CHAPTER 11

Author's notes part 1 – chapter 11

I'm repeating the warnings for this chapter. I don't wanna spoil it, but something potentially triggering happens and you should read it all with caution.

For how long?

He was wrong.

Feeling indignant was inane. Illogical.

Do you regret it?

He was wrong all along. From the very beginning.

(Stay away from this place.)

(In this asylum they turn people into hideous creatures.)

Machines patched up with flesh of animals and humans, who run on strange mixture of blood and oil that reeks of rot. Some have brains of metal, some of tissue. There are those who are pure abominations… as if their creators read only Merry Shelly's Frankenstein and none of the real medical text books. There are others with faces and bodies carved in some kind of "bio-metal" to resemble a human. They shoot lasers from their mouths and have sharp electrical wires coming out of their chests.

The robots… Cyborgs… "Bio-robots" were mostly silent killers that felt no pain, but a few of them actually tried to make a sound… or utter a word. One or two moved a little differently, especially when they were pounded to the ground, before they would shut down forever. Little movements and gestures. Small details that caught one's attention easily if he observed the beings of similar design for weeks. As the time flew by the beings that hung between the living and the dead became more complicated, more evolved… More human. They were all different. They had personalities. The details.

Takeo's enemies were test subjects like him, the supposed agents and colleagues. Handpicked pets designed to fight Elders' battles alongside Takeo. Treasured, special meat now discarded in the light of new achievements… or merely out of spite. Takeo pondered over the reason for this type of merciless termination. Some of his opponents were broken, but most of them were just outmoded.

Were they trying to teach him that the less evolved – the weaker – didn't deserve any better? That it didn't matter if they were on the same side? Being from the same institute didn't demand sympathy? Was killing your own just something you do? Learning from centuries of humanity's history, Takeo had to agree on that point, but why must you force destruction where there's none? Surely, the weak and the strong could have worked together for the Elder's twisted cause?

Even if you were the kind to toss away the old toys, if you had chosen them carefully and invested time in them, weren't you a bit sentimental? Why throw them into the furnace when you can euthanize them and bury them in the yard like you'd bury your goldfish?

Maybe they were worth less than goldfish. On the other hand, people usually flush their fish in their toilets. Isn't it a sad scene, tough? Takeo wouldn't know. He never had a pet.

He was stuck in the exact same scene of a horrendous burial as its main actor none the less. The doctors, the scientists, the psychos (whoever was on the other side) monitoring, threw the agents in the maze and Takeo had no choice but to live to fight another day, unable to resist the will of the master. Like a water tank, he had no say in it, at least until it gets empty.

(Strange how the brain works connecting the most insane silly things. Scary.)

And as he slept behind the debris using the remains of his fellow mates as cover – never completely disconnecting himself from the surroundings – he realised that he was the lucky one in this tragic tale. He was one of the gears in a massive mechanism of evolution. One of its accomplishments. But just a gear. A small part easily replaced.

"Being the lucky one was a gift and a curse," he thought… and then he stopped.

He felt… and then he didn't.

Bullets made everything personal. Intimate. The more ammo he used, the hotter his barrel became, and the more the sound of the gun fire echoed, the less his hand wavered. The more tired he got the better he aimed. The hit was more precise and fatal. The louder it got in his head, the quieter the maze became and there was nothing to hear but the shrieks and slurred words of his colleagues directed at him in a deadpan tone.

The tougher the opponent was, the more he waited, stalked and prepared for the kill. The time Takeo spent gazing into the blank expression of his colleagues grew ever longer. Not even fresh water could steal Takeo's attention from the toppled over body. Those eyes beneath his feet were like from a dream… Like something he saw before or was yet to see in a day or two or three. The more evolved his colleagues, the more convincing were the eyes. The more… true were the things the eyes were saying. Asking. Requesting something. From Takeo. Their brother in misfortune. Their kohai.

