Disclaimer: Noblesse isn't mine.


I am Tao (Part 51)

I am Tao.

His fingers hung nimbly over the keys, unmoving.

I am Tao.

He stared at the computer screen, his mind racing.

I am Tao.

The words were before him, clear and precise.

I am Tao.

Each step was perfectly instructed in the flawless way that Frankenstein could explain even the most difficult procedure as though it was child's play. There was nothing to doubt, nothing to misunderstand, but without Frankenstein, he didn't know which process to implement. The others counted on him. They expected him to do this.

I am Tao, and I don't know what to do.

Tao rolled the computer chair back in front of the monitor and tried to avoid M-21's gaze as long as he could. He walked across the lab to the warming bin where Frankenstein kept sterilized blankets for patients after surgery. He grabbed two of them from the compartment and focused on how they felt as though they had just come out of the dryer rather than about the individuals that would receive them. He braved a direct look at the others, but M-21 had not been watching him as he had expected. The man simply sat at Regis' bedside with a weary expression and slumped shoulders.

Tao unfolded one of the blankets and laid it over Regis. "I can sit with him for awhile if you want to change."

M-21's eyes drifted down to his tank top and pants, the clothing provided to those who had survived the experiments long enough to be removed from the tanks. He tugged at the hem of his shirt, prying the bloody, wet cloth away from his skin in order to examine it more clearly. Blood. Whose blood? Regis? The bodies in the darkness? His own? He didn't even know.

He turned his hand over to see where his skin had healed over the glass embedded in his palm. The same was true for his knees and the soles of his feet, but at least Regis had been spared the excruciating task of digging out each shard one by one. His hand clenched into a fist, squeezing the bits of glass until pain coursed through his hand. It had been his fault that Regis almost landed in the broken glass and his fault that Regis had even been there at all.

"M-21?"

"I'm not leaving him." He answered roughly, abruptly.

"I thought you'd say that." Tao spread out the second blanket and thrust it over M-21's shoulders before he could protest. "I think I need to do some more research upstairs. I'll bring some clothes down as soon as I get the chance." Tao placed a hand on his shoulder, expecting it to be cast off. "For both of you."

"Yeah," M-21 folded his hands and rested his forehead against them, "for both of us."

"You know," Tao spoke gently, taking advantage of the small opportunity to comfort his comrade, "he's a tough kid. Tougher than us." He fought back a grimace and turned away before M-21 could catch his expression. What had happened to someone tougher than them that would prevent him from waking up? "I'm going upstairs. Are you going to be alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Do what you need to."

"You sure?" The question had been directed at M-21, but he glanced over to Seira for confirmation.

She nodded once.

"I'll be back soon." Tao slipped into the computer room and settled down behind the desk. "No. 2?" He pinned down the button to his earpiece. "Come in, No. 2." He rewound to footage to the last time he had seen his comrade and watched as the man snuck out of the house. "Takeo, please don't just disappear. I need you here."

[-] [-] [-]

If anyone had doubted the path to the clinic, there was no question of it now. Signs marked the way from the street to the building and doubtlessly clung to the interior walls. Each sign was designed and printed in a quality that suggested the so called epidemic had been anticipated for some time. It was anything but subtle, and if the display was this excessively blatant, then the one behind it must believe himself to be so detached from the charade that he is at no risk of being revealed regardless of its extravagance.

Takeo pushed the thought from his mind and searched for an opening. The hospital was swarmed with everything from personnel to students to news crews. He hadn't taken the current state of affairs into consideration. He was fast, but even using his speed, would he be able to evade the gaze of so many witnesses? Maybe he had been too hasty to come here.

No, the child needed blood. If he could just obtain a little blood, then maybe he could… What if it was already too late? Takeo fingered the earpiece in his pocket. Just one call to Tao could answer the chilling question, but he removed his hand without contacting the hacker. He had left the child alone for this mission. If the boy had died because of his neglect, because of this attempt to save him, how could he face Tao?

Tao had been through the same situation. He had left an infected child alone only for a moment, and that boy had died as a result. Tao had told him this. Tao had warned him. Knowing this, how could he repeat the same mistake? Takeo drew in a sharp breath battling these thoughts. There wasn't time for this.

He sprinted forward, pushing himself to top speed as he locked his sights on the hospital. He ran from rooftop to rooftop without breaking stride as he passed over the gaps where the streets cut below him, and as he approached the last roof, he launched himself into the air. The grounds, the parking lots, everything sailed sailed beneath him, unaware of what flew over their heads, and he touched down on the landing pad for the lifeflight helicopter. He had made it without notice.

"Why have you come here?"

Takeo held his breath. He should move away from the clearing. This location was too visible, but he couldn't force himself to turn around to face the voice. Why had he come here? Could he even find the words to explain it now?

"Not going to answer me?"

He swallowed dryly. "I had to do something."

Steps gently clicked against the pavement, walking away. "Very well, then. Come with me."

"W-wait." Takeo finally spun around. "That easily?"

"Why not?" Frankenstein looked over his shoulder as he stood in the doorway. "You will be useful for my objective."

-Vapor


A/N: I kinda enjoyed this chapter.