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: Thank you for reading and thank you Aleksei for writing it.
The Shadow by Aleksei Volken
Chapter 7. Eyes on us.
— X —
"Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate."
—C.G. Jung
— X —
"You have to choose someone."
The voice reached Sophia like a ghostly whisper.
She didn't know how long she had cried, huddled in the darkness of her cell, just as she also didn't know how long it had been until her sobs had finally stopped.
Time had ceased to have meaning.
In the darkness that surrounded her the only thing that existed were the images of the atrocities that her captor had committed with her... with the girl who had paid for her disobedience.
"Choose one," he had told her.
And at first, Sophia had not understood what he was referring to.
He slapped her a couple of times, repeating the order, pointing dismissively toward the cells with a slight nod until Sophia finally understood.
He wanted her to choose one cell.
It was until she was half-hunched over her body, standing in front of the first cell that she understood what he actually meant; he was referring to the occupants of the cells.
Sophia's horror only overflowed from then on. As she stumbled along the dead stone hallway, she discovered to what extent she was not alone in that nightmare.
One after the other, Sophia discovered the women who preceded her in that hell, and only then did she glimpse the dire future that awaited her.
None of the girls in those cells seemed human.
Some were naked like her, others had their torso covered with a dirty and torn rag. Under the dim lighting of each cell, Sophia could not say how much, but they were all dirty and with disheveled hair... some moaned, others grunted gutturally... Some looked at her with wide, lacerating eyes; Others did not look at her... They did not look at her because the women were hunched over in a corner of their cell and others, because they had no eyes.
With every step she took, Sophia's heart and brain exploded with the discovery that all the captive women in those dungeons were mutilated in one way or another.
She couldn't make it to the end of the hall.
Several cells before the end, Sophia fell to her knees gasping and turned to look at her captor who stood in the shadows, watching her.
He wanted her to choose one of those women.
Even without being able to see his face, hidden in the shadows, Sophia could feel that he was smiling.
With a savage cry, she leaped to her feet and ran towards him.
His smile disappeared. Some did that. He hoped Sophia would be different. He fervently wished for it.
A violent blow interrupted Sophia's scream abruptly leaving her semi-unconscious on the ground.
After that came her punishment.
He woke Sophia with a bucket of ice-cold water and dragged her to another area of the basement where they were. To the space that he considered as 'His Study'. The room, made of the same dark stone as the dungeons, and just as gloomy and sordid as the dungeons, was nevertheless much larger. Wide dark chains with hooks hung from various points on the ceiling. The jarring and scariest spot was the sleek, modern steel table that gleamed in the center of the room.
He gently and delicately hung Sophia from one of the hooks giving her a single order.
"You will be punished if you don't watch," he said hoarsely like the soft and silky purr of a cat, "And the punishment will be exactly like this."
He made the selection that she had not been able to make.
He took one of the unfortunate occupants of the cells and flayed her alive in front of Sophia.
Every time Sophia stopped looking, he gently reminded her that someone else would pay for her disobedience.
After each harrowingly excruciating cry from the woman on the table, he turned to remind Sophia with a smile that the only person responsible for that punishment... was her.
He made her watch, hanging by the chain, long after the girl at the table stopped screaming and moving.
He left her there sobbing for what seemed like hours and when Sophia could no longer feel her arms, nor the tremors that ran through her entire body, he unhooked her, dragged her across the floor, and tossed her back into her cell.
"Maybe you're not as promising as I thought," the shadow told her before disappearing and leaving her again in total darkness.
Only the darkness was much worse after that.
"You have to choose someone," a whisper told her again.
Until then Sophia noticed that it was coming from the cell next to hers. Almost at the level of her ear in the place where she had fallen staying curled up after he threw her against the wall.
She never lay near the walls. She hadn't seen them, but in the dark, she had heard creepy, disgusting movements. She tried to stay in the center of the cell, as far away from them as possible.
In the total darkness that surrounded her and seemed to absorb everything, Sophia doubted if someone had really spoken, and holding her breath, she moved a little closer to the wall.
"He will come back… if you don't choose someone when he asks you to…"
The whisper vanished as if it had never existed.
— X —
Central Police Station of Midchilda.
Day 23, Tenth Month, 2044 - 10:00 hrs.
The day had started in an unexpected way for Fate and Nanoha and it did not look like it was to improve at all.
After Major Natsume's untimely visit to Fate that morning and a tense conversation with Nanoha to define the scope of her responsibilities in Section 6, Yuri Natsume had plunged into investigative work on the subway bombing while Nanoha and Fate in the company of Zafira and Signum had gone to the Central Police Department of Midchilda.
Detectives Ginga Nakajima and Tiida Lanster awaited them not only with the station's excellent coffee but with what appeared to be the latest find of the serial kidnapper that was keeping them on their toes.
Since the body of the unfortunate young woman had been found in the wee hours of the morning, the crime scene had been processed and completed by the morning, which is why Fate and her team had to resort to the advanced technology of the department of police to analyze it.
As Tiida guided Signum and Zafira to the modern 3D viewing room for a detailed tour of where the girl had been found and a digital reconstruction of the crime scene, Fate and Nanoha joined Ginga at the forensic laboratory to see the remains of the girl.
That would be the first time they would have access to one of the victims of the subject they were after.
The forensic laboratory of the Midchilda Police Department was located in a separate building of the criminal investigation complex and looked not like a morgue out of an old horror movie but rather a small but modern hospital.
Doctor Akane Saiki was already waiting for them at the entrance of the complex, smoking with a mortal serenity.
"Hmmm… that doesn't look well," Ginga pointed out as they got closer to the woman.
"Why?" Fate asked bewildered since it was the first time she interacted with Dr. Saiki. Regularly, TSABs forensics team handled their crime scenes, however this time the police had already started to process the scene when they realized it belonged to a case assigned to TSAB.
"Once you know her, you can tell how bad it will be depending on how she smokes after running the autopsy."
"And this one looks bad…"
"Very..."
