Adult-FanFiction.org : Games

Culmination	By : Croik Category: +G through L > Guilty Gear Views: 2646 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Guilty Gear, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 17
- 18
- 19
Guilty
Gear, its characters and settings are property of Sammy Studios, and are being
used in this fanfiction without permission.
This fic is rated R for violence and sexual content, and it contains
yaoi material.

Culmination
Chapter
17

Bridget
gulped. It wasn�t often that something
managed to throw him, as he�d always prided himself on being quick in wit and
on his feet, but he hadn�t been prepared to find himself face to face with
Arthur Galleon. He looked harmless, and
neither Potemkin or Sol seemed at all disturbed with his presence, but those
eyes�Bridget would never mistake eyes like that, nor the calm, scrutinizing
stare the man was fixing him with.

But
Bridget was nothing if not resourceful, and his lapse was only momentary�before
anyone could notice his discomfort he stepped forward, offering his hand to man
with a bright grin. �It�s good to meet
you Dr. Galleon. I don�t really know
what you do, but I think I�ve heard your name in the news before.�

Dr.
Galleon smiled warmly and shook his hand.
�A pleasure to meet you, Bridget.�

�Bridget
here is a bounty hunter,� Potemkin explained, seemingly pleased that the pair
was getting along. �Are you here on
business, Bridget?�

�Actually, yeah.� Bridget
straightened. Though it was probably dangerous
to speak his intentions in front or Dr. Galleon, he was curious to see the
man�s reaction. �I�m trying to get some
information for a few friends of mine�about the killer robots that have been
running around.�

The
three men present each straightened, surprised by Bridget�s straightforward and
ambitious response. Dr. Galleon didn�t
react as greatly as Bridget had suspected, but his eyes widened faintly, his
chin tilting up. It was recognition if
nothing else, and it made Bridget�s heart skip a little. Dr. Galleon didn�t know he was on to him, and
that meant he might be able to get some information out of him.

�That�s
some coincidence,� Potemkin was saying, bringing Bridget�s attention back. �Dr. Galleon and I were just talking about
that.� He nodded politely to his
guest. �If you don�t mind staying a bit
longer, Arthur, would you like to share with him what we�ve found out?�

Dr.
Galleon nodded, somewhat distractedly. �Of course. This is a
matter of great importance to us all.�
He took a step back into the office.
�If the two of you have any information you can share with us, it will
be a great help.�

Bridget
wanted to reply that he was sure it would be, but he clamped his jaw shut. With a bright smile he strode importantly
into the office, Sol following with a shake of his head.

*****

Ky
and Testament managed to catch a few stares as they wandered together into the
town, though thankfully most were discreet; the officer wasn�t up to fending
off their curiosity or their questions, if they had indeed figured out who he
was. Most likely in a place this small
everyone had long since heard of his arrival, and though he took Youn�s earlier
warnings to heart, it didn�t seem as if they would have a problem. Or perhaps the people simply knew better than
to test the generosity of the Global Police.

It
was a small town, simple but clean with thin buildings and quaint shops. The people milled about with carts of goods
and groceries as if having no other care�so unlike the bustle of Paris, or the
sinister labyrinth of Rome. With the air
of the sea still fresh Ky found that the atmosphere
was greatly calming, to his immense relief.
Though nothing seemed to help him steady his steps
more effectively than the presence at his side.

He
could tell that Testament was doing his best; he didn�t speak, even if he
looked as if he were working up to it, but his manner
was reassuring and his posture straight.
His strides were the smooth, unbroken gait of an animal, his eyes
gleaming but not sharp. His hand was
undemanding around Ky�s. As they walked Ky
could sometimes feel the muscles of his arm tense, readying to offer
something�a word of comfort, perhaps, which never came, and still Ky was
satisfied. He knew Testament had no
answers for him, but the intentions of sympathy hidden in his half-formed
gestures were enough consolation for now.

