Chapter 1-Pandora Box Opened
Chapter 1- Of Pandora's Box opened
-Prolouge-
Prior to the failed attempt by the Five Republic factions, under the Padanian's new Trino power plant offensive foiled by the government Social welfare agency, and the arrest of Cristiano Savonarola, majority of the Padanian movement were either ruined or wiped out and most of their personnel was killed or captured, leaving the rest to flee Italy or seek refugees in Mafioso group all over North Italy.
Despite their action that led to the interference of the Italian army, and almost disbanded together, the Social Welfare agency continues to function after several pleads were made that the SWA's main focus now should be reorganized As internal security for the Government, though they were officially called that way. Through United Nation's order, all Section one's cyborg are ceased to operate and Section 2 cyborgs remains to function in the agency together with their handler. Former handler of the first-gen cyborgs are either retired, absorbed into section 1, or continue to serve as handler for the 2nd generation cyborgs.
Apart from their obvious duty as internal security-related operation, their task now; assigned by the new prime minister himself, to hunt down every fleeing Padanians in North Italy.
-Downtown of Certaldo, Florence. February 4th 20XX, late night -
In the late night shined by the city's streetlight, sitting on the bench are the fratello couple sent by the Section 2 of the Social welfare agency to perform reconnaissance to track down one of the rumoured Padanian groups that fled the New Trino incident last year hiding in this city.
"Is there any reason why we are here in this late night, signore?" Adamiya asked her handler, Sergio. she stood near Sergio while he sat on the bench.
"My intel suggest that the Padanian meeting will be held somewhere in this part of the city tonight" Sergio replied "based on our informant's info, the meeting should be held approximately... right now" he look into his watch. "Let the minute passes by, by then we'll look
"Okay" said Adamiya in return.
The night is quiet again without their conversation. Passing car didn't even affect the quietness of the area.
"Signore" Adamiya said to her Fratello.
"What is it, Miya?" Sergio asking her back, curious what she want to say.
"There's one question i want to ask you" Adamiya pauses for a moment "Do you... love me?"
Sergio coughed for a moment before rising from his seat and took his cigarette pack out from his pocket.
"That's a tough question Miya..." Sergio replies "I love you as if you're my younger sister... but since you've asked this... i think-" before he could continue, a gunshot echoed followed by single round impacting Sergio's chest. Before Adamiya could react further, a second shot landed on Sergio's chest, killing him.
"Signore!" Adamiya tried to revive her fratello, holding him by the shirt but proved to be hopeless act. She looked at from where the shot came from and spotted the sniper. Her hand still stained by the blood from her fratello, and now filled with anger.
"Fuck You-" Adamiya, while trying to reach her sidearm, never get to react further when a single shot hits her right eye, instantly killing her on the spot.
In just one minute, the entire scene was over. Both fratello are dead.
-5th February. SWA headquarter, Section 2's general office-
"You look good today, Ferro" Yarrow praises her as he arrives on Jean's personal's office door. It's still 8 in the morning at it's already a busy day for him.
"Stop your compliment, Yarrow. Jean is waiting for you inside" Ferro replies while shuffling the document together "He's been waiting you for a couple of minutes now"
"Right. Right" Yarrow retorts her words.
Yarrow entered Jean's office and sat on the chair facing him.
"Is there any business for me today, Jean?" Yarrow asking him, looking at him standing facing his bookshelves looking at something.
"You must've also heard the murder case of Sergio Aghlieri with his cyborg, right?" Jean said to him, looking at his family's picture; The Croce family and his fiancee. He then looked back to Yarrow.
Yarrow could only maintain his silence with his face appears he knew nothing.
"I guess you didn't watch the news then" Jean said to him "I want you to lead an investigation of his murder. You'll be going to Certaldo, Tuscany and find out who murdered him"
"What about my team, is there anyone will be joining me?" Yarrow inquires.
"You could take Lupa and Fio with you" He said while slipping the documents to him.
"Okay then... no complaint" Yarrow took the document and getting ready to leave his room.
