Human Traffic
A/N: Apologies for the dodgy summary – not enough characters to use! Basically, this is a story idea I've had floating around my head for a little while. It isn't related to any specific episode, in fact, I'd say it's set a few years after the 6th season – just because our Planeteers are a littler older (but no more mature). I got the idea of human trafficking from a television series called "Russian Dolls", about girls thinking they are going become dancers, but are actually set to brothels and strip clubs. Scary stuff, because it actually does happen.
Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction, in no way linked to the series Captain Planet and the Planeteers. All characters are used without permission, but I'm not making any money off this, so I hope it won't matter too much.
Part 1
The sun shone brightly on the waters surrounding Hope Island, making it look as though a million tiny diamonds were floating on its surface. On the beach, Gi sighed, enjoying the splendour that nature was providing her. The peace that the water could bring to her.
That peace was suddenly broken by a loud voice, pleading, "Come on, Linka. Just once. Let me take you out somewhere!"
The reply was a grumbled string of Russian words, which Gi had heard frequently enough to know their meaning. She sighed again, but for a different reason. Her two friends drove her insane with their complete compatibility, but inability to see it. Well, she mused, Linka's inability to see it. Wheeler seems to have the idea worked out a little too well.
The subjects of Gi's annoyance came into view. Wheeler, with a cheeky grin plastered on his face, but a look of desperation in his ice-blue eyes, and Linka, her blonde hair blowing behind her, as she refused to meet Wheeler's gaze.
"But it's Valentine's Day tomorrow!" Wheeler cried, in exasperation.
Linka ignored him. "Hello, Gi. How are you this morning?"
Gi forced a smile. I was doing fine until you two came along, she thought, but she had the good sense not to voice her mind. Instead, she said, "Oh, fine. Just getting ready to have a morning swim. Care to join me?"
"For sure!" laughed Wheeler, his tone of voice completely changed. However, the look of pure disappointment in his eyes did not fade. And in fact, it grew more pronounced when Linka declined the offer to stay.
"I must find Kwame," she stated. "There is something I must discuss with him."
Wheeler rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever. We'll see you later."
With a final scowl directed at the American, Linka turned on her heels and marched away.
Left alone with the man she considered to be her elder brother, Gi ventured to ask, "So, do you want to talk about it?"
At first, Wheeler shook his head. But then, he seemed to change his mind. "I just don't get it Gi. We were getting along fine this morning. She even smiled when I casually mentioned Valentine's Day, but then she just exploded."
"When you asked her out to dinner?"
The red-haired American looked away, sheepishly. "It depends what you mean by 'asked'."
Gi smiled, shaking her head. Now she knew what had happened. As usual, Wheeler had started out in the right way. He had been polite to Linka, he had dropped a less then subtle hint about his intentions, and then he had blown it all by obnoxiously voicing an assumption. It happened all the time. Wheeler had an uncanny ability to completely destroy his own good intentions.
"So, what words did you actually use?" Gi pressed, throwing a small stone into the sea.
"I think I said something like, 'So, I guess I'll pick you up around six. I know the perfect place'." Wheeler managed a smile. "Guess that's where I went wrong, huh?"
"Uh, yeah," Gi replied. She shook her head again. "Wheeler, you need to work on your tact. Not to mention the correct steps to take when asking a girl out." She smiled. "Actually, scrap that. You need to add the step of asking."
Wheeler actually laughed at that. "You know, I've never had this problem before. Girls have always been such an easy thing for me. There's something about Linka that just makes me… I dunno, lose my cool or something."
Yeah, and it's called "love", my friend. Again, Gi kept her thoughts to herself. Mentioning the "L"-word was bound to bring up trouble. "Wheeler, you could never lose your cool. Now, how about that swim?"
X X X X X X
On the other side of the island, Kwame and Ma-Ti were busy planting seeds in the vegetable garden. Though the seasons on Hope Island varied very little, the young African had thought it a good time to add some legumes – peas and beans – to their diet.
"Kwame! Ma-Ti!" a female voice called.
Kwame looked up to see Linka coming towards them, and inwardly groaned. She had a look of cold determination on her face. A look which nearly always followed a fight with Wheeler.
