Ch. 19: Lost Souls
"What question?" Scott said in his mocking tone. "Hush, children. Beg the question, rue the answer."
Just then, Kenji's cell phone rang. He picked it up, and walked off.
Sarah looked on, annoyed. "I don't know how you're alive," she said, "But I haven't the time to kill you now.
A semi-familiar voice came in over the phone. "Kenji? It's Raven, Kane's father. Tell me, is my son...?"
"I think you know what's happened. Your other son is here, as well."
"Other son? Kane's my only child," he said befuddled.
"Time is something we have in abundance, yet never it's enough. I know how to free my dear brother, but, as much as I hate to admit it, I'll need your help."
"What's in it for you?" she shot back.
"My life. What point is there in living in a dead world?"
"He has a point." Uriko said, "What do we have to do?"
"As a child, our father used us to test the Menagerie Agent. He was a brilliant businessman but a terrible father. This, aberration, is born of those cells. I have here the antidote, which, in theory at least, would kill the organism. But it must be injected into Kane himself."
"Great," Uriko sighed, "that means one of us will have to go in."
"I shall," Scott said approaching the membrane. As he made contact, a bright light flashed, blinding everyone, and the enigmatic genius was thrown to the ground.
"It appears my brother is a little less than thrilled to let me in."
"Sarah took the vial out of Scott's hand, and grabbed the Masamune blade. "I'm going," she said with cold determination. "It's the least that I owe him."
"Sarah wait," Kenji said approaching her, "when you were asked to spy on Kane, was it Busuzima or Scott that approached you?"
"Busuzima," she answered, "but why is that important now?"
"I'll tell you later. Take this." Kenji said handing her a small device. "It's a two way radio and video camera."
Sarah put the device on her belt loop, and ran inside the membrane. It sealed behind her, as it did with Uriko. She took a deep breath, and walked forward. The same dampness that earlier clung to Uriko still hung in the air. She took a deep breath, and walked forward. Uriko's voice guided her as she made her way through the maze, and to the room that housed her love. She pieced the veil, and beheld the sight Uriko saw only hours before. She walked forward, holding back the same repulsion and grief that filled her friends heart, and prepared the syringe.
"Don't worry, baby, I'll get you out of there."
She was only a few steps away when the walls around him forced shut, and a giant creature emerged from it. She dropped the syringe and jumped out of the way, transforming as she did so. As she flew above it, she contemplated her next action. She swooped down and slashed at its arm
It swatted at her, knocking her away. As she regained her wits, the creature reared its head back and let loose a ball of fire that nearly singed Sarah's feathers. She flew up, and dove down, using the sword to slice at its legs.
I let out a howl of pain and kneeled. She grabbed the sword and prepared to end its life, but a voice over the communicator pleaded her not too.
"Sarah wait! That's not the monster, that's Kane!" Kenji yelled.
Sarah hesitated. "What do you mean?"
"That's Kane, he's trying to keep you away. He doesn't want you to see what he's become. He still loves you." Kenji said over the communicator.
Sarah dropped to the ground, and resumed her human form. She walked over to the creature, and placed her hand on its cheek. "Oh Kane, it's okay. I'm here to help you." She kissed it, and picked up the syringe. The creature stood, and looked at her with darkened eyes.
"Okay, not it the monster!" Kanji warned. Sarah narrowly avoided a powerful blow, and saw the creature's arm stuck in the floor. "
"Now's my chance!" she said.
She opened the syringe and coated the sword in the Menagerie agent. A fierce, determined look covered her face as she stood with the sword in hand. She looked at the monster's chest, where Kane was held. She hoisted the sword as a spear and launched it.
Her aim was dead on, the creature let out a howl as it began to dissolve. She looked frantically around, until she saw Kane lying in the middle of the monster's remains. She picked him up on her shoulder, and ran, as the cocoon collapsed around them. It seemed as if they weren't going to make it, when Kane awoke. He picked Sarah up, and ran as fast as he could, barely making it in time. The cocoon collapsed, but they were safe. Kenji and Uriko ran to greet them. Raven had since joined them, and likewise ran out to greet his son.
"Kane, are you okay?" he asked.
As the friends embraced, Scott wandered around the cocoon's remains, as if searching for something.
"This is all your fault!" Kane exclaimed, grabbing his father's throat. "If you hadn't used me in your experiments, if you hadn't created the Menagerie Project, none of this would have happened!"
Scott stood up, holding a vial of red liquid in his hand.
"I had no choice, I did what I had to do!"
"I was your son, not some lab experiment!" he cried, throwing the old man to the ground.
"It worked!" Scott exclaimed! "All this planning, all this waiting! You all played your roles exactly as I knew you would! And now I truly get to live!"
They ran to him, but too late. He drank to liquid, and a red glow shone from his eyes. Scales covered his body, sharpening his hands into claws. The wings of his beast form sprouted forth, but her retained his human form. The shadows of night seemed to cloak him; soon all that was visible was a silhouette and those glowing eyes.
"Good God almighty," Raven said in shock.
"I am almighty," Scott said, a tentacle sprouting from his body. "I am God!" His tentacle pieced the old man's chest and smashed him into a building.
Kane stood, his eyes dissecting his brother. "It's easy to be almighty to an old man, but lets see how you fare against us!"
He pounced on his brother, with Sarah, Kenji, and Uriko close behind.
