Disclaimer: I am not claiming to own Vandread or any of its characters in any way. They all belong to Gonzo.
Author's note: Please add a review!
Chapter 2: Death
Lieutenant Streck marched down a long-unused corridor; gripping the card the General had given him tightly in one hand. Reaching the end of the corridor, he inserted the card into a slot beside a pair of huge, armored doors. With the slight whirring of disused machinery, they slowly slid open, loosing a wave of cold mist. Streck shivered, both from the blast of air and from a feeling of foreboding. The last time he had been down in this room had been over 10 years ago, and he did not want to remember the results of that incident. Steeling himself, he stalked across the room and stopped in front of a large stasis chamber, wherein slept the General's prized assassin, a living weapon that had been purchased years ago from a shadowy interstellar organization.
Streck reached out towards the stasis chambers control panel, then halted when a thought suddenly struck him. What if the long years of stasis had damaged the assassin's programming? He definitely did not want to be in even the same building as an out of control assassin. Not when he knew what it was capable of. But then, neither did he want to go back up and tell the General to send someone else to activate it. Making his decision, he reached out and entered the code to release the chamber's contents.
Several long seconds passed as the machinery brought its occupant to full operational levels, then with a hiss that released more frigid mist into the room, the chamber's door swung open. Streck made out a tall, human-shaped form inside, then unconsciously stepped back as it came out. Once again, he found himself face to featureless mask with a being that had haunted his nightmares for the past ten years. He swallowed, knowing the next few seconds would decide his fate. The 7-foot tall figure in form-fitting gray body armor swiveled its head to take him in. Two burning red eyes came on in the mask's eye sockets.
"Request identification."
Streck's knees practically buckled and he almost sighed in relief. The assassin's programming had survived intact, as its handler had promised. Hurriedly, he raised the card to its line of sight. The glowing eyes passed over the card, advanced optics implanted in the assassin's retinas reading the infrared imprint on the authorization side.
"Identity confirmed. Awaiting orders."
"Follow me. The General will brief you on your target."
Magno Vidan was seated in her command chair, listening to Dita and Bart babble out their stories at the same time. She tried to concentrate more on Dita's, knowing Bart's would probably be embellished by fantastic details. She finally waved both of them to silence.
"So it seems things aren't going very well."
Bart nodded frantically.
"Yeah, and-"
"Enough."
He subsided.
"Hmmm… and where's Hibiki?"
BC answered.
"I think he's down at the Register."
Magno smiled. "Ah… Gascogne will be able to straighten him out." She turned to Dita and Bart. "Well, after picking up some more supplies, we'll be heading off to Mejele. There will be a banquet of sorts, with all of the first generation, as well as the ones who've recently been awakened from stasis, like Hibiki. I think we can get them to help with the problem. Bart, you'll have to pilot the ship."
"Sure, anything's better than getting stuck at that place…"
Dita's eyes shone. "Wow! Will I get to meet Grandma?"
Magno grinned at the girl's enthusiasm. "You just might."
Meanwhile, at the infirmary, Duero was checking all the equipment after spending an hour taking down various paraphernalia Paiway had strung up. He was just turning around when Jura wandered in.
"Ah, there you are, Doctor. Jura wanted to ask you if anyone's been able to produce a natural baby yet."
"No. In fact, I think I can be sure when I say no one's the least bit interested in Tarak or Mejele."
He could practically see stars in Jura's eyes. "THAT IS SO WONDERFUL! Jura will be the first to have one… now all Jura needs is a man…" Her gaze wandered over to Duero.
Before he could do anything, she sprang on him, sending them both tumbling back until they hit a table. Jura wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning into him and pressing her significant… assets into his chest.
"What do you think, Doctor?" Jura cooed intimately. "Do you want to try?"
"Uh…" Even the normally calm Duero could find no answer. He squirmed a bit, trying to wriggle out of her hold, but Jura refused to release him. He was a bit surprised to note she had a fair amount of muscle development due to sword practice.
