【34 - Possessed by the Need to Survive! A Lieutenant's Vendetta...?】
It turned out the ongoing risk of a nuclear crisis had been averted. Someone else was doing their bit as a hero.
Once more Simon drove out front of Mr Barrow's repair shop with another pilfered van. This one was a darker silver and in better shape than the last. They'd been gone over a week. Simon shut off the engine and hopped right out. Lisa and Diego exchanged wry looks before they started to get up and help Heidi out. They'd expected more shouting from the short, cap-wearing man. Instead he gave the blonde teen a gruff and quick hug, before pulling away and waving the others over. They carried Heidi through the frosted glass door, down the jagged hall with its awkward angles. After reaching the sofa they laid her down, she was lolling about and her skin was pale. Lisa and Diego looked around the mismatching room and over to the stairs, without the old man's yelling the three young orphans were still asleep.
"I suppose you're back to bring trouble and misfortune to my doorstep…" he walked over while dusting his circular glasses, carrying that first-aid kit. He peered at Heidi and put the back of his hand on her forehead to check her temperature.
"She was forcefully injected with Diodrethemine," Lisa explained.
"Poor thing…" he searched her arms and found the needle-hole. "She'll recover from this, I'm more concerned about her contracting the blood disease."
"It could've been a dirty needle?" Lisa's head snapped up. "She was in the abandoned megamall, that's the worst part of the slums… poor Heidi."
"Where's Amira, Timothy?"
"Amira ran off but I have a feeling she'll be back. Timothy left the city" Simon explained.
"That's probably for the best" Mr Barrow looked back at Heidi, peering through the crack in his right lens.
"First things first, I'm gonna need you to trust me" Simon told the old man as he brushed Heidi's hair off her face. "We have to evacuate. Take the kids and leave."
"There'll be no evacuating tonight."
"You don't understand! There's a-"
"Weapon of mass destruction, right?" Mr Barrow finished and the three standing teens were surprised. "Trust me, I know all about that. I want to show you kids a recording I made, but someone needs to stay with Heidi. Make sure she doesn't choke on her own tongue. The way she keeps puckering her lips like that means her mouth must be pretty dry."
"I'll stay," Lisa sat on the sofa and clutched Heidi's hand in hers.
"Don't give her water, she'll choke."
"I know that," Lisa rolled her eyes.
"I know you do," Mr Barrow smiled "…it's good to have you back, Lisa. She's missed you." They knew he was referring to the sick little girl; Lisa smiled back. "Okay, follow me you two." Mr Barrow headed off and the two boys curiously followed.
They walked back to the front of the shop, past the counter and down the shelves of salvaged parts. They came to a back-room that led to an old TV. The older man went around and plugged it in and pressed buttons to start it up. As he worked there was a loud gurgling and after looking around they realized it was coming from Diego's stomach.
"I'll get you kids something to eat soon…" Mr Barrow went back to work. He rewound an old VCR tape player, the screen flashed with static. "So while all this world-wide news coverage of the coal province has been broadcasted to the entire world, the media received a recording which they aired. It's been replayed on the few channels we get signals for out here, so I managed to tape it. I want you boys to listen to this…" Mr Barrow hit play and they watched the screen display a room with barely any light, someone sat with their face entirely covered in a black balaclava. The voice was tuned deep so it was impossible to tell if it was a man or a woman.
"Hello people of Aurellia, I am the chosen water duelist. As most of you are aware, the appearance of the five chosen duelists is a sign that there's a current danger threatening our world. This force has remained hidden and seeks to both infiltrate and divide us on a massive scale. Currently we are all aware of the chaos that's taken over the coal province slums. What you're not aware of is the weapon of mass destruction that has been commissioned by our government with the help of our inter-planetary enemies. I was able to get a hold of this simulation and will expose it on global television now."
What followed was a simulation of the city with featureless civilians. The chosen explained the destruction step-by-step, including the danger zones and radioactive fall-out. When he explained that the death toll would be estimated at over one million, Simon and Diego felt their mouths drop. Even the young bomb technician didn't think the warhead they'd stopped was that powerful. The broadcast went back to showing the mysterious chosen shrouded in darkness.
