PROTOTYPE
This be a tribute of sorts to The Big W. Disclaimers apply as there are elements of JOHN DOE, ALIAS, and DARK ANGEL that I used.
"Aizawa?"
"Here!"
"Ashimoto?"
"Here, sensei!"
"Yoshikawa?"
"Here!"
"Uehara?"
"Here!"
"Murai?"
"Right here."
"Tomoko?"
"Here, sensei!"
And so on and so forth as Onizuka took his class' attendance. True to his irreverent nature, Onizuka wasn't going about the list alphabetically and called out their names in random fashion, ticking each one off after hearing their reply.
"Fujiyoshi?"
"Here!"
"Kusano?'
"Here!"
"Tochiiro?"
"Here!"
"Iijima?"
"Here!"
"Kikuchi?"
"Here, sensei."
"Kanzaki?" No answer.
"Kanzaki?!" Still no answer.
"Kanzaki Urumi?!!" Onizuka called out the third time, looking up from the list. "Hmm...absent again. You have any idea where she is, Kikuchi?" he suddenly asked a surprised Kikuchi.
"Huh?! Err...no sensei," Kikuchi replied, frowning slightly. How in the world was he supposed to know where Kanzaki was? Still, this did not deter Onizuka from forming the idea that Kikuchi was the one who would know. Kikuchi could feel the stares coming from all over the room.
"Well, I guess she's absent again," Onizuka shrugged as he finished the roll call and proceeded with the lesson.
Despite the slight embarrassment he felt, Kikuchi was curious as to why Kanzaki was absent again. That would be the second week that she missed half of her classes. Not that it mattered academically as she always aced the exams (like he did) that were given after but it was still unnatural as far as he was concerned.
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"If you ask me, I think she's reverting back to her "I hate teachers!" mode," Murai expressed over lunch.
"You think so?" Kusano asked.
"Well how else can you explain it? It's been the second week that she's been absent more often than not. The last time she did that, we ended up with an overweight teacher, though Kikuchi here deserves half the credit for that," Fujiyoshi added.
"I don't believe she's doing that, not our Kanzaki. She isn't that way anymore," Tomoko chimed in as she joined the table.
"I'd like to share in your belief Tomoko, but it does seem like Kanzaki's up to her usual antics," Yoshikawa stated.
"I don't think Kanzaki IS reverting to her earlier state at all," Kikuchi said quietly. Everyone turned to look at him.
"Really? How would you know?" asked Kusano.
"I don't. But it doesn't add up," Kikuchi replied. Kusano was about to question him further if not for Murai making a declaration of his own.
"Well, if Kanzaki IS going cuckoo again, she'll have to go through me. I won't let her terrorize sensei," Murai declared.
"Oooh, Kunio! Does that mean I have your blessings to court your mother?" Onizuka asked as he popped out of nowhere, eliciting surprise and laughter from the group save for Murai who went after him with a baseball bat shouting threats to Onizuka. Onizuka however, managed to disable Murai and returned to the table, having Murai in a headlock.
"Now, now; it's not nice to gossip about your classmate. I believe Kanzaki has valid reasons why her attendance has been erratic," Onizuka reminded them seriously. Then his expression changed and he added, "Now where is Murai's lunch? I haven't had a decent breakfast yet."
"Keep away from my mother and keep away from my lunch!!!" Murai shouted as he desperately struggled to free himself from the headlock.
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After classes were over, Kikuchi headed over to the library for some additional research. On the way, he was thinking of the conversation he and his friends were having over lunch. He admitted that had it been a couple of months ago, he could easily dismiss it as one of 'Kanzaki's classics' as he would put it. All indications pointed to such a thing but there was something amiss. Kikuchi could not reconcile her current actions to the exchange they had that day at the pool. He remembered Urumi saying clearly how school had changed for her since Onizuka came and how she wished those days would last forever. Her words had been said with complete and utter honesty.
However, Kikuchi also recalled another conversation a few days back when he questioned Kanzaki about her absences. It had been nothing more than harmless banter between 2 uber-geniuses when Kanzaki suddenly turned hostile on him.
"Why are you being nosy about it anyway?!!! Can't you just mind your own business?!!" she had said, her mood shifting quickly from cheerful to wary to downright angry. Kanzaki had stormed out of the room after that, leaving a surprised Kikuchi in her wake.
She waited for Kikuchi after class, however, and treated him to a sushi dinner. She was apologetic about the whole incident but refused to explain her actions, finally opening up only when he reassured her that he would always be there for her when she needed someone to talk to.
"I CAN count on you, can I, Yoshito?" she had asked. He had nodded in assent, but the tone of her voice and the look in her eyes had bothered Kikuchi. There was something about it, a hint of desperation that he had never seen in her.
He was still lost in thought when he was suddenly accosted by Onizuka who for some odd reason, still had Murai in a headlock while Tomoko was walking beside them.
"Hey there, Kikuchi! Still studying? It's a Friday night, you know. Time for some fun!" Onizuka declared in a heroic pose. (Or as heroic as he could make it with a choking Murai in his arms.) There was a dreamy look in his eyes that made Kikuchi groan inwardly. No doubt his teacher was lost in his theatrical imaginings again.
He sighed in exasperation. "As much as I'd like to sensei, I've some research to do in the library. Where are you guys off to, by the way?" Kikuchi asked in reply.
"We're having dinner at Kunio's place. Julia invited us over for some sushi and miso soup. Nyaa-ha-ha-ha!" Onizuka replied.
"Who invited you, you peroxide-blond freak?!!! Let me go!!! Aaaack!" Murai added while still in headlock.
In truth, Julia Murai had not been planning to invite anyone in particular. It was just through sheer coincidence that when she called Kunio through his new cellphone (in order to inform him that they would be having miso soup and sushi for dinner), Tomoko had been admiring the phone and comparing it to hers. Kunio had left the table for a while so Tomoko had taken the call and offered to take a message. Kunio arrived just as their conversation had ended so Julia still got to talk to him. She suddenly had the idea of asking her son to bring along that pleasant girl who answered his phone, much to Kunio's surprise, and ensured her son's compliance by having him pass the phone back to Tomoko so she could invite the girl personally.
