Witch Hunter Robin Fan Fiction ❯ Falling ❯ Rising and Falling ( Chapter 7 )

Procedamus in pace (Let us proceed in peace)

In nomine Christi, Amen. (In the name of Christ, Amen)

Cum angelis et pueris, (With angels and children)

Fideles inveniamur (We shall find the faithful)

Enigma - “Sadeness”

 

 

Even though the scene of the incident appeared chaotic, order reigned. The skirmish had lasted long enough to be heard by a neighbor, whose timely call to emergency management officials had resulted in also timely assistance. Police on the scene quickly assessed the situation and, realizing that the people present were STN-J members, took special precautions with the scene. As soon as enough officers were on site, the crime scene was cordoned off and isolated. The incident itself was kept under wraps and not discussed with anyone not wearing a badge. The police captain on site, a young and promising officer, had quickly concocted a cover story that would be “leaked” to the media and those whose curiosity was insatiable.

 

Now, almost an hour after the unexpected turn of events, Anne found herself sitting on a gurney inside an ambulance parked outside the house. She winced as the medic tended to her wound, examining it and then bandaging it carefully. “You should consider yourself lucky,” he counseled softly. “Another centimeter or two and the bullet would have struck a major artery. You would have bled dry.”

 

The medic moved away from her as John approached. His eyes asked the unspoken question of how she was feeling, and she had to shake her head at this. “Don't ask, John. I've been worse, but I've been better. How's the rest of the group?”

 

“Everyone else is fine. The STN-J members weren't harmed.”

 

Anne rose unsteadily to her feet, feeling a bit lightheaded as the adrenaline rushed through her from her ordeal. “Well, that's a start. What about our two hosts?”

 

“When the first body hit the floor, they were apparently quite aware of it and had taken refuge in one of the upstairs bedrooms. I almost got charred by Robin when I went up to track them down.” John chuckled. “They felt it was best to seek a safer location. They still want an answer, of course, but given the situation it's no longer an urgent thing.”

 

“If I wasn't a trusting woman, I'd question the timing of events. Not twenty minutes after we meet with them and they ask for our help, some gun-toting maniac dressed like he belongs in the Godfather manages to kill three people AND almost offs me as well. And then he disappears like he was never there to begin with.” She waved her hand in the air, sounding like someone who was incredulous but also telling it as it was. She focused on the STN-J team members who were gathered at the front door awaiting interview by a police officer.

 

“Don't forget the warded weapons,” John chimed in.

 

Anne turned slowly to look at him as a piece of the puzzle fit. “That's what he was carrying? Maybe it's a good thing, for a change, that I'm not a craft-user. The bullet can't cause me any more harm than it already has. It explains two things, though. First, it explains why the three witches died so swiftly, and second, it also tells us we're facing a professional.”

 

Shifting, John focused on a point just above Anne's head. He didn't want to say it, but the sooner he got what he was thinking off of his chest, the better. Gathering his courage, he took a deep breath. “You know that Julia is going to want to know about this. We can't just keep it a secret anymore, especially after that.” He gestured to her shoulder.

 

“That's what I was afraid of. This hunter's attack virtually guarantees our involvement now. If he hadn't shot at me, we'd be absolved from this whole thing. We've been thrust into a sticky situation.” She sighed, looking back at the house. “Well, the sooner we get this done, the better. Get on the phone with Julia, and yes, I know what time it is there,” she caught John before he could open his mouth to protest. “We have very little time left to deal with this. Even though Robin and Amon have given us extra time to think about what they asked, we can't leave until we provide them some kind of an answer.” She motioned toward the group of STN-J members. “I'll tell it like it is to them - that we're pretty much going to be involved now in this matter.”

 

John gave a nod and stepped away from the ambulance to make the dreaded call. Standing up, Anne moved slowly but steadily towards the group of STN-J members. Each step sent a spasm of pain through her shoulder and she did her best to keep the shoulder stationary. The group turned at her approach. Each member mirrored different motions as they had during the meeting with Robin. Sakaki was clearly upset over the incident and was constantly moving around in an attempt to alleviate the nervous energy that had built up in his system. Dojima was acting the same as she had as of late - cool and professional. Her phone was out and Anne could guess that she was probably talking to Chief Kosaka. Karasuma and Hanako were talking quietly with each other, just like a set of co-conspirators would. All of them turned as Anne approached.

 

“Normally, I'm not one to stand still and do nothing after I've been shot at,” she began as she looked each member in the eye. “But there is protocol that must be followed here, as most of you are well aware.”

 

Her gaze settled on Karasuma and Hanako. “I know that you want an answer from us. Robin and Amon are not asking for one at this time, given the circumstances, but I feel it best to make you aware that this situation is now out of my hands. It is likely that we will become involved in this, but I can't be certain of that yet. This is your jurisdiction and thus your case, and I have no business speaking for our manager until we've heard from her. I can tell you that there are still things in the air regarding the proper reinstatement of STN-J. As to the issue of Robin and Amon… I really don't know yet.”

