"Aya?" doc approached him, slowly. He kneeled on the ground and was frightening quiet.
"Who was on the phone?" Souta kneeled down next to him.
"Manx" Aya gasped, they noticed that the emotion they took for panic was in actually rage.
"Aya, talk to us" Souta pushed.
"They captured them" he hissed, he felt how the rage bubbled under the surface.
"Who…? The police?" doc gritted her teeth.
"The enemy" Aya took a deep breath, he tried hard to calm down.
"What do they do?" Souta wasn't sure if he wanted to hear the answer.
"Nothing" Aya got up "They don't have enough capacities to send a crash crew"
They remained silent for a while "That's typical for Kritiker" Souta roared "That's so typical"
"It's not the first time they leave a team behind" doc explained because of Aya's confusion.
"I won't leave them behind. I bring them back home, where they belong" but the question was, how?
"I'll help you" doc said "I need thirty minutes to collect my weapons"
"Count me in!" Souta decided to protect his little boy and his family. His children weren't thankful. They always took what they could get without a thanks or 'love you dad' but Aya was different. He wasn't his child but he was thankful and loving and a bigger part of his family as his own children. His wife wanted to meet the nice young man who captured a part of his heart and he would make sure that she gets the chance to pamper him.
"No" Aya couldn't accept the offer "You found your way out of active duty. I can't accept your help"
"You have no choice" he heard amusement in her voice.
"But…" Souta hushed him "No buts. We will help, don't you dare to argue"
"Yes, sir" Aya was happy for their help but he was afraid to lose them.
"You'll wait right here while I collect our weapons" doc warned "Don't move"
"Okay" Aya settled down on the couch "Souta and I will think about a plan"
"Good boy" she looked at Souta and nodded "old team?" she mouthed.
Souta thought about it and decided it was implacable to ask for help, he closed his eyes and nodded in agreement.
"Who's on your old team?" Souta jumped as Aya's voice pulled him out of his thoughts.
"My wife and doc's hubby, oh and the creepy nurse who works in the emergency admission"
"Don't tell me nurse Ayaka was an assassin, she gives me the creeps" Souta laughed at Aya's charming comment "Don't let her hear that"
"Definitely not, she has access to big needles" Aya shuddered.
That was the Abyssinian he heard about. He thought about Aya's darker side quite often, he couldn't imagine how the young man and the redoubtably Abyssinian could possibly be the same person. It was interesting how professional he switched between his two personalities.
"I have to make a call" Aya grabbed the phone; Souta looked confused but said nothing.
"Manx, you have to find out where they are" Aya was deadly serious "Now" he hissed threateningly.
"Thirty minutes" and he hung up.
"You're the first one who has the guts to speak with hear like she's a newbie" Souta was impressed. Abyssinian wasn't someone you should take the piss out if you want to survive.
"She loves us and I think she already knew that I'll call, sooner or later" Aya said as if it was the most normal of the world.
"You're friends" Souta realized, the great Abyssinian was able to form a lasting friendship with her.
"We're her favorite team. We take care of her 'problems' and she repays us for the trouble"
"So it's more like give and take" Souta frowned, that couldn't be.
Aya leaned back and smiled "No, it's more than that but you can't say 'your boss is your friend' out loud, it's not fair compared with the others teams"
"You feign a strained working relationship because your friendship could ruin the moral of the other teams" Souta was puzzled.
"All in all, yeah" the phone rang "Okay ….. I'm on my way … . I'm careful" he hung up.
Souta grinned, the good old Manx was worried and he never thought she was able to use phrases like 'be careful'. You always learn something new.
"They're in a warehouse near the building they tried to infiltrate"
"That's good, it's easier to pelt into a warehouse than an office block" Souta racked his brain.
The doorbell disturbed his train of thoughts "Who could this be?"
"Oh, I know who" Aya remained seated "You have a key, don't start to be polite. It's too late to change you behavior anyway"
Souta looked totally puzzled, he wanted to ask as Manx entered the living room "It's not nice to let a lady stay in front of a door" she joked.
"Lady? Where?" Aya looked around and got a head slap in return "Cheeky rascal"
"What do you have?" Aya rose from the couch. Manx was relieved to see him in good health. She was afraid he could break under the pressure of his blindness and his job but it seemed he was still as persistent as ever.
"Blueprints" she waved with them "I thought you possibly need some help"
"Thank you" Aya said polite "Damn I can't see anything" he switched on the light but it wasn't enough.