Unfortunately, Tomoko had been a little bit too enthusiastic about accepting, causing Onizuka to get wind of the conversation and inviting himself over. As far as he was concerned, an invitation to one of his students was automatically extended to him as well.
"It was really nice of Ms. Julia to invite me, don't you think so, Kikuchi?" Tomoko enthused.
"Yes! Yes! Very nice indeed!" Onizuka concurred, causing Kikuchi to roll his eyes.
"Yes, it was. Well, you all go ahead and have a good time, Tomo-chan," Kikuchi said hurriedly, in an attempt to end the conversation and get rid of Onizuka.
"Hey Kikuchi, why the need to research anyway? It's not like you of all people would have any difficulty with the subject-matter. I'm sure you won't need the whole weekend for that," Kunio added after finally freeing himself from the headlock.
"Murai's right, you know. Like they say: 'All work and no play makes jumping jacks dull.' Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!" quoted Onizuka, eliciting incredulous looks from his 3 students. "Oh before I forget, could you be the one to give Kanzaki her assignment on your way home?" He handed a brown envelope to Kikuchi.
Kikuchi stared at his teacher. "Why me, sensei?"
"Why not? Your place is quite near hers anyway, just a small detour if I recall it right. Just leave it in the mailbox with a note if she's not there," Onizuka stated matter-of-factly.
Kikuchi wanted to argue against it further but he knew it would be useless so he just accepted the folder, making a mental note to drop it off at Kanzaki's place later.
After two hours of research, Kikuchi exited the library and proceeded to bike home. He remembered that he needed to drop off Kanzaki's homework so he took a small detour. Arriving at Kanzaki's, he got off from the bike and rang the bell. No one replied however and as the house seemed dark, Kikuchi assumed that no one was home. He was about to look for the mailbox when he recalled Urumi saying that about a week ago, a slight vehicular accident outside their place resulted in the loss of their mailbox as it got run over.
He decided that the best way to do so was to leave the envelope on the front steps of the main door. He scribbled a small note for Urumi and stuck it on the envelope. He then stood in front of the gate, looked around to make sure he was alone, then jumped over it in a single leap. He left the envelope on the steps, walked back to the gate, and jumped over it again.
"Hope no one saw me doing that stunt," Kikuchi thought to himself as he straddled his bike.
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A few meters away, a figure hidden in a building was observing Kikuchi's every move. He had tracked Kikuchi ever since the young man emerged from the library. As soon as he saw Kikuchi jump effortlessly over the high gates, he brought out his radio.
"Subject has jumped, I repeat, jumped over the gates. He appears to have left a file or folder of some sort. Subject is now on his bike and riding away," the figure reported.
"Very good, OWL-1. Return to base immediately. RAPTOR-team will proceed with pursuit and capture. MK will be glad to hear our report," replied the other party.
"Understood."
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Somewhere in a heavily guarded facility, a lone female figure in a straightjacket was currently resting in a padded room. She had spent the last few days in solitary confinement as her mental state had degraded over the past month until it reached the point where she was highly unstable and couldn't function in a normal environment. On the other side of a one way mirror, two figures were watching her every move.
"It's confirmed, ma'am: her mental condition has been compromised. The emergence of the other persona was not seamless and instead of integration, there's cancellation," stated one of the technicians as he handed over his reports to his superior.
The person he was addressing took a few minutes to quickly read his reports though this was unnecessary as she already knew what was written in the report. This was but another confirmation for her.
"So the original persona will be erased totally if left untreated?" she asked.
"Yes, ma'am. There's a 65% possibility of that right now though we've managed to temporarily halt the process by administering some of the behavior-altering drugs you made. However, we needed a massive dose just to placate her like that," the tech replied.
"I see. Keep me posted of any development. I'll be in my office," she stated.
She waited for her technician before activating a display on her table. She played the video of the test subject then proceeded to make a video-call while watching the images. The party she was calling immediately took the call and an image appeared in one of the screens.
"I take it, you're viewing the video I'm streaming to you now?" she opened, sans pleasantries.
The person on the other end took a while to digest what he was viewing in real-time before replying.
"Yes. I assume she's past phase-2 of the persona-degradation?" he asked, to which she nodded in assent. Michiko still felt uneasy about Kazuma's seeming lack of animosity and this caused her to ask him about it.
"What? No scathing remarks? No scolding? I admit that you and your theories were right on the dot when you said this would happen so I assume you're feeling quite smug about the whole thing," she said irritably. The figure on the other side just sighed and gave her a slight grin.
"I'm not given to vindictiveness, you know. But don't get me wrong, Michiko; the privilege to gloat is still mine, and I will use it when I see fit," replied the man.
His features had a slight harshness as he said those words, but this softened as he continued.
"This is not the time for it however; so it's best we focus our efforts to the task at hand," he added.
"Thank you, Kazuma," she replied.
The man known as Kazuma merely nodded then proceeded to watch the rest of the streaming video. He didn't even finish the rest of the video as he already deduced the gravity of the situation from the early parts of the footage. Kazuma terminated the link and went back to Michiko.
"No doubt about it, she's past Phase-2. At best, we have either 12 hours or 2 days the most before it becomes irreversible and the second persona will have taken over. With what you've sent me, I assume it stands at 65%?" Kazuma asked.
"Sixty-five percent and rising, even as she sleeps," Michiko replied.
Both people stayed silent for a while before Michiko spoke up again.
"While I am grateful for your cooperation, I am confused by it. We ARE on opposing teams, are we not?" she asked.
