Hello, readers! Hope you're enjoying the story so far; I sure am! So, the contract has been given and reluctantly accepted by the Assassins and Dawn, May and Zoey are unaware of what they're about to be caught up in. How will Ash try and find out whether these girls have committed any crimes? Time for some answers.

Enjoy chapter 3!


The scene: Assassin's Guild.

Ash paced the empty lounge of the Assassin's Guild restlessly. He was alone and it was late at night, but sleep just didn't come. Not to him. His mind was still on that unusual contract, although Drew and Paul did not seem as conflicted or concerned about it.

Three teenage girls, about his age, who were frankly quite attractive and looked absolutely nothing like any of his previous victims. They had all seemed... gruff. Hardened and cruel. They actually looked like they were capable of murder, or illegal smuggling or whatever. This was totally different. These girls looked kind, innocent and sweet, as far as Ash could tell.

In addition to that, they had always been given a description of the target's crime, even if it was a relatively minor one. Whatever the clients had told their superiors was told to the Assassins in turn. That was the procedure. But not this time. Not only had they been given no crime record or background detail of the girls, but the agency receiving the contracts did not seem to have bothered investigating them on their own. It was... strange.

Strange. He felt strange because distrust towards his own brotherhood was something nobody here was accustomed to. He didn't like those feelings, but they felt truthful in his heart. He needed to act. He had been given permission to check for crimes performed by these girls, but he had not specified exactly how he would.

The biography of hundreds of people around Sinnoh was stored in the Guild's database, which was sometimes updated when clients specified targets not currently in the database. The location of these archives was unknown to the Assassins themselves, probably because it seemed like a place where their superiors resided. But Ash suspected it was hidden somewhere around here; if not in the hideout, then in Veilstone City.

If he had any luck, he would be able to infiltrate the archives undetected, which shouldn't pose a problem assuming he actually found the database at all, find out any background info about the girls, and get out before the early-rising Assassins woke up.

He had not shared his plan with Drew or Paul, for he was sure they would disagree; for one reason or another. This plan was bold and perhaps a little reckless, but Ash felt if he was successful, these suspicions about the Guild's leaders plaguing him would be purged from his mind. Assuming he found criminal records on the girls. He shook his head. There hadto be some reason why the Guild would accept this contract. He could only hope they had retained the data on them they already have or had received from this strange client.

As he walked through the dim, empty halls of the Guild, Ash thought how strange it was that there were no guards. Were they so confident that the world was ignorant of their existence that there was not a single soul awake at night? Ash had never been out this late before, so he wouldn't know.

Stealthily, he made his way to the dormitories and located Drew's and Paul's target ID cards. Each card had a number that Ash suspected he would need to enter into a terminal in the archives to bring up data on that particular person. Now that he thought of it, that proved that the girls at least existed in the database.

But now for the hard part: Finding the archives themselves. If they were not to be found here, Ash could not risk sneaking around outside; even at this hour. It would take too long and there probably were people awake up there. Ash examined each wooden plank on the wall as best as he could in the dim torchlight. No, they would not put it in the middle of a hall. If they did that, someone was almost guaranteed to see them.

Then, an idea hit Ash. He set of at a brisk pace to the Battle Arena. This arena held sparring competitions between the Assassins or training sessions for newer recruits. But Ash was interested in the fighter's rooms. They were very bland and simple and seemed an excellent place to hide a secret passageway. These rooms, usually for changing outfits or temporary storage for two combatants, would also attract far less attention than other places down here.

The rooms were fairly small but there was a torch in only one of them. Very suspicious indeed... Well, Ash thought. If it's not in this room, the rest of the Guild is pretty much out of the question. He first examined every inch of the room with his expertly trained eye. There did not seem to be any unique wear on the boards similar to the Guild's entrance, so-

Surely not. Ash thought as a thought struck him. He was almost disappointed. If he was correct, this was indeed a poor defense system for such a vault of knowledge. Casually, he pushed against random boards on the wall and lightly stomped on the floorboards as well. Eventually, he found a loose board in the floor. Yep. Just a pressure plate. Ash shook his head. Only a small portion of the board was revealed since it was pushed so close into the wall, which would explain why nobody who bothered to come here had found it.

