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 6: Reunited at Last
Stun staggered around the last corner, and leant against the wall, panting for breath. Kenji, who was only a short distance ahead, skidded to a halt and jogged back towards the panting man.
'Hey, come on already! We're nearly there!'
'God kid, who are you, the damn Energizer Bunny? Why the heck aren't you tired!?'
'I AM tired, I'm just not letting it get to me, now come on!'
Stun straightened up, and winced as the feeling returned to his legs.
'Okay, but when we've found them and all this is over, I'm going straight to the nearest motel and booking a room for a week; all this running around has tired me right out.'
Kenji was running before he'd even finished the sentence. With a slight growl of annoyance, Stun lumbered off after him.
And from the shadows of the opposite street, Mr. King watched them head off. With a little chuckle, he headed off after them, unnoticeable in the shadows.
Jane, Alan and Jenny were seated on a bench, in the middle of a small park near the City Center.
'So all I've got to do to get Long to like me again is to shout at him?' Said Jane doubtfully. Jenny smiled.
'Yep, that's all. Men are so easy to please, isn't that right Alan.'
'I remain silent to protect my dignitary and that of my genders,' Said Alan, sitting stiffly with his arms folded and a rather sullen look on his face. He really didn't like listening to women talk, but he had been forced to listen for four hours about boys, women's magazines and a number of more "personal" topics that Alan had vowed never to talk about and never wished to hear again, ESPECIALLY from his daughter.
'Oh you're such a stiff-ass Alan,' Said Jenny with a childish grin, 'You need to loosen up a little, live life a bit more.'
'I'll "loosen up" once Kouto is stopped and all the clones are destroyed,' Said Alan sternly.
'Okay, no need to get like that about it. Hey Jane, doesn't he sound like Long when he goes like that?'
The pair chuckled to themselves, while Alan sat there and quietly fumed to himself. Suddenly, the veteran lion zoanthrope looked up, his ears pricking.
'Something's out there,' He growled, looking around at the dark greenery. There was a rustling of leaves as the wind blew through the branches of a tree, but he couldn't spot anything out of the ordinary.
'Look!' Said Jenny, pointing at something at the far end of the park, near the entrance gate, 'Someone's locking us in here!'
The three leapt up and ran towards the gate. They had nearly reached it when the two figures fiddling with the lock finished what they were doing and ran off into the darkness. Alan grabbed the metal bars and tugged, but they didn't budge.
'Damn it! Can we scale the walls?'
'No chance, they're too steep and smooth,' Said Jane, running her hand across the stone surface, 'But maybe we can get out the other gate. It's on the other side of the park, but if we run, we may get there before those goons do.'
They set off, running as fast as they could, through the park, the shadow enwrapped shrubbery swaying as they passed. They had just crested the hill that lay above the gate, when the spotted the small group of figures enter through the gate.
'Damn, we're too late,' Growled Alan.
Well, they're not locking the gate,' Said Jenny, peering through the darkness.
'Yeah, and those guys seem to be soldiers of some kind; they're all wearing some kind of uniform, but I can't make it out in this darkness.'
'They're wearing dark green combat fatigues,' Said Jenny. She turned, grinning slightly, 'Hey, I AM a bat zoanthrope after all; night vision comes with the territory.'
'What are a load of soldiers doing here?' Said Alan, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, 'Are they some kind of anti-zonathrope unit?'
'Wait, there's another guy,' Said Jenny, looking out again at the group, 'A big guy, REALLY big. He's wearing leather clothing, the type bikers wear, and he seems to be the one in command. Oh yeah, and he's REALLY GOD DAMN BIG!'
'Well whoever they are, they're fanning out,' Jane added, pointing at the group which was now heading off in small teams of two men. The large brute of a man stood at the gateway, his arms folded and a fierce scowl on his faced.
'I wonder why the left only one man on the gate?' Said Jenny. Alan gave a small sniff, and growled under his breath.
'Because I'd stake my life on that guy being a zoanthrope. These must be some of the guys from Mr. Kouto's personal army.'
'Oh great, so he knows we're coming?' Said Jenny in exasperation, 'Well THAT certainly ruins the element of surprise.'
'Forget about that, it's Long and Uriko I'm worried about,' Said Jane, but Alan shook his head.
'Long and Uriko are both capable of looking after themselves. Right now, we have to worry about our own hides.'
'Well, what are we going to do, and make it quick, because we've got four soldiers heading straight towards us,' Hissed Jenny. Alan gave a grin.
'Well, what else can we do?'
HE stood up, smiled at the surprised soldiers, and hit one very hard over the head. The man, loosing his balance from the blow, slipped on the grass and tumbled down the hill.
'That's my father,' Sighed Jane, leaping forward and kicking another guard hard in the groin, 'Never one for tactics.'
In Long's house, Alice sighed, and switched the television off.
'I wonder how everybody else is doing?' She sighed, looking out the window the pointed east, across the whole of the city. In the distance, the bright light that was the city Mansion glittered in the dark backdrop of the night. As she watched it, she imagined the fight going on between her friends, her little sister Uriko, and her boyfriend Yugo (who STILL hadn't come back from getting Long's groceries). She'd never had admitted that she really was Yugo's boyfriend to anyone else, but when she was alone and all by herself, she really did miss him.
She stood up, her face set in a serious mask of determination. She went into the kitchen, picked up a red towel and, with all the grace and reverence of a samurai preparing himself for battle, tied it around her forehead. She checked herself in the mirror, turned, and ran out into the streets.
'No one is touching a hair on my wolf-boys head, do you hear me!?' She yelled at the night, 'No one!!'
She stopped yelling when she noticed that a rather elderly man, dressed in his dressing gown and slippers, was watching her owlishly in the middle of putting his garbage in the dustbin.
'Er, sorry to alarm you sir,' She said sheepishly, before rushing off to find the others. The old man watched her go, and shook his head.
'Kids these days,' He muttered, before shuffling off back to his house to feed the cat.
Long and Uriko, while strolling down Adam's Street, were having an argument.
'NO Master, you CAN'T just let HER ask you out on a date!'
'Why not? I thought that love was meant to be a two-way thing, which therefore implies that women are just as capable of expressing their love for certain men.'
'Yes Master, but women need MEN to ask them out, so they can pamper them.'
'Why must men ask women out just to pamper them?'
'Because that's how men show their love for women!'
'But how do WOMEN show their love for MEN!?'
'I….well, we sort off….erm…..I don't want to talk about it,' She finished lamely, hanging her head.
'No Uriko, I insist,' Said Long firmly, 'I am your Master, and I demand to know how women express their love for men!'
Uriko sighed; was her master really THIS naïve? Looking both ways to make sure no one was around, she beckoned for Long to bend down, and whispered in his ear. Long's face remained the same, but his features did harden a little.
'Oh, I SEE,' He said, as realization dawned, 'But I thought that only happened after marriage?'
'Times have changed Master. Nowadays, men can't just go around slaying animals and presenting their skinned hides to their chosen wife; now they have to buy stuff like perfume and jewelry to impress a woman, and in return they jump in the sack together every once in a while.'
'Truly I have much to learn about the modern world,' Long said solemnly. Uriko patted him on his shoulder.
'Hey, no problems, we'll get there eventually. Just take it one step at a time. Now, shall we try "Hey dude" again?'
'I don't know, I'm still a little confused from last time we tried that,' Said Long nervously.
'Relax, it's really sim--'
She stopped, looking up suddenly.
'Master? Can you hear that?' She said faintly.
'Yes, I can hear something,' Said Long after a brief pause, 'It's coming from the street behind us.'
They both turned, and looked down the long street behind them. At the far end, dimly lit by the street lights, a figure was running towards them. Uriko gasped, as she heard the strangers cry more clearly.
