"Take my security from me and maybe, finally, I won't have to know everything." -Lifehouse
Chapter 2: Postmortem
If teaching had taught Quistis Trepe one thing, it was how to deal with verbal confrontations in a more professional manner than resorting to name calling and placing blame. With all of her strength, she called upon that knowledge as Carson paced back and forth in front of her.
"You can't just leave," he said.
"It's not a matter of whether I can or not," Quistis pointed out. "This is a mission. I don't really have a choice."
She and Seifer had been paged by Cid after finishing their lunch together. Her prophetic statement about a mission coming up was still ringing in their ears as they rode the elevator up to his office. Apparently, a mutilated corpse had been caught in some fishing nets off the coast of Centra and they were being sent down with a forensics officer to investigate the death.
"But I have this perfect candle light dinner all set up for us at that fancy new restaurant in town," Carson said.
"I'm sorry." She shrugged. "Take someone else."
Carson's blue eyes narrowed. "Who else would I take to a romantic dinner for two?"
"Look, I'll be back in a flash." She walked up to him and put her hand on his shoulder. "We'll have dinner as soon as I get back. Okay?"
He sighed. "I really wish you'd take back your position as an instructor. I don't like it that you have to go off with no notice on missions like this."
"This mission is hardly dangerous," she said, choosing not to comment on returning to work as an instructor — a position which, despite all of her successes, hadn't been offered to her again.
He merely frowned in response. Strict to the rules, he was wearing his SeeD uniform though he was not technically on duty. Quistis almost never saw him dressed casually. It felt like having a sentry on guard as he stood by her bed and watched her pack for the trip, stuffing clothes and toiletries into a small pack.
"I'll miss you," he announced once she was done and leaned in to kiss her.
"I'll miss you, too," she replied.
"You'll call me?" he asked, touching his nose to hers and smiling.
"Sure."
Really, she doubted that she would think much about him at all. Quistis had never been very good at balancing her professional and personal life, especially on a mission where she usually got distracted, consumed by the details of whatever she was doing for days at a time. But this one didn't sound too intensive, so she figured she'd be able to find the time to phone her beau at some point.
"Don't let that idiot going with you botch the job," he told her, a hard line in his voice.
"Seifer's not an idiot," she replied. "He'll do fine."
Carson hated Seifer, which was a lot for a man who was otherwise so mild. Quistis wasn't sure where the animosity came from, but as far as she knew, Seifer had only a passing knowledge of who Carson Brecht even was. Certainly, if she hadn't begun dating him, Seifer wouldn't have even recognized the other man's name.
"I'll make new dinner reservations," Carson suddenly said. "Anywhere you want to go."
"Yeah. That sounds great." Quistis flattened her hands against his chest and pushed him away. "But I've really got to get going. We're supposed to be leaving in about five minutes."
He picked up her bag, even though she was perfectly capable of handling it on her own. "I'll walk with you to the Ragnarok."
At first, his chivalry had been sweet and novel to her. She wasn't used to being treated like something perishable and frail. Being a SeeD usually meant that she was treated as much the opposite of that. But there were times, like now, when the act made her feel like he was ignoring all that she had worked so hard her entire life to accomplish. Sizzling with irritation, she walked with him through Garden, her face plastered over with faux contentment.
Seifer was waiting outside the Ragnarok when they got there, and Carson pushed Quistis's bag into his hands.
"I've got tests to grade," he said, ignoring Seifer's puzzled look and turning to Quistis instead. "Call me when you get there and have a safe flight." He leaned in to kiss her again, but she turned her face so that it landed on her cheek. As he disappeared back through the gates of Garden, Seifer snickered.
Quistis turned and grabbed her bag from him. "What?"
"That's your boyfriend?" he asked.
"Yes." She cocked her head to one side, resisting the urge to ask him what about that was funny.
"You're kidding. That anemic little shit?" Seifer shook his head and then motioned with one hand toward the Ragnarok. "The other girl's already in there."
"Don't say things like that about Carson," she said but followed obediently behind him into the waiting ship.
A perky, dark haired girl turned around in her seat when they walked in.
"Hi! I'm Kelly."
Quistis shook her hand and introduced herself as well.
"Oh, gosh. I know who you are!" Kelly blushed. "I wasn't lucky enough to get to take one of your classes, but I wish I could have. It's an honor to work with you."
"You're the person from forensics?" Quistis asked and sat down in the seat behind her.
"Yep. That's me." The girl's expression sobered for a moment. "From what I've heard, it's not a pretty sight down there. This guy's been at sea for God knows how long. Rigor mortis has probably already come and gone, and he's pretty bloated — not to mention nearly torn in half."