"Us chosen duelists have the ability to commune with our phoenix cards and obtain some powers of our civilization. I have worked to establish a strong connection with Supernova Mercury Gigablizzard and as a result I've been able to hack technology with my mind. This is how I've been able to uncover and release this top secret footage. Now earlier today… an atomic bomb was set to destroy the entire coal province in retaliation to the triad take-over. It's thanks to the efforts of the fire and darkness chosens that this was stopped. But nothing's to stop the government from making a second bomb unless we take a stand now. This power is too dangerous for humans to possess. It will harm us, our ecosystems and our survival. A swift response is inhumane, our military exists to handle situations like this so they should be dealing with what's going on in the city. Now is the time for all citizens and officials to stand against the production of this terrifying weapon. It's time to help the people that need us. Thank you."
Mr Barrow reached up and hit stop.
"The chosen water duelist…" Simon murmured with eyes wide.
"Since that broadcast every senator and higher-up of Augus has signed the protest to abolish nuclear weaponry. There's simply no need for it. As expected, the atom bomb was top-secret and known only by the military. They claimed it was designed to be a last defense against an invasion from the creature world or any other kind of dimension" Mr Barrow explained.
"Only they were about to use it here" Diego replied.
"Now that it's in the open the entire operation has been shut down and the military's under a full inquiry. Everything they're doing is under a microscope and they have no room to build another bomb. The General may even lose his job."
"So the city's not going to be wiped out?" Simon asked.
"No," the old man walked away and faced a corner of the room.
"Well thank goodness," Diego remarked.
"It doesn't mean we're not in trouble" Mr Barrow said while facing away. "The military has started making their way into the city and fighting against the triads. The shoot-outs are even worse. It could take them weeks to slowly piece-by-piece get parts of the city under control. Since the military is making their way from the port city, the gangs are getting pushed down to where we are which means the outskirts here may become a warzone soon. We'll still need to evacuate."
"That's bad…" Simon stated.
"It is. But we will have to see how long it takes for the military to move all the way through and meet our edge of the city. With the whole world watching us it should at least be done properly, with regards to civilians and all that."
They stood in silence as they considered their new situation. The city may be spared, a million good lives may end up improved and finally getting the living assistance they need. Now all they needed to do was ensure they survived the coming weeks.
Heidi was back to herself in twenty-four hours. She looked pale and miserable, wrapped in blankets and unable to do much aside from wait and recover. There was a big ugly bruise on her cheekbone where Urobach had socked her, and a back tooth jostled loosely under her tongue. She was sitting outside and spooning herself brown soup. Simon was trekking the junky backyard while the two boys chased and fawned over him. They could see the white Knife-gang van, it seemed Mr Barrow had tried dismembering it but gave up halfway through after it put too much pressure on his back. The second van was inside. Beyond them was the campervan, and beyond that the chain-link fences and the wide-open dirt space stretching to the distant forestry. Lisa sat next to Heidi while wearing a sympathetic frown, the roots of her hair was starting to show: an ordinary brown.
"So Diego stopped the bomb" Heidi murmured "and once again we're saved by the mysterious chosen water duelist…"
"Yes, we managed to ruin Urobach's plan."
"…and how are we going to test me for the blood disease?"
"I'll take a sample of your blood and go down to the clinic. They might be too overrun with everything going on, but I'll see what I can do about getting a test done."
"The trip will be dangerous…"
"We'll take it when we're ready, and if Amira hasn't returned by then we'll go looking for her too."
"…thanks."
"No problem." Lisa stared forward at the young boys. "…it could take years, but these people may finally get better help. That little girl will be able to have better treatment before she gets sicker."
Heidi snorted then pointed weakly at the grey van "if that canister in there is full of material needed to make an atomic bomb… it could be worth something like, hundreds of thousands of dollars right? Isn't it funny to think something so expensive is just sitting in a place like this."
Lisa snorted too "yeah, I suppose that is funny. Simon finally brought Mr Barrow something that's actually valuable."
A moment of silence passed in the dusk of another evening, the two sitting on the small edge of the back-porch. Heidi then asked "So you and Diego…?" she watched the young nurse blush "you guys have been really close, Simon said you were sleeping in the same room together. You guys boyfriend and girlfriend?"
"Yes, I suppose that's the word for it."
Anyone could tell they were in love with each other. Heidi looked away from Lisa's bashful face, back toward the orange of the setting sun "I'm happy for you."
And another night was spent in restful recovery.
。
Three days after Amira's separation they were ready to take the journey on foot to the clinic and search for the darkness duelist. The military had made some progress in reclaiming the city, clearing several neighborhood blocks of crime and maintaining an armed presence there. The gangsters knew no other kind of life so were determined to fight to the bitter end, they'd never get as much free reign in any other city. So the fighting continued.
