Part Ten:
"Guess what? We're the only ones here," Jet said with a slight lilt to his voice. Albert looked over to where the redheaded cyborg was draped across the arms of a wingback chair.
Jet had called a truce a few days ago, when Albert promised to consider getting his self-detonation device removed, and things had gotten peaceful. Jet had stopped bringing up the topic, and Albert was hoping it would drop permanently. He doubted it, though. Albert had made up his mind yesterday morning to keep it, but he didn't want to tell Jet, just yet. He wanted to take Jet away for a weekend trip, apart from the others, because he had grown weary of their issues being scrutinized by seven other cyborgs and two doctors.
"It's actually silent, for once. I think the doctors went to that new senior citizens' buffet, and Joe took Frannie to the movies. Where is everyone else?" Albert asked, sensing Jet's amorous hint. He lowered his copy of Beowulf and gave Jet his attention.
"Pyunma volunteered to help out with those orphaned refugees at the airport. Junior went to help Chang with the shopping at the open-air market. GB went to a bar or something, and Ivan is out with his ginchy, little friends. Yeap... we have the house all to ourselves," A knavish smile drifted to Jet's lips.
"Good. I can finally get through this book," Albert teased, hoisting his book up. Making Jet work a little always made him more interesting in bed. He didn't even look up at the lanky New Yorker, who now stood in front of him. Jet finally cast a shadow over the words. Albert glanced up; Jet had an eyebrow raised in aggravation.
"Come on, don't tease me. They'll be home soon, and I don't feel like being so quiet," Jet said.
"I'm about to help you, Hell. Your target will be leaving the townhouse in a minute," Schuldig said with a smirk. They were sitting on a park bench across the street from the cyborgs' home.
"Really? How so?" the dark haired lady-assassin asked.
"I'm going to get my target to shout out his dead wife's name in just two more minutes," Schuldig said.
"How's that going to get my target out of the house?" she asked, getting annoyed with Schuldig.
"You see, they're making out hot and heavy and... now... I got this Albert fellow thinking about how your target has the same color hair as his dead wife and some other non-sense. Now he just called out her name! Get ready, Hell," Schuldig snapped, tugging on his ear and giving her a wink.
Albert flinched at the loud slam of the front door. His face blazed with shame at the pain he had inflicted on Jet. He had never once let his deceased wife's name pass his lips after he and Jet started spending more intimate times together. For some inexplicable reason, his mind had been plagued all week by Hilda's memory. Jet had been patient during the negotiation of their relationship, but the New Yorker drew the line at the indignity of being called Hilda.
Albert walked over to the window and drew back the thick curtain. He watched Jet run down the street into the dusk. His eyes drifted across the street to where a man and a woman were sitting on a bench. He flinched back when the man looked up at him and smiled.
:Good evening, Herr Heinrich. I'm Schuldig.: a voice sounded in his head. Albert's jaw clenched as he let shock run through him.
"Guilty? You're guilty of what?" Albert asked out loud in German.
:Enjoying the pain I'm about to cause you.: the man projected the thought into Albert's mind and stood up. The woman stood up as well, but ran towards Jet.
Albert tugged off the glove on his right hand, wondering what new thing the Black Ghost was throwing at them. Also, he had to get to Jet. Albert launched himself outside and glared at the tall redhead with a smug expression.
"I'll let Miss Hell deal with your substitute," he said in German with an unmistakable Bavarian accent.
"Leave him alone," he napped in his native language as he noticed the strange man had a gun.
"Why should you care what becomes of him? He's a game to you, a distraction from your beloved Hilda." The man's words were punctuated with a buzzing noise invading Albert's head. A dizzying sensation hit, along with doubt over his intentions towards Jet.
"Leave me alone! You don't know!"
"Yes, well... a reminder of what you once had."
Albert eyes unfocused and he could see Hilda laying at his feet, bloody. She looked up at him with her cerulean eyes, accusation in them. He knelt down as she gasped and said, "Why did you leave me here? You've forgotten me! Now you've betrayed me? Why?"
