Chapter V: The Wheels Are In Motion
A/N: I don't own Tekken or its characters
It was a long time, wasn't it? It's really mean
of me not to update fast, especially when I've
already finished the story and started working
on a sequel, but oh well, a bit of suspense
can't hurt. To Ninnis: Keefek habibti?Inshalla
3milti mnee7 fil imti7anat?
Hai hadiyyat al 3eed minni ilek.
3eed Mubarak!
Hwoarang shivered and watched with bleary eyes as his breath came out in a misty cloud. The ride to Baek's home was so long and the night air was so cold that he felt sure someone would have to unfreeze him from the bike. Now Hwoarang could hear the unmistakable sound of gates swinging open, and the next thing he knew was Baek helping him down and steering him along by the elbow.
Hwoarang was too drowsy to take in anything of his surroundings as Baek led him into his designated room. Baek shook his head as his young charge collapsed fully-clothed onto his bed, and fell into a deep slumber.
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Morning
Hwoarang woke up fully rested and proceeded to piece together the events of the previous night. He then looked about his spacious bedroom and found his shopping bags stacked neatly by his bed. He raided them for a random outfit, then stepped into the adjoining bathroom for a quick shower, after which he decided to explore the house without waking up Baek.
As Hwoarang wandered down the corridors, he saw numerous doors to his left and right. He would pause for a few seconds, then he would try some of them. Most revealed rooms with expensive furnishings, and Hwoarang would find himself thinking, for a gangster-turned-military-instructor he sure likes his comfort. But the house had a distinct air of neglect, and when Hwoarang finally stumbled into the kitchen,the only item he found in the fridge was a bottle of mineral water. He cursed, then let himself out of the house through the kitchen backdoor, which was surprisingly unlocked.
Hwoarang was impressed at the size of Baek's grounds, even though they were mostly bare. He found a tool shed, and upon inspecting its contents, he came to the conclusion that Baek was a man who liked to work with his hands. But also lying within was a heavy, metal baseball bat, an incriminating piece of evidence to Baek's gangster past.
Hwoarang paused at a large wooden structure not far from the tool shed. Its windows were boarded up, and it was locked, so he lost interest and instead turned to inspecting the walls surrounding the grounds. They were not very high, and he was sure someone as agile as himself could easily vault over them. He did, just to prove he could, and he did not like what he saw on the other side.
A black sedan was parked suspiciously on the side of the dirt road. Inside, Hwoarang could make out two men. Were they bad guys or were they cops, he wondered, and had they been staking out the house the entire night?
The passenger's window slid down, and an Asian man with a huge grin plastered all over his face said jovially," Hey, awesome jump, kid! You're Hwoarang, right?"
Hwoarang was taken aback by the recognition. " Maybe I am," he replied warily.
The man chuckled." And maybe the guy living here goes by the name of Baek Do San. If he does, then I'd like to speak to him please."
Hwoarang said nothing, still suspicious. The man laughed again. " Oh, I get it! You're waiting for some sort of password! Well, I can tell you the old man has this tattoo on his back. Used to be a gangster, would you have guessed?" When Hwoarang looked stunned, the man continued," Oops, guess you're not in on the secret. Man, he's gonna kill me for telling ya!"
"Um, no offence, but who the hell are you?"
The man continued to grin as he stepped out of the car." Officer Lei Wulong at your service, kid!"
Great, a cop! Hworang turned and easily found the doorbell. Baek's voice sounded sleepily over the intercom." Who is it?"
" Some Jackie Chan- wannabe-from-a-badly-dubbed-Chinese-movie here to see you, sir." Hwoarang reported.
Lei Wulong roared with laughter, then turned back to his Caucasian, white-haired partner." I'm going in, Bryan. Be back in a few minutes." The man continued to sit passively at the wheel.
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" So that's what you've been doing, making all those calls last night!" Hwoarang fired at Baek as soon as he had led Lei Wulong into his mentor's study." You've been asking cops to stake out the house!"
"Lei's no cop," Baek replied in annoyance. " He's an Interpol Agent from Hong Kong."
