Perception: Part III
Haihane grabbed onto the metal valve that she could only assume controlled the gate and began rotating it counterclockwise. As it began to rise, her bleeding fingers slipped along the blood on its edge, and she shrieked from the pain. Gravity took over and the gate slammed down without effort.
"Gah!" she squealed, shaking her fingers. "Ahh… fuck me," she mumbled, wincing as she twisted it again. The pressure of the handrail behind her helped support her weight while keeping her back straight so she didn't lose her leverage. The gate then began its ascent to the ceiling, albeit very slowly. If she tried hard enough she should be able to at least get it to the point where the others could crawl underneath it after they returned. If she could get it there and hold it, that is…
XXXXXX
A few hours after Chiho's test…
"I don't know about this..." Takami mumbled suspiciously at the strange alien crystal suspended before her on a circular stand.
It was the same one Homura had brought back with him when he delivered Akitsu to the lair. Given all that happened, the conspirators didn't have much opportunity to look it over considering Akitsu was in need of 'healing' and Higa needed to be tested. Takami wished they had. It had several fractures, some deeper than others. One even led directly into its spherical core, which occasionally let out a spark as it floated in Akitsu's blood, which seemed to also seep into the wound and complicate matters further.
"Can anything be done about this, Miss Sahashi?" John asked.
"Hard to say." she mused, ashing her cigarette. "From what Minaka told me, all of the Jinki need to be gathered and in functioning order to revive all the terminated Sekirei. Somehow I don't think what's here is functional."
"Can we repair it?"
"Not to my knowledge. If anyone knows though it would be the game master himself."
John sighed. "We'll need to expedite matters then." he got up to leave. "Takami, is there any way we can lure him out without causing immediate suspicion?"
"Not really. He's always been rather private and rarely leaves his tower unless it's something involving the Sekirei Plan."
"Does he often have a chauffeur when he does?"
"He does, yes. Has a limo and everything waiting at his beck and call. Why?"
"That's our way in."
XXXXXX
Haihane groaned and gasped as the valve slid past its halfway mark and the gate continued up towards the ceiling. She couldn't believe how heavy it was getting! Her arms were shaking, sweat pouring down her forehead and her feet felt like they were about to slide out from under her. The pressure on her fingertips ignited her wounds and she realized she wouldn't be able to hold the valve much longer as the weight of the gate fought back. She had to think of something fast. In desperation she halted the twisting and focused on simply holding it steady as she lifted her leg and pressed her foot against the valve's spoke. She pressed the small of her back against the railing behind her, letting her hands off the wheel once she was certain she had enough leverage to hold it back.
"Oh thank god it held." she winced as the pressure steadily increased enough to make her knee buckle a bit. "Might not for long though..."
She forced herself to look into the dark hallways, hoping to spot the others returning. Minato seemed to have made it to the second keyhole safely. "It'll be okay," she muttered to herself.
Minato handed Kazehana the lantern and Benitsubasa spoke. "Hurry!"
"Right, yeah," she replied, speeding off to the final lock. On her way, Kazehana glanced down, noticing the lantern wasn't flickering nearly as much anymore. "Crap, this thing probably won't stay lit for much longer."
In spite of facing a sudden bout of nausea and vertigo, Kazehana reached the expected dead end and keyhole, depositing it with a swift twist of the wrist, she turned around to hustle back. As the floor flew beneath her, a spell of dizziness crept into her skull. It was enough to slow her pace considerably and in moments she collapsed to her knees in a hacking fit.
"Kazehana!" Minato gasped. He ran over to her.
"Where are you going?!" Benitsubasa shouted. "We don't have much time left to get out of here!"
"I know, that's why I'm getting her!"
Once he reached her, Minato hurriedly collected Kazehana into his arms and hoisted her bridal style, picking up the lantern at the same time. A buzzer was heard. Time was up.
He took a quick glance behind him and heard the spears quickly ascending one row at a time in rapid succession. With no other options, he ran forward, just barely dodging a swinging blade as he triggered a pressure plate beneath his foot.
"Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit!"
The hallway began to shake violently. Rocks fell from the walls and ceiling as the ground rumbled and flame throwers erupted behind him lingering just beyond his expediting footsteps. Before long Minato regrouped with Benitsubasa at the deadly cross-section of the corridor. She took the lantern from him and in moments the two were running for their lives back to the entrance and couldn't stop for a single moment.
"Haihane!" Benitsubasa shouted. "Whatever you do, do not drop the gate!"
"Hurry!" she strained. "I can't hold it much longer!"