"Sounds lovely," Quistis replied, scrunching up her nose.
"Going to be a dirty job," Kelly agreed.
The forensics department was a new addition to Garden. The department head had a reputation for being an overly logical, cold hearted bastard and didn't mingle much with any of the other faculty. His personality had colored (perhaps unfairly) Quistis's perception of the students as well. So she was surprised that Kelly seemed like such a friendly, well-adjusted girl.
They all buckled up when the pilot took off, the green landscape below them giving way to flashing, blue seas. Quistis loved traveling by air. It was so much more comfortable than going everywhere by train. Of course, the Ragnarok was reserved for missions that required a certain amount of speed. Theirs, apparently, was immediate response.
"I still can't believe you're dating that guy," Seifer suddenly said as they crossed the Horizon Bridge into the southern hemisphere.
"What exactly do you have against him? Quistis asked, perturbed.
"Nothing." He shrugged. "I just didn't put a name and a face together when I heard about it. Now that I know who he is…I just don't see it."
"Why? What's so bad about him? He's sweet, intelligent—"
"Come on. You can't tell me you're really hot for that guy. He's such a…" he fumbled for the right word, "such a pansy."
"He is not!"
"And boring," Seifer added. "I bet women fall asleep while having sex with him."
Kelly turned around. "Who exactly are you talking about?"
"Instructor Brecht," Seifer said.
A small grimace flitted across Kelly's face but was gone by the time she turned to look at Quistis. "He's not that bad. He's an instructor, so he's gotta be pretty sharp. Right?"
"Not necessarily," Seifer replied and began describing his theory of exactly how SeeDs got promoted to instructors.
Quistis had heard it all before, so she crossed her arms and fell silent. She knew firsthand the rigorous process by which Garden selected its staff and didn't feel like wasting her time defending it. Their conversation quickly changed track anyway, and Kelly was telling Seifer how she learned how to analyze blood spatter, her face alive with excitement. She obviously enjoyed what she did. Though Quistis couldn't see how anyone could like examining dead bodies and murder scenes for a living. Still, the forensics department was the fastest growing department in Garden.
"So, you two were both raised down here?" Kelly asked as they flew over Centra.
"Yeah." Quistis smiled, remembering her time at the orphanage, playing on the beach and amongst the fields of wild flowers.
"I was raised in Balamb by my uncle," Kelly replied.
They were a generation of orphans. Quistis didn't remember her real parents, and she supposed that Seifer didn't either. She'd been adopted once, briefly, but those were memories that she was content to let remain hazy and unaccessible.
The sun was setting behind the lighthouse when they arrived at the orphanage, giving the whole scene the glossy beauty of a postcard. The tall sails of the fishing boat glowed orange in the late evening light as it bobbed in calm seas.
Edea came jogging out of the house as they got off the Ragnarok. "I'm glad you're here," she said and embraced Quistis.
"We're just glad to get the hell out of Garden," Seifer said as she hugged him as well. "Where's this body at?"
"It's still on board the Lucky Lady," Edea said, knotting one hand in her long, black hair. "Give me a moment, I'll go get the captain."
She walked down the beach, a dark splotch on the tangerine landscape, and the three of them waited for her to return. Kelly was carrying a large, black box of equipment and had to set it down in the sand. The Ragnarok was plugged into several international databases and they were hoping that they could at least ID the body through dental records.
After a few long moments, Edea returned with a large, grizzled man at her side. He stuck out one thick, tattooed arm and shook Seifer's hand.
"We packed it in ice and left it one of the cargo holds. Didn't want to leave it with the fish," he said.
"We should have it out of your way by tomorrow," Kelly replied.
"That would be great. It's got my men real spooked. Kinda bad luck to haul in a dead man like that, you know. Can't blame them. Been feeling a little uneasy myself."
They followed him to his ship, past a large group of sailors sitting on the beach, all of them eating sandwiches that Quistis assumed Edea had made for them.
"Headmaster Cid told us that you thought the sharks and fish hadn't been feeding on the body," Quistis said, finding the idea hard to swallow.
"It's odd." The captain shrugged. "I've seen fish eaten things before — came across this whale once. Anyway, this guy just doesn't look it. Too clean."
The ship stank of fish, salt, and sweat. Its name was painted on the side in fat, white strokes. It was metal but had been planked over with wood to affect an antique air. The wood gave way to bare, unadorned walls as they descended into the belly of the lady which was lit by a line of naked light bulbs. The captain stopped in front of a door, swung it open, and gestured them inside, making no move or offer to accompany them.
