Whispers In The Dark
ZTX
8/15/07
Disclaimer: I do NOT own Black Cat.
Despite the lies that you're making, your love is mine for the taking. My love is just waiting to turn your tears to roses.
-Skillet, Whispers In The Dark
Prologue
I remember it so clearly... as if it happened only yesterday...
There was a loud rumble. She estimated its force must have been that of a six or seven on the Richter scale. The rumble was followed by a few smaller ones afterward, what she assumed to be the quake's after shocks. She frowned,
'If this keeps up, it could prove troublesome.'
"Man! Are we there yet? I think I'm dying of starvation over here..."
Train grumbled, his stomach rumbling even louder than before.
"Just a few minutes more," his lime-haired partner calmly replied.
"You said that an hour ago, Sven."
Slithering down further into his seat, the chestnut-haired man sighed. They'd been travelling across the desert for almost three days now; no height or hair of civilisation in sight. Luckily, Sven had managed to pack food for only two of those days. His stomach growled again, and he sighed, lifting his arms up and latching onto the back of the seat,
"Where are we going, anyway?"
"The city of Cannes," Sven began, cigarette hanging loosely between his lips,
"Word has it there's a bounty there of over 7 million."
"Really! That much, huh! So, who's the guy?"
"A serial rapist, Gerald Chevé. Its been said most of his victims are women and children."
"Then this case is perfect for you, isn't it, Svenny-baby?"
The lime-haired man's eyebrow twitched at the nickname, his teeth grinding,
"Yes. As a gentleman, I can't just let his actions go unpunished."
Train smirked at that, groaning in aggravation as his stomach gurgled again. Rolling down the window, he took out Hades, aiming it upward. Sven raised an eyebrow at this, glancing over at him in confusion,
"What the hell are you doing?"
"I'm gonna shoot down that bird up there. There's bound to be some meat on it-"
"TRAIN, DON'T YOU DARE!"
I didn't know it then...if only I had...
Eve calmly turned another page in her book. They had been in Cannes for only two hours, and already Sven and Train were hard at work. Their room was a modest one, the only luxury being the separate bedroom. Sven had made sure that there was an internet connection, however, so that he could scrounge up any information on Chevé that they might have missed. Glancing up at him from her spot on the sofa, Eve put down her book,
"How's it going, Sven?"
The lime-haired man shook his head, sighing deeply,
"Not good. There's hardly any info on Chevé's whereabouts."
The tiny girl stood, gliding over to him to look over his shoulder,
"What's all that?"
"His track record. This guy's wanted on more charges than I can count."
She leaned in closer, her shoulder-length hair bobbing at her shoulders,
"10 counts of armed burglary, 9 counts of auto theft, 13 counts of arson, and 27 counts of rape, all of which double as 27 counts of murder. That's 86 different charges."
Sven blinked silently at the girl; a bead of sweat running down his cheek. The girl then turned away suddenly; picking her cellphone up off of the coffee table as she headed into the separate bedroom,
"I'm gonna go call Leon."
The lime-haired man slouched, his eyebrow twitching violently as he heard the door shut behind her. Snuffing out his cigarette in the ash tray seated beside his laptop, he sighed, the sound of the door bursting open nearby hardly phasing him,
"Any luck?"
Train shook his head, closing the door behind him as headed across the room and plopped down on the sofa,
"Nada. Nobody's talking. Its almost like they think if they spill anything they'll be the next target!"
He set both feet on the coffee table and stretched out, glancing about curiously,
"Where's the princess?"
"She's in the other room."
"Reading?"
"..."
The chestnut-haired man grinned, noting the black aura hovering over Sven,
"Oh, I see. She's talking to Leon, isn't she?"
"..."
"She's at that age you know."
"I know."
"Did you talk to her?"
"Actually, she was the one who did all the talking."
Train blinked at this, raising an eyebrow,
"Huh?"
-ø-
"Eve, I'd like to talk to you about something."
The blonde frowned, sitting down across the table from him,
"Yes?"
Clearing his throat, he raised his head, looking her sternly in the eye,
"You're at that age now...well...where you'll start feeling differently about..."
His stern gaze was faltering. This was such an awkward thing to talk about with a girl of her age. He almost didn't want to believe that she'd actually grow up and become...a woman.
"...where you'll start feeling differently about members of the opposite gender-"
"Hmm? Are you talking about sex?"
