Jay had been telling Will little tactical things here and there for a few years as they've gotten closer- mainly things he'd been trained for as a Ranger, things he'd seen as a cop then detective. Some of those things, he'd learned, personally.
Jay had been spending more and more time at his brother's house after Intelligence picked up a particularly difficult case. Will would have pushed, maybe made Jay talk a little bit about it and how it made him feel, but, that was more Dr. Charles's department and he wasn't about to force his brother to push him away.
"Serial kidnapper."
One of the very few things Jay had said about it. Possibly one of the only things he was allowed to say about it. Though, Will often wondered if Jay was allowed to tell him more, but didn't.
He mentioned, in passing, the kidnapper's MO. It sounded a lot like what the guy behind him, on the street, was doing. The way the guy was acting was just… Well, it wasn't necessarily suspicious. It just felt off. Okay, so feelings aren't a means of judgement whatsoever but it just… He really didn't know what to think. Maybe it was instinct? He scoffed at his train of thought. Jay's comments on the case were just making him paranoid. Yeah, that's exactly what it was. He continued on his day-off walk through the city. He was on his way to get lunch with Jay and give some medical insight on the case he'd asked for just five minutes prior, over the phone. He could have answered the questions though the call, but the things Jay was describing.. He'd have to see the pictures to be sure it was what he thought it was.
But something was off. He quickly got his phone out, scrolling through his contacts. The call rang a few times before being picked up.
"Hey, man, you close?"
"Jay, I think I'm being followed."
"Dude-"
"No, I'm serious. I'm being followed. Average height, athletic build, almost looks homeless. I did what you said to do when you think you're being followed and the guy's still there behind me."
"Okay, don't freak out. I'm at the front desk waiting for Platt. Come here. Don't stop; don't do any unnecessary turns. Just get here as fast as you can. He won't follow you if you're around a bunch of cops."
"Alright. I'm on my way."
"Stay on the line."
"I'm only four blocks away."
A woman stepped out of an alleyway, seemingly homeless, asking for money. She pushed against him, keeping him from getting around her. "Sir, please, I just need a few dollars."
"I-I'm really sorry, I have to be somewhere." He tried to slip around her with no success.
"Sir, please." She stepped back, smiling, sending a chill down Will's spine. It was evident what was about to happen- that he wouldn't get out of it.
"Jay…"
"Will keep going!" All of the cops around him stared. It wasn't unusual for someone to have that kind of call in that room, but, it was still startling.
Will pushed past her, only to be met with a tight grip on his arm, pulling him back. He nearly fell, turning to face the man who he knew had been following him. He was then met with four knuckles to the face and a throbbing jaw. He was sent tumbling into the alleyway the "homeless" lady came out of. Of course, nobody would notice. Dammit, Chicago.
The woman followed Will who was sprawled on the ground, phone no longer in hand. He reached for it, fingers bending and stretching. The man pressed his foot to the phone, slowly crushing the metal and glass beneath his large boot. He laughed, pointing a stun gun at the doctor, sending the electrified projectile through the air, imbedding themselves into Will's skin, sending fifty thousand volts through his body. He seized, arms and legs locking up, shaking with the currents surging through him.
The world started to fade as the electricity overtook his mind. The surges manipulated the chemicals in his brain, making it feel like his whole body was going to explode. His eyes rolled into the back of his head as the black and white spots swirled around his vision, overtaking it, sending him into a deep, coma-like sleep.
:::::::
"Guys!" Jay practically flew up the stairs, feet skipping two at a time, legs outstretched. "Voight!"
The team all turned their heads to a frantic younger Halstead running into the Intelligence bullpen. The fear playing across his face stopped everyone's hearts. There's only one person who could make him look exactly like that, and with the case they were working… It had to be him.
"Jay, what- what's going on?" Haley stepped forward, hands outstretched. Jay stepped back, one hand out towards her, signaling for her to keep a good distance. He wanted space, as if touch would cloud his thoughts.
"Will got kidnapped. I-I think it's the guy we've been dealing with. Cresslyr. It has to be Cresslyr."
"Woah, kid, slow down," Alvin stepped from his little cubby-hole. "What makes you think that?"
Jay wanted to punch a hole in the wall. Much like Will, he knew feelings weren't a means of judgement but he'd be damned if he ignored them when his big brother's life was in danger. He'd have to consider them, at least in that moment. "I-I dunno. I just know." He knew he'd a apologize for the harsh tone at a later time.
"Atwater, Ruzek," The two looked at Voight, "go to the scene, see what you can find."
