Mouse Returns

FEDS

"We're here," Erin walked in with 5 other FBI agents. She walked up to Voight and gave him a hug. She looked around with a confused expression crossed her face. "Where's Jay?"

"I've got some bad news." Hank sighed. Erin crossed her arms and stepped back so Hank could address the room. "Jay wanted to try an ambush. We put trackers on him and had extra patrol officers while he went to his apartment to get clothes like we were putting him in protective custody. When he, Ruzek and Atwater were heading back to his truck a van exploded down the street. In the chaos the offender used tranquilizer darts to knock out Atwater, Ruzek and Halstead. He then escaped down an alley where another bomb went off to prevent us from following. When we followed the trackers Sergeant Platt found Halstead's clothing with the trackers, his badge and gun next to the burning van. Of course there were no pods or camera's in the parking lot."

Erin sighed and nodded, not the least bit surprised that Jay would offer himself up as bait. "Well, we have a potential suspect, the harder part will be to figure out where he's taken them."

She pulled out a picture and put it up on the board of a man with brown hair and beard with crystal blue eyes. "Thomas Barrick. Younger brother to Michael Barrick who was in the same truck during the convoy as Halstead and Gerwitz. He was hired as a civilian in the military records and worked his way up into some of the more classified records. His younger sister died about 8 months ago from breast cancer and we believe that is the trigger. It explains why and how he had access to records of his brother's death."

Upton and Burgess walked up the stairs as Erin was speaking.

"You ok?" Voight nodded at Upton who nodded and sat at her desk. One of the other agents passed each of the intelligence team a folder with all the details of Barrick. Within minutes the team were on the phones and computers trying to find any clue as to where Thomas would have taken them.

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Sweat and tears streamed down Jay's face as Tommy continued to question him and beat him when he didn't like the answers. One of his eyes was swollen shut and his ribs ached from Tommy kneeing him repeatedly. He fought against the ropes tying his hands to the chair but there was no movement even with blood slicking the ropes. Tommy showed no sign of his anger lessening or tiring out.

"Tell me again, don't leave anything out." Tommy picked the chair back up from where he had thrown it and sat facing Jay again.

"I've already told you everything. We did not leave your brother to die. I was trying to pull him out when the truck got hit by an RPG. Your brother was a hero, he would be horrified if he saw how you were treating his brothers in arms! Do you have any idea how many times he saves our asses in the field??" Jay finally broke after having to retell the painful memory several times already. "Let us go! Honour your brother and his sacrifice!"

It was like a switch flipped in Tommy. Cold rage filled his face and he lunged at Jay, choking him and knocking the chair backwards. Jay felt a snap in his arm as he fell awkwardly to the floor with his arms trapped behind him. He tried to kick but that put more pressure on his arm. Jay felt darkness closing in as he tried to struggle futility against the hands wrapped around his throat and driving into the floor. Suddenly Mouse was there. Mouse pushed through the pain in his knee and drove his shoulder into Tommy's torso. Tommy let go of Jay's throat and the chair tipped onto the side with a thud and Jay gasped for breath. Tommy jumped to his feet and punched Mouse, knocking him to the ground. He then grabbed Mouse under the arms and dragged him through a doorway and out of sight. Jay tried to struggle to free his hands from the chair but the pain from the break in his arm and his strain to breathe made it impossible. He fought the darkness as it closed in and finally, he succumbed to unconsciousness.

It was hours later that Jay came too with a start. Every part of his body hurt but he fought through it to sit up. His hands were now tied in front of him and he was in a small concrete room with a thick chain link covering what would be the door. It felt like a prison cell. It was dark but he could see the chair where he had been beaten on the other side of the door. His arm throbbed painfully.

"Jay? You ok?" An exhausted and pain filled voice whispered.

"Mouse! I'm alright? You?" Jay felt relief wash over him again. He seriously thought Tommy would have killed Mouse for interfering.

"I'll survive." Mouse whispered with a sigh. "Jay, please tell me you have some sort of plan to get us out of here?"

"I had a great plan but Tommy is smarter than he looks. He figured out my clothes had trackers in them and got rid of them. The feds were on their way before I got caught. Between them and Voight, they'll find us soon." Jay leaned against the chain trying to see if he could look into Mouse's cell but no luck. He found a couple of water bottles in the cell and took a small sip after smelling it for chemicals. He figured it was probably safe to drink, Tommy meant to beat them to death, not poison them.

"You shouldn't be here Jay. You should be at the police station finding me that way. You always put yourself last." Mouse whispered leaning on the door.

"You shouldn't be here either, Greg." Jay insisted. "I can't lose you, bud. You were there for me when no one else was."

"I'm not sure how much longer I can hold out." Jay heard a rustling sound and found a rough blanket next to the water bottles. After several moments of checking for weaknesses in his cell he gave up and lay down with the blanket as a pillow, his pain and exhaustion overcoming him again.