Hello, boys and girls. I'd like to tell a story.
And so we reach chapter three. I'm so happy to hear the feedback I've been getting for this story. It feels great to write a full length story that people like. I hope that you'll continue to read and send me reviews. Reading them gives me great joy to know how much people enjoy this.
By the way, that last chapter. Hoo boy, Levy. You finally got some air time. And what a way to get it. My GaLe (Gajevy?) feels went on overtime. Don't get me wrong. I was enjoying the Gruvia feels and now GaLe. I'm in shipper's paradise.
Anyways, onto the chapter.
Chapter 3: Black Hunter
Magic Bullet, the newest drug on the scene.
No one knows its actual name, even by those in the field of medicine. No one knows where it came from, how it's produced, what chemicals make up its components and in what volumes, why it was made or who developed it. All the evidence points that it's somewhere in Germany as that's where it is highly concentrated. One thing that is known about it is that, like methamphetamine, it is entirely synthetic.
Magic Bullet is both a hallucinogen and an amphetamine. It causes increased appetite, increased heart rate, paranoia, insomnia, increased energy, bouts between increased focus and lack of focus, feelings of euphoria and hallucinations. Prolonged use can cause hypertension, some digestive problems, internal hemorrhage and eventually death. Because it is an amphetamine, there is a very high risk of addiction. Because it's a hallucinogen, there is a high risk of psychosis.
Its worst effect is in withdrawal. It can be painful: sweats, twitches, itches, depression and, in some cases, seizures with foaming at the mouth. Like any drug, it becomes less effective the longer it's taken. In turn, to get the same high, one needs to take more, leading to a risk of a fatal overdose.
Most drugs have one or two method of delivery, most often injection. However, Magic Bullet has five methods of delivery. And, depending on the delivery, its effects can be quick or slow. In its solid pill form it can be ingested for a high that will come some hours later when it is absorbed in the small intestine. It can be crushed and snorted for a more immediate but short lasting high. In its liquid form, it can be applied on a transdermal patch that can be absorbed through the skin for a steady high throughout the day or be immediately injected into the blood stream for an immediate, long lasting high. And it can be crushed and rolled in tobacco paper for a high for the duration of the smoke. This is what makes Magic Bullet so special...and what makes so dangerous.
Magic Bullet is produced by a man known only as Der Freischütz. Both the drug and its creator's name are derived from an opera by Carl Maria von Weber. The story goes that a hunter sold his soul to the devil for six magic bullets (in some stories, it's seven) that can shoot down any target, no matter the difficulty.
Der Freischütz's gang, Black Hunter, comes from the same opera. Started sometime in the 90's, they were small time back then, dealing crystal meth in the Brandenburg region. However, sometime in 2010, their fortunes change thanks to Magic Bullet. With it, they were able to control nearly all vice in Germany in two years. Black Hunter made alliances with many criminal organizations in Europe, allowing them to branch out to Poland, the Czech Republic, Belgium, and France in four years. In 2015, the Black Hunter gang was named by Interpol as the most dangerous force in Europe.
And now, in 2016, their next target is Fiore. As mentioned before, Fiore is the gateway between Europe, Africa and the Americas.
Gildarts explained all of this to Gajeel and why the Black Hunter gang and Magic Bullet was a threat to Fiore. The Task Force actually have an advantage. The Black Hunter gang didn't have a presence in this country yet so it would be much easier to root them out now. If they were to wait, who knows when or even if they could get rid of them.
So when Bora told Gajeel to make contact with the two from Black Hunter, it was like manna from heaven. The leader of Titan Nose wanted to make an alliance with the gang from Germany. But because he was on trial, he couldn't do the deal himself so he handed the task to his bodyguard and confidante, Kurogane, not knowing that the long haired man was actually the reason that he is currently in jail.
Bora directed Gajeel to go to a gym where one of his drug runners worked to collect money for the deal. Normally, when Gajeel was working a sting, he would be decked out in surveillance gear from head to toe. He'd have a hidden camera in the piercings of his eyebrows and a omnidirectional mic in the piercings of his ears. But he gave those to Laxus after he was arrested. Black Hunter wanted to meet in two hours which wasn't enough time to get him set up. So he was going to have to do things solo.
