Chapter Text
It was supposed to be a simple op. Quick, easy, nothing big. Mike was to go in alone, do the deal, and get busted. Your run of the mill drug bust, basically.
"Think he'll do ok?" Johnny was lounging in the chair besides Briggs, not worried. Mike was used to these by now.
"Should be fine, kid's not green as he used to be. Why, worried about your little boyfriend?" Briggs shot a grin over at Johnny.
"Man, shut up. It ain't like that. He's straight, mackin' on that chika from the bar."
"You wish he wasn't though."
Johnny kicked at Briggs, laughing and shaking his head.
"Anyway, it's about that time..."
"They're coming," Mike's voice came from the speakers.
"You Mike?"
"That's right. You got the stuff?"
"Someplace safe. We'll take you to it if you really want it."
"That wasn't part of the deal," came Mike's voice as Johnny and Briggs glanced at each other.
"It is now, if you want it."
"Some of those guys with you...I've seen them before. They with Bello?"
"That's right. You know them?"
"Shit..." Briggs muttered under his breath.
"What now?" Johnny was straightening up, tensing.
"Just...let him work it. Kid can be a master at this."
"Damn straight, I teach them to shoot. So they can vouch for me."
"And you can vouch for them, then...come with us, you know them yes?"
"Don't do it, don't do it..." Johnny muttered under his breath.
There was a pregnant pause as it seemed Mike considered his options.
"All right, I'll go."
Briggs slammed his fist loudly onto the table, causing Johnny to jump.
"Is his tracker working?"
"So far," Johnny moved to the GPS, watching the blip that was Mike on it.
"We can't get eyes behind the building without looking suspicious. Bello's men are there,it should be fine..."
"Does Bello usually run these circles?"
Briggs didn't answer and just glared towards the building.
"Get in the car," they heard the voices again.
"Which one? You have like three here."
"The one in front of you, smart-ass. Did the army take your lip?"
"No sir."
"Get in the car."
Johnny and Briggs were tense. Johnny got up and headed out of the control room to get the others inside, Jake, Charlie, and Paige following him back in.
"What, new guy in trouble all ready? Bust over?" Paige grinned.
"What's wrong?" Charlie immidiately caught Briggs' tenseness and the look on his face.
"Not sure yet. They're changing locations. There are some of Bello's men there and they're touching on Mike's military cover."
"He can handle it, don't worry. The tracker's on, right?"
"Yeah."
"Once they get moving, we'll wait a few and follow."
They heard the sound of a car starting.
"So where are we going? Little early for a Sunday drive, it's only Friday."
"Did he really?" Johnny shook his head, relaxing a little. If Mike could make jokes, maybe things would be ok.
"You will see soon enough..."
"Aren't the other guys going to follow you?"
"They will meet up. But actually, you cannot see where we are going...."
"Hey...what? Wait..hey! Shit.."
They heard the sounds of struggling, a few thumps as something hit against what was likely the side door of the car.
"You must wear the blindfold, Mike. Our location is secret..."
"Fuck, couldn't you have just told me ahead of time instead of just having them grab me?" Mike was breathing a bit harder from the sounds of it.
"Would not have been as fun to watch," the man's voice sounded amused.
You could cut the air in the control room with a knife by now. Everyone was staring at the speakers. A blindfold? This was supposed to have been a simple drug bust.
"God dammit," Briggs snapped. "Abort! Abort the op."
"We can't." Johnny was sitting back at the GPS controls, staring at the unit.
"Don't fucking tell me we can't, I'm in charge of this op. Abort it. Something's wrong. Very fucking wrong."
"I mean we can't," Johnny's voice had gone...very quiet. "They're on the move, right?"
"You heard the fucking car start didn't you?"
Charlie rested her hand on Briggs' shoulder, trying to calm him down. The an was furious.
"Then why...is his blip still showing in the warehouse?"
Johnny looked over his shoulder at everyone, face pale. Briggs went still as a statue. He rose slowly from his seat and turned around to turn a heated, dangerous gaze onto Johnny, making the other man flinch back.
"What....do you...mean....still...at...the...warehouse?" Briggs' voice was thick with barely contained fury.
"Maybe we can still see the cars.." Jakes motioned Paige and they both rushed from the room, hoping to be able to catch a glimpse of the vehicles.
Briggs advanced on Johnny, who stood up and held up his hands.
"Hey man, hey, it's not my fault..."
Briggs pushed Johnny aside and brought his fist down hard on top of the tracking equipment.
"That's not going to help," Charlie said softly.
"Just my temper," Briggs growled, sitting down and rebooting the equipment, smacking it again when it loaded up blank.
