Author Disclaimer: I don't own anything belonging to Burst Angel, and neither does my girlfriend.

Author's Note: And onward, brave souls!

"Avenging Angel" chapter two

"Interrogation and Answers"

When Leo pulled the massive trailer up outside the RAPT building, Meg was more than a little impatient. Takane had been trying to talk to her, make her see the side of reason…. Mainly so she could be un-handcuffed, Meg was sure. She had yanked the woman's cuffed wrists high up her back each time, and ordered her to shut up.

The red-head was stressed and ready to explode at the next word past the southerner's lips. By the time Leo had parked and clambered out of the trailer's main door, she was ready to unleash said stress directly at him.

"Hey, it's Takane…" Leo made to say when Meg shoved the woman at him. Leo caught her mainly on instinct. "What the hell, Meg?"

"We're taking her with us, Leo," Meg ordered, flipping her red hair over her shoulder. Takane looked up under her dark bangs.

"Could you bring my sword along at LEAST?"

Meg sighed and toed the sheathe up. One hand grabbed the enameled covering in a quick snap. "Fine, let's go!"

Amy peeked out of her room curiously as Takane was marched past. The young girl slid out and peered up at the bound Osakan woman.

"Hey, weren't you there to go along with Jo and Sei at the end?" she inquired darkly. Meg, her arms crossed under her breasts, nodded. One finger tapped her forearm.

"And you said there'd be nothing at that old RAPT building. How about that?"

Amy shrugged and went to find a can of soda. Finding the fridge devoid of a supply of caffeine, the tech girl cursed and slammed the door. "Alright, I'm out of caffeine and in a bad mood. Let's pick her brain already!"

Meg gave a low smirk. "You finally said something that makes sense, kid."

"What'd you say?"

"Come on, ladies," Leo spoke up, pushing Takane gently to sit at the table. "We shouldn't be arguing amongst ourselves."

"I still think ya'll made a poor decision taking me. I haven't done a thing wrong, and I can't really help yeu," Takane spoke up.

Meg shook her head softly. She then lifted a gloved hand and swiped at Takane's head. The blow hit in a neat backhand that left Leo and Amy staring in awe. Amy grinned in the next instant, well and truly pleased.

"Well that's one way of getting the info," she chimed. "Do it again."

Takane spat blood and gazed up at Meg in disbelief as she hauled her up to face level by the collar. "Girl, you'd best calm yourself…."

"Shut up!" Meg shook her back and forth. "You go off with Jo and no one can find her or Sei, and you're all we can locate? Where are they? What happened?"

Takane's eyes drifted from Meg's angry visage to the yellow scarf double swathed around her neck. Jo's scarf… but she had promised!

"They're okay… that's all I can tell you!"

Amy's eyes filled with tears and Leo's heavy hand fell onto her shoulder. But Meg would not be satisfied with a scrap of the knowledge she sought and desperately needed.

"Where? Tell me!" Meg slammed Takane back into the booth, knocking her head back against the wall. She had to know! She needed to feel Jo's warmth again, needed to feel her beside her in the darkness…. Her dreams wouldn't take her to anyplace soft or warm…

She had to know or she would lose her mind.

Takane tried to sit up; it was a struggle to maintain any sense of composure. "I can't tell yeu… I wish I could, Meg, but I promised…"

Meg's eyes welled with tears and she dropped the woman. Leo laid his hands gently on her shoulders as she stared straight ahead, seeing her own demons.

"Meg…" he said, but there was nothing he could say to take away the pain. What Takane said made it sound like Jo and Sei didn't WANT to be found.

Meg growled and yanked Takane forward. The woman had a resigned dogged expression on her face as she was dragged onto the floor and across the room. "You're gonna tell me where they are, and you're gonna do it now!"

"Hang on, I got some chains," Amy chimed in, and dashed off to her room. Leo looked from her to Meg's twisted angry face and held up both palms.

"What are you doing?..."

"Just help me chain this heifer up!" Meg growled. Amy trotted back out with a length of chain topped by manacles. Leo had a sudden insight to ask WHY Amy would have such an item, but opted to let the question slide.

"Here ya go…hey, lemme help!" Amy insisted. Meg allowed the young girl to run the chain around the handcuffs already in place and manacle the whole spectacle together. When she was done, Takane looked like a metal ribbon on a sadist's birthday present. "Done!"

Meg raised an eyebrow. "Done this before much?"

