A/N: This is AU Tales of the Abyss. It takes place in Auldrant, in modern times. Peony is the Assistant Chief of police and Jade is an inspector, or detective. This story takes place mainly in Malkuth, just outside of Grand Chokmah, which is now a spiraling metropolis. The God Generals is the name of a crime syndicate that dapples in an illegal drug trade.
When I took the assignment, or perhaps a better term is mission, from Peony I certainly did not sign up for the trouble that followed. Had I known that I would have been stuck with such senseless people I would have declined the job immediately. Of course when I first agreed to look into the syndicate known as The God Generals, I assumed it would be a simple matter—locate the head of the organization and break down his little group from the inside out; an easy case of going undercover, gaining the information necessary and handing that information over. It was a mistake to assume anything in the first place. That is the exact reason I look for the full evidence before concluding anything based on emotion or assumption.
Peony often had a habit of dropping into my office unannounced, and that morning was no different. Despite his higher position in the company—I shudder to think of the term boss—he had absolutely no sense of professionalism. That wasn't to say he wasn't good at his job, because somehow or another the agency flourished. He was simply more eccentric than the other employees. Peony rarely wore a tie (never did he wear it straight, a pet peeve of mine that continues to irk me) and he never wore a blazer. He kept his precious pet rappigs in his office, although they would often break out of the office and wander the halls making messes and squealing in a most obnoxious manner. He would spend all of his off-hours flirting shamelessly with the women of the office and they would stupidly be swayed by his bright smile and flirtatious words. And in a matter that was almost as annoying, the women would blush and giggle, tugging at their hair in a coquettish manner. And Peony wonders why I have no desire to spend my time with such shallow and obnoxious creatures.
"Jade! I have a job for you." Peony strolled into the office, once again not bothering to knock. I doubt even a locked door would have stopped him. He sat down promptly on my desk, on top of a pile of reports I had been filling out. Despite my icy glare he continued to grin as if nothing had happened.
"Oh? And what might that be, Sir?" I emphasized the word and added the smallest bit of provocation with a smile. Regardless, Peony alone was the one person who was never fazed by what others called my bitter cynicism. I had known him since childhood, and he had barely changed. Even then he was immune to my personality. I found this both amusing and at times, quite annoying.
"We've been having quite the problem with gang violence in the streets recently. Officer Moore arrested three men just last week all tied to some new drug that's hitting the streets full force, it's called Fonimin."
"I've heard. It's been all over the precinct. Certainly you're not asking me to investigate some street-level dealer?" I gathered the papers on the desk, pushing Peony aside in order to rescue the papers that had been crushed.
"You wouldn't do that even if I asked you to. Actually what I'm about to ask you to do isn't an official assignment, understand?" He had moved in uncomfortably close, staring unabashedly at me in the most unprofessional manner. Again, I met his eyes coldly, my smile fading ever so slightly as I waited for him to continue.
"I want you to look into this syndicate called the God Generals. They're an organization that's been focused in the shadows, pulling the strings behind lower-level thugs and creating a network to deal this Fonimin. Their name has come up more than once, although whenever we were on our way to getting some decent information our informant would wind up dead. It's a dangerous mission, but I wouldn't ask unless it was important. I don't have the official go-ahead to look into this, so keep it quiet, alright?"
It wasn't the first time I had done work off the radar. Before I had joined the agency as a detective I had worked, illegally I might add, as a researcher for a private company developing a method to clone human beings. My research was successful, but ethical? Not in the least. I had developed an experimental machine, a parasite really, that attached itself to the host body and extracted the necessary genetic information. Our first host was destroyed in the process; his body became weak and degenerated at a rapid rate. The research produced more corpses than actual copies and when an actual copy was finally produced the state of the body was grotesque and inhuman. I shut down the entire operation and left the company, destroying all the replication data. It was after that I saw Peony again. I owe him quite a bit, and though I would never admit such sentimentality out loud, his reason helped me overcome those specters of my past and move on.
