Chapter 09 – Sneaking In
(Here we are, next chapter. Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last one!
This is quite vicious – for me anyway – enjoy! And r+r or meet a painful
death.)
"This," said Beat, "is the plan."
The GGs – well, eight of them, Gum still remaining apart from the rest –
faced him and waited.
"Okay. We're agreed, we need to find out why Onishima's not been
doing anything about the Love Shockers, right?"
They nodded. Beat took a deep breath. It would require all his powers
of persuasion and public speaking to get them to agree with this.
"It's the only way to involve a gang fight which'll probably be messy,
violent and deadly, right?"
"Right," Tab said. "So what's the plan?"
Beat grinned. "All we need is for someone to sneak into the police
station, and someone to sneak into Love Shocker HQ!"
"WHAT?" everyone yelled.
"Oh, come on!" Beat said. "Look, it's not that bad. If you get caught in
one, you'll just get banged up for the rest of your natural life. If you get caught
in the other, you'll be gutted like a fish…"
"Well, speaking personally, I'd rather have the gang fight," Piranha said.
"Beat, that's suicidal!"
"Not if we plan it right. You're useful 'cos you know your way around
the Love Shockers' place, right?"
"Yeah…but what about the police station? No way are we gonna be
able to get in there."
"Well, we can do the Love Shockers' HQ. Now, who's gonna
volunteer? I mean, I'm sure you'll all gonna jump at the chance to – guys?
Guys?"
Beat looked round the empty garage.
Eventually he managed to convince them, and then came the choice of who
was going to do it. Piranha was an obvious choice for the Love Shockers, but
everyone agreed she shouldn't go alone.
Cube stood at the back, feeling scared. She was out of plaster now, but
she hadn't gone out yet. Her legs were too weak to skate, for one thing. But –
she admitted it to herself – she was too scared to go out.
And that made her furious.
"Okay," Beat said. "Anyone want to volunteer, or shall I get some
straws?"
"I'll do it."
Cube wondered if she'd gone crazy. But she didn't feel crazy. Her
heart was thumping, but everything seemed very clear suddenly.
"You can't!" Slate said. "You're still laid up –"
"No, I'm not. I can walk, I just can't skate."
"Exactly! You'd just slow Piranha down, it'd be dangerous –"
"It's dangerous already. Look, I've faced Kell once, and I survived,
didn't I?" Even to her ears it sounded a pretty weak line, but she carried on. "I
know what she's like more than any of you. Also –"
"Don't be stupid, Cube," Combo said. "I'll go, okay?"
"You can't." Cube could feel her hands shaking. She clutched one with
the other. "You're too noticeable. Me and Piranha are girls at least."
"Yeah, she's got a point," Piranha said. "No guys can go, 'cos no guys
are allowed anywhere near the place. We used to take pot shots at any dumb
enough to come over here. So it's gonna have to be me and another girl."
"Not Gum," Beat said, and they all agreed with him. Gum had been
lurking alone all day. Beat and Piranha had been the only ones to speak to her.
"Well, what about Mew?" Slate said.
"Look, I want to go. She doesn't – do you?"
Mew shook her head, and said, "But – Cube – you've been hurt. I'm
okay with going, really I am –"
"No."
"Well…okay, then," Beat said. "But I don't like it."
Cube didn't either. But if she didn't do this, she'd never get out of the
garage. She could feel it.
Face your fear, she told herself.
"Tonight, then," Beat said. "And remember, you're just eavesdropping,
okay? Trying to find out how she's getting away with this, and anything else
useful."
Yo-Yo started humming the Mission:Impossible theme tune.
Another night in Shibuya-cho. (A/N: And don't start in on me about the
perpetual daylight thing. Check out Chapter 7 for my explanation.)
Cube had watched the fading daylight with unease. But now, as she
stuck the knife into her belt, the adrenaline started to kick in, and she almost
looked forward to it. She and Piranha each had also a small tape recorder built
into their watches by the Noise Tank, just in case.
Piranha was wearing a black copy of her normal clothes, decorated with
purple stars, and it made everything seem more eerie, as though she and the
world had been placed in shadow.
"You ready?" she said to Cube, who nodded.
"Okay, be careful," Beat said. He'd run his fingers through his hair so
much it now stood up all over his head and made him look like he'd just been
struck by lightning. "If things get tough, leg it outta there and don't kill anyone
unless you have to. Things get difficult then."
"Hey, I'm not in a bloodthirsty mood," Piranha said. She threw him a
mock salute, and then the two girls headed towards the door.
Cube took a deep breath as Piranha opened it, and a slab of moonlight
was thrown onto the garage floor. She was not scared. She was not. She could
walk out there like she'd done hundreds of times before.
Her hands were shaking again. And her stomach was rolling like a ship
in a storm.
She breathed in again, and stepped outside, and was angry to realise she
was trembling. As they began to walk, she focused on the taste of the night air,
and clenched her fists.
The streets were quiet again. The inhabitants of Shibuya-cho were all
inside, watching TV or sleeping, Cube figured. Either that or they'd headed to
Benten to party. That was like it was every night. But normally Onishima's
voice would be crackling through the radio, and they'd be hearing choppers
humming over their heads.
But tonight, nothing.
"Piranha," Cube said.
"Hmm?"
"If you do need to run – or escape by grinding or something – just do it,
okay? I'll be able to handle myself, and I don't want you to get caught waiting
for me."
"If you say so. But I ain't gonna want to leave you behind, okay? I
don't know why you wanted to come, but you seemed like it was important to
you, so I'm cool with it."
"Okay." Well, at least Piranha wasn't mad with her.
Love Shocker HQ was a large grey building which looked like it might
have once been part of a factory. Thin windows ran up its sides, some
smashed, some tinted pink by long-forgotten tags.
Piranha had an angry grin on her face. "Good to see the old place
again," she whispered.
"How're we gonna get in?"
"They don't use most of it. Follow me."
She led the way up an old fire escape which creaked ominously under
their feet. Cube remembered the pole they'd all hung off after the escape, and
gulped. When they reached the top, Piranha pushed open the door.
"They're pretty lax," she whispered. "There's loads of locked doors
lower down, and who'd challenge them anyway?"
Inside moonlight glittered on the puddles of rainwater on the floor.
Cube and Piranha crept past blank glass-fronted office doors. Once or twice
Cube caught a glimpse of an old desk or chair, often overturned or rotting.
There was a gloomy feel to the whole place, as though too much of it was
forgotten. Cube thought of the garage, and was grateful for it.
She tried to ignore the voice whispering in her ear: What if Kell's
watching us right now?
She shivered, and told herself it was because of the icy air rippling
through the smashed windows.
There was a door at the end of the corridor. Piranha tried it, but it was
locked.
"Right," she murmured, and took out a lockpick.
"How'd you learn that?" Cube asked.
"I've been around." Piranha straightened up, and turned the doorhandle.
The door opened.
She glanced in, and put a finger to her lips. Cube followed her gaze.
The door led onto a grey metal balcony, the sort you see in prison
movies, which encircled a huge room the size of a sports hall. In the dim light
Cube could see several Love Shockers, far below, practising jumps and moves.
"What now?" she said. "I can't see if Kell's there…"
"Well, there's no point staying here," Piranha said. "Let's go. And
walk quiet."
They crept out onto the balcony. Cube could hear the girls below
laughing, shouting, teasing each other. Just like the GGs. And yet, if they saw
her, they'd kill her.
"We need to get down to them," Piranha said. "Stairs ahead – and keep
quiet."
Cube's footsteps seemed painfully loud on the metal-grille floor. Surely
someone would look up…
The balcony was becoming rustier. Copper flecks clung to their feet.
"This looks kinda dangerous," Piranha said. "Maybe we'd better turn
back."
Cube shook her head. She had to keep going now, or she'd run back
into the corridor, down the fire escape and back to the garage. The night
seemed brighter outside, spilling in through shattered windows, and the wall
was damp and had drips running down it like varicose veins.
They reached the stairs, and scurried down them. Now they could be
seen from the ground. And Cube could hear what the Love Shockers were
saying: "Call that a wall ride? More like a wall fall!" "Race you to the door!"
"Where's Kell, anyway?" "Lurking in her office. She said she had some
phone calls to make." "I didn't know we had a phone!" "Well, wake up. Only
Kell's allowed to use it, though."
"Talk about Little Miss Secretary," Piranha whispered.
The balcony was rustier now, and wobbled under their feet.
"Be careful…" Piranha said.
Cube walked on. If she stayed still for too long she felt an urge just to
freeze and hope she blended into the wall.
Then there was a horrible crunch, and she felt herself falling through the
floor. There was one more balcony below her, and she hit it with a bone-
shaking crash.
Why do I seem to spend most of my life falling off things? she asked
herself.
"Hey, there's someone up there!" yelled a Love Shocker.
Cube's pulse rate moved into second gear. She stayed absolutely still.
"Nah, can't be."
"I'm telling you, someone fell through the balcony. I'm going up to
check it out."
"Could be a serial killer."
Cube carefully stood up, and wondered if she dare make a break for the
stairs.
"Chicken!"
"All right, all right, I'm coming!"
Footsteps on the stairs below.
Cube began to run.
"Told you! Quick, move it!"
If she could reach the steps before they got to the top…but her legs were
beginning to ache, dull tiredness spreading through them, and she cursed
kneecaps, and plaster casts, and everything.
And there they were, coming to meet her. A torch burnt her eyes, and a
girl said, "I don't believe it – it's that GG!"
"What are you two bitches doing up there?"
That was Kell's voice. Cube bit down a whimper.
"There's that GG up here, Kell," called one of the girls. "Cube. You
know."
"What the – grab her and bring her down here!"
Cube felt a hand grip her wrist, and just like she'd done before, she
turned and punched the girl in the face. Then she ran, the opposite way,
gritting her teeth against her aching muscles, and trying to reach the stairs,
which she could just make out in the darkness.
She was nearly there, when – crash – she collided with a Love Shocker,
who grabbed the front of her shirt. Cube hit out wildly. Then she felt
something thin and sharp touch her throat.
"Don't move," gasped the Love Shocker.
Cube groped for her knife. Her hand closed on it, and she stabbed out.
The other girl screamed, "Bitch!" and she felt the knife tear down her cheek.
The other Love Shocker had got hold of her hand, and was trying to
break her hold on the knife. Cube gripped it, feeling the handle dig into her
palm.
More footsteps. The other Love Shockers were coming up to help.
Cube scratched, punched, felt her fingers ripped off the knife, which clattered
to the ground far below. Then an arm was round her neck, and the Love
Shocker was choking her.
"Give up," she was saying, "Give up or I'll kill you!"
No way was Cube going to do that. She kicked back, felt her foot
scrape down shin, heard the other girl gasp – the view was beginning to wobble
– lights were flickering in front of her eyes – she needed air –
More hands grabbed her arms, and someone said, "It's okay, Shar, you
can let go now."
The pressure on her throat was released, and she fell forward.
