ShardclawK: Here's a new version of chapter 4 for this story, featuring DarkFusion's Riku Hanabishi and plenty of surprises that will please the lot of you. Enjoy as always.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
ShardclawKusanagi presents
Metal Gear: Soldier X
Chapter 4: Origins and Endings, Part 1
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
FOXHOUND Headquarters, Washington D.C...
A young figure stepped out of his quarters after getting changed from his Sneaking Suit into a bright red t-shirt and long black jeans. From his appearance, he looked as if he was in his early adult teens and that he'd had a long sleep after completing a mission. He had shoulder length black hair, blue eyes, and was an average height of six feet. Groggily moving about in the hallway, he pondered as to why Col. Campbell would wake the young FOXHOUND shinobi just after returning back to headquarters from his mission with his other fellow recruits who were also his friends.
(What is it that the Colonel wants with me now? Everyone else is in Tokyo-3 right now...so why am I being called up?) He thought to himself. (I remember submitting my report about the mission before I turned in, so it probably isn't about that…)
After a bit of walking, the young man stepped into Campbell's office, where two other young people were seated in front of him. He looked in surprise at the two, now fully awake, and walked towards the table where Roy was sitting behind it. One of them, a young boy also in his teens spoke up.
"Hey, Riku...looks like you had a rough rest from that mission." The boy said to his partner.
"I hardly got any rest at all, Nagi." Riku Hanabishi aka Drakken spoke with a light yawn, rubbing his head as he looked at Nagi Naoe, also of Japanese descendant with short black hair and of skinny build, also known in FOXHOUND as Mystic Crow, who chuckled to his friend's comment, while his girlfriend, Tot smiled on. Her real name is Nanami Hibino, who had long teal colored hair and quite an innocent face.
"He should know...that last flame he used to destroy that illegal arms factory down in Australia took a lot out from him." Tot aka Usagi Ninja joked while playing with her hair "You should have listened to Nagi about at least not overdoing it, but no way that you did."
"Aw, come on! At least it wasn't that like the last time." Riku tried to defend himself. "Well, at least I didn't go overboard anyway…"
The three began to talk in front of Roy, when he began to speak. "Ahem...if you three aren't so busy discussing the overdoing it of the mission, but still managed to successfully complete it, let's get to discussing why I called you up this soon after a mission."
"Well, let's hear it, Colonel." Riku sat down to listen to what the good Colonel had to say.
With a sigh, Roy got up and turned off the lights, showing a slide on the wall as the only light in the room. He then began to speak. "As you all know by now, currently Dead Cell has taken control of SEELE headquarters, and the rest of FOXHOUND is now in the base defending NERV Headquarters against a possible strike from the terrorists."
"Yeah, that much we do know, Colonel, but what about that Angel that attacked the city just about yesterday?" Nagi asked, remembering from what he heard from the news reports and rumors in FOXHOUND that the most powerful Angel so far was sighted tearing up Tokyo-3 and his partner Riku's closest friends, Greg, Linn and James were probably inside the base at the time it happened. Nagi and Tot had heard a lot of Greg from Riku in the past, but never had the chance to meet him. "Are our friends okay?"
"Yes, the Angel has been confirmed eliminated, so the city and NERV is safe for now." Col. Campbell responded, making the trio breath more easily. "However...I want the three of you to take a look at this footage taken from our satellite..."
Roy activated a screen on the wall of his office, and the image showed the raging battle on the Geofront. It showed the downed Unit-02, and the other two Evangelions, the Fourteenth Angel, and, near the entrance of NERV headquarters, was Greg holding up his grenade gun at the Angel, his cloak floating wildly from the wind. Nagi and Riku looked in shock at the image.
"Hey, isn't that...?" Tot exclaimed.
"Yes, that's our own Greg all right." Campbell explained, as the footage rolled on showing Greg using his offensive and defensive techniques. "He used his powers and utilized his experience to combat the Angel's blast, which could have easily destroyed the base."
"Hold on! This Greg saved NERV with only a grenade gun and his powers!" Nagi asked in shock. "Just exactly what kind of psychic power is that?"
"Colonel...you really should give that guy a raise for what he did when he gets back." Riku smirked. Just then, Roy returned the lights in the room and had a serious look on his face.
"I'm afraid that even though the fact of the matter is that Greg risked his life...and also his secret to protect our friends, I don't think Reese is too pleased with Greg's actions." Campbell talked, causing a reaction from Riku, Nagi, and Tot.
"Uggh...Reese...what is his problem this time?" Riku said, almost disgusted that he had to have a man like Lt. Reese as one of his superiors.
"Well first off, just after the Angel was defeated, a private matter concerning Greg's surrogate family occurred. Greg has had to leave FOXHOUND for a while to help them out. But when Reese heard about it, he wasn't too pleased to say the least."
"So why are we being told about this?" Nagi asked.
"I'm starting to get worried about what Reese is planning for Greg, so I want you three to go to Japan and visit Greg. Keep him company and try not to get involved in his personal affairs...unless I give you the order or you feel it absolutely necessary." Roy ordered, while handing Riku a sheet of paper. "Here is the address where Greg should be staying, according to what Naomi told me before she left for Japan to check on Greg's condition."
"This is one strange command...I was expecting us to head for Tokyo-3 to join the others." Riku said as he looked at the paper Roy had given to him.
"There's a reason for that...the Commander for NERV, Gendou Ikari is now dead, and has left the base unprotected by the Patriots eyes. Snake and Raiden now have control of Arsenal, and now the threat's larger than before. Even with Michael and Garland over there with the rest of FOXHOUND, they will still be one man short because of Greg's time off from the group."
"I still don't understand, sir." Riku said, with a slightly confused expression. "If they need more manpower over there, then shouldn't you send more recruits?"
"First, what I mean is that the Patriots may be watching Greg as well. I will contact Garland and Michael and tell them about what you should do when you find Greg." Campbell said. "The most I can do for Greg is now is prevent him from being hunted by enemies he won't be able to handle by his own. You don't have to get involved in his problems one hundred percent, just give him a hand when he needs it. I have a suspicion that he may need the backup soon." Campbell then paused before continuing. "As for your last question, I'm already making preparations for our remaining recruits to be sent Tokyo-3 as soon as they return from completing their assigned missions."
"Okay, Colonel, I understand fully about the situation now." Riku replied with a nod as he was satisfied with the explanation. He then glanced over at his two partners. "Besides, this will give Tot and Nagi the chance to meet the follow up to Psycho Mantis."
Nagi practically jumped up from his seat in excitement. Now knowing about the power Greg was carrying within him, now more than ever he wanted to meet this psychic. He then turned to Tot. "Well, what are we waiting for? Tot, let's get our things together and wait with Nagu at the heliport."
"Well, I can see that you're more excited about meeting this Panther guy than you are about a mission." Tot shrugged her shoulders as she got up from her seat.
