CHAPTER 2 - Auslöser von Intrige [Trigger of Intrigue]
Kei's thoughts shifted to that redhead who ignored her earlier in the morning. She cursed silently, as her eyes gazed blankly at the computer screen, noting his indifference towards her. However, she was not sure if he was plain impudent…perhaps he was, or simply because his nonchalance proved his utmost identity among the florists.
She, despite that fact, could not deny that his facet had intrigued her, his contrast to his fellow workers, and to the world around him perchance. Deep in her she speculated at his personality, although she did not know why. Never had a guy caught her attention as he did.
And she remembered the way he stared at her…
Mentally she kicked herself from her useless contemplation, and focused back on the flashing computer screen as it scrolled characters, which only she could comprehend. To a normal, and less gifted person, it meant numbers, and letters and symbols; but for her kind it meant money, prestige and opportunities.
She chuckled silently, as her target displayed on the makeshift laptop sitting complacently on the rough table. The circumstances seemed to be backing her up, and she believed that fate was too. This was just another ordinary, bleak night of breaking into systems, inserting viruses [especially to those who posed extreme threat to her objectives], and destroying the system itself so it would create no further damage.
At least her job took her mind away from him...for a while that is.
'Kei.' A voice drawled from behind her, disrupting her moment of silence while doing her duties.
She tilted her head towards the voice and glared. 'And you want…' she prompted, lifting a perfectly shaped brow at him.
Not only did he interrupt her wonderful work, if she said so herself, but he also gave her that tingly sense of irritation, which made her lose interest in her work itself.
Her eyes narrowed when she got no reply, but a stupid smile creasing across his face. Annoyed, she turned back to her computer and found all the outputs she had generated, gone. All that was left was the blank blue screen without anything on it but a cursor blinking irritably at her. She whirled around, and found his expression the same as the idiotic cursor on the monitor.
He lifted his finger and ran it across her chin suavely, while keeping that grin plastered on his blood-red lips. His dark blue eyes drooped as he lowered her lips towards hers.
With a disgusted look upon her face she sprang up and slapped him. 'What do you want exactly?' she shrieked, her eyes blazing with fury.
He shook his head lightly, and rubbed the sore spot on his cheek, his smile undaunted. 'I was just teasin',' he reasoned out, ruffling his thick disarray of hair. 'So…what you got?'
Rolling her eyes, she settled back to her damaged chair marked by rips and slashes. She shifted uncomfortably on her seat and resumed to hacking the company assigned to her that night. 'You erased it all...baka....'
'You're patient. I'm sure you'd get there again,' he whispered to her ear before moving away from her and resting her back on the adjacent wall. He observed her sullenly, the smile faltering.
'Yes but I do not want to be abused,' she retorted. 'Now if you please…' She continued clicking the keys speechlessly until she found what she wanted. His eyes were still focused on her, unwavering…
Seconds ticked minutes by…
*
The night crawled noiselessly across the city of Tokyo, shifting its murkiness across the streets, houses and buildings scattered about, and upon the people, which resided on its lavish grounds.
A slight drizzle showered upon the dark. For normal people it meant the typical indoor activities---TV for couch potatoes, board games for those who were bored, phone calls for those who loved to chat, food for the gluttons…
For the Weiss it meant indoor activities too. However, they were not as typical as could be considered.
Yohji sat motionlessly on the couch, playing with the cigarette lying idly upon his lips. A thin smoke rose from its tip, and warm ashes glowing red scattered on the floor. The young Omi's eyes were as usual focused on his laptop's monitor, as he hit the keyboard fanatically, barely glancing away from the screen. Ken was busy watering the plants…he could find nothing better to do. Ran seemed engrossed with his gleaming katana, and predictably looking as if deep in thought. His back rested upon the back of the couch Yohji was sitting upon.
The screen before them flashed static, until Manx's form appeared, sheer smile curved upon her full lips. Her arms cradled a brown clipboard. All the boys' eyes turned towards her.
'We have a mission,' declared Manx, in her usual commanding tone.
