Obsession

Disclaimer: See Prologue

A/N: I'm using a simple alphabet code for the messages, simple but with a twist. (I can't let it be too easy). I have scrambled the letters within each word of the code.

I really appreciate your reviews.

Sun-Tzu: The Art of War

If they are confused, take them.

Chapter 8

David sadly knelt down beside the young LAPD officer. One look at him and he knew it was already too late but he still had to try. Placing two fingers against the man's neck he stubbornly checked for a pulse but to no avail, the young man was gone.

"Couldn't be more than twenty-five, fresh out of the academy." he thought to himself. "Such a waste of a young life."

The three of them had ducked behind the SUV when the warehouse exploded but parts of it had found them anyway. The officer had been dealt a fatal blow to the head and death had been instantaneous. David and Colby had not escaped unscathed themselves. He was sporting a bloody cut on his shoulder and his partner had been hit on the leg by something sharp.

"Too late, huh?" Colby nodded at the dead man as he used a piece of his torn shirt to bandage his leg.

"Yeah." David said glancing sideways at him; it was time to turn his attention back to the living.

"We've got to get away from these cars…were too close to the fire." Colby said as he wiped the soot from his eyes. The fire was intensifying and the heat was becoming unbearable.

"I know." David retorted. "Do you see Megan…" he had to pause as a sudden bout of coughing hit him. "or Don?"

"It's hard to see anything in this smoke." Colby responded as he too was hit with a sudden couching spasm.

David bent down to look under the vehicle but his eyes were tearing so badly from the smoke that he had to wipe them twice before he could see anything.

"I think I see Don." he said as he cautiously crawled around the vehicle, with Colby close behind him.

Don was lying face down on the ground in front of the squad car and Megan was sprawled out not far from him; both agents were unconscious. David turned Don over and grabbed him under the arms and began to drag back him behind the vehicle. Colby crawled over to Megan and pulled her back as well. Standing up was not a option, the smoke was too thick, it was bad enough at ground level so dragging their friends out of harm's way had been their only choice.

They checked them immediately for signs of life and were relieved to find a strong pulse beating in both of them. Finding no immediate life-threatening injuries, the two agents began a search for a better position away from the fire.

David wiped his eyes again and squinted as he checked out the area.

"How about over there for now." he said pointing to the road in front of them. "Maybe we can find a place on the other side."

Colby coughed. "It's better than here."

Dragging Megan and Don across the road was slow going. It wasn't easy to do considering the fact that they were hunched over themselves but with determination they made it to the far side of the road. The smoke was making breathing difficult and the physical exertion made them stop often to rest themselves.

"Man." Colby gasped out. "Megan sure doesn't look this heavy."

David allowed himself a small smile. "Yeah, why don't you tell her that when she wakes up."

His partner snorted. "I'm not exactly looking to commit suicide, okay?"

David nodded his head as he leaned over the edge of the road and looked below.

"Check this out, partner." He pointed downward. "That ditch will protect us from the fire and smoke. Let's get them down there."

Putting his words into action, he grabbed Don under the arms once again and dragged him down the slope to the ditch below. Colby grabbed Megan and quickly followed him. The hill acted as a buffer to the fire and they had already noticed a sizeable temperature change. The smoke was a lot thinner here too, and soon they began to breathe easier.

Once again they sat down, both gasping for much needed air.

"Have… you …seen…any…sign..…of O'Connell?"

Colby shook his head as he crawled back up to the top of the slope. "No, nothing" he called out as his eyes came to rest on the three vehicles. "Those cars aren't going to last much longer though."

"My last contact with him was before the explosion." David yelled back as he started to check Megan for injuries.

Colby slid back down and started a similar check on Don.

"Don's pulse is strong but he's got a cut on his temple, probably has a concussion."

"Megan's pulse is good too but she's got a nasty bump on the back of her head. She's probably going to have a concussion too."

Don suddenly started coughing and David quickly rolled him over on his stomach. He opened his eyes but immediately closed them as the world began to spin around him. His throat was burning and he couldn't stop coughing. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he was able to get it under control and rose to a sitting position. However, that position didn't last long, he immediately leaned forward and rested his head on the dry ground fighting to control the nausea that was threatening to overtake him. Megan had begun to stir and only a few minutes later found herself in an identical position.

Meanwhile, David had pulled out his cell phone and dialed 911 while Colby called the FBI office and requested immediate back up.

"I'm going to try O'Connell again." David turned to press the button on his radio. "Patrick are you there?" He shared a worried glance with his partner but heard no response from the Irishman. "Try your radio, mine might have gotten damaged."

"Right. O'Connell do you read?" His brow furrowed with worry. "Patrick, are you there?"

"Guys." a gasp for breath and then. "It ..was…a ..set….up." Don was holding his head and keeping his eyes closed. "Could…still….be…here."

David coughed again and pulled out his gun. "He's right man. I'll cover us on this side, you take the other."

He moved around Don and watched for movements through the smoke. Colby immediately went to the other side and took a similar position. Even without the smoke they were too far down the slope to be seen from above and were hidden by weeds and chaparral.

