Of Kings and Pawns (IC)

[KasperXIII]

Honestly, most of the technical terminology was Chinese to Ra's. Not a single word that James used in that speech painted a clear picture in his head about the direction of the money. He needed a moment to think of everything again, process every sentence once again. It might have been his own lack of English proficiency, or just his lack of technological proficiency. Since his disappearance in 1986, he'd been completely alien to this sort of thing, and thirty years was a lot to change in technology. Slowly but surely, his mind began to put the pieces together: beyond the small talk of threats and loyalty, and the confirmation of Miracle's own competence in the field of hacking and information seeking, there was a promise to deliver the money from banks in other parts of the world. A trick of embezzlement that he's never exploited with his past hackers. Unfortunately, not many of them lasted without being killed for disobedience. Vanessa was just one of five that didn't survive Ra's' ruling. And this 'Miracle' wanted a chance to prove he was better than the rest. No greed, no disrespect.... Ra's just wanted a pledge of loyalty, nothing more. This man of a morphed voice on the phone did offer proof of his truthfulness, which Thalia showed him by opening the image on the phone, some simple task that Ra's didn't even know how to do--it goes went to show how proficient he really was with technology. He doesn't even answer his own phone calls. Someone else initiates the call, and he speaks. He saw the package of the money, followed by the code he mentioned and an address he could only make out to be a Californian one. He wasn't bluffing; and even more amazingly, Thalia was going to made good to her promise. Maybe he wouldn't have to kill her after all. It still made Ra's suspicious that this contact didn't come see him in person and went through the trouble to mask his identity. Maybe out of fear? Understandably so.


"You truly are what you say you are," Ra's spoke after seeing the picture. "You have my good faith. But do not think you can hide behind your pathetic computer screen forever. You may continue to operate under your own conditions for the purpose of the million dollars, and maybe the next. But for your third and final task you must meet me in person. No mask. No strange voices. I must see you in your true form to fully gain your trust..."


Thalia felt as if she had to cut him off before James says something to compromise everything. "H-He'll do it. I give you my word, he will." She couldn't risk James playing hard to get and staying hidden. Not like he'd ever have to come out of hiding. She knew they didn't have to go that far. This was just to buy Thalia some time--and more days to breathe without being butchered.


Ra's sighed, a bit disappointed that his bride-to-be had to give the answer to the question and not the contact himself, but he accepted it. His burly hand extended forward at Thalia's neck, gripping it at full force with his thumb applying pressure on the three cigarette burn marks on her neck. Thalia had to subdue her scream as to not make a scene on the phone, even though she knew James could see and hear everything she was saying and doing. Hell, everything being DONE to her. Thankfully he didn't take the shot off, but Karin and Frank... they both must be horrified at what just happened. Karin was watching. Frank heard the screaming, no doubt, but odds are, the entire resort did. But nobody's saying a word? Damn, do people not care.


"In that case... 'Miracle'... Consider yourself a part of Al-Asheera on a temporary basis. Only after Al-Jameela proves her loyalty to me. We are done... hang up that device."


Um... 'proves her loyalty'? What does he.... no. He's seriously not going to fuck me after all of that, is he? Her fear might come to life as she pressed the end call button on the phone and dropped it to her side. "Mawlaye... what do you want me to do?"


What Thalia was expecting was another violent or sexual outburst or violation of her personal space. But instead.... His hand pulled back from her throat and lifted his king-like overcoat slightly to reach for an inner pocket. And when he did, he retrieved a metal pendant, painted black, and with a cross similar to the one inked to her neck. He spread the loop out with both of his hands and undid the hook from behind. It could've fit over her neck, quite big actually, but he preferred to do it the old-fashioned way. He extended both arms around her neck to reconnect the ends together. The pendant sure was a bit big, dangling down halfway to her waistline, but it seemed as if it were custom-tailored for her. Not everyone has that specific cross design. Cute, undeniably, but the fact it came from Ra's made it seem like it was sent from hell. But then, it came to Thalia's mind what he was doing, only confirmed when he reached back into his inner pocket and retrieved a bulky ring with a green jewel in the middle, probably made of gold and made for a king from centuries ago. Thalia almost seemed out of breath, only staring Ra's in the eyes and letting him control. He was the only man she could be submissive around, as she didn't dare pull any weird stunt on this man. He slowly raised her left hand up to his lips and laid another kiss for her on the back of her hand, before isolating her ring finger and inserting the bejeweled ring around it. 


It was all clear to her now: Ra's was proposing and swearing to marry her. It was official.


"The wedding will be the day you return with the million, and you will officially be my wife... because I know that I cannot live my life without you. It's simply not worth living."


Speechless. And with spectators watching over the display, the young thief almost didn't know how to reply properly... "Mawlaye...."


"Shhh..." Ra's hushed her, placing two fingers over her lips to quiet her. "Once you return, I will set it in stone... Zawjati... Mawlati." My wife... and then the female alternative of 'Your Highness'... Is he serious? But being married to a schizophrenic monster who for one second wanted to murder her, the next marry her, hardly felt like the royal treatment. It sickened the redhead on the inside. On the outside, she had to keep her cool, her face appearing slightly red at the sight of a man proposing to her, even if it was a man she despised.


"I... I love you..." she stuttered, unsure of how to continue. If anything, her uneasy hands began to tread up Ra's chest and up to his neck before she leaned forward to continue the kiss to the lips he'd initiated before. This time, she stayed there to sell the act. A parting shot to ensure Ra's of her loyalty. Forcefully so, Ra's followed her kiss, gripping her shoulders at full force and holding her close, enforcing his kiss to be more powerful and passionate, which resulting in Thalia gripping to him for dear life. Quite a view for James and Karin. Wasn't this what Tony wanted to see? At least she wasn't lying about being the Bride of the Head.


But the kiss was cut short when Ra's pulled away and abruptly swung his palm across her cheek, her head flying in the direction of the hand. If that wasn't enough, the madman followed up with the other hand in the other direction, then the first one, and so on in a constant cycle to torture her and force her cheeks red from the hits rather than blushing. "But in the bedroom, Al-Jameela... there is only one man of royalty.... I. Al-Ra's."


Almost like an innocent puppy, Thalia took advantage of the break in abuse and just looked her abuser in the eyes, pleading for mercy while he was getting off to her misery. "Can't we just..."


She was cut off by, this time, a punch to the nose, knocking her back against the bed and her hands gripping her face from the pain. He clearly didn't break her nose, but it hurt like hell. Might even bleed, too. "Do not speak unless you are spoken to and given permission. DO YOU UNDERSTAND, SHARMOOTA?!"


"Y-Yes, Mawlaye..." she whimpered under the muffled noises of her covered nose, the traces of red from her own blood leaking through the gaps in her fingers.


"WHAT ARE YOU?!"


"I am sharmoota....." she almost immediately replied like a kindergarten student repeating the alphabet for her teacher. Except this was far less pleasant and felt more like duress. "I am sharmoota... I am sharmoota..." Once again, she was repeating herself from the overwhelming fear inside her.


"Yes, that is who you are. You may be my wife, but you are still sharmoota. That is what you always are and always will be." Now on her back and defenseless, Ra's crawled over her like before, his own colossal weight crushing Thalia's smaller frame as his kisses went from her face down her neck and onto her collarbone, all with Thalia repeating the same phrase over and over again, breaking down to tears as she did so, trying her best to stop the blood trickling down her nose, up until Ra's hoisted her up to undress her. Gripping the ends of her tank top, he muttered, "You look better without these on..."


This is what it came to. One moment of a good time, then another of downright abuse.


--


Before Tony could obey anything that this Al-Asheera member ordered him to do, he raised his arms in the air in a form of surrender and asked questions. "Who exactly are you, and how did you find me?"


The bald man smirked, shaking his magnum in his hand briefly in a cocky manner, bringing it closer to Tony's forehead. "I am the Hand of Ra's. And you are a thorn in his side. We know that you and Detective Hale were on the scene of the 7/11 explosion. We also know that you found our inside man in the LAPD. And now you're here in Ra's' quarters shortly after? Who's feeding you information, Walsh? Is it Al-Jameela?"


Strangely, unlike Ra's, this bald man spoke in perfect English. Then again, it shouldn't surprise him. Thalia's English was perfect as well, and she could double over in French just as flawlessly. Linguistic characteristics certainly weren't set in stone for Al-Asheera. But this man was suspicious, and odds, are so were all of Al-Asheera. Tony shook his head. "N-No, we didn't get this from anyone. We got a tip of a hostage situation at the 7/11, then we went after the guy who dispatched us the information--the one who committed suicide. I only noticed AFTER he was dead that he was Al-Asheera! I swear!" Quite a lie. May James was right. He is just as good a liar as Thalia.


"Bull-fucking-shit. We both know that you couldn't have fished out any of this information alone. The police force isn't that competent."


With a confident scoff, Tony replied, almost sure of his next actions, "Well clearly, you don't know ALL of the police force." As if from nowhere, Tony's right hand took an impressive swing at the minion's weapon-toting hand and turned it away from his face, enough time to engage in a fight. Tony knew for a fact he could best this man in combat, and he planned on it, even if it was as extreme as Pigman's fate. While the bald guy was distracted, Tony took advantage of the clear view of the man's neck. The left tattoo was like that of the northern star. What could it mean? Maybe Thalia would know. Was he a part of The Ten, seeing he called himself 'the Hand'? And wasn't this Hand a guy with a ponytail and unibrow? More lies from the girl who was supposed to be on their side? More questions for her, because that girl had a lot of explaining to do. Once he memorized the tattoo, he surprised the bald man with an uppercut to lunge him back further, even more so much to launch the gun from his grip. Finally, this could be a fair fight. With the upper hand, Tony charged forward and pushed his weight against the stalls to the toilets, forcing them both into the crammed space. Now disarmed, Tony gripped the man by his neck and bashed his head against the outer lining of the toilet with a single good blow.


"You're going to tell me where my girlfriend is."


Much like Pigman told him, this man gave him the same answer: "Fuck yourself."


That answer again... it pissed Tony off to the point that he, rather than simply bash his head into the seat, forced his head into the toilet bowl to drown in the water inside. A good ten seconds with his head forced into a toilet should be enough. Once his head came to the surface, he saw Tony, now with his M9 out and pointed at his gut. He was in no position to make demands anymore. "I'm going to ask you one more time. Where is Melissa?"


"The answer isn't going to change. Didn't you learn from Al-Rsas? Fuck. Yourself."


This reply seemed more like protocol than spitting in their faces. Or both. It certainly was effective because it was getting on Tony's nerves, forcing him to send the Hand's head back into the bowl, this time, for longer. 20 seconds. As he did, he dug his pants pockets for the burner phone and dialed up the number he could only assume is James. Placing it on speaker, he left it on the ground.


"We've got a problem. Thalia lied to us. The Hand isn't a guy with a ponytail and unibrow. It's the bald schmuck who spilled coffee on me..." With that, he the man's head from the bowl and asked him the question again. "I'm interrogating him now, seeing if he knows where Mel is."


Though his head in the toilet, the Hand could hear what Tony was saying, very faintly and muffled, but could hear. One word stuck out: Thalia. "I knew it. You said 'Thalia', right? As in, Thalia Griffin?" No answer from Tony, just a death glare, actually defending Thalia this time. "So Al-Jameela is working for you." Clearly Tony was in the middle of a conversation with others, and with that, he addressed his next words in a more group-based manner. "Every single one of you can go FUCK THEMSELVES!"


The anger built up in Tony once again, taking both hands interlinked behind the bald man's head and slamming it several times against the edge of the bowl, creating a dent in his forehead, and then forcing him into the toilet water once again. "Just so you know... I'm alive. And we have control, as well as another member of The Ten in our hands. We've gotta make sure that he doesn't off himself like Pigman. Send Frank in here."


Unfortunately, Frank would enter to the sight of a shirtless Tony dunking this man's head into the toilet for another good while, asking a question, receiving an answer along the lines of 'fuck yourself', bashing his head on the seat, and then proceeding to drown him in toilet water again. And the cycle repeats.

 

[DrTrollinski]

When Ra's gave the go ahead that all things were clear, everyone took a small sigh of relief. They made the cut, things were okay, and they didn't have to worry too much about the future. Things were guaranteed, for now. But he still wanted proof of Thalia's loyalty - the bluff that Thalia pulled off, saying James would meet him, almost made James jump up and call her out - but he knew it wouldn't ever have to come that far. All they needed now was Ra's trust, and that was what they had. They could start to work just fine. They could begin to take down The Ten - just how would they do it? James didn't want to meet with this guy unless it was completely necessary, unless they were planning to take him down on that very day. Plus, he could still pull off any jobs he wanted him to do, somewhat, to delay him more. If he could maintain his trust by delivering something that he wanted, even if it was something small and possibly even falsified information, then he'd keep doing that just to make him happy, just so they could get one step closer to taking him down.


Acting too quickly would be suspicious, though, so after today, James was wondering, would they have to lay low for a day or so? Just so things look normal? When it came down to The Ten, straight-up assassination wouldn't be out of the question. Ra's wouldn't expect Thalia to have her hands on any high-powered sniper rifle, and he wouldn't have reasonable grounds to suspect Miracle - who wasn't even confirmed male or female yet - of carrying any of it out. James wasn't sure. There were a lot of approaches that they could take, but they had very little time to take them. On a more important note, it was rather disgusting that Ra's was treating Thalia like this, even after she'd proven she had done everything he asked. It just went to show how much of a despicable human being he was. In fact, he wasn't even human. Not to James, not to Frank, and not to Karin.


He was beating her around and abusing her, and the temptation to shoot him right there and then was all the more tempting. If they shot him, it'd be... God knows how long before anyone found him. High risk, low reward, most likey - but still one James was considering. What was it that the safeword was? Pina Colada, or something? Yes. Pina Colada. He was going to wait to hear that - if he got any worse, he had a feeling that he was going to be hearing that soon.


But still, he watched, and he waited. Was he really going to have to watch all of this happen? 


And what happened to Thalia being able to 'best him in combat'? So far, he'd seen the exact opposite, and even James was beginning to suspect that there was the possibility there was still something in her heart for him. But no. How could there be? Stockholm Syndrome, or something? He didn't like to think about it, really. He didn't want to imagine that somehow Thalia enjoyed all of this, because from what he was seeing, it certainly didn't look like it. There was one thing to be happy about, though, and that was how he'd shown Ra's that he wasn't fucking around, either. That was one of the most important things he could have done here today, and he did it. At least now he wouldn't be forced to turn into Ra's' lapdog. 


Ra's made him sick, but, he and Karin and anyone else involved had no choice but to watch and/or listen. He just had to be ready, the cross-hair still painted on him. Any minute now. As soon as he even heard one half of the safeword, he was pulling the trigger. He felt angrier than he could ever remember feeling; was it because Ra's had been doing things like this to Thalia ever since she was a young girl? And to make things even worse... He wanted to marry her as soon as they had the money. Jesus.


It was at that moment that Frank felt his stomach flip. All of this was making him sweat.


It got better, though, because soon, James answered his phone and heard the voice of Tony. Thank god for that.


But he was having a coversation with James on the phone while having this man there, too - James said nothing, and simply, he hung up. He wasn't going to say a word. Tony was just going to have to trust him here.


"Barracuda, get in the bathroom. Tony's alive and potentially has a member of The Ten there with him. I want you to make sure he doesn't beat him to death, and you need to find a way to get the guy out of there if you can." He said. 


"On it." Frank choked, quickly picking up his beach bag and wandering off. He wandered away from the poolside and instead into the lobby, where he made a beeline for the bathroom. He carefully scanned everyone and everything around him. It seemed like all things were fine, but, it was hard to tell if anyone else was watching. He hoped not. Even so, he went into the bathroom, and he turned the bolt on the main door. Most bathrooms had that, not only for the sake of the cleaners, but also for the convenience of anyone who may get locked in there when the cleaners lock the door at the end of the day. They could get out that way, at least, but now, once again, they had a duplicate of the station's bathroom incident. The door was locked, and Frank slowly approached the stall that Tony was in.


"Jesus Christ." He said, as soon as he saw the place that the two men were in. The member of The Ten looked a lot worse for wear in comparison to Tony. "Alright, hold on." He said, "We can't kill this guy. We need to find a way to get him out of here." He said, simply. "But we need information on Melissa. The choice is yours here." He said. If they kept drowning him, not only would it be hard for him to die, but eventually the trauma and panic caused by it was going to be too much. He'd crack eventually, and it wasn't like they didn't have a good opportunity to do that here. They could do a lot to him that was bound to make him snap and spill something, but, they also had to keep in mind - He was compromised, caught, and at the first chance he got, he was going to kill himself in any way he could. They couldn't let that happen. Maybe that would be his trick - maybe he'd just let them down him, finish the job for him.


"By drowing him you're only giving him what he wants. His only task now is to detonate - he's obsolete. Better off dead." He said. "We need a better way to get to him." He said. 

 

[KasperXIII]

Throughout Ra's' assault, Thalia didn't even try to resist, because she knew the risk of it. If she tried to fight back while her husband-to-be was performing his usual sexual ritual, it would blow the whole operation. An unspoken rule among Al-Asheera: nobody resists the demands of Ra's. Even his betrothed. All of this made her sick to her stomach, every kiss he left, every touch he made, even if her voice sounded like she enjoyed it, she didn't in the slightest. She could run away, no doubt, but with everything going as well as it did? She knew she couldn't put that on the line. It was a form of self-sacrifice for a better cause. But hopefully this would be the last time he does this. Once she marries him, she'd be subject to this kind of abuse for the rest of her life. Hell, she might not even live long from it. She was in so much pain throughout his intercourse. Back when she was 16 or younger, he didn't inflict any extreme pain. Now that she was an adult, he figured it was acceptable. Thalia wasn't a masochist, but Ra's always assumed he'd make her one. All she wanted was a normal relationship, not a slew of abuse and misery like this. Even the pleasure from the parts that were actually like having sex didn't make up for the all-around pain otherwise.


Sharmoota, the word he kept using for her. In that moment, Thalia felt the guilt of what she did with Frank in private. Sure, it was just a quick tease, and nothing all that major. But now after being called a whore so many times, and being forced to admit it so many times, she was eventually convinced of it. She's slept with many others in the past, doing things similar to what she did with Frank. She thought it was all in good fun. Now, she almost never wanted to do anything of sexual nature ever again. This whole experience made her sickened, afraid, of what there could be to come. She wouldn't cancel on her date. But if he asked her to do anything she didn't feel comfortable doing, how would she break it to him? What did she feel comfortable doing anymore? So insecure, Thalia had become. And all because of Ra's. And all she had to do to make it end was mutter two words. But she chose to keep her mouth shut apart from the moans of a mixture of pleasure and pain. Deep down, she wanted it all to end. So badly.


A good while of his assault went by, each minute feeling like an eternity. But when he finally got off of her, it felt like such a sweet relief. The torture was over as she watched the monster of a future husband adjust his flashy pants back into their place and fix his purple overcoat back over his shoulders. He was leaving, at long last, but Thalia could barely feel her own body after what'd just happened to her. Her nose stopped bleeding, but the dried blood was still over her lips and on her hands. Just beneath her eye was scratched from him clawing her he laid there while he was on top of her, a senseless move she still didn't get. The back of her shoulders were covered in his bite marks and other scratching wounds; some bled, some didn't. Her arms were numb from his weight pressing against them, also a bit bruised as well around her biceps. Her legs felt weak, barely able to move after his little attack, her shorts around her ankles but her underwear still in place. She didn't have the energy to adjust herself. Her neck still ached from the cigarette burns there from not long ago, which he oftentimes applied pressure to to get another scream out of her. It was like her screams and cries were fuel for him. The the left strap of her tank top was drooping down her shoulder from being stretched, particularly when he would hoist her by said straps, and the top rolled up to reveal some of her stomach, also in pain from him sitting on her. He's played rough before, but this had to be one of the worse times he's done it.


Thalia hated this. Every second of it. She just hoped everyone could believe her. Watching him get dressed properly and walk to the door was the greatest relief she could ask for. She could be alone and this could be over for today. Before he made his way out the door, Ra's turned one last time to his bride and told her one last thing: "I hope we can do this again after the wedding."


Expecting an answer, Ra's continued to watch her as her head and hands shivered in fear. She mustered the energy to curl herself into a ball, almost a fetal position, in the bed, her knees curled up to her chest with her arms looped around them, her eyes looking straight again, and not giving an answer to her master. What was she supposed to say? She loved it? She most certainly didn't. She couldn't even face him in that moment.


