49.
Last Alarm
Chapter 49
"Darkness Falls"
Part Three
"Only in the agony of parting do we look into the depths of Love"
_George Eliot
Location: Tokonosu International Airport "The Floating Island"
5 Miles off the coast of Japan
Main Terminal Building
Time: Evening
Z-Day Plus Four
"Say again, Blazer One….say again?!" Henno said practically shouting into his tactical throat mike, his eyes widening in disbelief as the frantic message that had been relayed a moment before was repeated once again over his tactical headset before going silent.
"Holy shit…!" Henry "Henno" Garvie swore as he turned around to face the crowd of noisy civilians he and the other members of RED Troop had been keeping watch on with several members of "Bandito" Platoon from SEAL Team Two, and cupped his hands on either side of his face.
"ALRIGHT, EVERYBODY ON YOUR FEET…NOW!" Henno roared at the top of his lungs, the urgency of the situation forcing him to ignore the possible panic that might ensue from his desperate measures to get everyone moving, in favor of moving everyone to shelter as quickly as possible from the new threat screaming towards them.
"JEM, RICKY, PETE…GET THESE PEOPLE ON THEIR F_CKING FEET…WE GOTTA GO…NOW!" Henno roared to his men as every member of RED Troop snapped their heads up and stared curiously at the SAS Sergeant in response to his outburst, all of them wondering what it was that had set their team leader off so suddenly.
"Sergeant Garvie, what the hell's goi…?!" The SEAL Team's commanding officer, *Lt. Commander Sam Axe demanded just as the same frantic message that Henno had received was now being transmitted through his own tactical headset.
"Holy shit…!" The SEAL Team leader said in horror as Henno turned to face his men once again.
"WE GOT INCOMING!" Henno roared as the eyes of his men as well as the group of SEALs standing nearby suddenly went wide at the implication of his words. "FIVE MINUTES OUT…MAYBE LESS!
"ALRIGHT, YOU HEARD THE MAN… MIKEY, ALEX, DOC,…GET THESE PEOPLE MOVING…NOW!" The SEAL Team leader yelled at the other members of his team as they and the SAS Troopers immediately began barking loudly at everyone to get moving as they began to roughly yank people to their feet and shove them towards the ramps leading downstairs as several civilians suddenly began to panic and start screaming in fear.
"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Henno roared as the people who had been screaming in fear quickly quieted down, their fear of the angry man more powerful than their panic of the unseen threat speeding towards them.
But despite everything the small group of elite commandos did to herd the large crowd of people out of the lounge area and rush them all down the large walkways leading to the floors below as they all headed for the basement, Sgt. "Henno" Garvie realized that the crowd was still moving far too slow as he glanced at his watch and then winced at how much time had already passed.
"RICKY, JAMIE, JEM, GET YOUR ASSES IN GEAR, THESE PEOPLE ARE MOVING WAY TOO F_CKING SLOW, DAMMIT!" Henno roared desperately to his men, his tone becoming more urgent with each precious second that ticked by.
"START KICKING THESE PEOPLE IN THE ASS OR START THROWING THEM DOWN THE F_CKING STAIRS IF YOU NEED TO …I DON'T CARE HOW YOU F_CKING DO IT, BUT F_CKING GET THEM DOWN THERE, NOW!"
"Henno…!" Pete Twamley, RED Troop's second-in-command shouted to his team leader as he moved up next to him. "Bloody hell mate, what the f_ck?!"
"Someone just launched a dozen nukes at Japan, Pete…" Henno replied grimly as he began roughly shoving people towards the walkways leading to the lower floors. "The Navy has already shot down a few of them, but there's still plenty more headed this way, and we've got less than five minutes to get everyone down into the basement before the shit starts raining down on our f_cking heads!"
'Holy shit…" Pete said his face turning ashen as a crying woman ran past him.
"But ain't you forgetting something mate,…the Marines haven't cleared out the f_cking basement yet!" Pete said as he then pushed a teenage boy with multi-colored hair in the direction of the crowd as the kid swore and then turned around and raised his fist threateningly as if here about to hit the SAS Trooper as Pete slapped the boy soundly across the face and then roughly shoved the young punk into the crowd again, as he then swore at the kid in Japanese.
"Only Sub-Level Two and Three are still compromised, Pete…" Henno growled as he grabbed a heavy suitcase from a woman who was trying to take it with her downstairs, and tossed it away as he roughly shoved her towards the crowd. "But Sub-Level One is clear."
"But,…shit!" Pete began before uttering an oath as the teenage boy he had slapped came running up towards the two men and then suddenly threw a wild punch at him.
"Stupid little shit…!" Pete said as he easily avoided the punch and then grabbed the boy by the collar of his shirt and smacked the boy hard on the back of his head before roughly shoving the kid back into the crowd again.
"As I was saying…" Pete added glaring angrily at the kid. "There's no way we're gonna get all these people downstairs in time, mate!"
"That's because you guys are doing it all wrong, my Limey friend…" SEAL Commander Axe said walking up as he then suddenly raised his carbine to his shoulder and leveled the muzzle of his M4 carbine at the young punk who was attempting to rush Pete again, as the kid suddenly came to a screeching halt mere inches away from the muzzle of the weapon and then stared down the barrel of the carbine with eyes wide with shock.
"You wanna die right here kid, that's f_cking fine by me, just give me an excuse..." The SEAL Commander said with cold eyes as the kid, without uttering a word, immediately turned tail and began to roughly shove people out of his way in an effort to get away from the rough-looking group of men.
*"Groovy…" Lt. Commander Axe said as the kid ran for his life as the SEAL Commander then frowned upon noticing the rest of the crowd standing around and staring at him in shock.
"WELL WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU PEOPLE LOOKING AT?! THAT GOES FOR THE REST OF YOU, TOO! NOW GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!" Lt. Commander Axe roared as the rest of the crowd who had been watching the exchange turned tail and hurried down the walkway as fast as they could.
*"See, what did I tell you guys,…easy-peasey." The SEAL Commander said to Henno with a smirk as he began hurrying after the terrified crowd along with the rest of his men.
"F_cking SEALs…" Henno said with a growl as he and Pete began hurrying after the crowd of people running down the walkway. "Every one of them thinks he's John Wayne."
"What, didn't anyone ever tell you…all Yanks are like that, mate." Pete said with sarcasm as he stopped to grab a little boy who had fallen and carried him along in his arms as he and Henno ran down the walkway.
"Naw…" Henno said shaking his head in disgust as they rounded a corner. "Those bloody SEALs are a helluva a lot worse."
Time: Evening – Four Minutes Later
Z-Day Plus Four
Current Location: Combat Information Center of the U.S.S Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6) - "The Bonnie Dick"
"Time to impact..?" The "Bonnie Dick's" *CICWO asked the young radar technician sitting at her station in front of the glowing screen of the radar scope, as he heard the young woman suck in her breath at the sight of the radar signature of the one remaining missile that had slipped through their defensive screen as it streaked directly towards Japanese soil.
"One minute, sir…" The young woman replied her voice noticeably shaky as the watch officer calmly nodded in response and then relayed the radar operator's words to the bridge, as he then turned his attention back to the fast-moving blip moving across the radar screen.
*(CICWO) - Combat Information Center Watch Officer)
Already several other submarine-fired missiles that had been tracked after having been launched from North Korean waters had been intercepted by the defensive screen of JMSDF Aegis destroyers still on station off the coast of Japan, including seven other missiles that had been shot down by the task force's own defensive screen of Aegis-equipped vessels, which included the cruiser U.S.S. Shiloh, as well as the destroyers U.S.S. Fitzgerald and U.S.S. Murphy.
However, despite their best concentrated efforts, one solitary missile had still managed to slip through their defensive net when the U.S.S. Curtis Wilbur had, for an as yet unknown reason, failed to launch any of its defensive weaponry at the incoming threat.
But now as the "Bonnie Dick's" CICWO watched the blip on the radar screen continue to streak towards its intended target, it no longer mattered to him just whom exactly it had been that had fired the missile, or even their reasons for firing it.
The only thing on the mind of the "Bonnie Dick's" CICWO as he watched the fast-moving blip moving across the glowing screen of the radar scope, were the images of the faces of his family whom he knew he would never see again, as the blip on the radar screen suddenly disappeared.
Time: Evening
Z-Day Plus Four
Current Location: Ready Room of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 25 (HSC-25) "Island Knights"
Deck Two of the U.S.S Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6) - "The Bonnie Dick"
There were many times in my life when I thought I was going to die, but up until this very moment, never in my life had I ever been so scared shitless like I was right now.
It had only been a few minutes since the Captain of the "Bonnie Dick" had ordered the ship's crew to man their battle stations, but it had seemed more like an eternity had passed since then, as we all awaited the horror that was quickly streaking towards us.
In all the years I'd been a soldier, I had always figured that I'd buy it on some shitty, no-name wasteland somewhere on the ass end of the world, but never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine that I'd meet my end trapped in some steel coffin in the middle of the f_cking Pacific without the benefit of being able to see the instrument of death that was about to rob me of my life.
And as I looked around within the confines of the small room at the faces of my friends standing there right beside me, I could see that I was not the only one who would have rather been standing outside on the deck of the "Bonnie Dick" and met death out in the open, rather than die here deep within the bowels of the ship without the benefit of at least being able to see the sky one last time.
And making things even worse for all of us was the fact that we had no battle station to man like the rest of the ship's crew, which in my opinion, would have at least made us feel like we were accomplishing something worthwhile, rather than just sitting here on our arses waiting for our inevitable end to come.
But instead, we were forced to sit there in the helicopter squadron's Ready Room in complete silence, waiting in agony for the horrific explosion to come that would either cripple or incinerate the ship, as we all gazed up reflexively at the ceiling and waited.
And as we all stared with anxious eyes at the ceiling above our heads, I was reminded of the time when I was a boy and my grandfather had told me a story about the time when he was a sailor serving aboard the submarine H.M.S. Venturer during World War II in the Atlantic, and his boat was being depth-charged by a German *"tin can".
*(Tin can- Submariner slang for a destroyer)
And as I reflected on how I had listened in shocked awe as my grandfather described in vivid detail the terror he and his mates endured as they listened to the swishing sound of the German destroyer's *screws as it roared in for another depth charge attack, I couldn't help but notice the similarities between what my grandfather had experienced so long ago, and how it was so strikingly similar to the situation we were all experiencing now.
And as I stood there staring at the ceiling, I remembered how my grandfather had described the fear in everyone's eyes as he and his shipmates listened in complete silence as the sound of the destroyer's screws growing louder in pitch as it approached, with the only sound heard throughout the entire sub being the unnervingly calm voice of the hydrophone operator announcing the sound of splashes on the surface coming over the sub's hydrophones as the destroyer passed overhead.
And as the enemy ship passed overhead, my grandfather would tell me how every man aboard would just stare reflexively up at the ceiling above them as if they were literally attempting to see through the hull of the sub and catch a glimpse of the tumbling containers of high explosives dropping towards them, as they all waited in complete silence for what they knew was coming next.
*(Screws- Ship's Propellers)
Of course, there was no way for anyone to actually know where or when the depth charge was going to hit until there came that awful, spine tingling *click* of the depth charge's firing mechanism being activated followed by the huge explosion that tossed men and loose equipment about like billiard balls within the cramped confines of the sub.
But the worst part of the whole ordeal, my grandfather explained to me, was not the horrific explosions that pummeled the ship as depth charge after depth charge rained down on them for hours at a time, nor was it the sight of all the water leaking in from the numerous cracks throughout the damaged hull made by the savage concussion of the exploding depth charges.
Rather, according to my grandfather, the worst part of it all was the time after the destroyer had finished its attack and was circling around to make another run, as every man aboard the sub waited for the dreaded THRUM, THRUM, THRUM of the destroyer's screw's to gradually return and once again begin rising in pitch as it prepared for another attack.
And as it came, my grandfather told me, all he and his mates could do was just continue to stare reflexively at the ceiling, all of them waiting in absolute terror for the one depth charge that would rip open the hull of the sub and send the ship and its crew, to a watery grave.
