Noir: The Second Chapter
By: Rukaii
3.
Inferno Inquisition
It was early morning, around 5 A.M. on a Thursday, when Mireille and Kirika boarded Georg's Lincoln Continental. Today was the day that they would be meeting with the Inferno top brass... meeting with the ones who were responsible for running the Inferno Organization. Kirika was quiet as usual and Mireille was uncharacteristically nervous. Mireille was sitting passenger beside Georg and Kirika was seated in the backseat of the car. It was still dark outside, there were little to few people walking around on the streets at this hour. Add in the thick fog that had enveloped the entire city didn't help Mireille's nervousness... While they drove, Georg noticed this and decided to strike up conversation.
"Mir, is something wrong? You don't look quite like yourself today... If you're not feeling well I can always ask to postpone the—"
"No, Georg... I'm fine, you don't have to worry about me," Mireille interjected. Georg knew that continuing to point out the obvious wasn't going to get him anywhere with Mireille. So, he decided to attempt to ease her mind by explaining what was going to take place today at the meeting.
"Anyway... Today you two will be meeting with the top known four members of Inferno: Raymond McGuire, Isaac Wisemel, Claudia McCunnen, and...Scythe. They will probably ask you two a variety of questions... ranging from 'Why did you decide to come to the States in the first place?' to' 'What is your knowledge in Economics?' so be on your toes and ready for anything. And remember: I don't care if you do or don't decide to work with Inferno – the only reason I brought you to America was because I owed you. Just answer everything calmly and coolly as you always go about things, Mir, and I'm sure everything will be alright."
Mireille cocked her head to the side, looking out the window at the foggy surroundings, she muttered, "...I hope so..."
At around 5:30 A.M., Georg drove down into an underground parking garage – they had arrived at Inferno's Headquarters. Georg got out first and then opened the doors for Mireille and Kirika. Mireille looked around and said, "The building outside is quite small... I find this hard to believe that one of the top underground organizations in the United States operates out of a small building like this..."
"It's all for appearance, Mir, to be frank, since we're inside – I'll tell you: This headquarters continues downwards, not upwards. This HQ is about the height of one of the former World Trade Center Towers...just instead of building upwards, it was constructed downwards. Built approximately 1,350 feet downwards into the ground, this is the world's largest underground building of it's kind. It is operated and ran just like a normal office building... however that's just for the appearance... each 'executive' working here is a member of Inferno and are more comparable to hitmen than executives. However, not all members of Inferno are killers... some are needed to run system diagnostics, hack into security systems, personal data files, etc, etc. Then there are the select few who actually are executives that manage the business part of Inferno – despite our overwhelming status in the Underground... we still need to be maintained like any other organization does."
Mireille had regained that sly grin on her face when she replied, "Such a marvelous structure... but what keeps it sustained in the event of an earthquake? I heard that this area is prone for earthquakes..."
"Good question, Mir," Georg walked as he talked, Mireille and Kirika followed him listening, "You see, there are segments of this structure that are known as 'Havens', or safe zones. In the event of an earthquake, the building separates to match the movement of the earth, however, the 'Havens' do not separate because they don't need to – in other words, that's where the people would go in the event of an earthquake."
"But..."
"How would one get to the nearest 'Haven' in time?"
"Yes, Georg, were you expecting that question from me?"
"Indeed, Mir, you're not that difficult to read you know... anyway, each office section has a series of chutes located in each room of the separating sections. To ensure evacuation from a separating section, you would just enter one of the chutes which would take you directly to the nearest 'Haven'." Georg had finished his explanation just as they reached the elevator.
"I see...wow this place really is a technological marvel, isn't it?"
"It stinks..." Kirika replied.
"Well, what do you expect, Kirika? We are in a small dirty hallway adjoining a large underground parking garage... so naturally, it smells like petrol," Georg said as he pressed the button to open the elevator. The lights slowly counted down until the elevator finally arrived and Mireille, Georg, and Kirika all boarded the elevator.
After descending the elevator, Georg, Mireille, and Kirika found themselves on sub-level (Insert high floor number here), which was the location of any and all internal Inferno meetings. The halls were coated with a poly-alloy and had breaks in the wall every couple ten or fifteen feet. These 'breaks' or lines in the walls were the break points at which whenever an earthquake may occur, outlines the places that the facility will shift and move with the earth. Hearing Georg's explanation of the facility had helped Mireille mentally, as she assessed the structural design in her mind. They walked about a few winding, narrow hallways until they finally reached their intended destination – The Conference room.
