Invitation: A TGSC Short

Kiyoshi Building
Forensic Lab
Tokyo, Japan
December 2013

8:25PM

Touta paused in front of the door and checked his watch.

It was currently five minutes before half-past eight. He was five minutes early, miraculously; there had been no need to take the subway as the building was merely a short walk away from HQ. The Japanese could vividly remember the words that his superior had told him that morning. He reflected on them as he stood in the hallway, waiting for whomever it was to come out.

Squad A was to employ a forensic scientist into their team.

All right – maybe not exactly employ, as the term was too professional, too cold even. Touta licked the bottom of his lip, adopt seemed to work more. He hummed as he rolled the word in his head; adopting a new member. Having a new member placed into their family.

The thought was odd, in all honesty. He had already gotten used to having three of them in their merry little band of misfits (as Peters tended to call them on some occasions). Surely adding another one would be awkward.

The man exhaled and glanced at his watch again. Two minutes before the prescribed meeting time. He wasn’t even sure if he was supposed to be waiting there – it wasn’t as if there were any chairs or a designated waiting area on the floor. He shifted his weight to another leg and instead looked straight ahead at the door that bore a sign ‘FOR EMPLOYEES ONLY’.

Touta suddenly realized that he didn’t even know the man – or woman’s – name, let alone their appearance or how old they were. He hastily took his phone out his pocket and began to text the superior for details, not wanting to get the wrong person. However, just as he had began to type the starting words, the door creaked open slightly and a small beam of light escaped.

He looked up to see a head full of messy, dark brown hair. He head was looking down as if staring at his shoes, and slowly it moved up.

The lanky man (he was a bit shorter than Peters, but still tall nonetheless) glanced at Touta and ran his fingers through the brown mess. Brushing the hair away revealed a pair of sleepy and half-lidded hazel eyes which studied Touta’s face with a small squint.

“Are you the man from headquarters?” he asked. Touta blinked. He was prepared to speak English, but apparently the scientist had a good tongue at Japanese.

“I am. Would you prefer if we spoke in English?” quickly did the male’s form relax slightly; a small smirk crossed his lips and he fully stepped out of the door to greet the other. “Touta Matsuda from HQ. You can call me Touta.”

“It’s a pleasure.” The wild-haired male extended a hand and they shook, “Macmillan Thomas but I prefer Mack. They told me you were coming along to recruit me to your team.”

“That I was.” He let go of the other’s hand and looked at his watch, “Would you have anywhere else to be?”

“Not quite. I initially had plans to sleep when I got home since it’s a Friday night,” Mack explained. He rubbed at the stubble on his chin, “But that can wait. Why?”

Touta hid a smile. “I think it would be best if we would talk this over a few drinks on me.” Mack’s smirk grew wider.

“I’ll collect my things then we can go.”

* * * * *

When Mack had received the news that there would be someone from HQ coming to talk to him, he had already expected the worst to come.

Based on what he had heard from the rest of his co-workers, the people from HQ seemed to be a demanding bunch. There would be many samples that had to be studied on a daily basis, many tests to be made, dozens of reports to file per week that had to be sent back to the offices for whichever report the agents had to do.

Being a forensic scientist was difficult enough to begin with, what more if he were to be accepted as a forensic scientist of a Squad? Mack grimaced at the thought as he cleaned out his materials that morning. It wasn’t as if he lacked them motivation or the energy to pursue something greater. If he had lacked the motivation to begin with, then he wouldn’t even be a forensic scientist.

To put it simply, Mack lacked the ambition.

He had lacked the ambition since he was younger; Mack had always preferred to go where the tide took him instead of pave a way for himself and fight against the current. It was something he carried on to the present, which probably explained his mostly apathetic behavior.

It wasn’t as if he barely cared; it was just that there was nothing strong enough to pull him into the line of caring or giving a shit.

(He had to admit that he knew that was a bad thing. But what more could he even expect at that point?)

Mack found himself entering a quiet coffee shop with simple music playing in the background. He had to admit that it was a nice change from hearing all those goddamn Christmas music everywhere he went. “This alright with you?” Touta asked, pulling a chair for himself. Mack merely nodded and followed suit, the two men sitting across each other. Immediately did a smiling waitress attend to them with menus in her hands.

The scientist ordered a macchiato and Touta ordered a green tea with two slices of whatever their best-selling cake was. When the waitress moved away, Mack lifted a brow at the other.

“You really didn’t have to, you know.”

“I know.” Touta gave a nonchalant shrug as he closed the menu, “Consider it something on me.”

Mack leaned against the backrest of the chair and folded his arms over his chest. “I’m going to be brutally honest with you, Touta. Are you buttering me up so I can accept your request and work with you guys over at the big building?” Touta blinked, “I know how it goes. My other co-workers told me how it goes once they’re accepted into the big leagues.”

“And what did they tell you?”

“To invest more into coffee and questioning why you entered the job at the first place,” he answered dryly. This made Touta give a chuckle and Mack was surprised – he expected a disappointed shake of the head or even a chastising look. Apparently, the gods – whoever they were – chose to give him the opposite.

He was not expecting that, in all honesty.

“I will admit that your co-workers are right.” He fell silent once the coffees and cakes came, then continued once the waitress went away, “But I will also assure you that you’re not exactly going through this alone.”

“…what do you mean?”

“Squad A comprises of myself, Agent Maxwell, and Agent Peters. The last two are most likely up right now, finishing reports before they can relax come Christmas season.” Mack’s mild flashed the outlines of two people rushing around and waving guns and arresting people. “Most likely, they’re finishing up the report from the case just two days ago.”

“Report?”

“Of course. All investigations require reports after,” Touta explained. “On another hand, my job’s a little different. I can help with the report, go out to talk to people, or act as a recruiter for other teams. This time, this is for my team in particular.”

Mack chewed the inside of his cheek before taking a sip of coffee. “Your point?”

“You won’t be going through this alone, Mack. That bit I can promise.” Touta forked up a small amount of cake, “What your co-workers failed to tell you is that the agents too have work to deal with. They have their own bullshit to accomplish and forms to cram. I would know,” he added with a smirk of his own, “I’ve done that a few times before.”

“Huh.” Mack forked a portion of his cake and ate slowly, “Okay.”

“Okay?” he exhaled and took another sip from his drink, trying to form the right words in his head. “We need someone like you. Merely borrowing scientists from your side won’t do it anymore,” the older male explained. “We need someone full-time. Not part-time or half-time or any less.”

Mack may have looked less convinced, so Touta cleared his throat after finishing half of his cake. “You’ll like being in this Squad.”

“Pardon?”

“Agent Maxwell is like you.” He explained. “More on the silent side, a little unsure in the beginning, quite suspicious. Trust me. I know her well and she was able to bloom pretty well in the business. Same with our more extroverted man, but he’s another story.” Mack merely looked at him, “They were able to find their own strengths and bloom there.”

“How’d you know I haven’t bloomed?”

Touta looked back at him calmly. “It’s just a feeling, after all. A simple guess.” He drank from his tea and Mack looked at his drink, staying silent. “If you would join us at HQ, that would be excellent.”

“Find myself,” Mack repeated. He forked more cake into his mouth and ate slowly, trying to separate himself from his thoughts for a while. “Right.”

“It’s up to you, really. Whether you accept or not.”

“I know.” It was silent for a moment as they continued eating, the drinks soon running out and the cakes gone. Touta had just paid for the food when Mack cleared this throat, drumming his fingers across the wooden table. “About your…open position.”

“Yes?”

Mack couldn’t stop himself from giving a true, satisfied smirk. “Please do make some room for me this coming Monday.”