"Opposing teams as far as execution was concerned. The way I see it, your only error lay in the fact that you didn't take the additional necessary step in your execution of this project. Other than that, you've a brilliant team and what we've been doing is basically the same experiment these past few years. Our superiors DID stipulate that whichever team succeeds COMPLETELY gets to absorb the other team. Let's face it; I'd rather have you and your team, cooperate with me WILLINGLY rather than RELUCTANTLY. I consider the addition of you and your team to mine to be a huge bonus," Kazuma replied.
"More so, this is your daughter we're talking about here, not some lab rat. Our situations may have been easily reversed you know...." Kazuma added as she noted more than a hint of sympathy in his voice and countenance. Another few seconds of deafening silence passed by before Kazuma spoke up.
"We still have enough time before total assimilation so I guess there's no other way. I've exhausted all scenarios and possibilities and I've reached the same conclusion as you," Kazuma began.
"So you're amicable to my plan?" Michiko asked.
"Yes, I am. You have my full permission to involve my son in this project. I'm sending over complete details of how to effectively AND harmelessly extract the missing gene-component from my son then splice it into Urumi's DNA. Let me know when Team Raptor has Yoshito in custody," Kazuma stated.
"You knew?" Michiko asked, completely surprised by Kazuma's knowledge of Team Raptor's existence and current mission.
"Mi casa, su casa, Michiko. That's for me to know and for you....not to know. He-he. But be warned though: I expect you and your team to carry out MY instructions to the letter. I want no deviations. Are we clear on that?" Kazuma asked.
"YOUR instructions? Since when did you have any authority over my team?" Michiko replied, irritation evident in her voice.
"Since 2 weeks ago. That was when our superiors learned of Urumi's worsening condition. I was then granted BLANKET authority over BOTH teams. And by the way, I wasn't the one who informed them about it. They found out on their own. I suggest you further screen your personnel and staff so as to flush out the mole," Kazuma replied without batting an eyelash.
Michiko Kanzaki stared daggers at him for a while but relented in the end. Kazuma Kikuchi could've done more to compromise her and her team but he did no such thing. Over the years, he and his team were more than civil; behaving much like lawyers on opposing counsels and were transparent with their findings, bearing in mind that their teams were working for a common goal. They always apprised Michiko of anything and everything that might prove useful to their project. It was Michiko's team who behaved badly and frequently withheld information, more often than not.
"I meant to inform you of this but I just couldn't find the time. We've been quite busy working on a solution for Urumi ever since I learned of her condition. I know of course, that my son Yoshito is in no risk of this but I didn't want to take chances," Kazuma explained.
"No need for explanations, doctor. You have my full cooperation," Michiko replied, surprised that he and his team were actually working on Urumi's cure.
"Very well, doctor. I'll expect hourly reports," Kazuma stated.
"And doctor?"
"Yes?"
"Thanks."
With that, Michiko Kanzaki ended the conversation and terminated the link.
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Yoshito was heading home, turning into an alley for a shortcut. He stopped however, when his way was blocked by 6 men who looked like they meant business.
"Kikuchi Yoshito?" one of the men asked.
'Who wants to know?" Kikuchi replied.
"Your questions will be answered later. You must come with us," the man replied.
"I'm sorry but my parents told me never to go with strangers," Yoshito insulted.
"Please don't make this difficult for yourself. It's better than you come willingly or else we may have to resort to extreme measures," the other one replied.
Kikuchi was about to turn back and head out of the alley when he saw that the other end had been blocked by a van. The men began to approach him, attempting to get him in a pincer maneuver. Six more men emerged from the van and they too began to approach Kikuchi. They brought out what seemed to be batons but upon closer inspection, these were tazer-batons, each capable of delivering 75kilovolt jolt. Kikuchi took a quick glance towards the earlier group and saw that they too brandished the same weapons.
"I'm sorry but I don't think I can comply," Kikuchi replied as he threw his bike to the side and prepared to defend himself.
These men expected this to be a routine assignment but they were sadly mistaken. Three of the first batch rushed Kikuchi but found him to be no easy prey. They were driven back by quick punches and feints that they did not expect a young man like Kikuchi could possess. As soon as they were driven back momentarily, the others rushed in as well.
"All this for delivering homework? What is the world coming to?" Kikuchi said to himself, feeling exasperated.
Kikuchi had to rethink his options more than a tad quickly as there were now more than 3 assailants. Those batons did pack a mean shock and the risk of getting tagged even accidentally was increased. A quick scan of his surroundings and Kikuchi found something that would aid him greatly in his defense. He grabbed a discarded pole which came from a pool-cleaners company and used it like a quarter-staff. The tough plastic construction ensured insulation from electric-shock. Once he wielded it, the men suffered numerous hits and found that Kikuchi's defenses were nigh impossible to penetrate. One of the men who had yet to join the melee was reporting to his superiors.
"Subject is resisting our attempts to capture him. He's also showing remarkable skill in martial arts and weapons proficiency."
"What did you expect?! That kid's the other XF-prototype! Proceed with extreme caution but use all means to capture him. MK wants him unharmed, I repeat, unharmed," instructed the contact.
Back in the facility, Michiko Kanzaki was watching with great interest what was happening in the alley. This was the first time she saw Yoshito in action and she had to admit that Kazuma's method was much better than hers and the results or rather the 'result' known as Yoshito Kikuchi was there to prove it. Flowing with almost a feline grace, Yoshito was making short work of the team-members currently fighting him.
Yoshito had yet to break a sweat as he had not been going all out. He was making use of the advantage of fighting inside a confined area and using the men's efforts against them. One of the commanders saw this however and signaled his team to up the ante while sending in the more skillful members of his team.
Yoshito was taken by surprise when 4 new members attacked from all sides. He took a couple of bone-jarring hits as his attacks were unable to connect nor was he able defend himself from their counterattacks.
