Chapter 55: In Our Hearts We Strive

For one of the first times in his life, Kakuzawa felt more human than he had ever felt before. All of this mess started with Lucy's escape, stupid bastards at the facility don't even know how to run the damn security. Of course even to this day he still didn't have a clue that his son had been the cause of her escape in the first place. How hard was it to find that damn woman anyway? He had sent an entire broadcast to Japan to find Lucy, what was taking them so long? Of course he knew that the untrained had no chance of bringing Lucy back but he had least expected some sort of notice, a news article, something on the television, anything! It infuriated him to no end, to think he was being played the fool by everyone!

"They…will…understand…their…place." He hissed each word through his teeth.

Vladimir…Julius…they were all making fun of him. Not just the humans but the Diclonius too, who the hell did they think they were denying God? That's right; he was God, not just a god, not just a single god like Zeus or Ares. No, far beyond some simplistic mythology as that, he was beyond all of that! He was God, above any sort of "God" for that matter. The absolute God of all Gods, above even the most exquisite God. It was impossible to be higher than him, it was impossible to be equal to him.

He was God!

"I AM GOD!" He roared, his voice echoing in his office as one of the floating vectors smashed against his desk, creating a visible hole in it. "I am all…nothing is ever above me. Nothing is ever equal to me. I am God, I create life and death and futures! I am perfect! I don't need Anna to create my plans, as God my plans are perfect from the moment I think of them. No…even that is wrong, I don't need to think of my plans for them to be correct, as God they are automatically correct regardless of if I think them.

That's right…everything that I am is perfect, from birth to eternity I am God.

WHAT IS IT!"

He suddenly roared, scaring the staff member half out of his wit and closed his eyes, expecting death to come at any moment. "I-I apologize Kakuzawa…I mean…Kakuzawa-sama, but all attempts to get to Osaka have failed. They have the entire thing blocked, not just by humans but by the Diclonius there too. Forgive me for saying this, but it seems the Diclonius over there are…working together with the humans."

"Incorrect." He didn't yell it this time, though the vein upon his aged forehead certainly indicated that he was more than miffed. By saying that it was incorrect and by being God, he was automatically correct. "It is impossible for the great and all powerful Diclonius race to co-exist with you meager humans. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. You're pretty brave human to say such an outright lie to me, it's almost made my day a little better…almost. It was a good joke though, it's something you humans are decent at, but enough of these games, what was the real reason you wanted to talk to me?"

The man said nothing, only looking more and more worried.

"I see, so you only came to lie to me. You are trying to lie to God, tsk. Well I guess we both know your punishment." Unseen but certainly not unfelt, the young man felt the strangest pressure around his head, as if it was being compressed slowly. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm telling the truth!" Harder, and harder, what felt like fingers were pressing his skull tightly together, too tightly, too painfully! "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Forgive me! Forgive me!" Eyes began to bulge out of their socket, more and more before they exploded out of his face with the force of a gun, dangling outside of his own bleeding sockets. "Ah! Gah! Ahhh! I'm sorry! Forgive me! Forgive me!" Then it burst, the entire head exploding in a gory fountain of blood, bone and brain matter.

The body stood for a moment, took a step forward, a step back then fell to its knees and plopped to the floor like a doll with its strings cut.

"I will…not stand for this humiliation. I am God, and you are all tools."


"Garder…I sense a total of six Diclonius outside of the facility." Julius spoke, gazing outside the window of Garder's office, Victoria by his side and nodding at his statement. "I sense them too, did they escape from here?"

"No, It would be easy to sense any Diclonius leaving from the basement; however these six that I felt appeared immediately outside of the facility. Victoria, stay here, Garder I am going to check it out."

"Do so…" Garder replied.

Walking past the staff members, hat upon his head and features hidden well, Julius stepped outside of the facility. It was late afternoon, around 17:25 (5:25PM) and the busy sounds of the Tokyo City instantly reached his ears as they stepped out. Feeling the signature to the right, he inclined his head to a large hill with many trees upon it. Sure enough near the top were six figures, young girls from the looks of them though they were too far away for him to get a good look at them. He also made a special note to look closely for any other people, specifically two other people. "I don't see Roy or Bando with them; I don't believe those two came with them. I wonder…" He thought seriously, still looking up at them. Not waiting any longer, he returned back to Garder and Victoria.

"It is true, six Diclonius are up on the large hill that overlooks this facility, and I saw no sign of anybody else."

"Should we deal with them Julius?" Victoria asked.

"I will deal with them…" Garder said seriously, lowering the phone from his head and setting it upon the desk. "I have just gotten word from the director of the Kyoto facility that a mass breakout has begun. Julius…Victoria…go there now and kindly put a stop to it." Ending his statement, Garder rose up from his seat, his brown coat fluttering behind him as he stepped out of his office.

"Using these Diclonius to keep me occupied while you rescue the other Diclonius, quite ingenious Roy Synth. However do not forget that I am an expert war veteran, not just in fighting but also in tactician."


