M I S T
C h a p t e r O n e - B e t t e r o r W o r s e ?
6:54 am
Tuesday, March 12th, 1998
International Bureau of Investigation Japan Main Headquarters
Hinterland of the Keihin Metropolitan Area
Special Agent Aya Brea of the International Bureau of Investigation walked through the ever-crowded hallways. Yesterday hadn't been pleasant, and she knew that the meeting she was about to have would involve being part of an investigation team to uncover just what had happened.
Aya walked into a conference room, dreading what was inevitable. Her partner, Special Agent Tsushima Masaki, was already there. He sat next to the conference table, appearing to be in a somber attitude. Sakura Tsumaya, Quatre Winner, Akitata Dai and Kiyoshi Akima also sat there, awaiting the arrival of Director Jun Kawasaki.
Aya took a seat next to her partner, who had a serious look on his face. "So what's up with you today Tsushima? You don't seem to be in your usual mood." Aya asked casually.
Tsushima faced her "I don't want to discuss it openly, maybe later?" he told her in a low voice.
Aya frowned but nodded "If you say so."
The conference room was a moderate sized room with four tables, two were very long and two shorter ones connected the ends, to form a long rectangle, which was the standard style for conference tables. Individual desk lamps were available at each seat. Tsushima Masaki wore black cords with a navy blue long T-shirt and a black trench coat. He had seemingly black hair, but it was really midnight blue. Aya on the other hand had pale blonde hair and she wore a black leather jacket with a white T-shirt and blue jeans.
After several minutes, the director entered and sat down on the far side of the conference table. She then cleared her throat. "I think we all know why we're here, so I won't waste any time." she began. "As you all know, the Tim Hortons located near the Sukiyabashi Crossing around Ginza was destroyed yesterday. It appears that a bomb possibly composed of Composition 4, or a variant, detonated under a customer's seat. And Agent Brea found some inconclusive evidence. We believe this was an assassination, maybe overkill but meant truly for one person.
"So the Diet has given us permission to start an virtually carte blanche investigation. I've given it some consideration, and I believe it would be beneficial to this investigation if Brea and Masaki lead it. I think they are very capable agents so I want you to support them and follow their leadership. Winner, you're to provide support and get the Gundam Team in on this ASAP. You know what to do. Alright, that concludes this meeting.
"These are your instructions, the latest you can begin is Thursday." she concluded as she handed out the folders.
8:02
Office Temporarily Assigned to Current Investigation (Deadline Office HQ)
Aya Brea sat impatiently at a desk, waiting for Tsushima to get back with breakfast. Just then, he entered with some McDonald's. "Let's just hope McDonald's doesn't end up like Tim Hortons." he joked.
Aya laughed at his attempt to lighten the mood. Agents Lucrezia Noin, Zechs Marquis, Heero Yuy, Duo Maxwell, Trowa Barton and Wufei Chang, who were all brought by Quatre Raberba Winner were all part of the Gundam Team, had joined the rest of the assigned agents in the investigation.
Aya took a look at a report given to her by an agent who had dropped by. Skimming it, she noticed something interesting. "So that corpse we found at the center of the explosion was a cop." she said to herself while taking a bite out of her Big Mac.
"Yeah, he must have been sitting on the bomb, because his ass is nowhere to be found. Makes it hard to determine his sex as well" commented Akitata Dai.
This comment gained some chuckles.
"This guy must have been the target." Duo concluded hastily.
Tsushima raised an eyebrow "I don't think so, the bomb was placed in the center of the restaurant. And under a chair is a place most people would never check." he told Duo.
"I agree with him Duo, the blast radius was only large enough to destroy the whole building only if it was placed in the center. This would also confuse investigators as to who was the true target." Heero furthered the explanation.
"Why don't we go visit the scene again? Yesterday we only got a glance and it was night at that time." Sakura cut in.
Everyone paused and considered the option, and then Trowa of all people spoke "It's not like we have any other plans, so let's go." he said.
Everyone agreed, so the filed out of there temporary headquarters. Once they got to the main floor, Quatre went up to the front desk "We'd like some requisitions for three vehicles." he asked.
The secretary handed Quatre three forms. He handed one to Tsushima and one to Zechs.
They each filled out the forms and handed them out. The secretary skimmed over the preferences, and then gave Quatre, Zechs and Tsushima each a car key.
