Chapter 57

Rau Le Creuset was excited.

Kira could sense it the moment he stepped into the office.

Not the Rau gave his pleasure away, because most of the time, the man kept his emotions reined in, hidden underneath his distinctive silver mask. And it was no different this time. It was just Kira's intuition that told him Rau was a little more than eager.

The lab scientist who had ushered him through the door backed out of the office, shutting the tinted glass panel hastily behind him. It was as if he believed an excited Rau was as much of a threat as he was annoyed. It wasn't impossible, Kira reflected. He stood where he was, unmoving. Didn't bother to bow, salute or show any sign of respect whatsoever. Rau wasn't the kind who was hard up on respectful gestures, unlike some of his trainers back at the Facility. Those arrogant bastards demanded reverence, and if you so much as look them in the eye, a beating was the least of your worries. Kira had had his fair share of thrashings. Still, as his team had often pointed out, he was a stubborn asshole. He showed respect to no one at all. Not to any of his trainers, not to Rau.

Stellar said that he was lucky Rau was cool about it all. Otherwise, he would just be another dead body in the ocean, feeding the fishes.

Not that Kira cared.

And apparently, neither did Rau, because the blonde man merely glanced up at him casually and turned back to his documents with an amused tweak at his lips.

Kira turned and saw that they were not alone. The rest of his team were present too. They were standing against the wall, looking worn-out and drained, still in their camouflage gear and covered in streaks of mud and dirt. Weary eyes gazed back at him. Stellar and Sting were standing at attention, hands clasped behind their back. Auel, who never could stay still for long, was rocking on his heels between them. All in all, they looked terribly like children being called to a principal's office.

White-hot anger flared as Kira realised that they had been in position since returning from the mission.

That had been hours ago.

He turned livid eyes onto Rau, who carried on as if he hadn't noticed.

"What the fuck's the matter with the serum?" He snarled. From the corner of his eyes, he noticed the tensed shoulders of his teammates. Auel had stopped rocking to stare wide-eyed at his outburst.

Rau paused in his writing and glanced up at him again, a quick flick of the eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"The serum," Kira snapped, "What the fuck's the matter with it? Why do you need them standing here all afternoon?"

Rau's cold eyes darted towards the three of them, standing in a row against his office wall, and he shrugged in mock astonishment, as if he had only just realised they were standing there. "Problem with that?" He drawled out, turning his attention back to Kira, "We're just waiting for the results of the test, aren't we?"

An awkward pause, then Sting's voice, quiet and calm. "Yes, sir."

"Safety precaution," Rau smiled, "just in case you guys have fucked this up again and I'll need to gather your team once more. It'll be better if you stayed close. I wouldn't have to scramble manpower to go searching for you all over the city." A pause and the smile faded. Rau's mouth thinned into a stern line. "And where have you been all this while, Kira?"

The fury was now threatening to boil over the surface. It festered just beneath his exterior: a disease, an all-consuming plague that ate at his insides. Realising that his fists were clenched, he sucked in a shallow breath through his teeth, trying to calm the unfurling anger that was coursing through his blood like poison. He worked his jaw right and left. "I got rid of the evidence," he bit out, "as you requested."

Rau gave him a long look, then that annoying smirk crossed his face again and he gave a satisfied nod. "Okay." He went back to his papers. There was no dismissal. And Kira knew what it meant. Rau was impressing onto him the fact that he was unimportant, that he was being condemned to the same level of insignificance that the rest of his team had been enduring all afternoon and evening.

The fucking bastard.

Detective Mu La Flaga was a legend.

At least that was what Cagalli concluded after hearing Athrun talk about him.

Athrun himself had only worked once with the man, and that had been quite a while back when Athrun had first entered Headquarters and was only a rookie in the Special Unit. But everyone in Headquarters knew about Mu La Flaga. He was one of the most competent officers in the agency – he impressed the higher-ups with his near-perfect crime-solving rate, his colleagues with his friendly demeanour and his subordinates with his reputation as an easy-going boss. It hadn't been surprising at all when he was nominated as a candidate for the position of Assistant Commissioner, and people said that he was well on his way to being the next Police Commissioner. But Agent Mu La Flaga had rejected it all, on the basis that he preferred the rough-and-tumble work of being a detective rather than sitting behind a neat and pristine desk. So the position had gone to Murrue Ramius, whom Athrun admitted was probably more suited for the role even if Mu La Flaga was a better detective.

