Amy was still dazed when she woke up. Her senses were still clouded by the chloroform and her head hurt a lot, as if after banging it against the door someone had also shaken her brain like a pair of maracas.
-Can you hear me, miss Cosmos?- a man asked. His voice was gentle but still high enough to pierce her eardrum. After a few more seconds she began to perceive the environment around her: the roar of the engine, the creak of the cot on which she was lying, the sirens of the ambulance, the cold air around her, and the smell of ammonia.
-Where am I... ?
-In an ambulance. It's okay, we got you just in time. I'm sorry for the delay, we found traffic- the man explained. When Amy manged to focus, she noticed the man's exciting green eyes, strangely deep and sparkling, fixed on her. His face was relatively young, and was surrounded by a mass of straight black hair, which made him look like a hippy. He smiled, and this certainly made her feel calmer, despite being alone with him while being tied to the cot. Then she noticed that he wasn't wearing an operator's uniform, but an elegant suit that made him look like a federal agent.
-Who are you?
-I'm the replacement agent. I had to pick you up in order to bring you to the safe house- he answered, still smiling -My name is Laguna Loire, and I am the captain of the twelfth police district of Cornelia.
-Oh, you have no idea of the relief I feel now that I'm safe - replied the woman.
-You're welcome. Now excuse me, I will have to ask you a few questions, to confirm your identity. Just following standard procedure- Laguna explained. He pulled out a wallet, which Amy recognized as hers, and from it he pulled out her ID card.
-Are you Miss Harmony Cosmos?
-Mrs, really.
-As you like, ma'am. Nice name, by the way.
-Thanks. They don't often tell me.
He replied with a shrug, before resuming the routine. He made her to confirm all her personal data and asked for her social security number. After that he stuffed everything back into her wallet and slipped the object into a plastic bag, sealing it.
-From this moment on, we will delete your identity outside the registry. No address, relatives, or traceable credit cards- explained the man -This might be a little overzealous, but these days criminals have far too many ways of circumventing the police defenses.
He then asked for the PIN of her the phone, after which he proceeded to block the SIM and turn off the cellphone. He also put that in a plastic bag.
-Will I get my things back?
-Once the investigation is over.
-Is this really so dangerous this… ehm…
-Lord Chaos?- Laguna suggested. The woman fell silent, looking away. The name alone made her blood run cold.
-I don't think that's his real name…- she tried to continue, but fell silent shortly after. The character of the Mafia boss was himself shrouded in legend, to the point that many claimed he never left the house and, if he did, covered his face with a devil mask. The only images circulating about the man were tacky paintings full of diabolical iconography. The boss's favorite, they had told her, was a giant painting of an immense devil with four clawed arms, red and brown skin, a reptilian tail, bat wings, two immense horns and finally a malevolent grin painted on his face.
-We all call him that now. Nobody knows his true identity. We ourselves will discover it only after we managed to condemn him- Laguna explained, unfazed.
The ambulance slowed to a halt, and the officer reached for his gun (which Amy hadn't noticed). There were two thuds on the rear door, and then the cry of a bird. Laguna seemed to relax and pounded on the doors a couple times in response. Amy held her breath until the vehicle pulled away.
-We are here- Laguna assured her.
-Here where? We are not at the hospital.
-Oh no: the hospital is too risky. I'm taking you to the headquarter of HARMONY.
-Don't you find the name a bit silly?-The woman asked, trying to hide her growing panic attack.
-I can't argue with that one. But almost all the more decent names were already taken. We tried with originality.
-"We"?
-I'm an agent too. Call me "Rock", or "Agent Rock" if you prefer.
At that moment the ambulance stopped again, and moments later the doors were thrown open in front of her, showing two men in a suit similar to Laguna's.
The one on the left was certainly more than six feet tall, and had long gray-white hair, not bristly like an old man's but smooth and soft. He appeared to be no more than twenty, and although dark glasses covered most of his face the pale, delicate skin of his face glowed.
