Pinpoint Zero

Chapter 26: To Kill A Person

Ishori stood outside the walls of the facility, his car parked in another store's parking lot so that he could get a good look at the place without being suspected. So this was the place his brother worked at, in retrospect is seemed fairly normal. For most people, if something was to keep hidden, then being located in the middle of Tokyo surrounded by other people was not something that made sense. It was a rather clever idea of Kakuzawa, because it kept people from being too intrusive for their own good. It had been made quite clear with the creation of the first island facility and the people had to be given false pretenses about it. After all, a single facility located on an island out at sea caught far more attention that one surrounded by similar buildings.

But Ishori wasn't so sure anymore though his concern actually did not direct to the facility until later on. Jessica had again asked him to talk to Garder, to try and gain some amount of emotion from the lost man. He had first thought it would be easy getting in, imagined it as just any other location that he could at least come up to the front desk and ask questions. He couldn't even get past the gate, not without having some sort of pass and was thus forced to drive back. It felt strange for some reason, not to be able to enter the building in any sort of way. The location, from what he knew, specialized in the study of human evolution, a sort of biological lab as far as he could comprehend. He could assume that perhaps there was dangerous materials or chemicals inside it but that didn't explain the sheer amount of security.

He had driven off, picked up something to eat and then decided to check things out again. Obviously asking for entrance was out of the question. The sun was just getting down over the horizon, the stream of red, yellow and orange a visibly beautiful sight. He had yet to see his brother leave yet, and his car was still there meaning that even if he hadn't left from the front entrance, he would eventually come this way. People went in and out, passing cards in front of the guards, and at one point some strange black van pulled in and out to the back. He wasn't sure, the sounds of the city obscuring a lot of it, but he was almost certain he had heard gunshots. It only made him more anxious of course, wanting to know more answers.

The last bead of sunlight dipped down, leaving the brisk twilight before darkness came. More people began leaving and then finally the guards stationed during this time period began to leave. For the first time, an entrance way to the facility was left open.

Was it curiosity or just stupidity that made him what to check it out? Probably both, but logic had given up to obscurity as Ishori found himself stepping out of his car and walking back to the large structure. He had to laugh to himself, attempting to enter without permission, what kind of husband and father was he? He could see it now, in prison, his wife shaking her head disappointedly with tears in her eyes and young Elrya starring with incomprehension on her face. The poor child wondering why her father had become such a derelict mess.

He took another step forward. "Come on Ishori, head back home, Jessica and Elrya are waiting." But he didn't do that, instead he actually found himself right outside the very door to the inside of the facility, his hand reaching for the knob. He expected someone to come out, expected sirens and wails and to be carted off in cuffs. "Please be locked" he still had time, he could still walk away and he mentally hoped the door was shut tight. But it wasn't and he was actually pleased somewhat that the door opened for him and he was able to step inside. At that point, he no longer cared about legal actions. Something was strange and wrong about this place and he wanted to find out what.

White, blank stark white walls creating hallways that stretched on. Each step he took echoed unnervingly loudly, ones he sure was to catch attention. A shiver went down his back, something about this place was definitely wrong. But on he went, walking through, until he finally got to a small but oddly out of place doorway that just seemed to beckon him to open it.

"Turn back, I should turn back and…"

He did turn, the knob of the door that was. It slid open, and at last he saw the fruits that facility produced.

!

At first he thought it was his own shadow, ignoring its obscene angle because there was no way he'd ever think there was a real person cuffed to the wall with traces of blood on her. The young girl had a pair of visibly large horns on her head, not unlike his own daughter Elrya. What was she doing here? What was that blood? What the hell was anything? Closer, he could see her head lift up at him, her dark red eyes peering through the strands of violet hair. Those eyes, cold, murderous and hurt, the blood was certainly from her. He managed to take another step closer when something hit the floor with a loud bang, scaring him. Nothing was around, nothing to fall nothing to tip over but it had definitely come from the room. Once again he gazed back to the girl who again propped on the wall could not do much either.

"Are you…hurt?"

She didn't answer, just gave him another gaze of loathing. For her, she might have thought the man was just another member of the facility. Her vector again scrapped the wall, frightening the man who of course had no clue of what was going on.