The display transited to the veiled form of Persia; all but his manly form could be distinguished from him, not to mention his authoritative voice.
'White hunters of darkness, hunt the futures of the dark beasts,' he began seriously. The screen changed once more, now brute images of people flashed one after the other. Violence…just some other mission…nothing seemed to surprise the Weiss, not gore, nor the atrocity vividly shrieking on the screen before them.
Their expressions remained apathetic.
'Drug smuggling companies are growing largely by the moment,' Persia continued.
'So what else is new,' mumbled Yohji.
'And one reached its peak of growth that the government is already taking precautionary measures against them,' Persia went on. 'Because of this, several government spies were murdered in an ambush as they were supposed to execute their undercover mission.'
Pictures of dead cops sprawled on the wet ground flickered on the monitor.
'These drugs are highly addictive in nature, and their buyers are increasing as of this moment. However, its consumers do not know the side effects of these drugs. Certain chemicals are added to the drugs, while making the user addicted to it, the same time corrupting its user's immune system.'
'Like HIV…' Ken's voice trailed off.
'In approximately two weeks after intake, the user suffers, and it eventually leads to death.' Persia paused for a while then resumed. 'Antidotes are available in these illegal stores, however these are exploited by the makers of the drugs themselves. While the society of drug users grow dependent on the addictive drug known as Opium VII, and discover its destructive consequence, they seek for a solution without giving up the intake of the drug. Thus, those who fail to afford the antidote ceases to exist.'
Manx reappeared on the monitor, looking at the boys intently. 'The mastermind behind all these is former army chief Saigo Tatsuma. He runs this business and protects it from the government, using his vast influence on those who hold power.'
'Isn't he living peacefully in Germany with his wife?' Omi asked. 'I heard that on the news on television years ago after he caught a huge drug syndicate and put him behind bars.'
Manx seemed amused. She chuckled lightly, 'that is the same syndicate we are halting now. He runs the company, and framed someone up so he would not be suspected of illegal works.'
'White hunters of darkness, hunt the futures of the dark beasts,' repeated Persia, before the screen blacked out.
Kei's thoughts shifted to that redhead who ignored her earlier in the morning. She cursed silently, as her eyes gazed blankly at the computer screen, noting his indifference towards her. However, she was not sure if he was plain impudent…perhaps he was, or simply because his nonchalance proved his utmost identity among the florists.
She, despite that fact, could not deny that his facet had intrigued her, his contrast to his fellow workers, and to the world around him perchance. Deep in her she speculated at his personality, although she did not know why. Never had a guy caught her attention as he did.
And she remembered the way he stared at her…
Mentally she kicked herself from her useless contemplation, and focused back on the flashing computer screen as it scrolled characters, which only she could comprehend. To a normal, and less gifted person, it meant numbers, and letters and symbols; but for her kind it meant money, prestige and opportunities.
She chuckled silently, as her target displayed on the makeshift laptop sitting complacently on the rough table. The circumstances seemed to be backing her up, and she believed that fate was too. This was just another ordinary, bleak night of breaking into systems, inserting viruses [especially to those who posed extreme threat to her objectives], and destroying the system itself so it would create no further damage.
At least her job took her mind away from him...for a while that is.
'Kei.' A voice drawled from behind her, disrupting her moment of silence while doing her duties.
She tilted her head towards the voice and glared. 'And you want…' she prompted, lifting a perfectly shaped brow at him.
Not only did he interrupt her wonderful work, if she said so herself, but he also gave her that tingly sense of irritation, which made her lose interest in her work itself.
Her eyes narrowed when she got no reply, but a stupid smile creasing across his face. Annoyed, she turned back to her computer and found all the outputs she had generated, gone. All that was left was the blank blue screen without anything on it but a cursor blinking irritably at her. She whirled around, and found his expression the same as the idiotic cursor on the monitor.
He lifted his finger and ran it across her chin suavely, while keeping that grin plastered on his blood-red lips. His dark blue eyes drooped as he lowered her lips towards hers.
