Notes:

In this chapter the inciting incident takes place. The mystery starts and so does the story.

This chapter marks the first appearance of Yuri Briar, Chloe, senior Lieutenant, and Sylvia Sherwood in this fanfic.

In this fanfic, Chloe's last name is Christoff. She was provided with a last name in order to ensure formality throughout the fanfic. Her last name was inspired by Endo's trend of characters having same letter initials.

The city of Bonnt is the capital city of Westalis. It was directly inspired by the city of Bonn which was the capital city of West Germany.

At last, there is a secret message hidden in this chapter! Test your abilities and try to find the hidden message.

Enjoy Chapter 2.

Index

"Bolded text in quotation marks is not direct dialogue. Instead it highlights what each character thinks about to oneself."

"Text in italics is not direct dialogue either. It is a subtext which deciphers original dialogue. It is used to provide the deciphered spy dialect for the reader."

**Text surrounded by double asterisks is dialogue communicated through a radio or a phone call.**

Chapter 2 – Murders in Berlint

April 29, 13:02 PM – Western District of Berlint

The afternoon just began. It was broad daylight in Berlint and the citizens were going about their day. In the Western District of the city a State Security Service car was chasing a suspect down the street.

The car's siren was on and it was emitting the distinctive howling sound which filled the entire street. The car's engine was emitting a smooth roar as Lieutenant Hedimann was pressing on the accelerator. The street was short and narrow so there was no need to floor the gas pedal. But, even in this short street the specifically modified security car demonstrated its quick acceleration and enhanced performance when compared to the ordinary cars used by regular citizens. The suspect was running rather fast on the sidewalk. Hedimann successfully adjusted the car's speed as he managed to drive parallel to the running suspect. If not for the vast number of cars parked parallel to the curbs, then he could have easily cut the suspect's running path. Sitting in the passenger seat was Captain Merlich. Merlich grabbed the radio's microphone and contacted the dispatcher.

**This is Captain Merlich. Squad Car #3. We have an emergency situation.**

**We read you Squad Car #3. What's your emergency?** the dispatcher replied.

**Gun wielding suspect. He opened fire on our squad car and now he is running away!**
**Any fatalities?**

** No fatalities. Our car is armored.**

**Elaborate! Who is the suspect? What's your location?**

**We have the suspect in sight! He is about 190 centimeters tall. Masculine figure. Slim built. He is wearing all black! Looks like a greaser! We are chasing him down Baumgraten Street, he is heading in a southern direction towards Paytkull Avenue!**

**Copy that! I am contacting local squads to provide assistance!** the dispatcher concluded.

After that exchange, Captain Merlich switched to the car's loudspeaker. He was intending to call out to the suspect and order him to stop. But, before he could deliver his order, the suspect turned right into a side street. Squad Car #3 drove past the side street. The suspect proceeded to put distance between himself and the car which pursued him.

"Back!" Captain Merlich yelled once he realized that the suspect was heading in a different direction.

Without verbally acknowledging the order, Hedimann acted quickly and swiftly. Hedimann slammed on the brakes and he quickly turned the steering wheel as far as it could turn. The rapid sequence of braking and turning caused the car to lose traction. A squeal filled Baumgraten Street as the car's wheels skidded across the asphalt leaving scuff marks behind. The skidding car made a 180-degree reverse turn. Pedestrians were startled by the scene which was accompanied by the cacophonic squeal. From the side, it looked like the car lost control and was about crash, but Hedimann had it under control. In the few brief moments, he removed his foot from the brake pedal, he downshifted into a lower gear, he straightened out the steering wheel, and he gently applied the gas. The car's wheels regained traction. It drove back and turned into the side street. With this change in the pursuit Captain Merlich delivered an update to the dispatcher.

**The suspect made a right turn! He is now on Vettin Street running in a western direction towards Rosenberg Boulevard.**

**Copy that!** the dispatcher replied.

The car was now on Vettin Street. Captain Merlich immediately started scanning the street trying to isolate the suspect in his eyesight.

"Hedimann! Where is that bum?" Merlich asked.
"I see him on 11 o'clock!"

"I see him too," Merlich notified, "come on Lieutenant catch up to him."
"He isn't getting away from us Captain."

Soon Hedimann managed to catch up and drive parallel to the suspect once again. But, still the suspect was running quite fast without showing any signs of panic. Just as Squad Car #3 was once again parallel to the suspect, the suspect suddenly stopped running and entered a small café on Vettin Street.

Without waiting for direct orders from Captain Merlich, Lieutenant Hedimann slammed on the brakes once again. However, this time he did it much smoothly such that the car did not lose traction. Just as the car's speed declined, Hedimann performed a U-turn and drove back to the café in which the suspect hid. Once their car drove up the café, Hedimann performed a full stop and he engaged the parking brake.

**We have the suspect cornered. He is in the Livius Café located at 6379 Vettin Street. Get the assistance to this address. We are going in after the suspect!** Captain Merlich updated the situation.

**Captain Merlich stand down! Do not enter the café! Assistance is on its way. Stand guard and keep monitoring the suspect.**

**Just get the assistance here. We are taking that culprit down before he goes anywhere else.**

Disregarding the dispatcher's directions, the two officers exited the car with their guns withdrawn. Both officers were fearless against the armed suspect. They entered the Livius Café ready to apprehend the suspect they pursued. Just as they entered the café, the dispatcher was frantically trying to prevent them from doing so.

**Captain stand down! That is a direct order. Captain! Do you read me?**

The dispatcher did not receive a response.

April 29, 13:05 PM – Eastern District of Berlint

On the other side of Berlint, a beige-colored taxi was smoothly cruising through the calm two-lane street. The taxi was occupied by a driver and a passenger. The driver had dark shaggy hair and he was wearing a standard black uniform. The passenger was an adult male who was wearing a grey suit. No one was aware that the passenger was a spy.

WISE agent - codename "Solus."

Right now, agent Solus is on his way to a scheduled meeting for an information relay. Within minutes he is supposed to meet with Nightfall and relay the information he accumulated. Solus was using the taxi as a transportation to reach the meeting place. The taxi was close to reaching the meeting spot.

"Just two more blocks down and you can stop there," Solus said to the driver.

