I

Nautilus was a city like many others. Too big to stay good. Crime had spread everywhere and law enforcement thrived on corruption. The concept of 'the Law' had been a joke for years now. Misconduct was ubiquitous. It was impossible to try fight it, and very profitable to join in. Profit was not why Lightning Farron had joined the force. She hadn't even been aware of the deep seeded immorality. The first three months on the job she got thrown from division to division; each one just as corrupt as the next. In her third month she finally landed with a group that shared her ideals. A group everyone else called 'The Saints'. It was the only group still seriously trying to uphold the law in Nautilus. And there were only three of the:. Lightning Farron, Noel Kreiss and their Captain, Sazh Katzroy. For the first few weeks, Lightning was stuck doing paperwork before Captain Katzroy trusted her enough to go in the field. She was, by all accounts, a natural. The police equivalent of a hurricane. She managed to make three arrest on her first day on the streets and the number only increased in the weeks that followed. Unfortunately, her collars tended to show up outside their cells time and time again. They had money for bribes, or at least their bosses did. Bosses that The Saints couldn't even dream of catching, because they were well protected and extremely well hidden. Lightning decided to go after the root.

"I have a plan" she said one morning in a forceful monotone.

"Is it a good plan or can I focus on my coffee?" Noel Kreiss seemed to still be half asleep.

Lightning pulled the cup out of his hands.

"Of course it's a good plan. All my plans are good." She was joking but she wasn't sure if her tone conveyed it.

"Right." Noel stood up from behind his desk. "You're right. You're brilliant. May I please have my coffee back?" He made a few grabs for his cup but Lightning nimbly avoided his grasp and took a mocking sip. Noel sighed and sat back down, defeated.

"Let's hear it then."

"I say we look for an informant and they tell us all about their bosses, maybe even lead us to their front door."

Now it was Noel who wore a mocking grin.

"Seriously? That's your genius plan? Light… We've tried that literally hundreds of times, it never works. It always ends with their bosses knowing even more about us, and us with our thumbs up our asses." Lightning calmly took another sip.

"Yes. Because you always chose the wrong informant." Noel let out a long groan, just as Captain Katzroy entered their office.

"Good morning sweethearts, what are we talking about today?"

Noel, who by now had given up all hope for his coffee, leaned back in his chair nonchalantly.

"Lightning here is going to find us a reliable informant that is going to lead us straight to the heart of crime."

Sazh turned to Lightning. "Is that so?" She gave him a curt nod. "Very well. I'll give you a week to find us someone. After that, it's back to the daily grind with us. Now then, Noel, you and me are going to look for some arms dealers in the sewer."

Noel laughed until he realized Sazh had been serious. The look on his face was so dejected that Lightning gave him back his coffee.

The next seven days were hell for Lightning. She had never gotten less sleep as she did bending over the hundreds of files in their database. Finding a reliable informer had proven even more difficult than she had anticipated. Not only were all of these people involved in crime for obvious, and untrustworthy, reasons; the database itself was incredibly badly organized. At the end of her week, she had only found three possible subjects.

"That won't work" Noel said after looking over her report.

"Why?" She asked curtly, rubbing a tired hand through her hair.

"Well… For one, they shot Rosch two days ago. Rygdea no longer has a tongue. And Fang… Fang's a woman." This last explanation got Lightning agitated. She gave him a cold glare.

"And why would that be a problem exactly?" She inquired.

"Uhm," Noel suddenly felt like a rabbit during hunting season, "It's just that… These guys they… They don't let women into their little boys club that easily. They're not exactly equalists you know and this Fang girl…" He looked at the report again. "She doesn't even have any significant offenses attached to her name." Noel cleared his throat nervously.

"Hm." Lightning decided not to press the issue any further and he let out a sigh of relief.

"I suppose there's only one way to definitively rule her out, though." He conceded. "Lightning, do you have an address?"

"The only one I found listed is of that nightclub, Pulse."

"Pulse?" Noel repeated loudly. "We'll never get in there."

Lightning raised one eyebrow inquisitively, she had heard of the club before but had never entered.

"Pulse isn't exactly a public place. It's a hub for lowlife criminals. Snow Villiers' people, mostly, and they are not so welcoming of strangers that look like," Noel let his eyes scan Lightning, who always looked like she was in uniform no matter what she wore, "killjoys." He finished the thought. Lightning made a vexed sound. Snow Villiers, he wasn't exactly the biggest crime lord in Nautilus, but he still wasn't to be trifled with. He was involved in anything that could be considered even vaguely illegal, and he had made many friends. Noel was right, it would be impossible for two cops to simply walk into his club and ask around for a 'Fang'. Frankly, it might be suicide. Lightning went through all their options in less than a minute.

"Very well." She decided. "We'll wait for her outside of Pulse, then." She stood up swiftly. Her weapon was already in its hidden holster when Noel fully understood what was going on.

"Woah, hold up. We don't even know what this Fang has to do with this club. Her file only gives the address, not the connection." He interjected.

"The internet exists, Noel." Lightning answered dryly. "I already looked it up yesterday. Fang is their musician in residence, or something, along with someone named Rikku. Gigs are on Saturdays which…"

"Which is today." Noel finished the thought as he too got up and grabbed his coat.