Hello everyone,

After well over a year I'm back. I lost everything on my computer drive despite trying to get it all for months and that disheartened me terribly. I actually stopped writing all together. But I found that I missed it. So as of now I have re written chapters 2 and 3 of this story and re posted them correctly, along with going back and editing the story up till this point.

I'm currently in the process of writing more for this story, but for now consider all my multi part fics on hiatus. Evnetually I will be going back and finishing them along with the full out editing of them, but I would rather focus on this one since it seems to be speaking to me the most right now. I'm sorry for the very long break that I have been on, but I hope not to repeat it any time soon. Here is a new chapter and expect another one to come out sometime next week.

Once again I'm very sorry for the delay. I hope you will still enjoy and review my work.

Ch12

The announcement had gone out to the rest of the jail as soon as the lock down had been lifted and men from all over the jail were interested in fighting in the tournament. The televisions had been a big hit too; even if Wufei required that the evening global ESUN news was being watched for a half hour before lights out. No one questioned it and everyone still gathered around to watch. They wanted a distraction from the void that was their lives. The tournament was an excellent distraction and so was the television.

Wufei helped setup the brackets during his work period in the library. There were over a hundred inmates that wanted to fight throughout the prison. Ones that needed to prove points or look tougher for their own protection. Others wanted to remain dominant in their block. And some were just interested in the promised violence. Wufei figured that out when a large inmate from Donnovan's block grinned over the table and ground out. "I'm going to grind you into the mat little one."

Wufei just sat there and added his name and cell block to the list.

Apparently he was still a target. It had been over six months since he had killed T; the memory must have been fading from the other inmates' minds. Not all of them had seen what he could do. And of course, he being the youngest inmate in the prison and the smallest did not help.

It was going to be double elimination tournament. Lose once and you go to the loser's bracket. Lose twice and you were out. Wufei was starting the tournaments with men from the same cell block fighting each other. He hoped he would have an advantage watching for the ones he was looking for that way.

Near the end of his shift, when Wufei was sorting through the names and assigning them to the brackets he had drawn out, Marcus came into the room. Wufei looked up at him, "You going to fight?" Wufei questioned. It was very sarcastic.

Marcus smirked and sat. "No. Of course not. I'm a master manipulator- not a man for fighting."

"Now I know that is not true." Wufei spoke back, looking at the chart again and putting more names down.

Marcus started tapping the table with his fingers; probably a nervous habit more than anything. He joked again, "Of course I am. I have so many men loyal to me inside and outside of this prison. How do you think I am so good at controlling what is going on in the world? And despite being in prison too, I might add."

"Prove it." Wufei challenged. Marcus looked up with a cool calculating look in his eye. "We have the televisions now and I've been watching the news every night. The world is a mess. Riots everywhere. Preventers trying to squash rebellions. Random acts of violence. You are going to need something big in order to make the news at this point."

Marcus was quiet for a while and looked away from Wufei's steady gaze. He was calculating in his head, pros versus cons, knowing he was being challenged and manipulated at the same time. He looked back at Wufei's hard gaze and shrugged.

"Fine. The day after the tournaments ends watch the nightly news. That will give me exactly one week to set this up. I am in prison after all and I do not want you to have any distractions during this upcoming amazing tournament. I think I know who needs to win."

The yard had been transformed into the arena for the fights over the week. A flat, wooden twelve by twelve platform was erected in the middle of the yard, by the men in the shop and roped off as well. Others had taken the bleachers from various areas of the yard and decided to bring them closer as stands to watch the fighting. It was turning into an actual rink event.

The crowd gathered immediately; guards were present on the walls. The rules were announced earlier: If someone taps out that was it. If someone was knocked unconscious the match was over. It was hand to hand only, no weapons would be allowed of any sort. Each fight would go on as long as need be. No assistance could be given from members outside the platform. Double elimination would be the rules.

A group of guys had volunteered to be the 'medical evacs'. Anyone needing medical treatment would be delivered to the edge of the fence by them and left so the actual doctors and guards could take care of the inmate.

And so it began. One round after the next. No one had been seriously hurt yet. Mostly just bloodied up and released back into the yard. As Wufei had suspected most of the men were brawlers, not trained for efficiency. These inmates were mainly dirty.

Wufei had been impressed with Ulvric's fight as he had thought he would be. The man had proved to be incredibly fast, but lacking in striking knowledge. He had indeed been a long distance assassin. Probably with poisons and sniper rifles.

There was another roar of the crowd as another inmate from Marcus's block fell with a thud. It looked like he would be out. Wufei looked at the chart and handed it to Trent walking off the bleachers and over to the platform as the man was taken off and the other fighter celebrated his victory.

Trent stood and announced, "Next fight is Frank against..Chang." The crowd had mixed reactions. Large cheering from Donnovan's block as the man named Frank entered the ring and interested chatter from other blocks.

No one had seen him fight except those in his block. And those in his block were watching alertly. Marcus was watching with amusement. Donnovan watched with intrigue and mirth.

Wufei stood across from Frank and didn't bother taking a ready position. It was the same man that had promised to grind him into the mat from earlier in the week; he had set up the bracket that way on purpose. Frank was busy stripping and flexing and roaring towards his support section. Apparently this was going to be an easy fight according to him.

Wufei noted the guards watching intently now. Had Warden Scott given them specific instructions?

Trent shouted, "Begin!" And the fight started.

Wufei just stood watching Frank grin across from him. "Are you to scared to move little boy? Do you want your mommy?" His grin faded slightly when Wufei did nothing, despite mocking laughter from some of the inmates.

