TWO AND A HALF DAYS AWAY
Natsu made quick work on assembling the squad for the raid that they were going to do in two days time. Usually, this kind of raid would take them weeks on end just to plan but seeing as they only had less that forty-eight hours to get it all arranged made both Gajeel and him quite antsy.
Looking back on it now, Natsu thought that it was quite well-planned on the enemies' part that they don't unveil this plan until the very last minute. This meant that any snitch wouldn't be given enough time to do their jobs and with the limited personnel on the job, it made it easier for them to keep track of everyone.
Thinking back, Natsu was grateful to his past self for doing his best to gain his superior's trust within weeks.
"Our precinct, the 6th, will be handling the majority of the raid while the surrounding closer precincts; the 27th, 18th, and 29th will be leading crowd control and vicinity clearing." Ultear went over the plan for the second time that day since they finalized it.
After sharing the intel to Gajeel and thinking about what they should do, they arrived to a surprisingly easy conclusion; to arrest these bastards and go back home to the nine-nine.
"Right, and salamander here will be wired or was that out of the equation?" Gajeel clarified, clearly spacing out for the later part of the meeting.
"No, we can't have him connected to a wire when there's a possibility that he might be searched." Eric spat, probably annoyed at Gajeel for causing even a bit of delay. "This thing's gonna blow in front of our eyes before we even start."
"No need to get your panties in a bunch, little man."
Before a fight could break out, Ultear smacked her hands roughly against the tabletop, making Natsu hiss in both the splitting sound it made and because her hand must be stinging from the impact.
He once saw Lucy throw a fit over having to work overtime the next day and took it out on her work desk. Not even a split-second later, she was spitting out profanities after the other.
"Clearly, you both weren't listening to me. Once they give him the earpiece, Dragneel will switch it for the one we give him." She looks to him with a glare that could rival Erza's. "Once you utter the signal, we're moving."
THREE HOURS, TWENTY SIX MINUTES AND THIRTEEN SECONDS AWAY
They had less than four hours until Natsu has to go to work. Gajeel had left to go to Eric's house where he will wait until they have to go just to lose anyone possibly tailing Natsu, his movements, and anyone related to him.
In his place, Sorano was watching over the hotel, taking extra note of every possibly suspicious movement. "Do you want to get some food after everything is done?" The girl asked Natsu when he was on his way to his bed to sleep.
"What?"
"Look, I'm interested in you." Sorano clarifies, "I don't mean I like you, at least not yet, but I know you don't have a girl or anything. So, I'm asking you if you'd like to go for dinner some time."
"You know I can't, I'm undercover."
"That's why I said when all of this is done." Sorano laughs, making a gesture towards the screens in front of her.
"Oh, yeah." Natsu scratches his head. Besides Lisanna, he's never really known anyone else who has shown him interest romantic style. "Well, it's true that I don't have a girlfriend yet but I already have someone I like, and well, possibly love. I know it sounds cheesy and probably disgusting but it's what I feel."
"Oh!"
Natsu decided to stay silent, opting to let her gather her thoughts first.
"Well, I'm happy for you." Sorano says, giving him a quick smile. "You just seemed like a great guy, your cousin said you were single, and I didn't want to waste such an opportunity to bed you."
Natsu liked the lightheartedness of Sorano's words, making him feel okay with what he had said earlier. Of course, the bedding part was slightly uncomfortable but it wasn't anything Natsu hadn't heard before. He was a virgin in the actual sex department but he couldn't say the same for the flirting and sexual innuendos area.
Turning away from Soriano, Natsu moves to rest for a while on the couch. He rubs his hand against his face and lays his head on the armrest, legs plopping on the coffee table in front of him. Sleep was a hard commodity to find when his head was filled with thoughts about the raid. Natsu was desperate to make this work.
They had been on this undercover and stake-out for more than a few months now and he was about done with it. Sure, he was mentally prepared to go for more than a year, heck even for death, but with the progress that they have done for the past few weeks, his optimist side has been getting the best of him.
If they can finish this tonight, it would shorten the duration of the whole mission half of its originally predicted duration. And then, he can go back home to Lucy and Happy. He was well aware of how Lucy was still dating that Loke guy, he didn't forget but he also never really consciously thought about the guy.
Natsu didn't notice that he had fallen asleep in the midst of his thoughts until his alarm had woken him up, the sharp ringing making him sit up.
The nerves that were buzzing a while ago were on a frenzy now. Natsu stood up and stayed motionless, trying to sort his thoughts together. He knew what he was supposed to do; take a shower and go. That was it. But his brain and body won't cooperate.
Taking a deep breath, Natsu went to the only mirror they had and ran his hands across his face. It was the first time in a while since he took a good look at his appearance. Back home, Lucy would always poke fun at the growing stubble in his face, saying it doesn't suit his face which also served as his reminder that he needed to shave.
Mental note: clean up before going home.
Natsu grabbed his towel and took a brisk shower, unusually pumped about going to work. He was finally living his undercover dream!
Now, he didn't want to be misunderstood but he was still glad he didn't back down from this mission after all. It was a great learning experience even if it meant he could end up dead and he could finally have something to brag to that popsicle stick.
Gray was always bragging that he was a trained negotiator and a detective while Natsu was just a detective. When the ice-dick brought that insult to the table, Natsu didn't really have a very good verbal comeback so answered with what he did best, punched the stripper straight to the nose where it hurt best.
He bid a short goodbye to Sorano, her asking him out to dinner completely forgotten. Natsu brought the pager Ultear told him to bring in case they can't hack the radio communications on time, telling him that anything is fine and the moment he sends even a number their way, they're going to take it as the go signal so he best be careful.
