NEW! "Blind Faith -- Part Two" (Nuke/ATWT/Angels Lie)
Title: Blind Faith - Part Two
What It Is: Oneshot/"Angels Lie" 'verse
Rating: R for language, content
Prompt: Still another sequel to “Angels Lie”!
Disclaimer: Don’t own ‘em. Don’t make no money.
link
***
Blind Faith - Part Two
The interview goes surprisingly well. The state detectives go over Noah’s statement point by point. He answers their questions, and remains calm, even when they flat-out accuse him of aiding and abetting his father’s escape. The detectives press Noah on his story, switching to the classic “Good Cop, Bad Cop” routine.
“Look, we get it,” Good Cop soothes. “He’s your old man. Of course you’d want to help him. It’s only natural. Family’s family, right?”
Noah doesn’t answer, doesn’t even blink, and Bad Cop takes over.
One detail surprises Jack. Noah claims he remembers showing up at the Oakdale PD with his father in the trunk of the stolen car, but that’s it.
“Are you sure?” Jack interrupts the questioning.
Noah turns to him, his eyes weary but clear. “I handed you the car keys, right?”
Jack nods.
“We talked a little after that, about what happened.” Noah’s voice falters a little bit, but he keeps going. “But I don’t remember anything after that.”
“You don’t remember how you got to the hospital?”
“No.”
“What about after that? Any...incidents?”
Noah frowns. “No. Why? Did something happen?”
“Nothing in particular,” Jack lies.
Good Cop clears his throat. “Let’s talk about James Maloney.”
Noah turns back to the detectives, visibly steeling himself. “Okay.”
“You claim that you and Maloney fought and that you overpowered him.”
“That’s right.”
“You say you...” The detective glances down at his notes. “’Held him underwater until he stopped moving.’”
Noah’s face is blank. “That’s correct.”
“And then you drove on to Oakdale.”
“Yes.”
Bad Cop leans forward. “There’s just one problem, Mayer. Your story doesn’t pan out.”
Noah regards him coolly. “In what way?”
Atta boy, Jack thinks.
“We haven’t found Maloney,” Bad Cop says.
Noah’s eyes flicker. “Wait a second. You didn’t find...” He swallows. “The body?”
“No,” Bad Copy says with satisfaction. “So why don’t you tell us what really happened?”
But Noah isn’t even listening. He turns to Jack, eyes wide.
“Jack, is this true?”
Bad Cop bristles. “Are you accusing us of lying, Mayer? That’s rich coming from you.”
“Settle down,” Jack tells him. He turns to Noah. “We haven’t found Maloney’s body yet. But that doesn’t mean we won’t.”
Noah rubs his eyes with a shaking hand. “I can take you back there.”
“You said you didn’t know where you were,” Bad Cop says.
“I don’t, but we can figure it out, right, Jack?”
“Already on it,” Jack says. “There’s only one or two places where you could have turned off the road to Oakdale. We’ve got people searching the nearby farms.”
“Yeah, but it’s been...” Noah glances out the window. “How long has it been?”
“Days,” Bad Cop says. “And there’s no sign of Maloney.”
Noah looks at Jack again, panic in his eyes. Jack holds out his hands in a calming gesture.
“Noah, there’s a statewide manhunt in progress. Alive or dead, we’ll find him.”
“Oh, God.” Noah apruptly puts his head in his hands. “Where is he?”
“Like I said, we didn’t find-"
“No!” Noah looks up at Jack. “Luke. Where’s Luke?”
“Luke’s..." Jack frowns. “I don’t know where Luke is, but-"
“Oh, my God.” Noah rises and paces the room, rubbing his wrists.
“But I know he’s safe,” Jack insists. “Lucinda’s got a guard on him twenty-four seven.” He wishes he felt as confident as he sounds. Luke has shown an annoying propensity to ditch his security detail whenever he feels like it.
