Shu and Nick had come to an unspoken agreement not to tell anyone (other than Warrick, who already knew) about the incident between Greg and Shu. The two minority had become close friends in the time between when Warrick had tried to punch Nick's lights out, and when they decided to keep Nick and Shu's relationship behind closed doors.
"" "" "" ""
"What is your problem?" Nick had snuck up on Greg and was now holding him by the throat a foot off the ground, "Get your hand off of me!"
Nick punched Greg in the face, "That was for lying to Shu Fang." He punched Greg in the solar plexus, "That's for using her." In the nose, "For trying to sleep with her." Again in the nose, "And this one is so you'll forget about anything that happened in the last 25 hours and not tell a soul." He dropped Greg and walked off.
"That's great Nick, my nose is bleeding, what am I supposed to tell everyone?" He yelled at Nick's back getting only a single finger salute.
"" "" "" ""
10 minutes later Greg was still sitting in the lab trying to stop the bleeding when Shu Fang walked in, "Greg, what happen?" She pointed at her nose for indication.
"Your husband happened. He came in here, like he was the king, and picked up poor defenseless Greg and start to beat the crap out of him." Greg replied rudely
"Shu have husband?" Shu asked apparently confused once again, "You mean Nicky? Shu no married to Nicky."
"" "" "" ""
"Feeling better?" Sara noticed the girl next to her was finally awake
Xin stared at her, "Yeah, I peachy, I never felt better. Here your sign"
Sara turned her head toward the window on the wall they were chained to. There was something off with this kidnapping, they hadn't seemed to be the targets they just showed up. Like Nick, he hadn't been the target for being buried alive, he just followed the clues, just like Xin and Sara had.
"" "" "" ""
Greg had been walking out of the lab when he was asked to sign for a package. Under normal circumstances, Greg would have just called another CSI to come get it so he could go home. But Greg knew this was different, he knew about Sara and Xin Qian, so he signed for the package immediately and raced up to Grissom's office.
Tearing at the tape as he ran, Greg wasn't surprised to find a tape and directions to where the money was to be placed inside of the box. With out knocking, Greg burst right in to his boss's office and pushed the tape into the VCR.
"Greg, what have I told you about knocking?"
"Knock first, be invited in, blah, blah, no time, the first tape, watch." he panted as he clicked the play button, not even looking up from Grissom's VCR as he spoke.
"Hello CSIs." The female's voice once again sent chills through the two men's bodies, "Your girls are in perfect condition, now if you would be so kind as to follow the map we have sent you, and leave us our 13,000 dollars, they will stay in the same condition. If not, bye-bye CSI." She laughed, "Oh look they want to say something."
"Shu, no worry 'bout us, we fine. Nick, keep Shu safe, no hurt her."
"Grissom, Catherine, Warrick, Nick, and Greg, sorry, I won't be there for work, for a long time probably. Like Xin said, Nicky take care of her sister, and everyone look out for each other, don't do anything stupid."
And the tape went back to the woman, "Just so ya know, they don't know about the ransom, so, they won't say anything for or against it. Good bye LVCL." The tape paused at a full shot of the two women beaten and chained to the wall.
"Greg? Are you ok?" Grissom once again had a shocked CSI in his office. When Greg didn't reply he picked up his coffee, took the tape and walked to the conference room; calling each CSI on his or her cell phone, having them report to the room.
"" "" "" ""
"Hey, is there a party I wasn't invited to?" Jim Brass walked in to the room.
"We were getting ready to watch the tape about Sara and Xin, if you would like to stay, please sit, Jim," Catherine stood up offering the police officer her chair.
"Sounds like fun." He took the chair and pointed at the screen.
After watching the tape the only sound that could be heard was Shu crying on Nick's chest. Even Al Robbins, who had shown up half way through the video after letting a mortician take a body to be buried, was shocked at the state of the two women. Both were bleeding from several body parts, including the skull, stomach, arms, legs, and torso. Both beaten and bruised, trying hard not to cry. Xin's hair, which had been perfected right before leaving the crime lab, looked like a bird's nest; tangled and knotted. Her nails where chipped, her face swollen with scratches, and held places that looked like they had been whipped. Sara, on the other hand, looked as though someone had taken a sludge hammer and given it contact to her face and arms over, and over.
