Sage Frontier Fan Fiction ❯ A Tale of two Fakes! ❯ Murder, with a twist ( Chapter 18 )

DISCLAIMER: I don't own SaGa Frontier. SquareSoft does, and I think they deserve an award for it, too.

 

“Dude, slow down! You realize we're going over twice the speed limit for aircraft, don't you!?” Joker asked, as they sped through the sky past Baccarat, toward Koorong. Fuse, who'd been piloting for maybe twenty minutes, looked back at Joker skeptically as Blue tried to ignore everything.

 

“And? Son, this is police business. We're looking for a killer,” Fuse reminded him sternly, “As long as we're not hitting anything, we can go as fast as we want.” Blue looked at Joker, seeing that he looked about as calm as a deer in the headlights. Obviously, he wasn't keen on going faster than he needed to, for fear of crashing. Blue didn't blame him.

 

“I'll be sure to tell that to the paramedics,” Blue muttered, just low enough for only Joker to hear. Joker gave a short laugh as Fuse rolled his eyes, not actually hearing what Joker happened to be laughing at. They continued through the air until thick thunderclouds rolled in, a true sign that they were nearing the border into the desolate, dilapidated city. When it started to rain bucketloads, Fuse had no choice but to land just outside of the city. Flying any further was dangerous, he had explained, as any lightning that could've been striking could hit them. Neither Blue nor Joker complained as they hopped off of the plane onto the soggy ground. Joker shivered.

 

“Damn. Maybe I should've thought this through a little more,” he said, trying to suppress a cough. Blue ran back inside, grabbed the umbrella and a blanket, and walked back out, handing both to Joker, who wrapped the blanket around his shoulders and opened up the umbrella as he said, “Thanks.”

 

“Okay, we should be near the south gate,” Fuse said, taking note of their current surroundings and looking at a compass, “According from the maps in our database, there are over ten entrances into the sewers, three of which are on the southern side. Joker, which one is closer to the Black X base you were talking about?” Joker bit his lip, trying to remember. He hadn't paid attention to what entrance or gate he came from. He had found the base simply by wandering around, but he had taken note of every turn he'd made from his home.

 

“I'm not sure,” Joker admitted, “I went from my home directly to it. I don't remember which entrance I took when I moved down there.” Fuse snapped his fingers in slight disappointment, but Joker added, “If we go back to my place, I can figure out where to go from there.” Fuse looked at Joker skeptically. He didn't want to waste any time, but if Joker said he knew how to get there, he'd just have to trust him. Reluctantly, he handed command over to Joker.

 

“All right. We'll go to your place first,” Fuse sighed, “But if you get us lost, any murders your brother pins down will be your responsibility.” Joker agreed to that fully, and without another word, they ran into the city, through the alley, and into Lower Main street as quickly as possible. As there were no citizens around, travel was much easier, though the rain made the grate on the sewer entrance very slippery and hard to lift off. Joker had decided it wasn't safe to use the one near Can-Afford, in case something else had gotten through the entrance. Blue agreed, and with his and Fuse's strength, the covering came off of the entrance very quickly. Joker ignored the ladder as he jumped down, and Fuse followed suit. Blue didn't want to risk breaking his neck, so he simply climbed down.

 

“We're not too far away from where I live,” Joker said, as they ran down a tunnel that smelled horribly of dying fish, “Just another turn and… here.” Joker stopped, and surely enough, they were in the center of the city, just as they had been when they first found Joker.

 

“That didn't take long at all,” Fuse said, confused. Joker smiled.

 

“That's because we left on the lower street. You had to go through a whole layer of sewers before you reached here last time, because Can-Afford is one floor above where we came in,” Joker replied, and turned back to the center island within the sewage, where his bed and boxed still stood. He looked carefully at the tunnels that came into the large chamber, and pointed to one across the chamber, “That one in the back. You can tell because of the “Snappy's” sign. Come on.” Blue and Fuse followed Joker, and they dashed across the bridge onto the island. Joker stopped to look just once more at his home, and then continued on through the next bridge, running down the steps into the tunnel. It turned a sharp corner into a very dark passage, illuminated only by shafts of light that came through a broken ceiling. The smell of fresh earth pushed through those shafts, and Blue guessed that they were just leaving Koorong, or where close to.

