VICE

A/N: Hello everyone and welcome back to another foray into the Fairy Tail universe. For those of you who are familiar with my stories, I welcome you back. For those of you who are not familiar with me, I welcome you and hope you enjoy the first of many chapters to come.

This time I will be trying my hand at writing a crime AU where Natsu must go undercover to stop the spread of a dangerous new drug. But, will he be able to complete the mission with his sanity intact or will he lose himself along the way? This may very well be one of the darkest stories I've written yet as it will involve mature, dark themes. A major change from the usual stories I'm working on.

I apologize if the dialogue in this story seems a bit weird or forced. I have this problem whenever I start a new story but this problem tends to iron itself out as things progress.

The main pairing for this story is a love triangle between Natsu, Lucy, and Lisanna. That's right; a love triangle. The relationship Natsu develops between Lucy and Lisanna will be one of the core plot points to this story and I'm excited in trying such an idea out.

As stated, this story is going to be "M" rated for mature themes. These themes include drug/alcohol abuse, sexual content, violence, and harsh language. Reader discretion is advised.

As always, I hope you will give your honest opinion with your review and if you have any questions regarding this story feel free to ask it in your review which I will either reply to in the next chapter or respond to ASAP, or you can PM me; whatever works for you! Just please don't be too harsh with your criticisms…there's only so much a guy can take.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fairy Tail; Hiro Mashima and Kodansha Comics USA own it. If I did own Fairy Tail…well let's just say some things would be different.

So without further ado *cracks neck and knuckles*, let's begin!

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DESCRIPTION: Temptation can be a dangerous thing; it can bring out the worst in a man. If left unchecked, it can even drive one to insanity and destroy them. In a dark, unseen underworld, Narcotics Agent Natsu Dragneel must go deep undercover to stop the spread of a dangerous new drug that is sweeping Magnolia...all the while dealing with his own personal demons and two women who are dragging him closer and closer to the edge of both pleasure and insanity.

XXXX

Vice

/vīs/

Noun: Immoral or wicked behavior; Immoral or wicked personal characteristic; Criminal activity that involves drugs, prostitution, pornography, etc.

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CHAPTER 1

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City of Magnolia, Fiore

Population: 2 Million (the second largest city in Fiore).

East Magnolia outskirts/slums a.k.a. "The Alleys"

The BearCat armored vehicle was silent, save for the occasional rattle of equipment and the hiss of the gun turret as it rotated; the gunner manning the mighty M2 heavy machine gun as he watched the passing apartments and dilapidated buildings. As messy and depressing as urban decay was, it offered plenty of hiding places for those not so fond of law enforcement.

If the raid convoy was spotted, the gunners and the men and women they protected needed to be ready for a gunfight. But then again, one always had to be on their toes in this area of the city.

The interior of the vehicle was filled with ten agents (same as the other BearCats in the convoy) all armed to the teeth and covered head to toe in body armor and chemical warfare suits. Velcro name pads on their ballistic vests denoted each agent's individual code name: Salamander, Hunter, Pitbull, Phantom, Shark, and so on and so forth. Although they were all dressed in black, making them appear as any other S.W.A.T. team within the police, it was the patch they wore on either their helmets or shoulders that gave them away.

The letters SD4N set over a stylized Oleander, the beautiful but toxic flower that denoted them as one of Fiore's elite Federal Law Enforcement special units; Special Detachment Four-Narcotics.

Detachment Four was the Federal Security Department's premier narcotics and drug enforcement unit for Magnolia. Battling it out with some of the most dangerous criminals and narcotics in Fiore, the unit handled both the overt and covert aspects of the profession, using undercover agents and raids to dismantle crime from the inside and out.

But, more often than not, the unit was compared to a paramilitary force given the fact that the unit trained its agents in counterinsurgency, urban warfare, and small unit tactics. They had established a reputation for eliminating threats with extreme prejudice.

Regardless of what people thought of the unit, the agents were feared and feared they should be.

On this particular day, the unit was carrying out a raid on a drug lab that had been under investigation for the better part of five months. Now it was time to act on all the evidence and intelligence that had been gathered by deep cover agents within that time.

So far, the agents had the element of surprise. And they preferred it stay that way.

"We're approaching the warehouse, go dark. NVG's from this point on until told otherwise." The voice of Nomad, the Unit's Special Agent in Charge (S.A.C.), said over the team radio. The headlights of the vehicles switched off in rapid succession.

"All teams stand to. Remember the plan people. The undercovers reported that the warehouse has internal and external CCTV cameras so that means someone is watching. HQ is working on hacking the cameras but once they go down, someone is going to notice. We'll only have a matter of minutes to secure the building.

With that being said, teams one through four will set up a perimeter and cordon off the main streets and prevent anyone from getting to or escaping from the building. Teams five, six, and seven and their BearCat's will form a perimeter around key access points to the building and provide support. Teams eight, nine, ten, and their BearCats will have the honor of greeting our hosts. Team Eight, Salamander, your team is on point."

"Yes sir." The team leader responded via his tactical radio, his voice muffled by his gas mask.

Salamander stood, adjusting the chinstrap of his Ops Core helmet before making sure all the upgrades he'd added to it were attached; an HD video camera, IR strobe pack and battery pack, armor applique, and night vision goggles. Beneath the helmet his face was hidden by a C50 gas mask fitted to an air purification pack on his back.

