Revenge in Advance - Final Hearing

"Any idea what happened?" one of the paramedics asked.

"Yeah," Oscar said. "She's just been terminated."

"Any idea who might've done this?" the officer asked.

"Yes, I do," Oscar said. "But first, cordon off this whole area. It's now a crime scene. And get me an evidence bag for that phone."

"Right away," the officer said. Oscar turned to Brian.

"Get a rapid response team from the FBI. Have them go to Susan Chambers' residence and take Alex Chambers into custody. Tell them to be on the lookout for booby traps and explosives. And don't let them give you any crap."

"Right away, boss," Brian said before leaving. Just then, Jack came up and looked at Susan.

"What happened here?" he asked.

"It seems Senator Chambers' political career has come to a premature end," Oscar said.

"You know who might've done this?" Jack asked. Oscar handed him the folder Brian gave him earlier.

"Yeah," Oscar said. "FBI is on the way to take Chambers into custody." Jack thumbed through the information in the folder.

"Holy crap," he said when he finished.

"You can say that again," Oscar said as he took the folder back.

"Are you thinking Chambers was behind all of this from the beginning?" Jack asked.

"That thought has crossed my mind," Oscar said. As they watched, Susan's body was taken from the area and police tape was put up. Oscar turned to the medical examiner. "I suspect you'll find the remains of a capsule right next to her carotid artery," he told the medical examiner, who looked at him, shocked. He turned back to Jack. "It was standard procedure for MMAS and the groups that followed it," he said.

"Un-freaking-believable," Jack said. "So what happens now?"

"We're bringing Chambers in for questioning," Oscar said. "I suspect we'll find everything we need to wrap this up at the Senator's residence."

"Keep me in the loop, Director," Jack said.

"Of course, Senator," Oscar said. Jack left and Oscar watched as the forensics people did their work. He turned and found himself facing a reporter with a camera crew.

"Director Warren, I'm Shannon McKenzie, XNN International. Can you shed some light on what's happened?" the attractive blonde reporter asked.

"Senator Chambers is dead," Oscar said. "Other than that, I have nothing further to say at this point."

"Were any of the allegations she made at the hearing true? Did you have an affair with former First Lady Elizabeth Skaggs?" Shannon asked.

"There were no allegations," Oscar said. "Just lies intended for media consumption. And to answer your question, I did not have an affair with Mrs. Skaggs. Or anyone else. Good day." When she realized Oscar would say nothing more, she turned to the camera and left. Oscar felt his phone buzz and pulled it out of his pocket.

"Warren," he said when he answered the phone.

"Director, this is Agent Haskill. I'm at the Chambers residence. He's been taken into custody. Agent Harmon is on her way to you now. You gotta see this place," Brian said.

"I can't wait. Thank you, Brian," Oscar said, ending the call. A few minutes later, a female Task Force agent approached him.

"Director, I'm Agent Harmon," she said, showing her credentials. "Agent Haskill asked me to bring you to the Chambers residence." Oscar followed her to her vehicle and slid into the passenger seat.

"Chambers has been taken into custody," she said as she pulled into traffic. "There were no incidents reported, but the place was wired with explosives."

"I'm not surprised," Oscar said. "Agent Haskill said I needed to see this place. Can you give me an idea why?"

"Yes," she said. "Chambers had some kind of lab set up in the basement. I'm not sure what kind of work he did down there, but it looked pretty strange to me."

"Strange? In what way?" Oscar asked.

"It reminded me of something a mad scientist might have in one of those old movies," she said.

"Really?" Oscar asked.

"Yeah," she said. "It's pretty creepy, if you ask me. Ah, here we are." She turned into a long driveway that was filled with all kinds of official vehicles, including fire trucks, bomb squad and hazmat units.

"Is this place safe?" Oscar asked.

"I've been told it's secure," she said as she stopped the car. They got out and worked their way inside, past the large number of first responders and federal agents. Brian came up to them and handed Oscar a pair of latex gloves and a face mask.

"You really gotta see this, boss," Brian said as Oscar donned the gloves and mask. They walked down a narrow spiral staircase and reached a large wooden door. Brian opened the door and they walked inside.

"What the hell is all this?" Oscar asked as he looked around the dimly-lit room.