"Make sure to solve the case. No matter how you did it, i won't question it, but make sure you solve it"
-Undisclosed 5-star restaurant in Certaldo, Florence. February 8th-
"A Fine wine i would say" Yarrow's succinct words break the inaudible dinner after testing the wine on his glass.
"Come on, it's more than that" said the female companion opposite of him.
In all of the awkwardness she felt in the dinner, Fio sat gawkily next to Yarrow while the female companion that sat opposite of her resting her palm on the table. Served on Fio's table is a fine medium-cooked steak from the highest quality of beef that can be acquired.
Heavy downpour in the night-sky meant that the full-moon is hidden from sight, leaving with only the sound of rains echoing inside the 5-star restaurant, although most of the sound is suppressed by the sound of Violin played by the musician.
"What more can I say to this fine Chianti, it's simply good" Yarrow replied, as he put down his wine glass "Chianti Classico... for me, it's well above average"
"Irony... 'Above average', coming from the guy who love to cook like some master-chef back when we were as a kids"
"Alright, let's stick to the main memo today" Yarrow then lean himself forward facing his childhood female friend, now sitting facing him as a leader of the certain Mafioso group in Tuscany. His steak still warm on the table while the Wine bottle; labelled 'Chianti Classico Riserva 2005', sat on its chiller bucket.
"Coming here well dressed with your partner here is already a sign of your intention, Yarrow"
"I never actually knew how obvious it was for me that you can see my aim" Yarrow replied sharply "it must've been visible from miles away"
"We aren't as idiot as the Padanians"
"Of course you aren't, Nia "said Yarrow, revealing Nia's name to Fio. Of course to Fio, she already knew that the female Mafioso leader sat opposed of their seat is Erminia Arrigoni, leader of the 'Il Pungiglione' mafia family in Tuscany.
"You haven't call me with that name since ages now" said Nia, reminding that Yarrow used to call him with that name. Nia's face, despite wearing sunglasses, hides a facade that fills the entire restaurant with cynical and untrustworthy feelings. Fio still sat quietly watching the conversation with obstinate feeling while she scans the whole restaurant; particularly watching close on Nia's personal bodyguards standing everywhere as if they own the vantage points. Inside her mind, if things go south there would be no chance of escape.
"I know that you discern our case involving one of our personnel was killed by your henchman here in Tuscany" Yarrow elucidate to him "And one of our operative is captured by yours too" Yarrow's sardonic stare focuses to Nia's face.
"About that murder case, we have no involvement whatsoever with the murdering of your guys... as for the captured operative..." Nia shifted her attention elsewhere, staring the chandelier hanging on the ceiling; lights lit up with decorating lighting up from the lights shining towards them. Nia's contemptuous grin pisses of Fio.
"That girl or cyborg or whatever you sent to spy on me... whoever trained her must be an inexperienced trainer"
What Nia said to them was more than enough for Fio to infuriate.
"Not to mention she has no value to us-" Before Nia could finish her sentence, Fio hits her fist into the table, shocking Nia's bodyguard to the point the almost drew their weapon out. If it wasn't for Nia's signal to stop them, the whole scene could end up like gunfight at the O.K corral.
"Listen here you bitch, if it wasn't for this dress, i would already kick your sorry ass for talking like that" Fio's rage expressed out as she points her own gown which restricts her movement much.
Nia burst into laughter after hearing what Fio has said to her.
"Don't tell me that-"Nia continue to laugh while catching her breath "don't tell me that she's your cyborg"
"Bitch I'll kill you!" Exasperated by Nia, She drew out her pistol and aimed it towards Nia's head.
All went chaos when Nia's bodyguard responds by drawing out their weapons and aiming towards Yarrow and Fio. The music also stopped, and the musician absconded the scene.
"Hey hey hey... calm down Fio" Yarrow tries to lower Fio's sidearm down in trying to calm things down.
"Maybe you should calm her down... and probably your sniper too, i've been noticing that she never left her finger out from the trigger since we first met on this table"
"As expected from you again, Nia" Yarrow then turned his head towards the outside of the restaurant, on the rooftop where Gattonero has been keeping an eye on their movement from the beginning. Yarrow's signal to stand down was later complied by his cyborg.