His eyes quickly adjusted to his night vision, the world having become a luminescent green glow.

"Alright everyone, we've been practicing this day in and day out for the last week so there should be no reason for fuck ups. But just so we're clear, we'll hit the south side while nine and ten hit the east and west sides. Nomad will read the suspects the riot act over the megaphone and give them a chance to stand down. If not, we cut the power, and storm the warehouse. When all is said and done, we all should meet at the north end and have wrangled up any stragglers. From there, we'll handle initial processing of the scene before giving it to CSU and the MPD. Any questions?"

Salamander looked at the remaining members of his team, men and women he had served with for the last three years. They were practically family. To his left: Shark, Bear, Wolf, Huntress, and Echo. To his right: Saber, Delta, Pitbull, and Ghost.

Ghost raised her finger, "Is our R.O.E. still the same or has it changed to shoot first, ask questions never?"

The team sniggered at the running joke of the unit. They did more shooting than they did arresting. It wasn't to say they were trigger happy, far from it actually. It just so happened that the people they went after thought for whatever reason that it was a good idea to point a gun at law enforcement. It never ended well for the bad guys.

"Rules of engagement haven't changed. We must be engaged to engage. For those of you with thicker skulls, that means that unless someone points a gun at you, you do not shoot first. If anyone raises their hands and says, 'Don't shoot,' you bind their hands and legs with the flex cuffs and keep moving."

"Are our deep covers still on site?" Pitbull asked.

"Nah, they bugged out of there a couple of hours ago. We're in the clear." Shark answered.

"Clear or not, if one of you shoot me in the ass again I swear to God I'll rip you a new one." Salamander said earning a hearty laugh from his team.

"Seriously, is my ass such an appealing target that you guys just had to shoot it?"

"You do have a nice ass boss." Huntress hummed.

"She ain't lyin'!" Their gunner said to which Salamander smacked his knee.

"Shut it Rollins, if we wanted your opinion we would've asked for it." Salamander quipped.

"Why the hell do we have to wear these suits?" Delta asked, "I'm starting to roast in this thing."

"From what Nomad told me, the undercovers said that some nasty stuff's being made in that warehouse and that we don't want to breathe it in. It's like dealing with a meth lab…"

"The suits reduce the risk of contamination. Meaning we don't have to strip down and get scrubbed head to toe." Bear finished for Salamander, earning a nod from the team leader.

"Exactly. Remember how long it took us to get decontaminated when we accidently stumbled across that one meth lab? So make sure you keep your suits sealed. I don't want to hear that you ripped a hole in your suit or got your air packs shot up. On the bright side, we're not dealing with meth so you don't have to worry about blowing the place to kingdom come. Understood?"

"Yes sir." His team replied in unison.

"Any other questions…no? Good." Salamander said with a nod. He then racked the charging handle on his suppressed, APC300 carbine. The carbine was whisper quiet when fired but packed one hell of a punch, making it handy for close quarters fighting.

"Alright everyone, we're here." The driver said, "I can see lights on in the warehouse and no one is shooting at us. I think it's safe to say we still have the element of surprise."

"Let's keep it that way." Salamander said, peering out one of the windows and seeing the other BearCats slowly falling into position.

"Headquarters has hacked the security cameras. I repeat, cameras have been hacked. Assault Teams, move into position." Nomad's voice sounded over the radio.

The back door dropped and the agents silently disembarked, stepping out into the night. Even at twelve midnight, the lights of the city shined off in the distance while the abandoned factories and apartments remained dark, eerily so. Salamander shook off the feeling and stepped in behind Bear, who ducked behind his ballistic shielded while keeping his sidearm drawn. He then gestured forward and as one, the agents advanced forward.

The training and preparation for the raid filled his mind. The warehouse was set in an open lot and was of a double storey design, with most of the space inside wide and open for storage purposes. Various "CONDEMNED" placards decorated the sides but they were mostly for show and the tall windows that weren't boarded up were covered in dirt and grime. From what the undercovers had provided, there was a sizeable crew inside manufacturing drugs and were practically living on site; working nonstop at a makeshift assembly line. Aside from a small office space in the back, there were still storage crates scattered about providing places to hide.

That little fact put Salamander on edge and made him grip his weapon tighter.

They soon came to stop at two heavy doors. Salamander pointed to the center and hinges of the doors and Echo and Saber just as quickly rigged the points with breaching explosives and a frame charge.

"Team Eight, in position." Salamander said into his radio as he and the others huddled against the wall and behind Bear.

"Team Nine, in position." Banshee called in.

"Team Ten, in position. We've found the power box." Phantom radioed.

"All teams are in position and the BearCats have you covered." Nomad said, "Headquarters is relaying a live video feed from inside to me now. Stand by…suspects are armed. I repeat; suspects are armed."

"Rules of engagement?" Banshee asked.

"They haven't changed. Engage if engaged people. You guys ready…Yes? Alright, let's do this. Team Ten, cut the lights."

Leaning against the wall, Salamander could hear movement, voices, and music through the thin metal walls. Despite the grime on the windows, light could barely be seen. And then the lights suddenly died and the music was silenced. Muffled, confused voices could be heard.

Then the night came alight in flashes of blue, red, and the blinding white of headlights.

