PayDay or Mayday!

by Vanessa S. Quest

This is my first Get Backers story, Ban and Ginji have just taken an assignment of a lifetime! Benefits, medical, and money. Lots of it. However, every job has it's price and this one might be too high. Poor Banchan, poor Ginkun.

Get Backers: Pay-Day or Mayday

by Vanessa S. Quest

Hevn fixed her lipstick as she waited for her client to appear. As always, her scantily clad curves threatened to break free and to Hevn that was what made the outfit perfect. Men like Ban Midou only added their approval. Today Hevn seemed pleased with herself, after all this client was a gold-mine. Just this meeting alone had a 500,000¥ confidentiality fee dancing happily to her checking account. Soon, Hevn's waiting paid off to the company of a meek assistant.

"Hello, Hevn-san?"

"Oi! Noroi?"

"Aa, its Nori, Hevn-san I have your instructions from my Master."

"Oh, gomen Nori-san." Hevn took the file extended to her and leafed through it. "Eh? He has an entire team planned out?"

"That's right. Two sets of retrievers and transporters, six members altogether. The contract has already been arranged with Dr. Jackal, and Kazuki of the Strings to do their duties as transporters, however, Master wishes for you to approach the Get Backers, Shido Beast Master and his associate Emishii."

"He's thorough with name-naming. And compensation, travel expenses, and even medical coverage?"

"The one stipance is that Ginji Amano must keep this device on his persons at all times." She held up an image printed on photo paper. "His special abilities are necessary as a contingency in case the other recovery groups fail."

"What is that?"

"As you know, Master is intent on recovering his original data and research papers. That is the back-up in case the others fail. Ginji Amano-san will be asked to immediately and safely return with that item once it is retrieved with Dr. Jackal."

Hevn flipped through her files, "While the others break up to recover the other data?"

"Yes."

"But they all will be used to recover this first device?"

"Yes. It is imperative that it is recovered immediately and without harm."

"And the risks?"

"Pardon?"

Hevn touched the folder, "What are the risks, if any, to merit this ensemble?"

"His data has been marked and filed to a level of confidentiality that hinder his access. He requires free access to this data for his on-going research."

Now before a table at the Honky Tonk, Hevn continued her briefing.

"And the expedient recovery of this data can save lives. Apparently he has a break-through in one of his diaries that he requires for his newest experiment to be completed. Oh, and he'll pay you 8,000,000¥ each."

Ban's eyes shined for a moment brighter than the white-hot flames of a thousand suns.

Ginji counted on his hand, "Ban-chan, that'd be enough to pay off out debts, get a house AND sushi everyday of the week for a … a long time!" Ginji gave up tallying up the weeks.

"Ha ha ha! That's right! With that we could retire!"

Paul muttered something about really working before retiring, the comment went amiss.

"Ha ha ha – so what's the catch?" Ban glared, Hevn had a sweat drop over her.

"Well, it requires a team effort, and following a regimented plan. And – well are you in or not?"

"The Get Backers are definitely on the case! We'll get back those musty diaries and thoughts needed to get back!"

"Good, because Ginji-san will need to pair up with Akabane-san on the way back."

Ginji went pale, jaw hanging wide and eyes hollow. Ban merely fixed his sunglasses.

"And you'll be with Shido-san."

Ban crushed the glass in his hands. "You're kidding me – right!"

"Very regimented. Well, here's your plane tickers and paperwork."

The pair blinked in shock and confusion.

"Your flight is at 09:00, Dr. Jackal will pick you up if you're late. Do you understand Ginji-san?"

Ginji's eyes watered and he nodded fearfully. He pleaded with Ban not to be late.

"Why would his papers be in China – of all places for 'official' documents?"

Hevn laughed. "Well, Ban, he wanted to delay them from taking his works. That fact fives you the week-long window you have."

Ban hung his head in defeat.

"Ban-chan, do I really have to work with Akabane-san? Alone?"

Hevn and Ban simultaneously answered, "YES!" Ban hung his head rubbing his forehead with one hand and fixing his sunglasses to his nose with the other. "Look, he has to transport the device you'll have ON you, so technically he has to transport you, with the least amount of damage as possible. This is probably the safest you could ever be near him, okay?"

"But… Infinity Fortress we had…" Ginji's eyes sparked before Ban hit him in the head.

"None of that Baka! Don't you think of doing that – of becoming the Lightning Lord again without my consent!"