Noah steps closer and lowers his voice. “Maloney threatened Luke...if I didn’t...” Noah looks intently at Jack. “Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“I get it,” Jack says softly. “But Luke is safe. I promise.”
Good Cop pipes up. “If we could get back to the matter at hand-"
“For Christ’s sake!” Noah snaps impatiently, turning toward him. “I didn’t help my father, okay?”
“He says different,” Good Cop tells him.
Noah snorts in derision. “There’s a surprise. He’s lying.”
“Tell you what.” Bad Cop leans back in his chair. “Why don’t we just go down the hall and ask him?”
Noah stares at him. His skin goes ashen. “What?”
Jack closes his eyes. “Oh, crap.”
“Jack?” He can hear the panic in Noah’s voice. When Jack opens his eyes, he looks close to hysteria. “My father’s here? In this hospital?”
Jack takes a deep breath. “Yes
Noah backs up until he’s leaning against the wall. He looks like he could be hyperventilating. “You told me he was in custody,” he whispers.
“He is in custody,” Jack snaps. “He’s in custody up on the fourth floor. He was injured when you crashed the car,” he says, as Noah continues to stare at him.
Noah frowns. “Injured how?”
“Traumatic brain injury. Dr Oliver is treating him-" Jack breaks off because Noah is shaking his head and repeating “No No No No” over and over again.
“What?” he asks.
“Don’t you get it?” Noah demands. “It’s a trick.”
Bad Cop pipes up. “Like when you helped your father escape?”
Again, Noah ignores the detectives. “Jack, my father knows about Luke and Reid, okay? He probably threatened Luke to get Reid to help him.”
Jack frowns, uncertainty creeping in. “The test results-"
“Could have been faked,” Noah says grimly. “You know my father, Jack. You know how he gets inside people’s heads.”
Jack shakes his head. “I don’t think-"
The fire alarm goes off.
Noah’s face goes dead white. “It’s him,” he whispers.
Bad Cop turns to Jack. “What the hell is going on, Snyder?”
Good Cop looks around. “Is this a legit alarm?”
“Jack, he’s getting away,” Noah says urgently.
“Everybody just shut the hell up!” Jack barks. He dials his cell. “Dallas,” he says when his partner picks up. “What’s going on?”
Dallas sounds out of breath. “I just got word Mayer’s guards are down.”
“The Colonel?”
“Gone.”
Jack swears, and Noah’s eyes get wider.
Dallas speaks again. “You want me to-"
“No,” Jack says. “Hold your position.” He hangs up and yells for the uniformed guard.
“Radio the exits,” he says when the man appears. “Everybody check in. Now.”
The officer’s eyes widen. He grabs his radio and steps back in the corridor. Noah steps toward the door, but Jack plants a hand in his chest and shoves him back.
“Stay here,” he orders.
Noah steps forward again. “Jack, you have to let me-"
The uniform sticks his head back in the room.
“Sir, I’m getting reports of gunfire.”
“Where?” Jack snaps.
“Don’t know.”
“Find out, dammit!”
The uniform darts back into the corridor. The state guys follow. Noah tries to follow as well, but Jack wrestles him back.
“Oh, hell, no. You’re staying put.”
Noah fights back. “He’s getting away!”
Jack pulls out his handcuffs, and Noah’s eyes widen. “Don’t you fucking dare-"
“Sorry about this, kid.” Jack cuffs Noah’s bandaged wrist to the rail of the hospital bed. Noah tugs on it frantically, but the cuffs hold.
As Jack runs from the room, drawing his weapon, he can hear Noah bellowing at him in fury. “God dammit, Jack! Get back here, you son of a bitch!”
In the corridor, the state guys have their weapons drawn, and the officer is on his radio. He looks at Jack. “Loading dock.”
Jack draws his gun. “This way.”
He sets off at a dead run for the back stairs, the officer and the state detectives following.
Later, after the shooting is over and the smoke has cleared - literally - Jack returns to Noah’s room.
