Disclaimer: I do not own the song "On Your Mark" or the music video made by Hayao Miyazaki. This story is a work of fan fiction. No profit is being made from it.
Author's Note: This story was inspired not only by the "On Your Mark" music video itself, but also by the excellent fanfic of the same title written by moviefan-92 (and if you haven't read it then I highly recommend doing so).
Several concepts used in this story, most notably the angel girl being named "Hope," the cult being called "The Sight" and what happened to Aska and Chage afterwards are borrowed from that fanfic and used here with the author's knowledge and approval. Thanks again to moviefan-92 for letting me borrow some of their ideas.
I also want to warn readers that there is some violence/death and horror elements in this story. Not much but it is there. I hope people will not be put off and will still enjoy it despite that.
Anyway, on with the story!
Hidden deep within the recesses of a long abandoned factory building a man studied the computer screen before him intently. On the screen was a string of complex biochemical formulas.
The man's name was Osta Basalok. He looked completely normal, in his mid-thirties with short black hair and pale blue eyes. However he was far from what most would consider an average man.
He had once been a member of The Sight, a fanatical cult that had committed numerous acts of terrorism and ritual murder before the police had finally brought them down. As far as he knew he was the only member to have gotten away from the raid the police had mounted on their headquarters. He knew that his brethren would have condemned him as a coward and traitor but he knew better. What was the point in fighting a lost battle? He would serve The Sight far better by not throwing away his life.
Osta had sworn revenge upon not only the police but the city as well. Now the hour of his revenge was close.
"Personal log entry 57; have finally developed an airborne strain" he said into a recorder. "While infectious for only a few moments in the open air before becoming inert this will be sufficient to begin initial infection. All that remains is to determine if the mutagenic effect of the airborne strain is equal in both potency and speed to that of the contact-spread type. I shall now commence the initial test upon a human subject."
He stood up and walked through the empty corridors until he came to a room where he donned a protective hazmat suit. Once the suit was on and he had checked that it was secure he proceeded to another room.
Inside another man lay on top of a gurney. He was bare-chested and locked firmly in place by thick leather straps. A cloth gag had been tied around his mouth, stifling his cries. He strained uselessly against his bonds but it did no good. His eyes were wide with fear and beads of sweat rolled down his face.
Behind his suit's mask Osta grinned wickedly. He felt no sympathy for the man. The Sight's leader, Nova, had taught that anyone outside the cult was an infidel and as such unworthy of life. Whatever he did to them was fully deserved. Especially with this specimen, a homeless derelict he had abducted some time ago. None would miss him.
Osta held up a pressurised spray device and pointed it at him. At the sight of it the prisoner's struggles intensified but the straps held. He sobbed and shook his head from side to side frantically, tears streaming down his cheeks.
Unmoved, Osta pressed down and a white substance sprayed from the nozzle with a sharp hissing sound. He stepped back and watched intently.
The man uttered a muffled scream as he thrashed even harder. His pale skin took on a sickly yellowish hue as brown lesions broke out all over his body and his eyes turned a deep red. His screams ceased and were replaced by a deep animalistic growl.
Seeing that the straps were finally beginning to give Osta hurriedly but calmly took out a pistol from a concealed compartment and shot the mutated man twice in the chest. His struggles finally ended and he lay still.
"It works perfectly" Osta said, his voice filled with twisted glee. "Now this city will suffer for opposing The Sight!"
Two days later.
"Well that was a waste of time" Aska sighed as he and his partner Chage, also his best friend, left the small apartment and strolled down the corridor.
The two police officers had been sent to investigate a report of gunfire in one of the city's numerous apartment blocks. It had turned out that the "gunfire" had just been a few boys setting off firecrackers. Aska had not been pleased and had given the boys a stern reprimand about wasting police officers time.
Chage chuckled. "Lighten up Aska. They're just kids. Let's be glad no-one was hurt."
"I am" he replied. "It just bothers me that the time we wasted being dragged out here on a false alarm could have been spent on solving an actual case. We were in prison for four years before we got our jobs back. That's a lot of police work to catch up on."
Chage's usual humorous expression faded. "You don't regret what we did do you?" he asked, his tone uncharacteristically serious.
Aska shook his head. "Not for an instant. Saving Hope was the best thing I ever did and if I had to I'd do it all over again."
Chage's grin returned. "Me too."
Aska smiled wistfully as he thought back to the day that had changed their lives.
During the raid in which they had taken down The Sight he and Chage had liberated a beautiful young girl with feathery white wings. However she had then been taken away for experimentation by unscrupulous scientists. Determined to free her, the two of them had infiltrated the facility and broken her out. They had then driven out of the city and into the contaminated zones where nobody would be able to go after her. Just before she had flown away and disappeared into the sky she had told them that her name was Hope.
"I wonder where she is now" he mused.
"Well wherever it is she's safe and free. That's what really matters" Chage said reassuringly.
"I know." His expression brightened as he thought of Hope's smiling face as she flew away into the sky. He thought about her a lot and while he did wish he could see her again he knew it could never happen. But as Chage had said, she was safe and free. That was more than enough for him.
"Come on, let's get back to the station. We'll finish our shift and then hit the bars."
"Now you're talking" his friend said with a laugh.
Neither of them knew that even as they spoke a timer hidden in the building's ventilation system had reached zero on a pre-set countdown. A red light came on as the device linked to the timer activated. Air hissed from the device as a white mist began to seep through the ventilation ducts.