Chapter 7: Field Trip
Bai Hu set the mugs in the sink, eyes wandering between Maria, Ban and Ginji. From the west dark clouds were brewing. Spring's first rainstorm was on its way.
"I have a hunch as to why they killed Mei." He said finally. "The fact is, they need the blood of two young virgin witches who suit the final verse of that poem I gave you."
Ginji and Ban exchanged looks.
"What do you mean?" Ban asked at last.
"I mean, they need two witches who are the opposite sides of the same coin. Yin and Yang. Harmony. Not just witches, of course. Before the tears were passed to the witch clans, a line of priestesses would guard them. That line is said to have died out, but I am certain there are a few who carry their blood. Feng had always suspected a family name of Kudo to possess a line. The last descendent I hear is a girl. Rather talented with poisons."
Ban lifted his head. Priestesses? Well, that would explain Himiko's powers... but she was more a witch than a priestess.
"Himiko," Maria started, "I met her, a while back. Not over two months ago. Midou, you were living with her and her brother I believe, after you left."
Ban nodded. Ginji was watching him quietly, concern evident. He did not know the whole story, but he knew far more of it than others
"So Himiko is from this line of priestesses?"
"Indirectly. She possesses more witch-blood than anything, but is seems one of her ancestors was a high priestess. A very servant of Huang, in fact. Anyway, Tai Yi, who we have just discovered is behind the theft of the first tear is attempting to seal off all Gods and end any lines of witches. Essentially, to kill all witches."
"That's horrible!" came Ginji's outburst. "Why would anyone do something so cruel?"
"'Why'?" Bai Hu raised a brow. "What reason does hatred and malice need to breed in the minds of men? It is a reason that has no reason. Tai Yi is a man dictated by fear. He has played God and now he will not suffer a witch to live. That is 'why', Amano-san."
"Easy, Bai Hu." Maria soothed, easing the god back down into his seat. She turned to the Get Backers. "Tai Yi is a madman who combines elements of magic and technology to conduct genetic experiments and create humans that possess extraordinary abilities, but are not, by definition, magic. People much like Ginji. I am aware of six of his creations, all who serve him loyally, save one."
"Who?"
For the first time in many years Ban was listening intently.
"Mei." Maria said simply. "I was looking for an apprentice to fill your place, Midou, after you had left. Lucifer did me the favor to get one for me. He brought me a twelve-year-old girl who was grown in a jar, along with two other identical girls. The other two would not leave Tai Yi, but Mei went willingly with Lucifer and became my apprentice.
"It was after that, Tai Yi started his witch collection. He was so infuriated that one of his creations had been stolen from under his nose to become what he hated most, that he decided to snatch girls with witch blood from their homes, cage them, torture them, in hopes of finding Mei's whereabouts. Of course, none of these girls knew Mei. She had removed the second half of her name and took my surname so that Tai Yi would have no power over her. It spared her for six years, it seems, but one cannot hide forever." Maria heaved a deep sigh and Bai Hu continued where she had left off.
"This brings me back to what I was originally explaining. For the ceremony, Tai Yi needs the virgin blood of two witches or priestesses who have opposite personalities. I believe he will use one of the two surviving triplets, probably Mi, and your friend Himiko."
Ban was on his feet in an instant. "If that's the case, I'm going to get Himiko. I swear if those bastards lay a hand on her-"
"Sit down Midou-san." It was a sharp command from Bai Hu. Ban whirled to face him looking mutinous, and Ginji was already at the door. "There is no need to go find Himiko. I know exactly where she is."
"Where?"
"In Tai Yi's research facility in Hong Kong."
---------------
"Left, left, right... left... oh forget it, we're lost!" Mei flung her hands into the air despairingly, staring around the maze-like corridors looking rather hopeless. "Two hours prowling this floor and not hide nor hair of and elevator or stairs!"
Himiko was running her hands thoughtfully over the walls. Something was bothering her.
"This isn't right."
"I know damn well this isn't right. What kind of office building is full of offices but no people, and corridors like a freaking labyrinth?"
"No, I mean..." Himiko stopped, looking around thoughtfully. What did she mean? There weren't any guards. She had expected the place too be crawling with them, but there were none. But that wasn't really what was bothering her.
"Shouldn't this place be full of guards, anyway? What kind of asshole is Tai Yi if he hasn't got cronies coming out of the woodwork?" Mei asked peering around a corner and, satisfied she wasn't about to be bombarded by men in black suits, she continued walking.
"No, that's not what's bothering me. This maze should take care of anyone who doesn't already know their way around. I've just got a weird feeling."
Mei came to halt, and turned to face Himiko. "A cold feeling? Right here?" She patted just below her ribcage.
Himiko nodded, mirroring the motion by placing her hand just above her stomach. "Like icewater... it feels..."
"...Icky?" Mei suggested.
