Red + Red + Rose : Chpt. Six : Difference
The beeping did not subside, it continued to sound in the background along with the low humming of numerous other machines that were hooked up to her and keeping her alive.
I fell.
Her mind started to un-fog and she began remembering what happened. She had been dancing at the club and two large men had started attacking Seifer. They had a gun and a knife in their possession and they dragged Seifer out of the club before shooting her cage to the floor. She came to, only for a moment, when being raced into the ambulance that was taking her to the intensive care unit in the hospital.
I want to wake up.
She blinked her eyes open to stare into the face of a petite girl around her age with flowing raven-colored hair. She looked please to see her awaken from her deep slumber.
"Just another one who fell for him." She said, the girl was sitting on the edge of her bed and staring at her now, "I'll bet you hate him right now too."
"What?" She asked, her voice came out in a whisper.
"Seifer Almasy, who else would I be talking about? Welcome back to the real world, Quistis. We've got to get you out of here soon, before they come around."
"What the hell are you?"
"My name is Rinoa Heartilly, I'm an independent agent along with my partner. We work closely with the FBI but we're not an actual unit."
"Agent?"
She nodded and studied the wires that were attached to Quistis.
"Blake's men will be here soon to finish up the job, I've got to get you out of this hospital before they come around."
"I don't understand?"
"You were an eye-witness to a beating and kidnapping. You have some dangerous people on your back."
"Who's Blake?" She tested the name on her tongue.
"The man behind all of this. He's a cold, heartless f***er but he's one of the most powerful criminals in this city.
"What does he want with Seifer?"
"Seifer had a little brawl with Blake about one of his prostitutes, the argument was a heated one. Your boyfriend believed that Blake abducted and killed one of his women and he was correct."
"So Blake go angry?"
"Yes. He acted cool and calm about it when Seifer confronted him and walked off but then sent a few of his men to grab Seifer."
"How do you know Seifer?"
"I used to be one of them. Standing on a corner to please him."
"I see. So how are you planning to get me out of here? I have no clue what half these tubes and machines are doing."
"That's alright." She leaned in closer and grabbed Quistis' hand, examining the tubes carefully, she grabbed hold of them and tightened her grip, "This is going to hurt."
She yanked out the intervenus and another strange tube as well.
"Shit." Quistis bit her lip and winced.
"Alright, now all that's left is the one supplying you with extra oxygen. Can you breathe okay?"
Nodding through the pain, she clenched her hands into fists.
"Don't worry, this one won't hurt."
She ripped off the other tube as quick as possible and removed it from Quistis mouth.
"Okay, this hospital gown doesn't help at all."
"I'm sorry that I couldn't bring a pair of extra clothes." Quistis' voice dripped with sarcasm.
"There's no time for arguing or insults. Put this on."
Rinoa shoved a pair of tight-fitting black pants and a matching tank top at her and turned around.
"Go on."
Slipping the top over her head and sliding the pants over her legs and hips, she dressed quickly and stood behind Rinoa.
"Are we going? What happened to Irvine?"
"Irvine locked himself in his apartment and Squall's waiting outside your room."
"Irvine…" She whispered.
"Don't worry, he'll be okay." Rinoa put on a pair of sunglasses and handed a pair to Quistis, "You weren't even hurt badly, just a few cuts, bruises and a concussion."
"Why is Squall waiting?"
"Squall and I are a pair. We work together and don't trust anyone else, but we're making an exception this time. We need your help to find and stop Blake. I know that you want to stop him too."
"By my beside? You and Squall work together?" She asked, they stepped outside the room and, sure enough, Squall was waiting for them.
He took a long look at Quistis and then Rinoa before leading them down the hall and into the elevator.
"Yes, I first met him after getting into a bad situation when working for Seifer. Squall helped me."
"Then why-"
"Did I let Seifer beat me up? We've been following you for a while now, we knew that Seifer was dealing with Blake and we knew that you were close to him. Obviously, we couldn't talk to Seifer because he would have too many questions for Rinoa and wouldn't want to help after what she did to him."
"So," Rinoa continued for him, "We thought that you might be a bit more willing to help."
