WARNING: This fanfiction is NanoFate and it is rated M for strong, disturbing, violent, and explicitly sexual, content and situations, as well as intimate scenes between women. If this type of content is not to your liking, or if you are underage, please do not read it.
DISCLAIMER: MSLN Characters belong to their rightful owners. All the situations and characters presented in this work are fictitious, any similarity with real, historical, or present situations or individuals, is not intentional.
TRANSLATOR'S NOTES: Thanks all for reading, against everything I thought, we did manage to get two chapters out this week after all!
The Shadow by Aleksei Volken
Chapter 5. Choices, decisions, consequences.
— X —
"Every person has the choice between Good and Evil.
Choose Good, and stand against those who would choose Evil."
— Friedrich Kellner
— X —
TSAB's Headquarters, Section 6 offices, Special Unit of Violent Crimes
Midchilda City. Day 18, Tenth Month, 2044 - 20:30 hrs.
As it often happens on those occasions when reality overwhelms us, despite Fate's tenacious determination, her body and her concentration began to suffer from the thirty-eight hours of continuous work barely interrupted by light breaks almost only to go to the restroom or to get more coffee.
"Not even the world's strongest coffee will keep you awake another night, Testarossa…"
Signum, carelessly leaning against Fate's doorframe, with her black uniform jacket unbuttoned, her uniform slightly disheveled, and her haggard face was a rarely seen image.
Fate raised her head from the seeming mess of her desk to look at her.
"You're no example of fresh and cool…" Fate defended herself, slightly frowning to then smile, relax and lean back on her chair when Signum placed two steaming cups of coffee on her desk before dropping into one of the comfortable chairs Fate kept for her visits.
For a long while, neither said anything and they just drank their coffee, each one lost in their own thoughts, looking at nothing in particular.
The silence around them was absolute. Everyone was either assigned to a task or had already gone home, exhausted as they were.
"Have you talked to her?" Signum suddenly asked. Fate did not need to ask who she was referring to.
Fate slowly shook her head without saying a word and without looking at her friend.
After what seemed like a very long while, Fate took her eyes away from the cup of coffee to look at Signum.
"And you?"
Signum said no with her head, with equal and deadly slowness.
They both looked at each other.
Since the unexpected announcement of Nanoha and Shamal's transfers to the newly integrated Section 9 under Yuri Natsume's command, both women had been sucked into an overwhelming whirlpool.
Fate had hoped to meet with Nanoha that afternoon to talk to her about her interview with General Bassanius but it had been simply impossible. Yuri Natsume had arrived and taken Nanoha with her without an explanation or comment.
Shamal's case was slightly worse. Natsume had also extended her claw towards her but added to that, to the dismay of the Doctor, throughout the afternoon she had to join different high-level meetings with different commanders and officials regarding the nature and consequences of the subway attack.
The parade of military personalities, as well as contractors in the field of military applications, was overwhelming. The equivalent would only have been the parade down the red carpet at some prestigious international film festival.
A slight throat clearing brought Signum and Fate out of their reverie.
On one side of the door, they found Superintendent Ryōko, as flawless and elegant as she was that morning, flanked by two handsome mature men, equally flawless and elegant.
"Enforcer Testarossa, Agent Yagami, I hope this is not a bad time," she said with a charming smile. "I would like to introduce you to two top executives at JACES company, Hiroki and Masamoto Yakushiji…"
The Superintendent waited a few seconds until the information reached Signum and Fate's tired brains.
JACES was the high-tech developer and contractor company for the armed, military, and police forces and one of the largest corporations on the planet. Conceived and founded by the Yakushiji family where Ryōko was, apparently, the only heiress.
"Ryōko has said nothing but wonderful things about you, agents," replied the oldest of the two men, addressing Fate. General Masamoto Yakushiji, according to the data Hayate had provided the Enforcer. "I understand you are dealing with an extremely difficult case… Count with us for anything you need."
Having said that, both the General and his son, Ryōko's father, Hiroki Yakushiji, entered Fate's office to greet both agents. Signum and Fate diligently stood up.
"Securing your next project… Masamoto? Although I must say JACES technology does not even come close to LOGOS."
The three members of the Yakushiji family and the two agents, turned to the comment, mostly surprised at the acidic tone of the voice that had said it.
Two men, one blonde and very young, and the other, mature yet hard to tell his age, had arrived through the hallway without noticing them.
"Muruta… you must learn to respect the elderly," intervened another man with jet-black hair, tall and handsome.
"Respect, very much like contracts, must be earned… That, at least you know, Hades," the aforementioned replied, while Yuri Natsume appeared closing the strange entourage, followed by an overwhelmed Shamal.
"Good evening, I see you all know each other already… I'm very glad… Should we proceed to the meeting, gentlemen? My assistant informs me the Admirals and Generals are already waiting for us," Natsume informed with a voice cold and hard.
Fate and Signum barely had a chance to murmur greetings and good night to the entourage before Natsume herded them all to their destination, which the agents assumed, had to be the main boardroom of the General Directorate of TSAB; a place to which no one wanted to be summoned, except for that group of men who seemed to be heading enthusiastically to an amusement park.
Ryōko, who hadn't made any move to follow her father and grandfather, had simply remained standing glaring at the other men from the door of Fate's office.
"We have an urgent meeting," Shamal said, briefly stopping a few seconds to look at Signum intensely from the corridor. "The heads of many Sections and Divisions have been summoned by Admiral Phils and Admiral Graham… along with the most important military contractors… I don't know how late I'll get home…"
"If you do," Signum thought, trying her thoughts not to show on her face. "Be careful… Let me know if you need anything."
Shamal restrained herself from making another gesture and hurriedly followed her new boss without even saying hi to Ryōko Yakushiji.
Ryōko looked at the two women raising an eyebrow in Signum's direction, however when she spoke her comment had nothing to do with the significant exchange between them, "Bruno and Muruta Azrael, as well as Hades Vandein... TSAB is indeed taking things seriously," she said, addressing no one in particular.
