Hello boys and girls. I'd like to tell a story.
Welcome back to the next chapter. I want to thank you all for reading this. I've been glad of the feedback I've received.
I've read the feedback on the human tree. I'm glad it was received well, as strange as it may sound. I wanted something that pops at the reader. And you can bet that there is more where that came from.
Codus, Minar there is a reason why I cast Juvia as a psychiatrist but that's a long way off. It's a really good reason.
Shizuka, Natsu is going to be an important character in the story. I like developing him from the static version in the manga. I like my characters to have more depth, more dimension. And while Natsu and Lucy's relationship isn't going to be in the foreground, they are going to be important to Levy and how she eventually handles what is to come.
twinslayer, Hibiki is going to have a significant role in the story. I promise you'll be seeing more of him.
And to those who've read and reviewed, thank you.
Now, to the feature presentation
Chapter Five - Bare Bones
The clacking of keys greeted Minerva Orland as she walked into the office of her most prized employees. A woman like her can count the people she respects on one hand. Rufus Lohr is one of them. Don't let the long hair and stupid fedora fool you. He's the best at what he does. Computer technician is such an inadequate job description for him. He's more of a digital bounty hunter, finding the bits and bytes that people leave behind on social media and search sites. Basically, if you used the internet, he'll know what you've done in less than thirty minutes. On top of this, he also has a photographic memory, able to remember even the most minute detail of everything. Rufus is Minerva's go-to guy whenever she needs background on witnesses that she needs to destroy in court.
"Mistress, I have just finished compiling the data on Natsu Dragneel." Rufus said respectfully.
"Something I can use?" Minerva asked.
"He has no relatives in law enforcement spanning four generations." The technician said. "And until today, he wasn't connected to any Task Force operation."
"Has he been in trouble with the law before?" The lawyer pressed.
"He was arrested in 2012 at Magnolia when he was sixteen." Rufus explained. "By law, all juvenile offenders have their arrest records sealed by court order. However, I cross-referenced his arrest date with newspaper articles."
"Tell me it's something good, like assault." Minerva wondered.
"Unfortunately not. He was involved in the destruction of the town statue." He said with a distinctively petulant tone.
A misdemeanor, the lawyer grumbled. Natsu Dragneel probably got off with a fine, community service and an expunged record.
"Any unusual income? Drug habits? Something?" The lawyer was desperate for anything that could help her win her case.
"He had a full sports scholarship but he gave that up when he went to medical school." The long haired man told his boss. "He's an average student with the usual student loans. He makes a good living at Creative Solutions, lives within his means. He drinks occasionally, no drugs, no violence. He's about as clean as they come."
"And Creative Solutions?" Minerva prodded. "Are they involved with the Task Force?"
"Probably in the most ancillary of ways." Rufus explained. "They probably installed cameras and such. Beyond that, most likely not."
"Can you hack into the company?" The lawyer wondered aloud.
"I peeked in the door." Rufus answered. "Whoever designed their cyber security system is a pro. I would need the entire processing power of all the computers in this building and it would still take me weeks. Something like that will get us noticed immediately."
Minerva sighed. The one thing she hated in a case was a dead end. This kid has nothing dark in his past that she could use against him. And the company was untouchable. The lawyer was mad. This kid's testimony could sink Bora. And even though she didn't like her client, she hated losing even more.
An idea popped into Minerva's head. "What about his friends?" She asked. "Who are his closest friends and what secrets do they have?"
"I anticipated you asking that so I took the liberty of getting that information for you." Rufus explained. "I found his two closest friends. You will not believe who he's dating."
"Some hooker junkie serial killer, I hope." Minerva joked darkly.
"Lucy Heartfilia." Rufus answered.
The lawyer's eyebrows furrowed. Heartfilia. The name was familiar. Why was that? Then it hit her.
"Heartfilia? As in Jude Heartfilia, the Railway King?" She asked.
The technician nodded. "The one and the same." He told her. "They've been in a relationship for over two years."