"Yeah, serge," Atwater grabbed his jacket off the back of his chair, leading Adam down the stairs with him.
Voight crossed his arms, adjusting his stance. "Antonio, you go with Burgess and look back through the files and reports, maybe catch something the RO's missed."
"What would the responding officers miss that we could find out through files?" Burgess hadn't completely gotten how things worked there, yet. Antonio just tapped on her shoulder and the two left the room before Voight had time to get angry at the question.
"Olinsky, we're gonna go talk to the found victims and their families and the families of those who weren't found. We can't be sure it's Cresslyr. We still have some suspects."
Alvin started down the stairs, not wanting to stay for what Voight was about to say next and the reaction that was surely to follow right after.
"Upton, stay here with Jay. Make a report of everything that happened over the phone." Voight started to follow Alvin down the stairs before Jay spoke up.
"Serge, what do we do after?" He crossed his arms, defensive against the answer he already knew he was going to get. Why'd he even ask? He scoffed before he'd even heard Hank's answer.
"Stay here." Voight threw the words over his shoulder as if Jay was supposed to just accept them, given the casualty of the gesture. "You know how it is, kid."
"I can't just stay here and do nothing!" Jay stepped forwards, only stopped by Upton's surprisingly tight grip on his bicep. "Voight-"
"What would you say to another cop if they said the same thing you just said to me?" Voight stopped his descent, though not bothering to face the detectives.
"I… I'd… Voight, please."
"'T's what I thought."
:::::::
"Voight's gonna pay up real nice for this one." The man's voice was warped in Will's ears. His eyes slowly fluttered open, the bright lights in the basement burning them. He tried to sit up before the chest strap restrained the movement. He looked down, seeing the extent of his binding. The large chest strap he'd already made acquaintance with but… the thick wrist and ankle cuffs were new.
"How much, you think? They gonna pay if he's a little messed up?" Her voice was clearer, deep and rough. The man's face looked questioning, confused. "I dunno." She was clear, now. Her voice was in stark contrast to his. It was high pitched, almost fake sounding. He turned his head to see her and her accomplice sitting in fold-up chairs you bring to a children's baseball game.
"Why am I here?" Will's voice was raspy from the unknown amount of sleep.
No answer.
"Why the Hell am I here?" He almost startled himself with the bravery.
"Guinea pig!" She sounded cheery, very much the opposite of how he felt.
"What do you mean?" Did he really want to know? Not really, but not knowing somehow felt worse.
"We developed this drug… It's for the others, but we're not about to sacrifice them when we could just take you and test it on you. Oh and I'm Cresslyr. She's Ria."
"Th-The others?"
"Yup!" Her voice was like a cheese grater to the eardrum.
"That 'serial kidnapper that's been terrorising all of Chicago' is us. We are the serial kidnapper." He waved his pointer finger between the two of them.
"Why me?"
"You're friends with Hank Voight. The brother of one of his men. He'll pay to get you back. We'll have a lot of ransom money and we'll have the answers to the experimental drug we made. Win-win."
Will scoffed. "Yeah, 'win-win'." He would have laughed at the odd courage- or stupidity- he had. It was just crazy. Jay had told him about these people with no boundaries, no sense of morality. He could visualize them in his head, but… actually meeting one- or two- being the subject of their immorality and crazed delusions… That was so much different than a few pictures, words, files in a stamped manilla folder. 'Damn.' He thought.
"See, the problem with the chemicals, is that they can only be introduced into the system in a fun way."
"Yeah, very fun!" Her high pitched yelling was definitely way worse than anything he'd ever heard.
"Go ahead, Ria." She took the instruction, grabbing her all-but-sanitary pocket knife, cutting his t-shirt open. She looked him dead in the eye as she slowly made the long incision in his chest, right above his heart. He bit back a scream, teeth clenched as hard as he could make them.
"Little deeper, would'ja? Kill me, maybe?" Seriously, where was this stupid, blind courage coming from? Well, regardless of his steady voice and snarky words, his body betrayed him. He shook. Possibly because of the drugs just poured into the cut or pure fear. Both? Yeah, definitely both.
:::::::
"I can't just stay here and do nothing while my brother is God knows where," Jay paced through the breakroom.
"I know how you feel, Jay, but-"
"No, you don't."
She held her hands up in surrender, leaning back into the couch. She crossed her arms. "Okay, I don't. I'm just saying I understand it's hard."'
