A/N: This is the final chapter before the epilogues! Yes, shaddap, I'm doing several eventually. This story is working somewhat as a springboard for others, for example, one that I'm working on currently...which you'll be seeing some of soon. This isn't quite the prequel to Déjà Vu; different characters and storyline involved. I may, however, manage to include new chapters in this story and new chapters in Déjà Vu to make them work together...if you lot want me to ^_^; You'll see what I mean. I may, in future, use it for other stories other than this mysterious sequel...either for a prequel, or other divisions of timeline. People on Yahoo know me for my obsession with variations...and now so do you all out there =D
This story has been going since 11-02-02; a long time. And now, it's finally drawing to a close. In time, I may add chapters to it to fill it out – since it's rather hollow in places because of the amount of time I've skipped – or edit previous chapters to make them more meaningful, exciting and grammatically correct o.x;;
By the way, YES I DID just write two chapters in one sitting! So sue me, I was bored. Yes, it did take me three whole freaking hours or so. Big deal.
Anyhow, on with it. This chapter bounces from time to time, skipping months as it does so. The action mounts up and ends dramatically...leaving you with nothing but "WHAT NOW?!"...and then you'll have to wait for my epilogue. Mwaha. Yes, it is an evil plot to drive you all mad. MWAHA!
*cough* Okay, enough sports drink before I go too much more sugar high.
***
Another few months had progressed since the beginning of the investigation into Abel; the results, until now, had been scarce and unrewarding. But now the news had reached the Mishima Zaibatsu, along with the Japanese government. Abel's genetics firm had created something even more evil than what they'd been planning for the Devil Gene. The most frightening part was that the research Abel had done with the Devil Gene previously had been a major part of this abomination.
The Devil Gene, Kazuya knew only too well, was unusual for a human gene to say the least; for a start, it went through all stages of dominance between people. He'd inherited it through his mother, who was heterozygous for the recessive form of the gene. She was a complete angel as a result; not one evil drop of blood flowed in her veins. It had been dormant in him, too, and only heterozygous; however, with Devil's possession of him, he'd become homozygous dominant for the Devil condition. That allowed Devil to control him from time to time. The gene had been passed onto Jin; he was only heterozygous dominant for the condition, so he seemed much more human when he 'transformed'. The other forms of the gene were Incomplete dominance, Co-dominance, and mosaicism.
It was this unpredictable inheritance of the gene that had inspired Abel to create this new tangent of evil, it seemed. He'd discovered the means behind the gene's inheritance, so the reports said, and had applied it to several viral strains. One had adapted, with the aid of numerous kinds of genetic therapy and experimentation, and had developed into one of the nastiest strains of virus that could affect the human race.
Such scientific procedures and products were highly illegal in almost every country in the world because of the complete lack of ethics involved. This was what worried Kazuya, along with everyone else involved. The virus, like the Devil Gene, would take on different forms and affect different people in varying degrees of danger and fatality.
Now, the Mishima Zaibatsu was working closely in its scientific department to find a way to destroy viruses; even in today's day and age, 'cures' for viral infections were not possible so far. Antibiotics, after all, work on biotic factors, such as bacteria – not non-living chemical-like pathogens such as viruses. Word had spread through the scientific and business community of this abhorrence, and many Zaibatsu and companies alike had pooled their resources in a rush to find a way to destroy the virus, or likewise, Abel – before the danger could begin.
Apparently their efforts had been in vain. A new email that Kazuya had just received had proven it; it was hopeless, they were too late.
Mishima-sama,
We regret to inform you that we have failed in our joint venture to avert the disaster hanging above our heads by a thread. Abel's corporation has released a beta-strain of the virus just north of the city, and it has already begun to infect the population from thereon. An attempt to stop the release of the virus in Los Angeles, USA, failed also; the perpetrators were apprehended, but not soon enough. So far, these two countries are the only two affected, but we fear for the worst; we may have a pandemic on our hands.
We advise you to put as much emphasis on research as possible from now onward, it may be humanity's only hope...we still are unaware of what the virus does.
Kind regards,
Fujisawa Keiji, CEO of the Fujisawa Zaibatsu.
As he read the mail, Kazuya's
features had taken on a deathly pallor, and he felt his heart racing, fluttering
in his chest painfully...so this was it. This was Armageddon. Wasting no time, he
grabbed the phone next to him roughly, and punched in numbers.
