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The Punisher: Marked For Death (Athene & East)

LadyAthene

LadyAthene

Supernova
Joined
May 12, 2015
Location
West Coast, USA

1st September, 2018
New York City, New York
Exact Location: NYPD Headquarters
17:48 PM EST

Crime was nothing new to New York. In fact, when had it not been an issue for the city of New York? That was the million dollar question. Sadly, the answer wasn't much of a mystery. So even for those who knew the right response, no one would be given what could be considered easy money. But then again, that was neither here nor there. Even while sitting in the break room, twenty-five year old Suki Kimura knew well enough the upcoming meeting would be what her main focus had to be on.

Whispers on the exact mission had been going around the office. Just like the concept of crimes were nothing new, a similar concept applied to secrets. Those almost never, if ever, existed. And when they did, they were exposed very quickly to the public, typically through social media. That applied even to a workplace such as the NYPD.

Despite it being twenty eighteen, trafficking was still an issue.

Sad, really; it just didn't seem like something that anyone should have to suffer through.

But then, look at all the other bullshit going on, hmm? Suki mused, rolling her eyes at the thought.

"Why are you even using the break room if you're not eating or anything?"

A sly smirk spread on Suki's face as she turned behind her and saw her partner. They'd been put with one another since Suki's very first day with the police. Most of the precinct had made a bet that Suki would never be able to cooperate - let alone work - with Jonathan Booker.

Suffice to say, a good number of cops lost a considerable amount of money when Suki's first month went by and she hadn't switched partners.

This wasn't to say she and Jonathan always got along. Nowhere close. However, they'd come to certain terms that made being assigned to one another more ... tolerable.

"I was. Already finished up. So now, I'm just waiting for the next ten or so minutes to go away so we can head to the conference room."

Jonathan shook his head, chuckling softly.

"You really love showing us up by entering right on time, don't ya?"

Suki shrugged, her smirk widening.

"Someone's gotta be a good example. Apparently, not many of you are, so .... "

Jonathan flashed Suki his own coy grin, nodding towards the clock across the way from them.

"Did you also fall asleep or something? Do we finally get to see the day Miss Kimura gets inside the conference room late for once?"

Her head lifted and turned to see it was now already three minutes before six o'clock. The same time the meeting had been arranged for. Her eyes widened as she quickly got up to her feet.

" .... Shit!"

A quick half-walk, half-jog later, the two would enter into the meeting room. Standing at the front was their captain, Trey Holland. Luckily, Suki was not the very last person to hurry inside, which allowed her to escape an otherwise irritated glare from her boss.

On top of everyone's desks were files for the case.

"Inside of those, you should find images and data for all the missing girls. This should be a simple find and rescue mission. Do not use violence unless you or any of the women are in any immediate danger. This is exactly why I'm waiting until 23:00 on the dot to start this up. There should be fewer of the traffickers around. With that being said, however, do not hesitate to arrest these corrupt bastards. They need to have justice served, and that can't happen unless they're in our custody. Is that clear?!"

A chorus of "Yes sir!"s rang through the air, including from Suki herself. The tell-tale reply that hinted they not only heard but understood exactly what this assignment would entail.

"Good. I expect nothing less from you all. Everyone will also see in their folders that I have designated each team to go to certain areas of New York. Most should have some of the captives there and able to be rescued. With any luck, no one will return empty-handed. But it'll depend if these men are smart enough to move the women around or not."

While he resumed speaking, Suki noticed her and Jonathan's destination; the docks. The New York Harbor, to be more precise.

Nodding to herself, she would join in with the rest of the cops as they gave another simultaneous shout to indicate they comprehended what tonight would be all about, as well as showing they were all eager and raring to go.

"Dismissed! I hope to hear back from everyone with positive results!"

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________​

1st September, 2018
New York City, New York
Exact Location: New York Harbor
22:11 PM EST

Suki and Jonathan had come up with a plan. A slightly unorthodox one, yes. But they hadn't been forbidden from doing this, so ... it wasn't like it was illegal. And hell, if it worked, then why not?

Jonathan was clad in his on-duty uniform. Suki, meanwhile, was in jeans and a tank top. Looking much more like a civilian than a member of the NYPD. But that was the goal. They had admitted and agreed with one another that whoever was behind this seemed to specifically target women between the ages of sixteen to thirty. With her possessing the traits of the typical victims, it'd be easy enough to lure any of the guilty men out.

Besides, it wasn't like Suki was completely alone.

She still had her gun with her. Hidden by her leather jacket draped over the tank top and simultaneously tucked in the right rear pocket of her jeans.

"See anything yet, Kimura?"

The voice came from her ear piece. Suki shook her head slowly, making sure she was alone first before answering back.

"Negative. But if there's as many women as we were told, there's likely going to be a huge van or set of crates or something. I'm not in the right spot yet, but trust me. I've definitely got my eyes open. I'm assuming you're following me somewhere nearby?"

"Correct. Careful, though ... I'm pretty sure we got this."

Suki playfully scoffed, nodding in agreement.

"Damn straight we do. I'll get in touch with you when I find something."

"Ten-four, Kimura."

And with that, Suki would let go of the ear piece and begin slowly, confidently walking down the harbor. Her eyes and every sense remained very much alert and aware, ready to react at a moment's notice of anything, be it a person, clue, or perhaps both.
 
Last edited:

31st August 2018
New York City, New York
Exact Location: Josie's Bar, Hells Kitchen
18:28 PM EST


Josie's was not one of Frank's normal hang outs. The place stank to high heaven being one of the few bars in New York that still let people smoke inside of it. The smell just kind of reeked up the place, and frank had to wonder if they paid an extra on their insurance so that they could keep it that way. walking to the sound of heavy boots, he Frank could feel the eyes on him from the fellow patrons of the estate. He felt some people sizing him even as he walked up to the bar. He watched as one guy probably the smartest guy in the entire place got up onto hiFrs feet, put cash on his table and walked the fuck out the door. Fank smiled at the man, watching him go, even offered him a little wave as he left.

Josie was an old woman, and a hard one, her voice had been wrecked by years of smoking and hair that had once been blond was now a more silvered white, she still wore jewlewery still wore make up, but she could no longer hide all of the wrinkles on her face that age had started to make, nor could she get rid of the smell of tabacco that was so clearly clinging to everything around the place, her teeth were yellow from it. "You're scaring my customers. Now how can I help you get the hell out of my Bar."

That got a chuckle out Frank. It wasn't every day someone actually started out with a strong face like that. He actually cracked a smile "A glass of water, and." Frank reached into the long trench coat he was wearing pulling out a photo. The photo was of a young man, it was black and white though probably taken off a security camera from somewhere, but it did clearly show the mans face. "Tell me where to find him? I know he's a regular here."

Josie looked at the picture and sighed. "Come on you can't do this in my bar, if you haul one of their asses into the street I'm not gonna have a business left." She said with a angry tone. "Why should I give you any of my boys?"

Frank paused on that for a moment, leaning back in his stool, and looking around the slowly emptying establishment. He lifted his arms and put them over top his head making himself comfortable. "You know despite the smell, I think I could see myself becoming a regular here. You know drop by once a day or so. Get a glass of water just hang out, you and I could be fast friends."

Josie let out a frustrated growl. Frank just smiled. "Tell me where, and I'm gone."

"He works the harbor, he said something was going to happen tomorrow night." Frank smiled when he heard that. "The harbor's a big place Josie, the new york docks have almost 68 peirs to them give me a number, give me your best guess of a number, and... lets just say that if it's in five... i won't be back."

There was a long silence, and Josie finally gave a dock number, frank stood up from his stool, put five dollars on the table, and walked away. "And Josie... you should really air out the place."


1st September, 2018
New York City, New York
Exact Location: New York Harbor.
22:11 PM EST


Frank had taken up a position on the roof, he was doing his equipment check at that point looking over his riffle, he knew he had hit the right pier thanks to some earlier investigation he had seen his dock worker earlier today, and was now sitting atop the building. Watching down at the street below. He could see a young woman. His best estimation put her probably mid 20s? she fit the picture for a lot of the missing girls that had been going on across new york, his investigation which had brought him to one of the players in the soon to be destroyed human trafficking trade.

He was pretty sure that the guy he was after was just a kidnapper. He wanted to catch the guy alive for interrogation. But as he was watching the girl he noticed something, he fixed the zoom on his lense for a moment as she walked, she was wearing an earpiece. He could see her lips moving through his lense she was talking to someone. She also walked oddly, her back was strait, she was confident her eyes were up and alert, victims of kidnappings tended to be more closed off, introverted, they tended to act shy and hold themselves awkwardly she had none of those signs. Despite being on the docks at night she wasn't wearing revealing clothing which meant she wasn't a lady of the night.

is she a cop?

