Well, this is the last chapter. I really enjoyed writing this story and as I said at the very beginning, this was my first fic, so it was also quite a challenge.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to read my story and for your nice reviews. And a HUGE thank you to ALEO for being my beta.

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PART IX

Don looked at his brother and his men in alarm. "So what you're saying is that even if we manage to move the bomb, we can't prevent it from exploding?"

"That's right."

"Let's say we find a way to move it, would you be able to control the explosion?"

"I'm not sure. There is a large quantity of explosives. The guy actually wrapped the wires around the C4, the trigger, the timer and the mercury vial before connecting them. If we cut the wires, we set off the bomb. But my main concern is that the gas is still escaping; the air in the building and around it is going to be saturated with it. It could cause a chain reaction, setting the other buildings on fire and it will be impossible to contain the blaze."

Don turned to David and whispered. "Find the safety shut-off valves. We need to cut off the gas now!"

"Let's hope he didn't tamper with them too."

"I don't think he had the time but if he did, call the building manager and ask him where main valves are. Also check with the fire brigade to see if they can shut down the distribution valves from the street." Then to Johnson, "So what do you suggest?"

The technician thought quickly. "Maybe... if we placed the bomb in a containment vessel and inside the armoured van, it could work. It should minimize the damage for sure." He shrugged. "But first we need to move it and I can't see how-"

"If we freeze the mercury, could we move it then?" Don asked hurriedly.

"Uh sure. But-"

"Would liquid nitrogen work?" Don carried on.

"Definitely." The man replied, understanding what Don was getting at. "Do you have some here?"

Don looked at Charlie. "Liquid nitrogen?"

"This is CalSci." Charlie reminded him. "We have that kind of stuff."

Charlie led Don to a laboratory in a nearby building and opened what looked like a refrigerated room filled with various containers andvials. The cool air hit Don, reminding him of his ordeal in the cold store. He took a step back, his respiration accelerated and he couldn't suppress a shiver. He quickly glanced at this brother but the latter was too busy looking for insulated gloves to notice anything. The agent forced himself to breathe slowly and evenly to get back his self-control.

"Found them!" Charlieexclaimed,waving the gloves and a pair of goggles. "And we'll need that as well to fit on the container." He added, grabbing a nozzle left on a table.

Don fished his keys out of his pocket and handed them to his brother. "Thanks. Now, take my car and go home." The younger man was about to protest but Don grabbed his hand and placed the keys in it. "Take them and leave! Now!" His tone and face made it clear it wasn't the right time to argue and Charlie obeyed reluctantly.

Don put the gloves and the goggles on then seized one of the steel cylinders containing the nitrogen. It was heavier than he expected and adjusted his grip around it then he ran to the laboratory where the bomb squad was waiting. The booby trap had been disabledbut the door was kept close to avoid too much gas spreading in the building. The agent called out "I've got it." The door opened immediately, one of the men took the container and the nozzle then closed the door quickly behind him. Then Don jogged outside where Colby was waiting for him.

"David, any luck with the gas?" He asked in his microphone. There was no response. "David?"

"Yes! I've just turned off the valves. It should be alright now."

"Good. How long do we have left?"

"Less than six minutes." Johnson replied.

Don scratched the back of his head nervously. They were running out of time. He looked around and noticed that his brother was reaching the SUV. Suddenly, his eyes caught a shadow moving in the building in front of which the Suburban was parked. He squinted, unsure he saw properly before starting to run to the building, gesturing at Colby to follow him. This time he distinctly saw a silhouette crossing the front room. Yes, there was definitely someone inside.

Charlie pressed the remote for the car doors and was about to open the driver's door when he saw Don and Colby draw their guns and enter the building in front of him. He froze, worried.

Carefully and silently, the two agents approached the room where Don had seen the shadow. Back against the wall, Don reached out and pushed the door then peered swiftly inside the classroom. There didn't seem to be anyone. With extreme caution, both men stepped inside but the place was definitely empty. With the same precautions, they moved to the opposite room. But as they entered, a chair was thrown at them, hitting Colby in the shoulder and sending him on the floor. Don just had time to see a man aiming his gun at him. He threw himself on the floor and rolled over to avoid the bullet before the man escaped through the window. He got back on his feet and turned to Colby.