Ma-Ti had noticed, too. "Hello, Linka. Forgive me, but I should really look for Suchi. He ran off a little while ago, and it would not surprise me if he's gotten stuck somewhere, trying to get fruit."
Far from being offended, Linka almost looked relieved that Ma-Ti was leaving. This made Kwame want to groan again, because it meant Linka wanted a talk. Like Gi and Wheeler, Linka and Kwame had a strong sibling bond. While Gi and Wheeler's connection had come from the fact that both were only children, and had an understanding of how that felt, Linka and Kwame almost become each other's "replacement" siblings. Kwame saw Linka as his little sister (though she was barely six months younger than him), and she constantly reminded him of the sister he had lost to starvation many years ago. And though Linka's brother was still alive, Kwame had filled the void that many years of separation from Mishka had left.
Nodding to Ma-Ti's wave (which was probably to wish him luck), Kwame forced himself to smile at Linka. "Have you come to help me with my legumes?"
"Da," she said, nodding. "And then I thought you might help me check the nesting boxes."
"Of course."
Linka nodded again, and picked up a handful of seeds. Kwame frowned at her back. This was how she always was. She never openly started the conversations she came to have with him. It was always up to him to ask her what was bothering her. He thought he understood some of Wheeler's frustration at the pretty blonde.
Opting for a compromise, Kwame unwittingly echoed the question Gi had asked Wheeler. "So, do you want to talk about it?"
Linka remained kneeling, but started pushing the seeds into the soil in a rather violent manner. "Talk about what?"
Kicking the dirt angrily, Kwame knelt in front of her. He made her face him, and fixed her with a demanding glare. To his surprise, it actually worked.
She sighed. "It is Wheeler. I do not know what I should do about him."
"What has he done this time?" Kwame knew that the brash young American had a habit of speaking without thinking, which, more often than not, led to him either insulting or upsetting the sometimes over-sensitive Linka. Kwame, as an objective observer, could see both their faults, but as it was frequently Linka who turned to him, he was usually forced to take her side.
"He is just being a du-rak," she muttered. Realising she'd cursed in her native tongue, she blushed. "Sorry. He is being a… jerk."
Kwame chuckled. "Could you be more specific?"
Linka actually smiled at that. "You do not think that being a jerk is a sufficient crime?"
"Since Wheeler is almost always 'a jerk', I thought there might have been something a little more direct to cause this reaction in you." Kwame, glancing at the crops they were planting, suddenly realised what time of year it was. "Valentine's Day – he said something in regards to that."
Linka blushed, and nodded. Picking at a blade of grass stubbornly growing within the vegetable patch, she admitted, "I had been hoping he would want to do something with me."
Kwame raised an eyebrow. That was not what he had been expecting to hear. He had been waiting for Linka to complain about Wheeler begging her to go out with him, and here she was, admitting she had wanted him to ask her.
"And he does not wish to?" the African asked, cautiously.
"Oh, he wishes to. He made that perfectly clear," Linka scoffed. She glanced at her friend, and it was obvious he was very confused. "Kwame, he did not ask. He assumed."
Kwame wished he could hit his head against a tree. On numerous occasions, the other Planeteers had discussed how ridiculous Linka and Wheeler were when it came to admitting their feelings towards each other. Linka refused to admit them openly, and Wheeler was so open, it was impossible to tell when he was joking and when he was serious.
"Linka, you know how reckless Wheeler is," Kwame sighed, placing his hand on the Russian's shoulder. "He would not have meant to offend you. He just chooses to display his affection towards you in a different way."
She scoffed. "You mean in the way he shows affection for every pretty girl he meets." Linka stood up, angrily, and brushed herself down. "No, Kwame, I have worked it all out. Wheeler sees me as an object, just like every other man I have ever met."
As he watched Linka's retreating form, Kwame had the distinct feeling he may have made things worse for poor Wheeler. He was almost glad when Gaia's voice echoed over the island, commanding them all to the Crystal Chamber. At least, with work to be done, Linka and Wheeler would have to be civil to one another.
X X X X X X
Linka was already in the Chamber when Wheeler and Gi arrived from the beach. She kept her back stubbornly towards them. Wheeler sighed. So she was still angry with him. He should have known.
