Chapter Text
Cellbit ran a hand through his hair as he re-adjusted his goggles. His desk was full of files and notes, trying to connect all the homicides together on the corkboard on the wall. He looked at all the missing posters or death reports.
It wasn't predispositioned heavily to one gender, hair colour, eye colour. There wasn't any sort of calling card. There wasn't any clear weapon - the same weapon hadn't been used for each crime.
He stepped back from tying the most recent pin to the rest of the board as he looked at the folder.
A lightning bolt of clarity struck his brain.
From the beginning crime until now, they all had ties to The Federation. He could see the web of red string and the picture it began to paint.
He stretched, keeping the thought to himself as he realised two things; being a detective within The Federation made him also a target. The second thought was that he hoped he would be.
He saw the chess board he was standing on clearly; a piece only there due to his need to find his friend and doing whatever it took including making a deal with the devil - standing on a side that he hates but can't escape from. Not until he finds him.
Thing is, he was in a unique enough position in The Federation to be able to access files with the keycards he'd been given. He'd be more valueable to keep alive.
Unless.
Unless the upper management knew these were all Federation bodies on his board. If they knew that, then they were presenting him with a threat. To catch or be killed.
Either way, it was a golden opportunity.
He just had to find a way to get to the person who was killing the Federation employees without dying.
That would be more complicated.
"I'm not able to think on this anymore, time to head home." he spoke aloud. Cellbit was a little bit paranoid whenever it came to working within The Federation building; everything seemed to be known by Cucurucho whenever he appeared. He wasn't sure how but he did know speaking his thoughts was dangerous. He drip fed sentences into the empty space in hopes that he threw them off even slightly.
Putting his green jacket on, he tidied up his desk in order to get back to it tomorrow and decided to walk home.
It was a clear night; always was on Quesadilla Island. He looked to the multitudes of stars as he left the offices and started to walk home.
Around halfway home he heard something. It was unusual at this time of night to be anyone outside.
He tilted his head, straining his ears to listen. It sounded like crying.
"Olá?"
He slowly made his way to the sound, hearing the soft hiccup of sound between tears.
"Oi." Cellbit said softly as he got closer.
The brunette lifted her head as she heard his voice and turned, brunette eyes meeting blue. Cellbit froze.
In his mind, everything tensed and turned red, feeling very suddenly like he was back in the combat situations of his youth. He breathed out evenly, training his body to seem calm and keep wary.
Meanwhile, he observed the woman on the edge of the river.
Apart from her eyes, her long hair hid some of her face as she tried to look away from him.
"Lo siento." she said, wiping her eyes and breaking the eye contact.
"I didn't expect anyone to be out here..." she started, pulling the heels from beside her into her hands.
That's when Cellbit noticed the shimmering red dress she was wearing.
"Are you okay?" He asked, keeping a respectful distance.
She pulled her knees closer to her face.
"I'll manage." She looked back to him oncce again. "Who are you anyway?"
"I'm Cellbit..." he was torn; everything in his body screamed to stay standing, to back up, to not approach any further. A small part of him though, wanted to offer an ear.
He slowly lowered himself to her level. Crouching as he picked up a small pebble and skipped it across the river.
"Why you out here at this time of night?"
She giggled. "I could ask you the same thing."
"Finished work...detective work isn't exactly the most sociable hours..."
"Ahh, that's where I've heard your name...the Island detective." She said, wiping her face again.
He nodded.
The silence was palpable.
"I was out here for a few reasons..." she began. "My best friend and our son...they've disappeared."
And with that line, Cellbit understood something that he wondered as he stood at the corkboard in his office. His heart broke.
"I understand that...whilst my son wasn't kidnapped my best friend has been." he offered to her as he looked from the river to her once again.
Eyes met once more.
It urged him to speak. "I'd do anything to get him back...I'm assuming it's the same for you."
She smiled and the way her eyes shone enraptured him.
"I would. I would look for anyone and everyone who may have had a hand in it, for example."
Cellbit sat down fully, offering a hand.
"Well..."
"Melissa."
"Well, Melissa...what about I help you with that?"
"Only one problem with that, Gathino~"
The nickname threw him off. Yet it didn't stop his instinct as he stopped the hand that held the blade close to his neck.
"You work with them."
Cellbit smiled as his body relaxed; the feeling of danger wasn't unwarranted after all.
"You may know that but you're missing some details."
He kicked his leg out quickly and pushed her ankle to make her fall backwards. Knife now in his hand, he flipped it and held the handle out to her.
"I hate them too. I'd like to help you. Both to help find your family...and to free them. I have to find my friend after all."
"You want to work with me?" the laugh that came from her mouth was different from the early giggle; her voice completely changed.
Taking off the wig, he stood up and looked Cellbit in the eye. Warm brown met blue.
"Well, gathino, let's work together."