"Jura! What the hell are you doing!?" Barnette's angry voice broke in on them.
Jura glanced back unconcernedly. "Oh, hello, Barnette. Jura's trying to make a baby-"
Barnette stormed forward, practically tearing Jura off of Duero. "What are you talking about? Always with the damn men!"
Jura stared at her friend. "What?"
"Stop doing that! Can't you tell no one is interested? Why are you so dense all the time?"
That got Jura riled as well.
"What do you care? It's none of your business!"
"I… that is…" Barnette reddened slightly.
Jura waved a finger in Barnette's face.
"Don't ever involve yourself in Jura's business again!" She stormed out.
Barnette stood stock-still. Duero, who'd been trying to beat a hasty retreat, paused for a moment, unsure what was going through her mind. He tried clearing his throat.
Barnette whirled on him, livid with fury.
"Get the hell out! Out!" She advanced on him, and Duero decided it would be a good idea to obey. He exited quickly, leaving Barnette alone in the center of the room. Barnette looked down for a long moment, before slowly walking to a chair and sitting down heavily. She stared out at the room, feeling completely miserable.
"Why the hell do I care…"
Preparations for the dinner were going along at a frantic pace. It would be set in a military base in Mejele, but the women, dead-set on impressing the Tarak visitors, had decorated the entire facility so lavishly that it resembled a five-star hotel. Security would be undertaken by a joint Tarak-Mejele force, with each planet primarily responsible for its own VIPs.
In the area of the base occupied by Tarak, a storage closet's door swung open, revealing the tall figure of the assassin, which was code-named Ghost. Like all the assassins manufactured by the organization that sold it, it had originally been an outstanding human soldier who had been augmented by biochemical enhancements and cybernetic grafts, transforming him into a deadly killing machine. This particular assassin's forte was stealth, and most of its primary weapons were used in hand-to-hand combat. Ghost began moving down the hall in search of its programmed targets, activating a personal cloaking field that reflected the light around it, making it completely invisible to the normal eye. There were thermal cameras, of course, but the man in charge of them was one of the General's handpicked lackeys leaving no chance of it being detected until its mission order was complete.
Meanwhile, the newly revived first generation (which was composed of both men and women) were all grouped in a large room, chatting easily. Their conversation was interrupted as the door opened, revealing the figure of a Tarak lieutenant. He stepped inside, saluting crisply.
"Good evening. I'm here as a representative of Tarak's General Demren. He wishes to offer you all his most sincere congratulations for your successful revival, and wants me to tell you that he truly hopes that you can be instrumental in the reintegration of Tarak and Mejele, which are both trying to overcome the boundaries that separated men and women decades ago. Also, he wishes for me to present you this gift."
He stepped out of the doorway, gesturing outside. A pair of men wheeled in a massive Mejelan-style cake, to much laughter and applause.
"This cake is his present to you, the first generation, upon which rests the hopes of Tarak and Mejele. He specifically made it in Mejelan fashion to show his sincere wish to see the two planets unified and living in harmony, as they should be. That is all… forgive me for interrupting you. Please enjoy yourselves until it is time to go to the banquet."
He saluted again, then departed, accompanied by more applause.
At the lower level banquet hall, other guests were now beginning to congregate. The Nirvana crew was all there, along with many dignitaries from both planets, military and civilian alike. The first generation was not yet due to arrive, though.
The core group of the Nirvana was being introduced to various personalities, with the latest in the line being Tarak's two major Generals. All of them liked General Einmann immediately; he was good-humored, polite, and seemed to be truly supporting the reintegration of Tarak and Mejele. General Demren, though, was gruff and ill tempered, and wandered off after a poor show of polite conversation.
"Humph. Such an impolite person." Jura was annoyed at him. Barnette made an attempt to approach her, but Jura immediately drifted off. Barnette sighed to herself. Jura had obviously not yet forgiven her for the episode with Duero. Magno noted the exchange, but had nothing to say. Some things they had to figure out themselves.
