Chapter 36: Entering the Mafia's Base

Rage and the group finally proceeds through the northwest in order to get through the mafia's main base, Akira sensed someone had followed them until Rage noticed the flying paper crane are following them on their trail.

"Looks like my grandfather's bird invention is moving to follow us. Why he's trying to follow our trail?"

"It appears Professor Garuda is controlling this steel crane. I never knew it was them who tries to follow us." Akira said while looking at the flying crane. "It may look like a paper crane but it is made of steel. I guess he knows that we're on our way to get through the mafia's main base."

"Wow... Mr. Itoh is a mechanical genius..." Emi said surprisingly.

"Come on, let's get through their base." Rage confidently smirks as the group continues to move as the flying paper crane still follows them and it zooms to the underground facility in EMTI where they are watched by Garuda, Afro and Drum.

"Looks like they are proceeding through the northwest. I hope they will make it inside their main base." Drum said as Garuda replies.

"If Morishige would definitely send his men in order to get rid of Reiji and the others, my invention of mine would attack them on purpose."

"Garuda... you mean this flying baby?" Afro pointed out of the flying paper crane.

"Of course... I have some mechanism such as controlling it with my remote." Garuda said while handling the remote. "Just in case, if Reiji and the others are got into a huge trouble."

At the mafia's base, Katsuhiro became angered to see them on the monitor knowing that they are proceeding through his base as he thought.

I will not let those brats to get through my territory. Nobody knows my base was secretly hidden within the crater lake. I have to dispatched them now...

"All right, get rid of those young brats. Don't let them get through our base..." Katsuhiro directly orders his men to get rid of them which they agreed.

Back at the outskirts, Rage and the group continues to move until Akira sensed something.

"What's wrong, Akira?" Rage asked as he replies.

"You have to put Yuni and Emi to hide. We got company...?"

"What!?"

"You two... you better hide..." Retsu said telling both Emi and Yuni as they hide.

"What's going on, cousin...?" Kari asked as Rage tells her.

"It appears the mafia are here... we better be ready."

As the group hide and Rage and Retsu put the box so that Akira could wield different firearms as both continues to hide. The mafia soldiers arrive from their armor truck in order to dispatch the group. Seeing their opportunity, both Rage and Retsu manage to disarm and taking them down. The mafia soldier became confused at the moment as one of them being hit from Kari's ninja blades to render immobilize until being confronted by Akira who finally shows up.

"You? Where is the rest of your friends?" One of the mafia soldier gunpoints at Akira as he angrily smirk.

"Sorry, but you and your men are down."

Akira eventually shoots the soldier with a shotgun to kill him as more mafia soldiers finally comes out of the truck with the song "Arms" has been played. Rage and Retsu manages to disarmed the two soldier and knocks them down immediately. Kari also does the same as she throw each of her ninja blades toward the soldier to rend immobilize as she goes to take down the other. Akira avoids most of the soldiers' gunshots as he quickly kills them by shooting with a shotgun and to see another truck is coming this way. More soldiers are coming to get them as everyone hides to avoid the rapid fire from their guns. Akira finally gets his handgun from his holster as he jumps while shooting the truck's gas tank as it explodes killing other mafia soldiers in a process. Rage and the others finally comes out of hiding.

"Wow... he killed them all..."

"That's what they say... Akira is very armed and dangerous." Retsu smirked nicely as Akira sees a track which the truck has been moved from here in order to take them down.

"We need to move, Rage. We can follow the track from here."

As the group proceeds the flying paper crane still lighted up as it continues to follow them as it zooms through the underground facility in EMTI.

"I'm impressed to see Akira dispatches them all." Drum said amusing. "He maybe a good dancer but he's also a tough guy to beat many opponents at once."

"An S.P.F. agent is always very armed and dangerous." Garuda remarked about Akira's fighting abilities. "Now I understand why the Security Police from Yuni's family chose him as Yuni's bodyguard. But I've never seen he would take down any opponents who wield various firearms."

"Well that's the first time to see him in action..." Afro commented as Princess Zukin arrives to see them.

"Mr. Garuda... Robo2001 and Konsento Mark IV are ready to go."

"What!? You're gonna send two robots, Garuda?" Afro said shockingly as Garuda smirks to him.

"Take it easy, Afro. My two robots are gonna send them for later. Don't worry, I can command them in my watch-like bracelet."

Rage and the group finally reaches the gate of the mafia base as more soldiers begin to attack as they quickly hide from getting hit.

"Dang those freaks..."

"We can't hit them if they are guarding up there..." Kari said became disappointed about this. Emi and Yuni continues to hide as Retsu looked at his mini computer as detected more hostiles are on the roof.

"I could hack through their system but the guards are still up there."

"I'll put them down, Retsu. Hitting with a sniper rifle would be easy to deal with it." Akira said as he pulls out a sniper rifle which he took it on the box that they carried. "You go on and I'll take a clear shot on them."

Therefore, Rage's communicator was glowing in red as he takes it from his baggy camouflage capris and clicks the button as both Retsu and Akira hears it.

"Grandfather, what's up? We're still hiding to avoid the mafia freaks' gunshots."

"You guys remain hide. I'll take care of this..." Garuda smirks happily as he clicks the remote as the flying paper crane finally activated on its own with the song "The Drain" has been played. It activates a powerful red laser that could slash the guard tower in half in explosion.

Rage and the group are surprised by this as they watch the crane zaps with its laser to clear up the guard tower from the mafia's main base creating a huge chaos on the battlefield. Therefore, Katsuhiro saw this chaos and went mad to see this.

"What's going on here?"

"Sir, we tried to stop those teenage brats until a strange paper crane is trying to destroy the barracks and the guard tower as well."

