DCW IRL Round 13: Snatch

[Nara-chan 38]

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"W-w-w-what is this...?" Yssa said, her blue eyes as wide as saucers. The gang member she had always known was lying dead in front of her. "We didn't kill him, did we?" she asked her sister with a shaky voice. Her sister was unresponsive, with both her hands over her wide-open mouth.

The cause of death seemed to be a bullet through the heart, but she had no time to be thinking about that. This was the first time she had seen a corpse, since she tried to make her heists life-friendly, so naturally, it was shocking.

"What...what have you just done...?"

She turned around and saw a silhouette. The darkness of night covered up her (the voice sounded feminine, and familiar) face, but it didn't cover up the shadow of a gun pointing right at them.

"We didn't do it!" her sister said, in lieu of her. She was more of a behind-the-scenes girl instead of a action (wo)man, so she couldn't defend herself. She always counted on her sister. What she focused on was placing the voice she heard. Somehow she had heard it recently...

"Ah!" she muttered to herself. Memories of the grand mansion came flooding back. The voice of the gun-carrier belonged to Amber/Neko-chan. Big surprise that she was holding a gun.

"It wasn't us, Neko-chan. We may have a kind-of motive, but this man wasn't the direct cause of our early loss." she spoke in a shaky voice. Yeah, this guy indirectly caused her father's death...

...stupid files. Her father won't do something as cowardly as suicide.

The end of the sentence had just escaped her mouth when bullets came flying in from the other side.

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Don't panic don't panic don't panic AHHHHHI'MPANICKING!!!

edit: OH GOSH NO WERE BEING THREATENED BY BOTH SIDES!!

edit2: *is confused by post before me*

[Kaitou Kid Legendary Thief 197]

( So I am confused too... both of you posted at nearly the same time. :X How should I react... Hmmm... let's see...)

 

==================

 

It was Yssa and another girl. Amber assumed it was her sister. Amber stared down at the dead man. Adohalv? Looks like it. Either way, the man's dead so it's not important any more.

 

"We didn't do it!" the sister replied immediately. Of course you'll say that.

 

Amber eyed the duo carefully, still gripping onto the gun.

"Ah!"  Yssa suddenly added in. Her voice was shaky but clear. "It wasn't us, Neko-chan. We may have a kind-of motive, but this man wasn't the direct cause of our early loss." 

"Loss...?" Amber mumbled to herself before detecting motion from the entrance. Before she knew it an array of bullets came flying in from the other side. Before she could jump for shelter a few bullets hit her. One on her back near her right shoulder, one on her right arm and a few other grazed her.

"Urgh!" She exclaimed in pain as she jumped behind the shoe cabinet immediately for shelter. The duo jumped for shelter as well to the other side. It was fortunate she hadn't dropped her gun out of pain, but she definitely wouldn't be able to use her right arm to shoot now. It would be luxury if she could even breathe properly.

 

I hope it didn't damage my lungs... Amber thought as she pushed herself painfully up to the window to see what was going on. To her surprise, she found herself staring at something unimaginable.

 

"... Wha- what is this..?!" Amber managed to blurt the words out of her mouth before slumping down behind the shoe cabinet again.

"A...Ado...Adohalv...?!" Amber's voice trembled. "The-then... then... who-who's..." Amber turned her head slowly towards the dead man lying on the ground, now being turned into a beehive due to the shooting. "Wh-who...who's... AGH!"

 

Another bullet grazed Amber's side of her head and the impact slammed her on the ground.

"Is... this... what... you're... trying to.. tell me...?" Amber mumbled as she slowly pulled out her phone while still lying on the ground.

She shakily pressed a button.

 

Redial.

 

*ring*

...

*click*

 

"Tell me... Wh-o... is... that... man...? Ghhhrruhg " Amber coughed into the phone and painfully switched it to her right hand as she pulled herself up to fire a few shots back. A few other return shots can be heard from the other side as well. It seems that the duo managed to find themselves some firearms as well.

 

"Te-tell me!" Amber shouted into the phone again as she continued to fire back at the shooters to keep them back. 

There was no response from the receiver.

"Argh! **** " Amber cursed as her left hand got hit as well.

Her grip loosened and the gun slipped from her hand. "Shi..." Amber cursed as she frantically picked the gun back up. 

With a lack of return fire, the attacker may charge in any time soon.

 

She stared at the other side hoping the duo to be safe, but she wasn't able to see them. She could only hear the return shots fired back at the attacker.

Does this mean they're well? Amber looked at herself. Not necessarily huh...

 

"Why... aren't you *cough* answering... my questions...?" Amber choked into the phone. "... Answer me!"

 

*BOOOOOMMMMMMMMM!*

 

As soon as she yelled into the phone, a gigantic explosion happened outside and a blinding beam of light shot through the house, smashing the windows and sending shards and ignited material at her. Everyone in the house screamed as the impact sent a gust of wind and debris at them. Amber shielded herself with her left arm as she tried to stay under cover. After the impact died down, silence ensued.

 

"Wha-what just happened...?" Amber muttered as she tried to assess the situation.

 

"Looks like you got sliced up really bad huh...?" A voice was suddenly heard and without her noticing, a person was suddenly standing in front of her.

 

"Ah!" Amber choked as she frantically felt for her gun from the ground and held it up at the silhouette. Her eyes were still adjusting to the sudden blast of strong light. 

 

"Gosh... " the person muttered and without hesitation and fear, he reached out and took the gun away from Amber.

"Wha-no..." Amber choked as she tried to snatch her gun back but her vision has not recovered fully and she missed.

"Haha..." Amber heard the person laugh and suddenly felt herself being lifted up. Was the voice... familiar?

"Wait...wait! Who are you..! Le-let go of me!" Amber tried to struggle but the stabbing pain in her shoulder prevented her from doing so.

*sighs* "Don't worry..." the voice replied. "Your friends are safe and will be brought to a safe place. You will come along as well..."

Her eyes are slowly adjusting to the light and the face of the person carrying her is slowly coming into view. 

"... Yo-you..." Amber said as she realized the identity of the man.

"Well... I said I'll repay my debt someday right?" Amber heard the man say before finally blacking out.

 

 

===============

(Lot's of action~ Dududu~)

[Nara-chan 38]

And now only 2 RP-ers left!

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  Yssa was facing the direction of the bullet barrage, so naturally...

 

 "Argh!" she cried out. 2 bullets had grazed her leg, and she fell to her right, writhing in pain. Then another one embedded itself into her shoulder, adding more load to her current situation. 

 

 Her sister was out of sight, and she could only hear the sounds of cursing from Amber. That's when she saw the face of the one who had sent down a rain of bullets down on them: the one who was supposed to be dead, Adohalv. 

 

 This is crazy. Dead people are appearing in front of me. Crap, I'm gonna die!, she thought. She stared at Adohalv's face for some more, thinking that there was something off...

 

 So both of them were murderers..., she thought after she finished her silent deduction. She clamped both hands on the wooden floor and silently pushed her way to a back door, hoping her attackers wouldn't notice. After an eternity of crawling, she pushed her weight against the back door and ended up outside. Phew, she thought, and just when she was going to collapse...

 

 "After 5 years, I finally found it!"

 

 A man's delighted scream interrupted the silent summer night. He was smiling ear to ear, with wide open eyes, holding an item...the Ruby Drop. After running some faces (the profiles from her phone) through her mind, she found the face that matched: the police commander's.