"I'm okay!" Granger shouted before Don could ask. "Get him!"

As he jumped out of the window, Don saw the man rushing toward Charlie who was still standing near the SUV.

The agent sprinted after the suspect and yelled. "Charlie! Get into the car!"

The professor took in was happening and pressed the door remote again but in his haste he locked the doors instead of opening them. The few seconds it took him to realise his mistake and to press the remote again were enough for the man to be on him.

"In the car!" Don repeated desperately.

Charlie got the door open but the man pushed him brutally against the car, his left arm closing around the professor's neck while his right hand pressed a gun firmly against his temple. He turned around, using Charlie as human shield and faced Don. The agent stopped short, a couple of meters away from them and aimed at the man. Colby approached slowly, joined soon after by David.

"Put your gun down, Kardali." Ordered Don.

Charlie tried not to panic and kept his eyes riveted on Don. The agent briefly glanced at him before focusing on the killer.

"I said, put-your-gun-down."

The other man smiled scornfully. "Can't you see the irony, Agent? You're giving me orders when I hold all the winning cards."

Superiority/inferiority complex. Megan's words echoed in his head. Maybe... Don didn't like the plan that had just formed in his head but he didn't have time to find another one. "Adam, listen to me. Either you surrender or you leave in a body bag."

"Yeah, but your brother will die first!" He shot back.

Don raised his left hand to calm him down. "Easy, okay? Nobody's going to die." He said in a soft voice. "And you must live if you want people to know what you did. After all, you're the one who bombed the FBI. It's quite an achievement."

"Yes, it is." Kardali replied proudly. "And Harper said he would let the media know." He nodded towards the building where the bomb was. "He will tell them that this is my work."

Don snorted softly. "Harper? I wouldn't count on it. He's been arrested and won't be talking to anyone for a while. Besides, he gave you away."

Kardali frowned, his gun wavered slightly. "You're lying." He replied forcefully.

"He squealed on you, Adam." Don repeated calmly, hoping he wasn't pushing the man too far. "How do you think we knew what the target was? He doesn't care about you. All he wants is to save his own head. The bomb in the chemistry class was your plan, wasn't it? Not Harper's. But if you're killed, he will get all the glory," Don waved at the building. "and you will never be able to prove that this was your idea. You're not Harper's appendage. You're much better than him. Don't let him win, Adam. Put your gun down."

Kardali shook his head nervously. "Harper would never do that to me." He said as if he was trying to convince himself. "You... you must've done something to him... He would never..."His voice faltered and almost broke in a cry. His gun moved slightly away from Charlie's head but not enough to allow Don to disarm him without endangering his brother.

The receiver in the agents' ears buzzed and Johnson announced. "We froze the mercury. The bomb is now in the armoured van and at safe distance from the building."

Don raised his left hand to speak into his microphone. "Give us the countdown." He whispered.

"Fifteen seconds".

Colby and David exchanged a quick look and held their guns more tightly. Don said nothing but Charlie thought he saw relief in his eyes. Kardali looked warily at the three men in front of him. Something was wrong. What was going on? He knew his bomb couldn't be moved or diffused, so what had just changed?

"Ten seconds." The voice said into their earpieces.

Don looked straight at his brother then quickly down to the ground then back at his brother. Charlie frowned. What did he mean? Then his face cleared. He blinked slowly to let him know he had understood. At least, he hoped he did.

"Five." The voice continued to count through their earpieces. The three agents braced themselves. "Four." Don kept his eyes locked into Charlie's. "Three... Two... One."

Several things happened at the same time that Kardali hadn't anticipated. First he was startled when Don shouted, "Now!" Then his hostage suddenly went limp. The unexpected dead weight caught him off guard; he lost his balance and had to release his grip on Charlie. The professor threw himself onto the ground out of the killer's reach. Then, after an ear-splitting detonation echoed in the air, a large grey mushroom of smoke rocketed into the sky followed by a loud metallic crash while a tremor shook the ground.

