Hello everyone,
A huge thank for everyone who read the first chapter. Hope everyone, or most of everyone will like this story. Will try my best to make it an exiting story to read just as much as I try to make this story a none-silly one. If any body could be generous enough to drop a review, it'll make my day. Thanks in advance and enjoy.
Disclaimer : I do not own Chicago PD.
CHAPTER 02
It had been a week since Jay left. A week with no contact, not hearing his voice, not seeing his smile that he bragged Erin would miss when she was leaving for the federal task force, and those sky blue eyes. She had been keeping herself busy to distract her from the memories. She wouldn't dare look at his locker in the lockers room. But she was disappointed at herself because she never thought she would be such a wreck at the separation from her love. She was Voight's steel girl, but here she was , feeling so vulnerable without Jay beside her to the point she mentally slapped her more than once a day. So far she has been successful maintaining her outer cover but she reached the breaking point when she found herself standing in front of Jay's apartment building. Lost in her thought she had automatically driven her car to Jay's apartment after work. She looked at the window of Jays room in his apartment that stared out in to the road. Although she had a key she hadn't set foot in there after he left.
She remembered the conversation they had in that room before he left. They were wrapped in each other after a hectic day of work and Jay was asking for her opinion on what to do.
"what do you want to do Jay? Erin questioned back. " if you do what you feel is right, then you wont regret in the future."
"I don't want to go Erin, not in my wildest dreams. Do you really think that I would want to leave everything I have here? You, Will, the team. But it's only for two weeks and captain reed is a great man. He knows what he is doing. Only risk here is the risk of life, will I make it back? He did mention that this is a suicidal mission coz we are working on limited intel and even with that there is a potential leak of intel. But we risk our lives everyday here in Chicago too, right?
"I get it Jay, you need to go, and I understand, If I were you, I would want to do the same too. Besides we are grownups , so for our own benefit lets be a little less sentimental and be realistic for two weeks". Erin said tugging a little tight on to his hands as if to not let them go, her hands doing the opposit of what she was telling.
"just for two weeks Erin ". Jay said turning her to face him. Underneath he knew she did not like the idea. But he conciously ignored it for the same reasons she did. That one day he might regret not accepting and feel like a coward.
"yeah"
"thanks Erin"
"Just don't die out there, ok?"
Its true that she did encourage Jay to go. She knew that If he didn't go his man pride will kill him from inside, that he will forever regret it. Little did she knew how much she has gotton used to their lives together. She clanked her keys and turned to go.
"hey Erin" she turned back to see the other Halstead coming home after his shift.
"You were speaking with his window, should I be calling Dr. Charles? He asked and then his lips narrowed in to a thin line with no humor because he was late to realise what he said. Erin might have had enough conversations with Dr. Charles already, probably not the best joke when it came to her. So he changed the tone and the topic. " Let's just go inside, its freaking cold out here anyways"
"No I'm good, I was just leaving"
" oh come on" Will pleaded. Partly due to his need to have company in the lonely apartment and partly due to his need to make up for his stupid joke and partly because he didn't want Dr. Charles to tell that without Jay, Erin is walking through the same lonely passage that he does.
" lets go in and have a beer, I miss him too" he invited offering her the charming Halstead smile.
Erin badly wanted to go in and cuddle in the sheets of his bed that had his scent, but she was hesitant to let anyone know what a mess she has become ever since Jay left. But she swallowed her pride and soon she found herself following Will in to the building.
"I was used to living alone in New York, you know, but a few months with Jay and now I'm craving for his company". Will threw his keys to the side table as he set the groceries on the kitchen table. "just don't tell him I said so"
"me too" Erin admitted accepting the beer from Will. They settled on the sofa and switched on the tv for a game.
"I'm so scared Will, just have a nagging feeling that something isn't right ever since he left"
" I get that too, but maybe its just the lack of information. We don't know where he is, what he is doing, we don't even know if that plane he took out of Chicago reached its destination". Will reasoned as he sipped his beer. The tangy liquid burning down his throat gave him a little feeling that everything will be okay.
Erin sat in silence, neither of them actually concentrating on the game. After sometime Erin spat out her burning desire. " Will, would you mind if I stay over tonight?"
Will gave her a grin. " Erin this is your place too, you don't even have to ask, you have a key right?
