Chapter 12
The man's eyes opened groggily in the half-light of early dawn. The first thing he noticed was that he wasn't in his own bed. He was in a place that was clearly set up as some kind of medical area. There had clearly been attempts to make it sterile and set it up almost like a military medical tent. Sure it still wasn't clean enough he'd check in for open heart surgery or anything, but it might as well be a five star private hospital compared to what they had with the Tunnel Snakes.
The second thing he noticed was that his legs wouldn't work. He couldn't feel them. He was also restrained to the bed, damp cloth bindings securing him to the frame and a strap across his neck stopping him from looking down to see what was going on. Gradually, he felt the panic start to set in. Where was he? What was going on? Was this some sort of late birthday hazing ritual? If so, it wasn't funny. And running his tongue around his mouth told him that the taste of blood wasn't just in his head. Several of his teeth were missing. God dammit, this wasn't funny!
Just then, a lot of his questions were immediately answered. A face popped into view, a young Asian girl with somewhat boyish features. In an instant, he realised who this was. A grin spread over her face, sweet and somewhat charming at first, quickly dissolving to become something truly malicious.
"You... You're Nagakawa something, ain't you?" His words were distorted by the fact he was trying to speak with several teeth missing. "Oh, bitch... When your family gets to you, you're as good as dead!"
"Perhaps." The woman's expression didn't budge and she only offered a curt nod by way of acknowledgement. "But there are several things working against you here. For a start: they're not here right now. And while we're on that subject, neither is my friend Melody. She got killed in the fighting last night. She was only fourteen."
"What... Fighting...?" The man fought for the memory, but the more he thought about it the more it hurt.
"God, how hard did House hit you when he knocked you out?" the woman asked, tilting her head to one side. "Well, I guess it doesn't matter too much provided you can answer my questions. If not, you'll just arbitrarily die. And if there's one thing I've learned tonight, it's that death should always mean something. My questions are pretty easy, so just answer them fully and honestly and I won't have to do too much damage. You might even live to get treatment. Fail to do so and... Well, the choice is yours entirely."
"What-" The captive Tunnel Snake fumbled for words. "Look, no one was supposed to die, okay?"
"No, no... Save that for when I start questioning." The woman was clearly trying to opt for a soothing tone. Instead, the man felt his heart rate speed up. "Now, let's start with some general trivia. Do you know where we are right now?" The man just shook his head in response. "This was Melody's medical tent." The woman perched herself on the edge of the bed, her hand resting on his chest before trailing downwards. "At fourteen, she was an absolute prodigy. Her mom was in the medical field, you see. And she was one hell of a quick study. She knew what to do, when to do it and when it was better to hand off to the people who actually have medical licenses. And this place was set up to match that. It's got a suite of lab equipment, a chemically-powered waste disposal unit and even some basic dissection tools. And that was her one fault, really: she had a nasty habit of not locking those up." At that, the woman placed a small case rattling with various implements- many of them bladed- onto the bed.
"Wha... What are you gonna-"
"You don't need to worry about that." The assurance did nothing to lower his heart rate. "Not so long as you answer my questions fully and honestly. As I said. Now, who do you work for? All I need is a name."
"That's more than my life's worth!" the Tunnel Snake practically spat. "Go to hell!" The girl leaned in close, giving him a long and appraising once-over with her gaze. Her hand was still on him and still trailing lower. Then it came to rest on his hip. And at the point where there should have been a waistband, there was only bare skin.
"You may or may not have noticed by now that you're missing something important." Her tone had taken on a whole new note of venom. "Your pants and those boxer-briefs are gone. The disposal unit really came in handy for that one. Now, if Melody could see me using it for something as disgusting as your underwear she'd turn in her grave. And she's not even in it yet. And if she knew what I was about to use her dissection tools for, she'd beg me to let her join in. And how would I refuse? They are her tools! So you'd better believe that I'm gonna be cutting on you with the wrath of two scorned women right now. Now... Which Tunnel Snake hideout do you belong to?"
"Fuck you, ya crazy bitch!" At that, the girl's hopeful expression and the shell of pseudo-innocence she'd been wearing crumbled and fell away in an instant. She popped open the case and selected an especially compact scalpel blade from the set, slotting it into the handle carefully before holding it up over him so he could see it.
