Chapter 3 Fear Motivates
Author's note: Thanx for your support, please read this one!!!
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The subway moved with a monotone drone, stopping now and then at stations. But nobody alighted or came in - it was too late to be milling around.
The gun pressed against her side but she continued reading her small book. The man next to her was motionless, almost sleeping maybe, but she could hear the music escaping from his headphones. It was classical music, and she was surprised that someone still listened to that kind of thing in this day and age. She wished she had taken her discman along, but too late now. She silently counted the stations. Four more, and then the night will be over.
Her target continued reading with indifference, unaware that he was about to be killed very soon. Quistis knew he carried a gun, and she planned to take him out before he could even think, but that would be a difficult thing indeed. She sighed and glanced at her watch in a typical girly manner. Soon now... her hand reached into her coat and grasped the gun. One more station...
And then it happened. The strain stopped at a station and as the doors opened, a huge gust of wind blew in and whisked her companion's cap off, revealing his face. And her target paled and jumped to his feet, throwing Quistis in alarm. He's leaving!!! In panic she took out her gun and was about to shoot when a bullet slammed into the skull of her target - and there was suddenly an exchange of bullets in the cabin. Confused, she whirled around and random fired, hitting a civilian. A hand gripped hers like vice and she found herself staring into a pair of cold gray-blue eyes, cold as shards of ice. "Die." He had said and a stab of fear drove her to drive her knee into his groin and jump back, aiming her gun. He looked familiar, but who...
He crouched, quickly recovered but she realized he was grinning. A twisted, insane grin. "You're an assassin?" He had asked quietly and she couldn't answer, her hands shaking. "Who are you?!" She stammered, not caring anymore. Every one of her nerves were screaming danger, but she couldn't do anything about it. His stormy eyes had frozen her thoughts.
He stood up and looked behind him, where the people were sprawled in a bloody heap. With a jolt Quistis realized that the child was unharmed - and she was crying in terror.
"She will need a life." He said suddenly and Quistis forced her hand to steady. "Put down your weapon."
He looked at his gun and tossed it to the floor. "I've done my job," he said suddenly. "I didn't know there's another hired to do the same - " With surprising speed he lunged to her and wrestled her to the floor, pinning her arms and legs. "I don't leave evidence."
Storm!!! Her mind screamed, fear clutching her heart. It can't be - this was the legendary assassin!!
Quistis struggled hard, trying to push him off. She can't die here - not here, not now. Not now!!!
She glared at him and suddenly lunged and bit his arm, forcing him to loosen his grip. He rolled off her just as the train came to halt at the station, and he nimbly stepped outside, face hard. "Clever," he said and held up something. She scrambled up but the door was closing. A detonator!!! Her heart was pounding wildly. He's hidden a bomb somewhere?! Now there was a ticking sound - and she looked out the window.
"Mommy!!!!"
She whirled around and saw the girl crying. You don't deserve to die, Quistis thought. She caught the girl up in her arms and looked out of the window again. It looked like a fifty-foot fall, but it was water. But at fifty feet, water can feel like concrete...
"I'm not dying here!" She cried out in frustration and with a yell, broke the window and threw herself out, plunging down, down. The chances of escaping was narrow, but she had a chance, rather than none at all.
She opened her eyes again, remembering the crazy moments which changed her life. She cannot afford to panic anymore, and her brush with Storm taught her something - no feelings must come. Nothing must interfere.
She had gone to the trial and had seen how enraged he was, the storm gathering force behind those eyes. But he did nothing brash. Rather, she felt as if he was planning - revenge. Only whatever he had planned would never become reality. He was sentenced to death, as any murderer would, but there were protesters. Strange as it was, there really were protesters. But Quistis remembered one face - a face that stayed in her mind despite the passing of time.
Seifer Almasy.
According to sources, he had been Storm's subordinate, and rumors stated he had double-crossed Storm. Perhaps it was a grudge...
"Seifer Almasy was the illegitimate son of one of the passengers on the subway that fateful night," She said in a low voice. When I saved you... your parents were killed in the explosion, but their corpses were never recovered. Neither was the other couple's bodies. Only my target's body remained, as if Storm wanted to make sure that we knew who he was after."
Rikku's blood chilled and she looked at the photo again. "You're not serious..."
"I'm only stating facts," Quistis said evenly. "There is a huge possibility that Seifer Almasy is your blood brother. That is why I'm asking you now - are you going to do it?"