***
The weeks following the initial release had passed by like seconds; every minute
seemed wasted, and every second seemed to draw closer to the time of death. The
Mishima scientific team had isolated a small sample of the virus, and had begun
researching its genetic makeup. So far, so good, it seemed, as Kazuya read through
the report. He was pacing up and down the length of the laboratory, making everyone
around him quite nervous in the process.
Finally, he relented, and placed the paper down on the table nearby. "So it seems Abel isn't as wonderful as he believes..." Kazuya smirked to himself.
"It would seem that way, sir." One of the scientists turned around on his swivel chair to face the taller man. "The virus affects people with certain vulnerabilities, but as for others, it has little effect. Symptoms are flu-like, but can accelerate and develop into something much more fatal very quickly...only if the person has the vulnerabilities. It's not airborne either, because of the weight of the genes fused into its RNA. Infection is via water supply."
Kazuya nodded, and paced some more. He felt incredibly nervous these days, and for good reasons. It was that nervous energy that caused him to almost leap out of his skin when his name was called again, this time by a woman sitting further down the laboratory.
"Mishima-sama?"
Startled, he turned hastily to face her...most people cringed slightly when they noticed how uptight he was; an uptight Mishima is one to avoid. "Yes, doctor?" His voice was mildly strained.
She recoiled slightly, fearing a dangerous strike if she angered him. "Uh...we've been trying to develop vaccines for the virus, and so far we've been successful...do we have your permission to begin inoculations around the city?"
He nodded. "Yes. The sooner you begin the better; use as much of the budget as you need to get the entire city safe. After that, begin fanning out through our other bases worldwide."
***
What made a stressful last month had been made worse by bad news within the
company. One of his best employees, a woman determined and loyal to the very
end, was resigning. Her resignation was sitting on his desk, upstairs, read
over a thousand times over these last few days. It was a pity she was leaving
for more than just her value to the company; she was the only gaijin in the
workplace, and had changed the way people worked. She'd changed the way he worked.
Yet, he knew it was important for her to leave. Her mother had fallen ill with leukaemia back home in Britain, and she needed to return to help her in her last years. The official goodbye was just beginning downstairs in the cafeteria, and he was expected to attend the celebrations.
Leaving the work about the new virus – which Abel had dubbed 'Gaidoku', meaning poison in Japanese – he ventured downstairs, after quickly adjusting his dark amethyst tie and pulling on his navy business coat. As the lift opened, music flooded into the air, along with sombre voices, quietly humming over the noise from the speakers.
The room was lavishly decorated with gold streamers and balloons, tables laden with food, and a massive 'Goodbye Sheree Brown' banner hanging over the windows on the far wall. As people saw him coming, there were nudges and whispers passed from person to person. Eventually, as he made his way through the cafeteria, the only sound left was the dimming tunes played from the sound system. Sheree herself was standing by a table at the back of the room, talking to her best friend, Yuki.
Kazuya approached the pair slowly; Yuki saw him first, and turned Sheree around to face him. The woman's blue eyes were burdened with tears that dared not fall, though her reddened cheeks beneath streaks of blonde hair showed that tears had fallen earlier on. When she saw him, she bit her lip...and he paused, suddenly not sure what to say.
"You do know this company's not going to be the same without you..."
She smiled and nodded, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue. "I know, I know...there'll be nothing but a sea of black heads on all floors as of tomorrow."
He chuckled softly, though his smile was somewhat sombre to match the mood the room had taken on. "That, and everyone's going to lose morale. You kept this place on its heels every moment you were present."
Before she could reply, he turned and walked toward the right end of the room; a small stage had been erected, with a lectern and all. Looks like it was time for the farewell speech by the CEO himself.
The music lost volume and fell silent, and eventually, everyone turned to face the stage. No notes were in Kazuya's hand; he knew what he wanted to say, and needed no speech before him to say it. And, needless to say, he needn't tap on a glass to get everyone's attention. He merely had to be present.
Once the rabble had ceased, he took a breath, and began to speak. "I know for certain, ladies and gentlemen, that no one in this room would disagree with me when I say that today is a poignant day indeed for the Mishima Zaibatsu. As we all know too well, as of tonight, we are about to lose one of our most qualified, most elite, most respected accounts people, and the most outstanding personality most of us have had the pleasure and privilege of working with in years.
"Sheree Brown has served the Mishima Zaibatsu from well within my Father's reign, right up until now; the entire time, she has effortlessly and subconsciously lifted the morale of the entire workplace, and thus has aided the Zaibatsu's efforts in this latest series of crises in an immeasurable way. Losing her won't just be losing a friend; for most of us, we're losing a family member.