" I just thought that maybe his bedroom full of his stuff will bring me some much needed serenity. I badly need something to calm me down. Just don't tell him I said so. "
"Of course...now we're even" will laughed giving her a fist pump.
That night Erin got her self a nice warm bath, used his shampoo, got dressed in his t shirt, ate from Will's Chinese food on Jays plate and slept like a baby. She felt so good in the morning too. Knowing what a neat freak ranger Halstead is she carefully tucked the bed linen and made sure not a single frill was visible. "He wont even know I was here." She smiled to herself, prepared breakfast to both Will and herself to make up for sharing his dinner last night and went off to work like a newly freed bird.
And there at work the team waited impatiently for her arrival to start with the new case. Erin wasn't late, but the case was too important to wait for anything. It came from a CI of Voight and thus his impatience. Erin sat on her desk visibly happy which did not go unnoticed by her team members who also happened to notice the failed attempts of Erin to hide her anxiety over Jays departure through out the last week .
"is Jay coming back sooner than two weeks?" Ruzek popped the question.
" No, why would you ask that?" Erin asked as she glared at him. This was the moment she was sure that she was giving away her emotions more than she thought she was. So she kept the glare on her face plastered. And Ruzek knew he asked the wrong question infront of Voight. She had to upkeep her image.
"nothing, i just wish" so he retreated with a stutter as antonio hid his smirk.
"Lets get to work" Voight said ignoring the exchange. He put on two pictures on the white board and both looked the same.
"Twins, known for everything illegal since they turned fourteen. Grew up in street and now...multimillionaires. Note this, these two are not the average street criminals. These are two brainy bastards. Kills only if it is a must. Keeps enemie as low as possible. Specialists of trading illegal stuff, weapons primarily. They provide specialist services to other basterds who wants to transport illegal stuff to other countries or states or wherever in the world. They keep their hands clean all the time and never have their cargos being taken by the police. We have only bits and pieces of information on them. But one of my CI, who very recently landed a job as a transporter informed me that something special was on their way. My CI was regorously interviewed by the twins by themselves with the use of a lie detector to make sure he was clean.
"your CI lied to a lie detector? Erin asked in disbelief.
" no, at that time he had no intention of informing me, wasn't even a proper CI. But when he saw the amount of security measure taken by the twins regarding this and the fact that he overheard a conversation between the twins which hinted that they are planning to leave the city once the deal is closed, changed his mind". Voight said observing the puzzled faces of his team.
" my CI is suppose to transport a truck load from chicago lab to an undisclosed destination. He will be informed where to during the transportation. From a street to street, corner to corner. He doesnt know his destination until he is asked to stop. And the amount he is paid to do that is...hefty".
" So all we have is chicago labs" Olinsky joined the discussion from the his usual corner. If Jay was here he would be in a mini startle! Thought Erin. Jay never got used to Olinsky's sudden appearance from the corner behind him when everyone thought he isn't even in the precinct.
"Erin and antonio, you two go and try to get something from the head at chicago lab. Try to find if anything new or potentially big and bad is already sitting at the lab"
Erin came back from her reverie when she heard Voights command.
They waited for the head scientist who was also the manager of the chicago labs to appear before them in his office. The lab buildings were newly painted and a state of the art security and camera system was at place that did not escape the eyes of the two detectives. A repair to a building was still going on and it looked like the existing building had been recently repaired.
"sorry to keep you waiting " a man in his mid forties came in to the office hurriedly. From the first look itself the man looked honest and humble. Erin and Antonio stood up and shook hands with him. "So how can I help the chicago intelligence" he asked as he sat down .
Antonio started the conversation. " before we start this conversation please know that everything we speak here should remain confidential. " he said.
"In that case let me switch off the microphones in the security system" the manager stood up and reached a panel on the wall. He typed on the keypad and sat on his desk again signing Antonio to resume the dconversationan.
"thank you, we have trusted information that something very important is about to arrive at this lab or is already here. Could you tell us something about it".
The manager looked puzzeled. "how do you know about this" he questioned. "no body is suppose to know about it"
This made Erin and Antonio exchange a glance. They had come to the right place.
"our information came from a CI" Erin answered to the startled manager.
"I cannot disclose that information to you unless you have proper security clearance from the pentagon"
"the pentagon?" Antonio repeated as it was their turn to be startled.
"yes, I'm sorry but right now all I can say is that this is a government project and that no body should know about it. If the information came from a CI then I have to inform the authorities that there is a security risk". The manager went on.
