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accomplishment of an objective - part four Time moved along at a rapid pace for Michael and Chloe, and before they knew it, they were less than a month away from the date of Lincoln’s final appeal. Chloe couldn’t be sure, but she had an inkling that Michael was hiding something from her. Several nights before, Michael had asked her to retrieve a file from his briefcase. While she was digging around for it, she came across a manila envelope marked, “Abruzzi, John”. When she asked him about it, he just took it from her and put it back in the briefcase. “It’s nothing yet,” he said. Chloe went into work the next morning and did a search on John Abruzzi, the infamous Chicago crime boss who’d been sentenced to 120 years in prison without chance of parole for two counts of murder and two counts of conspiracy to commit murder. She hadn’t yet arrived in Chicago when he was arrested and tried, so she was surprised to learn he was incarcerated at Fox River, alongside Lincoln. It baffled her that Michael would be looking into Abruzzi’s background. They still hadn’t located Leticia Barris, and Chloe was running out of sources to check with. She knew they eventually would find out the truth, just because of the level of dedication they had towards the case, and yet, she was afraid to admit to Michael that she thought the answer would come too late. Chloe woke up alone one evening and wondered why Michael wasn’t beside her. She slipped into the shirt she’d discarded earlier and opened the bedroom door, squinting against the light coming from the living room. She found him standing in front of the wall, studying it. “What are you doing up?” she asked, gliding up behind him and wrapping her arms around him in a tender hug. “Thinking.” “You need to get some rest. The decision comes down in three weeks.” He sighed heavily and said, “It’s going to be denied.” Chloe frowned and moved to stand beside him so she could look at him. “How do you know?” He locked gazes with her and said, “I just know.” “Michael, if there’s something you’re not telling me –” “What if I told you I had a plan,” he interrupted. “A plan to get Lincoln out of prison?” “I thought that was what we were trying to do,” Chloe said, confused. “I’m talking about going around the legal system.” Chloe said nothing, just stared at his steely green eyes and suddenly, she knew. “You want to break him out,” she breathed. He swallowed and turned back to the wall, but Chloe grabbed onto his shoulders and forced him to face her. “That’s ludicrous!” she cried. “It would never work. Fox River is a well-guarded prison, and he’s on death row. There’s no way you’d be able to get him out. And even if it was possible, then you’d definitely have the law breathing down our necks, and your brother would never be able to be truly free.” “I’m not talking about breaking him out from the outside,” Michael said. “I’m talking about doing it from the inside.” “I’m not following you.” Michael took her hand and guided her to the table where he had a massive set of blueprints all laid out. “What is this?” she asked. “This is Fox River State Penitentiary. My firm was called in to do the updates on the prison. We were given access to all the blueprints and plans, right down to the tiniest details.” “Michael, what are you saying? Please, I don’t understand,” Chloe said, her voice shaking. “How would you get inside?” “I’d have to get myself arrested, plead guilty and petition to be placed in a facility near my hometown. I’d use these blueprints to dig our way out.” At that, Chloe’s confusion exploded into anger. “You’re kidding right? That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard, not to mention the riskiest. You really think you’d survive in prison, Michael? With hardened criminals? It’s dangerous!” “Chloe, I could do it. I’ve been working out the details. With me on the inside and you on the outside still investigating, we’d save Lincoln from being executed and prove his innocence.” His jaw twitched as he pulled her close and said, “It’s the only way.” Shaking her head, Chloe threw his hands off her and whirled away from him. “Fuck that!” she yelled. “It is not the only way! We’ve been working so hard, Michael. We’re so close to the truth!” “But we’re not close enough. Lincoln will be executed long before we work out what really happened. You know it, and I know it. I can’t risk that. You have to understand, he’s my brother. I can’t let him die.” Chloe backed into the wall and crumpled to the floor, tears running down her face as she weighed the risks in her mind. On the one hand, there was a very good chance the appeal would be denied and they would lose Lincoln. On the other, there was also the chance that she could lose Michael, and that would kill her. Michael sat down next to her and pulled her into his lap, cradling her sobbing form against him. “I love you, Chloe,” he whispered. “I don’t want to hurt you, but please understand. I have to try.” She buried her face against his bare chest and nodded. “I know,” she said, her voice muffled and her resolve broken. She sniffled and raised her head, her blue eyes bright with tears, and looked into his, also wet from crying. “I love you,” she said. “And I’ll help you do whatever you need to do to save Lincoln.” He hugged her and kissed her hard on the mouth and breathed in her scent. He held her so tightly she would have small finger-shaped bruises on her arms in the morning, but she didn’t care. She would gladly take any touch he’d give her at the moment. After they’d calmed down, Chloe sighed heavily, forced a smile and said, “So, Mr. Scofield, tell me your brilliant plan.” ~*~*~ Chloe sat beside Michael on the hard courtroom bench, waiting for the judge to take his place and announce the decision on Lincoln’s death row appeal. She tried to remain calm and strong for Michael, but she could feel the tension vibrating from his body. He stared straight ahead, his eyes slightly narrowed as he focused on the American flag hanging near the jury box. Her fingers itched to reach out and touch him, but she didn’t. She held her tape recorder in one hand, her pen and pad of paper in the other. She was here on official The judge entered and began to speak about the long and arduous process they’d been through on this particular case, but Chloe didn’t hear a word of it. In her mind, she already knew the answer, just like Michael did three weeks earlier. She knew that they were going to have to get started immediately on implementing their plan to break Lincoln out of prison. They had it mostly worked out, leaving little room for error. There had been many heated arguments over the steps of the plan, and who was to be involved, but they worked through them. Chloe was certain they had thought it out carefully, but she was still uncertain they would succeed. She was letting Michael carry all the faith on that one.
