Wynde

A cool wind breezed in the pitch black of the British night. A small motorcade of cars made their way down a barren strip of dark road. Red lights flashed from the police motorcycles that escorted the two lime-green armored cars and a midnight blue Mercedes limousine.

Inside the Benz, a yellow-haired man rested a pale hand on a glass case. Inside this transparent case was a unadorned, black book. Upon this book's cover were three words embossed in glittering silver, "Domina Abrdr Werda."

The yellow-haired man seemed nervous. His eyes flickered back and forth. Across the two police adjacent to him, the two armored cars with mounted machine guns, and his pale driver.

A loud bang and the front-left tire on the car ahead of him gave way. The car lurched sideways, throwing its machine gunner from his perch. The truck's side smashed into the cold gravel and a screeching filled the night.

The limo's driver swerved left as the police escort surrounded the limo tighter than before. He could clearly see the piercing eyes of the men, searching every shadow for signs of enemy.

Two stories up, perched on a tiny building, a small figure surveyed the destruction below.
A smile reached her lips. It was time.

She jumped down from her building, landing neatly in front of a motorcycle. A quick elbow smashed the policeman's head inwards, the blow driven in by the driver's inertia. The bike shot ahead, leaving the policeman in a lump on the street. The figure picked up the deserted bike gunned the engine.

The figure swung the motorbike in the path of the other two policemen. They came to a sliding stop, brakes screeching like banshees in the clear night. Guns leapt into their hands, and belched waves of fire.

By the time their weapons clicked on empty, they were left staring at a deserted bike,
albeit a deserted bike with its fuel tank punctured. They had just enough time to scream before the fireball absorbed them in an angry roar.

Alarmed by the noise, the yellow-haired man turned around in his seat to see a huge explosion tear the police escort apart. Sweat running down his face, he turned back to the driver.

"Don't worry, Sir." The gruff driver said. I'll get you to the rear guard; they're waiting just aarrrkkkk-

The driver was cut off as a knife was drawn across his windpipe. His body convulsed once, its brain attempting to communicate with his already dead body, before slumping limp in his seat. His foot slammed down on the accelerator and the car, already traveling at a considerable speed, shot forward.

The girl that had cut the man's life short turned around in her seat. A gun pointed at the man's face.

"Hello, Drake." The girl said.

Drake was stunned. The girl's voice sounded vaguely familiar. Half her face was obscured in darkness, yet something in his memory was jogged, something that reminded him of a good day he had had.

"Nancy?" He asked.

"No." The girl said simply, "You killed her."

Drake saw the pale fingers tighten on the trigger. He lunged for the door. A gunshot rang through the night and he lay still.

The girl climbed into the backseat, and put three more rounds into Drake's chest.

She opened the car door, and flung herself out onto the street. The limo continued onward, turning slightly, until the car rode up on the sidewalk, smashing into a thick walled building at eighty miles per hour.

The explosion momentarily lit the night, like a candle being snuffed out. The twisted metal of the car smoked and sputtered. In the distance, sirens were audible even now.

Suddenly two stories high again, the girl brushed a stray strand of blue hair from her face.
In one hand she held the black book; in another she held a photograph. She took a black marker from a pocket on her suit.

The photograph held a picture of a group of people around a plaque embossed with the Royal British Library symbol. Three men in the back had black X's on their faces. Next to them was the yellow haired man she had just killed. Next to Drake was an Asian woman with thick glasses and untidy black hair, her eyes averted to a brown book she had clutched in her hand.

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I do so love feedback, please review this story as it is my first!

Chapter 2: A New Shop

Yomiko Readman joyfully wondered down the sidewalk. Giant bags with bookstore logos swung from her hands as she dragged her brown suitcase across the rough gravel. Bystanders stared at the ecstatic young girl and moved to the opposite street to keep from getting in her path of destruction.

Yomiko stopped in front of a fresh new store with two glass double doors. She barreled through them, knocking off a "Grand Opening" sign, and her eyes brightened.

The store was rather small compared to the ones she had just visited. Three lonely shelves covered the walls and stacks of books filled much of the empty space. The smell of fresh paint lingered on the white walls.

Yomiko rushed forward and grabbed a green, spiral-bound book from a shelve. Immersed in poetry, Yomiko happily turned about the bookstore.

A shadow flickered across her book. A momentary darkness that immediate alerted the agent senses in Yomiko.

She dropped the green book. In her hand she held several rigid pages she had just been reading.

"Who's there?" she asked into the dim light.

