Author's note: Finally… gosh, this chapter has taken me ages to write. I'm really terribly sorry for the delay. Just that so many things have been happening: work, family problems, more work, and the dreaded writer's block. Argh, I seriously hate it whenever I'm struck down by writer's block. It just comes and goes! Well, I don't know whether it's affected the quality of this chapter. I managed to churn it out, but somehow I feel that this chapter's missing something. I just don't know what…
Moi: Well, I'm just a sucker for cliffhangers. Hehe… but I admit that this chappie doesn't quite end with a cliffhanger so oh well… And you're right. Flay really is pretty smart in this fanfic, guess I just wanted to show how she has the ability to manipulate those around her, and kinda went overboard with her smartness…
FTS-Peace: Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed the previous chappie and the smart Flay! I wouldn't say I'm a genius, but I really did enjoy coming up with the twist in the story. And I have to say, it's really all thanks to my readers I could come up with something like that. I realise I learn a lot as I'm writing and receiving reviews from you guys. I end up being able to write better and come up with better story plots! So I really do have to thank everyone for the support!
Hiyono25518: I'm really sorry for the long delay. I usually don't take quite as long as I did this time! Argh, but I just couldn't get time to write, and I've been suffering from writer's block for weeks! So I do hope this chapter isn't all too bad. Hope it'll still be enjoyable though! As for the KxL relationships, there isn't much in this chapter, but I'm thinking there'll be some KxL stuff coming up in the next, so watch out for it!
hardcoreGSfan: Nope, you guessed it right! The menu isn't meaningless text! And yup, if you read on, you'll find out how they'll unscramble the numbers and the letters! (Hope the descriptions aren't too confusing though…) Hmm, honestly, I haven't thought much about using the grammar book to decipher another message since that part of the story has become irrelevant to the rest of the fanfic. But I think it's definitely possible that Flay is smart enough to create another message using the grammar book. That would make her really, really, really smart!
PinkSugarDust: I'm glad you enjoyed the mystery. I'm a fan of mysteries and thrillers too; I always felt that the most charming thing about mysteries and thrillers is their ability to take the reader along for the ride! I was hoping I could do the same thing for this fanfic too. I hope it was a successful attempt!
XienRue: I'm sorry this chapter was produced so late! I wished it had been faster too, but argh! The dreaded writers block! Anyways, I'm glad you enjoy the progress of the friendship between Athrun and Kira. I have to admit that I'm actually looking forward to developing their friendship, maybe even more so than the other relationships actually (but of course, I'm not going to neglect the KxL and AxC relationships!)
Magus-15IchiGo: Ah, no worries, I can understand you perfectly! Your grammar isn't as bad as you make it sound! Yeah, I get what you mean, I hated Flay in the anime too. Don't understand how anyone could treat Kira like that. Honestly, I never intended Flay to turn out so smart or so good; I just wanted to show how she's the one always manipulating others. But now it's turned out she's become a likeable character. Oh well…
AAA: Hehe, your comment actually made me laugh. It's an adorable description. I'm glad you liked the previous chapter! Hope you'll like this one too!
Seiba Artoria: Hello! Glad to hear from you again! I'm glad you like the Athrun-Kira interaction. I'm actually looking forward to developing their friendship, perhaps much more than the romantic relationships. Not that'll neglect the romance, of course. Just that right now, my interest seems more geared towards the brotherhood between Kira and Athrun! But if I'm not wrong, and if things go as planned, I should have romance planned for the next chappie, so look out!
Nitameicya: Hello, hello! Welcome back! Yes, I am a cruel cruel fanfic writer for torturing my characters. As for Stellar, Auel and Sting, don't worry, they haven't disappeared for good. They'll be coming back soon enough. Not in the next chapter, but perhaps in the following ones!
Chapter 70
The knock on Mu La Flaga's front door came slightly past 8 a.m. in the morning. Followed by a series of urgent and frantic thumps on the heavy wood and a persistent mechanical buzz as whoever it was standing on the porch worked the doorbell hard.
The sudden commotion stunned the occupants of the house, who were gathered around the kitchen table, sipping coffee. Instinctively, they stood. And hands reached back to the grips of the guns nestled against their hips.
"Stay with Mr. Clyne," Mu glanced sideways at Dearka and Yzak, who both dutifully took up position on either side of their charge. Siegel Clyne remained seated, his face a visage of calmness and composure, although his eyes took on a glint that revealed the change in his demeanour. Mu met his gaze and nodded once to reassure him, then glancing over at Lunamaria and Shinn, nodded again, this time to request for their backup. Drawing his weapon, Mu stepped quietly through the passageway that led from his kitchen to the front foyer. Luna and Shinn flanked him on each side, hands resting on the butt of their guns, ready to draw when necessary.
The visitor on the front porch had given up banging on the door, and was now depressing the doorbell steadily so that the relentless buzzing filled the entire house.
The trio reached the front door, and both younger detectives automatically slid into position on each side of the entrance, while Mu stood in the foyer, gun held out, both arms relaxed. He waited until the other two had drawn their guns, then flicked off the safety on his own weapon and trained the barrel on the door, exactly where the visitor would be standing when the door was flung open.
