47

Last Alarm

Chapter 47

"Darkness Falls"

Part One

"When you are in the eye of the storm, you are often not aware of the whiplash around you."

_Hugh Bonneville

Location: Tokonosu City

Estate of Soichiro and Yuriko Takagi

Time: Mid-Afternoon

Spring 20XX

Z-Day plus Four

"Ji-Jimu-san, we shouldn't be doing this…." Shizuka said nervously, her lips visibly quivering as she spoke.

"Why not?" The American said in a syrupy voice as he gazed mischievously into Shizuka's eyes. "You did agree that it was a good idea, after all."

"I know…" Shizuka replied turning her gaze away from the man's gaze. "But now that I've had more time to think about it, it just doesn't feel right."

"What do you mean, Shizuka-san?" The American replied a slight look of disappointment clearly visible on his face.

"I mean, what will everyone say when they find out about what we did, Jimu-san?" Shizuka said her anxiety growing. "I mean, don't you think everyone might be even a little upset?"

"I don't see why…" Jim said smiling as he placed his hand comfortingly on Shizuka's shoulder. "It's not like we're doing anything wrong, you know."

"I know…." Shizuka said still visibly upset as she turned and gazed again into the man's face. "It's just that maybe we should have considered what everyone else would think before we decided to do this."

"Sensei…" The American said in a gentle tone in an effort to calm the school nurses' fears. "There is nothing wrong with what we're doing, and I doubt anyone would be that upset about it anyway, even if it was wrong."

"Besides…." The American added as Shizuka continued to fidget. "We're both mature, grown adults, so it's not like we need to ask for anyone's permission, you know."

"Hai…" Shizuka said nodding her head slightly as she lowered her eyes, obviously still not completely convinced by the man's words.

"Shizuka-chan…." Jim said placing his hand under Shizuka's chin and lifted it so that he was gazing into her face as he noticed the visible fear in Shizuka's eyes and saw that she was almost on the verge of tears.

"It'll be all right, Sensei….trust me." The American said gently as Shizuka wiped her eyes. "Believe me, no one is going to be upset over this."

"So quit worrying." Jim said as he reached over and gently hugged Shizuka as she suddenly felt her cheeks beginning to blush and her heart pounding against her chest at the man's embrace, as a sudden swell of emotion erupted in her, and she then struggled to push herself away from the big man.

"Jimu-san….I-I can't!" Shizuka cried out loud, her emotions overwhelming her as the American released her from his embrace as Shizuka stepped away from him, breathing heavily.

"I'm sorry Jimu-san….!" Shizuka said wiping her eyes as the American stared sadly at her. "But I don't feel right about this!"

"I understand hon…." Jim said nodding his head as he walked up and patted Shizuka gently on the shoulder to calm her.

"Tell you what…" The American said as a mischievous smile once again formed on his face. "You just relax, and I'll do everything myself so no one can blame you for what happened, okay?"

"Jimu-san!" Shizuka said in horror. "It's the same thing!"

"No it's not…" Jim said his eyes twinkling. "I'll take care of everything, and no one will blame you for what happened."

"Jimu-san!" Shizuka said exasperated. "How can they not say anything, when I'm right here doing it with you?!"

"Tell them you tried to stop me…." Jim replied casually as Shizuka's mouth dropped in shock. "And when I wouldn't take no for an answer, tell them I forced you."

"Jimu-san…!" Shizuka shouted as the American immediately tried to shush her, her voice echoing loudly. "What makes you think anyone would believe something like that?!"

"I'm a gaijin American barbarian from Texas…" Jim said sarcastically in response. "And from what I've heard, pretty much everyone around the world believes that all Americans are rude, uncouth jerks who have no moral standards whatsoever, so believing I forced you shouldn't be a problem."

"Jimu-san, that's not fair!" Shizuka said looking hurt. "That's not how any of us feel about you."

"I know…." Jim said the smile returning to his face. "That's why I feel that this is the right thing to do."

"I-I can't, Jimu-san…" Shizuka said shaking her head and looking as if she were about to burst into tears again. "I-I just don't feel right about this."

"You know, you're really making a big deal over nothing, Sensei…." Jim said growing exasperated as he lifted his hand and reached towards Shizuka. "Trust me, it'll be alright."

"I can't, Jimu-san….I can't!" Shizuka said on the verge of bursting into tears. "I can't do this!"

"Now you're just being silly, Shizuka…" Jim said still reaching towards the school nurse. "C'mon, you'll laugh about this later."

"Jimu-san please don't do this!" Shizuka said pleading as the man froze and his eyes narrowed. "Please, I'm begging you….stop!"

"Fine…" The American said taking a step threateningly towards Shizuka. "I'll just do this the hard way."

"Jimu-san, please no….don't do this…please! " Shizuka wailed as the American took another step towards her and she instinctively threw up her hands in front of Jim to stop him. "You mustn't do this…..please!"

"Geez Shizuka, have you always been this much of a drama queen?!" The American said crossly as he stood directly in front of Shizuka with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

"I can't help it!" Shizuka said tears falling down her face. "I've never felt so strongly against anything like this before!"

"Oh brother, what law is there in Japan that says we can't do this?" The American said as he took another step towards the distraught woman.

"Jimu-san, please don't….NO!" Shizuka said horrified as Jim lifted his hand up and reached towards her again.

"For pity's sake, will you calm down Shizuka?!" Jim said shaking his head. "Geez, I've never seen a grown woman make such a fuss over such a small thing."

"IT'S NOT A SMALL THING JIMU_SAN!" Shizuka shouted as the American froze again in mid-step. "Things like this are taken very seriously!"

"Whatever…" Jim said rolling his eyes as he took another step towards Shizuka.

"JIMU-SAN…!" Shizuka said suddenly angry as she lifted up both of her hands and placed them on Jim's chest. "I WON'T LET YOU DO THIS!"

"You really don't have much choice at this point, dearie…" The American said pushing against her.

"No, Jimu-san….NO!" Shizuka said as she attempted to shove Jim away as the big man merely rolled his eyes again and shook his head at the much smaller woman's pathetic attempts to restrain him.

"Will you frickin' get a grip, Shizuka…?!" Jim said with annoyance as he effortlessly pushed Shizuka's arms away.

"Jimu-san!" Shizuka said as she lunged against the American again and wrapped her arms around his waist. "You can't do this, it isn't right!"

"Just what the hell is so wrong with what I'm doing, Shizuka?" Jim said as he reached around and pried Shizuka's wrists off his waist.

"Be-because Jimu-san…." Shizuka said the tears flowing freely from her eyes as she glared angrily at the large man.

"Because what?" Jim said staring in annoyance at the school nurse who continued to act as if the entire world was falling apart.

"Because…because….!" Shizuka stammered as all her pent up emotions finally exploded all at once.

"BECAUSE SHIMANNTO GAWA NO KAORI RICE WAS NEVER MEANT TO BE COOKED THIS WAY, JIMU-SAN!" Shizuka wailed loudly as the American rolled his eyes again and then effortlessly pushed past the school nurse and grabbed a large measuring cup of the fragrant rice sitting on the counter behind her and threw it into a large pan where a small amount of minced garlic and chopped onions were already cooking in oil.

And then as Shizuka continued to watch in horror, the American then proceeded to stir-fry the rice until it turned a golden brown before he added several large measuring cups of water as well as large amounts of tomato sauce, chicken stock, and other spices before covering the pot with a lid so that the entire concoction could simmer.

"Don't worry sweetie, there's nothing to be scared about." The American said soothingly to Alice standing quietly nearby who had been observing the entire spectacle with eyes as big as saucers, not comprehending at all what had the school nurse so distraught, nor able to understand what the big man was telling her either.

"Apparently, your Shizuka oba-chan just doesn't like the way I make Spanish rice, is all." The big man said sarcastically as Alice watched "Oba-chan" suddenly whirl around and glare angrily at the man.

"Jimu-san, that's not the point!" Shizuka said with a huff. "It's just that rice that you are cooking is the most expensive rice in all of Japan, and not only are you not making it properly, you're making enough to feed a small army!"

"Nothing but the best for our friends, neh, Sensei?" Jim said chuckling to himself at Shizuka's discomfort. "Should taste better than any other batch of Spanish rice I've ever cooked before then, if that's the case."

"Demo…..AAAAAAUGH!" Shizuka said throwing her hands up in the air completely exasperated as the American chuckled again at her frustration as he reached over and opened the lid of another pot as a loud cloud of steam escaped and a wonderful aroma filled the kitchen as the American began to stir the contents bubbling within with a large spoon.

"Mmmmm….smells good huh, Alice?" Jim said ignoring Shizuka's hissy fit as he removed the spoon from the pot and blew on the contents of the spoon to cool it before taking a taste and then offering some to the wide-eyed girl.

"And that's another thing, Jimu-san…!" Shizuka snapped at Jim, still angry with him. "Don't you realize that what you're cooking in that other pot is actually, wagyu beef?"

"Wagyu beef?" The American said cocking an eyebrow. "Is that good or bad?"

"It's one of the most expensive varieties of beef in Japan, Jimu-san!" Shizuka said growing even more exasperated at the man's apparent ignorance. "Just 500 grams of it sells for 6500 yen!"