With a disgusted look upon her face she sprang up and slapped him. 'What do you want exactly?' she shrieked, her eyes blazing with fury.
He shook his head lightly, and rubbed the sore spot on his cheek, his smile undaunted. 'I was just teasin',' he reasoned out, ruffling his thick disarray of hair. 'So…what you got?'
Rolling her eyes, she settled back to her damaged chair marked by rips and slashes. She shifted uncomfortably on her seat and resumed to hacking the company assigned to her that night. 'You erased it all...baka....'
'You're patient. I'm sure you'd get there again,' he whispered to her ear before moving away from her and resting her back on the adjacent wall. He observed her sullenly, the smile faltering.
'Yes but I do not want to be abused,' she retorted. 'Now if you please…' She continued clicking the keys speechlessly until she found what she wanted. His eyes were still focused on her, unwavering…
Seconds ticked minutes by…
*
The night crawled noiselessly across the city of Tokyo, shifting its murkiness across the streets, houses and buildings scattered about, and upon the people, which resided on its lavish grounds.
A slight drizzle showered upon the dark. For normal people it meant the typical indoor activities---TV for couch potatoes, board games for those who were bored, phone calls for those who loved to chat, food for the gluttons…
For the Weiss it meant indoor activities too. However, they were not as typical as could be considered.
Yohji sat motionlessly on the couch, playing with the cigarette lying idly upon his lips. A thin smoke rose from its tip, and warm ashes glowing red scattered on the floor. The young Omi's eyes were as usual focused on his laptop's monitor, as he hit the keyboard fanatically, barely glancing away from the screen. Ken was busy watering the plants…he could find nothing better to do. Ran seemed engrossed with his gleaming katana, and predictably looking as if deep in thought. His back rested upon the back of the couch Yohji was sitting upon.
The screen before them flashed static, until Manx's form appeared, sheer smile curved upon her full lips. Her arms cradled a brown clipboard. All the boys' eyes turned towards her.
'We have a mission,' declared Manx, in her usual commanding tone.
The display transited to the veiled form of Persia; all but his manly form could be distinguished from him, not to mention his authoritative voice.
'White hunters of darkness, hunt the futures of the dark beasts,' he began seriously. The screen changed once more, now brute images of people flashed one after the other. Violence…just some other mission…nothing seemed to surprise the Weiss, not gore, nor the atrocity vividly shrieking on the screen before them.
Their expressions remained apathetic.
'Drug smuggling companies are growing largely by the moment,' Persia continued.
'So what else is new,' mumbled Yohji.
'And one reached its peak of growth that the government is already taking precautionary measures against them,' Persia went on. 'Because of this, several government spies were murdered in an ambush as they were supposed to execute their undercover mission.'
Pictures of dead cops sprawled on the wet ground flickered on the monitor.
'These drugs are highly addictive in nature, and their buyers are increasing as of this moment. However, its consumers do not know the side effects of these drugs. Certain chemicals are added to the drugs, while making the user addicted to it, the same time corrupting its user's immune system.'
'Like HIV…' Ken's voice trailed off.
'In approximately two weeks after intake, the user suffers, and it eventually leads to death.' Persia paused for a while then resumed. 'Antidotes are available in these illegal stores, however these are exploited by the makers of the drugs themselves. While the society of drug users grow dependent on the addictive drug known as Opium VII, and discover its destructive consequence, they seek for a solution without giving up the intake of the drug. Thus, those who fail to afford the antidote ceases to exist.'
Manx reappeared on the monitor, looking at the boys intently. 'The mastermind behind all these is former army chief Saigo Tatsuma. He runs this business and protects it from the government, using his vast influence on those who hold power.'
'Isn't he living peacefully in Germany with his wife?' Omi asked. 'I heard that on the news on television years ago after he caught a huge drug syndicate and put him behind bars.'
Manx seemed amused. She chuckled lightly, 'that is the same syndicate we are halting now. He runs the company, and framed someone up so he would not be suspected of illegal works.'
'White hunters of darkness, hunt the futures of the dark beasts,' repeated Persia, before the screen blacked out.