Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own it…
This chapter is dedicated to Hikagi and Hououza. Thanks for your support and encouragement!
Chapter 4 – Through the Ringer
The atmosphere was heavy and oppressive, as if the smoke that filled the crowded room weighed down upon its inhabitants. There was a throbbing murmur and clinking of glasses throughout the dingy room that muted the individual conversations, except for the occasional slurred exclamation of one of the more unruly patrons of the establishment.
Overall, it was the perfect place for a clandestine meeting.
Tucked in a booth at the corner of the room, half hidden from the neon lights was a figure that seemed rather out of place.
He sat there serenely, looking almost too young for the vodka martini he was sipping, still wearing his long black coat despite the warm temperature in the small room.
Leaning on the table, he gazed out in amusement at the drunken men attempting to play a game of darts and alternatively trying to unsuccessfully woo a blonde woman who obviously had not had that same hair color at the start of her life.
Despite his nonchalant expression, however, Leonard Testarossa was a tad bit annoyed.
And Leonard, when even the slightest bit annoyed, could prove dangerous.
He was not the kind to hang out in dingy bars (fittingly located just off of Fleas Road) on the western coast of the United States if he could avoid it. He considered himself to be above such things.
But this was business.
This was highly sensitive business.
The door opened, letting in a brief ocean breeze that was quickly smothered by the smell of cigarette smoke and cheap beer.
Leonard crinkled his nose in distaste, next time he would choose the meeting place.
A man who had just entered lumbered in, all too obviously scanning the eclectic bunch of drunks and displaced beach goers assembled. Spotting Leonard, he made his way over, distracted for a moment by a flashing, plastic smile from the falsely blonde woman.
The fool almost tripped over one of the dart players, downed by several shots of cheap whiskey.
Leonard frowned disdainfully. He did not like idiocy.
The bumbling man sat down, puffing out in imagined self-importance in front of his superior.
Leonard merely put down his glass and looked on with a small, mirthless smile.
As an afterthought, his associate took off his hat and set it down on the table and mumbled, "Sorry, Mr. Silver, it was difficult for me to get away unnoticed…and there was a whole load of traffic on interstate 5."
Leonard merely continued smiling in response.
He wanted to get this over quickly and be done with the fool. he said, leaning on one hand, "we are ready to renew our former business contract."
He puffed himself up again.
"T'would be an honor, Mr. Silver. I hear you guys up there have managed to lose the…er…property, I had …er…acquired for you."
Oh, how Leonard hated uncouth idiots.
"If you can locate the property properly by the system initially established, we would be willing to pay triple."
He could literally see the dollar signs multiply in the operative's eyes. It was truly pitiful.
The man gave a laugh that resembled a dying horse's last neigh.
"You know I'd do anything for you all, Mr. Silver, you all just have to name it. I'll bring the, um, property back to you."
He tugged at a sleeve of his uniform in a humble gesture.
Leonard merely smiled serenely at him.
"That will be all then, Mr. Copper."
The man, with as much of a spring in his step as such a boorish man could handle, sidled away and out of the dirty little bar, back to the duties he had evaded.
Leonard sighed, finishing the last sip of the martini.
Oh, how very much he hated idiocy in all its forms.
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After comforting Tessa (and generally applying choice four letter words to the girl who had dared do something to hurt her in the first place) Melissa Mao was taking a well deserved break and doing what she did best – drinking copious amounts of beer, smoking like a chimney, and lounging in a general state of undress.
This routine would have normally involved "disciplining" Kurz for his constant perverted comments and advances, but he had gone off to argue with (or merely ogle) the rather straight-laced supplies officer in order to receive a replacement laptop.
On top of all of the other trouble Tessa had had aboard the Tuatha Da Daanan that day, after Kurz's timely arrival, she was forced to sobbingly explain to him that his laptop's internal circuitry had met with a rather crispy and acrid smelling end.
The dumbass had then gone on to complain about the several unique, irreplaceable movies and photo collections that he had had stored on it.
Mao, however, didn't worry too much. She was fairly certain that the damned pervert would find ample replacements.