"But it is this theme, to my understanding, that drives her need to resign and move on; ill relatives at home need her caring presence more than we do here at the Zaibatsu. So, though we regret to say goodbye to one of the most profound employees this company has seen in decades, we know she's going on to somewhere she is needed even more.
"We've all watched with amusement as she's blended into the Japanese culture and our workplace – or tried to, at least. Our token gaijin has kept us amused throughout her time here with various antics, her choice of words, the way she's changed us all in varying degrees...and of course, her accent."
At this point, there were a few snickers from the audience before him.
"This friendship she's willingly offered every single one of us has made it even more difficult for us to say goodbye to her this evening, especially with our need of her benevolent presence as of late. However, other motives are often more important in a person's life than business and the outside world; for those that are lucky enough to have a family, they must be there for them in times of need. Sheree's family need her with them now, so, it is with a heavy heart, on behalf of the Mishima Zaibatsu, that I bid her farewell, and a safe journey into the perilous future ahead."
As he finished, the large portion of the Zaibatsu's staff present burst into rapturous applause, those that were sitting down rising to their feet in their ovation. At the main table, Sheree had exploded with tears of joy, and was trying to halt their descent with a fresh tissue. Around her, people raised their glasses, cheering, saluting her.
Kazuya stepped down off the stage, and disappeared into the crowd for a while. As he did, the speaker system came alive once more with music; an old classic from twenty-five years in the past, and almost a cliché in this situation; Vitamin C, Graduation. Still, it had the same effect it did on any crowd saying goodbye to someone; caused many a tear to fall. Since the party was nearly over, the true goodbyes had begun. Friends and colleagues were taking turns in saying their farewells to the lone blonde, hugging, shaking hands, saying kind words she would never forget. This too, was a day she'd never forget; the day she was to leave her second family. One day, perhaps, she would return; but it wouldn't be the same. Kazuya would have grown older, and would have become further from her reach than he already was. It was a thought that pained her immensely.
After a few more songs, he appeared out of the crowd as randomly as he'd disappeared into it beforehand, and gently laid a hand on her shoulder. She jumped, startled by his sudden appearance, and turned to him. She'd been thinking over these last few weeks...should he know how she felt about him? Of course, there was a possibility that knowledge was more widespread than she hoped; after all, those that hadn't heard from her herself had probably figured it out by now. He probably knew that she 'had a crush on him', or whatever the rumours had developed into.
With that in mind, she reached up and hugged him tightly around the neck. This time, it was his turn to be startled. He eventually wrapped his arms around her though, holding her in a gentle embrace. He knew he was going to miss his little gaijin.
"Mishima-sama?"
He pulled away, though staying in close proximity, and looked down at her. "I'm not your superior any more, remember? Just call me Kazuya..."
She smiled, and brushed hair from her eyes. "Kazuya..."
This time, he responded by raising his eyebrows expectantly.
"I don't know how to say this..." She fiddled with her nails, suddenly unable to look him in the eye. "I guess you've probably heard it all before...but..." She looked up at him again, expecting impatience...but say none, only a look of expectation in his eyes, waiting for her to say whatever it was she needed to say. But what she needed to get out wasn't able to be expressed with mere words. Finally, she decided to go with it...there was nothing anyone could do, she was no longer employed. Without warning, she leaned back and grabbed him with both arms again, this time, forcing her lips against his.
Surprisingly, a muffled 'mmph' was the only resistance he offered. After a second he relented completely, relaxing in her grasp. And she, Sheree Brown, had died and gone to heaven. Those lips she'd wanted to kiss for years were sweeter than she could have imagined; so incredibly soft, so delightfully warm...as her tongue lashed against his in his mouth, she felt his arms wrap around her waist again, holding her tighter against him than he'd done before. She had indeed, reached heaven in this incredible man's arms. It made leaving him and his Zaibatsu even more painful than before.
Around them, even though neither could hear them, the crowd erupted with cheers and applause once more; yes, indeed, everyone knew her secret...and most had prayed that one day she would get the opportunity, before she left, to fulfil at least a small portion of her dreams. It seemed her dream had come true, to get to the point...the two hadn't engaged in a short kiss by any means.
Finally, Kazuya drew back and parted the sweet passion they'd exchanged. The look in his eyes was enough to make Sheree start crying all over again; he was showing, to her alone, a soft, tender side of his personality kept way below the surface...in his eyes was a hint of something...like he almost cared for her...not as an employee, but as something more. He reached up and gently touched her cheek with one slender hand, then brushed her golden hair away from her face. Then he smirked ever so slightly. "To answer your question; yes, the rumours did reach me."