"It's not really that…I'm just a bit worried about how everyone else from FOXHOUND is doing, with all of them being in Japan and considering how the situation is over there right now." Nagi said.
"I'm sure they are all okay, Nagi." Tot smiled at him.
Taking Nagi's arm, the two exited the room. Just before Riku touched the doorknob to exit and follow them, Campbell called out to him.
"Drakken...I know you may find this mission...out of procedure, but I'm also doing this to make sure Reese doesn't get his grubby hands on you, Nagi, or Tot. He knows by now about the abilities each FOXHOUND member is special in, but by far, Greg's have proven the be one of the most dangerous, along with the fact that at least some of his medical history records are bound to make some heads scratch. Keep a close eye on them at all times until I give the okay for you to head to Tokyo-3 to assist Snake, Raiden and the others. Understood?"
"Yes, sir. Don't you worry, they are in good hands." Riku saluted to his superior. "Should I contact Greg to tell him about we're coming over?"
"No need to. I'll contact our men in Japan to deliver the message." Roy replied to him. "Just be careful out there…the Patriots have eyes everywhere."
Riku saluted to Roy. He then left the Colonel alone in the room to think to himself.
(I'd better tell Michael and Garland about this change in plans. They should tell Greg what is going on, or else more confusion could arise. All in all, it should work out fine...for now...) Roy thought.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Back in Japan, Farfarello dropped one of his arms and sent the trio of attackers at Greg and Rio as they stood side by side, covering each others backs with tonfars equipped.
"Tell me just how we're going to do this, sensei?" Greg asked in a low tone. "Without causing too much of a ruckus that is."
"We have to render these guys of their weapons first." Rio lamented. "They look pretty formidable, especially for our scarred friend over there with his sights on you."
"I see him and the weapons he's carrying…I'll be careful, since I plan to only use defensive moves on him." Greg said as he set up his stance as he stared at one of the men for a second. "That way, I won't have to depend too much on my psychic powers for a fight like this."
"Okay, then lets show these boys how crazy this part will get." Rio licked her lips as she started to charge towards the trio of men, while Greg focused on Farfarello.
"Alright, boys, who wants to dance with me first?" Rio taunted her foes as they looked at each other and nodded to charge at the same time at her.
"So, you boys want to dance, huh?" Rio taunted the enemies before her before one of them charged at her with one of his katana blades. Side stepping the swipe he made, Rio made her mark by attacking fiercely using her tonfars.
"Eat this…Spin Strike!" Rio shouted as she thrust her left tonfar and switching it to her right fist as she spun it. As she did this, she turned her body to give her enemy a thrust below the belt, sending him reeling.
"I'm only getting started." She said as she moved onto the next enemy before her, as she dived with a sweeping kick, then a cross angle scissors kick that sent her enemy airborne. During this, she used her Foreplay attack, clubbing him with an upward strike and used a downward blow, followed by a somersault kick.
"How did you like my Foreplay move?" Rio asked. "Neat, isn't it?"
The two other flunkies following Farfarello came at her and Rio was prepared for them as well. She got into her stance and used leapt back with a backward cartwheel kick, before she used a spinning backhand attack that instantly knocker her opponent unconscious wit a double hit attack.
"Debt Collector!" Rio shouted as she executed the move. When she was done, she took out her handgun and fired three shots at the remaining flunky and intentionally missed the first two, only to throw the gun at his head while she bum rushed him with a melee attack of punches.
"Debt Collector!" The blonde policewoman used her critical attack once more, before she followed up with a one legged, standing kick to juggle the opponent.
"I'm not done yet! Cost of Living!" Rio then grabs the flunky's head as she got into an upside down handstand and used a double footed kick to his chest which knocked him back.
As this was going on, Greg and Farfarello were still standing off as they watched Rio was having a ball beating up on Farfarello's men.
(She seems to be holding her own against those guys, and to think that just last night she was in a coma.) Greg thought to himself, still amazed at seeing Rio like this to this day.
"My, my…she's quite good, I must say." Farfarello said, breaking the silence between him and Greg as he got into a stance.
"What did you say?" Greg answered. "You've got another thing coming if you think you can get that close to her, because I won't let you."
"So, I see that woman and you are pretty close." Farfarello said as he faced Greg.
"Don't get any ideas…she's my training master and nothing more than that. She can handle herself pretty well against your boys." Greg said.
"Yes, but they are nowhere near my level of fighting, as I will prove to you now!" Farfarello said as he dived above Greg over his head and plunged his sword at him. However, Greg reacted and rolled out of the way in time before getting hurt by the Irishman's attack. Farfarello pressed on and continued swinging his sword while chanting loudly like a madman who was enjoying this.
"There's no escape for you now!" Farfarello said as his attacks got to Greg closer and closer. Once he felt he had Greg pressed onto the wall, he made a straight forward dash at Greg's chest area, but the psychic combatant was ready to counter the move as he used a perfectly timed guard stance that recoiled Farfarello's attack, by crossing his arms in front of his body. Farfarello almost lost his balance and stepped back.
"Guard!" Greg shouted as a bright spark was seen on the impact of Farfarello's sword and Greg's arms.
"How did you…?" Farfarello said, seeing Greg barely flinched by his attack, it was as if the attack didn't hurt him at all. "I swore I slashed you."
"What you hit was this." Greg simply replied as one of tonfar he was holding fell to pieces. "You've only hit the protective side of my stance with your attack because I was using my Guard move."
"I see…looks like this will be entertaining since you know how to protect yourself. But how long can you keep that up?" Farfarello smirked.
(Even if one dual weapon is lost, it would be convenient for me to use the other tonfar as a shield, while using my combat training on this guy.) Greg thought to himself. (In any case, this guy's definitely dangerous in the close quarter department, especially if he surpasses James' level…)
The Irishman continued his attacks as Greg contemplated what to use next. Before he noticed, Farfarello leaped up and threw two knives at Greg. The psychic saw this and gained some leverage on the wall to leap at Farfarello and used his Aerial Guard to deflect the knife, while using the tonfar to knock away the other knife.
As he landed, Greg almost met his end when Farfarello dashed at Greg again with his sword attack, forcing Greg to use his defensive Counter Release attack, suddenly pushing Farfarello back. The Irish man simply grinned at Greg as he saw where this was going.
"My, my…those are quite some impressive techniques. You're no ordinary civie." Farfarello said. "Just who are you?"
Greg simply stayed in his stance and stared at him with no reply as the Irish man simply grinned.
"Well, it doesn't matter, I'll find out eventually one way or the other." Farfarello said. "The power of Schwartz goes quite the distance in the area of finding the information we need to attain power."
"Schwartz?" Greg asked, having heard of the word for the first time.
"Seems like you don't know who we are." Farfarello said to him. "But even if you cared to find out, I don't like giving out too much about my associate's plans, especially for that woman you rescued."