And she barely got an answer.
"Well, don't tell me you expected JACES to be TSABs only high-tech supplier… Superintendent Yakushiji," Hayate said, who had appeared, silently as always, enigmatically smiling to Ryōko who turned to watch her in an identical way.
"Colonel…" Ryōko greeted her, following the rule of both women always addressing each other by their ranks, only to then ignore Hayate's comment and ask instead. "Have you not been called for that meeting? It seems the heavy-weights from all the continent are gathering here today."
"Not this time," Hayate replied, standing next to Signum and Fate. "The moment Section 9 was reinstated, my top priority was again the cases assigned to Section 6. We've had a brief yet intense transition period with Major Natsume but now we must focus on the case of the kidnapper."
"Torturer, mutilator, or murderer would suit you better as descriptions, Colonel," Ryōko said, suddenly turning serious.
Hayate stared at Ryōko for a few seconds, scrutinizing her, but didn't take the bait.
"Any news with the case?" Hayate asked after a few seconds looking at Fate.
"Just one," Fate announced. "I hadn't informed you before because Lucino told me before these… meetings… and is still validating the information. Lucino found a reference to Alex Rowe, Sophia Bassanius suitor, as deceased."
"What?" Ryōko all but yelled while she shoved Fate back to her office. "Why hadn't I been informed?"
"Superintendent," Signum called her, trying to calm down the woman a bit.
The four women entered Fate's office and Hayate closed the door.
"As I was just saying, Superintendent, I have just received the news and we cannot still say for a fact that it's the same Alex Rowe that had been dating Sophia Bassanius. Lucino has to validate the information and we must corroborate everything she finds in the databases. Apart from the fact that we have already integrated the information that the Bassaniuses gave us, with the transition activities with Section 9, it was only in the afternoon that Alto and Lucino were able to start with some interviews and information crosschecks," Fate replied very seriously.
"We need to start working on that immediately," Ryōko stated, picking up her mobile device, typing fiercely.
"Yes, but first my team needs to rest, Superintendent," Hayate said, getting ahead of her. "Tomorrow they will continue the investigation and be fully dedicated to it."
"While you rest, that madman is still out there, kidnapping and mutilating women," Ryōko said before being able to stop herself.
Fate looked at the woman narrowing her eyes. This haste was not solely motivated by police professionalism. It was personal. The blonde herself knew it, she had lived it.
It was Signum, however, who intervened at the Cranagan Superintendent's comment.
"We do not rest and forget about the people that need us, Ryōko; we recover to give the battle we need to… it's no good for anyone, not even for the girls that are in that guy's power now, if we make mistakes that can cost them their lives."
Fate added, "Tomorrow we will go with the Lieutenants for Midchilda's Police that are investigating the case and will make a detailed trace of Sophia Basssanius and her suitor, with all the data we already have, Superintendent. The rest of my team will work from here, also entirely devoted to this case, and by the afternoon we will evaluate our progress."
The Enforcer stepped forward and stared at Superintendent Yakushiji who was staring back with equal intensity.
"We are going to capture that subject and we are going to stop him from kidnapping more women... But with all the correct information. We cannot afford to make mistakes."
Hayate, Fate, and Signum just looked at Ryōko who, after those statements, took a deep breath and just nodded.
"You are right, Fate," she said at the end, conciliating. "It's been very long days regarding this case, in many ways. We'll meet here early tomorrow then."
After commenting on some minor details, Ryōko said goodbye to her leaving the three friends looking baffled at her.
"That reaction was not exactly the one I was expecting from Superintendent Yakushiji," Fate said eventually with a pensive look on her face. "It might be worth exploring in detail the role of Cranagan's police in this."
"Let me handle the Superintendent," Hayate said, looking out of Fate's office towards where Ryōko had headed out. "You two handle the case as planned."
After saying that, Hayate said goodbye to her friends and subordinates, ordering them to rest that night, and went to the internal security offices. Once there, her rank made it relatively easy for her to be allowed access to the facility's security tapes where she didn't have to search far to identify the route Ryōko Yakushiji followed to leave the building.
During all the way to her assigned parking spot, the Cranagan Superintendent spoke on her mobile device giving angry instructions.
— X —
Whether or not it was due to Ryōko Yakushiji's sudden urgency or the sudden awareness of the women trapped at the mercy of the subject they were pursuing, but Enforcer Fate Testarossa was walking through the deserted corridors of Section 6 towards the general parking lot, looking down at the floor. and so engrossed going over and over all the accumulation of information they already had that she did not notice a figure crowned with bright red hair until she crashed into her.
Nanoha, for her part, was looking to her mobile at the contact info of Kyoya, her brother, and wondered if she should let him know as he had persistently insisted her that he could come to pick her up at the office or if she simply should take a cab from TSABs secure service when she received the impact of the distracted Enforcer, who until that morning had been her boss.
At the surprise, both women looked at each other.
"This is becoming a habit," Fate said, letting a neutral smile spread to her face. "If you want to talk to me, my office is always open for you, we don't have to crash into each other in the hall."
Nanoha smiled at Fate's attempt at lightness. It was true. It seemed she couldn't help but crashing into Fate in one way or another.
Before Nanoha said anything, Fate decided to take the safe route and place in front of them a work topic.
"We already have all the information on the case organized. This afternoon, Alto and Lucino worked with the cross-checks of information and some interviews. Do you think you'll have a chance to work a little with us tomorrow? It would be very helpful for us if you could take a look at the summary. Besides… Zafira, Vice, and I will be on the field. We don't have crime scenes, so Sophia Basanniuss's trail is all we can follow right now…"
And then Fate went on for almost ten minutes giving details and figures, each moment with more passion. Nanoha looked with amazement at the change in the blonde in front of her. From being an exhausted agent after more than thirty-eight hours of non-stop work, Fate again looked strong, alert, and almost ready to keep on working for another eight hours as if it was nine in the morning and not almost midnight.