"Were you at the club last night?"
"Yes." Rinoa replied.
"Then why didn't you help him?" She asked her, suddenly becoming angry.
"Calm down, we couldn't go after Blake's men because he had backup lurking around. There were too many and we didn't know that they would try to take Seifer that night."
"You could have at least-"
"We'll get him back, don't worry." Rinoa interrupted.
The elevator doors opened and they walked through the lobby and toward the parking lot. She had too many questions on her mind to even begin thinking of what would happen now.
How, exactly, do you plan to get Seifer back? Why are they independent agents? Has Squall ever opened up to Rinoa? How long were they following me?
Her head swam with thoughts and so she decided to ignore them. It wasn't doing her any good to worry about Seifer and his injuries either. As they walked throug the hospital corridors she lowered her gaze to the floor, making sure that nobody would recognize her, and continued to follow Squall and Rinoa.
She used to work for Seifer? What did he do to her? Why are the both dressed in black with sunglasses?
She noted that she had several bruises on her arm and then looked at Squall.
So that's where he got the other bruises from. What else have they been doing, aside from tracking down Blake?
Everyone was silent as they walked through the doors leading outside and headed over to a jeep and a motorcycle.
"You'll be riding with Squall in the Jeep, he'll drive you home to salvage whatever you can from your apartment. I'll be taking the bike to check out what's happening at Seifer's corners."
Quistis nodded at plan and followed Squall into the Jeep while watching Rinoa mount the motorcycle and start it up. She clipped on her seatbelt and watched Squall as he revved up the engine before nodded to Rinoa and backing out.
"What did she mean when she said salvage?" She asked him.
"They trashed your apartment. We don't think they took anything."
"Why? I don't have anything of value…I can't imagine why they would want to do such a thing."
He shrugged and kept his eyes on the road.
"What should I be grabbing from my apartment?"
"Clothes, money, valuables, assuming that they didn't take those things."
"Tell me, again, why you need me on this case?'
"Because Seifer only trusts you."
"I see. Where will I be staying now that my apartment's out of the question?"
"With Rinoa and I."
She was quiet for a moment, gathering her thoughts. Everything seemed to be happening too fast.
"What about school?"
"You'll be absent from school due to a severe case of bronchitis."
"And Irvine? Is he in danger?"
"Not in any immediate danger. We'd prefer not to get him involved though."
"He…must be…"
"He'll get over it. Our main cocern is hiding you from Blake, especially if Seifer talks to them."
"I want to see him."
"………"
She sighed and drummed her fingers on the dashboard.
"Can you at least talk to him?"
"It doesn't matter right now. It's not important."
"To you. It's not important to you because you don't have any damn emotions. I don't even want to think of what Irvine is feeling right now. They probably didn't let him in to see at the hospital and he's most likely hell-bent on believe it's his fault I got hurt. Listen, I'm going to see him whether I have your permission or not."
"………"
"I don't even know what's going on anymore. I wake up in a hospital stretcher after Seifer gets bloody kidnapped and then I find out you two work for the FBI and I can't even make my own decisions anymore."
"Whatever."
"Don't put on that act. You know that I'm all you have right now, stop the Jeep."
He turned to glare at her for a moment, she had gotten him angry.
"There's no time for it now. You can see him later." He said.
The remainder of the ride back to the appartment was a silent one. It seemed like hours before they finally pulled up and got out of the Jeep. She followed him in and through the doors, into the elevator that took them to her floor. She walked behind him, her footsteps echoing on the cold, hard marble floor. He reached the room before she did and motioned for her to stay outside and wait for him to call her in.
"Why?"
"Just wait."
He went in, she saw him reaching for something, a holster that was near his belt and looked away. He pushed the door opened, the locks had been broken, and disappeared. A few seconds later she heard him call to her so she pushed through the door. The first thing she noticed was the lamps were smashed, the second thing was that the television was toppled over. The couches and chairs had been ripped open and her computer screen had been smashed, while the actual computer was lying on the floor, crushed under the book case. Floppy disks and shards from CDs covered the floor and her books were scattered all around as well. The clothes had been completely emptied out of her closet and chesterfields in her bedroom, they laid in piles on the floor while her cabinets were smashed and lying on their sides.
