Busuzima, Uriko, Bakuryu (Kenji), Yugo, Alice, Shira, Stun, Long, Jenny, Alan and Shen-Long are all characters of the Bloody Roar Series, and I don't own them, Hudson do. Although I wish I did. However Vincent, Kevin Lightfoot, Horn and Tusk, Barry Serpent, Yotaba Kouto and Subject Drake Dante are mine, and I keep them locked tight in a cupboard. In the unlikely event that someone else would want to use them, please e-mail me first, or I'll be very annoyed and little else.
Right, legal stuff out the way, I would just like to thank God, for inventing the fingers (useful little beggars), my parents for letting me use the P.C at all hours, and the people who wrote in about some of my other books I've written. Enjoy!
Chapter 3: Who am I?
Crouched on the edge of an old abandoned building, like some gargoyle of flesh and blood, subject Drake Holland Dante sat, staring at his own hands. His yellow, slitted eyes studied the palms first, examining every inch of slightly leathery skin, slowly turning them over until they were fully rotated to show his long curving talons. His mind felt heavy and sluggish, but he could sense something was wrong.
'I'm a human,' He said, his voice crocking and cracked after so long from speaking. The sound of his own voice seemed to startle him, 'But I can't be. Humans don't have talons.'
Bunging his leg muscles, Dante leapt into the air, sailing high above the streets and landing on the flat roof of a burnt out apartment store. He stood up, looking around for something. He stopped and picked something up; a shard of glass, part of a window that must have been smashed at some point. He stared at the image that looked back.
It was tall, very broad shouldered and bare chested, its only clothing a pair of baggy black trousers with a rope for a belt. His head had a neatly shaven layer of ash blonde hair, which Drake ran a tentative hand through, savoring the feeling of it. His memories flashed back; he had once rubbed his hand through someone else's hair, a woman's, someone he had loved. He couldn't put a face to the person, all he could get was a feeling of intense longing and loss. His eyes returned to his reflection again, and took in the tough looking skin, the bulging muscles and, of course, the reptilian eyes. Cautiously, he opened his mouth, and saw that he had two sets of razor sharp teeth. He tested one with his finger lightly, and studied the digit as a drop of blood welled up and ran down his finger, pooling in a crease of his skin.
'So I'm not human,' He said to himself, stooping down to put the glass back, 'But if I'm not a human……then what am I?'
Long had fully recovered from his hangover and had washed, cleaned and dressed himself in his usual attire before the others had arrived. Alice had phoned up the people Long had instructed her to, and the group was now waiting in the living room; there was Alan Gado, the veteran one-eyed lion zoanthrope, and his daughter, Jane Gado the leopard zoanthrope. Sat in the big leather armchair that Long usually sat in for an evening was Jenny, the sultry bat zoanthrope, and Alice had been surprised to find her name in Long's phone book. And that, basically, was it, not including herself, Long, Uriko, Yugo, Kenji, Kevin and Vincent of course. Now that she thought about it, Alice was getting more than a little annoyed with Yugo; he should have been back with the groceries ages ago. However, her thoughts returned to the problem at hand, as Long walked into the room and nodded to the gathered group.
'Thank you all for coming,' He said, walking over to a spare chair and taking a seat, 'I'm sure you're all wondering why I asked you all to come.'
'Not really,' Said Jane Gado casually, but dropped the cocky attitude when her father glared down at her with his good eye.
'I for one want to find out,' Growled Alan, looking back at Long, 'It's been a while since you've felt the need to call any of us about something, let along all of us.'
'I assure you, it's for good cause,' Said Long grimly. He settled back into the chair a little, his fingers tapping on the arm randomly, 'You see, Kenji has been kidnapped by Busuzima, who we all assumed was dead after the explosion that killed my clone, Shen-Long.'
'So what?' Said Jenny, shifting herself into a more revealing position. Alice couldn't help but say "Slut", but managed to intercept the message on the way to her vocal cords and turned it into a quiet cough. Jenny seemed to know what she was thinking however, and gave her a nasty little grin. Alice clenched her fists and started to count to ten slowly in her mind.
'So we must find where he is keeping Kenji, and stop him. It is certain that he has been doing something in the year since the explosion, and no doubt none of us will like it. I also think he's connected with an outside source, someone to provide funding money and equipment.'
'Then this could get serious,' Said Alan, straightening up, 'If Busuzima has had a year to prepare, then he could have done ANYTHING; for all we know he could have an army of modified zoanthropes hidden in the city right now.'
'An army you say?' Said Jane with a vicious grin, 'Now that would provide a good bit of training.'
Long nodded; it looked like those two were in. He turned to Jenny.
'What about you?'
'Hell, why not?' She said, grinning devilishly, 'It'll be an experience.'
'Count me in too!' Said Uriko, looking incredibly angry, 'That sick twisted freak isn't gonna touch a hair on my Kenji's head as long as I'm around!'
'Ah, teenage romances,' Chuckled Jenny, ignoring the nasty glare Uriko shot at her. Long stood up.
'Then we head out as soon as possible. We'll comb through the city and keep a look out for anything suspicious.'
The others nodded, and stood up to leave. However, Jane Gado had other things on her mind. She had never really admitted it, but she had always admired Long, as an opponent and as a……well, a very attractive man. She had hoped that he would call after the events of last year, but he had never rung, leaving her heartbroken and slightly embarrassed when she thought that a wrong-number had been her stern looking love idol. And now, he was in her grasp, and all she had to do was gather up her guts and ask him out.
But what if he says no? A nervous part of her brain said.
Just ask him out, The other half replied.
But he'll never say yes.
Ask him out.
But I look really trashy in my combat gear.
Ask him out!
But I-
FOR GOD'S SAKE, JUST ASK HIM OUT!!!!
Caught mentally off guard, Jane blinked, and nearly swooned when she saw that Long was looking at her.
'Erm, are you alright?' He asked, looking concerned. Say you're fine, her brain said desperately, Say you're alright and get the hell out of here!
'Er, I'm fine, thanks,' She said sheepishly, as little warning sirens blared in her head, 'I just need to…to….go over here,' She said, dashing off before Long could reply. She sighed, and tried to shut out the voices taunting her in her mind.
Long's shoulders fell. It had been a long time since he had seen Jane, and his heart still felt the same pang of longing as it had done the first time he had seen her. It had taken every bit of his courage (and a little alcohol left in his system) to call her for help, and just as he had tried to ask her out, she had rushed off. Maybe she just didn't find him attractive? Maybe Uriko was onto something with the whole "Hip" image. Perhaps it was time for a new, stylish Long? His heart leaping at the thought of Jane accepting him, Long rushed off to his room to change out his silk waistcoat and canvas trousers.
Busuzima kicked down the flimsy barricade that someone had set up in the sewers, hefted Yugo's unconscious body over his shoulder again and plodded through the rushing stream of filth, cursing his foul luck. Behind him, Barry was complaining about the stench again, and it took every ounce of his self control not to turn around and bean the stupid Mexican with a large chunk of stone.
'Are we nearly there yet?' Moaned Barry Serpent. Busuzima sighed.
'No.'
'Are we nearly there yet?'
'No.'
'Are we nearly there yet?'
'No.'
'Are we nearly there yet?'
'No.'
