The interrogation room was occupied over the course of several days after the supernatural extremists were apprehended. H.E.L.L.S.I.N.G. tried their best to get them to talk. While none of them took kindly to sitting in that chair with their hands cuffed, a few were mildly cooperative. Bits and pieces of information were retrieved, including proof for Ciel's hypothesis.
No supernaturals were shot during the attack on purpose. The group said that they didn't want to hurt them, as they were on their side. Begrudgingly, one or two admitted to attacking the H.E.L.L.S.I.N.G. agents with the intent to kill. Yes, this was a direct attack on H.E.L.L.S.I.N.G. It was revealed that the primary instigators in the crowd were actually there to rile everyone up enough to draw out the organization.
Silly things. Just what did they hope to accomplish with something so petty? Did they hope to strike fear into the heart of the organization? If anything, it only made them more persistent. Now they had information on the identity of the terrorist group, and nothing would stop them from destroying it once and for all.
The Scarlet Order. That was its name. According to those captured, this is what the group was called, and they now were on the lookout for anything that could possibly identify members. Unfortunately, H.E.L.L.S.I.N.G. was unaware of any symbols that were affiliated with the group, as the culprits claimed that there were none as of yet. Thus, the name was all that they had while several of their soldiers were either dead or undergoing medical treatment.
Meanwhile, the Gehenna police department kept the public at ease. It was partially thanks to officer Tegwen Sybil, that their faith was restored, despite the fact that she aided their supposed "enemy". Unwittingly, she had help instill the idea that both H.E.L.L.S.I.N.G. and Gehenna were here to help people, and that they were united against the same foe, who would attack from the shadows without their teamwork, along with the hero of Gehenna, the mighty "Mister Lion", and his lover, former boogeyman, "The Watchdog".
While her decision was indeed rash, it proved to be the right one. Modest, she was, and genuinely saw no need for praise. It was merely what she felt was the right thing to do, not out of any cunningness toward manipulating the crowd, but as a fellow person who saw others who needed help. She failed to see any bravery on her part due to fear, and expected punishment for breaking the rules. She had broken the taboo of breaking into the equipment room and stealing weapons, but she did not receive any retribution. Instead, she received thanks from H.E.L.L.S.I.N.G; and was offered a promotion. She declined, however, as "Rule-breakers shouldn't get promotions. That's for people who work hard."
Many rules were broken, however, and not just by Sybil. A handful of H.E.L.L.S.I.N.G. soldiers stationed in Gehenna had stopped checking in to headquarters with regular updates. This was unacceptable, but this wasn't any ordinary instance of rule-breaking. No, upon further inspection, it was discovered that no one had reported seeing them over the course of several days. Their homes were empty as well. Immediately upon realizing this, all of their I.D. cards were deactivated, including the replacement card for Agent Preston Omid.
Omid was a bigger cause for concern than any of the others, not only due to his status as a supernatural agent, but also due to his status as a suspect in the attack on the base. The Scarlet Order had somehow gotten his keycard before, but that was merely a fake using his card, right? While this was possible, it was also possible that his place was taken by a double for the sake of preserving his services for a little while longer. H.E.L.L.S.I.N.G. launched an internal investigation and checked every nook and cranny of the base for anything out of the ordinary. Stock was taken, roll was called, and all other supernatural subjects, both living and remaining DNA and tissue samples were checked in order to see if all was accounted for. All of it was, accept for one person: Preston Omid.
He visited the base regularly up until he stopped checking in altogether, venturing down into the basement. It could be assumed that he was merely checking on his old room, as some of his belongings were still inside, but upon further inspection, he came out empty-handed. Then, he stopped. Once H.E.L.L.S.I.N.G. launched their investigation, they examined the basement from top to bottom in order see what he was up to. Curiously, nothing had changed. Not his room, nor any others. Now suspected of being up to something devious when he stopped checking in, Preston, like all of the others, had his residency inspected as well.