"Umm huh," the driver responded unenthusiastically.

Solus was getting ready to exit the vehicle. He made sure to grab his belongings and leave nothing behind. Solus had a bill in his chest pocket that he was planning to give to the driver. Although Solus was used to acting relaxed around the general populace of Berlint, he was sharp and ready to react if an extreme scenario was to strike unexpectedly. Suddenly, the taxi made a sharp turn and it came to an abrupt stop. Now the taxi was perpendicular to the street blocking traffic in both lanes. Solus became startled for a fraction of a second. By the time he came back to his senses, he heard cars from the outside honking at the stalled taxi. Despite the confusing situation, Solus retained his composure. The abrupt situation forced him to anticipate action. He scanned his surroundings in all four directions. He was anticipating to see SSS officers surrounding him and he already planned several routes of potential escape. However, he did not see any SSS officers in any direction. There were only cars honking at the stalled taxi and pedestrians who gazed at the scene. Solus looked at the driver who was sitting motionless.

"Is something wrong?" Solus asked the driver.

"Ring-a-ring o'roses. A pocket full of posies," the driver responded.

Just then, below the driver's armpit, Solus saw the muzzle of a silenced pistol aimed directly at him.

Before Solus could comprehend the danger of that sight, a shot was fired. A dry cracking sound filled the taxi's interior. The first shot was soon followed by a second shot.

"A-tishoo! A-tishoo!" the driver said.

In the following minute, the driver exited the taxi and walked off from the scene while ignoring the honking cars and the confused pedestrians.

April 29, 13:07 PM – Berlint Central Town Square

Berlint was not yet aware about the incidents which occurred in either of its districts. The central town square was calm as the people were enjoying the rather warm and clear spring day. It was broad daylight and committing any atrocity would be unwise even for a professional criminal. To the misfortune of this calmness, an anxious scream broke the serenity of the town square. The small localized scream immediately alerted dozens of surrounding pedestrians. That small crowd of pedestrians looked at the cause of the disturbance. An intense fight between three people was taking place in the middle of the town square. Two well-dressed gentlemen were fighting against a greaser who was wearing all black. That fight was not a standard brawl which was familiar to the onlookers. This fight involved blood-boiling speed, impossible power, and light-speed maneuvers. Punches were thrown quicker than can be interpreted by the eye. A landed punch caused the one hit to fly across several meters. The maneuvers were beyond human capabilities. The onlookers were paralyzed by the surreal sight. The most they could do was either to stand still or to scream. Not a single onlooker had the thought to intervene in the middle of that fight. The quick fight had only lasted a few seconds at this point, but it seemed like several minutes for the onlookers. Some onlookers began to call for help and cry out at why the police was not here.

Among the chaos that only grew bigger with each passing second, a police whistle could finally be heard. A single police officer rushed through the crowd of onlookers. The officer was blowing a whistle and he had a baton in his hand. The whistle sound had no effect in stopping the brawl as the three fighters continued their battle. With no other choice but to intervene, the police officer charged at the brawlers with his baton raised up in the air. Before anyone knew it, a single swift kick sent the police officer flying away from the fight's epicenter. The officer bounced several times like a basketball before stopping more than 20 meters away from the fight much to the shock of the onlookers. That powerful kick knocked out the police officer. Now there was not a single person who would dare to intervene. The fight continued.

The fight would come to an abrupt end just as quick and unexpectedly as it started. It took the onlookers a few seconds to realize that the brawl was over. They saw the two well-dressed gentlemen lying motionless on the ground. They also saw the greaser running away from the fight scene. Only a few seconds later, the onlookers finally saw the entire picture of the aftermath. Upon realizing what happened, many onlookers were horrified.

April 29, 13:09 PM – Western District of Berlint - 6379 Vettin Street

The day which started peacefully was now becoming more frantic. In the past several minutes, four police cars arrived at Vettin Street. The additional police cars pulled up beside the empty Squad Car #3. Some officers rushed into the café and other officers secured the perimeter around the café. Within seconds, more law enforcement cars arrived at Vettin Street. The cars arrived from both Baumgraten Street and from Rosenberg Boulevard. The sound of police sirens filled the entire street. Within the minute, several State Security Service cars entered the scene. One of those cars entered the scene at a high speed. Just as that one car got closer to the Livius Café, the driver hit the brakes. The car came to a screeching stop. Four SSS officers emerged from the car while the driver remained seated. Second Lieutenant Yuri Briar and his senior Lieutenant were among the four officers who exited the car. They hurriedly walked to the incident scene while maintaining their militarized posture. As they walked towards the café's entrance, the four officers were joined by another group of fellow officers. Yuri took a quick glance at the other group of officers. Right beside himself he saw a familiar person. A coworker he knew from college and the one he could not forget, especially after she slapped him. That person was Officer Chloe. Without using any formal greeting, Yuri asked her a question which got straight to the point of the situation.

"Do you know what happened?"

"I am clueless. We just arrived here," Chloe answered.

By now it was obvious that both of them were poorly informed about the entire incident. Only further investigation could provide more details about the commotion. The entire group of SSS officers entered the Livius Café. Before anyone could analyze the scene or give orders, a police officer approached them. The police officer stopped in front of the SSS officers and he saluted them. He stood at attention and he quickly placed his right hand at the tip of his hat. The SSS officers returned a quick salute in response. Despite this formal salute, the police officer was in an anxious state. His eyes were wide open and there was an audible tremor in his voice.

"Lieutenant!" the police officer started.

"Order arms! Report on the situation," Lieutenant answered.

"It is bad. We need to declare the municipal emergency and lockdown the city."

"How bad is it?" Lieutenant asked with alert in his voice.

"The suspect is gone. Two people are dead. They are ununiformed, but I believe those were your officers."

"Where are they?" Lieutenant asked completely alarmed.

"In the lavatory."

In that very instant Lieutenant dashed towards the café's lavatory. Other officers followed him close behind. The door to the lavatory was wide open and a police officer was standing guard in the doorway. Lieutenant wanted to order the guarding police officer to step aside, but the moment he got close to the entrance he managed to see past the guard and into the lavatory. Even without entering, Lieutenant saw everything he needed in order to comprehend how dire the situation was. Then, Lieutenant turned around to face his fellow officers.

