Chapter 1~The Consul
Hong Kong
Celebration for Election of Consul Chen Han
Saturday, August 6
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"To Consul Han! May his term be one of success and benefits to his country!" a six-foot man with grey hair and mustache toasted, his voice carrying an accent from England. He raised his glass of champagne and listened to the exclamations of agreement before the table took a drink from the sparkling liquid.
"Thank you, Mr. Fergus, my friend," a small, well-dressed well-groomed Chinese man said with a smile, brushing off his suit as he looked out across the table of his friends and business partners. "I appreciate the support and patience I have received from all of you. Now, I will be off in the morning for America. My first duty as Consul in America will to dedicate and open the new Chinese culture exhibits in New York City!"
A round of applause sounded throughout the room, and Consul Han smiled before continuing.
"We will be holding the opening gala-"
The Consul stopped as a man entered the room, a man very familiar to him. With a smile, he welcomed him into the room.
"Lee!"
"Good evening, Consul," the man spoke in their native language. He stepped in to whisper in the Consul's ear. "The artifacts have been recovered, however Juntoa has escaped..." he continued grimly.
Consul Han smiled and shook his head, a happiness spreading throughout him.
"That does not matter, this is wonderful news!" he whispered excitedly before turning to the crowd. "Everyone, Detective Ping has successfully recovered and retrieved stolen ancient artifacts that will be shipped to America to be out on display!"
The room filled with applause, and the Chinese detective bowed slightly in embarrassment. He quickly left the room with a small wave and goodbye to his friend. He did not expect to see him in a long while.
Little did he know, it wasn't going to be a full three days before he saw him again...
New York City
Chinese Government Building
Monday, August 8
8:30 am
The two FBI agents approached the Chinese man in his fancy grey suit and purple patterned tie. He was speaking with his secretary in Chinese, but stopped when he saw the two men.
"Consul Han, we must speak with you in private," one agent with a balding head and a bushy brown mustache said, his face grim.
"What for?" Consul Han asked, looking between the two men.
"It's about your daughter," the other potbellied FBI agent said. The Consul didn't argue a moment more, but immediately followed the agents to his large home where multiple police cars and black vans were parked.
"Soo Wong is gone?!" Consul Han exclaimed, his heart pounding dangerously in his chest.
"Sir, she was kidnapped on the way to school. We just confirmed that with the patrol cars that discovered the scene. Your driver was shot, and your daughter was taken. But rest assured that we will do our best to find her," FBI Sargent Corey calmly explained to the panicking man.
"No! She can't be gone! I-I must make a phone call, then I will answer your questions," the Consul insisted, taking out his cell phone and dialing the number for his friend.
To the side of the room, Special Agent Corey and the agent with the bushy mustache spoke in hushed voices.
"We need to keep this under wraps before Major Case gets word of this," the agent said, shaking his head at the frantic scene before him.
"They can't do anything about it, unless he is related to the commissioner or someone...which I highly doubt," another agent said, walking up to them.
"They might find a way into this one, so keep on our toes..." Corey instructed, watching as the Consul ended his call. "Hold on."
"Special Agent Corey, a detective from Hong Kong is coming to help with the investigation-"
"No...no, no, no, no, sir. That isn't necessary. We have it under control."
"He is already on his way...I want him on this. If he can't find my daughter, no one can..." the Consul nodded, his foot down and no room for argument. Sargent Corey sighed irritably. He would have to take care of this Chinese detective some his. If he wanted to work with them, he wasn't going to allow his agents to look foolish and disgrace the FBI. He could work with another department...like the NYPD.
Corey smirked to himself. That might just work. The FBI was way out of the NYPD's league, he thought. He had confidence that FBI could solve this before NYPD, especially with this Chinese detective to slow them down.
Quickly pulling out his phone, he excused himself from the room and called the commissioner.
"This is Special Agent Corey from the FBI. I would like to request help from the NYPD...yes, sir...affirmative...very well, and thank you. I will see the detectives at 4:00 sharp...yes, good day."
With that, he hung up and smiled to himself.