And now as all of us stood in the middle of the Ready Room staring at the ceiling just like my grandfather and his shipmates did in his submarine all those years ago, the same terror my grandfather and his mates must have felt as they waited helplessly in the bowels of their ship was now visible upon all our faces, as we all waited for the unseen weapon that was streaking towards us to detonate over our heads.
Unlike my grandfather however, for us there would be no sound of propellers in the water swiftly rising in pitch as they approached to make a depth charge run on us, nor would there be any sounds of splashes in the water signifying that depth charges were on their way towards us, and neither would there be the warning click of the depth charge arming itself just before the horrible explosion came, and knocked the ship and its crew about.
In truth, there was very little similarity between the terror my grandfather faced back in his day and the horror we were all experiencing now, other than the fact that like him, all of us who were trapped inside the confines of this ugly grey coffin had absolutely no doubt at all that we were all about to die, as I gazed over at Colonel Dempsey standing nearby with Caroline wrapped in his arms who was weeping quietly on his shoulder, while Tajima was standing next to them with his eyes closed and his head bowed in silent prayer.
"ALL HANDS BRACE FOR IMPACT!" The "Exec's" voice roared over the ship's loudspeakers startling all of us as I suddenly felt Rika grab me by the arm and gaze into my face with tears in her eyes as I instinctively wrapped my arms around her and held her close as we waited for the end to come.
"God help us…" I heard Colonel Dempsey mutter before the lights suddenly went out and we were instantly plunged into darkness.
Time: Evening
Three Minutes Earlier
Location: Dining Room of Takagi Manor
Z-Day Times Four
As Shizuka gazed upon the group of people sitting at the large table all around her, the former school nurse could not help but smile at what she saw.
Despite her initial reservations, the American's idea to provide a home-cooked meal for everyone in order to improve relations with their hosts had indeed proven to be a rousing success, and now as she gazed over at the man who was totally engrossed in his conversation with Saya's parents, it was almost impossible to tell that any animosity had ever existed at all between the three adults as they chatted happily amongst themselves like old friends.
And as Shizuka then glanced around at the group of teenagers seated at the table who were also busily chatting animatedly amongst themselves about their adventures over the past four days, she could not help but marvel at the almost festive mood present at the large table, which was a complete reversal from the tense atmosphere that had been present earlier.
Gone now was the aura of mistrust and animosity that had initially been present when everyone had first gathered together in the large dining room just a short time ago, as Shizuka now observed everyone seated at the large table happily laughing and chatting away, as if all the ugliness that had occurred over the past two days between everyone, had never happened at all.
And as Shizuka then focused her attention back on the American as he was conversing with Saya's parents, the former school nurse couldn't help but also marvel at the seemingly miraculous change in the man's overall appearance as well.
The swelling and bruising on the man's face from the severe beating he had received during the so-called "rescue" at Rika's condo had now all but disappeared, with almost no visible signs that the man had ever been injured at all, save for the clean, white bandage wrapped like a bandanna around his head that covered the grotesque wound to his scalp.
And as Shizuka continued to gaze upon the former firefighter sitting across the table from her, who was now dressed in a rather odd ensemble of clothes consisting of a military-style tan BDU blouse, faded blue jeans, tan hiking boots, and a pair of wire-rimmed glasses on his face that gave him the appearance of a burly school teacher or a high school athletics coach, the former school nurse could not help but marvel at the enormous change in the man's overall personality as well.
Ever since the day she had first encountered the American mercenary, Shizuka had not failed to notice that despite the man's friendly nature and silly sense of humor, there was an unmistakable look of sadness in the man's eyes, as if his warm smile and gentle personality were merely a mask that he wore in front of others, in order to hide the tortured soul lying underneath.
And while Shizuka had initially been worried about the troubled man at first, she had then dismissed her concerns with the belief that perhaps the real reason for the man's hidden anxiety was due to the stress of the situation they were all in, and that the mask of calm that the American mercenary now wore in front of everyone was just his way of keeping his own fear and anxiety in check in order to keep from alarming the others.
But after witnessing with her own eyes what had happened after the Takagi's bodyguards had burst into Rika's apartment in an effort to "rescue" Saya Takagi from the American, whom her parents had wrongly believed was a foreign terrorist, the former school nurse had then realized that her initial concerns regarding the man had been justified after all, once she saw the look on the American's face when he suddenly gazed over at Saeko as he was being clubbed to death.
And the look that was present on Jim's face just before he was knocked unconscious by the Security Chief, caused Shizuka to gasp in horror at what she saw.
No longer was the man's face twisted in fury as it had been when he had been beating the guard whom had struck Saeko earlier, and neither was there a look of confusion, shock, or even pain present on his face as what would be expected from someone being so savagely beaten.
Instead, there was only a look of extreme sorrow there, followed almost immediately by a look of complete calm just before another savage blow of the Security Chief's rifle butt caused his head to snap forward from the force of the blow, as a spray of blood splashed across Jim's face.
All of the children including Alice, had immediately screamed in horror at the grotesque sight of the American's scalp being torn away from being struck so violently, yet of everyone else in the room Shizuka's scream had been by far the loudest, although not because of the horrific sight of the American being so horribly injured.
For Shizuka, it had been the look that was present on the man's face just before he had been struck that had caused the former school nurse to scream so shrilly, a look she had seen once before in her youth which had almost ended her desire to ever become a nurse.
The horrifying incident which still haunted the former school nurse, had occurred during the last phase of her class's training rotation in the Psychiatric Ward of the hospital in which she and the rest of the young nursing trainees were all being trained in how to deal with patients suffering from mental and emotional disorders.
That particular phase of their training had been exceptionally grueling, and the stress of working in the Psychiatric Ward had taken such an extreme toll on the nerves of all of the young nursing trainees to the point that already five of their fellow students had abruptly dropped out of the program, with only Shizuka and fifteen others left remaining out of the original class of twenty-one.
But now on the second to last day of their rotation, the depressed spirits of the remaining trainees were slowly lifting at the realization that the worst part of their training was nearly at an end, of which all of the remaining students were extremely grateful for including Shizuka, who had constantly complained to her friends that she could not wait for this particular portion of their training to be over.
And on that particular day, as Shizuka and her friends were quietly chatting amongst themselves while they sat in the nurse's lounge enjoying a well-deserved tea break, a piercing scream suddenly rent the air startling everyone, as they then immediately jumped out of their seats and rushed out of the nurse's lounge to investigate.
And as the small group of nursing students burst out of the nurse's lounge, they had almost nearly collided with two burly male attendants and the Psych Ward's nursing supervisor in the process, who completely ignored the small group of wide-eyed students as they rushed past them in a mad dash down the hallway in the direction from where the scream had apparently come from.
Their curiosity piqued even further, Shizuka and the rest of her classmates had then quickly followed the three hospital employees and were shocked to find another fellow nursing trainee standing in the hallway with her back against the wall, her face ashen and her mouth open in mute silence, as the nursing supervisor and the two male attendants rushed past her and entered into the room she had obviously just run out of.
And as Shizuka and the other trainees moved past the panic-stricken trainee in the hallway and cautiously peered inside the small room, they were stunned to find the two male attendants and the nursing supervisor desperately trying to talk down a male patient who was standing on top of a table who had obviously been attempting to hang himself with a makeshift noose around his neck that he had fashioned together from torn bed sheets.
Although the man himself was not one of the patients assigned to her, Shizuka immediately recognized the man as a patient she had seen wandering the hallways many times before during her class's rotation in the Psych Ward, but she had known little about the man himself other than the fact that he was a patient being treated for severe depression, and from all appearances, was obviously suicidal as well.
But while most patients with suicidal ideations were normally placed in a different part of the Psych Ward altogether, Shizuka remembered overhearing some of the other students gossiping that the attending psychiatrist in charge of the Psych Ward had strongly believed that the man's visible emotional improvement over the many months of his psychiatric therapy no longer required him to be placed on suicide watch, and had ordered the man moved, a decision that most of the nursing staff had felt was far too premature.
And as Shizuka and her fellow students continued to watch in stunned horror as the man was attempting to end his life, there was no doubt in anyone mind's that the fears of the hospital staff had been well-founded, and that the visibly troubled man was about to pay the ultimate price for the doctor's costly mistake.
And despite all efforts to talk the man out of hanging himself, the man merely ignored the desperate pleas of the three hospital employees as he continued to stare blankly into space as if steeling himself for what he was about to do, as he then gazed down upon everyone in the room before his eyes then finally settled upon Shizuka's face.
And as Shizuka watched in horror as the man gazed directly into her eyes, the blank expression on the man's face then suddenly turned into one of deep sorrow, appearing to the young nursing trainee as if the man were genuinely grieved for Shizuka being forced to witness what he was about to happen next.
And then as Shizuka watched spellbound, the sorrowful look on the man's face then changed into an expression of complete calm just before he jumped off the table he was standing on, as all of the trainees screamed in horror at the sight of the man's body involuntarily twitching as he hung suspended in mid-air by the noose around his neck.
Without a moment's hesitation, the two attendant's immediately rushed forward and lifted the man's twitching body upwards allowing enough slack in the noose for the nursing supervisor to jump up on top of the table and remove the noose from around the man's neck as the unconscious man was then laid out on the floor, his body still convulsing reflexively as the color of his face turned from a bright red to an ashen grey.
Immediately upon noticing that all of the young trainees were still standing frozen in place in the doorway, the nursing supervisor had then shouted for all the trainees to get out of the way as another nurse and a doctor rushed into the room with a *"crash" cart and then slammed the door shut behind them, leaving all of the young trainees standing alone in the hallway, all of them left completely stunned by what they had just witnessed.
*(Crash Cart- Usually a portable metal cabinet on wheels that is filled with medical equipment for use on a patient in cardiac arrest)
In the end, the quick actions of the hospital staff had resulted in the man actually surviving his suicide attempt, although the damage done to his body as a result from his suicide attempt had left the man in a permanent vegetative state, as well as leaving him suffering from permanent paralysis to his body from the neck down, requiring the man to be placed on a respirator for the rest of his life.
Tragically, there had been no happy ending for that severely depressed patient when all was said and done, and the mental and emotional trauma that had resulted from the horror of what the group of young trainees had witnessed had been too much for six more of Shizuka's friends, who immediately dropped out of the nursing program that very day, just two weeks shy of graduation.
And if not for the kindhearted words and comfort given to her and the remaining trainees from their nursing supervisor afterwards, Shizuka reflected often on the fact that she herself had almost dropped out of the program on that very day, as well.
The incident had forever scarred young Shizuka Marikawa just the same, and as a result, the horrifying incident that she had experienced had taken a great part in prompting Shizuka after graduation, to seek work not as a registered nurse in one of the new, ultra-modern hospitals that had been newly constructed nearby, but rather, to seek employment as a school nurse in a nearby high school.
It was a decision her former training supervisors and her fellow nursing students deemed ludicrous given Shizuka had been one of the top three highest-scoring trainees in her class, but as time passed, never in all her career did twenty-six year old Shizuka Marikawa ever regret her decision to accept employment in what many of her colleagues considered a lackluster job, in order to be able to care for the needs, both physical and emotional, of the many young people she treated at Fujimi Academy every day.
And for many years the young school nurse had been medical worker, counselor, and even friend to all of her young patients, attending both to their physical injuries as well as to the wounds that were not visible on the surface, and whose pain and suffering could not be so easily treated or healed.
Sadly, the image of the man's face the moment before he tried to hang himself when Shizuka was still a young trainee continued to haunt her however, and on the night Shizuka had been watching over the American mercenary as he lay unconscious and handcuffed to his bed after he had been treated at the hospital tent, she could not help but reflect on how much the look on the American's face as he was being beaten had seemed so strikingly similar to the one on the man's face who had tried to hang himself so many years before.
"Jimu-san, why do you wish to die?" Shizuka had said to the unconscious American that night, wondering what it was that made the man appear in those last moments before he was knocked unconscious as if he were not just merely resigning himself to death…but actually welcoming it.
