Ch. 26: In the Tiger's Grip
8:21 PM, January 5th, 1919, Black Army Provincial HQ, Gensan, Chōsen
The port city of Gensan was fairly well developed due to the Japanese using it to export goods to the Japanese Home Islands across the Sea of Japan. Inside the city was a Korean-owned sake shop. While the owner was keeping a look out for Japanese authorities, members of the Black Army Cabinet, including the ones who had just gotten back from the battle in the mountains, were having an emergency meeting around a table within a secret storage cellar full of sake. A dim lightbulb hung above the center of the table, illuminating the room slightly.
"We must send out a search team to look for Zero!" said Gang.
"I've told you that it's too risky!" yelled a scratched up General Jo, who's arm was in a sling. "The Japanese are already on high alert in the area. Sending a search team will expose our organization completely!"
"So are you suggesting we abandon him? Every second we waste arguing is another second gained for the Japanese. We must find him before they do!" replied Gang.
"I agree with the Chief of Staff." said Dietrich. "Zero is the Man who Makes Miracles, the one who created a formidable fighting force from scratch. His skills and leadership is top priority."
"Zero instructed me personally not to go after him if he didn't return." stated General Jo.
"He said that during the battle so that you could retreat! Since that has been done, we must send out a search party immediately!" replied Gang.
"But Zero wouldn't want to risk his creation just for his life!" added General Jo. "Does anyone else here agree with me?"
The Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of the Treasury, who had been silent during the whole meeting, raised their hands.
"It seems my idea is the favorable one." replied General Jo.
"You know you don't have the authority to come to that conclusion." said Gang.
"He's right. According to the Black Army's list of succession, the Deputy Chairman shall assume the role of Chairman if the current Chairman is either killed, absent, or incapacitated." explained Dietrich. "So Deputy Chairman, what is your thought on this?"
Everyone at the table then looked towards Kim Gu for his opinion on the issue at hand.
"Well, there is no doubt the emergency situation at hand weakens the structure of the Black Army. Recovering Zero would stabilize the organization, therefore avoiding a potential dissolution or Japanese victory. But the General makes a point. Japanese attention to the region is extremely high now, therefore increasing risk of capture significantly." said Kim Gu.
Everyone sitting at the table then nodded to one another.
"Zero is probably within the surrounding region still. Dietrich, I want you use any underground connections we have to alert sympathizers to be on the look out. The network of informants we have in the region won't stand out as much as a search team." Kim Gu said.
"But our networks leading to that area are very weak sir." Dietrich replied.
"It's better than no networks at all. Use every available resource to keep an eye out for Zero or talk of Zero. That includes the tiniest rumor. Understand?" Kim Gu asked.
"Yes." Dietrich replied.
"Very well." Kim Gu replied.
Kim Gu then ended the emergency meeting and everyone proceeded to leave the Provisional HQ and resume their normal duties.
"Zero, we still need you. Please be ok." thought Kim Gu as he exited the sake shop.
Feeling hazy and disoriented, Zero opened his eyes slowly. He tried moving his arms and feet, but realized he couldn't. Zero looked down and saw his ankles bound by rope while he felt his wrists bound behind a chair.
"OW!" yelled Zero as he tilted his head slightly.
The girl whom Zero saw in the shower was standing in front of him, wearing the sniper outfit she was wearing before. Hanging around her neck was the red scarf, though it was loose this time, therefore exposing her face fully. Her long hair hung down due to the fact she wasn't wearing her cap. Standing behind her were three men similarly dressed to the ones Zero saw before.
"Ah finally woke up. Pretty impressive you got out. Does your sick, perverted mind like seeing that stuff?" asked the girl.
"What stuff? Oh the shower thing. I...I...didn't...know." muttered a heavily bruised, slightly lethargic Zero. "If it...makes you feel better...nothing I saw was a surprise."
The girl standing in front of him gritted her teeth before punching him in the cheek.
"This is why I hate the Japanese and their henchmen." said the girl angrily.
It was then Zero started to gather all his thoughts together and remember why exactly he was here.
"Wait! Just listen to me! I'm not a Japanese spy. I am fighting against them. We should work together." said Zero.
"Like I'm going to believe a trick like that." said the girl sarcastically as she walked away. "We are the Tigers, the best resistance organization you can find in the mountains. We're a lot smarter than other resistance movements."
"But what if I said I was Zero?!" yelled Zero.
"You mean the Man who Makes Miracles? If you said that, I would laugh." replied the girl.
"I understand my appearance might not be what you expected it to be, but I can prove it." said Zero.
"And how could you do that?" asked the girl.
"Please just let me use any communication device you have for at least a minute. Can you at least do that?" asked Zero.