 

 Suddenly, he stared at Yssa. "Hey, you're that guy! But you're supposed to be partying on the other side, right? AAAAAHH! I'm seeing dead people! I'm gonna dieee!!' His words reminded Yssa of what she thought when she saw 'Adohalv'. 

 

 She had always imagined the grand face-off of white and black to be, well, "grand", not with her in this state and the police side going all psycho. Psycho...psycho...

 

 "You have crossed 0.1%..." she said quietly. "That's why...", but she doubted the guy even understood. "I-I-I'm gonna beat Death! Take that, Reaper! I beat you!" the commander said, as he put a bullet through his own head.

 

 Now she was the only soul, and she was staring at the diamond. This diamond has destroyed so many lives: Ricado's, this guy's, maybe mine and unnie's to an extent...

 

No, take it! Imagine the possibilities! You'll be a genius!, said the little voice in her head. 

 

 I don't want any more lives destroyed..., she thought as she threw the gem at the wooden walls, not expecting it to break. She just wanted to get away from it...

 

 But it exploded into a thousand pieces. 

 

 The explosion, obviously caused by  Vanadium 2- Oxygen 5 (Vitaly),'s force threw her back into a nearby fence, with her head colliding with it with a loud thunk.

 

 The last thing she thought was if she was going to escape this twisted world. 

---------------------------

This took 4 HOURS TO WRITE? Curse you, Jin!

[Kaitou Kid Legendary Thief 197]

(AWESOME Now the ruby's gone! Wait... how about the diamond? )

 

-----------------------------

 

Consciousness slowly returned to Amber after who knows how long. The first few moments of consciousness seemed like the merger of dreams and reality. There was no telling them apart. 

A long dream? Am I dead?

"... ... ..."

 

"... ARGGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!" A trigger suddenly tripped somewhere within Amber as she came to her senses. She jumped out of her unconscious position like a reflex and slammed down hard on the floor.

 

OWwwww.... That hurt!   Amber felt a piercing pain surge through her shoulder when she landed.

 

"OH GOSH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? I HAVE JUST PLASTERED YOU UP...!!!" Amber heard a woman scream from a distance. She felt a few hands pull her up and lifted her to something soft... possibly a bed. 

 

Amber opened her eyes and saw two women, probably around their 20's as they start to fiddle around her body. 

 

'...Oh gosh... the wound opened again... What a mess... Now I need to rebandage you up...'

'...Now stop movin... and stop doing reckless stuff from now... If...'

'... Why did ... bring back... such... strange .. girl...'

 

Amber heard a lot of talk coming from the two women, and they were probably talking to her, but Amber did not manage to catch what they were trying to tell her at all. She was too occupied with the shock and pain that arose from the incident. So much so she was unable to process her thoughts easily any more, and her entire mind's a mess.

 

A door creaked. "Ah." Amber's attention jolted. She turned towards the door.

 

"Uhhh Uhhh... " A person came in through the door. "I heard you're finally awake and the first thing you did was to dive straight into the concrete floor... How much of an idiot are you?"

 

"...Uhhh...AH!" Amber sat straight up. "Yo-you! What are you doing here!?" Amber asked while holding back her pain.

"... Hmmm... That's a weird question isn't it? I was the one who saved you and brought you here you know..." the person replied.

 

"Eh..." Amber thought back at what happened.

 

I went to Adohalv's hideout.. Then I spotted the twins... And suddenly we were being attacked by Adohalv... Then a huge explosion happened.. and... 

"Ah!" Amber remembered.

"You remembered huh?" the person smirked.

"... What is the meaning of this?" Amber asked as the person walked quietly over to her.

 

"... Adohalv... the police... the attack... the explosion... and... you..." Amber hesitated for a second. "...Jack."

 

==================

(Gogogogo~)

[Nara-chan 38]

Knew It :3

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(A Sidestory)

Sandy (Yssa's sister)'s POV

 

 She read the file over and over again. What happened in this case was a 'great divergence', as dubbed by my father. She set the file on the table, and started pondering on the details of the file:

 

 "So this guy went crazy after an influx of Liquid X, took hostage 3 people, and killed them. Well, Kris sure wouldn't like me talking about this, even if it's just to myself. Anyway, the Interpol intervened, but the guy escaped. Things were supposed to go all fine-an'-dandy, but..."

 

 She stared at her father's file again. "Some of the police and Interpol agents got consumed by their own greed. They would look at each other with hatred in their eyes. Almost all of them, except for a small circle of agents and police officers, wanted the gem for themselves. Then..." Sandy made a finger gun, and pointed it at an invisible target. "My father was killed. By the one who started it all. The one who whipped them into a frenzy."

 

 She kept the file back in her cabinet. Hopefully Yssa would never find out. 

 Two days later, she found out.

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(Present)

 Yssa and Sandy were standing back-to-back, with Yssa facing Amber/the bullet barrage. I'm so stupid! I should have faced that gun-pointing daughter of a security system owner!, she thought as the wind whipped around her pigtailed hair. She had left her cellphone at home (another stupid mistake), and left Yssa at the wooden cabin (WHAT WAS SHE THINKING?!), but if she ran back to the cabin, it would take more time than to run to the payphone, so she kept on running, with the wind mocking her stupidity as she ran.

 

 "Hello? I want to report a crime! A rogue shooter is shooting civilians, and has killed one!" she practically screamed into the payphone. She quickly rattled off the address of the house, and slammed the phone down. She dialled the hospital number next, and called an ambulance (well, duh! Someone would be wounded there!)

 

 She dropped the phone like a hot potato and ran back to the cabin, her bullet-grazed leg slowing her down.

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(Well, I just realized Yssa's sister never had a name :3. And I decided to make a POV for her to postpone the news about what happened to Yssa :V)

[Maltavite 61]

The driver told the shooters, "Looks like someone called the cops. It's time to back off."

 

Adohalv sighed, "Okay, we can take the diamond later." He and the other shooter leaned back to the car and leave the scene.

[Kaitou Kid Legendary Thief 197]

(Hmmm... let's start the convergence~ )

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"Humph..." Jack smirked as he ignored Amber's questions. "Well, let's not rush things... You know... We could always get to know each other bette-"

"Stop screwing around!" Amber yelled at Jack while pulling herself up from the bed. "... Well... Though... that was my original intention..." Amber's voice trailed off.

She realized she isn't her original self when she said that.

 

What am I thinking!? This is a great chance... Jack-sama is right infront of you! You should take this chance and... No! This isn't the time for this... You must wai- BUT if I wait this chance will not co-

"URGH!!!!!!!!!" Amber scruffled her hair as she yelled. Jack jumped back in reflex out of shock. 

 

Amber had always hated to deal with complicated stuff so she's always doing whatever she felt like doing. It's totally not like her to over think things. She joined the acrobatics club only because she just felt like jumping high and she liked elevation. She happened to know about Bain's crew because of a particular incident and she only joined because she felt it was fun. She rarely participates in the heists and was still treated as one of the important figures in the crew because the boss likes her. Even so, she always gives the crew trouble by taking up a lot of the boss' time and causing disturbances whenever she feels like it. She comes to base as and when she likes, eats whatever she likes, and goes wherever she likes. Her father is rich, so she spends on whatever she pleases and learns whatever she feels like learning. However, she gets curious easily and will do whatever it takes to find out about it. It seems like her curiosity has led her into yet another troublesome situation this time around. 

 

Amber heaved a long sigh.

"Jack..." she said softly as the guy plopped down right beside her. "... Tell me about what happened after the explosion... and also... about yourself..."