Albert shook his head fiercely. This wasn't real, but the guilt rising in his chest was tangible. "Please, don't ask that. It's so lonely without you."
He felt a sharp shock to the back of his neck. He fought to stay upright, but sunk to the ground beside Hilda's image. Darkness engulfed him.
"Excuse me, is this seat taken?" a man in glasses asked Frances and Joe. He was pointing to the empty seat next to Frances.
"Help yourself," Joe said with a smile. The man sat down.
"I'm going to the ladies room before the movie starts," Frances whispered over to Joe. He let her slip by.
"This should be a good film," the man said, making small talk to Joe. "My name is Brad Crawford."
"Joe Shimamura. My girlfriend wanted to see this for a long time," Joe said, propping his popcorn on his knee.
"What a lovely girlfriend you have. European?"
"She's French," Joe replied with a ring of pride.
"I think she wants your attention," Crawford said, pointing to the door at the back of the theater. Joe looked, but didn't see Frances.
"I don't see her," Joe said, looking back at the man.
"My mistake," Crawford said before sipping on a soda from a straw. Joe smirked before eating a little popcorn. He looked down at the bucket with a crinkled nose. It didn't taste right.
"You were about to say your popcorn doesn't taste quite right. That was my fault," Crawford said.
Joe noticed with sinking horror that his jaw was cemented together. His tongue laid dead in his mouth. This would put him in danger if this man was from the Black Ghost.
"I expect you to cooperate now that you can't activate your acceleration device, Cyborg 009. My associate, Miss Neu, has Cyborg 003 under control by now. I don't think we'll stay to watch the movie. Lets walk nice and easy to the parking lot. Your owner wants to talk things over with you."
Pyunma noticed the odd, one-eyed man across the cots occupied by refugees. He wasn't one of the Red Cross workers he had been introduced to. The man shifted the small child from one arm to the other as he walked towards Pyunma Dwmbee.
"Wouldn't it be a shame to see a little child suffer, 008?" the man asked. Pyunma stood up from where he crouched next to a box of rolled bandages. "If you don't cooperate, Cyborg 008, I'll gleeful skin this child alive and break every limb."
"What! Who are you?" he asked, noticing the year old child was trembling while sucking on her fist. The strange man's one amber eye looked empty of any sanity. Pyunma knew the man wasn't bluffing.
"My name is Farfarello. When I'm sure you'll cooperate, I'll let this precious little child go. Follow me. All these good deeds are making me queasy," the one-eyed man said, leading Pyunma out of the airport's impromptu refugees' building.
"Hey there, sweety. Want to buy me a drink?" a gorgeous blond woman asked, sitting beside Great Britain at the bar.
"Sure! I'd love to," he said, waving over a bartender.
"I'm Schön, by the way," she said after she was served.
"They call me Great Britain," he replied.
"I lived in London for a while when I modeled," she said.
"You do look like a model," he said, smiling at her. "I'm an actor, by the way."
GB couldn't believe his incredible luck. Now he was glad he didn't talk the others into coming along. He regaled the lady with stories from his glory days, and she listened and laughed at all the right points. After two more drinks, she leaned over and put her hand on his knee.
"Why don't we go back to my place and get to know each other better?" she asked. GB quickly paid the bar tab and followed the woman outside and down an alleyway.
"What the..." he started, but didn't finish as the stun gun came out of her purse. He hit the ground as everything went black.
"Hello there," the cheery, blue-haired, teenage girl said, jumping out of the shadows at Chang. He stepped back and adjusted his grocery bag back to his other arm.
"Hello to you as well," Chang said, giving her a bright smile.
"Tot is looking for, Cyborg 006," she said with a grin as she raised her parasol. A thin blade popped out of the tip. Chang's expression melted to worry. He glanced to see Junior was still at a stall half a block away.
"Don't worry. Nagi will teach Cyborg 005 to not be bad," she said with a slight giggle. Chang saw a teenage boy with large, sad eyes approach the giant American Indian.
