Discordant Harmony

Chapter 6

Apex of Greed

"Science fiction is not

Quirky anymore; we

Live in a futuristic

World now."

(Bonnie Hammer)

Natsuki Subaru was racing in the way he was accustomed to, high in the air, sweat on his face, and the twinkling of his eyes, as they sparked with joy at engaging in vector. Yet, not this time. He wasn't prepared or aware of how many people were hunting him down.

He spun around a building and kicked a merc in the face, making them fall thirty feet from the air. Yet, he didn't stop moving nor did he feel regretful. These people were pursuing him like a dog, and he had done nothing wrong.

He gritted his teeth as he landed on the roof of a building yet lights blinded his eyes as two opponents with jump boosts approached him with stun batons and tranquilizer rifles, and paralyzing nets. They both grimly stated:

End of the line for you, surrender quietly or-."

Before they could say any more clichés Subaru activated his zweven boots and used a lariat move

(Wrestling move where you hit someone in their throat with your forearm meant for a takedown)

to take the men down, his zweven boots kept him drifting in the air briefly before he saw his next building and grappled away. The pursuers weren't done and they fired nets to try to apprehend him.

With swift steps he dodged and weaved the paralyzing nets meant to capture him, and he gained speed. Yet, his opponents also weren't slacking. They knew the sport Subaru was most proficient in, and they couldn't help but capitalize on it.

On his weakness, on his inferiority, it reeked of an amateur. Yet, why did they struggle to simply apprehend him? This golden goose, this ticket to the sage's tower, to eternal status.

They couldn't even breach his defenses, everything they threw at him became null the moment it would seemingly reach him. He seemed to be perfectly in tune with the environment, he seemed to disregard anything they did. For good reason, he laughed with joy and shouted:

'Is this the best you pieces of shit can do? Then, I find you lacking plebs. Hahahaha, goodnight and goodbye!"

And with those words he sped throughout them, and rushed to his end point, to get away, to buy time as his enemies wasted it and he practically flew away, as he leapt from building to building while attaching his Lion's Greifhaken and using the zweven boots for propulsion. He looked like Spiderman almost, always one step ahead of his pursuers.

He clenched his fists in exhaustion as he thought:

"Fuck, what the hell was that bulllshit, How did they determine my location? Do I have a hidden tracker or something? No, it's simply not possible, Kadomon's protection and my Pirater would've detected it. They simply must be using overwhelming numbers to try and catch me, that's all.

Time, to step it up then."

With those last thoughts Natsuki Subaru yelled as he vectored across another high rise building:
"Let's go, Zweven Boots, full throttle, Pirater full control, time to erase my presence!"

And after his last words his propulsion accelerated. He became speed itself as he dodged the pesky nets sent his way. His Pirater scrambled the source codes of the pursuers, and they couldn't pinpoint where he was. While they cursed he fled away with quickness and they lost sight of him.

The mercenaries were rather unhappy yet, they also got a chilling comm directly into their Metias and they hastily responded:

"Yes, boss?"

Their seemed to be a profound silence as no words came, yet the mercs sweated and shivered in fear, for they knew that their boss was silently thinking of how best to punish them. After what seemed like hours but was more than likely a minute a digitized voice was heard, the gender couldn't be guessed at:

"So, you were the second team dispatched to capture [Natsuki Subaru] and you failed, despite the information I provided you with?"

The leader of the mercenaries closed his eyes as he already expected a swift death, and only hoped his family would be spared as he meekly replied:

"We were tracking him just fine and just about to grab him wh-."

"Enough. You know what I do to people that spout out nothing but excuses. You failed, so you will be punished."

"Wait please no bo-.!"

His words were cut short as his body spasmed and he fell to the ground, already dead as the death chip in his brain had been activated. The two other mercenaries started sweating and almost crying as they thought they would die, yet surprisingly they heard the voice speaking to them:

"Cortez, congratulations you've been promoted. The mission remains the same, find Natsuki Subaru… or else."

The former second in command of the group, now the captain looked down at his former bosses body and shivered as he replied curtly and the voice disconnected their exchange. Cortez looked down at his fried boss and hurriedly sent commands to the rest of the squad, not wanting to disappoint and get his brain fried as his former boss did.

(Scene Change)

He gasped and despaired, as he was at his limits, he didn't even feel the comfort of the shadows during the blazing sun as he exclaimed out loud:

"FUUCKK. That was such a shitty ass experience, what the hell am I supposed to do. I can't contact Satella for fear of getting every mercenary and yakuza to capture us, nor can I seem to get to a safe house we had prepared due to the incident that happened so many years ago. What am I going to do."

