Chapter 20:

"Welcome To The Family"

Light considered himself a master manipulator. He had tricked the Kira Task Force into believing he was not Kira, and he managed to use Rem, a Shinigami, to sacrifice itself to murder L. So, when it came to Auric, he knew he could handle things with the man.

However, something about Auric told him it wouldn't be as simple as he thought. The man had a personality not easily controlled, even unstable, and he was a child of Wammy House, like Beyond Birthday, so Light had to treat his interactions with Auric carefully and with caution, or he'd risk a torrent of violence the man had already exhibited—i.e. on the hospital roof top.

He had to think of an escape plan.

In the past few years he had outsmarted countless others to become an eminence, Kira, so he was not going to allow this person to take him out here.

All Light needed was time. But time was fleeting with a gun pointed at him.

Where Ryuk was? If the Shinigami enjoyed a good show, then he should have been here front and centre. Absent once again. Auric would not be able to see him. But why hide?

"How did you find me? And what are your intentions?" Light asked.

Auric grinned. "That's going to be a surprise. But believe me, you're going to enjoy it. I've completed a dossier on you. Oddly enough, you and Rue have similar psychological profiles, so I know you're going to love what I have in store. It's right up your alley, for the one who has defeated L." He jerked his gun. "Now, get up, and come with me. We're going for a ride."

Light obeyed him, passing Auric with the gun, and out the door to the priest's rectory. He ventured into the Audience Hall. Light passed the dead priest, feeling mild guilt for the man's demise. There was no need for senseless death. The man had saved him, only for it to cost him his life. But who was he to talk? After killing both Raye Penber and Naomi Misora in cold blood?

Even Kira regretted some of his kills.

Light had his hands up in the air, Auric kept telling him to move ahead. Light walked slowly, hoping a plan would come to him. He thought like a criminal, and he kept looking around secretly for something he could use, a weapon of opportunity, per se.

As they headed down the main aisle towards the entrance, Auric said, "Where is that Shinigami of yours? I can't see him. Still, I haven't touched his Death Note yet. But I do have a special gift of my own, much like Rue. It can sometimes be a curse."

Criminals with quirks, how cliche, Light thought. Light stopped, and turned to Auric.

"Inside my ears are implants that help manage my Hyperacusis," Auric said. "I've had it ever since I was a child. It's a rare and highly debilitating hearing disorder characterized by an increased sensitivity to certain frequencies and sounds. Without the implants, my hypersensitive hearing would drive me insane." He smiled broadly. "Well, more so. Even though I can't see Ryuk, your Shinigami, I can hear the breakage of wind currents as it flaps its wings. It may have saved you on the hospital roof by catching that bullet, but it won't where we're going. I know it's here, somewhere…hiding, scheming, plotting its own agenda. All Shinigami do."

Light was dumbfounded Auric knew so much.

"Okay, enough chit-chat." Auric pushed Light, and Light staggered back, then turned forward. "Get moving, or I'll mess up that pretty little face of yours further." Auric yanked at Light's bandage and pulled it off, jerking Light's head back.

Light used the momentum to his advantage, and pretended to fall, then using his police training, he disarmed Auric, knocking the gun out of his hand into the nearest pews. He then ran into the pews and ducked down, scampered to an adjacent aisle, and stayed out of sight. He felt like a coward, but the reprieve would give him time to come up with plan to flee the church.

"Please, don't make me laugh," Auric said, standing in the aisle. "Hiding from me is futile. And how ironic that you of all people choose to hide in God's place of worship." He laughed.

Light kept his head down, but he listened carefully to every sound.

Auric said, "Killing you would be bittersweet, but what would be the fun in that? Rue wants revenge on you for killing L, but I want payback against Rue for trying to murder me and taking my slot in line after L. You can hide like a tiny church mouse, but the cat always gets his prey."

Light peaked over the edge of one pew, saw Auric looking in another direction, established a directionally placement, and then hunkered down again.