There were just too many people in the market place for Chang or Junior resist. Chang surrendered, dropping the grocery sack and lofting his hands. He hoped to find a chance to stop these children away from the people walking the streets.
"Hello," the dark haired woman said, sitting on the swing beside Jet. He glared at her as he continued to dig the toe of his sneaker into the sand beneath the swing he sat on. "You look a little too old for parks."
"Listen, lady, I'm not in a good mood," Jet snapped.
"I see. Let me guess... Your significant other just hurt your feelings and now you're pouting," she said.
"Good guest, lady," Jet said, swaying back and forth while his hands gripped the swing's chains.
"That's what you get for seeing a man who lost his wife so tragically," she continued. Jet froze after his head snapped to his right. "You'll never measure up and you'll be nothing more than a replacement."
"How did you know?" he asked, glaring at her. She didn't look like anyone he recognized in the Black Ghost organization.
"I know a lot, Cyborg 002. No flying off, by the way. It'll only make things worse for your loved ones. My associates have subdued 004, 003, 009, 008 and 007. I haven't received word about 005 or 006 yet, but I'm confidant they'll be under our control soon."
"What do you want?" Jet shouted, jumping up from the swing.
"You to surrender. We were given orders to bring you all back, but we were told we could use harsh tactics. You wouldn't want the others to suffer, would you? Especially, your special friend?" she asked.
"Don't you hurt Albert!" Jet said, clenching his hands into fists.
"Then drink this and don't give me any trouble," she said, holding up a flask. Jet snatched it from her. "Just what I thought. You're a fool for not running."
"I'd rather be a fool than leave Albert alone," Jet said solemnly before gulping down the knock-out liquid. The woman's face took on a sad expression.
"I know how you feel," she said. "You must be very in love."
"All of you did a wonderful job," Crawford complimented the seven other assassins standing around the back of a semi parked behind an abandoned warehouse. "I put a call in. The ISO building is under control, but the Science Ninja Team is still at large. The flowers set loose on the Weiss Kreuz assassins should be germinating now."
"Excellent," Hell said. "We're all read to fly to the Himalayas. Where is this base again?"
"It's an old Galactor base called Cross Karakorum. It's actually deep inside the earth. Count Egobossler has it prepared for our arrival. We'll all meet there with our prisoners," Crawford said with a slight smile. "Farfarello, drive the truck to the airport. We'll regroup in Kathmandu, Tibet and proceed from there."
"Close the gate, will you, Ken?" Youji asked, leaning over the counter.
"Wait! I have a delivery," a stocky man in a brown uniform said, sliding in with a small cardboard box. Ken signed the clipboard, took the box, and locked the gate.
"Who's it from?" Youji asked. "Omi made the order only yesterday."
"It's a sample from some place called Berg Katse Botanicals. Says orchid seeds," Ken explained, opening the package. Aya walked over to the counter as Ken shook the three seeds into his hand. "They don't look like orchid seeds though."
"Let's worry about them tomorrow. It's your turn to cook, and Aya's turn to wash dishes." Youji said brightly.
"I know... I know... your turn to goof off," Ken snapped right before they closed the shop and headed upstairs.
They were in the middle of Ken's simple rice and salmon dinner when they heard a crash coming from the shop.
"You've got to be kidding me? Someone trying to steal from us?" Youji asked.
"Let's go kick their asses!" Ken said, jumping up from his chair.
"Careful. We haven't found out if we're someone's target yet," Aya said. The three of them snuck to their rooms, got their weapons, and slipped quietly down to the darkened flower shop.
Youji went left and Ken went right after Aya's hand signals. Youji stepped carefully, keeping his wire ready. He felt something curl around his ankle; he looked down in confusion. Ken's strangled shout from the other side of the store startled Youji. He tried springing backwards, but found his legs were bound by something that felt like steel cord.
He heard a crash behind his head and heard the whisper of Aya's katana slice through the air. In the dim light he saw Aya's right arm being wrapped by a thick round object. Youji felt something hard under his fingers. He clutched it realizing it was a planter's spade. He jabbed upwards as something slid upward towards his chest.