"Quit struggling," someone said. "Geez, I thought she'd finished you
off. What are you doing here? Crazy?"
"None of your business."
"Well, get you!" sneered the Love Shocker. "Right, let's get moving.
Mustn't keep Kell waiting."
They dragged her down the stairs. Cube fought against their grip, but
they all knew there was no way she could get away. But if she didn't fight,
she'd sink down and sob, and then her humiliation would be complete.
They reached the ground, and she was dragged towards a door with light
glowing behind it. It opened, and Kell strode out. She was holding a torch,
which glowed feebly in the darkness of the huge hall.
"Cube? What are you doing here?" She shone the light into Cube's
face.
"Felt like coming along to see how the riff-raff live," Cube retorted.
"You are either very stupid or very mad," Kell said. "Although I guess
I'm glad. Now you can watch while I destroy your gang."
She's just trying to scare you, Cube told herself. She hasn't done
anything. She hasn't. Has she?
"Hold her out here a minute," Kell said, walking back into the office.
"What are you doing here, anyway?" asked a Love Shocker. "I
wouldn't go near her if I were you."
Cube shrugged. "Told you. I had some business here."
"You weren't gonna try and kill her, were you?" another girl said.
"Why should I tell you anything?"
The door opened again, and Kell called, "Bring her in."
The small room seemed even more claustrophobic after the echoing
emptiness of the hall. There was a desk in the centre, which Kell was perched
on at the moment, and stuck into it was a knife.
Cube felt her breathing quicken, and her palms were damp. Fighting
down the panic attack, she struggled as she was dragged over to the heating
pipe running vertically down the far wall. That is, she figured it was a heating
pipe – as they bound her wrists to it she felt nothing but cold rust.
"Scat," Kell said to the other Love Shockers. "I'm gonna make a call to
the GGs."
"I didn't know we had a phone," Cube said.
"Well, live and learn, don't you? Actually, I borrowed an old directory,
and found your place when it was still the Hung Foo Shin Garage." Her pink-
nailed fingers stabbed the numbers, and then she leaned back, a smug smile on
her face.
Cube heard, dimly, Beat's voice. "Hello?"
"That's Beat, leader of the GGs, right?" Kell twisted the phone cord
round a finger. "It is? Great. You see – no, of course I'm not moving onto
anonymous phone calls. You'd always know it's me. Anyway, I've got one of
your little pals here. Caught her snooping round our place. Not exactly a
polite thing to do."
She listened. Cube could hear Beat speaking, but couldn't make out the
words. Then Kell said, "Fine. You don't believe me – say hi to her yourself."
She held the reciever to Cube's face, and Cube heard Beat saying, "I'm
not gonna believe you until –"
"Beat," she said, "it's me."
"Cube?"
"Yep." She sighed. "I guess you were right after all. I shouldn't have
gone."
Kell, lighting a cigarette with her free hand, snorted.
"Are you okay?" he said.
"I'm fine. Look, don't worry about me, okay? I was stupid to come
here alone, and now I'm paying for it."
"Alone – oh. Right."
Kell lifted the cigarette and inhaled. Cube smelt the smoke curling
round her.
"Don't worry, Cube, we're gonna get you out of there, okay?"
"I knew you –" Kell brought the end of the cigarette down on the side
of her neck, and she screamed.
"Cube? Cube? What's –"
Kell laughed, and said into the reciever, "Don't worry, GG. Just a little
preliminary run."
Beat shouted something, and she said, "Geez, what an unoriginal insult.
Anyway, gotta go."
And put down the phone.
Beat stood there, holding a cracked and dusty reciever, and kicked the wall.
"What's going on?" Mew said. "What's happened to Cube?"
"They've got her," Beat said.
Slate's knees gave way and he dropped onto the sofa; Combo went pale.
"What about Piranha?" asked Garam.
"I think she's okay. Cube said something about how dumb she was to
come alone, I think she was trying to say they don't know Piranha's there."
"We got to get her out of there," Combo said. "You know what Kell'll
do to her if we don't –"
"Hey, I never said we couldn't. But we gotta make a plan. And it's
gotta be fool-proof."
Kell inhaled on the cigarette, and blew out a cloud of smoke. Cube got the
feeling she was doing it to show off.
"That'll kill your lungs," she said, trying to ignore the stinging from the
burn on her skin. She didn't normally care whether people smoked, but if she
was trapped here, she may as well get Kell annoyed.
"Geez, you're prissy, aren't you?" Kell smirked.
"Hey, you'll be the one collapsing when you try and skate up the hill."
Kell was about to answer when the phone rang. Rolling her eyes, she
reached over and picked it up. "Hello?"
Then she hissed, "Look, I told you never to call me here! Do you have
any idea what the others would do if they found out how we've got away with
the tagging?"
Cube's ears pricked up, and carefully she pressed the Activate button on
her watch-tape recorder.
The person on the other end of the line was shouting. It was a scratchy,
furious voice.
"Geez, do you know how many people have called me a dirty rudie? If
you thought that, why'd you let me –"
The voice cut her off.
She laughed. "You know you liked it. Why not admit it, rudies aren't
as bad as they seem?"
Cube watched her. She was smirking, the torchlight chasing the
shadows to the back of her face.
"I can handle the GGs," she said at last.
The voice didn't seem to think so.
"Look, I've got one of them in here right now!"
The voice didn't yell so much. The tone was an ordering one, though.
"I don't see why we need to speed up the plan," Kell snapped. "I've got
them scared –"
"Like hell you have!" Cube yelled.
Still holding the phone, Kell picked up the knife and slashed down the
side of Cube's jaw, then said, "Scare each one, then I'll let you go in. You
know whenever you try and catch them you fail…"
Cube gasped. Surely it couldn't be…
"Why? What's the hurry?" Kell wasn't looking so happy now.
"Oh, I see. Your reputation." She kicked at the desk. "Well, that's
understandable. Having the entire population of the Juvie Skaters Correction
Place escape from under your very nose – are they thinking of downgrading
you? I guess your badge is important to you after all. Not that it shows…"
She laughed as the voice shouted again.
"All right, all right. I'll move against them tonight. I got someone who
can help me with that…" She grinned at Cube. The voice spoke some more,
and she rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I know the bargain! You don't try and
arrest us, and we don't do any more tagging."
She rested her crossed fingers on her lap.
"Look, the police station was a hitch, all right? A casualty of war.
Now, we know the rules, right? I get to play with the GGs myself, and then
you get to pop round and collect what's left. And we're both happy. Now
don't call here again."
She slammed down the phone, and said to it, "You dumb idiot. Think
I'm gonna keep my promises to you?"
"You making bargains with cops?" Cube asked. She tried to fight down
the rage in her voice.
"What's it to you? As a matter of fact, yes I am."
"What's the bargain?"
Kell shrugged. "I said on the phone. I use my gang to smush you GGs,
get to hurt you a bit, then he can move in and take you off to Sing Sing. Suits
me. Not, of course, that I'm gonna keep my side of the deal. No tagging –
god, who does he think he's dealing with?"
"Who is he?" Cube felt the tape recorder purring under her fingers, and
hoped the others were picking this up. The Noise Tank had made it so that
whatever the recorder picked up was played out of a speaker back at the
garage.
"Who is he? Well, I thought you could guess. Who hates your guts?
Who caught you all, then lost you again? Who has a rudie-hating reputation to
keep up?"
"Is it –" Cube hesitated. "Is it Onishima?"
"And Cube scoops the…"
"…Jackpot on tonight's show." Kell's voice blared from the speakers. "Of
course it is. Only he'd be so stupid as to let me get the hold I've got over him."
"What d'you mean?" Cube sounded remarkably calm, Beat thought.
"Well, can you imagine the scandal if it got out that the Chief Of Police
was screwing the rudies he'd caught?"
There was a very long silence, before Cube said, "You didn't –"
"Of course I did. Don't look so surprised, honey, under that trenchcoat
he's the same as any other man."
"I think I'm gonna puke…" Mew said.
"Ssh!" Beat listened intently.
"And you see, now if that gets out he'll be ruined. I figured that, so
when he caught me I – hopped on the good foot and did the bad thing – and
forced him to work with me. Let myself get sent to jail, and I spied for him."
"Huh?"
"Oh, god, Cube, stop being so dim. I'd keep my ears open – hear where
people's hideouts were – tell him – he'd go in and nab'em. In return he left the
Love Shockers alone."
"Did you get us caught?"
"No, that was him. I thought – we both thought – we wouldn't have to
worry about you again after that."
"When you came onto me, was that part of a plan?" Cube was speaking,
rather than shouting, but anger cooled under her voice.
"No. That was just me. When you escaped…well, course I went too.
Onishima was furious. After he tried to grab you on the roof, he met up with
me, and said if I didn't help him he'd get me. I wasn't scared, but I wasn't too
pleased with you, Cube."
Beat shivered. There was low, angry menace under her voice.
"So I thought, well, I could use that. Hurt you and demoralize the rest
of your friends. I was going to tell him where the garage is, and he'd go in
with guns blazing. But now you're here, I've got a better idea."
"What?"
"You think I'm gonna tell you? The sickening thing about you guys is
you always win. I'm not giving you any more info than I want to."
"But why'd you go with Onishima and try and come onto me? Are you
–"
"I thought I'd have a bit of fun with you. Onishima was power. Sleep
with someone and one of you'll get power, and I got it off him. Now, enough
talking." They heard footsteps, and a quick scrape.
And then Cube screamed.
There was a click, and the speaker went silent.
"What's happened to it?" yelled Yo-Yo.
The Noise Tank, who was listening as well, shrugged. "Nothing to do
with the speaker. Someone turned her recorder off."
"We've got to get there," Combo said. "Now."
"Yeah." Gum had crept out to join the others, and was now looking
almost like her old self.
"Right," Beat said. "Hang on – someone'd better stay listening here, to
see if we get any news."
"I'll stay, if you want," said the Noise Tank. "This is a GG thing –
though I gotta say, I'd like to get that girl myself." His face was hidden, but
there was dark rage in his voice.
"Sorry, but I'm not leaving a rival gang member in our headquarters on
his own," Beat said. "No way."
The Noise Tank shrugged. "Sure."
"No, wait," Mew said. "I – I can stay here. I mean, I'm not a very good
fighter, and I don't mind…"
"There's no point. If I was gonna double-cross you – which I'm not – I
could overpower you easy."
"I don't care," Mew said, then blushed. "I mean…"
"Oh, look, just say yes!" Slate yelled. "We don't know what's
happening there –" He swallowed. "We need to move!"
"Okay," Beat said. "You two stay behind. We'll be back soon – I guess
– keep an ear out for Piranha, okay?"
And they dashed out of the garage.
Piranha crouched in the darkness, watching the Love Shockers skating. She'd
heard a phone ringing in Kell's office – and before that – or was it? – Cube had
screamed. What was going on?