Before he knew it, Kardali was shoved to the ground, face down; Don was kneeling on his back, handcuffing him and telling him his rights, while the two other agents kept him covered.

Then Don got up, pulling his prisoner up to his feet before pushing him violently against the car. For a second, they all thought the agent was going to hit him. But Don said coldly. "I'm afraid that pathetic Bang was your bomb. Not quite what you expected, hmm?"

He handed the prisoner to his men, holstered his gun and knelt next to Charlie, who was sitting against the SUV. The younger man looked exhausted.

"Hey, you okay?" He asked gently.

"Yeah." Charlie answered although his voice didn't sound like he was.

Don sat next to him. "I'm proud of you. You remained calm despite Kardali threatening you with a gun."

"Well, I knew you'd think of something. You always do." Charlie replied, half smiling at his brother.

Don rested his head against the car and closed briefly his eyes then he looked at his brother sideways. "I was afraid you wouldn't understand what I wanted you to do."

Charlie gathered his knees and put his arms around them. "I wasn't sure mind you. But I remembered you taught me that move after that bully attacked me in High School... It's very effective." He noticed, almost surprised.

"Of course it is! But I'll have to show you the whole move... just in case."

"Oh! That's not all?"

"Of course not. You're supposed to disable your adversary long enough to run away. For that, the simplest way is to elbow him as hard as you can."

"Hmm." Charlie frowned, pensive. He wasn't too thrilled by the idea. He really didn't want to find himself in that kind of situation again.

Both brothers leant their heads against the car and remained silent for a while, just enjoying each other's company.

Then Charlie cleared his voice and said. "So, uh... I talk people to death?"

Don looked at his brother and frowned, puzzled. "What?" Then he understood what his brother was referring to. "Oh! Come on, don't tell me you're upset. It was just a joke!"

"Hmm, of course." His expression changed and he asked hesitantly. "And... and when you said I was your secret weapon, you were joking too?"

Don smiled widely. "No, not really. You are our secret weapon in many ways, when you think of it."

Charlie smiled proudly. Don shook his head, amused. He put his sunglasses on and got up then helped his brother up.

When they joined the rest of the men, they realised the extent of the damage done by the bomb to the armoured vehicle; one of the back doors had been half ripped off, the shape of the van was deformed – the metal had expanded and twisted under the effect of the strength of the blast. The tremor they had felt earlier had been caused when the large vehicle had been propelled in the air before landing heavily, bursting the four tires and breaking both axles.

The bomb squad leader came to shake Don's and Charlie's hand. "Thanks guys. Without you, we'd have all gone up in a giant fireworks display."

Don nodded briefly. He watched as onlookers started to gather at the entry gates, taking pictures or filming. Suddenly he peered over his sunglasses and frowned when he saw the TV news cars arriving. "Okay guys. Time to take off."

EPILOGUE

Don parked the SUV in the driveway of the Craftsman house. His father, busy weeding in the back garden heard the engine and came to meet him.

"Hey Donnie! I've just-" He stopped short and frowned, noticing his son was wearing his gun and FBI badge. "You went to work?" He asked accusingly. "I thought you had a couple of days off."

"I do but I went to see Wright."

Alan opened the front door and let his son in. "Oh." He looked at Don intensely. "And how did it go?"

Don's face clouded. He ran his hand in his hair before replying in a sigh. "More or less like I expected."

Alan put a comforting hand on his eldest's arm. "You did your best, Don. You knew this would happen. It's not a big surprise."

"I know, but I was hoping... you know... they'd give him a second chance." He scratched his eyebrow absently. "Where is he?"

"In the garage."

Alan shook his head sorrowfully as he watched Don walk slowly toward the garage.

Charlie had his earphones on, turned up full blast and was writing equations on a board. He was so engulfed in what he was doing that he didn't notice his brother leaning against the door jamb.

