Glenn lounged against the door, bored out of his mind now that his adrenaline level had gone down to normal again. These two pricks had been asking that walking piece of shit stuff for a full five minutes already without getting anything coherent out of him. In part, this was certainly due to the fact that he had apparently, from what Carol had told him, hit the wall with his head when she had taken him down. His speech was still slurred, and he was slow to react and answer the questions they asked him - if he answered at all, beyond spewing slurs and insults in Carol's direction. He seemed to have quite the grudge for someone who had randomly grabbed a woman off the street, but the two cops were unable to get to the bottom of this - they hadn't thought to question her yet, when she might have their answers as well as that dirtbag might.

He was still quietly wondering what Carol could have been talking about when she had told him that Daryl had helped her take the guy down. She didn't appear to be in an active link with Daryl, let alone be remote-controlled by him, whereas he could still feel Daryl watching out for her through him. On the one hand it was annoying to feel used like this - but on the other he was quite touched by how openly protective he was of her. She still seemed to be his primary concern even though he was out there himself now.

Glenn was relieved that Daryl had calmed down in the back of his mind in the wake of him finding Carol safe and sound. He was no longer panicking back there, and was still making good progress toward the Feina compound. From what Glenn was getting from him, Daryl was taking a roundabout way so as to not come sauntering up on the main entrance down the most heavily patrolled streets as if it were no big deal. From what Glenn remembered of the maps he had been given for his part of the mission, it would take him roughly another five minutes to arrive there.

.-.

The cop who had handcuffed Ed - Wash? Walsh? - had found a glass in the room's less-than-inviting minibar and filled it with water for her. He was trying to get her to calm down, but she wasn't even paying attention to him. Sipping on her water, she reached out with her mind to find Daryl and tell him that everything was okay. She found their link narrowed down to a mere pinprick, and he seemed to be … walking? Outside? Was he coming here? But … with Glenn here with her … Who was on the mission right now?

Suddenly, an equally narrow link that she hadn't even felt before opened up and Hershel was there, concerned, caring, relieved to find her well. He tried to soothe her with his first noticeable touch - apparently he had been keeping tabs on her since they had started out on tonight's mission without making himself obvious -, but she couldn't help but compare his attempt to Daryl doing the same thing and succeeding much better. Ever since she had started working with Daryl, every other guide and supervisor's touch just seemed … clumsy, next to his.

She was going to miss him so much.

Before Hershel could even start talking, she actively reached out to him. „I'm good to continue this. I'll go to the compound as soon as I'm finished here." She made sure to sound as decisive as possible so he would never even think of denying her. There was no way they were taking this away from her. „Would you ask Daryl to open up the link again? He's narrowed it down for some reason and I can't seem to get through to him."

But as soon as she had staked her claim to this mission she felt Hershel sighing in defeat. „Carol", he began softly, in a voice that clearly announced that he was the bearer of bad news, „It's too late. We had no idea how long this was going to take. Or in what condition we would get you out." Hershel hesitated briefly before continuing. „We had to do something, Carol. Our schedule is too tight. He's already on his way. I'm so sorry."

„Who is?" she asked impatiently, and then she reached out for the single rickety chair in the dingy room and sat on it as abruptly as if someone had struck her over the head. All the air seemed to have been sucked from the room and she felt as if steel bands were encircling her chest. Breathing became a struggle. Of course. No need to even ask. There weren't too many people he could be referring to, were there? And he had seemed to be walking on the street.

Her mind reeling with fear, she blankly stared at the wall across the room from her.

Daryl.

No attachment.

.-.

After nearly ten minutes of trying his absolute best, Merle finally gave in. This guy was still so dazed from hitting the wall with his head that he didn't make any sense - if he gave any answer at all. Mostly, when he asked him a question, this dipshit just gave him a vacant look before allowing his head to loll to the side once more. Every once in a while, instead of looking at Merle, he insulted the woman he had dragged in. He seemed completely oblivious to how deep in shit he was here. Well, whether he knew or not, he should have thought about that before turning all caveman on a harmless woman - everybody knew the Feina's stance on violent crime.

Rising to his feet, he turned around to face Shane after making sure once again that Ed Shithead's hands were securely handcuffed. „Did you get their statements yet?" he asked his partner. Shane was just taking last notes from Glenn's testimony, describing how he had called in from his personal comlink to report that a woman had just been dragged into a hotel, clearly against her will, right in front of his eyes as he was turning the corner onto the street. He was relieved that they had at least one of the witnesses who had called in about this on record now.

Not that there would be a trial.

They had caught him in the act. A witness had seen him dragging the woman into the hotel against her will, she had identified herself as the victim while opening the door, and she had angry red marks on her arms where he had grabbed her. All the evidence spoke against him so far.

No trial would be needed.

„Yeah, just finished with our witness here", Shane answered distractedly, dating, signing and thumb-printing his form on his portable before looking up. „Can I call in the evidence people?" Merle nodded and Shane picked his com from his belt. „Yes, this is Officer Shane Walsh. This is about the violent assault that's been called in … Yes, we have, and she seems to be okay physically, but a few minutes ago she went into shock. Would you send a team for the evidence and a trauma counselor for the victim?" He waited for a moment, listening to the answer. Then he smiled slightly, nodding. „Ten minutes, that's great, we'll wait for them here. Thank you!"

With a tight nod at Merle he said: „Evidence will be here in ten, and they'll bring the counselor - she was still there from an interrogation she was in on for the past hour and can come in right away." A patrol ship whined past outside and they all automatically looked at the small window, but of course the ship was too high up for them to see.

„Will you try to get some sense outta him?" Merle asked with a nod down at Ed as he walked over to Carol who was still sitting on the room's only chair, dazed and pale.