8:24 am
Garage
International Bureau of Investigation Japan Main Headquarters
Since there were twelve agents, four went into each car. Aya, Tsumaya and Kiyoshi went with Tsushima in a dark blue Mitsubishi GTO. Noin, Akitata and Duo went with Zechs in a mostly white Nissan Skyline. And Heero, Trowa and Wufei went with Quatre in a scarlet red Toyota TRD 3000.
They wove their way through morning traffic, which took a very long time... as it always did. And when they finally got there, they'd find more then they had anticipated.
9:51 am
Ruins of the Tim Hortons Restaurant
When the group of twelve agents from the International Bureau of Investigation arrived, some police were there as well, guarding the ruins from the public. As Tsushima got out, he flashed IBI identification to allow them to pass. They all put on latex gloves, and got out some plastic bags to gather evidence.
The police tape was still around the ruins, and many spectators and reporters swarmed around the scene.
Tsushima studied the origin of the blast again, along with Heero, an explosives expert and a reluctant Aya. The chair Officer Giam had been sitting on had been almost completely vaporized. The center part of the roof had collapsed after the devastating blast, and the walls were holding on, barely. Beside Tsushima on the floor was a piece of a Tim Hortons coffee cup. Picking it up, he studied it, and then his eyes went wide. He inferred that it had been the dead officer's cup. Not wanting to steal a dead man's riches, and not wanting to destroy the last thing the man had, he stuck it into his pocket, vowing to hang it up somewhere as a good luck charm.
Aya, trying to fight the sadness and anger, looked around for some useful clues. "Whoa, take a look at these!" Duo exclaimed.
Aya turned around, seeing Duo, who was on the other side of the restaurant, holding up a half-melted pile of metal. "They seem to be what's left of a cache of firearms." Wufei spoke, almost to himself, in his usual self-righteous tone. "I found some melted guns over here too." Zechs announced from his area.
Aya could feel that something was not right. Two piles of weapons found in a Tim Hortons restaurant? There was something more to this. She let her mind wander as she checked behind the ordering counter. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, except maybe for the fact that most of it was blown away, she entered the cooking room. The door wasn't there anymore, and the wall that separated it from the rest of the restaurant crumbled. Then she saw something she'd never think she'd see in a restaurant. A whole stockpile of guns, most of them illegal, and what looked like priceless jewellery all hung up on the far wall. She turned around "Tsushima?" she called to her partner.
Moments later, Tsushima found his way to where Aya was. He was about to ask what was up, but then he understood immediately upon looking at what she had found. There was definitely more to this than any of the agents would have expected. Maybe they'd find out, or maybe the truth would destroy them...
7:00 pm
Conference Room of Deadline Office HQ
International Bureau of Investigation Japan Main Headquarters
After a mentally tiring day on the field, Aya was ready to pack up. First investigating the restaurant, again, then filling out all those papers. Many of the lights were off, save for the desk lamp. Most of the other agents on the case had gone home, so had a lot of other IBI workers. Aya sighed as she estimated the amount of paperwork she'd have to do after the investigation was over. Also, this assignment had interrupted with the one she had when they were staking out the jewellery store. 'That business is connected to the bombing you idiot!' She scolded herself mentally.
Putting on her jacket, she got up to leave the dark room. She opened the door, only to find her partner going over papers. She smiled ruefully at him, as she saw papers scattered everywhere over his interim desk. He was so engrossed in his work that he didn't even take notice her presence. "I'm heading home Tsushima, I'll see you tomorrow." she told him.
This broke him out of his state "Huh? Oh... bye Aya." he responded, then he got back to work.
Aya put her hands on her hips in concern. "You should go home too, you can't be staying up late doing work just to come back here early tomorrow." she persuaded.
Tsushima, paused, thought about, it then put his pen down and collected select documents. "Alright Aya, I'll go home." he said resignedly.
Aya shook her head then walked towards the door, with him in tow. "So what are you going to do when you get home?" she asked, trying to start a friendly conversation.
Tsushima scratched his head, thinking for a while. "I'm gonna go to bed." he replied simply.
Aya groaned as the reached the elevator. "Early." he then added.
Aya shook her head again. He was a good partner, even though they had got off with a rough start, he was still her best partner. But as a friend, he had to open up a little more. "Well I'm going to have a long bath, then maybe get some takeout."
"Oh." he merely replied, while keying the elevator.
"Care to join me?" she invited.
"The bath or the takeout?" he asked jokingly.