Colby coughed again and hissed between his clenched teeth. "It was a dam trap!"

"What…about…back…up?" Megan barely wheezed out.

""On it's way." David tried to check her out from his position. "You okay, anything broken?"

She shook her head and immediately regretted the action. "Don't think so - shoulder and head hurts ."

"How about you Don?"

"Head mostly, ribs maybe."

Three more explosions suddenly echoed around them and they instinctively ducked lower to the ground as fragments flew over head. The smell of gasoline was almost overwhelming and they gagged from the stench. David crept up to the top of the slope after the sounds had diminished and took a peak over the top, careful to stay behind a bush.

The intense heat had finally reached the cars and one by one they had exploded, all three were now totally engulfed in flames. The houses on either side of the warehouse were also ablaze and if the fire dept didn't get there soon the entire street would be lost to the fire.

He slid back down the slope and returned to his position. "That was the cars." he told them without taking his eyes off his search area.

"Where's the officer?" Don asked as he raised himself to a sitting position. He opened his eyes and tried to focus them on his agents. It worked momentarily, but soon they were swimming around again. He closed his eyes with a groan and leaned against the slope, stretching his legs out in front of him.

David patted him on the shoulder. "It's probably better if you don't move." and then added with a sigh. "The officer didn't make it Don."

Don's kept his eyes closed but responded. "That's too bad, he was so young."

Colby raised his hand calling for silence. "Listen, did you guys hear that?"

The agents waited in silence straining to hear anything besides the roaring fire and then every so faintly they heard it too. Someone was calling for them by name.

David scrambled back to the top of the slope.

"Careful…David." Don managed to say.

The agent squinted toward the sound and spotted O'Connell, trying to skirt the fire and look for them. Frustrated, David tried to contact him on the radio. If he called out he would give away their position and they didn't know who was still out there.

"O'Connell, do you read?"

"Aye!" he replied as he turned in circles trying to spot him.

"Take cover, do you read? Take cover, we've been set up. Get out of the open!"

The Irishman immediately crouched down and tried to find cover. He spotted several dumpsters on the other side of the road and hurriedly crawled between them.

"How's this?" He asked looking all around him. "Where are you guys?"

"Just stay put, help is on the way."

David watched as the man pulled out his gun and began his silent search for the unseen enemy. Satisfied that the Irishman was fairly safe for the moment he slid back down the slope and joined his team.

It was only three thirty in the afternoon, but the billowing smoke had cut out the sunshine and to the four agents at the bottom of the slope, it seemed as if night had already fallen. David and Colby maintained their silent vigil while Don and Megan struggled to stay awake. They would occasionally check in with the Irishman, letting him know that he wasn't alone.

Finally, after what seemed like hours they heard a welcoming sound. A multitude of approaching sirens brought out a sigh of relief from each of them.

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Charlie was just about to open his office door when his phone began to ring. He fished in his pocket for the it and quickly flipped it open automatically checking the I.D. of the caller. It was a number that he didn't recognize but it was identified as a FBI number. Frowning, he hesitated, there was so much that he had to get done, maybe he should let it go to voicemail and get back to Don later. Guiltily, he remembered that he hadn't spoken with Don since the incident the other night.

Suddenly apprehensive, he answered the phone. "Charles Eppes."

As he listened to the caller his heart began to beat faster. Oh, God, this was it , the call that he and his father had always been afraid of. The call that told them that Don had been lost in the line of duty.

Suddenly, he couldn't breathe and he placed a hand against the door to steady himself. He swallowed hard and asked. "Which hospital? How long ago? Why didn't one of his team call?" His eyes widened even further. "All of them?

"Yes, I'll notify Professor Fleinhart ." Thank you."

Charlie was already half way down the hallway before he even realized it. He glanced at his watch, his Dad would still be in Ray's class which explained why the FBI couldn't reach him and the same held true for Larry.

He came across Larry's class just as it was ending and hurriedly cut through the exiting students to get to his friend. His grabbed the older professor by the arm and started pulling him toward the door.

"Charles. Charles what are you doing?" Larry was more than a little flustered at his friend's behavior.

"Larry, listen to me." Charlie's eyes were wide with fear and worry. "We have to hurry, Don and Megan have been taken to the hospital, they were injured in an explosion." He turned without waiting for a response and started jogging toward the exit.

"What…what happened?" The older professor asked as he ran to keep up. "How badly are they hurt?"

"Wait till we get in the car." he pushed the door open and heard it slam as they ran toward the parking lot. " We still have to swing by Ray's class to pick up Dad."

Charlie quickly pulled out of the parking lot and headed for the Mechanical Engineering building that was located across campus. He parked and put the car in neutral, jumping out and running toward the door.

Larry remained in the backseat rubbing his hands through his hair and anxiously waiting for them to return. He opened his phone to dial Megan but suddenly stopped thinking to himself. "She has to be all right, she just has to be." He pressed the speed dial anyway just so he could listen to her voice as it advised him to leave a message.

