Dirty Little Secrets 10
Revelation
A Transformers Prime Fanfiction
:Warning: Violence and sexual content, disturbing descriptions of abuse, human trafficking, death, and rape
Despite the rating and the reason for it this is NOT slash. There are physical assaults and references to bad things that happened in the past.
The majority of Miko's back story in this fic is a compilation of events from real testimonies I have come across in researching human trafficking over the years. These things are real and disturbing
"I don't know exactly where to begin," Miko started uneasily. "I guess I should say I'm sorry first."
She was sitting on the steps leading up to the catwalk with June beside her. The Autobots stood in a loose semi-circle facing her with Jack beside Arcee. Optimus had offered her the privacy of telling Bulkhead alone but the girl had refused, saying she just wanted to get it over with. Fowler had arrived, having been summoned earlier by Mrs. Darby and leaned on the railing with a tired look etched on his face. He was carrying a bulky brief case cuffed to his wrist and seemed unduly burdened by the weight.
"Apologize for what?" Bulkhead demanded.
"Lying to you all from the moment I showed up," she stated flatly. "I'm not an exchange student. I don't have two parents and two cats waiting for me back home. I'm not even from Japan originally."
"But why'd you tell us all that then?" her guardian asked in confusion.
"It was my cover story," she explained. "The feds made it up for me when I went into the witness protection program."
"Oh, so you couldn't tell us," the green mech nodded with a quick glare at the agent, "they wouldn't let you."
Miko sighed and dropped her head.
"Not that simple Bulk. I didn't want to tell you guys; not you bots, not Jack or Raf. Fowler found out when he researched my case file and took over handling me from this other guy, Agent Jones. When it got near to time for the trail where I was supposed to be a witness Fowler told me," Miko stopped to swallow painfully before continuing, "he told me that if I wanted to I could discuss the case with you guys for moral support. I just couldn't." She looked up pleadingly at her friend. "So please don't be mad at him anymore Bulk. He would have told you but I'm a minor and he couldn't talk about it with anyone without my permission, and I begged him not to tell," her voice was breaking and tears were spilling down her face.
"It's okay Miko," the green mech said soothingly. "I'm not angry any more I promise. Uh, sorry Fowler."
"Not a problem Bulk," the man replied. "Have to admit I kind of enjoyed our shouting matches though, blew off some steam."
But the mech was completely focused on Miko. Murmuring soothingly the Autobot held out his servos to her in reassurance. The girl leaned into them with a small whimper. Bulkhead scooped her up and slipped down into a cross-legged position with her securely between his arms. She seemed to draw strength from this and smiled up at him.
"So you had to testify in a court of law and the criminals were after you?" Arcee asked. "That's why you've been so tense?"
"What'd you see that was so bad?" Bulkhead inquired.
The girl shrunk back against him and took a deep breath. She looked down at her hands as she replied softly.
"I was a prostitute belonging to the cartel that was on trial. I saw a lot."
There was dead silence in the silo for a few seconds and then.
"What's a prostitute?" Bulkhead asked in confusion.
Miko winced. She hadn't expected to have to explain that, but Optimus silenced the green mech with a look and sent him a data packet. The ex-wrecker opened it and faster than a human mind could follow and analyzed its contents.
"What!" he gasped, arms closing protectively over Miko. "No! How could? That can't be legal!"
His optics sought out Fowler who shook his head.
"It's not," the man said grimly, "not in most countries anyway. Thus the criminal trial."
"What about your parents," Jack asked, finding his voice finally.
"Parents?" Miko almost sneered. "My mother was one of the most famous sundals in Pontianak. Men came from all over the world to see her. My grandmother was in the family business too, so was her mother before her. Father? Ha! There hasn't been a proper man in my family for six generations. I come from a long line of professionals. That woman never wanted me, she would have aborted me real quick, but her handler ordered her to have a daughter; offered her a fat little retirement package, a house, a pension; the works. Such a successful bloodline couldn't be allowed to just die out you know. When I was born she didn't even nurse me, just turned me over to one of the younger girls who had lost her baby. Her handler, that was that creep Gunter you sent to the emergency room Bulk, he raised me, trained me," her voice tapered off at the end and she took a steadying breath.
The silence in the silo was deafening. Ratchet shifted uncomfortably and tried to think of a way to relieve the awkward tension.
"So if you are not from Japan originally?" he asked.
