Project Archangel
CHAPTER 1:
The Kidnapping

Meg strode dejectedly through the empty streets leading towards the ruins of the RAPT headquarters. Almost painfully, her memories of Jo kept playing through her head. She hoped, with every fibre of her being, that the explosion did not claim the life of the girl she loved. However, deep down, she knew that she was bearing down on inevitable disappointment. Nobody could survive a blast like that. Not even Jo…

"Don't do this! This is RAPT we're talking about, you can't possibly beat them!"

"There's no reason for you to do this. Like I was telling you earlier, we can just get out of here, go far away and have a happy life together!"

"You're always fighting, always risking everything, always tearing yourself up, but there's no reason to hurt yourself anymore, Jo! Come with me... Please, Jo..."

"I'll follow you to hell and back if I have to! I'll never leave your side, no matter what!"

"What happened to you? It's like you're not even the Jo I know anymore... My Jo always protected me! Whenever I was in trouble, she came to my rescue, and she never, ever let me leave her side!"

"No! That's not the kind of future I want! When I have you, I… I…"

She violently shook her head, clearing it of the memories remaining. She simply could not bear to keep playing those scenes in her head. Even now, merely thinking about how Jo had knocked her out cold brought tears to her eyes. After everything they had been through, Meg was both infuriated and heartbroken that her friend had left her behind. Her stride personified her emotions, her shoulders were slumped while her arms hung limply at her side, and her head hanging forward, allowing her fringe to cover her eyes as an aura of sadness and anger drifted around her like a thick cloud, enveloping her in its embraces.

She stopped suddenly, recognizing her current location almost instantly. Glancing up, she bit back a cry of rage and heartbreak as she gazed upon the ruined building of the RAPT headquarters. The building was hardly a shadow of its former imposing image, now resembling ruins left untouched by any trace of humanity for years. Not a single wall of the towering building escaped damage, numerous cracks decorating the stronger walls near the ground floor while large chunks of the two towers were missing, undoubtedly blasted away by the explosion - or by Jo and Jango…

Shaking her head again, she glanced around her, observing the fallen parts of the building and the debris scattered around it. Several cybot remains lay crushed beneath the slabs of concrete and shards of glass, and several bodies dotted the scene. She glanced up again, surveying the rest of the building, before her eyes fell on something that made them widen substantially.

Jo's scarf…

Jo's scarf was fluttering in the breeze circulating around the tower's upper levels, tattered and torn from the explosion while it hung on one of the poles protruding from what remained of that level's floor. No sooner had she laid eyes upon it, than a large knot formed in her throat and she felt the tears sting her eyes once again. With tremendous effort, she gulped it down and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

"From now on, Meg, you must fight for someone who needs you. That is what your future holds. A future you must now search for."

She's right… Meg thought, looking longingly at the scarf. I need to find someone who I can protect now… Someone who needs me…I'll do as you asked, Jo. Just because it's you… She glanced at the scarf one last time. "Goodbye, Jo." She whispered sadly.

A crunch on the small pieces of concrete behind her made her jump.

"Who're you sayin' g'bye to now, girlie?" A gruff voice asked behind her, and the young girl spun around to see six of the survivors glaring at her with wicked grins on their faces. "Ain't you a bit too old for imaginary friends?" He smirked, training his rifle on her.

Meg glared at him, ignoring her shaking knees while working up her confidence. "I don't need to answer to you!" She said defensively, backing away a few steps.

"Pity, that is…" The man smirked again. "Seein' as Glenford's gone, we're outta a job. That means we can loot what's left of this place to our hearts content. And right now…" He grinned lecherously. "You're part of the spoils." Meg gulped audibly as she stepped back again; almost hopping away from them, but the leader managed to swipe at her, fixing a grip on her arm. "And jus' where are you goin', missy?" He asked with another smirk. "You ain't goin'a deny us our fun, are ya?" He said. She tried to kick the man in the groin, but her attack was too transparent, as the man swiftly caught her leg, delivering a punch to her jaw, sending her sprawling over the concrete as he tossed his gun away, stripping off his jacket and armour. "See that, boys?" He chuckled, tucking his thumbs into his belt. "We got's ourselves a fighter." The other five soldiers grinned like hungry wolves, stalking their prey until the last possible moment before pouncing.

