Author's Note: Thank you, KLoves2Read, for keeping me on the ball!

CHAPTER 25 - HIGH STAKES IN NAGASAKI

"Can you See her yet?"

Dylan groaned loudly and scrubbed his face. "Dude, I'm working on it. Okay? Promise." He pulled a button-up shirt from the ball of fabric on the bed in front of him, shaking it roughly before spreading it on the bed to smooth the wrinkles out with his palm. He was busy folding his 'luggage' - a handful of shirts and the second pair of pants he'd borrowed from Fang, and the fresh pack of boxers he'd picked up in the duty free shop at the airport.

Fang frowned but shut up, settling for digging his fingers into the rough bedspread in their astronomically tiny hotel room. His sneakers felt too tight, but he hadn't bothered taking them off yet. They had landed in Japan with an armful of journalism equipment and no new leads on Max. The hotel room was as good a place as any to regroup, and it was already paid for.

He bit his tongue to keep from asking Dylan again and tried sorting through what they knew instead. The list was depressingly short:

One – They had traced the death-fax to somewhere in Japan.

Two – Max was being held captive somewhere in Japan (possibly) by someone who wanted information about her genetic structure (definitely) and was willing to kill her (too terrifying to consider) to get it.

Three – Fang and Dylan were now in Japan.

Fang's cell buzzed and Dylan glanced over, eyes darting between the phone and Fang's unfocused gaze. "Shouldn't you get that?"

Fang fought the urge to roll his eyes and made an unimpassioned grab at the phone. "Yo," he intoned dully.

Marty's gruff voice blared through the ear piece. "Where's my check-in, Ride? I need to know you're not gonna play hooky this time around."

Fang pinched his eyes shut. "We're in the hotel."

Marty's groan was muffled. "You and Dylan had better be at ASIX within the hour, Nick. The contact called, Yummy or Yoomee or something - she's waiting to give you the tour, and if you miss it, so help me God, I will pull your funding and you can paddle a fucking canoe home."

Fang clenched his phone a little tighter. "I'll get it done."

"I expect to hear from you when you're finished, capiche?"

Fang didn't even have to conjure up a nauseatingly placid response. Marty just hung up on him. He glared at the dark screen before turning his gaze on Dylan. His momentary disappointment at finding Dylan's eyes on him instead of focused and trying to See was elevated exponentially as soon as Dylan opened his mouth.

"We should go to that shoe factory."

"Are you kidding?"

Dylan shrugged helplessly, pulling his t-shirt over his head and grabbing the button-up by the sleeve. "We don't have a plan. And your boss's support is really helpful. It'll take, what, an hour?"

Fang ground his teeth, considering.

"Besides, who knows. We might learn something while we're there."

"What, now you speak Japanese, too?"

"A little." Dylan's cheeks tinged pink. "Do you have a better idea?"

He didn't. Fang sighed and shrugged into his work shirt, fastening the buttons over his undershirt. He wrapped the strap from his camera back around one fist and stood up, turning toward the door.

"C'mon."

In the taxi cab, Fang sat rigidly, stare fixed out the window. The driver kept his mouth shut, nervously glancing at him in the rearview mirror every few seconds. Dylan largely ignored him, sitting stiffly and twisting to Look behind them for Max. Fang's knee bounced anxiously. It sucked to be so close and still have no idea where Max could be. As annoyed as he was that Dylan agreed with Dayburn about making the trip to ASIX, he was right that they didn't have any other ideas about where to start. Maybe he'd be able to concentrate better if he finished the job and got Dayburn off his ass.

It wasn't long before the taxi pulled up in front of a long, low concrete building, painted dirt brown and devoid of windows. While Fang flipped through foreign currency, Dylan stepped out of the cab, stretching with his hands on his lower back and rolling his head to crack his neck.

"Man, my back is so sore. All this traveling..."

Fang moved to join him as the cab pulled away. He watched Dylan breathe deeply, closing his eyes against the nippy breeze that was coming in from the nearby coast.

"The ocean's a good boundary when I'm Looking. I mean, it's still an entire country, but it's not huge, you know? I sift through the things I can see until I'm looking at people in bathing suits and then I start over again."