"HEY! What the FUCK!"
All three jumped and turned towards the speakers where Mike's voice had erupted. They heard the sound of metal against metal, and then a metallic click they all knew the sound of. Handcuffs.
"Shit...the blindfold I get, guys...but come on...my hands behind my...ACK!"
"You sure do talk a lot, Mike..."
"Mind....telling..." they heard Mike let out a strangled gasp. "Fuck! Let go of my fuckin' crotch, what the hell!"
"That...is the least of your worries, Mike."
Mike's voice rang through the control room as he cried out, and Johnny cringed at the loud sound of flesh on flesh, another cry following the sound of someone being hit.
"Ow..." Mike's voice was low, groaning. "What's going on?"
"What are you after, Mike?"
"Shit....drugs, what the fuck else? Well, maybe fuckin' pain killers, now..you deal in hydrocodone?" Mike's voice was a bit snippy. "You treat all your customers this way? Hard to believe you get repeat business..."
"Who do you work for Mike?"
"Why don't you ask those guys with you?"
There was another smack, more of the note of metal on flesh. Mike let out another pained gasp. Then they heard the sound of Mike gagging.
"That doesn't look like the proper way to polish a gun, Mike..." the voice chuckled as Mike continued to gag.
Johnny's hands were gripping the edge of the table with a white-knuckled grip. Charlie was staring at the speakers in shock. Briggs got up, punching the wall hard enough to leave a dent.
"Fucking motherfuckers! Fuck!"
Jakes and Paige came in and stopped in their tracks at the sound of gagging. The sound died off to be replaced by the sound of Mike coughing, gasping and panting raggedly for breath.
"Jesus, what...."
"Did you see anything?" Briggs rounded on Jakes.
"No..." Paige shook her head. "The uniforms reported three SUVs with completely tinted windows...."
"But none of them bothered to take license plates..."
"Please tell me you're kidding," Charlie frowned.
Briggs turned away and looked to Johnny.
"Work on that fucking equipment, get his GPS signal back!"
"I think they're jamming it..."
"What?"
"I think they found a way to jam it..."
"Why can we still hear him? They should be disrupting the whole unit..." Paige moved over, frowning.
"I..think they want to be heard," Johnny said quietly, feeling sick.
"Now, Mike...are you going to answer our questions now?"
They listened as Mike continued to catch his breath. There was another loud crack of metal against flesh, likely a gun.
"You know Mike, this is only the start...it will be much worse if we have to take you out of the car."
"I work..." Mike's voice was rough, ragged, "...for Bello."
"And before Bello?"
"The army...don't my fuckin' fatigues give it away?"
Another crack followed by a pained cry. Then the sound of gagging again. This lasted only a few seconds, and the sound of someone gasping for breath filled the speakers soon after.
"Looks like we are waiting after all. It will be more fun this way."
"Well, if you're done asking questions," Mike's voice was a bit harsh, ragged. "Why not answer one of mine? What's a low key dealer doin' with Bello's men and three nice-ass Lincoln SUVs?"
Briggs' head shot up and when he turned to Charlie, she was already moving to the radio. She called in the BOLO as Johnny moved over by the speakers.
"C'mon Mikey, keep that up, help us find you..." Johnny muttered.
"Kid's smart," Jakes looked up from the GPS unit. "Still no luck here though, gonna keep trying."
"Not as low key as you think perhaps. Maybe some people took Eddie seriously."
"Shit," Briggs muttered.
"We are here," the man's voice said. "Get him out."
There was the sound of doors opening and closing, Mike grunting as he was dragged out.
"Mm, you taking me to a beach party? I smell the ocean. Totally up for a beach party," Mike kept up his smart-ass attitude, trying to act non-chalant. "Could use some KFC too. Getting tied up and beaten makes me hungry."
"Shut up," was followed by a loud smack. "Like I said..you talk to much. And not about the right things."
There was the rumbling of a metallic door opening and then closing.
"Put him in the chair and tie him up."
There were rustling sounds and the sounds of a chair scraping across concrete. Mike's grunts were heard, and then quiet when everything seemed to be done.
"C'mon guys, you gonna leave the blindfold on? A little too kinky for me for a first date."
"He's going to be ok. If he can still be a smart-ass right now, he'll get through this," Briggs said, trying to reassure himself and everyone else.
There was a loud smack again.
"Now...enough of your smart talk. Tell me who you work for."
"Bello."
Smack.
"Who else?"
"The fucking Marines."
"So you say."
"So I am. Jesus, what more do you want?"
"Who was your Quartermaster?"
Silence. Followed soon after by a smack.
"Fuck," Briggs growled under his breath.