"Wow….that much, huh?" Jim said feigning ignorance as he flashed a wink at Alice who looked on nervously as he offered her another spoonful of food. "Sounds like a lot of money."

"It is!" Shizuka said pointing at all the empty butcher paper lying on the countertop. "And you've used up more than five kilos worth!"

"Well, I am feeding a lot of people, remember….?" Jim said calmly as Shizuka's eyes narrowed in response.

"Jimu-san, don't you think you should have asked someone first, before you decided to cut up all of that wagyu beef in order to make beef stew?!" Shizuka said hotly.

"This is a Tejano dish called carne guisada Shizuka-san, not beef stew….." Jim said rolling his eyes intentionally to further agitate the school nurse. "And unlike beef stew, carne guisada doesn't have any vegetables in it."

"And yes, I asked Yuriko and the head chef if I could use any of the ingredients here in the kitchen…." The American said shaking his head. "You honestly think I'm that dumb that I would just break into the Takagi's kitchen without their knowledge, and do whatever I want?"

"Yes I do, Jimu-san!" Shizuka said throwing her hands up in the air as the man gave her a dirty look. "And even if you did ask Yuriko-san for permission first, how do you think she is going to react when she finds out that you're making a meal worth thousands of yen?"

"Um….thanks for doing all the cooking tonight, Jimu-san?" The American said sarcastically as Shizuka glared at him.

"That's not funny Jimu-san!" Shizuka practically screamed as the man shook his head and offered Alice another spoonful of food. "What happens if no one even likes it?!"

"Well, Alice seems to like it…don't you sweetie?" Jim said daubing some gravy off Alice's chin with a napkin as Alice licked her lips and then stared nervously at the visibly irritated school nurse and the big man she called "Ojii-chan" who seemed oblivious of "Oba-chan's" anger, both of the adults behaving the same way her mother and father used to act when they were arguing with each other.

"Well, actually mama would be doing all the yelling…" Alice thought to herself as she remembered how her father on the other hand, would always just smile as her mother scolded him until her mother would eventually begin to cry, her anger spent.

And then Alice remembered how her father would then hug her mother and apologize for upsetting her and then begin to console her, promising never to fight again.

Until the next time, that is.

And just like all the fights that had ever occurred between her parents, the situation now was the same as the big man merely smiled mischievously and continued stirring the tasty food he was cooking while "Oba-chan" continued to scold him.

But upon noticing the scared look on Alice's face, the big man suddenly winked at Alice and made a face showing that he was actually just playing with "Oba-chan" as Alice then began to giggle in response.

"Ojii-chan, you're funny…" Alice said as the big man reached up and playfully squeezed her on the cheek. "…and a little weird."

"I'm sure everyone will like it, Shizuka…" Jim said as he turned to face Shizuka again after comforting Alice and then suddenly burst into laughter at the angry look on the woman's face.

"WHAT IS SO FUNNY, JIMU-SAN?!" Shizuka snapped angrily as the man immediately tried to calm her down.

"Take it easy Shizuka, if the others hear us in here you're gonna spoil the surprise…" The American said trying to shush the angry school nurse as Shizuka fumed.

"Well, what are you laughing at, Jimu-san?!" Shizuka hissed. "You think upsetting me this way is funny?!"

"No, no….." The American said back-pedaling in order to calm Shizuka's fury. "But now that you mention it, it just occurred to me that perhaps the spices I'm using might actually have an adverse effect on some of ya'll if none of you have ever eaten Tex-Mex food before."

"What do you mean?" Shizuka said the anger in her face immediately disappearing and quickly being replaced with a look of concern. "Is it really spicy?"

"Not really…" Jim replied with a hint of a smile on his face as he closed the lid on the large pot of carne guisada and then opened the lid of another large pot boiling on another burner. "I try not to make the food I cook too spicy, mostly because if I did, it would take away the natural flavor of the food."

"Oh, well in that case, that should be fine." Shizuka said blowing a sigh of relief. "We Japanese are used to spicy foods like curry, so if it's not any spicier than that, no one should get sick then."

"Oh, I wasn't worried about anyone getting sick, Shizuka-san…." Jim said a broad grin once again forming on his face. "The spices I've used aren't hot enough to do that."

"But they might have a little "side-effect", however…" Jim said as he stirred the contents simmering in the large pot he was standing in front of.

"Side-effect…what kind of side-effect are you talking about, Jimu-san?" Shizuka asked the worried frown she had earlier, returning on her face.

"Oh, nothing much…." Jim said his eyes twinkling as he winked again at Alice and then reached for a large green bottle and unscrewed the top. "Maybe just a slight touch of indigestion, perhaps."

"You mean like acid reflux?" Shizuka said as Jim unscrewed the cap on the bottle. "Someone might actually get that sick?"

"Oh no, nothing like that." Jim said stirring the contents of the pot again.

"Nope, it ain't that end of the body anyone has to worry about…." Jim said mischievously in a low voice so Shizuka wouldn't overhear as he poured the entire contents of the green bottle into the pot as the school nurse's eyes suddenly once again went wide in shock.

"Jimu-san!" Shizuka said in horror. "Why did you pour that entire bottle of sake into the beans?"

"Beer is one of the main ingredients for frijoles borrachos, Shizuka-san..." Jim replied as he stirred the mixture of pinto beans, assorted spices, and sake simmering in the pot. "But seeing as how all they have here in the kitchen is sake, I'll just have to make do with what I have."

"Don't worry Sensei, the alcohol cooks off as it simmers, so there's no danger of anyone getting drunk off of this if that's what you're worried about…" The American said as he chuckled at the angry expression on the school nurse's face.

"You're sure nothing's going to happen to anyone who eats this, then, Jimu-san?" Shizuka said suspiciously as she watched the man continue to gleefully pour the entire contents of the large bottle into the pot as the man suddenly snickered.

Unbeknownst to the school nurse, Shizuka had not yet realized that the sake the American was cooking with was actually the most expensive bottle of sake he could find in the Takagi's wine cellar which normally sold for at least 50,000 yen a bottle on the Japanese market.

And it was all the American could do to not roar with laughter as Shizuka continued to eye him suspiciously.

"You worry too much, Sensei…" The American said stifling a laugh as he tossed the empty bottle into the trash bin and then picked up a large spoon and began to stir the pot of beans. "Don't worry, no one's going to explode by eating this."

"At least, not in one manner of speaking…" Jim mumbled to himself as he continued to stir the large pot of beans with an extremely large grin on his face.

Location: Estate of Soichiro and Yuriko Takagi

Personal Study of Soichiro Takagi

Time: Mid-Afternoon

Spring 20XX

Z-Day Plus Four

As he gazed over the American mercenary's weapons still lying on display upon the large tables in his study, Soichiro Takagi inhaled deeply and tried to calm himself, the stress and fatigue from the recent events of the past four days beginning to take its toll as the Lord of Takagi Manor tried to focus on keeping his emotions in check.

Dealing with the effects of the Outbreak as well as seeing to the welfare of the survivors camped on the grounds of his home as well as everything else that had occurred after the arrival of the American mercenary and his small party on the grounds of Takagi Manor had nearly pushed Soichiro Takagi to the limits of his sanity.

And now this…

To Soichiro Takagi, it seemed that the dust had barely settled from the latest disaster to hit the Takagi Household that had threatened the lives of his entire family, before the Lord of Takagi Manor and his wife now found themselves once again dealing with a crisis within the confines of their own home.

This time however, there seemed to be no visible solution to this particular dilemma, and Saya's father now found himself quickly running out of options on how to deal with this extremely delicate, and also, very personal matter.

And as the young girl sitting next to his wife continued to stubbornly resist all efforts to listen to reason, the Lord of Takagi Manor also found himself quickly running out of patience as well.

The strange "father-daughter" relationship that had developed between the American mercenary and the Japanese teen had raised many an eyebrow at Takagi Manor, but it was the pair's fierce dedication to each other to the point of violence that had been of most major concern, especially in the way the Takagi Household itself had been directly affected, with several of Soichiro Takagi's men having been injured as well as the Matriarch of the Takagi House having been threatened at knifepoint, as well.

"And then Doi-san…." Soichiro said under his breath bitterly at the memory of the loss of one of his most loyal staff members as well as one of his closest friends, who had been accidentally infected by the Contagion at the hands of the American.

Yet despite his grief at the loss of his friend, Soichiro Takagi had eventually come to realize that all the calamity that had occurred had all been a tragic mistake, and eventually he had dismissed the violent actions of the American mercenary and the teenage girl as purely a case of self-defense.

Still, the strong bond forming between the man in his mid-forties and the young girl not yet out of her teenage years, had still been cause for concern.

And from Soichiro and his wife's viewpoint, no matter how platonic the relationship, there was little doubt in their minds that the pair's continued association with each other would only lead to more tragedy and heartbreak.

And so in an effort to avoid any further emotional harm to the daughter of his mentor, Hiroyuki Busujima, the Lord of Takagi Manor had then urged his wife Yuriko and the school nurse to quietly confer with the American privately and convince him to sever all ties with Saeko Busujima as well as with all of the other teenage survivors in his group, in the hope that any emotional damage to them could thus be avoided.

The results however, had been disastrous.