Out of patience, Ra's smirked and turned back to the door and left without saying another word. The deal was done. Thalia was shattered. And once the psychopath was long gone, she looked over to the balcony. If she stood off the edge of the balcony in her condition, it would raise a red flag that something horrible happened in their room. Instead, she sat upright in the bed, pulling the shorts back up to their place and trying her best to stand up. She was slow and aching, but she had to try her best. She inched her way to the corner and retrieved the comms device she so rashly had to discard when she heard the door about to open. She restored its position in her ear and tried to speak, her voice cracking and weak, "I'm sorry you had to.... see that. But he believed me. God... I'm sorry..." With her arms crossed over her chest, Thalia slowly walked, small step by small step, over to the bathroom to wash away the excess blood and clean off her wounds. She'd received a significant beating in there. She felt bad her friends had to watch her do that. What would they think of her now? Did they think she actually enjoyed that? Hell no, she didn't. Would they even believe her reaction is genuine? Her shock, her pain, her agony? Would any of them believe her? Regardless, once she arrived to the bathroom, she took another look at the mirror at her haggard, unsightly appearance. That, accompanied by Ra's' belittling words to her, were enough to break her. She couldn't even look at herself for too long, only able to clean up the blood from beneath her nose and lips, without losing her balance, back into a fetal position on the bathroom floor, now letting herself cry at full force, even if everyone could hear her. "I'm sorry... I'm just another whore... I'm sorry...."


You really are. At least he got that right.


But Ra's didn't plan on simply walking out the front door without being a part of a pack. He'd stick out like a sore thumb. No, he had an escape plan for getting out of public places that he's used in Philly more times than he could count.... He pushed the fire escape door to get downstairs, which automatically triggered the fire alarm. In return, everyone in the building would frantically leaving their rooms and chalets and make a break outside out of fear that it was legit. But no, it gave Ra's a reason to blend in with a large swarm of people leaving. Even though he'd stick out, he'd be better off this way. A smoother escape. And one that worked in his favor as he traveled with a group of people from the lobby. His van, the one Thalia described before, was waiting for him outside as he entered the back seat. "Entaliq!" [Go!] Ra's ordered his driver, who immediately stepped on the gas and escaped the scene.


Obviously, Thalia heard the alarm, but she felt too shattered to even get up. She knew it wasn't a real fire. This was Ra's escape mechanism, his way to make a break quickly. Her head lifted slightly, looking back at the room inside, quickly telling the others on comm, "Guys.... I-It's a false alarm. Ra's pulled the alarm to break away. He... he always does this to escape a public place..." She tried to reach forward and get to her feet. If the fire department shows up and finds her there, they will process her, search her, link her to Al-Asheera, and it's game over for all of them. Once on her feet, she quickly retrieved one of the duffel bags that the crew came with and laid it on the bed. What was most important to take along? Their old clothing, the cameras? That was it. She packed them all up as quickly as she could, and fumbled to get the sneakers that were prepared for her. At a less than hasty pace, she managed to get them on, then looked back in the direction of the balcony. Odds are, James was watching her. The bag felt heavy on her aching shoulders, but she tried her best, walking at her own pace out the door. Most of everyone was already gone and out the door, and she was, most probably, the last one there. A few limps out into the hallway, and she lost her balance, tripping over her own legs, and the weight of the bag toppling her and dropping her to her side again, groaning in pain. Her voice could be heard on comms. Tony was still radio silent, she was out of James' line of sight, and Karin was only accessing things remotely. What about Frank? Could he find her? "Frank...? Help.... please...." she called, looking around to see if there were cameras anywhere int he hallway. And to her fortune, there was one in a corner not far away. A quick look at it eye to eye would be a signal for Karin to tell where she was. Perfect.


--


Backup came rather quickly, even if James didn't give a verbal response. He didn't expect him to. But surely, this clansman couldn't escape. He'd blow the entire operation by the mention of Thalia's name alone. She would be burned and this would all be over. At the same time, Tony surely couldn't keep drowning this man in the toilet forever. Killing him wasn't an option, not the right place or the right time. A start, though, would be to knock him out. Glancing to Frank quickly, the veteran detective pulled the Hand's head out of the bowl, staring him right in the eyes for the next part of his plan. "You're coming with us, pal." With that, Tony lunged his head forward, the bald man's head up against his own, and knocking him out efficiently and quickly. Once he was out cold, Tony let the man's wet, slimy head drop to the floor. "Okay... he's preserved. But how the hell are we gonna get him..."


Then, their golden opportunity: the fire alarm, audible from inside the bathroom. Tony couldn't hear anything Thalia was warning them about this being a false alarm for an escape attempt, but real or fake, Tony found this, likewise, an opportunity. Everyone would be in a state of frenzy, not paying too much attention. They could get this man's body out of here easily. A confident smile was shown to his partner, and after he grabbed his phone from the floor beneath, he reached under the bald man's arms and hoisted him over his shoulders with the utmost of ease. "Take the guy's magnum, it's somewhere on the floor around here. We've gotta get out of here before the fire department walks in and finds us in the heart of an attempted murder." And that was indeed true. Tony was strong, strong enough to haul a man's body up on his shoulders and run with him out of the building. It didn't even take very long, and Tony was driving, anyway. "I'll get the car, Frank. You make sure Thalia doesn't turn into barbecue and meet me as far as you can make it. Forget the old escape plan. This is a worst-case scenario."


It wasn't a real fire though, as Tony wasn't aware of the message on comms. But they'd still execute the plan as he said. Thalia needed Frank, and fast, or she'd be caught.

 

[DrTrollinski]

The crying was enough to make anyone crack, really, and it wasn't something that any of them liked listening to, but it was forced. Had the abuse from Ra's finally pushed her over the edge? Frank didn't think any different of Thalia, but, did she now think different of him? He didn't know what it was going to be like now, but things seemed wishy-washy at the minute. Everything seemed like it was getting flushed away with every second that went by. It wasn't a good feeling to have, and it seemed that Ra's just liked to get a kick out of torturing her, out of giving her more to think about, abusing her both physically and verbally. How could a man like this be left to run his course of power over two decades? How had Thalia not already slit his throat in his sleep and made a run for it? It was almost unbelievable how she hadn't ran away so much sooner. Even if she didn't necessarily enjoy it, James had to wonder, how long had she been coping with this? Only since she'd turned twenty-one, or had it been much more before that? He was trying not to think about it, but, none of them had anything to say in the time she was crying.


I suppose none of them really knew what they could say that would make any of this better - They could say 'you're not a whore', but would that really undo the damage that had been done? James just felt like he needed to sit there and wait it out, wait for her to come to her own terms with it all. He didn't think there was a single thing that was worth saying at the present time, so he just left it - Thalia lived to see another day, if not worse for wear, but alive. That was the main thing. Now they had Ra's trust, and they could come one step closer to cutting off his head - metaphorically, and maybe literally speaking. He wouldn't see sunlight for the rest of his life if he got sent to prison. A man like that would be maximum security for god knows how long. He'd be spending all his time in solitary, being allowed no more than 20 minutes of community time a day, a 10 minute phonecall each month, and nothing more than a slot in the wall that lets in a tiny bit of light, but even then, all he'd ever see was the sky.


A depressing but fitting life for a man such as himself. James liked to picture that, that he'd spend his last minutes inside a maximum security prison, inside a cell with a tiny black and white TV behind bars that had nothing but educational and religious videos from the seventies. Hm. Not something even the baddest of men could endure something like that for more than a few months. To think that some men would be in there for decades, or if they were lucky, 2 years on good behavior before they were transferred to a state prison. James was a mentally strong guy, too, but, he knew that not even he would be able to cope with something like that. Give it a day or two, and he was sure even he would break. He didn't know what to say about Ra's, but he couldn't imagine that the man was that strong upstairs. He was just a buzzing fly on a throne of shit right now.


When the tears finally started to calm, and after the then-confirmed false alarm went off, James sighed and spoke.


"You did good, Firebird. Be ready for extraction."


He said nothing more on that note, and just listened in on Frank and everything. Frank almost sprung off the floor when Thalia called for help, and he knew he needed to go and get her - He couldn't just leave her behind, not if she needed him. She sounded so desperate, so hurt. He had to go and find her, but not before Tony had spoken to him about the little asset they'd gained. Things were bad, and in his mind, the little bit of bickering he and Thalia had had but them all at risk. It was a dumb move, but, what happened happened, and they had to deal with that.


"I've got word that the fire alarm's a false. Ra's set it off so he could get out of here. Best take a back exit, Tony, make sure you get out of here safe. Don't need anyone fucking with you on your way out. I'll grab his gun." He said, quickly scanning around until he spotted the magnum. Damn, a tough weapon to be carrying around, but also a noisy one. He quickly got that one and shoved it into his beach bag, then went back on the microphone as he unlocked the bathroom door and walked out.


"Mustang, I need Firebird's location."


"Upstairs hallway. Not far from the room." 


"On it." He gasped, quickly dashing up the stairs as fast as he could, charging past the people that were swarming to try and get out. He had to push and shove and even throw a few punches in order to get through there, but he managed it, and in good time, he found himself on the same floor as Thalia. As soon as he saw her, he felt a mixture of anger and sadness rush through him. What had Ra's done to her? Christ. She looked like she was on death's door, but they could hardly take her to the hospital now. Hospitals would be all over that, and as it'd look just like domestic violence, they'd get the police involved. Another thing they couldn't afford to have done.


"Thalia!" He called out, quickly running over to her and dropping down beside her. "Holy shit..." He whispered. "Come on, we better get out of here." He gulped, "Come on, I'll give you a shoulder and walk you out of here. Or I can take the bag and you can walk, I don't mind. Whatever's easiest." He said. "We better get moving, though. Cobra, how long 'til pickup?"


"I'm at no risk here, gentlemen. You go ahead and get to the vehicle. I'll make my own way back."


"Are you sure that's a good idea?"


"Of course. Don't worry about me. As soon as you get out of here, remove your earpieces and break them. Once you reach the car, I mean. I'll see you back at home." He said.


"Come on." He held out a hand to Thalia. "Tony's meeting us at the car. He's got one of their guys. Bald guy... Had a star tattoo, I think." He said. "He had tattoos, but, yeah. One was a star, I'm almost sure. Any idea what that's all about?" He asked. 

 

[KasperXIII]

The blaring noise from the fire alarm, followed by the red glow from the blasting lights of a potential fire clouded Thalia's sense, basically begging on comm for someone to come to her rescue. She felt too weak to go on this way. She needed to rest. Lay down, cool off after a long, brutal day. Maybe take a nap in a comfortable bed and a warm meal... maybe some comfort from her new best friend? Could Karin mend the wounds on her body and her psyche? Maybe. It was this same girl who gave her hope for a brighter future one without Ra's. But fortunately, everyone could now bear witness to the monster that Ra's truly was. The horrors he'd done to her, that Karin and James saw live and in action. She wouldn't wish such a sight on anyone. She wouldn't wish the type of torture she'd endured on anyone. Now, she was weak and defenseless in a hallway where she could easily be stepped on if a frightened guest comes running out late. She tried her hardest to crawl to her feet again, but with nothing to proper herself up, it proved to be difficult. Thankfully, her call for help on comms went answered by her knight in shining armor... or his beach outfit. Frank.


His reaction to seeing her so damaged, so hurt, so broken, Thalia could feel it in his voice. If she hadn't ordered him to stay away, surely he would've stormed in and murdered Ra's on the spot. A risky move that would've costed them all if done. Thalia would be fully blamed for the death of Ra's and under attack by the remaining members of The Ten for the rest of her life. An expense she couldn't afford if she ever wanted to start over. Seeing Frank come to her rescue was godsent. He offered to hold her up on his shoulder and walk her out of the building. No way she could've done this by herself. An escape needed assistance, and for that, she reached forward in a motion of desperation, clinging to Frank's shoulder with one arm, the other hanging to her side with the duffel bag in tow. "Ack...." Standing hurt, but she'd manage with the detective as her stilt. The two worked in a joint effort, but it almost felt too much like Frank was dragging her along, but it was necessary. They couldn't lag behind, or else law enforcement or fire fighters would show up, see her battered and bruised, and investigate. Thalia couldn't go on any sort of official record, or she'd be a dead girl. Thankfully, they were a team, one unit, nobody getting left behind. "I'll try to run by your side. Just don't worry too much about me. We can't stick around. At all."


A quick run for the stairs, Thalia had to be careful walking down each step, as to not slip and fall down the stairs and cause herself even more pain and injuries than she already had. All of her body ached from the wounds inflicted upon her. How would Frank think of her? He found her attractive, most definitely. But after this performance? After all the harm done to her body? Would Frank still care about her? Now more than ever did the aspect of a non-physical relationship mean something to the girl. She just wanted someone to care about, and in return show the same care. Her escort was surely concerned about her well-being, afraid she was going to die from her condition possibly. In reality? Thalia thought she would've died, too. But something inside her said that Ra's wouldn't kill his future wife. Not that she'd want to be his wife, but it was saving her life in the moment. Now Ra's wanted to make it official. That's what the ring and pendant were for. She'd worry about explaining those later, as well as the bald man. She'd have to see him herself to identify him, because there were several bald men in Al-Asheera. Even with saying his tattoo was a star, it was still very vague in her mind. No, this was a chat for later.


Once Frank and Thalia made it outside, the redhead looked around at the roads. Chaos had ensued and reigned over the streets, people screaming and running for their lives to a safe distance away from the building in whatever outfit they were in - swimsuits, bathrobes, normal clothing, you name it. No sign of Ra's either. He's probably long gone. But there was something more pressing to tend to: an escape. They couldn't just stand there and wait for law enforcement. Worse: Frank already knew someone in law enforcement on the scene. What if he catches them? No, Thalia knew they had to get out of here.


"Frank... I don't care if you have to carry me and run. We can't stay here. If the police find me, they'll start asking questions we can't answer. So quick. Just take me and run."


Before Frank could act on it, though, the sight of a familiar silver Optima drove up in front of them. In the driver's seat? No other than Tony. Actually coming to save Thalia? What kind of change of heart was this? He didn't know what sort of condition Thalia was in, having his earpiece away from him for the duration of the meeting. But when he saw her in person, beaten like a sandbag? Even his hatred/obsession faded away and felt remorseful. No, he'd beat her, but not to this degree. And she needed medical help. All the accusations he wanted to make at Thalia were put on hold. She couldn't answer any of them if she were dead anyway. Now, Tony was concerned about getting out of here. "Get in, now! Baldy's in the trunk; we'll discuss him later, now come on!"


Upon loading herself in the car, and once Frank was in as well, Thalia achingly reached over for Tony's seat, just in front of her, and gave it a few taps, instructing him to go. "Step on it, Tony..." Her voice was gaining its vigor back. Not crying nor cracking anymore, but still taking an occasional deep breath to catch up with herself. Talk about an adrenaline rush. Immediately, Thalia remembered James' orders to destroy her earpiece. She ripped it out of her ear and, with whatever strength remained in her hands, shattered the plastic into pieces and dismantled the cables. Gone, and lost all connection.


Now the ride back home. That was on Tony, who only murmured back to Thalia, "We've got a lot of... catching up to do at home."


She ignored the comment and just threw her head back. Finally she could relax. Even sleep, even if it wasn't comfortable in the back of a car. She needed it.

 

[DrTrollinski]

James was well out of the sniper's pit just as soon as he knew Frank and Thalia had made it out, and that was all it came down to. He packed the sniper away, in a way angry he never took the chance he had to use it, and made his way well out of there. He had to be careful - the alarm going off on the place across from the construction site had obviously drawn some attention to the area, but, typically, as most construction sites have, he found a hazard - which also turned out to be a possible escape route. One he decided to try and take. Getting to the ground floor was no issue at all, really, but it was getting past the builders and managers that were there that was the main issue. Thankfully, a rather heavy split in the chain-link fence surrounding the perimeter gave him the chance he needed to get out of there. He was straight out onto the street as if nothing had happened, and after taking out his sunglasses and slipping them on, he waved down a cab.


It was the least suspicious thing he could do. No one would even suspect his involvement in anything. There was no evidence of him being anywhere near the construction site other than out on the sidewalk by it. He was safe, so, he asked the driver to take him to the end of the street that his house was on. It'd be quite a big bill, but, he wanted to get back as soon as possible, and seeing as he had more than enough money, not only was he in a safe vehicle, but he was also making the cab driver's day with the fare he was giving him. It was a win-win, in most cases. He was just looking forward to getting back at this point, and he just hoped that Thalia was okay. There was a lot of talking to do, but at the minute, everything seemed alright. He knew he could leave Thalia with Frank and Karin if he really needed to.


If they had a man from Al-Asheera on their hands, they couldn't exactly torture him in the garage, and the bunker... Even though it'd be a good place to tie him to a chair and ask questions, it was still a bad place to kill him off. The Mojave wasn't too far away, though, so if they wanted the best outcome, nothing was stopping Tony and James from driving the guy out there and putting a bullet in him, or shooting him and dumping him in a lake somewhere. Then again, a lake was risky. At least the dessert was somewhere nobody would find him.


Back to Frank and Thalia, though, even though things were going steadily enough initially - Thalia was right. They needed to get out of here, and now that he had the go-ahead, he nodded to her and carefully lifted her so she was in both his arms. He didn't want to put her over his shoulder, because him running and her getting thrown about wouldn't be a help to her condition at all. At least for now things seemed alright, even if they weren't. He carried her as quick as he could, though, praying he wouldn't run into Redgrave. He liked to think Redgrave would have been cool about it, but, something said that he was too much of a 'Good Cop' to just let things slide. He was a good man, one that didn't get too involved in things, but when he acted, was too good at something. So good that it was dangerous to him. He was a brilliant tactitian, as had already been discussed. If it wasn't for him, The Clover Boys would easily be $10,000,000 up in profit over the years. Frank still thought about the most recent bust carried out by Redgrave - the millions he seized in cocaine.


That was dangerous grounds, and Redgrave was well and truly tip-toeing on the edge of the plank.


Frank thought once they were outside, they were going to be caught offguard right there and then, but thankfully that turned out not to be the case. As if the heavens themselves had organized it, Tony pulled up in their getaway car. Frank was quick in carrying Thalia to it, and once he was inside with her, Christ, he didn't know what to do other than take a breather and sit back. He put an arm around her shoulders, just as a way of comforting her. He knew it hadn't been easy on her, none of it had. 


But still, they were home safe, just about.


--


When they finally got back there, Frank had yet another task to carry out, and that was carrying Thalia inside. Exhausted, scared, injured. Those were the only words he could imagine matched her right now. He didn't want Joseph to see anything, though, so when he got her out the car and carried her in, being careful not to throw her around too much, he made sure that there was no signs of anyone else being there. The house was quiet - not even the old butler was around to greet them. Probably a good thing. The door was unlocked, too, so Frank could only assume that James had somehow arrived back on time, as well. Before them, even. He couldn't hear anything from Karin, and at first, he assumed the worst, but he did see her eventually. She was at the top of the stairs as he carried Thalia through the rooms of the bottom floor - as soon as he found an empty bedroom, he carefully placed her into the bed, her head on a pillow, and covered her over gently. It was nothing spectacular and nothing heroic, but, it was kindness. Care.

 
​

The room he left her in was nice enough, he thought, and he made sure to close the blinds before he left. If she got up for anything, there was also a little bathroom connected to it. Frank was convinced a house like this would grant every bathroom the opportunity to have an ensuite, but he didn't know, and quite frankly, he didn't care so much at the minute. This was yet another bedroom that looked completely untouched, maybe used for keeping a few little things safe. Other than that, it was just clean, spotless, almost like a display room at a furniture store.


But the point was, the bed was comfy, and Thalia needed rest.


He soon left the room and closed the door behind him, and he went off to find Tony. He didn't see James around at the minute, so, maybe he wasn't back yet. It was a longshot to assume he would have been back so quick, anyway.


"Well that..." He started, then took a sigh. "Was fucking dreadful." 


Those were the only words he could think of to describe it all.


"Run me by everything, Tony..." He said. "Fucking hell. Ra's almost killed Thalia - I'm just... As dark as it sounds, I'm glad I didn't see any of it happened. Listening to it was sickening enough, I..." He shook his head. "Fuck." He looked out of the window, staring at nothing. "We got the guy from them, then. He's in the car?" He asked. "What's the plan? First thing's first, we need to make sure James gets back here okay, because... I'm sure he'll be fine, but, we better not make any major calls without him here to know about them." He said.

 

[KasperXIII]

Slumber was the best escape Thalia had through her years in Al-Asheera. It was the one place in reality that Ra's couldn't follow her and do the unthinkable. It didn't even matter what came up in her sleep. Pure darkness? Still miles better than cigarette burns and nosebleeds. Even her nightmares weren't as bad as the torture. This time, though? Ra's took his usual methods to an extreme. She'd been slapped, yelled at, cursed, called names, pinned down, gripped by the throat, touched inappropriately... but never burned. Never made to bleed. Never lacerated. It felt like the psycho was going to consider killing her for a moment, but Thalia knew calling the operation off was a bad idea. Assassinating the Head would paint a bullseye on all of their heads. And she couldn't do that. James, Karin, Frank, even Tony. They didn't deserve it. In her own mind, she made a sacrifice so their operation could continue. It almost costed her her life, but the good thing? She lived. Barely. The pain slowly lifted as she drifted further and further into a deep sleep. Through the car ride, all she could do was grip Frank's torso and using his shoulder as a pillow to drift to sleep on. Things will get better... maybe this will be the last time he does it to you? ... You're not a whore, T. He's just getting in your head. You can feel loved. You have a chance in this world. Don't lose that hope. You still have Karin, who probably wants to see you again. Frank, too. You can get passed this... think about Charlie. Do you really want him to live his life without ever meeting his sister?