"Is it okay for her to stay outside in this kind of condition?" Nia asked Yarrow regarding Gattonero's condition outside in the rain.
"Don't you worry about her, you should be worrying about your luck here..."
"As I was saying, I have nothing to do with the murder" she still denies her involvement "But for the captured cyborg, she's right here as we speak" Nia soon ordered one of her bodyguard to bring the captured SWA cyborg in. Few minutes passes and the bodyguard came escorting their captive, apparently Fio's cyborg Soni; her hands handcuffed and her eyes blindfolded. A few resistance from Soni and tugs from the bodyguard and finally Soni reached the group and forced to sit on the chair facing both trio at the table.
"Release her" a simple and short order from Nia soon complied by the guards as the handcuff and blindfold is removed. Once released, Soni's first act in her mind was to kill the mafia leader that has been responsible for her capture and torture, but later she forsakes the idea when noticing Yarrow and Fio's safety might be jeopardized. She knew that there was chaos happened here right be she arrives ad right now the tension is still present in the entire restaurant.
"I know my henchman has been keeping you as captive for a couple of days without food. So eat up my darling" Nia offers Soni the food served on the table.
Soni's reaction was more than angered, but uncomfortable with the situation.
Amidst the heavy rain pour, and the earlier chaos, her finger never left the trigger, despite being advised to stand down. Lying still on the rooftop, covered with rainjacket with her L96AWS sniper rifle is Gattonero. After the earlier chaos, she was told to stand down but she refuses to do so and continued her cautious move of keeping the finger near the trigger.
"What's going on down there, Gattonero?" Lupa asked her through their secured radio communication. He's down with Fleccia in their surveillance van monitoring the conversation between Yarrow and Fio with Erminia.
"Signora Fio went mad and almost get all us killed"
"Don't you mean 'they got killed'?" Fleccia interrupted.
"Nope. We, all of us" Gattonero replied back with serious tone while her hand steadying the sniper rifle "I've noticed several eyes on the rooftop aiming at me... not one, but at least 5... If we screwed up, there's no chance at all for me to counter-snipe them... and there's also several personnel near the van there"
"Erminia would want us dead if she wants to" Lupa quickly assumes the current circumstances whilst her earpiece is busy analysing the sounds from the restaurant.
"Say Signore Lupa, you didn't brief us about our target ever since we came here" Fleccia asked her Fratello.
"I probably forgot that" Lupa answered back and leaned against his chair "Erminia Arrigoni, stepdaughter of the late Manuel Arrigoni of the 'Il Pungiglione' mafia family. Some said that Erminia came from Serbia during the Bosnian war in the 90's. Other said she was one of the victim in human trafficking, others claimed she was rescued from the rivalling Mafioso family from snuff-film related actions. She was adored by her stepfather and respected by his henchman and families. Prior to Manuel's death, Erminia; through majority supports from the Il Pungiglione family, chosen to become their new leader 6 years ago."
"So why our agency never raid them?" Fleccia further asked Lupa.
"The Il Pungiglione mafia group never actually did anything suspicious so far that made them included in our watch list. They never shown any chary syndicates like Drug smuggling and selling, murders, or even gun smuggling" Lupa further explains "In fact... Last year, just few months prior our operation in New Trino powerplant, we managed to track down communication between a group of Padanians and Il Pungiglione mafia group. The Padanian were asking for their help in financial and armament procurement. Alas, Erminia refuses to made business with them."
"I almost forgot, a bulk of their wealth in the past 5 years came from their company. Thanks' to Erminia's power and her bachelor in technology, she managed to procure an electronic-manufacturing company. Ever since then, She made business boomed in this city." He further extrapolates "But another part of it came from dubious source we can't trace"
"Whatever she is and whatever she is doing, She is a mafia, hence our enemy" Gattonero interrupted, hearing their conversation since the start.
