AN - I've been a writer for a long time but this was my first stab at a fiction series that hopefully doesn't suck. I actually started writing this last year to help cope with stress and the whole thing kind of got away on a freight train of madness. As a huge nut towards all things final fantasy, you'll probably find a lot of shout outs, references and tidbits from other games, not just characters. Anyway, shutting up now.
Brushing out the creases in her uniform with her hands, Lieutenant Claire Farron took a deep, nervous breath before opening the door to her superior's office. Her superior, Captain Amodar was sitting behind his desk with a displeased expression plastered over his large and usually jovial face. His moustache twitched as he made eye contact with her.
"Sit down Farron, there's something I need to discuss with you."
It was at this point that Claire noticed they were not alone. Two other individuals were in the room sitting across from the captain, impeccably dressed in their white uniforms.
"Farron I'd like you to meet special agents Cid Raines and Jihl Nabaat from the PSICOM Division." The pinkette's heart leapt into her throat. She had been making applications to join the special investigative team of PSICOM for the last three years, working overtime to the detriment of her relationship with her sister. Could all this hard work have finally paid off? The captain knew how much progression in her career meant to her, Claire then wondered why he carried a sour look on his face.
Amodar cleared his throat before continuing, the agents not saying anything to the lieutenant beyond a basic but cool professional greeting. "Farron, Cid and Jihl have come here to request your secondment to an undercover assignment in Eden through the organised crimes special unit." Her dream job, it was all too good to be true. She cautiously looked over at the two agents, impassive in their appearance. Jihl looked almost bored with the proceedings and handed over a classified folder for Claire to look at. "Raines, if you would." She drawled at her partner as she gestured for him to take over.
"Of course. I'm not certain how well up to date your knowledge of Eden's underworld is considering you're all the way out here in Bodhum Farron."
The pinkette bristled internally but refused to let it show. She decided to take the professional approach with her response. "Up until approximately a year ago there were three major crime families battling it out for control over the territory, involved in just about everything illegal you can book a person for from underground gambling, trafficking, theft, murder.. A newcomer on the gang scene by the name of NORA which stands for No Obligations, Rules or Authority began targeting the families until an all-out war hit the streets of Eden. While NORA has disappeared altogether, in their wake they severely crippled the families, leaving room for other gangs from outside territories such as Nautilus and Luxerion to make their way in."
Jihl adjusted her glasses with a smirk on your face. "You do your homework ahead of schedule I see, Farron."
Claire shrugged in response. "I had to write a tactical assessment of the ganglands as part of one of my applications to join PSICOM ma'am."
Cid nodded and flipped through the paperwork. "NORA has indeed disappeared, with the death or incarceration of key members, and their leader known as Titan missing; presumably in hiding. However, we have reason to suspect that a small contingent is still operative despite most of the living members being in prison. We need to know how they are communicating, and if they are in contact with Titan."
He paused in his briefing, looking over at the captain as if requesting permission to continue.
"This is where you come in. We're going to put you into general population at the Gallies as a prisoner transfer, and let you get amongst them. Nobody you've put away is at this prison, we've made sure of it so that nobody will recognise you. If there's anyone still likely communicating with the outside it will be this member. Goes by the name of Yun Fang. We will need you to get close to her and find out what they're up to."
Yun Fang. Claire was familiar with the name. No family to speak of, save for a step sister whose identity is not known, she was the loose cannon of NORA, rising quickly through the ranks in the gang hierarchy due to her ruthlessness and reckless nature. She cared little for collateral damage, and she probably had more personality disorders than a deck had cards.
Fang was found as a brawler in illegal pit fighting and was recruited by Titan to serve as the muscle. She was one of the few who was caught alive earlier in the year and incarcerated for the rest of her natural life. Unlike her comrade, Gadot Tsu, not enough evidence could be pinned to put her on death row, so she will rot in the prison system teeming with her rivals.
Claire had to pause her line of thinking as something struck her as odd. "Sir, while I am certainly grateful for the opportunity, I must ask something. I've been making applications to join the investigative team for over three years now… what was it that finally landed me here?"
Jihl sighed and took out a cigarette from a pocket in her jacket. "Don't overanalyse it too much Farron. Yun has a weakness for… beautiful women. So take it as a compliment and take the assignment."
