Been awhile since I updated!
I have some good ideas for the next few chapters,
so be prepared!
I left you guys off on a bit of a cliffhanger
so I bet you're excited for this!
Thanks for reading!
Enjoy!
So here's chapter 4!
.
.
.
.
.
'Apocalypse is on its way, we're all trained to be afraid-'
.
.
.
.
.
Chapter 4: Talking
~QOoOQ~
It had been a week since the bombing. Lucy and Natsu had ended up having a ride on an ambulance to the hospital to get themselves checked out. Both inhaled way too much smoke and Natsu ended up with a cracked rip while Lucy herself only received minor injuries along with a few bruised ribs. The blonde flipped through documents of the reports on the bombing, forensics evidence would finally becoming in today and she was impatient to see what the hell they had. "Come on Luce, relax a bit..." She felt her partners warm hand on her shoulder.
"You're telling me to relax, Dragneel? There is a criminal with multiple lives on his hands running loose and yet you want me to relax?" He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
"How many times have I told you to call me Natsu?"
"How many times have I told you not to call me Luce?" She promptly turned from him and down to the paper in her hands. The twins that had been in the building they were in still needed a home. Apparently their only relative had been killed in the incident. Now they were without a family or a home. Fuck, she hated seeing children like that. Maybe she could ask a favor from her brother? No, he already has three to look after with his wife. Perhaps Erik? No, he basically lives in the forensics lab, it wouldn't be healthy for the twins.
Lucy shook her head. She shouldn't be thinking of this now, she needed to gather the information from some of the witnesses, they still had more to collect but for now she would deal with what they had. She quickly scanned through them. They were all very informative, although it made sense. The only witness that would really help them would be the announcer, but he's dead. She took a sip of her coffee and glanced around the room. The atmosphere was tense, unlike its usual carefree feeling.
Her eyes travelled to the scarlet haired detective. The woman had been beating herself up over the lives lost in the bombings. Erza hadn't said anything but Lucy knew the look she held on her face all-too well. It wasn't a sight Lucy could get used to, she had seen Erza around the MPD quite a bit and she always seemed to have a stone hard face. This was nothing like the brave girl she had seen before. Although it was a given considering plenty of lives had been lost, and all for what? They hadn't caught the suspect nor did they find any concrete evidence.
Lucy overheard some of the forensics team speaking. They were talking about how the evidence would do them no good. She needed the evidence though. What type of bomb was used? Was it a timer or a trigger? Is there any distinct traits that related to a previous case? Lucy clenched her hands into fists. The maniac sounded as if he enjoyed it. He enjoyed the fear everyone was giving him. He enjoyed having that control over anyone. There had to be something behind it all. Vengeance? It couldn't be, what vengeance would he have against a few hundred people? Maybe it was a sacrifice? But for whom and for what reason? They were all possibilities but none of them seemed to fit the way he acted.
A man of vengeance would be angrier, more aggressive toward anyone he spoke, this man seemed playful. If he was sacrificing those lives for someone or something, the possibility of the suspect preaching his beliefs to his hostages would have been likely but he didn't. Although they couldn't rule that out. The suspect seemed to enjoy the idea of everything blowing up in flames. A pyromaniac? It was likely, an arsonist would be best to figure something like this out. Maybe she should ask her friend later. A knock on their headquarters door interrupted her thoughts. Levy walked in a moment later with her goggles placed atop her head.
"The analysis and evidence came back." She told them bluntly before holding a folder and handing it to Gray. "There isn't much to go off of but it may be enough to give us some suspects in criminal records that we have filed away." Gray opened the file and skimmed over its contents. "The bomb that was used was called a pipe bomb; an improvised explosive device that can turn simple, low explosives to produce a relatively large explosion. The fragments of the pipe itself can create potentially lethal shrapnel." She paused as their faces turned grim.
"So was it a timer or did he have a detonator?"
"It seems the suspect made the fuse so it was electric which was attached to a timer, set to detonate after fifty-minutes of being activated." Her face turned grim as she looked over to Lucy, "the original explosive was just a minor homemade bomb created by cleaning chemicals found in most homes so there was no distinctive evidence in there that we could use. Sorry we couldn't help you anymore Lucy, but the Pipe Bomb may help narrow the search results down." She nodded at the forensics' scientist.
"It's no problem Levy-Chan, you did your best. Thank Erik for me too, will you?" Although her brother mainly focused on poisons, he always jumped to help her when she was in need of help. Levy nodded before turning around and exiting the room. She hadn't given them much information, but they could at least name a few suspects. Gildarts took a long drag from his smoke before looking at them.