Himiko heaved an exasperated sigh. "Not exactly the best choice of words but... I guess so. Icky." She leaned heavily against the pale walls, and suddenly stiffened. "What the..."
"What's wrong?" Mei asked absentmindedly, peering into an office door.
"The walls are thin... aluminum?" Himiko wrapped her knuckles on the wall. "It's aluminum sheets, I'm sure of it... about five centimeters thick. Mei, hand me one of those big shoes you wear."
Mei obliged, teetering dangerously and Himiko took the shoe.
"What are you going to do?"
"I want to see what's underneath this... it sounds like electricity."
"The wiring for the building, maybe?"
Himiko smiled, the devious smile of someone with a plan. "You said something was interfering with your magic, right?"
Mei nodded. "That's right..." it took a while but she suddenly recognized the smile. "That's right!"
Himiko plowed the shoe through the wall and sure enough, through the hole the wiring could be seen.
"One of these wires is powering whatever is screwing your magic up..." Himiko ripped a piece of sheet metal from the hole's edge. There were coils of wire, thick, black, and serpentine, woven around each other in a sinister tangle. "But which one...? Where is Ginji when you need him?"
Mei peered into the hole... faint memories being disturbed for the very first time in six years.
"That one," she stated, pointing to one of the thicker wires. "It's that one, I'm sure of it... and this one," she pointed to another wire, "Is connected to the generator."
"How do you know that?" Himiko asked, eyes narrowing in suspicion.
"I... I don't know how I know... I just... ungh!"
Mei collapsed to her knees, gripping her head as though struck by a sudden migraine.
---------------
"They're very bad people, witches..."
It was her father's voice. Tai Yi's voice.
"See this wire here? If ever a witch enters our home, this wire powers the machine."
"Machine, papa?" Mai asked. Mi and Mei watched silently as Tai Yi explained the buildings wiring.
"It's a machine that generates a special current of magic to override a witch's power."
"Papa, are witches really that evil?" Mi piped up.
"Of course they are," Mai snapped. "Papa said they are so they are."
"Calm down, Mai-Gui-Hau. You shouldn't yell at your sisters."
Mei remained silent, gazing at the wiring.
---------------
The lights flickered and went out and Mai, Mi, and Mei stood stock-still. The door to the laboratory had opened and a man stepped in. He was tall, he looked like he was in his mid forties, and had long dark hair, and a short black pointed beard. He wore a suit, a pale crème colour and eyed the three girls. Mai stood protectively between the man and her two sisters.
"I'm taking you three from this place, to a new life where your minds will not be poisoned with lies." Said the man calmly.
"Get out!" Mai snarled. Mi had recoiled, taking cover behind Mai, but Mei had slipped out from under her sisters arm. The man looked impressed by this action.
"What do you mean a 'a new life'?" Mei asked, as Mai grappled to pull her back.
"Don't listen to him! He's an intruder!"
"A friend of mine is looking for an apprentice. You three have witch-blood and I am certain you would all be satisfactory for Maria to pass on the secrets of witches."
"Witches? Papa says witches are evil!" Mai snapped, finally managing to drag her sister back.
"Not so evil that he won't resort to using their DNA in his experiments, it seems." Said the man snidely.
"You're lying..." Mai looked incredulous.
"I have no reason to lie. If you do not wish to leave, I cannot make you."
Once again Mei stepped forward. "I'm going."
Mai shot Mei a glare. "Don't be ridiculous, Papa will come after you and kill you if you betray him!"
"I'm going," Mei repeated. "I want to find something out..."
Mi looked as though she was about to step forward as well, but when she saw the expression on Mai's face, she stopped herself.
"Traitor," Mai hissed as Mei approached Lucifer.
They left, Mai's shrieks of "Traitor! Traitor!" echoing the dark corridors.
---------------
"Snap out of it! C'mon!"
Mei was shaken to her senses by Himiko's voice. They were still under the hole in the wall, shards of aluminum scattered haphazardly on the floor around them.
"Huhn?" Mei groaned rubbing her forehead groggily.
"Are you alright now?"
"Yeah," Mei replied hastily. "Yeah... what happened?"
"You looked like you were having a seizure. You fell over and started shaking like mad, and then you muttered something about wanting to find something out."
"Weird," Mei murmured, still rubbing her head.
"What happened?"
"I dunno... help me up?"
Himiko obliged, hauling Mei to her feet. "Okay now?"
"I think so. What were we doing again?"
"We were going to short out the wires so you could use your magic to get us the hell out of here."
"Right, right. Anyway, it's these two we need to short out," Mei replied, tapping the two wires.
"Alright," said Himiko, picking up two shards of aluminum, pushing Mei back against the wall opposite the hole. "Stay behind me," she held the shards as Akabane often held his scalpels, and flung them. Her aim was dead on, and the two girls leapt to the ground as a shower of sparks spurt out of the hole. The lights gave a few feeble flickers and dimmed, but did not go out.