Still, Mu La Flaga's charm had never died down. He was now head of the Narcotics Division in the Central Police Headquarters, a role that he relished more than Assistant Commissioner, even though it didn't pay as much. Nevertheless, it paid enough for him to purchase a neat single-storey residence in the midst of a quiet, peaceful neighbourhood.

And it was this house that Athrun and Cagalli were staring at as they pulled up across the street in a rented sedan.

Athrun glanced at his watch. It was nearly 1:00 a.m. A terrible time to pay a visit, but they had no choice.

Killing the engine, he got out of the car and Cagalli followed on the other side. The street was empty and silent as they crossed it. They paused on the sidewalk, at the mouth of the pebble-stoned footpath that meandered through the mowed lawn up to the front door.

There was a single window overlooking the front yard and it was dark, covered up by curtains pulled tight over the glass. No lights on; no sign of life.

Athrun led the way down the footpath and they stopped on the front porch, which was just a narrow ledge that protruded from under the door, raised two steps above the ground. Exchanging an uncertain glance with Cagalli, he depressed the tiny gold knob by the side of the door with the heel of his hand. A faint chime sounded from deep within the house.

They waited apprehensively. Things could play out differently from here on, as Athrun had analyzed patiently to Cagalli as they made their way up here. For starters, midnight visits were, usually, a nightmare for cops because they always meant bad news – a new case, a criminal seeking revenge, a family accident, whatever. And cops, especially if they were good, kept their wariness and cop instincts about them 24/7. Mu La Flaga was the best, which meant that he would be cautious. Athrun fully expected him to greet them at the door with his gun, safety lever flicked off. As for how he was going to react to their visit, considering that police officers all over the city were on the lookout for them and they were living lives of fugitives, Mu could either believe their story and cooperate, or pick up the phone and dial for the nearest police station.

Risky business.

Athrun was guessing, from what he knew about Mu, that the man would first show suspicion – carrying a gun with him, discrediting their story, perhaps threatening to throw them out – but eventually would warm up to them, understand their situation and offer whatever help and advice they needed. After all, people said he was a pleasant, easy-going man.

His guess was only half-right.

They didn't hear footsteps at all. Whoever was behind the door was indeed being extra cautious. In fact, Athrun was just about to press the doorbell again when he heard the dull thud of the lock sliding back and the clatter of a chain swinging free. Then the door swung open and Athrun drew in a sharp breath.

It wasn't Mu La Flaga behind the door. It was a woman, with both hands were clutched around the grip of her gun. But she was in a relaxed stance – the gun barrel was raised to the ceiling. Assistant Commissioner Murrue Ramius looked very different from her persona in the office. She was now dressed in a silk nightgown, her long, tousled brown hair curling over her shoulders and spilling down her back.

The only thing that looked the same was the furious glare she was giving them.

They had walked right into the lion's den.

Auel had started rocking again. Back and forth, onto his heels, then his toes. Back and forth, back and forth. Once, Sting tried to still him by prodding him in the back but all that did was make Auel more irritated, and when Auel was more irritated, he moved even more. Stellar was giving him amused glances out of the corner of her eyes and Kira just watched as his teammates entertained themselves.

Rau didn't pay any attention to them. That was how insignificant they all were.

At five minutes past two, there was a tentative knock on the door. The atmosphere in the office changed abruptly. Shoulders tensed, heads turned, eyes focused on the door. Rau put down his pen, linked his fingers together and called out, "Come in."

Kira stepped aside just as the door swung inwards on its hinges.

A man in a white lab coat stepped in and bowed. The minute he lifted his head to meet Rau's gaze, Kira knew what the results were. And how pleased Rau was going to be. "Excuse me, sir," the man said. He was jittery, barely able to contain his excitement. "The lab has verified the serum. It is believed that the serum is authentic."

Athrun's first instinct was to grab Cagalli and run. But he didn't get to do that, because just at that moment, a blonde man stepped out from the shadows and stood beside Assistant Commissioner Ramius, a big smile plastered on his face.

