Whumptober Day 20
Prompts: It’s been a long day - going into shock | fetal position | prisoner trade
Tw: sewn lips
Fandom: Person of Interest
Context: Dakota Walker is an OC of mine in the POI universe who was rescued from a human trafficking organization by John, and then became part of the crew. They were tortured and conditioned pretty badly during their captivity.
Summary: John meets Dakota for the first time.
• • •
It had taken more than three days to find the number, and when he did John almost wished he hadn’t.
The search ended in an abandoned warehouse. John had to take out four guards to get into the building, then about ten more goons once inside. Finally, he located the person that they had been looking for.
Dakota Walker disappeared without a trace at the age of 16, 5 years ago. That is why it took so long for Harold and John to track them down. It was much harder to solve a cold missing persons case than to find a usual number.
Nonetheless, find them John did, and Dakota was not in a good state. They were hidden away in a dark corner at the back of the warehouse, curled up so tight that John almost didn’t think it was a person at first. As he moved closer, though, he could see the subtle rise and fall of the thin sheet that covered them. They were huddled in the fetal position, lying on their side facing the wall. A tattered old comforter served as their only cushioning from the cold cement.
John’s heart sank the closer he got. “Dakota?” he called out softly when he was a few feet away.
Their breathing increased in pace at the sound, but there was otherwise no response. As John got close enough to see Dakota’s face, he froze in place. Their eyes were wide, but they were not looking at anything. John knew all too well the expression of someone who was listening attentively to their surroundings, tracking movements by ear. What was more shocking, however, was the sheer amount of blood. Dakota clearly had hair, but it was mostly matted to their head, and their entire face was caked in dried blood.
John took one more step forward, and the figure on the ground flinched, letting out a fearful whimper. With slow and careful movements, John knelt down at the edge of their makeshift bed. He could see their entire body trembling in fear. Upon closer inspection, he was surprised to see that Dakota was not emaciated. Underweight, sure, but clearly someone had been feeding them semi-regularly.
While that was good news, the rest of what John saw certainly was not. Where the sheet slipped down a little, he could see a worn leather collar wrapped around their neck. Beneath it there were open sores where the leather had rubbed their skin raw. The surrounding area was bruised as well. John winced sympathetically.
Calming his voice to avoid startling the wounded person, John spoke soft and steady. “I’m not going to hurt you. I’m here to help.”
Despite his attempt at a comforting voice, Dakota’s entire body stiffened as soon as he began to speak.
“What’s going on Mr Reese?” Harold’s concerned voice sounded in his ear. “Have you located Walker?”
Reese moved slowly to tap his ear. “Yeah, I found them. They’re not in a good way though, Finch.”
“Should I call in detective Carter?”
John looked at the trembling form in front of him with sad eyes. “No, this is going to be hard enough without them being overwhelmed by people.”
“So I take it a hospital is out of the question?”
“It’d probably do more harm than good,” John confirmed.
“I’ll keep a trusted doctor on stand-by.”
John nodded out of habit. Turning his attention back to Dakota, he spoke as you might to a wounded animal. “My name is John. I took care of the men who were holding you, so they can’t hurt you any more. I’m going to take you somewhere safe.”
Dakota tucked their chin impossibly further into their chest, and their hands moved out from under the sheet to grasp the frayed edge of the comforter like a lifeline. John noticed that their hands were cuffed, and clearly had been for some time given the extensive bruising, abrasions, and scars that covered their wrists and hands.
John shook his head, deciding to take a different approach. “Your name is Dakota Walker. Your birthday is May 9th, 1991. You went missing when you were 16. You were on your way to your friend Sam’s house but you never showed up. Sam called your parents, who called the police. They didn’t find any evidence, so the case went cold. That was five years ago. Three days ago, we received information that your life was in danger. It seems the FBI was on to your captors, and they were preparing to abandon their operation and destroy any evidence that it ever existed.”
Dakota was clearly listening now.
“I know you have no reason to trust me, but I really just want to take you somewhere safe. I’m sure you want out of those cuffs and that collar.”
Finally, Dakota did something in way of a response. They brought their hands up by their face and began trying to push themself up. They let out a muffled groan, eyes pinched closed in pain. John shuffled forward and placed a supporting hand on their arm. Together, the two managed to get Dakota sitting up with their back against the wall. As they settled down and John moved back to look at them more fully, it took all of his self control to stifle a gasp. “Oh my god,” he muttered softly.
Not only was Dakota’s face covered in blood and bruises, but their lips were sewn shut. Judging by the scarring around their mouth, this was not the first time this had been done.
“Mr Reese?” Finch asked, concerned at his employee’s shocked tone. “Is something wrong?”
John clenched his jaw. “Nothing that can’t be fixed with a bullet.”
Harold straightened in his seat. “I thought we agreed to let Fusco and Carter handle the criminals from now on.”
John’s face was cold. “Their lips were sewn shut, Harold. It’s non-negotiable.”
Harold pursed his lips, feeling torn, but said nothing. John took that as surrender. “First things first, though, I’ve got to get Dakota out of here. I’m bringing them back to the library.”
“I’ll put Bear in the other room,” was Harold’s only response.
John turned back to Dakota, who was looking at him with furrowed brows. John gave a small smile and gestured to his ear. “Earpiece. That was my associate, Harold. You’ll meet him soon.”
Dakota’s face relaxed a fraction. “Can you stand?” John asked.
Dakota attempted to do so, grabbing on to the arm John offered for support. They stumbled slightly as they got to their feet, and John placed a steadying hand on each shoulder.
They wore only a t-shirt and pants, both of which had many holes in them, so John took off his jacket and placed it around their shoulders. John noticed as the two of them walked that Dakota favoured their right leg pretty heavily, creating a pronounced limp.
John catalogued this information for later, as he had to get them back to the library before he could do anything for them. He wouldn’t even risk taking off the handcuffs or collar here. It would be better to wait until the proper medical supplies were available.
The two walked across the warehouse to the nearest door. Dakota eyed the unconscious men as they passed, purposefully maintaining a few feet of space between them. They made it outside to the car, and John helped Dakota into the passenger seat. By the time they were ready to go, Dakota looked exhausted and pale. Luckily, it would only be a 20 minute drive to the library.
John notified Harold that Fusco and Carter could move in and arrest the men in the warehouse.
• • •
Fin