Nick looked at Grissom, who nodded, and he took Shu out of the room. "Shu, I promise we're going to find your sister and Sara, I will refuse to work on anything else."
"Shu no want to stay alone at home, Shu live with Nicky?" Shu looked at her boyfriend, though she was having difficulty, seeing as he was so much taller than she. She stuck out her lower lip and pouted.
Nick, though he knew that was going to fast for a normal relationship, understood what Shu was going through. After being buried alive Nick wouldn't stay at home alone. So for three weeks he moved in with Catherine, living in her family room. He agreed to let Shu move in, fearing what might come after moving in, but he smiled and offered to help Shu gather her things and pack them after the shift.
Keeping the promise of not telling anyone about them dating, Nick made up an outrageous story about why he had to take Shu in the hallway. Something about him using it as a learning experience for training her.
"" "" "" ""
It was an hour till midnight and the team had talked Shu Fang and Nick in to taking the 13,000 dollars to the cactus. "Nicky, Shu scared" Shu Fang was walking right next to Nick as he carried the bag, "What if jump us?"
"They won't if we don't come back that would be suspicious enough to go searching." Nick reassured the girl.
Quietly moving Nick and Shu Fang placed the bag under the cactus and ran back to the vehicle to head home.
"" "" "" ""
After the shift Nick kept his promise and met Shu Fang at her apartment, truthfully he could see why she wanted to leave, it was run down, and in the bad part of town, or what would have been the Ghettos in NY.
Inside the house Shu picked up one of her many suitcases and started picking things up off of the floor, and just stuffing them inside the case.
Slowly moving through the house, the pair found, and placed, every single item of Shu's leaving Xin's all in one pile in the middle of the kitchen.
"" "" "" ""
"Ok Shu," Nick started, "This will be your room," he led her into a room that was about the side of her apartment, which was not small, but still not huge "You will have full run over the house, so don't be worried to get up at whatever time you want and eat something, or shower, or whatever it is you like to do before our shift starts. And please, if you need anything just walk over three doors, knock and come in."
The unpacking process took about three hours longer than the actual packing had, which to Nick made no sense what so ever, after seeing how her house had been he had a horrible feeling that his house would end up the same way.
"" "" "" ""
The next two weeks were basically the same, get a tape, watch it, pay the ransom, and try to find Xin and Sara. It was taking a serious toll on everybody
"It doesn't make any sense!" Grissom punched his pillow, "Why can't we find them?" Grissom didn't even bother taking his pulse, he knew how mad he was.
Seeing as how he couldn't sleep, Grissom got out of his bed picked the first video that they had received up off of the bedside table, and popped it into the VCR in his living room.
After watching it over and over again, he noticed something odd about the tape, the girls' mouths weren't moving along with their words, "That's odd." He rewound the tape once again, this time with the intent to read their lips.
Xin was actually saying, "Grissom! Hurry please, they beating us to death!" and Sara was saying, "You assholes, you shoot us, you chain us to a wall and then you intend to let us live only long enough so you can find someone who will buy our bodies! Then you plan to shoot us to death, and you want us to tell them we're ok?"
Grissom started going through all the tapes until the fifth when the girls started to really say what their mouths were moving to.
With this knowledge Grissom changed into his work clothes and raced back to the lab, even though shift wouldn't start for four hours he wanted to use the video lab.
"" "" "" ""
Sitting in the lab with people refusing to help him Grissom dialed Warrick's house, it rang five times before a very ticked off Warrick answered it, "What is your problem, you don't just go calling graveyard shift workers at noon! Call me back in 12 hours! I'm hanging up so if this is vital yell!"
"Warrick! Stop!" Grissom yelled, "I have a breakthrough about the girls!" He started, "Get down to the lab"
"Can this wait until shift starts?"