He closed his eyes with another sigh. Fang coughed pointedly, eyeing him appraisingly before nodding toward the door. "Let's get this over with."

Dylan nodded and headed towards the building, lazily taking it in. He frowned and pointed at a cardboard sign picketed out front, elbowing Fang.

"D'ya see that?"

Fang followed Dylan's outstretched arm to the sign, glossing over the unreadable characters to squint at the words he could read. And he remembered Max, sitting on the couch with the news on like always, with the nasally voice of Kathy Kelly filling the living room.

Dylan turned halfway towards Fang. "Who's Genitex?"

Fang answered without looking. "Some sort of research company, I think. They've been in the news a lot for high-profile mergers with unrelated companies." He frowned. "I don't know why Dayburn didn't say anything. Could be a fresh angle for the story."

"Maybe he didn't know." Dylan shrugged. "That sign looks brand new."

Fang pulled his eyes away to enter the building. A petite woman in a pale yellow suit stood waiting at the entrance with a polite smile and a small bow. Fang nodded respectfully.

She spoke brightly in near-perfect English, "Welcome to ASIX Shoe Manufacturing, Ride-san, and friend." She tilted her head towards each of them with a close-lipped smile. "My name is Yume Kimura. I am the C.O.O. for ASIX Shoe. We are so pleased to host you here at our company. Please, allow me to show you the facility."

Fang thanked her and smiled tightly, following Yume through the lobby with Dylan trailing quietly behind. The building itself was massive, but the manufacturing seemed to take place in just a small portion of the factory. She walked them briskly through the production line, offering a brief explanation of the different processes that the thirty or so employees were assigned to.

Fang followed without really watching, mind still stuck on the sign out front. Yume was explaining the merits of synthetic versus natural materials when he cut in, "Why did Genitex purchase ASIX?"

Yume's eyes went wide in shock at the interruption. She recovered gracefully, folding her hands in front of her and smiling sweetly. "Genitex hopes to encourage Japanese business while creating revenue to fund their many projects. ASIX Shoe was failing, but Mr. Tanaki purchased the company, as well as several coastal islands where we plan to relocate production. We have already won a new tender and will be able to create new jobs soon."

Fang's gaze swept across the manufacturing floor, fixing on a pair of double-doors at the far end of the room. He nodded, "What's that, through there?"

"That is currently unused space. Much of Japan suffered after the nuclear spill. ASIX was no exception. But Mr. Tanaki has promised that we will soon again make full use of our facility." She smiled brightly and directed them towards a narrow hallway near the back of the room. "We have plenty of room to grow."

Fang couldn't stop looking at those double-doors. The glass windows were dark, but he thought he was picking up a low mechanical hum on the other side. Whatever was in there, it wasn't abandoned. He caught Dylan's eye, brows raised questioningly, cutting his gaze toward the double doors. Dylan's expression flashed with understanding and he Looked across the room.

Yume coughed politely into her wrist and tried again to move them along. "Let us walk to my office. There, I can answer any further questions you may have. This way, please."

Fang stopped her, peeling up the Velcro on the lid of his camera bag. "Is it alright if I take a few pictures first?"

Yume smiled sweetly, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "It is not good timing for you. The workers are about to be relieved for the day. We will go to my office now, and tomorrow, you may take your photographs."

Fang refastened his camera bag, heaving a sigh but keeping his mouth shut. He reminded himself that a guaranteed second day was good if it meant prolonged funding.

When Yume turned again to lead them down the narrow hallway, Dylan looked to Fang, brows furrowed in a silent attempt at communication. Fang had no idea what Dylan was trying to say. He was all wide eyes and pointed glances back at the double doors. His over-expressive features left Fang feeling uneasy.

Yume began a history of ASIX as she led them past a stretch of dark doorways to empty offices. Her heels clicked sharply on the linoleum, echoing off the white-washed concrete walls and amplifying the feeling of claustrophobia creeping in. Fang flinched when Dylan grabbed his bicep and hissed quietly in his ear.

"Erasers. There are Erasers in her office."

