Author's note: Since you guys seem to have enjoyed this story here's chapter 1 it takes place a bit later after the prologue which you will learn just how long as you read. Happy reading, and now I'm going to go run and hide...
He was even quieter than normal, the small man that had helped save her life wasn't his usual chipper self, but it seemed no one was. Who knew a man that barely talked held this weird group of defective people together. Finch was quiet, much more so than she was and she had a personality disorder. Finch just missed his anti-social guard dog. Detective Fusco occasionally helped here and there on a number for them, but the female detective wouldn't speak to them. She thought Finch had abandoned his search for John, which was far from the truth; they just couldn't ignore the numbers. Shaw wanted to get Reese back as much as the others did; she wasn't sentimental but he had saved her. She was going to return the favor. She sipped her coffee as she moved around the library. Bear lifted his head, then laid it down dejectedly, realizing yet again, it was only her and not his beloved master.
Shaw sighed, seeing Finch with his head down on the tabletop asleep, glasses hanging haphazardly off of one ear. The man was going to make himself sick spending all day helping with the numbers, then spending all night looking for leads on John. She placed a cup of tea in front of him.
"Finch, wake up." his eyes blinked open and he raised his head wincing slightly at the kink in his neck. "Anything yet on John?"
"Nothing unfortunately, Ms. Shaw. Zoe Morgan polled all her contacts and came up empty handed yet again as did Logan Pierce. It seems as if no one wants to acknowledge the man in the suit's existence let alone help find him."
"Listen Finch, I know you don't want to hear this but it's time to face the music, it has been six months since he's disappeared."
"Ms. Shaw, I do not wish to speak about this. Mr. Reese is alive, and that's the end of the discussion."
"I hope so, I'm not sentimental, but he did save my life on a few occasions; it's only fair if I get to even us out." She turned to look at the board. "New number?"
"Yes, his name is Tanner Cahill, age 35, he works as a bartender at Logan's Bar and Grill. His nights on are Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays."
"Anyone special in his life?"
"No, not a girlfriend or a hint of a digital footprint that I can see. I did acquire his address."
"I'll go get eyes on him."
"Good, while you do that I'm set to meet with a man I would very much rather never speak too again."
"Who could that be?"
"Leon Tao."
"The annoying idiot that constantly gets himself in danger? How can Reese stand saving his life constantly?" Shaw grumbled, having to have done so herself, twice. Once as recently as last week!
"He might be constantly a number but his wheelings and dealings with the criminals of New York could prove to be useful in locating Mr. Reese. I will not rest until I find John, as he would do for me." Shaw had no doubt that was the case. She wondered if Finch was going to take a play out of John's playbook when and if they got the guard dog back by placing a tracking device on him. She smiled a little to herself, sipping her coffee as she made her way back out of the library to get to business.
Finch breathed heavy as he walked the busy streets of New York with Bear on his leash. He was running out of ideas on how to find Mr. Reese, the machine wasn't giving him his number, and the men that took John, their murders were still unsolved. Now that the machine was free, he half wondered if it wasn't helping him find Mr. Reese to punish him for taking its memories away. It was working; John was a friend, one that needed his help and he couldn't do a thing.
Everyone was pulling their fair share in looking for Mr. Reese, though he suspected Detective Carter was doing above and beyond. He should have known how the detective felt for him, it should have been so obvious. But he hadn't figured it out until the good detective had ripped him a new one. He didn't bother trying to defend himself, he figured she was only lashing out at him out of fear. And to be quite honest some of it he deserved. He hadn't been helping her figure out Beecher or Szymanski's real murderers or helped her with her own issues with HR, he called her when he needed her assistance on new numbers without offering to help her. He could see why she was angry about it though he couldn't apologize for it right now. He had been so focused on trying to save the numbers and find John, he had completely forgotten about the past numbers they couldn't save thanks to the virus uploaded into the machine. Detective Carter had every right to be upset with him and Shaw, but he had been quite taken aback at the look in her eyes the moment she brought up that she thought he abandoned John.
Jocelyn Carter had grown to be quite fond of Mr. Reese, as he was of her, he just never suspected their fondness for one another would ever amount to actual feelings. Her words stung as she pointed out that John would have searched forever to find him, while he didn't give a damn. Guilt set in, she was right, he knew it and she knew it, but she was so very wrong about him not giving a damn. He suspected that Jocelyn Carter had an emotional need to find Mr. Reese much like he did, though they both had differing reasons as to why. He felt almost paternal to John, seeing in him a man that had a caring soul that was suffering from the CIA. The CIA that tried to take a man who cared too much and break him, make him into a cold heartless monster though it didn't work. John couldn't ever be heartless, even though he was sure Mr. Reese tried to shut off his emotions during his stint in the CIA. John had a heart that loved deeply, that had been shattered by betrayal, death, and guilt. Mr. Reese just needed a reason to live, a reason to go on and Finch had given him that with his purpose of saving lives. Finch just didn't quite realize when he found Mr. Reese, he would also find a rich and fulfilling friendship with the hardened soldier. One he sorely missed and wanted back desperately. He couldn't save Nathan but he had a chance to find and save John, he wasn't going to stop looking until he did.