 

Well it works too... I get to know more about Jack-sama and it fulfills my other objective of knowing what he has to do with the incident... Two birds with one stone...

 

 

"Finally calmed down?" Jack asked as he tilted his head towards Amber. "Well, about the explosion..."
Jack paused for a moment to recollect his thoughts. "... we found two other girls, rescued one of them, where the other one saved herself... "

 

"You rescued one of them? Where is she now?" Amber asked.

 

"We brought her back earlier and helped to dealt with her injuries..." Jack told Amber. "At least she wasn't as beat up as you... "

 

"I see... So she's here..." Amber mumbled.

 

"That's true until a while ago though..." Jack continued.

 

"A while ago?"

 

"Well... " Jack shrugged. "She escaped- I mean... she left without any notification or trace... So you can say she's not here now."

 

"I see... Well, she lives up to her name... At least I'm sure she's fine." Amber smiled. "Now... tell me about yourself..."
Amber pulled her legs up and hugged them close to her body as she leaned her head on her knees. 

 

"Heh~ You really look like a child when you do that." Jack remarked. "Are you really 18?"

 

"I'll tell you about myself after you tell me about yourself..." Amber smirked. "So... who are you.. really?"

 

Jack chuckled in response. "Sure. I'm Jack Riley as you know it and I was formerly from the police forces dealing with the Ruby Drop incident... Well, that was before some incident happened and I was dropped..."

 

"... What? You're a police...?"  Seriously? Police? Well... I suppose it's not surprising he got dropped...

"... hmmm? What's wrong?"

"... Nothing... continue..."

"Well..." Jack continued. "It's more like I dropped out of the team and set up this gang with many of my colleagues. Most of them are former police as well..."

"... What was the reason you left the police and joined the underground instead? People won't usually do such a crazy thing... not to say... so many others accompanied you too... There must be a huge reason."

"Crazy huh? You're absolutely right. We were all crazy..." Jack's expression suddenly became serious. "The entire police force especially."

 

"Police... force? What happened?" Amber probed.

"We were the special forces deployed to investigate the Ruby Drop case along side the Interpol action forces agents. However, something happened to them in the midst of the mission and most of them are killed." Jack was looking down the entire time when he was recounting.

"I felt that there was something strange with the reports. The escaped subject may be crazy and intelligent, but it was still difficult to take down so many of the interpol agents by himself... not to say he even managed to murder them and get away with it... So I went to investigate..."

 

Jack paused. Color seemed to have faded from his face. Amber could see that it was not something good.

"... The police forces has planted a specialist within us and the Interpol to report on activities and... a special group of assassins were deployed... Their mission is... to retrieve the Ruby drop discretely, working independently from the interpol and the police. Using whatever methods to accomplish their goal is not something surprising, even for the police force, as long as they represent the side of justice... You can say that they believe the ends justify the means..."

 

"That is just... Huh...? Wait..." Amber interrupted. "Are you trying to say... the police forces planted a spy within their own forces... hired assassins and killed their own people...?"

"Something like that..."

"Wait... that doesn't make sense... Why do they deploy you in the first place then? Wouldn't it be easier for them if they just hire the assassins?"

"... I didn't understand that too... So I was pretty confused. I had always known of the dark side of the police forces and using of assassins to accomplish their goals is not something surprising... but... to spend so much effort and purposely doing something which may hinder the progress... Is kinda strange..."

 

Amber nodded.

 

"Well, so I went to investigate further and I found that... this was because there was actually more than one group of people at work..." Jack finally looked up. "Underneath the scenes, there are at least 2 groups of people within the police force who are manipulating different groups of people discretely to get their hands on the Ruby Drop. Whether it was for personal gain or something else is unknown, but they are definitely not working together. Rather, they are probably competing or fighting each other."

 

Jack continued. "The reason why the Interpol agents were wiped out was due to this conflict... and I found out that we were going to be next. Knowing this, I pulled the team out of the investigations, and retained information from the police, even though I knew this would allow the subject to escape... I had to know what is actually going on before I will participate in this case... So I continued my investigations separately with my colleagues and then... I managed to find out what really happened..."

 

Amber swallowed hard. Jack-sama actually looked pretty cool when he's serious. 

 

=======================

 

(Long story cut into two parts... Shall continue another time.)

[Nara-chan 38]

Hahaha our puzle pieces fit, KKLT! I'll post later because I'm at a Math training, but expect explosions!

[Kaitou Kid Legendary Thief 197]

(Sounds like fun! XD

Ah btw you can continue with my story if you like :V )

[Nara-chan 38]

(Okay)

-----------------------------------

 The first thing she saw again was white. Instinctively, she thought she was dead and is in Heaven, but that was unlikely (being dead and in Heaven). But her little theory was proven wrong when she saw a cabinet, and a dresser. Hey, Heaven is unlikely to have stuff like that, right?

 

 So she wasn't dead after all. She almost wished she had died out of a head concussion or something, but it was obvious her fight wasn't over yet. Her fight against the so-called  "white" side, that is.

 

 She pushed herself up with her hands, and collapsed again because of the weight on her hand. She stared at it, and saw that it was all patched up with criss-crossing bandages. "Thanks, whoever did this." she muttered, and tried to stand up again, to no avail.

 

 After about 20 cycles of trying to get up and failing, she finally stood up on her feet, stumbling a few times, and silently creeped out of the room. Hiding behind a pillar, she recognized the women that were walking in front of her:the female members of the Lucerne gang. So DT ordered me to be brought here? Well, even though he is a member of a rival gang, my father knew him...Group A member, too...

 

 She heard some commotion from the room she had came from, and knew she had been discovered. But I won't leave just yet. I'll have a little talk with DT now.

 

 Most likely, the boss would be in the Master Bedroom, so she did trial-and-error among the rooms of the house until she opened a door and the (weird) sight of Neko-chan and DT talking to each other. She quickly shut the door, and said, "Thought I wouldn't burst in? You're stupid to think that."

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 "..."

  

 That ellipses came from Yssa when DT/Jack told her that she was telling his history to Neko-chan, who was in a (childish) standing fetal position. Because her history and his history are closely tied, she felt a little awkward with Amber.

 

 "The Interpol intervened with the Ruby Drop Case. That's when my father met him. He would tell me stories about the police officer who never smiled." He was the first Deathtrap Case-related official she'd known, hence the nickname. "My father would always tell me, 'This case is adrenaline-rushing!' or stuff like that. He'd tell me how he shot down a culprit, or how the side of 'justice' won again." she started, since Amber had just been told the police side. She turned away, and continued. "But one day he looked depressed and shocked. I guess that's when some of the police officers started going psycho, albeit in a different way from poor Adohalv."

 

 "The higher ups had been consumed by their own greed. So they deployed assassins to eliminate probable threats to their goal: the Interpol agents and police officers themselves. That led to the chain deaths that occurred after Adohalv escaped, leading to the name of the case. The most significant death was...was..." Her voice broke.

 

 "Her father. The police files say he committed suicide, but we know otherwise. A police assassin murdered him." continued Jack, "That's whjen the remaining Interpol and police officers went underground, unable to bear the harsh reality of warriors of justice being corrupted by greed. We knew we were next, so we hid."  

 

 "Th-the-the commissioner committed suicide back at the wooden house. I saw it all before the explosion. His actions were suspicious from the very beginning, preventing officers from investigating the Metro Bank case. It was all because he wanted Ruby Drop for himself."

 

 "..."

---------------

(Part TWO! So let's compose the backstory together!)