Nanoha just listened in silence to the exchange between Fate and Ginga, observing Dr. Saiki. The woman of auburn hair and glasses seemed to be around her thirties and looked experienced and seasoned.
After the initial introductions, Dr. Saiki promptly handed them gloves and facemasks and guided them to the interior of the autopsy room.
The neat and tidy room had the most advanced and diverse equipment for immediate examinations. Fate appreciated that Dr. Saiki's little kingdom had nothing to envy Shamal's modern scientific wing at TSAB.
However, none of the technology around them prepared Nanoha and Fate for the impact of the body resting on the long autopsy table.
"I had never had a case like this," Dr. Saiki mumbled as she neared the table.
The woman who was lying on the examination table had the skin removed from her entire body, both calves were missing, her left arm up to the shoulder and her head, which this time had been found along with the body, appeared to have been torn from the base of the neck, not surgically removed as in the other related cases.
"Rei Miyamoto, university student about to graduate in international relations, athlete and martial artist, was reported missing one year ago from the University of Cranagan area… parts of her left arm were found in a suburban park of Midchilda about a month and a half later, and her feet just before the case was transferred to TSAB a few days ago," Ginga recited with somber voice and almost by heart as she observed the remains in front of them.
"Due to the conditions of the body, we knew that it was her until the dental check-up and it has been corroborated by the DNA analysis shortly before you arrived," informed Dr. Saiki in turn.
"The other missing body parts were not found?" Fate asked.
Ginga shook her head.
"Her family lives in Midchilda, although she was a student in Cranagan. She was reported as missing almost immediately and DNA samples were delivered, that's why we were able to establish the correlation when we found the first remains."
"What was the cause of death?" Nanoha asked.
Doctor Saiki looked at her, narrowing her eyes.
"That is the important question, Agent," the doctor said, staring at her. "Flaying is not necessarily a killing method."
Fate and Ginga frowned.
"I cannot tell you how much the person we have here suffered before dying, but at least I will try to give you an idea of what the body is telling us," the doctor said and activated a screen at the base of the examination table to explain to them.
"To begin with, the amputations that we see here were performed on different dates and show different internal scarring features. Since they were performed before the skin was removed, I cannot say if all the limbs were amputated at the same time or if it was done in parts."
Ginga showed Fate and Nanoha from her own device Rei Miyamoto's first limb found in Midchilda, which corresponded solely to her left hand and forearm.
"The young woman evidently survived these amputations and I can tell from the characteristics of the stumps that it was performed surgically, by someone who had at least enough experience to do it without getting infected or bleeding out. I don't see much aesthetics but it was functional."
As she spoke, the doctor displayed on the touch screen the areas where the agents should look at in the photographs or X-ray images.
"In addition to the amputations, I found traces of multiple fractures in the ribs, right wrist and forearm, and jaw. In the same way, they were treated roughly, and the healing shows a variable temporality…The cause of death, however, asked by Agent…"
"Takamachi," Nanoha was quick to remind her.
"...Takamachi," the doctor continued, "was due to the shock from exsanguination… This image shows the state of the body just as it was found."
The doctor activated a screen image showing the body in the industrial zone where the night shift had identified the body in a pile of rubble.
"She was carved open, in a crude and violent way, evidently the executor had no intention of her surviving the procedure and several of her organs were removed…kidneys, liver, and heart."
Fate swallowed heavily as she reviewed the information that was being updated on her device.
"I found traces in her system that she received high doses of adrenaline, norepinephrine and other stimulants and anticoagulants…" After pausing as if to calm a fit of involuntary anger, the doctor added dryly, "My theory is that the bastard struggled to keep her alive as long as possible."
"What did you find out about the head, Doctor?" Nanoha asked after a few seconds.
"That is another significant finding," Dr. Saiki said, showing the corresponding images to the victim's neck. "The head was practically ripped off, although not in its entirety and that mutilation was performed post-mortem. All the heads previously found had been surgically removed, except for one…"
"Kaori Makimura," Nanoha said at once, even before Dr. Saiki could have been able to check her records.
"...Correct," the doctor confirmed, with an appreciative gesture.
Ginga and Fate also looked at Nanoha.
"That peculiarity of the forensic description caught my attention this weekend when I was reviewing the information… We hadn't identified that trait before," Nanoha explained, slightly grieved.
"Would you say that both, in the case of Rei Miyamoto and Kaori Makimura, are the same or similar in that aspect, Doctor? … Ripped?" Fate asked. She hadn't noticed that trait either, but if it had caught Nanoha's attention, it was a lead to follow.
Dr. Saiki moved away from the table to approach her desk where a terminal with three monitors came to life and immediately began to skilfully review various files.
"I would have to do a much more detailed review but yes, in principle very similar patterns are seen... It is possible that he may have even used the same method with both of them."
Ginga took a deep breath and moved her head.
"That case was very sad," she murmured.
"Makimura's?" Fate inquired, approaching the detective.
"Yes, Kaori used to be a cop in Cranagan, and almost a year before she went missing, she retired and started her own gig as a private detective. I met her as a police officer due to some friends in common. As far as I know, she was doing fine when she went missing; three months later, her head was found in Midchilda's suburbs… It's quite a shock when such cases hit so close to home, even for those of us who work with crimes every day, it is…"
"I know…" Fate said, trying not to think how close certain events could be to oneself and be unaware of it.
"I am transferring all the information on Kaori Makimura and what I just compiled from Rei Miyamoto to Detective Nakajima, Agent Testarossa. I understand that it is now a case that you are handling. I'll do some correlations between the two cases and let you know what I find."
"We thank you very much for your help, Dr. Saiki," Fate said by way of farewell before taking one more look at the autopsy table where the victim's body was located and where Nanoha was still standing watching her. "Should we catch up with Zafira and Signum, Nanoha?"
The rookie agent quickly turned to Fate and the group said goodbye to the doctor.
— X —
Location Unknown.
