I do not own Fire Force or any of its characters.
Searching The Data
Adrian watched the buildings pass by them quietly. All of the Fire Force Company Captains had been summoned to a meeting to discuss the Evangelist Rekka had mentioned and the white-clad assassins that had killed him and tried to kill Karim. Adrian, Shinra, and Tamaki, having been directly involved in the incident, were being brought in to give their report to the other captains directly. According to Obi, all of the captains had not met even one time since the Eighth was formed.
They were almost there. A little longer and they'd be at the Amaterasu power plant, which supplied all of Tokyo's energy. Adrian had never liked it. It was too much of a vulnerability for Tokyo. If it was destroyed, all of Tokyo would be left powerless.
Adrian sighed quietly, closing his eyes and resting his eyes until they had arrived. His concussion was gone, but he still had headaches if he was in the sunlight too long. His eyes still couldn't handle the light. However, as the Matchbox rolled to a stop, he forced them open and climbed out with the others, finding Karim standing outside the building the meeting would be in.
"Thanks for everything you did the other day," Karim said.
"No, I should be the one to thank you," Shinra said.
Karim turned to Obi, saluting. "Company One, Lieutenant Karim Flam."
"I heard all about what happened from Shinra and Adrian," Obi said simply.
"I want to learn the truth about Rekka," Karim said. "I intend to work with the Eighth on that."
"I hear you're a capable man," Obi said. "Thanks."
Karim nodded and they all headed inside. Hibana had come with them, and inside already were Captain Burns from Company One, Captain Gustav Honda from Company Two, who was built like a brick wall and had lost the hair on top of his head, Company Three's Captain, Dr. Giovanni, who was always wearing a plague mask, Captain Soichiro Hague from Company Four, who was a thin, older man with three claw scars reaching down his face toward his right cheek, Captain Kayoko Huang from Company Six, who was a slender woman with short black hair and a blue business suit on, and Captain Benimaru Shinmon from Company Seven, who had long, messy black hair, shining pink eyes with a white X across the left iris and a circle in the right like a target, and was swaying like her was drunk with an indifferent frown on his face. Despite looking like he could barely be bothered to get out of bed in the morning, Benimaru was renown as the mightiest Fire Soldier to ever live. And as soon as he'd chosen a pew to sit at, he leaned back and rested his feet on the pew in front of him.
A moment later, Tokyo's current Emperor, Raffles III, arrived and everyone stood, steepling their hands, except for Benimaru, his Lieutenant, and Adrian, though Adrian did stand and bow respectfully.
"It looks like all the Companies' captains are here," Raffles said, sitting down. "Alright. Let's begin this emergency conference. I'm spoken to the general of the Tokyo Army and the chief of the Fire Defense Agency. They say that there are some who are acting in secret to threaten our Nation. Their actions defile the divine protection granted to us by the great Sol. All companies of the Special Fire Force, You are to bring down the Evangelist as a traitor."
"'Great Sol' my ass," Benimaru grumbled. "What a load."
"Benimaru Shinmon!" Gustav snapped, jumping to his feet. "Your disrespect is beyond the pale! Apologize to the Emperor before the punishment of Gustav Honda falls upon you!"
"Shut up, Honda Gustav," Benimaru said. "My name is Shinmon Benimaru."
"A proto-national name," Kayoko noted.
"So you're a proto-nationalist," Giovanni said.
Benimaru stood. "We in the Seventh are a gang of idiots who used to be just the neighborhood watch. I don't remember swearing an oath of loyalty to the empire or to Sol."
Shinra glared at Benimaru as Benimaru and his lieutenant began to leave.
"The Seventh will do whatever we want," Benimaru said.
"Hold it!" Gustav roared. "We aren't finished talking yet!"
"Stop right there!" The Emperor thundered, only for them to leave anyway. After a moment, he cleared his throat. "Anyway, all companies are to come together to pursue the Evangelist. This will indeed be the path to save humanity from the flame terror." He paused, staring into the crowd. "Shinra Kusakabe."
"Yes, Your Excellency!" Shinra said, jumping to his feet.
"I understand you possess an Adolla Burst," the Emperor said.
The atmosphere in the room tensed.
"That is what Rekka Hoshimiya told me, sir," Shinra said. "What exactly is an Adolla Burst?"
"It is an unsullied, pure flame," the Emperor said. "The primordial flame, and the spark that Sol used when creating the world."
Adrian internally groaned and rolled his eyes. More purely religious bullshit. His own theory was that an Adolla Burst was simply an especially powerful Ignition ability, or the favor of whatever demon granted the ability.