"…are you all right?"
She nodded weakly and gave him an inquisitive look, he was standing infront of the kitchen door and blocking her way in.
"You shouldn't come in here."
"Why not? I can deal with all the other thing-"
She choked on her words when she saw the cat's dish shattered on the floor by the kitchen. She turned around and made it into her bedroom before he could see the tears spill over her cheeks and hugged her pillow close to her to muffle her cries as she collapsed on her bed. They had killed it, the only thing that she had left as a companion. Her kitty that she had grown to love over the five years that she had it. She was sick of it. Too sick to go on. The assholes were going to pay…but not now.
Cool, calm and always collected Quisty is finally breaking down. What a shame. It's not as if it wasn't coming sooner or later. Seifer's gone, I'm not allowed to see my friends, my apartment is a complete reck and Blake's cronies even killed my cat. They must really hate me. Is it all Seifer's fault? Did he tell them where I lived so they would spare his life? Kill you…kill you…kill you…
"Let's go." She felt two strong arms grab her waist and lift her up, she stumbled on her feet but managed to keep her balance with his grip, "You don't need anything here."
He guided her out of the room and supported her as they went back downstairs and into the jeep. However, just as she was getting into the vehicle she saw Zell running up to her through her tears. He was yelling something but she couldn't here it, taking her hands away from her face she turned to look at him through the window. His jaw was open as he stared at her, evidently worried and confused. She could only stare at him as Squall pressed his foot down on the gas petal and they sped away.
"I-I'm sorry for breaking down back there." She mumbled, feeling rather foolish.
"Forget it."
"I thought your room was back there."
"No, that's just where we were staying for a while when watching you."
"So, you two are…?"
He turned to look at her.
"Together." He finished, concentrating on the road.
She nodded at that and gazed out the window, wondering what Zell would tell Irvine and Selphie.
"So where's your other apartment?"
"Not far."
"What's that supposed to mean? Hmm?"
"It's near downtown."
"Oh. How long have you lived by yourselves?"
"Six years, maybe longer."
"Squall…"
"…………"
"Nevermind. What are we going to do after getting back?"
"When Rinoa gets back we'll talk about the plan."
"What is the plan?"
"To infilterate Blake's penthouse, bring him down and, if possible, get Seifer out alive."
"I don't understand. I thought the entire purpose of this thing was to save Seifer."
"It means that as much as we want to get Seifer out alive, it's not our primary objective."
"I suppose my feelings towards that aren't relevant or important, are they?"
"No."
It was a quiet ride to the apartment, Quistis had a lot on her mind and there were things she needed to get sorted out. When they finally arrived, Squall led her upstairs and up to their room. It wasn't bad, two bedrooms, a living room, kitchen, bathroom and a balcony with a fair view of the city.
"You'll be sleeping on the futon, I'll get you some blankets and a pillow."
She stood by the balcony, watching the cars go by underneath and looking around the city. There was an old church nearby and a few small stores. She noticed that the Honey-Bee Pub wasn't too far away from this area. There was a playground and an an elementary school, along with a few other apartment buildings and houses. Squall emerged from what she guessed was his bedroom with a few things for her. He placed them down on the futon.
"How long will I be staying here?" She asked, still looking around outside.
"Until Blake's out of the way."
"And then?"
"Then you can go home with Seifer, if he survives."
She turned around to face him and stared into his eyes.
"Do you really think that he'll die?"
"I don't know."
"How can you be so damn bitter? This is a person's life that-"
"And it's also a hardcore criminal and his team. We get our orders from the FBI and can't help it if Seifer's life isn't the most important thing right now."
Just then, Rinoa walked into the room, she gazed at Squall for a moment before turning to Quistis.
"Don't worry, I'll make sure that we get Seifer out of there alive." Squall flashed a glare her way and she returned the look to him.
"Right now, we've got to think of a good plan. Blake's penthouse has really high security, I was just there. We won't just be able to stroll in there and expect them to let us in."