"From what the tech boys at Fort Apache tell me, it seems Chambers had his very own bio-medical research lab down here," Brian said. "I've been cataloging things as I go, but some of this stuff is really out there. One project I saw was labeled 'DNA transplants.' We're talking real Josef Mengele-type stuff in here."

Oscar knew Brian was referring to the Nazi doctor known as the "Angel of Death." He looked around the lab and saw what looked like unfinished experiments -- sliced-open rats pinned to boards, jars containing bits and pieces of organs floating in what he assumed was formaldehyde. One jar contained a penis and a set of rather large testicles.

"I take it you're getting all of this ready for transport to Fort Apache for further analysis," Oscar said.

"Yes," Brian said. "We've already packed up a couple computers and several boxes of documents. I'm working with the guys to arrange transport for the rest of this stuff. Here's something I thought you might find interesting," Brian added, opening a wide drawer.

Oscar looked and saw what appeared to be an old prototype of an exploding male chastity device. He had seen one of these things before, but it had been years. This unit didn't include the C4 the others had, but it did have a device at the base Oscar knew was designed to cut the wearer's penis off. Then it hit him -- Chambers was probably the one who devised this thing for MMAS.

He walked around the lab, taking in everything he could. Every object in the lab reminded him of cases he had handled over the last 35 years. Was it possible that Chambers was behind much of what MMAS and others had done over the years? Looking around the lab, that seemed quite possible.

"There's one other thing I think you should see, Director," Brian said.

"Oh?" Oscar asked.

"Right over here," Brian said, motioning to a large metal door at one end of the lab. "It's rather gruesome." He opened the door and a cloud of icy vapor came out. When the vapor cleared, he walked in, Oscar and Agent Harmon following. When they went inside, they saw the frozen body of a man with his genitals surgically removed.

"What the hell is this?" Oscar asked. "Is it a cadaver?"

"A bit more than that, Director," Brian said. "I ran the fingerprints and came up with this," he added, showing Oscar his hand-held fingerprint scanner. The body was identified as one James Bowman. According to the short bio on the screen, Bowman was reported missing over 40 years earlier. Prior to being reported missing, Bowman had been married to one Alexis Chambers.

"I've already arranged to have his body transported to the medical examiner's office," Brian said.

"Good," Oscar said. He pulled out his phone and did a quick record check and found the incident was considered a cold case and put on the back burner. It's not cold anymore, Oscar thought. Just then, his phone buzzed, so he answered it.

"Warren," he said when he answered the phone.

"Director Warren, this is FBI Special Agent Smith. We're holding Chambers at the D.C. Jail and he's asking to speak with you. Can you make it over here?"

"Yeah, I'll be right there," Oscar said. He ended the call and turned to Agent Harmon. "Can you take me over to the D.C. Jail? Chambers wants to speak with me."

"Of course, Director," she said. Oscar turned to Haskill.

"You have this under control?" he asked.

"I've got it, Director," Haskill said. Oscar and Agent Harmon left and went to the D.C. Jail, where they were met by two FBI agents.

"Special Agent Smith," one of them said, shoeing his credentials. "This is Agent Jones." The three men shook hands.

"Chambers is right this way, Director," Smith said. "He was quite adamant about speaking with you for some reason. And he insisted there be no lawyers present."

"Interesting. I'd like to speak with Chambers as well," Oscar said. "He's been Mirandized, right?"

"Yes, of course. He's been charged with Senator Chambers' murder, Director," Smith said.

"Good. There's going to be a host of other charges as well," Oscar said. "Including crimes against humanity."

"Oh?" Smith asked, shocked.

"Did you see his little basement lab?" Oscar asked.

"No, we didn't see that," Smith said. Oscar nodded his head.

"Consider yourself lucky. Or blessed," Oscar said. "I just came from there. And I hope to never see anything like that again." They got to the wing where Chambers was held and walked inside. Harmon and the two FBI agents went into an observation room next to the interview room where Chambers was being held.

Oscar walked into the interview room and stopped as he took in the frail orange-clad being chained to the table. He wore a pair of sunglasses and sweat beaded up on his pasty skin. The lighting in the room had been turned down so as not to irritate Chambers' skin condition.

"Alex Chambers, I presume?" Oscar asked. The thin man smiled and nodded his head. "As in, 'Alexis' Chambers." The man's smile went away at the mention of "Alexis."

