Summary:
Barnes confides in Henry and opens old wounds. Word of Adam's capture reaches the precinct. But will they be able to bring him in?
Notes:
I do not own "Forever" or any of its characters.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Lt. Reece motors away from the truck scales and onto the highway back to the precinct. Her lone passenger, Det. Mike Hanson, ponders the situation so far.
"Think you mighta been kinda hard on Abe?" he asks with one eyebrow up, the other down.
"He foolishly put himself in harm's way. I'm not pulling any punches with him just because he's Henry's son. What I told him is what I would have told any other citizen who unnecessarily involved themselves in police business."
Hanson nods, his mouth set in a thin line. "Yeah. You're right."
"And I don't know who's more dangerous: Barnes or that Adam creep." She shakes her head and sighs. "I want to question Barnes myself, but..." She sighs again, keeping her eyes on the road. "I'll leave it to the three of you."
"You mean me, Jo and the Doc." He says, more a statement than a question.
Reece nods.
"Well, he basically refused treatment at the scene of the accident so he's being transported back to the precinct. He should be there by the time we get back." He leans back, closes his eyes and rolls his shoulders back a few times. "Some kinda day, huh?" he chuckles but is only half amused.
"Days, plural, Detective." Reece shakes her head. "None of my training in the academy could have prepared me for anything like what we've dealt with these past few days."
"There's something else." Hanson begins, his brow knitted. "That gun we recovered has never been fired." Reece glances curiously at him.
"My dad taught me all about guns from when he used to collect them. This gun," he holds it up in the plastic bag, "ain't real and it ain't loaded."
"He couldn't kill himself with it and do his disappearing act." Reece nods as she catches his train of thought.
"One Lucas Wahl should be very interested to see this." Hanson says as he studies the gun. He looks up to the perplexed look on Reece's face. "He makes those short films, remember? He uses all kinds of phony but real-looking stuff in the making of 'em. Fake blood, fake corpses, scary makeup."
Her cell phone buzzes and she answers. "Lt. Reece."
(Lieutenant, Det. Marcia Whitehall here.)
Reece puts the call on speaker so Hanson can also hear. "Yes, Detective. You have some news for me?"
(We recovered a cellphone belonging to an Abraham Morgan, about half a mile before the truck scales.)
"Yes, the hostage. He'll be happy to hear his phone was recovered."
(We also found an unconscious man in the dumpster behind the truck scales.)
She sighs. "A vic? Describe him."
(Male, Hispanic, 5'6", 145 pounds, late 40's. Employed here at the truck scales. )
She and Hanson look at each other and shake their heads. Not Adam.
(Has a nasty head wound, but expected to recover. Says he never saw or heard anything because he'd dozed off. Doesn't want us to tell his boss. Anyway, he says next thing he knew he woke up like we found him. But we got a rollin' stolen - the vic's motorcycle is missing.)
Reece and Hanson exchange exasperated looks this time.
"Detective, the hostage told us that the gunman was determined to get to a research facility in Ithaca." She shares the facility's name and address. "We're not sure what his intentions are but he's obviously dangerous."
(We'll get right on it. We'll keep you in the loop.)
"Thank you, Detective." Reece ends the call. "How in the - (she scoffs) - how could he have gotten away on a loud (she draws out the word) motorcycle right under our noses?"
"Maybe he rolled it a ways down the road then hopped on and...I don't know. But according to Henry and Abe, this guy's got 2000 years of experience under his belt. We're just now finding out how to deal with him and his shenanigans." He shrugs at his boss. "At least we know he didn't off himself to get away. It probably would have bounced him into - whatever river he bounces...back into." He closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose. He can't believe some of the things he'd just said.
"I know one thing." Reece announces. "I'm gonna need a lonnnggg vacation after all this."
"You and me, both." Hanson agrees.
vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv
Detectives Whitehall and Cochrane slowly approach a reportedly stolen motorcycle in the parking lot of a rest stop just off the highway. They approach a State Trooper and display their badges as he finishes taking the statement of an elderly couple in their 80's. The couple, Howard and Mazie Keyes, detail their brief but unsettling encounter with a man matching the description of their hostage-taking perp.