"Oh fine. We'll give you one, and I mean one chance to prove your Zero." replied the girl.
"Thank you. Anyway, what kind of communication machinery do you have. Also could you please untie me?" asked Zero.
Zero was untied and he was escorted out of the room and to another door down the long hallway. The man escorting Zero opened it and inside was what appeared to be what used to be an office room. A few dusty desks and chairs lined the room while a dying lightbulb slightly lit up the room. At one of the desks was a telegraph.
"This is the closest thing we got to a communication device. This telegraph was here when we first came here and it appears to still be connected with the main telegraph and electric line." explained the man escorting Zero.
"That's fine." said Zero as he walked over to the telegraph key.
"And if you're a spy, don't try messaging your friends. I've been given orders to use whatever force necessary if you show hostile signs." said the man clinging onto his gun.
"Trust me, it will be fine." replied Zero as he started sending a message by repeatedly pressing the key.
"BEEP-BEEP-BEEEEP-BEEP-BEEEEP-BEEEEP" could be heard as the key was pressed. He did this for a minute or so before he stopped.
"Now all I have to do is wait for a response, which for the Black Army shouldn't be long to figure out." said Zero.
"Still, until that happens, you're our prisoner." said the man.
Zero then walked towards the man, who pressed his gun on Zero's back so Zero would walk back to the basement and into the storage room he was locked in earlier.
10:32 AM, January 6th, Gensan, Chōsen
Standing in a quiet alleyway was Dietrich, who was leaning against the wall reading the daily newspaper. He was flipping through the paper when he noticed an article on his native country of Germany. The article was titled "MARXIST DISEASE SPREAD TO BERLIN?". Dietrich proceeded to read it.
"Social unrest continues in the city of Berlin along with the rest of Germany. Crowds of armed demonstrators, mainly supported by the Independent Social Democratic Party and the Communist Party of Germany, have taken to the streets and fears of a Communist revolution are prompting the German government to react immediately. Chancellor Friedrich Ebert has responded that he will deploy the Freikorps if necessary.
Meanwhile a new party has been created amidst the political chaos plaguing Germany. The Committee of Independent Workmen, led by Anton Drexler, has merged with Karl Harrer's Political Worker's Circle to form the German Worker's Party. Drexler and Harrer were both members of the Thule Society, a secretive organization that is rumored to practice the occult and..."
"Dietrich, you wanted to see me?" asked a voice.
Dietrich put the paper away and saw Kim Gu standing right next to him.
"So, you said you needed to tell something as soon as possible?" asked Kim Gu.
"Yes. I recently received info from a local village up North. They said that one of the locals found the site of an airplane crash. The plane was heavily damaged, but the structure was still intact." Dietrich explained.
"And how is this significant?" asked Kim Gu.
"Because the person who found the wreckage said he checked the cockpit for anything and he found an officer's cap, which according to the description given to me, was similar to the one Zero wears." explained Dietrich.
"Really? But why would his cap be in a plane?" wondered Kim Gu.
"According to the report given to me by General Jo, nobody saw or heard from Zero after he left to go find the secret Japanese item. This is only a guess, but what if that secret item was an airplane? Zero could've easily stolen it and used it to escape." said Dietrich.
"But General Jo didn't report any planes being seen in the sky." replied Kim Gu.
"However, the General also told me due to his severe injuries and the mission's importance, everyone was paying attention to maintaing the retreat. It's likely that they simply didn't notice a plane above them due to the stressful situation General Jo and his men were experiencing."
"That wold make sense." said Kim Gu. "So what have you done with the wreckage?"
"Currently I had the locals keep the wreckage site secure so the Japanese won't find it. I also have planned to send a small Black Army force to retrieve pieces of the wreckage one at a time. If we manage to keep our forces in the area small and we take the plane away piece by piece, then the Japanese shouldn't notice us." answered Dietrich. "I also would like to mention that we stumbled across an interesting message sent across the Japanese telegraph lines."
"What was the message then?" asked Kim Gu.
"Well, it looks like a seemingly random set of numbers. However, I have alerted my men to decode it based on Zero's formula." replied Dietrich.
"So you think it's a message?" asked Kim Gu.
"Yes. If it indeed is a message, then the sender has to be a Black Army member since the odds of someone cracking the code by chance are extremely low."
"Very well. Proceed with decoding the message then and alert me immediately on any new info." said Kim Gu.
"Of course." replied Dietrich.
Both men then immediately parted ways after they finished their conversation.
2:05 PM
Zero was sitting in the corner of the dark storage room he was locked in. Suddenly the door was opened, once again letting in blinding light.
"Alright. The boss said you get a few minutes of fresh air." said an armed man standing in the doorway.