[Kaitou Kid Legendary Thief 197]

Just when Jack was about to explain what happened, a creak came from the door behind and a girl came in.

 

"Thought I wouldn't burst in? You're stupid to think that."

 

It was Yssa. Amber was pretty shocked.

 

"Ah... It's you. Thought you had fled. So you were still in this room after all." Jack turned to the girl. "Well, you came at the right time though... I was telling the kid here about the past... About the case of the Ruby Drop incident... and the DeathTrap case... which I'm sure you know very well..."

 

"... You are fully aware I'm not a kid..." Amber glared at Jack who laughed off his comment. "And little rat here knows something too?"

 

Amber turned to Yssa, "You know him?"

 

"Well... Sort of..." Yssa nodded. "... Not directly though."

"The Interpol intervened with the Ruby Drop Case. That's when my father met him. He would tell me stories about the police officer who never smiled." He was the first Deathtrap Case-related official she'd known, hence the nickname. "My father would always tell me, 'This case is adrenaline-rushing!' or stuff like that. He'd tell me how he shot down a culprit, or how the side of 'justice' won again." she started. She turned away, and continued. "But one day he looked depressed and shocked. I guess that's when some of the police officers started going psycho, albeit in a different way from poor Adohalv."

 

 "The higher ups had been consumed by their own greed. So they deployed assassins to eliminate probable threats to their goal: the Interpol agents and police officers themselves. That led to the chain deaths that occurred after Adohalv escaped, leading to the name of the case. The most significant death was...was..." Her voice broke.

 

"Her father." Jack continued for her.

Amber glanced over at Yssa, who seem to have a little trouble in controlling her emotions.

 

"The police files say he committed suicide, but we know otherwise. A police assassin murdered him." continued Jack, "That's when the remaining Interpol and police officers went underground, unable to bear the harsh reality of warriors of justice being corrupted by greed. We knew we were next, so we hid."  

 

"Th-the-the commissioner committed suicide back at the wooden house. I saw it all before the explosion. His actions were suspicious from the very beginning, preventing officers from investigating the Metro Bank case. It was all because he wanted Ruby Drop for himself."

 

"That was expected from the beginning... Well, we thought that if the police and the interpol wanted it for themselves, then we will steal it before they do." Jack asserted. "Then we will destroy this evil and dangerous thing once and for all."

 

"Heh..." Amber laughed dryly after hearing the speech. "I wonder if I would be able to understand all these complications if I used the Ruby Drop on myself...? People killing each other for some strange reason which I can never understand... For something which can even harm their own lives... Something so complicated. It isn't even fun at all..."

 

"Neko-chan..."

 

"... So... Does that mean I have poked my nose into something which I should not have... and happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time...?"

Amber asked solemnly. "Maybe I should have refused to join in the Diamond heist the other day..."

 

"Oh...? What are you talking about...? If you haven't, then you wouldn't have been able to meet the awesome me right?" Jack winked. "And furthermore, the one who informed you about Adohalv was me... If anything, I dragged you into the situation.... Also, you don't realize... but... do you remember the harbor incident where we first met?"
 

"The harbor incident...?" Amber asked. She tried to remember. "... We were ordered to retrieve a chest from one of the ferry at the harbor... And my orders were to stop anyone from getting close to the harbor..."

 

"Yep. Remember we had a fight back then?" Jack looked at Amber for confirmation.

 

"Yea... " Amber nodded.

 

"The harbor heist?" Yssa asked. "Was that the heist where there was a three way battle? I only heard of it, but I wasn't really there. What happened?"

 

"Well... I was one of those to keep any others away from the heist area, stationed at one of the entrances of the harbor... Jack's team happened to pass through the entrance under me and so I decided to commence combat... But due to our tiny team size and Jack's strength, we were nearly defeated. However... something unexpected happened."

 

"Something unexpected?"

 

"One of Jack's partners went 'crazy' and attacked him."

 

"Went crazy?" Yssa asked. "Like... Ruby Drop crazy?"

 

"I'm not sure, but suddenly the other guy attacked Jack and returned the advantage to us before going ahead..." Amber replied. "And because of that, I managed to turn the situation around and captured Jack."

 

"Eh? You captured Jack?" Yssa asked, surprised.

 

"In the end you still let us pass didn't you... " Jack continued.

 

"Well... I..." Amber became quiet.

 

"Anyway, that guy was a planted spy from the police force... If you hadn't let us pass the other time, they would have had their hands on the chest already..." Jack continued. "Since that chest contains a part of the Ruby Drop contents and research contents, whether you like it or not, you're already involved when you participated in that heist."

 

"So what happened to the chest that time...?" Yssa asked. "We weren't able to retrieve that I remember..."

"We took it of course... " Jack replied. "We will never let it land on the hands of the police or the interpol..."

 

Amber laughed softly.

"... You know... Somehow I sensed something unique in both of you... and that's probably the reason I was somewhat... interested... I guess..." Amber sighed. "Haha... That's probably why in the end, despite my orders, I still let you go on ahead..."

 

"...and that saved us a lot of trouble..." Jack commented as Amber returned with a smile. "Do you know the contents of the chest yet by the way?"

 

"No." Yssa replied. "What's inside?"

 

Jack paused a moment before answering, "... Well..."

 

"..."

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(...to be continued... Kinda tired now >__<)

[Nara-chan 38]

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(Sandy's POV)

(April 2, 2000)

(Case 001: Harbor Heist)

 

  What am I doing? Technically, I'm fighting against allies, she asked herself as she ran among the shipping trucks of the city's harbor. According to the newly appointed "boss", her orders were to directly steal the chest from the docking ferry. That was very challenging. 

 

 She removed the bands that held up her hair and let it cover her face. She bounded another corner of container trucks, and saw the docked ferry. Somewhere in there was the chest, holding the cause of everything that changed her and Yssa's life: that stupid diamond. She was determined to hide the horrible truth from her 10-year old sister for as long as she could, but she knew she couldn't let her remain oblivious forever.

 

 She brushed away those seemingly random thoughts that were distracting her and jumped on board the ferry. It was swaying along with the waves, illuminated by the moon. Using the momentum from the jumps, she swung herself up and onto the railings. Wow, I can't believe I did it!, the 17-year old girl thought as she panted on the deck. 

 

 Taking in a few lungfuls of cold night air, Sandy ran to the "main body" of the ship. She was going to do trial-and-error on the ship's numerous rooms, until she finds that chest. She had just open and shut 5 doors when the walkie talkie she was holding buzzed.

 

 *beep* Back-up by the Entrance needed *beep*

 

 By instinct, she went back to the harbor and bounded for the entrance. She remembered some young girl was in charge of that area, so she quickened her pace. As Sandy came closer, she heard the commotion. A scuffle was going on. One peek at the entrance and she got it: a police assassin had infiltrated DT's crew, and is now trying to overpower Jack and that young girl. 

 

 She pulled out her shotgun, but the young girl in charge had beaten her to the chase: The assassin was gone, and now the young girl was technically holding the whole group hostage. The girl turned her head to one direction, kept her gun, and freed her "hostages", all in about 30 seconds.

 

 She wasn't sure why the girl did that, but she made no effort to stop them. They had the same goal as her, anyway. The groups shared a common interest.

----------------------------------

(Yssa's POV)

(Present Time)

  

 From the time she appeared on top of her table at Metro Bank, to her unpredictable movement during Project Snatch, to her not-very-rich-kid-attitude-even-though-she-is personality, Yssa had thought Amber was the one that was special. She admired her very cheerful, yet serious in times of need (as shown in the story of the Harbor Heist), personality, in contrast to her cold demeanor, Maybe it's because I grew up too fast.