Once Mireille and Kirika reached the Conference room, Georg stepped aside and showed them the door. Mireille turned to Georg, "You're not coming in?" she asked.
"No, I do not have authorization to sit in on this meeting… In moments, you two will be meeting with the Big Four here at Inferno…"
"Will you be here when we're done, Georg?" Kirika asked, looking up at him.
"…I should be, for now, however, I have to attend to a…'Assignment' of my own. I should be back though – by the time you've finished your meeting with them."
"Okay – bye Georg," Kirika flashed a small, subtle smile.
"You take care of yourself, Georg," Mireille replied.
"Hey now, I'm the one who's supposed to be telling you to take care," Georg grinned, "…Oh, word of advice: Whatever Isaac Wisemel says… take it with a grain of sand…"
"Meaning?" Mireille asked.
"Meaning don't let him offend you…or at least, don't let him notice he has offended you if he says something."
"Ah… a womanizer?
"You're keen and on top of things as usual, Mir," Georg replied patting her on the shoulder, "Well, it's meeting time – you go on ahead." Georg opened the double office doors, letting Mireille and Kirika enter. Once they had done so, Georg quietly shut the doors behind them.
Mireille and Kirika were inside the Conference room in the deep underground headquarters of the Inferno Organization. Inside they saw 4 unfamiliar faces and 1 face Mireille wished she didn't have to see again so soon: Scythe...
There was a woman with straight brunette hair; her attire was that of a business lady – a professional looking coat jacket and a risqué short skirt. She wore nylons and heeled shoes. She had a very cold, uncaring look about her. She was Claudia McCunnen, third in command of Inferno's affairs. Standing behind her was an African American woman with short black hair. She had a toned muscular build to her, showing that she was definitely strong – she appeared to be a body guard of sorts. Sitting beside Claudia, on her left, was an enigmatic looking man. He had long platinum, silver colored hair and wore clothes reminiscent of an old-European style. His look was one of precision; he looked as if everything he said and did was calculated. He was Raymond McGuire, the known head of Inferno. Then, there was Isaac Wisemel, second in command of Inferno's affairs, an African American dressed nicely. He had a lot of gold necklaces around his neck and gold rings on his hands. He wore a golden wrist watch etched with diamonds around the clock crystal. He had black, long dreadlocked hair and wore dark sunglasses to cover his eyes. He had a smirk on his face the moment Mireille and Kirika had entered the Conference room. And lastly, sitting to the left of Isaac, was Scythe. He wore a lab coat and had his short gray hair slicked back. He had his typical smug look that instantly made Mireille slightly irritated, but she did her best to maintain composure.
Claudia was the first to speak and break the uncomfortable silence amongst the atmosphere. She spoke calmly and carefully, she made no effort to show any signs of mental inferiority. In short, she had her poker face on.
"How are you enjoying your stay in Los Angeles, NOIR?"
Mireille was the one to answer, "Thanks to Georg, the living scene has been pleasant... we'd like to thank you for having him escort us here and give us a hand escaping Europe."
"Georg insisted he be the one to pick you up... he said he knew you from the past, Mireille Bouquet... tell me: What is your past relationship with him? Was he a close friend? or...a lover?"
"N-no...nothing of that sort... We just... know each other..." Mireille seemed really flustered by Claudia's inquiry.
"Oh?"
"...He was... my Uncle's good friend. Claude Feyter's..."
"So you're the niece of Claude Feyter... hmm... You're a Bouquet, as well... Interesting... Have you been back to Corsica since... 'that' incident?"
"...Yes, once."
"I see... I'll get back to Corsica...shortly... But, for now, I would like to allow my co-workers to ask you some questions..."
Raymond began to speak shortly after, calmly he asked, "So... You two are the infamous NOIR, that the Soldats had vowed to eliminate... But, with you here in America... you don't have to worry about the Soldats for a while... They cannot enter our jurisdiction...at least, without our permission. Tell me, Mireille Bouquet, have you ever killed an innocent person?"
"... I've killed many people... each was desired in the contract to be killed. I don't feel I've ever killed anyone who was... innocent," Mireille replied.
"I see... but you had no way of knowing if the people whom you've killed were entirely innocent or not... you simply followed through with a contractual obligation to kill somebody..."
"I-I...guess..."
"Mireille..." Kirika replied quietly, "Mr. McGuire... could you please get to the point of all this... it really matters not if she's killed innocents or not... to answer your question: Yes, I have killed innocents. I've killed many people who didn't deserve to die...but nevertheless, I killed them anyway. Mireille is not like me, she's a kind person – I am not... I kill because I have a talent for it, it's easy..."