Aya chuckled quietly at his joke. "The takeout, for today." she responded, still laughing.
Tsushima smiled, this would be a change from his usual dinners all by himself.
8:55 pm
Aya Brea's Residence
Suburbs of Tokyo
In the cold lonely night, Tsushima Masaki walked slowly to the door of Aya's house. Only the outside lights lit up the cold night. He had just come from an Oriental restaurant in the depths of Tokyo to get some takeout of his own. He hesitated on knocking on the door. He hadn't even changed from what he normally wore at work. 'This is feeling too much like an informal date.' He thought.
Mentally, he kicked himself 'This isn't a date, she's your friend and partner, she just wants to get to know you better, that's all.' He reminded himself.
It had been one month since he and her started working together, and Tsushima was nervous.
He gathered all of his courage, and then he knocked on the door. Shortly thereafter, the door opened. The door opened to reveal Aya, in a white T-shirt and black leather pants. She smiled in a friendly manner, her flaxen hair reflecting the available lighting "You're late." she commented, not in an accusing tone, but in a casual one.
Tsushima raised an eyebrow "I wasn't aware of a set time." he responded.
"Whatever." she said as she pulled him into the house, laughing quietly.
Once he was in he took a look around, then his eyes settled on Aya, who had a quizzical look on her face. "What?" Tsushima snapped.
The blonde pointed behind him. He turned around, to see the door still open. Mentally kicking himself again, he closed it.
"That's better, it was getting a bit cold. What do you have here?" she inquired, taking the Styrofoam boxes from him.
"...Uh, it's just some takeout. I thought it would be better if we both had something to share." he explained.
She flashed him a smile "That was nice of you. Come on; let's go to the dining room. And don't worry about taking your shoes off, it's ok." Aya told him as she walked into the dining room.
Tsushima decided to take off his shoes despite what Aya had said. As he followed her in, she glanced at his feet. "A true gentleman. Decides to be polite even when he doesn't have to be." she voiced almost to herself.
Tsushima shrugged "I didn't want to mess up your carpet."
"Excuses, excuses Tsushima." she replied, very amused.
They sat at a small table, with lights at medium power. Aya opened up the several boxes of food and placed plates out for the both of them. And the time they spent seemed almost perpetual.
C h a p t e r O n e - B e t t e r o r W o r s e ?
6:54 am
Tuesday, March 12th, 1998
International Bureau of Investigation Japan Main Headquarters
Hinterland of the Keihin Metropolitan Area
Special Agent Aya Brea of the International Bureau of Investigation walked through the ever-crowded hallways. Yesterday hadn't been pleasant, and she knew that the meeting she was about to have would involve being part of an investigation team to uncover just what had happened.
Aya walked into a conference room, dreading what was inevitable. Her partner, Special Agent Tsushima Masaki, was already there. He sat next to the conference table, appearing to be in a somber attitude. Sakura Tsumaya, Quatre Winner, Akitata Dai and Kiyoshi Akima also sat there, awaiting the arrival of Director Jun Kawasaki.
Aya took a seat next to her partner, who had a serious look on his face. "So what's up with you today Tsushima? You don't seem to be in your usual mood." Aya asked casually.
Tsushima faced her "I don't want to discuss it openly, maybe later?" he told her in a low voice.
Aya frowned but nodded "If you say so."
The conference room was a moderate sized room with four tables, two were very long and two shorter ones connected the ends, to form a long rectangle, which was the standard style for conference tables. Individual desk lamps were available at each seat. Tsushima Masaki wore black cords with a navy blue long T-shirt and a black trench coat. He had seemingly black hair, but it was really midnight blue. Aya on the other hand had pale blonde hair and she wore a black leather jacket with a white T-shirt and blue jeans.
After several minutes, the director entered and sat down on the far side of the conference table. She then cleared her throat. "I think we all know why we're here, so I won't waste any time." she began. "As you all know, the Tim Hortons located near the Sukiyabashi Crossing around Ginza was destroyed yesterday. It appears that a bomb possibly composed of Composition 4, or a variant, detonated under a customer's seat. And Agent Brea found some inconclusive evidence. We believe this was an assassination, maybe overkill but meant truly for one person.
"So the Diet has given us permission to start an virtually carte blanche investigation. I've given it some consideration, and I believe it would be beneficial to this investigation if Brea and Masaki lead it. I think they are very capable agents so I want you to support them and follow their leadership. Winner, you're to provide support and get the Gundam Team in on this ASAP. You know what to do. Alright, that concludes this meeting.