'Master, it's Kenji! KENJI!' She cried, rushing off towards the running figure. Long blinked, shook his head, and headed off after her.
Kevin watched as the figure pulled itself free of the sack, and stood up uncertainly, as if it wasn't sure quite what to do next. It was taller than he was, wearing what appeared to be the same dark green combat fatigues that Kouto's guards wore. He (or at least Kevin considered it to be a he) was well muscled underneath the loose fitting uniform, but one thing stuck out more than anything.
It had no face.
Sure, it had a head, and there were two black orbs that may have been eyes, but there was no nose, no mouth, no ears; just a head and two eyes. The flesh was a ghostly white, and looked tough and rubbery from where Kevin was standing (which was a safe distance away from the figure). It stood there for a moment, swaying slightly on the balls of its heavy combat boots, before rocking gently to a halt. Still, it remained still and silent. Feeling slightly bolder when faced with an apparently inanimate cell partner, the mongoose zoanthrope took a few steps toward him.
'Er, hello?' He ventured. The figure remained facing straight ahead, not turning the face him.
'I don't know what I am,' It said suddenly, n a deep, husky voice. Kevin jumped back in surprise.
'How did you say that? You haven't got a mouth!'
The thing turned to face him, slowly shuffling as though it had to think about every muscle movement involved.
'I need a mouth?' It said, with a small hint of hope in its voice, 'If you know that I need a mouth, then do you know what it is I am meant to be?'
'What? Hey man, I just said that you didn't have a mouth; to tell the truth, I don't have a God damn clue WHAT you are.'
The figure sagged, its arms drooping.
'I did not expect you to know,' It said sadly, 'The others, they did not speak to me. I look just like them, and in truth I AM them, but yet I am different.'
'Different? Others like you? Wait a minute,' Said Kevin, slowly gathering his thoughts, 'Are you one of those clones that Kouto was making?'
'A clone?' It said, confused, 'What is a clone? Am I such a being?'
Kevin paused for a moment; was it really wise to tell him everything he knew? Granted, he didn't know a lot, but it still might make the guy edgy.
'Er, do you have a name?'
'A name? I don't know what one is,' Said the thing, 'Is it required of a clone to have a name?'
'I don't know. Did anyone call you anything to identify you?'
'They said "Get out my way scum!" a lot. Is that a name?'
'Er, no. Definitely not a name. Hey, what's that on your arm?'
The clone raised its arm for Kevin to see. Along the arm there was a white strip sewn into the material, which had the words "Project Oni" written on it.
'Oni huh? That's Japanese for Ghost or something like that. Well, you sure do look like a ghost.'
'Please, I am confused now,' Said the clone helplessly, 'You say I am a clone, yet now you refer to me as a ghost. Please, what am I?'
'Relax man! I think for the moment we'll call you Oni, to avoid confusion.'
'And that makes me a ghost?'
'No, you're still a clone.'
'But you just called me an Oni, and as you say, an Oni is a ghost.'
Kevin sighed. This was going to take some explaining.
The guard squinted into the darkness. He was one of the large number patrolling the mansion from the outside, and it was his turn to make sure the garden area was secure and the cameras were still working. He looked up onto the roof, where another soldier was looking. The guard looked down, and waved at him to proceed. With a half-hearted salute, he gripped his rifle tighter and headed off into the shadowy gardens.
He really hated this job; there was a stretch of thirty feet that the cameras couldn't focus on properly, and that meant a guard had to go and see if there was anyone in there, lurking about. It was dangerous, risky and not at all pleasant in this cold weather. He shivered, and pulled his fatigues closer to him. He was surprised to find that the trip to the base of the security camera went by rather quickly, possibly to do with him being distracted by his thoughts, and he breathed a sigh of relief; seeing as no one had snuck out and slit his throat open, it seemed like there was no one here.
Suddenly, the ground beneath his feet slid aside, making him loose his footing and tumble down the newly opened hole with a small wail of despair. Yugo hauled himself out of the secret exit to the mansion, and peered down the hole.
'Is everyone alright? Did that soldier land on anyone?'
'Yeah, sssstraight on Busssuzimasssss head,' Chuckled Barry, climbing up the rusty ladder and pulling himself out onto the path.
'That isn't funny you dick Barry,' Snarled the mad scientist and he too clambered out of the hole, clutching a rather large bruise on his forehead.
'That's enough from the pair of you,' Snapped Beth sharply, the last to exit the hole, 'Remember what we're here for! I don't want to have to split you two up, is that clear?'
'Yes Beth,' The pair said in unison, their heads bowed in resignation. Yugo shook his head.
'You really have those two under the whip, don't you?' He said. Beth gave a nasty grin, and grabbed him by the ear.
'And don't think I'm not watching you either. What I said to them goes for you too.'
'Ow! Okay, okay, just stop pulling me ear off!' Yugo yelped, 'Are you sure you're not related to Alice in any way? You act just like her.'
'Enough small talk. We've gotten in here, but it would be best to do this as stealthily as possible. So here's the plan….'
Vincent was standing on one of the metal walkways, overlooking the exit bays. From here, the secret exits from the mansion would open up in the cities sewers, and then the clones would be released, fanning out through the underground tunnels until the command was triggered, and then……
Vincent shuddered as he though of the carnage and destruction the clones would wreak. After the initial attack had been executed, his uncle expected heavy resistance from the cities militia, and from the Japanese Army shortly after that. An army of clones was one thing, but what he had in store to handle the rest of his enemies was diabolical.
(What have I gotten myself into?) He thought, when suddenly he felt someone walk into him. He turned to see a rather pale scientist with a thick head of ginger hair. The man was sweating, and kept glancing through his fogged up glasses.
'Er, are you Vincent? Mr. Kouto's nephew?'
'That's me,' He said patiently.
'Do you want him to win?'
'What?'
'Answer me quickly!' The terrified man hissed, glancing over his shoulder. Already two of the guards were looking at them, obviously thinking about heading over towards them, 'Do you want him to win?'
'…..No,' He said. The scientist smiled weakly, and pushed something into his pocket; it was square and hard, much like a CD case.
'This is all I can give you. It's a program that counters that of the psychic link to the clones. Use it to stop that crazy bastard Kouto! I don't expect that I'll be alive in time to see it, but promise me you'll do it?'
'I--' Vincent began.
'Promise me!'
'……I promise.'
The scientist gave a sigh of relief. He looked like he was going to say more, when one of the soldiers who had been looking at them walked forward and laid a hand on his shoulder.
'Would you kindly come with me sir,' The guard intoned dryly. The scientist blanched visibly, and nodded weakly. As the guard led him away, the other one approached Vincent.
'You'd best forget about what that man told you, if it was anything bad about Mr. Kouto; if he gets wind of it, and he WILL get wind of it, then it's best to be totally ignorant of anything said. Just remember that, alright kid?'
Vincent looked into the mans eyes, and nodded.
'Good kid. I suggest you head off somewhere else now.'
As the guard headed off on his patrol route, Vincent's hand strayed to his pocket, and patted the CD thoughtfully.
Kenji ran as fast as he could, screaming at the top of his lungs.
'I'M COMING URIKO!' He bellowed, pounding the street as he pushed himself further and further to his limits. Way behind him, Stun jogged on, huffing and puffing as he tried to at least keep sight of the wayward ninja.
'God damn, if he goes any faster they'll pull him over for speeding!' He said, half in awe and half in annoyance. Suddenly, he spotted something moving out of the corner of his eye. At first he thought it was just a shadow, but then he noticed the slight movements that showed it to be a figure, cleverly sticking to the shadows to avoid detection.
