Title: Test of Time (1/12)
Disclaimer: I own nothing. The characters belong to John Wells, Edward Allan Bernero, NBC and a bunch of other people I don't know.
Rating: R for language and violence
Feedback: Well, it will make me write faster ;)
Test of Time by Jewel21
Prologue
Monday Night
The loud thumping bass and electronic sounds of the techno beat were the only sounds heard as the young man sat in his dinky apartment. The gray, chipped walls stared back at him bleakly, highlighted only by the glow of the television sitting in the corner of the room on a wooden crate, the sound muted. The soft glow of the picture created different patterns of light in the otherwise dark room. The occupant sat on an old mattress on the floor that served as a couch during the day and a bed at night, a half-empty bottle of beer on the floor beside him. He looked at his watch, noting the time, and knew that he had to leave soon - he had work to do. He slowly rose from his seat to flick off the television set when a knock at the front door interrupted him. Surprise registered on the young man's face. Wondering whom it could possibly be, he walked over to the door, a frown on his face. He quickly looked through the peephole, recognizing the two figures standing before him. Surprised, he opened the door, curiosity strewn across his features. "Hey," he said nervously as he took in his visitors. "What are you guys doing here? I'm just about to head out - " He began to say before one of the two men pushed him back into his apartment.
"Change of plans, Charlie." He said calmly as his partner closed the door behind him, sliding the dead bolt into place.
"Guys, what... " He said, trailing off when he noticed the black leather gloves adorning the hands of both the men.
"Boss isn't happy, Charlie. He's not happy at all." The man said with a shake of his head.
"Guys... Jase, Kenny, I can explain." Charlie said, his voice trembling and bordering on hysteria.
"What did you think was gonna happen, huh, Charlie? What, you think that you could just fucking rat on one of your own to the cops and get away with it?"
"How did ... uh, what are you guys talking about?" Charlie asked, looking around his apartment, desperately seeking a way out.
"Don't fucking play stupid with us, Charlie. He knows everything. What, you expect him to just believe that the cops came across the deal? You cost him a lot of money and he's not happy. He's not happy at all." Jase said, his calm voice carrying eerily over the sound of the music continuing to blare out of the speakers.
"It's time to suffer the consequences of your actions, Charlie." The second man said, pulling a rope out of his bag. Charlie's gaze locked on the sinister looking weapon being drawn taunt between the man's hands.
"Guys, guys look, we can work this out." Charlie pleaded desperation in his voice as he took in the noose. "Come on, man," he said as he saw them approach. "Please, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." He began to say before attempting to run away. He pushed by the first assailant before the second one pulled a stun gun out of his black leather jacket, and applied it on the young man. He fell to the ground. He tried to struggle but was unable to move as he felt his body being lifted off of the hard, cold floor. He felt the rope, the noose being slipped over his head. Hovering in the limbo between consciousness and unconsciousness, he was aware of being lifted once more. Seconds later, the lack of oxygen to his lungs jolted him awake. He struggled feebly against the rope, feeling it bite into his skin. He legs swayed in the air, trying to find some kind of purchase but to no avail. His body felt on fire, his lungs burning from the lack of oxygen. He noticed his two assailants observing him. Eventually, he stopped struggling, his body relaxing. They stared at the body swaying grotesquely in the dimly lit room. Then, they quickly opened the door and left, closing it firmly behind them.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
The smaller of the two assailants pulled out his cell phone as they quickly made their way back to their car. "It's done." Jase said as soon as he heard the phone being picked up.
"Are you sure?" The man on the other end asked. "Did anyone see you?"
"No. There was nobody around. It went off without a hitch. Nobody will ever suspect it's anything but a suicide."
"Good." The man's cool voice said as he digested the news. "Now its time for phase two." Then the line went dead.
