Zola immediately went to Tanoshii. He was steadily becoming her only source of relief, as she felt that she could be totally honest and open with him. She'd probably have to kill him anyhow, so what was the point of keeping secrets from him?
"Hey Zola! Where've you been?" Tanoshii asked, when she walked in.
"Getting rid of evidence" she said, not turning to look at him.
"...Did you murder someone?" he asked cautiously.
She nodded silently, still turned away.
"Look at me, Zola" he said, standing up and walking over to her. He would've put his hands on her shoulders, but they were cuffed, so he couldn't.
She turned, and sighed.
Tanoshii's eyes widened; the front of her white uniform was covered in blood. "Who was it?" he asked worriedly.
"Y-Yudachi Shimizu" she said.
"Thank goodness" he sighed.
She smiled slightly, "Relieved zhat it vasn't Destiny?" she asked.
"More than you'll ever know" he said, nodding.
*
Destiny refused to go on patrol the next day, a Thursday, but Yasashimi agreed. He knew she was still sad about Tanoshii. He later regretted letting her stay back. She spent the day following him around, complaining.
"Yasashimi, I can't believe that you gave up on Tanoshii. Why? It's so not cool! I mean; he was your best officer and all. He had great potential. It's not as hard to find him as it is to do a lot of the other things we do here" she ranted on and on.
Finally, when she attempted to follow him into the men's room, he turned on her. "Okay Migoto. I'm going to give you one shot. What do you want?" he asked, incredibly irritated with her.
"I want you to let me, Annelise, and possibly Izuko continue on this case. Nobody else, just us" she said shortly.
He paused to think.
"And I won't continue bothing you if you let us" she said sweetly.
"Alright. Nobody else, just you three, working on this case. You're on it. Now, leave me alone" he said, frowning at her.
"Got it!" she said happily, skipping away.
Destiny wandered around, eventually finding Izuko. "Did you find anything out about the car?" she asked, sitting next to him.
"No. Apparently, she didn't get it from anywhere in Japan. And I'm not going through all the dealers in the world, just to find out where she is. She probably didn't even give the right adress. And even if she did, she's probably not even there anymore" he said, frowning slightly.
"Damn!" Destiny said shortly, snapping her fingers.
"I know. At least, we might find it if we do it the other way"
"Yeah. When would we do that?" Destiny asked.
"Today, of course" Izuko said, grinning, "Meet me back here in five minutes with Annelise"
"Okay!" Destiny ran out of the room, to find Annelise.
Within three minutes, Annelise and Destiny were back. "We're here!" Destiny said loudly as they walked into the room, throwing up her arms.
"Oh, hey girls" Izuko walked back in, "That was quick"
"Of course it was. We're excited" Annelise smiled.
"So...we're borrowing a cruiser today?" Destiny asked.
"No. Nothing so low tech today" Izuko said, motioning for them to follow him. He led them down to the HQ's garage.
It was quite clean; all white and silver, with police cruisers in perfect condition.
Mr. Perfectionist, a.k.a Jack Salora, was the main mechanic. A very nice man, very into his work; even naming a couple of the cars.
"Hey Jack! What've we got today?" Destiny asked casually, walking over to him.
"Ooh! The new cycles! They're lovely! Follow me" Jack said excitedly, walking away.
"Cycles? As in; motorcycles?" Annelise asked, as they followed him.
"Uh huh. Top of the line, too! And they match the cruisers so well! One of them had a nick in the paint, though. But, I fixed it" Jack grinned.
Izuko raised his eyebrows, "Very serious about your work, aren't you Jack?"
"Oh yes. If you don't treat your vehicles right, they don't ride smoothly" Jack said, stopping in front of a door. He opened it with iris and thumb print recognition, and led the three in. He flicked on the lights, and Destiny's eyes widened.
"Whoa. They're...they're..." she stammered, staring at the shiny, new cycles.
"Beautiful, aren't they?" Jack said fondly.
She walked over to the closest one, running her fingers lightly over it.
Jack went through his explaining routine, pointing out the highlights and extra features.
Destiny paid no attention to him, though. "Can I name it?" she asked, when he was finished talking.
"Sure!" he said, nodding.
"Uh..." she stared at it, her hands on her hips, "I'm naming it...Atarashii, because it's new" she said, grinning.
"Hey, not bad! Maybe I'll get you to name them all!" Jack said, smiling back at her.
"Nah, I'm not that creative" she said, shrugging.
"Okay, you two" Jack said, turning to the other two, "Time to pick one out! Destiny, you need a helmet"
"I can't believe this!" Annelise shrieked, her eyes wide.
"I know! Isn't this awesome?!" Destiny grinned, tightening her grip on the handlebars.
The three flew down the road, faster than any car.
"Quit fooling around, you two" Izuko said, though both girls could hear in his voice that he was having fun, too.
"But...this is so FAST!" Annelise said, still a little scared.
"Oh relax. It's not like we can crash. And anyhow, we have to turn off on the next exit" Izuko said, pointing to it.
"Alright" Both girls said unanimously.