'Are we nearly-'
'NO!!!!!' Yelled Busuzima, finally snapping, 'No, we are not nearly there yet! In fact, we have another three miles of sewer to navigate before we even come remotely near to the hidden lab! And after that, we have another six miles of this stinking, rotting hell to endure before we reach the security outline. After that, we have double that time to wait for our codes to be put through the system and verified, and then, and only then, will we be there!!!!!'
There was a long pause, filed only with the sloshing sound of the slime floating past and Busuzima's panting. Barry rubbed his chin.
'Or,' He said, matter-of-factly, 'It could be right behind you, you ssssstupid Gaylord!!!'
Busuzima turned, and there was a large sign with the words "Secret Lab, only two blocks this way" scrawled upon it.
'I don't remember putting that sign up,' Said Busuzima, looking worried.
'God damn! What the hell am I doing down thisssss crap hole with you!?!?' Exclaimed Barry, barging passed the laden Busuzima and marching off down the tunnel indicated. The mad scientist hurried after him, lumbered under the weight of Yugo.
From the shadows, the figure who had been following the bumbling pair for the past few hours smiled.
'I can't believe they fell for it,' It chuckled, before heading off down a shortcut to head them off.
Back in his private home (or the one in this city at least), Yotaba Kouto was furious. Horn and Tusk had just arrived, bleeding and tattered from their fight, and Kouto was NOT in a good mood.
'Children,' He spat, looking in disgust at his two henchmen. The two zoanthropes avoided his mad gaze; his eyes, usually disturbing, were even more mad, little blood vessels visible on the almost totally white orbs, two little pin pricks his pupils, 'You, my two VERY expensive bodyguards, were beaten by CHILDREN.'
He didn't shout, but said it in a whisper that was somehow worse than shouting. Tusk and Horn bowed their heads, still keeping silent. Kouto gave one last snarl of anger before turning away and storming down the hallway. It was richly decorated with priceless art and suits of armour, and a thick red carpet covered the ground. At the end of the hallway, a massive pair of double doors swung silently opened as he approached, and beyond that portal was….
It was huge. The house had been built upon a small hill overlooking the city, and within the hill there had been a gigantic cavern which Kouto had converted into a technological marvel. Metal walkways, huge cranes, vast vats and coolage storage facilities filled the chamber from edge to edge, and bustled with the life of dozens of science teams building what he liked to think was his little army. One of the scientists, a thin gangly man with red hair and neat little glasses, came up to him and bowed.
'Mr. Kouto, what can we do for you?'
'How many units have we produced here?' Said Kouto, looking out over his little scientific empire.
'We have nearly two hundred units produced, and nearly two thousand more in your other estates all over Japan.'
'Release the one in this lab.'
'What!?' The scientist said, amazed, 'But sir, they aren't fully tested yet!'
'Strange. The other day you were telling me the cloning procedure was going magnificently.'
'But we still don't know if the neural transmitter will activate correctly in all of them. If it doesn't, then we have a city full of clones we can't control!'
'Then make sure it works, or I will kill you,' Said Kouto, his face as serious as ever, 'And now I must leave. Busuzima must be found so my transformation will be complete.'
'Yes sir,' Said the scientist reluctantly, watching the tall dark man walk out again. He nodded to two other lab workers.
'You heard Mr. Kouto! Have the exit bays opened and start extracting the clones from deep freeze!'
The pair nodded, and hurried off to do their tasks. The red haired man wiped his glasses on his sleeve, and sighed.
'May God forgive me,' He mummered.
Vincent stopped, and looked up sharply, his eyes gazing towards the large mansion at the far side of the city. Kevin stopped next to him, as did Kenji and Stun.
'Hey, what's up Vinny?' Said Kevin, trying to follow his gaze. Vincent started to mutter to himself, under his breath.
'What was that?'
'He's there. I should have known it. The old family house; he must have had a key or something.'
'What!? You mean that mansion belongs to your family!?!'
'Yes.'
'But you live in a little flat down Nash Street! You can't afford that!'
'My family don't like to flaunt their wealth. But Uncle Kouto is different, and has access to the mansion. We need to get the others and head there as soon as possible.'
'You really sound worried,' Said Kenji, looking into his friends eyes, 'Is there something up there that you should tell us about?'
Vincent finally took his eyes off the mansion, and turned to the others.
'Well, for one thing there's a secret army of cloned zoanthropes hidden under that hill.'
'WHAT!?!?' Yelled the others in unison (except Stun, who's voice was giving him trouble again). Vincent merely nodded.
'My family gained their wealth by inventing improved gene-splicing technology that allowed the quick manufacturing of simple clones. They weren't really human, just human shaped with simple commands running through their brains. No one as yet has created a fully human clone, as the brain is simply too complex to recreate, but these clones would follow voice commands, such as "Guard" and "Eat". We were going to sell them off as useful assistants for elderly or disabled people, but something happened; someone rewrote their command functions, and turned them into killing machines.'
'Let me guess; the families black sheep Uncle Kouto, right?' Said Kevin, still looking slightly shocked.
'Exactly. He was planning on using them to take out the standing defense force and stealing everything of value before disappearing with the equipment and manufacturing a huge hoard of mindless slaves, but my father managed to stop him before he could activate them. Kouto disappeared afterwards, and we thought he was just hiding in fear of our revenge, but it looks like he was just plotting to get back his little army.'
'And he's up there, in the mansion that contains this army?' Said Kevin weakly, 'Oh boy. THAT isn't good.'
'I fail to see how it could be good,' Said Vincent, as calmly as ever, 'But first we need the help of the others; without proper assistance we would be overwhelmed by sheer numbers.'
'Okay, I have a plan,' Said Kenji, grinning slightly, 'Me and Stun will head off to get the others; Stun can fly when morphed, and the others know me a bit better. You two scout the area and see what your loony uncle is up to, then report back. You guys up to it?'
'What kind of question is that?' Said Kevin scathingly, 'Just get your butt ugly friends to the others el pronto, okay?'
'Alright then, see you at the mansion,' Said Kenji, and nodded to Stun. The hulking man was wrapped with bright energy for a moment, and when it cleared he was a beetle again. Hopping onto the massive behemoths back, Kenji nodded once to the others before Stun's back plate slid back to reveal his wings, and a few seconds later they were hovering away over the buildings. The pair left behind waited for a few moments to see they got off safely, and then rushed off again, this times heading for the ominous bulk off the Kouto mansion.
Deep below the streets, wading through the days filth, Busuzima flung Yugo to the floor, leant against the wall, and spake thusly:
'I bloody hate sewers!'
Barry, who was leaning against the other wall so he could see Busuzima at all times, glared across at him.
'Well, who'ssss bright idea wassss it to build there ssssecret lab right in the center of the sssewerssss then?' He said sarcastically, 'Why, could it have been the massster of gaynessss himsssself, Professor Gaylord Busssssuzima? Why yesssss, I believe it isssss! Jusssst sssshut up and check you're going in the right direction,' He snarled. Busuzima returned the evil stare.
'Well, I haven't seen anymore conveniently placed signs about, so I guess we're back to square one on that part. And why do I have to carry this brainless moron anyway?' He complained, kicking Yugo's body. It gave a brief moan, but didn't wake up.
