Hell exists nowhere but within ourselves …
André walked along the streets rather sluggishly, considering the implications of what Frère had said to him. The thought of him leaving was unbearable and weary. How long did he have to continue this wandering life, spending days and nights knowing that Âme would come for him, capture him and condemned him to the life of a lab rat. All he ever wanted was to live an ordinary and peaceful life. Was that completely too much to ask for? Suddenly, an earth-shaking explosion broke through his thoughts. Looking up, he saw smoke curling up in the sky.
"Marigold, the flower of cruelty…" Manx repeated, "How poetic! Hello… hello… Ken! Are you there? Ken… Damn! The phone is dead!" Examining it carefully. "I must have damaged it during the explosion." Manx stood up and scanned the area to see if the bomber was still around the premises. Then, she saw someone in black with a tribal-like mask on his face, standing on the rooftop of an 8-storey building. The masked man gave a jaunty wave and jumped all the way down, landing lightly upon the concrete ground. Both Manx and Aya were stunned at the masked man didn't break a single bone after falling from such a height. Aya said nothing as he drew out his sword.
Leaping forward, the masked man kicked Manx aside, making her crashed into the rubbish bins. Wheeling around, he punched Aya in the midsection, took his sword and flung it away where it skidded and clattered against a wall. Then, he reached out and took Aya by his shirt front, dragged him forward and head butt. The blow snapped Aya backward, leaving him blinded and stunned. Lifting Aya up, he held him suspended in the air and threw him down, sending him sprawling onto the ground.
"You should have heeded my words," He said coolly, walking to where Aya laid gasping and bleeding. "Unfortunately, you and your comrades don't have much of a choice. Those who allied with Âme must die. After I'm done with you, your lady friend will be next." Reaching down, he lifted Aya and jabbed him with a stick-like object. Sparks of electricity triggered down Aya's struggling body.
Meanwhile, Manx was crawling towards the car, fighting against the dizziness that was threatening to flatten her any moment. Fumbling for the handle, she managed to pull it. The door open and Manx pulled herself onto the front seat and stretched her arms for the car compartment. Opening it, she took out a revolver. Holding steadily in her hands, Manx narrowed her eyes in concentration. However, waves of nausea overtook her, blurring her vision. She cursed softly.
Aya collapsed in a heap, fighting to stay conscious. Hot steam was rising from his body. The masked man stood over him and sneered. "Your resistance intrigues me. Till now, nobody has been able to withstand it and remain conscious." He bent down, leaned close and whispered. "By the way, how's your comrade with the sunglasses doing? He doesn't look too well when I left him hanging…"
At that moment, something or someone swift knocked the masked man down. Aya rolled over to his side, placed his hands upon the wall and tried to push himself up. Between blurred visions, he could see a black haired man fighting fiercely against the masked man. It was André.
André hit the masked man 3 times across the face with the back of his hand. Stepping into him, he drew his arm across his shoulder and threw him. The masked man quickly rolled over and unleashed his electricity waves at him. André ducked to one side, kicked the stick-like object aside, reached out for his left wrist, grabbed it and forced his arm downwards. Tuning back, André pulled his left arm down and hit him head on throat with his free hand. The masked man stumbled backward. With lightening speed, André swing his elbow into the stomach with additional punches. The masked man fell down.
Panting, André ran over to Aya and yanked him to his feet. Half carrying and half dragging, he carried Aya towards the car and laid him on the backseat. Manx stared to him questioningly. André gave a polite smile and pushed her onto the passenger seat. Taking the wheels, He stepped onto the pedals and drove off. Halfway, Manx held out her revolver at André's head. Her eyes were flashing.
"Relax, Mademoiselle Manx," said André impassively. "I'm on your side."
"And what can you do to make me believe you?"
"Listen, Mademoiselle Manx, you need information on Âme, General Gloven and the cause of Seta Sakimoto's death. In exchange, I need passports and I.D for countries like USA, UK and Canada," He locked his eyes on Manx's. "Shoot me and Âme wins."
Manx shifted her eyes at Aya who nodded his head, looking back at André; she pursed her red lips and placed the gun down.
"Alright then, we have a deal. However, if you show one moment of betrayal, the boys and I will instantly kill you."
"Fine by me," André replied. "Now, do you have a safe place where we can hide for a while?"
