Rue: Web of Deceit - Part 28

Criminal Activity

The Dingo's plan is revealed, and Rue has to contend with both a sadistic child trafficker and the reality of having to reveal more secrets than they'd ever intended.

Rue's phone immediately starts to go wild in their pocket, with phone call after phone call being ignored in favour of dealing with this thing alone. A few moments pass and they soon hear the sound of a deadbolt coming undone and the door opening to reveal the familiar face of Ava, or whatever her name really is, clad in a pair of jeans and loose-fitted t-shirt. She smiles and opens the entryway to the minimalist apartment, "Rue! You're a little early," she exclaims, "Come in, come in. Sorry, I haven't had time to get tidied up yet."   “Am I? Sorry about that,” Rue says innocently, smiling at Ava as they step inside. Their phone stops buzzing for just a second before it starts up again, “I can’t imagine you would have much to tidy up. I’m happy to wait, though.”   "No, no. It's fine. Can I get you a drink?" She says, leading them to the same table as before and making her way into the kitchenette.   ''Just some water, please.'' Rue says, glancing back in the direction of the bedroom when Ava's back is turned. They know it's risky, but they'll have to get their hands on that laptop somehow if they want to collect any solid evidence against her.   "Sure," she says as Rue looks away, moving into the kitchen and returning a few moments later with two cups, "Here you go. Fresh from the tap."   ''That's great, thank you.'' Rue takes a small sip from the proffered cup as they sit down at the table. Much to their chagrin, they can feel their phone going off in their pocket again.   ''Excuse me,'' They say, taking the device out and, after looking at the familiar phone number on the screen a moment longer, denying the call and setting their phone to airplane mode. ''I think some sort of telemarketer has gotten hold of my number.''   "Wow, you're pretty young to be dealing with stuff like that," she says, sitting down and taking out a few of the familiar books that Rue remembers from last time, "How old are you anyway? If you don't mind me asking."   ''Didn't I tell you? I'm seventeen,'' Rue says casually, suppressing the shudder that they feel at the question. They take another large sip of their drink, smiling sheepishly as they ask, ''I hope you don't have different rates for tutoring adults? Otherwise I might need to start saving up a little for when I turn eighteen.''   "You might have done," she mutters, thinking for a moment, "But with age comes forgetfulness. Sorry. And don't worry about the cost. I only charge for time and materials."   ''Well that's a relief,'' Rue says, moving their glass so they can take one of the books and place it in front of them, ''About the cost, I mean. It'd be a shame if we had to stop these lessons because I could no longer afford them.''   "Well, I've never wanted to gatekeep learning from anyone," she says, sitting back in her chair slightly, a small smile spreading across her face, "And I'm sure you'll be learning a lot over the next few weeks."   Before Rue has a chance to ponder what she'd meant by that, they notice that suddenly they don't feel so good. They feel drowsy, their vision blurring and their head spinning like they'd just come off a merry-go-round, ''Wh-wha...'' They stammer, panic rising in their chest as they momentarily lock eyes with Ava.   They try to rise from their chair, the dizziness making the room spin and causing them to crash against the table. The glass gets knocked over with a clatter, the last of the water spilling over the books and dripping over the side of the table.   ''Y-yuh...'' Rue slurs, their knees buckling as they harshly land on the floor, the edges of their vision going dark. ''...b'tch''   The last thing they see before everything goes black is that same sinister expression they'd seen in Ralph's memory. The Dingo, leering over them as she watches them fall into unconsciousness, "Not my best work, for sure, but you'll certainly do."   By the time Rue awakens, they have no idea how long it's been, but their hands are bound behind them, their mouth taped shut, and they appear to be stuffed into the boot of some sort of SUV. They're jostled to consciousness as the vehicle comes to an abrupt halt and their head smacks against some piece of the plastic interior.   Their vision returns to them slowly, feeling akin to those delirious mornings after Quade conducted his hideous procedures, but they're soon shaken to reality as the boot pops open and Ava becomes visible, wearing an all-black ensemble, complete with balaclava and a fairly serious-looking handgun, "Alright, Rue. Now, get out of the trunk, and don't give me any trouble, or else."   Rue hopes that the glare they send Ava comes across through the grogginess they still feel. They’d been careless to drink the water, but for once, though they still hate the damn things, the gun trained on them doesn’t scare them. They could easily force the woman back now with their telekinesis, make her regret what she’d done - but there’s a part of them that’s curious. It’s a morbid curiosity, but perhaps if they bide their time a little longer, they can figure out how Ava runs her business, perhaps even find out more about the woman’s clientele.   