"You sure?" Fang whispered back. He groaned internally at how stupid his question was. Of course Dylan was sure. He Saw.

Fang's heart pounded. Trap, trap, trap. He pulled up short and lifted his phone from his pocket. Dylan collided with Fang's back, air escaping his lungs in a whoosh. Yume turned around abruptly, thin brows puckered in confusion.

"It's my boss." Fang smiled apologetically and jiggled his phone with his thumb. "I've got to take this."

Yume looked torn in a hurried, annoyed sort of way, but managed a polite smile and nodded. "Of course."

"Uh, can I...?" Fang gestured to one of the empty offices. "Just a little privacy."

Her lower lip tensed minutely as she nodded and permitted him to enter with one close-fingered hand.

"Thank you," Fang nodded and reached around to flip the light switch. "I'll just be a minute." He slipped inside, dragging Dylan along by the elbow, mind racing. It had been almost two days since the Flock was rescued and taken off the sedative. Nudge had to be coherent by now, right? Even if she was still kind of groggy, she would still be the quickest way to get the information he needed. He wasn't really sure what time it was state-side, but he hoped Nudge picked up anyway.

The phone was already ringing when the door swung shut behind Dylan. He raked a hand through his hair and Looked back through the door. "Dude, she's gonna think it's weird you pulled me in here for a 'private' phone call. What the hell are you doing? We've got to get out!"

Fang shushed him as Nudge picked up, voice thick with sleep.

"Hullo?"

"I need a favor, Nudge. Do you have a computer nearby?"

"Of course," she drawled, voice muddy with a yawn, "But it's so eeeeearly."

"Right now, Nudge. Who's Genitex, and what are they doing with ASIX Shoe Manufacturing?" There was a rustle of sheets and a grunt and then incoherent grumbling. Fang turned to Dylan and hissed, "How many?"

Dylan blinked rapidly, taking a second to realize what Fang was asking. "Uh, four. Four Erasers." He paused. "We can handle four, can't we?"

"It doesn't matter. They know we're here. Even if we take 'em out, there'll be more." Fang turned his back to Dylan when Nudge started speaking.

"You owe me big, you know. Like, shopping at Chanel big. And Jimmy Choo."

"Nudge."

"Okay, okay. So. Genitex is the leading producer of biotech in Japan right now. Looks like they supply for a couple of military tech companies. Uuuuuh...I can't find anything about ASIX that's current. It looks like the company was purchased and dissolved a month ago. It doesn't even exist anymore."

Fang cursed under his breath, dragging one hand through his hair.

Nudge gasped, "Wait, are you there?"

"Yeah." He tried to ignore the way Dylan was bouncing agitatedly, Staring through the door. The faint sound of heel-clicks faded down the hallway.

"Fang," he hissed.

"Ohmigod," Nudge whispered and the phone line was filled with the soft patter of keystrokes. "Fang, did you know Genitex just published research on developments in bio-upgrade technology? With avian DNA?" Her voice raised a few pitches and she babbled on, "How did the CSM miss this? You guys are in big trouble. I'm gonna wake up Iggy, and Gazzy and Angel, and – well, I walked to the bathroom by myself a couple hours ago so I'm sure we're good to fly by now – and we can get to you by-"

"Nudge," Fang cut her off. "We've got this. Stay there. Finish getting better. We already talked about this."

"Fang," Dylan spoke, a little louder, tension edging his voice.

"No! Fang, we're a family! You don't get to-"

"Fang!"

The door swung open and slammed into the wall, handle punched through the plaster. Four hulking, fully-morphed Erasers bounded in. Yume was long gone. The office filled with inhuman growls and the putrid stink of rotting gums like sun-ripened corpses. Fang whipped around, phone flying across the room to shatter against the wall. He only had a second before the first Eraser slammed into him.

It was a disorienting haze of muscle memory and rusty technique. Fang threw punches with terrifying accuracy but failed to twist out of reach when the wolves came at him. And Dylan was barely holding his own, taking twice as many hits as he landed.

"Focus!" Fang threw a wild punch at the grizzly maw coming at him. He nearly folded in half when a hairy fist collided with his stomach.

