Liberi Fatalis: The Theriantrope Chronicles

by Eddie-E

A crossover between Ace Combat, Katmandu and another, surprise famous furry comic. An epic tale trascending eras about the life & times of many heroes & villians fighting against an ancient evil from a very distant past. Rated M for language and mature situations.

17. ROAD TO HELL

ACT XVII: ROAD TO HELL

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And I'm going down All the way Whoa! I'm on the highway to hell

From the song "Highway to Hell" from AC/DC.

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October 15th, AD 1945, Refugee camp in the outskirts of western Hiroshima (makeshift hospital), Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan, 11:15 AM

-"Good job, doctor."-

-"Thank you, Kanae..."-

From that tent that served as a makeshift operation room came a doctor who just minutes ago had performed surgery in the middle of that squalid place where the survivors of the atomic attack on Hiroshima who had lost their homes were living in what the government was trying to rebuild the city.

Life in that place was not exactly easy, as the people who lived there did so in subhuman conditions, with only the basics to live by, and considering that many of the people had suffered injuries of varying severity due to the effects of the nuclear bomb, illness and death were very common scenes that occurred every day, while the surviving doctors who worked in the camp did their best to help all the victims they could.

Among those doctors living in the refugee camp was Yoshinori Komatsu, who since the day the attack occurred had not been able to locate his parents, and he was not sure if they had survived the incident or not. Because he had lost his home in Hiroshima, he was living in the camp, trying to help with his medical knowledge to anyone who needed it.

Although Komatsu was a veterinarian and would normally prefer to treat animals than humans, that doesn't prevent him from having some empathy for the victims of the nuclear attack on his city, and considering the magnitude of the tragedy, it was very difficult not to have it anyway. The fact that he had experience treating humans due to his experience as a relief field medic during his stay in Manchukuo helped Komatsu quite a bit, although since he was a veterinary doctor, anything he could not do was supplemented by other doctors in the camp.

And regarding the latter, Komatsu had just come out of surgery where he had amputated a leg of a patient who had suffered severe burns, and despite all attempts by him and other doctors to save it, the leg had become gangrenous and there was no choice but to remove it.

-"Let's just hope the patient recovers from this soon, but I would have liked to have avoided this outcome."-

-"Doctor, you did what you could, and considering our current situation, it's a miracle the patient didn't die first before we could amputate his leg."-

-"I know that very well, Kanae,"- Komatsu replied at the woman. -"but any medical issue that involves having to cripple a patient is not a good thing for me."-

The woman Komatsu was speaking to was a young, 25 years-old nurse, named Kanae Amamiya, who helped him during various surgeries he had to perform in the camp. Because other doctors were equally busy attending to other patients, either operating or giving emergency medical treatment, that left the veterinarian as the only person available capable of performing a surgical amputation, and the nurse's experience in ordinary human medicine was very useful to Komatsu in filling the gaps he had in attending to human beings.

-"Well, at least I must congratulate you on your operation, considering that you are a veterinary doctor, and that you only had a brief experience in treating humans in China."-

-"Thanks for the compliment, Kanae,"- The man replied somberly at the nurse. -"but the truth is that what I saw in that country is not something I would like to relive ever again in my entire life, although at this rate, I don't know which tragedy is worse: This, or whatever I saw in Manchukuo."-

Kanae Amamiya, who had just been acquainted with Yoshinori Komatsu for one day after the nuclear attack on Hiroshima, knew only perfunctory bits about the life of the man who had escaped from Tokyo to find his family and try to leave Japan, only to end up in a tragedy of unfathomable proportions not only for him, but for his family, and all the citizens of that city, and she longed to know more about the man, for she knew that Komatsu was more than what he pretended to be.

-"If it is not too much disrespect on my part, Dr. Komatsu, you always seem to talk about different things about your family, your work, or your life in general."- Kanae asked the doctor about his life. -"The only thing I know about you is that, from what I have heard from other fellow workers, you used to serve in the Imperial Army, which makes it a bit strange for me since you are a veterinarian, and it would be hard to understand for me or anyone else why the IJA would want such a doctor, unless it was to treat horses, or the pets of senior officers."-

Komatsu quickly understood what the woman was trying to get at with that comment.

-"I suppose you want to know more about me?"-

-"That's right."-

The doctor began to sigh a little, and thought carefully what he could tell that nurse. Even if he trusted Kanae, there were things that Komatsu should be careful to say, even though Japan had already lost the war, and any information that might have been considered classified at the time had already lost its value. Obviously, Komatsu kept to himself all the details related to his advanced evolution theory, for more than obvious reasons.

-"I guess it doesn't hurt to talk a little bit about myself."-

Once Komatsu had finished wiping away the blood that was still on his hands, and removing his gown that he had used during the surgery, he and Kanae walked over to what appeared to be a table where there were two chairs, which the doctors and nurses who had finished working used to rest, and once there, they both sat on the spot, but not before Komatsu served the nurse a cup of green tea as a courtesy.

-"Thanks for the tea, doctor."-

-"It's the least I can do for you right now, Kanae,"- Komatsu said after pouring the tea cup to the nurse. -"although I would really prefer an espresso, but finding coffee here in Japan would be a miracle."-

-"Speaking of drinks, I've never seen you drink alcohol. Bearing in mind what happened here, many men would hit the bottle hard in order to escape from reality, but I have never seen you even with a glass of sake."-

-"I don't like to lose control of things, and that includes myself. That's one of the reasons I don't drink."- The doctor responded about his dislike on alcohol. -" Another reason is that I don't like the taste of alcohol at all; the only time I ever tried to drink an alcoholic drink I ended up throwing up all over the floor, and I only drank half a mug of German beer that time."-

-"German beer?"- The Japanese nurse responded with some curiosity about that last incident. -"I've never tasted Western alcoholic beverages. That means you traveled to Europe, doesn't it?"-

-"Indeed."- The doctor replied, while also drinking his tea. -"Before the war began, I studied in Germany on a government scholarship, and attended a medical academy, so to speak, that was owned by the German government."-

-"What city was that academy located in?"-

-"Frankfurt."-

-"Wow!"- Kanae replied quite surprised to hear that man has traveled overseas, something many Japanese people in that era weren't able to. -"You must be lucky to be able to travel to a Western country that way, doctor."-

But for Yoshinori Komatsu, having traveled to Europe was a very bitter experience that in other circumstances he would have preferred never have to remember ever again, for the reasons he later explained to the nurse with whom he was speaking.

-"To say that I was lucky would be a very relative thing in my case, Kanae."-

-"Why do you say that, doctor?"- The young nurse replied at her senior. -"Not many people here in Japan can claim to have traveled abroad in their lives, and you seem to treat that as if it were no big deal."-

-"It wouldn't be a big deal in other times if it weren't for the fact that the place where I studied was owned by the Nazis."-

Kanae swallowed when she heard the word Nazis from that man's mouth, and for good reason: Even though she only knew superficially what had happened outside Japan, she knew that her country was one of the allies of Hitler's Nazi Germany, and she knew very well about the prevailing racism in that country at the period, and being Komatsu a Japanese citizen meant that he did not have things so easy in that country because of his nationality.

-"Oh my! That must have been terrible for you, doctor."-

-"In a way, yes, especially when the war has just begun."- Komatsu bitterly replied at Kanae, while drinking his tea. -"I was unlucky enough to have angered a doctor who had strong connections within the Nazi party, and used them to ruin my career in Germany, which caused the Japanese embassy, in order to avoid a diplomatic incident with the German government, to take me out of that country and send me to China as a punishment."-

-"And what happened after they sent you there?"-

-"I was sent to Manchukuo to a secret military unit located in the city of Pingfang, and to say that that place was the closest thing to being in hell itself would be an understatement."-

Then, Komatsu took a deep breath, since what was going to say next was very painful to remember to him.

-"Although I fortunately saw nothing and did not participate in any of the atrocities committed there, I heard things that no human being who deigns to call himself as such would want to hear or even see knowingly, and I would not even like to describe in words everything I heard in that damn place."-

The nurse put her hands to her mouth in a sign of surprise and dread at hearing the tragic ordeal which that doctor had suffered in China. She could not believe that a man like him had witnessed such a level of depravity and had survived to tell about it.

-"And how did you manage to return to Japan in one piece?"-

-"Technically, I did not return to Japan on my own free will:"- The doctor continued with his explanation. -"I was expelled from there, to be more exact."-

-"Huh?"- Kanae was puzzled at that remark. -"How was that, doctor?"-

-"The top brass in charge of that place decided to send me back to Japan after I got involved in a very tragic affair, in this case a suicide."-

-"A suicide, you say? And why would you be involved in a suicide, doctor?"- The nurse asked more questions about that incident to the doctor. -"Did you murder someone over there in China?"-

-"No, I did not kill anyone,"- Komatsu explained the suicide of Dr. Masao Kazama, which caused Komatsu to be send back to Japan. -"but one person committed suicide in front of me, and they used that incident to kick me out from Manchukuo and send me back home."-

-"Oh, no! That's... that must have been very awful for you, Dr. Komatsu..."-

-"It really was, Kanae, it truly was..."-

Komatsu took another cup of green tea quickly in an attempt not to think about that doctor's suicide, since his death still haunted him in several ways.

-"I guess you don't want to explain the details of the matter to me, do you?"-

-"Well, I can only explain that the doctor who committed suicide was drunk as hell, and I think that was one of the causes that led to him to take his own life, along with the terrible conditions there."-

-"I suppose that would be understandable, doctor."- Kanae said with a somber tone in her voice. -"And what happened to you when you returned to Japan?"-

-"After returning from China, I was sent back here to Hiroshima, where I was offered a teaching position in a private high school in exchange for continuing to work for the government when required, which happened when I was demanded to travel to Tokyo to work in a secret laboratory, where I worked for over a year."- The doctor concluded his backstory to the nurse. -"Due to problems I had with the higher-ups, in addition to other problems I will not mention, I decided to escape from there and return to Hiroshima, and when I was at the entrance of the city, all this happened..."-

Kanae Amamiya asked one last question about why Komatsu was back in the city, despite his escape from the clutches of the IJA.

-"Just have one last question for you, doctor."- The woman said at the man. -"What were you planning to do here in Hiroshima, knowing that the army was probably looking for you all over the country, if you say you escaped from a secret laboratory?"-

-"I was planning to search for my family, specifically my parents, and then escape from the country, probably to the U.S."-

-"I see..."-

Then, Kanae did another, more personal question to Komatsu...

-"And if you'll excuse my indiscretion, doctor, what happened to your parents?"-

After hearing that last question, Komatsu could only squeeze his tea cup tightly as a sign that something was not quite right with him...