Rikku stared at the file again. I have a brother. Never mind him being a bastard... he's older than me, maybe he has memories of mother and father... but Quisty's mission requires her to sever the ties with her last remaining family...
"I'll do it." She said at last. "Brother or not, it's a mission."
For a fleeting second, something like pain flitted through Quistis' face, but it quickly disappeared. "Very well." She said calmly. "Seifer is currently in Centra, and you will go there immediately. Monitor him, and when the time is right, strike. Because this is much stealth as it is an assassination, you will be working alone. You will report to me from these coordinates," She gave the details to Rikku. "The moment we do not receive any news from you, we will move in with force."
"...Yuna?"
Quistis' look darkened. "She is assigned for another mission. Don't worry."
Rikku nodded and excused herself. Kiros watched her retreating shadow with a measure of apprehension. "Are you sure you did the right thing, Quistis?"
The blonde pushed her spectacles higher up the bridge of her nose, as indifferent as ever. "Nothing is right or wrong, Kiros," She said evenly. "Only truth, lies, retribution and revenge."
Kiros shook his head. "I hope your philosophy stands this time. You're pitting blood relatives against each other."
Her expression hardened. "You're wrong. I'm pitting her future against her past." She snarled. "Depending on how she does it, either one will suffer. That cannot be helped. Besides," she paused and stared at a copy of Seifer's file. "There is something about this man that I cannot put my finger on..."
"That's what you said about Storm," Kiros chuckled, glad for a light moment. Quistis scowled and heard the sound of a car pulling the driveway. "Yuna has returned."
"I'll see you tomorrow," Yuna said shyly as Tidus kissed her cheek. Tidus made a face. "Are you sure your sister won't kill me or something? I mean, I'm just a blitzball player, and you're - "
"Quisty doesn't mind," Yuna said honestly. That was the truth. Quisty doesn't mind what Tidus is, as long as he's not her rival. "Just come along for dinner tonight, please?" She clasped her hand together and admired the solitaire ring on her finger. Tidus grinned. "Is she a fan of blitzball?"
Yuna pursed her lips. "She is knowledgeable," Yuna blinked. Quisty knows blitzball, even if she doesn't follow it. Tidus nodded. "I'll be coming over at eight. Tell those guards to watch for me, okay? I don't like the way they search me." He laughed and Yuna giggled.
"Yuna must not know where Rikku has gone to," Quistis said quietly. "She can be quite stubborn if she thinks Rikku's heading for danger."
"You never stop her anyway, why bother?" Kiros asked as he sheathed his katanas. "I see you're really worried about this matter... why does Seifer weigh so much? So many people have tried to break into Esthar and you never cared much.
Quistis sighed. "Can you explain gut instinct?"
"...No."
"Then think before you speak. I see Tidus has proposed to Yuna. Looks like I must negotiate a deal with the girl..."
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Outside, the temperature dropped to 10 degrees Celsius. People walked around in thick snow gear, trying to get to wherever they were going as fast as possible before catching frostbite. A girl in a short yellow dress and an overcoat shook her head amusedly as she nonchalantly walked into the entrance. A Trabian thrives on the chill, she thought as she approached the receptionist desk. "Is Captain Auron in?"
The receptionist checked the list. "Yes, he is. Do you have an appointment with him, Miss..."
"Tilmitt." She supplied. "I'm Special Agent Selphie Tilmitt," She showed her badge and the receptionist smiled. "The Captain is waiting for you. Please walk this way, Miss Tilmitt."
Selphie smiled graciously as the girl showed her to the elevators. "Captain Auron is on the sixth floor, first door on the right."
The glass elevator hummed as it carried it sole occupant up the building. Selphie looked out of the glass sides and perceived the people scurrying around the building, some in thick snow gear. Her eyes narrowed. How can the police allow such people to work in the Trabian climate? They can't even walk outside without five layers of clothing, let alone hunt criminals. Shaking her head, she turned as the elevator beeped its arrival. The door slid open and a gust of warm air rushed into the elevator, making her chuckle. So this floor is heated, interesting. Captain Auron must not like the cold.
In fact, there are many things that Captain Auron disliked. He also disliked seeing things which are improper, such as Selphie's yellow dress in ten degrees Celsius. Selphie paid no heed to his glare and saluted the officer. "Selphie Tilmitt reporting as requested, sir."