"That pesky brats... eliminated them at once!"

Most mafia soldiers are trying to open fire as Garuda's invention is able to dodge the bullets. Garuda watches in how to deal against them.

"Garuda... I've never seen you can control it at once..." Drum said amused to his invention.

"You're taking all out offensive, my man..." Afro smiled happily.

"Yeah... I finally heated things up... Time to burn those idiots into a crisp." Garuda smirks confidently as he clicks another button as the paper crane itself covered in a blazing fire and it flies similar to a fire bird as it burns the soldiers to the ground as well as their vehicles to explode as the it reverts back into a flying paper crane.

After seeing a thick smoke on the base, Retsu finally manage to get through the system as he manage to hack using his upgraded mini-computer as he finally unlocks the gate as it automatically opens.

"Hey Reiji, it's all clear now... We can get inside..." Retsu said telling him as Rage, Emi, Akira, Yuni and Kari emerges after hiding and they were surprised to see Garuda's invention.

"Grandfather... I've never seen you made this paper crane into a flaming bird. That was in-genius..." Rage said while talking to his grandfather on his communicator.

"I told ya I could watch over you and yer friends." Garuda said smirking. "I did this personally because I know Akira won't even shoot from the top even wielding powerful firearms to his disposal. That's why I contacted you so that I could use this paper crane invention of mine to do the offensive."

"I was about to be ready to shoot them. But I didn't noticed you assisted us the whole time when you use that steel crane of yours." Akira surprised while pointing out the flying paper crane.

"Affirmative, now is the right time to take a full strike on the mafia inside their main base. Let's just say, we'll avenge Liana for their assassination attempt against me." Garuda said and he tells his grandson. "You must fight Morishige, Reiji. That moron is very strategic and is capable to take down opponents. You should be careful when he wielded firearms to his disposal."

"Okay, grandfather... I got your word." Rage said as he finally hung up.

"So we have to get inside then..." Emi wondered as Yuni still hides at Emi's back while sobbing.

"Now I understand why Akira decided not to let me come with you because of this dangerous mission, sob..."

"You don't have to cry, Yuni. Besides, you're gonna team up with me if it comes to hacking." Retsu said telling her.

"I guess Professor Garuda just spared my bullets. I'm glad he assists us for once." Akira said in relief as Rage smirks as he cracks up his knuckles.

"I'd like to thank grandfather for assisting us because he knows we're in trouble when we can't beat them. But this time it's serious... Let's put the mafia organization down to their knees!"

"Yeah!" Everyone yelled as Rage and the group finally enters through the mafia's main base. The flying paper crane watches them entering as Garuda, Drum and Afro watch on the monitor.

"I guess you nailed it for the first time, Garuda. You just wreck the guards who are guarding in the tower as well as their barracks." Drum complimented as Garuda smirks in a cynical tone.

"Yeah... they can't use their vehicles now. Let's just say Reiji could fight off Morishige once he reaches through the tower of their main base. It will be a Street Dancer fights the One-Man Army."

"..."

"Gosh, Garuda... you're makin' yer grandson putting his life on the line." Afro reacted on his actions.

"I don't think so... If Retsu manages to hack through their system to make a signal on this facility. That way I could take this advantage by exposing their main base so that the Japanese Government would discover it. In case of drastic measures to Reiji and the others if it's not enough to eliminate the soldiers, I'll send Robo2001 and Konsento Mark IV to assist them." Garuda said seriously to his word.

"Garuda..."

"No matter what happens... we have to eradicate the mafia organization as soon as possible. I just hope they can do it." Garuda said as the trio continues to watch on the monitor.

At the hospital, Princess Zukin and Bass are watching over, Liana who is still in the Intensive Care Unit knowing of her critical condition.

"I just hope Ms. Liana will be all right..." Princess Zukin said sadly as Bass patted him.

"It will be fine... As long as the doctors took care of her serious condition. I just hope my boss will be okay in the underground facility. They are serving as observers to Rage and the others."

"Mr. Garuda has something on his sleeve right now. He does this for Ms. Liana's sake." Princess Zukin said knowing of Garuda's true intentions as Bass was surprised by this.

At the tower, Katsuhiro was devastated to see Rage and the group manage to enter their main base and to realize the chaos happened between the gate and the barracks. He wants to know who's responsible for wrecking on both sides as he thought of this.

So those youngsters are made it this far... I want to know who's messing the half of my base on both sides. I already eradicate Garuda during that competition. But that's impossible... Is he the one to do it...? I'll let the youngsters do what they wished to beat my men. Cause no one will stop me...!

Katsuhiro eventually leaves as he is ready to face the group.

Trivia:

*For the second time the song "Arms" has been played since Chapter 13.

*Akira's role in this chapter is a play on Richard Miller the main protagonist of Time Crisis and Time Crisis: Project Titan as he could shoot various firearms aside from his handgun. Akira also shoots the vehicle in explosion using his handgun much like how Richard shoots the helicopter where Wild Dog was riding two times to end his true motives in explosion. Garuda also mentions Richard's moniker as the One-Man Army when he let Rage battles Katsuhiro Morishige in a one-on-one duel.

*The way Akira shoots his handgun five times on the truck's gas tank is a reference to his background appearances in DDR games where he shoots directly on the target bull's eye five times with his handgun.

*The paper crane invention transforms into a fire bird resembling Sailor Mars' attack, Fire Soul Bird and the way it moves to burst its enemies into flames references One of Saicho's moves in the anime, Flame of Recca.

*The red laser beam from the flying paper crane resembles Devil Jin's Hellfire Laser in Tekken 5 and Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection and the extended trailer for Tekken 6.