He thought about what Gi had said. Was he really being too obnoxious when he had asked – well, told – Linka to come out with him? Every other girl he had known had found his over-eager assumptions to be charming. But Linka's not every other girl I've known, he thought, a smile playing on his lips. She's special. He started to realise that maybe he'd have to try a different method to show her how he really felt.
Wheeler's chain of thought was interrupted by the Spirit of Earth appearing in front of them.
"What is wrong, Gaia?" Ma-Ti asked, running into the Chamber, the last to arrive.
"I've heard some troubling rumours from Eastern Europe," Gaia said, concern in her voice. She looked a Linka; the blonde woman had stiffened at the mention of her home continent. "Young women have been disappearing. Many of them are poor village girls, others from cities, but all are young and attractive."
Wheeler felt a knot twist in his stomach, and he realised what was bothering Gaia. He had heard stories, seen documentaries. Young women, trying to escape the repressions of their poverty or, sometimes, their families, being preyed upon by those looking for an easy dollar. They would offer the women new lives, and instead either sell them into slavery or prostitution, or in some cases, to rich men looking for a pretty young plaything. It was human poaching, plain and simple.
"Any idea who could be behind it?" he asked. Linka finally faced him, and gave him a small smile. Wheeler hadn't asked in order to get back on her good side, but it was definitely a bonus.
Gaia shook her head. "I don't even know exactly what is going on, Wheeler. That's why I need you to check it out."
"Then let us leave, right away," said Kwame, a look a revulsion on his face. Wheeler knew that his friend had heard of similar cases of human trafficking in Africa – especially children.
The five Planeteers ran towards the Geo-cruiser.
X X X X X X
A young woman shivered as the man observed her. He was a tall man, with a refined voice, wearing an expensive suit. She knew he would be able to deliver her from this life of misery.
"And, your name is Agata, correct?" he asked, smoothly.
"Yes. Agata," she confirmed. "You take me to America?" Her English was not good, but she hoped he would understand her meaning. "I have money. I will pay." She handed him a stack of bills. It was all she had. All she had been able to save up.
The man took her money, and scrutinised it, as if trying to prove its authenticity. Seemingly pleased, he smiled nastily at her. "Congratulations, my dear. You will soon be on your way to the US."
"Oh, thank you!" the girl cried.
"Bleak!"
A large bald man appeared from the shadows. The man in the suit sneered at him. "Take our young guest to the holding cells."
"With pleasure."
Agata did not know the meaning of "holding cells", but the words made her feel uneasy. This feeling was not improved when the bald man grabbed her roughly, and manhandled her down the stairs. They reach a long, dark corridor, and Agata thought she could hear the sound of sobbing in the darkness.
"Where you take me?" she gasped.
The bald man simply chuckled, before coming to an abrupt stop. Agata heard keys tinkling in his hand, and a door open, before she was pushing into a small room. The fall winded her, and it was some time before she was able to catch her breath.
She called out in her Czech, her native tongue, and in her limited English, but there was no reply. Agata started to realise that she had made a very bad decision coming to this place…
X X X X X X
Linka was very quiet the whole trip. To Wheeler, who was watching her in concern, it looked as though something was playing on her mind. He reached across and touched her arm gently.
"Something bothering you, babe?"
"Nyet," she replied, looking out the window.
Wheeler glanced around. Kwame was concentrating on piloting the Geo-cruiser, while Gi and Ma-Ti were busy finding out whatever they could about the situation on the cruiser's computer. He knew Linka was lying, and pushed a little to get her to talk. "You can tell me, you know."
With a heavy sigh, Linka turned to face him. He was surprised to see that her eyes were red, as though she had been crying.
"Some years ago, I lost a dear friend to this sort of situation. This human…trucking?"
"Trafficking," Wheeler corrected. He could not help but smile at her adorable "Linka-ism".
"She lived in my village – we grew up together. Her father also worked in the mines, but he was killed when she was only young. Her mother worked to support the family, but it was hard, and they were very poor. Alix saved up all her money and left to go to Moscow to find work, but we never saw her again. Eventually, she wrote to me – she was in Berlin, working as a prostitute. She asked that I tell her mother that she was safe." Linka wiped away a tear. "I threw the letter into the fire, and told no one about it."
