Numb3rs: Critical Identity

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. No financial reward gained. All real organisations are used in a fictional sense. Original characters and the storyline are mine however.

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David stared up at the man standing over him, trying very hard to avoid the disconcerting view of the muzzle of the gun being pointed directly at his face. It was a stranger, he had the features of his boss but Don was definitely not at home. He didn't know what was worse, being held at gunpoint by an offender or being held at gunpoint by a man that half an hour ago he would have trusted to have his back.

David slowly sat up being careful not to make any threatening moves as Don retrieved his gun from the floor where it had landed when he'd been blindsided. Don's aim never faltered.

"Don-" David started.

"Shut up." Don instructed firmly. Even the voice sounded different somehow. "I need to think."

The gun flicked to the side and David scooted back until he hit the wall in response. He slowly rubbed at his sore jaw with one hand whilst keeping the other in full view. Whilst it seemed that something was wrong with Don his excellent reflexes were still in play. As he waited for Don to decide what to do he eyed his boss carefully finding the source of the blood they'd seen earlier on the floor. There was a bullet graze on Don's left temple. He had also been sure that he'd heard two shots earlier, one bullet had taken out Lawson, it looked like the other had creased Don's head. Perhaps that explained Don's strange behaviour.

"What's your name?" Don demanded suddenly, his eyes that had been hunting around the empty store now came to rest on his captive as he crouched just out of reach.

"Don, what-?"

"Name!" The other man interrupted harshly.

"David, David Sinclair." He answered. It felt really weird to identify himself to someone who knew him. He looked at his boss's face and found that Don appeared to be confused and possibly even afraid. Something he'd never expected to see on Don's face. "I'm on your team. Don, don't you remember anything?"

"Don? David?" Megan's voice called from outside the store.

Don tensed and raised a warning finger to his lips demanding silence from his captive. David held his tongue as they waited until finally they heard the sounds of footsteps heading away.

"Alright, if you know everything, who am I?" Don demanded after a few more seconds.

"You are Special Agent Don Eppes, my supervisor at the FBI Field Office here in Los Angeles."

"Hah! Whatever. You think I came down in the last shower of rain to fall for that?" Don clearly didn't believe it. He waved his gun towards the entrance to the store and the rest of the mall. David finally realised that it was Don's smaller backup weapon as his boss continued. "I've killed one of you and now you and that other agent and whoever else is out there are going to kill me if I'm not careful."

David frowned until he remembered that Lawson had been wearing Don's Kevlar vest with the letters 'FBI' clearly marked. "He wasn't an agent, Don. He was the man we were looking for. I don't know what happened but you didn't kill an agent."

"Yeah, well at this point I can only believe what I see with my own eyes."

"So tell me what you 'saw with your own eyes'."

Don hesitated before answering. "I woke up next to the dead guy. I have no idea who I am or what has happened. I look at the dead guy and he's got an FBI vest on and a badge on his belt. I got a gun in my hand and he's been shot. You tell me what I'm supposed to think happened."

Put like that David could now see why Don was acting the way he was, running away from them and now holding him at gunpoint. "So why haven't you shot me?"

Don gave him a funny look as if he wasn't quite sure himself but the expression soon hardened. "Because I don't need to. Yet. You might be useful."

A chill ran down David's back at Don's tone. He couldn't help but look back at the gun that had maintained its steady aim. He was starting to believe the Don would really shoot him if he was desperate enough. He obviously already thought he'd killed one agent, so at this point he had nothing to loose. Don probably was desperate enough. David pulled himself together. Alright, if Don thought he could be useful, "Let me help you."

"If your help means I surrender I don't think so. I might not remember who I am but I do know that killing a cop gets life in jail or a needle. Neither of those options sounds too appealing."

"Your name is Don Eppes, you are an FBI agent. You haven't killed a cop and aren't going to jail." David tried to ram that home but the only response he got was a calculating gaze as Don tried to figure out his angle. "Come on, do you at least believe me that your name is Don?"

His boss ran his spare hand through his hair in gesture that was all Don. He stopped abruptly as his fingers hit the graze. The hand rested for a moment against the side of his head as he winced. "I don't have a clue what my name is. You lot have been running around calling that out and just before you called me 'Don'. So for the lack of anything else that will do."

David saw that Don was obviously hurting from the wound and had noted that he seemed a little unsteady but in true Don fashion was carrying on regardless. "Okay, so you'll accept that your name is Don. What can I do to prove the rest?"

Don relaxed slightly. "I don't think now is the time to prove anything. I want you to get me out of here."

