Author's note: Here's the next chappie, along with a thousand apologies for the long delay. I was studying classic Greek literature for school and I conclude that Greek literature doesn't go well with crime fiction and thrillers. I couldn't pull myself out of all that Greek tragedy and mythology stuff to get into the right mood and tone to write this chapter. Sheesh… at least I managed to steal a little time to write. Anyways, read on and I hope you enjoy it (although I think the standard of this chapter might have dropped a little because of how long I haven't been writing… hmmm…)
Chapter 39:
When you work for a man who is obsessed with wealth and power, and the ability to take anything he wanted including the lives of those around him, you learnt to deal with the strange and sometimes 'impossible'. Once, Kira had hunted down a man foolish enough to cross Rau. Desperate to cover his tracks, the man had strangled his children and wife with his own bare hands. With fake papers, he left the country and sought plastic surgery. He had a new face and a new body and he found a new home at the edge of a cliff, on a remote island inhabited only by savage tribesmen and surrounded on all sides by the vast ocean. Kira had simply thrown him off the edge. Mission accomplished.
In his line of work, Kira had seen lots of people adopting new identities. Some fool had made his new home in a submarine anchored in an underground water cavern. Apparently there were advantages to that, for Kira didn't have much to clean up thereafter – the explosion had only caused a small, insignificant ripple in the ocean. No alarm caused.
Strange.
Ridiculous, maybe.
Then again, he was imbued with physical abilities that no common man had. Who was he to talk about the strange and impossible?
But whatever Stellar was saying, was stretching things a little too far. And from the quirk of Sting's eyebrow, he didn't believe what he was hearing too.
"So you're saying Kira really isn't Kira?" His green-haired companion frowned.
"It all makes sense. Can't you see?" Stellar said, "The 'Kira Yamato' that Lacus knows – he disappeared fifteen years ago. You told me-" She turned to Kira, magenta eyes large and imploring, as if hoping he could see her point and agree with her. "You told me you were initiated into the facility fifteen years ago. That tallies, right? And Sting told us you were asking about our memories, what we could remember before the facility but there's nothing. Absolutely nothing. It's as if we never lived before entering the facility. Something's not right there. And you know something about Cagalli Yamato too. You had some sort of attack when you saw her. A panic attack? Some kind of memory rekindled? Whatever, you reacted when you saw her, Kira. Auel stripped the security cameras when we left the theatre, but we reviewed the footage. You collapsed after turning around to look at Cagalli Yamato. You must have some connection to her. Lacus Clyne told me that Kira Yamato was Cagalli's twin. That says something, right? You were taken away fifteen years ago to the facility. Those fucking scientists must have done something to you, to us, so that we can't remember anything about the past. So you're not Kira Hibiki, you're Kira Yamato."
Kira said nothing in reply.
"It all makes sense," she repeated pleadingly.
"Well, that's the biggest load of crap I've ever heard." Sting snapped, "That Clyne woman's obviously up to something. She's messing with your head, Stellar."
"No, it makes sense," Stellar said again. Her jaw was set tight, her small frame radiating tension and stubborn persistence. "Think about it: we don't know where we came from, but we can't have simply fallen out of the sky. We must have had a past of some kind, a past that we've forgotten – I don't know how or why – but it's a past that we've been trained not to think about."
"And the reason is obvious, isn't it?" Sting jeered, "Because this discussion is just ridiculous. What? You've become soft now, Stellar?" He bared his teeth and hissed. "Under usual circumstances, you'll have cut off her tongue before she began spouting her lies. Or is it that you suffered another one of your side-effects?"
"They're not lies!" Stellar shouted.
"Don't be naïve." Sting's eyebrows were furrowed with annoyance, and Stellar's eyes were brimming with frustrated tears.
"Enough," Kira said. He faced Stellar, mouth set in a grim line. "Forget whatever Lacus Clyne told you. We never had this conversation."
Stellar turned to him with an astounded expression. "But it's the truth, Kira. I know it sounds ridiculous and exaggerated, but there's something suspicious going on here and we need to-"
"We don't need to do anything about it, Stellar," Kira interrupted smoothly.
"Kira-"
"No." His amethyst eyes hardened. Truth was, he understood Stellar's words and recognized the implications and the possibilities behind them, but Kira also knew that they were treading dangerous grounds. He wanted to know more, needed to know more. This was the first time he had received any explanation, no matter how improbable, for his recurring dreams, for his strange collapse, for this unknown familiarity that he felt whenever he set his eyes on Lacus Clyne. But trawling through these dirty little secrets would have their consequences.
Devastating consequences that would get them all killed.
And he didn't need the rest of his team dying because of some secret of his.