"As you might heard from earlier, Gattonero..." Fleccia quickly said to her "Erminia is Signore Yarrow's Childhood friend"
"Shouldn't you focus your attention on Signore Yarrow and Signora Fio's conversation right now?" Feeling annoyed, Gattonero said to her with exasperated tone "It's not you that get soaked wet up here while you're cosy inside"
"Tough to be you, Nero" Fleccia mocked her before wearing back the headphone.
Shortly afterward through her telescopic sight, Gattonero saw Soni being brought in.
"Confirmed visual, Soni is with them" Gattonero giving response to Lupa.
"Roger, continue watching them" Lupa replied, receiving the confirmation that Soni is safe.
"Wait signore, it looks like... Signora Fio left the restaurant and heading towards her car" Gattonero quickly informs him.
"Really?" quickly, Lupa reaches his raincoat and head towards Fio's car "You take the place, Fleccia" Lupa ordered her to guard the van as he shuts the van's sliding door.
A short walk toward Fio, who was still walking in the rain with her covering herself from the rain with umbrella, Lupa notices a group of men at the alley and though they must be the same guy Gattonero mentioned earlier. He's wary enough of his surrounding and his left hand closely tucked near his sidearm.
"Leaving so soon?" Lupa's first words to Fio after he reaches Fio outside of the car.
"Yarrow told me to wait outside" Fio's short answer clearly shows how fuming she is right now.
"And your cyborg is still inside with him..." Lupa rubbed his chin, trying to figure out what they are up to "There's nothing Yarrow said to you?"
"There is, he said he want to discuss-"Her speech was interrupted when Soni left the restaurant and reaches them.
"Signore Yarrow said he want to be left alone and we should go back to our hotel" Soni said to both Fio and Lupa.
"And what about him?" Fio quickly inquires her.
"Signore Yarrow said he could handle her"
Fio and Lupa's attention quickly shifted towards the restaurant; seeing Yarrow leering his eyes and wincing.
"Damn that guy... he always gets his way on any women he met" Lupa joked.
"Come on, we shouldn't bother them anyway" said Fio which later ordered Soni to enter her car.
"Okay, we'll return to our hotel then" Lupa complying with Yarrow's order "Gattonero, come down here, our job is finished" Lupa orders Gattonero using the radio connection on his communication earpiece.
"But what abou-"
"Don't worry about your fratello, he can handle it"
"Okay then" a short reply was all said by Gattonero before she turned off the radio and head back towards their van.
A minute passed and Gattonero arrived at their van. She opened the Van sliding door and greeted by Fleccia looking at her.
"I hope Signore Yarrow knew what he's doing right now" said Gattonero as she hands her sniper rifle to Fleccia.
"Don't you worry even for a single bit about signore Yarrow, Nero... look at how she can tolerate your attitude everyday" said Fleccia to her sarcastically after putting down Gattonero's rifle on the van's floor.
"Haha, very funny" Gattonero replied with annoyance and entered the van. After entering the van, Lupa drove the van out from the area towards their hotel, soon followed by Fio's car from behind.
"So, what's for dinner tonight, Signore Lupa" Fleccia asked her fratello.
"Not much, canned sardine and stuff"
"Not again..." Fleccia and Gattonero simultaneously sighed, complaining ever since the past 2 days ago they have been eating the same stuff ever since.
"Well at least it's not one of those dishes that like feet cooked by Yarrow" Lupa quickly argue with them.
Meanwhile from behind inside Fio's car, everything is unobtrusive. With Soni riding shotgun at the front seat, the only thing heard is the wiper wiping out the excess rain at the windshield, and the song "Che Voule Questa Musica Stasera Profumo di Donna" rhythm inside the car.
"Signora Fio?" Soni's voice breaks the quiet mood.
"Mhh?" Fio hummed as a sign of replying her words.
"Sorry about the foiled operation, signora"
What soon follows is another silence, but this time an obstinate silence.
"It's okay Soni, no harms done at all... except that i guess you might lose a few pound in a couple of days" Fio joked, trying to calm her down. She tried to gaze Soni's face and what she see is Soni lowering her face down as if she has disappointed her.
