Chapter 5: Send In The Clones
The subjects of Ignis's 'miracle of planning and genius' were back in their room room, nursing their wounds and generally complaining about their lot.
"Ugh…The bastard kicked me through a wall."
Jiazheng struggled to sit up, wincing at his cracked ribs. He soon gave up, falling back onto the couch in a depressed heap. Ryan looked up from bandaging his own hands, to give the swordsman a pitying smile.
"Relax, man. This kind of thing happens all the time."
"Really?"
"Uh…No."
Chan dug out a couple more chips from the bag next to him, fumbling awkwardly with his scorched fingers. He looked as though he'd been out in the sun for way too long, the only side-effect of the Power Geyser.
"To tell you the truth, Jiazheng, you only went into the wall. Not through."
Andro, leaning against the wall as always, couldn't help but chuckle at the thought. Truly, they were totally inferior to him in every possible way.
"Man. You guys suck."
Three pairs of eyes glared at him.
"Say that again, Andro."
"You…Guys…Suck. Heard me? Just one fight, and everyone's out for the count."
"Uh…I don't like where this is going…"
Jiazheng scooted away from the two, intent on placing as much distance as possible between himself and the coming storm. Ryan, on the other hand, didn't give a damn. He continued his bandaging.
"Chan, Andro, shut up. I'm trying to patch myself up here."
No one was listening.
"Remind me again. Who had to have his stomach pumped, after meeting Claire?"
"Who ended up burning and unconscious?"
"You'll eat those words…"
"I said, shut up. You're too damn loud."
"Make me. And there's only one way I'll listen."
"Bring it on, hero-boy! MAGE-"
"Wave Cannon."
Ryan promptly blew the weapon from Chan's hand with a well-aimed burst of water, sending it clattering to the floor. Chan glared at Ryan, and looked like he was about to say something…Till he noticed the second blast already prepared.
"You two…Stop bullshitting each other. We won, okay? I want to unwind, not listen to this. So shut up."
Silence.
"I thought that was my line."
"Want to argue about that?"
Going by the fact that one never argued with a armed man, Chan gulped and nodded. Andro simply shrugged, and seemed to fade back into the shadows.
"I'll concede the point."
"Good boy. Now go get your gun."
****************
Four Days Later…
"Bullseye."
Thunk.
"Bullseye."
Thunk.
"Dartboard's full."
Thunk.
A miniature knife struck the end of another, and stuck there, quivering.
"Now that's just showing off."
"If you got it, use it." Andro drew his arm back and tossed another blade, with similar results. Across the room, Chan went back to his novel, trying to read in peace. Jiazheng was busy slashing the hell out of a punching bag in the next room, training again and again.
As one could imagine, the noise level was incredible.
The DHS Team had kept a low profile these two days, spending most of their time trying to recover for the next battle, on a single week away. This meant that Andro was getting a lot of dart practice.
Unfortunately, he had mastered darts, and moved on to shurikens, which he'd mastered in turn. That morning, with great pomp and circumstance, he'd brought in his knives, which Chan considered a dangerous sign. At the rate he was going, there'd be a ballista on top of his desk first thing the next Monday.
"Knock, knock," Ryan said, walking in. A knife promptly struck the wall next to his head. To his credit, Ryan didn't flinch *too* obviously.
"Yo, Ryan. Anything new?"
"Nah…But I heard they're showcasing the Playstation2 at one of the nearby malls. Just wondering if anyone was interested…"
A second knife stuck in the wall, uncomfortably close.
"I'll take that as a 'no' from Andro. Jiazheng?"
"CONCUSSION!!!"
The punching bag exploded, as Jiazheng leveled an incredibly powerful explosive strike at it. Feathers ended up flying everywhere, covering every surface in a layer of white down.
With a snap, Chan shut his book, and reached for the Mage Cannon.
"That does it."
"Chan?"
"Why not? It'll be safer than this place, at least."