"Whoa! These new guys are fast and powerful. He almost took my jaw out with that one. Have to be on the defensive for now. Let's see what they've got: 2 of them use advanced SCARS-system; one is a 3rd-level combat-Wushu expert while the last one mixes elements of combat-aikido with Brazilian- grappling. Impressive...." Kikuchi thought as he came up with a new tactic.
Meanwhile, the observer was updating his reports to his superiors.
"Subject has taken a substantial number of hits but remains standing. Clear confirmation of highly increased stamina and strength," he reported.
Michiko Kanzaki had to suppress a smile from forming. This only proved how much of a success their projects were.
Back in the alley, Kikuchi was being beset by the 4 new attackers and from the look of things, losing. He was unable to parry all the attacks and got hit hard a number of times. He flipped over one of them only to have the other kick him in the gut as he was airborne. Kikuchi landed hard and was breathing raggedly as the one who tagged him approached.
"You're tough kid, but not tough enough. Is that all you've got?" he sneered.
Kikuchi made no reply.
"Nothing personal kid, just doing my job. Lights out now!" the man declared as he drew near. He then cocked his fist in order to knock Kikuchi out. He was in for a surprise as Kikuchi caught the blow at the last minute.
"Not just yet,"Kikuchi stated as he applied pressure to the man's fist, crushing the bones a bit.
The fight began anew and this time, it was Kikuchi who had the upper hand after a couple of seconds. It was only their incredible stamina from hard training which saved these men from suffering too much damage as Kikuchi was somehow able to read their moves now.
"Our tactical advantage has been neutralized as subject has shown extremely rapid adaptation and assimilation of combat techniques. Suggest we raise intensity and use more drastic measures to capture the subject," the comm- ops reported.
"That's a negative, Raptor-14. MK suggests you continue with current methods for the next 10 minutes. If subject manages to resist capture beyond that time, our snipers are in position. Just maneuver him to that area," replied his counterpart.
Meanwhile, one of the SCARS-specialist was able to get Kikuchi in a grapple- position that would normally immobilize an ordinary human. The other one began attacking Kikuchi from the front and managed to connect with a few hard hits to the gut. Kikuchi blocked the next attack with his feet and knees and was able to drive off the other man. He then drove the man holding him backwards until they crashed into a wall, loosening the man's hold on him. Kikuchi then jumped as the man staggered forward, flipped over him, and reversed positions.
"Goodbye!" said Kikuchi as he kicked the man in the back, causing him to crash into a huge trash bin. The remaining 3 resumed their attacks and Kikuchi had to defend himself from three sides.
One of the team-members grew impatient with what was happening and joined in the fray too early. This man was a knife-fighting specialist and his initial attack was a half-dozen throwing knives almost all of which Kikuchi dodged save for the last two which he caught and stabbed into the feet of the two men who were currently fighting him as he parried then caught their kicks simultaneously.
"Three down, nine to go," Kikuchi thought to himself as he engaged the Wushu expert while dodging the slashes of the knife expert.
It was quite unfortunate however, that the noise they made attracted a couple of curious bystanders who decided to investigate. These people saw what was happening and one of them rushed to a nearby phone booth in order to alert the police. Not wanting to involve the authorities in this, Kikuchi jumped away from his assailants and ran towards the more unoccupied areas of the city, taunting them to follow him as he effortlessly jumped from rooftop to rooftop.
"Subject's physical abilities are incredible! Are you getting this, home- base?" reported Raptor-12 as he watched Kikuchi's progress.
"We see that, Raptor-12. Continue with your coverage. Snipers are in position."
Kikuchi stopped running once he was inside and abandoned warehouse outside the city. His pursuers caught up to him and they gave a warning once more.
"Again, I suggest you come quietly or we'll have to get serious!" threatened the commander.
"Serious, eh? Well I want to see that," Kikuchi thought to himself as he just stood there waiting for them to make the first move.
This time, the remaining 9 members rushed him all at once and Kikuchi was surprised at their amazing coordinated attack. Precise moves that were almost like a dance in their execution made things more difficult for Kikuchi but as he already read their moves, he was coping well. Any person would've been overwhelmed by now.
"We're nearing the 10-minute mark, home-base. Snipers are on standby."
"Copy that, Raptor-14."
By now, Kikuchi had taken out 5 more of the team and the remaining 4 were slowly realizing that capturing Kikuchi was no walk in the park. Their commander gave the signal and they all jumped away from Kikuchi.
"What the...? Aww, crap!" said Kikuchi as he realized why they jumped away from him.
"Take him out, now!"
At that command a sniper opened fire.
Michiko Kanzaki had to gasp at what she witnessed on the screen. All in all, the first sniper had to fire all 4 rounds as Kikuchi dodged the first 3 shots and caught the last when he saw that they were just stun darts. What Kikuchi didn't take into account was there was another sniper in the adjacent rooftop.
"Aww, shit! Another sniper........" was all Kikuchi could say as he passed out, while still holding the last stun-dart from the first sniper.
Team Raptor gave a collective sigh of relief once they were certain that Kikuchi was completrely immobilized.
"This is Raptor-1: subject is immobilized and in our custody," the team- leader reported.
"Good work, Raptor-1. The heli-transports will be rendezvousing with your team in a clearing just 5 minutes northeast of that complex,"
Once they had strapped Kikuchi onto a stretcher and loaded him into their van, the team leader gave final instructions to secure the area and erase all traces of their presence. While his team was busy, he made another call over a secure channel.
"XF-1 has been captured, sir."
"Very good, Raptor-1. I trust, my son is intact?"
"Affirmative. I couldn't say the same for some of my team-members though. You son packs a whallop, sir."
"Don't say I didn't warn you. That's why I chose you to head the team."
"Thank you, sir. We'll be heading back to the facility when we meet up with the choppers. By the way sir, I expect a big raise for this assignment."
"It's in your next paycheck."
"Thank you, sir. Raptor-1 out."
With that, Raptor-1 terminated communications and proceeded to the clearing where the helicopters would arrive to retrieve them.