Now, contrary to belief, if you know there is a potential threat outside your door, you don't look through the peephole. Because whoever it is outside can see the darkening of the glass. If you're unlucky, you'll find yourself staring through the peephole down the barrel of a gun. A pull of the trigger, and it'll be all over before you even see the murderer's face. So Mu didn't bother to check. Just squared his shoulders, spread his feet. Took a deep breath and tried to slow his beating heart. Then he nodded once at Shinn, who slowly eased his hand towards the lock. A second, then two, and Shinn twisted the bolt, wrenched the doorknob and flung the door open. All three raised their guns towards the visitor, and found themselves coming face to face with Athrun Zala.
"Sheesh, what is wrong with you?" Shinn blurted out, dropping the gun to his side. "You didn't have to knock so many times. It scared the living daylights out-" He didn't get to finish his sentence because Athrun hastened into the foyer, pushing him aside. After him came Lacus and Cagalli, and bringing up the rear, Kira, who entered the house backwards, eyes darting right and left as he scanned the streets and the neighbourhood. Then when all had entered, Kira shut the door, bolted it and slung the chain into its bracket.
"What happened?" asked Mu, picking up the tension radiating off the newcomers.
Athrun deflected his question with another. "Where're the others? Is Siegel safe?"
"Yes. He's fine. Yzak and Dearka are watching him. They're in the kitchen. This way."
Mu led them back to the kitchen, where Yzak and Dearka both had their guns cocked and ready. Seeing who the visitors were, they holstered their guns again and returned to their seats by the kitchen table. Though Siegel Clyne's visage never changed, the stiffness in his shoulders eased when he saw his daughter pass through the passageway into the kitchen safe and sound. Mu had to admit that although he had been in Siegel Clyne's company for less than several hours, the blond man had garnered his respect. Despite the fact that he had been forced to leave his house after its safety had been breached, despite the fact that he had to squeeze with a half dozen other people in this small, narrow little kitchen (which probably wasn't even larger than the bathrooms in the Clyne Mansion), despite the fact that he hadn't had a decent sleep in days, nor a decent shower, Siegel Clyne looked utterly unfazed. His suit was creased, his blonde hair and moustache a little tousled, but other than that, the man remained composed and collected given the circumstances. There was little wonder then about the confidence his daughter, Lacus Clyne, too exuded.
Lunamaria poured out four more mugs of coffee from the coffee pot and handed them round. While Lacus and Cagalli accepted theirs and drank greedily like it was water, Athrun ignored his and dug instead into his jacket pocket, steadfastly searching for something. Across the kitchen, Kira strolled up to the large panelled window and peeked through the drawn curtains at the streets outside, one hand lifting aside a fold of the heavy cloth, the other clutching the spare pistol Athrun had handed him.
"You mind sitting down?" Shinn bit out. "And putting that gun away?"
Kira's gaze shifted away from the window. He glanced for a second at Shinn's face, before his amethyst eyes roved over to the detective's hand. It was resting on the butt of his holstered gun, ready to draw. The black-haired detective wasn't the only one staring at him in that untrusting manner. So were his colleagues – all watching him warily like he was a dangerous animal. For a long moment, hard amethyst eyes were locked onto suspicious scarlet-red ones, then as if he hadn't noticed the hostile glares at all, Kira turned his attention back to the window and whatever lay outside the house. The gun remained in his hand.
Shinn took a step forward, lifting the gun from his holster by a fraction. "I said-"
"Leave him alone, Shinn," interrupted Athrun, "he's the least of our concerns right now."
Bemused faces turned round to stare at the azure-haired detective. Athrun simply ignored their confusion and drew out from his jacket pocket a flat plastic casing. He cracked it open and extracted a CD from within it. "Mu, I need to borrow your laptop."
Mu La Flaga hesitated for a second with a perplexed frown on his face, but left the kitchen and returned swiftly with his computer tucked under his arm. He handed it over without a word.
They watched curiously as Athrun booted up the laptop, his intense emerald eyes fixed on the computer screen. With deft movements, he slid the CD into its reader and waited, fingers drumming against the wooden surface of the kitchen table. For a few painful seconds, nothing happened, and then the disc whirred to life and a folder emerged on the screen.
"This is it," Athrun said.
That appeared to be a cue for Kira, for the brown-haired killer gave a last look out of the window, saw nothing worthy of attention, and moved quickly to Athrun's side where he peered over the detective's shoulder at the list of documents and files that littered the screen. Running his fingertip over the mouse pad, Athrun opened the first document, and the heading "Confidential: Central Police Headquarters Financial Budget" materialised.
"What in the world is this?" Dearka muttered as he and the others leaned closer to take a better look.
Athrun didn't reply, but he continued to pull up the other documents which displayed the spending of the various departments in the police force. They scanned through these quickly, jumping from one document to the next. Until they came upon one with the photograph of a man in uniform – a man with greying hair combed back and a hard stern stare.