"Going after her would be even worse than going after Creative Solutions." Minerva scoffed. "That girl probably has more lawyers on retainer than most businesses. I'd be fighting a war on two fronts if I attack her. She's off-limits."
Rufus said nothing but continued typing.
"And who's the other friend?" Minerva asked, hoping that she'd be more helpful than Natsu or Lucy have been.
"Levy McGarden." Rufus answered. "Straight A student, majoring in computer science. She's more interesting. There is no record of her prior to 2005 when she was twelve years old."
That piqued Minerva's interest. "Nothing you say?"
"No birth certificate, no ID card, no school records, no photos, nothing until she was registered by the nuns at St. Francis de Sales."
"And after 2005?" Minerva asked.
"She has middle school records, high school records, driver's license and pretty much every identity marker offered." The long haired man answered.
"So she's either some street urchin or she's got a secret to hide." A smile crept along her face. This could be interesting. "But it has nothing to do with the case at bar. Guess I'll have to destroy the boy the old-fashioned way. Still, dig into McGarden. I want to know what secrets she has."
"As you wish." Rufus said, returning to his typing.
Lieutenant Laxus Dreyar stood with Detective Sergeant Elfman Strauss in front of what everyone was calling the human tree. In its own way, it was well crafted, like a prop from a horror movie or something. It was truly beyond words.
"First things first." Laxus called out. "Where's the chief medical examiner?"
"She said she's not coming." Laharl answered. "She said that she's too old and that it's too early in the morning to deal with, and I quote, 'dumbass people'. She wants you to bring it to the lab."
Laxus closed his eyes and pinched his brow. That woman was so contrarian. But there was no one better at discovering the secrets of the dead than her. Plus she's one of the few people that has been with the captain since the creation of the original Task Force. That made her trustworthy.
"Akatsuki? Hamal? Front and center." He yelled.
"Here, lieu." Two voices, male and female, identified themselves.
Ren Akatsuki, trained in forensic anthropology and entomology, is a Japanese native who moved to Fiore years ago to work on his tan. Laxus once heard that he spends his free time at the beach, trying to get even tanner. But he's dutiful and hardworking, qualities he likes in his enforcers. Angès Hamal (though most, because of her timid lamblike nature, call her Aries) trained in DNA and blood splatter analysis, is a small slip of a woman with bright pink hair. She has the great irony of having a weak stomach at the sight of blood and gore and being quite good at her job. Together, they are Lieutenant Dreyar's liaisons to the medical examiner's office, helping him in his fight against crime.
"Explain this." Laxus ordered.
"I've been examining the bones." Ren began. "Luckily for us, whoever did this used the femurs so we were able to estimate that they are between 25 and 35 and in near perfect health while they were alive."
"How did they die?" The lieutenant asked.
"That would be impossible to tell, lieu." Ren told him. "We are missing many bones, particularly the ribcage. There are nick on the bones that indicate knife wounds but it's hard to tell if they are the cause of death or old wounds."
"How about a time of death?" Laxus pressed.
"I couldn't tell you with any degree of certainty." Ren explained. "The bones are clean of any organic material. We'll know more when we get to the morgue."
Laxus sighed. It's not the answer he wanted to hear. Now he had to make his way to the morgue and deal with...her.
"Hamal?" The lieutenant barked.
Aries looked positively green. She tried not looking at the tree but every so often it would catch her eye and she would come close to vomiting.
"If you're gonna hurl, do so later." There was an amused smirk on his face. It was the same at every crime scene. She'd try her best to do her job and not to throw up but in the end, she would. You could set your watch by her.
"I'm sorry." She apologized. "There is no blood. The bones were washed in something, probably bleach. However, if the bone marrow is intact, we can do DNA matches. In any case, we ran facial recognition on the heads. One name popped up, Bradford Deitman."
"Diesel." Laxus sighed. "He was part of Titan Nose."
"Bora's gang?" Elfman questioned.
"He was suppose to testify in Bora's trial." Laxus told his partner.
"We identified three more heads: Jeffery Mason, Tyson Brady, and Edward Harrison." Aries heaved, trying her hardest not to retch.