Don't be stupid, she told herself. You know what's going on, hon. Kell
is making Cube suffer in that office, and you're hiding up here.
But what else could she do? If she went anywhere near the ground
floor, she'd be caught and then she'd be in the same position as Cube. Unless
the Love Shockers left the building, there was no way she could do anything.
She looked down at the skaters. In the dim light she couldn't pick out
faces, but she recognised the moves. Shar's wall ride. Kris's back flips.
Dash's jumps. She'd known these girls. They'd been her friends. Just like the
GGs. And yet they'd let her be killed if she was caught here now.
Piranha sighed. Well, just standing here wasn't gonna get anything
done. Pushing herself off the wall, she crept along the balcony. She was on
the middle one. A few metres along was the hole Cube had fallen through. As
she walked, she thought.
Kell had killed San. Piranha only dimly remembered San – she'd joined
just before Piranha left. But she'd seemed a perfectly okay rudie. No need to
do that to her.
Piranha shivered, and touched her own throat. Suddenly it felt very
vulnerable.
But Kell hadn't always been this crazy. Had she?
She'd come from Kogane-cho, and everyone knew what it was like
there. But so what if she came from there? Lots of rudies did. It was leading
in the running-away-from-home stakes.
(A/N – Bisho-jo, I know I'm sort of nicking your idea about Kogane
being the really horrible district to live in, but I think you're right. Hope you
don't mind!)
Piranha had never lived in it, and she'd been glad she didn't.
No, she thought, I wasn't an abused child. Just a complete bonehead
who quit school.
Notes. People passing notes round class, sticking them on her back.
Opening her locker to find insults scrawled all over her books…
Piranha bit her lip to drag herself back to the present. She glanced
round the hall. The Love Shockers were still skating. Did the GGs know what
was going on?
Anyway, Kell was from Kogane. She'd never talked much about her
life there. As a Love Shocker she'd been a good gang member. She's smart,
Piranha reflected. That time we were all cornered…she saved our butts. And
you gotta admit, even what she's doing now has style. Sick, horrible style, but
style nevertheless.
And she was okay to me.
As part of her brain tried to think of a plan, the rest fell back into
memory.
After a horrible trick played on her involving a boy she had a crush on, a
prom invitation, and a lot of pain, she'd decided she'd had enough, and she'd
announced that she was quitting school. This had prompted a furious row with
her parents, and that had prompted her to leave home.
So now she stood under a bus shelter, rain dribbling off the edge of the
roof and down her nose, wondering what to do. She wore her skates, and jeans
and a top. She was a pretty good skater, and she was wondering if she dared
join a gang of them. They might accept her. Be her friends.
Or they might bitch about her and set her up for a fall.
Piranha closed her eyes to stop the tears beginning to flow again. Her
eyes were tender and sore from all the crying she'd done the past day, and she
wasn't going to start again. When she opened them, she saw someone skating
towards her.
"What are you doing here, rudie, you're on our turf," the girl demanded.
She wore shorts with a pink stripe down the side, a black crop top with a
broken heart design, and an eyepatch. And white and pink skates. Her hair
was thick and dark, and came to her chin.
"None of your business," Piranha snapped. "And I'm not a rudie,
anyway."
"Then why the skates?" the other girl said.
"Well…" She may as well do it. "I was actually wanting to join up
with a gang. You know of any?"
"Do I know of any? I'm in the Love Shockers, of course I know of any.
You look pretty broken-hearted, I must say."
"I guess I am." At the thought of the whole horrible scene twenty-four
hours ago, Piranha felt her mouth crumple.
"Oh, geez, not tears. I can't handle'em. Well, I'll tell you what. If you
can keep up with me, then I'll put your name up for membership. Okay?"
"Sure. Thanks!"
"I'm only an associate at the moment – haven't got the hair…" She
touched a black rat tail of it as she spoke. "But I can nominate you. If you're
any good."
She leapt onto the railings, and ground along them. Piranha followed
her, heart pounding. If she flunked this…
The rail was slippery, but she kept her balance. She charged after the
girl, who was heading up to the hill district. The muscles in her legs began to
complain. She ignored them. She had to keep that pink figure in her sights.
The girl dashed off down a side street. Piranha followed, and they
skated down, down into the half pipe, which had a stream of water running
through it. As she skated, the rain flew up and bit into her clothes, sending icy
shivers through her skin.
The girl did a flip, and Piranha copied her, grateful now for all the time
she'd spent practising. And another flip. A leap. Out of the pipe, back at the
bus terminal. Grind. Up the banisters. Faster and faster. The rain rushed past
her eyes. Down again, back onto the ground. All she could see was the girl.
And then the girl stopped. Piranha skidded to a halt behind her, gasping
in air, and the girl called, "Well done. Let's move it!"
"You – you mean I passed?"
"Duh, of course you did. Let's go."
Piranha cursed herself. What was the matter with her? Just because she was in
an old HQ, she seemed to be taking too many trips down Memory Lane.
Anyway, she knew how that story had ended. Kell had taken her back
here, to this HQ, and she'd met the leader, Jay, who'd tested her as well…and
then she'd been given the uniform, and been a Love Shocker. And then –
Piranha swallowed back nausea. She wasn't going to remember the accident.
Jay had been shot down by a chopper some time before Piranha left.
But Kell hadn't been leader then. It had been another Love Shocker, called
Alex. But then Piranha had quit, and now Kell was leader. She wondered what
had happened to Alex.
Anyway, enough of that. A plan. Piranha thought. Did the GGs know
what had happened? Piranha was willing to bet that they did. After all, Kell
would love to worry them, and Cube might be gonna act as bait…
Piranha shivered. What was Kell planning now she'd got her hands on
Cube?
Use your imagination, she thought. Then wished she hadn't.
It was pitch black outside. Piranha glanced down at the skating Love
Shockers, and dragged the knife out of her belt. If she rushed down…
No.
Her hands were damp. She was stuck here, doing nothing, and she
couldn't help any of the others.
The knife slipping out of her fingers was not part of the plan.
She watched in horror as it struck the concrete floor, the clatter echoing
over the room. And the Love Shockers heard it.
"Don't tell me there's another of them up there," someone said.
Piranha ran. But she'd seen what happened to Cube. Chasing round the
balcony was useless.
There was a door on her left, bolted shut. She wrenched at the bolt, until
finally it shot across with a clatter. The door swung open, and she dashed
inside and pulled it shut again.
It was too dark to see anything except a thin sliver of night coming from
the boarded up window. Piranha leant against the door and tried to think
inconspicious thoughts. Could she hear footsteps behind her…
"Don't panic," she whispered to herself.
She nearly had a heart attack as a voice came out of the darkness. "I
won't if you won't, honey."
Mew watched the Noise Tank as he fine-tuned the speakers.
He said, "You're from Benten, aren't you?"
"Yeah. How d'you know?"
"I saw you skating. Why'd you leave?"
Mew shrugged. "This and that."
"Hey, that's all I get?"
She looked up at him. "All right, I admit it. I used to be a Noise Tank,
but I sucked at it."
"I don't remember you."
"I don't remember you, either. I guess it was before your time. After I
accidentally short-circuited our power supply instead of the city's and then sent
out a full-wave rectification signal that practically led the cops to us, I figured
it was time to move on."
He laughed. "I've seen you skate. You're good at that."
She grinned. "Thanks. What was really embarrassing was the other
girls were all really good at the electricity thing. They made fun of me. The
guys just patronised me and always sent me out to tag."
"I'm sorry. I wouldn't have done…I don't think." He looked down at
her, then glanced back to the speakers. "I hope your friends are okay."
"Me too."
Cube watched Kell like a mouse watching a cat. The Love Shocker had an
extremely nasty smile on her face.
Cube could feel the tears on her skin drying in the warmth of the office.
She remembered clicking off the tape recorder even as she'd cried out. She
was glad she had. She wouldn't have wanted the GGs to hear what had
happened. At the thought of it she shivered. She felt bruised all over, and her
head ached from holding back memories of the last few minutes.
"I reckon your friends will have left to find you now," Kell said. "But
they'll have left someone back at the garage. I think it's time to put paid to that
someone."
She began to dial a number.
"Are you okay now?" the Noise Tank asked her. "Your face and all?"
Mew felt the rough raised skin of the scar under her fingers. "Yeah. I
did thank you, didn't I?"
"Yeah. But you didn't need to. I would've done it for anyone."
"Hello?" Kell was almost breaking into song, she looked so happy.
"Hi, it's me. This is a tip off."
"It's so quiet out there without Onishima," Mew said.
"Don't tell me you miss him."
"The garage is on the corner of Lake Street, down a little cul-de-sac,"
Kell said. "I don't know if there's anyone in there, but you may as well make
sure."
"What's that?" The Noise Tank looked up.
"What?"
"I thought I heard footsteps. Surely they can't be back already."
Kell set down the phone. At the sight of her smirk, Cube felt herself trembling
with rage.
"You selling us to the cops now?" she hissed. "You low, sneaky cow."
Kell laughed. "Fighting talk for someone who's in your position."
"Shut up!"
Kell laughed. "Give me a break, GG. You know you're in trouble, and
so are they."
A burst of gunfire shattered the garage window, and Mew heard the Noise
Tank yell, "Get down!"
She threw herself onto the floor, feeling her heartbeat pounding up her
throat. Bullets tore over her head, and she heard the sound system explode
behind her.
"COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS UP…" someone blared through a
microphone. "I REPEAT, COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS UP, AND
YOU WILL NOT BE HARMED."
"What? What?" Onishima was yelling. "Whaddya mean, we won't
harm'em? They're rudies!"
"Look, just leave it to me, okay?" the other cop said. "YOU HAVE
TEN SECONDS…"
Mew glanced over at the Noise Tank. He shook his head. "If we go out
there," he whispered, "we'll end up back in jail. I ain't crazy about that one
bit."
Mew nodded. She tried to catch her breath, and waited for the silence to
be broken.
Five seconds later, it was.
The street map was gutted across the centre, and the car had its windows
blown out like hail. Mew felt tiny shards of glass land on her, and wished she
could melt into the floor. The Noise Tank gripped her hand. More bullets
ended the life of the pinball machine. Mew wondered how Slate would react
when he knew.
"We've got to get out of here," the Noise Tank whispered. "Any
windowless rooms around?"
Mew nodded. "Over there!" She pointed to the room both Gum and
Piranha had been shedding tears in lately.
They wriggled across the floor, bullets ricocheting off the walls behind
them. The Noise Tank reached the door, shoved it open, and crawled inside.
Mew made to follow, when she remembered Potts. She stopped, looked
around for him –
– a bullet hit her leg.
Mew watched the red seeping through her tights, and froze. She
couldn't move. The shooting was drowned out by the ringing in her ears.
She felt hands under her arms, and realised the Noise Tank was
dragging her into the room. Once she was inside, he banged the door shut and
shoved a chair in front of it, then said, "Why the hell did you stop?"