�I
was never in Italy before now,� Ky said suddenly, his
voice quietly thoughtful as he scanned the peaceful streets. �Do you think Rome looked like this, before
it fell�?�

�I
wouldn�t know,� Testament confessed, though he seemed pleased that the silence
had been at last broken. �But I imagine
it was�a bit larger.�

Ky
smiled. �Yes, I suppose it would have
been.�

They
walked a bit further, taking in the sights and people, until Ky
spotted a shop of particular interest across the street: a tiny antique shop
with all manner of charming vases, plates, and assorted cups in the
window. With a quiet intake of breath he
gave Testament�s hand a tug to guide him toward it, and though he was puzzled,
the Gear followed without protest.

A
faint bell above the door signaled their entrance into the small shop, and Ky had to smile; he had been to many places just like this,
and stepping into the comfortable surroundings almost felt like going
home. He at last released Testament�s
hand as he moved to the glass cabinets displaying several shelves of delicate,
hand-painted tea cups.

�Aren�t
they wonderful?� Ky said, mostly to himself, as he
moved along, studying each intricate design.
�Especially this pale green one�is that a flower of his island, do you
think? I don�t think I�ve ever seen a
flower that color.�

Frowning,
Testament came up beside him to see for himself. �They�re tea cups,� he reported, puzzled.

Ky
smiled. �Yes, they are.� He continued down the case, marveling at the
craftsmanship. �I collect them.�

�Collect
tea cups?� Testament echoed, sounding no more enlightened.

�Sa�lude?� came a call from behind them,
and Ky turned to see an old woman in a simple dress appear
out of a room at the back of the store.
She blinked at them in surprise�doubtlessly recognizing who they must
have been�and straightened, smoothing the wrinkles from the front of her
attire. �Welcome, sirs,� she greeted
with a heavy Italian accent.

�Good
afternoon,� Ky returned politely, hoping to win her
over with sheer sincerity. �We were just
having a look around, if that�s all right.�

�Oh, of course,� the woman quickly assured. She paused.
�If it�s sir Patriorte�s work you�re interested
in, we have another set here behind the counter,� she offered.

�Sir
Patriorte,� Ky repeated thoughtfully. He had never heard of the name, and that
alone was enough to collect his full attention.
�Yes, I�d like to see it.� He
approached, his companion a few steps behind.

The
old woman�the shop�s keeper, as it seemed�lifted a box out from under the
counter, revealing a set of finely crafted tea cups, saucers, and a sugar cup,
each bearing the same pale green flowers Ky had noticed earlier. �They�re Corsican Roses,� she explained,
noting Ky�s interest.
�Native to our island�if you�re with us come spring, you�ll see them
about.�

�I�m
afraid I won�t be,� Ky replied. �Perhaps�I�ll have to take some with
me.� He turned to Testament. �Will you come back to the ship with me? I don�t have any money with me at the
moment.�

�If�you
want,� Testament replied, and after Ky had assured the
woman of his return they headed outside once more. The Gear�s lips were thoughtfully
pursed. �You collect tea cups,� he repeated,
as if the words would make more sense if he heard them again.

Ky
smiled warmly at his baffled expression.
�Yes, I do. I have dozens of them
at my home in Paris, from all over the world.�

�And�do
you use them all?�

�Oh,
no�there�s too many for that. Only a few.�

Testament�s
brow furrowed in deeper concentration.
�Then why collect them?� he asked.

�Because
that�s�what I do,� Ky explained as best he could. �Whether you use them is not the point�I�m
just a collector.�

�But�.� He was still having little luck
comprehending. �Why collect something
you don�t use?�

�Because�.� Ky was going to give
a thoughtful answer until he caught a glimpse of Testament�s face�so childishly
intent that he had to laugh, openly and sincerely. �Because I like them,� he said, giving arm a
tap. �And that�s good enough.�

Testament
sighed quietly, though he was also smiling.
�All right.
I can understand that, at least.�

He
slipped his hand back into Ky�s, and the officer
blushed despite himself. He was still so
unused to this kind of intimate treatment, and it made something warm swell
behind his ribs. But because there were
still people on the street paying attention to them he couldn�t do anything
more than lean subtly into Testament�s shoulder, turning his head to catch the
scent of his hair. �Thank you,� he
whispered.