Day 23, Tenth Month, 2044 - 12:00 hrs.
Fortis was losing his mind.
For the past three days, he had desperately tried to investigate what had happened to Sophia, without success.
He had achieved nothing in his multiple attempts to hack into the police servers and asking Arnage or one of their accomplices for help was out of the question.
He even thought of using the contact who passed them most of the information they needed for their plans, but the fear that Karen would find out about it was greater than the apprehension for not knowing.
Fortis, however, was not delusional. Surely Karen herself was already making her own inquiries. Veyron and Cypha kept looking at him suspiciously and although there had not been more information released in the media than that sketch, it was only a matter of time before Arnage would break. When would she do it? That was the question that had kept Fortis on edge for the past thirty-six hours.
At last, he was faced with the choice: One. Go and tell Karen everything (at least everything he could tell her without the other killing him), or two, wait (and pray) to see what happened.
While the latter seemed safer, he would lose control over when and especially what to say... It was more likely that Karen would kill him at the end of that option.
Filled with determination, Fortis got up from the place he had been assigned to work and headed, almost as if condemned to the gallows, toward the office that the organization had enabled for Karen in the abandoned factory that they used as a hideout.
Upon arriving at the organization's leader's private room, Fortis was about to regret it but Karen, sprawled out in a wide old chair with Cypha's head and shoulders on her lap, froze him with a hawkish gaze at once.
Cypha, noticing a change in the mood of the woman on whom she was leaning, rose to look at the visitor.
"Finally…" the woman mumbled before getting up and going to the door to open it.
No one said a word. Cypha opened the door and closed it softly after Fortis entered.
He had mentally visualized that encounter hundreds of times in the past few days, yet the exercise was not making that moment any easier or bearable.
"I know the kidnapped woman…" He said straight away, "However, she does not know my true identity, or what I do, or for whom... She knows nothing about me. I don't know how they got an image of my face and I can assure you that I have nothing to do with her disappearance."
Karen, still sitting on the couch with her arms extended over the edge, hadn't moved, nor had her face changed. She just listened and waited.
Cypha waited in her relaxed position, leaning against the doorframe.
At Karen's silence, Fortis continued.
"This mission has been…" and for the first time the nervousness betrayed him, "It has been a real pain in the ass, Karen, we have been stuck in this dump for MONTHS…"
Karen was silent but her eyes narrowed slightly. The simple gesture had Fortis sweating.
"I met her by chance, we talked, and…" That was as far as Fortis's eloquence could go.
"And you decided that it was worth risking the organization's most ambitious project and a years-worth plan for her beautiful ass?" Karen finally asked in a soft and dangerous voice.
Fortis turned desperately to Cypha but found no support in her gaze.
"That's not fair Karen, you two have each other, for Arnage, the only important thing is food, Deville… well, Deville is not even from this world, and Veyron, well, we all suspect that Veyron's thing is young, handsome, expensive men and…"
"And risk-free, Fortis… especially risk-free," Karen interrupted him, slowly standing up. "I don't give a rat's ass if Veryon wants to fuck all the whoreboys for sale, from here to the North Pole… I don't care what he does with them as long as nothing… listen carefully… NOTHING… compromises our operation… and you had that possibility as well…"
"Why do you think that prostitution is the oldest job in the history of humanity, Fortis?" Cypha said in a honeyed voice approaching him, "You could have had all the whores you wanted, we all do… Why did you have to go and play the holding-hands boyfriend with that girl? Is that what you want? ...A girlfriend? … A… NORMAL… life?"
Fortis took a deep breath, shaking his head. Then he stared at Karen.
"I just wanted something different, Karen. I have nothing to do with what happened to that girl. The police have nothing on me. They have no way of pinning me to her."
"That remains to be seen, Fortis..." Karen murmured, returning to her place on the couch.
Fortis waited but not long. He wasn't used to playing that game, not with Karen in particular.
"Have you heard anything?" he asked, trying to control the anxiety in his voice.
Karen waited a few seconds before answering him.
"They just don't have anything on us yet."
"Did you just find out?" Fortis insisted, clumsily trying to find out the information Karen had.
Cypha, from her position, smiled wickedly even though Fortis couldn't see her.
"From the very first moment that the news was out, Fortis... what we do is far too important to be destroyed by an idiot who thinks with his dick…" Karen said serene but contemptuous, she used to have a better opinion of Fortis but now she was taking measures in case the situation got complicated.
Fortis swallowed heavily and fell silent weighing the message behind Karen's words.
"At the moment, they have nothing on us," Karen repeated in a neutral voice all the time, " Our operation is not compromised and we must continue as planned... It's a shame... but apparently your girlfriend has been kidnapped by a madman, a serial killer, and torturer, whom we must thank for keeping TSAB busy and distracted enough… as is appropriate when it comes to the daughter of an important Army General… Did you know that detail about her, Fortis?"
Fortis's face tensed visibly and he opened his mouth several times to say something without quite actually managing to. Since he didn't want Sophia to inquire about him too much, he hadn't inquired about her either. His bad luck could not get worse.
"They have the Elite Unit that we already know of in charge of the case and they are ready to pin the kidnappings and murders of more than ten women on you, Fortis... Does our mission still seem like a pain in the ass to you?"
Apparently, luck could always get worse.
"Is there anything else we should know, Fortis?" Karen asked affably.
He weighed the decision carefully. Everything indicated that Karen's contact in the Government had access not only to the information she needed for her plans but to even more. He couldn't take chances especially considering Sophia's identity.
"I ran into her sister a couple of times."
Karen nodded.
"Try not to run into her ever again, Fortis."
As if that indication were a signal, Cypha opened the door and waited until a contrite and sorrowful Fortis came out to close it gently.
"I thought he would take longer to come," Cypha said on her way to resume her place on Karen's lap.
"Which means that maybe he's not as stupid as I thought at the beginning of this disaster."
With her head on the other's legs, Cypha raised one hand to gently play with the unruly hair of the other.