"Well now, if it isn't the famous Athrun Zala," he quipped. He was wearing a T-shirt and boxer shorts, short blonde hair all mussed up from sleep. His hand, with fingers wrapped around a gun, hung limply by his side. "And let me guess, this must be Miss Cagalli Yamato. What brings you guys here in the middle of the night?"

Athrun just stared, slack-jawed. The first thought that crossed his mind was that he had led Cagalli right into a trap, but for some unfathomable reason, Athrun couldn't sense any danger or malice radiating off Mu and Murrue. There were no police officers converging on them either, yelling through loudspeakers or waving guns in their faces.

What was going on?

"Well," Mu La Flaga grinned, "let's not stand out here in the cold. It's too chilly for my boxers and Murrue's nightgown." The smile faded slightly as a serious tone replaced the cheeky banter. "My neighbourhood is being patrolled by police officers too. Better if you both come inside." He glanced across the street. "That your car?" He asked.

Athrun nodded.

"Leave it," Mu said, "it doesn't look suspicious. The officers won't suspect a thing even if they pass by. Now, come on." He stepped aside and beckoned them into his house.

They stepped out into the cold night air and concurrently heaved loud sighs.

"Fuck," Auel muttered in annoyance, doubling over and punching his thighs with his fists. "I don't think I can ever sit down again."

"Suck it up," Sting grinned, thudding him hard on the shoulder so that the pale blue-haired assassin stumbled forward a step. "Look, your knees can still bend."

"Very funny," Auel threw a fist in his direction but Sting side-stepped him easily, tottering a little from the ache in his legs.

Kira watched the exchange without a word. He was alright; he hadn't stood for very long, only an hour or so. In comparison, the rest of his team had spent nearly ten hours upright in Rau's office, after they had already spent hours planning and carrying out their damn mission. A familiar hatred began to stir inside him. He should have been there with them. He dug his nails into his palms and relished the pain.

Feeling Stellar's eyes on him, he turned and met her steady gaze. "You alright?" he said gently.

She nodded with a slight wince. "Not too bad," she said, "I've been worse."

That was true, Kira thought to himself. They had suffered worst before. Still, he wished he had been there with the team, from the beginning.

Gentle hands took his forearm and fiddled with the make-shift bandage. "You're hurt," Stellar frowned, "What happened?" That apparently caught the attention of Sting and Auel because they quit their bantering and peered over at him. "Yeah," Auel wrinkled his nose, "What the hell have you been up to?"

"Getting rid of the evidence," Kira said pleasantly, ignoring the sting as Stellar tugged at the knot of the bandage. "I'm fine," he turned to her as she made to undo the cloth. He placed a hand over hers and disengaged his arm from her probing fingers.

Sting said, "You mean Lacus Clyne?"

Kira nodded.

"And she did this to you?" Auel crooked a suspicious eyebrow at him. "How the hell did a woman like her do that to you?"

"Not her," Kira said. He slowed down his speech, aware that he was speaking a little too quickly. "I gashed it against the side of the cliff when I got rid of her body."

"Oh," Auel made a show of pursing his lips. "So she's-"

"At the bottom of the ocean," Kira lied.

"Perfect," Auel clapped his hands together. "Mission complete!" He gave a loud whoop, the breath escaping his lungs in a mist. "Hey, now that we're done with our mission and Rau hasn't given us our next assignment, what are you guys going to do?"

Sting shrugged casually, both hands sucked deep into the pockets of his trousers. "Sleep," he said. "But I'm gonna hit the showers first. Then for the next few days, I'm taking it easy. Maybe I'll check if anyone's hiring a hitman. A quick job." Stellar pouted at the sound of that. "Wish my life's as fun as yours. I guess I'll go back to the pub," she declared, "You have any idea how many guys I've missed in the past two weeks? I could have ripped off a thousand or two quick cash. What are you up to, Auel?"

"Me?" Auel smirked, "I'll visit you at the pub, maybe. I've actually got my eyes set on a cache of jewelry arriving in two days, but we'll see."