Instead of the American peacefully severing his ties with the children, things had instead turned ugly, with the end result being that the children, including his own daughter, had then attempted to secretly slip over the walls of the mansion and attempt to search for the families of the other teens in the city on their own.

The reckless attempt by the teens to run away had been shocking enough as it was, but it was the sight of his own daughter Saya standing there with her friends staring at him with hate-filled eyes that had been the ultimate act of betrayal as far as the Lord of Takagi Manor was concerned, and his anger at the teens had nearly resulted in things almost getting completely out of hand if not for the sudden intervention of the American who managed to calm the extremely volatile situation….albeit by holding everyone at gunpoint.

Later, when tempers had cooled and it seemed that the volatile situation had been settled amicably, the Takagi House had then been rocked again with another near disaster when the refugees dwelling on the grounds of his own home suddenly rioted, threatening the lives of his family as well as his entire staff.

And all seemed to be lost if not again for the clumsy, unorthodox intervention of the American and the young girl Saeko Busujima, who by some miracle managed to end the near disaster before it began by exposing the actual instigator of the riot, a former schoolteacher, whom was immediately expelled off the grounds of Takagi Manor along with his young entourage.

So relieved was he at having averted another near disaster, that the Lord of Takagi Manor had not paid any attention when the mercenary when the American had made the remark about Saeko Busujima as being "his daughter" when the man was taunting the instigator of the riot, who coincidentally just happened to be the son of one of his political rivals.

The Matriarch of Takagi Manor however, had overheard the American's remark, and the alarm bells ringing in the back of Yuriko's mind had pushed her maternal instincts into overdrive as she later confronted the daughter of Hiroyuki Busujima on the subject, who finally admitted her acceptance of the American's offer to adopt her as his own child, much to Yuriko's shock.

As a result of this shocking revelation, for over two agonizing hours now both the Lord and Lady of Takagi Manor had then been locked in a battle of wills with the young high school student sitting stoically in the middle of the room as they tried desperately to reason with the stubborn young woman of the possible consequences of her decision, all to no avail.

And now as Soichiro Takagi tried to calm himself, he couldn't help but think bitterly at the fact that despite his many years of experience in the art of diplomacy in dealing with heads of State and foreign diplomats of many nations who had often challenged his patience at times, never had he failed to come to a peaceful accord with anyone….until now.

"She most certainly is her father's child." Soichiro grumbled under his breath bitterly as his thoughts turned to memories of his old kenjutsu teacher which in turn, then resulted in his bitterness towards the American mercenary to return.

And despite the fact that there were no family ties between him and the young girl sitting quietly before him, Soichiro Takagi was no less livid than if some penniless, middle-aged, drunken suitor had suddenly burst into his home and demanded his own daughter Saya's hand in marriage.

"So your decision is final then, Busujima-san?" Soichiro said crisply as he stood with his hands clasped behind his back staring blankly at the American's array of weapons and equipment before him.

"Hai, Takagi-sama…" Saeko replied calmly, intentionally avoiding Yuriko's gaze as the Matriarch of the Takagi House sat quietly next to her as she closely scrutinized Saeko for even the smallest flicker of weakness in the girl's resolve.

But to her dismay, Yuriko Takagi could find absolutely no chink in the teenage girl's armor, the strength in Saeko's face and in her words as strong and unyielding as her conviction as Yuriko finally sighed in frustration, knowing that she shouldn't have been surprised by the girl's resolve based upon her own experience with the stubborn teen back at the condo where the daughter of Hiroyuki Busujima had held her and her men off from killing the American with merely a knife.

But as she gazed upon the young woman sitting before her so determined to walk a path that seemed doomed to lead to even more heartbreak and tragedy, Yuriko's instincts as a mother refused to allow her to give up on the stubborn teen, although after over two hours of exhaustive debate, it now seemed to Yuriko that nothing short of restraining the girl by force would keep her from taking a path that would only lead to her doom.

And like any mother dealing with a stubborn child that would not listen to reason, Yuriko's patience, like that of her husband, was almost at an end.

And like most parents dealing with a difficult teen, if patience and kind words didn't work….then.

"Saeko-chan…!" Yuriko snapped barely able to keep her own frustration with the stubborn teen in check. "You cannot be serious, even after everything we've said, you are still determined to go with this man?!"

"I am, Takagi-sama…" Saeko said lifting her eyes as she quickly glanced over at Soichiro whose back was still turned towards her, and then gazed back at Yuriko who looked like she was about to explode.

"If my father has indeed become a casualty of this horror, then there are no family ties left for me here in Japan..." Saeko said as she noticed Saya's father's body stiffen out of the corner of her eye.

"And that being the case..." Saeko said keeping her voice neutral despite her own nerves being shot after the hours of debating her decision with Saya's parents. "Then after we have helped my friends find their families, it is my intention to leave Japan and live in America with Jimu-san as his daughter."

"So you would intentionally be willing to leave everything including your birthright, your culture, and your family name…eh, Busujima-san?" Soichiro said a hard edge noticeable in his voice. "Everything that makes you so unique you would willingly part with, in order to live amongst foreigners who have no respect for our ways?"

"My father trained me in Bushido, as he did you, Takagi-sama…." Saeko replied keeping her cool, her face set in grim determination. "The ways of the warrior will always remain with me, and will always be a focus in my life, even if others around me do not understand our ways."

"But as I've explained before…" Saeko said staring straight ahead. "Jimu-san is not unfamiliar with Bushido, and I have explained how much respect he has for our ways, even if he walks another path."

"I'm sure he respects our ways as much as can be expected, from any foreigner…" Soichiro spat with unmistakable contempt in his voice. "Still I question Trevino-san's forcing you to leave everything your real father has built for you just so he can fulfill his own dream of pretending to be your father."

"I love my father dearly, and I always will…"Saeko said curtly as the anger she felt at Soichiro Takagi's remark beginning to overwhelm her. "And if he is still alive then no one would be happier than I to see him alive and well."

"But if he is not…" Saeko said her eyes beginning to tear as she quickly looked away in an effort to compose herself.

"Living life as the daughter of a mercenary is hardly the ideal setting for an honorable young woman from such a distinguished family as yourself Busujima-san." Soichiro interrupted before Saeko could compose herself. "And it stands to reason that if Trevino-san really cared for you, then he would realize that his current profession makes it virtually impossible for him to fully devote himself to the responsibility of raising a child."

"Jimu-san told me that because of all that's happened, his working as a mercenary has ended, Takagi-sama…." Saeko said heatedly as Soichiro turned his head slightly towards her in response. "His only concern now is helping my friends and I to find our families and of course, try to make contact with his comrades, as well as own family in America."

"Oh?'' Soichiro said turning completely around as he cast a quick glance over at Yuriko. "When did he say this?'

"When he and I spoke after all of you returned to the mansion earlier, before the riot…" Saeko said with a slight smile on her face as her cheeks blushed. "It was then when he asked me if I would consider returning with him to Texas, as his daughter."

"And you truly believe him, Saeko-chan?" Yuriko said feeling very much as if she were living her worst nightmare and watching her own daughter Saya, sitting there before her and making the worst possible mistake in her life.

"Hai, Takagi-sama." Saeko replied as Yuriko felt her own heart was beginning to break at Saeko's words.

"And just how do you think the two of you will live, child?!" Yuriko said exasperated as she struggled to keep from screaming at the headstrong teen in frustration. "What possible assets can that man possibly have to be able to take care of you both if everything he knows is not lying in ruins like the rest of the world?!"

"I do not know, Takagi-sama…" Saeko replied biting her lip as Yuriko desperately resisted the urge to jump out of her seat and grab Saeko by the shoulders and shake her.

"But all things considered, I doubt life anywhere would be the same as it was before…' Saeko continued her words sounding almost desperate. "But surely life in America with Jimu-san as his adopted daughter would be much preferable than life here in Japan with no one at all."

"Perhaps…"Soichiro said gruffly realizing that his wife was nearly on the brink of losing it with the stubborn teen. "But Japan is your home, and your roots are here."

"To take you away from all that you've known to a country where the people place no value on anything but their own greed…." Soichiro added an angry sneer forming on his face as Saeko balled her hands into fists.

"Hardly the life I believe your real father, ever intended for you." Soichiro spat as Saeko's eyes blazed at his scoff.

"Honor, loyalty, and courage are not traits exclusive to Japan, Takagi-sama…" Saeko replied stiffly as Soichiro frowned in irritation. "Such noble traits can be found in people of all nations, and of all cultures."

"Indeed…." Soichiro admitted grudgingly a small part of him admiring the girl's strength despite her misguided devotion to the American. "But the past actions of this man whom you now choose to look up to now as "Father", leaves me most concerned about your welfare."

"Jimu-san is a good person, Takagi-sama…" Saeko replied coolly, trying with all her might not to be intimidated by the efforts of Saya's parents to sway her. "You have not seen …."

"I HAVE SEEN ENOUGH!" Soichiro suddenly snapped angrily as he slammed his hand down on the table next to him, his frustration with the girl's stubbornness finally overwhelming him as Saeko and Yuriko both flinched at his outburst.

"The man is a menace…!" Soichiro continued his voice like thunder. "He is reckless, foolhardy, and I have seen absolutely nothing that would lead me to believe that he is worthy of this blind devotion you have for him!"