Yet now as she gazed upon the former firefighter sitting across the table from her, no longer where his eyes distant and brooding as before as she watched him sitting there laughing along with everyone else while he was relating to everyone some of his more hilarious experiences as a fireman.
"He's a completely changed man, now…." Shizuka thought to herself smiling as she then glanced over at Saeko, who was sitting next to Jim, who was also happily laughing along with the others at his stories as Shizuka suddenly felt a tiny hand on her arm.
"Oba-chan?" Alice said, snapping Shizuka out of her deep thoughts as she gazed down upon the young girl sitting next to her with gravy smeared over all over her chin.
"Hai, Arisu-chan…?" Shizuka replied giggling as she quickly grabbed a cloth napkin and dipped it in a nearby glass of water and then wiped the little girl's face. "What is it?"
"What are you smiling about?" Alice asked as Shizuka gazed upon Alice thoughtfully for a long moment.
"Oba-chan?" Alice said growing worried as the blond woman kept staring at her without speaking. "Are you okay?"
"Hai, Arisu-chan….I'm okay." Shizuka said as she smiled warmly and then reached over and hugged Alice.
"I'm just so happy, Arisu-chan…" Shizuka replied as she gazed over at the American again as he was describing to everyone another funny incident that occurred to him during his days as a fireman that involved a very fat housecat, an extremely fragile tree branch, and two very large dogs.
"Oh…why's that, Oba-chan?" Alice asked still slightly worried about the strange way the former school nurse was behaving.
"Because I'm very glad to see Jimu-san so happy now…" Shizuka whispered into Alice's ear as she heard everyone roar with laughter at the end of Jim's story.
"Because now, his heart is no longer empty…" Shizuka thought to herself as she heard Saeko giggling hysterically.
"Now he has a precious child to take care of…" Shizuka whispered to herself as she hugged Alice even tighter. "…just like me."
"Well, that was certainly unexpected…." Soichiro said with a rare smile on his face as the laughter finally started to quiet down. "I never realized that members of the Fire Service actually had to deal with things like that."
"You'd be surprised, Mr. Takagi…" The American replied with a chuckle as he took a sip from the glass of ice water on the table next to him which was the only drink he was now allowed to have after Shizuka had given strict orders to the kitchen staff that he was no longer allowed any more coffee, much to his chagrin.
"Sometimes even we are astonished by the stuff we used to get dispatched for…" Jim said as a sudden brilliant flash of light filled the windows of the large dining room and then all of the lights in the room suddenly blinked out.
"What was that?" Shizuka asked out loud in wonder as she then flinched as Jim suddenly grabbed Saeko by the waist and then bodily yanked her out of her chair.
"EVERYBODY DOWN!" The American roared as he yanked Saeko to the floor and then covered her with his body as everyone hesitated for a split second at the man's seemingly crazed actions before they too then jumped out of their seats and dove under the table, as Soichiro Takagi attempted to do the same as the American and throw his body over his wife and daughter, in an effort to protect them.
Unfortunately, the Lord of Takagi Manor merely succeeded in covering only his wife with his body due to the chubby teen Kouta Hirano suddenly appearing out of nowhere and flinging his own body over Saya instead much to her father's surprise, as Soichiro Takagi and everyone else then waited in absolute silence for the inevitable concussion of the explosion to come.
And waited…and waited…and then waited some more.
"GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY BUTT, YOU PERV!" Saya's enraged shriek erupted over the deafening silence which was immediately followed by the sound of a loud slap and an even louder yelp of pain that echoed loudly in the large dining room as Soichiro glanced over at his daughter Saya, whose face was beet red from a mixture of both anger and embarrassment as she was frantically smacking the chubby boy over the head with one hand while trying to adjust her skirt with the other.
"KNOCK IT OFF!" The American snapped as Saya smacked the chubby teen again and then glared at him furiously as the boy continued to cover his head protectively with his hands.
"What was that?" Soichiro said glaring angrily at Kouta for a second before then turning his attention towards the American as Jim met his gaze from under the table.
"I don't know." Jim said with a grim look on his face as he moved off of Saeko and ordered her to remain still. "I didn't hear any explosion or feel any type of concussion, did you?"
"Not a thing…" Soichiro replied as he glanced over at Kouta again and glared at him with murderous eyes.
"Maybe it was lightning?" Shizuka offered as she held Alice tightly in her arms as they cowered under the table. "Maybe there's a storm coming?"
"Would have heard thunder by now if that was the case, Sensei…" The American said poking his head up and glancing toward the windows. "And I don't see any storm clouds anywhere out there, so I don't believe it could have just been a flash of lightning."
"What else could it have been then, Jim?" Yuriko asked as everyone began to cautiously get to their feet.
"Hold on guys, don't get up yet…" The American said gesturing for everyone to stay down as he got to his feet and then walked over to one of the large windows and gazed outside for a long while and then glanced down at his watch as a visible frown then came over his face.
"What is it?" Soichiro asked noticing the troubled look on the man's face.
"Not sure…." The American said in a low voice as he then began walking towards each one of the large windows in the dining room and peered out through each one. "There's a bunch of people from the refugee camp milling about on your lawn, but I don't see any smoke or any other signs of anything else having happened out there."
"Takagi-sama!" The Takagi's bodyguard Yoshioka shouted on the other side of the closed dining room door startling everyone, as the Security Chief and three of his men suddenly burst through the door and ran into the room.
"Takagi-dono!" Yoshioka shouted again as he looked all around the room before spotting Soichiro and Yuriko still lying underneath the table as he and his men rushed over to them.
"Are you alright, Takagi-dono!?... Have you been injured?!" Yoshioka said worriedly as he and one of his men helped Soichiro and Yuriko to their feet as Saya meanwhile, irritably slapped the hands of the other bodyguard away from her as she rose to her feet and then turned around and angrily kicked the chubby kid still cowering under the table as hard as she could, causing him to howl in pain.
"We're unharmed, Yoshioka-san…" Soichiro said irritably as he dusted himself off and then glared again in irritation at Saya and Kouta for a moment before then turning to face his Security Chief. "What happened?"
"We don't know, dono…" Yoshioka said shrugging his shoulders. "All we know is that there was a bright flash of light coming from somewhere outside, and then the power suddenly went out throughout the entire neighborhood."
"The power is out, everywhere?" Soichiro said cocking an eyebrow. "Even throughout the city as well?"
"We're not sure as of yet, Takagi-dono…" Yoshioka said as he noticed the American still gazing out the window as if he were studying the horizon intently, as the others picked themselves up off the floor and then walked over to the windows and began to also stare outside as well. "When the flash occurred and the power went out, our first concern was for the safety of you and your family."
"Of course…." Soichiro said nodding his head as he noticed the American discreetly beginning to move away from the others as he then gestured for Saya's father and the Security Chief to join him at the opposite end of the room, as the two men then walked over towards him.
"Mr. Takagi…" Jim said in a low voice once they had joined him. "If you'll pardon me, but would you mind staying here with everyone while your men and I go check on things outside?"
"Do you suspect something, Jim?" Soichiro asked as the American shook his head upon noticing Yuriko stepping away from the others, who were still staring outside the windows, and was now walking towards them.
"Not really…" Jim responded as Yuriko walked up as the former firefighter then glanced at Soichiro in a manner that indicated that he truly did suspect something was indeed wrong after all, and was trying discreetly not to alarm Yuriko or the others. "But you know how us old firemen are, better safe than sorry, and all that."
"Don't give me that nonsense, what is it you're trying not to say in front of me, Jim?" Yuriko said bluntly as the American then glanced over at the Lord of Takagi Manor who merely shrugged his shoulders.
"There is no point in trying to hide anything from my wife, Jim..." Soichiro said with a smirk as he glanced over at his wife. "I've never been able to keep anything hidden from her in all the years we've been married."
"And you would certainly be foolish to even try, dear husband…" Yuriko said with a teasing smile as she then turned to face Jim as the expression on her face suddenly became very serious. "What's really going on, Jim?"
"Probably nothing…" The American said with a sheepish grin realizing the futility of trying to hide anything from the Matriarch of the Takagi House. "But until your men and I know for sure nothing's wrong, I think it best that you and your husband keep everyone inside, just to be safe."
"And if there is something wrong…" Jim continued glancing towards the other young people in the room. "Then I'd rather all of you be here inside where it's safe, just in case something bad really has happened and those people out there on your lawn begin to start freaking out again."
"I would have to agree with Trevino-san, Takagi-dono…." Yoshioka said rubbing his chin worriedly. "If that flash of light and this sudden power failure is more than simply a matter of a blown transformer or downed power line, then there's no telling how all of our um…. "guests", will react to this latest incident."
"Understood…" Soichiro replied nodding his head in agreement as he glanced over to where the teens and the school nurse were standing and noticed that they were no longer gazing out the windows but were now staring directly at them, obviously curious as to why the small group of adults were suddenly acting so strangely.
"I think it would probably be best that your men stay here and stand guard over everyone while we go check things outside too, don't you think, Misterrrrr…?" The American said his voice trailing off as Yoshioka cracked a thin smile.
"Yoshioka…." The Security Chief replied with a nod as he then turned towards the two men whom had followed him into the room and ordered them to remain behind and stand guard over everyone as the small group of teenagers and the school nurse exchanged anxious looks with each other.
"Ano…" Shizuka said hesitantly as she held Alice even closer to her in a near death grip. "Is something wrong, minna-san?"
"Yeah, why are all of you whispering, and why are you leaving us in here with a couple of guards?" Saya asked as she adjusted her glasses with one finger and eyeballed everyone suspiciously. "What's going on?"
"Don't worry guys…" The American replied nonchalantly as he quickly gave a warning glance to Soichiro and Yuriko for them not to reveal anything yet, so as not to alarm the others. "I was just telling our hosts here that perhaps that flash of light we saw might just have been a transformer blowing up, or an electrical line failure of some sort."
"You really expect us to believe that bright flash we all saw was just some sort of power failure?" Saya said suspiciously as Takashi suddenly felt Rei wrapping her arms around his right arm like she always did when she was afraid.
"Yeah, we used to get calls for those all the time back when I was a fireman…" The American said with a chuckle, trying without much success to sound nonchalant, as Takashi's own suspicions that the adults were trying to hide something, began to rise as well.
"And most times all we'd find was a blown transformer, a small grass fire, and a fried squirrel when we arrived." Jim said as he then glanced over at Yoshioka who nodded in response as both men then began walking past everyone as they headed towards the dining room door.
"Ewwww…" Saya said in disgust as Takashi glanced over at Saeko and noticed from the expression on her face that she too, felt that the adults were definitely trying to hide something from them as well.
"Anyway…." Jim said cheerfully, obviously still trying to keep from alarming the others as he continued walking towards the door. "Yoshioka-san and I are going to go check on things outside and see what's up, so all of ya'll stay put until we're sure everything's all clear."
"May I come with you too, Jimu- , I mean, Ji-san?" Saeko asked as the American glanced at her and noticed out of the corner of his eye that Shizuka and Yuriko were now staring at him with eyes filled with worry.
"I'd rather you stay here with the others, hon…" Jim said as he patted Saeko on the shoulder as Yuriko and Shizuka both breathed a silent sigh of relief at his words as the alarms in Takashi's head suddenly began to clang even more urgently.
"If it is a downed power line or something like that, I'd rather you just stay here with the others until Mr. Yoshioka and I are absolutely sure what the problem is..." The American said as he placed his hand on Saeko's cheek. "So do this old worry-wart a favor and stay put until I get back, okay sweetie?"
"But…." Saeko began to protest as the expression on the American's face suddenly became serious as Takashi felt Rei's grip on his arm grow even tighter.
"No "but's", sweetie…stay here." Jim said firmly before he then tweaked Saeko's nose playfully and then glanced over at the Security Chief who nodded in response as both men then turned and left the room without another word as one of the guards then shut the door behind them and locked it.
"Oh shit…" Takashi said under his breath as the room went deathly silent. "What are they all so afraid of?"
