Author's Note:

I'm having too much fun writing this XDDD
Seriously June, thank you so much for the inspiration to write a badass Evan OwO


【Lost Identity】

【Part 2】

They were in the middle of a VSSE mission.

The terrorist whom they were after had awesomely gone to hide in the Arctic of all places. Giorgio and Evan, the ship that they had used to give chase having shipwrecked and washed up onto the ice, were shivering in the ship's remains despite their thick coats. To make matters worse, a terrible snowstorm swirled persistently in the frozen night around them.

Evan hugged himself, desperately trying to stay warm. He couldn't believe that after all the dangerous missions he had gone through, he'd just die freezing here and no one would even know. He thought for sure that that would be the end of it. But then, Giorgio took off his coat and threw it around him, wrapping it tightly around his shivering form.

"Tonton (uncle), you want to die?!" Evan asked with a disbelieving look, trying to return the coat.

"Shut up and just keep it!" Giorgio ordered with irritation, holding his partner's hands down. "I've lost more people than I've wanted to. Don't add to the body count!"

"..."

"Backup will arrive by morning. We'll make it," Giorgio said.

"Oh, you mean I'll make it," Evan muttered. "I'm not such a wimp, alright? Here, take it back. Things will get so troublesome if you die," he said, trying to return the coat again. Giorgio only stopped him once more.

"Look, either one of us survives, or we both freeze to death!" He snapped at Evan. "If one of us has to die, then I'd want you to be the one walking out of this alive!"

"..." Evan looked up at him, unsure of what to say. Giorgio's voice softened.

"I care about you, alright? Now stop fighting back."


No. 81 splashed some cold water onto his face. He stayed there leaning over the bathroom sink for a moment, eyes closed and silent as he let the water drip. He breathed out, thinking back to that one life or death situation he had faced with Giorgio during his VSSE days.

Two days had passed since he arrived at La Fraternité's underground headquarters in Paris. Freshly rescued from prison, he had looked quite messed up upon arrival, but he had quickly tended to himself once he got the chance. Now he was dressed in a clean set of clothes, his formerly messy hair neatly cut and styled. All wounds had been properly bandaged and patched up, and he was ready for his given task. Opening his eyes, he looked into the mirror, studying himself quietly.

'Evan Bernard... Non (No)... Numéro quatre-vingt-un (No. 81).'

'Oui, c'est numéro quatre-vingt-un (Yes, it's No. 81).'

He repeated to himself in his head. Having been 'Evan Bernard' for over six years since he was put in the French Coast Guard, being suddenly referred to as 'quatre-vingt-un' again felt a little foreign, so he tried to squeeze himself back into it. The next thing he needed to worry about was smothering every last thought he had left about Giorgio. Today, he would kill the man without fail, so he pushed aside the memories of them having been partners who trusted each other.

Agents of the Fraternité had been trained first and foremost to be masters of their feelings. The rule of thumb was to never, ever, ever get close to any of the targets, as it would most definitely lead to poor judgement in future. Thus, No. 81 and his fellow agents had been trained extensively to fake all their relationships, shooting down any of their own feelings that might have grown while they were still sprouts. Loyalty and friendship were luxuries reserved only for other members of the Brotherhoodーtheir own brothers and sisters.

And so far, No. 81 had been one of the fiercest to adhere to that code. Like all the people he had assassinated during his infiltrations before, Giorgio meant nothing.

'Yes, he meant nothing', he repeated.

He took his towel and wiped his face dry. Looking into the mirror, he had a determined look, not a trace of doubt in his clear blue eyes.


Slums, Paris 04:46

It was an ungodly hour in the morning. The skies had lit up a deep blue, but the sun had not yet risen. The stars were still visible and most of the residents of the beautiful city of Paris were still sound asleep. But in the dark alleys of the city's slums, the activities of the day had already begun.

No. 152 and No. 153, two younger members of the Fraternité, stood there with their suitcases, ready to sell the intel that their seniors had gathered. Normally, they'd be neatly dressed in suits, but they had worn simpler casual clothing today in order to blend in with their surroundings.

