Disclaimer – I don't own them, I just borrowed them. Numb3rs and its characters are the property of those that created them. No copyright infringement intended. All real organisations are used in a fictional sense. Original characters and the storyline are mine however.
CHAPTER FIVE
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Megan watched her boss as they sped through traffic back to the FBI building. He was normally more controlled than this. She could see the anger in his choppy movements, the way he was almost recklessly speeding through the busy streets not caring if he cut people off. Merrick hadn't told her much, just that Don had been contacted by the terrorist and he was to be watched. As a suspect or a victim she wasn't sure, the way Merrick had said it raised the ambiguity. Either way she didn't really like being used this way. She counted herself as Don's friend and wanted to help him, not watch him.
"You said a 'terrorist got you'. What happened, Don?"
"I'm sure Merrick told you." He sounded the horn and dodged around a car moving too slowly for his mood.
"He spoke to me for all of two seconds." Megan said patiently, trying not to react to his driving. No point in her losing her temper, it would only set Don right off. "If we are going to help you we need to know what's going on."
He desperately wanted to tell her, to tell someone what was really going on. But he kept silent, aggressively making his way through the busy streets, needing the release from his anger and frustration. He was going to have to lie to everyone, protect the guilty, and send them on a wild goose chase after an innocent man. No, Zuheen was hardly innocent, he corrected himself, not with all the deaths on his hands worldwide. But the terrorist was not responsible for this outrage. The villains in this piece were fellow Americans, fellow countrymen claiming to be acting for the common good. Home grown terrorists.
The first hour or so back at the office passed in a blur of activity as Don and Megan working under the direction of one of the SACs helped set up the MIR, organising the rooms, activating the dedicated phone lines and sending other agents scurrying for equipment and supplies. It seemed that every time he looked up, Don could see more and more people in the office. Representatives from the agencies that comprised the LA Joint Terrorism Task Force were also arriving. While Don didn't recognise any of the faces directly he did recognise the various identifications that were being worn, ranging from the gold shields of LAPD detectives to the photographic tags of Secret Service, CIA, ATF, FEMA and DHS. The NSA for whom Charlie often consulted were noticeably absent as was the LA Mayor's Department.
Don and Megan had gone to the break room to make a coffee after finishing their task when he noticed that those JTTF members present had started to loosely convene. He knew the formal process would not have started as yet due to the absence of some members. Under the reasonable assumption that he would be needed to provide an initial briefing he started to make his way back into the MIR.
"Sorry Agent Eppes, ADIC's orders." SAC Brenton said as he shook his head and pulled the door closed, preventing Don from entering the room.
Megan looked at him questioningly as he re-entered the break room shaking his head.
"Brenton locked me out." Don explained.
"They haven't started yet." Megan commented. "They'll be calling for you soon enough. Why don't we get started on your report?"
Megan's suggestion made sense, it was all going to have to be put on paper at some point and it would help consolidate his thoughts. They made their way over to their cubicle and he started typing. Don had outlined the order of events and was about to go back and expand on the detail when he was interrupted by Merrick calling him. He hadn't even realised Merrick had returned.
Entering the MIR he saw that the briefing was well underway with a live video feed showing several views of the exterior of the mall on one screen and news broadcasts being monitored, sound off, on other screens. He briefly saw himself on one screen, they were replaying his interview.
"This is Special Agent Eppes." Merrick introduced him to the room. "He was contacted by the bombers this morning and was able to provide a warning to mall security before the external explosives were detonated."
Don took the floor and provided his account. He left out the trip to the office building to speak with Telford's employer, but gave a mostly full account of the rest. He'd realised whilst outlining the events for his report that he had to change the time that he was intercepted in the mall, making it somewhat so later than it really happened. Fortunately he'd not given Merrick a time frame when he'd given his first version back at the mall parking lot. There was no other way to hide the trip into the centre of LA. Telford he painted as Zuheen's representative and failed to provide a description.
"So you didn't meet Zuheen himself?" An older man wearing DHS identification asked.
"No. Just one of his men."
"One? I thought you met two at the mall."
"The second man never said anything."
"How do you know the man you spoke to really represents Zuheen?"
"He said that proof would be provided. The media were contacted using the identification code for Zuheen and were given my details."
"So you're basing your conclusion that it was Zuheen's man on what he told you and on the media?" The DHA agent persisted.
Don realised how thin his argument sounded. It all hinged on how secure the identification code for Zuheen was. As it was a code in the hands of the media it was possible that it was not that secure at all. If his contact had not been Telford he would have been very doubtful of the alleged identity of the bomber himself. Don was saved from answering when his cell phone rang. He ignored the irritated looks from some of those in the room and raised the device to his ear. "Eppes."
