Chapter 10
Escalation
Fifty miles off the southeastern coast of Japan, a large submarine sat motionless at a depth of two hundred feet. Sitting in the captain's chair, an elderly gentleman with short pink hair, two cat-ear horns, wearing a military uniform looked into a large viewscreen displaying the coastline of Kyushu. An emblazoned symbol of a sunburst held in a claw decorated his shoulder. "Has there been any contact from Nemesis since going to Phase two, Chris?" he asked the first mate.
"No sir, Captain Fargo," the first mate, Chris, answered. "But it's still early."
"How long has it been?" Fargo asked.
"A couple of hours since she checked in," Chris replied.
"Sir! There's a spike in activity!" a sailor with red hair and horns called out from his station. "Diclonius all over Japan are starting to move!"
"Let's see it, Ron," Fargo ordered. "Put it on the viewer." The sailor pushed a button, transferring his information to the captain's viewer. He then approached with a salute. A map of Japan lit up the screen with hundreds of dots all over the country slowly moving in one direction…toward Kamakura. A scowl crossed the captain's face.
"Sir, these diclonius have suddenly started moving in unison," Ron reported. "I believe they may be after the Valkyrie. What do we do?"
The diclonius captain growled, sensing the movement of masses of diclonius in Japan. "Something's happening we didn't anticipate. Something's drawing them toward Kamakura." An ominous presence suddenly overshadowed him. "Damn…check the global scanners, Ron, and see if there's movement like this worldwide."
"Yes sir," Ron replied, returning to his station. He quickly made a search with the satellite uplink and his face turned ashened. "Sir…I think you'd better see this." Again, he transferred the image the captain's screen and the captain's face fell.
"Dear God!" Chris breathed as they saw thousands of blips on land, sea, and in the air creeping toward Japan from all over the world.
"Captain," the communication's officer called out, walking urgently over to the captain.
"What is it, James?" Fargo replied.
"We have a problem," James declared.
"Tell me something I don't know," the captain snapped.
"Well, there's been a problem at headquarters," James stated.
"Go on," the captain replied.
"Two minutes ago, we received a garbled coded message that was cut off in mid-transmission," James stated grimly. "Just before the transmission was terminated, I heard gunfire on the other end. Sir, something bad has happened at headquarters."
Fargo sighed grimly, watching the red dots on the map slowly moving toward Kamakura. Abruptly rising, he ordered, "Let me hear the message, James." James led the captain, first mate, and Ron to his station.
James sat down at his station, pushed a button, and the message played. He adjusted the volume so only those around him could hear it.
"Chimera…this is SHIVA… (static)…Code Hades… (static)…mission compromised…coup in...(static)…Enact final… (static)…protect Valkyrie…" Machine gun fire echoed in the background, followed by shrieks, and then dead air.
"This is bad, isn't it, Captain?" Chris commented.
"Yes…it is, Chris," Fargo replied. "With a Code Hades warning, it can only mean that SHIVA itself has been compromised from within. I was afraid of this. I knew Charlie's contact at the airport was one of those inside SHIVA who wanted the eradication of the diclonius. It means they have taken control of the organization."
"What're we going to do, captain?" Ron asked.
"We complete our mission," Fargo declared. "We secure and protect the Valkyrie until she can determine our fates."
"But how can we do that if SHIVA has turned against the Queen?" Chris asked.
"We have enough information in that communiqué to secure our orders," Fargo said. "With Code Hades in effect and the order to enact final protocol to protect the Valkyrie, our orders are clear. We shall go off the grid. Chris, summon the security chief and the officers to the bridge."
"Yes sir," Chris barked with a salute. He quickly set out on his mission.
"Ron, try to find a way to mask our presence from the satellites without loosing our connection to them," the captain ordered.
"Yes sir," Ron stated, returning to his station.
"James, get Charlie on a secure frequency. We must warn her of what's
happening," Fargo stated urgently.
"I'm on it, captain," James replied, getting to work.
"I hope we can get through. I wonder if ARGUS is having the same kind of problems we are," Fargo murmured under his breath as he walked to the captain's chair. Sitting down in it, he watched the screen of dots converging on Japan from all over the world.
A couple minutes later, Chris returned with the security chief and half dozen officers. "What's the problem, chief?" the security chief asked.
"Phillip…ladies and gentlemen, we have a dilemma," Fargo replied. "A Code Hades warning was issued with the order to enact final protocol." Then to the sailors on the bridge, he barked, "Clear the bridge!"
"Aye sir," the sailors replied in unison, leaving the room.
