I'm never gonna be refined
Keep tryin' but I won't assimilate
Sure, we have come far in time
Watch the bow break
And I'm sorry I don't believe
By the evidence that I see
That there's any hope left for me
It's evolution...
_Korn_
- L PoV -
Another white ceiling I don't recognize. Another forced nap. Another headache.
I am getting tired of this kind of experience. If it continues like this I am never going to willingly fall asleep again for the rest of my life.
At least this time I am seated on a regular chair, instead of laid in bed with a hole in my belly.
"You really are L..."
A voice too close to my left ear catches my attention. A familiar young man with white hair is studing every detail of my face and every pore on my skin.
"Nate...?"
"Hello L"
He keeps staring at me and walks around my chair in circles. What is he doing? He makes me want to stretch my leg just to make him trip over it.
This guy irrupts in my house, knocks me out and restrains me...for what reason?!
"Why am I handcuffed to a chair?"
"Precaution. I need to talk to you"
"Listen well. Quit this before I get angry"
"Are you going to cooperate if I release you?"
"Specify the meaning of cooperate, please"
"Support my team. You were L, I can make use of your experience"
"I AM L. And forget about it anyway"
"Then you keep the handcuffs. I need the information you hold"
"I assure you I won't talk. Please, release me right now"
"Nope. To begin with, I want to know how you came back from the dead"
"Where are my kids?"
"Answer my questions and they will be bringed back home"
Is he serious?! This guy is really threatening me using my children?
"WHERE-ARE-MY-KIDS"
I literally am at my limit. I don't care if this guy has the police of half world on his side. You cannot kidnap two little children and get away with that.
"Answer-my-questions-then"
He even mimics me?
Fine. He crossed a line here. This guy might be smart, even smarter than me, but still has to lose his milk teeth.
You better not relax just because you handcuff someone's hands behind his back. Especially not someone who hates to lose, hates to be tied up and hates to not know.
"TELL ME RIGHT NOW WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY CHILDREN OR I PROMISE YOU WILL REGRET IT!"
"They're safe and sound with Gevanni. Now. Answer me would you?"
Nate gets closer to intimidate me. Exactly what I was waiting for.
"Fuck you", I hiss punching Nate with all my strength.
"WAAH! RESTER!"
My left hand and my stomach ache like crazy. I had to brake my thumb to get free, but at least now we can talk on the same level.
I calmly grab Nate's arm and twist it.
"He shoots and I brake it. Now show me where are my kids, Nate... Would you?" I cannot resist to be the one doing the parroting this time.
"Nate..."
The agent on the other side of the room, which I suppose being Rester, remains petrified with his gun at midair and a puzzled look, waiting instructions from the boy.
"Rester wait! I also have important information. I can explain"
"Start talking, then"
"Release me and we can talk normally! You can leave afterwards I promise!"
"No. You should have thought about that before narcotizing my kids"
As I say so I glimpse something yellow with the corner of my eye. Something like hair. Right behind me.
I push away Nate and kick blindly at my back.
"Aw! Shit!"
Seems like I managed to hit a blond woman, but she is already back on her feet.
"Rester! Support me!"
Damn. Now I have to deal with both of them?
I arrange another kick to the blondie and dodge a direct from the energumen, but I am not in the shape to continue for long.
"Aren't you supposed to be more the brain type?!"
I make use of Rester's complaint moment to steal his gun.
"I multitask"
"SHIT!"
Rester freezes as I point the gun at him, but the woman takes out a gun as well.
Impasse.
I gotta think something.
Suddenly I hear a shot and instinctively I try to cover my face.
The most stupid action anyone is such a situation is bringed to do. As if my hand cold stop a bullet.
I force myself to open my eyes and I notice that the woman is lying on the floor.
"L! Are you ok?"
"Ide?!"
"I had to return a favor remember?"
I look again at the woman and I realize the Ide took her by surprise from behind her back and knocked her out.
She was the one firing, but fortunately the bullet didn't hit anyone.
Mogi popped out of nowhere too, and holds both Nate and Rester at gunpoint.
"Thanks. This is called good timing... How did you get here?", I sigh.
"Your wife tracked down this place. She took less then ten minutes...impressive"
"Aizawa and Matsuda?"
"They are taking care of Gevanni"
I don't like the present tense. It means that Candy and Raye are still with Nate's dog.
"NATE! ORDER YOUR MAN TO SURRENDER!"
"Calm down. You're the one that came at hands"
"Give the order! If something happens to my kids you are a dead man!"
"L!"
I hear Aizawa's voice coming out from of transmitter. Ide pulls it out of his jacket and trows it to me. In one way or another I manage to grab it, despite the broken hand.
"Did you find him?"