"Did you happen to see it on your way here?" the Emperor asked. "Amaterasu, the perpetual thermal energy plant. The source flame that provides all of the energy for the Tokyo Empire."
Adrian sighed under his breath. And now political propaganda.
"That flame is no more or less than an Adolla Burst," the Emperor said.
And none of Shinra's questions had been answered.
"The Evangelist is seeking to obtain Adolla Bursts," Giovanni said. "An Adolla Burst is a flame of high purity, but how it differs from a common flame cannot be scientifically explained."
Adrian hummed thoughtfully. That was better. At least he explained that they didn't know the difference. No religious or political garbage necessary.
"Could the Evangelist have discovered the difference?" Giovanni wondered. He paused for a moment. "The Evangelist will be coming for Kusakabe. Shouldn't we keep him secured?"
"Use him as bait," Adrian spoke up. "Lure the Evangelist's pawns out and clear the board until he has to show himself personally."
"I can keep myself safe!" Shinra declared.
"The other companies ought not to interfere with the Eighth's matters," Hibana spoke up. "Each company should be devoting themselves to pursuing the Evangelist." She leaned close to Obi. "The Third wants to make Shinra their specimen."
"The Eighth accepts the responsibility of keeping Kusakabe safe and secure," Obi said.
"An Adolla Burst is a sacred flame of God's chosen," the Emperor said. "Take good care of it."
"Yes, Your Excellency," Shinra nodded.
With that, the meeting was over.
Adrian sighed as he leaned on the railing on the roof. They hadn't been back long. They were waiting for Shinra to get back from exploring Amaterasu before Obi gave them any orders, so Adrian was spending it on his own. Or, at least, that was the plan. However, within two minutes of his mind beginning to slip back to all he had done wrong in his life, Maki stepped up beside him, holding out a cup of tea. He sighed, accepting it and smiling wryly.
"I was pretty sure coming here was a clear sign I wanted to be alone," Adrian said.
"It was," Maki nodded. "That's why I came up here. I figured it would be better to stop you from wallowing in your misery."
Adrian sighed, sipping his tea. "Thank you. It's...strange for someone to care enough to try to help me. I'm not sure I like it."
"Well, you'd better get used to it," Maki said.
Adrian smiled and nodded. "I might be able to manage that."
Maki smiled just as Iris walked over to lean on the railing opposite her.
"What are you two talking about?" Iris asked.
"Nothing important," Adrian said. "I was just complaining that my tea tastes like donkey piss."
Maki glared at him. "Leave it to a former American to not appreciate good tea."
"I don't think the words good and tea belong together in a sentence, unless preceded by the words, 'There is no,'" Adrian said.
Maki stuck her tongue out at him and he smiled, draining his cup before sighing, staring out at the city again. After a moment, his eyes rose to the air above them where several birds were drifting in the wind, hovering in place.
"What's it like to be able to fly?" Iris asked.
"Freeing," Adrian said. "At least, when I'm flying at a leisurely pace. When I'm going fast it's somewhere between exhilarating and horrifying. I can exceed the top speed of a motorcycle, but I can only process information at a human speed, so it's horrifying to have to go top speed between buildings, which is why I avoid it when possible. But flying slow...it's so freeing."
Iris and Maki both smiled.
"I'm a little jealous," Iris said. "It sounds amazing."
Adrian smiled, nodding. "Would you like to?"
"You're still recovering," Maki said.
"A short flight won't kill me," Adrian said. "It helps me recover. Like stretching an over-used muscle."
Maki considered for a moment, so Adrian shrugged, turning away from her and offering his hand to Iris. Iris accepted it and he tugged lightly, pulling her into his arms. She blushed slightly, but wrapped her arms around his back. He directed her arms up around his shoulders where they'd be out of the way of his wings, then extended them carefully.
"Wait," Maki sighed, stepping around in front of him. "I'm coming."
Adrian smiled, holding out an arm to her as Iris took her left arm back from him and turned, holding it out to Maki instead. After a moment, she stepped into the two of them, wrapping her arm up around his shoulder in place of Iris's, then wrapped the other around Iris, Iris doing the same. Adrian wrapped his arms around them and had them both step on one of his feet before beating his wings, lifting them into the air. He took a moment to get used to the added weight before beating them harder and taking off. Iris and Maki's grips tightened, but as they soared through the air, both of them looked around, having to move their heads carefully in order to avoid headbutting each other, though Adrian's mind was slightly less acceptable and instead envisioned a different type of connection between their heads happening. He shook his head slightly to clear the thought before tightening his grip around them. Both of them instantly did the same before he dove, picking up speed quickly. Both girls shrieked before he curved up, soaring high into the air again. Then, he tilted backward, his wings extending out to the sides and beginning to bend like there were joints just past his shoulders, allowing him to fly while laying back without burning their arms, allowing them both to push themselves up slightly and look around.