"You obviously have something planned for her… just who is she to you?" Greg asked.
"I'm afraid that is quite confidential. Now enough talking, I'll kill you for getting in the way." Farfarello said as he dashed at Greg.
"Sorry, but today's not the chosen day for me to leave this world as it is." Greg said as he used an Aerial Counter Release on Farfarello's head, as he then leaped over him using his psychic platform, one of his limited, yet useful access uses of his powers to get to the other side to ambush him from behind with a string of his tonfar attacks.
Farfarello however didn't seem to feel any pain at all from Greg's attack and only smiled at him as he pressed on his attack once more. Greg leaped back as he charged at Farfarello, spinning the tonfar at his enemy, only to have him deflect it with each strike.
"That can't be possible…I attacked you with most of my strength then and you should have at least gotten weak from the blow of the tonfar alone." Greg said as Farfarello smiled.
"You're not the only one with secrets…that trick back there was quite impressive, psychic." Farfarello said. "You know, there was someone from my group with powers like that, he had powers almost the same as yours."
(So, I'm really not the only living psychic on the planet…) Greg thought to himself. "And what happened to him?"
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Farfarello asked. "Enough talk…it's time to finish this fight with your death!"
Greg clenched his teeth and got into a stance once more, until they heard a cell phone ring. It was from Farfarello's pocket, which caused the Irishman to suddenly leap away from Greg, out of attack range, and with some hesitation he took it out to answer it.
"What is it, Crawford? I'm in the middle of something here!" Farfarello said to the other line. After some silence, Farfarello spoke again. "No…I've encountered some problems…the target somehow escaped before she was executed. Yes, I know…if that's what you want. Right, I'll be there shortly."
Farfarello placed the phone back and stood upright. "It seems that due to circumstances, I have to put your death on hold, foreigner. But I did enjoy the time we shared. Let's do this again sometime when we can finish this. Tell me, what's your name?"
"Since you asked nicely, I'm Greg Kinezono." Greg replied seriously. "And yours?"
"Farfarello, at your service." He replied with a serious grin.
"Then until we do meet again, Farfarello of Schwartz." Greg said to him. "Though I guarantee that I won't go so easy on you then."
"And the same goes for me as well, Kinezono." Farfarello said as he dashed off as he leapt back away from Greg and Rio, who was done rounding up the men she had taken on.
"Hey, Greg, are you okay?" Rio asked, as she rubbed her hands before putting on back the white gloves she always wears.
"Yeah, I'm not hurt." Greg replied.
"I was watching the fight after I beat those guys up. You certainly do rely on evasive and defensive maneuvers to get through, do you?" Rio asked, nudging her surrogate son.
"I only chose to do it since I wasn't in the mood to pick a fight today, not to mention a woman was also in trouble and I needed some answers." Greg replied as he started to look concerned. "Also, I didn't feel like using my powers that much today, I'm only putting myself and you at risk if I go overboard using them."
"That look in your eyes…something's bothering you, isn't it?" Rio asked.
"That guy said he was from Schwartz…while I have no idea what that is at the moment, I have a strong feeling this is probably going to lead to something bigger than the crisis we are facing." Greg said.
"Could it be possible that Reese sent that guy to kill you? He looked pretty skilled to me." Rio said. "Also Reese probably has the money to hire someone like that."
"I doubt it…that guy seemed to have a different agenda." Greg replied. "Not to mention this is totally different from Reese's dubious course of action."
"Then it's probably unrelated to what's happening now…still, I think we can get some clues off from these other guys that we can use." Rio said. "We can start by asking that woman we rescued some questions as to why that guy would be after her."
"Okay, I'll help you bring in the losers you apprehended." Greg said, before smiling. "You know, for someone in the middle of a recovery, you still can kick serious ass, sensei."
"Aw, come on, Greg. I can say the same for you…and you barely even damaged the guy too." Rio said with a smile as she rounded the three of Farfarello's flunkies and started to walk back to the station, until she took a glance and saw Greg staggering a bit, only to hold his head and a nearby wall. She started to worry instantly at the sight.
"Greg!" Rio called out to him. "You okay?"
"Yeah…I swore I used only a minimal set of power. And I'm still getting the pain and dizzy spells." Greg replied as he reached for his back pocket and taking out a set of his painkiller and antidepressant pills. With two of each kind, he pulled his head back and swallowed them, all the while Rio having to bear the pain of seeing this.
"Greggie…you'll be fine once you have those, right?" Rio asked.
"I'll be fine." Greg stood upright now. "Nanvel's new nano colonies should take care of any other problem about my powers that should arise, but that won't happen for a couple of days or so. Anyway, let's get back to Police Town where everyone else is waiting."
Rio smiled lightly after seeing Greg was okay for the time being and nodded. "Yeah, its time we interrogate these guys and get some answers to what is going on."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
A few moments after the trio of Farfarello's followers were put in jail, Greg and Rio headed to Maki's office, where the remainder of WARRIOR was waiting and seated in front of Maki and Nastasha was the beautiful woman, with long blonde hair that ended at the hips and was wearing a tight black outfit with large crosses on her arms and in the middle of her chest area. She had the most mysterious, yet intriguing eyes as well, as when one took a glimpse of her, he could sense a strange gentleness, mystery and curiosity within her. She happened to be drinking coffee to calm herself while she talked to the people in the room.
"Hey, are you okay, ma'am?" Rio asked her.
"Um……yes, I'm well. I want to thank you all for rescuing me from that assassin..." the woman replied at Greg, Rio and Maya. Rio walked closer and listened to her talk.
"Wait a minute…Are you saying that freak with the knives was an assassin?" Rio asked. "Greg...are you sure you got his name before you dealt with him?"
"Farfarello, am I right?" Greg replied simply. "That guy was anything but average in the field of bladed weapons combat even comparing to what I've seen this side of FOXHOUND. He's definitely skilled, but the fight ended in a stalemate when someone who I guess was his superior contacted him."
"You were lucky that he didn't get far with you...he has the ability not to feel any physical pain..." the woman spoke.
(That explains why he wasn't weakened immediately after that ambush earlier.) Greg thought to himself. (Is it some kind of physical condition or a trance that may have numbed his body's sensations to pain?)
"Start talking to us. Who are you and why is this Farfarello and his group, Schwartz, after you?" Maki asked.
"Schwartz?" Yuji asked.
"An assassination group based in Japan..." Nastasha spoke. "There were supposed to be four known members, but now it seems that there are only three of them. Each one is said to have abilities that some would call supernatural. They happen to be famous in the underworld, and have been involved in many numerous cases in Japan alone that involve crime syndicates, drug groups, corrupt politicians, and most of all the assassinations that they are believed to have been involved in."
"So this Schwartz is an authentic group made of assassins with special abilities? Are we talking something like Dead Cell?" Greg asked.