In fact, it was this eight year old boy himself that Thalia dreamed of. Seeing those files that James gave her, she now had a concrete image of her little brother. For the longest time, whenever she tried to picture Charlie, it would be an ambiguous physical appearance, one that would change in every different fantasy. Now, she had something real to go by. That picture that James enclosed was her permanent reference for her brother, thinking about him in his activities, the ones she read about in the file. And there was still more for her to go over later when she was awake. What was in her head? An image of the two of them--Charlie and Thalia--here in LA, the older sister showing her brother the beach, endlessly talking to him about things he probably didn't understand from the sea, but the big words seemed to make him laugh. His voice... she had a reference for that after the phone call. If only she could've heard him in a happier mood. If there was any motivator for her? It was her brother. She couldn't die. She couldn't let Ra's end her life. Fight another day. Ra's will fall someday. And when that day comes, Thalia could be free. Freedom... oh, how she craved that. No more Al-Asheera. Just a girl trying to live her life. For now, she was the injured living sacrifice resting in a bed with two detectives watching over her in her slumber. Not exactly awkward. She would never know, still fast asleep and captivated by her dreams of her brother.


Tony could only look back at a defenseless Thalia buried in the sheets of the bed. He couldn't even believe it. As a guy who gave her a relatively nasty beating earlier, what Ra's did was unreal. Physically, Thalia looked terrible. Not to mention the emotional and psychological harm inflicted upon her. Just a look at her eyes when she hopped into the getaway vehicle spoke a number for the experience she'd endured. The veteran detective was lucky that he wasn't subjected to perceiving the action. He never heard it nor saw it. It made him feel bad, for everyone. Bad for Karin and James, who had to watch it. Frank had to hear it. Thalia felt every sense in the book. It was her being abused after all. Poor thing... Maybe it was time for a few nice words with the mystery redhead. Seeing her like this made him realize something: she couldn't have liked whatever happened to her. She wasn't like Ra's. Not like Al-Asheera. This poor girl was ripped away from what could've been a good life. Tortured and made into something horrible that he did nothing but judge. The thrilling desire to build tension between the two was still there, but it was tamed. There's no way he could do keep this up with her in this condition. For now, at least, he'd officially tone things down, sighing at the sighed of the woman. He'd get close just to look at her, but she probably wouldn't be comfortable with it. Frank probably wouldn't be either. He seemed very protective of her, understandably so. But while they let the girl get the proper rest she needs, Frank and Tony had a lot to talk about. Maybe Thalia would wake up feeling better later.


"Frank... before we say anything, I just wanted to apologize for what I said about Natalie back at Karin's.... I let my anger and bitterness to Thalia get the better of me. And it still does. I don't like her. But for sure? She doesn't deserve what Ra's is doing to her... just look at the poor thing." A quick look back at Thalia, her head was the only part of her body showing from the sheets, a cut on her cheekbone showing from it, her eyes still red from all of the crying she couldn't control, and beneath her shoulder revealed much more. "I can't imagine what it was like to hear all of that, Frank. You guys.... God, I think it was a blessing that I lost my earpiece. She must've been in agony... right? Screaming, begging for mercy, squirming... why didn't she call it off? Why didn't she order James to kill her?"


A good question that everyone was wondering. And a common notion: Thalia liked it. But only one person could answer that.


"Baldy's in the trunk, still unconscious. I'm ready to pull him out when you are. But yeah... I think we need to intervene. Us, James, maybe even Karin, too. We have a living Al-Asheera member who is still loyal and may know more than Thalia. He's definitely of use. So let's go find the others.... but Frank..." Tony extended his right hand forward in a hand-shaking manner. "Truce? We still have Ra's and Bradan to take down together... I'd hate to do that without my favorite new partner?"


Time to put the bitterness with Frank aside, all of the disagreements aside.

 

[DrTrollinski]

Maybe he did clock a tad bit of sympathy from Tony there, and for once, he had a truly genuine apology. Frank supposed he also had a few words of sorry to mutter, too, but that didn't mean anything in the heat of the moment of things. Apologies weren't going to save their lives, and it certainly wasn't going to put Ra's nor Bradan behind bars. He looked at Tony and nodded a couple of times, then reached out and shook his hand in acceptance. Bury the hatchet, let it all go, don't let this thing come between them. They were good detectives together, but, how long would the status of detective last in the position they were in? They'd gotten overly-curious in all the business that was going on actively. Bradan, Al-Asheera, rats inside the LAPD. All of that was on their backs now, and Frank could only imagine they were about to fall into someone's cross-hairs. He didn't like the thought of it, but it was one he couldn't help but imagine. Things could get very bad, very quickly - if shit was going to hit the fan, he wanted to be there beside his partner to be able to experience it. At least the two of them could go down together, he guessed.


"We're at a truce, for sure." He said. "It's no hard feelings about Natalie. As much as I wish it could be something that never happened, trying to grasp onto it continuously and jumping at the throat of anyone who goes near it isn't a way to live my life. As a kid, after she went missing, after she turned up dead..." He shook his head, "I didn't sleep properly for months. Spent more or less every night in my parents' bed. I guess it's everything that follows after it that fuels my anger towards the whole thing. I wouldn't say I was... Robbed, of a proper childhood, but I can't deny my childhood was shattered for a while. All of that sticks with you, no matter how much your parents and your friends try to help you forget it. All those school counselors and all that? Heh." He shook his head. "Didn't do shit for me. It took some time, my own time. Long into my teenage years was when I started to come to terms with it, but... Life ain't all bad, even if it might seem like it is. Life's unfair, but it's still good." He shrugged.


He looked at Thalia for a moment and shook his head, "She was in a lot of pain. Be thankful you didn't hear it." He said. "I don't know why she didn't say the word, make James take the shot. It... Upsets me that she forced herself to endure that. I don't know what sort of questions you might ask - I know for a while I was asking why she didn't call out and end it there and then, but..." He sighed and closed his eyes. "She suffered. She suffered more you can even see in her now - It's like... Christ, it's like one of those cases where you see the victim of a vicious robbery-assault, or a home burglary, or something. Not... Not someone you sleep with." He gulped. "What fucked up son of a bitch would do something like this?" He asked. "We need this guy behind bars. For all we know, this guy's doing the same thing to other younger beautiful women on the downlow. All these prostitute murders and shit? For all we know, it might be him doing that. Wave some money about, and getting a pretty girl from the street corner - or anywhere, really - isn't a hard thing to do. We just don't know." 


"Karin might be of some help for all of this, for the intervention." He said. "I don't doubt that she'll want revenge for what happened to her friend - If she can help us out, I'm sure she'll jump at the chance." He said. "She's a smart girl, one that probably has a few tricks up her sleeve. If she managed to nab that ten-grand watch from Bradan himself? She must know a thing or two. She's good enough behind a computer, but I do wonder how good she'll be out in the real world. I think the first thing we do is get James to run this guy through facial recognition." He said, nodding off towards the door - he was obviously talking about the guy in the trunk. "If we find anything on him - family, close friends, kids - I know, I know, danger zone, but anything towards family can just be empty threats, maybe decoys. Anything we do won't be genuine. I'm not hurting any kids. Or anyone that's not associated with Al-Asheera, for that matter. All it'll be is dirt." He said. "James has contacts - He can help us do that, if we find anything. From what I can tell, the guy can pull off an excellent bluff."


"Also, Tony, I'm sorry for... Well, being a bit distant. And that snappy color remark in the hotel. Can I..." He paused. "Let me ask you, Tony, and whatever you say doesn't leave this room." He said. "Are you... Are you colorblind?" He asked. 


Speaking of the devil, the sound of the front door opening and then closing was soon heard.


"That must be him." He said. "Also, Tony..." He sighed, "It was Redgrave I saw there today. I'm not sure if I told you, but it was him, in the flesh. Him and his two kids." He smiled a little, "Has a little boy, and a daughter. I told you before - I was almost caught looking his way. The resemblance between him and his son is absolutely incredible. They look so alike." He chuckled. "Anyway, come on, we better talk to James." He said, patting Tony on the shoulder before walking out into the hallway. There he was, unscathed and dressed in the clothes he'd left in, the beach bag still in his hands.


"Honey, I'm home." He joked, simply. "What's the situation?" He asked. 

 

[KasperXIII]

The issues between Frank and Tony would now be water under the bridge, the partners going back on the same page as best as they could, putting their disagreements and feuds behind them. Tony surely didn't want that kind of animosity anymore. Frank was the best replacement for Richard he could find. To throw that away over Thalia? Or over Natalie? It seemed too trivial. No, they were a powerhouse that couldn't be compromised. He produced an equal handshake in return. A finalized truce. Peace at long last. "It's all behind us, Frankie. What, are we going to let something this irrelevant get in the way of our partnership? Friendship, even? We can live past this. Maybe at the end of the day... we could get drinks or something? Like last night?"


Little did Tony know about Frank's date with Thalia, but maybe that would come up later. Maybe not.


As he grabbed a plain button-up white shirt and placed it over his shirtless body, Tony's gaze hovered over Thalia. So innocent... so fragile. Buckling a few buttons, he continued, "I don't plan to stress her out. She doesn't need it. We'll try to figure out as much as we can on our own. Yeah, I'm also wondering why she didn't call it off. She had a safe word that she didn't use. It makes me wonder so much... Did she want to be abused? Probably not. She looked so miserable when you brought her over to the car. Why did she endure the torture? The suffering? Just to keep the operation alive? Or something else.... God, beats me, Frank, but no girl deserved to endure that. Just look what it did to her. Everyone has a breaking point, even a tough girl like Thalia. Ra's shattered her. I never thought I'd say this but... poor Thalia. And no doubt Karin wants revenge for what he did. Those two are close, like, tight. Remember when we first met them? They insisted on being a package deal until the end. Now? One of them is laying a bed, almost died moments ago... it's scary. We'll need to talk to James and Karin later. If Thalia needs to sit out the next part of our plans to rest off her injuries, then so be it. And I'm sure you agree with me there. She isn't fit to go charging back to the front lines. Not like this. She needs at least a day to shake this off. Mentally and physically."


What was this... Tony being sensitive towards Thalia? Was his crush on her manifesting properly for once? So strange... But it felt better than acting bitter towards her. It must be the sight of her almost dying that triggered it.


A skeleton of his finally caught up, and he saw it coming after Frank directly called it out on comms before. Colorblindness. The fumble with Thalia's tank top was obvious, and he said it was red every so confidently. Red and green confusion, one of the most common explanations? Exactly what he deduced. Frank's a detective, a skilled on in fact. He would pick up on this sooner or later. He expected it. A smirk came before saying, "That tank top was green... wasn't it?" A glance back and forth in the room to ensure nobody was around. Karin was nowhere in sight, Thalia fast asleep, James probably only on his way. Tony had to make this quick, and to the point. There were probably many suspicions running through Frank's head to address, and Tony was prepared to come clean about it all. His head leaned in close and told Frank in a whisper, "This can't reach the department, Frank. I could lose my badge.... Yes. I am colorblind. And yes, Melissa was my medical examiner at the time. And before you even ask, yes, she did clear me as a result as well enough to move forward. She forged a medical exam so I could stay in the academy... But you do know the repercussions of this being exposed. I'm sure you can tell what kind of world of trouble we'll both be in. Please, Frank. Don't come clean about this. Being a detective... it's been my life's dream I've been living for ten years. Don't ruin it because of some dumb disorder that I can't do anything about...." He groaned, realizing he wasn't all that convincing. "It's not fair... Not fair that something I was born with will hinder me my entire life. It's... not fucking fair..."


Indeed, it wasn't. He had to show Frank his trust with that secret. It was a must.


Finally, James came back. With his return, Tony took a few steps closer, gesturing his hand behind his back to Thalia, resting in bed fast asleep. "Thalia's pretty beaten up. Alive, though. She fell asleep in the car. Whether that was asleep or her passing out... ugh, it beats me. But she's alive and resting at long last." Tony sighed, turning around side by side with James, just watching the redhead in the bed Frank dropped her off at. The veteran detective shook his head in a sort of dismay. "She had a safeword to end it all... why didn't she use it? Why did she let herself suffer for the operation? I doubt she enjoyed that. Nobody would enjoy this. I'm sure we all have our questions but she needs to rest." James would probably question where Tony's kindness came from, but he kept talking regardless. "Next time, if Ra's has to get close to her... I swear, James, when you take that sniper rifle, and that monster tries to make a move on her like that again, the first scream of horror she makes, you put a bullet in Ra's. I don't care about the aftermath. We can handle it. I'm sure we can." It might cost him his life as he knows it, but... Thalia didn't deserve this. Not at all.


"One more thing... our bald guy with the northern star tatt? He's in the trunk of the Optima, still out cold. Any plans for him?"

 

[DrTrollinski]

"Yeah, Tony, drinks would be nice." He said. He thought that maybe some recovery time would be better for Thalia - It might be safer for her to stay here with the others, just for one night, so she could rest up and have her wounds treated. Frank was willing to bet that James had medical knowledge, at least somewhat, so that he could treat Thalia. There wasn't much he could do other than clean her wounds, give her some water, and put some ice on her head and maybe some ointment on her burns. They did look nasty, and they'd probably scar, too. Everything that had happened to her made Frank feel so angry. Maybe drinks with Tony would better than nothing. He was going to have to get back to Tony on the idea of drinks, really. "I'll let you know how I'm feeling later tonight. Obviously, after everything that's happened, and what's also bound to happen within the next while..." He shrugged. "I never thought I'd say it, but, maybe drinking will be something I'll want to avoid. Let's see." He said.


Alcohol was a depressant, after all. The last thing he wanted was to be drinking something that made him more miserable.


"I don't know why she went through it. I wish I knew." He said. "All we know is she knows Ra's a lot better than we do - If he dies, then she was already his prime suspect in things by the sounds of it. At least now..." He shook his head, "At least now he trusts her more, even though it came at a great cost." He said. "If he was killed there, then everyone else would immediately blame three people - Thalia, me, and you. Melissa would have been executed instantly, and that would be the end of the road for all of us. It's not nice to think about, but sadly, that's the way it is. She took a big leap for us, and right there in that room, she was just about hanging on the edge. Hopefully she manages to pull herself back up - If she doesn't..." He shook his head. "I didn't see what happened, Tony, but hearing how she reacted to things, hearing some of the things that happened... I can tell you now that Ra's hits hard." He gulped.


He did bring the colorblindness up, though, and it turned out that this whole time, in his ten years of being a detective, that he'd been colorblind this whole time. Incredible.


Frank didn't really know what to say at first, but he knew his job meant a lot to him, so he was going to leave it at that. There was no point even thinking about bringing that up to anyone - at the end of the day, they'd started off well and formed a strong friendship. There was no need to trash that now.


"Don't worry, Tony." He said. "Your secret's safe with me. We all get things in life that we wish we could change, things that happen to us that we just could do without, sometimes things that hold us back." He shrugged. "My lips are sealed. You're a natural at what you do. You don't need to be able to see green and red properly to be able to do that, do you?" He chuckled. "You don't need to grovel and beg to me, Tony. I'm not that much of a dick. I won't fuck you on that, I swear to you. That wouldn't be right." 


With that cleared up, the conversation with James was fresh in the light not too long after, and it was time to decide exactly what they were going to do with the mystery man.


"She suffered for the sake of all of us, and we need to respect her for doing so." James said, blankly. It was clear it wasn't something he enjoyed watching - he had to sit there with the rifle, watching Ra's do everything he did to her, and there was nothing he could do about it, all because Thalia didn't state the fucking safeword. Such a shame. James would have taken pleasure in killing him. The whole time it was happening, he was just picturing him doing the same thing to a younger girl, a child, and that fueled his fury more. His fire was roaring, even still now. "Until we get the chance to make it up to her, we have to make a move and do what we can with this guy we've got of theirs. It's going to be hard to figure out exactly where he went - it makes things moderately concerning in that sense, too." He sighed. "If this is Ra's right hand, there hasn't been enough retaliation. At least not in my opinion. If this was his best guy, surely, he would have come forward already. Or maybe he hasn't realized he was gone - did he even know that this man was there with him?"


James thought for a moment, "Even so, the fact he disappeared without him is nothing short of worrying. We don't know whether or not we can expect retaliation, but, we're going to have to be ready for it, just in case. At least we've got a face to put to Ra's now. Everything on the camera feed would have downloaded to a dedicated server, so that means we've got something more to work with now. As for our Mystery Guest, we need to press him, and we need to get every ounce of information out of him." He explained. "I say we take him out to the desert, unleash some hurt on him. If we do that, we can crack him eventually - We'll send a picture of him to Thalia, too, see if she can identify him. If we did do that, who would you want out there? I'll be going along, no doubt about it." He said. 


"How does that plan sound to you?"

 

[KasperXIII]

Did this girl in bed really give herself up, potentially willing to die, just so the rest wouldn't be pursued? Maybe so. If she called out the safeword and ordered the hit on Ra's, she'd be blamed for his death. As a direct consequence, the other four would eventually be connected and pursued. Thalia kept saying that if Ra's were to be killed, there was a chance that one of The Ten would succeed him. As much as Tony wanted to believe it was Thalia herself that would take the reigns to rebuild the empire, he had his doubts after seeing the display she showed now. She hates Ra's, Al-Asheera, the whole nine yards. And she's fighting to watch it all burn to the ground. Even enough to give herself up to propel the force against them forward. In its own scary way, Tony found it admirable of her. Heroic. Crazy, but it could work. They just had to be careful from now on. Tony didn't know if he could live with himself knowing Thalia died on his watch.


James brought up a noticeable concern about the bald man stowed away in the trunk. Ra's literally left the resort immediately after leaving Thalia behind in the wreck they found her in. At first, it seemed as if the right-hand man tagged along, as the redhead warned them was a worst-case scenario. It even seemed that way when he found Tony, distracted him, and cornered him in the bathroom. As if to give safe passage for Ra's to walk in without incident. Hell, Tony was now a high-priority face within Al-Asheera, seeing they had his girlfriend held hostage. But... Ra's didn't wait for the right-hand man. He just left without him. Was it the escape procedure? Did taking him away fuck with that? Frank and Tony hadn't received more death threats in the meantime. The case might be that Ra's didn't know his right-hand man would be on the scene, and the distraction was nothing more than a coincidence with the Hand simply trying to collect a bounty. It might work in their advantage, given the madman doesn't know where his underling was at the the time. If they ditch his body in the desert, disappearing from society, it would look like he vanished from the face of the earth. It would be a red flag, but not tied to them. It could work.


"Thalia has already said time and time again that a facial recognition check on Ra's would be useless. The last confirmed picture of him on record, under the real name Rami Younes, was 30 fucking years ago. He was only 15 back then. And in a mental facility. However, we have one better: his face caught on OUR feeds, and that portrait of him hanging on the wall. We have the upper hand. We know how their leader looks at long last. And we have Thalia to thank for that." An unusual feeling in Tony's chest. Thanking Thalia? That's a first for him. His stomach felt the butterflies within it, partially from his feelings for her. Finally saying something nice about her. This was a start. "His right hand man, though? I'm not entirely sure. Thalia's last seen picture is her when she was 13, as you've probably discovered, James. Who knows when this guy in the trunk was last seen? He could go as far back as Ra's himself, giving us nothing... except family, that is. If we corner him with his loved ones, or at least make him believe we can do the unthinkable, then we can take advantage of him, make him confess. But damn, these Al-Asheera men are resilient. They're trained not to talk. 'Fuck yourself', they keep saying in the interrogation room. Must be the ruling of Ra's. Oddly enough, Thalia didn't follow that trend when we interrogated her. She got a bit defensive, then cracked... she wanted to seem tough, but she was on the brink of falling apart for so long. Just imagine what this girl could've been if she never ran away from home."


James might've been able to take a guess if he read Thalia's bio and looked into her real name. The life of a 13 year old honor student. Her first 13 years were full of merits, ones she probably didn't ask to be a part of, but still in them nonetheless. Unfortunately, her adolescence was riddled in a realm of crime. Quite a shame she did that to herself. Maybe she would've become an important person. A doctor, or lawyer of sorts. Lawyer maybe, since she has a tendency to argue. Such wasted youth. Now, all anyone could do is wonder, what if?


But questions of what if weren't their focus. The focus was Baldy, sitting in the back of the Optima, still out cold most probably. And even if he's not, he can't off himself in the trunk.