Claire paled with cold rage seeping through her veins as the two agents stood up and saluted the captain. "We'll leave you to it then, Farron you'll need to report to HQ at dawn on Monday. We will be making preparations until then." They both turned on their heel almost in complete sync and left the office, slamming the door unceremoniously behind them.
Amodar immediately started on his subordinate before she blew. "Now Farron, please just take a breath."
"Are you fucking KIDDING ME." She growled, fists balling until nails bit her palms.
"Farron!"
Amodar reached into his desk and pulled out a bottle of whiskey and two glasses. He had barely slid it in front of her before she had grabbed it and downed in a single gulp, letting the burn of the alcohol override her senses for a moment.
"Get a hold of yourself Lieutenant, for all our sakes. Please, Claire," The Captain calmed his voice in the hopes she would follow suit, "I know. They're assholes, especially Nabaat for verbally backhanding you like that. This is more than just your looks as far as I'm concerned, so ignore that arrogant bitch. They're about to throw you into the foxhole and you're a rabbit that needs to get some fangs in a hurry. You take out the last of the NORA gang and you can consider it an all access pass to PSICOM."
Claire had to reluctantly concede the point. However the opportunity was presented, it was an opportunity regardless. "Well Captain, let's see just how much trouble this pretty face of mine can get in."
Claire was slightly relieved at the knowledge that she wouldn't be going in alone. Her handler, a jovial man by the name of Rygdea would be going in as a guard to keep an eye on things. As they waited for the prison transport to arrive, the lieutenant fidgeted in her allocated prison garb, reading through the dossier for her new identity.
"Rygdea, if I may speak freely.." She cautiously asked the relaxed-looking man. He stretched on the bench and laughed quietly.
"Please Farron. I ain't my boss you can talk to me however you like."
"It's just… This profile I'm supposed to adopt," She started, unsure of how to proceed, eventually deciding honesty was the best policy. "It's likely going to get me killed."
"Just how do you figure that Lieutenant Farron?" Agent Raines stepped into view, startling them both. His dark hair fell over his eyes, obscuring his piercing gaze as he contemplated the young pinkette before him. "And please, speak your mind as candidly as you need to."
Claire gulped and looked over the notes. "From the profiling I have done of Yun Fang from the application submissions over the years, she would see through this in an instant. If she is the… womanizer she is claimed to be, she needs to seek me out, not the other way around. Not to mention the name… I don't exactly look like an Ashe do I?"
Silence bore down on the trio as Cid considered her objections. "In the end Farron, you'll be mostly in there on your own. Rygdea is there as a backup to extract you in case it all goes to hell. You've been a decorated officer of the GC for long enough, and I will defer to your judgement. You'll be the one getting up close and personal with the Pulsian after all. If something doesn't feel right… Improvise. I don't care how you get the intel, just that you get it and don't get killed in the process."
Claire nodded in relief. "Thank you, sir."
The prison transport pulled up with a screech of the air brakes, and Claire took a deep breath. This was it. "Remember Farron, part of the undercover work is that you're going to have to stomach a few unpleasantries and turn your police instincts off for the rest. Just remind yourself you're doing this for the greater good, and you'll be fine." Cid called out behind her.
"Good luck Claire," Rygdea said as he patted her on the back in sympathy. "I'll be seeing you at the Gallies."
Claire had to admit she had never seen the inside of a prison before and her first time, of course, had to be on the wrong side of the bars. As she made her way through the halls with the other prison transfers that had been picked up along the way, she was very aware of the number of eyes on them. They were being sized up for anything from recruits to punching bags to sexual relief. She was put in a cell just across and slightly down from the Yun, who at that point was nowhere to be found.
What meagre possessions she was allowed to bring with her she arranged in the small cupboard she was allocated in the cell. A couple of books, socks and a hand-stitched symbol of Etro. Anything more solid could be used as a weapon and was confiscated, so Claire had done a crude stitching with her kit at home on an old piece of material to help sell the persona she was adopting. The easiest way to blend was to not act out of character, so the profile she had developed for herself deviated significantly from the useless tripe they had put on paper for her, but not too far from how she would normally behave anyway.
This was a hunt. Their approach was too obvious and out in the open. She needed to be patient, and bide her time.