He pushed down and heard a faint click and an even fainter sliding noise. Only the trained ear of an Assassin could hope to perceive the noise. Ash followed the sound and saw that a door had indeed opened. In the ceiling. Ash frowned, wondering how that worked. How deep underground was this place? It didn't matter. Unfortunately, the walls were flat and there were not many things to use as springboards. An idea came to him, but it was risky. It would leave possibly traceable evidence that someone had been here. But that would be dealt with if it came around, he decided. Good thing he had come prepared. He drew several short, stout blades from his attire and stabbed them into the wall to form footholds. As he did this, Ash wondered how the technicians up there used this entrance. Perhaps someone would lower a ladder from above, or something.

Using the knives, he managed to climb high enough so he could push against the wall and just grab the opening to the ceiling door. Hoisting himself up, he gasped. It hardly seemed the same building. It was clearly as modern as a facility could get at the time and this was a simple hallway! As he walked, Ash noticed doors on either side of him which probably led to either quarters or offices.

As he stepped out of the hall, Ash realized that the place can't have been too big because before him were rows and rows of terminals, with what looked like a huge mainframe in the center. There was also a large video screen on the wall, much like the one in the briefing room, for widespread announcements. There was no one else there, thankfully. Apparently they took their own security as seriously as they took that of the Assassins.

Picking a random terminal, he booted it up and was greeted by a screen demanding a password. "You've gotta be kidding me." Ash breathed. But what had he expected? This complicated things and it could waste valuable time, even if he had found the place faster than he originally thought he would. He started typing random things concerning the guild like 'Arthas, blade, secrecy, salvation and myth.' None of them worked, and he was locked out before he could try anything else.

Swearing under his breath, Ash rose and realized his only hope was to find either an unprotected terminal, or one that was left on. To his surprise and slight amusement, the latter turned out to be true. He noticed a lit up screen and wondered who the hell could be so lazy and forgetful. Or stupid.

Quickly, Ash accessed the basic database and looked up 'profiles'. He was given a screen asking for an ID number, so Ash assumed this was it. Taking out the three cards, he looked at the numbers. First he entered that of his own target. A description with a picture of the blunette on the card appeared:

NAME: Dawn Berlitz.

DESCRIPTION: Sapphire-blue eyes, midnight blue hair. Usual attire includes a white and pink hat, a black vest and pink skirt.

AGE: 15 ½

HOMETOWN: Twinleaf Town, Sinnoh.

BIOGRAPHY: Dawn Berlitz grew up in Twinleaf Town with a plainly ambitious heart. On reaching the age of 10, the legal age of freedom of Training or Coordinating, she showed no hesitation in setting out on becoming a great Coordinator. But perhaps she was too ambitious in her endeavors. Dark deeds line her past, many of which are unknown. As she grew older, these acts became more and more apparent. It is for this reason the Guild has targeted her.

STATUS: Currently alive, scheduled for termination.

Okkkayyyyy... Was all Ash could think. Dark deeds? Seriously, was that the best they could do? This didn't tell Ash anything useful. Only that the Guild had 'targeted' because someone had told them that this girl, Dawn, had a past of misdeeds. Ash found it pretty hard to believe that a client had simply said: 'This person has done evil deeds in her past life.' and that the Guild's leaders had believed them. The picture onscreen seemed as innocent and sweet as ever.

Next, Ash checked Drew's card. Once again, a descriptive page appeared:

NAME: May Maple.

DESCRIPTION: Brown hair, navy-blue eyes. Usual attire comprises of a red blouse and red-and-white bandanna.

AGE: 17

HOMETOWN: Littleroot Town, Hoenn.

BIOGRAPHY: A confident, yet caring person, May Maple was once a very likable person. She trusted and tried to make the acquaintance of many. While growing up, she became fascinated with the art of Contests, in turn inspiring her to become a Coordinator. She competed fairly and proudly in contests. Or so it seemed. Recently surfaced evidence reveals a possibility of foul play along with other disturbing measures taken to ensure she had her way. She cannot be allowed to continue and has been marked.

STATUS: Currently alive, scheduled for termination.

Ash shook his head. This was ridiculous! He couldn't imagine an idiot who could look at the picture of this girl, and write all this nonsense down. What was the world coming to? Cheating in contests? Someone was still living in the medieval times. Not expecting much better from Paul's card, he punched in the redhead's ID number.