"Say, what happened to you while you were-"
"Ever since day one, the only thing i see was darkness from the blindfold, signora" Soni elucidates "Either in someone's car trunk, or inside some mysterious room... with only water splashed to my face as my drink"
"..." Fio's silence as she stares her cyborg shrouds everything "Look at it this way, you get to enjoy a fine steak earlier, and i'll cook a pleasant dinner for you once we arrive".
"Okay, they already left the area" Yarrow, who was still inside the restaurant with Erminia, looked outside to check whether Lupa and Fio already left the scene "Tell me right now what do you know"
"Alright then, for the sake of your promise back then" Nia complies "I have no idea nor clue to the murder case, but i do have clue to which person could be responsible, you could check him"
"Rival?"
"Exactly like that" said Nia "He was the one that vetoed my father's decision for me to become the new leader before his death. He was known by most of us to hate the government and a sympathiser of Padania. I bet you knew that the Padanian seeks for our help last year right?"
"Yeah, why?"
"He was the one who strongly want to help these Padanian scums, but since it's against our principles, we refuse to help them, much to his anger in the end"
"Does this guy have a name?"
"Yes" Nia clears her throat first before revealing his name "His name is Marco Arrigoni, my own cousin"
"Okay, got it" Yarrow jotted down his name.
"Say Yarrow..." Nia said to him with a smooth soft voice "did you ever doubt me when this happened?"
"What?"
"Did you doubt it was me who ordered the murder?"
"I know you since you were 9, and until 18... You hated spilling other's blood, you hated killing people, let alone ordering the hit"
"A lot can happen when you're gone" Nia contemplate him
"Person can change, but not their persona" said Yarrow.
"I remember you saying that to me when i left you the last time... when was it?" Nia tried to remember her last moment with Yarrow.
"Roma, at the steps of Piazza Di Spagna... i said that to you when you left me to fulfil your duty 6 years ago" Yarrow said to her "after that, i gave you my last kiss that day-"Suddenly Nia kissed him on the lip. It was a long, romantic, and divine kiss for both of them.
"That was for not letting me kiss you for the second time 6 years ago" She said to him before kissing him again "And that was for my present to you for meeting me today"
-Tomorrow morning-
"Nero, wake up" Fleccia's words disturbed Gattonero's slumber.
"Ughh... what is it" Gattonero murmured, rubbing both of her eyes.
"Cook us breakfast" Fleccia asking her favour.
Startled by Fleccia's demand for a minute, she looked around and noticed neither Fio and Lupa are present in their hotel's living room. What's left in the room is a couple of documents stacked on the table, Soni on the couch lying while reading 'Tosca' that was lent to her by Claes, and Fleccia kneeling down close to her face.
"Get of my face... your hair is tickling me..." Gattonero shoved her face out from her view and got up "Where are Signore Lupa and Fio?"
"They went to meet Signore Yarrow" Fleccia replied while opening the curtain to let the morning sunlight enters the room.
"Ugh... sometimes i regret it why Signore Yarrow teach me how to cook..." Gattonero sighed and then rubbed her face "Scrambled egg, no more no less"
"Fine with me" Soni's riposte is followed by Fleccia's nod.
"By the way... Signore Lupa told me something while you're asleep" Fleccia remembered Lupa's words.
"What is it? Something important?" Gattonero shifted her attention to Fleccia's face.
"He said to me..." Fleccia pauses for a moment "That if we felt hungry, we could just wake you up to cook for us" She smirked, jokingly jesting Gattonero.
"Pretty-fucking-funny" Gattonero's annoyance was soon followed by her maddened face as she throws the pillow to her.
"Come on, we're utterly famished here" Fleccia throws back the pillows onto the bed.
"Fine~ just give me time to rest first"
"Your rest can wait, our stomach can't" Fleccia tries to pull her out of the bed.
-Somewhere in a Cafe in City of Certaldo, Florence-
"I guess your night with her was worth it" Lupa's word of trying to insult Yarrow as he drinks his milk coffee.
"It was worth it" Yarrow smirked.
"Cut the crap" said Fio, amused by both of the guys "Any information acquired?" she questioned Yarrow.
"Probably... possible suspect in this case is probably a disgrunted member in the group"
"Are you sure that whatever information from her is reliable?" Fio questioning his source's claim.