Chapter 1
Wednesday Night
The shrill sound of the telephone awoke the young man from his drug-induced slumber. He wasn't sure how long the phone had been ringing before it had finally penetrated his muddled brain. He groaned, reaching out for the phone blindly, his eyes still closed, trying to hold on to the last vestiges of sleep. Finally, his hand came into contact with the phone and he put the receiver to his ear. "Hello?" He mumbled his voice muffled from the pillow his face was snugly cradled against.
"Well, it's about time, I've only been calling you for the past half hour." The shrill and irritated voice said, causing him to wince and roll over.
"Mom." He said as he stretched and looked at the clock. It's glowing red numbers registering 9:02 p.m.
"Are you still sleeping? It's after nine." His mother said exasperated.
"I know, I work nights now remember? At the convenience store." He said as he stumbled out of bed trying to locate his jeans among the mess of clothes and pizza boxes littering the floor.
"Are you sure that's all you're doing?" His mother asked, doubt and suspicion marring her voice.
"Yes, mom. God, how many times do I have to keep telling you?" He said. Ever since the 'incident' he'd been trying to lay low and not attract attention. "So, have you heard from you know who?" He asked trying to locate his shirt and keys. He was going to be late if he didn't hurry.
"He came by a couple of weeks ago, but I haven't heard from him since." His mother told him.
"Oh, yeah?" He asked only semi-interested. "What did he say?"
"Not much, I didn't actually give him a chance to speak..." She said, trailing off.
"Oh?" He said as he opened his front door and retrieved the paper that had been sitting out there since the early morning hours. "So, how's the business going?" He asked her as he skimmed the headlines looking for anything that struck his interest. He almost dismissed it for a second but for some unknown reason, he felt drawn to it. He read the headline, "Young Man Found Hung in Apartment." As he continued to read, he came across the man's name, which had been released, and paled.
"Hello? Hello, are you still there?" His mother asked her voice cutting through his panic-filled brain.
"Uh, yeah, ma. Look I have to let you go. I'm late for work. I'll call you back later." He told her as he quickly hung up, not waiting for a response. (Shit!) He thought to himself, his panic mounting by the second. Charlie's death was not an accident and he knew it. (I gotta do something) he thought to himself as he quickly got up, knocking over the kitchen chair in the process. He briefly thought about telling his mother but quickly dismissed the idea. He didn't want to get her involved or put her in any kind of danger. He considered going to the police but quickly dismissed that idea as well. He had never trusted cops and knew that they wouldn't care about a petty dealer like himself. Then it hit him. He knew it was a long shot and his brother and him weren't exactly on speaking terms, but he was his only hope. He knew that regardless of how disappointed and pissed his brother was with him at the moment, he would do everything he could to protect him. It was how he'd always been towards him. He considered calling him but decided he would rather do it in person. He grabbed his car keys and ran to the front door swinging it open. He quickly locked it and made his way to his car. What he saw made him stop dead in his tracks.
"Going someplace?" Jase said and he stared at him. (Shit, I'm too late!) The man thought to himself. Before he could act, the second man pulled out his stun gun and struck him with it. Then, everything went black.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
They parked the car across the street and dragged the man into the park, making sure that no one was watching before dragging him under some trees. "What were his instructions?" Kenny asked his partner as he took in the still form lying on the snow by his feet.
"Boss says to make it look like a mugging gone bad. He doesn't want to attract suspicion by having two suicides in two days."
Kenny nodded before proceeding to kick the man on the ground, who was just starting to regain consciousness. Both men started to kick and jump on him. They punched and hit him, his blood smearing on the black gloves they wore. "Okay, enough." Kenny said, reaching into his jacket and pulling out the small beretta, the moonlight reflecting off of the cold steel. However, approaching voices interrupted them.
"Shit!" Jase said looking down at the man lying before them.
"Grab his wallet, and take his money, Jase." Kenny said as they heard a group of people coming dangerously close. Jase briefly considered just shooting him anyway but decided against it. The man was as good as dead and he didn't want to attract unnecessary attention. He quickly hid him further into the shrubs.