-"Since I returned to the city, I have not been able to find them anywhere, nor has anyone wanted to tell me what might have happened to them."- Komatsu bitterly explained at the woman. -"The apartment where we lived here in the city was destroyed by the explosion, but no one has tried to tell me if they survived or not. Nor have I been able to locate them at any camp where my services have been required for the past three months..."-

Kanae then stepped out of her chair and placed her hands on the doctor's shoulders in an attempt to comfort him...

-"I'm very sorry for you, Dr. Komatsu, I hope you can find your parents sooner or later."-

Komatsu was moved by the act of the woman, who only wished to console him in the face of the tragedy he had suffered.

-"Thanks for the gesture, Kanae, it's good to know there are people who still care about me."-

-"You don't need to thank me, doctor,"- The young woman said at the science man. -"it is part of my job as a nurse to comfort people who have suffered something personally, not only physically, but also psychologically."-

-"I understand that very well."-

-"You're not the only person who's lost something."- Kanae then explained a bit of her backstory. -"I lost my sister during the attack, and the only way I have left to honor her memory is to try to work very hard so that others do not suffer as she did before she died."-

-"That means that..?"-

-"Exactly..."- The nurse replied with a somber, almost broken voice. -"My sister was found under the remains of a hospital where she also worked as a nurse... She had burns over most of her body, and after a few hours, she died in the midst of the most excruciating pain a human being can suffer."-

Komatsu could only respond to that comment about the death of Ms. Amamiya's sister with a face of supreme surprise and shock, considering what he has seen in the last three months working as a makeshift surgeon after the atomic attack on Hiroshima.

-"No one deserves to die in such way..."- Komatsu tried to confort the nurse. -"I'm very sorry about your sister, Kanae..."-

Kanae was moved to see that the doctor cared for her family, even though she had only known him for three months, and Komatsu had obviously never met his sister.

-"Thank you, doctor..."-

Before the conversation could continue, however, a man rushed into the tent where Komatsu and Kanae Amamiya were having tea. It seems that the man was looking for someone urgently...

-"Excuse me, is there a doctor named Yoshinori Komatsu around here?"-

Komatsu obviously set his tea cup aside and decided to speak to the man, who stood in the entrance to the tent looking for him.

-"I am Komatsu, and why are you looking for me?"- The doctor asked to the outsider. -"Has something bad happened that needs my help?"-

-"Actually, no, but I come from someone named Mitsuyo Komatsu, who was looking for his son Yoshinori, and I remembered that there was someone with that name in this camp, according with the indications that your mother told me..."-

Upon hearing the name of his mother, whom she, along with his father Hidenori, had been looking for since the end of the war, Komatsu threw everything he had in his hands as a sign of shock, and then he grabbed the man violently, in a very radical change of personality, since he had spent all his time looking for his family since the nuclear attack on Hiroshima.

-"WHERE THE HELL IS MY MOTHER? WHAT HAPPENED TO HER?"-

The man was surprised to see that the doctor was grabbing him by the collar of his shirt, demanding explanations about the whereabouts of his family, and trying to find a way for the man to let him go.

-"Please, doctor, calm down, will you!"-

Once Komatsu released the stranger from the neck, the latter gave more details about Komatsu's mother, which, to the man's misfortune, were not very pleasant to hear, to say the least...

-"Your mother is in a makeshift hospital in a camp south of here, and she has suffered severe burns over half her body. The doctors have tried everything to save her, but they don't think she can live any longer; fortunately, she regained consciousness and she managed to tell about you, and I remembered hearing your name by pure chance, being a veterinary doctor who is working with people."-

Hearing that his mother's days might be numbered caused Komatsu to fall to his knees, and he began to wail progressively and more noticeably, to the dismay of all present there.

-"No... this can't be true... "-

-"no...no...no...no...no...no...no...no...no...no...NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"-

Without wasting another second, Komatsu rose from the floor and asked the man for the exact whereabouts of his mother.

-"You say my mother's in the camp just south of here, right?"-

-"Yes."-

-"THEN I'LL GO THERE RIGHT AWAY!"-

Kanae, whom Komatsu had comforted her about the death of her sister only minutes ago, now wished more than ever to repay the man and help him in any way she could.

-"Can I go with you to help you with anything, doctor?"-

-"I need your help now, Kanae!"- Komatsu yelled at the nurse, while preparing his tools to help his mother in anything he could in that critical moment -"Come with me IMMEDIATELY!"-

-"YES SIR!"-

And in a matter of a few minutes, Komatsu, in the company of that man and Kanae Amamiya, the nurse who was helping him, made their way to the camp where his dying mother was.

---

October 15th, AD 1945, Refugee camp in the outskirts of southern Hiroshima (makeshift hospital), Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan, 12:30 AM

After walking for several minutes along rough roads in the wake of the bomb's destruction, Yoshinori Komatsu, Kanae Amamiya and the man of unknown identity who went to fetch him arrived at the camp where Komatsu's mother was agonizing in an equally makeshift hospital in a tent in the corner of the camp.

Once they arrived at the camp and had identified themselves beforehand, they were met by two doctors who were at the entrance to the hospital.

-"Who are you?"- One of the doctors asked Komatsu and his companions in a very harsh manner, for obvious reasons. -"You know you can't come in here without authorization."-

-"I am Dr. Yoshinori Komatsu, who works in the western camp, and I have just learned through this messenger that my mother is being treated in this hospital."- Komatsu responded in a hurry, as he did not have much time to answer such questions. -"I want to know where she is and what her current condition is."

After the presentations, Komatsu and his party presented their IDs to prove they were authorized to enter the hospital. Once they were checked in, the doctor received a summary of their mother's situation and how she ended up in the hospital.

-"You're Mrs. Mitsuyo Komatsu's son, aren't you?"-

-"That's right."- By that time, however, Komatsu wanted to speak to his mother and put aside the pleasantries, and he wanted that doctor to address the issue with his mother. -"I want you to get to the point, and tell me what happened to my mother."-

-"Okay, but I don't think this is going to be very nice for you to hear, doctor:"- The doctor then explained the situation about Komatsu's mother to his son. -"We found your mother buried under the rubble of a house where she was talking to a friend of yours before all this happened. We were able to pull her out from there, but her friend wasn't very lucky, unlike her. She suffers from third degree burns over half her body, and she lost the sight in her left eye, and only regained consciousness yesterday. She asked us, when she awoke from her coma, to seek out her son Yoshinori, and one of the helpers, who had heard of you by pure chance, went to find you, and it is fortunate that we were able to find you in time, for our blessing and that of your mother, for what little time she had left to live..."-

That last part startled Komatsu like he had never felt in his life, for he knew exactly what the doctor meant by the fact that his mother did not have any more time left...

-"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN MY MOTHER'S ABOUT TO DIE? HAVEN'T YOU DONE ANYTHING FOR HER?"-

-"We have tried to do everything for her, Dr. Komatsu, but I don't think she will live through this day, provided we are lucky, and the least we can do for her is for you to see your mother, even if it is for one last time..."-

With no more time to waste, Komatsu interrupted the conversation and went to look for his mother, only asking that doctor one last thing.

-"Which part of this damn hospital is my mother in?"-

The other doctor, who only listened to the previous conversation, but who was deeply shocked by that doctor's curse on the hospital, for more than obvious reasons, decided to intervene in the affair in an unceremonious way.

-"Dr. Komatsu, we understand how you feel about your mother, and you are not the only one who has suffered, but that does not give you any right to disrespect us or this hospital, for anything sacred for you!"-

-"My mother is the most sacred thing for me, you insolent idiot!"- Komatsu shouted at the doctor and went straight for his mother. -"If you have nothing better to do, then get out of my way!"-

And so Komatsu made his way through the many doctors, nurses, and in some cases, sick people who were on his way inside that makeshift hospital, to reach the cubicle where his mother was lying, sometimes in a violent manner...

And after walking for several minutes through that maze of hospitality, Yoshinori Komatsu managed to find the place where his mother, Mitsuyo Komatsu, was lying...

...only to arrive there, at the place where her bed was, he saw a very upsetting surprise...

-No... please... someone tell me this is a lie... no... no..."-

Upon arriving at the cubicle, Komatsu noticed that his mother's body and face were covered with a white sheet, not to mention the many bloodstains on those aforementioned linens, which meant one thing...

...He had arrived too late to say his last goodbye to her.

And when he saw that his mother had passed away, what until that moment was a man who was already at the limits of his own sanity because of the tragedy in Hiroshima months ago, seeing Yoshinori Komatsu had lost his beloved mother, possibly the only family he had left, caused that man of science to fall to his knees and begin to scream in pain.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

One of the nurses near the cubicle where Mitsuyo Komatsu's body lay approached Yoshinori to try to comfort him and explain what had happened, at least what little she could do to help.

-"I'm very sorry about your mother, Dr. Komatsu..."- Then the nurse explained the reason for Mitsuyo's passing. -"Your mother passed away just about four minutes before you arrived. Apparently her injuries were too severe to save her, and she died from massive organ failure; all I can add is that her mother died peacefully and without further suffering..."-

Komatsu was still on the ground, still crying, unable to believe that his mother, whom he had been searching for since the day of the atomic attack on his hometown, was one of the many victims of that tragedy, and he had been unable to do anything to save her, much less see her one last time to say goodbye.

-"This is not fair... this is not fair... THIS IS NOT FAIR!"-

-"I'm very sorry for your loss, doctor, but you should calm down, doctor, or you'll upset the other patients with your screaming..."-

Those words, which under normal circumstances would have brought any other person to their senses, had only brought forth the opposite effect on Komatsu...

-"Are you saying you're so damn sorry?!"-

-"I beg your pardon?"-

And then...

SLAP!

In a violent move, Komatsu slapped the nurse behind him, who fell to the ground as the woman tried to find out what had happened to make that man hit her.

-"THAT'S THE ONLY DAMN THING YOU IDIOTS CAN SAY, THAT YOU'RE SORRY ABOUT MY MOTHER, HUH?!"-

As they listened to the commotion that was going on in the cubicle where Yoshinori Komatsu's late mother was already standing, several doctors went to see what was going on at the time.

-"WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?"-

On seeing the nurse on the floor, and also seeing that she had been slapped by the fiery scientist, who still could not believe he had lost his mother, the doctors demanded an immediate explanation for that incident.

-"You better explain to us what happened here, or there will be serious problems for you."- One of the doctors sternly warned Komatsu. -"We do not tolerate any kind of aggression against our medical staff under any circumstance, even in these tragic times!"-

-"In that case, ALL OF YOU CAN GO THE HELL, THEN!"- Komatsu yelled furiously at that man. -"You guys have no goddamn idea how valuable my family was to me, and what I had to do to return to this place, only to find that my mother is dead!"-

As Komatsu continued to insult the doctors, however, and cried in anger over the death of his mother, three men suddenly appeared in the cubicle where the entire scene was taking place. The first man was more than evident that he was Japanese, of medium height, bald and wearing glasses, while at his side two other men taller than him, of foreign look and wearing military uniforms, accompanied him.