"Already his actions have put my family at risk more than once...!" Soichiro continued as he glared at Saeko. "And if not for saving my daughter's life and also for my wife's intervention, that man's fate would have been the same as Doi-san's!"

"He is extremely fortunate that we live in more forgiving times…" Soichiro continued as he reflexively ran his thumb over the tsuba of his katana, his meaning all too clear.

"This man whom you are so mistakenly devoted to is of the lowest order Busujima-san, and your life with him would be filled with pain and hardship….!" Soichiro continued his voice still thundering. "And neither I nor your real father would ever wish for you to endure such suffering!"

"The man is not worthy of your devotion to him, Busujima-san…!" Soichiro said the contempt in his voice palpable. "And I strongly suggest that you reconsider your decision before it's too la_!"

"I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU THINK!" Saeko suddenly shouted angrily as Yuriko gasped at Saeko's unexpected burst of anger as well as the sudden change in the girl's demeanor, her face no longer calm and serene, but now a mask of pain and unbridled fury.

"You know nothing about Jimu-san!" Saeko continued as angry tears fell down her cheeks. "You truly think that just because he's an American that he's incapable of being a good father?!"

"Saeko-chan!" Yuriko snapped hoping to halt the storm about to be unleashed between her husband and the angry teen. "Calm down child, that's not what my husband mea…!"

"I AM NOT A CHILD!" Saeko shrieked as Yuriko flinched at Saeko's outburst as the teen jumped up from her chair and glared furiously at the two adults as she stood there breathing heavily for a few moments before finally regaining her composure.

"I am not a child…" Saeko said icily as she wiped the tears from her face and glared angrily back and forth at Saya's parents. "And I am insulted by the way this family has insisted on treating me as such."

"Jimu-san is a good man…" Saeko continued, the air chilling around her as she spoke. "And if you had been with us when we were alone out there, you would know that too."

"But neither of you were there…" Saeko continued. "So neither of you would know anything about that."

"But that doesn't matter to any of you…" Saeko said turning her angry gaze towards Soichiro Takagi. "All you can see is your own hate for him."

"Jimu-san treated all of us, and not just myself, as if we were his own children…" Saeko added as she turned her angry gaze back towards Yuriko. "And even more, he has treated my friends and I with kindness, dignity, and respect."

"Which is more than I can say about anyone in this house." Saeko snapped as Yuriko gasped at her rudeness.

"And if not for him, not one of us would still be alive, including your own daughter, Takagi-dono." Saeko said lowering her voice as she gazed angrily at Saya's father.

"I love my father…." Saeko continued as she glared furiously at Saya's father. "And I always will, even if all I have now are my memories of him."

"But just because I chose to leave my home in Japan, does not mean that the person that I am inside, will be lost." Saeko added. "Nor does my becoming the adopted daughter of a man from a foreign land mean that I am demeaning myself by doing so."

"If Jimu-san wishes to adopt me as his child..." Saeko said proudly gazing back at Yuriko. "Then I would consider it a great honor to become his daughter."

"Are you absolutely sure that his interest in you is as his daughter, Busujima-san?" Soichiro suddenly interrupted, the contempt still present in his voice. "Or perhaps….. something else, entirely?"

"Something else, entirely?" Saeko asked her eyes narrowing in response. "What do you mean by that?"

"You are, after all, a very beautiful young woman…" Soichiro replied letting his words hang in the air dramatically for a long moment.

"And it wouldn't be the first time a man of Jimu-san's age had enticed an innocent young woman such as yourself to leave with him under false pretenses." Soichiro added with a sneer as Saeko gasped in shock at his meaning and then suddenly felt her whole body begin to shake with rage.

"If that is what you believe, then you truly have no idea what you are talking about, Takagi-sama….!" Saeko said her voice seething with rage as she resisted the urge to rush Saya's father and pummel him with her bare fists.

"The only crime Jimu-san is guilty of is expressing his desire to adopt me as his daughter if my father is no longer alive, so that I will not be left alone in this world…!" Saeko continued her voice filled with a mixture of pain and anger at Soichiro's words. "And for that act of loving kindness I have heard nothing but accusations and insults from the both of you for the past two hours!"

"And now that you've made it perfectly clear how you feel about my desire to accept Jimu-san's proposal…." Saeko said lowering her voice as she stared defiantly at Saya's parents.

"Then I see no reason to continue this conversation any further…" Saeko said with unmistakable contempt. "Especially since there's no need for me to justify my decision to either one of you since you have no legal rights or responsibilities towards me in the first place…"

"And personally, I can no longer stand to listen to the hypocritical rants of those whose relationship with their own daughter has proven to be nothing short of a spectacular failure." Saeko spat as Yuriko's hand instinctively lashed out to slap the stubborn teen across the face.

But just as Yuriko's hand was about to make contact with the girl's cheek, Saya's mother suddenly gasped as she felt her husband's steely fingers grab her wrist, preventing her hand from making contact as she saw her husband then turn to face Saeko, his eyes blazing as he prepared to vent his full fury at the stubborn teen.

But just as the Lord of Takagi Manor was about to explode at the young woman with the full force of his wrath, he suddenly and unexpectedly…froze.

And for a long moment the room was deathly silent as Yuriko Takagi braced herself for the verbal onslaught that was sure to come from her husband's mouth in response to the daughter of Hiroyuki's Busujima's flagrant insult directed towards her husband and herself.

But to her surprise, the expected tongue-lashing never occurred as Yuriko watched in shock as her husband's shoulders suddenly seemed to droop and the fire seemed to completely disappear from his eyes.

"Soichiro-san?" Yuriko said concerned at the sudden change in her husband's behavior. "Are you alright?"

"Saeko-chan…." Soichiro said in a low voice ignoring his wife as he released his grip on her wrist, as Yuriko's eyes went wide at her husband suddenly addressing Saeko so informally as well as the sudden change in the man who now seemed to have aged one hundred years in an instant.

"Forgive me…." Soichiro began in an extremely humble tone as Saeko and Yuriko's jaws both dropped in shock. "I spoke out of anger, and my words were excessively harsh and most inappropriate."

"And I do wish you to know that I truly have nothing against, Trevino-san either…" Soichiro added apologetically as Saeko fidgeted slightly in her seat. "And I wish to humbly apologize for the extremely cruel things I said about him as well."

"But please try to understand…" Soichiro went on as Saeko and Yuriko listened dumbstruck at Soichiro Takagi's unexpected display of humility. "It is not just out of a sense of loyalty towards your father that my wife and I are concerned about your welfare."

"We have known you since were born, Saeko-chan…" Soichiro continued. "And we have watched you grow into a very fine young woman whom my wife and I have become very fond of."

"And it is that affection that we have for you, Saeko-chan…" Soichiro said his voice sounding unusually emotional. "Which is the reason for our concern over your welfare, and why we would like you to consider remaining here as part of our family, and not because of any personal issues we may have with your American friend."

"Although I must admit, he is rather unorthodox in his way of parenting…" Soichiro said with a slight smile on his face as Saeko and Yuriko smiled nervously in return.

"I agree, he is…different." Saeko said blushing suddenly feeling embarrassed at her earlier outburst and wishing she could just disappear.

"However, I believe…" Saeko began but was interrupted by a sudden knock on the door to Soichiro Takagi's study.

"Enter!" Soichiro said irritably returning back to his gruff self as the door opened and a thin young woman in her early twenties who was dressed in a maid's uniform entered the room and then bowed nervously.

"Hai, Michiko-chan….what is it?" Yuriko asked as the young maid stood up and then glanced nervously at everyone.

"Well?!" Soichiro thundered, his agitation at the interruption growing.

"Forgive me for interrupting, Takagi-sama….." Michiko said nervously bowing her head again to Soichiro and Yuriko. "But the American wished me to relay to all of you that dinner will be ready by five o'clock this afternoon."

"Michiko-san, would you please tell Trevino-san that we won't_." Yuriko began as her husband suddenly raised his hand.

"Iye, it's all right, Michiko-san…." Soichiro said waving his hand wearily. "Please give our thanks to Trevino-san for all his efforts, and please also let him know that we will all be gathered together in the dining room promptly at six o'clock this evening."

"Hai, Takagi-dono." Michiko said with a bow as she turned and then silently walked out the door.

"Busujima-san…" Soichiro said turning back towards Saeko and speaking to her again in an uncharacteristically polite tone. "Perhaps we should continue this discussion later this evening after we've all had our meal."

"And I think it best…" Soichiro continued before Saeko could utter a word. "That it would be behoove of Trevino-san to join us as well."

"For obvious reasons, there are some things we would like to discuss with the both of you…" Soichiro added. "And perhaps when we've had a chance to enjoy each other's company, we can discuss all further matters concerning both of your future's together in a more ah,….relaxed atmosphere."

"Ha-hai…Takagi-sama." Saeko said still slightly taken aback by the sudden change in Saya's father as she stood up from her chair and prepared to leave.

"Very well then…" Soichiro said with a tired smile on his face as he gestured his hand towards the door. "Until later then, my dear?"

"Hai, Takagi-sama." Saeko said bowing politely before turning and quietly walking out the door.

"Soichiro-san, is there something wrong?" Yuriko asked as the door closed behind Saeko with a soft "click" as her husband then let out a long, tired sigh.

