AN: Things happen.
Tom
The beating went on for what felt like hours, and probably was, without a pause that lasted more than a few short moments as the one hitting him switched with the other.
For a while he tried his hardest not to let any noise escape him. But his vision was swimming, his head was spinning, nausea roiled in his gut, and he was pretty sure they'd broken a rib or two
because it hurt to breathe. He was too weak to stop the cries and whimpers of pain.
He could barely think and it terrified him because Tom had always known that his cleverness was the only thing he had going for him. If he couldn't rely on his mind...
There were no words spoken, just cruel laughter and pain. Tomtom, despite himself, started to doubt his friends were coming to save him. The hacker wasn't sure what to think. It was difficult to stay focused.
A punch to the face caused him to issue a small cry as his head jerked back and his teeth cut into his gums once more. He spat out blood. Things had started to blur, and Tom almost gave in to the shadows creeping into his vision. Almost let himself fall unconscious, but some part of his brain sparked with rebellion, useless as it was.
Breathing heavily, each inhale and exhale burning painfully, Tomtom forced his eyes open, and
raised his gaze to the person standing before him.
"Why?" Tom croaked, wincing - it hurt his ribs to speak.
The first thug laughed. The second one approached, and Tom flinched.
"Why not?" The man said, mildly.
"I- mean, what's - what's this - abou'?" Tomtom said, hoarsely, coughing between words. Why were they not questioning him, why were they doing this, did it have anything to do with the case?
"Hmm, well, I could answer tha', but I don't think ah will. There's no point, really. You're
just goin' to die here anyway. 'ventually." Tom swallowed audibly.
"Me friends-"
"Are not lookin' for yah."
"You're lying."
The thug smirked, and stepped back, letting the other man resume the beating.
Tom screamed at the force of the blow, feeling his shoulder pop out of the socket. He blacked out for a little while.
Team
"Wait, wait!" Anna called, running after Jack and Jess. She skidded to a stop as they turned to face her. "You need a technology expert, right?"
"Right...?" Jack said. Jess nodded slowly. Anna's dark eyes lit up.
"I have the perfect person for the job. They're probably not as good as your missing hacker, but my friend is pretty skilled at what they do. They can help." Jack and Jess exchanged looks. "Do you want to meet them?"
Jack sighed, and Jess shrugged.
"Yes, sure, might as well."
"We do need the 'elp."
Ray
Ray bit at the corner of their bottom lip absently, leaning close to the screen as they looked over their glasses. Their fingers moved across the keys, typing with the lightest of touches as they worked on a piece of coding. Ray practically fell out of the chair they were precariously balanced on when a sudden knock on the door startled them. Sighing, Ray settled back onto their seat, and made a face. After a hesitation, and a second knock, Ray decided that they would get back to work faster if they dealt with the interruption.
"Come in...?"
The door was opened by the person behind it, and Anna's familiar face appeared in the opening.
"Hey, Ray, are you busy?" Anna asked, smiling hopefully. They narrowed their eyes.
"It depends."
"I have some friends who need some tech help from the greatest of the greats to find someone." Anna offered.
Ray huffed.
"I have lines of coding to finish..."
"Please?" Anna was, apparently, not beyond fluttering her eyelashes. And, inexplicably, it worked. Ray looked irritated, but nodded.
"Fine."
