Ante-Mortem
By: Wildfire Sky
Good lord. When heather said she'd be on my ass, she sure wasn't joking! I'd hoped I'd be able to get away with maybe a week and a half, but I suppose not. Here's the good news though...
I GOT 100 REVIEWS! YEEEEEEEEEHHHHHAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWW!
Kinda ironic that the one person bugging the living hell out of me is the 100th reviewer...yes...very ironic...
Anyways, read away my faithful friends, read away and enjoy...
Ante-Mortem
Chapter Twenty-One
Diablo slowly opened the heavy sewer cover, ignoring the streams of rain water that poured from the darkened skies. The darkness was a welcomed sight, at least to him. It provided excellent cover to infiltrate a vessel and escape from the Tokyo docks before they were detected. Having to flee like this left a terrible taste in his mouth and a feeling of cowardice in his mind. It was the fault of that damn Black Ghost...he never should have gotten involved in his silly little games with his malfunctioning cyborgs. If he was Black Ghost, those tin cans would be scrap by now.
Scanning for hostile targets...
"What the hell are you doing?" came the hiss from below.
Diablo's eye twitched at the annoying voice of Tagasuki. "Be silent."
There was a gaff. "You little bastard...I'm the one sitting in this little shit hole. Now are we going are not?"
"Ok, fat boy...you're pushing it." Diablo irritation with the yakuza leader was slowly escalating to dangerous heights. He continued the scan the grounds, ignoring the snarled whispers and complaints from below.
Scan complete. Warning. Warning. Identified hostilities in area. Cyborg. Experiment 004 and 009. Armed. Type three weaponry. Level of danger: maximum. Engagement is not recommended. Do not engage. Do not engage...
Diablo quickly slunk back into the hole, silently cursing his ill luck. So, the cyborgs were here, no doubt watching over the fisherman's ship, and they were armed. More so, the target was one of them, and he could get at him...not that it was an objective in his mind any more. They would have to wait for them to leave before they could move again.
Incoming message from headquarters. Encryption code 0002394. High level of priority. Open message.
"Affirmative." Diablo muttered to himself. Instantly the picture of one of the many high officials Diablo had met in his deals appeared. A live video feed from wherever Black Ghost had decided to station himself.
"Experiment Diablo," the man said was a tight frown, "You've missed sending a report twice now. Care to explain?"
"I've been experiencing some difficulties in dealing with the cyborgs. However, I am currently tracking the target and am prepared to proceed with the mission.
"It's too late for all of that. The deadline has been pass due." The man smirked, "Black Ghost is not pleased with your lacking of skills. I take it on my self to inform you that upon your return you'll be decommissioned and recycled. Return at once...that's an order."
Diablo grit his teeth, glaring at the overconfident bastard. "Screw you, amigo. I'm not gong to be turned into scrap metal."
"You don't have a choice. Get here. Now."
The transmission was terminated and Diablo was left there. Oh yes. Things had taken a turn for the worse. He'd hoped to at least be setting out to port by the time they'd inquire on his whereabouts, but he'd forgotten one elementary rule. He was a cyborg and there for his movements were very traceable. When they arrived in Cuba, he'd have to get some wiring switched around so that he'd become untraceable by any radar.
However, at the moment, it seemed that his priorities have once again become switched. The target was here...close...what harm would it be to confront him and complete what he'd wanted to for so long? He'd end this little game tonight.
Further down, the police officer spoke up, "Is something the matter?"
Diablo snorted, "No. We're about to go right now...in fact, you're going to go ahead a secure a ship. I have some other business to take care of."
"What should I do?" Tagasuki questioned, feeling left out from the action.
"You're going to go with your friend here and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid. I'm sure you can handle that, right?"
Tagasuki mumbled something under his breath.
Diablo smirked, "Good. Takeshi, get ready to go. Leave right after I do."
Takeshi frowned, the feeling of dishonor and betrayal to his family growing by the minute. He should have been stronger...should have taken a bullet instead of going along with whatever sick plan these two had. Even if he did escape, the department would never accept him again...weak cops aren't wanted on the force.
The sound of the metal sewer drain top sliding back pulled Takeshi from his painful thoughts. Diablo was hefting his body over the edge and glancing around as the officer grabbed the bottom rung. He cast a glance at the large man beside him.
Tagasuki returned the bland stare, jerking his head up. "Well get going."
Takeshi heaved a loud sigh and, grabbing the ladder rungs, began to pull his body up towards the stop. He went slowly and carefully, not wanting to slip on the rain soaked bars. By the time he reached the top, Diablo was no where in sight. He could escape now...run away...
No...I can't risk the life of my family...he'll kill them if I run.