Everyone in that room, with the exception of Komatsu, who was still paying attention to the doctors, while ignoring the foreigners who had entered the place, knew exactly who those foreigners were: They were members of the U.S Army who were part of the forces that occupied Japan after its surrender, and that Japanese man was more than evident that he was the translator, a legal representative or both.

-"You must be Dr. Yoshinori Komatsu, I presume."-

Seeing that the stranger with the glasses was addressing him, the scientist stopped the verbal confrontation he was having at the time and addressed that man, not knowing what awaited him.

-"Yes, that's me!"- The science man responded with extreme annoyance, since he was in a middle of a heated verbal discussion with the doctors from the makeshift hospital. -"What the hell do you want from me and why are you interrupting me, can't you see I'm busy?"-

-"On behalf of both the transitional government of Japan and the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers, you, Dr. Yoshinori Komatsu, are hereby placed under arrest for crimes against humanity, including illegal experimentation on humans, and mass murder."-

Komatsu could not believe what he was hearing, and after learning that he was going to be arrested by the American occupation authorities, the tone of his voice became more threatening.

-"Me? Arrested?"- Komatsu said at the man with glasses. -"You've got to be kidding me, right?"-

-"I'm not kidding about this, Dr. Komatsu. You're coming with us, whether you like it or not."- Then, the Japanese man gave orders in English to the two American soldiers to arrest the scientist. -"You two guys know what to do."-

-"WHAT THE HELL IS THE MEANING OF THIS, YOU DIRTY BASTARDS? GET YOUR HANDS OFF ME!"-

-"Please, Dr. Komatsu, don't make things more difficult for us and for others."- The main working for the Americans retorted on Komatsu. -"You will come with us and you will have to answer for your crimes in a special war crimes tribunal."-

-"No! Let go of me, you filthy degenerate apes! You were responsible for all this, and you murdered my mother and my whole family. Let me go, LET ME GO!"-

-"SHUT YER FUCKIN' TRAP, YOU STUPID FOUR-EYED JAP!"-

One of the American soldiers mercilessly kneed Komatsu in the stomach, hard enough to knock him unconscious, which allowed them to take the scientist out of the hospital safely.

-"Get this little psycho out of here and let's get back to Tokyo as fast as possible, before the people in this camp ask any more questions!"-

Once with Komatsu in their possession, both the Japanese translator and the American soldiers took the man in a military van, which was on its way to Tokyo from Hiroshima, where the man's fate would be decided by the U.S. government.

---

October 20th, AD 1945, Dai-Ichi Seimei Building (SCAP HQ), Tokyo, Japan, 01:24 PM

Knock Knock

-"Who is it?"-

A male voice with a certain Asian accent was heard at the other side of the door...

-"Eh, sorry to bother you, General, but I need to talk to you urgently about a matter of the utmost importance."-

The other, American-accented, male voice replied with some notable annoyance, since it was obvious that person was busy at that moment...

-"OK, you may come in, Francisco. I hope what you have to say to me is really relevant enough to interrupt me."-

That male voice was the Phillipines-born Francisco Salveron, who as the personal aidee of the person she was talking to on the other side of the door. And the person that Salveron was talking to was none other than General Douglas MacArthur, Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers, decorated war hero during World War II in the Pacific theater, and at that time he was basically the one who was in command of Japan, in general terms.

And by the time Salveron entered the general's office to speak with him, MacArthur was reading several reports and documents of great importance, while smoking his pipe in an entertaining manner. Seeing that man in front of him, the American general stopped what he was doing to focus his attention on him.

-"What is it you want to talk to me about, Francisco?"-

-"I don't know if you remember a person of high interest who was arrested five days ago on your orders in a Hiroshima refugee camp."- The Filipino man then gave MacArthur several brochures to the general for him to read. -"Intelligence asked me to send the profile of the arrestee to you so that you could read it, and you could decide what to do with the prisoner at your discretion."-

-"OK, let me check that profile, please."-

MacArthur read for a few minutes the report that the intelligence department had sent so that the general could know more about the prisoner they were holding. Afterwards, the American officer began to read aloud its contents.

-"Umm...This looks very... interesting:"- The American soldier said aloud at the aide. -"Yoshinori Komatsu, 29 years old, born in Hiroshima on January 4, 1916, graduated from the University of Tokyo in 1937 with full honors in Biology and Natural Sciences, in addition to having a Master's degree in Veterinary Medicine, studied a scholarship to study abroad at the Institute for Hereditary Biology and Racial Hygiene in Frankfurt, Germany, then he was sent to Pingfang, China for unclear reasons, where he was a resident veterinarian in Unit 731, and then, because of "discipline" problems, according to this report, he was sent back to his native Hiroshima, and then the government asked him to go to Tokyo to work in a secret laboratory where incredibly secret experiments were being conducted, from which he later escaped, along with a... tiger named "Raghu", one day before the attack on the city."-

After reading the report on a broad basis, MacArthur could not believe what he was reading at the time, since Yoshinori Komatsu's profile was too unusual for an ordinary war criminal, especially when reading the part about the tiger.

-"Forgive me if I feel skeptical about this, but this is the first time in my life I've heard of a war criminal being captured with a tiger at his side. Besides, did he study at the same school where Mengele worked? And if this doesn't sound outrageous enough to believe, this guy was also a member of the Unit 731?"-

-"According to the military intelligence report, I believe that is correct, sir."- Salveron confirmed the contents of that strange report MacArthur received. -"Regarding the tiger part, as far as I know the tiger was captured a month before Dr. Komatsu's arrest after several people claimed to have seen what appeared to be a huge cat roaming around outside Hiroshima, and the animal was captured by members of the army using tranquilizer darts after the animal was caught eating domestic cattle from a farm. Dr. Komatsu himself confirmed the name of the animal and where it came from."-

After reading the report for a few minutes, and based on what MacArthur's assistant had also said regarding Komatsu and Raghu, the general knew that the person and the animal he and his government had in custody were anything but normal; but there was one thing he wanted to know: Why had that man, who worked in Tokyo in that top-secret laboratory, escaped from that place with that animal, and why had he tried to return to his hometown, despite all the risks that entailed?

That last question was brought to the attention of his assistant, who answered the general as soon as he could.

-"According to the doctor, he escaped from the laboratory after he had a verbal fight with his immediate superior, the late Hiroshi Matsuoka, after Dr. Komatsu helped neutralize an attack carried out by mercenaries or spies paid by the Soviets with the help of Raghu and the other animals he had in his laboratory. The infiltrators were apparently working on orders from Stalin, who had ordered them to enter the laboratory to steal any secrets the Japanese might have in that bunker. Needless to say, all the attackers were killed, and those who survived, in this case, those who did not participate in the attack itself, were captured, tortured and executed."-

-"You still haven't answered my question as to why Dr. Komatsu tried to return to Hiroshima with that tiger. Was the tiger his pet?"-

-"Here's what I was getting at, sir:"- The aidee continued with his explanation. -"Dr. Komatsu escaped from the lab to join his family and try to escape to the U.S. via Okinawa. He planned to escape from the archipelago by boat to the Ryukyu Islands, and then seek asylum from the government, so that he could reach the U.S., but the attack on Hiroshima thwarted his plans completely and he was forced to stay in the city while he tried to find out his family's whereabouts."-

-"And what does that tiger have to do with the way he got out of the bunker? Did he use the tiger to attack anyone who got in his way?"- General MacArthur responded rather incredulously, for he found it difficult to believe what he was hearing about Komatsu and Raghu. -"No matter how vicious a tiger may be, I doubt very much that it is effective enough to deal with heavily armed soldiers, and I doubt very much that someone like that Dr. Komatsu has the skills to do so on his own, unless he is lying."-

-"To be quite honest, general, I don't know, although I do have relevant information regarding the animal, which was provided by Dr. Komatsu himself during the interrogation, and confirmed by the Ueno Zoo yesterday by phone."-

-"And what do you know about that tiger called Raghu?"-

MacArthur's Filipino assistant carefully read the papers that mentioned the tiger, and once he memorized the relevant facts about the animal, he let the general know right away.

-"Sorry for what I'm going to say about this, sir, but I think this is going to be very hard to believe for you, if you excuse me."- The man commented with a certain tone of notorious incredulity, knowing to whom that report was addressed and the personality of his immediate superior. -"Even I, who have read all kinds of strange or macabre things about many war criminals since the war ended, find this somewhat hard to process in a way that anyone can accept."

These words caused some surprise in the American general, who was not used to hearing this kind of news. Even during the war, MacArthur had dealt with all sorts of things that any soldier could expect, such as ambushes, surprise or suicide attacks and all sorts of strange or unpleasant things that any man who had dedicated his life to the service of his country could expect in a situation like the one he was living in, in which his main job was to help rebuild Japan from the ashes of World War II.

But what MacArthur was about to hear from his aide was something that even by his own standards was in the realm of the supernatural, something he was not prepared to hear...

-"What do you mean with that "it's gonna be hard for me to believe" stuff, huh?"- The American man responded with some kind of notable annoyance in his face, to the grade he put his famous pipe he was smoking on at one side of his desk. -"Is there something wrong with that tiger or what?"-

-"According to what Dr. Komatsu said, the tiger called Raghu has an innate ability to alter the perception of the people around him."-

If MacArthur's face was no longer expressive enough with Salveron's prior warning about the Japanese scientist and his tiger, the revelation that the tiger had psychic abilities was enough to leave the general with his mouth open as wide as he could open it.

-"What... the... HELL... do yo mean with that?"-

-"In short, sir, it means that the tiger can make other people outside its immediate circle unaware of its presence. Basically, the animal can become invisible, in a manner of speaking."-

MacArthur suddenly took off his trademark shades, and looked at his assistant with extreme incredulity and dismay, thinking it was some kind of bad joke from the intelligence department or from his own aide...

-"Look, Francisco, if you think I'm going to buy such an absurd story, you or those idiots from intelligence better invent a better one, because right now I'm not in the mood, nor do I have time to listen to that kind of ludicrous crap!"-

Seeing the reaction of the American soldier, Salveron tried to convince his legendary superior about the importance of listening to the rest of his story before dismissing it as some kind of joke or hoax, even if Salveron himself had trouble believing in the story told by Dr. Komatsu himself.

-"Sir, you have believe me for anything sacred to you!"- The Filipino man responded somewhat vexed at the sight of his superior's unbelieving face. -"I too wish this had been some kind of dumb joke coming out of the intelligence department, and in fact I went personally to contact them because of my disbelief on the subject of the tiger, and both Dr. Komatsu, and Raghu himself, showed me in person what the animal can do, and I can certify, without question at all, that the powers of that animal are authentic and that it is no hoax whatsoever on the part of anyone, however ridiculous it may seem to all of us."-

MacArthur saw Salveron's face, and quickly realized that man had no reason to lie to him, considering that MacArthur had known that Filipino man since 1942 when Salveron was recovering from various injuries in a hospital in Brisbane, Australia after his ship carrying medical supplies was sunk by the Japanese. That man was not the kind of person who would joke about something as absurd as a story out of a fantasy novel, especially when it involved war criminals.