Wheeler took Linka's hand in his own and squeezed it. He earned a small, tearful smile from her. "Don't worry, babe. We're gonna stop whoever is doing this."
"Da, we will."
Leaving Linka a moment to regain her composure, Wheeler made his way to where Gi was sitting. "What info have we got?"
"Seems like the majority of the missing girls are from the Czech Republic, and some of the surrounding countries," Gi replied. She pressed a button, and a map of Europe appeared on the screen, littered with red dots. "The dots represent a disappearance, and you can see that they have clustered around Prague."
"Then that is where we should start looking," said Linka.
Wheeler looked at her. Her face was set and determined. 'At a girl, Linka.
X X X X X X
Kwame expertly landed the cruiser on the outskirts of Prague, and the five Planeteers climbed out. There were very few people about, and those they did see, avoided the group.
"They do not like strangers," muttered Ma-Ti. He could sense the fear radiating from the Czechs.
They walked the streets, searching for someone who would let them approach. In the end, it was a woman who approached them. She was in her sixties, wrapped in a dirty shawl. She grabbed onto Linka's arm, and started crying out something which the others did not understand, though they did hear the name "Agata".
To their surprise, Linka touched the old woman's arm, and said something back to her in a soothing voice.
"You understand her?" Wheeler asked.
"Of course," Linka replied. "Part of this country was once controlled by the Soviet Union. I learned many of the languages from the region. She was saying that I look very much like her granddaughter, who went missing last week."
"Does she know where she might have gone?" Gi asked, eagerly.
Linka turned back to the woman, speaking in rapid Czech. Wheeler was impressed by the compassion Linka was showing, despite the desperation of the situation. He saw the old woman point towards a nearby tree, where a poster was tacked.
"She said many of the girls who have gone to see a man who promises them new lives in America," Linka sighed. The old woman had dissolved into tears, and no more could be gained from her. "Those posters started appearing a few months ago, and since then, more and more girls have been leaving, never to be seen again."
Wheeler tore the poster from the tree. "I can't read it, but the message is clear."
He held it up, and they could see a picture of the America flag being waved by a handsome man. The background showed clean streets, and tidy houses. Wheeler had to snort at that – it looked nothing like the America he knew.
Linka took the poster from him. "There is an address here – telling the girls where they should go"
"Well, why are we still standing here?" Kwame growled.
As the others started in the direction of the address (which Linka had translated for them, and Gi had looked up on a map), Linka turned back to the old woman, and gave her one last message.
Wheeler waited for her to catch up, and asked, "What did you say to her then?"
"I told her that I will find her granddaughter," said Linka. "And I will bring her back."
X X X X X X
To the girl known as Agata, time seemed to stand still in her tiny room. She only knew time had passed when a hand pushed a meagre meal of dry bread and water through a tiny hole in the wall.
Occasionally, she heard screaming, along with the sobs, and knew that something terrible was going on. She had searched every corner of her room, for some way to escape, but there was nothing. Besides, she did not know what she would do if she did manage to escape. She had no money, and she had left her family behind.
A sound from just outside the door startled her. She stood, and placed her ear against the wall. Someone was standing outside the room next to hers. A girl started crying, begging to be set free. Agata heard the bald man's chuckle. The suited man was there too – she could hear him talking, though she could not catch the words.
Then there was a third voice. Very loud and European. "Yes, yes. She will do nicely. Very pretty – she will please me, very well."
Agata moved away from the wall. Now she understood. She would not be going to America – not unless it was as some rich, disgusting man's bride.
X X X X X X
Linka felt sick. She and her friends were hiding in the bushes, surrounding a fenced complex. There were two buildings, one small house, the other what appeared to be a warehouse. The only break in the wired fence was a gate, with two guards.
"Surely the appearance of this place would give anyone the idea that this isn't all it claims to be," said Wheeler.
Linka shook her head. "These girls are desperate, Yankee. They will do whatever it takes to find a better life." In her mind's eye, she was picturing Alix coming to a similar complex, full of hope.
