The entire building was dark and filled with shadows, not a person in sight and not a sound heard. The skyscraper was the tallest in the entire of Winchester, stretching up to the sky with blinding height. Inside, the silence was broken by the calm sound of footsteps coming down the hall. A shadow apeared in the doorway, and the lights suddenly flicked on, revealing the dozens of computer and TV screens that filled the room.
The teenager who had emerged from the hallway walked into the main room and stopped, looking a the huge, hi-tech room with a sigh. He looked to be around 18 or 19 years old, and his shaggy blonde hair hung down into his cold azure eyes. A silver chain with a cross on the end hung from his neck, glinting in the faint blue and white metallic light.
The blonde suddenly lifted his head, annoyance making his eyes light up. "Near. Where the hell has Matt gone off to?"
No response.
"Near." the blonde barked irritably, crossing his arms, "I know that you have an idea of where he went. Tell me."
Near, who had remained hidden at the doorway of the room, knew better than to go against the teen's orders, so he finally stepped out of the doorway and into the room, revealing that he only apeared to be a young teenager- maybe 13 years old, with eyes blacker than coals and white hair. He didn't meet the bad-tempered boy's gaze, but he did reply, "...Matt's gone out again to try and search for L, or maybe even Anna, Mello."
"Ugh." Mello's eyes narrowed sharply as he turned away, "L's dead. He hasn't been around for three years- I highly doubt he'll show up now. I've already confirmed that he was likely kidnapped by the local labratory for illegal Human Subject Research. There's nothing we can do about it, besides, we don't exactly have solid proof. He pretty much disapeared from exsistance."
"What about Anna?"
"I'm sure Anna's fine. She likely just decided to find a new job with the police force." Mello replied slowly.
Near's eyes narrowed ever so slightly, Mello merely shifting in his leather jacket and began to pace at the side of the room. His arms were crossed. "We don't need to worry about Anna or L anymore, Near. We have to worry about ourselves now, along with the Kira Case."
Near lifted his head, beginning to feel slightly annoyed, "But Matt was captured by the Human Labratory and knows how to get in and out of there and everything. If L's in that building, we could rescue him, or we could get the police to completely shut the place down! I mean, we can't-"
He was interrupted abrubtly, "No. Do I have to say it again? Besides, L might be dead by now, so rescuing him would be pointless. Not many animals, let alone human beings, survive testing that brutal, especially the things that scientists have been up to lately. What, attaching wings to people's backs? Putting animal DNA into the DNA of a human's, like what Matt had done? Giving them supernatural powers? C'mon, Near."
"But Matt survived!"
"Barely."
The younger prodigy finally gave up and turned away from the stubborn blonde. Maybe Mello was right- not many escaped the labratory alive, let alone did they even survive the testing they were sentenced to. Then again, there was always that chance that Mello was wrong, and he could still be alive. Heck, maybe he wasn't even with the labratory anymore, maybe he escaped and was hiding out with other experiments who had escaped as well.
...And if L wasn't in the labratory anymore, Near wished he'd just come back already. He hated being stuck with the obnoxious, aggressive blonde-haired teen who was now known as "L".
===_===
Matt and Rachel had started a conversation at the edge of the room, talking about only god knows what, Ryu, of course, had retreated to his room, closing the door behind him quietly. He had never been very social, especially now that they had moved into the hotel suite together. L and Chris sat on the couch at the other side of the room; Chris had a slight glare, while L's onyx gaze was fixed on the floor, as if studying every fibre in the rug underneath them, and it looked quite convincing.
"Idiot." Chris finally hissed under her breathe, making L glance up at her. He rolled his eyes in response.
"Relax, would you? Jason can be trusted."
"How do you know!"
"I just do, okay?"
"No, how the hell can you be sure this moron won't rat us out?! and how long is he staying?"
L nearly smirked at her. He knew for sure Matt wouldn't rat them out, but the rest of them didn't know that. They didn't even know who he really was, or how L even knew the red-haired teen. For now, it was going to stay that way. He still wasn't ready to reveal himself as the great detective known as L, and besides- he didn't even know if he was returning to his old job. He had a feeling that Jason would most likely convince him to come back, though- and very soon.
L decided to ignore her question. Chris stared at him expectedly, trying to force an answer out of him somehow, but finally the brunette girl turned away, muttering things under her breath. Finally she growled "Whatever" and fixed her vibrant gaze on the TV screen.
L couldn't help but cast a few glances at Chris over the period of time that the two sat in the same room together. She seemed so...familliar, like he'd seen her before, although he didn't know how he would, since the only way it would be possible is if she went to the orphanage...and he had heard that she had been a Test Tube baby at the lab, and had been there her entire life, so technically that theory was impossible.