Ginji whimpered remembering the fate of Ban-chan's arm.

"Stop it, I'm fine, it's forgiven, just don't ever do it again!"

Again, Ginji reminded himself bitterly. "I won't, I promise Ban-chan!"

Meeting up at the airport felt almost like a childhood reunion to Ginji, while he did run into the two of his four kings more often since… the incident, he was glad to see all of them well. Looking around nervously now, he spotted Dr. Jackal. Sweat caked Ginji as Akabane-san smile his eerily cheerful look of doom onto him. Ginji hid behind Ban-chan causing the brunette to become annoyed.

"Ginji stop playing around!" He sorted through the papers before reaching his ticket. He handed Ginji a piece of paper before pulling him toward the gates. Ginji inspected the paper for a moment distracted from Akabane's existence.

"What's this Ban-chan?"

"Oi? The address of the hotel we're staying at – in Chinese in case you get lost and someone has to help you."

Akabane chose to make his presence remembered then, "Don't worry Ginji-kun, I won't let you get lost out here on your own."

Chibified and petrified Ginji again hid behind Ban-chan.

"It is strange that the Lightning Lord would have so little of a sense of direction even in his own environment." He reminded them, "So, this time I shall anticipate it."

Ban fixed his glasses, "Knock it off, or we'll miss our flight."

"Oh now, we mustn't have that. Right Ginji-kun?"

The clashing auras could be sensed between the group as Akabane kept digging into Ginji, Ginji was a little upset by the lack of understanding Ban-chan was giving him at the moment but explained it away with the monetary reward at stake.

"I already told you to cut it out, aren't you even the least bit professional, transporter?"

Akabane tilted his hat merrily, seeds planted in Ginji-kun's head would be enough to enjoy until they had their alone-time.

Ban kicked in the door and hurled Ginji inside before dodging open-fire of the guards himself. Blocking the door he waited for Shido to finish his damn job. Ginji rubbed his own arm gingerly from where Ban grabbed him.

After he had shorted the generator a guard had spotted the flickering static around Ginji's figure. Immediately after foreign yells came a familiar sound of gunfire which snapped Ban into action as he quickly carted Ginji and himself to their current position. He hadn't realized he put that much pressure into his grip.

"Are you okay Gin-kun?"

Ginji winced as he bent his fingers, after willfully electrocuting himself by completing the circuits of the emergency light inside the lab. He gave a victory-v pose. Grinning happily to himself he said, "No harm no foul, Ban-chan. Are you okay?"

Ban merely looked back out the door readying his snake-bite. "Yeah. We better get started looking for those files and that device…"

Ginji whimpered, "But I don't want to go with Akabane-san Ban-chan!"

Already knowing (even for Ginji it was obvious) that the battle was lost he approached the desk. He pulled open the drawer finding a device similar to one in the picture. He poked at it before getting Ban's attention. "Ban-chan, do you think this is it?"

Out of what felt like nowhere, Akabane now beside Ginji took it from his hand to inspect it. "Oh congratulations Ginji-kun! You've found it. Now hold still while I pin it on you." Ginji froze in terror at the words 'hold still' and 'pin it on'.

"N-n-no! I can do it, really- REALLY!" He put it in his pocket only for Akabane to mysteriously have it again.

"Now, Ginji-kun, you know it has to be on you…" Akabane lifted Ginji's shirt making Ginji feel ready to collapse by this shock to his heart. Perhaps just by chance of his nickname of Doctor Jackal his hands had to feel cold. Akabane put it between Ginji's shoulder blades in that spot 'impossible' to get at. He pulled Ginji's shirt back down. "We should be going now, Ginji-kun." Ginji grabbed for Ban's hand like a life saver just inches yet miles from reach.

Ban almost felt like mentioning it was dangerous to go that way, but if he did that it could just excuse Dr. Jackal's execution of those deathly quiet guards, or possibly dead, it could explain where the Jackal came from so stealthily. "Hey! Jackal, wait. Before you go, don't just kill because you can. Our success rate is near 100 but if you just make this a blood bath…"

"Then I'll make sure to incapacitate Ginji-kun before he damages my delivery. Okay, Ginji-kun let's go."

Ginji whimpered now terrified as Akabane-san held his hand and dragged him out and away from his friends.