"Yes, I'll give the directions as we talk," Manx fixed her hawk eyes on him. "I dislike being left in the dark."
André politely smiled and said, "In the late 1960's, the French Government secretly built an intelligent sector in its development & research team named Âme in their focus to create better agricultural and animal products through genetic modification. Âme did become successful in creating genetic modified plants, which was the best cover-up behind their true intention."
"To create genetic modified human beings," Manx replied.
"Oui (yes)," André nodded his head. "However, to do so, Âme needed very specific hosts to qualify for the genetic modification. Children were the best choice because they were easily susceptible to the modified gene Âme inserted into their bodies. So, Âme used orphans or unwanted children to experiment on. After tons of murders, they finally succeeded in the modifying the genes by using 20% of what they called the 'mutated GBG'. Like they wished, the results were beyond their imagination. The children, known as the 'Âme children', were able to do things that were impossible to normal human beings. Jumping off a building, scaling pillars, walking through physical barriers, making their bodies untouchable… The Âme children were then trained under the military to be mercenaries or assassins. It remained a secret till a journalist named Seta Sakimoto shown up in 12th August 1982 and published his findings at 24th October 1989. That led to the famous shutdown of Âme but it didn't matter because 50% of Âme children died before reaching 8 years old, followed by 30% before 10. At the 1989 shutdown, there are only 3 survivors. I'm one of them. Besides us, there are 4 scientists who had fled Jean Lobe, Nicolas Numasm, Phile Raginwald and Fideline Josette. All of them are dead except Fideline Josette. I'm not surprised that she's the only survivor. She's the only one who cared for us. Fideline has been against the Âme for using children as lab rats."
"The man who attacked us," Aya half-leaning against the back of André's seat, "Is he one of the survivors?"
"He's Subject 9377, he's known as Frère because he thinks it's his responsibility to keep a look out for me. I'm subject 9379. The last one is Shella, subject 9374. She and Frère are one of a kind. They strongly believe in destroying Âme to avenge themselves. They are the ones who killed Lobe, Numasm and Raginwald. But who they are really after is…"
"General Benjamin Gloven," said Manx.
"That's right. He is the hunter who wants us for his own selfish reasons. For the past 10 years, he has been chasing us down and we have been running away from him till now. Frère and Shella had enough of him and they want to bring down Âme, the general and all those who side with them. Frère thought Weib Kreuz was one of Âme's allies and so, he attacked you. I'm sorry about your friend, Yoji."
"He's still alive," Manx cut him off briskly. "There, turn right and straight down. This mutated GBG you mentioned earlier, what is it? How can it be so potent that it could change the genetic structure of the human DNA?"
"That…" André heaved a sigh. "I'm not sure. The data was divided between the 4 scientists. Frère has 2 while Shella has 1. The last one is with Fideline," His black eyes glistened with false hope. "If it could happen, I hope Fideline will destroy the data. Hers is the most vital because she's the creator of the mutated GBG. Her data is like fire that can backfire any time. If General Gloven obtains it, he will discover our weakness and use it to his own advantage. If Frère & Shella, they might create a biological weapon that endangers everyone."
"What do you know about Seta Sakimoto?"
"I never met him before only heard about his article and his death on 29th May 1990. From his death, that I learnt that he was the one who freed us from Âme after 8 long years even though his visa had expired and the loss of his job," Turning the sterling wheel. "I wonder how did he manage to live in France for 8 years on his own?"
"8 years in France…" repeated Manx, frowning. "A guy with an expired visa wouldn't be able to live on his own unless he had someone to help him…" Turning, "Aya. Where's Seta's journal?"
"With Ken. I asked him to look after it for me." Looking straight at Manx, "Don't tell me that Seta had help from someone? It's definitely not Jean Lobe."
"No," Manx smiled devilishly. "It's one thing that we have all overlook."
Omi leaned against as he gazed out the window, watching the endless scenery of white. It looked very pure and heavenly, untouched by mortal filth and yet, the sight made Omi had the yearning to reach out and lay his hands upon them. Even if it had to be for a spilt second, the sensation of that touch could may, maybe, gave him the something to fill his empty heart. Turning his head, he could see Manx busily tapping her fingers on her laptop, Aya sleeping and André… Disappointment swelled within him.