"Wow," Mei exclaimed as the sparks and noise abated, "Where'd you learn to do that?"
"A doctor showed me. C'mon, someone would have heard that. Let's go."
As if on cue, there was a thunder of footsteps from down one of the corridors, and the sound of raised voices. Himiko dragged Mei into one of the empty office rooms, locking the door behind her.
"Let's hide in that cupboard!" Mei whispered to Himiko, indicating the small cupboard by the desk.
They had managed to squeeze in and shut the doors behind them as the muffled voices outside the office room indicated that a small group of people had arrived at the hole.
"None of these offices have been used..." Himiko whispered, staring at a small box, full of empty files.
"They won't be. They're just for appearances..." Mei replied knowingly.
"How do you know all this?"
"I... I think I've been here before... I can't really remember... it just feels familiar, and there are things I recognize, even have memories of..."
"Look," said Himiko desperately, like she was trying to remind herself that sometimes in some places there was such things as logical, reasonable and sane people, "Let's not think about this... I think we should focus on escaping. Can you use your magic now?"
Mei nodded. "I think so... I don't feel the block at the back of my head..." She closed her eyes and concentrated. Slowly, a glow of pale blue light emitted from her fingertips. She grinned. "ET phone home!"
"Good," said Himiko, grinning. "Let's get the hell out of here."
---------------
"So Tai Yi is going to use Himiko and one of Mei's sisters and the two tears of Zhu Que for a ceremony that will completely wipe out all witches?" Ginji felt confused about this. He couldn't see what the point of killing witches was.
"Yes... He'll also use the four treasures you collected which is why we had you get to them first. I don't think he'll use Mai in the ceremony. She's far too loyal to him and he has few who show true loyalty. I think it will be Mi then. Perhaps Yiku would fit, but she's far too young... he hasn't tapped fully into her powers so she'll probably be spared... for now anyway..."
"And Himiko is in Hong Kong, right? How the fuck are we supposed to get to Hong Kong?" Ban snarled furiously.
"Ah," Bai Hu smiled. "Now there, I can help you."
---------------
Shido had been working around Madoka's house when he heard a clatter from upstairs. Setting down the broom, he hurried up the steps to go investigate the noise, hoping Madoka had not tripped and hurt herself. Shido had soon come to realize that even though she was quite good at maneuvering, a misplaced stool, or upturned rug could catch the girl off guard and send her toppling.
Mozart gave an urgent bark, and was suddenly silenced after a yelp of pain.
That did not sound like Madoka had just tripped.
Shido sprinted up the stairs, weaving through the corridors before bursting into Madoka's bedroom. What he saw made his blood boil with rage.
There were four of them... young. The oldest girl wasn't much older than sixteen, but had a definite air of age about her. She was tanned, and had the gaunt look of someone who lived their life malnourished. She was holding Madoka in a headlock and had her hand over the girl's mouth so she couldn't cry for help. The youngest seemed about nine. She had dark hair that fell over one eye and had knocked out Mozart with what appeared to be a gold plated staff. There were two men; one was about eighteen, the other only in his early twenties. They were tearing the room apart, searching for something. Shido's sudden arrival had not caught them off guard.
"Dammit Chamka-tan, I told you to take the mutt out first so the retriever wouldn't be alerted!" The older girl growled.
"Right, right," the one called Chamka-tan grumbled. "Bloody nag, you are, Mai." He pulled a gun from the recesses of his vest and pointed it without looking at Shido.
"I guess your not 'Kyo' anymore, hm?" Said the older man. He had long black hair tied in a ponytail, with blond fringes on either side. A guitar case was strapped to his shoulder.
"Whatever," Chamka-tan replied, and squeezed the trigger.
---------------
"Wooo-ooow! Ban-chan!"
The small jet was everything Bai Hu had promised. It was spacious, luxurious, and smelled vaguely of perfume. Ban had to admit, he was impressed.
"Bai Hu-san," Ginji bounded cheerfully over to the tiger god, "This is amazing! We get to go to Hong Kong to rescue Himiko in style!"
Bai Hu had earned a hug from the blonde which he didn't seem to know how to respond to. He looked rather like a deer caught in headlights instead of the usual feline expression.
"Ban-chan, Ban-chan, can I sit by the window? Please? By the window?" Ginji exclaimed, plopping down into the cushy chair without waiting for Ban's response.
Ban sighed, sinking down into the chair beside Ginji. He was pleased his partner was so enthused, but he was also exhausted and worried sick about Himiko.
"Ban-chan," Ginji gave Ban a look of concern, "I know you're worried about Himiko-chan... but we'll get her back safe and sound. Cheer up."
"I'm not worried about Himiko," Ban lied. "I'm more worried about the people that kidnapped her."
Ginji laughed, and was probably about to steal another kiss from Ban when he saw something, or someone, that made the color go from his face.
"My, gentlemen, I am delighted to see we'll be working together again."