"What more do we have? so far even the intelligence failed to collect what i have learned today from her in probably even 6 month" Yarrow trying to support Erminia's claim "This guy apparently evaded our radar every time and his name only popped up in few occasion and his name is not even in the list provided by the intelligence"
"I couldn't care less about her claim, but what we did right now, especially knowing that Yarrow has some kind of connection with Erminia... even Director Jean could be pissed by this and have all of us fired... and especially you Yarrow... even worse..." Lupa trying to remind Yarrow.
"Alright, let's rephrase this case back" Fio tried to divert the conversation by checking back the whole case "Both of our victim; Sergio Aghlieri, and his cyborg Adamiya was shot using high-caliber rounds, mostly came from a regular 7.62x51mm sniper rifle. Sergio was waiting for his informant to arrive but turns out it was a setup for the assassin to kill them"
"And Sergio was hit on the torso twice, while his cyborg was hit to her right eye" Yarrow further elaborated the case, referring to his smartphone "Shot came from long distance, probably done by Assassin hired by the suspect... and now our suspect Marco Arrigoni is on top of our list"
"Where could we find this bastard?" Lupa inquired.
"Nia mentioned that he stayed on a villa north of Certaldo's outskirt" Yarrow mentions.
"Alright, Lupa and I could take Marco" said Fio "while you can go back to the crime scene again, and maybe you can take Fleccia and Soni with you... and probably investigate the mystery behind Sergio's anonymous informant"
"You mean you're not gonna take both of them?" Yarrow asked
"You can handle three teenage angst right?" said Fio
"I have the optimism to handle them" Yarrow replied.
"Good... because you probably need to cook them lunch in the meantime" Lupa joked again.
-3 hours later, Crime scene location in Downtown Certaldo, Florence-
"Hmm... These were the place where Sergio Aghlieri and his cyborg Adamiya was killed" Yarrow checking his notepad while looking at the crime scene where the Fratello were killed "Looks like shot came from the West, probably from that building. 2 hollow-point rounds hit Sergio's body" he adds.
The crime scene is still covered with police lines with the outline of both bodies still present on the ground. Passer-by tried to ignore Yarrow; escorted by the city's police, as he continues his work together with the 3 girls.
"According to autopsy, the third bullet, the bullet that killed Adamiya is shattered in pieces and dislodged inside her skull, and it is a full-metal jacket kind of bullet with nitroglycerine filled at the centre of the round, possibly a handmade round" Gattonero inspecting her smartphone for the data shared by Yarrow earlier this morning. She looked back at the crime scene where their body once lied "Judging by how their bodies are found, I'd say Signore Sergio was short first. When the second shot landed, Adamiya spotted the sniper and tried to pull out her sidearm, but it made easy for her killer to shoot her... the rounds piercing her right eye was fatal enough for her, but the nitroglycerine inside the rounds further heightens the damage to Adamiya's skull"
"They never saw it coming... and from the ballistic trajectory, there was something weird about the angle of where they are shot... despite evidence, especially spent casing was recovered on that building over there" Yarrow points his finger towards the 2nd floor of the building few hundred meters away opposite of their direction.
"Fleccia messaged me, she said we should come to her position" Soni informs Yarrow after receiving message from Fleccia.
"Where is she?" queried Yarrow.
"Over there" Soni pointed her finger to Fleccia, who stood at the crossroad few hundred meters from where they are.
A short walk was taken for them to reach Fleccia's position, and they finally reached their endpoint. It was an intersection of 4 roads; one leads directly to the crime scene. The traffic is busy, but Fleccia later pointed out a distinctive mark near one of the signpost.
"Look over here signore" Fleccia pointed towards the burnt mark at one part of the signpost's pole "There's an evidence of shot from firearm evident from the soot present. Furthermore, there's also skidmark on the ground marks where the shooter came and fled"
"This is a new evidence, we though the shooter must've been hiding itself at that building over there" Yarrow pointed it out before writing the new evidence he just acquired. Yarrow later took both pictures of the soot mark and the tire skidmark.