"Bite me," Amy replied. Leo blushed and looked away. He didn't find Takane attractive in the least, but the way the chains squished the sides of her breasts gave him a sudden flash impulse of Sei, bound and helpless, in his mind's eye. She was wearing the skimpy swimsuit she had worn at the beach resort, and her breasts were all but hanging out of the barely-there attire which altogether accentuated her more than abundant assets.

"I'm… gonna leave the room!" Leo said lamely. Amy shrugged, as if to say "Men" before Meg tilted Takane's face up.

"Meg, let me go. I haven't done anything ta yeu," the older woman said. Meg jerked the chains, making Amy giggle. She had done a bang-up job on them, after all. "Damn…"

"Ain't no use trying to break out. Go on, Meg, beat her ass," Amy urged. Meg cracked her knuckles.

From then on, it was a royal mess. After about twenty minutes of backhanding torture, Meg took a break. She inhaled deeply after lighting up as Amy peered down into Takane's bloodied face. The police woman spat and dark blood dotted the floor. Amy poked her in the cheek and Takane turned her face away.

"Stop that…" she murmured. Amy shrugged and plopped down next to Meg.

"Those things'll kill you, you know," she commented. "You should have taken up another vice."

Meg turned and exhaled a long stream of smoke in Amy's direction. "What do you know, kid?"

Amy coughed and waved the smoke away. "It's not really sexy, is all I'm sayin'…"

Takane worked her tongue in the side of her mouth and spat a tooth out. "You weren't like this before, girl. You used to be nice."

"Yeah, well, abandonment issues'll do that to you," Meg shrugged offhand, but Amy knew she was being truthful. Meg's gloved hand brought her cigarette back up to her mouth and ruby red lips inhaled delicately.

"I know how much Jo means to yeu… I know, cause she can't sleep easy. Just like you can't either, I bet," Takane said. Meg flicked her blue eyes toward the battered woman, her gaze narrowing.

"And how would you know how she sleeps?" Cold jealousy clawed Meg's breast. Amy watched her worriedly as the older girl stood, the hem of her red outfit flaring. Takane met Meg's gaze squarely as the younger woman grabbed her by the collar again and pulled her close enough to kiss. Takane smiled grimly.

"I promised not ta tell anyone where they were, for their protection, AND your own. I know ya don't believe me, but there is heavy shit going on with Sei-san's faction. She made me promise not to tell anyone, because she knew you would come charging in. I promised. Can't ya see that?" Takane pleaded.

"Screw for our protection," Meg fumed. "Sei should know better. Who does she think she is keeping Jo tied off for her own use? We need her too! I need her…"

Amy's brow furrowed and she looked her young years. "Didn't Sei trust we could help her at all? What gives?"

"She's in a lot of hell," Takane grimaced as one eye closed against the pain. The puffed bruises were beginning to well the lids shut. "They couldn't just come back, like normal, everything went down at once and she has to attend to the pieces. She had to make a decision, and she made it. I'm sorry…."

"You're gonna be more sorry than you think," Meg finished, grounding out her cigarette and flicking the butt toward a full ashtray across the room. Her gloved hand raised high and trembled as rage governed her body. "If what you've said is true, it's a sad excuse for them leaving us!"

Amy nodded, her eyes grim. "She's not gonna help us. Go on, Meg, let her have it." The girl began to walk off to her room as Meg wound up.

"Who said I won't tell yeu?" Takane gave out. Meg's hand froze in midair.

"What, had enough? Some cop," Meg taunted. Takane smiled sadly.

"I promised I wouldn't tell anyone, but you're not just anyone. You love Jo. And she needs you. I can see it whenever she stares off when she thinks no one is looking. And she can't sleep unless heavily sedated. Sei's worried about her, and so am I. So, fuck the Bai Lan, I'll tell you where they are…"

Meg's trembling hands fished out a cigarette and lit up as Takane began to spill. Amy ran screaming for Leo and the pair came back for the rest of the story. The mechanic looked so hopeful, that Meg's heart sank.

Even when they got to Sei's secret hideaway, would she let them in? They wouldn't know until they got there, to the moment of truth. Meg swallowed her fear and doubt and tried to be brave for her friends.

"You heard her. Takane's got the location, so let's head out," Meg ordered. Amy cheered and Leo pumped his fist into the air.

"Alright!"

End for now

End note: It's gonna get interesting now! I kinda like how this story is writing itself in some ways, whereas in others, it's being a real bitch. Oh, and I don't smoke at all, so I'm making it look sexier with Meg than it should in real life.

Penpaninu

2/4/11