"What are your instructions from now on?"
Karen reached for a tablet device and opened it to have the image of Fortis who had just arrived at his workplace and sat down, dejected.
"Keep watching him closely… if he takes another wrong step…" Karen made a pause to look at Cypha and lightly caress her cheek, "Make sure TSAB finds him and can identify him as the man in their sketch… but nothing more."
— X —
TSAB's Headquarters, Section 6 offices, Special Unit of Violent Crimes
Midchilda City. Day 23, Tenth Month, 2044 - 20:00 hrs.
"It can't be, Fate-chan, it's just not logical…"
"I agree with Nanoha," Signum stated, serious, with her arms crossed over her chest.
The small meeting room of Section 6 where Nanoha and Fate had worked with the correlations of data during the weekend was even more full of information than before.
Nanoha had taken out all the information that Alto and Lucino had compiled and in addition to the usual work terminal, the investigator had included three more screens to work with as many lines of investigation.
"In the database of missing women, there are two very clear patterns," Nanoha insisted, walking to the front of the room, pointing to the different monitors where she had displayed the information that supported her claims. Despite the hours they had been working, a new fire was burning in the young investigator. She had found something that her instinct told her not to let go of, "Those who belong to high-risk groups, prostitutes, junkies, homeless women who live in the streets… marginal in all their possible definitions. Women from whom it is practically impossible to obtain a DNA sample because there is no one who can provide it."
Fate observed the graphs that Nanoha was pointing to.
"And there are these others... High-end women, from families with resources; businesswomen and executives, students from private institutes... I find it very difficult to explain a correlation where we have many limbs found that do not match the DNA samples provided by the relatives," Nanoha finished, raising her hands in front of her, "According to Shari's report, there are limbs found that belong to at least TWELVE other WOMEN, Fate… And we only have two matches?"
"Had…" Signum specified without moving a muscle, exasperating Nanoha and Fate with the detail.
"Yes, all left now is wait and hope that," Fate checked her device once again, "Lucy Heartfilia… is still alive… However, that doesn't guarantee that all the women from which we have DNA are or have been in his power."
Nanoha and Signum shook their heads in sync.
"Look at the pattern, Fate, only for the women that we are certain he has killed… we can tell they were exceptional women, not junkies or homeless. I don't believe that the unidentified limbs belong to unknown or homeless women."
"It may happen that the relatives did not provide DNA samples even if they are not homeless women," Fate argued. She knew what Nanoha wanted, but that request was going to cause them a LOT of problems and animosity towards them, she had to make sure the investigator was prepared for what would come their way.
"Even so, by doing the DNA analysis again we will be able to re-check all those who provided data and if we also use the national health database, perhaps we can even identify some additional ones," Nanoha insisted with a determined look.
"The DNA tests were performed in different dates and places, Fate," Signum added. "It's possible a mistake happened somewhere."
The meeting room door opened seconds before Signum finished her sentence and an overwhelmed Shamal briskly walked in as if someone she didn't want to see was following her closely.
"We scientists do not make mistakes," argued Shamal, falling heavily into one of the comfortable chairs, "We are extremely careful, meticulous and methodical... intelligent perhaps not, especially when we are unable to avoid getting involved in a mess of political entanglements related to terrorist attacks… especially when Nanoha-san abandons me to the mercy of the wolves…"
The three women looked at the newly arrived almost compassionately.
Nanoha was quick to pour a cup of coffee and offered it along with a hug to the doctor.
"It's been intense, huh, Shamal?" Fate asked with a sad smile, sitting next to her on the table. She would have liked to support Shamal in a different way, but the only thing she could do in those moments was to just be her friend.
Signum just stood where she was, looking at her partner.
"Phew… you have no idea," the doctor said, grabbing the cup of coffee Nanoha had given her and drinking a large gulp. "Don't you keep some brandy or whisky around, Fate? It would definitely spice up the coffee… and the day…"
They all laughed at the occurrence but Shamal seemed very serious about it.
"Maybe Hayate has some of that in her office, Shamal," Fate said, thinking that the doctor had never drunk in her life. Maybe her promotion wasn't going down well for her.
"I can probably treat you to that brandy at home, along with a hot shower and a cozy bed," Signum said at last, almost shyly.
Shamal looked at her partner with an enigmatic gaze.
"Ryōko Yakushiji was ALL day in the meetings we had on behalf of JACES, on behalf of her father and grandfather I mean," Shamal said, averting her gaze from Signum's.
Signum took a deep breath. Fate and Nanoha looked at each other.
"Then I must thank Major Natsume?" Fate said mockingly, "No wonder we had a quiet day around here."
"Oh, I would not recommend you getting anywhere near Major Natsume at this moment, Fate…" Shamal said in turn, raising her eyebrows, "The Major did not like at all the news that Nanoha will have to spend more time in Section 6…"
Fate shrugged, still smiling, but Nanoha made a worried face. The initiative she was thinking of was not going to make the transition that Major Natsume wanted any easier.
"We must make a decision, Fate, tomorrow I must report to Section 9 and this simple decision can change the course of things... I am sure we can find something," Nanoha said decisively; she did not mind confronting Major Natsume. They had to capture that individual as soon as possible.
Signum looked at Shamal and then Fate. The Enforcer needed no further explanation.
"Go home with Shamal, Signum… I'll stay a bit longer with Nanoha… We're almost done for the day."
Signum hesitated for a few seconds but Shamal's look indicated to her what was the decision to make.
Shamal warmly said goodbye to Fate and Nanoha and somewhat coldly walked next to Signum as they left. Fate raised her fist at Signum to keep strong before she followed her partner out.
"It seems that the toughest part of the day is just about to begin for Signum," Fate said, looking again at the data they were analyzing from the seat where she had sat next to Shamal.
"I think I can understand Shamal being upset," Nanoha said with unusual shyness.
Fate looked at her surprised, standing up.