A few gang members soon came towards them from around the corner, their own suitcases in hand. Their leader stopped in front of the two agents, opening his suitcase so they could see the fat wads of cash inside. No. 152 and No. 153 nodded to each other, and the trade was smoothly made. What they did not know was that they were being watched.


From the rooftop of an abandoned building, Giorgio looked closely at the transaction in the slums through the clear lens of his sniper rifle. After the gang members had left, he followed No. 152 and No. 153 with his rifle scope. Aim sharpened to perfection from all his VSSE years, Giorgio placed a finger on his gun's trigger.

Two years ago, Evan, the cheerful sunshine whom he had so gladly allowed into his life as a close friend and dear partner, had betrayed the VSSEーhad betrayed him. Since the beginning, their seemingly perfect friendship and trust had all been nothing but an act, and Evan had had a good laugh in the end, watching him break as he found out.

Naturally, the heartbreak wasn't any good for Giorgio's mental health, violently shattering it like glass being slammed full force onto the floor. Though Evan had been immediately sent off for interrogation, it did nothing to quell the raging storm that continued to roll and thunder in Giorgio's heart and mind. The inner turmoil eventually led to him being unable to properly carry out his VSSE missions, putting his life in danger. Afterwards, he had ended up being dismissed for his own good.

Quitting the VSSE however, turned out to be a pleasant surprise. It took a huge load off of Giorgio's shoulders, and he was happy for a while. But every time anyone he met tried to start a proper conversation with him, all he could see behind their kind smiles was Evan's sly, lying, psychotic grin. Finding nothing but hidden knives in their welcoming hands, he pushed everyone awayーas far away as possible. His fear caused people to despise him in return, misunderstanding his intentions. Giorgio felt as though he would never be able to have proper human interactions again, and his days were a living hell.

Rolling further down the dark drain of depression and anxiety, his train-wreck then went to mass drinking and suicidal thoughts. Giorgio had gone all the way to standing at the edge of his apartment's roof one rainy night, thinking of just ending it all. Then as if God hated him that much and wanted to rub more salt into the festering wound, Evan's last words to himーthe ones that had hurt the mostーhad to resurface in his mind at the last second.

"Oh, this is rich! Did you actually think we were friends?" Evan gasped for breath through his laughter. "Why on earth would anyone want to be friends with a screwed–up, antisocial loner like you?"

Giorgio winced. Although almost a year had passed, it was still painful, and he felt sick to the stomach. How could Evan do that to him? How could he have let it happen? Why was the world so stupid?

It was then that something in Giorgio's mind clicked like a switch, and then he suddenly saw the truth.

No, he wasn't even sad that Evan had betrayed him. Neither was he desperate, nor afraid, nor crestfallen, nor anxious, nor depressed... No, none of those.

He was angry.

How dare that boy trick him and play with his feelings like that? After all the sacrifices he had made for him, after all the good times they'd spent together, after all those times he had pulled him out of a tight spot, not even the slightest bit of remorse? Preposterous!

Giorgio knitted his brow. If he jumped off the roof right now, it would just mean that he had let Evan trample all over him and win without even fighting backーthe boy would have all the right to laugh at him from Hell.

His blood suddenly boiling under his skin, Giorgio took a sure step back from the edge of the roof. Oh, how he suddenly remembered the beautiful words that his mafia boss of a father would always tell his enemies...

'If you mess with us, you'll be messed with.'

The words had never been more appropriate in Giorgio's life. Tough luck for Evan to have angered the wrong guy. Giorgio swore that he would make him pay for what he had done. Twofold and with interest. He wanted to hurt Evan as much as Evan had hurt him.

And the rage had turned Giorgio into a cold-blooded killer. Relentless and forceful info gathering about Evan had led to him discovering Evan's actual organization, La Fraternité, relatively quickly. Now, was he going to report it to the VSSE?

Nope. Reporting it would have most definitely resulted in orders to keep them alive for interrogation, much like what had been ordered in Evan's case. He couldn't let that get in his way.