His eyebrow twitched as she continued,
"I've read all about it in books. There was one, the Kama Sutra, that talked about it in detail. It was interesting. If you're worried that I might plan to try it out with Leon, though, then don't. I don't have any sexual interest in him."
-ø-
They were both silent for a moment, Train finally breaking the awkwardness,
"Man, she's blunt."
"That's an understatement."
At around that moment, Eve stepped out of the bedroom; her head bowed. The chestnut-haired man raised an eyebrow as she sat down beside him; cocking his head to the side,
"What's the matter, Princess?"
She bit her lip lightly; quietly responding,
"Leon..."
Sven's ear twitched at that. He could hear the despairing tone in the girl's voice, and he didn't like it one bit. Had the two been dating, after all?
"...he...he is moving away."
Train straightened at that, his voice laced with brotherly concern,
"Moving?"
She nodded shortly,
"Yes. He was...adopted...by someone Eathes knows."
"Well, that's great, Princess! You shouldn't be upset, you should be happy for him! Man, that kid's really turned himself around-"
"Train."
He glanced over at Sven, who was sternly shaking his head, and coughed,
"Erm...oh."
Swivelling his chair around to face her, Sven sighed, a fatherly look crossing his face as he saw the pain written on her's,
"Do you want to talk about it, Eve?"
She shook her head,
"No. I'm okay with it. Leon will be happy with his new family."
An awkward silence filled the room again; Train scratching his head. He squirmed a little. As if by some miracle, it was at this moment that he remembered something he'd discovered on his inquiry around town. He slapped his palm with a balled fist,
"Hey, guys! I just remembered! There's some kind of festival goin' on in town tonight! I think its for the hot shot new mayor or somethin'. Anyway, I hear they're supposed to shoot off fireworks-"
Eve raised her head instantly, blinking innocently,
"Fireworks?"
She then turned to Sven,
"Can we go?"
Sven frowned, putting his cigarette box to his lips,
"I dunno..."
"Aww, c'mon, Sven," Train began cheerfully,
"The festival would be a great place to gather information! And who knows, maybe Chevé will make an appearance there."
"You just want free food."
"...that is always a plus."
The lime-haired man closed his eyes, sighing deeply,
"I suppose we could. If we can nab the bounty and enjoy some fireworks at the same time, then-eh?"
He glanced down at the empty carton in his hand, a heavy feeling settling atop his shoulders. Train raised an eyebrow as the man grabbed his hat, curiously watching him head for the door,
"What's up, Sven? Something happen?"
Sven calmly glanced back at them; the twinkle in his eye making Train feel nauseated,
"A gentleman can never be without his cigarettes."
He then left, Train muttering after him in annoyance,
"Gentleman, huh? I'd like to see how much of a gentleman you are when you're speaking through an electronic voice box and eating through tubes in your throat..."
Eve straightened; jumping up and rushing to the door. Throwing it open, she called down him,
"Sven!"
He glanced back at her; raising an eyebrow,
"Yeah, Eve?"
"You promise?"
"...promise, what?"
"That we'll go to the festival," she began; fists clenched tightly at her sides,
"And see the fireworks."
Sven could tell that she was trying her best to keep from crying. He smiled; nodding shortly,
"I promise."
He then turned away from her; heading on down the stairs and out the door. Train stepped out of the room; confused,
"You okay, Princess?"
She said nothing, however, and continued to stare at the doorway that had a moment ago held Sven within it's frame. Due to the hues coming in through the glass, she could infer that it was now dusk...
~ø~
"Here's your change, sir."
"Oh! Thank you..."
Sven stepped out of the small convenience store and immediately whipped out a fresh cigarette; lighting it with a relieved sigh,
"That's better. Now to get back to the room and devise a strategy to lure Chevé out into the open. Like hell I'm going to let Eve be our bait again..."
He started toward the street; frowning as a nearby policeman stepped in front of him,
"Is there a problem officer?"
"I'm sorry, sir, but this section of main street is off limits until tonight's festival. I'll have to ask you to find a different route."
Sighing deeply, Sven headed down the alleyway to his left, hands in his pockets,
"I suppose I'll just have to use a side street, then. Looks like I'll be getting back a little later than I thought."
The alley was a long one. Longer than Sven had anticipated. The sun was setting overhead, and eerie shadows were cast across the rooftops, leaving the byway in darkness. He could hear the soft splash of water as he trekked through small puddles. Metal trash bins crashed nearby; rats picking their way through another day's worth of waste. He stopped then; straightening,
"You gonna tell me who you are, or do I just have to make a guess?"