"Pontianak, Indonesia," Miko said quickly, equally relieved to be on safer ground. "It's no Tokyo but it is the biggest city in West Kalimantan."
"And what's your real name?" Bulkhead inquired, and then regretted it when he felt the girl in his arms stiffen.
"Miko Nakadai," she stated defiantly.
"Wait what?" the mech asked in confusion.
"It is the only legal name I've ever had," the girl explained. "I didn't exactly get a birth certificate and that woman never named me. She called me babi."
"Babi? That's cute," her guardian offered hesitantly. "What's it mean."
"It means pig," the girl hissed, "it is what people call girls who are born to be sold as prostitutes. It means that she saw me as nothing more than a useful animal. Guntar called me Angak Bulan. He says it was because I was born when the Moon Orchids were blooming but what I was called otherwise depended on where I was working and what the johns liked."
The green mech flinched visibly and shot a pleading look at June. The woman smiled gently at him and nodded her head in confirmation of what the girl was saying.
"Anyway," Miko was continuing, it was as if some pressure valve had been released in her and everything she had kept bottled up inside for so long was coming out, "like I said I was raised in the capital city and I was one of the lucky ones. Because of my potential they wanted to be sure I made it to adulthood alive so I got plenty of food and decent medical care. They didn't care weather I got school but one of the other whores taught me to read and write and I had a knack for languages so Guntar made sure I spoke the ones most common among the johns. I was a high class deal and they usually wanted to talk to me."
"But you're so young," Jack broke in, not able to hid the horror in his voice.
She smiled bitterly, not meeting his eyes.
"I debuted at twelve. I've been a productive member of the community for three years. If I hadn't escaped I would probably be near as famous as that woman by now. I was set to be an international. I had finished my training in Pontianak and was shipped to Hong Kong when Guntar was transferred there. He was just about the worst kind of scum there is but he knew how to manage. Back on the island I learned on sailors and tourists mostly, but six months in the big city and I was pulling in more money than girls with twice my experience. He hooked me up with wealthy businessmen, top politicians, and famous stars. The things I could tell you about."
A small sound from Fowler interrupted her and the girl glanced up at him.
"Oh right," she said.
"What," Bulkhead demanded.
"There is still a trial in process," the agent explained, "she's not supposed to mention specific names until it's over."
"Anyway," Miko interrupted, before they could set off again, "it was in Hong Kong that I started fighting, resisting. There was this one john who came in. I don't know what he was expecting but he seemed shocked by how young I was. I think he was American, maybe Canadian, but he was really nice, listened to my story, told me he was going to do something about it. Gave me a phone number, told me to call if I needed anything. He didn't touch me, and I never heard from him again. But after that I started really questioning Guntar. He didn't like that and I was punished. Finally he sent me to the stables for a week. They pretty much just lock you in a little room and you've got to see fifteen, twenty johns a day. They just line up one after the other."
Her voice cracked and Bulkhead could feel her trembling, the small movements fueling the growing fury in his spark. Optimus must have seen the rage building because he opened a private comm. link and addressed the ex-Wrecker.
*Bulkhead, right now Miko needs your presence for comfort. We will discuss what may be done about this later, but you must restrain yourself for her sake until then.*
The green mech didn't respond but he sat still for the remainder of Miko's story.
"Once I was transferred to Japan mostly I was rented out to the high rollers for enjo kosai, 'compensated dating' so I only had to deal with one guy a day. Guntar arranged it so I became popular as a 'gift' older guys renting me for their son's or nephew's coming of age parties and stuff. It was around that time that I got pregnant." At that her voice dropped to a near whisper and a ripple of shock ran around the room. "Guntar had been pushing those stupid pills down my throat pretty much from the day I started working but hey, a ninety-seven point five percent success rate still leave that two percent."
"You had a sparkling?" Bulkhead asked astonished.
She looked up at him and the pain in her eyes nearly broke his spark.
"I wanted to," she whispered into the silent base, "I wanted to so very badly. I was so happy. I went and told Guntar right away so sure he'd be pleased. I mean with my bloodline why wouldn't he be?" She stopped talking and was quiet for so long Jack began to squirm where he stood next to Arcee, finally she continued. "He wasn't. He, he was angry; said I was too young, that it would ruin my work. I begged," she hissed out, "begged him on my knees to let me keep my baby. The only thing I ever begged for. He punished me for that."
