mostly to himself as he cranes his neck to keep his son in view.
An unmarked police car pulls up beside Jo and Henry and they all pile out and crouch behind the cars. The same scenario plays out near the entrance of the weigh station with a NJ State police car and the one driven by Reece.
Jo ditches the flip-top phone and calls Reece on the one with the bells and whistles. "Lieu...right...okay." She hangs up and keeps her eyes on the overgrown bushes the two men had disappeared behind a few moments earlier.
"Why aren't they coming out?" Henry asks anxiously.
"We wait for Lieu's signal." Jo whispers as she keeps watch from her vantage point.
One of the plainclothes NJ detectives identifies herself and her partner. "Det. Whitehall." She nods to the man behind her. "My partner, Det. Cochran."
"Det. Martinez, NYPD; this is Dr. Morgan, from the OCME." Jo acknowledges them quickly and turns her attention back to the scene.
"OCME? You two workin' a homocide?" Det. Cochran asks, confused.
Henry bristles at his question but he remains uncharacteristically silent and leaves it to Jo to respond.
"Hostage situation." she crisply replies. "Friendly is an elderly gentleman named Abe. The guy we want is much younger, in his 30's, brown hair-"
"Yeah, we got their descriptions earlier." Det. Whitehall replies. "Let's hope we won't need the services of your office, Dr. Morgan." she smiles briefly at Henry then ala Jo, quickly turns her attention back to the scene.
Just as Reece is about to give the signal to move in, Abe emerges from behind one of the bushes. He starts towards his car but quickly becomes aware of the police's persence. He stops, looks around in surprise and raises his hands up. Henry starts to jump up but Jo roughly shoves him back down.
"Stay put, Henry. We have to get Ad- (she catches herself) the gunman." He squinches his eyes shut, lowers his head and nods in agreement. He raises them back up to see Abe escorted to his car by Reece. Hanson and the two NJ State policemen spread out and search the weigh station building and surrounding area. As Jo and the other two NJ detectives join the search, Henry and Abe are reunited.
"Am I happy to see you!" Abe smiles broadly as he sees Henry sprint over to him. The two men embrace and release each other. Though his father is now greatly relieved, the traces of worry and tension are still visible on his face. Abe feels badly for his obviously misguided actions.
"Abraham, what were you thinking?" Henry demands. He lowers his voice and steps closer. "He could have killed you. Just like he killed your mother."
"He didn't kill Mom."
Henry recoils at his statement. A look of consernation sweeps across his face.
"He...he was the reason Mom killed herself, but he didn't actually..." he realizes this is a losing argument where his father is concerned. "I just thought I could reach him. That there had to be something deep inside him left that would understand he just needs to go away and leave you alone."
Henry sighs and shakes his head, the worry still etched on his face. "Regardless of why she chose to...do that...she would never have done it if he had not interfered in our lives!" They study each other for a few moments.
"I was just trying to help...that's all." Abe said, the fatigue evident in his voice and carriage.
Henry softens and pats him on the shoulder. "I know, Abraham." He looks around a couple of times then back at his son. "Where is he, anyway? What happened? Did he...?" Henry raised his eyebrows and nodded slightly.
Abe looks around and shrugs. "I don't know. But looks like it." He puts his hands on his hips and sighs. "Sorry, Dad. The plan worked on paper...sort of."
Hanson emerges from the bushes. "Found this." He holds up a plastic ziploc bag with a gun in it.
"That's the gun he held on me." Abe says.
"Get it back to the lab as quickly as possible." Reece orders. "No sign of him?"
"None." Hanson drops his arms and sighs.
"He seems to have vanished into thin air." Det. Whitehall adds. "But he couldn't have gone far. Not on foot." She displays her badge to Lt. Reece and Det. Hanson. "We'll put a BOLO out for him and keep you informed if anything comes up." She and Det. Cochran give their goodbyes and walk back to their car.
"Thank you, Detectives." Reece calls after them. She turns and pointedly stares at Abe and Henry as she folds her arms across her chest and slowly walks towards them.