"This is the police." Nomad's voice echoed loud and clear over a loudspeaker.

"We have a search warrant for the building and know you are in there. You are surrounded; drop your weapons and give yourselves up."

For three long minutes, all was quiet. Then boards were ripped away and glass shattered as gunfire filled the air.

Salamander and his teammates ducked as the window above them shattered from a barrage of handgun bullets.

"All teams green light, green light! Go, go, go!" Nomad commanded.

"Flashbangs; breach!" Salamander commanded as his teammates lobbed flashbang grenades into the building via the broken window while Echo detonated the explosives. They never heard the simultaneous cacophony of the stun grenades or saw the blinding flashes they produced. For with a flurry of sparks and clap of thunder, the doors were blown inwards and off their hinges.

Bear stormed the doorway with Salamander right behind him. The others fanned out to the sides. The grenades and explosives had kicked up a flurry of dust and for a second, the world was nothing but a green haze through night vision. But as it settled, weapon mounted flashlights and blue laser sights illuminated the din along with the suspects who stumbled or lay on the floor in a daze.

One man stood, still clutching a revolver. Salamander immediately took aim, illuminating the man with his weapon light while the reticle of his holographic sight centered on the man's chest.

"Police!" Salamander barked, "Drop your weapon!"

The man blinked rapidly before his face contorted in rage and raised his gun to fire. Salamander was quicker on the trigger and put a burst of .300 Blackout into the man, dropping him instantly. Weapons fire filled the air while similar commands were issued by other agents. The suspects were not going down without a fight.

"Move in, sweep up the left!" Salamander commanded as Bear moved forward, taking him and Salamander down a row of crates and tables.

Another man popped up from behind a crate and fired at the two agents. Salamander dropped to a knee just as the bullets whizzed overhead or struck Bear's shield. Bear promptly dropped the shooter with a triple tap from his pistol; two to the chest, one in the head.

To his left and right, Salamander spotted his teammates continue to move; neutralizing shooters or cuffing the ones who were smart enough to toss their guns. The other teams were making similar progress and in a matter of moments, the assembled assault teams were moving as one, firing their weapons when necessary and cuffing those who surrendered. Just as quickly as it had started, the gunfire ceased.

Salamander swapped magazines for a third time and pointed to the back office.

"Watch it people, we don't know what's in there." Salamander said over the radio.

"I thought I saw a guy run in there but I'm not sure." Someone from team ten replied.

"Nomad, can HQ see anything on the CCTV?" Salamander spoke into his radio.

"Negative Salamander; use extreme caution."

"I've got a bad feeling about this." Shark said aloud.

"You've always got a bad feeling about something." Pitbull quipped.

It was at that moment that the office door was kicked open and a man covered in tattoo's stepped out. In his hands, he held a PKM light machine gun. The man grinned a demented grin and didn't waste time in cutting loose with his weapon.

"Hit the deck!" Salamander said, dropping down to his stomach while Bear did the same, angling his shield to cover his head and back.

"Holy shit!"

"Son of a bitch!"

"Goddammit!"

"Fuck!"

These were the startled cries of the agents as they all scrambled for cover or dropped to the floor. Bullets ricocheted too close for comfort or blasted anything on the assembly line and tables to pieces.

"Nomad!?" Salamander yelled into his radio.

"Hang on! Thompson, rake the building at chest level on the north side, five second burst! All of you, on the floor; now!"

No sooner had the agents followed the command did the BearCats heavy machine guns open fire. The powerful .50 caliber rounds easily punched through the thin walls of the building and eviscerated all they hit.

It was a long five seconds before the shooting stopped. Before he had dropped, Salamander had clearly seen the trigger happy maniac standing at the door to the office. Peeking up over Bear, all that he saw now was a lingering red mist and what used to be a man. The machine gun lay discarded nearby, barrel smoking but silent.

Slowly the agents rose and sounded off one at a time. No one was hurt. Cautiously they approached the office and upon further inspection, found that it was empty. Moonlight shined in through the shattered windows, skylights, and bullet holes in the walls.

"Nomad," Phantom radioed, "building is secured."

Nomad sighed in audible relief, "Good work everyone. Now comes the easy part. I'm sure HQ has already notified the MPD and CSU, so they'll be here soon enough. In the meantime, round up any survivors and start processing the scene; make things easier for CSU. We made plenty of noise so I'm sure we'll get a few onlookers and nosy reporters."

"Great." Salamander said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"I wonder how they'll spin this one; 'Surprise assault launched against drug factory' or 'Fiore's ruthless boys in black strike again?'" Someone from team nine said aloud.

"Let the boss and the people in public relations worry about that. For now, focus on this. Let's get this scene prepped and ready for CSU and call it a night. We'll have plenty of work to do tomorrow so let's make it easier on ourselves and do this right."

"C'mon Salamander, have we ever let you down?" The leader of team ten asked.

"Uhm, you really want an answer to that?" Salamander quipped, earning hearty laughs from his fellow agents.

XXXX

Out of all of the suspects in the building, only six had survived the shootout. Those six men and women were escorted to the BearCats and kept under watch by team nine. Therefore, the duty of processing the scene and making things easier for CSU fell to teams eight and ten. They had traded their weapons in for cameras, notepads, and other equipment.

The power had been restored to the warehouse, exposing the mess that had been created.