"This is-" Shinn began to speak but his voice died down instantly. The tension in the room rocketed like electricity surging through an open wire and an uneasy silence fell upon the entire room. Kira glanced sideways. Saw a shell-shocked expression on Athrun Zala's face. Turned back to the picture on the screen and studied the subject closely. There was something familiar about this man. Something very familiar.
And then he remembered.
A snapshot of the man, with a woman, her hair the colour of the midnight sky. Both smiling. And in the woman's arms, a bundle of wrapped cloths and blankets from which deep blue hair peeked out.
Kira reached out and ran his finger down the mouse pad so that he could scroll down the document. The name underneath the photograph confirmed his guess. "Patrick Zala," he read, with a sideways glance at Athrun, "Your father."
A long pause as Athrun stared at the photograph. There was something frightening in that look, Kira reflected, something that hinted at a genuine hatred for the man. He remembered what he had read from Athrun Zala's file – how his father, once seen as the esteemed Police Commissioner, had turned out simply to be a corrupted officer; how his mother had died in a traffic car accident, leaving him an orphan, hated by people because his father had taken so many lives with him when he died. And because of that, Athrun Zala was different. He had learnt what it felt like to lose. To lose his parents, to lose his home, to lose his childhood, to lose everything. And that was what drove him to fight, and to win. Because he didn't want to lose again. Someone very like me, Kira thought to himself.
"My father," bit out Athrun, and with a smooth stroke of his finger, shut the document and the photograph disappeared from view. No one said a word, and Athrun's emerald eyes remained resolutely trained on the screen. But Kira's gaze shifted – he studied the detective's profile out of the corner of his eye. Saw what appeared to be calmness and composure on the surface, but conflicting emotions underneath. He didn't know if Athrun Zala noticed the curious and perturbed stares cast in his direction, but even if he did, the detective was pretending that he wasn't aware of them. You're running away, Kira thought, the same way I'm running away from the fact that I'm just a tool. Dispensable and insignificant. He forced that thought out of his mind and turned back to the computer just as the next document unfolded onto the screen, filling it with the graphic images of what appeared to be chemical compounds.
"Where in the world did you get this?" Siegel Clyne asked with a look of bewilderment.
"You recognize this?"
Siegel Clyne nodded. "This is the chemical makeup of the serum that was taken." He pointed at the first image on the screen.
"And the rest?" Athrun gestured at the other illustrations.
"Alternative structures of the drug," said Siegel Clyne. "It's like I told you, the chemical makeup of the serum isn't stable. It can be changed."
"For better or worst?"
"Both. It has the potential to become a cure, but it can quite easily be turned into something harmful too," Siegel Clyne shifted his chair closer and scrutinized the screen carefully. "There. See? The other images show the serum being transformed into some sort of virus. This is dangerous information. If this document gets into the wrong hands..." He left the sentence to hang but the grim set of his lips already told them that the consequences would be devastating.
"But where did you get these documents?" Mu shook his head, puzzlement written all over his face. "The bookstore?"
"It's a long story," Athrun said, as he exchanged glances with Lacus, Cagalli and Kira. "You might want to sit down for this."
The sharp intake of Kira's breath told Athrun that the professional killer had deciphered Flay Allster's code.
"What is it?" Athrun asked hastily, crossing the diner to where the brown-haired assassin was standing by the Formica counter, scribbling hastily. Kira flattened the napkin he was writing on and spun it around so that Athrun could see the row of numbers scribbled on it, and underneath, a series of alphabets:
253199314153341133443
PCSPYDISCWKNIFEBESAFE
"What in the world is that?" Cagalli frowned, as she and Lacus leaned over the counter and peered curiously at the napkin.
"What Flay wants to tell us," Kira explained. He picked up the cellphone in its evidence bag and slid it across the counter so that they could see the message on the screen. "The whole story about the bookstore on 25th Street isn't important. The numbers are. Take away all the words and you're left with these 21 digits." He slid the laminated card across the counter surface and lined it alongside the phone. "Now look at the menu," he said.
Main Course
Spaghetti
Plaice & chips
Mushroom Soup
Potpie
Cod & gravy
Bacon sandwich
Grilled Dory
Sausage and egg
Pancakes
Waffles
Salads
Greek salad
Tuna salad
Chilean salad
Chef salad
Egg salad
Omelette
Bacon omelette
Cheese omelette
Mushroom omelette
Red Meat
Steak
Beef Burger
Beef Pie
"Each digit corresponds to a letter in each item on the menu. Look. '2' refers to the second letter in 'spaghetti'. That's 'P'. '5' is the fifth letter of 'plaice and chips'. '3' is the third letter of 'mushroom soup' and so on and so forth. Put all the letters together, and that's the message."
Lacus squinted at the letters scrawled across the paper napkin. "It doesn't make sense."
"Not yet." Kira reached across and with his pen, interspersed the alphabets with slashes, so that the letters now read: pc/spy/disc/w/knife/be/safe.
"That's it," he said, looking down at the words on the paper napkin, "PC spy. Disc with knife-" He paused as his voice fled his throat. The last two words scrawled across the paper in blue ink stared at him. Two simple words, but they left him speechless.