Another shadow papered on the floor. Yomiko flashed around, and eight pages stuck fast into the ceiling.

Yomiko felt a cold breeze on the back of her neck. Skills worn of years of work as an agent flashed into action as she whipped around.

A young girl of about fourteen stood with a page on romantic poetry held to her throat. She held a short but jagged knife in her raised right hand. Strands of blue hair blocked one of her black eyes, which were narrowed in loathing.

"Who are you? Why are you attacking me?" Yomiko asked, not moving her arm.

The girl glared at her eyes glinting in the tiny light. She spoke in a gravely voice,
"People call me Wynde. Wynde Makuhari."

"Makuhari!" Yomiko gasped and her hand pressed deeper into Wynde's neck.

"Sound familiar?" Wynde spat, "it should, and it's the name of the woman you destroyed. My sister, Nancy!"

Wynde sidestepped and swung her knife around with blinding speed. To Yomiko it looked as if the girl had disappeared. She threw herself back, the razor edge missing her by inches.

Yomiko righted herself, looking at the girl in front of her. Her stance was perfectly balanced, her head off to one side, her knife held like a sword at her side. The girl in front of her was like a mirror image of Nancy. There was no doubt; this girl was related to Nancy.

"Nancy?" Yomiko asked in a fit of momentary delusion. Yomiko reached out for the girl who so resembled her friend, but Wynde ducked and swung her foot up to Yomiko's jaw.

Yomiko was knocked back, her eyes dimmed over. She crashed into a book shelf and lay still. Books collapsed on her limp form.

Wynde Makuhari stood tall over her sister's killer. Her knife hand ached to finish the job, but sirens filled the air and sounds of approaching enemies. Wynde took one last look at the girl nearly hidden by novels, eyes filled with malice.

By the time Yomiko was loaded into an ambulance. Wynde was hidden on the roof of the bookstore, watching the scene below with disgust visible on her face. A black flash later, and she was gone.

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I do love writing action sequences, but I think this one and another one later in the story are lacking somewhat in depth. Any ideas? Please read and review.

Chapter 3: Revelations

The first thing Yomiko saw upon awakening was a blurry British man leaning over her bed.

"Drake?" she asked quietly.

It was not Drake, but Joker, second in command of the British Library. His green suit stood out loudly against the white ward room. The odor of freshly cleaned sheets told her that she was in a hospital.

"What happened, where's Nancy?" Yomiko sat up, but quickly lay down as her head throbbed with pain.

The Joker sat back in his wooden chair before answering. "To your first question, you were attacked by someone we believe to be another I-Jin. Secondly, Nancy is in a mental hospital, where she was put a month ago." Joker wiped his forehead with a cloth he was holding. "Now I would like for you to answer some of my questions, please."

Yomiko slowly got out of her bed, her head hurting slightly with every heartbeat. "Why... why would you need to ask me questions? I was attacked by some girl who looked like Nancy. She knocked me down, and I wake up here."

"Not at all, Agent Paper. I was going to ask you what she looked like, but you have fulfilled that requirement. The strange thing about your attack was that it was not the first."

Drake got up from his chair and motioned to Yomiko. "Come, follow me." He walked through the ward door and held it open for Yomiko.

Walking out the door, she discovered that she was not in a hospital, but in the medical ward of the British Library. Great stacks of books created a hallway that led to another room. This room was small and had a large white screen that covered most of the far wall. Next to it was a wooden desk and one chair in which Yomiko sat. She was happy to see that her recently purchased books and brown suitcase were tucked away in a corner.

"Over the past month, after the collapses of the I-Jin, four British Library agents, including you, have been killed or attacked." The Joker picked up a remote on the desk and pushed a button. A projector rose from a trapdoor in the floor near the door. He pushed two more buttons and the projector lights went on the and the others went off.

An image of a man with a crisp suit and tie lay bloody and beaten upon a rough concrete floor. "Agent Jan, one of our best, found outside a crowded pub and no one saw a thing."

The Joker pressed another button, this time a bearded man in dirty clothes appeared, shot once in the head. "Our undercover agent, I can't even release his name. The next one you should recognize." A blond man appeared, shot in the chest, lying in the back of a destroyed limo. Yomiko saw the green cap and realized:

"Drake!" she shouted, then added, "Sorry, sir." hastily.

"Your reaction is understandable and requires no apology, Paper. But your friend Drake is alive and well, thanks to the Kevlar vest he was wearing, and his great acting skills. He told me the exact same story you did, which means we have someone stalking our agents."