His companion, on the other hand, looked like a giant, was muscular and imposing, and wore his long blond hair gathered in a ponytail behind his head. He was definitely less delicate, his features were hard and massive, and he seemed to stare at her with disinterest or annoyance.
-Welcome back Rock- greeted the first, the kindest one, revealing that he had a sweet and reassuring voice.
-Nice to see you too, Shadow- Laguna replied, before turning to the other -Hey Dragon.
The blond nodded in greeting. For Amy seemed a ridiculous scene: to call "Shadow" a man with such delicate traits… At least the second man seemed to be one of those jumping athletes called "Dragons", but still remained a comic relief for the scene.
-You are Harmony Cosmos. And these obviously are Agents Shadow and Dragoon. They escorted us up here driving the van- explained Laguna, starting to push the stretcher out.
-Van?- she asked.
-It's a long story. Let's say that to prevent you from reacting badly to the arrangement, we decorated it so that the interior resembled an ambulance- explained Laguna, gently pushing her out of the vehicle. Dragon remained alert as Shadow helped her.
-How is all of this legal?- she asked, in disbelief
-It barely is- intervened a female voice. A woman with short pink hair entered Amy's field of vision. She quickly pulled her cell phone out of one of the pockets of the suit (obviously identical to the others), typed something and then turned to her.
-I'm Agent "Lightning". Let me escort you to the headquarters, Mrs. Cosmos- she said, giving her little more than a glance -You others check the perimeter, we will meet again at the rendezvous with everyone else.
-Actually I should...- Laguna tried to protest, but fell silent in front of the inquisitive gaze of the woman. Amy, for her part, was completely lost: all these subterfuges made the situation too suspicious: it looked like she had ended up in an absurd spy movie.
-Someone explain to me what is happening?- she protested aloud, but the newcomer just shrugged and freed her from the bonds.
-Move quickly and do everything I tell you, if you care about life- she said, forcing her to stand up and follow her. They were at the entrance to a private parking lot, mostly empty except for the vehicles of some residents, and the woman pointed straight to the right, skirting the sidewalk and ignoring the fact that the dim light of the street lamps in that spot hardly allowed them to walk as quickly as she demanded. Amy nearly tripped over several times.
-Where the hell are you taking me?- she protested, raising her voice enough to force the other to stop and cover her mouth with one hand, rather violently.
-At the Sanctuary of HARMONY. That's the way we call the headquarter. Please, stop asking questions until we get you to a safe place. No initiative on your part shall be tolerated- Lightning whispered, increasing the pressure on her wrist with each word. The pain didn't exactly cause Amy to give up, but the other didn't wait for a reply and resumed dragging her around vehemently. A few steps later the woman stopped in front of a door almost camouflaged in the wall, and pulled out a couple of keys without ever letting go of Amy's wrist. Once the door was closed behind them, Lightning dragged her down a staircase that went down two floors below, to a second parking lot: four individuals on motorcycles were waiting for her, forming a square around a shiny black car. They all wore a helmet and a motorcycle suit; the only thing that distinguished them was the various heights. Amy barely had time to grasp such details that she found herself nearly thrown inside.
-All right. As soon as we get the green light we are goo to go- said Lightning, entering after her.
-Good. We have the green, let us move- a new male voice said quietly. From the inside, the car appeared larger, with enough space on the passenger side to allow two rows of seats in front of each other, like an armored car. Seated opposite the two women was a lonely man: he was very calm, and his face was noble and dry; his white hair fell neatly around his head, and he was the only agent who did not wear sunglasses or other tipes coverings on his face. As the car and motorcycles turned on with a fierce roar, the man reached out to Amy with his hand.
-I'm Agent Warrior, at your service. I apologize for the rigidity of my colleague, sometimes the paranoia makes you forget the good manners.
Amy shifted her gaze from the man to his hand several times, but finally decided to push it away.
-What's with all these antics?- she asked, angrily.
-A covert operation, ordered by Captain Loire. It's all his plan- Warrior explained, unfazed.
-It doesn't make any sense- Amy continued, glaring at Lightning, who pretended not to see her.