He heard a door slam and looked up to see Charlie and Alan running from the building.

They climbed in and Charlie pealed out of the parking lot. "Dad, I'm going to need directions once we get on the highway."

Alan's face was pale and there was moisture around his eyes as he asked in a shaky voice.

"Where's the map Charlie?

"Glove box." his son answered as he made a turn onto the highway.

The road was congested at this time of day and it was taking all of Charlie's patience to work his way through the crowded lanes.

"Charlie, which hospital did they take them too?"

"Los Angeles Memorial, Dad." his brow furrowed. "I thinks it's off the Arroyo Parkway." He clicked his tongue impatiently. "Dad, do you know a shortcut?"

Alan scrutinized the map in front of him. "Yes, there's a back road we can take and it shouldn't have as much traffic." He followed the line on the map with his finger. "Take the next exit east onto Gardenia, that should do the trick." Rubbing a hand over his face he turned toward his son.

"Did David say how serious it was?"

"It wasn't David, he was injured too, so was Colby." Charlie kept his voice steady, he had to be strong, not just for his father and Don but for himself as well.

"Oh, my!" Larry exclaimed from the back seat. "Did they tell you what happened?"

Charlie shook his head, "No, they didn't give me any details, just said they were injured in some kind of explosion."

They fell into silence, each one lost in their thoughts as Charlie pushed the Prius to it's limit and as they approached the hospital , they noticed the sky begin to darken over the east side of the city.

"What do you suppose is causing that?" Alan asked

Charlie risked a glance in the direction of the black clouds and shrugged his shoulders. "I dunno, fire maybe."

He spotted a sign for the hospital and all other thoughts disappeared. With Alan's directions Charlie was soon pulling up in front of the emergency room at the hospital. He let his Dad and Larry get out of the car at the door and then headed for the parking garage. Within minutes he had parked his car and was running up the sidewalk to the entrance of the emergency room.

As the door swung open he was momentarily overwhelmed by the crowd of people in the small area and it was as if everything was suddenly in slow motion as he walked in a daze toward the nurse's station. He caught snatches of conversations as he looked around for signs of his brother. Two paramedics were talking to a police officer "we were too late, he was already dead when we got there" and he nearly stopped breathing.

"It's not Don, it's not Don" became a mantra in his mind as he looked around for his father. He threaded his way through the crowd and finally made his way to the nurses station.

Between answering the phone and the questions of the people standing around the station the nurse was a little pre-occupied and didn't notice him right away. When it was finally his turn, he was almost afraid to ask because he kept hearing the paramedics words over and over in his mind. "we were too late…too late." He clenched his jaw and crushed that thought. "not Don, not Don."

Placing his hands on the counter top he asked. "Please…I'm looking for my brother, Don Eppes."

Before the nurse could answer him he felt a hand on his shoulder, turning he looked into the concerned eyes of his father.

"It's okay son, come with me."

Alan led him to some chairs further down the hallway where Larry was waiting for them.

"Dad, what about Don? Is he okay….where is he?"

"Easy, son, sit down a minute." Alan gently pushed him down in the chair. Pulling the other chair around so he could face his youngest he said. "Don's being checked out right now so we aren't going to know anything for a while. The nurse said the doctor has been with him for about twenty minutes so we should know something soon" Clearing his throat he added. "Megan, David and Colby are also getting checked out, so all we can do is wait."

Charlie took a deep breath. "Is he going to be okay?"

"We'll know for sure when the doctor finishes checking him out but for now we'll just have to wait." He stood up and looked down at his son. "Since were going to be here for a while, I think I'll get a cup of coffee. Do you want to come?"

Charlie shook his head. "No, I think I'll just sit here awhile."

"I'll come with you Alan." Larry said as he stood up. "We'll bring a cup back for you Charlie."

Larry and Alan caught the elevator and as Charlie watched an FBI agent disembarked and strode toward the police officer that he had seen speaking with the paramedics. The agent removed a notepad from his pocket and began taking notes as he spoke with the officer. Charlie thought he recognized the agent and as he walked by him he called out his name.

"Agent Miller?" Charlie asked as he stood up.

The agent stopped and turned around. "Professor Eppes." Concern flitted briefly in the agent's eyes before he caught himself. "How is Don?"

"We don't know anything yet." he said, making eye contact with the agent. "Do you know what happened?"

The agent's guard came up as he answered. "I'm sorry professor, this is an on-going investi…."

Charlie raised a hand and stopped him. "I know, you can't talk about it, I shouldn't have asked."

The agent nodded his head and turned to leave, pausing momentarily to say. "I hope your brother will be all right. Everyone at the office is worried about all of them."

"Thanks." The young man whispered as he looked away. Charlie glanced at the clock on the wall and let his eyes drift over the people in the waiting room before leaning back against the wall and wrapping his arms around himself. He stood that way for a while with his head bowed, lost in thought, until he started to get that now familiar feeling of being watched.

He felt the hair rise on the back of his neck and he rubbed at the goose bumps on his arms as he slowly looked around the room.