"More of Bora's men, all of them to testify in court." Laxus could feel his irritation rising. "This was a hit."
"By who?" Elfman asked. "The black haired guy who escaped?"
"Possibly." Laxus didn't believe it was Gajeel. The last contact he got from the undercover was that Bora asked him to get money for the drugs. He wouldn't jeopardize this case just to take out some gangbangers. Bora was the real target, not these fools. "But let's look at it from another angle."
"What angle?" The white haired enforcer asked.
"Bora gets the queen of darkness to try and beat the case in court." Laxus explained. "He wins, the first thing he'll want to do his get back to business. How can he do that if he's killing his own men?"
Elfman was silent. That was a reasonable possibility. "A rival gang?"
"That makes sense." The blond man nodded. "This tree is a warning. It says 'DON'T FUCK WITH US' in big bold caps. But who's trying to outmuscle Bora? That's what we should be asking."
Laxus pulled out his phone and started dialing.
"Laytis." He barked. "Bradford Deitman, Jeffery Mason, Tyson Brady, and Edward Harrison. Dump their phone records, emails. I want everything on them."
As soon as he got confirmation, Laxus ended the call.
"Alright, listen up." The lieutenant yelled. "I want these bones and heads taken to the morgue. The chief medical examiner will take over from there. I want photos, sketches, and every video tape within a five block radius sent to COMPFOR so that Laytis can start analyzing. You've got two hours."
"Yes sir." The enforcers' cries resounded.
"Elfman, get warrants for their homes and places of business." Laxus said to his partner. "Take a team and comb through everything."
"Gotcha." The white haired man nodded. Then Elfman walked away to make a team.
"Akatsuki, Hamal." He called out to his forensics team but only saw Ren. "Where's Hamal?"
From the distance, Laxus could hear the sound of liquid violently hitting the ground. He bit back a chuckle. Right on time.
"Akatsuki, when Hamal is finish, you'll help transport the tree with her." He ordered.
"Yes sir." Ren nodded.
With that, Ren left him. Laxus then dialed another number from his phone. After waiting, he got an answer.
"Justine, we have a problem." He said to the person on the other end.
Gildarts and Gajeel were driving towards Magnolia College in total silence. The older man could see that his young protégé was sulking. He thought it was hilarious.
"Are you seriously mad?" Gildarts asked with a hint of amusement in his voice.
"I ain't going to no head shrink." Gajeel roared.
"Not debatable." Gildarts told him. "Captain's orders."
"Fine. Then let me talk to him." The long haired man asked. "I'll tell him..."
The car made a sudden stop at an intersection. Gajeel looked at his handler with curiosity.
"In our line of work, we've seen lots of things that most people will never have to deal with in their lives." Gildarts admitted. "Whether you believe it or not, it eats away at you. It did with me."
The undercover couldn't believe it. "You went to therapy?" There was some incredulity in his voice. Gajeel would have believed that he was an immovable rock.
"Are you surprised?" Gildarts chuckled. "His name was Reedus Jonah."
"So what?" Gajeel spat. "You sat on a couch, talked about your feelings."
"Actually, we drew pictures." The older man guffawed.
"You're shitting me." The long haired man couldn't believe it. Every enforcer worth his badge knows that Gildarts Clive is man who singlehandedly took down the most dangerous cartel before they could get a stranglehold in Fiore. This is not a man who draws pictures.
"I'll show you my pictures someday." Gildarts laughed. "You'll get a kick out of them. Reedus did."
Now Gajeel wanted to see the pictures.
"In seven years, you've seen things, heard things, experienced things that most can't even imagine." The older man seriously. "You think that it doesn't affect you. But when you undergo the therapy, you begin to realize that you aren't as held together as you might think."
Gildarts looked at the younger agent. "You need to go. The captain is worried about you. So every Sunday, you will report to Dr. Lockser. She studied under the therapist who helped me. So she's good. It's only one hour a week but you'd be surprised how much good it will do you."
Gajeel looked away. He still thought it was stupid but there was no getting out of it.