'Well, you brought him, you carry him,' Said Barry simply. Suddenly, the snake zoanthrope jerked upright, went cross-eyed and keeled over to one side, splashing into the stream of dirt that washed around them both. Busuzima sighed, waded over, and gave him a sharp kick. He didn't moan or stir. It was only too late that he noticed the little dart sticking out the side of his neck, but suddenly there was a very cold sensation against his throat, and he felt a presence shift itself behind him to get in a better position to hold the knife.
'Don't move, or you'll acquire some unwanted ventilation in the form of a sliced windpipe,' Said the voice, and the scientist was surprised to hear it was female. He tried not the swallow, and gave a little nod (a VERY small nod, as there was a knife held to his throat after all).
'Er, is there anything I can do for you miss?' He said, trying to keep calm.
'Yeah. You can take me to this secret lab you keep droning on about.'
'Oh, right, okay,' Said Busuzima, beginning to sweat, 'Er, but as you can see, since we've been wondering around down here for hours-'
'Shut up. I know where the lab is, but I need your pass codes to open the security door.'
'Oh. Alright then, I guess that's reasonable,' Said Busuzima, trying to sound jolly this time, but the pressure on his throat increased slightly, and he shut up.
'Right, now get moving, and no more attempts to be nice.'
'Perish the thought,' Muttered Busuzima, as he was shoved forward down the passageway. The scientist wondered for a moment where Barry had gone, but remained silent as the knife wielder shoved him onwards.
Yugo moaned, and sat up, wiping filthy water from his face and looking around with a dazed look on his face. His head felt like it had been cut open and stuffed with cotton wool, and there was crusted blood over a cut on his brow. (How the hell did I get down here?) He thought to himself, (The last thing I can remember was Alice hitting me over the head and yelling at me about something. What was it? Huh, knowing her it could be anything. School stuff? But it's the weekend. Scratching myself in public? But we were at Long's house. Wait, that was it; Long's stupid groceries! And when I was heading back that pervert Busuzima and……)
His thoughts trailed off as an area of his brain started to sound warning sirens in his mind. Instantly his hands went to the seat of his jeans. He sighed with relief when he felt his trousers were still on; well at least the Homo hadn't tried anything when he was unconscious. He stood up and wiped some more of the slimy goo off his clothes, and only then did he realize someone was watching him.
'I ssssee you're up then,' Commented Barry Serpent, who was leaning with his back against the mildew covered walls. Yugo growled and started to wade through the stream of crap to reach the Mexican, but something under his foot slipped and he fell headfirst into the sewer stream. He quickly surfaced, gagging as he clambered out of the disgusting river and nearly throwing his guts up as he did so. Barry was in hysterics, his hissing laugh echoing around the cavern. Yugo snarled and picked up a half crumbled brick, hurling it at the snake zoanthropes head. There was a thunk, and the hissing stopped.
'That wasssss uncalled for,' Came an indignant and very hurt reply.
'Like I could give a damn! Now where have you love-partner taken me!?'
There was a long, icy pause, broken only by the sloshing torrent of waste that separated the pair.
'Firssstly, I'm not the gay one, Busssssuzima isssss. Ssssecondly, if you can't tell where we've taken you, then you are really as dumb as people ssssay.'
'Well I knew that…..Hey, what do people say about me?!?'
'Oh God, in all the ssssewerssss of the world, I have to get sssstuck down thissss one,' Sighed Barry, brushing the fringe of his black hair out of his face. The silence returned, filling up the little sewer passage.
'Look, how come you aren't with Busuzima?'
'We were mugged down here. Sssssomeone drugged a dart and ssshot me with it. Not very pleasssssant, let me tell you. When I woke up, there was just you and me.'
'The why didn't you go after him?'
There was another bout of hissing laughter. Yugo snarled; he was getting REALLY pissed off now.
'Stop laughing you *&£$"!^£()*^ and answer the question!!'
'Look at my legsssss,' Said Barry. Yugo did. They were dangling in the sewer water, swaying as the current caught them.
'Yes? They're still there if that's what you're worried about.'
Barry sighed again.
'Look where the dart hit. My legssss sssstill have the percentage of the poissssson in them. The mussscles won't resssspond. So, bassssically, I'm sssstuck here with you. Worssst luck,' He added under his breath.
'Boy, my heart's bleeding for you,' Said Yugo with mock sympathy, 'But I guess you'll be stuck down here for a while, because I CAN walk.'
'Don't try sssssarcassssm boy, it doessssn't work well with you. And yes, you can walk, so why don't you just toddle off somewhere else and leave me in peace.'
Yugo stopped, confused (no surprise there). Did Barry Serpent really want to be left down here?
'What are to ssstaring at?' Said Barry angrily, 'Go on, pisssssss off!'
'Why do you want to be left down here?'
Barry looked at him for a moment, and once more broke down into hissing laughter.
'Oh boy, you REALLY need to get back into school huh? Is it really that difficult for you to grasp? I'm a dead man walking…..well, snake man thing, but I'm sure you get the gist.'
'What? What are you talking about?'
Barry sighed, and wiped his brow. Yugo only now realized he was sweating.
'Mr. Kouto doesssssn't like failuresssss. As a matter-of-fact, he doesssssn't like anyone, but he ESPECAILLY doesssssn't like failuressssss. And he'sssss powerful, as in super-ultra-omnipotent powerful. If he want'sssss you dead, he has contactsssss in every major city and all the minor onesssss too. It doesssssn't matter if you're on the other side of the planet, he'll find you and kill you. Hell, he doesssssn't even do it like all the other bad guysssss; I've worked with some shady guysssss before, and the deal goesssss that if you capture a guy you reveal your plan to blow up the city or whatever and they esssscape and stop you. HE just putsssss a gun to your head and blowsssss your brainsssss out. So you sssssee, I'm sssssafer down here than with you, becausssse he'sssss actually looking for you. If I walk around with you, I'm nothing more than a moving target for ssssssome bounty hunter.'
Yugo looked at the chuckling Mexican, thought for a while, and made up his mind. With a swift movement, he scooped the man up off the ground and slung him over his shoulder.
'Hey, what givessss?' Yelled Barry, 'Put me down you assssss munch!'
'Shut up. If what you've said is true, then he won't stop at me; Long, Alice, Kenji, Uriko, Yugo….'
'Yugo is YOU, you dumb asssss!' Screamed Barry, thrashing around as he tried to wriggle free, 'Jussssst where are you going anyway?'
'I can still smell Busuzima faintly; even in this form I can almost taste the perverts stench. We can follow him and find this lab of yours, and from there we can find this Mr. Kouto of yours.'
'WHAT!?!?!?! YOU'RE %&*^()^%$ CRAZY!!!!!!'
'There's no call for that kind of language. And what's the big deal, he's only human, right?'
'Boy, you're gonna get yoursssself killed, and me with you!!!! You don't go looking for Mr. Kouto unlessssss you want to have a height of minussss six feet under the ground!'
'Tough. I'm not going to let him get away with what he's doing anymore.'
'My God, why do I have to get sssstuck with the dumb onessssss!?!?!' Barry yelled to the world in general.
'Master Long,' Called Uriko, knocking on her Kenpo master's door, 'Hurry up, we need to leave quickly!'
'Is that you Uriko? Just come in here for a moment would you?'
Uriko frowned; come into his room? She shrugged, and opened the door, closing it behind her. When she turned around, Long was wearing….
