Work Text:
Silco’s head swam, his vision blurry, the world spinning around him.
He tugged at his hand, trying to lift it to rub his eyes, but it didn’t budge from it’s position behind his back. His other hand wasn’t cooperative either. Nor his legs… he couldn’t even stand…
Panic shot and he forced a deep, steadying breath, steeling his face into an expressionless mask. Silco closed his good eye for a moment and took another breath. The man focused, willing the dizziness away, then lifted his head and sat up tall.
Strands of mussed hair laid, bothersome, in his face, brushing his forehead as he looked around.
“Look who’s awake!” A voice cooed in Silco’s ear, causing him to jerk, startled. Usually his hearing was very good, he should have heard the approaching footsteps… his senses must still be dulled.
“Where am I? Release me,” he demanded without missing a beat, glaring fiercely over his shoulder. The man sighed, stepping back and walking around Silco’s vulnerable form. “Well, that would defeat the point of jumping you and bringing you all the way here, wouldn’t it?”
Silco’s glare didn’t relent, and he opened his mouth to bite back.
—
A day had passed since Silco had gone missing. You were worried sick. You had directed your worry into anger, focused on tracking your husband down at any costs. Sevika worked alongside you, digging into leads for her boss’ location.
Sevika had brought to you a boy that had been in the area where Silco had been nabbed. He was young (probably fifteen) and quivering, but he had a pin with the insignia that had been on the wall there clipped beneath his vest.
You flashed a smile and knelt down, taking his jaw in your hand. “Just tell me where the Eye was taken,” you cooed, “and this doesn’t have to get messy.”
You condescendingly rubbed his hair, urging him to tell you what you wanted to know. He shrank back, rubbing his hands, mumbling about how he couldn’t. How he shouldn’t. How his brother (ah, so this was a family operation?) told him never to tell anybody. How he- how he-
After half an hour of this you were fed up.
“Just tell me the fucking location, you little brat,” you snarled, grabbing the collar of his coat. He whimpered and shrank back. You motioned over Sevika, who’d been standing menacingly in the corner. "Show this kid what happens when you don't cooperate."
She tugged out her knife and made her way over to you, towering over your hunched form, casting a shadow over the boy. She flipped her knife once and reached for him. He was tearing up now.
“O-okay! Okay, okay, please don’t hurt me!” he cried, tucking his hands up and trying weakly to pull away from the blade.
He gave you what you needed to know and you released him. You puffed a sigh, then stood and rubbed his hair. “See? Not so hard. And not a hair on your little head is harmed.” You called for one of Silco’s less important henchmen named Divi and told him to keep the boy here until you got back (to be certain he hadn’t lied), then ensure he got home safely.
Then you were heading out. Grabbing your supplies, gearing up in uniform in Silco’s office.
Suddenly, a form lowered herself down from the rafters. You glanced at Jinx where she sat, her legs tucked, on Silco’s desk. She was toying anxiously with a bomb. “Are you going to get dad?”
“Yeah, honey. I am. He’ll be back by tonight, I promise. Assuming the boy didn’t lie,” you spoke softly, tucking your shirt into your pants. Jinx scooted closer, hopping off the desk and standing tall. She was only thirteen and made it up to your shoulders. “I wanna help.” You eyed her, letting out a sigh. “I’m not sure. It’s risky, and-” “I don’t care! I want to help my own dad! And I’ve got my bombs working, so I can actually do something.”
“I don’t know if we’ll need bombs. It’s an extraction,” you countered. Jinx hunched her shoulders and looked down at her painted bomb, digging her little fingers into it. You stared for a moment, then leaned down and held her cheeks. “Okay. You can come. But be careful. The last thing we need is you getting captured. You follow my orders exactly and do not question me. Okay?”
“Okay,” she agreed, perking. You smiled and stood, rubbing her hair (it was getting long!).
“You remember how to knock someone out?” She nodded with a smile and decided to demonstrate, very dramatically, using her whole body.
“Good. Come on. Let’s get Silco.”
The journey there was quiet. It was at the very edge of the Lanes, opposite of the Last Drop. Sevika walked directly behind you, keeping an eye on Jinx.
“Did you have to bring her?” the woman grumbled, watching as the little blue-haired girl slunk alongside Ran. Ran was seemingly trying to ignore her. “Sorry, Sev,” you murmured, “but you’re gonna have to get used to her tagging along. I know she’s a handful, but she’s turning out to be a talented fighter.”
