JASON STEED Absolutely Nothing (5 page)

Chapter Four

Jason made small talk with some of the boys; all of them had run away from home, some had been here for several months. At five in the evening, Betty called them all down for dinner. She served them sausages and mashed potatoes. Jason knew he would soon have to find a way of contacting SYUI, and after listening to the conversations around the dining room table, he had to act fast. Twelve children sat around the long dining table. They laughed and joked. Jason thought they acted somewhat immature for their ages.

He looked across the table at a girl he guessed was around fourteen. She was pretty with large brown eyes and light brown hair tied in ponytails.

“Hi, I’m Jason.” He smiled.

She looked at him and seemed annoyed. “Just because you got pretty blue eyes and good looks don’t think I’m gonna be your friend
new boy
.” She tutted.

Jason grinned at her. “Why? I’m not asking you out. I just said hi,” he croaked. His voice cracked much to his embarrassment. He coughed, trying to clear his throat. His voice seemed to change pitch at will.

She looked down her nose at him and continued. “Huh, as if I would go out if someone under sixteen anyway.”

Betty came into the dining room carrying a large bowl of ice cream. “Who wants ice cream?”

“I do,” A deep voice replied. It was Kissinger. He strolled into the dining room followed by a man wearing a suit and tie in his forties.

“Uncle Kelvin.” A harmonious call came from the children. Jason just looked on.

“Hi kids, hello Jason. I hope you're settling in okay. Denise, good news for you. The doctor has a job for you, so it’s goodbye for now. Go with Mr. Spencer up to your room and pack.”

The girl Jason had tried to talk to nodded and got up. She smiled at the man and went up stairs. The man who Kissinger called Mr Spencer followed.

Jason stood and turned to Kissinger. “Where are Denise and that man going?” Kissinger glared back at him.

“You ask a lot of questions. You don’t need to worry about what others do here.
Nosey
.” He tapped his nose.

Jason paused for a moment. Betty and Kissinger both watched him. He wasn't sure what Denise had to do. Maybe it was harmless, but maybe it wasn’t. Either way, he decided now was the time to act. He ran up the stairs after Denise. By the time he made it up the top of the stairs a bedroom door was being closed. He opened it and stormed in.

Denise was putting her clothes in a bag and looked surprised to see him. Spencer looked annoyed. Jason had no time to think. He had to act. He heard Kissinger running up the stairs.

“Jason, what the hell do you think you are doing? This is none of your concern. Get to your room right now,” Kissinger shouted.

Jason paused, trying to piece everything together. If he was wrong about his assessment, he would be made to look foolish in the eyes of SYUI. He started to leave the room and stopped while he thought to himself.
But if I’m right, I've got to stop this now.

He stood on his toes and faced Kissinger. “You sick moron. You sell children to creeps like this doctor character, and we never see them again. This creep's just as bad.” He pointed at Mr Spencer.

“Kissinger, what the hell is this? We didn’t pay you all that money for this treatment. Deal with it,” Mr Spencer protested, his face turning red.

Kissinger made his first mistake; he attempted to grab Jason by his collar. Jason blocked his move and twisted Kissinger’s arm behind his back and bent back his fingers. Kissinger screamed out in pain and fell to his knees. Out of the corner of his eye, Jason noticed Spencer coming towards him.

Jason span on his left foot as his right foot catapulted towards the man catching him square on his nose. The blow broke the man's nose and sent him back against the wall. Denise screamed and ran back behind the bed.

Jason ran down the stairs, jumping two at a time.
He dodged Betty as she headed up the stairs, then he ran into the room he recognized from earlier as Betty's office. He picked up the phone and called SYUI. While it was ringing Kissinger entered, holding his injured fingers.

“Who are you calling?” he demanded, striding towards Jason.

“Nosey
,” Jason said tapping his nose. He ducked as Kissinger swung a fist at him and came back with a kick to Kissinger’s throat. It knocked Kissinger down, temporarily stunning him. Kissinger held his throat and coughed trying to breath. Jason heard a voice coming from the phone.

“I need to speak to George Young or Barbara Inkpen, this is Jason Steed.” He panted.

“
The
Jason Steed? We’ve been looking for you,” the operator replied.

“Yes.” Jason noticed Kissinger was getting to his feet again and heard footsteps coming down the stairs. “I’m at 243 Mews Gardens. I need assistance ASAP, and you may want to send an ambulance.”

“I got that. It may take longer for SYUI. Do you want the regular police as well?”

“Yes, anyone. Get them here fast,” Jason said. He stood back as Betty and Spencer entered the office.

“Okay, help is on its way, Jason. Are you in danger?” the SYUI operator asked.

“No,
they are
,” Jason replied before dropping the phone.

Kissinger picked up a chair. Jason stood on the balls of his feet in a fighting stance. His eyes darkened as his pupils dilated. He forced adrenaline into his system. His body started trembling. He blocked out all distractions and focused completely on Kissinger, Betty, and Spencer.

“This isn’t my fight; I’m off. And Kissinger, you owe me.” As Spencer tried to leave Jason attacked. He leapt forward and elbowed Betty out of the way. Spencer tried to defend himself, but Jason threw two punches into the man's rib cage at terrific speed. For good measure Jason brought his knee up into his victim's groin.

Kissinger swung the chair at Jason. Jason tried to duck back but was caught on the side of the face with the foot of the chair. Jason cursed at Kissinger and attacked. What followed was an onslaught of rapid punches to Kissinger’s face. Jason’s disadvantage of height and weight was well compensated by his speed and accuracy. Betty attacked Jason with a rolling pin. He blocked it with his foreman, but the weight and momentum sent Jason down on the ground. The blow was painful, and it sent a bolt of pain through Jason’s body.