That is how the demonic duo found themselves at the man's home. A copy of the key was given to them by H.E.L.L.S.I.N.G; and after carefully examining the pace from the outside, trying to foresee any possibly booby-traps that might lie in wait for them inside, they slowly opened the door and let themselves inside. The lights were off, but neither of them had any trouble seeing. On the surface, nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but both of them, as detectives and as Preston's friends, knew better than to go with a superficial judgement such as this.
Preston was smart. He was a genius with technology of all sorts, and read several paces ahead while weighing the consequences of an action. He wouldn't be so careless. As much as the duo didn't believe it, though, he might have reason to betray H.E.L.L.S.I.N.G. He had done it once, having felt that he had no other options, and his treatment at the organization was that of a criminal, not one of someone who was manipulated by a more powerful force into committing a crime. He seemed emotionless as of late, but now, the two realised that they should have recognised it sooner. He wasn't emotionless. He was seething with repressed anger.
Despite his improved quality of living, he did not utilize it. There was so much empty space in this building. Some rooms were completely bare. The only rooms that seemed to be in use were the bedroom, living room, bathroom, and the office area. Preston only used the necessary areas of his home, and judging by the boxes still piled up from when he first moved in a few months ago, he hadn't even bothered to finish unpacking.
"We should check his computer." Ciel finally said to the other, cutting through the solemn atmosphere in order to focus on the job at hand. "He was good with computers, after all. In fact, we should probably confiscate it and take it to headquarters."
"Right…" sighed the menace, running a hand through his hair. "But, isn't it a bit early to assume that he's really with them? What if this was a set-up or something? What if he was forced to go?"
"Do you see any signs of a struggle?" questioned the bluenette, walking into the bathroom. There was nothing there, but it certainly said a lot. Ciel rummaged through the Omid's medicine cabinet while shaking his head.
"He packed his toiletries." He added. "No toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant… nothing. Kidnappers wouldn't have taken them."
Ciel's voice pierced through the empty house although he spoke softly. It was deafeningly quiet, aside from the tapping of the mens' shoes against the floor as they ventured further into the house. Grim air seeped through the walls, poisoning the atmosphere as both men tried to force away the fact that this was the home of one of their friends. No matter how many times they recited "it's just another job" in their heads, they couldn't forget. Mantras were of no use, so the duo was forced to confront the fact. Preston, their friend, might have become their enemy.
Ciel grimaced as he traversed down hallways and through doorways, searching for any important belongings that were either misplaced or missing. It stung. It stung badly. While he had avoided reaching out to others or allowing them near him in the past in order to avoid the pain of watching mortal companions die, never had he anticipated that he may one day meet a scenario where he could very well be the person to end their life under orders.
No, it hadn't come to that, yet. The Phantomhive shook his head briefly, but then sighed. Who was he kidding? It was simply the way that this world works. Today's friend may very well become tomorrow's enemy. That is the way that it has always been, from the moment that his first life had ended, and he had taken on the second as "Earl".
Had he gone soft? Not quite. He simply became human, and obtained a human heart in this fifth life of his, the one that began once Alois had returned to this mortal world. Accepting this betrayal was more difficult that before. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt this specific type of stinging sense of sadness. Ciel had killed comrades many times before, as betrayal was common in times of war, but this wasn't a war just yet, and he knew his foe personally. It was personal, no matter how much Ciel wanted to suppress it.
Sadly, it was a lot harder on the menace. He hadn't been in a war, nor had he been required to kill a friend with his own two hands, but he had been betrayed before. It cost him his second life, the life of an Earl. Once again, the Judas was someone he trusted—someone who he would have never suspected of doing so. That life was over, so why does this keep happening? Alois sniffed at the thought, trying to ignore the aching dryness of his throat as he, too, tried to forget Preston.
Unfortunately, it was impossible. Duty got in the way of it. His mind continuously jumped to the worst-case scenario.
"I can't find his laptop." He said finally, his voice desperately wanting to crack. "The computer in the office is still here, though."
"Good. We'll take that before we leave." Ciel stated, following the other's voice. "Looks like he covered his tracks well. Unfortunately, it was a personal computer, not H.E.L.L.S.I.N.G.'s, so we can't track it with GPS."