Kira glanced up at Stellar and stared her squarely in the eye. "I want you to let it go, Stellar. Forget whatever transpired. That's an order."
"You're fucking insane! I can't believe you did that!"
Athrun pulled his cell away from his ear as Shinn's shriek nearly deafened him. "Yeah, well, join the club," he said dryly into the phone, "I've already got that lecture from AD Ramius. Do you have anything new to add?"
There was a short burst of static and scuffling in the background, then Nicol came on. "Chief, what are you going to do now?"
Athrun shrugged even though there was no one to see him do it. He chucked the last file of freshly printed documents into the cardboard box resting on his desk before settling back down into his chair. "I've been put on temporary leave. I've gotta get out of the office by one p.m."
"You're still going to keep investigating, aren't you?"
Athrun didn't reply.
"You know what AD Ramius is going to do if she finds out. I think she's serious this time."
Athrun ignored the comment and asked instead, "What are you doing?"
Nicol gave an exasperated sigh. "What do you think we're doing? We're running through this whole place with a fine-toothed comb, looking for non-existent fingerprints."
There was a yell in the background which sounded like Dearka making one of his usual snide remarks.
"What?" Athrun said.
"Wait a sec." A little static as Nicol covered the phone receiver with a hand, then it cleared up. "Dearka's making a grouse that fingerprinting isn't in our job scope and the place has already been fingerprinted," he said.
"Where's Seiran?"
"Good question," Nicol replied, "Moron Seiran – that's Shinn's nickname for him – apparently went off to look for some potential eye-witnesses. Luna says he probably drove off to some café so that he could sit around and sip some coffee."
"Do you understand now why I need to continue investigating?"
The other side of the phone was silent for a spell. "Okay," Nicol finally said, "but you know what AD Ramius is going to be like when she finds out, so just… stay off the books."
Getting up from his chair, Athrun trapped the cell between his ear and shoulder so that he could close the box with both hands. "I don't need telling twice," He said, "I'll be under the radar these few days, so I need your help."
"I know. If anyone comes calling with news about this 'Kira Hibiki' guy, we'll hook you up to him before Moron Seiran finds out."
"Thanks," Athrun gave a tight smile. They exchanged quick goodbyes and Athrun pocketed his cell. He slung his jacket over his forearm and hefted the cardboard box. It was heavy, stacked full of papers covered in details of missing persons from more than ten years ago. He lifted it with both hands and felt curiously incomplete. His shoulder holster was empty and he missed feeling the warm butt of his gun against his body. It had hindered his movements a little at the start of his career, but he had grown used to the weight and feel of the Glock beneath his arm. It felt secure, felt right, and without it, he felt almost naked. Vulnerable. Like being tacked to a bulls-eye for everyone to shoot at.
But Athrun also knew it meant something else. It was a symbol of responsibility. A very heavy symbol. And perhaps without it, he could feel something that he hadn't felt in a long time – a little freedom.
The 'more invisible' mode of transport that Auel managed to get his hands on was a second-hand dark blue sedan with plates taken off a vehicle in the junkyard. It looked a little old, but not so damaged that it couldn't blend in with the vehicles coursing along the streets of the business district. Auel had gotten it washed down and cleaned up and it could pass off perfectly as a family car. Unsuspicious and untraceable. The perfect cover.
"So, what do you think?" Auel grinned as he got out of the driver's seat. Kira noticed that the vinyl seats even had cushions on them, just like a family car. Even better. He smiled and patted the hood of their new car. "Not bad," he smiled. "The van?"
Auel's lips tugged into a wide grin. "It's buried somewhere in the junkyard, all crushed into a giant cube. I saw it done myself."
"Good."
Auel reached into the car and killed the engine, removing the key from the engine igniter. As he straightened, he glanced curiously over the top of the sedan at Stellar and Sting, who were both leaning against the entrance of the warehouse. Sting had both hands shoved deep into his pockets in what appeared to be a casual demeanour, but the set of his shoulders betrayed the tension in him. Stellar was a little less concerned about hiding her emotions, and the way in which she crossed both arms across her chest displayed her obvious frustration.
"Did I miss something?" Auel quirked an eyebrow at Kira.
His leader said nothing.
Auel shrugged his shoulders in resignation. "Okay," he let out a breath slowly, "right… so what do we do next?"
"Nothing," Kira said, "We just wait."
Author's note: So, what do you think? It's a little slow, I know. I'm hoping that the action will speed up a little in the upcoming chapters. I just wanted to explain why Stellar knew about Kira, and yes, I know it's getting a little lame, but I wanted to show the conflict rising in the team. What do you think? Did it achieve its effect? Review, review, review and let me know! And I really have to thank everyone who has been reading so far and giving me all these helpful reviews. You have no idea how much these reviews mean to me!