The enemy
(Third person's pov)
Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
Nothing else could be heard in that room but the constant dripping of a red liquid - blood. Since the captives stubbornly shut their mouths too prideful to even let out a gasp.
She pressed the ice pick harder on his thigh making him bit in his lips harder drawing out blood in the process.
Over the week the interrogation didn't have much progress. Ok, cross that out. Did not really have any progress at all. So she decided to use some... force.
"Kami, help me if I accidentally kill you. So let's start from the basic. Who sent you?" Twisting the object, she said earning another glare from the second captive. The sound of the flesh being inhumanely dealt with was sickening but she didn't fazed.
She actually craves for this session to come. It would just make things interesting.
"B-boss." The same answer since the last thirty minutes.
"We have n-no other information about him. Even if y-you'll k-kill us." A shaking voice sounded in her right, from the other captive.
It irked her. So much. But keeping her calm, she stated in a measured tone. "Well then, I think your families would suffer the same fate as you both have."
Fear evident in their eyes. It looked like they're begging her not to do what they thought she would do. She closed the door with a bang and that is the only time she let her mask drop, irritation replaced the emotionless face she always wore on sessions like those.
"That was unnecessary." Soft voice said on her back.
"Was it really?" She said back.
"Don't-"
"Yes. Yes, Ryou I won't push myself too hard. *huff* I'm actually enjoying it." That probably wasn't the right words she's suppose to say when placating a worried man down. Imagining Ryou's face filled with horror, knowing that she loves to torture people, almost made her explode in a fit of laughter. But it's Ryouji Hest we're talking about. He doesn't evoke that kind of face.
"Fine. It was only an empty threat. I bet they also know that."
Ryou nods, letting her comment slide. "The tracking team reached to another dead end, unsurprisingly. But they are already tracing another track; hopefully the result won't be the same."
"Hai. It's been a hell of one week not knowing anything or even leads. This just proves that they have really prepared." Unlike us.
"We'll find the loophole in the situation. Turn it in our advantage."
"Ah, it sometimes slips my knowledge that you were once the best assault member nii always brags about."
"I've been trying." They chuckled softly. Not touching the past best gives them a comrade relationship that they need especially in times like these.
-
"Yo! Chehon, Krista." Dre greeted loudly.
"Dre. I'm accompanying hime to her next class." Chi offhandedly said while Krista just looked at Dre.
"Ohh, of course! Wouldn't want hime to get attacked with the situation we're in right now." He joked. But Krista's eye narrowed.
Feeling the air tense at his comment, Dre inwardly smiled.
"Yeah, we'll go first." Chi subtly excused them.
"I'll tag along, Chi. Don't worry hime's completely off my hook. She's all yours." He whispered the last part as he slung his arm in Chi's shoulder.
He could only heave a sigh. Krista is not talking to him and he don't know if something is wrong or if it is just about the situation they are in or if it is about the unexpected treat she gave him last week. And mostly he isn't really up to Dre's childish remarks though he’s a bit relieved that the other man is not planning any advances towards Krista.
Krista suddenly stopped. They all looked in front to where she is looking. She met again the couple from the last time at the same place. Coincidence.
"Liam, Kim! Well, well, well. Where have you two been the last time?" The four exchange looks of greeting. Chi smiled at them. It suddenly struck him that they rarely see each other nowadays. "The ones who were present were Chi, Ry and me - of course. They didn't even really stayed, more like pass by. They begrudgingly arrived after a hundred of my messages and calls. But it was boring; really Chi was glum 'cuz-"
"Dang, that's why we didn't went yeah." Dre shook of the guy's hand which is covered in his face.
Chi could have kissed him there and then for stopping Dre's rant.
"What do you mean by that exactly?" He retorted.
"That means, we were busy with something." The girl replied, suggesting something in her statement, her hand latched on the guy's arm, before her gaze landed on the other girl in the group. "And who's this? Crypto's new gal?"
"Kim, Liam, this is Krista. Krista, two of my other friends aside from the talkative Dre, playboy Ry and serious Pete." She gave them both a nod, not caring if her actions offended them the least and the fact that she didn't know the last two names Chi mentioned.
"I'll go first. We'll meet at the gate later." Addressing them goodbye, she walked away.
-
The silence didn't last long as Dre cheerfully speak first.
"I'm free guys. So where are we off to?"
"What made you think we'd come with you, yeah?"
"Uh. Don't be the fun breaker, Li, yeah. A man's got to have some of his moments. That's just unfair that you always have yours." Sending Kim a jesting look. "Besides, what happened to our group? Are we splitting up? You guys always have something to do. It's like there's no end to it. I'm busy too with the tracking this and that stuff but I make time."
