hell's right hand (1.2): from the shadows
CW/TW: not much
note: this one is a bit of a filler that provides context for character background and future events; if you're only here for the whump feel free to skip!
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Aurelie drives quickly, but the way she stops and accelerates isn't jerky, so Liexia's quite comfortable on the car roof.
"You're gonna call your mom, right?" Evander asks as they drive over a bridge. "You said--"
"Yeah, I'm calling her."
She turns down the brightness of her screen to match the dark of the night before dialing her mom's number. It rings twice, and then her mom is on the line.
"What do you need, Liexia?"
She's disappointed. Whatever.
"I've got an injured guy with me. We're heading to one of Yanglun-shu's* motels, the one south of Heilonsk. It's probably an hour from where you are right now?"
"Liexia, this is the third time you've asked me to--"
"He's been... he's been raped, Ma. Please?"
A long sigh. "What's the address?"
*note: "shu", or "shushu" is an honorific used to address an older male that is around your parents' age
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It only takes another half an hour to get to the motel. Most of the kids have already fallen asleep, and Kyre has as well, so Evander and Aurelie carry them one by one into the motel as Liexia checks in. The receptionist looks just about asleep, probably not quite registering the metallic smell of blood. Liexia takes her gloves off as the keys are handed over and goes to the rooms she booked.
"You only booked two?" Evander whispers, gently placing one of the children on the first bed.
"Four beds total. 3 kids per bed. You can sleep next to Kyre on the last bed if you want. Aurie and I need to get in contact with their parents as soon as we can, so we're not gonna sleep tonight."
"Did you guys plan this out already?"
"Yeah. It's fine. You've done basically all the heavy lifting today. You need to rest."
Evander snorts softly. "Ironic coming from you."
"Shut up and get the kids in here. My mom'll be here in half an hour to check on Kyre."
-
"Nothing looks infected so far. It looks worse than it really is. That is one lucky boy. I'll have to take a urine sample to test for other things once he wakes up, so keep him hydrated, okay? Did you book a room for me as well?" Liexia's mom asks.
"I can if you want."
"No need."
It's silent in the hallway, and her mom looks away. "Liexia, I really don't think this is the path for you. Even if you want to go the... mercenary route, at least work under your father. Whatever you're doing right now is dangerous, and you're involving Evander and Aurelie at a time where your peers are starting to consider university."
"But I don't need university, Ma. I make enough money already."
"It's not about the money. I'm worried about your safety. Evander and Aurelie's safety. And the people you're hurting..."
"They deserved it," Liexia hisses, biting her tongue before she can say more. "And who'll protect the innocent, if not me?"
"What you're doing is not protecting the innocent, Liexia. You need to let the authorities deal with the things you are taking into your own hands."
"But they don't do anything! If I had let the authorities get there before me today, everyone would've walked free. You don't get it."
Eyebrows furrowed, her mother can only look away. "I can't tell you what to do anymore, Liexia, but just know that your father has positions open for you if you ever want to rejoin the organization. I'm going to book myself a room and get some sleep. Wake me up once the boy wakes up."
"Yeah. G'night."
Liexia turns around to enter the room where six of the children are sleeping soundly and Aurelie is waiting.
"Any ways of contacting their parents?" Liexia asks, lowering her voice as soon as the door is locked behind her.
Aurelie scratches her neck. "I tried all the phone numbers the kids gave me earlier. They don't... they don't exist anymore."
"What do you mean?"
"I tried looking up the kids' names on the government-- point is, someone erased them, or something. Legally, they don't exist... honestly, I'm really confused right now. I've never seen this before."
Liexia sighs. "If you're confused, I'm more confused. Let me see the laptop."
"Wait, I also found a USB," Aurelie says, plugging it in.
Liexia flips through the files, but the USB only contains videos, no documents. "Where'd you get this again? The USB?"
"It was in the security part of the building. You killed the guard, remember? So I went in to look for anything important after you kept going, but this USB was all they had plugged in to the computer. That's it."
"Ah. Have you watched any of the videos yet?"
Aurelie shakes her head. "I don't think I want to see, or I won't forget, ever. Literally."
"I know. We don't have time to watch every single one of them, either. I'll just--wait, is that?"
The mouse hovers over the thumbnail of all the children, Kyre included, gathered in one room. Without properly thinking it through, Liexia clicks on it.