She popped the top of yet another beer, drank a swig, and lit a cigarette. Unfortunately, next she would have to undertake the paper work associated with her promotion to Second Lieutenant…she downed the rest of her beer thinking that she would enjoy herself before then.
There was a knock at the cabin's door.
Not giving a damn about decorum after the day she had already had (and being a tad drunk as a preparation for her paperwork), she simply gave a slurred, "Yeah?"
The door opened to reveal Clouzot on the other side.
Not even attempting to make herself "decent" (she always laughed at that phrase, any man would tell her she was f-cking "decent" enough…and then he be summarily beaten, if not worse).
She raised her hand and said in greeting, "Yo, Ben."
Knowing about his strict religious adherence, she didn't offer him a beer.
A long while ago, Clouzot would perhaps have raised an eyebrow at the fact that his colleague was wearing little other than her rolled down fatigues and a flimsy tank top, despite the fact that her immaculately pressed dress uniform was hanging in a corner of the room. However, Mao did have her reputation to keep up.
He leaned on the doorframe for a moment before closing the door and sitting on the standard issue desk chair that was found in all of the TDD-1's personnel cabins.
With a chuckle, he said, "We sure live in interesting times."
Mao frowned a bit at him, "Yeah, if by interesting you mean a crazy bitch trying to slit Tessa's throat."
He took on a far more sober tone. "Is our Princess still alright?"
"Yes, but," she crushed the empty beer can in her hand, "They shoved all the f-cking paperwork for their interesting times onto me!"
She jabbed a finger at her desk where there was, in addition to her normal administrational paperwork, a sizable stack of new official-looking documents.
Clouzot could only chuckle at her; he knew she was only masking her concern for her friend with her annoyance at the paperwork…at least mostly. However, the incident was not one that could be taken lightly.
"Those Whispered are something else, Melissa."
Mao looked at him for a moment, an inscrutable expression on her face. After a moment, she gave him a sly smile.
"You know," she said, taking a long drag from her cigarette, "If they keep it up, they might make all of the males of Mithril ball-less wonders."
He laughed. He should have been expecting such a vulgar response from her.
"Sagara's been tamed be a fan, Kalinin finally met his match, and half of the Da Danaan turns into stuttering trainees whenever the Captain is around."
Melissa merely shrugged her shoulders. There was no need to deny the truth.
"Ben," she said after a short silence, "Although I enjoy talking about the current events onboard, you can't just be here to talk about interesting times or to refuse my beer."
Inwardly, Clouzot smiled. Melissa was never one to waste time.
"In a way," he began, "I suppose the recent events onboard are why I am here…in a way. But, I suppose, you can say I'm here to discuss our mutual acquaintance, Sergeant Weber."
Mao merely responded by raising an eyebrow.
"What about him?"
For once, she did not use her normal vulgar names for Kurz. It was her small acknowledgement that he had accidentally saved Tessa and prevented a messy situation from occurring.
She made a note to beat him….more softly next time.
At least for a short time.
Clouzot continued.
"We last decided that, concerning the promotion of someone to Sergeant Major, we would see how Sergeant Weber did when we put him through the ringer, correct?"
She nodded, recognition dawning in her eyes.
"Does the ringer try to off Tessa with a broken glass and then stare calmly at Kalinin when any sane person would be scared shitless?"
He gave a grim smile in affirmation.
"You want to assign Kurz as Colleen Riley's bodyguard?"
"Correct."
"That's some ringer," she commented, an amused smile on her face. The enmity between the two was well known aboard the Da Danaan. Clouzot didn't respond directly however.
"Least they didn't name this one Angel."
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A day later, across the Pacific Ocean, Kaname Chidori's day dawned early.
…Way too damn early, in her opinion.
However, she hadn't yet fully woken up to the point where reality no longer seemed hazy and fantastic….Indeed, she was still remembering something in her dream about running through a meadow towards a trident from her favorite café holding Bonta-kun's hand, until Sousuke showed up and, having determined that Bonta-kun represented a credible threat, lobbed a grenade at him…
Kaname hated it when that happened.
