crack_van | The Fugitive, by Zubeneschamali (T)

Fandom: NUMB3RS
Characters: Don, Charlie, the team, OFC
Length: 144,907 words
Author on LJ: Unknown
Author Website: Zubeneschamali on Fanfiction.net
Why this must be read:

This is the novel that motivated me to drive the van for Numb3rs. I read it twice in one week - it's that good.

'The Fugitive' was inspired by the classic TV show. Wrongly convicted of murder, Don takes a desperate opportunity to go on the run in an attempt to prove his innocence. Zueneschamali vividly captures Don's increasing desperation, paranoia, and isolation in an exciting roller-coaster ride. His team works to exonerate him at the same time they are duty-bound to recapture him.

The author has the integrity and commitment to her characters to follow the story on some unexpected paths, in spite of the fact they may be upsetting to some readers. IMHO, it only makes the story better.

Catch a Sample:

His heart was pounding like it was going to burst, and the relatively thin air had him gasping for breath, but he had to keep running, racing over the rock-strewn trail as fast as he could. One misstep could send him crashing to the ground with a twisted or broken ankle, or it could send him over the edge of the steep drop-off to his left. The trail kept twisting and turning, enough to keep his pursuer off his back, but also enough that he had to pay very close attention to his footing. The lack of sleep and food over the past twenty-four hours made paying attention even more difficult, but the adrenaline and desperation he was feeling more than made up for it.

"Eppes!" He heard the shout from behind him, and fear quickened his pace even more. He rounded a sharp corner and skidded a little on the loose rock that had crumbled off the outcropping to his right, putting out a hand to keep his balance. There was a relatively straight stretch of trail ahead, but to his dismay, it led to a series of switchbacks straight up the scrubby mountainside. There was no cover to speak of, nothing to keep him from being a clear target once his pursuer rounded the corner behind him and caught sight of him down the straightaway.

He slowed in his flight to look down to his left. It was a steep talus slope, a pile of rocks that were too small to afford cover but too large to simply slide down. Up ahead, though, the talus ended and the chaparral and manzanita vegetation resumed. If he could just get to that point, he could head down off the trail and hide among the thorny stems until it was safe to move on.

Then he heard the crunch of footsteps behind him, and he knew he was lost.

"Hold it right there!" The command came from what sounded like ten feet behind him, the point where the trail had curved around a rock outcropping. How had she gotten there so fast? He closed his eyes, fighting back the dread and helplessness that threatened to overwhelm him. If she got close enough, there was a chance that he could do something to get away. He didn't want to think about what that "something" might be. He was a federal officer himself, or at least he had been. He knew all too well the penalty for assaulting one.

But then, when you had already been convicted and sentenced to death for murdering a federal agent, you didn't really have a lot to lose.

The Fugitive