"Start investigating!" he ordered, "I am declaring a municipal-level emergency."

After making that announcement, Lieutenant dashed out of the café to contact forward command. The other officers became curious, but horrified at the same. All of them were in disbelief about this incident causing a city-wide emergency. After Lieutenant left the café, the other officers took a look inside of the lavatory. The sight they saw send shivers throughout their bodies and it filled their minds with disturbance and fear. Inside the lavatory, they saw the corpses of Captain Merlich and Lieutenant Hedimann. Their lifeless bodies laid in a small pool of blood on the floor. Even the eldest and war-hardened officers were paralyzed by this gruesome sight. This sight hit especially hard for younger officers; Yuri and Chloe were no exception.

Lieutenant hastily walked out of the Livius Café. He walked to the closet SSS car. Then, he opened the passenger side door and got inside. Without closing the door, he grabbed the radio and he switched the frequency to contact forward command.

**This is the SSS dispatch at 6379 Vettin Street. Code SQ-77. We have an extreme situation. The city is in potential danger. I am declaring an emergency,** Lieutenant said through the radio.

**Dispatch at 6379 Vettin Street. This is forward command. You are declaring an emergency? Please confirm.**

**Yes. I confirm. I am declaring an emergency.**

**The declaration has been relayed. Dispatch at 6379 Vettin Street, please elaborate. What is the nature of your emergency?**

**Hit-and-run incident. Two State Security Service officers are murdered. The suspect is absent. I repeat, two officers are murdered and the suspect is still on the loose.**

Just as Lieutenant finished relaying those details, a new user entered the radio frequency.

**Forward command! This is the SSS dispatch at Main Street in the Eastern District. Code SQ-77. We have a hit-and-run incident. One fatality. Victim was killed by firearm. The suspect is absent.**

Before forward command could acknowledge the second report, a third user entered the frequency.

**Forward command! This is Squad Car #37 from the Berlint Police Department. Code SQ-77. We have an extreme situation in Central Town Square. There was a brawl in the middle of the town square. Two people were killed. One police officer is knocked unconscious. The suspect fled.**

Every user who shared the frequency was shocked by the overwhelming number of incidents. There was a lengthy period of silence. The silence lasted long enough for it to become awkward. Finally, the dispatcher made a single reply for everyone.

**Attention to all dispatches who reported code SQ-77. The state of emergency has been declared. The city now is in lockdown. Coroners, forensic scientists, and ballistic experts have been deployed to each location. Continue investigating and report if you have any updates.**

**Copy that!** all three dispatches replied.

After finishing that radio relay, Lieutenant put the radio down and he got out of the car. By this point, the investigation was ongoing to the fullest extent. As Lieutenant started walking back to the crime scene, he saw Yuri exiting the Livius Café. There was visible distraught on Yuri's face. Without guessing, Lieutenant immediately knew the cause of Yuri's distress. Lieutenant approached Yuri.
"Are you alright?" Lieutenant tried to reassure Yuri.

For a short while, Yuri was blank. It took him a second to realize that Lieutenant asked him a question. The moment Yuri recognized his own delay due to shock, he realized that he must restore his composure.
"I am fine. This is all just too unexpected," Yuri answered while trying his best to remain calm and cold-faced.

"It is alright. I am startled as well," Lieutenant reassured Yuri.

The fact that his senior officer was startled as well provided Yuri with some reassurance. He felt slightly eased, but he was still haunted by the sudden demise of Merlich and Hedimann. There was a brief moment of awkward silence between them. Even the sound of sirens did not provide enough of a distraction to douse the awkwardness. Yuri stared off into the distance. He was not looking at anything particular, instead he looked into the distance at something that was not there.

"They were veterans? Right?" Yuri asked with disbelief.

"Yes. Veterans of the war and veterans of the SSS," Lieutenant answered.

"They are now both dead," Yuri stated rhetorically.

"Yes. They are dead. Now we must do our best to catch the culprit," Lieutenant smoothly transitioned into their current reality.

That smooth transition was enough to shake Yuri out of his shocked state. Yuri shook his head and he blinked several times. He regained his focus and his composure. He quit staring off into the distance and he looked directly at Lieutenant.

"Buck up Yuri," Yuri encouraged himself, "you cannot allow a single tragedy to unsettle you this much. You must be strong. You serve in the SSS so that you can protect others from such tragedies. Including your sister!"

"Pardon me," Yuri started confidently, "I was temporarily startled. We have started the investigation."

Now that Yuri was out of the distressed state; Lieutenant too put his mind back into the investigation.

"I have contacted forward command," Lieutenant started, "the emergency is declared and the city is in lockdown. But, there are bad news as well."

"What are the bad news?" Yuri asked.

"As I was on the radio, forward command received two additional reports from two different incidents. Both reported code SQ-77."

This information shocked Yuri. One incident was stressful enough, but now there were a total of three incidents throughout the city.

"Pardon me," Yuri started clarifying, "you mean that there is now a total of three incidents with code SQ-77?"

"Yes," Lieutenant answered, "at least three more people were killed besides Merlich and Hedimann."

"So, a total of three incidents and five dead people?"

"Yes."

"Any suspects?"

"None so far, but now the entire agency is working on it."

Then, Lieutenant looked over Yuri's shoulder in the direction of the café. After a split second, he looked back at Yuri before asking.

"How is the investigation? Any evidence? Details? Witness accounts?"

"Witness accounts are in progress," Yuri started, "we investigated the scene and we found some evidence. But, that evidence only complicates the entire incident."
"Explain," Lieutenant asked.

"In the lavatory, where Merlich and Hedimann were killed, we found a silenced pistol. The pistol is unloaded. But, there are no signs of gunfire taking place anywhere in the café. Furthermore, both Merlich and Hedimann were killed by a bladed weapon. That fact makes it difficult to explain why a pistol was used. We are currently searching for fingerprints and questioning the witnesses."

There was a brief pause after that explanation. Lieutenant thought over the details provided by Yuri. Meanwhile, Yuri was surprised by himself. Despite the shock, he managed to effectively remember the details of the crime scene. He even managed to formally explain it to his senior officer. This pragmatic professionalism helped Yuri to reassure himself and to calm down. He was now professionally dedicated to investigating the incident without any drawbacks.