With their hands bound, Rue awkwardly shuffles around in the boot until they’re sat upright, eyes trained on the Dingo as they struggle to climb out of it. Once they stand, they straighten themself to their full height, their chin up defiantly.   "Yes, yes, you're very tall," she says, keeping a safe distance from them, "In there." She says, motioning with her pointed gun towards a nearby warehouse, with Rue suddenly realising where they are.   The Seafaring District, they think to themself, noting the unmistakable scent of old machinery, salt water and fish, though they're not entirely sure whereabouts in the district they might be. They briefly wonder why the city doesn't do something more productive with the zone, as it tends to just be a hotspot for criminals to hide out in, but they don't have a lot of time to ponder it, as Ava tells them to get moving.   Rue does as they’re told and starts to walk towards the warehouse, their mind momentarily drifting back, first to the echo of a gunshot and the crimson that blossomed on their side, then to a skull caved in by their employer.   They wonder what time it is, if enough time has passed for Doug to start to worry about their lack of checking in. They wonder about the seven (though now possibly more) missed calls from Detective Upton, and the bollocking they’d probably get from the man if he saw their current predicament.   They stop by the door to the building, turning around to face Ava before shrugging as well as they can with their hands tied, looking at the door and back at her as if to say “Are you going to help with that?”   Ava reaches over and opens the door, not taking her eye off Rue for a moment, before swinging it open and shoving them inside. As opposed to many of the warehouses they'd been shoved into before, this one seemed devoid of any contents. Just a single room, lit by not enough overhead light bulbs and featuring just a pair of chairs in the centre. Rue's heart sinks as they see, in one of the two chairs, the tear-streaked face of someone they recognise.   Rani looks up at the two as they enter the room, fear etched onto her usually-smiling features. Dressed in what looks to be her school uniform, her mouth too was taped shut and her arms tied behind her. She reacts strongly to seeing Rue in a similar predicament, trying to scream through the tape and beginning to cry once again.   "Shut up, Rani," the Dingo says, pushing Rue forward, "And you. Get in the chair."   There is a fury rising within them that they can barely contain at the sound of Rani's cries. They take as deep of a calming breath as they can through their nostrils, pushing down the heat that starts to prickle their skin as their powers try to respond to their rage. They need to keep a level head for now, if only to keep Rani safe.   Rue's eyes soften when they meet the younger teen's tearful gaze, yearning to tell her that everything will be alright. They turn around to face the Dingo, their body shielding Rani's as they remain standing, the softness in their expression immediately replaced again with unconcealed hatred. They let out a muffled noise, gesturing as well as they can for the woman to remove the tape from their mouth.   "Yeah, I'm not taking that off," she says, raising a brow and noting the way Rue is standing, "And, are you not going to sit down?"   Rue shrugs and rolls their eyes as if to say ''Suit yourself.''.   They take a moment longer to consider their options, and whilst it's tempting to use their powers to throw the Dingo through the room, they eventually sit down. She may be using a gun, but that doesn't mean she doesn't have any powers of her own, and the last thing they want to do is to endanger Rani further by recklessly picking a fight. Maybe if the Dingo leaves them alone for a while, they can get their friend out first before they deal with the monster in front of them.   "Good choice," Ava says, smiling to herself, "Now, you girls behave. I'm going to make a quick call."   The Dingo walks past them, moving to the far end of the room, but not taking her eye off her two would-be victims as she dials a number into a cheap burner phone. Her voice is faint, but Rue's superhuman hearing allows them to listen to Ava's part of the conversation at least, "Yeah, it's me. I've got the merchandise... Warehouse 18, near the docks... Uhuh... And I trust the payment has been made?"   So much for leaving us alone, Rue thinks bitterly.   They look away from the Dingo, still listening in on the conversation whilst they lock eyes with Rani once more. The girl looks petrified, tears still silently streaming down her cheeks - it breaks Rue's heart to see her like this. They start to take deep breaths through their nose, nodding at Rani to do the same in the hope that it will calm her down a little.   