Chapter 13

Somewhere in space, an Italian cell phone satellite received a message from it's on board programming. It suddenly powered its small engines and reversed its course to wait for the message it had just been told would arrive. Slowly, it inched its way around the horizon, heading inexorably away from North America and across the sea.

T-minus 15minutes, 30 seconds.


"What do you mean a timer?" Saitou demanded, watching as Tokio hobbled over to the bed. She looked down through the magnifying lens at Kaoru's wrist.

"The sick son of a bitch," Tokio said. "You've heard of the small LED screens that they've implanted under people's wrist to tell time?" Saitou nodded. "Well it's the same idea. Only instead of telling time, this one counts down."

"Counts down to what?"

"Armageddon," Kaoru whispered.

"Don't be so dramatic," Tokio snapped. "If we have Shishio's triggering device here, then we can stop him." She turned to the doctor. "Remove the device," she ordered in English.

The doctor looked at her. "Of course. But it will take time."

"Time?" Tokio asked.

"Yes… the device is attached to a main artery. If we simply cut it out, the young lady will bleed to death."

"How long will it take?"

"We will have to prep her for surgery, the anesthesia will have to take effect…"

"In other words," Tokio said glancing down at the lens to the clock, "it will be longer then fifteen minutes."

"Well… yes." The doctor looked at her confused. "Why? What happens in fifteen minutes."

"Nothing," Tokio smirked. "Except that device sends a message to a satellite to begin a world wide plague."

"I don't understand," the doctor said. Tokio looked a bit frustrated at his lack of English skills but never got the chance to continue. "That cannot send a message to a satellite."

The room fell silent. "What do you mean?" Tokio finally said.

"Eh… it's like my cell phone," the doctor said. "When the antenna broke, I could not connect to the system. That was to a small tower nearby. To a satellite… it would require a large antenna, no? But there is no antenna on the young lady."

The three looked at the doctor and then back at Kaoru.

"Is he right?" she said softly.

Saitou turned to the doctor. "Get that thing out of her arm as soon as possible," he said, making for the door.

"Hajime," Tokio said starting to follow him. But he held her back and whispered a few things to her. Tokio looked at him and nodded slowly. Without another word, he disappeared out the door.

T-minus 14 minutes


Kenshin hurried through the crowded streets, trying to navigate through the people and towards the hospital Saitou had taken Kaoru to. The shoulder of his shirt stuck to his body but he knew it wasn't from sweat. He slowed down a bit and let Soujirou slide off his back to the street. He quickly examined the tourniquet on his arm and readjusted it to stop the flow of blood.

"Stop," Soujirou muttered under his breath. But Kenshin ignored him. "Leave me alone," he said again.

"Later," Kenshin said, placing Soujirou on his back again.

"Why?"

"It's the only thing to do," Kenshin stated simply, standing up again.

"But… I am weak," Soujirou muttered.

"If you die," Kenshin continued as he moved through the streets. "Then you are weak. The strong are the ones who refuse to die without a fight."

There was no reply and Kenshin didn't bother to check on his conscious state. Instead, he locked his eyes on the hospital ahead of him and barreled into the waiting room. A few seconds of yelling produced a number of overworked doctors that quickly took charge of the situation.

As he turned to leave and find Kaoru, Kenshin felt something pull at his shirt. Looking down, he saw Soujirou's remaining hand locked on his shirt.

"I think… you are right," Soujirou said simply before succumbing to unconsciousness.

T-minus 12 minutes


Misao's fists clenched tightly as she listened to the American response to their request. The most powerful nation in the world and they couldn't contact one satellite.

"I just don't understand!" Misao lamented into the microphone with Okina. "Don't they monitor all their satellites all the time? Why are they having so many problems?"

"Well… there is good news and bad news related to that."

"Good news?"

"Yes, the satellite in question is an experimental military one. It's got onboard weaponry so taking out the Italian satellite should be no problem."

Misao perked up considerably. "That's great! Ah… but… bad news?"

"Yes well, apparently the guidance system is out. That's why they're having problems with it. Can't make it turn in the right direction and all."

"Where was it designed? New Jersey?" Misao demanded. "This is ridiculous!"