"I can help you. Girl, let me help you get out of here." He tried to reason with her, unknowingly being smart by not getting any closer. Her gaze lessened a bit, perhaps this man would be different from the others?

"You don't listen well do you?"

!

Turning on the spot, Ishori found himself face to face with his older brother Garder who starred emotionlessly at him as he closed the door. "The guards told you not to come, explicitly told you not to enter. It would seem that I now need to add some more thought in the security of this place."

"G-Garder! What are you doing here? What is this place? Who is this girl?" Ishori had many questions and he wanted them answered now. Garder gave him a fleeting look then said in a low voice. "This is a facility utilized in the subjugation and experimentation of horned people known as Diclonius, one of them being that girl there. It is my job as the new Director of the facility, to oversee this place."

"And you've been…torturing this girl?"

"I have done nothing, but oversee what has already been brought to light." Garder uttered with cold vindictiveness. "But I assume if we are to be blunt, then yes, these girls have been tortured. It is the place that I will be bringing Elrya to, when and if she ever gets out of hand."

Rage and also sorrow broke Ishori's heart. "You mean, you were going to take my daughter to this…hell of a place…and have her…" He couldn't speak the words, but he pointed at the girl chained to the wall. "What kind of man have you turned into Garder? What kind of man goes from wanting to save the world, from wanting to protect those in war, to this?" It had to be some sort of cruel joke, someone was going to open up the fake walls and give out a merry 'just kidding" while the girl wiped off the red paint and everyone had a good chuckle over it.

"Do not be foolish Ishori, my ideals have not changed. I wish to save humanity but sometimes changes and hard decisions have to be made. I already told you, that the world is not made of black and white, it is a multi-gray scaled world of light and darkness. To attain what I desire…" The last word left a rather bitter taste on the edge of his tongue, obviously no doubt from his last experience having used the word and the people he was with. "…I must abandon emotional output and look upon the world with logical meaning."

"…This is crazy! Garder, you've become a madman! You've become a monster! I can't let this go on!"

"What I've become does not matter, it is what is earned at the end that matters. Even if the world sees me as the tyrant, if I am to attain what I need, I will gladly accept that place in the world. But you know what the worst of this is right now." Ishori startled, then took a few steps back when Garder pulled from his brown coat a small black pistol and aimed it at him. "…That I now have to kill another member of my family for the sake of my so called ideals." There was no sadness in his eyes, not shake of his hand, no bead of sweat to drip from his forehead. Nothing to say that Garder felt any sort of misguided feeling from aiming a gun at his own brother.

Ishori was already against the wall, fear and most importantly surprise etched on his poor face. "G-Garder, please, don't do this. What will my wife do without me? What Elrya do without me? What are you going to tell them? Y-You can't do this, I don't want to be without them. Please Garder….have a little heart, I want to see them again." The sound of the trigger clicking in his ear brought a new wave of fear, not of death, but of inability to ever see Jessica or Elrya again. He wanted to see them, to his wife's beautiful face, to see his daughter's dazzling smile. He wanted to hear his child yelling "daddy" with glee. He did not want to see the end of his life, in this chamber with a tortured girl and his brother lost so far in misery.

Even now, Vladimir' curse continued to haunt him The old man could hear it inside of his head eve now, the terrible screams of hate at him. Was this to go on until the end? Was those he cared about to be wiped away continuously, even by his own hand, until his own end? Then so be it, he would accept his fate. If the entire world was against him, then for the sake of what he needed to do, he would face that opposition. He would accept his sins and his fate for the sake of the world.

"Please Garder…please…plea…"

*BLAM!*

It was over in an instant. He was barely even aware that the gun had gone off, and the blood splatter was surprisingly thin. There was a single hole dead center of Ishori's forehead, his expression forever frozen in an act not so much of fear, but of a deep and painful regret. A thin line of red dripped down the forehead, too small, almost insignificant. Wipe away the blood and stitch up the wound and nobody would even know he had been shot. The Diclonius who had been cuffed to the wall said nothing, waves of nausea hitting her. She didn't feel too sorry about the man, they hadn't exactly known each other but for some reason, looking at Garder's impassive face made her want to vomit. She did not feel fear for her own life, she still felt confident in her own abilities in whatever the Director might do, despite her obviously wrong ideas. But this was different, no feelings, no emotional output. At least when Diclonius killed, even if they didn't show emotion, you could tell that inside there was at least hate burning inside of them.

