Episode 3: The Black Wolf
„Special Unit 2! Nobody moves!" Haruka shouted, aiming her trusty net gun at the men Michiru and she just had surprised in robbing a store. "Shit!" one of the robbers cried out before he turned around and started to run, hoping that he would escape the store before one of the two women got her hands on him. Haruka only took one second to adjust her aim on him, then she pulled the trigger, the net flying out and wrapping around him, making him fall. "Gotcha." Haruka grinned when suddenly another one of the men launched himself at her, trying to punch her. Thanks to her reflexes, the blonde managed to duck the first punch; the knee though came too fast for her to notice and crashed into her face, causing her to fall to the ground with a loud thump. She didn't waste any time with groaning in pain, though her face hurt like hell; instead, her leg shot up, kicking the attacker where the sun wouldn't think of shining. He sank to his knees in pain, and that was when Michiru stepped up to him from behind and knocked him out, grimacing and rubbing her fist afterwards. The other three men were soon defeated and neatly tied up. "Call the police, Michiru." Haruka advised her partner, already feeling how her face started to swell where her attacker had kicked her. "The Black Wolf will make you pay for that." One of the tied up men now growled, causing his comrades to hiss "Shut up!" at him. Haruka perked up at that name, looking at the man who had spoken. "The Black Wolf? Care to tell me who that is?" the blonde asked, but the man just looked away and snorted. Suddenly, Haruka's hands shot forward, closing around the guy's collar, and pulling him closer to her until they were eye to eye. "Tell me, right now!" the blonde growled, causing the man literally to shrink. "He's our boss!" he finally cried out when the grip on his collar tightened so hard that he was almost choking. "We work for him, okay?" "Where can we find him?" Haruka demanded to know, shaking the man she was holding to get an answer. "I don't know! I don't even know what he looks like! He just calls one of us and tells us what to do…" "He tells you to rob a store in the middle of the night?" Haruka asked, slight disbelief in her voice. "Yes he did! He told us to steal food and drinks for him!" the man cried out, hoping that the ex-commando would believe him. Obviously she did, since she finally let go of him and rose to her full length again. "Police is on it's way." Michiru piped in, making Haruka look at her. "Good." The blonde spoke. "Let's get back to the HQ then." Michiru nodded, and the two women left the store, got into the car and drove off.
"Here's an ice pack for your eye, Haruka." Michiru spoke, passing the ice pack over to the blonde who sat in one of the chairs in the spare time room, suffering from a slight headache. "Thanks." Haruka mumbled, accepting the ice pack and putting it on the black eye the robber had given her. "Does it hurt?" Michiru asked, concern for her partner in her voice. Haruka looked at her with one eye, since the other one was covered by the ice pack, and shook her head. "Not too bad…I lived through worse. It's just a black eye after all." She replied, slightly smiling at the aqua haired girl. Michiru smiled back and sat down next to her. "I told Minako to search the database for info on the Black Wolf." The aqua haired girl spoke, leaning back in her chair and looking up at the ceiling. "I don't think that she will find anything." Haruka replied, glancing over at her partner for a moment before readjusting the ice pack on her eye. "No one of us ever heard of him, right?" the blonde then continued, closing her un-covered eye and leaning back in the chair too. "And it seems like Police never heard of him either…so she probably won't find anything." Michiru sighed and nodded. "You're right…but let's wait until Minako comes here with the results." Haruka nodded and put her feet on the desk, the buckles on her combat boots clinkering when she did. "That's not very good manners, Haruka." A cheerful voice suddenly came, causing the blonde to open the eye that was not under the ice pack and look – only to find herself face to face with Usagi, who grinned at her. Haruka just shrugged and closed her eye again, asking: "What's up, Boss?" "Minako finished the search on the Black