He finally stood up and walked out of the living room, heading into the kitchen. He wasn't hungry; but at the time it was the only place that wasn't occupied, and he felt like going somewhere where no one else was at the moment. On the way there, Ryu stalked out of his bedroom and nearly slammed straight into L. L recoiled and stepped back, curling his lip slightly like a wolf would do when ticked off. Ryu's hazel eyes narrowed as L growled, "Watch where you're going for once!"
L's own attitude suprised him slightly. He used to be more quiet, more observing, not as bold and not as aggressive and quick to anger. Well, being stuck in a cell with a bipolar girl and an annoying moron for nearly three years straight can do that to you. Not to mention I'm now part mutt. Er, wolf, he reminded himself silently. Ryu continued to glare.
And in only a matter of seconds they were in a fist fight. L had his hand around Ryu's throat, and Ryu had him grabbed firmly by the collar of his shirt, nearly choking him with it the same way L was trying to do to him.
Jason stared, no longer talking with Rachel, with an eyebrow raised. Chris glanced over at him, looking slightly irritated, "This happens daily."
The redhead shook his head slightly, turning back to the fight. "Hey!" Rachel suddenly exclaimed, eyes bright. Jason glanced over at her, narrowing an eye. She merely grinned, "L and Ryu must be gay! They fight over stupid things constantly, so obviously they're just hiding their love for eachother."
"WHAT!"
"That's fucking hilarious!!"
"....No, it isn't."
Everyone in the room was nearly on the floor, laughing hysterically. As for L and Ryu, they glared, clearly disgusted at what Rachel had said. Jason had stayed where he was, a smirk visible on his face, trying hard not to snicker, but failed completely, but because of this he got a plate of cake slammed into his face.
Ryu had already stalked off to his room, and L did the same, going to his own room and slamming the door behind him. He stared at the wall for a moment, lip curled, and all he could say was,
"....ah, fuck, ew. "
===_===
After everything had settled down (well, not completely, for Chris and Rachel were still on the floor laughing, and Ryu had eventually came out of his room and started screaming furiously at them) Jason headed out into the hallway, leaning against the wall. He knew Mello wasn't going to be pleased he left on such short notice, and he wasn't even supposed to be out looking for L. Mello had said it was pointless.
Pugh. How wrong was he.
At that moment, he felt his cellphone vibrate in his jean pockets. He hesitantly answered it, holding it up to his ear.
"...Hello?"
"Matt." came the growl on the other line.
Mello. Of course.
"Mello!" Jason grinned and put a hand on the back of his neck nervously, trying to think of something to say- but he never got the chance to, Mello immediantly rushed into conversation.
"Where the hell are you? Idiot, you shouldn't be out looking for L! L's gone, L's dead, there is no more L! Listen, I want him back at HQ as much as you do, but you can't go running off like an asshole looking for someone who isn't even alive anymore. Get back to HQ! Where are you, anyways?" Mello repeated.
Jason blinked his green eyes quickly, using his free hand to trace a scar on his arm that he had gotten from the labratory through his striped shirt. He sighed in annoyance, "Mello, L IS alive. I'm with him now. Well, not actually with him at the moment, but he escaped from the labratory with a few other people. Yes, he was taken from the lab, and I'm going to see if he wants to come back and take his posistion back."
There was a hesitation on the other end of the line.
"He's alive? You saw him?"
"Yeah."
"...Who else is there? How many other people?"
"Well...two girls and one other guy other than L. L escaped with one of the girls and the guy, the other one, who might I say is extremely hot, is also a lab experiment, but she was out on the streets and L found her and offered a place for her to hide out with them."
Mello scoffed sharply. Jason could imagine Mello now- his bright blue eyes lit up with anger, his arms crossed across his chest and the phone held firmly between his ear and his shoulder. Then Near would be sitting in front of a computer screen, pretending to do some work, but actually listening to Mello and Jason's conversation. Mello continued, "When can I expect you back at HQ? And are the other lab experiments coming too?" He asked dryly.
"I don't know." He replied, glancing over at the suite door. "I'll phone you back later, alright?"
And with that, Jason hung up.
"Fuck." Mello whispered, setting down the phone with a loud clank on the glass table next to him. He glanced at Near, who was now looking at him expectedly.
"Matt's fine." Mello muttered, standing up and going down the hallway, "He's looking for L still, but hasn't found him yet. I told him he can keep looking for him for a bit longer, but not too long. He said he should be back at Taskforce Headquarters soon."
As soon as Mello's footsteps faded down the hallway, Near rolled his eyes and muttered, "Liar."
(A/N: Ha. I wrote this chapter REALLY fast, but I guess it'll do. Mello seems pissed that Matt found L, eh? Hm. I wonder why. // Please Review ! )