 

“How could they see in the dark?” Fuse asked, lighting a lantern he packed. However, even with the illumination from the lamp, it only lit a few feet around Fuse. He could barely see Blue, and Joker was hidden completely, the only clue that he was still there being his voice.

 

“Before Alkaiser broke the base up, there were lights strung every so often on the ceiling to help members find their way through. But the explosion Shuzer caused must've blown everything electrical out,” Joker explained, adding that this was from his brother, “Look here, sir. You can see the remains of one of the lamps.” Fuse held the light over, and found Joker pointing. He followed the invisible line that was Joker's gaze and found the lamp. The glass had been shattered, but the frame was still in tact. It looked like an old lamp in the middle ages, or possibly a design still used in Fascinaturu.

 

“So, do we need to follow the remains of lights to find the base?” Blue asked, and Joker shook his head, even though the darkness prevented anyone from seeing.

 

“No. We follow the path. Hopefully, there'll be some light from up above to help us out, but if not, there should still be one sign standing to help us find the entrance. I'm not sure what it says, but any sign we find should be looked at,” Joker replied seriously. Fuse agreed, and let Joker take the lead again. They walked down the tunnel again, though this time they moved much more slowly. The water seeping through the earth made the ground very slippery, and the collapsed bricks and metal didn't help. Quite a few times, Joker had to stop to let the other two catch up, and while he was slowly getting annoyed, he didn't complain. He didn't blame them for being especially slow. Finally, after slogging through what appeared to be an underground marsh, which turned out to simply be a flooded tunnel, they found solid, dry ground. Fuse sighed, leaning against the wall.

 

“Phew! I was beginning to think the base had sunk,” Fuse commented tiredly, “Mind if we rest, boys?” Blue, who looked equally as exhausted, shook his head and sat on a box.

 

“No, sir. I could use a break,” Blue replied. Joker didn't say anything, but sat down, silently glad for the rest. Fuse took out a cell phone, and dialed a number. Blue tilted his head, and realized Fuse was just calling Rouge to check in when a familiar voice rang over the phone.

 

“Fuse? What's up, boss?” Rouge called on the other end, as Red cursed angrily. A stack of papers he'd been working on just fell over, earning a laugh from Roufas. Fuse perked a suspicious eyebrow, but didn't comment on it.

 

“We're checking in for a report, soldier. Any news?” Fuse asked. He heard a shuffling of papers, and Rouge's voice rang again.

 

“Nothing that could pin his location in Koorong, but when he was in Shingrow, he was pursued for interrupting the battle competition, theft of the Tribal Spear, and for assaulting three contestants, seven armed guards, and the airport receptionist. One of the contestants who reported the assault was the Pink Tiger,” Rouge explained, “Unfortunately, she assumed it was Joker, because he wore the same costume Joker had. When they checked DNA and found it wasn't Joker, but his brother, they went after him.” Though Fuse couldn't see it, Emelia's face paled considerably. She was the Pink Tiger, and she had made the report. Joker snorted, having remembered being tried for that too.

 

“Oh, uh… oops. That was me,” Emelia said quietly, “Sorry again, Jok… er… Steven.” Joker actually laughed, having heard his actual name. He hoped Emelia didn't take offense from the laughter, but it was humorous.

 

“No worries. Just another reason for me to pound my brother's face in later,” Joker replied with amusement, and when Fuse cleared his throat loudly, added, “Er… metaphorically speaking, of course.” Fuse nodded approvingly, but everyone else knew that was just a lie to keep Fuse from complaining. Fuse returned his attention to Rouge.

 

“Not only that, he caused several casualties on the Cygnus, which again was pinned on Joker,” Rouge replied. Joker's eyes narrowed.

 

“Emelia?” he called, slightly annoyed. Emelia's face was near white now.

 

“Sorry again,” she squeaked, and heard Joker sigh.

 

“Well, at this rate, I'll simply have to gun my brother down rather than waste the time and effort beating him up. Of course, I'll need to remind him of what exactly he got away with, but…” Joker noticed out of the corner of his eyes that Fuse was looking at him coldly.

 

“Do I need to remind you that assaulting people, even if it's justified, is a criminal offense?” Fuse asked grimly, “And using a gun without a license is just as bad?” Joker rolled his eyes.