"What?" Charlie frowned as she glanced over at Briggs, then they all jumped as they heard the sound of another rough smack.
"WHO?"
"How would they know?" Johnny looked at Briggs.
"He gave a name. Fuck. C'mon Mikey..."
More silence. Everyone was watching the speakers, anxious. Each one of them was sweating, even though the room was fairly cool.
A gunshot rang out through the speakers and Paige shouted out a "NO!" her eyes wide, Johnny going even more pale.
"The next shot won't miss, boy..."
Everyone in the room relaxed a bit and Johnny practically fell back into his chair, hands clenched into fists so they wouldn't shake. Jakes was working the GPS machine, knowing it was futile but trying to get it to work anyway. They hadn't been prepped for this, or had the manpower for something like this. Things weren't supposed to go this wrong, not for an easy bust.
"He..Henry..." Mike's voice was shaky. "Henry Friedler. He was my Quartermaster," Mike managed to croak out.
"Jesus God, he remembered..." Briggs couldn't help but be awed.
"You go, Mikey," Johnny breathed, rubbing his face with his hands.
"Are you a spy for the military?"
"No, sir."
There was the sound of something ripping.
"Hey! I liked that shirt!"
"The shirt is the least of your worries. See this knife?" A pause. "Oh, that's right..." there was laughter in the voice. "You can't."
Mike suddenly cried out, chair scraping across the floor a bit and creaking.
"Are you a military spy?"
"No!"
Mike let out a loud hiss, followed by a pained "Oh my god!"
"The blood looks good on your chest, boy. How many more do you think you can take?"
Mike was breathing raggedly, panting hard. They could practically hear the pain behind his breaths.
"How many will it take to make you believe me?"
The voice laughed and then there was the sound of more ripping clothing.
"I think we will paint you a bit more red, but I like a larger canvas...but I will give you another chance. Do you work for the CIA?"
"No..."
They heard Mike hiss again,
"DEA?"
"No! Those guys are all pricks."
"If he gets out of this alive I'll kill him," Jakes said, though the joke fell dead. This was not a time for jokes, even Johnny was dead serious.
"How about...NCIS?"
"Seriously? You think I'm some pussy Navy cop?"
Mike hissed again, taking in a deep breath.
"Well, you are a Marine."
"And if you say I'm a Marine, why are you still asking me these stupid questions? Let me the fuck go and maybe I won't tell Bello."
"Maybe he already knows. Maybe he ordered it."
"Hell of a lot of maybe..." and Mike hissed again, then cried out loudly.
"You bleed nicely..."
"Christ, sick asshole.." Paige muttered.
They had no luck on the BOLO yet, and the next few minutes--which seemed like hours--dragged on in silence with the exception of Mike's hisses and grunts of pain.
"Yes, there we are...nice and red...my new canvas, so lovely. Have you changed your answers?"
"No," Mike was hoarse, breathing hard.
Mike inhaled sharply and the man laughed.
"No? Perhaps I will cut this off then..."
"You're crazy..." Mike's voice cracked, raising almost an octave.
"Yes...why do you think they give me these jobs? Now, tell me..."
Mike let out another cry and the chair scraped loudly on the floor.
"...do you work for the FBI?"
The entire team held their breath. No one was sure what they wanted Mike to say...yes or no.
"No," Mike's voice was strained.
"Cohones...Mikey's got them in spades," Johnny murmured.
Suddenly Mike screamed at the top of his lungs, the chair scraping on the floor.
"DO..." there was an odd sound behind the scrapes and Mike's screams.
"YOU..." Mike screamed out again, a sob echoing in the room.
"WORK..."
"OH GOD STOP PLEASE TAKE IT OUT STOP PLEASE OH GOD STOP!"
"ANSWER MY QUESTION!"
"NO!! OH GOD NO! STOP! TAKE YOUR GUN OUT! PLEASE!"
Johnny didn't make it out of the room before he got sick all over the floor, falling to his knees. Briggs had gone statue, face and eyes stone cold, devoid of emotion but for a burning fury roiling in the blacks of his eyes. Charlie was gripping Briggs' shoulders so tightly her nails ripped through his shirt.
Jakes helped Johnny up and Johnny pulled away. He moved and Briggs sensed the movement, turning and getting to his feet as Johnny approached him. Johnny seemed to have gone green again as Mike's cries started up again, that faceless voice laughing at Mike's torture. Briggs didn't even blink as Johnny shoved him against the wall and slammed a fist into the wall inches from his head.
"This is your fucking fault. YOUR contact, Briggs! Your fucking contact, your Op! You did the fucking set up, you had no clue?!"