Ban's head jerked around so fast at the sound of Akabane's voice that he nearly gave himself whiplash.
"What are YOU doing here?" Ban exclaimed.
Ginji only seemed to manage a stuttering "A... A... Aka... B... .Ba... Bane-san!"
"Goodness," Akabane replied silkily, "such manners. Tut, tut. Bai-Hu-san hired me to transport you two to Hong Kong. I'm sure you'll find the trip... delightful." The black-clad man tipped his hat. "Anyway, good afternoon boys. We'll be seeing a lot of each other on this job, I imagine."
And without another word, he glided away like some sort of eerie phantom.
Before Ginji and Ban could get their bearings, Maria trotted up to them.
"Ban, Ginji, sweeties, have you seen Bai-Hu?"
"He's up front with Akabane," Ban replied automatically.
"You mean that creep with the funny hat?" Maria asked incredulously. "Never mind. I'll wait out here until he comes out to ask him."
"What, you're not coming along too, are you?" Ban looked utterly scandalized.
"But of course," Maria stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "It is my job to avenge my apprentice. You just worry about that tear."
The engine gave a loud roar, the propellers on the wings whirring furiously. The plane vibrated as Maria settled down in the seat across from the Get Backers, ignoring Ban's protest.
"Ooh, that feels nice!" She purred luxuriously, in reference to the plane's vibration.
Ban looked as though he were about to be sick while Ginji turned a vivid shade of red.
"Hag! I just ate! I don't need to vomit it up, thankyouverymuch!"
Maria moaned, enjoying tormenting her former student.
---------------
Shido had only just avoided the shot, and there was now a smoking hole in Madoka's wall that could have been Shido's head.
Well, it was smoking, but it wasn't a hole.
Instead it was a large lump of ice, steaming cold in the house's warmth.
"Dry ice," said Chamka-Tan cheerfully, as if he were explaining a silly joke over tea, "my personal specialty."
"Stop bragging and finish him off." Mai snapped. "We need to find that other tear."
Chamka-Tan sighed deeply, cocking the gun. "Sorry mate. No hard feelings, but me orders is orders." He winked, grinning like a cat with cream. "Don't want to disappoint the missus after all."
"Who's your 'missus', Kyo?" the youngest girl barked. She had a scratchy voice, like she had been breathing dust most of her life. "Certainly not Mai!"
"Stop wasting time. I want this done and over with." Mai ordered, tightening her hold on the struggling Madoka. But something in Shido's head had clicked. He had a faint outline of a plan.
"You're looking for the second tear? A sort of earring with a transparent gem on it?" He asked suddenly.
Chamka-tan's finger on the trigger stopped abruptly. Mai gave him a dangerous look, and shoved Madoka at the man with the guitar case who held her fast.
"You know where the second tear is?" Mai hissed stepping catlike towards Shido.
"Let Madoka go, and I'll tell you everything I know!"
Madoka managed to get her head free from the guitar man's grip and called to Shido "Don't tell them! You'll put your friends in—mmph!"
Shido didn't listen. He wasn't going to sacrifice Madoka just so Ban and Ginji's job could go smoothly.
"I don't have the earring, if that's why you're here. Like I said to Tai Yi, I only managed to collect one of the two. From what I can tell, the other one is still at the home Haruki and I retrieved it from."
"It wasn't there," Mai said evenly, "we checked." There was something positively ominous about how she said the last bit.
"Then I can't help you and you're trespassing in Madoka's home."
Mai looked taken aback for a moment, but the expression soon changed to a smug admiration.
"Willing to sacrifice anything as long as your girl lives, hm? Well... that's honorable." She turned to the two other men who were looking rather bored. The guitar man was holding Madoka still, her expression one of terror and Chamka-tan was cleaning his gun, whistling cheerfully. "XiXi, Kyo, we'll take him and the girl to Tai Yi. Perhaps father can get him to talk. And Yi- Ku?" Mai jerked her thumb at Shido and Yi-Ku grinned, raising her staff.
"I TOLD YOU, I DON'T--! Ungh..."
There was the thud as the staff made contact with Shido's head. Madoka must have managed to free herself from the guitar-man's grasp because the last thing he heard before everything went dark was her scream.
---------------
End of Part 7.
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Ai: Bwahahahaha! Shido-Torture time! (Why is it I always like to torture the redundant grumpy character...? I don't know... I love Shido!) Well, once again this fic has gotten longer than I've planned it to get, so it's probably going to take another two more chapters and an epilogue to get all this shizzle resolve. * Bows repeatedly * I'm sorry!
Oh, picked up volume 2 of Tokyopop's translation of Get Backers.
...
Mr. UNSTOPPABLE...?!!!!! .
Oh well, enjoy part 7! I'll try to write faster O.o Spring vacation coming up... maybe I can push out another chapter then. Teehee...
Shido: I hope you are eaten by large carnivorous rodents with very sharp teeth.