"Ballistic matches, and direction of where Signore Sergio and Adamiya's body was last found suggest this is the shooter's place" Gattonero said to Yarrow "The shooter must've taken advantage of darkness to shoot Signore Sergio and Adamiya without initially being noticed... whoever this shooter is, he stopped his car near this intersection and shot them without realizing how close his muzzle was to this signpost pole"
"Alright, we've gathered enough information for today, now we just have to figure out who is the shooter behind this" Yarrow concludes today's observation, probably his third observation of this case.
"So what's next?" Soni asked him.
"We go back and prepare lunches for you guys" Yarrow replied "And probably after that, trying to solve the shit behind this mysterious informant everyone is wondering"
Shortly what Yarrow just said about their lunch, Soni, Fleccia, and Gattonero's face went sour, knowing that Yarrow's cooking will make them vomits at most case.
"How about something different Signore... like... a proper spaghetti?" Fleccia persuades him with a smirked face.
"Yeah signore, how about something that is actually safe for us to eat" Gattonero joshed his fratello.
"If you hated my dishes so much, maybe you should've said it to me since day one" Yarrow said to them, offended from what they said.
"We would if we could, signore" Soni interrupts.
"Fine... we'll get you guys something to eat... wait here" Yarrow sighed before calling one of the police officer that earlier escorting them.
"Are you still mad about last night incident?" Lupa asked Fio whilst driving towards Marco's Villa, noticing Fio looking at the passing scenery while her hair flails around blown by the wind.
"I'm still mad or not is none of your business, Lupa" She shifted her attention to Lupa "Whatever happened last night already happened, and there's no point of bringing it back right now"
"So i'll take that as 'still pissed' mode" Lupa conforms to her mood.
They arrived at Marco's villa, but they noticed something weird; the front gate are open, there's no guard present, and it's awfully quiet.
"Wait here, let me check the guard post" Fio stepped out of the car. She stepped out of the car and reaches the guardpoast. Upon reaching the post, Fio's face turn from seriously annoyed earlier into cautious look while signalling to Lupa to come over her position. Lupa, without hesitation, rushed out of his car while the engine is still turned on.
"What is it?" Lupa asked her seeing Fio holstering out her P229.
"Guard's dead" Fio shortly answer his wariness, pointing at the dead guard on the floor "One shot to the heart, one shot to the head... we're looking at pro shooter here"
"Alright... decision?" Lupa inquires to Fio for their next action.
"Let's go inside and check the surrounding" Fio replied.
"Roger" Lupa also holstering out her sidearm and begins their excursion towards the villa.
They walked slowly and noticed parked just at the main entry are some black jeeps and SUV, with their engine still turned on.
"They're still here...probably a lot of them" Lupa informs Fio "Suppressor?"
"Yes" Fio understood Lupa's plan and quickly draw out her pistol's suppressor out from her pouch and attaching it to her pistol, followed similarly by Lupa. "Let's go!" Fio called silently while opening the main entry door slowly, trying to avoid the creaking sound.
Once entering the villa, they are greeted by 4 dead body; 3 of them were the villa's bodyguard and one of them is the maid. They continued walking when they heard a sound resembling shots from a suppressed pistol followed by a woman scream, which later followed by a long silence. A masked guy popped out from the corner of the room. Within split second, both Fio and Lupa aimed their pistol and shot the masked assailant; with Fio's shot hitting the assailant's head and Lupa's shot simultaneously hitting his heart.
They reached towards the dead masked assailant they just shot and pulled out his mask, revealing a blonde guy with a tattoo resembling cross on his neck.
"This guy is probably Ex-special force, judging from his tattoo over here" Lupa deduced when he discovered a tattoo belonging on one of the Italian special force branch on the dead body's left shoulder connected to the cross-tattoo.
"Split or together?" Fio asked Lupa.
"I'd say split" Lupa replied, thinking that they could cover more area if each of them go in a different direction.
"Okay, watch your back, I'm going upstairs" Fio notifies him.
"Wilco, watch your back too" Lupa advises her before heading towards a room next to their position.