"An unloaded pistol?" Lieutenant asked with a bit of confusion.

"Yes," Yuri answered.

Lieutenant once again went silent while thinking about their next course of action.

"Is there anything else inside worth investigating?" Lieutenant asked.

"No," Yuri answered, "there are enough officers inside to handle the preliminary investigation. I preferred to avoid overcrowding the scene."

"True," Lieutenant agreed, "criminalistics experts have been deployed. Let's keep the scene secure and wait for them."

Although Yuri's explanation for being outside was logical, Lieutenant knew that it was only a part of the truth. It was hard for either of them to admit it, but both Yuri and Lieutenant were still disturbed by the incident. Death was something they both encountered in their line of work. Both of them were hard-boiled and professional when encountering death. But, this one incident was different. This incident was not the death of a random individual. This was an incident which took away the lives of their fellow officers. The officers whom they both knew, and to whom they spoke earlier in the day. Even tough Lieutenant recommended them to secure the perimeter, they soon realized that it was pointless for them to do so. The perimeter around the Livius Café was already secured by dozens of policemen. As a result of the scene being secure, both of them stood on the spot without a task. It was dreadful to stand idle in the middle of a warm search. The crime scene was fresh and there was a lot of evidence to follow, but there was nothing they could do in order to solve this incident in a matter of minutes. They both tried to think of something they could do. Just then, Lieutenant remembered something he should have done from the moment the investigation started.

"Their car!" Lieutenant mentioned.

"What?" Yuri asked.

"We need to examine their car! Follow me!"

After mentioning the need to examine the car, Lieutenant walked off towards Squad Car #3 with Yuri lagging behind him. In a matter of a few wide strides both of them approached Squad Car #3. Right from the spot, they saw something odd. The windshield of Squad Car #3 was completely cracked. It looked like a spider weaved his web across the entire windshield from one edge to another. In the entangled pattern of the cracked windshield, they noticed eight spots which looked like spider web hubs. With some closer inspection Lieutenant noticed that those spots were made by bullet impact. That oddness was enough for them to investigate the car thoroughly.

"Yuri," Lieutenant started clarifying, "this is Squad Car #3, right? This is the car Merlich and Hedimann left in when they went on patrol?"

"Yes, this is Squad Car #3 and yes this is the car they were in when they went on patrol," Yuri confirmed.

"You got gloves on?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Get behind the wheel."

"Why?"

"Just get behind the wheel. I need to double-check something."

Yuri became confused at the strange request of his senior officer. Nevertheless, he acknowledged the request. Yuri walked around Squad Car #3 to reach the driver-side door. He opened it and he got inside. He closed the door and sat still with his hands on his knees. Yuri avoided touching anything. To his surprise, Lieutenant got inside the car as well. They were now both sitting inside of the car with Yuri sitting in the driver's seat and Lieutenant sitting in the passenger seat. Still confused by Lieutenant's request, Yuri silently looked towards Lieutenant who was looking deeply at the cracked windshield.

"Yuri, you said that there was a silenced pistol found in the lavatory," Lieutenant started.

"Yes," Yuri answered.

"What model was the pistol?"

"I believe it was a standard Walther PP with a silencer."

After answering that question, Yuri expected to hear some sort of a response or explanation. Instead, Lieutenant went silent again. Lieutenant continued to look deeply at the cracked windshield carefully examining each spot. It became obvious to Yuri that Lieutenant was seriously thinking about something. Yuri did not know what exactly was on Lieutenant's mind, but he knew that staying silent was the best he could currently do. While staying silent, Yuri looked at the cracked windshield. There was little he could see through the cracked glass, but Yuri was just trying to keep his mind distracted by looking at something. He was doing so because he felt creeped out by sitting in the driver's seat. Just a few minutes ago the same seat was occupied by a fellow officer who was now deceased. Yuri sat still as continuous waves of chills ran through his entire body. Then, in the right side of his peripheral vision Yuri saw movement. Yuri once again turned his head to look at Lieutenant. This time, Lieutenant was shifting his gaze in a specific pattern. Lieutenant first looked at Yuri's head, then at his chest. Next, Lieutenant looked at the windshield before looking at his own chest. He repeated that staring pattern several times. At last, he finished looking.

"That's it. Let's get out," Lieutenant ordered.

They both exited Squad Car #3. Yuri exited it hurriedly and he was relieved by exiting the eerie car. Upon taking a deep breath of refreshing air he looked at Lieutenant who was thoughtfully thinking.

"Pardon me," Yuri said, "but what did you need to double-check?"

Lieutenant was silent. Instead of directly answering the question, he spent several seconds thinking about the details. With a heavy look on his face Lieutenant rubbed his chin. There was an impression that Lieutenant figured out something, but he himself wanted for it to be untrue. Finally, he let out a heavy sigh full of complication and uneasiness before answering.

"The windshield is cracked because it was shot at. These spots are places where bullets impacted," Lieutenant pointed towards the spots on car's cracked windshield.

Yuri was aware of the windshield being shot at before Lieutenant's explanation, but he hoped that Lieutenant would continue explaining without taking a long pause. Thankfully, Lieutenant continued the explanation without tormenting Yuri with more dreadful pauses.

"If the pistol you found was a Walther PP chambered with the .32 caliber, then it would have a magazine capacity of eight rounds. There are eight spots on the windshield and you said that the pistol was unloaded."

"You mean that the culprit opened fire on their car with the pistol?" Yuri asked.

"Not only that, while sitting inside of the car I noticed that every shot was aimed to hit the head and chest of the car's occupants."

It took a while for Yuri to process that information and to draw a conclusion.

"Wait . . .You mean that . . ." Yuri stammered.

"Yes. The culprit attempted to kill them by shooting through the windshield. If their car wasn't armored, then they both would have been killed in the car."