If this Detective Ping was to disgrace any investigator, why not let it be the NYPD...?
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New York City
One Police Plaza
Monday, August 8
3:30 pm
Captain Ross looked out across his squad room, searching for a certain two detectives. They were not easy to find, the large genius and unnerving detective sat across from his small snarky partner. The two had just finished the case, so they were on desk duty for now.
He watched as the small blonde detective, whom he actually liked and respected, glanced up from her work and looked at her partner, whom he despised. The man was so eccentric and damn near crazy, but his partner seemed to tolerate him. After many many partners before her had left the big detective, she had decided to stay. For six years... He couldn't imagine being stuck with that man for six years.
Seeing that they started a conversation, he decided he might as well go tell them the news now before they got any ideas to leave. Another thing that bugged the crap out of him was the big detective's spontaneous actions, like leaving suddenly. His partner seemed to always know what he was thinking, though, so she often went along with him.
With that thought in mind, Ross left his office.
"Bobby, you don't want to meet them. I swear they are nuts," Alex said, smiling broadly at her handsome partner. Bobby smirked right back.
"Then you wouldn't want to meet my family," he said, a sadness hinting in his eyes. Alex frowned at this, suddenly feeling horribly guilty.
"I'm sorry, Bobby," she said quietly.
"No, don't be. Lewis' family is more family than I've ever had," he smiled. "Besides, there are good memories still."
Alex smiled, nodding.
"Speaking of Lewis, he has been asking about a very popular 'Detective Alex'," Bobby laughed, smirking at his beautiful blonde partner.
"Oh?" Alex laughed.
"Yes, he can go on and on in our conversations about you," he said, looking down at his file and changing the page. He wasn't about to admit that he could go on and on about her too.
"Really? And what about you?" she asked, catching him completely off guard. "You did say this was in your conversations, and it takes two to converse. Do you talk about me?" she asked innocently. Bobby shrugged, a light smirk on his lips.
"Maybe," he said, chuckling lightly when Alex frowned.
"That's not an answer, Bobby," she muttered, making him laugh. He enjoyed teasing her, but she could tease him just as well.
"Eames! Goren!" came a voice from beside their desks, and both detectives looked up.
"Captain?" Alex asked, turning in her chair to look at him.
"I would do this in my office, but you two are going to be late."
"Late for what?" Bobby asked.
"The FBI called. They want help from the NYPD to find the daughter of Consul Chen Han, newly elected. She was-"
"Wait, sir, the FBI wants us to help?" Bobby asked, unbelieving.
"Yes, that is what I said. The Consul's ten year old daughter was kidnapped on her way to school, and the driver was shot. The Consul has sent for one of his detectives to collaborate with you, so we will be running a double investigation of sorts. Now, the FBI asked for help, expecting some rookies or jackass detectives from NYPD, but they are getting the two best detectives from MCS hand picked by the commissioner. So, detective," he said, looking at Bobby, "behave and play nicely, but don't let them have it easy, ok? Show them MCS is a respectable department."
Bobby didn't bat an eye at the captain's subtle insult. Alex, however, had a spark lit inside her.
"He always does, Captain," she said firmly. "Now when do we leave, and where do we go?"
After explaining where to go and what to expect, Ross watched as the two immediately grabbed their coats and headed for the elevators. He watched as the two conversed, talking in hushed voices to the other.
"Should I go with sweet and smart detective or badass detective?" Alex asked jokingly, looking up into Bobby's deep brown eyes.
"You're both of those, Eames. But with the FBI, how about let's go with hardcore badass Major Case detective, huh?" he chuckled, holding the elevator door open for her when it went to close with another group of police.
"You got it, and you misbehave all you want ok?" she teased softly in his ear. Bobby froze at that. Damn, he thought. He wanted to misbehave with her...
Bobby had always found his partner extremely attractive from the very beginning, and for the longest time he felt a warmth in his stomach when she was near. He had grown accustomed to it, but had no idea what it was. It wasn't until Alex was taken from him by Jo Gage that he realized that feeling had always been love. He couldn't remember a time that he didn't feel a love for her. She was his everything; his best friend, his protector, his career, his well-being... What would he do without her?