 

 While thinking about that, Jack had asked, "Do you know the contents of the chest yet, by the way?" She turned her (bandaged) head and replied, "No, What's inside?"

 

 "Well..."

 

 "..."

 

 Her eyes widened. "What?! So you mean...that...that's why this whole thing happened?!" Neko-chan, who had been kind of melancholic after finding out the complications of the Ruby Drop, had suddenly escaped the cage of melancholy to look surprised as well.

----------------------------------------

 YESSSS MATH TRAINING IS OVERR! I'M FREEE!!!

[Kaitou Kid Legendary Thief 197]

Oh the shock. And Amber thought it could not get any worse. She is now staring wide eyed at the images on a screen which Jack had projected.

Jack had just explained the contents of the chest and it was such a shocking revelation that she could not believe her ears. She had thought the case contained the ruby drop or perhaps the documentation of the ruby drop since Jack said that it contained the research contents. She had never expected... this...

"What... What!?"

Amber stared hard at the image wondering what to make out of it.

"So you mean...that...that's why this whole thing happened?!"

Jack nodded solemnly. On the screen was not a chest, not a diamond, nor pieces of paper that detailed the ruby drop. It was... A tube, a gigantic one, a container filled with liquid... and within the liquid... Amber's eye furrowed.

...Is a child.

"What's the meaning of this, Jack?" Amber asked in a shaky voice. "Did you know before hand that you were going to steal an embryo?"

"No... We were pretty shocked ourselves when we found it. We had never known that the scientists had also been researching and experimenting the ruby drop on test tube babies... " Jack swallowed hard. "I believe it was it's fifth week or later when we found it since it was relatively larger already. We had a hard time keeping this little thing alive. "

"Wha-what did the scientists do to it?" Yssa asked. "What did you find out about it?"

"Well..." Jack proceeded to reply. "This may sound insane, but... this child... Was found submerged in a 4.1% concentration of Ruby Drop... Currently, she's submerged in normal water now, but we've been monitoring her growth rate and her brain capabilities is overwhelming. Her brainwaves are exceedingly unusual and brain activity is over the top."

"Eh?" Amber was lost. "Does it mean she is incredibly intelligent?"

"Hmmm... You can say she has an incredible potential." Jack replied. "Usually, beings with that much brain activity die early because their brains will overwork and the brain cells die off earlier than others. Normal human beings only have a limited amount of brain cells and people generally get less smart and start forgetting because they used up most of their brain cells... However, this girl has an amount seemingly equivalent to about ten average human beings... Our tests also shown that she probably has 8.3 times the processing speed of an average human..."

"..." Amber was speechless.

"So... What do you think of this...?" Jack asked.

"Seriously... I don't know what to think of this... Except that this child would be pitiful... Do you intend to bring it into our world? Jack..." Amber asked.

Jack shrugged. "You're right... This child would probably never be allowed into society... I have no idea what to do with her so I just selfishly kept her alive and monitored her growth... Now it kinda seems like I'm the evil scientist here doing all the research..."

Then there was this long moment of silence and awkwardness in the room.

"Well..." Jack broke the silence by standing up. "If you girls are not too much in pain shall we go for a stroll in my garden? The atmosphere here is unhealthy."

Jack offered a hand to Amber which she took hesitantly. Her shoulder and leg still hurts and her wounds still ached but Jack was right. Staying in the room makes her really frustrated. She really needed some space and fresh air. With jack and Yssa's support, Amber and the rest exited the room.

=================

( I'm sorry but craziness doesn't stop here!)

[Nara-chan 38]

TIE-IN! TIE-IN! Have you noticed, KKLT? We're the only active RP-ers here :V

------------------------

 Cruelty. She had seen photos of dead fetuses (victims of abortion) sprawled across a lawn. Red splotched across the green grass. It was disgusting. That picture and her father's death had made her earn a certain respect for human life.

 

 But this. This. Certainly, if that embryo even lived, he or she would be isolated. Dubbed "peculiar" and pushed around. Bullied all their lives, just because they were different. This world really is twisted. But the ones that are really twisted are the people behind this. Condemning innocent children to a sad and lonely life, and it caused the murder of many people too, because the seed of greed was also this experiment.

 

 She felt so stupid. Adohalv was Experiment 2000+, so there must have been loads of experiments before that. And experiments tend to start small, so what else but babies to start off a project? It was logical, but evil. 

 

 Her irises had become big blue orbs filled with a mixture of shock, sadness and fury. She had always known the government's deep channels were brimming with corruption, but this was too much. Perhaps this is why she didn't die. Perhaps she and Amber would be the ones to destroy the corrupt people in the high positions.

 

 Jack must have sensed the shockwaves coming from her and Amber, so he said, "If you girls are not too much in pain shall we go for a stroll in my garden? The atmosphere here is unhealthy."

 

She tilted her head about a millimeter and stood up. She didn't suffer any wounds in her legs, so she was able to stand up fine (unlike a while ago), but her head and arms still throbbed. Amber was in worse condition, though: she needed her and Jack's help in order to get out of the room, and into the garden.

--------------------

(Garden)

  Ring ring

 Yssa felt a small vibration in her pocket. She then realized that it was her phone. As thankful she was that the phone wasn't destroyed, she felt pissed that the phone, an INANIMATE object, had come off unscathed.

 

"Hello?" she asked cautiously.

 

"*sob*Yssa, is that you? *sob*"

 

It was her sister's voice. Crap! I forgot! I'm such a bad sister to forget about unnie! "Hey, unnie! I'm fine! Don't worry! DT patched me up real good, and I'm at his house right now!" she said into the phone, trying to act cheerful.

 

"Waaahhh...I was so worried! I called the -*hic*- police and an ambulance, but they said they retrieved two dead-*hic*-bodies! I thought you had left me alone here! *hic* Or that you had been ta-*hic*- Waaahhh..."

 

"Calm down! I'm not dead! I'm going to eat all the candy back there if you don't stop!" she said into the phone. As expected, the other end of the line went silent. "I need you hack into the police database again. Another dark and gruesome puzzle piece has been added to Case 000."

 

She told her sister everything about the embryo in the chest. "Well-*sniff*-I was there at the Harbor Heist-*sniff*-and that girl Amber was also there...*sniff*-but there was an embryo inside that chest?"

 

"Yes. Babies were probably the first experiments for the Ruby Drop case."  Yssa said into the phone. 

 

"..."

"Okay, Yssa. Be right back."

 The line went dead.

----------------------------

[Kaitou Kid Legendary Thief 197]

(Gogogo~! 2 left but enough to keep continuing!)

=========

At the same time Yssa received her call, Amber's phone also started vibrating. It was Bain. He rarely calls and when he does, it must be something big.

She took a deep breath before answering.

 

"Master-sama~! I was waiting for your call~ Well, I was busy with my sweets and ice cream buffet these few days and some stuff happened so I didn't really go down to base~ And you didn't call so I thought you had forgotten your promise to bring me out! I was kinda sad you know..." Amber chuckled.

Jack watched in amusement as he supported her from her left so she wouldn't fall. "Have you thought of a place you wanna bring me to?" Amber continued gleefully.

 

"I see I see... I was worried something may have happened to you but I guess I was worried over nothing haha." was the reply. "Well, I would love to bring you someplace nice you know, but the recent incident has caused me much worry and I would like to solve that issue first. I promise you I'll fulfill my promise after this okay?"
 

