Chapter 6 Evidence

Author's note: Here goes nothing.  Sorry for not updating for goodness=knows-how-long.  Hope this chapter's good enuff, n review if u have any problems!

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Nineteenth floor, nineteenth floor... Rikku mentally watched as the red numerals climbed.  At the nineteenth floor, she smiled at the bellhop and strode out, her steps making no sound on the plush maroon carpeting.  It was lunchtime, and most of the guests were out or resting.  Which gives her a good chance of being unseen.  Sneaking peeks at the doors, she stepped out of a corner – and instantly dodged back.  A guard, she cursed.  Peeking behind the corner again, she quickly assessed the situation.  Two burly men in black were sitting down on two chairs flanking the door.  Trust Seifer to be cautious.  Taking down two men isn't a problem, but it might cause a risk should they make too much noise.  Her hand crept to her Colt holstered under her uniform, but decided against it.  There is another way, but it's not foolproof...

            She silently produced a small cylinder from her pocket, took a deep breath before pulling out the pin and throwing it around the corner.  Silently counting to ten, she peeked again and grinned.  The two guards were now slumped in their seats, snoring gently.  Home-made sleeping gas, she grinned as she slid the cardkey into the slot and slipped in without being noticed.  The effects are very short, but sufficient to let her slip in without being detected.  And now, she thought as she looked around... and did a double take.

            The room was a Deluxe suite, but it had been refurbished with personal furniture.  Furniture that literally took her breath away.  A magnificent oak desk stood in front of the large French windows, and she inwardly smiled.  Her brother had great taste in furniture. 

            Her brother.

            Her throat constricted.  Here she was, standing in his room, ready to execute his murder.  A brother she had never known... a brother who ended up on the wrong side of the law... just like her. "You can't miss what you don't have," She said aloud and involuntarily looked out of the window.  The sky was grey, and dark clouds hung low.  She distantly heard a rumble of thunder, and she gulped.  Not now...A wave of nausea gripped her and she clutched the edge of the table, grimacing in pain.  Dear God, not now...

            A flash of red.  Red everywhere, warm and sticky on her hands, her clothes and face.  Covering her eyes, obscuring her vision.  And a sound filled the air, high and piercing. 

            It took her awhile to realize it was the sound of her own screams.  Her mother's hand that she so tightly clutched was limp, and she was covered in blood as well.  She was confused, so scared, and she was screaming...

            "Idiots!!!'

            She snapped out of her terror and swiftly looked at the door.  God, how long had she zoned out?! She hurried to an adjoining room and hid behind the door, careful to keep out of sight but left the door slightly ajar.  Her heart was pounding heavily, and as she looked out of the window, the murky sky had become darker.  No, she thought as fear gripped her again.  Calm down, Rikku! Quistis' voice was sharp and clear in her mind.  Never let anything get in the way of your mission, ever.  I will not tolerate failure.

            I can't fail, Rikku thought as she shut her eyes.  As she focused, the sounds of her own fear dimmed, and soon she was back where she should be; on solid ground. 

            The door to the suite flung open and Seifer strode in, looking angry.  Rikku kept herself flattened to the wall and peered through the crack.  He shrugged of his overcoat and flung it over the highbacked chair, muttering all the while.  "...Damned hired hands... you're FIRED!!" he yelled to the two guards outside and the door was closed.  Rikku narrowed her eyes.  My my, what foul temper.  The room was so dark now that Seifer lighted the overhead lights and lamps.  A second later lightning flashed outside the window, making Rikku clench her hands reflexively.  She has to finish this – fast!!! Seifer dropped into the high-backed chair and drummed his fingers on the desk, as if waiting for something.  Rikku reached under her uniform and drew out the gun.  He was aligned perfectly with her line of vision, and she could see his aquiline profile, his straight nose and glittering green eyes... just like her.

            Shake out of it!!! Now it was Yuna's voice reprimanding her.  Yuna always disapproved of how Rikku always got distracted in a job.  And Rikku always countered that in the end, she got the job done anyway.  Albeit with a few scratches and blood.

            She lifted the gun to fire from the hip.  One thing that Yuna doesn't know about her was that Rikku could fire from any position – and almost always get them right.  Gently laying a hand on the trigger, she repositioned the gun slightly –

            And another lightning struck just outside the window, followed by an almightily clap of thunder, making Rikku jerk and miss her aim.  Gritting her teeth, she was about to reposition when the phone rang, and the holographic screen on the wall blinked into view.  "Seifer." The holographic image said sternly and Rikku blinked in puzzlement.  The image was a balding man in his forties, with yellow hair and hard eyes.  General Caraway?! 

"General Caraway," Quistis had said one day as the three of them were gathered in her office.  "His daughter, Rinoa Caraway had been captured by the Galbadian mafia.  He's paying us well to get her back."

"So me and Yuna are going?"