Auron was a man in his forties, but refused to act his age. His grey- streaked hair was slicked back, and he peered at the world from behind a pair of cool shades. 'Sir down, detective." He growled and Selphie flopped down on the chair, acting more like a teenage girl than a detective. Which is exactly what she is. Auron disliked trusting young impertinent agents who act like they know everything, but in this case, there really isn't any choice. Despite her small build and apparent flippancy, Selphie Tilmitt is the best agent from the Trabian Intelligence. And the fact that the TA is being generous enough to lend their best man to the police is reason to be thankful for.
"I don't mean to be rude, but I want to get straight to business," He said and switched on the screen. Selphie grinned. "Hope this one's good, cause I'm supposed to be on vacation, y'know?"
Auron stared sharply at her. She was really flippant. "A week ago, we discovered this man in the Rnret Village near Shumi." The screen showed a tall, well-built man with a brown ponytail. "His name is Irvine Kinneas, and he's a hired sharpshooter, currently under the service of Seifer Almasy."
The name made her frown. Seifer Almasy? "What's he doing in Shumi?"
"That's what we want to know," Auron said heavily. "Shumi is a solitary community and seldom receive outsiders. If Irvine is there, that means he must have some business with them. But he's a sharpshooter, which has no link whatsoever."
"Seifer sent him then.' Selphie shrugged. Now she understood why TA sent her here. The worldwide narcotics trade is one crime that simply cannot be crushed, not when you have people like Seifer Almasy and the Ice Queen at the helm. Corruption is everywhere, especially in the police force. TA lent her to the police just for show. They knew her presence will not be much help, not her alone. But if people like Auron still insists on crushing the drug lords, then... it might be an interesting exercise.
She stared at the folio in front of her. Her job was to track and possibly apprehend Irvine Kinneas, and find info about Seifer's operations in Trabia. Hah! She snorted silently. If I want info on Seifer, I might as well sneak into another drugger's files; they have better info than the police force put together. The TA had given up, but Esthar seems to accept the trade, simply because the Ice Queen's business is more towards assassination than narcotics. She is reputed to actually make very little profit out of her drugs, but still refused to let others break into Esthar. Talk about formidable. She aught to meet her sometime.
"Where is Mr. Kinneas now?" She asked and Auron checked the data. "He's in Shumi. You can find him there. It's up to you when you want to report to me, but TA has ordered you to report to them as well, in the usual procedure." He was saying the last bit with a little injected sarcasm, and Selphie grimaced. "Yeow, don't need to rub it in, kay? I'm a little tardy, but I do my job."
"Of course," Auron's eyes were glinting with amusement. "I believe it when I see it."
Selphie snorted. "Men! You're all the same. Can't let a girl have her fun, hmm?" She got up and brushed down her overcoat. "Can't even stand a little chill, Captain?" She smirked and walked out of the office. She stopped outside and looked at the file again. Irvine Kinneas... looks like a ladies man. Well she knows how to handle this type...
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Irvine Kinneas sauntered through the building, nodding at the ladies as they passed. He knew he looked like a ladies man with his dashing good looks and a well toned figure, but he was quite the opposite. For Irvine Kinneas never had a girlfriend all his life. He didn't know what went wrong, but he can never get a girl to go on a second date with him. But right now there are more important things at hand.
He stepped out of the elevator and walked down the thickly-carpeted corridor to room number 277. Taking out a card key, he slid it into the slot and the door beeped before swinging open. But just to be polite, he knocked.
"Come on in, Irvine."
He walked in and regarded the blonde man sitting on the window seat, a wine flute in his hand. He didn't even bother to look at Irvine as he entered, so absorbed was he in the picturesque scenery out of the window. Shumi's technology was so advanced that they had built an underground colony with atmosphere regulators and a holographic sky to match. The surroundings were lush with greenery, efficiently disguising the fact that the original reason for this colony was for mining minerals. Irvine made himself comfortable on the couch and waited for him to finish his admiration.
Seifer finished his wine and turned to the sharpshooter. "How did things go?"
Irvine shrugged. "The Shumi Leader was agreeable. That little test you did last month on how Shumis react to Redmentine was quite successful. They liked this 'miracle potion' of yours."
"I thought so," Seifer chuckled. 'Are they willing to open trade with us? You have to admit this is really lucrative."