'Damn! Kenji!? KENJI!?' He yelled, but he was too far behind for the young ninja to hear him, 'dumb-ass kid, always leaving himself exposed like that,' He muttered, grunting in pain as he tried to go faster than he reasonably could.
On the other side of the street, Uriko was jumping for joy, grinning widely as Kenji got closer.
'Look Master!' She giggled happily, 'It's Kenji! But wait a minute…..there's someone right behind him! If he thinks he can harm my Kenji--' She began, rolling back her long sleeves for a fight, but Long laid a hand on her shoulder.
'Relax Uriko, it's just Stephen Goldberg. I daresay he helped Kenji escape from Busuzima. He's in no danger.'
Ironically, just as he finished saying the sentence, the figure who had been keeping pace with Kenji whilst hidden in the shadows leapt out, knocking Kenji off balance. Still running at a fantastic speed, the mole zoanthrope steered haphazardly into a wall, smacking his head hard against the stone.
'KENJI!!' Uriko screamed, as the young ninja fell to the floor, 'Master, we have to go save him!'
'We're too far away to get to him in time, and it looks like we have some trouble of our own,' Said Long grimly. Uriko turned, and saw the green uniformed troops advancing down the street with a huge figure in the lead. There were few soldiers, but they were armed and looked well trained.
'Trapped,' Muttered Long, 'To run now would leave Kenji helpless and in the enemies hands, and to stay would mean a battle that could cost us our lives.'
'What do we do Master Long?' Said Uriko, taking up a well practiced fighting stance, 'I'm ready for them.'
'Maybe it would be best to retreat a little way first; to fight out here in the open would be foolish indeed. We shall lead them off down a side alley and pick them off one at a time from there.'
'But what about Kenji!?' Said Uriko desperately.
'We can but hope that Stun reaches him in time. I am sorry Uriko, but there is nothing more I can do.'
'I-I understand,' She said sadly. Long hung his head for a moment, and then stepped forward, looking towards the large figure at the head of the soldiers.
'If it is us you are after, then you are in for a chase!' He yelled, before beckoning for Uriko to follow him down a side alley. In the midst of the soldiers, Tusk snarled angrily.
'After them!' He bellowed to the soldiers, who set off with well drilled movements, each one covering the others as the moved in on Long's and Uriko's position. Tusk looked down the street, and thought if he should assist King in destroying the other two. He shrugged; one was already down and at his mercy, and the other look like he was no match for him. With a nasty grin, he lumbered off after his men.
Kenji blinked hard, trying to shake the stars out of his vision. He hadn't seen the guy coming at him until the last moment, and considering that he had only just ran into a brick wall, he was lucky that ALL he had was a mild concussion. The figure loomed over him, and through the lights that flashed before his eyes he made out certain features; a long heavy looking trenchcoat, a large brimmed hat, and two small red points of eyes, the only thing that he could see in the shadows hiding his face.
'Who the hell are you?' Kenji said, trying to sound demanding and authoritative, but his blow to the head had effected his speaking, which was now slow and slurred. The figure laughed.
'My my, what a strong little morsel we have here then. Most people would have been knocked unconscious by a blow like that. Well, the LEAST I can do is answer a question from a doomed little boy.'
The man reached up with leather gloved hands, and pulled the hat away, revealing his face.
'My name is Jason King, boy. And that,' he said, raising a heavy booted foot, 'Is the end of you.'
The foot came down, and to Kenji it seemed to be going as slowly as a continent moving. (This is it) He thought to himself (I'm going to die. Forgive me Uriko…..)
Before the boot could crush his skull, someone dived out of the darkness and bore King to the ground, sending the man skidding into the gutter. Staggering to his feet, the man looked up to see Stun's fist growing larger and larger, with all the power of a carcrash put behind it. The fist knocked King's head back hard, sending the man toppling backwards once again into the gutter.
'Can you move kid?' Said Stun over his shoulder. Kenji had already pulled himself up, and was leaning unsteadily against a lamp-post. He nodded.
'Good. Now, you go after Long and that girlfriend of yours, and leave this guy to me.'
'No! I can't just leave you to fight him!' Kenji protested weakly. Stun growled.
'I said go!'
Kenji hesitated for a moment, and then he was off, running after the soldiers who were chasing Long and Uriko. Stun turned back to see King stagger back to his feet, clutching at his jaw.
'You'll pay for that,' He hissed, and threw back an arm, tossing his trenchcoat to one side.
Jason King was tall and dark looking, with limp strand of ash blonde hair falling rakishly over his brow. His features, while quite beautiful, were marred by a long scar that ran down his right cheek, and his face was twisted in a permanent scowl of anger. His clothing was black and sleek, fitting his body perfectly like a glove, and it shone faintly in the street light. But by fart the worse thing was his eyes; they were red, and they glowed like some unholy fire was burning behind them.
'I take it you're one of Mr. Kouto's hired goons then?' Said Stun, taking up a more defensive posture. King grinned madly.
'Yeah, you could say that. I tend to do the odd job here and there, this and that,' He said, and the flesh under his left eye had begun to twitch. Stun took a step back, not dropping his guard.
'Damn man, what's wrong with you? You insane of something?'
'Insane!? ME!?!? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!'
'That settles it, you're a lunatic.'
'So what if I am!? I have power!!'
'Oh yeah? Then why are you still talking and not fighting?'
With a screech of rage, King hurled himself at Stun, but the huge man side stepped, leaving King to skid across the floor.
'You can't control yourself can you? You have power, but it ain't yours to command.
'Shut up!!!' Spat King, 'I'm in control damn it!!'
'Yeah, sure you are.'
'I'll show you!' King snarled, and a wave of bright red energy engulfed him. When it had cleared, a new figure was standing there; it was squat and powerful looking, with thick looking body armour and little dumpy legs that looked like they could hold up a lot more weight than they already were. At the end of each long arm were a pair of pincers that snipped constantly, as if they had a mind of their own, and a huge tail curled over its head, ending in a huge fat stinger. The two red eyes remained, set on two short stalks.
'Let me show you the power of the Red Scorpion!!!' Came the insane chattering voice, as it gripped a signpost and snipped it in half. Stun shrugged.
'The Red Scorpion huh? I'll remember to carve that one on your tomb stone.'
With a blast of white energy, Stun morphed into his beetle form, and crouched down for the attack.
'You really don't know who you're up against do you!?' Yelled King, before leaping forward, pincers stretched out for the attack.
Alan Gado ducked the clumsy punch the soldier threw at him, and punch him hard in the gut, and raising his knee into the mans face as he doubled up in pain. There was a satisfyingly meaty crunch as the mans nose was crushed flat, and the soldier stumbled backwards, knocking another soldier down as he fell down the steep hill. Panting for breath, Alan looked around; the soldier were in close, and that was good for the three zoanthropes. At a distant, it didn't matter what form you were in, a rifle bullet was still a rifle bullet, but thankfully they were too close in to use their weapons without risk of hitting another soldier. But there was a problem; Alan could see the large figure who he suspected was a zoanthrope at the foot of the hill, cocking the safety catch off a rifle.
'Get down!' He yelled, before casting himself to the ground. Jane and Jenny, who were fighting back-to-back, had only a split second to dive to the ground before the huge man let loose a full round of ammo up the hill, spraying everything with a withering hail of bullets; turf, trees, plants, and the Kouto soldiers. One was hit with three bullets through the chest, and the corpse landed on Alan's leg, pinning it to the ground.
'Damn it!' He cursed, trying to roll the body off his leg, but it was too heavy with all its equipment to shift easily. Alan's mind raced; out in the open, pinned down as he was, he was a sitting duck for the next volley. He tried to bend round an push the corpse from his leg, but it was too late; the zoanthrope with the rifle had finished reloading, and was already drawing a bead on the pinned Alan.