'Oh my God!!! Master, what is THAT!?!'
'What? Oh, it's a tie,' Said Long, holding it up for inspection. It was, for lack of a better word, snot green and luminous, with yellow zigzag shapes down the center. The occasional randomly placed red square stuck out from the hideous thing like a sore thumb.
'Master, you weren't thinking of wearing that….thing, where you?' Said Uriko. Long looked very concerned.
'What, you don't like it? What about this then?' He said, holding up a tie that was just as awful in pastel orange and purple. Uriko cringed back as Long held it forwards for her to hold.
'Master Long, where did you GET these ties from?' Said Uriko, he eyes only just readjusting after the color overload.
'Well, I have an old box of clothes I had when I was in the seventies and…..'
'The SEVENTIES!?!?! Master, you can't wear anything from the seventies in the new millennium!!!'
'Why not?' Said Long, confused.
'Why not!?! Master, the seventies was like Vietnam for clothes! Colors clashed against colors in a horrendous miss match of fashion. I've known fashion consultants that had to go into therapy when looking at something from the seventies.'
'Erm, I take it that wasn't good then?' Said Long, who felt like he was in a big ocean with nothing but a rubber duck for buoyancy. Uriko nodded.
'I advise you to burn the contents of that box as soon as possible. I thought I told you NOT to dress yourself in a fashionable way unless you asked me first. Besides, we're only going to rescue Kenji from Busuzima, so why bother dressing up for it?'
'Because, Uriko,' He said, his shoulders drooping sadly, 'I have a terrible secret to bear. Can I trust you to remain silent if I tell you?'
'Of course Master,' Said Uriko, her eyes shining; Long was always very secretive about his feelings.
'Well, I, er, I have a, erm…..I have a crush on Jane Gado! There, I said it! God that feels good!'
'What, that's IT?' Said Uriko, nonplused, 'Master, we already know about that?'
'Huh!?! You do!?! Who's "we"!?! For how long!?!?!' Said Long, shocked; had he said something when he had been drunk?
'Well, it's pretty obvious; the way you look at each other, the way you avoid talking all the time, the way she blushes when you glare at someone. You might as well have a big neon finger pointing at you saying "I'm in love with Jane Gado".'
'So you think she likes me too?' Said Long, his heart leaping.
'Oh yeah, as sure as hell is hot.'
Long stood up, his face set in a serious frown. He was silent for a moment, lost in thought.
'Uriko? Would you be so kind as to help me choose an outfit? I have a feeling that I may be needing a good looking outfit tonight. And while you're at it, I'll just phone that little Italian restraunt I know and see if they have any seats.'
'Wow, you've really thought about it haven't you?' Said Uriko.
'Well, sort of; I was trying to remember what the guy did in that movie, Casablanca. Now if I can only get my hands on some German soldiers….'
'Er, I think just restraunt will be fine; you don't need to make it JUST like the film after all.'
'Really? Well that's a blessing then; God knows where I would have found some German solider at this time of the day.'
'Have you still got alcohol in your system?' Said Uriko suspiciously.
'No! Well anyway, get looking through my wardrobe.'
'Okay Master Long. I hope you know what your doing though.'
'Stop here,' The voice behind Busuzima commanded. The scientist dropped gratefully onto the sewers ledge, panting for breath. They had been walking for nearly an hour, and finally Busuzima was beginning to recognize certain parts of the underground labyrinth. If he was correct, the lab was just around the corner. As he rested, he felt the figure pull something over his eyes, and his vision went black.
'Just for safety you understand. I just need to make sure you don't escape while I check to see if there is any security at the door.'
Busuzima was silent; he knew for a fact that there were several hidden turrets that would open fire the second and incorrect code was given. He started to form a plan to escape. A few minutes later, he heard his captors footsteps echoing back towards him, and the blindfold was removed, the knife back at his throat.
'Move,' The female voice said again. Indeed, as Busuzima had remembered, around the corner was the door to the secret lab, a huge thick metal wall with a small computer terminal set to the side. The knife was removed, and Busuzima felt himself shoved forward.
'Type in the codes, and then you can run away back to your friend.'
Busuzima resisted the urge to run now, and studied the computer screen. Now, the access the gun turrets to target his kidnapper and not himself, he would need the Gamma, Beta and Omega codes in that order. His hands blurred across the keypad, and after only a brief pause to ready himself, he hit the enter key and threw himself to one side. As he had expected, as soon as he had pressed the last key, the woman behind him and thrown the knife with unnerving accuracy, the heavy metal blade smashing into the computers monitor and shorting the circuitry. Even as he landed, there was a whir as five gun turrets sprang out from their hiding places and started blasting away wildly, filling the tunnel with whizzing bullets. Busuzima crawled away on his hands and knees, not looking back, until he reached a small hiding space and rolled into it just before a stream of bullets pattered into the ground where he had been. The damn computer must have been destroyed before it had time to process all the codes, and now the turrets were firing blindly. He had only one choice; with a flash of light, he had morphed into his beast form, and after pausing for a moment for a gap in the gunfire he concentrated, turned invisible, and rolled out of hiding. Quickly rolling upright, his tongue lashed out, gripping one of the turrets and pulling it free of the wall in a shower of sparks. With a surprisingly nimble leap, he stuck to the wall, clambered up it, and tore another turret off of the roof. One that had emerged from a patch of moss suddenly swiveled around, blazing away at the chameleon zoanthrope hanging from the roof and sending him crashing to the floor in a shower of brick chipping and dust. Busuzima struggled to his feet, but he knew he was already dead; three turrets were turning towards him, and he felt his energy ebb from him.
The first turret exploded in a shower of metal fragments and electric wiring. The second was already swinging around to face this new threat, but it too met a similar fate, showering Busuzima with debris. The last one opened fire, bullets zipping through the air like hyperactive bees, but suddenly a large, powerful form leapt forward, tearing it off the wall…..with its teeth.
Before Busuzima stood a tall, powerful creature, covered from head to foot in thick, leathery green scale. Its arms were short but powerful, and it at first seemed to heavy to stand until you noticed the thick tree trunk-like tail that swayed from side to side, countering the weight. Its long muzzle was filled with horrendously sharp teeth, each one glittering as white as an angels wing. Its little eyes, set at the side of its head, were yellow and slitted, and it seemed to be wearing a crocodile hide waistcoat, a pair of ripped jeans and a ten galleon hat (note: a cowboy hat for those who do not know what it's real name is) with a feather stuck in it.
'Who are you?' Said Busuzima, morphing back into his human form with exhaustion. The figure looked down at him, and then it too began to shrink, becoming slimmer and less scaly until it was once more in its human form.
'Just call me Beth,' Said the sultry woman before him, pulling her clothes into a more comfortable position. The jeans, although ripped, still hung to her legs, and the hat was now atop a much prettier head, with a beautiful face with a head of rusty red hair in bangs that fell across her face. Busuzima goggled her in amazement.
'You!? You were my kidnapper!?'
'Yep. It's been a while Busuzima,' Said the woman, smiling with brilliantly white teeth. She was about to say something else, but the scientist pitched forward, blacking out in his exhaustion. The last words he heard before going totally under where 'Just like when we were married…….'