He pressed a red button, and the projector disappeared and the lights turned back on.

"With your's and Drake's information the Library's Intelligence Branch has determined that we are looking for a rouge I-Jin, one that claims to be Nancy's sister. Study of the attacks reveals that she moves extremely fast, which inquires suspicion. If she is an I-Jin she would need to be a clone of somebody, and no historical record exists of a superfast, human, ever.

Yomiko interrupted, "Sir, is it possible that the Library's information is incomplete?"

Joker looked hard at her, staring as if he didn't want to answer. "Yes, it is possible. So we have decided we need to locate and capture her. Until such time as she reveals otherwise she will be referred to as Wynde Makuhari, approach with caution."

Due to outside3 influences, I have decided to update all 5 chapters, I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 4: Bait and Switch

'Ah, the British countryside is the best place to read' Yomiko Readman thought to herself as she sat in a giant armchair. She made a mental note to thank The Joker on his excellent choice in strategy.

The Joker had said that since Wynde had failed to kill her, then she would undoubtedly try again. Therefore they have the advantage, as the British Library could decide the location of the attack, albeit, not the time. And so, they had chosen the most logical place, one of the many mansions owned by The Gentleman, the commander of the Library.

So the library put out easily interceptable information that Yomiko was in protective custody, and residing in one of The Gentleman's many mansions.

There is a second advantage to this remote mansion. Being a bibliophile second to Yomiko, The Gentleman had a plethora of books, most stored in bookshelves. A small section of these books were contained here, in the mansion. Bookshelves docorated the majority of the floor, except for a wide space reaching from the entry door to the fireplace.

But the Library had another advantage, because Drake survived his attack, Wynde thought that he was dead. That means he would be an indispensable surprise against Wynde. They had also enlisted the help of one Agent Kelly, a tall elaborate man who had expertise in tracking and capture. It was Kelly who advised Joker to lure Wynde out, and he personally developed the weapons Drake and he was using.

The weapons were designed to completely immobilize a person of Wynde's stature. They were two, long-barreled rifles that fired large nets. The nets moved fast enough to hit a person moving like Wynde. But still needed her to be stationary for them to target.

Yomiko's mission, then, was to keep her still long enough for Drake or Kelly to capture her. Her eyes were fixed on the leather-bound book in her hand, but they were not moving, something rather hard for her to do, but she accomplished it nonetheless. Every rustle and movement inside the house echoed loudly, and she would need every advantage possible to detect Wynde.

'The Paper?' a gruff, man's voice crackled into life in Yomiko's earpiece. 'It's Kelly, I'm in position on top of a shelve to your right. Drake is opposite me across you. Subject sighted coming in fast from the east. Prepare for contact.'

Her ear's pricked up, and the beginnings of sweat began forming around her temples. The creak of a window, long neglected, and the soft pat of rubber-soled feet on linoleum grew louder. Years of British Library training brushed away all negative thought, and focused her body on the fight.

Impulse turned to action, and Yomiko turned, a paper shield flashing out in front of her.

She heard a thump, of metal hitting rock-hard paper, and scuffling. The paper compressed and formed into her hand. Yomiko was left staring at the black-haired girl that so resembled Nancy. She had added a holstered gun to her arsenal, and a knife clutched firmly in her hand.

"Hello, The Paper." She said flatly, mocking the agent's code name. "The Paper, who so loves books. While my sister lies in a nutter house." Her tone became lower, the basset tones of one whose mental state is indeterminate.

Yomiko attempted to talk her down, keep her occupied until Drake could fire. "You really think we hurt Nancy- that I hurt Nancy?" She quickly corrected her "we." "That was her decision to be left behind on a ship and I respect her for that."

"Just a little longer, Paper." Kelly whispered.

Wynde began walking slowly around Yomiko, biding her time, waiting to strike. "I knew Nancy better than any Library, we where both clones, we grew up together. And Nancy would never choose to die over letting you live, so now I finish her work!"

She hurled herself at Yomiko, and the Paper Master barely had time to conjure her own sword to block her knife slash. Even though she blocked it, a small gash appeared on her cheek. Air pressure from her fast attacks was just as dangerous as physical contact.

Another attack, this one from the right, and Yomiko ducked and charged, hitting Wynde square in the chest.

She fell back, her knife held like a sword in front of her. Yomiko seized on this opportunity to attack herself, making her paper blade razors-sharp and swung it at her outstretched arm. Wynde leapt back, her hand and arm still intact but knife in two pieces.

'The Paper!" Drake shouted, "Keep her still!"