"Yes the kids are ok, he surrendered immediately. No resistance at all. Matsuda will bring them home. I am coming where you are"
Thanks. At least now I can stop worrying for Raye and Candy.
But all this fuss to interrogate me... Thinking with a clear mind this is not in Nate's stile. I shall have realized it sooner.
"Now tell me...what's the real deal for this masquerade, Nate?"
"I would have said so if you only avoided to punch me!"
"I would have avoided it if you only made a call instead of kidnapping us. You shall try the polite ways first!"
"That's not so easy! I'm working undercover as well! Officially I am supposed to not notice the zombie criminals openly doing as they please".
Zombie criminals? As I remember Nate has no filters to his mouth...better not linger on this point.
"Who gave the order?"
"The president"
"I thought Roger teached you better. You did not exactly a clean job..."
"That was planned. The orders included to obstacle your investigation. I had to screw up somewhere to make it credible and, at the same time, bring all of you here. I left trials to guide you"
I sort of admit that if Nate didn't gave such explanation I would have been really disappointed. In a twisted way he sort of makes sense.
"Were you the one who sent the hit man?"
"I don't know what are you talking about"
"Ok...but next time I'd appreciate if you inform us. I can act well even without braking my bones"
"Oh...that's how you got rid of the handcuffs. Does it hurt?"
I freeze hearing Nate's tone. He is really wondering if I feel pain. What sort of question is that?!
"Nate... I am not a zombie...would you mind give it a rest?"
"You died. You came back to life. You're a sort of zombie...OUCH!"
Usually I am not the violent type, but with this nothing could have saved Nate a second direct.
"L!"
Ide jumps at my reaction, meanwhile Nate brings a hand to his bleeding nose and seems to wonder what made me punch him again.
"I was just stating the truth..."
He speaks trying to quietly clean up his face with the sleeve. He is so calm that it gets on my nerves. This is the precise reason why sometimes I preferred Mihael.
"I honestly regret Mihael's death. Just to state the truth!"
"Sorry. I just supposed you were asking a question. From lab analyses on criminals we discovered that 20% of the body composition is altered and 5% cannot be classified under the known chemical elements. If you don't like the term zombie suggest another one. You are not human anyway"
"Ok, Nate. Please shut up, you are digging your own grave", says a voice from behind me.
Hearing Aizawa I suddenly realize that he joined us. I was so focused on Nate that I didn't notice him.
"L. We are going. Ide and Mogi will finish discussing with Nate"
Aizawa puts a hand on my shoulder and tries to guide me outside, probably to prevent me from punching Nate again.
"Wait..."
What's in my mind is not a third round. I can barely keep straight right now.
What was that bullshit on my body composition?
"Leave the rest of the interrogation to them. I promised Anna to carry you home ok?"
"No...wait!"
But Aizawa pulls me away from Nate and I give in. My body just moves on his own, as if it wants to get as far away as possible from Nate and whatever he has to say.
A part of me wants to ask Nate more about those analyses. Another part, which clearly took over the first, has already heard enough. What else there is to know anyway?
There's nothing so surprising in what Nate said. I was revived using a damn notebook. What could I expect?!
"Do I have to carry you to the hospital again?"
"..."
"L?"
"What?"
"The hand..."
"Oh. Right. Sorry for the annoyance"
"No problem"
My legs just follow Aizawa like a real zombie. With all the confusion I made I even forgot to ask why the president ordered Nate to keep quiet.
For what I can remember from my past life I never forgot such an important thing. Today I totally freaked out.
Maybe Nate is right. I was L.
Maybe now I am only a useless zombie.
"L. Don't bother about what that brat says. Who cares about chemistry? Humans are supposed to be made of something more than flesh"
I used to think the same. I really wish I could believe that.
"I am not the type to sulk over others' opinions"
"But still, you are sulking. And your reaction was not exactly quiet and peaceful"
"I have headache, stomachache and a broken hand. Forgive me if I am not in a good mood"
"Ok but seriously, don't stress your mind over that. We really think you're the usual stupid annoying stubborn L"
I roll my eyes at Aizawa's words. For how honest he is, at least he is trying to cheer me up.
"Thank you Aizawa"
"I was just stating the truth!", he laughs mocking Nate.
It feels good to have some sort of friend. Aside Anna, of course, but that's different.
"So, once for all. Discuss with Anna if you want. But I must know if you want to continue investigating with us"
"Yes"
"Yes what?"
"Yes I continue"
"You don't need to answer right now"
"I really want to continue. I am sorry, if I gave a different impression. Lately I have to process my actions a bit more rationally..."
"Forget it. I would have paid to see Nate with a bleeding nose. That was just brilliant!"
"I still have some lucid moments"
"Mph. Definitely!"