"EEHHHHH!? Master always does that to Amber... Amber is sad..." Amber replied 'sulkily' to which Jack let out a tiny giggle which he hurriedly suppressed. "... Ah this happens all the time I'm used to it I guess... But you MUST definitely remember your promise to little Amber here okay????" 

 

"Alright Alright~ I promise." Bain replies. "By the way... have you... seen Adohalv... recently?"

 

Amber paused for a moment. "...Adohalv...?"

 

"... yes."

 

"..." Amber's expressions seemed to have turned a little serious for a moment. "Hmmm... Adohalv... Adohalv... Hmmm....... I don't really remember names well... but who is that guy? Is he missing or something...? Hehe I know! He must have sneaked off because master is always so strict with his employees!"

 

Jack seemed to have sensed Amber's nervousness and threw a glance at Amber who returned a smile.

 

"...Ah... if you haven't seen him it's fine. It's nothing... It's just he's so busy I don't see him around. Well... that's all for now then. I'm having a meeting now so I'll be hanging up..."

"It's a shame... I would love to talk to you more~ Alright! I'll go see you soon! Bye!" 

 

The line was cut. 

 

"A-hhhaiii..." Amber heaved a long sigh and nearly collapsed but Jack grabbed her.

 

"That was your boss?" Jack asked as he helped her to a bench nearby. Yssa had finished her conversation too so she helped Amber to the bench as well.

 

"Boss called?" Yssa asked. "What did he say?"

 

"Yep... He didn't say much. He just asked if I have seen Adohalv... He seems to be aware of something..."

 

"He asked about Adohalv...?" Yssa commented suspiciously. "So what did you reply?"

 

"I told him I can't really remember names... and I told him I don't know who that guy is..." Amber cringed. "I never thought I had to lie to master..."

 

Jack sat down beside Amber. "You suspect he is the culprit behind this?"

 

"I don't want to suspect him... But he definitely has something to do with this incident... He definitely knows about the Ruby drop incident... It cannot be a coincidence that we were involved in so many of the Ruby drop heists..." Amber said.

 

Jack stared quietly at Amber. 

 

"Master Bain is like a father to me... He's always so gentle to me... despite me being so selfish and self indulgent... He spoils me a lot... Even though he's always busy and rarely keeps his promises, his presence is always there... unlike my adoptive father... whom I don't even see in an entire year except on television. I don't even communicate with him through phone... Well... its kind of strange... the gang seems so warm... like a family... and he is like the father... When I am there, I can act like a child and he would react to it... He has a lot of trust in me as well... I kinda like it... So I would agree to many of his requests... But I suppose... because of his trust in me or perhaps my capability and loyalty... that I happen to be asked for all the important cases with regards to the Ruby Drop..."

 

The other two were silent. 

 

"Ah... sorry... I talked too much..." Amber apologized as she forced a smile on her face. 

 

"Ha. Don't worry about it..." Jack replied with a smirk. "I never knew you're the type to get emotional... but I think I sort of get it."

 

Jack nods with a grin on his face. Is Jack smiling?

 

Amber remembered the first time they met. She thought back about that time at the harbor heist.

 

---

[At the harbor]

 

"Young miss! Jack's party is approaching our side of the entrance!" One of the crew members reported to her.

'Jack huh?' Amber thought. She had always heard of his name but had never had an encounter with him. Jack has always been screwing up many of their efforts in the heists but Amber had never clashed with him. This is probably the first time. 'I'll see what you can do...'

 

Within a few minutes, a group of people came dashing in and Amber's group proceeded to intercept. 

"That guy over there is Jack..." One of the members reported to her. Amber watched from the back, at a man, who lead the team at the front and dashing through the fight first. 

"I see..." Amber mumbled to herself as she saw her own members going down, one by one, under his ferocity.

"Young miss! They are too strong! We need backup!" yelled one of her crew as they requested for assistance through the radio. The array of bullets Amber's team fired may have brought down many of their side but did nothing to stop the gang from advancing aggressively. Not before long, Jack's team broke through and most of Amber's team went down.

'Not bad...' Amber thought as she and the rest of the remaining members get surrounded by Jack's crew. 

 

Just as Jack was about to head to the location of the chest, a shot was fired and Jack was hit from the back near his chest. The shot came from one of his crew. 

 

"JACK!" Some of his crew shouted just as he was hit. The guy who fired the shot smiled and pressed a button which lowered the shutters to the entrance. "Don't worry... I'll be the one to grab the diamonds."

 

After that, the guy sprinted away to the chest. "Jack!" the other team members hurried over to Jack who was sprawled over on the ground.

Taking this chance, Amber signalled for her team to take back the control and the confusion had Jack's team over powered. Amber only had to 'remove' all their weapons from them and point it at them.

 

"Do-n't!" the guy on the ground (Jack) managed to let the words out of his mouth when Amber was about to shoot one of the guys when he ignored her order to stay still. Apparently, he was worried for Jack and disregarded his own safety.

 

"Well well... it looks like you're about to die... but you're still worried about someone else? How heroic..." Amber said sarcastically. 

 

More blood poured into the pool as he struggled to talk. "W-we need- tha- -ches..t.." he coughed as he tried to speak. "...ple-ase... "

 

What's wrong with this guy!? He's dying and he still wants that chest... If he dies then whatever diamonds is of no use! What's he after actually...?

 

"You're dying but you're still worried over a chest? How much of an idiot are yo-"

 

"Ca-n't le-t ... the... p.poli-ce... je-rks... ta-ke..." the dying guy seem to mumble some words.

 

"Police...?" Amber heard the guy mumble. "You mean that dude who betrayed you is with the police?"

 

"We can't let them get the contents of the chest! Those greedy bas**** would just tag the blame on the gangs here and take the rewards themselves!" One of Jack's team mate shouted.

 

"... Is that so..." Amber muttered softly to herself as she eyed the guy on the ground. Even though she felt that he was an idiot, she felt it was kinda cool.

 

"...Ple-ase..." Jack forced the words out of his mouth as he stared at Amber.

 

"Haiii..." Amber sighed as she put down her gun and motioned for her team mates to do so as well.

 

Jack's group looked shocked.

 

"What are you guys doing? i thought you were going to stop that police dude?" Amber asked when the other party just stood rooted due to surprise. "Oh and make sure that guy doesn't die... I'm going to make him be indebted to me you know..."

 

The surprised group started to move as some of them went after the traitor and some tried to stop Jack's bleeding.

Amber gave a signal to one of her team member and after a minute, a black car appeared.

"Take him to a hospital or something... You pathetic lot..." Amber shrugged as the guys frantically carried him into the car.

 

"I...owe- yo- one..." Jack muttered as the other guys lifted him into the car. Amber stared at him as he got in. He looks quite cute actually...

 

"Definitely." Amber replied before he was driven off.

 

After a few minutes, few gunshots were heard, coming from the chest location. Not long after, Amber heard that the traitor was disposed of and the chest was snatched by Jack's crew. 

 

----

[back at the garden]

 

Back then, Jack still had an air of seriousness. Amber was probably being attracted by his 'complicatedness'. After that incident, Amber started to take notice of him and paid attention to his news. She didn't really know too much about Jack but she had heard that he was guy who took his work very seriously and would often take risks and gambles to accomplish his tasks. So... How did he turn into a grinning heart stealing monster like this? Amber wondered. Maybe... Jack isn't that complicated afterall... and that... isn't bad either.

 

Amber smiled.