A slight smile appeared on her face as she listened to Fate.
Fate suddenly kept silent and looked at Nanoha.
They both looked at each other in silence for a few seconds, scanning their gazes as if they were looking for a missing answer but were unable to string together the question that led to it.
Fate felt trapped by that blue gaze and would have happily stayed like that for hours, but a small flicker of rationality in her mind told her that the surveillance camera-filled hallway was not the best place to contemplate Nanoha in the way she was doing.
"I'm sorry," Fate said at last. "You must be exhausted and I'm keeping you from going home…"
"No… no," Nanha replied with some dissimulated nervousness. "On the contrary, I thank you… I… of course I can work with you tomorrow. That's why I stayed so late. I reached an agreement with Major Natsume. I don't know how I will organize the rest of the days, but at least, tomorrow I will work completely with Section 6."
Fate couldn't (nor wanted to) hide the big smile that appeared on her face at Nanoha's comment.
"Fantastic," she said without hiding her happiness. "Just fantastic. You will be coming with us to the field, then."
They exchanged some more details for the next day and Fate was about to say goodbye when she noticed, again, the time.
"It's so late, Nanoha, do you already have your ride home?"
Nanoha breathed in. For a moment, she had forgotten her previous internal debate.
"I was just wondering," she admitted, "if I should call Kyoya or take a cab."
Fate didn't even think.
"Let me take you."
She did it as neutrally and naturally as possible, telling herself that she would not insist if Nanoha said no, but her gaze could barely contain her longing.
Nanoha looked at the blonde Enforcer.
From the very first moment she accepted TSAB's offer, she knew that she would have to work together with Fate and had also been fully aware that she would not be able to avoid her. The night before, in the few but intense moments that they had been together, she had felt so good working alongside Fate that she couldn't say no.
"Okay," Nanoha said smiling, "I appreciate it very much, Fate."
Fate hid her surprise at Nanoha's acceptance by talking about the case again as they walked to her car. They walked very close to each other but never touched. The simple intimacy of being able to be alone with Nanoha, speaking without pressure, was more than enough for Fate.
For Nanoha, however, getting again in Fate's car was like traveling in time and she had to make an effort to keep concentrated on the conversation they were having. The mere smell of the car brought back to her memories of all the other times she had been sitting there next to Fate… wondering why that strong and attractive agent had such a sad look in her eyes…
During the way, Fate, even without noticing Nanoha's fluster, decided to remain on safe ground and only asked questions regarding her new position and her interaction with Major Natsume.
"It's mayhem," Nanoha admitted. "This afternoon we were introduced to the other members of the team. They are all military except for a civilian girl and they are all external to TSAB. Shamal-san and I are the only internal agents."
Fate frowned. She was not surprised. Natsume had to count on her people, yet she was concerned about Nanoha and what this 'intrusion' of army intelligence into TSABs structure would mean for everyone at the end of the day.
"Shamal has had the roughest part," Nanoha continued. "The Major has basically taken her as her personal assistant as well as the head of her scientific investigation. Today we had a series of meetings with high-ups and I learned before leaving, that military contractors had been incorporated who could develop the necessary technology or critical components for attacks like the ones that were carried out."
Fate squeezed the steering wheel hard. According to Hayate that afternoon, Shamal would also have other strategic functions and would report directly to her mother. The Enforcer wondered if Natsume sensed that this would happen and that was why she was giving that central role to Shamal. Her scientist friend was very capable in her field. But the high-flying military policy did not always follow scientific reasoning. Shamal was going to be caught in the crossfire of interests and most likely… Nanoha as well.
Already near the house of Nanoha's family, Fate kept silent thinking about what she wanted to say to Nanoha and when she stopped in front of the vehicular access, she turned off the car and turned to look at the redhead.
"Don't trust Yuri Natsume completely," Fate said without quite knowing why. "Although she has a reputation surely very well earned in the field of military intelligence, she is not part of TSAB and there are political issues that we cannot set aside. For now, she has been assigned to TSAB but with spies, you never know. If you have any questions or notice anything strange about her... go to my mother."
Nanoha slightly arched a brow. She would have expected Fate to tell her to come to her.
"My mother has a wider scope of what goes in the political side and the circus of inter-agency politics even more than my father," Fate explained before Nanoha asked anything. "If there's anyone that can handle the sharks from the Central of Intelligence, trust me, it's her… Now you belong to TSAB and my mother always takes care of her own."
Nanoha smiled at the seemingly harmless image of Admiral Harlaown sipping her tea. Fate was right and for her to tell her that with such confidence made her feel safe. The red-haired looked at Fate realizing that even though she was assigned to a different unit, she wouldn't be alone.
The sudden presence of a shadow in the entrance that led to the Takamachi house alerted them.
"Good God," Nanoha mumbled looking at the figure. "It's Kyoya…"
Fate made an attempt to get out of the car but Nanoha stopped her, softly placing her hand in the blonde's arm.
"It's not necessary, Fate… Thank you for bringing me… I truly appreciate it," the redhead said, looking at Fate with a shy smile.
Fate nodded. Patience above everything.
"See you tomorrow," Nanoha said, widening her smile.
Fate observed Nanoha getting out of the car without any rush, turning around to say goodbye to her, and then walking towards her brother under the hazy light of the public lighting lamps. After saying hello to her brother, Nanoha entered the house completely naturally. Kyoya Takamachi looked at Fate for several seconds without greeting her, serious but not threatening, and then turned to follow his sister.
In the half-light inside her car, Fate wondered if she would even be able to enter that house… even more so if she would ever be welcome there.
— X —
District Park of the University Area
Midchilda City. Day 19, Tenth Month, 2044 - 09:30 hrs.
"According to the information provided by her family, Sophia Bassanius's last activity registered was her nightly run," read the newly appointed detective, Ginga Nakajima, from her mobile device. "The sister said that she is sure that when she left home it was past seven on the night of the fourteenth."