"Wrong fucking answer."
Outside, everyone had been hard at work. Inchy had been on damage assessment while Percy had been gathering fallen weapons and taking stock of what they had in case another attack came. Their printers had been destroyed in the attack and even if they hadn't there would have been no time to make more guns from scratch anyway. House had found a spare tarp to wrap Melody in and Chloe had taken it upon herself to gather flowers. She didn't know why or what it really achieved, but it gave her something to do and so the others weren't about to stop her.
It was as she was coming back in that the screaming started. At first, she jumped a mile and wondered who'd been hurt now. Then she realised who it was and settled down a tiny bit. The others had heard it too and were looking up, turning considerably pale. Clearly they knew something she didn't.
"I'm scared." Inchy admitted. Next to him, House nodded in agreement. "No, I mean I'm really scared. I'm the one who dumped her, remember?"
"I think you're safe." Percy told him. "She doesn't care much for heartbreak provided no one else gets hurt. Melody got killed last night. I don't care what she says to him, he's probably not leaving that tent alive."
"Good." Chloe practically spat, not bothering to hide how distraught she was. She had armfuls of wild flowers that she'd just picked from around the perimeter fence and she walked over to the tarp to start arranging them. "And if anyone comes to tell me that these are really endangered flowers and that they need to be preserved and protected, please tell them on my behalf to shove it up their ass!"
"Consider them told." Percy nodded as he left her to it. That was a relief. It meant she had some peace to work, even though she could hear them talking in the background. "Inchy? Damage report?"
"Printers are fucked, minimal damage to the repair bay, the showers need to be rebuilt from the ground up, food prep is mostly fine. If anything, they just cooked three days of meals for us. That's literally all they did there. We'll have to eat that quick or dump it."
"Eat what we can, dump what we can't." Percy nodded. "I wonder what this is going to mean for the project." That caught Chloe's attention. Ana had promised her answers after the radiation incident and she was still owed that. Was this part of what Ana was going to tell her?
"What project?" she asked, getting up and walking over. Her arrangement on the tarp wasn't the best, but was enough to let people know the sentiment was there. She'd never really been all that into flowers and crafts. Her knowledge of crafts had stretched to paper pirate hats and scratch art as a kid. Sentiment had definitely been what she was going for. She felt she'd at least achieved that much.
"What?" Percy asked, turning to face her as another scream rang out from the medical tent. She was having none of it.
"Don't give me that shit. You fucking heard what I said. You mentioned a project. Ana mentioned you guys were employed by someone and she said she'd tell me everything. Is this something to do with it? I just want to know how you guys got access to shit like hyper advanced 3D printers and radiation sickness treatment." The boys looked among each other. Chloe could practically see the internal debate playing out across their faces. Whatever this project was, it was clearly almost as much of a secret as The Hive. Or what was left of it.
"Okay..." Inchy let out a sigh as he faced her properly, taking off his glasses to wipe them on his shirt. "You may have noticed, Seattle is a great place for the artists to thrive. Percy alone stocks up on spray paint and gets commissioned to do murals on the sides of buildings so people aren't looking at just empty brick. But there's a certain underlying element of shit around this place. The Tunnel Snakes are a big part of that since they seem to think they own Seattle, but there's a bigger part to all of it. Our employer tasked us to clean it up as best we can. We do what we can to get this place up to the sort of standard that will allow them to start their housing project to revitalise the poorer districts around here and they keep The Hive a secret. If we can get it to the point that their project can start, they've guaranteed supplies to The Hive for as long as it's in use."
"That is assuming we can stay here now." Percy shrugged. "Pan Estates will provide whatever we need to repair the place, but the Tunnel Snakes managed to find-"
"Whoa, hold on!" Chloe cut in amidst the continued screaming behind her. "Pan Estates? Like 'Sean Prescott' kind of Pan Estates?"
"Sean?" Inchy and Percy shared a look. "No, we don't know about a Sean. The guy Ana deals with is called Harry. The last name's right, though."
