Warnings: Au, x-over, yaoi, possible violence as the story progresses, random moments of humor and/or fluff, oh and this chapters leans heavily into the Weiss Kreuz so Gravi people might be a little confused, don't worry, I'll get back to the Gravi characters in the next chapter.
Disclaimer: I own it all!
…Shyeah right.
Weiss Geräusche
'Aya,
Someone attacked Michiru today. You remember her don't you? It turns out that she works at the same place I do, and she was helping me out with something. I'm going to find out who did it. Whoever it was probably doesn't want me to figure out what they're up to and they're willing to attack innocent people to prevent it. They have to be stopped.
I know it's not my job anymore, but… it's Michiru. I'll keep you posted.
Omi'
Omi nearly jumped when he felt Suguru press back against him. His eyes looked down to search the face of their keyboardist, looking for some clue to what he was thinking. He was shocked to find the grim acceptance in Suguru's eyes. Then Suguru turned his head, seeking out someone else in the crowd. Bombay nearly growled in frustration when he saw the object of the younger boy's gaze, but he was distracted by something peculiar.
He caught sight of a plant just beyond the president's left shoulder. His eyes widened and he glanced around quickly to see if anyone else seemed to noticed plant in the corner floating just behind Tohma. No one else seemed to. He struggled to keep a blank expression. He felt his band mates pull back to look at him curiously but he shook his head and mouthed, 'Later' to their questioning looks.
Bombay looked back to the plant that was slowly drifting back down. The leaves that normally fell in graceful lines to the floor all seemed to be leaning to one side. He searched in the direction the leaves seemed to be pointing and he noticed a familiar form that would have been so easy to overlook if he hadn't been handed that hint.
Prodigy was propped against a column that supported the balcony with his arms crossed. From where he stood he had a perfect view of the room and was hidden from any security cameras. A pale face tilted up and the ex-Schwarz member pinned him with glowing eyes. Prodigy tipped his head back toward the inside of the building and it took Omi a second to realize that the other boy wanted to meet him. Omi nodded slowly. Prodigy seemed satisfied that he had received the message because he turned, and vanished from sight.
Shuichi twisted himself from his band mates' grasp and dashed into the crowd behind them, quickly weaving in and out of the press of people. He had to find Naoe. He heard his friends calling out from behind him, but he kept running. He wound his way through the long hallways rushing deeper and deeper into the building. He had a feeling he'd get the answers he needed when he found his old rival.
"It has been a while Bombay," a voice stopped him short. He whirled around to see Prodigy leaning against a wall in the same relaxed pose as before.
"Did you-?"
"No." The brunette shook his head and pushed away from the wall, letting his arms drop to his sides. "Walk with me."
Omi wondered if he was slipping and that was why so many people seemed able to answer his questions before he finished them or if they really did just understand him that well. He was half tempted to ask, but he was absolutely sure he wouldn't like the answer either way.
"Are you sure we should be seen together like this, Schwarz?"
"Don't tell me. You'd rather crawl through the vents until we make it to a predetermined meeting point." The psychic assassin looked condescendingly at him. "How very Weiss of you."
"What if one of our former employees get a hold of some security footage?" Omi asked through gritted teeth, determined to ignore the other boy's dig on his team.
"The cameras aren't seeing us Bombay." Prodigy calmly walked toward a side door that had an 'emergency exit only' sign hanging over it. "I have a car waiting out back. We should hurry before anyone comes looking for you, or the cops that Seguchi-sama has combing the building hit this section."
"Where are we going?" Bombay asked suspiciously.
"Somewhere more private than the hallways of a suspected Esset cover. It was touching, that lovely scene where you started spilling your soul to your friends. Horribly inconvenient for me though, since I'm the one who had to make sure that no one in the monitor room would see or hear anything that was happening in that stretch of hallway."
"Seeing as Prodigy Systems recreated NGR's security, it can't have been too inconvenient for you," Omi drawled out sarcastically. They walked along an alley until they came to a side street where a car was waiting, just as Nagi had said. It was a white BMW with darkly tinted windows. Omi half wondered if the car had belonged to the Oracle, but decided he didn't really care enough to ask.
"I had my reasons for agreeing to design a security system for NGR. That didn't include covering up for your carelessness." Nagi waved that away with one delicately boned hand. "In any event, for all that I can control the cameras and computers in the building that isn't going to stop any Rozenkreuz based agents from digging through your brain while you sit there practically screaming all the thoughts you want to speak out loud but aren't able to." The back seat doors sprung open in invitation, even though there was no one sitting inside the car that he could see.
"There haven't been any teams like Schwarz sent to NG," Bombay protested. Nagi strolled around to the other side, moving with a liquid grace that Shuichi watched with open envy. It wasn't fair. Nagi was smarter than he was, had super powers, and was freakishly pretty. He had to add to the insult by being able to move with a confidence and poise that the performer would never acquire in a million years. It was absolutely disgusting.