Ginga Nakajima along with her partner, also recently promoted to detective, Tiida Lanster led the TSAB entourage formed by Fate, Nanoha, Ryōko Yakushiji, and her inseparable assistant. A couple of Midchilda police officers who had come to report the girl's disappearance in the first place were also accompanying them.
The group was walking along the wide tree-lined sidewalk at the edge of the district park where, four days ago, Sophia and many other people had passed since.
"A lot of people come to do exercise at this park at all hours," Fate mentioned on the go as they walked and looked around every detail.
"That's what the officers that started the investigation reported and the information obtained by the close neighbors," detective Lanster confirmed.
"None of the neighbors from those super expensive pent-houses," Ryōko asked pointing at the tall apartment buildings surrounding the park, "saw or noticed anything weird that night?"
Ginga and Tiida shook their heads in unison. They had been working together for too long, even since the police academy.
"We interviewed everyone, even the service workers of the park, several times, during the past few days. Sophia came often to run here, she was well-known. No one noticed anything odd, no one saw her arguing with anyone. No one even saw her talking with anyone."
From the back of the group the question arrived.
"What if there was no option for her to be seen?"
Fate stopped walking and turned to look at Nanoha who had stayed slightly behind and looking into the park. Ryōko immediately followed suit, looking at Nanoha carefully.
The district park was one of the largest in Midchilda. The wide perimeter sidewalks were used for running in most cases but inland, large tracts of green pastures and wooded areas were intertwined with unpaved paths.
"Some people run on the inner paths, but not at night," Tiida argued with a frown, "And certainly not lone women."
Nanoha kept looking inside the park and just asked.
"What if something made her go inside?"
— X —
It took them almost forty-five minutes to gather the necessary resources, but after three hours of sweeping the park, they found an area densely covered with trees, somewhat close to the perimeter sidewalk.
And the body, in the advanced stage of decomposition, of a chocolate labrador.
It didn't take them long to identify that the cause of death had not been natural.
"By the Gods, this little one was carved open…" Tiida explained in a horrified whisper. The young detective loved animals and could not begin to understand how someone could have done that.
Nanoha was examining everything around her as Fate urgently called a TSAB forensic team to analyze the scene and gave various orders summoning Zafira and Signum to the area.
At last, they had a crime scene where they could work.
— X —
TSAB's Headquarters, Section 6 offices, Special Unit of Violent Crimes
Midchilda City. Day 19, Tenth Month, 2044 - 18:30 hrs.
In observance of their healthy lifestyle, everyone skipped lunch until the scene was processed to nanometric detail and even the slightest sample of the area where the dog's body was found was obtained and recorded.
By six in the afternoon, Fate had her entire team convened in one of the Section 6 conference rooms to review their progress up to that point.
Looking around the fine wooden table, Fate noticed that everyone looked like excited and anxious children, everyone had something to report. Even the indecipherable Superintendent Yakushiji seemed ready and willing to cooperate. Just before Fate gave the indication to begin, the door to the room opened and Colonel Yagami entered the room.
"Colonel," Ryōko greeted her with a smile. "How lovely you have the time to join us for the summary."
Hayate picked one of the empty spots around the table, smiled innocently at Ryōko, and made an imperceptible signal for Fate to continue.
"Nanoha," Fate said, staring at the screen, trying to ignore how good it felt to say the redhead's name with such familiarity.
Nanoha stood up and described the results of that morning and afternoon.
"This morning, in the district park reported as the last known whereabouts of Sophia Bassanius, we found the body of a dog, a medium-sized chocolate labrador."
On the screen, she showed a series of digital pictures of the area and its surroundings.
"My main hypothesis from the forensic results of the zone is that this was the 'hunting' area of our subject," Nanoha continued, indicating a series of points in the aerial photo of the zone. "Here, he set a trap, specifically for Sophia Bassanius, and captured her."
"That is a very strong statement, Agent Takamachi," Ryōko exclaimed. She had been at the scene, had seen the forensic procedures, and certainly, the discovery of the dog had surprised her by the brutality of the action, but the Superintendent did not feel a hundred percent sure of the lead. "I agree that the death of the dog was brutal, but we cannot affirm that this fact and the disappearance of Miss Bassanius are related. You are stating that Sophia is one more victim of the subject we are investigating."
"She is," Nanoha stated, staring at the Superintendent.
Fate and Hayate looked at each other. All the team was anxiously waiting for Nanoha's next words.
"All this area," Nanoha said, zooming in to the screen to the area of the park where the dog was found, "even though it is close to the perimeter area, where most of the people exercise, it is also the area more densely populated with trees."
"With the help of Signum-san and Zafira-san," Nanoha continued, looking closely at Ryōko, "we carried out various visibility tests this afternoon, and even with the natural lighting we had it was practically impossible to have a line of sight from any angle of view from the perimeter sidewalk, or any other areas within the park or even from the apartments that are located in front of the zone."
"We confirmed that it is a completely blind area," Zafira stated with a hoarse voice. "Only laser tests could penetrate the vegetation and reach the area where we placed the mirrors by ten percent. Exactly the area where the dog's body was."
"Thank you, Zafira-san," Nanoha said with a smile and continued. "The killer chose that area, even knowing that Sophia ran at night and only using the perimeter sidewalk. At night it is practically impossible that someone could have seen if something was happening there."
"Okay," Ryōko agreed, "It's the ideal place, but Sophia Bassanius had to have been there."
"She was," Nanoha declared, changing the screen to another set of evidence that the forensic teams had found.
"Fate… Enforcer Testarossa, I mean," she corrected herself slightly blushing, '' instructed the forensic teams to do an exhaustive sweep of the area in search of evidence, however insignificant they might seem. The lab from the research area is full of everything you can imagine at this time from cigarette butts, candy wrappers, dried leaves with impregnated unknown substances, dirt, scraps of fabric, everything you can imagine and are still processing it… However… Here," she said, marking two points on the screen, "beyond the areas where dog blood was found, the forensic techs found positive results for human blood at the scene."