NAME: Zoey Sanders.

DESCRIPTION: Red hair, amber eyes. Usual attire consists of a purple shirt with orange vest and jeans.

AGE: 17 ½

HOMETOWN: Snowpoint City, Sinnoh.

BIOGRAPHY: A fierce, bright and determined girl, Zoey Sanders showed signs of going wrong from the beginning. She was considered a bully in school and most expected her to follow a matching career. But she chose Coordinating, a dazzling form of art which she seemed to be skilled at. But at what cost? How far would she go to obtain fame and glory? Despite others' claims of her efforts to help other Coordinators, her past foretells a grim future. Thus, she has been marked.

STATUS: Currently alive, scheduled for termination.

"I've had enough." Ash muttered angrily. He closed the page, erasing any trace he had been there and left the terminal as it was. He got up and briskly headed for the trap door. What the hell was wrong with these people? Coordinators were suddenly criminals?! Unlikely at the very least. Those girls, Dawn, May and Zoey looked as normal as three innocent girls should be. Heck, who was the boneheaded client who had commissioned this contract in the first place?!

Dropping from the ceiling into the fighter's room, Ash carefully retrieved his knives, leaving as little indentation as possible. Thoughts of the absurdity of these so-called 'crimes' swirled in his mind. The three girls were Coordinators. OK, even if they were cheating, that was no reason to want to kill them. Only someone truly insane would want that.

Well, Ash thought as he entered his dormitory. I'll go along with this for now. When we meet them, I'll find out just how much of those profiles were facts and how much were lies. He managed to find sleep with this intent set in his mind.

The next day...

Ash hadn't really wasted any time in summoning Drew and Paul to the lounge to explain his findings the previous night. They seemed annoyed, but complied nonetheless.

"What's this about?" Paul asked gruffly as they sat. "You do know we're supposed to go after those girls today, right?" Ash nodded hastily, "Yeah, I know, but listen! Remember when I said I was going to find out what these girls had done to have a contract for them made?" They nodded slowly. "Well, I did. Sort of."

Drew raised his eyebrows. "How did you manage that? Snooping?" Ash nodded and Drew looked rather impressed. "You found the rumored archives? And no one saw you?" He smiled in admiration as Ash replied: "Yes, I found them, but it's not like there was really anyone to stop me."

As clearly as he could while talking fast, Ash explained every detail about the girls' profiles that he managed to remember. After that, he gave his opinion of how ridiculous the reasons of he contract's existence were. Drew seemed troubled, but Paul looked smug.

"Something to say?" Ash questioned. Paul shook his head as if disappointed, then said: "Don't you see, Ash? What you saw just proves there's a reason someone wants these people dead. You just recited their crimes to us!" He actually chuckled. Ash was outraged. "How can you even consider matching up those 'crimes' with those girls?! They look totally innocent! Even you can't deny our usual targets actually look like criminals. And don't tell me looks don't matter!" he quickly added. "Just think for a minute." Ash waited for something, anything to sink into the Assassin's cold heart.

"I have been thinking." Paul replied, almost calmly. "And I think we should just get this over with." Ash's frustration was building, so he took a deep breath. "Listen to me, Paul. We're going, yes. But we are not going to kill them on sight." Ash's tone was confident and commanding. Paul just waited. "I want to find out just how much of what the database told me is true. If it is, we can carry out the task. If not..." He paused. "If not, then we'll examine our options." For along moment, everyone stood still. Then, Paul shrugged. "A waste of time, but we'll do things your way." Ash nodded, "Good. Well, let's suit up."

***

The scene: Veilstone City.

A day in Veilstone City almost always made visitors want to move there permanently. So had it done for Dawn, May and Zoey. A single brief day of touring the grand city was enough to urge them to extend their stay even before they found a hotel. The meteorites had of course been magnificent and Zoey had gone into her own world at the sight of them. Dawn and May partly understood her slight craze over them. As for the shops, restaurants and malls, it was the place for them. Everything seemed of highest quality. It was incredible.

After that, they rented rooms in a relatively cheap hotel and even that was far more modern than even the most expensive in Eterna. They practically felt like royalty.