He saw a guy at the reception desk. One look at the man and he knew that was the guy, piercings in the eyebrows, face tattoo, and other physical qualities in a guy you don't bring home to mama. Gajeel dug into his pockets and pulled out a deck of cards. He started shuffling and walked up to the desk.
The man in question tried to put on his professional face. "Welcome." He said. "Can I interest you in a monthly membership?"
Gajeel said nothing. Instead, he continued shuffling.
The guy gave the long haired man a sour look. "Are you going to stand there shuffling?" He said gruffly. "I've got other things to do."
"I'm looking to make an appointment with Cronus." Gajeel explained. As he did, he pulled out the ace of spades, the ace of hearts, the eight of diamonds and the eight of clubs. For those in the know, this was the way that people in Titan Nose knew each other. "Is he in?"
The receptionist went under the desk and pulled out a key. He threw it at Gajeel. "5513." He said.
Gajeel nodded and walked over to the locker room. He looked for locker 5513 and found that it was in an isolated corner. Even so, he looked left and right to make sure that there was no one around. When there wasn't one, he opened the locker. There was nothing in there but that didn't throw Gajeel off one bit. He knocked on the back of the locker and found a hollow point. The long haired man pushed the hollow point in and found that it was a door. There was a gym bag that Gajeel knew was filled with money. Good old Bora.
The undercover officer pulled out the bag and put it on his shoulder. Money secured, Gajeel walked out of the locker room, passing by the reception desk. He threw the key at the man.
"Tell Cronus I'm cancelling." Gajeel told him. With that, he walked out of the gym.
So now, Gajeel was standing in the street with a bag full of cash. Other people would be nervous in his situation. Not this man. This man knew no fear. In fact, he made fear feel fear (if that makes any sense).
Gajeel heard the honk of a horn. He turned in the direction of the horn. Headlights flashed from a car. The long haired man went over to the car. As he did, the window on the passenger side rolled down. A man with long blond hair peeked out.
"Get in the back." He said with a crazed look in his eye.
"I remember you two." Gajeel said. "Azuma and Zancrow?"
"I said get in the back." Zancrow demanded.
Gajeel shrugged his shoulders and got in the back. As he did, he mentally confirmed that the dark skinned guy driving the car and the blond guy in the passenger side were the same people from the club from before. When he was properly secured, the car drove off.
As soon as they hit the highway, the blond guy turned around with a gun pointed directly at Gajeel.
"Take off your shirt." The blond ordered.
Gajeel didn't even blink. Normal people in this situation would focus on the gun but the long haired man focused on the man's face, matching him glare for glare.
"Buy me dinner first?" Gajeel joked in a detached manner.
"I ain't kidding. Take off your shirt." He repeated. "I wanna check you for a wire."
Gajeel shrugged his shoulders, unhooked the bag and took of his shirt. The blond watched saw naked skin, marred with scars, piercings on his arms and no wire. But he did see the handle of a gun sticking out of his pants.
"Gimme the gun." The blond man demanded.
With deliberate slowness, Gajeel handed the man his gun.
"Open the bag and empty it out." The blond continued ordering the pierced man.
Gajeel opened up the bag and dumped out the cash, two hundred stacks of 10,000 in all.
"Hand me the bag." Zancrow demanded.
Gajeel threw the bag in the blond's direction. He dug through the bag looking for a wire.
"Can I put my shirt back on while you look for a wire that isn't there?" Gajeel asked in a bored tone.
The man with the gun didn't give him an answer so the undercover agent put back on his shirt. As he was fitting his head inside, Gajeel felt the bag being thrown at his stomach.
"Why are you here?" The blond wanted to know.
"Bora wanted..." The long haired man started.
"So why would he send you?" The man driving the car, Azuma, asked.
"He's dealing with something." Gajeel explained.
"He's going to jail." Azuma said, leaving no room for discussion.
The undercover officer's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Funny thing." Zancrow continued. "Justice has video evidence, signed confessions, and the drugs. They even have audio of him making these deals."
How did they get that information? Did they go to Justice and found out the information or worse, did they have someone in Justice? He'd have to tell Gildarts about this.
"For Justice to have this kind of information, Bora would need to have been betrayed by someone in his organization." Zancrow cocked the hammer of his gun and aimed it at Gajeel's head. "Someone close to him."
