Chapter 27

Being Played

"Here is our hero" one of the guys shouted excitedly as John entered the shabby basement of the shelter home.

He saw Danny bruised and tied on one corner of the floor.

He wouldn't have recognized the lively Danny if not for his headphones now broken yet sprawled across his neck.

"Leave him" John barked at the group of men who looked bad news.

John noticed that the only exit from the dark huge room was the gate that he entered and was now guarded by a tall sturdy man with a gun in his hand.

The manager was cooped in the corner not tied like Danny but he didn't seem to be a part of the gang or rather he was forced to be with them.

"You have two choices" one of the guys who had been continuously pricking his teeth said "leave the shelter home f##K alone and you can leave from this place unscathed."

Confident about his offer he waited for John's reaction

"Or?" John asked casually his hands in his pockets.

"Both of you may die" the teeth pricking guy laughed as he aimed his gun at John.

With quick reflex action John threw the mobile the only thing that he had in the pocket of his trousers at the person.

Misbalanced the guy dropped the gun accidently shooting at the door man.

By now John had tackled couple of goons in hand to hand.

Danny who was also up and conscious by now ran towards John
"John" he mumbled with his face stained of dried blood.

Quickly John untied him and both of them were fighting John managed the gun of teeth pricking guy and Danny was now aiming the doorman's gun at others.

When one of the guys tried to attack them John quickly shot him on his shin.

Danny took the moment to open the door and John following behind.

With the bright light on the ground floor John was greeted by Dylan and few more guys dressed in uniform and guns.

"If you were here why didn't you come down to help us?" John asked angrily.

He was only replied by a smirking Dylan "because we knew" he calmly folded his hand s around his waist "you'll handle them yourself just fine."

"They had guns" Danny chose to whine.

"You had John" Dylan answered casually.

"Who is he?" Danny asked John.

"Long story" John patted on Danny's back making him wince and overwhelmed at the same time"he's family".

They had really molested him bad.

"How many stories do you have?" Danny asked

"I guess you have one too now" John commented making Danny raised his brows

"You have to tell us how you landed there at he basement?" John asked.

"You wanted me to find out about the Shelter home and I did so and BOY" he said shockingly "there is lots of stuff happening in there and" he expressed his shock "illegal stuff." Danny said "they have secret files in their computer and I managed to hack them" Danny stated proudly

'With the help of Kevin" John broke his happy bubble.

"Meanie" Danny mumbled cursing John but continued, "they have proper agencies obviously not legal again and they deal in all sort of stuff

For human organs transplant the code is community service, for providing girls the code is hobby class." He shuddered "they even supply children" he said sadly and they have named it Montessori.

"How did you manage to find out all that?" john asked.

" I spent entire night in front of the computer. I checked the names of people missing from the shelter home to the people enrolled in the respective courses. I matched the age and sex of missing people.

"You are very smart" John said proudly.

"But I feel so bad I put my friends into grave danger."

"Yes you did" Danny did not deny "I checked their last assignment was couple of months ago. I calculated since then the number of people in the shelter home decreased so they took abreak."

He lowered his face sadly "now that you brought in lot more people into the Home and since there are satisfactory number of people in the shelter home they are ready to deal with the human."

"I am so sorry for them" John kicked himself "I wish I could amend my wrong"

"you can save them " Danny suggested "they have their next consignment tomorrow, they are sending two adults male 28 years of age that will be Raven and hunter and a female Lola 24 years of age for community service."

"And how do you know that the community service is Organ trafficking?" Dylan asked

"Because the address of office mentioned in the gps is fake, it is actually a hospital.

"Aaron Back to the shelter home." John ordered

Aaron brought the car to immediate halt at the fierceness in the voice of John

"You don't have to worry son" Dylan put a hand on John's shoulder "our team will take care of it."

"And I should sit back and wait knowing well that the people I'd saved earlier are being thrown into same hell hole I rescued them from. Not happening D."

Aaron waited for Dylan's response

While Danny looked at Dylan begging for him to agree, John stuck to his firm and 'don't even think about it' look

Well what are you waiting for?" Dylan lifted his hand in the air obviously not happy about the situation "has this brat ever listened to anyone?" Dylan shouted irritated at Aaron who chuckled before taking the u' turn towards the Shelter home.

John was denied admission to the Home with cops blocking his way

"You are under arrest for creating a ruckus in the shelter home and assaulting the staff.

"And who reported against me?" John asked standing tall

"Tom" the tooth pricking guy said smirking at him

"Tom? "John was confused "He would never do that. You manipulated him" John was about to attack the tooth-pricking guy when he was held by two cops.

John immediately flipped them off his arms.

"John relax" Danny intervened "lets do it properly. You know Tom. You can talk to him.

"He's a busy man. I won't get his appointment" John shrieked.

"Why wouldn't you get his appointment. You saved his only son" Dylan said casually as all this was just a game of monopoly and he was simply unfolding cards.

"I don't have Tom's number" John said

"And that can stop you from reaching him?" Dylan asked.

"What do you want me to do?" John asked irritated and frustrated.

"Be the real John and solve your problem like you always do." Dylan suggested.

"That real John is long lost. I have no memories remember." John said helpless and frustrated.

"Stop pitying yourself John" Dylan said rigidly "its only part of your memory that has been lost , you still have an active brain between your shoulders"

And considering that his words have been too heavy on John he joked "or have you replaced your head with your balls. Oh that couldn't happen since Natasha is dead"

"Natasha is Dead?" immense grief struck John's face, he felt sudden ache in left side of his chest.

