InsaneJournal

He couldn’t pick up anything from the texts, but he had the distinct impression that Clark was, in fact, as thrilled about Jason getting a home visit as Jason was. He’d answered all of the questions that he’d been asked, but he knew that his older brother was already on his way.

Jason glanced at the still unconscious woman, then back to Davis. “How long do you think she’ll be out?”

Davis shrugged at the question. He was actually pretty curious to see how this interrogation would go. It likely would involve fewer broken limbs and punching than he was used to. "Usually about an hour. Depends on how quickly they process it."

“That’s comforting,” Jason replied, shaking his head. “Maybe I should call him. She’s been out for half an hour already…”

He was an empath, not a mind-reader, but Cooper’s knock was exceptionally well-timed.

“Jason? Jace?” He called out anxiously, impatient to find out what was happening and hoping desperately that it wasn’t a trap.

“Well, that was scarily well timed,” Jason muttered, picking himself off the couch to open the door. “I told you not to panic, and you feel mildly panicked,” he scolded his older brother, relieved. It was a stupid feeling, but it was nice having his older brother there.

Clark always knew what to do.

"We do have a stranger that tried to kidnap you tied up with your sex toys." Davis pointed out from the couch. "The panic is probably justified."

"They aren't all sex toys," came the anticipated protest.

“Definitely justified,” Clark chimed in without hesitation, but his panic did seem to lift a touch when he finally caught sight of their suspect, bright pink ball gag and all. Even in the darkest of times it was impossible to not find that a touch funny.

“So she was here when you got home?” The older brother asked, drawing closer. “What knocked her out?”

"Yes. She seemed to know my schedule as she noted I'm usually home earlier." Which, frankly, concerned him; how long had they been watching him without his knowing? "Davis knocked her out with…" he frowned over at Davis.

"I'm not giving you my knockout formula." Davis answered with a smirk. "But you could technically say she was knocked out by the sheer force of my personality. It's a gift."

Jason rolled his eyes.

Clark drew a little closer. “Can you undo it? Or do we just have to wait until she’s up?” She looked securely tied, albeit with a multitude of ties. “I’m going to have to ask a few questions.”

Pulling out his phone, Davis attempted to do the math in his head. "She should wake up in about twenty to thirty minutes. Not like it's a smelling salts situation."

"Does anyone want anything to drink? I could use a drink." The adrenaline crash had hit shortly after they'd finished tying the woman up, and he'd been alternating between numb and anxious since he'd texted Clark. Davis had been able to keep him calm - he'd had more than enough practice in the past - but the talk of her waking up was making the anxiousness ratchet up.

Alcohol would either make it better or worse. Jason was willing to take his chances.

“I’m technically working, but you go ahead,” Cooper replied, taking a seat beside their captive before addressing his brother once again. “Just so you know, you’re taking the gag out when she’s up.”

"I'll have one." Davis added as he looked over at Cooper and their captive. "Her power seems vocal based from how weird Jason went. So. That's a thing."

“I have to get her to talk somehow,” Cooper said, but stopped in his tracks as an idea struck him. “Maybe she can write? I’ll have to try to check for lies as she writes it.”

Jason returned a moment later with two beers and a glass of water for his brother. “That might work better. I can try to keep her in a pseudo-compliant state?” It would take a decent amount of concentration — he doubted she was going to wake up in a stellar mood — but he couldn’t not do anything, either. “I’ll go get a notepad. I think I have a blank one in the spare room.”

And then he disappeared again.

"And there's always plan Davis if it gets out of hand." Davis offered with a tip of his newly acquired beer. "Though that will delay additional questions."

“Jace? On second thoughts can I get a beer?” Cooper asked, raising his voice to call out for his brother. “Where are you even going?”

Away from the lady who broke into my apartment to wait for me to get home from work, he didn’t say. “Go grab one,” he called, ignoring the second half of the question. Instead, he grabbed a notebook, a pen, and then made a quick pitstop into his room to grab the handcuff keys.

And then back into the living room. “Here. I’ll go ahead and free one of her hands, so that we don’t have to worry about it when she’s awake.” Which, if the clock on the wall was correct, would be soon.

Great.

Cooper accepted the notebook from Jason’s hands, the brief exchange being enough for him to pause and glance across at his younger brother. Beer forgotten in his moment of concern, he pulled the table close and opened the notebook. “You good?” He asked both of them, but his gaze still fixed on Jason.

Jason was spared having to lie by a groan coming from the chair. Quickly, he slipped behind her, released a single hand and hooked the empty cuff to the leg chair.

To be followed by the noises that garbled their way through the gag.

"Hi there." Davis raised her free hand to wiggle a flippant hello from the couch. "Have fun being questioned."

Cooper grabbed another chair and placed it facing the captive, but didn’t sit until he’d pushed the pen into her hand. “Apparently we can’t let you talk,” he addressed her, settling down in the chair, “But it’d be really nice if you could help us with a few things.”

Whatever she was trying to say seemed extremely enthusiastic, so Jason took the rope of her emotions - panic, annoyance, anger - and started to dial it down until she felt calmer.

Her eyes were still angry, but she wasn't screaming into the gag.

Cooper gave Jason a brief smile, noting the way she seemed to calm, and he motioned to the pen. “I’d like to start with any names,” he said, trying to sound as calm as possible and ignore the strange anger that was pulsing through his every thought. He reached out to hold the notebook in front of her, focusing on her and if he could try to determine what she might lie about.

She looked confused for a moment before scratching something on the notepad. Ungag me and maybe I'll help you.