Don smiled affectionately and watched him for a solid minute, amused. Then his smile turned sad before it vanished altogether. He pushed himself away from the door and called out. "Charlie!"

His brother didn't hear him so he tapped on his shoulder. "Charlie!" he repeated.

The younger man turned around him, surprised. "Oh Don. I didn't hear you coming." He said taking his earphones off.

"Yeah, I wonder why." Don replied softly and mockingly. He nodded to the board. "What are you working on?"

"It's a new approach on my cognitive..." He stopped and frowned at his brother, both suspicious and worried. "You're not here to ask me about my work, are you?"

Don bit his lower lip then said in a breath. "I spoke to Wright today... They won't give you your clearance back, Charlie."

The professor laid his chalk on the table near him, a little stunned. "I see."

"I'm really sorry, Buddy. We had Wright on our side but it wasn't enough."

Charlie looked down and nodded silently. Don forced himself to sound optimistic. "It might not be permanent, you know. They said they needed more time to... to make a definitive decision."

"But it's very unlikely, isn't it?"

When Don remained silent, he added softly. "That's what I thought." He looked away. "I won't be allowed to work with you again." He whispered.

"No! Not necessarily... I mean, you can still consult for us on specific cases, and with Wright's authorisation of course. But I don't think that'll be a problem" He fumbled for words. "But that's alright. It'll give you more time to work on your project." He replied waving at the board.

"Really? You think we could still work together?"

"Yeah... Sure... Definitely." Don nodded emphatically.

Charlie looked at the equations on the board as if they were going to give him a confirmation. He whipped his head towards Don. "I can still get my clearance back. The FBI do use people with a criminal record." Don frowned, not liking what was coming. His brother carried on. "Don't tell me you don't. Some of your consultants are former bank robbers, specialised in breaking security systems. Same thing with hackers, or..."

"Charlie! Your case is slightly more complicated than theirs. I wouldn't bet too much on that if I were you. It's not impossible of course, but highly improbable... Man, I sound like you!" Don said, rolling his eyes in disbelief.

"Is that such a terrible thing?" The younger man asked softly, almost shyly.

Don half smiled at his puppy eyes. "No Buddy, It's not. Absolutely not."

"I wouldn't mind being like you." Charlie added with a shrug.

"Wow! Don't go there Charlie! You don't know what you're talking about. Believe me, I've been living with myself for almost forty years, I know!"

Charlie laughed and shook his head. "Man, you're crazy. You know that?"

"That's exactly my point, Buddy!"

--

Alan smiled with relief when he heard his sons laughing. It was music to his ears after the hard times they had gone through the last few months, not to mention the last couple of days.He was glad the investigation was over even if he didn't really know what had happened.Charlie had given him a summary but he had the feeling that his son had left many facts out. And there was no point asking Don, his eldest would probably reply that there was nothing worth mentioning.

He smiled fondly as they came out from the garage to join him in the back garden. Don ruffled his brother's hair with a little smirk, "Come on Chuck."

"Don't call me Chuck." Charlie pushed at Don's hand, pretending to be annoyed.

At least they looked much more relax now. "Everything's alright?" Alan asked, trying to sound as casual as possible.

Both brothers glanced at each other with complicity. "Yeah," they replied in unison.

"Good." Alan bent forward to put some weeds in a bin bag then stood up, holding his back with both hands and winced.

"Are you okay, Dad? Do you need some help?" Don asked, gesturing toward the garden.

"That would be welcome, yes. The owner of this house doesn't seem to know what keeping a garden means."

"Hey! You said you liked gardening!" Charlie protested.

"True but that doesn't mean I should be the only one doing all the work."

Charlie put his hands up defensively. "Alright, alright. Tell me what needs to be done then."

"Weeding. That's what needs to be done, little genius."

Don thumbed toward the tools shelter. "Right, I'll go get the gloves. And no fighting while I'm away!" He shouted over his shoulder, leaving his father and brother bickering. He smiled to himself. Some things will never change and it was just perfect that way.

THE END