"I was looking for Potts…" Mew whispered. Her head ached, and she
could feel sweat breaking out on her face.
"He's here." The Noise Tank pointed to Potts, who was crouching in a
corner, growling. "I think he remembers me." He stretched out a hand to
Potts, who snapped at it. "See?"
Mew tried to force a grin, but she was feeling worse every second. "I
think I'm gonna be – "
She dragged herself towards the bathroom as fast as she could, and just
made it in time. As she threw up, she felt the Noise Tank holding back her hair
away from her face. When she'd finished, he filled her a glass of water.
"Thanks." Mew took deep breaths. "Are they still shooting?"
"Think so. I wonder how strong the walls are."
"They'll come in – sooner or later, won't they?"
"I guess so." The Noise Tank sighed. "There's nothing we can do."
Piranha could feel her heart bouncing off her ribs like a pinball. Her throat had
suddenly gone painfully dry.
"Who is it?" she whispered.
"You're not a Love Shocker, are you?"
"No." Trying to pass herself off as one wouldn't work for very long.
"Then I can tell you. My name's Alex."
"Alex? What – you mean – former leader?"
"Oh, so you are a Love Shocker?"
"No, I was. I'm Piranha. Don't you remember me?" Now she thought
about it, the voice was slightly familiar.
"Yeah, I remember a girl called Piranha. What's to say you're her?"
"I – I am her – I left, to join the GGs, remember? How else d'you think
I found my way in here? I came to find my friend…" Piranha stopped. "How
do I know you're you, anyway?"
"Maybe you should open the shutters," the voice said.
Piranha walked gingerly through the darkness towards the slit of night.
Putting out a hand, she touched wooden boards.
"They're nailed up there. But I think they're pretty rusty."
Piranha managed to locate the edge of the board, gripped it, and pulled.
There was a crunch, and she fell backwards, clutching part of a rotting
piece of wood in her hand, dust and splinters spilling over her. Coughing, she
looked around.
Her actions had let in only dim light, that chased shadows over her face
and over the objects in the room. She looked around, and gasped.
Lying on a mattress in the corner was a Love Shocker. Piranha
recognised her as Alex, but horror was creeping over her at how much the girl
had changed.
Alex was emaciated. Her eyes lay back in her skull. The pink dye and
spikes of her hair had almost grown out, and lank, red hair tipped with the pink
reached to her shoulders. She still wore her Love Shocker clothes, but they
were crumpled and dirty, and her feet were bare.
"What's happened to you?" Piranha said.
"Kell happened to me. You must've figured she don't like people
hanging around who might win over her."
"But why didn't she tag you ten times then?"
"Duh! Firstly, I'd still be around, ready to get revenge, and secondly it's
more fun this way…" She coughed. "Look." She held up an arm. It was
pockmarked with scars. "Amazing what you can do with a few matches."
"You are joking."
Alex shook her head, a slight grin on her face. "Anyway, what are you
doing here?"
Piranha explained all that had happened to them, as she listened to
running footsteps outside the room. She remembered that she hadn't rebolted
the door. Would they notice it?
Alex sighed. "I don't give much for your friend's chances. Did she
deliberately set out to get Kell mad?"
"Well, I guess the others will come, and we can do something…"
Piranha tried not to look at Alex's scars. "Any tips?"
The other girl grinned. "You're asking me? You could try tagging her
ten times. That'd be a sight for sore eyes."
"I wish. You wanna come with me – I mean – now?"
Alex shook her head. "Can't." She held up a wrist, and Piranha saw
she'd been cuffed to the heating pipe running down the wall.
"But you can't stay here!"
"It's not as bad as you'd think. I can keep smiling. The day she stops
me doing that I'll starve myself. Which won't be too difficult on the rations
she gives me."
"But –"
Alex saw her looking at the scars, and rolled her eyes. "Piranha, I'm
used to that. You forget exactly what pain's like after it's happened, and
grinning and bearing it isn't that hard. Now listen. I think I know where Kell
has her 'office,' and I just remembered a little secret only the leaders get to
hear about."
"What?"
"There's a secret corridor down into that office. Door's blocked by a
cupboard but Jay cut the back through so you can get through it. If you take
the second door along from this room, you should get to it."
"How come Kell doesn't know about this?"
"I was leader before her, and I ain't talking. Entrance is behind another
cupboard. Jay told me – I was always gonna be the next leader, you see."
"Do any of the other Love Shockers know you're here?"
"Are you kidding? They may be vicious, but they got loyalty. Kell's
raving. I have to say I'm just glad San isn't leader. It's not a nice job."
"San?"
"My sister." Alex sighed. "She ran away to follow me. I quit home,
then later she did too. I was furious with her. But she wouldn't go. Is she
okay?"
She looked up at Piranha, her eyes concerned. "Silly little kid. Well,
what's she like now? Have you met her since you quit?"
Piranha looked down at her, and remembered a dead face and a bloody
throat.
"Alex – I – I'm sorry. She's dead."
Alex's face only cracked for a moment, then the half-grin was back in
place. She sighed. "Oh, well…thanks for telling me. How did it happen?
Onishima? Or did she fall?"
Piranha could see the girl's hand clenched on the heating pipe.
"Kell killed her," she said.
Alex's eyes darkened. "I see. Well, you'd better go."
"Alex –"
"Go, okay? The best you can do for me is get her." She smiled
painfully. "Don't worry. And rebolt the door. Wouldn't want Kell to notice
it."
Piranha walked towards the door. She couldn't hear the running
footsteps any more. Taking a deep breath, she slipped round the door.
The Love Shockers were back on the ground. Piranha rebolted the door,
and headed to the room two doors along.
She opened the door. The handle was very dusty.
She stepped into what must have once been an office. Furniture, damp
and mildewed, was piled up on one side. But there was a large cupboard on her
left. She dragged it away, muscles complaining, to reveal a large hole that had
been knocked into the adjacent wall.
Piranha gingerly stepped towards it, dodging a dead light fitting. It
seemed to be the beginning of a tunnel. The air in it was clammy and cold.
Hanging on the back of the cupboard was a torch. She picked it up,
switched it on, and shining it along the tunnel into the darkness, she set off.
Mew heard the sound of breaking glass, and glanced at the Noise Tank.
"Right," he said. He'd bandaged her leg with a sheet from the bed,
which was slowly turning crimson. "Can you walk?"
"I can try."
"Okay. Is that car you got still working?"
"I guess. Unless they shot the tyres out."
"Hey, Mew baby, you wanna go for a little drive with me?" He put an
arm round her shoulders. "Okay. Let's get moving."
Five seconds later Onishima burst through the door waving a gun and
shouting, "Gotcha – huh?"
He stepped further in to check the bathroom. "Come on out, rudies, I
know you're in here!"
Mew and the Noise Tank dodged out from behind the door, and ran for
the car.
The Noise Tank threw open the door, swept glass off the seats, jumped
into the driver's seat, dragged Mew in beside him, and revved up the engine.
The car screeched round 180 degrees, and then charged towards the door.
"Watch out!" Mew yelled as it loomed up in front of them.
"What?"
There was a crash, and they burst through the door, across the street,
turned in the doorway of a house and tore off down the road. The Keisatsu
dashed out of the garage and into their cars, and set off in hot pursuit.
"Great," Mew said, brushing glass off her lap. The sirens were wailing
behind them. "I sure hope Yo-Yo filled up the tank before he left."
"No worries!" The Noise Tank was positively glowing. "I'm a great
driver!"
Mew cringed as they avoided a lamppost. "Really?"
"You guys ever driven this before? I ain't seen you out in it."
"No. I don't know why we have it." Mew glanced in the shattered wing
mirror. Through the cracks she made out their pursuers hurtling towards them,
getting closer. "Where are we heading, anyway?"
"Where'd you think? My kinda place, of course. Mew, you're about to
see Benten again!"
Piranha made her way down concrete steps, the torch picking out spider webs
as she went. The ceiling was worryingly low, scraping the top of her head.
The whole place smelt old. And she was really having to work on ignoring the
thought that said 'Suppose there's a Love Shocker creeping up behind you with
a knife right now…"
Finally she reached the end of the passage. Her way was blocked by a
wooden door. Beyond it she could hear voices.
Carefully, she slid the door back into the wall, where a groove had been
cut to accommodate it, praying that she wasn't giving away her position.
In front of her was what was unmistakeably a cupboard. She stepped
into it, and leant against the door.
The voices were louder now.
"Okay," Cube was saying. "So you cut me. So you burnt me. So you –
well, it's not rape, I guess, but whatever you did then to me. Now what?
Beheading?"
She sounded tired, and angry, and miserable, but she was alive, and she
was talking. Two good signs, Piranha thought.
"Oh, don't tempt me." Kell's voice was maliciously satisfied.
"Revenge is sweet. Very sweet. Talk about power now – mom had nothing on
me."
"Power?" Cube said.
"What else do you think I've got?"
"You think you've got power?" The scorn hummed in Piranha's ears.
"Like you've got anything! You're head of the most cheap, two-bit gang in
Tokyo-to. You've sold yourself to a cop. And so you got me – so what? You
can't make me respect you. You're pathetic!"
Piranha waited in horror for Kell's reaction.
"My gang is not cheap," the Love Shocker snarled. "Because soon you
GGs are gonna be out of business, and then we'll be the ones in Shibuya-cho.
They're coming right now, and I'm gonna kill them, and if there are any left
I'll send them off to jail. And you can't do anything to stop me."
"You still won't get respect. Your gang despises you. We despise you.
The Noise Tanks despise you. And I don't reckon Onishima thinks too highly
of you either. You're just another warped Kogane kid, and that's all you'll
ever be."
Piranha caught her breath. Ouch, she thought. This is getting nasty. All
right, nastier. Maybe I should do something – but no. I don't wanna get
caught myself.
"Shut up, Goth."
"That's hardly an insult. At least I don't go around whining 'cos my
guy left me."
"Guy? Ha! I didn't join for that."
"Then why did you? So you could screw your taggers?"
"I joined so I wouldn't have to work with any guys. I hate them.
They're so stupid, always shoving around, taking what they want, throwing
stuff, shouting. Girls are better. Girls have power…"
"You're obsessed with power." Cube's voice was stronger. Piranha
silently willed her to keep fighting.
"And why not? It's a good thing to have, right? You don't have it. I
saw you, sticking your tongue down that big-nosed freak's throat…he's got
you on a string, all he has to do is pull."
"That's not true." Cube's voice was hard. "You don't know anything
about guys."
"Oh, I think I do. My mom had them every night. They used to come
home and do me after they did her. We talked…we knew there was never any
point in them. I hate them. I hate them. I hate them all."
Piranha tried not to breathe too loudly. There was a black silence on the
other side of the door.
Then she heard footsteps, and another voice said, "Kell, I think the rest
of the GGs are coming."
"Great!" Kell's voice rose back to normal. "Well, let's roll, Cube. Or
rather, I will. Your gang ain't gonna be doing much after tonight."