"That's the case. Maybe the Patriots had been covering their trails, since their leader, Brad Crawford, is known to be a rival for Revolver Ocelot."
"Ocelot has a rival?" Nanvel asked.
"That's right. I really can't determine if Crawford himself has direct connections to the Patriots themselves, but it's probably known that they may have hidden their covers well." Nastasha spoke.
(This gets more and more confusing by the second…) Greg thought to himself with his arms folded.
"My name is Seraph..." she replied.
"Seraph? That's not really a name, isn't it?" Rio asked.
"No...It's more of a hierarchy code." she calmly replied, causing several question marks to appear above everyone's heads.
"A code, you say?" Greg asked clueless.
"I'm...I happen to be a biodroid called an 'emulate'. I'm not human." Seraph said. Rio started to scratch her hair.
"Okay...I think she may have had too much coffee." Rio said.
"No, Rio, this may get interesting." Nanvel licked her lips, starting to examine Seraph with magnifying glasses. Greg simply shook his head as he wanted to find out more about this mysterious woman.
"A biodroid? Is that some kind of robot or something?" Greg asked.
"Yes, if you want to call it that, but I am more sophisticated than I appear." Seraph explained. "I had descended onto this planet from my own which is from another galaxy. We emulates have been existing for a long period of time now. Emulates are biodroids that were created in the form of the humans in our planet."
Greg, for some reason, sat next to her and listened. Rio bent over with a confused look on her face. "Greg...are you sure that you can believe her and what she's saying?"
"For now, let's just make sense of her situation." he replied seriously to Rio before looking back at Seraph. "Please, Seraph, do continue."
"To this end, a system of fighting for entertainment was developed and after the introduction of biodroids, dramatic improvements were made in the system. It was our longstanding challenge to develop a way to control the human instinct for war." Seraph said.
Greg only nodded his head. Just then, by using a specific aspect of his powers, he could see into Seraph's words and put it into vision. He can see individuals wearing colored amour and on their backs, a large pair of wings can be seen causing them to become airborne.
"And before long, it evolved into the 'hierarchy' system. The system allowed humans to experience combat almost as if they possessed special abilities." Seraph spoke. "Thus the 'emulate' was born. Moreover, the consciousness of humans and biodroids were combined. The emulates occupy the highest rank in the hierarchy system because of their ability to integrate with humans at the atomic level."
"Whoa." Nanvel simply said. Even for her, she found this intriguing to hear.
"Emulates are designed to fly. In terms of appearance, in most cases they are either obviously male or female because of the gender of their master, which affects how they look." Seraph said. "The latent abilities of the emulates' masters are complemented and revealed."
"Okay, we can grasp most of this, but what does that have to do with that Farfarello trying to kill you?" Maya spoke.
"My master, a young sixteen year old sophomore from high school, was taken away about a week ago." Seraph said, with a hint of sadness in her voice. "Yuina Hattori...that's her name."
She took out a photograph of a young girl with large round glasses on, and long pale pink hair that was tied up into a single ponytail. She was dressed in a school uniform, a large red ribbon with the trademark short skirt and long black stockings.
"Taken? By Schwartz?" Rio asked.
"No...I was there when it happened. It was done by one man and a group of heavily armed soldiers." Seraph looked at everyone with sadness in her eyes. "He was tall and dressed in black and had a skinny built. He had on a mask over his face as well..."
Greg's eyes widened at the details. He knew instantly who it was. "It couldn't be Psycho Mantis!"
"You know of him?" Seraph asked.
"Psycho Mantis, he is THE most powerful practitioner of telepathy and psychic abilities on the planet, not to mention one of the most evil of beings alive. One of our friends was kidnapped by him just some days ago when that Angel was invading Tokyo-3. He almost killed Rio with his psychic powers and he snatched Lilica from the place she was staying with Rio." Maki said.
"She was lucky to have survived Mantis's powers. Yuina's aunt died trying to protect Yuina because of Mantis." Seraph said seriously.
"Oh, my God..." Rio covered her mouth with her cotton gloves. Greg noticed the sad look in Seraph's eyes and did his best not to let his anger cloud his judgment at the moment. It still bothered him that this was a coincidence that both Lilica and Yuina are held captive by Psycho Mantis.
"When I entered the contract with Yuina, it was revealed that she had powerful psychic powers. I was in the process of teaching her to control her abilities, but they were too overbearing for even me to maintain. Soon, her aunt found out about this, but wanted to keep Yuina safe from whoever wanted her powers. We couldn't have predicted Mantis' arrival and his attack, and then we were overwhelmed. I had managed to integrate my powers to hers to defend ourselves, but Mantis overpowered us with ease. He managed to separate the entities between me and Yuina, allowing her to gain part if my personality and abilities, while I was powerless to save her or her aunt."
The room became silent as Seraph continued.
"I had to run for my life, as Yuina was taken away by Mantis, with some of my integrated personality and powers within her." Seraph shook her head. "I still can't understand how Mantis is able to manage to separate personalities such as mine and Yuina's and still have her keep her powers, plus mine without the individual biodroid to complete the full integration of becoming an emulate."
"It still bothers us as to why Schwartz would be after you. Do you have any idea why?" Greg asked.
"They must have been observing me and Yuina for the longest time now, at least since her powers were brought out." Seraph said. "I do not know if they were working under Mantis orders, or if they have their own agenda, but I was targeted more than once by them. I came to Police Town seeking protection from them and that was where they caught me."
"Well, we were grateful to be there at the time before that Farfie guy could do anything, but now that just leaves us with more questions than answers." Rio said. "Why would Mantis kidnap an innocent civilian like Yuina?"
"They must be after her emulate powers." Maya said. "What Seraph said about biodroids and them existing longer than us, not to mention the distance they traveled just to get to our worlds…it would be obvious that the knowledge they have would be useful to people like Reese and the Patriots."
"The Patriots?" Seraph asked.
"In short, they are a group of very powerful shadow leaders capable of controlling the world's events to their liking." Maki said. "The real mystery about them lies to the point of their existence up to this point…from the stories what Greg has told us, they have been around for over two hundred years."
Rio noticed the serious look on her student's face and spoke. "Hey, Greg, you've been pretty quiet all the time, is something bothering you?"
Greg was facing towards the looking window of Maki's office, listening all the while to the conversation and how things were revealing one after another. With a sigh, he turned around and faced everyone.
"Yeah, it's just that how this can be a connection to what's happened to Lilica. That's a possibility which we can look at, or the most likely one being a trap set up by the Patriots." Greg said.
"And if that is the case, are you willing to take a risk to rescue her and now Yuina?" Maki asked.
"Don't get me wrong…while this is a very dangerous situation, we both have close ones in captive by the worst set of enemies ever known in the planet." Greg said as he looked at Seraph. "Besides, I can't ignore someone's plea for help, no matter how bad things look."