"Oh yes, I know who you really are," Oscar said, putting a folder with Alex's original birth certificate and printed medical information on the table. "By the way, we found your little laboratory. And your former husband. Or rather, what's left of him. Just curious, what happened? And what did you do with his genitals?" Alex snorted and looked at his own crotch. Oscar felt a bit sick.

"Well, Director, I guess it really doesn't matter any more, does it?" Alex said. "Yes, I was born Alexis Chambers. I met and married James when I was a young girl, right out of college. My parents insisted on a pre-nuptial to protect my inheritance. James went along with that, and the first few years of our marriage was wonderful.

"After my parents died, he began to change. He became abusive. Cheated on me more than once. He was a lying, cheating, abusive asshole. But he did have one thing going for him -- the biggest dick I had ever seen in my life. And yes, I've seen a bunch.

"I've been interested in cutting-edge science my whole life. So it was easy for me to develop a compound that would render James immobile without killing him. I wondered what it would be like to carry something like his dick between my legs. I kept asking myself if having male hormones and a big dick automatically makes someone an asshole.

"I gave him the compound and watched as he became immobile. He knew what was going on around him, but was unable to do anything about it. I reported him missing, then kept him alive like that for the next two years as I conducted experiments on myself. I made the decision to transition myself into a man, and began the process.

"When it came time for the actual gender reassignment surgery, I... borrowed... James' equipment. And yes, he was awake when his genitals were removed. And no, it wasn't done in a hospital. It was actually done right there in my lab, with my very own medical team, all of whom were sworn to secrecy upon pain of death.

"I know the procedure I underwent is not how it's normally done. Usually, the clitoris is enlarged, a vaginectomy is performed and the urethra is positioned through the neopenis. But I wanted to try something a bit different. I wanted to know if an actual human penis could be grafted onto the body after the vaginectomy. And guess what? It worked," Alex said. "Although, it didn't perform quite as well for me as it did for James."

"But there was a complication, wasn't there?" Oscar asked. Alex nodded his head before answering.

"Yes. It turned out James carried the gene that made him susceptible to XD. While the operation was successful, I ended up with that gene. And that's why I am the way I am now. So I began to investigate ways to manipulate DNA. That's why I kept his body," Alex said. "But you didn't come here to discuss my medical history or endure a lecture on sex reassignment procedures, did you, Director?"

"No, I didn't," Oscar said.

"No. You want to know how involved I was with MMAS, don't you? Of course you do. Yes, it's true that Mona Larsen started the group. But let's face it. She was a lawyer, and a barely adequate one at that. She had the business acumen of a sea urchin and very little in the way of imagination.

"So I set up the corporate structure for her. And yes, I developed many of the compounds and devices she and her group used to advance her objectives," Alex said. "I even developed a lot of her protocols."

"And did that include the subcutaneous poison capsule?" Oscar asked.

"Absolutely," Alex said with a smile. "In fact, my dear wife was one of the first to be equipped with one of those capsules."

"And you used that to murder her, didn't you?" Oscar asked.

"She failed in her quest to bring you and your task force down," Alex said. "I told her in no uncertain terms that she had to succeed. I tried to get her to back off, but she insisted it was something she had to do. I took no joy from that. She was... adequate... in more ways than one."

"Did she know about you? About your... activities? Your little laboratory?" Oscar asked.

"No, she knew only what she was allowed to know," Alex said.

"I want to hear you say it, Chambers. You admit that you murdered your own wife. Is that correct?"

"Yes. I did it. It had to be done," Alex said.

"And you murdered your first husband as well?" Oscar asked.

"Again, it had to be done. He needed to pay for what he did," Alex said.

"Do you have any idea how many lives you've destroyed over the last 35 years?" Oscar asked. "Or do you even care?"

"Of course I care," Alex said. "And I'm sure the number is quite high. But apparently, it wasn't high enough. Otherwise, you wouldn't be here and I wouldn't be in these chains. I see by the look on your face that you would like to kill me right now. I honestly can't say that I blame you. Not after what was done to your first wife. And your first partner."

Oscar never forgot the way Renee, his first wife, and Frank, his first partner, died at the hands of MMAS. He also never forgot the pain Renee's death caused his two oldest children. At that moment, he wanted to wrap his hands around Alex's throat and choke the life out of him.