Silence, then Auric spoke again. "I know all about you, Light Yagami. Your father, your family, your entire history from birth to now," he said. "There is nothing I don't know about you. I know you love your family, you adore them, and you'd do anything to protect them, especially your younger sister, Sayu. She'd make an excellent hostage, so innocent and impressible."

Light mentally cursed. He knew his family was a liability.

Light peered over a pew. Auric saw him and smiled and wagged a finger for Light to come to him. Auric had already retrieved a secondary gun from his coat.

"You've had you brush with freedom, Yagami," Auric said. "Now its time to do the noble thing. I promise, your family won't be harmed if you come willingly."

"Willingly," Light said. "Is that some sort of joke?"

Light stood up, he had no place to go. Auric had every exit marked from his position. And with the mention of his family, even if he did manage to escape Auric, the madman would simply go after his family to get to Light. In was Catch-22 situation.

Auric smirked.

Light slowly made his way through pews to Auric. Auric backed off slightly to allow Light to enter the aisle, then they continued their way to the main entrance, and out its doors. A black SUV with tinted windows awaited them at the curb.

Auric opened the rear door. Light got in. Auric then handcuffed Light to a steel bar welded to its interior roof. Auric shut the door and then entered to the front passenger side. Light didn't see the driver until he looked at the rear view mirror. And he was shocked when he did. Raven?

The SUV pulled away from the church.

Light saw Auric look back at him in the rearview mirror, then turned, and said, "I can see the wheels in your head turning, Yagami. This isn't Raven, BB's gifted femme fatale—although you did leave her looking stupid after you escaped locking her inside that electrified cell, burning your hands in the process. But we all must make personal sacrifices, don't we?"

Light's eyes narrowed. "How do you know so much? Did you have a camera somewhere watching me as Beyond Birthday held me captive?"

"I won't lie," Auric said bluntly, "I know exactly where you are at any given time. Your shoes hold a tracking device. Most people don't change their footwear for months. You have three pairs of shoes and each one has been implanted with a tracking device. Through this method, I was able to determine your location and my associate Cannon was able to install a mini-camera in Rue's hideout and follow his movements. I also know Rue's been masquerading as you for over a week. Among his other talents, he'a a very accomplished thespian."

Light looked at the fake Raven.

"As for my lovely driver, her name is Hawkes. Not her real name, of course. We wouldn't want a certain someone who know her real name and for her to die from an inexplicable heart attack." Auric winked at Light. "Are you familiar with the experiments of Dr. Josef Mengele?"

Light eyed him peculiarly. "I wish I wasn't, but yes," he said with caution. "Dr. Josef Mengele is or rather was the man known as 'the Angel of Death', a physician and an SS officer in the Third Reich. A German doctor who, for all intended purposes, among his other attributes, wished to understand the very nature of twins. He conducted abhorrent experiments on prisoners during World War Two, and even tortured children for horrendous test results."

Auric smiled with self pride. "I enjoy conversing with a person who is well educated," he said. "We geniuses need to stick to together, you see." He produced a short laugh. "We can change the world for the better. With my brains, and your other traits, we could change the world, give it a facelift, and a brand new joie de vi-vre for people to enjoy life."

Light said nothing. Kira will not share the world!

"Anyway, to get back on the topic," Auric said. "Mengele enlightened a great many people, and we still use things he brought forth in modern society. I could give you some examples, but that's getting off topic. Dr. Josef Mengele experimented with twins' relationships not only for curiosity sake, but for science. He even attempted to manipulate their DNA with some pretty sophisticated techniques that we see as monstrous today: altering eye colour, hair, and various things, including murdering one twin, and observing how the other would react. Posing whether or not they had psychic connection, that sort of thing. A lot of things we know today come from these experiments. But here's the best part: he also implemented a cloning project to help the Third Reich reach an uber-magnificence: the so-called rebirth and the perfection of the Aryan Race. And quite a lot of treatments have been based off Mengele's experiments."

"You're insane!" Light said. "Mengele's methods were inhumane, and science today have proven his experiments were nothing more than torture."