Stopping off the highway, Destiny jumped off and pulled off her helmet. "Wow, that was fun!" she said, grinning.
"So now what do we do?" Annelise asked, walking up to her and looking a little shaky from the ride.
"We just wait. See if Zola is anywhere around here" Izuko said shortly.
"And, since I have the radar gun, I can pretend to be clocking people" Destiny added, balancing her helmet on the back of her seat.
While Destiny, Izuko, and Annelise watched the traffic, they mindlessly chatted. "Hey, have you noticed that this is on the route to your house?" Annelise asked, sitting on her bike.
"Oh yeah! Cool! I can just go straight home, I guess, because the Atarashii is mine now" Destiny said, smiling at the cycle fondly.
"I wish I lived this close" Izuko muttered, frowning.
"Where DO you live, Izuko?" Annelise asked.
"I live all the way across town. But it's going to be fun going home now that I have a motorcycle! I've always wanted one" he smiled.
At that point, they had been there for the longest five hours of their lives. It was seven PM, and they'd had no suspicious cars at all. It seemed nobody even knew that the new model existed, because there wasn't one on the road yet.
"This is boring" Annelise whined, falling purposefully backwards off her bike.
"I know, but at least we're getting paid to do it" Destiny said, smirking.
"Good point" Annelise agreed, jumping up.
Destiny looked slowly in both directions. Not a single suspicious looking car. Though, a lot of speeding vehicles slowed down at the sight of them. She squinted at the horizon, watching the many cars drive under the overpass before them. She did a double-take when she saw a brand new black car with no licence plate. "Umm... are you guys seeing what I'm seeing?" she asked, standing up.
"If you're seeing a black Toyota Hato with no licence plate, then yes, I'm seeing what you're seeing" Izuko said, jumping up as well.
"Time to go!" Destiny said, jumping on her bike.
The other two did the same, and they sped back onto the highway.
Whoever was driving the black car noticed them, and sped up.
"Sirens?" Annelise asked shortly.
"Of course. This is turning into a high speed chase. Haven't you ever had one before?" Izuko said mischeviously.
Simultaneously they flicked on their sirens, which promptly broke the near silence of the highway. Whoever was driving the car sped up even more, weaving in between traffic to attempt to lose them. They easily followed, catching up. Izuko noticed several turn-offs coming up, each leading onto seperate routes into the city's center. "They're going to try to lose us" he muttered, "Destiny, you follow exactly. Annelise, the street before. I'll take the one after and we'll surround them, okay?"
"Got it" both girls agreed.
For a few minutes they went straight, ignoring everything else. The car turned, and Destiny followed. Izuko kept going, and Annelise ducked in one street before where the car had turned. Destiny turned off ehr sirens, silently following, listening to nothing but her own heartbeat. The wail of the other two sirens faded gradually, and Destiny figured that their streets had branched off. "Hey, that's weird" she muttered, when she car turned down Sakura ave.
"What is?" Annelise's voice asked, from somewhere in her head.
"Huh?" Destiny asked, looking surprised. She then remembered that she had a radio headset in her helmet.
"What's weird, Destiny?" Annelise asked.
Destiny slowed down as the car stopped, and ducked behind a near-by building. "Oh..my..." she said, trailing off as her eyes widened.
"What?!" Annelise yelled.
"Ouch" Izuko said quietly.
Destiny watched Zola walk up the stairs and into a familiar building. "She's gone into my building. I can't do anything about it, because that would be suspicious" she said.
"Oh my is right, then" Izuko agreed.
Destiny watched anxiously for a moment, but nothing happened. She braced herself for the explosion that never came. A few minutes later, Zola walked out calmly. She got into her car, and drove away serenely.
"Well?" Annelise asked.
"Nothing happened. Maybe-..." Destiny started, but was cut off by the unforgettable sound of a building being blown up. "No!" she shrieked, her eyes wide. Yes; the entire building was levelled. Destiny jumped off her bike, and ran across the street.
"Now Destiny, don't do anything stupid, sweetie" Izuko said, as though warning her.
"B-but...!" she stammered, her eyes welling up. Not only was she left with nowhere again, but many of the other people in the building had been friends of hers. She babysat for most of the families on her days off, and many of the people had helped her in her time of need when the first explosion had killed her parents.
"Destiny, I'm coming to get you" Annelise said.
Destiny fell to the ground on her hands and knees, tears dropping onto the inside of her visor. She heard the sirens again, and Annelise stopped right in front of her.
"You okay, Destiny?" Annelise asked, jumping off and running up to her.
"I knew she'd do it. I could've saved them" Destiny sobbed, throwing off her helmet.
"Oh Destiny. It's not your fault" Annelise said soothingly, pulling Destiny up and hugging her.
"But it feels like it is" Destiny said softly.
Annelise insisted that Destiny stay with her, to which Destiny reluctantly agreed. The next morning, Destiny attempted to get ready for work. Though still wiped, She acted like a zombie. not acknowledging any of her surroundings.
"Destiny? D'you think you're alright to go to work?" Annelise asked, tying her long hair into a ponytail.
"Yes. I'm fine" Destiny said, rather monochromatically.