She rolled out of her bed and crawled on all fours towards the mysterious rhythmic thumping sound in her living room.
Opening the door (with great difficulty, having grabbed at and missed the handle two times before successfully accomplishing the feat), she saw Sousuke on the other side doing a number of sit-ups.
Kaname's hair stuck up at chaotic angles and her pajama top was skewed oddly to one side…this was in addition to the fact that she was now seated on the floor, having not yet recovered her full range of mobile skills or mental capacity.
She simply sat gazing blankly at the hapless sergeant in front of her.
"Sousuke…"
Confused, he pulled himself up to a sitting position and asked cautiously, "Chidori?"
She rubbed her eyes and then said, "I told you not to throw grenades at Bonta-kun."
He blinked several times. He had certainly not done that. He wisely did not mention this fact and instead responded very seriously, "I will take that under advisement, Chidori. However, as I have repeatedly stated, I will do whatever is necessary to carry out my mission. If Bonta-kun does come to present a significant threat to your safety- "
He continued on, but unfortunately, the hated word "mission" acted better than any alarm clock in bringing Kaname out of her stupor.
As if seeing him for the first time she said, "Sousuke?"
All the more confused by her actions, Sousuke involuntary stiffened.
Suddenly her voice turned very sweet.
"What are you doing out of bed, at this hour?"
He began sweating. She had given him orders the previous evening to remain in bed.
He had been derelict in his duties.
"Uh…"
"Sousuke!"
In lieu of another answer another, "Uhh…" came out.
"Sousuke!"
Giving into his knee jerk reaction, he straightened up and said, "I was doing my morning conditioning as is my normal routine, ma'am!"
Kaname sighed. It was far too early to be angry with him.
"Sousuke…"
"Yes, Chidori?" He still had that militaristic tone of voice. It annoyed her, but that wasn't her foremost concern.
Unexpectedly, she put her hand on his forehead again. He still felt a bit warm.
She stood up and walked into her kitchen, opening a cabin and extracting a bottle of pills. Taking two and filling a glass of water, she walked back over to him.
She handed both to him, and then sat down directly opposite him, looking earnestly into his eyes.
Quietly, she put a hand to his forehead. He was still a bit warm.
"Sousuke," her voice was more than a little exasperated, "You're still sick and you need to stay in bed."
Sousuke dropped his eyes to his lap, suddenly.
"Chidori, I don't wish to cause more trouble for you. I have realized that my behavior has been an inconvenience to you, and I would like to show my sincerest thanks for taking charge of my care in my less than optimal physical state, especially considering that you do not awake until many hours after I do, at which time, you are still not in possession of your normal faculties. I feel that because I have not, this morning, given you ample time to awake at your normal time, I have become quite a nuisance."
At the first part of his speech she had begun to smile…however, that smile faded when he launched into the second part. Looking up, he could clearly see that his words did not have the desired impact.
"Chidori…?"
"Sousuke…it…is…five…in…the…morning…go…to…sleep…again!"
Each word came out from between clenched teeth, and she was quickly loosing the battle not to show him that she as indeed in full control of her "faculties" with her halisen.
However, Sousuke could see his imminent peril, and wisely decided that the best course of action would be to do what she said.
He quickly retreated back to the couch.
Sighing she stood up.
"Chidori," he said, when he had complied and she was at what he considered to be a safe distance, "I might also suggest that you fix your sleeping apparel, I believe it is no longer serving the purpose you intend it to."
Looking down, she realized that he shirt was askew and revealed much more than she had intended. Her face glowed a shade of red that would have made a tomato jealous.
It was really, entirely too early in the morning for this.
------------------------------------------
Colleen moved her hand ever so slightly. There was a tug at her wrist that restrained her movement.
Next, she attempted to move her feet. After an incredibly short distance there was a tug.
They had strapped her down to her bed and moved her into a dark room. She wasn't sure if they were protecting her or themselves.
One could never tell with such organizations.
