Title: Zero Tolerance
Characters: Ulquiorra Schiffer (
day_eight ), Halibel (
imladra )
Timeline: April 21, 1950
Rating: PG
Summary: Ulquiorra and Halibel share both a walk in the park and a desire to crush insects.
It was a pleasant spring day, complete with a clear sky and an ideal temperature. The citizens of Manhattan were finding excuses to stay outdoors, a trip to Central Park being one of the most popular. Ulquiorra stood near the Vanderbilt Gate, his hands in his pockets and his expression unreadable. He was people watching.
There was a time when he would have ignored the people around him. He would have considered them too mediocre to warrant a first, let alone a second glance. Small families, elderly couples, young lovers walking hand in hand-they were all so predictable. What was there to even watch? That, however, was before he started taking an interest in their simplicity. Their feeble minds were like locked boxes; each one had a key. Once he knew what that key was, he had complete access to what was inside. He could take things out, put things in... The possibilities were endless.
And so, when Ulquiorra turned his gaze on a passerby, he wasn’t studying their appearance. He was trying to find their key.
There was a man in a bowler hat walking a dog; his daughters were his key. The girl in the white skirt with the flower in her hair? Her mother. A short man with a red tie and a newspaper under his arm; status was his. School, love, religion, sex... Every person was different. Ulquiorra went through them all, observing each one until he found their weakness. He saw it as practice for more difficult targets, and not a bad way to kill time.
Looking away from his latest subject, the consigliere took out his pocket watch and checked the time. Five minutes until two; she would be there soon. He put the watch away and turned his attention to the path on his left, looking for the golden hair that would signal Halibel's arrival.
It was a nice day. Spring…and warm enough for people to be out, to take advantage of it. Until it got rainy, or too warm…and they would start to complain again. Few people appreciated what they had at the moment, what they actually felt. They were too busy wanting to feel something else, too busy anticipating or dreading things.
Halibel moved steadily through the crowd, very carefully avoiding everyone’s touch and making it look like coincidence. She felt more than a few sets of eyes following her, and ignored them. Many looked, but hardly anyone ever dared more than that. She didn’t particularly mind if they did…but she did mind their begging and whining when she dealt with them when they did. People just didn’t like taking responsibility for their actions.
She, however…was perfectly content with herself and what she was doing. She also felt each and every action or word was worth something, if done right. If used for a purpose. Showing up a few minutes early for her meeting with Ulquiorra Schiffer was a perfect example. For most people, she was exactly on time. Most people, though, were not worth the time…being early was pointless. A waste. Schiffer, on the other hand, was important enough for her to arrive early, and never one to misuse any time.
Halibel kept her gaze focused ahead, and easily found the point of calm that was Schiffer. She made her way to his side and gave him a respectful nod.
Ulquiorra leveled his gaze on Halibel’s half-hidden face, answering her nod with one of his own. Turning, he motioned for her to keep walking, matching her steady pace as he fell into step beside her. He kept his attention on the crowd around them, not wanting to discuss business while other people were within earshot. He was certain that she would understand the reason for his silence; she was one of the Concavos’ most competent captains, after all. She was both skilled and intelligent, two qualities that were rarely found in the same person. That, along with her professional attitude, was enough to put her ahead of the other Capo Regimes.
Once he was sure that no one would overhear their conversation, he cleared his throat and addressed the reason for their rendezvous. “I have a situation that I’d like you to take care of.”
The Nuovi Ragazzi, or the new boys, were a group of young men trying to make a name for themselves within the world of organized crime. Their lack of talent, intuition, and intelligence had prevented them from becoming anything but a fly on the Concavos’ back. However, even a fly could become a nuisance after a while. Although they were relatively new and practically unheard of, the Ragazzi were becoming bolder every day. They were starting to brag, telling anyone who would listen that they were the ‘next big thing.’ Even more irritating was the fact that they were making ridiculous statements, claiming that they could take down the Concavos at any given time. Obviously, such behavior could not go unpunished.
It was time to squash the fly, and Halibel would be the metaphorical newspaper. “What do you know about the Nuovi Ragazzi?” Ulquiorra asked her, keeping his eye on the path ahead of them.
The name did sound familiar. She was quiet for a few moments, connecting the name to the various bits and pieces of information she always happened to come across. She came up with something…but nowhere near enough if the situation had become troublesome enough to require Schiffer’s attention and her involvement. A thin coil of irritation began to unfurl inside her.
They needed to be taken care of.
They had slipped past her somehow.
Unacceptable - both on their part and her own. The knowledge that she was going to be allowed to correct the situation was soothing. Still - the slight irritation she felt didn’t leave her. She wouldn’t feel settled until the matter was well taken care of.
It would nag at her.
She hated the feeling. There were more than enough instances of disrespect and incompetence in the world. There was no reason to suffer any more from a sloppy gang of dumb mugs.
Halibel raised her head, calmly watched the wind ruffle the leaves on the trees. “Not enough. Some talk of little boys thinking they can play with the grown-ups.”
It was an accurate assessment. These ‘little boys’ needed to be taught a lesson, and Ulquiorra had a feeling that it would take more than a slap on the wrist to get the point across. The Nuovi Ragazzi were brash and unpredictable. A simple warning would only give them more fuel, make them even bolder than they already were. A situation like this called for something drastic, something that would strike enough fear and doubt into the gang to make it disband.
