World's Finest in Ghost City

CHP52: Virus Exposed

Lieutenant Ryan Sho sat inside his office typing away at his computer. He'd gone back and forth between the information collected on trying to find anything he might have overlooked. The Specters of Shadows were top priority but on a minimized screen was additional information concerning Atsushi Grivez. The night had been busy and was certain he'd be looking at more over time much like several previous nights. At different instances he had a difficult time keeping his eyes open.

"The Kokiyou children are safe..."

Ryan jumped at a sound that came from a dark corner of the room. His heart raced staring into the glowing white eyes and settled as the dark figure came into view just beside his desk. The Lieutenant stood and looked the individual over and was more than taken off guard by his presence.

"Batman," Ryan immediately stepped off to the side and locked his office door, "You shouldn't be here. We have a warrant for your arrest and upon sighting are obligated to apprehend you."

"And you've made that loud and clear, but I've got something for you. As we speak Sarah and Jec Kokiyou are likely on their way here with the commissioner." The dark knight informed.

"The children of Celvin Kokiyou?!"

"Yes." The cape crusader nodded.

"But...but how?!"

"I found them. The initial location believed to be the abduction point was false. You and your men were searching for clues in the wrong areas. The three were abducted a couple miles from the park. You could say I got lucky with the assistance of a blood trail."

"What on earth are you talking about?!" Ryan said.

"My findings led me to Crah Horoh's residence and I was present the night his home went up in flames. By now I'm sure forensics has identified the body found in the home as Crah's. Jake Stabla was at the scene with a single Jacketed Hollow Point bullet to the heart."

"How could you possibly know?! That information at no point was relayed to the public?!"

"Though Crah Horoh turned up dead, he was very much part of the crime. It was his originally idea to abduct the Kokiyou children and receive ransom money in exchange for their lives. Jake Stabla happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, they had no interest in him. Unfortunately the Crah's accomplices didn't see things the same way and he was killed over an argument concerning money; the payout they planned to receive from Celvin Kokiyou. Mories Luvlan was the head guy and an abandoned train station of his was used to hold Sarah and Jec. Here is a small portion of what I collected." Batman tossed a small device over Ryan's desk.

Ryan stood in complete shock listening as Batman gave a brief overview of what led to the eventual rescue of the two. He was at lost for words and didn't know how to reply and didn't know if the information presented to him was true. The lieutenant gazed at the small device over his desk before his eyes fell over the ground and once he looked up Batman was gone!

"What...what the hell is going on?!"

XXX

Batou was the first to arrive inside the team facility and feasted his eyes on a nearby T.V. The breaking news caption caught his attention, so tuned in.

"If you're just tuning in we're pleased to inform you the Kokiyou children are safe and are here at the police station just behind us. Celvin Kokiyou arrived hours ago with his wife Cindy and have been spending time with the children."

"The best news all week." Batou grinned pulling up a chair and taking a seat.

"At any time now the commissioner of police, mayor and Kokiyou family will appear on the podium just behind me, and as you can see the area is crowded with dozens of civilians. It has been this way since early this morning, and you can feel the relive and energy around. With all the bad going around, it's good to see this story have a good ending."

Batou kept his eyes on screen and in minutes the mayor appeared and was surrounded by a couple dozen guards. Commissioner Ruey Yototatski was next followed by the Kokiyou family. The crowds applauded as they stepped out onto the podium and didn't die down until over a minute. The mayor was the first to speak but not for very long before stepping aside so Ruey could speak.

"I'm glad to stand here before you all today and relay the good news that both Jec and Sarah Kokiyou are alive and well. They went through quite the ordeal, but had a guardian angel in their corner. Those responsible for the kidnappings are in custody and being questioned. Rest assured none of them will be back on the streets anytime soon." Ruey informed.

Numerous bystanders cheered throughout the crowds, and Ruey waited for them to quiet down before continuing.

"At this time I'll take questions, but nothing directed at the family. They've been through a lot and would appreciate some privacy." Ruey said.

Numerous hands went up at once and he pointed out to a news reporter.

"What do you, the mayor, and the rest of city officials have planned to combat against the uprising threat? The Specters of Shad..."

"Next question!" Ruey snapped.

Cindy held Jec close to her side with tears running down her cheeks. The entire situation was surreal and thought for certain she'd never see either of her children again.