He would never normally hit a woman, but when high adrenaline and in pain, he moved into protection mode. The full roundhouse kick to her stomach sent her across the room and partially through a window. Doctors later told her that it was a miracle that she didn't die of blood lose as the glass almost severed a main artery.

Kissinger staggered to his feet, pulled out a knife, and waved it at Jason. With a move Jason had learnt in Judo class, Kissinger was disarmed. For good measure, Jason broke his arm at the elbow.

Kissinger’s chilling scream set panic into the children. Some ran upstairs, some into the street, and some just cowered in a corner. Spencer tried again to get to his feet, but as he did, he looked up and his eyes met Jason’s.

“Stay down,” Jason growled. The man lay back down on the ground. It was if he could see death in the boy’s eyes.

Jason touched the side of his face, it was tender from the foot of the chair, and he was bleeding. Denise and another girl ran screaming into the street as the first police car arrived. She told them that Jason had gone crazy and had hurt her Uncle Kelvin and had thrown Betty through a window.

Two police officers burst into the hallway and came face to face with Jason. One was a tall thin male policeman and the other a policewoman. Jason stood in a stance, ready to protect himself. For a few tense moments nothing happened. Jason panted, his dark eyes staring at the police.

“You need to come outside and tell us what happened son,” The policeman suggested. He gently tried to take Jason’s arm and escort him outside.

Jason mistook the move as an attack and blocked, taking a step back as he fought to control his temper.
Okay, calm down. These are the good guys,
he told himself.

The stunned policeman rubbed his forearm that had just been hit by Jason’s block. “Now, you don’t want to do that son if you know what’s good for you.” He removed his truncheon and waved the ten-inch long heavy weapon at Jason.

Jason took a deep breath and relaxed. For a few years he had been trying to calm himself down after a high adrenaline fight. He knew he had a terrible temper.

“Yes officer. I’m sorry. I thought you were attacking me. I was the one that called you,” Jason said softly. He relaxed and leant against a wall. The adrenaline rush had exhausted him. The policeman went to help Betty who was hanging out the window and screaming for help.

Spencer climbed to his feet. “I was just dropping something off. I have to leave.” He made his way to the hallway.

“Sir, I'll need a statement first,” The policewoman said.

“Eh, my names John Smith,” he stuttered. “I have to leave.” He tried to make his way to the door.

“Ma'am, I work for SYUI. I called them and they alerted you as first response. No one is leaving until they get here. This guy is called Spencer he works for some guy called the doctor,” Jason told her.

She looked at Jason, her mouth opened as if she was going to say something; she was puzzled and made her way to the front door.

“No one is leaving until we find out what happened here,” she ordered.

Spencer cursed and made his way back down the hall and sat on the stairs. “I’m not saying anything until I see my lawyer.”

The policewoman never spoke to Jason again, she was unsure if he was telling the truth and was not sure what to think of the situation, she decided to wait for back up to arrive and let her seniors take over. More police arrived, Mew Gardens lit up with blue flashing lights and sirens. Police cars, two ambulances, and four black unmarked SYUI cars arrived.

George Young arrived with Barbara Inkpen. The police stepped aside when George and his staff waved their ID cards. George walked past the police and entered the home. He found Jason sat on the floor in the hallway with his head down, resting on his knees.

“Are you okay Jason?” he asked. Jason looked up and forced a smiled. He lifted his hand up, and George pulled him to his feet. Jason took George and Barbara into the kitchen and explained everything to them. George was pleased with the results; Kissinger was arrested although like Betty, was taken to hospital first.

The children were collected by social services. They would all later be given counselling. Many would return home, some would be sent into foster care. Jason gave his statements, the cut on his face was treated, and George personally drove him home.

“Well Jason, here we are again. Another case solved by Jason Steed.” George grinned.

“Not exactly, George. We never found Abigail.” Jason sighed.

“Oh, she was picked up the same night you disappeared. The Salvation Army reunited her with her parents. She was cold and hungry and very lucky not to have been picked up by Kissinger and his gang.

“So I did this for absolutely nothing?”

“On the contrary. Kissinger was selling some children to a horrid man they called the doctor. Kissinger will tell us everything, that’s the type of weasel he is. He'll try and get a smaller prison sentence for information. This Doctor guy has been selling young body organs to the highest bidder. That Spencer is a low life scumbag who works for him. A real nasty piece of work.”

“I don’t want to think about it. It’s sick. They was going to take a pretty girl called Denise. By tomorrow she could have been cut up and killed,” Jason said ,screwing up his face like he was about to vomit.

“I know. At least now he won’t be able to hurt anyone again, and those kids will all be better off, thanks to you. This is why we preach to children
do not talk to strangers
. You never know what people are like or what they intend.”

Chapter Five

Two days later, Jason walked across the schoolyard, surrounded by hundreds of boys close to his own age. They were all heading in the same direction, all wearing the same black jackets, white shirts, and mauve tie, all of them thinking probably the same thoughts.

Jason’s tie was purposefully crooked. His long, blond bangs fell over his face. So why did he feel so out of it, as if he were watching from someone else’s eyes? He had missed school for a week and was working hard to catch up. His teachers had not been sympathetic. None said much, even when he handed them a note from a doctor. (SYUI had invented the story that he'd been sick with stomach cramps and diarrhoea.) They smiled and nodded and secretly thought of him as a little spoilt and pampered.