survivors_of_new_york: (captain benitez)
Division NPCs ([personal profile] survivors_of_new_york) wrote2021-07-23 09:32 pm

For The Lost

[You don't last long as a cop if you can't keep your head, can't spot a liar, can't notice patterns. Not anywhere, especially not where Benitez cut his teeth in Manhattan South, which - before the flu came - had the highest per-capita crime rate and third-highest per-capita homicide rate in the city.

Benitez has noticed a pattern, buried in the reports before him. Working a desk isn't the same as working the street, but feelings come back to him all the same. The numbers, the reports - something creeps up in his throat. The words come off the page and take on a life of their own, like a newly broken lock on a tenement door - a warning of horrors and dangers behind.

He pauses as he reads one sentence, ruffling a hand through his salt-and-pepper hair. He re-reads it - then takes off his glasses and rubs his eyes.

They're losing people. Not to the flu, that's a given - even though Kandel says she'll have a vaccine out soon - but in the sense that they just...disappear. Here one moment, gone the next. Not at the rate that would create a panic - maybe a half-dozen a month - and most of them are civilians by the outposts, but some have been right out of the BoO. Some bodies turn up, but not nearly enough to account for even a fraction of the lost.

It's too steady. Too consistent. People don't disappear like this unless someone makes them disappear.

He hesitates - then snaps a rubber band around the report and heads off, looking for Lindianne.]
divisionary: (you looking at me)

[personal profile] divisionary 2021-07-25 05:17 am (UTC)(link)
[Her eyes flick down to his nametape for a moment.]

Someone out of place while on patrol, someone who isn't somewhere they're supposed to be, someone's who where they're not meant to be, things like that. Anything that makes you pause.

[She scruffs the back of her head with a hand, frowning in thought. The last time someone asked these kind of questions, it led to crooked JTF personnel and a bunch of Mafiya boys with illegal hardware. The alternative to forging ahead is not an option; if she turns a blind eye, more folks are going to disappear.]

[She takes a deep breath. Squaring her shoulders, she looks Garcia in the eye.]


Hell, if we've got an unsecured entrance beyond the cordon that's letting folks vanish, it's my job to make sure it stays secured. These folks going out? Who's to say there won't be folks sneaking in next?
divisionary: (first light of winter)

[personal profile] divisionary 2021-07-26 03:56 am (UTC)(link)
[She should have known better than to look for intel with the grunts, but desperation can drive someone to take a gamble on impossible odds. She stands next to them, looking out at the other 42 ID members as they go about their daily routine. The picture of normalcy.]

[Or what passes for normal in a world falling apart, anyway.]

[For a moment, Lindianne stands there, chewing pensively on the inside of her cheek. Then she turns back towards the Base of Operations. Kandel is always strict about quarantine procedures for newcomers. With a little luck, their John Doe is still in the locker waiting to be left out.]

[The sun is just beginning to drift towards the horizon when she makes it back to the Base of Operations. Second shift is on duty now; the newer members of the personnel give her a wide berth still even as she strolls by looking like she just stepped out of the subway tunnels for a quick walk. She doesn't even spare them a glance. Her eyes are fixed forward.]

[She raps twice on the Situation Room door, as gently as she dares.]


Looking for Vegas. Where's he at?
developthesituation: (Default)

[personal profile] developthesituation 2021-07-26 08:50 pm (UTC)(link)
[Mother and Panther glance over at Lindianne's rapping, then turn their attention back to the corkboard where Panther's pinning up another bunch of HVTs - Rikers with facial tattoos, hardened LMB lieutenants, Cleaners still at large.]

In the armory with Double-D, cleaning weapons.

[That's all she gets out of Panther before he goes back to talking shop with Mother, discussing the intricacies of the latest batch of intel, situations up and down the island. Faye's curiosity is not so easily sated, and one eyebrow quirks from underneath her newly-acquired eyepatch.] You've been in an awfully big hurry today, Agent. Mind sharing what you've got with the class?
Edited 2021-07-26 20:59 (UTC)
divisionary: (a world of our own)

[personal profile] divisionary 2021-07-27 04:46 am (UTC)(link)
[Faye is the true brains of the efforts to retake Manhattan. Nothing sneaks by her, not even her fellow agent running around asking questions.]

[Lindianne has the sense to at least look a little sheepish. She tucks her chin in and laughs in the back of her throat.]
Following up on something that Benitez pegged. [After a moment, she pulls the reports out from under her arm and holds it up as evidence.] Missing person cases. To be honest, it's got me worried, too, so I figured I'd see what I could shake out.

The only lead I've got speaks Russian- or something close to it, anyway. [Hence her looking for Vegas. She shrugs one shoulder.]

I'll keep you posted if you need to allocate resources, okay?

[The armory isn't much to look at; at one point in its life, it never saw anything more dangerous than a loose letter or two. But that was before. This is now. Lindianne sticks her head in, looking for the rest of Panther's boys. The relationship between them and her is a more professional one than the one between her and Neptune. There isn't much call (or chance) for socialization between them.]