She saw none of that, he could barely be qualified as being human now. He wasn't even a murderer, even that is designated for human notions. The only type of word that could describe it was an act. That what he was now, just an act, following out instructions of his horrendous ideals. Garder starred, unblinkingly at the corpse and wanted to yell. He wanted to scream, to cry, to shoot himself. He wanted to beg the world for forgiveness, to beg Jessica and Elrya for forgiveness. He wanted to wake his brother up, to tell him he was sorry, to fix his wound and laugh like he used to do with his friends. He wanted to reverse time, reverse the gunshot, not only this one but of his time in the war, when he ended Veronica's life. He wanted to reverse everything to the beginning and exclude his entrance as a soldier. But most of all, as his dead eyes starred unblinkingly, while tears streamed down his face, he wanted to feel something.

Because he felt nothing now. His tears were only a biological factor that his body went through, the actions that he didn't know. He was only aware that something was going down his face and that it was his tears and that he should feel a great sense of regret. But he couldn't, his heart could not feel a single twinge of regret even if his physical body was crying its soul out. Before, he would have understood his plight, would've dropped to his knees and cry into his brother's chest while constantly begging for forgiveness. He would have had a heart, he would have understood the deplorability of his actions.

But not now. Logical understanding overrode the insignificant realities of his body. He could cry again and again and never notice it. He wanted, so desperately to feel something, an act even some enjoyment. Didn't Vladimir have enjoyment when he murdered people? Was he really without emotion, just a dead soul in a living body? Was he now even worse than a man who planned to commit mass genocide and global terror for sheer personal enjoyment?

Why couldn't he feel anything? Weren't tears a form of misery, of regret, so why couldn't he feel it?

The Diclonius widened her eyes as Garder suddenly brought his pistol up and placed against his head. Killing himself would be a good start, after the shit he had done. Wasn't that a logical choice? But his finger wouldn't pull, wouldn't budge, wouldn't even twitch a centimeter. He might as well have just pointed his own finger at his head. Dropping the weapon back to his side, he would have to dispose of the body, and then bring a story to Jessica.

Feel something!

Feel anything!

Hate, regret, happiness, joy, sorrow, fear, shock.

Anything!

*BANG!*

The first gun shot, against the wall where the bullet's indention was left. Now the girl felt true pity, an overwhelming sense of loss that no human or Diclonius should ever have to through. He fired again, continuously, each time hoping to gain an emotional impact of some sort. He fired until all the round were gone, leaving the gun empty and derelict and yet holding more than his soul did. His hand wouldn't even shake, his tears had finally dried up though he would barely remember them anyways. His brother was dead, never to rise, never to see his family again, never to breathe or love or laugh again.

…There was nothing.

"…Ah! Ahhh! NO! NO! NO! NO! Gyaaaah!" Jessica's screams of despair could not surprise anyone but Garder did wish she would stop. Not because it annoyed her, but because as much as he wanted to feel sorrow from her cries, he could not. A simple lie had done it, how easy it was to deceive people. He understood why Vladimir used it so often. Garder had waited until the next night and told that Ishori had "accidently" entered into one of the more secured areas of his work and that due to a mishap, was killed. He made it out as if the man had only wandered in somewhere, perhaps unknowingly getting himself into a bad place. The facility itself would fill in any story that Jessica might ask, but if she wanted to ask anything, she'd ask him herself. He could fill in the blanks, lie between his teeth.

"Ishori…Ishori…Ahhh…Ahhhhh!"

"You should get a funeral prepared, my brother was a good man. I will also see that those responsible are at the very least reprimanded. My men were only doing as they saw fit but they overreacted." It was so easy to lie, no wondered Cents did it constantly.

Sniffing uncontrollably, she latched onto Garder, holding him while crying continuously in his chest, needing someone to hold her. His arm might have gone around her, offering comfort, but his heart was not there. He hated it, hated it most of all. Feel something, anything.