Ryōko sat straight up in her seat.
"In very small quantities, but here and here, in the ground and the leaves analyzed had traces of Sophia Bassanius's blood. The DNA test is a hundred percent match."
Hayate took a deep breath.
"I'm not happy to have to give General Bassanius that news," she said with a somber voice. "But it is very important to confirm that, in fact, Sophia Bassanius has been kidnapped by the subject we are looking for and not by someone else."
"Or subjects," Signum added.
"Do you think it could be group work?" Hayate asked with raised eyebrows.
Signum merely pointed at Fate.
The blonde Enforcer stood next to Nanoha.
"The situation is turning out to be too complex, Colonel. Let me summarize the results of the team as there are still more aspects that we have to consider," Fate said, turning to Hayate but also looking at Ryōko. Nanoha made a move to take her place again but Fate stopped her. "Wait Nanoha, stay here to comment on what we discussed before the meeting."
Superintendent Ryōko crossed a graceful, shapely leg, leaning back in her chair, and she stared at Fate with narrowed eyes.
"We have confirmed that Sophia Bassanius was premeditatedly kidnapped and whoever did it, planned it carefully. Not just because of the place. According to the coroner, the dog was killed at the site where we found it and its decomposition rate is consistent with the day and time of Sophia's disappearance. The dog's identification chip was removed post-mortem but Alto and Lucino confirmed that none of the neighbors in the vicinity had lost any pets... However, we do have a couple of breed and color matches in close neighbors to the Bassanius sisters. One in the same building where they live. We also confirmed that Sophia adored dogs and was always very affectionate with neighboring pets."
"That means," Fate continued, returning Ryōko's questioning gaze, "that the subject who attacked Sophia had been watching her for a significant time. Knowing not only her routine, that she preferred to run at night and where, as well as the precise schedules, but also how she interacted with people. Sophia grew up in a military family, as the General said, it would not have been easy to set her up using a person. Much less a man. Of any kind, not even a handicapped person or an older man. The subject knew this and used Sophia's empathy for animals."
Fate motioned for Nanoha to explain her theory.
"After analyzing the data," said the redhead, "I think the subject used the dog to somehow lure Sophia to that area inside the park. We found some traces of the route that she may have followed and although we are not totally certain, it is a fact that she reached the area where the dog was and had some kind of confrontation with the subject that made her bleed. He had to knock her unconscious to take her away without leaving any other trace other than what we have so far."
"And about what the Colonel was saying," Fate continued instead, "about confirming it's the subject from the case we are investigating and not any other… Lucino…"
The young agent got to her feet diligently and maneuvered quickly into the terminal to display a photo of a man between twenty-five and thirty years old, with dark brown, almost black, semi-long and tousled hair, with a somber look.
"Alex Rowe, at least according to the information provided by the Bassanius family, was Sophia's most recent suitor… WAS," Lucino emphasized, "a foreign career military, with the rank of captain. He was in Midchilda as part of the Anatoray Delegation eight years ago. All the personal data provided by the Bassanius family correspond to Captain Rowe's file... with the exception of the fact that he went MIA more than four years ago in the Orient. The military bomber he commanded was shot down by a missile in a difficult-to-reach rebel area in the region of… Disith… and apparently, he never met Sophia Bassanius."
"Are you sure he's dead?" Ryōko asked. "Four years is more than enough time to do what the subject we're looking for has been doing."
"Alto and I contacted the diplomatic office of the Anatoray Embassy," Lucino continued. "After some calls and references, they agreed to give us this video."
On the screen, Lucino activated the video function. The image was slightly fuzzy and unstable, presumably from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), but clear enough to appreciate the Anatoray bomber flying over a mountainous area and the moment a missile hit it.
"Since it was a very dangerous area at the time, Anatoray put a monitoring device," Lucino explained as the screen showed the incandescent pieces of the huge plane rushing to the ground. "It was an armed conflict zone, difficult to access as you can see... No human or aircraft remains were recovered but the entire crew, including Captain Rowe, have been pronounced dead, missing in action."
"That does not mean he's really dead," Ryōko insisted, looking at Hayate. "JACES and many other companies have developed military tech that has allowed our armed forces, at least the elite groups, to survive an attack of such nature. It was a bombarder! It must have had some sort of prevention plan for an attack like that."
"There's one more thing," Alto intervened from her seat. "This afternoon when we met with Miss Bassanius and showed her that picture… she did not recognize him."
"What are you saying?" Hayate asked, at last joining the conversation as well.
Fate and Nanoha stood silently at the front of the table and looked at each other with concern but with slight complicity. They still had to tell the worst part to Hayate
"This afternoon, while Fate and Nanoha were working on the scene, we already had all this information about Alex Rowe but we knew that we could not reach out and simply tell Sophia's family. No one could go with us and all we needed was to confirm if indeed, her boyfriend was THAT Alex Rowe," Lucino explained speaking again and slightly blushing pointing to the screen.
"Fate authorized us to go with Euris Bassanius and show her pictures of different men and include Alex Rowe's picture there to see if she recognized him as her sister's suitor."
As she spoke, Lucino became more and more nervous.
"Euris Bassanius didn't even flinch when she saw that photo," she continued. "I asked her to look at the photos several times and at no point did she show any signs of recognizing that Alex Rowe… But she did recognize someone else."
As she said that, Lucino activated another control and on the screen was shown an image of the typical police sketch showing an adult man, with extremely fine and elegant features, and long light brown hair. While he was very attractive, almost bordering on the feminine; the image of him was very different and contrasted sharply with the gloomy and masculine original Alex Rowe.
"When Euris Bassanius looked at that picture," Lucino described, "she all but jumped from the sofa where she was sitting and screamed that he was her sister's boyfriend. She noticed it was a police sketch and thought that we had him in custody. It was difficult for us to calm her down and convince her that subject was unrelated to this case."