Hey, uh, Vegas? I need you to translate for me for a guy in the locker. He's got intel I need and ISAC doesn't really do translations.

[It's not a "please", but the meaning should be clear.]
divisionary: (so dive in)

[personal profile] divisionary 2021-07-28 03:31 am (UTC)(link)
[Kandel's caution is well-founded; Gordon Amherst made the Green Poison contagious as all get-out and highly lethal for those unlucky souls who lose that particular game of Russian roulette. There are still patients breathing their last under Kandel's care in quarantine. Alexis Kwan beat the odds.]

[She's a rarity.]

[Lindianne's face is a twin to Kandel's: mouth twisted into a thoughtful frown, cheek resting on a balled fist, eyebrows drawn together in a wrinkle. It isn't until Kandel makes her stipulations clear that the tension goes out of Lindianne's shoulders. She lowers her hand and nods once.]


Okay, doc, you've got it. Just don't... you know, lock us in there or anything, okay? Faye'd have a heart attack.

[Rule Two: Thou Shalt Not Upset the Acting Division Commander.]

Your guys aren't Vegas. I think we can shake something out of the guy. And who knows? If he's not infected, he might be glad to see a somewhat-friendly face.

[The unspoken half of that sentence: if he is infected, seeing a friendly face may make the end easier.]
divisionary: (they weren't lying)

[personal profile] divisionary 2021-07-28 06:09 am (UTC)(link)
[Life inside of a hazmat suit is unpleasant. Lindianne is still sweating bullets even as she folds her hand impassively in front of her. One wrong move, one errant twitch, one incorrect hunch, and both the SHD and Wolfpack will be down two shooters.]

[She doesn't intend to die . Not to the Dollar Flu. Not to the factions tearing across New York. She can't afford to.]


What were you doing following the JTF around?

[She stares at the man in the bed, face like a marble statue. The only betrayal of the nervousness coiling in her gut is the way the side of her mouth twitches. She takes a step forward. Folding her arms, she looks at him and lets the silence stretch out uncomfortably.]

You talk to him- [She nods at Vegas.] -He lets me know what you say, and I see about Dr Kandel making you comfortable. Or you play the mule, and you get to stay here and stew. Your call.

I'm only going to ask it once more: why were you following the JTF around? Who are you?
divisionary: (so dive in)

[personal profile] divisionary 2021-07-28 11:23 pm (UTC)(link)
[It doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand exactly what the derogatory sneer on their guest's face is about. Lindianne's expression immediately sours, not unlike that of someone who just bit into a lemon.Between this guy and the Rikers, a lot of the enemy forces on the island tend to view her with absolute derision.]

[And it's their mistake to underestimate her just because of her gender.]

[She says nothing for a while. She stand by, arms folded, watching with absolute focus. If the man's no-doubt angry and mocking words reach her, she doesn't react. She merely watches. Waits. Absorbs every details as best she can.]

[It's only when Vegas hands her the smartphone that the intensity is broken. She glances down at the screen before scrolling through his rap-sheet.]


What is it with you organized crime guys? First those Russians, now this.

[Another glance at his records.]

All right, Mister Havrylenko, no more games. We've got your identity, so unless you want to be sitting in a locked room until hell freezes over? I suggest you stop blustering and start talking.

Now.
divisionary: (pistols at dawn)

[personal profile] divisionary 2021-07-31 03:44 am (UTC)(link)
[Yep. Definitely familiar at this point.]

[Being menacing while looking like a bad 1950s spaceman is difficult, but Lindianne puts a surprising amount of menace in as simple an action as leaning forward. She crosses her arms with the telltale crinkling of plastic. Stares at Bohdan. Waits for his angry insults to fade into silence.]

[Then, in a tone of voice that makes icebergs seem tropical:]


I’m from the government, asshole, and I can make you wish you had the Green Poison. You’ve probably seen those guys with the red wristwatches running around by now. You know those guys?

[One side of Lindianne’s mouth curls back into a snarl.]

I kill those guys. So start talking. What “stuff”? Who do you work for?

Lie to me. I dare you.
divisionary: (they said pain it comes in waves)

[personal profile] divisionary 2021-08-02 01:53 am (UTC)(link)
[The images are seared into her mind. They will haunt her for the rest of her life, scars that make themselves known on the edges of sleep.]

[But that will come later.]

[Lindianne goes very, very still when she reaches the end of the phone's stored memory. It slips from her hands and clatters against the concrete floor. She doesn't react for a long time. She just remains there, staring dazedly at the wall of the quarantine room. There are no words she can say to put this into perspective. Nothing that anyone can say.]

[She doesn't look at Vegas. She takes a step to the window that allows visual access to the room before rapping on it with her knuckle. The tone in her voice is flat and to-the-point.]


Get Benitez and Lau down here. Now.