****************
Later, Tokyo Train System…
The train was packed with the standard rush-hour crowd, with almost every carriage filled with a huge horde of humanity.
Grandmas, yuppies, students…They all seemed to merge into an amphorous mass of people, that consumed everything in its wake, leaving only waste behind. Chan and Ryan barely managed to squeeze into the train, applying a few elbows to nearby ribs as they did.
"How many stops was it again, Ryan?"
"Ten. Hope you brought something to read."
"…Come to think of it, I didn't."
"We're in for a damn long trip, then."
Indeed, it was. Fortunately, the crowd cleared out somewhere around the fifth stop, giving the boys more space. By that time, Chan's feet were aching.
"God, I'll kill for somewhere to sit…"
At that moment, a space cleared on one of the nearby seats, as one of the commuters stood up, turned, and walked away. A floppy hat was pulled down over his head, obscuring much of his features.
"Thanks, man. Ryan! We got a seat!"
With unseemly haste, both boys shoved each other, briefly fought over the space, and finally agreed to share the space.
"Whew…That's much better."
"Thank the man, Ryan."
"You do that..."
That was when Ryan's danger sense went crazy, as the entire world seemed to slow all around him. Far away, the commuter reached into his jacket, and drew…
A gun.
He was going to kill them.
BANNGGGGG!!!!
"CHAN! GET DOWN!"
He kicked his friend in the side, sending him sprawling to the floor. The bullet meant for Chan struck an old man in the throat, raising a spray of sudden blood into the air.
Sudden silence, as everyone tried to decide what to do.
All eyes were fixed onto the unfortunate passenger, as he choked, as though a piece of food was stuck in his windpipe. Those around him, even those spattered with flying blood, weren't frightened-Yet.
It was too soon for that. Most were simply shocked.
A child screamed.
Then panic gripped the room.
"THEY'RE SHOOTING!!!"
"HE'S GOT A GUN! HE'S GOT A GUN!"
"WHO?"
Ryan ducked down behind his seat, cautiously peeking up. Chan had the sense to dodge back into the opposite row for cover, wondering what in hell was going on. Their mysterious assailant was already walking away down the carriage, shoving people out of the way as he did. The gun he still held in his right hand served as a major inducement not to mess with him.
Chan drew the Mage Cannon, drawing a bead on his target as others got out of the way. He aimed…
…And ducked back, as more rounds ricocheted all around him. Several punched holes through the window, coming uncomfortably close. One blew a hole in his flapping coat, shredding the fabric even more.
Hey! He liked that coat!
"Shoot him! Shoot him!"
"I can't see him! Clear the air, Ryan!"
"Oh, I'll clear the air all right. How 'bout some of THIS! STORM OF VENE…"
Watching Ryan's eyes begin to glow and spark, Chan gave him a shove, disrupting his concentration.
"Are you crazy? You could blow up the entire damn train!"
"So?"
"There are other people here, man. Besides, there's no way we can-"
***BLAMBLAMBLAM***
Right in front of Chan and Ryan, the seating exploded, blowing out the lights, and tossing metal shrapnel into the air. Glass rained down, slicing into skin and flesh. Lacerated with minor cuts, Ryan began to curse. Apparently, their opponent had found some more ammunition.
Who the hell could do this? WHAT were they up against?
"Chan, we'll hit him on the count of three. I'll fire lightning, you use that Cannon, okay? Now…"
"THREE!!!"
Both boys stood up, and opened fire, blasting away at the cloaked figure, who was still maintaining a slow retreat from the two. A massive cloud of smoke went up, as the projectiles promptly carved massive holes in what remained in the carriage. Chan and Ryan hit the deck again, waiting for the retaliation…
Sudden calm.
"Think we got him?"
"You wanna check?"
"Hell, NO!"
Slowly, Chan leaned out to the side, trying to make out his target in smoke.
***BANGBANGBANGBANGclick***
Four bullets punched a neat line just overhead, sending the Stand-wielder dodging back in cover. Now that was too damn close for comfort.
"Got your answer?"