Meg cringed and covered her head with her hands, curling into a foetal position as the leader stepped closer. No… She mentally pleaded. Not this… Anything but this… Jo… Please… Help me… A series of slight humming sounds, followed by a collective gasp from the soldiers, caused her to open her eyes. Eleven green lasers hovered above her, ending in green dots resting on the RAPT soldiers' foreheads, and several loud thumps behind her drew her attention. Slowly, she craned her neck around.

Nothing.

She squinted. I could've sworn - Her eyes widened as her thoughts ended abruptly. The areas where the lasers were coming from were distorting slightly, and eleven silhouettes became visible. With a few loud snaps and crackles of electricity, the silhouettes solidified into hulking men, each standing over seven feet tall. Their whole bodies were covered by assault armour, ranging from thick, sturdy vests to cast-iron shin guards and shiny arm pads. The material that was visible seemed carbon-printed, as black as their armour. Unique helms covered their whole head, leaving only a small ellipse where their faces should have been visible. Weird, earphone-like apparatuses complimented the balaclava-like helms they wore, covering their ears as a small aerial stuck up from the right earmuff. Solid, tactical masks covered their faces, seemingly clipping into the rims of the ellipses that opened the facial areas of their helms, with large, protruding goggles welded to the eye sockets. Meg gulped at theweapons in their hands, making out an assault rifle and a grenade launcher - apparently pump-action - between the mess of barrels, muzzles and steel. Two others carried larger guns, seeming like multi-barrelled cannons, held in both hands as the belt of ammo traced back into large steel containers on their backs. She quickly noted the blue screen atop each multi-cannon. The last man held some kind of fifty-caliber gun, fed by a rather long box of ammo. It was almost as long as he was…

"Up against the wall. Now." The soldier leading the group barked, in a monotonous voice marred by static and robotic tones.

"The hell we are!" The RAPT soldiers' leader spoke up, placing his finger on the trigger of his gun. "What the hell gives you the right to -?"

Meg jumped when a soft, harsh bang escaped from the tip of the armoured man's rifle, resulting in the leader's head whipping back, arcs of blood sprouting from his forehead as his body fell lifelessly to the ground. Two more bangs, much louder this time, rang in her ears as two more of the RAPT survivors flew backwards, off their feet. She ignored the feelings of disgust and nausea at seeing the large holes blown in their chests as their bodies arched towards the ground, kicking up dust as they landed. The other three survivors looked at the armoured men in fear. One turned to run, immediately receiving a bullet to the back of his head. Meg felt herself begin to quiver at the acts of cold-hearted murder she was witnessing now. The goggles and the lack of a mouth on their masks made the men seem that much more heartless, as the two RAPT survivors' weapons clattered to the ground. The two men fell to their knees, one of them sobbing loudly as he bowed lowly before their assailants, begging for his life and claiming that he had a daughter who was turning three in a week.

The attacker's leader lowered his weapon, but his comrades kept their weapons trained on the two soldiers. "Zero-Team to Command." The leader spoke as he placed the tips of his fore- and middle fingers on the side of his helm. "We have unidentified tangos on site, four dropped and two POW's. Requesting viable protocol." He fell silent for a few seconds, before speaking again. "Loud and clear, command." He lowered his fingers from the left earmuff and turned to his comrades. "Kill them."

Meg's scream failed to leave her throat as the armoured soldiers each pulled the trigger of their weapons, purposely emptying their clips into the begging survivors' bodies. She felt nausea push up from her stomach again as the bullets ripped their bodies apart, looks of shock and disbelief still etched onto their lifeless faces. She slammed her eyes shut, uttering a weak whimper as she covered her ears to block out the shots. Loud clicks emanated from the guns a few seconds after her futile attempt to shut the sounds out. She tentatively looked up, deliberately turning her head in the opposite direction of where the soldiers' bodies laid, to meet the leader of the armoured men's gaze. Watching her through his goggles, he placed his fingers on his earmuff again. "Zero-Team reporting. Tangos have been neutralized." A short pause followed, before Meg felt the man's gaze intensify through the lenses of his goggles. "Affirmative, command." He said with his robotic voice, gaze still fixed on her. "The specimen is secure, and partially unharmed." He nodded once. "Affirmative. Zero-Team out."