"Yes, well… there is one more thing they're trying. But it going to be difficult."

"What's that?"

Okina gave the details, going into how they were moving a few of the neighboring satellites to intercept the errant satellite and bump it in the right direction. Misao couldn't help but imagine a giant Pong game in space but before she could elaborate that idea to Okina, there was a desperate call on her headset.

T-minus 10 minutes


The US Military satellite spun helplessly, lights flashing on its side as communicators on the ground tried to regained control. Suddenly, the lights stopped and the satellite's thrusters flickered on, pushing the device away from its position just above China towards the North Pole and towards a derelict Soviet satellite.

Two minutes later, the two collided and the US one started spinning, heading in a direction of Southern India.

On the other side of the globe, the Italian satellite was slowly making progress across the ocean.


Sano finally came to a stop and let Megumi slide off his back. Aoshi came soon afterwards and frowned at the sight in front of him. A dead end blocked them in and guards were approaching on both sides.

"When did that happen?" Sano said walking up to the wall and pounding it with his fist. A dull hollow noise echoed behind him.

"They trapped us in," Aoshi said grimly.

"But Misao can open the door for us, right?" Megumi asked, watching as Aoshi reached for his headset. He looked over at her with an expressionless face while he contacted Misao.

"It'll be okay," Sano said as he felt around the door.

Megumi wanted to quip, make an insulting remark, anything that would break the tension of the situation. But everything died on her lips. How long had it been since the alarm went off? How much longer could they possibly have?

"Sano?" she said turning to him.

"What?" he asked, shoving a shoulder roughly against the wall.

"Sano… I just wanted to say… I'm sorry," Megumi replied softly. Sano paused for a moment and looked down. "You know, for everything I said it Tokyo. It was wrong… and I shouldn't have cared what my colleagues thought. You're a good guy, they would have seen that."

Sano hung his head a bit and mustered the words. "I'm transferring," he said finally.

"What?" Megumi asked.

"To Kyoto. I put in for it before we came to Italy. Figured it would be easier for you at work if I was gone."

Megumi sank to the floor and grabbed her knees to her chest. "I can't believe you would do that. I can't believe I was that horrible that you would want to move."

Sano knelt down and looked at her. "You weren't horrible," he stated. "I was just running away from things. We'll work everything out as soon as we get out of here. Okay."

Megumi looked up at him and nodded slowly. He smiled a bit and looked towards Aoshi who was frantically chatting with Misao while firing the few remaining shots he had around the corner at the guards.

Suddenly his face fell darkened. The gun clicked empty a few moments later but his expression never changed. Apparently, whatever Misao said was worse the fact that they were now completely unarmed.

T-minus 8 minutes


Kaoru nervously clutched at the hospital gown and looked up at Tokio. The older woman wouldn't meet her eye though.

"So this counter," Kaoru began. "How exactly is it being powered?"

Tokio didn't budge. "You know the answer," she stated simply.

Kaoru nodded. Of course she did. It was a part of her, which meant that it was powered by the movement of blood through her artery. Which begged the question, what happened if the blood stopped pumping in her body?

"Before you have any noble ideas," Tokio said. "I'm sure that the device will send the signal just before it lost its power source."

Kaoru looked at her strangely. "Then… why remove it?"

"If there is a secondary purpose, such as making sure you were terminated immediately after the plague began." Tokio saw the confused look and just shook her head. "You're not the solution anymore."

"Then what is?" Kaoru asked, not noticing the anesthesiologist administering the medication next to her.

Tokio was silent for a moment. "I don't know."

Kaoru tried to say something else, but her eyes suddenly felt heavy. Just as she sank into unconsciousness, she heard a familiar voice calling her and saw a flash of red.

T-minus 7 minutes

* * *

Saitou took the stairs three at a time as he attempted to climb to the top of St. Mark's Tower. It was imperative that he got there before the fight was over. Shishio was their only possible source of information now. He would have to know where the main satellite was.

Of course that would necessitate several minutes of brutal torture to get it out of him. But considering the amount of pain the man has inflicted on this organization, Saitou doubted Hiko would mind stopping the fight for a bit.

He just had to get to the top of the stairs. But it felt like for every step he took the tower would inch up higher into the sky. If it was anyone else but Saitou Hajime attempting this, they probably would just sit down on the stairs and give up.