"I'm on board taking both of you along, but I'm worried that Karin would have to go double duty on babysitting. She's got her brother sick in bed. Now Thalia?" Then he remembered: Frank. As much has he had great distaste for the spark between the two, he came to terms that it was in her best interest to be near someone she trusts. And it's clear as day that she trusts Frank. "Frank... I hate to sideline you on this, but she trusts you. She's comfortable around you. I'm half tempted to have you stick around here and keep watch over her. Make sure she doesn't do anything incredibly stupid, like try to follow us. Make sure she's getting some rest, staying calm... It's not exactly the thrilling job of a detective on your second day, sure. But Karin's already got her brother to worry about. I'd hate to put the double stress of her friend as well. You and her... seem close. And if she knows you're staying here to watch her? It might boost her moral. But I'll leave the decision up to you. James and I are going to the Mojave, no doubt. One thing's for sure, we're not leaving Sleeping Beauty back there alone."


Sleeping Beauty. Quite a nickname to give a girl of many names. Al-Jameela. Mystery redhead. Sharmoota, as Ra's mentioned. Why couldn't she just be Thalia Griffin for once?

 

[DrTrollinski]

"Thalia could have come a long way, yeah, that much I don't doubt." Frank agreed, "Both her and Karin, in fact. Sure, Karin's situation isn't quite the same as Thalia's, but even so, the two of them got caught up in something that stopped them from doing something great. Sounds a bit dark, really, because Karin has done something great. She's raised her brother, alone, and that is something I respect. He's a good kid. It's surprising to see a kid like that, especially for someone who's been raised by a single sibling. In the rare occasions that that actually happens, the kids involved don't usually turn out so nice. We've definitely got a couple of golden eggs under this roof, Tony, that's all I'm gonna' say." He shrugged. "Another thing, if the guy in the trunk follows even a similar trend to Pigman, he might have family in the city, might be someone who hides in plain sight." He explained. "Ra's is an exception. Guy like him needs  to stay undercover, but, everyone else? He's in LA. Most of his new recruits are from here, probably, and then there's The Ten. There aren't many people that come here and don't show their face at some point." He said.


There was always the drama of who should stay, though. James honestly wasn't that comfortable leaving just Karin, Thalia, and Joseph in the house on their own. He wanted someone there, but, the chance to be alone with Thalia, even though she was damaged and probably traumatized, was something that Frank jumped at without even needing to be convinced. "I'll stay." He nodded, "I'll hold the fort, keep an eye on everyone here. Might have a little look around the house, if you don't mind, James. Real nice place you've got here."


"Go for it. Do well enough during this operation, and maybe I'll buy you one." He winked, then grinned.


Frank wasn't so sure if he was serious or not, so he just laughed it off, for now. It was sometimes too hard to tell if James meant what he said.


"But yes, Frank, I'm glad you're willing to stay here. I doubt there'll be any danger, so, please, help yourself to drinks, maybe take the chance to have a shower and everything. Take a load off. You're in paradise right now. We're the only people that know we're all here right now, so, I wouldn't worry. Keep in mind, though, once we start going into the Mojave, we're going to have poor cell reception. It's going to take a few hours there and back, so you can't expect us back until late tonight, I can't imagine." He said. "If you need to contact us, you better do it within the next couple of hours. Otherwise, communication might be a bit hindered." He said.


"Alright. Before you leave, I need a picture of the guy's face. Thalia can identify him when she wakes up, and I'll try and send you whatever she says, providing you're not in the middle of nowhere at the time." He chuckled. 


"Alright." James nodded, "I need to go fill up some Jerry cans with some water out back, so, Tony, why don't you take Frank and let him get that photo?" He said, and with that, he went to the garage and got the two empty Jerry cans that were sat there. It was more than obvious what James had in mind - waterboarding, the true drowning simulator. Unless it was by heart attack, it was more or less impossible for the victim to die. Commonly used by many agencies for extreme interrogation methods, alongside various other things. James had some stuff in mind, but, only time would tell what those were. He was going to start off light on the guy, inflict some pain, and then if it came to it, start threatening his family. He had to do some digging before they left, though. As he was walking back through the house with the cans, he nodded to Tony.


"Tony, you get a good picture of his face and send it to me, I'll run it through facial recognition." He said. "Whatever we can dig up on this guy before we leave... Anything will help, basically."

 

[KasperXIII]

Upon collecting the information about the man in the back, Tony and James took to the highway in the direction of the desert. Facial recognition managed to get a hit on the man. Surprisingly, though. Thalia said that most of these Al-Asheera men are hard to track, but this guy got a match. Might be because he was a part of the elite inner circle. Not the petty thieves holding up gas stations. The men responsible for keeping the syndicate on its feet. He needed to be somewhat public, obviously. Maybe not the mayor, but at least someone out there in the public. Nonetheless, unlike the search for Thalia or for Ra's, the man with the northern star tattoo in the trunk got a match. Roland Simmons. Some personal trainer who grew up in Chicago, moved to Philly shortly into his adulthood, then, just two weeks ago, moved to LA. Coincidence? Most definitely not. Exactly the time that Al-Asheera relocated. He worked as a personal trainer in a 24 hour fitness back on the east coast, and when he moved to LA, he started to work as a freelancer. Clearly esteemed as well, with many recommendations and accolades from different athletic organizations and his own clients. He wasn't going to be a pushover in combat. Tony must've gotten lucky in that bathroom. He wasn't going to push it.


Tony remained the designated driver through the trip, but he didn't go without having a conversation with James. Frank stayed behind at the house to watch over the place, keep Thalia safe. "Good thing we got Thalia patched up before we left. Boy, she looked awful when Frank brought her in. I couldn't tell if she fell asleep or passed out in the back of this car. Hope you don't mind she got a bit of blood on the back seat. God... you saw her back, right? Ra's scratched her that badly? He made her bleed, for fuck's sake. How is an animal like that just wandering the streets. How has he been off the radar for 30 years? How has he controlled Philly for 20? How have his own people not turned on him? Is Thalia really the first? How blind is their loyalty? I mean, some people consider cops lapdogs to the law. But these guys? They're lapdogs to an abusive psycho. No wonder he was in an asylum at the age of 12. He's got issues, and he controlled the largest gang-related threat in Philadelphia, having the city under siege for so long. I... I can't let LA turn into what Philly was for the past 20 years, people afraid to take their kids to school out of fear of getting jumped. People getting hurt because of these savages. I mean, I know you don't exactly have a peachy clean background, James, but I bet you agree. What Ra's does is disgusting. He's hardly a human being. I'm... sorry you had to watch what happened to her. Must've been awful."


He sighed. His hatred for Thalia was seriously beginning to fade. Maybe out of pity for the weak? But it was fading either way. He would happily be nice to her now. "So, Frank was right about Simmons being like Pigman. Having a family. Maybe we can use it against him, as sadistic as it sounds. Then again, we are leaving him for dead in the desert. That certainly is one for the books. I trust you know what you're going to do, and I'll stand by and back up when needed."


The conversation was cut short when the sounds of metal being pounded against could be heard in the trunk. It was followed by the senseless screams of a man, "HEY! WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS? LET ME OUT! AM I BEING KIDNAPPED?"


Tony's eyes shot out, but stayed on the road. It was Simmons in the back. Why was he playing the victim? Had he forgotten that he was being tortured in front of a toilet seat before he blacked out? Or maybe he forgot. Who knows. He was begging, and continued to bang at the top of the trunk, the repeated thuds echoing the cabin of the vehicle. "Son of a bitch.... I didn't expect him to wake up, James. Do we just leave him back there? Let him keep banging? Or do we knock him out again? It's a bit of a risk either way. Got a plan?"


Shit... I wasn't expecting this, Tony mumbled in his mind. This could literally have a horrific outcome if they don't plan this right. When they open the trunk, Simmons will try to make a run for it. Maybe even attack one of them. Physically, he's capable, reading his resume. They could be left seriously injured and abandoned on the highway Indeed, things could go horribly wrong the second they pry that trunk open. Biting his tongue, Tony awaited his more skilled partner's decision.


--


The time asleep was exactly what Thalia needed in her condition. She'd put her face in fire and seen hell hours ago back at the resort. Ra's did this to her. Putting ideas in her head, making her suffer. And things were like that for the past eight years, like she told Karin at the bar the other night. Now, James got a chance to see it for himself. Never would she wish that sort of torment on anyone. And even if Thalia runs away to never return, there was still the chance that Ra's finds another defenseless teenager to repeat the cycle with. Were there others before her? Was she the first one to receive that gold ring and a pendant in her image? The thought alone sickened her. Ra's was by far some of the most intolerable scum on the planet. And all it took was two words to end it all, and she didn't. She let him continue to unleash his wrath on her in ways he never has before. It wasn't some sick joy from the whole thing. Thalia hated every second having sex with that brute. It made her sick of sex entirely, even if, just moments ago, she was teasing for it with Frank. Just those ten minutes of him toppling and dominating her made her hate it all. Trauma? Maybe. Thalia didn't consider herself traumatized in that moment. She grew accustomed to the horrors with time. A good rest certainly helped. It got her mind off of her pain and the operation that served her a great injustice. She gave the madman everything he could ever ask for, even told him that she loved him. His love for her was some perverted new meaning she could never fully fathom. And she grew sick of it. She didn't want Ra's anymore. After all these years, why didn't she kill him? She could've. Maybe now, James doubted when she said she could outdo Ra's in combat. In reality, she willfully submitted to the man. It was so that his death wouldn't send waves to the remainder of Al-Asheera. Karin and her brother didn't deserve to be on the run from these animals for the rest of her life. Neither did Frank. Hell, not even Tony deserved that sort of life. And if she died in the rage? Thalia would've died knowing that her friends wouldn't be pursued. But no. She lived, scarring her friends from the sight of her basically being raped, and now wondering... what now?


Now? The redhead awoke from her slumber in a new location. Strange new place, but judging by its extravagant nature, this had to be James' mansion. One of the many bedrooms the place had. Hers now? Perhaps. Head lifted from the seat, her eyes beginning to open once again. The pain in her neck died down, and she noticed it had been bandaged. Odds are, one of the guys in the car took care of it for her. Her arms and legs felt more mobile than before. Just being able to lift the bedsheets from up to her neck and sit herself up straight was a significant improvement to feeling so helpless earlier. It felt good having a bed, much like it did in Karin's old bedroom. Nice and cozy for her. One day, Thalia would be able to relax for good. Lead a normal life like a normal girl her age. Get a job, hold her own, fall in love... well, the last part was already a work in progress...


...which sparked up further as her head rotated around the room when she saw Frank in her room. Waking up with a smile. She'd never done that much in her life. And that's what she did when she noticed the younger detective in the room. A bit shy as well, her face becoming slightly pink. "Were... you watching me sleep?" Not like it mattered. But she was simply curious. Adjusting the strap of her tank top and crossing her legs under the sheets, she continued. "Well.... hope you liked the show. Boring, I know. Usually I toss around more, but I just needed to stay still for once."


Perhaps Frank didn't care about such senseless details. Did he? She didn't know, but she tried to divert the conversation to one more work related... but did Frank want to just have small talk with her? She tried bringing up work just in case, "I heard.... Tony caught someone you thought was part of The Ten? What happened to him? Did he kill himself? Did he talk? I mean... I doubt he would, but... ugh... hell do I know? I know I am pretty useless in bed, Frank, but at least, you know, let me help a bit?"


Moving around extensively would come back to bite Thalia in the ass later, but for now, she stayed at rest in bed. Just Frank's company, be it related to their operation or not, was perfect. She just enjoyed getting a look at the man, no matter what he was doing or wearing. It went to show back when they were getting dressed, but that was certainly a special case. No, Frank was simply fun to be around. Even if they weren't making out or strip teasing. Thalia wanted to sit down with him and just... get to know him further. Maybe he could understand?

 

[DrTrollinski]

James was happy to know that they actually found something on the guy they had in the trunk. Facial recognition got a quick hit - a man as successful as him? What was his reasoning behind joining Al-Asheera if he was successful? Did Al-Asheera give him the success he had now, or, was there something more behind it? James wasn't putting it past anyone at the minute. Things seemed to be rather mysterious. Why were all of these successful people up and leaving for Al-Asheera? It was unbelievable, really. The thing was, though, this man had a ten-year-old boy. James didn't like the idea of hurting kids, and by no means was he planning on doing so, but he got in contact with someone, and the most the kid and the mother and whoever else that was there would be getting was a bit of a fright. There wasn't going to be any sort of harm, not a hair on their heads would be touched.


But the mystery guest didn't know that.


"Mhm. I'm no medical professional but I know a thing or two about patching people up. You can't get shot and walk into a hospital, after all." He said. "You ever been shot before, Tony?" He asked, then chuckled a little. "I was lucky one time, had a bullet skim me, got the tiniest of scars on my side. Doesn't even look like a bullet did it. An inch more towards me, and I wouldn't be sat in this car right now. Isn't it funny how these things work out?" He asked. "Regardless, my medical knowledge combined with the actual training you and Frank would have had made things run smoothly. There's some ointment on the burns, the cuts are cleaned and bandaged, and hopefully she'll be feeling a bit better by the time she wakes up. Frank's going to have a good eye on things while he's there, I'm sure. As soon as we know everything' okay - which I'm sure it is - the better." He said.


"The one question that drives any man, Tony, the one and most powerful question that, if you invest more into it, drives you to do wild and crazy things. What's in it for me?" He said, simply. "That's why they're so loyal. Not only that, we could be dealing with one big fucked up Stockholm Syndrome sorta' thing. They see her beating Thalia around, ruthlessly killing his own men, and because the others are scared, anyone with a backbone gets scared, too." He explained. "They stay loyal because they have no choice. It's like this fuckface in the trunk." He said. "Lovelife, got a kid, same age as Joseph, and he's off doing this shit? Running around with guns and playing the tough guy?" He shook his head, his face riddled with disgust. "Whatever his reasoning, it sickens me. It'd be like me and Karin suddenly taking off and leaving Joseph on his own. Not that I'm much of a figure in Joseph's life right now, but you get the idea. If we were to just up and leave and start throwing ourselves in danger, what would that teach him?"


He sighed.


"All it'd tell him is that no one cares enough to stay. What sort of kid deserves to grow up thinking that of the only people that he cares for?" He asked. "But we'll soon see where his loyalties lie, the guy in the trunk. I've been on the line to a guy, I've got something planned for his little family. Don't worry, though..." He spoke a little quieter. "They won't be harmed, not at all. If anything, given a scare, but only for the purpose of getting baldy to talk. I've made it clear that I don't want a hair on their heads touched. The guy I called knows not to fuck with me on that one."


"You might not believe me when I say it, but, I've seen a lot worse." He said, in regards to what Tony said about having to watch what happened to Thalia. "I'm no saint, but what Ra's did was disgusting. He's easily up there in the top ten of fucked up things I've seen one person do to another. Top of the list, I don't think so, but definitely close." He said. "It's not always about gore. Sometimes it's just straightforward abuse like he was pulling off. Not pleasant, I know, but that's just one thing we're going to have to work to make sure he goes down for." He said. 


Then there was the kicking and screaming in the back. James had no doubt he could best this man in combat, but, it also wasn't worth the risk, not right now.


"Leave him. Keep driving. We'll deal with him when we get to the Mojave." He said. "Let him think about things. The longer we play the silent game, the more it's going to shit him up. We want to be well out in the desert before we pop the trunk. It's too risky here." He said.


--


When Thalia finally awoke, admittedly, Frank had begun to drift off a bit himself. He had a drink in his hand, but, that was just a matter of relaxation more than anything. He wasn't drinking his sorrows away, but he found a nice opened bottle of a rather expensive whiskey, and he just couldn't resist giving it a try while he watched over Thalia. He hoped she was going to be alright when she woke up, or at least feeling a little better compared to before. He knew she was in a bit of a mess, but this was their best bet now. The waiting game while she was taking a long-deserved rest. Frank had no idea how much this would either improve or hinder things between them. He just hoped that she was still cool with him, and didn't think that he thought badly of her. If she started to make assumptions about how he felt, then that wasn't going to do him or her any favors. Chances were it'd just make them miserable. 


When she spopke, he opened his eyes up fully and looked at her. He smiled back, of course, because he was happy to see she was okay more than anything else. She was alive, and better yet, she was smiling. She was smiling at him, and of course, the more he thought about that, the more he smiled, too. He stretched his back and took another sip of his drink, then scanned her over. She was patched up - a little worse for wear, but looking a lot better in comparison to a couple of hours ago. It was nice to see that. She was still beautiful regardless of all the bumps and bruises.


"Watching you sleep sounds creepy." He said. "But... Being a watchful eye is what I was doing." He smiled a little, then let out a tiny laugh, too. "I'm happy to see you're awake. Try not to move around too much." He said. "The guy they captured, they're off dealing with him now, trying to press some information out of him." He said. "Name's Roland Simmons, one of Ra's' right hand, apparently." He said. "Northern Star tattoo, all the rest of it. You get how it is." He said. "Other than that, he's not said anything else yet. We're waiting to hear back from James and Tony. I have faith they'll be fine as the two of them, they're smart, they know what they're doing. If there's anything this guy knows that we don't, I have a feeling that we'll find out exactly what it is before too long." He explained.


"Try not to think about that for now, though." He held up a hand, "Are you feeling alright? Let's... Forget business for just a minute - Do you want me to get you anything? Our evening together isn't necessarily cancelled, just in a change of location. You want something to eat, something to drink? Anything at all? May as well make use of James' fancy kitchen while we're here, right?" He smirked.

 

[KasperXIII]

Tony couldn't help but crack a smile at the team they had assembled from the weirdest of circumstances. Himself, James, Frank, Karin, and Thalia--all five could contribute something to the operation, and all wanted the same endgame. Sure, they've had their disagreements between one another, but after seeing Ra's live and in action--at his worst, even--it put everyone on the same page in its own way. They all realized they had a common enemy, a psycho who didn't deserve a shot at freedom. Even life in some books. A despicable human being without a doubt. The good news was that they were sticking together now and had more reason to watch each other's backs. "I know our road together hasn't been the most pleasant, James. And I'm not just talking about you and me. I mean all of us. But I guess we make a great team. I trust Frank to keep the girls safe. I don't fear anything going wrong down there, but you now... as a cop, you learn to always have a healthy dosage of paranoia. I bet Frank has that in him even if he doesn't realize. When I took him under my wing yesterday, I saw potential. And I certainly wasn't wrong about it." Even with the disagreements, Tony did feel his bond with Frank was still there. A closeness. They'd make for great partners after this is all over.


"Shot? Huh, funny you should ask," Tony chuckled, rolling his fingers across the steering wheel, the terrain around them both becoming more and more arid. They were closing in on the desert, but they needed to go deep. If they dropped him by the outskirts, his remains would be found rather quickly. "It was my... second year? Or third, I don't recall. Second or third year as a detective. There was a burning building and a gunman inside. There was this measly patrol officer lost inside, trying to be the hero and stopping him. He got cornered. And.... well," His chuckled turned into a laugh as the next part of the story went by. "I shouldn't laugh, but I caught the kid in time, pushed the gunman out of the way before he was filled with lead. Or devoured by the fire. Problem is? He had a bit of an itchy trigger finger and... well.... heh, long story short, he shot me in the ass. Put me out of duty for a good week." A light-hearted story, one that Tony talks about with a smile. "I saved the kid's life, and I take a bullet in the ass for him. Well, because of him, moreso. He got suspended for it, poor guy. I got a month where I couldn't leave the office. Damn, James, it was hell. Felt like my office turned into a prison. It's like you said once before, we all need our freedom. The office? It ain't my place to stay forever. To preplan, sure. But I need the fresh air and thrill of being a detective. It's what I signed up for... well, not this sort of thrill, but I bet you understand. Fortunately, my other gunshots were into a vest. And not in the ass or anywhere like that. But I must say... that was my first and most... 'exciting' bullet." The story still humored Tony; he should tell Frank someday over drinks. It was good small talk for the two. "What about you? Most thrilling injury you've ever taken? Don't tell me you haven't had one."


Loyalty. Certainly that was the question of how Ra's made his organization as big as it is now. "He inflicts fear upon his underlings. They get scared to back out or revolt. Hell, I think it's that same fear that made Thalia feel trapped. Like, she couldn't just up and run away. Maybe even afraid to kill him because of retaliation from his most loyal. Worse, he uses his violence towards her as an example. And keeps her alive to repeat the process. Hell, Thalia had a ring on when she left. That wasn't there when we left.... did that monster actually propose to her? Just so he can keep doing this forever? Damn. It's sickening, and Ra's is easily one of the most perverted sons of bitches I've seen in my ten years as a detective. We're not going to let him keep this up. Some criminals I can respect or understand for some creepy reason. Some are unusually charismatic or have a purpose to their actions. Some are like you. Grey hats. But then we have ones like Ra's. No honor. No purpose. No respect for anything or anyone. And that's why he's made so many enemies. It's like Thalia said, he's power-hungry and in over his head. That's why he does what he does."