"And to all this," Ryōko asked slightly exasperated, "where did this individual come from? Who the heck is he?"
Lucino looked at Fate with pleading eyes. The Enforcer motioned for her to sit down. She would have to take responsibility from that moment. In a way, she… was looking forward to it and she just hoped she wasn't showing it too much.
"These past two days have been a complete chaos, Colonel, you are well aware," Hayate had not failed to notice that during the entire meeting, Fate had always addressed her formally. "Especially with the transition tasks for Section 9 and Major Natsume's new staff."
Hayate slowly nodded in silence.
She wasn't going to like something about what Fate was going to say.
"Just after the attack on the subway, Alto and Lucino were helping as we all did, and their main duty, as always, was data compilation and analysis."
After a pause, Fate continued non-stop.
"Yesterday when they went to their interview with Euris Bassanius, among the various images of subjects they used, they mistakenly took one of the police sketches of the city hall workers who were in the subway maintenance work the day before the attack... That man, which Euris Bassanius identified as Alex Rowe, her sister's suitor," Fate said, firmly pointing to the sketch, "is an unidentified subject, who does not appear in any national, federal, or international database. Not at least in the ones we've been sweeping so far. Alto has had a search algorithm running since we were working on the bombing case but has not found any matches so far. According to what we had gathered when we began the transition with Major Natsume... that individual arrived with a crew of men at the subway's main transfer station for inspection and maintenance of the sewage and ventilation facilities, authorized by Midchilda's Town Hall…"
Fate used her device again and a third image, of a second sketch, was added to the previous ones.
"The chief of the subway's maintenance crew found it very odd to find overlapping maintenance tasks, but he did not discuss the 'official' document authorized by the Mayor and the Director of Public Works, however... he paid significant attention to the subject very well. He was leading the so-called maintenance crew… Does he look familiar, Colonel?"
Ryōko looked puzzled, for the first time since she had set foot on the TSAB.
Hayate was already upright in her seat as Fate unfolded a fourth image from a photograph from a few days earlier.
The sketch included the cap and the maintaining staff uniform but certain square features of the face were very significant between the two images.
"Veyron Huckebein," Hayate murmured, clenching her fists.
— X —
It was already past ten in another extremely long day but Fate and Nanoha were walking almost exultingly next to each other on their way to the parking lot.
They had made a series of crucial discoveries, literally in the wake of Lucino's blunder with the sketch of the individual linked to the bombing. Hayate had gone ballistics for the careless handling of classified data in addition to massively raking Fate over the coals as the team leader but in the end, she had to admit that the mistake had been a providential stroke of luck.
The man that Euris Bassanius had identified as her sister's boyfriend, the fake Alex Rowe, did not exist anywhere. There was no way they could have found him and much less established he had any type of link to a terrorist organization.
To Fate's delight, when Hayate presented their findings to Admiral Harlaown and Deputy Director Carim, it was immediately ensured that Section 9 and Section 6 would collaborate with each other on their cases. And the liaison intended for that purpose... would be Nanoha.
Fate couldn't hide her satisfaction that was almost bordering on joy… and neither did she want to.
Hayate gave them the news with a succession of grunts in her office and then ordered them to go home and rest but from that moment on, Fate and Nanoha got wrapped in discussing various angles of the situation and in all the tasks that they would have to coordinate between sections.
Nanoha's first proposal had been to publish the sketch of Sophia's boyfriend on television, not related to the case of the subway attack, but rather a kidnapping alert.
"Trust me, Nanoha, that won't be convenient at all," Fate said, raising her hands in front of her as they walked in a more eloquent gesture than her usual way of speaking. "We are not sure that this guy is the subject we're after… but if he is… we would put at risk all the girls he has in his power."
Nanoha slowed down and crossed her arms, taking a hand to her chin, pondering.
"The man that took Sophia Bassaius IS the killer we are looking for, Fate. I'm sure of it," she said, stopping to stare at the blonde. "But you are part right on one thing…"
Fate, looking at Nanoha, waited. The girl had not told her yet the reasons to have that appalling certainty.
"The unknown subject from the sketch is not that man, Fate."
Fate took a deep breath.
"Based on what, Nanoha?" the blonde asked with a husky voice in between exhaustion and excitement. They had come a long way that day, but it had been due to a fortuitous event; a stroke of luck of the fates, but they were no closer than the day before to stopping someone, to rescuing Sophia Bassanius or those girls. They had time against them and Fate knew that she needed to organize her team based on a plan that would guarantee those two objectives: Rescue the girls alive and stop that individual.
Nanoha looked at the Enforcer somewhat contrite.
"It's not that easy to explain."
— X —
It was almost midnight when Fate and Nanoha sat down in a 24-hour cafe-restaurant-bar near Midchilda's police station that Ginga Nakajima had recommended to Fate on some occasion. "When you have to talk to informants, there is nothing better," the then young police officer had told her at the time.
It was not the situation at hand but neither Nanoha nor Fate wanted to be seen by anyone related to TSAB, Ryōko Yakushiji, and Yuri Natsume. Ryōko still had not recovered from the shock of the news of the meeting but when she did she would try to launch herself at the head of the investigation again and Natsume... surely the Major was not going to like at all to know that their cases were strangely intermingled.
The place was not very busy but it was not empty either. Located in an old building it had much higher ceilings than modern premises, walls covered with dark wood, and rustic engraved high reliefs. It only had windows in the front and they were covered by blinds so no one could see the patrons from the outside. A large wooden bar with high stools located in the center of the area delimited the bar and two dozen booths of the same dark wood on both sides of the bar provided the service of food and privacy. It didn't take them long to find an unoccupied booth at the back of the place for a larger feeling of privacy.
"This looks like the typical cops' diner from the foreign movies my dad likes so much to watch," Nanoha exclaimed when they sat down and a girl with a generous bosom handed them the menu.
Fate laughed.
"That's exactly what this place is," she explained, still smiling.
Nanoha looked around at the old-fashioned, slightly dated decor with wood motifs and red velvet.