Once the bridge was cleared of everyone except the officers, Fargo asked, "Is the bridge secure, Phillip?"
"Yes sir," the security chief replied, locking the door.
"Are you sure it was Code Hades, Captain?" a diclonius woman with long maroon hair asked.
"Yes, Sarah…I'm afraid so," Fargo stated grimly. "James…replay the message for everyone. I want everyone to hear this to confirm my conclusions."
"Aye sir," James replied, replaying the message from headquarters. They listened with grim faces.
For a few moments, everyone remained silent. Then a human woman from Norway with dark brown hair and eyes stated, "Has the message been verified?"
"Yes ma'am," James replied. "All the codes and encryption were legitimate. I checked it myself several times before bringing it to the captain's attention."
"Let me see," she ordered and James let her sit at his station. "Mina, come and confirm my findings." A Japanese woman with short black hair and hazel eyes walked up and watched as the woman scanned the message and its encryption.
"Well, Elle…what does the intelligence service think?" Fargo asked.
Elle looked at Mina after finishing the scan of the message and she nodded. "It's legitimate, captain," Elle reported.
"I agree with the lieutenant's finding," Mina stated. "This is a legitimate message and sounds more like a distress call than anything else. Something bad has definitely happened at headquarters."
"Just as I thought," Fargo stated. "James…continue to try to reach Charlie."
"Yes sir," James stated, going back to his work.
"Sir…what exactly does Code Hades mean?" a diclonius male with short bronze hair asked.
"Elle…would you care to inform us what Code Hades means?" Fargo asked.
"Code Hades is the worst message we could receive," Elle reported. "It means that headquarters has fallen to a hostile force from within and that we are to act autonomously from now on free from the chain of command. Everyone here knows about the growing divisions within SHIVA about how to deal with the diclonius, particularly the one codenamed Valkyrie. Code Hades means that headquarters is now under the control of people who believe the diclonius race should be exterminated. Add into the mix the order to enact the final protocol to protect the Valkyrie and our orders are clear. We are to find and secure the Valkyrie at all cost, protecting her from everyone, especially SHIVA."
"So how are we going to do that?" the weapons officer asked.
"We go off the grid and take the initiative," Fargo stated. "We have little time before this powder keg explodes. Take a look at this monitor." He pointed to his display showing the blinking lights creeping toward Japan from all over the world. "We have to grab her and her consorts before they can get to her. She must have time to decide our fates."
The eyes of the officers grew wide and the chief engineer breathed, "My god…what's happening here? Why are they all moving toward Kamakura? Isn't the Valkyrie on the move away from that area?"
"Yes…from our latest intelligence reports, that's true," Fargo stated. "We suspect that an agent of ARGUS has made contact with her and is protecting her. However, the critical question is why all these diclonius are heading toward Kamakura. The only thing there is Kakuzawa's Institute, housing some of the most dangerous of our kind. He's playing a very dangerous game here. The latest briefing from our people within the Institute stated that Kakuzawa has awakened a very dangerous diclonius they call number Sixty-six to assist in capturing the Valkyrie. SHIVA Intelligence seems to believe this man may be the King of Japan. This happened almost a week ago. Since then, I've sensed a major disturbance in the Collective. Something of great power is throwing the balance in favor of the Fury, causing its strength to grow exponentially. This may account for the spike in diclonius behavior we're seeing. Everyone be very careful, especially those of us who are diclonius. Do not let the Fury burn for it will be our downfall if it does."
"You believe someone is manipulating the Fury in the Collective, don't you, Captain," Chris suggested.
"I do," Fargo replied. "The King of Japan is involved in this somehow. Yet I can't tell if he's doing the manipulating or whether the Fury itself is causing this. In any event, he's neck-deep in this. If we find him, he must be eliminated. His activities are endangering the entire planet."
"Captain…what about ARGUS and their agent you suspect is helping the Valkyrie?" a diclonius woman with long pink hair tied in a ponytail asked.
"I don't know," he replied. "We know they are after the Valkyrie too. Whether they're having the same trouble we are is beyond my knowledge for now. As for the suspected agent, we shall just have to wait and see. Up until this point, the Valkyrie has not strayed from the greater Kamakura area. However, according to the most recent intel, she is heading south…a marked change in her behavior pattern. It also stated that she and her friends were rescued by a powerful diclonius when their home burned in an attack by a rogue soldier. The point is we don't have enough information. That's why Charlie was sent in…to gather intelligence. Also, I'm sure the Kraken is prowling these waters too. We must find out what's going on and, if necessary, be ready to do whatever is necessary to protect the Valkyrie and our mission. Elle, Mina…I want both of you on this. Find out what's going. Locating the Kraken should be top priority as well. Its ARGUS field flagship."