"Can you give us more details in the death of Jake Stabla and why he, Jec and Sarah were targeted."

"Out of respect for the Stabla family we won't be revealing any of those details at this time," Ruey looked back to both Jec and Sarah, "And the two of them have been through quite the ordeal. I'd rather not put them through any of it again."

Dozens tried shouting over one another and the commissioner waited for most of it to die down before pointing out someone in the mid-section of the crowd.

"Who're the ones responsible for this travesty and have they all been rounded up?"

The commissioner sighed before running a hand through his hair.

"That information will be made public in a briefing later this afternoon. We're still in the process of sorting through all our gathered information in the last twenty four hours. But I can assure you each and every individual involved has been apprehended and we're currently inspecting each in depth. If we suspect there was anyone else involved, we'll bring them in for questioning."

He looked around as more and more hands rose and pointed to someone to the far right.

"Can you tell us more about the process and how you eventually located the kidnappers?"

"I give credit to all our brave hard working hired officials and all the hours and days they put into this investigation. Without them," Ruey looked back to Celvin's two children, "Jec and Sarah might not be standing here with us. For now I'd rather not get into details of the investigation."

The commissioner went back and forth answering questions, but someone from behind wasn't thrilled and even clinched her fists. Ruey went on and on and she couldn't take any more of it. Celvin lost hold of his daughter's arm as she pulled forward and stepped out onto the podium. He tried to grab at her but it was already too late.

"That's a lie," Sarah shouted and as a result the crowds went silent, "It was Batman that saved us! I witnessed everything, he took down our captors an..."

"Young lady!" Ruey Yototatski shouted.

Celvin Kokiyou immediately stepped up onto the podium and pulled Sarah down.

"Sorry sir, she's been through a lot and probably doesn't know what she's saying." Celvin implied.

Ruey nodded and pulled a piece of cloth from his jacket pocket wiping away the sweat that ran down the side of his face. The commissioner resumed with taking questions and pointed at someone in the front row.

"Can you confirm the vigilante bat's involvement in the rescue?"

"No comment...next question." Ruey pointed to a journalist in the mid-section.

"Is your firm secretly working hand in hand with the masked vigilante, and if so what can you t..."

"No comment." Ruey said once more.

The agitation was clear on his expression as one individual after another inquired about Batman's potential involvement. Celvin bit at his tongue and glared at his oldest child.

"Look at what you've done Sarah-chan!"

She looked up into her father's eyes and matched his intensity.

"Daddy it's the truth, I wouldn't lie about something like this."

They stared at each other for a little while longer and Celvin perceived a tear running down the side of her left check. He sighed and threw his arms around her and embraced in a hug.

"If you say so, then I believe you." Celvin ran a finger through her hair.

Batou watched the whole press conference unfold and was intrigued by the mention of the masked vigilante. The main entrance shot open and entering was Togusa, Borma, Paz and Ishikawa. Batou stood from the chair greeting the four.

"Any of you see the major?" Batou questioned.

"We had a word earlier this morning and apparently she'll be a little late. She said something about maintenance." Paz replied.

"Maintenance?" Batou raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, something about her inner ghost or whatever. She should arrive in the next hour, but until then we'll hold down the fort. The chief is in a meeting and the others should be arriving anytime now." Paz informed.

XXX

The office area was livelier than expected as he entered through the main doors. He could also sense a bit of uneasiness, which was understandable and would likely take weeks or even months before everyone felt safe again. He dropped his materials over his desk and jacket over the chair. He started up the computer in front of him and took a seat.

"Good morning Kei, I see you're ready to get back into the flow of things."

Bruce gazed over his shoulder at an individual standing at 5'8 Spiky black hair, gold eyes, and of medium build.

"When did you slip in?" Bruce questioned.

"Been here for about an hour actually," Mengyao scratched at his hair, "Been all over the place actually, running prints back and forth and catching up with others I didn't speak with yesterday. Yup we can't rehash and live in the past, time to move on. But for many in this building the wounds are massive and it'll take time for them to heal."

Bruce simply nodded and it was in that instant both noticed a certain someone enter through the main entrance. There was something different about her, but neither could put a finger on it. Her usual cheerful smile wasn't present and decided to go after her. Mengyao however just stood in place and watched.

"Meila." Bruce called out to her.