She was quite frankly surprised that was all they had done with her after her initial greeting.
She was a valuable commodity after all. Such behavior was to be expected.
At one end there was a broad mirror, and alongside the side of the bed there was a sturdy, practical plastic chair.
Inwardly, she chuckled, a dark sound that reverberated within her.
She was no stranger to this place. Even if they had moved the rather imposing table to make it seem…friendlier…perhaps that wasn't the word…it was still a standard interrogation room.
She had not been mistaken. These people meant to use her in the same manner as the rest.
She stared up at the ceiling.
At the very least, she would do this on as many of her own terms as she was capable of. Even if she was strapped down to the bed she was not as powerless as they thought.
She had taken them down once.
It was no small matter to do so again.
If she could not escape as she wished, she would fight.
Just as before.
Maybe she could escape payment for her actions this time.
The old feeling was reborn within her then.
No longer would she be shoved into a corner. No longer would someone dictate what terms she would operate on. No longer would she merely an exploited brain.
She would resist. When they pushed her, she would push back.
That same dark laugh spilled forth again.
These people lacked the weaponry to force her into anything against her will.
Colleen knew that she had nothing to lose anymore; she had already lost everything possible.
Looking straight at the supposed mirror, which she knew was actually a window to an outside room, she said quietly and clearly, "I am ready for you now."
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At her usual position beside Kalinin, Tessa Testarossa observed as the interrogation of Colleen Riley began.
Kalinin himself was his usual passive self, merely staring in quiet concentration into the room.
The Chief Interrogator, a young Second Lieutenant usually stationed on Merida Island, had just stepped in…at the girl's own insistence. The other girl was incredibly aware of her position. It perturbed Tessa more than a little bit.
The first words out of the Interrogator's subject's mouth were an enigmatic apology.
"I'm sorry that I am unable to bow to you," she paused, tugging a bit dramatically at her restraints, "I understand that it is customary to bow to one's conquerors."
Beside her, even Kalinin sighed.
They both knew that this would be a difficult session.
To be perfectly honest, Tessa was uncomfortable with interrogating the girl at all. Although the other girl's attack had shaken her, she still could not help but feel a deep sympathy for her situation.
Having faced something like that…could anyone have held up any better?
Now, it was only a matter of determining exactly what had happened and preventing it from occurring again.
To anyone.
Kalinin and Mardukas had assured her that with such an uncooperative target a gentle interrogation was the only way possible to extract the information necessary from the girl.
Tessa herself knew that she was liable to be a veritable treasure trove of inside information on Amalgam itself, but to only use of her for that…they were really no better than Amalgam. The thought disturbed her.
More, she would be considered to be incredibly valuable because she was Whispered.
Inwardly, she sighed, she had spoken with Admiral Borda unofficially, merely asking for advice about the situation.
He had explained that it would be of great benefit to Mithril itself if they were able to add whatever Black Technology the girl could provide to their arsenal. High Command later followed with orders detailing that the crew of the TDD-1 should do everything within its power to secure this aim.
…in the end, being Whispered was still damning that girl and Tessa was well aware of this. All that she could do was to see her treated as well as was possible with the power she possessed.
And even all that had transpired between the two in their short and violent introduction did not manage to dislodge her feeling of sympathy.
This is not a time to allow my mind to wander, she chided herself, directing her attention back to the interrogation.
It was certainly not going well.
The girl was staring down the Interrogator with a hardened look absent in most of the actual criminals that Tessa had seen interrogated.
Vincent Blueno certainly had not had her stubborn arrogance and dignity.
"Who were the heads of the organization who captured you?" The Interrogator was saying, leaning over his subject in a menacing manner.
"Not anyone you are capable of doing anything about."
She pursed her lips in a defiant manner, meeting the man with a sharp, calm stare.
The man leaned farther forward, his voice deepening.
"Look, Ms. Riley. There is an easy way we can do this and a very hard way."
She met his glare and gave a small "hmph!" of disdain, "You strap me down here, interrogate me like a criminal, and for all intents and purposes attempt to take away any remainder of my dignity…looks like you've chosen the hard way for me. How is your organization any better? Answer me that."