'Finally…' He saw the word hidden in the irises, heard it with what was left of his soul. Perhaps he was imagining it, trying to make everything normal. Lying to himself by giving the excuse, a purpose… A motivation to pull the trigger. Searching for some reality in which he didn't cross any lines, in which he was not a monster, a selfish, apathetic beast, stronger than anyone.

Observing the metal faces soothed him because they allowed him to be strong. It made him feel alright. The feeling of addicting numbness was right, so…

He waited, because it was hard not to. Unnatural. But it was even harder waiting in pain.

The pain was not a stranger to him. Takeo had years to perfect the protection from it. But there were many types of pain and this one was completely new to him. Nevertheless, Takeo's protection was absolute. Impenetrable.

Numbness.

Nothingness.

Stay completely still… and numb… and nothing can hurt you.

For how long?

…finally…

He wasn't imagining it.

Takeo waited with his hand raised, aiming at the scrawny, sickly looking man with burn marks all over his pale body. The body of pure flesh and red blood. A bald man with huge eyes that cried and begged silently, because there was no strength in him for a scream and a fist fight. The man pulled up on the surface by the floor panel.

But there was something different about this man. It might have been the eyes that begged. The unspoken words that were so unexpected. So strong. The fear and hope shining through the bright irises. A powerful desire hidden in a powerless body. The man had such a different stare from the rest of his comrades. It left Takeo in awe.

It looked… strikingly similar to a face he once knew.

It surprised him when his own twitched. Takeo couldn't feel it for some time now. The movement was familiar to the touch. The gesture. All the small details.

"Ah… I understand." The scrawny man full of life is how Takeo must have looked to the bio-robots. A man who still got a spark in him. Despite everything there was will to continue on, to believe in something. The eyes of the bio-skinned were indeed a dream… a foreshadowing. Something he was yet to see on his own face.

"… finally… this is my limit…"

"I can't…" He remembered himself muttering long ago.

"I can't do this.

"I can't be stronger than this.

"It's over."

Takeo was wrong. Tama-san had it right all along. He was always right, Takeo remembered.

You don't have what it takes.

It was different pointing a gun at such eyes. It was impossible. (Ah… he finally got the meaning.) It was too late now when there was no meaning to anything anymore.

The waiting was over.

But they will not let their precious pet go.

... I don't care how hard you hit me, the truth is you don't want me dead, otherwise you would have already gotten rid of me. Even when you do get sick of me…

The first time in forever there was a voice from the outside in the maze. As Takeo thought, there was a camera concealed somewhere in it. The man on the mike was none other than Krantz.

… I won't care…

"It's been eighty-five days, Takeo." He sounded the same, like nothing has changed. "I hope you didn't get too attached to this place."

Krantz paused as if he expected some kind of a come-back, but Takeo was more interested in the trembling man before him than in what the self-proclaimed leader had to say. The victim seemed more confused than scared now, because his executioner was fixedly looking at him without doing anything for more than ten minutes.

"This is the last one, Takeo." It was unusual for Krantz to sound careful… mindful even. "Kill it and you're out."

Do you regret it?

He dreamt about his father. (Those were the lucid dreams he was having while keeping an eye on his opponents.) He learnt the hard way the only way to sleep is with a gun in his lap. If you leave yourself open, you get hurt. For a safe short rest you have to be in a position to move quickly, so no laying down; you need a weapon in hand and a super ear listening in.

Takeo had the strangest of dreams sleeping like that. One moment his father was inebriated to the extent of not knowing he ever had a son; the other, he was sober and fixing Takeo's toy car. It was the first time in years he remembered his father in any positive light and that was the only normal- Nice memory of him he had.

That evening, in his parents' bedroom, his father was sitting on the bed with a woman Takeo never saw before, laying half naked on the sheets. His father was smiling as if he enjoyed fixing tires on old toy cars. Funny how he forgot such a memory.

Perhaps it was because it was overshadowed by a big fight his parents had an hour later. His father stepped on the car and hit his mother for the first time. He never stopped since then. It seems like beating up his kid was not enough to satisfy him anymore, which was proven correct when mother ran away. (His father was never sober again.)