Gajeel snorted. "Yeah, you got it." He said with an edge of sarcasm. "It was me. Good job, Sherlock. And it was also me who called you, faking both Bora's number and his voice. Then I got two million jewels in untraceable bills, got into a car with two members of a notorious criminal gang with no wire and no backup, allowing you take my gun and letting you drive me on the highway. Now, I'm going to let you take me to an isolated location where you'll shoot me in the head with no witnesses because I'm the smartest undercover cop in the world. Are you for fucking real?" He sniped.
Gajeel learned a lot in his seven years working undercover. Most important of all is the ability to lie convincingly. Normally, his appearance does most of the work for him. But sometimes, there would be the odd person who questions Gajeel's intentions. The art of lying in his line of work is the difference between life and death. Would you like to know the trick? Confidence. If you believe what you're saying, they'll believe it too.
Zancrow observed Gajeel's face, looking for any sign of a tell. The long haired man didn't betray anything. He wasn't sweating, no eye twitches, no finger tapping, no labored breathing...nothing. Means one of two things. Either he was telling the truth or he really didn't care whether he lived or died. And that made this guy interesting.
"But answer me this." Gajeel posited. "Two guys come in. They talk to a guy who has been rumored to have drug connections. Several minutes later, enforcers from the Task Force arrest him and his bodyguard. So should I be worried that this is a sting to get more information out of me to use on Bora?"
Zancrow grinned. This guy is good. The blond put his gun away and gave Gajeel back his.
"I like you." He laughed. "I think we could really be good friends if our boss wants to do business with your boss."
Gajeel shrugged his shoulders.
"Too bad that's not going to happen." Zancrow cackled.
An upturned eyebrow was the only indication that he even heard that.
"Bora's going to jail and that's that." He sing-sang in a off-key tone. "You're going to be unemployed in a couple of days."
"Your point?" Gajeel asked.
"We could use a guy like you working for us." Zancrow said.
Though Gajeel's face was impassive, inside he was completely shocked. It couldn't be that simple. This was probably the most dangerous cartel in Europe outside of Russian mafia gangs. And they were just going to let him in? Impossible. If they were as dangerous as Gildarts led him to believe, there's no way that it would be that easy. Was this a test?
"Not interested." The undercover officer said in his most even tone. He didn't want immediately say yes and give them a reason to doubt him. He had to slow play them if wanted to be taken seriously. "I work for Titan Nose."
Zancrow laughed. "There isn't gonna to be a Titan Nose after Bora is busted. A man like you should be thinking about his future."
The way that the blond said that made Gajeel think that he had an ulterior motive. And he had a good idea what motive was.
"You just want whatever's left of Bora's drugs." Gajeel surmised.
"Well, that would just be the price of admission." The blond continued. "I'm sure that someone like Bora has huge stashes just piled up. It'd be a shame if all of that doesn't get sold. It'd be like sitting on a lottery ticket and not cashing in."
"That would mean betraying Bora and I'm not interested in that." The undercover officer said. "My loyalty is to Titan Nose."
Zancrow was silent for a moment. This guy was loyal to his gang. Loyalty before dishonor. It was an admirable quality in their world. A man like that was hard to find. It made Zancrow want Gajeel more.
"You really should join." The blond crowed.
"No." Azuma finally spoke. "He broke out of jail just to get here, which means the Task Force is looking for him."
The car came to a sudden stop. Gajeel looked around to see where they were.
"Magnolia?" Gajeel asked.
"Get out." Azuma commanded.
This confused the undercover agent. He must have let it shown.
"If we keep you on, they'll find you. They'll connect you to us. If we kill you, your dead body would lead the Task Force to us and we'd be arrested for murder. Either way, not interested." Azuma said.
Gajeel didn't say a word. This guy was smart. The way that he surmised that was impressive. He could handle the blond because for all of his mouth, he was a hothead. This guy could be trouble.
"Did I stutter?" The driver asked. "Get out."
Gajeel opened the car door and grabbed the gym bag. As he did, the long haired man heard the click of the gun hammer.
"The money stays here." Zancrow growled.
"My money stays, I stay." Gajeel retorted. "If you want my money, you'll have to shoot me."
