Title: Welcome to Miami
Chapter: 25
Rating: T
Summary: AU - Near Future - Something was going on in Miami Beach, something big, Captain Takashi Shirogane was certain of it. It involved the worst organized crime syndicate he'd ever dealt with in his career, the Galra. His adopted brother, Keith was the lead detective on the case, he might be young, but he was good. So how do Shiro's ex, the lawyer Adam West, and some illegal immigrant kid from Cuba fit into this mess?
Special Request Story for Shiranai Atsune
Lance pulled the bike up to the warehouse where Marco worked, but something was wrong. There were no cars. There weren't any guys sitting outside smoking cigarettes, no one taking an early lunch. It just looked empty. He cautiously pulled up to the door at the side and stepped off the bike. He had a bad feeling, like he was being watched, so he left his helmet on.
"Pidge. No one's here." Lance whispered.
"Then why are you whispering?" She snorted.
"Because they should be, there should be like fifty people here working." Lance crept forward and pushed the door open. "Oh."
"Oh? Oh what?" Pidge growled, her nerves making her cranky.
"It's empty, like completely, looks like Shiro's detectives aren't going to have much luck with anything here." Lance sighed, he really did want the detectives to be able to stop the Galra, as long as no one else in his family got deported in the process.
"Get out of there then, Lance. Just come on back, we can call your friend or your family and figure out where Marco is working now." Pidge was mostly relieved, not finding anything meant that Lance hadn't interfered in the police investigation.
"Wait, someone's coming." Lance was just closing the door when he heard sounds from the other end of the alley. He knelt beside the bike, it wasn't like he was completely hidden, but maybe not as noticeable he hoped. There was a dumpster further down the alley, but he didn't think he could reach it in time.
"No wait, no get out of there faster." Pidge huffed, this up and down emotions thing was not okay.
"Too late." Lance whispered. He squinted against the sun and watched as someone rode a bicycle into the alley, a very familiar someone. "Oh hey, it's okay, it's Hunk."
Pidge breathed out the air she had been holding, "Okay, well I guess you can find out about Marco then, but get him and get away from that building before you both get arrested and then I get arrested for wearing your damn anklet."
"Right." Lance frowned. "Hey, Hunk!" Lance stood and removed his helmet smiling and waving at his friend.
"Lance? What are you doing here?" Hunk rushed forward and wrapped him into a full bone crushing hug.
"I was looking for Marco, but we need to get out of here. There are some cops on the way. I was going to warn Marco, but he's not here." Lance answered slightly out of breath from the hug.
"He's not here? But he was, he was standing in as security since they emptied the place. I was just stopping by to give him his lunch." Hunk held up the bag. "Maybe they moved him over to a different site already?"
"Maybe." Lance frowned. Marco could be in trouble, but he wasn't sure how to go about finding out. Either way he had to get himself and Hunk out of here before the cops saw them. Lance put his arm around Hunk's neck and pulled him toward their bikes, "Let's get out of here."
Haxus watched from his vantage point as the motorcycle pulled up the warehouse, the very familiar vehicle and very familiar rider. He narrowed his eyes and went back to his own bike, pulling his rifle from the custom bag on the side. He moved slowly, carefully. The anger thrumming through his veins made him want to rush, but he wouldn't. No, he would do this slow. This, whoever they were, they were the reason his bomb hadn't worked, they were the reason Sendak was pissed at him, they were the reason he'd gotten a beatdown from Lotor's bitches. He was not going to let them slip through his fingers.
He leaned against the bike, using the seat to rest his arm on as he knelt and brought the rifle to his knee, staring down the scope. This was too easy, maybe he'd kneecap him and then go down and do it nice and slow. His lips curled in a smile savoring the idea of inflicting as much pain as possible on the unknown rider in blue.
He cursed when he heard someone coming, looking down the alley, he saw one of the regular couriers. He was often seen eating lunch at this warehouse, so maybe he just didn't know it was empty. He swiveled back to the rider, his breath catching in shock and anger as the helmet was removed and the face was revealed. That traitor! Sendak was going to have a field day when Haxus brought him in, because killing just became too good for Blue. No Blue was going to face Sendak. He just needed to eliminate the collateral and collect his prize.
He stared down the scope, lined up his shot and fired.
"What are you doing?"
Keith's husky whisper made Pidge jump out of her chair. He raised an eyebrow at her and stared.
"Nothing. What are you doing, what are you doing here?" Pidge huffed frustrated at her reaction.
