A/N: Happy Friday! I'm sorry this is late this week, at least it's still Friday…
Chapter 14: Make a Plan
"Now what?" Steve asked as the classroom emptied out and they were left alone with the suspect.
"Now you run along to your next class and we'll take it from here," Danny answered as he was handed the file from Chin Ho.
"You'll call me as soon as you have something substantial to move on," Steve ordered.
"If you are finished for the day, yes, otherwise Toast will follow our progress and will keep you posted as we go along," Danny accused but Toast nodded all the same.
"I designed it, I know how to get into it and you can't stop me," Toast said. "Anyone else not so much. I'll be watching your every move. You'll be in the loop Steve."
"I'm not worried about the loop. I'm worried about weapons," Steve said and folded his arms.
"He's worried he wont be in on all the action," Chin accused with a laugh.
"True," Steve nodded.
"If we find them you'll know it," Danny said. "We know how they were smuggling them. Kono and Lou are already heading back to the dive shop to keep looking. Now all we have to do is figure out how to get Gus to cooperate."
"He wont, he's not afraid of jail," Suspect X said from her place in the centre of the room. "He wasn't afraid then, he isn't afraid now and if he could join the faction he probably would get in on their plans. Gus Stanton hates humanity. He hates this country for what it has done to us, to people, he's a raging sexist, racist and homophobe. He's not going to cooperated. He belongs in a facility for the criminally insane."
"Then why follow him?" Steve asked.
"Fear, loathing, the people he brings around are monsters," she answered. "He talked his bother into it. He could talk his brother into anything. He was the golden child of the family, the first born, the one promised, or at least that's how my grandparents treated him. I followed my father because I am his only living relation. Gus is dead inside. I don't know if he knew how deep into his brothers psychosis he was until it was too late, or maybe he did and didn't care… I don't know."
"Sarah, how deep were you?" Danny asked.
"I did what they asked me to do," She confessed. "I designed the magnet. I oversaw the smuggling. I set up the Dive Shop, which was going to be a real business when I started and then it all got flipped. I mean sure, I'm still involved with ripping off tourists but I never handled weapons before this heist."
"But you didn't pay rent to hold onto the business," Danny accused.
"I did, but Gus used it to buy the tanks and welding gear," she said with a shake of her head. "Look into his dealings through that place, I'm sure you'll find all kind of evidence of his fraudulent behaviours."
"Do you believe her?" Steve asked skeptically, having listened to the girl over Danny's order to head off to class.
"Maybe," Danny said and Sarah shook her head again. "Why go to such lengths?"
"That really is the million dollar question for Gus, and of all the things he will not answer, that will be the big one. Then again, that might be the one he goes for," Sarah said. "He's full of himself and you're going in there asking about the heist might stroke his ego. He already thinks you people are stupid. Go in and act like his assumptions are right and you might just trick him into blabbing about everything."
"Reverse phycology?" Chin asked as Danny nodded.
"I think you have bigger fish to fry. How many weapons were moved? Did they get as far as they needed to? Are we dealing with a threat to nation security? What kind of weapons are we talking about?" Steve rattled off questions.
"All valid and I'm sure Sarah can enlighten us but you've got to get to class and we've got to make ourselves scarce around here. We'll keep you posted," Danny said with a nod to Chin as the next round of students started to file in and look at them funny.
"Danny, get that phone and get Gus to talk to you, and for God's sake, find those weapons!" Steve ordered as he, Toast and Jerry fled.
Another nod from Danny, and Chin helped suspect X out of her seat and moved to navigate her through the oncoming crowd.
"Nothing to see here," Danny said to the students as they tried to maneuver against the flow of traffic. "Keep moving," he said to Chin and the suspect. "I'll catch up with you," he added as he fell behind.
"You keep me in this loop," Steve ordered as Danny fell back into the flow of traffic.
"You know I will," Danny said as he realized Steve hadn't made it as far as he had thought.
"And be careful Daniel, those weapons are a big deal," he whispered in Danny's ear.
"I'm well aware," Danny said and made a hard right turn when they'd finally passed out of the classroom. "Get to class." He ordered but Steve was already gone.