Bart, Hibiki, and Dita, on the other hand, were all enjoying themselves immensely. Bart was chatting up various Tarak dignitaries, while Hibiki was sitting with Dita at a table and stuffing his face. It looked to be shaping up to a pleasant evening.
Gascogne glanced around, surveying the people. She looked at Magno.
"Nice crowd, huh? I wonder if any of them play cards."
Magno smiled. "You'd be lucky if they did… most of them are worth a fortune."
Gasco winked. "Now THAT is a good motivation…" she glanced to BC.
"Can't you even lighten up here?"
BC looked at Gascogne, then returned to watching the two Tarak generals. "I don't like this… Einmann was always a massive woman hater."
"Yes… I thought he was a bit fake." Magno frowned thoughtfully.
They watched the General as he conversed lightly with several Mejelan diplomats. BC then turned to observe General Demren, who was locked in a tense conference with most of his aides.
"What's going on over the-"
She was cut short as a massive explosion rocked the building.
The cake that had been presented to the first generation had contained a bomb, which had been steadily ticking down while everyone was talking. The timer had reached zero only half a second before the first person had begun to cut the cake. The massive explosion rocked the entire room, annihilating the entirety of the newly revived people.
Further away, the Ghost looked up as his enhanced senses registered the explosion. It was the signal to start his mission. He turned, placing his hands on the wall beside him. Nanomachines within his specially designed Sonic Gauntlets measured the wall's integrity, testing its tensile strength. Half a second later, the Gauntlets began vibrating, loosing sound at an ultra low frequency wavelength that almost instantaneously reduced the reinforced ceramite wall to dust and splinters. The Ghost was through immediately; lunging at the three Tarak guards before their astonished minds could even register it. He backhanded the first guard, the incredible force of the myomer 'pseudo-muscles' in his nanomachine armor combining with his preternatural strength to all but remove the man's head, splattering the ceiling with teeth, shards of bone, and brain matter. The second dropped like a stone after being raked by adamantium claws coated by six of the most deadly neurotoxins known to man. The last had enough time left to open his mouth to scream before the assassin's hands closed on his throat, crushing his windpipe along with his neck and collarbones while he bent the unfortunate guard backwards like an accordion, snapping his spine in several places. The Ghost was moving as soon as he registered that the man was dead. There was only one thing going through his programmed mind.
Eliminate the target.
The door to the banquet hall burst open and guards rushed in, beginning to evacuate everyone inside. The Nirvana crewmembers were separated from each other in the chaos. Only one thing came through the panicking crowd: Bomb!
In the room where the 1st Generation Tarak leaders were gathered, everyone was looking about in puzzlement. It ended abruptly when a guard rushed in with a report.
"A bomb was detonated in the building! We have to get you out of here at once!"
A team of guards quickly rounded up the senior citizens before hustling them out of the door, into a long hallway where another group of guards was waiting further down. They were beginning to move out towards the door at the end when one of the walls suddenly… disintegrated.
The Ghost was through the breach almost instantly, springing at the first group of guards before they could react. He triggered the microwave emitter weapon mounted on his right shoulder, unleashing a wash of microwave energy on them like an invisible flamethrower. The human body is comprised of over 90% water, which has a boiling point of 100 degrees Celsius. The weapon emitted close to 1000 degrees of heat energy over a short radius. A quick pan of the barrel left nothing except molten pieces of metal and an odd stench- the odor of vaporized human bodies.
The Ghost was still moving, aiming straight at the elders and their bodyguards as one hand slapped down on a control mechanism which pumped his system full of synthesized adrenaline, endorphins, and powerful steroids- a cocktail potent enough to kill a normal human, but that only further increased the assassin's already superhuman speed and strength.