 

Anne had been prepared to continue speaking when Dojima abruptly hung up her phone. The others turned to look at her as she sighed and visibly slumped. “Well, that didn't go too well. The Chief is not happy. I think you Americans call it “mad as a wet hen”? He is on his way here, and will arrive within the hour. He said that we'd better have some `damned good' explanations.” The young woman ran a hand through her blonde hair and then chuckled. “I guess he'll have to get more blood pressure medication.”

 

“That's not all,” said John from behind them. It was Anne's turn to sigh as she began guessing what John would have to say. He held the phone out to her almost as if he was holding on to a live snake. “Julia wants to talk to you. I think it's safe to say that Kosaka's got nothing on her.”

 

Taking the phone, Anne stepped away from the group, letting John fill them in on any relevant details that he'd been given during his end of the conversation. She held the phone gingerly up to her ear, half expecting it to grow a set of fangs and bite her. There was no anticipation of what was coming next - only dread. “Yes?”

 

“Do you know what I hate the most?” Anne winced as Julia's voice sounded in her ear. It was as crisp as if she was standing right next to Anne. Little was required for Anne to imagine Julia sitting in bed, gritting her teeth in anticipation of ripping the younger RFO member to shreds.

 

“Let me guess… Being awakened early in the morning with the news that one of your agents has been injured by a hunter who is chasing down two fugitives who were supposedly killed last year?”

 

“Wrong.” Anne winced again at the bitter sound. “Being awakened early in the morning by one of Solomon's top-ranking hunters requesting an urgent meeting with my whole team in 48 hours. THEN receiving another phone call moments later telling me that one of my agents has been injured by a hunter who is chasing down two supposedly dead people.”

 

The news stunned Anne into relative silence. “Oh,” she was able to manage as Julia continued.

 

“Fifteen minutes ago, Father Juliano Colegui called here, waking me from an otherwise peaceful sleep. Although he was vague, he did make it clear that he wanted the two of you to return here for an important and classified meeting the day after tomorrow. I have no clue what this is about, do you?”

 

Anne was too tired to properly try to rationalize the sequence of events. To her annoyance, the painkillers had yet to kick in. She ran a hand through her hair as the dull pain continued emanating from her shoulder. “No, I don't. At least, not yet. But, it's safe to assume that it has something to do with what's going on here.”

 

There was a pause on the line as Julia digested this information. Anne got the distinct impression of a cat toying with its prey. “Yes, about that…”

 

Anne sighed, not wanting to tell the whole story over again. “I know, I know. You have lots of questions for us. We'll brief you tomorrow when we return. When's our flight depart?”

 

“You're scheduled on the 10 PM redeye flight out of Tokyo. I've already talked to Chief Kosaka and he's sending someone to collect your things from your hotel.”

 

Hesitating a moment to glance down at her watch and check the time, Anne turned back towards the STN-J group, watching them as they chatted with John. “That gives us about five hours to get to the airport. Couldn't you have gotten an earlier flight?”

 

“You need to properly debrief Chief Kosaka on what has happened, even though I don't know all the details yet. He had mentioned the possibility of sending a representative from STN-J back with you, but that is his discretion.”

 

“A representative?”

 

“I wish I knew why. I guess it has something to do with what's going on there. I think he's thinking along the same lines as you - that whatever has summoned Father Juliano here has to do with what happened there. Just hurry up so we can get this mess straightened out. The last thing we need is for this to escalate on us.”

 

Anne nodded and closed her eyes, using all of her willpower to concentrate. “I'll do what I can. We've opened up a can of worms that may be too much for us to handle alone; if Father Colegui is briefing us on this mess, then I suspect we'll need everyone at the office.”

 

“I was afraid you'd say that,” Julia replied slowly, the tail end of a yawn clearly heard three thousand miles away in Japan. “I'll be in the office in the morning, and I'll let the rest of the team know that we may be involved with a very serious situation. This means we'll have to put our other projects and hunts on hold.”

 

“It can't be helped. Now I know how Pandora feels. What horrors have we unleashed?” Anne sighed, the beginnings of a headache building in behind her eyes and moving in tandem with the dull pain in her shoulder.

 

“We won't know until Father Juliano arrives. Get your rest while you can; I'm sure you're going to need it.”

 

“I think you're going to need it more than me. We'll talk when we get back to the office.” Pressing the button to end the call, Anne handed the phone back to John, who had caught the tail end of the conversation.

 

The two looked at each other wordlessly, and then over at the STN-J team members. Running a hand through her hair, Anne wanted to do something to help get things taken care of quicker. It was her nature to complete jobs with a maximum of speed and a minimum of interference; in this case this mission had now been botched and a new one had taken its place.