Gajeel silently dared Zancrow to shoot him with his eyes. "I'll be taking my money now." With deliberate slowness, Gajeel took his bag and got out of the car. He closed the door behind him. Then he watched as Azuma and Zancrow drove off.
"Damn." Gajeel sighed. "I hope I didn't fuck up our only lead."
The home of Elfman and Evergreen Strauss was lively with the sounds of celebrating. I mean it's not everyday you get to put away one of the biggest drug pushers in Fiore. True to his word, Laxus was there, along with his grandfather. There was laughing and smiles.
Laxus raised a glass of beer. "Here's to crushing Titan Nose." He toasted.
Makarov, Laxus, Elfman and Evergreen lifted their glasses.
"How's the case going, Mrs. Strauss?" Makarov asked.
"Justine and I have been prepping our case ever since arraignment." Evergreen replied. "We've been pouring over every detail of your investigation making sure that everything is on the up and up. It looks very good so far but we're up against Minerva who's gonna try to discount everything."
The captain of the Task Force sighed. Knowing that Minerva was taking on Bora's case wasn't a happy thought. As someone who takes the adversarial nature of law very seriously, she is a constant thorn in the side of the Task Force. All of the evidence in Fiore will mean nothing when her silver tongue starts moving. Thankfully Freed Justine will be taking on the case. He's the only one who has ever been able to beat Minerva in the courtroom.
"I have the utmost faith in you." Makarov said to Evergreen.
"Thank you, sir." Evergreen nodded humbly. "It's my first case since my promotion. I intend to see it to the end."
"Speaking of promotion, Elfman, have you thought about taking the precinct chief's exam?" Makarov asked.
Elfman smiled humbly. "I thank you for the vote of confidence, captain, but I do not believe I'm ready for that." He said. "Besides, I do enjoy being Detective Sergeant."
"I thought that a man is always trying to improve himself?" Laxus joked.
Elfman laughed.
"Just take the test." Laxus said. "You don't have to accept if you don't want to but at least your options will be open."
"Who's hungry for dessert?" A cheerful voice asked.
They all turned to the direction of the voice. A woman with long white hair and a sunny disposition came into the dining room with freshly baked pie.
"There's always room for pie, sis." Elfman laughed mirthfully. "Just place it on the table."
"The food was excellent as always, Mira." Laxus praised.
"Why thanks." Mira smiled.
"What my grandson said." Makarov said. "I can't understand why a woman like you is still single. Why if I was a little bit younger..."
Mira laughed playfully. "You're such a flirt, captain."
"You'd have to be fifty years younger to even stand a chance." Laxus snorted.
"It's not like you're doing anything to get me great-grandchildren." Makarov retorted.
"Shut up, old man." The blond lieutenant snapped back.
"Well, let me clear the table and I'll set down the pie." Mira smiled, ignoring the playful bickering.
"I'll help you." Laxus offered.
"Oh I couldn't ask you to do it." Mira smiled.
"Wasn't asking." The blond answered as he grabbed the plates for his friend's sister. When everything was collected, Laxus headed to the kitchen with Mira following behind.
Mirajane Strauss
Laxus had known Elfman's older sister for over a decade ever since they became friends at the Academy. The oldest of the Strauss siblings by about three years, she had taken the role of caregiver after their parents passed away in a home fire. Taking a modeling job, she was able to support her younger siblings. Soon after, with the money she made modeling, she was able buy a bar and grill. She called it Fairy Tail and it was a more family friendly establishment than Bora's.
"Thanks Laxus." Mira said.
The blond lieutenant nodded. There was an awkward silence between the two as Mira turned on the faucet and started doing the dishes.
"I know why you are having this dinner, Mira." Laxus said with a bit of hesitation. He knew that he was walking on unsteady territory. "You want to be distracted because that day is approaching."
The sponge in Mira's hand stopped. The white haired woman let out a deep sigh. "You would think that after almost fifteen years, the pain would go away." Her voice was so soft, if it wasn't for Laxus's great hearing, he probably would not have heard her.
Of course he knew what Mira was talking about. After all, the death of any family member is tough. The death of your little sister would be even tougher. Laxus had never met Lisanna Strauss but he did know that her death had an impact on the family. From what he knew about the siblings, she was the heart of the family. But that heart was ripped from them by a stray bullet from a drive-by shooting. One tiny piece of metal destroys everything.