Frank let out a groan if the cops were here tonight, and if they busted his target he was not going to get the information he needed. They would take down the people in the immediate area and then the small fry would likely be either killed off in prison before they could testify or they would be high enough up that they would get some rigged trial. Either way whoever was at the top would get away.

Frank let out a slow sigh steadying his heart beat. The use of a sniper riffle especially a high powered one like he was holding required a steady heart beat, and a calm hand. He had to fire between the beats of his heart when all was still.

And more importantly he needed to wait for his target to show up on the scene.
 

1st September, 2018
New York City, New York
Exact Location: New York Harbor
22:22 PM EST

Suki was walking briskly. Not quite in a panicked mode, per se. But there was a certain urgency that anyone would have been able to see. Or rather, that someone was noticing.

Granted, she couldn't pinpoint where from or who was watching her. But the sensation of being watched wasn't a foreign one. It had simply strengthened since she joined the NYPD. Suki had experienced her fair share of 'creeps' or 'stalkers' even back during her high school years. Now that the familiar feeling was registering to her, it only made her 'I told you so' mindset kick in.

God-fucking-damnit. Do these pricks have a sniper?!

But then ... wouldn't that mean they knew cops would be coming here?

"No good," she muttered, finally pausing in her tracks and taking a moment to regain her composure. Her head tilted back as Suki slowly closed her eyes. In .... and out. In .... and out. The calming breaths continued until she felt well enough to re-open her eyes. Reaching down, she pulled her cell phone out. This doubled, even if it wasn't obvious. She did this for more than checking the time. She was also using it as a makeshift mirror of sorts.

Hmmm. No red light ...

Not that it meant anything, but it certainly made Suki feel better that if there was a sniper, she was either too far for them to reach or they weren't immediately targeting her. Both of these were decent enough 'blessings' that she could better concentrate and focus on the task at hand.

Now ... if you were part of a trafficking group, where would you hide your victims away at, exactly?

It took a bit more of swiftly walking. But finally, a slight noise made her head turn as she walked to a large shipping container. And, apparently, she'd arrived in time.

A quick glance at her phone indicated there were only two minutes before 23:00 would arrive.

"Please! Is someone out there?! Help us!"

"Shhh. Give me a bit."

"Oh thank god!"

While Suki started working on trying to unlock the large, metal box, a frown appeared on her face as Jonathan's voice echoed in her ears again.

"Kim -- !! Am --- !! Car -- "

"The fuck do you mean? Jonathan?!"

All she got was static, which caused a "Fuck!" to elicit from her lips.

"Hello there, sweetie," she heard from behind her. Before Suki could pivot around, the barrel of a gun pushing against the back of her head registered to her brain. "Nu-uh, none of that. You arrived just in time, actually. Here. Let us help you. You'll be a nice addition."

Suki's heart was pounding wildly. With what she'd just heard and at least five to eight shadows being seen with her peripheral vision, this was looking and feeling very bad. Her partner was gone, as far as she'd heard. Maybe - hopefully - not dead. But likely incapacitated. Which meant .... there was a good chance no one was around to help her. Suki slowly shook her head, irritated with herself. This was gonna be all - well, mostly - her fault. She never should have agreed to this in the first place.

Noted; never do anything that isn't by the book again. Shit ...
 


1st September, 2018
New York City, New York
Exact Location: New York Harbor.

There was a problem. Frank wasn't completely sure what it was yet, but the cop was definitely a part of it. His target arrived, and he watched from a distance as three vans pulled up. Made sense if they were shipping a lot of cargo than they would need someway to carry the bodies. He sighed, watching the man he had been tracking get out of the car and motion to a few others. Going around the long way.

He watched as the cop started to mess around with the frieght container, he wished he could tell her to get the hell out of there. He watched as his target started to confront her, he had to guess that something was jamming the cell signal, or it could be just a bad signal. The harbors were massive, rotted grounds and ruins, they didn't always get good reception especially since water had the natural chaotic behavior of bouncing around radio signals to start with. He was hoping for a raid, instead she was starting to try and open the container. "No, come on, you're a cop where's your back up."

His scope traced down the line, back to his target now approaching her, he was drawing a weapon. He had to make a choice, risk her life and keep his target alive for interrogation or kill him and the others to protect the cop and the women they were transporting. The choice was easy. "One batch." He said stilling his heart, practiced breathing.

He kept the riffle trained on his target. Leveling it at the mans head. "Two batch." He watched as the man pulled out his gun and spoke with the cop, her time was running out. Something was off, and the raid wasn't coming.

He watched for a moment longer, could see the man about to remove the safety from his pistol, if he did that than it would be too risky to shoot him while the gun was leveled at the female cop's head. Frank knew the operation was busted. There would be another night to find out who was buying these women. "Penny and a dime."

~~~

The man's hand reached a little lower about to caress her ass and find the gun that she was hiding in her waistband behind her jacket, when suddenly there was a flash from atop one of the closest closed down buildings. The back of his head broke. The man slumped and a mix of brain matter and blood splashed over the female cop. There were two more flashes from the same location, though aimed at different places in rapid succession, and there was the sound of a body hitting the pavement, and another of something heavy falling into the water. Everything went silent as the man seemed to fall to the ground in slow motion.

~~~

Frank picked up his riffle getting up, from where he was laying. If nothing else he could search the cars, maybe find some hint of where they came from. Either way he had to clean up his scene. He picked up the three warm shell casing's and started to pack up his riffle into the bag he stowed it.
 

1st September, 2018
New York City, New York
Exact Location: New York Harbor
23:14 PM EST

"Bastard!" Suki hissed angrily. "That's mine!"

In mere seconds, however, the last of Suki's concerns became whether she would lose her gun or not. The sound of the trigger being pulled was very, very faint. However, it was quickly confirmed by a pained cry lasting about thirty seconds or so ringing in the cop's ears.

.... There is a sniper?!

Her eyes shut tightly as Suki half-expected herself to be the last person shot. Instead, when her eyes opened, she found she was the last person standing.

Suki slowly turned around, able to do little more than stare in shock and disbelief. She originally began to grab her gun ... but stopped. Now that one of the perpetrators had touched it, forensics would need to scan it for their fingerprints. It'd give them answers as to whom these bastards had been, as well as if they had been affiliated with any cartels or other dangerous groups.

"Hello?! Please, let us out!"

The screams helped Suki return to the here and now as she turned back around, gritting her teeth in annoyance. Mainly that she'd had to be saved in the first place. But there was also the fact that now ... she was gonna have a very, very long night ahead of her. Hopefully, the fact some good had come out of this would make relaying to her captain the mission got interfered with less of a bitch fest for her to endure.

Less, of course, being the keyword.

"Second .... hang tight. I'm a cop, I need to make a call. But you'll be out soon enough, okay? You're fine. You won't be getting shipped anywhere. Promise."

"Thank you ... "

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________​

2nd September, 2018
New York City, New York
Exact Location: NYPD Headquarters
11:37 AM EST

Indeed, she had spent at least two hours last night trying to relay what had happened. Thankfully, her captain agreed it wouldn't do her any good to try to speak while doing so in a slightly flustered manner.

Knowing she could have ended up getting shot - intentionally or not - had given her one hell of a scare. It was stupid, if not ironic. The risk of being shot was something that had come from many factors, from simply living in a dangerous city such as New York to serving in the Army for a few years to becoming a cop not long after finishing her first military tour.

But for some reason ... last night had really freaked her out.

Maybe because it was the closest anyone had gotten?

She wasn't sure. There were far too many questions, and not just simply about the mysterious sniper. Just as many revolved around the trafficking incident. And then ...

"You okay, Kimura?"

"No thanks to you," she bitterly shot back, lifting her head angrily to look up at Jonathan. "The fuck happened?!"

"Like I was trying to warn you. Ambush."

Her head tilted as she rose her eyebrows. At first, it didn't make sense. But then ... she thought back. Recalled how close it had been to eleven o'clock before the men found her.

" ... Okay. Fine, just .... "

Her hand rose as she ran a hand through her hair. Her head lowered as she glanced at the desk in front of her belonging to her own captain. It was the only person she was waiting for, and truthfully? Suki was actually kind of dreading this meeting a bit. "I wish you would have .... I mean .... "

"I get it. I'm disappointed in myself. I'm very sorry, Suki."

"As you should be," Trey concurred, finally walking in and sitting across from the duo. "Whose idiotic plan was this, anyway, huh?!"