He looked down on Meg's fallen form, and observed the look of confusion on her face. "We were tasked with retrieving you." He said sternly. "Do not resist and you will come to no harm." She tried to speak, but the man interrupted her. "As of now, all your rights and privileges are suspended until further notice. You will have no access to friends, family, or any other contact." She looked at him in disbelief. He had technically just saved her, and now he was telling her that she was going to be kidnapped again? "Restrain her and secure her for long-distance transportation." The man told two his comrades. "The rest of you, keep watch." He warned. "Command doubts a mere explosion could kill the Genocide Angel. Fan out, five meter spread. I want the sniper dead centre, with the two support gunners covering his flanks. The rest of you, form a perimeter around us and await the chopper. Steel yourselves, men." He said sternly. "The GA cannot be far…"

The rubble covering the top floors of the RAPT ruins shook and trembled violently, sending small pebbles of debris tumbling from the spire of broken concrete. With a sudden crash, several large chunks of debris flew forwards, shortly followed by large piece of steel slightly resembling a battered chest plate. From the gap in the debris, two female figures rose from the dust, coughing and panting. Their hair, varying from silver to black, slowly danced in the wind passing through the upper levels as their torn clothes swayed from side to side. Jo and Sei had survived.

"Are you okay?" Jo asked Sei as she set her down on one of the large chunks of concrete.

"I'm fine…" She sighed, clutching two of her gunshot wounds."I can't say the same for Jango, though. The explosion almost destroyed him."

"We need to get help for you." Jo said, glancing at the destruction. "You won't hold out for long like this. We -" Sudden screams from outside, significantly lower than they were, caused the gunslinger's eyes to widen."Meg…" She quickly whipped her head in the direction of the sound, spotting a large hole in the wall. Scurrying over to it, her face contorted into a mask of anger at what she saw.

Meg's cry for help died out in her throat as she received a steel boot to her stomach. The impact made her arms slide from the other two soldiers' grip, and she felt herself falling backwards. A shockwave of pain pulsed thorough her head as she hit the tarmac face-first, only to be plucked up by her collar a second later. The soldier angrily tossed her back to where the others were waiting, and just as she found her footing again, one of the 'support gunners' jammed the multi-barrelled weapon he wielded into her back, knocking her forwards onto her stomach.

"I told you not to resist." The leader spoke, walking toward her. "My commander needs you for his work, and you will comply." He said sternly. The last thing Meg saw was the man raising his boot into the air, before bringing it down on her face. The sharp impact of the boot's sole only stung for a minute, before darkness took her in.

Jo snarled at the armoured man from her perch, the remains of the concrete cracking under her grip. Sei had limped over to her side during the event below. "Go." She said, gripping her side. "She needs you more than I do." Casting a last glance at the soldiers, she snarled again. But her anger suddenly dissipated as the sniper locked eyes with her.

"Contact! Upper floors!" He called to his team, effortlessly swinging his large sniper rifle upwards and firing once. Jo grabbed Sei and ducked to the side, eyes widening as the bullet tore a hole the size of a bowling ball in the wall she had hid behind moments before. The sniper fired again, and Jo plucked Sei up just as another bullet tore a new hole in the floor. Jo wordlessly sprinted to the elevator, ignoring the sniper's bullets carving up the floor behind them as she quickly swiped her remaining gun, grimacing slightly at seeing the other crushed under a piece of wall. She stopped in front of the elevator.

"Wait here." She told Sei, sitting the woman down on the floor. "I'll be back soon." She turned to the elevator shaft and slowly pried the doors open, ignoring the pain shooting through her right arm and her side. "Now there's gonna be hell to pay…"

Jo carefully approached the street where the men were holding Meg, cautiously tiptoeing behind walls and wreck of cybots and vehicles as she inched closer. That sniper's rifle is dangerous… She thought as she quickly devised a battle plan. Even at point blank range, he just needs one shot. If one bullet could cover the distance from the ground to the top floor of a skytower it must be a very high calibre rifle, so cover is useless if I'm found… She winced softly as pain shot through her ribs and she slid along one of the wrecks. She was close enough to hear the ramblings of their robotic voices, but she was still too far to hear exactly what they were saying.