"Something seems wrong." Ban mentioned once the others all appeared. "Let's split up and get this done ASAP – I don't plan on leaving Ginji with that psycho for longer that I have to."

By time Ban said that Akabane already had Ginji to the train station. "A-Akabane-san, why're we at a train station?"

Smiling at Ginji, Akabane extended an assorted batch of candy. "My job is to expediently and safely transport the device and you back to the designated rendezvous site. Have some candy."

Ginji took up a piece and chewed on it. "Where're we going to rend… meet up?" Akabane gave him a handful more of candy.

"Don't you worry yourself about the transporting details, that's why I'm here Ginji-kun. Eat up."

Ginji gnawed on three pieces of candy simultaneously. "Akabane-san?"

"Hai, Ginji-kun?"

"Why're you being nice and giving me candy?"

"To keep you calm–"

"Oh."

"—and sedated while I transport you."

"Oh – What!" Ginji's head sloped, exhaustion apparent.

"We'll be there when you wake up, I promise Ginji-kun."

Dreams began to seep into Ginji like venom does a bloodstream. Ancient memories and pains poured in as his eyes clenched shut. The sound of rain, either in his head or in reality haunted his as the rain filled with blood and pleas of ending lives – then at the first hints of thunder and sight of lightning the screams of the masses laid hollow but the chant of one remained. "Go away, go away or I'll kill you."

Ginji watched his past actions detached from them, like a movie, terrified at his actions without the escapist's ability to pin it on his moods or his thoughts or being out of control. From here he knew he had to stop himself even if only for self-pity, but he already knew, he wasn't in control now, this was the work of his other self.

He bucked to the right hoping to awaken himself but he doubted it would work, he still felt so detached. Meanwhile, Akabane-san made his work known as he made his own bloody rain. Just outside of his objective delivery point Ginji stirred.

Peaks ascending like spears piercing into the sky at the moment seemed identical to Infinity Fortress, Ginji now struggled against Akabane who appeared to have carried him in his… arms! Ginji was perpetually horrified. "Oh, good morning Ginji-kun."

"What are we doing here!" Discomfort in the situation frothed.

"Here Ginji-kun? You act as though you're familiar."

Ginji's eyes adjusted and while the pillars still moved toward the heavens like an endless hallway upward, subtle and blatant differences arose from the architecture proving it to no longer be the familiar place of his childhood.

"You're so interesting when you wake up Ginji-kun. Always so excitable. As I promised, we're here." Dr. Jackal held the door open for Ginji to walk through, Ginji turned to his side as he passed not giving Akabane the view of his back. "So peculiar, Ginji-kun."

Though not his birthplace it was still eerily… familiar. The architecture, the smell, the colors – each somehow triggering his mind, and while Ginji was hardly the aesthetic type the images of hell-on-earth, blood, death, and brimstone had left him with a bitter taste. "This guy's taste sucks." Ginji couldn't help but comment.

Ban opened the third file, finally reading the data. To no surprise it was electronic equipment but the diagram hosting a human as a power supply made his fists clench. "A set up…" More into the files eerie, disturbing thoughts plagued him from what little he knew about his pet electric-eel. When the others merged he realized exactly why the team had been thusly made. "We have to find Ginji. I have a really bad feeling about this."

None of the children of Infinity Fortress questioned the merit of a bad feeling, after all instincts took over when people struggle to survive, intellect was solely a sense for 'living'.

"What do you mean bad feeling, what the hell happened?" Shido snipped.

Ban was intent ignoring him to determine to find out where they were meant to rendezvous.

Jackal smiled, "Really? I like this one." He pointed to the image of a would-be photograph – an image so akin to Ginji's stay as Lightning Lord – his knees buried in earth, palms open and screaming into the sky as lightning bound out of his hands and energy overflowed his vessel. It seemed… like it was alive. Like that energy was moving and crackling though the image was merely a representation.

Ginji's eyes widened, Dr. Jackal pulled out a blade.

"Time for me to properly enjoy your presence, Lightning Lord."

Ginji backed up only for the walls of the hallway to close in on him, falling in some cases, moving in others until all the space left was a square room with cluttered 'art' strewn about. "And this time no 'Ban-chan' will come and hinder out little game. How fun." Jackal made his first launch. A scalpel flew by just hairs from Ginji as he leaned back to dodge.

