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 EIGHT

-11-1000-1-10010-1100-1001-101-

Nearly four hours after Charlie had arrived the team gathered in one of the smaller briefing rooms. They were finally together, albeit minus Don.

"Hey Charlie." Megan said as they filed in. "Good to see you."

"Yeah, likewise." Charlie answered. "Have you seen Don?"

"Not for a while, aside from the TV. You?"

"Same. I saw him for just a minute when I first got here. He told me he couldn't talk to me."

"I'm sorry, Charlie. But I think it's for the best, for now." Megan said trying to reassure him.

"I know, they told me." Charlie started busying himself with his laptop. "I just wish I could talk to him though."

Megan patted him on the shoulder then took a seat. They waited impatiently as he plugged his laptop into the large screen and set up the remote. A process that took only a minute or two but the time seemed to drag.

"C'mon Charlie, what've you got?" Megan asked unable to wait any longer. "You said you had information for us."

"I made a deal with them that I could give you whatever could be useful. There is some stuff I can't give you but I'll give you everything else. This will have to be quick, but whatever I can do to help you help Don, I'll do." Charlie said finally, hitting the last key on his laptop. A series of incomprehensible graphs appeared on the screen. He then switched into lecture mode.

"Alright, some of the math's very rough. I didn't have time to properly check all the sources or clean up the raw figures for the new data properly. If I had more time I could guarantee the accuracy." The professor ran down. He saw the expressions on his audience's faces and realised that they weren't interested in that, they wanted the results. He summed up. "The mall is wrong."

"Wrong how?" David queried.

"It's not Zuheen. At least I don't think it is; it couldn't be."

"Why not?"

"Okay, first of all the timing. We know that Zuheen has fifteen confirmed bombings to his name. I've found another four possibles." He pressed his remote and a list of the earliest attributed bombings appeared on the screen represented as a time line. "See here at the beginning, they're all jumbled together. The confirmed ones are in yellow, the possible ones are in red. After that they are further and further apart. See?"

The graph spanned the large screen. The red dots appeared first followed by the yellow ones as Charlie had pressed the remote during his explanation. The red ones were all clustered at the left end just under five years ago. As the time line approached the present however there were no more red dots, just yellow ones and they were further and further apart.

"Unlike most serial offenders he is taking longer and longer between bombings. Do you know why?" Charlie continued.

The screen cleared to show the list of targets, still listed in the red and yellow colours but this time as a list of names. The first few, regardless of colour, were places listed as police stations, restaurants, and a military convoy mainly in Iran, Iraq and Israel. The individual names of those meant nothing to the team, they were too long ago and, relatively speaking, too minor. The later ones however were more recognisable. A shopping mall in England, the Hilton Hotel in Saudi Arabia, the offices of Microsoft in India, the Australian Embassy in Malaysia, the US Embassy in Spain, the British Consulate in Japan, the sinking of the P&O cruise ship in the Mediterrean, and most recently the destruction of the main railway terminus in France along with several trains in motion on the tracks.

It was Colby with his military background that saw it first. "The targets are getting harder. It takes more time to recon and plan."

"Yes, that's right. And also the type of target has changed from a building to a moving object such as the ship and the three trains. The theme has also changed. He's gone from small police and military targets to larger commercial targets like the restaurants, shopping mall and Microsoft. He then moved to government buildings belonging to the Coalition of the Willing. Now he's attacking transport and transport infrastructure." Charlie stopped.

"So you're saying he wouldn't attack the mall." Megan said slowly. "He's already done that and it's no longer his type of target. Too soft."

"That's what the data is telling me." Charlie said.

Another graph appeared on the screen, a curve showing increasing probability against the X axis and the Y axis listing a number of possible targets in the LA area. The list contained about ten items and were printed too small even on the large screen to decipher. Charlie pointed at a target listed almost at the lowest end of the probability scale. "Here is the mall." He pressed his remote and the mall turned red, the other targets were coloured white, with the exception of one coloured green.

"I also factored in a whole list of other variables including likely types of explosives available to him compared with types previously used, blast yields, projected casualty figures, disruption effects and probable length of media interest." The last seemed like an odd variable but they were all aware of Zuheen's increasing love of the media. At each mentioned variable Charlie flicked the remote and the screen changed to a new graph. The graphs went by quickly but they could see that the red coloured indicator was mostly at the lowest end of each scale. It moved up somewhat on the casualty figures graph, but that was the only time the pattern changed. The green target figured mostly on the upper end of each scale, especially on the disruption graph with a score of 100.

The first probability graph reappeared. "The mall works out to 17 overall. That's too low. Zuheen couldn't be interested in it."