"What question?" Scott said in his mocking tone. "Hush, children. Beg the question, rue the answer."
Just then, Kenji's cell phone rang. He picked it up, and walked off.
Sarah looked on, annoyed. "I don't know how you're alive," she said, "But I haven't the time to kill you now.
A semi-familiar voice came in over the phone. "Kenji? It's Raven, Kane's father. Tell me, is my son...?"
"I think you know what's happened. Your other son is here, as well."
"Other son? Kane's my only child," he said befuddled.
"Time is something we have in abundance, yet never it's enough. I know how to free my dear brother, but, as much as I hate to admit it, I'll need your help."
"What's in it for you?" she shot back.
"My life. What point is there in living in a dead world?"
"He has a point." Uriko said, "What do we have to do?"
"As a child, our father used us to test the Menagerie Agent. He was a brilliant businessman but a terrible father. This, aberration, is born of those cells. I have here the antidote, which, in theory at least, would kill the organism. But it must be injected into Kane himself."
"Great," Uriko sighed, "that means one of us will have to go in."
"I shall," Scott said approaching the membrane. As he made contact, a bright light flashed, blinding everyone, and the enigmatic genius was thrown to the ground.
"It appears my brother is a little less than thrilled to let me in."
"Sarah took the vial out of Scott's hand, and grabbed the Masamune blade. "I'm going," she said with cold determination. "It's the least that I owe him."
"Sarah wait," Kenji said approaching her, "when you were asked to spy on Kane, was it Busuzima or Scott that approached you?"
"Busuzima," she answered, "but why is that important now?"
"I'll tell you later. Take this." Kenji said handing her a small device. "It's a two way radio and video camera."
Sarah put the device on her belt loop, and ran inside the membrane. It sealed behind her, as it did with Uriko. She took a deep breath, and walked forward. The same dampness that earlier clung to Uriko still hung in the air. She took a deep breath, and walked forward. Uriko's voice guided her as she made her way through the maze, and to the room that housed her love. She pieced the veil, and beheld the sight Uriko saw only hours before. She walked forward, holding back the same repulsion and grief that filled her friends heart, and prepared the syringe.
"Don't worry, baby, I'll get you out of there."
She was only a few steps away when the walls around him forced shut, and a giant creature emerged from it. She dropped the syringe and jumped out of the way, transforming as she did so. As she flew above it, she contemplated her next action. She swooped down and slashed at its arm
It swatted at her, knocking her away. As she regained her wits, the creature reared its head back and let loose a ball of fire that nearly singed Sarah's feathers. She flew up, and dove down, using the sword to slice at its legs.
I let out a howl of pain and kneeled. She grabbed the sword and prepared to end its life, but a voice over the communicator pleaded her not too.
"Sarah wait! That's not the monster, that's Kane!" Kenji yelled.
Sarah hesitated. "What do you mean?"
"That's Kane, he's trying to keep you away. He doesn't want you to see what he's become. He still loves you." Kenji said over the communicator.
Sarah dropped to the ground, and resumed her human form. She walked over to the creature, and placed her hand on its cheek. "Oh Kane, it's okay. I'm here to help you." She kissed it, and picked up the syringe. The creature stood, and looked at her with darkened eyes.
"Okay, not it the monster!" Kanji warned. Sarah narrowly avoided a powerful blow, and saw the creature's arm stuck in the floor. "
"Now's my chance!" she said.
She opened the syringe and coated the sword in the Menagerie agent. A fierce, determined look covered her face as she stood with the sword in hand. She looked at the monster's chest, where Kane was held. She hoisted the sword as a spear and launched it.
Her aim was dead on, the creature let out a howl as it began to dissolve. She looked frantically around, until she saw Kane lying in the middle of the monster's remains. She picked him up on her shoulder, and ran, as the cocoon collapsed around them. It seemed as if they weren't going to make it, when Kane awoke. He picked Sarah up, and ran as fast as he could, barely making it in time. The cocoon collapsed, but they were safe. Kenji and Uriko ran to greet them. Raven had since joined them, and likewise ran out to greet his son.
"Kane, are you okay?" he asked.
As the friends embraced, Scott wandered around the cocoon's remains, as if searching for something.
"This is all your fault!" Kane exclaimed, grabbing his father's throat. "If you hadn't used me in your experiments, if you hadn't created the Menagerie Project, none of this would have happened!"
Scott stood up, holding a vial of red liquid in his hand.
"I had no choice, I did what I had to do!"
"I was your son, not some lab experiment!" he cried, throwing the old man to the ground.
"It worked!" Scott exclaimed! "All this planning, all this waiting! You all played your roles exactly as I knew you would! And now I truly get to live!"
They ran to him, but too late. He drank to liquid, and a red glow shone from his eyes. Scales covered his body, sharpening his hands into claws. The wings of his beast form sprouted forth, but her retained his human form. The shadows of night seemed to cloak him; soon all that was visible was a silhouette and those glowing eyes.
"Good God almighty," Raven said in shock.
"I am almighty," Scott said, a tentacle sprouting from his body. "I am God!" His tentacle pieced the old man's chest and smashed him into a building.
Kane stood, his eyes dissecting his brother. "It's easy to be almighty to an old man, but lets see how you fare against us!"
He pounced on his brother, with Sarah, Kenji, and Uriko close behind.