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gonerunningaway) wrote2012-04-23 02:30 pm
gonerunningaway) wrote2012-04-23 02:30 pm
Those Who Fear Life, Chapter Four
Title: Those Who Fear Life, Chapter Four
Fandom: The Departed
Rating: PG-13
Word Count (this chapter): 828
Warnings this chapter (highlight to view): None.
Chapter Four
Fukui meets with them back behind a park, close to a museum, where no one she’s infiltrating would see her. She’s a small girl, slim, just under five feet, looks like she’s fifteen. Leah Fukui, actually twenty-seven, speaks fluent Japanese but studied Mandarin in college, and she’s after the child prostitution rings, has been forever. She gives them her report, her voice low and nervous, hands flitting around her waist and up to shoulder height a couple of times, and that’s what Sean focuses on. Queenan’s got her words, but Sean’s got her tone and her body language, and he’s shit scared for her. Fukui doesn’t spook easy. She hasn’t before. Sean knows what spooking means. He almost got shot when he was feeling spooky. He didn’t show it, not around Costello’s people, but he knew something was going on, and it almost happened before Queenan could get him the fuck out safely, into a good desk job.
“You want out?” Sean asks her, flat out, when they’re almost done. “We can pull you, make you disappear from them.”
“No,” she says, firm, no hesitation. “I’m getting close to something, Sergeant. I feel it.” Yeah, and he sees it. “Give me a couple more months to wrap this up, and I’ll be ready to get out.”
It’s not his call, ultimately, and Queenan usually defers to his undercover troopers on if they want to escape from their personal hells of what they’re seeing and knowing. “No more than three months,” Queenan tells her. “Three months from today, I’m pulling you, wrapped or not.”
“Yeah, Captain. I’ll be done before then.”
“You’re doing a great job,” he tells her.
She nods and walks off, her steps quick and light, like any kid in a park on a decent day. Sean watches her for a long minute before saying, “She’s getting spooky.”
“I saw it too.” Queenan sighs, and Sean glances at him. He looks old, and it scares Sean. The captain doesn’t look old. Not when things are good. “She needs to get out, but she’s right about closing in. It’s a tough call, Sean.”
Sean just nods. It is. They’ve made it before, together, sometimes pulling an undercover who started getting spooky and sometimes trusting their undercover’s gut. Most times, when they trust their trooper’s gut, they’ve been lucky. One time, they weren’t, and Sean doesn’t like to think about that one time, especially not with Fukui. He likes her. She’s good. She’s quick on her feet, adjusts fast, holds her own, but if something’s spooking her, all that might not be enough.
She goes eight days with radio silence. The ninth day, when Sean’s starting to think she’s going to turn up with her throat cut or worse, she calls Queenan. Sean’s in his office, talking over Costigan, who’s done with his sentence and already starting to weasel his way into the underworld. He’s a fucking snake, slipping in there with his cousin the drug dealer already, and sure, he’s good, but they still need to touch base with each other, with Costigan soon too.
Queenan grins a second after he answers and says, “Wait one second. Sergeant Dignam needs to hear this, too.”
“I nailed them!” Fukui’s exultant. She’s got to be in a safe place if she’s this overjoyed. “Recorded their conversation—they don’t think I speak Japanese, Captain, because they’re blind idiots, but they’re recorded talking about kids they’re bringing in a container to the Port of Boston, here. Twenty-three children, Captain! Recorded!” She’s downright giddy, Sean thinks dizzily.
“Fukui, come in now,” Queenan instructs. “Don’t get seen coming, but get here as fast as you can. Dignam will meet you downstairs to pay your cab fare.” Fucking fine by him. She’s survived her spookiness, she’s fucking safe, she’ll be here soon and she’ll be good. “Bring the recording. We’ll get it into evidence, and I’ll call in an ADA to get the warrant now and to get the indictment as soon as we get those kids safe.”
“Yes sir. Less than an hour.” She hangs up, and Sean shakes his head, actually letting a grin steal across his face.
“She nailed ‘em,” he says admiringly.
“Yeah.” Queenan’s grinning right back. “Took her five years, but she did it. She’s a good kid.”
“Her, I knew it about. Jesus, maybe she’ll eat a real fucking meal now that she doesn’t have to keep looking so damn young.”
“That’s a good idea. Get her some food. A Coke, a sandwich, something like that, before you have to meet her.”
There’s no fucking way he’s meeting her with something from the vending machine. “We’ll talk about Costigan later?”
“Yeah,” Queenan agrees, already picking up his desk phone. “We got a success, Sean. Treasure it. Costigan will get us something, but it’s going to take a long, long time.”
