Part 29: Facade
Shira threw one last splash of cold water onto her face and stared at herself in the mirror. "Shit," she muttered, wrenching off the faucet. She'd only been working with Trap for nine days. In that time, they'd been strictly colleagues. Their relationship had been fractious, at best. The scientist had never deviated from his detached hard-ass reputation, and she's probably been even more fiery and competitive than normal toward him. She had no reason to expect friendship from him, no reason to be disappointed or surprised by his threat to report her if she said something that threatened his precious research.
So why was she here, staring at her puff-eyed reflection in the 12th floor bathroom mirror, when she needed to be doing her job?
She took a deep breath and ignored the adrenaline pounding through her. She needed to get back. She grabbed a paper towel and made one last swipe at her eyes before swinging the door wide and stepping back into reality. Her boots thudded harshly across the polished hallway tile as she made her way toward the Black Wings' cell. After that impossible conversation with Trap, the last thing she wanted to do was return to her post and deal with that violet-haired freak. The angel she was expected to guard had already proven himself to be nosy and arrogant, not to mention more than capable of outsmarting the security system with which she was supposedly confining him to his cell. If not for those quick moments of human seriousnesss that he displayed, she would be more than willing to believe he was just a very clever, very narcissistic A.I. But something about that explanation rubbed all her intuition the wrong way.
Why was Trap acting so damn sure what they were dealing with wasn't really alive? Even after she'd told him about the girl she'd killed in cold blood…told him what that had done to her….how could he brush her off so casually when she went to him for help? Sure, she could have told him about Dark sooner… but was he really holding a grudge over one little, albeit important, piece of withheld information? And why did it suddenly bother her so much. She was only following orders. Her stomach clenched, trying to send the emotion up into her chest. A tense breath fought off the wave of feeling before it could settle there. She slammed open the door to the control room outside Dark's cell, only to find the three men assigned to assist her pacing around the room like nervous insects.
One of the men looked over as she entered. "Ms. Shira," he addressed her with a wary salute, "We've been waiting for your return. The captive….he's been missing for half an hour." He gestured toward the split screen on the wall that offered live camera of the empty cell from three different angles. "As you ordered, we haven't opened the door…" His voice held barely concealed disapproval, forced obedience.
Shira rolled her eyes and shoved through the group of men. She typed a passcode into the computer next to the door and it slid open. Preparing to be frustrated, she marched into the room.
"What the hell are you doing now?" she demanded of her prisoner.
Dark was hanging upside down by his knees from a beam between two ceiling tiles he'd dislodged.
"I'm hanging upside-"
"I can see that you're upside down," Shira groaned. "Why are you upside down."
"I was messing with your men," the angel smiled.
"That's an obnoxiously straightforward answer," she cast an impatient signal to her sheepish team to shut the door behind her. "But what else should I expect from a robot."
"I prefer the term, 'Glorious work of art'," Dark grinned. It was an easy, natural smile. Like he'd been made to smile that way. How could he have so much energy, when she felt ready to drop? She was certain neither of them had any sleep that night, mostly because she'd been watching him the whole time.
"Keep dreaming," Shira sighed, thunking down into her chair in the corner and training her loaded gun on the angel. She was getting a little too used to this routine.
"What's wrong?" Dark cocked his head slightly, his hair swinging toward the floor in violet wisps. His tone had changed, and he was now studying her with concerned violet eyes.
"Will you get down! Why do you think something's wrong?"
Dark obliged her, grabbing the ceiling beam with one muscled arm and swinging his legs back to the ground. He dropped to his feet and stepped toward her.
"Don't get any ideas just because you found a blind spot in our security system." Her finger tightened on the trigger.
Dark nodded flexibly and turned to sit on the unused cot across the room. Shira had the unwanted impression that he did it more for her comfort than because he acknowledged her threat.
"Did something happen?" he asked her again.
Damn it, she'd washed her face! Was it that obvious? "What were you really doing in the ceiling?" she demanded tartly. She wasn't about to open up to the alien being she was guarding, as disturbingly observant as he might be.