Takeshi sat on the edge of the manhole, squinting into the dashing rain. The weather was horrible and only getting worse. Dark wave lashed up against the seawall, spilling over the top with each thunderous crash. Lightning streaked across the black skies, white zigzags of light igniting the clouds. The wind had yet to pick up, however, Takeshi had lived on the island of Japan long enough to know that it would mount to tropical storm levels by dawn.
"Which means," He muttered to himself, "That maneuvering a ship in this will be near impossible." He was lucky that his grandfather had been a sailor in the Japanese navy and taken it upon himself to teach Takeshi how to pilot a simple fishing vessel. He rubbed his hands together, "Alright then...let's do this..."
He picked up a discarded pipe that conveniently happened to be in a pile of junk, and moved forward, crouching low to the ground. Not only was he about to commit an illegal act, but he was committing an illegal act that might involved a few well muscled sailors. If he didn't have something to protect himself with, he'd be in some trouble.
Takeshi moved before crate to crate, keeping as hidden as possible. He didn't want to be seen right away...didn't want the alarm raised before he could...
KKKRASSSH!
Takeshi all but threw himself to the ground, looking around wildly for whatever had made that deafening noise. A loud curse filled the air and Takeshi's head snapped around, glaring at the stumbling figure. Tagasuki was currently trying to disengage his foot from the pile of rubble he'd happened to crash into maneuvering in the dark. On top of that, he was making as much noise as humanly possible.
"Hey!" Takeshi hissed angrily, "Shut up!"
Tagasuki looked up with a glare and opened his mouth to say something. Suddenly his expression of anger melted away, his eyes wide with shock. Slowly, Takeshi turned, looking up from the belly position on the ground. He winced silently, choking back a moan of distress as the figure spoke in a deep and menacing tone.
"Hello there..."
Min slowly climbed up from the poisoned darkness of his mind, clawing for the light that was just beyond his reach. He opened his eyes to a strange, blurry world filled with bright lights, shadows, and voices. Heaven? Could it be heaven? No...Heaven wouldn't smell like body odor. A warm object descended on his head, pushing him back into the pillow. Min cried out in horror as he came face to face with a monster...a big, brown monster with menacing eyes...it was huge and it was trying to kill him.
"Calm down, please! 005 is only trying to help."
Instantly, any worry about being pressed into a pillow was forgotten. Min was now distracted by the fact that he might now be legally deaf. He brought his hands up, clamping them over his ears and ignoring the bite of an object embedded in his hand.
"P...P..."
The warm hand moved from his forehead to behind his scalp, lifting him up as a smooth glass was pressed against his lips.
"Drink. It's water."
Min eagerly gulped in the tasteless liquid, the burning of his throat needing immediate relief. He mewed pitifully as the glass was taken away.
"No. If you drink too much, you'll start to choke."
Min's hand immediately clamped his hands over his ears again, wincing. "Please..." he said slowly, "Please, for the love of God...whisper..."
A second shadow joined the first. "I apologize for 005, but he has quite a loud voice. Here. I'm giving you a shot that will help dispel the hangover faster."
Min barely felt the needle go into his skin, but the effects were almost instantaneous. He vision quickly cleared and through blinking eyes, Min could finally make out the forms above him. Both men wore wide smiles and kind eyes, the shorter, white haired man's grin much bigger that the tall giant. Min carefully looked them over before settling on the dark skinned figure.
"You're humongous."
The man blinked before straightening and looking down at the other. "May I go now, Doctor Gilmore?"
The shorter man nodded with a bright smile. "Of course you may, 005...you've been quite helpful. Have 003 come down when you find her if you will...the other patient needs his dressing changed and an examination."
The large man bowed his head slightly before quickly turning away. Min watched his form warily from the corner of his eye, too weak to fully turn his head. He focused back on the doctor who had turned away and was looking at a computer screen, clipboard and pen in hand. He cleared his throat carefully before addressing the stranger.
"Who in the hell are you?"
The old man started before turning to look at him. His smile had diminished somewhat, no doubt in response to his rudeness. "My name is Doctor Isaac Gilmore and I've been caring for you for the past few hours."
"And where the hell am I?"
Gilmore's smile faltered again. "On board a ship, the Dolphin, which is manned by my crew. But you shouldn't be talking right now...from the levels of alcohol intoxication it's a miracle you're even conscious."
Min smirked smugly. "I have one heck of a metabolism. I could chug two kegs by myself and still come out just fine."
The doctor sighed, turning away. "I don't recommend that activity in the near future. Your liver, which is a mystery in itself, is working much too hard than it should be. If you don't cut back on your drinking habits, your liver will most likely fail on you and you'll die a miserable, painful death."
A short burst of laughter answered the doctor's warning. "Don't worry about me, Doc...I've got a death wish anyways..."