Bulkhead felt her body tighten at the memory and her trembling increase.
"He beat you?" the mech asked in as calm a voice as he could manage.
"Oh no, my good looks were far too valuable for that. He was very creative. Liked to shove my head into ice water, make me watch him beat the less productive whores, withhold food for days, that sort of thing."
The girl heard a distinct rumble emanating from her guardian, a noise she had never heard him make before but went on with her story without commenting.
"He scheduled an abortion for me the next week. So the next time I was out with a client I just ran. He was this fat middle aged business guy. He took me shopping first and bought me a lot of jewelry and he fell asleep while I was in the dressing room at a mall. So I just slipped out the back. I ran through the streets until I came to this huge abandoned building. It was slated for destruction but not for months so I made myself a little nest in one of the lower stories. I sold the stuff the john'd bought me and lived off that for awhile then scavenged off the streets for a few weeks but I wasn't doing good. I didn't trust anyone because I never knew who would just turn me back over to the police. Then one day I found this garden with all these green berries on a bush. I was really hungry so I climbed over the fence and stuffed myself. I was sick before I was even done eating and puked it right back up under the bushes. This little old lady came out and spotted me."
A smile flickered across Miko's face as she remembered the small grey-haired woman who had come after her with a knobby old walking stick.
"She demanded to know what I was doing and I mouthed off to her. Well to make a long argument short she ended up insisting I do yard work in exchanging for ruining her berry harvest. I didn't know squat about gardens but I came back the next day anyway. She fed me breakfast, the first real meal I'd had in days, before we got to work. It was the hardest physical work I'd ever done in that little Tokyo garden, but I loved it. After a few days she offered me the shed to sleep in. She never said but I think she knew more than I told her. So I lived with her and worked in her garden in exchange for food and a safe place to sleep. She went to this church every Sunday and she started coming back with stuff from the church ladies, used clothes, baby things, the shed was really nice and we made it into a nursery. That went on for about seven months. She had started to fuss over me; insist I go see a doctor because it was getting near time for the baby but I was afraid. Then one night Guntar found me, I still don't know how. He sent his goons in and broke me out of the shed. She came out and went after them with her stick but they just ignored her and shoved me into a car."
Miko curled up into a ball now but kept talking through her tremors.
"He was angry, so very angry," she whispered. "He was waiting for me at this airport. Shoved me onto this private jet and told me to entertain this wealthy business tycoon. I was so scared for my baby, I did exactly what he said. It turned out the jet was headed for the states and the big guy in the suit was a major player in the cartel that ran Guntar's brothel. There was all kinds of incriminating stuff spread out in that plane; like papers that showed how and where and when they were smuggling women across borders. I guess they didn't think I was a threat because they let me see all of it.
We landed at this private little strip in California. Guntar, he took me to this room and made me drink something. It made me really woozy and the next thing I remember I was waking up in this hospital like room. I think I had just signed some papers. Anyway I realized what was going on. Guntar was making good on his orders about my baby. I tried to tell the doctor that I didn't want to but the bastard just patted me on the head and told me everything was going to be all right with a smile. Then he held me down on the table while the nurse stuck this needle in me. I was speaking perfect English," the girl snarled. "I told them I didn't want this, I begged them to stop, but they went ahead with it anyway. When I woke up my baby was gone. Thrown in a box to be tossed out like somebody's bad tooth. I woke up in this hard plastic chair in a waiting room with two or three other women and they gave me my cloths back to get dress right there in front of them. Guntar showed up to get me then."
"Wait," Jack gasped, "that happened in this country?"
"Yep, at one of those shiny perfectly legal clinics," Miko spat, "the big guy who owns the brothels owns a share of them and they have an understanding. Guntar gave me a week of light work to heal then it was back to the old grind. He would come in every day and shoved the pills down my throat. He had got a stronger brand and they made me sick but I still conceived again a few months later. I didn't tell Guntar but my womb had been damaged too much by the abortion and I miscarried after two months. I nearly died and they had to do a partial hysterectomy so I can never have kids again. Guntar punished me for that too."
Miko paused again and June passed the green mech a handkerchief who handed it in turn to the girl. She accepted it a small grateful smile.
"I was laid up for a while after the surgery," she continued voice growing stronger now. "I had a lot of time to think. I remembered that number that john had given me and the next time I had a customer I swiped his phone. The number turned out to be a crises center with ties to the IJF."