[Only now does she turn towards Bohdan. She crosses the room in what feels like three quicks steps, bodily hauls him from the bed he's in, and slams him up against the wall by his shirt collar. The blaze in her eye can't be mistaken for anything other than sheer rage.]

You fucking piece of shit- what did you do to those people?! Where are they?!

[She gives him no time to answer before slamming him against the wall and leaning in.]

I work for the government, you asshole, you try me and I will shoot you and throw you into the Hudson my own damn self-
divisionary: (they weren't lying)

[personal profile] divisionary 2021-08-02 03:00 am (UTC)(link)
[Despite the airflow to her suit, Lindianne feels like she’s suffocating.]

[Benitez may as well be talking to a statue for all the good it does. She remains standing there, one hand knitted in Bohdan’s shirt. The other remains at her side, hand balled into a fist and arm trembling from the tension. She says nothing. All she does is slam him against the wall once more before letting him drop.]

[She doesn’t turn to look at Benitez and Faye.]


Your missing persons didn’t go missing. They were taken. Trafficked.

[She scoops up the phone and presses it to the glass in one quick motion.]

He fucking deserves to pay for this-
divisionary: (me looking at you)

[personal profile] divisionary 2021-08-02 04:01 am (UTC)(link)
[No response.]

[For a long moment, the only sound is the air filtration unit humming. Lindianne remains where she is, teeth gritted and eyes gleaming with something just this side of righteous fury. Common sense wars with the urge to murder Bohdan where he stands and damn the consequences.]

[Common sense wins out in the end. Lindianne scoffs and looks askance.]


Fine.

[She doesn’t touch her food in the mess hall once she’s out of decontamination. She pushes the food (a decent approximation of chili and mac) around on her plate without even looking at it. A mug of coffee sits untouched next to her. The thought of eating makes her stomach roil.]

[She’s at Rhodes’s office within half an hour. The only thing she does is sit and wait.]

[It’s all she can do right now.]
divisionary: (i never thought we could be)

[personal profile] divisionary 2021-08-03 01:53 am (UTC)(link)
[The offer is tempting, but goes unheeded.]

[Lindianne doesn’t turn to look at Faye at first. She keeps her eyes fixed on the wall on the other side of the room, listening to the quiet hustle and bustle of life going on around her. She can’t keep the images out of her head. She blinks before rubbing one eye with the heel of her palm.]


They took our own, Faye. It’s like you said back in Brooklyn: I’m connected.

[Now she turns to look at her fellow Agent, face solemn.]

We’re here to save what remains. This is our city. Our people. And we can’t -can’t- let scumbags kidnap our own.

Whatever happens, I’m in this to the end.

[Even if the end is ugly.]
divisionary: (trying to block the memories in my head)

[personal profile] divisionary 2021-08-10 01:26 am (UTC)(link)
[There are some missions that sear to the bone, that scar the psyche, that leave wounds that will never heal. What they've seen in those photos is enough to qualify. Lindianne can't bear to think about it lest it resurface from her memories. Those few seconds were enough.]

[She locks eyes with Rhodes for a moment. She pauses, mouth parted as if she wants to offer him some empathy. But there's nothing she can say to make any of this less monstrous. She closes her mouth and compromises with a nod.]


Rhodes... [A beat.] Paul. I appreciate what you've done.

These assholes are going down for this. I can guarantee you that much.

[Lindianne spends a few minutes before the briefing in a bathroom out of earshot, throwing up what little food she managed to choke down earlier. If anyone hears her, no one says anything when she finally emerges again. The game face is back on. Her hands are balled into fists at her side as she gives the briefing along with Faye.]

[She stares at a point over Voodoo's head with a thousand-yard stare. She barely blinks. The images feel as though they're burned into her retinas at this point. Nothing will ever be okay again.]

[But what those people suffered... it's going to end. She'll make sure of it.]
divisionary: (they weren't lying)

[personal profile] divisionary 2022-09-21 02:25 am (UTC)(link)
[Time stutters like a bad film reel. The only things that stick in memory are the oddest sensations: the rank taste of mildew on the back of the throat when inhaling, the distant echoing drip of water in the subway tunnels, the itch of sweat down the back of her neck. Lindianne moves alongside the SEALs, eyes fixed forward even as ISAC feeds her information. The only response to Faye's message is a quick key of the radio. The world narrows to what's directly in front of her.]

[The building has seen better days. Most of New York has, but this particular spot seems to have suffered a bit more. It squats in the darkness like a hateful creature. The only sign of life is a light flickering dimly up on the second floor. Lindianne's left her rifle behind; indoor sightlines play havoc for snipers. The MP5 she cradles in her hands is enough to see this done. There are zipties in her pack and a first-aid kit at her side. That's enough.]

[It feels like a split-second before they're in the building. And if outdoors is dark, this place is an abyss. She pauses at the first door. Gestures. Nudges it ever so-carefully open, ISAC feeding stats to her contact lenses-]

[-And the second she sees the figure just inside the doorway, she lunges.]

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