Gilmore paused in his rapid scribbling and looked up, setting the bed-ridden man with a stern glare. "I'll ask that you never say that again, young man. As a professional doctor I don't approve of such talk from my patients. Death is not something one jokes about."
Min stared back for a moment before turning away with a careless shrug. "Whatever you say...dad..." The silence stretched out longer between the two men before Min spoke again, "So, uh...you say this ship is yours, huh? Must be one helluva insurance bill, right?"
Gilmore smiled slightly at the comment, "You could say that..." the doctor set down the clipboard and placed the pen in his pocket, "I know you might not like it, but I'm keeping both you and your brother here for a while."
"What?" Min jerked up right before falling back with a cry of pain, gripping his side, "Owww..."
Gilmore was at his side instantly, holding down his shoulders, "You mustn't move, my young friend, you'll only injury yourself further."
Min grunted, rising up a hand to swipe at Gilmore's, "Don't touch me! I'm not your friend...and my name is Min."
"Very well then, Min," Gilmore said stepping back, "I'll leave you alone if you swear to me you will not move."
Min turned his face away, staring at his brother silently, trying his hardest to ignore the doctor hovering above him, but no matter what he thought about, the doctor's very presence was irritating. He wanted to be alone with his brother, but this man would not leave him until he did what the doctor wanted.
"I swear." He snarled finally yet still refusing to look at the old man, "Now will you go?"
Gilmore nodded, "You might not like having to stay here, Min, but it's for the best."
"How the hell would you know?" Min snapped, glaring from the corner of his eye, "You're not a fisherman...I want to go back home...we both do..." The young man sighed, "God I need a smoke..."
"Although I discourage smoking," Gilmore said, moving to the door, "I'll see if I can find a pack for you. Any brand in particular?"
Min chuckled, "At this point in time...I really don't give a damn." Closing his eyes, Min waited patiently for the light hiss of air of the door closing behind the doctor. For a moment he remained on his cot, trying to sleep and rejuvenate his sapped energy, yet even in the darkness of his mind, Min could not relax in this alien place. He opened his eyes and sat up, biting back a cry of pain.
"Oh shit..." he groaned behind grit teeth, "I'm really done in. How much did I drink?"
The young fisherman looked over at his silently sleeping brother and swung his legs around over the edge of the bedding. Slowly and carefully he walked across the deathly cold tile floor and leaned over his brother, gently brushing aside the stray strand of dark hair from his face. He smiled lightly at his kin, shaking his head humorously.
"You never did like your light hair...no wonder you dyed it..." his smiled wavered, "I wanted you to keep it light...you'd looked good as one of those Westerners." Tai shifted with a moan, drawing his brother's gaze back down to his face. Min's hand fell to grip his brother's, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Come on, little brother...open your eyes for me..."
Tai's only response was another gargled moan and a tongue slipping out to wet his parched lips with a smack. Min continued to stare at his face, hoping and praying for a better response from his sibling...
"Oh please, Tai...wake up for me now..." He grabbed the boy's shoulders, giving him a hard shake, "Open your goddamn eyes, Tai!" He shouted angrily, "Don't you understand I'm trying to help you? Now wake up!"
"Shaking him like that won't help, Min."
Min instantly released his grip, slowly raising his gaze. He'd been so centered on his brother that he'd never heard the infirmary doors open. His entire body jerked in surprise, causing his head to swim. He felt his body go slack, ignoring his orders to regain balance and pitching forward. Strong hands gripped his arm, supporting Min in his weakened state.
"You need to rest, Min. Moving around so quickly will not help you."
Min smirked, "I'm only hung over."
"I don't care if you've got allergies," Min was forced to sit on his cot; "You will rest until you are well again."
Snorting dryly, Min glared at his helper, "Why in the hell are you so worried about my health?"
"Because I can't have you collapsing when the time comes for us to finish this."
Min looked up and frowned, "We...we're going to do it then?"
"Aa. And I hope that this time, you actually have the balls to do what needs to be done."
"The girl was nice, alright? I couldn't just whack her like that...it would be immoral!"
"You choose this line of work, remember? Now sleep and I'll come back later on to update you on the situation. By the end of the night, everything will be finished."
"Hai..."
Min fell back into the pillows and closed his eyes. He felt the light blanket being pulled over him and he couldn't help but make one last remark.
"You know they'll never forgive us if they knew..."
The figure paused for a moment before straightening and heading towards the doorway. He stopped and looked over his shoulder, casting Min a wary smile. "Some things can't be helped. After all, this is what we've decided."
Min nodded sleepily and closed his eyes, drifting away into the abyss of his dreams, "I know...that's why...they can't know..."
The figure nodded, watching Min sleep for a moment before turning away and leaving the infirmary.