"The what?" Ratchet asked with a frown.
Miko looked at June who turned to the medic.
"The Internations Justice Federation," the nurse explained. "They are an international organization devoted to fighting institutionalized abuse like what Miko experienced. I worked with them in Taiwan my first year out of college. They work to have better laws put into place and enforced, provide options for people who have been victimized, and in many cases their teams perform raids to rescue girls from the brothels."
The medic nodded his understanding as Miko continued.
"So anyway, I told them what I knew and about a week later there was a police raid. I ended up being pegged for a witness and got sent to the middle of freaking nowhere to be safe until the trail. That meant Jasper, Nevada. I was here a few weeks when I spotted Jack and Arcee. Guntar and the others found me somehow a few weeks ago. Still not sure how, internet I guess. The rest you know."
There was silence in the silo for a moment and then Bulkhead suddenly clutched the girl to his chestplates.
"Miko I promise you no one is ever going to hurt you like that again," he growled fiercely.
"Thanks Bulk," she whispered, "but you're kinda squishing me."
"Sorry," he apologized dropping her to the floor.
The Autobots stood around, unsure how to react until Bumblebee stepped forward and scooped Miko up into a hug. He beeped and whistled fiercely and Arcee stepped forward.
"Bee speaks for all of us Miko. We're behind you all the way. If you ever need anything you know we're there."
The yellow scout handed her over to his commander and Miko threw her arms around the femme's neck in silent thanks. With a mischievous grin the girl winked at Arcee and turned and held her arms out to Ratchet. To her surprise the red and white mech reached out and took her without even a perfunctory grumble and cradled her close to his chassis. His motivation was revealed however and she yelped in protest.
"Hey! You already scanned me this week!"
"True but the extreme stress you've been under might very well interfere with your proper operations."
Miko looked at him blankly and the glanced at Optimus for translation.
"Ratchet is merely concerned for your well being Miko," the Prime said with a small smile, "as are we all. Would you do me the favor of letting him perform a complete scan given this new information? For his peace of processor."
"Well if it will make Doc Bot feel better," the girl grumbled.
"It would," the medic stated flatly.
He carried the emotionally exhausted girl into the med bay with Bulkhead hovering over his shoulder the entire way.
"Mom," Jack started then paused. He took a long steadying breath. June could see the anger and shock warring across her son's face. "How can I help her?" he finally asked.
"She will want to talk to you after all this is over Jack. When she does just be there and listen."
The young man nodded and walked up to the platform to wait while the nurse went into the medbay. Arcee stood silently for a moment flexing her arm blades in and out of their sheaths. She turned suddenly to Jack.
"Hey partner I need to go burn some rubber."
"I'm going to stay here," he replied without turning.
She nodded and transformed, tearing out of the base. Bumblebee hovered near the medbay entrance waiting for June to come out and explain what exactly this had to do with Raf not being able to come play with him.
Optimus walked up to Agent Fowler just as the man was about to leave.
"Special Agent Fowler," the Prime started formally. "May I assume that there will be repercussions for those involved in this criminal venture that has harmed Miko so?"
"You can bet your red and blue plating there will," he said fiercely. "From the creep who raised her like an animal to that abortion clinic. They are going down."
"How might we be of assistance?"
"Keep Miko safe is all, this is mainly going to be computer work and legal attacks," the man shrugged.
"Agent Fowler," there was a hard note in the Autobot leader's tone that caught the human's attention instantly. "You are aware of the close bonds that have been forged between my people and yours. We are Autobots, it is in our nature to protect those we care about. If my soldiers are not allowed some venture to provide for Miko, and the other children's', further safety then I must now claim full responsibility for the results."
The man stared grimly up at the Prime for a moment and a hard grin spread across his face at the unyielding look in the blue optics.
"Prime, I could never condone you attacking civilian human targets, even foreign ones, especially not the ones in this file." He unlocked the case on his wrist as he spoke and pulled out a thick manila envelope. "So yeah see you later Prime," the man said as he carelessly dropped the file to the floor.
Optimus picked up the file between two servos and scanned it. There would be no sign it was opened when the human returned for the 'forgotten' documents. A grim look settled over the Prime's faceplates as he processed the information. This would require more research, what he had was clearly incomplete. He moved to stand in front of the computer display and sent an instruction to his soldiers.
*Mission briefing tonight, twenty-two hundred hours.*