Chapter 2
Stanley Bradshaw heaved out his remaining breath as he attempted to lift a box off of the packing truck by himself. The things were heavy, what in the hell did they put in there? Whatever they put in there, he knew it was encased in glass, for the boxes said "Fragile" and made a loud clanking noise whenever you sat it down. His pale, brittle arms lifted the box maybe two inches before he stumbled. This can't be happening! He'd be fired for sure!
But before he hit the ground, a large man in overalls and a pale brown hat caught him and the box. Thank god for inventing coworkers.
"Woah there little man." He said, a chuckling smile creeping across his face. "Careful. I told you to wait for me."
"I...I thought I could handle it, Mark." Stanley said, looking at the box, no firmly in Mark's grasp.
"Wha....Whaddya s'pose it is anyway?"
"Beats me." He then turned and looked around, then turned back. "Want to find out?"
"Whaddya m-m-mean?" Stanley asked, unsure of Mark's next actions, wary of the trouble it may cause, but Mark just smiled back and popped the lid off.
"Whoa..." He said, gaping in awe at the thousands of tiny vials filled with a white liquid that seemed to shimmer in the sunlight.
"What is this?" Mark scratched his head as he inspected a glass vial closely. A hand quickly jutted down and grabbed it.
"What do you think you are doing?" The man asked. It was the boss! Dante, quite possibly the richest man in Dollet, stood before them in a lavish purple suit, his gorgeous silver hair tied back in a ponytail.
"Be careful or you'll harm the 'product'."
Stanley and Mark just kind of looked at each other. Stanley, not being the stronger willed of the two, went on like he would return to work, but Mark stepped up to talk.
"Sir, if you don't mind me askin', what exactly IS the 'product?'"
"I pay you to move crates, not to ask questions." Dante looked him over shrewdly and continued. "Be more careful. I have a lot of money riding on what's in those crates."
Afterwards, he turned to leave. After walking about five feet, he turned back around and smiled.
"Anything happens to these boxes, and I will kill you." He said while putting on a black pair of sunglasses.
"Have a nice day."
Then he left, and they went back to work.
***
Squall layed back and relaxed in his chair. It had been a long day, a rather loooong day, and he barely had time to catch his breath. But before his day would be over, he had papers to grade and lessons to plan. He tried not to think about it.
Before long, he started to doze off, getting the well deserved rest that he hadn't been getting lately. Everytime he closed his eyes, it seemed that SHE was there, but she was dead. Gone from the world, forever...
"Knock, knock..." Quistis said, leaning against the door slightly.
"Oh, hi Quistis." Squall said, still half asleep. "What's wrong?"
"New job." She replied, holding up a stack of papers. She walked over and sat the papers on his desk directly in front of him.
"Police reports. Seems several people have gone missing between here and Timber, and it also seems there are drugs involved. They want you to take one of the best SeeDs and go undercover, checking out some things in the underbelly of the drug world."
"And we were given this wonderful little job why exactly?" Squall asked, rubbing his chin. Quistis just smiled.
"Dangerous. Very dangerous. Seems none of the detectives will do it." Quistis seemed to be more driven by the danger. "So who's it gonna be?"
"Huh?"
"The SeeD. The one that goes with you." She said.
"I think there is only one person here more qualified than me." He smiled. "So pack your bags. We'll get started in the morning."
Stanley Bradshaw heaved out his remaining breath as he attempted to lift a box off of the packing truck by himself. The things were heavy, what in the hell did they put in there? Whatever they put in there, he knew it was encased in glass, for the boxes said "Fragile" and made a loud clanking noise whenever you sat it down. His pale, brittle arms lifted the box maybe two inches before he stumbled. This can't be happening! He'd be fired for sure!
But before he hit the ground, a large man in overalls and a pale brown hat caught him and the box. Thank god for inventing coworkers.
"Woah there little man." He said, a chuckling smile creeping across his face. "Careful. I told you to wait for me."
"I...I thought I could handle it, Mark." Stanley said, looking at the box, no firmly in Mark's grasp.
"Wha....Whaddya s'pose it is anyway?"
"Beats me." He then turned and looked around, then turned back. "Want to find out?"
"Whaddya m-m-mean?" Stanley asked, unsure of Mark's next actions, wary of the trouble it may cause, but Mark just smiled back and popped the lid off.
"Whoa..." He said, gaping in awe at the thousands of tiny vials filled with a white liquid that seemed to shimmer in the sunlight.
"What is this?" Mark scratched his head as he inspected a glass vial closely. A hand quickly jutted down and grabbed it.
"What do you think you are doing?" The man asked. It was the boss! Dante, quite possibly the richest man in Dollet, stood before them in a lavish purple suit, his gorgeous silver hair tied back in a ponytail.
"Be careful or you'll harm the 'product'."
Stanley and Mark just kind of looked at each other. Stanley, not being the stronger willed of the two, went on like he would return to work, but Mark stepped up to talk.
"Sir, if you don't mind me askin', what exactly IS the 'product?'"
"I pay you to move crates, not to ask questions." Dante looked him over shrewdly and continued. "Be more careful. I have a lot of money riding on what's in those crates."
Afterwards, he turned to leave. After walking about five feet, he turned back around and smiled.
"Anything happens to these boxes, and I will kill you." He said while putting on a black pair of sunglasses.
"Have a nice day."
Then he left, and they went back to work.
***
Squall layed back and relaxed in his chair. It had been a long day, a rather loooong day, and he barely had time to catch his breath. But before his day would be over, he had papers to grade and lessons to plan. He tried not to think about it.
Before long, he started to doze off, getting the well deserved rest that he hadn't been getting lately. Everytime he closed his eyes, it seemed that SHE was there, but she was dead. Gone from the world, forever...
"Knock, knock..." Quistis said, leaning against the door slightly.
"Oh, hi Quistis." Squall said, still half asleep. "What's wrong?"
"New job." She replied, holding up a stack of papers. She walked over and sat the papers on his desk directly in front of him.
"Police reports. Seems several people have gone missing between here and Timber, and it also seems there are drugs involved. They want you to take one of the best SeeDs and go undercover, checking out some things in the underbelly of the drug world."
"And we were given this wonderful little job why exactly?" Squall asked, rubbing his chin. Quistis just smiled.
"Dangerous. Very dangerous. Seems none of the detectives will do it." Quistis seemed to be more driven by the danger. "So who's it gonna be?"
"Huh?"
"The SeeD. The one that goes with you." She said.
"I think there is only one person here more qualified than me." He smiled. "So pack your bags. We'll get started in the morning."