"Garder, I…I can't take it. What am I going do without him? He-He always meant well, always loved me. He always l-loved Elrya too. You should see her face sometimes when he's around, he's the only one who could m-make her laugh so happily! Ahhh! Ahhhhh! Guh, gah!" Jessica choked, holding her arms now around herself as she collapsed to the floor, despair overwhelming her. Gently lifting her back up, he placed her back on the couch and pulled the blanket over her body where she held it tightly.

"…I will be going now. I am sorry for what has happened, you know I am. Please rest now."

As he was about to close the front door behind him, he could he could hear a small voice.

"Mommy…where's daddy?" This was the first time he had heard Elrya's voice. "Mommy…when is daddy coming home?" Soft and timid, like any child, just like Veronica was when she was 4 years old. He couldn't see it of course, but he was positive Jessica was now hugging her daughter tenderly while tears rolled down her cheeks. "Mommy…I want daddy to come home. Alya wants to see him as well, right Alya?"

Alya? An imaginary friend perhaps but somewhat new that she would make up one based on her last name.

And then Elrya too started to scream and weep too. "Ahhhh! Daddy! I want daddy to come back! Where's daddy mommy? Ahhh! Ah! Ah!" Even a 4 year old can understand death, even if they can't believe it at first. Elrya might not know why, but she knew her father would not be coming back.

At last he closed the door.

Little Elrya hugged her mother, resting on her bosom with the blanket over both of them. She continued to weep sensible tears as her mother spoke to her. "Elrya, we're going to have a funeral for daddy."

"F-Fun…era…al?" She asked tenderly.

"Yes, and you know what, I'll give you something big afterwards. We'll have a huge cup of ice cream, of so many flavors. Anything you want we'll get it." She liked that, it sounded good to her childish mind. "Can we give some to Alya as well?" Her mother laughed at her daughter's through of an imaginary friend. "Yes, we can give Alya some too."

"…Thanks."

A shiver, it didn't last a second but a very cold shiver did go down Jessica's spine. Because at that moment, she heard her daughter's voice change drastically. "Are you ok Elrya?"

"Y-Yes mommy, Alya was only saying thanks."

"O-Oh, I see. Thank you…A-Alya." Just in her head, she had merely heard things.

"Can I get a lot of ice cream mommy? You won't yell at me if I get more right?" So childish, so innocent, so full of wonder.

"That's right my dear Elrya, all you can eat. Your father loved you very much, a lot more than I think you realize. Please understand that my little girl, he loved you a lot."

"…D-Did you love daddy?"

"Yes Elrya, I loved him a lot. He was really lazy sometimes, but he meant well. And when I was pregnant with you, he did all he could to make things easier for me. You should see it, well you couldn't, you were being born, but he held by hand the entire time I was giving birth to you. He loved me and you very much, my little Elrya-chan." She found herself using the timid Japanese honorific, something she barely did as Ishori was the one with the Japanese background. But it made her daughter giggle, adding the cuteness that she truly was.

"M-Mommy?"

"Yes, Elrya?"

"Can you see, that song again?"

Her mother caressed her daughter's hair gently, then brought her lips the child's ear. Slowly she sang the song she sung to her all the time, the same one she sung to Veronica too. The music of the woman's voice was a calming river of sound to the child's ear, a vibration of musical accompaniment created only by a voice. Elrya closed her eyes, and finally dozed off to sleep in her mother's embrace.

One year had passed, as well as few months. Garder as usual made weekly visits to the Alya household, always coming at night and not once did Elrya ever see him, always sleeping and by the time she may have woken up to see who else was there, Garder had left long ago. The funeral a year ago had been short, terribly simplistic for such a good man who didn't deserve to die the way he did. He had stood there, in the back, unseen by the rest, just as desperate as before to feel some sort of emotional impact. Jessica might have seen his tears as a sign of his grief, unfortunately she was far from the truth. He may have cried that day but he certainly didn't feel it, dead on the inside, his tears were as before the unconscious biological structure that he had no control over. A dust gets into the eye, tears stream down, but you feel nothing about it.

After that, the usual happened, sadness for the first few months and then Jessica as anyone would, was able to move on. She probably found strength in Elrya, a reason for her to live and perhaps she found strength in Garder whom she probably saw as kindness whenever he came.