"Be safe-" Lacus finished softly for him. She lifted her eyes from the napkin and gazed up at Kira. "That's Flay's message to you."
At the back of his mind, he saw again the blood-red hair framing the beautiful face. The teary eyes. The soft lips parting to- Kira quashed the memory and turned back to the paper napkin, deliberately avoiding the last two words in the message. "PC spy. Disc with knife," he repeated, just so that he could calm the raging emotions in him.
"PC," Athrun said thoughtfully, as he exchanged glances with the rest of them, "The Police Commissioner? He's a spy?"
"But that's-" Lacus winced and shook her head. "Maybe it's not what it looks like, Athrun."
"Or maybe it is," Cagalli sighed, staring at the words on the napkin. "Remember what Flay was trying to tell us? She said she didn't trust the Witness Protection Program because the higher-ups can't be trusted. There's more than meets the eye."
Athrun was quiet for a spell. He was recalling the instances when they had found the Commissioner's actions and behaviour somewhat suspicious, especially since the lead up to the day's events. How he had refused to expose the identity of his secret anonymous caller, which turned out eventually to be Flay Allster and from Lacus' account of the confrontation between Kira and the red-haired woman, they were both working for the same man. The same man whose identity had yet to be confirmed.
How the Commissioner had jumped at the opportunity to arrest Athrun, but showed no interest whatsoever in the stolen serum. Was the Commissioner really a spy? Was he really answering to someone else? Why? Because he had been blackmailed? Because he was just a puppet being manipulated? Or because he had something to gain from it all?
The blue-haired detective turned his inquisitive emerald eyes onto Kira, who sensing the attention, met his gaze.
"Do you know this?" Athrun asked, trying but failing to tone down the misgivings in his voice. "Do you know the Commissioner's a spy for the man you're working for?"
"No," the professional killer replied honestly. He paused, then added, "But I wouldn't be surprised if he were one. The Facility's churned out spies all over the world. I thought Flay made it clear to you that there'll always be eyes watching."
"Yes, well," Athrun said mildly, "I hadn't figured out the extent of your organization."
An awkward silence ensued, interrupted only when Kira rounded the Formica counter and hauled one of the drawers open. The loud clatter of its contents shifting against the wooden bottom caused the others to stare on at him in bemusement.
"What are you searching for?"
"Knives." The assassin replied simply. "Flay's hidden a disc with the knives. Find it, and we'll find what she wants us to have."
Galvanized into action, the rest of them scattered across the diner and began their search again. But at least this time they knew what they were looking for. It was Athrun who found it in the kitchen – a steel drawer bearing the steel knives that were used for slicing meat. "Over here," he called out.
The others returned to his side, and Kira sank to his knees, running his hands and fingers all over the drawer, feeling for hidden spaces where a disc could be slipped into.
The search turned out futile.
"It's not here. Maybe the message meant something else," Cagalli said absently with a perplexed frown. She stepped out into the front of the diner, picked up the paper napkin and returned to the kitchen again. "Maybe we misread it," she offered, studying the scrawled handwriting carefully. "Disc w knife. What do you guys think?"
A long moment as the four of them contemplated the words until Athrun finally shook his head and said, "I don't know. It looks pretty straightforward. If we can't find it here, then-"
"Then it has to be at Flay's apartment," Kira interrupted smoothly, getting to his feet. "We have to go back there."
Five minutes later, they were running out of the diner, scurrying for the car, the paper napkin and the laminated menu stuffed into Athrun's pocket.
Wheels screeched as Athrun spun the wheel and the sedan lurched out of the parking lot. The morning sun had risen, tingeing the sky with shades of orange, red and purple. But outside the weather was still cold and those on the streets were wrapped in woollen scarves and gloves. They drove fast through the winding streets, or as fast as they could, since the morning traffic had already begun to surge onto the roads.
As they jammed to an abrupt stop at a junction, Athrun cast a searching glance at Kira, who sat by his side in the passenger seat. "I know you won't tell us about the Facility," he said, "So I'll tell you what we know."
He had meant for his words to inspire some response in Kira, but the assassin remained unfazed.
"We know Rau Le Creuset has a part in this," Athrun continued, watching Kira's face closely. "We kept tracing clues to DEX Enterprises, which you should know better than all of us, since you told Lacus you were an employee from there the first time you met her. But we've also discovered that several years ago, there was an investigation going on at DEX Enterprises, which implicated the Le Creuset Corporation. Which means DEX Enterprises has some very close connections to that company. And we also know that Rau Le Creuset has a particular interest in this serum. He's the mastermind behind all this, isn't he?"
No reply.
The traffic light turned green. The car before them didn't move so Athrun punched the horn, and he got a rude gesture from the driver in front. But he ignored it and slammed his foot into the accelerator.
"There's also something else no one knows about the Le Creuset Corporation," continued Athrun despite the speed he was driving at. "We studied your blood-" a quick glance at Kira to see if there was some reaction. There was none. "-and we found samples of chemicals and evidence of genetic alterations. There's something… different… about you and others like you. I saw the way you and your friends fought at the safehouse. You could dodge bullets. You're not normal. A normal person would have died from loss of blood after the shoulder wound you got. You laughed at me when I asked you what they did to you at the Facility. That's the answer, isn't it? They're experimenting on you."