"Unfortunately, I'm afraid the answer to your question my dear is… yes." The Lord of Takagi Manor said bluntly as Yuriko gazed at her husband with great concern as she rose from her chair.

"What is it?" Yuriko asked, the alarm bells going off in her head.

"I do believe that we came dangerously close to losing any possible chance of ever making Busujima-sensei's daughter give up on this insane plan to live in the United States with that man." Soichiro replied gazing at his wife with a troubled look on his brow.

"And I'm extremely worried that if we don't tread very carefully from now on…" Soichiro added with a heavy sigh. "We may just very well lose her forever."

"What makes you say that, Soichiro-san?" Yuriko said walking up to her husband and staring him in the face as he then turned to gaze at the door as if transfixed.

"I saw it in her eyes…" Soichiro replied as a look of sadness came over his face.

"What do you mean?" Yuriko said placing her hands comfortingly on her husband's chest.

"Anger, bitterness, and hate…" Soichiro continued as Yuriko gazed worriedly into her husband's eyes. "Her eyes were filled with it, and nothing else."

"And I realized then that if I had spoken out of anger to her at that moment…." Soichiro added as he walked over to his desk and picked up a small photograph encased in a gold frame and stared at it. "Then her anger and resentment towards us would only escalate even more and she would never believe that we were only trying to help her."

"She may resent us for a little while, dear husband…." Yuriko said walking up next to her husband's side as she glanced quickly at the photograph in her Soichiro's hand and frowned. "But that doesn't mean that she wouldn't have eventually realized later that we truly were only concerned about her welfare."

"No, my dear…" Soichiro said shaking his head sadly. "I am most certain that we would have lost her."

"Why are you so convinced of that, Soichiro-san?" Yuriko said anxiously as her husband then turned and gazed into her face as Yuriko gasped in alarm at the hollow look she saw in his eyes.

"Because I've made that very same mistake before…." Soichiro replied with a heavy sigh as he stared blankly upon the image of his own daughter Saya taken when she was ten years old, wearing a smile he had not seen in ages.

"And not a day goes by when it doesn't pain me deeply whenever I gaze upon Saya's face…" Soichiro said as Yuriko placed her hands on her husband's left arm comfortingly.

"And all I see is that same look of hatred in my own child's eyes." The Lord of Takagi Manor said sadly as he ran his fingers over the image of Saya's smiling face.

Time: Mid-Afternoon

Z-Day Plus Four

Current Location: Classified

U.S.S Bonhomme Richard aka "Bonnie Dick" (LHD-6),

WASP-Class Amphibious Assault Ship/Commando Carrier,

Current Speed: 20 knots

Heading: Tokonosu Island Airport

On the flying bridge of the WASP-class Amphibious Assault Carrier U.S.S. Bonhomme Richard, the commanding officer of the ship, Commander Tom Chandler, casually leaned over the steel railing of the bridge and frowned slightly with concern for his men as he watched the beehive of activity occurring below on the deck of his ship.

For the past several hours the "Bonnie Dick's" deck crews had been working non-stop around the clock with the launching of the transport helicopters tasked with transporting men and materiel to the man-made island airport located in the Sea of Japan that the "Bonnie Dick" and the rest of its small task force were steadily steaming towards.

And the effect on the crew from the enormous strain being placed on them to continue their frenzied pace almost without letup had not gone unnoticed, and Captain Chandler realized that it wouldn't be long before the crew's fatigue would finally overwhelm them, which was now beginning to become more and more apparent with each passing hour.

But unfortunately with the vast majority of the U.S. Seventh Fleet steaming towards Pearl Harbor at flank speed in response to the effects of the Outbreak, and with the few remaining NATO ships assigned to the Pacific busy elsewhere, Captain Chandler had little choice but to push the crew of the "Bonnie Dick" to keep up their back-breaking pace to help the Marines secure the small man-made island airport located just off the coast of Japan.

The task of saving the lives of the over three hundred men, women, and children currently stranded at Tokonosu International Airport was not the only reason the "Bonnie Dick" had been ordered to steam towards the island airport at flank speed however, Captain Chandler mused.

In the eyes of the JSDF as well as NATO, Captain Chandler knew that the "Bonnie Dick's" orders to secure the island at all costs was for strategic purposes, more so than humanitarian.

Along with its ultra-modern maintenance facilities and large runways that could easily support the large transport aircraft needed to resupply and transport troops to re-take the Mainland, the island's location could not have been a more perfect place to set up a forward base of operations for both aircraft as well as naval vessels allowing any and all ships and aircraft operating off of it to be within easy striking range of several of Japan's largest cities, including Tokyo.

The re-taking of the island airport however, had not been an easy one, and despite the efforts of the strike teams and the helicopter crews to avoid direct contact with the Infected outside the walls of the Main Terminal, the number of men killed during the rescue operation to secure the over three hundred civilians trapped within the Main Terminal building had still been painfully high, Captain Chandler thought to himself as he glanced at the latest casualty report in is hand and sighed heavily at the ever increasing number of casualties.

As a direct result of the depleted manpower caused from the resulting casualties the remaining military personnel aboard ship had then been forced to double their efforts to keep up with the demands of the enormous task at hand, forcing the Captain to give the order for the civilian refugees aboard ship to be pressed into service as well.

Despite all the hardships however, Phase One of the mission to save the stranded survivors as well as securing the Main Terminal Building of the airport had been successful, and now as the "Bonnie Dick" and the rest of the small NATO task force continued to steam towards the small man-made island, the mission priority had now switched to providing as much relief as possible to the remaining fighting force that remained at the Main Terminal until the actual mission to secure the island itself, could take place.

For now however, the small NATO task force that currently steamed toward the island airport was still too far away to launch its landing craft, and so for the past several hours the decks of the "Bonnie Dick" had been crowded with men loading food, medical supplies, as well as arms and ammunition aboard the dozens of military transport helicopters flying almost non-stop between the island and the task force.

"And not just military aircraft either…." Captain Chandler chuckled as he turned his head towards the direction of someone screaming in anger whose voice could be heard even over the whining turbines of all the rotorcraft on the flight deck.

And as Captain Chandler watched, he couldn't help but shake his head and snicker at the sight of several members of the deck crew loading heavy cases of ammo onboard a Aerospatiale' Escueril helicopter that had formerly belonged to a local news station on the Mainland, while the Japanese civilian pilot was standing nearby screaming at the deck crews in rapid Japanese.

"What do you think he's so pissed off about, Skipper?" The "Bonnie Dick's" *XO, Mike Slattery, standing near Commander Chandler said out loud.

(*XO- Navy speak for Executive Officer-aka "The Exec"- Basically, the ship's Second-in-Command)

"Probably afraid the deck crews are overloading his aircraft…" Captain Chandler said with a grin as he watched the Bonnie Dick's crewmen simply ignore the man's angry rants as they struggled to carry out their assigned tasks as the "Bonnie Dick's" commanding officer reflected on the events that had led up to civilian aircraft working alongside military aircraft aboard his ship.

Before the Outbreak, the sight of a civilian aircraft onboard a military vessel had been almost unheard of in military circles, but on the day that the American naval base was being overrun by the Infected and his ship had just barely managed to clear the harbor, the radio operators aboard the "Bonnie Dick" where suddenly overwhelmed with frantic mayday traffic from dozens of JSDF and civilian helicopter crews, begging to land on the decks of the departing ships, having no other safe place to land.

In response to this dire emergency, Captain Chandler had finally given the go ahead for all JSDF aircraft to land aboard his ship, but as per protocol to avoid the risk of any possible Contagion infecting his crew from an infected civilian, all civilian aircraft had been ordered to divert to the nearest secure area or risk being shot down.

But despite the stern warnings sent to the civilian pilots if they continued to approach, a handful of pilots had completely ignored the order to turn around and had by some miracle managed to land their fragile craft on board the Bonnie Dick's already crowded flight deck where immediately afterwards the crews and passengers of all civilian and JSDF aircraft had then been placed under quarantine on the "Bonnie Dick's" flight deck.

And then, despite their loud protests, everyone including the few females that had been aboard the civilian helicopters, had been ordered to strip before being closely examined by the ship's medical team under the careful watch of several heavily armed Marines who had been placed under orders to shoot anyone displaying any possible signs of infection.

Initially infuriated by the breach in security and the danger to his ship caused by the recklessness of the civilian helicopter pilots, Captain Chandler had been about to order each of the pilots be thrown into the brig until the Bonnie Dick's "Exec" had stepped in and offered a solution on how to deal with the matter concerning the recklessness of the pilots as well as solve the problem concerning the current shortage of manpower and pilots aboard ship.

And Captain Chandler had to admit to himself that he had taken much satisfaction in seeing the looks on the faces of all the civilian pilots as he his XO inform them that if any of them wished to remain aboard the "Bonnie Dick" then they would have to unconditionally agree to "volunteer" their services as well as their aircraft to the United States Military…

"Or, if you'd like…." Commander Slattery then added with the biggest shit-eating grin that Captain Chandler had ever seen on his face "…we can just toss your asses overboard."