"We finished touring and there is a lot of talking and Shiro and Adam making eyes at each other so…I came to find you. So, what did I catch you doing?" His eyes were now narrowed.
"You haven't caught me doing anything. You just startled me." She growled and turned back to tapping on the computer, hoping Keith didn't notice that she didn't have anything open.
"So, really." Keith crossed his arms and stared at her.
"I am not in your interrogation room. Stop treating me like a common criminal that's hiding something." Pidge's shoulders tensed and her gut churned. Lying to Keith sucked and she didn't want to do it and she was pretty sure he knew she was doing it.
"I'm not treating you like a common criminal, maybe an evil mastermind." Keith huffed. "And you are hiding something."
"I'm…" Just then a crackling voice sounded from somewhere on her workbench.
"Hey, Pidge, we're heading out. I'm taking Hunk back to the castle."
"The hell Pidge!" Keith growled looking down and seeing the blinking ankle alarm on her leg.
"I can explain, Keith." Pidge held up her hands.
"You can explain breaking the law?! He has that tracker on for a reason! Do you know how much trouble all of us could get into? Do you know they will just put him back in a facility and everything you're working on is going to…" Keith broke off into harsh coughs, and in the background, Lance started yelling.
"Keith? Detective Mullet?! Shit! Hey, I'm sorry, really, I'll explain when I get there. This is totally my fault not Pidge's. Hey don't…"
The loud crack of a rifle being fired split the air, stunning everyone into silence.
Yvlik watched Haxus from afar, this was all too good to be true. The idiot was laid out on a silver platter.
"Give me the boss." He spoke into his phone.
"Yvlik?" The gruff voice answered.
"Boss, I have an opportunity."
"Sendak?" The gruff voice seemed pleased.
"Haxus. It may cost a couple of men, but I think it will be worth it." Yvlik preened at pleasing his boss.
"Use Sendak's men." Prorak growled almost happily.
"Of course," Yvlik grinned. At the cost of a few foot soldiers he would make sure Haxus and Sendak went away for a long time, maybe even permanently. He hung up the phone and dialed the number of one of Sendak's little gang of thugs.
"What?" The voice on the other side growled.
"Manners." Yvlik snipped. "I have a job for you."
"I only take jobs from Haxus or Sendak and you ain't them." The growling voice snarled.
"Absolute brain trust, aren't you?" Yvlik sneered.
"What? What's that mean?" The voice snapped. "That some kind of insult?"
"Only if you understand. I need you to deliver a message to Haxus. He is at the old warehouse on Second, the one that was just emptied."
"I know it." Growly answered.
"Good, your boss is in trouble. There is a group of four detectives headed his way to arrest him. You need to get him out of there or stop them. You think you can handle that?" Yvlik personally doubted they could handle anything, but it really didn't matter if they succeeded or not.
"A few cops, not an issue." Growly seemed pleased with the assignment.
"Good. Now hurry. I'm sure if you rescue Haxus, both he and Sendak will be very grateful." Yvlik felt a satisfied smirk on his lips. This was going perfectly.
"Holy crow! Pidge! The freaking suit is bullet proof!" Lance screamed as the bullet bounced off his arm. It took him two seconds to realize if he hadn't put his arm up just when he did the bullet would have hit Hunk in the head. "Move Hunk, come here!" Lance pulled his friend with him; the bigger boy was frozen in fear staring at Lance's arm that had just saved his life.
Lance dragged Hunk with him. He tried to put himself between Hunk and where the shot had come from. He was not just going to let someone shot Hunk. At some point he realized there were voices screaming at him from the helmet and slipped it back on.
"What was that? Who is shooting? Get out of there!" from the Mullet.
"Not bullet proof, resistant, you are not a freaking shield!" Pidge screeched. Lance had to ponder if she had some kind of camera on him, because that was exactly what he was being right now.
"Oh." Another shot rang out, impacting against Lance's leg and ricocheting toward Hunk. They both cried out and dove forward for cover behind a dumpster.
"Lance?!" Pidge and Keith's voice blended together in concerned anger. Lance ignored them in favor of my pressing matters.
"Hunk?!" Lance turned to his friend who was whimpering and holding his bleeding thigh. "Oh man, oh man. Guys, Hunk is hurt. Someone is shooting at us or more at him. I…we need help! I don't think I can get him on the bike with his leg hurt."
"I'm getting Adam." Pidge yelled into the com and after a couple of beeps another voice joined.
"Pidge?" Adam sounded confused.