"I said I talked it over," Irvine said, slightly irritated. Seifer could be impatient when it comes to closing deals. "He's gonna need some time, so guess we'll be here for a couple more days, kay?"
Seifer shrugged and slid off the window seat. 'Time is something we don't have much of, cowboy," Seifer said quietly. "
Seifer nodded. "Good. Now that Trabia's out of the way, let's concentrate on Esthar."
Irvine whistled. "Whoa... we're going to Esthar? Wait a minute, you haven't been keeping up with the news, have you?"
"If you're talking about that Ice Queen, I have. But I'm not bothered."
Irvine chuckled. Sure you're not. Wait till she finds out, then you'll know how hard she can kick ass. But seriously..."Seriously, if you're thinking of it, you should make peace with her first."
"I want to be her rival, not her subordinate," Seifer said icily. "Besides, she doesn't have that good of a henchmen. I've been killing them like rabbits and not one man was sent to hit me back. Can't say much about her efficiency now, can you?"
Irvine shrugged. Efficiency was out of the question, he wanted to counter. It's what her devious mind was planning. To what extent was she taking the loss of her men and how was she going to retaliate. For you can be sure the Ice Queen WILL retaliate.
"Let's just hope she doesn't send any of her big guns after you," Irvine mouthed quietly. "I'm a marksman, not an assassin. I don't assassinate assassins either, so it's out of the question. If she does come after you, I'm not having any guarantees about your safety, man."
Seifer scoffed. "You're exaggerating, Irvine. One woman cannot have so much influence. I've been reading things, and it seems like this guy Kiros is the main brains behind all her work. Now please stop talking and hand me the wine bottle, please. And get yourself a flute too."
Irvine's nose wrinkled as he handed the bottle over. He liked scotch at this hour, not wine. Besides, he doesn't have much of a fine palette.
"Maybe you're right," he said after a while. "But The Ice Queen didn't build her empire on air, so there must be something about her that makes people bow."
"And if there is, that's exactly what I want," Seifer said quietly as he sipped the wine. "Nothing's going to get in my way, Irvine."
Footnote: Woo-hoo!!! Another chapter down the belt!!! Reviews, pretty please?
Author's note: Thanx for your support, please read this one!!!
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The subway moved with a monotone drone, stopping now and then at stations. But nobody alighted or came in - it was too late to be milling around.
The gun pressed against her side but she continued reading her small book. The man next to her was motionless, almost sleeping maybe, but she could hear the music escaping from his headphones. It was classical music, and she was surprised that someone still listened to that kind of thing in this day and age. She wished she had taken her discman along, but too late now. She silently counted the stations. Four more, and then the night will be over.
Her target continued reading with indifference, unaware that he was about to be killed very soon. Quistis knew he carried a gun, and she planned to take him out before he could even think, but that would be a difficult thing indeed. She sighed and glanced at her watch in a typical girly manner. Soon now... her hand reached into her coat and grasped the gun. One more station...
And then it happened. The strain stopped at a station and as the doors opened, a huge gust of wind blew in and whisked her companion's cap off, revealing his face. And her target paled and jumped to his feet, throwing Quistis in alarm. He's leaving!!! In panic she took out her gun and was about to shoot when a bullet slammed into the skull of her target - and there was suddenly an exchange of bullets in the cabin. Confused, she whirled around and random fired, hitting a civilian. A hand gripped hers like vice and she found herself staring into a pair of cold gray-blue eyes, cold as shards of ice. "Die." He had said and a stab of fear drove her to drive her knee into his groin and jump back, aiming her gun. He looked familiar, but who...
He crouched, quickly recovered but she realized he was grinning. A twisted, insane grin. "You're an assassin?" He had asked quietly and she couldn't answer, her hands shaking. "Who are you?!" She stammered, not caring anymore. Every one of her nerves were screaming danger, but she couldn't do anything about it. His stormy eyes had frozen her thoughts.
He stood up and looked behind him, where the people were sprawled in a bloody heap. With a jolt Quistis realized that the child was unharmed - and she was crying in terror.
"She will need a life." He said suddenly and Quistis forced her hand to steady. "Put down your weapon."
He looked at his gun and tossed it to the floor. "I've done my job," he said suddenly. "I didn't know there's another hired to do the same - " With surprising speed he lunged to her and wrestled her to the floor, pinning her arms and legs. "I don't leave evidence."