Considering that Komatsu was intimately connected with that top-secret underground bunker that the American occupation government found at the end of the war, and that they still had trouble dealing with the large number of experiments being conducted there, not to mention the gruesome research that Unit 731 did on behalf of the Japanese Empire in Manchuria, a unit that Komatsu was a temporary member of, it was more than evident that man named Yoshinori Komatsu was too important to just ignore him and consider him as another run-in-the-mill war criminal.

And very especially when the report indicated that Komatsu never worked with humans, and his specialty was dealing exclusively with animals, as he was a licensed veterinarian, which led the American general to ask himself the following question:

What was a vet doing working in Unit 731? Unless his work involved torturing or killing animals, a veterinarian working in a place that was almost exclusively dedicated to experimenting and killing human beings was as unusual as seeing a German working as a shoemaker in a Nazi concentration camp.

-"I still find it hard to believe that someone like him and that tiger exist in this world; even after seeing what the Japanese did during the war, knowing that there is an animal capable of making people ignore its presence is something I find hard to believe. And that's not to mention the credentials of this Komatsu guy: He was in Germany working in the same place as the infamous Dr. Mengele, then he worked in Unit 731 and was finally working in a secret laboratory, only to end up using a tiger to make himself invisible and escape to his hometown."-

-"To be brutally honest, sir, I feel the same way."- Salveron replied. -"But that's nothing compared to what you're going to hear next."

MacArthur could not believe that Yoshinori Komatsu had even more secrets hidden up his sleeve...

-"Tell me that Komatsu fellow still has more strange things I don't know."-

-"I'm afraid so, sir."- The Filipino man confirmed his superior's fear regarding the Japanese scientist. -"Believe me, if I weren't seeing that with my two eyes, I would hardly believe it. In fact, what I am going to tell you next about Komatsu is something that does not appear in the report, since Intelligence has hardly taken the time to examine all the papers that Dr. Komatsu had in his possession, but at the time of his arrest in Hiroshima, the doctor had a rather thick book that caught my attention, which I have been reading for the last few days in my spare time, and the contents of that book might be of interest to you, sir."-

-"Do you have that book you mentioned handy, Francisco?"-

-"Yes, sir."-

Without wasting any more time, Salveron gives MacArthur the copy of the book that Komatsu had at hand at the time of his arrest in Hiroshima two months ago.

The book was quite thick, in addition to being stapled, as the author needed to have additional material written or removed as Komatsu's research progressed. The book had as its title the following text: Advanced Genetics And Genetic Design for Accelerated Evolution of the Species, by Yoshinori Komatsu, which, oddly enough, was written in German, even though the author was Japanese. But that was not the strangest thing about the book:

The content of the book was even stranger, for the book was written in a mixture of several languages, including Japanese, English, German, and even Esperanto. It was obvious that the author wanted to make sure that nobody else could read that book in case it fell into the wrong hands, which frustrated MacArthur when he saw that he could not understand almost anything that was written inside it.

-"What the hell is this book?"- The American soldier yelled in complete frustration after reading some of the pages from that strange book. -"I can't understand a shit of anything of this, and udging by the content of the book, it seems I'm reading the Voynich Manuscript instead of a science book!"-

-"This is where I come in regarding the translation of the book, sir."- The Filipino man responded at his senior officer.

-"And how do you know the translation of that book, if I may ask?"-

-"Ehem..."- Salveron did a brief pause, then responded to that question. -"We managed that after... several days of intense interrogations, if you know what I mean, Dr. Komatsu provides us with a brief summary of the book's contents, which gives us a glimpse of what that man has been working on over the past few years."-

-"And you know what that book says?"-

Salveron coughed a little before proceeding to answer General MacArthur's question, since what he was about to say would be something that the American soldier would find hard to believe...

-"Sir, if you think the whole tiger issue is already difficult enough for you to believe, or even for me, that doesn't compare in the slightest with what I'm going to tell you about this book."-

MacArthur looked at the book again, and immediately afterwards looked at Salveron in disbelief, as he saw that there were still more mysteries surrounding both Komatsu and everything about him, beginning with the mysterious book the American man had in his hands.

-"I'm all ears... for god's sake, I just hope the information written in that weird book really worth it."-

-"As far as I can read, based on the translation offered by Dr. Komatsu, the book is a thesis that deals with a method that allows the acceleration of the natural evolutionary processes through artificial methods, in such a way that a non-intelligent being, say in this case a dog, can reach the same level of intelligence as a human being, including the ability to speak and express itself in the same way that a human would do."-

Upon hearing the condensed version of the contents of the book from Salveron's mouth, MacArthur remained speechless for a few minutes. The man, who had heard and seen almost everything in his illustrious life as a soldier, especially during the Second World War, could not believe what he was hearing about the contents of that book and about the research that Japanese scientist was carrying out, and after that brief interruption, the general only went on to say the following:

-"That Komatsu guy must have lost a few screws in his fuckin' head, right?"-

-"I beg your pardon, sir?"-

MacArthur took a deep breath, and while making a superhuman effort to avoid losing his composure, he responded to what he had heard a few moments ago about the bizarre contents of that book he had in his hands.

-"Look, if you think I'm going to fall for such an even bigger absurd story regarding that guy, I should recommend you to send that Dr. Komatsu to an asylum. There's no way I'd believe something as senseless and childish as that in my life; no sir, not in my dreams..."- MacArthur replied with a angry expression in his face. -"First, this guy has a tiger that is capable of becoming invisible, and now it turns out that Komatsu guy says he could make the animals talk. What's next? That he can make a dog read Shakespeare's Sonnets and sing La Cucaracha?"-

The general then slams his fist into his office desk furiously, and then, he looks angrily at his Filipino aide.

-"Does that asshole think he can think of me and the rest of us Ameican as fuckin' idiots, thinking he can save himself by spouting such ludicrous bullshit straight out from a sci-fi book?!"-

-"Sir, I am sorry to have to contradict you, but if you are referring to the tiger as well, I would like to remind you that I was able to prove in person that that tiger's abilities are authentic and not the product of some lie or scam by Dr. Komatsu. As for the book, even though we do not have the means here in Japan to verify that the content of the thesis could be accurate, considering that Dr. Komatsu has been working several years of his life to check if that theory can be applied in real life, and even if we take into account that he did not have the means or resources to adequately carry out his research, I would say that it would not hurt us if this information is sent to the White House for the president to analyze it and give an opinion about it."-

-"Hah, please don't be so fuckin' ridiculous, Francisco!"- The American general snarked at such idea provided by Salveron. -"Truman would want my head on a silver platter if it occurred to me to even show him such a piece of literature written by a Japanese man who seems to have lost a few extra screws in his head!"-

-"Considering that you already read the part that mentions Dr. Komatsu's involvement in stopping a group of spies working for the Soviets, I must assume that we are not the only ones interested in this man's work, right?"-

MacArthur gave a brief review of the report again and realized that the documents mentioned the incident in which spies who were on the payroll of the Soviet NKVD had infiltrated the bunker to steal information about the projects they were conducting there, as well as the kidnapping attempt against Komatsu that ended in a fierce battle in which all the infiltrators were killed by the animals Komatsu had in his laboratory; the American general was surprised to read that last part, which he had not noticed the first time he read the report, because he never thought that anyone would think of using wild animals to attack heavily armed people and live to tell the tale.

-"I must admit, the more I read about this guy, the more I wonder what else he's got up his sleeve."-

-"Certainly is, sir."-

MacArthur closed the folder containing the report concerning Komatsu, and then set his sights on Salveron.

-"And as for our mystery detainee,"- The well-known American soldier asked while he lit his pipe with a match he had at hand. -"might I ask where he's being held as we speak?"-

-"He's locked up in an isolated section of the Sugamo prison, sir."- The Filipino man responded. -"On my instructions, Dr. Komatsu is to be isolated from the rest of the prisoners, except for another prisoner who worked in the same bunker where he worked before escaping to Hiroshima, so I don't think it would do any harm for us to have him with someone else. It is up to you whether he is tried with the rest of the other prisoners of war or is tried as a common criminal, which would mean that the Japanese government would have to judge him instead."-

-"I don't know, Francisco. On the one hand, this Komatsu guy gives me a serious case of creeps if we take the description the report gives of him on face value, and in other circumstances I wouldn't object to him being tried. But on the other hand, there are several mitigating factors that make this man's case very interesting: To begin with, according to what this report says, and from what you have commented about him, our doctor never experimented with humans, he has a very negative opinion about war, and above all he seems to prefer working with animals than with human beings, according to what is mentioned in the report."-

-"Exactly, sir."-

-"If I had to give an honest opinion about his case, you could say that our doctor was simply in the wrong place, at the wrong time, and with the wrong people to top it off." - MacArthur said. -"Or as they say in China, Never Change Your Hat Under a Peach Tree."-

-"And what does that mean, if I may ask so, sir?"-

-"Basically, don't do good things that seem bad."- The American man said. -"That this would be Dr. Komatsu's case, so to speak."-

-"Indeed, sir."-

-"Look, Francisco, I am going to continue reading the report with more detail, while I also read the book that Dr. Komatsu wrote, and depending on what I see, I will make a decision about what to do with him. For now, the doctor will remain locked up in Sugamo until further notice."-

-"Understood, sir."-

-"Is there anything else you want to bring up?"-

-"So far, nothing else, sir."-

-"Then you can leave at any time."-

-"Thank you, sir."-

Without further ado, Francisco Salveron left General Douglas MacArthur's office, while the latter decided to take another look at the report on Dr. Yoshinori Komatsu and to see all the specifics surrounding his case. He knew full well that he had a very important person in his hands, and that the man who otherwise would have been quite insignificant in the scheme of things turned out to be someone more important than he seemed.

---

October 22th, AD 1945, Sugamo Prision (Special Section), Ikebukuro District, Tokyo, Japan, 01:23 AM

The Sugamo prison was a European-style prison built in 1895 in Tokyo, whose original function was to lock up political prisoners, and during World War II, Allied spies captured by the Japanese. At the end of that conflict, it was used to lock up prisoners of war accused of crimes against humanity, including Hideki Tojo, the prime minister who ruled Japan during the war, who was held in section A, which was reserved for the military leaders behind the conflict.

But there was a section of that prison which very few people knew about, and that was devoted especially to political prisoners who were of very special interest, both to the Japanese government, and to the American occupation government which was governing the country behind the scenes.