Bai Hu set the mugs in the sink, eyes wandering between Maria, Ban and Ginji. From the west dark clouds were brewing. Spring's first rainstorm was on its way.
"I have a hunch as to why they killed Mei." He said finally. "The fact is, they need the blood of two young virgin witches who suit the final verse of that poem I gave you."
Ginji and Ban exchanged looks.
"What do you mean?" Ban asked at last.
"I mean, they need two witches who are the opposite sides of the same coin. Yin and Yang. Harmony. Not just witches, of course. Before the tears were passed to the witch clans, a line of priestesses would guard them. That line is said to have died out, but I am certain there are a few who carry their blood. Feng had always suspected a family name of Kudo to possess a line. The last descendent I hear is a girl. Rather talented with poisons."
Ban lifted his head. Priestesses? Well, that would explain Himiko's powers... but she was more a witch than a priestess.
"Himiko," Maria started, "I met her, a while back. Not over two months ago. Midou, you were living with her and her brother I believe, after you left."
Ban nodded. Ginji was watching him quietly, concern evident. He did not know the whole story, but he knew far more of it than others
"So Himiko is from this line of priestesses?"
"Indirectly. She possesses more witch-blood than anything, but is seems one of her ancestors was a high priestess. A very servant of Huang, in fact. Anyway, Tai Yi, who we have just discovered is behind the theft of the first tear is attempting to seal off all Gods and end any lines of witches. Essentially, to kill all witches."
"That's horrible!" came Ginji's outburst. "Why would anyone do something so cruel?"
"'Why'?" Bai Hu raised a brow. "What reason does hatred and malice need to breed in the minds of men? It is a reason that has no reason. Tai Yi is a man dictated by fear. He has played God and now he will not suffer a witch to live. That is 'why', Amano-san."
"Easy, Bai Hu." Maria soothed, easing the god back down into his seat. She turned to the Get Backers. "Tai Yi is a madman who combines elements of magic and technology to conduct genetic experiments and create humans that possess extraordinary abilities, but are not, by definition, magic. People much like Ginji. I am aware of six of his creations, all who serve him loyally, save one."
"Who?"
For the first time in many years Ban was listening intently.
"Mei." Maria said simply. "I was looking for an apprentice to fill your place, Midou, after you had left. Lucifer did me the favor to get one for me. He brought me a twelve-year-old girl who was grown in a jar, along with two other identical girls. The other two would not leave Tai Yi, but Mei went willingly with Lucifer and became my apprentice.
"It was after that, Tai Yi started his witch collection. He was so infuriated that one of his creations had been stolen from under his nose to become what he hated most, that he decided to snatch girls with witch blood from their homes, cage them, torture them, in hopes of finding Mei's whereabouts. Of course, none of these girls knew Mei. She had removed the second half of her name and took my surname so that Tai Yi would have no power over her. It spared her for six years, it seems, but one cannot hide forever." Maria heaved a deep sigh and Bai Hu continued where she had left off.
"This brings me back to what I was originally explaining. For the ceremony, Tai Yi needs the virgin blood of two witches or priestesses who have opposite personalities. I believe he will use one of the two surviving triplets, probably Mi, and your friend Himiko."
Ban was on his feet in an instant. "If that's the case, I'm going to get Himiko. I swear if those bastards lay a hand on her-"
"Sit down Midou-san." It was a sharp command from Bai Hu. Ban whirled to face him looking mutinous, and Ginji was already at the door. "There is no need to go find Himiko. I know exactly where she is."
"Where?"
"In Tai Yi's research facility in Hong Kong."
---------------
"Left, left, right... left... oh forget it, we're lost!" Mei flung her hands into the air despairingly, staring around the maze-like corridors looking rather hopeless. "Two hours prowling this floor and not hide nor hair of and elevator or stairs!"
Himiko was running her hands thoughtfully over the walls. Something was bothering her.
"This isn't right."
"I know damn well this isn't right. What kind of office building is full of offices but no people, and corridors like a freaking labyrinth?"
"No, I mean..." Himiko stopped, looking around thoughtfully. What did she mean? There weren't any guards. She had expected the place too be crawling with them, but there were none. But that wasn't really what was bothering her.
"Shouldn't this place be full of guards, anyway? What kind of asshole is Tai Yi if he hasn't got cronies coming out of the woodwork?" Mei asked peering around a corner and, satisfied she wasn't about to be bombarded by men in black suits, she continued walking.
"No, that's not what's bothering me. This maze should take care of anyone who doesn't already know their way around. I've just got a weird feeling."
Mei came to halt, and turned to face Himiko. "A cold feeling? Right here?" She patted just below her ribcage.
Himiko nodded, mirroring the motion by placing her hand just above her stomach. "Like icewater... it feels..."
"...Icky?" Mei suggested.