Time: Evening
Location: Hallway outside of Dining Room
"What do you think that flash of light might have been, Trevino-san?" Yoshioka asked Jim in a low voice as the door was closed behind them and they began to walk hurriedly towards the front entrance of the mansion.
"I dunno…"Jim replied as he held up his left hand and tapped the face of his dive watch as they walked.
"But the fact that my watch suddenly stopped working afterwards, has me a tad bit concerned…" Jim added as Yoshioka immediately glanced down at his own watch and saw to his surprise that it too, was inoperable.
"Might just be me being paranoid…" The American said as they neared the front door of the mansion.
"But if you ask me, I think the shit has really hit the fan now." Jim said as he opened the heavy front door and the Security Chief and the American mercenary walked outside into a world of unearthly silence.
Time: Evening
Location: Dining Room of Takagi Manor
Z-Day Times Four
"They're hiding something…" Saya whispered suspiciously to Takashi after the two men had left and her parents had begun to confer quietly with Shizuka as the teens walked back over towards the windows and stared outside.
"What makes you say that, Takagi?" Takashi said with a frown even though his own instincts were telling him the same thing. "It could just be a downed power line, like Jimu-san said."
"If it's just a downed power line, then why lock all of us in here with two of my Papa's men standing guard over us...baka?" Saya snapped irritably at Takashi as he turned towards her and gave her a nasty look.
"Takagi-san is right, Takashi." Rei said her voice filled with worry as she continued to cling to his arm. "There's more going on here than what they're telling us."
"I agree…" Takashi said his own anxiety mounting. "But just what is it they're so afraid of, exactly?"
"Whatever it is, it seems to have frightened the other guards more so than anything else that has occurred over the past few days…." Saeko said pointing out the window as the rest of the teens peered outside and watched several of Yoshioka's men suddenly come running up to the Security Chief and the American as they were walking out onto the grounds outside, as a very animated conversation suddenly began to take place.
"Well that's not a good sign…" Kouta whispered to Takashi as the other teens stared intently at the group of men talking excitedly amongst themselves for a few moments before they then noticed Dr. Yamane suddenly come walking into view from the direction of the refugee camp, his face a mask of concern.
"You think Yamane-sensei might know what's going on…?" Rei asked her voice filled with worry as they watched the Chief Surgeon walk over to where the rest of the men were talking excitedly talking amongst themselves and then make an attempt to speak to Yoshioka, but was obviously unable to be heard by the Security Chief, due to his voice being drowned out by the loud voices of the other men.
"From the look on his face, I'd say he has a pretty good idea…" Takashi replied in a serious tone as the Security Chief loudly snapped at his men to quiet down before he then gestured for Dr. Yamane to speak as the teens then watched the silver-haired Chief Surgeon attempt once more to speak to the Security Chief and the American.
Immediately the teen's suspicions that the situation was far worse than the adults were letting on were confirmed as they noticed the expressions on all of the men's faces suddenly change dramatically from one of apprehensiveness, to one of stunned disbelief as the doctor spoke.
"They're definitely upset about something he told them…" Kouta added as Saya huffed in annoyance.
"No shit, fatty!" Saya hissed with annoyance at Kouta as she continued to stare at the group of excited men outside. "Tell us something we don't friggin know!"
"Sayaaaa-CHAN….!" Yuriko snapped in warning, her left eyebrow visibly twitching with irritation as Saya immediately froze in alarm. "I can hear you over there, young lady!"
"S-S-sorry…Mama!" Saya squeaked her face turning pale at her mother's warning as Takashi snickered at the look of fear on Saya's face.
"What I mean is…" Kouta continued, as he struggled to keep himself from laughing out loud at Saya's discomfort as he noticed her visibly trembling under her mother's angry gaze. "Whatever's going on, it's definitely a lot more serious than a simple electrical failure."
"And again, I repeat…" Saya said sarcastically as she shivered again upon feeling her mother's eyes still focused on her. "Tell us something we don't know, tubby."
"Well, how about the fact that even before Yamane-sensei arrived, nobody was even bothering to look around for a downed power line, or a blown transformer, or anything like that?" Kouta replied as he turned to face Saya with a look so intense that it frightened her even more than her mother's angry gaze.
"Or how about the fact that when Jimu-san and Yoshioka-san were talking to the guards, all of the guards were pointing straight up into the sky, instead of where all the power lines are hanging?" Kouta continued as everyone then instinctively gazed out the windows at the sky, yet noticed nothing out of the ordinary.
"I have an even better question for all of you…." Takashi said grimly as everyone turned to face him.
"Since when has anyone ever needed a gun to fix a power failure?" Takashi said as he pointed to the group of men gathered outside who were now openly brandishing their weapons as they divided into separate teams and then went off in all directions as the American turned in their direction and gestured for Saya's mother and father who were gazing outside through one of the other windows, to come outside and join them….alone.
"Oh shit." Saya said aloud, not caring anymore whether her mother had heard her or not.
Time: Evening – Ten Minutes Later
Location: Front Lawn of Takagi Manor
Z-Day Times Four
"You can't be serious, Sensei!" The Lord of Takagi Manor said in a voice filled with shock at the bold claim of the old doctor standing before him who seemed to be the only one not shaken by the crisis they were now in.
"Unfortunately, I'm afraid I am…" Dr. Yamane said in an unusually calm voice as he glanced over at the refugee camp where several people were kneeling on the ground and wailing hysterically.
"How can you be so sure, Yamane-sensei?" Yuriko asked just as visibly shaken as her husband was by Dr. Yamane's unbelievable claim. "Couldn't that bright flash that we all saw and the sudden loss of power have been caused by something else, possibly?"
"I truly wish that were so, dear lady…" Dr. Yamane replied patiently, knowing that his theory as to the real reason behind the sudden power failure, was going to be extremely difficult for everyone around him to accept.
"However, based on my prior experience in the military and from what I've witnessed so far…" Dr. Yamane continued. "I have no doubt in my mind that what we have just experienced is the result of a nuclear device being detonated over our city."
"But how could that be possible, Sensei…?!" Soichiro asked with visible skepticism, still not completely convinced of the validity of Dr. Yamane's theory. "Would there have not been some evidence of a nuclear detonation over our city, such as a huge fireball in the sky or at least a loud explosion, perhaps?"
"Not necessarily, Takagi-sama…" Dr. Yamane said calmly as if he were lecturing a room full of med students. "If the nuclear device that exploded over our city was designed to detonate at a high altitude, then there would be no sound of an explosion or signs of a visible debris cloud."
"What purpose could it possibly serve anyone to detonate a nuclear device in the atmosphere above us, Yamane-sensei?" Yuriko asked as she glanced anxiously over at her husband, the genuine fear in her eyes unmistakable.
"And why would anyone want to fire one at our country?!" Soichiro interrupted as he gripped his katana tightly in anger at the image of everyone in his family dying at the hands of an unseen enemy. "What fool thought that wiping out an entire city population was the best way to combat the Infected?!"
"As far as who might have launched a nuclear attack upon our country, I cannot say…" Dr. Yamane replied with sympathy at Soichiro's frustration. "Nor can I fathom the purpose one would wish for an H.A.N.E. event to occur over our soil, since detonating a nuclear device at such a high altitude would have no effect on the Infected, or anyone else, for that matter."
"H.A.N.E.?" Soichiro said a confused frown wrinkling his brow as a familiar and unexpected voice suddenly piped up from behind him.
"High… Altitude… Nuclear… Explosion, Papa…" Saya said suddenly as all of the adults whirled around to find the pink-haired heir of the Takagi House standing directly behind her father, surrounded by the other teens and the little girl Alice, who was peeking out fearfully from behind Rei Miyamoto's skirt.
"It's normally the result of either a nuclear missile that was designed to detonate in the atmosphere to destroy enemy satellites, or from another nuclear missile being detonated to intercept another ICBM before it could reach its target." Saya added with a frown on her face that almost matched her father's perfectly.
"And if that flash of light we all saw was actually a nuclear detonation way up in the upper atmosphere…" Saya continued. "Then that would explain why we didn't feel, or even hear, the effects of an explosion here on the ground."
"However…" Saya said raising a finger in the air as if trying to illustrate a point. "The Electro-Magnetic Pulse that would thus be produced from such a detonation would also theoretically disable any and all electrical devices caught within the blast area, which would explain why nothing electrical around here works anymore."
"All electrical devices…?" Soichiro asked still slightly stunned by the sudden appearance of his daughter standing there amongst them. "So you're saying that all cellphones, radios, and computers are now useless to us, Saya-chan?"
"Yes Papa, anything electrical that hasn't been properly shielded would no longer be operable…." Saya replied the gears in her head still clicking. "And that especially goes for any technology that uses a computer chip, like computers or modern cars which would have their systems fried as a direct result of the Electro-Magnetic Pulse, or EMP."
"I'm afraid your daughter is quite correct…" Dr. Yamane said as he gestured towards the refugee camp where loud cries of anguish could still be heard. "Just a little while ago several people were brought into the hospital tent after that flash of light we had all witnessed occurred, and as each of those patients were brought in, they were all found to be in cardiac arrest."
"At first I was alarmed to have so had many patients brought in for abruptly collapsing all at once without explanation…" Dr. Yamane said wiping his brow with a kerchief he had removed from a pocket of his lab coat. "And my first concern was that perhaps they may have been the first victims of a strategic chemical attack on our city."
"But upon further examination of each patient as we were administering CPR, we discovered that each of those patients that were brought in had a pacemaker unit surgically implanted into their bodies…" Dr. Yamane added.
"And since pacemakers were designed in such a way so as not to malfunction as abruptly as these units did..." Dr. Yamane added. "To have several cease to function all at once, is theoretically impossible."
"Based on this, and the unexplained flash of light that we all witnessed…" Dr. Yamane said with a worried frown as he placed his kerchief back in the pocket of his lab coat. "I then came to the conclusion that everything that occurred was due to the effects of an EMP, which also seemed to be confirmed by the fact that all of our electronic medical equipment, including our defibrillators, were also rendered useless as well."
"How horrible…" Yuriko said covering her mouth with her hand as a loud wail from somewhere in the refugee camp split the air.
"Is this sudden power loss a permanent effect of this EMP you speak of, or can power be restored somehow, Yamane-sensei?" Soichiro asked as he was suddenly interrupted by the sound of Saya clearing her throat.
"With the way things are, there's no way power to the city can be restored any time soon, Papa…" Saya said as she gazed out into the city. "But if we can get the portable generators in the camp to start working again, we can at least have some power available for lighting or heat."
"What about our computers and communications equipment, Saya-chan?" Soichiro asked with a thin smile on his face, visibly impressed by Saya's calmness in their present situation as well as her expertise. "Can those be restored as well?"
"I'm afraid not, Papa." Saya said her frown deepening. "Any sophisticated technology like that could not be restored no matter what, thanks to the EMP."
"How about our vehicles?" Yoshioka asked gazing at the small fleet of vehicles parked near the garage. "Is there any chance of getting them running again?"
"Older vehicles that don't use a computer chip might still be functional…" Saya replied as she scratched her chin thoughtfully. "But I think it would be best to have every vehicle here checked, just to make sure."
"Yoshioka-san, see to it, if you will…" Soichiro said glancing over at the Security Chief as Yoshioka nodded in response and then turned to several of his men and barked a few orders to them as they then immediately ran off to check all of the vehicles.
"Very impressive young lady…" Dr. Yamane said beaming with approval as he gazed with admiration at the pink-haired teen. "Never have I known anyone at such a young age to be so knowledgeable concerning something as complex as nuclear physics, nor have I seen anyone of your youth remain so calm in a crisis as you have."
"Ah….uhm, thank you, Yamane-sensei..." Saya stammered, visibly embarrassed at Dr. Yamane's compliment.
"Hai,…Saya continues to make her mother and I proud, and she never ceases to amaze us with her vast knowledge and intuitiveness…" Soichiro said the ever-present frown on his face actually seemed to soften somewhat as he gazed fondly upon his daughter.
