Chapter 10: Whispering Brood
Thunder crashes in the sky as the rain pours! The eclipse starts to near as the clock counts down! Time is no longer his ally…
Scene goes to a graveyard. Mike and his family are seen wearing black. Kir's tombstone is seen in place. A picture of Kir is placed by the stone. Heron is seen under an umbrella with Solana. Sabrina is seen holding her umbrella. Mike is seen looking closely at the tombstone.
"It's a sad day." said Heron. "Losing Kir is one of the hardest things this family has endured. But we will move forward together. I have faith that Kir's legacy will not be forgotten."
Sabrina places a flower by Kir's tombstone. She looks at Mike and then walks over to Heron and Solana. Mike continues to stare at the tombstone. The rain begins to hit the ground harder. Heron and Solana are seen leaving with Sabrina. Mike turns to see them. Heron nods to Mike. Mike nods back and returns to looking at the tombstone. Clover is seen standing behind a tree. Her tears stream down as the rain continues to pour.
"Captain. It's just you and I here now." said Mike as the rain came down. "Please come out."
"I'm not your Captain anymore." said Clover as she appeared. "You're in charge now."
"I made a deal with Kinahara." said Mike. "I'm gonna finish the job and protect everyone."
"Mike, Kir and I got too gung-ho in letting you on the mission." said Clover. "We set the bar too high and you temporarily lost your eyesight. On top of that, Kir is dead now."
"and that's why I want to fix this." said Mike. "Because my family got hurt. That includes you."
"Mike…" thought Clover. "I wish it wasn't this painful…"
"I swear on this tombstone, I will make Clark pay for killing Kir." said Mike. "I will destroy him and his faction if it kills me. That's a promise!"
"You can't die! You're the Captain of the Special Ops Division now!" exclaimed Clover.
"Unless I pass that exam, I'm not even a lieutenant. I'm Mike Sawa." said Mike.
Clover's eyes widen. Mike smiles at her. The sky begins to clear up as the clouds pass. The sun begins to shine on Mike. A rainbow is seen in the distance. Mike turns and starts to leave the graveyard. Clover smiles as she sees Mike. Kir's silhouette is seen in the distance. Scene changes to the World Government Building. Mike is seen entering Kinahara's office.
"You're back?" asked Kinahara. "I'm surprised you want to come back after yesterday."
"I need to go undercover in Resthaven for a few days." said Mike as he tossed a folder onto Kinahara's desk. "I've done some research and it turns out the ring in Resthaven is thriving on the Black Market. This is an immediate threat to humans living on the outskirts of Yura. If we can stop the ring, we can draw Clark out and assassinate him."
"You want to go undercover?" asked Kinahara. "What resources do you need?"
"An alibi. My father's on high alert since Kir's death." said Mike. "I was barely able to make it out the house without questioning."
"I'll handle your father." said Kinahara. "You have twenty-four hours to work there. If you're not back by then, I'll have the Task Force drag you out."
"Will do." said Mike as he exited the room.
"One more thing." said Kinahara as Mike stopped in the doorway. "I give you my condolences."
"Thanks." said Mike as he left.
Scene changes to a flashback at the Special Ops Division Barracks. Mike is seen completing paperwork. Ritska enters the room. Mike looks up at Ritska.
"I'm not sure what to call you now." said Ritska. "Are you the new Captain? Are you our lieutenant? Just what are you at this point?"
"Things have gotten complicated lately. I promise I'll do my part to reinstate Clover as your Captain." said Mike as he went back to working on a report.
"Captain!" exclaimed an officer as he ran in. "There's a visitor here. She came to see you."
"I already told you, I'm not your-!" said Mike as a woman with orange hair walked into the room. "Who in the hell are you?"
The woman looks at Mike with fear. Mike looks at the woman and then puts away the report.
"I came to speak with you about Clark." said the woman. "You're the one with the eyes, I remembered seeing you take on all those guards in Magarone."
"You're a prisoner from the facility." said Mike. "I'm guessing you found your way here safely."
"I used the ambush to escape." said the woman. "Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Lydia. I'm from the region of South Horizon."
"South Horizon?! You're a long way from home, lady." said Mike. "How did you get here?"
"I was being trafficked by Clark and his group." said Lydia. "A man named John Moxley promised me a modeling career in Summerlake, but it was all a scam. I was sold off to Clark and shipped here a few months ago. Thanks to you and your team, a lot of women were able to be freed. Clark's army is weakened and the men on his payroll are afraid. Mike Sawa, you're the one person who can save these women and children is you."