That conclusion was logical, but it still left several questions unanswered. Lieutenant's deduction generated a reasonable hypothesis; however, that hypothesis required forensic expertise in order to be tested. Yuri stood still while thinking about the hypothesis. The new details which they discovered shed some light on the crime scene, but it also confused the entire picture. As Yuri tried to understand the logic and the intent behind the crime's sequence, Lieutenant got back inside Squad Car #3. This time Lieutenant did not sit inside. Instead he was searching for any valuable pieces of evidence. Although he knew that it was unlikely for him to find anything valuable, he still searched the entire car thoroughly. There was nothing unordinary besides the eerie atmosphere of the car's interior and the cracked windshield. Everything else inside of the car was intact and undamaged. The only thing which caught Lieutenant's attention was a photo camera. A standard issue State Security Service photo camera loaded with 35mm film. He grabbed it and he got out of the car. Lieutenant looked down at the camera.

"Their camera?" Yuri asked while looking at Lieutenant.

"Yes," Lieutenant answered.

"Do you think that it may contain some serious evidence?"

"It is a possibility. We'll have to hand it over for processing."

By the time Lieutenant finished answering Yuri's question, a special SSS van turned into Vettin Street. The van's siren was on, but it was driving slowly. Upon seeing that van, both Yuri and Lieutenant became more energetic.

"Forensics are here!" Yuri notified the moment he saw the van.

"Got it," Lieutenant answered.

The crime scene was confusing and the arrival of additional officers with forensic experts was to the benefit of the investigation. Both officers were rather excited for the upcoming expertise. Before the van could pull up close to the Livius Café, the two officers heard someone call out from behind.

"Lieutenant!"

The two lieutenants turned around to see who called out. They both saw Chloe approaching them. The moment she got closer to them she stood at attention and she gave a standard salute.

"Sir, investigation progress report," Chloe said.

"Order arms," Lieutenant started, "I am already informed about several details of the investigation. Are there any valuable witness accounts?"

Chloe dropped the salute before answering.

"Sir, we have questioned the witnesses and we have gathered some accounts. But, all of those accounts are vague. None of the witnesses saw the murder happen and some witnesses did not become aware of it until our arrival."

This answer shattered the expectations of both lieutenants. They both expected the witnesses to provide some insight into the obscure crime scene. Yet, now they learnt that the witnesses are just as clueless as they were. A critical wave of disbelief struck Lieutenant's mind. He found it hard to believe that such a mad, yet stealthy, crime could take place in broad daylight.

"Christoff," Lieutenant started, "confirm it if I understood it correctly. Right now, two of our fellow officers were murdered in that very café. They were murdered in a public place in the middle of the day. There are dozens of witnesses in that café and none of those witnesses saw anything?"

"Yes sir. That is correct," Chloe answered with a sense of fault in her voice.

There was a second of silence after that exchange. That single second seemed like several minutes. Yuri once again became distraught. The same was true for Chloe. They were in the middle of a warm search, but there was little they could do and there was not much evidence for them to follow. Although Yuri and Chloe were different in terms of character and personality, both of them were now similar in their behavior and thought process. Both of them tried to remain calm and poker faced as they stood still. At the same time, they shared a common thought: They both hoped that they would be capable of catching the culprit. Otherwise, they would despise themselves for the failure in their line of work.

This situation was not pleasant for Lieutenant either. Unlike his two young subordinates, he was hardened by time and by the horrors of war. He should have been able to handle the incident passively. But even he felt distraught and lost. Losing two fellow officers and battle comrades in a single instance hit him hard. The hard feeling was further exacerbated by his sense of powerlessness. His comrades were dead and the suspect fled the crime scene. If the suspect would not be caught, then Lieutenant would experience the atrocious feeling of injustice. A feeling he has not experienced ever since the war ended. However, he was more hard boiled than the younger officers were, so despite being as equally distraught as Yuri and Chloe were, he was more calm and collected.

Only a few awkward seconds passed since the officers finished their last exchange. Without allowing his emotions to take over his reason, Lieutenant remembered the basics of proceeding in such complicated cases. One of the first steps to proceed was to fill in the gaps of uncertainty. He needed to figure out how the suspect looked and how the events unfolded.

"Christoff," Lieutenant broke the awkward silence, "someone should have saw something. What are their accounts? What did they see?"

"Sir, the accounts provided by the witnesses are vague. But, most of them correlate to one version of events," Chloe answered.

"What is that one version?"

"They heard a siren. Then they saw a tall, slim, man calmly enter the café. The man was wearing all black. They all agreed that the man looked like a greaser. The greaser quickly chatted with the barista before stepping inside of the lavatory. Shortly after, they saw Merlich and Hedimann enter the café with their weapons drawn. Both officers silently scanned the café before entering the lavatory. Next, the greaser calmly exited the lavatory. The greaser once again chatted with the barista before calmly leaving the café. The next thing they saw was the police and the SSS entering the scene. There were no witnesses present in the lavatory during the time of the murder. None of the witnesses heard any noise from the lavatory. Some witnesses recommended for us to question the barista."

"Did you question the barista?"

"No sir. The barista is a young female worker. She is currently in a state of shock and is incapable of comprehending our questions."

By this time, the special SSS van pulled up to the Livius Café and it came to a stop. Several forensic experts exited the van and approached the secured perimeter. Some experts were wearing their standard uniform while others were dressed casually. But, every expert had a briefcase full of tools and investigation supplies. The experts walked up to the three officers. Without delivering a formal salute, one of the experts got directly to the job.

"Lieutenant," one of the experts said, "we were dispatched from forward command to investigate the scene."

"Let's proceed," Lieutenant started commanding, "Briar, you go with the ballistic experts. Show them the pistol and Squad Car #3. If possible, then search the nearby streets and try to find the bullets and the casings."

"Yes sir!" Yuri replied.

"Christoff," Lieutenant said to Chloe, "continue questioning the witnesses. Try to find new details and evidence. Let me know when the barista is ready to provide an account."

"Yes sir!" Chloe answered.

"Coroners, with me," Lieutenant ordered.

Within the moment, the entire group of officers and experts split into several smaller groups. Each small group got to its appropriate task. The hideous atmosphere of the crime scene on Vettin Street was now becoming less dreadful as the investigation got up to speed.

April 29, 13:14 PM – WISE Safe House D

Just several minutes ago agent Twilight was in Berlint General Hospital. He was sitting in his office and writing his research. Just like yesterday, he felt slightly uneasy because the day was too quiet. He spent the first half of the day without any assignments or updates from WISE. Unlike yesterday, he actually managed to enjoy the silence a tiny bit. Deep down he hoped for more peaceful silence. But, fate decided otherwise.