They paused in their conversation to watch a truck tow a lime-green sedan out of the gates. "Your car?" Sting asked, amused. Kira nodded, amethyst eyes trailing the vehicles until they disappeared into the darkness of the night. He had ditched the van by a construction site after leaving Lacus at the diner. It didn't make sense to drive it anymore. For one, it was a company vehicle and people remembered logos and company names, both of which were imprinted on the side of the van. Besides, he had already had it with him for a couple of hours; the delivery man would have reported the van stolen alresdy. So Kira had gotten himself an alternative source of transport, by hotwiring the lime-green sedan he had found in the backyard of a house. It wasn't an ideal car, he admitted, but the circumstances for its theft had been ideal. It had been nearly 12 a.m. when he stole the car, and through the window of the house, he had seen darkness broken by the flickering light of a muted TV set. The owners probably wouldn't realize that their car was gone until morning. And by then, Rau's people would have gotten rid of the car. Rau had people to do stuff like that, and they were good at it.

An automobile with dark tinted glass windows drew up in front of them. The driver's window buzzed down and the driver put his head out. He was dressed in a suit, just like a typical chauffeur. "Mr. Neider?" He said, raising his shades so he could see them better in the darkness. "Auel Neider?"

"That's me," Auel said, waving an enthusiastic hand. He flung open the passenger seat and slid into the car. "See you guys around," he called out before shutting the door behind him. He disappeared from view behind the tinted glass. The jet-black sedan eased around the roundabout in front of Le Creuset Corporation and made its way through the gates, the same way the truck and the lime-green sedan had disappeared.

A second car drove up to replace the first. This one was for Sting and he got in with a silent wave at Stellar and Kira.

They stood side-by-side, watching as it drove out of sight.

The third came for Stellar. As she stood by the open passenger door, she glanced round at Kira, who was still standing on the raised stand outside the lobby of Le Creuset Corporation. "What will you be doing these few days, Kira?" She asked, chewing at her bottom lip.

Kira shrugged. Usually, he made use of the downtime between missions to rest up. That meant taking long, relaxing walks all over the city, because he had no television, no computer and wasn't interested one bit in those things. At mealtimes, he headed back to Flay's and sometimes at night, he met up with the rest of the team at the pub Stellar worked in for drinks. And that was it. He didn't have an exciting lifestyle, and he was okay without one. He knew the rest of his team thought otherwise. Sting sometimes did one-time assassination jobs for people willing to pay his exorbitant prices. Auel took his pleasure from stealing what appeared to be impossible to steal. Stellar, on the other hand, made extra cash at the pub by draining unsuspecting men of their money. All against the law, but damn, they existed out of the law. Rau and their handlers at the Facility didn't care what they did, or how many rules they broke, so long as they didn't get themselves exposed. It was the only bit of freedom they had and Kira knew many of Rau's assassins took complete advantage of it the moment they were released from the Facility to the big, vast Out There. Other teams were engaged in drugs, murder, rape, security detail, burglaries – anything that allowed them to put their lives on the line and their unique skills to good use.

As for Kira, he didn't want quick cash; he didn't need any more thrills. He was content just to walk. And sometimes, he wondered why. It was as if he was searching for something, hoping to chance upon it in his walks.

Or maybe the earth wasn't round, like what the whole world believed it to be. Maybe it was a flat plain and he could just walk and walk and walk and one day fall off the edge into an abyss.

He smiled at Stellar. "Nothing much," he said, "Probably just walking."

"Oh," a smile graced Stellar's lips. "Alright. Why don't you come by the pub when you're free?"

"I'll be there," Kira promised, waving her along. He watched as his blonde-haired teammate slid into the back seat of the black automobile. The door shut behind her and the car left.

Two minutes later, the fourth sedan drew up and stopped in front of him. Kira stepped to the back and slid in, closing the door. The car didn't move off right away. Curious eyes stared at him from the rearview mirror. "Mr. Hibiki?" asked the driver.

"Yeah."

The eyes changed then. Subtly, but the change was there and Kira had noticed it. There was no more curiosity since he had established Kira's identity. Now, he was giving Kira a look of revulsion as he realized he was looking at one of Rau's experiments.

People in Le Creuset Corporation, at least those who knew they existed, fell into two categories: there were those who were frightened of them because they were freaks and there were those who hated them because they were 'privileged'. The chauffeur apparently fell into the second category.

