Chapter 13- Surrender, or Die
Mako stood, uncomfortably, in the middle of the room. The floor was dirty and cold to her barefoot. That was the first thing he ordered her to take off. She blushed as Nephrite continued to undress her with his eyes.
"Now spin." He made a circular motion with his finger.
Mako did as told. Her heart was pounding hard. Never been good with lying, Mako worried that she would blow her cover. Nephrite was in no hurry to get to business, which meant Mako couldn't get close enough to neutralize him.
"Alright. Follow me. I have something to show you." He stood up and left the room. Mako slipped back on her shoes and hurried to catch up.
Mako couldn't figure out what his game plan was. Not much of a talker, he barked out his commands using as little words as possible. Unlike the other guys who seemed to drool at the sight of Ami and Rei, Nephrite showed indifference.
Perhaps she was not feminine enough. Could she be the weakest link? Mako shook her head to push that thought out of her head.
"In here." Nephrite slid open a heavy door. His eyes stared intensively as Mako entered the room. He seemed to be studying her every reaction.
Mako gasped when she saw four women locked in a large dog cage. A giant padlock secured the door. They could barely move without hitting one another in that tiny space.
"What is this?" Mako tried to keep her voice even, although she could feel anger rising up inside of her.
Nephrite was still staring at her face. Seconds ticked by and he was still silent. Finally, he took out a wooden stick from a nearby closet and start to poke at the women. "Introduce yourself. Don't be rude."
"I am Koan."
"Berthier."
"Calvares."
"Petz." The last one hissed out her name through her clenched teeth. Mako had seen fear in the other women's eyes, but not Petz. It was pure hatred.
Nephrite chuckled and pushed the stick in forcibly. It hit Petz in the stomach and she yelped out in pain. "Behave." He then turned and walked towards Mako. "So, do as we say and you will live well. Try to run, steal or betray us in any way, you will end up here. Let this be your first lesson."
Mako swallowed hard and tried to unclench her fists. If only she didn't promise Usagi not to kill...
"Now, on to the second lesson." Nephrite turned and left the room. Mako turned back to look at the women one last time and then followed him out.
They returned to the original room and Nephrite sad down on a chair. He took our his handgun and rested it on his thigh. "Get down on your knees and crawl over here."
Mako was physically trembling now. Not from fear, but from anger. She looked at him directly in the eyes and stood still.
He repeated his command, while his hand tightened around the gun's handle. Mako clenched her fists, debating...
Nephrite's face morphed into a triumphant smile and he nodded smugly. "I knew it. It was too goo to be true." He raised his gun and aimed it at Mako's head. "Who are you?"
Mako stayed silent. Every muscle in her body was ready. She just needed the right moment.
Nephrite stood up and put the gun right on her forehead. "Are you acting alone? Or are they with you?
Mako put up her hands slowly, seemingly surrendering. "Don't shoot."
In a flash, Mako put her left hand on his wrist and pulled down hard. Simultaneously, her right hand grabbed the firearm and turned it upwards. Bang. The shot rang out, echoing through the building.
Nephrite gripped on to the gun tightly but Mako pulled his armed down and then twisted it. In the struggle, the gun flew out of his hand and slid across the floor to the other side of the room.
Mako followed with two high kicks, one to his abdomen and one to the side of his neck. The last one sent him hurling towards the wall and his face smashed into the mirror. Nephrite turned, with blood flowing down the cut on his forehead, he started to charge at Mako at full speed.
"Amateur." She easily ducked his right hook and she rammed her elbow into his rib cage. He fell over, wincing in pain. She then grabbed hold of his arm and put one leg on his shoulder. Pop. He screamed out in pain as she dislocated his shoulder.
"Here is a lesson for you. Women are not things or pets. I am not going to kill you because I promised someone." Mako then kicked his head once, holding back some of her rage and knocked him unconscious.
She knew she had to hurry at this point. Someone would have heard that gunshot. Or zombies. Or both. She patted him down until she found a key. Praying that it was the right one, she raced down the hallway to where the women were held.
The four women looked up in surprise and hope. Mako inserted the key and breathed a sigh of relief when the lock opened. She reached in and help them stand up. Been crouched down for so long, they were having some trouble initially. A few seconds past and they were able to move, all except Koan.
"That bastard broke her leg, just for fun. It never healed right." Petz turned to Mako. "Please tell me he is dead."
"He...is taken care of. Hurry, we need to run now. Someone must have heard that shot and they would send reinforcement." Mako crouched down and let Koan climbed onto her back. "Follow me. My friends and I have a rendezvous point."
The five of them took off running towards the back alley. Mako easily knocked down four more guards on the way.
Mako's heart stopped cold when she got to the back alley. Under a pile of leaves, Mako could see it was some kind of medical equipment, which meant Ami was here. She got out…but where was she?
"Okay, you guys run. I need to go find my girlfriend." Mako let Koan off her back.
Petz came up to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "You saved us. Let us help. Koan, hide somewhere for now. Tell me, where is your friend suppose to be at?"