Dark sat back against the wall and crossed his arms, evaluating her. Whatever he was thinking, it ended in a decisive grin. "I was learning the building via the ventilation system."
Shira grimaced impatiently. "Don't insult me. You'd be covered in soot if you'd been climbing around the air shafts."
He waved his hand dismissively. "Not in the ducts. Why do people think that works? Noisy, messy, and worst of all, obvious. Ducts are for short distances only. There's plenty of space in the walls. Especially in a building like this."
Shira kept the gun on him. "You're making things up to piss me off."
Dark smirked. "I'll share my notes. The building is thirty floors tall. Two central elevator shafts and four stairwells. Ventilation is hooked up to independent recycled air systems per each three floors, except for the twelfth, which is equipped with its own variable air volume system. An expense that was probably taken to vent the laboratories safely. The place is well guarded. Top of the line, really," the angel observed generously. "Cameras, laser trip lines, computerized locks. All connected to a massive central system. Except for two zones." He watched her closely. "The West face of the building, and Level Twelve. Those zones are on a separate network wired to a control room on the top floor. Apparently, there are some things here that Gorudo doesn't even want his own security to know about."
Shira's gaze darkened as she realized he was serious. She'd been gone just a half hour, and he'd actually scouted the layout of the whole building. And then come back to his cell. "You're trying to make a fool of me," she growled. What the hell was he?
"I'm trying to understand you," he corrected.
"You don't need to understand me. I'm not here to be psychoanalyzed by some A.I. freak! I'm here to keep you inside this cell."
"And you're doing a spectacular job," Dark praised. He graciously withheld a smile.
She rolled her eyes. "You think you're pretty clever, don't you?"
"Yeah, I sort of do," the angel replied smugly.
"Alright, Sherlock," she growled. "If you're so damn bright, then you tell me what's bothering me."
"Are you sure?"
That more-than-artwork gaze thrilled and confused her. She wanted to think it was beautiful, but she was too busy reminding herself that it was dangerous. She didn't speak, because she didn't have an answer.
"Alright," he said thoughtfully. Dark stood up and walked slowly across the room, ideas swimming behind his violet eyes as he paced. "First there's your boss. The separate security platform isolated from the rest of the premises tells me he has secrets he likes to keep tightly. But there are also cameras and high-tech gizmos throughout the rest of the building, far beyond ordinary for a corporate office. That tells me two things. I know he has things to hide, and I know he's paranoid. Possibly obsessive?
"And then there's you." He paused and glanced at Shira before pacing on. "Since you had access to Level Twelve when you helped me in the elevator, I'd wager your job is related to projects that fall under the higher security category. But you're not holding that gun like a guard. You're holding it like a soldier. You move, stand, and talk like a soldier. You're trained for far more than a security role. My guess is that you're part of an elite security force. You deal with high-level threats to the premises, but you also handle any dirty laundry Gorudo doesn't want flapping around in the public eye.
"Being as paranoid as he is, Gorudo would want to keep me under wraps except to the smallest group possible, even among your special forces. You clearly have knowledge of me, and since you're one of only a small group would have been let in on this matter, that leaves a fairly high probability," he leveled her with a stare, "that you were also involved in kidnapping Daisuke."
Shira stiffened angrily and looked ready to interrupt him, but the angel just proceeded.
"You're new to the team. You're still fighting to assert authority over the men outside. I can see it in their eyes: They're surprised you're in charge. You probably haven't had an assignment like this before, and it's putting you on edge.
"But there's more than that," he said, stopping and turning toward her, those alien eyes looking right through her. "You're spooked, yes, but you're a tough woman. A little skepticism wouldn't be enough to leave you with red-rimmed eyes and the makeup rubbed away around your lashes and nose. If anything, this assignment should be like a promotion to an ambitious woman like you."
He paused to gauge her reaction. Shira had stopped looking angry, despite herself. She was surprised. She was listening.
"Last night, when they were taking me away, you had an argument with a man called Trap."
"You were unconscious," she protested.