"Yes sir," Elle and Mina chimed in unison. "Sir, we should also take a serious look at disabling the chips implanted in us. We don't want SHIVA or ARGUS to find us because of that or activate the special features in it to sabotage our mission," Elle pointed out.
"Your absolutely right," Fargo agreed. "Coordinate with Phillip, Ron, and Quang in the infirmary to do this. That has absolute top priority. Remove the chips, if possible. Otherwise, disable them so they can't be tracked."
"Yes sir," Elle, Phillip, Ron, and Quang replied simultaneously.
"So…are we all in agreement on how to proceed?" Fargo asked.
"I think I speak for everyone when I say to hell with SHIVA, ARGUS, and the rest of the world," Phillip stated. "They have turned against the Valkyrie and us so we should do likewise. Let's do this and save the Queen. She must have the opportunity to decide our fates."
"I agree," the chief engineer chimed. "Let's do this." A round of agreements rose from the officers.
Fargo smiled grimly. "So be it…from this point forward, we are on our own. SHIVA is to be considered an enemy. I want extra security on the ship's sensitive areas. If anyone acts suspiciously or the Fury takes them, do whatever is necessary to secure the ship and this mission. That order includes me. The mission is all that matters now. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes sir!" the officers barked in unison with a smart salute.
"Sir…I have established contact with Charlie in Kyushu," James called out.
"Put her on," Fargo ordered.
James flipped the switch and said, "Go ahead, sir…the line is open."
"Nemesis…this is Chimera. Do you read?" Fargo said.
"Yes, Chimera…I read you," Charlie's voice replied through the speaker. "You caught me at a bad time. This better be important."
"It is, Nemesis," Fargo stated. "We're now operating under Code Hades and the order for Final Protocol has been issued. Don't trust anyone you meet. To make sure I sent them, say to them 'The sun is bright in the west.' If they answer, 'But the storm is approaching from the east,' then they'll be one of our people. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Chimera…I've sensed the disturbance," Charlie replied. "Someone has tampered with the Collective. The Fury is growing as I speak. But never fear...I'll accomplish my mission."
"Do whatever is necessary," Fargo stated. "We're officially off the grid now. Watch your back and be ready. You should destroy your chip so you can't be tracked."
"It's already taken care of," Charlie replied.
"Good," Fargo said. "We will rendezvous in sector seven in three days...and Nemesis…be very careful. Diclonius all over Japan are on the move toward Kamakura."
"Right…Nemesis out," Charlie answered with the line going dead afterwards.
Turning to the officers, Fargo stated, "We all know what to do, so let's get started."
"Aye sir," they replied, dispersing back to their stations. The sailors sent out before the meeting returned to their posts on the bridge as Fargo picked up the microphone.
"James…open the intercom," he ordered.
James flipped a switch, saying, "You're live, sir."
Fargo cleared his throat. "This is the captain," Fargo annouced. His voice echoed throughout the ship. "Sailors of the Chimera…the unthinkable has occurred. SHIVA has been compromised. As of 18:47 hours, a Code Hades order for Final Protocol has been initiated. We shall continue on our mission to secure the Valkyrie off the grid. All hands are to have their implants disabled and/or destroyed so we can't be tracked. Security Chief Phillip Zubiar, Intelligence chief Elle Eldrich, and Doctor Quang Le will supervise everyone's implants being disabled. When the security chief calls your section, head to the infirmary where your implants will be deactivated. Anyone who resists will be taken by force. No implants will be allowed to function on this ship. Headquarters has turned against the Valkyrie and us so we must turn against them. SHIVA and all other entities who want to terminate the Queen before she can determine our fates shall hunt us. We cannot allow them to succeed. We must act decisively and immediately. I have faith in you to do this. Now, all hands to battle stations." The klaxon went off and the crew scrambled to their posts.
One at a time, the sectors of the ship reported in…each with full enthusiasm and support for their mission. The alarm silenced after a couple of minutes. "Are we ready?" Fargo asked Chris.
"Yes sir, captain," he replied. "All posts are manned and ready to go. The crew and officers are behind you one hundred percent…just awaiting your order."
"Good," the captain replied with a sigh and a smile. "Helm, come about north-by northeast, heading three-two-five…depth one hundred forty meters. We're going to Tsukumi."
"Aye sir," the helmsman replied. Fargo cast a friendly smile at the human who steered his ship.