Things had been going relatively easy since then, there hadn't even been any obscene deaths with the Diclonius. Riku, if he was behind it, was smartly keeping himself low and not doing anything out of place. The ex-Director was now a man whom if Garder didn't have monthly administrations for the staff, would never have known the man even existed now. Riku liked to keep quiet but at the same he wasn't obscured, he just liked to be alone. There was a definite improvement in his physique, he had put on a some healthy weight, his face was clean and shaven. The air of misery, while prevalent enough and perhaps for anyone who worked in the facility, was there for all, had diminished greatly from the last time. No longer in charge, Riku was able to relax more, see his family more and become much more healthy both mentally and physically.

That was until three weeks later, when he decided it was time to release another Diclonius. It was as usual, he took on the night shift in which he would be the last to leave even making sure that Garder had left as well. The elderly war veteran was not fooled though by the antics and while he couldn't be there personally, he did have his plans. He called in his friend Vorono, friend being just a simple word for employee now a days and gave him the orders.

"Riku Kusoku appears to be releasing Diclonius without my orders. I have set up a hidden camera within the Diclonius basement. If I what I suspect will be on the tape is true, you have been given orders to kill that man. I can't allow him to release these dangerous girls out in the open like this, especially against my own orders and judgment." Vorono on the other end said nothing, so this was his first job, to kill a man outside of war.

"You will be paid of course, as a member of Cents I am obligated to do that."

"Of course sir, I only hope you are wrong." Girikuson at last muttered, hanging up. The next morning, arriving early as he always did, Garder checked up on the tape, his eyes narrowing suspiciously at what he saw. Hook line and sinker, the man releasing one of the girls in the middle of the night and carting her off. It was enough proof right there and just for the record, he even went to the database and saw that the particular girl had been typed out as "deceased" with a short paragraph of what apparently had happened. Typical lie, but one that had worked well for the past years, not anymore though. "I am giving you the location of his home address as well as his vehicle. I will let you do as…hold on."

Another call from another source.

"Hello."

"Hello, Director Morotisan? This is Riku"

Garder flashed his eyes dangerously, but listened. "I hope you don't mind but I want to take today off."

A day off, it wasn't uncommon and even those working in the facility were allowed such a things a sick days and vacations. Riku may have legitimately wanted the day off and spend time at home but Garder had to be on top alert. What if Riku decided to run off? What if he decided to spill important secrets that the world wasn't supposed to know? This was why the facility was required to hand out specific personal information, in case anyone was stupid enough to defect. So be it then, Riku could have his final day off, because he would not be having another one, ever again.

"Alright Riku, I will allow it."

"Thank you Director Morotisan."

Hanging up, Garder returned back to his call with Vorono. "Kusoku just called, he states he wanted to have the day off. As far as its concerned he may be speaking the truth but I want to be careful. He may try to skip town, go on somewhere else and unleash information that he no need to release. Either way the information has already been given and the facts are straight, even if he wasn't going to skip town he is still under orders for execution. As I was saying before, I will allow you to do as you please in eliminating him and I will pay you the sum necessary."

"…So kill him?"

"Aye, kill him. As long as I am here I will not allow insubordination and false pretenses arise in my facility. The man brought this on himself and he will pay for the consequences. I am already in line of explaining Ishori's death so it is unwise for me to get directly involved right now."

Vorono breathed a heavy sigh. "I understand, you know I hate it, but I'll do it."

"Good, report back to me when you are finished."

"…Aye sir…"

"Where are we going papa!" Miriana squealed with joy in the back of the black vehicle, her bright eyes gazing at her father's back seat. She had turned six years old three months ago, her body small and her hair flowing down her back. She kicked her small feet and waited for her father's answer. Her mother too was in the car, eyes half closed in thoughtless wonder as she starred out the window.

"Well Miriana, I thought we could take you to the amusement park today."

"Ah!" Gasping happily, Miriana beamed so appreciatively her smile spread from cheek to cheek. "Really papa? Are we really going to the park? Thank you! Thank you!" She repeated the words, earning playful laughs from both her parents. She like her mother turned to the windows, tinted black on the outside so that people couldn't see inside, facility protocol though not that Riku ever told his family this. She was going to the park, and she was going to have so much fun with her mother and father. Miriana smiled all the way through, watching the trees, cars, building and people pass by and having the sensation of just wanting to greet every one of them.