(Don't forget to r+r!)
(Here we are, next chapter. Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last one!
This is quite vicious – for me anyway – enjoy! And r+r or meet a painful
death.)
"This," said Beat, "is the plan."
The GGs – well, eight of them, Gum still remaining apart from the rest –
faced him and waited.
"Okay. We're agreed, we need to find out why Onishima's not been
doing anything about the Love Shockers, right?"
They nodded. Beat took a deep breath. It would require all his powers
of persuasion and public speaking to get them to agree with this.
"It's the only way to involve a gang fight which'll probably be messy,
violent and deadly, right?"
"Right," Tab said. "So what's the plan?"
Beat grinned. "All we need is for someone to sneak into the police
station, and someone to sneak into Love Shocker HQ!"
"WHAT?" everyone yelled.
"Oh, come on!" Beat said. "Look, it's not that bad. If you get caught in
one, you'll just get banged up for the rest of your natural life. If you get caught
in the other, you'll be gutted like a fish…"
"Well, speaking personally, I'd rather have the gang fight," Piranha said.
"Beat, that's suicidal!"
"Not if we plan it right. You're useful 'cos you know your way around
the Love Shockers' place, right?"
"Yeah…but what about the police station? No way are we gonna be
able to get in there."
"Well, we can do the Love Shockers' HQ. Now, who's gonna
volunteer? I mean, I'm sure you'll all gonna jump at the chance to – guys?
Guys?"
Beat looked round the empty garage.
Eventually he managed to convince them, and then came the choice of who
was going to do it. Piranha was an obvious choice for the Love Shockers, but
everyone agreed she shouldn't go alone.
Cube stood at the back, feeling scared. She was out of plaster now, but
she hadn't gone out yet. Her legs were too weak to skate, for one thing. But –
she admitted it to herself – she was too scared to go out.
And that made her furious.
"Okay," Beat said. "Anyone want to volunteer, or shall I get some
straws?"
"I'll do it."
Cube wondered if she'd gone crazy. But she didn't feel crazy. Her
heart was thumping, but everything seemed very clear suddenly.
"You can't!" Slate said. "You're still laid up –"
"No, I'm not. I can walk, I just can't skate."
"Exactly! You'd just slow Piranha down, it'd be dangerous –"
"It's dangerous already. Look, I've faced Kell once, and I survived,
didn't I?" Even to her ears it sounded a pretty weak line, but she carried on. "I
know what she's like more than any of you. Also –"
"Don't be stupid, Cube," Combo said. "I'll go, okay?"
"You can't." Cube could feel her hands shaking. She clutched one with
the other. "You're too noticeable. Me and Piranha are girls at least."
"Yeah, she's got a point," Piranha said. "No guys can go, 'cos no guys
are allowed anywhere near the place. We used to take pot shots at any dumb
enough to come over here. So it's gonna have to be me and another girl."
"Not Gum," Beat said, and they all agreed with him. Gum had been
lurking alone all day. Beat and Piranha had been the only ones to speak to her.
"Well, what about Mew?" Slate said.
"Look, I want to go. She doesn't – do you?"
Mew shook her head, and said, "But – Cube – you've been hurt. I'm
okay with going, really I am –"
"No."
"Well…okay, then," Beat said. "But I don't like it."
Cube didn't either. But if she didn't do this, she'd never get out of the
garage. She could feel it.
Face your fear, she told herself.
"Tonight, then," Beat said. "And remember, you're just eavesdropping,
okay? Trying to find out how she's getting away with this, and anything else
useful."
Yo-Yo started humming the Mission:Impossible theme tune.
Another night in Shibuya-cho. (A/N: And don't start in on me about the
perpetual daylight thing. Check out Chapter 7 for my explanation.)
Cube had watched the fading daylight with unease. But now, as she
stuck the knife into her belt, the adrenaline started to kick in, and she almost
looked forward to it. She and Piranha each had also a small tape recorder built
into their watches by the Noise Tank, just in case.
Piranha was wearing a black copy of her normal clothes, decorated with
purple stars, and it made everything seem more eerie, as though she and the
world had been placed in shadow.
"You ready?" she said to Cube, who nodded.
"Okay, be careful," Beat said. He'd run his fingers through his hair so
much it now stood up all over his head and made him look like he'd just been
struck by lightning. "If things get tough, leg it outta there and don't kill anyone
unless you have to. Things get difficult then."
"Hey, I'm not in a bloodthirsty mood," Piranha said. She threw him a
mock salute, and then the two girls headed towards the door.
Cube took a deep breath as Piranha opened it, and a slab of moonlight
was thrown onto the garage floor. She was not scared. She was not. She could
walk out there like she'd done hundreds of times before.
Her hands were shaking again. And her stomach was rolling like a ship
in a storm.
She breathed in again, and stepped outside, and was angry to realise she
was trembling. As they began to walk, she focused on the taste of the night air,
and clenched her fists.
The streets were quiet again. The inhabitants of Shibuya-cho were all
inside, watching TV or sleeping, Cube figured. Either that or they'd headed to
Benten to party. That was like it was every night. But normally Onishima's
voice would be crackling through the radio, and they'd be hearing choppers
humming over their heads.
But tonight, nothing.
"Piranha," Cube said.
"Hmm?"
"If you do need to run – or escape by grinding or something – just do it,
okay? I'll be able to handle myself, and I don't want you to get caught waiting
for me."
"If you say so. But I ain't gonna want to leave you behind, okay? I
don't know why you wanted to come, but you seemed like it was important to
you, so I'm cool with it."
"Okay." Well, at least Piranha wasn't mad with her.
Love Shocker HQ was a large grey building which looked like it might
have once been part of a factory. Thin windows ran up its sides, some
smashed, some tinted pink by long-forgotten tags.
Piranha had an angry grin on her face. "Good to see the old place
again," she whispered.
"How're we gonna get in?"
"They don't use most of it. Follow me."
She led the way up an old fire escape which creaked ominously under
their feet. Cube remembered the pole they'd all hung off after the escape, and
gulped. When they reached the top, Piranha pushed open the door.
"They're pretty lax," she whispered. "There's loads of locked doors
lower down, and who'd challenge them anyway?"
Inside moonlight glittered on the puddles of rainwater on the floor.
Cube and Piranha crept past blank glass-fronted office doors. Once or twice
Cube caught a glimpse of an old desk or chair, often overturned or rotting.
There was a gloomy feel to the whole place, as though too much of it was
forgotten. Cube thought of the garage, and was grateful for it.
She tried to ignore the voice whispering in her ear: What if Kell's
watching us right now?
She shivered, and told herself it was because of the icy air rippling
through the smashed windows.
There was a door at the end of the corridor. Piranha tried it, but it was
locked.
"Right," she murmured, and took out a lockpick.
"How'd you learn that?" Cube asked.
"I've been around." Piranha straightened up, and turned the doorhandle.
The door opened.
She glanced in, and put a finger to her lips. Cube followed her gaze.
The door led onto a grey metal balcony, the sort you see in prison
movies, which encircled a huge room the size of a sports hall. In the dim light
Cube could see several Love Shockers, far below, practising jumps and moves.
"What now?" she said. "I can't see if Kell's there…"
"Well, there's no point staying here," Piranha said. "Let's go. And
walk quiet."
They crept out onto the balcony. Cube could hear the girls below
laughing, shouting, teasing each other. Just like the GGs. And yet, if they saw
her, they'd kill her.
"We need to get down to them," Piranha said. "Stairs ahead – and keep
quiet."
Cube's footsteps seemed painfully loud on the metal-grille floor. Surely
someone would look up…
The balcony was becoming rustier. Copper flecks clung to their feet.
"This looks kinda dangerous," Piranha said. "Maybe we'd better turn
back."
Cube shook her head. She had to keep going now, or she'd run back
into the corridor, down the fire escape and back to the garage. The night
seemed brighter outside, spilling in through shattered windows, and the wall
was damp and had drips running down it like varicose veins.
They reached the stairs, and scurried down them. Now they could be
seen from the ground. And Cube could hear what the Love Shockers were
saying: "Call that a wall ride? More like a wall fall!" "Race you to the door!"
"Where's Kell, anyway?" "Lurking in her office. She said she had some
phone calls to make." "I didn't know we had a phone!" "Well, wake up. Only
Kell's allowed to use it, though."
"Talk about Little Miss Secretary," Piranha whispered.
The balcony was rustier now, and wobbled under their feet.
"Be careful…" Piranha said.
Cube walked on. If she stayed still for too long she felt an urge just to
freeze and hope she blended into the wall.
Then there was a horrible crunch, and she felt herself falling through the
floor. There was one more balcony below her, and she hit it with a bone-
shaking crash.
Why do I seem to spend most of my life falling off things? she asked
herself.
"Hey, there's someone up there!" yelled a Love Shocker.
Cube's pulse rate moved into second gear. She stayed absolutely still.
"Nah, can't be."
"I'm telling you, someone fell through the balcony. I'm going up to
check it out."
"Could be a serial killer."
Cube carefully stood up, and wondered if she dare make a break for the
stairs.
"Chicken!"
"All right, all right, I'm coming!"
Footsteps on the stairs below.
Cube began to run.
"Told you! Quick, move it!"
If she could reach the steps before they got to the top…but her legs were
beginning to ache, dull tiredness spreading through them, and she cursed
kneecaps, and plaster casts, and everything.
And there they were, coming to meet her. A torch burnt her eyes, and a
girl said, "I don't believe it – it's that GG!"
"What are you two bitches doing up there?"
That was Kell's voice. Cube bit down a whimper.
"There's that GG up here, Kell," called one of the girls. "Cube. You
know."
"What the – grab her and bring her down here!"
Cube felt a hand grip her wrist, and just like she'd done before, she
turned and punched the girl in the face. Then she ran, the opposite way,
gritting her teeth against her aching muscles, and trying to reach the stairs,
which she could just make out in the darkness.
She was nearly there, when – crash – she collided with a Love Shocker,
who grabbed the front of her shirt. Cube hit out wildly. Then she felt
something thin and sharp touch her throat.
"Don't move," gasped the Love Shocker.
Cube groped for her knife. Her hand closed on it, and she stabbed out.
The other girl screamed, "Bitch!" and she felt the knife tear down her cheek.
The other Love Shocker had got hold of her hand, and was trying to
break her hold on the knife. Cube gripped it, feeling the handle dig into her
palm.
More footsteps. The other Love Shockers were coming up to help.
Cube scratched, punched, felt her fingers ripped off the knife, which clattered
to the ground far below. Then an arm was round her neck, and the Love
Shocker was choking her.
"Give up," she was saying, "Give up or I'll kill you!"
No way was Cube going to do that. She kicked back, felt her foot
scrape down shin, heard the other girl gasp – the view was beginning to wobble
– lights were flickering in front of her eyes – she needed air –
More hands grabbed her arms, and someone said, "It's okay, Shar, you
can let go now."
The pressure on her throat was released, and she fell forward.