Another chapter done, ahead of schedule. I had a big boost of inspiration out of the blue, so in the next chapter expect more from all the Bloody Roar II crew, plus some more of my own characters described in greater depth, a bit of Barry's shady dealings will be revealed, and the big question on everyone's lips will be answered……is Busuzima gay or not? Find out, when I post the next chapter!
Right, legal stuff out the way, I would just like to thank God, for inventing the fingers (useful little beggars), my parents for letting me use the P.C at all hours, and the people who wrote in about some of my other books I've written. Enjoy!
Chapter 3: Who am I?
Crouched on the edge of an old abandoned building, like some gargoyle of flesh and blood, subject Drake Holland Dante sat, staring at his own hands. His yellow, slitted eyes studied the palms first, examining every inch of slightly leathery skin, slowly turning them over until they were fully rotated to show his long curving talons. His mind felt heavy and sluggish, but he could sense something was wrong.
'I'm a human,' He said, his voice crocking and cracked after so long from speaking. The sound of his own voice seemed to startle him, 'But I can't be. Humans don't have talons.'
Bunging his leg muscles, Dante leapt into the air, sailing high above the streets and landing on the flat roof of a burnt out apartment store. He stood up, looking around for something. He stopped and picked something up; a shard of glass, part of a window that must have been smashed at some point. He stared at the image that looked back.
It was tall, very broad shouldered and bare chested, its only clothing a pair of baggy black trousers with a rope for a belt. His head had a neatly shaven layer of ash blonde hair, which Drake ran a tentative hand through, savoring the feeling of it. His memories flashed back; he had once rubbed his hand through someone else's hair, a woman's, someone he had loved. He couldn't put a face to the person, all he could get was a feeling of intense longing and loss. His eyes returned to his reflection again, and took in the tough looking skin, the bulging muscles and, of course, the reptilian eyes. Cautiously, he opened his mouth, and saw that he had two sets of razor sharp teeth. He tested one with his finger lightly, and studied the digit as a drop of blood welled up and ran down his finger, pooling in a crease of his skin.
'So I'm not human,' He said to himself, stooping down to put the glass back, 'But if I'm not a human……then what am I?'
Long had fully recovered from his hangover and had washed, cleaned and dressed himself in his usual attire before the others had arrived. Alice had phoned up the people Long had instructed her to, and the group was now waiting in the living room; there was Alan Gado, the veteran one-eyed lion zoanthrope, and his daughter, Jane Gado the leopard zoanthrope. Sat in the big leather armchair that Long usually sat in for an evening was Jenny, the sultry bat zoanthrope, and Alice had been surprised to find her name in Long's phone book. And that, basically, was it, not including herself, Long, Uriko, Yugo, Kenji, Kevin and Vincent of course. Now that she thought about it, Alice was getting more than a little annoyed with Yugo; he should have been back with the groceries ages ago. However, her thoughts returned to the problem at hand, as Long walked into the room and nodded to the gathered group.
'Thank you all for coming,' He said, walking over to a spare chair and taking a seat, 'I'm sure you're all wondering why I asked you all to come.'
'Not really,' Said Jane Gado casually, but dropped the cocky attitude when her father glared down at her with his good eye.
'I for one want to find out,' Growled Alan, looking back at Long, 'It's been a while since you've felt the need to call any of us about something, let along all of us.'
'I assure you, it's for good cause,' Said Long grimly. He settled back into the chair a little, his fingers tapping on the arm randomly, 'You see, Kenji has been kidnapped by Busuzima, who we all assumed was dead after the explosion that killed my clone, Shen-Long.'
'So what?' Said Jenny, shifting herself into a more revealing position. Alice couldn't help but say "Slut", but managed to intercept the message on the way to her vocal cords and turned it into a quiet cough. Jenny seemed to know what she was thinking however, and gave her a nasty little grin. Alice clenched her fists and started to count to ten slowly in her mind.
'So we must find where he is keeping Kenji, and stop him. It is certain that he has been doing something in the year since the explosion, and no doubt none of us will like it. I also think he's connected with an outside source, someone to provide funding money and equipment.'
'Then this could get serious,' Said Alan, straightening up, 'If Busuzima has had a year to prepare, then he could have done ANYTHING; for all we know he could have an army of modified zoanthropes hidden in the city right now.'
'An army you say?' Said Jane with a vicious grin, 'Now that would provide a good bit of training.'
Long nodded; it looked like those two were in. He turned to Jenny.
'What about you?'
'Hell, why not?' She said, grinning devilishly, 'It'll be an experience.'
'Count me in too!' Said Uriko, looking incredibly angry, 'That sick twisted freak isn't gonna touch a hair on my Kenji's head as long as I'm around!'
'Ah, teenage romances,' Chuckled Jenny, ignoring the nasty glare Uriko shot at her. Long stood up.
'Then we head out as soon as possible. We'll comb through the city and keep a look out for anything suspicious.'
The others nodded, and stood up to leave. However, Jane Gado had other things on her mind. She had never really admitted it, but she had always admired Long, as an opponent and as a……well, a very attractive man. She had hoped that he would call after the events of last year, but he had never rung, leaving her heartbroken and slightly embarrassed when she thought that a wrong-number had been her stern looking love idol. And now, he was in her grasp, and all she had to do was gather up her guts and ask him out.
But what if he says no? A nervous part of her brain said.
Just ask him out, The other half replied.
But he'll never say yes.
Ask him out.
But I look really trashy in my combat gear.
Ask him out!
But I-
FOR GOD'S SAKE, JUST ASK HIM OUT!!!!
Caught mentally off guard, Jane blinked, and nearly swooned when she saw that Long was looking at her.
'Erm, are you alright?' He asked, looking concerned. Say you're fine, her brain said desperately, Say you're alright and get the hell out of here!
'Er, I'm fine, thanks,' She said sheepishly, as little warning sirens blared in her head, 'I just need to…to….go over here,' She said, dashing off before Long could reply. She sighed, and tried to shut out the voices taunting her in her mind.
Long's shoulders fell. It had been a long time since he had seen Jane, and his heart still felt the same pang of longing as it had done the first time he had seen her. It had taken every bit of his courage (and a little alcohol left in his system) to call her for help, and just as he had tried to ask her out, she had rushed off. Maybe she just didn't find him attractive? Maybe Uriko was onto something with the whole "Hip" image. Perhaps it was time for a new, stylish Long? His heart leaping at the thought of Jane accepting him, Long rushed off to his room to change out his silk waistcoat and canvas trousers.
Busuzima kicked down the flimsy barricade that someone had set up in the sewers, hefted Yugo's unconscious body over his shoulder again and plodded through the rushing stream of filth, cursing his foul luck. Behind him, Barry was complaining about the stench again, and it took every ounce of his self control not to turn around and bean the stupid Mexican with a large chunk of stone.
'Are we nearly there yet?' Moaned Barry Serpent. Busuzima sighed.
'No.'
'Are we nearly there yet?'
'No.'
'Are we nearly there yet?'
'No.'
'Are we nearly there yet?'
'No.'
'Are we nearly-'
'NO!!!!!' Yelled Busuzima, finally snapping, 'No, we are not nearly there yet! In fact, we have another three miles of sewer to navigate before we even come remotely near to the hidden lab! And after that, we have another six miles of this stinking, rotting hell to endure before we reach the security outline. After that, we have double that time to wait for our codes to be put through the system and verified, and then, and only then, will we be there!!!!!'