"Don't worry, Chambers," Oscar said. "I promise you I'll do everything in my power to see to it that you die." Alex laughed at that. "What's so funny?" Oscar asked.

"Haven't you heard? We all die, Director," Alex said. "But unlike you, I have already chosen the time of my own demise. It will happen soon enough. Just know this, Director. You may have won this war, but others will rise to take my place." As Oscar watched, Alex began laughing maniacally, almost like a character from an old B movie. Oscar thought about what Alex just said.

"And we'll be here to take them down as well," Oscar said before leaving the room. He went into the observation room next door.

"That is one sick freak," Agent Smith said.

"You'll get no argument from me," Oscar said. He pulled out his phone and sent a text to Jack, then turned to Agent Harmon. "Would you mind taking me back? I need to brief Sen. Walters."

"Of course, Director," she said.

"I trust you two have this under control?" Oscar asked Agents Smith and Jones.

"Don't worry, Director," Smith said. "We've got it from here."

"Good," Oscar said. "Keep me informed on your progress." They shook hands and Oscar left with Agent Harmon.

...

"So, you believe Chambers had a hand in everything that took place over the last 35 years or so?" Jack asked after Oscar briefed him.

"I do, Senator," Oscar said. "Of course, we'll need to go through his computer and all of his files, but I think we'll find that he played a role in everything."

"I can't believe that he actually confessed to murdering both his husband and his wife," Jack said.

"He's responsible for many deaths, Jack," Oscar said. "And the destruction of thousands of lives and families."

"And he was able to keep all this from Susan?" Jack asked.

"Apparently so," Oscar said.

"So, can we finally close the book on this?"

"For now, Senator, but something Chambers said keeps going through my mind," Oscar said.

"What's that?" Jack asked.

"He said others would rise to take his place," Oscar said.

"That's a scary thought," Jack said. "The idea that there's others like him out there. Listen, Oscar, I've been giving this some thought. It'll take some time, but after what happened today, I feel confident that we can get all the support the Task Force needs."

"Thank you for that, Senator," Oscar said.

"And what are your plans?" Jack asked.

"Rita and I have been giving it a lot of thought to retiring. There's this nice cabin up in north Idaho, and I feel the urge to go fishing out on Lake Pend O'Reille. Ever been up there?"

"Can't say that I have," Jack said. "But it sounds really nice."

"You have no idea," Oscar said. "You ever get tired of this swamp, come on up. Bring Carol with you. It's really nice up there."

"We may just do that, Director," Jack said with a smile. The two men shook hands and Oscar went back to the hotel, packed up and went to the airport. He was halfway home when his phone buzzed. He pulled it out and saw a text from Agent Smith.

"Chambers is dead," it read.

"How did it happen?" Oscar asked in response. A few moments later, he received an answer.

"Beats the hell outta me," the text said. Oscar saw a video attached to the message and opened it up. The video showed Chambers sitting in his tiny cell. Suddenly, he started shaking. Two guards entered the cell and tried to get Chambers under control.

One guard called medics, but by then it was too late. As they watched, Chambers' body seemed to disintegrate right in front of them. By the time medics arrived, the only thing left of Chambers was a pile of reddish powder.

"Status?" Oscar wrote back.

"We collected what we could and turned it over to your people for analysis," Smith said.

"Thanks," Oscar wrote back. He couldn't wait to see the report on this. He put his phone away and picked up a magazine he bought in Washington. He had a very import decision to make -- should he buy the Harris Crowne luxury pontoon boat or the Crestliner?

Both appealed to him, but he liked the fact that the Harris Crowne was designed for entertainment. And from the pictures he saw, there was plenty of room for him and Rita to enjoy the lake without drawing too much attention to themselves. And there was enough room to take the kids out when they come up.

"Hey, sweetheart," he said when Rita answered her phone. "I've made a decision."

"Oh?" she asked. "What's that?"

"I'm going with the Harris Crowne," he said. "There's an outfit up in Spokane that sells them and I can put in an order over the web. They'll even deliver it to Lake Pend O'Reille for us."

"That's wonderful, sweetheart," she said. "What made you decide to get that?"

"Well, there's plenty of room for the kids when they come up, but that's not all. There's also lots of room for the two of us to, er, play on the water, if you know what I mean," he said.

"Why Oscar, you are such a naughty boy," she said with a laugh. "Does this mean you're finally going to retire?"