"Nanoha, Shamal hasn't been home all week, she's been swamped with his case from hell, and I perfectly understand that… but to be angry at Signum because of Superintendent Yakushiji… It's preposterous! ...Signum worships Shamal! ...Wouldn't I know…"
It was Nanoha's turn to breathe in deeply and cross her arms over her chest.
"It's not just that Signum worships her…" Nanoha said, averting her gaze.
"What is it then?" Fate asked, genuinely interested in the answer.
"Maybe you haven't noticed but a lot of people talk about the way in which the… Superintendent… behaves with Signum-san… and also… with you," Nanoha was not looking at Fate still and kept talking while frantically typing in her terminal. "Even during the most critical phase of the subway attack, Signum was back and forth with her, for work reasons, I can understand that... but the Superintendent has not behaved in a completely professional way even then…"
Fate was standing completely staggered, almost open-mouthed.
She tried to say something a couple of times but was unable to find the right words.
"She's an attractive woman and I can't, nor should I," Nanoha added in a conciliatory way but still without looking at Fate, "criticize her choice of behavior… But maybe Signum-san should have clarified the relationship she and Shamal have. The superintendent might behave differently if she knew."
Fate controlled her nervousness and slowly approached Nanoha.
"You are right," Fate said, trying for her voice to sound as normal as possible, a hard feat considering how nervous she was. "Maybe Signum should have been clear regarding the relationship she and Shamal have but… you know? …For her, there is no one else but Shamal…"
It was until that moment that Nanoha dared to raise her face to meet Fate's crimson gaze.
"... Signum only has eyes for Shamal… I can assure you if you ask her what clothes Ryōko Yakushiji was wearing or the length of her skirt the first day she came to the office, the obtuse will not even be able to answer…" Fate added with absolute certainty and trust in her subordinate and friend.
Nanoha slightly arched a brow.
"So you DID notice the length of her skirt?"
Fate held her breath and tried unsuccessfully not to blush.
Maybe that wasn't the best example she could have used.
Nanoha tried her best to stay serious. Fate looked adorable when she was flustered. The young agent settled down with her arms crossed and her face inscrutable, waiting for Fate's response.
"It was just an example, Nanoha. I couldn't care less about the length of the skirt or the clothes anyone wears," Fate said looking at Nanoha, with the greatest serenity and determination that was possible but with her cheeks still slightly flushed.
It seemed that Fate wanted to say something more but in the end, held back.
Nanoha nodded.
"Maybe we should move forward with our investigation and not spread more rumors about our co-workers then…" Nanoha said, still internally amused at Fate's formality.
"I think that's an excellent idea," Fate said, sighing with relief and almost running, she headed towards the terminal to continue checking data.
Nanoha then allowed herself to smile slightly and followed the Enforcer to the terminal.
Far beyond how adorable it was to tease Fate-chan without the other realizing it, Nanoha felt a tender warmth spread in her chest at Fate's direct statement.
She wouldn't admit it if someone asked her directly, but she was glad that Fate didn't have a special interest in Ryōko Yakushiji… or anyone else.
— X —
Midchilda City Suburbs.
Day 23, Tenth Month, 2044 - 22:00 hrs.
All the way home, Signum and Shamal spoke little and barely about a few trivialities.
Although they sometimes had to take shifts during the weekend, the previous one had required an extraordinary one and Shamal had had to stay for different meetings with personnel from the CCEl and National Security because of the attacks. Their work did not only include work in the TSAB facilities but also in the different hospitals that housed those injured and infected by the attack.
"To this day, practically all those who were infected during the attack have died, Signum... It has not been made public but the commanders know that they will not be able to handle the media for much longer," Shamal said once they were in their apartment after throwing her bag on one of the sofas in the room, heading towards the kitchen.
The Yagami couple's apartment was smaller than the family apartment but very comfortable and functional. A spacious room for couches and a dining room large enough for the whole Yagami family and some friends, a modern kitchen with a countertop facing the living room and their bedroom.
They had no guest room at the moment.
This is why Signum had ended up sleeping on the couch days ago after Shamal's outburst due to Ryōko Yakushiji.
Signum took the Doctor by her arms and stopped her, hugging her from behind.
Shamal tensed for a moment in Signum's arms, but the firmness with which she was holding her told her that she had no plans to let her go.
"I wish I didn't sleep on the couch tonight," Signum whispered in Shamal's ear hoarsely. After that night that they had argued over Ryōko, Shamal had stayed every day at the TSAB facility.
"Although, in all truth… I almost wish not to sleep at all," Signum added, turning Shamal in her arms to kiss her.
Feeling the fire of Signum's desire almost always disarmed Shamal… but not tonight. Although she could not free herself from the warrior's grip, she dodged the kiss so Signum's lips ended up on her neck.
Fate's second-in-command didn't give up. She knew perfectly well THAT spot on Shamal's neck that made her gasp.
"Since when does Ryōko Yakushiji want to hire you as a consultant in JACES?"
The question, suddenly asked by a cold voice, paralyzed Signum.
She jerked away from Shamal to look at her, puzzled but not resigned to letting her go.
"You have no idea what I'm talking about, do you?" Shamal asked, and barely a faint trace of hurtful tone was perceptible in her voice.
"Of course I have no idea what you're talking about," she replied, looking directly into Shamal's eyes. The doctor knew Signum too well and for too long to know that she was not lying but was still too hurt by everything she had heard in the corridors of the office and from the lips of Ryōko herself.
Shamal released herself from Signum's grip and continued on her way to the kitchen.
Signum stopped her again by her arm.
"I wouldn't work for JACES or any of those military contractors even if I did not have a job at TSAB," Signum replied with a firm voice. "Even if I didn't have the chance to work in the army, the navy, or Midchilda's police… I'd rather be a security officer in a kindergarten rather than working for one of those companies…"
Signum said the above so seriously and with such a deep gaze, Shamal couldn't help but laugh.
"I doubt that a kindergarten needs someone like you…" Shamal said despite herself, still smiling.