Jay let out a long, exaggerated exhale, so much more than a sigh. "I can't do this anymore. I won't do this anymore." He bolted through the doorway, not even bothering to grab his jacket off of his chair. He would have fallen down the stairs, at the rate he was going, if he hadn't been up and down them a billion times before.
"Jay!" Upton followed, groaning at the youngest Halstead's actions. "Okay, fine, but slow down!"
:::::::
"No- absolutely not! This isn't for torture's sake. This is for science." Cresslyr took another quick look at Will's vitals, writing down his findings.
"Jonesie! Please!" Ria whined like a child, running a gentle hand through the unconscious doctor's hair. She brought her other hand to stroke his chest, a light touch.
"I told you to stop calling me Jonesie, Ria," He exhaled, heavy and low, the breath coming from deep within. "Fine. Do what you will, but keep him in once piece."
"Thank you, Jonesi- Jones." She skipped over to a large box in the corner of the room, opening it to go through her large array of weapons and tools. She hummed rhythmically, hand feeling over every piece of metal and wood.
"Make it quick." He left the room, giving Ria her freedom to reign over their captor.
:::::::
"Cresslyr always takes them in the city, around cameras. He does it to show us he can," Jay looked through the footage the computer guys gave him. He scrolled as fast as he could, getting to the point where Will was visible. Upton observed the look on Jay's face, knowing good and well he was going to get waist deep in this case, most-likely driving himself into an emotional ditch. "Dammit, he always has that hood on! I can't ever get a good visual." He ditched the tapes, switching to a different angle. He could have cried at the joy he felt when the owner told him about a hidden camera. Maybe Cresslyr would be on there. He looked through the footage, frantic.
"Jay, I-" Hailey looked with him, still hesitant about his emotional actions.
"I'm not going back to the precinct. I'm not just gonna sit and do nothing." His voice was a lot harsher than he wanted.
"I was just saying I found something." He was visibly sorry, yet no words came out. She stepped from behind the chair Jay was in, taking the mouse from his hand to bring the video back to where her sight was. "Right here." She paused, pointing at Will, on the screen, with the mouse.
"The woman's face! I'll run facial rec!" The computer whirred, giving the desired processing speeds, bringing up a picture and file for Jay to identify the woman. "Got it!" He pushed through the footage, getting a better picture of the man.
"You were right." She brought her fingers into a tight fist, knuckles turning white. "Jones Cresslyr."
"That son of a bitch." Jay's eyes darkened, his bloodlust at peak performance. He pressed the keys at break-finger speeds, using the extent of his limited hacking knowledge. (He was trying to impress a girl when he'd decided to learn a little. Worked, much to his surprise. Not the point...) "He owns some property on the East side."
"I'll call the unit. Let's go."
:::::::
Jay drove through the streets of Chicago, nearly hitting an elderly woman in the process. "Jay!" Upton grabbed the handle on the roof.
"She shouldn't have jay-walked!" His foot was heavy against the the pedal.
"It-" she sighed, "What's the point?" She knew where he was emotionally, but, damn, Jay.
"Five minutes out. If they did something to him…" He trailed off, mumbling to himself.
"What we did was illegal, Jay. Your fake warrant-"
"Was enough to convince the guy to give me the tapes to save Will. That's all that matters. Two minutes out."
"Jay, I'm fine with it, but we gotta get-"
"I don't care what happens to me. I'll tell them you didn't know and I was acting alone."
"Don't interrupt me, Jay. Listen, there's no way I'm gonna let you take the fall for this alone."
"Gonna have to," He turned the wheel, pulling into the little driveway of the house. He barely got the car in park before he was out the door, running for the front door of the residence. He knocked, standing off to the side. Hailey quickly followed, cringing at the muffled screams she heard from what she only assumed was the basement. Jay's head quickly turned to her, eyes wide. He could see the look in her eye, knowing she was hoping he hadn't heard that. She was right, because the next thing they knew, he was through the door and down the stairs, gun at the ready.
:::::::
Will screamed as Ria brought the small blade down into his torso. When she brought it out, she lifted her hands once more, stopping mid-air. "Wait a minute…" She lowered the knife, skipping back to her weaponry box. "Why don't I just use this?" The cattle prod shone in the dim lighting. Her giggle sent a chill down his spine. Or was it the cold? He wasn't sure anymore.
"Will!" He turned his head to see Jay running into the room, gun trained on Ria, gunfire rattling off upstairs.