Storm!!! Her mind screamed, fear clutching her heart. It can't be - this was the legendary assassin!!
Quistis struggled hard, trying to push him off. She can't die here - not here, not now. Not now!!!
She glared at him and suddenly lunged and bit his arm, forcing him to loosen his grip. He rolled off her just as the train came to halt at the station, and he nimbly stepped outside, face hard. "Clever," he said and held up something. She scrambled up but the door was closing. A detonator!!! Her heart was pounding wildly. He's hidden a bomb somewhere?! Now there was a ticking sound - and she looked out the window.
"Mommy!!!!"
She whirled around and saw the girl crying. You don't deserve to die, Quistis thought. She caught the girl up in her arms and looked out of the window again. It looked like a fifty-foot fall, but it was water. But at fifty feet, water can feel like concrete...
"I'm not dying here!" She cried out in frustration and with a yell, broke the window and threw herself out, plunging down, down. The chances of escaping was narrow, but she had a chance, rather than none at all.
She opened her eyes again, remembering the crazy moments which changed her life. She cannot afford to panic anymore, and her brush with Storm taught her something - no feelings must come. Nothing must interfere.
She had gone to the trial and had seen how enraged he was, the storm gathering force behind those eyes. But he did nothing brash. Rather, she felt as if he was planning - revenge. Only whatever he had planned would never become reality. He was sentenced to death, as any murderer would, but there were protesters. Strange as it was, there really were protesters. But Quistis remembered one face - a face that stayed in her mind despite the passing of time.
Seifer Almasy.
According to sources, he had been Storm's subordinate, and rumors stated he had double-crossed Storm. Perhaps it was a grudge...
"Seifer Almasy was the illegitimate son of one of the passengers on the subway that fateful night," She said in a low voice. When I saved you... your parents were killed in the explosion, but their corpses were never recovered. Neither was the other couple's bodies. Only my target's body remained, as if Storm wanted to make sure that we knew who he was after."
Rikku's blood chilled and she looked at the photo again. "You're not serious..."
"I'm only stating facts," Quistis said evenly. "There is a huge possibility that Seifer Almasy is your blood brother. That is why I'm asking you now - are you going to do it?"
Rikku stared at the file again. I have a brother. Never mind him being a bastard... he's older than me, maybe he has memories of mother and father... but Quisty's mission requires her to sever the ties with her last remaining family...
"I'll do it." She said at last. "Brother or not, it's a mission."
For a fleeting second, something like pain flitted through Quistis' face, but it quickly disappeared. "Very well." She said calmly. "Seifer is currently in Centra, and you will go there immediately. Monitor him, and when the time is right, strike. Because this is much stealth as it is an assassination, you will be working alone. You will report to me from these coordinates," She gave the details to Rikku. "The moment we do not receive any news from you, we will move in with force."
"...Yuna?"
Quistis' look darkened. "She is assigned for another mission. Don't worry."
Rikku nodded and excused herself. Kiros watched her retreating shadow with a measure of apprehension. "Are you sure you did the right thing, Quistis?"
The blonde pushed her spectacles higher up the bridge of her nose, as indifferent as ever. "Nothing is right or wrong, Kiros," She said evenly. "Only truth, lies, retribution and revenge."
Kiros shook his head. "I hope your philosophy stands this time. You're pitting blood relatives against each other."
Her expression hardened. "You're wrong. I'm pitting her future against her past." She snarled. "Depending on how she does it, either one will suffer. That cannot be helped. Besides," she paused and stared at a copy of Seifer's file. "There is something about this man that I cannot put my finger on..."
"That's what you said about Storm," Kiros chuckled, glad for a light moment. Quistis scowled and heard the sound of a car pulling the driveway. "Yuna has returned."
"I'll see you tomorrow," Yuna said shyly as Tidus kissed her cheek. Tidus made a face. "Are you sure your sister won't kill me or something? I mean, I'm just a blitzball player, and you're - "
"Quisty doesn't mind," Yuna said honestly. That was the truth. Quisty doesn't mind what Tidus is, as long as he's not her rival. "Just come along for dinner tonight, please?" She clasped her hand together and admired the solitaire ring on her finger. Tidus grinned. "Is she a fan of blitzball?"