Wolf. She didn't find anything…except for the mention of a bandit named Black Wolf in literature. In a book from 1890." "From 1890!" Haruka groaned, dropping the ice pack when she sat up. "Are you kidding?" Usagi shook her head and sat down, facing Haruka and Michiru. "No. We assume that the Black Wolf is copying the crimes of the bandit in the book." "And what did that bandit do?" Michiru asked, leaning forward interested. "The things all bandits do…well except for one thing. He kidnapped a close friend of the police chief to force the chief stop chasing him." "Interesting." Haruka mumbled. "Maybe we should keep an eye on the friends of the chief then." Michiru suggested. Usagi shook her head. "I don't think that this will be necessary. We just have to find him somehow, and take him to prison." Michiru nodded, looking at Haruka who sat in the chair next to her, both eyes closed, holding the ice pack with one hand. "Will you help me searching for him, Haruka?" The blonde just nodded before she suddenly tossed the ice pack aside and sat up. "But before, I will go for a walk. I need to buy cigarettes." She informed Michiru, who sighed and shrugged. "Okay. Come to my room when you are back." Haruka nodded and stomped out of the room, closing the door behind her. Usagi sighed as soon as the blonde had left and spoke: "She really should quit smoking." Michiru agreed on that, sighing too. "Yes. Anyway…I'll be in my room, in case you need something." Usagi nodded, and both women left the spare time room, heading down the hallway in different directions.
Haruka walked down the street, not really paying attention to her surroundings and hoping that she would read the tobacco shop soon, since she hated nothing more than walking. Increasing her speed, Haruka passed several dark side alleys without even wasting a look on them – until the loud roar of an engine could be heard from one of them. Frowning, the ex-commando turned her head to look at the car that created the noise, and that was when the vehicle started to speed towards her.
Haruka let out a surprised yelp when the car approached her at high speed; she tried to jump away to the side, but she was too slow. The car hit her, the bones in her legs cracking loudly when they snapped. She was thrown over the hood and passed the roof of the car, falling to the ground behind it. The blonde groaned in pain, trying to stand up, only to find out that her legs wouldn't allow that. She could hear how the car stopped and one of the doors opened; then footsteps approaching her. "Is she still alive?" a deep, male voice asked, only to be answered by a slightly higher one. "Let's find out." Seconds later, Haruka could feel how somebody grabbed her wrist, checking for a pulse, and that was when she saw her chance. She lashed out with her free fist, hitting the man who was checking if she still lived square in the face. The man groaned and fell backwards, hitting the ground with a thud, while his companion stormed forward. Haruka just prepared to hit him as well, but before she had the slightest chance to do so, his well-aimed kick found it's mark, the attacker's boot-clad foot connecting with Harukas face. The blonde screamed in pain when her nose suddenly went through a fast and rough change of appearance; it felt as if it suddenly laid on her left cheek. "Shut up!" the man who had kicked her barked, kneeling down next to her and grabbing a fistful of her hair. Then, he smashed her head down on the concrete, knocking her out. He waited for his partner to come to his feet again; together, they grabbed the blonde and threw her into the trunk of their car before they drove off, leaving no sign of what had happened behind.
"Where on Earth is she?" Michiru wondered out loud, glancing at her clock for the fifth time in the last twenty minutes. Haruka had left to buy cigarettes almost an hour ago, and that was more than unusual. Normally, the blonde came back after fifteen minutes, twenty at most. Worried, Michiru pulled out her cell phone, dialling the number of Harukas. After ten rings, the mobile box answered, and that was when Michirus slight worry turned into something bigger. Haruka never turned her cell phone off. Never. Quickly, Michiru ended the call, tucking the phone back into her pocket, before she hurried out of the room, to Usagi's office.