"Engage the Dragon drive and ahead full…we're going in silent," Fargo ordered.
"Yes sir," Chris answered, picking up the mike. "Engine room, release the dragon…all ahead full. All hands, we are running silent. Bridge out." Turning back to Fargo, he said, "Everything is go, sir."
"Mr. Hans…take us in," Fargo ordered the helmsman.
"Aye sir," Hans replied, pushing gently on the controls and the Chimera silently moved toward the coast of Kyushu.
* * *
Meanwhile, eight miles offshore of Kamakura, another large state-of-the-art submarine cruised at periscope depth. A burly man with silver hair, two horns, maroon eyes, wearing a captain's uniform peered through the periscope. On his shoulder sat a curious insignia resembling an open eye inside a shining circle sitting in front of two crossed katanas. "Helm…come about to heading two-one-eight, south-by-southeast…depth one hundred twenty meters. Navigation…set a course for Tsukumi," the man ordered.
"Aye sir," a diclonius woman with short pink hair sitting at the helm replied.
"Aye sir," a Japanese man answered at the navigator's station.
"Multiple sonar contacts, captain…heading three-zero-zero, twelve thousand meters and closing," a sailor manning the sonar station announced.
"How many, Allan?" the captain asked, spinning the periscope around to the announced heading.
"Seven, sir," the sailor replied. "…two heavy frigates, three destroyers, and two missile cruisers."
A scowl crossed the captain's face as he located the ships in his scope. "Damn…they look like Japanese Navy. ARGUS must have called on them to take us out." At that moment, a loud ping echoed through the sub.
"Sir, we've just been pinged," Allan called out. "Active sonar contact eleven thousand five hundred meters and closing. They are on definitive search and destroy, captain."
The captain pulled the scope down. "So I noticed…Miss Karosuma, take us down to the bottom. Our only chance is to hide. Engine room…engage the worm and full ahead. All hands…rig for silent running. Miss Karosuma…go!"
The diclonius woman at the helm replied, "Aye sir." She pushed forward on the helm and the ship sank into the inky depths of the ocean, running silent as a ghost.
"Sir…may I have a word?" the first mate whispered in the captain's ear. He nodded. "Are you sure about this? If ARGUS discovers what we're doing, we'll be executed."
The captain glared at the first mate's green eyes. "Jericho, I understand your concern," he whispered. "But you heard the order and saw the map. ARGUS can no longer be trusted. Kakuzawa has spies inside the organization who have revealed the location of the Queen. We're no longer to consider ARGUS a friendly entity. This intelligence came directly from the intelligence chief, Saito Murata. There is a power play going on inside of ARGUS as we speak. He also informed me that SHIVA has turned against the Queen as well. The military has been mobilized to counter the sudden spike in diclonius activity and us. It seems to me that whoever pulls off the greatest grandstand play will win all the marbles here and dictate the future of both our kinds. If they manage to kill the queen, we're doomed. We must get to her immediately. We may be her only hope. I just hope Jin can keep her safe until then."
"Sir…the fleet is ten thousand meters and closing," the sonar officer quietly announced.
"Weapons…launch the decoy, heading zero-three-zero, north-by-northeast," the captain ordered.
The ship shuddered slightly and the weapons officer said, "Decoy away."
"All stop, Miss Karosuma," the captain ordered. "What's our depth?"
"One-nine-five meters, captain," the dive officer stated. "We're approximately five meters off the bottom."
"Ease us down to the bottom, Miss Karosuma…easy," the captain ordered as the sub drifted down.
"Three meters," the dive officer announced. "Two meters..."
Adjust pitch up half a degree," the captain ordered. "Lower the skids."
"Skids lowered, captain," Jericho called out.
Karosuma pulled back on the helm. "One meter…half a meter," the dive officer counted. Moments later the sub lurched to a stop with a loud groan.
"All stop, captain," Karosuma announced with a sigh, wiping the sweat from her forehead.
"Engage the sonar shield. Sonar…watch them carefully," he murmured. Picking up the microphone, he announced, "All hands…we're going silent…captain out."
"Sonar shield activated," the weapons officer reported.
Walking over to Karosuma, Fargo patted her on the shoulder and smiled with a nod. She returned the smile, grabbing his hand briefly.
The sonar officer quietly announced the distances, with each reading closer than the last. Twelve minutes into his count, he whispered, "They're changing course, sir. The decoy appears to be working…three thousand meters and opening." The captain and first mate looked at each other with a sigh of relief.