It was amusing for Kira to find out that people hated them because they were given 'special treatment'. They had special training, they had apartments, they had their own housekeepers, they had private missions and they answered to the Big Boss himself. In comparison, all other Corporation employees had to slog their way through their jobs and scramble for money to get their own houses. What none of them realized was that Kira and the rest of the recruits were treated specially not because they were important, but because they were worth lots of money.

But people didn't understand, or didn't want to understand. They saw what they wanted to see, and that was that they were given 'special treatment'.

Kira had to laugh. If only they knew.

And now he met the driver's look of disgust with a smug smirk, tilting his chin upwards. Cold eyes staring back. The poor ignorant man, he smiled to himself.

The driver cleared his throat and glanced away. When he began to speak, his tone was clipped and arrogant, a last attempt at asserting his authority. "Your apartment's been breached, so the disposal unit will clear it. Meantime, you'll be staying at a motel until further notice. The room's been set up. This is the pass key." The man twisted around in his seat and dumped a tattered plastic card in Kira's lap. "Housekeeper will come by in the morning." Then he turned back to the front, shoved the gear into drive and the car began to move. As usual, there was no 'are you okay with it?' or 'any questions?'

Kira's opinion didn't matter. It had been the same for his apartment, or more accurately, his ex-apartment since he probably would never see it again. The same for his housekeeper. The same for his new motel room. His opinion didn't matter. He was unimportant, insignificant.

Kira settled back into the smooth leather upholstery and let his head fall back, enjoying the ride. They only had 'personal chauffeurs' whenever they reported at Le Creuset Corporations after a mission. Not that they were being pampered because there was no such thing as 'reward' in their world, only punishment and how to avoid it. No, they were being fetched around because the Corporation was so secluded that they needed transportation to get them out of the place. And since all vehicles were destroyed after every mission, they had no means of getting out. Plus, Rau couldn't afford them being seen leaving the Corporation together, not after they had committed a major crime. Hence the separate cars, the chauffeurs and the dark windows.

So it wasn't pampering, or rewarding. It was just a necessity for Rau.

Nevertheless, Kira took to enjoying the ride as much as he could each time. The smell of the leather, the quiet hum of the engine, the smooth glide of the wheels. It all felt good and soothing against his sore, tired body. So he let his eyes close and slept deeply for the first time in days.

They were sitting around a kitchen table, Cagalli and Athrun on one side, Mu and Murrue on the other. The drapes were still pulled down tight over the windows and they were sitting by candlelight in case they aroused the suspicion of any patrolling cars.

Athrun nursed the cup of coffee in front of him and asked the first thing that came to his mind, which wasn't relevant to the case at all. "So," he drawled out, eyeing them from over the rim of his mug, "you two are seeing each other?"

It was Mu that gave him the thumbs-up as confirmation. Murrue just crossed both arms, settled back into her chair and glared at him. "Do you have any idea how much trouble you are in?" She hissed.

"I've heard the condensed version," Athrun remarked, "How about you give me the full account?"

Murrue narrowed her eyes at him. "You broke into that apartment, didn't you? After I suspended you from duty, you just went along and took things into your own hands. Why didn't you listen to me? I'm trying to save your ass here."

"I hardly think so," Athrun pointed out, "You sent out a warrant for my arrest. Now the whole police force is on the lookout for me."

"I had no choice," Murrue snapped, "It's the Police Commissioner's orders."

"And who tipped him off?"

A long pause as they exchanged glances. "I don't know," Murrue said, shaking her head of brown tresses. A frown creased her brow. "I asked the Commissioner but he wouldn't say. Can you think of someone who would do that? Could it be the owner himself? Or did someone witness it? A neighbor or something?"

"It's probably someone who doesn't like that I'm nosing around that apartment," Athrun said. He explained about the fact that someone had cleaned up the place good and got rid of any potential evidence. Then he caught the glance that Mu and Murrue were giving each other and he paused in his account. "Something you need to tell me?"

The blonde man shrugged, running a hand through his disheveled hair. "Murrue really is trying to save your ass," he said, "She thought the Commisioner's informant was suspicious but the Commissioner wouldn't give him up, so she asked me to look into it. The Commissioner doesn't know, of course. I'm still working on it. So far-" He shrugged again, this time helplessly.