"…up." A deep, male voice drifted into Harukas thoughts, awakening her from her unconsciousness. "Wake up." The voice repeated, and Haruka slowly opened her eyes, trying to will the pain that raced through her body away. She couldn't really remember what had happened; the only thing she knew at the moment was that her legs felt as if somebody had run them over with a car, and something was wrong with her nose too…The splash of cold water that came out of nowhere awoke the ex-commando completely, causing her to jerk up and splutter out a mouthful of water. "Finally." The voice grumbled while Haruka groaned in pain, trying to figure out which part of her body hurt most. The blonde opened her eyes and looked at her surroundings, finding herself tied to a wooden chair in the middle of a small room. Across from her, a tall, black haired man stood leaning against a wall, a black leather suitcase between his feet. "I thought you would never wake up." The man now spoke, before he grinned and spread out his arms. "Welcome at the hide out of the Black Wolf, Haruka." "So you are the Black Wolf." Haruka replied, her voice sounding as if she was having a bad cold, thanks to her broken nose. The man nodded, his grin widening. "Exactly." "What do you want from me?" Haruka asked, trying to ignore the pain that raced through her body. "Nothing from you personally, really." The Black Wolf replied, leaning against the wall again with his arms crossed in front of his chest. "You're just my guarantee that Usagi Tsukino will quit her Special Unit 2 thing." Haruka gave a small laugh and shook her head. "You captured the wrong one then. Nobody there likes me, they just put up with me because I used to be in the army." The Black Wolf chuckled and moved closer to Haruka, bending down until they were eye to eye. "Maybe, Haruka. But you are their best agent. And I know of at least one person in SU2 who does like you…your little partner, Michiru." Haruka shrugged as far as the bonds that held her wrists behind the chair allowed it, trying to keep her cool composure. "Maybe she does. But Usagi is the one who controls everything." She then replied. The Black Wolf grinned at her once more before he pulled the blondes cell phone out of her jacket. "And that's why we will call her now." He announced before he started searching through the numbers that were saved to the phone. "No Usagi…oh, but Michiru. Good enough, I guess." He mumbled before pressing the "Send" button and holding the phone to Harukas face. "You talk to her." He ordered. Haruka, knowing that she didn't really have a choice, waited until the aqua haired girl answered the phone and spoke: "It's me, Michiru." "Haruka!" Michiru cried out, relief filling her voice. "Where on Earth are you?!" "Listen, I'm in trouble." Haruka started, but suddenly the Black Wolf snatched the phone away from her and spoke into it himself. "Indeed, she is." "Who are you?" Michiru snapped, fear and anger filling her voice. "Oh, you know who I am." The man replied while he walked over to his suitcase and opened it, the position he stood in keeping Haruka from seeing what was inside. He knelt down in front of it, studying it's contents while he spoke on. "Let me talk to your boss." He now ordered, earning a heated "Tell me what you want first!" from Michiru. The Black Wolf snorted into the phone and replied: "Let me talk to you boss now. Or Haruka will have to pay for it." "Don't you dare to touch her!" Michiru cried out, fear for her partner filling her heart. The man grinned and walked over to Haruka, and before blonde knew what was happening, he had lashed out and kicked one of her broken legs. The ex-commandos pain-filled scream echoed through the small room, loud enough for Michiru to hear on the other end of the line. "What did you do to her!" the aqua haired girl cried out, her voice shaking. The Black Wolf just laughed at her and replied: "Will you let me talk to your boss now, or do I have to hurt Haruka again?" "One minute…I'll give her the phone." Michiru replied softly, her worry about Haruka getting the better of her. She hurried out of her apartment and down the hallway, to Usagi's office.
"No way I will give up Special Unit 2!" Usagi shouted into the receiver, her usual cheerful and happy attire blown away. "And you let Haruka go, now!" The man on the other end of the line just laughed. "I will let her go as soon as Special Unit 2 doesn't exist anymore. Until then, I will have my fun torturing her." Usagi's eyes fell on the computer monitor Rei sat in front of, hacking away on the keyboards furiously. "How's it going?" Michiru whispered to the black haired woman, earning a small smile in return. "We almost have him." Rei whispered back, watching the tracking process intently. Michiru let out a small sigh and sat down next to Usagi, who was still talking to the Black Wolf on the phone. "No! And that's my last word!" the young blonde woman barked into the receiver, and seconds later, Michiru could hear Haruka screaming again. The aqua haired girl whimpered and closed her eyes for a second. That was when the computer produced a small beeping noise, and Rei did a small jump in her chair. "The tracking is complete." She then whispered, while Usagi looked over at her and grinned, giving her a thumbs-up. "You heard my answer." She then spoke into the phone, her voice stern. "I will not give up Special Unit 2, and if you know what's good for you, you let Haruka go now." With that, she hung up and turned to look at Michiru. "Get Makoto and Ami and drive over there. I have the feeling that Haruka might need medical attendance." She softly spoke. Michiru nodded and hurried out of the room, running to get her two colleagues.