"Oh, hi Kei-san." She put on a forged smile, before turning and heading toward her desk.

He found the action more than awkward, especially coming from her. Bruce raised an eyebrow with suspicion and followed after her.

"Is everything alright?" Bruce grabbed at her wrist.

She quickly pulled away and never gave him eye contact.

"I'd rather not talk about it."

Bruce immediately backed off and knew she needed her space, but it did come into question what could have gotten her so upset.

Elsewhere Motoko lied over a steel platform with a single wire connected to the back of her neck and another couple through her torso. She had already dived into the virtual world and was unaware of what went on around her physical body. She pin pointed the area of her brain where extra brain activity was spotted. She raced on an empty road picking up speed as she drew nearer to the location in question. A holographic map was visible in her left eye so she had no troubles navigating around.

Her vehicle came to a sliding stop and she looked to a building out in front of her. There was no doubt the building was the place and the map confirmed it. She stepped forward running a hand over the purple virtual building, which immediately sent a strange sensation throughout much of her body.

"Systems...commence debugging." Motoko spoke aloud.

The system connected to her body did as she commanded and in that moment she stepped through the building and was sucked into a hidden section within her brain, a hidden section that didn't belong. Little by little she lost consciousness as she sunk deeper into what she could only describe as an endless black hole of nothingness. She eventually blacked out but didn't know for how long. When she regained consciousness it took her a couple moments to gather her thoughts, and even after she did Motoko couldn't explain the sight before her.

There was a large glass window, and through that window was a city. The view was from up high, but the standpoint quickly altered and the view falling over a desk. She had never experienced anything like it and seemed as though she was seeing things through someone else's perspective. That thought was seemingly confirmed as she perceived a gloved hand touch down over a desktop.

"What...what the hell is this?" Motoko murmured.

"A voice! Don't tell me...no it can't be?!" Someone spoke in a distorted tone.

Motoko's eyes broadened at the familiarity of the tone. She and the rest of section nine replayed the wide sent message from the Phantom numerous times over and Motoko had no doubts whose eyes she looked through. Not a moment later everything went black as she lost visuals and the glowing purple building that was present in her cyber network ceased in a flash and she was sent soaring through the air.

"Computer network, give an update...what happened?" Motoko inquired landing on her feet.

"Virus disposed of by unknown source."

"What do you mean unknown source?!" Motoko demanded.

"Information unknown."

"Dammit! I've been compromised!" Motoko tightened her fists.

Inside the large office space the Daunting Phantom was positioned on a knee and re-opened his eyes.

"That bitch! She found a way to reengineer and reverse the function of my input into her cyber brain! Damn you Kusanagi!"

A woman entered the room through a door off to his left.

"Everything alright," The woman ran up to his side as he stood, "Our business partner is ready to see you."

"She...she reversed it Katt."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Motoko of Section Nine pin pointed the virus I planted inside her brain but I destroyed the link between us before any real damage was done! I underestimated her, but it won't happen again!"

"That doesn't sound good. Could this be trouble?" Katherine replied.

"Doubtful, but if it is we'll adjust accordingly." The Phantom replied.

The masked criminal followed his assistant out of the room and into a hidden passageway.

XXX

Two workers to Sky times walked side by side and entered a diner. They'd been hard at work finishing up the last of their stories from the night previous. The break was refreshing and both took a seat inside the booth. They didn't wait long before a waiter stopped by their table and both ordered a glass of water.

"You know what you're gonna eat?" Lualay asked.

"Not just yet." Clark grinned re adjusting the glasses over his nose.

He sat back looking the menu over and it was in that instant his ears picked up on something. Clark lowered the menu over the table and straightened his posture listening in. The voices were a good ten to fifteen miles from where he sat and their conversation was interesting and possibly even important. The sounds of gunshots is what directed his attention to the location and then the mention of a specific name glued him to it.

"We, we can't just leave him out here like this!"

"Sure we can, the bastard had it coming."

"Truji's right, we should take him out back and dispose of his body. The Specters are under enough heat as it is and we can't afford to have even more attention magnified on us."

"More attention hahaha, give me a break! We're all this city's been talking about, the police are scared shitless and the government has no way of combating us either. Aight let's dump this useless filth out back and then meet with everyone else at the drop point."

"Which is where?" One asked.

