Offing Ecklie
Pairings: Nick and Sara; Grissom and Catherine
Spoilers: Mea Culpa, Pilot, I-15 Murders, Boom and Stalker
A/N: All of my CSI fiction never mentions Conrad Ecklie's promotion and the split of the graveyard shift. My stories occur as if these two things never happened.
A/N2: I apologize for the delay of writing and posting this chapter. I was busy with school and other things. Writer's block for this chapter didn't help matters. Please don't get mad with me!
Nick's story is based on the James Bond movies. Kristi Hopkins is a scientist and so is Jane Galloway. The two women discovered a cure for a disease and got killed for it. Ecklie and Nigel Crane are the villains. Warrick, Catherine and Grissom are the fellow good guys. Archie is the gadgets dude for Nick's agency. Greg is the office boy who dreams of working with Nick. Brass is Nick's boss. Yes, Sara is a beautiful physicist and the Stokes Girl in this story.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters of CSI. If I did, Ecklie would have never been promoted and the team remained intact. In fact, if I had things my way, Ecklie would be demoted to traffic cop or dog catcher. Another thing, if I had things my way, Ecklie would have been kidnapped and buried alive instead of Nick.
Nick's Chapter – Stokes, Nick Stokes
"Nick, there is a drunken child here," Sara smirked as Nick nibbled on her earlobe. "Stop doing that or Brass will give us the lecture."
"Sara, I am 29 years old," Greg said. "I am not a child, the man nibbling at your ear is the child."
"You are so going to rue the moment you said that, Greggo," Nick hissed. "Go to the guest room and take a nap!"
"Children, stop that arguing!" Warrick playfully reprimanded them.
"Nicky, tell your story," Grissom said. "Ignore the obnoxiously drunk man sitting there."
"Okay, this is still going to be a story of getting rid of the son of a bitch," Nick said. "However, I am going to add another element to the account. I am going to make Nigel Crane a sidekick for Ecklie."
"Are you out of mind?" Sara asked. "That man who stalked and attacked you!"
"Let me tell my story," Nick protested. "I thought of basing it on the James Bond movies. I am the James Bond figure. Kristi Hopkins and Jane Galloway are scientists and murdered by the villains. Ecklie and Nigel are the villains. Grissom, Catherine and Warrick are my colleagues. Archie is the guy that makes gadgets that look like innocent items. Greg is the gofer with aspirations to be another James Bond. Brass is my boss. Sara is the Stokes girl and a sexy physicist!"
"Would I be your girlfriend or wife?" Sara asked.
"You'll start as my girlfriend," Nick smirked. "It will end when we get married."
My story begins
I was on my way to Brass' office after he paged me. According to the text message, there was a very interesting and important assignment waiting for me and I had to get the details. I ran into Warrick and congratulated him on getting the corrupt Judge Cohen arrested and thrown into a super max prison. When I arrived at Brass' office, he invited me to sit.
"Do you care for something to drink?" Brass asked. "Here are some biscuits my daughter brought from her recent trip to the United Kingdom. Hilary, get this young man whatever he wants to drink. Nicky, help yourself to these biscuits."
"I'll have some iced tea, please," I smiled as I took a chocolate covered biscuit. "Thank you. Brass, why have you paged me?"
"There is some sort scientific or medical conference that UNLV is hosting," Brass told me. "Are you familiar with the works of Drs. Kristi Hopkins or Jane Galloway?"
"I've heard of their names," I replied. "I haven't read any of their works."
"Last year, the two women collaborated on a cure for a rare disease that killed a relative from each of their families," he told me. "At some point, they're presenting a paper and giving a talk about their findings."
"Are they in some sort of danger?" I asked.
"Security's been beefed up," he sighed. "However, these women have had their lives threatened by two men a week before the conference."
"So, you want me to go to this conference and watch out for them?" I asked.
"Yes, and you are the perfect agent for the job," he said. "However, I do want you to blend in and don't mean looking like a stereotypical science nerd. If you see Dr. Hopkins or Dr. Galloway, talk to them and become friendly."
"Should I tell them that they are in danger?" I asked.