She sat down on the loveseat in the living room and indicated the others to sit down too.
"I was only able to get a quick look inside but it looks pretty big so we're going to need a map of the area. We're also gong to need…"
She glanced at Squall, wondering if she should say this infront of Quistis, he narrowed his eyebrows and nodded.
"We're also going to need a distraction, otherwise known as 'bait'."
"..and that's going to be my job, correct?" Quistis confirmed.
Rinoa nodded.
"I know this is a lot to take in at once and we still have to come up with the details. We'll need some back-up as well, but I'm not sure if I trust the FBI."
"It's better if we didn't have any. We don't know how many people are in on this." Squall replied.
"I guess that's out of the question then. What about a ride?"
"Kiros and Ward, they should be able to help us out."
"Right."
The brunette glanced out the window and noticed that it was already the late evening.
"I forgot to mention" She started, "That you shouldn't leave the apartment unless it's absolutely necessary. Blake's got people out looking for you and if they find you…"
"If they find me than I'll be dead." Quistis finished for her, her voice was almost as emotinless as Squall's.
"You should get to bed early, you're probably still worn out from the fall. Squall, you have to go to work soon, right?"
He nodded and got up.
"I thought that this was your work?"
"No, this is more like a side job. We both work and would usually go to school."
"Then how did you first become agents?"
"Squall used to be in a military academy and studied law, I started working with him after he rescued me." Rinoa replied.
Squall walked over to the door, where he picked up a duffel bag and nodded to the both of them before leaving.
"You can stay in my room tonight. I have some work to do in here."
"Positive?"
"Go ahead. Goodnight."
Quistis walked over to Rinoa's bedroom and flicked on the light. She noted that it was the only part of the apartment that we rather messy with clothes on the floor and a cluttered cabinet-top full of cosmetics and other useless items. She shut the door, slipped out of her pants, and turned off the light before hesitantly sitting down on the bed and getting under the covers.
A strange ceiling. I don't even know what I'm doing. Perhaps I'm dreaming. Hmph, it's been a nightmare from the start so why wouldn't I just be able to wake up? It all started with Seifer and it's probably going to end with Seifer. Squall seems so cold and solitary while Rinoa is the complete opposite. Interesting.
She closed her eyes and willed sleep to come, wanting it to envelope her the same way that Squall's arms had surrounded her earlier when he led her out of the dump that used to be her living quarters.
Or perhaps I'm dead and this is hell, it certainly seems like it, the way that time has been compressed and in the span of a day my life has completely changed. I don't know anything about these people, nor do I particularly want to, but they need my assistance and I need theirs. Joining together for a common cause, it makes sense. But the rest of what happened yesterday is just one big blur. Seifer…arguing with an enemy over one of his women…the enemy getting back at him by brutally beating him and abducting him at a local club…two agents wanting to take out a man named Blake who's responsible for Seifer's kidnapping.
Eventually, sleep came and she drifted off into it's numbing paradise. It was only in dreams that she felt no real pain.
She was standing, gripping onto the bars of the steel structure, watching Seifer get kicked and pummelled while she couldn't do a thing but cry out for them to stop. She watched them dragging him, leaving a trail of blood behind and saw herself shaking the cage, begging to be let down so she could see him and save him. How was she planning on saving him? She hadn't a clue but it didn't matter because they were getting closer and closer to the door. Her pleas came out muffled and choked with emotion as sobs threatened to rack her body. She held them back, not stopping in her vain efforts to free herself from that horrid cell.
Seifer was reaching out to her, saying he was sorry. Why was he apologizing? Because he wouldn't be there later? Because if he never bothered her and loved her, she would never have suffered the pain of losing him.
They were already at the door, it was too late for her to do anything, there was a sound much like the clap of thunder and then a bullet came sailing towards her, impaling itself through her heart…
She woke up instantly, breathing heavilly and prespiring.
Get a grip, Quists. It was only a nightmare.