"Anyways, your job for today is to go to the college and grab your IDs, schedules and books." He ordered. "After that, there is a bar that the college kids frequent. It's called Nightshade. The Task Force believes that there is someone pushing ecstasy and meth there. Odds are that Porla probably has a hand in it. Infiltrate and work your way up."
"I know how to work." Gajeel answered.
"Also, be on the lookout for those two from Black Hunter." Gildarts added. "If they are here, you can bet that they are scouting out the competition. Report only. Do not engage."
The car came to a slow stop. Gajeel had reached his destination, Magnolia College. The long haired man opened the passenger door.
"Have a good day at school, son." Gildarts said in a sing-song voice.
Gajeel, with the fury of a soaked cat, slammed the door with all his might. Even with it closed, the undercover could still hear his handler's laughter. He stomped off in the direction of the main campus building.
Levy walked out of the college book store with her purchases. Glee was written all over her face as she held three books in her arms.
Books were her passion. While she loved the computer and hacking, the blue haired woman loved books even more. She loved how she could get engrossed in a world not her own. She could be a plucky princess, a powerful mage, a resourceful adventurer, whatever her heart desires. It was easier to live in books than in reality sometimes.
In the real world, Levy was at a crossroads. This was going to be her last year of college. The question of what comes after has passed through her mind several times. Was she going to go legit and get a job on the straight and narrow? Would she go underground and become a fulltime hacker? Or would she be caught by one side of the law or the other?
Evidentially, two hackers have been putting their feelers out for her.
One of them was a digital bounty hunter known around the deep web as The Remembrancer. She knew of this hacker by reputation only. It was only recently that Levy learned that this person was in the employ of Minerva Orland. This person was looking for information about her early life before she landed at the orphanage. Unfortunately for that person, there won't be anything for him to find. Her family lived off the grid until circumstances put her in St. Francis de Sales. Whatever records are to be found will only be in paper files and paper files are unhackable.
The other was trying to follow the money Levy stole from Bora Eminentia. This person went by the handle The Archive. The petite woman deduced that he was tied to law enforcement and that the only person with that kind of skill was Hibiki Laytis. He was decrypting the code she used to transfer Bora's money. With enough time, the head of computer forensics could find the money and her with it. Levy will either need to create a new code if she's going to collect that money or abandon it.
Well, one problem at a time.
A chime sounded from her pocket. Levy shifted the books in her hand around so that she could grab her phone. While walking, the hacker unlocked her phone. She received a message from her throwaway laptop. It was a still shot from the video at Bora's club, zoomed in on the man that Levy felt look familiar while analyzing the footage. There was text under the picture.
James Ian Donnelly
63 percent match.
Levy sighed. She knew that the face was familiar. To think, after all these years, he would return back in her life...
All of a sudden, Levy was knocked backwards, making her drop both her books and her phone. When she looked up to find out why she fell, the blue haired woman saw a man walking away. The hacker only saw his back but she saw that he was a very tall, very large man with long black hair. He was walking towards the main campus building.
"Pay attention to where you're walking, shrimp." The man said in a gruff voice.
Levy gritted her teeth. This man was beyond rude. Not only did he knock her down but the brute didn't even stop to help pick up her stuff. This lack of human kindness was infuriating.
"That big lummox." She seethed.
Levy picked up her books and her phone. The books were fine. The phone, however, now sported a crack screen.
Levy was immensely angry. It wasn't the phone or the books. Those could be easily replaced. It was just the lack of human decency. How could someone not even say sorry when they were clearly in the wrong?
The wheels in Levy's head started turning. The guy who knocked her over had no idea who she was, had no idea that this is the woman who could burn him with a few keystrokes. This man was now in her crosshairs.
"You've just incurred the wrath of Shadowgear, you Neanderthal." She muttered under her breath. "I will burn you."
And that's the end of the chapter.
I wonder if you expected Gajeel and Levy to meet this way.
This is the last of the introductory chapters, where I describe who the characters are. From here, I'll start the story proper.
Well, liked it? Hated it? Have no opinion one way or another? Leave me a review. I'd love to hear from you.
Until next time,
A. Angel.