"Leave him." Kenny hissed. "He's as good as dead anyway." He said staring down and the bloody and beaten body at his feet.
"Come on. Let's go." Jase said as they quickly ran to their car and took off, leaving the body behind.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
"Thank God this night is over." Bosco declared as he practically ran into the locker room, his partner lagging behind.
"Why, you have a hot date or something?" Faith asked as she opened her locker door.
"The only date I have is with my television set." Bosco told her as he quickly pulled on his shirt and grabbed his jacket. Things were still ackward between the two of them since the incident with Hobart. It had been a few weeks since it had happened and Bosco was seeing one of the department shrinks under the Lieutenant's orders. Since then, Bosco had his ups and downs but Faith was relieved to see that he appeared to be getting better.
"You need a lift home?" Bosco asked, as he slammed his locker shut and turned to face his partner.
"Nah, thanks for the offer though." She told him as she slipped on her jacket.
"See you tomorrow." He called out as he quickly exited the locker room and left the precinct, making his way to his Mustang. He got behind the wheel and drove home as fast as he could, eager to sit down in front of the television and relax. He made his way home in record time and quickly jumped out of his car. He looked at his watch, noting that it was after one, and wondered what was on TV. He could hear the phone ringing from the hall and quickly pulled his keys out trying to locate the right one before the phone could stop ringing. He wondered who the hell could be calling him at this time of night. He finally got the door open and sprinted for the phone, the keys still dangling in the open door.
"Hello?" He said breathlessly. He couldn't understand what the person was saying on the other end. "Hello?" He said again, "I can't understand you."
"Oh, Maurice." The voice said on the other end.
"Mom?" Bosco asked, his voice uncertain. "Mom what's wrong?" He asked, panic gripping him. A hundred different scenarios running through his head. What if his mother's new boyfriend hit her or what if something had happened at the bar? He was so preoccupied with his thoughts; he almost missed her response.
"Oh, Maurice," His mother said sobbing into the phone. "Maurice, its Mikey."
Disclaimer: I own nothing. The characters belong to John Wells, Edward Allan Bernero, NBC and a bunch of other people I don't know.
Rating: R for language and violence
Feedback: Well, it will make me write faster ;)
Test of Time by Jewel21
Prologue
Monday Night
The loud thumping bass and electronic sounds of the techno beat were the only sounds heard as the young man sat in his dinky apartment. The gray, chipped walls stared back at him bleakly, highlighted only by the glow of the television sitting in the corner of the room on a wooden crate, the sound muted. The soft glow of the picture created different patterns of light in the otherwise dark room. The occupant sat on an old mattress on the floor that served as a couch during the day and a bed at night, a half-empty bottle of beer on the floor beside him. He looked at his watch, noting the time, and knew that he had to leave soon - he had work to do. He slowly rose from his seat to flick off the television set when a knock at the front door interrupted him. Surprise registered on the young man's face. Wondering whom it could possibly be, he walked over to the door, a frown on his face. He quickly looked through the peephole, recognizing the two figures standing before him. Surprised, he opened the door, curiosity strewn across his features. "Hey," he said nervously as he took in his visitors. "What are you guys doing here? I'm just about to head out - " He began to say before one of the two men pushed him back into his apartment.
"Change of plans, Charlie." He said calmly as his partner closed the door behind him, sliding the dead bolt into place.
"Guys, what... " He said, trailing off when he noticed the black leather gloves adorning the hands of both the men.
"Boss isn't happy, Charlie. He's not happy at all." The man said with a shake of his head.
"Guys... Jase, Kenny, I can explain." Charlie said, his voice trembling and bordering on hysteria.
"What did you think was gonna happen, huh, Charlie? What, you think that you could just fucking rat on one of your own to the cops and get away with it?"
"How did ... uh, what are you guys talking about?" Charlie asked, looking around his apartment, desperately seeking a way out.