"Will I get to buy a new toy?" She inquired childishly.

"You can buy three new toys!"

He face again split open while her father looked at her smile in his upper mirror. "Really! Really! Really! Thank you! Thank you! You're the best papa, the very best papa in the whole wide world. You and mama both, you're both so great!" Having been raised to know nothing but love, Miriana couldn't even comprehend such things as evil or despair right now. She could only comprehend utter joy and innocence, her laughter pure like the rest of her. Today was going to be so great, perhaps the best day of her entire life.

"…And may I have a three new toys the next day?"

"Hahaha, yes you can." Riku said to his overly excited daughter. A bit of fib on that part but anything to see his daughter smiling so much right now. He didn't think he'd ever seen her this happy before, her body shaking from the pure excitement at being given so many hopeful opportunities. She laughed, laughed so much that she was beyond adorable, and he loved her so much. His precious little Miriana, laughing at him, proud of him, his wife smiling at him as well.

"…Thank you papa! Thank you mama! I love you both so…"

*BAM!*'

!

She had heard something loud, glass breaking, a splatter of something and her mother screaming. She wasn't sure why, but it frightened her badly. The car twisted and turned, veering off to the side as she clutched her seatbelt as if it would somehow do something. Her mother was still screaming, reaching over to her father's seat and saying strange things. Was her father alright? What had happened.

"M-Mama! What's wrong…!"

*SMASH!*

!

Something hit her, or rather she was pushed into something. Still not able to comprehend it, she felt her world go dark and the very front of her being pushed forward. Why were the seats in front coming towards her, threatening to smother her. Further, her mind still not able to comprehend what was going on as the car crashed into the concrete wall. Her father, having been shot in the head already was dead. Her mother, her eyes still wide and fearful, was crushed instantly by the impact, dying if any good point, painlessly and quickly. The impact pressed against Mirana's legs, forcing them back until she heard the loud snap of her bones. As the crash was going on in real time, far faster than Miriana knew, she could not scream out in pain yet. Less than two seconds, that it's all it had taken before her world suddenly became too hot and bright. It burned, her skin burned, her clothes burned and she couldn't move, but she was moving. The impact had thrown her right out the very window, cutting her horribly but even that was nothing to sensation of her flesh peeling off. Crashing to the ground, she then at point felt the eruption of unlawful pain and misery.

"AHHHH! AHHH! AH! AHHHHHHH! MAMA! PAPA! HELP ME!" She was on fire, her entire body burning both on the outside and on the inside. She tried kicking her legs and only found herself feeling the searing pain shoot up her spine. "AH! UUUAAAGH! AH! MAMA! PAPA! HELP ME! PLEASAE HELP ME! IT HURTS IT HURTS!" Screaming, screaming for release from the pain, she twisted, and squirmed, trying to figure out something. Trying to figure out where things had gone wrong. But most of all, she wanted comfort, the pain to stop and she wanted to see her mother and father again.

On a hill top, a large rifle over his shoulders, Vorono starred sadly at the scene. "Tsk, why did there have to be more people in there?" When Miriana had flown out the window, Vorono had choked. There was nothing he could do about it though. The sirens of the ambulance was already arriving, there was no point in staying.

Elsewhere, watching the same scene, Vladimir Cents clicked his tongue happily then broke out into a fit of laughter. "Kyahahahahaha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Keh! Hehehe! So perfect, what splendid array of suffering that way. Listen to her, screaming, the sound of her body in perfect turmoil, how it must have felt, little girl. Hahahaha! Hahaha! Ha! Ha! I love it so much, this sensation of perfect suffering, so tasteful, I want to lick up her very tears right now!" And he continued to laugh, on and on seeing what to him was total bliss.

Author's Note" Another chapter for "Pinpoint Zero" now finished. We're coming near the end of the story, probably about 5-10 more chapters. Please R&R and feel free to give any feedback that you'd like. I hope that anyone who is reading this story is still enjoying it.