Seifer went first, his stride long and confident. Kelly followed, and Quistis brought up the rear. The heap of ice in the corner of the room was already half melted and a foot was protruding out from underneath it, pale and swollen with clearly visible veins running through the arch.
Kelly set down her black box, then motioned to them. "Help me clear away the ice."
A little hesitant, Quistis walked up to the body and began removing large handfuls of ice. She cleared way spots around the face and torso, digging until her fingers were red and stiff with the cold. Taking a step back, she dried her hands on her skirt and surveyed what they had been unable to uncover so far.
It was grisly.
Part of his side was missing and his insides were hanging out in ragged, swollen chords. His entire body was waterlogged and bloated, giving his skin a pale, bluish tint. There was horror in his decay that Quistis had never felt before. Death was something she was familiar with — in her line of work, she came face to face with death on a regular basis. But red blood and fading heartbeats and wails of pain weren't the same as this. This was permanent, fetid, and ugly. And a frightening thing to find close to home. She understood why Edea had been so shaken when she'd called Cid.
Seifer, for all his bravado, was looking a little ill. He stood back for a moment, his eyes averted, and rubbed his hands on his pants.
"You okay?" Quistis asked. Kelly was already at work, mixing a bowl of dental plaster.
"Fine," he snapped. "Why?"
"You just look a little…bothered," she replied.
"Well…fuck." He let out a long breath. "Look at him! And the smell…holy Hyne."
"You know," Kelly said as she pried the man's mouth open and began slathering plaster over his teeth with her gloved index finger, "I think I'm going to have to agree with the captain. This body doesn't appear to have been fed upon. At least, not extensively."
"What makes you say that?" Quistis asked.
"It's hard to make a solid call with the remains in the state they're in," she said. "But these injuries here and here show signs of shearing. Fish, even sharks, tend to eat with a more rip and tear kind of method. There's a little bit of that down here by his feet. You see? But I don't think anything up here around his chest cavity has even been touched."
Quistis posed the obvious question. "So then, what did do this?"
Kelly shrugged. "No idea. Could have been anything."
From behind them, Seifer groaned softly. "I'm going to go…uh…go talk to the captain. See if he saw anything." He was covering his mouth with his sleeve as he left.
"I think this bothers him," Kelly said, gesturing to the body.
"Can't say I blame him," Quistis replied. Her own stomach was rolling uncomfortably we well. "I'm going to go see if he's okay. You need anything before I go?"
"Um…yeah. If you could hand me a plastic bag from my case, I should be good from here."
Quistis retrieved the bag, opened it for Kelly, and then excused herself. She found Seifer on deck, standing at the ship's railing and gripping it with both hands. A little of the color had come back into his face but he was still looking green.
"Hey." She walked up to him and brushed her hand along his arm.
"Hi."
"You okay?"
He didn't look at her. "Just great. Quit asking."
"Well," she said, listening to the way he was breathing heavily to settle his stomach, "I'm not feeling so hot."
He swore, then admitted, "Me too."
Pulling on his arm to hug him toward her, Quistis smiled. "Makes you human, Seifer. Kelly's the weirdo. That sort of thing is supposed to make you sick." She wanted to make him feel better, to turn him back into the impenetrable Seifer Almasy she knew.
"What do you think did it?" he asked. "An animal? A person?"
"I don't know. But whatever it turns out to be, it's up to you and me to make it right."
That thought seemed to settle him somewhat. He shook his head firmly and rubbed a hand over his stomach. "That stench is going to stick to me for days."
"Sounds to me like a long, hot shower is in order," Quistis replied. "You should go talk to Edea, arrange for us to stay the night."
"Yeah. Sure. Meet me back at the lighthouse. I'll get everything ready." Shoulders square and sporting a healthy glow once again, Seifer started back toward the orphanage. She wanted to go with him and never see the body stowed away in the cargo hold ever again. But Kelly was going to need some help. So she swallowed deeply, took a gulp of fresh air, and took the steps back down into the ship's belly.
Luckily, Kelly stopped her at the doorway.
"Hey. Could you do me a favor?" she asked, holding out a camera. "I need these photos sent back to Garden for processing and as soon as the mold finishes setting, I'm going to need to run his dental records, so we need to connect to the database in Deling City. You should be able to log in from the Ragnarok."
"Sure." Quistis took the camera, relieved to have a task unrelated to poking and prodding at the poor man's remains.
"Thanks!" A wide grin, incongruent with the horror surrounding it, crossed Kelly's pretty face, and she turned around to walk back into the little room, snapping a fresh pair of latex gloves over her small hands.