Frank approached him with his hands up, a boxer. The man was large and muscular. He lunged with a right cross. Wufei side-stepped him, pushed him into a post using his own momentum and he fell to the ground. Before he could get up off the ground Wufei grabbed the back of his head and slammed it against the floor.

He was out. It was less than twenty seconds and Frank was unconscious with a bloody nose.

The crowd was silent and Wufei walked off and sat next to Trent. It hadn't been an elegant fight and definitely dirtier then the way Wufei usually fought. But it was effective and that was all that mattered. He grabbed the list and said, "The next fight is between Nick the Bear and Juan."

The medivac crew was pulling Franks body off the platform and Wufei looked up at the guards. Money was being exchanged. They were betting on the fights; that let his alert level go down a little. At least he was not being watched for any particular reason. His plan was not in jeopardy.

The first rounds of fighting finished that day. Wufei took down is opponents as quickly as he could with as little movement as possible. He wanted to keep up the façade of cool and collected, to intimidate as much as possible. Wufei announced second round would be tomorrow. There were several comments between those that would be fighting the next day. Ranging from 'Sorry I'm going to have to kick your ass.' to 'I'm going to fuck you up.'

No one said anything to Wufei.

The tournament finished with a long battle between himself and a tall dark skinned man from Donovan's cell block. By long he meant that that is lasted more than two minutes, which was actually quite a long fight compared to most that Wufei had been in. Other inmates' fights could have lasted more than ten minutes. But that was simply because there was no technique it was just based on who got knocked unconscious first.

But Wufei was indeed thrilled with how this turned out. He had selected men from each cell block to learn new fighting techniques. He didn't want to have to train them for a long period of time. It was trying being locked away like this even if he had things to do to edge the boredom away, but six long months. And it would be at least another before he could set his plan in motion.

Wufei thought over his list of men though and cringed slightly. The biggest fault with this plan was that of the twelve fighters he selected half of them were a part of Donovan's side. Ulvric was the only one he selected from his cell block. If you counted Trent that was thirteen. Six in Donovan's, three from Marcus and two from Eckpo's block. Wufei had not thought much of Eckpo. He was a drug smuggler almost all the higher ups had something to do with smuggling, which was interesting.

Marcus had spoken of organizing an event in the outside world the day after the tournament. Wufei would be watching the news. To see what he could do. But first he had to think of how to approach the men he wanted.

Trent was asleep on his bunk so Wufei poked the springs from the underside; green eyes peered over edge of the bunk at him, "What's up?" He whispered groggily. It was late, well past lights out, but Wufei had not been able to sleep.

"Come down here." Wufei scooted over on his bunk and waited for Trent to come sit next to him. Once there he leaned back against the wall next to Wufei.

"What's up?" He was rubbing his eyes blearily and his hair was sticking in a funny direction.

"I need help with the plan."

Trent instantly was alert and looking at Wufei, sitting ramrod straight. No matter how many times he had pestered him in the past three months of planning an escape Wufei had never once volunteered what he was thinking or information about what he was planning to do. And now he was trying to include Trent. "I've selected the men I want to work with, but I do not like Donovan and half of the recruits would be from his camp. I would rather have Donovan rot in jail."

"If you include them, they will tell."

"I know."

They paused listening for guards. They patrolled at odd hours throughout the night so they had to be careful and quiet. Neighboring cells could even be problematic in situations like this. "If they align with his group they are loyal to him. He will know the plan as soon as you tell them."

Wufei nodded. He presumed as much. "I just don't like him."

Trent nodded, "That's fair he doesn't like you either." Wufei looked over at Trent questioningly. He looked away before spitting out, "It's just a story."

Wufei frowned when Trent went silent, "Please go on."

Trent hesitated then barreled on with, "He apparently doesn't like Chinese people." Wufei frowned a little. So Donovan was racist. There were still bigots and morons in the world this was nothing new to him. "Well…" Trent hesitated. Wufei pinched his side to get him to keep talking. "The story is…. you know when that colony in lagrange point five blew up? The population was mostly Chinese." Wufei nodded, but his insides were clenched. No way did Donovan have anything to do with that. He knew everyone who did and there was no way it was Donovan. "Well apparently he set up networks at every port in the surrounding colonies to try and find people who wanted to find their fellow colony members. From the L5 that blew up. For any of them that happened to be off colony at the time. As soon as he had them, he would ship them off. He is a human trafficker, after all." Trent was looking out the grates to check for guards wandering by.

Wufei was in shock. Staring at nothing. "What happened to them?"

Trent shrugged. "I don't know. It's just a story. I doubt he got very many of them. I'd imagine asteroid mines or sex trade."

"He targeted because they were Chinese?" Wufei said again.

Trent nodded, "That and if a colony just exploded, no one knows who died and who lived. It's easier pickings then just thieving.

"Go back to bed. We'll discuss this more in the morning."

Trent looked at Wufei and tensed, but did as he was told. Wufei lay back on his bed, staring up at the bunk above him. Mind blank. Any colony members that may have survived were sealed to a different fate, one that was unpleasant in every way. The asteroid minors tended to die quickly from various explosions. Half of their work force was criminals or junkies. They paid them in the drugs they sought. It was and profitable for the companies.

The rest sealed to sex trade. Wufei cringed. That was no life at all to have. His people, hell his neighbor's wife could be suffering from that fate. People's faces just flashed in front of his eyes. Friends, neighbors, family, the man that worked in the local corner store…

Wufei did not sleep that night.

TBC...

So there you have it! I hope it was up to my usual intriguing standards. Once again I'm very sorry for the extremely long break.

-silverserpent