"Now!" He hung up the phone and started dialing the others.
"" "" "" ""
"What do you want? Whatever you're sellin' we don't want any!" Nick answered the phone rudely.
"Well Nicky, I'm not selling anything." Grissom replied
"Oh sorry Grissom, you know the only calls I get are people trying to sell me crap"
"Well whoever you're girl is, is going to have to wait until tomorrow to spend more time with you, cause you need to get down here we have a breakthrough on Sara and Xin Qian's case"
"That's great!" Nick sounded surprised that there would have been another clue, already right after the first ransom had been placed, "I'll get Shu and we'll be right down." He hung up before Grissom could question him about the girl.
"" "" "" ""
"Quit calling me asshole!" Catherine answered her phone, "I do not want to meet you!"
"Well you already know me and this is the first time I've called you"
"Grissom!" Catherine replied shocked, "I'msorrythisguykeepscallingmeaskingmetomeethimatalocalbarbutIdon'twannabuthekeepsoncallinganditisgettingonmylastnerve" Catherine told her boss in one breath.
"Don't worry just get over here, we have a breakthrough, see you soon, just consider it overtime with out pay." and he hung up.
"" "" "" ""
"Hi Grissom" Greg answered his phone like a civilized human being, "What do I owe to the pleasure of this phone call?"
"I need you at the lab"
"Of couse bossman"
"" "" "" ""
20 minutes later the entire graveyard shift was standing in the video lab in the middle of the swing shift.
"Breakthrough," Grissom started, "It's been two long weeks and we haven't had one," He stared at his CSIs, "Well we might have one now."
"" "" "" ""
"Xin?" Sara asked, "I've noticed that you have difficulty warming up to people, hell we've been in here for 15 days, and you've only said 20 or 30 words to me, I was sort of wondering, um, why?"
"You want to know? Well, Xin will tell," The girl glared at her companion, "When Xin was nine brother was murdered, multiple gun shot wounds, severe head trauma, there was slice starting at right side of cerebral cord, going across to left side neck." Sara stared at her in disbelief, "Xin watch from outside window, blood everywhere" She wiped her face, trying to keep Sara from seeing her tears, "I love brother, named Cheng, 24th birthday"
"Xin, I didn't know"
"Of course you did not!" Xin spat, "When Xin 12 and Shu almost 10 parents put on trial for murder. Parents no do, white man do, he come for Xin and Shu, Xin find note saying," She took a breath, " 'When your twenty forth year is about to begin. Your murder will baffle the world to no end. Gory and painful, with weapons of three. Your murder will baffle the world with no end. From, The Executioner P.S. Your sister will have the honor of watching your death.'" She repeated from memory, "Xin no tell Shu, just make Shu move to America three months before Xin's birthday" Xin looked at Sara praying she wouldn't judge her as a wimp, "Xin almost 24, afraid for life"
"Xin! Some one wants you dead?"
"Did Xin not just say that?" Xin continued, "Parents are convicted and get death sentence, leaving Xin to care for Shu, soon, are pushed to the streets, continue to go to school, both get full scholarships to collage, become CSI, wait until Shu graduates, flee from country. Get job at LVCL."
"Why didn't you tell anyone that your parents were innocent?"
"The man who kill Cheng was in the court room staring at Xin entire time, Xin afraid to put Shu in harm by telling that man do it, not parents." Xin put her head on the wall and tried to go to sleep.
"" "" "" ""
Right before Grissom explained what he had discovered Shu broke down and started crying, no one understood why but they managed to get something sounding like "Cheng" out of her battered voice, "When your twenty forth year is about to begin. Your murder will baffle the world to no end. Gory and painful, with weapons of three. You murder will baffle the world with no end." It was raspy and cut but Nick heard it.
"Where'd you hear that?" Nick asked slightly taken back at the statement of death that his girlfriend made out in the middle of her misery, "What does it mean?"