"Quit struggling," someone said. "Geez, I thought she'd finished you
off. What are you doing here? Crazy?"
"None of your business."
"Well, get you!" sneered the Love Shocker. "Right, let's get moving.
Mustn't keep Kell waiting."
They dragged her down the stairs. Cube fought against their grip, but
they all knew there was no way she could get away. But if she didn't fight,
she'd sink down and sob, and then her humiliation would be complete.
They reached the ground, and she was dragged towards a door with light
glowing behind it. It opened, and Kell strode out. She was holding a torch,
which glowed feebly in the darkness of the huge hall.
"Cube? What are you doing here?" She shone the light into Cube's
face.
"Felt like coming along to see how the riff-raff live," Cube retorted.
"You are either very stupid or very mad," Kell said. "Although I guess
I'm glad. Now you can watch while I destroy your gang."
She's just trying to scare you, Cube told herself. She hasn't done
anything. She hasn't. Has she?
"Hold her out here a minute," Kell said, walking back into the office.
"What are you doing here, anyway?" asked a Love Shocker. "I
wouldn't go near her if I were you."
Cube shrugged. "Told you. I had some business here."
"You weren't gonna try and kill her, were you?" another girl said.
"Why should I tell you anything?"
The door opened again, and Kell called, "Bring her in."
The small room seemed even more claustrophobic after the echoing
emptiness of the hall. There was a desk in the centre, which Kell was perched
on at the moment, and stuck into it was a knife.
Cube felt her breathing quicken, and her palms were damp. Fighting
down the panic attack, she struggled as she was dragged over to the heating
pipe running vertically down the far wall. That is, she figured it was a heating
pipe – as they bound her wrists to it she felt nothing but cold rust.
"Scat," Kell said to the other Love Shockers. "I'm gonna make a call to
the GGs."
"I didn't know we had a phone," Cube said.
"Well, live and learn, don't you? Actually, I borrowed an old directory,
and found your place when it was still the Hung Foo Shin Garage." Her pink-
nailed fingers stabbed the numbers, and then she leaned back, a smug smile on
her face.
Cube heard, dimly, Beat's voice. "Hello?"
"That's Beat, leader of the GGs, right?" Kell twisted the phone cord
round a finger. "It is? Great. You see – no, of course I'm not moving onto
anonymous phone calls. You'd always know it's me. Anyway, I've got one of
your little pals here. Caught her snooping round our place. Not exactly a
polite thing to do."
She listened. Cube could hear Beat speaking, but couldn't make out the
words. Then Kell said, "Fine. You don't believe me – say hi to her yourself."
She held the reciever to Cube's face, and Cube heard Beat saying, "I'm
not gonna believe you until –"
"Beat," she said, "it's me."
"Cube?"
"Yep." She sighed. "I guess you were right after all. I shouldn't have
gone."
Kell, lighting a cigarette with her free hand, snorted.
"Are you okay?" he said.
"I'm fine. Look, don't worry about me, okay? I was stupid to come
here alone, and now I'm paying for it."
"Alone – oh. Right."
Kell lifted the cigarette and inhaled. Cube smelt the smoke curling
round her.
"Don't worry, Cube, we're gonna get you out of there, okay?"
"I knew you –" Kell brought the end of the cigarette down on the side
of her neck, and she screamed.
"Cube? Cube? What's –"
Kell laughed, and said into the reciever, "Don't worry, GG. Just a little
preliminary run."
Beat shouted something, and she said, "Geez, what an unoriginal insult.
Anyway, gotta go."
And put down the phone.
Beat stood there, holding a cracked and dusty reciever, and kicked the wall.
"What's going on?" Mew said. "What's happened to Cube?"
"They've got her," Beat said.
Slate's knees gave way and he dropped onto the sofa; Combo went pale.
"What about Piranha?" asked Garam.
"I think she's okay. Cube said something about how dumb she was to
come alone, I think she was trying to say they don't know Piranha's there."
"We got to get her out of there," Combo said. "You know what Kell'll
do to her if we don't –"
"Hey, I never said we couldn't. But we gotta make a plan. And it's
gotta be fool-proof."
Kell inhaled on the cigarette, and blew out a cloud of smoke. Cube got the
feeling she was doing it to show off.
"That'll kill your lungs," she said, trying to ignore the stinging from the
burn on her skin. She didn't normally care whether people smoked, but if she
was trapped here, she may as well get Kell annoyed.
"Geez, you're prissy, aren't you?" Kell smirked.
"Hey, you'll be the one collapsing when you try and skate up the hill."
Kell was about to answer when the phone rang. Rolling her eyes, she
reached over and picked it up. "Hello?"
Then she hissed, "Look, I told you never to call me here! Do you have
any idea what the others would do if they found out how we've got away with
the tagging?"
Cube's ears pricked up, and carefully she pressed the Activate button on
her watch-tape recorder.
The person on the other end of the line was shouting. It was a scratchy,
furious voice.
"Geez, do you know how many people have called me a dirty rudie? If
you thought that, why'd you let me –"
The voice cut her off.
She laughed. "You know you liked it. Why not admit it, rudies aren't
as bad as they seem?"
Cube watched her. She was smirking, the torchlight chasing the
shadows to the back of her face.
"I can handle the GGs," she said at last.
The voice didn't seem to think so.
"Look, I've got one of them in here right now!"
The voice didn't yell so much. The tone was an ordering one, though.
"I don't see why we need to speed up the plan," Kell snapped. "I've got
them scared –"
"Like hell you have!" Cube yelled.
Still holding the phone, Kell picked up the knife and slashed down the
side of Cube's jaw, then said, "Scare each one, then I'll let you go in. You
know whenever you try and catch them you fail…"
Cube gasped. Surely it couldn't be…
"Why? What's the hurry?" Kell wasn't looking so happy now.
"Oh, I see. Your reputation." She kicked at the desk. "Well, that's
understandable. Having the entire population of the Juvie Skaters Correction
Place escape from under your very nose – are they thinking of downgrading
you? I guess your badge is important to you after all. Not that it shows…"
She laughed as the voice shouted again.
"All right, all right. I'll move against them tonight. I got someone who
can help me with that…" She grinned at Cube. The voice spoke some more,
and she rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I know the bargain! You don't try and
arrest us, and we don't do any more tagging."
She rested her crossed fingers on her lap.
"Look, the police station was a hitch, all right? A casualty of war.
Now, we know the rules, right? I get to play with the GGs myself, and then
you get to pop round and collect what's left. And we're both happy. Now
don't call here again."
She slammed down the phone, and said to it, "You dumb idiot. Think
I'm gonna keep my promises to you?"
"You making bargains with cops?" Cube asked. She tried to fight down
the rage in her voice.
"What's it to you? As a matter of fact, yes I am."
"What's the bargain?"
Kell shrugged. "I said on the phone. I use my gang to smush you GGs,
get to hurt you a bit, then he can move in and take you off to Sing Sing. Suits
me. Not, of course, that I'm gonna keep my side of the deal. No tagging –
god, who does he think he's dealing with?"
"Who is he?" Cube felt the tape recorder purring under her fingers, and
hoped the others were picking this up. The Noise Tank had made it so that
whatever the recorder picked up was played out of a speaker back at the
garage.
"Who is he? Well, I thought you could guess. Who hates your guts?
Who caught you all, then lost you again? Who has a rudie-hating reputation to
keep up?"
"Is it –" Cube hesitated. "Is it Onishima?"
"And Cube scoops the…"
"…Jackpot on tonight's show." Kell's voice blared from the speakers. "Of
course it is. Only he'd be so stupid as to let me get the hold I've got over him."
"What d'you mean?" Cube sounded remarkably calm, Beat thought.
"Well, can you imagine the scandal if it got out that the Chief Of Police
was screwing the rudies he'd caught?"
There was a very long silence, before Cube said, "You didn't –"
"Of course I did. Don't look so surprised, honey, under that trenchcoat
he's the same as any other man."
"I think I'm gonna puke…" Mew said.
"Ssh!" Beat listened intently.
"And you see, now if that gets out he'll be ruined. I figured that, so
when he caught me I – hopped on the good foot and did the bad thing – and
forced him to work with me. Let myself get sent to jail, and I spied for him."
"Huh?"
"Oh, god, Cube, stop being so dim. I'd keep my ears open – hear where
people's hideouts were – tell him – he'd go in and nab'em. In return he left the
Love Shockers alone."
"Did you get us caught?"
"No, that was him. I thought – we both thought – we wouldn't have to
worry about you again after that."
"When you came onto me, was that part of a plan?" Cube was speaking,
rather than shouting, but anger cooled under her voice.
"No. That was just me. When you escaped…well, course I went too.
Onishima was furious. After he tried to grab you on the roof, he met up with
me, and said if I didn't help him he'd get me. I wasn't scared, but I wasn't too
pleased with you, Cube."
Beat shivered. There was low, angry menace under her voice.
"So I thought, well, I could use that. Hurt you and demoralize the rest
of your friends. I was going to tell him where the garage is, and he'd go in
with guns blazing. But now you're here, I've got a better idea."
"What?"
"You think I'm gonna tell you? The sickening thing about you guys is
you always win. I'm not giving you any more info than I want to."
"But why'd you go with Onishima and try and come onto me? Are you
–"
"I thought I'd have a bit of fun with you. Onishima was power. Sleep
with someone and one of you'll get power, and I got it off him. Now, enough
talking." They heard footsteps, and a quick scrape.
And then Cube screamed.
There was a click, and the speaker went silent.
"What's happened to it?" yelled Yo-Yo.
The Noise Tank, who was listening as well, shrugged. "Nothing to do
with the speaker. Someone turned her recorder off."
"We've got to get there," Combo said. "Now."
"Yeah." Gum had crept out to join the others, and was now looking
almost like her old self.
"Right," Beat said. "Hang on – someone'd better stay listening here, to
see if we get any news."
"I'll stay, if you want," said the Noise Tank. "This is a GG thing –
though I gotta say, I'd like to get that girl myself." His face was hidden, but
there was dark rage in his voice.
"Sorry, but I'm not leaving a rival gang member in our headquarters on
his own," Beat said. "No way."
The Noise Tank shrugged. "Sure."
"No, wait," Mew said. "I – I can stay here. I mean, I'm not a very good
fighter, and I don't mind…"
"There's no point. If I was gonna double-cross you – which I'm not – I
could overpower you easy."
"I don't care," Mew said, then blushed. "I mean…"
"Oh, look, just say yes!" Slate yelled. "We don't know what's
happening there –" He swallowed. "We need to move!"
"Okay," Beat said. "You two stay behind. We'll be back soon – I guess
– keep an ear out for Piranha, okay?"
And they dashed out of the garage.
Piranha crouched in the darkness, watching the Love Shockers skating. She'd
heard a phone ringing in Kell's office – and before that – or was it? – Cube had
screamed. What was going on?
Don't be stupid, she told herself. You know what's going on, hon. Kell
is making Cube suffer in that office, and you're hiding up here.