"I looked unconscious. It was just a taser. How weak do you think I am?" Dark muttered indignantly. "Trap is a neuroscientist here, based on my conversation with Daisuke. Normally, no reason at all for him to be acquainted with soldier-grade security staff. But you spoke as if you knew each other. Coworkers, then. For whatever reason, you were put together on this particular project as equals. After seeing me, he ordered you back to guard duty - an important role suited to your strengths and your purpose in the company, but a menial task. A rejection, coming from a scientist."
"This morning, you left your team to watch me at exactly 8:30. Trap's starting time, I would guess. You come back half an hour later, upset and snippy. Possibly an argument about work. Probably more than that."
"Okay, that's enough," Shira growled. Dark stopped and regarded her curiously. She glanced to the left and said nothing.
"I can stop."
"…Just finish your little theory."
The angel studied her for a few seconds. "It's not the change of duties that bothers you. You look like you'd rather be cleaning toilets than working in a lab. It's personal, then. Daisuke's been missing for nine days. Enough time to develop interest in a colleague. Enough to be hurt when he parts ways. But that's not the only problem. You're feeling guilty."
"You're grasping at straws." Her green eyes scalded into his neck.
"Am I really? You haven't met my eyes once since you came in here."
She snarled, but didn't look up at him. "I have nothing to feel guilty about. Especially not anything I would bother hiding from you."
Dark's eyes softened. "The kidnapping didn't go exactly as planned. There was a witness. A girl with red hair. You were asked to deal with it."
"You can't possibly know that," she shot back, her defenses down. Disbelief was reopening the wounds in her expression.
"No," Dark acknowledged. "I only know about it because I was there, later. If you say it wasn't you, I'll believe you."
Shira grimaced. She didn't know how to deny what happened when he was looking at her that way. Why did he seem so understanding? Did he really know what she'd done? "You saw the body, then?" she asked him quietly.
"No. I saw the girl, climbing back up the cliffside." He watched her carefully. "I helped her up."
"She's alive?" Shira barely murmured. For a second, Dark wondered if she was thinking about hunting down her stray witness. Then her eyes brimmed with tears, and he knew Riku would be safe. "You've got a lot of balls, telling me all that," she said through a tight throat. "I may not be able to kill you for knowing too much, but there are other ways to punish you."
"Yeah. There are," the angel acknowledged. "But I have a tendency to believe in people. Including you."
"Naïve," she scoffed half-heartedly. Her wrists relaxed, the gun shifting harmlessly off to one side.
"Shira…you're on camera," he reminded her gently.
She looked confused for a second, distracted by her battle with her own emotions. Then she blinked and slowly straightened her aim. Only this time, her expression was different. Less cold. "Why are you doing this? You could have escaped earlier."
The angel smiled, but it didn't look real this time. "I'm not here to rescue Daisuke. I'm here to make him safe."
"After the procedure, he will be safe."
"Will he? After all he's seen here?" Dark asked, the threat of ice in his voice.
Witness. The word burned like a neon light in her head. She stiffened and could think of absolutely nothing to say. If Gorudo was willing to kill the girl for knowing too much, why not the boy? Could she promise him Daisuke's safety without lying? Why was lying suddenly a no-go? "Trap will ensure he remembers nothing. There's no reason not to release him," she said.
"Are you trying to convince me, or yourself?" the angel demanded blackly.
She thought of Trap's cold words when she'd met him earlier that morning. -"If your attitude threatens the project, I'll be forced to report it. Overcome your personal reaction and perform your job."- Hurt crept through her chest, against her will. She tried not to care, but she was so exhausted, so tired of being torn up by the weight of what she thought she'd done and her fruitless efforts to understand Trap. "Gorudo shouldn't need to kill him. Trap can find a way to make sure the boy won't cause trouble once he's released. I'm sure he knows how."
"But you're not sure he will," the angel observed.
She shook her head to avoid sharing what had been spoken between her and Trap earlier. She was talking to a prisoner, for god's sake. A prisoner who could have left by now.
"Do you trust him?"
Shira blushed and grimaced at the same time. "He's pretty cut and dry. I trust him to act the way he always acts."
Dark smirked. "I've spent a lot of time around humans. If there's one thing consistent about them, it's that they're never, ever, 'cut and dry.'"