Knowing that the organization was like family to Evan, Giorgio's idea of revenge was to massacre all of its membersーevery last one. And when he had, he'd go to the so called 'Cocytus' and tell Evan all about it. Let's see who'd have the last laugh after that.

Sniper rifle aim trained steadily on No. 152's head, Giorgio slowly pulled down on the trigger.

"Stop right there."

Giorgio stopped when he heard a familiar voice, hearing a few guns being pointed at him simultaneously. Slowly lowering his sniper rifle, he glanced behind him, in the direction where the voice had come from. Three people stood there, handguns pointed at him.

"Oh, if it isn't Evan. What a surprise," Giorgio said, "Didn't know Cocytus was that easy to break out of."

"I have the best team," EvanーNo. 81 smirked. His easy expression then turned into a glare. "Now I'll have to stop you from getting in our way. Come quietly and we might just spare you a few extra days to say your prayers."

Giorgio sighed. "Guess this can't end without a fight, huh?" He glared back at No. 81.

"So be it."

Suddenly dropping his rifle, Giorgio pulled out his pistol, immediately firing at No. 81 and his team. The three took cover and shot back at Giorgio, but Giorgio was relentless. Taking a smoke bomb from his waist, he threw it at them, whitening out the scene in the blink of an eye and causing confusion.

No. 81 coughed from the smoke. He looked around for No. 82 and No. 75, but held back from calling out to them to avoid revealing his location to Giorgio. However, what he saw instead of his comrades was Giorgio escaping to another roof.

"Stop right there!" He shouted, immediately giving chase.

What No. 81 didn't know though, was that Giorgio had gotten him exactly where he wanted. Having successfully separated him from his friends, Giorgio led him down the roof into an alley, where it would be hard to see them. Once he arrived on the ground, he suddenly turned around, tackling his unsuspecting pursuer.

"...!"

No. 81 was taken by surprise, Giorgio slamming him to the floor. What he had forgotten to consider was that as much as he knew Giorgio's tendencies and fighting style, Giorgio knew him. Immediately realizing that he had been separated on purpose, No. 81 quickly reached for his fallen gun to avoid trouble. But Giorgio wasn't regarded as one of the VSSE's best agents for nothing.

Quick as lightning, he put his weight on No. 81, pressing him down and grabbing his wrist. With another swift move, Giorgio disarmed him, and No. 81 soon found himself in an inescapable predicament, being pressed face down with his right arm twisted painfully behind his back. Giorgio was on top of him, safe and with an advantage.

Having ended up in a locked position, the two of them panted heavily, trying to catch their breath. Giorgio pressed the muzzle of his gun roughly against No. 81's head. Pent-up anger gushing out, his finger rested dangerously on the trigger. He could have shot him dead immediately, but somehow at this last moment, something in him made him hesitate.

"What? Can't shoot children?" No. 81 panted, taunting lazily despite his situation.

"Shut up, you lying bastard!" Giorgio yelled back.

"Did it for the family. I'm sure you, of all people, would understand," No. 81 replied, without the slightest fear in his voice, "My loyalty lies with my brothers and sistersーthose who had taken me in and raised me so dearly. If I have to die for them, I have no regrets."

"..."

"Now shoot already," No. 81 said. Giorgio's hand shook a little.

"...Was it all a lie?" He found himself asking againーthe very same question that he had asked when he first found out about No. 81's betrayal.

"...?"

"Was it all a lie?!" Giorgio urged, pressing his gun down harder against No. 81's head. "After everything that we went through together?! You're about to die anyway, so you might as well answer me truthfully!"

"...Well..." No. 81 stared into the distance. Fond memories of him and Giorgio laughing and facing danger together danced at the back of his mind. While he had always been true to his organization's code and mission, he couldn't deny that at those times, he'd forget that he was No. 81 for a moment. At those times, he had truly been 'Evan Bernard'ーa free man bound by no code, who was treasured by his friends, and who was free to treasure his friends in return. He smiled a little at the wistful reminiscence.