"Why this sounds awfully like an unauthorized show of power. If I'm not mistaken, which I rarely am, this is a breach of trust of our company, Sir." It was a hopeless tactic, Peony was never dissuaded from his plans—once he had an idea he stuck with it through and through no matter how idiotic.
"This is why I'm asking you, Jade! I trust you, man. You are perfect for this job, trust me on this. We get this little issue under control and it'll make our lives so much easier in the long run." Peony grinned widely, slinging an arm around my shoulders. He seemed blissfully unaware of the twitch of my eyebrow and the icy glare directed toward him. Any other would have scurried away, but not Peony.
"Jade, we can't have this gang running around my city hurting my people. We have to protect the citizens of this city, that's the job of the police." For a moment Peony's smile faded and a far more somber expression replaced it.
"You always refer to the people of Malkuth as your people. You have no personal obligation to hold such a personal view, Sir." I caught the strangest look on Peony's face, something akin to disappointment or perhaps sorrow and for the oddest reason I felt that look was directed towards me. But I passed off the thought immediately—I had enough on my mind to worry about what a man like Peony thought of my words and actions.
"Regardless, I digress. And I shall look into the matter straight away." I took my eyes from the man and adjusted my glasses, returning to the reports on my desk.
"Great! I was hoping you'd say that. There are few things you need to know first." Peony set a small black cell phone on my desk before continuing. "This is your work phone. Never make calls to or from anywhere while you're on the case unless it's on this phone. I had it secured so that it can't be traced or tapped but that also means if you get into trouble we won't be able to find you. Oh! It's password-protected but the password is my birthday."
I almost made a bitter retort about how stupid such a password was but Peony was faster, and he continued with his list before I could answer.
"Leave your cell phone here, it has personal information on the SIM card, oh and also leave your badge and any other identification. We can't let the God Generals know we're onto them, but we also can't have the department finding out about this unauthorized investigation."
"Should I wear a disguise and change my name as well?" I put every bit of sarcasm into the retort as I could manage. Honestly, Peony was being ridiculous. As if I would be careless enough to let myself get caught and even if I managed to do so I would hardly leave any evidence that would trace back to the police.
"That might not be a bad idea, actually." Peony continued to grin as if the suggestion had been a real one.
"Well then, if that's all." I stood, gathering the phone and my papers and writing a note to the blonde that worked as my secretary Jeanette or Janet or something along those lines. She wasn't bright at all but she was capable of simple mindless tasks such as filing paperwork so for the time being she would have to do. I had grabbed my coat and was halfway out the door when Peony called again.
"Jade, be careful. I have a feeling that this will be more difficult for you than you might anticipate. Whoever is running this operation is cunning and heartless and they're always one step ahead of us. This is going to take more than just brute strength and following the rules. You're going to have to think like they do and outsmart them."
"Well then, this won't be a problem at all. I have already been informed I am quite heartless myself. And when it comes to intellect, well…you have said yourself that my brain is perhaps my one use."
The look of surprise on Peony's face was nearly instantaneous. He opened his mouth to say something but I ended the conversation and turned on my heel to head out.
"Jade…how can you be so smart and so…so stupid at the same time?" Peony sat back on the desk, muttering something else though I could not make out what it was.
Oddly enough his remark irked me. We had often exchanged less than pleasant words, and once had a fight that had almost turned violent. That was the night I had turned my back on my research. But then he had a reason to scold me, then I had been young and foolish. Now what was he speaking of? Well, when I returned perhaps I would find one of the rappigs that had stumbled into my office and perhaps accidentally that pet would find itself the participant of one of my experiments.
For the time being, I pushed the comment aside and headed out. It was raining, unfortunately, and I turned up the collar on my jacket, slipping the black phone into my pocket and walking down the dismal grey street which had emptied itself as soon as the water began to fall from the sky.