"Then…are you saying you'll help?" Seraph asked, her eyes lighting up.
"Since we are all involved with the same enemy, we might as well do it for the sake of both Lilica and Yuina." Rio said. "Not to mention the side bonus about finding out Mantis's intention."
"Don't make it sound easy, Rio." Maki warned her. "We have to carefully plan for this, we are up against some very powerful foes. The Patriots have access to resources even we can't touch."
"She's right, we have to play the cards right." Greg said, but started to smile at Seraph. "Don't you worry, Seraph. We will make sure that while we find a way to get Yuina back, we'll watch over you until this thing blows over, you have the guarantee of Team WARRIOR and as a recruit of FOXHOUND."
Seraph bowed to Greg and the others. "Thank you, all...you have no idea how much this means to me. How can I ever repay you?"
"Please, you don't owe us a thing. We're just that kind of people." Maya said, as she eyed Yuji starting to drool over Seraph. "Well, you should watch this guy though. Knowing him, he'll probably be lusting over you for awhile."
"Hey, you don't mean that, Maya!" Yuji replied. "Just because she has a longer set of legs than Rio's doesn't mean…uh-oh!"
"Yuji! What's that suppose to mean?" Rio instantly took out her tonfars.
"Here we go again." Nanvel said shaking her head
Greg simply chuckled nervously at the sight of Rio trying to beat the living life out of Yuji for that comment, until he felt his Codec tone ring. He now remembered that he was to contact his comrades for letting them know what is happening on his end.
"Can you guys excuse me? I need to take this call…" Greg said as he excused himself and left the office. While he did, he contemplated what he should tell them about what has happened, even though it is quite confusing now involving Seraph.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"Are you saying that there's someone just as powerful as Nagi that was protecting Seraph?" Brad Crawford asked Farfarello. He was wearing tinted glasses over his deep, dark eyes, and looked dapper (there's that word again!) in a light gray business suit, as he was seated on a high chair at the end of a dinner table, with wine glasses in front of him.
Next to him was another male with long red hair and a bandana on his forehead, in his twenties as well, chewing on a leg of a turkey. In front of him, was Farfarello, who was playing with one of his knives, cutting his own skin in anger.
"Yes, he even managed to deflect an attack cut I had personally and accurately made." Farfarello gritted his teeth, not from the wounds he was causing himself, but to the almost near defeat of his own end if he had carried the fight more with Greg.
"Maybe you slashed at the wrong place, Farfarello." the red haired man smirked, biting on a toothpick. Farfarello glared at his partner and took out two knives. He flung them at the man as they simply passed his head by mere inches, only to be end up at the wall behind him. The red haired man simply chuckled. "My, my, touchy today, aren't we?"
"Schuldich, your little mind games with Farfarello are amusing to look at, but are just a waste of time, especially concerning the major business at hand..." Crawford warned his partner, Schuldich. He simply shook his head ad Crawford stood up. "Farfarello, are you certain this man had powers like our former comrade in arms?"
"Only his seem to be a bit stronger, though I'd have had to have continued the fight to know by how much." Farfarello replied. "He also knew how to defend himself...it's was as if he was part of that FOXHOUND that's in Japan now. He was certainly formidable."
"Surely they couldn't have known about Seraph and Yuina, unless our new foe is just a Good Samaritan..." Crawford said. "If he's another member of FOXHOUND which we haven't heard about in years, not since we heard of the one called Scorpion, and especially that other fellow that was able to sweet talk Nagi into joining them in the first place, Riku Hanabishi...this could lead to problems."
"By now Seraph has found some protection, hasn't she?" Schuldich said. "Crawford, maybe we should rethink this. If this man is part of FOXHOUND, even if he may not look it, we should probably stop underestimating the people Nagi has been with for this long period of time."
"I'm afraid you're dead right on with that point. If this man was able to easily take on three of our soldiers and survive Farfarello's encounter, we may have to think over our strategy. Seraph is in no doubt under his and the local police's protection, and that will cause more problems for us than the other way around. Also, Dead Cell still has SEELE under their control, leaving the safety of Tokyo-3 uncertain. We can occupy ourselves with the information concerning what Ocelot and Solidus are plotting for the organization."
"That can work, but will we just leave Seraph alone for now?" Farfarello spoke.
"It seems so, but just for now." Brad nodded. "Don't be discouraged, though. We'll meet up with Seraph and her new friend soon eventually. Just use this chance to learn about whom this Psycho Mantis wannabe is and kill him for interfering with our affairs."
"I won't forget that face of his..." Farfarello growled, thinking of Greg's words before he faced him.
"By the way, Farfarello…did you get his name?" Schuldich asked.
"He said it to me before I left, since he had the courtesy to ask for mine before I retreated." Farfarello said. "It was Greg Kinezono."
"Greg Kinezono…how interesting." Crawford said. "He does sound like an interesting fellow; I'll look forward to meeting him someday."
Farfarello growled in reply and took out one of his largest knives to cut himself across his right arm, as blood streamed out from the gashing wound. A gasp of ecstasy came out from his lips.
(This knife...I have marked with your death written all over it...!) Farfarello thought, thinking of Greg as he left the room.
"It seems that Farfarello has issues with the one he couldn't kill…" Schuldich said. "Should I...?"
"Let him wallow in his humiliation for the time being. Once in a while, it's rather amusing to see Farfarello act as if he was vulnerable to such emotions." Crawford smiled as he sipped on his glass of wine. (I'm sure that man is FOXHOUND property, or else he couldn't have known about Seraph. When I meet him, it will be interesting just how strong he is against me and Schwartz.)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Once Greg was on the fire escape staircase of the Police Town building, he took a seat on one of the stairs and pressed the 'Call' button. When the device came on, the face that appeared on the other end was Garland Durev's.
"Hey, Greg. What's up?" Garland smiled at Greg, as the black soldier forced a smile, despite the situation on his end.
"Garland…" Greg replied. "Hey, I wanted to call first, but things on my end kind of got…caught up at the moment."
"Caught up? What do you mean, Greg?" Michael's Hansen's voice said from another monitor.
"What? You too, Michael?" Greg asked surprise.
"Greg, what's going on?" Garland asked. "You may be trying to show us that everything is okay with you, but we've known that look on your face for a long time. We can tell how you're feeling about certain things and now, something's obviously troubling you."
Greg hugged his legs and buried his head between them. "You're right. Something's not normal on my end. But what boggles me is why you called up before I could."
"To check up on you, of course." Michael said.
"You're…you were worried about me?" Greg asked, looking up.
"Geez, Greg. You should know how much lengths we go to find out our comrade's problems and help them out." Garland said.
"Sorry if I made you think otherwise… "Greg apologized in reply.
"Greg...what's eating you? You look as if you've been going through some serious problems." Michael said.
"Are Scorpion and Linn, or any of the other kids listening in?" Greg asked.