Testament
glanced at him curiously. �What for?�

�Too many things.�

*****

With
the four men seated, Potemkin took it upon himself to begin the exchange. �It looks like we�re all here for the same
reason,� he said evenly, �so I might as well state it plainly; we�re all trying
to find the origin of these robots that have been impersonating Sir Kiske. So far we have very few leads.�

Bridget�s
lip twitched, though he dared not show his triumphant expression to Dr.
Galleon. �Have you been able to find
anything?� he asked anxiously.
�Some�friends of mine are on their hit list.�

��Hit
list�,� Sol all but grunted. �And how do
you know that?�

�Because
I asked one,� Bridget shot back knowingly.

Potemkin
frowned at him. �Asked one?�

�Well�.� Though Bridget was aware that if he were
identified as a pirate accomplice he could probably be arrested�he trusted
Potemkin. Besides, it wasn�t as if
they�d done any pillaging since he joined the crew, so he hadn�t broken any
laws yet. �Actually, I�ve been helping
out the Jellyfish,� he admitted. �The
robots are after Johnny and May.�

Potemkin
didn�t look at all cross, so he took that as a good sign. �I see.
We�ve been able to identify several of the people the robots are after,
though finding them is a different problem.�

�Anji
and Baiken are in Rome,� Sol contributed.
�If you�re worried about them you can pick them up, but I don�t think
those robots will give them too much trouble.�

Dr.
Galleon folded his hands in his lap.
�You shouldn�t underestimate them.
We�ve already confirmed that Chipp Zanuff went missing some time ago,
further north. And, of
course, Sir Kiske.�

Sol�s
eyes narrowed on the man, and Bridget fidgeted�even if the glare wasn�t
directed at him it was intimidating.
�What about Kiske?�

�Oh�that�s
right. You wouldn�t know.�

Before
Sol could demand an explanation Potemkin spoke up. �Ky Kiske�s airship was found in Genoa,� he
related gravely. �At least, what was
left of it, along with dozens of destroyed robots. There were also reports of human blood,
but�no body.� His head lowered
slightly. �There was no other sign of
what might have happened to him. So far
the government has been able to keep that information from the press.�

Bridget
bit at the inside of his lip, glancing about at their serious faces. He would have liked to assure them that Ky was fine, but�there was no telling if Ky would have
wanted him to. For now, all he had to
worry about was finding out where the robots were. �So you didn�t find anything?� he pressed
on. �If Ky was
kidnapped they would have had to take him somewhere.�

�No,
we didn�t find anything,� Potemkin reluctantly confessed. �No tracks from a vehicle, no airships in the
area other than...maybe the Jellyfish Pirates.�

Three
pairs of eyes fell on Bridget, and he straightened. �We did go by there,� he said quickly. He did, after all, pride himself on being a
skilled actor. �We even picked up a few
of the robots and�.�

He
trailed off when he noticed Dr. Galleon watching him more intensely than a
moment ago. He licked his lips. ��We didn�t get anything out of them,� he
finished. �One that was still working
tried to attack Johnny and May�that�s how we knew they were wanted.�

Potemkin
nodded thoughtfully. �Most of them were
too badly damaged, but we did pick up a few ourselves. Dr. Galleon here has been heading the
investigation as to their creator.�

�Their
security is quite advanced,� the doctor himself took over. �So far I haven�t been able to access much of
its memory, so there isn�t any way of knowing where they came from.�

Again
Bridget was forced to keep his protests carefully hidden. The man was a liar�Noverre and Octy hadn�t
had any trouble at all hot-wiring the Robo Ky they�d
found, and it had easily given up Dr. Galleon�s name. If only there was a way to warn Potemkin!