The auction house was a bit quieter than usual; something that he had expected from the get-go. By the time he was in position, his earpiece ready and working on his ear, he had to check multiple times that he had put on the right one lest he messes up the whole operation.
As Eric had suspected, they patted everyone down before letting them go but Natsu was able to identify the exact model of the earpiece they used here and had Ultear give him the same one.
Before being asked to stay put somewhere around the room, Natsu helped move the tables around until only three circular tables and one rectangular one remained inside.
As he observed the staff members add the final touches to the tables, he quickly realized that the Baram Alliance - as they liked to call themselves - weren't there to bid at all. At least not in the way that Natsu was used to.
The stage remained dark with the curtains closed, the round tables that were lined up in front of the long rectangular table covered in red satin fabric had nothing on top of it. Not even a bidding number or bottles of water. Or even the decorative vase of flowers.
The most striking feature of the whole place however were the high-military grade machinery that were secured inside glass display showcases. There were guns, grenades, and even a bazooka that Natsu had only seen at a tech exposition but never really had the chance to use.
Not long after the staff finished preparing everything, the key members of the Alliance started arriving in groups. How did they not look suspicious when they moved around like a herd of gazelles is beyond Natsu.
This was it. This was their chance.
Natsu was about to signal Gajeel and the others that the operation was a go but decided to hold it off for a bit, waiting for them to start and spill any major details sounded like a much better deal.
But then, some long-haired guy nodded his head towards the man who was organizing the whole thing and Natsu knew they were going to be asked to stand guard outside in a minute's time.
Looks like they didn't have the time to stall it. If these bastards won't fess up here, then they're going to have to spill their dirty little secrets in the interrogation room.
Natsu thought it'd be weird if he screwed around and said his signal out loud to the intercom. Usually, him and his other co-workers would talk nonsense with their earpieces on a normal day.
Today, however, even Natsu's co-worker Marcus who was always the one starting it all, remained a resting bitch face. Going against the odds of it all, Natsu decided to hell with it.
Taking a few deep breaths, Natsu saw his co-workers talk through their earpieces and he decided to use that time and talked at the same time; "Got them."
Marcus saw Natsu's lips move but probably didn't hear his voice and gave him a look. Natsu tapped his earpiece, acting as if there was something wrong with it as he shrugged his shoulders and tried fixing it.
Before he could put his earpiece back in his ear, he heard Gajeel's booming voice. "Freeze, APD! You're all under arrest!"
Now usually, when a band of criminals hear the word 'freeze' their common reaction is to do just that. However, it looks like countless years of criminal activity and valuable experiences helps with removing the effects of the word on a person.
Every single one of them were quick on their feet, guns being pulled out but it was clear that their main priority is to get away since they were all heading for the nearest exit; the very one next to Natsu.
"Oh no, you don't." Natsu quickly locked the door on his side and stood in front of it.
"Move, you bastard! We're gonna fucking shoot you!" A woman shouted, brandishing her gun in front of Natsu. The man in front of her, however, opted for a physical battle instead of a verbal argument/threats.
The man who had spike-looking hair tackled Natsu, shouting for their leader to get through while he pinned the detective down. Natsu elbowed him on the face and made sure he can't move by twisting his body to face the ground and securing his arms behind him.
Natsu saw the pistol resting on the leg of the man he just immobilized. With his right hand, he swiftly got it out and was about to fire a warning shot when he heard a gun ring out and not even a split-second later, a stinging pain on his left abdomen.
Grunting in pain, his mind was quick to remind him of the criminal that he was pinning down. Natsu didn't let his grip on the man below him waver but his face contorted in pain. His ears were ringing, his mind focused on the pain but he willed his body to put all of his strength on the man below him to keep him down.
Just when Natsu felt like he can't keep the man down any longer, he heard another gun shot sound off and a bullet flying past his cheek. Then, he felt the criminal below him stop resisting.
He was dying. Literally.
He just got shot on the stomach and not even minutes after that, his A bullet grazes his fucking cheek! What a fuckingnightmare this shit show is.
Why can't the world just give him a break!?
He could feel intense heat spread through his lower abdomen. His right cheek was pulsing, as if angry. He wanted to shoutin pain, to fucking cry, to do anything, just to release even the tiniest bit of pain from both his cheek and abdomen.
But Natsu stayed silent, his jaw locked in concentration. He felt like any second now and his jaw would fucking give up on him and just shatter because that's how everything seems to go now. He could feel his hands getting colder by the second at the same time perspire both at the thought dying and feeling like his soul was being ripped from his body.
His breathing was getting labored, to the point that if he were to inhale, he could hear his lungs trying to calm itself and remember how it worked. In mere seconds, Natsu was mentally coaching himself to breathe in and out just to keep even a tiny bit of control over the situation.
Just before he was going to pass out, Natsu felt someone lay him down and Ultear pressing his wound, trying to stop the blood from overflowing.
Great, he was dying and all the fucking criminals were getting away. The only man he could stop from running was shot dead probably by the man's comrades themselves.
He looked down at his abdomen and saw Ultear's hands covered in his blood. He cringed at the sight of his blood oozing out of his gunshot wound, staining the white of his shirt and cursed, thinking that he will most definitely get a mouthful from Lucy for this shit.
All those months of work blown because he couldn't guard a fucking door.
0 SECONDS.
I'm sorry I've been so busy with online school! We're a month in our summer break and I've been taking the time to read and catch up on my sleep. I've also been working a lot to save up for an apartment. How's everyone doing so far? I hope you enjoyed this chapter :)