Zero Encounters

Salt Water

SIU received a tip from an undercover officer that a deal would be made by a fishing dock. The suspect is wanted and on the top of SIU's list for months. Zero had been stationed there earlier in the night to keep watch while the team prepared themselves. She sat by the dock where she was concealed by docked boats lined up in two rows. She played the role of a tourist and tried fishing in between one of the empty spaces. She wore her uniform under her trench coat and had wrapped a thick scarf around her, covering her mask. She put her hair up into a bun and tucked it underneath a black toque. She glanced at her phone and turned her ear piece on.

"Where are you, Zero?" Captain Lee asked and she leaned back in her chair with a sigh.

"...Fishing." She answered nonchalantly. "For hours now." Jisung lets out a laugh as he pretended to take photos of Hyseoo and the view behind her. He couldn't imagine Zero doing such a mundane thing.

"Should we have some pan fried fish for dinner?" Inspector Choi chuckled, "Captain's buying the liquor right?" He lightly slapped the man's arm. The two were sitting outside a live seafood restaurant, sipping on a beer. "Hope you catch enough for the team."

"I think the fishes are sleeping, Inspector." Zero replied which made the man laugh even more. He enjoyed her playful side the most. She kept her eyes on a suspicious looking yacht that had it's music blaring from the deck. "You see the party?" She retrieved her fishing line and placed her rod down. A rugged looking small fishing boat approaches the yacht from the side and disappears from view. "I think it's happening now." She hid behind some boats and took off her disguise. Hyesoo did another pose and Jisung zoomed in behind her.

"Captain, they did the exchange." Jisung reported, "They're coming back."

"Zero." Captain Lee said and ran towards the docks. Minhyun who hid in their disguised van quickly navigated the CCTVS overlooking the area. Zero wanted to head straight for the boat returning to the dock, but Minhyun stopped her.

"Zero, there's a few suspicious men just to your left at the very end around the right side." He said, "They're polishing machetes on one of the boats." He furrowed his eyebrows. "They're on the move! Heading towards you now."

"What?" She leaped into one of the empty boats and watched the group of men walk by. The men kicked over her chair and bucket to clear space. She watched another snap her fishing rod in half before throwing it in the water. The men stayed clear from the boat and by their body language, Zero knew they were from an opposing gang.

"The boat is coming back to that spot, Zero. Don't mov-" Before he could finish his sentence, he saw her dart across his screen. He took off his headphones and lets out a deep sigh. The team heads her way with Inspector Choi and Hyesoo backing her up while Jisung and the Captain went after the boat.

They reached the end of the dock where the boat had steered away from docking and Captain Lee jumped over with Jisung right behind him. He makes contact with the driver and Jisung took on the two men in the back. The driver was an ordinary yet frightened fisherman claiming he had been coerced into using his boat this late in the night. Captain Lee ordered him to return the boat to shore, but the fisherman told him his wife was being threatened in the distance. He urged the man to move over while he tried to get ahold of the helm, but the fisherman fought back for the sake of his wife.

"Detective Kim, look for a black van nearby. Two men are holding one woman captive." Captain Lee relayed the information. "If the rest of you are free, I want you to get there as fast as you can."

"Black mini van located! A few blocks, east." Minhyun announced. Inspector Choi exchanged looks with Zero and she ran off. Minhyun forwarded her the coordinates and prepared to call in for back up, but waited on the Captain's words. He anxiously watched from his screen and hoped the two onboard had everything under control. "Hey, hey hey!" He slammed his hand on the table. Jisung had been nearly pushed off the side of the boat if the Captain hadn't intervened in time. They balanced themselves while buying time for Zero. They landed a few punches here and there, but would retreat cautiously as to not tip the boat.