He felt slight despair, yet he was glad he hadn't been captured or apprehended, he felt that he would never see the light of the sun again if they had gotten his ass. He mused his thoughts out loud:

"Well, deadline said three days right? Shit I don't know if I can last that long, I need to find a place to lay low before I get to tired and fail to take into account anyone trying to nab me. Fuck, my parents must be worried, yet where the hell is the police force? Why have seemed to scatter like rodents in fear of a big hungry cat?"

His nonsense words made no sense to anyone but his lovely fiancée and George as they knew his Subarisms quite well. As he kept walking down he didn't notice a glinting object race to his face. He felt a burning sensation in the eye Kadomon had installed as the Oculus activated and immediately stated:

"Move head 3 centimeters to the left now or die master."

In surprise he felt almost as if the Oculus guided him and assisted his still befuddled mind in dodging what briefly glanced his cheek and it embedded itself into the wall, a faint trail of blood could be seen by the shallow cut the incredibly sharp knife had given him. In shock and fear he realized that knife had almost taken his life.

He gulped and steeled his nerves. For in front of him was a beautiful woman with a bewitching smile, yet not even her beauty could mask the disturbing and insane eyes she possessed. The assassin from Crimea, Elsa Greinheart made her late introductions by giggling:

"Ara Ara? It's quite a sight to see you at this time, last I heard you were already apprehended by Mama."

Subaru quickly tried to search for an exit, his Oculus working overtime as it considered pathways, hatches, and rooms. Yet it came blank for it analyzed the data and told Subaru.

"You have a margin of error greater than expected, chances of escape are 2.8% without outside help or interference.

"Fuck that's really bad odds." Subaru replied back subconsciously as he tried to think of a way. He considered his options and then said with a shallow smile:

"Hey Haven't you heard, I'm the golden goose of Neo-Shibuya, everyone else wants a piece of me, so come and have a go if you're tough enough."

He realized his mistake when the assassin smiled and replied with curved lips and a lustful expression, but not for the boy, but to see his inner organs:

"You wound my heart you know? I'm still a young woman after all, however I'm not here for the bounty. Someone already paid triple it's worth for the sole purpose of taking you out. That's why not even Mama can find out about this, or I'll get punished. Fufufu, I can't wait to see what color your guts are.

Without another word she dashed as she clenched her kukri blade, smiling like a maniac and Natsuki Subaru's zero chip started blooming into completion. Yet before it did a mighty shout was heard from an adolescent voice:

"ZERO IGNITION, TRIFORCE!"

Three rays of multiple colors struck Elsa as she got blown away. A trio of individuals landed and the girl of the three turned back and looked at Subaru as she cheerily exclaimed:

"Hiya, hehe we found ya before Julius, Ana owes me head pats!"

"Who the hell are these munchkins? And they seem to be demi humans genetically by the cat ears. Yet, they saved my life, I wouldn't be Natsuki Kenichi's son if I didn't know how to repay my gratitude."

Is what Subaru thought and he had a tired smile on his face as he said raising his thumb up:

"Hey guys, appreciate the assist, I almost saw Kami for a second. Who are you guys by the way?"

The trio were happy they had neutralized the target.

Mimi was looking up and down at Subaru as he seemed to be quite an amusing fellow to be around. Hetaro checked their stun guns and pulse rifles as the scanner on his eyes tried to locate any additional enemies. Finally, Hetaro was content that the mission had been a success.

Just as Mimi opened her mouth to reply, Subaru had a bad feeling as his Oculus warned him about impending danger and he shouted out as he realized what was occurring:

"She's not out for the count yet, WATCH OUT!"

Mimi was confused and was about to reply when Tivey and Hetaro brought her to the floor with them, not a second to late as a knife went to where Mimi's throat would've been. An irritated voice was heard:

"Zero Ignition, Cursed doll."

And before the eyes of the stunned triplets the injuries they had delivered to Elsa started healing quickly, her torn left shoulder and gaping chest wound were mended and fixed in no time. Patches of skin on her bloodied face seemed to wiggle like worms as they attached themselves back to how they were. Subaru's eyes widened as he thought:

"That's impossible, no cybernetics can do that. The most they can do is speed up recovery by five times, yet she cured her wounds nearly instantly. Who the fuck is this woman? I have a bad feeling about this."