"Scorpion's scouting the base, while Linn is training some of Section 2 NERV security on weapons handling." Garland responded. "I was assisting her some minutes before, but Kari and Mana are taking over for me until I was done here."
"Okay, I need you two to turn off your monitors for a while." Greg said, surprising Garland and Michael.
"You're kidding, right Greg?" Michael asked.
"No, I'm not. I'm being really serious here." Greg responded. "I don't want Linn, or the kids overhearing this. If they did, I know it would trouble them deeply. Just trust me on this."
"Okay, Greg..." Michael said, switching the monitor of the Codec off. Garland did the same as well. "Alright, only the three of us can hear each other in Codec. What's happening over there with your family, Greg?"
"How did you know about...?" Greg was stunned for a moment, when Michael explained.
"Dr. Hunter told me all about Rio and Team Warrior, Greg and how they took you in." Michael said. "And it was just this morning I told Garland about them and about everything that happened before and after the Impact."
"Greg, how could you? Keeping such lovely women to yourself from your best buddies?" Garland joked.
"Just who else knows about this?" Greg replied, nearly shaking in his boots.
"Oh, just Scorpion, the First Child, Major Katsuragi, Ritsuko, Kari and Mana..." Michael said. "Hey, it was Misato who asked about you, so you were mostly the point of conversation, Greg."
"Oh, jeez. So much for my secret, or at least one of the best kept ones." Greg said. "Anyway, I'm sure that's not the reason why you're calling me out of concern, right?"
"You're right; we're calling about other matters." Michael said to him. "But next time you're away on business, let us know more about your private affairs that could be in trouble, okay?"
"You're like a brother to us." Garland said. "All we want is for you to be front with us and tell us your problem."
"'Friends don't keep secrets and secrets don't keep friends', huh?" Greg answered. "Thanks a bunch, guys. I'd really appreciate that."
A small laughter can be heard from the two older men, as Greg only smirked. For some strange reason, he felt he belonged with people like them, even though they may share similar aspects that made them FOXHOUNDers.
"Alright, here's what's going down on my side. You guys were told about Lilica Ebett from Naomi, right?" Greg asked.
"You're talking about that cute young girl with the long pink ponytail that is part of Team Warrior?" Michael asked.
"That's the one." Greg replied. "Lilica's not just a close friend to me; we've known each other long enough that we've become like siblings. To her, I'm a big brother to her; she likes to see it that way because she looks up to me a lot. She happens to be the youngest of the Warrior group who knows her way around computers. She's a real wizard when it comes to hacking and for surveillances and security measures. It's more of a game to her than a job, because she likes what she does a lot. Put her in front of a computer, and she'll do things that will surprise even Otacon. "
"Did something happen to her, Greg?" Michael asked.
"...she was kidnapped...on that day the Angel was attacking Tokyo-3 and we managed to seize Arsenal." Greg confessed. "My sensei and also my surrogate mom, Rio, got injured badly trying to save Lilica from the attackers. She could have died that day, if her friends didn't return in time to save her."
"Oh, Greg...we don't know what to say..." Garland said with a tone of apology in his voice.
"Look, don't fret too much about it. Rio's a tough woman; she was even up and about this morning." Greg smiled a bit. "Just pray not get her too excited as I did if you ever meet her. She tends to let things get outta hand for the fun of it. Considering she survived a serious concussion that could have killed her from head trauma..."
"So you guys found out who was responsible for what happened? Do you know if she's being held for ransom?" Michael asked.
Greg breathed a little before he pulled his head back to reply
"We already know who's behind this, but if I tell you guys, it must stay within the three of us until I can clarify this as the truth." Greg spoke. "Can I trust you guys with what I have to say?"
"Of course, Greg. You know you can trust us." Garland said.
"The one who kidnapped Lilica is Psycho Mantis." Greg said seriously, causing the two older men to gasp.
"THE Mantis from the FOXHOUND that took over Shadow Moses? But I thought..." Michael spoke in shock.
"He was revived somehow...I don't know how or for what, but it's more than likely that the Patriots are playing a big part behind all of this." Greg replied, making sure to omit anything that was Reese related, namely this particular event.
"Greg, this is really serious. Maybe you should let Campbell know about this." Garland said.
"Look, the last thing I need is to cause a panic because of Mantis' resurfacing. It could lead to some serious trouble for the rest of us as well." Greg replied. "And I'm sure that Snake and Commander Silverburgh will flip when they hear that he is alive."
"But, Greg...if you know Mantis is doing all of this as a trap, you're going to get yourself killed because you acted alone in this." Michael explained. "A soldier should know when to retreat, while a good strategist should plan ahead of his enemies to gain the upper hand."
"I know that very clearly…I'm not planning to go rushing for answers, but I am desperate for some kind of help." Greg replied, thinking of Seraph. He'd better not tell them about her and Yuina as well or else he'll make more heads scratch.
"Greg, like it or not, we were given orders from Campbell to give you support from the shadows." Garland said.
"Is that why you guys called me up?" Greg asked.
"Yes, now and in good timing too." Michael said.
"I know you guys said that you are willing to help me out, but what I want to know is how?" Greg simply replied. "As much as the help is appreciated right now, you guys are probably swarmed over with problems on your end right now and I don't want to be a burden to you if this goes overboard."
"We know, but that doesn't mean we're going to be abandoning one of our own, especially in something this important." Michael said to him. "Why don't you let us look in from our ends and dig up something we may have overlooked that can help you in this as to make more sense."
"Just what can you do from Tokyo-3 that can help me out here?" Greg asked.
"Greg, if anything suspicious about Reese turns up, I'll contact you. And Garland will provide you with whatever information, and also some assistance, that may be of some use to you." Michael said.
"He's right, Greg. From here, we can support you. Just give us a ring and ask for it." Garland said.
"You guys..." Greg looked down, shaking his head. "No matter what I say, you'll just want to lend a hand, huh?"
"Of course. Anything to help a fellow FOXHOUNDer and friend like you." Garland smiled.
"Thanks. I really needed that. I feel a little better that at least I have you two to turn to for help." Greg smiled back for a little.
"Oh, Greg...there's something else the Colonel wanted you to know." Michael said. "Riku's coming over to where you're staying."
"What, really?" Greg said, now remembering an old friend of his, but then he started to wonder if it was wise to let him know of the troubles that he's going through. "Did the Colonel tell Riku where I am right now?"
"That he did. One of the reasons Riku is coming to you is that Roy was worried about you." Garland said.
(At least I'll be in good company of a close FOXHOUND buddy through this mess…) Greg thought to himself before speaking. "Well, that's very considerate of him."
"Also, his other two partners are also coming over with him; they seemed to have heard quite a bit about you and are really looking forward to meeting you." Michael said.
"His two partners? What are their roles in this?" Greg asked. (Could they be the other recruits that Riku told me about two years ago and chose not to tell anymore about them?)