 

==================

(Filler arc... Need to think... :3)

[Maltavite 61]

Adohalv looked at Bain who looked outside, "Bain, who are you calling at?"

 

Bain sighed, "Amber..."

 

Adohalv pulled a Glock 18, "Guess that girl are decided to go rogue and the Interpol also involved... What should we do now?"

 

Bain replied, "Okay, I got a plan. We need to take the diamond and get rid of the ruby drop. We still have Tone and Doran."

 

(Another heist!)

[Nara-chan 38]

--------------

    She stared at the dahlias in the garden (which were emitting off a nice smell), wondering how such beautiful things existed in this kind of world when she heard a ringtone. She reached into her pocket, but saw that it was Amber's phone that rang. She instantly switched from melancholic/surprised/shocked mode to childish mode. She quickly deduced that it was Bain, judging from Neko-chan saying "Master~"

 

 When she hung up, Jack questioned Amber about the call. The boss had asked about Adohalv, but Amber had lied and said that she didn't know. Which Adohalv? The dead, and real, one; or the impostor?, she asked in her mind. The dead one was probably lying around in some hospital, undergoing autopsy, while the impostor lurked around, not bothered by his conscience at all.

 

 She would recognize the face of that man anywhere, even if she was already wounded severely.

 

 While she was following her train of thought, Amber had reflected on how Bain had been a good "father" to the "family". Can't deny that, but he's getting less sharp, with two parasites getting past him, she told herself. Yssa still remembered when her unnie had joined the Payday Crew. Her hair was still long then, and she was terrified, because of the demeanor of the boss. Funny how I didn't realize that my father was dead back then.

 

 Another ringtone played, and now Yssa was sure it was hers. A text message that brought news of a new heist.

 

 She knew exactly what to name it.

 

 "Project Convergence" 

[Kaitou Kid Legendary Thief 197]

(Let's continue! It's a lot of conversation btw...)

-----------------------------------------

"Hmm...?" Amber noticed Yssa reading her phone. "A message from the boss?"

 

"A-Ah... It's another heist. It seems they have found another hint to the diamond... and we're going to retrieve that..."

 

"I see..." Amber muttered softly. Another fake?

 

"Jack!" A young man came running towards the trio. "There's news that the Ruby Drop and the diamond have been found!"

 

"Oh... Just in time isn't it?" Jack replied, looking pleased. "Where is it?"

 

"It's at-"

 

"Jack!" Another man came running in. "We've received news that the Ruby Drop and-"

 

"...and the diamonds have been found?" Jack continued. "Harry was about to relate to us about the news too."

"Ah. I see..." the other man replied.

 

Jack nodded. "So... where is it?"

 

"Ah yes! I've received news that it will be appearing at the International Airport tomorrow at 6pm!" Harry answered confidently.

 

"EH!? Wait..." the other guy exclaimed. "Isn't it going to be displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art?!"

 

"... Gordan... What are you talking about? It's at the Internationa-"
 

"Jack!!! Big news!!! We've received news that the-" Another man came running towards them again.

 

"-Ruby drop and the diamond have been found right?" Jack sighed. "Where is it, Michael?"

 

"Eh!? You knew!?" the man called Michael asked in shock. "Well its at the Vault of Merry Candy's Chief Executive Officer Takemachi!!!"

 

Jack sighed. "I see a lot of trouble now..."

 

"What's going on? Why are they all reporting different places?" Amber asked.

 

"Looks like someone is intentionally spreading rumors to confuse us..." Jack replied.

 

"But it didn't look like they were reporting rumors Jack..." Amber continued. "They seemed very sure."

 

Yssa's eye reduced to a slit. "They're trying to mislead the rest of the people who are looking for the Ruby Drop..." she muttered softly.

 

"... meaning... they are planning something huge..." Jack continued for Yssa.

 

"Ahzz... " Amber massaged her injured shoulder as she sighed. "More complications... I hate this..."

 

Jack let out a soft laugh before extending out his hand to her. "Shall we get inside now? Your injuries probably can't stand the cold wind out here..."

 

"Hmmm... Sure." Amber grabbed Jack's hand with her left as she pulled herself up. "But... I want to go see the child... Can I?"

 

"Huh... Seriously?" Jack was surprised. "I don't mind actually... but why?"

"Ah... I have no idea as well... I just thought... " Amber looked down feeling slightly sad. "I thought it would probably answer some of my questions which I had been thinking about so..."

"I see... Well... I really doubt it would since it can't talk but... " Jack shrugged.

"I don't mean it that way..."

"I know." Jack smiled back. "I'll bring you over."

 

"Ah but Jack! What about the news of the Ruby Dro-" one of the men tried to ask.

"It's fine. I'll head over to the meeting room soon. You guys commence the meeting first."

"Yes!" the three men replied in unison and headed off.

 

Jack then looked over at Yssa. "You coming too?"

 

----------------------------------------------

(Cha-chang~!)

[Nara-chan 38]

----------------

 Jack's men were scrambling about, screaming different locations for the two gems. Meanwhile, Yssa was thinking, The heck? I almost died for destroying a FAKE Ruby Drop?!

 

 Naturally, she was pissed. But she felt pity for the (now-dead) commissioner and Adohalv. They had both died for nothing.

 

 Who...who...who is spreading false information?, she was thinking. She narrowed her eyes at the chaotic disagreement.  "They're trying to mislead the rest of the people who are looking for the Ruby Drop." she said. And I'm pretty sure about who's whipping this mess up...

 

 

 :"Ahhhzzz, more complications...I hate this!" Neko-chan sighed.

 

 Jack then offered to take them back inside. Then Amber made a bizarre request:

 

  "I want to go see the child. May I?"

 

She stared at the older girl. She would never have thought of seeing that child. It would probably make her throw up in disgust because of the processes the girl had been subjected to. But she had to admit: she was curious. 

 

  "You coming too?" DT asked Yssa.

 

  Yssa stared at him, making her chin dip a millimeter.

----------------------------

("Baby Room")

 

  The room would have made a nice nursery, except for the gigantic tube that somehow gave a creepy feeling to the whole place.

 

  The girl was floating in a red-colored liquid (it was just water, but it was lit with a red light), and was attached to the tube by an "umbilical cord" of sorts. Strangely, it was the size of an 8 year old, but it was approximately 3 weeks old in the picture dated 04-13-00 that Jack had shown. 

 

 Hmm, since it's an artificial lifeform, it's natural for it to have accelerated growth., she said (although knowing next to nothing about genetics and DNA and those stuff) She stared at the girl:her long violet hair flowing around her body her head, which was bowed down, her eyes, which were closed, and her legs, which were bent, as if she were a ballerina.

 

 You are the unconscious recipient and witness of human's greed for increased mental capacity. she said in her mind. (Lately, she'd been talking to herself a lot) What on Earth did they do to you?

 

As if the girl would even hear her, and respond. 

--------------------------------------

(Unknown Place and Time)

 

They had struck a gold mine. Of a different kind. Now, he would constantly be cooped up in his white room, typing up reports to send to the higher-ups, while his companions shuffled about in the next room. 

 

 Yes, the rejectswill be ships out. The good ones, tho, will remained.

 

 His fingers moved across his computer's keyboard like lightning, the clicks and clacks of the keys were deafening. He typed out his message, and clicked SEND

 

He leaned back on his swivel chair, and smiled. No one dares to question his lead. After all, he was poisonous.