This be a tribute of sorts to The Big W. Disclaimers apply as there are elements of JOHN DOE, ALIAS, and DARK ANGEL that I used.
"Aizawa?"
"Here!"
"Ashimoto?"
"Here, sensei!"
"Yoshikawa?"
"Here!"
"Uehara?"
"Here!"
"Murai?"
"Right here."
"Tomoko?"
"Here, sensei!"
And so on and so forth as Onizuka took his class' attendance. True to his irreverent nature, Onizuka wasn't going about the list alphabetically and called out their names in random fashion, ticking each one off after hearing their reply.
"Fujiyoshi?"
"Here!"
"Kusano?'
"Here!"
"Tochiiro?"
"Here!"
"Iijima?"
"Here!"
"Kikuchi?"
"Here, sensei."
"Kanzaki?" No answer.
"Kanzaki?!" Still no answer.
"Kanzaki Urumi?!!" Onizuka called out the third time, looking up from the list. "Hmm...absent again. You have any idea where she is, Kikuchi?" he suddenly asked a surprised Kikuchi.
"Huh?! Err...no sensei," Kikuchi replied, frowning slightly. How in the world was he supposed to know where Kanzaki was? Still, this did not deter Onizuka from forming the idea that Kikuchi was the one who would know. Kikuchi could feel the stares coming from all over the room.
"Well, I guess she's absent again," Onizuka shrugged as he finished the roll call and proceeded with the lesson.
Despite the slight embarrassment he felt, Kikuchi was curious as to why Kanzaki was absent again. That would be the second week that she missed half of her classes. Not that it mattered academically as she always aced the exams (like he did) that were given after but it was still unnatural as far as he was concerned.
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"If you ask me, I think she's reverting back to her "I hate teachers!" mode," Murai expressed over lunch.
"You think so?" Kusano asked.
"Well how else can you explain it? It's been the second week that she's been absent more often than not. The last time she did that, we ended up with an overweight teacher, though Kikuchi here deserves half the credit for that," Fujiyoshi added.
"I don't believe she's doing that, not our Kanzaki. She isn't that way anymore," Tomoko chimed in as she joined the table.
"I'd like to share in your belief Tomoko, but it does seem like Kanzaki's up to her usual antics," Yoshikawa stated.
"I don't think Kanzaki IS reverting to her earlier state at all," Kikuchi said quietly. Everyone turned to look at him.
"Really? How would you know?" asked Kusano.
"I don't. But it doesn't add up," Kikuchi replied. Kusano was about to question him further if not for Murai making a declaration of his own.
"Well, if Kanzaki IS going cuckoo again, she'll have to go through me. I won't let her terrorize sensei," Murai declared.
"Oooh, Kunio! Does that mean I have your blessings to court your mother?" Onizuka asked as he popped out of nowhere, eliciting surprise and laughter from the group save for Murai who went after him with a baseball bat shouting threats to Onizuka. Onizuka however, managed to disable Murai and returned to the table, having Murai in a headlock.
"Now, now; it's not nice to gossip about your classmate. I believe Kanzaki has valid reasons why her attendance has been erratic," Onizuka reminded them seriously. Then his expression changed and he added, "Now where is Murai's lunch? I haven't had a decent breakfast yet."
"Keep away from my mother and keep away from my lunch!!!" Murai shouted as he desperately struggled to free himself from the headlock.
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After classes were over, Kikuchi headed over to the library for some additional research. On the way, he was thinking of the conversation he and his friends were having over lunch. He admitted that had it been a couple of months ago, he could easily dismiss it as one of 'Kanzaki's classics' as he would put it. All indications pointed to such a thing but there was something amiss. Kikuchi could not reconcile her current actions to the exchange they had that day at the pool. He remembered Urumi saying clearly how school had changed for her since Onizuka came and how she wished those days would last forever. Her words had been said with complete and utter honesty.
However, Kikuchi also recalled another conversation a few days back when he questioned Kanzaki about her absences. It had been nothing more than harmless banter between 2 uber-geniuses when Kanzaki suddenly turned hostile on him.
"Why are you being nosy about it anyway?!!! Can't you just mind your own business?!!" she had said, her mood shifting quickly from cheerful to wary to downright angry. Kanzaki had stormed out of the room after that, leaving a surprised Kikuchi in her wake.
She waited for Kikuchi after class, however, and treated him to a sushi dinner. She was apologetic about the whole incident but refused to explain her actions, finally opening up only when he reassured her that he would always be there for her when she needed someone to talk to.
"I CAN count on you, can I, Yoshito?" she had asked. He had nodded in assent, but the tone of her voice and the look in her eyes had bothered Kikuchi. There was something about it, a hint of desperation that he had never seen in her.
He was still lost in thought when he was suddenly accosted by Onizuka who for some odd reason, still had Murai in a headlock while Tomoko was walking beside them.
"Hey there, Kikuchi! Still studying? It's a Friday night, you know. Time for some fun!" Onizuka declared in a heroic pose. (Or as heroic as he could make it with a choking Murai in his arms.) There was a dreamy look in his eyes that made Kikuchi groan inwardly. No doubt his teacher was lost in his theatrical imaginings again.
He sighed in exasperation. "As much as I'd like to sensei, I've some research to do in the library. Where are you guys off to, by the way?" Kikuchi asked in reply.
"We're having dinner at Kunio's place. Julia invited us over for some sushi and miso soup. Nyaa-ha-ha-ha!" Onizuka replied.
"Who invited you, you peroxide-blond freak?!!! Let me go!!! Aaaack!" Murai added while still in headlock.
In truth, Julia Murai had not been planning to invite anyone in particular. It was just through sheer coincidence that when she called Kunio through his new cellphone (in order to inform him that they would be having miso soup and sushi for dinner), Tomoko had been admiring the phone and comparing it to hers. Kunio had left the table for a while so Tomoko had taken the call and offered to take a message. Kunio arrived just as their conversation had ended so Julia still got to talk to him. She suddenly had the idea of asking her son to bring along that pleasant girl who answered his phone, much to Kunio's surprise, and ensured her son's compliance by having him pass the phone back to Tomoko so she could invite the girl personally.