Minato gritted his teeth and sprinted with everything he had left. He could feel his body begging for rest, but there was no time for that. He felt his lungs burning beneath his bruised ribs as they labored to breathe. His muscles screamed from exhaustion, threatening to cramp and cause him to stumble at any moment. Still, he kept running, the encroaching skewers stalking mere meters in the distance and closing in faster and faster in the wake of their path.
"We're almost there, don't fall back even for a second!" Benitsubasa urged.
Once the outside was within reach, Benitsubasa did a baseball slide underneath the gate and Minato dived forward with a flying leap, barely managing to clear it with Kazehana before the final column of spears caught up to him and the gate crashed down with a loud thud when Haihane's foot gave way.
"We're safe!" he wheezed.
Haihane sprinted over to the three. "Thank fuck you all made it out alive!"
"Not quite," Benitsubasa said. "Someone's bleeding, and it isn't you for once." she pointed at Kazehana, specifically the line of blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. "Look."
Minato gasped. "Oh crap, the poison must be starting to take hold of her!"
"I'm fine, Minato. I can still manage myself," she reassured him, trying to hold back a trifecta of coughs. "I won't die just yet."
"We need to get that cure for you as soon as possible."
"I had some bouts of coughing up blood earlier, this time was a little worse than those, but I can still fight through it."
"Are you sure?"
She sat up. "Yes. There's nothing more important right now than saving your Matsu and the others, then getting out of here. I'm sorry for making you worry."
"It's alright. It's my job to worry about you. Everyone for that matter."
"Thanks, Minato."
"No problem. We should be on our way. Matsu said a piece of the map should now be revealed in the hub of the library. Let's look for it."
"Aye, captain." Kazehana giggled with a playful smile.
"Come on, we don't have time to waste. We should keep moving." Benitsubasa shrugged.
Minato took back the lantern and led the way down a series of corridors until they reached the hub once again. The way back seemed...different somehow than what he recalled when he was entering, and upon reaching the library, it also changed. Bookcases were rearranged, and a new path had opened to them.
"Talk to the boob brain again, Minato. Have her point out where the map is. We don't have time to look for it, and quite frankly she doesn't either."
"I don't think that's necessary, Benitsu."
"It's always necessary! Don't you get it by now? That's the game! We need a direct line to her to make any sense of this maze! Just look at how much changed since we were last here! Call her! Now! Or do you want her jaw to eventually rip out of her face once the timer expires?!"
Minato hissed and grabbed the radio with reluctance. "Fine, you made your point. Sorry, Matsu..."
He thumbed the button and another scream boomed through the speaker, making the ronin cringe in disgust of himself.
"Thank kami you got out of there in time, Minato." Matsu said through the pain.
"We've reached the library again, and I need you to guide us to where the new piece of the map is."
"A lot changed in the library since you've left it last time. There's a vault under the table where you collected the first piece that opened once you completed that first test. It's open now. Go grab it."
Minato walked around to the far side of the table and noticed the floor was now different when he went to open the vault. After taking the map, he turned to Benitsubasa. "Help me move the table."
"What? Why?"
"A hunch."
"Okay, whatever."
The two get on opposite sides of the table and begin to drag it off to the side of the room, revealing a trap door.
"Good eye." Benitsubasa said.
"What do you think might be down there?" Haihane asked, puzzled.
"If I had to guess..." Matsu went on. "Odds are it's me."
"What makes you say that?" Minato asked.
"The only way out of my prison cell seems to be from a trap door above me. Maybe not the only way, but probably the most convenient."
"So you think we'll be able to climb out of there once we reach you?"
"That's what I'm betting."
"What if it's a dead end, though?" Haihane asked.
"I'd be surprised if it was. The first test was the easiest to pass, and it involved retrieving a piece of the map from under a table."
"Alright, so what's the plan? Do we go down there and see if it's really you?" Minato asked.
"I don't think I would risk that, considering it's likely locked and even more likely to be rigged if opened without a key."
"Maybe it's just a set of stairs leading to an exit," Benitsubasa suggested.
"Maybe," Minato agreed. "But the odds are that it's just a trap ready to blow in our faces if we try to force it. Let's not take the chance."
"I agree," Kazehana added. "We should play it safe for now and leave it be."
Minato nodded in agreement. He would have also preferred to avoid the potential danger entirely, but as his past experiences with this game taught him, the ultimate outcome always leaned toward caution.
"Fine, let's move on. Matsu, a new path opened to us when we came in, do we go down it, or is it just a trick to confuse us?"
