Deliveryman Part 2
A few weeks passed normally enough. I saw Heero and Wufei a few times- a dinner out, a baseball game- Sally always came with us and I teased Wufei unmercifully. Heero was his normal, cheerless self. Quatre called to ask about Christmas plans, Trowa and I met up on L3 for lunch.
I was on another package run to L2 when another situation got dropped in my lap. I always make a round of some of the orphanages on L2. I never mention that I might be the reason some of these kids are orphaned. I just show up, lend a hand, drop off some donations and go on my way. My favorite orphanage is the one Sister Mary Grace runs. She's the complete opposite of Sister Helen- big, broad, loud and boisterous. The kids love her dearly and I don't blame them. She gives 'em hell when they deserve it, but they don't ever doubt that she wants what is best for them.
We were sitting in the kitchen when she told me about the most recent problem. Children were vanishing off the streets of L2. Local rumor had it that one of the local gangs was 'slave-trading'. Selling those children for profit.
Who'd buy a kid, you ask? Don't be naïve.
My package was delivered, I was going to look into this.
Did I call Heero? No, not at first. I wasn't really stealthing, spying or blowing anything up- not yet anyway. I was just cruising for information. He'd call it a 'technical detail' but I didn't want to freak him out for no reason- I wasn't even sure the rumors were true.
I wish I could say they weren't- but it didn't take me long to find out that they were- these guys were making a huge profit selling the kids on the black market. If the kids fought back- according to one of my 'sources'- then they were scrapped for parts.
Literally.
I wished I had Deathscythe. Just to be able to take out their little business in a gush of cleansing fire... but if I did that, I risked hurting the kids. It was time to go in- and that meant a call to Heero.
It was midnight when I called him. I was planning to sneak into the main building, free all the kids and torch the place. Not too logical, but I was beyond logic or mercy at this point. I barely reminded myself to call as I was finishing up the rest of my preparations.
He answered on the second ring, looking wide awake and only a bit rumpled.
"Duo?"
"Heero. I'm going out on a- job." His eyes narrowed.
"When?"
"Tonight."
"Where are you?"
"L2."
"Could you wait till I got there?" That made me blink.
"No." I shook my head as he opened his mouth. "It's a slave ring. Deals with children. Uses them for parts." My own gaze tightened and I felt Shinigami start to take over.
"What are you going to do?"
"Go in and get them out." He nodded.
"All right. Give me the details- in case..." He didn't finish. I quickly relayed the information I had. "Got it. Be careful, Duo. Please."
"Of course." I met his eyes. "I'll call you later."
"You'd better." I hit the hang up button.
The place was a freakin' fortress. Guards everywhere, fully armed. It was like breaking into an Oz stronghold. How the hell was I going to get the kids out? After a few hours of recon and a good look at the kids I realized I couldn't. Some of them would have to be carried out. I was cursing softly under my breath the whole time. I needed help- preferably well armed and capable of dealing with this. But- what if the creeps decided to use the kids as hostages? Or just kill them all?
So, I did what I did best. I created havoc. I entered their computer system and crashed it- hard. They were going to have a hell of a time getting it back up again. I messed up their phone system- in house and out. I didn't just cut it- I rerouted the calls. Any call out was to the local police station and if any customers called- they'd get the nearby pizza place. I messed up their electrical systems and anything else I could get my hands on. They were going to be busy, busy evildoers for a while. Hopefully long enough for help to get there. Hopefully too busy to hurt the kids.
When I left the place was dark and buzzing with angry, ill-tempered people tripping over each other. I could've strolled right out and never been noticed.
It didn't really surprise me to find Heero waiting in my ship when I returned. What really surprised me was the presence of Wufei, Quatre and Trowa as well.
"Duo?" Wufei leapt to his feet when I walked in the door. "What happened?"
"I couldn't do it," I looked at Heero as I spoke. "They've... most of the kids will have to be carried out." He snarled.
"Did you get any evidence?" I flipped him the disk I carried.
"More than enough." He nodded and turned to his laptop and phone. Quatre rose from his chair and came to put his arms around me. I leaned into his strength and tried to relax.
"What are you doing here?"
"Heero called us." He replied calmly. "He thought this mission might be too much for just you. We're your backup." I let go of him and sat down in shock. What the hell? Heero turned away from the computer.
"We have a strike team on the way. The commander wants a report on the situation." I looked over to see Une's face watching me closely from the monitor. This was surreal.
"It's a fortress. Heavily armed and defended. Guards everywhere. I put the blueprints on the disk." Une nodded at me.
"Condition of the children?"
"Bad. All the ones I saw were alive, but some..." I swallowed hard. "Some were manacled. Others- it looks like they just broke their legs..." Wufei made a soft noise.
"We'll have to be careful going in," Une echoed my earlier thoughts.
"They'll be busy for awhile," I offered. "I crashed their system and messed up their phone lines and electrical system."
"Excellent." She gave me a half smile. "I want you to take the others in with you. Disable as much of their defenses as you can for us when we get there in a few hours." I blinked at her, totally confused. Wasn't I supposed to get the 'civilian vigilante lecture?' She looked back at Heero. "We'll be there as fast as we can. Stay in contact with base."
"Yes ma'am." Heero replied and Une clicked off. "All right, Quatre, now we need your expertise. What's our plan?"
"Let me see the blueprints." Quatre leaned over the computer and frowned in concentration at the screen. Wufei and Trowa pulled some duffels out of a corner and started going through the weapons inside. They had brought a friggin' arsenal. I shook my head, still bemused.
"Duo?" Heero had come to stand beside me.
"Heero, when you said you'd provide backup, I didn't think you meant all this." I shook my head at him.
"Well, I was worried," he protested. "Besides when I called Wufei to tell him I was taking off, he demanded to know why. I had to call Quatre for the shuttle and he demanded the same thing."
"You could've lied," I said with a faint smile.
"You don't," he replied. "And I'm not as successful at telling 'half the truth' as you are."
"Speaking of which- you and I are due for a talk later, Maxwell." Wufei looked up at me briefly.
"All Heero said was that you needed his help." Quatre looked up at me with a faint smile. "And if you needed his help, we figured you might need ours too."
TBC...
Back to Merula's Fanfictions Page