"But there were breakthroughs later on using those methods," Auric stated. "Those kids were guinea pigs, that's for sure, but we have benefited from those tests. Sacrifice a few to save thousands more. Right? And your attempts to reorder the world is an example of this. Don't be so hypocritical, Yagami, and have an open mind.

"But you misunderstand me. I'm not condoning Mengele. What I'm saying is, other people picked up where he left off.

"As I said on the hospital roof top to Rue, the experiments never stopped," Auric said. "The doctor, known to everyone by the moniker 'The Good Doctor', the man who took care of us at Wammy House, is a cousin of Josef Mengele—with similar interests. Under the guise of helping kids, some of the kids developed instability issues. He treated kids for existing ailments, while simultaneously boosting their intelligence exponentially. This was by design, but at the same time, with experimental drugs, his experiments caused the development of psychopathic tendencies, not immediately recognized in some until later in life."

Light's eyes widened, shocked. He paused before saying, "Strangely enough, it would explain L's bizarre behaviour, his obsessive disorder to catch me, and some of L's quirky traits."

Auric chuckled. "Oh, by some weird quintessence that was L himself. He was never subjected to the doctor's experiments. He and Watari were always out galavanting around solving Sherlockin' cases, and were rarely home. And, in truth, most of the experiments took place before L even arrived at the orphanage. Watari never did anything about the Good Doctor. Either Watari turned the blind-eye or he was complicit, but now we'll never know now."

"Let me guess, you were one of the late Good Doctor's test subjects?"

"I murdered the man for his crimes. So, does that make me like Kira?"

"Kira isn't a murderer! Kira is justice!" Light yanked on his handcuffs to no avail.

Auric turned back in his chair. "Keep telling yourself," he said derisively, slightly annoyed.

"You never answered my question," Light said.

There was a long pause, then Auric said, "Yes, I was. Rue was, too. And so are…" Auric shook his head. "No, you're not ready for that yet." Auric turned back. "You could say, through the Good Doctor's experiments, he broached the bridge to a new age of DNA mechanics."

"You're not making any sense."

The SUV had taken many streets, but Light had not been paying attention to where they were going. Now the SUV entered a garage, and parked. The garage door came down, securing them inside. Auric got out, while Hawkes left, and proceeded elsewhere, leaving them alone. Auric opened the back door and pointed his gun at Light. Light remained handcuffed.

"Tell me what you meant," Light asked.

Auric grabbed hold of Light's handcuffed wrist, squeezing hard. Light hissed in pain, a sharp, stabbing pain, coursed through his burned hand.

"Where is your watch?" Auric shook his head. He let go. "Never mind, a folly of a question. Rue must have it, to add realism of his disguise as you. I know you had a piece of your Death Note inside. I was hoping to see the Shinigami. Like I said, I can hear it pass through space. And it followed us. It's here, somewhere. It's eyes boring into my skull, reading my real name and lifespan."

Ryuk was here, Light could see him, lurking in the rafters of the warehouse they were now in.

Light said, "Ryuk! Touch him with your Death Note," he ordered, "no more hiding! We can talk about you punishment for betraying me later. You deserve an apple at least for following us!"

Ryuk's laughter suddenly became audible, as Ryuk flew down, and touched Auric with his Death Note. "The things I suffer through to be entertained," he said. "He can see me. Now what?"

Auric turned. He could now see Ryuk. He looked the god of death over, as it lumbered over him dressed from head to toe in gothic, black lanky, leather attire. "Hello, Shinigami," he said.

"Yo!" Ryuk said in reply with a hand raised. "Nice to meet ya, 'A'." Ryuk chuckled.

Auric cocked his head. "You're very ostentatious looking and nothing like what I imagined," he said. "When I think of a god of death, I picture something a little more a devilish, a creature from the Bible, dressed all red, with horns and a tail." Auric snorted a laugh. "You're clownish."