"Papa..." Saya said blushing at her father's unexpected praise, when she suddenly heard her mother clearing her throat in the same way she always did when she was mad, that always sent a cold chill running down Saya's spine.
"Yes, my daughter has many fine attributes indeed, Yamane-sensei…." Yuriko said her left eye twitching in irritation as Saya visibly blanched. "However…"
"SAYA-CHAN…!" Yuriko shrieked in rage as everyone within earshot flinched at her sudden outburst. "WHAT ARE ALL OF YOU CHILDREN DOING OUTDOORS?!"
"Eeeep!" Saya squeaked in fear immediately upon noticing her mother's furious gaze upon her.
"It's not her fault Takagi-san, it was actually my idea for us to come out he-…"Takashi said stepping forward as Saya's mother then turned to face him, causing Takashi to pause for at the furious look on her face, as he then tried desperately to muster the courage to continue speaking, but without success.
"Takashi-chan…?" Yuriko said her voice chilling the air around her as she spoke, as Takashi swallowed nervously at the way Saya's mother was glaring at him. "Are you saying that despite all of us ordering you children to stay indoors, you intentionally disobeyed us?"
"WHY…?!" Yuriko said her eyes ablaze as Takashi felt himself beginning to sweat nervously at the sight of the angry woman.
"Uhh..." Takashi began after swallowing the lump in his throat nervously. "We- we realized that the situation was much more serious than an electrical failure, and..um,.. we just wanted to see what was going on, Takagi-sama… that's all."
"Speaking of which, where are the men that were supposed to be standing guard over you?!" The Security Chief interrupted as he glanced over at the mansion. "I gave them strict instructions not to allow Saya-sama or any of you out of the dining room, for any reason."
"I…uhm… ordered them to let us out." Saya said stammering as her mother and father turned their heads and glared at her with a look that could freeze water.
"You ordered them to let you leave the mansion, Saya-chan?!" Soichiro said his face darkening as the proud look that had been on his face a few moments earlier abruptly disappeared. "Are you saying that despite Yoshioka-san's explicit instructions to the contrary, those two men just willingly stepped aside and allowed you to leave the house without any argument?!"
"Uh…..." Saya said the color draining from her face at her father's angry glare. "Not exactly…Papa."
"As a matter of fact…" Saya continued in a small voice as she began to perspire nervously. "They kinda said… no."
"Kinda said no…Saya-CHAN?!" Yuriko said threateningly as Saya gulped in fright at her mother's furious gaze.
"Actually, they refused to let us leave…" Takashi interrupted as all eyes on the adults then turned to face him. "And because of that, we had to force our way out."
"What do you mean, you had to force your way out?!" Yoshioka said taking a threatening step forward. "How did you kids get past my men?"
"Uh…." Takashi said nervously as all of the teens exchanged nervous glances with each other as Saeko suddenly cleared her throat.
"Do you truly need to ask, Yoshioka-san?" Saeko replied in a calm voice as the Security Chief glanced over at her and saw the smug on the teenage girl's face which only served to enrage him even further, as he then took a threatening step towards the young woman, before he suddenly felt a strong hand clamp down on his shoulder.
"Take it easy, friend..." The American said to the enraged Security Chief who immediately turned his head and opened his mouth to shout in protest, but then immediately stopped himself upon noticing the angry look in the man's eyes.
"Let me handle this…." Jim said with an unmistakable edge to his voice as he walked past the Security Chief and then stood directly in front of Saeko and gazed down at her disapprovingly.
"Saeko, are you telling me that you beat up the guards whose job was to protect all of you, just because you and your friends wanted to see what was going on, is that it…?" Jim said scowling at Saeko as the smile quickly disappeared from her face.
"Well,… is that it, young lady?" The American asked sternly as Saeko hesitated at the sight of the visibly upset man staring down at her crossly as he towered over her.
"She didn't beat them up Jimu-san,…I-." Takashi hurriedly began in an effort to defend Saeko but was interrupted as the American immediately snapped the fingers of his left hand and then pointed his finger at Takashi, silencing him.
"I wasn't talking to you, son…!" Jim snapped at Takashi without taking his eyes off of Saeko's face as Takashi flinched from being startled by the man's sudden rebuke. "I'm talking to my adopted daughter, here."
"Well hon, I'm waiting for an answer…?!" The American said expectantly as Saeko felt her face burning with embarrassment as the eyes of everyone standing all around suddenly became focused completely on her.
"Saeko…" Jim said his voice deepening as Saeko suddenly found herself unable to look the man directly in the face.
"What exactly did you do to the guards, and by the way, where is Shizuka?" Jim said as Saeko's eyes went wide at the man's question and all of her remaining courage immediately left her.
"Ano…." Saeko replied hesitantly as she nervously pressed the tips of her index fingers against each other and she tried to avoid the man's icy stare.
"I'm waiting, Saeko…" Jim said in a low voice as he continued to stare disapprovingly at her.
"Eh…to…" Saeko said feeling her heart racing, as she felt the eyes of everyone focused directly on her, as they waited for a response.
"Are you gonna answer me sometime today Saeko, or do I need to go back up to my room and get my *chancla again?!" Jim snapped as Saeko's hands reflexively covered her butt.
*(Chancla – Tejano word for slipper, sandal, or flip-flop which besides being used as footwear, is quite popular with mothers in Texas, to spank their children with.)
"No, no…Ji-san…!" Saeko said wide-eyed as she then hung her head again in embarrassment. "Marikawa-sensei is safe inside the mansion, and I didn't beat up any of the guards…all I did was…ano…"
"All you did was…what, Saeko?" The American snapped his eyes narrowing as Saeko flinched in response.
"All I did was apply a series of nerve attacks on both of the guards to stun them, and then I held them down so that…" Saeko began as her voice again trailed off, the angry look on the man's face completely unsettling her.
"YOU DID WHAT?!" Soichiro thundered his eyes ablaze as Yoshioka immediately called two of his men over and then barked at them to go check on the incapacitated guards and the school nurse as the two men then ran hurriedly towards the mansion.
"Are all of you children insane?!" Yuriko snapped her eyes ablaze with the same look of fury as was present on her husband. "How could any of you children even think about doing something so foolish?!"
"Hold on for a second, Mr. and Mrs. Takagi…please?" Jim said raising his hand and waving at Saya's parents in an effort to calm them as he then turned to face Saeko again.
"Okay, I kinda figured it was something like that…" The American said rolling his eyes heavenward.
"So after you did your "Vulcan neck pinch" on the guards, you said you held them down so that… what exactly, Saeko?" Jim said still glaring at Saeko as she glanced over at the other teens nervously.
"Answer me, young lady…" Jim said in a warning tone as Saeko's face blushed a deep red.
"So that the others could tie them up and gag them, Ji-san..." Saeko said finally as the Security Chief and Saya's parents eyes went wide in shock at Saeko's words.
"What about Shizuka….please don't tell me that you kids bound her up and gagged her too?" Jim said as his eyes suddenly widened when Saeko hesitated in answering him.
"Sweet mother of crap, are you kidding me, Saeko?!" Jim said his jaw dropping in shock. "Ya'll kids bound her up and gagged her too,…SERIOUSLY?!"
"Ano…..iye, we didn't gag her, Ji-san." Saeko said her face turning an even brighter shade of red from embarrassment at the stunned look on the man's face.
"We just tied her up to a chair and then hid her in a broom closet so that she wouldn't try to stop us." Saeko finally admitted as the American closed his eyes and then placed his hands over his face and shook his head as Saeko hung her head even lower in embarrassment.
"I don't believe this…" Jim said as he rubbed the top of his head with his hands in frustration as he then turned and gazed at the group of adults standing behind him whose mouths were also dropped open in shock.
"Okay… I have to admit, I didn't see this one coming at all." The American said gazing at the other adults with an embarrassed look on his face. "And I sure as hell didn't think they'd ever do something like that to Shizuka."
"Holy shit…she's gonna kill you kids…" Jim said in disbelief as he glanced down and noticed Alice still cowering behind Rei's skirt, her eyes as wide as saucers.
"Congratulations, kids…" Jim said turning to face the teens as he threw his hands up in the air in frustration. "Ya'll have officially crossed the line."
"That would be an understatement, I'm afraid…!" Soichiro thundered as he and Yuriko both took an angry step towards the teens as Saya immediately shrank back in fear.
"Minna-san wait, please don't blame the others for this…!" Takashi said stepping forward in an effort to calm the situation as well as Saya's angry parents. "It's my fault, I was the one who made everyone_!"
"Son, you couldn't make any of the others do anything unless they wanted to, in the first place….!" Jim said interrupting as he gazed over at Takashi. "And don't think for one second we're stupid enough to believe that four teenagers took on three grown adults and hog-tied them, just because you told them to."
"All of you kids were in on this…" Jim said gazing sternly at the teens as his eyes eventually returned back to Saeko. "And every single one of you is at fault."
"Jimu-san…" Saya began in an effort to try to smooth things over as the American raised up his hand to silence her.
"You're in enough hot water as it is, Pumpkin…" Jim said pointing a finger at Saya without diverting his gaze from Saeko's face.
"You might want to quit now before you sink yourself in any deeper, sweetie…" The American added as Saya reflexively glanced at her parents and then shivered at the frigid look in their eyes and remained silent.
"Ya'll kids have an awful short memory…." The American began as he turned to face the rest of the teens. "Because just this morning all of you promised to trust me and do everything I say if Mr. and Mrs. Takagi and I agreed to help you find your parents."
"So far, we haven't gone back on our word that I know of…" Jim said gazing over the teens as they all lowered their heads and stared at the ground in embarrassment.
"Too bad ya'll kids can't say the same, huh?" Jim said as Takashi felt his face burning with anger at the way he and his friends were being humiliated by the American in front of everyone.
"All we asked of you kids, was for you to stay put inside the mansion until we were absolutely sure that it was safe out here…" The American said as Saeko noticed out of the corner of her eye that Takashi was clenching and unclenching his fists angrily.
"And I definitely remember telling you to stay put, young lady….!" Jim said glaring at Saeko as she also felt her own face burning with anger and embarrassment at the way the American was humiliating her and her friends.
"And in case any of ya'll kids think it's funny that you did a Steven Seagal on the two guards and Shizuka, all because they were trying to keep ya'll kids from doing something really….STUPID!" The American snapped as he turned his angry gaze back towards the other teens.
"Well, as all of ya'll can see, none of us are laughing." Jim said gesturing towards the other adults as the teens glanced over at the other three adults and then quickly hung their heads again, as they then heard the American let out a frustrated sigh.
"I can see from the looks on your faces that you think I'm being a real asshole, don't you?" Jim said as he leaned forward, the anger no longer present on his face as each of the teens stared angrily at the ground, but said nothing in reply.
"I'll bet you guys think I'm just another grown-up prick who likes pushing you kids around, is that it?" The American said as the teens continued to avert their gaze, their obvious anger at the man palpable.
"Well I'll tell you what guys, let's find out the real reason why old Jimu-san and the rest of the grown-ups are being such hard-asses with all of you right now, shall we…?" Jim said gesturing towards the other adults as he fixated his gaze on the teens. "And then maybe you'll see whether or not us old farts have got a legitimate reason to be upset with you kids, or maybe we really are just talking out of our ass."
"Old farts...?" Yuriko said testily under her breath as her husband cleared his throat signaling for her to wait for the American to make his point.
"Dr. Yamane…?" The American said addressing the Chief Surgeon who was looking on at the entire spectacle in silence. "Since we've all by some miracle, managed to survive a thermonuclear explosion and live to tell the tale, are you absolutely sure that there is no possible danger of any of us being affected by radiation sickness, sir?"
"Not enough to be overly concerned with…no." Dr. Yamane replied as Jim continued to focus his gaze directly on the teens. "Presently there should be no more risk of radioactive contamination to any one of us standing here presently, than what a normal human being would usually receive from being exposed to direct sunlight."
"And if there had been, sir?" Jim continued still gazing sternly at everyone.