"Charlie, what's the green target?" David asked.

"LAX." The professor stated then elaborated. "Ninety-three percent overall. Can you imagine the effect of another air transport related terrorist attack in this country?"

The room was silent, each reflecting on memories of the last 'air transport related terrorist' event. It would bring the US to its knees. The attack on the rail terminus in France shut the network down for weeks. The result of LAX being targeted would be a whole order of magnitude worse. It would be far longer, this time, before US airspace would be re-opened with crushing restrictions.

"But security is too tight." David finally broke the silence.

"It's a challenge. That's how he sees his targets, increasing challenges. The mall is not a challenge. There's another problem." Charlie changed the screen back to his original time line graph. He pressed a key on his laptop and the line extended and a green dot appeared. Another key press and a blue line bisected the timeline between the last yellow dot and the new green dot.

Charlie used the laser pointer to highlight the blue line. "That's today. The last yellow marker is for France, the green is LAX." The graph zoomed in to show just those two markers and the blue line. Small figures in white appeared along the length of the timeline. "It's too early. The next attack should be at least three months away."

"But he's in contact with Don. He's claiming responsibility for the mall." Megan said. "It scored highly on your casualty graph and not too badly on the media graph either."

"Yeah, this is just all maths." Colby said earning a frown from the maths professor. He held up his hands to forestall the expected comeback. "He could still be planning to have a go at LAX but couldn't resist the mall. This time of year, it has to be an attractive target. Being so easy it wouldn't distract him from another hard target. Two targets for the price of one. You said yourself the maths is rough."

"That's true. So I tested the target probability equation against the known attacks." The screen changed again to more graphs. "I took out the last three. I then used the equation to predict the next likely targets in Japan, the Mediterranean area and France. At these times each of those countries knew that Zuheen was in the area and they tried to predict where he would strike. I've used their data of possible targets and my equation came up with this for Japan."

The graph showed several embassies and consulates including the British Consulate near the high probability end.

"This for the Mediterranean area."

The graph now showed various shipping targets, again with the P&O cruise ship near the top end.

"And this for France."

The team were not disappointed. The rail network again appeared at the high end of the scale.

Charlie continued. "For the US it shows this."

The graph showed a number of high profile and therefore attractive targets across the country ranging from the White House to military bases, theme parks, water supply, and transport infrastructure. Charlie had included all the major potential targets on the Homeland Security list. The airports were favoured at the high end of the scale.

"When I factor in the fact that everyone now believes Zuheen to be in California, more specifically LA, we get this."

Back to the earlier graph listing various targets around LA. LAX was the standout at the top of the chart.

Charlie continued his argument, waving at the screen. "It's not just this, the explosives are all wrong. Don described C4 mixed with ball bearings and nails. Zuheen has been moving to more effective and more esoteric compounds, binary liquids and so on. A raid attributed to Zuheen on a chemical convoy three weeks ago in Arizona netted him some more high tech explosives. He hasn't used basic C4 since Israel."

"What raid?" Colby asked. "Why haven't we heard about that?"

"It was kept quiet for obvious reasons." Charlie told him. He continued with his argument. "We've been given a deadline; Zuheen's done that before but never 24 hours. It's too long, it gives us too much of a chance to find the explosives and neutralise them and get the hostages out. His MO is to set a deadline just long enough for evacuation to have started and to get the maximum casualties amongst army, police and bomb disposal teams. Here there is no evacuation, the mall is locked down. He's holding the mall hostage, he's never done that before. He's also never contacted a single person as a spokesman, like what's happened to Don. Then there's the demand for money, in gold. It's never been about money, it's about rhetoric. There are too many firsts. It's not right. It just doesn't fit."

"So what does fit Charlie?" Megan asked. "Don says it's Zuheen, the bomber says he's Zuheen and the media are getting coded messages from him. What else fits?"

"I think that someone is trying to make us think it is Zuheen. I just don't know why." Charlie concluded.

He didn't add that he thought Don knew it wasn't Zuheen. He looked out the window from the briefing room in time to see Don, flanked by his ever present guard and a senior DHS agent, being escorted back to an interrogation room. Charlie had just given this briefing to the powers that be and now they had more questions to ask of Don. It wasn't fair, he could see that Don was under a lot of pressure, and they just added to it. Charlie just knew that more was going on. It was a brother thing, there wasn't any specific math to back him up. He had to find a way to learn what it was.

-100-1111-1110-

"We need to talk, Agent Eppes." Barnathan said.