Charlie moved in, pushing between them, moving Johnny back, but gently.
"Hey, hey..c'mon Johnny..." her voice was quiet. Jakes and Paige moved to help, drawing Johnny back.
"We're all on edge Johnny, come on..."
"And now fucking Bello? Seriously man? If this is you man, I'll kill you!" Johnny struggled against Charlie, Paige, and Jakes, listening to Mike's torture sending him over the edge. Unable to help, to rescue, to do anything. "I'll hunt you down and fucking kill you myself! You hear me?!"
"Johnny..." Briggs moved from the wall slowly. "We got people on the look out, ok? We're doing what we can..."
Jakes got a tight hold on Johnny, drawing him towards the door.
"C'mon man, let's get some air..."
Mike's screams died down, followed by muffled sobs.
"Well boy..still say you don't work for the FBI? Well...then let's move on to something else. Tell me about your friend."
"Wh...what...friend?"
"Paul. Talk about Paul. He work for the cops?"
"No...god, no..."
"He don't work for the FBI? DEA? Work with you?"
"No, fuck...you think if he did, or I did, you'd still have me, you rapist fucking pervert?"
A loud crack and Mike cried out. Johnny fell back into a seat and covered his face with his hands.
"Hope you're happy Briggs," this came from Paige as she knelt down by Johnny, rubbing his back, though her eyes are on Briggs. "Loyal to you...probably to the end."
"Don't fucking say that, puta!" Johnny jerked away from Paige's tough.
"Guys...shit, calm down. We can't turn on each other right now, Mike needs us...we need to be ready to move soon as we get any info on where he is," Briggs looked at them, frowning.
"But he thought YOU worked with them. And Eddie thought you worked with them. That's two strikes on you. And your...friend...even held a gun to your head."
"Two, actually," Mike said dryly.
"You're a tough kid. Still won't talk...well...maybe I'll let the boys in...they're pretty horny. You're naked and, well...helpless, so you may as well be willing. I'll even take off your blindfold..."
"Ugly place you got."
Another sound of a slap.
"Shit...what the fuck dude, you can't be serious...close the damn zipper! I'd have talked by now if I worked for those motherfuckers...Paul's a bastard, if he was a cop think I wouldn't turn on him in a second?"
"I just think you're not broken yet..."
Johnny's hands clenched into fists as the sound of Mike gagging filled the room again. He didn't even notice Paige's arms come around him and holding him tight, eyes staring at the speaker that was emitting the sounds of Mike's torture. Johnny jerked when, after a good ten minutes of the sounds of chokes and gags, the faceless voice let out a happy moan, and the gagging was replaced by Mike's choked gasps for air.
"Now, see how pretty you look...red and white..." the faceless voice laughed. "Now, I go get the boys...wait right here." The voice laughed at his own joke.
What seemed like eternity passed in the tense room...
"Guys...? Guys...please god, can you hear me?"
"Mikey...?!" Johnny jumped up, nearly knocking Paige over as he moved to the speakers. The entire house crowded around the console.
"Don't got...much time..." Mike gasped softly. "Plate X7A V56, one of the SUVs...warehouse, beachfront...KFC nearby...uhm...we took a left...a right...another right...two more lefts...shit, the door..."
Everyone scrambled to start getting all the information they could.
"Guys...come on...guys...you know me, I'm not..." and suddenly Mike was gagging again.
"I've got it. Let's go," Johnny hopped up, heading for the door when another voice stopped everything.
"And just what...do you think you're doing with my bodyguard?" Bello's voice came sharply from the speakers.
"Boss...!" the faceless voice became a bit panicked. "You told me to interrogate him..that you had information that he may be a spy..."
"I said interrogate him, not turn it into a scene from your favorite porn," Bello's voice came sharply.
"Well, what do you want us to do?"
"Leave him," came Bello's voice after a long pause. "He is no longer our concern."
"Bello..." Mike's voice was ragged. "Bello..."
"Take this as a gift, Mike. I'll not kill you now. But if I see you again..."
A few minutes later, Mike's voice sounded on the speakers.
"They're gone...guys...please..." Mike's voice dropped to a broken whisper, "help me..."
Johnny was the first out the door. The others followed, Charlie glancing back when Briggs' phone rang.
"You go on ahead Charlie, I'll be right out. Gotta grab this," Briggs picked up his phone.
Charlie headed out.
"Hello? Yeah. Yeah...tomorrow? No problem...got nothing important." Briggs looked at his phone as he hung up...and smiled. He followed them out, face going back to stoic. He was now in with Bello. Just what he'd been after for months...so now it was time to get Mike. It was easy where one knew just where to look, after all.