Chapter 33:
The problem with temporary hideouts was that they were never fully functional. For starters, the lights were faulty and flickered with an infuriating persistence, casting shadows all around. But that was a minor issue compared to the fact that the heater in the basement was practically useless and that was what annoyed Kira the most.
As the elevator ascended, he jammed his hands deep into the pockets of his jacket to keep warm. The weather was changing for the worst. He could tell. And with a malfunctioning heater, the frigid, numbing coldness was beginning to seep into the warehouse. Just icing on the cake, Kira thought bitterly, it was what he needed to make things worse than they already were. He had never liked the cold. It reminded him too much of the time he had spent in the facility.
"Are you still thinking about all that psychoanalytical stuff?"
He glanced over at Sting who was leaning against the wall on the other side of the cargo lift with a raised eyebrow.
"No," he lied. "Why?"
Sting shrugged, "Because you're scowling."
Kira looked away and concentrated on the mounting red digits at the top of the lift. "I'm just cold," he grunted, "bloody heater is just a piece of trash." Which was the truth.
The lift grated to a halt. The red digit at the top of the cargo lift informed them that they had reached the fourth level. The doors rattled open to expose a large, vast empty area. Kira and Sting stepped out and the lift doors rattled close behind them.
The fourth level of the warehouse was a rectangular empty space, lined on both sides with shuttered, iron grill windows. The only source of light was from the harsh fluorescent tubes hanging precariously from the ceiling, and flickering in that galling manner. To the far end, Kira spotted a cluster of glowing computer screens and two familiar silhouettes parked in its center.
One of them rose as they approached.
"Kira, are you alright?" Stellar muttered urgently, "You were so long, we got worried."
"I'm fine."
"Are you sure? Do you want to sit down? Maybe you should-"
Kira stopped her tirade with a firm hand on her shoulder as she struggled to maneuver a tattered old chair around the tangle of wires. He shook his head, staring at her intently. A look which deflated her panic and anxiety immediately. "Okay," she attempted a smile, "but do eat something." She handed him a pack of sandwiches and a bottle of water which Kira relented and accepted gratefully. Hurriedly changing the subject, he nodded at the computer screens, "How's Lacus Clyne?"
Auel swiveled around in his chair. "Right now?" He shrugged, "nothing new. She woke up about twenty-four hours ago and she was making a hell of a racket, but then she just stopped. Maybe she knocked herself out." He snickered, jabbing a thumb at the computer screen.
Kira leaned over Auel's shoulder so that he could get a better look. The image on the screen was grainy but he could just make out the slumped body in the corner of the room and the familiar shock of pink hair that confirmed the woman's identity.
"Did she eat?"
"What?" Auel frowned, turning to give him an incredulous look.
"Eat," Kira repeated, then he paused and his amethyst eyes narrowed and darkened. "Don't tell me you haven't given her any food or water."
The pale blue-haired man just shrugged his shoulders. "Why the hell would we give her food and water?"
"Why?" Kira snapped, "Because she's human."
"So? This is a kidnapping. Not a spa retreat session."
Kira glared hard at him.
"What?" Auel protested. "It's none of our business."
Kira just shook his head and turned to Stellar. "Give me another pack of sandwiches," he said, beckoning with a hand. Stellar merely fixed him with a look of confusion and concern. She clutched the plastic bag close to her chest. "We've only got enough food to last us for two days," she winced, "I bought just enough for the four of us."
Kira stared in disbelief at his teammate. "So you guys just figured that we were going to sit around and wait for Clyne to turn up with the vial?" He said, his voice rising despite himself, "and in the meantime, we're going to let his daughter die of starvation?" He shook his head, suddenly rendered speechless. Grabbing his own pack of sandwiches and bottle of water, he turned on his heel.
"I don't understand why you're so worked up," Auel insisted, "you were out cold for more than a day. We were more concerned about you than some stupid bitch. Why should we care if she eats or sleeps or shits?"
"Just shut up, alright?" Kira barked over his shoulder, "I appreciate the concern, but just shut up and stick to watching her, okay?" He stomped off in the direction of the lift, ignoring the alarmed glances that his team was looking at him with.
Athrun Zala stormed into his office and slammed the door behind him. Snarling to himself, he kicked out viciously at the door which rattled dangerously in its frame. Ignoring it, he tore off his jacket and balled it in his hands, then hurled it furiously over his desk. It caught the edge of his chair and slithered to the ground. "Fuck it," he rounded the desk and sank into the chair, propping his elbows on the table, his face buried in his hands. Fuck them all, he thought bitterly.
He was losing it. He could feel the last thread of control over his broiling emotions slipping away. "Move it," he growled, "You're on your own now. Do something, Zala. You've got to start somewhere." He pried his hands away from his face and gazed down at the desk covered in reports and papers. And he felt a sense of dread and helplessness wash over him. With a swipe of his hand, he sent a whole stack of files crashing to the carpeted floor. Where the fuck was he going to start?
