This has got to be the longest chapter I've written so far…7 pages!
Basically, this is finally starting to tie all the random characters together into a recognizable plot.
Brothers
"Report, Shiki," commanded Creed as he lounged casually in a chair before the security monitors. The screens cast an eerie blue glow onto his skin, and he seemed even more unstable than before. He was watching Camera 041L, the one showing Train's stasis chamber in Doctor's lab. He was apparently awake and chatting with Sven. Every instinct in his body screamed for him to rush in there and slit Sven's throat, but he resisted. Doctor had said this would be the ultimate test of Train's loyalty. Even though Creed trusted Train to choose him over Sven, he still could not help doubting. Oh how he wished Doctor would install sound monitors with the cameras. With all the money he spent on the lab entrance security, surely a sound spy system would not be too much to ask?
"Regarding Number II's sudden appearance at sub-base Rotenburg, I had sent out Flash to investigate. He has not returned or responded to my summons, however."
"That is…disappointing," commented Creed without breaking eye contact from the monitors.
The other Hoshi members in the shadows snickered at Shiki's incompetence and Creed's obvious disregard
Shiki fumed. How dare those amateurs laugh at a great Taoist such as him? Revenge would be sweet when he obtained control over all of them. But first, the matter of Number II. Shiki immediately dismissed Flash. He could have died for all he cared. Better ask Belga tomorrow when he reported…
"What of you, Sheldon?"
"Green (1) is indeed gathering Sweepers to fight against you, Creed-sama. I do not know how he obtained this address, but his group is growing rapidly."
Creed smiled. "How considerate. We should prepare a welcome for them, shouldn't we?"
Sven was in the middle of explaining Saya's ricochet technique, "Reflect Shot", when he stopped suddenly. Train was about to ask why when the door opened and allowed Doctor in.
Doctor distractedly said to Train as he rifled through some papers on his desk, "Oh Train-san. Creed-sama will be pleased that you are awake. I will release you in a moment."
After finding a small vanilla envelope, he helped Train out of the chamber, handing him a towel to clean himself off. "Do try to not end up in here so often. Creed-sama nearly had a heart attack."
Train just glared at him, and would have looked intimidating if he was not in the middle of Doctor's lab stark naked and drying his hair into a poofy mess. Doctor decided not to comment, but instead told him as he walked out, "Creed-sama wants to see you; we seem to be expecting some company next week."
Belze swore. The contact had been expectantly stubborn, and nothing could make him reveal any more information. He had wanted to corner Eve, but she had disappeared as soon as the exchange finished. The whole encounter was a waste of 6 billion dollars. Of course, he had contacted Sephiria with the Lee name for research, but he doubted that anything the 'Lee family friendship' relinquished was going to help. This third encounter that the old man reported would be the last and final negotiation for the Orihalcon mine. The only thing to do until then was to try and keep all Hoshi negotiators away from the Lees and to just wait.
And perhaps hunt a bomber, Number II thought, as he spotted a lithe and well-muscled blond sneaking into an abandoned train still had some of its passenger cars attached.
Flash Grenade.
Rivar Sasitori (2) was having a really bad day. Apparently he was prone to sleepwalking or something, because he found himself in the middle of a fist fight when he awoke from a vague and hazy dream.
He ducked another straight forward punch as his opponent shouted unintelligently. The only words he could pick out were something that sounded like "bee trail." He sighed inwardly. Why couldn't his subconscious sleepwalking mind have picked out a more intelligent opponent? Fighting a guy who was so angry they could only remember one attack pattern was so boring. Not to mention the said guy had a thing for skipping after bees like a little girl in a meadow.
He finally got tired of ducking and punched the man in the face, sending him flying backwards into his companions. Really, the Gerbell Command was not meant to be used on a weakling like this.
"Just give up and go home. I don't have any business with you."
"THE HELL YOU DON'T!" Shouted the man from underneathe the helping hands of his companions.
"Taku…you shouldn't fight him," admonished a blonde chick who wiped a trail of blood of the man's face.
"Just shut. The. Hell. UP!" shouted Taku. He shot a glance at Rivar, and suddenly his rage receded as a smirk lit up his face. "You see? I lead the Volts gang now."
The other members of the gang shuffled uncomfortably behind him
Rivar yawned. "As if I care if you led a primary school group of bullies or not," he muttered.
