Author's note: Ta da! Chapter 3! I think this is my fastest writing speed. Hmm… something new here. Never ventured into writing such stories :D Hope it's an enjoyable read! And it's great to be back!

Chapter 3: Lie

He sank back into his seat and tilted his head back, his eyes closed, trying to catch his breath. There was silence in the car, broken only by the soft hum of the air conditioning and the heavy breathing of his companions. He opened his eyes again and found that sweat was making his hair stick and his eyes water. The black sedan had settled to a slow, comfortable cruise amidst busy night traffic.

"Feeling okay, Kira?" The driver smirked. Kira tossed a glance at him. With one hand on the wheel, he gestured behind him with the other. "Food and water in the back."

Kira nodded and peered over his shoulder to look at his comrades. They were sprawled over the vinyl seats, exhaustion beginning to take its toll on them. "Get the food, Sting." Kira instructed. His male companion turned and pulled out a suitcase from the trunk. There were four bottles of water and packs of sandwiches neatly kept inside. He distributed it to his team mates. Kira nodded quick thanks and settled down with the bottle of water between his knees. He unwrapped the sandwiches. Cold ham. He swallowed it down in three bites and washed it all down with the bottle of water.

Then he placed his finger into his ear and took out his earpiece. Twisted around and dropped it into the suitcase that had contained the food. He hooked a finger underneath the hem of his black skullcap and pulled it off, revealing disheveled brown hair. He leaned back, reached up to his dark eyes and took off coloured contact lenses. Underneath the dark brown film, were bright amethyst eyes. He blinked several times from the discomfort. Those lenses were detestable, but necessary in hiding their identities.

His companions began to take off their headgear and remove their contact lenses as well.

Then his female companion drew out a backpack from under the seat and unzipped it. She produced three sets of garments.

"You guys change first." She said simply, looking out of the window. "Geez Stellar, why can't you change with us?" The driver smirked. Kira gave him a sharp smack on the head. "Enough of your nonsense, Auel. Just drive. Sting, we'll change first."

The pile of garments Kira had received included dark blue jeans, a plain cotton shirt and a black track jacket. He removed his black garments and shrugged them on easily. He balled the black clothes and shoved those along with his boots into the backpack. Sting was dressed in dark khakis and a woolen top. Underneath the skullcap, he had a mop of green hair and matching green eyes.

"Stellar." Kira simply said. Their female companion turned and nodded. "Look away," She ordered. Kira and Sting gazed out of the window obediently, watching the buildings reel past and the cars speeding alongside the black sedan.

There was silence in the automobile followed by a curt "Done". Stellar was stuffing the black clothes into the back pack. A cotton long-sleeved shirt hugged her slim figure and dark blue jeans embraced her long, slender legs.

She glanced up into the rear view mirror so that she could see Auel's eyes. "Don't think I didn't catch you looking at me, you idiot." She snapped.

"Well," he laughed, "you should be glad I'm looking at you. I only look at pretty figures."

"Won't you just cut the crap and drive?" Sting intervened as Stellar made a move to grab Auel.

Kira was silent though. He let the banter in the car slide over him. The fact that the mission had gone awry was displayed visibly, like a punch in the stomach or a slap to the face. He knew the consequences. How screwed-up they were right now, or were going to be. He chewed his bottom lip bitterly. Kira was many things, but what he hated most was backing down, being slapped about, failing.

They were driving over a bridge now and he glanced out of the window at the city splayed out below them. An ocean of twinkling stars. Two am in the middle of a Friday night. In a city that never slept, with its full array of city hot spots, bars, pubs, nightclubs, theatres and cinemas.

But it was all a lie. Hell of a fucked-up city, he thought bitterly.

The instant Athrun drew up outside the Clyne Corporation and saw the busted glass doors, he knew that the plan had all gone downhill.

The police had already arrived and officers were cordoning off the area with yellow tape. He got out of the car. "Stay here," He told Lacus, who looked as if she was ready to jump out. "Let me figure out what's happening first."

He got past the yellow tape easily, flashing his ID at a young officer who started to protest, then shut his mouth.

"Detective Zala!"

He spun around to see the chief duty officer hustling towards him. "So glad you're here. You were right, they did infiltrate the building. But earlier than we expected. Our preparations were not entirely complete. They got away in a black sedan. We couldn't-"

Athrun put up a hand to stop the tirade. "Just tell me, did they get what they wanted?"

The officer smiled. "No, thankfully, they didn't." Then he lifted a metal suitcase he had been carrying, dialed in a code and opened it. Nestled in the middle of the case was a vial of liquid. "They didn't get it. It's right here."