�We�ve
been trying to trace their line of materials,� Potemkin continued, �but that�s
been a dead end as well. There are just
too many different smuggling rings active in Italy, especially through
Rome. And most of the countryside was
never developed after the war; if they�re being made somewhere near here,
they�ll be difficult to find.�

�There
should still be a trail,� Sol reasoned.
�Those kinds of materials are going to have to be transported by
airship, and there are only so many places a large ship can land near
here. If there is a factory in Italy
it�d have to be near one of the settlements.�

Potemkin
nodded. �We�ve thought of that,
too. But that means searching each of
them with no leads, and there�s still no definite proof that they�re even in
Italy.�

Bridget
pursed his lips in deep thought. Though
he had studied a bit about Italy in preparing to be a bounty hunter, he didn�t
know enough about the different settlements to suggest any of them for
search. It was time to take a risk. �Dr. Galleon?� he asked innocently
enough. �These robots are pretty
advanced, aren�t they? There shouldn�t
be a whole lot of people who are able to make something like them.�

Dr.
Galleon frowned at him, and the boy did his best not to fidget. �That�s true,� he conceded carefully. �In fact, my research team investigated such
a design during the war, while I was working in Zepp�as a means of countering
Gears. But the war ended long before we
could perfect any of our work.�

�These
things aren�t working for Zepp,� Sol grunted.
�I don�t think anyone from here could be behind it, even if they are the
biggest suspects.� His gaze flickered
briefly to Potemkin, who nodded, as if accepting an apology for his
remark. �Which means
there are only so many people with the resources and know-how who could head a
project like this.� He fixed an
eye on Dr. Galleon. �Is there anyone in
your research team now who could be leaking information to someone?�

Dr.
Galleon straightened crossly.
�Leaking? That�s absurd. My colleagues would never.�

Sol
shrugged, though he didn�t look at all convinced. �Then unless anyone else here has any ideas,
we�re fresh out of luck.�

Potemkin
sighed heavily. �Yes, it seems that
way. But President Gabriel has decided
to keep Zepp here for longer than usual, to help the investigation.�

�I�m
sure.� Sol pushed heavily to his
feet. �Well, that was unhelpful. Unless you have anything else, I�ll be
going.�

Bridget
caught one of Sol�s thigh straps, keeping him from getting away just yet. �Potemkin,� he said brightly, �you mentioned
before that you have some sort of reference room, right? You said I�d be able to look things up that
would help me with my bounties.�

�Yes,
that�s right. The Records Room is on the
third floor�if you plug your badge into one of the terminals, it should let you
access whatever information you might need.�

Bridget
nodded, letting Sol go as he hopped to his feet. �In that case, I think I�ll go take a
look. There are some other things I want
to look up�about a few smaller bounties I�m interested in.� He bowed his head politely to the pair. �Thanks for your help! I hope you have good lucking finding the
robots.�

Potemkin
nodded, Dr. Galleon glancing discreetly away.
�Good luck to you as well, Bridget.
Come back if you ever need anything.�

�Thanks!�

Bridget
took Sol by the hand and led the way outside, though it wasn�t until they were
safe partway down the hall that he spoke.
�I do have a lead,� he confessed.
�But I couldn�t say it in there.�

Sol
scoffed, rolling his eyes. �Sure you do,
kid.�

�No, really!� Bridget tried to tug him into
the elevator, but Sol resisted, just so the boy would realize how ineffective
his strength was. After a glare from
Bridget, though, they were both inside and going down to the third floor. �Didn�t you think Dr. Galleon was acting
strange?� Bridget persisted. �He was
nervous.�

�Scientists
are always nervous,� Sol retorted. �Potemkin
trusts him.�

�Potemkin�s
wrong.� The elevator chimed as they
reached their floor, and again Bridget took to the lead as they followed the
signs leading toward the Records Room.
�And Dr. Galleon was wrong about the robots�they�re not that hard to get
into. We pirates were able to get into
it. And do you know what it told
us?� He glanced up at Sol�s face
seriously. �It said Dr. Galleon designed
them.�

Sol
frowned, as if finally beginning to take Bridget more seriously. �And you believe that?�

�Robots
don�t lie, do they? Besides, you said
yourself not many people should be able to make a robot like that.�

They
entered the Records Room, requiring Bridget to show his badge once again before
the technician indicated a computer they could use. Bridget hopped over to it and took a
seat. �So what we really have to do,� he
continued, popping his badge into a nearby slot, just as Potemkin had
instructed, �is find out who works with Dr.
Galleon. Potemkin�s probably not
investigating them because he trusts that weasel, so it�s up to us.�

Sol
set a heavy hand on the back of Bridget�s chair, watching as Bridget typed in
his name to log into the system. �You
really know what you�re doing?�

�My
dad has a computer to help with his money,� Bridget explained. �It runs on magic, of course, but it�s not
too different from this. I think.� He started to search for files on Dr.
Galleon, which turned up old news records on his accomplishments and
discoveries, his contributions toward the war effort.

Sol
was quiet for a moment, just watching as Bridget scrolled through the different
information. �You said you were in
Genoa,� he said abruptly.

Bridget
straightened a little in his chair, but he didn�t glance back and didn�t falter
in his search. �Yeah�.�

�What
was it like?�

�It�.� Bridget licked his lips. He knew if he said too much he�d give away
that Ky was alive and all right�and judging by Ky�s reaction to hearing about
Sol being anywhere nearby, he didn�t want to say too much. If Sol went charging off to Sardinia after
him there could be trouble. �It was kind
of scary,� he said truthfully. �There
were robot parts everywhere�if Ky was there, he took
out more than his share of them, at least.
We didn�t find any that weren�t trashed.�

Sol
shifted behind him. �Then you think he
was taken by them.�

�I
wouldn�t know.�

�Hmph.�

Bridget
licked his lips, hoping he wasn�t taking too much a chance in asking, but he
was curious. �Are you worried about
him?�

�Why
would I be?�

�Well,
you�re asking�.�

Sol
grunted as he pushed away, flopping heavily into a chair at Bridget�s
side. �Wherever Ky
is, the robots are, too,� he replied gruffly.
�I�m just trying to get two things done at once.� His gaze flickered away. �Besides, he�s driving Europe crazy with this
little disappearing act of his. The entire continent�s about to shit its pants.�

Bridget
made a face at his metaphor. �He could
be dead by now, you know.�

Sol
didn�t reply, but a moment later Bridget could feel an icy glare digging into
him. He tried not to look, but he
couldn�t help it�nor could he help gulping at the lethal expression Sol was
giving him. �I�m just saying,� he said
quickly. �I mean, if I was an insane
robot and knew Ky could take out fifty of my cousins
at a time, I wouldn�t keep him around for too long, you know?�

�Do
you know something?�

Bridget
gulped again. �Of
course not.�

A
thick hand snatched his wrist, and Bridget gasped quietly as he was jerked
about in his chair to face the man.
Sol�s eyes, though dull and dark in color, seemed to gleam sharply on
him. �Do you know something?� he
demanded.

��No. No, I don�t know anything,� Bridget
insisted, and when he gave his hand a tug Sol released him. Relieved, he turned his attention back to the
computer. �But,� he offered, �if they did take Ky, it�d have to be for some reason,
right? So they might just be keeping him
around.�

Sol
leaned back in his chair, arms folding as if suddenly indifferent. �He�s been gone for a while now,� he
muttered. �If they have plans for him,
chances are they�ve already done it.�

�Then
we�ll just have to hurry, right?�

Sol
glared at him again, and for another few long moments the room was silent
except for Bridget�s fingertips on the keys.
But soon enough Sol leaning forward in resignation to
see the computer screen. �Try
clicking on that one.�

Bridget
nodded, delving deeper into Zepp�s database.
- 17
- 18
- 19
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Culmination