At the Heart of Justice

Chapter 1: Contact

It was exactly six o'clock in the morning when Naomi Misora's phone began vibrating loudly on the nightstand. She was already awake, though. Sleep had been eluding her lately. Maybe it was because of the stress of her job at the FBI. Maybe it was due to her recent breakup. Or maybe it was something else entirely. Who could say, really? Reasons aside, this was not the first morning she had been lying awake when her alarm went off.

She rolled over and reached out to pick up her phone, which was still buzzing noisily and persistently. She blinked at the brightness of the screen. It was then that she noticed it was not her alarm but a phone call. The source was displayed as "Unknown."

She cleared her throat and answered the call. To her chagrin, her froggy morning voice was not to be concealed.

"Hello?" she croaked.

"Naomi Misora."

The voice on the other end of the line was synthetic and robotic, layered with emotionless tones of varying pitches. Naomi sat straight up. There was no questioning who was on the other end of the line. She held the phone away at arm's length and turned her head to clear her throat again before returning the phone to her ear. She forced her scratchy voice to sound as awake and alert as possible.

"Yes, this is she."

The altered voice replied, the words accompanied by a noise similar to buzzing fluorescent lights.

"This is L."

L. A name the entire world of law enforcement knew. The world's greatest detective. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be contacted by L... and this was Naomi's second time.

It had been two years since Beyond Birthday (or Rue Ryuzaki, as Naomi had known him) had been sentenced to life in a California prison, and Naomi hadn't heard from L since, save a short phone call with a simple but sincere, "Thank you, Naomi Misora. You have done well."

Naomi had been absolutely certain that she would never hear from L again. After all, who was she to be personally contacted by this great man? The first time had been astounding enough and yet, here she was, hearing her very own name spoken once again by his fabricated voice.

Naomi swallowed and willed her voice to sound as alert and professional as possible. She answered, surprising herself with how steady and calm she sounded.

"Yes, good morning."

He did not return the greeting but instead went right to business. Typical L.

"Naomi Misora, I understand that you have continued in your position at the FBI. I have been keeping track of you ever since the Los Angeles BB Murder Case and I have to say... I'm very impressed with your work. I am calling to make you an offer. Please, listen very carefully..."

Naomi's head was spinning. Why had he been keeping track of her? Did he keep track of everyone who assisted him on cases? And what exactly did "keeping track" mean? She could only conclude from her limited knowledge of L that he had been thorough. Most likely, he had access to her case files, reports, emails- everything, probably.

L's cybernetic voice continued, "It is clear that you work very well independently. This and the fact that you do not engage in a social life lead me to believe that you could be of great help to me. I have, for some time now, considered the possibility of hiring someone to be my eyes and ears at crime scenes and in other such matters. Seeking such a person out for each individual case is becoming rather tiresome. You have proven your worth to me and therefore, I am offering you this position. Does this interest you?"

L's speech ended abruptly and Naomi panicked when she realized it was her turn to speak. L was offering her a job? What would this mean for her? Was she to simply be on standby for him, available at a moment's notice? Would she travel with him or just be a pawn for him to move around the map? And he had mentioned her lack of a social life... no argument there. So he was keeping track of her outside of work as well? Naomi suddenly felt like she was alone on a stage with a microphone and a spotlight before her. She had to answer him.

She cleared her throat again. How to begin?

"Well, I must say I'm honored," she said slowly, carefully choosing her words. "I would be interested in more details on the job and I... I would like some time to consider your offer."

What was she saying? L... THE L... was offering her the position of being his eyes and ears and she was actually considering it? Was she the right person for such a grand position? L seemed to think so... but why? Why her? Asking for time to think seemed to be the best option at the moment.

To her relief, L agreed.

"Of course," the voice hummed. "Would three days be sufficient?"

"Yes, thank you."

"Good. As for the details, all I can say for now is that you would be working cases with me similarly to the BB Case and-"

"So, I would go to the crime scene, investigate, and then relay my findings over the phone?"

She suddenly felt embarrassed, realizing that she had interrupted him. But the synthetic voice continued, unfazed.

"No, you would report to me in person. I cannot afford the risks that accompany being on the phone all the time."

Naomi's mouth fell open. In person. It was only then that she realized exactly what L was asking of her.

"Naomi Misora..."

L paused, as if to be absolutely certain she was listening.

"...I am asking you to devote your entire career to me. Your deductive skills and your investigative intuition would be quite beneficial to my work. Please, think it over. I will make contact again in three days."

He hung up before she had time to respond.

Naomi looked at her phone. The call had been less than two minutes. It had felt like so much longer.

Why did L want her? Surely, he had worked with much more qualified agents. Had he already offered the job to those individuals and been declined? Was she the only one receiving this offer?

Naomi fell back into the pillows and rubbed her eyes with the base of her palms. This was so much to process.

Three days.

Today was Monday- no, was it Tuesday? Yes, it was Tuesday, so L wanted an answer by Friday.

L.

Naomi squeezed her eyes shut. Her head hurt.

It was true that she had already been considering relocating. After things hadn't worked out with Raye Penber, it seemed like the best option for a fresh start. She had applied for a few positions in various locations, but hadn't received any callbacks, save for an office position that Naomi promptly turned down. The part of the job that she truly enjoyed and excelled at was the investigating. Her mind was sharp and her eyes were keen. Exploring the crime scenes and figuring out the clues were what she loved and a desk job was not an option.

But L...

L was offering her a job doing exactly what she loved best. Was this opportunity really hers?

The more she thought about it, the more she wondered what there was to consider. She had no close friends, she rarely saw her family as it was... in fact, it actually made sense. The reason why L had chosen her was beyond Naomi's comprehension but suddenly, she knew what her answer would be.

Suddenly, Friday couldn't come soon enough.