Yuna pursed her lips. "She is knowledgeable," Yuna blinked. Quisty knows blitzball, even if she doesn't follow it. Tidus nodded. "I'll be coming over at eight. Tell those guards to watch for me, okay? I don't like the way they search me." He laughed and Yuna giggled.
"Yuna must not know where Rikku has gone to," Quistis said quietly. "She can be quite stubborn if she thinks Rikku's heading for danger."
"You never stop her anyway, why bother?" Kiros asked as he sheathed his katanas. "I see you're really worried about this matter... why does Seifer weigh so much? So many people have tried to break into Esthar and you never cared much.
Quistis sighed. "Can you explain gut instinct?"
"...No."
"Then think before you speak. I see Tidus has proposed to Yuna. Looks like I must negotiate a deal with the girl..."
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Outside, the temperature dropped to 10 degrees Celsius. People walked around in thick snow gear, trying to get to wherever they were going as fast as possible before catching frostbite. A girl in a short yellow dress and an overcoat shook her head amusedly as she nonchalantly walked into the entrance. A Trabian thrives on the chill, she thought as she approached the receptionist desk. "Is Captain Auron in?"
The receptionist checked the list. "Yes, he is. Do you have an appointment with him, Miss..."
"Tilmitt." She supplied. "I'm Special Agent Selphie Tilmitt," She showed her badge and the receptionist smiled. "The Captain is waiting for you. Please walk this way, Miss Tilmitt."
Selphie smiled graciously as the girl showed her to the elevators. "Captain Auron is on the sixth floor, first door on the right."
The glass elevator hummed as it carried it sole occupant up the building. Selphie looked out of the glass sides and perceived the people scurrying around the building, some in thick snow gear. Her eyes narrowed. How can the police allow such people to work in the Trabian climate? They can't even walk outside without five layers of clothing, let alone hunt criminals. Shaking her head, she turned as the elevator beeped its arrival. The door slid open and a gust of warm air rushed into the elevator, making her chuckle. So this floor is heated, interesting. Captain Auron must not like the cold.
In fact, there are many things that Captain Auron disliked. He also disliked seeing things which are improper, such as Selphie's yellow dress in ten degrees Celsius. Selphie paid no heed to his glare and saluted the officer. "Selphie Tilmitt reporting as requested, sir."
Auron was a man in his forties, but refused to act his age. His grey- streaked hair was slicked back, and he peered at the world from behind a pair of cool shades. 'Sir down, detective." He growled and Selphie flopped down on the chair, acting more like a teenage girl than a detective. Which is exactly what she is. Auron disliked trusting young impertinent agents who act like they know everything, but in this case, there really isn't any choice. Despite her small build and apparent flippancy, Selphie Tilmitt is the best agent from the Trabian Intelligence. And the fact that the TA is being generous enough to lend their best man to the police is reason to be thankful for.
"I don't mean to be rude, but I want to get straight to business," He said and switched on the screen. Selphie grinned. "Hope this one's good, cause I'm supposed to be on vacation, y'know?"
Auron stared sharply at her. She was really flippant. "A week ago, we discovered this man in the Rnret Village near Shumi." The screen showed a tall, well-built man with a brown ponytail. "His name is Irvine Kinneas, and he's a hired sharpshooter, currently under the service of Seifer Almasy."
The name made her frown. Seifer Almasy? "What's he doing in Shumi?"
"That's what we want to know," Auron said heavily. "Shumi is a solitary community and seldom receive outsiders. If Irvine is there, that means he must have some business with them. But he's a sharpshooter, which has no link whatsoever."
"Seifer sent him then.' Selphie shrugged. Now she understood why TA sent her here. The worldwide narcotics trade is one crime that simply cannot be crushed, not when you have people like Seifer Almasy and the Ice Queen at the helm. Corruption is everywhere, especially in the police force. TA lent her to the police just for show. They knew her presence will not be much help, not her alone. But if people like Auron still insists on crushing the drug lords, then... it might be an interesting exercise.
She stared at the folio in front of her. Her job was to track and possibly apprehend Irvine Kinneas, and find info about Seifer's operations in Trabia. Hah! She snorted silently. If I want info on Seifer, I might as well sneak into another drugger's files; they have better info than the police force put together. The TA had given up, but Esthar seems to accept the trade, simply because the Ice Queen's business is more towards assassination than narcotics. She is reputed to actually make very little profit out of her drugs, but still refused to let others break into Esthar. Talk about formidable. She aught to meet her sometime.