Again, there was no response, not even a stiffening of the shoulders. It was as if he had been trained not to respond to questions pertaining to the Facility or to Rau Le Creuset. Frustrated, Athrun depressed the accelerator harder so that the car sped forward. "Flay's gone," he snapped, "I'm sorry. If I had known, I would have kept her within my sights. You want to save her. I can tell you're angry that she's dead. You're angry at her killer. You're angry at yourself for not protecting her. I don't know about you, but I have people to protect too." He bit down hard on his lower lip as he ventured into a subject he had never really been comfortable sharing with others.
Except perhaps, Kira.
Kira had been the one he had shared his stories with. But that Kira was no longer the Kira sitting beside him.
Silence.
By now, they had arrived at the block which held Flay Allster's apartment. Athrun jammed to a stop behind the building, in a secluded alleyway where no one was about and the people on the main street couldn't quite see them because of the large dumpster at the head of the alley. Athrun shoved the gear into 'park' and sank back into his seat, feeling utterly beaten. He hadn't teased a single clue out of the emotionless and unfathomable man sitting beside him. Glancing at Kira, he saw that the assassin's eyes were steadfastly fixed on the windscreen ahead, as if he hadn't heard anything Athrun had been saying throughout the journey. "I've lost my family once," he said softly. "I don't want to lose another. You saved Lacus, and I want to keep her safe too. I don't want the same thing that happened to Flay to happen to her, or to Cagalli. It'll help if you tell me who we're dealing with."
A pause, during which Athrun prayed that Kira would reveal something. Anything. Even some hint that he had heard what was said.
But when he saw nothing, he felt disappointment and anger flare in him. He reached for his door handle.
And then Kira spoke, "It's Rau Le Creuset."
Athrun spun around, somewhat surprised that the tight-lipped assassin had confirmed their speculations. But in a flash, the professional killer had flung open his door and stepped out of the car. So fast that for a second Athrun thought he had imagined it. However, a quick glance round at the astonished faces of the women sitting in the rear seats proved that he hadn't heard wrongly.
They got out of the car into the cold and stood side by side in the narrow pathway.
The detective was about to comment on Kira's reply, to thank him, but the way in which the assassin stood with his back towards them seemed to suggest that he didn't want the subject brought up again so Athrun left it at that. Nonetheless, Athrun thought he saw something different in the man, something that might make him the Kira he once was. He forced himself to look away and observe the stack of apartments towering over them.
They were facing the back of the building, where a fire staircase wound its way up the brick wall like a snake. The ladder was drawn up, but before any of them could point it out, Kira surprised them by crouching and leaping upwards. He struck out with his foot against the bricks, and the momentum drove him higher, till he caught the last rung and the ladder slid down into place with a loud clang.
"This way," Kira straightened, dusting his hands on his slacks with a look of disinterest on his face, as if he had done something completely usual.
"How did you-" Cagalli's voice trailed off.
The brown-haired assassin merely shrugged. "Not normal," he echoed Athrun's words with a sideways glance at the detective.
They climbed the stairs, this time with Kira leading the way and Athrun bringing up the rear. They broke in easily onto the third floor landing, since the door was a simple wooden one with a panel of glass that Kira shattered with a jab of his elbow.
Moving quietly and swiftly down the corridor, they came up to the fifth apartment. The door was unlocked and when they turned the knob, it eased open silently on its hinges.
And immediately the smell of blood permeated their senses.
Instinctively, Lacus and Cagalli clapped their hands to their noses, and Athrun wrinkled his nose in distaste. A quick glance at the indifference written all over Kira's face told him that the assassin already knew what they were going to find in the apartment.
His guess was confirmed when they came upon the source of the smell – a woman lying in the middle of the living room, a bullet-hole in her chest. It had passed directly through her heart, and a large puddle of blood had formed and drenched the carpet underneath her dead body. From the way Kira sidestepped her without a second glance, Athrun knew he was her murderer.
"This was the female assassin that tried to kill me," Lacus whispered, swallowing hard. Though she had seen the woman die, she couldn't help feeling ill at the sight. The metallic stench of blood in the air, and the woman's lifeless eyes and vacant stare made her sick and nauseous, and she had to avert her eyes. She glanced instead towards the kitchen, where Kira was hurrying rounding the kitchen counter ridden with bullet holes. "If it hadn't been for Kira, I would have died," she said, meeting Athrun's gaze. "He was injured trying to protect me."
The detective glanced at the brown-haired assassin, but Kira carried on as if he hadn't heard. He wrenched open a drawer, slammed it shut when it didn't contain what he wanted, and moved on to the next. At the third, he found what he was looking for – steel knives neatly lined up inside the drawer.
"Here," Kira called out as he crouched and ran his fingers all along the drawer. He found the plastic CD casing taped underneath the wood. "Got it," he said, prying it off with his fingertips. The others gathered round as he opened the plastic casing to reveal a disc.
"That's it," Athrun said. "The disc Flay's referring to."