"Dude, the Prescotts are seriously bad news!" Chloe couldn't believe it. The Pan Estates project had caused nothing but job losses and misery in Arcadia Bay ever since it had been voted on. But here she'd been unknowingly helping it get started in Seattle! "I don't know what this other guy is like, but Sean Prescott is only good for writing one-sided contracts and blank cheques! Everything he's selling is on a buy-now-pay-forever basis!"
"So the rich people are a bunch of snakes." Percy shrugged. "Shocker. That's why you let them lead the charge. You put a big enough target in front of them, there's less chance they'll turn around and bite you."
"Yeah? Well the entire Pan Estates program is a whole nest of vipers!" Chloe practically spat. "Those people are the last ones you want anywhere near you!"
"Be that as it may, they pay well." Inchy shrugged. "They're the reason we could have a life here."
"And?" Chloe stared at him in disbelief. "That's not the type of people the Prescotts are! Let me put it to you this way: they hate you. They will see you as part of the problem since you don't have a proper house or any money to buy something off them. And once you've gotten rid of the rest of the vermin, they will turn on you. It's like Percy said. The Tunnel Snakes are the bigger problem. But what happens when they're not there anymore. They'll use you up and throw you away like the trash they see you as. You want proof? Just take a look at what they've done in Arcadia Bay! Unemployment and homelessness are at record highs!"
"So what would are we supposed to do?" Percy snapped. "You tell us that! We have no medic now, we need the supplies they have, our facilities are damaged and we have no idea if or when the Tunnel Snakes will attack again! Don't forget, these were the people who were trying to make radioactive grenades of all things! Gone are the days when you can take them lightly! As if on cue, the screaming started up again for a few seconds. Their prisoner must have said something else that Ana didn't like. A few seconds later, Ana herself emerged from the tent. She was pulling her hair out of her eyes with one hand while wiping blood off the other on some paper towel. She walked over with no preamble and turned to face everyone while they stopped arguing and waited with bated breath.
"His name is Colin Belcher, he's a US marine cadet washout and he was kind enough to verify the location of a number of Tunnel Snake hideouts."
"God damn, you are sadistic." Chloe felt her voice drop in sheer amazement. "Think he's in a position to answer a few more questions?"
"I think there should be just enough left of him." Ana nodded, sparing a moment to glance at the tarp holding Melody's body. "Come on. Let's see what sort of state he's in now." Chloe and Ana walked back to the medical tent with Ana heading just in front and holding the tent flap open for her. "M'lady..."
"Thank you." Chloe said in a mockingly polite tone, nodding to her courteously. Their guest was barely conscious, a bloodied piece of cloth covering everything it needed to. His legs had turned cherry red from where House had broken them. There was no doubt about it- he was set to lose them if he lived at all.
"Wake up, shit stain!" Ana barked, back-handing him across the face hard enough to jolt him back to consciousness. He woke with a start and Chloe could instantly see sweat beading on his brow. She didn't know if he was just terrified or if his injuries were making him feverish. It didn't matter right now. She set it out of her mind and kept her cool as she sat down on the edge of the bed. Liquid fire burned in her soul as the anger over Melody's death rose to the surface. And not just her. All this needless death, and for what?
"I think you'd better start talking." She was shocked by how cold her voice sounded, but didn't let it show.
"Dude, I already told this bitch everything!" His tone was defiant, but his words were rushed. He was cracking. And Ana, unimpressed by his tone, was suddenly holding the scalpel again.
"You gave her the locations of bases." Chloe shot back. "I don't give a shit about them. I'm past that point. What I want to know is who you work for." What little colour was left instantly drained from his face.
"I can't! They'll kill me!"
"Kill you?" Ana looked at him in mock amusement. "Motherfucker, I'll kill you! And I'll get a lot more enjoyment out of it."
"You'll give me a name or I'll give you back to 'this bitch'. Now what's it to be?" Chloe asked, turning to point to Ana. She had a grin on her face that was nothing short of evil and the scalpel was gleaming just right in the light. It did the trick.
"Uh, look... Let's not be hasty here!" He was stammering and desperately looking for a reversal. Neither of them gave him one. "Okay, look... If I tell you, will you at least call me an ambulance?"