The guards had several short seconds to open fire- however, their bullets had no effect at all except to ricochet off the Ghost's armor as his nanomachine carapace hardened itself to the level of diamond. Then he was on them, striking left and right with his Sonic Gauntlets, sending showers of blood and splinters of bone everywhere as the vibrating weapons all but dissolved the relatively frail bodies of the guards. His armor, reacting to so many enemies so close by, used nanomachines to form deadly blades that jutted out from his entire body, shearing through the flesh and bone of anything close enough. It only took seconds for him to slaughter both Tarak's rulers and their highly trained bodyguards. After arranging the scene the way his orders specified, the Ghost made his escape, leaving a trail of bloody footprints.
Hibiki had heard that the first generation had come under attack, and had immediately torn off towards their room for some unspecified reason. Meia and Dita rushed after him, trying to get him back to safety.
Jura, on the other hand, had disdained to get stuck in the pile of people trying to get out of the door. She chose another, unused doorway to exit from, prompting a worried Barnette to head after her.
"Jura! Jura! You're going the wrong way!"
"Hmph. Why are you following Jura around? Go away. It's none of your business what I do."
"Jura… I didn't mean to insult you. It's just that…" Barnette seemed almost tearful.
"Just what?" The snobbish pilot continued on, and Barnette scrambled to keep up. Jura glanced back and was about to say something else when a door in front of her banged open, practically hitting her in the face. She turned, livid.
"Hey you! Watch where…" She trailed off as she saw whom she was talking to. The blood drenched figure in gray armor took one look at her before springing forwards, bringing up a blade that had somehow grown right out of his forearm armor.
"Aaaaahhhhh!" Jura fell back in a blind panic as the massive man-shaped figure brought the blade down in a flashing arc, aiming at her neck.
"JURA!" Barnette sprang forward, knocking her friend out of the way. The deadly blade ripped her midsection open, but as she fell back, she managed to fire a single shot from the pistol she'd drawn. The shot hit the thing right in the eye, causing it to stagger. It turned back to the two of them, but suddenly broke off instead, moving with incredible speed as it crashed out another door. A few seconds later, a group of soldiers came around the corridor.
Jura knelt beside Barnette, who was gasping as she tried desperately to hold her guts inside her abdomen.
"Barnette! Barnette!" She looked around frantically. "Help!"
A pair of Mejelan medics spotted them and ran up. Several Tarak medics were there too, but ignored the call, instead following a group of seemingly unconcerned Tarak soldiers out another door.
The two medics quickly called for more help, and soon a small swarm was lifting Barnette onto a stretcher. Jura moved around in the background, mumbling incoherently in shock. She stopped when she heard a weak voice.
"Jura…"
"I'm here!" She sprang in, throwing a pair of medics out of the way. "Barnette! Don't worry, you'll be alright…" Jura was almost babbling.
"Jura… are you… alright?"
"Yes! Yes, I'm alright! You saved me…" Jura started crying, realizing for the first time what Barnette had done. The other woman smiled weakly.
"Good…"
Then the medics lifted her and took her away, leaving Jura alone in the corridor as she slumped slowly to the ground.
Meanwhile, Hibiki, Dita and Meia reached the corridor where the Tarak leaders had been ambushed. Hibiki ran in, desperately searching.
"Grandpa! Grandpa!" He sprang down amongst the corpses, ignoring the pools of blood as he searched.
Meia and Dita, standing at the door, stared in horror at the carnage. Corpses, or at least parts of them, were strewn everywhere, and there didn't seem to be a spot that wasn't splattered by blood. Dita turned away and began to vomit, unable to keep the contents of her stomach down. Meia couldn't even force herself to turn away from the grisly sight, even to help the sick girl. Her eyes spotted a flag of Mejele planted through the skull of Tarak's founder.
Oh, no… it couldn't be…And yet it was there. Hibiki was thrown out of the room by grim faced guards who beat him into the ground when he tried to force his way back in. One of them glared at Meia and Dita.
"Get the hell out of here, Mejelan. If I see you still in this hall when I come out, I'll shoot you."
Then they slammed the door.