"In any case, this is very nice… I think… this… is the first time we do this…" Nanoha said, blushing slightly and kicking herself mentally after saying it. She had revealed too much. That was supposed to be a work meeting, not a date… also… it's not like she wanted a date with Fate. "I mean… it's not like we had the chance... before…"
Fate swallowed hard, realizing that, in fact, they had never gone out like that, not even to have coffee for fifteen minutes. During the Scaglietti-Scrya case they were always at the office or in atrocious crime scenes… or trapped by a killer… or in the hospital… or away from each other.
Nanoha, still cursing herself for having brought an awkward situation for her screw up could not find how to fix it.
"... What I'm trying to say…" Nanoha said, looking at Fate who was still silent, "... never mind, Fate-chan… I really don't know what I meant… just that… it's nice…"
Nanoha averted her gaze from Fate to the table and tried to get one of the menus but Fate's hand capturing hers in the air made her freeze in the act.
Her eyes met Fate's crimson ones that were looking at her with vehemence and yearning but also with great serenity… and something else, something warm, soft... deep.
"Ever since you showed up a few days ago at TSABs office… although it feels like months… I've hoped we can talk, Nanoha… But I have not wanted to pressure you to do it. Despite these extreme situations we are living in because of our job, it has been very hard for me to wait for the right moment… and I know that this moment, right here and right now, is not… and I want you to know that when you are ready to talk, so will I... And it's nice for me to be… like this… with you."
Nanoha took a breath, closed her eyes, and very slowly withdrew her hand from Fate's.
"Thank you…" Nanoha said, feeling a slight lump in her throat. She just wished that at some moment it would be the 'moment' to really speak with Fate.
Fate felt a pang in her chest but did not try to retain Nanoha's hand.
They needed time and space. Time, something that the killer and torturer of women was not going to give them.
"You were going to explain something that was not easy to explain," Fate said with a slightly forced smile.
Nanoha was grateful for the topic change and that Fate respected her decision.
"You see… this man, because undoubtedly it's a man who kidnaps, mutilates, and murders exceptional women has me very intrigued. And I've been doing some research… a lot… since Colonel Yagami assigned you the case… well your team. We are not dealing with an ordinary subject. In a way…" Nanoha looked down for a moment but then faced Fate's look with determination, "what allowed Dr. Scaglietti and Yuuno to do what they did for YEARS was that they were no ordinary men. They were exceptional men who harbored within them equally exceptional monsters. This one we're up against is even worse than them."
"What do you mean?" Fate asked, trying to understand what Nanoha was trying to tell her.
"Even now, we still don't know anything about the story of Scaglietti's life," Nanoha explained. "We know he destroyed Yuuno's life, and others as well, transforming them into something they surely wouldn't have been, had they not run into the doctor. And that was the only and true objective in Scaglietti's life: Destroy the humanity in those kids, pervert the good things, corrupt… Yuuno and others, as well as their own victims, were also Scaglietti's victims."
Fate nodded. She understood what Nanoha was telling her, but each time she remembered Nanoha and her family with Scrya it was impossible to feel the empathy she would feel with any victim to a madman like Scaglietti.
"Scaglietti is a madman with the delusion of an artist, of an omnipotent creator. Yuuno was a wrecked man, trying to live as a man as he was consumed by the monster created inside him… The man we are looking for, Fate, IS a monster… he's perfectly aware and proud to be and he merely enjoys disguising himself as 'human' to fool everyone. He must be a privileged man, with resources… many resources. Not only does he not value human life but he despises it. Any type of life. He does what he does, those atrocities we can deduce by the leads we have, for a single reason: it pleases him to be ABLE to do it. He can do AS HE PLEASES… wherever he wants, whenever he wants, to whoever he wants… and it's not that such power has corrupted him… it is just part of his most intimate nature. He was born like that."
Fate listened to Nanoha speechless.
"He CHOOSES those girls, Fate, and from what we've seen, they are not easy targets. They are independent women, sire of themselves, with their lives pretty much figured out in many aspects. They are not women who quit or give up. He knows that. I'm sure that he is counting on that for what he does to them. He doesn't kidnap one and once he's done with her goes for the next one, as the typical serial killer would do… He has the resources and the means to abduct and keep captive, alive, under torture and conditions we can't even imagine yet, several girls at the same time. Also, he has exceptionally large hunting grounds, where each girl has moved in completely different contexts and routines. Take a look at Sophia Basanius's case…" Nanoha continued. "He chose where, when, and how he would hunt her… he adapted to Sophia's area and routine and used it to his advantage, he studied her weaknesses and used them. Each girl is a challenge to him. What comes after the hunt is at the same time, a challenge and a pleasure."
Fate looked somberly at the menu. They hadn't ordered anything yet and she was not feeling particularly inclined to after what Nanoha was telling her.
"We're not looking for a man that works for others, Fate, an 'employee' like we or our colleagues are… he's not a broken man like Yuuno or an 'idealist' like Scaglietti… We are looking for a man with resources and power. Lots of resources and lots of power… that he was born having and has grown all his life with them… and he is a true sociopath."
"Don't you think it could be the opposite?" Fate asked. "That he's an oppressed man, somehow, that acts like that to overcome the power that someone else exercises over him… like Yuuno?"
Nanoha slowly shook her head.
"If he had a smaller hunting area… if his victimology was different, more limited, less risky… but I'm afraid that's not the case," Nanoha replied.
"I understand…" Fate said. "And… you don't think that the fake Alex Rowe, Sophia Bassanius's suitor could be that man...?"
"Not at all," Nanoha said, taking the menu. Suddenly she noticed they hadn't had a bite to eat all day and she was starving. "I still haven't deeply analyzed the subject, but from what it said in Alto and Lucino's report, he was not even the leader of the fake crew. He might be a terrorist but someone tells him what to do… he's very handsome… but his type corresponds to another type of criminal… not to a serial killer."