"You came here to tell me all of this?" asked Mike as he looked at her.
"I did because I want you to rescue my sister from Resthaven." said Lydia. "Jessie is currently still being held up in a brothel in that town. Problem is, there's so many pimps and gangsters there that I can't do it alone. You have to save her!"
"I need evidence. I need something to hand in to my superior." said Mike.
Lydia hands Mike a folder. Mike looks at the folder. His eyes widened.
"Transaction receipts, addresses, names, and even time stamps and photos of different men and women involved." said Mike. "How did you obtain this information?"
"You'll be surprised what you can see as the mail order bride of Clark." said Lydia.
"Thank you, Lydia." said Mike. "This is more than enough to bring them down."
"Are you going in with Captains to take them out of Resthaven?" asked Lydia.
"Nah. I'm doing this alone. Clark's my priority and mine alone." said Mike. "I'll handle it."
Scene goes to Resthaven as the flashback ends. Mike is seen wearing a hoodie and shades.
"My man, you interested in buying some paraphernalia?" asked a guy with black hair and a white shirt. "You look like you need some drugs? Maybe a little liquid G?"
"Liquid G?" asked Mike as he turned to the man. "Yeah, I'll take some."
"Hehe. That's it!" exclaimed the man. "You never know when you need some-!"
Mike punched the man in the stomach. The man falls to the ground. A syringe and vial drops out of his pocket with a black book. The man gets up and pulls out a knife.
"Who the hell are y-!" exclaimed the man as Mike grabbed the hand with the knife in it and dislocated his arm from his shoulder. "Fuck!"
"You're slow." said Mike as his eyes glowed with the eclipse pattern.
Several screams are heard as a rush of black and red aura is seen in the air. Moments later, the man is seen knocked out on the ground. Mike takes the syringe, the vial, and the black book and vanishes from the area. Scene goes to a shady motel. Several men in suits are seen outside various doors. A woman wearing red lingerie is seen walking with a man into one of the rooms. Moments later, one of the men in suits is seen stabbed with a syringe. A gloved hand is seen pulling the man into a room and closing the door. The men move from their posts to approach the room door. One of the men sees a vial of GHB on the ground.
"Son of a bitch…" said the man. "Whoever's doing this is dosing everyone."
"He is." said Mike as he appeared behind the man. "Because I'm the one doing the dosing."
Mike is seen holding the syringe in his right hand. Several of the men are seen knocked out on the ground. The man looks at Mike in fear. Mike starts to walk towards the man.
"What do you want? Money? Drugs? Women?" said the man nervously.
"I want your boss." said Mike. "I want him killed."
"I can't give you that. The boss is a very secretive person!" exclaimed the man.
"Sing." said Mike as he neared the man. "Or else, I'll make you sing."
"What are you gonna do? Kill me?" asked the man. "I live for Clark-sama and his-!"
Mike walks up to the man and pushes him against the wall. He begins to wrap his hands around the man's throat. The man begins to suffocate.
"I've made it a point to not kill humans, but you'll have to pay dearly for my brother's death." said Mike as he glared into the man's eyes. "If you love your life, you'll tell me where Clark is."
"Okay! Okay!" exclaimed the man. "I'll tell you what I know!"
Mike lets go of the man. The man drops to his knees. Mike looks at him coldly.
"He's in the Textile District. That's where we keep the overstock. You'll find him there." said the man. "I swear on everything, he's there! Please, just stop hurting us!"
"If he's not and I have to come back, I'm going to do much worse." said Mike. "Good luck with your business, your prostitutes are coming with me back to Yura."
"Like hell they will!" exclaimed the man. "You can't steal our property! You're a cro-!"
Mike pulls a gun off one of the men and fires a bullet into the man's chest and into his leg.
"I recommend going to a hospital. Then, jail. You're state's property now." said Mike as he left.
Scene goes to the World Government Headquarters, the following night. Kinahara's office. Only five days remain until the eclipse. Mike is seen looking out the window.
"You managed to take down ten different brothels in the past twenty-four hours. I'm impressed by these numbers." said Kinahara as she looked at the file. "You really are something else."
"Clark's been absent from all the brothels. I raided the warehouses, I raided his most valuable brothels, and I even shot and drugged most of his outside men. There's no way I haven't reached him yet." said Mike. "I won't rest yet. Not until I know Clark is coming."
