"What is it again that the man has done to make our government mad at him?" The op wasn't happy about the fact that everybody in the group of four men and one woman, except him, seemed to know who this guy was and what threat he could possibly be. He really had enough of obeying orders without thinking. He had done this as a soldier and he had done it long enough for the CIA now and it sucked. They didn't even show him a picture of the target.
"None of your business, he's a threat to national security," Kara Stanton told him. "Don't ask too many questions."
But he wasn't one to give in, not anymore. He was ready to quit, problem was nobody just quit working for the CIA. "Well, why not let the NSA take care of him?" Stupid question, but to get on their nerves was the nicest thing he was able to think of right now. He wanted to go back home, to Jessica. Everything was already settled for his way out of the 'Company' without letting them know he was still there. He just hoped Jessica would be happy to see him, even if it was too many years too late.
"Shut up, John." She said, the other guys didn't say anything.
"At least let me see a picture, I gotta know what the man looks like, if I'm going to shoot him."
"NO! No as in no picture, no shooting, no answers – no talking me full with any of your shit, too."
He looked at her, he wasn't sure, but he had gotten some information from an unknown source that let him know that the CIA planned to kill him on the mission that would wait for him after this, probably through the hand of his partner. Wouldn't surprise him, they worked so many years together now, but he often felt like being with a frozen body and heart around her. She was... it actually felt like he wasn't really with her – she could just be some sort of robot that was controlled from somewhere far away. Though her skin was very soft. He had worked out his own plans for the particular event and that would be his ticket out of this crazy job.
"You don't want me to shoot him?"
She just stared at him, anger in her eyes. But he didn't care. "So how are we going to kill this guy?"
"Listen, John! I wouldn't be happy to get a new partner, you're quite good at what you're doing, but I killed people for less than pissing me off. Don't think, I wouldn't be able to kill you!"
"I know you could and would." Oh yeah, how well he was aware of that. But he hoped she would wait until that next mission, so his plan could work out and he could finally settle down with the love of his life. God, he loved Jessica so much. He didn't talk to his partner or the other guys anymore for the whole afternoon. It was late evening, when they started their mission, the mission he didn't know much about.
It was an lonely place, just a small cabin and a car outside. Someone had several things sitting on the ground that he was obviously bringing to his car. Bags. Just bags? John chuckled for some reason.
The men stayed in the car, while she went to the man that was just trying to finish his task. John wasn't able to see much, just that the man was only slightly taller than his partner. He could hear her voice. "Sorry to ask you, Sir, but is it possible to use your cell phone? My car broke a few miles away and I need a cab to get to town and maybe a hotel for the night."
When the guy answered, John was surprised by that nice voice and the way the man spoke. He had to be very well educated and John thought that he would always buy an audio book, when this man was reading it. But the man was probably going to die and it was such a pity.
Then Kara was talking again. "Thank you, you are such a sweetheart. Let me help you with your bags, it's the least I can do for your help."
The man turned away from her, bent down to go back to his things, when she crushed her gun down on his head. He went down, dizzy from the blow to his head and gasping in pain. Kara told the men to come over and they ran to her.
Their target was still down, one of the other men got to him and covered his face, the man wasn't able to see anything. "Get over here, and do what I tell you to", Kara ordered and John did as he was told.
It was painful for himself to hurt the man in such a horrible way. He had tortured many people in his life. But this man didn't ask for his life – not even once. He never opened his mouth to tell them anything they wanted. And that silence made the cries in pain, in pure agony, so much worse.
He broke every bone in the man's fingers, his hands, his arms, even broke the toes on the man's feet. It was so hard for him to proceed, he didn't know why, but he felt for this brave man. When he was told to break the man's shoulder and then step back, he got closer than necessary. While his fingers grabbed his shoulder to find the right spot, he brought his lips to where the man's ear was supposed to be under the cover. "I'm really sorry." It couldn't be true, but he was sure the man said "Not your fault, John!" How in the world could the man know him? He didn't know anything about this man.
Then he brought something down on the man's shoulder, something heavy, something thick, something cold in his hand and the man screamed out so loud that John felt like throwing up. The sound of the breaking bones didn't help. It was a huge fight inside of him. His first impulse was to hold the man up and bring him away from here. But that was impossible, so he stepped back and looked away, when the man crashed down on the dirty ground.
Then Kara just sent them away and was left alone with the man. She said she would follow them later. They drove away and John was wondering what was going to happen to this poor soul now.
John looked at the man until he was out of sight and then, all of a sudden, he was in a dark alley a bleeding man in his arms, the man's mouth moving. "You're too late, why?"
"Harold!" He woke up with a start, sweating, still in shock. Tears running down his face, his heart beating too fast in his chest.
He was swaying, feeling sick, but couldn't care less. He needed to be at his friends side.
The unknown source that had warned him, the man that had been tortured by his own hands, before he was the victim of a faked horrible accident that left him handicapped. That man that had saved him years earlier. "Always with you, Mr. Reese!"
This man had always been Harold Finch.
Now don't be mad at John or me. You heard Harold, he never blamed him, because it wasn't his fault.