A/N: I think I made a slight mistake in my last chapter that I have now changed. Originally, I wrote that Cynthia rescued children from Honduras (referring to 'The Good Death'), but I think that was wrong. Actually, they never actually referred to where they were in that episode, did they? It was simply referred to as the Amazonian Confederation. But, they spoke Portuguese, so I changed it to Brazil, the most likely scenario. If anyone believes this is wrong, please let me know, and I'll change it. Thank you.

Song inspiration for this chapter was 'Not Afraid' by Eminem. I'll post the link, but be warned there are explicit lyrics: http (colon(backslash, backslash) www. youtube. com (backslash) watch ? v (equals) R88cgNTv_V4

Chapter 2

When Kristin's flight landed at the airport on the island of Andros in the Bahamas, she was eager to see her daughter. But, as she searched the crowded airport for her familiar face, she didn't see it. She looked at her watch, realizing her flight was a little early. But, as she walked through the crowd, a young man stopped her.

"Are you Dr. Westphalen?" he asked.

"Y-yes," Kristin said hesitantly as she wasn't sure who the man was.

"You might not remember me," he continued, "but we met a few months back. I'm Malique, a friend of Cynthia's."

"Oh, yes," Kristin replied, suddenly remembering and extending her hand in greeting. "Forgive me for not remembering at first. Where is Cynthia?"

Malique returned the handshake and said, "She got a little busy; she asked me to come and take you to her condominium."

"Oh, alright. Could you help me with my bags?"

"Of course," Malique said with a smile.

So, the two got Kristin's bags loaded into Malique's car, and they headed to Cynthia's place, exchanging smalltalk. Kristin wanted to probe Malique a bit more to find out exactly what Cynthia was busy doing, but she didn't want to make the young man feel uncomfortable either; therefore, they only exchanged smalltalk. A short time later, they arrived at the condo.

"Oh, this is lovely," Kristin commented about the beachside home.

Malique helped Kristin carry the bags in. As he unlocked the door, he said, "The first room on the right will be yours. Cynthia should be back soon; she said to make yourself at home until she gets back. I suppose if there's nothing else, I'll leave you to-"

"Malique, where exactly is she?" Kristin finally asked. "I-I'm sorry for interrupting, but I get the feeling something's going on."

"She told me not to tell you," Malique admitted. "She wants to tell you herself."

"Is she in trouble?"

"Not exactly," he said. "She's with the children; that's all I can say. And, I am sorry for this, but I need to meet her. I'm sure I'll see you soon."

Kristin sighed as Malique closed the door behind him. She grabbed one of her suitcases and brought it into her room. "Cynthia, this better be worth it," she muttered as she began unpacking.

An hour later, Cynthia finally arrived home.

"Mom?" she called when she walked in.

Kristin came out of the room and greeted her daughter with a hug. "I've missed you so," she said.

"Me too, Mom," Cynthia said. "Have you eaten?"

"No, I've been unpacking," Kristin said. "I was surprised not to see you at the airport."

"I know, Mom, and I'm sorry. I was busy, and I couldn't leave."

"Too busy for me? Well, I thought we'd be spending time together."

"We are," Cynthia replied, "but you know why I'm here."

Kristin nodded. "Yes, and Malique did say you were with the children. So you're working at the orphanage too?"

"Not exactly."

"Alright," Kristin said. "Are we going to keep playing a guessing game, or are you going to tell me what's really going on?"

"Is it that obvious?" Cynthia asked nervously.

"Well, just because your an adult doesn't mean I've lost my maternal intuition."

"Well, there is a reason I asked you to come here, and it wasn't just for a visit," Cynthia admitted. "I need your help."

"You know I'll do anything for you. What's going on?"

"I think it's better if I show you," Cynthia said. "Let me make you a sandwich, and we'll go."

Kristin nodded, as she was hungry. So the two headed into the kitchen and quickly ate. Then, they headed for Cynthia's car.

"So, what's the big mystery?" Kristin asked.

"I think you need to see it for yourself," Cynthia said. "I promise you'll understand."

Kristin looked out the window as they drove past lovely buildings. Then, Kristin noticed the buildings became slightly more dilapidated as they drove to the poorer community.

"This," Cynthia motioned towards a large, run-down brick building, "is the orphanage." She parked her car out front. "Come on."

"Is it safe?" Kristin asked hesitantly.

"Believe me," Cynthia said, "we're safer in there than we are out here. Besides, we're not the ones in danger here."

"What? What are you talking about?"

Cynthia finally turned to her mother. "They're killing children here, Mommy. We have to do something."

"Who's killing children?"

"Just come inside, and I'll explain everything."

Kristin had little choice but to follow Cynthia inside. Malique was already there, but as Cynthia and Kristin started to walk in, they were stopped by a child. The problem was the child was taller than Kristin, and he didn't look very friendly. He was blocking the doorway, preventing them from entering.

"Christopher, please let us in," Cynthia said kindly.

The boy shook his head. "Not until you do what you promised."

Cynthia sighed. "Can we do this inside?"

Christopher nodded. "I guess, as long as you have the cash."

"I have it," Cynthia promised.

Christopher stepped aside and allowed them to pass. Then, he opened his coat and revealed his goods. "So, what's your pleasure? Smack? Blow? X?"

Kristin gasped. "Cynthia?"

"It's not what you think, Mom," Cynthia said, purchasing a few bags from the boy. He then pocketed the cash and left the lobby.

"Cynthia Lynn," Kristin said sternly, "What the hell is going on here?"

Cynthia didn't answer at first. She walked into the nearby rest room and flushed the drugs down the toilet. Then, she walked back into the lobby. "Alexander Mangos," she answered.

"Who?"

"Alexander Mangos," Cynthia repeated. "Unfortunately, he practically runs the island, and it's slowly becoming corrupted. He's a very powerful drug lord, so powerful, in fact that half the people on the island are working for him, including the children."

"And if they don't do what he wants," Malique broke in, "well, a lot of children have been disappearing lately."

"They're being killed, Mom," Cynthia said with profound emotion in her voice. "I can't just stand by and let it happen."

Kristin was silent for a moment. Then she replied, "I understand, and I do feel for them. But, how can I help?"

"Well, we were hoping the seaQuest could-"

"The seaQuest?" Kristin said. "It's not even finished yet."

"I-I know," Cynthia said, "but you have connections."

"I just can't demand that they-"

"No one else is doing anything about it, Mom," Cynthia said desperately.

Kristin sighed. "I'll see what I can do, but I can't guarantee seaQuest will be coming. But, I'm sure the UEO will do something."

Cynthia gave her mother a grateful hug. "Well, why don't you come meet the children?"

So, the three spent the afternoon with the children at the orphanage. After spending time with the children, Kristin completely understood the necessity for keeping them safe.

After several hours, Cynthia and Kristin had to leave with the promise of returning the next day.

Once in the car, Kristin asked, "So, who runs the orphanage? I didn't see a single worker inside."

"Believe it or not, it's Mangos. He has a couple of his cronies look in on the children a few times a day. Unfortunately, all they seem to do is supply them with drugs and make sure they're making Mangos money. Between Malique and I and a few other colleagues of ours, well, we're the only ones taking care of them."

"As soon as we get back to your place, I need to make a few calls," Kristin told her.