"But he's reloading! We have him now!"
Ryan vaulted the seating, nimbly clearing the first row. He dove into the aisle, and vanished from view completely, as he tried to tackle the still-reloading gunman. Chan got up, with a defiant two-handed grip on the Magnum, even as the sounds of a struggle began to come from somewhere inside the smoke.
****************
Ryan tackled the gunman, sending them both to the ground. He promptly slugged the man once in the face, feeling a savage satisfaction at the sound of cracking bone. He punched again, even harder this time.
There was no response from his opponent, as if all the fight had just been knocked from him. Taking no chances, Ryan grabbed the man by the coat's lapels, hauling him up. Now to see who the bastard was…
Snick.
Ryan fell to the floor, gasping, as all his strength seemed to leave him. The icy pain of razor-sharp blades bit into his sides, as the stranger's hands suddenly sharpened. Gasping, Ryan twitched once, struggled to stand, and failed. All he could see was a pair of black boots, coming closer, closer…
Everything went black.
****************
Then, there was a decisive thunk, and a groan of pain
A voice.
"Ha…Dumbass."
Okay. That wasn't Ryan. Well, whoever it was, he would soon be getting an unhealthy dose of radiation. Chan fired, sending a fireball plowing right through the centre of the fog.
The bullet came right back. Chan's eyes widened, as the blast of energy tore right back out, flying STRAIGHT TOWARDS HIM!
Fortunately, he dodged in time, letting it blow out a window rather than his brains. Bullshit…Chan hated being the guy on the front line. What the hell was Ryan doing?
Requiem slid in front of him, shield raised to form a wall of steel. The crowd had cleared out, which was good. It never paid to have innocent bystanders at a gunfight. Chan let off another round, and this time was rewarded with a grunt of pain, followed by quickly receding footsteps.
A freak wind sprang up, removing some of the blasted smoke. Now finally, he could see-
-He could see Ryan's crumbled, bleeding form, lying sprawled on the ground. He could see, with perfect clarity, the gunman, weapon already drawn and aimed. And Chan could see, at the other end of the gun, his own face.
"Who…Who ARE you?"
"I'm you."
*************
Back At The Hotel…
"YAAAAAHHHHHHHOof-"
Thud.
Jiazheng hit the floor of the gym, his scabbard flying from his hands. Andro shook his head, and reached out a hand to help Jiazheng up.
"Nice evasion, Jiazheng. But you're just not fast enough."
"Ugh…Can we stop now? I hurt everywhere."
"I'm trying to teach you how to win a fight, swordsman. Stand up."
Sighing, Jiazheng got back up, and went over to retrieve his scabbard. Weapon practice with Andro was a bad idea. Sure, the other man wasn't using his blades much, relying more upon his fists to make a point. But Andro wasn't holding back, making sure to strike Jiazheng with all his strength, every time he made a mistake.
The gym was deserted. Not many people even bothered to come in here anymore, preferring instead to take in the various sights and sounds of the city. And that was a good thing too. If anyone had been watching Andro and Jiazheng spar, they'd probably have called security.
"Okay, Andro. Just one more time, okay?"
Thunk.
Jiazheng froze in place, his hands inches from his weapon. Right in front of him, an expertly thrown knife was embedded in the floor, still quivering.
"Are you trying ta kill me? That wasn't funn…Uh-oh."
The words died in his throat.
Andro hadn't moved at all. At least, the one he'd been sparring with hadn't. The man's attention was totally fixed upon the new arrival to the room, who had just walked right in.
He was a tall, slender man...Wearing a mirrored visor. With blades strapped to his forearms. And with a face just like Andro's.
For the first time in his life, almost face-to-face with himself, Alistair Andrew Gill was confused, and not a little disturbed.
"Jiazheng, I think we're going to have…Problems."
(Well, this chapter gonna be split into two parts, due to it's length. I'm already working on Part II, and it'll be a long one. As always, any suggestions and reviews are welcome, and feel free to e-mail me.)