That section was informally known as the "Special Section" by both the local workers and the military authorities in charge of the administration of the prison. In that hidden spot, those prisoners who were considered too important to be mixed with the rest of the prison population were locked up in complete isolation from the rest of the inmates, since they could possess information vital to the interests of both the new Japanese government that emerged from the ashes of the war and the United States.

And in that place, there was only one prisoner who fit that profile. There is no information about the identity of that prisoner who was locked up in Sugamo, only his interaction with another prisoner who was then going to keep him company in that medium sized cell and was isolated from the rest of the prison.

-"Get in your cage, you fuckin' weirdo!"-

Mercilessly, the prison guards threw the man into that cell in a violent manner. The other prisoner realized that the young man, about 29 years old, had signs of torture all over his body, and the other unknown prisoner could not help but feel sorry for the man and his situation.

-"Looks like the Americans beat you up pretty good, buddy."-

The other man tried to get up from the ground, but was unable to do so because of the pain he felt all over his body from the torture he had received. He spat blood on the floor, and then the man lay on his back, trying to find a way to rest.

-"If I were you, I wouldn't fall asleep on the floor, unless you want to watch the cockroaches crawl around you all night."-

The tortured prisoner did not respond to that comment made by the unidentified prisoner.

-"Wait a second, I think I saw your face somewhere."-

The nameless prisoner looked at his new cellmate, and quickly realized who he was...

-"You must be Yoshinori Komatsu, right?"- The other man responded quite surprised after he quickly identified his new partner. -"You're that famous doctor who worked with animals in the bunker, and who helped eliminate the spies who worked for the Soviets that infiltrated the site."-

Komatsu, struggling with the pain he was still suffering, only succeeded in saying the following...

-"This is something... aghhh... that no longer matters at this time..."-

-"I know you well because I also worked in the same bunker as you, though I was working in another research department on a different project, but you were well known there because of that stunt you pulled off with those spies."-

Komatsu stared at his cellmate and decided to ask him his name, even though he was still in pain.

-"Who the... AGHH...hell are you?"-

-"My name?"- The cellmate retorted. -"Does it matter much to know my name right now?"-

-"At least... ughhh... I want to know who the hell... I'm talking to."-

-"Look, fella, knowing my name ain't gonna help you or me out of this shit we're both in."- The mysterious man said at his new guest with a snark smile in his face. -"The only thing it would do is cause you more unnecessary pain than you already have, because once the Americans and their butt-kissers in the government get all the information out of us, we'll both end up on the gallows, or rotting away in jail for the rest of our lives."-

Komatsu couldn't bring himself to say any more about this last part, knowing in advance that there were many reasons why the Americans would be very interested in him, and none of those reasons augured well for him in the future, knowing that he had worked alongside an infamous Nazi war criminal, Josef Mengele, in addition to having worked in Unit 731 in Manchukuo (now Manchuria) in China, which committed such atrocities that the Allies were only trying to unravel their scale.

-"Judging by your expression, I think you know very well what I mean, considering the reason we're both locked in this shithole. Just to give you an idea of the magnitude of our situation, not even Tojo, who was the prime minister, is locked up as securely and as isolated as we are, which means that we are more important to the Americans than the same prime minister who started this damn war."-

Komatsu put his hands on his face, trying desperately to think of something to do with his current situation. But the pain he suffered throughout his body prevented him from thinking of anything that could be of use to him. The only thing he had in his head was the pain he was suffering, both physical and mental, due both to the torture he had received at the hands of the Americans, and everything he had suffered in the last few months since the atomic attack on Hiroshima, his hometown.

-"And judging by all the shit you received from the Americans, I'd guess they must have gotten a lot of information out of you."- The man said, whle pointing one finger at his teeth. -"A torturer knocked a tooth out of me during the interrogation, and left me with a black eye. And judging by your injuries, the Yanks must have gotten a lot more information out of you than they did out of me. Either that, or you made the mistake of resisting their interrogation."-

No longer able to bear the pain he felt throughout his body, Komatsu broke down in tears, the only thing he could do to ease the soreness he felt in those tragic moments. The knowledge that he had lost everything, his friends, his city, his country, and most of all, his parents, was something that pushed the already tormented mind of that young scientist to its limits, not to mention dealing directly with the justice from the victors of the war, who were seeking a way to get even with him for all the atrocities committed by his country, even if he never agreed in the least with anything his country Japan did in the war.

But the man with whom Komatsu shared his cell had no desire to listen the whimpering of that tormented man...

-"Hey, buddy, If you're man enough to take the pain, shut the hell up and get some sleep. Crying won't do you any good except piss off the guards, and me too."-

The young scientist ignored the man's warning and went on with his crying.

-"If you don't shut the fuck up, you crybaby, someone else is going to have to shut that hole of yours, and if you don't, I will!"

Komatsu turned a deaf ear to the man's warning, and continued to weep endlessly. Seeing that his cellmate was not willing to stop crying for good, the other man decided to take action by rising from his bed and grabbing Komatsu by the throat, lifting him off the floor and threatening him directly in his face.

-"If you don't stop crying like a little girl, you asshole, I'll personally see to it that you stop crying permanently! You hear me, BITCH?"-

Those words were the straw that broke the camel's back for that scientist, and in an outburst of fury and courage they came from the deepest part of his own soul...

PUNCH!

Komatsu punched the man hard enough to send him straight into the wall, while the unknown prisoner stared in surprise at his host, who looked at him with eyes he had never imagined he would see in a human being.

Those eyes only showed one thing in that man, and that look showed only one feeling that predominated in the mind and soul of Yoshinori Komatsu: HATE.

But it was not just normal hatred, this man showed something that was completely unusual in other human beings. It was as if at that moment, the only thing that existed in that person's head was hatred, pure and unadulterated hatred, a hatred that was out of the ordinary and indicated that this man had lost whatever degree of empathy he had in that moment.

Even that man came to think that Yoshinori Komatsu, that simple and innocent-looking man, had ceased to be just any ordinary human being, and had become something even more sinister than he even imagined.

In short, that man, Yoshinori Komatsu, had become a demon...

Or possibly, something even worse than a demon...

-"Don't touch me. Don't EVEN touch me, you insolent fool."- Komatsu said to that man, while he looked at him with the same hate-filled gaze. -"If you ever touch me with your filthy hands again, I will see to it that your death will be so slow and painful that neither God nor Satan can relieve your pain at the moment of your death!"-

Seeing that Komatsu was truly serious, especially after receiving that powerful punch that was hard enough to send him from one end of the cell to the other, the mysterious man put aside his original bravado in attempting to threaten the scientist, and horrified at the sight of his angry, hate-filled face, the man obeyed his order without question.

-"OK, OK, YOU WIN, BUT PLEASE DON'T HURT ME!"-

Then Komatsu looked up at the sky from the bars of his cell window, and watched the moon very carefully for a few moments and the expression on his face suddenly changed. What was at first a grimace of hatred and anger on his face after hitting that man suddenly changed to a smile...

...except that smile was anything but normal.

And suddenly, Komatsu's face changed from a look of fury to a grimace of laughter, but his laughter and expression, far from being that of someone who found something amusing, were rather those of someone who was trying to find a way to vent his anger and hatred that he had long suppressed.

Everything that Yoshinori Komatsu had suffered over the years, along with the events of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, had begun to disturb the man, so much so that his sanity was gradually beginning to fade...

-"They will pay dearly for this... they WILL definitely pay..."-

Then he looked up at the roof of his cell...

"...and I will not rest until each and every one of them pays for this sin that they committed against my family and my city WITH THEIR OWN LIVES!"-

And then...

-"huh, huh, huh, huh, HAH, HAH, HAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAH!"-

The other unknown man, who was still feeling the effects of the blow received from Komatsu, could only look at that grotesque scene in horror and and he wondered what kind of ill-omened person he was sharing his confinement with.

-"He is... he is definitively a monster."-

---

October 24th, AD 1945, Dai-Ichi Seimei Building (SCAP HQ), Tokyo, Japan, 05:10 PM

-"Good morning, General. Did you had a good day?"-

General Douglas MacArthur was reading some papers at that moment in his office, when Francisco Salveron, his personal aide, went to talk with him in order to discuss some matters with him.

-"Everything is fine, thanks for asking, Francisco; in fact I just left a meeting with the Prime Minister a few minutes ago to discuss some important issues. It was a bit of a bumpy meeting, but I think we talked about everything we needed to discuss, especially about the treatment of the war criminals who are still in Sugamo."-

-"I'm glad you discussed that with the Prime Minister, sir, but just out of curiosity,"- Francisco Salveron asked to his senior. -"I assume you haven't discussed anything with him about the prisoners we have in the special section, have you?"-

-"Of course not."- MacArthur replied at the Filipino man. -"I think that's the one thing I won't share with the current Japanese administration, because of the interest the White House has in our guests."-

That last comment about the White House intrigued Salveron a bit, knowing that originally MacArthur had said that it was likely that Washington would not show interest in Dr. Komatsu's research, due to its esoteric nature.

But the fact that Harry S. Truman, the president who was in the Oval Office at the time, seemed to have taken an interest in that mysterious and enigmatic thesis that Dr. Komatsu had been writing and working on for a good part of his life, meant that General MacArthur seemed to have changed his mind about sharing with the president of the United States what he had in his possession.

-"I presume you spoke with President Truman about Komatsu and his research work."-

-"That's right."- The American soldier said. -"I sent an urgent telegram to Washington to ask to discuss the matter with Truman after you and I first talked about it, and the next day I managed to talk to Truman on a confidential line about our doctor friend. Judging by the interest shown in the subject once I told him everything I knew about the research on advanced evolution that Dr. Komatsu has been working on since before the war, I think Truman is not reluctant to allow our friend the doctor to travel to the United States and try to continue his research work there."-

Salveron couldn't believe what he was hearing: Even people like him were skeptical about any benefit they could get from such research, especially if it involved animals, but it was amazing that the president himself was more than enthusiastic about trying to prove Komatsu's theories, this time with bigger financial and material support than he had when he was working for the IJA.

-"What's wrong, Francisco?"- MacArthur said at his aide after he saw his face, since he noted that Salveron couldn't fully agree what the U.S. government was trying to do. -"You look like you don't want to go along with all this."-

-"Requesting permission to be frank with you, sir."-

-"Permission granted, Francisco."- The American general gave his blessing to his aide. -"Now talk."-

Salveron breathed deeply and in the kindest way possible, he gave his opinion on what he thought about Komatsu.

-"I'll be frank with you, sir, but I don't think getting involved with that doctor would be very wise for us."-

-"Why not?"-

-"Let's say it's a hunch."-

-"A hunch?"-

The Filipino assistant took a deep breath again, in order to speak to his superior one more time.