As the judge announced that the appeal had been denied, and that Lincoln was to be executed on May 11, Chloe jerked to attention and let out a horrified gasp. Michael, completely stone-faced, nodded once and stood up to leave. Chloe had to stay behind and do her job, but they were going to meet at his place in six hours.
Michael was on his way to a tattoo parlor to continue step one of the plan.
~*~*~
When Chloe finally made it to Michael’s apartment, she was exhausted, both physically and mentally. She’d written her story on the judge’s verdict and turned it in. Then she did some more research on Fox River State Penitentiary, its inmates and staff, and called it a day. She packed up her things and drove to Michael’s building. His car was parked in the garage, so she knew he was home.
She was eager to hold him. After he’d left the courthouse that morning, she found herself wanting nothing more than to run away from all of this and hide forever. She was scared out of her mind that something in their finely tuned plan would go wrong, and he wasn’t even within the prison walls yet. How would she react once he was gone? She hadn’t slept at her place in weeks, practically moving in with him. Nothing satisfied her anymore unless she was with him. She loved him more than anything in the world, and her intensity scared her.
“Michael?” she called out, stepping inside. “Where are you?”
His suit jacket lay over the back of the sofa, along with his tie, which surprised her. Usually he took everything straight to the bedroom. She’d learned early on that he was a bit of a neat freak. She left her things on the sofa and went to the bedroom. She found him sprawled on his back on the bed, shirtless, with his arms extended.
“Jesus Christ,” she whispered, her eyes falling upon the small spots of blood on his chest. “I didn’t think you would get that much done today.”
“I had to. We’re on an accelerated schedule,” he replied with a wince. “I go again in two days to start on my back.”
Chloe stared at the intricate patterns he’d had tattooed on his chest and arms over the course of the last few weeks. They appeared to be gothic pictures, but they hid the blueprints to the prison within them. At first she had been unable to see anything but the designs, but after a few good looks, her eyes picked up on the layout of the prison. She’d thought it was ridiculous to take such a drastic step in getting the plans inside with him, but he convinced her it was the only way he could do it.
“I’ll never remember everything,” he had told her. “It’ll be like a cheat sheet, with codes and clues to help me along the way.”
Selfishly, she had told him that she thought it was a terrible shame to cover skin as pretty as his. He’d smiled at that.
“Do you need anything?” she asked him now. She perched at the edge of the bed and laced her fingers with his, loving the touch of his cool skin on hers. She kissed his knuckles.
“I’m fine. I’ll be a little sore, but it’ll pass.”
“Do you want to rest some more?”
Michael shook his head and sat up slowly. “No, let’s get to work.”
Without releasing her hand, he stood and guided her back to the living room. Chloe sat down at the computer and started opening files.
“Dr. Sara Tancredi,” she said. “Let’s pinpoint her exact purpose to the plan.”
Michael examined the newspaper clipping of the prison doctor. She was a humanitarian, according to the article, a true believer in helping those in need, even if they were incarcerated.
She was also the governor’s daughter.
“I’ll have to have contact with her on a regular basis. Using the infirmary to get out is the key, and she’s the head doctor,” Michael said.
“Are we still using Sonia as our link?” Chloe asked, mentioning the name of her source.
Michael nodded. “After I’m sent there, you get in touch with her and tell her you want her to keep an eye on my wellbeing because of my relationship with you.”
“But that she can’t let anyone know that she knows who you are, and in reality, she won’t have a clue that you’re Lincoln’s brother,” Chloe finished. “May I address my concern about the lovely doctor?”