"I have no idea…she was led away by the blonde guy and she was last seen heading towards the medical equipment storage. Ami took the time to hide the machine, which meant she wasn't taken against her will. Knowing her, she probably found some lead and just went to investigate..all by herself." Mako slammed her fist into her other palm. So typical of Ami.
Petz nodded and thought for a while. "Alright. We need firepower. I know where the armory is. Follow me. Then we will go find your friend."
Seeing her friends picked off one by one, as if they were food on a menu, Minako ordered herself to focus on the mission. She was trained for this. Back in the academy, she learned all she could about going undercover. Now, it's time to put that to the test.
Seiya was flapping her arms around, spinning a tall tale to keep Kunzite distracted. He wasn't a trusting person, to say the least, and he kept his arm around Minako at all times.
"I am telling you, there is good business to be made. I am just a wanderer, and I can reach far and wide. If you and I can work out a deal, I can make this trading post mobile." Seiya sat down on the guard's chair.
"Smart." Minako thought. Now Seiya had a full view of the trading post.
Kunzite also pulled up two chairs, facing the same way, and motioned Minako to sit beside him. "So, what is your story?"
Minako let out a laugh and then batted her eyes. "Well, I worked for the Yakuza before. I was their favorite girl and it was a glamorous life. I did well, all of my customers were satisfied and I was rewarded, handsomely. Look, I am not cut out for a tough life. I don't like this zombie apocalypse. I am always running and I am always hungry." Minako flipped her long blonde hair and let out an exaggerated sigh.
"Hmm." Kunzite narrowed his eyes. "How did you guys all meet?"
"Let's see, I was on the run and then I ran into Ami, Mako and Rei. We survived together. Then, our camp was overrun by zombies and we lost everything. If we didn't run into Seiya, we would've starved to death. He is such a sweety pie. He let us in, fed us and gave us a roof over our heads. We even get to shower at his place." Minako blew a kiss at Seiya and he pretended to catch it with his hand.
Kunzite put a hand on Minako's thigh and slowly slid his hand up, all the while watching Minako's expression. "So you were a hooker, that makes sense. How did you two manage to convince the other three to come here? They looked pretty innocent to me."
Minako's face didn't even flinch. She might be killing him inside her head, but she kept her cool. "Oh, they will learn. I used to be a newbie too, once upon a time. I cried after I slept with my first John. Then it got easier. I imagine it would be the same for them. Plus, food, water, and a roof over their heads? They will be grateful."
"Why don't you take her to a room? Test her out?" Seiya suggested. She gave Minako a look.
"Yeah, why don't I just show you? Also, I haven't done it with anyone remotely handsome lately. You, on the other hand, are absolutely delicious." Minako leaned in for a kiss but Kunzite pushed her face away. She needed to get him alone, without the guards and their guns, so she could knock him out. Maybe kick him hard in his manhood too...
"It can wait. I just want to get to know you guys better. Now, you said the blue hair girl had medical training?" He turned his attention back to Seiya.
Minako took the chance to quickly look around, scanning all of the the rooftops. She hoped that Rei was in position, should anything happen...
"What are you looking at?" Kunzite grabbed her hair and pulled her closer.
"Oh, nothing. Just admiring my new home." Minako could feel the heat rising up, her own emotions were starting to betray her. Her heartbeat was fast and her breathing was getting shallower. The more she stared into those psychopathic eyes, the louder her survival instinct screamed.
Kunzite studied her for a few seconds and then released her hair. "Not your new home yet."
Before Minako could catch her breath, a gunshot was heard, echoing through the compound. Immediately, Kunzite drew his gun and pointed at Minako. The guards raised their rifles and pointed at Seiya.
With her hands up in surrender, Minako jumped into persona number two. She blinked her eyes rapidly, trying to squeeze out some tears. "What are you doing? What was that? Zombies? Oh my gosh, it's not safe here..." She started to hyperventilate.
"Hey, put down your guns. What are you doing?" Seiya also had her hands up. "Is there a breach? I can help."
"Hmph." Kunzite released the safety on his handgun. "You guys are the breach."
Two shots rang out and the guards fell to the ground. Kunzite turned to look, which gave Minako an opening.
She grabbed the gun by the handle, then chopped her hand down into Kunzite's elbow. Swiftly and beautifully, she took the gun. Silently in her head, she said thank you to Rei.
Pressing the gun against his temple, Minako resisted every urge to pull the trigger.
"Good work, agent Minako." Seiya winked. "I was starting to see my life flash before me."
"Let's tie him up," Minako said. Seiya nodded and took off her tie.
All of a sudden, rapid fire was heard. Jadeite, wearing nothing but a pair of white briefs, was firing his machine gun everywhere, all the while aiming at all the roofs. Nephrite also emerged, bleeding, hurt but conscious. He held up his rifle and aimed it at Seiya.
"Let him go or I will shoot," Nephrite ordered.
Soon, more guards start to pile in and Minako found herself surrounded. Rei couldn't save her now even if she wanted to. There was simply not enough bullets...
Suddenly, more gunfire was heard and some of the guards dropped to their knees, screaming in pain. Three women, along with Mako appeared.
"Knees? Why the knees?" A woman with green hair was yelling at Mako.