Quistis had pondered over this for a while.  "No." She finally said.  "I have something else for the two of you.  I'll do this one."

Yuna was startled.  Quistis seldom handled any jobs, unless it's the three of them together.  She heard stories of Quistis' youth from Kiros, but she had never before seen the woman in action.  "Are you sure?"

Quistis had then rewarded her with one of her rare smiles.  "What's so troublesome about retrieving a spoiled child?"

But something had gone wrong, Rikku remembered as she looked upon Caraway's weathered face.  Sure, Quistis returned the girl, but for days after that, Quistis refused to say a single word. The incident was then dismissed, no further word said.

 Seifer stared at the image in evident annoyance.  "General," he answered curtly.  "Are you sure this is safe?"

            "This is urgent."

            Seifer smirked.  "Oh? What is it this time? More money?"

            Caraway's face tightened.  "It's been five years, Seifer.  Things are getting riskier, and he's not saying anything.  I don't want the money, just let me kill him!"

            "You don't want the thirty million?" Seifer asked mockingly.  "But of course, you've fleeced over three million over the years from me, haven't you? Looks like you're not the greedy bastard I assumed you to be."

            "You can shove the money up your ass."

            "Look here, general." Seifer's expression had changed now.  It was hard, deadly.  "For five years I've waited, and I'm as tired as you are.  But the money is important to me.  It's mine.  You're supposed to torture him until he talks."

            Rikku narrowed her eyes.  This conversation is in bad taste.  What he does isn't her business.  Better kill him while he's engaged in conversation, she thought as she cocked the gun. 

            "He's not called Storm for nothing, Seifer!"

            Storm.

            A sudden numbness washed over her and Rikku took half a step back, feeling alarmed.  Her foot made contact with a floor lamp and –

            CRASH!!!!

            Seifer whipped around in alarm.  "Wha – "

            Shit!! Rikku screamed in panic.  Her mind was still slightly jumbled.  Storm... she had to go back... Quistis...

            Everything seemed to happen in a flash.  Rikku threw a gas bomb into the room before Seifer could move, and when the bomb exploded and smothered everyone in grey smoke she aimed for the glass window –

            A loud crash resounded as the bullet shattered the windowpane, and Seifer pulled out his gun, trying to make something out.  Seizing opportunity, Rikku vaulted out of the window, ignoring the bullets whizzing past he head and landed on the ledge outside and made a dash around the building, keeping close to the walls.

            Seifer saw a shadow sprint past him and out of the window.  The smoke was clearing, and he could make out the slender figure of a girl in the hotel uniform.  And the girl had sleek brown hair.  An assassin, he thought angrily.  He turned to the door, which had just opened revealing the two door guards.  "Alert everyone! Guard every entrance! That girl can't possibly jump from the nineteenth floor!!"

Yuna listlessly picked at her lunch.  The mansion was quiet, unusually so.  Normally there would be visitors coming in and out of the mansion, or the helicopter would land once in a while to deliver guests or cargo.  Or Rikku would be home, arguing with Martine, their butler about the chrysanthemums in the back garden.  Where is she, Yuna wondered.  She had been gone for almost a week and her cell phone was switched off.  Even Kiros; Kiros who normally sided with her refused to say where her sister was.

She looked up from her plate to see Quistis walk into the dining room, her face etched with lines of fatigue.  Yet her walk was still straight and graceful.  Quistis made it a rule never to slouch.  She caught Yuna's eye and nodded.  "How are you?"

Yuna forced a weak smile.  "I'm getting bored, Sis.  Can't you give me something to do?"

Quistis did not answer as she ladled some stew into her plate.  Yuna sighed.  Apparently she wasn't letting her work either...

"Are you sure you're up to it?"

Yuna blinked.  "Ah?"

Quistis wasn't looking at her, but her words were addressed to her.  "I don't want you to fail on the pretext of weak concentration."

Of course, Yuna thought wryly.  Everything is about success to Quisty.  The title Ice Queen was apt indeed.  "Don't worry Sis, I was getting bored.  I'm not moping anymore," She added softly and Quistis peered at her.  "If you say so... Martine, the house is too quiet.  Switch on the TV, won't you?"

Martine complied and went to switch the TV on, and Yuna poked at her food again.  "Quisty, you're not going to do anything to Tidus, are you?" She asked anxiously and Quistis looked nonplussed.  "Any reason to?"

"He knows who we are," Yuna put down her fork and her eyes fell on the ring on her finger.  The solitaire still shone, but each reflection hurt.  "If anything happens – "

"You know him better than I do," Quistis said evenly, breaking her bread into pieces.  "If he squeals, I most certainly will do something about it."

Yuna swallowed painfully.  "Sis – "

"AND A MAGNIFICENT SAVE FROM SERINE ZABLAINE, ESTHAR ABES' KEEPER!!!! THIS MAKES THE SCORE 7-5 TO THE ABES!!!!!!!!!!"

