Aethyrbridge/Ouroborous Lies

Prologue: The Transfer
Artemis sat with her back straight and tried to look as professional as possible. Her uniform had been cleaned, pressed and her shield polished. She had her hair done that morning, and had laboured for longer than should have been necessary on choosing her makeup application. The time spent on these things didn't matter.

It wasn't that Artemis was vain. More that she placed too much importance on this meeting to even consider anything less than her own personal best.

That being said, Artemis believed she was more nervous now than she had been before her final exam.

"Artemis Amon," the Bald One said. He was a large man, with dusty brown hair and broad shoulders. She could see the outline of perfectly sculpted muscles from beneath his uniform.

Great, she thought to herself. ''Another chiseled freak. What excuse is this one going to give me?''

"I've received several letters from you about your requested transfer to Forward Division," he said. Artemis wanted to scream for him to get to the point, but gentler ways prevailed.

Instead, she nodded. "Yes, sir. I believe I've met the minimum requirements of field experience in Commons Division to be eligible for Forward Division. I also submit the two commendations I've had in my three years of service."

"I'm well aware of your career so far, Ms. Amon," he said, looking up at her from the display on the desk in front of him.

Liar, she said. Then why are you reading my file as we speak?

"Ms. Amon, I honestly don't see anything in your record that would prevent you from achieving your goal of transferring over to Forward Division," he said.

"I... Wha...?" Artemis stammered. Was he serious?

"But," he said, pointing one finger into the air. "There is a problem."

Artemis blinked. ''What? What problem?''

Her interviewer sighed. "May I be frank with you?"

Artemis nodded.

"Your father--"

"He's not my father!" Artemis exclaimed. "I disowned him years ago, when he tried to keep me out of Vanguard."

"Nonetheless, he is a very powerful man," he said. "And concerned for you. He's afraid that if you transfer to Forward Division, you'll go after Ishii."

"Oh, the first chance I get. My first plan was to request to be moved to the wog case."

"Now," he began, then sighed. Suddenly, the display in front of him beeped.

Artemis recognized the sound. It was was same sound her own datajack made whenever she got a priority message. She watched as he furrowed his brow in consternation, then relax.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Ms. Amon," he began, looking at her. "Your father wants to make a concession," he said.

Artemis let her jaw drop. All the butterflies flew out of her stomache. She was dumbed. "What?" she managed to say.

"Your father wants to make a deal."

"Screw him," she almost spat. She turned up towards the closest camera and scowled into it. "You hear me, you bastard? Stop screwing with my life!"

"Ms. Amon, he's willing to accept your transfer to Forward Division," the interviewer said. "He has only minor conditions."

"I don't care what his conditions are!" she exclaimed. She pointed a finger angrily at the bald man, and began to stand up. She gathered her things. "I should've known," she said.

"Miss, please. He only wants--"

"Do you want to know something about the Great Sirius Amon?" Artemis exclaimed. "The great man, the best the Vanguard's seen! Do you want to know something about him?"

The bald man shook his hands and stammered.

"Sure you do. You want to know that when his wife, my mother died, he abandoned his kids? He stopped interacting with us, stopped coming home at nights. That when his own son died, he was nowhere to be found?" she was almost in tears, but she couldn't stop. "That he was too busy being a bloody leader to take care of his own so-called family?"

Artemis turned her back on the bald man, who stood speechless, and stormed out of her room.

What a waste of time, she thought to herself. Shouldn't have even bothered.

Her goal was simple now. She was going to go home, cry it off, and try again tomorrow. Maybe a different tactic. Maybe a different--

"Ms. Amon!" someone exclaimed as she walked down the hallway. She turned. It was the bald man.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"I'm terribly sorry, Ms. Amon," he said, out of breath. "I'm going to accept your transfer."

"What?" Artemis looked taken aback. "But... why?"

"It's not my place to get involved in family affairs, Ms. Amon," he said. "But it seems to me that he's trying to reach out to you. His only condition was that he be able to talk to you from time to time. But now he's agreed to give you the transfer nonetheless."

"He... what?"

"Will you accept the transfer?" he asked.

"I..." Artemis thought. Now that it was freely being offered, was it a victory? Did she win? She calmed down and looked the bald man in the eye. "Of course I will," she said.

"I'll put it through then," he said. "Congratulations, Ms. Amon. As of tomorrow, you're now an agent of Forward Division."

Artemis shook the bald man's hand and smiled. This was what she wanted. This was her goal.

She turned and looked out of a window in the side of the hallway to look out among the city.

Ishii was out there somewhere. And now, Artemis would actually be able to hunt her out.

She looked up at a camera she had spotted from the corner of her eye. She let her vision linger for a moment, and then turned and started to walk away.

Tomorrow would be another day, and soon it would be time to go home.