"No, I think you should stay home today" Annelise said, catching her by the shoulders.
"But I want to go" Destiny said, still rather monotonous.
"No, I insist. Please Destiny, stay home" Annelise said.
"Alright, fine. Just...tell Yasashimi where I am and why" Destiny frowned, heading back to what was currently her room.
Annelise went to work by herself, and sat at her desk boredly. "Can't go out... can't stay in... what am I going to do without her?" she muttered, laying her head on the desk.
Out of the blue, somebody poked her in the side.
She sat bolt upright, and squeaked.
Izuko, who had been the one to poke her, laughed. "Y'know, I expected you to do that" he said, smirking.
Annelise shrugged, "It's what I do"
"So where's Destiny?" he asked, pulling over a chair and sitting next to her.
"She's at my place. I made her stay home because she's too depressed to work" she said.
"Well, that makes sense" he said, nodding.
*
Tanoshii, being bored, tried to remember the lyrics to a song he had stuck in his head. As soon as he found his train of thought again, though, it was interrupted when Zola rushed in. "Hey Zola. What's up?" he asked, smiling.
"Not so good news, Tanoshii" she sighed.
"Oh?" he asked, raising a single eyebrow.
"Yes. I had to blow up Destiny's appartment building. Zhey told me to. I didn't vant to, of course, but zhey made me. And now I feel bad" she said dejectedly.
"Aww, poor Des. Well, she'll figure something out. She's a smart girl" he said, a sad look on his face.
"I 'ope so. I vouldn't vant her to be put out" she said.
"She won't be"
*
Destiny resolved the next day that she would find Zola and kill her. "She's probably the one who killed my parents!" she said loudly. But then contradicted herself, "No, she couldn't have. She's too young to have...maybe not...I don't even know anymore" she sighed.
Annelise walked into the room, fastening her earrings. "Well, I'm off" she said airily.
"Off? Where're you going?" Destiny asked, looking up at her.
"To meet Izuko, of course. Did you forget?" Annelise asked, crossing her arms.
"Yes" Destiny said shortly.
Annelise laughed, "Just try not to get into any trouble while I'm gone. When I et back I expect you to be here. And alive" she said, opening the front door.
"I will, I promise" Destiny said, nodding.
"Okay, bye" Annelise said, walking out. As soon as she was gone, the phone rang.
"Hello?" Destiny answered it.
"Migoto? Just the person I wanted" Yasashimi's voice said, from the other end.
"Why'd you want me?" she asked curiously.
"We've found your girl's car" he said.
"I'd better check that out, then" she sighed, getting up.
Jack had Zola's car in the garage when Destiny got there.
"Hey Jack. What's up with the car?" Destiny asked, walking over.
"Nothing unusual. It's just a regular car. What was in it, though is the unusual part" he said.
"Well, what's in there?" she asked.
He walked over to a table, and motioned to the first piece of evidence; the materials needed to create a bomb. "Voila! Behold, exibit A" he said.
"Interesting" she muttered.
"And then, there's exibit B" he said, handing Destiny a little controlled. It had a single button on it, and it was obviously used for detination. "Prints show that she's the one who blasted it" he said.
"So?" Destiny asked, "I already knew that" He grinned embarrassedly, and she walked over to the car. "So what are you going to do with the car?" she asked, bending over to look at it.
"We don't really need it anymore. It's not like Zola's been doing anything else with it; these came on the market last week. I guess we need to get rid of it. It's just..." he trailed off, his eyes welling up.
"It's what?" she asked.
"I-I can't let them take it to the junk yard! I can't let them turn such a sophisticated vehicle into scrap metal!" he cried.
Destiny sighed, rolling her eyes, "I guess...maybe..."
"You would take it?!" he asked, his eyes wide.
"Well, don't get to excited. It's not like..." she trailed off.
"But, you're the best vehicle owner on the force! The cycle's still in perfect shape, and every cruiser you've ever driven never even gotten a scratch while you were behind the wheel" he said, not exaggerating in the least.
"Yeah, I am a good driver" she said, blushing slightly.
"And a good friend. Thanks" he said, smiling.
"You're welcome!" she smiled back at him.
"You...got the car?" Annelise said, when she got back and noticed the car outside.
Destiny nodded, smirking.
"Why didn't I get the car?!" she yelled, frowning.
"Because one; your bike got all scratched up. Two; you have no senority. And three; I deserve it more than you do. After all, I just lost everything" Destiny said, making a puppy face for number three.
"You are soooo asking for it, my friend" Annelise said dangerously.
"I know!" Destiny grinned.
"At least let me drive it once in a while" Annelise said.
"Fine. As long as you don't scratch it, or crash it, or take it to Venezuela" Destiny said.
"I promi-...Venezuela?" Annelise said confusedly.
Destiny giggled, "Just messin' with yah!" she said.
"Veeeeeery funny" Annelise said, rather annoyedly.
"Yes, I thought so" Destiny said.
"You thought wrong, okay? Don't do it again, and I won't hurt your precious car" Annelise said.
"Okay!" Destiny said happily.