She sighed and returned the Interrogator's level gaze.
"Mr. Kalinin," asked Tessa quietly, "Is there any way we can undo her restraints? She may be more willing to help us then…"
Kalinin gave her a searching look. "If you wish, Captain. However you yourself have seen what she is capable of."
"Please, Mr. Kalinin."
He walked into the room and spoke to the guard, who in turn spoke to the Chief Interrogator.
The restraints were removed. She sat up haltingly, a shadow of pain crossing over her face.
"I made a mistake last time. I won't hurt you very much this time, Sir." She responded, "Although, I do not believe that I can exhort a similar promise from you. At this time, I do not wish to give information to you, you have nothing to offer me."
"This is not a bargaining process." The Interrogator was fast moving to a precarious position. He had no means to control her.
Tessa twirled her braid. This was going even worse than she had expected it to.
Colleen Riley, however, was not finished with her impromptu lecture.
"I am aware. You have nothing to bargain with. You want to break my fingers to get me to talk? I can do so on my own and save you the trouble, if you like. Perhaps you'll simply threaten my life…well, as you can ask your commanding officers, I have little regard for that. Threaten my family, friends, relations?"
Her face became dark.
"Well, let's just say that it is nothing I have not experienced."
Tessa could not discern the meaning of this statement. Directly following the rescue operation the Intelligence Department had attempted to find her family. She had only heard that her previous guardians were now deceased and that they were trying to establish other contacts.
"Very well," said the Interrogator in a jeering manner, "What is it someone like you wants?"
She smiled mirthlessly.
"First of all, you have something of mine I wish to have returned."
They had anticipated this. The Interrogator held up the vial that contained the tear-shaped earring. A flash of something akin to hope coursed through her eyes.
Tessa had approved this herself, knowing that, whatever it contained, the earring was itself, Black Technology. If nothing else, it might serve as a key to unlocking the mystery of Colleen Riley….but conditionally.
"We are willing to return it to you," said the interrogator in the same hard voice, "on the condition that you display what is on it to us."
"Fine."
There was no battle on the point. This made Tessa feel a bit uneasy because, from what she had seen of the other Whispered girl thus far, it was highly uncharacteristic.
A brief scuffle took place as a table and computer unit were brought in and set before her. She plugged the device into the data port in the same manner as she herself had done before. Knowing that this might take place, a small monitor had been hooked up at an angle capable of showing the computer screen's contents.
The initial screen with its red, white, and grey names was brought up again. Knowing that it would appear, Tessa concentrated on the list of names, noting as many as possible. Additionally, she found that Colleen's own name had changed from red to grey.
The line "AUTHORIZATION CODE?" scrolled across.
The girl did not so much as touch the keyboard. Instead, she intoned:
Los ríos están llenos de sangre,
Y entre el cielo y la tierra hay nubes de gris.
No sé, no sé, el destino de esas personas debajo aquel cielo.
Y las de blanco, gracias, gracias por eterno,
Están lejos de ese mundo espantoso
En los manos de alguien quien las ofrece una caricia amable.#
Tessa was stunned for a minute, lost in the rhythm of the foreign words. She had not understood more than a few words of the strange code. However, the monitor immediately flared to life with a rather disturbing image…
There was a rather risquély dressed woman with long, sleek brown hair that barely covered her important parts and left very little to the imagination.
She looked from the monitor to the window.
Colleen herself seemed to be surprised by this change of events. Indeed, she did something that was altogether bizarre for the situation she was in…she giggled.
Regaining her composure, she looked back at the interrogator.
"I hope you enjoyed that," she said a bit impishly, "but it seems as if your people tried to gain access to my little treasure box already. It also seems that it uploaded and destroyed the source of information, as it was supposed to."
A number of similar pictures flashed by in quick succession, in addition to some shots of Japanese idols.
"Is that all your device is good for?" He asked incredulously. This was not his day, Tessa decided. She made a note to send a commendation with him to the base for his troubles.