"Mine, sir," Booker replied. "I pushed for Suki to agree to this."

"Even still, that doesn't fix the fact Miss Kimura is in the wrong. I thought you were smart enough. Certainly stubborn, if nothing else, to know when an idea was clearly a good one or not."

"Sorry," Suki replied, her voice filled with shame.

" .... So ... you didn't get a look at last night's sniper?"

"No, sir."

Holland sighed, shaking his head. "You two should know right here and now there's one major grace saving your asses. It's the fact you found and were able to keep those women from being shipped to who knows where. I've got a good chunk of them being visited, questioned, and protected by other officers already. So we'll find out soon enough the story involving their captors - or at least who they used to be. The moment I get enough information on the bullets that killed them, I'll let you both know. I want to know who else got themselves involved in our affairs as well as why."

Trey looked between the two, letting out yet another sigh.

"For right now ... dismissed. Thank you both for at least saving those women last night. But seriously ... no more fuck ups like last night, be it in your planning or something else."

"Of course," Booker replied, Suki nodding her head quickly in agreement.

"Thank you, captain," she replied.

Neither needed any encouragement to stand and take their leave.

"Want me to get you lunch to make up for last night?" Jonathan offered.

" .... Tempting. Very much so. But I think I'll take a rain check on that offer. I kinda wanna be alone for a bit, if you don't mind."

"Understandable. Alright. Take care, Suki."

It would be here that the two cops would part ways. Before she could heed her own words, there was one more stop Suki needed to make. She walked through the halls of the headquarters before walking through a door. There would be a plaque with the following words engraved in the square block.

WOMEN'S CHANGING ROOM​
 

2nd September, 2018
New York City, New York
Exact Location: Upscale Manhattan apartment
09:31 AM EST

Six men sat around a well lit ornate table, on the table there was the latest morning edition of the daily bugle showing the bust that had taken down a small fraction of the organized human trafficking ring that these men had worked hard to set up. The product were all girls, between the ages of 15-17, that had been taken in at various points, some were runaways, others were taken during family vacations. All were about to be shipped off and sold and yet somehow the cops had caught wind of the operation. The details of the bust kept names out of it, only mentioning that three were dead, and that a local cop had aided in the rescue of the women who were now under police custody and could be potentially reunited with their families.

It was a happy ending.

It was an insult. One of the men pulled out a ipad, and started going through footage taken from various locations around the peer. "The cops said that there was a sniper on a roof, but the only one in the footage is the police girl. The location was chosen cause there were very few if any street cameras, so we don't have good angles, but we can hear three shots."

"So she killed our boys, and then blamed it on a ghost." another of the men sighed and took a bite out of the breakfast meals. They managed to get one good shot where her face was exposed to one of the street cameras. "What is she?"

"Probably fresh out of the academy by the look of how young she is. I doubt she has made detective yet. You want to approach her with an offer? see if we can put her on the payroll?" Another dirty cop could help re-emberse lost costs

"No, I want her removed."

"Pulling an officers badge is pretty hefty in the price. Even if she went off the books the city would regard her as a hero for saving the girls." Another man said. "Hero cop's don't loose their badges."

