Chapter Text
“You can’t do this!” Kate stood up quickly even though she was on a phone call. The other party couldn’t see her, but their tone of voice didn’t change one bit.
“It’s already been processed.” Kate heard and she gritted her teeth.
“This isn’t even going through the proper channels.” She wanted her voice to growl but knowing who is on the other end of the line she couldn’t afford to piss off the higher authorities.
“Pretend that it is.” The person scolds. “Besides, you still owe me for the bus full of FBI remember for the Barlow case? Consider this cashing in my favour,”
“I understand, Sir,” Kate resigned to her upcoming fate as she mentally started making a list of what she needed to do. “How long do I have?”
“Give or take a week. It’ll give you time to say goodbyes and have everything in order. I’ll have someone send you the updated files so you can look over them on the way over.” The person replied.
“Yes, Sir,” Kate affirmed before hanging up the phone. She sat back down in defeat and exhaled a long sigh.
Kate jolted up away when a flash of pain seared right into her thigh. A scream ripped out to her already sore throat as her body automatically jerked to scurry away from whatever gave her the pain, but her attempts were to no avail. She was strapped down with the chair bolted to the floor.
“I’m going to ask you again,” Kate felt the object that stabbed her pull out slowly causing her nerves to fire away to her brain. “It’ll make this go away so much easier,” Kate heard her torturer chuckle. “Just tell me who you are working with,”
“No one,” Kate gritted out while the guy lost his patience and swiftly reinserted the knife back into her thigh. Kate cried out while the guy walked away to do who knows what.
“You see, I’ve been in this business for so long,” Kate heard something coming closer but couldn’t figure out what. “So, I know when someone is hiding something and you, my friend, are a boatload full of secrets. I wonder what your loved ones would think if I sent your head to their doorstep.” He grabbed her throat to look into Kate’s eyes.
Lucy’s soft gaze with a growing smile that never failed to show her teeth flashed in Kate’s mind. She was thankful that she was used to the robotic mask she donned in her early childhood.
They can never find out that they broke me but then again… no one is really going to miss me. Think there was Jane Tenant on my list to tell them what happened to me when it got too much but that’s it. Lucy won’t talk to me and besides, she already moved on.
“Just a complication though,” Kate choked out and she smiled at him. “You’re a little bit too late to do that,” She steeled her heart remembering the last person who loved her and cared for her. “Unless you can go back to 2009 and send my deceased brother my head be my guest,” Kate felt her head being let go in a swift movement.
“Okay, smartass,” He growled walking away. “Restrain her,” He ordered, and Kate was soon restrained by 3 pairs of hands. “There are so many ways to break someone, but I learned that everyone wants to survive.” He picked up a needle and a hammer.
“Be careful, she is no good to us if she gains wings,” Someone else in the room seemed to have reminded the torturer.
“I’ve done this enough that I can do it in my sleep,” The guy walks up to Kate who on the outside was calm yet breathing heavily due to the pain her thigh and the rest of her body were in but on the inside, she was slowly losing hope and faith in anyone finding her. “I’ll give you another chance.” He hummed as he was in front of Kate as his tone was calm and almost comforting. As if he didn’t just stab her with a knife that most likely had jagged teeth to make her flesh be tugged along with it as it exited her body. As if he didn’t just make her days in this room uncomfortable at all just to break her spirit. As if he wasn’t quite as done with her as she initially thought. “Where did you put the ledger?” The guy started but Kate only shook her head.
“I told you that I don’t know what you are talking about,” She panted as the pain was slowly spotting her eyesight.
“Hey!” The guy snapped his fingers in front of Kate to gain her attention once more. “I need you to focus right here. I’m no doctor but you’re not looking too good. I don’t know much about the field, but I can make it all better for you. I just need you to answer the damn question,” He pulled the knife out of her thigh. “You better think quickly because I believe the last time, I brought a doctor in they say that the body can lose about half its blood without severe side effects.” Kate’s eyes were closing on her and she could faintly hear his voice. “Oops, we’re losing her. No matter we have all the time in the world, don’t we?”
Kate took in a breath to calm her nerves before knocking on the glass door to catch the attention of the Special Agent in Charge who happened to once be her friend.
“Come in,” Kate heard, and she pushed the door open preparing herself for what was to come.
“Jane,” Kate spoke softly as she really needed her friend more than a co-worker right now. She hoped that Jane would understand considering her tone and the way she was currently behaving.
“Sorry, I can’t do this right now. I have too much work on my plate right now so if it’s not a work matter, I’ll get back to you later.” Jane’s automatic reply told Kate everything. Kate gave her a tight smile that Jane didn’t see at all.
“Of course, until next time, Special Agent in Charge Tennant,” Kate distanced herself so the hurt wouldn’t wash over her at the moment. She spun her heels and walked out the door but not before gazing at Lucy’s desk just to see her possibly one last time.
“Morning sunshine~” The guy sang as Kate groggily opened her eyes. “I was worried that I actually gave you a halo and wings for a second there,” He chuckled. “Shall we try this again?”
“Do your worst,” Kate egged him on as she knew that they needed her alive because she held the valuable information that they needed.