-----------------------------

[Kaitou Kid Legendary Thief 197]

*Bathump*
Amber's heart beat strongly as her sight fell upon the girl in the tube of liquid.
A word was written at the side of the tube and it says "J".

"Jack... What does that letter mean?" Amber asked.
"Ah that... I'm not so sure, but inferencing from the rest of the research items, it could be a name or an identifier for her."
"J...? " Amber thought for a while. "J..J-June..."
"Huh? Did you think of something?" Jack asked.
"No... I was thinking J sounds bad... So I took the liberty of naming her... Well... It's my birthday month so...."
"Ah... You're born in June? I see..." Jack smiled when he commented.
"Ah no... My father just decided that it should be in June so... that's when my birthday is..."
"Oh yes. I've heard you are an adopted daughter of a tycoon... So you have no clue who are your birth parents then?"
"I... I think I forgot..." Amber replied. "I can't remember anything before age of 8... When I wound up in an orphanage. I only remember from when I got adopted..."
"Well June is a nice name." Jack nodded. Amber smiled.

Amber stared at the girl in the tube. She sensed a resonance with the girl. Both of them are similar to some extent. They are born into the world without their consent, and then abandoned without their consent. They have no parents and they don't know when they are born. However, somehow, Amber felt a little jealous of the girl in the tube. At least she would know of the reason she was brought into this cruel world, if ever.

--------

[Maltavite 61]

(Guys, the round will over in 26...)

[Nara-chan 38]

Two days?! Oh well, at least we can put a lot of action in a few posts!

--------------------------

 All three were now staring at the girl, now "June",  after Amber's birth month (October would make a silly name, for that was her birth month). What would life had been for the other baby-experiments? Did they all die? Or did they survive, leading lonely lives?

 

 She reflected on her own life. Her life's most memorable memories began when she was around 6. When her father started his Interpol career. Before that, she knew nothing. Why was I born anyway? Was it for the same reason I didn't die?

 

 Suddenly, her phone rang, breaking the silence. She picked it up and whispered into the cell, "Hello?"

 

 "Y--he--do--comi--you--ere!"

 

 She could barely understand the words that the caller was saying. "What?!" she said.

 

 "Es--he--coming!"

 

 There was a lot of commotion going on behind the scenes. "I'm sorry, I can't understand you!"

 

 "Hurry!"

 

 That was the only intelligible word that came out of the caller's mouth before a sound came out that made her hair stand on end: a gunshot.

 

 "Well, here are the only witnesses left. Pleased to meet you. Or rather, pleased to see you again, you two. How much you've grown after we've disposed of you!"

 

 Yssa slowly turned around, and lo and behold, there was a silhouette of a man in the doorway. "W-who-who are you?"

 

 The man replied, "Why, I believe you know me. I'm your father."

 

 W-w-what?!, she thought. She retorted with the painful truth: "My father's dead, and as far as I know, dead people can't resurrect."

 

 The man snickered, "True, they can't. But that man wasn't your father anyway.", he said, with a thick Russian accent.

 

 Amber seemed to recognize the voice, and she did too. The man bowed down, and removed a makeshift hat. "Vitaly Ovechkin, at your service. Scientist and weapon supplier. Known as "poison" after his pet name: V2O5, Vanadium Pentoxide, a very poisonous compound." He then pointed a gun, and said. "And also, your killer."

------------------

(I'm crazy. Somebody help me.)

(Yes, vanadium pentoxide is real, and it is really poisonous.)

[Maltavite 61]

(@ Nara-chan: Vitaly's surname is Ovechkin, not Ochevkin)

[Nara-chan 38]

Whoops, typo. I'm so stupid >_<

 

I'll fix it right away!

[Kaitou Kid Legendary Thief 197]

Within seconds of Yssa picking up her phone sounding anxious, something alarming happened.

 

A sudden sound of a gunshot rang through the room. Immediately, the people in the room turned towards the root of the sound.

 

"Well, here are the only witnesses left. Pleased to meet you. Or rather, pleased to see you again, you two. How much you've grown after we've disposed of you!"

 

You two...? Does he mean me?

 

 "W-who-who are you?" Yssa asked the figure at the door in which he replied, "... I'm your father."

 

Wait... whut? Then who's the one who died?

 

"My father's dead, and as far as I know, dead people can't resurrect." she retorted.

"True, they can't. But that man wasn't your father anyway.", the man said. This is getting confusing... But this voice is familiar... where have I...?

 

With that, the man bowed down, and introduced himself as Vitaly Ovechkin, a scientist and weapon supplier.

He then raised his gun and pointed it at Amber.

 

What the...?! Sh**... I can't move my legs properly. What a bad timing this is!?

 

The man fired the shot and Amber dodged in panic by ducking down, the bullet hit the glass behind instead. "Ah!" A gush of water spluttered out of the broken tube and soaked Amber. The girl, who was originally suspended in water now unable to keep her support, sank to the bottom of the tube as the water decreased.

Amber's eyebrow furrowed as she turned to face the shooter.

 

"I'm sorry. I slipped up." the man said cheekily. "I'm actually quite bad at shooting. I wonder why I got into this business in the first place~"

He raised the gun again with a grin and pointed towards the little girl. "In case I accidentally hit her later... I think I'll kill her first then..."

 

What!? What are you talking about, you bas****. Don't you dare.

Amber suddenly felt a surge of anger which shocked her. She had never felt 'angry' before... or at least she had shut any undesirable emotion such as anger aside. Indeed, she felt an attachment to the girl in the tube, and may actually have a desire to protect her, but there was also this suppressed feeling which seemed unnatural. Pity? Sympathy? ........... Empathy? That can't be it... can it?

 

Regardless, Amber's not going to let the guy do it his way. Pain surged up from Amber's right hand. She had unconsciously picked up a large piece of glass shard. Without much hesitation, she swung her arm (despite her shoulder injury) and launched the shard at the man and it knocked one of the guns out of his hand. Her hands is now bleeding due to the cut by the shard but surprisingly it didn't hurt. Yssa used the opportunity to drag the girl out of the broken tube and towards a safer corner.

 

"Oh...?" the man said with a smile. "Not bad... As expected..."

He then raised his other arm with another of his guns.

"Well, since you're so impatient, I'll probably send you off first then."

 

This feeling...what...? Amber's consciousness slowly drifted. In place of that, she felt her concentration and senses heighten instead. She suddenly felt like her body is telling her what to do. Her eyes scanned the surroundings unconsciously and she picked up an object unconsciously and she knew how to use it. Her body seems to know exactly what she had to do. Within moments, she picked up the sequence of actions she has to take and embarked on it.

Before the man can fire his second round, Amber had already dashed in front of him and tried to snatch it from him, which he avoided by pulling it back and retaliating with a kick. Amber swiftly avoided that by jumping into the air and using the guy as base, she pushed herself and did a flip to the back of the man. She quickly pulled a low kick to try to trip him, but the guy countered by doing the same. A punch came flying towards her direction but she dodged by jumping backwards, retreating towards the bars.

 

Amber can never get used to this feeling. A strange but familiar one. She realized she had it all along, and she knew it was not one which a normal person would have. She thought it was something that proved she was an elite and many people hated her because of that. This feeling. This mentality. This sensation. Just like during the International Gymnastic competition. That feeling that emerged in the middle of competition. That feeling of knowing. That desire...

 

To win.

 

Amber grabbed onto the bar right above her and swung herself upwards towards the man. He had readied his weapon and preparing to shoot. Yssa on her right, Jack on her left. Positioning perfect.

 

---------------------

(Alright! Let's go!)