I promised you a chapter before Christmas, so I give you a chapter before Christmas!
I actually don't have all that much to say before this chapter, just an invitation.
If anyone's interested in a long-term Hikaru no Go role-play over Livejournal, come over to the Livejournal community thepathwewalk (link should be on my look-up, if you need it).
So far, only Touya Akira's been claimed (by me!) and... yeah. Touya's birthday is coming up, December 14th. Please don't make him be all alone when he turns 16!
Traits:
C#: Clone, and then the number of the clone
H: Human (indicates half-Bionic, as half-Bionics genetically have all traits of their parents (but may not show them all))
F/M: Female/Male
A: Connective (Augmentation/Amplification – boosts strengths of others)
C: Calculating (really really smart)
F: Flexibility (agile and bendy)
L: Linguistic (good with languages)
M: Morphable (able to manipulate self/environment)
P: Psychic (supernatural or mental abilities)
Q: Speed (Quick – 50 mph for pure Bionics)
R: Regenerative (Fast healing)
S: Strength (physical strength without bulky muscles)
Bionic – Escape
Getting into the compound was easy now, now that Mitani knew the way. There was a scraggly tree just close enough to the outer wall. If he climbed to the top, it was just a quick jump to the wall, then a flip to get over the barbed wire. If he flattened himself against the edge of the giant dome building, he could creep around without going too far into the bright lights that flooded the compound. There was one section of the dome that was pressed against another building and thus shadowed. This was what Mitani climbed, hopping over to the other building and climbing a drainpipe hand over hand to reach the roof. Once on top, it was a simple matter for him to duck and run through the maze of pipes, occasionally jumping over to another building. Finally, Mitani hooked his legs over a horizontal pipe and let himself hang down, peering through a barred window.
The compound had been the last place in this section of Tokyo that Mitani had looked for Kaga in. He had been a bit afraid of what security might be in place, no matter how logical it was to think Kaga was being held within. This was a high-profile government science facility, after all, it had to have some sort of defenses. However, to Mitani's delight, the only security measure he really had to worry about was the bright lights. As he had told Kaga already, the place was full of pipes and bars. Mitani would have enjoyed climbing around if he wasn't so worried about getting caught.
It had taken Mitani a week of searching the compound alone to find Kaga's cell. He still didn't know what was in about three-fourths of the place, including the large dome that dominated the site.
Now, however, hanging from his pipe, Mitani could make out several figures in Kaga's cell. Several men. They had Kaga on the ground, between them. Kaga's shirt was pushed up... he had a dazed expression on his face... one of the men had a taser (that would explain the expression and lack of a struggle on Kaga's part)... another was between Kaga's legs... he was... they were...
Mitani's eyes were wide as he watched, horrified, as the men gang-raped Kaga, beating the boy back into submission every time he started to stir. There was nothing he could do, however, no way to get inside and help Kaga. And even if he did find a way in, what could he do? What could he possibly do to a group of armed men, men who were able to subdue Kaga, the strongest person he knew? Mitani bit the side of his hand to stay quiet. There was no glass in the barred window. Kaga would be very upset if Mitani got caught by being noisy while he was being nosy... and Mitani didn't want to be subjected to this treatment any more than he wanted Kaga in there.
A flicker of movement in the corner of his eye caught Mitani's attention. He turned his head slightly, wondering if it was a guard on rounds other than the ones Mitani had memorized, and saw Isumi and Ashiwara, holding hands and sprinting toward one of the big cement prison buildings. Mitani winced, expecting them to crash into the wall with the speed they were going, but much to his surprise, the pair ran through the wall.
Mitani rubbed his eyes – he couldn't have just seen that. People don't run through walls, they run into them.
But Isumi and Ashiwara had run through the wall. They were following Kurata's instructions, or, rather, Isumi was. Ashiwara was just letting Isumi lead him. The younger knew more about "smooshing" through solids (Kurata's word) than Ashiwara did. Ashiwara was only there so Isumi could smoosh Waya out.