Zero then got up and was escorted by the armed man back upstairs and down the hallway.
"I don't know where I am. I don't know who these people are. I'm practically blind right now and incapable of making a move. I need to get some info. But how?" thought Zero as he continued walking down the hall. It was then he thought of an idea.
"Uh sir? I have one small request." asked Zero.
"What might that be?" asked the man gripping a gun in his hand.
"I was just wondering if I could chat with your leader." said Zero.
"No way that's happening. Don't forget, you're our prisoner, not our guest." replied the man.
"What if I told you I knew how to use the plans you took from me correctly. Perhaps your boss would like to hear that. Of course you could still not trust me and give up a chance on using valuable info correctly." suggested Zero.
Both of them stared at one another in silence for a few seconds.
"Alright come with me." said the man as he escorted Zero down the hall and into another room. The man opened the door and inside was the girl along with some other men looking at a map on the large, dusty table in the middle of the room.
"What are you doing here? I thought I told you..." said the girl.
"Pardon the interruption, but our prisoner here states he wants to talk with you and is willing to help us use the papers were took from him earlier." said the man.
"I would also like to request that I converse with your leader in private." said Zero.
"Allowing you to talk with our leader is one thing, but leaving her alone with you is absolutely..." said the man holding Zero. The girl then raised her hand and the man instantly stopped talking.
"Alright. A little private talk wouldn't hurt. You may leave us gentlemen." said the girl.
"But, but he's a prisoner. We can't trust him." said the man.
"Don't worry. I can take care of myself." assured the girl. She then dismissed everyone in the room except for Zero to leave the room, which they immediately did.
"We'll be standing outside so nothing funny." whispered the man to Zero as he stepped out of the room.
Zero then proceeded to sit down on one of the dusty chairs in the room while the girl closed the door and sat in the chair opposite of Zero's
"So, what do you want?" asked the girl.
"What do I want?" said Zero. He immediately waved his hand over his eyes, thereby taking off his contacts. With his geass now fully exposed, all he had to do was say a command. "What I want is to know the current location, your identity/background, and your organization."
"For your first answer, we are currently North of the city of Hongwon. The Japanese used to mine this area for various metals and minerals. The mansion we are currently in used to be owned by the company's owner. Once the mines started to dry up, the facility was abandoned and the wealthy Japanese tycoon who owned this place simply abandoned it like the rest of the mines." said the girl without hesitance.
"As for my identity, my name is Kae Eun and I am 18 years old. I was born in a small Korean village near here. However, when I was 10, my parents were accused of conspiracy against the new Japanese colonial government. They were taken away, never to be heard again.
While living on the streets with just the clothes on my back, the son of a Japanese nobleman who had moved to Korea saw me and had a revelation. He took me in as his own and managed to integrate me into Japanese society, which included rigorous tutoring. He even registered my name as Kinoshita Eun in order for me to avoid any discrimination. For the next few years I lived a wealthy life in his colonial vacation house. But his father and the rest of the family were displeased with his liberal views, especially ones regarding giving Koreans opportunities. As a result, me and him were disowned and forced to survive. He died two years ago from fatigue and malnourishment.
I would've died if it wasn't for the help of some other Korean kids my age who had banded together to form a gang. They gave me food and shelter. It was then I decided action must be taken for it was the Imperial Japanese who took everything away. First my parents for being Korean and then the nobleman's son for having a heart and compassion for others. These were things Japan stood for, which is why I reorganized the gang into a resistance group known as the Tigers. We've have done several acts of sabotage from bombing colonial outposts to running underground markets."
"Interesting. She definitely has fighting spirit in her. And her sniping and commanding skills would be a great addition to the Black Army." thought Zero as he placed his contacts back in his eyes.
The girl's eyes stopped glowing red as the geass wore off.
"What happened? What were we doing exactly?" asked a dazzled Kae.
"I was here to ask some questions and to show you how to use the info you took from me." replied Zero.
"Oh yes. Now, what did you want to ask?" asked Kae.
"Have you ever thought of working for the Black Army Kae?" asked Zero.
"Wait a minute, I do you know my name?"
"Like I said before, I am Zero and head of the Black Army. You may still not believe me but I'll tell you I have my ways of finding out anything. The Black Army is a formidable fighting force that has influence over most of the Korean Peninsula. We have connections with people from various backgrounds. And I know that what you desire is to get back at the Japanese who took everything away from your life. If you join the Black Army, we can make that dream a reality." explained Zero.
"I don't know how you know so much about me but it's making you look even more suspicious. Until I get word that indicates you having a connection with the Black Army, I will not believe anything you say."
Suddenly someone started knocking at the door.