Needless to say, the civilian pilots had been all too willing to "volunteer" themselves to work for the United States Navy Captain Chandler thought to himself with amusement as he watched the angry news chopper pilot finally taking off in his tiny aircraft as it lifted off the deck and into the sky and then banked in the direction of a group of Marine CH-53 Super Stallion helicopters headed inbound to resupply the strike force at the island airport, just as another group of helicopters who were returning back to the ship, passed them by.

And as Captain Chandler watched several JSDF Blackhawks and their Apache attack helicopter escort preparing to land, he reflected on the fact that of the over three hundred people still reported to be left alive on the island airport, the only passengers that had been transported back to the ship three hours earlier had been a mere handful of wounded marines and a few Japanese police officers stationed on the island, whom had been trapped along with all the civilians when the Infected had overrun the airport.

And Captain Chandler couldn't help but chuckle at the memory of all the excitement that had brewed on the deck of his ship when the ramp of the Sea Stallion carrying the small group of armed Japanese police officers had lowered, and one heavily armed survivor who didn't match the criteria of a police officer stepped down the ramp of the Sea Stallion and out onto the flight deck.

"Just who the hell invited "Snake Plissken" aboard my ship?" Captain Chandler said out loud in a joking manner to Mike Slattery, his second-in command, as all eyes on the bridge gazed down upon the rough-looking man with the eyepatch who bore a striking resemblance to the fictional character from the movie "Escape from New York".

"Snake Plissken, sir?" One of the junior officers standing next to the captain asked with a confused expression on his face as the captain and his second-in-command turned their heads and gave the young officer a sour look.

"Forget it, Ensign…..you weren't even born yet." Captain Chandler growled rolling his eyes at the twenty-two year old junior officer next to him as he then turned to observe several members of the US Marine Mountain Warfare Unit who had been pressed into service as the ship's Security Force, who had immediately rushed over to the one-eyed man and his group and were attempting to disarm them.

At first it seemed as if the mysterious man with the eyepatch might be reluctant to hand over his weapons willingly, but despite his fierce appearance, the rough-looking man with the eyepatch surprised everyone by offering no resistance whatsoever when approached by the Marine Security team and calmly handed his weapons over, as did the other members of the Japanese SAT Police Force.

The same could not be said however, of the lone female SAT member of the group who not only refused to hand over her weapons peacefully to the Marine security team, but had then quickly gotten into a heated exchange with the security force.

And as tempers began to flare, the disagreement between the female officer and the Marines then quickly escalated into a violent scuffle between the small group of survivors and the security team when the Marines tried to forcefully take the woman's weapons away and she angrily punched one of the Marines in the face.

With the situation quickly growing out of hand, Captain Chandler had been about to turn to his XO, Mike Slattery, and order for an additional security team to deal with the fracas below when a British Colonel attached to one of the Special Forces Detachments quartered below decks, had suddenly come running out on deck and somehow managed to miraculously defuse the explosive situation after barking a few commands.

And as Captain Chandler and the others on the flying bridge watched with rapt curiosity, the still visibly irate female officer quietly, albeit reluctantly, handed over her weapons over to the Marines as she and the remaining members of the small group of police officers were then escorted by the security team below decks to the infirmary to be examined by ship's medical staff.

And Captain Chandler's curiosity about the identity of the one-eyed man piqued even further as he watched the British Colonel greet the man like a long, lost friend before beckoned for the man with the eyepatch to follow him into the ship as Captain Chandler made a mental note to himself to find out more about the identity of the "British agent" at a later time.

But by day's end, a catastrophe no one would have thought possible would leave little time for the ship's captain to give much more thought towards the man's identity.

Time: Mid-Afternoon

Z-Day Plus Four

Current Location: Flight Deck of the U.S.S Bonhomme Richard aka "Bonnie Dick" (LHD-6)

The last four days since the Outbreak had occurred had been a non-stop struggle for survival, and even after I had found myself amongst people I could consider "friends", all we had done since then was fight one pitched battle after another against the Infected and with each other, all the while with less than two to three hours of sleep between us and surviving off of crappy-tasting vending machine meals.

And everything that had happened at the airport just before our rescue by RED Troop and the Yanks had been more physically and mentally draining than I realized as a sudden wave of exhaustion hit me like a ton of bricks all at once and I felt as if I were going to collapse the moment I stepped out onto the deck of the "Bonnie Dick" as the wheels of the U.S. Marine Sea Stallion helicopter we had been riding finally touched down on the deck of the ship.

And as soon as my feet hit the flight deck of the ship after I jumped off the heli with Rika, Tajima, and the other SAT in tow, I suddenly felt that I was about to sag to the carrier's deck when my attention was drawn to the sight of a team of armed U.S Marines coming towards us which instantly snapped me back to attention.

Since Henno and the rest of the lads from RED Troop had orders to stay behind and stand guard with the SEALs and the Marines over the remaining civilians still sitting on their arses back at the airport, I didn't know at all what to expect as the Marines headed towards us looking from all appearances like they were about to come and place me under arrest, as I stood there waiting for them.

But as it turned out, all the Marines really wanted was for all of us to hand over our weapons so that we could be escorted below decks for security, which was understandable given none of us were members of the US Military and my appearance alone would make anyone nervous.

Although I have to admit, having my weapons taken away from me and being treated like a civilian still felt a little…humiliating, nonetheless.

During my time with the Regiment when I was still active with RED Troop, I had never been asked by anyone to hand over my weapons aboard a military vessel before since anyone attached to Special Operations were usually allowed to keep their weapons close at hand.

However, based on my current appearance as well the fact that I was currently not wearing anything identifying me as a member of the British Military much less *UKSF, the logic behind the Americans taking precautions to ensure the safety of their ship was understandable, and so without any argument I quietly handed over all my weapons as did Tajima and the other SAT.

(*UKSF- United Kingdom Special Forces)

Leave it to Rika to f_ck it all up though.

Bloody gun nut, I wanted to kick her ass myself for the way she had nearly got the lot of us killed by mouthing off at the Yanks and then clobbering one of them who had tried to take her M4 away from her which had then resulted in a violent shoving match that nearly pushed the Yanks to the point of wanting to hose us down with their M16s.

And just as it appeared the lot of us were about to be shot, Colonel Dempsey suddenly appeared out of an open hatch on the side of the "island" structure of the carrier and came running towards us and somehow miraculously managed to break up the fight.

After finally getting things under control, my old boss then ordered everyone, including Rika, to calm down and quietly hand their weapons over to the Marines or get locked up in the brig, which everyone did with any further argument, although Rika still acted like a hysterical mother reluctantly handing over her newborn child to the authorities when she handed over her M4 and her pistols.

Afterwards, I half expected Dempsey as he stood there in full combat dress like he did in those photos of himself that hung in his office from the time he had fought in the Falklands, to order all of us clapped in the brig for fighting with the Yanks, but instead, he ordered Rika and the others to follow the Marines into the ship before he then held his hand out to me as they disappeared into the ship.

"Welcome back Andrew, my boy!" Colonel Dempsey said with a big smile on his face as he grabbed my hand and vigorously pumped it up and down as I stood there in shock unable to say or do anything else other than simply return his handshake as I pondered on the irony of this warm welcome.

Not long ago there had been nothing in my heart but anger and bitterness towards this man whom I had so strongly believed had been the one behind my dismissal from The Regiment, but after Henno's explanation of what had really happened after that fiasco in Ireland, and especially after telling me about Dempsey's offer to reinstatement me back into RED Troop, all I wanted to do was thank the old bastard for taking me back after having been away for over seven years.

"Thanks boss, it's good to see you!" I finally managed to say, my head still reeling from the craziness of it all.

"Good to see you too, lad…!" Dempsey said with genuine warmth as I noticed him hesitate slightly before he began speaking again.

"I don't want to sound desperate, Andrew…." Dempsey began still talking loudly so as to be heard over all the noise on deck as we walked past a bunch of the deck crew dressed in bright-colored clothing and headed towards the hatch leading into the ship. "But has Henry mentioned to you about my offer to return to the Regiment?".

"Yes, sir…" I replied as Dempsey opened the hatch and we stepped through into the interior of the ship before he shut it behind us and secured it. "Although I must say, I still find it crazy that you want a f_cking psycho like me back on the team."

"The boys at HQ would definitely agree with you, lad…." Dempsey said with a laugh as we walked through the crowded corridor of the ship and then headed down a steep, narrow stairway leading towards the lower levels of the ship. "However, as I told HQ, we need people like you now more than ever….."

"I appreciate you're saying that, Boss…." I replied matter-of-factly trying to keep from hitting my head on the low ceiling as we headed down to Deck Two of the "Bonnie Dick" headed towards our final destination which I knew was located on Deck Four. "But as you know, technically speaking, I'm still a contractor employed with a private security firm."

"What do you think will happen when the assholes at Whitehall and all the other political wankers realize that you re-instated a man who's currently working as a f_cking mercenary?" I added with a bit of a growl.

"I wouldn't worry about that too much, lad…" Dempsey said with a mischievous smile on his face. "As of right now I have executive power to do as I please, and my first order of business is to right the wrong that the lads and I have always felt was done to you all those years ago, Andy my boy."

"So as of this moment, consider yourself back into the fold, lad." Dempsey said glancing over at me and probably realizing from the shocked expression on my face that I was still in a state of disbelief.