"These are your instructions, the latest you can begin is Thursday." she concluded as she handed out the folders.
8:02
Office Temporarily Assigned to Current Investigation (Deadline Office HQ)
Aya Brea sat impatiently at a desk, waiting for Tsushima to get back with breakfast. Just then, he entered with some McDonald's. "Let's just hope McDonald's doesn't end up like Tim Hortons." he joked.
Aya laughed at his attempt to lighten the mood. Agents Lucrezia Noin, Zechs Marquis, Heero Yuy, Duo Maxwell, Trowa Barton and Wufei Chang, who were all brought by Quatre Raberba Winner were all part of the Gundam Team, had joined the rest of the assigned agents in the investigation.
Aya took a look at a report given to her by an agent who had dropped by. Skimming it, she noticed something interesting. "So that corpse we found at the center of the explosion was a cop." she said to herself while taking a bite out of her Big Mac.
"Yeah, he must have been sitting on the bomb, because his ass is nowhere to be found. Makes it hard to determine his sex as well" commented Akitata Dai.
This comment gained some chuckles.
"This guy must have been the target." Duo concluded hastily.
Tsushima raised an eyebrow "I don't think so, the bomb was placed in the center of the restaurant. And under a chair is a place most people would never check." he told Duo.
"I agree with him Duo, the blast radius was only large enough to destroy the whole building only if it was placed in the center. This would also confuse investigators as to who was the true target." Heero furthered the explanation.
"Why don't we go visit the scene again? Yesterday we only got a glance and it was night at that time." Sakura cut in.
Everyone paused and considered the option, and then Trowa of all people spoke "It's not like we have any other plans, so let's go." he said.
Everyone agreed, so the filed out of there temporary headquarters. Once they got to the main floor, Quatre went up to the front desk "We'd like some requisitions for three vehicles." he asked.
The secretary handed Quatre three forms. He handed one to Tsushima and one to Zechs.
They each filled out the forms and handed them out. The secretary skimmed over the preferences, and then gave Quatre, Zechs and Tsushima each a car key.
8:24 am
Garage
International Bureau of Investigation Japan Main Headquarters
Since there were twelve agents, four went into each car. Aya, Tsumaya and Kiyoshi went with Tsushima in a dark blue Mitsubishi GTO. Noin, Akitata and Duo went with Zechs in a mostly white Nissan Skyline. And Heero, Trowa and Wufei went with Quatre in a scarlet red Toyota TRD 3000.
They wove their way through morning traffic, which took a very long time... as it always did. And when they finally got there, they'd find more then they had anticipated.
9:51 am
Ruins of the Tim Hortons Restaurant
When the group of twelve agents from the International Bureau of Investigation arrived, some police were there as well, guarding the ruins from the public. As Tsushima got out, he flashed IBI identification to allow them to pass. They all put on latex gloves, and got out some plastic bags to gather evidence.
The police tape was still around the ruins, and many spectators and reporters swarmed around the scene.
Tsushima studied the origin of the blast again, along with Heero, an explosives expert and a reluctant Aya. The chair Officer Giam had been sitting on had been almost completely vaporized. The center part of the roof had collapsed after the devastating blast, and the walls were holding on, barely. Beside Tsushima on the floor was a piece of a Tim Hortons coffee cup. Picking it up, he studied it, and then his eyes went wide. He inferred that it had been the dead officer's cup. Not wanting to steal a dead man's riches, and not wanting to destroy the last thing the man had, he stuck it into his pocket, vowing to hang it up somewhere as a good luck charm.
Aya, trying to fight the sadness and anger, looked around for some useful clues. "Whoa, take a look at these!" Duo exclaimed.
Aya turned around, seeing Duo, who was on the other side of the restaurant, holding up a half-melted pile of metal. "They seem to be what's left of a cache of firearms." Wufei spoke, almost to himself, in his usual self-righteous tone. "I found some melted guns over here too." Zechs announced from his area.
Aya could feel that something was not right. Two piles of weapons found in a Tim Hortons restaurant? There was something more to this. She let her mind wander as she checked behind the ordering counter. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, except maybe for the fact that most of it was blown away, she entered the cooking room. The door wasn't there anymore, and the wall that separated it from the rest of the restaurant crumbled. Then she saw something she'd never think she'd see in a restaurant. A whole stockpile of guns, most of them illegal, and what looked like priceless jewellery all hung up on the far wall. She turned around "Tsushima?" she called to her partner.