"Heh, maybe not all of it was a lie, after all," No. 81 said a little sadly. "You're my targets, so I couldn't allow myself to get too close. But you, Alan, Wesley and the others... I did enjoy all the little fun we had in the processーAll the freedom that I'd never even dreamed of having in my own organization..."

He paused, closing his eyes. "It might have been short, but it was a wonderful dream. Thanks for giving me a great time."

"..." Giorgio looked at him quietly, trying to process this new information. With his gun still pointed at No. 81's head, he spoke with a low, hesitant voice.

"...Come back to us."

Truthfully, he wanted nothing more than to kill the rotten man in front of him, but having heard No. 81's explanation, his old self deep within him nagged at him, wanting to fix things, wanting to magically get everything back to the happy old times before the illusion was shattered. That old self told him to give the man before him a chance.

"...Sorry, but no can do," No. 81 replied, "You can forget about itー'Evan Bernard' never existed in the first place."

"Evan! Stop that!" Giorgio yelled impatiently, turning No. 81 over onto his back and pinning him down by the shoulders. He glared straight into his eyes, knowing thatーwanting to believe that his lost precious friend still lay asleep somewhere in there, buried under the thick shell keeping him locked away from the world.

"You're what you make yourself to be. Don't let them control you!"

"..." No. 81 looked back at him, wide-eyed with disbelief and confusion. Never had such a ludicrous thought even crossed his mind. Bite back at the hands of those who had so painstakingly raised him? Outrageous!

However, before he could even retort, the two of them were surprised by a sudden deafening gunshot to Giorgio's shoulder. Giorgio fell to the side, painfully clutching at his wound.

"Get away from him!" No. 81 heard. No. 82 and No. 75 were standing there at the end of the alley, pistols ready in hand. Giorgio writhed on the ground, trying to recover from the pain. Seeing his chance, No. 81 quickly regained his footing and grabbed his fallen gun, pointing it at Giorgio.

"Should have killed me when you had the chance, tonton," No. 81 said.

"Evan..." Giorgio called out desperately, "Wake up..."

"..." No. 81 stayed silent. He knew that the desperate look on Giorgio's face wasn't because he was afraid to die, but because he was afraid of losing himーhis dearest friend.

"If one of us has to die, then I'd want you to be the one walking out of this alive!"

Giorgio's words from all those years ago rang loudly in No. 81's head. The worst-case scenario which he had feared the most, which he had been trained all these years to prevent, had come to pass. The feelings that he had failed to kill off completely now opened their toothed maw and swallowed him whole. A full-blown all-out war stormed up in his mind. Sweat poured down his deeply-knitted brows. The hand holding his gun shook.

Giorgio cared about him more than anyone in the Brotherhood did. And in return, Evan Bernard cared about Giorgio more than he cared for his brothers and sisters. The code that his organization had imposed on him began to falter. No. 81 closed his eyes, trying to contain himself.

"Did you actually think we were friends? Why on earth would anyone want to be friends with a screwed–up, antisocial loner like you?" No. 81 had said that fateful day.

"Yes. Hate me. Walk away. If you associate with me any further after this, your life and future will be in danger!" Evan had screamed and cried underneath the surface that very same moment, choosing to sever their ties for Giorgio's sake. "Forgive me."

No. 81 had grabbed Evan by the neck and did his best to snuff him out afterwards. It had been hard. His thoughts and ideals crisscrossed, overlapped, and then caved in on themselves in a twisted way.

ー Who am I? ー

"You really... should have killed me when you had the chance..." No. 81 said frustratedly in almost a whisper.

With a sudden twist, he turned, shooting No. 75 squarely in the chest. Not even sure what had hit him, No. 75 fell to the ground in shock.

"Quatre-vingt-un! Whatー...?!" No. 82 shouted in disbelief. She looked back and forth between her two friends, astonished.

"I didn't kill him, but I hit him somewhere bad," No. 81 said, "If you don't take him to the hospital immediately, he might not make it."

"Quatre-vingt-un...!"

"Quatre-vingt-deux... I'm sorry, but..." he said, closing his eyes. When he opened them again, he had a changed look, as though he had been reborn.

"My name is Evan Bernard!"