Mako continued to fire until her clip ran empty. She then dropped the gun and start to fight her way through using her fists.
"Not so fast, you freak. And you guys, drop your guns." Jadeite pointed the machine gun at Mako's head.
"Shit. Shit. Shit." Minako swore under her breath.
Kunzite was smug as hell and he slowly raised from his kneeling position. "Outnumbered and out gunned. Tsk tsk tsk..."
Minako looked helplessly as the remaining guards put handcuffs on the three women, Mako and Seiya. She needed to do something. Kunzite took the gun back and aimed the gun again in her face.
"Any last words?"
Just then, the ground started to shake and then an explosion rocked the building that was at the end of the road.
Mako turned around, her eyes wide with hope. Only her Ami would do this...so crazy yet so brilliant.
A tank emerged from the back and slowly advanced towards the gate.
A voice came through the speaker. Ami still sounded sweet, even when she was so menacing. "Release them now and surrender."
Some of the guards saw the tank coming and ran for their lives.
"Cowards." Jadeite yelled at the traitors. He raised his machine gun and started to fire at the tank.
Ami turned the barrel and lined it up, inches away from Jadeite's face. "Really? Are you that stupid? "
Mako could feel her heart swell with pride. She looked up at the tank and imagined what Ami looked like inside. How did she learn to operate one? Mako asked herself that question and then quickly dismissed it. The answer would always be..."It's Ami."
Nephrite, Kunzite, Jadeite and the rest of the guards surrendered. They put their guns down and held up their hands.
"Oh, someone go get Zoisite in the medical store. He is still there, pinching his severed arteries." Ami announced through the speaker.
Mako laughed out loud. "Gladly." She ran to the store and sure enough, Zoisite was still hugging himself tightly, but unconscious. She picked him up and swung him over her shoulder.
When she returned, Minako was interrogating the guys. "Where are the rest of the girls?"
Nephrite pointed at the low-rise building just outside of the compound. "We lock them in there...Unit 3b."
Koan limped out of her hiding spot, dragging the dog cage behind her. "Hey guys, let's put them in here."
Mako felt satisfied as she tossed the four guys in, after roughly bandaging up Zoisite. She locked the gate and then gave the key to Petz. "They are now your responsibility. Keep them in there or exile them, it's up to you guys and the rest of the girls."
Petz smiled gratefully. "Thank you. Us four sisters will take over the trading post. Come by anytime, we will give you a fair trade. However, I am gonna ask that you don't take the tank. It might be the only way to protect this place..."
"Deal." Mako shook Petz's hand.
"Help, Ami. Get out of the tank." Minako and Seiya exited a building, holding onto an unconscious Rei. Mako ran up to the tank and bang on it. Ami wouldn't be able to hear them from inside.
"I think she lost a lot of blood." Minako was sobbing as she cradled Rei in her arms. "Rei, baby? Wake up..."
The crowd gathered around. Mako held her breath as she watched Ami examine Rei.
"One shot to the right shoulder, clean exit wound at the back. Two more grazes to the other arm. Okay, let's get her on a table and I will stitch her up. Minako, do you know Rei's blood type?" Ami turned to her hysterical friend.
Minako shook her head. "No. Oh god, I don't know."
Mako offered her arm to Ami. "I'm O negative. I used to donate blood so I could get food, back when I was a street kid. Ami, my blood is the universal donor right?"
Ami nodded and Mako detected a hint of sympathy in her eyes. Then her eyes refocused and she was back in doctor mode. Without another word, Ami grabbed some tubes from her newly raided medic kit and started the process.
"Seiya, go see if you can find any juice around here? Mako will need it after the transfusion. Hey, you four, I am sorry, I don't know your names. Please keep watch for any incoming zombies."
Petz and the other three nodded and head toward the entrance and the side fences.
Minako was still in shock, as she held onto Rei's hand. Mako reached over with her free hand and gently patted Minako on the back.
"Hey, have some faith in Ami. Rei will be fine." Mako turned to look at Ami. She was bent over the wound, her brows squeezed together...
"Fuck. I can't see. I need to see which artery to fix..." Ami rarely swore but the fact that she did, it couldn't be good. "Minako. Go look for a flashlight."
Minako was still clutching Rei's hand, her knuckles turning white. She was staring at nothing, looking dazed.
"MINAKO. if you don't go now, you are killing Rei." Ami yelled. It finally brought her out of her daze and she reluctantly let go of Rei's hand.
For the next hour, it seemed like forever. Mako was starting to get light headed but she didn't say anything. Seiya arrived with some juice and Ami ordered her to drink up.
Everyone held their breath until Ami put down her instruments and flashed a big smile at everyone. "Rei is going to be okay. I did it."
Ami came over and took out the needle in Mako's arm. She leaned in and kissed Mako on the lips. "Thank you, my hero."
Mako smiled. "And you, you just performed your first field surgery."
"Do I get a cookie?"
"We might have to share. You did shot up one of their food stores. I will be sad if there are no cookies left." Mako teased. "How did you know how to drive that tank?"
Ami shrugged as she helped Mako stand up. "There was an instruction manual inside..."