"You did not remember Natasha after your accident. She was very disappointed" Dylan said remembering Dr. Markle's words of providing glimpses of past to John "she actually loved you."

"She did?" John could vaguely remember a face, sensuous and seductive and attractive in the folds of his sheets.

Did he love her?

"Were we together?" John asked grimly, strangely as a first Kathie's face, face from his present popped into the circle of his visions.

"No you did not want to be with her" Dylan denied "you were friends, got along well and umm slept.. umm..

"you mean friends with benefits?" Danny offered

"That's the slang you teenagers use these days for someone who mentally emotionally and physically supports your existence and keeps you sane than yes" Dylan answered, his heart twitching at the memory of his lost agent.

"She was a very good agent though" Dylan said.

"How did she die?" John asked

"Saving you." Dylan said.

"Saving me?' John was confused. Was it before the accident while he was shot but D just said that she was disappointed that he did not remember her the least.

"That day after you registered all the people at the shelter home.' Dylan reminded, "do you remember you were attacked?"

John nodded.

"Who do you think saved you?" Dylan stated "you are smart and lethal in combat but my dear child when you were attacked by the mob loaded with guns, your intelligence needs some back up."

"So there was no one who was wrongly shooting their own men. It was Nuts saving me." John stated remembering the recent incident.

"Nuts" Dylan chuckled "you remember pet names quickly.

John shrugged trying to remember more about Nuts. He could only see flashes of her naked between the sheets and also a memory of how he used to tease her "its not your fault, you are original Nut, Nuts" he'd mock whenever he'd solve something, she could not get the hang of.

"But what did he solve before the accidnet that is so important?" the consistent thought kept on disturbing him

John immediately popped the pill that Dr. Markle had handed over to him as SOS incase of headache.

"So I need not waste time. Since your agent was shot dead here, I am sure you have all the facts and figures of the shelter home." John looked at Dylan expectantly.

"Yes I do" Dylan smirked "but now since you are apart of the agency again, let this is your test. You have to solve it on your own."

"D there are innocent people involved. Don't you fear their safety and security?" John said frustrated.

"I do" Dylan said "but I trust you more and you need to do this on your own."

"And I guess you are not going to help me with that?" John asked.

"Atta boy" D smiled following Aaron to the car and drove away before John could object or ask anything further.

John stared at the leaving vehicle even long after it was gone.

He had this déjà vu feeling but couldn't remember.

Well he did not remember a lot of things.

"We are on our own now" Danny said, his face pale and still bruised from before.

John felt sorry for him. He did not even help him with water.

"You know this is my problem, I don't want to drag you into this" he put his arm on his shoulder and he winced in pain "you go to your dad. Apologize. Give him time, I am sure he'll eventually come around."

"I am not going" Danny said flatly "I intended to help you here."

"You cant" John denied "I'll be worried about you all the time."

Danny smiled

"What is funny here?" John asked irritated.

"Had I not seen how you look at Kathie, I' d have thought that you liked me too." Danny said

"How do I look at Kathie?" john was beyond frustrated. Obviously he felt something about Kathie but he did not understand the feeling.

"It is for you to find out" Danny shrugged and walked ahead.
"Where are you going now?" John asked.

"Cyber Café" Danny kept moving ahead.

John followed after him.

"Aren't you going to ask me why am I going to cyber?" Danny asked squinting sideways to look at John's reaction.

"For a guy who spent his entire night in front of a computer screen I don't think I need to know why he's going to the café" John said smugly

"You are warming up," Danny teased,

"Whatever" John acted to ignore but could not help the uplifting of corner of his lips forming a smile

John's head was running a million miles per second.

"You got a data stating the residents of Shelter home were sent to some activity or other and did you ask anyone about them, or their absence?" John asked Danny."

"I did not get a chance to do that. I was abducted before that"

"Darn! People seemed living happily there" John kicked a pebble "I endangered all of them"

"Only elderly people above 60s or so were happily staying there because they weren't that useful and were kept as dummy residents.

Useful ones were sold one after another for specific reasons." Danny explained "they also had adopted column for kids. But I could not check about them. I do have a picture of the details on my phone though."

"They did not take away your phone?" john raised his brows wondering.

"They did" Danny smirked now "but I grabbed it from his pocket while we were having hand to hand with them."

John only gave an 'I am impressed' smile.

For hours John and Danny sat in front of the old computer screen working things out.

But they were clueless.

All they had were name and age of residents with the activities they'd be doing or had done.

Wait you said there is latest transaction

What did it say?

'It was a messed up conversation." Danny showed the emails

"Next consignment on 9-1-2018." Danny read "they wrongly misprinted 2018 instead of 2019."

"How could you be so sure? This can be an old mail" John was looking at number of residents present in the shelter home, list that Danny had prepared as he was asked to do and was checking with the new entrants that he had registered.

"Because the receiving date was yesterday. I was right there when the mail was sent infact I was the one who received the mail'

"And that's why you got caught" john concluded "because the person who was mailed found out that some one had already opened the mail."

"Shit! That could be true" Danny hit himself on his forehead disappointed at himself

"Let me read the mail" John "have you read it yet?"

"I tried" Danny said "but I kind of thought it was something stupid."

John opened the mail to read it aloud

"Mario brothers have three lives and they with pick the candies and deliver it to pub

Great job with Bubbles who will play pet rescue and reach farm ville by noon.

If there is word block, play call of duty

Also if necessary play sniper 3D with the contra Hero

Use scrabble for feedback"

"Holy F#king shit!" Danny shouted, "What is this?"

They are playing us...