Both of them wore matching expressions of amazement, their smiles both making him feel more content than he had in years. Finally, however, he began to hover, righting himself and giving the girls a moment to adjust their grip again before he switching his wings back to normal and slowly drifted back to the roof of their cathedral. Both of them remained in his arms for a few moments before stepping back.
"That was amazing!" Iris beamed.
"Thank you so much!" Maki smiled.
"You're welcome," Adrian said. "Consider it a thank you for everything you've done to try to help me."
Both smiled and nodded just as the door behind Adrian opened. He turned, seeing Obi smiling at them with the air of someone who knows a secret.
"Shinra's back," Obi said. "Come inside."
They nodded and followed him into the building.
Adrian shook his head, chuckling, as Maki and Tamaki quickly left the doorway. They'd agreed to go make dinner, and less than ten seconds later, Maki had shrieked in surprise, only for everyone to see Tamaki suddenly standing in the doorway with her ears and tail burning, dressed in a pink apron. Only the apron. Hinawa had sent them away to get Tamaki changed, saying he'd make dinner. As he left, however, he took Shinra with him. Adrian dropped his eyes back to the reports he was looking through. Obi had ordered them to look through the records they had of every singe fire Company Eight had ever dealt with to try to find a lead on the Evangelist. Most of them had had no luck, but Adrian had set aside a report on an Infernal who retained his personality, one where ash had fallen from the ceiling after killing an Infernal that kept his clothes and did nothing but sit there and allow them to kill him, and the report on his own girlfriend's death, deciding that those had the most obvious difference from a standard fire. His eyes flicked to Arthur, who was folded backward over the back of his chair, his brain thoroughly fried from having had to use it for half a day.
After a little longer, Shinra announced that dinner was ready. Tamaki cheered and suddenly, Arthur was perfectly fine again. Adrian sighed, picking up the three reports he'd set aside and walking to the dining room with the others, beginning to read through them as he ate, starting with the man who retained his clothes when he Infernalized, the one who'd simply sat there before the building exploded.
"You don't have to work while you eat," Obi said.
"Have any of you had any experiences with exploding dust other than the fire in this report?" Adrian asked.
"Joker," Shinra said. "When I fought him at the Rookie Fire Soldier Games, he used some kind of dust that exploded in addition to his Ignition ability."
"Any idea what it was?" Adrian asked.
Shinra shook her head. "But, actually, there's something I need to tell you all. It's about Joker."
Everyone stared at him, and he took a breath before explaining that Joker had found him at Amaterasu in order to tell him that his younger brother, Sho, was serving the Evangelist as the commander of an order of knights. During the conversation, Maki made them all tea. As he concluded his story, silence fell on the room for a moment.
"But this is all coming from Joker, right?" Arthur asked. "Can we even trust it?"
"In my experience, Joker isn't one to lie about something like that for no reason," Adrian said. "If he says Sho is one of the Evangelist's commanders, we should assume it's the truth."
"You know Joker?" Obi asked.
"He and I have...crossed paths a couple of times," Adrian said. "Most of them involved explosions."
"Shinra, do you want to believe your brother is alive, or not?" Obi asked.
"I want to believe it!" Shinra said firmly.
"Of course you do," Obi smiled. "In that case, we have to believe it as well. So Adrian is right. We should operate under the assumption that Joker was being honest."
"It doesn't change our mission to go after the Evangelist," Hinawa said. "But we're going to form our strategy around the premise that Shinra's brother is still alive."
"Thank you very much, sir!" Shinra smiled.
Adrian watched him for a moment before dropping his eyes back to the report. He frowned. The man had kept his clothes. His body had been on fire, but his clothes hadn't burned. He stood, walking back to the office and searched around until he found the report about the Company One investigation, specifically the part about the artificial Infernals. There it was. Their clothes hadn't burned. That was the first step to finding a lead.
"We found a lead," Obi said, just as Adrian opened his mouth to say the same.
"I might have, too," Adrian said.
"Leave it," Obi said. "We'll be back to check them later. Right now, you need to suit up. We're heading into the Seventh's Jurisdiction."
Adrian sighed and nodded, setting the reports he'd been looking at aside before leaving to change.
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