“I learned something interesting while you were taking your oh-so-wonderful nap. The frontal lobe.” He started and a chill ran down Kate’s spine. “Ever heard of the term free will? It comes from the frontal lobe all those decisions making you do or keeping those memories you hold dear that are associated with it all come from it.” He explained with a smirk on his face. “Imagine my surprise that there is a way to just,” He waved his hand that had a hammer in it and struck it down in the air. “Make it go away. A transorbital lobotomy.” Kate’s heart rate picked up.
“No,” She whimpered as she watched him walk closer to her.
He dangled a stick in front of her. “I’d prefer a nicer object, but an icepick shall do. Now hold still,” He stuck the ice pick underneath her eyelid and rested it on her skull. “Can you feel that? There is a thin bone at the eye socket and with a few little taps,” He tapped the ice pick lightly with the hammer and Kate groaned at that tiny sensation. “I can get to your prefrontal lobe quite easily, so I suggest you start talking if you still want to be you,” He readied the hammer once more. “Tell me where the ledgers are,”
“And I told you,” Kate sucked in a breath. “I. Don’t. Know.” He tapped the icepick once more and Kate groaned louder, and it didn’t help that the guy wiggled the icepick to determine it’s location.
“Ah, looks like we have some time before you lose your individuality. Tell me. How does it feel to keep all these secrets while losing yourself?” Kate started laughing at his question. “What’s so funny!” He growled.
“You think all of this will make me talk? If I tell you I’m dead, that is if I don’t succumb to my injuries faster than whatever else you have in store. You tell me that you are driving an icepick of all things into my skull just so I can lose who I am.” Kate sucked in a breath. “Do it.” She challenged. “You’ll be doing me a favour,”
After all, I had done, I just want the hurt to be over after all I’m replaceable.
The guy screamed as he pulled out the icepick making Kate cry out in pain before succumbing to the darkness all over again.
Kate wiped the sweat that was accumulating on her palms as she knocked on her boss’s door.
“Kate, I was wondering when you’ll be coming to my office,” Curtis opened the door with his friendly smile.
“Sorry, Sir, I was just wrapping up everything before coming to you,” Kate straightened her shirt before entering his office.
“Please, you don’t have to call me, Sir. Just Curtis is fine.” He waved off Kate’s professionalism as they sat down.
“Right, Curtis, I just… wanted to come by to tell you that I am extremely grateful for taking me in when I transferred to the FBI.” Kate started.
“Don’t thank me. I should be thanking you, Kate Whistler.” He interrupted her. “I’m grateful for having you on this team. In these short months, your time here has been a blessing and remember if you ever come back there is always a spot waiting for you despite the short notice circumstances,” He sadly smiled.
“I didn’t mean to make things hard for you,” Kate mumbled but was touched at his words. Curtis shook his head.
“You didn’t. Whoever pulled these strings is the one to blame. Just promise me one thing, Kate,” His voice was soft and his eyes pleading. “Come back to us safely, okay?” Kate gulped as they both knew that the place, she was going was a place full of uncertainties.
“I’ll try,”
“Good.” He coughed to get rid of the awkward atmosphere. “Have you said all your goodbyes yet?” Kate stiffened as soon as the words were said. “You know there is this nifty protocol just in case something happens to you before anything goes south. Just for closure or something like that. Sometimes I hear back when the videos go all scorched earth,” Curtis hinted. “I hear a USB is better for storage space.” He hinted giving Kate an idea.
“Thank you, Curtis,” Kate was grateful for him being there even though they worked with each other for such a small amount of time. She stood up from the chair and was about to leave the office. “Just in case anything bad happens.”
“Which it won’t” Curtis sternly interrupted as they both didn’t want to jinx it.
“In that event, I want you to know that I’ve been my happiest working with you and this team the most out of all the other places I’ve been assigned to,” Kate finished as she felt lighter in telling him and seeing his smile was also worth it.
She walked out of the office knowing what she needed to do. Even if, there was a chance of it not being seen she had to get it out there. So, she went home and fired up her laptop to start her recording. One for her friend and the other for Lucy.
She filmed and filmed going over her words and cutting them so many times that she had to pull up a Word document to try and get the point across before drowning in the memories they shared together. Finally, after hours of preparing her speech, she hit record.
“Hey...” She started. “As much as I like to say hello Lucy, I know you are watching this first Jane. I know you would like to see what was going to be in store for Lucy and I get it. I really do because Lucy is family, and you’d do anything to make sure that she isn’t going to be hurt anymore from me. Thank you for preparing her for the worst.” Kate continued with her speech which was fully intended for Lucy.
“Since you seem to have a saviour complex, why don’t we put that to good use shall we?” The guy dragged one of her colleagues into the room who was equally as battered as her if not worse.
“Let him go,” Kate pleaded until she looked into his eyes.
“I’ll be okay,” He assured Kate with determination. “Don’t give in to the demands,” Kate could do nothing but watch as the guy restrained him. Kate seared the image of her colleague being tortured in front of her.
“Wow, and I thought you agents were supposed to be tight.” The guy wiped the blood that dared to stain his cheek.
“We’re ghosts,” Her colleague spat out weakly.
“Casper,” Kate whimpered at the term.
“No one cares about us. We’re replaceable aren’t we, Anne?” Kate only nodded because it was the truth. “So, do your worst,” Kate flinched when Casper was shot directly in the head.
“Oh, I will,” The guy laughed as he faced Kate. “Let’s see how you hold up after all of this knowing that no one is going to save you,”
I love you, Lucy. Don't find me, please. Kate pleaded in her heart as a tear rolled down her cheek.