Disclaimer: Noblesse isn't mine.

I Am Tao (Part 25)

"Somehow, this doesn't seem like a victory."

"We didn't exactly lose."

"We didn't win, did we?"

"I'm not sure."

"I guess we should tell the boss. He'll find out soon if he doesn't know already." Tao pushed open the window and broke into to his computer lab. "I'm tired of sneaking around, anyway."

"Me, too." Takeo set his weapon case on the windowsill and waited for Tao to pull it the rest of the way inside before he climbed in after it. "What about M-21?"

"I have some information now. I can't push that off any longer."

"Alright, I'll call a meeting as soon as Regis gets home." Takeo closed the window and looked to his friend. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine now."

"Perfectly fine?"

"Yeah, I'm-"

Takeo shoved him with the palm of his hand. "Don't do something that reckless again! What were you thinking?"

"I know." Tao rubbed his arm absent mindedly. "My own weapon was used against me by a normal human."

"No, Tao, I mean how poorly you've been leading our team. I will follow you in whatever you do, but these kinds of decisions are not like you."

"I was just trying to protect everyone."

"I know, but you're just making it worse."

[-] [-] [-]

What now? Jameson sat behind his superior's desk as the distant sirens grew louder. He didn't have much time. Should he leave like the other employees? No, that order was never given to him, and running away was not something a man would do. His pride kept him here. But why? If ever he wanted to leave the union, now would be the time. This opportunity would never come again. But to live under the fear of being hunted down? No. That life was not for him, and if he left now, his actions tonight would be carefully investigated. It would be simple to find the children that he pulled from the specimen selection. No need to drag those kids down with him. To think his loyalties would change this much over the course of one night.

He should call the boss.

He had seen his superior speak to him only once, but he knew, he had been warned, that this phone should not be used. Holding it now was against orders. Was this how his leader felt? Helpless as he held onto a man he knew would betray him? But what else could he do? Even suspicious of the orders, he could not disobey them any further. Jameson lifted the phone to his ear and listened as he searched the desk for a telephone number. No dial tone. Had the phone lines been cut as well?

"You may speak."

"Uh, yes, sir." Jameson tripped over his words. He had not expected a voice to be waiting for him. "I, um, I have information to report."

"You are not Mr. Ruze."

"No, I am Agent Jameson. My superior, Agent Ruze has died. I am-"

"Your information?"

"Yes, sir." Was the boss not even interested in his superior's death? Jameson straightened in his chair. The sound of the boss' voice demanded formality. "The selection of the second set of specimens has ended in failure and-"

"I am aware."

"Ah, yes, sir. I believe the police are on their way to the facility. What are your orders for handling this?"

"I am sure you are a capable man. Handle it as you see fit. Now, if there is nothing else..."

Capable? The boss knew better than anyone how under qualified he and his superior were. "Yes, sir. There is one more thing. I have a sighting of the third man we are looking for."

"Send me the footage for confirmation."

"I apologize, sir. I have no footage. The electricity wielder destroyed it beyond repair. I saw the third man with my own eyes. He fits the description. He came to the aid of the-"

"And the last man?"

Jameson nodded. Exactly as he had suspected, the boss only cared about one of the three. "Yes, sir, the gray-haired man was there as well. He was separate from the other two and did not come to the electricity wielder's aid."

"They weren't working together?"

"I thought they were at first, but it seems that they had separate objectives." The boss seemed to be waiting for more, and Jameson reluctantly continued. "The gray-haired man came to… He heard the alarm and came to escort children out of the facility. The energy wielder wanted information on the experiments, and the last one assisted him. They did not seem interested in the gray-haired man's objective, just their own."

"I see."

"What are your orders regarding these three men, sir? I no longer have the footage used to distract them." Jameson gulped at the boss' silence. He had said too much. The boss never explained the purpose of his orders, but showing the energy wielder footage of his team, what else could it be? He wanted that man's focus here.