'God damn it, this isn't my time!' Alan yelled, 'I'm not gonna die like this, on the ground and defenseless!'
And that, under normal circumstances, would have been it for Alan Gado, if Jenny and Jane had not leapt at the hulking man and bore him to the ground, the gun skidding across the ground. The two women tried to pin the mans arms, but he was far too strong. With a bellow of anger, the zonathrope threw his arms up, hurling the two women to the ground.
'You'll pay for that, little lady's,' The man snarled.
'Yeah, sure we will,' Grunted Jenny, staggering back onto her feet. Jane was helping Alan move the body off his leg, and the pair joined her, circling around the man.
'Three against one? I like those kinda odds,' Said Jane with a grin.
'Oh do you really? Then lets see how you like THESE odds!'
The man was wrapped with a dark, pulsing cloud of energy, and once it had cleared, a massive rhino stood before them, fists balled up.
'They call me Horn,' He snarled, 'And I'm one of Mr. Kouto's best bodyguards. I suggest you give in now and take a short, clean death.'
'You won't be so cocky once I'm through with your ass!' Jane snarled, but Alan held out an arm.
'It's too risky. He must have some sort of plan if he's so confident to take on all three of us. One of us should hold him off while the other two contact Long and Uriko.'
'Alan, are you sure you can handle this guy?' Said Jenny. The veteran Lion zoanthrope gave a grim smile.
'I have no idea. We'll have to see, won't we?'
'Father,' Jane said, but Jenny laid a hand on her shoulder.
'Lets go Jane. He knows what to do.'
With a last reluctant glance over her shoulder, Jane grudgingly ran off after Jenny, leaving Alan and Horn alone, surrounded by the bodies of the dead soldiers.
'You're brave, I'll give you that,' Said Horn with a nasty grin, 'But that don't mean I ain't gonna tear out your liver and eat it raw.'
'Well I hope you don't think I'm just going to LET you do that,' Alan replied, morphing into his beast form and taking up a combat stance. The pair were still for a moment, each one glaring at the other, and then, at the same moment, they leapt.
Tusk stormed through the narrow alley, growling angrily. He and his men had chased the two targets into the network of side alleys and tiny streets, and five minutes later they were STILL looking for them. He grabbed one soldier by the neck and hoisted him up to eye level.
'What is taking so long!?' He bellowed at the terrified man.
'We don't know sir!' The soldier babbled quickly, 'They've just vanished!'
With a growl, Tusk hurled the man over his shoulder, ignoring the pitiful wail as he hit a wall and slide down, his head cracked open.
'Find them, or you'll all be like him!' He yelled at the astonished soldiers. Quickly gathering their wits, they started to comb through the streets once again.
From under the street, peering up through a storm drain, Long and Uriko watched as the booted feet stomped past.
'Are we safe?' Uriko whispered.
'It would appear so, for the moment. We'll need to be careful though,' Long whispered back. Suddenly, they heard a soldier cry out, and for a brief moment they thought they had been spotted, but then they realized the shouting was coming from the other side of the street.
'Master, what is it?' Said Uriko, who was too short to peer through the drain. Long tried the squint through the crowd of soldiers.
'I can't tell. All I can tell is that they're fighting someone. Wait, I think I can hear someone shouting……oh dear.'
'What Master Long? What's going on?'
'It's Kenji. He's calling for you and drawing their attention,' Muttered Long, 'Stupid boy. Surely he could have been a bit more covert about it.'
'Never mind that Master, we have to go rescue him!' Cried Uriko, clambering up the ladder.
'Uriko, wait!' Hissed Long, but she was already gone, racing towards the back of the crowd. The old China man sighed, pulled off his glasses, and wiped them on the sleeve of his T-shirt.
'Teenagers,' He sighed, and began to climb the ladder.
Kenji ducked the clumsy punch that one man had leveled at him, and brought him to the floor with a leg sweep. As he came up again, he sprung up into the air, landing with both feet upon the head of another soldier. One of them had drawn a knife, and managed to slice a cut along his left arm, but he didn't notice.
'URIKO!? URIKO!?' HE bellowed, fighting madly against the overwhelming odds. Someone had managed to get behind him, and Kenji felt a rifle butt slam against the back of his head. He stumbled forward, and got a knee to the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. He crumpled, dropping to the floor as the soldiers moved in, kicking him prone body. Suddenly, one of the soldiers at the back of the mob felt the full fury of Uriko, sent flying through the air from a savage kick. One man turned around, and got a flurry of punches to the face for his troubles. The soldiers were now confused; half of them were still trying to beat Kenji to a bloody pulp, while the other half were attempting to get out of the way of the fuming Uriko.
'I'm gonna say this only once,' She snarled, as she broke a mans outstretched arm neatly along the bone, 'GET AWAY FROM MY MOLE-BOY!'
Kenji blinked hard, trying to shake the sluggish feeling off. Groggily, he lifted his head, and saw his girlfriend beating seven shades of brown out of a floored soldier.
'Lets see how you like it then, eh?!' She was shouting, and then she noticed that Kenji was conscious again.
'KENJI!' She yelled happily, running over to him and leaving the soldier groaning on the floor. She knelt down, and cradled his head on her lap. Kenji smiled weakly.
'Hey, I thought it was me who was meant to save you,' He croaked, his throat dry and swollen.
'That's very old fashioned of you,' Chided Uirko, grinning with him as she wiped the sweat off his brow with her sleeve, 'Women are just as capable of saving men.'
Kenji blinked, and opened his mouth to shout a warning, but it was too late; Uriko saw the shadow fall over her just before she felt the ham-like fist grip her neck, lifting her easily into the air. Tusk grinned, and grabbed Kenji in his other free hand.
'Well well well, what do we have here? Two lovebirds I see. Tell me, little girl,' He snarled, shaking Uriko in his fist, 'Will you like your boyfriend so much once I tear his head off his shoulders?'
'GGGGAAAHHHH!' Was the strangled response, and she kicked out wildly. Tusk chuckled.
'Temper temper,' He said.
'I suggest you put the girl and the boy down, before I really get angry,' A voice rang out, as clear as a bell. Tusk looked up, and saw Long, standing patiently in a Kenpo stance.
'Yeah? What ya going to do about it, pretty boy?' Sneered Tusk.
'I see you will not take the easy path I have offered,' Said Long solemnly, 'Which only leave the hard path. Be warned, two people may go down the hard path, but only ONE ever leaves it.'
'So you're looking for a fight,' The huge thug said, grinning evilly. With a shrug, he tossed the two teenagers over his shoulder, letting them land heavily on the pavement behind, 'I'm up for it. I can finish them two once I'm done kicking your brains out your skull.'
'Master…' Said Uriko weakly, but Long held up a hand.
'Uriko, I have a request for you; take Kenji and go to the meeting point. Hopefully Alan and the other should have arrived by now. I shall hold off this fool until then.'
Uriko was silent for a moment, and she looked as if she was going to argue, but Kenji laid a hand on her shoulder.
'It's alright,' He said softly, 'He knows what he's doing. Lets go.'
'Be careful Master,' Said Uriko, before heading off down a side alley. Long returned his attention to Tusk, who had now changed into his elephant form.
'What you waiting for pretty boy?' He chuckled, beckoning with a thick finger. Long remained silent, and changed into his Tiger form.
'I hate to do this, but I belief Uriko would find it appropriate,' Said Long, 'Ehem…..You're going down!!!'
And there it is, another chapter. Kenji and Uriko HAVE been reunited, although there hasn't been much time for lovey-dovey stuff. Rest assured, they WILL find the time, later (I'm sure all you Keniko fans will be pleased to hear that). Well, not a lot more I can say, except tune in for the next chapter, where the battles shall be decided, and the Secrets of Project Oni are revealed
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 6: Reunited at Last
Stun staggered around the last corner, and leant against the wall, panting for breath. Kenji, who was only a short distance ahead, skidded to a halt and jogged back towards the panting man.