André was the one of those few whom he thought he could connect with them normally, without having the guilt of hiding his identity. Surprise, surprise, Fate was not on his side. It had never been since the day he was born. Omi remembered how he withheld his emotions when Manx revealed to him about André being one of the Âme children. He never expected him to be, never in a million lifetimes. In the next hours, Manx had them all packed and flying off to France. Ken was ordered to stay behind to look after Yoji just for extra precaution. So, it was up to them to complete this mission.
Omi leaned back and closed his eyes, contemplating over on why Persia had chosen them with this case that was extremely delicately laced with politics with the French military. In Japan, they had Persia's influential means to protect themselves. However, once they reached France, it would be a different game to play. If any of them were to be caught, it was definitely game over.
He heard a sound of footsteps approaching towards him. Thinking it could be Manx, Omi half-opened his eyes. Instead it was André. He still had the same look that he had on the first day they met. Raven hair curling at the end of his creamy skin, seaweed green eyes and the composed smile that made any to have feverish dreams about kissing those lips. For a moment, Omi felt a similar connection in both of their lives, the parallel reason for their child-like exterior in front of others.
Nobody must know the dark secrets that chained the last sparks of their souls.
"Omi…" André said in a soft smoothing way. "May I sit beside you?"
"Sure," Omi replied, brown eyes looking deep in the seaweed green eyes.
"Omi…" André began again. "I… want… to apologize for not being honest with you in the beginning."
"You don't to. I wasn't being honest either about myself."
"Still, as a person…"
"Please don't," Omi hissed. "I want to hear any more apologizes. I don't want to hear about lies. More than what I'm lying to others about myself." Cupping his hands onto his ears and tears glistening down in cheeks. "I'm a murderer, André. That's what I am."
"So am I, Omi," André whispered softly. "I lost my childhood a long time ago if I could remember what a childhood is. Sometimes, I have flashes of them in my dreams and nightmares. Unlike you, I can't recall if I ever have parents. All I remember is being in white building with women dressed like nuns, lots of laughter and singing. Then, in spilt seconds, I was in a lab and there were doctors hovering over me. Next thing I knew, I was with other kids, all locked up in the barracks, waiting for General to give us military training..." Suddenly, André began to cough violently, gasping betweens breaths; one hand covering his mouth while the other gripped the edge of his seat. His body shook intensely. Beads of sweat trickled down his forehead.
"André!" Omi standing up and held him still to his seat. "Are you alright?" Seeing his bloodstained hand. "You're coughing blood?"
"No…" André smiled faintly. "I'm alright. Really I am." Taking in slow and deep breaths, leaning back. "I just need to rest for a while." Closing his eyes, "For what's worth, you are fortunate to have friends to care for you."
"André…" Omi bit his lip, changing his tone. "I'll get some medicine for you." Hastily walking into the kitchen cabin. Unknown to him, Manx was watching. Her eyes focused sharply on André's bloodstained hand.
50% of Âme children died before reaching 15 years old, followed by 30% before 18. At the 1989 shutdown, there are only 3 survivors. I'm one of them…
The Âme children maybe the world's greatest creation but in the name of science there's a limit to everything. For to go beyond that line, would be declaring oneself to be a god. Seta Sakimoto knew that and risked his own life to end that. The only questions left to complete the puzzle or should I say the links, are General Gloven, the Âme children, Seta Sakimoto and Fideline Josette. Yet, I wonder if Weib could link them the pieces that occur more than a decade ago. The starting door would be no other than the person we have all overlook….
The sun was sinking into the countryside of Nice, the shadows covering the woods in their velvet mantle. The grass upon the fields had a certain inner glow in them, like they are glowing in the remembrance of the sun's warmth. Lining out in the field was a stone pavement, moving towards a mansion surrounded by thick walls. At the tip of that menacing rampart, hung many cameras. Circling between shifts of clockwise and anti-clockwise were the masked guards of General Gloven.
Hidden low in the outer gardens were also two black-leather clad intruders. Treading low, they passed by the security guards like cats and nimbly climbed the walls into the hall. Once inside, they slide their ways down the hall and climbed many stairs, avoiding most of the security gadgets with crease and grace. This went on till they heard voices from one of the inner rooms. Noiselessly, they slid in and saw 2 people sitting beside a foundation shimmering in the light of the sliver lamps hung by the boughs of the neatly craved wooden trees over laden by big floppy leaves. Moving in the camouflage of the leaves, the two intruders stood still and listened for they had already recognized their preys.