Michael sighed and moved to stand behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders and kissing the top of her head.
“There will be no fraternizing between myself and the doctor,” he said with a smile. “That I can promise you.”
“But you will have to flirt with her a little bit.”
“To gain her trust and sympathy, yes. Not because I’m generally interested in her.”
Chloe sighed. “I know, I know. Can’t blame a girl for being a little jealous though, right?”
They laughed a little, and Chloe felt some of the strain lift from the room. Michael massaged her shoulders while she typed.
“So, Type I Diabetes,” she said. “You’ve got to be careful not to get too much insulin or else you’ll turn hypoglycemic, and it’ll be obvious something’s wrong.”
“I’ll have to make sure to have a steady supply of insulin blocker.”
“How will you do that?”
“There are plenty of ways to get things into prison. I’ll just have to find the right person.”
“You’d better do it quick. We can’t have you shaking, hungry and weak. You need to keep your wits about you in there.”
“I know, honey, I know.”
His voice was calm and she could tell he was trying to soothe her, but she was too stressed out to be soothed.
“So, back to the doctor. She’ll feel pretty used when this is all over,” Chloe said.
“And I’ll apologize to her. But Chloe, I’m not going in there with the intention of getting her to fall in love with me. I just need her to trust me, let her guard down a little with me.”
“Let’s face it, she’s gonna fall for you.”
“In a month?”
Chloe half-turned in her chair and locked eyes with him. “I did.”
Michael frowned. “Hmm. You’re right.”
“So just keep the charm act to a minimum, got it?”
Michael mock-saluted her, then leaned down and kissed her hard, forcing all thoughts from her mind except for one.
How much she loved this man.
*~*~
Chloe leaned on the railing and stared out over the city, admiring the view from Michael’s apartment. She tried not to think about what was going to happen the following morning. She tried to pretend that they were just like any other normal couple.
It wasn’t working.
A few hours earlier, Michael had returned from his final appointment at the tattoo parlor for a few touch-ups. He’d come in and immediately began ripping down all the papers and notes from the wall and the balcony doors. Then he pulled the hard drive from the computer and threw it into the river below.
Chloe had simply sat on the sofa and watched. She had copies of everything, all the files, all the articles. She’d even backed up the hard drive. They weren’t going to be working out of this apartment any longer, so there could be no trace of what they’d done. They’d been careful over the past months. No one knew they were together, or even that they knew each other. And that was how it had to be. In order for Chloe to continue investigating, she had to have no ties to Michael Scofield or his brother.
They were going to use Lincoln’s ex-girlfriend as their figure for public digging. Chloe hadn’t liked the idea; she felt they were putting Veronica Donovan at unnecessary risk, but like always, Michael had explained to her the reasons.
“Whoever’s behind this will surely get word that she’s poking around. They’ll be too occupied looking after her to even think of looking for you,” Michael said.
“So she’s bait.”
“Not exactly. Look, I know she still has feelings for Lincoln, even if she is engaged to someone else. She and Linc have a history, and she can’t ignore that. Once I get inside, she’s going to have an idea of what I’m up to, and she’s going to take it upon herself to find out what really happened, out of loyalty.”
Chloe nibbled on her thumbnail. “What if they go after her?”
Michael’s expression didn’t change as he said, “She can take care of herself just fine.”
After Michael burned all the paper evidence of their research, he sat down on the sofa beside her, his hands on his knees. Chloe took a deep breath and bit her tongue to keep from crying.
“Tomorrow’s the big day,” Michael said.
Chloe nodded, squeezing her eyes shut.
“I don’t want you anywhere near the bank.”
“I know,” she said.
“I mean it, Chloe.”
“I know you do.”
Michael waited a beat before nudging her in the arm. “So I’m sure I’ll see you outside with the other reporters when I’m arrested.”
Chloe choked out a laugh and Michael put his arms around her and pulled her against his chest.
“You’ve got to be strong, Chloe,” he whispered, stroking her hair. “It’ll all work out.”
“Can you promise me that?” She sat up and looked at him with bright eyes. “I can’t believe I let you talk me into this. It’s crazy, you realize that, don’t you?”
“It’s got to be a little bit, or it won’t work. You want to know the truly crazy part about all of this?”
“What? What could possibly be more insane than the two of us taking on the entire legal system by ourselves?”
Michael cupped her face in his hand and said, “The fact that through all of this, I fell in love.”
They fell back on the sofa together, lips crashing together in a heated kiss, arms and legs tangling. They clawed at each other’s clothes, leaving trails of heat wherever their fingers touched bare skin. Soon they were naked and joined together for what they both knew was going to be the last time for quite awhile. They made love feverishly, each focusing on the absolute pleasure of it. Chloe bit into the soft skin of his shoulder as she was hurled over the edge, and Michael buried his face in her neck, his cries muffled, but still throaty and hoarse.