"Nicky, they are fully aware they are in danger," Brass replied with a sigh. "You could tell them, but don't let on that you are a secret agent sent to protect them. Do stay close."
"I'll keep my job title to myself," I smiled.
"You'll need to see Archie about any gizmos you might need," he said. "Be careful! I don't want to see the most eligible bachelor in Las Vegas and Dallas in the papers for all the wrong reasons."
"Brass, I am always careful," I smirked. "I'll see Archie about the gadgets."
A few minutes after leaving Brass' office, I went to Archie's lab.
"Hey Nick, you're just in time," Archie smiled.
"Archie, what deceptive gadgets have you created?" I asked.
"Take a look at this innocent looking watch," Archie showed me. "It's actually launches a tranquilizing dart. The tranquilizer in the dart is so strong that it renders the victim unconscious for an hour."
"Wow! That's awesome," I said. "Is there anything else that you want to show me?"
"This is a regular looking cell phone with all the cool features that everyone has or wants," he smirked. "However, if you are ever in a locked room, just enter a code and it unlocks automatically. Enter another code and it locks the door which is good if you want to trap the bad guys."
"I am sure that they deserve to be trapped," I chuckled. "Archie, I am on my way to a science conference at UNLV. I have to look around for any suspicious activity while keeping an eye out for two young scientists. Is there any other gadget that I might need for my job today?"
"For the past few weeks, I collaborated with Bobby Dawson on this project," he smiled. "This is a 9 mm handgun, but it shoots like an M-16."
"Wow, that's really impressive," I nearly gasped. "I hope I don't kill innocent people if I touch it the wrong way."
"Nick, we had taken care of everything," he reassured me. "The trigger is locked until you are ready to use it."
"Thank you and continue making gadgets that make the agency proud," I told him.
"Good luck," he smiled. "Do you suppose you to introduce me to Doctors Hopkins and Galloway? I heard they are not only smart, but beautiful."
"Thank you," I replied. "I'll see what I could do."
After I left that lab, I walked down the hall to find Greg Sanders approaching me.
"Agent 818 or is it Mr. Stokes?" Greg asked.
"Greg, it's okay to use an agent's number or the first name where you're in agency territory," I told him. You can call me Nick here, but outside the territory, it's Mr. Stokes."
"Okay Nick, your car is ready and I am driving you to UNLV," he told the agent. "There will be a mini bar in there or Ursula can make you a martini."
"A traditional martini, but I'd like mine stirred and not shaken," I told him.
I arrived at the conference in a half hour and a martini later. I had to look for the building where it was located. When I entered the building and paid for admission, I was greeted by a beautiful brunette.
"Are you a chemist, biologist or a physicist?" she asked.
"I am not a scientist in that sense," I responded. "However, I'm into forensics. My name is Nick Stokes."
"I am Dr. Sara Sidle and I am a physicist," the brunette smiled and we shook hands. "What are you doing here if you are into forensics, Mr. Stokes?
"I came to listen to Drs. Hopkins and Galloway give their talk about their breakthrough," I told her.
"They are two awesome women," Sara smiled. "Their talks are designed to make the subject matter easy to understand and provoke thought. Stay, have some refreshments and listen to what Drs. Hopkins and Galloway have to say."
"Ladies and Gentlemen, the talk will begin real soon!" the voice in the PA system announced.
"Dr. Sidle, how would you like to be escorted by me to the talk?" I asked.
"I have never been charmed by a handsome forensics aficionado," she giggled.
"I also have an interest in birds and the Discovery Channel," I added.
"You can escort me anytime," she winked at me.
Drs. Galloway and Hopkins gave their talk and it was what Dr. Sara Sidle told me. The two women gave an excellent talk. I learned more from them than any science teacher or professor I had ever had.
"Move out of the way," a creepy looking man with thick glasses shouted.
"We would like to interview these bright ladies," a scary looking man with a receding hairline followed.
There was something about those two men that raised my suspicion level through the roof or the sky. I had noticed that all the press people covering this event had special badges. These two men didn't even have a badge identifying themselves and their association with any organization. I was there to watch out for two young women whose lives were threatened.