"We would all be suffering from the effects of radiation poisoning by now, and depending on the amount of radiation absorbed, we would all probably be dead within a few hours..." Dr. Yamane replied as the stern look on Jim's face disappeared and was replaced with a look that could only be described as disappointment.
"The walls of the mansion might not have been enough to shield you guys from any radiation…" The American said as he gazed into the eyes of each of the teens. "But then again, they might have just saved your life, if you kids had just listened to us and stayed indoors, like we told you to."
"All of you kids were very lucky this time…" Jim said in a disappointed tone as Saeko lowered her head and stared at the ground as the American took a step towards her and raised his hand and suddenly snapped his fingers loudly in front of her face, startling her.
"The next time you may not be..." Jim snapped as Saeko gazed up at him in shocked surprise.
"We have been dealing with the unknown for the past four days…" Jim continued not taking his eyes off of Saeko.
"And because we were once again dealing with the unknown, the reason we told you kids to stay inside was because we wanted to be sure all of you would be safe…" Jim went on as Saeko began to fidget slightly under his gaze. "And today, the unknown may very well have killed all of us standing out here, if there had been any danger from radiation exposure."
"And if there had been a threat from radiation exposure, the chances were good that only those of us standing outside would have been the ones affected by it…." The American said pointing his finger at all of the adults standing nearby and then to himself as he tapped his finger on his chest.
"And if something did happen to us, at least you kids would have had some sort of warning and maybe would have even had a fighting chance at survival if you had just done what we told you to."
"But you guys decided to do what you wanted to do…. again." Jim said shaking his head as he turned to once again glare disapprovingly at the group of teens. "And because of that, you could have died along with the rest of us, just because you wanted to do your own thing."
"Jimu-san…wait." Takashi said as he gazed upon the embarrassed faces of his friends and then stepped away from Rei as he walked over to where the American stood and then bowed low.
"Gomen nasai, Jimu-san…" Takashi said as he stood with his head bowed. "This was all my fault, we just wanted to see what was going on, and when the guards wouldn't let us leave…"
"When they wouldn't let you leave, you decided to take matters into your own hands again, am I right Takashi…?!" Jim snapped as Takashi lifted his head and then flinched as the former firefighter thrust his hand directly in front of Takashi's face.
"That's the second time that you've done that today, son…!" Jim said holding two of his fingers in front of Takashi's nose.
"And that's twice today that you've nearly gotten you and your friends killed because you didn't think first about what you were doing, before you acted, son...!" Jim said holding his fingers in the air for a long moment as Takashi lowered his eyes shamefully.
"And you…!" Jim said turning to face Saeko as she glanced up nervously at the American as he pointed his finger at her and opened his mouth as if to say something, but then suddenly seemed unable to find his words as he just stared at Saeko with a hurt look on his face as Saeko felt a deep flood of shame wash over her.
"I told all of you kids before, this is not a game…" Jim said finally as he then turned away from Saeko and gazed upon the rest of the teens whose heads were now all lowered in shame and embarrassment. "I also told you kids before that any mistakes made from this point on can mean the difference between life and death."
"And I told you kids just this morning that if any of you screwed up like this again you wouldn't be grounded, you wouldn't be chewed out, and you wouldn't even get a boot in the butt like all of you deserve right now…." The American said his voice rising.
"From this point on, any more silly ass mistakes on ya'll's part will get you, or someone else killed…!" Jim snapped as he gazed angrily upon all of the teens whose heads were still bowed. "And I for one, am not going to stand by and watch you kids get yourselves killed because all of you suddenly decided that you wanted to do something really stupid, because it seemed like such a good idea at the time!"
"Look at me!" Jim barked as the heads of each of the teens rose up sharply in surprise at the man's angry voice as Lord and Lady Takagi and the Security Chief exchanged stunned looks with each other in shock at the way the American was mercilessly rebuking the group of teenagers.
"You kids will not pull another stupid ass stunt like this again, do you hear me…?!" Jim roared as adults and teenagers alike, gazed at him in shocked surprise at his outburst.
"From now on you kids do exactly what you are told, when you're told to do it, and without any argument whatsoever, or so help me, your little butts will be handcuffed to your beds for the duration of this crisis….is that clear?!" Jim added lowering his voice as he noticed the teens exchanging uneasy looks as if they were uncertain as to how to reply.
"Is….that…CLEAR?!" The American said sharply as all of the teens reacted as if they'd been struck.
"Hai…!" All of the teens replied hurriedly as Jim glared at the teens for a long uncomfortable moment before the angry look slowly disappeared from his face and his shoulders seemed to sag as the man rubbed his eyes with one hand.
"Get inside, all of you…" The American said sternly pointing in the direction of the mansion. "Now!"
"And I want every one of you to apologize to the guards and Shizuka for what you did to them…" Jim added as the teens began to exchange nervous looks with each other.
"And you'd better do it fast, because once those guards untie Shizuka, she's gonna be out for blood_." The American began just as a loud scream of rage erupted from the school nurse which was immediately followed by the crash of furniture that echoed loudly from the mansion, causing everyone to flinch as the teens exchanged horrified looks with each other.
"Too late…" Jim said dryly as the teens gazed at him with panic-filled eyes as Soichiro Takagi immediately grabbed ahold of his wife in order to prevent her from rushing into the mansion as everyone then winced again at the sound of another loud crash, followed by the sound of breaking glass, erupted again from the mansion.
"That sounded expensive…" The American said with a sigh as he removed his glasses and massaged the bridge of his nose as Shizuka's angry shouting continued from inside the mansion amid shouts of fear from the guards, followed by the sounds of more furniture being smashed.
"Ya'll kids better hurry up and get in there before she tears the whole mansion apart…" Jim said as another loud crash echoed across the lawn as the teens flinched in response to the sound and then gazed at Jim with pleading eyes.
"Don't give me that look, ya'll were the ones dumb enough to make her mad…" The American said scowling at the teens without sympathy.
"NOW MOVE IT!" Jim barked not giving the teens a chance to speak as the teens flinched at his outburst before they all silently turned and with Alice in tow, began walking towards the mansion.
"GET A MOVE ON…!" Jim barked as the teens began to quicken their pace up the hill without bothering to look back, with the exception of Saeko, who stopped at the bottom of the staircase leading up towards the carport and briefly looked back, before she then followed the rest of the teens up the staircase.
"Jim…about the children." Yuriko said hesitantly as they all watched the children walking hurriedly up the steps. "I know I was rather cross with the children myself…but, perhaps that might have been a little too harsh?"
"It was extremely harsh, Mrs. Takagi…" Jim replied with a heavy sigh as he watched the teenagers walk dejectedly towards the mansion. "But unfortunately, it was also absolutely necessary."
"Oh, and why is that?" Soichiro asked, curious as to why the American mercenary had been so heavy-handed with the teens as the American turned and smiled weakly at him.
"I'll explain in a moment, Mr. Takagi…" Jim replied as he then turned to face Dr. Yamane.
"Dr. Yamane?" The American said as the doctor who had been watching the entire spectacle silently, perked his head up.
"Hai?" Dr. Yamane replied bowing slightly.
"Is it true what you said about the radiation, sir?" Jim said as he glanced up at the sky. "That there's really no danger from exposure to any of us on the ground?"
"Hai…" Dr. Yamane replied nodding his head. "While some residual radiation will reach all of us here at ground level, the extreme altitude from where the detonation took place nullifies any possibility of anyone on the ground from receiving a lethal dose, however."
"Well that's some good news at least…" Jim said with a sigh. "Of course we're still left with an even bigger problem."
"What's do you mean, Jim?" Soichiro said raising an eyebrow as Jim turned to face him.
"Launching a nuclear first strike against a sovereign nation usually results in an immediate response from the country being attacked, Mr. Takagi…" The American replied with a troubled frown on his face. "So I'm pretty sure that whoever launched that missile at us probably received several missiles in kind from any of Japan's allies since Japan doesn't have its own nuclear arsenal…at least that I know of."
"And that being the case…." The American added grimly. "I'm pretty sure that the allies of that enemy nation that fired upon your country, probably fired their own missiles at the home country of all of Japan's allies, in response."
"Are you implying that the entire world is now at war, Trevino-san?!" Yoshioka said incredulously as everyone glanced at each other with horrified eyes at the American's words.
"Maybe…" The American said scratching his head. "But until we can make contact with someone in the military and can confirm that, I would think it safe to assume so, for the time being."
"I find your theory most…unsettling, Jim." Soichiro said as he placed his arm over Yuriko's shoulders and held her close.
"Believe me folks, the idea of our world engaged in a nuclear conflict scares me just about as much as it does all of you…" The American replied grimly as he gazed upon the frightened faces of the adults around him. "But whatever the situation may be out in the world right now, the good news is that nuclear annihilation didn't occur here, at least."
"However the effects of this EMP has really complicated things..." Jim added as he looked back over his shoulder in the direction of the mansion. "…and my immediate concern now is what do we do now, to protect everyone here from our more immediate threat?"
"More immediate threat?" Soichiro asked confused as the former firefighter suddenly pointed towards the city.
"It's been four days since the Outbreak began, Mr. Takagi…" Jim began in explanation as everyone gazed out into the now deathly silent city. "And in all that time, I have no doubt in my mind that the numbers of Infected out there are a hell of a lot more than we could handle if they all decided to start heading our way."
"And unless I'm mistaken…" Jim said still gazing out towards the city. "With the JSDF evacuating the populace and cutting off all ways in and out of the city, the Infected are probably starving by now since they no longer have as plentiful a food source, as they had before."
"That would stand to reason…" Dr. Yamane said nodding his head in agreement. "Which also would mean that the Infected would then also become much more aggressive than before, as well."
"My thoughts exactly, Dr. Yamane." Jim said with a troubled frown. "And with all the racket going on around here, we might as well be ringing the dinner bell for them, wouldn't you agree?"
"I concur…" Dr. Yamane replied as the other three adults exchanged confused looks with each other.
"Pardon me for asking, but exactly what racket are you speaking of, Jim?" Soichiro asked with a confused frown on his face. "I don't hear anything out of the usual."
"That's because you just ate, Mr. Takagi…" Jim said jokingly with a weird smirk on his face as Soichiro frowned irritably.
"Our American friend does indeed have a rather unusual sense of humor…but he is quite correct, Takagi-sama..." Dr. Yamane said with a visible look of amusement on his face. "And I'm afraid that I have to agree with Trevino-san, that the noise level here is probably loud enough to be heard for miles."
"I'm afraid I still don't understand what noise either of you are speaking of, Yamane-sensei…" Soichiro said gruffly as Dr. Yamane nodded his head and then held up his hand in a calming gesture.
"I understand your confusion Takagi-sama, but if you will allow me,… would all of you please close your eyes for a moment…?" Dr. Yamane said as the three adults exchanged confused looks with each other, but then reluctantly complied.
"Now take a deep breath…" Dr. Yamane said in a soothing voice. "And relax."
"Let any and all thoughts you may have right now be cleared from your mind…" Dr. Yamane said gently sounding very much like a psychiatrist trying to treat one of his patients. "And allow yourself to think of nothing else, other than the sounds around you."
"Now…what do you hear?" Dr. Yamane said as Soichiro grumbled irritably under his breath, yet as he, Yuriko and the Security Chief continued to focus on their surroundings, the unearthly silence that had filled their ears earlier began to give way to a cacophony of sounds that they had not previously noticed before.
…the loud sounds of grief echoing from those in the camp whose family members had passed away as a direct result of the EMP.
…the sounds of children crying in their mother's arms.
…the noisy chattering of groups of men and women talking loudly in fear over the unexplained events that had just occurred.
…the sounds of children playing loudly amongst the tents.
…the loud echoes of someone angrily banging on a non-working piece of equipment with a metal object.
…the angry sounds of a man yanking on the pull cord of a portable generator over and over again and then swearing loudly in frustration.
…the clatter of dishes clinking together as they were being washed in the camp.
…the loud screams of rage coming from the school nurse followed by the panicked screams of frightened teenagers begging for forgiveness, that erupted from the mansion and echoed out into the silent neighborhood beyond.