But by then, it’s too late. The handcuff still dangles from the bed rail, but Noah is gone.
To be continued...
What It Is: Oneshot/"Angels Lie" 'verse
Rating: R for language, content
Prompt: Still another sequel to “Angels Lie”!
Disclaimer: Don’t own ‘em. Don’t make no money.
link
***
Blind Faith - Part Two
The interview goes surprisingly well. The state detectives go over Noah’s statement point by point. He answers their questions, and remains calm, even when they flat-out accuse him of aiding and abetting his father’s escape. The detectives press Noah on his story, switching to the classic “Good Cop, Bad Cop” routine.
“Look, we get it,” Good Cop soothes. “He’s your old man. Of course you’d want to help him. It’s only natural. Family’s family, right?”
Noah doesn’t answer, doesn’t even blink, and Bad Cop takes over.
One detail surprises Jack. Noah claims he remembers showing up at the Oakdale PD with his father in the trunk of the stolen car, but that’s it.
“Are you sure?” Jack interrupts the questioning.
Noah turns to him, his eyes weary but clear. “I handed you the car keys, right?”
Jack nods.
“We talked a little after that, about what happened.” Noah’s voice falters a little bit, but he keeps going. “But I don’t remember anything after that.”
“You don’t remember how you got to the hospital?”
“No.”
“What about after that? Any...incidents?”
Noah frowns. “No. Why? Did something happen?”
“Nothing in particular,” Jack lies.
Good Cop clears his throat. “Let’s talk about James Maloney.”
Noah turns back to the detectives, visibly steeling himself. “Okay.”
“You claim that you and Maloney fought and that you overpowered him.”
“That’s right.”
“You say you...” The detective glances down at his notes. “’Held him underwater until he stopped moving.’”
Noah’s face is blank. “That’s correct.”
“And then you drove on to Oakdale.”
“Yes.”
Bad Cop leans forward. “There’s just one problem, Mayer. Your story doesn’t pan out.”
Noah regards him coolly. “In what way?”
Atta boy, Jack thinks.
“We haven’t found Maloney,” Bad Cop says.
Noah’s eyes flicker. “Wait a second. You didn’t find...” He swallows. “The body?”
“No,” Bad Copy says with satisfaction. “So why don’t you tell us what really happened?”
But Noah isn’t even listening. He turns to Jack, eyes wide.
“Jack, is this true?”
Bad Cop bristles. “Are you accusing us of lying, Mayer? That’s rich coming from you.”
“Settle down,” Jack tells him. He turns to Noah. “We haven’t found Maloney’s body yet. But that doesn’t mean we won’t.”
Noah rubs his eyes with a shaking hand. “I can take you back there.”
“You said you didn’t know where you were,” Bad Cop says.
“I don’t, but we can figure it out, right, Jack?”
“Already on it,” Jack says. “There’s only one or two places where you could have turned off the road to Oakdale. We’ve got people searching the nearby farms.”
“Yeah, but it’s been...” Noah glances out the window. “How long has it been?”
“Days,” Bad Cop says. “And there’s no sign of Maloney.”
Noah looks at Jack again, panic in his eyes. Jack holds out his hands in a calming gesture.
“Noah, there’s a statewide manhunt in progress. Alive or dead, we’ll find him.”
“Oh, God.” Noah apruptly puts his head in his hands. “Where is he?”
“Like I said, we didn’t find-"
“No!” Noah looks up at Jack. “Luke. Where’s Luke?”
“Luke’s..." Jack frowns. “I don’t know where Luke is, but-"
“Oh, my God.” Noah rises and paces the room, rubbing his wrists.
“But I know he’s safe,” Jack insists. “Lucinda’s got a guard on him twenty-four seven.” He wishes he felt as confident as he sounds. Luke has shown an annoying propensity to ditch his security detail whenever he feels like it.
Noah steps closer and lowers his voice. “Maloney threatened Luke...if I didn’t...” Noah looks intently at Jack. “Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“I get it,” Jack says softly. “But Luke is safe. I promise.”