Just when Loid thought that the day would be as calm as yesterday, the phone in his office rang. Upon answering the phone, he received unsettling news. WISE HQ in Ostania declared an emergency. An emergency which required Twilight's presence.

Now, Twilight was on his way to WISE Safe House D. As he walked through the street towards the hidden entrance, he was alarmed by the amount of noise on the street. The once peaceful streets, which used to be filled with the sounds of life, were now filled with the sounds of police sirens. It was not just a few individual sirens. Dozens, if not hundreds, of sirens echoed and overlapped one another throughout the entire city of Berlint. The thunderous noise of police sirens resembled an air-raid siren. It seemed like a war has started. That resemblance in noise threw Twilight's mind back into several awkward memories which he immediately ignored.

Twilight was also bothered by the number of police cars which drove by him. He was walking through a single street and he saw more than a dozen of law enforcement cars driving into every direction and into every side street. Never before has Twilight witnessed the city in such a heated situation. None of his previous experiences were even close to matching the current tumult.

"Just when you were wishing for calm serenity; you get a municipal crisis. You should be more careful with wishful thinking Twilight!" he thought to himself.

He continued walking towards the hidden entrance while continuously scanning his surroundings. He ensured that no one was following him and that he did not seem too suspicious as a pedestrian. It would be a terrible outcome if an incidental police car was to apprehend him. Thankfully for him, the emergency situation provided a perfect cover. All of the police was too preoccupied with their own respective tasks in order to suspect Twilight. He continued walking down the street in a calm, collected, manner.

Just as he got closer to reaching the hidden entrance, he became more anxious. Dozens of theories and scenarios ran through his mind. Twilight felt apprehensive. Every possible thought pressured his mind. At first he thought about the likelihood of a crisis breaking out with consequential affairs. Then he thought about the possibility of war breaking out. He even thought about the worst possible scenario which was the complete compromise of WISE operations in Ostania.

"Does that mean the end of the Forger family?" Twilight thought.

The moment he thought about it was the moment he once again caught himself being too invested in his familial worries.

"It would have ended either way. But, right now you don't know anything! Just get to the safe house and figure everything out. Then jump to conclusions!" Twilight concluded for himself.

After a short walk, which felt like a marathon, he turned around the corner. There he finally saw the familiar photo booth. Twilight quickly checked his surroundings. Once he ensured that the coast was clear he stepped into the photo booth. He covered his presence by pulling over the curtain. Then, he quickly sat down; he dropped a coin into the apparatus; and he looked into the mirror with a straight face.

The next sequence played out at its usual pace, but in this situation, it felt painfully slow. The apparatus took a photo. A few seconds passed before the hidden entrance started functioning and Twilight began descending into Safe House D. As the lift descended Twilight stood up and faced the opening doors. He spent the next several sluggish moments waiting for the lift to finish descending. At a certain point, he started thinking about what to expect when he enters the safe house. His mind foresaw many possibilities, but he never chose one to believe in.

At last, the lift came to a stop. The doors slowly opened. On the other side of the doors, in the lobby of Safe House D, Twilight saw Nightfall. She was standing in the lobby and looking at the elevator as if she was guarding it. Just as Twilight stepped into the lobby, the poker-faced Nightfall calmly asked him.

"What took you so long?"

Although Twilight was personally aware about his unprofessional delay, that was not a question he expected to hear in such a situation. Nightfall on the other hand experienced mixed emotions. She scolded herself for asking such a stupid question. At the same time, she felt instantaneous relief because her fear did not come true.

"Thank goodness!" Nightfall thought, "He is alive and unharmed."

Before Twilight could comprehend Nightfall's question, yet alone answer it, Nightfall asked a second, more appropriate, question.

"Were you followed?"

Twilight decided to ignore the first question as he answered.

"I was not followed."

"Everyone is gathered. They are now waiting for us."

Then, Nightfall simply turned away and she started walking towards the main office of the safe house. Twilight proceeded to walk in the same direction and he caught up to Nightfall. The moment they were walking side by side Twilight asked.

"There are sirens all over the city. What happened?"

"Solus was murdered," Nightfall answered.

That information sent a startling shock through Twilight. He briefly gasped once he heard that a fellow agent was murdered, but Twilight managed to stop himself before the shock became evident on his face.

"I would guess that this situation is worse than we can expect?" Twilight asked.

"Right now we have an emergency meeting. We still have to figure out how bad it is."

Soon, the two agents reached the main office. The atmosphere in the office was chaotic. Not only was it more crowded than usual, but it was also noisier than either of the two agents could ever remember. Small groups of agents were standing in every spot of the office. Some groups stood quietly while some groups engaged in heated conversations. One conversation overlapped the other. The noise was made even louder by multiple tones of phones ringing, alarms beeping, and furious operators yelling. The scene resembled a heated command point during a battle. If there was also the noise of gunfire to accompany this chaos, then it would have looked like war.

In the midst of this chaos, the two agents managed to find their Handler who was standing behind her desk. Sylvia was also caught in the chaos of the emergency as she was occupied with hearing one report from a single agent before providing a reply to the question of a second agent. However, Sylvia found a brief moment to catch a glimpse of Nightfall and Twilight arriving into the office. After noticing their arrival, she pulled out a military whistle. Both Nightfall and Twilight saw her intent and they both managed to cover their ears before their Handler blew the whistle. A piercing noise echoed throughout the soundproof office. That noise was loud enough to startle everyone, but more importantly it was loud enough to catch everyone's attention. Everyone was silent in the office by the time Sylvia finished whistling. Once everyone stopped talking and payed attention to Sylvia, she said.

"Attention please. We are currently in an emergency situation."

Before she said anything else, she wanted to get rid of the extra noise in the office. Those included the alarm and the phone noises. She looked at the radio operators.

"Turn it off!" she ordered to the operators.

"All of it?" one operator asked in response.

"Continue listening to the P.D. and SSS channels. But, turn off the alarms and switch off the phones. They are annoying."

