Chapter 1

Bird Flu

A Numb3rs fic. A serial killer/rapist begins to send Don cryptic avian clues, threatening to target someone close to him – but not who he thinks. The resulting events drive both brothers to their mental and physical limits.

A/N: This plot bunny has been hopping around in my head for over two years now, ever since Robin was first on the show. It's high time I wrote it. I moved it forward in time however; episode- and character-wise, it would take place just before the finale of Season Four, although it's set in the summertime.

This is a rather dark fic, with lots of whumping and lots of angst. I'm winging this one (pun intended.) It's a departure for me in that I'm writing without a beta, and it's unfinished at this point, although I'm about twenty chapters in. I have an ending in mind, but I'm still at a point where your comments can influence that. Although I am writing without a beta at least at this point, I do want dedicate the story to my usual betas – Alice I, who has selflessly beta'd many of my stories, and FraidyCat, who has given me the courage to write something with an edge. Also – all of you who read and review on a regular basis – I know who you are, and I appreciate it very much.

Because of the villain I chose, (serial killer/rapist), there is some ugly subject matter, but there is nothing more graphic in here than what one might find on a show such as Criminal Minds, which is driving the T rating. Still, some of the subjects may be unsettling - be forewarned. Update: this fic has been on the site with a T rating for quite some time, and after nearly 900 reviews, I did receive a comment that perhaps the rating should be bumped up. I still stand by my choice; I think it is consistent with others with a T rating, because much of the dark stuff is implicitly rather than explicitly written - however, please consider this comment before you read this story.

Disclaimer: I do not own Numb3rs or any of the characters. I do claim rights to the story line and any OC's. Any resemblance of any of the characters to real people is purely coincidental. This disclaimer applies to all chapters in this story.

Bird Flu - Chapter 1

The first thing that occurred to Don was that it was an elaborate, messy practical joke.

It was early Monday evening, and he stood in the doorway of his apartment, waving away the feather drifting past his face, and gazed at the dozens of winged intruders in his apartment. Some of them had started in fright when he opened the door, flapping around in a frenzy, but when he stopped, rooted in place by shock, they began settling back to roost wherever they could; on his sofa, his television, his coffee table. A couple of pigeons, unperturbed by his presence, waddled through the door past his feet, heads bobbing amiably.

He quietly backed out, shut the door, took out his cell phone, and started dialing.

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Three hours later, Alan and Charlie followed Don into the living room of the apartment, and stood stunned. Charlie set his bucket down, and started pulling on rubber gloves, still staring at the scene around him, wide-eyed. "Wow." Feathers and bird droppings were everywhere. The room stank of guano.

Don grunted. "You should have seen it when the birds were in here." He glanced at the clock. "It's after eight already. We'd better get started."

Alan opened a plastic garbage bag and pulled on his own gloves, his face wrinkled in distaste as he moved to a window and picked up a bird carcass, dropping it in the bag. Several of the creatures had met their demise when they'd flown against the window, trying to get out. He scowled at the mess. "What did LAPD have to say?"

Don began tossing throw pillows in another garbage bag. Thankfully, his sofa was leather – it stood a chance of being cleaned, but the pillows were history. Don sighed. "Not a whole lot. Without anything else to go on, they're treating it as a practical joke."

"This is a lot more than a practical joke," exclaimed Alan, outraged. "You're looking at property damage here – you'll have to replace several items. If you ask me, this was malicious."

Don glanced at Charlie, taking in his worried expression, and tried to diffuse his father's statement. "Granted, Dad, whoever did this probably isn't crazy about me. It doesn't mean it's necessarily going to escalate. They probably got their kicks, and they're done."

Charlie began wiping oily smears and droppings from the television set, his expression still troubled, then suddenly stopped and straightened. "Your door – it didn't look like it was damaged. How did they get in?"

"You can see the marks if you look closely," replied Don, as he picked up a slimy pillow with a grimace. "The lock was picked."

Alan frowned at him. "I thought you told me you had a secure lock on your door."

Don looked slightly embarrassed. "I do – the deadbolt is. I didn't lock it today – I just locked the regular door lock."

Charlie sent him an accusing look. "And you're always lecturing me about locking my doors."

"Hey, I locked something, at least," Don retorted. "You don't lock anything at all."

"I forget," Charlie muttered. He worked in silence for a moment. "They don't have any ideas who did this? Any witnesses?"

"No, not really. Someone on the next floor down said they saw a delivery man going up the stairs with a large box, but they didn't get a look at him – the box was in front of his face. Even if that was the guy, we don't really have anything. I wouldn't worry about it – if someone meant me any real harm, they would have been inside waiting for me, not dropping off a bunch of birds."

Charlie's look of alarm deepened, along with Alan's, and Don bit his tongue. "It's a joke," Don insisted with finality. "Just somebody's sick idea of a joke."

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He watched as they came out of the apartment building, late that night. The father, the younger brother, followed by Agent Eppes himself. He knew who the agent's family was; his father Alan, his brother Charlie, and where they lived and worked. He knew his team members, and his girlfriend, Robin Brooks. He knew several people who worked in the FBI building, and he knew other contacts that Eppes had in other parts of the law enforcement and judicial system. He even knew where he stopped for coffee, two days a week, when he wanted to treat himself or his girlfriend. He'd been studying him for three weeks, and it was time. His delivery of the birds was announcement of that. He would play with Eppes, torment him, and take something precious from him – and although he would give Eppes every opportunity to stop it, he would fail. Just like the last one.

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End Chapter 1