Takeo dreamt of how things were and he dreamt of him fighting back. In some of these dreams he'd meet his father as a grown man. Sometimes they'd just pass each other on the streets. Sometimes they'd have a friendly reunion at Koichi-san's restaurant. In one Takeo would beat him until he bled or shot him from behind. In one dream he wouldn't be able to find his father because Tama-san and Arata-san had already taken care of him.

His father would sometimes recognise his son, most often he wouldn't. Takeo could ask him as many questions as he wanted. It was his dream after all. Questions like: Did you ever love mother and me, did I do something to anger you, was it my fault you were unhappy…? Were you sad? Did you feel numb, was it pain? Why did you do such things, was there a reason, a way I could have helped, a way you could have stopped yourself?

But the only question he did ask was: "Did you miss me?"

His father would answer yes in one version of unlikely events, he'd answer no in the other. Sometimes he'd say nothing.

And Takeo's reaction to any of the answers was… none existing.

He was completely indifferent.

Like his mother was. A beautiful woman with so much energy and life… apathetic towards her child. Well… To Takeo at least. She was absolutely glowing cradling her new-born baby in her arms. A boy, a girl? He only knew he was an older brother to someone he'll never meet. To someone who probably wouldn't want to meet him.

"This is an order, Takeo. Finish what you've started and you'll get your pills." The arrogance was back in his voice, but Krantz still didn't sound aggravated. "Kill it so we can move on. Don't waste our time."

But in a dream Takeo did meet his sibling. A charming child doted by the happy couple. He wondered how his life would have been if he had stayed with them. No matter how many times he dreamt about it, he never got around to pop the question. Mother was too busy playing with her child and her lover ignored him. Takeo believed it was better that way, because he had no idea what he would have done had they refused to take him in.

It was asinine to fear it, especially since he already knew what happened afterwards. Maybe… No- The best thing that ever happened to him. Tama-san.

Some kids had Kamen Rider, Takeo had Tama-san. The boss really was the very best of Takeo's life. He wouldn't trade a second of their time for the world. Having to have to give up on the oyabun hurt more than his mother forsaking him for the second time. It was Takeo's fault, not the boss'; it was crystal clear now. If there was anyone to blame for all the tears and ill fate, it was Takeo. And he wasn't even sure why he did it. Why did he run away?

But if he hadn't left he would have never met Koichi-san, a human who proved there could be a person beside Tama-san and Arata-san who liked him. Tama-san loved Takeo, but he was also a good man who took upon himself a great responsibility, which made it hard for him to change his mind about the kid. Koichi-san was sometimes quite similar to the oyabun. He had no responsibility towards Takeo tough, making his relationship with the kid even a greater wonder.

Mimi-sensei, grandma Aki and the rest of the neighbourhood – he would have never known them if he hadn't separated from Tama-san. He would have never known how it was to be ordinary, how hard and fun it was to make a place for oneself in the world. To be given a chance.

And Rin-chan… A smart and strong girl who saw something special in Takeo. He was too much of a coward to use the chance given to him there. Yeah, he was a very recluse sort of a person, quiet and meek, indecisive and static and weak. She was everything but. It wouldn't have worked out. Not getting close was for the best.

All of it was for the best.

"Do I have to repeat myself? How many times are we gonna do this?"

Because if Takeo hadn't cut his ties with the Yakuza, the Union would have known about the boss. The Elders would have used the oyabun as leverage. No, if Tama-san knew they dared to touch what was his and talk about him like some damsel in distress, he would have barged in here with one hand and his comrades and blew the whole place up.

Takeo didn't doubt he was competent enough to do so, but spending time with the Union assured him that if Tama-san had raided this place, he would have been killed on the spot. Worse, he would have been tortured and enslaved. The boss was top notch quality meat. The Union wouldn't let it go to waste.

Rin-chan too… Koichi-san and everyone, they were more clever and stronger than Takeo. It was a mystery why the Elders settled on Takeo when they could have had a feast. It was good, though, that the friends from Sapporo flew under their twisted radar.