"Don't fucking play stupid with us, Charlie. He knows everything. What, you expect him to just believe that the cops came across the deal? You cost him a lot of money and he's not happy. He's not happy at all." Jase said, his calm voice carrying eerily over the sound of the music continuing to blare out of the speakers.
"It's time to suffer the consequences of your actions, Charlie." The second man said, pulling a rope out of his bag. Charlie's gaze locked on the sinister looking weapon being drawn taunt between the man's hands.
"Guys, guys look, we can work this out." Charlie pleaded desperation in his voice as he took in the noose. "Come on, man," he said as he saw them approach. "Please, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." He began to say before attempting to run away. He pushed by the first assailant before the second one pulled a stun gun out of his black leather jacket, and applied it on the young man. He fell to the ground. He tried to struggle but was unable to move as he felt his body being lifted off of the hard, cold floor. He felt the rope, the noose being slipped over his head. Hovering in the limbo between consciousness and unconsciousness, he was aware of being lifted once more. Seconds later, the lack of oxygen to his lungs jolted him awake. He struggled feebly against the rope, feeling it bite into his skin. He legs swayed in the air, trying to find some kind of purchase but to no avail. His body felt on fire, his lungs burning from the lack of oxygen. He noticed his two assailants observing him. Eventually, he stopped struggling, his body relaxing. They stared at the body swaying grotesquely in the dimly lit room. Then, they quickly opened the door and left, closing it firmly behind them.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
The smaller of the two assailants pulled out his cell phone as they quickly made their way back to their car. "It's done." Jase said as soon as he heard the phone being picked up.
"Are you sure?" The man on the other end asked. "Did anyone see you?"
"No. There was nobody around. It went off without a hitch. Nobody will ever suspect it's anything but a suicide."
"Good." The man's cool voice said as he digested the news. "Now its time for phase two." Then the line went dead.
Chapter 1
Wednesday Night
The shrill sound of the telephone awoke the young man from his drug-induced slumber. He wasn't sure how long the phone had been ringing before it had finally penetrated his muddled brain. He groaned, reaching out for the phone blindly, his eyes still closed, trying to hold on to the last vestiges of sleep. Finally, his hand came into contact with the phone and he put the receiver to his ear. "Hello?" He mumbled his voice muffled from the pillow his face was snugly cradled against.
"Well, it's about time, I've only been calling you for the past half hour." The shrill and irritated voice said, causing him to wince and roll over.
"Mom." He said as he stretched and looked at the clock. It's glowing red numbers registering 9:02 p.m.
"Are you still sleeping? It's after nine." His mother said exasperated.
"I know, I work nights now remember? At the convenience store." He said as he stumbled out of bed trying to locate his jeans among the mess of clothes and pizza boxes littering the floor.
"Are you sure that's all you're doing?" His mother asked, doubt and suspicion marring her voice.
"Yes, mom. God, how many times do I have to keep telling you?" He said. Ever since the 'incident' he'd been trying to lay low and not attract attention. "So, have you heard from you know who?" He asked trying to locate his shirt and keys. He was going to be late if he didn't hurry.
"He came by a couple of weeks ago, but I haven't heard from him since." His mother told him.
"Oh, yeah?" He asked only semi-interested. "What did he say?"
"Not much, I didn't actually give him a chance to speak..." She said, trailing off.
"Oh?" He said as he opened his front door and retrieved the paper that had been sitting out there since the early morning hours. "So, how's the business going?" He asked her as he skimmed the headlines looking for anything that struck his interest. He almost dismissed it for a second but for some unknown reason, he felt drawn to it. He read the headline, "Young Man Found Hung in Apartment." As he continued to read, he came across the man's name, which had been released, and paled.
"Hello? Hello, are you still there?" His mother asked her voice cutting through his panic-filled brain.