"Hello agent." An electronic voice said.
Don waved his hand to attract Merrick's attention and pointed at his phone. "They don't believe you represent Zuheen." Don told the voice. "They want more proof."
"Is this phone being monitored?" The electronic voice asked.
"No."
"Good. It is not to be monitored, understand?"
Don frowned slightly, the electronic voice sounded the same as the one in the office but the intonation was different, much more like Telford. "Yes."
"Give me a recorded line. I will call again on that number."
Don went to the nearest dedicated MIR phone line and read off the number. The call to his cell disconnected.
"Was it them?" Merrick demanded.
"Yes. He'll call back on that line. He wanted it to be recorded." During situations like this all incoming calls to the MIR would be recorded.
The MIR phone rang. Don hesitated but Merrick indicated that he should answer the call. "Eppes."
"Put the phone on speaker."
"You're on speaker." Don announced after pressing the appropriate button.
"I will speak to the lead agent from Department of Homeland Security." The electronic voice said.
The DHS agent approached the phone. "Agent Barnathan, DHS."
"You want proof." The voice said. "You have read the reports from your spies, your 'terrorist task force'?"
"Yes."
"Then you know that I lost them in Bonn a month ago."
"Yes."
"Then I let them pick up my trail in New York a couple of weeks ago."
"How did you…" Barnathan started to ask.
"…know that you know? I have my own spies." The voice finished smugly. "Three weeks ago there was a chemical convoy travelling through Arizona, the inventory was short when it reached its destination. I left my mark for you to find."
Barnathan looked worried. "What was the name of the chemical company?"
"BCCM, little known outside of the military as I understand it. They make all sorts of interesting compounds don't they?" The voice stated. "Now, is that enough proof that I am Zuheen or shall I detonate another bomb?"
"No. Detonation will not be necessary." Barnathan said quickly. "What do you want?"
"I have what I want for now. All further communication will be via Agent Eppes."
Barnathan started to ask another question but the line had gone dead. The voice had gone. "What does he want?" Barnathan asked Don instead.
"I don't know. I've only been given the instructions I told you. His man never told me why or what they wanted. Just the 24 hour time frame."
"You're dismissed agent. Thank-you."
Don turned to Merrick but the ADIC tipped his head towards the door, confirming that he was no longer welcome.
"Make yourself available, Agent Eppes." Barnathan added as Don opened the door and started to step out from the room.
Don nodded then started to close the door. The message was clear, Barnathan was not finished with him yet. As the door shut he heard the senior DHS agent announce to the room that they knew what they wanted, they wanted to find Zuheen. Don couldn't argue with that. It was what Telford wanted. The less pushing that Don had to do the better.
Don went back to his team's cubicle to find them all waiting for him. He repeated his briefing for them.
"What do you want us to do?" David asked when Don had finished.
"Wait to be assigned a task." He glanced back at the MIR. "Looks like they're about done and they should have taskings for everyone soon."
Sure enough the door to the MIR opened and a general briefing was announced for all teams. As the FBI agents headed towards Merrick, Don noted Barnathan and two other agents pushing their way against the tide towards him. Don waved his team on and sat back down.
"Don?" Megan queried.
"Go ahead, I think I'm needed elsewhere." He indicated the approaching DHS agents.
"Eppes." Barnathan said by way of greeting as Don's team left. "Somewhere quieter perhaps?"
Don led the way to an interrogation room. Barnathan and one other agent followed him in, the third DHS agent waited outside.
"I've already told you everything." Don started after reluctantly seating himself on the suspect's side of the table, waved there by Barnathan. The room felt completely different from that position. "I'm working on a detailed report."
"Good, I'll read it when you're done. For now, let's have it all again."
Don sighed, but there was nothing for it and so repeated the story.
"That call was very convenient." Barnathan said when Don had finished.
"What?"
"We start questioning how you know it is Zuheen and he conveniently calls you just at that time. He had no demands to make, no instructions to you." The other man outlined. "What do you think?"
"I think I'm the one stuck in the middle here. I've only been told so much, exactly what I've told you. You expect me to know everything else."
"When you answered your cell you said 'they don't believe you represent Zuheen'. Correct?"
"Yes."
"But the person who called back claimed to be Zuheen." Barnathan said. "Which is it?"
"Which is what?"
"It seemed to me that you were speaking to the same person on your cell and then the landline. You suggested it was a representative of Zuheen, not the man himself."