They were watched, Krantz said, they were not high quality meat so they wouldn't survive for long if they brought them to the lion's den.

"If you don't shoot that peace of trash right now, I'll send for your friends and they will take your place in the maze." And there it was. The anger. "Don't think I'm not gonna do it just because I didn't till now, you brat. There is a limit to stupidity!"

Bullshit.

The only reason why the Union didn't pick Rin-chan for their little science project was because the girl would have given them the middle finger. She was stubborn, bold and independent and she wouldn't have let herself be treated like a rat. She would have ended it all long ago.

Indeed, it was a wise decision that they didn't end up together. Rin-chan would have put herself in harm's way to retrieve him. Or not. Unlike Takeo who was still hung up on the past, his friends were mighty people, perfectly capable of dealing with life and moving on.

Takeo dreamt about being with them again. He wanted them to miss him, but he didn't wish for them to be sad for losing him or to be bitter over what was done to him. He'd hate to see Tama-san blaming himself for letting Takeo leave the nest. He'd despise it if Rin-chan cried over him, even though it was soothing knowing someone would cry over you.

His friends should forget about him and live on. Safe and sound. Oblivious. Just look at his mother. Once she forgot about him she had no worries in the world.

And that was it, wasn't it? Takeo was the only thing connecting his friends to the Union. The only reason they were watched, the only reason Krantz cared about the group of people with hilarious names was because of Takeo.

There's no point in a fishing rod if you have a bait but not the string.

"Which means nobody will come for me. No matter how long I wait.

"And that's for the best.

"Stay away from this place…"

"I'm not afraid to die…" He thought that once while he still had no clue about death.

Funny.

"… have a front row seat to the bloodbath that will become of your friends if you don't do as I say!"

"No one should be hurt over me. No one should be harmed by my fate. Not anymore.

"I'm not worth it."

You don't have what it takes.

"And I'm fine with that. It should be that way. That means they didn't change me completely, they didn't break me to bits. There was still a speck of Tama-san's Takeo in me. It was good to go that way. And it was time."

Takeo wanted to live… No. He wanted to be saved. He endured, sacrificed and fought to survive long enough just for that feeling.

And at some point… everything crumbled into nothingness. He was numb and empty. He couldn't remember the exact moment when it happened, but soon nothing mattered anymore. And when you stop feeling you're actually dead.

What is alive should live, and what's dead should die.

"This is the last one. I'm out. Finally."

"Takeo!"

Suddenly his hand moved. His gun shined on the neon light and shifted. The scrawny man winced in shock.

Do you regret it? Ever being born?

There was a cold barrel pressing on his temple. He pulled the trigger.

"Why would I?

"It was a life."

The second phase of training was going marvellously. Both Shark and Hammer deserved the highest commendation for their skills and Takeo, the troublemaker, responded better than anybody could have anticipated. From the very start Krantz had high expectations of the Asian kid. He wasn't mistaken when he stated to the doctors that, despite their initial analysis, the brat had more potential than Shark and Hammer combined.

As Charles Darwin said: "It is not the strongest of the species that survives, not the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change."

The way Takeo's body reacted to the enhancement was by far the most fascinating thing he saw and out of all the experiments of Dr Aris, Takeo was the only human who successfully survived the complete modification. His body and genetic code concealed all of this power and only needed a little push to show it. And day after day, he was changing, getting better and better.

Takeo was physically strong and agile. Krantz could easily place him the second strongest in the DA5. Beside Krantz, only Hammer could match him in a brawl and win if he was in a mood.

The kid was fast. Really fast. There was no one faster in the DA5, aside from Krantz, and the leader of the group had to go through multiple enhancements to acquire the speed a bit higher than the kid's. Thankfully, it looked like Takeo's speed reached its limit, which must be disappointing from the scientific point of view.

For Krantz, it meant one problem less. He'd be lying if he said he couldn't wait to dunk into the tank of green liquid and risk his life for an umpteenth time.