"Get away from me you fucking posers!" Dr. Jane Galloway shrieked.
I immediately got up and casually walked to the scene. The two men fled, but not before they turned to look at me. There was something familiar about them. One of them was Conrad Ecklie, a former member of my organization who was fired for helping a rival agency and stealing secrets. The other was Nigel Crane, a spurned reject from our recruitment program. He has been coming up with ways to avenge his rejection. One time, it meant stalking me. It has appeared that he was recruited by Ecklie to join our rivals.
"Mr. Stokes, is there something wrong?" Dr. Sidle asked.
"Can you come with me?" I asked.
"I have to give a talk in about my research in about two hours," she replied. "The presentation is prepared, but I need to be mentally prepared."
I looked at her with sadness.
"However, I could join you for a few minutes," Dr. Sidle smiled. "Dr. Jane Galloway and her colleague are staying in adjacent rooms."
I followed Sara to the floor where Drs. Galloway and Hopkins were staying. Sara knocked on the two doors as loud as possible. There was no response from either room. Sara saw a fellow scientist about to enter her hotel room. She asked her if she could call front desk. She explained that we were worried about the two women after the incident after their talks. The scientist let us in and called front desk. Within minutes, security came by and we found Dr. Jane Galloway suffocated with a plastic bag covering her face and posing over the toilet. When we entered Dr. Kristi Hopkins room and she was lying on the bed with a noose around her neck.
"Crap, what the two women did to deserve such horrible deaths?" Dr. Sidle yelled.
"Do you know if they were being targeted?" Dr. Sidle's colleague asked.
"I had seen two men stalking them," I answered. "One of them looks like the Verizon's 'can you hear me now' guy's evil twin brother. The other one has a bald spot."
"Let the police handle this," the female scientist said. "Dr. Sidle, you and the cute guy talk to security."
Sara and went to meet with the security guys, but Nigel and Ecklie were hidden waiting for us.
"Dr. Sidle, let's get out of here!" I shouted as I grabbed her by the arm.
"Mr. Stokes, where are you taking me?" Sara asked with anger. "I have a presentation to do."
"You are in danger now!" I told her. "Those two guys are the most dangerous guys in Las Vegas. I am going to get you out of here."
"What did I do?" Dr. Sidle asked.
"I have a nagging suspicion that these bastards are coming after you next," I told her. "I know of a place where you can be safe until they are caught and punished."
"What about my presentation?" she asked.
"Call the organizers and tell them to reschedule your talk," I told her as I led her to my car.
Dr. Sidle made the call and told me that they would call her back if they could find someone to trade spots with. She told them an unexpected emergency came up and that she had to take care of it. A few moments later, the conference organizers called her back and told that a chemist was willing to trade spots with her. She would be giving it in two days, I wanted to see this beautiful physicist give her talk. If only I could deal with Nigel and Ecklie before then.
"Mr. Stokes, these assholes are coming after us!" Dr. Sidle screamed.
As I looked at my rearview window and saw the two sons of bitches, I had to make a few left and right turns. They were still persistent. Thankfully, Archie installed a device in my car that would convert it into a flying car.
"Mr. Stokes, who are you?" she asked.
"I am with a top secret Las Vegas agency," I told her. "I have been assigned to watch Drs. Galloway and Hopkins. My boss had reason to believe that these two women were in danger. Conrad Ecklie used to work for our agency until he got way too ambitious for his own good. He was eventually fired for stealing secrets and giving them to the enemy. He became so disgruntled that he joined our enemy agency just for revenge. Nigel Crane wanted to join my agency and started stalking a few of our agent, including myself. He eventually applied for a position as an agent. He had everything going for him, but was disqualified for failing the psychological and psychiatric exams. He eventually joined Ecklie's agency."
"What do they have to do with Drs. Galloway and Hopkins?" Dr. Sidle asked.
"I have learned that they also have hatred and resentment that intensive towards these two women," I told her.
"I guess what they discovered caused some jealousy and these assholes killed them," she added. "Maybe it was random, but I doubt it."