The soldier blinked at that bit of information. Then she froze as she realized something else. "Trap thinks the girl is dead," she breathed.
"Does that bother him?" Dark raised an eyebrow.
He thinks he lied to the boy. That much, at least, bothered him. "I'll be back. Don't even think about leaving this room," she told him as she headed for the door. "And I'm still guarding you!" she shot over her shoulder.
"Say 'hi' to him for me," the angel teased as she left the room and sealed the magnetic lock behind her.
As soon as she was gone, his expression fell. He knew, for sure now, that Gorudo wouldn't just release the boy. The only reason Daisuke was safe right now was because Gorudo still had a use for him. The billionaire didn't just want the Black Wings captive in a cell. He was determined to break the soul link between him and the boy.
And before he could do anything further, he needed to know why.
He still couldn't afford to think about Daisuke's decision or his attitude the night before. But finding himself alone again in his pale cell, he was left with very little choice. He closed his eyes and thought of Risa instead. Was she sitting somewhere, listening to all of this? He was probably worrying her. Maybe it was selfish to drag her though this whole thing with him. Her words spilled back through his memory, as hard to accept as ever.
'With normal people, we have to tell each other what we're thinking. If no one else knows how you're feeling, that's when people go crazy. That's why.'
He smiled faintly. That crazy woman. She could say anything, so easily. Could he actually be that way? Could someone who had only shared himself through a supernatural link over hundreds of years learn to express his soul using only words? If he could just talk with her, he thought, everything might be easier. But their link was one-way. Her voice and smile couldn't calm him here. He had to get through this part on his own.
He lowered his gaze, out of view of the cameras watching him. The truth was there inside him, pounding to be released. Words, he told himself. All he had to do was say the words.
"Risa…" His voice was a hesitant brush of velvet in the empty room. "I miss you."
- - -o0o0 O 0o0o- - -
Daisuke was sitting up cross-legged in his cot. His leg, shot only days ago, offered no pain in the flexed position. It had healed quickly. Much more quickly than humanly possible. But he didn't have enough focus to worry about that. In fact, that was just the problem.
He wasn't worried at all.
Riku was dead. Trap had lied to him all along, and she was dead. He knew, knew that he should be upset. He should be devastated. He loved her beyond belief, wanted to spend his life with her. He remembered that those feelings existed. That was why he knew he should be upset right now. He should be more than upset. He'd managed to hold on to his anger for a while, but now, even that wouldn't come.
He felt nothing.
For the first time in the last week, he realized how weird that was. He stared down at the photo of Krad that Trap had handed him. No fear, no adrenaline at what this could mean for his friends or the world. No concern that he was trapped and in serious danger. Or that he'd placed Dark in the same danger.
He'd betrayed Dark. Hurt him badly. Rationally, he could remember a bond deeper than the sky. Two souls linked, sharing each other's strength and pain.
He'd been devastated when he first lost that bond. There had been months of empty, painfully silent nights before he'd finally allowed himself to move forward and focus on the people he still had with him. Now, when that bond was offered a second time, he'd thrown it away freely. The thought of opening himself up to that kind of attachment again, of undoing all those months of emotional effort, had scared him, yes. But somewhere along the line, fear had morphed into apathy. He'd discarded the idea of their link like a dull newspaper, spoken to Dark like an unworthy guest.
When had he learned to do that? When had he stopped feeling guilty, or angry, or afraid, or in love? It was obvious that something was deeply wrong, but he couldn't quite place it. Couldn't gather up enough emotion to care about it.
He looked around the room, studying every counter and every machine that had been inside his head in the last week. What was happening to him? Should he try to stop it, when it hardly seemed to matter?
And did he really want to face the truth?
- - -o0o0 O 0o0o- - -
The sharp ring of Hattori's cell phone startled everyone in the room. Jiro's arm jerked so hard that he displaced half the chess board he'd been playing with the vet.
"Who is it?" Riku asked from beside him. She'd nearly dozed off in Satoshi's armchair.
"Risa," the vet said after digging the device out of his pocket and flipping it open.
"How goes the stakeout?" he asked her.