Himiko heaved an exasperated sigh. "Not exactly the best choice of words but... I guess so. Icky." She leaned heavily against the pale walls, and suddenly stiffened. "What the..."
"What's wrong?" Mei asked absentmindedly, peering into an office door.
"The walls are thin... aluminum?" Himiko wrapped her knuckles on the wall. "It's aluminum sheets, I'm sure of it... about five centimeters thick. Mei, hand me one of those big shoes you wear."
Mei obliged, teetering dangerously and Himiko took the shoe.
"What are you going to do?"
"I want to see what's underneath this... it sounds like electricity."
"The wiring for the building, maybe?"
Himiko smiled, the devious smile of someone with a plan. "You said something was interfering with your magic, right?"
Mei nodded. "That's right..." it took a while but she suddenly recognized the smile. "That's right!"
Himiko plowed the shoe through the wall and sure enough, through the hole the wiring could be seen.
"One of these wires is powering whatever is screwing your magic up..." Himiko ripped a piece of sheet metal from the hole's edge. There were coils of wire, thick, black, and serpentine, woven around each other in a sinister tangle. "But which one...? Where is Ginji when you need him?"
Mei peered into the hole... faint memories being disturbed for the very first time in six years.
"That one," she stated, pointing to one of the thicker wires. "It's that one, I'm sure of it... and this one," she pointed to another wire, "Is connected to the generator."
"How do you know that?" Himiko asked, eyes narrowing in suspicion.
"I... I don't know how I know... I just... ungh!"
Mei collapsed to her knees, gripping her head as though struck by a sudden migraine.
---------------
"They're very bad people, witches..."
It was her father's voice. Tai Yi's voice.
"See this wire here? If ever a witch enters our home, this wire powers the machine."
"Machine, papa?" Mai asked. Mi and Mei watched silently as Tai Yi explained the buildings wiring.
"It's a machine that generates a special current of magic to override a witch's power."
"Papa, are witches really that evil?" Mi piped up.
"Of course they are," Mai snapped. "Papa said they are so they are."
"Calm down, Mai-Gui-Hau. You shouldn't yell at your sisters."
Mei remained silent, gazing at the wiring.
---------------
The lights flickered and went out and Mai, Mi, and Mei stood stock-still. The door to the laboratory had opened and a man stepped in. He was tall, he looked like he was in his mid forties, and had long dark hair, and a short black pointed beard. He wore a suit, a pale crème colour and eyed the three girls. Mai stood protectively between the man and her two sisters.
"I'm taking you three from this place, to a new life where your minds will not be poisoned with lies." Said the man calmly.
"Get out!" Mai snarled. Mi had recoiled, taking cover behind Mai, but Mei had slipped out from under her sisters arm. The man looked impressed by this action.
"What do you mean a 'a new life'?" Mei asked, as Mai grappled to pull her back.
"Don't listen to him! He's an intruder!"
"A friend of mine is looking for an apprentice. You three have witch-blood and I am certain you would all be satisfactory for Maria to pass on the secrets of witches."
"Witches? Papa says witches are evil!" Mai snapped, finally managing to drag her sister back.
"Not so evil that he won't resort to using their DNA in his experiments, it seems." Said the man snidely.
"You're lying..." Mai looked incredulous.
"I have no reason to lie. If you do not wish to leave, I cannot make you."
Once again Mei stepped forward. "I'm going."
Mai shot Mei a glare. "Don't be ridiculous, Papa will come after you and kill you if you betray him!"
"I'm going," Mei repeated. "I want to find something out..."
Mi looked as though she was about to step forward as well, but when she saw the expression on Mai's face, she stopped herself.
"Traitor," Mai hissed as Mei approached Lucifer.
They left, Mai's shrieks of "Traitor! Traitor!" echoing the dark corridors.
---------------
"Snap out of it! C'mon!"
Mei was shaken to her senses by Himiko's voice. They were still under the hole in the wall, shards of aluminum scattered haphazardly on the floor around them.
"Huhn?" Mei groaned rubbing her forehead groggily.
"Are you alright now?"
"Yeah," Mei replied hastily. "Yeah... what happened?"
"You looked like you were having a seizure. You fell over and started shaking like mad, and then you muttered something about wanting to find something out."
"Weird," Mei murmured, still rubbing her head.
"What happened?"
"I dunno... help me up?"
Himiko obliged, hauling Mei to her feet. "Okay now?"
"I think so. What were we doing again?"
"We were going to short out the wires so you could use your magic to get us the hell out of here."
"Right, right. Anyway, it's these two we need to short out," Mei replied, tapping the two wires.
"Alright," said Himiko, picking up two shards of aluminum, pushing Mei back against the wall opposite the hole. "Stay behind me," she held the shards as Akabane often held his scalpels, and flung them. Her aim was dead on, and the two girls leapt to the ground as a shower of sparks spurt out of the hole. The lights gave a few feeble flickers and dimmed, but did not go out.
