Knowing about your past can sometimes define your future. It's what you do about that future that determines the path you take in your life. But that path is not necessarily the best way to proceed. Jackson Hunt was a living example of that aphorism. No matter where he had been, no matter how many times he'd seen injustice at the hands of others, he would always be there, to be the one to watch over his family. Even with his last breath, he would defend them against any enemy.
When he was in the States, New York City was his first stop before anything else. It's the one thing that he never failed to do, which is why he is still in New York City now. The last operation he was on was questionable, to say the least. The Division Chief in Germany had information on a very cruel and heartless arms dealer. This man would stop at nothing to sell his wares. Hunt was a hard, cynical man, but he was shocked that this smuggler had ties to someone directly in New York City. Most of the people who offer this type of service don't usually leave their home country for fear of being exposed to an enemy. Staying in familiar surroundings keeps them safe, and they can stay protected from any outside threat.
He had taken all of the information sent to him by the Division Chief and his sources from somewhere deep within the agency and collated it into a pattern. What followed was the trail of dead bodies this man left in his wake. That was until this arms dealer took Hunt's lack of response for apathy one night.
Hunt received word that one of his good, trusted friends (which in his field of work was a rare occurrence) had been eliminated by having his throat slit. His body was also cut up into pieces so small and unrecognizable that the coroner needed to transport the remains to the morgue in plastic zip bags. That was the proverbial last straw. Hunt was assured that this arms dealer was the only one responsible.
There was no other way to solve this problem without being compromised. Hunt knew the dealer's routine, even though the dealer was not staying in the city that long. From his intel, his target would be accessible for a small window of opportunity. His plan was to take this man out from a distance. Killing someone in this way had a near certain probability of success. He was all set to implement the op when he read the coroner's report and had a change of mind. He would repay the death of his friend up close and personal.
Xx
Since he had changed his plans, he decides to look in on his son. Martha and Richard never knew that he was doing this because in his mind it was just easier to observe from the shadows. He recently found out, through people he trusted who knew his son and granddaughter, that in addition to Richard, Alexis, and Martha, he had acquired one more addition to his circle of protection. Katherine Beckett.
Beckett was the first person to have his son's heart for quite some time now. Kate Beckett would never admit it out loud, but he could tell immediately just by his casual observances. He noticed the way that she hung on his every word. Even though she's dating a heart surgeon right now, he can tell that her heart is not in it - which is why he'd been observing both of them together at 55th Street and Eleventh. He has to admit his son has balls. Had it been him in the same situation he didn't think he could pull off such a gutsy move. But it was what happened after the incident that confirmed his suspicions. The way they held onto each other after the bomb should have detonated told him that there was more to what they had than even they knew.
Sometimes there are forces in nature that make your job a lot easier. Today is one of those days. He watches as they return to the precinct, watches as the Homeland Security agent left in his unmarked car, and then forty minutes later watches his son walk out of the precinct looking defeated. He can tell that Richard is not right just by the way he takes in his surroundings. He looks left, and then right, with his head hung low. It was only after Hunt sees his son walk away that he notices Alexis keeping pace with her dad on the other side of the street. He moves quickly to follow behind both of them. A couple of blocks down the street, Alexis slips into a coffee shop across the street while his son goes into the pub. He watches the front door and that's when things get a little bit sticky. Kate's doctor squeeze comes sauntering down the street and enters the same pub.
Hunt grimaces. Nothing good is going to come from this. He is not sure if the doctor is purposely looking for Richard, or if it's just by coincidence that he happened upon the same pub as his son.
Whatever the case may be, Hunt moves to the rooftop that covers the alley in the back. He watches and waits. After about an hour, his son is pushed out the back door of the pub by the doctor. He can tell that in Richard's condition, he won't be able to put up much of a fight against the doctor, though even with his partial training, Richard still might be able to do some damage. The men dance around each other, neither wanting to throw the first punch. It was only when the doctor starts hurling out obscenities against Kate that his son retaliates. His son throws wild punches at his opponent and it's only by sheer luck on his son's part or stupid moves by the doctor that his punches actually connect with their target. That's not to say that the doctor doesn't get his hits in either.
But when the fight is over, ten minutes later, Rick stumbles out of the alley and on to the street. Deciding that it's time to go, Hunt starts moving from his perch on the rooftop but stops when he notices that the back door of the pub has slowly creaked open again. What he sees is his granddaughter, looking for some sign of her now departed father. As she finds none, comments are exchanged between herself and the good doctor. What happens next pisses Hunt off to no end. The doctor stupidly makes the mistake of knocking his granddaughter to the ground. Being a worthy descendant of the man known as Nemesis, the spunky young woman kicks him swiftly between the legs. By that time the doctor has completely lost his temper. Recovering from the kick to his groin he scrambles to his feet, grabs Alexis by the shoulders and jerks her to her feet, lifting her up with him. Without warning, he slaps her across the face with his open palm, so hard that she falls back to the ground with a sickening crack. Hunt is already in motion, leaving the rooftop and heading for the staircase that spills out right into the alley. By the time he makes it down two floors to the alley, Alexis is being kicked repeatedly in the stomach and chest area by the doctor's boot. Then he rolls her onto her back and slides his hand up under the skirt of her school uniform.
Jackson Hunt's rage goes from incandescent to thermonuclear in a fraction of a second. He catches Josh by surprise, grabbing his neck and putting him into a full Nelson hold.
Anticipating the doctor's move to free himself, he takes two steps forward, slamming his opponent's head and chest into the brick façade repeatedly. By the time he turns around to tend to his granddaughter, she has disappeared. Turning back to his adversary, he releases the hold he has him in. Josh falls to the ground in a heap, landing on his back. Deciding that his punishment would be an eye for an eye, Hunt stomps on the doctor's chest, further crushing his ribcage. Rage fills his mind by this point and he never knows what happens next.
He notices the short piece of pipe lying on the ground under the dumpster. He reaches for it as he hears the doctor groaning. The second Hunt turns back, he swings down on the doctor's head. The first swing crushes his cheekbone, collapsing his eye socket. Five swings later, Hunt realizes just a little too late the amount of damage he's delivered. He drops the pipe and turns away, heading for the street, letting the doctor realize his last minutes on earth will be over soon.