"Provided you have no objections, of course." Dempsey said as I stopped in the middle of the corridor and stared at him with wide-open eyes.

Well, one eye anyway, but I had no doubt that Dempsey knew what was going through my head as I opened my mouth to speak, but to my surprise, found myself unable to say anything for a long moment.

"No objections here, Boss…." I finally managed to stammer noticing an amused look on the Colonel's face. "But in order for you to be able to make that kind of call, I'm assuming…"

"You're assuming correctly, lad…" Dempsey said, a serious expression suddenly appearing over his face. "As of two days ago at 0318 ZULU hours, we lost all communications with the "powers that be" back home."

"And the last report that we received before all "comms" went dark…." Dempsey went on in a hushed voice. "…was that London and most of the country was overrun with the Infected, and the royal family had been evacuated to a classified location somewhere in Scotland."

"However, it seems that Royal Family never arrived …." Dempsey said his jaw clenched. "And after rescue crews were sent to search the area where their helicopters were last reported, all they reported finding was the wreckage of the helicopters and no survivors."

The look on my face at this latest revelation must have appeared to be one of shock, at least from Dempsey's point of view, and in some respects I truly was shocked at the thought of all of the members of the Royal Family being dead along with most of the members of Parliament as well.

But truth of the matter was, deep down I wasn't really all that devastated by this latest bit of news, after all, I had sacrificed so much on behalf of those pricks who to be honest, to me were a bunch of rich, spoilt f_cktards, that made their fortunes from the spoils of war.

"Shocking news I admit…." Dempsey said with a grim look on his face although I had the impression that part of him probably felt as I did. "But best we carry on as best we can, lad."

"Roger that, Boss." I replied trying hard to look at least a little bit upset over the news.

"Right…." Dempsey said waving his hand dismissively as we headed down another narrow passageway. "Anyway, as far as you're current employers are concerned, I'm assuming from the reports we've managed to intercept from the local police and the JSDF is that your companions were last seen trying to evade the police before things really got out of hand."

"And based on that, I'm assuming that all of you had a plan to evade capture from the local authorities, correct?" Dempsey asked even though he already knew the answer to that question.

"Yes, sir…." I replied nodding my head just the same. "Our plan was to separate and E&E from the local authorities as best we could and hopefully link up with each other at the American Embassy in Tokyo."

"Really….?" Dempsey said with raised eyebrows, no doubt realizing as we all had, that traveling over 300 miles over foreign soil while trying to escape and evade the police every step of the way was a monumental task for even the most experienced covert operators.

"Well…" Dempsey said with a frown. "I'm quite sure that with the training and experience the rest of your companions no doubt had, the chances are quite good that we might be able to find them through our friends in the American military."

"And once we've re-established contact with your friends…." Dempsey continued obviously trying to sound upbeat. "Then we'll sort out all the arrangements necessary with them so that you're transition back with us goes smoothly."

"Thank you, sir…" I said forcing a smile knowing that Dempsey was probably right about the chances being extremely good that the rest of the boys in GREEN and BLUE Team had been able to survive this nightmare, and were all probably safe and sound somewhere on some secure military base or naval vessel, just as I was.

But despite the euphoria I was presently feeling at being reinstated into the SAS, I couldn't help but feel a surge of guilt and regret at the Colonel's words, knowing without a shadow of a doubt that there was at least one casualty in GREEN Team.

And it was all my fault.

"Right then…" Demsey said noticing the grim look on my face and probably mistaking my sour expression as a sign that I was possibly having second thoughts about rejoining the Regiment after all.

"So how about it, Andrew my boy?" Dempsey asked me as I turned to look at him in response and hesitated a moment before answering, although it really was a rhetorical question after all.

The sly old fox knew that being reinstated into the Regiment was all that I had ever wanted for nearly the past decade, and he also knew without a shadow of a doubt that it would be stupid of me to pass up this one chance to be a *blade in RED Troop again.

There was absolutely no way in hell that I would even think about turning down his offer.

* (Blade – One of many slang names for an SAS squaddie)

"Boss, if you really want me back, then you have me." I said hurriedly as Dempsey smiled and then let out a sigh as if he were actually relieved at my accepting his offer after all, as he then shook my hand.

"Glad to have you back, lad." Dempsey said releasing my hand as we stopped in front of an area which I recognized was the area of the ship known as "Officer's Country".

"But before we get you sorted out with some decent clothes and new "kit"….." Dempsey said looking me up and down. "I believe that you are in desperate need of a hot meal and some decent sleep first before Henry and the rest of the lads are scheduled to return from the island."

"Will twelve hours be sufficient, lad?" Dempsey asked clapping me on the shoulder. "I'd like you to be there at the after-action debrief with the rest of RED Troop, once they return."

"A good twelve hours of sleep and a belly full of food? Aye, I should think so boss…" I replied as Dempsey laughed in response.

"Of course…." Dempsey said apologetically as we headed towards a familiar room that I recognized from my days with RED Troop. "All of that will have to wait until after the Intelligence boys have finished debriefing you and your SAT friends about your encounter with the Infected on the island."

"Understood, boss." I said glumly, the images of hot food and sleeping in a clean, comfy bed quickly fading away.

"Sorry for the delay, lad…" Dempsey said with sympathy upon noticing the disappointed look on my face.

"I have however made provision for fresh donuts and hot coffee to be served to tide you over in the meantime, lad…" Dempsey said with sympathy knowing just how exhausted as well as completely famished I really was, but like the rest of the Command structure aboard the "Bonnie Dick", was in desperate need of hard intel on the Infected at the airport.

"Sorry to press you like this lad…" Dempsey said patting me comfortingly on the shoulder.

"But the commanding officers on board this ship are most interested in any details you might have about these "runners" that you and your SAT friends encountered at the airport…" Dempsey added cocking an eyebrow. "And I must say, I'm rather anxious to hear more about them, myself."

"Like something out of a f_cking nightmare, boss…" I replied shivering slightly at the memory of those nightmarish creatures chasing me down the corridors of the Main Terminal earlier that day.

"Never saw behavior like that from the Infected before…" I continued shaking my head as I tried to get that horrifying image out of my head. "F_cking surprised the shit out of all of us when they suddenly peeled away from the other Infected and came running at us like that."

"I just hope that was an isolated incident…." I added as I turned to face Dempsey again. "And not a sign of what's to come."

"Right…." Dempsey said with a worried expression on his face as he gestured me towards a door marked "Officer's Wardroom" that was guarded by a Marine sentry.

"Once we're done with the debrief…" Dempsey said as the Marine sentry stepped forward and opened the door. "I do believe that a trip to the ship's galley would definitely be in order."

"And I also believe…." Dempsey added with a sly look on his face as he opened the door and I noticed Rika, Tajima, and the other SAT members sitting around a large table in the middle of the room munching on fresh baked donuts and coffee. "That a shower and a fresh set of clothes for you and your friends would be greatly appreciated by the rest of the crew aboard this ship, as well."

"I would have to agree with you, Colonel." A blond woman standing in the middle of the room wearing the rank of an American Navy Captain on her blue camo BDU's retorted sarcastically as we entered the wardroom, her face all scrunched up in displeasure at the smell of all of the unwashed bodies gathered in the room as Dempsey winked at me and then shut the door behind us.

The debrief, thank heaven, was not as painfully long as most debriefs usually go after a mission, although I believe it had to do more with the female Navy Captain wanting to get the debrief over with in a hurry so she wouldn't have to put up with our stench any longer.

Regardless of the reason, after an hour of being questioned by the Naval Intelligence officers and the "Bonnie Dick's" Exec, we then shook hands and were hurriedly dismissed to be escorted by our ever present Marine shadows to the galley, where each of us eagerly anticipated the first real meal we'd had in days.

But just as all of us had exited the wardroom and were about to head down the corridor towards the galley, a pair of pissed-off looking woman in hospital scrubs being escorted by a team of four Marines suddenly appeared from the opposite end of the corridor and immediately put our plans of gorging ourselves on fine Navy cuisine to an immediate halt.

As it turns out, the woman turned out to be the ship's doctor who informed us that we were a walking health hazard because of our blood-splattered clothing, and that we were being taken immediately to the ship's infirmary were we should have been taken in the first place upon our arrival, instead of being taken to the Officer's wardroom to be debriefed.

And so with some gentle nudging and not too subtle threats by the heavily-armed Marines, we were then all grudgingly escorted to the ship's sick bay, where we were then separated from one another and forced to strip off all of our blood-splattered clothing and given a thorough exam before being given a dark blue Navy-issue jumpsuit and a pair of slippers to wear after we had showered, while our soiled clothes were then placed in bio-hazard bags for disposal.

Needless to say, all of us were pretty pissed off at being treated like a bunch of lab rats and I was growing more pissed off than everybody else with each passing minute since not only was I absolutely starving at this point, but all of these constant delays were also cutting into my valuable sleep time as well.

As much as I hated to admit it though, the precautions the medical staff were taking to reduce the risk of infection aboard ship was understandable, and even though I was absolutely livid by this time, I figured a good, hot, shower before lunch would definitely help make the food taste better as my turn to shower came up.