"Then remove her the old fashioned way, see if we can't get a name off the picture, or one of our good boys. Once we have that, put a hit on her. Nothing old school. We don't need to scream Maggia to the public." Everyone regarded the paper for a second, one of the first big bylines the now owner of the daily bugel ever broke was in taking down the Maggia crime family which played by a more authentic and older god father type code. Jameson had a target on his back since those days, but for some reason be it dumb luck or geniun skill the man had managed to evade every shot ever taken at him. "We don't need the garish details, Just put someone on it, and make sure that her body isn't found."

~~~

2nd September, 2018
New York City, New York
Exact Location: A cafe outside of NYPD headquarters.
11:40 AM EST

Frank sat eating a sandwhich his eyes focused across the street at the constant hustle and bustle of the NYPD headquarters. This was basically a cop diner hall, so he hadn't come as frank the punisher. His coat and his more assorted stuff was back at his apartment, he was wearing a grey work out hoodie with the NYPD logo on it, and track pants. He basically looked like every other off duty cop in the place. Just another asshole on the force eating his lunch protecting and serving. He had come here cause it was the natural lunch rush, but he couldn't find his Asian cop from the night before.

Some part of him wondered if she was on duty today. He was hoping that she would just walk into the place and order a sandwich so he could have a talk with her. There were two reasons he wanted to meet her, the first was that she had probably been working a case, which meant that her file was probably more up to date than his was on the work he was doing, but the second was a bad feeling.

Every time he got involved with something it was always some weird case that ended up going back to someone high up. The district attorney had ordered the bust that had killed his family, the leader of the CIA had been the goon he had punched in the face when he had tried to lead his strike force, and even his old boss in the military had turned for a paycheck at some point.

A good cop, one who took stupid risks and was at the lower end of the pay grade, that's hard to find in today's crazy world. Frank wanted to make sure that she stayed alive through this case, and who knew, maybe she could pass on some information to him as well.
 

2nd September, 2018
New York City, New York
Exact Location: (En route to a) Cafe Outside NYPD Headquarters
11:53 AM EST

Frank would get his wish it seemed. Suki would indeed walk in after a few moments. It hadn't taken her very long to get dressed; however, she had gotten talked to in the hallways of headquarters. And for a bit, she had been fine indulging her colleagues with answers to any questions they had, most of which were about last night. But finally, she put her foot down and insisted she wanted to get some lunch in.

Something they understood - and envied since she ended up getting the day off.

As such, she looked like she had last night. A typical civilian. The only evidence that would immediately give away she was a cop came in the form of her pistol and ID, the latter of which was in Suki's wallet. In fact, if it weren't for the fact the top was clearly a very different one, it'd be easy to think she'd worn the exact same outfit from last night.

Nah. That wasn't her style. She took damn care of herself. In fact, she intended on hitting the gym or jogging after lunch. If she wasn't on duty, she was always keeping active somehow.

"Heya Kyle!"

"Ahh, Suki! Was wondering if you'd forgotten me or something."

Her eyes rolled as she shook her head.

"You should know me well enough. That being said, I don't need to remind you what I'm gonna ask for, do I?"

"Nope. Gimme five minutes."

"Perfect. Thanks."

While the cashier and sandwich creator got busy, Suki pulled her wallet out and fished out the required amount of money. A five and a one.

"So have you talked to your boss yet about discounts? Isn't it kinda criminal to charge that much for one damn sandwich?"

"Come on, we've had this talk before. I don't make the rules. I just follow them. Besides, you're not the only one who needs a living."

Suki shrugged, unable to argue with that.

"Fine. Fair enough. Thanks. Crap, umm ... add in a bottle of water, will ya? I'm gonna need that when I leave." Suki pulled out another bill and some change, handing that over. She then reached out and took her food - and any spare change - before turning and sitting down. It was definitely not done on purpose, but she ended up choosing an empty booth that was located right behind Frank.
 

Frank watched as the ladies of his thoughts walked into the cafe, he smiled for a moment. He thought for sure that he was going to have to wait here for a day or two before she would show up. Still he happy to see that she had shown up, now all he had to do was approach her. Frank got up from his seat and walked over to her table, it wasn't hard considering it was the booth right behind him. "This seat taken?" He asked as he slid into the seat across from her.

Frank took a bite out of his sandwhich for a moment. He wondered if she would just recognize him. At one point or another Frank was the most wanted man in New York, but that was about two years ago, and most people had long forgotten the punisher. At least when he was outside of the bullet proof vest anyway. The lack of a skull made it a lot easier for him to walk around, and with the hood up only Suki could see his face.

He looked at her assessing her reaction. His hands were on the table, he wasn't a threat to her. He decided that he was just gonna come out and say something. Introductions were never his strong suit, Frank was never one to call himself a people person. "So last night did you get all the credit? Or did they want to know who your back up was?"

Frank smiled towards her, and tried not to be combative for once. His guard was up though, he waited for her to call him out, or go for her gun. He was more aware in that moment of the danger he was in as he was surrounded by cops, he didn't like hurting cops, and he wasn't ready to publically announce the fact that he was alive to the world. "Way I see it you owe me one Mrs?" He asked her name.

"I gave up my best lead to save your rookie butt, so I want to know everything you do about this case."
 

"Nah, it's free. I'm not waiting for anyone."

And as he sat across from her, Suki took a moment to try to study him. If he was a cop, then she'd never seen him around before. Which, already, was a tad odd. But ... maybe he was just a civilian? Possibly, but that made it a tad weirder he'd wanna sit with her.

... Whatever. He wasn't causing trouble, so Suki wasn't gonna make a fuss about it. Well, she wasn't intending to. Not before he brought up last night. It took her off-guard and made her bite her lip instead of her sandwich.

Several options definitely went immediately through her head. Get up and leave was one, though then she imagined he'd just follow her. Pull her gun out was another, but that would make much worse of a scene than storming out of here. Not every customer was a cop; just most of them. So it'd confuse anyone who was innocent and not involved in this.

" ... There's only one person who should be able to talk to me like that at all. You ... were the sniper, weren't you?"

Her voice lowered to a whisper as she spoke. Though her body stayed stable, her voice was shaking a bit.

"O-Oi, I'm no rookie, okay? Something happened to my back-up. At literally the worst possible timing. And then .... outnumbered. That shit never goes well for anyone. I think even you would have had somewhat of a hard time had you been in my shoes. You seem like you could be a competent fighter, if not cop. Definitely got the body of one."

... Well, that slipped out. It wasn't meant to be an intimate comment, even if he was handsome. Just a keen observation. And hell, if his aim with a sniper rifle was that great, he could probably handle any kinda gun decently enough. Maybe even better than 'decently'. Probably, the more she looked at Frank.

Her feet tapped a few times on the floor as she tried to calm herself. Urges to hurl curses in his face and leave continued to taunt her. And they definitely got stronger as he seemed to imply he was blackmailing her.

Waiting to finish a new bite of her sandwich first, Suki's head shook.

"You may be right that yes, I owe you. But you seem to know well enough who I am and what I know. You should know I can't just give that sorta information out freely. I have protocols to follow. However, if you're dead set on that ... "

Her head shook again.

"Not here. Somewhere private. My place or yours, I care not. But preferably in a place no one else can even try to eavesdrop on us. My place is clean. I make damn sure of that."

Clean, in this case, didn't only refer to the floors being void of messes or the surfaces, though that was true. It was her cryptic way of saying there were no bugs or devices where a person could listen or watch her go about her daily life.

But he seemed like he had a good head on his shoulders. He likely wouldn't need her to elaborate on that for him to understand.

"That fair enough of a deal? I'd say so, especially because I usually don't like a few things. Owing anyone anything, but worse than that? Breaking the rules involved with my job. And this definitely falls under that. But if I'm gonna make last night even, giving you what you want probably is the best choice to make. As far as credit? Not within the NYPD, no. And there's a reason for that. But I was definitely one of the few agents that got more credit than others. The public probably is buying whatever story's been printed. I haven't read any papers or whatnot yet. I'm not overly fond of social media in any form, to be completely honest. I only use it when I absolutely have to, but never before then."
 
Frank was a little flattered when she said she had the body of the cop, he didn't miss the look she gave him. It had been a while since any one had flirted with him even subtly so it was kind of nice. That said he was more focused on the mission than her body. Maybe after the fact, but right now he would just let that comment go for now.

2nd September, 2018
New York City, New York
Exact Location: En route to Suki's home
12:13 AM EST

Frank listened to her explain at least part of what had happened back at the docks, but she then said the smartest thing she could have said. She was willing to give him the information but in a safe location. Frank got up from his seat. "By all means lead the way to your place." He said getting up and having her escort him out of the cop cafe.

He was more than happy to get out of the sight of NYPD. He moved along with her keeping his hood up the entire time that they walked together. Till they arrived at Suki's car and he got in. When he was in her car he pulled down the hood revealing more of his face to her. "The only reason I know who you are is cause I watched you through the scope of my riffle, I don't actually know your name. I just figured out you were a cop, and well eventually every cop eats there."

Hiding in plane sight and waiting for a target, he supposed it was a bit of a bold plan, but in areas where people felt the most safe that was usually the best place to find them. He smiled wondering if she recognized him this time now that she was in his car. He was going out on a bit of a limb here trying to work with a cop, there was a good chance that she might try to turn him in. When the car was in motion he started talking again.

"It's good that you don't use social media. It lowers the chances of you being recognized, and staying out of the spotlight means that less things will be pointed at you. I know a bit, but not a ton. I was following a trafficker who was kidnapping and moving those girls, the one that caught you was pretty much my best lead to figure out who the buyer was." Frank was keeping his head low as he looked out the window.

He let out a sigh. "I'll give you all the information I have once we get back to your place. Way i see it we may have to work together on this."
 

Suki would follow suit and get up to her feet after finishing her lunch. The trash would be thrown into the nearby bin. Her left hand, meanwhile, dove into her pockets and began fishing her keys out. "Unfortunately, the car's near the station, so we're gonna have to be there for a few minutes."

It just seemed like common sense to think that if this man had seemed to seek her out - and had done so twice, both times away from the headquarters - that he had a history. On the other hand, it could have just been a coincidence altogether. Either way, she didn't wanna give off the wrong impression and look as if she were going back on her word. There was as good a chance he had his own weapon.

Although .... she had been completely serious on him being a competent fighter. Which, thus, meant he probably didn't need a weapon in all honesty.

The sight of them would likely look laughable. Poor Suki had the typical curse that most Asians did and was relatively short, standing only five feet seven inches. A bit taller than most, but not nearly as much as she could have been. Last night at least hinted that what she lacked in the vertical department, however, was made up for in an array of various ways. Not just her chest, though that was also true. She really had gotten screwed over and, in her own ways, was also a competent fighter.

... Well, the better wording was she had to be. It came with both her job and having originally served.

While walking, Frank would hear light jingling. With him officially having a closer view, he would see the familiar sight of metal hanging around her neck. Though they weren't in full view, the noise alone gave a good enough hint on what they were; dog tags.