There was a long pause, filed only with the sloshing sound of the slime floating past and Busuzima's panting. Barry rubbed his chin.
'Or,' He said, matter-of-factly, 'It could be right behind you, you ssssstupid Gaylord!!!'
Busuzima turned, and there was a large sign with the words "Secret Lab, only two blocks this way" scrawled upon it.
'I don't remember putting that sign up,' Said Busuzima, looking worried.
'God damn! What the hell am I doing down thisssss crap hole with you!?!?' Exclaimed Barry, barging passed the laden Busuzima and marching off down the tunnel indicated. The mad scientist hurried after him, lumbered under the weight of Yugo.
From the shadows, the figure who had been following the bumbling pair for the past few hours smiled.
'I can't believe they fell for it,' It chuckled, before heading off down a shortcut to head them off.
Back in his private home (or the one in this city at least), Yotaba Kouto was furious. Horn and Tusk had just arrived, bleeding and tattered from their fight, and Kouto was NOT in a good mood.
'Children,' He spat, looking in disgust at his two henchmen. The two zoanthropes avoided his mad gaze; his eyes, usually disturbing, were even more mad, little blood vessels visible on the almost totally white orbs, two little pin pricks his pupils, 'You, my two VERY expensive bodyguards, were beaten by CHILDREN.'
He didn't shout, but said it in a whisper that was somehow worse than shouting. Tusk and Horn bowed their heads, still keeping silent. Kouto gave one last snarl of anger before turning away and storming down the hallway. It was richly decorated with priceless art and suits of armour, and a thick red carpet covered the ground. At the end of the hallway, a massive pair of double doors swung silently opened as he approached, and beyond that portal was….
It was huge. The house had been built upon a small hill overlooking the city, and within the hill there had been a gigantic cavern which Kouto had converted into a technological marvel. Metal walkways, huge cranes, vast vats and coolage storage facilities filled the chamber from edge to edge, and bustled with the life of dozens of science teams building what he liked to think was his little army. One of the scientists, a thin gangly man with red hair and neat little glasses, came up to him and bowed.
'Mr. Kouto, what can we do for you?'
'How many units have we produced here?' Said Kouto, looking out over his little scientific empire.
'We have nearly two hundred units produced, and nearly two thousand more in your other estates all over Japan.'
'Release the one in this lab.'
'What!?' The scientist said, amazed, 'But sir, they aren't fully tested yet!'
'Strange. The other day you were telling me the cloning procedure was going magnificently.'
'But we still don't know if the neural transmitter will activate correctly in all of them. If it doesn't, then we have a city full of clones we can't control!'
'Then make sure it works, or I will kill you,' Said Kouto, his face as serious as ever, 'And now I must leave. Busuzima must be found so my transformation will be complete.'
'Yes sir,' Said the scientist reluctantly, watching the tall dark man walk out again. He nodded to two other lab workers.
'You heard Mr. Kouto! Have the exit bays opened and start extracting the clones from deep freeze!'
The pair nodded, and hurried off to do their tasks. The red haired man wiped his glasses on his sleeve, and sighed.
'May God forgive me,' He mummered.
Vincent stopped, and looked up sharply, his eyes gazing towards the large mansion at the far side of the city. Kevin stopped next to him, as did Kenji and Stun.
'Hey, what's up Vinny?' Said Kevin, trying to follow his gaze. Vincent started to mutter to himself, under his breath.
'What was that?'
'He's there. I should have known it. The old family house; he must have had a key or something.'
'What!? You mean that mansion belongs to your family!?!'
'Yes.'
'But you live in a little flat down Nash Street! You can't afford that!'
'My family don't like to flaunt their wealth. But Uncle Kouto is different, and has access to the mansion. We need to get the others and head there as soon as possible.'
'You really sound worried,' Said Kenji, looking into his friends eyes, 'Is there something up there that you should tell us about?'
Vincent finally took his eyes off the mansion, and turned to the others.
'Well, for one thing there's a secret army of cloned zoanthropes hidden under that hill.'
'WHAT!?!?' Yelled the others in unison (except Stun, who's voice was giving him trouble again). Vincent merely nodded.
'My family gained their wealth by inventing improved gene-splicing technology that allowed the quick manufacturing of simple clones. They weren't really human, just human shaped with simple commands running through their brains. No one as yet has created a fully human clone, as the brain is simply too complex to recreate, but these clones would follow voice commands, such as "Guard" and "Eat". We were going to sell them off as useful assistants for elderly or disabled people, but something happened; someone rewrote their command functions, and turned them into killing machines.'
'Let me guess; the families black sheep Uncle Kouto, right?' Said Kevin, still looking slightly shocked.
'Exactly. He was planning on using them to take out the standing defense force and stealing everything of value before disappearing with the equipment and manufacturing a huge hoard of mindless slaves, but my father managed to stop him before he could activate them. Kouto disappeared afterwards, and we thought he was just hiding in fear of our revenge, but it looks like he was just plotting to get back his little army.'
'And he's up there, in the mansion that contains this army?' Said Kevin weakly, 'Oh boy. THAT isn't good.'
'I fail to see how it could be good,' Said Vincent, as calmly as ever, 'But first we need the help of the others; without proper assistance we would be overwhelmed by sheer numbers.'
'Okay, I have a plan,' Said Kenji, grinning slightly, 'Me and Stun will head off to get the others; Stun can fly when morphed, and the others know me a bit better. You two scout the area and see what your loony uncle is up to, then report back. You guys up to it?'
'What kind of question is that?' Said Kevin scathingly, 'Just get your butt ugly friends to the others el pronto, okay?'
'Alright then, see you at the mansion,' Said Kenji, and nodded to Stun. The hulking man was wrapped with bright energy for a moment, and when it cleared he was a beetle again. Hopping onto the massive behemoths back, Kenji nodded once to the others before Stun's back plate slid back to reveal his wings, and a few seconds later they were hovering away over the buildings. The pair left behind waited for a few moments to see they got off safely, and then rushed off again, this times heading for the ominous bulk off the Kouto mansion.
Deep below the streets, wading through the days filth, Busuzima flung Yugo to the floor, leant against the wall, and spake thusly:
'I bloody hate sewers!'
Barry, who was leaning against the other wall so he could see Busuzima at all times, glared across at him.
'Well, who'ssss bright idea wassss it to build there ssssecret lab right in the center of the sssewerssss then?' He said sarcastically, 'Why, could it have been the massster of gaynessss himsssself, Professor Gaylord Busssssuzima? Why yesssss, I believe it isssss! Jusssst sssshut up and check you're going in the right direction,' He snarled. Busuzima returned the evil stare.
'Well, I haven't seen anymore conveniently placed signs about, so I guess we're back to square one on that part. And why do I have to carry this brainless moron anyway?' He complained, kicking Yugo's body. It gave a brief moan, but didn't wake up.
'Well, you brought him, you carry him,' Said Barry simply. Suddenly, the snake zoanthrope jerked upright, went cross-eyed and keeled over to one side, splashing into the stream of dirt that washed around them both. Busuzima sighed, waded over, and gave him a sharp kick. He didn't moan or stir. It was only too late that he noticed the little dart sticking out the side of his neck, but suddenly there was a very cold sensation against his throat, and he felt a presence shift itself behind him to get in a better position to hold the knife.