Unfortunately, Tomoko had been a little bit too enthusiastic about accepting, causing Onizuka to get wind of the conversation and inviting himself over. As far as he was concerned, an invitation to one of his students was automatically extended to him as well.
"It was really nice of Ms. Julia to invite me, don't you think so, Kikuchi?" Tomoko enthused.
"Yes! Yes! Very nice indeed!" Onizuka concurred, causing Kikuchi to roll his eyes.
"Yes, it was. Well, you all go ahead and have a good time, Tomo-chan," Kikuchi said hurriedly, in an attempt to end the conversation and get rid of Onizuka.
"Hey Kikuchi, why the need to research anyway? It's not like you of all people would have any difficulty with the subject-matter. I'm sure you won't need the whole weekend for that," Kunio added after finally freeing himself from the headlock.
"Murai's right, you know. Like they say: 'All work and no play makes jumping jacks dull.' Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!" quoted Onizuka, eliciting incredulous looks from his 3 students. "Oh before I forget, could you be the one to give Kanzaki her assignment on your way home?" He handed a brown envelope to Kikuchi.
Kikuchi stared at his teacher. "Why me, sensei?"
"Why not? Your place is quite near hers anyway, just a small detour if I recall it right. Just leave it in the mailbox with a note if she's not there," Onizuka stated matter-of-factly.
Kikuchi wanted to argue against it further but he knew it would be useless so he just accepted the folder, making a mental note to drop it off at Kanzaki's place later.
After two hours of research, Kikuchi exited the library and proceeded to bike home. He remembered that he needed to drop off Kanzaki's homework so he took a small detour. Arriving at Kanzaki's, he got off from the bike and rang the bell. No one replied however and as the house seemed dark, Kikuchi assumed that no one was home. He was about to look for the mailbox when he recalled Urumi saying that about a week ago, a slight vehicular accident outside their place resulted in the loss of their mailbox as it got run over.
He decided that the best way to do so was to leave the envelope on the front steps of the main door. He scribbled a small note for Urumi and stuck it on the envelope. He then stood in front of the gate, looked around to make sure he was alone, then jumped over it in a single leap. He left the envelope on the steps, walked back to the gate, and jumped over it again.
"Hope no one saw me doing that stunt," Kikuchi thought to himself as he straddled his bike.
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A few meters away, a figure hidden in a building was observing Kikuchi's every move. He had tracked Kikuchi ever since the young man emerged from the library. As soon as he saw Kikuchi jump effortlessly over the high gates, he brought out his radio.
"Subject has jumped, I repeat, jumped over the gates. He appears to have left a file or folder of some sort. Subject is now on his bike and riding away," the figure reported.
"Very good, OWL-1. Return to base immediately. RAPTOR-team will proceed with pursuit and capture. MK will be glad to hear our report," replied the other party.
"Understood."
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Somewhere in a heavily guarded facility, a lone female figure in a straightjacket was currently resting in a padded room. She had spent the last few days in solitary confinement as her mental state had degraded over the past month until it reached the point where she was highly unstable and couldn't function in a normal environment. On the other side of a one way mirror, two figures were watching her every move.
"It's confirmed, ma'am: her mental condition has been compromised. The emergence of the other persona was not seamless and instead of integration, there's cancellation," stated one of the technicians as he handed over his reports to his superior.
The person he was addressing took a few minutes to quickly read his reports though this was unnecessary as she already knew what was written in the report. This was but another confirmation for her.
"So the original persona will be erased totally if left untreated?" she asked.
"Yes, ma'am. There's a 65% possibility of that right now though we've managed to temporarily halt the process by administering some of the behavior-altering drugs you made. However, we needed a massive dose just to placate her like that," the tech replied.
"I see. Keep me posted of any development. I'll be in my office," she stated.
She waited for her technician before activating a display on her table. She played the video of the test subject then proceeded to make a video-call while watching the images. The party she was calling immediately took the call and an image appeared in one of the screens.
"I take it, you're viewing the video I'm streaming to you now?" she opened, sans pleasantries.
The person on the other end took a while to digest what he was viewing in real-time before replying.
"Yes. I assume she's past phase-2 of the persona-degradation?" he asked, to which she nodded in assent. Michiko still felt uneasy about Kazuma's seeming lack of animosity and this caused her to ask him about it.
"What? No scathing remarks? No scolding? I admit that you and your theories were right on the dot when you said this would happen so I assume you're feeling quite smug about the whole thing," she said irritably. The figure on the other side just sighed and gave her a slight grin.
"I'm not given to vindictiveness, you know. But don't get me wrong, Michiko; the privilege to gloat is still mine, and I will use it when I see fit," replied the man.
His features had a slight harshness as he said those words, but this softened as he continued.
"This is not the time for it however; so it's best we focus our efforts to the task at hand," he added.
"Thank you, Kazuma," she replied.
The man known as Kazuma merely nodded then proceeded to watch the rest of the streaming video. He didn't even finish the rest of the video as he already deduced the gravity of the situation from the early parts of the footage. Kazuma terminated the link and went back to Michiko.
"No doubt about it, she's past Phase-2. At best, we have either 12 hours or 2 days the most before it becomes irreversible and the second persona will have taken over. With what you've sent me, I assume it stands at 65%?" Kazuma asked.
"Sixty-five percent and rising, even as she sleeps," Michiko replied.
Both people stayed silent for a while before Michiko spoke up again.
"While I am grateful for your cooperation, I am confused by it. We ARE on opposing teams, are we not?" she asked.