"Boss, I have something urgent that just came in." said the voice on the other side of the door.
"Come in then." said Kae.
The man from before opened the door and entered the room. He was also carrying a piece of paper in his hand.
"This message just came in via the telegraph. But even after converting it from Morse code to letters, it still comes out as a random assortment of numbers." explained the man.
"That must be the Black Army responding!" Zero said. "My intelligence team uses a specific decryption formula on random numbers to produce a coherent message. It was purposely designed for us to send messages across the public lines without being caught by anyone trying to eavesdrop. If I may see the message please?"
The man looked over to Kae, who immediately nodded to indicate it was ok for Zero to see the message. Once Zero received the message, he then requested a writing utensil. Kae commanded the man to get a pen and some ink which he did without question. Using the pen, Zero started circling certain letters after counting each one. Then he applied this info into a math formula that decrypted the message.
"Hah. It's from the Black Army! It says that the Black Army received the message I sent out and is wondering where I am." said a jubilant Zero,
"Well we're not going to tell them where our hideout is. I suggest that you send them the coordinates of a predetermined meeting spot chosen by us. Then we'll know whether or not you're telling the truth or not." said Kae.
"Thank you very much." replied Zero. The man then escorted Zero to the telegraph room where he would send out another message instructing the Black Army when and where to meet. "Oh yeah, what do you think of my proposal?"
"I'll think about it." replied Kae. Zero and the man escorting him left the room and closed the door behind them.
"He knew so much about me. But how? Is Zero and the Black Army that powerful and influential? If this man is Zero, then is he the one we've all looked up to? The one who will break the chains of oppression that binds us? Even so, I have some hesitance to give up my men, the ones I've fought with side by side for so long, to Zero. But the Tigers were founded to fight the Japanese through whatever means. What is the right decision to make father?" thought Kae.
6:29 AM, January 7th, 1919, Somewhere in the forest
Zero, along with Kae and her men, were waiting in a secluded clearing deep within the forests. All the men Kae brought with her were armed and positioned, ready to shoot their rifles if they saw hostile actions.. The sun had also just started to appear in the sky, so it was partially dark.
"I've gotten my best men to monitor this entire area. Any surprises attempted will easily be snuffed out." said Kae.
"Trust me, I mean no harm and I have no tricks up my sleeves." replied Zero.
"We'll see about that in a minute." said Kae.
Suddenly sounds of people walking could be heard in the distance. Multiple rifles were aimed in the direction from which the sound came from. Zero then slowly adjusted his eyes and saw what appeared to be Kim Gu, Dietrich, and some armed Black Army soldiers.
"HALT! IDENTIFY YOURSELF!" yelled one of Kae's soldiers.
"We're officials of the Black Army. We are here for peaceful reasons and wish not to confront you with hostilities." said Kim Gu.
"ALL UNARMED INDIVIDUALS COME FORWARD!" yelled the soldier.
Kim Gu and Dietrich slowly walked towards the clearing while the Black Army soldiers stayed behind.
"Zero! Thank god your alive and ok." said Kim Gu.
"Yes, we were quite worried. But we managed to hold our own without you for the time being." Dietrich added.
"It's a good thing you got my message. Anyway I would like you to meet the Tigers, the local resistance organization." said Zero.
Kim Gu and Dietrich then talked with Kae and explained the situation to her. Once they were done explaining, Kae now had enough confidence to say Zero was telling the truth.
"I'm very sorry about me not believing in you Zero." said Kae.
"No, you were doing what you thought was best for you and your soldiers." replied Zero.
"Speaking about thoughts, I have thought about it carefully, but I accept your invitation to the Black Army." she replied.
"Really. This really helps a lot. But what made you change your mind? I mean, you seem like such an independent fighter." asked Zero.
"Yes, the Tigers were organized by me in order to oppose Imperial Japan. Initially we distance ourselves with the Black Army because we thought we were doing fine on our own. But your miracles Zero have achieved things the Tigers could never achieve. Me and my comrades have have all stood for one thing, and that is freeing this land from Japanese tyranny. The Black Army has shown itself to be such a force capable of achieving that goal. That's why I have decided to merge my organization with yours." explained Kae.
"The Black Army then hereby welcomes you." said Zero.
Both Zero and Kae then saluted each other before Zero went to go talk with Kim Gu and Dietrich.
Author's Notes: Well Kae and the Tigers are officially members of the Black Army. The reason why Tigers were chosen as the resistance's name is because the Tiger is one of the most important animals in Korean culture. I also decided Kae to be taken in by a Japanese man of noble background because I wanted to show that not all the Japanese were tyrannical racists willing to exploit Koreans for whatever purpose. I plan to post the next chapter as soon as possible.
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