Disclaimer: Gundam Seed/ Destiny and the story (by C.M) don't belong to me. They all belonged to someone else. This is just an abridged story. The same disclaimer goes for the up-coming chapters until the story ends.
Prologue: The Set-up
Bitter cold inhabited the last days of April like an unwanted guest who didn't know when to leave. The vestiges of sleet had melted off the streets of Aprilius City, but a veil of ice remained, sparkling in the headlights of slow-moving traffic on the narrow streets. Athrun Zala turned up the collar on his black overcoat and adjusted the lapels across the shoulder holster.
He seldom wore his gun anymore. As a senior agent in Zaft Forces, his regular assignment was in the classroom. Today, he was in Aprilius for a consultation and seminar, teaching other special operation personnel how to go undercover and get out in one piece. Athrun had the practical knowledge. Six years ago when he was just 19 years old, he'd infiltrated the upper echelons of a Mendel Colony crime family and lived among them for eighteen months. His tapes, wire taps and sequestered testimony had taken down seven minor crime bosses and toppled the Hibiki family. He should have been proud. In certain Zaft Forces, Athrun was considered a legend.
Yet, he never thought of that time without regret. His efforts hadn't ended corruption in greater Mendel Colony. He'd barely made a dent. When the Hibiki stepped down, another family arose to take their place. Crime was a many headed hydra, voracious and unstoppable. Now, six years later, Ulen Hibiki, the old patriarch, had regained supremacy. Except for two men still serving time in federal prison, it was if Athrun's undercover operation had never happened.
"You're going to love this restaurant," his companion said.
"Why's that, Shinn?"
"It's German."
Shinn Asuka, like many of the younger agents, knew that Athrun's a German descent. Because of his blue hair and green eyes? No, because his well-known lineage ways go back to it. But he grew up in December City, way up here in Plants, together with different cultures and where the culinary fare was mainly meat and potatoes. His only association with German cooking was during his undercover assignment when he immersed himself in the culture and passed as Alex Dino.
As a general rule, Athrun avoided the German scene. He'd met a lot of people in Mendel Colony he couldn't face again. Not that they'd be expecting to see him. Athrun, in his incarnation as Alex Dino, was supposed to be dead.
Shinn Asuka – a gruff raven head with sharp eyes – held open the door to the corner restaurant. They shook of the cold in the foyer and stepped inside where pleasant warmth surrounded them. In keeping with the neighborhood location, the décor was casual with red checkered tablecloths and woven Chianti bottles used as flower vases. A long bar traversed one wall. Above the noise of conversation, Athrun heard the background music of tarantella.
Instinctively, he scanned the faces of restaurant patrons, looking for enemies. He recognized one man. Not an enemy. Another Zaft agent from today's seminar.
"Sai Argyle." Athrun turned to Shinn. "I didn't know we were meeting anyone."
"Me neither." Shinn waved and approached the other man. "Hey, Sai. Good to see you. What are the odds we'd end up at the same place?"
Too high, Athrun thought. As he reached across the table to shake hands, Sai's jacket gaped open and Athrun noticed the handle of the gun in his shoulder holster. Not standard Zaft issue. This casual dinner was beginning to feel like a setup.
"Join us." Shinn offered.
"Thanks, but no," Sai said. He checked his wristwatch. "I'm waiting for my girlfriend. She's late, as usual."
Sai's reason for being here sounded innocent enough. Sai's presence was nothing more than coincidence, except Athrun didn't believe in random chance. Everything happened for a reason.
He led the way to a table in the middle of the restaurant and sat with his back to the wall. Though he remained alert to potential danger, the comfortable atmosphere soothed Athrun. The mouthwatering fragrance of rich sauces and fresh bread tickled his senses and took him back in time. He remembered a candlelit dinner in his Mendel Colony apartment. Six years ago. And he remembered a woman, the woman, Cagalli Yamato. Slender with silky legs, she swept through his small one-bedroom apartment with sinuous grace. Wisps of long blonde hair escaped her ponytail and curled at the edge of her high cheekbones. She wore no makeup, didn't need any. Her full lips glistened with a soft, natural pink. She was only nineteen but seemed more mature. The constant drama of the Hibiki crime family would be enough to age anyone, especially a sensitive coed with a strong sense of justice and truth.
Cagalli Yamato. Athrun thought of her often. The atmosphere at the restaurant brought her back to him with unbearable vividness. He remembered her leaning across the table in his apartment, holding out a serving spoon for him to sample the dish she cooked. In memory, his tongue tasted a perfect blend of fresh tomatoes, onions, peppers and garlic. In her eyes, the candlelight reflected a winsome glow.