Harold walked with Bear into the park where Leon had agreed to meet up with him. He cinched his jacket around him tighter as a brisk New York breeze whipped around him.
"Long time no see." Harold turned, seeing Leon Tao making his way over towards him, his arms stretched wide with a grin on his face. Bear hopped up onto his hind legs to attack the man, to lick and be petted. Bear gave Leon a nice lick on the face before the man pushed him off his chest.
"Hopefully we keep it that way, no more getting into trouble Mr. Tao."
"Yeah, well next time when you come save me can you not send in the hot chick? Send John because she's nuts and mean. John's mean but he doesn't really mean it, he likes me, I can tell." Finch wasn't so sure if John liked him or was just amused by his comical errors with the wrong side of the law.
"I'm sorry Mr. Tao, but Mr. Reese is why I asked for this meeting, he's missing."
"Wait, John's missing? For how long?"
"Six months," Finch said softly as guilt set in. Six long months, while Mr. Reese had found him in days after Root had kidnapped him in hopes of finding the machine.
"Six months! John's not dead is he?"
"Don't speak like that!" Finch snapped, his usual calm demeanor gone. Finch reigned in his emotions not wanting to think of that possibility. "I'm sorry Mr. Tao, it has been a rough six months, I need your help in searching for him."
"Sure, anything to find my favorite savior because the hot crazy chick, she needs to go." Harold smiled a little.
"I'm glad you said it like that."
"I'm sure I'm not going to like this." Leon looked at him with suspicion and Harold nodded in agreement.
"Most assuredly not, Mr. Tao," he agreed and motioned for Leon to come sit with him on the park bench; they had much to discuss.
"I'm telling you, Carter this is a bad move!" Joss entered the small diner called Moe's. The outside did nothing for the inside of the small diner. The outside bespoke that it was trashy, rundown, and not at all spectacular but now that she had entered it was quiet, richly designed, and comfortable.
"Fusco, relax, he owes me his life; he agreed to help," Joss assured her partner on the phone as she took a booth near the corner of the diner.
"Yeah well, do you really expect him to help you find wonder boy without expecting something in return? Who cares if you saved his life or not, he tried to end yours way back in the day!" Joss wasn't going to argue the point, she had sunk to a new low in hopes of finding John, one that required asking a criminal for help. The dead men in the rundown mill, their murders were still unsolved, whoever killed them didn't leave a single trace of physical evidence to point in the direction of who did it. Joss had talked to some of her C.I.s that ran along with several street gangs that could have had a run in with the man in the suit, but came up empty handed. She needed someone that had connections, she needed someone that could find out information in a less than legal execution, she needed Carl Elias's help. She'd deal with the devil in hopes of bringing John home in one piece. John had once said she had a good moral compass, well that went out the window when she had nowhere left to turn to for leads.
"I have to try," she said to Fusco as she looked up at the middle aged waitress walking up to her.
"What can I get for you?"
"Just a water for now, thanks." Joss smiled, sliding the menu away from her on the red and white checkered laminate table top. She waited till the waitress walked away before speaking once more to Fusco. "Fusco, nothing is working, he's been gone now for six months without a trace. It's like he vanished into thin air; I need to find him."
"Carter, I know you don't want to hear this, but you need to face the very real possibility that we won't find John, alive or ..." His voice trailing off.
"Everyone else might have given up on him including you, but I'm not!" Joss snapped into the phone angry with Fusco for bringing up something that had crossed her mind on more than one occasion. But she forcefully dismissed it, John was alive and in need of help, it was just where and how she would find him?!
"I know you, the little guy, and G.I. Jane had words a bit ago, but how about going to them instead of Elias?" She didn't want to think of Finch and Shaw right now, running around without giving a damn about a man that would die to save them. She remembered how desperate John was when he was searching for Finch when Root had him, so he could bring him home safely. John would have searched to the ends of the earth to save him, but Finch couldn't be bothered to search for him, instead he was focusing on other people without an ounce of worry for John. Joss squeezed the phone tight in her hand, still very angry when Finch tried to ask for her to assist him and Shaw with some other person. They weren't helping her look into Cal's or Szymanski's deaths; and now they abandoned John as well. Finch, and Shaw had given up on him, well she wasn't about too. He wouldn't give up on her if the roles were reversed! She was done with them she thought, trying to convince herself. She would find John on her own, John had once said she wasn't alone, well without him she was.