With Lupa gone from her sight, Fio continues her ascend towards the first floor. The hanging Chandelier began to flickers from one of the stray shot hitting the Chandelier and the ceiling. Luckily for her, she's wearing her black-colored sport sneaker instead of her high-heeled boots. She carefully peeked the corner for further signs of the masked assailant. She remembered that they didn't wore any communication piece nor any walkie-talkie as a way of communicating to each other. But it was good for them since they can maintain silence more easily.
The corridor she walked into was finely decorated with teak wood, and the walls decorated by the most expensive painting any normal people could buy. On top of the ceiling, the whole ceiling is decorated by biblical paintings. On the left side on the wall, she could see another dead body belonging to the bodyguard laying on the floor with his back resting against the wall and the blood trail on the wall showing moments of his death.
While flicking through the area, she heard another scream from the room near her position. She rushed towards where the sound came from, before the scream abruptly silenced by several gunshot followed by the sound of 3 brass casing hitting the floor. Fio peeked into the room and sees only one assailant in the room.
"Don't move you bastard!" Fio surprisingly stormed the room, revealing the assailant and his freshly-killed victim laying on the floor with the blood pooling up near his shoes. "Drop your gun and place your hand on top of your head" She instructs the assailant while taking him on gunpoint.
The assailant complies with raising his hand, but didn't drop his suppressed Glock down.
"I said drop your weapon!" Fio taunts him by discharging a single shot towards the wall. Soon, the assailant turned his face towards Fio.
The assailant continues to ignore her warning, instead giving her a faint yet sarcastic grin. Shortly afterward, a faint clicking sound heard from Fio's back.
"Drop your weapon, girl" A voice from behind taunting her to drop her sidearm.
Fio's situation are now overwhelmed with which action she should take; either dropping her weapon and surrenders... or either try to fight both assailant at once, which proven a hard but executable action for her.
"I hate to repeat myself, but drop your weapon" the assailant gets close to her and pressed the point end of his suppressed gun on her head.
Fio obliges, since there's no way for her to fight back and dropped down her pistol on the floor.
"Now i want you to go down on the floor and place both of your hands on your head."
She again complies with the order, and now forced to go down on the floor on her belly; pushed by the assailant's boot from behind into the floor. Before long, Fio finds herself being restrained by something tight by the assailant. Trying to glance the assailant, she saw that her wrist is applied with the second binding material, which turns out to be a nylon zipties. They make sure that her binding was secure. After both her wrist and legs were secured, there was no way for Fio to move right now other than squirm on the floor.
"Now girl, you're going to sleep very well" with a blow to the head from the assailant using his gun, she was knocked out cold.
"So, is it bad compared to my dish?"
"Can't talk right now signore" Gattonero pauses for a bit to swallow the spaghetti and then continues "We can't let you interfere our fine moment of enjoying this dish" Soni and Fleccia ambiguously nod their head.
"I'll take that as 'feedback' for my dish then" Yarrow sighed "At least my salary is more than enough to pay for all of you guys... for another days"
"Instead of wasting your money buying that mushroom which smells like dirt and Nero's unwashed socks... you should just take us out for dinner like this" Fleccia ridiculed.
"What sin does i have to pay in my past life" Yarrow again sighed trying to handle the 3 girls. He later noticed a message from Alessandro Ricci in his phone. He checked the message to see what Sandro has sent to him.
"How's holiday treating you" Sandro's message further adding insult to Yarrow's problem right now. He placed his head on the table, murmuring something inaudible to the girl's ear. Adding to his problem now, Sandro decides to make a videocall to Yarrow's cellphone.
"You're going to answer that, Signore?" said Gattonero while her mouth still full of spaghetti.
"Fuck it" Yarrow giving up and refuse to answer the call and forcing his phone to be turned off.
-To Be Continued
-Author note-
Apparently, my plan for this story was to write a one-shot gunslinger girl fanfiction story, but once i've started to reach the middle part of the chapter, the plot thickens and it forces me to consider that maybe i should try writing this story in several chapters. And thus this story is created. Probably will be updated if second chapter can be progressed and whether i have the time to write this story.