"He will." said Kinahara. "The Outcasts aren't all dead. They'll come for you."
An explosion is made outside. Mike and Kinahara's eyes widen as the two run outside. A fire is seen in front of the building entrance. A broken glass bottle is seen on the ground.
"A Molotov cocktail. Well, I'll be damned." said Kinahara. "War has just been initiated."
Several injured Captains are seen on the ground with gunshot wounds and burns. Mike notices a man with a white mask on, fleeing the scene. Kinahara looks at Mike.
"Let him go." said Kinahara. "They don't know what they've just unleashed."
"You're being passive for once. What gives?" asked Mike as he looked at her.
"I told you, they're gunning for you." said Kinahara. "Now it's time to lure him in."
"Fortunately, I know a way I can." said Mike as he took out a photo from his jacket.
"You aren't really suggesting doing bodily harm to her, are you?" asked Kinahara.
"Let's find out how much he loves this woman." said Mike. "I'll know what to do then."
Scene goes to a shack in Resthaven. A man dressed in a red and black suit enters the shack. He hands Clark a photo. The photo depicts Lydia tied up and bloodied.
"They have her hostage, Clark." said the man. "Do you want to go back for her?"
"She's a cheap whore. Why would I do that?" asked Clark. "I can find mo-!"
Clark's eyes widened as he saw the background. He quickly gets out of his shack. Scene goes to a burned down motel. Clark looks to see the place burnt to cinders. He grits his teeth.
"Damn that boy! Damn that boy!" exclaimed Clark. "This was my parent's lodge and he burnt it! I invested so much money into making this the pinnacle of sexual tourism and for what?!"
"What do you think we should do now?" asked the man in the suit.
"We're gonna burn Yura to the ground. Get Geoffrey on the phone and tell him to bring the whole militia. We're going to ambush Yura at sunset tomorrow." said Clark.
"I suggest waiting." said a voice as the man in the suit turns around.
"Who the hell are you?" asked the man as he saw Kimberly in the distance.
"You really want to kill Mike Sawa, don't you?" asked Kimberly as she smirked. "Then I suggest waiting until the eclipse. His powers will be weaker. and that black liquid is practically his kryptonite. If you go now, they'll know you're coming. Wait three more days and you can do some real damage to those idiots. What do you think, Clark?"
"Do you really trust this bitch?!" exclaimed the man as Clark looked to him.
"Shut up, Ren!" exclaimed Clark. "This is a goddess. She's stronger than them. She knows what to do better than any of us. Besides, if she really knows his weakness; we should exploit them."
Scene goes to Yura, forty minutes before the eclipse. Mike is seen walking around the city, gradually becoming sluggish with his eyes heavy due to sleep deprivation. The city remains quiet. The sound of Kinahara's voice resonates in his head.
"Starting this week until further notice, the curfew will be at 5:30 PM. Anyone out after 5:30 will be sent to a holding cell until morning. It is becoming incredibly dangerous with Precipe out there, among other things. Only select World Government officials may be out at this time." said Kinahara. "Thank you for your cooperation and we look forward to increasing safety. Please be advised of the eclipse and stay away from all windows and doors until its terminus."
Mike stops walking. He becomes groggy. The sky starts to darken. Clark is seen with his men entering the city. Several thousand men come in, armed with guns. Bombs and grenades are thrown. The men put on their smoke mask and begins to rush into the smoke. Mike is seen in the smoke, covering his face. Several shots begin to fire into the smoke.
"Looks like we found one, boys! Kill him!" exclaimed a man.
Mike narrowly dodges the bullets and hides in an alleyway. Clark is seen in the distance pointing a gun at Mike's head. Mike rolls his eyes and puts his hands up.
"What's the matter? You're not so tough now with this eclipse are you?" asked Clark.
"You won this round." said Mike. "If you're gonna kill me, do it now."
"Where's Lydia at?" asked Clark. "I hope her insides are still intact. Be a shame to waste-"
"You're disgusting." said Mike. "You don't have any regard for women or humans do you?"
"You tell me, since you had her beaten and tied up." said Clark as he looked at Mike.
"She wasn't beaten, that was staged to bring you here." said Mike. "It was my plan."
"Well, I'm here now. Get on your motherfucking feet and walk, bitch." said Clark.
Mike gets to his feet. Clark holds the gun to the back of Mike's head.
"I'm gonna kill you in front of everyone and make them watch." said Clark as he smirked.
A black shadow comes over his light! The climax is near!
Chapter 10 END