 

Anne was not sure if she could count this as a success or a failure. On the one hand, she and John had fulfilled part of their mission—oversight and review. But, on the other hand, they had not completed the oversight and review necessary to make their mission a success. They had been abducted during a mission and now had been involved in a gunfight. Now they were being recalled back to the United States to be briefed on a mission which they were not fully aware of but was probably related to what had happened here. Anne felt sure that the two events were not related.

 

Father Colegui's phone call to Julia had come right after the shooting. That implied either luck on the part of the elder hunter or that the timing had been deliberate. From all that Amon and Robin had told them, it was not hard to suspect that Colegui was trying to pull the STN-A members away from the scene so the Solomon hunter (if he was actually sanctioned by Solomon, which Anne doubted) could finish the job. Yet, the hunter had deliberately shot at Anne, and such things could not be easily overlooked.

 

Then there were likely other circumstances to be factored in as well. It had been rumored that Robin was actually the granddaughter of Father Colegui. If this was true, the Father would have the motive to keep his granddaughter safe from harm, even if it meant bringing STN-A into play. He had also been the one to order her hunt; another reason for keeping STN-A from interfering in the matter. The pros and cons were evenly balanced, and that disturbed Anne. Just like a chess player, she was used to carefully watching her opponent to learn his strategy and then countering it whenever she could. In this situation, however, she knew neither the player nor the board that they were playing on. Putting her thoughts on the back-burner, she turned and looked for somewhere she could be of use as they waited for Chief Kosaka to arrive.

 

Just over an hour later, true to Dojima's word, Chief Kosaka arrived on the scene. As predicted, he looked and sounded as upset as a wet hen. Stepping out of the car, he glared long and hard at the STN-J members, almost as if he could turn them to stone with his anger. As Dojima and Karasuma explained the situation to him, his anger seemed to only intensify instead of fade.

 

“You mean to tell me that you have been working with two dead operatives? And you've been giving the witches to them instead of killing them as you were ordered?! Have you lost your minds?” He concluded as Karasuma wound down her story. “Honestly, I expected better of all of you, especially you, Yurika and Miho! I am very disappointed in you.”

 

The STN-J members seemed to recoil at these words. Everyone feared what was coming next, but Anne took the opportunity to step into the opening his pause had created. “With all due respect, Chief Kosaka, right now we have more serious matters to deal with. As your team told you, we have an unknown hunter who tried to kill me and may have very well gunned for your other members had he not suddenly disappeared. Whatever your reservations, this is not the time or place. We have more important fish to fry.”

 

Kosaka turned towards the American and seemed to consider this for a few moments before sighing and taking off his fedora. “My utmost concern is for the safety of my team and their performance while on duty. Learning that they have violated the rules does not make me feel any better about the chances of STN-J ever returning to full operational status.”

 

“That may be the case, sir, but right now this matter requires that we all work together. I understand you want to send someone back with us for a proper debriefing; who would you wish to send?” Anne hoped that her change of topics would not seem too overt to Kosaka.

 

He was no fool; he knew that Anne had just tried to divert his attention away from the subject at hand. Had this been any other situation he would have willingly snapped the other person's head off, but this wasn't any other situation and the person he was speaking to was the judge of whether or not he and his team would ever work for Solomon again. There were times when diplomacy was absolutely necessary, even if it meant sacrificing raw anger for something more satisfying in the long run.

 

“I believe it is only fitting that we send our senior operative, since she got STN-J into this mess to begin with.” He gave a sidelong glance toward Karasuma, who seemed to shrink ever so slightly, then turned towards the taller woman. “Karasuma, I want you to go with the Americans and represent STN-J. If there is any hope at all of salvaging this mess, I expect you to do whatever necessary.” The girl nodded, weary and subdued from the events of the previous hours.

 

“As for the rest of you,” Kosaka went on, fixing them with a glare, “I will decide what happens to you when we discern what will happen to STN-J. If STN-J lives again, we will determine a course of action that involves Robin and Amon. If it does not…” he paused ominously, “I promise that you will have nice cozy jobs working as janitors for the rest of your lives.”

 

“Sounds like fun,” Sakaki muttered sarcastically under his breath, drawing a sharp glare from the chief.

 

“If you have anything to say, Sakaki, save it for the debriefing. Karasuma, get your things packed. As for the rest of you, consider yourselves on leave until the debriefing tomorrow.” He held up his hands to quiet the protests he knew were coming. “There's nothing more to be done today. Go home and get some rest; Michael can handle things at the office.”

 

Anne paused, remembering something. “That reminds me. Chief, I'd like to speak with Michael briefly before we leave. There's some unfinished business that I'd like to clear up with him. Is this a problem?”

 

Looking slightly confused, the Chief shook his head. “Of course not. He's sitting in the car with your things.”

 

Smiling, Anne looked at John. “Good. I think we'll find a lot of our questions will be answered as we drive back to the airport.”