"Easy, you say?"
This time it was Scythe who spoke up, he seemed to have a particular interest in Kirika. He leaned over the table to catch a better glimpse of Kirika, "Doesn't she remind you a lot of Phantom, Mr. McGuire?"
"Now that you mention... Dr. Scythe... she does indeed bear a remarkably close resemblance to Phantom..."
"Indeed," Scythe continued, "Kirika, dear, could you tell me about your past?"
"...What would my past have anything to do with the present, Dr. Scythe?" Kirika replied coldly.
Scythe chuckled in response to Kirika's cold reply, "I suppose you're correct in assuming that your past really has no bearing on your present nor your future... but," Scythe's fixed grin soured, "I suppose being polite is worn out it's welcome with you two... Now, tell us about your past, Kirika..."
"Why are you so interested in her past," Mireille intervened, "Why don't you ask me about mine?"
"Because, woman... we already know everything there is to know about your sexy little ass," Isaac smirked.
"You..." Mireille was about to voice her disdain for him, but remembered what Georg had told her. She decided she wouldn't give Isaac the satisfaction of seeing her angry. She looked over at Kirika, her eyes telling Kirika that is she didn't feel like telling them, then don't.
"...My past...is dead."
"Excuse me?" Isaac questioned, "We don't have time to play games, little girl – tell us about your past now!"
"...I told you, my past is dead. I buried my past with Chloe," Kirika replied without emotion, a simple cold, uncaring reply.
"Who is this, Chloe, you speak of?" Scythe questioned, leaning on the table with his hands folded before him.
"A dear friend... nothing more needs to be said about her."
"I see, forgive my subordinates rudeness," Raymond replied, "Isaac and Scythe have problems realizing the etiquette of meetings... Kirika, we need speak no more of your past. More importantly, we need to speak on the futures for both you talented ladies."
"Our future?" Mireille asked. She was curious yet suspicious at the same time, however, she didn't let the Inferno panel see her as anything except curious.
"Yes, the future of the infamous NOIR," Claudia intervened, "How would you like to do some work for us? Of course it would be contractual assignments – we're not asking that you join Inferno all together. We just want to... see what you're capable of."
"To work for Inferno... And we won't be bound to you in any way?" Mireille asked.
"Just bound to your contract...whatever that may be. After you fulfill your contract, you are free to do what you please. If you prove to us your talents, you may receive many more contracts in the near future... of course," Raymond grinned, "it's completely up to you whether or not to accept these contracts. The only thing we ask of is that if you accept a contract, you finish it through till the end."
"Can we have time to think upon your offer, Mr. McGuire?" Mireille inquired.
Instead of Raymond responding, it was Claudia who responded, "Why of course, if we forced you into a decision, we would be no better than the Soldats – would we not?"
"I see... thank you, is that all?"
"Yes," Raymond answered, "We await your favorable reply, NOIR."
The African American woman who stood behind Claudia the entire meeting, showed NOIR to the doors and escorted them into the hallway. When the three entered the hallway, leaving the Conference room, they were greeted by none other than Georg Cross.
"Thanks, Lizzie," Georg replied to the African American woman, waving his hand in a rather casual manner.
"Lizzi?" Mireille asked.
"That's my name," Lizzie' answered behind her, "I am Elizabeth Garland, but I go by 'Lizzie', I apologize for not introducing myself earlier... but that wasn't necessary. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to return to the Conference room..."
"Of course, I'll take it from here, Lizzie," Georg responded.
Lizzie returned to the Conference room, leaving Georg, Mireille, and Kirika in the hallway in front of the large double doors.
"Well, shall we?" Georg asked. Mireille and Kirika nodded and followed him back to the elevator. They took the elevator up to ground level, to the parking garage. Once they got inside Georg's Lincoln Continental, he asked, "How did it go, Mir?"
"...Just drive us back to the flat... I'm dying for a shower and some sleep..."
"I see..." Georg said and then thought to himself, "I'll have to ask Lizzie the extent of what happened in there... Claudia might tell me... but, I'll play it safe and ask Lizzie..." Georg drove out of the parking garage and onto the main roads of downtown Los Angeles...
Next Chapter: Chapter 4: Decisions
Preview: Mireille and Kirika gage their options and come to a decision to Inferno's offer.
Author's Comments: Okay, finally got to sit down and get this one done. I'll start working on Chapter 4 in the next couple of days, so expect about a week or so before chapter 4 is completed. Thanks!
--Rukaii