The Black Wolf hung up the phone and threw it to the ground carelessly, letting out a heavy sigh before he looked at Haruka again. "Seems like you're right. Usagi really doesn't care a lot about you." The only response he got from Haruka was a small groan; the pain in the blondes legs was nearly driving her insane, as well as her broken nose that ached as if somebody kept hitting it repeatedly with a hammer. Now, the Black Wolf studied his prisoner for a while, before he knelt down next to his suitcase again and pulled a Black & Dekker drill machine out. He plugged the tool in and turned it on, the loud noise it created causing Haruka to slowly raise her head. When her eyes fell on the drill, they widened visibly. "I promised Usagi I would torture you a bit." The Black Wolf now spoke, approaching the tied up blonde with the roaring machine in his hands. "And I keep my promises." Haruka tried to move away from him when he kept approaching her, the drill in his hands suddenly a deadly weapon. "No." she croaked out, her voice slightly shaking. "No…" The Black Wolf gave her another grin, this time a pretty cruel one, before he moved the drill down. Seconds later, it started to dig into Harukas upper leg, causing blood to splatter while the ex-commando screamed loud enough to overtone the noise the drill created. The Black Wolf just laughed and added more pressure on his tool, causing it to continue it's painful way while the flow of blood that emerged from the wound increased. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the pain was too much for Haruka to bear, and her head slumped forward. Her torturer gave her a disappointed look and turned his drill off, pulling it out of the wound he had caused with it. "I hate it when they fall unconscious." He mumbled, cleaning the drill and putting it back into the suitcase before he left the small room, slamming the door close behind him and locking it.
Makoto drove the car down the street over to the place where the Black Wolf had been located – an inconspicuous house in one of the richer districts of Tokyo – and parked in front of it, frowning. "Are you sure that this is the right place?" the brunette then asked, earning a nod from Ami in reply. "Yeah…Rei marked it on the map. It has to be here." "Strange." Michiru mumbled while she checked if her narcotic gun was loaded. "I heard Haruka scream over the phone…one of the neighbours must have heard her, why didn't anyone call the police?" "Maybe he keeps her in the cellar." Ami mumbled in reply while she grabbed her black doctor's briefcase. The three women got out of the car and marched over to the house, Makoto deciding that they should enter it the traditional way – with knocking. She walked up to the front door and hammered her fist against it several times, until it was opened by a young man with brown hair. "Yes?" he asked, eyeing the three women cautiously. "We are here to get a friend of us." Michiru sweetly spoke, knowing what would happen to the poor guy soon. "A friend? There ain't no friend of you, Ma'am." The young man replied, and it was obvious that he was lying. "Oh, we think otherwise." Makoto replied before her fist shot forward and connected with the guys face, sending him to the ground and knocking him out. "Nice punch." Ami remarked, earning a proud smile from the taller brunette before the trio entered the house and closed the door behind them.
"There has to be a cellar somewhere." Makoto spoke thirty minutes later, obviously annoyed. "We searched through the whole house, and no sign of Haruka." "A secret entrance probably." Ami mused while her eyes searched for any hints where the entrance could be. "If it's secret, we'll probably never find it." Michiru groaned, leaning at a bookshelf while she did. And suddenly, a weird clicking noise could be heard, and the bookshelf swung backwards, nearly causing the squealing aqua haired girl to fall down the stairs that were hiding behind it. (A/N: Credit and Thank You for this idea go to Haruka-Chan! :D Thanks again for helping!) "…nice trick." Ami finally spoke as soon as she had gotten over her surprise. Michiru grinned sheepishly and shrugged before the three women made their way down the stairs, into the Black Wolf's secret hideout.