"I will never," May announced, stretching on the plushy bed. "ever get tired of this." Dawn was fixing her hair, as usual, which always seemed to work against her efforts to keep it perfect. "Yeah, well just don't go to sleep again. Zoey nearly killed me when I woke her up the second time."

"As you would say," May replied, sitting up. "No need to worry. So, who's-"

"Cooking today?" Dawn interjected. "You, duh! Go on, hop to it!" she urged playfully.

Smiling and sighing in mock-defeat, May headed toward the suite's kitchen. Everything here seemed to me modernized in some way. Even the kitchen!

After experiencing a...mediocre breakfast, as Zoey described it, they decided to just get some fresh air, maybe to see if Veilstone had natural wonders as well as technological ones.

But unknown to them, on a bench 90 degrees to their left, the three Assassins watched. They were now disguised in the everyday clothes of Veilstone City, since Ash wanted to get socially acquainted with them to find out about their supposed 'crimes' and their Assassins' outfits would... not fit that situation, to say the least.

"Well, no doubt about their identities. Arceus, they even act innocent." Ash muttered, watching the girls walking and talking actively, smiling all the while. "Seriously, guys. What do you think." Drew seemed discomforted about the notion that their superiors might be lying to them. "You...have a point Ash." he said quietly. "I sure can't see these three cheating at Contests! Or committing any other crimes, for that matter. Oh, and is it just me, or is the brunette...kinda hot?"

Ash smiled and shook his head. "Now who's being charmed by good looks, wise-guy?" he said. "But yeah, you see my point. What about you, Paul?" The arrogant killer seemed deep in thought. Finally, after a long moment in which the girls decided to sit down nearby, he spoke. "I...admit they don't act like the archives described them. They don't seem devious or capable of criminal acts. But." a pause. "I am not going to back down from this job."

"Sheesh, Paul." Drew murmured. Ash addressed Paul. "We are still going to find out what's true and what's not. Let's go." They rose and headed towards the girls.

They had rehearsed this. It was quite simple. Act friendly, earn trust, find out the truth and then take action. What 'action' would come to be, Ash had no idea. That was the basic plan and if they stuck to it, events would unfold smoothly.

When they reached the trio, Ash spoke. "Excuse me. Are you new here?" The three looked up. The one called Dawn replied: "Yeah, we've only been here a day. It's been awesome." Damn, even her voice is the definition of innocent. I have a bad feeling about this. Ash thought nervously.

"Considering most visitors to here, I'm guessing you don't know what your missing." Drew chimed in. May, the brunette, raised an eyebrow. "Really? I thought we'd seen most of the popular things. The meteoroites, the department store, y'know." Drew smiled. "That's not the half of it, believe me."

"Well, since you seem to be experts," The redhead, Zoey proposed. "Why don't you show us the real sights?" Paul scratched his chin thoughtfully, eyeing the girl head to toe. Ash noticed this, but dismissed it as unimportant. "Well," he said aloud. "We'd be happy to! I'm Ash."

"I'm Dawn. Nice to meet you!" The girl smiled. Cute smile. Ash thought before coming back to his senses.

"I'm Drew." he too smiled. "I'm May." the brunette introduced herself. You know, whether it is just me or not I don't really care. Drew thought privately, answering his own earlier question.

"And I'm Zoey." she nodded, then waited for Paul. When he said nothing, she said. "Well? What's your name?" The purple-haired young man answered. "Paul." he nodded slightly, thinking: I still think this is a waste of time, they should have been dead by now! He wasn't even quite sure why he accepted Ash's idea in the first place.

As they escorted the girls, actively pointing out landmarks, (except for Paul, who merely added side comments, despite Ash telling him to go through with this. All of it.) Ash eased up a bit. This was a good start, the girls were indeed trusting and he could only wonder who would even suspect them of something even as minor as cheating. They were sweet, kind and innocent, as far as he could tell. Truth be told, he already felt an affection for them, particularly towards Dawn.

But still, appearances could deceive. He would find out the truth soon enough.

Cool! A nice, long chapter for you to read. Hope you liked it! Well, did you find those database descriptions ridiculous? I sure did! And now, Ash is only becoming more convinced that this contract should never have been accepted. Paul doesn't seem to be warming up too well, though. Drew, well...need I say more?

Hope you enjoyed this! R&R, dear friends!

Daijobu!