" so there is nothing else you could tell us ? Antonio pried purely out of curiosity. But the manager stood his ground.
" I will inform my contact person from the pentagon about this. I'm sure he would like to know more information about this from you"
" sure" Erin said as she stood up to go. It was a waste of time. To add to her dismay now the case will be dissmissed with the Pentagon involvement. They came outof the Chicago Labs dissapointed.
"Pentagon, government project and a security leak...never a good mix to poke our noses in to. " Antonio said breaking the silence as they walked to the car park. "can't wait to see bosses face.."
"This place looks like it borrowed from the Pentagon security it self, look at the newly done moat" Erin observed. "There is an electric fence as well, what the hell is going on here?" she wondered aloud.
When Erin and Antonio reached the front desk Platt gave them an impossible to understand look. When they turned to the stairs she nodded at Crowley's office and through the blinders they could see Army uniforms.
"That manager is fast, the pentagons already here" Antonio said to Erin who was buzzing in herself.
"Can't blame, its the Pentagon! " she said keeping the door open for Antonio.
"Or not" Antonio replied. His smile faded as he saw the visitors one by one exited the office; Voight, captain Reed and another army personnel.
To worsen the matter a zombie like Will Halstead came in through the main door and when he saw Erin, his face turned white as a sheet.
Erin gasped and Antonio reached her concerned. She shook Antonios grip and descended the whole staircase in two jumps to reach Will and Voight who were shaking hands with the Rangers. Voight turned to them with a very concerned look he usually reserve for Erin.
"I'm so sorry" Captain Reed said to Erin as she reached them. But before Erin could loose it he said something that made her pull herself together.
"We have a few leads and our team is searching for him, I promise you we will find him"
"So he's ..." Erin stuttered with no couraged to complete the sentence. Her throat felt like it was webbed and her knees were already wobbling.
"Hank will explain, I must leave now but before I go could I have a few words with you"
Erin stepped back with no second thoughts so the captain could speak to her privately.
"Erin, I know this is a vey difficult situation" as the captain began Erin wondered how he knew her name. But the rest of his talk was self explanatory.
"Jay was very conserned for you and he told me a lot about you. But if you are the woman he thinks you are, I know you will somehow get through this, untill we find him, you have to stand tall for both of you"
Erin nodded in a haze. She still didn' t know what exactly happened. But the fact that Jay was alive gave her knees the strength to stand up. The captain patted her shoulder and said his goodbyes.
Voight came to her and took her by the shoulders. Erin prayed to god wishing that he will not do anything more sentimental because a waterfall of tears were struggling behind her eyes to pour out. Last thing she wanted was a public meltdown.
"In short, Jay is MIA, there's not much to say coz everything else is according to that guy 'classified" Voight said but he did not seem satisfied. "Al has some old friends in Pentagon, I'm gonna call them, that guy seem to hide a lot and I don't like it."
Erin nodded again as it was the onlything she was able to do right then. Voight turned to Will , said something and hugged him tight. Will seemed to embrace it as his eyes were closed like he was waiting for someone to give him that little spark of hope that somewhere Jay was alive and will come back.
After Voight and Antonio departed leaving Erin and Will to stare at eachother in the midle of the front office Will shrugged and closed the distance between them. A white piece of paper waved in his hand.
"I just got this and I wanted to tell you in person" his broken voice echoed through the people moving between them and arround. "Shall we go out for a moment"
Erin silently walked out. Platts gaze followed her like a hawk but Erin was blind to a lot of things. Ironically she stopped infront of the fallen officers plaque. Nadias name stared at her.
"I'm sorry but I didn't know where else to go. Should I just leave" Will asked when he saw the tears welled up in her eyes. Maybe his presence was only making her more upset. But Will wanted someone to lean too. He wasn't here just for Erin's sake. She was family to him and she was the only person on earth who would uderstand the exact pain Jays' void made. A single tear escaped Will's eyes and that was it for Erin. She made a one step sprint towards him and hugged him tight as if she was afraid that he would leave her too. And they hugged a little longer untill her tears would stop.
Like that they made peace with the fact that Jay was MIA - missing in action, that they might and most probably not see him agIn. They dare not say the word but it was the only thing they could think of. 'Is Jay dead?'
There, chapter 02 done. Expect a surprise next chapter.
Reviews anyone?