Signum only took Shamal in her arms and this time she did manage to kiss her deeply and passionately.
Shamal's journey to the kitchen changed its course to the longest couch in the room. Signum did not stop kissing her for a single moment as she expertly stripped her clothes from her, swiftly but slowly; caressing and kissing the skin that she left exposed and then returning and claiming Shamal's lips before any protest arose from them.
She took her time with the doctor's underwear, who, already lying on the sofa, arched her back, moaning in time with Signum's kisses on the inner side of her thighs and her womb. When the wetness of Shamal's sex was more than evident through the soft fabric that covered her, Signum removed this last garment and her lips met the most intimate lips that eagerly awaited her.
Shamal gasped and her fingers entwined with Signum's hair pulling her even closer to her body.
Signum knew what that meant.
In seconds, hardly leaving her task between Shamal's legs, she ripped her clothes off and then settled on top of her woman. Shamal's legs hugged her waist and when her centers met, she began to move slowly over her. Signum possessed her strongly to climax, with all the passion that had consumed her during those days of separation.
Panting, they hugged each other on the couch for several minutes until Signum sat up to look at her woman intently.
"I do not want anyone...but you, never... anyone, Shamal…"
Shamal stroked Signum's face, seriously.
"Not even…"
"Not even," Signum interrupted with a firm, hard look. "No one."
Shamal took a breath and looked away. Even after their relationship began, the intensity in Signum's gaze was sometimes more than her heart could bear. She didn't want it any other way, but sometimes she feared the immensity of her own feelings for Signum.
"The people in the office keep gossiping non-stop about you, you and Fate… and that damn woman had the nerve to affirm at today's meeting that she had plans for you to be part of the JACES advisory board. The battle between the military contractors has been intense and she…"
Signum took Shamal's face to make him look at her.
"I don't care about Ryōko Yakushiji, nor JACES, nor any of them… TSAB will have to deal with them… I only care about you," she said, before kissing Shamal again softly and deeply.
For a long time, they stayed naked, stretched out on the couch, their legs intertwined, talking about the situation that Shamal was living in between pauses to kiss and cuddle. At times Shamal sounded sad and Signum's caresses comforted her; at times, she was upset when she spoke of her frustration and her kisses calmed her, returning her to her center, giving her strength.
"You can't save them all, Shamal," Signum told her, petting her.
"No, Signum, but we haven't been able to save not even one," Shamal replied with a hurtful gaze, almost feeling guilty for being so alive and in the arms of the woman she loved. "The mortality of this virus is a hundred percent, confirmed. However, the asymptomatic people still do not develop the disease yet and we have also confirmed they are not carriers either."
Signum was silent, pondering whether it would be appropriate to ask the question that had been on her mind for days since the parade of private contractors had started at the TSAB offices.
"Why have they called so many companies?" she asked.
Shamal smiled and suddenly kissed Signum on the lips.
"Hayate told me that detail would not go unnoticed by you," Shamal explained.
Signum made an exasperated face but smiled.
"Our suspicions were that the virus was manufactured in a laboratory and that we have confirmed so far, what we did not think... was that parts of its 'engineering' had been designed, by order of the government, by one of those companies…" Shamal looked at Signum with raised eyebrows leaving the rest of the sentence in the air.
Signum nodded.
Top-secret government projects maintained a delicate balance of values. Developing the tools and means they required to fight crime often required skirting and sometimes simply crossing the line of legality and ethics.
Those in charge of this task were the military contractors who pocketed gigantic projects, with government financing, to develop this equipment with the commitment of delivering them to their sponsors.
The problem with these large companies was that they did not always have total control over what they developed. And many times, it did not suit them to have it. Industrial secrets related to sophisticated weapons, materials that could be used in chemical or biological weapons, as well as high technology had very high prices on the black market and on some occasions, certain components were sold to the highest bidder.
Signum knew it perfectly.
There were justified reasons why she would never work for any of those companies.
"They can't directly investigate the company that developed those components so Graham is making a smokescreen to hunt them down," Signum said.
"That's one part," Shamal said, rearranging her posture on the couch to snuggle better into Signum's arms before adding, "Graham, along with the Harlaowns, are working with other senior army and navy generals and admirals to better regulate the military contractors. The terrorists, presumably the Huckebein organization, have access to so many technologies and resources that rival ours… that it can only have one explanation."
"Someone is providing it to them," Signum said, approaching Shamal's head and inhaling deeply the scent of her hair. She was trying not to show it, but as Shamal's story progressed, her concern for her wife grew. Shamal was going to be caught in the middle of a wild shark hunt.
"Someone uses government resources to develop high technology, sells it to us and also sells it or shares it with terrorist organizations. The generals that Graham and Lindy have allied with seek not only to discover the origin and destination of that operation but to disable it completely and prevent other contractors from repeating a similar scenario in the future," finished Shamal already fully huddled in Signum.
"That is much easier said than done," Signum thought with a deep frown. She would have to talk to Testarossa about it and they would have to get prepared. Shamal hadn't mentioned anything but Signum wondered what role Yuri Natsume played in that complicated chess game.
Was Natsume sided with the good ones… or the bad ones?
Signum did not want to find out by putting at risk the life of the woman she loved.
"Who?" Signum asked without a trace of emotion.
"Vandein Corporation."
"JACES and LOGOS are just a smokescreen then?"
"Not entirely, they have not developed viruses or biological material, not at least for some government project but they handle cutting-edge technology in cybernetics, robotics, weapons design... and well, I think you know more about that than I do…" Signum made an indeterminate gesture of modesty and then kissed Shamal lightly, "The Vandein corporation developed the engineering of that virus, but the others might not be entirely free of suspicion… Also…"
"What…?"
"The truth is that these days have been mayhem but... I have learned a lot watching the Admirals in action and I have been able to meet big names that I never imagined I could meet…" Shamal said excitedly, lifting her head from Signum's shoulder.
"It seems that having endless meetings with a horde of old and pot-bellied generals is an exciting activity…" Signum said with a smile mocking Shamal a bit, "I would never have imagined it."