When taking down a beast, it's best to go straight for the heart. The heart... and perhaps the brain, as well. Ulquiorra didn’t take chances. He was aiming for both.
The gang’s heart was its founder, a boy every bit as pathetic and useless as the group he had created. His brother was the so-called brains of the operation, although his lack of experience negated his average intelligence. Taking them out wouldn't just cripple the Nuovi Ragazzi, it would demolish them. The group was young and chaotic-it would not be able to function without its leaders.
Ulquiorra turned to the right, leading Halibel to the edge of a small clearing. He stood for a moment, retrieving the information that he had filed away in his head.
“Lewis Contiello is the gang’s leader,” he began, watching as a group of schoolgirls drifted past. “His brother Amos is his right hand man. Together they are the driving force behind the Ragazzi. Without them, the gang will surely fall.”
He paused again, his gaze now drifting to the far edge of the clearing. “However, simply killing them will not be enough. Their deaths need to send a message to the rest of their gang, and anyone else who might be tempted to follow in their footsteps. This type of behavior will not be tolerated.”
Brothers. Both of them needing to be dealt with. This was most certainly something Halibel was well prepared to do. Taking two members of the same family didn’t bother her. She felt only a mild sense of disappointment - it was appalling that any family should have more than one member displaying such incredible stupidity.
Doing this might actually be doing them a favour. There were members of her own ‘family’ she would never cry over.
“I’ll do what you need me to.” With this, Halibel fell silent again. She had no doubt Schiffer knew exactly what it was he wanted done, and that he also had all the information she needed to do it. It was never necessary to hound him with questions or to guess at filling in the blanks.
She would do what was needed. Of course she would. That was exactly why Ulquiorra had chosen her for this particular job. This job required more than the simple ability to kill. Any thug with a knife or a gun could kill; it took a certain type of person to follow orders without taking it upon themselves to alter the plan. Halibel was calm and professional. She didn’t get excited over eager; she didn’t make mistakes. A few of the other captains-one in particular-could have learned from her example.
Ulquiorra nodded once and cleared his throat. “The brothers live at 122 East 70th Street. They share a small flat on the top floor. There is an elderly lady who lives on the floor below, but she goes out for bingo every Thursday at 4pm and doesn’t return until eight. The other floors are currently empty. Go there, this Thursday, and kill the two brothers. If anyone else happens to be with them, dispose of them, as well.”
He paused to make sure that Halibel had time to process the information. “I’ll leave the details up to you, but make sure that the scene you leave behind will strike fear into the hearts of those who come across it. Arrange the bodies so that it looks like an assassination. Add as many gruesome details as you think you can stomach.”
At these last few words of Schiffer’s, Halibel had cause to be grateful for the scarf she kept up over her face, because her mouth was slowly spreading into a smile, the cold one that didn’t touch her eyes. The one that would have sent most people running.
Four hours and as much as she could stomach?
The Contiello brothers would be an example not to be ignored.
“The Nuovi Ragazzi will be destroyed.” It was both a confirmation to Schiffer that she understood him and a promise to herself. Schiffer had said the hit needed to send a message, that this behaviour wouldn’t be tolerated. While she wouldn’t place confidence in her fellow captains feeling the same way, Halibel knew that she would not tolerate it. Could not. She would have the brothers making promises they could not possibly keep, promises that could only be broken because they would be bloody…broken…and dead.
“It will be evening by the time everything is finished. Would you prefer a visit or a call?” She would not say it was over until she had done what she was sent to do, had made certain the scene said no more than they wanted it to, and was flawlessly put together once more. Then it would be done.
Ulquiorra nodded again. He found it difficult to trust people, and he didn't place much stock in promises or words. However, he was certain that Halibel would deliver her usual perfection. Someone else might not have understood the seriousness of the situation; they might have laughed at the idea of squashing meaningless bugs like the Contiello brothers. It took a deeper understanding of things to see why trash like the Nuovi Ragazzi would not, could not be tolerated. Allowing them to exist would be a sign of weakness. This job wasn't just about killing flies, it was about upholding the Concavos' reputation. Ulquiorra knew that Halibel would give it the respect and effort that it deserved.
She would bring down the Nuovi Ragazzi, and God help the ones who stood in her way.
“A call will suffice,” he replied. He wouldn’t need any details about the job after it was completed, just a simple word of confirmation. The media would provide him with plenty of information the next day. “I will wait for your call.”
Turning on his heel, he gave her one last nod before walking off across the clearing. He departed in silence, leaving the matter of the Nuovi Ragazzi behind for Halibel to deal with.
One more nuisance crossed off the list.
Halibel bowed her head slightly as Schiffer left, alone and silent once more. She waited a few moments, stowing away the information she’d been given for later, when it was time to prepare.
Right now, she had to shake off the smile and the anticipation of what was to come. She had to go back to the shop, had to deal with her girls.
Had to wait.
Halibel calmly turned and started to walk, moving as steadily as she had when she’d first showed up for this meeting. It had most definitely not been a waste of her time.
She would ensure that Schiffer hadn’t wasted his, either.