With a mixture of horror and irony, Youji realized it was a ten foot, luminescent scarlet blossom that was hovering above him. A puff of gold pollen drifted onto his face. Seconds later he lost the will to fight as his body was dragged towards the petals.
Omi hopped out of the taxi before it stopped entirely and fell to his knees at the sight of the smashed store front. Jinpei and Ivan stood beside him.
:There is no one inside the store or upstairs in your loft.: Ivan thought into Omi's head. Jinpei still had three of Donald Wade's bolos; he was grateful he didn't have to use it yet. Omi's face was the very picture of despair.
Omi slowly nodded and stood up. Jinpei was relived to see Omi's face had taken on a hard, determined look. He followed Omi through the disaster the shop had become. They went upstairs to Omi's room. Jinpei watched the blond assassin drag out a large case from under his bed.
Omi quickly changed out of his swim trunks and tee shirt into a set of dark clothing he kept with the case. Jinpei figured this was what Omi wore when he went out for assassinations. Jinpei was impressed with the high powered crossbow in the case. Omi picked it up along with several bolts. He slung the crossbow over his shoulder and turned to his friends once again.
"Somehow, this is all related," Omi said. Omi lead them to the room beside his. He opened the door and rummaged through a chest-of-drawers. "Ken took his bagknucks and gloves."
Jinpei followed Omi to the room across the hall where the blond assassin took a look under the bed. Omi hopped up and said, "Aya's katana is gone as well as his dark cloths. I bet Youji's stuff is missing too. That means they fought someone."
"Or something. It's crazy Donald Wade we're talking about," Jinpei said. "Three assassins with their weapons? It had to be something large and dangerous."
:0012 implied that all of our teams are in danger.:
"Since all my teammates are gone, we need to go to 0012 and make her talk," Omi said. "She knows where they are! I'm sure of it."
"What a time for me to quit and hand in my bird-style! I feel like a big jerk," Jinpei groused.
:If we can defeat 0012, we can get your bird-style back.: Ivan pointed out.
"Let's go to the Snack J. There is something we need to get. It's eight blocks from here, but..."
:No time like the present to see if I can do this.: Ivan thought, grabbing Omi and Jinpei's shoulders. A deep blackness swirled around Jinpei. Seconds later he was standing in his bedroom in the loft of the Snack J.
"What the..." Jinpei looked around startled. Ivan had a small trickle of blood under his nose. He slumped forward and found his balance again.
"Ivan told me he could teleport things. I guess that means us too," Omi said, looking around suddenly.
"That's too cool, but are you okay?" Jinpei asked Ivan, who held his nostrils shut. The cyborg nodded. "This way."
Jinpei lead them downstairs to a garage. He flipped the lights and dragged a canvas tarp off an orange and red dune buggy.
"I haven't used this guy in four years. Hop in," Jinpei said. The three of them piled in the buggy. Jinpei clicked the garage door open and cranked the engine to life.
"What is this thing?" Omi asked.
"My Falcon Tracker. I can't activate the other mode with the weapons unless I get my bird-style back. Better than taking taxis though," Jinpei said. Omi nodded and buckled his seat belt as Jinpei peeled out into the night.
"So what are the plans now that Jinpei is gone? You aren't going to fill his spot, are you?" Ryu asked, looking around Dr Nambu's office at his other teammates and then the doctor.
"I don't think so. At least that's not what I want. We will have to change some of our fighting patterns, codes, and a few other things," Ken Washio answered. "The four of us will be it. For now."
"I think a new teammate is something I would like you to all consider. I can start searching for a replacement," Dr. Nambu said. In his right hand he held Jinpei's bird-style bracelet. He rubbed it between his thumb and forefinger as he studied the rest of the team.
"Are you sure he won't come back? I think he's just blowing off steam," Ryu said.
"It doesn't matter! The Science Ninja Team is not a revolving door. He has chosen to be irresponsible, therefore, I can't allow him back even if he does want to rejoin," Dr. Nambu said.