"Jay, no!" He watched as Jay was shot in the chest, falling back into the wall. "Jay!" Will struggled in his restraints, creating irritated, bright red marks on his wrists. His grunting and groaning was a discordance in Jay's ears. Cresslyr stepped up, gun trained on Jay.
"Jay!" Upton fired of a round, straight through Cresslyr's eyes. She came to be next to her partner's side, coming down to lean on her haunches. She then went down to be on her knees keeping pressure on the wound. "Stay with me, Jay; you're gonna get out of this, I promise." She turned her head to face Will, not releasing any pressure on Jay's chest wound.
"I'll be-agh-fine. His wound is worse than mine." He was lying. He was bleeding out just as fast.
"Help's gonna be here really soon." Her voice shook. Jay's eyes started to droop, setting the panic in. "No, Jay, you can't- Stop! Jay, stay awake; stay with me!"
His panicked tight grip on her wrist would leave a bruise. "Will."
"He's okay."
"I'm okay, Jay!" Will struggled in the restraints, desperate to get to his baby brother.
"I would get you out but-" She stopped, feeling Jay's once-tight grip release, his hand falling to the ground beside him.
"It's fine." Will was barely able to answer. The panic was visible across his face as his eyes widened and glassed over. "Jay." The name was breathy and low, terrified for his fate. The only comfort Will received was the fact that the bullet was far enough from his heart to give the medical team time. But the one fact rattled him. They'd barely have enough time.
Muffled sirens blared through the tile floors and concrete walls of the basement. "Thank God." Hailey let out the two breathy words. "We're down here!" The gurney was maneuvered down the stairs, over an unconscious younger Halstead and his partner. The paramedics did their initial examinations and prep for the gurney. They hauled him onto the rolling bed, bringing him out of the room and up to the ambulance. Will was finally released from his ties and taken care of, brought into his own ambulance. The two were sped off to Chicago Med, both asking for each other when they were awake and lucid enough. So once. They asked once. They weren't awake for long. Pain meds, amirite?
:::::::
Jay woke up out of a nightmare, clutching his chest when he shot up in the bed. He slowly lowered down, slightly groaning at the pain it caused. Not too much pain, though. Again: pain meds.
"Oh good, she's awake." Will laughed from the other side of the curtain. It was pulled back just enough so the two had a visual of each other.
"Shut up," Jay pulled his blanket a little bit higher up his bare chest.
"I've been waiting for you to wake up. I get to tell you how awesome my scar's gonna be. You normally get all the cool ones, but Nat's gonna love this one."
"Really?" Jay's tone was sarcastic. "Mine's gonna be way better, dude."
"You think so?"
"I got shot in the chest! You got stabbed in the stomach! I've been stabbed plenty of times. How many times have you been shot in the chest, Will? Huh? How many?"
"Dammit."
"'T's what I thought." Jay playfully crossed his arms triumphantly, groaning as it tugged on his wound.
"Asshat."
"Did you just say 'Asshat'?" He couldn't help but laugh at his big brother's statement.
"Yeah… I did?" The two laughed. "I'm glad you're good, man."
"Damn. Well, I'm glad you're okay, too." The two sat in silence for a moment, the awkwardness in the room was quite thicc. "Alright! Let's watch something." He picked the TV remote up, pointing it at the machine.
"Catch Me If You Can." Will watched the TV as Jay looked through the available que.
"No way, dude. Ferris Bueller's Day Off!"
Will rolled his head on his pillow, grabbing the cup of ice chips from the rolling bed table. "We watched that the other day. Let's do mine."
"I have the remote." Jay held it up, as to show that he, in fact, did have the remote.
"Don't be a child, Jay."
"You're calling me a child? Me?"
"Yeah!"
"Fine. Wanna call me a child, I'll act like one." Jay petulantly rolled his eyes, holding back a laugh at the action, because, even to him, it was childish. Though, he wasn't about to let his big brother know he was right. No way!
"Come on, Jay." Will's tone was nearing a beg.
"I got shot cus 'uh you!"
"I got kidnapped because of you!"
The two fell silent.
Jay sighed. "One after the other. Yours first." He brought the icon over the thumbnail for Catch Me If You Can and pressed 'OK' on the remote. "The things I do for you."
"The things we do for each other..." The two left the statement, watching the movie, hoping to ignore the emotions. "Love this movie…"
"Yup." Recovering together was definitely gonna mean more childish arguments and plenty of debates on the perfect temperature for recovery and whether or not it existed. The two were sensible adults on their own, but, geez, they were absolute children when they were together. Though, if they were honest, it definitely kept spirits high during rough times. And boy were there some rough times.