Game face on firmly, Ginji put up a magnetic field strong enough to pull anything metal thrown at him to the side. Dr. Jackal made a face back before reminding Ginji, as a blade ripped through his sleeve, "Ginji-kun, I'm using ceramic now. Please do keep up."

In a typical Ginji moment he scratched his head laughing, "Oh yeah! I forgot." He dodged a succession of scalpels which chased him into a corner. Gulping he paused for not even a moment before diving toward Jackal, his body standing on end with static electricity, he felt barely a blip of electromagnetic energy come from the madman. He pressed downward avoiding impact last second and using a pulse of magnetic waves launched himself upward and over the Jackal, successfully out of the corner now.

First instincts told Ginji to question what Akabane-san meant that now he could enjoy himself, that he liked that picture best, that Ban-chan – the tired mouse behind Ginji's ears finally put up enough RPM to move its elaborate little wheel.

"You're trying to awaken him again, aren't you!"

Dr. Jackal tipped his hat impressed by Ginji's usually weak-at-best mind figuring it out so quickly.

"But won't that hinder your delivery!" Ginji deflected mode blades, he felt something metal pull to him again, something near indecipherable – something nearby was magnetized, and that something was on Akabane-san. Didn't he know better than that though?

"I'm offended that you doubt my professionalism, Ginji-kun." He lunged, then retracted at the last instance, shooting his extended arm instead upward to summon, "Bloody Rain."

Ginji covered his head with his arms and protected his vitals. "Aren't you supposed to transport the thing and me to the client?" Ginji, aside, became worried about the consequences of Dr. Jackal botching the mission by either damaging the device or killing Ginji. "Ban-chan will get mad at me if we fail!"

Jackal tipped his hat again and revoked his compliment to the 'intelligence' of Ginji. "Ginji-kun, am I boring you so much that you need to talk to fill the spaces?" He drew out a double set of scalpels. "If that's so, I'll be happy to remedy it."

Ginji cringed at the doctor's heightened speed, it was bad enough before! He felt that pull again, this time he spotted it, a dime-sized object on Dr. Jackal's coat-collar. Reversing his natural magnetic field he pushed the dot into Jackal's flesh, surprisingly piercing it. Of course Dr. Jackal didn't flinch. "If that's the best you can do I'm going to have to end this."

Feeling panicked Ginji made another pulse wave. "No! Get away!" He extended his hand, the flow of energy extending from it made the floor move like a sine wave.

Perhaps in shock or regression, Ginji's pupils shrank, he felt all alone, shivering as memories flooded in from nowhere, his body crackled. Akabane did his best to turn the blade, mentioning how upset he was that last time Ginji didn't allow him to kill kids and how it compared to fighting Ginji like this. "At least I'd be less bored." Akabane played Ginji like a hand-crafted violin. Beautifully.

Ginji's hair rose up, his electrical aura crackled, he still felt a pull but the pull seemed a bit stronger and more dispersed, however Jackal was still a focal point of it. Furrowing his eyebrows and digging in a heel he pushed off the ground in a sprint and tackled Dr. Jackal.

Where normally close-range with Akabane is lethal today it seemed moot. Ginji was losing his life to another hand and instead acted more as a live-wire – as unpredictable as the path of lightning. His fists landed on Akabane twice before Dr. Jackal rolled them around, Akabane thought giddily to himself, 'almost there, so much fun… show me more…' Ginji continued to roll an extra foot away before rising.

At the back of his mind he registered a strengthening pull. "Kill you… kill you… I'll kill you… go away or I'll Kill You!" Ginji panted as more mental anguish fueled him.

"Alright then, Ginji-kun." Dr. Jackal tipped his hat once more, the brim covering up all but one eye and a snide smile. "He's at the desired level." Prongs came forth from the walls and like the metallic, cylindrical spears they were, they shot out at him, the magnetic pulse he made in defense was made negligible by the counter wave of the device on his back. The spears still on due course rushed towards him while he did not successfully dodge all of them he did manage to avoid the brunt. Three were enough, however, to bring him crashing to the ground unconscious and slightly worse for the wear with a splash of blood on some of the broken canvases in the room.

Dr. Jackal approached Ginji and pulled out one of the laced spears, sighing to himself. "Was it really necessary to drug him? I could have done this on my own just as well."

"Gomen Jackal-san, however you must understand my needs for him in best and quickest possible condition."

He spoke to the bodiless voice, "Of course, but now I've lost some enjoyment." Dr. Jackal dragged Ginji from the floor and tossed him over his shoulder.