"We'll certainly consider it." Chloe nodded. With that, she decided to try being the good cop to Ana's bad. She edged forward and took the Snake's restrained arm, keeping her grip gentle. "Look, I get it. You're just a grunt, right? Just doing as you're told. Just the standard Team Rocket rando that goes out to do something nefarious only to get fucked up by a group of kids. And I know you didn't kill Melody. The one who did that got capped in the head for his troubles. And we don't care about the rest of you anymore. We kill one of yours, you kill one of ours- where does that cycle end? I'll tell you where: at way too much death. And I for one have had my fill of that. Only one more person needs to go out here and that's the one pulling the strings. Without them at the top, you guys collapse on your own. You get to live. As it is, we'll take out one head and you guys will find two more. It's like the fucking Hydra. It's the body I'm after. The beating heart. Tell me where it is and you might just get to live too." The Tunnel Snake thought for a second before letting out a defeated sigh.
"Fine." Chloe saw him shivering. Was it fear? Was he getting infected. It was anyone's guess but she was glad she was getting an answer now. That meant this guy could get help quicker. "I don't know too much, but I know that if we ever get arrested, there's a lawyer number we need to call."
"Then dial." Chloe took out her phone and put it in his hand. It was tricky for him to press all the numbers with his hand restrained, but he managed it and Chloe snatched it back as the call connected.
"Hello, this is the office of Vanessa Caulfield- attorney at law. She's currently out off the office at the moment. I'm Cindy, her secretary. How can I help you today?" Chloe's blood instantly turned to ice. Max's mother was representing these people? Did she know who the hell she was dealing with?
"Hi, this is-" Chloe was about to give her name, but then saw Ana gesturing for the phone. She passed it over and waited to see what the older girl had planned.
"Hey there, this is Ana Nagakawa. I'm calling on behalf of a nightclub I sing at called Heaven's Night."
"Yes, we're aware of them." Cindy replied. "Does Victor know you're placing this call?"
"Oh, so you know of Vic?" Ana asked, her interest caught.
"Yes, Victor Castellucci." Cindy replied. "Is everything okay?"
"Yes." Ana nodded. "I was looking for more singing opportunities and Vic gave me permission to ring you and ask if there's a list of clubs you have in affiliation with Heaven's Night. No one totally out of left field, I don't want to break confidentiality or anything, but those who are on the same legal affiliation as them. That way my insurance is covered under them too."
"I see." Cindy's voice sounded uncertain but they could hear her typing on the computer and shifting papers. "We have a wide variety of places on file. Actually, the list is rather surprising. There are tattoo parlours, scrap merchants, casino supply dealers, a 3D printer manufacturer... Why the hell are they in affiliation with B.D. Military Surplus?"
"Oh, he's a big second amendment supporter." Ana told her. "Thanks for all your help. You've been great." With that, she hung up before Cindy could respond. "Tattoo parlours, scrap merchants and military surplus... Anyone else not liking the picture this is painting?" Chloe definitely wasn't. The pieces were falling into place in her head and she'd never seen an uglier image in all her life.
"Shit. I told him about Vanessa!"
"What?" Ana stared at her, dumbfounded. "Why the fuck would you just hand out that information?"
"He told me that I'd pissed off a whole gang and that everyone I loved was a target!" Chloe replied, exasperated as the frantic hysteria started creeping in. "I just- I had to get a warning to them!"
"And he promised to do that?" Ana gave her a pointed look. "God damn... Vic is many things, Chloe. Complex is definitely one of them. And everything he does has an ulterior motive. He's a night club owner. He needs to be able to wear more than one face."
"Well you didn't really get chance to warn me of that before you got rushed to the ER!" Chloe protested. Right on cue, Chloe's phone rang. Joyce's name was on the caller ID bar, so she answered immediately. "Hey, Mom? This really isn't the best time-"
"Hello, Chloe." Vic's voice was like a bucket of ice down her back, especially with its flat and emotionless tone. "In case you haven't put the pieces together, I've got something for you." With that, she heard him walking over to the other end of a room and then the sound of tape being ripped off. She could hear two other muffled voices in the background, but the most immediate concern was the one talking to her now.
"Chloe? I came looking for you and- I just... What the hell is this, Chloe? What are you involved in?" Chloe was numb. She could barely speak. Raw terror had gripped her. This was the worst case scenario.
"Mom...?"