Don looked up from his computer screen where he had been going over his case notes for a current file since the press conference. It was an attempt to relax, of all things, less stressful than just sitting around waiting for Telford to call, unable to take an active role in the investigation. He was also starting to feel unwell, pain developing in his stomach. Wachowski stood up from where he'd been leaning on a desk top. Without comment Don rose and followed the senior DHS agent back to the interrogation room.

"We've viewed the mall security footage." Barnathan started. He waited but no comment filled the silence. "There are some problems with your story. There's nearly two hours of missing time. What were you doing?"

Don had known that this time would come. He wasn't sure what explanation that he could give without causing more problems.

The DHS agent continued. "It's not just the footage. We've spoken to the security guard at the eastern mall entrance. He remembers you, and more importantly remembers you driving into the lot with another male in a white suburban just before the explosions. Who was that other man, Agent Eppes?"

"I can't."

"I told you before, agent, you need to be forthcoming with us."

"We've already had this discussion." Don reminded him.

"Where did they take you?"

Don stayed stubbornly silent.

"Alright then, let's try something else. Why did they take you away from the mall?"

Don thought about his best course of action as Barnathan waited. He had an out, to tell the DHS agent that he was not permitted to reveal certain things. He'd as good as already told Barnathan that this was one of those things. But on the other hand it could be used to further Telford's goals. He'd been isolated from the investigation but he had seen the various agents leaving on taskings and had watched as some had returned to report their results. Their demeanours had left him thinking that the investigation was not going well. He didn't know if the investigation was still on track or not, perhaps it needed a shot in the arm. He had his instructions. It left a bitter taste in his mouth but, "I was taken to Zuheen."

Barnathan blinked. "You didn't think that was important enough to tell us before?"

With the usually perfect, 20-20 hindsight, Don reflected that it probably would have been better to have volunteered the information earlier, when Barnathan had been pressuring him for proof that it had really been Zuheen he'd been dealing with. At the time though, he had been trying to keep the whole side trip below the radar. That just showed that he wasn't thinking too clearly if he thought he could keep it secret. Since that first interrogation he'd had time to think over what he'd said and more importantly not said and knew that the omission would come back to haunt him. "I wasn't sure it was really him. He wasn't introduced, I was blindfolded and he was using that electronic voice."

"But you recognised the distortion when he called the MIR."

Don's first tired thought was an irritated, who else would be calling with a voice distorter? But he knew what Barnathan meant, different distortion devices had distinct sounds. The device used during his meeting was the same as the device used on the phone line into the MIR when Telford had managed to convince Barnathan that he was Zuheen. "Yes, it was the same."

"Okay, so that's the 'who', what about the 'why'?"

"I told Zuheen's man I needed more proof that it was him than just a bomb and his word."

"I seem to recall asking you the same thing earlier. Why didn't you tell me this before?"

"They'd told me what to say, they didn't mention that I could discuss the meeting."

"So why now?" Barnathan had a thought. "You've had more contact?"

"No."

Barnathan looked to his agent but Wachowski shook his head in the negative. "He's had no calls."

"I'm afraid I don't understand. You are following instructions. That, I can see. But if you were not supposed to reveal the meeting why have you done so?"

Damn, Don thought, Barnathan was a cluey character. That was the problem with lies and omissions, they would always trip you up. "I want this over with. I want Zuheen found and his hand off that remote."

"What else will you give me?"

"What I can, when I can." Don answered. "Zuheen wants you to know it is him, telling you now that I have met him shouldn't cause him any problems."

Barnathan was silent for a while. "You seem to think that information will leak out. You told me before that information would not be kept confidential."

Don was on safer ground here, Telford himself had given him the answer to that one. "You heard him in the MIR, he has his spies."

Barnathan didn't react to Don's slight. Instead he looked slightly exasperated. "You said you want this over. You are our best lead to find him but you are not cooperating with us."

"I know that!" Don shot back. "Agent Barnathan, I am stuck in the middle here, being pushed by both sides. I have to find some middle ground, some way to help you but not get those people in the mall killed."

"You're trying to play both sides against the middle."

"If the middle is Zuheen caught and the people in the mall safe then that is exactly what I am trying to do. But where I am unsure of something I have to err on the side of Zuheen for now. He's holding the whole mall over you, but he's threatened individual detonations for my cooperation. I can't risk that. I can't risk those lives." Don stood abruptly. "We're done."

"Agent," Barnathan started, a warning tone to his voice.

"No. I have nothing else. You have more important work to do than waste your time with me on this subject." Don waited. Wachowski had moved to block the door when Barnathan had spoken.

"Alright, Eppes." Barnathan turned his head slightly and nodded at Wachowski. "We're done for now."