 

“That's the problem with you, though! You guys didn't even catch my brother, and you certainly didn't follow him,” Joker retorted, and Red spat out his coffee, as he also agreed, “So if you won't do your job, I'll do mine.” Fuse's eyes narrowed even more, and a drop of sweat rolled down the cop's face.

 

“Don't make me go `bad cop' on you,” Fuse mumbled, “I'll get away with it. You won't.” Joker didn't seem the least bit fazed with this warning, but Rouge's voice caused the current argument to fizzle.

 

“There's more, boss,” Rouge continued, “He swindled the dwarves in Baccarat out of two million credits. Thankfully, it wasn't reported on Joker, as the waitress didn't actually see him.” Joker's lips tightened. He knew exactly who the waitress happened to be, or at least he had a good guess. He could imagine Emelia edging away, but he didn't say anything, since technically, he wasn't blamed for it.

 

“The way this is going, I'm going to have to issue a death sentence on him,” Fuse growled, “Thanks for the report, son. Keep searching. We're going to head out again.” Rouge nodded from the other end.

 

“Okay. We'll phone you if we hit anything important,” Rouge replied, “Good luck. And you'd better come back in one piece, bro.” The last part, he aimed at Blue, who smiled.

 

“I'll be sure to do that, Rouge,” Blue promised, and then Rouge hung up. Fuse flipped his phone off and pocketed it.

 

“Looks like we'd better get moving. Your brother's a pretty bad deal,” Fuse stated grimly, straightening up, “Let's hope he's at this base, and that Doll did warn the airport authorities.” Joker nodded, and as Blue got up off of the ground, they continued down the dark, dank tunnel, feeling refreshed with the report and the resting they had. Joker carefully led the way, and as he had hoped, the shafts of light providing enough light to be able to see, and soon they spotted the entrance into the Black X base. It had been boarded up, but the wood that blocked the way in was smashed, and by the musty smell, it was done recently. Blue and Fuse took out their flashlights as they neared the doorway, all the while making sure to walk as slowly and carefully as they could.

 

“I'll head in first. I'm probably the strongest here,” Fuse said firmly, “Blue, you come in when I flash the light at you two, and Joker, you take up the rear.” The two didn't object, so Fuse turned his light on and walked in, arming his blaster just in case he was attacked. He wasn't. Before beckoning to Blue, he shined the light around to get a good look at the building. It was dusty, and the tables were mostly stacked with chairs, and none looked like they'd been used in months, possibly years. Dirty, old cups lined the bar, which needed a good cleaning. Only the floor looked swept up, and as Fuse turned on the light switch, none of the lights turned on. But nothing looked like it had been through an explosion. This puzzled Fuse. Joker had been so sure of an explosion. Had he been reported wrong? Had he misheard? Or had his brother simply lied? Fuse couldn't be sure, but Joker would probably be just as surprised as he was. He turned the light back into the tunnel, and soon Blue and Joker joined him. And as he had thought, Joker was confused by the scene. As they walked in, all Joker could do was stare around in complete disbelief.

 

“But… but everything was supposed to be in ruins,” he whispered, running his finger across a dusty, but still usable table, “Are we in the wrong base?” Fuse shook his head and pointed to an old board that had a piece of large parchment somewhat attached to it. Most of the parchment was ripped off, but the part that was readable listed a few of the base rules. Blue looked around carefully. The furniture indeed looked stable, but he noticed the walls had suffered severe damage, and there were piles of ashes in the shadows, looking as though they'd been swept there.

 

“Hold on, look at this,” Blue said quietly, gesturing toward where he was pointing the flashlight, “Doesn't that look a little suspicious?” Joker squinted his eyes and looked, and then nodded.

 

“All of this stuff's been replaced,” he concluded, and Blue nodded, “But… why? Think my brother lives down here?” Fuse raised an amused eyebrow.

 

“If he's anything like you, he might not have much choice,” Fuse stated, but something still bothered Joker.

 

“That wouldn't make sense. I'd have seen him, or heard something, wouldn't I?” Joker asked, and Fuse admitted that that was a crucial point. Blue flashed the light around in a few more corners, revealing more ashes. Now that they were visible under the light, everyone began to get a very bad feeling. Joker shivered and coughed again, and Blue became very tense. Only Fuse seemed to not be affected, at least outwardly.