…She would also reprimand Kurz for putting less that appropriate materials onto laptops furnished by Mithril.
In response to the Interrogator, she had merely smiled.
Colleen turned to the keyboard, imputing commands with a fluid grace of practice and instinct.
In the blink of an eye, thousands of screens had drifted passed, too fast for the eye to comprehend. Thousands of diagrams, schematics, calculations, documents…
"As for the rest of the information, I have no need to share it with you."
The man looked perturbed. Tessa had no doubt that he wished that he would simply be able to resort to normal interrogation methods with her.
"I have one condition. I will answer most, if not all of your questions if you do one last thing..."
"What."
He did not bother to hide his exasperation. By now everyone present knew that the exercise had become little more than a farce.
"I want to speak with the pilot of the white A.S., that Kashim."
Tessa was shocked; Kalinin also had a look of surprise on his usually placid face.
The Interrogator leaned back in his chair and sighed. He had done everything he could to get information out of her that had been authorized.
"Mr. Kalinin, it seems she will speak with only Sergeant Sagara."
Kalinin gave a nod. It was the only thing that one could do in this increasingly ridiculous situation.
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Kaname fell back into her bed, exhausted. Realizing from the morning's incident that it would be nearly impossible for Sousuke to keep her place intact and take care of himself, she had simply skipped school altogether.
The next day she would have to be prepared to counter rumors of both her and Sousuke being absent on the same day.
She sighed deeply.
Despite all of this, the day had been eventful, like any day with Sousuke was.
In the afternoon she had pronounced his physical condition to be good enough for a short trip to the supermarket to buy supplies for dinner.
He had wanted rolls and MRE's, but she had, of course, refused to allow such otaku-ness.
The casualties for the day were fairly average, as far as days with Sousuke went.
However, he did somehow mistake a 90-year-old woman who had paused to ask them for directions for a ringleader of an obscure terrorist group…
Then there were also those boys from the Rugby team who had complimented her a little too adamantly on her figure…
They had a rather unfortunate close-encounter of the concrete sidewalk kind…
In all, it was a fairly standard day in the lives of Sousuke Sagara and Kaname Chidori.
Kaname smiled, remembering the day. They had returned to her apartment (at her insistence he would spend another night, as she told him she wanted to make sure he was completely alright) where she had made both of them dinner.
Feeling in a particularly generous mood, she allowed him to watch Apocalypse Now, but he had poked holes in many of the strategies and depictions of warfare within the movie, until she had forced him to stop with a smack from her halisen.
All the otaku behavior had left Kaname feeling drained. There was, however, a strange satisfaction and happiness that came from being with Sousuke.
Life always was something to be explored, something that changed at a moment's notice, never the least bit dull.
Before turning out the light, she opened the drawer of her bedside table, taking out a small blue stone. For one more night Sousuke would sleep in her living room under her care.
He was a lot like the piece of lapis lazuli, a little intense and rough around the edges.
Her musings were interrupted by the sound of a phone ringing, however. She was confused for a moment because it was not her normal ringtone…
Then realization slowly dawned on her. She walked over to the small mountain of weapons and picked the hated object up. She knew what a phone call meant at this time of night…another hastily scrawled note slipped under her door. There was a noise of stirring within the living room; no doubt Sousuke had heard it as well.
Opening the phone she, with a great air of confidence said, "Angel here."
Surprisingly, it was Tessa on the other end.
"K-k-k-kaname! Where is Sousuke!"
It was a perfect opportunity. So perfect, in fact, that there was no way that Kaname could possibly pass it up.
"Well, he's gone to sleep…but I just need to go to the other room to wake him up," she twirled a piece of hair, "You see, I just stepped out to answer the phone and assure there were no further distractions."
The indignance was quite evident in Tessa's voice.
"Well, I had no idea you were that kind of woman. But nonetheless I will need to speak with Sergeant Sagara."
Sergeant Sagara, K.O., Kaname had won round one. But "that kind of woman?" That set her off immediately to near nuclear mode. She was definitely not allowing Tessa to leave uncrushed.