"General Griffith from the Army is heaps away from being old and pot-bellied…" Shamal countered with a seductive expression, "The man is positively beautiful, I couldn't believe it when I met him in person... He looks much better than in pictures; he could be an actor or a model instead of a military."
To Signum's memory came the image of the man that Shamal mentioned. She had run into him a couple of times. Tall, slender but muscular, in his late thirties, with long wavy platinum blonde hair, almost white, with fine, delicate features enhanced by intense blue eyes.
Her mocking smile disappeared.
A pang of satisfaction spread through Shamal's chest.
"Being that beautiful should be forbidden for a man," Shamal added, not entirely satisfied yet with the look on Signum's face. "But he's also kind, charming, and a true gentleman; he actually makes all the other men look like jerks… He's chivalrous and delightful, even with Major Natsume, even if that woman is made of ice… He even invited me to see his Division in Ruwella when I had the chance and…"
As Shamal endlessly complimented the renowned General, Signum narrowed her eyes, pondering the next course of her strategy.
She was not a woman of words but action; the doctor should have clear to whom she belonged to.
Without altering her expression and taking advantage of the fact that Shamal was naked in her arms, Signum began to kiss gently at first, and more possessively as she advanced, on Shamal's neck and shoulders.
"... uh... Signum... wait, that's going to leave a mark..." the Doctor protested slightly.
Signum did not flinch for the moment and with a deft movement, she settled again over Shamal kissing her passionately.
"...That's exactly the point ..." Signum murmured in Shamal's ear before making love to her again.
— X —
TSAB's Headquarters, Section 6 offices, Special Unit of Violent Crimes
Midchilda City. Day 24, Tenth Month, 2044 - 00:15 hrs.
It was past midnight when Fate and Nanoha were finally heading out of the office.
After summarizing all the information they had compiled between themselves and the team, the two presented the case to Hayate along with a request that left Colonel Yagami looking at them seriously with a raised eyebrow.
Section 6 would request that DNA testing on all the female limbs found to date be run again… directly at the facility and under TSABs supervision.
Hayate had argued just as Fate had thought she would. The Enforcer let Nanoha answer each and every one of her questions and with each response from the young investigator, it became clear to Fate how much Nanoha had grown in those months.
She did not know what Hayate's reasons had been for supporting Nanoha's decision to become a TSAB agent but she had to admit that her friend had been right.
Nanoha was on the way to become an exceptional agent.
They had finally got Hayate's support for the confirmation of the DNA tests and the application submitted to her included that Nanoha would define the methodology and oversee the process.
None of the three women made reference to 'the inconveniences' that this decision would cause in the new leader of Section 9.
Fate and Nanoha walked together and in silence towards the parking lot. It had been a long and very tiring day, maybe they had not progressed visibly but they were both very satisfied. Nanoha in particular was very excited about conducting new DNA tests.
However, another idea hovered in her head.
"Do you want me to take you home?" Fate asked at that moment since her car was only a few steps away.
Nanoha seemed to consider it for a few moments, so many that Fate even looked at her puzzled.
"Could we go to that… cops place where we went last time?" Nanoha asked, causing a sudden expression of surprise in Fate's face. "There's something… I'd like to talk with you about… If you're not too tired of course… silly me, you've been working all weekend and they even called you before dawn… I'm sorry, Fate-chan, I had forgotten…"
Fate, still a little dumbstruck, was quick to reply.
"No, no, no! … I mean, yes… it's been a long day but it would help to have something before getting home… you know," Fate added a little embarrassed. "I don't think I have anything to eat in my apartment… aside from the carpet."
Nanoha laughed heartily, clearly imagining the stage.
"It's late and we have worked hard, I can let Hayate know we will get in a little late tomorrow and it's on the way, so it's all right," she said, still nervous, opening the door of her car automatically so that Nanoha would get in.
Nanoha, standing next to the car, slightly flustered.
"I think I can open the door by myself," she said, still smiling.
"Right… sorry," Fate replied, hurrying to her own side.
It took less than a minute for Fate to get her mighty sports car into gear and head out of the Section 6 parking lot.
Neither of the two girls noticed, at any time, that the figure of Yuri Natsume from the main building of TSAB did not lose the detail of their movements. As soon as Fate's car left the complex, Natsume activated her communication device to speak with one of her officers.
At that time of night, they arrived very quickly at the favorite café-bar of the Midchilda Police Station, and Fate, discovering she was famished, immediately ordered a double burger, fries, a salad, and a beer as soon as they sat down.
The Enforcer had chosen, as on the previous occasion, a booth further away from the bar and the central area of the premises, which, considering it was the first day of the week, was quite crowded.
"Fate-chan will get nightmares eating all that," Nanoha said, still undecided about her dinner option.
"That's why I ordered the salad," Fate explained with a shrug.
Nanoha smiled without understanding the connection between what Fate had ordered with the salad and finally opted to just have a salad for her.
Fate didn't comment anything, she just looked at her as if she realized for the first time that Nanoha was always very healthy with her choice of food.
"I would wake up at midnight, starving to death if I only ate that," Fate said.
"It's midnight already!" Nanoha pointed out laughing.
"That explains why I'm so hungry," Fate said before taking a long gulp from the huge mug of beer that she had just been poured.
Nanoha for her part took a sip of the tea she ordered to accompany her dinner.
"I think I'm ready to listen to whatever's on your mind," Fate said with a warm smile looking at Nanoha. "And the consequences your idea will have."
"Can you tell already?" Nanoha asked with curiosity.
"Not entirely, but I saw you very self-absorbed with the forensic doctor of the police this morning. And you were reviewing the case over the weekend. I have a feeling that you are brooding something although I would be lying to you if I told you that I can guess what it is," Fate answered simply.
Nanoha took a deep breath.
"Kaori Makimura," she said.
"Yes, the ex-cop girl… today's girl had similar patterns with her case," Fate started to devour the salad as soon as it was in front of her.