'Hey, come on already! We're nearly there!'
'God kid, who are you, the damn Energizer Bunny? Why the heck aren't you tired!?'
'I AM tired, I'm just not letting it get to me, now come on!'
Stun straightened up, and winced as the feeling returned to his legs.
'Okay, but when we've found them and all this is over, I'm going straight to the nearest motel and booking a room for a week; all this running around has tired me right out.'
Kenji was running before he'd even finished the sentence. With a slight growl of annoyance, Stun lumbered off after him.
And from the shadows of the opposite street, Mr. King watched them head off. With a little chuckle, he headed off after them, unnoticeable in the shadows.
Jane, Alan and Jenny were seated on a bench, in the middle of a small park near the City Center.
'So all I've got to do to get Long to like me again is to shout at him?' Said Jane doubtfully. Jenny smiled.
'Yep, that's all. Men are so easy to please, isn't that right Alan.'
'I remain silent to protect my dignitary and that of my genders,' Said Alan, sitting stiffly with his arms folded and a rather sullen look on his face. He really didn't like listening to women talk, but he had been forced to listen for four hours about boys, women's magazines and a number of more "personal" topics that Alan had vowed never to talk about and never wished to hear again, ESPECIALLY from his daughter.
'Oh you're such a stiff-ass Alan,' Said Jenny with a childish grin, 'You need to loosen up a little, live life a bit more.'
'I'll "loosen up" once Kouto is stopped and all the clones are destroyed,' Said Alan sternly.
'Okay, no need to get like that about it. Hey Jane, doesn't he sound like Long when he goes like that?'
The pair chuckled to themselves, while Alan sat there and quietly fumed to himself. Suddenly, the veteran lion zoanthrope looked up, his ears pricking.
'Something's out there,' He growled, looking around at the dark greenery. There was a rustling of leaves as the wind blew through the branches of a tree, but he couldn't spot anything out of the ordinary.
'Look!' Said Jenny, pointing at something at the far end of the park, near the entrance gate, 'Someone's locking us in here!'
The three leapt up and ran towards the gate. They had nearly reached it when the two figures fiddling with the lock finished what they were doing and ran off into the darkness. Alan grabbed the metal bars and tugged, but they didn't budge.
'Damn it! Can we scale the walls?'
'No chance, they're too steep and smooth,' Said Jane, running her hand across the stone surface, 'But maybe we can get out the other gate. It's on the other side of the park, but if we run, we may get there before those goons do.'
They set off, running as fast as they could, through the park, the shadow enwrapped shrubbery swaying as they passed. They had just crested the hill that lay above the gate, when the spotted the small group of figures enter through the gate.
'Damn, we're too late,' Growled Alan.
Well, they're not locking the gate,' Said Jenny, peering through the darkness.
'Yeah, and those guys seem to be soldiers of some kind; they're all wearing some kind of uniform, but I can't make it out in this darkness.'
'They're wearing dark green combat fatigues,' Said Jenny. She turned, grinning slightly, 'Hey, I AM a bat zoanthrope after all; night vision comes with the territory.'
'What are a load of soldiers doing here?' Said Alan, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, 'Are they some kind of anti-zonathrope unit?'
'Wait, there's another guy,' Said Jenny, looking out again at the group, 'A big guy, REALLY big. He's wearing leather clothing, the type bikers wear, and he seems to be the one in command. Oh yeah, and he's REALLY GOD DAMN BIG!'
'Well whoever they are, they're fanning out,' Jane added, pointing at the group which was now heading off in small teams of two men. The large brute of a man stood at the gateway, his arms folded and a fierce scowl on his faced.
'I wonder why the left only one man on the gate?' Said Jenny. Alan gave a small sniff, and growled under his breath.
'Because I'd stake my life on that guy being a zoanthrope. These must be some of the guys from Mr. Kouto's personal army.'
'Oh great, so he knows we're coming?' Said Jenny in exasperation, 'Well THAT certainly ruins the element of surprise.'
'Forget about that, it's Long and Uriko I'm worried about,' Said Jane, but Alan shook his head.
'Long and Uriko are both capable of looking after themselves. Right now, we have to worry about our own hides.'
'Well, what are we going to do, and make it quick, because we've got four soldiers heading straight towards us,' Hissed Jenny. Alan gave a grin.
'Well, what else can we do?'
HE stood up, smiled at the surprised soldiers, and hit one very hard over the head. The man, loosing his balance from the blow, slipped on the grass and tumbled down the hill.
'That's my father,' Sighed Jane, leaping forward and kicking another guard hard in the groin, 'Never one for tactics.'
In Long's house, Alice sighed, and switched the television off.
'I wonder how everybody else is doing?' She sighed, looking out the window the pointed east, across the whole of the city. In the distance, the bright light that was the city Mansion glittered in the dark backdrop of the night. As she watched it, she imagined the fight going on between her friends, her little sister Uriko, and her boyfriend Yugo (who STILL hadn't come back from getting Long's groceries). She'd never had admitted that she really was Yugo's boyfriend to anyone else, but when she was alone and all by herself, she really did miss him.
She stood up, her face set in a serious mask of determination. She went into the kitchen, picked up a red towel and, with all the grace and reverence of a samurai preparing himself for battle, tied it around her forehead. She checked herself in the mirror, turned, and ran out into the streets.
'No one is touching a hair on my wolf-boys head, do you hear me!?' She yelled at the night, 'No one!!'
She stopped yelling when she noticed that a rather elderly man, dressed in his dressing gown and slippers, was watching her owlishly in the middle of putting his garbage in the dustbin.
'Er, sorry to alarm you sir,' She said sheepishly, before rushing off to find the others. The old man watched her go, and shook his head.
'Kids these days,' He muttered, before shuffling off back to his house to feed the cat.
Long and Uriko, while strolling down Adam's Street, were having an argument.
'NO Master, you CAN'T just let HER ask you out on a date!'
'Why not? I thought that love was meant to be a two-way thing, which therefore implies that women are just as capable of expressing their love for certain men.'
'Yes Master, but women need MEN to ask them out, so they can pamper them.'
'Why must men ask women out just to pamper them?'
'Because that's how men show their love for women!'
'But how do WOMEN show their love for MEN!?'
'I….well, we sort off….erm…..I don't want to talk about it,' She finished lamely, hanging her head.
'No Uriko, I insist,' Said Long firmly, 'I am your Master, and I demand to know how women express their love for men!'
Uriko sighed; was her master really THIS naïve? Looking both ways to make sure no one was around, she beckoned for Long to bend down, and whispered in his ear. Long's face remained the same, but his features did harden a little.
'Oh, I SEE,' He said, as realization dawned, 'But I thought that only happened after marriage?'
'Times have changed Master. Nowadays, men can't just go around slaying animals and presenting their skinned hides to their chosen wife; now they have to buy stuff like perfume and jewelry to impress a woman, and in return they jump in the sack together every once in a while.'
'Truly I have much to learn about the modern world,' Long said solemnly. Uriko patted him on his shoulder.
'Hey, no problems, we'll get there eventually. Just take it one step at a time. Now, shall we try "Hey dude" again?'
'I don't know, I'm still a little confused from last time we tried that,' Said Long nervously.
'Relax, it's really sim--'
She stopped, looking up suddenly.
'Master? Can you hear that?' She said faintly.
'Yes, I can hear something,' Said Long after a brief pause, 'It's coming from the street behind us.'
They both turned, and looked down the long street behind them. At the far end, dimly lit by the street lights, a figure was running towards them. Uriko gasped, as she heard the strangers cry more clearly.