 

“Well, if he is here, we'd better find him. Who knows what else he could be doing,” Fuse growled darkly, walking into a door in the back, the only door in the entire room, “He won't wait for us, unless he's either stupid or has a really good plan to kill us.” Blue rolled his eyes as they walked into the room, as Fuse had begun gloating about how he survived over one thousand plots on his life back in the war in Scrap. Blue seriously doubted every word dribbling from Fuse's mouth.

 

“Knowing our luck, the plan your brother assumedly has won't need to be too complicated,” Blue whispered to Joker, who laughed hysterically, though he kept it low enough so Fuse didn't hear. After that, neither of them talked as they walked through the base. There was nothing of interest at all, save for a bookcase full of old books. But Blue knew better than to go through them. They could be rotting, or they could have traps in them, and he couldn't risk another injury, not after what he went through in Manhattan. Finally, a closed door into the kitchen caught their attention, only because of the light that was shining through the tiny window. It illuminated a slight ray across the floor, and as Fuse went to take a peek, he gasped.

 

“He's in there, all right,” Fuse whispered, hunching his shoulders. Joker pushed right behind him, but still couldn't see, as Fuse refused to move to let him through.

 

“What's he doing?” Blue called, as Joker finally managed to get toward the window. He looked in. His brother was indeed sitting at the table, with a small lamp turned on. He looked a little like Joker, except his green hair was much, much longer, and his clothes were cleaner. And, he looked relatively healthy. He was reading something, but what it was, neither Joker nor Fuse could see.

 

“It looks like he's reading,” Joker replied carefully, and when Fuse bent down for something, Joker jumped back, screaming, “What are you doing!?”

 

“Pipe down, son. I'm breaking the door open,” Fuse said simply, taking out his blaster and charging it just slightly as to not completely blow the door apart.

 

“But why!? It's not safe!” Joker hissed, “He'll kill us if he comes out!” Fuse took a minute to look at Joker.

 

“He's not coming out,” he said plainly, and went back to picking the lock, “Just trust me.” Blue snorted, and Joker found this to be very hard to do. For nearly ten minutes, Fuse tried to work out the lock, keeping very quiet and hoping that his companions were doing the same. With one soft click, the lock opened, though Fuse didn't push on the door. Joker tilted his head, waiting for something to happen, and then Fuse opened the door… only to find the room empty. His eyes widened and he ran in.

 

“Looks like he went out, sir,” Blue said, almost mockingly, and Fuse cursed angrily as Joker walked to the table and looked at the book on it. It was a photo album. Joker looked at it for what felt like a very long time, and eventually Blue came over.

 

“Is that…” Blue started, and Joker nodded before he could finish.

 

“Yes. That's my family,” he replied, smiling weakly, “That's my mom, holding me, and my dad's the one with the football. My brother's the one holding the rake. Man, I didn't think this album survived.” Blue patted Joker's shoulder, and Fuse came over to take a look at the picture. The family was sitting on a back porch on a nice, autumn day. The sun was shining in a resilient golden glow, and the leaves were spectacular colors of red, yellow, orange, and brown, all with different hues. It was hard to think such a nice family could be such a dangerous one.

 

“What was it that made you all go into the dark business that you did?” Fuse asked quietly, and Joker looked away from the book, trying to remember. He never actually knew why, all he knew was that it was to pay for something. He relayed it all to Fuse, who looked both shocked and unable to believe it. And Joker didn't blame him.

 

“Your family is much different than I'd have thought,” Fuse commented, and Joker nodded sadly.

 

“I know. My mom and dad were good people. I never understood why they'd put us all through… well, basically, the mafia, except not Italian. But they'd never answer whenever I asked, and my brother didn't know either,” Joker explained distantly, “He hated the jobs he did, too. But it was the only way to survive, or we could've lost our home. When dad came home one day, blood dripping off of his arm, mom was in hysterics. I never knew what happened, but my brother did, and he swore he'd kill their boss. I never saw him after that, except for if he wrote to me.” He took out a picture of him with his brother, and a tear welled up in his eye as he added, “We used to be so close… then… that day, he just changed.” The tear fell and splashed the picture, but no more had followed it. Blue understood how Joker felt. He had the same bond with Rouge. Fuse looked down, knowing he had to make a tough decision, but he had to do his job, and that was avenging a dead woman. Seriously, he walked to the doorway.

