Sorry, got carried away with hay the past few days. Here we go…
Mike had used up his vocabulary of expletives in no time, his wrists growing sore from the strain of fighting the ropes tying him in place.
A short while ago, he'd nearly disjointed his middle finger, hoping to undo the triple knot used by their kidnappers, his strong fingers no match to the thick cotton wrapped around the foot of the shelving unit several times over.
There'd been no sound coming from Steve, the young Inspector remaining frighteningly still, confirming that Chong had used a sedative to subdue him, likely ready to put him near the top of his list of people to butcher, judging by their last encounter.
The thought of being completely helpless to change that outcome was slowly but surely driving him insane.
In the other corner, Gifford had mimicked his actions, trying to undo her ropes but having nothing to show for except several broken fingernails.
Unable to see his wristwatch, Mike wasn't sure just how much time had passed since he was brought up here, his active mind envisioning a frenzied Hall of Justice Building as word about their kidnapping got out.
By now, Conden would get the feds involved, hoping the additional manpower would help close the gap when it came to the time and location advantage their attackers were enjoying thus far. If nothing else, maybe a sweep of the entire Woodville area might prove to be useful in their situation. Devitt had the receipt for the formaldehyde and would be more than capable of putting two and two together in a timely fashion.
"You think they're going to operate on him first, Lieutenant?", Gifford asked guardedly, then pointed her chin at Steve.
Taking a break from his arduous task of fighting the ropes, Mike shrugged.
"It's possible. It's also just as possible that Steve saw or heard something in connection to our case and Chong doesn't want him to tell me. At this point, I don't care why he did it. What we need to figure out is how to get out of here and how to get him to come back to. Are you sure you can't reach any tools with your free hand? Even a glass shard? Anything we could use to cut these ropes before those guys return?"
"I already tried…", Gifford countered defensively and ran her free hand along the vicinity once more as if to prove her point, "There's nothing but dust and metal around here…"
Their quiet conversation was disrupted by approaching footsteps, only two of them this time around.
The heavy-duty metal door was opened shortly after, giving sight of Chong and one of his helpers. With a smug grin, the Korean doctor approached Mike, both hands shoved in the pocket of his white doctor's coat.
"You look defeated, Lieutenant. I am surprised. I thought I told you last time that meddling in my affairs will cause nothing but trouble. You should have expected this outcome."
Shifting around to get a better look at Chong, Mike grunted dismissively.
"I told you last time that I won't allow you to murder innocent human beings and getting rich of selling their organs. The same holds true for whatever it is you are doing here now. My department is going to find the location of this…this lab and put you away for good once and for all."
"Those are strong words coming from a man who is currently restrained and locked up in a well-hidden and highly protected storage facility. Under the circumstances, I would suggest you keep your opinions to yourself, Lieutenant, and enjoy the last few hours of life you have left before I…before I decide how to dispatch you."
"We both know you won't get away with this. In a few hours, this place will be swarming with cops.", Mike continued unaffected, hoping to push Chong over the edge some more, possibly cause him to make mistakes, "Steve and I stopped you before, and we're going to do so again. You will not get away with this."
"You two fools merely slowed me down. You're far from stopping me, Lieutenant.", Chong hissed and came closer, his feet nearly touching Mike's outstretched legs, "This new…market I have discovered is offering a much better…return on investment than the organ trade ever could. Not just did it help me recover from the financial losses of your…impudent interference, it also allowed me to…expand my resources farther than ever before. I finally get to do what I set my sights on many years ago and I can't thank you enough for…pushing me into the right direction."
With a final smile, Chong retrieved a syringe out of his coat pocket, then reached for the IV line feeding fluids into Steve.
"Why are you keeping him sedated? You're afraid he's going to come after you again?"
"Lieutenant, Lieutenant…", Chong countered and administered the drugs through the port midway down the tubing, before handing the empty syringe over to his goon, "Don't patronize me. Consider this a dual-purpose intervention. The sedation will keep him subdued and out of my way and at the same time, it's insurance in case you are foolish enough to attempt an escape out of here. You'd never leave your partner behind and dragging him through the woods would slow you down enough that recapture would be a breeze even if you tried to escape. So, in essence, I am merely using your weakness to my advantage."
Swallowing hard, Mike squinted against the bright light from the outside corridor, his headache returning with a vengeance when he could afford it the least.
"How many innocent human beings have you killed so far to fill your orders, hm?"
"I believe we clarified last time that there's no such thing as innocence.", Chong countered, his cold brown eyes scanning the Lieutenant intently, his short black hair sweaty on the edges.
"And I believe we told you last time that you don't get to pick and choose who lives and who dies.", Mike growled in return, his antagonism met with an indifferent smile.
"Your threats are meaningless, Lieutenant.", Chong finally hissed and stepped back toward the door, "I will check on you again in a few hours. We'll see where your…support is by then."