"Clowns can be scary, too," Ryuk said, with a chuckle. "Ever see that movie? Must be the large mouth, teeth, and laugh." He chuckled. "But Light isn't scared of me. Although he was startled at first when I appeared to him in his bedroom. He thought I wanted to his soul. Laughable!"

Light frowned, embarrassed by the first encounter. He had been startled, but Ryuk's appearance had grown on him. "Now that you can see Ryuk, release me," he demanded.

Auric turned back. "Must you always be the centre of attention, Yagami?" he said with condensation. He sighed. "Very well, to continue my anecdote: Yes, I am one of the Good Doctor's experimental children. One of many, and you could say Rue and I are the Cain and Abel of those experiments. Rue and I share the same blood enzymes."

Light brow furrowed. "I don't understand. Are you saying you two are related?

Auric took a moment. "Hmm, okay…how can I say this in lament's terms. A MD knows how to explain in their own trumped up language with medical terms and jargon to a fellow colleague, but when they attempt to dumb it down, it's difficult. Let me find the right words…"

Light eyed him. "Then just say it," he said.

Auric shrugged. "Blood enzyme tests measure blood levels of the enzyme creatine phosphokinase, also called creatine kinase, and a more specific form of this enzyme called CK-MB, a form of an enzyme found primarily in heart muscle cells. Cardiac enzyme tests can be used to check blood levels of the proteins myoglobin and troponin. Depending on your heart, you can potentially suffer a heart attack if your level it too high. The Good Doctor was using specific tests to strength blood factors to cardiac functions. However, he went one step further. He used different blood types to do it. Mixing and matching, per se, to test a theory. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. When it did work, it created some interesting…side effects. He proved blood has intelligence, and certain types of blood is 'smarter' than others. To break it down for you, you know the old saying: 'blood brothers'? Well, Rue and I are just that."

Light's eyes widened in shock. "T-that's insane!" he stuttered, almost unable to get the words out with a dry mouth. He felt his own blood run cold with sheer horror. This doctor, whom he had never meant, sounded even worse than Dr. Josef Mengele, and he was inhumanly testing and experimenting on orphans—the same that came from Wammy House—L's.

Auric smiled. "Oh, but the Good Doctor didn't stop there. He conducted quite a few other experiments and on unsuspecting people, and not just orphans. He even had a practice, in Winchester, England, where he treated patients for certain conditions that required a specialist. He was well-renown and well-respected. People from all around the world went to see him. Only, those orphans who survived his ghastly experiments knew the truth. Rue and I are the last ones from the Master Batch, per se. The others all mysteriously died from unexplained causes after they left the orphanage, adopted, or when they reached adulthood—suicide was frequent."

"And you say this doctor is dead now? How, and where? If I knew about him, I would have—"

Auric wagged a finger. "Ah, ah," he voiced. "There are just some things that are not yours to touch. The Good Doctor was mine to kill, and in the good old fashion way. When I found out that he told Rue to kill me because he wanted to cover-up a mistake, I felt it was my duty to balance certain wrongs. True justice! So, in a way, I am Kira, too." And Auric laughed.

Light pulled against his cuffs violently. "I am Kira! And I will make the world as I see fit! Not you!" He relented, relaxed, when he only hurt his wrist.

Auric sputtered a laugh, then he laughed more loudly and boisterously. He wiped a tear his right eye. "I haven't laughed that hard in a long time," he said. "You have no idea what true evil is! The criminals you kill are nothing! And when you're dead, I'll cleanse this world as Kira, and as L, I'll police it—the best of both worlds. I'll take back what was mine to inherent!"

If you try, I'll kill you—just like I had L killed, Light thought, glaring at Auric with a piercing stare. I won't give up the world to a simpleton like you!

"But let me be the first to congratulate you," Auric said.

Light eyed him with disdain. "What for?" Light yanked at his handcuffs.

Auric spread his arms out wide, like a winged-god—a large smile across his face. "Congratulations, Yagami! I just found out, we're family! Psycho-in arms, patriots-in-murder, siblings-by-confluence, in more than just deed. You're one of us! Welcome to the family!"

To be continued...