Kira nodded, "Yes, now we need to get out. They'll be here soon."
"They?"
Kira glanced over at the woman's dead body. "There'll be others coming to clear her body. The Facility never lets any of its recruits be discovered. We need to go."
Taking the CD with them, they hurried out of the apartment, shutting the door behind them and headed straight for the fire exit.
Athrun skidded to a stop as they reached the door, the little beads of glass crunching under his feet. "It's them," he said in a harsh whisper retreating back down the corridor, one hand grasping Lacus' wrist, the other Cagalli's elbow. "The people you were talking about," he glanced quickly at Kira. "Four masked men. They're heading up the stairs. Another way. We need to get out another way."
"The main stairs," Kira gestured as he turned and ran the other way. "We'll risk being seen by the residents, but hurry!"
They sprinted across the hallway and down the stairs, nearly colliding into an old man who was heading up, his arms full of grocery bags. He started to curse at them, but they had already rounded the bend and were flying down the steps two at a time.
They burst out onto the main street, attracting the attention of the passers-by who stared at them in bewilderment. Pushing through the crowd, they hastened round the building to the back, where Kira stopped them with a raised hand as he peered round the brick wall and risked a glance at the metal stairs.
The masked men Athrun had seen had made it to the third floor, their heads huddled close in discussion, having noticed the broken glass.
"Move fast," Kira whispered, "Don't look up. Don't stop. Keep your heads down." He drew the gun Athrun had handed him and glanced questioningly at the detective. Athrun nodded, then taking a deep breath, he dashed between the brick walls down the alley, Lacus and Cagalli hot on his heels. Kira lingered close behind, eyes fixed above as he watched the enemy's every move.
He saw them turn and glance down, and then there was a shout. But before they could draw their weapons, Kira fired three rounds into the metal staircase. Sparks flew as the masked men dove for cover.
Two meters to the sedan.
One of the masked men rose from his haunches and fired a round that ricocheted off he brick wall, dangerously close to Cagalli. Kira responded with two more rounds that sent the man diving for the floor.
One more meter.
They threw themselves into the vehicle. As Athrun fumbled with the ignition key, Kira fired more shots at the staircase to keep their adversaries occupied. Finally, with a loud rev, the engine started. A rough shove of the gear, a foot slammed into the accelerator and they took off, the car jetting through the alleyway.
They exploded onto the road, the car fishtailing wildly before Athrun could right it and they sped through the morning traffic.
"That's the story," concluded Athrun. He gestured at the laptop screen. "This is what Flay Allster wanted us to find."
"Jesus," Mu ran a hand through his blonde hair. "You sure you made it here without them following you?"
"Yeah. We lost them back at the apartment. I think we're safe for now"
"But why send us these documents? These are just records of the departments' spending," Dearka observed. "And some chemical diagrams. What's the point?"
Athrun extracted the CD from its reader and replaced it into its plastic casing. He snapped it shut, and handed it to Lunamaria. "Find a way to send this disc to Meyrin without rousing the Commissioner's attention," he instructed, "Ask her to examine the documents on HQ's budget carefully. See if she can find anything unusual in them. There might be something about the Commissioner."
"Like what?"
"I don't know," Athrun gave a dismissive shrug. "I'm guessing that there'll be some unaccounted sums. Maybe the Commissioner's been accepting some money he doesn't deserve."
Mu crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the kitchen table with a thoughtful expression on his face, "You suspect he's been bribed?"
"That would explain why my father's picture is in it, wouldn't it?" There was a tone of bitterness in his voice, and Mu shuffled his feet uneasily, averting his gaze. Athrun turned his attention back to Lunamaria, who glanced down quickly and busied herself staring at the plastic casing she held in her hands, even though there was nothing particularly interesting on its surface.
"Get it to Miriallia," Athrun repeated. "But the Commissioner mustn't know."
"Yes sir."
"What about us?" Dearka gestured towards himself and the rest of the team.
"It seems you'll have to stick with us for a little longer, Siegel," Athrun glanced at his foster father and said with an apologetic tone. But Siegel Clyne dismissed it with a smile and a shake of his head. "I'll entrust Dearka-" a glance at the blonde-haired officer and his silver-haired partner "-and Yzak to watch over you."
"Gotcha," Dearka grinned. Yzak merely grunted in agreement.
"As for the rest of us," Athrun continued, "we're going after the serum."
"And how're we going to do that?" Shinn cocked his head to the side, a frown furrowing his brow. "We can't possibly waltz into Le Creuset Corporation and take it back just like that."
A stony silence met Shinn's comment, coupled with a hard steely glare from his chief's emerald eyes.
Shinn winced. "Oh man, you can't be serious."
"We're going to work out a plan to get the serum before Rau Le Creuset can release the altered version. I'll need you and Mu as backup. Lacus and Cagalli-" a quick glance at both women, "-can help. Kira and I will go in. He'll know the place better than-"
"No."
The short terse reply surprised the rest of the team and they spun round to stare at Kira. The brown-haired assassin, who had wandered into a corner of the kitchen and was perched on the counter, got up and strolled over to the table they were gathered round. He set the gun in his hand on the wooden surface with a decisive thump. "You're on your own."