"It's fine," Matsu said. "Take it."
"Alright. Everyone ready?" Minato asked the other three.
They each responded affirmatively as they followed behind him. They moved slowly and cautiously, passing beneath the bookcase and into the newly formed passageway that ran parallel to their previous path. It was much darker here, as well as colder, the air smelling like dust and mold.
"I can't believe I'm doing this," Kazehana muttered.
"You're fine," Minato replied. "Just stay close and follow along."
"I know, I know."
Minato was glad to hear her voice sounded stronger. He had been worried that the poison was already affecting her worse than it was considering her previous hacking fit that nearly cost them their lives.
"I'm going to turn up the lantern," he announced.
"Don't do that!" Kazehana shouted.
"Why? What's wrong with it?"
"I noticed earlier when I had it that it seemed to be getting dimmer. I think it may be low on fuel. Turning it up might burn it out faster."
Minato looked at the lantern and realized she was right. "Damn. Well, it's too late now. We can't stop and search for something to replace it."
"Maybe we can refuel it somewhere?" Haihane suggested. "I mean, the floor here is covered in fuel, maybe we can use that?"
"Hell no, lantern fuel and jet fuel are two different beasts. Too dangerous to even consider."
"Right. Guess we just keep it dim then."
"Yeah, that's the best thing for now."
"Keep moving, everyone."
After several minutes, they arrived at a fork.
"Which way?" Minato asked.
"Left." Matsu answered.
"Alright, we head left."
They continued down the path, which was thankfully less dark than the one they had come down previously. The walls began to change, becoming more brick-like, as opposed to the stonework that had lined the path thus far.
"Is this part of the original structure?" Kazehana wondered.
"No idea, but I doubt it." Benitsubasa shook her head.
"We should keep moving, people." Minato urged them onward.
"This place is creepy enough to give anyone nightmares."
"I thought you didn't have any fear of the unknown?" Minato teased.
"I don't. But I don't want to spend the rest of the day in here either."
"Fair point."
"I wonder how long it will take to get to the next area." Minato mused aloud.
Minato halted his steps upon the group stumbling upon a door.
"What's wrong?" Benitsubasa asked. "Want me to-"
"Don't you fucking dare!" everyone shouted.
"Matsu," Minato asked. "We're at a door. What can we expect is waiting for us behind it?"
"Another shotgun blast to the face if you don't let me disarm it first!"
"Figures. How long will that take?"
"Only a moment."
"When will we know it's safe to go in once we end the call?"
"Other than simply contacting me again to ask, the door will just open when it's disarmed."
"Okay, and after that what can we expect to run into?"
"Mirrors, winding paths, and bad guys. Lots of 'em. Including that big guy from Kazehana's test from what I can see."
"Peachy. How do we avoid them?"
"That's the thing. You can't. The next key is on one of them and you need to take it by force or by 'blending in' as the data tells me, whatever that means.."
"Well shit, this just got a lot more complicated."
"Not necessarily."
"How so?"
"The mirrors are all broken. If you look closely, you'll notice that the glass has cracked in many places. That means that you won't be able to reflect anything back to them."
"Oh, that's good news. Anything else?"
"The path splits in half. Once you proceed far enough. The path you choose doesn't matter."
"That's great."
"It gets better. They both lead to dead ends that can only be escaped by getting the key to free yourselves."
"Great, now I have to decide between two dead ends in a maze full of crazy nutjobs trying to kill us. This isn't looking promising."
"I wouldn't worry about it with Benitsubasa helping out. You'll also be able to take the shotgun after I disarm it."
"I'd rather not have it come to that, and I don't think I'll be able to muster the nerve to use it even if it came down to it."
"Then let me take it." Benitsu volunteered. "I've never fired a gun, but I do have the guts to use it the moment we need it."
"That's fine, but I doubt things will end well for us if the embers of gunfire wind up setting the whole place ablaze. This place is coated in flammable gunk, remember?"
"Then I won't aim it at the floor. Problem solved."
"The empty shell casings might be hot enough to spark a fire though!"
"I don't think so." Matsu chimed in. "The shells are made of plastic. The only metal parts are the barrel and slide. Besides, the only reason you would be firing it would be because you were in trouble."
"Fine, you can hold onto it."
"Thanks for trusting me." Benitsubasa nodded.
"Okay, so what's the plan? Do we split into two groups and go our separate ways to search both paths? Or do we stick together until the last possible second?" Kazehana asked.
"I'd say we go in as a team and work out the details once we get in there." Minato answered.