There's a small voice at the back of their head that wants them not to use their powers in front of Rani, anxious of what will happen if they do, but it's overshadowed by their need to protect her.   As the call seems to be coming to an end, Rue knows that they will need to act soon - they can't wait for whoever is on the other end of the phone to come and collect them, can't risk the possibility that the Dingo will split the two of them up. With the Dingo approaching the pair once more, Rue returns their attention to her, letting out another muffled ''Hmm-mm!'' to get them to remove the tape.   "Fuck sake," Ava mutters as she returns, rolling her eyes and yanking the tape loose with little regard for Rue's comfort, "What is it, Kid? Need the bathroom or something?"   ''Ow.'' Rue grumbles for a moment, pulling a face, ''Well you didn't exactly let me use the bathroom after you spiked my drink, but no.''   There's a calmness to Rue's voice as they innocently tilt their head, ''Just wondered if you know what you're getting yourself into, Ava,'' They ask, the smile on their face more closely resembling a sneer. ''Or do you prefer Grace? Did you start calling yourself Dingo because you'd been called a bitch once too often?''   "Yes, yes. Just let me spill my entire villain origin like some sort of superhero story," she says, rolling her eyes again, "I will say though, you've done your research. I'll admit, I'm impressed. Looks like my instincts were right about you, you are trouble," she continues as she pulls up another chair and sits down, "But if you're trying to intimidate me, you can give it a rest. This isn't my first rodeo, Rue, and when Mister Silva arrives, you won't be my problem anyway."   ''Oh, but have you done your research? Do you know just how much trouble I can be?'' Rue grins menacingly, leaning back in their chair, ''Does Mister Silva know he'd be purchasing The Spider's stolen property?''   "Oh, ew. Really, Rue?" She says, her face scrunching in disgust, "I'd expected better from you. Honestly, you Railyard rats are always so quick to spread your legs at the first sign of trouble."   Through puffy eyes, Rani looks up at Rue, her own brow furrowed in confusion and worry, silently begging her friend to tell her what's going on, and what this horrible woman is talking about.   "Unlike you, he doesn't actually get minors to spread their legs,'' Rue huffs, their jaw tense as they ignore the sting of Rani's questioning expression. ''It'd be bad for business."   They twist their hands for a moment, feeling the duct tape rubbing against their wrists. Their heart is racing despite their calm demeanour, the gravity of what they're revealing to Rani weighing on their mind.   ''You're the maths teacher, though, so tell me,'' They ask confidently, ''How many fingers do you reckon he'll let you keep for taking what's his? I might just be a low-life Railyard roach, but it's still a slight against him to take one of his employees from right under his nose.''   The Dingo sits back and folds her arms over her chest, her expression shifting to a scowl as she listens to what Rue has to say, "That presumes he'll ever find out where you went. Part of why I've been able to do this a few times now is that I'm fast and discreet. In a few days time, you'll have lost more virginities than you know you have. Rani will probably be okay, Mister Silva's client so very much likes the... exotic ones. And I'll have moved on to the next town, with a new name, a new life, and nearly two-hundred grand in my pocket, ready to begin this process all over again..." she takes a moment to think, before her face contorts into a grin and she shrugs, "As for the Spider... Well, I doubt he'll be too worried, young girls go missing all the time in the Railyard."   ''Hmmm, that is true,'' Rue nods in agreement, ''Except for the fact that one of his other employees drove me to your apartment, and he knew about my suspicions of you. He might already be in there - did you leave that laptop in your bedroom, thinking you'd be able to collect it later?''   They sit up a little straighter in their chair, feeling the heat rising within their core, steering it towards the bindings on their wrists. ''As for Mister Silva, I'll deal with him when he gets here,'' Rue says, eyes darkening, ''After I've dealt with you, that is.''   "After you've...?" She mutters, standing up and aiming her gun at Rue's head, "Don't try anything stupid, Kid. I'm not playing around with this!"   ''Neither am I.'' Rue growls, telekinetically taking hold of the gun and roughly yanking it out of her hand.   The weapon clatters to the ground in the corner of the room, and Rue stands up slowly.   ''You thought I was trouble,'' They grind out, a fire burning away the tape from their wrists, ''You were right.''   "Y-you're a..." she stammers, unable to get the words out as she backs away, the blood draining from her face, "a..."   ''I'm just a Railyard roach,'' Rue says calmly. They use their telekinesis once more to grab the gun, catching it in their hand and training it on the woman. ''Now why don't you take a seat? You look a little pale.''   To be continued...