It was then that we heard a crash and some guy yelling out a string of curse words. Dr. Sidle turned her head to look at the scene that was going on. Apparently, Ecklie and Nigel were chasing us in their car and caused a minor traffic accident near the Strip. They got out of the car barely unscathed but Ecklie got a nasty looking shiner from a seemingly sweet little old lady. They saw my flying car and tried to chase us by foot. I pushed a button that released harmless smoke to throw them off our path. When it was safe, I gently landed the car and took Dr. Sidle to my place. When we entered my house, we were greeted by Samantha, the wonder cat. The tortoiseshell Persian looked at the strange woman with curious intrigue. She proceeded to walk around Sara and rub her body against Sara's legs.
"Looks like the little devil likes you," I chuckled as I picked up the cat. "I got her from one of my sisters who is a reputable cat breeder."
"She is a beautiful animal," she replied.
"Make yourself at home," I told her. "If you need anything, just holler."
A few hours after we had some dinner, Dr. Sidle fell asleep on my couch. I brought a blanket and covered her with it. I went to bed and my feline friend jumped up to my bed to curl up next to me. When I woke up the next morning, Sara was gone. I thought she went to get the morning paper for me, but it was still there. I saw a note that sent chills up my spine and the handwriting was eerily familiar.
Dear Mr. Nick Stokes,
We have your new girlfriend! Don't ask how we did it. We will kill her if you call your boss.
Your nemeses,
Nigel Crane and Conrad Ecklie
"Son of a bitch!" I hissed. "How did they find where I lived? How did they get to her?"
I ran back to my place and called Greg. At least they couldn't stop me from doing that. He could just relay the information to Brass and I could help her. No, that's what they wanted to unnerve me. However, I didn't need to call Greg or Brass. My phone rang and I rushed to get it.
"Hello," I said.
"Nicky, it's Brass," the familiar voice said. "I heard about what happened at the conference. Such a damn shame that it had to happen!"
"I know," I groaned. "I tried to protect them. Crane and Ecklie got to them first! They have also targeted a physicist named Sara Sidle. I brought her to my place where I thought she would be safe. Those assholes managed to find her and kidnapped her."
"I am going to have Brown, Willows and Grissom fly the chopper with the GPS device and infrared cameras," Brass replied. "They'll pick you up and you could find her. Nicky, this isn't your fault. You are one of the best agents we have."
"Thank you," I said and we hung up.
About fifteen minutes later, the helicopter arrived. I boarded it to find that Greg tagged along with Warrick, Catherine and Grissom. That didn't matter, finding Dr. Sidle alive and dealing with those creeps was a top priority. Right away, we took off and flew around Vegas. The infrared camera filmed a confrontation on the rooftop of the Ramparts. As we descended, I noticed Dr. Sidle being dragged towards the edge of the rooftop. When the helicopter was at a level that I could climb down the ladder and get to the rooftop, the pilot maneuvered the chopper to a side where someone could descend without noise. I was lowered to the rooftop and crept slowly to where the struggle took place.
"Mr. Stokes, how did you find me?" Dr. Sidle asked.
"You should have minded your own business, Nick," Ecklie said. "Now we have to kill her. Just like we did with Drs. Jane Galloway and Kristi Hopkins."
"You will let Dr. Sara Sidle go!" I demanded. "She had nothing to do with your fucking stupid vendetta."
"She was the one that witnessed the confrontation," Nigel insisted.
"Everyone who was in that room witnessed it, you stupid ass!" I corrected him. "Has being evil turned your brains into mush or sawdust?"
"Shut the fuck up, Nick!" Nigel shouted as he was about to violently drag Dr. Sidle to the edge of the rooftop.
I quickly reacted and got Dr. Sidle out of Nigel's grasp. He came towards us to grab her, but he became the receiving end of my fist to his face and a kick to his balls. I placed a wincing Nigel in a headlock and he tried to punch me a few times. I dragged him up to a few inches away from the rooftop edge. As soon as I released him from my grip, we fought. Nigel was barely on the edge and bloodied from my fists and feet. It looked like he was going to fall.