"Bobby?" Alex asked after a silent walk to the parking garage.
"Huh?" he asked, leaving his thoughts of the past few years and his feelings in the back of his mind.
"You're very quiet. Is everything alright?" she said in a teasing, light manner, but he could tell she was truly concerned for him. Her humorous tone was laced with concern, and her honey-brown eyes worried for him.
"Yeah, why wouldn't it be?" he asked, smiling genuinely at her. "We are about to show up the Feds, and I get to see my badass partner put them to shame..." he said with a wink and a grin that sent a tremor through Alex's petite body. All doubts of his well-being were washed away, and love filled her heart for Bobby.
He was the sweetest, kindest man that she had ever met. He was humble, and unbelievably smart and a damn good cop. Not to mention that he was extremely good looking, sexy, and definitely kissable.
Alex nearly laughed out loud at that thought. When had she become so mushy and a romantic? Oh yeah, since Bobby...
"Flattery won't get you anywhere, and if I find out you are lying about being alright I swear I will be on you quicker than a-" Alex started, her snarky humor playing out in her voice.
"Eames, I'm not lying. I promise," Bobby laughed, putting his hands up.
"Good," she smiled smugly, unlocking the SUV as they approached it in their usual parking spot.
"However, I might just break that promise. The punishment doesn't sound too painful," he teased her, knowing the reaction and surprise that would come from her.
Alex tried to school her features, but she was sure he could read right through her mask. Had he meant what he said? Of course he did, he was Bobby Goren. Alex's eyes widened, and her mouth opened slightly and she froze as she pulled open the door to the driver's seat.
Bobby smirked as he slid into his seat, but when Alex hesitated to get in he frowned slightly. Had she taken that seriously? Had he offended her? The only reason she would have taken it to heart, was if she had feelings for him too. Bobby's eyes widened.
Did Eames have feelings for him?
Alex took a breath before recovering and quickly getting in her seat, as if nothing had been said. Bobby was a damn good detective and profiler, Alex was sure he read her reaction accurately and was disgusted with what he found.
Falling back on her humor to pull her through, Alex put on a smile and came up with something to say back.
"Well, now all you have to do is ask. No need to break a promise," she forced a laugh, turning the ignition and putting on her seatbelt.
"I'll have to remember that, Eames," Bobby smiled, looking out his window before glancing at her. She was quicker to mask her reaction this time around, and a sweet smile was all he received. They had always flirted, always had playful banters but never had they gone so far as to coax such a strong reaction from the other.
After a drive with a relaxed conversation about the history of China—mostly done by Bobby—the two finally arrived at the address Ross had given them. Tall brick walls surrounded the lot, and only the roof of the building was barely visible. Alex swiftly pulled the black SUV into the drive but stopped at the tall iron gates. There two men in suits with the spiral cord earpieces stood. One of them had dark sunglasses on.
"How cliche..." Alex muttered. "Welcome to the land of politics and government."
Bobby laughed as he watched her pull her badge from her belt. He did the same as one of the men came to his door while the other approached Eames'.
"NYPD, Major Case. I am Detective Eames and this is my partner Detective Goren. We're here—"
"We know why you are here. You're good to go," the one near Goren said, cutting her off and staring at her through his sunglasses. The one at Eames' window brought his hand to his earpiece and spoke into it.
"Let them in."
Almost immediately the gates opened, and Alex was able to pull into the property of the Consul.
The house was more of a mansion, a small one, but a mansion all the same. It had extensive lawns, fountains, large panes windows, and gardens.
It would have been much more beautiful if there hadn't been multiple FBI vehicles cluttering the area.
"Ready?" Bobby asked as Alex parked the car and looked up at him. A smirk turned her lips, and he found himself admiring the way she looked.
"Hell yeah," she said, breaking into a grin.
Getting out of the car in unison, they were quite a sight.
They were two detectives from Major Case—the best detectives from Major Case.