General Benjamin Gloven, dressed in his military outfit, lit up a Cuba cigar and puffed clouds of tobacco smoke as he tapped his fingers into the dainty white tablecloth. His accompanist, a woman in widow black gown covering up to her neck. Her copper red hair, streaked with lines of silver, plied in thick locks upward, emphasizing the golden cupid-shaped locket upon the collar of her gown. She wore thick makeup to hide the wrinkles of age; still, she upheld her dignified composure with her chin held high, cold and hard as steel.
"What business do you have that is so important that it couldn't wait till the decent hours of morning?" She spoke. Her voice accentuated of those like a matriarch.
"Sophie Amiel…" General Gloven replied, smiling devilishly. "You haven't change a bit since I saw you."
"I believe, General," Sophie unemotionally cut in. "We are not here to talk about the days of our glory and youth. Whenever you are here, trouble brews and you want something from me that I will no doubt find it unpalatable. State your business and be gone. The very sight of you is repulsive "
General Gloven looked at her, tightened his lips, put down his cigar and said, "The Âme Children are still alive. My sources said that they are coming here to complete what they had left behind since the 1989 shutdown. Everyone involved in Âme is dead save me, Fideline Josette," He held his cigar towards her. "And you."
"What are you saying?" Her voice grew harsher. "You told them that they were dead."
"They were. Apparently, there are 3 survivors - subjects 9374, 9377 and 9379. They escaped with the help of that reporter Seta Sakimoto," Staring hard at her. "And someone else."
"I had nothing to do with that," Displaying haughtiness. "I was on cruise world tour on Europe when that happened. You gave me Morse code with the message that Âme was destroyed and so were the evidences, including the journalist."
"Yes, you were. How did he manage to smuggle 3 children out of France? It is impossible for him to do it by himself!" General Gloven hissed. "Enough of this cat & mouse game. They are after us, Sophie. They want us all dead!"
"Nothing is impossible as so you so strongly put it," Sophie calmly lifted her teacup and drank. "You train them, didn't you? With the best of the best, as you had said years ago, they will be the finest troops that the world will ever seen. With them, France will be the supreme power! But look at what your idealistic dreams brought upon yourself. Âme had died and your past sins are coming back to haunt you. You can go on telling the Japanese diplomats about your good intents to keep international stability and all that political stuffs. However," she held up her finger. "In here, you do not bring in here your filth and wear your mask of good Faith…"
"And what if I were to tell you that your son is alive," General interrupted, enjoying Sophie's shocked face. "Yes, how wide your pretty eyes are now, like they were when you are the goddess of France. By now, your son is roughly 20 or so. He could tall and handsome and may possess his mother's red hair."
"What nonsense are you muttering now? My son is…"
"Dead?" General Gloven shook his head. "Not dead but relieved and shaped into the image of my own desires."
Leaning closer, "You think that you and your pathetic managers could hide from me forever. You call me filth and a pretender of the good Faith. Now you tell me who is the filth and the liar between you and me. In your desperate to reach the height of your career, you sacrifice something that belongs to me. My son!"
"You knew?" Sophie became pale, highlighting the wrinkles. Her hands drew towards her lips.
"Yes, only recently, when my scientists are linking the scientific reasons of why the remaining children are still acceptable to the mutated GBG. They stumbled across 2 genetic codes in one of them. Yours and Mine! Explain how could our genetic codes were in him so coincidentally!"
"Gloven…" Sophie trembled.
"Why did you do it?" General Gloven yelled, his face flushed red in anger. "To kill my son and to hide me in the darkness!" He slapped her hard till she fell down to the floor. "After 20 long years, do I finally know my son has come back only to kill me!" Stomping his boot hard onto her. "To kill his father that he never truly known!" Bending down, he pulled her by the hair, roughly raised her high up and slapped her again.
Sophie lay sprawled on the cold marble floor. Blood trailed down from her lips as 2 ugly bluish purple bruises merged upon the white cheeks. She coughed and wiped the blood from her lips. Yet, the eyes gleamed, undaunted and fearless. Slowly, she got onto her feet, placing her weight upon the fallen chair.