Lieutenant Genjin Bartos sat at a desk in his new headquarters. He was probing his head in frustration, the comb moustache on his thin face twitching. There'd been some kind of squirmish outside involving gunshots but he'd sent the Sword-gang footmen to deal with it. In the past few days he'd almost caught Amira four times before she slipped away, the rumors of the darkness duelist's slipperiness were true. He'd lost the three best performers in his Cirque of Freaks, his three most prized possessions and now he was out for vengeance. They'd isolated the darkness duelist to a couple of blocks and were searching the area with the utmost precision. She was definitely here and soon she'd be a prisoner once more. There was a noise outside the office and Genjin flicked open monochromatic violet eyes.
The door opened and out from the shadows Amira suddenly manifested in front of him. She was giving an evil smile he'd not yet seen on her face, small tongues of blackness trailed from her edges.
"Amira… you came to face me head on… instead of running away? I don't believe it."
"But of course, Genjin. You wanted me so here I am."
"Ah, the inhuman voice makes it obvious. You're under some kind of possession right now."
"I've never felt better. It feels so good when Pluto removes the fear and I can revel in death…"
"I should've expected this," the magician leaned back. "It's a well-known fact that of all the five chosens, the darkness one always runs the biggest risk of being possessed by a dark force. It's been known to happen before."
Amira only smiled while a strand of darkness played with her hair.
"And what's also interesting… when the chosen water duelist made that audacious broadcast to the rest of the world they explained how their phoenix gave them a power. So that's how you've been evading us this whole time, Pluto lets you blend into shadows and hide. I must say it's a power fitting for Amira's personality."
"You're a showman, aren't you?" Amira looked bored and pulled out her deck "why don't we get on with the show?"
"Why of course…" he stood and straightened the edges of his suit "Kettou da. Those three freaks were my property. You'll pay for destroying what's mine."
"Yoshi," she grinned evilly "but what did you expect from those youngsters after you injured Timothy?"
The lieutenant stood and made his way to a backdoor. He opened it and walked out onto a landing, stepping out under a grey sky. On the horizon were skyscrapers billowing with smoke and fire, the result of military clashes with the triads. Soon there'd be tanks rolling through the streets. When Amira followed him out she spread her arms wide and took a deep breath in as if savoring the city's turmoil. She stepped opposite Genjin so their tables and shields could appear.
Both players had two mana before Amira played "Emily, Injection Doll!" The blue-haired puppet swung its giant syringe. Its chuckle was accompanied by Amira, the girl full of uncharacteristic malice.
"I play Aqua Guard!" The liquid blocker trudged forth, the jaws on its arms snapping. It had 2000 while the other creature was only on 1000.
"Do you really think this will be easy, charlatan? I fortify my shield with Rose Castle, now Emily can take your blocker with her. Ike!" A palace of twisted spires grew within a monstrous plant. Small vines reached up and weakened Aqua Guard. Emily cackled as she ran with the needle ready.
"Block!" Genjin ordered with a scowl. His creature was impaled while hers got washed away with a shriek.
Amira pointed "you randomly lose a card in your hand."
Genjin discarded before starting his turn "I play Soderlight, the Cold Blade!" His quartz scorpion scuttled forth while snapping its claws. Those small vines wrapped up to poison it.
"…can't be blocked" Amira stated "and with its silent skill effect you can keep it tapped next turn to automatically destroy whatever I play." She let go of one card and reached for another "I generate Hungry Gauntlet and end." Her glove with the long tongue and googly-eyes started snapping.
"Hm. I charge and tap five to fortify my shield with Original Heart, the New Moon Pulses!" His castle was larger than Amira's, a red flower opened over a pulsing light while blue circuity surrounded it. "Another water-darkness card that will ensure I bring out my Gods. Soderlight ike!" The scorpion advanced and its tail struck a panel and removed Rose Castle from the game. The possessed Amira only laughed and added the shield to her hand.
"Your Gods don't compare to my phoenixes. I summon Vorg, Ogre Puppet!" the purple doll lifted its electric mace overhead "Then I graveyard-evolution Death March, Reaper Puppeteer! I attack Soderlight and it gets -4000 which destroys it!" The blue-hooded puppet lunged and drew its sword, cutting down and making its target come apart into tumbling chunks of quartz. "Turn end."
"This is my show! My stage! I summon Foreign Ways God Kaikai," the slippery purple demon jostled in place. "My castle allows me to draw. Your move!"