Getting the other Diclonius outside the Kyoto facility proved much easier than it had been at Osaka. With a hole army of Diclonius backing them up, most of the guards in the facility smartly decided to keep back. Likewise convincing the girls there that they were trying to help was made much easier that they had about 50+ others of their kind backing them up. The only thing that was grating on Roy's nerves was how Ilya and the others were doing. In director combat they would be murdered instantly and he could only hope that she and the others knew what they were doing.

"You're actually trying to help us?"

"Aye, try not to be too annoying about it." Roy muttered stepping outside of the facility and then gasping. "Oh shit…"

"What up?" Bando uttered, catching sight of the two people as well. Of course Roy wouldn't recognize Victoria but there was no doubt who that man in the wide brimmed brown hat was. This time they didn't even have time to get out the door, at least then the Diclonius could go off, but now, they were effectively trapped inside. Though it wasn't because of fear, Roy found himself backing up considerably when the male Diclonius stepped forward. How foolish he had been to forget about Julius, he had been so occupied in dealing with Garder he had completely forgotten about the Second Cent himself. While not as dangerous as Garder, there was no way in hell he would ever underestimate the male Diclonius and even though he didn't know her, the mere fact that the young Diclonius woman was with Julius only made him more concern.

"Director…" Julius declared austerely, stepping up so that he and Victoria completely blocked the way. "Close and lock the doors that lead to the outside of the facility. This is a direct order by Julius Javel, Diclonius Number Zero. Do not question me; do not hesitate at all, do as I say director." He didn't glare at him, but the look Julius gave the director of the Kyoto facility almost instantly kept him from making any comebacks or retorts. It was enough to even stop him from questioning how two Diclonius, one of them a male no doubt, had come this far.

"Crap…" Roy growled, hearing the doors shut and lock in front of him, the two Diclonius now inside the white walls of the facility. "Tsk…long time no see…Julius Javel."

"The same to you…Roy Synth." The male answered.

"Who's your friend?"

"Victoria…" The woman replied, brushing a strand of her hair out of her face. "…Victoria Javel."

"Oh…sister?" Roy asked, slightly amused now. When she shook her head and noticed Julius' rather disgruntled look, he couldn't help but chuckle. "Well then, let me talk to you then Victoria. You might need to try a bit harder; Julius isn't one to give into emotions that easily. Even if a rather beautiful woman is trying to come on to him." Still smiling, though by no means being arrogant, Victoria nevertheless felt rather insulted, and flashed her eyes dangerously. "Love can be quite a thing in this world we live in, it can even calm down instincts. As someone who has loved before, trust me when I say that I know exactly how you feel Victoria."

"Tsk…you have…some nerve bringing up a conversation like that." Victoria cried out, looking away and trying not to blush at words she knew were true. Julius himself either didn't' care or was so used to showing no emotion that it was impossible to tell what he thought of the situation. "Words are meaningless Roy Synth, by Garder's orders alone I am going stop you, Bando and the rest of the Diclonius and return things back to the way they were."

"You would think that of all the people, you Julius would be most inclined to have the Diclonius set free." Roy replied, letting his bullets float up as Julius placed his hand upon his forehead. It would be the first time either of them got a real look at each other's powers if a fight broke out, something that seemed to be bound to happen. Bando himself inserted a clip into his black gun, taking aim at Victoria whose hands circled around her invisibly yet also ominously. "Victoria…" Julius whispered, glancing over at her and Bando. "…More than likely a fight will break out now, our duty is to kill Roy and Bando and keep the Diclonius here until Garder arrives. I am putting you in charge of taking care of Bando, do not underestimate him."

"Eh?" She moaned, slightly confused.

"These are not mere humans; they have been trained to specifically handle beings like us. Underestimating him or Roy is a sure fire way to get yourself killed." As with most Diclonius, she admittedly found it a bit difficult to believe that humans could handle Diclonius but she also trusted and believed Julius so even if she was skeptical, she listened intently at the words he'd spoken. "I understand Julius, I will not underestimate him." She said sternly, her knees bending low as the trigger from Bando's gun was ever so slightly pulled. Most of the Diclonius had been pushed back by Roy, forcing them down the hallway and into a vast room. The last thing he wanted was to lose a vast number of the girls for something as stupid as a fight and since there was no way to get the doors opened yet, it would be better to keep them out of this fight. Besides in a battle such as this, the unprepared had no reason to interfere.

"Oi…Roy, feeling confident?" Bando muttered to his partner.

"Before I wouldn't have, facing against The Zero Point, I'd have been crazy to ever think of doing such a thing. I have to admit though, after fighting Garder, I'm feeling much more confident with my abilities. Still even if he is two ranks below Garder, that is all it is, just a rank."

"Tsk…good luck then ya bastard."

5 seconds passed

1 second to stare down their enemy

1 second to prepare their weapons, bullets raised, finger compressing against the trigger, hands rising menacingly into the air, the silver coin clutched upon the forehead.

1 second for a single intake of breath.

1 second for a single outtake of breath.

1 second to make any silent prayer that they wished.

And then the fight started.


Shanon was a youngest of the girls with Ilya, her pink her slightly redder than most and while long had two distinctive loops near the back of her head. She was only 13 years old, having been taken to the facility when she was one year old so while she had lived in the outside world, she had been too young to remember any of it.