"I thought it was the man I spoke to in the mall." Don said thinking fast. "I never spoke to Zuheen and the man in the mall didn't have an electronic voice. I expected to be contacted by Zuheen's man, not Zuheen himself. How was I supposed to be able to tell who it was when the voice was distorted like that?"
Barnathan thought for a moment. "I suppose that's plausible."
"There you go." Don said in relief. "Look, I didn't ask for this. Some guy shoves a gun in my back and shows me a bomb and tells me it's Zuheen's work. Now you're treating me like the bad guy."
"No. I had a quick look at your record, agent. I don't think you're the 'bad guy' as you put it. But I do think that you are holding something back. Now I can accept that you may be under instructions, under duress, not to reveal certain things but you need to tell us everything."
"If that were the case then I couldn't tell you any more than I have already." Don said carefully. "So it gets us nowhere."
"What you tell me remains confidential."
"What I tell you becomes part of this investigation, nothing will remain confidential."
"You told the LAPD Shift Supervisor that they threatened to set off a bomb if you didn't do as they told you."
Don was surprised Barnathan had been that thoroughly briefed in such a short time. "Yes. Zuheen's man told me that I had to speak with the media, to confirm that Zuheen was the bomber. If I didn't then they threatened to detonate one of the bombs."
"What else will you do for them?" Barnathan asked. "What else have you already done for them?"
"Nothing. I've done nothing else."
"Yet."
"Look, he wants to be able to contact me. That's a good thing, it means he wants to have a dialogue with us. He's never done that before has he?"
"No, he hasn't." Barnathan sat back. "Alright, we'll play it his way for now. Let's see where this 'dialogue' of yours takes us. But Merrick is right, you are compromised, agent. Zuheen has a hold over you and you can't be trusted."
"The only hold he has over me is the same he has over all of us, a mall full of Christmas shoppers." Don argued.
"He hasn't made any demands of us, just of you. Why did he pick you?"
Don gave him the same answer he'd given Merrick. "Right place at the right time."
"Your ADIC didn't believe that, neither do I. I think that they were fortunate to be able to contact you at the mall, but I think that you were their target all along. This is too well planned to leave to chance that an FBI agent would be shopping there today."
Don had been doing more thinking on that subject since Merrick first asked about it. Just because he'd been to the mall over the last couple of days didn't mean he was going to be going there again today. He figured he'd been under surveillance and would have been intercepted elsewhere and taken to the mall if he hadn't made it there under his own steam. Telford had already proven himself to be adept at surveillance and to be able to appear and have Don at a disadvantage without warning. He remembered leaving the office all those months ago, looking for a tail but not spotting one. Telford had still managed to end up in the back seat of his SUV after an unplanned stop at a gas station for groceries.
The advantage of picking him was that he already had history with Telford; he already knew what Telford was capable of and would believe his threats. Another agent would have to be convinced and that would have taken more time. And probably lives. The evidence that it was truly Zuheen was a little thin, better now after the phone call. It helped with the deception if their 'contact' truly believed, or at least presented the belief, that the terrorist was responsible.
"I can't answer that." Don said finally.
"Can't or won't?"
Don didn't bother replying to that. It sounded rhetorical and Don felt that Barnathan had already made up his mind in regard to that issue anyway. "So where does that leave us?"
"It leaves us with your team having controlled exposure to the investigation and you out of the loop." Barnathan explained.
"My team has nothing to do with this." Don said. It wasn't fair. "I'm the one Zuheen has contacted, not them."
"Perhaps. But you are close to them and they are close to you. I saw you before, giving them everything you gave us. Perhaps even more?"
"Nothing more." Don didn't want his team dragged through the mud with him. "They got what you got. They deserve that."
"Their exposure will still be controlled."
"I understand." He didn't have to like it but he knew what Barnathan wanted. "I'll keep my distance."
"Good." Barnathan stood. "Meet your new best friend, Agent Wachowski."
Don glanced up at the younger man who'd remained silent the whole time. He had the look of a very junior agent. "My 'new best friend'?" He had a feeling he wasn't going to like this.
"He goes where you go." Barnathan explained. "You are compromised but I can't exclude you completely at this stage. This is your best option."
Don pondered the choice of words 'your best option' not 'our best option'. They could keep tabs on him and keep him handy for further contact with the bomber by just locking him up. Barnathan was giving him a chance, giving him some rope. Whether that was a chance to hang himself or not was yet to be determined.
Don stood. "Well, Agent Wachowski. I guess it's time I got that report typed up."
As Don led Wachowski across the bull pen he heard the lift 'ding'. He automatically glanced over as the doors opened. A group of men in suits stepped out followed by a younger man with dark curly hair carrying a laptop bag.