"Seems like we are getting company." The Black Wolf spoke, looking at his prisoner with a mischief glint in his eyes. All the reply he got was a small groan Haruka let out; even if she had had the strength to speak after the torture and beatings she just gone through, the cloth that had been tied between her teeth wouldn't have allowed it. "I guess it's your friends from Special Unit 2." The Black Wolf now continued. "Well, I will give them a proper welcome." With that, he pulled a heavy gun out of the suitcase he had brought with him, loaded it and quickly left the room.
Michiru, Ami and Makoto were sneaking down the hallway that led deeper into cellar, all three of them having their senses on high alert. Which was a very good thing, as they found out only seconds later when a suspicious clicking noise came from the next corner. "To the ground!" Makoto whispered frantically, dropping down while the words were still leaving her mouth, followed by Ami and Michiru only moments later. The next thing they knew was that a shot rang and hit the wall, just where their heads had been only moments ago. "Bastard!" Makoto cried out while the sound of retreating footsteps could be heard. The brunette jumped up and started to run down to hall, followed by Michiru who pulled out her narcotic gun while she ran. "Stop right there! Special Unit 2!" Makoto howled, only to be answered with another shot that – thank Goodness – missed her and hit the wall again. "Let me get a free line of fire!" Michiru yelled behind her, causing Makoto to jump to the side quickly. Michiru brought her narcotic gun up and aimed at the retreating figure of the Black Wolf, pulling the trigger in the next second. The small arrow flew out of the barrel and hit the man in the back in the next instant; at first, he kept running, but after a few meters, his speed decreased, and finally he fell to the ground, unconscious. "Good shot." Makoto spoke, earning a smile from the aqua haired girl. "Training." Was all Michiru replied before she tucked her gun back into the pocket of her jacket and continued her way down the hallway, looking for her blonde partner.
"Dear God! Haruka!" Upon hearing the voice of her partner, Haruka slowly raised her head, letting out another pain filled groan. Michiru stormed into the room, freeing her partner from the gag. "My God…" Makoto choked out behind her, obviously shocked at the state the blonde was in. "Ami!" the brunette then yelled while Michiru started to untie Harukas wrists, holding her to keep her from falling off the chair as soon as she was done. The blonde groaned in pain, holding on to Michiru like a drowning woman on a piece of wood that just happened to swim by. "Shht." Michiru whispered into her partner's ear, trying to calm her down. "Shht, it's okay. We'll get you into the headquarter…it's okay."
"Will she be okay?" Usagi softly asked, looking at Ami, who nodded in reply. The two women stood outside the room Haruka laid in, looking in through the door; next to the bed the blonde was resting and recovering in, Michiru sat, holding her hand and talking to her softly. Neither Ami nor Usagi could hear what the aqua haired girl was saying, but it seemed to help, since Haruka was dozing by now and close to sleep soundly. "She will need a lot of rest…and lots of time to heal." The blue haired doctor now spoke, looking at her boss again. "Both of her legs are broken, and what that bastard did to her upper leg…and the beatings…it will take at least two months until she is back to her old form." Usagi nodded and looked at the by now sleeping blonde was once. "Do all you can for her." She then begged, her gaze returning to the doctor once more. "And give her all the time she needs." Ami nodded, and Usagi walked off, into the direction of her office. Ami closed the door that lead into Harukas room, leaving Michiru and the ex-commando behind alone. The aqua haired girl remained by Harukas side for the rest of the night, never letting go of her hand; even when she fell asleep herself, she kept holding it. And when Haruka awoke in the next morning, finding her partner asleep next to her bed, she didn't pull her hand back either.
End of Episode 3.