"The Commissioner's furious about Seiran's death," Murrue chimed in, "he's blaming it on you."

Now that was new. Athrun sat up in his seat.

"What?" Cagalli blurted out. "How's that Athrun's fault?"

"It isn't," replied Murrue, "Yzak's report stated clearly that it was Seiran who dashed out into the open and put himself in harm's way. You went after him. But some of the officers there, who were on Seiran's team, insisted that you told him to get out there as bait. Plus, they said you let the perps get away with the serum because you were focused on rescuing Cagalli. So they're blaming you for failure in protecting the serum too."

"That is bullshit!" Cagalli snarled, "And let me point out that Athrun's been suspended, he's not part of the team supposed to protect the serum!"

"But he's still a police officer," AC Ramius said grimly, "Suspended, but not fired."

"This is bullshit!" Cagalli said again. She was about to open her mouth and argue further, but Athrun stopped her with a raised hand.

He shook his head. "Leave it." Turning back to the Assistant Commissioner. "How's Yzak and the rest of the team?"

"We've got six officers dead, one in critical condition and four still recuperating in the hospital. Yzak's fine, he's reported back to the Special Unit, helping out." A stern look from Murrue as she raised a suspicious eyebrow at Athrun. "You contacted the team, didn't you? And Miriallia too. They were ordered to inform us if you made contact with any of them, but they're all protecting you. They didn't say a thing, but I can tell."

Athrun just gave a noncommittal shrug and didn't reply.

Mu changed the subject. "Anyway," he said, breaking the silence, "you risked exposing yourselves to come here. And since you didn't know Murrue was here, you must be looking for me. So, what can I help you with?" He glanced pointedly from Athrun to Cagalli.

Athrun reached into the inner pocket of his jacket and extracted the faded paper. He unfolded it and slid it across the table to Mu. "You were in charge of this case?" He asked.

The detective picked it up and glanced through it quickly. "DEX Enterprises," he said, nodding, "Yeah, I remember it. There was a huge commotion when I took over. What about it?"

"Your investigation revolved around DEX Enterprises," Athrun continued, "I'm curious to know why Le Creuset Corporation is involved."

A pause as Mu stared at the report. His eyes darted up to Athrun's face, then returned to the report again. "How is this case related to Lacus Clyne?"

Athrun explained Lacus' encounter with the DEX enterprise employee, the strange genetic makeup of the criminals and how Miriallia had traced the chemicals used to alter the criminal DNA back to DEX Enterprises.

"So you think Le Creuset Corporation might be involved too?" Mu asked.

"I'm keeping my mind open to possibilities."

Mu returned to studying the report. There was a thoughtful expression on his face when he glanced up to meet their eyes. "Le Creuset Corporation was implicated because my team discovered its delivery trucks during our search of DEX Enterprises' premises. Apparently, DEX Enterprises delivers some of their imported chemicals to Le Creuset Corporation. Strange thing is, there is no contract or payment involved. It's like DEX Enterprises gives the chemicals away to the Corporation."

"Why wasn't this in the report?"

Another pause as Mu looked at them. It was as if he was hiding a secret and he was assessing if it was possible to reveal it. Finally, he said, "the chemicals that were imported to the Corporation weren't relevant to the case. They had nothing to do with the product recall. By then, the Commissioner was involved because the case had grown huge. He told us to leave it out of the report."

Athrun removed another piece of paper from his pocket. It had the list of chemicals that Miriallia had uncovered in the blood sample. He showed it to Mu. "Can you recall any of the chemicals? Does the list coincide with this one?"

Mu scanned the list. "I can't remember," he said, "but I do have a copy in my laptop." He left the kitchen and returned in a minute, one hand balancing his computer as it booted up. It took a while for Mu to pull up the file since the case was seven years old, but he found it after ten minutes or so. The document expanded across the screen and Athrun pushed his own copy up against the computer.

Both lists were identical.

Author's note: There! I can sense the action picking up a little. Slowly, but surely. Hope you can feel it too. Like what I always say, don't forget to review, review, review! And tell me what do you think is going to happen next!