'Don't move, or you'll acquire some unwanted ventilation in the form of a sliced windpipe,' Said the voice, and the scientist was surprised to hear it was female. He tried not the swallow, and gave a little nod (a VERY small nod, as there was a knife held to his throat after all).
'Er, is there anything I can do for you miss?' He said, trying to keep calm.
'Yeah. You can take me to this secret lab you keep droning on about.'
'Oh, right, okay,' Said Busuzima, beginning to sweat, 'Er, but as you can see, since we've been wondering around down here for hours-'
'Shut up. I know where the lab is, but I need your pass codes to open the security door.'
'Oh. Alright then, I guess that's reasonable,' Said Busuzima, trying to sound jolly this time, but the pressure on his throat increased slightly, and he shut up.
'Right, now get moving, and no more attempts to be nice.'
'Perish the thought,' Muttered Busuzima, as he was shoved forward down the passageway. The scientist wondered for a moment where Barry had gone, but remained silent as the knife wielder shoved him onwards.
Yugo moaned, and sat up, wiping filthy water from his face and looking around with a dazed look on his face. His head felt like it had been cut open and stuffed with cotton wool, and there was crusted blood over a cut on his brow. (How the hell did I get down here?) He thought to himself, (The last thing I can remember was Alice hitting me over the head and yelling at me about something. What was it? Huh, knowing her it could be anything. School stuff? But it's the weekend. Scratching myself in public? But we were at Long's house. Wait, that was it; Long's stupid groceries! And when I was heading back that pervert Busuzima and……)
His thoughts trailed off as an area of his brain started to sound warning sirens in his mind. Instantly his hands went to the seat of his jeans. He sighed with relief when he felt his trousers were still on; well at least the Homo hadn't tried anything when he was unconscious. He stood up and wiped some more of the slimy goo off his clothes, and only then did he realize someone was watching him.
'I ssssee you're up then,' Commented Barry Serpent, who was leaning with his back against the mildew covered walls. Yugo growled and started to wade through the stream of crap to reach the Mexican, but something under his foot slipped and he fell headfirst into the sewer stream. He quickly surfaced, gagging as he clambered out of the disgusting river and nearly throwing his guts up as he did so. Barry was in hysterics, his hissing laugh echoing around the cavern. Yugo snarled and picked up a half crumbled brick, hurling it at the snake zoanthropes head. There was a thunk, and the hissing stopped.
'That wasssss uncalled for,' Came an indignant and very hurt reply.
'Like I could give a damn! Now where have you love-partner taken me!?'
There was a long, icy pause, broken only by the sloshing torrent of waste that separated the pair.
'Firssstly, I'm not the gay one, Busssssuzima isssss. Ssssecondly, if you can't tell where we've taken you, then you are really as dumb as people ssssay.'
'Well I knew that…..Hey, what do people say about me?!?'
'Oh God, in all the ssssewerssss of the world, I have to get sssstuck down thissss one,' Sighed Barry, brushing the fringe of his black hair out of his face. The silence returned, filling up the little sewer passage.
'Look, how come you aren't with Busuzima?'
'We were mugged down here. Sssssomeone drugged a dart and ssshot me with it. Not very pleasssssant, let me tell you. When I woke up, there was just you and me.'
'The why didn't you go after him?'
There was another bout of hissing laughter. Yugo snarled; he was getting REALLY pissed off now.
'Stop laughing you *&£$"!^£()*^ and answer the question!!'
'Look at my legsssss,' Said Barry. Yugo did. They were dangling in the sewer water, swaying as the current caught them.
'Yes? They're still there if that's what you're worried about.'
Barry sighed again.
'Look where the dart hit. My legssss sssstill have the percentage of the poissssson in them. The mussscles won't resssspond. So, bassssically, I'm sssstuck here with you. Worssst luck,' He added under his breath.
'Boy, my heart's bleeding for you,' Said Yugo with mock sympathy, 'But I guess you'll be stuck down here for a while, because I CAN walk.'
'Don't try sssssarcassssm boy, it doessssn't work well with you. And yes, you can walk, so why don't you just toddle off somewhere else and leave me in peace.'
Yugo stopped, confused (no surprise there). Did Barry Serpent really want to be left down here?
'What are to ssstaring at?' Said Barry angrily, 'Go on, pisssssss off!'
'Why do you want to be left down here?'
Barry looked at him for a moment, and once more broke down into hissing laughter.
'Oh boy, you REALLY need to get back into school huh? Is it really that difficult for you to grasp? I'm a dead man walking…..well, snake man thing, but I'm sure you get the gist.'
'What? What are you talking about?'
Barry sighed, and wiped his brow. Yugo only now realized he was sweating.
'Mr. Kouto doesssssn't like failuresssss. As a matter-of-fact, he doesssssn't like anyone, but he ESPECAILLY doesssssn't like failuressssss. And he'sssss powerful, as in super-ultra-omnipotent powerful. If he want'sssss you dead, he has contactsssss in every major city and all the minor onesssss too. It doesssssn't matter if you're on the other side of the planet, he'll find you and kill you. Hell, he doesssssn't even do it like all the other bad guysssss; I've worked with some shady guysssss before, and the deal goesssss that if you capture a guy you reveal your plan to blow up the city or whatever and they esssscape and stop you. HE just putsssss a gun to your head and blowsssss your brainsssss out. So you sssssee, I'm sssssafer down here than with you, becausssse he'sssss actually looking for you. If I walk around with you, I'm nothing more than a moving target for ssssssome bounty hunter.'
Yugo looked at the chuckling Mexican, thought for a while, and made up his mind. With a swift movement, he scooped the man up off the ground and slung him over his shoulder.
'Hey, what givessss?' Yelled Barry, 'Put me down you assssss munch!'
'Shut up. If what you've said is true, then he won't stop at me; Long, Alice, Kenji, Uriko, Yugo….'
'Yugo is YOU, you dumb asssss!' Screamed Barry, thrashing around as he tried to wriggle free, 'Jussssst where are you going anyway?'
'I can still smell Busuzima faintly; even in this form I can almost taste the perverts stench. We can follow him and find this lab of yours, and from there we can find this Mr. Kouto of yours.'
'WHAT!?!?!?! YOU'RE %&*^()^%$ CRAZY!!!!!!'
'There's no call for that kind of language. And what's the big deal, he's only human, right?'
'Boy, you're gonna get yoursssself killed, and me with you!!!! You don't go looking for Mr. Kouto unlessssss you want to have a height of minussss six feet under the ground!'
'Tough. I'm not going to let him get away with what he's doing anymore.'
'My God, why do I have to get sssstuck with the dumb onessssss!?!?!' Barry yelled to the world in general.
'Master Long,' Called Uriko, knocking on her Kenpo master's door, 'Hurry up, we need to leave quickly!'
'Is that you Uriko? Just come in here for a moment would you?'
Uriko frowned; come into his room? She shrugged, and opened the door, closing it behind her. When she turned around, Long was wearing….
'Oh my God!!! Master, what is THAT!?!'
'What? Oh, it's a tie,' Said Long, holding it up for inspection. It was, for lack of a better word, snot green and luminous, with yellow zigzag shapes down the center. The occasional randomly placed red square stuck out from the hideous thing like a sore thumb.