Then came the angry voice of the trapped man in the trunk, banging against the hood even harder. "I'm gonna rape your bitch, Tony Walsh! I'm going to fuck her so hard and give her back to you completely disfigured! You won't even recognize her! I'll feed her to Ra's, and he will ruin her life!"


Tony had heard worse insults about himself and his loved ones. The only difference? If he survives this ordeal, he might actually make good on his word. Melissa was in Al-Asheera custody after all. He was a bit afraid, but he kept his head up. Kept driving and ignored his threats. They should reach a spot eventually to torture him. Give him his just desserts... in a desert, oddly enough with the play on words.


--


Watchful eye, that's a load of shit. Just say you were staring at me, Frank. I know damn well you were. A thought in Thalia's head, saying it to herself in a playful manner. Aloud, she said it a bit more respectfully, scoffing, "Oh please. Even if you said you were staring at me, I wouldn't mind all that much. Again, I really don't think I tossed and turned all that much. There really wasn't much to see." Watching Frank smile back to her was the best message she could receive right now: his happiness. They were both pleased to be with each other. Half of Frank's being here felt like babysitting, ordered by Tony or James. The other half felt like him just wanting some quality time with her. It was a win-win either way. Without bending all that much, she reached over for her friend's shoulder and nudged him gently. For once, she wanted a happy, playful atmosphere with him. Not worrying about a horrible event of their past making a reappearance. Or a slew of drama started by someone on their team. No, for now, it was just Thalia and Frank. All by themselves. A dream come true.


"Roland Simmons, Northern Star?" She knew the description almost instantly, arching and eyebrow and instinctively spraying everything she knew. "He's... he's more than Ra's' right hand man. He's his best friend. One of the original members of Al-Asheera, the only one still alive besides Ra's himself. Responsible for some of wet work, but rarely robs anymore. Instead, he presents himself instead of the Head whenever the man himself can't make it. His clan name is Al-Yed, The Hand, translated back. That tattoo is there because his father had some fascination for astronomy. He's closer.... god, Frank, he's closer to Ra's than I am. They've known each other for thirty years. If you can break Al-Yed, you'll break Al-Asheera to pieces... You were saying he's bald, though I remember him with a ponytail. Guess he shaved. Huh. Bald wouldn't suit him. I liked the ponytail on him. Sorta."


But clearly, Frank didn't want to discuss work now. None of this Al-Asheera business. Thalia hated feeling useless or out of the loop... but now she had the alone time she desperately wanted. Maybe not to tease him or kiss him, but to have fun in any other way she can. A strange fantasy, her and some lover in a mansion, almost to themselves. Frank would kill her if she tried to crawl out of bed. For now, she only scooted a bit closer to him, staring at his glass of whiskey. She wasn't one to drink a lot, but she wanted to mess around a bit. "How about... you get me some of what you're drinking.... What? I like fancy drinks. Ra's has plenty of cabinets full of shit like that.... Funny story. I first tried vodka at 13 under his supervision. Made me sick the next day, but I got used to it. Guess I like it heavy in some ways." Her fingers lifted over Frank's shoulder and down his arm over to the glass, tracing over the ring of the glass. "Sharing is caring after all, right? Maybe check if James has anything quick laying around in his cabinets. I am a bit hungry myself." Her smile didn't leave her face as she sat by Frank, just getting lost in his eyes and the idea of the two spending time together by themselves, no interruptions or risks.


"Guess... this is a date, right?" Thalia couldn't help but blush at just calling it a date. It was so weird, seeing she'd never felt this way about anyone. Her head bowed slowly, trying to hide her eyes in the strands of her bangs in her usual shy act. "Unless... You don't want it to be a date? Ah, fuck it. If you take too long in the kitchen, I'll get my ass out of bed and follow you." A teasing poke to Frank's neck followed, and she playfully finished her sentence. "I'm warning you."


It was this sort of college-student-in-a-dorm type of fun that Thalia wanted to indulge in with Frank. Sure, he's a grown-ass man. So was she. But who was to stop them from feeling young again? Getting a bit drunk together, talking away a movie or two, getting to know each other? It's all she really wanted. As Frank left the room, she called him one more time, "I'll miss you, Frankie." Of course, with her usual teasing flare. It was all too tempting, and it would most certainly get his attention.

 

[DrTrollinski]

"Most thrilling injury I've ever had?" He laughed, then shook his head. "Oh, man, I've got a funny story about that." He said. "It was way back when I was just a kid, really, in my Jiu Jitsu dojo - I was there taking part in a tournament for my age group. It was the time I got into the newspaper, because I was crowned as some sort of walking legend around there, basically." He smirked, "I was there, eleven years old, doing what I did best at the time. We didn't get too violent, really, but in the tournaments we did, we had teams of kids. All from different age groups. I think was the... Third-youngest. We had a six-year-old, a nine-year-old, then there was me, a fourteen-year-old, and then there was someone who was sixteen, too. Obviously, we got pitched against people our ages. Winning team was determined in a few ways - You didn't have to be the last man standing, but, if you lost a fight, you got knocked out. Your team could still bring it back, though. In my team, the two younger kids got knocked out, so it was me and the older ones." He explained.


"I stepped onto the mat, ready for my fight. Went against someone a year older than me and nearly a foot taller, too. I had to do it, though, because they deemed it a fair fight, y'know?" He shrugged. "Either way, it all kicked off, and straight away we were at it. Kicks, punches, grabs. We had each other on the floor, we had kicks sent at each other's stomachs and hooks thrown around, but, it only got better." He smiled. "We had a two minute fight - If no one submitted or got 'TKO'd', then it was based on a scorecard. We were in the last twenty seconds, and I blocked a particularly ruthless kick with both my arms. A bit painful, but adrenaline does funny things to you. With the same arm, I came right around and sent one solid punch, followed it up with a kick. This kid hit the floor faster than I'd ever seen anyone go down. I was crowned winner." He said.


"But, it was only after the adrenaline wore off and after I was pulled into a group hug-riot by my team that I realized something - The fucker had broken my arm with his kick. Fractured it in two places, and the fact that I'd swung around and hit him with the exact same hand just fucked it up even more. As soon as the pain hit me, I ran off to the bathroom and just sat down on the bench that was in there. It was a changing room joined to the bathroom, y'know? I just sat there and I cried until someone finally figured it out. I guess I was in shock." He said. "But when I was lying in hospital later on, all drugged up, I thought back to it and I realized just how fucking amazing it was." He smiled. "How I won that shit, how I helped my team win that tournament. Sure, it put me out of action for a good couple of months, couldn't go back there, but by the time I'd fully healed?" He shook his head. "That arm wasn't breaking again, no chance." 


"And since then, I haven't lost an arm wrestle with that arm. Bones grow back stronger, providing the break isn't too fucked up." He chuckled. "But yep, that's my most thrilling injury, of course. There's been a lot over the years, but that one's always stood out to me. A classic memory I never forgot. Had my whole team visit me in hospital and everything." He smirked.


"On another note, though, whatever Ra's' intentions are aren't purely clear to us right now. I'm willing to bet he's proposed to a dozen other women over the years, all of them around Thalia's age, all of them young girls. Who knows, right?" He shrugged. "Whatever the case is, we need to make sure we stop him before he can hurt anyone else. You're right, Tony, we can't let this place turn into the kind of place that Philly did. They ruined that city. Property values went down - Think, when Al-Asheera first came around, I was around seven years old." He said. "I know I was young, but I grew up hearing the news, and even a part of me was scared they were going to extend to my neck of the woods, somehow hurt my family, rob the bank my mom worked in, you know the usual stuff." He said. "Now, I'm older and ready for it all - As a kid we're scared of things we don't know how to fight, and we tell ourselves... Y'know, 'it won't happen to me, but what if it does?' - Now? Now you and I and Frank are ready. They're in my neck of the woods, but Ra's is going to regret it. This city already has one prince lined up for the throne, in some ways. He doesn't get to be the guy that walks in and takes it." He said.


"Then there's Bradan. Bradan's people are nothing but snakes." He said. "Unless you're certain that you can trust someone from their ranks, don't trust them at all. I'm sure you guys already know that, though, so we're going to have to leave that for another talk. They're not our main priority right now." He said. 


When the man started shouting out insults and threats, James held up a finger to his lips and silently hushed Tony. It was time to give their guest something to think about.


"Hey, you shut the fuck up back there!" He called out.


Well, that certainly wasn't Tony's voice. Hopefully that'd make him wonder just what sort of situation he was in - Worth a shot, though. He didn't know how much he'd heard already, or if he'd heard Tony at all. Chances were he hadn't, considering he was in the trunk and right by the car's back wheels. The noise would be head-pounding.


--


"Hm, you got me." He held up his hands jokily. "With all due respect, it's hard not to take a look, you know what I mean?" He winked at her, but it only got better. She wanted something to drink, too? Well, she hadn't had any painkillers, so it certainly couldn't hurt if he decided to just share a drink with her and see how things went. He wasn't expecting anything amazing to happen between them, but being able to bond and get to know each other more would be fantastic. They had a lot of ground to talk on, really. She already knew one of Frank's darker secrets, and Frank had heard everything he'd been through not too long ago, and also took her side in the middle of all of the commotion. It was clear that the two of them were meant to be, in some ways, so Frank was going to make sure that was pursued. First thing's first, though. Food and drink. Something that could easily be done.


Roland Simmons, though. Interesting.


"Looks like Tony and James are sitting on a bit of a goldmine, then." He said. "Alright, that's good to know. I'll drop James or Tony a text of some point soon, let them know what you said. I'm sure they'll be happy to know what the stakes are." He said. He was thinking - would Ra's risk a trade-off. Melissa for Roland? It was a tough bet, but Frank could only think that Ra's wouldn't care as much as he thought he would. The guy was psychotic, murdered his own parents. Trust and bonds are two completely different concepts. He may trust Roland, but was he really close enough to give away the one hostage that they had to keep Tony by the balls? Hm. By the end of the day, it probably wasn't going to matter so much. They'd have a location for Melissa one way or another.


"I'll get you something to eat and drink. Wait right here." He winked, and off he went. He went to the room that had the bar in it and poured Thalia a glass of the same stuff that he had, and of course, he whacked some ice in there, too. Next was a stop at the kitchen. Was there anything that they could have that would be worthwhile? He checked the fridge, and there wasn't much in there, but, he did have some idea once he checked the cupboard. He grabbed a box of fancy-looking crackers, a few cheeses from the fridge, and some chutney, too. All of it looked like the organic and expensive stuff. James had a high taste, it seemed. Either way, he carried that back to the bedroom on one plate, and grinned at Thalia when he walked back in.


"A date this is, indeed." He winked. He may have been older and mature, but behaving like a high school kid never really hurt. He quite enjoyed it, honestly. He got a kick out of it in some ways. "Here's your drink..." He handed her the whiskey and ice. "And here's the food. I'm sure we can share." He said, placing the plate down on the nightstand. "Found some fancy-looking crackers and expensive cheese. You're really meant to have wine with this sort of thing, but, I like to be a little crazy." He said. "Let's hope James doesn't mind. Last thing I want to do is eat his favorite nighttime snack." He laughed.

 

[KasperXIII]

Talk about story time for Tony and James, both discussing their past injuries and the thrills of their ventures. Whether it was getting a bullet to the ass by a fellow cop, or surviving an adrenaline rush with a broken arm, they both had their stories to tell. The driver chuckled, toying with his grip on the wheel before replying, "Boy, James... we are all thrill junkies on the inside. In one way or another, right?" Tony wasn't one to throw himself into danger senselessly anymore. In his first few years, he might've fallen into the category of a thrill seeker. An example? Running into a burning building to save a younger officer, who eventually, yet accidentally, shot him in the ass. A fun tale he told people at the station from time to time. Now, he was sharing it with the shady figure he came to know as James. Maybe the five of them would soon become good friends? Things were at an all-time high for the team. Thalia's cruel fate served a purpose: to bring everyone together.


What was Tony like back when Al-Asheera had control of Philly? "I was... what, 15 when they first made a statement on the east coast? I wasn't that young, but I knew the risks of a crew like them invading LA. The things they did in Philly, the fear they drove over the city... I read the reports from their local PD. The things Al-Asheera did. Scaring kids. Wounding their hostages.... I think there was a report of them going on a serial rape spree at one point in their early years. They claim they're just thieves. No. They're worse. They're borderline terrorists. Guided by a heartless pedophile kingpin with no agenda in mind other than havoc. And once Ra's finishes with LA, he'll just move on to another city. Like Thalia said, he wants the sort of bragging rights that he took over the most cities in the US. He'll bring them to their knees until the day he dies. And then what? Will some asshole like Baldy back there take his place? Continue the reign of terror?" Tony paused briefly, pausing. He was venting quite a bit. Perhaps too much, especially with Roland in the back. "I always thought Thalia would take the throne. After what happened to her today? I highly doubt it. And if she did, I think she'd dismantle it...."


But then it hit Tony. What IF Thalia becomes the new Head and makes the decision to disband? An unpopular ruling, but it would officially end Al-Asheera. It would dissolve into a series of petty freelance thieves with nothing to show for. It was a strategy, but he wasn't sure if it was possible.


"Bradan Cabhan.... That son of a bitch has given the PD problems for a while, too. And what makes things worse? Ra's wants to steal his thunder. Take control of LA, thwart the Clover Boys and any other competition. Philly was too easy because nobody ever really challenged his rule. He WANTS an enemy besides the local PD. And he's poked the Clovers by setting foot in Burbank. That cafe they hit yesterday morning? That's Clover territory to my knowledge. Ra's literally raised the middle finger and spat in Bradan's face there. The problem is... how much longer can he do it before it bites him in the ass."


All good things do come to an end. Even the reign of Ra's. He might be on cloud nine now, but he had a small army coming after him. Tony, Frank, Karin, Thalia, and James, against the remaining members of The Ten. One of the most valuable betraying them, another one dead in the LAPD HQ bathroom, and the third one stowed away in the trunk. Little did Tony realize how useful Roland truly was. It could give Melissa her freedom back. And she could be on a plane out of here, as James promised. The hacker seemed to be a man of his word. He delivered on Thalia's request for an inquiry about her brother. Who's to say he'd break his promise about a plane to a Greek island?


Once again, Roland had to kick the hornet's nest after James ordered him to stop talking. "You fuck yourself! I know Tony Walsh is up there! Or you can at least talk to him! Tell him I'm going to fuck your bitch so hard she'll bleed from her asshole for the rest of her shit life! And then Ra's will fuck Tony's asshole! Then yours! Hail Ra's! He shall damn you to hell!" The yelling probably came from being close to the wheels. Every bump felt like a mini explosion to his ears, and his head would bash against the hood each time. A painful experience, but he was ready to attack when the time was right.


A groan came from Tony. The senseless yelling and insults, as well as the banging and thrashing against the trunk of the vehicle were clearly enough to get on anyone's nerves. It also showed what kind of a lapdog he was to Ra's, blindly throwing insults and profanity to get attention and, hopefully, make someone open the trunk, giving him a chance to hurt someone and make a run for it. Or off himself. Whichever was simply. Not on Tony's watch. This was the closest they've come to Ra's since Thalia came clean. Also a gateway to finding Melissa, which Tony was still hellbent on doing. Poor thing... what was Ra's doing to her right now?


"Son of a bitch is annoying," Tony sighed in a low voice, throwing his head back against the cushioned seat of the Optima. The landscape was slowly becoming more and more desert based. Were they far enough? That was for James to tell. Tony's job wasn't as an executioner or anything like that. This was uncharted waters for him. "Fucking hell... you tell me where to stop. I don't come out to the Mojave all that often. Not exactly a romantic hotspot, you know?"


Hotspot. Desert. Quite a pun, which Tony chuckled to briefly.


--


Hearing Frank admit that this was a date was certainly a joy for Thalia's young heart, joyfully screaming in her head. One of her dreams in her sleep just now: her with Frank. Just like what was about to unfold. He brought her the same drink he was having, as well as whatever he could find in James' place. Hopefully the criminal mastermind wouldn't have a problem with them raiding his snacks, drinking his booze, and having a laugh in one of his many bedrooms. Would Thalia want anything further? Any sort of intimacy? After what she went through with Ra's, she would naturally side against it. But shit happens when you drink. And she was willing to take the risk having a good time for once. Every time she'd have a glass with Ra's, it'd end... badly. Oftentimes with him throwing the glass at her and making it shatter on her body, once on the face. Painful experience after painful experience that haunted her. But Frank? He seemed like a sweetheart enough to trust him with alcohol. As he passed the glass of iced whiskey down to her, she took it in both hands and gave him a reassuring smile. She wasn't on medication of any sort, so a little drink wouldn't hurt anyone. A little fun as the day was coming to an end, the night on the verge. A click of their glasses together started their 'date'. "To us... to the prevention of sickness... to good fortune... and whatever fucking sappy shit they say at parties." She couldn't help but laugh after that, bowing her head. "I am no good at this, and I'm not even drunk yet." After, she took a first sip of her drink, both hands around the glass, being careful to not drop it. She didn't feel weak or anything. She just wasn't one for elegantly holding her glass. She did what she felt comfortable with.


Placing the glass aside by the platter quickly, she reached forward for Frank's arms, gently pulling him to sit in the bed right in front of her. "You like crazy? Well.... let's get a bit wild, shall we?" Thrilling. As unprofessional as it would be to have drinks, sit in someone else's bed, and talk their problems away, it's what Thalia wanted to do. Maybe Frank could dig it as well. She took her glass back, and placed the platter in the center of the two. "Well, dig in. Not gonna eat this all by myself. I'm not THAT much of a pig."


On the contrary. Thalia wasn't one to eat much. It might've been because Ra's didn't really feed her properly. This seemed perfect enough for her. Almost instinctively, she took the knife that came with the plate of cheese and toyed with it between her fingers. A rather... unorthodox way of handling kitchen utensils, which she justified, "You guys are gun nuts. I prefer... well, sharp objects. Stabbing and cutting this...." Wow, that's NOT how you start a date, T. "I mean... I'm not a sadist. I don't.... cut people..." Her playful voice slowly faded out of nervousness, lowering the knife down to cut through a slice of the block of cheese. "Shit.... That's not flattering on my part, is it? Whoops..."


Cover it up, T. Something, anything! Hopefully, Frank would interpret this as her being a dork or something. A dork who knows how to cut things. Again, not flattering. As she took the slice of cheese and placed it over one of the fancy crackers, she held it closer to her mouth and took it into her mouth. Eating in front of people was a bit embarrassing, especially with how ashamed she was of her body, so she hanged her head down a bit. What started as a wild date in her mind was ruined because she said something she shouldn't. But she wanted it to recover. She took her drink back from the nightstand and took another sip of her drink, squinting her eyes as she did. "Damn, that shit's good. Strong, but I like. Not every day I drink. I can't even remember..... Ra's hasn't really treated me to anything fancy ever since... well, Vanessa died. I guess it was my punishment? Then he asks for my hand in marriage..."


As she added that part about the proposal, she looked over to her left hand, her ring finger bearing that gold ring with the emerald at the heart of it. She personally found it hideous, something she would never wear. Gold was distasteful to her, and adding on that it came from Ra's made it even less appealing. She placed her drink in between her crossed legs briefly to remove it from her slender fingers to pass it on to Frank. Once it was out of her possession, she took her drink back and explained it. "That ring is... sacred to Ra's. He told me it would go to his wife when he decided to marry. When I was 14, I hoped to be that lucky girl. Little did I know how... unlucky I would be to wear it today. And the torture that followed it. He told me in my ear... that this would become daily...." Her voice began to resonate an element of fear, talking about Ra's and her future. "The burns. The punches. The scratches. He'll keep doing that if he marries me, Frank. I can't let that happen to me."


Her sigh told of one thing: she didn't want to talk about anything depressing. She drank away the bad thoughts in her head, the strong taste of the whiskey stinging at her brain in a way that got her over her mental stress. A loud exhale showed how she enjoyed it. "Fuck it, I can't help but always think about the negative, Frank. We need to talk about something positive..... Today was..." Maybe some more positive venting would help her smile. And this thought indeed did. "I saw a picture of my brother for the first time. He's eight years old... my parents had him six months after I left home. Poor guy probably doesn't know he has a sister, but one day, once Al-Asheera's gone, I want to meet him. It might be a bit strange that I'm this excited to see my little brother. What big sister would be? But I never met him. I just... want him to know I exist. Maybe call from time to time? Tell me how he's doing in school? Maybe I can keep him on the straight and narrow, unlike myself?" Charlie. A good positive thought in her head. Leaving the drink on the nightstand again, she reached for the tight pocket in her shorts and removed a picture. She moved the picture of Charlie she kept into her new outfit. No way was she letting it go. She passed it over to her detective for a boyfriend to see himself. "That kid, Frank. I know so little about him, but I'm proud of what I've heard so far. He's like I was in so many ways. When I meet him.... God, I can't wait."