"A father that he never truly known?" She repeated, then, burst into mock laughter. "Do you think that I would let you have my son even I had given birth to him? That was the only way that to protect him from the real truth about his father. For years, you've lied to me about the Âme children. You said that they were genetically engineered from the DNA itself. When the actual fact is that what you did was to inject this mutated GBG into their bodies and let it did the dirty work for you." Portraying herself as the heroine of an epic tale. "Tell me, what kind of a man would allow the deaths of hundreds of the homeless, especially children! Is this the kind of role model for my son to follow?"
"He is my son!" General Gloven punched her in the stomach. Sophie wheezed and collapsed, receiving more blows one after the other. "My son! My son! My son!"
He stopped, heaving heavily. Sweat soaked onto his shirt, forming big puddles on his chest and underarms. Taking a napkin from the table, he wiped his forehead and drank down a glass of port. Wiping himself, he looked at the frail crumpled woman onto marble floor lined with red curly liquid. From his side belt, he took out a pistol and another flattened rectangular object.
"I'll give you one last chance, Sophie," General Gloven twisted the object onto the pistol and inserted bullets. "Tell me where Fideline Josette and I'll spare your life."
Sophie merely turned, looked at him and said, "I'm not afraid of being killed by you or the Âme children. The only thing I fear is that my Maker would send me to hell for what I had contribute to the death of those innocent children. Yes, I gave up your son for my career but it was Monsieur Gerald Hermil, the president of Âme who enlisted your son to become one of the Âme children."
"What?"
"Surprise?" Sophie vomited dark blood. "Do you really think Gerald Hermil is really your friend? Do you really think you had the support of Âme? Remember what you did, Benjamin Gloven! When Hermil refused to work with you, you killed his son and threatened the rest the same thing if they did not submit to you. As for me, you used me as access to the orphanages and you yourself know very well what you did to those children. As the Americans says, what comes around goes around."
"Where is Fideline Josette?"
"I prayed to the Maker that she's dead. There's no way for to hide behind your military power. By this time, my testimony has reached to all those who wants to put an end to your treacherous ways. Within this month, Benjamin Gloven, your life will end by the hands of the Âme children or the government. Which is worse, I do not care, for this is all that I do to atone for my sins."
"Then, go to your Maker," Pulling the trigger, "and let your soul be in His hands"
The fields are still covered in their velvet mantles and the night sky pricked with little stars. The quiet silence was broken by the humming of a jeep. Softly, the jeep drove into the outer gardens. The occupants stepped out and flashed their torchlights at the surroundings. Dangerous and reckless as it seemed but there was no need to be cautious. The ground was littered with distorted bodies, their blood glittering in the starlight. Walking across the graveyard, the foursome hurried inside the mansions. No sooner or later, they found the corpse of Sophie in a pool of scarlet blood.
"We are too late," Manx hoarsely whispered. "Damn it!"
Aya surveyed the area. "Someone else was here besides the General and his men."
"Shella and Frère," André answered, examining the dead actress' body. "But it wasn't them who kill Sophie. They only killed the guards." Pointing at the bullets holes at the wall. "Look, the one who killed Sophie was also shooting at them as well."
"Then, the one who killed Sophie is," Omi said.
"General Benjamin Gloven," concluded Manx, sighing in frustration. "Darn, he's a step ahead of us. If only I thought of her earlier, she might had the chance to live."
"What part did she have in Âme?" Omi asked, puzzled.
"General was using her for easy access to orphanages. Sophie was one of the few actresses who personally financed these orphanages. Through her, General Gloven was able to pick out the best hosts for the mutated GBG. He probably lied about having them enrolled in government schools that would provide them with bright futures." Manx explained, "According to the French contacts, there are many people who simply wants to kick Gloven into retirement through the Sophie's testimony, particularly the Âme project."
"So, that means we have to find Fideline Josette as soon as possible," Omi said.
"But where could she be?" Aya questioned. "We don't even know where she is."
"I do."
"What? André? What did you say?" Manx glared at him.
"I know where she is," André spoke quietly. "She's still alive and at the safe place."