Howard anxiously reports to them, "Me and the missus parked here to stretch our legs, take some pictures. Next thing I hear is muh car startin' up, so I turns around and sees this young guy drivin' away in it! He even had the nerve to smile and salute me!"
"Did he say anything?" Whitehall asks.
"Just pointed to this chopper here-" He turns to his wife, apparently unnerved by his terminology, pats her hand on his arm and whispers to her, "that's what they call 'em Mazie." She smiles and nods. He then turns his attention back to the two detectives.
"No, nothing, just zoomed off in our car, stranded us here." Mazie nods in agreement at all of them. Howard grumbles, "Now what are we supposed to do?
"Young folks nowadays; always in a hurry." Mazie shakes her head and frowns. "He had such a nice smile."
"And he's probably a patriot. He saluted." Howard points out. "Bet he wore the uniform at one time."
"Yes, well, that so-called patriot with the nice smile is wanted for questioning in a string of crimes including kidnapping, assault and now the theft of two vehicles." Det. Cochrane dryly informs them.
The couple's eyes widen and they look in wonder at each other.
"Seemed like such a nice young man." Mazie laments again.
"Call it in." Whitehall tells Cochrane flatly. He proceeds to do so.
"And let Lt. Reece know." she calls over her shoulder to Cochrane as he calls and walks towards their car.
"Uh, Officer?" Howard shuffles a few steps closer to Whitehall. "Could you show me how to operate that chopper?" a mischievious smile on his lips and glint in his eye.
"Oh, no, Howard, I-I-I can't, I mean, we can't ride this thing anywhere." Mazie pleads, horrified.
"Your wife's right, sir." Whitehall plucks the keys from Howard's fingers. "Sorry, but I'll have to take these. She points to the two-wheeler. "It's stolen and it's now evidence."
Howard frowns and scratches the side of the scruff on his cheek. "We were on our way to visit a doctor in Ithaca-"
"A scientist, dear." Mazie reminds him, nodding her head.
"Er, yes, a scientist who works in gene therapy. Barnes, that's his name. Said he could make me and muh Mazie - young again." He and Mazie stand taller and smile broadly.
Whitehall is shocked by his words. She senses Cochrane as he rejoins them. "You hear that?" she mutters to her partner, unable to take her eyes off the beaming couple.
"Yeah." Cochrane replies, stupefied. He sighs and plucks out his phone again. "Call it in."
vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv
Cochrane's call to Reece was relayed to Jo Martinez, who then swung by the shop to pick up Henry, who'd only arrived there 10 minutes earlier with Abe. Henry raised his hands at his son, shrugged, and got into Jo's car so they could return to the precinct to question Barnes. Ben accepted Abe and Henry's generous offer of a meal and room for a few nights. Beats the fleabag motel he was staying in, Ben admitted. So Jo, Henry, and Lucas returned to the precinct.
Once they arrived at the precinct, Henry instructed Lucas to prep Victor Caswell's body. After that, he could call it a day.
"Hanson wants Lucas to take a look at the gun he recovered from outside the truck scales." Jo reminds Henry. He nods and looks at Lucas.
A broad smile creeps across Lucas's face. "Sure. No pro-BLAY-mo. Glad to share my expert opinion on the weaponry in question." he primly states. Henry and Jo exchange amused smiles.
"Very good, Lucas. I'll be in one of the interrogation rooms with the Lieutenant and the detectives." Henry tells him as he and Jo exit the elevator.
A very frustrated and tired-looking Hanson waits outside Interrogation Room 1 as Henry and Jo approach.
"He won't say a word." Hanson says as they draw closer.
"He's taking the 5th?" Jo asks.
"Nope. He's ready to talk, but insists on spillin' his guts only to you, Doc." he points at Henry.
Henry frowns, confused. "He does understand that I am not an officer of the law-"
"Claims he knows his rights and would rather talk to you because, and I quote, only you can appreciate and understand the scientific complexities preponderant to the arrestation of the aging process." He drops his notepad and rolls his eyes. "You eggheads have at it." He motions towards the door to the interrogation room. Henry scoffs as he gives a lopsided grin to Hanson.
Jo places her hand on Henry's arm and reminds him of the room's electronic surveillance equipment. "Lieu's allowing you to speak with him because of the...extenuating circumstances involved in this case."