And I adore her and would rather die than let her feel left out, you left off. You’d made her sit out on a mission once, one that she was desperate to go on to prove her usefulness. You’d later found her sobbing and panicking. It had broken your heart. She struggled with such insecurities, and if she thought herself a burden, she freaked out, poor thing.
Plus, this was a mission to rescue Silco. He obviously meant a lot to her.
As you approached the warehouse, you motioned for everyone to split. You visualized what the boy had told you about the layout and began climbing a nearby rooftop. Evading the guards. Jinx stuck close to your side, her expression adorably serious.
You hopped across a gap and landed on a very small ledge. You didn’t even have time to turn before Jinx was landing at your side, holding on tight.
You slipped inside. Silco was tied on the ground floor, and… fuck, he looked injured. He’d been gagged at some point. The chair he was tied in was pressed against the far wall and people - a part of this unknown organization - were meandering about, collecting weapons and moving crates. There were also two looming figures standing beside Silco, ensuring nobody tried anything funny.
You bit your lip. A lot more people here than expected.
You glanced at Jinx, ducking down and whispering, “Throw one of your bombs to the far side of the room, and then hide quick. They’ll look to see where it came from, and they can’t see you there. Okay?”
Jinx nodded and took one of her bombs off her belt, scooting around you. You started edging around the top of the warehouse, heading toward Silco. You caught Sevika’s eye – on the opposite side – and pointed at jinx, then the far wall, then made a sort of boom motion. Then you pointed at the guards beside Silco.
She nodded, moving into position to jump directly down to the nearest shelf, where she could navigate to the ground.
You kept your eyes on Silco, anticipating the boom. Twenty seconds went by, then-
BOOM!
Jinx’s bomb went off on the opposite side of the warehouse, closest to the entrance. Panic ensued down below. Men and women grabbed weapons, flooding toward the explosion, some looking upward to where the bomb might have come from.. But Jinx had headed your advice and was already out of sight. Sevika dropped down, slashing through the first startled man’s throat without giving him a fighting chance. She took down the woman with a clean knock from her shimmer-powered arm to the face.
You were at her side in an instant, working through the rope knots.
Silco grumbled incoherently through the gag and you hushed him. The rope fell limp and useless and you grabbed Silco, lifting him cleanly and fleeing through the (now unprotected due to the distraction) side door.
Sevika covered you from the front and Ran was close behind you. Silco was limp as you carried him. He must have been badly wounded or drugged. His head lolled on your shoulder.
You stopped just outside the warehouse, looking up. Jinx was sliding down the drainpipe and she quickly raced after you.
You didn’t stop until you’d made it back to the Drop, which was empty due to the emergency. Divi had been feeding the boy that had given the information the same juice you and Silco gave to Jinx; seeing your return, he took the lad by the arm and began escorting him out.
You bounded up the steps and breathed a shaky sigh. Sevika had remained at the front door, guarding and ensuring no unwanted visitors broke in. Ran stationed herself at the side entrance.
You laid Silco down on the couch in his office, Jinx right beside you. She threw her arms around Silco as soon as she had the space to.
His breathing was shaky and his good eye was closed, but he moved his arm a bit. You turned and grabbed water from the cabinet, then went to lift his head and feed it to him. “Here. Here, honey, drink.” Obediently, his lips moved and he caught the water, swallowing.
His eye peeked open and he first looked at Jinx, who hadn’t stopped clinging to his neck, her face pressed against his shoulder. There was dried flecks of blood on his cheek. You dipped your finger into the bottle of water and wiped his face, gently beginning the process of cleaning him.
“You’re okay. You’re safe.” “Hmh..” was all he managed, swallowing again. One hand shakily lifted, his arm weakly draped around Jinx. The other lifted, trying to take your hand. You quickly caught it and rubbed his fingers, feeling him shake.
You allowed yourself a relieved sigh, dipping your head and pressing a kiss to his dirty hairline.
“Jinx really helped in your rescue,” you told him softly. He offered a soft grunt, his fingers tightening around Jinx. She sniffled, “I did, I tried to help. I made a big distraction. And I didn’t get caught and they didn’t see me, so we saved you. And you’re home now.” “So I am,” he croaked, turning and ghosting a kiss to his daughter’s head.
He turned and tried to tell you what he learned about the organization, but you hushed him. “Recover first. Your information won’t be of any use if you’re not there to give out orders. Just rest.”
Silco obeyed, closing his eyes and tipping his head back. You lifted him again and carried him into his bedroom, laying him comfortably on his bed. He let out a relieved sigh, and you slipped into bed beside him. Jinx hopped up and laid on his other side, curling up close.
It was all okay now. Silco was back.