'Master, it's Kenji! KENJI!' She cried, rushing off towards the running figure. Long blinked, shook his head, and headed off after her.
Kevin watched as the figure pulled itself free of the sack, and stood up uncertainly, as if it wasn't sure quite what to do next. It was taller than he was, wearing what appeared to be the same dark green combat fatigues that Kouto's guards wore. He (or at least Kevin considered it to be a he) was well muscled underneath the loose fitting uniform, but one thing stuck out more than anything.
It had no face.
Sure, it had a head, and there were two black orbs that may have been eyes, but there was no nose, no mouth, no ears; just a head and two eyes. The flesh was a ghostly white, and looked tough and rubbery from where Kevin was standing (which was a safe distance away from the figure). It stood there for a moment, swaying slightly on the balls of its heavy combat boots, before rocking gently to a halt. Still, it remained still and silent. Feeling slightly bolder when faced with an apparently inanimate cell partner, the mongoose zoanthrope took a few steps toward him.
'Er, hello?' He ventured. The figure remained facing straight ahead, not turning the face him.
'I don't know what I am,' It said suddenly, n a deep, husky voice. Kevin jumped back in surprise.
'How did you say that? You haven't got a mouth!'
The thing turned to face him, slowly shuffling as though it had to think about every muscle movement involved.
'I need a mouth?' It said, with a small hint of hope in its voice, 'If you know that I need a mouth, then do you know what it is I am meant to be?'
'What? Hey man, I just said that you didn't have a mouth; to tell the truth, I don't have a God damn clue WHAT you are.'
The figure sagged, its arms drooping.
'I did not expect you to know,' It said sadly, 'The others, they did not speak to me. I look just like them, and in truth I AM them, but yet I am different.'
'Different? Others like you? Wait a minute,' Said Kevin, slowly gathering his thoughts, 'Are you one of those clones that Kouto was making?'
'A clone?' It said, confused, 'What is a clone? Am I such a being?'
Kevin paused for a moment; was it really wise to tell him everything he knew? Granted, he didn't know a lot, but it still might make the guy edgy.
'Er, do you have a name?'
'A name? I don't know what one is,' Said the thing, 'Is it required of a clone to have a name?'
'I don't know. Did anyone call you anything to identify you?'
'They said "Get out my way scum!" a lot. Is that a name?'
'Er, no. Definitely not a name. Hey, what's that on your arm?'
The clone raised its arm for Kevin to see. Along the arm there was a white strip sewn into the material, which had the words "Project Oni" written on it.
'Oni huh? That's Japanese for Ghost or something like that. Well, you sure do look like a ghost.'
'Please, I am confused now,' Said the clone helplessly, 'You say I am a clone, yet now you refer to me as a ghost. Please, what am I?'
'Relax man! I think for the moment we'll call you Oni, to avoid confusion.'
'And that makes me a ghost?'
'No, you're still a clone.'
'But you just called me an Oni, and as you say, an Oni is a ghost.'
Kevin sighed. This was going to take some explaining.
The guard squinted into the darkness. He was one of the large number patrolling the mansion from the outside, and it was his turn to make sure the garden area was secure and the cameras were still working. He looked up onto the roof, where another soldier was looking. The guard looked down, and waved at him to proceed. With a half-hearted salute, he gripped his rifle tighter and headed off into the shadowy gardens.
He really hated this job; there was a stretch of thirty feet that the cameras couldn't focus on properly, and that meant a guard had to go and see if there was anyone in there, lurking about. It was dangerous, risky and not at all pleasant in this cold weather. He shivered, and pulled his fatigues closer to him. He was surprised to find that the trip to the base of the security camera went by rather quickly, possibly to do with him being distracted by his thoughts, and he breathed a sigh of relief; seeing as no one had snuck out and slit his throat open, it seemed like there was no one here.
Suddenly, the ground beneath his feet slid aside, making him loose his footing and tumble down the newly opened hole with a small wail of despair. Yugo hauled himself out of the secret exit to the mansion, and peered down the hole.
'Is everyone alright? Did that soldier land on anyone?'
'Yeah, sssstraight on Busssuzimasssss head,' Chuckled Barry, climbing up the rusty ladder and pulling himself out onto the path.
'That isn't funny you dick Barry,' Snarled the mad scientist and he too clambered out of the hole, clutching a rather large bruise on his forehead.
'That's enough from the pair of you,' Snapped Beth sharply, the last to exit the hole, 'Remember what we're here for! I don't want to have to split you two up, is that clear?'
'Yes Beth,' The pair said in unison, their heads bowed in resignation. Yugo shook his head.
'You really have those two under the whip, don't you?' He said. Beth gave a nasty grin, and grabbed him by the ear.
'And don't think I'm not watching you either. What I said to them goes for you too.'
'Ow! Okay, okay, just stop pulling me ear off!' Yugo yelped, 'Are you sure you're not related to Alice in any way? You act just like her.'
'Enough small talk. We've gotten in here, but it would be best to do this as stealthily as possible. So here's the plan….'
Vincent was standing on one of the metal walkways, overlooking the exit bays. From here, the secret exits from the mansion would open up in the cities sewers, and then the clones would be released, fanning out through the underground tunnels until the command was triggered, and then……
Vincent shuddered as he though of the carnage and destruction the clones would wreak. After the initial attack had been executed, his uncle expected heavy resistance from the cities militia, and from the Japanese Army shortly after that. An army of clones was one thing, but what he had in store to handle the rest of his enemies was diabolical.
(What have I gotten myself into?) He thought, when suddenly he felt someone walk into him. He turned to see a rather pale scientist with a thick head of ginger hair. The man was sweating, and kept glancing through his fogged up glasses.
'Er, are you Vincent? Mr. Kouto's nephew?'
'That's me,' He said patiently.
'Do you want him to win?'
'What?'
'Answer me quickly!' The terrified man hissed, glancing over his shoulder. Already two of the guards were looking at them, obviously thinking about heading over towards them, 'Do you want him to win?'
'…..No,' He said. The scientist smiled weakly, and pushed something into his pocket; it was square and hard, much like a CD case.
'This is all I can give you. It's a program that counters that of the psychic link to the clones. Use it to stop that crazy bastard Kouto! I don't expect that I'll be alive in time to see it, but promise me you'll do it?'
'I--' Vincent began.
'Promise me!'
'……I promise.'
The scientist gave a sigh of relief. He looked like he was going to say more, when one of the soldiers who had been looking at them walked forward and laid a hand on his shoulder.
'Would you kindly come with me sir,' The guard intoned dryly. The scientist blanched visibly, and nodded weakly. As the guard led him away, the other one approached Vincent.
'You'd best forget about what that man told you, if it was anything bad about Mr. Kouto; if he gets wind of it, and he WILL get wind of it, then it's best to be totally ignorant of anything said. Just remember that, alright kid?'
Vincent looked into the mans eyes, and nodded.
'Good kid. I suggest you head off somewhere else now.'
As the guard headed off on his patrol route, Vincent's hand strayed to his pocket, and patted the CD thoughtfully.
Kenji ran as fast as he could, screaming at the top of his lungs.
'I'M COMING URIKO!' He bellowed, pounding the street as he pushed himself further and further to his limits. Way behind him, Stun jogged on, huffing and puffing as he tried to at least keep sight of the wayward ninja.
'God damn, if he goes any faster they'll pull him over for speeding!' He said, half in awe and half in annoyance. Suddenly, he spotted something moving out of the corner of his eye. At first he thought it was just a shadow, but then he noticed the slight movements that showed it to be a figure, cleverly sticking to the shadows to avoid detection.