This way. Ashiwara heard Isumi's words not through his ears, but through his body, through the subtle vibrations of the cement surrounding him. He felt a tug on his hand and began to walk, trusting Isumi to lead him through the cool press of stone around them. We need to climb now.
Climb? Ashiwara felt Isumi tugging his hand upward, but he couldn't see how Isumi was managing to climb. All he could see was grey stone, stone which felt solid and heavy until he tried to move through it, which was when it would part around him as smoothly as water. I can't!
Isumi paused, giving Ashiwara's hand one last tug. Lift your leg like climbing a stair, and then imagine the cement being solid underneath. Just keep thinking of it as solid, and it will support you.
O-okay... Ashiwara lifted his foot and closed his eyes as he shifted his weight, imagining the cement to be solid. To his surprise, his foot didn't sink through the cement as it had before. Isumi! It didn't give! No sooner had he reported his success to Isumi then the "step" gave way and Ashiwara fell forward. Isumi's grip on his hand kept him vaguely upright.
Don't think about it giving, Isumi said. Just keep thinking, "I'm standing on a step, and there's another one above." That works best for me.
Ashiwara nodded, running the phrase through his mind, and began to climb. A couple times, he lost his concentration and dangled in the cement, held up only by Isumi's firm grip. The higher they climbed, however, the more confident Ashiwara became. By the fifth floor, Ashiwara was no longer falling.
This is it, Isumi said. Waya should be on the other side of this wall.
Ashiwara squeezed Isumi's hand reassuringly. I'm sure he is.
Isumi took a deep breath, somehow managing to not inhale stone, and stepped through the wall. Ashiwara silently followed.
"Waya!" Isumi released Ashiwara's hand crossed the cell, seeing the small figure curled up in a corner, trying to hide between the wall and toilet. "Waya!" Isumi dropped to his knees and reached out for the boy.
Waya whimpered and pulled away, ducking his head behind his knees and bringing his arms up protectively.
"Waya..." Isumi pulled his hands back, looking hurt. Ashiwara hung back, watching from a distance.
Waya began to rock back and forth, curled in the corner. His quiet sobs were the only sounds in the cell.
Isumi bit his lip, watching Waya suffering. He knew this was Waya, his Waya, the same way he had known Le Ping was not. He just didn't know how to help him. "Waya..." He reached out, hesitantly putting his hand on Waya's head, threading his fingers through filthy brown hair. "I love you." He could think of nothing better to say.
There probably wasn't anything better to say. Waya lifted his head at Isumi's quiet declaration, his gold eyes unfocused and lost. "I-Isumi-san?" He slowly began uncurling, reaching out for the older boy. "Isumi!" His voice was thin and desperate, his fingers clutching. He needed Isumi, needed him now.
Isumi caught Waya's hands and drew him close, cradling him against this chest. "I'm here, Waya. I'm here." Waya fit nicely into his arms. Le Ping was too small. Waya, though, was the right size, even now, when he was scrawnier than ever (except for his stomach, which seemed abnormally distended).
"Isumi," Ashiwara stepped forward now, watching as Waya curled against Isumi. "We need to go-"
"No!" Waya shouted at Ashiwara's words, clinging to Isumi's shirt. "No, no, no! No! You can't leave me!"
"Waya! Waya, shh, it's okay!" Isumi hugged Waya, trying to muffle his cries. "We're not going to leave you. We're taking you with us."
"But now we really have to go." Ashiwara was listening at the door. "I think people are coming..."
"Come on." Isumi got to his feet, holding Waya in his arms. The boy was light, and he curled around Isumi, making it easier to hold him. "Ashiwara, hold my arm and don't let go."
"How do we get down?" Ashiwara gripped Isumi's elbow, following him to the wall.
"Just let yourself sink. Slowly." Isumi stepped into the cement. Waya made a squeak of surprise as the wall opened to welcome them in.
As Ashiwara followed, the cell door was flung open. "Shit! They're morphable!"
"Shoot them!"
Ashiwara felted the odd sensation of bullets rippling through his chest, without damaging it, much like how he was walking through the wall.