It was this event that made Elfman join the Academy to become an enforcer. He wanted to bring justice to his sister's killers. It's what drove the guy and Laxus respected this. A man who turns personal tragedy into something positive is an exceptional person.
Mira changed as well. Apparently, she was some sort of demon back in the day. (Laxus couldn't see it.) But she became more affable and took a supporting role in Fiore. A portion of the money that she made at Fairy Tail went to mentoring at-risk youths. She also gave job training to people who had problems with drugs. It was her way of honoring her sister's legacy.
"Some days are tougher than others." Mira admitted. "Her birthdays, holidays, the day she died. But thankfully, I have a great support system." She smiled at Laxus. And it was true. If it weren't for her brother sharing her pain, the people at her job support her financially and the enforcers who constantly updated her on the progress of Lisanna's investigation, Mira probably wouldn't be around today.
"I know I ask this of you every time you come over." Mira said. "I also know that his job is dangerous and there is a chance he can be hurt. And I know that he wouldn't want to benched just to be safe. But, as much as possible, please watch Elfman's back. If I lost him, I don't know what I would do."
"You don't have to worry, Mira." Laxus sighed. "He's been my partner for more than ten years. I won't let anything happen to him."
Gajeel slunk back to his new apartment with a bag full of cash and nothing to show for it. This wasn't the first time that he suffered a setback in an infiltration mission but it did irritate him. If he had gotten in...
That Azuma guy... He was a dangerous one. Perhaps it was a good thing that he didn't get in right away. A guy that smart would probably figure out his motives immediately.
Gajeel trudged up the stairs to his apartment on the fourth floor. As he put his hand on the knob, he could hear laughter coming from the other side of the door.
"So you started doing the underpants dance in front of everyone?" Gildarts roared in laughter.
"That is why I don't drink absinthe anymore." Another voice answered.
Gajeel quirked an eyebrow as he opened the door. He saw Gildarts sitting with a blond guy he didn't recognize.
"Ahh, Gajeel." His handler motioned him to come over. "I want you to meet Hibiki, head of Computer Forensics."
The Head of Computer Forensics stood up and extended his hand towards Gajeel. The undercover officer just snorted. Hibiki awkwardly withdrew the greeting.
"Hello, Mr. Redfox. I am Hibiki Laytis." The blond man greeted. "The lieutenant has authorized my knowledge of you. I've been instructed to give you whatever help I can give, from cameras, mics, and phones to data mining and background. Pretty much anything technical you'll need. I'll also be processing whatever you collect and passing it onto the captain and the lieutenant."
"Whatever." Gajeel scoffed.
Hibiki was taken aback by the undercover officer's attitude.
"Anyways, I'm to give you everything you'll need to infiltrate Black Hunter and stop the flow of Magic Bullet." The blond said. "I've equipped your pad with hidden cameras, wireless mics and a computer that can connect to the lieutenant. I have left instructions with Gildarts."
"Are you done?" Gajeel snapped. He really didn't want to deal with this guy right now, especially after his failure with Black Hunter.
"Ooh-kay." Hibiki said hesitantly. He didn't know what to say to this. Gildarts did say that this guy might be difficult. "Any questions?"
"You can leave now." The long haired man said.
Stunned, Hibiki slowly walked out of the apartment, a bit confused at what just happened.
"You're taking out your anger on the wrong person, Gajeel." Gildarts said
"What makes you say that?" Gajeel asked with an edge to it.
"You're carrying a duffel bag full of money and you're snapping at someone who doesn't deserve it." The older man answered back. "But don't worry. I anticipated this and already have a plan."
"You knew I was going to fail?" The long haired man asked.
"The Black Hunter gang is notoriously difficult to infiltrate." Gildarts said. "I would have really been impressed if you had gotten in on the first try but knowing how they operate, more likely, there was nothing you could have done to change their mind."
Gajeel was silent for a bit. It probably was too ridiculous to expect to get in so quickly after having left Titan Nose.
"I know your type, Gajeel." His handler said to him. "No family, no friends. Natural thrill seeker and adrenaline junkie. Loyalty to the captain. Living and dying mean the same to you but you are seeking to make your mark. You are just like I was thirty years ago."