But this was the Wolf, one of the original founders of the dread yakuza the Shinsengumi. The most notorious assassin to have survived the past two decades, considering that Battousai was a whiny antique dealer now. He had dealt with the attempted elimination of his group, too many assassination attempts to keep track of and brokered an agreement with the Hiten, making them the most powerful yakuza in Japan.

No matter who opposed, they always won. There had been many before the Juppongatana and none had succeeded. And they wouldn't now. He knew that. He knew he would get there in time.

Besides, he wasn't fully confident that Hiko was up to fighting again. Leaving him behind to face Shishio was not his decision. He had been obligated to keep his promise to Battousai and help the girl.

The steps weren't as daunting anymore. He could see the top of them. But just as he rounded the final corner, he was pushed back by the tremendous sound that came from above.

T-minus 4 minutes

* * *

The Italian Satellite cleared Iceland and the tiny engines flared for a course correction, moving it closer to Italy.

Across the continent, the US military satellite continued to spin, hurtling towards India and then suddenly into another satellite. It rebounded quickly, heading suddenly on a correct path and a collision course with the enemy.


"That's the ONLY SOLUTION?" Megumi cried as Aoshi finished talking.

"Yes," Aoshi replied sternly, looking over as Sano continued to throw anything not nailed at the ground.

Megumi looked at him. "Then, I guess this is it."

"Sano!" Aoshi yelled towards the other man. Sano quickly tossed the rest of his arsenal and ran over to them. The two pulled Megumi close in the middle and used their free hands grab onto fixtures on the wall.

The sound of pounding feet echoed into the hallway. Aoshi yelled into the microphone. There was an explosion around the corner, propelling several guards forward. The rest followed quickly, pushed along by a wave of water.

The current rushed into the corridor and slammed against the three friends. The men held their ground even as the water ricocheted off the wall behind him. Somehow they managed to hear another door slam shut. After that the water quickly rose.

It was up to their necks before they let Megumi go. Before it went over their heads, they each took one last breath and dove under the water, swimming frantically towards the end of the hall.

The blast had bent back most of the metallic wall. Misao had told them that while she could not stop the self destruct system, she might be able to trigger the explosion near them a bit sooner. So they took the chance.

Two minutes later, they knew they had made the right decision. Sano broke through the surface first. As soon as he caught his breath, he located the other two nearby.

"We need to move!" Aoshi managed to get out. "The main explosion is…"

But he never finished his sentence.

T-minus 2 minutes


There are legendary battles in which armies are pitted against each other in fights which last months. And then there are ones that last barely an hour. There are duels declared after years of bickering between combatants. And there are duels fought in the heat of a moment.

As Hiko and Shishio faced each other, they knew that this fight was like none and yet like all of those at the same time. The fight could not be long and yet both combatants would not allow it to end quickly. It was a rivalry many years old but it was only recent events that had made it so volatile.

"And how is the leader of the Hiten Empire? Still recovering?" Shishio said.

Hiko snorted. "Far better then the leader of the Juppongatana."

Shishio frowned and looked down at his bandages, smiling. "I see we are bitter."

Hiko shook his head. "Not at all. Your plan failed back then, it will fail now."

Shishio shrugged. "That will remain to be seen. This time I am not relying on Soujirou-san to do my work for me. He would not be up to task," Shishio replied.

"He was good enough back then. Good enough to infiltrate the Hiten group. Good enough to get close to me. Good enough to start the plan…"

"Just not good enough to finish it," Shishio added.

Hiko shook his head. "No, I think he was better than your 'plan'. At least he realized that what you were doing was the cowards' approach."

Shishio shrugged. "The boy was fine with killing you before he left to join your group. If he were truly strong, he would never have stopped administering the poison. And you would be dead already rather then slowly rotting away. How many surgeries before there's no more organs left to remove?"

"I see you still think it clever," Hiko replied. "Why bother with honorable fighting when you can destroy your rivals but slowly killing their leader?"

