Meryl looked up at the large building in front of her. It was about 5 stories tall, and the same beige color as the sand surrounding it. The long stairs heading to the front doors were framed by two large pillars, making the building seem more regal than Meryl knew it to be. This building was the main office of the Bernardelli Insurance Society and Meryl's place of work for many years. It felt very nostalgic to be there again, having been out in the world for so long...
"Meryl! C'mon! Let's go!"
Meryl snapped out of her daydream and looked over at where her name was being called from. Millie was standing higher up on the stairs, waving frantically at her. Meryl smiled up at her long-time friend.
"Alright Millie, I'm coming!" she called up to Millie, as she began making her way up the stairs and into the building.
The normal bustle of the office greeted her as she stepped through the door. The sound of clicking typewriters and muted voices floated lazily around her. Meryl watched as Millie rushed over to one of the people typing at a desk. People pushed past her on their way across the room, carrying stacks of papers that where so large that their carriers where hidden behind them. Suddenly one of the stacks stopped in front of her and a face peeked out behind it.
"Hi Meryl!" the face said, smiling brightly.
"Hey Danae! It's good to see you! How've you been?"
"Pretty good," said Danae, her stack of papers wobbling precariously. She took a moment to steady them, then asked, "How 'bout you?"
"Oh, not too bad, I guess..." Meryl answered, her voice slightly strained.
"Hey weren't you out on business or something?" asked Danae.
"I was, but I got a letter from the Chief saying that Millie and I should return here immediately." Meryl paused for a moment, and then inquired, "Do you have any idea what this might be about?"
"No, not really." Danae replied. She lowered her voice to a whisper. "Maybe it has something to do with your assignment." She scurried off as someone summoned her from across the room.
Meryl glared after her. Vash is not an "assignment", she thought angrily. She looked around the room for her partner, and found her talking animatedly with another one of their coworkers. As Meryl walked up to her, Millie turned and said, "Hey guess what, Meryl? Terry here says that the Chief has been in a good mood lately! Maybe the Chief called us here to give us promotions!"
"Highly doubtful after everything that's happened, Millie, but I can't say I wouldn't mind. I think we should go talk to him ourselves if we really want to know."
Millie's eye's brightened eagerly. "Good idea Meryl."
The Chief's private office was on the second floor of the building. Millie and Meryl made their way up the stairs and down the eerily abandoned hallway to the office door. Meryl knocked on it and waited. After a moment, the door slowly opened to reveal the tired, haggard face of the Chief. The sunken eyes widened slightly as he laid eyes on the two.
"Ah, Millie, Meryl. I was wondering when you'd get here," he said.
"You wanted to see us sir?" asked Meryl.
"Yes I did. Come in, please." He opened the door wide enough so that they could come in.
The room was small and enclosed on all sides by plain brown walls. A neat, nearly unadorned desk and chair stood facing the door. The Chief ushered them to sit in two other chairs that faced the desk. Millie and Meryl sat down in the hard wooden chairs as the Chief took his seat.
"Now," he said, folding his hands on his desk and looking at his two employees. "I have a few questions to ask you." Meryl could feel his eyes boring into her at the last word, but only for a moment before passing over to Millie.
"And what would that be sir?" asked Millie brightly.
The Chief shot another oppressive glance at Meryl before shuffling through one of the neat piles of paper on his desk. He took one paper from it, scanned it with his eyes, and then handed it to Millie.
"Have you seen this paper before, Millie?" he inquired.
Millie read the paper then looked up, a hint of confusion in her soft blue eyes. "No, I haven't, sir..."
A strange look flickered over the Chief's face. "I didn't think so."
"Sir? May I ask what this is?" the look of confusion still plagued Millie's face.
"What does look like?"
Millie looked down at the paper again. "A letter...?"
The Chief nodded. "To whom?"
Millie looked at the very bottom of the letter and frowned. "Me and Meryl."
"Oh really?" the Chief said, mock confusion thick in his voice. "Then it seems that you should have read it, no?"
Millie looked up at him. "Well, not if we didn't get it..."
"Oh but you did, because I got a response."
The room became silent. The Chief's hard gaze had returned to Meryl's silent form. Meryl kept her gaze down at her lap. Millie's gaze darted between the two in frantic confusion. The silence hung thick in the air for a few moments, before being broken by the Chief's eerily calm voice.
"Millie, would you mind excusing us for a moment?" His gaze stayed glued to Meryl.
At the Chief's words, Millie got up and left the room, yet not before sending another confused glance over her shoulder at Meryl and the Chief.
The Chief let silence reign for a few more seconds before he began to speak. "Now Meryl, I hope you know how serious these circumstances are."
Meryl kept quiet.
The Chief sighed. "I should have known that an excellent employee such as yourself would be too good to be true. I just don't understand how you could suddenly have become so... rash."
Meryl did not respond. She had made her choice. She knew the truth, and no one could take that away from her.
"Well?" The Chief's tone hinted at his annoyance with is employee. "Don't you have anything to say for yourself?"
Still Meryl did not break her silence.
The Chief straightened a stack of papers, and then said, "Then you leave me no choice but to suspend you from your employment. This means that—"
The rest of his words were swallowed up by an eruption of sound and light. A huge force sent Meryl flying from her seat across the room. She landed hard on the floor, and the wind was slammed out of her. She quickly recovered, and threw her arms over her head, protecting herself from the sudden blast. She could feel an intense head coming from the other side of the room. She uncovered her head and looked over at it.
The opposite wall of the room was engulfed in flames, dark smoke billowed from it. From the parts that were standing, that is. The majority of the wall was strewn around the room in pieces. Part of the ceiling had also collapsed.
Right over the Chief's desk.
The realization of this struck Meryl hard. She could feel the smoke and heat burning her eyes as they widened in horror. Something else burned behind her eyes, but she clamped them shut before that something could escape. She sat huddled there for a moment, knowing that she should get out, but feeling too afraid to do so. Suddenly another sound reached her ears, a hard, loud sound that seemed somewhat out of place within the fiery chaos.
Gunfire.
In the hallway.
Meryl's eyes flew open.
Millie!
Quickly and carefully, Meryl made her way across the shattered room to the door. She stood cautiously, then burst through the door, finding the hallway beyond in the same disarray as the office.
"Meryl..."
Meryl turned at the sound of the feeble voice that she knew so well. Millie was leaning weakly against the wall beside the office door, clutching her left shoulder. Blood seeped out of the wound from behind her hand. A thick pool of the red liquid collected on thefloor around her, oozing from two more wounds in her legs. Meryl rushed over to her friend, crouching down beside her.
"Millie, what happened!? Who did this!?" Meryl said anxiously.
Millie raised her right hand off her wound, drops of blood falling from it as she bent the fingers to point down the hallway away from where the explosion had been. Meryl followed her finger, looking down the hallway to see what Millie pointed at.
There, walking away from the explosion was Vash the Stampede.
Meryl felt her mouth open to let out a scream, but it was swallowed up by the soundlessness of the white light.
Yup, I know I'm horribly evil for ending like that. It'll make more sense next chapter, don't worry. A hint about this chapter if you're confused: look at the title. It explains a bit... or at least it should... maybe...
Insane thanks to my reviewers! You are all now officially "Cool People." lol
I've already gotten headway on ch.3, so I'll try to get it posted ASAP. Until then, happy writitng and reviewing! ;-P