„Right away, give me a minute", Shane answered, turning to Glenn once more. „We'll need to take our guy into custody when we're finished here", he said to Glenn as he tucked his old-fashioned e-pen into his uniform pocket. „Would you take the lady to the nearest bus stop once the counselor is done with her?"

Glenn nodded, still amazed at the fact that a counselor would in fact be sent for Carol. Then again, the Feina had made it clear from the start that violent crime of any kind was not going to be tolerated under their rule and that the authorities would always side with the victims - while a death sentence without a trial lay in wait for every proven perpetrator. Given this general view on crime, it stood to reason that victims would receive help and treatment to get over their trauma from an assault. He just hoped that whoever they were sending would actually be able to help her as she seemed to be completely out of it just now.

.-.

He was coming up on the compound now, still taking it easy. His left foot had started giving him shit for kicking his bed with it two nights before, but he managed to ignore it and mostly suppress his limp for the time being. He needed to stay invisible for as long as possible, and limping would make him stand out. Merle had made certain that none of his toes or metatarsals were broken, so he was not afraid to walk as „normal" as he could, given the nerve damage to his leg; he trusted his brother's judgement in this - Merle had been taking care of him in the wake of the original injury and the subsequent falls, cramps, nightmares, and pain attacks for years now and probably knew Daryl's damaged body as well as he did himself. Pain both physical and emotional had been something he had been dealing with for decades, so he wasn't going to let it stop him now, when he was about to really make a difference in the fate of mankind.

He was going to see this through, even if it was the last thing he did.

Reaching out tentatively, debating whether or not to link up with Rick already - but deciding against it for now -, he found Rick hovering nearby, clearly guilty and reluctant to approach him, and felt bile rise in his throat. His stomach started rolling with disgust and anxiety. „Don't you dare come in", he growled at Rick without even greeting him first, barging right in - no careful first contact here. „I will be the one to engage once I actually need you. If you come at me before then, I will lock you out - you know I can. I know the map, I helped create it. I don't really need you for the job - I only need you as a lookout." He didn't care that his mental voice was all but dripping with disdain - from where he was standing, Rick deserved far worse. „Who knows, maybe you can do your fucking job right just this once."

Viciously, now, seething with hatred, nights spent awake after panic attacks and nightmares flashing in front of his mind's eye. The crippling fear, to him, was so much worse than the permanent physical damage. „If this was for any other purpose, I wouldn't do it - just to be clear on that. And you stay the fuck away from Carol. You touch her, I will find you, and I will come for you. Don't you fucking dare touch her."

Rick didn't even bother to answer.

.-.

Merle led the trauma counselor over to the chair where Carol was still staring at the wall, unresponsive. She hadn't answered any of his questions, but at least she hadn't yelled expletives at random, the way her attacker had. He hoped the counselor would be able to get her out of her funk. The thing Merle really didn't understand here was how spending maybe ten minutes getting manhandled and intimidated by the piece of shit sitting with his hands tied and his back against the wall in one corner of the room had fucked her up this badly. Also, something about the expression on her face looked horribly familiar, but he couldn't quite pin it down.

Or maybe he didn't want to.

.-.

Carol's eyes focused on a face hovering in front of her as she started concentrating on the voice talking to her. „… hear me? Could you nod your head yes if you do, please?" She managed to nod, once, withdrawing from the pinprick link through which she was unsuccessfully trying to follow Daryl. She still only knew that he was outside, and from what Hershel had told her he was on his way to the compound, but he was closing himself off to all touch as if afraid of something.

And as she looked at the face of the woman in front of her, she realized who he had to be cooperating with right now. What he had to be afraid of.

Of course.

Everyone else was otherwise occupied.

How would he take being linked with Rick again, who had abandoned him years back? Just how had Hershel managed to get him to agree to this? Was he already linked with the man? Her heart ached for him as she remembered his nightmare about that last mission and its aftermath. It seemed inconceivable to ignore a breach of confidence on a scale with Rick's, especially in view of the consequences it had had for Daryl.

She had to get out of here. He couldn't be alone in this. And the quickest way would be to just cooperate with these people so they would let her go as soon as possible.

Focusing on the counselor, she managed a shaky smile. „I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name?"

„I'm Jacqui, dear, and I'm here to help you."

.-.

Once Carol was focused on getting out of here, she was ruthlessly efficient. She answered all of the counselor's questions, told her in her own words what had happened, and when Jacqui asked her if she needed anything else, she shook her head and confided that all she wanted was to go home and curl up with a mug of tea and get some rest after this scare.

Glenn watched as the regal black woman nodded in understanding and asked Carol to wait for her, adding that she would be right back. She walked over to the two cops who were keeping an eye out for the dirtbag, with one of them following the evidence team who were gathering fibers, taking a nail clipping from Carol who said she had scratched her attacker, taking pictures of the marks on her arms - the works. Something kept tickling him in the back of his mind about the name of one of the cops, but it kept eluding him.

The counselor quietly talked to the two policemen, and Walsh said, just loud enough to hear, that they had enough from the victim and wouldn't need her any longer. If she felt up to it, she was free to go. Relief flooded Glenn. He was just as anxious to get back out as Carol was.

.-.

Merle watched the Asian leave with the woman. He couldn't help but admire her strength. Daryl might not remember it, being so much younger than him, but their dad had beaten up their mom quite badly from time to time, and he couldn't imagine her acting as self-assured as this woman was in the face of this guy who had assaulted her. Too bad he couldn't do to this filthy punk what he had done to their dad before leaving home for good. Too bad that hadn't stopped dear dad from going after Daryl from that day forward.

At least this guy here would never again go after a woman or a helpless kid in what little time remained of his life.

He just wished he could watch.