With a quick roll, she left the cover of the wrecked cybot and landed with her back to a pillar, half the top blasted away during the explosion. A small, though fairly sturdy wall sprouted from the side of the pillar, and lead on towards the clearing. Keeping to low crouch, she followed the wall to the clearing, and stopped when she clearly heard the men's voices.

"You two, get out the motion trackers. I want smokescreens equipped to all of you, as well as flash grenades should the operation go haywire. Remember, weak or not, this is still a Genocide Angel we are facing. We cannot fail the commander." He said. No sooner had he ended his sentence, than a gunshot rang from behind him, followed by a loud crack and a grunt. Thick white liquid oozed from the wound formed in the back of one of his comrades' heads as he toppled forwards, directly into the sniper. The sniper quickly ducked back, but the fallen soldier landed on his rifle, pulling it down with his dead weight. Another gunshot ended the sniper's life, as a bullet pierced his mask and more white liquid spewed forth from the wound. The remaining soldiers whipped their heads around just in time to see Jo ducking back behind the wall, avoiding one of the soldiers' bullets. "Open fire!" The leader yelled, taking aim and using his rifle grenade launcher to blast a portion of the wall away with a loud bang. "Tear that wall down!" He yelled to the support gunners.

Jo ignored her cover and broke into a sprint as she heard the gunners spool the chainguns, flying from the spot where she had crouched only seconds before a roar of automatic fire ate through the wall in a hail of lead. Running as fast as she could, she blind-fired her pistol at the two behemoths, nicking one in the arm and the other in his ribs. She snarled at seeing that they didn't even flinch, and quickly ducked behind the wreck of a cybot, sheltering her from the storm of lead barrelling her way. Reloading her gun, she devised a plan as the automatic fire continued. Several explosions rocked the wreck, shifting it backwards, and the earth rumbled as some of the soldiers' grenades detonated close to her.

"Did we get her?" She heard one ask as the gunfire stopped. "I track zero movement."

"Me too. It looks like that from here too." Just then, Jo smirked as her plan came to her. With a strong kick, she caused a plate of metal to fall near the side of the wreck. Her smirk widened when the soldiers opened fire on that side while she darted to the other. Through the gaps, she made out a small gap between the holes in the support gunners' backpacks where the ammo belt came from, and the metal sleeve covering it. Just wide enough for a bullet…

She shot from her cover with unbelievable speed, and took aim just as one of the support gunners noticed her, swinging his large weapon around, widening the gap and exposing the hole in his steel backpack as he did so. Welcome to Hell, bastard! She mentally screamed as the slide of her pistol rocked back, discharging a hot piece of lead at the soldier.

BOOM!

Her bullet collided with the large portion of belt left within the backpack, causing all the bullets within it to discharge in a cacophony of bangs and loud clangs. Large holes appeared on the backpack as the bullets within it shot in all directions. The white blood coursing through his veins sprayed in all directions as the lead tore him apart, eating into the other support gunner and two normal gunners near him. Jo grinned, murderous gleam shining in her eyes as she watched the four soldiers fall dead. Down to six…

Quickly ducking behind another wreck, she could hear the soldiers cursing at her for killing their teammates. Just hold on, Meg… I'm almost there… A sudden whooshing sound made the girl perk up. "What the -"

BOOM!

Spires of flame shot into the sky as Jo's cover was blown to bits, sending her flying backwards as she crashed into the side of the RAPT headquarters, cracking the concrete as her head connected with it. With her vision swimming, she quickly rolled behind another low wreck, ears ringing as a sudden loud whirring sound mixed with the gunshots. Gulping slightly as she looked up, she just barely discerned the form of some kind of helicopter hovering above them. Shaking her head to clear her vision, she glanced up again and grimaced.