"If you wish to stay and reap the rewards for resecuring him pending any premature rescue-attempts by all means feel more than welcome."

"Are you suggesting a fight with Ban Midou? You're too kind." He dropped Ginji like a sack of potatoes onto the ground, however Ginji produced a much more muffled thump.

Within minutes a set of helpers secured Ginji into a strange looking …thing. Ginji's mind was still clouded with the shroud of sedatives as he tried to assess his situation. There wasn't all that much to perceive really, his arms were fixed over his head with a six-inch range of motion in each way directly above each shoulder but nothing 'clinked'. It appeared to be a solid, molded, fixture. Well he wasn't really counting on the weakest link in the chain anyways. Next came his feet, there was no pressure there, but something, probably molded like his arm trappings too, were tightly clamped around his calves. They felt like those blood pressure monitors that pharmacies had, though Ginji usually had less than a minute exploring those before he was reminded that he was loitering, usually coupled after sitting in one of those chairs and short-circuiting the very same blood pressure machines. His feet weren't touching ground, for some reason. (Oh how he hoped it wasn't for that reason… though all signs pointed to yes.) Ginji turned his face to the side – a giant glass tube surrounded sets of wire panels, neon gases and on top there was one of those orbs that if you touched it the electricity would go to where you held… and make your hand stand up if you weren't already a source for static electricity that is. On his other side there was a generator and several transformers, as well as a massive surge protector that he doubted he'd ever be able to blow.

Ginji bleakly noted, "This doesn't look good…" he thought of Ban-chan and then Akabane's words, "Really bad… I think they want to experiment on me…"

Master, the head scientist tapped his microphone, communicating with the captive audience behind a very well insolated, nonconductive door. "Ah, ohayo Ginji-kun. As, sorry for no introductions, but I care to correct you, we aren't experimenting on you. We'd never. You're far too valuable to us." He flicked on a monitor which showed behind a glass wall into Ginji's 'tank'. Several people, some burnt, others dead and a few others still unharmed, "We brought in test subjects for the experiments. You're being harnessed to test the equipment. Don't worry though, you're in no danger. You'll be monitored 24/7."

Ginji didn't like the sounds of that but he was furious with the sight of that. "What makes you think I'll let you use me!"

"Oh, two reasons." The guard on screen in the room of test subjects picked up a boy obviously dressed to mimic Ginji at that age. Said guard closed his fists around the boy's throat until spittle dripped from the corner of the boy's face, "One, if you're not strapped in that machine a rat will be sacrificed one way or the other. Two, we're not giving you a choice." The guard dropped the boy at his master's command. He pressed a button from the control room that shocked Ginji. Ginji's body reflexively returned the current creating a temporary circuit that was then drained away making a power flicker.

That very motion of the circuit being ripped from Ginji's body out from his control ripped a scream as it was forcibly withdrawn into the transformers. An electronic tick began until Ginji threw out a larger electrical force to be drained.

"Aa, good boy, Ginji-kun. Every time your volts decrease to a sub-par level your primary electrical flow will be harnessed. I doubt you understand exactly what that means so I'll elaborate. If you fail to yield a constant 1000 volts, the machine to your right with take it from you. It chances to take it from your biological pace-maker, muscles, neurons or brain. That means that if you fail to produce you could die. Of course we'd resuscitate you, but as you play opossum one of our rats take your place. They only have that primary source. Do you understand?"

Ginji's eyes grew sparks.

"If his voltage dips, kill that boy."

A familiar crackle filled the room, then dipped to an eerie, absolute silence. 'No, Ban-chan will come and I can't give him that power – whatever he's using this for he wants me to be at maximum yield. I have to stay calm and pace myself.' His stomach gurgled.

"Put an IV in him. We can't have you starve, now can we, Ginji-kun?"

"Anyone tries and I'll drain them like a battery." Ginji raised his electrical pulse as a signal of his defiance. 'I need you Ban-chan, what am I supposed to do? This room was built to store me in… I think.'

Ban glared into Hevn. Hevn seemed shocked to find Ban locked onto her eyes versus her breasts.

"Where." Not a question, merely a statement telling Hevn to inform him.

"Ban-kun, what's wrong?" Hevn knew something seemed a rye…

"I don't have the time or patience to explain but Jackal just transported back the objective – and it wasn't some file – that creepy client probably has Ginji hooked up to his weird-ass machine." He flipped the open file to her feet. The image of a human strapped into what looked like a battery cell greeted her eyes.