They strode out in all their glory—Goren wore his expensive tasteful suit; dark grey with a white shirt and a dark blue tie. And Eames wore her slim, fitting black slacks, a white blouse, a black blazer, and black high heels. Their guns were strapped to their hips beside their badges.
The FBI had it coming.
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"Sir, the NYPD detectives are here."
Special Agent Corey turned to look at the agent that had reported to him, nodding and looking towards the doors to the office.
Just then a petite pretty blonde strode into the room with such confidence and authority. At her side was a tall, dark man whose presence was intimidating and he was clearly as confident as his partner.
"Agent Corey, I'm Detectove Eames and this is my partner Detective—"
"Goren," Corey interrupted, nodding. "I know who you guys are...I didn't ask for Major Case," he said, trying to hide his bitterness.
In fact, he had tried to avoid getting MCS involved. Though he would not admit it, they nearly always showed up the FBI.
"You asked for help from the NYPD on a very high-class case. Who did you think the Commissioner would send?" Bobby asked, putting his hands in his pants pockets.
"Actually, I didn't ask for the help. Detective Ping from Hong Kong did," Corey smiled wryly, making Bobby frown in thoughtfulness.
"That isn't what we were told," he challenged, drawing himself to his full height and staring the FBI agent down.
"Well, you must have been misinformed. Detective Ping needs your help solving the case while we work to do the same," Corey answered bitterly.
"Agent Corey, my partner and I were called in to help find a poor little girl who witnessed the murder of her escort and was then taken by the murderer. This isn't just a case to us..." Alex spoke heatedly, glaring at the man.
"And I am sure Detective Ping would agree," Bobby finished for her, standing tall beside her.
Corey glared at the two detectives and shook his head before leaving them to go talk the Consul.
"What a warm welcoming," Alex muttered under her breath. Bobby smirked at her, and signaled with his eyes that he was going to have a look around. She nodded and approached the Consul while he began to wander.
"Consul Han," she spoke politely, taking out her notebook and pen.
The Consul turned his gaze from Corey to a beautiful blonde woman. He looked her over, not quite sure what to think. A woman detective wasn't common, and judging by the badge she wore that is exactly what she was.
To his embarrassment, the first thing he noticed was her outfit. The first few buttons of her white blouse were left unbuttoned. The only reason he noticed was because the women in his country usually wore their collars high and kept their blouses done up. This was a new experience, and ashamedly he realized he enjoyed it.
"Detective?" he asked, looking into the woman's eyes. She didn't even blink, she wasn't intimidated by him like most people. This made him like her even more. She is a good woman, he decided.
"I am Detective Eames from Major Case, NYPD," she said, not even glancing at Agent Corey standing to the side of them. "Do you mind if I ask you some questions?"
Consul Han opened his mouth to answer, but was cut off by Corey.
"The detectives are here to help solve the case," he explained, nodding over at Goren as he said it.
"We are here to find your daughter," she amended, sympathetically looking at the Chinese man.
"Thank you, Detective Eames. My friend Detective Lee Ping will be here within the hour from Hong Kong. I contacted him this morning. He is my daughter's master in the fine arts," he explained. He then looked up from Alex's face and looked behind her. She felt Bobby come up behind her, and stand to the side.
"Consul Han, you are an important man and that may be the reason for your daughter's kidnapping. We need to always be near a phone line in case the kidnapper tries to make contact. If this does happen, we need you to keep him on the line for as long as possible in order for the FBI to track the call," Alex continued, regaining the Consul's attention.
"Yes, I've been informed of what to do if that situation should arise," he said, nodding.
"Do you have any idea who would do this?" Bobby suddenly asked, his eyes fixed on the window that faced the gates. A man was waiting outside the tall iron gates, and the two security guards were not letting him in. The man was Chinese, he wore a black suit, and he looked very upset.
Alex looked up at Bobby, and followed his gaze. The security guards pushed the man away again, and finally he left. Only then did Alex and Bobby see that the man must have gone around the brick wall because he appeared on top of it just out of the security guards' line of sight.