Fate tried to ignore the fact that Nanoha would think a criminal and potential terrorist could be 'handsome'.
"Even if that's the case," Fate said, looking at Nanoha, "I don't think it's convenient to show his sketch to the media yet… I'd like to have more concrete information about the guy we're looking for… showcasing him like that, even if we're wrong, would put them on alert. I don't want to expose the girls in his power."
Nanoha sighed.
"Then, we have to hurry up, Fate, this guy does not answer to anyone's agenda and his nature is unpredictable and volatile; if any of those girls, even Sophia Bassanius herself, is wrong and makes a mistake… they are going to die and more girls will fall in his hands… Despite his movements are hard to predict," Nanoha said with determination, raising the menu she had in her hands in front of Fate, "I can assure you he has a list of options for girls ready. That part of his nature is cold, calculating, and dedicated. He has observed his future prey and is several steps ahead of us if he wants to secure a new victim… and keep in mind, he has all the resources to go out for her when he pleases."
— X —
Midchilda - Cranagan Conurbation Area
Day 20, Tenth Month, 2044.
Sophia listened to the footsteps getting close and shuddered.
Since she had first regained consciousness in that horrible dungeon, she had seen nothing but darkness. She never knew what time it was if it was day or night, much less how long real time had elapsed since she had arrived in that hell.
Her conclusion had been that they were in some kind of cellar or catacomb and that she was not alone. Her rational mind had screamed for her to try to talk to the other people down there but a self-preservation instinct that she didn't know she possessed from her was twisting inside her preventing her from doing so every time she thought about it.
And it was just that no one there spoke.
Not even when the shadow's footsteps were heard on the ground.
She could only think about him like that, like a shadow darker and thicker than the darkness in which she was submerged.
It even seemed to Sophia that the silence grew thicker and more absolute when he was there. The slight noises of movements that she came to hear at other times also stopped completely when the shadow's footsteps approached.
There had to be a VERY powerful reason for that kind of silence. And even without knowing why, Sophia followed that rule and waited. Even when the tears ran down her cheeks, she restrained herself to not make the slightest noise until she collapsed, overcome by the pain and the exhaustion, in her corner.
She had discovered, when the need was pressing, that the bottom left corner of her cell had a latrine hole so she chose the right corner to huddle over.
The shadow had not approached her dungeon since that first time but had heard it moving in the cells to its extreme right. And like the occupants of the other cells, at that time Sophia did not move, nor did she make the slightest sound... she hardly dared to breathe, it was only until she heard the footsteps move away from her that she dared to let out silently the air that she held painfully in her lungs.
However, that day she was not as lucky as the previous times.
The footsteps continued and continued and as they drew closer, Sophia's heart was beating more frantically in her chest. When the footsteps stopped next to her cell, the girl, kneeling in the corner, had to strongly cover her mouth with both hands to not scream.
"It has been quite interesting watching you," he said with a soft and kind voice, just like the first time he had talked to her. "You have not screamed, not even once, you have not asked stupid questions… you realize you are not alone here, yet you haven't tried to speak with anyone… Why is that?"
Sophia huddled and hunched in her corner, tried to speak but no sound came out of her throat.
"I will ask you again with one warning…" he said with a sudden harsh voice. "Here, all the decisions you take have consequences… and the punishments for not following the rules are ruthless… Not answering a direct question from me has a severe punishment… As well as not following any of my orders."
Almost choking with her own heart, Sophia managed to answer with a tremulous voice.
"No one speaks here… I just do what the others do."
The shadow smiled in the darkness. That girl was a challenge that was truly going to give him a lot of pleasure.
"We will see then how good you are at learning," he said.
Sophia listened in distress as he manipulated the dungeon grille and opened it, entering the cell with her. Frantically, her mind considered the chances she had of hitting him and escaping and her entire body tensed.
"Trying to escape from me… comes with the highest punishment, I advise you to not try and find out what it is…" he warned, slowly approaching her until he stopped next to her.
Deep down, Sophia knew, if she took that decision and failed, she was going to die… The question that she kept asking herself in the middle of that nightmare was if it was worth living to be where she was? It didn't matter how long it had been since that man had captured her; her father and her sister had to be worried sick over her. She had to give herself the chance… for them… she had to hold on and survive… or at least try… she could not just give up without a fight.
And in fact, fighting to control her desperation and her tears, Sophia finally kneeled on the ground and waited.
"Wise choice," he said. "It seems you do learn quickly… Usually understanding and getting to that point takes them much longer… and with suffering."
Sophia heard a metallic sound and felt something cold and hard grip her throat painfully and instinctively she brought her fingers to her neck.
"Just like dogs, this will help you learn how you must walk by the side."
Until that moment, in a moment of strange lucidity, Sophia's brain identified that what was around her neck was a punishment collar... like the ones she hated when dogs wore.
The shadow yanked on the chain just then and Sophia gasped, fighting for breath as he dragged her out of the cell.
Once out of it, he eased the pressure on Sophia's collar slightly but kept it close to his leg.
Until that moment Sophia realized that the hallway seemed slightly less dark and gloomy because of the lighting. Her cell was about halfway down the hall, and there were cells on either side of it. She could not count how many at that time but there were many more than she imagined and at both ends of the corridor a few rows of very dim light, almost like candles about to go out, caused the darkness not to be total and absolute.
He manipulated what looked like a remote control, and small dull yellow lights dimly illuminated the interior of the cells, so faintly that they did not even manage to shade the gloom of the corridor.
To Sophia, the man beside her remained a solid, menacing shadow.
Almost as if that faint fading light was a curse and not a relief, slight moans and sobs were heard from some of the cells.
Sophia was looking at the ground and didn't dare to move. With the slightest lighting, she was suddenly aware that she was still completely naked and at the mercy of what that maniac wanted to do to her.
What she least expected was what happened next.
The shadow dropped the necklace abruptly almost knocking Sophia to the ground in the process and she ordered:
"Choose one."
— X —