"No!" a woman screeched.
Ashiwara turned, seeing two blonds dressed in long white lab coats entering behind the guards. As the woman ran at him, his eyes met the icy blue of the man's. Then Isumi caught his foot around Ashiwara's leg and tugged him fully into the wall.
This time, smooshing felt different. The walls were vibrating around Ashiwara. It took him a moment to realize the motion was caused by Waya's whimpers, continuous and quiet.
We're safe in here, Isumi said, hugging Waya close. Safer if we sink. They're not going to tear their building apart just for us.
Are you sure? Ashiwara asked. Isumi remained quiet.
No. These walls do not offer much safe shelter for the Children. A new voice had wrapped around them, deep and booming, like a hammer against an anvil. But I shall help you find safety, outside of these walls.
Isumi had tensed at the new voice. He didn't know there was anyone else in the world capable of smooshing. Who are you? Waya, in his arms, had stopped whimpering, but he trembled.
I am MMPS of the Seventh Batch. Isumi got the distinct feeling that the stranger, MMPS, had bowed. I offer greetings to you, Children of the First Batch.
Greetings to you too. Ashiwara was the first to remember his manners. May I ask what you are? He couldn't see the new speaker, and it worried him. And what is a Child of the First Batch?
I regret that we have no time to delve into the history of our kind. May it suffice for you to know that you are Bionic, as am I, and therefore we are Superior. The capital S bounced against them, clearly tangible in the stone. Now come. Allow me to lead you to the outside world, where you may find safety beside your companions.
Why? Isumi asked. Why help us? So far, everyone the orphans had met who had shown interest in them were attempting to hurt or capture them. What made MMPS any different?
Mitsuko, of the First Batch, instructed us to aid the Golden-Eyed Child of Aya of the First Batch in whatever ways we could. I myself had believed my own assistance would be dreadfully little, as I was confined to a solitary cell, deep within the bowels of the Biodome and lined in heavy lead, but yet it would seem I have been chosen by those who watch over us to be the assistant to the Children.
In Isumi's arms, Waya sat up a little more. Mitsuko – now there was a name he remembered! The kind woman in the wheelchair, Hikaru's mother. She hadn't left him completely alone, after all... she had sent this Bionic to help them. Isumi-san... he's nice...
Are you sure? Ashiwara moved closer, now pressed against Isumi's back. He didn't know where the stranger was, and didn't want to be alone if they were attacked.
Waya nodded a bit, which Isumi felt against his chest, even if he couldn't see. All right. MMPS... we will follow you.
This way, then. Allow me to lead you to safety. A cool hand closed around Isumi's wrist, the fingers like ice, the palm only slightly warmer. Waya leaned away from the cold but made no sound of protest as the hand, presumably MMPS', tugged Isumi gently, guiding him. You will need to sink lower.
We're on the ground already.
Through the ground. If you show your faces out there now, they will shoot you. Through the ground, and up through the wall on the other side. That is where your companions lurk. So I have been told.
Are you coming with us? Ashiwara was hurrying to keep up with them, to make sure his connection with Isumi wasn't broken. If he let go of Isumi, then he'd lose his ability to walk through walls. He'd be trapped here, if he wasn't killed immediately. And Waya too – Waya could only move through the wall so long as Ashiwara was touching Isumi. His life was in Ashiwara's hands as well.
No. I will cause a distraction. Perhaps I can help the other Child be freed.
Other Child?
There is another of your kind in this facility. I do not know which one, as I have yet to meet him, and likely will never receive that opportunity. I have only heard rumors, the whispers of the ghosts that can pass through my leaden chamber with no injury. Two Children were being held in this place. One Child I am helping to free. More still seem to live beyond the walls. Perhaps our freedom will soon be at hand.
What? Ghosts?
No time to explain! Up, go up, you're out of these walls. My duty remains, I cannot yet leave this place. Go! I will bear the news of your safe departure back to my brethren. Perhaps we shall meet again, Child of Aya, Children.
Isumi. I am Isumi. Waya is the Child of Aya, or so Isumi assumed, and Ashiwara is our friend.