"You..you!" The man seemed to suddenly lack vocabulary. "You traitor! Betrayer! Know that in this city, no one will take kindly to you!"
His screams fell on deaf ears, as Rivar calmly turned around and walked the other way.
Doctor sat on a rusty swing, entrenched in memories of the playground. Over there was where he used to bury Xiao in the sandbox. To the right was the forest where they played tag in. Behind him were the monkey bars on which they practiced their balance walking across. 4 steps in front of him was where his brother was grievously injured by a bunch of bullies, where he had killed those said bullies, where he had received the Tao to heal little Xiao…
"Interesting place for us to meet," commented Time Guardian X, Xiao Lee, who was suddenly sitting beside Doctor in the next swing over.
Doctor shrugged. "It's a place where we made our memories."
"And where destiny dragged us apart?" Xiao not so quite asked. Doctor said nothing. "Well, this is business then?"
"Of course," said Doctor, staring down at his hands. "What else is left between us?"
Xiao winced. Doctor ignored it, and instead pulled out a vanilla envelope. "Take a look at this."
Xiao opened it and unfolded the pages.
"This is--?"
"Yes. Subject #001."
Xiao was partly disturbed by the double zeroes Doctor added before the 1. Had he that many test subjects in search of the Blood Opium?
"He was unstable and he developed not an increase in killing intent, but another personality instead," remembered Xiao. The Blood Opium Project had been under Chronos's control at the time, and Xiao was the one ordered to dispose of Subject #001. Unfortunately, Subject had escaped right around the time Xiao received orders from the
Saichirou (3). The Subject had killed over 20 men in its escape, and so Chronos decided to stop dabbling in the search for the mythical drug. That didn't stop the Hoshi from getting interested though. "It was assumed that due to his mental instability, the subject could not function in society and would therefore die more likely than be captured."
"Yes, well he apparently seemed to have functioned quite well. He took on the alias Flash Grenade and got himself running a nice little gang in Rotenburg," said Doctor cynically. "In fact, he's been attracting so much attention that our dear Shiki decided to take control of him and use him to capture Train Heartnet."
Xiao started. "And so the past comes to haunt us," he muttered.
"Indeed," said Doctor. "There is hope, however. Shiki seems to have lost control over him." Doctor pointed to the sheaves of paper in Xiao's hand. "Those papers are the research I've done on his background in the year he's been missing, as well as his whole life before that. Use this information as collaboration for him to join you."
"What do you mean?" Xiao decided to play innocent.
Doctor smiled. "I know about your identity as Green, Disguise Master. You are planning for a group of Sweepers to attack Creed's mansion in a week. Won't this subject, who is a famous former Sweeper, be of great use to you?"
Xiao thought. It was alarming that the Hoshi knew his activities. Maybe he should regroup and attack later? No. The Hoshi had managed to implant a spy in his group, and implant another one in another group just as easily. Calling it off was not an option. Chronos was impatient for some progress against Creed. Was he not sending the men he gathered into their deaths then? It would be suicide for them. At least, with this guy, they might have a chance…
Xiao smiled ruefully, "I guess there is no other option. But, what, may I ask, would the Hoshi gain from this?"
"This is done of my own accord. And my benefits are not public knowledge."
"Oh? So I, as your brother, am not privy to this?"
Doctor just stared at Xiao, as if to say, "don't even joke about it." Their relationship had ended long ago. Telling Xiao of his suspicions of Shiki's loyalty, or lack there of, would indicate Hoshi's weakness. He did not want Shiki to gain more power, so he must first cut all the puppet strings. Unfortunately, making sure they stayed cut meant handing the puppets over to Chronos for protection away from Shiki. The irony.
Doctor's cell phone rang, cutting into the silence that had settled. He looked pointedly at Xiao, before picking up.
"Doctor here."
"Doctor, where the hell are you?"
Doctor did not flinch at all from the impatient tone, but instead answered steadily back, "I'm at the Serberof forest collecting water from its streambeds. We are running low on healing water since Train-san seems to be draining our supplies quite fast." True enough, Doctor thought, mentally noting to stop their on the way back to the mansion.