Moments later, Tsushima found his way to where Aya was. He was about to ask what was up, but then he understood immediately upon looking at what she had found. There was definitely more to this than any of the agents would have expected. Maybe they'd find out, or maybe the truth would destroy them...
7:00 pm
Conference Room of Deadline Office HQ
International Bureau of Investigation Japan Main Headquarters
After a mentally tiring day on the field, Aya was ready to pack up. First investigating the restaurant, again, then filling out all those papers. Many of the lights were off, save for the desk lamp. Most of the other agents on the case had gone home, so had a lot of other IBI workers. Aya sighed as she estimated the amount of paperwork she'd have to do after the investigation was over. Also, this assignment had interrupted with the one she had when they were staking out the jewellery store. 'That business is connected to the bombing you idiot!' She scolded herself mentally.
Putting on her jacket, she got up to leave the dark room. She opened the door, only to find her partner going over papers. She smiled ruefully at him, as she saw papers scattered everywhere over his interim desk. He was so engrossed in his work that he didn't even take notice her presence. "I'm heading home Tsushima, I'll see you tomorrow." she told him.
This broke him out of his state "Huh? Oh... bye Aya." he responded, then he got back to work.
Aya put her hands on her hips in concern. "You should go home too, you can't be staying up late doing work just to come back here early tomorrow." she persuaded.
Tsushima, paused, thought about, it then put his pen down and collected select documents. "Alright Aya, I'll go home." he said resignedly.
Aya shook her head then walked towards the door, with him in tow. "So what are you going to do when you get home?" she asked, trying to start a friendly conversation.
Tsushima scratched his head, thinking for a while. "I'm gonna go to bed." he replied simply.
Aya groaned as the reached the elevator. "Early." he then added.
Aya shook her head again. He was a good partner, even though they had got off with a rough start, he was still her best partner. But as a friend, he had to open up a little more. "Well I'm going to have a long bath, then maybe get some takeout."
"Oh." he merely replied, while keying the elevator.
"Care to join me?" she invited.
"The bath or the takeout?" he asked jokingly.
Aya chuckled quietly at his joke. "The takeout, for today." she responded, still laughing.
Tsushima smiled, this would be a change from his usual dinners all by himself.
8:55 pm
Aya Brea's Residence
Suburbs of Tokyo
In the cold lonely night, Tsushima Masaki walked slowly to the door of Aya's house. Only the outside lights lit up the cold night. He had just come from an Oriental restaurant in the depths of Tokyo to get some takeout of his own. He hesitated on knocking on the door. He hadn't even changed from what he normally wore at work. 'This is feeling too much like an informal date.' He thought.
Mentally, he kicked himself 'This isn't a date, she's your friend and partner, she just wants to get to know you better, that's all.' He reminded himself.
It had been one month since he and her started working together, and Tsushima was nervous.
He gathered all of his courage, and then he knocked on the door. Shortly thereafter, the door opened. The door opened to reveal Aya, in a white T-shirt and black leather pants. She smiled in a friendly manner, her flaxen hair reflecting the available lighting "You're late." she commented, not in an accusing tone, but in a casual one.
Tsushima raised an eyebrow "I wasn't aware of a set time." he responded.
"Whatever." she said as she pulled him into the house, laughing quietly.
Once he was in he took a look around, then his eyes settled on Aya, who had a quizzical look on her face. "What?" Tsushima snapped.
The blonde pointed behind him. He turned around, to see the door still open. Mentally kicking himself again, he closed it.
"That's better, it was getting a bit cold. What do you have here?" she inquired, taking the Styrofoam boxes from him.
"...Uh, it's just some takeout. I thought it would be better if we both had something to share." he explained.
She flashed him a smile "That was nice of you. Come on; let's go to the dining room. And don't worry about taking your shoes off, it's ok." Aya told him as she walked into the dining room.
Tsushima decided to take off his shoes despite what Aya had said. As he followed her in, she glanced at his feet. "A true gentleman. Decides to be polite even when he doesn't have to be." she voiced almost to herself.
Tsushima shrugged "I didn't want to mess up your carpet."
"Excuses, excuses Tsushima." she replied, very amused.
They sat at a small table, with lights at medium power. Aya opened up the several boxes of food and placed plates out for the both of them. And the time they spent seemed almost perpetual.