"The usual spot. We won't be hanging around for long though, the boss man wants us at Gold Brigde by ten tonight. Turns out we have double agents from the government attempting to incorporate themselves into our establishment. We'll lead them on through a briefing and then execute them at the conclusion. Whatever happens, not a single of them is to leave alive. Anyhow we better get a move on before we're late."

"Clark," Lualay waved a hand in front of his face, "Earth to Clark!"

Clark coughed re adjusting the glasses over his nose.

"Oh I'm sorry. Were you saying something?"

"You didn't hear a word I said did you?" Lualay frowned.

Both were quiet for the next couple seconds in which Clark thought about what he just heard. Acting immediately was certainly an option, but he considered all the possible consequences and knew he needed to think things over. As he did a certain someone came to mind and felt might even be his best option. Even so, the government had officials watching him from afar twenty four seven so knew he needed to be careful whatever he decided to do.

XXX

The Section Nine team was gathered in their usual work area and all eyes fell on the entrance door. Each had already received the distressing news concerning the infiltration of Motoko's cyber brain and had already been at work inspecting all of their systems. Batou stood from his desk and met with her in the mid-section of the room as she passed through.

"Major are you positively sure about what you said?! Do you kno..."

"I'm positive," Motoko cut him off and headed straight for the main computer, "It was him, I've heard his voice more than enough times to know. We have to assume the worse...that he's been watching through my eyes at will. That however isn't an issue anymore, I dove into the cyber world and tracked the implanted virus. Somehow I was able to turn the tides and see things through his eyes."

Togusa bit at his tongue, and had been on edge since they received the information.

"Can you say for certain that whatever it was is completely out of your system, and who's to say the rest of us weren't affected by this virus?" Saito questioned.

A brief period of silence fell over the group as each pondered the thought.

"It's gone. I've ran a couple dozen tests at the conclusion of the exchange, and I'm certain it was the Phantom who disbanded his own virus after he became aware I had gained entry to his cyberbrain. As for the rest of you I cannot say for sure, but it is best you all get checked up. Any further work should be put on hold until that's done."

Paz stood from his chair and ran a hand under his chin.

"But when could he have done it? Gaining entry to your cyberbrain I mean?" Paz asked.

"I don't know, but I intend to find out. How have the system diagnostics been going?" Motoko looked to Ishikawa.

"It's going, but I'm only a mere twenty three percent through, it'll take some time major."

"Good, and that'll be our focus until the chief arrives and then we'll decide where we go from there. My visuals inside the cyber world were fried when the virus ceased, but I'm currently rebooting and if all turns out as expected I'll be able to share with all of you what I saw."

"Let's hope so, that'd be a step in the right direction. During the short time that you did see things through this person's perspective, can you recall anything that might give us a hint at the Phantom's identity or his location?" Borma questioned.

"Not particularly, but if I get the chance to look it over in depth I'm sure that'll change." Motoko grinned.

XXX

Atop a building he stood zooming in on the scene below through his lenses. It was not what he expected and checked the time in his lenses which showed it was only ten minutes after eight o'clock PM. Yet there was a total of six bodies lied out behind a building labeled Gold Bridge. He dove off the ledge gliding downward and touching down in front of the bodies. He examined each and observed each had their wrists bounded together by steel cables. The next thing he noticed was the way in which their bodies were lined up.

"These men were killed in execution formation," Batman whispered pressing at the side of his cowl and locating the deadly wound on each, "A bullet to the back of the head. We...I was too late."

With detect mode active he scanned the rest of the area and discovered three bullets, all of which were the kill shots to three of the victims. His scanners also picked up on activity inside and counted up to sixteen total, and each armed. They were certainly the ones responsible for the execution and surely had important information. His built in system gave him three entry points and chose the one that would give him an advantage over the awaiting enemies.

As the dark knight made his way through his thoughts were all over. His thoughts didn't matter however and knew he needed to take action. Carefully and quietly making his way through the floor grates he eyed each and every individual above. There was a couple dozen ways he could have sprung his attack so thought about it carefully before making a move. The element of surprise was key confronting a group of armed individuals regardless of who they were. Fear never crept into his thoughts and was such tasks that brought the best out of him.

"The government and their secret agents are relentless aint they sheeeshhh? We've got eyes and ears everywhere though, there aint nothing that'll slip under our noses."