"That's harsh, Doctor," Ryu said.
"The Doctor is right," Ken said. "Our team is so small and tight that it'll put strain on us if Jinpei can't make up his mind. For everyone's safety, I cannot allow him to be so fickle about being a Science Ninja Team member. After a cooling off period, I think he could come back rather than pick someone new."
"What is our new schedule?" Jun ask, sitting beside Ryu. He had been worried over Jun's cold silence during the whole meeting. She seemed so sad and distant.
"I think that you need to consult me about your further plans, Science Ninja Team." A gorgeous woman with mossy hair suddenly appeared by Dr Nambu's window. She was sipping tea from a dainty cup. What freaked Ryu out was that he couldn't see her reflection in the window, just his teammates'.
"Who are you?" Ken shouted at her lifting his left arm.
"You can call me Cyborg 0012. My master sent me to collect you. Surrender now or I will harm you," she said simply with an elegant smile.
"We don't surrender," Ken said. The four team members changed into their bird-styles.
"Yes, your famous bird-styles. You see, I am not a woman of flesh and blood any longer. You are standing inside of my body. My brain is the ISO mainframe computer and this very building is now my body. I know all of your little secrets. I also know how to defeat them," she said.
"How did you beat my system?" Dr. Nambu asked.
"I'm not interested in talking to you, Doctor. Take down your bird-styles now and surrender," she addressed Eagle Ken.
"No," he said.
"Then I shall have some entertainment," she said. The large projection screen flared to life. Several ISO workers were trapped in the cafeteria. They pounded on the door and shouted. "I have forced all the people in my body to this room. I shall start pouring acid, my gastric juices, through those pipes above their heads if you don't surrender. I'll still be able to neutralize your bird-styles afterwards by broadcasting a counter frequency. According to Dr. Nambu's records in the mainframe, I can interrupt it. The choice is yours. Do you want them alive or dead?"
A minute later the pipes in the cafeteria started leaking a dark green liquid. The people screamed and scrambled out of the drizzle. Ken transmuted from his bird-style, the others followed.
"We surrender. What do you want us to do?" Ken asked.
"Walk to the loading docks. Some of my master's people will meet you there. Don't try anything or they will die. You, Dr. Nambu, can just stay in your office. Keep in mind I will be watching you," Cyborg 0012 said with a hard expression on her elegant face. "Also know that those men have sonic pistols on the neutralizing counter frequency."
"Now what?" Jinpei asked as they pulled up behind some bushes in front of the ISO building. Omi picked up a pair of binoculars as a large truck rolled out of the loading docks.
"Ivan, can you tell if my teammates are there?" Jinpei asked.
:No. They are gone, but Dr. Nambu is in there. Cyborg 0012 is watching him closely. If I teleport him out, she'll kill a lot of people she has trapped in the cafeteria. I just don't think I can grab both Dr. Nambu and the others at once because they are too spaced out. To tell the truth, I never have bled while teleporting anything before. Something may be wrong with my brain.:
"We need to distract her then," Omi said. "Ivan, can you distract her? Just talk to her. She seems interested in you. I can free the people in the cafeteria. That will leave you free to get Dr Nambu, Jinpei. What do you think?"
"Sounds good," Jinpei said.
"Cyborg 0012," Ivan shouted at the ISO's security door. "Show yourself." Moments later the projected image of the woman appeared.
"I wish to... stop running. I wish to submit to the... Black Ghost organization. Can we negotiate?"
"Wonderful. Your father will be thrilled," she said.
Omi slowly unlatched the ventilation shaft and peered at the fifteen bedraggle people hunkered under a long table in the dim cafeteria. It had been a challenge to slip under the cameras and up into the air conditioning system. He gave them a hand signal to join him. They quickly, quietly made their way to the shaft and crawled after Omi.
Jinpei had to crawl up the side of the ISO building. He finally made it to the ledge in front of Dr Nambu's window. He glanced in to see the doctor looking back at him. The doctor's face became blank again after his surprise. Jinpei could see his bird-style bracelet in the doctor's hand. The doctor hefted the bracelet in his hand and shook his head.