"And so, where is she, André?" out spoke someone, in a twisted accent of Jamaican. Everyone spin around to see a dark-skinned woman, standing with one hand on her hip while the other held out a mean-looking circular disc. Her thick black plaited hair rested neatly around her neck. The purple lips shaped into a grin of a hideous hyena, enhancing the navy mascara outlining the green cat-like eyes.
"Shella," André said slowly, approaching her step by step. The two walked in a circular motion. Their eyes fastened upon each other as they gradually positioned themselves in their fighting mode.
"What is going to be, little brother?" Shella spin the disc around her index finger. "Frère told me you have betrayed us and have gone back to Âme with their latest addition known as Weib. It's really shocker to know you have chosen to be with them after what they did to us. Remember how our brothers and sisters died because of them."
"No, I haven't."
"Then, why did you help when Frère attacked them? We could have one less enemy on our hands."
"Look, girl," Manx butt in, her red hair glowed irritancy. "Whatever Frère told you is probably a half-truths, we have after Âme because they are responsible for the death of a journalist named Seta Sakimoto. We believed that General Gloven is still continuing the Âme project in creating genetically modified humans. However, he lacks the data, Fideline Josette and you three remaining Âme children."
"Shut up!" Shella scowled, flinging the disc towards Manx. The disc wheezed into air, hardly making a sound. Aya pushed Manx down to the floor. Omi ducked behind one of the pillars. The disc shockingly shot out miniature bullets upon the trio as they headed for refuge beneath the stone tables. One by one, the wooden curved trees fell victim to the flying disc. Circling around the bend, the disc swiftly swept past André by barely an inch and into the hands of its owner. Shella smiled, placed the disc back onto her leathery belt and clicked her fingers.
A thin red line drew across André's right cheek.
André remain silent.
"I see you haven't lost your touch, subject neuf-trois-sept-neuf."
"My name is André."
"Is that the name that journalist gave you? You have no name, subject 9379. You never have one."
"You're wrong, Shella. We do have names. Seta Sakimoto gave us names. He said that all living things deserve to have names, not codes or numbers."
"Frère is right," Shella gnashed. "You've softened. Since the 1989 shutdown, the right thing that Frère and I should have done is to bring you along with us. But instead, you chose to be with that journalist who had filled you with worthless ideas and dreams. Don't you ever get it, André? We can never be one of them. We can never live the lives that we want. Our destiny to is to live long enough to destroy General Gloven and Âme!"
"What the heck are you talking about?" André grew angry. "We don't own anybody but ourselves to live the way we chose! Nobody owns us!"
"Seems to me, subject 9379," Shella's eyes hardened. "That you need a thrashing to knock some sense into you!"
A gunshot was heard and a silver bullet zoomed past Shella by her shoulder, causing a small tear on her sleeve. Shella turned and saw Manx holding her handgun. Manx coolly held up the gun and blew the smoke away. Then, walking up right to Shella.
In triple spilt seconds, Shella was slapped across the face.
"Weren't you being rude just now?" Manx grew icily. "We don't time for petty quarrels and I don't give a damn about you two's ideas of living. The situation is simply this. General Gloven failed in creating the genetic modified humans because of the lack of technology back then. Now, with advanced technology and the knowledge of biotechnology, his dreams of creating them could become a reality. However, he lacks the three vital ingredients – the data that you & Frère have, Fideline Josette and you three. Frankly, this Seta Sakimoto is the least I'm concerning about. What I really want to do is kick Gloven's butt, terminate Âme and go back to Japan. Got a problem with that?"
Shella stared at her, wide-eyed, blinked a couple of times. Aya and Omi quietly smiled to themselves. In such matters, Manx was the best person to handle them. Somehow, in that icy voice, there was something charismatic and commanding about it. Shella took in a deep breath and said.
"Very well, you have a point there. I'm simple here to see if any of those creeps come back. Frère is gone spying on General Gloven and would meet up with me at the Bleu Hotel at 0300 hours. So, I guess I have time to pay a visit to Fideline Josette if André is willing to talk." Her tone lowered as she deliberately put her arms around Manx's chest. "Hey girl, you look rather cute and irresistible back there. Care to have a girl talk later?"
"Pardon, je préfère l'homme que l'femme. (Sorry, I prefer men to women)."
À Suivre