Veronicah, at 14 years old was surprisingly well developed for her age and possibly one of the most mature. Her pink hair was cut short near her shoulders and her bangs pulled back so that only a few strands actually fell over her face. Her voice was high pitched even for her age and it was similar to that of silver bells.

Beratana was 15 years old, the same as Ilya whom had the rather stunning attribute of a full endowed chest that even for her age, seemed almost implausible. Like most Diclonius her hair flowed down her back, ending at slight curls near the end. However her hair was a much dark shade of violent than the normal pink that was scene, making her stand out quite well.

Lorlanya, also 15 years old was the smallest of the group, her pink hair falling deeply over her face down her back with nothing unique about it. However her eyes even for a Diclonius were quite piercing.

Lastly, standing just in front of Ilya was a young girl named Rufiela, the oldest at 16 years old who two distinctive marks near her left eye. She along with the others stood by Ilya's side, watching the pure white facility from a top of their lookout. Garder still hadn't come out; just a few staff members and some strange man in a hat that gave off a strange feeling. For them, it was the signature that all Diclonius had but a Diclonius out in the open like that? Still, their main objection was stopping Garder, the moment he appeared that was their time to make their move.

"Roy should be at the other facility soon…" Beratana alleged to her Diclonius kin, nobody answering but agreeing silently together.

"Once Garder comes out, that'll let us know that Roy has gotten to the facility. Then all we have to do is just keep him away long enough for the other Diclonius to get rescued." Ilya said strictly, the small cell phone still deep inside the pocket of her dress. You're right Bera, Garder should be coming out soon and once he does…"

"I will be ending the foolish charade of children's games…"

!

Caught completely off guard, the six girls only had the chance to turn around before Garder struck his hand straight through Rufiela's chest. Blood flowing down his arm, he pulled it out and pushed the dead girl aside, stepping forward with the gleam of the sun glaring off of his horned rimmed glasses. A high pitched scream of "Rufiela!" sounded from Veronicah, her hands emerging almost on instinct to slice the murderer apart. Her anger was understandable but Ilya knew that trying to fight Garder right now was akin to suicide. Too late though, unable to stop her in time, Garder easily avoided the hands that tried to strike him but the single hand from himself pierced through the young girl's chest like a knife through butter. This was no time to waste, no time for any more mistakes; action had to be taken now.

"Everyone! Run and split up!" Ilya cried out before flinging herself straight off the hill with her vectors. Understanding, the others did the same, all of them leaping off in opposite directions and heading down into the institution. A bit irked at these turn of events, Garder opened up his brown coat so that his scarred open chest was visible and the silver coined tightly etched upon it. He only needed to concentrate once before the insertion of the formula was given into his body. The world became dark, his eyes white with blindness but his senses now overloaded. With the dust kicking into the air, he stormed down the hill to the first of his victims. Ilya knew that right now, though it really did pain her to do so, separating was the best option right now. Garder was going to come after them and if he caught them, he would kill them. There was no mistake in this logic and so, to her, this was the only thing they could do. Separate and have Garder waste time trying to kill them all separately instead of as a group. The others apparently knew it as well because there was no hesitation in any of them when Ilya told them what to do. As members of the same species, they were willing to help each other to the very end, even if it meant death.

The first to die was Shanon, her young form stopping near the bottom of the hill as the others flew past her. She knew she was going to die; she had seen Garder's powers as well and knew there was no chance for her. She knew as her vectors came out to attack that it was useless, every attack avoided didn't surprise her in the least. In only a few short seconds, the cold grip of his murderous fingers found themselves around her throat. Her neck was broken an instant later and young soul fell to death. Pitiless, his ears searched out the second closest person, listening to the booms of her hands hitting the ground to keep her afloat.

Lorlanya had smartly decided to keep as high in the air as she could, hoping that Garder wouldn't be able to reach her. She was half right, at several meters in the air; Garder wouldn't be able to reach her normally. So with but a click of the pin, she saw the small grenade just a moment before it exploded. Raising her hands just enough to block the attack, there was still enough force to send her careening back to the ground, only barely managing to make total impact with her body by using her vectors. But it would never matter, the moment she came down, Garder raced towards her, his leg spinning out in a wicked kick towards her head.

"Tsk…sorry Ilya…I wasn't able to get you all much time…" She thought before her head splattered in a gruesome mess of mercilessness.

By the time Ilya got to the door of the facility she could hear the sickening sound of Bera's head being smashed in. She didn't bother to look behind her; she didn't even waste time to let out a tear of regret for her fallen comrades. Had they all seriously stayed behind just to give her a little extra time?

How cruel…

How…entirely cruel it was.


But of course, others were well aware of the things going on in the outside world. It didn't take long for Kakuzawa to become aware of the happenings around the Kyoto facility and a helicopter was already being prepared for him.


Author's Notes: The next chapter finished as we begin to finish up on the third arc of the story. The chessboard is laid out and the pieces are set. The question is, who will emerge victorious? Stay tuned for the next chapter of "Pinpoint Lifeline."

R&R