He grinned the truly innocent grin that only Evan could make. Giorgio's eyes widened.

"The organization will come after you!" No. 82 shouted in fear. She knew fully well what her friend's actions meant, as well as what they would entail. Utterly horrified, she was on the verge of tears.

"I know, quatre-vingt-deux, I know..." Evan said, sadness apparent in his face. "Now please, take soixante-quinze with you and go! I've been a failure... Tell everyone that I betrayed you and that you had nothing to do with this. ...I'm afraid this is goodbye."

Evan's voice cracked as he said the words. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he forced a smile at his friends. No. 82 was in tears as well. She was about to convince him to change his mind, but No. 75 coughed, blood spilling thickly out of his mouth. No. 82 looked at him and then glared at Giorgio and Evan. Quickly bending down and slinging No. 75's arm across her shoulders, she hurriedly took off, saying words of encouragement to keep her wounded friend awake.

"..." Evan watched them until they were out of sight. Lowering his gun, he sighed, wiping his tears away.

"Evan..." Giorgio called out as he stood up, wrapping a cloth around his wounded shoulder and applying some pressure to reduce the bleeding.

"Tonton..." Evan slowly turned to look at Giorgio. "You know what? You're the worst," he said, walking over to him.

Placing his gun in Giorgio's hand, Evan then held it up so that its muzzle rested against his own heart.

"There. Now pull the trigger," Evan said, his voice flat.

"What are you talking about?!" Giorgio questioned, yanking his hand free. Evan looked away.

"First I betrayed the VSSE, now I've betrayed my family, too," he said. "My organization doesn't take betrayal lightlyーThey'll hunt me down and oh, they totally won't let me die easy. There's no escape and I'm not looking forward to it," Evan said. He looked up at Giorgio and grinned bitterly.

"So if you still care for me, have mercy and kill me right now, would you? It'll be good payback for what I did to you too, right?"

"..."

To Evan's surprise, Giorgio merely wrapped his good arm around him and pulled him into a tight hug.

"Evan... You're back."

"...Giorgio?"

Giorgio pulled away, but his hands held Evan's shoulders firmly. "If you think I'm just going to let a friend die, you're wrong."

"...?" Evan looked at him curiously. Did he not know the depth of the swamp that he was about to throw himself into?

"But how are you planning to do that?" Evan asked. "Let me remind you that it's not only my organization, but also the Milieuーthe entire French underworldーthat will be after us. And I'm pretty sure that the VSSE would love to hunt me down for further interrogation too. We'll have neither the criminals nor the law on our side. It'll be us against the world!"

"We'll find a way," Giorgio said reassuringly, "We always did, didn't we? I want you to trust me again this timeーlike you always did back then."

"..."

Evan was surprised at Giorgio's confidence for a moment. But then he remembered how Giorgio had always been good at what he did. And he remembered how he would give it his all when it came to protecting everyone he loved.

Never having felt safer, Evan sighed. He closed his eyes, smiling gently and nodding, putting himself fully in Giorgio's hands. Giorgio smiled back at him, feeling like a little of his old self had come back and the world had turned just a little more hopeful.

And with that, the two of them vanished into the dawn, exiting the world of secret agents and crime together.

【END】


【Trivia Collection】

- No. 81
→ 2006 (TC4's release year) - 25 (Evan's age) = 1981 → 81

- No. 82 (Désirée) and No. 75 (Bastien) come from a future Evan fic that I'm planning to write. Look out for them when the fic comes ;D
As for their numbers, I just picked random ones close to '81' to show that the three of them joined the organization around the same time.

- No. 0 (the boss) only appears in this fic, but I'm growing to like him (He's fun to write.) :p The other numbered characters who appeared are completely random.

- The VSSE maximum security prison is loosely based on the Alcatraz prison. Cocytus is the frozen lowest level of hell where Satan, traitors and sinners are imprisoned in Dante's 'Divine Comedy'.

- 'La Fraternité' (Evan's organization) is fictional, but 'Le Milieu' (the French underworld) is an actual, existing thing.

Thanks for reading and hope you had fun! XD