"They are not coming to assist you, just to stay with you until Campbell finds out just the right timing to send them to Tokyo-3." Garland said.
"Fine…if its Riku coming to visit me, I'm sure he can brighten my day somehow. He is a friend of my family, after all." Greg said. "Not to mention it's been a while since I've seen Riku, or talked to him, for that matter."
"True, things have been busy for us FOXHOUNDers lately." Garland nodded in agreement. "Anyway, I'm certain you'll get along well with Riku's two partners. I'm sure you've at least heard of them, right Greg?"
"You're mean Usagi Ninja and Mystic Crow? I've only heard of rumors about them, that, plus Riku hardly talks about them." Greg said. "Did the Colonel know exactly where to send them?"
"Yes, he gave Riku the correct address. Nagu is flying them over to Japan as we speak." Michael said.
"Tell them to take their time." Greg replied. He remembered the name Riku after meeting him about the second year after recently joining FOXHOUND. He was in the organization as long as Greg and Scorpion were. Just at the time, names like 'Berserker Demon' and 'Venom' were now getting popularity in FOXHOUND. He was also the first he met within the group who had superhuman abilities.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The date was June, 13th 2011, inside the FOXHOUND VR Training room...a young Japanese youth with long black hair was intently staring at a tall, and skinny dark skinned man wearing a red Skull Suit, with a dark cloak flowing behind him and his right arm exposed from the over head view of the VR Training room. He had short cut black hair at the time. It was Greg standing in a recreation of the snowfield where the M1 tank driven by Vulcan Raven is suppose to arrive.
From the side door, a sweat covered Linn Aramaki appeared holding unto a towel. She was wearing a bright yellow vest that was tightly folded into the bright white color gym tights that hugged her hips and legs. When Riku turned to see her, he noticed that most of the sweat had unfortunately covered most of her chest area, revealing her 'god-given gifts'. He gulped at the sight at the beautiful woman before as she smiled her trademark innocent smile.
"Oh, hello...I don't think we've met before." Linn opened out her hand to Riku, who nervously shook it.
(Man, she's beautiful, but she looks older than me...) Riku thought to himself. "Um...hello..."
"Judging from the color of that Sneaking Suit, you must be Drakken." Linn simply said. "Roy has told me and Greg all about you."
"He has? You mean you know about...?"
"Yeah, I know about that power you have. The ability to control fire." Linn said. "Don't you worry, your secret's safe with me and Greg, almost everyone with special powers are now permitted to join FOXHOUND. I'm just one of the few who doesn't have any, but just have special agility. Greg on the other hand..."
She turned to look at the snowfield, as Greg walked cautiously past the mines, collecting them as he proceed, before the tank's rumbling shook the ground making it's appearance. Greg saw the tank turning to it side to stop.
"What level is this is training on?" Linn asked.
"On Extreme, I think. Why did you ask?" Riku asked.
"On, nothing. I just want to see how much kicks he can get from that difficulty." Linn said.
Riku had little idea what she meant, but focused on what was happening before him. Greg was actually charging the tank, when normally it would fire an opening shot at the target. The tank fired a round, but Greg kept running, as he simply waved his cloak in front of him.
"Tsuki...!" Greg shouted, as a crescent shaped force field surrounded his body, as the round impacted the field and exploded. Greg quickly recovered and dropped a Chaff Grenade, then a Stun Grenade. He then ran to the tank, placing a Claymore to where it would turn, and when it did, it caused to damage the wheels moderately. At that time, Greg was already armed with a frag grenade, as both of the former two grenades went off. The Chaff released its contents, and soon after the Stun went off. The blinding light allowed Greg to circle around the tank, as he threw the grenade he had been holding for than four seconds, since he placed the Claymore on the ground.
'BOOM!' A loud explosion was heard from the cockpit of the tank, and a gunner was sent flying from the inside of the tank and outside to the ground. Greg hadn't had time to wait for another gunner; he had already climbed on top and was aimed with his grenade launcher into the open hatch.
A serious faced Greg leaped back as he fired a grenade from the gun into the tank. Leaping back off from it, he leaped back in a cartwheel fashion to a safe distance, to land on one knee, as he faced the exploding tank. Hs stood up and checked his watch.
"I even brought the exact number of grenades I needed for this battle today and still I don't get enough from destroying this tank in a quicker time. I may have to use more evasive style movements if I ever have to catch up in battle."
Moments later, the environment around him flickered, causing the room to change back into the VR cel-shaded room, (like the rooms in Substance) and started to walk towards the exit. Right after he stepped through, he met Linn and the young man she was talking to before. He looked at Greg with a stunned look on his face which was still on his face after his performance and extended his hand. It was Linn then who spoke.
"Gregory, this is Riku Hanabishi, or Drakken on the field." Linn said, as she introduced Drakken to Greg. Greg simply smirked and shook his hand.
"Drakken...German for 'dragon'..." Greg replied. "I heard much about you from Col. Campbell, though not to the fullest details. I'd never thought that there would actually be a living human who can control fire. You kind of remind me of one of my favorite participants in the King of Fighters tournament, Kyo Kusanagi."
"So says the one who I've seen dresses like him, but can't do the exact thing." Linn smirked, embarrassing him. "He's more of a Shingo Yabuki, than a Kyo."
"Linn! That really hurt, you know." Greg flustered as Riku simply started to chuckle.
"And I never thought there would be a person with psychic powers in FOXHOUND." Riku replied. "What you did out there was cool. It reminded me of what I saw of an old anime that made me get into it..."
"If you're talking about Akira, you're right." Greg smiled. "I'm a big Tetsuo fan, so you can say he's more of an inspiration to me at times. Even to the likes of NESTS' own K9999."
"Oh, you mean that guy with the drill move?" Riku said. "Sounds to me that you've met him before."
"We've had some…nasty encounters in the past." Greg simply replied. "The guy's very anti social to say the least, so I'd advise not to be anywhere around him, especially if you don't want to end up picking an unnecessary, and probably nasty, fight."
"I'll be sure to remember that." Riku said to him. "You know, you sound like an okay person, Greg. I do hope we can get to spar sometime soon, aside from working together."
"Same here, Hanabishi. It's good for me to get to know the younger blood in this group, makes it easier to get along with." Greg said to him. "And about the sparring, I'll let you know that I'm much more serious on the field than what you just saw. It's just a warning for now."
"You just made it all the more enticing for the match to come, Greg." Riku smiled at him.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"Alright, we'll contact him soon afterwards." Michael said.
"Also, I was wondering if you guys knew anything about the assassination group known as Schwartz..." Greg asked.
"Did you just say Schwartz?" Garland asked.
"Yes, Schwartz...I had a run in with one of them just moments ago." Greg replied. "This one in particular with a left eye patch, a skinny built and his skin is covered in scars."
"That must have been Farfarello." Garland answered.