"We certainly did a number on this place." Pitbull gave a low whistle, jotting notes down on his clipboard.

He stood near a blue tarp that had been laid out to hold all of the firearms that had been collected after being marked in chalk outlines…along with their former users. The bodies of the deceased lay under similar tarps outside.

"This is what happens when you resist arrest." Salamander said wryly as he took a picture of said firearms. They were mostly semiautomatic pistols and cheap revolvers but there were a few that caught attention; the PKM, three AK-47's, a handful of MAC-11's, and even an old Winchester rifle.

"Although, this is quite the collection of firepower. Guess these guys were gearing up for a fight long before we noticed them." Salamander added, taking another snapshot.

"Tell me about it. I heard the Port Authority out in Hargeon found a shipment of AK's hidden in the gas tank of a car." Pitbull said.

"Damn," Salamander shook his head, "is it just me or are these guys getting better equipped with each passing day?"

"More to the point, who's paying for it and where are they getting from? Think about it, all of this has to cost a fortune to manage. What are they doing that they need the firepower for?"

Salamander studied the AK's and PKM, picking up the weapons for examination.

"Well…from the looks of things, the AK's have markings from Bosco but the PKM has seen some use. The feed cover's been replaced, this isn't the standard barrel, and the stock's been refurbished."

"Best guess?" Pitbull asked.

"Meh, probably bought from a rebel group up north or to the south." Salamander replied.

"Maybe it all has to do with whatever this stuff is." Saber said as he placed markers down on the assembly line. He gestured to Salamander.

"If this is cocaine, it must be some sort of new batch because I've never seen shit like this before." Saber added.

On the assembly line and nearby tables, Salamander found a variety of electric scales, beakers and burners, the occasional centrifuge, and plastic packaging. And set amongst it all was powdery substance, colored lightly purple.

Salamander took a series of pictures before running his fingers over the powder, rubbing his fingers and was surprised at how fine it was.

"This stuff could pass as baking flour it's so soft." Salamander mused, "It's not meth, since this place would have blown sky high if it was. And it's not cocaine…any ideas."

"No clue." Saber shook his head, "It's weird because some of the vials in that centrifuge over there are colored the same as this. Do you think this stuff can be melted down into a liquid?"

"Maybe. But, then again, you know as much as I do." Salamander said.

"Which at this time isn't much either way." Nomad's voice caught their attention.

The two agents turned around to see their S.A.C. enter the warehouse, protected by his own chem-war suit and gas mask and carrying his personal APC556 PDW.

"Sir." The two agents greeted as the man slowly took in their findings and the damage. He particularly focused on a series of canvas cots set towards the back office. There were blankets scattered about, plastic crates that held clothes, and other signs that the warehouse was being lived in.

The two agents watched as their boss took his time studying the clothes and makeshift home for the drug makers.

"You alright sir?" Saber asked.

The man slowly shook his head, a disappointed gesture that was more to himself, and turned back to his agents.

"I'm fine." He replied, curtly, "Something on your mind?"

"What is this crap sir, I've never seen anything like it."

Nomad cocked his head slightly, examining the powder but made no move to touch it.

"We have an idea but at this time it's on a need to know basis." Nomad said, prompting Salamander to cross his arms.

"Is there something you're not telling us sir?" He asked.

"You'll be briefed as more details come to light. For now, finish up what you're doing and pack it up; MPD and CSU just arrived. Hand your findings over, follow the chain of evidence, and get back to the BearCat's. Our work is done for the night."

Salamander wanted to press his superior for more information but the man just as quickly turned on his heel and walked away. Sighing in frustration, Salamander radioed in the orders to his team and made a mental note to have a chat with his boss later.

Taking one last look around the warehouse, Salamander paused when he spotted one of the CCTV cameras near a light fixture. The feeling that he was being watched made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

"Salamander," Nomad said, poking his head back inside, "you coming or what?"

"You think whoever was running this saw anything?" Salamander nodded to the camera.

Nomad stepped back in and crossed his arms, "HQ said they were getting some feedback around the time the fifty-cal cut loose. Something about an attempt at back hacking. They relinquished control to prevent a network breach…so yeah, maybe. If they were watching us, all they'd see is the cleanup. C'mon, let CSU and the MPD worry about that, we've got to go before the news and tabloids show up."

"Yeah, coming." Salamander sighed again, digging out his wristwatch from and empty pouch. It was three in the morning and his day started at seven.

It was going to be a long day.

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Later that afternoon…

Federal Police Headquarters, downtown Magnolia…

The Federal Police Headquarters was located in Arcadia Square in the "Justice" district of the city. The district was home to many of the courts and police agencies that protected the city and the Federal Police were one of them. The building the Federal Police used was of a tall, trapezoid design and was made of concrete and glass that gleamed both day and night. The flags of the city, the federal police, and the Fiorean flag flew proudly outside of the buildings main entrance.

Each floor was dedicated to either one or two agencies of the federal police with Special Detachment Four's office taking up most of the top floor. The office offered a good view of the city and helped one put their mind at ease, a fact enjoyed by Special Agent in Charge Gildarts Clive, or Nomad, as his call sign went.