Fully restored, Elsa smirked and intoned:

"Stamina increase, durability increase, speed doubled, agility increased. Well children this lady is ready to play with you."

And the trio took out their weapons as Hetaro shouted out to Subaru, who was frozen in fear and disbelief at Elsa monstrous strength:

"GO! GET OUT OF HERE. We got this, so just don't die! Our boss wants a word with you after all of this is said and done."

"Yeah bro, don't underestimate the Iron Fang company, ya hear me." Responded a fired up Mimi as she geared up to fight this enemy that was making her instincts tingle with danger.

"Hetaro, Mimi, Let's do the Valiant Eagle formation while I take point, and you support me." Said Tivey as he was also starting to analyze the possibilities and counter attacks they could unleash against the Crimean Assassin. He already started shooting his phaser rifle as Elsa dodged the attacks with speed and dexterity that didn't seem possible.

Subaru saw the steel in their eyes as they prepared for a fight with the death against the notorious assassin and replied as he ran away while feeling worthless and weak despite all his training:

'Fuck, don't die! I'll make sure to greet everyone and your boss later, just please don't fucking die for someone like me you rugrats!"

All three siblings bristled at the words, yet this wasn't the time as the fiercest battle began.

And Natsuki Subaru left as the trio confronted Elsa and explosions and maniacal laughter could be heard as Subaru cried and thought:

"Don't let someone die for my sake, please, please. Dammit it all, fuck this world for making me a prize trophy. I'll get revenge somehow, someway, I vow this on my family name!"

(Scene Change)

A person looking at a grid of monitors nine by nine (Meaning there are 18 monitors they are looking at) was rapidly looking through thousands of drone surveillance footage with an enhanced mind perfectly suited to the task.

They felt bored, yet restless. Their curiosity getting the better at them, their greed wanting nothing more than to find the most salacious target in existence, Natsuki Subaru. And extract every iota of information, whether the boy knew it or not, and find their destiny in the Sage's tower.

With a sip of a beverage that smelled like jasmine tea, they kept observing the ever increasing chaos of Neo-Shibuya, and smiled a fake smile, one that seemed to only exist to replicate human emotions. One that, in truth was nothing but a mask or façade for the individual, to pass through meeting actual individuals upon engaging in business.

They closed their eyes as they accessed with the cybernetics in their mind the current people that stood in their way. They analyzed petabytes of date in seconds, raiding through the supposedly secure servers of governments and organizations.

They processed, gleamed, and extracted all relevant information before finally, after which seemed like years for them but was less than 3 seconds they had the data in a concise, and practical manner. They reviewed it, extrapolated the data and came upon its conclusion.

Interpol, with that pesky yet determined woman in charge, Crusch Karsten who was in the city right now. She hindered their ability to act freely since they had to maintain a certain persona after all. They were a very important public person, so they couldn't let the Valkyrie quite yet snoop into what they've been doing.

Anyone else would've already been on the chopping block, or made into experiments where the subjects usually died, yet they learned so much from them they couldn't stop performing the heinous and vile research. It is for the sake of knowledge, after all. The pursuit of knowledge is their paramount to the world. The ultimate reason to keep the cold and frigid organ they call heart to keep beating. Who else they thought? Ah yes.

The mercenaries led by Cecilus Segmunt and the mastermind behind them, Vincent Vollachia. They adored Vincent's intelligence, it mirrored their own yet not quite matched up to it. How they would like to access the prodigious mind of Vincent, their fingers twitched as they imagined as scalpel in their hand, carefully and cheerfully humming Mozart as they opened up the brain of Vincent.

They didn't think this was an atrocious, repulsive, vile, horrifying, riveting action to commit. After all, they felt none of those emotions, merely curious to satiate their appetite of gaining information.

Before they let themselves become too engrossed in the idea of opening up the young man's head they kept analyzing:

He was too inexperienced, too novice, to know the true stakes in this game. To know what truly lay in the sage's tower. While they had no concrete idea, nor evidence to back up their theories, they had a faint inkling of suspicion of what lay in the sage's tower. Since they are one of only 6 people alive that have met the sage face to face before he pulled off his Houdini act and disappeared.

What an infuriating, complex man Flugel turned out to be. The only one they acknowledged as someone that may surpass their own intellect. While they weren't humble, nor arrogant, nor prideful, nor lustful, nor slothful, nor wrathful, nor gluttonous, nor dear god, envious, they were perhaps, greedy. And the man held secrets that could change the world as everyone knew it.