A quick press down on her keychain and the lights flashed. A few beeps resounded, revealing the doors were now open so both could get inside. Frank would also see that Suki definitely broke another stereotype. She was actually a damn good driver even though she was Asian and a woman.

"So ... why were you even there last night? If you're another cop, I've never seen you before. But ... no. Actually, you can't be. You would've known the orders our captain gave us. Using a sniper rifle was definitely against them."

.... Hell, who even used those? The more she thought on it ... yeah. It was becoming painfully obvious this man was not a colleague she'd somehow missed.

It wouldn't become obvious until the first red light arrived. Her head turned ... and she felt something in between borderline scared and shocked. For better or worse? Even Suki wasn't yet sure about that.

" ... Frank? Frank Castle? Is that ... seriously who I'm looking at right now?"

The faintest of smirks appeared on her face as she shook her head, chuckling.

"You're still something of a legend among the NYPD. A very controversial one, too. Okay, so ... assuming I'm not seeing things, that explains your presence. Because ... they hit the wrong triggers with you more or less? Whoever those men were?"

Had her guest opted to take a more violent approach then, yes. Suki would have felt more obligated to report him. But he'd gone about this in a much smarter and far more diplomatic route than Suki had expected. After all, considering what she'd heard from her other co-workers - particularly those who had been with the NYPD for way longer than her - he was supposed to be incredibly dangerous and violent. Yet ... here he was. Not only being civil, but he hadn't even laid a single finger on her.

Clearly, there was more to the story involving him than anyone - especially Suki herself - knew and understood.

The drive was relatively short, lasting only about thirteen minutes, with about half of that being forced to obey traffic laws. Suki would pull up and park in her garage, though not before Frank would get a good view of her house.

"I'm umm .... not as wealthy as people assume. A lot of people forget the concept of renting to own exists. This should be completely mine in ... hmm ... a few more years. Hopefully."

A nervous chuckle passed her lips as she stepped out, taking a breath. There was something incredibly nerve-wracking about voluntarily leading someone like Frank Castle in her own home. But when she kept managing to move freely and not be attacked, her anxieties shut up. She seemed convinced enough he wasn't about to give her any reason to call headquarters and report him.

Since they used the garage door instead of front, they would appear in the kitchen.

" ... Goddamnit! I forgot my water bottle at the cafe!"

Suki clicked her tongue, sighing in annoyance at herself.

"Well ... I was gonna offer this anyway, but um .... wanna drink? Look around and get comfortable. I'd ... very highly prefer if you removed your shoes somewhere and put them ... anywhere you won't forget them like how I did with my water. I still do follow a few customs from my home nation."

After hearing his reply, Suki would enter the living room, taking a seat on the couch. Her own shoes would already be off, as she'd slipped them off and left them in the kitchen for the time being. If he'd given an affirmative answer, she would hand him a water bottle. Otherwise, she set her own down atop a coaster.

"Okay, so ... where do you want me to begin? Aside from the beginning; I get that reply enough as it is from my colleagues. I'm fine with people being smart-asses, but creativity every now and again would be appreciated, ya know?"
 
"The one and only." Frank couldn't help but be a bit coy and playful in the moment. Being recognized and told that he was still a legend among the NYPD, and among the criminal underground was always kind of gratifying. Even without the skull emblazoned across his chest he still carried himself with an imposing posture so he saw the glint of fear run across Suki's face though she handled it well, better than most of the cops he had met in the past though that was about two years ago when his rampage was still fresh through the city.

Frank nodded when they got to her home, it was nice, and on a cops salary it was probably towards the upper scale of what she could afford. Mentioning the rent to own plan he nodded. "Yeah that's what my family did a long time ago."

Just mentioning his family brought up a small tinge of pain. But at this point he had avenged them twice over, their spirits could rest in peace, and after all that he had done he knew he wasn't going to get to see them in whatever stage of life was after this one. So he had in his own way at least worked towards making peace with that part of his life, and now he was more focused on what he could do in the now, and that was fight his war. A war that would never end, meant that he could work till the end of his days, and while he didn't find any enjoyment in the work he was doing he knew it was the right thing for him.

Taking off his shoes as he was told he walked into her home wearing his socks. He pulled off the hoodie as they got into the warmer home, a tight T-shirt pulled across his chest, showing the broad muscles of his chest. As well as his muscled arms. He stretched for a moment going to his full height in the car ride, standing well over Suki he looked at least partly like he could break her, but his face was actually rather pleasant. "Thanks, water would be good."

Walking around her home she had a few pictures up, he could see important snips from her life like the graduation of the police academy, but her pictures didn't really showcase anyone else in them. "You live alone here? No boyfriend? or family that will walk in on this conversation?" He asked prying just a little into her personal life as he walked into the living room and took a seat.

When she asked him where she wanted her to start and told him not to say the beginning he smiled like she had just cut off the way he had wanted to go about this. "I'd like the connections they had." He pulled out the photo he had shown Josie to get the location of the pier. "His name or at least the name I got was Toni Esposito. I managed to figure out he was trafficking but not who he was trafficking for, he has to have someone, a business connection, a place he worked, or a friend who was giving him money."

"I find that guy I find the next one up the ladder from Toni, then after that I find the next guy, till eventually I've climbed the top and know exactly who is running this show." He looked at her. "The cops can't chase down businesses without probable cause, I can, So I just need to know where he worked, and who he was close with."
 

... Well, I'll be damned ...

All things considered, New York had been relatively quiet. At least, as 'quiet' as one could say compared to when Frank had been active a few years ago, yes. In that regard, it was a true enough compare and contrast observation. By the time Suki had entered the NYPD, he'd ceased his constant killings, which made him a bit less infamous. But only in activity. His name, however, was uttered pretty quickly after she earned her spot on the force. Not just from bad memories either. At one point, they thought he'd returned due to someone trying to copy his tactics.

In the end, it turned out to be a really crappy copy-cat killer.

Back then, that had been the closest Suki ever expected to ever meet the real Frank Castle. Had anyone jested she'd see him in the flesh like she was now and then, she'd snicker at them and swear they were crazy.

And yet, here he is ....

"Family lives elsewhere. Some still in Japan, a few in other states. It's umm ... always been a rocky relationship between us all. And ... really? Do I look boyfriend material?"

Her own smirk returned as she chuckled softly.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm flattered, but ... one of two things tends to happen. They freak upon learning I'm a cop which, even without doing background checks, implies they have something to hide. So they do the smart thing and break off any future relationship with me. Or ... they assume I'm some hardcore dominatrix or something because I have access to cuffs."

Suki rolled her eyes, shaking her head as the most recent time that tried to happen flashed through her mind.

"For real though, in this line of work? It's not really a smart move to get a lover."

Or, rather, you had to take a shit ton of precautions. And if he could see the mental list of qualities any potential guy would need to possess in order to have a decent chance at being a lover with her? Well ... he'd probably join her in laughing. It wasn't the longest checklist, but it wasn't short, either.

"So .... no. You don't have to worry about anyone barging in."

Suki would reach behind her and pull her pistol out from her rear pocket, placing it down on the mantle beside her. It was more of a sign that if any abrupt guests - particularly of the unwanted variety - did try to force their way in, she would be ready. The last thing it intended to come off as was a threat in any form or fashion.

Her right hand would lift to bring her bottle up to her lips. While downing some of the water, she tucked a few raven strands behind her ears. Almost immediately, Suki's expression went to a more stoic one. Gone was the teasing and playful hints that had been in her face earlier. Now that they were doing business talks, she was as serious as she was when around her boss or partner.

Her head slowly nodded to acknowledge she recognized the picture.

"He was one of the few definite names and leads we had. And since this was part of your previous question, lemme backtrack a bit. I wasn't the only one getting credit for last night's operation because ... the trafficking happened in numerous areas of New York. It wasn't restricted to just the harbor. And between the spread out nature as well as other evidence on the guy, we do know one thing for sure. He's part of the Italian mafia. Unfortunately ... the rest of his comrades are a lot more discreet and smarter than him. Because prior to last night? We didn't see or learn about any other identities. Obviously, this'll now change courtesy of the bodies you aided in providing us."

A slight frown appeared on her face as she looked away from the pic of Toni and locked eyes with Frank.

"Whatever names may or may not come up are no longer my concern as of when I left headquarters .... what? Almost an hour ago, I think? But yeah. My captain wants me to identify you which ... I technically have done. Just not relayed."

If it hadn't yet been obvious, it was this part of the talk where a significant amount of problems now arose. Even with them trying to work together, outside forces were trying to make it impossible ... or really fucking close to that.

"So ... since my attention isn't supposed to be on the Italian mafia anymore, I think you can understand a few things. One of which being I can't just walk up to my captain and ask to be reassigned. Definitely not without a good reason. And even though there's a chance I may have somehow exposed myself to Toni's men .... "

Her head shook ... and then stopped after a few movements.

Wait a sec. Why am I not investigating both future leads and the 'mysterious sniper' case?

Suddenly, almost everything about last night was beginning to feel very off. Even being allowed to leave earlier than usual now felt ... wrong. Suki had originally figured it was to help cope with fearing she may have almost been shot, but ... now that she was exchanging information with Frank - and thus knew that wasn't the case - it just ... wasn't sitting well with her.

"I'm not gonna do that on purpose, and definitely not without a plan in mind. I already made the idiotic mistake of not following protocol last night. I'm not doing that again unless I figure a way to make it work out."

Although it wasn't painfully obvious, Suki was showing a few signs that two and two were not adding up like they should. At least Frank would know he wasn't the only one who may be as suspicious as the woman across from him about how things were suddenly revealing themselves. Or failing to reveal, in some cases.

"You probably know this already, but secrets don't last for very long. Least of all within the NYPD. If I'm gonna keep helping you, we're gonna have to figure out ways to keep everything we're saying and doing discreet. I'm sure I don't have to explain why or what may end up happening if this talk got found out by the wrong people. Not just to myself, but you also."
 
Italian mob, well it was a place to start, Frank could at least admit that much. He had taken down sections of organized crime before in the past, but that was when he had first started out and his public war had taken a lot of prep time, and caused a lot of problems for him. He was pretty sure that doing all of that again would result in him getting caught again and put on trial again, and this time he wouldn't be able to call up Matt. Not that he particularly wanted to call up Dare-Devil for anything that man had basically ruined his own life at this point.

When she made a joke about her not being boyfriend-matariel he looked at her slightly surprised. When she went on to explain the two reactions that happened whenever someone found out that she was a cop he actually chuckled a bit. "Yeah it was a lot like that back when I was in the military." He did eventually find a woman who could put up with him, but that had been another life time ago. Still he could relate to the younger cops struggles, it was as shame because Suki was rather cute if a bit small. She kind of looked like she would fit in his lap.

and that is where I have to end that line of thinking.