Yuna whipped her head around in shock, and missed the slight smile that curved Quistis' lips.  There, displayed on the sixty-inch color screen was a blitzball match with the letters LIVE flashing at the top.  A live match, Quistis looked on in interest.  She had never been much of a blitzball fan, though she knew the sport was as dangerous as it was exciting. 

"RANDALL PASSES THE BALL TO GRIE, WHO THEN – OW, THE BALL WAS INTERCEPTED BY THE OPPOSITE TEAM! THE G-TEAM BREAKS OUT OF THE WATER, PREPARING TO SPIKE – AND WAS PUSHED OUT OF THE WAY!!! WHO'LL GET TO THE BALL FIRST?!"

Yuna gripped the table so hard her knuckles turned white.  The ball was in midair now, and the two teams were jostling in the water, trying to be the one to receive the ball when it falls back in, when the water broke with a loud splash and a figure shot out of the water. 

"TIDUS HAS JUMPED!!! LADIES AND GENTELMEN, I BELIEVE THE GAME IS OVER!!!" The announcer's voice was almost hoarse from yelling and Quistis couldn't blame him.  The crowd was roaring at an equally high decibel, and how! The blitzball star was almost on par with the falling ball, and with a wonderfully executed back flip, slammed the ball straight into the water and right into the goal.

Yuna felt as if she was in the stadium, cheering with the others but Quistis' voice brought her back to reality.  "Excellent move." She commented coolly.

Yuna bit her lip and stood up.  She didn't realize that her hands were shaking.  Without a word, she left the room, Quistis following her out of the corner of her eye.  At the same time, Kiros entered, looking harassed.  "Can you believe it? Lord Magnus wants us to find his pet Catcherpillar by tomorrow morning.  And where did he lose it? The forest outside Balamb Conservatory! Out side the Conservatory, the forest is full of Catcherpillars!!!" He would have continued his ranting if it wasn't for Quistis' question.  "How much is he giving for this?"

"Two million," Kiros snorted.  "The nerve of the man! He's already given us details of this frustrating insect."

"Take it," Qusitis returned to her stew.  "Tell Yuna to leave immediately."

If it was anybody else, Kiros was sure he was joking.  But this is Quistis, and she doesn't joke about money.

"Excellent match, Tidus!" Their attention was diverted to the match, which has now ended.  The commentator was talking to a tired Tidus now.  "That back flip was awesome! What do you think?"

Tidus smiled.  "It was nothing unusual, was it?"

"Ha! You gave the G-Keeper quite a bruise. Was it anger?"

At this point, his smile faded.  "No... not anger," he said distantly.  "I'm sorry, I'm tired."

Kiros looked thoughtful. "Are you sure sending Yuna is the right thing to do?"

Quistis silently got to her feet.  "Are you saying I'm wrong?"

"One would call it taking risks, that's what they'd call it," Kiros said cryptically.  "Has Rikku given news?"

"She'll be back soon," Quistis said shortly. 

No matter how confident she sounded, Quistis really wasn't sure.  She was confident in Rikku's skills and strength, but just how strong can she be when faced with this decision? You're pitting blood relatives against each other, Kiros had said.  Growing up without knowing that she had any family left might have lessened the effect of the word 'family' to Rikku... or maybe not.

Entering her study, Quistis was alarmed by the insistent ringing on the phone.  Rikku's number.  "Yes." Quistis answered.

"Sis!" Rikku's voice was harsh, and the line was full of static.  "I need a ticket back."

"Very well.  I'll have one under your name for tonight.  Are you done?"

A pause.  "No.  Something came up."

"No?" Quistis was visibly annoyed.  So Kiros' guess was correct.  "Then should you be coming back?"

"Sis, I need you to check on General Caraway.  Anything about him.  Especially his bank accounts."

"Explain,"

"Storm." Was the last word she said before the line was cut.

Storm.

"Quistis?" Kiros entered, unaware of what happened, and not noticing that for the first time, Quistis was pale.  "Quistis, Mr. Kred called to say he'll be coming tonight – "

"Cancel everything." She interrupted and Kiros blinked.  Quistis is not given to sudden temper tantrums or mood swings.  "Did I hear you correctly?"

"Everything," Quistis said curtly, and some color had returned to her face.  She was seated now, fingers flying over the keyboard.  "Book a ticket from Trabia to Esthar tonight, under Rikku's name."

"Ah," Kiros said, relieved.  So Rikku is coming back.  But Quistis does not look happy.  Did the girl fail?

"And Kiros," Quistis looked up, the glare from the screen reflected on her glasses; "Dig up everything on General Caraway.  Leave no stone unturned."

General Caraway? Isn't he the Head Warden at Battleship Island Maximum Security Prison? "When do you want this?"

"Tonight."

This time Kiros' jaw dropped.  Quistis must be suffering from PMS.  Yeah, that's it.

Author's note: Reviews please???