The 14th Zoalord

Chapter Fourteen

Memories

The Headquarters of CHRONOS Japan, two years ago: It looked like just another skyscraper in a sea of skyscrapers. Officially it was the head office of a reputable company, Max pharmaceuticals. Only a few knew that this was a base of CHRONOS, hiding in plain site in one of the busiest cities in the world . . .

Mikhail Czyvek walked slightly behind his master, Zoalord Friedrich von Purgstall, as the two men entered the office of the head of Chronos Japan, Makishima Genzo. Purgstall looked deceptively ordinary in his pin-striped suit, belying his great powers as a Zoalord, and Czyvek wore a simple black suit with dark sunglasses. Makishima Genzo rushed hurriedly to accommodate his honored guest, bringing out a flask of fine wine and several glasses. He was a short, pudgy, middle-aged man with a cruel heart and a withered backbone. Czyvek could read the man as easily as he had read his files, Makishima was a coward with grand ambitions, willing to do anything to ingratiate himself with his superiors.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit, Lord Purgstall?" Makishima asked in a nervous tone. "I heard that you were experimenting with several new Zoanoid types, and I found some of your ideas intriguing." Purgstall looked around the room, "I was hoping that I could examine some of them myself." "Of course, my lord! And may I say again how honored our little section of CHRONOS is to have a visit from such a distinguished Zoalord as yourself." Flattery poured from Genzo's lips like water from a broken faucet. If he could impress Purgstall, the unofficial leader of the Zoalord Council, his possibilities for advancement would be infinite. "Please, follow me to the labs, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised."

The three men stepped into the hallway to find a boy standing there. "Agito! What are you doing here?" Genzo was clearly upset, "Can't you see I have an important guest?" "It's alright, Makishima-San." Purgstall smiled, "I've heard great things about your son. I've been looking forward to meeting him." Agito bowed politely, "Thank you, my lord." "Please, accompany us to the laboratories." "I would be honored to do so, Lord Purgstall." Czyvek had heard a great deal about Makishima Agito, and most of it was tragic. The boy was Genzo's nephew, not his son, the man had used his connections with CHRONOS to drive the boy's parents to poverty and suicide, then adopted him, hoping to use Agito's unusual intelligence to accelerate his own rise to power. Agito had grown up in a loveless environment, caught in the shadow of Genzo's ambition. The boy gave off an air of emotionlessness, but Czyvek caught a briefest glimpse of something in his eyes. Hatred, a dark, frightening hatred coupled with a great intellect and a cold heart. He has reason to hate, Czyvek thought, after all he's suffered. Czyvek had suffered much during his youth as well, and could sympathize with boy's position. But he would still warn Purgstall about him.

They entered a control room in the lower levels of the building, overlooking a large staging area. A number of Zoanoids poured in, Orangannan, Broiz, Ramotith, nothing unusual. "Alright," Genzo spoke into a microphone to some unseen agent, "Send him in." A door opened on one side of the room, and a massive creature entered. He was covered in thick, orange armor, and had three horn-like projections, one jutting from his scalp, and one on each side of his slavering jaws. His huge, claw-like hands were dotted with Bio-Blaster orbs. "Gentlemen, " Makishima began proudly, "May I present to you Hyper-Zoanoid Zerbebuth!" As the men looked on, Zerbebuth tore into his fellow Zoanoids, and all hell broke loose. Horrible acid shot from his horns, dissolving away Zoanoid flesh and bone as his claws rent his weaker opponents apart. Czyvek turned away in disgust, struggling to fight his desire to reach out and snap Genzo's neck like a twig. Suddenly the "battle" stopped, Zerbebuth and the few surviving Zoanoids stood still, as if frozen. "WHAT'S HAPPENED!" Genzo shouted frantically. "I stopped them," Purgstall stated coldly, "X-Day is nearly upon, and we cannot afford to waste our resources in such foolish displays."

Only a few seconds had elapsed, but at least 15 Zoanoids were dead, and eight more badly wounded. As the survivors left, or were carried out of the battle room, Agito looked on in quiet amusement as his "father" tried to salvage the situation, "His acid can burn through steel, his Bio- Blaster is eight times more powerful than Vamore! He is the ultimate Zoanoid!" Czyvek would have laughed at Genzo's ignorance if he hadn't just seen such carnage, there were Hyper- Zoanoids that made this Zerbebuth look like a house cat. "We have to train in such a way, we cannot get accurate statistics without pitting our Zoanoids against living opponents!" Genzo was trembling now. "I know," Purgstall began, "But it is still wasteful. I wish there were another way. This is my fault, I should have stopped it sooner." He turned and walked toward the elevator, with Czyvek in tow, "Let's just examine the Zoanoids still in the processing tanks."

There were some impressive Zoanoid types being manufactured at CHRONOS Japan, and Czyvek took note of them all. The Zoanoid race was growing more diverse by the day, from the small, virtually defenseless Citiciss, a Scout that resembled a humanoid canary with gigantic eyes and barely functional wings, to the massive and powerful Hyper-Zoanoids that resided at Relic's Point, the true center of CHRONOS Japan, at Mount Minakami. Makishima was kept unaware that the base even existed, he was not important or trustworthy enough to be told.

As they left, Czyvek turned to his master, "My lord, the boy, Agito, I . . . I think he may be dangerous. With his intelligence and Genzo's harsh upbringing . . . " "You also had a harsh upbringing, my friend." Purgstall stated, "And you are one of our most loyal subjects. Still, Agito seems possessed of great ambition. Don't trouble yourself, we have agents watching him." The two men climbed into a black sedan, and Purgstall ordered the driver to take them to Relic's Point. "As for Genzo, I'm certain he won't last much longer. When I joined CHRONOS honor was important, our goals were to create a "Golden Age" for mankind. Now we have many who are just seeking personal gain, even some Zoalords. We must be cautious, now more than ever. Just one evil man could ruin all of our centuries of work."

Cloud Gate; Zoalord Czyvek's office; The Present:

Zoalord Czyvek sat at his desk, sorting through the volumes of files accumulated on Agito Makishima and the Guyver Units. There has to be some weakness. He thought to himself, Some way to destroy him . . .

To be continued . . .