"Think he's still in London?"
"He's close. He has to be. His target is here." Spoke the Phantomhive. "H.E.L.L.S.I.N.G."
"Are we sure?" questioned Alois. "That it's just H.E.L.L.S.I.N.G.?"
"What do you mean?"
"He's a lot like us, in a way, now." Alois said absentmindedly, nudging one of the boxes on the floor with his foot. "He has many possible targets, and not just H.E.L.L.S.I.N.G. What has he to be angry about?"
"The way H.E.L.L.S.I.N.G. treated him…" Ciel replied. "Us, too… He could be angry at us, as well… And…" Suddenly, both men looked up at each other, eyes wide as they both thought of a grim realization.
"…The others." He continued. "If he's like us, and really wants revenge, then… He could go after the others. Especially Daniel and Kristopherson…"
"But he's not the ringleader, is he?" asked the blonde. "It's still too early to tell if he's pulling the strings!"
"True… but… It's probably best, if… if we keep an eye on them, for a bit."
At this, Alois' face contorted as he tried not to make the expression of sadness that his heart so desperately wanted him to. It was painful. Just the thought of all of these people, good friends, turning on each other was too much. Tearing more people away from their ordinary lives was too much. An ordinary life was precious, and should be preserved at all costs. The duo knew the value of it well, but knew that it was their duty to live unnaturally in order to protect such a valuable thing. That was the duty of H.E.L.L.S.I.N.G. That was the duty of the Queen's Guard Dog, and now, H.E.L.L.S.I.N.G.'s Lion.
No more people need to suffer. The result of normal humans having their normalcy stripped from them is people like Ciel, Alois, and now Preston. Some humans cannot bear that weight like the duo could, though. Or rather, as well as they managed. Only time would tell how Preston would cope, but judging how far he fell from what the duo considered to be lacking the severity of their despair, the demons did not have high hopes. Those who cannot withstand peering into the true face of the world become monsters for the sake of coping with the fear.
"Why does this always have to happen?" asked the menace to no one in particular. He sniffled and rubbed his eyes, making sure that the tears that threatened to gather there were gone. "Why can't bad people be the only ones that this happens to? Why do good people have to become this way?"
Then, the house was quiet again, apart from the strained breathing of the blonde as he tried to calm down. His beau stared at him for the longest time, feeling as though he should respond but having nothing to say. Finally, all he could do was shake his head.
"I don't know." He said softly with a small shrug. "I really don't know. It's not fair, but there's really nothing anyone can do to stop it."
"It's fucked up!" Alois croaked. "It's like he was punished when he didn't do anything wrong! He saved Kris and look what he got! Black Annis, and now H.E.L.L.S.I.N.G. is after him? We're supposed to be the good guys!"
"You and I both know that there's no such thing as true 'good guys'." His beau said, his tone somber. "There's no such thing as 'divine retrubution', nor is there such a thing as a reward. God doesn't exist. If he does, then he's a sick bastard. Bad thing happen to good people, and good things happen to bad ones."
"It doesn't make sense! Why can't we all just be happy, for fuck's sake?!"
Falling silent again, the bluenette looked on with a concerned expression that masked his own sadness at what happened. Possibly losing a friend hurt him, and seeing the blonde in such distress hurt him, too. Perhaps for his own comfort, but consciously for the blonde's, Ciel slowly reached out to him, extending his arms and inviting the menace close. His arms gently wrapped around the menace as he continued to try and think of an answer.
"I… I really don't know. If I did, I would have tried to fix it long ago…" he sadly informed. "I'm sorry…"
"Is it too late?" inquired Alois, resting his head on the other's shoulder. "Can he be saved?"
Pausing, Ciel thought before answering. "Maybe…" he said. "It depends on what he wants, and how badly he wants it."
"Revenge?"
"Yeah… Looks like it… The question is, how strong is the ringmaster's illusion on him, and how badly has it corrupted his mind?"