She fought back the words she was about to throw at Drake, and tried to assume a defensive stance. Wynde drew her gun and Yomiko clicked. A great shuffling was audible as the Paper Master summoned thousands of papers into a thick shield.

"Ah, poor Yomiko, stuck in her paper ball." Wynde teased. "Looks as if we'll need to burn the girl out."

She flinched inside her paper shield. Paper did not mix well with fire. Did she open a hole in her fortress, and risk getting shot, or be burned to death?

She heard Wynde rustling with the burning fire, and something crackling moving closer. Gathering up her courage, Yomiko leapt out of her tiny prison, paper being scattered like leaves as she ran for the nearest shelf. In a flash, Wynde was there, burning torch gone, gun in hand.

"This is for Nancy." Wynde's gun hand rose, and was instantly stopped by a tiny paper doll, dancing around her arm. The origami doll puzzled her for a moment, dancing along her arm, towards her hand. It rested momentarily on her thumb, twirling quietly on her hand.

Wynde was transfixed by the tiny man, much like Nancy had been when Yomiko had shown her a paper crane. Which is what she had been counting on. They were much to close for Drake's nets, so Yomiko would have to use her own powers.

As they watched, papers from the floor wrapped themselves around Wynde's feet, sticking her to the floor. And the tiny paper man was about to finish the job. As he danced along the gun barrel, his paper feet become super-sharp, slicing through the gun's length.

This shocked her out of her revere, she instinctively fired, the weak blast captured by the paper man.

Yomiko jumped back, and two loud blasts announced Drake's and Kelly's attentiveness. Twin nets wrapped them selves around Wynde, completely immobilizing her in a twisted net of wire.

Yes, I know its an overused title but "Redemption" is the only word I could think off.
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Chapter 5: Redemption (Yomiko Style)

"It really was a clean takedown." Joker's voice echoed around the debriefing room as Drake, Yomiko, and Kelly sat absorbing every word he said. "Wynde will be remanded to official police custody were she will be charged with the killing of our agents. She seems to really be Nancy's real sister, and be very effective."

"Uh, sir, could we train her as a Library Agent?" Yomiko asked hopefully.

'I don't want her to live like Nancy is.' Yomiko thought, 'Wynde has potential, and in jail she will just rot away.'

A ringing rang out through the room, draining out Joker's response. He quickly picked up the phone, "Hello, Joker here... Yes... really, How many? Any idea where- okay, thank you." Joker stared down at Yomiko. "It seems we will not get the chance to, she has managed to escape en route to prison."

Drake groaned, and Yomiko sighed. "Do you think she will come after us again, sir?"

"Most likely," Joker said, scratching his chin thoughtfully, "Although, she may pay a visit to our friend, Nancy first."

Yomiko didn't need an order, by the time Joker finished his sentence she was running along the Library's corridor, reaching into her pocket and pulling out several papers.

Wynde was there.

Standing next to Nancy, she stared off into the sea, talking slowly and calmly to a pale Nancy. Her regular clothes were gone, replaced with a Rosary school uniform and her hair was different, blonde and long rather than black. Wynde's changed appearance was obviously to throw off any purserers.

Yomiko watched the pair from the brick gates overlooking the hospital. The pair seemed not to no each other, yet converesed in a nice enough tone. She found that deviod of bitterness, Wynde was actually very nice.

"I'm sorry, Nancy. I was unable to avenge your memory loss. Don't worry, I'll find a way. I'll lie low in London for a while, maybe you should come too, you always loved London." Wynde spoke in a quiet voice.

Nancy did not reply.

Most unfortunately, Nancy turned in her bench, and catching sight of Yomiko shouted: "Oh, hello, Yomiko, met my new sister?"

Wynde turned and looked at Yomiko. She could see Wynde itching for a weapon, her eyes darting around for something to attack with.

"You! What are you doing here? Go away!"

Yomiko looked at Wynde as if she had never seen her before. "I'm sorry, but have we met? It's just that you look like someone I knew, but she's gone now..."

Wynde look confused, then look down at her school uniform. Realizing that she was still in disguise she quickly assumed a ignorant air.

"I do wonder," said Yomiko an thoughtful smile on her face, "do you like books?"

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What'd ya think? The end of my first fanfic and I think get gives a good idea for a sequel. I have just finished watching ROD The TV so I have some idea on what happens after the I-Jin and can come up with a sufficient storyline.

Until next time - Mpmagi

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Friday, April 8, 2005 12:29 AM Pacific Coast Time