:Ivan! Can you teleport just my bird-style from Dr Nambu's hand on to my wrist? Don't do it if you're going to hurt yourself.: Jinpei thought. The bracelet glowed blue and was on Jinpei's wrist in a flash.
"Transmute," Jinpei said. His street cloths became bird-style armor.
"Why are you bleeding, 001?" 0012 asked as Ivan's nose started bleeding again. Ivan shook his head.
"I don't know, 0012. Please... tell me what is... going on? Why the Science... Ninja Team?" he asked, trying to get her distracted again.
"Because we have exchanged them to Count Egobossler. He has used his skills and kidnapped a group of assassins for a crime lord by the name of Takatori. In return, Takatori has subdued the other ungrateful cyborg rebels. We are one happy conglomeration now," she answered.
:So that's the connection! They all met and are going after our teams!:
"What the..." she swung around, looking back to the building. "You liar! You'll pay with the lives of the people I'm about to kill!"
"Run," Omi shouted as the air-conditioning fan cranked on full blast. It sucked Omi towards the blades along with the last three hostages. He quickly fired his crossbow with a wire. They all clung to it. Omi then took out Condor Joe's air gun and shot the bolt securing the fan blades. A loud squelch and crash preceded calm silence.
"Hurry. Get out now," Omi shouted at the hostages. They quickly climbed out of the vent to the outside. Omi crawled after them with his weapons still drawn. "Get off the property! Just run," he shouted, pointing to the front gate. Omi ran to the front of the building where he saw Ivan standing with the image of Madam Yana.
"You escaped! Very clever little boy. You would make a wonderful addition to the cyborg army being built by the Black Ghost," she said. "It doesn't really make a difference now. The Science Ninja Team is on their way to Cross Karakorum. You'll be too late."
"You dizzy computer," Jinpei shouted, gliding down beside Omi with his blue-gold wings out stretched. "Cross Karakorum was destroyed!"
"Now it is rebuilt. You three spoiled children may as well quit," she said.
"Never!" Omi shouted. She started laughing.
"Have a good evening. Tell Dr. Nambu my master will love all the technology you have developed. I'll make sure they know the three of you are together," she said before her image disappeared.
"Oh no. I better tell the doctor about you two," Jinpei said.
At that moment, Dr. Nambu slipped through the front of the ISO building. He gave Jinpei a stern look and said, "I think you have more on your mind
Aya was the first to wake up. He slowly rose when he realized he was in a cage with a half-Japanese young man. He recognized the young man as Joe Shimamura from Omi's school after a few groggy moments, and they were chained to each other by collars around their necks. He looked over to his left where Ken Hidaka was coming around as well. Ken was in a separate cell. He was chained to a tall African man who was still asleep.
To his right, in another separate cell, he saw Ken Washio dressed in khakis and a blue windbreaker. He was chained to that redheaded reckless driver with a large, pointy nose.
"Ken," Aya said to his teammate. Both Kens came around and looked over at Aya.
"What's going on?" Hidaka asked.
"It seems we've been captured," Washio said. "Fujimiya! Hidaka! How did you get here and why?"
"Well... large flowers ran amuck in our flower shop and we woke up here. I'll appreciate the irony more once we're out of here," Hidaka sneered.
"Not those again," Washio groaned.
"You know about them?" Aya asked.
"A very long story. Jun almost died when they caught her six years ago, but they were only genetically programed to go after women," Washio answered.
"Where are we?" Aya asked as he explored his cage.
"We're in Cross Karakorum," Joe Asakura answered, standing up. He was chained to a man who looked more machine than human.
"This ruined room? Are you sure?" Washio asked.
"I died here. I should know," Joe answered. The two Kens and Aya looked over to a darkened corner that contained an obscenely massive generator.
"I think we all need to come clean, Washio," Aya said. "Our boys seem to have been keeping secrets from us all."
To be continued.