The helicopter was unlike anyone she had ever seen. Her eyes traced the wide, swooping cockpit, taking not of the two repeating cannons mounted there, and traced its metallic curves to the rotors mounted on both its wings. She frowned when she saw the rocket pods mounted under them, and anger ignited in her eyes again as she saw the large holding bay at the back of the helicopter. The leader quickly beckoned to it to land, but Jo had to duck again as it paused, firing at her with the cannons. Her cover, a pile of rubble, hardly lasted a few seconds before a bullet grazed her arm, leaving a shallow cut. Quickly darting to her left, she grunted as the bullets came dangerously close to her heels, blasting large chunks into the ground. Forced to get away from the deadly hail of gunfire, she darted down the side of the building as the helicopter ceased fire and touched down.

She grimaced again as one of the soldiers slung Meg's body over his shoulder and started walking to the chopper, which was inching closer to landing, rendering its cannons useless. Hurry up… Come on! Jo mentally pleaded, gritting her teeth. Land, damn it! Several bullets chewed at the small pillar she was hiding behind, and she spotted the remaining five soldiers firing at her. Ducking back, she quickly reloaded her pistol. Damn it, damn it, damn it! She swore to herself. The helicopter refused to land, choosing to wait until the soldier was closer.

A loud thump caused relief to wash over her face briefly. That sound - steel on concrete - she knew all too well. Gritting her teeth again, she shot from her cover, seeing the soldiers file towards the helicopter. The leader craned his head around, and saw Jo running at them, weapon drawn and ready to fire. With a curt nod to the soldier standing at the hatch, he took Meg from his comrade and tossed her into the helicopter, and walked back. What are they doing! Jo frowned as she saw the leader and his men getting into formation, and the leader made a motion with his hand to the pilot, who nodded and saluted him. The rotors whirred to life, and Jo fought a gasp when she found out what they were doing.

"They're giving up their lives?" She asked aloud, frowning and gritting her teeth. "That won't stop me!" She yelled at them. The leader kicked up one of the fallen soldiers' assault rifle, and took aim at her, his men following suit. Jo underestimated their concentrated fire, as a bullet from the leader's gun embedded itself into her thigh as they opened fire. Forced to duck again, she squeezed off three more shots, dropping one of the soldiers as she landed behind another slab of concrete. Hanging around the side, she continued her battle against the soldiers before hearing the helicopter's rotors whirring faster and faster. It was going to take off soon.

Jo's adrenaline hiked as her heart hammered in her ears, and she ground her teethas the purple tattoo on her arm glowed brightly. Another murderous gleam took appeared in her eyes, staying there this time as she shot from her hiding place and sprinted towards the soldiers, biting back a scream of rage as she took aim. The soldiers' weapons started to lay slack in their arms as they gazed upon the girl charging at them, ready to tear them limb from limb if they stood in her way. The very look in her face was enough to make them forget their goal and quiver in fear. However, their leader tossed his rifles aside, drew his small assault pistol, cocking it as he switched it to automatic, and unsheathed his large combat knife just as the helicopter took off.

That was all they saw. Uttering the battle cry she had been repressing, Jo let loose on them with a blaze of smouldering lead, firing three to five times in each soldier's direction, mutilating their faces as her bullets ate through their masks. Enraged, the leader started sprinting at her, drawing his blade back and aiming at her, squeezing the trigger. Jo accepted his little challenge, quickly scooping up a small steel pipe as she charged at him, locking her eyes with his.

She hardly felt the bullets ripping at her arms and legs, instead focusing on how many of her bullets she could engrave into the leader's body. Seven of hers met their mark, burying themselves in his chest as his white blood squirted from the wounds in small jets. A loud click from both their guns signalled an empty cartridge, and they tossed their guns away, preparing for hand-to-hand combat. With a loud clang, their arms shook as their weapons collided. Sparks flew as the pipe slid off the sharp end of the leader's blade, and Jo quickly aimed a backhand swing at him, resulting in a loud clang as the pipe hit the jagged side of the knife. The leader threw her weapon back, and Jo majestically arched into a flip as he lunged at her with his blade. He grimaced when his knife flew over her stomach, and grunted when her boot struck the underside of his chin, propelling him up into the air, knife flying from his hand. After he landed with a loud thud, she turned her sights back on the helicopter, just in time to see the few spots left of it disappear into thin air through a cloaking device as its rotors went silent.