Multiple enhancements were still sort of a taboo at the Union. The procedure could have a devastating effect on a body and mind. Krantz was not a stupid man; however, knowing he survived something that killed many super humans did wonders for his pride.

The leader had advanced senses and could hear and see better than average super humans. All of the DA5 were on another level, but Takeo was an entirely different story. He could pick up things from vast distances, which made Krantz feel butterflies in his stomach. If there was anyone he couldn't wait to eat one day it was that troublesome brat. He wondered if he'd inherit the ability to shoot with such precision; the way the kid handled guns was nothing to sneeze at.

You could say the only flaw was that his regeneration was not as good as it was Hammer's, Shark's and Krantz's; nothing his speed couldn't make up for. (If you can't catch it you can't hurt it.) He also had high tolerance to pain and was overall vigorous. Unlike Hammer, Shark was a pleasant surprise by the way he withstood starvation, thirst and sleep deprivation, and when Krantz saw Takeo's charts matching Sharks's, he was more than excited.

Takeo was all in all a rarely well-rounded subject. Unique if you take into the account that most modified humans ended up with super strength and a slightly boosted senses (the best examples being Shark and Hammer, of course). The pet project Tao, as he heard, was even below the average super humans. (Why Dr Aris wasted so much time on him, he had no idea.)

Indeed, Takeo was one of the best, if not the best contribution to the DA5. Yuri and Dr Aris outdid themselves with this one. (Who would have thought by the way the kid looks.) Back in the old days, Krantz would have never let him be a part of his platoon based on the first impression alone.

And his first impression was dead wrong. The brat was clever and observant. Courageous and unyielding. All the fine qualities a solder should have, but lacked discipline, something Krantz believed was because Takeo never had a strong authoritative figure in his life. Well, he was more than willing to play the part. As Takeo's time in the maze closed to an end, Krantz realised the brat accepting him as a leader won't be a problem anymore. He could hear it in the boy's voice the moment he begged to be let out.

After that, the science department in charge of Takeo celebrated, because the kid was doing everything they wanted, with reactions as textbook as it could get.

Being quite happy himself, Krantz was still not convinced. Something was bothering the experienced army man, something he saw in Takeo the first time the kid opened his eyes on the training deck, something he'd seen in a few solders way back when he was still active on the field.

The kid didn't have what it takes.

He was kind enough to receive torture in hope to keep his friends safe, but how long will the Union be able to blackmail him like that? Every man had a breaking point, and kind people usually break in the way you don't want them to. Krantz had lost too many kind men in his life to think kindness was – as many wise men preached – a blessing and a strength. Kindness is a weakness, a disease that kills not only the carrier but everybody infected by it too. And the worst of it all was – it was bloody hard to exterminate.

Most with this condition change their ways when they are properly motivated or if they experience an epiphany before they die. They tried motivating Takeo, but Krantz had a feeling friends from Sapporo were not enough to cast aside everything that made him who he was. They weren't even blood relatives. That posh bitch Yuri should have found them a family member or someone of similar importance. The Russian reported Takeo had nothing of the sort, but Krantz was sure the idiot was just lousy at his job.

By the end of the second phase Krantz was pissed, and slightly scared which was an oddity. The eerie vibe around Takeo was familiar and unsettling and he was apparently the only one who could feel it. Friends from Sapporo may not be enough to control the boy, but they might be just enough to push him overboard. There were cases like these in the military, on both the allies' and the enemies' side.

The way Takeo stood before the scrawny man, his last target, gave Krantz flashbacks he thought he'll never have to deal with while in the Union. That strange cold stare was of a ghost from the past he threw away forever.

"What's the hold up?"

To make everything even more irksome Dr Aris had to be present on the last day of Takeo's training. Her underlings updated her on how her pet was doing great and will be ready for her with a cherry on top. She was so excited while she watched Takeo tear apart her former subjects, the smile never leaving her face.

Krantz knew there was nothing to worry about whether Takeo would destroy the bio-robots or not. They were not truly alive, and even if Takeo thought of them as people, it was so obvious they couldn't wait to die, pleading for Takeo to shoot them down. Beside a twisted mercy he provided by killing, Takeo had another reason to fight. He wanted to live. To get out of the maze, to eat, drink and sleep. To keep his friends safe.