"Where is Mr. Kinneas now?" She asked and Auron checked the data. "He's in Shumi. You can find him there. It's up to you when you want to report to me, but TA has ordered you to report to them as well, in the usual procedure." He was saying the last bit with a little injected sarcasm, and Selphie grimaced. "Yeow, don't need to rub it in, kay? I'm a little tardy, but I do my job."
"Of course," Auron's eyes were glinting with amusement. "I believe it when I see it."
Selphie snorted. "Men! You're all the same. Can't let a girl have her fun, hmm?" She got up and brushed down her overcoat. "Can't even stand a little chill, Captain?" She smirked and walked out of the office. She stopped outside and looked at the file again. Irvine Kinneas... looks like a ladies man. Well she knows how to handle this type...
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Irvine Kinneas sauntered through the building, nodding at the ladies as they passed. He knew he looked like a ladies man with his dashing good looks and a well toned figure, but he was quite the opposite. For Irvine Kinneas never had a girlfriend all his life. He didn't know what went wrong, but he can never get a girl to go on a second date with him. But right now there are more important things at hand.
He stepped out of the elevator and walked down the thickly-carpeted corridor to room number 277. Taking out a card key, he slid it into the slot and the door beeped before swinging open. But just to be polite, he knocked.
"Come on in, Irvine."
He walked in and regarded the blonde man sitting on the window seat, a wine flute in his hand. He didn't even bother to look at Irvine as he entered, so absorbed was he in the picturesque scenery out of the window. Shumi's technology was so advanced that they had built an underground colony with atmosphere regulators and a holographic sky to match. The surroundings were lush with greenery, efficiently disguising the fact that the original reason for this colony was for mining minerals. Irvine made himself comfortable on the couch and waited for him to finish his admiration.
Seifer finished his wine and turned to the sharpshooter. "How did things go?"
Irvine shrugged. "The Shumi Leader was agreeable. That little test you did last month on how Shumis react to Redmentine was quite successful. They liked this 'miracle potion' of yours."
"I thought so," Seifer chuckled. 'Are they willing to open trade with us? You have to admit this is really lucrative."
"I said I talked it over," Irvine said, slightly irritated. Seifer could be impatient when it comes to closing deals. "He's gonna need some time, so guess we'll be here for a couple more days, kay?"
Seifer shrugged and slid off the window seat. 'Time is something we don't have much of, cowboy," Seifer said quietly. "
Seifer nodded. "Good. Now that Trabia's out of the way, let's concentrate on Esthar."
Irvine whistled. "Whoa... we're going to Esthar? Wait a minute, you haven't been keeping up with the news, have you?"
"If you're talking about that Ice Queen, I have. But I'm not bothered."
Irvine chuckled. Sure you're not. Wait till she finds out, then you'll know how hard she can kick ass. But seriously..."Seriously, if you're thinking of it, you should make peace with her first."
"I want to be her rival, not her subordinate," Seifer said icily. "Besides, she doesn't have that good of a henchmen. I've been killing them like rabbits and not one man was sent to hit me back. Can't say much about her efficiency now, can you?"
Irvine shrugged. Efficiency was out of the question, he wanted to counter. It's what her devious mind was planning. To what extent was she taking the loss of her men and how was she going to retaliate. For you can be sure the Ice Queen WILL retaliate.
"Let's just hope she doesn't send any of her big guns after you," Irvine mouthed quietly. "I'm a marksman, not an assassin. I don't assassinate assassins either, so it's out of the question. If she does come after you, I'm not having any guarantees about your safety, man."
Seifer scoffed. "You're exaggerating, Irvine. One woman cannot have so much influence. I've been reading things, and it seems like this guy Kiros is the main brains behind all her work. Now please stop talking and hand me the wine bottle, please. And get yourself a flute too."
Irvine's nose wrinkled as he handed the bottle over. He liked scotch at this hour, not wine. Besides, he doesn't have much of a fine palette.
"Maybe you're right," he said after a while. "But The Ice Queen didn't build her empire on air, so there must be something about her that makes people bow."
"And if there is, that's exactly what I want," Seifer said quietly as he sipped the wine. "Nothing's going to get in my way, Irvine."
Footnote: Woo-hoo!!! Another chapter down the belt!!! Reviews, pretty please?