"Be quiet and sit in the back nicely or we will shoot you all," a dark voice hissed as the car rolled along.
Through the darkness, Dr. Juliana Kennex silently covered her son, John Reginald Kennex Jr. otherwise known as 'Reggie', in a gentle embrace because she knew he was scared. The feeling of intense fear filled the vehicle, as all those jammed in the dark van were kidnapping victims who had been tortured, beaten, starved, and moved around the country for seven years simply to keep them from being rescued. Many had died and their organs had been harvested and submitted to the black market.
Suddenly, the van came to a stop and weapons fire could be heard all around the van followed by a deafening silence. There was a click and the doors suddenly opened, flooding the back in light and causing the beaten to all cover their eyes simply because they had been in darkness for two days.
We're all going to be killed in broad daylight. Juliana thought anxiously. All of us, right now.
Anxious whimpers filled the vehicle, but Juliana remained where she was with her arms around her son, determined not to make herself a moving target, "Are you injured?" a voice suddenly asked firmly.
Deeply confused, Juliana looked up and was surprised to see an MX-43 police android in the van looking at her and Reggie, "Your captors have been terminated," the android said. "Are you injured?"
"Yes, my son and I both are," Juliana replied softly. "I don't know if we can get out."
The MX-43 android offered his hand and helped Juliana out of the van, sighing platonically when Reggie clung to her legs, his dark eyes filled with fear and confusion. Down the road, Julian could see other MX officers talking to the other inhabitants of the van and assessing their needs. Sirens filled the air.
"If you are able to identify yourself, it would prove useful," the MX-43 officer stated emotionlessly.
Juliana sighed, "My name is Juliana Kennex," she replied, holding to Reggie tightly. "I'm a doctor."
"You won't be going out on patrol this morning," Stahl said as she came into the break room and saw that John was helping himself to a coffee while waiting for Dorian. "Maldonaldo wants to see you."
Detective Kennex frowned, "Why?" he asked in a gruff voice. "Did I do something wrong?"
"Maldonaldo wouldn't tell me," Stahl replied quietly. "She just wants you in her office."
Detective Kennex sighed, finished his coffee, and strode out of the break room to the Captain's office, wondering what was up. As he entered the office, Maldonaldo stood from her desk and looked at him.
"John, there was an early morning traffic stop done by MX-43's that ended up being a InSyndicate human trafficking transport," Maldonaldo said in a concerned voice. "Most of the victims were sent to hospital and are receiving medical treatment and debriefing therapy, but two refused to go."
Detective Kennex sighed, "And I suppose you want me to talk them into it?" he asked quietly.
Maldonaldo gave him a look and gestured for him to follow her into the quiet room that was attached to her office. Detective Kennex sighed and followed her into the quiet room, stunned when he saw his twin sister, Juliana, who had gone missing from her mobile clinic seven years ago asleep on the couch with her arms around a little boy, who was also sleeping. Both of them looked terribly thin, tortured, and malnourished and John found himself eyeing their visible injuries, filled with deep concern.
"Juliana," Detective Kennex spoke gruffly, holding back his emotions. "Juliana, it's John."
Juliana stirred, opened his eyes, and stared at John, "John?" she asked in a tired, shaken voice.
John silently sat down on the couch, "How come you're not at the hospital?" he asked softly.
"I don't trust doctors," Juliana replied quietly. "Last one ripped out my uterus for killing Reggie's father."
Maldonado's eyes widened, as did John's and John silently reached out, gently touching Juliana's bruised face with his weathered fingers, "Whenever Dorian gets his android butt up here, we can take you both over and make sure the medics treat you with care," John said in a brotherly voice.
"If I go to the hospital, they'll take Reggie," Juliana replied softly. "We've got nowhere to go."
John sighed, "I named him after you, but it was easier to call him Reggie so I wouldn't hurt thinking about you," Juliana continued softly, her voice tired. "You and I both know that social services…"
Giving Juliana a look, John reached into his pocket and extracted his cellular device. He silently pressed some buttons, inserted his address when it was requested, and then returned the phone to his pocket.
"I've just ordered an apartment expansion," John replied gruffly. "Should be done by suppertime."
Maldonaldo looked at Juliana gently, "I believe social services will leave you alone," she replied softly.
Juliana sighed and gently nudged the boy, who quickly woke, "Reggie, this is your Uncle John," she spoke gently, gesturing to John. "We're going to go with him to the doctor and get looked at."
"Are you the police guy who my mommy told me stories about?" Reggie asked in a quiet voice.
John gave Juliana a look, "Stories?" he asked in a confused voice. "You told him stories about me?"
"It's not like he had books to read," Juliana replied quietly. "He's had a lot of nightmares…"
Just then, Dorian wandered into the office, "We'll get him some books and other stuff after we visit the hospital," John said in a gruff, but gentle voice. "If you need clothes and stuff, we can get that too."
"Hi, I'm Dorian," Dorian commented, smiling warmly at Juliana and her son. "John?"
John sighed, "Juliana, this is my work partner, Dorian," he replied. "Dorian, this is Juliana, my sister."
As Dorian extended his hand, pain and weakness shot through Juliana and she promptly passed out.
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