A soft chuckle echoed all around him and he turned around; eyes narrowing as a slim figure stepped out from the shadows. It was a man with neatly combed, black hair. He wore a suit of grey and an annoyingly brilliant yellow tie. His polished shoes sloshed through the puddles as he stepped closer,
"Very good. You are just as I've heard, International Bureau of Investigations Inspector...Sven Vollfied."
The lime-haired man tensed, clenching his fists,
"What did you say?"
"Or could it be that it wasn't your phenomenal detective skills at work...? But perhaps...it was the vision eye transplanted to you from your dear friend, Lloyd-"
"Who the hell are you?"
The man straightened in surprise at the sudden outburst; smiling apologetically,
"Forgive me! Here I know all there is to know about you and you don't even know my name!"
He extended his hand; offering Sven a warm smile,
"Jonas Warren. I work for a small branch of the political agency...I'm sure you've heard of it through your friend, Black Cat...Chronos."
Sven straightened; his eye widening,
'This guy works for Chronos! What the hell...? Is he after Train? No...that can't be it. I was sure Chronos had finally accepted that Train wasn't a threat...'
"Chronos, huh? Well, Jonas Warren... what is it that you're after?"
Jonas laughed, pulling a sheet of paper from his coat, as well as a pair of glasses,
"I'm actually here to negotiate a deal with you, Mr. Vollfied. You see, Chronos has taken part in a never ending struggle to make the world a peaceful and better place, and given your background and extraordinary powers, I was hoping to-"
"Forget it. I don't make deals with sneaky business men in the middle of dark alleyways. If you want to recruit an army of mindless drones, go someplace else. I'm a sweeper. "
Sighing, Jonas took off his glasses, tucking them back in his coat,
"You see, that's where your wrong. I'm not asking you to join us..."
He pulled out a manila envelope, handing it to the lime-haired man. Frowning, Sven reached in and pulled out a picture of a girl sitting in the window and reading,
'This is...!'
"That photograph was taken just 20 minutes ago. I assume you know the girl."
His grip on the photo tightened, his eyes narrowing,
'Eve...'
"I have men stationed around the building. I've ordered them to keep a keen eye on XIII and the bio weapon. Any false move by you and I'll give them the order...to execute them both."
~ø~
Eve frowned as she glanced up from her book, 100 Grisly Unsolved Mysteries. Train was acting strange,
"Train? Is something wrong?"
The chestnut-haired man was standing stock still in the centre of the room, a strange prickling sensation tickling the back of his neck. He headed over to the window, glancing outside cautiously. He couldn't see anything, but this feeling...he couldn't shake it. Someone was watching them,
"Its nothing."
He shut the curtains, then turned and headed back out into the living room,
"I'm gonna go out for a minute. I'll be back soon so you stay here, all right, Princess? And be sure to keep out of the windows..."
The girl tensed at that last part rushing into the other room after him as the door shut,
"Train?"
By the time she made it to the hall, he was gone, the front door flapping freely in the wind...
~ø~
Sven gritted his teeth; forcing a smile as he began to sweat,
"Execute them, huh? You're not much of a negotiator, are you?"
"You've not given me much room to do so."
He swallowed hard. If this guy was serious, any minute he could give out the order and Train and Eve would be... wait a minute. The lime-haired man then began to laugh, Jonas raising an eyebrow,
"What's so funny?"
"You don't know who you're dealing with do you? You try to make me sweat by saying you'll execute Train and Eve? Well, forget it! They could never be outdone...by the likes of you!"
Pulling out a small device from his back pocket, he threw it down; the area becoming engulfed in thick, white smoke. He then turned; sprinting down the alley as fast as his legs could go,
'If he was telling the truth...I have to get to Eve! I can't let anything happen to her-'
"And I don't believe you know who you're dealing with, Mr. Vollfied..."
Sven's eyes widened as what appeared to be a long, grey tentacle wrapped itself around his leg. He fell forward; landing face first in a muddy puddle. The nearby rats squeaked, scampering away as a brilliant red light was emitted from the smoke cloud.
"If you won't come with me willingly..."
The lime-haired man cursed as he felt himself being dragged backward. With gritted teeth, he clawed at the ground; sweat beading down his face,
'Damn!'