"You're kidding me… that can't be real, it looks like a cheap science fiction prop!"

"Hevn! Where! I don't care if it works or not Ginji's in trouble. The client staked him out and everyone Ginji knows and trusts with any bit of skill to help him is in a foreign country! He can't even get around where he lives without getting lost or in trouble and this bastard client is trying to use him as a generator!"

"Ban – calm down, do you have the files?"

Ban pulled them out, momentarily off his tirade, "Oh why of course, otherwise we wouldn't get paid – WAIT! What are you thinking! This shouldn't be gotten back it should be destroyed along with its creator!"

"Ban! It has the rendezvous point. Just go and get back what shouldn't be gone, consider it a job from me."

"Feh! Like you even have to ask."

He flipped out a cigarette. "So it's a location in the files?" His eyes grew then shrank in dark realization. "Hevn its worse than I thought – that creep's trying to reawaken Ginji's not-so-better half!"

Kazuki approached the two.

"Ban-kun, I've procured a ride. Dr. Jackal has returned to transport us."

Shido punched Dr. Jackal across the face. "You LEFT him there!"

Kazuki continued to speak with Ban, "I share your bad feeling about this, let's hurry."

Ban released his clenched fist, apparently he just snake-bit the last of his cigarettes, oh that bastard'll pay alright!

Ginji felt ready to collapse instead he continued to produce a constant hiccup-free electromagnetic pulse wave. His shoulders sank and his exhausted facial features were more than evident as his bobbed neck slumped forward while he struggled to stay awake.

Five hours of this… five!

'If I don't keep this up that boy will die and it'll be all my fault… I can't… I have to keep going.' Clenching his eyes he strengthened the EMP trying to summon lightning to recharge himself as well.

No lightning came, however a transmission from the monitoring room did. "It's storming beautifully outside, Ginji-kun. It's a shame you can't see it. But thank you for testing out our lightning rods they are absorbing it quite well."

Ginji screamed in frustration and exhaustion, and poured on more electricity into the transformers. Not only was he being forced into this creep's bidding but he couldn't even recharge himself or give his body a moment of rest. His arms pulsated in angry pain as they reminded the rest of his body that they were still supporting the brunt of his mass. His legs let out a few static charges here and there as they tried to siphon some electrical forces from the ground that he wasn't being permitted to access, and like this he remained, his body constantly trying to draw to it lightning.

Ban noticed from a truck window a pool of lightning dancing around, so fiercely that plasma could be observed in large scale, the storm seemed focused purely on one tower particularly but never released the pressure, if anything it seemed to be slowly gaining momentum.

Shido glanced over Ban's shoulder to see what he was looking at. He noted that animals were now avoiding the area intently. He added, "Very bad feeling."

Jackal smiled that insincere, psychotic look of his, "I believe it's called 'ominous'. Ban-kun, I've been contracted to fight you when we arrive if necessary. Please keep that in mind as I must insist we keep to the schedule."

"Happily – Jackal once I get Ginji back…" He paused to think of exactly what he wanted to do to the madman but he knew in some very odd way Jackal was also doing this to save Ginji as well.

"Hai, Ban-kun, however, I won't let that man steal my fun. Ginji-kun will not die as some second-rate battery, but by my hands as the Lightning Lord."

"Not today." Ban said bitterly half ready to snake-bite Jackal's treacherous airway.

"No, not today. Ginji-kun must be at full-strength to make me truly alive, and entertained." Shido growled as Kazuki put hands to his shoulders. Emishii looked up at Jackal in a serious face before laughing at his seemingly harmless 'joke'.

What could you really expect from the man who laughs covered in blood?

As silence settled back down, Ban said to the air, "We'll get you back Ginji, just hold on a bit more."

Ginji's mind flickered as he tiredly thought, 'Ban-chan'll save me, he'll come…' a wave of pain wracked him causing him to yelp and choke off the pain for a moment. His back muscles spastic twitch ripped him back to full reality of the situation. His voice too gritty to register anything spoken as less than an inaudible mumble, his mind screamed for him, 'No!'

"Oh, my, my. Poor boy, and you were doing so well. Kill the brat."