"An assassin wouldn't have worked," Shishio continued smugly. "Neither would a bomb. You were too prepared for those. But the great Hiko would never admit to being sick. A little poison a day would make it seem like you had a sore stomach and nothing more." Shishio rested a hand on his sword. "I thought it was ingenious, actually. But my flaw was trusting Soujirou to do it. Now I have to finish the job."

Hiko pulled out his sword and leveled it at Shishio. "We'll see about that, Mummy-boy."

Shishio's eyes flared and he pulled out his katana, moving forward before it was even clear of the sheath. Hiko effortlessly blocked it, pushing him back into the wall as if he weighed nothing.

Shishio looked up and smiled. "So I see your strength is still there. But it is no match for my speed."

Hiko watched as the other man moved. Shishio was right, he was faster then Hiko. The only problem was, he was most definitely not as fast as another assassin Hiko knew. One that he had spent a few years training. And one that Hiko had made sure never won against him.

Hiko sensed the movement behind him and ducked, bringing up his sword just in time to clash with Shishio's. He turned, watching his opponent hit the wall with his feet and push off to use the momentum. Shishio's sword was not a threat but Hiko missed the gleam of the tanto in his hand until the smaller knife sliced into his side.

Not bothering to check the wound, Hiko instead concentrated on blocking the flurry of attacks. It was true, Shishio was an excellent fighter. But it was also true he wasn't nearly as fast as Kenshin.

Hiko struck quickly, knocking the sword out of the way, avoiding the tanto and hitting Shishio across the chin, sending the smaller man sprawling on the ground. Hiko advanced and lowered the blade to the back of Shishio's neck.

"It's over," Hiko said, looking down at the prone man.

Shishio was facing the floor but the words were audible enough. "Not yet."

Hiko turned just in time to avoid the first shot and watched as it hit the stone wall. Trust Shishio to resort to a handgun during a duel. He didn't ponder that thought but rather moved quickly, barely avoiding each shot as he moved across the tower. A bullet hit the wall and ricocheted upwards, hitting the ropes that suspended several large bells.

The noise was overpowering, the large metal clangs echoed through the entire tower traveled down the wooden stairs, knocking Saitou to the ground. Shishio stumbled backwards clutching his ear and Hiko saw his chance. He lunged forward and hit Shishio with his full weight. They both stumbled backwards just as the first bell fell down and smashed the wooden floor below them.

Hiko and Shishio grabbed onto the rope and swung over the never-ending drop below them, Shishio almost ten feet below Hiko on the rope. He started to climb upwards to attack but Hiko dipped down and gave him a kick in the face.

"HIKO!" Saitou yelled as soon as he reached the top of the tower. Surprised that his leader was not there, Saitou quickly followed the noises of fighting down the gapping floor. "Hiko!"

But the other man was too concerned with Shishio to hear his lieutenant calling him from above. He kicked hard and managed to connect with Shishio's hand.

"WAIT!" Saitou yelled, finally loud enough over the bells. Hiko looked up. "He needs to tell us where the satellite antenna is."

Hiko didn't need to be told twice. He reached down and grabbed Shishio by the collar with one hand. "Where is the antenna?" he screamed, as he pulled Shishio off the rope and dangled him over the drop,

Shishio kicked him in the stomach as a response. Hiko buckled and the rope suddenly dropped. Saitou looked up and saw the planks that had once supported the bells and ropes were starting to crack.

"Get up here!" Saitou yelled.

"TAKE HIM!" Hiko responded, hoisting Shishio upward and being rewarded by a kick in the face.

Saitou leaned down and grabbed Shishio's arm. The planks rained down wood splinters on top of his head and Hiko slipped away a few inches.

"Hiko," Saitou said outstretching an arm.

"No," Hiko replied, feeling the rope start to give way. "Make him tell you."

"BASTARD!" Shishio screamed. "I'll never tell you! I'll never…"

The wood exploded, the ropes flew loose and the bells of St. Mark's Tower came screaming down.

T-minus 1 minute


"There, I think I can see how it's attached." The doctor said looked up at the glass window where the two people watching.

"Can you remove it?" Kenshin asked through the microphone, trying to ease the worry in his voice.

"I think I can… I just need a few minutes," the doctor replied.

"We don't have a few minutes," Tokio snapped. "Three minutes from now that device will send the signal and then more then likely …"

"There will be a dose of cyanide administered," the doctor said.