"They can keep coming and coming but we won't be subverted. That said I wonder just what the Phantom has planned next, I've heard stories but nothing concrete. We suffered quite the number of casualties on the last outing, but was a small portion considering." Another replied sorting through weapons over a table.

"All this damn work! I swear we should have some time off. Whose down for some clubbing, I know a little place up town that plays some loud music and has pretty girls. Anyone down?" An additional member laughed.

"Enough of all the jibber jabber! Howz about one of yah get over here and help me…"

Off the chair and slammed to the ground he bled from the side of his head. All were taken off guard as the cape crusader emerged from the ground beneath them! Gunfire ensued as each tried tagging the demon like figure that maneuvered around dodging their shots. Another was kneed in the stomach, lifted upward and thrown into a table across the room that split in half. An additional gunman shot at him from behind but the bullets only nicking Batman's armor. The dark knight spun around throwing out his cape and disarming the shooter.

With an elbow to the stomach and then followed by a kick to the chin the criminal was knocked out cold. Batman disarmed two others using batarangs and flipped into the air over the top of them and smashed their heads together! Both fell to the ground unconscious as other fired off at Batman.

"This must be that damn Batman!" One said aiming and shooting.

They continued fire as the cape crusader ducked down and pushed the table over using it as a shield. A small shattered piece of glass was in hand and gave him a perfect view where the remaining shooters stood, and pulled up throwing three batarangs. One closed in toward the table continuously shooting. Batmn observed him through the piece of glass. He disarmed the gunman as he came within a foot of the table, twisted his arm with a left hook to the face and uppercut that left him unconscious.

Batman continued his assault, spinning, ducking and dodging as he took them down one after another. Before long only one remained and stood still with his weapon aimed at the dark knight. He was somewhat fidgety and even shook in his boots.

"So I come face to face with Batman, you're more freakish than imagined…but if it is the Phantom you're opposing you will fail. He hasn't deemed you a threat, but that might have more to do with the lack of intel. What's your purpose? Are you a weapon of the government?"

"I'll be asking the questions, and you can start by giving me your boss. Where's the Phantom?!"

The gunman took a step back and just as he pulled at the trigger a nearby window smashed through and he was dropped to the ground! He was knocked out just as the others and an individual in red boots stood over his body.

"What happened to we'd investigate things together?"

The individual opposite of him stood with crossed arms and frowned.

"Are you under surveillance?" Batman replied with a question of his own.

"They lost sight of me, we're good for now."

"Are you sure you heard right concerning the time? It's a little after eight o'clock and already the undercover agents were executed before my arrival."

Superman's arms dropped down by his sides and let out a sigh.

"Maybe something prompted them to take action sooner but I'm positive of what I heard."

"Why me? Originally you were against my involvement opposing the Specters of Shadows. You could have come alone. Did you inform anyone else of this gathering?"

Batman waited patiently for an answer but didn't get one until after several seconds of silence.

"The Specters of Shadows are on a large scale, and I feel the same as you regarding their stature. We'll have a better chance of shutting them down, the more hands on deck. All through town they're the main talk, and they've got undercover members everywhere. Undoubtedly in the government as well, so the circle of trust is small...so I turned to the most trusted individual around. Had I contacted anyone in city or governmental power it very well could have gotten back to the Specters." Superman looked Batman directly in the eyes.

The dark knight's gaze fell over a single gunman and with detect mode still active he picked up on something interesting. He took a knee and reached into the pocket of a singular individual.

"What're you doing?" Superman inquired.

"It's a communications device," Batman uncovered the small device, "I imagine most of their back and forth conversations are done through cyberlink, but he wouldn't have been carrying this around if it didn't hold importance. It isn't much now, but with a little rewiring in the cave, that'll change. If I find anything, you'll be the first to know." Batman stood.

"This group won't last for long, especially not after word of their capture gets back to their leader. He has some way of frying his followers' brains from afar. I experienced the termination of a member firsthand the other night. No secrets from here on out Bruce, we need to work as a team discretely." Superman said.

Batman walked toward the exit with the device in hand.

"I'll leave you to handle things here, I've got work to do." Batman exited out.

Superman nodded and as the door closed shut he performed a search of the area. He intended to contact authorities, but not until after he inspected the room closely.

To Be Continue