The kid probably has no idea how long he’s in for. Sean could almost pity him.
Fandom: The Departed
Rating: PG-13
Word Count (this chapter): 828
Warnings this chapter (highlight to view): None.
Fukui meets with them back behind a park, close to a museum, where no one she’s infiltrating would see her. She’s a small girl, slim, just under five feet, looks like she’s fifteen. Leah Fukui, actually twenty-seven, speaks fluent Japanese but studied Mandarin in college, and she’s after the child prostitution rings, has been forever. She gives them her report, her voice low and nervous, hands flitting around her waist and up to shoulder height a couple of times, and that’s what Sean focuses on. Queenan’s got her words, but Sean’s got her tone and her body language, and he’s shit scared for her. Fukui doesn’t spook easy. She hasn’t before. Sean knows what spooking means. He almost got shot when he was feeling spooky. He didn’t show it, not around Costello’s people, but he knew something was going on, and it almost happened before Queenan could get him the fuck out safely, into a good desk job.
“You want out?” Sean asks her, flat out, when they’re almost done. “We can pull you, make you disappear from them.”
“No,” she says, firm, no hesitation. “I’m getting close to something, Sergeant. I feel it.” Yeah, and he sees it. “Give me a couple more months to wrap this up, and I’ll be ready to get out.”
It’s not his call, ultimately, and Queenan usually defers to his undercover troopers on if they want to escape from their personal hells of what they’re seeing and knowing. “No more than three months,” Queenan tells her. “Three months from today, I’m pulling you, wrapped or not.”
“Yeah, Captain. I’ll be done before then.”
“You’re doing a great job,” he tells her.
She nods and walks off, her steps quick and light, like any kid in a park on a decent day. Sean watches her for a long minute before saying, “She’s getting spooky.”
“I saw it too.” Queenan sighs, and Sean glances at him. He looks old, and it scares Sean. The captain doesn’t look old. Not when things are good. “She needs to get out, but she’s right about closing in. It’s a tough call, Sean.”
Sean just nods. It is. They’ve made it before, together, sometimes pulling an undercover who started getting spooky and sometimes trusting their undercover’s gut. Most times, when they trust their trooper’s gut, they’ve been lucky. One time, they weren’t, and Sean doesn’t like to think about that one time, especially not with Fukui. He likes her. She’s good. She’s quick on her feet, adjusts fast, holds her own, but if something’s spooking her, all that might not be enough.
She goes eight days with radio silence. The ninth day, when Sean’s starting to think she’s going to turn up with her throat cut or worse, she calls Queenan. Sean’s in his office, talking over Costigan, who’s done with his sentence and already starting to weasel his way into the underworld. He’s a fucking snake, slipping in there with his cousin the drug dealer already, and sure, he’s good, but they still need to touch base with each other, with Costigan soon too.
Queenan grins a second after he answers and says, “Wait one second. Sergeant Dignam needs to hear this, too.”
“I nailed them!” Fukui’s exultant. She’s got to be in a safe place if she’s this overjoyed. “Recorded their conversation—they don’t think I speak Japanese, Captain, because they’re blind idiots, but they’re recorded talking about kids they’re bringing in a container to the Port of Boston, here. Twenty-three children, Captain! Recorded!” She’s downright giddy, Sean thinks dizzily.
“Fukui, come in now,” Queenan instructs. “Don’t get seen coming, but get here as fast as you can. Dignam will meet you downstairs to pay your cab fare.” Fucking fine by him. She’s survived her spookiness, she’s fucking safe, she’ll be here soon and she’ll be good. “Bring the recording. We’ll get it into evidence, and I’ll call in an ADA to get the warrant now and to get the indictment as soon as we get those kids safe.”
“Yes sir. Less than an hour.” She hangs up, and Sean shakes his head, actually letting a grin steal across his face.
“She nailed ‘em,” he says admiringly.
“Yeah.” Queenan’s grinning right back. “Took her five years, but she did it. She’s a good kid.”
“Her, I knew it about. Jesus, maybe she’ll eat a real fucking meal now that she doesn’t have to keep looking so damn young.”
“That’s a good idea. Get her some food. A Coke, a sandwich, something like that, before you have to meet her.”
There’s no fucking way he’s meeting her with something from the vending machine. “We’ll talk about Costigan later?”
“Yeah,” Queenan agrees, already picking up his desk phone. “We got a success, Sean. Treasure it. Costigan will get us something, but it’s going to take a long, long time.”
The kid probably has no idea how long he’s in for. Sean could almost pity him.
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