"Let me know when they are out of range," the captain ordered.
"Aye sir," the sonar officer replied softly.
Turning back to the first mate, he hissed softly, "Don't ever question me in front of the crew like that again. Next time, I'll lock you in the brig for mutiny."
"Sir, I had no idea the message came from the intelligence chief of ARGUS. Forgive my ignorance…all I want to do is make sure this mission is completed successfully," Jericho whispered.
The captain smiled coolly at him. "I suppose I can let it go this time. You have to remember we're trying to stop a war from erupting between your kind and mine. Only the Queen can answer that question and it's our job to see that she lives long enough to do so."
"I understand, sir," the first mate murmured. "I won't question you again like that in front of the crew."
"Good," the captain said softly. He noticed how nervous Jericho looked and added, "Relax…you did a good job. Just remember your protocol and you'll be fine."
Ten minutes later, the sonar officer announced, "The fleet is out of range, sir."
"Very good…Miss Karosuma, excellent job setting us down on the bottom," Fargo praised.
"Thank you, sir," she replied, running her hand through her hair.
"Now, if you please, Miss Karosuma, take us to Tsukumi…all ahead full," the captain ordered.
"Yes sir," Karosuma replied, pulling up on the helm. The Kraken lifted off the bottom and slipped away without a sound, heading for Kyushu.
* * *
At the Institute, Security Chief Ezra Makoto lay in a heap on the lab floor, bleeding profusely from numerous gashes to his face and bare torso. He looked up through the blood in his eyes, seeing Kakuzawa's face twisted in rage. "You made a fatal error in going against me, Ezra," Kakuzawa snarled.
"You'll not get away with this, Kakuzawa," Ezra countered defiantly, spitting blood.
"You can't stop the inevitable, Ezra. You can't stop evolution," Kakuzawa hissed, kicking him viciously in the head, sending blood splattering from the hit. Ezra rolled from the hit, barely conscious. Blood oozed from mouth. "Put him in the machine," Kakuzawa ordered. The guards picked up Ezra, dragging him to a large metal table with straps sitting on a pedestal. They quickly strapped him down while Kakuzawa walked up. Ezra stared, glass-eyed at Kakuzawa as he stated, "This machine is for harvesting body parts. Your parts will be invaluable to my research, even though you are human. I will take your internal organs and use them however I wish and your flesh and bone will be reduced to a protein mix to be fed intravenously to our diclonius subjects. There will be nothing left for anyone to find. Too bad you turned against me. You were a good security chief. However, like Miss Arakawa, you failed to realize that I know everything that happens here. The moment I saw the disk you gave me, I realized you were not with me. Now you will pay for your betrayal."
"Go ahead…kill me, monster," Ezra whispered. "By killing me, you seal your fate."
Kakuzawa's face turned beet red and he hammered Ezra on the forehead with his clenched fist, knocking him senseless. "It is you whose fate is sealed. Clear the room!" The guards retreated from the room, leaving Kakuzawa standing there alone. He backed away several steps, snarling, "Give my regards to oblivion…Activate the machine!"
The table hummed for a moment. Suddenly, robotic attachments appeared from the table base and proceeded to efficiently dismember Ezra, salvaging his vital organs. Blood sprayed from the table, splattering on Kakuzawa's face as he watched with icy satisfaction. Ezra's gurgling scream echoed through the lab and was cut brutally short when the robotic apparatus removed his heart, lungs, and brain simultaneously. Kakuzawa wiped the blood from his face and turned, walking away. "Now to find who is still loyal," he hissed. "I will not have my plans subverted by anyone…not when I'm this close."
* * *
Sixty-Six chuckled grimly as he sensed Ezra's execution. "The half-breed is as ruthless as I am. However, he isn't half as smart as I am. All I have to do is spur his Fury and he'll do whatever I ask…to his own destruction. Soon, very soon, I shall be free and Lucy will be mine."
* * *
Meanwhile, in Kakuzawa's office, the disk with the animation of Kakuzawa's dismemberment continued to download into the Institute's computer system. The whole computer system abruptly fluctuated for a millisecond when the download completed. Deep in the Institute's unmanned computer core, the download completed message from the disk flashed on the monitor. A small counter also appeared with the message, reading 96:00:00. Instantly, the counter started counting down by the second. Half a second later, it disappeared, followed by the download complete message with the core monitor returning to its default setting with no one seeing it.