Shu stopped crying so she could yell at Nick "Nicky! You are so oblivious! When your twenty fourth year is about to begin. On you 24th birthday. Your murder will baffle the world to no end. You going to be murdered and no one will figure out who. Gory and painful, with weapons of three. You going to be killed with three weapons. Shu hate you." She broke down, once again crying on his chest.
"As I was saying" Grissom glared at Nick, "We have a breakthrough. For the first five days, the girls aren't saying what their mouths are. Day one, Xin tells us that their being beaten. Sara tells us what the intent is to do with them, kill them and sell the bodies. Day two, Xin tells us the first line of the poem, Sara tells us that there are four people holding them. Day Three Xin tells us line two, Sara tells us that Xin is bleeding and is going to bleed out in a matter of days. Day four: Xin tells us line three, Sara yells at the assholes who took them. Day five, line four, and exactly what she's saying in the video for Sara."
"So Xin thinks that the kidnapping is related to the what ever it is?" Greg stared at Grissom, "Cause why would they take Sara too?"
"" "" "" ""
Sara stared at Xin thinking about what she had said, wondering if she thought the two events were linked, if her brother's murder had anything to do with their kidnapping., 'Maybe this is all about Xin, it has nothing to do with me. I'm just an innocent bystander, trapped in a man's warped world of murder and revenge.' For the first time in years Sara Sidle was scared, not for her but for Xin. 'Why would anyone want her dead? She's so cute, oh that word, cute, I describe her as cute, since when? So nice, amazing, beautiful, oh God, I'm gay!'
"Sara?" Xin asked, "We going to get out of this alive?"
"Of course." Though Sara was trying to input both Xin's past and her being gay, she had to support the girl.
"" "" "" ""
"We have five weeks before Xin turns 24, which means all of our resources are put on to her case, no other cases will be worked until our girls are brought home" Grissom briefed the team.
Shu was sitting in the corner in fetal position with Nick trying to get her up, she kept muttering, "She's going to die, she's going to die." over and over again, no matter how many times Nick told her that Xin would be fine, that she'd be saved, she continued muttering.
"" "" "" ""
"Xin tell Sara about Xin past, Sara tell Xin about Sara past, now."
"Do you really want to know?" Xin nodded, "Well, when I was five my dad started hitting me, my mother didn't know about it, she didn't really care though, I didn't tell anyone. I started off as spankings every time he got the chance, then morphed in to fly swatting me, in turn morphing in to punching, eventually it didn't hurt anymore, soon that led to cutting. I was 12 before I told anyone what I had been doing to myself, I got caught cutting in the girls' restroom by my best friend, Keri Kaviani, I was sent to counseling, it didn't help though, everyone thought it did, only because I was more careful about when and where I did it."
"Cutting? Wrists?" Xin asked making a slicing motion on her wrist.
"Yeah." Sara looked at her wrist seeing all the scars, "My dad continued hitting me, and I continued cutting, eventually for every time he hit me I would cut myself, I was always 'that Goth girl with no one to stand beside her'. Even Keri left me when I started withdrawing from everyone. I didn't care though, I enjoyed being alone." Sara didn't understand why she was telling Xin any of this, she hadn't told anyone before, not even her mother, "I dyed every article of clothing in my wardrobe black, my hair became black, nails black, make-up, black, I liked the way the color felt, I loved it. Sorry my past is seriously twisted, if you want me to stop there, I don't mind, I've never even made it past word one before so."
"Continue"
"Ok. Music and cutting became my escape, I listened to the hard music that was mostly only screaming and cut myself listening to it, I couldn't stop, I had tried once, it lasted three hours, and then I cut again. My dad didn't even have to hit me for me to need to cut anymore, I just did it. One night, I was 18, I went to far, I messed up, did something wrong, my mother found me on the floor unconscious almost dead on my floor, and rushed me to the hospital. She didn't try to push the story out of me, but did insist that I stop, she searched my room, my locker everything and threw out my knifes, and then all of the ones in the house, and made sure every shopkeeper in town knew not to sell me any. A month later she died, alcohol poisoning, daddy drugged her wine and her beer, she soon had gone through so many drinks she died on a barstool at the club she worked at."