"Uh, yeah, ma. Look I have to let you go. I'm late for work. I'll call you back later." He told her as he quickly hung up, not waiting for a response. (Shit!) He thought to himself, his panic mounting by the second. Charlie's death was not an accident and he knew it. (I gotta do something) he thought to himself as he quickly got up, knocking over the kitchen chair in the process. He briefly thought about telling his mother but quickly dismissed the idea. He didn't want to get her involved or put her in any kind of danger. He considered going to the police but quickly dismissed that idea as well. He had never trusted cops and knew that they wouldn't care about a petty dealer like himself. Then it hit him. He knew it was a long shot and his brother and him weren't exactly on speaking terms, but he was his only hope. He knew that regardless of how disappointed and pissed his brother was with him at the moment, he would do everything he could to protect him. It was how he'd always been towards him. He considered calling him but decided he would rather do it in person. He grabbed his car keys and ran to the front door swinging it open. He quickly locked it and made his way to his car. What he saw made him stop dead in his tracks.
"Going someplace?" Jase said and he stared at him. (Shit, I'm too late!) The man thought to himself. Before he could act, the second man pulled out his stun gun and struck him with it. Then, everything went black.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
They parked the car across the street and dragged the man into the park, making sure that no one was watching before dragging him under some trees. "What were his instructions?" Kenny asked his partner as he took in the still form lying on the snow by his feet.
"Boss says to make it look like a mugging gone bad. He doesn't want to attract suspicion by having two suicides in two days."
Kenny nodded before proceeding to kick the man on the ground, who was just starting to regain consciousness. Both men started to kick and jump on him. They punched and hit him, his blood smearing on the black gloves they wore. "Okay, enough." Kenny said, reaching into his jacket and pulling out the small beretta, the moonlight reflecting off of the cold steel. However, approaching voices interrupted them.
"Shit!" Jase said looking down at the man lying before them.
"Grab his wallet, and take his money, Jase." Kenny said as they heard a group of people coming dangerously close. Jase briefly considered just shooting him anyway but decided against it. The man was as good as dead and he didn't want to attract unnecessary attention. He quickly hid him further into the shrubs.
"Leave him." Kenny hissed. "He's as good as dead anyway." He said staring down and the bloody and beaten body at his feet.
"Come on. Let's go." Jase said as they quickly ran to their car and took off, leaving the body behind.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
"Thank God this night is over." Bosco declared as he practically ran into the locker room, his partner lagging behind.
"Why, you have a hot date or something?" Faith asked as she opened her locker door.
"The only date I have is with my television set." Bosco told her as he quickly pulled on his shirt and grabbed his jacket. Things were still ackward between the two of them since the incident with Hobart. It had been a few weeks since it had happened and Bosco was seeing one of the department shrinks under the Lieutenant's orders. Since then, Bosco had his ups and downs but Faith was relieved to see that he appeared to be getting better.
"You need a lift home?" Bosco asked, as he slammed his locker shut and turned to face his partner.
"Nah, thanks for the offer though." She told him as she slipped on her jacket.
"See you tomorrow." He called out as he quickly exited the locker room and left the precinct, making his way to his Mustang. He got behind the wheel and drove home as fast as he could, eager to sit down in front of the television and relax. He made his way home in record time and quickly jumped out of his car. He looked at his watch, noting that it was after one, and wondered what was on TV. He could hear the phone ringing from the hall and quickly pulled his keys out trying to locate the right one before the phone could stop ringing. He wondered who the hell could be calling him at this time of night. He finally got the door open and sprinted for the phone, the keys still dangling in the open door.
"Hello?" He said breathlessly. He couldn't understand what the person was saying on the other end. "Hello?" He said again, "I can't understand you."
"Oh, Maurice." The voice said on the other end.
"Mom?" Bosco asked, his voice uncertain. "Mom what's wrong?" He asked, panic gripping him. A hundred different scenarios running through his head. What if his mother's new boyfriend hit her or what if something had happened at the bar? He was so preoccupied with his thoughts; he almost missed her response.
"Oh, Maurice," His mother said sobbing into the phone. "Maurice, its Mikey."