He glanced backward as the pulling stopped, eyes widening as he looked up at Jonas. The man's arm had stretched, becoming the grey tentacle that had wound itself around him. The man's eyes were glowing a brilliant red, giving him an almost demonic appearance. Jonas smirked, raising up his right arm,
"Then I'll just have to take you in by force."
His arm began writhing; twisting about like a recently decapitated snake. When it's thrashing was finished, it took the shape of a long, grey spike. Jonas smiled at the fear written on Sven's face, licking his bladed arm,
"Your precious bio weapon isn't the only one with the power of nanotechnology bestowed upon them."
He then angled it toward Sven; shooting it downward toward the man's chest. Sven reached inside his coat.
BANG BANG BANG!
~ø~
Train cursed as he ran down the street. Sven had been gone for almost an hour now.
'Maybe he found something on Chevé?'
The thought didn't help. Even if Sven had found something, he would've come back to devise a strategy. He liked doing that. Making plans and making lots of them, even though no one ever followed them. And he still couldn't shake that feeling that he'd had back at the room. Someone was watching him. Even now they had their eyes on him. But who was it? It couldn't just be a coincidence. Something was wrong.
BANG BANG BANG!
Train's eyes widened at the sound and he cursed; picking up speed,
'Gunshots!'
He followed the sound to an alleyway five blocks away. Straightening, he quietly sauntered down the cobblestone back way; hand readied to draw his gun at a moment's notice. The area was quite foggy. He could feel the sloshing of water beneath his feet.
Then he heard a soft crunch. Glancing down, he frowned, lifting up his foot. It was a small, white box. He knelt down to get a closer look. The box was completely crushed, the cigarettes inside leaking tobacco bits onto the walkway. Wait...
"Cigarettes?"
He then took notice of the strange, watery substance it resided in, and he touched a finger to it; gasping at it's warmth. When he raised his hand up; his heart began to pound. His fingers were covered in,
"Fresh blood?"
He stood back up; glancing about the area. As the fog cleared, he could plainly see that a struggle had taken place here. Trash bins knocked over. Large chunks taken out of the ground and the walls. It was then that he spotted it. It lay just a few feet away from him. The object was completely harmless, but it struck sheer terror into his heart. He bent down and scooped the bloodied, white hat up off of the ground.
He held it tightly; his eyes narrowing,
"Sven..."
He noticed that the trail of blood beneath his feet lead further down the alley and he cursed; following after it. His heart was racing as fast as his feet,
'Dammit...Sven, hold on!'
He was lead through a great many streets before he finally reached a series of docks. Following it to the very end of the port, he cursed again. The trail was gone. Glancing around, he swallowed hard; his search becoming frantic,
"Sven! Sven, answer me! Where are you! Sven!"
"So...you actually managed to get him on board?"
~ø~
Jonas smiled; his toothy grin a chilling one in nature,
"Yes, Mason. Mr. Vollfied was more than happy to join our efforts...in making this world a better place."
"That's wonderful. Give him my thanks, would you? At a time like this when war is breaking loose across the country, Chronos is much obliged to receive any help that we can get."
"Of course, Mason. I'll let him know right away."
He snapped his phone shut then; his grin soon bringing rise to a cackle as the helicopter soared over the murky ocean. Lying on a row of seats across from him was his bloodied and broken captive...
~ø~
Eve sighed deeply as she sat on the couch; arms wrapped around her knees. Her eyes kept focus on her dainty feet as she swished her toes; the sounds of the fireworks going off outside bringing tears to her eyes. It had been hours since Train had left the hotel and even longer since Sven had gone out to buy cigarettes. She bit her lip. Something was wrong. Something had to be wrong.
Upon hearing the door creak open nearby, she smiled in relief; rising from her seat,
"Sven? Is that you? Are we going-?"
She stopped upon seeing Train step through the door; frowning,
"Oh...Train, you're back. Where's Sven?"
There was a look on Train's face that she hadn't ever seen before. Something was wrong,
"Train?"
"Princess..."
He said softly; his voice laced darkly with sorrow and anger. The tiny blonde straightened; her body becoming tense,
"Wh-What is it?"
He said swallowed hard; stuttering,
"Th-There's something...you need to know. I think you should sit back down for this..."
She shook her head in confusion; her eyes widening as she spotted the hat at his side. The blood on it's brim caused her heart to stop.
"SVEN!"
That was the day... that our lives changed forever.