As if the situation was not tensed enough, he heard a tentative knock at his door. He ignored it, pressing his fingers to his brow, willing whoever it was to go away. When a second knock came, he very nearly blew up. "What the hell do you want?" He yelled. There was a nervous pause before the brass doorknob turned cautiously and the door to his office opened just a slit.
"Chief?" It was Meyrin who put her head around the door. For just a split second, Athrun felt a tinge of guilt when he saw the uneasiness on her face but it vanished as quickly as it came. He couldn't deal with this shit right now.
"What?" He rapped out, trying to soften the tone in his voice to no avail.
"We… uh…" Meyrin licked her lips nervously, "We, as in the team, we're wondering if you have any orders for us, sir?"
Orders? Athrun nearly laughed out loud. What orders? He had been stripped of the authority to issue any orders to his subordinates. At least not for this particular investigation.
"I'm no longer in charge of Lacus' case," he snapped, flipping open a random file on his desk, simply because he didn't know what else to do. "AC Ramius took me off the team. Someone else will be leading the investigation."
"What?" Meyrin exclaimed, and in her surprise, she had flung open the door and Athrun caught sight of the astonished faces of his team members framed in his doorway.
"She can't do that!" Shinn protested. Athrun fixed him with a look of annoyance. "Well," he said, voice dripping with sarcasm, "I think she just did."
Lunamaria stared at him in utter shock. "But who's taking over?"
"I don't know."
"Are we still going to be working on this case, or is another team taking over?"
"I don't know."
"So what are we going to do now?"
"I DON'T KNOW!" Athrun yelled, slamming the file onto his desk and shocking the team into silence. "I don't fucking know, do I?" He snarled, pushing his chair away from the desk and bolting upright. "If I knew I wouldn't be sitting here, would I? You think I don't wanna go out there and find Lacus?" He shoved his chair backwards and stomped over to the full-length glass window that flanked the left side of his office. Situated on the sixteenth floor of the Central Police Headquarters, Athrun did have a spectacular view of the city, especially since the surrounding buildings were relatively low. He had always enjoyed the view, but right now, he hated it. It reminded him of just how big the city was. Just how bleak his hopes were of finding Lacus. He slammed a fist into the glass.
"You are such an idiot, Zala."
Athrun whipped around and stared in disbelief at the silver-haired man leaning against his door, amidst the rest of his dumbstruck subordinates.
"Yzak?" He blurted out.
"Who else do you think I am?" Yzak grunted, pushing himself off the doorframe and stepping into the office. Despite the dire situation, Athrun couldn't help staring at the thin white scar etched across the young man's face. This was the first time he had seen Yzak without the bandage and it stunned him a little to see the lingering consequences of the accident. And he couldn't stop the surge of guilt that ate away at his insides.
"Stop fucking staring at me or I swear I'll make you regret it."
Athrun tore his eyes away to focus instead on the frosty blue eyes staring intently at him.
"I can't believe you're such a loser," Yzak said, "You actually got kicked out by the Assistant Commissioner? Why the hell didn't you fight back?"
"How do you know I didn't fight back?" Surprise and astonishment were now replaced with anger and frustration.
"Well," Yzak drawled out sarcastically, "you must have put up such a 'productive' fight, Zala. I'm so impressed." He stepped towards Athrun and thrust a hand out at him.
"What?" the blue-haired detective snapped.
Yzak beckoned with his fingers, "So let's see the file."
"What file?"
Yzak shrugged nonchalantly. "The file that states you're no longer in charge of this investigation and tells us who our new chief is."
Athrun slapped his hand away brusquely and brushed past him, heading for the door. "Just get out of my way, Yzak," he bit out, "I've got enough of shit as it is without having you rub it in. Murrue didn't give me any files and she didn't tell me who is in charge-" He stopped all of a sudden, several feet short of the door, then spun around. He didn't see the smiles and grins that lit up the faces of his other teammates but he felt the intense atmosphere lift just a fraction. There was still hope.
Yzak Joule was looking at him, head cocked to the side, a slight grin on his face. "Technically speaking," the silver-haired man smiled, "it's not official, until it's in black-and-white. No one informed us that we;re supposed to answer to a new chief. So long as the new chief doesn't report for duty, you're still responsible for us." He shrugged. "Seems like we're still stuck with you, so you better start issuing orders. What do you want us to do first, Chief?"
Author's note: There! Apologies, everyone, for the delay. I experienced a little writer's block in the middle of the week and I think it's showing in this chapter Definitely not one of the best chapters I've written so far… kind of lousy and shallow… It's like I'm just skimming the surface and narrating what's happening. But, still glad that I could bring Yzak back into the story. Was missing him a little. And I always felt that the dynamics between Yzak and Athrun were kind of strange. It's as if Yzak hates him to the core, but then still respects him… Hmm… correct me if I'm wrong. Hope the next chapter will go much more smoothly! Oh, and don't forget to review, review, review!