Sorry for the wait. Real life can be a real pain sometimes.
BTW, sorry for any mistakes. I currently have no beta and have a really bad habit of writing when I am not fully awake.
Anyway, enjoy ...
Chapter 3
Charlie followed Ari back to the conference room, where he found the boy sitting in the corner with his knees pulled up to his chest. His face was buried in his arms and his small shoulders shook with quiet sobs. For a second he saw himself in the days after his mother died, remembering the moments when not even the math could bury his grief. He took a deep breath to control his emotions, and push back the memories, before taking a seat one the floor next to Ari. He didn't know what to say, or even if there was anything he could say, so he just placed his arm around the boy's shoulders and just tried to be there for him.
"W-why did th-ey do it-t?" Ari cried, tears streaming down his cheeks. "He-he d-did every-th-thing they s-said. W-hy di-id they have to sh-shoo-shoot my d-ad?"
Charlie looked into those sorrow filled eyes and wondered how Don, or anyone for that matter, could handle the victims of this job. What do you say to a child who watched his father die? How do you explain to that little boy why he's an orphan? How do you rationalize evil?
"Nothing is easier than to denounce the evildoer; nothing is more difficult than to understand him."
Shooting Larry a grateful glance as he came farther into the room, he turned back to the boy.
"I don't know why they did what they did, but I do know that we will do everything we can to keep them from hurting anyone else."
Ari wiped his face with the hem of his oversized t-shirt.
"D-do you think …" he sniffed, his tears finally slowing."Do you think they'll get them?"
Charlie paused, wondering how to answer. With very little to go on and a infinite list of suspects, he knew the chances were not great. Then again, he also knew his brother. Don wouldn't stop until he got these guys, no matter how long it took him.
"Yeah, I do." Charlie gave him a reassuring smile. "Don's got one of the best clearance rates in the country."
"It's not high enough for me to tell him where the key to Dad's program is."
"Well, I was actually referring to the clearance rate for closing his cases but I'm sure he has a high enough clearance."
"There is also the the chance that either Charlie or I have a high enough clearance level to be in your confidence." Larry added.
"You don't understand. It doesn't matter how high your clearance level is. Okay … maybe for some stuff it is, but I already told you about that stuff." Ari sighed and shook his head. "Let me put it this way; if the head of the CIA asked me to tell him, I wouldn't. If the Secretary of Defense asked me to tell, I wouldn't. If an act of Congress ordered me to tell, I would probably go to jail before I told them anything. If the President of the United States himself asked for the information …. well, then I MIGHT tell, but I think you get the point."
Charlie got the point all right. Looks like Albert taught his son the old saying about how three people could keep a secret if two of them were dead. Sadly for them, it had become a reality.
"So no one else knows where the information is?" Larry questioned.
"Nope." Ari shook his head. "Dad didn't trust anyone else enough."
Looks like there was good reason for that, Charlie thought to himself. But this posed a problem. If the killers found out that Ari was their only link to a working prototype they would do everything in their power to make him talk. Now he was no criminal mastermind, but he had seen enough crime scene photos to know that Ari's body would give out long before his willpower. He had to find Don. Pushing himself to his feet, he whispered to Larry to keep an eye on the boy before heading back to his brother's office.
"Charlie?"
"Yeah?" He paused halfway through to door and turned to look at Ari.
"Um … do you know a Rabbi?"
To say he was startled by the question was a bit of an understatement. He glanced at Larry, but his friend just shrugged.
"Why would you ask that?"
"Well … you're Jewish, aren't you?"
"Um … yes, but … I'm not very religious." Charlie admitted, moving back into the room. "The last Rabbi I talked to was at my mom's funeral."
"Did he do a good job?"
Okay, not these questions were getting really off topic. But then again, Ari didn't seem like to type for idle chit-chat in such a serious situation.
"Why do you want to know?"
Ari dropped his eyes, tuging a loose string on the hem of his shirt.
"It's just … Dad was Jewish." He whispered. "He didn't go to temple that much, but … he'd want to be buried like one."
"Oh." Charlie nodded in understanding. "Well, I'm sorry, but I don't really know any Rabbis. You would have to talk to Don."
"Is Don Jewish?"
"Don is my brother."
Ari looked up in surprise. Apparently, Don had left that little detail out when he had brought hm here. Not that it was too shocking. He didn't really like to introduce himself as the special agent brother of Dr. Charles Eppes.
"You have a brother?"
"Yes, an older brother."
"Wow." Ari looked back at his hem. "I guess the term 'big brother is watching' takes on a whole new meaning for you, huh?"
Despite the situation, Charlie had to laugh. It was true though, 'big brother' really was his big brother. Speaking of which, he really had to talk to him.
"Yeah," he chuckled. "Stay with Larry. I'll be right back."
He headed down the hall, trying to retrace his steps. Don hadn't taken his promotion until after he left for Cambridge. He was glad that they had finally recognized his brother's contribution enough to give him an office, he just wished it was easier to find. Once again, he walked right past it before Don called him back.
"Get anything out of Ari?" He asked, pulling some papers out of his fax.
"A little."
Don muttered a response, looking over the papers before shoving them in a folder and setting it aside. Charlie gave the folder a curious glance as he took his seat. His brother was an SAC now and had a lot more to oversee then just this case, and until classes started up Charlie didn't have much on his plate besides this case.
"What's that?"
"Nothing much." Don answered dismissively. "Now, what did Ari tell you."
"To sum up, he is the only one who knows where Albert hid the codes and the only person he MIGHT tell is the President." He paused, his gaze falling back on the folder. "You sure you don't need my help with that, because I would be more then happy too-"
"Forget about that, Charlie." Don snapped. "Now, is there anyway you can get him to trust us with the information?"
"Not that I can see."
At least, not without an inaugural address, he thought to himself. But his big brother was clearly not in the mood for that kind of comment. In fact Don looked exhausted and Charlie couldn't help but wonder how many hours he had put in that day.
"Alright." Don sighed, rubbing his hand across his mouth. "Thanks for your help. Why don't you go get some sleep."
"What about you?"
"Don't worry about me," Don gave him half a smile, "I've pulled all nighters before."
"Yes," Charlie smirked back, "but you were younger then."
"Out." Don ordered, though he couldn't keep back his grin.
Charlie held up his hands in surrender and was almost to the door when a thought struck him.
"What's gonna happen to Ari?"
"We're gonna track down a relative." Don replied, going back to his paperwork. "Until then, child services takes care of him.
He had been afraid he would say that. Charlie deep breath, hoping that he would get a better answer to his next question.
"And if you can't find any?"
"He stays in the system."
Charlie nodded and turned away, having no intention of leaving yet. He had to get a hold of child services. Don would probably take care of it, or at least have one of his agents do it, but child Services wasn't going to find relatives and foster care was just not a good place for someone like Ari. It would put out his light before he ever got the chance to shine.
Anyone have any ideas on what should happen to Ari?
Let me know what you think and I will get started on the next chapter.