"Possibly," Tokio replied, somewhat confused.

"No, that's exactly what it will be. There's liquid under the device and a small needle that's already through the arterial wall," he replied. "If I try to remove it too quickly, no doubt she'll be poisoned immediately. I think if I carefully remove the clasps that are holding it in place…"

There was silence on the other side. Stuck behind the plate glass, there was nothing to do but wait and watch the clock in the operating room slowly tick down.

53 seconds


The US satellite came alive again and several of its side panels were blown off as the twin lasers came out. The Italian satellite inched closer and the US one fired. But because it was spinning, the initial shot was completely off the mark.

48 seconds


The water was gone from beneath them one moment and the next it suddenly reappeared. Megumi smacked her back on the sea and instantly felt the pain race across her skin. She looked up at the surface of the water and watched as it moved away from her.

40 seconds


Hiko watched as the bells came down first, followed by the rope, the planks and finally some parts of the ceiling. The cacophony of noise was almost enough to deafen out the screams that had started moments before.

Looking up at Saitou, he frowned as the other man struggled to pull him over the edge of the hole with both hands.

"Idiot."

33 seconds


The US Satellite had only a few more feet before its enemy passed it and made the signal. Somewhere, buried in the mountains of the Midwest, a US military officer knew that it was his last shot. So he waited until the last possible moment and spent the rest of his time praying.

21 seconds


"THERE!" the doctor yelled, diving in with the scalpel. "I've almost got it free," he reported. "Just have to get the last hook to release." He worked feverously, barely noticing the nurse wipe away the sweat off his brow. He knew his time was ticking away every moment he didn't fully concentrate on his task.

14 seconds


Shishio was falling. And it annoyed him to no end. This was not what he had planned to happened. Not at all.

13 seconds

He should be up in the tower, surveying the chaos that would occur when the plague erupted.

12 seconds

He should be watching as his new kingdom rose from the ashes of this one.

11 seconds

Instead he was plummeting back to Earth.

10 seconds

"FOOLS!" he screamed up into the sky.

9

"You think this will kill me?"

8

"I will survive this! I will be back!"

7

"I AM STRONG!"

6

Shishio hit the ground at full force, shattering several wooden floor planks as he did.

5

But his eyes blinked open and he smiled. He had been right.

4

He had survived. He was the strongest in the world.

3

Then the second bell crashed down on top of him and shattered every bone in his body.

2

The third and fourth ones finished the job almost simultaneously.

1

Shishio was dead.

0


The device came free from Kaoru's arm and the doctor tossed it into the tray just as the countdown ended. A stream of poison came out of the needle and collected harmlessly in the plate.

The officer took his shot, instructing the satellite to fire until its power ran out. And that's exactly what it did. It sent a continuous stream of heat and power in the form of a laser into space until it finally spun around to face the Italian satellite.

Megumi broke through the surface and watched as a light in the sky pulsed brightly before it died out. She pondered for a moment what it meant and then heard Aoshi and Sano calling her from the shore. Not wasting a moment, she quickly swam over to them.

Saitou and Shishio slowly made their way down the stairs.

"You should have let me drop," Hiko said.

"Shishio refused to tell me where the antenna was."

Hiko stopped walking. "You asked him once."

Saitou shrugged and continued down the stairs. Hiko shook his head and followed.

They walked out into the courtyard and surveyed the damage. People were limping, dragging the wounded towards hospitals. They walked among them and towards the now destroyed Juppongatana float.

There lying on the ground was Yumi, eyes blinking up at the sky. The wound in her side had spilled most of her blood onto the sidewalk.

"Did it work?" she whispered.

Hiko and Saitou looked down at her and saw no evidence of the virus.

"No," Hiko said finally.

Yumi smiled a bit. "Liar," she said. "I'm just… just one of the…"

She stopped talking and her eyes stopped moving. The loss of blood had finally finished her and she was only moments behind Shishio, following him into whatever awaited them. Hiko leaned forward and closed her eyes, letting out a sigh.

No matter what she believed, the virus would have affected her. But she had none of the lumps on her arms. It could mean only one thing.

They had won.


And then there was just the epilogue...