Dre was about to start again when Li interrupted.
"Tracking?"
Chi narrowed his eyes at his loud friend silently willing him to stop talking at all. What kind of agent disclose something as confidential as that?
"Yep, stuff. But that's beside the point, we'll eat, my treat."
Finality in his voice, when he noticed Chi's gaze. Panicked, he suggested food instead of going to a club.
He didn't get to take back his words as he was dragged out of the gate, each stating the food they want to eat.
-
"Report."
"No move from Lex and is monitored by Agent X. L and V, keeping track of the target. Captives detained till further instructions." Measured tone maintained in his voice as he spoke.
The other man leaned his elbow on his table. Looking over the blueprints in front of him, he silently formed his next words.
"X made a rash move in getting this blueprint now KION has raised their security." His eyes flickered to the man standing in front of him.
Unable to get his eyes off his boss, he could only swear inwardly. His presence alone demands full attention.
"That Ryou is a liability from the start." And he hadn't explained further, knowing that the other understood, shutting the folder in a snap. "Send them the warning, N. Let them taste the start of war they've first began."
N fisted his hands, reciting the mantra he long wanted to forget.
A pawn's a pawn. A mere sacrifice.
-
Kai stared at the bunch of files sitting atop his table, mocking him of their number. They are the files of KION's members at present. He started reinvestigating every person that stepped inside the facility - starting from the brain of KION Crypto dept.
Knowing that Ryou could handle the tracking of the missing Assault members and Krista in investigating the captives - which he strongly disagree to that notion until Ryou stated that he is being immature - he is stuck to deal with these papers.
His thoughts turned to the night he and Krista talked - but his gaze fixed on the paper. It had been interesting. He was a nervous wreck at first not knowing how to apologize to her which is a first. But she brushed him off demanding to know what is going on between him and her best friend and it earned her a stammered denial.
Finding nothing out of ordinary, he flipped to the next page.
For a while his sister had him locked up with questions, he turned the table by asking her about Chehon. The way her eyes hardened and her posture changed into a guarded one told him that he is not getting any information about it. So they left it at that or so he thought, when Krista asked him what was wrong.
His slip about the words taken cared of were easily spotted by Krista and had not let him off without answers. So he counted on Ryou to side with him, not letting Krista handle the investigation, he hadn't considered Krista's stubbornness that could actually push Ryou and him to agree.
Scanning the next page, he found the name he was waiting for.
Name*: Chehon Kyle
Dept: Cryptology
Joined: March 18, 20**
Recommended by: Drexon Parker (Stealth)
Rating: 1.5
From: Syree Angels Orphanage
Guardian: Sister Foebe Borromeo
He mentally counted the years and months. Two years and six months. He remembered what he said to Krista last week-had it been only a week, it feels like months-when she asked. But it wasn't really the exact time. This September 18 will be the sixth month.
Notes: His mother died giving birth to him while he was left by his father who, in turn, left him in front of the orphanage's gate at the age of 3. There's no trace of his father's whereabouts until now.
He clearly remembered his father's reaction in meeting Chehon. Full of awe and admiration. Maybe he saw himself in Chi's situation. Growing up with no one to lean on is something that anyone would surely avoid but Chi lived through it and he is strong physically and emotionally.
Chi is one of the few who easily get pass his father's interrogation procedure.
And a trust from the former boss is not easily gained. So maybe that is why he flipped the page to the next one, reading the next member.
On the middle of reading the next batch which is the tacticians of KION - Stealth group, his secretary barged in his private office - no calls, no knocks - which is a major procedure for Red attention.
"Someone found an unregistered flash drive in the stealth area."
Stealth. The department under suspicion.
"It was brought to the forensics to gather fingerprints or its inside information."
"Get Ryou. Hand me the hardcopy of its file."
She hurriedly got out, after giving a curt nod, as Kai turned his attention back to the papers.
Name*: Xavander Williams
As he recalled in the meet up, this is the newbie boy. The short horizontal scar above his left eyebrow is the first distinction he couldn't forget about him.
Dept: Stealth
Joined: July 4, 20**
Recommended by: Jeaneline Porter (Medic)
Rating: 1.8
From: Unknown
Guardian: Unknown
His brows ceased after reading the last part. Either Xavander didn't fill up this part or he forgot. And he - Kai - did not recheck. Mistake.
Notes: A student in A-Uni - Stealth Dept.
Reading that did not help ease the growing suspicion in his gut.