'Damn! Kenji!? KENJI!?' He yelled, but he was too far behind for the young ninja to hear him, 'dumb-ass kid, always leaving himself exposed like that,' He muttered, grunting in pain as he tried to go faster than he reasonably could.
On the other side of the street, Uriko was jumping for joy, grinning widely as Kenji got closer.
'Look Master!' She giggled happily, 'It's Kenji! But wait a minute…..there's someone right behind him! If he thinks he can harm my Kenji--' She began, rolling back her long sleeves for a fight, but Long laid a hand on her shoulder.
'Relax Uriko, it's just Stephen Goldberg. I daresay he helped Kenji escape from Busuzima. He's in no danger.'
Ironically, just as he finished saying the sentence, the figure who had been keeping pace with Kenji whilst hidden in the shadows leapt out, knocking Kenji off balance. Still running at a fantastic speed, the mole zoanthrope steered haphazardly into a wall, smacking his head hard against the stone.
'KENJI!!' Uriko screamed, as the young ninja fell to the floor, 'Master, we have to go save him!'
'We're too far away to get to him in time, and it looks like we have some trouble of our own,' Said Long grimly. Uriko turned, and saw the green uniformed troops advancing down the street with a huge figure in the lead. There were few soldiers, but they were armed and looked well trained.
'Trapped,' Muttered Long, 'To run now would leave Kenji helpless and in the enemies hands, and to stay would mean a battle that could cost us our lives.'
'What do we do Master Long?' Said Uriko, taking up a well practiced fighting stance, 'I'm ready for them.'
'Maybe it would be best to retreat a little way first; to fight out here in the open would be foolish indeed. We shall lead them off down a side alley and pick them off one at a time from there.'
'But what about Kenji!?' Said Uriko desperately.
'We can but hope that Stun reaches him in time. I am sorry Uriko, but there is nothing more I can do.'
'I-I understand,' She said sadly. Long hung his head for a moment, and then stepped forward, looking towards the large figure at the head of the soldiers.
'If it is us you are after, then you are in for a chase!' He yelled, before beckoning for Uriko to follow him down a side alley. In the midst of the soldiers, Tusk snarled angrily.
'After them!' He bellowed to the soldiers, who set off with well drilled movements, each one covering the others as the moved in on Long's and Uriko's position. Tusk looked down the street, and thought if he should assist King in destroying the other two. He shrugged; one was already down and at his mercy, and the other look like he was no match for him. With a nasty grin, he lumbered off after his men.
Kenji blinked hard, trying to shake the stars out of his vision. He hadn't seen the guy coming at him until the last moment, and considering that he had only just ran into a brick wall, he was lucky that ALL he had was a mild concussion. The figure loomed over him, and through the lights that flashed before his eyes he made out certain features; a long heavy looking trenchcoat, a large brimmed hat, and two small red points of eyes, the only thing that he could see in the shadows hiding his face.
'Who the hell are you?' Kenji said, trying to sound demanding and authoritative, but his blow to the head had effected his speaking, which was now slow and slurred. The figure laughed.
'My my, what a strong little morsel we have here then. Most people would have been knocked unconscious by a blow like that. Well, the LEAST I can do is answer a question from a doomed little boy.'
The man reached up with leather gloved hands, and pulled the hat away, revealing his face.
'My name is Jason King, boy. And that,' he said, raising a heavy booted foot, 'Is the end of you.'
The foot came down, and to Kenji it seemed to be going as slowly as a continent moving. (This is it) He thought to himself (I'm going to die. Forgive me Uriko…..)
Before the boot could crush his skull, someone dived out of the darkness and bore King to the ground, sending the man skidding into the gutter. Staggering to his feet, the man looked up to see Stun's fist growing larger and larger, with all the power of a carcrash put behind it. The fist knocked King's head back hard, sending the man toppling backwards once again into the gutter.
'Can you move kid?' Said Stun over his shoulder. Kenji had already pulled himself up, and was leaning unsteadily against a lamp-post. He nodded.
'Good. Now, you go after Long and that girlfriend of yours, and leave this guy to me.'
'No! I can't just leave you to fight him!' Kenji protested weakly. Stun growled.
'I said go!'
Kenji hesitated for a moment, and then he was off, running after the soldiers who were chasing Long and Uriko. Stun turned back to see King stagger back to his feet, clutching at his jaw.
'You'll pay for that,' He hissed, and threw back an arm, tossing his trenchcoat to one side.
Jason King was tall and dark looking, with limp strand of ash blonde hair falling rakishly over his brow. His features, while quite beautiful, were marred by a long scar that ran down his right cheek, and his face was twisted in a permanent scowl of anger. His clothing was black and sleek, fitting his body perfectly like a glove, and it shone faintly in the street light. But by fart the worse thing was his eyes; they were red, and they glowed like some unholy fire was burning behind them.
'I take it you're one of Mr. Kouto's hired goons then?' Said Stun, taking up a more defensive posture. King grinned madly.
'Yeah, you could say that. I tend to do the odd job here and there, this and that,' He said, and the flesh under his left eye had begun to twitch. Stun took a step back, not dropping his guard.
'Damn man, what's wrong with you? You insane of something?'
'Insane!? ME!?!? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!'
'That settles it, you're a lunatic.'
'So what if I am!? I have power!!'
'Oh yeah? Then why are you still talking and not fighting?'
With a screech of rage, King hurled himself at Stun, but the huge man side stepped, leaving King to skid across the floor.
'You can't control yourself can you? You have power, but it ain't yours to command.
'Shut up!!!' Spat King, 'I'm in control damn it!!'
'Yeah, sure you are.'
'I'll show you!' King snarled, and a wave of bright red energy engulfed him. When it had cleared, a new figure was standing there; it was squat and powerful looking, with thick looking body armour and little dumpy legs that looked like they could hold up a lot more weight than they already were. At the end of each long arm were a pair of pincers that snipped constantly, as if they had a mind of their own, and a huge tail curled over its head, ending in a huge fat stinger. The two red eyes remained, set on two short stalks.
'Let me show you the power of the Red Scorpion!!!' Came the insane chattering voice, as it gripped a signpost and snipped it in half. Stun shrugged.
'The Red Scorpion huh? I'll remember to carve that one on your tomb stone.'
With a blast of white energy, Stun morphed into his beetle form, and crouched down for the attack.
'You really don't know who you're up against do you!?' Yelled King, before leaping forward, pincers stretched out for the attack.
Alan Gado ducked the clumsy punch the soldier threw at him, and punch him hard in the gut, and raising his knee into the mans face as he doubled up in pain. There was a satisfyingly meaty crunch as the mans nose was crushed flat, and the soldier stumbled backwards, knocking another soldier down as he fell down the steep hill. Panting for breath, Alan looked around; the soldier were in close, and that was good for the three zoanthropes. At a distant, it didn't matter what form you were in, a rifle bullet was still a rifle bullet, but thankfully they were too close in to use their weapons without risk of hitting another soldier. But there was a problem; Alan could see the large figure who he suspected was a zoanthrope at the foot of the hill, cocking the safety catch off a rifle.
'Get down!' He yelled, before casting himself to the ground. Jane and Jenny, who were fighting back-to-back, had only a split second to dive to the ground before the huge man let loose a full round of ammo up the hill, spraying everything with a withering hail of bullets; turf, trees, plants, and the Kouto soldiers. One was hit with three bullets through the chest, and the corpse landed on Alan's leg, pinning it to the ground.
'Damn it!' He cursed, trying to roll the body off his leg, but it was too heavy with all its equipment to shift easily. Alan's mind raced; out in the open, pinned down as he was, he was a sitting duck for the next volley. He tried to bend round an push the corpse from his leg, but it was too late; the zoanthrope with the rifle had finished reloading, and was already drawing a bead on the pinned Alan.