The man's rustic orange hair was long and tied back in a loose ponytail. The stubble on his face indicated the days he'd gone since his last shave and if asked, he preferred to keep it that way. As opposed to the usual Aloha shirt and jeans he usually wore, today Gildarts wore his formal uniform; dress blues complete with all the medals and ribbons he had earned during his very long career in law enforcement. He hated wearing the thing but today it was required of him to look somewhat presentable.

His third cup of coffee was held in hand but he hardly felt the effects of the caffeine anymore. He'd gone so many days and nights with an irregular sleep pattern that he was immune to coffee at this point. But after the evidence that had been gathered last night, he supposed many more sleepless days were to follow. Especially as the scale of what they were dealing with was coming to light. The final details had been sorted hours before with the director, deputy director, and the other higher ups. All that was needed now was the briefing.

"He has an impressive record," a voice said from the nearby flat screen, "he was only a beat cop for three years before making it into his department's detective's bureau. Recommended for promotion twice and is even the recipient of the heroism medal. Had a bit of a rough childhood; orphaned at a young age, adopted, only for his adoptive father to die in the line of duty. Noted for being tenacious but a bit of risk taker."

"How long has he been with narcotics?" Another voice asked.

"Three years." Gildarts replied, taking a long drink of his coffee.

"Three seems to follow this man." A third voice added, "Why'd you pick him? After what happened with his partner I would have figured he'd be more of a liability than an asset."

Gildarts smiled wryly, "I could say the same for everyone else in narcotics. In case you haven't noticed, like everyone else, he has the uncanny ability to keep a secret. Sure, it nearly bit him in the ass but it just shows you how many skeletons he can hide."

"So it would seem but those same secrets we are referring to nearly cost him his badge. Honestly speaking, do you think he's up for the task? He's never been given an assignment of this magnitude before." Asked the first.

"True as that may be, his tenacity has solved many a case and has gotten both him and others out of many a firefight."

"I don't know if the boy can handle it." The second added.

"Agent Dragneel is one of my best. He hasn't let me down before and I see no reason for him to do so now." Gildarts defended.

"Give him a chance."

Turning from the window of the conference room and looking out into the main office, Gildarts focused on one of his best agents. Natsu Dragneel, or Salamander as he was known, sat at his desk and was focused on his computer screen, more than likely trying to figure out what the "mystery drug" from last night was. Considering the man had only gotten four hours of sleep on a cot in the buildings garage, his seemingly endless source of energy always surprised Gildarts.

Natsu was tall, well-muscled, and broad shouldered. His salmon pink hair was cut short and his eyes were a dark but fierce green. He wore a black polo shirt and jeans while his badge and gun were set on his desk.

Gildarts tapped the intercom on the table, calling his secretary, "Send him in; conference room two."

His secretary didn't reply but a few seconds later, Natsu answered the phone on his desk before making his way over to the conference room. He swiped his keycard through the scanner and entered. His eyes immediately found Gildarts.

"You're dressed to the nines, that's rare." Natsu grinned, "How much trouble am I in this time?"

"It's nothing like that." Gildarts smirked, closing the blinds to the room, "As you're about to see."

Slightly puzzled, Natsu was about to ask what was happening when he noticed the flat screen was on for a video conference. After a moment of recognition, he quickly snapped to a crisp salute.

Appearing on separate screens were three of the last people Natsu had ever thought he'd see let alone speak to. On one screen was the King of Fiore, Toma E. Fiore. On the second was Minister of Defense Darton. And on the third was the king's daughter, Princess Hisui E. Fiore…who also happened to be the Director for National Intelligence.

"At ease Agent," The King gave friendly smile, "please, take a seat."

Natsu blinked dumbly for a minute before sitting opposite of Gildarts. The man reached beneath the table and produced three manila folders.

"Tell me, Agent Dragneel, do you know why you are here today?" The King asked.

"Uhm…if this about the incident in the garage last week, I swear I had nothing to do with that." Natsu held his hands up defensively.

"I beg your pardon?" Darton asked while Hisui stifled a giggle. Gildarts palmed his face.

"Ignore him, nothing to worry about." Gildarts shook his head.

"No, Natsu, it's not about the garage. It's about something more…concerning."

Natsu cocked his head slightly, eying the folders, "How concerning?"

"Agent Dragneel," Hisui said, "are you familiar with a drug called 'Vice' by any chance?"

"Can't say that I am. I've handled some pretty nasty crap since I joined narcotics but I've never heard of it before. What is it? Some sort of slang for…what, valium and meth?"

"No." Gildarts slid a folder to Natsu, "It's nothing of the sort. You see Natsu, for the past year and a half, both foreign and domestic narcotics police have been reporting a rapid rise in the usage and distribution of a new super drug. That drug, from what we've learned, is called Vice."

"What is it?" Natsu frowned as he opened the folder, "And how come we've never heard of it before?"

The folder contained chemical analysis and toxicology reports, none of which made the least bit of sense to Natsu. But he'd seen the chemical composition of meth, cocaine, and heroin enough to know that what he was looking at was off the charts. And then he saw it; photos of a familiar looking powder with a purple coloration.

"Wait. That's the shi-I mean, crap from last night." Natsu said, catching himself as he remembered whose presence he was in.

"It is. We're not exactly sure what it is to be frank. What we do know scares us but it's what we don't know that scares us a hell of a lot more." Gildarts said, sliding over a new folder.