"I'm beginning to see your point, Sensei…" Soichiro said as he, Yuriko, and the Security Chief opened their eyes and then gazed over at the mansion with worried looks on their faces.
"Now imagine that you're one of the Infected whose only purpose in life is to attack and eat anything within earshot, Mr. Takagi…" Jim said ignoring the loud clamor coming from the mansion as he gazed in the direction of the dead city. "And now you're starving because you've been cut off from your only source of food."
"Shimatta…" Yoshioka swore under his breath, his words expressing exactly what everyone else was thinking as well.
"As I'm sure all of you will agree now with our American friend…" Dr. Yamane said placing his hands into the pockets of his lab coat. "…our chief concern now should be the lives and safety of those here presently."
"Agreed..." Soichiro said as he gazed over towards the mansion and noticed the school nurse standing in the window shaking her finger at the teens as she vented her rage at them, her face a mask of fury.
"Mr. Takagi…" Jim said still gazing towards the refugee camp. "About your scheduled plan to evacuate everyone here to the city's power plant and link up with the JSDF?"
"Yes?" Soichiro replied as he gazed upon the face of his daughter Saya, as she stood in the window, his heart sinking at the thoroughly frightened look on her face as the school nurse continued to berate the teens.
"What was your "Plan B", sir…?" The American mercenary asked as Soichiro's attention was suddenly torn away from gazing at his daughter's sad face at the American's question, as he then noticed to his dismay, that his wife Yuriko was also looking at him expectantly for an answer.
"Plan B"…?" Soichiro said hesitantly as he glanced over at Yoshioka who suddenly appeared extremely uncomfortable.
"Yes sir, your back-up plan just in case something happened and ya'll couldn't link up with the JSDF?" Jim asked growing concerned upon noticing the strange way Saya's father seemed uncharacteristically hesitant about answering him.
"You did have one, didn't you, sir?" Jim said asked noticing the nervous glances exchanged between the Lord of Takagi Manor and his Security Chief.
"No, you didn't…" Jim said exasperated as he placed both of his hands behind his head and sighed heavily in frustration as Yuriko gazed at her husband with her mouth dropped open in shock.
"I'm afraid I must admit that our successful evacuation rested entirely on the plan we had previously arranged with the JSDF, Jim…" Soichiro said uncomfortably as he tried to avoid his wife's angry gaze.
'You mean there were no other plans made in case you lost contact with the JSDF or were unable to make the rendezvous, Soichiro-san?!" Yuriko said in disbelief as her husband nervously adjusted his collar.
"I'm afraid so…" Soichiro said uncomfortably as he noticed the American's attention appeared to be fixated on the refugee camp for some reason, before he then turned to face the front gate and seemed to stare blankly over towards the city.
"Jim…?" Soichiro asked as the American mercenary continued to stare silently out into the city. "What is it, do you see something?"
"Jim…." Yuriko said with concern after exchanging a worried glance with her husband when the American failed to respond to her husband's question. "What's wrong?"
"I need to see any detailed maps ya'll might have of the surrounding area…" The American suddenly replied, his gaze still focused in the direction of the city.
"Specifically I need to know any and all ways in and out of this place, as well as any tunnels and canals that may run underneath the city streets that may be used by us as an evacuation route, or could possibly be used by the Infected to gain access into this area."
"I also need to see any architectural drawings that you might have of the entire layout of this mansion…" Jim went on still staring out towards the city. "And I also need to know about any and all secret rooms and tunnels ya'll might have, which are not shown on the drawings."
"Andrew-san and I worked together on tightening the security here at the mansion…" Yoshioka said nodding his head as he waved some of his men over. "All of the house plans and maps of the area that you spoke of, are currently in Takagi-dono's study."
"Good…" Jim said as some of Yoshioka's men arrived. "We'll also need to find out what vehicles and equipment we have that are still working, or are capable of being repaired, and get someone working on them immediately."
"I'll get my men on it…" Yoshioka said as he barked a few sharp orders to his men in Japanese as they then ran off towards the small fleet of parked vehicles and began to check each one.
"Anything else?" Yoshioka said as Jim nodded his head and pointed a finger towards the refugee camp.
"I'm also going to need an exact head count of all the people here, as well as the number of elderly and small children there are, and I need to know how many of those people are injured, or otherwise unable to walk..." Jim said gazing upon all the people still walking around aimlessly in the camp, each of them completely oblivious to the extreme danger they were all in.
"That information I believe I can get for you within the hour, if you will please excuse me…" Dr. Yamane said as he bowed and then began walking quickly towards the hospital tent.
"Yoshioka-san, I'm also gonna need to know exactly what our supply situation is…" Jim continued as he and the other adults watched Dr. Yamane walking away. "Food, water, medical supplies, weapons, ammo, and anything else you can think of that could be useful in any way."
"And then I need to know the exact location and route you were going to take to this power plant you were evacuating everyone to…"Jim added glancing over at the Security Chief. "As well as whatever info you can give me on your original timetable and where exactly your contact from the JSDF was going to be to meet all of you."
"You have a plan of some sort, Trevino-san?" Yoshioka asked as Jim nodded his head silently in response.
"Still working out the bugs, but yeah…" Jim replied glancing at his watch and then after remembering that it was no longer working, took it off and stuffed it in one of the pockets of his jeans as he glanced over at the horizon in the direction of the setting sun.
"It'll be dark in a couple of hours…." The American mercenary said turning to face Yoshioka again. "There's a lot of work to be done, and very little time in which to do it."
"Agreed…" Yoshioka said glancing at the setting sun himself as he then glanced over at his men who were attempting to check each of the vehicles and see if any were still running, but as of yet, seemed to have had no luck so far in finding a vehicle that had been left untouched by the effects of the EMP.
"Takagi-dono, if you'll please excuse me…" Yoshioka said with a bow. "I need to go check on my men inside the mansion."
"Wakatta…" Soichiro said nodding his head as the Security Chief turned and walked towards the mansion as the remaining adults turned and noticed that all of the teens were staring at them from one of the dining room windows.
And also watching them from the window with the little girl Alice in her arms stood the school nurse, who had apparently managed to calm down somewhat from her ordeal, but was still obviously very angry with the teens nonetheless, as she kept a close watch on all of them.
"Is there anything else that you think you might need, Jim?" Soichiro asked as he turned and saw the American silently gazing at the front of the mansion, his attention focused on the young girl Saeko Busujima who, along with the rest of the teens, was staring back at him from the window.
"Jim?" Soichiro asked again, the frown on his face deepening with concern at the man's silence.
"I need your promise that if my plan fails and anything happens to me, that you'll get those kids back to their families, Mr. Takagi…" Jim said suddenly as he continued to gaze at the young girl standing in the window staring sadly back at him. "And if that's not possible, I want your word that you and your wife will take care of them yourselves, so that they won't be left alone in this world."
"Of course, Jim…." Soichiro replied with mild surprise as he glanced over at his wife. "My wife and I would only be too happy to do so."
"Thank you, sir..." Jim said turning his gaze away from the window as he then turned his attention towards the city skyline.
"Jim?" Yuriko said growing worried at the Americans odd behavior as he stood there in front of them staring towards the center of the now dead city in complete silence for several moments, as if searching for something.
"Jim…" Yuriko asked nervously, no longer able to stand the awkward silence. "What's wrong?"
"Soichiro-san, Yuriko-san…?"Jim said suddenly addressing Saya's parents by their surname as he continued to stare out onto the city. "There's something I want both of you to know."
"Hai..?" Saya's parents both replied exchanging worried looks with each other.
"I never meant to hurt those kids in any way…" The American said his shoulders sagging slightly. "All I've wanted to do ever since I first found them, was to help them get back to their families."
"But I have to admit, the more I was around them…" Jim said as he removed his glasses and pretended to massage his eyes. "The more I realized just how much I wished that they were my children…and not someone else's."
"And I also have to confess, that pony-tailed, stubborn as a mule, scary-eyed, ice princess really made one hell of an impression on me in the short time I've been with her…" Jim said with a chuckle as the expression on his face suddenly turned serious.
"And I can't remember a time that I've ever wanted a child of my own, so badly." Jim added as he then paused for a moment in a visible effort to compose himself. "Especially after I learned about how she had protected me back at the condo, because she said that I was the "father" who had come to care for her so much."
"And because of that, I couldn't help but want to adopt her as my own daughter…"The American said shaking his head. "But it wasn't until this latest stunt that she and the other kids pulled, that I finally realized what a horrible mistake I had made by getting too close to them."
"And as much as I hate to admit it…" Jim added with a troubled sigh as he shook his head sadly. "It's because of me, that all this has happened."
"Jim this isn't your fault…" Yuriko said gently, believing that the man was blaming himself unnecessarily for the reckless actions of the teenagers. "They're just children, and all they are doing_."
"Is exactly what I taught them to do…Mrs. Takagi." The American said interrupting as he gazed at Yuriko sadly. "And unfortunately for us, they've all learned their lesson a little too well, as you can see."
"What do you mean that you taught them to behave this way, Jim?" Soichiro said as Jim glanced over at Saya's father.
"I knew it would be next to impossible to get these kids to their families safely all by myself, Mr. Takagi…" Jim began in explanation. "And that being the case, when we were all alone out there, I tried to teach them how to survive and work as a group, so that in case anything happened to me, they would have a decent chance of surviving on their own."
"And I have to admit, a part of me is extremely impressed on how well they've been able to work together as a team in a crisis…" The American said with a smirk.
"But the last thing I ever thought would happen…" Jim said with a troubled sigh as he gazed over at Saya's parents as the smirk quickly disappeared from his face. "Was that the things that I taught them would instead make them more of a danger to themselves and to others, instead."
"And now after witnessing this latest fiasco…" Jim went on. "There's no doubt in my mind that if these kids continue to run around on their own unchecked, they are eventually going to get themselves hurt, if not killed."
"And I realized that if those kids are ever going to break away from this reckless path they're headed towards…" Jim said gazing over at Saya's parents sadly. "Then I had to put a stop to these little stunts of theirs, once and for all."
"And the only way I could think of on how to drive the point home to them, Mr. and Mrs. Takagi…" Jim said was sigh. "Was to scare them straight."
"I would say in that endeavor you most definitely succeeded, Jim…" Yuriko said with a hint of amusement in her voice. "However, I do believe that the extreme tongue-lashing that Marikawa-sensei gave the children was more than enough to make them think twice about ever attempting another foolish stunt like that again."
"I believe you're right, Mrs. Takagi…" Jim said with a smirk as he glanced over at the mansion.
"But if I were you…" Jim said his face turning serious as he gazed towards the mansion. "I think it would be best to keep the kids separated from one another until this crisis is over, just to be safe."
"Keep them separated..?" Yuriko said frowning slightly. "Why?"
"Allowing those kids to remain together is far too dangerous as you've already seen yourself, Mrs. Takagi…" The American replied shaking his head. "But the one thing working in our favor is the fact that they won't do anything unless they're all working together as a group."
"And since none of them will do anything without the others being present…" Jim said with a troubled frown. "The only way to keep them from banding together and pulling another stupid stunt like this, is to keep them away from each other."
"So now you believe that the best course of action in order for us to prevent the children from harming themselves, is for us to lock the children up in their rooms and throw away the key, Jim?!" Soichiro asked stunned by the American's words. "Why, just this morning you fought to have the children_!"
"I know what I said regarding those kids earlier, Mr. Takagi..." Jim said interrupting. "But unless you do exactly that, I promise you that by morning these kids will band together and make another escape attempt, unless they're kept apart from each other."
"And this time…" The American said glancing over at the mansion again. "I have no doubt in my mind that they'll succeed."
"What makes you say that, Jim?!" Soichiro asked glancing over at his wife, the scowl on his face deepening. "Do you honestly believe the children would do something so reckless just because of a simple scolding?!"
"Wouldn't be the first time, Mr. Takagi…" Jim said with a chuckle.
"Or have you already forgotten what almost happened this morning when you're men caught them trying to sneak away?" The American added as Soichiro opened his mouth in response but then found himself unable to think of a reply.