'Master, you weren't thinking of wearing that….thing, where you?' Said Uriko. Long looked very concerned.
'What, you don't like it? What about this then?' He said, holding up a tie that was just as awful in pastel orange and purple. Uriko cringed back as Long held it forwards for her to hold.
'Master Long, where did you GET these ties from?' Said Uriko, he eyes only just readjusting after the color overload.
'Well, I have an old box of clothes I had when I was in the seventies and…..'
'The SEVENTIES!?!?! Master, you can't wear anything from the seventies in the new millennium!!!'
'Why not?' Said Long, confused.
'Why not!?! Master, the seventies was like Vietnam for clothes! Colors clashed against colors in a horrendous miss match of fashion. I've known fashion consultants that had to go into therapy when looking at something from the seventies.'
'Erm, I take it that wasn't good then?' Said Long, who felt like he was in a big ocean with nothing but a rubber duck for buoyancy. Uriko nodded.
'I advise you to burn the contents of that box as soon as possible. I thought I told you NOT to dress yourself in a fashionable way unless you asked me first. Besides, we're only going to rescue Kenji from Busuzima, so why bother dressing up for it?'
'Because, Uriko,' He said, his shoulders drooping sadly, 'I have a terrible secret to bear. Can I trust you to remain silent if I tell you?'
'Of course Master,' Said Uriko, her eyes shining; Long was always very secretive about his feelings.
'Well, I, er, I have a, erm…..I have a crush on Jane Gado! There, I said it! God that feels good!'
'What, that's IT?' Said Uriko, nonplused, 'Master, we already know about that?'
'Huh!?! You do!?! Who's "we"!?! For how long!?!?!' Said Long, shocked; had he said something when he had been drunk?
'Well, it's pretty obvious; the way you look at each other, the way you avoid talking all the time, the way she blushes when you glare at someone. You might as well have a big neon finger pointing at you saying "I'm in love with Jane Gado".'
'So you think she likes me too?' Said Long, his heart leaping.
'Oh yeah, as sure as hell is hot.'
Long stood up, his face set in a serious frown. He was silent for a moment, lost in thought.
'Uriko? Would you be so kind as to help me choose an outfit? I have a feeling that I may be needing a good looking outfit tonight. And while you're at it, I'll just phone that little Italian restraunt I know and see if they have any seats.'
'Wow, you've really thought about it haven't you?' Said Uriko.
'Well, sort of; I was trying to remember what the guy did in that movie, Casablanca. Now if I can only get my hands on some German soldiers….'
'Er, I think just restraunt will be fine; you don't need to make it JUST like the film after all.'
'Really? Well that's a blessing then; God knows where I would have found some German solider at this time of the day.'
'Have you still got alcohol in your system?' Said Uriko suspiciously.
'No! Well anyway, get looking through my wardrobe.'
'Okay Master Long. I hope you know what your doing though.'
'Stop here,' The voice behind Busuzima commanded. The scientist dropped gratefully onto the sewers ledge, panting for breath. They had been walking for nearly an hour, and finally Busuzima was beginning to recognize certain parts of the underground labyrinth. If he was correct, the lab was just around the corner. As he rested, he felt the figure pull something over his eyes, and his vision went black.
'Just for safety you understand. I just need to make sure you don't escape while I check to see if there is any security at the door.'
Busuzima was silent; he knew for a fact that there were several hidden turrets that would open fire the second and incorrect code was given. He started to form a plan to escape. A few minutes later, he heard his captors footsteps echoing back towards him, and the blindfold was removed, the knife back at his throat.
'Move,' The female voice said again. Indeed, as Busuzima had remembered, around the corner was the door to the secret lab, a huge thick metal wall with a small computer terminal set to the side. The knife was removed, and Busuzima felt himself shoved forward.
'Type in the codes, and then you can run away back to your friend.'
Busuzima resisted the urge to run now, and studied the computer screen. Now, the access the gun turrets to target his kidnapper and not himself, he would need the Gamma, Beta and Omega codes in that order. His hands blurred across the keypad, and after only a brief pause to ready himself, he hit the enter key and threw himself to one side. As he had expected, as soon as he had pressed the last key, the woman behind him and thrown the knife with unnerving accuracy, the heavy metal blade smashing into the computers monitor and shorting the circuitry. Even as he landed, there was a whir as five gun turrets sprang out from their hiding places and started blasting away wildly, filling the tunnel with whizzing bullets. Busuzima crawled away on his hands and knees, not looking back, until he reached a small hiding space and rolled into it just before a stream of bullets pattered into the ground where he had been. The damn computer must have been destroyed before it had time to process all the codes, and now the turrets were firing blindly. He had only one choice; with a flash of light, he had morphed into his beast form, and after pausing for a moment for a gap in the gunfire he concentrated, turned invisible, and rolled out of hiding. Quickly rolling upright, his tongue lashed out, gripping one of the turrets and pulling it free of the wall in a shower of sparks. With a surprisingly nimble leap, he stuck to the wall, clambered up it, and tore another turret off of the roof. One that had emerged from a patch of moss suddenly swiveled around, blazing away at the chameleon zoanthrope hanging from the roof and sending him crashing to the floor in a shower of brick chipping and dust. Busuzima struggled to his feet, but he knew he was already dead; three turrets were turning towards him, and he felt his energy ebb from him.
The first turret exploded in a shower of metal fragments and electric wiring. The second was already swinging around to face this new threat, but it too met a similar fate, showering Busuzima with debris. The last one opened fire, bullets zipping through the air like hyperactive bees, but suddenly a large, powerful form leapt forward, tearing it off the wall…..with its teeth.
Before Busuzima stood a tall, powerful creature, covered from head to foot in thick, leathery green scale. Its arms were short but powerful, and it at first seemed to heavy to stand until you noticed the thick tree trunk-like tail that swayed from side to side, countering the weight. Its long muzzle was filled with horrendously sharp teeth, each one glittering as white as an angels wing. Its little eyes, set at the side of its head, were yellow and slitted, and it seemed to be wearing a crocodile hide waistcoat, a pair of ripped jeans and a ten galleon hat (note: a cowboy hat for those who do not know what it's real name is) with a feather stuck in it.
'Who are you?' Said Busuzima, morphing back into his human form with exhaustion. The figure looked down at him, and then it too began to shrink, becoming slimmer and less scaly until it was once more in its human form.
'Just call me Beth,' Said the sultry woman before him, pulling her clothes into a more comfortable position. The jeans, although ripped, still hung to her legs, and the hat was now atop a much prettier head, with a beautiful face with a head of rusty red hair in bangs that fell across her face. Busuzima goggled her in amazement.
'You!? You were my kidnapper!?'
'Yep. It's been a while Busuzima,' Said the woman, smiling with brilliantly white teeth. She was about to say something else, but the scientist pitched forward, blacking out in his exhaustion. The last words he heard before going totally under where 'Just like when we were married…….'
Another chapter done, ahead of schedule. I had a big boost of inspiration out of the blue, so in the next chapter expect more from all the Bloody Roar II crew, plus some more of my own characters described in greater depth, a bit of Barry's shady dealings will be revealed, and the big question on everyone's lips will be answered……is Busuzima gay or not? Find out, when I post the next chapter!