"Correct. You see, at first, I was very puzzled by the cases where only the heads of the victims had been found and especially the case of Kyoko Tokiwa, where only the torso has been found… However… Kaori Makimura was the first victim to be identified and the only, so far, in which three limbs were found before finding the head and confirming the murder… which also presents different characteristics to the following beheadings. Kaori Makimura spent at least six months in that subject's power and apparently, he was systematically dismembering her throughout that time."
"You're right, the Makimura case seems different to the rest, including the Tokiwa, Stingray, and Clyne cases, but I don't believe she was the victim zero… That bastard must have started way before that."
"Exactly!" Nanoha exclaimed, suddenly looking at Fate's empty plate and then at hers, still intact, and grabbed her fork to start eating. "However, I believe Makimura is a key element. He acted differently with her for a reason and we need to figure out why that was."
"What do you suggest?" Fate asked as she started a systematic attack on the massive hamburger that had landed in front of her.
"We need to open a special case to investigate Makimura, what she did and in which cases she worked while she was a cop, and also which cases she was following as a private detective. We need to have access to all her files and investigate her in full measure. We even need to verify her possible relation to all the confirmed victims so far and with all the women that fall into the killer's hunting profile and that are reported as missing."
Fate stopped eating for a few seconds.
"That must have already been done by Cranagan's police, Nanoha… we need the information in our files," Fate said with a serious voice, despite already knowing the ending of that conversation.
"Yes, what we have in our files is zero, zilch… nada," Nanoha said firmly, doing a zero with her hand to emphasize her point. "I checked during the weekend, Fate-chan. Kaori Makimura was the first victim to be identified and yet that's what attracted my attention this morning; she should have been identified even before finding her head. Her DNA is in the national database of security personnel, like all of us, the police and special forces, the army, the navy, etcetera."
"They found their limbs first, Nanoha, no one could have known they belonged to an ex-cop," Fate argued. "They knew it was her until they found their head and it's reasonable, the DNA tests began long after the first limbs were found and they were cross-checked only with the database of missing women."
"But she should have been in that database. Someone must have reported her as missing."
"Alto and Lucino worked with all the data from the victims," Fate said, who, having already finished her dinner, checked her device and frowned at the results she found.
Nanoha smiled.
"Finally," Nanoha said with a triumphant smile. "Surely I had the same face this afternoon when I checked the data again."
Fate looked up from her device, deadly serious.
"Nobody reported Makimura as missing."
"Tell me that doesn't strike you as extremely odd, Fate-chan," Nanoha added with bright eyes. "There's something about Makimura and her relationship to our subject that might be the key for this case, I'm sure of it."
And for the first time during the evening, Nanoha attacked the food with much greater enthusiasm than Fate.
For about thirty minutes the two agents talked about the case and agreed on a strategy regarding the line of investigation of the ex-cop. Without Shamal on the team, an important part of the scientific work on that case would fall to Nanoha.
Fate didn't want to pressure the rookie investigator by mentioning at that moment also all the amount of work that accumulated for her in Section 9 but as they walked towards where they had parked the car, the blonde promised herself to get scientific resources for her team immediately.
Nanoha however, did not seem concerned at all but in full swing.
"I'll speak tomorrow with Hayate," Fate said. They had reached her car but neither seemed to be in the mood to get on and they stayed talking next to it a little longer, "I'll get more resources so you can distribute all the work that we will have... I prefer that you coordinate that part of the investigation and dedicate yourself to what is really essential. You will have my full support and also of the team, Nanoha, don't worry."
Nanoha smiled broadly and sincerely.
"I am not worried, Fate-chan but I really appreciate it…" Nanoha said, and almost without realizing it, she got carried away by her enthusiasm, lightly punching Fate on the shoulder. "We'll do a great job, you'll see. Tomorrow I'll be sure to catch up on the pending matters with Section 9 as quickly as possible, but will update the tasks I need to do with Alto and Lucino first thing in the morning."
Fate was careful enough no to open the door for Nanoha this time and to continue with the relaxed mood, she nodded and put her open palm up in front of the red-haired saying with a smile, "We've got a plan."
Nanoha raised her palm and slapped Fate's, also smiling.
Suddenly, the air between them became thicker. They looked at each other and something happened, making them very aware of the presence of the other.
Their enthrallment lasted for a few seconds and after that, they exchanged shy glances and Fate headed towards the driver's side. Despite her nervousness, Nanoha got into the car with a warm familiarity that she was starting to like… a lot. She felt like she belonged there more than anywhere else, which was strange considering she had never been a fan of cars and then the realization hit her.
The warmth came from being next to Fate.
At that time, Nanoha wished that they would not only do a great job but also that they could also make a great team.
The redhead looked from the corner of her eye at the blonde's profile as she skillfully drove through the almost deserted streets of that area of the city and decided that, whatever happened, she would take care of that bond that was flourishing between them... even if she couldn't have anything else.
Fate dropped Nanoha at her house shortly after one in the morning, waited until the young woman was safely inside the property, and drove pensively for an additional quarter of an hour to her own apartment.
Both women, each in her own way, thought about the case and the other as they arrived at their own homes and got ready to sleep.
Neither of them noticed the thin young man who had arrived at the police cafe-bar shortly after them and who remained at the bar until they left. Nor did they notice the stealthy cars that followed them in perfect sync to the Takamachi home. It was understandable up to a point, the sequences between those who watched them were so masterfully executed that for them, the cars they crossed corresponded to sporadic 'normal' early morning traffic.
Nanoha, still overjoyed with the day's results, didn't think that anyone in her family was still awake, let alone waiting for her.
Shiro and Momoko were careful not to be seen when their daughter entered the residence, but through the closed-circuit system that monitored the house and its surroundings, they took good notice of Fate's car, which once again was in charge of taking their daughter home at night.
The two looked at each other in the gloom of the kitchen and Shiro decided it was time to take action.
— X —