They collapsed at the same time, sweaty and breathing heavily. Chloe had her arms wrapped possessively around him, her legs hooked together above his waist. After a moment, Michael raised himself up to look at her. His eyes roved over her slowly, taking in one feature at a time.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Memorizing what you look like at this exact moment.”
She laughed. “I look like a woman who’s just had incredible sex.”
“You’re so beautiful,” he said, reaching up to brush a strand of hair from her forehead. “Your lips are plump and bruised from my kisses, your eyes are tired, but very alive, your heart is beating wildly against mine. You’re a vision, Chloe.”
She felt the tears welling up again, but Michael kissed her eyelids tenderly, then moved to stand up.
“Where are you going?” she asked.
“I have something for you.”
He dug in the pockets of his pants, finally coming up with a small black jewelry box.
“It’s not exactly what you think it is,” he said, coming back to the sofa. He placed the box in her hands. “Eventually, I will ask you to marry me, but I’ll wait until everything is settled with Lincoln before I properly propose. For now, I want you to have this and remember how much I love you, and that I’m coming back for you.”
Chloe opened the box. Nestled inside was a small, clear, tear-drop shaped pendant on a silver chain. Looking closer, she saw a tiny yellow speck inside the pendant.
“A mustard seed,” Michael said, noticing her confusion.
“‘If you have faith no bigger even than a mustard seed, nothing will prove impossible to you,’” Chloe recited.
“Exactly.”
Michael took the box from her, removing the necklace. Chloe turned and lifted her hair so he could place it around her neck and clasp it.
“Have faith, Chloe,” he said, kissing her neck. “Have faith.”
She stayed only a little while longer. Michael wanted to make sure she was safely at her own place tonight, preparing to start fresh in the morning. They drank some wine on the balcony and held each other, each lost in their own thoughts. As she left his apartment that night, alone and trembling, she touched the pendant and said a little prayer that it was all going to be okay.
~*~*~
Michael fired the gun into the air, trying not to recoil against the sharp noise. When he heard the first sirens, he swallowed hard and steeled himself for the incredible journey he was about to embark on.
After he’d thrown down the weapons, he was surrounded by police officers, shoved to the floor and roughly handcuffed, then hauled to his feet and led outside towards a waiting squad car.
He showed no emotion as he passed the crowd of onlookers, simply stared straight ahead. And then a flash of blond caught his eye, and he dared a peek to his right. His heart thudded against his ribcage as he spotted her darting between people, her tape recorder in hand. She was playing the role of the hounding reporter perfectly, but he could see the fear in her eyes.
As he was put into the squad car and the door closed after him, he let himself take one last look at her before turning his attention to the floor. He clenched his teeth so hard, his jaw began to ache, and he once again questioned whether or not the plan was actually going to work, or if he’d end up losing more than his brother.
He sat in jail for awhile, then insisted on only one attorney to represent him. Veronica showed up at his cell, a look of complete disbelief on her face.
Good, he thought. This is good.
“Michael, what the hell were you thinking?” she asked.
He shrugged and stretched out on his cot. “I needed a change,” he said, his tone nonchalant.
“What a jackass thing to do. If you needed some excitement in your life, you should have bought a dog.”
“There’s a strict no pet policy in my building.”
Veronica let out a deep breath and pinned him with a glare.
“I’m a goddamned real estate lawyer, Michael. I don’t know shit about criminal law.”
“You’ll do fine. I’m pleading guilty. All I ask is that you petition to have me sent someplace close by. I’ll do my time without complaint.”
“Michael, this is a first offense. You haven’t even had so much as a parking ticket in your entire life. We may be able to get the judge to go with a lesser punishment, like probation or community service –”
“I won’t accept a deal. I committed a crime,“ he said. “It’s only right that I serve a sentence.”
“What the hell’s the matter with you?” Veronica demanded. “You think now is the time to follow in Lincoln’s footsteps?”
Michael was up in a flash, gripping the bars and glaring right back at her.
“It’s for Lincoln that I’m doing this,” he hissed, and Veronica moved back a step.
“You want to be near him,” she said. “Before he dies. I just don’t understand you two, Michael. Your ideas of brotherly love aren’t the conventional ones.”
“As my lawyer, aren’t you supposed to do what I want you to?”
“I’m supposed to do what’s best for my client.”
“Then trust me, Veronica,“ Michael pleaded. “This is best.”
~end Part Four
TBC...
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