They had put her in a cell with an existing prisoner, a timid quiet girl by the name of Alyssa Zaidelle. By Farron's request, they had been partnered up because out of all the prisoners she could be paired with as a cellmate, this one was the least likely to ask questions. The small petite blonde played with the curls of her hair, a nervous twitch that Claire observed straight away as the girl smiled sadly at her.
"H-hi, my name's Alyssa." The girl stammered. Claire merely nodded in greeting with an air of indifference and otherwise said nothing. The blonde was determined though, the Lieutenant would give her that. "You're… A. Palazzo yes? W-what's the A stand for?"
"Aranea. Just call me Palazzo." She responded curtly.
"O-o-okay." The stuttering was bound to try Farron's patience very quickly. "There will be other prisoners coming around l-looking to recruit later on… if you… stay out of it you'll be safer. I'm j-just trying to keep my head down until m-my sentence is up and I am f-f-free."
Whooping and hollering could be heard further down the cell block as a bunch of women started cheering. One of them could be heard yelling out amongst the din. "Hey, Oerba! Looks like we've got some fresh meat in again!" Oerba. The name rang meaning in Claire's head for some reason.
Yun Fang. Oerba's where she's from... Claire thought as she scanned the hallway looking for someone matching the mug shot from her files but found nobody resembling the Pulsian. That didn't stop a chill from shivering down her spine when she heard a hard accent ring out from one of the nearby cells, echoing through the hall.
"Like I give a fuck Paddra, unless there's some serious talent amongst them I couldn't give two shits!"
The accent was drawling, a harsh and grating sound to Claire's ears but at the same time the natural huskiness was definitely appealing. She dismissed the thoughts and settled down to read.
Keeping her nose in a book was the easiest way for her to be both left alone and observe her surroundings through her peripherals. It was with this method that she was able to first get a glimpse of the infamous Yun Fang while out in the yard for their daily recreationals the following morning. Claire sat along the back fence, reading away as she took in her surroundings. It was then that she saw her "target" with her own eyes for the first time.
She was over sitting on a table chatting with a number of prisoners, occasionally waving to the guards and making lewd gestures as she got their attention. Immature… Farron thought to herself disdainfully. However, she had done enough research into the Pulsian criminal to know that despite her jovial and casual nature, she was not one to be taken lightly. She was known for her verbal games and mischievous charm that served to get under people's skin or disarm them with her flirtatious banter. There was nothing cheeky about her gaze despite her behaviour, however; every glance calculating and contemplating. Even Claire had to take a moment to check to make sure her heart was still beating when the Pulsian's staring about the yard fell on her for the first time. A piercing colour; deep dark rings at the edges of her irises that reminded the lieutenant of a forest, and a bright centre of a much more intense green, reminiscent of clouds before a hail storm. Farron saw the woman nod in her direction, clearly asking around about her.
Thus far her plan was going better than expected; with the fact that she had said nothing at all was starting to draw attention to her from the right people. Yun Fang was a highly intelligent predator, and enigmas drew her interest like a ceratosaur to the water's edge.
A note was dropped on the ground by a passing guard, and Farron looked up to see Rygdea wink and continue on his rounds. With all the nonchalant indifference she could muster, she put her book on the ground over the note for a moment, before picking it back up with the paper in tow.
Nabaat's arranged for an introduction between yourself and Yun shortly. Again, trust your gut and use your instincts. Assess the situation as it happens and act accordingly. - Cid
Farron's stomach dropped. She didn't trust Jihl as far as she could throw her, and whatever this plan entailed, it was more likely to get her shanked than in Yun's good graces.
The whistle sounded from one of the guards that it was time to head in, and Claire sighed. She was secretly enjoying the fact her assignment allowed for the extra reading time, giving her the space to catch up on the books her sister had bought her for her birthday last year. As she headed in, her mind wandered back to the note she had been given, and what her daily schedule was that could facilitate such an alleged meeting.
"Oh for Etro's sake you have to be kidding me." Claire stopped in her tracked and pinched the bridge of her nose as realisation dawned on her. Next was the midday meal, which no criminal in their right mind would attempt there to disrupt their little-received food which only left one place that made sense for them to spring an ambush on her.