-"Even if we know that Dr. Komatsu has valuable information, especially regarding his thesis, we don't really know if the information that is written on it is really useful, or is just an excuse out of that man's deranged mind in order to avoid being prosecuted or even executed."- Salveron replied quite annoyed by the American government's plan on bringing Komatsu to America. -"You should take into consideration this is a man who worked alongside a Nazi war criminal currently persecuted around the world, and who also worked in Unit 731 in China. Even if we know that he never experimented with humans, according to what witnesses have said about him, that doesn't mean that his intentions are entirely good."-

-"And what about that tiger Raghu, huh?"- MacArthur retorted loudly at his Filipino aide. -"I also talked to the president about that tiger, and he seemed very interested in meeting him in person. I think Truman thinks that animal might be useful in one way or another, and studying him at home would be very practical, wouldn't it?"-

-"Certainly, being able to study Raghu more closely would be very interesting,"- Salveron continued with his personal doubts about Komatsu and his lifetime work. -"but keep in mind that that tiger was already born with those powers and Dr. Komatsu had nothing to do with the origin of those abilities, except that he discovered Raghu first. Apart from that, everything that has to do with Dr. Komatsu's research and thesis is very much set in uncharted territory, from which we don't know if we will get any tangible results."-

-"Well, it seems that the president does not think the same as you, and he is very interested in proving Komatsu's theories in America, if we consider that the Soviets were looking to kidnap our friend the doc to Moscow."-

-"Knowing Stalin, he probably wants to have a go at anything that can help him perpetuate himself in power, however ridiculous or unrealistic it may be, and I don't think we should go down the same path as him."-

MacArthur pondered for a few moments, as he considered Salveron's comments about the advisability of allowing Komatsu to travel to America.

-"You are certainly right about Komatsu, for he is not a person I have much confidence in either, considering his background."- The American general said with a very somber tone. -"But unfortunately, the top brass in Washington thinks otherwise, considering that some Nazis, like Wernher von Braun, are working on various secret projects that even I don't know exactly what they are about; and if our friends in Washington think that Dr. Komatsu is as valuable as Dr. Von Braun, I don't have much authority to change their minds, to my chagrin."-

-"So that means President Truman authorized Komatsu's relocation to the U.S.?"-

-"Unfortunately, yes."-

-"Oh, no..."- The Filipino man cursed to himself after hearing that. -"And may I ask, where he will be sent first?"-

-"New Castle Army Air Field, near Wilmington, Delaware."- MacArthur responded coldly. -"Once there, the government will decide where to send him so he can start working. I only hope God has mercy on his soul once he's in America, because I think it would be more merciful to Dr. Komatsu if we sent him to the gallows first."-

-"And when will his flight from Tokyo leave?"-

-"Tomorrow at 6 AM, and his flight will have stops in Honolulu and Los Angeles."-

-"Looks like Truman wants Komatsu in the U.S. as soon as possible."-

-"Indeed."- The general responded quickly. -"I think Washington doesn't want an incident like the one that happened in the bunker to recur when we try to send him to the U.S., so sending him quickly would be more convenient."-

-"I just hope President Truman knows what he's doing dealing with people like him."- Salveron replied with a worried expression in his face. -"Komatsu is not exactly Von Braun, since at least we know that Dr. Von Braun's research is scientifically sound, not to mention that he is the person behind the creation of the V-2 rockets. Komatsu's research, on the other hand, is entirely based on untested theories, and in the worst case, on wishful thinking, if you ask me for my opinion."-

-"I know that too, Francisco, and I also wish that Truman had changed his mind and had better ordered Komatsu to remain in prison, or to be tried with the rest of the war criminals; but I think that our friend the president sees the doctor as a valuable asset that should not be allowed to go unnoticed, seeing that the Russians are also interested in him."-

-"Heh, knowing the Russians and Stalin, I suppose someone with unusual esoteric knowledge in science can help them in some way; that was very useful to them before the Russian Revolution with Rasputin, and I think you already know how both he and the Romanovs ended up. They didn't call him The Mad Monk for nothing."-

MacArthur was somewhat intrigued by that last part regarding the story of the Russian monk Grigoriy Yefimovich Rasputin, since it was more than evident that Francisco Salveron wanted to use the life of that historical character to make a rather brutal parallel between Komatsu and Rasputin.

-"Are you implying that our friend Komatsu could be our American Rasputin?"-

Salveron did a brief pause before continuing with the chat...

-"I hate to say this so bluntly, but everything points to it."-

MacArthur was silent for a few moments, for he knew very well the implications of bringing someone of dubious reputation to the U.S. and joining the group of scientists working for the American government in search of anything that might give them an advantage against the then Soviet Union.

It was morally dubious enough to bring a Nazi war criminal like Dr. Von Braun to the United States to help develop that nation's aerospace industry, and another was to bring a scientist whose only credentials were an unproven thesis and a tiger able to make himself invisible, which in the grand scheme of things was almost useless compared to what Von Braun could offer to the White House.

-"There are many things I can do; changing a president's mind is not one of them, especially when it comes to someone like Truman; this is the man who ordered the atomic bombs to be dropped after all, and if it weren't for him, we would be talking about a different subject in Okinawa than here in Tokyo."-

-"So there's nothing we can do about it to stop Komatsu from being sent to the U.S.?"-

-"No, in fact, Truman ordered and signed his move to America, so there's nothing more I can do."-

Salveron looked with deep sadness that there was nothing more both men could do to convince President Harry S Truman not to send Komatsu to the U.S., because of the risk he would pose to the reputation or even the integrity of the government's science departments if a person with unproven expertise in science worked there.

-"If it's any consolation to you, Francisco, I'll just say this:"- MacArthur stopped smoking, and then he put his famous pipe over his desk -"God really help us if this Komatsu guy turns out to be more than he really is."-

---

October 26th, AD 1945, New Castle Army Air Field (now New Castle Air National Guard Base), near Wilmington, Delaware, United States of America, 06:27 AM

An ordinary military aircraft, of which there is no data on its characteristics, landed at that American military base located near the city of Wilmington, in the state of Delaware, without any problems and without much fanfare. Under normal conditions, that plane would have gone unnoticed like so many of the military planes that landed and took off from that place from the beginning, duration and end of World War II.

Except for one important detail, and that detail was one of the passengers that was inside the aircraft...

Once the plane had stopped near one of the hangars on the base, an Asian-looking man came down from the plane, accompanied by three bodyguards who were at his side and behind him, and while he was leaving the plane, another man, an American soldier, was on the tarmac waiting for him with some impatience.

-"Welcome to America, Dr. Komatsu!"- The American man said at Yoshinori Komatsu with some faked enthusiasm in his face. -"How was your trip from Tokyo, Doc?"-

The doctor made no attempt to hide his contempt for the American soldier and gave an honest answer to his question with a certain flair of arrogance.

-"Could have been worse,"- Komatsu replied at the soldier. -"the food was cold, and there was too much turbulence along the way."-

-"Well, Dr. Komatsu, don't expect to get any kind of special treatment after what your country did in the war, do you?"-

-"I'm more surprised by the arrogance of all of you Americans, if you ask me."-

That insulting comment was the last straw for that man who, in addition to having the obligation to greet a man from a country that until a few months ago was their enemies, had to welcome a man who was considered a war criminal, but who was pardoned by the American government on the condition that he would work with them in the U.S.

And as if this were not enough, that man, of whose physical description to date very few relevant data exist, apart from the fact that he had many pimples on his face, was not going to tolerate being insulted by an Asian who did not know his new place.

-"You better watch that language of yours while you're here in America, Dr. Komatsu!"- The soldier threatened Komatsu in firm terms. -"I remind you repeatedly that your stay in this country, as well as your physical integrity, will depend in part on what you can offer us in terms of your knowledge, and from what I understand, you work in the natural sciences and biology, as compared to rocket science like Dr. Von Braun. I still wonder what the hell President Truman saw in you to get you thrown here to the States."-

Komatsu remained silent in the face of the explicit threat from that soldier.

-"One more thing: If you try to screw with us in any way, you will return to Japan in a wooden coffin as dog food. Is that clear, Dr. Frankenstein?"-

-"Understood."-

-"That's the way I like it,"- The American soldier replied after seeing that the Japanese scientist had dropped his cocky behavior in front of him. -"so be obedient and maybe we'll give you more privileges, depending on how you perform with us."-

-"Can I at least know who I'm talking to, if you're willing to tell me?"-

-"Oh, I see, I guess I forgot to introduce myself:"- The soldier then introduced himself. -"My name is Jim Hamill, U.S. Army Major."-

-"Well, now that we've known each other, I'd like to know where I'm going to be sent to work from now on."-

-"All I know is that you'll be sent to Boston."- Hamill explained. -"I am not authorized to give you any more details from now on."-

-"I see..."- Komatsu replied somberly. -"And when will my plane leave for Boston?"-

-"Your next plane to Boston will leave today at 12 PM; in the meantime, you can have some tea and breakfast before we leave here."-

-"Understood."-

-"Very good."- Then, Major Hamill issued some orders to Komatsu's bodyguards. -"You three, escort Dr. Komatsu to the base cafeteria, so he can get something to eat before he leaves for Boston."-

-"Yes, sir!"-

Before Komatsu left the airstrip accompanied by the guards escorting him, Major Hamill made one last crack, which to Komatsu sounded like a cynical insult from that American soldier.

-"By the way, Dr. Komatsu, I must admit one thing before you go to breakfast:"- The soldier said before the Japanese scientist left the tarmac. -"Your English is flawless, especially for someone who has never traveled to an Anglo-Saxon country."-

-"I'll take that point in mind someday, Major Hamill..."-

---

October 26th, AD 1945, Fort Strong, Boston Harbor in Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America, 04:30 PM

After a short plane ride, Komatsu arrived to Boston, from where he was secretly taken to Fort Strong, a then U.S. Army fort that occupied the northern third of Long Island in Boston Harbor that was used by the Army Intelligence Service (now Military Intelligence Corps) as a post.

To get to the fort, the only way to reach it in a more or less unnoticed way was by boat, which was a smooth trip to the military installation from the city of Boston. Once there, Komatsu was greeted within the base by other military officers, who wished to have a word with him.

-"Welcome to Fort Strong, Mr. Komatsu!"- A burly officer greeted the Japanese man in a loud way. -"I hope you enjoyed the trip to America, I presume."-

-"To say that I enjoyed the trip would amount to hypocrisy for me, in my personal opinion."-

-"Oh, come on, don't be so hard with yourself, doc!"- The American man said at his "guest" he had in front of him. -"I understand that the trip must not have been very pleasant considering the circumstances, but at least I hope you enjoy your stay here at Fort Strong while we arrange some things regarding where you will be assigned."-

-"So that means I won't be working here, I suppose?"-

-"No, you will be sent elsewhere, for the time being; also, all the information you brought from Japan will stay here with us, and then sent to Washington."-

-"I see."- Then, Komatsu did another question at the military officer. -"If I may ask this question, I would like to know one thing I could not ask in Japan before I left for the U.S."-

-"What would it be, doc?"-

-"What will happen to my animals that I had in my laboratory that I had in Tokyo, and what will happen to Raghu, the tiger that I had when I was arrested in Hiroshima?"-

-"I'm not aware of that, to be honest, but I can ask my superiors before you are sent elsewhere. That could be tomorrow at the latest before you're assigned to any specific location."-

-"Understood."- Komatsu then asked another question. -"One more question, to whom might I have the pleasure of speaking?"-

-"Linton Hawthorne, U.S. Army General,"- The American soldier identified himself. -"pleased to meet you, Mr. Komatsu."-

Without further ado, Hawthorne shook Komatsu's hand vigorously, but the American general noticed something when the Japanese scientist did the same: The doctor's handshake was very weak, indicating that Komatsu had no desire to do so, and was only doing it out of obligation to the U.S. Army officer.