Finally, some refreshing positive thoughts in her mind. That smile she gave off before was there to stay. She quickly cut another piece of cheese from the block and placed it between two of the crackers, leaning closer to Frank. "Come on, big boy. I'm not going to pig out alone." Her hands moved a bit closer to Frank's mouth, as if to feed him herself. Cute, in a way, so she thought. Maybe a bit weird. But what she wanted.

 

[DrTrollinski]

"We are indeed. Thrill-junkies aren't something that are hard to come across. My theory is everyone enjoys a good thrill, everyone enjoys taking a risk." He said. "I mean, just take a look at everyone you meet. There's something they'll do that'll show they're an adrenaline junky in some ways. I bet even that kid Joseph is. He wants to play soccer, has a lot of energy, seems like the sort of boy that'd be willing to do just about anything if he was given the chance. That's just the thing - the thrill people look for can get them in danger, but, sometimes it feels like it's worth it. Look at skydivers and everything, but let's not wander too much off-topic. We know we're thrill-seekers in ourselves, and that's that. Whatever other people decide to do is down to them, really. If it's dangerous... I guess it's Darwinism at work. You never know." He shrugged.


The friendship was slowly growing, really, and he and Tony seemed to see similarly about a lot of things. That was another thing he liked about the spot he was in. Tony was a good guy, and he was someone he wanted to get to know more. "Al-Asheera are nothing but terrorists who wear suits and cover themselves in tattoos. They probably brainwash their members to believe in the glory and fame that comes with all of this, to believe that what they're fighting for is some sort of cause. They ain't shit." He said. "All they are is exactly what you said - Terrorists, or something very close to it. As for Bradan, as for the territory Al-Asheera are stepping on..." He sighed. "It's going to end in an all out war. That's all it's going to turn out to be unless we step in and stop them soon, y'know?" He said.


"Bradan will retaliate - In fact, he has retaliated." He frowned. He figured now was a better time than any to tell Tony. "Bradan did the 7/11. He was the one behind it all, at least some of his people were." He said. "I only know because..." He paused. "Look, I'll tell you the full story later on, but, the bottom line is, I know someone in his ranks did it. They have someone in the LAPD that tipped them off. I don't know who that is, but, I know they were behind a lot of it." He explained. "It's a long story, Tony, one that we shouldn't talk about now. Not with that worm in the trunk, just in case he overhears." He said. There was still more profanity being shouted from the guy in the back, but, he was dealing with that, and he didn't bother responding to him. He had a graphic and particularly crude way of talking, but, James didn't bother replying. If they showed weakness, then they were going to find themselves in a spot where the guy had something to play on.


"He's annoying, but he's going to regret them soon enough." He said, quietly. "He's been thrown around enough as it is. He'll be dazed, disoriented, probably a bit motion sick in some ways." He said. "We'll have no problem. We're almost far enough now - It's going to be hot out here, so, I've brought water for the two of us, as you've seen. This guy won't get shit. We'll leave him for dead if we have to, of course." He explained. "We'll soon see how things turn out. Either way, the guy's not going to be feeling so great after we're done with him. We start off light, waterboarding, giving him a little bit of a beating. Tie his hands together when we stop, you pin him, I'll put the water over his head and see how much he likes the feeling of drowning in the blazing California heat. If that doesn't work, I'm going to start breaking bones - if that doesn't work, I call my guy, and we start making threats to his family." He whispered.


"Drive west a little bit, by about five minutes. We'll stop there and kick this thing off." He said.


Inevitably, when they were out in the middle of nowhere, it was the time to stop. James pulled out his silenced pistol and looked at Tony. "You open the trunk. As soon as it's open, I'll have the gun on him. If he tries anything, he gets a bullet in the shin." He said, simply. "We need to do this quick, get what we can out of him. If we need to, we can drag out his suffering. We need to make this guy's life absolute hell until he gives us what we want." He said.


--


He chimed his glass against hers and smiled. She seemed like a fun person to be around. She had a good sense of humor, one that Frank found comparable to his own. As time went on, Frank was going to find life could throw many complications at him, many different things that could impact every single thing, but as they came along, he was going to deal with them. For now, he was living in the moment and enjoying his time with Thalia, as he was meant to. He couldn't picture a better evening right now. Having Thalia there with him was the best thing he could ask for, and knowing she was okay and willing to have a drink and something to eat with him was even better. It may have only been cheese and crackers, but Frank didn't exactly want to help himself to all of James' food. He didn't know how Joseph was doing, but he knew Karin had been in there to check on him and everything. At least a couple of times. All she'd done was taken him water and some food that he could hopefully stomach - Dry toast, apple sauce, the usual stuff.


She had to make sure she stayed on top of his blood sugar levels while he was sick, too, because illness could make them fluctuate greatly. At least he was okay, though, that was the main thing. He was resting, much like Thalia, and doing his best to recover. He was in a nice place and had a decent TV in his room, too, with all the cable channels unlocked, unlike what he had at home. It was a great feeling, being able to watch all the best comedy shows without worrying at all.


"I'm not asking for you to be able to give a good toast. I doubt I could do that right now." He laughed. He couldn't help but laugh more about how she worried all of her little quirks and things she was saying would put him off, though, mainly the comment about the knife. "Relax, Thalia." He said, putting a hand down on her arm. "Who's to say I don't like a girl that can handle a knife, eh?" He asked. "We all started somewhere. Humanity fought and won wars with blades for centuries. If you think I don't find knifework even the slightest bit hot, you'd be wrong." He winked.


He didn't mind what they talked about, but, he had to promise her one thing. He didn't want her to live in fear, and when he saw the ring, he knew just how real the fear was. He frowned, and then took hold of one of her hands and gently squeezed it. Any comfort would be better than nothing, wouldn't it? 


"Thalia, listen." He said. "I'll make it my dying goal to ensure that bastard doesn't get his hands on you again. I promise you that." He said. "He's not going to force you into marriage. So help me god, at the end of all of this, I'd be more than up for running away across the world for a little while with you. By then, we wouldn't have to worry about this guy coming after you, because he'll be gone, either six feet under or behind bars. I give you my word. I'm going to protect you fully from here on out - we all are." He explained. "Your brother... I..." He smiled a little, then laughed. "I'm pretty sure he already knows you exist. I doubt your parents would have just forgotten about you - regardless, he has the right to know about you, and you have the right to get to know him. The picture, he's a cute kid." He nodded. "Looks like a right bundle of energy, I'm sure, and you and him? You've got a good sense of humor. Kids love that." He grinned. "Speaking of kids, let me show you something." He said, pulling out his phone.


"Oh, hang on. I better text Tony."


'Tony, turns out that guy is Ra's' best friend of some sort, one of the original members of Al-Asheera. He and Ra's are like the only two surviving elite members from way back when. Thalia said this guy is even closer to Ra's than she is - just thought it'd be a good idea to let you know.'


After that, he pulled up a picture on his phone. "Let me show you something... It's on the whole brother-sister topic." He explained, and eventually, he pulled up a photo. Clearly it was one that was quite old, but scanned and sent digitally or something. He turned it to her and smiled. It was a picture of two kids - a boy and a girl. The boy was only six, and the girl no older than four. They looked quite similar to each other - She could easily see the boy was Frank. "This is my favorite picture. Ever." He laughed. "Me and my sister, Natalie, when we were kids." He said. "Taken on the day of my sixth birthday." He said .In the picture, Frank more or less had the same hair he had today. He'd kept his thick head of hair. He and Natalia were there with their arms around each other's shoulders, and big smiles on their faces.


"Sure, we grew up together, but... I'm willing to bet you and your brother will have a close relationship once you get to know each other. A very close one. If he's anything like you? He'll get on well with just about anyone he meets." He smiled.

 

[KasperXIII]

Brainwashing. That kind of terminology surely fit Al-Asheera well. In reality, that's all most of them are: simply brainwashed. "Got that right. Just listen to Baldy back there. 'Hail Ra's'? If that's not lapdog material, I don't know what is... To think that his most trusted would do anything for him. That they'd stick their necks out to get them cut before Ra's has to. So wrong. Well, at least for Thalia. Whatever brainwashing they tried to do for her, it didn't really work all that well. Sure, he created a monster out of her by doing so, but she isn't like the rest. Maybe a girl like her can't rise to power in Al-Asheera, but she certainly can start a revolution. Saying it like that... she did exactly that, more or less. When she accepted to help me and Frank bring them down. Certainly good to know that Ra's failed to get to her. It only makes me wonder... if there were little girls before her forced into bed with him... how brainwashed were they only to be killed in the end? Poor kids. He's sick. A lot of crooks I've encountered have an unspoken boundary,, that being they don't get near kids. They're too innocent to get involved. Even the darkest of people have a weak spot, right? Maybe not for brutes like Bradan or Ra's, but the guppies. They have hope in one way or another. As sad as it is to say, they all do. Some just squander it."


Tony could get a hint that James did something less than legal to acquire this information, but he seemed to be a valuable asset beyond Al-Asheera. The Clover Boys were still going to be a problem. Hell, McAllister is still waiting around for him and Frank to show up. But priorities... oh, how their priorities changed with every waking moment. After getting to Pigman, they had too many questions to ask about why off themselves. Tony slowly began to realize why Thalia would leave out details. Because throwing all the info at them oneshot wouldn't let it stick. But watching a man commit suicide right in their faces? Different story. Not exactly the most proper way of teaching, but it was effective. Then came a text to Tony's phone. Sure, the signal was shoddy out in the Mojave, but the detective was still getting a single bar from time to time. One bar being enough to receive a text message from Frank. The one about Roland. He passed it down to James to read it for himself.


"So Roland Simmons is the equivalent of Ra's' bestie. Been with him since the beginning. And I thought we got lucky by getting access to the mystery redhead, who was also his betrothed. Now we have his right hand man with the closest ties we can get? God damn, James. We can't let him get away or off himself like the guy at the station did. Odds are, we can't turn him, but we can use him. Guess we'll have to see when we stop. I just hope we don't have to resort to ... well, even scaring his family. He's got a ten year old boy. Christ, just promise whoever you've got, he won't do anything too freaky. I can understand scaring, but... nothing more. I can assume you have enough heart to do that."


Heart. James. An association he could honestly make. James wasn't the same kind of brute like other crooks. He was different. Guess that's the deal with grey-hats.


Tony obeyed James and continued down the designated trail. They were fairly out into the desert. At this point, trying to contact Frank would be useless. Signal would be gone entirely. The banging and screaming from the back did continue. Roland could feel himself being tossed and turned, even a bit of motion sickness as well. Even as a physical paragon, he could still succumb to natural side effects of such things. But certainly not puke in the vehicle. That he wouldn't do. He did, however, continue the obscenities, "I will find your mothers! I will throw them into our next brothel. You hear me, Walsh?! Your mommy will be buttfucked by every Al-Asheera member we have tonight! Starting with me! You think the 7/11 was the last place we had? Think again! Al-Asheera took control of three other convenience stores last night, one of them is being taken as the new brothel! So it's not over! Ha! So fuck yourself!"


God, would you fucking shut up? Your sick wording is getting old, fast. Indeed, saying the same things about sexual violence over and over again was becoming redundant. But soon enough, he would be unleashed, sort of. After the drive, Tony put the car in park in the middle of the desert plain. Undoing his seat belt, he nodded his head to confirm James' plan. "Gotcha. We proceed with caution. I know you're confident you can outperform him, but keep in mind his resume. He's quite the physical specimen. He put up quite a fight with me in the bathroom before I shoved his face in the toilet... Oh, and the dent on his forehead? That's my bad." A mild chuckle. Tony's anger getting the better of him in that moment. But no matter; he wouldn't do that now. The veteran climbed out of his seat and marched over to the back, right in front of the trunk. Once James was by his side, he nodded to the man, ready to open it.


"Have we stopped? Is it time for me to fuck your assholes yet?"


That annoying voice was about to be in for a big surprise. Clenching his eyes shut, Tony slipped the key into the trunk's lock and turned it, throwing the lid open and stepping back. Almost instantly, the juggernaut of a hostage climbed out, almost like a bloodthirsty animal not fed for days, about ready to pounce on the first man he could see: James.


How dumb of a mistake that would be.


--


Fortunately, Thalia's unorthodox fascinations and interests weren't seen as entirely strange to Frank. The knives. The botched-up toast. Everything. He didn't mind. It was enough to keep her satisfied and warm on the inside. A giggle came from her lips once more. What kind of guy likes a girl like her? Besides the physical attraction. On the inside, who could like, well, damaged goods like herself? So... strange. Unreal. Frank was a dream come true. "It's hot, isn't it?" she smirked at his own remark about knifework, taking the kitchen utensil into her hands again, perform a few tricks in her fingers, twirling it about, lunging it back and forth in a safe manner simply to show off her dexterity. "I learned quite a bit about tricks like these in Al-Asheera. Guess something good came out of being a criminal after all." A creepy fantasy appeared in the girl's mind then and there. The kinky sort of cop and robber fetish. it seemed like Thalia and Frank were a real life manifestation of such. Not that the redhead got off to such a thing. Hell, it'd be hard for her to get off at all after her ordeal with Ra's not long ago. It all just seemed so... unattractive. She didn't want to even consider it anymore. Maybe at some point with Frank. Who knows. He was the only person she could feel that comfortable around anymore. After the idea of being a whore was drilled into her head so much, she couldn't help but become convinced. It was sick, inhuman, but unfortunately becoming a truth. She didn't bring it up with Frank though. That's the last word she wanted to hear right now. She dropped the knife back to the platter and listened further.


Once again, this cop took her hand and gripped her. Why was it that every time he touched her, she felt this sort of shock that almost froze her in time? She was really falling for him after such a short time. Her lips dropped slightly, but still in the form of a smile. Was this what love was supposed to feel like? It couldn't be the brutal way it was shown to her by Ra's after all this time. For once, when someone makes an advance like that, she feels it differently. It was amazing and she didn't want him to let go as he promised to protect her and keep her safe. Even get away from all of this with her. A new start, new environment. It was perfect. With every word he said, she just kept staring into his eyes, almost as if in a trance. Sort of like in the weapons bunker, but significantly less romantic. Maybe a kiss would've been appropriate, but she refrained. Not now. It seemed... too early after all they've been through. But she placed her other hand over Frank's grip, just to get a feel for her touch for just a few seconds longer. Such bliss...


The talk of siblings. She'd spoken so much about her brother that it slipped her mind for a moment that Frank lost his sister when they were just little kids. There was so much Thalia wanted to show Frank about him beyond the school picture. The file was still in James' Range Rover, but no doubt it was safe. She could simply ask and get it back at some point. Maybe later. And then she'd look more into what else the man she once didn't trust found about Charlie. But for now, Frank had something to show her: an older scanned picture of himself at a young age with his sister. A gasp of joy came from her, maintaining her happy facial expression after seeing the two children in the picture. A bit of a peek back and forth, just to compare Frank then and now. "My god, Frank, you haven't changed a bit." Jokingly, of course, but she could see young Frank in that boy's eyes. "You two were so fucking adorable.... well, I probably shouldn't drop f-bombs about kids, but eh... Doesn't change the fact your sister was cute. I bet..." She returned the cell phone to Frank, placing it in his hands and keeping them held for just a bit longer, "... I bet Natalie would never hate you. She wouldn't blame you for any of this. If she were alive today, I could guess you two would still be this close. Just... Frank. I know it's just empty words, but you really can't blame yourself for Natalie's death forever. Just think of it this way: it wasn't just you. There had to be other things in play. Take it from someone who was on the flipside of it. I know for a fact that for a crime to work, it's a series of circumstances that have to line up. Kind of like the planets aligning in some strange way. A gunman can't just storm into a bank and expect to clean the place. It takes planning and waiting for the right moment. And that right moment doesn't hinge on the mistake of a six year old boy alone..." She sighed. Giving advice, it wasn't something she does all the time. "It's not your fault, Frank. Maybe one day, I'll come with you to see her? Wherever she's resting now? Maybe... I've lost a lot of people in Al-Asheera. I used to go to their graves all the time back in Philly. It was like they were never really gone. I don't know if you do that but... maybe it can help? I'll come with you if you want."


Such serious topics. Maybe a bit of an icebreaker would lighten the mood. After taking another cracker from the stack, her right hand climbed up from Frank's arm and up to his face, getting the snack closer to his mouth as if to playfully force feed him. "Eat, big boy! I feel like I'm just fucking stuffing myself right now! Do I have to be your mom and feed you?" Of course, it was all in good fun, and her voice showed as she leaned forward ever so slightly. Just slightly enough for their heads to be close. Shit... he's... close. Do I still wanna kiss him? After everything that's happened? I love him, I know that... but god, after what happened today, it'd be very inappropriate. Her hand grazed over his cheek gently, scooting a bit closer. "So, today... quite the show we had, right?" Referring to their fun they had in the chalet. Most definitely fun. "I mean... it wasn't... bad, was it? I just... I just didn't want it to seem like all I wanted from you was sex. I just wanted to have a bit of fun. Get over whatever's been on our minds while we were alone. I didn't mean to come off as, well... I think you get the picture. But if you thought it wasn't right, we can just pretend it never happened. How does that sound?"


It seemed like Thalia wanted to know that answer. Did Frank like it? She surely did... but after everything that's happened, did he?

 

[DrTrollinski]

"Don't worry, Tony, I give you my absolute word that no harm will fall upon his family. I'm not one to hurt people that are innocent, not one bit. The boy might get a bit shaken up, same for his mother, but it won't be anything major. Just a few empty threats. My guy should be there by now, waiting for my call. Signal boosting should help us out - all the way out here, the signal's not that strong, but we've got what we need. At the end of the day, no child and no woman is getting hurt. The only person feeling any physical pain in the middle of all this is our guest." He smiled a little. Yeah, James had a heart - he wasn't really going to hurt the guy's kid, nor his wife. I suppose it was quite convenient that he'd met Joseph, because now, when he pictured a ten-year-old's face, he just thought of Joseph.


The two of them definitely had something, for sure. He was planning on taking Karin up on her subtle request - a classic car, himself, Joseph, and some fancy ice cream. He was sure Joe would love that, but, he had to wait for him to recover before he could do that. It was no good him taking him out when he was too sick to be more than ten feet from a bathroom. Poor kid. Another thing he couldn't really take off his mind - he was sick, needed people to be looking after him, but business called. He knew Joseph wanted to talk to him about something, so, he'd have to do that tonight, providing they didn't get back insanely late to the point where talking to him became impossible 'til tomorrow morning. He was willing to bet Joseph had already clicked on with the fact that there was something deeper going on between the five of them.


"If he's basically Ra's' fuck-boy then we know we've got the upper hand. If we break this guy, he knows everything. Chances are we won't be able to do much else - If Ra's knows he's been compromised, even if we tried to do an exchange, for all we know he'll just kill Melissa and shoot his pal as soon as we rock up. Ambush us, kill the liability and kill the threat, too." He said. "I have no idea, either way. We're squeezing this guy for information. Al-Asheera are volatile. We have no idea how they'll treat their friends - look at how Ra's treats his fiancé, for Christ's sake. If he treats her like that, I don't want to see how he'd treat his best friend if he knew he sold him out." 


He sighed.


Either way, the time came to open the trunk eventually, and James had the gun at the ready for exactly what he thought was going to happen - Simmons jumping out and doing what he could to attack whoever was closest, well, he made a big mistake doing that. James wasn't planning on being lenient, not at all. Immediately he lifted the silenced pistol and sent one round into Roland's knee. James had his sunglasses on at the current time, too, so now he'd just been shot by a stranger he'd never seen before. A shot to the knee would make anyone hit the floor pretty fuckin' quick, so, he walked up, slowly, letting out a sigh as he did so.


"Mister Simmons..." He muttered, a little bit of a bitter tone attaching to his voice at the last moment as he lifted his foot quickly and sent a harsh kick to Roland's face. "You're running around playing with guns for Ra's and you honestly think you can dive out the trunk like James Bond? Maybe throw some sand and kill us both while we're distracted?" He teased, "I knew you weren't a smart man, Roland, but I didn't think you were a stupid one. Now you've got yourself a nice career-ending injury." He shook his head, then pressed a foot down on the side of his head and pinned his face down against the scorching desert sand.


"Get the duct tape, bind his hands and feet." He said, then lifted the gun up and aimed it down at his other uninjured knee. "Try anything smart, Mister Simmons, and I put you in a wheelchair for a few years, you understand?" He asked. 


--


"I know. I get that a lot. Only difference in me nowadays is the facial hair, really. I was always told I was a handsome son of a bitch." He winked, then laughed. "My sister, yeah, she was adorable. Obviously, it was a long time ago, but I remember she was adorable in both looks and personality. We were a cute brother-sister duo. I loved being the big brother, I bet you can imagine. The whole thing of being the 'protector' and all that?" He laughed. "God, it was great. I suppose that's half the reason I ever became a cop, really. The protector business really was up my street, y'know?" He grinned.