"Come on, Nick," Nigel pleaded with me. "Can you help me? I didn't mean to kill Dr. Jane Galloway, but she was stuck up. Ecklie killed Dr. Kristi Hopkins, she reminded him of a younger version of his ex-wife."
The plea didn't work, I angrily pushed him off the building. I looked at how many stories it took for Nigel to fall to his death. When I turned around and saw Ecklie applauding and laughing sadistically.
"Congratulations, Mr. Stokes, you have eliminated my worst liability," Ecklie said as he grabbed Dr. Sidle and ran towards the door leading to the hotel.
"Mr. Stokes, help me!" Dr. Sidle shrieked.
I sprinted after them in the hotel. I chased the through the casino. I briefly saw Sam Braun so I said hello and bye in one breath. He stared at me as if I had escaped some loony bin. When I saw Ecklie getting Dr. Sidle on a helicopter he commandeered from a Grand Canyon tour company. Did I tell you how stupid Ecklie and his late partner in crime were? When the helicopter was an inch of the ground, I got on it to rescue Dr. Sidle, deal with Ecklie and to return the chopper to the rightful owners.
"Why Mr. Stokes, you have joined us in this adventure," Ecklie was sarcastic. "When I get over the Grand Canyon, I will throw both of you off this helicopter until you land in the Colorado River."
The flight over the Grand Canyon felt like forever even though it was about an hour. Both Dr. Sidle and I were terrified, but we didn't let Ecklie know it. In my mind, I was working on a plan of my own. I whispered my plan to Dr. Sidle and she smiled in agreement.
"Prepare for your final adventure!" Ecklie sneered as he tried to push Sara out of the helicopter.
"No, prepare for yours!" Dr. Sidle shrieked as she resisted and Ecklie ended up on the outside of the chopper.
Ecklie was holding for dear life as Dr. Sidle took over piloting. I sat on the side of my seat and he held on to one of my ankles with one hand while the other was hold on to the leg of the helicopter. He unsuccessfully attempted to drag me down. Then he held to both of my legs still trying to drag me out of the chopper. That failed as I shook him off and he immediately held on to the helicopter's leg tightly. I stepped on his fingers so hard that he was grimacing in pain. When I released my feet off his fingers, his hands slipped off the chopper's leg and he descended down into the Colorado River. Sara and I heard Ecklie's screams and a splash as he landed in the Colorado River. His demise was instant!
At least an hour later, Sara and I flew the helicopter back to Vegas to return it to the tour company. I explained that we returned it after two evil men. The owners thanked us and gave us each a discount coupon as a reward. I escorted Dr. Sidle back to her hotel room.
When Dr. Sidle finally gave her talk, she invited not only me, but some of my colleagues to attend. We gladly accepted and listened to her discussion about her paper. She began by dedicating it in memory of Drs. Galloway and Hopkins. After she finished her talk, she received applause from the audience. There was audience discussion regarding her paper. After the moderator thanked Sara for her talk, there was another round of applause. I introduced Dr. Sidle to my colleagues and they were happy to meet the woman I saved.
Two days after the end of the conference, I invited Dr. Sara Sidle to spend a night with me. We fell in love instantly. In the morning, we were in the shower together. Samantha was strutting around the bathroom for a while. She was meowing and loudly purring. After we got out, we decided to elope later that day.
Here ends my story!
"Your story is the most awesome one we heard," Sara said. "The eloping bit was a very sweet touch."
"Thank you, Sara," Nick embraced and kissed her.
There was a knock on the door, and Brass went to answer. Sophia Curtis stormed in and from the look on her face, you could tell she was extremely angry about something.
"Gee Sophia, what brings you here in a rage?" Brass asked.
"That son of a bitch Ecklie demoted me and put me in the Graveyard shift," Sophia growled. "I could just kill him! What are you guys doing here?"
"We are having a party and telling fantasy stories on how we would get rid of him," Catherine replied. "It's kind of like the modern day version of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. Join us and have a drink or two."
"I haven't thought about one yet," Sophia said calmly. "However, I think of one while you guys tell yours. I'll go last if you don't mind."
"Can I go next?" Warrick asked.
"Sure, go right ahead," Nick said.
TBC