"Sara! Why you no tell anyone? This scary stuff, worse than horror movie!" Xin stared at her friend afraid.
"I know" Sara frowned, "But I hated my father so much that I ran away, a month later I was reading the obituaries and there it was:
Michal Sidle
1950-1990
Michal Sidle was found
in his house by the landlord
at 7:30 A.M. when he went
to collect the rent, dieing from
Seven gunshot wounds to the head
leaving behind his daughter
Sara Sidle who is currently missing.
"Used was the photo from the last family portraitthat had been taken before mom died, I showed up three weeks later at the lost children home, where the city was kind enough to pay for my basic college and all of my supplies, I was left to pay for anything extra I wanted to complete. And now here I am."
"Ewe, twisted." Was all Xin managed to get out.
"Yeah, looks like both of our pasts sorta sucked." Sara smiled, "But what's done is done, we have our futures to look forward to."
"What future, those psychos going to kill Xin and Sara, we have no future!"
"Oh yeah, well then I guess our lives basically sucked then" Xin couldn't help but agree, seeing as how she was 24, single, childless, getting ready to be murdered and then thinking she was possibly gay.
2 hours prior:
'Well this sucks. Just actually thought a female actually beautiful, and I noticed rear when she turned on her side. Think Xin gay, shitake mushrooms!'
"So, um, how, um, much, um, longer, um, till, um, people, um come back, um, for 'nother video?" Xin asked Sara trying to get her possible gayness off her mind.
"10 minutes."
End.
"Seriously, we're getting ready to be murdered" Sara complained, "I just told my entire past to you and you're trying to start another conversation?"
"No trying to play 20 questions."
"Fine, I'll go first. One. What's your full name?"
"Xin Qian Uik Huy Weh Ewer"
"Two. Do you like anyone in the lab?"
"Yes"
"Three. What's his initials?"
"The last one S, or maybe C dunno."
"Four. Do you know where we are?"
"Desert somewhere."
"Very helpful. Five. Are you gay?"
"Maybe a little." Xin looked slightly flushed and embarrassed.
"Six. Is your crush a female crush?"
"Yes." Xin turned her body, unable to look at Sara.
"Seven. Do you like Simple Plan?" Sara made sure to get off the gay topic, seeing the way she was embarrassing Xin.
"Love them, they amazing."
"Eight. What's your favorite Simple Plan song?"
"Um, between seven, Untitled, Crazy, or Welcome To My Life off Still Not Getting Any... And I'm Just a Kid, Perfect, You Don't Mean Anything, or Worst Day Ever off No Pads, No Helmets…Just Balls."
Nine. Can you sing?"
"My sister likes my singing, and so did Cheng."
"Ten. Do you think I look good?"
"Hate you right now. Yes I do."
"Eleven. Have you ever been married?"
"Nope."
"12. Are you allergic to anything?"
"Other than you? Penicillin, Tylenol , grass, peanuts, walnuts, chicken…"
"They should put you in a plastic bubble."
"Plastic, dogs, sheep, cats, fish, potatoes, corn, butter, cheese, felt, granite, feathers, need I continue?"
"No. 13. Do you play sports?"
"Um, allergic to grass."
"Wow. 14. Did you have any friends in China?"
"Nope"
"15. Why did you become a CSI?"
'To find man who murdered Cheng."
"16. How did you survive being allergic to all that stuff?"
"Had to have my supplies special ordered, wore shoes all the time, wore a paper surgeon mask when left house. Had special hypoallergenic pillow made."
"17. When the game is over will you sing a SP song for me?"
"I guess I have nothing better to do."
"18. Does the person you have a crush on have the same first initial as her last one?"
"Maybe"
"19. Who is she?"
"I refuse to answer that question!"
"No dodging."
"I'm not dodging, I'm refusing."
"Fine 20. Do you just want to skip my answers and you sing?"
