"What've you got?" asked Jace as he entered Squall's office.
"Quistis found an ex-member of Garden who had a vendetta against Jackson," replied Squall, getting up from his desk and walking over to a filing cabinet in the corner. He opened it a took out a file, then tossed it to Jace. Jace opened it up and had a look.
"Tony Hernandez, huh? I think I remember him. He was worse than Siefer Almasy," he said, his eyes seeming to get a little brighter.
"I wouldn't go that far," Said Squall. "He didn't become an enemy of the world, but he was pretty bad."
"Didn't he try to go on a killing spree before he left?" asked Jace. Squall nodded.
"Yep. He was sent to Bayview Mental Hospital after he was caught. Guess ho caught him."
"Jackson?"
"You got it," said Squall.
"But, he's in the loony bin. How the hell could he get in here?"
"Apparently, he broke out of the hospital a few days ago." Squall gave Jace a strange look. "I'm surprised you haven't heard. You normally listen to the new very chance you get." Jace shrugged.
"I've been a little busy." Squall stared at him for a couple more seconds, then looked back to the file.
"So now we have someone who we can't account for, and who has a crystal-cut motive."
"How do we find him?" asked Jace.
"We check out all the places he used to hang out." Squall walked over to the corner and grabbed his worn leather jacket. "Let's go."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Wow, you are hungry," said Irvine as he watched Sonya wolf down hot dog after hot dog. "You could challenge Zell's record." Soya stopped eating and looked at Irvine.
"I haven't had anything to eat all day, I'm a little peckish."
"So I noticed. Why haven't you eaten?" Sonya gave him a funny look.
"I probably wasn't hungry. You know, when you don't feel like eating?" Irvine laughed, then put a serious look back on his face.
"I'm serious. Are you sure there isn't anything wrong?"
"There's nothing," said Sonya.
"You know I don't mean to pry. Are you sure there's nothing wrong between you and Jace?" Sonya's mouth dropped open.
"How did you know about us? Not even my father knows about that!" Irvine laughed.
"Sonya, you're talking to the biggest womanizer in the country. I know when two people are going out."
"If you're so good, then how come you and Selphie broke up?" Irvine gave her a hurt look. "Okay you impressed me," she said. "But there's nothing wrong." Irvine nodded.
"You'd tell me if there was something, wouldn't you?" he asked.
"Well, if I didn't, you'd probably find out exactly what happened just by looking at the color of my hair." Irvine smiled, then nodded.
"Okay. You can go back to your meal now."
"Thank you," said Sonya, a hot dog already halfway up to her mouth.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Oh, now this is a charming place," remarked Jace as he stepped out of the car in front of
"Girls, Girls, Girls", the dirtiest pornographic theatre in Deling City.
"Welcome to Deling City's dark side," said Squall with a hint of a smile on his face.
"Hernandez is supposed to be in here?" asked Jace. "I don't think a Galbadian soldier would be caught in here." Squall laughed, then walked into the entrance. He walked right up to the counter, which was covered with posters of girls strutting their stuff, and pulled out a photo, which he showed to the man standing behind it.
"You ever seen this guy?" asked Squall. The man behind the counter brushed his greasy long hair out of his face, then peered at the picture.
"Nope," he said in a creaky voice. "Never seen him before." Jace walked up to the counter, making sure the man behind the counter didn't see him.
"I hate this part," said Squall quietly, taking out his wallet. He took out a fifty-dollar note and placed it on the counter. "Seen him yet?" The man's hand shot out and took the note, then nodded his head.
"Yeah, he comes in all the time."
"Seen him recently?" asked Squall.
"I can't remember." Squall put another fifty on the counter. The man immediately grabbed it.
"Yeah. He came in a couple of nights ago."
"Do you know where he might be now?" asked Squall.
"Maybe."
"I'm getting sick of this," said Jace quietly to Squall. He walked out from behind Squall, and watched the man's jaw drop. "Tell my friend what he wants to know, Charlie," he said.
"Uh, yes, of course, Mr. Gerardo. Uh, what was it you wanted to know, kind sir?" said the man, his whole body shaking.
"Okay," said Squall, not quite sure what Jace had done to the man. "Do you know where he might be?"
"He uh, might be in the Deling City Hotel. I heard he's been going out with one of the bartenders there."
"Anywhere else he might be?" asked Jace.
"Uh, try the weapons shop. He said he something about an arsenal, sir, Mr. Gerardo sir."
"Thanks. Now I think it'd be a good idea if you left town for a little while." The man nodded emphatically.
"Yes sir, of course, sir." The man then got out from behind the counter, and bolted out the door.
"Jace. I have a question for you," said Squall as they walked out of the theatre. Jace immediately held out his hand.
"Don't ask."
"Jace if it's something I should know then—,"
"Just don't!" said Jace forcefully. "I'll tell you when you need to know." He then moved over to the car and hopped in. "You coming?"
"Yeah," said Squall.
"Where do we go first?" asked Jace, seemingly back to normal.
"Hotel, first, then the Weapons shop."
"Gotcha." Jace started the car with a roar, and drove off down the street.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The man with the greasy hair ran to a payphone three blocks away from the theatre. He dialed a number.
"Jimmy? Yeah, it's Charlie. He's back, man!" Charlie glanced wildly around the street. "No, I just talked to him! Gerardo's back!"