"I'm out of coffee," Risa accused.
"Sorry about that," Hattori smirked, glancing across the room. His patient was lying awake on the sofa with an ice pack on his chest. "A lot to deal with over here."
"How is Satoshi?"
"A few broken ribs. He'll be sore for a few weeks, but nothing that won't heal."
"…and Krad?"
Hattori looked over at the opposite end of the room, where the white angel was perched on a kitchen stool as far as possible from the rest of them. The angel glowered at him as their eyes met. "We have a sort of truce, for now," he said into the phone.
"Can I talk to Satoshi?"
The vet narrowed his eyes. "You sound really serious. Did something happen with the other birdbrat?"
Risa took a deep breath. "Yeah. Give me Sato, okay?"
Hattori stood up and approached the bluenette, sparing a cautious glance at the opposite side of the room to be sure the boy's uber-possessive superpowered bodyguard didn't plan to tackle him again. "She wants you," he said, handing the phone off to Satoshi.
The young Hikari took the device carefully. The last time he'd spoken with Risa, they'd all but split up, and he still didn't know how to feel about it. "Hi," he greeted her.
"Hi," she said.
Silence on the line.
"Have you slept?"
"Not really. How are you feeling?"
"It's no big deal, as long as I move slowly. Hattori gave me some painkillers."
"…Listen, Sato, about last time…"
"Yeah," he said quietly, looking at the back of the couch and ignoring the other eyes that were on him in the room. "Guess we have some things to figure out."
"Maybe when this is all done, we can talk… and decide what we need to do," she said carefully.
He knew as well as she did what they would need to do. But she was right. Not now. Later, when emotions weren't running so high. Right now, they couldn't afford to be any more fragmented than they already were. "Yeah," he confirmed gently.
He could hear her take a deep, steadying breath. "What are you going to do about Krad?"
"I don't know," he said honestly.
"I don't trust him, Sato."
"You're right," he accepted.
"He's dangerous. Please be careful."
"I won't let him hurt anyone else." His eyes trailed across the room, but Krad didn't look at him.
"It's not enough to just keep him away from the others. Sato, you're the one in danger. You're the one he's hurt the most. Don't let him do it again."
He grimaced, because she was right, and he didn't want to talk about it. "What's happening with Dark?" He scanned the room and couldn't help but notice he now had the white angel's attention.
"Basically, we can't count on Gorudo to release Daisuke."
"Damn," Satoshi muttered. "Has Dark given the signal?"
She looked out the window of the van, peering up the monolithic side of the Gorudo building Dark and Daisuke were trapped in. "No signal. But…he needs help."
Satoshi braced himself for a debate. "If he isn't signaling us, then he has a plan. If he couldn't get Daisuke out of there safely, he'd let us know. It's too dangerous for us to try to interfere."
"He shouldn't be in there alone," Risa said, strength coming back to her voice.
"He's used to working alone, Risa," Satoshi sighed.
"Not like this." Not without Daisuke.
"Dark's a tough guy. He can handle himself."
She shook her head as the angel's words echoed in her head. 'I miss you.' She'd never heard him say something like that before. The memory of the pain in his voice tightened her lungs. That place was crushing him. How could she not have noticed sooner?
"Just because he can go it alone, doesn't mean he should have to. Did you forget what Krad said? The angels can't survive without a soul link. He's running out of options in there. What if he decides the safest thing for Daisuke is to let them separate him?"
"If that's what turns out to be necessary, that's Dark's decision," Satoshi said sternly.
"It's seriously okay with you if Dark dies getting Dai out of there?" she snapped in astonishment.
"Of course I don't want that, but we agreed that the first priority is Daisuke. We need to stick with the plan." He closed his eyes tensely, fighting away the guilt. Someone had to be practical here, or they were all going to get themselves killed.
"Sorry, Sato," she told him solemnly. "The situation's changed too much to stick with that plan. I'm done doing things your way."
He didn't like the determination in her voice. "Risa…what are you planning?" he asked quickly.
"What we should all be doing. Backing up Dark," she said. "I'm hanging up."