"Agreed."
"What if there are multiple keys?" Haihane asked. "Wouldn't it make more sense to divide and conquer?"
"Not with only one source of light. We still need to see where we're going."
"I still have that flashlight from earlier, pipsqueak, remember?"
"Yeah, but that thing could die at any minute."
"Yeah, and from the dimness of the lantern, so can it too."
"Fair point, I guess. But Haihane is hurt and Kazehana is sick. They can't use their abilities to fight either. If we split up who can defend them?"
"My hands may be fucked, but I can still use my legs." Haihane responded, unamused. "I don't need my powers to utilize the martial arts I've learned."
"Same here." Kazehana further added. "Sick or not, I can fight just fine in spite of being an elimental-focused Sekirei. I've won battles with other Sekirei drunk off my ass in the past. This shouldn't be much different against a bunch of human thugs with no discipline."
"Yes, I remember that quite clearly." Haihane deadpanned in recollection of their visit to the sake warehouse all those months ago. Right now it felt like a lifetime had passed since then.
"Oh, right, about that..." Kazehana awkwardly smiled ear to ear as she rubbed the back of her head. "No...hard feelings?"
"Alright, then we go as a group and decide to split up when we feel the need comes," Minato decided. "We can always break apart later if we need to. Let's move out." he put the radio to his face again. "Is there anything else you need to tell us before we go in, Matsu?"
"At the moment no, I let you In on all the info I have access to at the moment. More will flow in once you get out of the house of mirrors fight club in one piece and we speak again."
"Okay, then I'll leave you to do your thing I suppose."
"That's the spirit, Mina-tan! Just give me a moment and the door should swing open in about a minute. Sit tight guys! Love you, Minato!"
"Love you too, Matsu."
"Alright, stand back everyone," Benitsubasa announced. "I'm going to kick the door down."
"What?!" Everyone yelped.
"Relax, I'm joking." she laughed.
"Don't be stupid," Minato replied.
"Right, sorry." She took a deep breath and then the door unlatched and lightly swung open, shotgun suspended on a mechanism behind it. "Gotta keep a sense of humor in these times, you know? Now, let's get this over with."
"There will be ample time for joking again once we're out of here."
"You should have seen the look on your faces! Haha! Totally worth it."
Minato rolled his eyes and stepped towards the exposed shotgun booby trap, and after a moment of inspecting it, carefully undid the pully looped tightly around the trigger before lifting it from the gears connected to the knob and inspecting the contents of the chamber.
"Three bullets." He said, handing it to Benitsubasa. She tucked its stock snugly into her shoulder. "Not enough to go through an army, but more than enough to intimidate."
"Who knows," she said, holding it level and aiming it straight down into the dark and peering through the sight. "There might be more bullets along the way."
"Let's hope we won't need to use any," Minato muttered. He turned back to the path and raised the lantern into the dark. "Alright, let's keep moving. If you need to talk, whisper. We don't want to attract attention."
"Good idea." Haihane nodded.
They proceeded into the funhouse of horrors. The glassy halls twisted left, right, up, and down. The cracks in the mirrors made the trek disorienting at times, sometimes tricking the group into thinking a path was there only to lead to a dead end. The doors they encountered were all locked shut except for one that led to a room full of even more mirrors, this time on the domed ceiling in addition to the walls. Their feet splash in and out of the flammable gunk at their heels. It smelled awful, and it burned skin if touched.
"This place reeks of death." Benitsubasa grimaced. "It's hard to breathe."
"I know, I know." Minato coughed. "It's been a while since I've breathed fresh air."
"What did you expect? This is the funhouse of death, after all." Kazehana joked.
"You're not helping, Kazehana."
"Sorry."
"What kind of lowlifes are here anyway?" Haihane wondered aloud.
"The best kinds," Benitsubasa answered. "The ones with a fucking death wish."
"That's not very helpful."
"Something about this doesn't seem right. I mean, I really doubt the people trapped here to hinder us asked to be here."
"You think they're being tested too?"
"Yeah. Their survival might hang on my failure."
"Our failure, you mean."
"Exactly!"
Benitsu looked back at the rest of the party. Her eyes lingered briefly upon each member in turn. "Sure you guys handle yourself in case something goes wrong and we have to split up?"
Everyone shrugged in response. None seemed particularly confident despite knowing how capable they were.
"Just stay alert and watch your step," Minato advised. "If you happen to encounter anything dangerous, try to keep it clean and quick, okay?"