He'd wanted to be honest with her, to explain his undercover work. To do so would have been dangerous. For both of them. He figured that when his assignment ended, he would come back for her. But such solace was not to be. She vanished after the final takedown. Though it seemed impossible, she was gone without a trace, never to be heard from again. Her disappearance was a tribute to the national and international connections of the patriarch, Ulen Hibiki. He'd hidden his granddaughter, the daughter of his only child Caridad, so effectively that even the Zaft Forces couldn't locate her. Athrun had followed every lead, every hint. He would've done anything to see her again, to taste her lips, to feel her delicate body cradled tight against his –
"Athrun!" Shinn called him back to reality, nodding toward the waitress. "Should we get wine with dinner?"
"Burgundy," Athrun said. Cagalli had preffered red wine, full-bodied and rich. "A liter."
There was no reason to avoid alcohol. He wasn't on duty. This afternoon's consultation and seminar on undercover procedure had gone smoothly, and he planned to head back to December City tomorrow morning.
Shinn planted his elbows on the table and leaned forward. "What was it really like? Being inside?"
Athrun shrugged. This wasn't the place to be discussing undercover ops. "Just a job."
"Did you ever, you know, get too involved? Did you ever think of dumping the assignment and joining the family?"
What kind of question was that? A test of loyalty? He wondered if Shinn had an ulterior motive when he volunteered to show Athrun around. "Why do you ask?"
"You got to admit, the families have a certain appeal. Lots of money. Good wine. Great food." He gestured to the table in front of them where the waitress placed a basket of warm crusty bread. Shinn winked up at her. "Beautiful women."
She smiled back at him and moved away. Her graceful hips undulated as she wove through the half-filled tables. It was a decent sized crowd for a Thursday night when the weather was dismal. Athrun watched as the waitress swished through the swinging door into the kitchen. What lay behind that door?
He glanced again at Sai Argyle whose girlfriend had not yet arrived. Something about this dinner was wrong. Athrun's instincts, honed from years of ferreting out deceit, warned him to move on. He held up his wristwatch and made an excuse. "Sorry, Shinn, I don't really have time for dinner. I'm meeting someone at ten."
"Who?" Shinn challenged.
"Someone." His tone was clipped, final. He'd say no more. Explanation was unnecessary; a senior agent deserved respect.
"At least have a glass of wine." Shinn raised both hands in a conciliatory gesture. "Come on, Athrun. You can spare time for one glass can't you?"
Was he stalling, trying to buy time to keep Athrun at the table? "You sound anxious, Shinn. Been under stress lately?"
"To tell the truth, I can't believe I'm here with you. You're one of my heroes. I want to get into - " He stopped himself before blurting a specific reference to undercover work. " – your field. I've read every word of your reports, all the transcripts."
Those documents were supposed to be sealed, a top secret. How had a young agent, like Shinn, gotten clearance? Athrun wanted to know more. He purposely relaxed his features, pretending to be seduced into indiscretion by the flattery. "Which part interested you the most?"
"Had to be the final takedown when you set up Locksmith and the guy called The Nose."
Atrhun capped his suspicions with a false smile, irritated that Shinn knew the code words which meant he had accessed top secret, sequestered transcripts of testimony. This did not bode well.
The wine was placed on their table, and Athrun went through the ritual of tasting before pouring a glass of dark crimson liquid, the color of blood. "Who have you been working with on this?"
"Nobody really."
"You're being modest," Athrun said. "Somebody had to give you clearance to read those documents."
"I shouldn't say this." Shinn tried to look sheepish but failed. This baby agent was more like a wolf. "I'm kind of a computer whiz. I hacked into the files."
Unlikely. Very few amateur computer jockey possessed level of skill to breach Zaft security. Something was up. Something treacherous.
Athrun lifted his wineglass as he gazed toward the door. Three men entered. Two were unfamiliar, but Athrun knew the man in the black leather jacket. The man's waist had thickened with muscle and his features had hardened. His violet eyes absorbed the light, sucked the energy from the cheery restaurant and turned everything dark. He was Kira Yamato, the son of Haruma Yamato and Caridad Hibiki. The grandson of Ulen. Cagalli's brother. The up-and coming-boss in Mendel Colony. Why was he here? What did this mean? No time to think.
Athrun reacted instantly. His gun was in his hand. Damn it! He didn't want a shoot-out in the middle of a crowded restaurant.
Shinn had already pulled his weapon, identical to Athrun's. The young agent fired at Kira Yamato.
With a shove, Athrun overturned the table. He focused on Sai Argyle. From halfway across the restaurant, the barrel of Sai's .45 caliber revolver aimed directly at the center of Athrun's chest.
The first shot was Athrun's. Sai went down.
Athrun dodged through the tables, through the screaming, terrified patrons. He hit the kitchen door and kept running. Undercover, again. He'd been set up.