'God damn it, this isn't my time!' Alan yelled, 'I'm not gonna die like this, on the ground and defenseless!'
And that, under normal circumstances, would have been it for Alan Gado, if Jenny and Jane had not leapt at the hulking man and bore him to the ground, the gun skidding across the ground. The two women tried to pin the mans arms, but he was far too strong. With a bellow of anger, the zonathrope threw his arms up, hurling the two women to the ground.
'You'll pay for that, little lady's,' The man snarled.
'Yeah, sure we will,' Grunted Jenny, staggering back onto her feet. Jane was helping Alan move the body off his leg, and the pair joined her, circling around the man.
'Three against one? I like those kinda odds,' Said Jane with a grin.
'Oh do you really? Then lets see how you like THESE odds!'
The man was wrapped with a dark, pulsing cloud of energy, and once it had cleared, a massive rhino stood before them, fists balled up.
'They call me Horn,' He snarled, 'And I'm one of Mr. Kouto's best bodyguards. I suggest you give in now and take a short, clean death.'
'You won't be so cocky once I'm through with your ass!' Jane snarled, but Alan held out an arm.
'It's too risky. He must have some sort of plan if he's so confident to take on all three of us. One of us should hold him off while the other two contact Long and Uriko.'
'Alan, are you sure you can handle this guy?' Said Jenny. The veteran Lion zoanthrope gave a grim smile.
'I have no idea. We'll have to see, won't we?'
'Father,' Jane said, but Jenny laid a hand on her shoulder.
'Lets go Jane. He knows what to do.'
With a last reluctant glance over her shoulder, Jane grudgingly ran off after Jenny, leaving Alan and Horn alone, surrounded by the bodies of the dead soldiers.
'You're brave, I'll give you that,' Said Horn with a nasty grin, 'But that don't mean I ain't gonna tear out your liver and eat it raw.'
'Well I hope you don't think I'm just going to LET you do that,' Alan replied, morphing into his beast form and taking up a combat stance. The pair were still for a moment, each one glaring at the other, and then, at the same moment, they leapt.
Tusk stormed through the narrow alley, growling angrily. He and his men had chased the two targets into the network of side alleys and tiny streets, and five minutes later they were STILL looking for them. He grabbed one soldier by the neck and hoisted him up to eye level.
'What is taking so long!?' He bellowed at the terrified man.
'We don't know sir!' The soldier babbled quickly, 'They've just vanished!'
With a growl, Tusk hurled the man over his shoulder, ignoring the pitiful wail as he hit a wall and slide down, his head cracked open.
'Find them, or you'll all be like him!' He yelled at the astonished soldiers. Quickly gathering their wits, they started to comb through the streets once again.
From under the street, peering up through a storm drain, Long and Uriko watched as the booted feet stomped past.
'Are we safe?' Uriko whispered.
'It would appear so, for the moment. We'll need to be careful though,' Long whispered back. Suddenly, they heard a soldier cry out, and for a brief moment they thought they had been spotted, but then they realized the shouting was coming from the other side of the street.
'Master, what is it?' Said Uriko, who was too short to peer through the drain. Long tried the squint through the crowd of soldiers.
'I can't tell. All I can tell is that they're fighting someone. Wait, I think I can hear someone shouting……oh dear.'
'What Master Long? What's going on?'
'It's Kenji. He's calling for you and drawing their attention,' Muttered Long, 'Stupid boy. Surely he could have been a bit more covert about it.'
'Never mind that Master, we have to go rescue him!' Cried Uriko, clambering up the ladder.
'Uriko, wait!' Hissed Long, but she was already gone, racing towards the back of the crowd. The old China man sighed, pulled off his glasses, and wiped them on the sleeve of his T-shirt.
'Teenagers,' He sighed, and began to climb the ladder.
Kenji ducked the clumsy punch that one man had leveled at him, and brought him to the floor with a leg sweep. As he came up again, he sprung up into the air, landing with both feet upon the head of another soldier. One of them had drawn a knife, and managed to slice a cut along his left arm, but he didn't notice.
'URIKO!? URIKO!?' HE bellowed, fighting madly against the overwhelming odds. Someone had managed to get behind him, and Kenji felt a rifle butt slam against the back of his head. He stumbled forward, and got a knee to the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. He crumpled, dropping to the floor as the soldiers moved in, kicking him prone body. Suddenly, one of the soldiers at the back of the mob felt the full fury of Uriko, sent flying through the air from a savage kick. One man turned around, and got a flurry of punches to the face for his troubles. The soldiers were now confused; half of them were still trying to beat Kenji to a bloody pulp, while the other half were attempting to get out of the way of the fuming Uriko.
'I'm gonna say this only once,' She snarled, as she broke a mans outstretched arm neatly along the bone, 'GET AWAY FROM MY MOLE-BOY!'
Kenji blinked hard, trying to shake the sluggish feeling off. Groggily, he lifted his head, and saw his girlfriend beating seven shades of brown out of a floored soldier.
'Lets see how you like it then, eh?!' She was shouting, and then she noticed that Kenji was conscious again.
'KENJI!' She yelled happily, running over to him and leaving the soldier groaning on the floor. She knelt down, and cradled his head on her lap. Kenji smiled weakly.
'Hey, I thought it was me who was meant to save you,' He croaked, his throat dry and swollen.
'That's very old fashioned of you,' Chided Uirko, grinning with him as she wiped the sweat off his brow with her sleeve, 'Women are just as capable of saving men.'
Kenji blinked, and opened his mouth to shout a warning, but it was too late; Uriko saw the shadow fall over her just before she felt the ham-like fist grip her neck, lifting her easily into the air. Tusk grinned, and grabbed Kenji in his other free hand.
'Well well well, what do we have here? Two lovebirds I see. Tell me, little girl,' He snarled, shaking Uriko in his fist, 'Will you like your boyfriend so much once I tear his head off his shoulders?'
'GGGGAAAHHHH!' Was the strangled response, and she kicked out wildly. Tusk chuckled.
'Temper temper,' He said.
'I suggest you put the girl and the boy down, before I really get angry,' A voice rang out, as clear as a bell. Tusk looked up, and saw Long, standing patiently in a Kenpo stance.
'Yeah? What ya going to do about it, pretty boy?' Sneered Tusk.
'I see you will not take the easy path I have offered,' Said Long solemnly, 'Which only leave the hard path. Be warned, two people may go down the hard path, but only ONE ever leaves it.'
'So you're looking for a fight,' The huge thug said, grinning evilly. With a shrug, he tossed the two teenagers over his shoulder, letting them land heavily on the pavement behind, 'I'm up for it. I can finish them two once I'm done kicking your brains out your skull.'
'Master…' Said Uriko weakly, but Long held up a hand.
'Uriko, I have a request for you; take Kenji and go to the meeting point. Hopefully Alan and the other should have arrived by now. I shall hold off this fool until then.'
Uriko was silent for a moment, and she looked as if she was going to argue, but Kenji laid a hand on her shoulder.
'It's alright,' He said softly, 'He knows what he's doing. Lets go.'
'Be careful Master,' Said Uriko, before heading off down a side alley. Long returned his attention to Tusk, who had now changed into his elephant form.
'What you waiting for pretty boy?' He chuckled, beckoning with a thick finger. Long remained silent, and changed into his Tiger form.
'I hate to do this, but I belief Uriko would find it appropriate,' Said Long, 'Ehem…..You're going down!!!'
And there it is, another chapter. Kenji and Uriko HAVE been reunited, although there hasn't been much time for lovey-dovey stuff. Rest assured, they WILL find the time, later (I'm sure all you Keniko fans will be pleased to hear that). Well, not a lot more I can say, except tune in for the next chapter, where the battles shall be decided, and the Secrets of Project Oni are revealed