Haihane chuckled. "Why bother asking if you already know the answer?"
"Hey, you heard the man."
Their journey continued in silence until finally Minato stopped. There appeared to be a crack running diagonally across the wall ahead of him. A large chunk of mirror had fallen from above, leaving a gaping hole in the dome overhead. Above and below it glowed an eerie green light. As soon as the others caught sight of the glowing area, a low hum began to emanate throughout the hallways. The lights flickered intermittently for a brief moment.
"Shit." Haihane cursed under her breath as he tried to peer into the gloom beyond. "Looks like this is the labyrinth Matsu mentioned…"
"Wait…is that another entrance?" Benitsubasa peeped through the opening, shining the lantern inside. It revealed a narrow tunnel leading away from the main route, illuminated by the glow from the exit they stood at.
"…I don't know, maybe." Minato examined it closely. "Why would anybody set foot in such a hellhole besides looking to die? And if they wanted to die, wouldn't they choose suicide instead of dying horribly in a brutal death game?"
"Well, if we don't go in and search through it, we might miss out on some clues we might otherwise learn if we went in the opposite direction."
"Like what?" Kazehana pressed.
"Nothing specific, I guess. Maybe we'll stumble upon something important we didn't notice before. You never know."
"Sounds like wishful thinking to me." Haihane grumbled. "But if you insist—"
"I do." Minato cut in. "Let's take a look."
After making sure nothing was lying in wait in the darkness, they cautiously entered the corridor. Its length wasn't long; it ended abruptly at a dead end. All three parties paused to study the space.
A single shaft pierced the center of the room, reaching high into the vaulted ceiling. From within came faint sounds of water dripping slowly into a pool beneath the bottom of the passage. Turning back to the previous path, Benitsubasa spotted a message scrawled upon a mirror in the distance. The word 'FREEDOM'.
"Looks like we found our way out," she said, hustling over to inspect it further with the others following behind, Kazehana remaining closest. Benitsubasa's foot landed on a pressure plate and the mirror shattered to reveal another message on the wall behind it: 'IS AN ILLUSION'.
A tic mark throbbed on Benitsubasa's head as she grits her teeth and shook her balled fist in frustration. "Oh, haha! Very funny!" She stomped on the floor angrily, causing shards of broken glass to rain onto the ground from above.
Kazehana walked up to examine the next part of the inscription. "Freedom means freedom from something, right?"
"More like freedom from life itself. Freedom from pain, suffering, fear, worry. That sort of thing." Minato interjected.
"Hmm…"
"Do you see anything else written anywhere?" Kazehana questioned.
"Nope, not a damn thing."
"Then let's keep moving." Minato urged. "Remember, we need to hurry. We don't want to lose ourselves in this place."
"Agreed."
"Fine, whatever."
As they moved forward, a strange sound started to echo through the corridors—a slow clapping noise mixed with a soft humming. Minato aimed the lantern's glow at the direction of the noise and let out a horrified gasp. A pendulum blade was unlatched from above and Haihane was directly in its path.
"Look out!" Minato cried as he dived forward and tackled the Blue Sekirei out of the way as it sliced a path through the air where she once stood. A steel gate crashed down not long after separating himself and Haihane from Benitsubasa and Kazehana.
"Crap!" Kazehana gasped, blinking as she tangled her finger over the links in the barrier. "You two alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." Minato said, rubbing his skull. He looked at Haihane, who was positioned rather suggestively beneath him following his daring rescue. "How 'bout you?"
"Yeah, but it looks like Red and your Sekirei are trapped."
"Yeah, no shit." Benitsubasa rudely remarked. "Try to find us a way out and not get yourselves killed."
"We'll look, but don't let that stop you from finding a way out yourselves." Minato urged.
"What way out? We're surrounded by mirrors!" she turned around and leaned into one in an attempt to see a clue and not expecting to find one...until she immediately did. She peered closer into the glass, eyelids narrowing. "Huh?"
"What is it, Benitsu?"
She glanced back at Minato and pointed at the mirror. "It's a two-way mirror."
The Red Sekirei turned back to inspect it more and peer further inside. "Oh shit." She blinked and froze.
"What is it?" Kazehana asked just as a pigheaded deadbeat charged through the glass with a high-pitched squeal and tackled the Red Sekirei to the floor, the shards raining down on them both.
"Benitsubasa!"
XXXXXX
A/N: I have commissioned a piece of art for this series that will hopefully be done by the time Halloween comes around. Anyone who ever wanted to see Karasuba's new looks should be delighted once it's finished.