"Yes." And with that she started singing Untitled by Simple Plan:
I
open my eyes
I try to see but I'm blinded by the white light
I
can't remember how
I can't remember why
I'm lying here
tonight
And
I can't stand the pain
And I can't make it go away
No I can't
stand the pain
"" "" "" ""
"We have another tape Grissom!" Nick rushed in the room pushing a tape in the VCR:
"Oh how much fun a game!" The female's voice dripping down their spines once again."
"18. Does the person you have a crush on have the same first initial as her last one?"
"Maybe"
"19. Who is she?"
"I refuse to answer that question!"
"No dodging."
"I'm not I'm refusing."
"Fine 20. Do you just want to skip my answers and you sing?"
"Oh, what fun, she's gay! Maybe it's a scheme, what do you think?"
"I think it's a scheme Pigeon."
"Good cause I think LVCL does too. Any way, they're alive, the money is coming and we're having a killer time making their lives even crappier."
"How
could this happen to me
I've made my mistakes
Got no where to
run
The night goes on
As I'm fading away
I'm sick of this
life
I just wanna scream
How could this happen to me
Everybody's screaming
I try to make a sound but no one
hears me
I'm slipping off the edge
I'm hanging by a thread
I
wanna start this over again"
"What a pretty singer is she? Does the song have any specific meaning? That's up to you to decide, goodbye"
"Grissom?" Nick asked, "Do you understand this? Does the song have particular meaning?"
"Well, the song is about drunk driving, or so the 'music video' Sara was watching implies, I personally despise the band, but Sara loves them, rather annoying if you ask me."
"I know that song!" Catherine burst in the door, "Sorry I over heard, and Lindsey loves Simple Plan, it's talking about 'That we all make mistakes and we can't make up for them no matter how much you yell for forgiveness or how many good deeds you will do.' Trust me those are Lindsey's exact words, not mine, the music confuses me, so angry and mean."
"Catherine, go get Lindsey and bring her here, we have another tape to watch and want her to be here to translate for us."
"Whatever, if it will get the girls home sooner, I'm going to right now."
"" "" "" ""
"Lindsey, what you're about to see might be disturbing but we need someone to translate for us."
"Whatever, this better be important."
"Hello, this time we decided to let you listen to her singing."
"I've got no place to go
I've got no where to run
They'd love to see me fall
They think they know it all
I'm a nightmare a disaster
That's what they always said
I'm a lost cause not a hero
But I'll make it on my own
I'm gonna prove them wrong
Me against the world.
(there was a cut)
In a perfect world
This could never happen
In a perfect world
You'd still be here
And it makes no sense
I could just pick up the pieces
But to you this means nothing
Nothing at all
I used to think that I was strong
Until the day it all went wrong
I think I need a miracle to make it through
I wish that I could bring you back
I with that I could turn back time
Cause I can't let go
I just can't find my way
Without you I just can't find my way"
"More later, see if you can translate it."
"What is going on?" Lindsey asked confused, "This is weird"
"Can you understand her message?"
"There is something bad going on down there." Lindsey replied, "Someone is using her past to haunt her, using murder. Someone important to her died, and it's being used to her captor's advantage. You have to save her mommy!"
"Baby, don't worry we will. Just crash on this couch, if anything else happens we'll tell you."
"I miss them." Catherine whined, "It's not the same without Sara, even Greg's been boring, and Shu's been all depressed like, causing me to miss someone I never met."
"" "" "" ""
Greg had pulled Shu aside, when Nick had gone because his duties as a potty-trained adult called, he had something to explain, "Shu."
"What you want!"
"I came to apologize"
"For being a dirty man, that never should have been born?"
"No for what I did to you. I wanted to explain. If you'll allow me."
"Go ahead."
"Ok, well, before I found you, I had left work and gone to a bar, I had a couple of drinks, and it turns out that they had been drugged, so not only was I drunk I was high. I tested to figure out what had happened, because Warrick told me what I had done, after beating the crap out of me. I didn't remember any of it, so I used science to see if there was anything odd in my system, and there was, I had a high dose of Tylenol in my system, add some Vicodin and some heroine, some alcohol and you have a very nasty Greg Sanders."
"Whatever Greg" And with that she walked off.