* * *
Kohta awoke with a jerk, finding Lucy leaning against him, asleep. He looked around, seeing Aiko checking over Yuka, Jin sipping on a bottle of water while Doug drove the van. The sun had set and the full moon was peeking over the mountains outside the van's windshield. A groan escaped his lips. Jin heard it and reached into a cooler, procuring a bottle of water. "Here," he said, handing the closed bottle to Kohta. "You should drink something. You've been out a couple of hours."
Kohta accepted the bottle, opening it. After taking a swallow, he asked, "What happened?"
"You fell asleep shortly after Lucy did," Jin stated. "It's good that you did. You needed it with those wounds."
"Where are we?" Kohta asked after draining half the bottle.
"We're coming up on Byodoin Temple just outside of Uji," Jin replied.
"Wait a minute…I thought you said we're going to Aso," Kohta blurted out. "We're still several hours away from Aso. Why did you tell us it was only an hour to your safe house when we weren't? What exactly are you up to?"
"My original plan failed," Jin countered. "I had planned to fly us to Aso. When I told you that, we were an hour away from the airfield at Ena. However, after you fell asleep, I received word from my friends in ARGUS that Ena was a no-go. The military got wind of where we were going and set up an ambush. Therefore, I changed the plan. I have a friend who owes me a favor. We're going to meet her at Byodoin, and then we're going to Aso."
"A likely story," Kohta growled. "How do we know that your friends weren't just feeding you a bunch of shit knowing that you'd do exactly what you're doing now?"
Jin's face soured. "You still don't trust me."
"No duh," Kohta sneered.
"Yet you're here," Jin retorted.
"Not by choice I might point out," Kohta stated icily. "All I know is we're being hunted by the whole damned world because of something Lucy may or may not do. That's just plain nuts."
Jin sighed, realizing Kohta was merely venting. "Do you really want to know what I'm doing?"
"I'm all ears," Kohta chimed.
"To be honest, I'm taking you to a secluded safe house near Aso to help Lucy heal herself," Jin stated. "I'd planned all along to do that. However, events have accelerated and I had to move ahead of schedule. I am just as suspicious of the info from ARGUS as you are. That's why I have contacted my friend and asked her to meet us at Byodoin. She's not part of ARGUS or any of the groups who're causing this problem." He paused for a moment. "Her name is Kagami Nariko. Long ago, when I was just a little younger than you are now, I was like Lucy. I was hated and spurned by humans because of what I was. I despised and killed them whenever the opportunity arose, but only in self-defense. I never liked the bloodshed. I'd go out of my way to keep a low profile. Yet somehow, they always found out what I was and I would be forced to kill. It seemed that was the only way I could survive…by killing those who persecuted me. The Fury burned within me uncontrollably. You have no idea what it feels like…the icy hate, the emptiness, and sorrow of being cast away because you're not like everyone else. Monster and freak they called me, saying this world wasn't meant for people like me. And like a fool, I believed them, allowing it to poison my mind and soul, fueling the Fury brought on by my powers and a lifetime of being abused and mistreated. Yes…I was just like Lucy.
"Then, like Lucy, I encountered a someone who didn't recoil in disgust and horror at what I was. It was Kagami. I remember it well. I had just fled Beppu and taken refuge at the Stone Buddhas when she walked into my life." Jin paused, taking a sip of water from his bottle, and then continued with his remembrance, describing the incident in detail.
A teenage Jin stumbled into the Shrine of the Stone Buddhas in the middle of the night, trying to escape the icy rain pouring from the dark sky. He trembled from being drenched, chilled to the bone. He wiped his face and nose with his hand while looking around, seeing the shrine vacant. A relieved sigh escaped his lips. Trudging to the far right side of the line of Buddhas, he collapsed against the pedestal and rock wall. Leaning against it, he curled into a fetal position, shaking uncontrollably from the chill wracking his body. This is it. I'm going to die right here and no one will care, he thought as intense fatigue, hunger, and cold pressed on him, making him drowsy. His eyes drooped and he slipped into a fitful sleep. Some time after falling asleep, voices started echoing dimly in his ears.
"Father…there's someone over here," a female voice announced.
"See if he's alive. No one should be out on a night like this," a deep voice ordered.
"Father…he's a diclonius," the female voice added, a slight tremor in her voice.
"Makes no difference, Kagami," the deep voice stated. "He's still someone in need of our help. It's our responsibility to help him. Now see if he's still alive."
"Yes, he is," the female voice replied.
"Wake him gently…don't startle him," the deep voice ordered.
Jin felt someone shake him gently. "Sir…sir, wake up," the female voice murmured in his ear.