Then, the experiments? Was that just for attention, too? Were they released and awakened just to cause an uproar? The boss had ordered the facility to alert the media, but the news had more information than he had supplied to them. They had the names of the experiments, and they exaggerated information about the death totals. Was it to escalate the situation? Were they under orders as well? Even the convention! It was such an elaborate means to gain new specimens. Holding it on laboratory grounds was an unbelievable, completely unnecessary location! The comic book, the advertisement, marketing! All of it was calling out to someone, drawing someone. Each step becoming more obvious as the previous step went unnoticed. And what would be next? What could be more blatant than what had already happened? How far was the boss willing to go to attain the attention of these men?

And what was he distracting them from?

"You certainly are a capable man."

Jameson shuttered at the tone. The words were far from a compliment. "Thank you, sir."

"That is all for now. If you gain any new information, report it immediately."

"Yes, sir."

[-] [-] [-]

Dr. Crombel hung up the phone and pressed a button on his desk. "Yuriy, I no longer have use of the facility. Disconnect all communication from them."

"I will do so immediately. Shall I destroy all records as well?"

"There is no need. Let the information there be found." Crombel smirked as he crossed the room and sat in his computer chair. The floor to ceiling screen flashed to life. "Inform the media that the laboratory was secretly testing biological warfare on children and sending them out into society. Jameson lead the project. Make sure anything incriminating is placed on that man. As for anyone that attended the convention , they should report to the hospital for testing immediately."

"Sir, the media is already on location at the facility."

"Oho, is it? Patch the footage through."

"Yes, sir."

Hansu appeared on the screen with a suave smile as he crooned the tone of his voice for the star struck reporter. "Oh, yes, it was very dangerous. Jameson is the head of security, after all. He's highly trained, and you can imagine how shocked I was when the man assigned to guard me turned into my assailant."

"It must have been horrible!" She gushed, barely remembering to speak into her microphone.

"Oh, but I am trained as well. I was able to free myself." Hansu looked directly into the camera. "I told a security guard from Ye Ran High School of the incident, and he went in after Jameson. A few moments ago, I heard gunshots."

"No!"

"I can't say anything for sure, but I suspect we will hear from the police very soon." He carefully stripped the smile from his face. "These things are always so tragic."

The reporter solemnly nodded her agreement. "I believe I can speak for all of your fans when I say I am glad that you are safe. The entertainment industry would not be the same without you."

"You are too kind." He gently took her hand in his and brought it to his lips. "I can't tell you how much I appreciate it."

She forgot to breathe, and the shot switched back to the studio without her awareness.

"Thank you for the breaking news," the anchorman carefully ended the report for her. "We will continue to gather information about the emergency at the comic convention and interrupt the program as necessary. Again, I apologize for the inconvenience. For now, we will continue with the segment on Ye Ran High School." He folded his hands on the desk and looked off screen as the program began to play.

"Principal Lee, you are exceptionally talented in a wide range of fields. Any of which would be delighted to gain your expertise. Why then, have you chosen to lead a school?"

"For the children, of course." Frankenstein swept his hair over his shoulder and gazed into her eyes with a depth of sincerity that seemed unquestionable. "What better use of my talents than to invest them into the upcoming generation? These children are the future, after all. There is a statue at the entrance with the words 'I am the captain of my fate. I am the master of my soul.' It is dedicated to keep this concept ever present before their eyes. If I can instill this into their minds, the children will become the leaders and world changers of tomorrow."

"Yuriy."

"I see it as well, sir."

"Eliminate all children from the selection list that are not students at Ye Ran High School, and send me the remaining children's information immediately." Dr. Crombel stared into the screen as the camera panned across the courtyard. Students kicked a soccer in the lowered field as others cheered from the sidelines. "Interesting. Is that uniform the same as the child with M-21?"

"I will look into it, sir."

Crombel leaned back in his chair, pleased by his good luck. All the pieces were now in place. All preparations had been made. All interferences had been accounted for. Only one thing remained. "Yuriy, capture my specimen."

*'I am the captain of my fate. I am the master of my soul.' Invictus by William Earnest Henley