It had been a few years since he had dated, or done anything romantic. As welcoming a change of pace as that would have been, finding the Italian mob was a higher priority at the moment. As the wheels started to turn that she had been put out to dry, frank rubbed his chin for a moment thinking over all the details that she was telling him. She had broken protocol once already by being on the docs, but for some reason she hadn't been removed from the case, but rather moved away from the italian mob part of it.

He took a drink of his water, as he thought about it. Putting his bottle down on a coaster as well. "Sounds to me like your boss is trying to shift your priorities away from the other sites." He said he hadn't known about the other sites, if that was the case than there were other traffickers he found one of them, and he would have a better lead as to who was calling the shots.

"Did any of the other operations land an arrest? and do you know where the other operations were?" She was right that the two of them didn't have a way to keep in contact he looked around for a moment.

He found a candle and picked it up, moving it to the window that faced the street. "You find something, you wanna talk light up that candle at night, and I'll find you."

It was just the way frank worked, he didn't like people having the ability to contact him easily. But he could set up a way to monitor her home and a window with relative ease. He looked around out at her neighborhood, she wasn't too far out in the burbs. With his car he could make a trip to her with good timing maybe an hour or two.
 

... So he's a vet also, huh?

Not too amazing. In fact, a good chunk of the NYPD were also veterans, including her partner and boss. Whereas she'd served in Iraq, however, they had more diversity and experience than herself. Granted, that was to be expected; they were both older, also, by at least ten plus years.

"It's our curse as veterans, unfortunately," she mused softly to herself, flashing a small smile to Frank. Suki may not know Frank perfectly, but from what she had heard and now acquired from learning, it was easy to make a few likely accurate assumptions. He'd probably suffered a major loss. It was already pretty much etched in his face, truthfully. And in all honesty? Suki had endured that same experience also.

It just ... wasn't with a family member or intimate lover.

It had been a military partner, sister-in-arms, and friend. Therefore, it had been easier to get over the loss. War was war. Death came and hovered over every soldier, on both sides. It was just a risk that was inevitable, whether one wished for it or not.

" ... Yeah .... " she agreed in a rather disheartened voice. "It's ... odd. Holland's never made an out-of-place decision like this ever before. Nor is it like him. He's usually got really good judgement, but ... "

Suki's head slowly shook.

"It makes absolutely no sense. Even less so with me and my partner talking to him earlier and admitting last night wasn't my bad."

It was less about her being on the docks, per se, and more so the approach that was taken. But at this rate, giving those details out were rather redundant. Everyone from the opposing force was now dead and no longer a worry. At least, no in the 'reappearing' sense. Other ways, perhaps; but none that would make Suki further elaborate on her words.

"I do know for certain other teams got arrests, yes. Which though?"

Her smirk returned yet again.

"Not yet, but I do have an excuse to be able to ask for those and simultaneously get what you want. If I'm supposed to be looking for you, asking if they had any problems wouldn't be an unfair question, I don't think."

Of course, the answer was obvious. And if there were any troubles at all, it wouldn't be because of Frank, but something else.

"So umm ... "

Suki's head tilted, an eyebrow slightly raising as she watched Frank grab one of the nearby candles and nodded.

"Certainly an interesting way to contact you, but ... sure. Kinda smart, actually. Candles can't really be bugged like phones or anything so .... fair enough. I'll trust you'll be able to see from .... wherever you are. So ... before you go, I realize I haven't exactly introduced myself. Suki Kimura. Feel free to use one or the other. Most in the NYPD just use my surname, but a few do use my first. I'm not overly picky on what people use. Um ... "

Suki briefly followed his gaze outside before glancing up at Frank again.

"Do you need a ride back to your place? Or .... you gonna walk? Get a taxi, bus, something else?"

If he was about ready to leave soon, so be it. But she'd at least ensure he could return well instead of make an incorrect assumption which could lead to unfortunate circumstances.

Shame, too. All things considered, this was actually a pleasant talk ...

Odd, too. Suki had been fine being alone for most of her life. But suddenly ... she was kinda wishing Frank didn't have to go. Then again, it was for the best. She was already breaking a lot of rules just by having this chit-chat. If it got discovered?

No. That really wouldn't be good for either herself or Frank.
 
Something didn't smell right in the NYPD. Frank couldn't put his finger on it, but he knew that there had been some sort of mistake going into the docks. When she confirmed that other areas had their own arrests and their own operations he wondered just how large a bust this had been. What were all those women even being used for? And why was it that only the docks had gone south. He was suddenly aware just how lucky Suki was that he had been following the perp he was and not somewhere else on a different site following another bust. If that had been the case than Suki would have likely never been seen again either sold into slavery like the other girls, or killed off when she refused to comply.

Considering the woman had dog tags, and spoke like a professional could meet his gaze and was made of more stern material than most he would assume that it would have been the latter of the two options.

the other odd realization was that Frank didn't actually want to leave, and he could see that Suki felt at least partly the same everything in her demeanor told him that she didn't actually want him to go. It was kind of comforting, she was offering him a lift because he had to assume that she for some reason or another wanted to spend a bit more time with him. "I actually left my van in my apartment building." He admitted. "I used the subway so I will be fine."

New York train systems were often the best way to move about the city. It avoided the often grid like traffic of Manhattan, and connected all five of the districts. He could read the subtext though, and as much as he wanted to stay he knew he had work he needed to do as well.

"I will be in touch." Frank said going back to the kitchen so he could retrieve his shoes keeping them in hand as he walked towards her front door. "I will keep in touch. If I need to find you I know where you live now."

For now, it was best that he go, and not let anything destract him from getting his job done, she had given him plenty of information when it came to whom he was fighting, the Italian mafia was a larger organization but at least it was a start he could approach it much the same way as he had with the irish, and the bikers.

"But Suki... Keep an eye out, you'll be a target now so I will be keeping a watch on you." He said before walking out the door, and into the late evening. He had taken his water bottle with him.
 

The exact same thoughts had gone through Suki's mind. Suffice to say, she was incredibly grateful, as well as fortunate. It would have been easy for Frank to turn a blind eye to her misfortune. His focus was on wrong doers, after all. But ... for whatever reason, he not only killed the guilty parties, but helped her in the process. Protocol insisted that had been the wrong thing to do.

But .... was it really?

Suddenly, she didn't know. She'd need to find and read up on Frank. Luckily, that was one of the many perks about being a cop. Suki definitely had access to those files. Add in her minor in Psychology and she felt confident a bit of reading would at least get rid of some of the confusion currently swimming through her head.

Until then? Well, she just had to keep dealing with it.

"Alright. I'll ... I'll be in touch also."

Her smile widened slightly as she watched Frank stand and take his water. Suki would quickly nod her head as he gave his last warning. "Oh, no worries. I always consider myself as someone who's constantly targeted. Comes with the job ... "

"Another curse in my life. Lucky me, eh?"

"But the reminder's definitely appreciated. Talk to you later."

As the door closed, Suki pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and glanced down at it. And ... she rose an eyebrow. There was no way that could be right ... was it? A quick walk around and examining other sources that had the time - microwave, other clocks, and more - said otherwise. Regardless, it had not felt like she just spent three hours speaking with Frank Castle.

15:18 PM, to be exact.

"Tempus fugit, indeed," she muttered, chuckling softly. Suki ran her hand through her hair and contemplated. Briefly .... but long enough to adjust. Her typical schedule got a bit compromised, though certainly not in the worst of ways. After deciding she didn't want to get back in her car, she made up for that verdict by getting changed into workout clothes and going to her at-home gym.

Fortunately, she'd created that exact room for days like today; the ones where she didn't want to drive or use her car, regardless of why. It always helped her out ... especially when winter rolled around.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------​

4th September, 2018
New York City, New York
Exact Location: NYPD Parking Garage
18:57 PM EST

Suki had known and realized this new partnership between herself and The Punisher would be difficult. It just hadn't dawned on her how truly challenging it would be until she tried to heed her own promise in asking for all of the teams that were sent out a few days ago, and whether any of them had any issues of their own.

Naturally, Holland refused at first.

But when Suki added in she was checking to help see about getting a lead regarding the 'mysterious sniper', he agreed. Not overly reluctantly, but enough that he stopped questioning why she wanted to know. It made sense to him, especially after she posed the question of if no one else had any unwanted visitors, then why was it only her and Jonathan who'd had to deal with a stranger intervening. The thought hadn't originally crossed his mind, apparently.

As Suki entered her own small office and found all of the requested information, an exhausted smile crossed her face.

Good. Finally, she could light that candle.

... Hopefully he hadn't thought she was trying to break her part of the deal. Granted, two days wasn't very long compared to two weeks or even months. But for some, it could be deemed a long period of time.

Her head lowered as Suki glanced down at herself.

"Hmm ... later .... " she muttered, opting to get changed when she returned home. Having been at headquarters since six in the morning, it was an understatement to say Suki was tired. No, she was exhausted. She wanted little more than to change out of her uniform and order some dinner. Pizza? Maybe. She'd think on it in the car.

It wasn't like she wouldn't work out to help make up for taking a cheat day. And hell, she was overdue for indulging in a cheat day.

The thoughts made her smile and helped her weary feet move slowly out of the headquarters and enter the parking garage. While using her right arm to keep the papers tucked firmly in place, Suki's left dove down and began reaching for her car keys.
 
Last edited:
3rd of September, 2018
New York City, New York
Exact Location: Manhattan lower est end.
22:32 PM EST

The Italian Mafia was a lot harder to track down the Irish had been. He wasn't sure why but every tactic he had used back then wasn't working here. It wasn't like he had a lot of leads. Back then he had known faces and names of people who had been tied to the mobs, the biker gang had been easy cause of those fucking jackets that they all wore like a badge of honor. The Italians? Well what was he supposed to do go to every single joe's pizzaria in new york and shoot up the place? There were like 30 and he liked authentic Joes, god damn he hoped that place wasn't a cover for anything cause that would honestly be a crime to destroy.

He had tried criminals, but finding people willing to talk about organized crime was hard. Most of them were gang banger's and while they provided good targets, he wasn't exactly making any headway when it came to the bigger enemy. He had no idea where he was supposed to begin when it came to the big men of crime.

Some part of Frank actually wondered if he could speak with fisk, the man who had gotten him out of jail earlier on. Fisk was a rotten to the core horrible criminal to be sure, but he was also a power player. One who had kept the balance of power strictly in his favor. The only problem was that Frank didn't negotiate with criminals. Didn't work with them, and if he was desperate enough to talk with Fisk than he knew Fisk would have him do something for him.

Which wasn't an option not till he became truly desperate.

So until he crossed that line he had to find a criminal that would talk, and so he had spent most of the time since he had left Suki's appartment digging for as much information as he could get on the people he needed to find, beating down a lot of the little guys whom Frank knew wouldn't run around talking about him. The best thing Frank had going for him was that whom ever he was tracking didn't know yet that he was coming for them.

Slowly and steadily, he would get there.