"Opposing teams as far as execution was concerned. The way I see it, your only error lay in the fact that you didn't take the additional necessary step in your execution of this project. Other than that, you've a brilliant team and what we've been doing is basically the same experiment these past few years. Our superiors DID stipulate that whichever team succeeds COMPLETELY gets to absorb the other team. Let's face it; I'd rather have you and your team, cooperate with me WILLINGLY rather than RELUCTANTLY. I consider the addition of you and your team to mine to be a huge bonus," Kazuma replied.
"More so, this is your daughter we're talking about here, not some lab rat. Our situations may have been easily reversed you know...." Kazuma added as she noted more than a hint of sympathy in his voice and countenance. Another few seconds of deafening silence passed by before Kazuma spoke up.
"We still have enough time before total assimilation so I guess there's no other way. I've exhausted all scenarios and possibilities and I've reached the same conclusion as you," Kazuma began.
"So you're amicable to my plan?" Michiko asked.
"Yes, I am. You have my full permission to involve my son in this project. I'm sending over complete details of how to effectively AND harmelessly extract the missing gene-component from my son then splice it into Urumi's DNA. Let me know when Team Raptor has Yoshito in custody," Kazuma stated.
"You knew?" Michiko asked, completely surprised by Kazuma's knowledge of Team Raptor's existence and current mission.
"Mi casa, su casa, Michiko. That's for me to know and for you....not to know. He-he. But be warned though: I expect you and your team to carry out MY instructions to the letter. I want no deviations. Are we clear on that?" Kazuma asked.
"YOUR instructions? Since when did you have any authority over my team?" Michiko replied, irritation evident in her voice.
"Since 2 weeks ago. That was when our superiors learned of Urumi's worsening condition. I was then granted BLANKET authority over BOTH teams. And by the way, I wasn't the one who informed them about it. They found out on their own. I suggest you further screen your personnel and staff so as to flush out the mole," Kazuma replied without batting an eyelash.
Michiko Kanzaki stared daggers at him for a while but relented in the end. Kazuma Kikuchi could've done more to compromise her and her team but he did no such thing. Over the years, he and his team were more than civil; behaving much like lawyers on opposing counsels and were transparent with their findings, bearing in mind that their teams were working for a common goal. They always apprised Michiko of anything and everything that might prove useful to their project. It was Michiko's team who behaved badly and frequently withheld information, more often than not.
"I meant to inform you of this but I just couldn't find the time. We've been quite busy working on a solution for Urumi ever since I learned of her condition. I know of course, that my son Yoshito is in no risk of this but I didn't want to take chances," Kazuma explained.
"No need for explanations, doctor. You have my full cooperation," Michiko replied, surprised that he and his team were actually working on Urumi's cure.
"Very well, doctor. I'll expect hourly reports," Kazuma stated.
"And doctor?"
"Yes?"
"Thanks."
With that, Michiko Kanzaki ended the conversation and terminated the link.
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Yoshito was heading home, turning into an alley for a shortcut. He stopped however, when his way was blocked by 6 men who looked like they meant business.
"Kikuchi Yoshito?" one of the men asked.
'Who wants to know?" Kikuchi replied.
"Your questions will be answered later. You must come with us," the man replied.
"I'm sorry but my parents told me never to go with strangers," Yoshito insulted.
"Please don't make this difficult for yourself. It's better than you come willingly or else we may have to resort to extreme measures," the other one replied.
Kikuchi was about to turn back and head out of the alley when he saw that the other end had been blocked by a van. The men began to approach him, attempting to get him in a pincer maneuver. Six more men emerged from the van and they too began to approach Kikuchi. They brought out what seemed to be batons but upon closer inspection, these were tazer-batons, each capable of delivering 75kilovolt jolt. Kikuchi took a quick glance towards the earlier group and saw that they too brandished the same weapons.
"I'm sorry but I don't think I can comply," Kikuchi replied as he threw his bike to the side and prepared to defend himself.
These men expected this to be a routine assignment but they were sadly mistaken. Three of the first batch rushed Kikuchi but found him to be no easy prey. They were driven back by quick punches and feints that they did not expect a young man like Kikuchi could possess. As soon as they were driven back momentarily, the others rushed in as well.
"All this for delivering homework? What is the world coming to?" Kikuchi said to himself, feeling exasperated.
Kikuchi had to rethink his options more than a tad quickly as there were now more than 3 assailants. Those batons did pack a mean shock and the risk of getting tagged even accidentally was increased. A quick scan of his surroundings and Kikuchi found something that would aid him greatly in his defense. He grabbed a discarded pole which came from a pool-cleaners company and used it like a quarter-staff. The tough plastic construction ensured insulation from electric-shock. Once he wielded it, the men suffered numerous hits and found that Kikuchi's defenses were nigh impossible to penetrate. One of the men who had yet to join the melee was reporting to his superiors.
"Subject is resisting our attempts to capture him. He's also showing remarkable skill in martial arts and weapons proficiency."
"What did you expect?! That kid's the other XF-prototype! Proceed with extreme caution but use all means to capture him. MK wants him unharmed, I repeat, unharmed," instructed the contact.
Back in the facility, Michiko Kanzaki was watching with great interest what was happening in the alley. This was the first time she saw Yoshito in action and she had to admit that Kazuma's method was much better than hers and the results or rather the 'result' known as Yoshito Kikuchi was there to prove it. Flowing with almost a feline grace, Yoshito was making short work of the team-members currently fighting him.
Yoshito had yet to break a sweat as he had not been going all out. He was making use of the advantage of fighting inside a confined area and using the men's efforts against them. One of the commanders saw this however and signaled his team to up the ante while sending in the more skillful members of his team.
Yoshito was taken by surprise when 4 new members attacked from all sides. He took a couple of bone-jarring hits as his attacks were unable to connect nor was he able defend himself from their counterattacks.