In a panic, she snatched her gun and reloaded it, running in the direction of the helicopter and shooting at the area she last saw it flying. No bullets met their mark, and her lack of stamina finally caught up to her as her tattoo dissipated. She fell to her knees, panting loudly as her gun fell from her hand. The bullet wounds were beginning to sting and the pain in her legs and ribs was returning. She looked back up at the sky, seeing and hearing nothing. A loud grunt from behind her forced her to look around, and she saw the leader standing up - without his mask.

Even through her sorrow, Jo could not bite back a slight gasp. His face was undoubtedly human, but it lacked any sustenance. It was so atrophied that his bones seemed like the face instead, as his skin sunk so deeply into the hollows of his jaws and eye sockets that it seemed to disappear into them. It lacked teeth and eyelids, and his nose was only two vertical slits above its mouth. Glaring at her with his lidless black eyes, his golden irises met with her red, hate-filled eyes. "She is gone, Genocide Angel." He said in the same robotic voice. "You have failed her. Now, she will be taken to my commander for further analysis. There is nothing you can do anymore." He said as he turned around and started to walk away.

"Is that so…" She hissed, glaring at him as another murderous look shot through her eyes, staying there as she stood up. With another purple flash, her tattoo appeared on her shoulder as the stood up and charged at him. The leader glanced around and saw her enraged face, charging straight at him. Even without his eyelids, Jo could see fear and surprise shooting through them as he picked up into a sprint, trying to escape from her. "No, you don't!" She roared at him, scooping up his combat knife and throwing it at him with all her might. A loud scrape reached her ears as the blade cut clean through his armour, embedding itself in his back as she tackled him to the ground, empty gun held by the barrel.

"Where are they taking her!" She demanded, grabbing him by the rim of his helm and pulling his head back. "Answer me!"

"I will not tell you!" He answered. "I would never betray my commander!"

With a loud cry, she raised her gun and slammed the bottom of its handle into the side of his head. "Tell me!" She cried, beating him with her gun again. "Tell me where they're going!" She yelled, delivering two more blows to his head.

"You…" The robotic soldier spat, several arcs of white blood spewing from his mouth. "You'll never see her again… Those choppers… are jet choppers. They are too fast for you… They're halfway to Hiroshima by now…" He grinned, allowing more of his blood to drip down his chin. "You'll never catch them… You'll never see your girl again… She was the final component of my commander's research, and believe me, he will not let her go easily." Jo's face contorted into a mask of rage as a female voice rang out from his earmuff. "Shut down imminent. System shutting down in three, two, one…" With a loud buzz, the leader's golden irises became a ghostly shade of white.

"No…" She grunted, tightening her grip on his neck. "No! Why are they going there? What are they going to do to Meg!" She yelled at him, to no avail. Even his blood had stopped circulating, and his body only hung limply in her clenched fist. She felt her breathing increase, and the hand holding the gun started to shake as she saw red.

With an enraged cry, she raised her gun and brought it down on the leader's face. A loud crack sounded from his face as the handle of the gun broke clean through his forehead, spraying more of his white blood onto her body. But she didn't stop there. Letting her frustration pour out in the form a loud roar, she raised the gun and slammed it into his face again, and again, and again, gritting her teeth and slamming her eyes shut as she continued to destroy her hapless victim's face. She did not know how the leader's face looked, or how long she stood there beating him with her gun. She lost track of time, standing there, letting all her anger and frustration pour out. Suddenly, a hand wrapped around her arm, stopping her in her tracks.

"That's enough, Jo." Sei said sadly, worry dominating her features. "I saw and heard everything."

"Let go." Jo said harshly, pulling her arm from the older woman's grasp and turning around, starting down the street.

"You can't fight them alone, Jo!" Sei called, wincing at her injuries as she hobbled after her. "These guys aren't from RAPT!"