"No, I am a peaceful man, Detective," the Consul answered, watching in confusion as the two detectives before him looked past him. They were both being distracted by something. Corey squinted his eyes at them.
Alex and Bobby watched as the man ran in a crouched position on the wall, nearly out of sight.
Simultaneously, Bobby and Alex both leaned slightly to the right to see where the man was headed. Corey then turned around to see what they were looking at.
"And...have you been threatened in any way since your election?" Alex asked, bringing her attention back to Consul Han. Beside her, Bobby brushed her arm and he quickly disappeared from her side.
"The first major event on my agenda is the opening of the Chinese culture museum, and the artifacts, only recently recovered, had been stolen. That wasn't even really a threat, it was just a misfortune in time of my election..."
"No, Consul, it was very helpful," Alex said, writing notes down.
Maybe there was a string attached to that sabotage of the museum opening...but maybe there wasn't. Alex sighed inwardly, they were not going to recover much here.
Suddenly a crash sounded from a room a couple doors down from the office they all stood in, and everyone was suddenly alert. Everyone jumped into action, and many started towards the room. Her mind turning to Bobby, Alex joined them and jogged towards the room. Inside, a Chinese man stood in the center of the room with his hands up and a gun with the magazine discarded hung from his finger.
Three FBI agents lay on the ground unconscious, and now there were at least seven guns fixed on the man. To her dismay, Bobby stood just to the left of him, maybe two steps behind.
"Put down your guns," she ordered, pushing her way past the armed agents. The Consul followed in her wake, his eyes wide.
"Don't shoot! Put your weapons away!" he said frantically, waving his hands at the agents.
Alex ran up to Bobby, a concern evident in her brown eyes.
Agent Corey plowed his way to the front, looking between the four people in the center of the room.
"Agent Corey, please meet Detective Lee Ping," the Consul said.
Everyone stared at the new man, who had now dropped his hands and tossed the gun on the couch.
"Thank you," Lee Ping said, turning to Bobby,"for opening the window and letting me in."
Bobby nodded before glancing at Alex. The look told her that she should recognize the man. Suddenly she did, he was the one that climbed the brick wall after being pushed away.
"You could have came through the front, my friend," the Consul said, a hand on Lee's shoulder. Lee smiled wryly, glancing at the FBI agents.
"It is less fun that way," he shrugged, still breathing heavily after taking out the three agents.
"Come, my friend, we must find Soo Wong. These two detectives will aid you in finding her," the Consul said, leading Lee out of the room with Alex and Bobby behind them.
As they passed Agent Corey, Alex glared at the man and Bobby paused, looking down at him.
"Agent Corey, I don't want the FBI infringing our investigation again."
"Detective Goren—"
"If," Bobby cut Corey off,"you or any of your agents do anything to jeopardize the possibility of finding this girl..." he said quietly, pointing a finger in Corey's face and trailing off as he threatened him. With that, Bobby followed Alex out the door.
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In the Consul's office, the FBI and Eames and Goren debriefed Lee Ping of the situation and knowledge they had.
"Consul," Lee started, deep in though as he leaned against the desk with his arms folded. "There is one person that may be behind this..." he trailed off, not continuing.
"Who might that be, Detective Ping?" Alex asked from her chair in front of the desk, where she had been beginning to build a case file.
"A criminal I recently comprehended, but escaped," Lee answered.
"The artifact thief," Bobby stated, watching and studying Lee.
"Yes, Detective. His name is Juntoa. He used to be a respected police man. He also favors bombs, that was his specialty in the force," Lee answered. Bobby began pacing as he soaked in the information, his mind working and turning over the info.
Alex watched him pace, her own mind sorting through everything. Finally, Bobby glanced at her, his eyes lit with an idea. She could practically see the lightbulb to off.
It was then that a high pitched trill filled the room. I rang throughout the room, echoing a second time. All eyes turned to screaming telephone.
A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this. I would love to know what you guys think. Is it good enough to continue? Should I keep writing this? I am still working on Internal Affairs as well, I haven't abandoned that. Just so you know this is set in season six, after the Jo Gage incident.
~Love