"Whoa! These new guys are fast and powerful. He almost took my jaw out with that one. Have to be on the defensive for now. Let's see what they've got: 2 of them use advanced SCARS-system; one is a 3rd-level combat-Wushu expert while the last one mixes elements of combat-aikido with Brazilian- grappling. Impressive...." Kikuchi thought as he came up with a new tactic.
Meanwhile, the observer was updating his reports to his superiors.
"Subject has taken a substantial number of hits but remains standing. Clear confirmation of highly increased stamina and strength," he reported.
Michiko Kanzaki had to suppress a smile from forming. This only proved how much of a success their projects were.
Back in the alley, Kikuchi was being beset by the 4 new attackers and from the look of things, losing. He was unable to parry all the attacks and got hit hard a number of times. He flipped over one of them only to have the other kick him in the gut as he was airborne. Kikuchi landed hard and was breathing raggedly as the one who tagged him approached.
"You're tough kid, but not tough enough. Is that all you've got?" he sneered.
Kikuchi made no reply.
"Nothing personal kid, just doing my job. Lights out now!" the man declared as he drew near. He then cocked his fist in order to knock Kikuchi out. He was in for a surprise as Kikuchi caught the blow at the last minute.
"Not just yet,"Kikuchi stated as he applied pressure to the man's fist, crushing the bones a bit.
The fight began anew and this time, it was Kikuchi who had the upper hand after a couple of seconds. It was only their incredible stamina from hard training which saved these men from suffering too much damage as Kikuchi was somehow able to read their moves now.
"Our tactical advantage has been neutralized as subject has shown extremely rapid adaptation and assimilation of combat techniques. Suggest we raise intensity and use more drastic measures to capture the subject," the comm- ops reported.
"That's a negative, Raptor-14. MK suggests you continue with current methods for the next 10 minutes. If subject manages to resist capture beyond that time, our snipers are in position. Just maneuver him to that area," replied his counterpart.
Meanwhile, one of the SCARS-specialist was able to get Kikuchi in a grapple- position that would normally immobilize an ordinary human. The other one began attacking Kikuchi from the front and managed to connect with a few hard hits to the gut. Kikuchi blocked the next attack with his feet and knees and was able to drive off the other man. He then drove the man holding him backwards until they crashed into a wall, loosening the man's hold on him. Kikuchi then jumped as the man staggered forward, flipped over him, and reversed positions.
"Goodbye!" said Kikuchi as he kicked the man in the back, causing him to crash into a huge trash bin. The remaining 3 resumed their attacks and Kikuchi had to defend himself from three sides.
One of the team-members grew impatient with what was happening and joined in the fray too early. This man was a knife-fighting specialist and his initial attack was a half-dozen throwing knives almost all of which Kikuchi dodged save for the last two which he caught and stabbed into the feet of the two men who were currently fighting him as he parried then caught their kicks simultaneously.
"Three down, nine to go," Kikuchi thought to himself as he engaged the Wushu expert while dodging the slashes of the knife expert.
It was quite unfortunate however, that the noise they made attracted a couple of curious bystanders who decided to investigate. These people saw what was happening and one of them rushed to a nearby phone booth in order to alert the police. Not wanting to involve the authorities in this, Kikuchi jumped away from his assailants and ran towards the more unoccupied areas of the city, taunting them to follow him as he effortlessly jumped from rooftop to rooftop.
"Subject's physical abilities are incredible! Are you getting this, home- base?" reported Raptor-12 as he watched Kikuchi's progress.
"We see that, Raptor-12. Continue with your coverage. Snipers are in position."
Kikuchi stopped running once he was inside and abandoned warehouse outside the city. His pursuers caught up to him and they gave a warning once more.
"Again, I suggest you come quietly or we'll have to get serious!" threatened the commander.
"Serious, eh? Well I want to see that," Kikuchi thought to himself as he just stood there waiting for them to make the first move.
This time, the remaining 9 members rushed him all at once and Kikuchi was surprised at their amazing coordinated attack. Precise moves that were almost like a dance in their execution made things more difficult for Kikuchi but as he already read their moves, he was coping well. Any person would've been overwhelmed by now.
"We're nearing the 10-minute mark, home-base. Snipers are on standby."
"Copy that, Raptor-14."
By now, Kikuchi had taken out 5 more of the team and the remaining 4 were slowly realizing that capturing Kikuchi was no walk in the park. Their commander gave the signal and they all jumped away from Kikuchi.
"What the...? Aww, crap!" said Kikuchi as he realized why they jumped away from him.
"Take him out, now!"
At that command a sniper opened fire.
Michiko Kanzaki had to gasp at what she witnessed on the screen. All in all, the first sniper had to fire all 4 rounds as Kikuchi dodged the first 3 shots and caught the last when he saw that they were just stun darts. What Kikuchi didn't take into account was there was another sniper in the adjacent rooftop.
"Aww, shit! Another sniper........" was all Kikuchi could say as he passed out, while still holding the last stun-dart from the first sniper.
Team Raptor gave a collective sigh of relief once they were certain that Kikuchi was completrely immobilized.
"This is Raptor-1: subject is immobilized and in our custody," the team- leader reported.
"Good work, Raptor-1. The heli-transports will be rendezvousing with your team in a clearing just 5 minutes northeast of that complex,"
Once they had strapped Kikuchi onto a stretcher and loaded him into their van, the team leader gave final instructions to secure the area and erase all traces of their presence. While his team was busy, he made another call over a secure channel.
"XF-1 has been captured, sir."
"Very good, Raptor-1. I trust, my son is intact?"
"Affirmative. I couldn't say the same for some of my team-members though. You son packs a whallop, sir."
"Don't say I didn't warn you. That's why I chose you to head the team."
"Thank you, sir. We'll be heading back to the facility when we meet up with the choppers. By the way sir, I expect a big raise for this assignment."
"It's in your next paycheck."
"Thank you, sir. Raptor-1 out."
With that, Raptor-1 terminated communications and proceeded to the clearing where the helicopters would arrive to retrieve them.