"Thirty years ago?" Gajeel snickered. "More like a hundred."
"Brat." Gildarts grinned.
Though Gajeel teased Gildarts, he knew that he was talking to a living legend. This man, Gildarts Clive, was someone he looked up to as an undercover agent.
Back in the 1980s, when Makarov Dreyar first took control of the Task Force, they were fighting off the influence of the Columbian Cartel. The cartel wanted control of Fiore to push into Europe. It was a terrible time. There were gang wars in the streets. Innocent people were getting killed. Something needed to be done.
Makarov turned to Gildarts Clive, the best man in the Gang Infiltration Unit. The enforcer had already made a name for himself there. His first mission, breaking up a Chinese opium ring. He did it single-handedly, arresting or killing over fifty members of the gang. It was like he was born to stop drug dealers from poisoning Fiore. Who better to take on the Columbians?
Gildarts was able to find the weakest niche of the cartel and made his bones climbing the ranks. However, it soon became obvious to the man that these dealers were getting help from people with juice. But he needed more than a hunch. Gildarts needed proof. And he got it in a big way.
Gildarts and several members of the cartel were arrested on a buy and bust. It was normal for members of the GIU to get caught. What he wasn't expecting was the conversation that followed. One of the enforcers told Gildarts that, for a small fee, he'd let them go. In that moment, the undercover agent realized that crooked enforcers were protecting the cartel. Armed with this knowledge, he took his findings to Makarov. They did a thorough investigation of everyone within the Task Force. Imagine their surprise when they learned that it all led to the Lieutenant of FCTF, Ivan Dreyar, Makarov's son. Gildarts took everything he learned to the Captain. When they finally had enough to for a conviction, Makarov let loose the dogs of law enforcement.
It was the trial of the century. Captain Makarov Dreyar's son, the lieutenant of the Task Force, was being tried for multiple counts from public corruption and facilitation to murder in the first degree. It took over seven months and three extra months of deliberation but they convinced Ivan. Today, he's currently serving a 712 year sentence at the maximum security facility in Atherion.
Gildarts Clive's career as an undercover lasted for 37 years. He was the most effective agent in the Task Force in his time. When Makarov took him in to become an undercover, Gajeel looked to Gildart's example of what an agent could be and emulated him. Now he was getting the chance to work with the legend.
"So what's the new plan?" Gajeel asked.
Gildarts threw Gajeel a file. The long haired man perused it. It was some creepy old man with a creepy smile.
"Jose Porla, biochemist." Gildarts explained. "Born in the U.S., degree in biochemistry from John Hopkins. Was tried in 2010 for stalking, reduced to harassment. Currently a professor at Magnolia U teaching biochemistry and running a research lab in the neighboring town of Alpinia."
"Why do I need to know about this guy?" Gajeel asked.
"Because the Task Force has reason to believe that he has suspected drug ties." The older man explained. "We think that he's making drugs for a gang affiliated with Black Hunter."
"How do you know?" Gajeel queried.
"It's circumstantial but three of the people who worked under him were arrested for drug possession." Gildarts said.
"So my job is..." The long haired man pressed.
"Your plan of attack is to go after Porla, do your thing and get in." Gildarts told him. "He has to be running a drug lab somewhere. As I'm sure you're aware, all labs with level 3 type chemicals must have certification from the Ministry of Health and Human Services before they can have access to them. We know he has it. So your job is to get into that lab."
"That's it?" Gajeel was confused. This was the way to get into Black Hunter?
Gildarts anticipated what Gajeel was actually saying. "You won't be getting into Black Hunter like this. They are too big. They'll vaporize you if you go at them straight. However, their weakness is the fact that they incorporate smaller gangs into themselves. You infiltrate one, work your way up, get into Black Hunter, collect every last bit of information and then, take them down."
Gajeel nodded. It was actually a very solid plan. "So what's my in?"
The older man grinned. It was a very unwholesome grin. It gave Gajeel the creeps. Gildarts pulled out a manila envelope and handed it to the long haired man. Inside, there was a letter with the header of Magnolia University. There was an ID card with his name and picture on it.
"The fuck?" Gajeel couldn't believe it.
"Congratulations, Gajeel." Gildarts laughed. "You've just been accepted to Magnolia U. You're going to college, kid."