Good Cop pipes up. “If we could get back to the matter at hand-"
“For Christ’s sake!” Noah snaps impatiently, turning toward him. “I didn’t help my father, okay?”
“He says different,” Good Cop tells him.
Noah snorts in derision. “There’s a surprise. He’s lying.”
“Tell you what.” Bad Cop leans back in his chair. “Why don’t we just go down the hall and ask him?”
Noah stares at him. His skin goes ashen. “What?”
Jack closes his eyes. “Oh, crap.”
“Jack?” He can hear the panic in Noah’s voice. When Jack opens his eyes, he looks close to hysteria. “My father’s here? In this hospital?”
Jack takes a deep breath. “Yes
Noah backs up until he’s leaning against the wall. He looks like he could be hyperventilating. “You told me he was in custody,” he whispers.
“He is in custody,” Jack snaps. “He’s in custody up on the fourth floor. He was injured when you crashed the car,” he says, as Noah continues to stare at him.
Noah frowns. “Injured how?”
“Traumatic brain injury. Dr Oliver is treating him-" Jack breaks off because Noah is shaking his head and repeating “No No No No” over and over again.
“What?” he asks.
“Don’t you get it?” Noah demands. “It’s a trick.”
Bad Cop pipes up. “Like when you helped your father escape?”
Again, Noah ignores the detectives. “Jack, my father knows about Luke and Reid, okay? He probably threatened Luke to get Reid to help him.”
Jack frowns, uncertainty creeping in. “The test results-"
“Could have been faked,” Noah says grimly. “You know my father, Jack. You know how he gets inside people’s heads.”
Jack shakes his head. “I don’t think-"
The fire alarm goes off.
Noah’s face goes dead white. “It’s him,” he whispers.
Bad Cop turns to Jack. “What the hell is going on, Snyder?”
Good Cop looks around. “Is this a legit alarm?”
“Jack, he’s getting away,” Noah says urgently.
“Everybody just shut the hell up!” Jack barks. He dials his cell. “Dallas,” he says when his partner picks up. “What’s going on?”
Dallas sounds out of breath. “I just got word Mayer’s guards are down.”
“The Colonel?”
“Gone.”
Jack swears, and Noah’s eyes get wider.
Dallas speaks again. “You want me to-"
“No,” Jack says. “Hold your position.” He hangs up and yells for the uniformed guard.
“Radio the exits,” he says when the man appears. “Everybody check in. Now.”
The officer’s eyes widen. He grabs his radio and steps back in the corridor. Noah steps toward the door, but Jack plants a hand in his chest and shoves him back.
“Stay here,” he orders.
Noah steps forward again. “Jack, you have to let me-"
The uniform sticks his head back in the room.
“Sir, I’m getting reports of gunfire.”
“Where?” Jack snaps.
“Don’t know.”
“Find out, dammit!”
The uniform darts back into the corridor. The state guys follow. Noah tries to follow as well, but Jack wrestles him back.
“Oh, hell, no. You’re staying put.”
Noah fights back. “He’s getting away!”
Jack pulls out his handcuffs, and Noah’s eyes widen. “Don’t you fucking dare-"
“Sorry about this, kid.” Jack cuffs Noah’s bandaged wrist to the rail of the hospital bed. Noah tugs on it frantically, but the cuffs hold.
As Jack runs from the room, drawing his weapon, he can hear Noah bellowing at him in fury. “God dammit, Jack! Get back here, you son of a bitch!”
In the corridor, the state guys have their weapons drawn, and the officer is on his radio. He looks at Jack. “Loading dock.”
Jack draws his gun. “This way.”
He sets off at a dead run for the back stairs, the officer and the state detectives following.
Later, after the shooting is over and the smoke has cleared - literally - Jack returns to Noah’s room.
But by then, it’s too late. The handcuff still dangles from the bed rail, but Noah is gone.
To be continued...