Dylan yelped when an Eraser slashed at his thigh, tearing ragged gashes through denim but missing flesh. "I'm trying!" He brought his elbow down, dropping the creature like a sack of rocks and taking a world-spinning hit across the jaw from the next one.

Fang jabbed the side of his palm into a windpipe, twisting for a roundhouse kick. The beast hit the wall with a sickening crack. Something snarled at his neck and he rammed his elbow back into soft flesh. The beast yelped and fell on him, landing a heavy blow to the ribs before it was dropped with a powerful clap to the ears.

"Dylan!" Fang launched himself at the fourth Eraser as it tore into the feathers on Dylan's back. Bloodied claws slashed at Fang's face. He hooked his foot around one hairy ankle to pull it off-balance. It went down and Fang delivered a swift kick to its temple, making it fall still.

That was about when the adrenaline peaked. It hit Fang with a sick rush that made his head pound and his knuckles go numb.

There wasn't anything else to hit.

He slid to the floor, back to the wall, fighting for breath.

Dylan panted heavily, his left eye already swelling shut. He muttered his thanks to Fang for taking his last guy out, fingers feathering across his nose to feel for a break before swiping at the trickle of blood on his upper lip. He turned his turquoise eyes on Fang and cringed, looking sick. "Oh, man... Dude, your ear..."

Fang's fingers flew up to the side of his head, ghosting over the sticky drip of blood before hovering over the jagged tear in the top of the lobe. His eyes pinched shut and he leaned forward, bracing his trembling hands on the concrete and pushing himself back to his feet. "We've got to move. More will come." He nudged a limp arm with the toe of his sneaker. "They're Gen One. I didn't know they even made these anymore."

He turned away from the scene and hovered in the doorway to listen. There was nothing. No heel-clicks from Yume. No chatter from employees. Even the background rumble of the manufacturing equipment had gone silent. Or maybe it was that he couldn't hear anything over the pounding of his heart in his ears.

He turned back into the room, scanning for a second door, an air vent, anything to avoid going back through that hallway. He hurried towards the desk so he could reach the ventilation grate in the corner but stopped short at Dylan's agitated scowl. Fang reached out to grab his shoulder, concerned, and Dylan flinched violently, looking up from the bloodied floor. His wild gaze fixed on Fang and his eyes widened in urgency.

"Islands! Fang, she said Genitex has been buying islands!" He ran his hands over his head until his hair stood on end. "I've been looking over the mainland this whole time!" His breaths came in shallow as his eyes darted frantically around the room. His gaze settled on one of the walls and his whole body tensed.

Fang had the grate unscrewed and lying on the desk when Dylan's face went ashen, good eye glazing over even as the other swelled shut.

"Oh...Oh, no..."

Dylan's hissed words made Fang run cold.

"I found her."

A/N: You guys, it is so late for me. I am so tired. I could barely get my thoughts together for long enough to do my last edit of this chapter. I spent a lot of time on the fight scene, actually, trying to tighten up the language, and I'm hoping I was at least somewhat successful. It's a pretty quick skirmish and it's supposed to be very high-energy so there's not really room for lengthy descriptions until the men are cataloging wounds at the end.

Lustrex: Hmm, I like Faylan better than Dylang, if we're making a bro-ship name. Faylan sounds like it could be something real. What about Fylan? Or Dang? Short and sweet? I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter, in regards to the F&D relationship. Not as many opportunities for the broship to shine, since Things are Happening and they've gotta be dealt with. And Fang is so close, he can taste it!

Nola96: Yeeeah, Marty's an asshole. I thought it would be interesting to stick both Fang & Dylan in a room with him. He also has a precedent for hating Fang, whereas he's never met Dylan before in his life.

DntlessAnnabeth: I totally agree! Any longer looking for Max and the story would just drag. But now Dylan has a lock on her, so they can get on with it.

KLoves2Read: I did ditch the 'Coffee Pot' nickname! Because I realized that Fang would know the guy's name, so he wouldn't call him something as impersonal as "Coffee Pot" in his internal dialogue. That's just weird.