She sat up, wondering what she would do, not being able to get the image out of her mind. She realized that her mouth was as dry as cotton and stood up, weakly, grabbing for the pants Rinoa had lended her and pulling them up her legs and hips. Carefully, she walked over to the door, her eyes still adjusting to the door and was about to step outside when she heard noises coming from outside. The sounds resembled moaning and yells of passion. Quistis winced, figuring that Rinoa and Squall were probably engaging in the 'nightlife' portion of their relationship. She tried to drone them out and figured it would be alright for her to just grab a glass of water from the bathroom sink, without going past Squall's bedroom which she would have to do if she wanted to get to the kitchen. Being as quiet as possible, and failing miserably to block out the noises, she stepped outside the room and was very confused at what she saw.
Rinoa sat infront of the TV, calm and perplexed, titling her head to the side. She turned around and glanced in Squall's bedroom, there was nobody inside which baffled her even more. Her eyes strained to get a closer look at what Rinoa was watching, it seemed to be a couple, with sheets and limbs tangled as they pleasured one another.
Quistis cleared her throat and Rinoa turned around with the color drained from her face and her mouth was agape for a moment before she quickly paused the TV and stood up, stumbling and bumpling into the coffee table as she did so.
"Q-Quistis, what are you doing up?" She asked.
The blonde had a bemused expression on her face, realizing what had been going on.
"I was planning to grab a glass water from the kitchen but-"
"Uh, well you should probably grab it then." She stepped infront of the TV, blocking Quistis' view.
"Interesting program on the television? There were certainly some interesting sounds."
Rinoa winced and her face turned a dark crimson.
"I-I'm so sorry. I didn't know-"
"It's quite alright. I realize that I'm probably intruding on your personal space so don't give it a second thought."
"Are you feeling alright?" She asked, arching an eyebrow in surprise.
'Why wouldn't I be?"
"Oh, you don't know what that was do you?" Rinoa asked rather sheepishly.
"It would appear that the film seemed to resemble pornography." She answered honestly.
Rinoa patted the seat beside her on the couch, a serious expression on her face.
"What is it? Don't take offence, but I'm not interested."
"No, you should probably hear this."
Quistis sighed and walked over, taking a seat beside Rinoa and glancing at the television, which had been put on mute. She squinted, noticing something peculiar.
"When Squall and I went ot your apartment before I picked you up at the hospital, we found a hidden camera set up in your bedroom and multiple tapes."
Quistis turned a deathly shade of pale and then crimson red, realizing what those tapes were. First confusion and then suspicion as she turned to Rinoa, giving her a curious look.
"We brought them back here but I never got a chance to see them. I was going to check if we could get a glimpse at that ransacked your apartment through this tape. But…this isn't exactly what I expected to see…" She trailed off, not meeting Quistis gaze.
"I…I had no idea." She mumbled, "Who set those up?"
"Seifer."
'He was spying on me?"
"Apparently." She sighed.
They were both silent for a moment, wondering what to say. Quistis spoke up.
"I never knew he was so interested in me."
"You'd be surprised."
"Well, it's not your fault that Seifer's an asshole so don't feel bad, you were just trying to help."
Rinoa smiled at this, reilieved that she wasn't angry.
"What part of the FBI do you work for?" She asked.
"Drugs, mainly. But we do lots of things." The brunette replied.
"Is Blake a dealer?"
"Not just a dealer, he's committed much more then a few minor drug crimes. We're hoping to convict him of murder, assault, abduction, possesion of illegal items, and possesion of multiple, non-licensed weapons."
"The situation sound severe. Do any other agents know about this case?"
"Lots of people know about Blake and we even have a few other agents on his case right now but they just aren't doing a good enough job."
"So you've decided to help them out?"
"Exactly."
Rinoa picked up the tv controller and fastforwarded past that particular portion, stopping when Seifer's faced flashed in front of the camera. She took the Mute off.
"Heh, love, if you ever knew how much money I make off of these tapes…"
For a moment in time her heart stopped, her blood ran cold and she raised her hand to her head before clenching her fists in anger, gritting her teeth and standing up.
"I hope that bastard gets what he fucking deserves." She whispered before walking back into Rinoa's bedroom, she had to fight her emotions to stop herself from slamming the door.
"Damn you, Seifer." Rinoa whispered, silently cursing the idiot.