Abe eyes her nervously and whispers to Henry, "She gonna shoot me?"
"No, but Jo might." Henry whispers back and tips his head in Jo's direction. Abe looks over at a very annoyed Det. Martinez who slowly shakes her head as if to say, shame, shame. Abe ducks his head and misses the smile trying to form on her lips.
Reece is now in front of Henry and Abe. She lowers her head a bit but keeps her eyes on Abe. "Mr. Morgan."
"Oh, Abe, please." he smiles.
"Abraham." Henry chastises him.
Reece continues, her voice rises with each statement. "Mr. Morgan. Detectives Hanson and Martinez and I have more than 60 years' experience in law enforcement. You, sir, are a civilian. We are sworn to protect and serve you and others like you." She points at Henry. "Even him."
It's Henry's turn to duck his head.
She crosses her arms back and makes Abe a promise. "I catch you playing cops and robbers again, I will have you arrested for obstruction of justice!" She tilts her head to the side as she looks at Abe. "Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes." Abe replies timidly. "Yes. Very clear." He casts a pitying look for help at his father who chooses to keep his head ducked down.
Tirade over, Reece heaves a big sigh and asks with genuine concern. "Now...are you okay...Abe? Adam didn't harm you, did he?"
Abe relaxes somewhat. "I-I'm okay. He didn't harm me at all." Henry gives him a certain look.
"Uh, thank you, Lieutenant." Abe adds. He remembers that look from his growing up years: respect your elders and those in authority. And Lt. Reece is definitely in authority.
"Good." she says. "I'll expect you to come down to the precinct to give your statement." Abe nods. "Tomorrow morning will be fine." He nods again and she turns and heads towards her car. She motions for Hanson and the two of them drive back to New York City.
Ben and Lucas had ridden up with Reece and Hanson. Ben had reasoned that he could possibly be of use in case of any injuries or if Adam chose to escape by trying to cause his own death he could quickly heal him with his blood. Lucas had given the usual argument that he was officially Henry's M.E., partner, and, therefore, might be needed in case of any injuries or loss of life. For lack of time, they'd chosen not to argue with either of them for they both had made good points.
"There goes our ride." Ben says to Lucas as he watches them drive away. He walks over and joins Henry, Abe and Jo. "Tough lady." he says.
"Tough cop." Jo says. "One of the best."
He nods in agreement. "She really snapped her cap4 and gave it to Abe for goin' gumshoe4."
He ignores Jo and Lucas' mild confusion at his 1930's slang. "Startin' to feel like a stray puppy here." He looks at Jo. "Mind if I hitch a ride from you back to the City?"
"Sure." Jo says. Henry looks hesitantly at her and then at Abe. "It's alright, Henry. You and Abe are due some alone time." She kisses them both on the cheek, her lips linger a little longer on Henry's.
Jo, Lucas and Ben all walk back to her car and pile in. As they pull away from the weigh station, Ben peers curiously at Henry and Abe as they follow in Abe's car. From the backseat, he inquires as to the exact relationship between Henry and Abe because it was hard to miss their obvious devotion to each other. "Are they a couple?" he ventures.
Lucas chuckles. "No, Abe is Henry's son." he says matter-of-factly.
"Lucas!" Jo chides him.
"Well...uh...' Lucas is startled at her reaction. "The big guy gave him the condensed version of his condition (he made air quotes with his fingers). He looks at an astonished Ben and an annoyed Jo.
"His son." Ben marvels at the revelation. "Wow." He turns the impossible fact over in his mind again and again. No wonder he was so upset, he realizes. "From what you told me, Lucas, sounds like this Adam guy could use a Chicago overcoat5."
"What's your next step, Det. Martinez?" Ben asks.
"We find this Adam guy and and see if we can't find an overcoat that fits him."
4 1930's slang found at / slang / 1930s -
5 1940's slang found at coolest / content / top - 15 - slang - words - 4 0 % E 2 % 8 0 % 9 9 s