 

“Regardless of your bond, he still needs to be jailed,” Fuse stated firmly, “He killed a woman. He can't be allowed to escape, so let's go and find him.” As he turned, though, Fuse found he was face to face with the man who was in the room before, and Joker gasped. Just above Joker's height, with long green hair and a pale complexion, stood his brother in his elegant clothing. He looked calmly at the group.

 

“That should not be so hard, officer,” he replied, walking in, “As I am right here, where I should be.”

 

“Darius! What are you doing here?” Joker asked, and Darius looked at him, a bit surprised, but nonetheless relieved. He smiled and sat down.

 

“Steven? You're all right?” Darius asked, “I thought you were in jail for assaulting that super model. Did you get released?” Joker nodded grimly, and Blue leaned against the wall, arms crossed. If they were going to reign in Darius, it was on Joker's shoulders now. And Fuse seemed to know this as well, as he closed the door and remained standing.

 

“Just barely. As it turns out, I didn't kill her fiancé, and I attacked her out of panic,” Joker said, “But I'm not here to talk about me. Darius, we're here to ask you about the woman you murdered. Why did you do it? You know it's wrong, don't you?” He looked at Darius with as much concern as he could, and Darius turned away, ashamed. He nodded.

 

“I know it was, but there's a reason I gunned her down,” Darius explained, “Mom and dad are dead.” Joker's eyes widened, and he wasn't sure he actually heard right.

 

“What!? They're… they're dead?” he whispered, his voice breaking. Darius nodded, and Blue intervened.

 

“That is no reason to murder an innocent woman,” he stated sternly, and Darius looked in his direction, still as calm as before.

 

“That woman was anything but innocent,” Darius retorted, his calmness nearly faltering, “Nearly twenty years ago, when Joker was barely in kindergarten, something really bad happened to our family. Our savings were broken into, and everything our great-great-grandmother had left to the family was stolen. The bank couldn't recover a cent of it, and we were quickly going into serious debt. Mom and dad… asked our aunt Rita for help, and she agreed, but at a very steep price.” Fuse looked at him, both interested and disturbed at the same time. Joker blinked, and he finally caught on.

 

“Wait… you mean,” Joker began, his voice lowering, “You mean, she was why we did those horrible things?” Darius nodded.

 

“Yup. She had her own business of drug-smuggling, bribery, theft, and murder, and out of desperation, mom and dad joined it,” Darius said grimly, shivering, “Unfortunately, the debt was being paid slowly, because Rita kept skimming money off of the top for herself. Eventually, I joined in to help, but mostly to find proof to bust her little business right through her roof. I didn't find a thing.”

 

“But why couldn't we just run away? Why not call the police?” Joker asked childishly, and Darius snorted.

 

“Don't be naïve, Steven,” Darius scolded, “Rita was a ruthless woman with millions and millions of credits. She could've easily paid them away. And, she would know how to find us if we escaped. Dad tried to get her to let us be, and you saw what happened. Those little scandals I did back in Shingrow and on that ship? The ones you were blamed for? Those were to get what I needed to bring that wretch down.” Joker's eyes welled up again from the memory of his father's bloody body. Blue's brows furrowed, and Fuse's lips tightened.

 

“Still those were illegal means,” Fuse replied firmly, “And what about your incident in Baccarat?” Darius laughed.

 

“That made the media? Incredible,” Darius sighed, “That wasn't a swindle. I went to the dwarves for help, and they agreed. Unfortunately, they're blind little midgets, and they can't read a damn. When the waitress informed them that they were to pay me two million credits for not reporting their rigged bar games, they reported it as a misdemeanor, but they're the ones who signed the damn contract. They were going to use being blind as a defense.” Fuse's lips tightened even more, as that wasn't even a crime now, and he sighed. This was a tough call, but something still didn't fit. And Joker managed to get the final piece.

 

“But why the woman? Who was she?” Joker asked, and Darius smiled, though it was grim.