He wanted to live. Until one day when Krantz saw that look he saw many times before on the boy's wan face.

Every man had his breaking point and if they push a little more Takeo will break in a way Krantz didn't want it to happen. He was too good to lose like this.

"Why isn't he shooting?" Dr Aris was becoming more impatient by the minute. The scientists didn't know how to answer her which made her even more aggravated. "You told me he was a success. That meat's not even fighting back! Why isn't it dead?!"

"Because it wants to live," Krantz grumbled in his mind. The doctor and the scientists acted so smart when they didn't know first thing about real life.

"M-maybe he doesn't understand what… what he needs to do? H-he didn't face a real human before?" Suggested one scientist meekly.

"Is he an idiot?" Dr Aris snarled and the scientist almost fell of his chair. "How's it different?"

"Oh, but it is," Krantz thought to himself. "Ending a life is always different. It's a line that stops existing once you cross it. Not many can take the weight of the act even when they are convinced of being righteous."

"Krantz," she addressed him and he stiffened waiting for an order. "Remind him."

Krantz grabbed the mike and turned it on. "It's been eighty-five days, Takeo. I hope you didn't get too attached to this place."

It was worth a shot to try to snap him out of it with a jibe, but it failed. Krantz leaned in to see the screen on which was the live broadcast.

"This is the last one, Takeo. Kill it and you're out." He sounded almost friendly which made Dr Aris frown in revulsion. Mindfulness looked hideous on Krantz's face.

"The hell are you doing, Krantz? I don't have time for chit chat," she said. "Are we done here or not?"

(She was right, damn it.)

"This is an order, Takeo. Finish what you've started and you'll get your pills. Kill it so we can move on. Don't waste our time."

"Call Yuri." Dr Aris commanded one of her underlings.

"Do I have to repeat myself? How many times are we gonna do this?" Krantz knew the situation better than anyone, he knew he was the last person wanting to terminate such a beneficial subject as Takeo, but being ignored hurt his ego. "Kill the trash, obey your leader and your owner, or mark my words I will drag you here and strap you down to a chair and you will have a front row seat to the bloodbath that will become of your friends if you don't do as I say!"

"I thought we were past this! That's what it means being a success!" She was huffing, walking around the room.

"Takeo!"

Dr Aris was cursing and then she shut her mouth when Takeo suddenly moved. She glared at her fellow researchers. "Well, finally! This is preposterous. Unacceptable! I let you play with my pet and you pay me back like this?" She turned to Krantz. "Kill all of these pigs and when you're done, go down there and educa-"

She went mute. If mindfulness looked hideous on Krantz, then the way his eyes went wide looked disturbing.

His hand slammed over the control panel so fast she blinked in shock. She watched as two walls glided, coming at each other like two palms starting an applause. They ran towards Takeo hitting him on both sides, capturing him in their grip. It was with such velocity and power that Dr Aris thought the walls flattened her souvenir like a pancake. She wasn't sure if he could regenerate from being treated like that.

Fortunately, when the walls retrieved, Takeo was still very much alive. He was bleeding heavily and his gun was in pieces, but the machines picked up his pulse. He collapsed on the floor like a wet rag and didn't move again. She was somewhat upset that the walls were enough to put down one of her most advanced works. Then again, after more than twelve weeks without the pills, staying alive after such an impact was more than impressive.

If Takeo had pulled the trigger, there wouldn't have been a way to save her work. The bullets were specifically designed to disable and kill super humans, beside, of course, the regular ones. Hell, even if Takeo were in a top notch state, a hole in a brain would have been more than challenging to heal.

Yes, the Takeo project was for a laud; such a feat was rare even for that pig Crombel. And it was almost destroyed!

"What the hell?!" She shrieked like a banshee. "Was that a fucking suicide attempt?! I leave you morons alone for two seconds and you ruin everything! Why do I bother hiring psychologists and psychiatrist if they can't sniff out a simple bloody depression? We're a freaking drugstore here! Give him something!"