"You saying you've met guy before?" Greg asked.
"No, not really. One of the other members tried to recruit me just before I joined FOXHOUND while I was still a mercenary." Garland said.
"I had, though." Michael said. "He's of Irish decent and is supposed to be good with swords and knives. Also, I heard that he has inhuman agility and the ability not to feel pain."
"So I was told." Greg replied.
"Don't underestimate this guy or anyone else of Schwartz, Greg. As feeble they may appear, they are trouble." Michael said. "There are at least three psychics in Schwartz; one of them is the leader, an American businessman named Brad Crawford. He is a precognitive, able to see into the future brief flashes at a time. He does, however, have the understanding that the future is still malleable, and prone to change. Plus, he's a good boxer, and a martial artist."
"The other's name is Schuldich, who happens to be a telepath, he was a test subject at Rosenkreuz Laboratories before Crawford chose him for Schwartz." Garland spoke. "He isn't anything too threatening, at least from what I've heard and remember, but he can easily take over people's minds if you are not too careful..."
"And the third psychic?" Greg asked.
"Hmmm...He seems to be the most powerful out of all of them, he was even Crawford's protégée, but about the time I heard about them, he had...well..." Garland stopped for a moment to think. "...he's been on the killed in action list for as long as I can remember Schwartz."
"In other words, you have no idea who he is, or if he is still alive, am I right?" Greg asked seriously.
"That's just about the right thing to say." Garland replied.
"Okay, eventually you guys can find out more about who's the last psychic in that group is, because Farfarello mentioned he has powers like mine." Greg said. "But that is not the main worry...you guys can just sit back and just wait for me to call back and you can fill me in with more important intel, okay?"
"Sure, Greg, You can count on us." Michael said.
"Remember, not a word about this to Linn, or Scorpion. Until I can find out for myself with hard evidence that Mantis is alive and to what really is going on here. I have practically the police force helping me on this, so you won't have to worry about me getting stumped." Greg said.
"Alright...we make sure to keep this secret until you say so, even if we don't like it..." Garland said.
"I know we can't afford closure, but I don't want Linn and the other kids to worry. Until I uncover the truth about this, this stays between the three of us." Greg spoke. "If need be, leave it to me to tell them everything that's happened."
"Fine. Watch your back out there, Greg." Garland said.
"We'll try to come up with a plan on our end to help out as well." Michael said. "In any case, try to support your family through this, Greg. If they seem that important to you, you'd do best to give them the help they need."
"Sure, you guys. I appreciate the help. I'll call again as soon as things develop here." Greg said. He then shut off the Codec, and stood up to look at the city. "If you're through listening, Rio, you can speak now."
Rio almost fell over from the spot she was standing on behind Greg on the staircase, and caught her breath. "Okay, okay...so you got me, Greg...I couldn't help it, but it seems you really are hoping in your own friends to help us through this. That's so sweet of them."
"They are professionals and that kind of help is what we can get right now." Greg said, as he placed his hands on his hips. "Though it pains me that I wasn't able to tell them right away about Reese being involved…"
"They will find out sooner or later, you know?" Rio asked.
"I know. It's only a matter of time till everyone else does know what Reese has been up to. But for now, our role is to try and give Seraph the help she needs." Greg said. "And besides, if I did tell them about Reese, there would be panic. We only were told about how Reese took part in bringing Mantis back to life, but we have to dive deeper...there's a reason why even someone like Seraph must be targeted if not by the Patriots, but by Schwartz...and to find where he is hiding. All in all, we have to take this one piece at a time."
"So, where do we start? Nastasha said she can give us more intel about how Mantis has gotten powerful, but then again...you can always ask me, I survived a psychic blast to the brains and I'm still alive." Rio folded her arms.
Greg simply stared at her in silence and spoke. "If someone's going to do the tracking of the enemy in place of Lilica, Nanvel will have to be left in charge of that. Maybe we can find Mantis through her magic somehow, but I doubt it will be enough." Greg said.
"Okay, that covers intel and finding clues, also your buddies from FOXHOUND that will give us a hand with this." Rio took out a handkerchief and used it to clean around Greg's mouth. He simply looked at her smiling face as she talked. "That leaves us with...you."
"Me?" Greg was confused. "You got something in mind?"
"I think a visit with 'him' should be arranged at a time like this." Rio said, surprising Greg.
"The way you say that, I think you got to be kidding…of all the people we have to look for help at a time like this, we have to go to 'that' guy?" Greg asked. "Why can't it be someone like Aika or Seishiro?"
"Because I'm sure they are busy with problems of their own." Rio said.
"That's really cold, sensei. You know they are family and would help us, especially Seishiro. I've known him since I was a kid and trusted him all my life with problems like this." Greg said to her. "Or are you just desperate for information that you chose this option?"
Rio stayed quiet and sighed. "That may be it. I really can't sit around and do nothing while our friend and now another young girl are in Mantis's clutches."
Greg simply stood up as he started to walk to the door. "If that's what you think, then why are we still sitting around here?"
"Huh?" Rio looked at her student with a quizzed look.
"If we stay any longer, getting to Geese will only keep us a day back." Greg said. "We'd even have to get preparations ready, so we can't afford to lag behind time if we want assistance from him."
Rio nodded at Greg as she walked to his side. "Okay, Greg. I just happened to know where he is…he was probably expecting something like this to happen anyway."
"The words of the incident must have reached him by now…" Greg said as they started to walk down the passageway. Along the way, they met Seraph, Maki and Nanvel together.
"So, what's going to happen to Seraph?" Rio stopped to ask her friends.
"She decided to stay with us until we get Yuina back." Nanvel said. "Also, her talks about biodroids have taken a certain interest in my quest for scientifically knowledge."
"Planning to use her as a guinea pig or something?" Maya said.
"No way! The only guinea pig around here is Greg!" Nanvel said, causing Greg to fall over.
"Geez, Nanvel…words like that do tend to scare me." Greg rubbed his head as he looked at Seraph. "Hey, you'll be just fine. They are a bit of an odd bunch, but very good people. I'd trust them with your life if I were you."
"I know and I will." Seraph said. "Will I be seeing you again, Greg Kinezono?"
"It depends." Greg simply replied as he and Rio left the Police Town building together.
"Where is he going in such a hurry?" Seraph asked.
"It must be the time for him to go and visit a couple of his old KOF buddies, though one of them I do not approve of that much, even though he is one of his trainers." Maya said.
"Trainers?" Seraph asked.
"Yes, the most fearful crime lord alive to rule the city of South Town to this day." Maya replied. "The man known as…Geese Howard."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
To Be Continued...
ShardclawK: This revised chapter ended a bit different than before, as I have big plans to really focus more the developments involving WARRIOR and the other characters. Be expecting some more pleasing changes in store later on in the next coming chapters.
Collis, aka ShardclawKusanagi.