"What?"
Lacus took a step forward, the wounded expression on her face creasing her brow, "You're not coming with us?" she asked, hurt.
"No." A cold glance in her direction.
"But why?" Cagalli cut in, "Where're you going?"
"That wouldn't be your concern," he replied. "Just as I wouldn't be interested in yours."
"Then why'd you offer to help us decipher Flay's message?"
"Simple," Kira shrugged, "It was addressed to me; I had to find out what it meant. And now that I know it, my presence here is outstayed. Unless of course you want to arrest me-" He smiled coolly, "-but I think you've got enough on your hands, Detective Zala. So I'll be on my way." He left the gun on the kitchen table and stepped towards the passageway leading to the front door.
"You're not going to help us get the serum?"
A bark of laughter as Kira stopped in his tracks and glanced over his shoulder. The mirth in his amethyst eyes looked so genuine that Athrun was reminded again that this wasn't the Kira he knew. That Kira was gone. "And why in the world would I want to do that?" he laughed.
"People are going to die," Lacus whispered.
"People die all the time," came the unconcerned response.
"You bastard," Shinn seethed. "You don't care, do you? You're just a self-serving asshole, aren't you?"
The corner of Kira's lips lifted as he smiled in amusement.
Realizing that none of their words had had any effect on Kira, Athrun changed tactics. "Do it for Flay," he said, "You're right – the message is addressed to you. So she wanted you to find the disc. To expose the Commissioner. To find the serum and make sure Rau Le Creuset can't turn it into a weapon against the world. She gave up her life protecting these secrets just so that you can do what she couldn't. She's depending on you. You're her last-"
"She was depending on the wrong person."
Athrun stared in disbelief at his disinterested reply. It was one thing for the assassin to be apathetic towards the dead body lying in Flay's apartment since that was the woman he had killed. It was also acceptable, in Athrun's opinion, for him to be cold and distant towards the rest of the team, since there was no reason for him to trust them, and it wasn't as if his team was very receptive to Kira either. But what Athrun didn't understand, was why the man, whom he believed was greatly affected by Flay's death, would be reluctant to help them. For a second, he thought he had misread Kira. Maybe he knew nothing about the man at all. Maybe Flay's death meant nothing to him at all.
But then, Athrun noticed it – the subtle change in Kira. His words had wiped the look of amusement from the killer's face and a hard bitterness had set into Kira's features. He did care, Athrun realised, not without some degree of satisfaction and relief. The cold-hearted killer wasn't all that cold-hearted. Seeing the opportunity to turn the tides, Athrun goaded Kira further by saying, "So you're going to let her death go unavenged? You're just going to let her die for nothing? Let Rau Le Creuset walk away scot-free?"
The words struck Kira with such an impact that his purple eyes glowered with anger and his jaw tightened. He felt the familiar fury, all along coiled tight in the pits of his stomach, begin to unfurl and lash out. "Don't pretend as if you know who I am," he snarled, glaring at the azure-haired detective, whose calm emerald eyes infuriated him only further. "Because you know nothing. Whatever you're doing here – stealing into a bookstore, running some secret operation – they're just games. You – the Chief of the Special Unit – the one always walking in the light. You think you know what you're dealing with, but you don't. You want me to help you? Then I think you're mistaking me for someone who cares. I'm not a hero who's going to save the world. Never was. Never will be. It's not my kind of thing. You want to talk about revenge? What do you know about it? What do you know about revenge? Am I supposed to help you arrest him?" A mocking laugh escaped Kira's lips. "That's not my idea of revenge. I don't trust the system. In fact, I live, and exist, out of the system. Why the hell would I help you put him in jail when the revenge I have planned is simply to kill him. So you think you know everything about me? You think you can provoke me into helping you with all your save-the-world, avenge-Flay bullshit, then you're wrong. You know nothing about me. Nothing at all."
Spite rolled over Kira in waves. For a moment, he was aware that he was losing control. Control was important to him. Discipline. Restraint. Those were the rules with which he ran his life and his missions. You never could lose control. Never. And he had abided it all his life, or he would be dead. If he had lost it back in the Facility, he would have tried to kill his trainers and handlers, but he hadn't and that was why he was still alive. If he had lost it back in Rau's office, he would have lunged across the desk and killed the man in the mask, but he hadn't and that was why he was still alive. If he had lost it in any of his missions, he would have been careless, left a clue or two behind for the police, but…
But he had. Kira felt overwhelmed with the realisation that his life as he had known it was falling into pieces again. The same feeling that had swarmed over him when he had stood in the diner, his gun pointed straight at Flay Allser, but unable to pull the trigger. The same feeling of exhaustion, the same feeling that the chessboard he was on was folding in on itself and the chess pieces were collapsing all around him. Like he was in a dream – a nightmare – where everything around him was just an illusion. Just a fake. Where the woman he trusted turned out to be just a spy for his disdained master, yet she loved him, protected him and cared for him even in her death. Which of her feelings were true? What else was hidden from him? Since when had he begun to lose the iron-control he had always had?