They were going to meet in the shower block.
"This is no time to be self-conscious Farron…" The pinkette muttered to herself as she undressed in the cubicle. There were no doors, no privacy so she had to just suck it up. She tuned out all the whoops and hollers being cast in her direction from the other inmates as she got under the water. The hiss that escaped her mouth was unavoidable when the droplets first hit Claire's skin, barely even lukewarm.
She proceeded to wash and rinse off as quickly as possible, knowing that the longer she was there with her back turned the higher the risk climbed of someone trying something with her, let alone whatever Jihl had planned for her and Yun. Suddenly she was deathly aware of the silence in the place, all chatter had ceased, and she turned around to find herself face to face with an aggressive looking inmate.
"Such a pretty face you got girly, yet you hid it behind that damn book all mornin'. What's that all about?" She drawled, her voice raspy from what was likely too many years of substance abuse. Farron chose to ignore her comments and stared blankly back at her. Out of the corner of Claire's eyes, she saw Yun Fang enter the bathroom in her robe, skipping the queue and taking up the cubicle next to her. Seemingly ignoring the current altercation occurring, she proceeded to remove the tattered cotton material from around her shoulders, humming quietly to herself.
The inmate grabbed Claire by the jaw and pulled her close. The woman's stubby fingers were filthy, and Farron wasn't hesitant about letting her distaste show. "So how's about it girly? Want to keep me company for the evening?"
Revulsion ran through Claire's mind at the very thought and slowly reached up to grip the brute woman by the wrist. She squeezed and twisted slowly, moving the offending hand away from her throat. "If I wanted to spend the night with a beast," Farron growled, "I would have requested a transfer to a swamp pit. Would have been cleaner than you."
Barking laughter rang out from next to them as the thug's eyes widened in rage. "You keep yer damn mouth shut Oerba." The inmate warned. "Just coz I share a cell wit' you doesn't mean I won't snap your snotty little neck for getting between me and my girly here." The tanned woman whirled around dangerously and leant over the short wall separating her cubicle from Claire's.
"And you watch yours Paddra. I'm in here 'til I'm dead. Like I care if I get a few more years on my belt to put your arse through a wall."
"Tch, animals."
They both looked at Claire, who had gone back to washing herself, scrubbing the soot marks from her face the rude inmate had left. "I belong to no one. Touch me again like that and I'll claim your wrist." She called over her shoulder.
The prisoner grinned, a poor attempt at a flirtatious smile when half her teeth were missing. "Maybe you can have the rest of me too little girly, not just my wrist." She sauntered under the water and gripped the pinkette around the waist. There was no time to even reconcile what happened next. Farron took the inmate's wrist by the hand and twisted it in a terrible direction, breaking the bone. As the woman screamed Claire whipped her head back, smashing the woman square in the face and knocking out a few more teeth in the process. Yun Fang looked impressed, leaning over further to look at her laid out cellmate.
"Damn. That'll teach her good. Hey Sunshine, you got a bit of blood in your hair from that idiot. You need a hand washing it out?" Claire found the salacious smile from the Pulsian far more visually pleasing than the previous one she'd received but still was annoyed at the forward nature regardless. If this was all part of Jihl's setup, it was a terrible idea. It would be too easy. It would get her killed.
"You want to end up like her too?" Farron hissed as she went back under the water to quickly wash her hair. Fang stood back up, spine straight so she could tower over the pinkette despite the low wall separating them.
"You have any idea who I am?"
Farron rinsed the soap out of her hair before turning the water off. "A prisoner, like the rest of us. Beyond that, I don't care." She donned her prison-issue robe and walked out, kicking the unconscious thug in the face as she left.
In the monitoring room, Jihl was seething. "What the hell does she think she's doing? There was a perfect opportunity to sidle up to Yun and she didn't take it!"
Cid was far more perceptive and held a hand up to silence the blonde's ranting. "Off script was the best thing she could have done given the situation. Watch."
They watched Yun on the screen as she still stood facing the exit Farron had just left. "Oh. Oh, I like her." Her accent crackled through the audio.
"She's dropped the lure. Now she will set about reeling her in." Raines observed.
"Well then if she's so intent on improvising, let's give her a hand with that shall we?" Jihl snapped, still visibly frustrated.