~~~~
4th September, 2018
New York City, New York
Exact Location: NYPD Parking Garage
18:57 PM EST

The parkade was always a little on the dark side. The lights and cameras down there rarely worked. But it didn't matter cause it was the NYPD garage. It was directly under the main branch building of the NYPD, so obviously nothing bad could happen here. Cops left here all the time due to the shift work, but as the headquarters usually had a skeleton crew to run things in the building at night it did get a little creepy here and there.

As Suki walked to her car and got out her keys she would hear the heavy foot falls of boots as someone quickly approached her from behind, until she would feel the hard smack of something wood connecting with her back the force knocking her into her own car over the hood.

Her assaliant was wearing a ski-mask, the kind that amature robbers used at a bank heist. He was holding a heavy wooden bat, which had just struck Suki across the lower back, and he went to grab her by the hair and lift her up. He was also in officer blue, making a statement that no Suki was not safe at work. The man's badge though was no where to be seen.

The man reached out and grabbed Suki's hair, lifting her while she was still in shock and throwing her face as hard against the hood of her car as he could.
 


The glass for the windows of any police vehicles tended to be tinted. Suki's, however, were not. She didn't need them to be. Bulletproof, at most. And it was an idea that she had meant to get working on sooner as opposed to later. Alas, the glass was just normal, not modified in any way. So, she was able to see the ski mask, and thus, her attacker.

She just didn't want to believe what her eyes were showing her.

But ... I've been ... it's not like I've told anyone any fucking thing I'm doing!

Her mouth opened, trying to conjure some sort of a quip or warning. What finally ended up being heard was a pained cry as the bat slammed against the small of her back. The force behind the hit caused her legs to buckle before Suki finally sank to her knees.

Being physically prepared was one side of the coin for a cop to look at. Being mentally prepared, however, was another side and, more importantly, the one Suki hadn't properly gotten into the right mindset of. So even though she knew and saw the attack coming, being ready for the pain? Ehh ... not as much as she usually was ready.

"Son of a .... agh!"

Instincts, adrenaline, and her stubborn nature had helped her keep the files clutched in her arms. The reality of her situation sky rocketed as her skull slammed onto the hood. Her head lifted slowly, a low groan passing her lips. Any shock that had initially entered her was gone. Now, she was simply choosing her movements carefully.

And .... even though she didn't want to .... she let go of the manila folder. A ghost of a smirk appeared as it landed right where she aimed for; beside the upper left tire. Thankfully, the drop wasn't too high to make them scatter completely out, though a few bits and pieces of parchment were threatening to fly out.

That was fine. It just meant Suki needed to hurry up with this fight, something she'd fully intended on doing from the get-go.

With her having all but forced the man - she was assuming this was one until proven otherwise - to try to get the paperwork by letting her go, she took advantage of her own actions. Suki rose her right foot and slammed down hard on her attacker's nearest foot. Her right hand, meanwhile, rose and went to intertwine with the dirty cop's hand holding her hair. She pinched down hard between his thumb and forefinger; a common pressure point in the human body.

"Let go or I'm going to have to hurt you worse than I already am. I'm sure you know this can only go from bad to worse for you, yeah? So stop while you're ahead."

Deep in her mind, she knew this was one of those scenarios where negotiation shouldn't be put at the top of her to-do list. But hey, maybe this was a rookie. A complete newcomer into the NYPD. On the off-chance it was, it'd be simpler to get this to end, let alone before too much unnecessary violence occurred. If not?

Well .. that was why Suki was making proper preparations to rough this guy up more so. She wouldn't like it, no. But assuming this was part of the warning Frank had given her? It was a necessary evil. And she was not going to just allow anyone to do whatever they wished with her. Hell and no.
 
As she forced the man to let go of her head, he took a step back to gain some distance between the two of them as he still had the bat. Holding it back up he brought the bat down on Suki's side this time though he pushed her away from her car cutting her off from her chance to escape. The man didn't even seem to turn towards the papers she had tossed to the ground the man was unfortunately or fortunately depending on how she viewed the situation entirely focused on Suki.

He seemed to chuckle at the idea that she would hurt him. He moved in to grab her, this time pulling her by the shirt, the important thing was that he did not want to give her the chance to draw her gun, so he very quickly grabbed her ripping her uniform in the process buttons ripping off her shirt as he pulled from two sides, his fingers sinking through the cloth to more expose her bra. Even so the assault was not sexual in nature, he just lifted her up.

He picked her up with an ease that showcased just how strong he was, though to do so he had to let go of the bat. Before throwing her down to the ground as hard as he could. Her head landing just in front of the front wheel of her own car. "You don't get it."

The voice that spoke was familiar definitely a co-worker she had spoken with before, but then cops all worked together, and it was a generic voice. With the gloves and the mask the most she would be able to tell was that he was white under his uniform, and taller than her. It hit home just how much larger he was than her. But aside from that he could have been half the cops on the force with his brown eyes. The only thing remarkable was the fact that he was most certainly a cop.

"A word from the boss, they don't want you touching this case anymore. You have one chance, get the fuck out of our city."
 


It was certainly both for Suki. Fortunate he seemed to only be concentrating her and, on the other hand, not so lucky. But it was a blessing, even if a slightly warped one. Considering she needed to get away with these in tact, it was at least good to know everything she'd promised to give Frank wouldn't be targeted. So now ... she had to get herself out of this mess.

Come on, think, think .....

"H-Hey! Leave those alone!"

Suki shot a furious glare, trying to shove her opponent away. Maybe even into one of the other cars still parked in the lot. Instead, she got hoisted up. Another good thing seemed to come from this gesture, and that was a closer look. Even with the limited clues, brown eyes and seeing it was a Caucasian actually did help ... as did hearing him finally speak. She'd definitely be able to identify him and at least work on narrowing down who the fuck this was.

Worry about identity later! Save yourself first!

Unfortunately, some part of her seemed to be flustered enough that it was easy to see Suki was not at her best. The twelve hour long shift wasn't doing anything to help.

As if you didn't have enough frustrating shit to deal with ...

Another whimper left as she was hurled down. Her arms shakily moved, managing to keep her head mostly safe. But ... it'd cost her. Nothing major. She could feel that much. But her left wrist was definitely sprained, at the absolute worst, from being thrown at such a height and with the amount of force used against her. Her head weakly turned as she watched her keys slip out of her fingers.

... There was an idea her brain was trying to conjure. A reason she was staring at them. Suki just couldn't immediately pinpoint it.

"Your city?" Suki repeated, turning to stare up at her assailant, chuckling softly. "Cities don't work the same way assigned seats do. And even if they did? I sure as hell don't see your name on any part of New York."

Her head shook from side to side.

"With the way you are now, I definitely don't answer to corrupt bastards like you."