But what else could she do? If she went anywhere near the ground
floor, she'd be caught and then she'd be in the same position as Cube. Unless
the Love Shockers left the building, there was no way she could do anything.
She looked down at the skaters. In the dim light she couldn't pick out
faces, but she recognised the moves. Shar's wall ride. Kris's back flips.
Dash's jumps. She'd known these girls. They'd been her friends. Just like the
GGs. And yet they'd let her be killed if she was caught here now.
Piranha sighed. Well, just standing here wasn't gonna get anything
done. Pushing herself off the wall, she crept along the balcony. She was on
the middle one. A few metres along was the hole Cube had fallen through. As
she walked, she thought.
Kell had killed San. Piranha only dimly remembered San – she'd joined
just before Piranha left. But she'd seemed a perfectly okay rudie. No need to
do that to her.
Piranha shivered, and touched her own throat. Suddenly it felt very
vulnerable.
But Kell hadn't always been this crazy. Had she?
She'd come from Kogane-cho, and everyone knew what it was like
there. But so what if she came from there? Lots of rudies did. It was leading
in the running-away-from-home stakes.
(A/N – Bisho-jo, I know I'm sort of nicking your idea about Kogane
being the really horrible district to live in, but I think you're right. Hope you
don't mind!)
Piranha had never lived in it, and she'd been glad she didn't.
No, she thought, I wasn't an abused child. Just a complete bonehead
who quit school.
Notes. People passing notes round class, sticking them on her back.
Opening her locker to find insults scrawled all over her books…
Piranha bit her lip to drag herself back to the present. She glanced
round the hall. The Love Shockers were still skating. Did the GGs know what
was going on?
Anyway, Kell was from Kogane. She'd never talked much about her
life there. As a Love Shocker she'd been a good gang member. She's smart,
Piranha reflected. That time we were all cornered…she saved our butts. And
you gotta admit, even what she's doing now has style. Sick, horrible style, but
style nevertheless.
And she was okay to me.
As part of her brain tried to think of a plan, the rest fell back into
memory.
After a horrible trick played on her involving a boy she had a crush on, a
prom invitation, and a lot of pain, she'd decided she'd had enough, and she'd
announced that she was quitting school. This had prompted a furious row with
her parents, and that had prompted her to leave home.
So now she stood under a bus shelter, rain dribbling off the edge of the
roof and down her nose, wondering what to do. She wore her skates, and jeans
and a top. She was a pretty good skater, and she was wondering if she dared
join a gang of them. They might accept her. Be her friends.
Or they might bitch about her and set her up for a fall.
Piranha closed her eyes to stop the tears beginning to flow again. Her
eyes were tender and sore from all the crying she'd done the past day, and she
wasn't going to start again. When she opened them, she saw someone skating
towards her.
"What are you doing here, rudie, you're on our turf," the girl demanded.
She wore shorts with a pink stripe down the side, a black crop top with a
broken heart design, and an eyepatch. And white and pink skates. Her hair
was thick and dark, and came to her chin.
"None of your business," Piranha snapped. "And I'm not a rudie,
anyway."
"Then why the skates?" the other girl said.
"Well…" She may as well do it. "I was actually wanting to join up
with a gang. You know of any?"
"Do I know of any? I'm in the Love Shockers, of course I know of any.
You look pretty broken-hearted, I must say."
"I guess I am." At the thought of the whole horrible scene twenty-four
hours ago, Piranha felt her mouth crumple.
"Oh, geez, not tears. I can't handle'em. Well, I'll tell you what. If you
can keep up with me, then I'll put your name up for membership. Okay?"
"Sure. Thanks!"
"I'm only an associate at the moment – haven't got the hair…" She
touched a black rat tail of it as she spoke. "But I can nominate you. If you're
any good."
She leapt onto the railings, and ground along them. Piranha followed
her, heart pounding. If she flunked this…
The rail was slippery, but she kept her balance. She charged after the
girl, who was heading up to the hill district. The muscles in her legs began to
complain. She ignored them. She had to keep that pink figure in her sights.
The girl dashed off down a side street. Piranha followed, and they
skated down, down into the half pipe, which had a stream of water running
through it. As she skated, the rain flew up and bit into her clothes, sending icy
shivers through her skin.
The girl did a flip, and Piranha copied her, grateful now for all the time
she'd spent practising. And another flip. A leap. Out of the pipe, back at the
bus terminal. Grind. Up the banisters. Faster and faster. The rain rushed past
her eyes. Down again, back onto the ground. All she could see was the girl.
And then the girl stopped. Piranha skidded to a halt behind her, gasping
in air, and the girl called, "Well done. Let's move it!"
"You – you mean I passed?"
"Duh, of course you did. Let's go."
Piranha cursed herself. What was the matter with her? Just because she was in
an old HQ, she seemed to be taking too many trips down Memory Lane.
Anyway, she knew how that story had ended. Kell had taken her back
here, to this HQ, and she'd met the leader, Jay, who'd tested her as well…and
then she'd been given the uniform, and been a Love Shocker. And then –
Piranha swallowed back nausea. She wasn't going to remember the accident.
Jay had been shot down by a chopper some time before Piranha left.
But Kell hadn't been leader then. It had been another Love Shocker, called
Alex. But then Piranha had quit, and now Kell was leader. She wondered what
had happened to Alex.
Anyway, enough of that. A plan. Piranha thought. Did the GGs know
what had happened? Piranha was willing to bet that they did. After all, Kell
would love to worry them, and Cube might be gonna act as bait…
Piranha shivered. What was Kell planning now she'd got her hands on
Cube?
Use your imagination, she thought. Then wished she hadn't.
It was pitch black outside. Piranha glanced down at the skating Love
Shockers, and dragged the knife out of her belt. If she rushed down…
No.
Her hands were damp. She was stuck here, doing nothing, and she
couldn't help any of the others.
The knife slipping out of her fingers was not part of the plan.
She watched in horror as it struck the concrete floor, the clatter echoing
over the room. And the Love Shockers heard it.
"Don't tell me there's another of them up there," someone said.
Piranha ran. But she'd seen what happened to Cube. Chasing round the
balcony was useless.
There was a door on her left, bolted shut. She wrenched at the bolt, until
finally it shot across with a clatter. The door swung open, and she dashed
inside and pulled it shut again.
It was too dark to see anything except a thin sliver of night coming from
the boarded up window. Piranha leant against the door and tried to think
inconspicious thoughts. Could she hear footsteps behind her…
"Don't panic," she whispered to herself.
She nearly had a heart attack as a voice came out of the darkness. "I
won't if you won't, honey."
Mew watched the Noise Tank as he fine-tuned the speakers.
He said, "You're from Benten, aren't you?"
"Yeah. How d'you know?"
"I saw you skating. Why'd you leave?"
Mew shrugged. "This and that."
"Hey, that's all I get?"
She looked up at him. "All right, I admit it. I used to be a Noise Tank,
but I sucked at it."
"I don't remember you."
"I don't remember you, either. I guess it was before your time. After I
accidentally short-circuited our power supply instead of the city's and then sent
out a full-wave rectification signal that practically led the cops to us, I figured
it was time to move on."
He laughed. "I've seen you skate. You're good at that."
She grinned. "Thanks. What was really embarrassing was the other
girls were all really good at the electricity thing. They made fun of me. The
guys just patronised me and always sent me out to tag."
"I'm sorry. I wouldn't have done…I don't think." He looked down at
her, then glanced back to the speakers. "I hope your friends are okay."
"Me too."
Cube watched Kell like a mouse watching a cat. The Love Shocker had an
extremely nasty smile on her face.
Cube could feel the tears on her skin drying in the warmth of the office.
She remembered clicking off the tape recorder even as she'd cried out. She
was glad she had. She wouldn't have wanted the GGs to hear what had
happened. At the thought of it she shivered. She felt bruised all over, and her
head ached from holding back memories of the last few minutes.
"I reckon your friends will have left to find you now," Kell said. "But
they'll have left someone back at the garage. I think it's time to put paid to that
someone."
She began to dial a number.
"Are you okay now?" the Noise Tank asked her. "Your face and all?"
Mew felt the rough raised skin of the scar under her fingers. "Yeah. I
did thank you, didn't I?"
"Yeah. But you didn't need to. I would've done it for anyone."
"Hello?" Kell was almost breaking into song, she looked so happy.
"Hi, it's me. This is a tip off."
"It's so quiet out there without Onishima," Mew said.
"Don't tell me you miss him."
"The garage is on the corner of Lake Street, down a little cul-de-sac,"
Kell said. "I don't know if there's anyone in there, but you may as well make
sure."
"What's that?" The Noise Tank looked up.
"What?"
"I thought I heard footsteps. Surely they can't be back already."
Kell set down the phone. At the sight of her smirk, Cube felt herself trembling
with rage.
"You selling us to the cops now?" she hissed. "You low, sneaky cow."
Kell laughed. "Fighting talk for someone who's in your position."
"Shut up!"
Kell laughed. "Give me a break, GG. You know you're in trouble, and
so are they."
A burst of gunfire shattered the garage window, and Mew heard the Noise
Tank yell, "Get down!"
She threw herself onto the floor, feeling her heartbeat pounding up her
throat. Bullets tore over her head, and she heard the sound system explode
behind her.
"COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS UP…" someone blared through a
microphone. "I REPEAT, COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS UP, AND
YOU WILL NOT BE HARMED."
"What? What?" Onishima was yelling. "Whaddya mean, we won't
harm'em? They're rudies!"
"Look, just leave it to me, okay?" the other cop said. "YOU HAVE
TEN SECONDS…"
Mew glanced over at the Noise Tank. He shook his head. "If we go out
there," he whispered, "we'll end up back in jail. I ain't crazy about that one
bit."
Mew nodded. She tried to catch her breath, and waited for the silence to
be broken.
Five seconds later, it was.
The street map was gutted across the centre, and the car had its windows
blown out like hail. Mew felt tiny shards of glass land on her, and wished she
could melt into the floor. The Noise Tank gripped her hand. More bullets
ended the life of the pinball machine. Mew wondered how Slate would react
when he knew.
"We've got to get out of here," the Noise Tank whispered. "Any
windowless rooms around?"
Mew nodded. "Over there!" She pointed to the room both Gum and
Piranha had been shedding tears in lately.
They wriggled across the floor, bullets ricocheting off the walls behind
them. The Noise Tank reached the door, shoved it open, and crawled inside.
Mew made to follow, when she remembered Potts. She stopped, looked
around for him –
– a bullet hit her leg.
Mew watched the red seeping through her tights, and froze. She
couldn't move. The shooting was drowned out by the ringing in her ears.
She felt hands under her arms, and realised the Noise Tank was
dragging her into the room. Once she was inside, he banged the door shut and
shoved a chair in front of it, then said, "Why the hell did you stop?"
"I was looking for Potts…" Mew whispered. Her head ached, and she
could feel sweat breaking out on her face.