"Erza, Mystogan-I want you both to look into past cases with similar traits as this one. Gray, I need you to go get some more witness testimonies from the hospital-if they try giving you any trouble just tell them to call me and I will take care of it." He looked to Laxus. "I want you to go back to the scene of the crime and see if we missed anything, doesn't matter how trifling it may be-anything could help us. Natsu and Lucy, you both are to go home and rest for a bit, you have to patrol around the Zoo tonight and I don't want either of you to fall asleep and possibly miss something, so make sure you rest."
"Mr. Clive," Lucy spoke up. "I'm rested enough to finish my work-"
"That's an order Lucy. I want you to go home and rest." Mavis, she didn't want to rest. She hated do something so relaxing when she could be out there doing something for the case. She needed to listen to Gildarts though. She would rest for the day but tomorrow she would be working late.
~QOoOQ~
He couldn't breathe! Where was his father? The heat was becoming unbearable. His body was screaming. He just wanted to sleep. It hurt so much. Where was his father? He could see flames flicking through the holes in the walls he was facing. Why was there a fire? What happened? Surely it wasn't his Dad. His father was extremely cautious around them when he was toying with fire. He was around fire all the time for his job after all, he knew it was dangerous. A dull thud echoed around the room. The ceiling was beginning to collapse. Where is his dad!?
A sharp pain ran through his side. Natsu blinked blearily at his stomach. There was a pipe lodged through his side. That was why it hurt. What was he supposed to do? It hurt so much to move and he couldn't just wait until the firemen came. It would be too late by then. He needed to get out before help arrived otherwise he would be eaten by the flames. What did his father always tell him to do? Stop, drop and roll. He couldn't do that very well but he could crawl. His father always told him to stay low.
The air was getting thick. Coughs erupted from his mouth and he pulled his scarf over his face. He hated dirtying his scarf but if getting his scarf dirtied with soot was what it took to get out, he would. Natsu put his hands on the door, good, it was cool. The fire was in the room next to him but that didn't mean it couldn't travel. He opened the door quickly and scurried toward the stairs. He could faintly hear sirens. They were coming! Where was his dad? Nobody else was home today, only his dad. Where could he be?
He crawled down the stairs carefully, the crackling of the flames getting louder behind him. A few more steps left! Where was his dad? Pain shot through his side and he tumbled down the remaining steps. Mavis it burned! He could hear groaning behind him. His dad! He pushed through the pain and crawled over to his father who lay breathless on the ground, trapped under heaps of wood. "Dad!" Natsu pulled at his father's arms, desperately trying to pull him out!
His father shook him off and handed him a damp cloth. "Go get help son!" He didn't want to. The building was going to collapse! What if help didn't come in time! He wouldn't leave him. His father glared sternly at him, "Do as I say Natsu! Go!" He was wasting time. Should he go? His father looked at him earnestly, "Everything will be okay son. Go get some help." Tears were running down his face. Why did it seem like his father was lying? He left anyway. He limped out of the house and down the street to where he saw a figure.
"Wait!" He called out breathlessly. The pain in his side was no longer numb. It was getting hard to see and his breathing was becoming labored. The figure didn't halt its pace. Perhaps they didn't hear him. "Please! My Dad needs help!" He cried again and this time the figure stopped. Natsu crouched over his knees and looked up at the figures back, grasping the persons coat. "Please help my Dad! He's stuck!" There's a fire in his house! He needed help. Finally the figure turned and he could see the eyes of the person widened briefly before they narrowed.
"You can't help him now." The figure told him bluntly. The pain was getting worse and everything was starting to fade. "I can't help him." No. The man was lying. His father said everything would be okay. Suddenly something caught his eye and before he could react, pain coursed through his head and everything went dark.
…
Natsu jolted awake in his own sweat. Again? He ran a shaky hand through his hair. Where were his pills? He needed them. He fumbled around his nightstand in the darkness of his room. Where did he put them? There they were! He popped open the lid. He grabbed two and swallowed them along with some water. His head was throbbing. The pin would go away soon. He didn't have to remember. Push it down. Fuck he wanted a drink. But he couldn't, he was on duty tonight.
What time was it? He has an hour before he had to meet up with Lucy. Natsu needed a shower. He felt disgusting and he needed to relax himself. He flicked on the lights to his bathroom and blinked. It was bright. Maybe a shower in the dark? He turned the water onto freezing cold and stepped under it. He could hear the crackling of the flames. Natsu leaned his head against the wall, he needed to forget. It's in the past. Suppress it and bury it down. His hands lazily stroked the scar on his side. Some things he couldn't forget.
It was hard to breath! The smell of flames burning through the wood of their house! Maybe he needed more pills? He would talk to his doctor after tonight. He would have the next day off so it would be fine. He finished his shower and dried off. He needed to eat and then go. Natsu slipped in casual clothes. Tonight they wouldn't need their uniform. He grabbed an apple from the kitchen and glanced at the time. Shit! He was going to be late. Natsu grabbed his keys, badge and gun before dashing out of his house and racing toward the zoo.