"Watch me." Jo said angrily, holstering her gun as she stalked over to her other one, lying near one of the soldiers' lifeless body. "They'll pay for this…"

"Jo, listen to me!" Sei called again. "These people are organised! Those chainguns were tracking your movements, they must have had some kind of tracking equipment in them. If they can follow your body like that, you're as good as dead!"

"I don't care!"

"Dammit, listen to me, Jo." Sei sighed, grabbing the younger girl by the arm again. "You're in no condition to fight, especially against those people! You saw what that sniper's rifle could do, chances are they'll put you down before you even have the compound in your sight!"

"I'll figure something out!" Jo yelled at her.

"Like you figured something out now, before they took her? Like you did when you left her behind!" Jo fell silent and froze in her tracks at Sei's accusation. "Look where your spur-of-the-moment plans lead you today, Jo! Meg is gone, halfway across Japan by now! How are you going to get there before they leave? And in your current state…" The older woman's voice died out in her throat as she clutched her bullet wounds. "This isn't a rescue where you can get her back simply by shooting at people, Jo…"

"I… I know…" Sei's eyes widened at the shaky tone Jo's voice. "But you didn't hear everything… That man… He said that they were going to do something to Meg… If that happens…"

"It won't!" Sei insisted fiercely, seizing Jo by her shoulders. "I never said you wouldn't win. I said you can't win in this condition. Look at yourself! You'll faint even before you've travelled two blocks!"

"I must find her, Sei…" Jo said with a downcast look. "I… I already let her down once. If I let it happen again…"

"You won't." Sei insisted again. "You'll get her back, just like every other time she was kidnapped. But you must rest first."

"I can't!" Jo said sternly. "I just can't...What if they… What if they leave?"

"They won't get away, Jo." Sei answered. "That chopper cannot go further then Hiroshima on one tank of fuel, and seeing as there's only one runway still operational there it'll take a while for them to get clearance to leave. We will get her back, Jo." She reassured. "I promise you." Jo's shoulders slumped as she looked down dejectedly.

"Fine." She gave in. "I'll rest. But only for a few hours." Sei was about to answer with a smile when the payphone near them rang. The box itself was smashed, but the phonewas still in good condition.

"Probably another punk who doesn't know what happened here." Sei muttered. "Let it ring. We need to get out of here."

"Wait…" Jo said, stalking over to the phone and kneeling besides it. Carefully picking it up, she placed the receiver by her ear. "Who is this?"

"It's about time, Jo." A smooth female voice answered, causing the girl to frown as she opened her mouth to speak. "Better wipe that frown off your face, or I might hang up…" Jo's eyes widened in shock at hearing this, and she immediately stood up and glanced around. "Now listen closely. You have questions, I have answers, and I'm willing to share. Firstly, inform your boss that your friends, Takane and Leo, are safe and sound."

"Why did you contact me?" Jo demanded, tightening her grip on the phone as Sei stood next to her, listening in on the conversation.

"All in due time, Jo. I'm calling now to inform you that the people who took Meg are planning on using a state-of-the-art stealth plane to flee from Tokyo."

"Flee from Tokyo! But -"

"Do you want answers or not, Jo?"

"Y-Yes, I do, bu-"

"Then shut up and stop interrupting. The planes were planned and designed in the United States, but were only built here in Japan due to smaller labour costs and the rather 'active' crime rate here. They will need three days to register those planes, and they need to meet with an investor as well, so you have a week, give or take, before the plane takes off." Jo's face visibly brightened at hearing this. "Also, I have here an invitation, for you and your boss. Leo and Takane are already here in Hiroshima, waiting for you."

"Invitation? To what?" Jo asked warily.

"On behalf of the B.S.A.A, Jo, I invite you to a little 'get-together' in a restaurant near the edge of Hiroshima. As I said, Leo and Takane are already here, and if that's not enough to get you here, I can give you a… taste of the information I have concerning your girlfriend's kidnappers. Believe me when I say you'll need it…"

"What!" Jo immediately frowned. "What do you know about them!"