"Since we first started finding it, Vice has rapidly outsold many of the other more common drugs that you'd find on the street. It's relatively cheap to make but has a refinement to it that makes it all the more desirable. From what we've been able to gather, Vice has the ability to induce an extreme state of euphoria upon whoever uses it. A sensory overload that won't kill you…unless, of course, you over do it."

"Overdose?" Natsu asked to which Gildarts nodded to the file.

Natsu opened it and found a series of pictures from the medical examiner's office. Men and women, all lying on the slab; their skin pale, eyes sunken, and…wait, why were the veins around their eyes blackened. In fact, upon further inspection, it looked as if the eyes of the deceased had bled profusely.

"What in the hell?" Natsu murmured reading the notes from the examiner, all marked with different dates.

"Male, twenty two, college student, found deceased in his dorm due to an apparent overdose. Autopsy and toxicology revealed an injection mark on the right arm and an unknown chemical compound in his bloodstream. Severe hemorrhaging of the brain upon further inspection; possible cause for blackening of veins around and bleeding of the eyes."

"Female, forty three, married, mother of two. Found dead in bathtub due to an apparent overdose. Autopsy and toxicology revealed injection mark on the thigh and an unknown chemical compound in her bloodstream. Severe hemorrhaging within the brain. Chemical composition matches that of chemical found in previous victims."

"Two males and two females. All between the ages of fifteen and seventeen. All four were involved in a fatal auto accident that resulted in a ten car pileup. All four were pronounced dead on arrival. Cause of death has been determined to be trauma inflicted by the accident. Toxicology revealed that an unknown chemical compound had been ingested by the deceased at some point prior to the accident and thus entered the bloodstream. Chemical compound matches the same unknown compound found in previous cases. It is believed that the driver and passengers were all under the influence at the time of the accident."

"Male, thirty one, CEO, engaged, one child from previous relationship. Deceased was shot to death by police after assaulting a patron of a local restaurant. Deceased reportedly tried to smash the patrons head in with a fire extinguisher before police arrived (patron managed to escape with minor injuries). The deceased was showing extreme, almost animalistic aggression and proceeded to assault the responding officers. The deceased attempted to-literally-rip the one officer's arm out of its socket; Taser and pepper spray proved ineffective; lethal force was finally used but did not initially stop the deceased. Twenty .40 caliber hollow point bullets removed from deceased. Autopsy revealed cause of death to be a combination of hydrostatic shock, blood loss, and severe hemorrhaging within the brain. Toxicology has found that the same unknown chemical compound was found in the deceased's bloodstream; concentrations found on the tongue. Possible ingestion via aerosol spray (?). (Note: I want to go on record and state that at this point, it's safe to say we have the beginnings of an epidemic on our hands)"

Report after report, Natsu could see a pattern growing with each case becoming more severe and bizarre than the rest.

"What the hell is going on?" Natsu asked, looking from the file to Gildarts and the flat screen.

"Do you now see what we're dealing with, Agent Dragneel?" Darton asked.

"Why am I just hearing about this now? Hell does the freakin' public even know about this crap?" Natsu seethed.

"Agent Dragneel, you must understand, since we were made aware of this problem a year ago, Vice has been spreading like a wildfire. But whoever is managing it has done a damn good job of keeping us in the black and making sure their networks stay silent.

We've barely begun to scratch the surface and have already been forced to keep a lid on it all to prevent a panic from the public; to prevent whoever is manufacturing and distributing the drug from going into hiding or taking it elsewhere." Darton said.

"Agent Dragneel, all federal agencies have been made aware of the situation but only at the highest levels. Only select undercover agents and officers have been chosen to investigate this and even they haven't come up with much. We've had to cross-reference similar cases from other countries just to get where we are." Hisui added.

"However, all the evidence that's been gathered points that the point of origin for Vice has come from within our own borders; Magnolia in particular seems to be the epicenter of this menace. As stated, this drug has made its way to neighboring countries, countries with whom we share close ties. I can't even begin to tell you the levels of agitation and distrust my counterparts are feeling towards Fiore at the moment. A drug from out lands is killing the people of our neighbors, something that's furthermore exacerbated by the fact that we can't seem to get a handle on the damn thing!" The King fumed before regaining his composure.

The King took a deep breathe before releasing a heavy sigh, "This drug has managed to strain international relations with our country. This should show how potent it is. If something isn't done to stem the tide of Vice, I fear that we will face severe social, societal, and international ramifications. Which is why Secretary Darton, Director Fiore, and I have authorized the usage of extreme measures to combat this situation. Which in turn led us to contacting Special Agent Clive."

"Okay, I can understand that things are looking grim…but, why tell me all of this. Do I need to brief my team for a raid?" Natsu asked, not quite following where this was going.

"No Natsu," Gildarts shook his head, "you're team cannot be involved in this. Nor can the rest of the detachment. When this meeting ends, I'll inform everyone as to what's been going on."

"Then why am I here?" Natsu asked, eyes darting between Gildarts and the others.

"Natsu…" Gildarts sighed, "A deep cover operation has been authorized with the goal of finding whoever is responsible for the creation and distribution of Vice. The whole network needs to be shut down and those responsible need to face justice. A deep cover operation…for which you will be the primary undercover agent."

Natsu's jaw went slack, "What?"

"The Deputy Director and Director of Narcotics have approved of this as have other federal agencies. Secretary Darton has authorized a blank check for this operation. Director Fiore and I will be your handlers for this." Gildarts continued.