Pyunma shook the rain from his clothing as he descended into the main room of the Dolphin from the deck. Despite the stormy weather, he did as Doctor Gilmore requested and rushed out to a corner store to fetch a pack of the cheapest cigarettes he could find. The African hated smoking...and hated smokers as well. The act to him was deplorable, but a man's business is a man's business, and who was he to argue? Some people don't agree with revolutionists, and yet he had been one himself. Who was he to judge other people?
But that didn't mean he had to like going out into the rain.
008 shrugged out of his jacket, throwing the damp garment on the couch absentmindedly as he walked towards the infirmary, intent on giving the patient his smokes and leaving before the man could start up a conversation and smoke...which, according to the doctor, was doubtful due to the fact that the patient wasn't in a 'talkative' mood.
Just before he reach the door, the lock hissed open and another stepped out. The figure looked up in surprise before pasting a smile on his face.
"Hello there," the man said, approaching slowly, "Uh...Pyunma, was it?"
Pyunma stiffened, "I prefer 008...and your name is Kino, correct?"
The man's smile faltered in hesitation. "Uh...y-yes..."
"Were you visiting your friends?"
"Something like that..."
Pyunma frowned at him. "Is everything alright? You seem a little anxious."
Kino chuckled lightly, yet avoided Pyunma's eyes, "Everything's fine, 008...just fine. Do you know where the, uh, captain is?"
008 shook his head, "No, I am sorry, but I haven't seen him lately. Perhaps when you find him, you can ask if he knows where 009 has gone to."
Kino blinked, "You mean he's gone?" the fisherman frowned, his eyes glazing over with an unreadable look. "Well that's not good, now is it?" I suppose I'll just have to find him then, now won't I?"
The African stared at him thoughtfully, wary of the dark look on Kino's face. He'd seen that look before...and he didn't like who he'd seen it on. Soldiers, assassins, pawns of Black Ghost...every one of then got that look at one point or another.
"Well, excuse me then I need to go find Captain Sotomo..."
Pyunma silently moved aside, watching carefully as Kino disappeared around the corner. He made a mental note to have 005 keep an eye on that man before he did or influenced something bad to happen, and then proceeded down the infirmary steps and into the ward. As he door closed behind him, 008 strode over to the sleeping Min, depositing the pack on the bedside table with a disgusted look on his face.
"Enjoy, my friend." He said sarcastically, randomly beginning to check the man's vitals, "Although, by the looks of things, your enjoyment could be short lived if you don't wise up."
Pyunma stopped his one-sided berating as cold steel pressed up against his left temple.
"Don't do anything stupid now." A cold, hard voice snarled from behind him, "Put down the clipboard and walk to the center of the room, hands on your head."
Pyunma did as he was told without complaint, knowing from years of fighting and capture that discussion would only lead to a worse confrontation. A waited in the middle of the room by the chairs, half expecting to feel the bite of a bullet or the sting of a laser pierce his artificial skin.
"You can relax, 008, I'm not going to kill you...unless, of course, you give me a reason to." He could hear his captor moving again, "Now be a good boy and sit down. We need to have a little chat."
Pyunma nodded and sank into a chair, patiently waiting as the man came around and sat across from him, a grim frown on his face. "I realize this is a bit awkward, but unfortunately, it can't be helped."
Pyunma shook his head and held up a hand. "No need to explain. You simply played everyone for fools and won. Why not just cut this conversation short and kill me?"
The man smiled softly, "Because killing you is the last thing I want to do. In fact, I am in need of your assistance, and if we do this right, everything will come out for the better, trust me on this. Both myself, and my organization will be very happy if you consider my offer."
008 folded his arms and sat back, considering the man for a moment before speaking.
"And just what organization would that be?"
"One that has both our interests in mind...if you understand what I'm getting at."
Pyunma decided to play hardball instead of being reeled in to unknown territory.
"I'm sorry, but I don't completely understand. Why don't you explain it to me...captain?"
You don't have to tell me or yell at me. Just mutilate my body and be done with it (ties blindfold over eyes). I'm ready to face the firing squad...fire at will.
Eh? Oh, you're not going to shoot me yet? (says prayer of thanks) Ok, I screwed up, big time...and I honestly have no excuse except for the same, I'm a busy busy woman. College preparation, believe it or not, is A LOT of hard work. All you high school juniors and below: prepare yourselves for the unrelenting pressure of admissions. It's a nightmare. So have plenty of aspirin at hand. You'll need it.
Ok. It's late. I busted my ass until 2:00 in the morning to get this out (pathetic I know, but what can I say? Not much, actually...). And I'm not gonna promise a quick update because I wanna try and update my Rurouni Kenshin fic before I lose everyone there. So be patient.
THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO REVIEWED!
WATCH OUT FOR MY NEXT CHAPTER!