Without providing a verbal acknowledgement, the operator flipped several switches. Once he flipped the switches all of the extra noise was gone. The alarms were no longer beeping and the phones were no longer ringing. Now the office's atmosphere was close to complete silence. With silence established inside of the office, Sylvia continued.

"Everyone! Listen carefully. I won't be repeating myself. Right now, between 13:05 and 13:06 one of our agents was murdered. Agent Solus was murdered in a taxi on Main Street in the Eastern District of Berlint. The murder took place on a public road during the day. The murderer successfully fled the scene. Worst yet, the scene is now entirely secured by the SSS."

Sylvia took a brief pause. All of the agents present in the office silently absorbed that information.

"This murder is a serious concern for our operations," Sylvia continued, "someone, somehow, managed to identify, to track down, and to murder one of our agents while he was in the middle of an assignment. This murder is too complicated in order to be an accident."

Just as Sylvia was about to continue her explanation, one of the operators interpreted the briefing.

"Ma'am!" one of the operators yelled out.

Everyone turned to face the radio operators. Sylvia tensed up in frustration due to that interruption.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I just received more confirmed information," the operator reported.

"Report," Sylvia responded.

"Four more people were killed elsewhere in the city at around the same time agent Solus was murdered. Two of the four were SSS officers."

"The other two?" Sylvia asked.

"We're still figuring it out. But, the other information is that all murders were perpetrated by suspects who looked like greasers."

"Greasers?"

"Yes ma'am. The P.D. and the SSS are searching for and detaining suspects who look like greasers."

Those new details shed some light on the current emergency which WISE was experiencing. On the other hand, it complicated the overall picture because now it was not just a targeted neutralization of a single WISE agent. The entire emergency now seemed like a planned attack.

"Ma'am! It's now official," a second operator announced, "the city is in an emergency state and in lockdown. All flights from the city are canceled and all planes are grounded. All trains from the city are canceled as well. All of the roads and highways from the city have been blocked."

The introduction of more troublesome information only increased the amount of suspense and pressure that everyone was experiencing.

"Continue monitoring their channels," Sylvia ordered with slight worry, "report to me if you hear anything about our operations being compromised."

"Yes ma'am!" the operator replied.

A few seconds of silence followed. Everyone was dead silent in anticipation of new information or orders.

"Agent Nightfall!" Sylvia called out.

"Yes ma'am," Nightfall replied from the crowd.

"Agent Nightfall," Sylvia looked at her, "you were the one present at the scene and you were the one to report the emergency."

"Yes ma'am. That is correct."

"Can you give us a detailed account of the events?"

"Yes ma'am."

Nightfall took a quick pause in order to gather her thoughts correctly. She needed to remember every detail of the scene she witnessed. All of the agents had their attention on Nightfall by the time she started recounting.

"According to my recent assignment," Nightfall started in her calm, official, manner, "I was supposed to meet with Solus for an information relay. We arranged to meet near Main Street in the Eastern District at 13:05. It was exactly 13:05, but Solus did not arrive. I did not bother too much about that delay because Solus ran difficult covert operations. He would usually be late by 30 to 90 seconds. At about 13:05:45, that is 45 seconds late, I heard an increased amount of traffic honking coming from Main Street. I interpreted it as a regular traffic occurrence. However, as 90 seconds passed after our designated meeting time I became concerned because Solus was nowhere in sight. In the next few seconds I decided to investigate the source of increased traffic honking. I walked to Main Street. Once I looked into Main Street I saw a taxi. The taxi was stalled in the middle of the street and the driver was missing. The taxi's right rear passenger door was opened. Some bystanders and pedestrians stood still near the opened door and they were looking into the interior. All of them were silent and paralyzed. I approached the taxi closer. Just as I approached the other bystanders and looked into the interior, I saw a corpse in the taxi's back seat. It was Solus. He was shot twice. Once in the heart and once in the head. Next, I acted quickly. I created a makeshift disguise. I wrapped a scarf around my head and I put on sunglasses. I quickly searched his body and the entire back seat area. I found nothing. There was not even something as simple as a coin or a stamp. Whatever information Solus was carrying was gone. At last, I left the scene, I reported the emergency, and I made my way here."

New details of the incident further complicated everyone's understanding of the emergency. Such an incident was too odd when compared to the situations WISE experienced before. There was a sense of guilt, tension, and anxiety in the air. The murder of Solus was already a serious issue. But, the complete compromise of his operation and the absence of any material he was relaying was even worse. It meant a disruption of WISE operations in Berlint and it meant a wide range of consequences for WISE in the near future.

Sylvia asked the first logical question which came into her mind.

"Were you followed on your way here?"

"No," Nightfall answered "I purposefully took a long route to the auxiliary entrance. I switched my disguise and walking techniques several times. I also checked my surroundings five times. I was not followed."

Sylvia took a moment to formulate her next question. As she formulated it, she tried to ask the most logical question in order to identify either a cause or a solution.

"Nightfall," Sylvia began, "can you identify any source of information leakage?"

"No ma'am," Nightfall answered, "Solus arranged the meeting according to the top-tier standards of WISE. There is no source of leakage that I can identify."

"How did you prearrange the meeting with Solus?"

"The strategy Solus used to arrange our meeting was to rapidly change the meeting time and place at the last minute. As far as I know, that strategy helped him to maintain confidentiality during the past few years. Yesterday at 21:43, I received a ciphered note in my mailbox. The cipher included an initial meeting time and meeting place. Then, today at 8:13 in the morning I received a call from Solus. He provided me with the new meeting time and place. The new meeting was arranged to occur at 12:43 in the Livius Café located at 6379 Vettin Street in the Western District. I arrived to the Livius Café and I waited inside. At 12:43, the café's phone rang. The barista answered it before handing it over to me. It was Solus. He gave me the new meeting arrangement. That is when we arranged to meet near Main Street in the Eastern District at 13:05."

"Did he ever use formal language when arranging the meeting?"

"No ma'am, Solus used informal ciphered language. He did not say any of the details directly."

Everyone took the time to make sense of Nightfall's account. Each agent tried to find a gap or a lead from Nightfall's story. Sylvia examined the entire situation. Once she planned a course of actions, she delivered her orders.