I have always known about the Navy's rule about conserving water as much as possible, hence the need for "*Navy Showers", which requires the bather to bathe quickly in order to not put too much of a strain on the ship's evaporators which convert fresh water from seawater, twenty-four hours a day.

(*"Navy Shower"- A method of showering onboard a naval vessel designed to conserve water, consisting of the bather rinsing his body first, then shutting off the water and then lathering their body with soap, before turning the water back on and quickly rinsing off.)

And so when my turn finally came to shower, I had intended on just grabbing a quick "Navy Shower" to help expedite our trip to the galley, but once I stepped into the stall and felt the steaming hot water wash all the muck and grime from the last several days off of me, I completely lost all interest in anything else, even eating, as I soaked under the hot spray for about ten minutes or so which I knew was probably pissing the *swabbies off, something fierce.

(*Swabbie- Military slang for "sailor")

And from the way the swabbies were yelling at me to hurry up you would have thought that my extended shower was depleting most of the ships water supply with all the fuss they were making.

But to be honest, I really didn't care one bit as I took my time lathering myself down and then shampooing my hair twice which had been greasy as hell and smelled horribly, at least according to Rika, who had complained about the stench on the ride all the way back to the ship, never mind the fact that she stunk worse than the rest of us.

After a couple more minutes, I finally shut off the water and toweled myself down before combing my hair back over my scalp to try and make it look decent as I then dressed myself in the dark blue jumpsuit I had been given to wear and rejoined the others, who all looked as if they wanted to lynch me.

By this time Rika and the others were less pissed off at the ship's personnel and a whole hell of a lot more pissed off at me for having to wait so long for me to finish my shower, as I flashed them a grin and flipped them off in response to their angry looks.

After getting the okay from the docs that we were clear from any signs of infection, our Marine escorts then herded the lot of us to the ship's galley, where the wonderful smells that were wafting through the air made everybody quickly forget about being pissed off at me as we all then grabbed a stainless steel tray and heaped our plates with as much navy chow as we could carry.

One thing I have to give the swabbies, short of a five-star restaurant you'll never find better food anywhere on this earth than onboard a naval vessel as all of us hungrily wolfed down huge platters piled high with sausage, eggs, bacon, hashed potatoes, griddle cakes, and even steak.

The donuts I had eaten earlier during the debrief had done little to satisfy my hunger, and by now I was so hungry that for once I didn't feel even a hint of seasickness as we all stuffed our faces until we could eat no more.

Afterwards, when all of us were barely able to move after eating such a large meal, we were all then escorted by our Marine escorts to our assigned quarters which was normally reserved for the ship's junior officers, whom I found out later, hadn't made it back aboard the "Bonnie Dick" before the ship had set sail.

And as each of us were assigned our new quarters, we were that informed that all of the prior tenant's belongings from the staterooms had already been removed and the staterooms had now been reserved specifically for us to use, as well as for the rest of the Spec Ops team aboard whom I found out later also included the lads from RED Troop, a couple of SEAL platoons, some people from Delta Force, and even a couple of Spetznaz teams whom had all been engaged in the middle of a joint Spec Ops training mission when the Outbreak had occurred and had now all been left stranded aboard the "Bonnie Dick".

At the moment however, the only thought on my mind after such a large and satisfying meal was the thought of collapsing into a real bed with real clean sheets as I entered the small stateroom and saw a few items inside which I realized to my horror, belonged to Jem Poynton of all people.

F_ck my life, of all people to share a room with, I was stuck with Jem-I'm-a-horse's-ass-who-never-takes-anything-f_cking-seriously-and-never-f_cking-will-Poynton, as my roomie.

F_cking Henno, no wonder that rat bastard was so happy to see me. Probably still laughing his ass off right now at the thought of my reaction of finding out who my new roommate was.

"Asshole..." I growled vowing to make Henno pay dearly for his little joke when he and the rest of the lads returned.

Too tired to dwell on my shitty luck any longer, I then immediately fell upon the bed without turning out the covers and immediately went unconscious as soon as my head hit the pillow and slept like a dead man.

Years of being with the SAS in combat as well as in training had conditioned me to be able to function on any mission with little or no sleep, which had often proved to be necessary in my line of work and had saved my life more than a few times.

And as a result of that conditioning, it was extremely rare for anyone to be able to ever sneak up on me, although I had to admit to my embarrassment, Rika had been doing a good job of that lately.

But still, very few people could ever sneak up on me without my detecting their presence, and those that did, usually didn't live very much longer afterwards.

But this time I suppose I was more exhausted than I realized, or perhaps the person who had managed to enter my room without my knowing was someone who was extremely gifted in the art of stealth, because several hours later I awoke with a start and realized to my horror, that someone had entered the room while I was asleep.

Just before I had awoken so abruptly, I had been having a nightmare about those f_cking "runners" chasing me down the hallway with saliva dripping from their wide open jaws as their blood-drenched hands reached for me, which caused me to wake with a start as I sat up in bed breathing heavily and with sweat pouring down my face.

I admit, I was a little freaked out from the nightmare, but when I looked over into the middle of the room and saw a pile of Regiment-issue clothing and combat boots sitting on a chair across from my bunk that someone had evidently placed while I was sleeping, I leapt out of bed as if I'd been shot from a cannon.

As exhausted as I was, I knew that there was no way that just anyone could have come into my stateroom without my knowing, and I figured that it couldn't have been Rika since she wouldn't know where to get those clothes aboard this ship anyway and I knew she was too tired to go looking for clothes for me since I could hear her snoring in the stateroom next door.

And I knew it couldn't have been Jem since RED Troop was still at the airport and Jem sucked at stealth movement anyway, so I figured it must have been none other than Dempsey himself who had placed those clothes there, the sly old fox's legendary stealth abilities, obviously still very much intact.

But it wasn't my surprise at the fact that my old boss had snuck into my room earlier that had caused me to react so dramatically, as I stared at that set of SAS-issue *cammies sitting there on top of that chair.

(*Cammies- Camouflage clothing)

Rather, what had nearly given me a heart attack at that moment, was the sight of a brand spanking-new sand-coloured beret lying on top of the set of clothes.

And as I reached down with trembling hands and picked up the beret, I immediately turned it over and stared at the large patch sewn on it with the image of the legendary sword "Excalibur" wreathed in flames embroidered there with the SAS motto "Who Dares Wins" underneath.

And as I held that coveted beret in my hands, I couldn't help but think about the time that I had first held one just like it, so very long ago after making it through Selection.

Ever since the SAS had been formed, so many eager young men had tried to earn the right to wear that very same beret that I now held in my hands, and so many more had failed trying to do so.

And by the time I made it out of Selection myself, only two others had survived with me to earn the right to wear that coveted tan SAS beret and be granted the honor to serve amongst the finest warriors on earth.

Back then when I had first been handed my beret it had all seemed like a dream, and I half expected to wake up and find out that it had all been a dream, or worse, I expected someone to walk in and snatch the beret out of my hands, thus dashing my hopes and dreams of being a "blade" to pieces.

But eventually, after realizing that no one was going to come into the room and take my beret away, I slowly came to realize that this was no dream.

And now as I sat there in that stateroom all alone aboard the "Bonnie Dick" with that coveted tan beret once again in my hands, once more I realized…. that I was not dreaming.

This was all real…..I was back.

I was home.

Author's Notes:

For all of you that have been loyally reading "Last Alarm" since the very beginning, I wish to express to all of you my sincere thanks for your support, as well as for all of your kind reviews which have encouraged me to continue writing.

That being said, I wanted apologize for the long time span that has passed without an update.

Unfortunately, work and family has occupied a lot of my time and left me pretty exhausted most of the time which has made writing difficult the past few months.

However, just because I haven't had a lot of time or energy for writing doesn't mean that I've gotten "burnt out", and no longer wish to continue on with my story.

Rather, if anything the time that has passed has given me a chance to come up with better ways to write my story, and I am determined to finish Book One by the end of 2015, so please bear with me.

"Last Alarm" will probably end up consisting of FOUR books, so believe me, I'm not done writing yet, although Books 2-4 will definitely not be as long in length as Book One.

It was my intention to include the characters experiencing the EMP burst in this chapter, however, because all of you have been waiting so long for an update, I decided to split the chapter into two parts.

"Darkness Falls-Part Two" should be posted sometime in July hopefully.

"The Alamo-Part One" should be posted in August if all goes well and hopefully all of Book One will be completed before January.

On another note:

Several readers had expressed a desire to be written in to "Last Alarm" as OC's, and while I originally wanted to include those OC's, most of them, as it turns out, wanted to be one of the Laidlaw PMC's.

With "Last Alarm" turning out to be an even bigger project than I expected, I finally came to realize that there was just no way I could devote a lot of time and effort into writing what happened to the PMC's from Laidlaw during the Outbreak, and so unfortunately, I was about to scrap that idea altogether.

However, when FirefighterMatt came up with an idea to write his own story about what happened to the guys from BLUE and GREEN Team and the JSDF soldiers they had rescued from the Infected that I had written about in Chapter 35 of "Last Alarm", I decided to let him go ahead and use my characters for his story.

So if you would like to read the story from the PMC's point of view, I highly recommend you read Matt's story "Sua Sponte" when you get the chance, and maybe even offer your own OC, if he's agreeable.

Thanks again everyone, for your support! Jim