"Risa!" Satoshi gasped. "Whatever you're doing, be careful."
"I'll call later," she said, and ended the connection.
There was no hesitation in her mind. She wasn't the girl anymore that had clung to Dark during his robberies without a care. She was a woman with hard-won street smarts, and she knew exactly what she needed to do to level Dark's playing field. She grabbed her purse, checked the street outside, and got out of the car. Smoothing her clothes, she looked in the tinted van window and brushed out her hair until it hung in soft brown falls around her shoulders. She pulled a bright lipstick from her purse and rubbed a solid coat across her lips, then dabbed foundation across the dark circles under her eyes. She observed her reflection. She cleaned up nicely, considering she'd been in the van for two days. Good.
She pocketed Dark's stone and took her hand off of it, hoping the angel wouldn't need to tell her anything for a little bit. She walked around the side of the building and marched herself straight up to the front entrance. Security guards blocked her as she approached. She took a light skip back and looked up at them with her purse clutched in front of her shyly.
"Can we help you, Miss?" one man asked while the other grinned.
"Yes!" she said with her brightest, most girlish smile. "I'm looking for Trap."
- - -o0o0 O 0o0o- - -
To be continued!
Whee! A few new hooks thrown in this part. Please let me know what you think!
Next chapter: Trap and Risa…do lunch(?), Daisuke gets a reality check, and Dark gets an appropriately crazy plan.
Till next time!
Kat
Shout outs!
Damaged Ghost of an Angel: Thanks for reading! Cool, I'm glad the laugh worked!
Shay Weaver: Yeah, Krad is tricky. So little information about his personality in the series, but that leaves more opportunity to develop him in fanfics! And you're right-on about Dark; I think he's not the type to wallow in the muck, even if it hurts like a b#tch. Thank you so much for reviewing!
Natsuki376: Yay, you're awesome! I'll get back to the Sato/Krad stuff soon enough. Thanks for the encouraging feedback!
Animeannie: Thank you so much! I guess this thing is getting pretty long! I am so bad at keeping things short. And! I technically had Krad in this chapter! (though he had no lines!) -ducks and hides-
Intelligenceisstupid: Eeek I can't address any of your questions without spoilers! But I think you'll see the answers in the next few chapters : ) Thank you so much for reading!
Stormshadow13: Woot, I'm glad the funny parts stuck! It's very hard when writing humor to know if others will find it funny too. Hattori is so useful as an OC, I get to pry all kinds of weird reactions out of people! I think you'll see Dark and Krad interact in some very unexpected ways later on : ) I agree they'd be awesome fighting together! Thank you as always!
Silver: Thanks for reading and reviewing! I'm sure there are a few typos lying around in this monstrosity. It would be actually really useful if you could point them out to me if you find any more, so I can fix them rather than leave them there. I'm glad you like the storyline. I started this thing planning to make it quick and casual, but yeah… it kind of took on a life of its own!
Fireflower19: -EXPLODES- Whee your review made me all bouncy! Holy smokes, I'm flattered! If the humor made sense to you, then I know I'm doing okay, since you are the humor queen! Daisuke may make more sense after the next chapter, so I'm curious to see how you'll react.
Sneeze Powdered Moth: First of all, your SN is awesome. Second of all, thank you so much for your wonderful review and all your support!
Of Untold Secrets: Thank you for reading! I'm really flattered. Yeah, Dai is kind of nutty. The next chapter may help clear that up slightly!
Bansheegrrl: Thank you as always! Jirou does get yelled at a lot, but that's what he's good for (sadistic grin). I'm still debating whether the adult cast will get in huge trouble for 'abducting' him from the hospital!
Emiko Suzuki: LOL! I didn't do it, Midnight did it! -cough- Thanks for the review!
IceYuki: Thanks for the review! I appreciate the honest feedback, and I know Daisuke's been pretty selfish in this story. I'll admit it's partly because I found him whiny in the anime and felt like he didn't always take responsibility for things. But he's also a good person at heart, and he wouldn't go so far as to be purposefully cruel. If you're still reading, I hope you can let me know what you think of him in the next few chapters.
Thank you all so much!
-Kat