"Souta, do you go with him?" she knew he would protect Aya.
"The whole team" was his curt reply.
"That's good, he needs help" she nibbled slightly on her lower lip "Souta, I think it's time to use the new medicament we contrived"
"No" he said vehement "the side-effects are dangerous and you can't use it more than one time otherwise he becomes addicted"
"To what extent will the drug influence me" Aya took everything he could get.
"You can see for three to four hours" Manx answered.
"Side-effects?" it didn't matter he made the decision as Manx let him know about the existence of the drug but he wanted to know what to expect.
"Headache, nausea, rapid heartbeat, apnoea, coma…it depends on you" there was a lot more but that was enough for the beginning "We only tested it on three persons, until now"
"Coma?" Aya frowned, that stuff was deadly but he had no choice as to play the lab rat.
"It's like a drug so … cold turkey, my boy" Souta settled down next to him "Think about it. Is it worth all the pain? "
"It is" Aya was sure "how does it work?"
"I'll inject a chemical substance which blocks a few parts of your brain. We made it to work against traumata and so on but like you see it is still dangerous" Souta explained.
The redhead took a deep breath "I'll do it, no matter what happens"
"Aya…"
"No" he gave Souta a rueful smile "I have to do it"
"I know" he sighed "I'll inject the substance ten minutes before we start our mission"
"Thank you" Aya closed his eyes, he was afraid. He saw junkies without their drugs and it looked painful but his team was more important than his well being.
"We're back" doc yelled, fifteen minutes later.
"One hour?" Souta raised a brow "It's not our fault you hid your weapons in one of the twenty cartons in our cellar" his wife answered.
"I hoped you would say no" Souta took her hand "I'm fit and only in my early fifty, I can fight and you know that" she poked his chest.
"I know love" he sighed "I would like to introduce you to Aya aka Abyssinian"
"He's so young" she sounded impressed "I never thought the great Abyssinian is a young adult"
"Hina" Souta scolded "I told you he was young"
"I know but … how old are you, twenty four?" she asked bluntly.
"Twenty" was the sheepish replay, she reminded him of his granny.
She had to handle the information "Leader … with twenty… MANX"
"What? It wasn't my decision but he's the best" she shrugged.
"I believe only what I see" she didn't want to believe that a team of teenager and young adults could be so successful. It wasn't right; they were kids for heaven's sake.
"Hey doc" Aya grinned "where's your hubby. I want to know who was stupid enough to marry you"
"Heeeyyy" she laughed and punched his shoulder "He's the nuisance"
"Hey" he heard a deep voice "Thank you for the help" Aya looked in his direction.
"I have to take care of her" he sounded serious "and I won't let a kid rush headlong into disaster"
Aya laughed, it sounded cold and scary "Welcome to the club of the world-weary kids"
It was time to be Abyssinian; Aya had to wait deep inside his mind until they finished the job.
The adults looked shocked; his aura was strong and cold as ice.
"Abyssinian. Good luck!" Manx pulled him into a short but tight hug "I have to go"
Aya nodded before he left the living room.
"Didn't you say he's a nice guy?" Hina wasn't so sure if Souta told her the truth.
"He's able to draw a line between private and business" he answered self confident.
"Souta is right" doc interfered "He's vulnerable and takes everything to his heart. One wrong word and he'll think about it for days"
"Why is he here?" they heard pity in her voice.
"A ruthless businessman killed his family and his sister is in a coma since then" doc answered.
"He survived his old team and worked as a freelancer after most of them died during a mission" Souta added.
"Weiss gave him a family, everything he ever wanted is here" he spread his arms.
"Take care of him" Manx said before she headed for the door.
"Why? Because Kritiker needs him…." Hina nagged.
"No, because I need them" she left.
"Does she have a sister-complex?" Hina frowned "Weiss is strange and Manx is getting old"
"Hina" Takumi sighed and put an arm around his wife "We're getting old, right doc?"
"No,no,no we're still young" she grinned.
Hina wanted to replay as Aya entered the living room. He wore a long coat, black trousers, a black shirt and heavy steel cap boots.
"What are you fighting with?" Hina was nosy, she couldn't see a weapon.
Aya drew his Katana in to time and swung and turned it in one hand, with ease.
Hina's jaw dropped "Not bad" she praised.
"That will be incredibly interesting" Takumi whispered into doc's ear.
"Certainly" she answered with a grin.