"He's here." The Noise Tank pointed to Potts, who was crouching in a
corner, growling. "I think he remembers me." He stretched out a hand to
Potts, who snapped at it. "See?"
Mew tried to force a grin, but she was feeling worse every second. "I
think I'm gonna be – "
She dragged herself towards the bathroom as fast as she could, and just
made it in time. As she threw up, she felt the Noise Tank holding back her hair
away from her face. When she'd finished, he filled her a glass of water.
"Thanks." Mew took deep breaths. "Are they still shooting?"
"Think so. I wonder how strong the walls are."
"They'll come in – sooner or later, won't they?"
"I guess so." The Noise Tank sighed. "There's nothing we can do."
Piranha could feel her heart bouncing off her ribs like a pinball. Her throat had
suddenly gone painfully dry.
"Who is it?" she whispered.
"You're not a Love Shocker, are you?"
"No." Trying to pass herself off as one wouldn't work for very long.
"Then I can tell you. My name's Alex."
"Alex? What – you mean – former leader?"
"Oh, so you are a Love Shocker?"
"No, I was. I'm Piranha. Don't you remember me?" Now she thought
about it, the voice was slightly familiar.
"Yeah, I remember a girl called Piranha. What's to say you're her?"
"I – I am her – I left, to join the GGs, remember? How else d'you think
I found my way in here? I came to find my friend…" Piranha stopped. "How
do I know you're you, anyway?"
"Maybe you should open the shutters," the voice said.
Piranha walked gingerly through the darkness towards the slit of night.
Putting out a hand, she touched wooden boards.
"They're nailed up there. But I think they're pretty rusty."
Piranha managed to locate the edge of the board, gripped it, and pulled.
There was a crunch, and she fell backwards, clutching part of a rotting
piece of wood in her hand, dust and splinters spilling over her. Coughing, she
looked around.
Her actions had let in only dim light, that chased shadows over her face
and over the objects in the room. She looked around, and gasped.
Lying on a mattress in the corner was a Love Shocker. Piranha
recognised her as Alex, but horror was creeping over her at how much the girl
had changed.
Alex was emaciated. Her eyes lay back in her skull. The pink dye and
spikes of her hair had almost grown out, and lank, red hair tipped with the pink
reached to her shoulders. She still wore her Love Shocker clothes, but they
were crumpled and dirty, and her feet were bare.
"What's happened to you?" Piranha said.
"Kell happened to me. You must've figured she don't like people
hanging around who might win over her."
"But why didn't she tag you ten times then?"
"Duh! Firstly, I'd still be around, ready to get revenge, and secondly it's
more fun this way…" She coughed. "Look." She held up an arm. It was
pockmarked with scars. "Amazing what you can do with a few matches."
"You are joking."
Alex shook her head, a slight grin on her face. "Anyway, what are you
doing here?"
Piranha explained all that had happened to them, as she listened to
running footsteps outside the room. She remembered that she hadn't rebolted
the door. Would they notice it?
Alex sighed. "I don't give much for your friend's chances. Did she
deliberately set out to get Kell mad?"
"Well, I guess the others will come, and we can do something…"
Piranha tried not to look at Alex's scars. "Any tips?"
The other girl grinned. "You're asking me? You could try tagging her
ten times. That'd be a sight for sore eyes."
"I wish. You wanna come with me – I mean – now?"
Alex shook her head. "Can't." She held up a wrist, and Piranha saw
she'd been cuffed to the heating pipe running down the wall.
"But you can't stay here!"
"It's not as bad as you'd think. I can keep smiling. The day she stops
me doing that I'll starve myself. Which won't be too difficult on the rations
she gives me."
"But –"
Alex saw her looking at the scars, and rolled her eyes. "Piranha, I'm
used to that. You forget exactly what pain's like after it's happened, and
grinning and bearing it isn't that hard. Now listen. I think I know where Kell
has her 'office,' and I just remembered a little secret only the leaders get to
hear about."
"What?"
"There's a secret corridor down into that office. Door's blocked by a
cupboard but Jay cut the back through so you can get through it. If you take
the second door along from this room, you should get to it."
"How come Kell doesn't know about this?"
"I was leader before her, and I ain't talking. Entrance is behind another
cupboard. Jay told me – I was always gonna be the next leader, you see."
"Do any of the other Love Shockers know you're here?"
"Are you kidding? They may be vicious, but they got loyalty. Kell's
raving. I have to say I'm just glad San isn't leader. It's not a nice job."
"San?"
"My sister." Alex sighed. "She ran away to follow me. I quit home,
then later she did too. I was furious with her. But she wouldn't go. Is she
okay?"
She looked up at Piranha, her eyes concerned. "Silly little kid. Well,
what's she like now? Have you met her since you quit?"
Piranha looked down at her, and remembered a dead face and a bloody
throat.
"Alex – I – I'm sorry. She's dead."
Alex's face only cracked for a moment, then the half-grin was back in
place. She sighed. "Oh, well…thanks for telling me. How did it happen?
Onishima? Or did she fall?"
Piranha could see the girl's hand clenched on the heating pipe.
"Kell killed her," she said.
Alex's eyes darkened. "I see. Well, you'd better go."
"Alex –"
"Go, okay? The best you can do for me is get her." She smiled
painfully. "Don't worry. And rebolt the door. Wouldn't want Kell to notice
it."
Piranha walked towards the door. She couldn't hear the running
footsteps any more. Taking a deep breath, she slipped round the door.
The Love Shockers were back on the ground. Piranha rebolted the door,
and headed to the room two doors along.
She opened the door. The handle was very dusty.
She stepped into what must have once been an office. Furniture, damp
and mildewed, was piled up on one side. But there was a large cupboard on her
left. She dragged it away, muscles complaining, to reveal a large hole that had
been knocked into the adjacent wall.
Piranha gingerly stepped towards it, dodging a dead light fitting. It
seemed to be the beginning of a tunnel. The air in it was clammy and cold.
Hanging on the back of the cupboard was a torch. She picked it up,
switched it on, and shining it along the tunnel into the darkness, she set off.
Mew heard the sound of breaking glass, and glanced at the Noise Tank.
"Right," he said. He'd bandaged her leg with a sheet from the bed,
which was slowly turning crimson. "Can you walk?"
"I can try."
"Okay. Is that car you got still working?"
"I guess. Unless they shot the tyres out."
"Hey, Mew baby, you wanna go for a little drive with me?" He put an
arm round her shoulders. "Okay. Let's get moving."
Five seconds later Onishima burst through the door waving a gun and
shouting, "Gotcha – huh?"
He stepped further in to check the bathroom. "Come on out, rudies, I
know you're in here!"
Mew and the Noise Tank dodged out from behind the door, and ran for
the car.
The Noise Tank threw open the door, swept glass off the seats, jumped
into the driver's seat, dragged Mew in beside him, and revved up the engine.
The car screeched round 180 degrees, and then charged towards the door.
"Watch out!" Mew yelled as it loomed up in front of them.
"What?"
There was a crash, and they burst through the door, across the street,
turned in the doorway of a house and tore off down the road. The Keisatsu
dashed out of the garage and into their cars, and set off in hot pursuit.
"Great," Mew said, brushing glass off her lap. The sirens were wailing
behind them. "I sure hope Yo-Yo filled up the tank before he left."
"No worries!" The Noise Tank was positively glowing. "I'm a great
driver!"
Mew cringed as they avoided a lamppost. "Really?"
"You guys ever driven this before? I ain't seen you out in it."
"No. I don't know why we have it." Mew glanced in the shattered wing
mirror. Through the cracks she made out their pursuers hurtling towards them,
getting closer. "Where are we heading, anyway?"
"Where'd you think? My kinda place, of course. Mew, you're about to
see Benten again!"
Piranha made her way down concrete steps, the torch picking out spider webs
as she went. The ceiling was worryingly low, scraping the top of her head.
The whole place smelt old. And she was really having to work on ignoring the
thought that said 'Suppose there's a Love Shocker creeping up behind you with
a knife right now…"
Finally she reached the end of the passage. Her way was blocked by a
wooden door. Beyond it she could hear voices.
Carefully, she slid the door back into the wall, where a groove had been
cut to accommodate it, praying that she wasn't giving away her position.
In front of her was what was unmistakeably a cupboard. She stepped
into it, and leant against the door.
The voices were louder now.
"Okay," Cube was saying. "So you cut me. So you burnt me. So you –
well, it's not rape, I guess, but whatever you did then to me. Now what?
Beheading?"
She sounded tired, and angry, and miserable, but she was alive, and she
was talking. Two good signs, Piranha thought.
"Oh, don't tempt me." Kell's voice was maliciously satisfied.
"Revenge is sweet. Very sweet. Talk about power now – mom had nothing on
me."
"Power?" Cube said.
"What else do you think I've got?"
"You think you've got power?" The scorn hummed in Piranha's ears.
"Like you've got anything! You're head of the most cheap, two-bit gang in
Tokyo-to. You've sold yourself to a cop. And so you got me – so what? You
can't make me respect you. You're pathetic!"
Piranha waited in horror for Kell's reaction.
"My gang is not cheap," the Love Shocker snarled. "Because soon you
GGs are gonna be out of business, and then we'll be the ones in Shibuya-cho.
They're coming right now, and I'm gonna kill them, and if there are any left
I'll send them off to jail. And you can't do anything to stop me."
"You still won't get respect. Your gang despises you. We despise you.
The Noise Tanks despise you. And I don't reckon Onishima thinks too highly
of you either. You're just another warped Kogane kid, and that's all you'll
ever be."
Piranha caught her breath. Ouch, she thought. This is getting nasty. All
right, nastier. Maybe I should do something – but no. I don't wanna get
caught myself.
"Shut up, Goth."
"That's hardly an insult. At least I don't go around whining 'cos my
guy left me."
"Guy? Ha! I didn't join for that."
"Then why did you? So you could screw your taggers?"
"I joined so I wouldn't have to work with any guys. I hate them.
They're so stupid, always shoving around, taking what they want, throwing
stuff, shouting. Girls are better. Girls have power…"
"You're obsessed with power." Cube's voice was stronger. Piranha
silently willed her to keep fighting.
"And why not? It's a good thing to have, right? You don't have it. I
saw you, sticking your tongue down that big-nosed freak's throat…he's got
you on a string, all he has to do is pull."
"That's not true." Cube's voice was hard. "You don't know anything
about guys."
"Oh, I think I do. My mom had them every night. They used to come
home and do me after they did her. We talked…we knew there was never any
point in them. I hate them. I hate them. I hate them all."
Piranha tried not to breathe too loudly. There was a black silence on the
other side of the door.
Then she heard footsteps, and another voice said, "Kell, I think the rest
of the GGs are coming."
"Great!" Kell's voice rose back to normal. "Well, let's roll, Cube. Or
rather, I will. Your gang ain't gonna be doing much after tonight."
(Don't forget to r+r!)