 

“That was our cousin, Elena,” Darius replied, “She threatened to have you killed if I didn't repay the debt, because of your botch on the bounty. I told her that we paid more than our debt, and she was about to have Koorong blown to pieces to kill you. I had to do something, so I took a knife and wedged the control out of her hands. When she ran, I couldn't let her get away. She was going to kill so many people. I swear, I didn't mean to kill her, but I'm not sorry that I did.” Fuse closed his eyes, struggling now. He had no way to check Darius's story, and Darius seemed very sincere. Joker had turned out to be innocent of most of his crimes, so could his brother be equally as innocent? Once again, a phone call saved that answer.

 

“What is it?” Fuse asked quickly, and Rouge sounded very upset.

 

“Sir, you're not going to believe this,” Rouge said quickly, scrolling down the screen, “Joker's family was enslaved by his aunt for paying a mass amount of debt, and his father was injured when he went to settle it. Two years ago, the parents were killed, and that's when Darius reported his aunt. But she made the little incident disappear, so she was never caught, but she sent her daughter out to finish Joker and his brother off. The reinforcements up top just found a broken remote and there's signals of bombs located all around the area. You have to get out of there.” Fuse's eyes widened, and he hung up the phone without a word. That told him everything he needed to know. Darius was innocent, and he saved the entire city. But the bombs were ticking now. He knew that.

 

“Are you all right sir?” Blue asked, noting the terror in Fuse's eyes, “What did Rouge say?” Fuse practically broke the door off of its hinges.

 

“We need to run,” he said hastily, and everyone stood up, making for the door as he explained, “Darius, when you inadvertently killed your cousin, the remote was crushed, and it set off the timers. Thankfully, when everyone heard Joker might be back, they all fled, but we have to move before those bombs go off.”

 

“WHAT!? There are bombs down here!?” Blue screamed, as they ran out of the base, and through the tunnels, ignoring the water and garbage as they passed. Fuse nodded.

 

“Rouge said the reinforcements that Doll sent to us picked up the signals on the radar. I don't know how long we have, but it can't be that long,” Fuse said, as they rushed through a half-submerged tunnel and dashed up a flight of stairs, into the central chamber. As they passed, Joker and Darius collected various sacks, and then caught up quickly as the tunnels rumbled.

 

“Damn it! They're starting!” Darius cursed angrily, as they left the chamber into a dim path, “So much for saving anyone.” Blue glanced as they ran.

 

“On the contrary, you saved a lot of people,” Blue said, “No one is here save for the police.” Darius smiled, but the urgency of what was happening made that smile fade very quickly. They found the ladder they had used, and scrambling up, they saw that the plane was right there, engine on, with the reinforcements climbing in. One man thrust his arm down the ladder.

 

“Come up, quickly! We've got less than two minutes before this place explodes!” he yelled over the engine, and as Joker had gone up first, he grabbed the soldier's arm and was hoisted onto the plane. Blue followed suit, and Darius climbed up by himself as the soldier helped Blue. Fuse was last, and when they were all safely inside, along with the things Joker and Darius had taken, the door swung shut. The pilot didn't hesitate as the plane lifted off of the ground and flew into the air as a roar erupted deep under the ground. Sewage spewed from the manhole, and finally erupted into flames as the bombs were set off. The shock shook the plane, but no damage was taken. Joker looked out the window into the fiery abyss far below.

 

“So much for a home,” he mumbled, and Darius patted his back.

 

“I'm sure we'll find something,” Darius said quietly, as they watched the city being devoured by the hungry flames. Joker silently hoped that what Blue said about the citizens escaping was correct, and looked at Fuse, remembering their deal. Fuse nodded wisely.

 

“We'll provide you with a home, but we need to clear you both of the crime before we do so,” he said calmly, “Will you be willing to make statements?” Darius nodded for both him and Joker.

 

“Of course. Anything to help us get our lives back,” Darius replied sternly, “Anything to help you catch someone who should've been locked up years ago.” Joker nodded with agreement, and Fuse turned to the control room.

 

“Next stop, IRPO!”

 

-----------------------------(End Chapter)

 

Well, another case is nearly solved, and once again, Joker and his brother turned out to be completely innocent, if not a little revenge-driven. But what other mysteries do Joker's family have? Where will his case bring the IRPO police force? Why was he put through so many dangerous jobs, and can they catch his aunt, who turned his life to hell before he could learn to count? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!