" Oh? He's too damn fluent in Korean to be some dumb Chinaman," Hwoarang countered.
" It's in the job description, kid," Lei replied, grinning as he stopped Baek's fist from making contact with the boy's head. He soon sobered up, producing a set of coloured photos that chilled Hwoarang's blood.
" Yeah, photos from the scene where Kim and the boys were murdered. Not pretty. Evidence points towards the Triads; that's their signature." He pointed at the picture of Kim's lifeless form.
Hwoarang glared at Baek." You knew all along?"
Lei looked at him strangely. " Of course he knew, Hwoarang, and he contacted me as soon as he fetched you. It's looking real bad for you. Those guys aren't playing around."
" Funny, I kinda figured that out by myself," Hwoarang sneered.
" They were looking to kill the whole bunch of you down in Sing," Lei went on. "But you weren't there, Hwoarang, and now they want to finish what they started."
" But I don't get why they'd want to kill us all in the first place! Unless Master Kim crossed them or something..."
Lei and Baek exchanged looks." Actually," Lei began," We need you to answer that, Hwoarang, and it's part of why the Triads are after you anyway. They're bigshots when it comes to drug dealing, the Triads, and they have dominant markets everywhere, including here. Now, they could have taken out Kim to eliminate fierce competition, but that just doesn't check out." he sighed." We believe they were pals with Kim until he discovered something about them that made the higher ups decide to silence him."
" The higher ups?"
Lei sighed again." We believe the Triads are just hired grunts. Some other people call the shots. So, we need you to tell us : was Kim anxious prior to his death? Did he tell you something about his worries? You were his favourite; he could have told you something, and the bad guys are aware of this; that's why they want you silenced so badly."
Hwoarang attempted to familiarize himself with this horrifying scenario. He wracked his brain for any telltale detail about Kim he might have neglected in the past." I don't remember anything, and even if I do, why should I spill it? So I could be murdered in my bed? No thanks!"
Lei and Baek exchanged worried looks. "Look, Hwoarang," Lei began kindly," It's been taken out of your hands. My superiors at Interpol have already requested an interview with you, and I've been sent down here to fetch you."
" And if I don't come?" Hwoarang challenged.
" Then I'll have to place you in custody at a juvenile detention centre." He had an uncharacteristically grim expression. " I'm sorry."
XXXXXXX
Interpol HQ in Seoul
Hwoarang felt thoroughly betrayed all through his session with the psychiatrist who was to determine whether he was fit for questioning by the Interpol Agents. Betrayed by Baek, his rescuer, and by Lei, whom he was just beginning to warm to. After the session was over, he pushed past both of them, muttering irritably," Going for a soda."
Lei replied," Vending machines are on the next level. Don't be long. They want to get started in fifteen minutes."
XXXXXXX
Hwoarang got into the elevator, fuming, not bothering to look at the only other occupant of the elevator. As soon as the doors were closed, the man rounded on Hwoarang, grabbing him by the throat and pinning him savagely to the wall. Hwoarang gasped in pain and shock, and attempted to struggle but the man pressed a lethal looking blade to his neck. He was hooded so that the boy could not see his face, and his breath stank of some sort of alcoholic drink. When he spoke, it was in awful Korean.
" Keep your lips sealed, kid, or I'll slice up your liver and feed it to ya."
Out of pure desperation, Hwoarang glanced up at the security camera in the corner, and his heart sank like a stone. Not blinking red. Not recording.
The man gave a nasty laugh and stepped out as soon as the doors reopened, leaving Hwoarang with a single, shocking realisation:
They have a mole in Interpol.
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A/N: I know what you're all thinking: Bryan is NOT Lei's partner, but his nemesis. Well,(smirks), all I can say is : stay tuned for the next chapter! Oh, and also in the next chapter, we're going to find out something important about Baek, and we're going to see how Hwoarang reacts to threats. And one more thing: I guess you were all surprised by Supercop's appearance. Well, ( another smirk), I have other characters' appearances in mind throughout this fic, and they're all central to the plot!
Well, enjoy the spoilers & don't forget to leave nice little reviews!