"Well, I don't think we can just walk up to the gate," Gi sighed. "This place gives me the feeling that whoever comes in, doesn't come out."
"Agreed," said Kwame. "We should try to make our own way in."
"Leave that to me," said Wheeler, with a grin. "Fire!" He started to melt a hole in the wire. He kept it as small as possible, to avoid detection.
"Let's go," whispered Ma-Ti. "The guards are pre-occupied, and will not notice us."
One by one, the Planeteers climbed through the hole Wheeler had made. Once inside the complex, however, they were faced with a difficult decision.
"Which building should we go to?" Gi asked.
Ma-Ti held his ring to his head. After a moment, he said. "There are many frightened people in the larger building. I believe that is where the girls are."
"But the smaller building must be the centre of operations," argued Linka. She pointed to the roof. "There is a satellite dish. The records of all the girls that have already been taken from here must be stored there. We may even be able to find where they have gone. Not to mention finding out who is behind this abuse of human rights."
The five were silent for a moment, trying to work out whether it was more important to free the trapped girls, or stop the operation at its root.
"We'll have to split up," Kwame finally decided. "Linka, you are best with computers. You should check out the smaller building."
"I'll go with her," stated Wheeler. He was not about to let Linka out of his sight in a place like this.
"And Kwame, Ma-Ti and I will search the larger place," said Gi.
"Be careful," Ma-Ti murmured to Linka and Wheeler, as the group split.
"You too, little buddy," Wheeler replied.
Linka had already made her way towards the closest window. She felt Wheeler crouch next to her, and she held up her finger to keep him quiet. She listened intently for a few moments, before deciding that there was no one on the other side of the glass.
"We will need to break the glass to get it," she said.
"No, we won't," Wheeler replied, with a cocky grin. "I grew up in New York, remember? There are easier ways to break and enter." And with that, he pulled a pen-knife from his pocket.
Linka was amazed at how quickly and quietly Wheeler managed to open the window. He grinned at her again, noticing her admiration.
"Not the first time I've needed to break in," he admitted.
"I do not want to know," she sighed. "Give me foot up."
"That's leg up, babe," he chuckled, as he helped her through the open window. He heard the soft thud she made as she landed inside.
After a moment, Linka's head appeared in the window, and she reached out her hand to him. "Come on in, Yankee."
With help from Linka, Wheeler scuttled up the wall and through the window. Like she had, he landed with a thud, which momentarily knocked the breath out of him. Linka left him to catch his breath, while she turned towards the network of computers on one side of the room.
Fortunately, the last person who had used the computers had not logged out, so Linka was free to search through the files (she would have been able to hack into the system, but that may have taken time they didn't have). She quickly located the emails, and let out a hiss.
"Bo-zhe moy! I should have known."
Wheeler came up behind her, still rubbing his sides. "What's the matter, babe? Found something?"
"See for yourself," she said, in disgust. She moved out of the way so he could read the name featured on each of the emails.
"Plunder? Of course," Wheeler growled. "Is there anyway we can pin this on him?"
"I am way ahead of you, Yankee," Linka replied, reaching into her pockets. She pulled out a portable memory drive and plugged it into the computer, quickly copying the files across.
Wheeler looked at her, impressed. "Do you always carry that thing around with you?"
"Of course," came her reply. Her fingers were moving at lightening speed across the keyboard. "I also have a small digital camera, but I'm not telling you where I hide that." She had to smile at the stupefied expression on his face.
"Hey, here's a list of all the girls that have come through this place," Wheeler exclaimed, picking up a piece of paper from the desk. "Now you'll have to show me where you keep that camera."
"And I wouldn't mind seein' where she keeps it either," said a rough voice from behind them. "Now keep ya bleedin' hands where I can see 'em, and turn 'round nice and slow."
Together, Linka and Wheeler turned. Standing in the doorway, with a triumphant look on his face, was Argos Bleak. He had a pistol pointed at Linka's head.
"Take those rings off," he barked. "And if either of you tries anything funny, I'll shoot the other."
Linka and Wheeler had no choice but to slide off their rings and hand them to him. They exchanged glances, hoping that the others had not yet been discovered.