"NO!" Ginji cried out, helpless to stop the broadcasted action. "No! Don't!" Mental anguish bled through his eyes as he himself remembered the feeling of hands to his throat and succumbing to a numbing darkness. Crackling sounded then and sounded now as his body attempted to pull the energy from the transformers, the surge protector keeping that effort fervently squelched. Ginji's hair pulled up as his eyes faded over, as the boy died the Lightning Lord Ginji Amano moved to be reborn. "Stop! Get away!"

Three beams of lightning hit the central lightning rod simultaneously, making it glow white-hot.

Ban's blood chilled. How did he know this would happen?

Jackal frowned, "Apparently our play date has been pushed back, Ban-kun. We seem to be running a bit late. Darn."

"Stop talking and hurry! I won't even bother to tell you to regard human life this time, any of this guy's men are free game if they aren't running away." The car load silently agreed as they readied for battle.

Ginji's cry of anguish filled the electrified air as his hair went limp, he hadn't the strength to keep up the Lightning Lord's presence and without a power source he wouldn't be capable with being harnessed as well. As his yells quieted into cutting-out coarse prattle the sounds of sobs came bleeding through the monitor to assault Ginji's ears. A woman rocked the corpse as a child would be rocked in his mother's arms.

"It's a waste really. He seemed like a promising subject. That boy, and his sister there, they both have a rare marker that you show. He potentially could have been your 'brother'. Tsk, I guess he just didn't develop the same talents. It's a shame, a real waste. Please try to keep that in mind next time you get distracted Ginji-kun."

Microwaves bounced off the glass walls, the client smiled as he continued to read print-outs and look at the power gage. So far, after only nine hours, the generator was almost at full capacity, the potential 200 three quarters the way there. It was truly impressive. Ginji really was amazing. He had expected it to take a week to draw out that much power from Ginji, however he was proving far too useful to allow a chance for him to escape. He debated the merits of crippling him somehow, weighing the risks to his output, he settled on the more realistic thought coming to him about keeping his pet.

'If I kill his colleagues no one will come looking for him. That would be a more efficient way to clip his wings.' Aside came the realization that doing that with Ginji's audience would quite probably lock him into Lightning Lord mode as a coping mechanism for the remainder of his stay in this new home of his.

Currently the reading dipped, as did his heart rate.

Nori, one of the researchers, caught the attention of the Master, "Master, he's blacked out."

"Put in a pulse from the back-up battery then if he doesn't react cut the primary pulse in half to the non-lethal limits."

"Yes sir."

At the doors to the large tower, Emishii stretched his whip pulling it taut. Shido lifted a mouse from the ground. "Well that complicates things. Ban, hey! Snake Bastard! I'm talking to you, there're hostages on the lower floors, and a shit-load of guards."

Ban looked at Jackal. "You and Emishii free them then, Jackal go play nice. Kazuki, you're with me."

Kazuki nodded grimly, "Defense on the retreat?"

Ban looked at him strangely. "What makes you think we're going to need to retreat? No, you're going to help me pick apart that machine, not all of your strings are metal, right?"

Kazuki nodded, "Aa, I see." The group stepped through the door without an ounce of stealth.

The jolt of electricity revived Ginji like smelling salts. Instinctively his exhausted body tried to harness the electricity from within the room – the lights which were then cut off by the control room, the battery, which still refused to cooperate, even the very essence of electricity – the movement of electrons through metal, that lasted for only seconds before the strain of that was too much and he was jolted again. This time he felt his heart squeeze.

Another – his lungs constricted. His body felt hot and his muscles burned, yearning for air. He felt light-headed for a moment.

"One percent left until my machine is fully charged."

Everything he tried – Ginji couldn't even get a spark of static electricity. He felt like throwing up, like when you exercise too long and make yourself ill, his muscles in his legs quaked.

So it's come to robbing it from his body…

"0.3..." Ginji's eyes lolled back ready to pass out from the next pulse as his lungs tightened in his chest, "0.09... one more tick and we'll have exhausted him completely."

The door to the glass room crashed down, the static electricity from the outer, conductive world flew to Ginji, clinging to him like a dryer sheet to a wool sweater.

"Perfect."

Ban looked at Ginji, no real wounds to speak of but that didn't stop him from looking like death warmed over. "Ginji!" Quickly assessing the machinery, Ban ripped the paneling and glass from each side of Ginji discarding it to the floor. He then concentrated on his partner's bindings. Kazuki continued to disassemble the glass-housed structure.