Now Suki would try to do exactly what the man had been worried about. Her right hand dove down and started going for her gun. Her right leg, meanwhile, rose and tried to place a kick against the masked assaulter's kneecap. Even if it didn't hurt for long, it was meant to give her enough time to finish doing what she wanted - and, at this rate - needed to go through with. Getting her weapon drawn out.
 
Her kick landed, against the man's shin, and he grunted, but he didn't take much more damage than that, he was already aware of her arm going for her gun, and he had brought up his leg to stomp on her out reaching hand which is why her kick had been deflected. Heavy boots grinded against Suki's arm, crushing her fingers, but doing no more than stepping on her. stopping her from grabbing her weapon. The other cop just chuckled, he had brought his, and could easily draw it, but he had been told only to send a message.

He leaned down his weight still on her hand preventing her from getting her fire arm, as his body loomed over her. He sat on her now exposed chest thanks to her shirt having been ripped open. The Man's gloved hand stroked Suki's face in a calm, almost affectionate kind of way showcasing just how dangerious this situation was for her. Brushing down her cheek till suddenly the man was grabbing her neck.

He held her neck tightly as he sat on her chest, holding her and squeezing down on her. The foot came off her hand leaving her free to panic and squirm as he started to choke her violently with two very strong hands. Hearing her gasp for air, he smiled. "You know it's actually very difficult to kill someone with choking?"

"Don't worry, once you pass out, I'll just have my way with you, and then toss your ass in the back seat of your car." He threatened still holding her tightly. Her hands were free to struggle against him, her car key's in reach.
 

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Her arm trembled under the pressure, shuddering violently as the boot kept her from getting her gun. Suki tried moving her left hand. But between feeling new surges of pain from the sprain and simply failing to reach her gun, she knew the man had her beat. By now, the Asian cop was barely avoiding hyperventilating. If she hadn't been scared enough, all of her fears - and pulse - only got stronger as a gloved hand landed on her face.

Suki whimpered, flinching at the touch as she looked away.

"I said no! I don't want this!"

Goddamnit, not now!

Flashbacks she'd felt confident were locked away forever reemerged, taunting Suki. PTSD and even more adrenaline started kicking in the smaller cop squirmed and struggled under her assailant's weight.

"Get off of me!"

The same words she'd uttered years ago were spoken again, out loud. Not caring if he'd ignore the words. She wouldn't accept this. Not again ... definitely not again. In truth, it had been another reason she hadn't been in a relationship for a while now. It just ... wasn't something she could immediately confess to Frank.

And as her mind went back to him ... regrets quickly filled Suki.

Even if it would have been rash, maybe she should have acted on whatever feelings had been going through her a few days ago. Maybe? It hadn't seemed like she was the only one looking hesitate to leave. Or ... was she just imagining things? She didn't think so; Suki was typically good at reading people. She was rather positive Frank had looked hesitant to leave her place.

But, admittedly, she knew that also could just have been wishful thinking on her behalf. Either way, it was enough for her to lament not speaking or doing anything a few nights ago.

Don't be fucking stupid, that's --

Before the thoughts could finish, however, her eyes widened as oxygen was abruptly cut off. Suki's eyes widened as she stared down, finding the figure's hand wrapped firmly around her throat.

NOOOOOOOO! SHIT, FUCK! NOW WHAT?!

Frantic coughs and gasps were all her attacker would hear, though they did seem to occasionally mingle in with frustrated growls and fearful whimpers.

SUKI, COME THE FUCK ON! FOCUS!

Slipping her fingers in between the man's hand worked ... at least to an extent. It definitely ensured some oxygen kept going, but it didn't do anything when it came to getting him off of her body.

I CAN'T, I CAN'T .... SHIT! WORST! FUCKING! TIME! FOR A PANIC ATTACK!

Another angered - if not slightly weakened - "URGH!" would be heard before her head turned away. What started as a look of defeat rapidly turned to a hopeful expression. It was stupid ... maybe even a bit of an amateur idea.

But it was the only plan coming to her mind that made any sense at all.

Forcing her left hand to move once again, she wrapped her slim fingers around the keychain. And then .... the car began to wail as she pressed down, activating the alarm herself.

Her ears ... holy fuck they were ringing and hurting, as well as her head and arms.

But to make up for the shitty cameras down here, this would have to be the next best thing. That was all Suki could hope for; that he would finally take his own turn to panic and run. Preferably without still holding onto her, too.
 
"Fuck!" The man recoiled as the car alarm started to go off, his ears ringing from how close the two of them were to the car. He stumbled back off of Suki letting her breath, getting to his feet as he forgot his baseball bat clearly in a panic cause any second now someone else was going to show up to figure out what the hell the racket was about. When it was just him and her down here that was one thing, but he couldn't risk another good cop showing up and so any previous threat against her seemed null and void.

Still before she got up he gave her one last sharp kick to the side, before he ran off. His heavy boot impacting against her abdominal area as he knocked her around. He then ran off away from the car park and left her there bleeding and battered as she was. His point had been made, but this time she had been cleaver enough to avoid any further damage. In his haste he left the baseball bat and the file on the ground near her body.
 

Suki smirked, feeling very satisfied with herself. Relief swept through her as she succeeded in exactly what she'd hoped for; coercing her assailant to let go, giving herself the ability to freely breathe back in the process. Also, while Suki wasn't a sadist, the guy's reaction was absolutely priceless. Certainly worth getting the extra kick in her midsection ... if that had been why he bothered with it.

Either way, Suki would stay on the concrete for a few minutes, very, very slowly moving when she was finally ready to try moving. Her limbs were shaking, particularly her arms, as she forced herself to stand up. The alarm would first be deactivated, followed by the driver's side door being pulled open. She'd barely finish putting the files inside before a hand fell upon her shoulder.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!"

"Whoa, whoa, Kimura .... it's just me."

A quick whip of her head would reveal Jonathan behind her, whose mouth was now agape as he saw his partner bleeding and battered.

"Fuck .... you .... want me to call an ambulance? Who did this?"

Suki quickly shook her head no.

"N-no ... no ambulance. I dunno. I ... I'm gonna go home."

"Home?! Are you insane?!"

"Not really. Maybe a bit desperate, but .... "

Looking from side to side hastily, she then stared back into Jonathan's eyes. "I'll fill you in with the whole story later, okay? Right now, I need to leave. If anything, maybe they'll assume I went to the ER. By the time they realize I'm not there .... "

Her head kept moving from side to side.

"They won't be able to do anything, least of all not without drawing unwanted attention to themselves. But ... hey. You wanna help? Get that bat to forensics ASAP. They had gloves on, but maybe there was a time they touched it with bare hands?" As Jonathan looked ready to point out the slight contradiction in her own explanation, her voice became more impatient. "It's worth fucking checking, okay?! Please ... just .... "

'You're right, I'm sorry. Okay. You sure you don't want anymore help?"

"I'm sure. It's ... really not as bad as it looks."

"Definitely not physically, anyway ..."

The moment Jonathan got out of the way, Suki pulled out from her spot and drove home. Actually speeding, for once; something she usually was able to avoid while driving in her own vehicle and not a cop one.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------​

4th September, 2018
New York City, New York
Exact Location: Suki's House
19:39 PM EST

By the time Suki arrived home, she was still exhausted. Her movements were incredibly forced, and it showed. After shutting and locking the garage as well as the kitchen leading to it, she hurried to the same candle. Thankfully, despite being desperate to get out of the parking lot, she hadn't been stupid enough to forget the files.

Those had been set down on the dining room table.

With her symbol lit, she ran off. Even if Frank took his own car over, it'd still take time. And that was fine. She needed some ... enough to look much more ... presentable. And also get some of her nerves back. The latter would likely be much easier said than done though. Suki was very shaken up by what almost just happened.

Why?! How?! Did I do something that blatantly obvious?!

Not likely ... hopefully. It probably was just the unfortunate fact that she was working against a goddamn mafia. And there was a high chance they were professionals who knew exactly what they were doing.

But then .... why had one of her own teammates gone against her? Were there other dirty cops in the NYPD?

The thought made her shake as she stripped and began trying to change into some civilian clothes. It was a bit of a chore with one wrist in a relatively bad condition and the other hand sore in its own rights. But she was trying to make her body cooperate. She didn't want Frank seeing her in an outfit which all but implied she barely escaped being raped. It had been embarrassing enough he'd watched her almost get sold to who knew where. If he saw hints that she not only failed to fight one of her own comrades off, but nearly got raped in the process?

... Her pride couldn't handle that.

She really wasn't physically weak nor an incompetent fighter. The past few days just had not gone her way. And from the feeling she was noting in her pained gut? It wouldn't go her way anytime soon.
 
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