She proceeded to tell him about how none of it was his fault, though. It was a weird thing to hear. He'd heard it a lot over his life, but... Hey, he had to start believing it at some point.


"I suppose you're right." He said. "It was a bad situation, I know, but..." He gulped, "If I was there with her, chances are that guy would have had off with both me and her. That's something I... I guess I'm thankful for in some ways. I wish it could have been different, but, wish in one hand and shit in the other, see which one fills up first." He shrugged. "I appreciate it though, Thalia. Knowing that there's someone else out there that believes I'm not to blame helps me comes to terms with it a little more, y'know? It's not easy thinking back to that day. I remember it like it happened yesterday, but, gradually forgetting the vile details helps now and again." He said. "No point living in the past, I guess. TIme to start moving on." He said. "I'm sure one thing's gonna' happen eventually, something that'll really turn my life around. Maybe it's already happening. Maybe this is all part of one bigger grand scheme. Who knows, right?" He grinned and took a sip of his drink.


"I'd like to visit her grave at some point, though." He said. "She's buried in Maryland, obviously, but maybe one day... One day I can face it." He said. "I haven't... Been to her grave in... A long time." He gulped. "Not since I was a teenager, at least. As soon as I could start making choices of my own, I stopped going there with my parents and stuff. I think it's time to lay her to rest for a second time, and with it, all my regret and guilt. I'll put some nice flowers down, give one final farewell. Even if there's a slight chance that she's somehow listening, I want her to hear what I have to say."


He did eat a cracker with some cheese, though, when she pointed it out. He laughed as he took a bite from one. "You don't need to feed me, don't worry." He said. "Not unless you want to." He chuckled and winked. "As for today, of course it was good fun. Of course it was right." He smiled. "Why wouldn't it be right? The last thing I want to do is forget it happened - that's a memory I'm going to treasure for quite some time now, I assure you of that." He said. "I hope... You feel the same way?" He asked, a rather seductive tone to his voice. 

 

[KasperXIII]

What was originally going to be a great escape for Roland Simmons ended in a scream of agony and his face in the steaming desert sands, gripping his wounded knee for dear life. All to who? Some dude in sunglasses with a silenced pistol? Fortunately, upon exiting the vehicle, Roland could see that he was now in the middle of the Mojave, and his voice would go unheard. Except on the ears of the two men standing before him, who seemed more than ready to leave him for dead out here in the middle of nowhere. But no... they probably know who he is now. He's confirmed that they are cooperating with Ra's' fiance. She could easily identify him as the right hand man and tell them to pursue him. Running away and suicide weren't options at the moment. How might mighty have fallen, and James was right about a shot to the knee being a career-ending injury, both with Ra's and without him. And he would continue to be disrespected, kicked and forced into the sand in a forceful attempt to make him cooperate. But he wasn't going to. He knew better. "Fuck yourself," he growled as he felt his arms being strapped together behind his back, bound by duct tape. Tony's doing, of course. Once his wrists were taped together, he moved to his ankles. No way this guy would be running away anytime soon. With his knee, how could he? "Haven't you learned that you're not going to receive another answer than to fuck yourself?"


Despite having heard those words multiple times today from Al-Asheera members, Tony wasn't going to accept it from this man. This protocol/spit-in-the-face was hardly effective anyway. Just him lashing out. But Roland's potty mouth, in comparison to Pigman, was noticeable and quite annoying how he kept bringing up the idea of rape. This man sure could stoop low, and with a ten year old kid waiting for him at home. Lifting his foot, as James kept the man's head down, Tony stomped into the man's chest at full force, causing him to gasp for air, alternating his bound hands from his knees to his chest. Probably knocked the wind out of him. Certainly not as extreme as he did to Pigman back at the station, but it would still leave its mark. And this time, Frank wasn't there to hold him down. James understood the necessity of physical coercion. Roland certainly wasn't going to cooperate over a cup of coffee and a few kind words. "No. YOU can go fuck yourself! Or else we are going to be the ones fucking YOU until you tell me where Ra's keeps his hostages?"


"Hostages... you mean your whore?"


Just when Tony thought he was low at his constant blows to Thalia, James, and Frank, this crook proved he could be just as low, if not worse. In return for the comment about his girlfriend, he pressed his foot against Roland's bleeding knee. Tony knew that a gunshot to the kneecap was definitely not fatal, but extremely painful. A key to making someone talk: find the weak spot and press till it hurts. This time, it was quite literal, and Roland's screams proved that he was in severe pain. "Well, Mister Simmons, if you don't get that knee looked at, I might assume you'll lose it. I mean... if it's too badly injured and infected, an amputation would be a must. Not like you'll ever be able to achieve the physical greatness you have before with this injury. Too bad, am I right?"


Between the screams, the clansman growled in a lower voice, between his gasps for air, he let out his usual insult, "Fuck. Yourself. The answer isn't going to change. Not today. Not after a million hits. Just.... You can be sure that I will tell Ra's that the traitor within his inner circle..... It's Al-Jameela. I know it is."


"You don't know shit," Tony shook his head, taking another stomp into Roland's chest, giving a similar choking reaction. The veteran cop, though a bit ashamed at, once again, resorting to duress, knew it was necessary. He shook his head, getting down on one knee against the sand, now within breathing distance from the bald man, and asked the question again, "You're going to get my girlfriend back. I don't care how, but you will. And then we will leave you alone to blow your brains out in peace."


Roland's eyes met with Tony's. All he could see was a desperate lover trying to see his girlfriend again, and willing to go as far as torture to do it. "Would your precious Melissa be proud of you, Tony?" A pause. Tony knew the answer, but refused to say anything as to not give the man any sort of satisfaction. The silence went on for too long. Spitting at Tony's shoes, he repeated the usual. "Fuck yourself."


With a scoff, Tony glared up to James. "It seems like this fuckboy only has a two word vocabulary. How about you... take measures to expand it?"


Waterboarding. Tony had seen it time and time again. Never done it, but this would certainly be a first.


--


"Handsome son of a bitch?" That line alone cracked Thalia up. Not that she judged him for tooting his own horn. Everyone wants an excuse to do that, even herself. But handsome... it was one of the many adjectives she had for him. Handsome, charming, attractive, fun-loving, heart-filled, even a bit sensitive, but she liked that out of him. Sexy.... but that was only after seeing him almost undressed that she could derive that. If only she weren't extremely shy, maybe then she'd tell Frank how she felt about him. There was a lot to say. He knows she's falling for him, and she knows he's falling for her. But it went beyond the kiss in the bunker. She wanted to know so much about Frank, more than she did. He seemed... appealing to her more than any other guy. It might've also had to do with him carrying her to safety back at the resort. Saving her life, practically. But she was falling for him long before that. After getting over her laughter, she ran her fingertips up and down Frank's forearm. "You're beyond just 'handsome', Frank. You're.... I mean, if it were up to me, I'd say you're pretty hot, but--"


WOW. Of all the words in your head, you went with that one. Way to go, T. I thought you were playing this smart.


"Um...." Her face immediately began to turn a bright shade of red, looking up and down, towards the food, to the window, to Frank--which didn't help--and eventually to her glass. She quickly reached for it and took another sip for herself. Because drinking was the solution for a crazy stupid compliment like that. "Well.... what I mean by... Fuck. There's no way to mask calling you hot, is there? .... Shit. Well, if it helps, it came from the heart?" And that's why it came out so abruptly. At least it brought a smile to her face as well, a rather frilly shy one as she kept her gaze on Frank, the glass close to her face so she could take a drink again in case she said something else that would've been seen as crazy or unnatural. Or flirtatious. She didn't mind getting drunk tonight anyway. It's been a long day after all.


"Well, if it helps, I'd love to come with you, if you ever decide to go visit her. I... for the past few years, I've always wondered what it'd be like to see my family again. A girl can dream, right? Also imagine. Imagine what I'd be if I never ran away from home. I'd probably be in med school or something. Hell do I know..." She looked back down to the platter below, one hand still on her glass, and the other reaching for the knife, spinning it around and getting cocky with her own dexterity. "I wouldn't have learned to do this... I probably wouldn't have come to LA, would've never met you, or Karin, or anyone really. But I guess... LA changed my life. For the better... Made me not want to be Ra's' sex toy, and actually be someone." She sighed, thinking over her convoluted past once again. "Kinda hard when I didn't finish high school. I plan to still get my deg--I mean, diploma, once everything calms down. But beyond that? I don't know what I'm going to do."


Some thought about her future, then, she chuckled under her breath, then mentioned something else, "I don't know what I'll be in the next few years... but I kind of want it to be... with you?" As if she hadn't made a fool of herself enough. She had no idea how to start a long-term relationship, never really had anything too serious. Getting to know Frank, a man with a respectable job and a life ahead of him, next to her, a lowlife thief who threw her life away to get back at her demanding parents? It almost felt like, alongside Karin, Frank was motivation for her to change her life. "I mean, Karin really helped me get an idea for what I want out of my future. And she's going to help me. I just hope you can be there along the way, maybe. You're.... really nice, and sweet, and...." There she was running her mouth again, and there she took another taste of her drink. This sure tasted better than whatever Ra's had laying around. She put the glass between her legs again and cut another piece from the cheese. Taking it between her fingers, she reached over for Frank's mouth and tried to poke it inside. "Not eating, you little freak! I swear, if I'm going to get fat, you will to, y'know! Not doing that alone! I will fucking feed you bit by bit if I have to!"


There. A playful remark in the midst of the flirts. But then... the kicker. The strip teasing. Was it fun? Just the thought promoted that shyness within her, throwing her hands at her head to cover her face with a few loose strands of hair. "Dawww.... I mean... I loved it. Well, both parts... me stripping for you... then you for me..." Mentioning that cracked a giggle out of her there, then a hiccup. Was this already from the whiskey? "Oh, god... I mean, it was pretty naughty, and risky. I wouldn't want Tony or anyone walking in on that. And after what Ra's... well, called me..." She didn't even want to say that word anymore. It made her too depressed for the setting. "It's... that's not how you view me, right? The fact I loved what we did together. And the fact... I kinda would do it again if we got a moment in private. It doesn't make it wrong, right?"


No, Thalia thought it was so right in the moment. Only after Ra's beat her around did she start to feel the regrets. But now, Frank sounded like HE was trying to seduce HER. Her head leaned a bit closer to his, scooting her body a bit closer. The platter was in the way, so she took it in both hands and placed it aside on the bed, followed by her glass. "What about you?" Now closer to Frank, she licked her lips in a rather seductive manner as well, then stuck her tongue out at his chin, just barely touching his facial hair. The smile on her face almost never seemed to fade with this man. "Would you do it again?"

 

[DrTrollinski]

"You can make as many threats as you want, Mister Simmons." James sighed, pressing his foot a little harder against his head. "But the simple fact is, you're the one tied up out here in the middle of the desert, a bullet in your knee, and no help for miles. You think anyone can hear you out here? You think anyone cares that you're out here, missing in action, not home? Well, you'd be wrong if you think anyone like that even existed - Maybe I'll think of some people before you do, maybe there are people out there, but for now..." He shook his head and smiled. "We're just going to work on making sure you behave like a good boy and give us everything we need, otherwise, I'm going to really, really hurt you." He explained. "If you think a bullet to the knee's the worst I can do, you'd be wrong. I assure you I know many more ways of making people suffer compared to Al-Asheera. You and your gang of petty wannabe-terrorists haven't got anything on the methods I know. I know what makes people tick, Roland, and the simple fact is - I'm going to find whatever your trigger is, too, whether I have to cripple you entirely or rip your fingernails out one by one, I'm going to find a way." He explained.


Roland was nothing but threats and boldness, though. He was shit-talking, talking smack about Melissa when realistically, his last objective would be to piss off Tony and James. He was the one at risk here, but then again, it didn't look like he cared so much. He wanted to die now that he'd been compromised - or did he? He seemed to think that when he got out of this mess, he was going to tell Ra's everything. He was going to tell him who betrayed them and what happened. James couldn't help but laugh at all of that, to be honest. He thought it was hilarious how the man that was now bound in the middle of the desert, unable to escape, seemed to think that he still had the position of power. Even if he did manage to escape his binds, his knee would never allow him to get far enough without dying from severe dehydration. They were miles out. There was no escaping now.


"I'll gladly expand his vocabulary. I never wanted to be a teacher, and everyone I knew agreed with me. They all knew I had a very... Unique way of doing things." He explained. "Sometimes too unique for people to handle. I guess that's just me." He said, and from the back seat, he retrieved a cloth and a tank of water. He brought that out and placed it down on the ground. "You know, Mister Simmons... I believe it was Christopher Hitchens that said it - He once volunteered to be waterboarded, and you know what he said?" He smiled. "Well, at first he thought that people were exaggerating, saying that it was a lot worse than it was. He was allowed to stop the waterboarding at any time he liked. Only a few seconds into his first try, he pulled out immediately." He said. "And after that..." He unscrewed the cap from the big tank of water and dunked the cloth inside. "He said it was the most horrific thing he'd ever experienced." He smiled at him and winked. "I've always wanted to test it myself, but, I prefer for my subjects to produce the results for me. I find that can be much more accurate." He said, then looked at Tony and nodded.


"Hold him down." He said.


Once he was pinned, he dropped the wet cloth over his face - That was that stuck there, and now it was time to really unleash the horror. Waterboarding was never pleasant - seeing the victim's body spasm and go crazy in sheer panic was one of the most shocking parts of it, but, in this situation, it was more than necessary. James began to pour the water heavily onto Roland's face, and that in itself simulated drowning. He'd be choking, unable to see a thing, and only having the feeling of helplessness wash over him. James kept it going for a good long while, too, and he wanted to shake him up just as much as he could. Fifteen seconds in, he stopped, and he slowly removed the cloth and gave Roland the right to breathe once more. He crouched down beside him.


"Now, I've got a three-quarter tank of water left, and two more full ones in the back seat. You want to keep doing this, Mister Simmons, or are you going to make this easier for all of us?" He asked. "Actually... My mind just wandered. I do know some people that care about you." He said. "We'll get to that in a bit, though. What's your choice, Roe? If you don't make one soon, I'll make it for you." He threatened.


--


Everything that was going on between them was pretty amazing. She thought he was hot, and that was one hell of a compliment to have. He thought the same of her, and even though she tried to cover it up and backtrack, he just laughed and scanned her up and down a few times. "Well, the feeling's mutual, I assure you." He winked. "And that one comes from the heart, too, I promise you." He laughed, taking a sip of his drink. This was nice. Definitely better than torturing a guy in the middle of the desert, that was for sure. He was enjoying himself, just being around Thalia, having a whole bedroom to themselves and their company to warm each other's hearts, basically. Still, there was more to talk about, more to discuss. Mainly futures and things, too. 


"I don't know about med school." He shrugged, "I think you'd be better at something else. A branch of psychology, maybe a strong manager, too. I think you'd do well in something like that. I don't think you're the sort of girl that'd fit well into a doctor's role. You're a lot more... Actively involved than that, I think." He shrugged, then laughed. "Life has a funny way of unfolding, sure, things aren't the best with the situation with Ra's and everything, but you've met Karin, you've met me, Tony, James, Joseph. You've met a lot of good people." He smiled. "I guess the life you lead is... Well, what you make it to be. Some people go from sleeping on park benches as kids to being millionaires when they're older. It's all about what you make of life, you know what I mean? It can take time to do things right, but once you well and truly nail them, you can't really go wrong." He explained.


But another thing.


The next few years? With him?


That put a smile on his face.


The whole thing was cut off when she put a bit of cheese in his mouth, though, which he happily took and chewed up, a grin still present on his face. "Well." He cleared his throat, "I'm surprised you feel that way. Well, I'm not surprised, but... Fuck, it's hard to explain." He laughed. "I get that we liked each other quite a lot, but, I never thought I was someone you'd want to... God, no, that sounds terrible." He shook his head. "Basically, I don't see myself as someone that many people want a long-term relationship with." He laughed. "What we did together... No, nothing was wrong with it, and what happened to you - It doesn't change anything." He said. "I still... I still really like you, Thalia, and I don't know where the next few years will take me. I don't know if I'll be a retired cop-turned-writer, or if I'll be the chief of the Detectives Bureau, but..." He shook his head. "I think I want that next few years to be with you, too." He smiled. 


"The only way I view you is someone truly beautiful. And funny. And kind. The list goes on." He said, "I wouldn't view you as anything that you're not, not like Ra's does." He shook his head, and then grinned as a hand reached out and gently folded behind her head. "And you're goddamned right I'd do that all over again." He winked, and just gently, he planted a small and gentle kiss on her lips. At least she knew the feeling was mutual, and Frank was well and truly serious, too.

 

[KasperXIII]

Usually, it would be Roland inflicting a torture method as extreme as waterboarding on a defenseless victim. It was part of his job as the Hand of Ra's. Torture, extortion, trickery, scamming, all part of his job description. What wasn't part of the description was getting a taste of his own medicine. Never had he attempted to be on the flipside of things. However, what WAS on the job description was not cracking. Unbreakable. Ra's even trained him that way. Ever since he first met the brute thirty years ago, the young psycho trained him to never back down and embrace the torture when it gets tough. Being stepped on was nothing to him. A bullet to the knee hurt like hell, but he knew it wasn't the death of him. That was, unless James and Tony just up and leave him there. He didn't doubt it. He probably lost his cell phone and his weapon, leaving him immobile in the middle of the desert. A quite literal dead man. But Roland knew he had to get word to Ra's about Thalia. He knew that his master was going to meet his fiance and propose to her, which made this news absolutely urgent. Ra's didn't order him to show up to the resort; he showed up on his own accord to keep lookout. He suspected Al-Jameela from the moment that the 7/11 was compromised. No one else in The Ten had the motive or means to rat them out. And now, his suspicions were confirmed when Tony slipped up in the bathroom and mentioned her real name. It was Ra's bride-to-be, in bed with a cop, the same cop they'd threatened to stay away and took the girlfriend of. It all made sense. Tony seemed furious about the entire ordeal. Roland? He was going to stand his ground, rock solid. "Fuck yourself," he snarled at James before he could get to the torture process.


Unbreakable, he so believed.


But Tony knew that nobody is unbreakable. Not even Al-Asheera brutes, trained to endure such circumstances and brave the odds. Roland had a weak point somewhere, somehow. Even if it was the risk of his little boy getting hurt. Tony wouldn't let James hurt the boy. But he had no problem with giving the illusion that the child was in a living hell. For now, the only person seeing hell would be Roland himself. Tony did the honors of pinning the bald man down by his shoulders, securing the wet cloth over his face so it couldn't be shaken off or slipped off. Right before it could begin, Tony whispered to the man one more time, "Last chance, boy. Is Ra's worth it?"


Roland's muffles could've been interpreted as him saying, "Fuck yourself" once again.


Tony simply gave him a pat on the forehead, giving a few final words before he gets a waterfall to the face. "Have fun in there, Roe. See you on the other side." Every move James made in preparation and warning was all build-up for the unthinkable. The veteran cop bared witness to torture in the past, but it never really got easier to watch. Oddly enough, there was an element to satisfaction to seeing Roland suffer. He was harboring Melissa away in an undisclosed location with Ra's. Though he didn't see or hear what happened to Thalia, her condition afterword gave Tony a million hints as to what happened. He could only imagine that his girlfriend was suffering in the same way. He wouldn't put it past Ra's. It was that reason alone that watching James dump water onto Roland's blocked face was a bit rewarding. Just the sight of the man seizing in his place, his strapped arms and legs squirming, his voice moaning in terror. It didn't seem like he's been trained to resist this. From what Tony could guess, it was like drowning above water. And it sure as hell looked like it judging by the man's reaction.


Was Tony become a sadist? He could only hope not. This wasn't THAT enjoyable.


Once James stopped pouring, Tony tore the cloth off and gave him a chance to talk. What came from Roland first were several desperate gasps for oxygen, obviously. He'd just had water dumped on his face with no chance to catch a breath. His legs flailing back and forth agitated the bullet wound to his knee, making it even more painful. He wasn't afraid of an amputation, but the pain was simply getting worse and worse. Once he'd caught his breath, Roland's eyes darted back and forth at both the cop dominating him and the man in sunglasses drowning him. "Fuck yourselves! Both of you!" His voice... his tone, actually. It changed after that experience. It didn't have that same confidence as before. No, his voice emitted fear. Fear of that happening again. Anger, too. He was beyond livid at this point, being subject to some of the most brutal torment he'd experienced. Ra's prepared him well, but like everything else, Ra's' ways and teachings were too primitive to anticipate something like this. But he was still going to poke and pry, kicking the hornet's nest with obscenities. "Fuck yourselves! Fuck your mothers! Fuck your sisters, aunts, cousins, all of them! Fuck yourselves, all of you!"


Hearing the new array of words coming from the crook's mouth made Tony golf clap for him, a cocky smile on his face. He raised his head slightly to meet James' blocked eyes, or at least the general direction. "You hear that? He expanded his vocabulary. You think a few more rounds of that will be a way to get Melissa back?"


