Witch Hunter Robin
Fire and Rain
Chapter VIII - Past Problems, Present Predicaments
Disclaimer: I do not own
Witch Hunter Robin® or any characters. They are registered Trade Mark™ of
Sunrise® and now apparently Sci-Fi™. If I owned WHR it wouldn't have just been
26 episodes.
Nor do I own the song Fire and Rain; I just borrowed its title.
Storyline, Plot, Calypso© and the Evil David Rica© are all my
property.
-------------------
Haruto Sakaki had only just drifted off to sleep. It was nice to get some
actual shut eye after being beaten, thrown from a boat, and had flirted at
least twice with Yurika Doujima, which was enough to make any man tired and
confused. Not that he had really found flirting with his blonde co-worker a bad
thing, it was actually pretty fun. He wouldn't mind doing it once again, but
unfortunately that was not to happen, at least not yet.
The sleep was short lived, however, because he suddenly felt hands on his
chest, shaking him violently trying to wake him up. His eyes opened to see the
still-swollen face of Doujima. The first thought that crossed his mind was that
she was back for more of her odd flirting style, but the second he saw the look
of pain in her eyes he realized something was very wrong.
"What happened?" He asked.
"It's Amon." She choked. "He's here. In surgery."
----
It seamed like the entire STN-J was now at the hospital. Kosaka was in surgery
to remove the bullet that had been shot into his shoulder by David Rica. Zaizen
was being treated in the trauma center for extensive cutting wounds, which had
also been inflicted by David Rica. Karasuma, Sakaki and Doujima had all been
there already for the injuries they had gotten on the boat, by none other than
David Rica.
And now Amon and Robin were here. Amon, lying on a table as surgeons in white
masks and rubber gloves attempted to save his life. His life blood was flowing
from the wound on his throat like water from a faucet. Robin sat outside the
room, looking in the tall glass window as the doctors raced against time.
"Robin!"
Robin spun around quickly, finding Doujima and Sakaki running towards her. Both
of them were in the hospital gowns with their pants on underneath. Robin felt a
kind of relived feeling inside her as she saw them. She had been worried about
their lives for a while, but had been much too busy with her own life and
Michael and Amon's as well to really give them her full attention.
"What happened?" Sakaki asked as he looked into the window to see Amon lying on
his stomach with doctors poking at his neckline.
"Rica." Robin whispered.
It was all that needed to be said. They were all thinking the same thing,
really. David Rica had beat Amon. That made him the most dangerous Witch they'd
ever fought. Robin was thinking these very things as she stood in the white
ward when Michael's voice drifted to her ears, accompanied by the voice of
someone she did not know.
"You can fix my arm later damn it!"
"But sir you can't --"
"Get. Out. Of. My. Way!"
Robin, as well as Doujima and Sakaki turned around to see Michael pushing his
way past a nurse. His arm was still horribly crooked and beaten, but his face
looked worse for the wear. Robin began to walk forward but Michael had arrived
before she could. He slumped up against the wall, using it to support his
balance.
"Michael."
Michael shook his head. "I know, I promised to stay but -- damn." He
said, noticing who was inside the hospital room and what was happening.
"Is he gonna die?" Doujima asked quietly.
"The doctors don't know." Robin responded, even quieter.
"Listen." Michael said, causing the three of them to look away from Amon and
back to him. "I know Amon is important to each of us, but we still have a job
to do. We have to find Rica."
"What's so urgent?" Doujima asked. It was clear she wanted to kill Rica as
badly as any of them, but her health and Amon's was higher on her priority
list.
"He just bought an Airplane ticket on the phone." Michael explained. "He's
heading back to America."
----
The world is a great place when all you need to buy an Airplane ticket with is
a phone and a credit card number. David Rica was now on his way to the airport
to pick up his ticket and get across the ocean.
Of course, Doctor Calypso wouldn't be happy that Rica had failed to retrieve
even one set of eyes, but perhaps the knowledge that Amon was dead would spare
Rica from any punishment.
After jumping from the roof of the STN-J's headquarters at Raven's Flat he landed on the ground with enough force to kill any
human being, but not him. Calypso's power made his body heal in an instant. He
jumped up from the smashing fall and quickly made his way to a nearby store,
killed the owner, used his phone and credit card to buy the ticket, and then
stole the man's car.
They'd never catch him.
----
Amon was currently in surgery, his body was anyway. As his life drained slowly
from its vessel his mind was miles away. Years away.
Amon's mind was reliving that day five years ago.
The building was ominous and dark, black and shadowy. The STN-J agents moved like
swift dots in the darkness, guns drawn, ready to fire at the first glimpse of
Charles Calypso.
The team leader was running down the pitch-colored corridor with his gun aloft,
his rookie partner Amon tagging along at his heels. Suddenly the corridor ended
and they were out in the greater blackness of a larger room in the warehouse.
"Hello Hunters."
The STN leader spun around and aimed his gun but Calypso was too quick. Short,
skinny with gray matted hair on his balding head and a matching gray goatee. He
held an old cane in his hand, it was black and made of oak, except for the
handle which was silver and made of steel. With a clicking noise Calypso
slipped the black oak away to reveal a long sword blade.
Calypso stabbed with the sword blade and slashed it against the leading agent's
palm, causing his hand to drop the gun before he had the slightest chance to
fire. Calypso then slashed with another cut and it scrapped across the leader's
chest, causing him to fly back to the ground.
Amon held his gun aimed, but he hesitated as Calypso looked into his eyes. The
Witch jumped forward and stabbed with his sword, but Amon's finger pulled the
trigger. The bullet flew into Calypso's cheek and up through his skull.
Calypso had the power to take the eyes of witches and the bodies of humans and
united them into one collective creature. Unfortunately the host vessel body
would sometimes reject the eyes and memories, causing insanity and death. That
was why he never used his powers on himself.