He nods that he understands the unstated implications. His lips pulled in, he nervously enters the room. Even though he'd recently shared his secret with a handful of his colleagues, it always unnerved him to come face to face with someone from his distant past. Distant enough so that he should have appeared much older to them than he did. He'd always either lied or simply ran from them and pulled up roots and ran even further.
Barnes looks up as Henry enters the room. The two men lock eyes as Henry walks over and seats himself at the small table across from him.
"Nice to see you again, Dr. Morgan." Barnes says after several moments of studying him.
Henry sighs. "I understand that you would like to share some information with me." His outward calmness belies his inner turmoil.
"I'm pretty sure I can help you." Barnes leans forward and lowers his voice. "You won't have to live in the shadows any longer, Doctor."
Henry tilts his head and squints at Barnes in confusion.
"You see, I remember." Barnes continues. It excites him to finally share his thoughts with the man he believes to be immortal. "When I was a kid living next door to you and Abe and your wife. She was...real pretty, real nice lady, but...she started looking older than you. Abe got older, grew up."
Barnes' voice rises and his words cause painful memories to hurtle toward Henry in lightning speed. "Me, my brother, David, my parents, our neighbors! We all got older, but you..." his voice drops back down to a whisper as he points a shaky finger at Henry, "you didn't." He studies Henry's reactions.
The learned M.E., swallows, his throat suddenly dry. But he manages to keep his emotions in check as he mentally patches the old wounds opened up by Barnes' careless words.
"There...there's a serum in my lab that can help people like you."
"People like me?" Henry feigns ignorance.
"People, who, for whatever reason, cannot show signs of aging."
"And...exactly...what can this serum do?" Henry asks as if politely indulging the poor fellow, but deep down - he wants to know.
"I've managed to jumpstart certain dormant genes in Ben Larson's DNA and combine them with decelerated genes from the DNA of progeria sufferers. My synthetic version can be manufactured and distributed to people who want to have the appearance of actual aging without the debilitating effects of progeria. You see, the properties in Ben's DNA slows the aging process just enough that a person who can't age, appears to age naturally. They'll get gray hairs, wrinkles, pot bellies, double chins." He laughs. "They'll be able to experience all the things the rest of the mortal population is trying to delay. Think of it, Dr. Morgan, to be able to come out of the shadows and live your life out in the open, just like everyone else."
Think of it, indeed. Henry can't help but salivate at the possibilities. If only he knew for certain that Barnes was speaking the truth. That he wasn't just mistaken or, worse, completely mad. It would completely change his life and his lifestyle. But...
"And you have scientific proof that this, uh, serum of yours actually works?" Henry clasps his hands together in order to hide their shaking and holds his breath.
"Turritopsis nutricula*." He gives a self-satisfied response as he straightens up and folds his arms across his chest.
"The species of jellyfish that once adulthood is reached, they can transfer their cells back to childhood. You're implying that your serum ages them further into adulthood?" That particular species has always fascinated him and made him wonder if something similar was happening in his own body. After more than a century without results, he'd abandoned his research.
Barnes gives a deep nod of his head. "Not only was I able to age them, but continued use of the serum even allowed some of them to die." he gleefully reports.
"Some of them?"
His smile fades a bit and he lowers his eyes. "Well, yes, just some." He frowns and rubs his forehead. "Haven't got an answer yet as to why it only worked with some," his smile returns and he perks up again, "but it did work - for some." He clasps his hands in front of him on the table as he leans forward again. "Just think about it, Doctor. Back then, your wife wouldn't have left you because she visibly aged past you."
Henry's heart almost stops as he once again fights off the painful memories and struggles to maintain a calm demeanor.
Jo bites her lower lip and fights back tears as she watches Henry and can only imagine what he must be going through at this moment.
Reece watches Henry intently for any sign that he's had enough so she can have him rescued. It amazes her how calm he appears even though the other man's words must rake at his heart.
"I don't like where this is goin'." Hanson mutters as he places his fists on his hips.
"Must have been hard for her. Growing older and losing her looks while you remained looking 35 and eventually like her son."
Henry abruptly stands and walks the few steps towards the window. His head down, he rubs the back of his neck with one hand and fights the tears that suddenly sting his eyes.