"I cast Snake Attack and burn a shield," Amira replied with an eager bloodlust. A panel to her left disintegrated "Now both my creatures are double-breakers! Death March, ike!" Her blue swordsman lunged and red vipers uncoiled from its body and pierced two shields. Genjin grunted from the impact, he got no triggers. "And Vorg double-break!" That electric mace cleared a panel while several snakes whipped through another shield. Glass flew in a storm, cutting Genjin's suit and red cape into shreds. His castle was also eliminated.
"Shield trigger!" Genjin snarled behind a single remaining shield "Aqua Surfer sends your Ogre Puppet back to your hand!" His surfer weaved onto the battle-zone, a wave splashed into Amira's table and she caught the card that popped off. There was a vein throbbing on the lieutenant's temple and spittle in his moustache "I charge and summon Evil Ways God Kiki! Godlink!" There was a humming that intensified in frequency, blue lightning spiderwebbed out as it struck the cement. Chunks flew and bounced, then his 7000 linked God was out once more. "The fire chosen stopped me from God linking in our duel, but this time I've succeeded! Kiki and Kaikai, destroy her Reaper Puppeteer!" The pair giggled and jostled in unison, firing twin beams of purple and blue.
There was an explosion of smoke, blowing back Amira's hood and fluttering her hair. Two cards landed in her graveyard. She looked up as Genjin continued "Aqua Surfer break her shield!" That board shattered another of her shields. The magician dipped his head with a smirk "Oh Amira… if only you knew what Magris had planned for you, you'd be glad that I was the one to kill you. I will get payback for the loss of my employees."
"Shield trigger, Terror Pit." Amira announced and angry purple eyes opened at her "I'm not getting taken out by you or Magris. Now hurry up and choose which God gets destroyed."
Genjin barred his teeth as he considered "…I'll save Kiki." The shadowy hands pulled away half of it. The godly presence left and the amphibian God jostled in place by itself.
Amira charged and began her turn "I graveyard-evolution Dorgedos, the Reaper Drake." Her white lizard crawled forth, its multitude of purple blades flexing. "I cross it with Hungry Gauntlet. Now by tapping it I can instantly destroy it along with both Kiki and Aqua Surfer!" The gauntlet chattered its two rows of teeth, pulling her lizard to go maul both its opponents at close-range. Afterwards the gauntlet stretched back to its original shape.
Genjin stared in fury before choking out a "bitch!"
"Heh. If it's your show, by all means continue."
Genjin added his seventh mana then six cards tapped "I summon another Aqua Surfer and end!"
Amira drew "I summon Sealed Devil Beelzebub!" The mutant-fly deity buzzed while lowering itself onto the field. Amira didn't have anything else in her hand to use as evolution bait. She decided to generate another cross gear on the off chance she'd need it "Hell Double Claw!" Two metal gloves with dual blades on each manifested. "Turn end."
"Heh, now I'll play another Evil Ways God Kiki!" He re-summoned the divine amphibian. "I will annihilate you with my linked God! Aqua Surfer break a shield, ike!" The surfer kick-flipped while its board shattered Amira's fourth shield, but the falling glass and cuts wasn't a bother in her possessed state.
"My move, Beelzebub attacks Aqua Surfer! I activate his Soul Recall 3 and send Rose Castle, Death March and Snake Attack to the bottom of my deck. Now I can summon an Evil Soul creature from my graveyard: Emily, Injection Doll!" After appendages lashed out and eviscerated his surfer, Genjin's eyes widened at the reappearance of the blue-haired doll.
"None of those creatures are blockers… She's just trying to get evolution bait for her phoenix…" The magician tried to master the fear he was feeling in Amira's presence, the girl smiling wickedly as her whole body became shrouded in purple gloom. "I summon Dark Clown and Sea Mutant Dormel! Kiki breaks your last shield, ike!" The 6000 brain jacker reared up and took a blocking stance. A hybrid on 4000 crawled up beside it. Genjin's slippery God fired a blue beam that sent glass shards sky-high, falling out over the city.
"…you can see it too, can't you?" Amira taunted.
"See what, you brat!?"
"You have one blocker and a shield. I could try for a quick win… but I'm not going to do that."
"And why is that?"
"Because my strongest creature is still only on 3000. I'm not aiming for a knockout after this game… I came here to kill you, Genjin. So now I vortex evolution two creatures! Asteroid Gellum, Dark Comet!" Her purple gloom expanded to cover her whole body. Two creatures were swallowed under the light of evolution and then Gellum aimed the two skulls on its arms as they opened and leaked green acid. "I insta-kill Dark Clown, then cross Gellum with Hungry Gauntlet! Now it clears the field of your creatures! Ike!" Its serpentine body reared and then the field was cleared once more. "I am the darkness..."