"Whoa, whoa, back the fuck up!" Natsu said, dropping all formality, "What do you mean I'm the primary agent for this!? I didn't volunteer for this; hell, I don't even have undercover status!"

"Natsu!" Gildarts barked, "Calm. Down."

Natsu fumed, holding his glare with his superior before finally relenting. He slumped back into his chair and ran his hand down his face. Gildarts sighed before offering Natsu a proud smile.

"I know, as of right now, we're asking a lot of you. And we will continue to do so from this point forward. But Natsu, you are one of the finest agents I have ever had the pleasure of serving with. Time and time again you've showed me how capable an agent you are. How tenacious, how committed you are to seeing things through till the end. Everyone who's worked in narcotics has to know that sooner or later their going to have to lead a double life and now that task falls to you."

"I understand that…it's just…this isn't what I imagined how I'd become an undercover; that my first case as one would be like this." Natsu said.

"An immense responsibility has been given to you," the King said, "and it's compounded more by the fact that Secretary Darton and I are giving you permission to act upon Directive Zero."

"Directive Zero?" Natsu asked.

"Directive Zero is a secret law that was passed by parliament and the king that allows laws and constitutional amendments to be completely ignored." Hisui spoke up.

"In times of emergency, extreme measures must be used to ensure the security of the nation and that order prevails."

"Basically Natsu, you can now act above and outside the law. No Miranda warning. No courts. Nothing." Gildarts said watching as Natsu began to pale slightly.

"You are free to act however you so choose to ensure that you get the answers you need. Through the course of this investigation you may have to do things that…clash with the oath you promised to uphold. You'll have to lie, cheat, and steal. You'll have to sell drugs to earn trust and prove your loyalty. You may even have to kill."

"Are you serious?" Natsu said, his voice barely a whisper.

"Dead serious Natsu. However, with this power also comes plausible deniability from us. If you're caught or your identity is revealed, you'll have limited to no support. Aside from turning in your findings…you won't get much in terms of help from us if the shit hits the fan."

Natsu could only slowly blink as he began to realize what he was being asked to do; the weight that was steadily falling upon his shoulders. He knew one day he'd have to go undercover but this, this almost went beyond comprehending.

"I took an oath to protect the innocent and ensure that the laws of Fiore were enforced to the best of my ability. But now you're telling me I have to break that oath; that I may have to murder someone or ruin their lives just make sure no one knows who I am?" Natsu said.

Gildarts closed his eyes and exhaled slowly, "If that is the case, then so be it."

"Agent Dragneel, at the end of the day you will still be a Federal Agent. You will be upholding your oath on the grounds that the needs of the many outweigh those of the few. Acceptable losses are necessary, especially when it comes to matters such as this." The King said.

"We wouldn't have given this assignment to you if we had no other options. But Agent Dragneel, whether you realize it or not, we are at war with these drug makers. And they are currently winning that war." Darton said.

"…Why me?" Natsu asked, looking completely lost with himself.

"…Because we know of the skeletons you hide in your closet. The secrets you promised would never see the light of day. We picked you…because we know that one way or another, you'll take those secrets with you to your grave." Hisui said.

Natsu scoffed, "You don't know anything about me."

"We know plenty Agent Dragneel," Darton said thinly, "and we know that as appalled by this as you are…you will not back down."

Natsu glared at the Minister of Defense before rolling his eyes, "Oh you know me so well."

"Sarcasm is unbecoming of you." Darton quipped, "And yes, we do know you very well. Well enough to know that you lied to internal affairs about your former partner and covered for him."

"You stop right there." Natsu hissed, "And you leave him out this."

"No need, I think I've made my point. It just goes to show that after something like that, as much as secret eats away at you, you won't say a word."

Natsu's lips drew into a thin line, "Are you blackmailing me?"

"Not at all." Darton waved his hand, "I'm merely reminding you as to why you were selected for Narcotics in the first place. Why do you think you're administrative leave was cut so short?"

"Yeah…fine…I can keep a secret. It just kills my soul one bit at a time." Natsu glared.

"If that's the case then by the time all is said and done, your heart may very well become completely black." Darton smirked thinly.

Natsu continued to glare at Darton for several more minutes before he sighed heavily and covered his eyes, leaning against the table.

"God…" He muttered, "God…"

"Natsu…" Gildarts said, "If you feel that this is too much then-"

"I'll do it." He said, letting his hand fall away, "I'll do it."

"…Are you sure?" Gildarts asked.

Natsu shook his head, more of a gesture to himself if anything.

"I am." He affirmed.

"Agent Dragneel, I need to hear from you that you understand the assignment that's been given to you. That you will carry out your duties to the fullest and use whatever means necessary to end the threat we face." The King said.

"I understand sir." Natsu said, "It's overwhelming to process but…I understand none the less. I have a duty to uphold and uphold it I will. I'm sure if you had asked my dad to do this, he'd curse up a storm but would agree none the less. He knew his duty…and I know mine."

"Very well Agent Dragneel…prepare to take your first steps into the underworld." The King said.

After that, the meeting came to a close. A few points of the operation had been explained to Natsu but for all intents and purposes, he now had free reign. The third file Gildarts had given him contained all the relevant information on Vice in addition to Natsu's primary and secondary objectives. Then the video call was ended, leaving Natsu and Gildarts alone in the conference room.