"Gin… what can I do to help you?" Ban said, supporting the bulk of Ginji;s weight. He didn't feel the tell-tale prickles of static shock one was accustomed to in Ginji's presence. Well that was an indicator.

From behind the glass into the observation room, the client watched intently, he had wanted to study the time it would take for Ginji to recover from near-death 0, but he was content to study for it quantitatively…

Before he could really sell his pet's bottled energy he did have to learn maintenance, after all.

Ban's eye twitched. "Kazuki, guard him with your life."

Ginji winced as he was lowered to the ground, "Ban-chan…!" he whispered hoarsely. Ban noted that Ginji must have been screaming.

The breached room and new flow of electricity radiating from the ground brought back a shade of Ginji's pallor.

Ban took up the files and entered the room through a convenient opening in the glass from the other room, Ban swatted the glass shards from his fist that opened that magic little doorway. "Hey client – we've come to collect what's rightfully ours and deliver what's rightfully yours."

The client smiled. "So you have, but I haven't the means to pay the dead, and I already have what's rightfully mine. He's right in that room." He drew out a gun and trained it on Ban before firing.

Kazuki and Ban each reacted too late to stop the bullet from whirling out of the barrel of the pistol. Ban froze for a moment at the sight of a magnetized bullet an inch from the frames of his glasses. As the bullet dropped down Ban's dark smirk picked up. Well that changed things for him.

"Thanks Ginji-kun!" The gun was now in a tight wad of threads which mimicked a spider's webbing. After ripping through a few bones in the client's shoulder he flashed him a sight of bewitchingly handsome blue eyes.

Ban walked up to Ginji while counting down his minute.

Ginji let go of the hot wires, panting. He smiled at Ban victoriously then whimpered. He was damn tired and Ban-chan would be mad at him for going Lightning-Lord regardless of how brief…

"Ginji, come on, get up." Ban reached an arm down to him.

Ginji merely smiled weakly, "I can't stand yet, Ban-chan, I'm spent." His stomach gurgled and had he felt any better he would have been chibified and genki. However, in the current state of things, "…we aren't getting paid, are we?"

Ban rubbed Ginji's hair and Kazuki smiled at them both. "I'll treat you to dinner if you try." Ginji smiled giving a thumb-up.

As he hobbled up, arms distributing his weight between Kazuki and Ban an enraged 'Master' came into view.

"Oh, have any bad dreams?" Ban said dangerously.

"You think I'll give him back that easy? He's my life work – you're a tool to be used and discarded when used up, Ginji Amano! I know how you work… what you are!" He pulled out a trigger. Ban and Kazuki realized instantly – the thing on Ginji's back, what it must really be—

Blood splattered in the form of the letter 'J' as Dr. Jackal stepped over his former employer, Emishii and he carrying a suitcase of money each.

Ginji's eyes widened in shock, Ban merely smiled at him. "So we are getting paid?" Ginji asked as if the initial shock was gone.

"Yes."

"…And Akabane-san wasn't really trying to make me the Lightning Lord and kill me…" He smiled, "To prove it you saved us…"

"Guilty, I was, but I changed my mind " Ginji paled. "But I can't just let anyone try to kill the Ginji Amano."

Blond hairs tucked behind Ban's neck, "Ban-chan! Help! He's being scary!"

Ban boiled. "So you DID go Lightning Lord!"

"Ban-chan I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! But…" Ginji sniffled, "he killed a little boy and said weird things… and I was tired and that machine thingy hurt… please don't be mad at me Ban-chan! I'm sorry!"

Ban sighed, he wasn't mad… well not really mad… at Ginji. Ginji just went through too much to blame him, or even take his anger out on him. The last time he faced the Lightning Lord just to bring Ginji back to his senses almost killed him. "Ginji… just… be quiet, I'll make you pay for it out of your cut."

It wasn't really like they kept their money separate anyway, but Ginji whimpered then leaned his forehead into Ban's neck. "Thank you Ban-chan." Ginji's eyelids felt heavy, "thank you…" He yawned.

Ban smirked at him then ticked at why he felt so merciful. "Yeah, yeah, I know, I'm the greatest. Now let's get the hell out of here before Monkey-Boy ruins the moment." He laughed maniacally, causing Dr. Jackal to tip his hat at him.

"Hey transporter, get us out of here."

Fin

10.12.2005