"Fuck yourself, Walsh," he barked back, lifting his head up even more to get up in Tony's face. Threatening. Clearly, he didn't want to go back under. It may not break him, but surely Tony and James would keep going. "You'll never get her back. Ra's will kill her the second he finds out you're talking to Al-Jameela. You'll never see her again."


Almost laughable. That's how Tony found Roland's words, raising his right palm, a bit wet from the rag, placing it on the man's bald head, and pushing him back into the sand. "Well, you're going to do everything in your power to make sure that doesn't happen. Hm?" With that, Tony leaned forward, and just as he was about to cloud the man's sight with the wet cloth again, he told him one last thing, "Have fun down there." With that, a simple nod to James signaled him to do it again. Teamwork of the sadistic kind. But it was still teamwork. Maybe James had his own questions to ask, so he'd leave that to him next time Roland's face surfaces.


If there would be a next time.


--


Not only did Frank sharing the feeling of thinking the other is 'hot' give Thalia a feeling of glee, but also his insight about her. Psychology, a manager of sorts. He thought very highly of a girl who really was coming from nothing. Those were ideas she'd never considered. Hell, she didn't really get any sort of career counseling in her life, besides the sort involving the criminal underworld. But she was mutually exclusive to being the Bride of the Head, unfortunately. Not exactly a profitable life. Sure, she might've been able to fulfill those dreams had she stayed home and never ran away. Was it really too late to make something of herself? Frank certainly had hope in her. With a bite of her lower lip, just thinking of herself in some sort of position like that, she answered Frank. "So you do believe in the power of the underdog, it seems. Even the underdog who's spent the last 8 years holding people up and running from cops? Hehheh. I like that... I never really liked the idea of medicine anyway. My parents were pushy. They literally had me visiting colleges on the east coast when I was 12. Fucking 12, Frank." It brought a bit of laughter to her as well. God, she couldn't stop laughing around Frank. Was it all natural? Or just her being nervous and that was her natural mechanism to conquer it. "It was shit like that that made me run away. Because as much as I wanted to be someone, the person I was back there wasn't who I wanted to be. I mean, sure, some things I know come in handy. I know two languages fluently. I'm the active type. And I'm book smart. But then there's the useless shit. Ballet? Do I look like a fucking ballerina to you?" Thalia hated the color pink anyway, and couldn't imagine herself in one of those costumes anymore. Bad memories, but the funny kinds. "I mean... maybe if I can make something out of myself and go home to my folks, they'll see that... I'm doing okay. Because being with Karin all this time really gave me hope in things being okay. Even if you and Tony never showed up to her place. I would've stayed off the radar, gotten a fresh start. And I still can. I may be a bit too hopeful or too optimistic, but I feel like I can. Once Ra's is gone... I can be the girl I've always wanted to be."


Optimism wasn't something Thalia got to experience much in her life. This was a first, and definitely great to feel firsthand. Frank gave her double the hope from before. Who would've thought that a fresh into the bureau detective and a thief of eight years would have such a bond. The connection the redhead's heart was overwhelming to her. She really wanted to give things a shot between her and Frank. And they were off to a great start.


As much as long term relationships were alien to Thalia, they were to Frank as well. And asking him to spend the next few years with her clearly made his day. Seeing his happy expression reflected on her precisely. Overjoyed, she scooted even closer to him, her fingertips toying over his shoulders and biceps, tracing the outlines of his muscles. He expressed how no matter where his life was going, he wanted it to be around her. She had to answer him. She just had to there. "If it makes you feel any better, I don't know what it's like to be with someone you love i the longrun, either. Not many people lasted in my life. Either I ran away from them, or Ra's took them from me. All I've ever wanted was something more... permanent. Meaningful. Friends. Karin's great, like, really. She's the best female friend I've got now. And you? ... You... I look into your eyes and just get lost. Is that too weird? I guess that's the whole falling in love thing? I'd hardly get it. But I admire a lot about you as a detective. Whenever I see you and compare you to Tony, I see something different. You're something different, and I feel attracted to you. And I hate to even consider it wrong, because it feels so right. I'm willing to give things a try if you are? Whether I'm a waitress at Hooters or a manager in some larger company... I want my closest with me. You, Frank. I want you there with me. And I want to be there with you in your life as a detective."


Much like she told him, she was getting lost in his eyes again, as if she were in another world. Frank had the burdens of his past haunting him. So did Thalia. She could related to his losing Natalie to her absence from Charlie in its own way. And there was more to tell between the two. Plenty. Her hands lifted up to the man's face, through his facial hair and eventually falling behind his head and her finger through his thick hair, her head getting closer and closer. Just the look in his eyes. He was as deeply in love as she was.


God damn it, T, just kiss him already! He's BEGGING you to! And nobody will interrupt you this time!


That... was sort of true. Who would? James' butler? He'd probably just walk away. Karin would too, but gossip about it with Thalia later. And given the fact that James and Tony were in the Mojave, they seemed like they need time to get home. But he beat her to it. His compliments, saying that nothing Ra's could do or say would change anything, that he found her beautiful regardless of the scars... then his hands reached behind her head and through her hair, in a way she found cute, catching her off guard and causing her to blush further. Is he going to... HE IS. Her thoughts were cut short when he got closer, a smile on his face. A peck to her lips made her entire body explode from excitement, her head following his own when he stopped. She didn't want it to end just there. Carefully, she extended her legs around his waist, practically sitting with her body embracing his own, her nose nearly touching his. His warm breaths felt like hurricanes, as if her senses were amplified to a maximum in this sort of euphoric state. Her body felt so warm on the inside and she needed a way to cure it the one way she knew how. "W-Why did you stop?" she whispered back. "I didn't want you to stop." Her breaths felt heavy, trying to piece together her words properly to tell him how she felt, her fingers scratching the back of his head gently. A tactic of seduction she knew of on the back of the neck, something to put him under the same bliss as herself. It wasn't entirely necessary though, because he was falling for her, too. "Remember when I said I 'think' I'm falling for you? I lied..." She giggled a bit at the fact, yet another lie, but a good one. "No. I don't think. I know. I AM falling for you, Frank. And I can't help it... it's just..." No words could really substitute for her next actions, continuing the kiss that he started, starting with just a peck at his lips back, her hands gripping his shoulderblades as she did so, keeping him close to her body. When she wasn't kissing him, she leaned simply leaned her forehead against his own, her eyes a crack open, almost phased from reality from the shock.


This is happening. And he loves it. Just look at him. Kiss him again. Or let him kiss you back.

 

[DrTrollinski]

"Oh, someone's not happy." James said, looking down at him and his practically half-dead face. He smiled at him, then crouched down next to him once more. They were going to have to do it again, he knew that much, but he wasn't too worried about that. He knew that this was going to be the one chance they had to get Melissa back, and James knew how to inflict a whole world of pain on him. Yes, he may have had training, but James knew the breaks that hurt the most, and the methods that were both mentally and physically taxing in every way. He looked down at the man that seemed to get more and more broken with every time they did their cruel method of pressing him for information, and he shook his head. Was Roland going to walk away from this? Probably not, no, but there was nothing he could do about that. Now, he was up against an opponent that knew how to combine pain with suffering - James and Tony make quite the evil little team. At least now they knew what each other were capable of.


"This could all stop, but you're blowing your chances more than I care to tell you." He said to him, simply, and then looked up at Tony. "Again." He said, and once the cloth had been put down on his face, he started to pour it over his face once more. He didn't do it for as long this time. Only for 10 seconds or so, just because he didn't want the guy to pass out on him. The can was almost empty now, but they had plenty more water to get through if they wanted to. He looked down at Roland as he took the cloth off his face, and just to make sure he wasn't going to pass out on them, he decided to get a little bit more physical. He stood over the top of him and sent one punch into his nose, and then another into the side of his jaw. They weren't power punches, but enough to cause some pain.


"Roland, fuckface. Don't you dare pass out on me." He said. "I'm beginning to lose my patience, you ugly fuck. Don't make me go any further with this." He said, then he rolled him over. Chances were Roland was going to be far too weak from the previous torture to really fight against this one, so, James carefully tore away the duct tape from his arms, then got him into an armlock, his hand being pushed up towards his head behind his back.- This was going to hurt. "I don't know about you, but from what I've heard, spiral fractures hurt like a motherfucker." He said, simply. "You're not going to cooperate, then I'm going to fuck you up." He said. With that, he shoved his hand straight up, causing his arm to fracture in two different places. It's safe to say the crunch of the bone was sickening, but for Roland - it was agonizing.


Immediately after, he bound his hands again and rolled him back over onto his back - now he was lying there straight on top of his fractured arm. He wasn't doing well in the way of physical injuries here. The worst part was, they were all injuries that weren't going to kill him. They could break his arms, legs, fingers, and he'd have no choice but to sit back and watch.


"My memory was just jogged - there are people that care about you." He said, crouching down right in front of him and looking him in the eye. He gently slapped him in the face a couple of times. "Wife, kid. Ring any bells? How old's your boy now, ten?" He asked. "Now, how would you feel if I told you I had a guy there with them, as we speak, just waiting to unleash all his sadness and loneliness on them?" He asked. "What would you say to that, Roland? Go on, call my bluff. Call it." He said, quietly. He was really trying to get in his face, trying to make him think.


Then again, there was no evidence, so James could have easily been bluffing.


Right?


--


"Shit." He said, "I mean, I'm all for encouraging kids to achieve their best, but going around and visiting colleges at 12? Last thing I remember about that was some thing that went on in New Hampshire not too long ago. They invited a bunch of middle school kids in during the summer, let them attend lectures of their choice of subjects - Gave them accomodation and everything, a taste of college life. I wish I could have had that when I was younger." He laughed. "But no, I do see where you're coming from. The things you speak of sound a little rough - My parents encouraged me to do things as a kid, half the reason I started Karate for a while." He shrugged. "But they never forced me to do anything, no. I'm glad they didn't, really, but you know. Things like this just... Happen, and I guess we just have to deal with them as they come, right? No point dwelling on it and all. Plus, you're smarter for it now, even if it was a bad choice to initially run off. You learned a lot of things about the world - Sure, academics can carry you far, but if you remove that, what does half the population have? I'll tell you - nothing." He shrugged.


"You will get a fresh start, and I'm gonna' be right there to hold your hand as you get it, alright?" He said. "I don't know how Tony feels, but I think he's had a bit of a change of heart after what happened earlier. He feels bad in some ways, I think, and I think he actually believes you're on our side now." He said. "So, yeah, even though I trust Tony with it a lot more, I'm still going to make sure our end of the deal gets held up, alright? You won't go down for all of this at the end of the day, even if you were involved with what happened to Tony's last partner." He shrugged, "You don't deserve prison, not someone like you. If anyone deserves a second shot at things, it's you, no doubt." He smiled at her, sweetly, and his hand came around and gently stroked her cheek.


He definitely had a gentler touch than Ra's, didn't he?


"We can have something permanent - on that note, stop thinking that everything you say is creepy. It's... Nice." He smiled. "I like the stuff you say. It's... Cute, really." He chuckled. "We will be close, Thalia, no matter what you and I do. After this operation is over, you and I are going to the beach. Or maybe on vacation, I think." He said, simply, and that was that. "I owe you that, at least." He chuckled. "As crazy as it sounds, we could go somewhere nice. Even if it's only skiing in... Say, Colorado." He smirked and winked. 


"I didn't want to stop, believe me." He said, simply, and he went forward and gave her yet another kiss, this time falling forward onto the bed just a little bit and, well... This time he was just going for it. He wasn't going to be young forever, so, this was the best thing he could do. No one was going to disturb them, so even though he was getting a little hot under the collar, he kept going. He kept kissing her, and after a few moments, he whipped off his tie from around his neck and shrugged off the jacket from his shoulders. May as well be comfy while he was doing all of this, right?

 

[KasperXIII]

Passing out was an option that Roland hadn't even considered up until James brought it to his attention. Maybe he could let himself succumb to some of the effects to escape the pain. It was breaking him, bit by bit. Surely, the water falling on his covered face felt exactly as he anticipated: drowning above water. Scary, indeed, as drowning is quite a scary way to die. Then again, Roland didn't fear death. Nor evil. Though, he did underestimate the capabilities and the extents that Detective Tony Walsh was able to go to in order to retrieve his beloved. This other character that he brought along was certainly not a cop. He couldn't be, no way. Then again, given the circumstances, alongside snitching to Ra's about Thalia's betrayal, the bald man was ready to do one better as a whistle-blower: report Tony's actions and file a lawsuit. Not as Al-Yed, but as Roland Simmons. It could work, if he didn't have the marks of Al-Asheera inked to his body. Those could be taken care of with help from his clanmates. For now, survival was Roland's best bet. Clearly, these two weren't through with him, and they wouldn't be until he was incapable to talking. His plan might just be to reach that degree.


Just before he was dunked again, he repeated his words beneath the cloth, just so James could have them directed to him: "Fuck yourself."


Tony found this entire deal laughable. He knew that Al-Asheera members don't usually talk willfully. The snitch from Philly that compromised them and made them relocate was a smoking gun, but also a rarity that Philly PD was far too lucky with. Hell, that was the only time, prior to Thalia, that something like this happened with Al-Asheera. Ra's trained his men well to be loyal. Be it by fear, brainwashing, or other means, loyalty was engraved into their minds. Well, most of them. Given Roland was his best friend, he would be one of the hardest. But 'fuck yourself'. Quite a bold phrase to keep repeating in a way to maintain silence. Tony had almost become immune to it from how many times he'd heard it, be it in English or otherwise. "Enjoy round two, Roland," the detective smirked as he watched James dump the remainder of the first can on the hostage, watching him squirm and twitch, moaning as if to beg for mercy. But he'd never admit it in words. Nobody could last like this forever, and him passing out or letting himself die was always a risk.


Once the second go at waterboard reached a conclusion, Roland felt himself, first, receiving two punches to the face. These were something he could tolerate, but the pain still existed. "Fuck yourself!" He yelled once agin. But James wasn't done. He could feel the release of his arm's duct tape binds as he was hoisted upwards, and then... crack. The pain his arms made him fall back into the sand, screaming and wailing from the pain. Whether he liked it or not, he was incapacitated. Unfortunately, his agonizing, grueling pain would only be heard by two people, the very two torturing him. And the more he moved any part of his body, the more another one began to sting. Then he was rolled over to his back with his arms bound again, making him feel the pain of his injuries, maybe even making them worse. At least he was still breathing. Barely. He was still gasping heavily from all the yelling and waterboarding. He just wished at this point he could pass out and not feel any of this, and at the same time, maintain his silence.


"You're tough, Roland," Tony admitted, almost impressed at the bald man's pain tolerance. James was brutal, and Roland was braving the storm quite literally. From a physical standpoint. Tony could remember when he was on the brink of getting his arms broken by his partner. But he was spared, maybe because, no matter how shady and cruel James could be, he saw that Tony had the best of intentions, even if it didn't manifest in the most acceptable of ways. "I mean, you've really lasted longer than I expected you to. Who taught you, Ra's?"


"Fuck yourself."


"Mmm... I thought so. Do you know Ra's will leave you for dead the second he knows you were taken by a cop?"


"Fuck. Yourself."


He scoffed, trying to stop it from becoming laughter. "You are so predictable. But did you expect us to have a man with your wife and son right now?"


No words came from Roland. Not even the usual, just a few crossed eyebrows and a death glare.


"Tell me, Roland, how would you like it if we started plucking every little hair off Jeremy's head? Would you like that?"


Finally, words other than 'fuck yourself', came from the brute's lips. "You wouldn't touch a kid." He almost said it so confidently. Like he was sure of it. Hell, it had truth. Tony would never hurt a child. It was a line he'd never cross. Just thinking of his son--Jeremy--reminded Tony of Joseph, an innocent sick unfortunate orphaned boy just trying to get by with his older sister, who had to throw her life away to become his full-time caretaker. Life certainly wasn't fair for the Held family. Then there was the Simmons. Did his wife and kid even know what his hand tattoo meant? Clearly not. It's not like they were recruits either. But they poked a nerve at long last: his son. Now to press harder.


"You don't believe us?" a maniacal grin spread on Tony's face, shaking his head at Roland's disbelief. "You're pathetic, Roland. We've been throwing everything in the book at you, and all you have to show for yourself is two measly words. And you don't believe that we'd go to the ends of the earth to make sure your boy suffers...." Perhaps that was enough of a cue for James to prove his seriousness. If he had any of such. Just to keep things up, Tony stood from his squatting position, lifted his right foot, and slammed it against the back of Roland's shaved head, shoving it into the steaming, dirty sand once more. "You may not fear pain. But I'm sure Jeremy does."


But could James prove anything?


--


Did he just... and we're alone, too?! YES, HE DID. EEEP. What better way to top off all of Frank's positive vibes in Thalia direction and his overall faith in her than to finalize it, seal the deal, with a kiss? Sure, he did once before, but it was just a poke, one she craved more off. Then she picked it up later, only pulling back to see how he'd react. Leading the kiss was something she'd done far too many times in clubs and bars to ransack people. This time was different. She wanted to be on the same wavelength as Frank, and when he made his move to continue the kiss, he proved exactly that. He wanted this just as much as she did. They were in private now and in a more suitable location. Nothing was stopping them other than their own instinctive hesitation. The warmth in Thalia's heart eventually spread to her whole body when Frank laid her down back against the bed and maneuvered himself on top of her. It was like a dream come true for something like this to happen. Any pain that lingered around in her body magically disappeared in the moment. Adrenaline? Happiness? Simply intimacy? Maybe a mix of them all. One thing was certain: neither wanted it to stop. The redhead's arms spread around the detective's neck and down his back, pushing him closer to her and keeping the proximity. It was that closeness that she enjoyed. The kiss? So satisfying after this entire wait. Sure, they've been kissing quite a bit today, but not like this. This time felt more real than any other. It wasn't a tease or a mention of doing something like this. This time, they acted upon it. His body heat spread to her own, and her heart was racing once again, more than ever. She kept the pace of Frank's kiss, not trying to speed it up and become more intense without his cue, even if it was tempting. Only because she was afraid he wouldn't like it. But he did specify that he found most of her words and actions cute, which was certainly a treat. A quick bite at his lower lip in the midst of the kiss snuck its way through. Wouldn't hurt, right? Quite literally, it wasn't meant to hurt. It was her way to making things more intense. Intimate. Playful. That was something she could do well.


At first, when Frank pulled away for that moment, Thalia was about to pout in disappointment. Why did he retreat? They were alone with no danger in sight. But when he began to take his tie off, she couldn't help but smile at him, not noticing the redness in her face. She sat upright slightly as she watched him undo the tie around his neck, tugging at it slightly with her right hand, biting at the nail of her index and middle finger with the other. Sure, it was just his tie, but she enjoyed having fun with even simple teases. Things were becoming steamy, evident when he began to remove his suit jacket. She released a very subtle giggle, only to be interrupted by a hiccup, probably from the whiskey. She covered her mouth with her fingers, laughing again, her head falling forward to Frank's face again. "I may or may not be tipsy right now." Certainly a teasing whisper to him to press him to keep going. Not to take advantage of him. No, for that to be the case, she'd have to be forced into this unwillingly. On the contrary, she was throwing herself at Frank, gripping the collar of his shirt and kissing him again. But the kiss served as a distraction as she let her hands travel from the tips of the collar to the lining of the buttons on the shirt, one by one, from the top to the bottom, releasing each one from its hole. Just her hands traveling down his toned body was a treat, even if it was still somewhat clothed. But slowly his shirtless body was being exposed, and once she reached the bottom, she slipped her hands inside to feel the real deal. God... they feel better than they looked. Fuck, did he not like that? Or did he? FUCK HE'S HOT. Such mixed thoughts in her head that she kept to herself, taking advantage of some tongue tricks from her mouth into Frank's as she kissed him, her hand movements traveling up and down his chest, getting a feel for every inch of his body. Looking was one thing, touching was another. Eventually, her hands traveled up to his shoulders and slowly parted the opened ends of the shirt from each other to remove it from his body completely. Once she'd done that, she pulled him closer, falling back into the bed with her hands over his shoulders onto his back again. Back to where they were before.


Every touch, every kiss, it was almost... unreal. Was this really happened? She was falling in love, and they were racing through things. It's been a day that started with a lie about them being boyfriend and girlfriend, ending in them both in bed, making out, and now, Thalia undressing Frank. His warm body up against her own began to make her hot despite how she wasn't even wearing more than a tank top and shorts. Bending her left knee slightly to make herself comfortable, she parted from his lips briefly and whispered, "I think I need to meet you halfway." More teasing remarks to hint at him to take her top off. Would he? If he wouldn't, she'd do it herself. She was beginning to feel the heat getting to her, every part of her body. And Frank being so close was only intensifying things. But she loved it and didn't want it to end, keeping him close to her. It was as if they were the only two people on the planet. She'd never felt this way before. A feel she could hope would last longer than just a few minutes.