I am also known as Akito, Brother of Ryoko of the First Batch. The sensation of being bowed to rippled around the three again. Farewell, Isumi-sama, Waya-sama, and Ashiwara-sama. Live free. The cement pulsed slightly as Akito moved past the three, retreating back into the compound. Ashiwara thought he saw Akito for a moment, with long grey hair and very familiar grey eyes, before the Bionic was gone.
I-Isumi?
We climb now, I guess. Waya, you okay?
Waya nodded again, readjusting his hold on Isumi's neck. Just scared, he whispered.
We all are, Ashiwara reassured him. We all are.
When all the commotion started up, guards running around and bright lights switching on, Mitani had decided he needed to make a break for it. He couldn't help Kaga if he himself was trapped. He had made it to the rooftop before someone spotted him. "Look! Up there! It's them!"
Mitani wasn't quite sure who the "them" was that everyone was shouting about, but he knew it wasn't him – he was very careful to not set anything off. It couldn't have been Ashiwara and Isumi either, because they hadn't been here running through walls. The idea was preposterous.
It didn't matter who "them" was though. Mitani was in a bit of trouble, being assumed to be them.
But only a bit.
As he had pointed out to Kaga earlier, the place was a giant jungle gym. Running, jumping, twisting... no one could catch him. Some tried to grab him by hand. They had fallen. Some had fallen very far. Others had tried to shoot at him. Several pipes were leaking now, or had hot air or gasses streaming out of them. Mitani himself was unharmed, aside from a slight headache that came from hanging upside for a long period of time.
Mitani knew he had to get across the wall if he wanted to survive. How he was going to reach it, however, he didn't know. There was an empty stretch of land between the buildings and the wall, no place for him to hide if he were shot at.
"Friends! Come, follow me, for I have cornered the escaping Children!'
A deep voice rang out over the throngs of guards, accompanied by shouts and cries of "Watch where you swing that!"
Mitani didn't even glance back to see what it was. It was a distraction. He'd get no better chance. He broke cover and ran as fast as he could toward the wall, leaping at it. He hissed as his fingers were caught on the barbed wire, his flip over the top resulting in torn skin and injured hands. But Mitani didn't have time to stop and nurse his wounds. He just curled his hands into fists and ran into the maze of streets and alleys that was Tokyo.
Identified Bionics:
Ashiwara Hiroyuki - HMA?
Fujiwara no Sai - MCLR
Hong Su-Yeong - HMQ?
Ichikawa Harumi - FARS
Isumi Shinchirou - HMM?
Kaga Tetsuo - HMCPS
Ko Yong-Ha - HML?
Kurata Atsushi - HMP?
Le Ping - C13HMCLR
Mitani Kyo - MF?
Mitani Yuuki - HMF?
Saeki Akito- MMPS
Saeki Kouji - HMMPS
Saeki Ryoko- FMPS
Shindou Hikaru - MACCPPR
Shindou Matsuo - MACP
Shindou Mitsuko - FCPR
Touya Akiko - FCMP
Touya Akira - HMCMP
Tsutsui Kimihiro - HMAC?
Waya Yoshitaka - HMCLR
Waya Aya - FCLR
Yang Hai - MCFL
Snuck a bit more info in up there, about one of the kids and a parent... did you catch it without me needing to tell you?
I know, I know, no more responding to reviews. But I can't help it!
AKung – Hee... I made you review early:P No, really, thanks for responding to my rant. I'm glad you're following the story, even if you've been silent. But then again, I'm usually quiet about the stories I'm reading too, so... yeah. Heh.
Justareviewer – Waya's been freed! (and about time too, he tells me...)
Mitani's been meant to be a trapeze artist since I began this story, and Jinx is thrown in as a very minor character. I'm actually loosely basing her on another Gundam Wing person – Catherine Bloom, a knife-thrower in a circus, but with a different name and with a much bubblier personality. She probably won't show up too much though.
Thanks for the good luck on my finals... one down, three to go...
Crawler