And now he was dead because of it.
It wouldn't be for another couple years until David Rica, who had been given
one of Calypso's eyes by Calypso a year before his death would bring Calypso
back.
Past had caught up with Amon.
And it may cost him his future.
----
The STN-J was in shambles, Zaizen and Kosaka were both out of commission, and
even Amon had bitten the dust and was unable to lead the team. The doctors
predicted that he had a 40% chance of survival, but that meant little to
Michael right now, who had assumed the job of getting the STN-J into shape.
Sakaki and Doujima were still wounded but otherwise than a few bruises they
were good enough to go after Rica, so Michael made quick work of sending them
to the airport that Rica's flight left from.
Robin, who was better off than any of them, was sent with Karasuma (who had to
use a wheelchair) to Rica's hotel room so that she could use her powers to
learn anything they could that might help them.
The trip to Rica's hotel room was done fine, but still it made Robin worry a
bit. They had no headsets and it was impossible to contact the others right
now, meaning if anyone ran into any trouble they'd be on their own.
Robin was able to stop at Harry's Place on the way, and it appeared Master Yuji
had been able to pick up some Orbo Guns from the Flat in the time since Rica
left and Saunders died.
Now that Karasuma was armed they made their way to the old hotel. It was
difficult to get Karasuma's wheelchair up the stairs to the room (which was on
the top floor) but they made good time. Robin's mind blazed a bit as they
walked under the bright oak doorways and red carpeted halls until at last they
arrived at the room.
Once inside Robin went and sat down at the bed and Karasuma wheeled herself
over to the bedside stand. Her blue eyes scanned around until they fell on
something, a broken shard of silvery glass that lay under the bed.
Her hand reached down and picked it up, and the moment her skin touched the
watery shard, red with the cold dried blood from when Rica had smashed it out
of the mirror, memories flooded her mind.
Memories that made her want to scream.
Peter Pummel, a young man with short brown hair and a matching mustache was
dressed out in his blue police uniform, his Billie club in hand. It was Mardi Gras, and in New Orleans it was the most festive day of the year.
He was on duty that night. Between drunks, flashers, drug dealers and plain old
party animals the night was far from just harmless fun. He himself was on the
case tracking some Marijuana smoking teens he had spotted from his horse down
on the street. He had to ride the horse during Mardi Gras
since the cars wouldn't make it through the crowds.
He was now in an old, abandoned loft above the street where cops, partying
people, and dangerous men and women all trying to find great fun, even if it is
illegal.
"Hold it kids."
He had entered the room and found three young women and two young men, all of
them looking like they were in college, sitting on a stool. The narcotics were
clearly in their hands. They were, what was it called he wondered, 'smoking a
joint'?
That's when the sixth person, a boy he had not seen, smashed a beer bottle down
on his head from behind. Pummel fell out cold and the teens thought it would be
funny to tie him up in an old chair with their beads. Then when they were done
they slapped a Mardi Mask on his face and pushed him out the window.
They though he'd land in the crowd of people beneath them and be fine, all in
harmless fun. But he smashed into a parked car and when his face smashed the
glass in it slit his throat.
Peter Pummel had died, but his memories, his eyes, lived on after Calypso put
them into David Rica's body.
The memories of death and pain were burning inside Karasuma's mind.
She knew now.
----
"You see him yet?"
Doujima and Sakaki were under cover as an old married couple sitting on the
bench outside Gate C7. The Airlines had told Michael that this was the only
gate that had a flight to Louisiana was this one.
They both wore gray wigs; Doujima was in a horrible yellow dress, while Sakaki
wore an ugly green suit. They had Orbo Guns tucked away ready to be drawn and
fired at the slightest sight of Rica.
"Nope." Sakaki said with a sigh.
"This is boring." The blonde pouted.
"You won't be saying that when we find Rica." Sakaki smirked. He knew Doujima
had a personal feud with the smug smiling American and she would follow him to
the ends of the earth if it meant a chance to get him once and for all.
"True." She responded honestly. "He just ticks me off."
The Airport security knew the STN agents were here, but why they hadn't been
told. So at the security tunnel when David Rica showed up and flashed them a
STN-J ID card, they let him through the security tunnel with his gun still in
his pocket.
"Thank you gentlemen." He said politely. "I'll just take a look for my
partners."
Rica walked over to Gate C7, looking at the faces of so many people. Mothers
with their children, Brothers with their Sisters, Rich old men who were flying
overseas, tourist going home. So many of them. He could use them as hostages if
he had too, but he didn't want to make a scene.
He made his way quickly and quietly over behind the bench where the two of them
sat. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his gun, pressing it against
Doujima's back. She gasped and turned around, as did Sakaki, but Rica cocked
the gun.
"You try anything lil' puppy and you'll die faster than a toad in a snake
farm."
Neither of them spoke or moved, but the look on their faces was far from happy.
"Naw if you try to stop me from boarding that plane I'm gonna open fire, but
not on you, on all these nice civilians, you got that? Maybe I'll shoot some
babies in mommy's arms."
"You sick son of a bitch." Doujima spat.
"I know." Rica spoke fondly. "I love you puppies too. Now be good, I'll come
back and kill you some day."
Rica then stood and boarded the plane; the two STN agents were unable to stop
him without risking the lives of everyone around him. Once Rica was out of
sight Doujima stood up and walked towards the plane on-ramp.
"Doujima, what do you think you're doing?" Sakaki asked, following her.
"We're going to get on that plane." Doujima explained. "And we're going to
America with Rica."
Sakaki shook his head. It was probably a huge mistake, but he was all game.
So the two STN-J agents boarded the plane, determined to follow David Rica at
any cost.
And that was exactly what Rica had been planning on.
-------------------------