"I understand that you reported her missing at the time, hired a couple private investigators, and bugged the heck out of the police, but nothing ever panned out. She was never found, was she?" He looked at Henry, then back down at his hands. "Must have been painful to lose the love of your life like that. I understand you turned to the bottle for a few years."
"We gotta stop this." Hanson looks at his boss. "This is gotta be killin' the Doc." And, frankly, he felt uncomfortable knowing the man's private pain. Not that he doesn't care, he just feels like a voyeur at this point.
Jo looks imploringly at her boss. "Lieu-"
"We've all had to conduct emotionally painful interrogations. We're here to get information from this man, a suspect in a criminal investigation. Because of his poor judgment and errant behavior, one man is dead, a young woman is fighting for her life, and a very dangerous immortal man is on the loose. God knows what he's capable of and what he plans to do next.
"But Henry's a doctor, he's not a cop like us." Hanson presses.
"That's right. Henry's a doctor. I'm sure as a medical professional he's had his fair share of emotionally painful cases, as well. Look, I know he's not a cop, but we need answers right now and we're getting them. And, according to him, he's dealt more than once with situations like this. I know it's hard for you to watch him go through this. It's hard for me. But Henry's tough. He'll survive." She blinks back her own tears and hates this part of her job that requires her to render seemingly heartless decisions. She watches her M.E., as he bravely absorbs Barnes' daggered words.
Barnes snorts out a laugh. "How did Abe handle that? Growing older until he looked like - what did you guys tell people? That you were brothers? Then...?" He shakes his head. "I'll bet people think he's your father by now, right?"
"Look," Henry abruptly turns to him, "I've been patient with you because you said you wanted only to speak with me. But I can assure you that I am not the person you think I am." he firmly tells Barnes.
Barnes leans back and warily eyes Henry. "You're Dr. Henry Morgan, right?"
"That is both my name and title, yes. But you obviously have me confused with my grandfather's younger brother. Strong family resemblances seem to be a Morgan family trait." He clasps his hands behind him and juts out his jaw at Barnes.
"Can't fool me, Doctor." Barnes says quietly. "I know it's you." He sighs and leans back in his chair. "Same accent, same qirky mannerisms, same manner of dress. My brother and I used to mimic you behind your back. Sorry. We were kids and...we liked the way you talked."
Henry frowns disapprovingly but says nothing.
"But consider this. If you meet someone else and fall in love with her, you'll have a few years together. You can use makeup to artificially age yourself, but eventually you'll bury her if she doesn't leave you like your wife did. Who knows how long you'll walk this earth? Hundreds? Thousands? Maybe millions of years. Maybe in the future it won't matter that you live forever. I don't know. But for now, it does. When people find out about you, they're going to react in fear. You'll probably be locked up by the government somewhere and taken apart like a Tinker toy to find out what makes you tick."
The bad memories flood his mind again of when his secret was revealed and how he'd suffered more than once at the hands of those who either wanted to destroy him, or turn him inside out in an effort to learn the miracle of his immortality.
Reece and Hanson can't help but suddenly look at Jo, who covers her mouth with her hands and blinks back her tears.
Henry slowly turns and casts a sorrowful look at the two-way mirror behind which he's sure Jo and the others are watching. He blinks several times and swallows.
Jo softly sobs.
"Lieu, please, lemme get him outta there." Hanson pleads and she closes her eyes and nods. Hanson moves swiftly to the door and places his hand on the knob.
"Wait." Lieu orders.
Henry schools his features and turns back to face Barnes. "As I said before, you are mistaken as to my identity. You have me confused with my Granduncle Henry who was also a doctor and also British, hence the accent. I can assure you that I am not he."
Barnes knits his brow and watches Henry as he once again seats himself across from him.
"Let's get down to brass tacks, shall we?" Henry begins. "You are facing some serious charges at the moment. Kidnapping and vehicular manslaughter for starters. Those are pretty serious charges, either of which carry long prison sentences."
"I didn't kill anyone. I didn't mean for anyone to get hurt, I just wanted to help-" Barnes protests.