"Wow," Mei exclaimed as the sparks and noise abated, "Where'd you learn to do that?"
"A doctor showed me. C'mon, someone would have heard that. Let's go."
As if on cue, there was a thunder of footsteps from down one of the corridors, and the sound of raised voices. Himiko dragged Mei into one of the empty office rooms, locking the door behind her.
"Let's hide in that cupboard!" Mei whispered to Himiko, indicating the small cupboard by the desk.
They had managed to squeeze in and shut the doors behind them as the muffled voices outside the office room indicated that a small group of people had arrived at the hole.
"None of these offices have been used..." Himiko whispered, staring at a small box, full of empty files.
"They won't be. They're just for appearances..." Mei replied knowingly.
"How do you know all this?"
"I... I think I've been here before... I can't really remember... it just feels familiar, and there are things I recognize, even have memories of..."
"Look," said Himiko desperately, like she was trying to remind herself that sometimes in some places there was such things as logical, reasonable and sane people, "Let's not think about this... I think we should focus on escaping. Can you use your magic now?"
Mei nodded. "I think so... I don't feel the block at the back of my head..." She closed her eyes and concentrated. Slowly, a glow of pale blue light emitted from her fingertips. She grinned. "ET phone home!"
"Good," said Himiko, grinning. "Let's get the hell out of here."
---------------
"So Tai Yi is going to use Himiko and one of Mei's sisters and the two tears of Zhu Que for a ceremony that will completely wipe out all witches?" Ginji felt confused about this. He couldn't see what the point of killing witches was.
"Yes... He'll also use the four treasures you collected which is why we had you get to them first. I don't think he'll use Mai in the ceremony. She's far too loyal to him and he has few who show true loyalty. I think it will be Mi then. Perhaps Yiku would fit, but she's far too young... he hasn't tapped fully into her powers so she'll probably be spared... for now anyway..."
"And Himiko is in Hong Kong, right? How the fuck are we supposed to get to Hong Kong?" Ban snarled furiously.
"Ah," Bai Hu smiled. "Now there, I can help you."
---------------
Shido had been working around Madoka's house when he heard a clatter from upstairs. Setting down the broom, he hurried up the steps to go investigate the noise, hoping Madoka had not tripped and hurt herself. Shido had soon come to realize that even though she was quite good at maneuvering, a misplaced stool, or upturned rug could catch the girl off guard and send her toppling.
Mozart gave an urgent bark, and was suddenly silenced after a yelp of pain.
That did not sound like Madoka had just tripped.
Shido sprinted up the stairs, weaving through the corridors before bursting into Madoka's bedroom. What he saw made his blood boil with rage.
There were four of them... young. The oldest girl wasn't much older than sixteen, but had a definite air of age about her. She was tanned, and had the gaunt look of someone who lived their life malnourished. She was holding Madoka in a headlock and had her hand over the girl's mouth so she couldn't cry for help. The youngest seemed about nine. She had dark hair that fell over one eye and had knocked out Mozart with what appeared to be a gold plated staff. There were two men; one was about eighteen, the other only in his early twenties. They were tearing the room apart, searching for something. Shido's sudden arrival had not caught them off guard.
"Dammit Chamka-tan, I told you to take the mutt out first so the retriever wouldn't be alerted!" The older girl growled.
"Right, right," the one called Chamka-tan grumbled. "Bloody nag, you are, Mai." He pulled a gun from the recesses of his vest and pointed it without looking at Shido.
"I guess your not 'Kyo' anymore, hm?" Said the older man. He had long black hair tied in a ponytail, with blond fringes on either side. A guitar case was strapped to his shoulder.
"Whatever," Chamka-tan replied, and squeezed the trigger.
---------------
"Wooo-ooow! Ban-chan!"
The small jet was everything Bai Hu had promised. It was spacious, luxurious, and smelled vaguely of perfume. Ban had to admit, he was impressed.
"Bai Hu-san," Ginji bounded cheerfully over to the tiger god, "This is amazing! We get to go to Hong Kong to rescue Himiko in style!"
Bai Hu had earned a hug from the blonde which he didn't seem to know how to respond to. He looked rather like a deer caught in headlights instead of the usual feline expression.
"Ban-chan, Ban-chan, can I sit by the window? Please? By the window?" Ginji exclaimed, plopping down into the cushy chair without waiting for Ban's response.
Ban sighed, sinking down into the chair beside Ginji. He was pleased his partner was so enthused, but he was also exhausted and worried sick about Himiko.
"Ban-chan," Ginji gave Ban a look of concern, "I know you're worried about Himiko-chan... but we'll get her back safe and sound. Cheer up."
"I'm not worried about Himiko," Ban lied. "I'm more worried about the people that kidnapped her."
Ginji laughed, and was probably about to steal another kiss from Ban when he saw something, or someone, that made the color go from his face.
"My, gentlemen, I am delighted to see we'll be working together again."