Jin coughed and snapped awake. He looked up, seeing a beautiful young woman with long black hair and green eyes dressed in a wet raincoat and black skirt. A relieved smile decorated her long oval face. He scrambled away from her and she jumped back. Holding her hands out in a peace gesture, she cooed, "Please don't be afraid, sir. I'm not going to hurt you."
"Get out of here before I kill you!" Jin snarled fearfully, seeing an elderly man in a raincoat with his hood up standing back a few feet behind the woman.
"I can't," the woman replied. "You'll die if you stay here. I'm here to help. Please, let me help you."
"Why would you want to help me?" Jin hissed, followed by a cough that brought up blood. He spit it out and glared weakly at the woman. "Don't you know I'm a monster?"
"You're no monster," she cooed, kneeling a few feet away in front of him. "You're just a lost soul who needs help. I don't care who or what you are, what you look like, what your capable of, or even what you've done to put you in this position. Please, let me show you the way out of the darkness that I can clearly see you're in. Not everyone condemns you for being the way you are. I don't and my father doesn't either. You're welcome to come with us to a warm, dry place where we will take care of you. I promise no harm will come to you, even though I know you are capable of killing me where I stand. Please…don't throw your life away and die here at the feet of the great Buddha. He cherishes all life as we do." She held out her hand.
"Son…please come with us," the elderly man stated calmly. "You're no longer alone." Jin looked into the old man's maroon eyes and bristled as his vectors emerged, ready to strike. The old man's eyes narrowed. "Please don't do that, son. Rein in your vectors. We mean you no harm." He dropped his hood, exposing his head. Even in the dim light, Jin could see two telltale protrusions sticking out of elderly man's head along with his snow-white hair.
"What do you want?" Jin demanded. "My life…because you'll have to take it!"
The old man smiled warmly at him. "Oh son, don't be that way. We're here to help you find your way. Why else would we be out here so late on a terrible night like this? Please, come with us and no harm will come to you."
"I think not," Jin growled. "I've heard that story too often before and every time, pain, anguish, and death awaits me at the end of the line. I'm not going through that again!" In an instant, his vectors shot forward.
Before they reached the woman, a single vector emerged from the old man, punching directly into Jin's pineal gland. Jin's eyes grew wide as his vectors evaporated. "There…now you won't hurt us," the old man said smoothly.
"What did you do to me?" Jin screamed, followed by a fit of coughing that brought up more blood.
"I merely disabled your vectors so you wouldn't kill us," the old man stated.
"Go on…kill me!" Jin sobbed, realizing he was defenseless.
"You still don't understand," the woman cooed. "We're not here to hurt you. We want to help you. You may not realize it, but my father and I have felt the same betrayals and sorrows you have. Please, you don't have to live like an animal. Come with us and live like a real person should. Please!"
"She's right, son," the old man said. "You don't have to live in fear any longer. I can teach you how to tame your Fury and master your powers. You're here for a great purpose. Now please, come with us. We will heal your body and your mind. If you stay here any longer, you'll die from exposure. The blood you're coughing up is a sure sigh of great medical distress. If you don't remedy it now, you will surely die and all those humans who see you as a monster will win. Do you want them to win?"
"Hell no!" Jin snapped. "I want to live. I want to have everything a regular person has."
"We can give it to you, son," the old man declared. "But only if you take the first step and come with us."
The woman walked slowly toward Jin on her knees with her hand out. "Please trust us," she cooed with a broad smile.
"What is your name?" Jin asked.
"Kagami," she stated. "…and I promise I will never betray you."
Jin grasped her hand and an eerie feeling shot up his arm and down his spine…a warm, tingling feeling. "See…I'm touching you and not hurting you," Kagami cooed. "Oh…you're chilled to the bone. Come, we have a hot bath and a warm bed waiting for you. Don't we, father?"
"That we do," the old man stated, walking up. He leaned down, taking Jin by the arm as Kagami pulled Jin's arm around her shoulder. She positioned herself to support Jin and stood up while her father pulled Jin up. He positioned himself opposite of Kagami, holding Jin's other arm while wrapping his arm around him. "Come on, son. Let's go home before someone sees us."
Jin allowed himself to be carried to a waiting car in the rain, marveling that someone actually wanted to help him. They sat him in the back seat, wrapped a blanket around him, and Kagami sat next to him, wrapping her arms around his shivering form. The old man sat in the driver's seat and the car sped away. As they drove away, Jin asked the old man, "What's your name?"
"My name is Akira Nariko, son," he replied. "What's your name, son?"