"My, demanding, aren't we?" The woman on the other side of the phone scoffed. "But a promise is a promise, so a taste you shall receive. Simply ask your computer friend to gather data on 'Umbrella Pharmaceuticals'. There's very little information, but it should give you a brief idea of what Meg's captors intend to do to her." The woman cleared her throat. "There's already a hotel suite booked in your names for when you get here, as well as a functioning cybot. Simply go to the Italian hotel 'Rosso Angelos' and ask for the B.S.A.A reservation. Information on the meeting place will be in a dossier on your beds. Well, that's all for now. Until next time, Jo."

"Wait!" Jo called into the phone, sighing when she didn't hear the woman hang up. "At least tell me who you are…"

"Oh! How rude of me, I clean forgot, Jo. I'm very sorry about that." The woman chuckled, before answering.

"My name is Jill Valentine…"

"…rest. But only for a few hours!"

"Good show… Very good show." A male voice, carrying a perfect English accent, echoed in the dark room as the events of the extraction played out on the large screen. Beneath it, Meg lay strapped to a large table, similar to an operating table, with large, circular devices at its top and bottom. The young girl stirred in her sleep as the man spoke to the screen. "It seems that you are more competent than I imagined, Jo. Dispatching eleven of my synthetics is a hard feat…" Meg groaned as her eyes fluttered open, and she tried to sit up. She uttered a confused squeak when she felt the chainmail strap pressing down on her chests, and yelped when she realised that there were shackles around her wrists and ankles, shivering as the cool breeze circulating through the vents brushed over her skin. "You're awake." The man said. "Welcome."

"Wh…Where am I? What I doing here!" She asked fearfully, voice pitching as she surveyed the dark room. The only sources of light were the large screen, and the bright light shining down on the table. Then she spotted a pair of sunglasses glinting in the darkness. "And who the hell are you!"

"I am the man who will soon create a new genesis." The man answered cryptically, stepping forwards. Meg surveyed the man from head to toe, feeling slightly unnerved at the strong gaze he was giving her. His blonde hair was neatly combed back, and his dark, carbon-printed trench coat swayed in the breeze as the leather attire beneath it glinted in the beam of light. "And you," he said, pointing at Meg with a gloved hand, "are going to help me with that."

"And why you I help you!" She demanded, trying to sit upwards. The white sheet covering her slipped down a bit, and she yelped again when she realised she was clad only in her underwear. "Y-You pervert!"

"Really…" The man frowned, pushing his shades back up with one finger. "Honestly, Meg, kindergarten insults do nothing to me." He said, digging his hands into his pockets. "As for helping me, you are a crucial part to my research, one of three-hundred subjects. However, I get the feeling that you will be the most successful one."

"I don't want this!" Meg yelled at him. "I don't want to be part of this 'new genesis' of yours! I just want to go home…"

"Too bad." The man said darkly. "I need you to determine whether my research is a success this time." He gazed at her again. "And be it by your free will or my forced hand, you will play your part in my plan to the last letter."

"What if I don't?" Meg growled. "I'm not scared of you!" The man chuckled at this.

"You don't have a choice in the matter, dear girl. In a few days, Uroboros II will be implanted into you. After that, you will become my puppet, whether you want to be or not. Besides," The man smirked darkly, "your girlfriend isn't invincible, Meg. Especially if I send someone 'special' to deal with her…" He turned around and faced the darkness as he started to walk away. A cylindrical glass lens immediately covered the operating table, and Meg started yelling again as a gray-white gas filled that chamber. The glass muffled her cries and sobs, under everything fell silent. The man smirked as he melted into the darkness. "Yes… You are the one I need…" His voice floated around the room, as Meg's eyelids fluttered in her sleep.

"With you on my side… The world will soon see that Albert Wesker is back!"

A/N: Aaand we're done! Chapter 1 is all wrapped up. I just want to send a special word of thanks to Cloverfield for betareading this and helping me with my general Burst Angel research. You're Awesome! Let no-one tell you otherwise!

Well... Do you guys want more? Or think I should burn it? Let me know what you thought; it's the only way I'll know. Thanks for taking the time to read this. I pray it didn't disappoint!

Stay sic!
-Slipkn0T- out.