Ban's head jerked around so fast at the sound of Akabane's voice that he nearly gave himself whiplash.
"What are YOU doing here?" Ban exclaimed.
Ginji only seemed to manage a stuttering "A... A... Aka... B... .Ba... Bane-san!"
"Goodness," Akabane replied silkily, "such manners. Tut, tut. Bai-Hu-san hired me to transport you two to Hong Kong. I'm sure you'll find the trip... delightful." The black-clad man tipped his hat. "Anyway, good afternoon boys. We'll be seeing a lot of each other on this job, I imagine."
And without another word, he glided away like some sort of eerie phantom.
Before Ginji and Ban could get their bearings, Maria trotted up to them.
"Ban, Ginji, sweeties, have you seen Bai-Hu?"
"He's up front with Akabane," Ban replied automatically.
"You mean that creep with the funny hat?" Maria asked incredulously. "Never mind. I'll wait out here until he comes out to ask him."
"What, you're not coming along too, are you?" Ban looked utterly scandalized.
"But of course," Maria stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "It is my job to avenge my apprentice. You just worry about that tear."
The engine gave a loud roar, the propellers on the wings whirring furiously. The plane vibrated as Maria settled down in the seat across from the Get Backers, ignoring Ban's protest.
"Ooh, that feels nice!" She purred luxuriously, in reference to the plane's vibration.
Ban looked as though he were about to be sick while Ginji turned a vivid shade of red.
"Hag! I just ate! I don't need to vomit it up, thankyouverymuch!"
Maria moaned, enjoying tormenting her former student.
---------------
Shido had only just avoided the shot, and there was now a smoking hole in Madoka's wall that could have been Shido's head.
Well, it was smoking, but it wasn't a hole.
Instead it was a large lump of ice, steaming cold in the house's warmth.
"Dry ice," said Chamka-Tan cheerfully, as if he were explaining a silly joke over tea, "my personal specialty."
"Stop bragging and finish him off." Mai snapped. "We need to find that other tear."
Chamka-Tan sighed deeply, cocking the gun. "Sorry mate. No hard feelings, but me orders is orders." He winked, grinning like a cat with cream. "Don't want to disappoint the missus after all."
"Who's your 'missus', Kyo?" the youngest girl barked. She had a scratchy voice, like she had been breathing dust most of her life. "Certainly not Mai!"
"Stop wasting time. I want this done and over with." Mai ordered, tightening her hold on the struggling Madoka. But something in Shido's head had clicked. He had a faint outline of a plan.
"You're looking for the second tear? A sort of earring with a transparent gem on it?" He asked suddenly.
Chamka-tan's finger on the trigger stopped abruptly. Mai gave him a dangerous look, and shoved Madoka at the man with the guitar case who held her fast.
"You know where the second tear is?" Mai hissed stepping catlike towards Shido.
"Let Madoka go, and I'll tell you everything I know!"
Madoka managed to get her head free from the guitar man's grip and called to Shido "Don't tell them! You'll put your friends in—mmph!"
Shido didn't listen. He wasn't going to sacrifice Madoka just so Ban and Ginji's job could go smoothly.
"I don't have the earring, if that's why you're here. Like I said to Tai Yi, I only managed to collect one of the two. From what I can tell, the other one is still at the home Haruki and I retrieved it from."
"It wasn't there," Mai said evenly, "we checked." There was something positively ominous about how she said the last bit.
"Then I can't help you and you're trespassing in Madoka's home."
Mai looked taken aback for a moment, but the expression soon changed to a smug admiration.
"Willing to sacrifice anything as long as your girl lives, hm? Well... that's honorable." She turned to the two other men who were looking rather bored. The guitar man was holding Madoka still, her expression one of terror and Chamka-tan was cleaning his gun, whistling cheerfully. "XiXi, Kyo, we'll take him and the girl to Tai Yi. Perhaps father can get him to talk. And Yi- Ku?" Mai jerked her thumb at Shido and Yi-Ku grinned, raising her staff.
"I TOLD YOU, I DON'T--! Ungh..."
There was the thud as the staff made contact with Shido's head. Madoka must have managed to free herself from the guitar-man's grasp because the last thing he heard before everything went dark was her scream.
---------------
End of Part 7.
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Ai: Bwahahahaha! Shido-Torture time! (Why is it I always like to torture the redundant grumpy character...? I don't know... I love Shido!) Well, once again this fic has gotten longer than I've planned it to get, so it's probably going to take another two more chapters and an epilogue to get all this shizzle resolve. * Bows repeatedly * I'm sorry!
Oh, picked up volume 2 of Tokyopop's translation of Get Backers.
...
Mr. UNSTOPPABLE...?!!!!! .
Oh well, enjoy part 7! I'll try to write faster O.o Spring vacation coming up... maybe I can push out another chapter then. Teehee...
Shido: I hope you are eaten by large carnivorous rodents with very sharp teeth.