"How?"

"Call one of your fed buddies. Tell them I want a car to get us away. Once I'm safe I'll let you go."

David knew that wasn't going to happen. The last thing they needed was an armed, dangerous and amnesiac Don on the loose in LA. But calling Megan sounded like a very good idea. David slowly moved his hand to his pocket and pulled out his cell. He flipped it open and hit Megan's speed dial before placing the phone to his ear.

"Reeves."

"Megan, it's David."

"David! Where are you?" She sounded relieved.

"I'm with Don."

"Great. Where are you?" She repeated sounding even more relieved.

"Uh, not so great Megan." David said carefully. "Don doesn't remember who he is and has a gun on me."

"What!"

"He wants a car and free passage out of the mall."

There was a long pause before she spoke again, saying each word carefully in a tone that demanded an answer. "David, tell me where you are."

He covered the microphone. "She wants to know where we are. It's better that they know." David continued as Don started to shake his head. "When we move they won't be surprised and there is less risk of getting shot."

"They shoot at me I shoot you."

David licked his suddenly dry lips as the gun rose in emphasis. "Then it is better that they know where we are."

"No one comes into the store." Don finally ordered.

David addressed himself to the phone. "We're in the sports store. You were just out the front a minute ago."

"On my way."

"Megan! Don't come in or he'll shoot."

"David, sit tight. Do whatever he says. I'm on my way." Megan hung up.

"She's on her way back." David explained at Don's questioning look.

"So, who's this Megan? She the one in charge?" He stood so that he could see out the front of the store.

The agent saw that Don made sure however that he stayed hidden behind a shelf and that he kept David in his line of sight. "No, you are."

Don's hand flexed on the butt of his gun as he glanced back down at the seated man. "Make sure you remember that." He said in a dangerous tone.

David swallowed. He knew what his boss was capable of when held back by the constraint of being a good guy. What would he be capable of now when he thought he was a criminal that had already committed murder? He decided to answer the original question; he didn't want to know the answer to his own. "Megan is in charge when you're not. She can get you what you want."

"Good." Don suddenly ducked down in reaction to something outside. He started to turn towards David.

David watched in concern as he saw Don stagger with his left hand flying to his head. It looked like the head injury was making itself felt. Don needed medical attention soon. The moment passed and the gun that had started to waver firmed. The muzzle then jerked upwards. David climbed carefully to his feet and moved forward as directed. An arm went about his neck pulling him down and off balance slightly due to their differences in height as Don moved in behind him. At that moment a female voice called from the front of the store.

"David?"

He was pushed sideways, past several short dead-end aisles until they left the cover of the shelving and were in the centre isle of the store. A weight settled on his right shoulder and a shiver passed through him as the barrel of Don's gun pressed into the skin under the angle of his jaw. Megan's gun was up, as per procedure, but not quite aimed at Don as she stood on the threshold.

"You Megan?" Don demanded.

Megan's gaze shifted to meet David's for a moment. He nodded so she answered the question. "I'm Megan."

"Is my car ready?"

"Just slow it down, Don. I need to be sure David is alright."

David started to speak but the arm around his neck tightened and Don answered for him. "He's fine. I haven't killed him yet. But I will if you don't get me my damned car and back off."

"Don, you don't want to kill anyone."

"How would you know that?" Don fired right back sounding angered. "I don't even know that."

"I know you, I know that this isn't you. Let David go and we'll get you to a doctor."

"I don't want a doctor, I want a car." Don demanded. "Or you get another dead agent."

David saw her confusion at the reference to 'another' dead agent implying that there was already one. "What dead agent?"

"The one I killed just before." Don said, sounding like he was explaining something to an idiot.

"That was Lawson and he was not an agent." Megan explained, not knowing that she was echoing David's own words. "Don, you've been hurt. It looks like you and Lawson got into a standoff, how I have no idea, but he's wearing your vest and badge. You need medical attention urgently. We'll figure out what happened."

"Five minutes." Don pulled David back, out of Megan's sight. He raised his voice as he continued his demands. "Keys or a dead agent. Your choice."

David was abruptly released and pushed downwards. He sat, looking back up as he saw Don virtually fall to the floor. He moved forward wanting to help his boss but froze, Don had recovered and was holding the gun on him again. Not as steady as before but the aim was more than good enough. He eased back. "Don, you need to go to hospital."

"Shut up." Don manoeuvred himself into a more comfortable seated position leaning against a shelf.

Unfortunately Don also managed to keep the gun up and David could do nothing but wait.

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