"Listen up! Here is how we are going to work. All of the rookies and newly arrived operatives go to the east wing of the safe house. Your task is to identify and analyze everything Solus did in the past 72 hours. Try to find anything unusual or flawed in his actions. Your second task is to identify anyone who was in contact with Solus in the past 72 hours. Tell any of our operatives who were in contact with him to get off the radar until further noticed. Shaw, you are in charge of the rookies. Report if you make any progress."

"Yes ma'am," Shaw replied, "rookies, follow me."

All of the rookies and new operatives followed agent Shaw out of the main office. Soon, the main office became less crowded as there was now more moving space and breathing room.

"Next, do any of you have any theories or ideas about this whole incident," Sylvia asked the rest of the agents who remained in the office.

All of the agents stood silent.

"Should we check out the Livius Café for any source of leakage?" one of the agents asked.

From a certain perspective that recommendation was logical. If the café's phone was tapped, then it could have exposed the location of both Nightfall and Solus. But, then why would the murderer target only Solus? Another drawback of that recommendation was time. More than 30 minutes passed after Solus called the café. If there was any source of espionage, then by now it was most likely gone. Before Sylvia could refute or support that recommendation, one of the operators interpreted them.

"Ma'am, the Livius Café at 6379 Vettin Street is secured by the SSS,"

"Do you know why?" Sylvia asked.

"That's where the two SSS officers were murdered," the operator answered.

Now the entire incident became more mysterious and significantly more puzzling.

"So," Sylvia started recapping, "what do we have? Multiple murders which took place at the same time. Five people were murdered; two of them were SSS officers; two are still unknown; and one of them was Solus. The information Solus relayed is missing. The attack was perpetrated by greasers and the city is now in lockdown. Last known form of contact that Solus initiated was a phone call to the Livius Café. The café is now secured by the SSS."

After finishing the recap, Sylvia started to think thoughtfully. All of the other agents were thinking as well. Everyone tried to find a connection in-between the lines of their current mystery.

"Could it be an assassination?" Twilight asked.

"Elaborate," Sylvia answered.

"I know too little about the operations Solus performed. But, if he had tasks to perform stings or infiltrate crime syndicates, then he could have gotten some foes motivated against him. Let us assume that his foes identified him as a government agent. This assumption means that they could have been following Solus for a long time. Then, today they decided to kill him and to take away anything he carried assuming that it could have been compromising material."

"Sounds reasonable," Sylvia answered, "but then why would they bother killing him in broad daylight in the middle of a busy street? The other question is what about the other four? Why were they killed?"

When Twilight proposed that first theory, he himself knew that it was improbable. Despite that awareness, he brought it forward. He did it in an attempt to challenge his fear about the worst-case scenario. Twilight did not want to believe in the worst possible scenario. Unfortunately for him, the worst scenario was now their current reality.

"What if it is a provocation perpetrated by the SSS?" Twilight proposed his second theory.

"Provocation?" Sylvia asked with intrigue.

"What if the SSS decided to adapt a different tactic against us? Instead of detaining and interrogating our agents they decided to neutralize them. Now they are using their turmoil to lockdown the city and to subdue our operations."

"You think they would sacrifice two of their own officers for this plot?" Nightfall attempted to refute Twilight's theory.

"But here is the catch, we do not actually know if those two officers are really dead. We only know about it from their radio channels. None of us actually saw the two dead officers and none of us identified them as SSS officers. It is most likely a diversion to throw us off guard while they deal us a critical hit," Twilight analyzed.

"Plausible," Sylvia supported Twilight's analysis, "in this case we need to figure out their plan and we need to quickly recover the information Solus was relaying."

"I would also guess that they could try exploiting this mayhem for destabilization purposes," Twilight suggested the worst part of his theory.

Twilight's theory put everyone into a stupor. Dead silence filled the office once again because Twilight's last proposition was the worst possible scenario for all of them. If the mayhem in Berlint was to affect political affairs on an international level, then a scandal or a crisis would burst into the outer world. It would mean that all of them failed their duty of protecting peace and safety. Soon the silence became awkward. Twilight felt distraught by the soundlessness. As a result, he asked a question that was in everyone's mind.

"What if they decide to exploit this emergency to disrupt the World's Fair International Exposition in Bonnt?"

"It is possible," Sylvia thought out loud, "there are still dozens of Ostanian participants who are yet to depart for Westalis. Now that the city is in lockdown there is a chance that those participants will not attend the Exposition. This misfortune is not to our benefit because Ostania can hold WISE responsible for the crisis."

That logic was enough for everyone to understand how serious this situation can become.

"Will they have enough evidence?" Nightfall asked.

"If the SSS killed Solus, then it is likely that they have the information he was relaying. That information will be enough to expose him as a spy. Therewithal this city is their territory. They can say whatever they want and we are currently at a disadvantage against them," Sylvia answered.

"Then now is the time to act," Twilight suggested.

"Right," Sylvia started "we'll need to complete two things. A - we need to ensure the security of our current operations and prevent any further compromise. B – despite the risk we may need to infiltrate the SSS ranks and get a hold of everything they know and everything they plan."

Before Sylvia could give out more detailed instructions, the phone on her desk rang. All of the agents present in the office were already adapted to the environment without ringing phones. As a result, they became startled by this sudden phone call. Everyone in the office looked at Sylvia's ringing phone. Sylvia looked at the phone on her desk. She gave a direct order for the phones to be switched off, but now she was faced with an incoming phone call. The irritated Handler, who was faced with an emergency situation, became more frustrated and annoyed at the incoming phone call. She diverted her attention from the phone by turning her head to face the operators. To her surprise, and slight confusion, the operators were too looking at her ringing phone. Sylvia looked straight into their eyes.

"I told you to switch them off!" Sylvia shouted at the operator.

"But, I switched them off!" the confused operator shouted back.

The confused, slightly nervous, operator then pointed his finger at the switch that was responsible for switching off the phones. The switch was in the "OFF" position. It was both theoretically and technically impossible for a phone in the safe house to receive an incoming call. However, the current situation was that Sylvia's phone was ringing. Everyone felt haunted at the abnormal phone call because it was unforeseen.

"If you switched them off, then who is calling?" Sylvia asked.

The Handler tried her best to sound confident and decisive when she asked that question, but there was a tremor noticeable in her voice.
* * *