Minerva and a team of paralegals were pouring over the evidence in her office from the Bora's case. It wasn't going well. Pretty much every piece of evidence was irrefutable, even for her.
The worst part of it was the video. First off, it was in color which left no doubt that it was Bora. Second, there was audio, which meant that it was his voice on those tapes. And third, he was seen and heard making drug deals with convicted dealers. This was an open and shut case. It was so irritating. There was not much she could argue.
Minerva pushed a button on her intercom. "Rufus, get Bora's ass in here." She commanded.
A moment later, Bora sauntered into the office, shutting the door behind him.
"You're a fucking retard." She snapped at him.
"Hello to you too, woman." Bora answered back.
"You're basically done." Minerva said without a hint of pity. "Why the fuck would you have security tapes when you're trying to run a drug ring?"
"It's for insurance purposes." The club owner said. "Without it, I couldn't get coverage in the event of theft or fire or something."
"Yeah, well thanks to this, you've got no case." She told him.
"You're my lawyer. You have to have another..." Bora started to say before Minerva cut him off.
"You don't get it, you fucking dumbass." She snapped. "If it were just a black and white grainy video, I can argue that you are talking about your club. I can argue entrapment. But this is a color video with audio. It has you talking about making drug deals unprompted. And I can't suppress this because you were the one who installed it."
"What about the search?" Bora asked. "Wasn't it illegal?"
"Here's two words for you, fucktard: inevitable discovery." She snarled. "The only play I've got is trying to find the undercover agent and discredit him. I could lose that motion and when that happens, you're done."
Minerva continued on but Bora wasn't listening. He was stuck on the fact that there was audio. As much as this woman might believe it, he wasn't an idiot. There was no way that he would endanger his business.
"What did you say about audio?" Bora asked.
"The video had audio attached to it." The lawyer explained to her client. "I can't refute that. You basically shot yourself in the foot."
"But I didn't have audio installed." The club owner shot back. "I had video put in but not audio."
That made Minerva pause. If audio was put in, there had to have been a warrant put in. If not, that's wiretapping which could give her cause to suppress the video. Suppress the video, it becomes Bora's word against his gang and for this lawyer, it'd be a turkey shoot. She turned to her paralegals.
"Anyone find a warrant for a wipetap?" She yelled at them. There was a silence, a good sign.
"Who installed the video?" Minerva asked.
"Some guy from Creative Solutions." Bora said.
A slow smile crept along Minerva's face. "Someone get me an invoice for Creative Solutions."
"I found one, madam." One of the paralegals cried out with a paper in his hand. He handed it to Minerva.
Minerva scanned the paper and found what she was looking for, the name of the person who installed the video. A small smile crept along her face. She was looking at her next target.
"I want everything there is on this guy." She ordered. "Where he was born, what he does. I want to know every dirty secret he's got."
The paralegal nodded and got to work. Meanwhile, Minerva looked at the invoice and smirked. "The Sabertooth is ready for the hunt, guy." She said to the paper. "I hope you are ready to be devoured, Natsu Dragneel."
And that's the end of the chapter.
No Levy in this chapter. Sorry. But don't worry. She's going to have role in the next chapter. And we are getting closer to the chapter where she is going to meet up with Gajeel.
First of all, I want to explain about Lisanna. Don't take her death in my story to mean that I hate her. I honestly have no opinion of her in the manga. She isn't all that important to me. The reason I had her die is to give Elfman a reason to drive himself to join the Task Force. He's going to be an important character to the story. So Lisanna is his driving force.
Second, you aren't going to see the usual friendships in the story that you'd normally see in a FT fic. We've already got Laxus and Elfman being buddy cops. But you aren't going to see a Natsu and Gray rivalry or anything like that. It's because I want to put together characters that normally aren't around each other and see where they go.
Third, as you can probably guess, I'm not a doctor. So I have no idea how these drugs would interact with each other. I wanted to create a new drug instead of using an existing drug to create an air of mystique around Der Freishutz. If anyone with knowledge of medicine would like to correct me, please tell me. I want to know.
Anyways, loved it? Hated it? Have no opinion one way or the other? Leave me a review. I'd love to hear from you.
Until next time,
A. Angel