"There haven't been any teams like Schwarz, that you have dealt with," Nagi corrected mildly. "Please get inside. I assure you that I mean no harm." He folded himself into the car and his door slid closed without him reaching for the handle to pull it shut. Nagi waited patiently with his hands clasped over the raised knee of his crossed legs.
While he realized that it was almost a compliment that the other boy didn't think it necessary to hide that he had kinetic powers, Omi half wished that Nagi wouldn't display them so casually. It was still somewhat unnerving to witness. More so since he remembered what it was like to be on the receiving end of said powers. He was still slightly bitter over the fact that he'd missed one of Nittle Grasper's final concerts because he'd been laid up with cracked ribs, courtesy of the Schwarz's little prodigy.
"There have been psychic teams sent out?" Omi demanded, joining him in the car. "How many?"
"Two so far. They can't really afford to send too many out, all things considered," Nagi answered casually.
He was staring at the steering wheel in the front of the car. The engine purred to life and the car pulled toward the mouth of the alley. Omi stared at the empty front seat nervously.
"Exactly why aren't we in the front?" he wondered.
"Now, now Bombay. You know better than that. If he were alive Crawford would never let you behind the wheel of his car, and I'm still too young to drive." Nagi's lips twisted into a smile, but there was no humor in it.
"I didn't know he was dead," Omi commented from his side. So the car had belonged to the Oracle, former leader of Schwarz. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be. I'm the one who killed him."
"Oh." Omi wasn't quite sure what to say. They were silent after that. Eventually Omi couldn't take the lack of noise and he decided to break the silence with a question.
"What do you mean Esset can't afford to send out too many psychic teams?"
"Simply that they don't have near so many Talents as they like to allow every one to think. And their attempts at breeding have proved unsuccessful. That makes us special tools, used for special occasions."
"They actually tried to breed psychics?" Omi demanded with a scowl. Nagi nodded slightly. "Most of the test results were failures. So far as I know only one has shown itself to be useful enough not to be put down."
"They destroyed the psychics they bred because they weren't powerful enough?" Omi felt sick. It did fit with what he knew of Esset, so he couldn't say he didn't believe it. Still… it was wrong on so many levels. He really didn't want to think about it.
"But why waste two teams on Tohma? Why would they risk it if their-" here he hesitated," if their Talents are so special?" Omi wondered in confusion. It didn't really make sense.
"If Schwarz were in existence it wouldn't have been a risk at all. Seguchi-san would be dead," Nagi mused quietly. He seemed to get lost in his own thoughts for a moment.
"Schwarz was really that good compared to the other teams Esset has?" Omi turned his head to study the pale profile of the boy sitting next to him. Nagi turned his head to capture his gaze with his own.
"Yes," he answered as if the question were obvious. Omi believed him.
Nagi turned his attention back to the road. He returned to the question that Omi had asked before the subject of his old team had come up. "Esset has recently launched their newest plan to create their perfect world. They need to recover all the key research data that they no longer have from some of their past projects in order to fully advance their genetic experimentation."
Genetic experimentation? Things began to slide in place in his head, but Omi had to ask to make sure, "And Tohma has some of their research?" The car slid to a stop for a red light.
"Kawaji did not give his final report before he was skewered by a temperamental redhead with a katana," Nagi answered. Omi looked closely at him trying to decide if he was making a joke or not. "Wunder X data is still hidden within the building of NG."
"So, essentially if Tohma died they'd be able to buy it all back, and search for it at their leisure. They'd also acquire a scapegoat in the event their subliminal messaging was discovered," Omi worked it through out loud.
"Yes."
It was ingenious really. All it took was the death of one ex- J rocker and they'd be one step closer to ruling the world. A couple more steps and they'd be home free from the way Nagi was talking.
"So you aren't at all worried about them trying to send more psychic teams to NGR?" Omi looked over.
"They would be foolish to send more teams after the first two had failed. The first one was weak because they expected no resistance. The second one was strong enough to cause some problems for me, but they aren't going to risk losing anyone else. They are much more likely to send a team of Talents to find out who has been blocking their attempts. The team would then attack me and a Talent-less team would have free reign to eliminate the target, to eliminate Seguchi-sama. You'll need to stay readily available to stop the more ordinary teams that try and sneak past my security system." The light changed and they were moving again.
"You've already thought about that have you? How easy will it be to hide from a team they send for you?" The pink assassin needed to know.
"I'm not worried about hiding from them. I'm already hidden from almost every psychic they have. What we need to worry about is whether or not Schuldig actually agrees to join one of the next teams they send out."