But Joss had an unexpected ally in help of getting out of the shooting jam with HR, who just happened to be Carl Elias. Somehow the investigation into the shooting disappeared and everything was hush-hush. She knew the fight with HR was far from over it was just beginning but for now things seemed to have quieted down. Joss had never thought she'd turn to a criminal for assistance like this, but he helped her with HR, she figured she could use his help in her search for John.
Joss mentally shook herself forcing her thoughts back on her current conversation with Fusco.
"No, because they don't give a damn about helping me find John even though he saved both their lives numerous times. Elias might be a criminal, Fusco, but he at least is willing to help me look for John." Joss looked up seeing Elias and his right hand man Anthony Marconi, everyone called him Scarface, slide in the booth across from her. "Gotta go Fusco." She hung up with him hearing him say something to her about not trusting them.
"What do you have for me? Please say something, I need a lead on him."
"Unfortunately Detective Carter, not a whole lot. It seems no one knows where the 'man in the suit' is. The Russians, the Bulgarians don't have him, the Aryan Brotherhood would love to get their hands on him to kill him; the cartels we looked into also have no idea. It seems like John disappeared, Detective Carter." Joss felt herself deflate a little. She had been hoping with Elias's connections she'd come up with one lead on where John could be. She exhausted every avenue in her search for the missing man in the suit, her missing friend, but came up empty each time. Frustration wasn't the word for what she was feeling at the moment.
"Thanks anyway, Elias." Disappointment so keen knifed through her heart. She wasn't giving up because she never would, she wasn't like everyone else, but where the hell was he?
"You and John both saved my life; John will always be the man that came out of nowhere to save me, just as you will be. If I hear of anything, detective, you'll be the first to know." Elias assured her as he slid from the booth. Joss watched as the two men left, she still half wondered if she had done the right thing saving a man's life who would ultimately start another mob war with the Russians to gain control. But she couldn't go back and undo anything. What was done was done and she would just have to cross that bridge when it happened. Joss slid from the booth leaving a tip to the woman even though she hadn't ordered anything, exiting the diner with spirits lower than ever.
The longer John stayed missing the less likely she would be able to find him alive. Joss heard her phone buzz with a text and she pulled it out of her jacket pocket, eyeing the text from an unknown number. Joss furrowed her brows a little as she read the text: Sand Creek. What did it mean? More importantly, who was it from? She hurried to her car climbing inside, when she got another text from the same unknown number. She eyed it, seeing it was a social security number. What the hell? Joss received another text seconds later from the unknown number with just a simple: St. John's Cemetery. Sand Creek, wait a minute, Sand Creek was a road and, St. John's Cemetery were both in Colonie, New York. It was an address for someone and it would take her about a half hour to get there. She threw her phone onto the passenger seat and began driving towards Colonie, New York.
Joss drove fast arriving in Colonie about twenty five minutes later and she slowly turned down Sand Creek Road. She wished she knew what the hell she was doing here and why she was listening to some random texts. For all she knew the texts were from some wrong number and here she was thinking it was like a higher being giving her a clue to something. Joss drove west down Sand Creek Road, slowly coming upon the cemetery when she slammed on the brakes, startled. Adrenaline pumped through her veins as it always did when on a call or when someone was in need. And someone was in need. She pulled over to the side of the road. There, in the darkening night, staggering away from the neighboring school, moving towards the cemetery, towards her was a man in tattered, bloodied clothing, his hair longish and shaggy as was his beard. She quickly exited the car, leaving her car door open as she ran towards the man, her hand near her holster just in case the man was dangerous. There was something about him that reminded her of the man she first met after who had fought off muggers on the New York subway a couple years earlier. Her feet faltered to a stop her hand flopping to her side in shock when she realized who it was.
"JOHN!" she cried half in elation, half in horror as she ran much faster to him. She hid the anguish that threatened to overtake her at his appearance. He blinked, turning his head to look at her.