-I guess. Frankly, I would have avoided all this secrecy, but the Captain knows what he is doing, I can vouch for him- continued Warrior, not at all disturbed or annoyed.
-When he's not busy thinking about the butterflies that swhirl in his head- said Lightning, sourly.
-Maybe he's a little bit eccentric, but he's undoubtedly a great policeman- the man replied with a hint of reproach, before turning back to Amy -Anyway, I understand the confusion. I will try to answer your questions as much as possible from now on.
-Then please, begin to explain to me why you stole me from the police- replied the woman, crossing her arms over her chest. At that moment the radio crackled as a breathless voice screamed into the microphone.
-Agent Squall here! Hostiles in coming!
-There are several moles in the police- Warrior explained, pulling out a couple of large guns from the seat -I am not surprised that they have already found us. Mrs. Cosmos, put on your bulletproof vest and stay down.
Amy found herself wearing the aforementioned vest before the man had even finished speaking.


-I'm surprised at how easily your followers gather information, Ex-Death- said Garland, tapping is fingers on the table.
-The Dark Cloud knows no boundaries: we can find anyone with our network. But our services do not come for free- replied the holy man, wrapped from head to toe in his gray suit, not even letting a glimpse of his eyes through the two round holes drawn in the pointed hood.
-Lord Chaos will keep his word- Garland replied -Meanwhile, let's focus on the current crisis.
-It will certainly not be easier to get rid of her now that HARMONY is involved- Mateus hissed, sitting comfortably to the left of Garland, with his partner Artemisia -If someone had followed my plan ...
-Blah blah blah, do this, do that. If you don't do what he says, the child starts throwing tantrums!- Kefka replied, mimicking the other. The clown was extreme, even by the standards of Chaos collaborators. By contrast, Mateus looked like a blond businessman with a passion for 18th century nobles, to the point of wearing a monocle over his right eye. Kefka and Mateus were polar opposites: the first was a crazy sociopath who had disguised his gang of psychopaths and murderers as a cooperative that helped the needy to recover from addictions, recruiting the most desperate and deranged among its ranks; the second was the owner of the Pandemonium Casino, where he laundered the money of the major Mafia bosses in the city and acted as an intermediary between the various groups. Chaos had recruited both of them for his own purposes, and both had benefited greatly.
-Please- intervened Garland, banging his fist on the table to stop their bickering -We didn't manage to catch Ms. Cosmos before HARMONY reached her, and this is now a fact. But it won't happen again.
-And how do you plan to do that, sir?- Artemisia intervened. She kept a hand firmly placed on Mateus' shoulder, as if to hold him back to prevent him from letting out a few too many sentences. She was a beautiful woman, and despite her late age she seemed all too aware of the power of her sensuality.
-We need time. Attacking in waves while we await the date of the hearing will only make us waste men: HARMONY and its Agents are no joke, we would lose too many lives. For now, I recommend focusing on the judge and the prosecution. They must not be attacked directly outside the trial, Mayor Solidor was very insistent on this. But it will close an eye if we keep a low profile. We have to make small, precise and direct attacks, increase the sense of paranoia and force them to make a mistake. We must have eyes and ears all over the city. Cornelia must be ours.
-Kam'Lanaut and Zenos yae Galvus will not allow us to invade their territories for our purposes. They will oppose us- Mateus replied -We will need a peace offer first.
-That's where you come in I think- Garland replied dryly -We have to do things the right way. We can't change what happened tonight, but tomorrow is another day.
-Great speech, our leader! And what should we do now!? Play Monopoli until tomorrow!?
A rifle opened fire and brought silence in the room. Garland realized that his glass had shattered, without him realizing it. A few moments later a tall man with long silver hair entered the hall. He had a sniper rifle in his hand, and was fully dressed in a long black leather raincoat.
-You must be Sephiroth- the right arm of Chaos remarked aloud. In response, the newcomer reloaded.
-Change of plans guys- Garland said -We have to cover the presence of our new friend until he is ready to strike. Focus on the Agents, don't let them realize that our new friend Sephiroth has arrived in town.