-"Do you have any other questions you wish to ask, doctor?"- General Hawthorne asked the Japanese man, while ignoring the fact his "guest" wasn't trying to hide the fact he wasn't trying to act polite with him.

-"Not right now."-

-"In that case, you will rest in one of the barracks of the fort, until it is decided where you will settle down. Any other documents you have on hand should be handed in for analysis."-

-"Understood."-

Komatsu gave a suitcase with several documents to General Hawthorne, who checked its contents carefully. Seeing that everything was in order, the general ordered Komatsu's military bodyguards to accompany him to his barracks, where he would spend the night before a decision on his fate was made.

---

October 27th, AD 1945, Fort Strong, Boston Harbor in Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America, 10:30 AM

It would be a monumental understatement to say that Yoshinori Komatsu had a good sleep on his first night in the United States, for the first thing the troubled young scientist did when he woke up in the barracks where he spent the night was to try and get a cup of espresso. Considering the stupor he was still in at the time, he decided to drink a double one.

Unfortunately for him, the only way he could get a cup of coffee was through a coffee maker that looked like it had been used for years, and when he tried to get a cup of coffee using that machine, the only thing that came out of that old hulk was a dark, smelly paste that looked more like the excrement of a pig with stomach ulcers than coffee.

And if that wasn't enough, the only solid food in that place was a box full of crackers, which they hadn't eaten in days, which caused them all to be soft and mushy.

-"Well, I think all the horror stories about the food they serve in the U.S. seem to be true."- Komatsu said, trying to hide his anger in vain. -"I can't believe there are human beings who can eat food that even a dog wouldn't eat."-

Resigned to his fate, the Japanese scientist knew that he was not in a position to ask for better food, so all he could do was eat the thing that was in his barrack that appeared to be food and hope that what he ate would not cause any harm to his body.

To his fortune, before the scientist could taste those awful foods, a loud voice greeted him from outside the door of the barracks where he slept, of which Komatsu was the only occupant, in addition to the guards surrounding the place, of course.

-"Good morning, Mr. Komatsu!"- A male voice was heard near Komatsu. -"Did you had a good sleep?"-

At the time, Komatsu did not know if that question was sincere or was a very harsh joke thrown at his expense.

-"Let's just say I didn't sleep well, and leave it at that, General Hawthorne."-

Hawnthorne could not help but laugh at that last remark, completely ignoring the misery his Japanese "guest" was suffering.

-"Heh, heh, Well, Mr. Komatsu, keep in mind that this is a military base, and I don't think you're used to sleeping in places like this, right?"-

-"Even when I worked in Tokyo for the Imperial Japanese Army I slept better than here."-

-"Okay, okay, doc, let's put aside the complaints about your accommodations, and let's get down to what I came here for primarily:"- The American general changed the topic of their chat. -"I received a telegram last night from Washington about where you are going to work here in America."-

-"Where would it be?"-

-"Fort Bliss, in El Paso, Texas, down south, near the Mexican border."- Hawnthorne explained to the Japanese man about the place where he would become his home in the U.S. -"To be honest, I never imagined they would send you there, which means you must be someone very important to be sent to El Paso."-

-"Why do you say that, General?"- Komatsu asked somewhat intrigued about his new home. -"Is there something special about that place?"-

-"A few months ago, a famous German rocket scientist was sent there for the same reasons that you will be sent there."- Hawnthorne gave a quick summary about the importance of that place. -"The government treats him like a movie star or something like that, although if you ask me for my personal opinion, that German guy is nothing but a fucking bastard who probably sent many people to the gas chambers or the ovens."-

-"You mean Dr. Wernher von Braun, right?"-

-"Exactly."- The American officer said, with a very notable angry visage in his face. -"The first time I met this guy when he came here to Fort Strong he gave me the creeps because of his personality and attitude, not to mention his personal background regarding his work for the Nazis. And I don't trust any damn Nazi, no matter how famous he is, to be honest with you."-

-"In that case, that makes two of us."-

-"Really?"- The general was intrigued by this. -"You worked for the IJA, weren't you Japanese and Germans supposed to be allies?"-

-"Perhaps my government allied with them, but as far as I am concerned, all Nazis can go to hell."- Komatsu angrily replied to the American general. -"Those guys were partially responsible for ruining my life by screwing my research I was doing there when I worked in Germany, and I will never, EVER forgive them!"-

-"I don't really blame you for that, Mr. Komatsu."- Then, Hawnthorne did another question to the Japanese man. -"but according to your profile I received from Washington, you worked alongside Dr. Josef Mengele, didn't you?"-

The mere mention of Mengele's name was enough to make Komatsu, who was already quite upset by the situation he was in America, to break out into an explosive tirade that surprised General Hawnthorne.

-"Mengele? You mean that psychotic Aryan-wannabe monster?"- Komatsu yelled at Hawnthorne. -"Are you referring to that cheap ignoramus, which is nothing more than a glorified serial killer? THAT GUY? Just the fact that I worked alongside that bastard makes my stomach turn in disgust!"-

General Hawnthorne was surprised to see that Komatsu had absolutely nothing good to say about Mengele, the infamous Nazi doctor also known as The Angel of Death. The very fact that he was being linked to that infamous German doctor was enough to make the normally easy-going Komatsu furious.

-"Looks like Mengele ruined your life, doesn't it?"-

"Ruined my life, you say?"- The Japanese man continued with his rant. -"That man is part of the reason I ended up here in the first place! He probably used his influences within the Nazi party to get me expelled from Germany and maybe he had something to do with it to get me sent to China, along with everything that happened to me there, and therefore everything else that went on in Japan before the Hiroshima attack!"-

Hawnthorne was silent for a few minutes so that Komatsu could speak and properly vent his pent-up anger at the Nazis, and especially Mengele. Once the Japanese scientist was able to say what he thought about the issue, the American general only added one more thing before continuing with another topic.

-"Are you more relaxed now, doc?"-

Silence...

-"I think I'm feeling better, thank you, General."-

-"Well, now that you've blown off some steam, let's get down to the business I originally wanted to talk to you about."- the, Hawnthorne went on with his intended issue to discuss with Komatsu. -"You will leave here today at 1 PM bound for El Paso, Texas on a government-paid charter flight. You should arrive at Fort Bliss no later than 7 PM, Texas local time."-

-"..."-

-"Do you have anything else to say, doc?"-

-"No, sir."-

-"In that case, you'd better finish your breakfast, as you'll be leaving the fort an hour before your flight leaves Boston."-

-"Understood."-

-"Well, if you'll excuse me, I have other things to do. See you later, Mr. Komatsu."-

-"See you."-

General Hawnthorne left the scene, leaving Komatsu alone inside the barracks. To the Japanese scientist, this left a nasty taste in his mouth, both in the figurative and literal sense of the word, since Hawnthorne, aside from hearing Komatsu complain and telling him where he was being sent, did not solve his most pressing problem:

The quality of the food he had to eat before he left for Texas.

---

October 27th, AD 1945, Fort Bliss (outside), El Paso, Texas, United States of America, 07:30 PM

A small caravan of vehicles stood in front of the entrance to Fort Bliss, a U.S. Army base on the outskirts of El Paso, Texas, near the Mexican border.

That base had a very colorful history, dating back to the mid-19th century; the name of the place was given in honor of William Bliss, a mathematics professor and son-in-law of President Zachary Taylor, who fought during the Mexican-American War. Originally, Fort Bliss was built as a base to repel Apache attacks that ravaged the area at that time. Over time, the base grew in size, to the point that by the mid-20th century, Fort Bliss was the size of a small town, and during World War II, the base was used both as a training center for operating anti-aircraft artillery, as a military prison for prisoners of war, and also as an internment center for locking up citizens who were originally from or descendants from the Axis countries.

Several German scientists who were brought from Nazi Germany as a result of a secret operation by the American government were also working there in order to develop a military and space program that would give the U.S. an advantage in its race against the then Soviet Union during the Cold War. Among the scientists working at Fort Bliss was Dr. Wernher von Braun, who was the designer of the infamous V-2 rocket, which was used in the war against several European countries, including the United Kingdom, France, Belgium, and others.

And Yoshinori Komatsu seemed to join that list of scientists who would work there.

Once all the documentation proving the identity of both Komatsu and his military companions in the motorized escort provided by the U.S. government was fully accredited, the vehicles entered the base with no further delays.

---

October 27th, AD 1945, Fort Bliss (Parking lot), El Paso, Texas, United States of America, 08:00 PM

As he got out of the limousine he was riding in, Yoshinori Komatsu noticed right away that this place was very different from the military bases he had been to when he was working for the IJA.

The first thing he noticed was that the famous phrase Everything is Big in Texas perfectly suited Fort Bliss: The place was huge, at least by his own standards, who was used to working in small places, and in the case of when he worked in the Tokyo secret underground bunker, almost claustrophobic. That military base, more than a post, looked more like a small town than anything else.

But there was another thing that caught the attention of the Japanese scientist: The fact that the base was in front of the desert, and therefore the fact that the mountains and valleys surrounding the city of El Paso were so close to the base, gave Komatsu a feeling he had never felt in his life, or at least since he was forced to join the army.

-"I imagine you've never experienced being in a place like this, have you, Dr. Komatsu?"-

-"I beg your pardon, sir?"-

In front of Komatsu was another high-ranking American military officer, who was waiting for Komatsu in the parking lot of Fort Bliss to make his introductions. The man was an older person of some age, but still he looked like a friendly person, or at least that was what he appeared to be.

-"Welcome to Fort Bliss, Dr. Komatsu!"- The American man saluted him in a cheerful tone. -"I think you've heard that phrase in the last two bases you've been to in the last few hours, haven't you?"-

-"Sadly for me, it is."-

-"Judging by your face, you've never been in a place as big as this in Japan, right?"-

-"Technically, no, at least not like this place."- Komatsu replied. -"The closest thing to this was when I worked in China."-

-"I see; putting that aside, let me introduce myself first,"- The soldier then presented himself to the Japanese man. -"I'm Major Matthew Fitzroy from the U.S. Army, it's a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Yoshinori Komatsu."-

-"The pleasure is mine, Maj. Fitzroy."-

The major then shook hands with the Japanese scientist, but just as he did with the other officers to whom Komatsu had to shake hands, he made no attempt to make his grip warm and strong, but rather weak and effortless, showing his contempt for the people who destroyed his city, his country and above all, his family and his life.