Since meeting Lacus, he decided, glancing at the pink-haired woman who was now staring at him with tears in her eyes. Since meeting the actress, he had been out of sorts. He had lost control; he had been careless; he hadn't killed her as told; he had left his blood behind as a clue. His eyes met her pleading, tear-brimmed blue-grey ones, and he saw a complex mixture of feelings in her – hurt, sympathy, guilt. He remembered the feeling of familiarity every time he was near her. But she was an actress, for crying out loud, she was a fucking Broadway actress. Maybe everything he had seen in those expressive eyes of hers was just a show. Just an illusion. Just a dream.
Or perhaps he had lost it from the moment he had dreamt of that little blonde girl. Kira's eyes shifted to look over Cagalli Yamato. Who the hell was she? Who the hell was Kira Yamato? The recurring dreams, the splitting headache he felt whenever he set eyes on her. What the hell did it all mean?
Kira fell back a step, and felt the edge of the kitchen counter jab him in the back. It sent a shockwave up his arm and through his wounded shoulder. But the pain wakened his senses, made him more aware of his surroundings. Made him realize he was standing in a room full of people he didn't know, didn't understand, couldn't control, couldn't trust. Just chess pieces, he thought to himself, they're just another set of chess pieces, and I'm the only one of a different colour. The only piece of black amongst an ocean of white.
"Hey," Athrun stepped forward, and Kira retreated towards the passageway. He hated himself for it. It was the first time he had backed down to something, to someone. His gaze leapt to the gun he had left on the kitchen table. He wanted to feel the cool metal in his hands again. And the slippery feel of warm blood. He wanted to kill. He needed to kill. He even felt the urge to press the cold barrel to his own temple just so that he could feel the hot blood spilling from his fingers.
"Hey, hey," Athrun lifted both hands in a placating gesture. "It's alright. Just calm down. You're pale. We've been running all over the city without food or sleep and you're hurt. Listen, we're going to get the disc to Meyrin. See what we can find out. Until then, we're going to rest." He glanced round at the rest of the room, and turned back to Kira. "We're going to rest," he repeated, "all of us. You're not in any condition to-" he paused and chewed on the corner of his bottom lip uneasily, then shook his head to rid himself of the hesitation, "-to confront and kill Rau Le Creuset. The rest of us aren't in any condition to either. So… so let's take it easy for the next couple of hours. Find out what we can, and then we'll talk again. Alright? Just take it easy."
Kira just stared at the detective. There was something in those eyes. Those intense emerald eyes. It was like looking into a green pond so deep you couldn't see its bottom and something deep within was drawing him further into it.
Something flashed through his mind. Maybe a thought. Or a memory.
Bright warm sunlight. Laughter. A fan of blonde hair streaking past; that little blonde girl tugging at his hand. They were running along a pebbled path, weaving among clumps of grass and bushes. Small pink petals caressing their faces. Someone called out to them. Glancing over his shoulder. A man and a woman in the far distance. He couldn't see their faces, but the woman's bluish purple hair was streaming in the wind. Up ahead, a man with two children standing on either side of him. A girl with shocking pink hair held back from her face by a bright yellow clip that sparkled as it caught the sunlight. She ran forward, flashed a smile at him. Caught the little blonde girl's hand and they tottered away, chattering. The man and the other child left behind. A boy. With midnight blue hair and twinkling emerald eyes. A charming smile.
Kira blinked and the image was gone. Replaced instead by a concerned Athrun Zala, watching him curiously.
"Mu," he called out softly without taking his eyes off Kira. "You got someplace we can take a rest?" The senior detective nodded hastily in response. "I've got a guest room. Just down the passageway, turn right. First door."
"Okay," Athrun held up his hands and spread his fingers in a gesture that indicated that he meant no harm. "Let's take it easy for now. We're going to rest. All of us," he said. Though he was addressing the entire team, he kept his gaze on Kira, who looked as if all the blood had drained from his face. It reminded Athrun of fevered bleariness in the assassin's eyes as he lay on the bed in the Clyne Mansion, recovering from the bullet wound in his shoulder. The first sign of vulnerability he had seen in the man, the first sign that the Kira he had known in the past wasn't completely lost.
"Okay," Athrun said again. "The first room on the right. You can have that room. We'll talk again when we've rested."
He thought the assassin would protest, and he was even ready to intervene if the professional killer lunged for the gun on the kitchen table. But he was surprised when Kira spun around and fled down the passageway. Moments later, the guest room door slammed shut.
Author's note: There you go! A somewhat long chapter, that – surprisingly – doesn't end with a cliffhanger! *gasp* Lol, it's just that I think the action's been overwhelming these few chapters. I'm getting a little tired (or maybe it's because of the annoying writer's block I've been facing over the past few weeks). A little downtime for myself, for my readers and my characters. I've been torturing them way too much. Not so much action in the next chapter; perhaps a little bit more on tying up loose ends and I'll also like to take the time to develop some of the relationships in the fanfic which I've been neglecting thus far. So for those looking forward to KxL, AxC and Athrun-Kira interactions, there should be some coming up. Until then, don't forget to review, review, review!