The thin man's knees trembled "Come on, now" he told himself, getting his shaky hand to draw "…all I need is another Aqua Surfer and I can still win this. It's a dangerous game you're playing, chosen! Not trying to finish me when you get the chance! I summon Melnia, the Aqua Shadow!" His sweat ran down his skin, staring out while his purple hooded liquid-being climbed out a puddle of itself.
"I summon two Sealed Devil, Ravaal the Reapers and graveyard-evolution another Death March, Reaper Puppeteer. Galaxy Vortex evolution into Supernova Pluto Deathbringer!" Darkness converged and light was sucked from the area. A chill descended into play and all remaining resolve was sucked from Genjin and into the void opening up before him. It was now as dark as late evening, their shadows stretched and became sinister. The black mechanical phoenix arose, its four skeletal arms flexed wide. Black wings of darkness took shape and the pale blue sphere beneath its body began spinning with energy. The presence of the phoenix was overwhelming, more so than his linked Gods had been.
"No…"
"My Deathbringer breaks your last shield and meteorburn to wipe out Melnia, ike!" Its howl became a shriek, beak opening to unleash darkness that spun like fabric in a fast wind. The cold substance sliced like a thousand shredding points. A pulse of death emanated out like a haze, after passing over Melnia it simply lost life and fell. Afterwards the blackness evaporated to leave Genjin's field empty. Amira dipped her chin with eyes forward "Death is my civilization and I am its mistress…"
He drew and fighting back terror, summoned a single Aqua Guard. Even his blocker emanated fear under the sinister presence.
"Please don't kill me."
"Supernova Pluto Deathbringer uses meteorburn to claim the life of your creature!" A card flicked out the stack and "This is my show, ike todomeda!" Tearful purple eyes widened, that pillar of darkness streamed and Genjin was shredded into tiny pieces. He couldn't even make a sound as he died. Once it was done her phoenix faded and daylight returned.
Amira swayed then fell to her knees. She blinked as Pluto's influence retreated back into the corners of her mind. She started panting with fear, looking up at the puddle of blood that was slowly crawling towards her through cracks in the cement. She could see no bones or organs, Pluto had sliced him too finely. Amira needed time to collect herself before she could stand, she tried remembering what she'd been up to before she was taken over.
After escaping the megamall she'd noticed that the gun violence was worse. Even when being extra cautious she kept getting recognized wherever she went. It wasn't just Sword gangsters after her but the other gangs and random civilians too. She was being hunted worse than ever now that the lieutenants were in control of the triads. She'd run through side-streets a few times, fleeing from mobs but managing to slip into available cracks and crevices, still herself long enough to meditate and become invisible. The men doubled-back, checked the area from top-to-bottom then moved on. Once it was safe to abscond she did so.
It was hard for Amira to travel far when camouflaged in the day. And even at night, if she passed a car headlight, or got too close to a streetlight, or if anybody had a torchlight, part of her body would become instantly visible and she'd be exposed. The only reason nobody knew about Amira's skill was because she used it sparingly. She didn't like relying on it so much.
After crouching over her card in an alley she'd wiped the beginning of tears that dampened her eyes. She was tired, sick of running and missed the others. She tried focusing on Supernova Pluto Deathbringer and opened their mental link. They never communicated with actual words, instead they shared feelings or simply understood what the other wanted to convey. She immediately knew the advice her death-hungry phoenix wanted to give her. She had to master fear, she had to make it fear her.
Then the next thing she knew, the power rushed in to possess her. Amira was still herself, but also not. It was like she'd absorbed Pluto's character traits into herself. This incident lasted longer than the others, she'd actually sought out Genjin and used her cloaking powers for infiltration instead of evasion. Now one of the lieutenants was dead and the Sword-gang was once again without a leader. Pluto couldn't maintain their connection for too long and so here was Amira hunched pitifully on the floor once more.
"Dueling out on the landing here in the middle of the day… people definitely would have seen us. At least this time the building didn't collapse. I better go."
『AN: Finally another lieutenant kicks the bucket! I have a feeling it's gonna take the whole story just to get rid of them all... I am very happy that Xander3033 left another review! And yes I did message them to say thanks and they were cool about it. Xander3033 has just completed my Fire Arc and said they enjoyed it, so I hope you like Darkness Arc even more! I have some ideas to up the ante next arc so I definitely want to get this done before Uni holidays are up. I am also very grateful to Azure, Acuma and Shuriken. Yees everything in this arc has been planned rather well hasn't it? Are the developments what you expected? Ja mata ne ~ !』
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