-"I suppose you must be tired after the whole trip from Boston to El Paso, doc."-

-"I think that's pretty obvious, Maj. Fitzroy."-

-"Then I think you will want to rest first; you will sleep in a special guest quarters to which I will personally accompany you, so you could know its location, considering the size of this place, to be fair. Don't worry about any roomates at the moment, doctor, because you will be the only one sleeping there for the time being. The next day we'll talk about what you'll do here from now on, and any plan you have in mind, as long as Washington approves it first."-

-"Thank you, Major."-

Fitzroy accompanied Komatsu to the barracks where he would sleep during his stay at Fort Bliss, which was in a somewhat separate section from the rest of the base.

When they arrived at the site, Komatsu found a somewhat unpleasant surprise: The place where he would sleep was not much better than the barracks at Fort Strong in Boston, but the place seemed to have received only minimal maintenance to make it as habitable as possible, or to put it more bluntly, the building seemed more like a location out of an Wild West movie than a place where soldiers, or guests for that matter, should sleep.

-"What do you think about this place, doc?"-

At that time, the young Japanese scientist no longer knew whether all those micro-aggressions directed at him were part of the personality of his American "hosts", or were simply very subtle ways of looking for ways to make him feel as miserable as possible.

-"This place looks kind of... old, to put it mildly."-

-"Well, technically these barracks date from the time of World War I, and the government is planning to tear them down to build something else, but because of the last war we are using them as makeshift prison cells, or as warehouses, so excuse us if we haven't found something "better" for you right now."-

-"Yeah, right..."-

Obviously, Komatsu would not buy such an excuse, but he also did not have the power to say otherwise, so he had no choice but to resign himself to what he had in front of him in terms of sleeping accommodations.

-"Apart from the detail about the age of the buildings, all services, such as radio, telephone and even a coffee maker where you can help yourself to some espresso and cookies for breakfast, are available for your personal use. There is also a shower, toilet and a small closet where you can put your change of clothes inside."- Then, Fitzroy addresed Komatsu directly. -"Right now I have other matters to settle, so any other issues you want to discuss, you can do it by phone. If you have nothing else to say, then I'll see you tomorrow, Dr. Komatsu."-

-"Well, see you tomorrow, Major."-

Komatsu entered the barracks, once Major Fitzroy left the scene and was completely alone. Once inside, the Japanese scientist had a very unpleasant surprise: Not only was the place old, but everything inside was old too.

To begin with, the floor, which was made of wood, was dirty and there were even some cockroaches crawling around, the closet doors were gnawed on by rodents and most likely termites and ants, and the inside of the place smelled musty and damp. It was evident that the only modern adaptation that had been made to that building was to put clean sheets on the bed where he would sleep.

And it would be better not to mention the dismal condition in which Komatsu found the sanitary facilities, such as the toilet and shower, of the building. Yoshinori Komatsu could not help but compare that even when he was in Unit 731 in Manchuria, the conditions were not as bad as he was in that depressing place.

And to top things off, the famous coffee maker with cookies, just like in Fort Strong, was an antique that should have been in a museum rather than a military base, with the aggravating detail that the machine barely worked at all.

And there were no cookies, even crackers or any other kind, for that matter.

-"I think I'm already in hell."-

---

October 30th, AD 1945, Fort Bliss (Komatsu's Personal Research Laboratory), El Paso, Texas, United States of America, 02:00 PM

After many long nights, which were anything but relaxing for him, Yoshinori Komatsu began his work in a laboratory that was located in a somewhat secluded area of the base, far from the normal hustle and bustle of Fort Bliss, which for Komatsu would not have been a great problem were it not for one small detail:

That lab, so to speak, was less a laboratory and more a glorified warehouse turned into a makeshift research center.

Not only was that place half as small as the old lab he worked in in Tokyo, but also the place was, like the barracks where he slept that night when he arrived in Texas, a place that also seemed to be from the time of World War I, and therefore, the lab was old, smelled musty, was filthy, and there were even rats and other bugs crawling around.

And none of the equipment that Komatsu had in the building was useful for what he needed, since many of the tools, medical and scientific material that he had been given to start working on something was more suited to a hospital for humans, and not for someone who needed to work with animals.

And with regard to the last point in question about the animals, due to the distress suffered during his stay in Boston, Komatsu had forgotten to ask General Hawnthorne at Fort Strong about his animals that he was working with in Tokyo, as well as about Raghu.

The only way to know when his animals would arrive in the U.S., Komatsu must ask the appropriate authorities, which in this case would be Major Fitzroy. This would also serve to discuss with him the conditions of the place and look for ways to improve the building for mutual gain.

---

October 28th, AD 1945, Fort Bliss (Headquarters), El Paso, Texas, United States of America, 02:30 PM

-"My, my, what brings you here, Dr. Komatsu?"-

Komatsu quickly recognized that voice, a voice the Japanese scientist hoped never to hear again while he was in the U.S.

-"Maj. Hamill?"-

-"Yeah, that's me."- The American man Komatsu met when he arrived to America was in front of him in the middle of the HQs' corridor. -"What are you doing here in this area? I guess it must be something important."-

-"And it is."- Replied Komatsu, while doing an effort on disguising his displeasure on seeing that man again. -"I need to talk with Maj. Fitzroy about some serious issues that require some kind of solution."-

-"What kind of issue do you need to deal with him, doc?"-

-"It's about my workplace. The building where I work is dirty and old, the instruments and equipment provided to me are also old and inefficient, and my animals that I had in Tokyo have not yet been brought to me as I was told before I left Japan."-

Major Hamill made a brief pause to listen to the complaints that Komatsu had to discuss with his immediate superior, in this case Major Fitzroy, and after analyzing his problem, Hamill responded in a very straightforward manner to the Japanese scientist.

-"If I were you, doc, I wouldn't complain and I would start working with what's available on this base."- The American soldier replied a Komatsu, while pointing his finger in a menacing way. -"You haven't done enough credits to earn the privilege of questioning what you've been given to work with, and if you plan to continue with that kind of passive-aggressive behavior in this place, I assure you that you won't last long here in America on liberty, assuming that you don't end up on death row first for the crimes you committed in the war."-

Komatsu could say nothing more about the implied threat Hamill made to him, knowing that the man was right and he was in no position to change his situation.

But that does not prevent the young scientist from looking at the American military man with a look full of hate that even that man, who until a few moments ago acted in an arrogant and threatening manner, began to falter when he looked at Komatsu...

-"Do..DON'T LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT, DO YOU HEAR ME?"-

But the Japanese scientist kept looking at the Major, and it seemed that at any moment Komatsu's patience for the man was beginning to wear thin...

But before things could get any worse, both Komatsu and Hamill heard a somewhat cheerful voice from down the hall, which spoke English with a European accent.

-"Oh, come on, gentlemen, this is not the place to get rough, especially when you're a guest here."-

When both men looked to see whose voice it was and where it came from, they realized that this person was too familiar to both of them to ignore it completely.

That man was none other than Dr. Wernher von Braun, the famous (or infamous) German aerospace engineer who worked for the Nazis during the last war, and who was the designer of the equally infamous V-2 rocket, better known as "Retribution Weapon 2".

-"And... what brings you to this place, Wernher?"- Hamill responded with a very annoyed tone to the German scientist. -"I assume you know him, since he worked in your country as well."-

-"Honestly, I don't know him, although I heard a story about a Japanese scientist whose work made the Fuhrer... uncomfortable, to put it in blunt terms, but I always thought it was a kind of legend within the government then."- Von Braun then looked at Komatsu carefully. -"But it seems that it was not an absurd legend after all, and it is truly ironic that we both meet in this remote part of America."-

After a brief minute's silence without replying, Komatsu looked at the German scientist carefully.

-"You are... Dr. Von Braun, I suppose?"-

-"Yes, I am Wernher von Braun. It's a great pleasure to meet you, Doctor..."

-"Komatsu."- Replied the Japanese man. -"Yoshinori Komatsu."-

-"Oh, the pleasure is mine, too."- The German scientist then offered his hand to shake his Japanese counterpart. -"I'd like to hear more stories from you in the future, Dr. Komatsu."-

But the moment Von Braun shook Komatsu's hand, the former realized, as he had done with Hawnthorne and Fitzroy, that the latter was not trying to squeeze his hand, apparently deliberately. Unlike his American counterparts, Von Braun seemed to be somewhat confused by the attitude of his Japanese colleague, something he immediately made known in a polite way.

-"Do you have a problem with handshakes, Dr. Komatsu?"-

At the moment of asking that rather innocent question, Komatsu looked into the eyes of that German scientist with a furious, hateful grin at that man, to the grade Von Braun recoiled from for a few moments when he saw Komatsu's almost murderous gaze at him.

-"Could you tell me what's wrong with you, Dr. Komatsu?!"-

After a few seconds of silence, Komatsu replied at Von Braun in a very harsh, almost diabolic, tone to that German man.

-"Absolutely NOTHING, Dr. Von Braun."- Komatsu replied with a very unease calm towards him. -"I'd just rather kiss the rear end of a pig than shake hands with a goddamn Nazi."-

And without further ado, Komatsu left both von Braun and Major Hamill aside to go meet with Major Fitzroy to discuss Komatsu's problems with his new lab. While the German scientist was confused by the violent and aggressive attitude of the young Japanese man, Hamill, on the other hand, could not believe that the man had the nerve to not only ignore him, but to leave when he had not yet dealt with him, using the sudden appearance of Dr. Von Braun to once again put aside the discussion and humiliate both men at once.

-"One of these days, that son of a bitch will end his days in the worst possible way, that's for sure."- Hamill said at Von Braun in a very annoyed and angry tone, after Komatsu had the nerve to not only ignore him, but also to bail himself out from the whole discussion he had with him. -"He's lucky I don't have time now to deal with assholes like him to have him reported to the proper authorities and put that Asian fish-eating weirdo in his place."-

-"If you ask me, that man must have suffered a great deal of trauma, I suppose."- the German rocket scientist replied and also gave his opinion about Komatsu. -"Personally, I'm not angry with him, but I don't blame him for acting that way considering the current circumstances."-

-"If you want to know that, Wernher, that Komatsu guy was arrested in Hiroshima, so I guess he was from that city."- Hamill replied to the scientist in a very derisive tone to him. -"I'm not surprised why he's acting like this."-

-"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me by my name, Major Hamill?"-

-"You're also in the same boat as that Japanese guy, so don't try to act like a saint either, Mr. Nazi Scientist."-

END OF ACT XVII

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