"Well, Shiki has just reported again. Belze was in Rotenburg because Chronos is trying to obtain the privately owned orihalcon mine from the Lee family…"
Doctor stiffened. Xiao, overhearing, stared wide-eyed at him. The old family was selling the mine to Chronos?
"…won't let Chronos have it of course," Creed was saying, "The location and deed transfer are going to take place in a week. Conveniently on the same day the Sweepers are supposed to attack. Oh how fun its going to be!"
Xiao leapt up from his swing, disregarding the fact that the creaking chains were loudly announcing to Creed that there was someone else with Doctor. Belze was in Rotenburg!
Creed, luckily, was to involved in his giddiness to pay any attention to background noise. "Oh! And guess what Doctor?" Creed crowed. "We're going to need a submarine! I've always wanted to ride one…"
Doctor efficiently cut off Creed. "Of course Creed-sama. I will be returning now. Good-bye." He hung up.
"Those bastards! To think they're my family!" Xiao was saying.
"It's quite an ingenious way to get rid of us two black sheep," observed Doctor. "Chronos will find out your relationship to your family, and probably try to prosecute you for withholding information and such. At the same time, they would be lending power to Chronos to destroy the Hoshi, and therefore me.
"But Creed-sama will take care of this. You should hurry to Rotenburg and save Flash before Belze finds him." Doctor wondered why it mattered that the blonde puppet of Shiki's lived instead of died under Belze. It wouldn't matter anyways. Either way, Shiki was left with one puppet less. Of course, Subject #001 was the first pioneer of his long slaved Blood Opium project, and for the sake of scientific sentimentalities, as well as hope of doing a little research on him in the future, brought him to consult with Xiao instead of just hunting the man down and killing him.
Business done, Doctor made to leave. Xiao's breath hitched, and he shouted at former Da Lee's back.
"I joined Chronos to hunt you down and bring you back, brother. I haven't given up."
Doctor stopped midstep.
"I know."
He left.
4 ambushes, 8 verbal sparrings, 3 sweeper fights and a hundreds of terrified screams and stares later, Rivar huffily stomped down the street, a little worse for wear.
Honestly. This town's means of welcome was a little too much for even Rivar to like. How the hell did he manage to sleepwalk into this hellhole?
He felt a tug at his shirt and sprang around, ready for another fight.
"ANIKI!" An angelic cherub smiled sunnily up at him. "Oh! Kou missed you so MUCH! Aniki go poof, and Kou got worried so Kou go ask Taku, but Taku mad at Aniki, so Aniki should apol—ap—apo…say sorry to Taku. Oh and Kou met oniisan and meisan and…"
Rivar stared at the cute little kid with a considerably bigger mouth in confusion. "Er, kid," he overrode the blathering, "You're mistaken."
The smile suddenly turned in trembling lips. Big fat tears shined in the brilliant blue eyes of the small blonde. "Aniki?" Kou asked in a small voice.
"ARGH!" yelled the exasperated Sweeper. He just could not stand puppy eyes and tears.
"So this is Aniki's and Kou's tree house," explained Kou 2 hours later as he dragged poor Rivar into the abandoned train. "It's not really a tree house, because a tree house has to be in a tree, but Aniki promised that it will become a tree house when he finished kicking all the corrupted people out of the town."
"Kid. I've said it before and I'll say it again. I. am. Not. Your. Brother. Understand?"
Surprisingly, he received a nod. "Aniki never called me kid. And he had red eyes," observed Kou, looking at Rivar's dark brown ones. "You look a lot like him though."
"Yeah, well who knows? I'm an adopted orphan, so maybe I had a twin brother or sum—"
A huge boom sounded through the passenger car as one side of the wall was diced into small pieces, collapsing in a cloud of dust. A dark figure stepped through the convenient entrance and announced.
"Flash Grenade," a cultured but strong voice rang, "I am commanded to erase your presence by order of Chronos."
This day was getting better and better.
(1) Chapter 121. He's the guy with Thunderhead (see below).
(2) Chapter 121 also. Better known as 'Thunderhead', as Train calls him. In this story line though, that bit of info does not matter since they haven't really met under those terms.
(3) Chapter 94, when Sheldon was killing some people, he was asking for information about the Saichirou, the highest order of Chronos.
I know. The subplots are getting a little extensive. But don't worry; there's a perfectly good reason for that. I just won't tell you what it is...