She blushed a colour similar to that of a beetroot, and covered her face with both hands, forcing back embarrassed giggled. She honestly didn't know what to say. To save her the trouble of finding words, he gave her a firm hug again, which she happily responded to. "We're all going to miss you, you know; myself, most of all..."
Yes, she had died and gone to heaven. She had reached Nirvana, achieved enlightenment, found the Garden of Eden, and died in sheer bliss. If only this wasn't for a goodbye...this man, despite his age, was a man she would love to marry, settle down with, have kids with...if only life wasn't so harsh, the dream might have become reality. But she knew that a man like him didn't really need a wife, and he was too enigmatic to even dream of proposing to.
So, though she would have loved for so much more to have happened between them, she knew that this was it. This was goodbye. She pulled back, gave her face a final dab with the tissues, and prepared to leave. "I'd better head for the airport; my flight home is in two and a half hours..."
Kazuya nodded, straightening out his jacket. "There's a limousine waiting outside the mansion for you..."
She blinked, and looked back at him. Limousine?
He smirked, and led her away. "Don't tell me you thought we'd send you off in a lousy taxi..."
Shaking her head, she smiled and headed out to the limo, quickly grabbing her bags as she left the room. Most of the room's population followed her as well, and as the boot was packed, as she stepped inside, the air was filled with screams, cheers, clapping, goodbyes and sobs, which carried right through the night air for everyone in Tokyo to hear.
A little while later, as she was checking in at customs, she felt a hand fall gently onto her shoulder. Did she have someone waving her off as she went through the final checkpoint?
She turned, and saw Kazuya...much to her surprise. He smirked at her startled expression. "I forgot to give you this." He handed a small white envelope to her; her name was written on the front in Kanji, in almost the neatest darned handwriting she'd ever seen. Yes, he was an elegant creature, wasn't he? She was about to open it, when he stopped her. "Ah-ah, don't open that until you get back home to Britain."
She opened her mouth to respond, but he placed a finger against her lips. "Promise me..."
Smiling, she nodded, and placed the envelope in her handbag. "Alright, I promise." After a moment, she looked back up at him. "You didn't just come here as a messenger-boy, did you?"
Kazuya shook his head after a short moment, and leaned down to capture her lips once more. With a soft moan, she threw her arms around his shoulders again, clinging like she'd never let him go. She didn't want to, let's put it that way. As long as the embrace lasted – though it was the most passionate kiss they'd shared so far – it ended, for her, way too soon. As he broke away again, she rested the side of her face against his solid chest. "I'll miss you, Kazuya-sama..."
He kissed the top of her forehead lightly. "I'll miss you too."
***
As sombre and as lifeless as the last month or so without Sheree's presence in
the workplace had been, there had been a lot of action centring around Gaidoku.
Though many major companies and institutes worldwide had bought the technology
from the Zaibatsu to begin distributing and manufacturing the much-need
vaccine, it seemed that those efforts too had been in vain.
Their limited luck had ended the threat of the beta-strain of the virus by protecting the planet against it; it had also been highly unstable, and after a few generations of virus, the disease had self-disrupted and become extinct.
However, Abel's organisation had predicted such, and had finally released the true version of the virus; it no longer adhered to the original criteria of its predecessor's biology. It infected anyone it pleased, regardless of strengths and weaknesses. Thank god it was a slow spreader, because it had already begun infecting various people worldwide. For those of western descent, it was like pneumonia; it had them bed-ridden or in hospital, closely quarantined in whatever country they were in. For those of darker ethnicity, for example, those of Asian descent, it seemed to slowly progress worse and worse; so far, there hadn't been a survivor. For those with very dark complexion, it was deadly within 72 hours of infection.
Abel's organisation had designed the virus to begin eliminating those he considered 'weaker' or 'lesser' people in the most politically incorrect manner ever. He was indirectly causing genocide in cultures other than the western culture, and was proud of it.
The Mishima Zaibatsu and her allies were swiftly setting to work on a vaccine, and hopefully, a cure – using cutting-edge technology and scientific know-how. The future looked bleak, but the technology and cooperation of so many people worldwide brought a glimmer of hope into the darkening world. Most countries around the world had decided that they were faced with an epidemic; in less than two weeks, the world was faced with a pandemic of a deadly disease. The spread may have been slow, but it was a spread nevertheless. For many, it seemed the end had finally come; what was once an innocent exploration into the unknown had swiftly become an elimination of ethics as the final line had been crossed.