“You haven’t done your research,” Cooper smiled, the lie a pretty obvious one despite her calmed state. “You’ll not get anything while you keep writing us lies. I’d like a name, please,” he repeated. “The more you give, the better a word we can put in with the authorities when we turn you over.”

Her eyes narrowed in a glare, but she once again out pen to paper. Jason Cooper.

“Davis?” Cooper turned around abruptly, patience seemingly exhausted, “Is it possible to just do a small dose of whatever you did before?”

Davis cracked his knuckles dramatically in front of himself before replying. "How small, boss?"

“Let her know I’m done fucking around,” Cooper replies.

His grin was wide enough to show his teeth. "Done."

His body dissolved instantly to gas, swirling around her head but pulling away faster than before. His body reformed with him lazily sitting on the couch.

Her vision swam for a minute, disorientation setting in, but she remained conscious, pen gripped in her hand. If she couldn’t get out of her restraints or remove whatever they’d put in her mouth to keep her powers at bay, they were at an impasse.

Once the world stopped tilting, she scribbled out, What do I get out of cooperating with you?

Frustrated, Cooper folded his arms and watched as the words were written. “Name some things, and I’ll see what I can do,” he replied quickly, “It depends on the quality of information you give us. So far we’ve had none, so you’re getting nothing.”

He sank down a little in his chair, watching for her to write a response. There wasn’t much longer that he could keep up an insistence, but his anger at someone violating his brother’s space and hurting him seemed to be carrying Cooper through the interaction. “Hurry up,” he said brusquely.

Whatever Jason was doing, she couldn’t summon up the flare of indignation she knew should be there. Still, she also knew that, between them all, she didn’t have leverage. As long as she couldn’t talk, she was, effectively, at their mercy.

We remain anonymous, even to each other, she wrote. But I do know one of their names: Russell Becker. And before you ask, I don’t know what he does, or what his power is.

The name rang a bell, seemed vaguely familiar, and Cooper contemplated it for a moment. But there’d be time for research later, even if he did seem to have some kind of recollection about the name. “And what about you? What do you do for this group, apart from harassing my brother?”

She turned her attention on Jason, who kept his focus over her shyas he continued to manipulate her into calmness. It was a real pity this conversation had gone sideways - he could have been so useful.

Recruitment and tracking.

“It probably doesn’t count as recruitment if you’re using your powers,” Cooper pointed out, gazing down at the words she’d written. “What other functions are there? Do you know what Becker does?”

I don't know what he does. As for other functions, I have no reason to tell you.

She glared at Cooper.

“Davis?” Cooper asked again, glancing over his shoulder, although this time was more intended as a bluff. “Or would you prefer an incentive this time? You’ve got the pen.”

The pen didn't move but she switched her attention to Jason. Then: Remove the gag and I'll talk to Jason.

“Absolutely not,” Cooper glared at her. “You don’t get to talk to him after what you did. You shouldn’t even say his damn name,” he insisted, now irate.

"Clark," Jason started, but the woman took that moment to try to stab Cooper in the leg.

Cooper yelled out as he jumped up, the pen connecting with his bare arm being enough to cause a loud shout of “Motherfucker!” even if it hadn’t hurt him. “I think we’ve had enough of your shit,” he snapped angrily.

Jason immediately let his concentration break, moving quickly to his brother to inspect the pen mark. "Davis, can you knock her out again, please?" The first stirrings of his own anger were starting to burn through the fear and anxiety.

"Are you okay?" he asked Clark quietly.

It was almost like the Cooper brothers had never been stabbed before.

Which, come to think of it, they probably hadn't.

Not that it really mattered, Davis dissolving to gas to swirl around her head. He pulled away and resolidified once he knew it was enough. "Well. That was eventful."

"Eventful is a word for it," the tall blond muttered darkly.

“Good. She was really getting me annoyed,” Cooper said, still irritable. “It’s just pen, Jace. I’m just mad she thought we’d let her talk to you again.”

He folded his arms, staring down at her again. “This is too much now, you know? I need this over. At least we’ve got another name,” an irate sigh escaped his lips. Between Mike’s confession — something he was still yet to process for himself — and now one of the Hand has turned up at his brother’s home.

"Ink poisoning is a thing," Jason pointed out, but let the issue rest. "Can we please get her out of my apartment?"

“Leave it to me,” Cooper insisted quietly, patting Jason’s shoulder. “Do you need somewhere to stay?”

“Josh is offering to let me stay with him for a few days. I’m the last thing you need to worry about right now.” After everything that had hit his brother in the last forty-eight hours, he refused to add more to his plate. The only reason he’d called Clark for this was because he knew he was looking into the Hand. “Are you okay?”

The question was speedily ignored, a cursory nod potentially serving as response if it hadn’t been in Davis’s direction. “Davis, would you mind making sure he gets to Rubin’s safe please?”

Davis gave a shrug as if it was an annoyance and not that he was already going to make sure that Jason was going to get there safely without getting himself kidnapped. "If Josh hits me with a spray bottle again I'm blaming you, but sure."

“I’ll call ahead to make sure he puts the Davis spray bottles away,” Jason promised with a small smile before looking at Clark. “You sure you’ll be okay on your own? We can wait.”

“I’ll be fine,” the older Cooper confirmed, moving across to the chair to cuff the captive up again. “Just make sure you’re safe, okay? That’s what matters.”

“Okay. I’ll call you later.” Jason turned to Davis. “Let me grab a few things and we can go.”