"I'm Jin," Jin replied, cuddling close to Kagami, appreciating the heat of her body and the first friendly contact he'd ever had with another person. "Where are you taking me?"
"We're going to my home at Aso," Akira stated. "I have a refuge from the world there where no one will bother us. There you can heal and learn the way of our kind…the true way."
"Are you like me?" Jin asked Kagami.
"Not exactly," she replied. "I'm only part diclonius. My mother is human."
"Diclonius…what's that?" Jin queried.
"It's what we are," Akira stated. "We're the next step of human evolution. Eventually, we'll become the dominant species. That is if we can control our destructive impulses long enough to mature as a species. There is much for you to learn, young Jin. But don't worry about that right now. Just know that you are safe with us."
"You see," Jin stated as he finished account. "Kagami and Akira saved my life and set my feet upon the path of knowledge, which has brought me to this point in my life. That's why I trust them. If they hadn't found me that night, I would've been dead by that morning. I had a severe case of pneumonia when they found me. It took me two months to get over it."
"So that's why you want to take us to Aso," Kohta murmured. "It's where you found your way."
"Exactly," Jin stated. "Akira's refuge at Aso is a well-kept secret. Only a handful of people know of its existence. It's a place of healing, meditation, and life. The place emanates it. Until I went there, all I knew was death and destruction…the Fury. However, once I got there, my life changed in ways I never imagined for the better."
"That's a nice story," Lucy whispered, looking up weakly. "Are you sure it's real and not a figment of your imagination?"
"You're awake!" Kohta chimed with delight. "How much did you hear?"
"Most of it," she murmured.
Jin opened the cooler, procured a bottle of water, and handed it to Kohta. "Here, give Lucy something to drink. She needs it." Kohta took the bottle, opened it, and handed it to Lucy. "To answer your question, milady…no, it's not a figment. It's real and you will see it soon enough."
"Why aren't we there already?" she asked. Kohta helped her hold the bottle as she sipped from it.
"A fly in the ointment, Lucy," Jin said. "I had to abandon my original plan on getting there. I had to call in a favor from Kagami. We're going to meet her now. She will find a way to get us to Aso."
"The same Kagami you talked about in your story?" Lucy asked.
"The same," he replied. Turning to Doug, he asked, "How much farther to Byodoin?"
"Five minutes, Boss," Doug replied. Just then, he frowned. "Boss…do you feel that?"
Jin's head snapped around, looking out the front window. "I do…something isn't right. I'm sensing two powerful presences and they're hostile."
Lucy's eyes darkened as a growl rose from her. She too sensed them. "So much for keeping us safe…You've walked us right into a trap!"
"Not necessarily," Jin stated. "I'm also sensing Kagami and a couple other diclonius who are with her. They're not with the hostile ones. We must be careful." He picked up a CB and spoke into it. "Hey guys…we've got trouble brewing ahead. We have some heavy hitters up ahead, so watch yourself and the girls."
"Roger," Shen replied through the speaker. "Are they disguised?"
"Very likely," Jin stated. "I suspect we may be facing a royal pair. The last time I felt something like this was in Prague. I'm sure they're after Lucy."
"Same game plan as Prague?" Shen asked.
"Yes…just be aware that Kagami has two diclonius friendlies with her, so pick your targets wisely," Jin ordered.
"Got it," Shen stated. "You copy that, Tian?"
"We copy…Prague it is," Tian's voice echoed through the speaker.
"Good…Jin out," Jin said, hanging up the CB. Turning back to Lucy, he said, "You let us handle this, milady. You should stay in the van until I come get you. Doug will stay with you until we've dealt with this pair of rogues."
"Don't tell me what to do," Lucy snapped.
"It's just a friendly suggestion," Jin replied. "It's the safest place for you and your friends."
"We're here," Doug announced, turning off the road into the parking lot for the Byodoin Temple.
"Park close to the road, Doug," Jin ordered.
"Right, Boss," he answered, pulling into an empty slot near the parking lot entrance. The other two vans in their convoy pulled up next to them.
"Stay here until I make sure it's safe. Aiko, how's the little lady?" Jin asked.
"Yuka's doing fine," Aiko stated. "Her condition is stable."
"Good…everyone keep an eye out," Jin ordered. "If things get out of hand, leave immediately. I'll catch up with you."
"Right," Doug and Aiko replied in unison.
With that, Jin slipped out of the van. A mixed group of four humans and three diclonius from the third van surrounded him. "We've two royal class rogues close by. I'm going to flush them out and you guys take them down."
"Yes sir," the group chimed. With that, they walked away, heading toward the Temple.