"You know, Tessa, I don't think that it will be possible to get a hold of him right now. He's really quite tired."
She wasn't lying, really, more like…misdirecting.
There was a note of mounting alarm in Tessa's voice.
"Well, no matter how tired he is, I will not allow someone like you to detain him from his work!"
Kaname sputtered, "D-d-d-detain! You're the one always calling him for idiotic missions and sending him back to me ill to take care of! Do you care that little for him?"
"This is not a matter of my own feelings!" the petite captain practically screamed, "Those missions are necessary to protect others. Now, Ms. Chidori, I need to speak to Sergeant Sagara about a matter of great importance."
As Tessa spoke those last words, Kaname pictured her ego blowing up like a helium balloon. She was the big-shot captain with all her orders…ha!
Then she pictured herself…with a pin…
"If you're forcing him to go on some other inane mission, I'm coming along as well to make sure your neglect doesn't get him killed!"
By now, Tessa was really incensed.
"Neglect? Neglect? Fine! You're welcome to come! I'll show you and that fan neglect!"
At that moment, Kaname heard another urgent voice coming in from the other line. Her argument with Tessa was cut short.
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Both Colleen and the Interrogator could hear the unusual conversation taking place outside of the room.
The heated "discussion" had become that loud.
"I do not believe it will be possible to guarantee that your request will be granted," the Interrogator was saying.
Colleen yawned. She was tired of this game.
"Aren't you just a military dog," an angelic smile lit her face.
The interrogator leered, but didn't respond to her goading, salvaging every last shred of his pride possible.
Whoever was fated to be his next subject would certainly have a difficult time…
She laid her head upon her hands, a serene look upon her features. How silly these people were, thinking she was powerless.
"Yes, you're nothing but the dog of the military," she smiled maliciously.
She stuck out a finger directly at the Interrogator in the shape of a gun.
She pantomimed firing it.
"Roll over, Rover."
The Chief Interrogator just stared.
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It had taken Mao quite some time to get Tessa's attention, and finally, she had resorted to simply grabbing the phone from her hand.
"Captain, there is an urgent situation at Merida Island. We need Sergeant Sagara's assistance at once. Here. Now."
She explained, quickly, leaving a horrified expression on Tessa's face.
She had no time to argue with Kaname.
The girl within the interrogation room was looking out at her, the portrait of calmness.
She smiled.
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Sousuke, hearing his own phone ring followed by Kaname's voice answering was left in a moment of indecision.
He stood directly outside her door. He was unsure as to protocol…
On one hand, he had a duty to answer the phone, as it most likely presented a crucial mission.
However, on the other hand, Chidori had directly commanded him that it was explicitly against protocol to enter her room. Such an action would inevitably result in incredible bodily injury.
So, in his moment of inner turmoil, all he was capable of doing was standing at the door and listening to a one-sided, escalating conversation.
Inexplicably, the conversation suddenly fell off in intensity.
After a minute, the door opened.
Kaname thrust the phone into her hand, her face pale.
On the other end, Tessa's voice shook noticeably.
"Sagara, meet at point alpha in a half an hour. This is a non-negotiable, priority situation. Please."
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# Yes, this is Spanish, just in case you are wondering. At this time I do not intend to translate it (but if I made grammar mistakes, by all means, let me know!), as it will be an element in the fic in a later chapter…however, if you can't wait that long and want to try to piece the plot together by yourself, drop me a note in a review or PM me or something…
AN: Hello all my readers! Intrepid authoress's own words echo back to her. Just out of curiosity, are any of you following this? Do you like it? Hate it? Wish it had more action / romance / humor? Please, please, please, give me some feedback! This is kinda the equivalent of pathetic groveling….sadness…
Anyways, sorry for the longer update time, however, from now on, it will be more at this speed…mostly because I am a full-time student…but believe me, I would rather be writing this than writing 10 page essays…
Lastly, I would like to give a big thanks to both Hikagi and Hououza again for their support and kind reviews. I just want you both to know it's greatly appreciated!