"D-doctor, doctor, please, it's… it's not just…" Uttered one of the braver scientists. Or one of the stupider.

"What is it then?" She swung the scientist across the room. "You telling me my sweet, darling Takeo, my personal pet, hates me so much he wants to off himself? What the hell was the purpose of the training? He should be fucking over it!"

"So she was aware of it," Krantz thought as he tried to stay calm in a small room with the enraged Dr Aris.

"Krantz!" She called and he looked at her. "You go with Yuri and get those motherfuckers from what's it call Asian slum and-"

"As much as I'd enjoy ripping them apart, I doubt it will solve our problem. He's already decided death is a better option than life. If we bring them here, torture them and kill them, that's only gonna fire up his resolve to never yield." It wasn't his habit to interrupt her, but Krantz wanted to find a solution that will actually work as fast as possible.

"So I should just dispose of him? I'd rather rip you apart." She was fuming. "You were responsible for him, leader."

"I've just saved him for you." Krantz gave his best to keep himself poised and hide the shivering. Dr Aris was such a small woman, yet so frightening. She needed him for her project, but the bitch was insane. "Yuri didn't give me anything to work with."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you could discipline anyone, no matter their background or personality." She said dryly. "You said everybody-"

"He doesn't have it!" Krantz raised his voice but didn't shout.

"It?"

"It. That something. The drive. The will to live no matter what." He explained, while his fists trembled. "But that's not the real problem here. That's just the after effect of everything. Yuri made a mistake offering him to you as a candidate. Takeo doesn't have what it takes to do this job. Sure, you can always try and coerce a person, but I have nothing to work with."

(Yep, the bitch was crazy, but she could still listen to reason from time to time. Especially if the source of that reason was someone she knew had first-hand experience with the stuff.)

"So… he doesn't have it." She nodded slowly like she was caught deeply in thought. "Then, I guess… we can make it ourselves."

Krantz knew her well enough to know she was plotting something despicable. He only hoped that whatever she was planning wasn't going to screw up Takeo beyond repair. He could eat him right away if it happened, but doing so would be like drinking a one day old vine. Underwhelming.

Author's notes part 2 – chapter 11

Some fun facts (that you probably already know):

I did some research about what goes inside a sniper's head. I couldn't find a lot and as everything else it depends on the individual and the circumstances.

A study into snipers in Israel, for example, has shown that snipers are much less likely than other soldiers to dehumanise their enemy. Part of the reason for this may be that snipers can see their targets with great clarity and sometimes must observe them for hours or even days. Snipers almost never referred to the men they killed as targets, or used animal or machine metaphors. Some interviewees even said that their victims were legitimate warriors.

On the other hand, snipers can be pure sadists. A study into non-army snipers compliments the research of some psychiatrists that says some snipers have profiles of meticulous narcissists who enjoy playing God. It makes them feel good deciding whether to pull the trigger or not, especially because it's hard to target the sniper on the battlefield and bring him in immediate danger as other soldiers.

Some drabble:

Yep, bio-robots are those experiments that fought against Franky when Dr Aris abducted him.

As always, I do some digging and then interpret the info in my own way, so take all of it with a grain of salt.

It was challenging writing this chapter, there were a lot of things I wanted to fit in there and I think I did ok. I kinda did my version of "life flashing before one's eyes".

I also wanted to address Takeo's suicidal tendencies, because he sure has them in the comic, but I never saw him as a coward or a weakling for it. If anything, it just made him a more complex character that wasn't used as much as I'd have liked. When it comes to him, sacrificial and suicidal are deeply entwined. He's not afraid to die (that time in the comic when the RK realise they can't rely on Rai because of his health condition and are urged to leave the house, to abandon Rai and Franky and save themselves, he's like Then we'll just die (if we can't protect ourselves)). And I'm not even gonna start about Teira. We'll get to her.

Leave some thoughts and comments.

See you soon!