second chances part 1
Second chances
Part 1 of ?
Summary: Racer X has more than his share of secrets. But when one he thought was deeply buried, comes to the surface; will he admit to the truth before it’s too late?
Pairing: Racer X/Minx; Rex/OC
Rating: R for violence, adult themes, and angst.
“Now remember, we’re dealing with Rafer Cobb: who’s always armed, and always dangerous.” Inspector David Detector instructed his team as they prepare for a bust. “This guy has a record a country mile long. We know he won’t hesitate to kill. So watch yourselves.”
The Team approached the door to the warehouse, where Jack kicked in the door. X threw a flash bomb into the room that exploded on impact; further confusing the men inside. But as soon as the shock wore off; the sound of a gun fight filled the air. And the next ten minutes are a blur as the agents returned fire.
Suddenly the sound of gunfire ceased and the building became eerily quiet. The Agents carefully make their way into the building to find the bodies of three men on the floor. Looking over the bodies, Cobb is noticeably absent; he had either not been there or he had escaped out the back.
The only thing the team could do was gather the evidence and hope the team that was covering the back of the building had caught him. The shouts of “clear” could be heard as the team went systematically through the building.
Jack and X approached a door that has locks completely down the side of it. What struck the pair as strange was that all the locks were on the outside; signifying that there was something inside that Cobb didn’t want to get out.
Undoing the locks, X enters the room first while Jack covers him on the outside.
“Jack, get in here!” Jack hears X shout. Keeping his gun drawn, Jack entered the room to cover his teammate.
When Jack stepped into the small, dimly lit room, the first thing that he noticed was the smell. He couldn’t describe it, but it was strong enough that he felt his stomach lunge.
Choking it back, he looked around the room for X. What he saw, however; Jack was sure would haunt him for the rest of his life.
A small girl was huddled in the corner; her wrists chained to the wall by way of a pair of handcuffs wrapped around a pipe that ran up the wall. In the dim light of the room, her long hair appeared to be either dark blond or light brown; but because of the dirt and grime that covered her it was hard to be sure. The girl was wearing a pair of pajamas that were about three sizes too large and were filthy.
Jack couldn't help but see his daughter Katie in this girl's place and it was an image that nearly made him sick. “Oh God.” Jack whispers quietly, as his throat suddenly became dry.
Racer X reached out a hand to the girl’s shoulder, but she cringed and jerked away sharply; banging the wall in the process. Immediately Racer X pulled back. “Don’t be frightened,” X assured; his voice quiet and soothing, as he sounded like he was trying to calm a frightened animal. “We won’t hurt you. It’s all right. You’re safe now.”
The girl seemed to study X's face. Jack noticed that she didn't seem to comprehend anything that was being said to her. Jack couldn't tell if it was because she didn't understand English or if she was actually deaf. Jack noticed as she was watching them, especially X, intently; her eyes were filled with fear.
X reached out again to try to pick the lock on the cuffs. Surprisingly, the girl allowed X to touch her this time to unlock the cuffs. As X helped her up, the girl swayed dangerously before collapsing to the floor again like a rag doll. X just managed to catch her before she hit the floor.
Working with a gentleness nobody would ever have believed possible, X shifted the girl’s head to his shoulder and slipped one arm under the girl’s back and the other under her knees. X noticed that she didn’t even stir as he raised her up. The girl was very light for her apparent age, lighter than what X considered to be healthy.
Soundlessly, X made his way out of the room. Clutching his small burden close to his chest like fragile glass; afraid that she would break if handled too roughly.
When they got outside, the girl whimpers slightly as the cold air hits the exposed skin of her back. When X laid her gently in the back seat of the car, the girl made a high pitched noise of pain. Minx climbs into the back seat, and whispers reassurances to the girl until she calms down again.
The team split up, Frank, Ethan, and Jack headed back to headquarters; while X, David and Minx take the girl to the hospital.
At the hospital, the girl was immediately taken into the emergency room. Minx had gone with her to make sure everything is done to the courts standards to be admissible in court.
X knew that Minx would also be looking for any distinctive features or identifing marks that could be used to locate the girl’s family.
When Minx stepped into the hallway, both X and David noticed the somber expression on her face.
“Did she say anything about who she is or why she was where we found her?” David asked, to which Minx just shook her head.
“The girl didn’t even make a single sound. She wouldn’t even make eye contact at all. Her body is covered with scars and bruises. The doctor performed a rape kit…” The air even seemed to still as they all suspected what the results were. “…it was positive. Several times in fact.” Minx said, then in almost a whisper added: “She couldn’t be more than nine years old.”
“Was there anything we could run through the database?” David asked, wondering if the girl had any family that had reported her missing.
“She does have a bone deformity on her left foot. In addition to the older scars it may be enough to see if she has any family.”
No one noticed the slight change in X’s demeanor at the mention of the bone deformity. The senario was a little too familiar to Racer X. His brain was trying to convince him that it was only a coincidence; while his heart was fighting that it wasn’t.
At that moment X already knew he would be back at the hospital first thing in the morning. He had to find the answers to the questions he had about this girl.
TBC