"Quistis found an ex-member of Garden who had a vendetta against Jackson," replied Squall, getting up from his desk and walking over to a filing cabinet in the corner. He opened it a took out a file, then tossed it to Jace. Jace opened it up and had a look.
"Tony Hernandez, huh? I think I remember him. He was worse than Siefer Almasy," he said, his eyes seeming to get a little brighter.
"I wouldn't go that far," Said Squall. "He didn't become an enemy of the world, but he was pretty bad."
"Didn't he try to go on a killing spree before he left?" asked Jace. Squall nodded.
"Yep. He was sent to Bayview Mental Hospital after he was caught. Guess ho caught him."
"Jackson?"
"You got it," said Squall.
"But, he's in the loony bin. How the hell could he get in here?"
"Apparently, he broke out of the hospital a few days ago." Squall gave Jace a strange look. "I'm surprised you haven't heard. You normally listen to the new very chance you get." Jace shrugged.
"I've been a little busy." Squall stared at him for a couple more seconds, then looked back to the file.
"So now we have someone who we can't account for, and who has a crystal-cut motive."
"How do we find him?" asked Jace.
"We check out all the places he used to hang out." Squall walked over to the corner and grabbed his worn leather jacket. "Let's go."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Wow, you are hungry," said Irvine as he watched Sonya wolf down hot dog after hot dog. "You could challenge Zell's record." Soya stopped eating and looked at Irvine.
"I haven't had anything to eat all day, I'm a little peckish."
"So I noticed. Why haven't you eaten?" Sonya gave him a funny look.
"I probably wasn't hungry. You know, when you don't feel like eating?" Irvine laughed, then put a serious look back on his face.
"I'm serious. Are you sure there isn't anything wrong?"
"There's nothing," said Sonya.
"You know I don't mean to pry. Are you sure there's nothing wrong between you and Jace?" Sonya's mouth dropped open.
"How did you know about us? Not even my father knows about that!" Irvine laughed.
"Sonya, you're talking to the biggest womanizer in the country. I know when two people are going out."
"If you're so good, then how come you and Selphie broke up?" Irvine gave her a hurt look. "Okay you impressed me," she said. "But there's nothing wrong." Irvine nodded.
"You'd tell me if there was something, wouldn't you?" he asked.
"Well, if I didn't, you'd probably find out exactly what happened just by looking at the color of my hair." Irvine smiled, then nodded.
"Okay. You can go back to your meal now."
"Thank you," said Sonya, a hot dog already halfway up to her mouth.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Oh, now this is a charming place," remarked Jace as he stepped out of the car in front of
"Girls, Girls, Girls", the dirtiest pornographic theatre in Deling City.
"Welcome to Deling City's dark side," said Squall with a hint of a smile on his face.
"Hernandez is supposed to be in here?" asked Jace. "I don't think a Galbadian soldier would be caught in here." Squall laughed, then walked into the entrance. He walked right up to the counter, which was covered with posters of girls strutting their stuff, and pulled out a photo, which he showed to the man standing behind it.
"You ever seen this guy?" asked Squall. The man behind the counter brushed his greasy long hair out of his face, then peered at the picture.
"Nope," he said in a creaky voice. "Never seen him before." Jace walked up to the counter, making sure the man behind the counter didn't see him.
"I hate this part," said Squall quietly, taking out his wallet. He took out a fifty-dollar note and placed it on the counter. "Seen him yet?" The man's hand shot out and took the note, then nodded his head.
"Yeah, he comes in all the time."
"Seen him recently?" asked Squall.
"I can't remember." Squall put another fifty on the counter. The man immediately grabbed it.
"Yeah. He came in a couple of nights ago."
"Do you know where he might be now?" asked Squall.
"Maybe."
"I'm getting sick of this," said Jace quietly to Squall. He walked out from behind Squall, and watched the man's jaw drop. "Tell my friend what he wants to know, Charlie," he said.
"Uh, yes, of course, Mr. Gerardo. Uh, what was it you wanted to know, kind sir?" said the man, his whole body shaking.
"Okay," said Squall, not quite sure what Jace had done to the man. "Do you know where he might be?"
"He uh, might be in the Deling City Hotel. I heard he's been going out with one of the bartenders there."
"Anywhere else he might be?" asked Jace.
"Uh, try the weapons shop. He said he something about an arsenal, sir, Mr. Gerardo sir."
"Thanks. Now I think it'd be a good idea if you left town for a little while." The man nodded emphatically.
"Yes sir, of course, sir." The man then got out from behind the counter, and bolted out the door.
"Jace. I have a question for you," said Squall as they walked out of the theatre. Jace immediately held out his hand.
"Don't ask."
"Jace if it's something I should know then—,"
"Just don't!" said Jace forcefully. "I'll tell you when you need to know." He then moved over to the car and hopped in. "You coming?"
"Yeah," said Squall.
"Where do we go first?" asked Jace, seemingly back to normal.
"Hotel, first, then the Weapons shop."
"Gotcha." Jace started the car with a roar, and drove off down the street.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The man with the greasy hair ran to a payphone three blocks away from the theatre. He dialed a number.
"Jimmy? Yeah, it's Charlie. He's back, man!" Charlie glanced wildly around the street. "No, I just talked to him! Gerardo's back!"