After a tense silence, Natsu finally spoke.

"Is it true…that they know about what happened when I was a detective?" He asked.

"…They do. But don't worry, compared to what your partner did, you look like a saint in their eyes." Gildarts replied.

"I didn't feel like one at the time." Natsu frowned, "…This is really happening, isn't it?"

"It is." Gildarts affirmed, "It's a hell of a thing to live with. But if it's any consolation, one of my assignments early on was a case similar to this. You ever hear about that one drug cartel being run out of Desierto? The one run by Acnologia?"

"The "Black Dragon", Acnologia?" Natsu asked.

"Yep." Gildarts said with a pop of his lips.

"The man was a monster in every sense of the word. Ran the cocaine empire out there with an iron fist. When he began causing havoc within Fiore, I-a young narcotics agent like you-was assigned a Directive Zero mission to bring down Acnologia. I had to run drugs, sell drugs, torture, and kill. That case pushed me to my limits. But in the end, I shot Acnologia twice point blank and watched him fall into the ocean. I'd done my mission and had completely dismantled his cartel. Sure, we still have cartels out that way but nothing close to what Acnologia had."

Gildarts smiled wryly and ran his hand through his hair.

"How much did it cost you?" Natsu asked.

"When I got back home, after three years of being undercover, my superiors were so impressed by what I'd done that I was given a triple bonus on my next paycheck-a whopping eight hundred jewels-and a two week vacation. Oh, I got a promotion out of it too. All of that on top of me becoming an alcoholic and ruining my marriage and friendships."

Natsu arched a brow, especially when Gildarts began to chuckle to himself.

"And the funny thing…for all the nightmares I have because of what I did, for all the shit I had to endure, and how badly I fucked things up with my family; I'd do it all again. You know why?"

"…Why?" Natsu asked.

"Because," Gildarts smiled, "I took down one of the baddest motherfuckers in crime and saved who knows how many people from being killed over cocaine or becoming addicts. Yeah, I gave up a lot to stop Acnologia…but in the end, I took comfort in knowing that everything I did paid off in the long run."

Gildarts stood and went over to Natsu, placing his hand on his shoulder.

"I have to live with the choices I made, knowing no matter how terrible those choices were, the ends justified the means and I had a duty to uphold. You're going to have make the same choices I had to make while keeping that little tidbit in your head."

"Doesn't make it any easier." Natsu lamented.

"It never is." Gildarts shrugged.

"Listen. Although you'll be deep cover, you'll need some form of moral support. I mean, you've got me and everyone else here…I'm not saying get you a shrink kind of support…but do you have any friends outside of here that can help you keep some sanity?"

"No…not really." Natsu sighed. The job didn't really leave time to make friends or maintain friendships.

"What about people at your old precinct?" Gildarts asked to which Natsu let out a humorless laugh.

"Most of the people there want to crucify me after what happened while a few might want to go out for a drink for old time's sake. Either way, I'm persona non grata."

Gildarts frowned. Quite frankly, he could understand while those men and women would feel that way towards Natsu. Especially after what happened.

"I know it's a stretch asking this…but what about your old partner?"

Natsu shook his head slowly. His silence was all the answer Gildarts needed.

"Well…we may not be of much help to you here, but we're here for you none the less." Gildarts said and left the briefing room, leaving Natsu in silence while he called a meeting with the rest of the detachment.

Even as Gildarts informed the others of the existence of Vice and Natsu's undercover mission, he could feel their eyes slowly fall on him. They were looks of shock and concern. Some were amazement; that Natsu had agreed to the assignment in the first place. But Natsu paid them no mind as he tried to steel his nerves to face the monumental task that lay before him.

The mission to stop the spread of Vice would either kill him or leave him a changed man when the ashes settled. Either way, he hoped he was up for the task.

Because starting the next week, his life as a deep undercover agent would begin. And he had no idea what to expect.

XXXX

A/N: So, what do you all think? Am I off to a good start with this?

I once again apologize if things seemed disjointed or if the dialogue seemed a bit off. I usually have this problem whenever I start a new story but I hope to iron things out as I get a feel for this as things progress.

Not much of a dark beginning for this story but the tone has been set for what is to come. I've never written something as dark as what I have in mind for this so expect the content to progressively change with each chapter. I don't know how far I'll be able to push the envelope with this but any feedback you guys can give will help know what to write and what not to write.

So, in terms of updating this story, don't expect an update anytime soon. I have other stories I'm working on (which are in need of updating), plus, things are busy with my personal life. However, I am halfway through with writing the newest chapters for my other works and I have an idea as to how I want to update them. The next story I'll update is Songs From the Sea, followed by Vendetta, and then Between Light and Shadow. After which I'll come back to this and I'll keep this as my update pattern…just to add order to the chaos.

Next chapter, will be the beginning go Natsu's preliminary investigation, his first steps into the criminal underworld, and then…his meeting with Lucy and Lisanna.

Still, I hoped you enjoyed the first chapter as there are more to come.

As per usual, if you guys have any comments or questions, please put it in your review and I'll make sure to respond to you in the next chapter. If you have anything else that you wish to ask me or clarify, you can PM me and I'll do my best to respond ASAP.

Until next time; read, review and most importantly of all, HAPPY READING!