Furthermore, he had already proven he could wield miracles like a magician of the old, by accelerating and pioneering the new age of technology. The renaissance of an impeccable cyber society, how amazing this world is, they thought.

Yet, they quickly grew bored by the idea. What use is there is everything has already been discovered, if quantum physics has been perfected and bent to humankind just like the way they tamed fire. A novel idea, combustion via ignition depended on oxygen and heat to maintain its state. Yet, they grew bored of that idea as well. Their thoughts were all over the place as they usually run rampant when they are deeply immersed in their mind state. Where were they? Ah yes. The hindrances in their way.

Then there is this attack that even they didn't expect to occur, the public declaration of Natsuki Subaru and Natsuki Satella as personas non grata. An event they cannot foresee, is one that they usually cherish as their eyes sparkle with the excitement of a young child receiving a Christmas gift. However, they grew bored of the organization behind the attack. A certain platinum haired woman briefly crossed their mind before they grew bored of that too.

She observed a screen where two twins, one with pink hair and one with blue hair fought back to back against what seemed like low level mercenaries. Their eyes became dull since nothing here sparked their attention, yet right when they were about to flick the screen they saw someone that made their eyes sparkle with amusement, and curiosity.

A certain silver haired woman with amethyst eyes was wielding what seemed like the powers of the elements in her hands as with one she launched what seemed like fireballs and with the other icicles that looked positively frigid.

Their mind raced as they kept thinking:

"Dual wielding fire and ice? What is this cybernetic implant? Is this some cheap trick? Are wizards existing in the world once more? How ludicrous, how amusing."

Yet no, it seemed to be actual projectiles as they saw in real time the mercenaries screeching in pain, like wounded animals surprised that their prey could fight back. Their eyes grew pensive as they chuckled, the sound unfamiliar to them, as if they had never learned how to display their amusement.

As they kept observing it seemed like this witch could also use superhuman strength and launched foes twice her weight across the battlefield. This wasn't anything surprising to them, long used to what cybernetics can do to enhance the human body and sometimes transcend its limits.

The hypothesis was being created, the theory studied, the data analyzed, extracted, and viewed under dozens of different eyes as their mind raced until finally they reached the conclusion of their train of thought:

"An individual who can perform temperature manipulation. Yet, this is unheard of, the scale of power, the sheer ferocity with which such mercenaries are easily dealt with. Normally, individuals with these mental enhancements can only manipulate the temperature of their own body. However, this witch seems to be able to do so much more, it's almost like greedily reading old fantasy stories. Perhaps? Maybe? Do they possess a Zero Chip as well?"

Their eyes finally stopped looking dead and seemed to come to life as they've finally found a catalyst that can perhaps be used, in addition to Subaru to get what they want. The most surprising thing was how this woman looked just like Satella, a woman she had met several times under the guise of friendship.

They never saw neither Satella nor Subaru display any abnormalities as the people with zero chips can do, so they let them off only keeping faint interest in the black haired boy since it was rumored his father was good friends with the Sage.

These idle thoughts weren't their problem though, what was a good opportunity though, was the current chaos enveloping the city. They could perhaps strike two birds with one stone. As they kept on looking at Emilia they grew thoughtful:

"Hmmm, Satella and Emilia… The term doppelganger indeed comes to mind. Yet, there are billions of humans and more than one have near identical resemblance to some stranger in a stranger land. However, this resemblance is too uncanny, and the information of Satella not remembering her place of origin now her family tells quite a tall tale. Perhaps this is her identical sister, that would make their family interesting to study upon them. The idea of being too hasty with not evaluating Satella more thoroughly is quite vexing. However, there is always a chance to make up for my own follies. The game seems to once again have risen in scope and terms of reward. Mission is rather simple. Capture Subaru, capture this silver haired girl alongside Satella, and see what interesting tidbits of knowledge they have. Since I am never satiated, I'm starved, hungered for all kinds of information. I simply want to know everything and anything, all of it, will one day be mine."

They laugh out loud and with actual joy their lips curl in a smile as they cheerfully say out loud:

'Subaru I cannot wait to meet you, let this fair maiden take good care of you."

AN:

Well Hope this chapter was enjoyable and must I say it is awesome to be writing this again, it's been such a long time. I apologize for the short chapters but im trying to keep this format for now so I can handle my numerous fics and work's been crazy. Anyway, enjoy and leave reviews if you would like!