"Joss?" his voice was low, thick, and raspy, it was almost as if he didn't recognize her. She wanted to cry as she got close to him, seeing gashes, dried blood, and deep grooves on his wrists suggesting he had been restrained for a long period of time and had struggled in them. She reached out gently to touch him, seeing the protective curl of his left arm inwards to his body. His face was covered in sweat, dried blood, and he was pale; his eyes were sunken and had a haunted look to them. John's white t-shirt was tattered, giant holes where patches of his ivory skin could be seen, the back of the shirt was ripped almost completely off. Joss moved to look behind his back, blinked her eyes to calm herself, his flesh was mangled. Her eyes slid to his feet seeing he wasn't wearing any shoes or socks, and they were an unhealthy blue/black color and swollen.
"Oh John, what did they do to you?" she whispered more to herself than actually to him. John's usual athletic form was gaunt like he hadn't eaten in months. "John, I'm going to get you some help okay?" She said keeping her hands out to show she wasn't there to harm him. She didn't know if John was totally with her, or was he in some sort of drug induced state.
"Water?" his soft whisper shot her off towards her car grabbing desperately at her bottled water, trembling the entire time. She ran back to him and held the water to his lips, helping him take some in. He made no effort to take the bottle into his own hands. He gagged a little at the first few sips before he took greedy amounts of water. She put the cap back on when he shook his head that he was done, then placed the bottle in her giant pocket of her jacket, she had to get him to a hospital. Across the street some of the people in their homes came out.
"Does he need some help?" Someone called out. Joss looked towards the people before eyeing John. John looked unaware of where he was.
"Everyone go back in your homes, I'm a cop, I'm going to assist this man to a hospital," she called out, keeping one hand on him while flashing her badge. Several of the people nodded their heads heading back into their homes, while others looked on with concern. Joss looked back at him, seeing his pupils dilated. He looked like he was going into shock.
"John, I have to get you to a hospital now," she whispered, deciding to drive him rather than call an ambulance; if he was under some sort of drug induced state he might become agitated. She gently took his right arm, sliding it over her shoulders helping him towards her car. Each step was a challenge for them both. She placed a hand on his torso, biting her lip to ward off the tears when she felt his ribcage. John was severely malnourished and he was freezing. She could feel him shivering though she couldn't tell if it was from the cold or shock, or maybe both.
"No hospitals," he whispered as she helped him finally to her car.
"John, you're going, its not up for discussion." she calmly stated all the while she felt like her heart was in her feet. She struggled to get him into her car but when she went to lift his legs in the car, he moaned in pain, clumsily trying to stop her from bending his knees. She squatted down at his level to help put the seatbelt onto him. She wasn't going to let him die from infection or worse by not taking him to the hospital just when she got him back. John didn't say anything else as she ran around to the other side of the car. She climbed in, he was shivering as he laid his head against the headrest. Joss cranked up the heat, blasting it for him, hoping to warm him up. She shrugged her jacket off laying it on him hoping to warm him up. He might be worse for wear right now, but he was alive. That was what mattered. They'd get him back to full strength, and then find the sons of bitches that did this to him. Joss pulled away from the curb. "John, hey, stay with me." she called out when she saw his eyes rolling the back of his head. He blinked as if trying to concentrate on her voice.
"Joss?" his voice was low as if unsure she was really with him.
"Yeah, John?" she crooned, trying to keep her own pain and panic over his state to herself.
"Are you really here?" the quiet question ate at her heart. Whatever they did to him made him question his own sanity.
"Yeah, I'm really here with you, you're safe now, I'm taking you to a hospital. John, who had you?"
"I don't know," he sounded confused, like trying to think right now hurt. Joss had a million questions for him but for now she thought better to keep them to herself. She didn't need to stress him out before she got him checked thoroughly out by a doctor.
"Its okay, it will be better once you're warm and feeling better." she assured him as she pulled up to a local hospital. "Stay here John, while I go get someone to help me come get you, okay? Please do as I say just this one time, I promise I won't badger you anymore about police procedures," she said and he shifted his eyes to her, he was trying to focus on her.
"Yeah right, you love to lecture me." He mumbled as his eyes slid shut.
"JOHN, you need to stay awake okay, I'll be right back." she touched him because she needed too and his eyes opened halfway. Joss gave him one last look before she exited her car and ran to the entrance of the Emergency Room to go find someone to help her get John inside.
Author's note: *peeking out* is it safe to come out, no one will harm me for completely destroying John? In my defense you need me able to post more to fix it *big doe eyes*
John's been gone a long time, but I needed it to be like that for the simple reason of the mess the team is in right now. Now they all need to heal, forgive one another, and learn what's going on.
Thank you for taking the time to read and review I appreciate the thoughtfulness you guys seriously rock :P I'll be posting more periodically for this story until the other two stories I posted first are finished, once they are this one will get more updates quicker, I'm thinking Friday or Saturday for chapter 2 of this story, maybe sooner if you guys seem to enjoy it.