"Schuldig? You mean the Mastermind?" Omi had some very traumatizing memories of the German telepath. The redhead had been partially responsible for his cousin, Ouka's, death. "If you're on their shit list then why isn't he? He's Schwarz too."
"Telepath's of his degree of power are very rare. And unfortunately do not operate well outside of a team. Schwarz functioned as both an anchor and a buffer for him. Or rather Crawford and I did. Farfarello is too… unstable to hold him rooted to reality. With Crawford's death Schuldig will be searching for the only anchor he has left. Me. Esset will understand this and offer him the chance to try and bring me back to their side."
"Even though you killed their leaders?" Bombay asked disbelievingly.
"They would overlook much to have my strength at their disposal once more. Of course if Shuldig were important enough to me that I would return to their side then they would have the added insurance of his safety hanging over my head."
"If being separated from his team makes him that much of a liability then why didn't you two just stay together?" Omi couldn't understand it.
"Because not to stay together was the very last order that the Oracle issued before he died," Nagi answered simply.
Okaaaay. He really didn't grasp the Schwarz dynamic enough to understand what could drive a person to kill their leader and yet continue to follow their orders after they've died. Omi couldn't understand it at all.
So he didn't try. He changed the subject.
"What about the rest of their information? You did say they had lost the data from a couple of projects."
"I said that they no longer have the data." Nagi corrected with a tiny smirk. "Their database was hacked and Esset's paper records were destroyed. The rest of their efforts have currently been focused on finding the culprits and retrieving the information that was stolen." They pulled to a curb and his face grew deadly serious. "But if they can't find the data they will simply recapture their past test subjects to try and recreate previous results. Which will concern us both a great deal."
The doors popped open and Nagi stepped out of the car before Omi could decipher that statement. He pulled himself out of the car, and turned to follow the line of Nagi's gaze. The Koneko, the tiny shop where he had lived and worked in as a cover for when he'd been an assassin, had been the first place he'd ever considered home.
Omi now found himself staring at the empty shell of what should have been a bustling little flower shop. His eyes raked over the building, taking in the darkened windows and the closed sign on the door. His brow furrowed in confusion. Late afternoon, this should have been the busiest time of day for the Koneko. So where were Mamo-chan, and the girls?
Bombay whirled on the Prodigy.
"Explain, Schwarz," he growled dangerously.
"I already did, Weiss. The ritual failed, but the vessel that was prepared for the Demon Lord's arrival contains very important information that could very well prove invaluable to their genetic research."
"They kidnapped Aya-chan to try and use her in some freaky genetic research project, and you didn't stop them?" Omi demanded flatly.
"I did not know in time," Prodigy answered in his calm monotone.
Aya, Abyssinian was going to be so upset that his sister was dragged back into the line of fire. Aya-chan didn't deserve this, and neither did Aya. They'd both suffered enough because Esset wanted to build their new perfect fucking world. He felt frustrated tears welling in his eyes and blinked them back. It wouldn't accomplish anything to get upset in front of his rival.
"You're Schwarz, Esset's dog," Bombay hissed angrily, "Of course you knew in time."
"In case you missed the memo, Bombay, Schwarz betrayed Esset when we helped you assassinate the Elders. So I am , as you said, very much on their shit list at the moment. As a matter of fact it was a complete accident that I found out about the vessel-"
Omi heatedly corrected him. "Aya. Her name is Aya Fujimiya."
Nagi closed his eyes with a long suffering sigh, but amended his statement "-that I found out about Aya Fujimyia being a target. Please believe me, I am not your enemy in this."
"I don't believe you," Omi's eyes narrowed, but he felt less certain, feeling himself swayed by the logic of the Prodigy's words. Nagi's eyes flew open, pinning him with their intensity.
"Then believe this," Nagi stated with harsh emphasis, "I am the absolute last person who wants Esset to achieve their goal to clone humans." There was a loud pop behind Nagi and glass rained to the ground in a musical tinkle.
Omi stared up at the broken streetlight in shock.
Discounting the once when Nagi's girlfriend had been impaled by the Berserker's blade, the Weiss member had never seen the other boy become agitated enough to actually lose control of his powers. It was the closest thing to emotion Omi had seen in Nagi all day and that, more than anything, convinced him of the truth of the younger boy's words.
"Human cloning?" Bombay looked back at Prodigy as he processed that information. His mind sifted through everything Nagi had told him, and he wasn't liking the conclusion that he was coming to.
"They can't breed psychics that are strong enough so they're going to try and clone them?" Then he noticed the look in the Prodigy's eyes and full realization dawned.
"No." He shook his head in denial, unable to comprehend it, even though it all fit when he really thought about it. "They're going to try and clone you," he blurted out with some emotion that hovered between amazement and horror.
Nagi stared grimly back at him.
"You finally understand, Bombay."