"Yes. You just wanted to help." Henry nods. "Then what you need to know is that a very dangerous individual is determined to invade your laboratory. What he lacks in scientific knowledge, he makes up for in cunning. He's a ruthlessly violent, vengeful person. Your little escapade with the help of Victor Caswell, has allowed him to freely roam the streets again. Your discoveries in his hands, the wrong hands, might I add, could wreak havoc upon many innocent people."
Barnes slowly realizes who Henry is referring to. "The patient. The John Doe. He vanished into thin air and-"
"I don't know what you thought you saw, but I can assure you, he is very much alive and bent on illegally obtaining what's in your laboratory."
Barnes scowls. "There's nothing I can do to prevent that from here. I'm in police custody, miles and miles away. Good luck if he makes it inside the building, let alone onto the grounds. Security's pretty tight." he assures him.
Just then, Reece's phone rings and she answers it. After a few short words she ends the call and puts her phone away. "Wonder of wonders." she breathes out. "They have Adam in custody and they're bringing him in." She smiles at both her detectives.
Hanson lets loose a "Hot dog!" and the news of his capture even brings a small smile to Jo's lips. As if on cue, and just when Hanson readies himself once more to rescue Henry from the interrogation room, Henry stands up and excuses himself. The three of them exit the viewing area to meet Henry in the hallway.
As they step into the hallway, they find him slumped against the wall, his head hanging. Fatigue, fear, and grief have left him emotionally drained. What must Jo be thinking now? That's the only thing that matters to him at the moment. What must she think of him now or what kind of life they could ever hope to have together? He wants to see her but he doesn't. When he notices them watching him, he turns away and balances himself with one hand on the wall and the other on his hip. The painful memories surge up again and threaten to drown him in a pool of sorrow.
Jo walks slowly up behind him and places her hands on his back. She looks over her shoulder but finds that Reece and Hanson have made themselves scarce. She presses her check to the back of his shoulder and her arms encircle him from behind. After a few moments, she finally feels the muscles in his back and shoulders relax. She steps around to face him and leans a shoulder against the wall. Her hand slips into his and she tugs him towards a door at the end of the hallway that leads to a break room and, thankfully, a freshly-brewed pot of coffee. They sit at a small round table and nurse their cups in silence.
"What are you thinking?" she asks quietly.
He smiles weakly. "I should be asking you that."
She squeezes his hand and looks him directly in the eyes. "I. Love. You. I don't care what that little idiot said in there. You're not getting rid of me so easily. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not anytime soon." She shakes her head which causes her long, dark tresses to bounce.
A smile slowly works its way across his face as he reaches over to brush a stray strand of hair back behind her ear. He then caresses her cheek and she closes her eyes and leans into his touch.
"Is that a threat or a fact?" he teases.
"Uh, oh, that's a fact." she teases back.
"Well, then we have no other choice but to seal it with a kiss." he smiles.
Their lips meet and they once again bask in the warm, sweet glow that only a new relationship brings. However, they're both aware that they are in a public place, a place of work, so they pull away from each. For several moments, they sit and hold hands, eyes closed, foreheads touching.
"We have to, um, get back to work." she whispers.
"Um-hmm." He plants small kisses along her jawline.
"No...um...break room, Henry."
He ignores her and now nibbles at her ear lobe which sends chills up and down her spine.
The break room door creaks open and they immediately pull away from each other. Four unis enter and break the silence of the room with their chatter and laughter. Jo and Henry take it as a signal for them to return to their respective posts.
"At least we got sort of a confession from Barnes. He's in a lot of trouble." Jo ticks off the various charges against him. "He's facing some serious jail time."
"What a shame. He has such a brilliant mind." He turns to Jo. "He was a boy genius." Henry shakes his head and sighs. "I had such high hopes for him, as did his parents. Who would have thought he'd wind up like this? And who would have thought he'd wind up being responsible for Adam being on the loose again?"
"Oh, that's right. We didn't get a chance to tell you."
"Tell me what?"
"Adam's in custody."
He stops walking and gapes at her.
"They're bringin' 'im in as we speak."
Notes:
*Turritopsis nutricula is a small jellyfish that once reaching adulthood, can transfer its cells back to childhood. It may do this process to live longer. Several different species of the genus Turritopsis were formerly classified as T. nutricula, including the "immortal jellyfish" which is now classified as T. dohrnii.