Lucy is going to kill him.
~QOoOQ~
"You're late." She pointed out once Natsu arrived. Lucy had been waiting fifteen minutes past their meet up time and she was already agitated and cold. He paused for a moment and looked at her.
"Did you walk here?"
"Obviously." She rolled her eyes at him and crossed her arms. "I don't have a car." He nodded and gestured for her to get in his car. Truthfully she'd much rather be working on the case at headquarters but she wasn't her own boss anymore. Lucy needed to listen to Gildarts from now on.
"Why don't you have a car?"
"I live close enough to work so that I don't need one." She buckled herself into the seat as they began to move. "Besides I prefer to walk."
"Even when it's cold?"
"…" She didn't answer him but it was clear she was not keen on the idea of being out in the cold. Natsu took this moment to briefly observe her. She was in her casual clothes which weren't to different from what she wore at work. Jeans, a loose top, a warm jacket and combat boots. It was something that she could comfortably wear if she needed to run. He couldn't help but think she looked pretty. Back away from those thoughts.
"So, have any guesses as to who bombed the zoo?"
She shook her head grimly. "No, although I am assuming the suspect is male-I don't think he used a voice modifier when he spoke through the microphone."
He nodded and turned a corner. "Yeah, I agree with you on that. Although I can't help but wonder why…"
"That happens with every case, 'why would they do something like that? What was the force behind their actions that would build their desire to commit a crime?' It's a common question but we can't always understand the reason." She turned her head away from him to look out the window. "Criminals say one thing and whether it's true or not, it doesn't always make sense."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, that a criminal's reason will never truly make sense to anyone other than them. For example, a criminal with past issues that messed with his mind and turned into an untreated mental illness, he may explain his motive to us to the best of his ability but we won't ever truly get it unless we can see exactly what's going on in their mind." He nodded. This girl was observant from what he could tell. He admired that in a detective.
"You're Laxus' little sister right?" She nodded in reply and he asked. "Why don't you use the same last name as he does? Heartfilia."
"Because I don't feel like I am one."
He was confused. "But you are, aren't you?"
"On paper. I didn't know my father until I was already well aware of my surroundings. That's when I met Laxus and Erik," She glanced at him suspiciously. "Why do you want to know?"
"We're partners and I think that in order to work well together, we need to get to know each other. Go ahead and ask a question about me." She was hesitant to answer him. Maybe she was just nervous to open up to someone new? He wasn't that much of a stranger to her though, they had been working together for a week. Although they never had a chance quite like this to talk normally up until now.
"How long have you been in first unit for?"
He smiled lazily. "About a year, almost two now. Although I knew Erza and the guys way before I joined." She turned to him curiously.
"You knew them before working?"
"Yeah, met Erza and Mystogan in High School and Gray and your brother in middle school." He shook his head and chuckled at Lucy. "Honestly we were all pretty big troublemakers back then, not one of us thought we would become a police officer-well maybe Erza, she was always keen on discipline."
"…I can imagine that."
"Right? She always denies it and still says she is inexperienced but she's on par with Gildarts and that says a lot." Natsu looked at her hesitantly, "You know, she feels guilty about the whole bombing incident-she thinks if she had of listened to you we could have saved more people, maybe everyone." Lucy knew that. She could see the guilt covering the scarlet haired detectives eyes every time the case was brought up. She rolls down the window and lights a cigarette. "Smoking's bad for your health, Lucy."
She ignored his comment. "After hearing Levy's report I doubt my way would have been any better than what Scarlet had planned so she shouldn't beat herself up over it." That was an impossible statement for Erza to agree to.
Natsu looked at her stoically, he could tell there was something wrong. She seemed so detached. Why wouldn't she open up to them? Didn't she see that they were a family in first unit? Maybe it wasn't just them. Natsu had noticed her guarded expression through the past week, even when she was speaking to Laxus. It seemed odd. He knew he shouldn't pry but, he promised himself that he would break down that shell.
"How about we stop and get some coffee? It's going to be a long night." She nodded and he pulled up beside a small overnight café. For now he wouldn't push her, they still weren't too close yet but he was determined to find out just why she detached herself from everyone.
.
.
.
.
.
'-Just animals that can't be tamed, we're all just savages.'
.
.
.
.
.
Shattered-Nightmares 712: The plot has started developing more! I will probably update Still Breathing or Hell's Gate after this so watch for that! Who do you think the bomber is? They have a few suspects but are they right? Or are they not? What do you think Natsu's dream was about? That will be explained later on but not for a while so you will have to wait for that! Thank you so much for reading and for those of you who review, a special thanks from me!
Until next time!
Love it? Hate it? Review!