"Adam! I need your help. Hunk's hurt!" Lance cried into the com.
"What? Where are you?" Adam demanded.
"Um…the warehouse where the detectives are going?" Lance murmured.
"What?!" This time Adam, Keith, and Shiro yelled into the com.
"Look, you can yell at me all you want when we get Hunk out of here, but right now someone is trying to shoot him. So please, I need your help. We are hiding behind a dumpster and," the sound of more gunfire echoed, "this guy is really determined."
"On my way." Adam's calm voice seemed to help the panic Lance was feeling as he frantically pressed down on the bleeding wound on Hunk's leg. Hunk was pale and stared at Lance in horror.
"It's okay, Hunk. It's going to be okay." Lance tried to reassure over the sound of more gunfire.
"Lance, the detectives are in route and have been notified of shots fired at the site. Stay down and out of sight." Shiro spoke into the com. "Put pressure on the wound."
"Yeah. I am. It's…I mean it seems like a lot of blood." Lance blinked, feeling very unsure as his friend's blood poured out. What if he couldn't stop the bleeding? Couldn't someone bleed to death in like three minutes?
"Lance? Is the shooter still in the same place? Are they moving?" Keith now.
"I don't know. I'm sort of hiding." Lance snapped. He wasn't about to stick his head out and look around. Having a hole in his head did not seem like a good addition to the situation.
"Can you tell from the shots? Listen, are they closer, from a different angle when they hit?" Keith asked surprisingly patiently.
"Um…yeah. I, shit, yeah. I think he's moving." Lance growled. Hunk whimpered again in the background and Lance felt his heart shrivel at the sound. Hunk should never be hurt. This sucked hard.
"Do you have a weapon?" Keith asked.
"Keith?!" Shiro objected.
"No." Lance answered and at the same time Pidge responded. "Yes."
"What?" Lance blinked.
"Lance, there is a taser in the glove. Push the green button on the left arm and it comes out from the top of the glove. Also, there is a shield. Push the yellow button on the right arm and you'll have a shield." Pidge rattled.
"How did you know I was lefthanded?" Lance wondered, pushing the buttons and watching in wonder as two green spikes pushed through the left glove to finish just past the tips of his fingers and the glowing yellow shield appeared on his arm. It wasn't large, more of a buckler, but It was better than nothing.
"Didn't, Adam is."
"Guys, I don't think I can do this. I have a shield and a taser. He's got a freaking gun. I'm not a fighter." Lance prattled nervously, trying to figure out where to expect an attack from. It wasn't like he was much of a fighter his biggest strength to date was the ability to take a beating.
"I'm coming Lance, you just need to hold him off." Adam's voice sounded strained.
"The police are on their way as well, maybe he'll just leave when they get there. I doubt he wants to be arrested." Shiro tried.
"Right, Right, okay I got this. Hunk?" Lance sighed. "I'm worried. He's not talking to me, but the bleeding seems to have slowed, but he's…Hunk?" Lance brushed his hand on Hunk's face. Hunk blinked and seemed to notice Lance for the first time in a while.
"Are you okay?" His voice wobbled and a couple of tears fell from his brown eyes.
"Am I okay, Hunk buddy, I think I'm supposed to ask you that." Lance smiled with tears in his own eyes.
"I'm… it hurts." Hunk winced. "I can move. Just tell me what to do."
"Can you get to the bike?" Adam again.
"I don't know. Not with that guy shooting at us. I not a good shield for Hunk." Lance sighed. He looked at Hunk again and over to the back, almost 20 feet away.
"I'm sorry." Hunk whispered.
"Ah no way man, I'm sorry, this has to be my fault." Lance turned to give Hunk a quick smile. He had no doubt that this was all his fault, because Hunk would never do something that would make someone want to kill him. Hunk was the definition of good.
"I'm afraid." Hunk told Lance quietly. Lance nodded.
"Me too, but we got this, right?" Lance met his eyes steadily, raising the shield and taser into a fighting stance.
"Right." Hunk nodded.
"Okay, if he comes around the corner, I'm going to hit him with the taser, and you are going to book it for the bike. Hopefully it knocks him on his ass, and we can get out of here." Lance steeled himself for the confrontation, getting the drop on the shooter was his best option.
"And if it doesn't?" Hunk worried.
"You still head for the bike, cause it's you he's shooting at and I'll just slow him down until back up arrives." Lance hoped he sounded a lot more confident about plan B than he actually felt. Judging by the nervous nod Hunk gave him he's guessing not so much.