"I know that what I'm asking of you both seems extremely harsh, and I admit, it's completely contradictory to everything I've said to ya'll before about the kids…" Jim said as the look on his face suddenly turned serious. "But unless you do, mark my words, by mid-morning tomorrow these kids will be long gone."
"And if I were you, I'd make damned sure to lock Saeko up regardless of what you do to the others, and make sure you never let her out of your sight, for any reason…" The American said shaking his head. "Because I guarantee you that in the morning she'll tear the mansion out from under all of you just to get away."
"Jim, why are you so convinced that the children are so intent on running away again?" Yuriko asked suspiciously. "Is there something going on with the children that you're not telling us?"
"It has to do with the plan I've come up with, on how to deal with our current crisis, Mrs. Takagi…" The American said glancing back at the mansion. "But the problem is, Saeko isn't going to like it when she finds out about it, and I can guarantee you that there will be hell to pay afterwards once my plan is put in motion."
"Why is that?" Yuriko said curiously as the American turned to face her. "What are you going to do, Jim?"
"Something unforgiveable, Mrs. Takagi…" Jim said with a pained look on his face. "And when Saeko finds out about it, I have very little doubt in my mind that she will try to stop me."
"And even if she succeeds in trying to stop me…" Jim said gazing over at Saya's parents. "She may very well try to kill me, for the horrible thing that I'm about to do to her."
"What do you mean, Jim..?!" Yuriko asked apprehensively as she and her husband exchanged shocked looks with each other at the man's unexpected statement. "What is it that you intend to do that would upset her so much that she would try to do something like that?!"
"I'm going to break her heart, Mrs. Takagi…" Jim said with a heavy sigh as he gazed sadly into the stunned faces of Saya's parents as they reacted to the man's words as if they had been struck.
"You're going to do what?!" Yuriko said practically shouting in disbelief at the man's words, her maternal instincts instinctively taking over as she reflexively took an angry step towards the man, in defense of the young girl.
"Jim…" Soichiro said stepping between his wife and the American as Yuriko continued to glare at Jim with anger-filled eyes. "I think you had better explain yourself."
"Um, yeah…I can see that." Jim said with a thin smile as Yuriko slowly calmed down and tried to regain her composure.
"We are completely cut off from the outside world because of this EMP, Mrs. Takagi…" The American began patiently as he then gestured with his hand towards the city.
"And because of that, the only chance we may have now of being rescued is for someone to get to that rendezvous point at the power plant, and inform the rescue team of our situation here once they arrive … if they actually show up at all, I mean."
"What are you talking about, Jim…and what does this have to do with you hurting Saeko-chan?!" Yuriko snapped angrily as her husband suddenly cleared his throat, interrupting her.
"I'm afraid I understand what he means, my dear..." Soichiro said with a frown. "Jim is right, this crisis changes things substantially, because if the world is indeed at war, then that means that all military assets will be diverted from their previous humanitarian relief efforts, in order to deal with this new threat."
"My point exactly…" Jim said nodding his head in agreement. "But on the off chance that the JSDF might still send in a rescue team after all, it would be best if someone showed up at the rendezvous to give them a heads up on what's going on over here."
"So what you're telling us Jim, is that you intend on traveling to that rendezvous point on your own… and on foot?!" Yuriko said incredulously as the American nodded his head.
"Actually, I'm hoping that your men can find a working vehicle that I can use in order to avoid walking through the city, Mrs. Takagi…" Jim said gesturing towards the group of men still busily checking each of the vehicles parked along the far wall of the mansion. "But if not, I really don't see any other choice other than to hump it over there on foot."
"But Jim, that's suicide…!"Yuriko said as she felt her husband's hand grip her shoulder as she glanced up at him and saw him shaking his head at her, as he leaned closer and then whispered in her ear.
"He knows this, my dear…"Soichiro whispered to his wife. "Why else do you think he's so worried about the children attempting to run away again?"
"And he's right, once the child of Hiroyuki Busujima finds out what he has done…" Soichiro added as he gazed over at Jim. "She is sure to do everything in her power to run after him…''
''And if her friends decide to join her…" Soichiro said letting his voice trail off intentionally as Yuriko's eyes widened at her husband's implication.
''Then Saya will want to join them too…" Yuriko said, her worst fears of her daughter all alone in the city amongst hordes of prowling monsters, once again bubbling to the surface.
"But Jim, wouldn't it be prudent to believe that the JSDF would more than likely send a helicopter or a jet to fly over our home, if they don't find any of us there?!" Yuriko said almost desperately. "Why risk your life as well as the possibility of the children following you, if that's the case?"
"The JSDF might do a fly-by of your home if no one shows up at the rendezvous point, Mrs. Takagi…" Jim said with a slight frown. "But with this many people relying on us to get them to safety, I strongly believe that it would be best if we leave absolutely nothing to chance."
"But…" Yuriko began as she then gasped at the grief-stricken look that suddenly appeared on the man's face.
"Mrs. Takagi…" Jim said gently as he gazed sadly into Yuriko's eyes. "I know you're afraid of what might happen once the kid's find out what I've done, but the fact of the matter is, there is just no way that we could move all of these people to the rendezvous point without attracting any of the Infected along the way."
"And there's definitely no way that any of the sick or elderly here could make it that far on foot, even if we were somehow able to carry all of them…"Jim added shaking his head. "And on top of that, there's also no guarantee that the power plant hasn't been compromised already."
"And that being the case…" Jim said with a sigh. "We need to stick to the plan your husband and the JSDF agreed to, and have someone get to that rendezvous point and advise the rescue team of what's happened here so that they can send help."
"And since I'm the only one here who has any type of training on how to deal with something like this…" Jim said as he turned his gaze back towards the group of teens staring at them from the window. "It only makes sense that I volunteer myself for this mission."
"What you're saying makes some sense, I must admit…" Yuriko said grudgingly. "But I still don't think the risk is worth the effort, Jim."
"With all due respect Mrs. Takagi, you and your husband are going to need every man you have available here in order to protect everyone in case the Infected begin to realize what they're missing out on up here, and start heading this way…" Jim said pointing towards the city. "Whereas if I go out there_"
"JIM, ENOUGH,…THIS IS STUPID!" Yuriko suddenly snapped, finally losing control as she felt her husband place his hand on her shoulder again, in an effort to calm her. "I can't believe you're actually serious about this, its suicide to go out there alone, and you know it!"
"Mrs. Takagi, I've spent my entire lifetime working in a high-risk profession that places an even higher value on the lives of others…" Jim said in an unusually calm voice. "And every day I tried to serve with honor and live up to the values that so many others had given their lives for."
"But those days are all over now…" The American said sadly. "And now all I am… is tired."
"But if what I do now means that all of you and Saeko, will live…." Jim added. "Then as far as I'm concerned, it will have all been worth it."
"I just hope that someday Saeko will forgive me for leaving her without saying goodbye…" Jim said as he turned his attention away from the teens standing in the window and then gazed directly at Saya's parents.
"Hopefully…" Jim said shrugging his shoulders as Yuriko shook her husband's hand off of her shoulder.
"Jim, this mission of yours is still suicide, no matter what you say…!" Yuriko said exasperated as the American calmly shook his head. "There has to be another way that you haven't thought about yet!"
"There isn't…" Jim said with a thin smile. "But it doesn't matter, anyway."
"Whether I succeed or fail, either way, it's best for Saeko that I never return." The American said as Yuriko stepped forward, her frustration with the man and his seemingly overwhelming desire to meet his doom, finally overpowering her.
"You were right, Mrs. Takagi…" Jim said interrupting Yuriko before she could protest any further.
"I'm not her father, and I should have never gotten as close to her, or to the rest of those kids, like I did…" The American added as he glanced back towards the mansion as Yuriko felt an enormous wave of guilt washing over her at the man's words.
"I love those kids…" The American said as he stared sadly up towards the mansion at Saeko Busujima as she continued to watch them from the window along with the other teens.
"And I love Saeko more than she'll ever know…" The American said his voice breaking as he turned away from Saeko's gaze and then stared at the setting sun, intentionally averting his face away from everyone's gaze. "And I can't begin to tell the both of you how sorry I am for the pain I'm about to cause all of them, especially Saeko..."
"But there really is no other choice…" Jim said with a heavy sigh as he removed his glasses and wiped his eyes, unable to control himself any longer.
"Mr. and Mrs. Takagi…?" Jim said visibly struggling with his emotions. "I have a personal favor to ask of you…"
"What is it Jim?" Soichiro asked sympathetically, realizing that the man was struggling mightily to keep his composure as he and his wife both noticed the man trying unsuccessfully to blink the tears from his eyes.
"Take care of my "little girl" for me…please?" Jim said as Saya's parents both felt as if a knife had been plunged into their gut at the man's heartfelt plea.
"Don't worry, Jim… Saeko will be well cared for." Soichiro replied feeling a sharp stab of guilt coursing through himself for the way he had once despised the man so vehemently before.
"You have my word." Soichiro said as Yuriko glanced over at the former firefighter and then turned her attention back towards the mansion and saw Saeko Busujima still staring at them through the window.
"I have seen men practically kill themselves, and each other, in their struggle for power, fame, riches, and glory…" Yuriko thought bitterly as she turned away from looking at Saeko and then returned her gazed toward the American. "But all that poor man ever really wanted in all his life, was a family of his own."
"And now because of this horror, he has lost family, friends, comrades, and even his home…" Yuriko thought sadly. "But it was his love for that child, and she for him, which comforted him through it all."
"But he knows that she will continue to willingly place her life in jeopardy in order to be near the man she now looks upon as her "father"…" Yuriko thought sadly. "And he is deathly afraid of losing her, as well."
"And so rather than risk suffering the loss of the "daughter" he loves so dearly…" Yuriko thought as she began to groan within herself. "He knows that he has to disappear from her life…forever."
"But now that the one ray of hope that he had left of ever living a happy life as her father, has been taken away from him..." Yuriko thought to herself weeping inwardly. "In his mind, he has now lost absolutely everything that he has ever held dear in his life…"
"So is it really no surprise then, that he no longer wishes to go on living?" Yuriko thought to herself as she felt her own heart breaking at the man's visible agony. "And isn't that reason enough that he would willingly go on a mission that he knows he can't possibly survive?"
"Trevino-san…I am so sorry..." Yuriko said mentally as she gazed upon the visibly broken man.
"As my husband said, Jim…" Yuriko said with heartfelt compassion towards the man as she struggled greatly to maintain her own composure. "You have our word that we will take care of Saeko-chan, and keep her safe."
"We promise you, Jim..." Yuriko said smiling as she struggled to hold back her tears. "So please, don't worry..."
"Domo… arigatou… gozaimasu…" The American said bowing his head slightly as he continued to keep his gaze fixed on the setting sun without saying anything further.
"Is there anything else that we can do for you, Jim?" Yuriko asked as she and her husband suddenly flinched at the sound of an unearthly roar that erupted from somewhere in the far distance as the voices of every man, woman, and child standing within the grounds of Takagi Manor immediately went silent as they stared with horrified eyes in the direction of the city.
"Just one last thing…" Jim said in an unusually calm voice as he stared in the direction the roar had come from, as the load roar they had all heard was then answered by another high-pitched howl coming from another section of the city.
"I'll need you to give me my weapons back…." The American said his eyes now cold, and his jaw set in grim determination as another loud howl echoed in the far distance.
"…all of them."
Author's Notes:
As anyone who has read Last Alarm from the very beginning knows, I oftentimes like to use characters from some of my favorite anime's or TV shows in my story, just for fun.
But when it comes to characters representing SEAL Team members, I try to use the names of real SEALs as my way of honoring them.
But in the case of the character of Sam Axe who is the Team Leader of "Bandito" Platoon from SEAL Team Two, I decided to make an exception, just this once.
* And since Last Alarm was originally meant to be a gift for my younger brother, I couldn't help but insert one of my brother's all-time favorite actors in my story, Bruce Campbell.
So for those of you who may have already recognized the character of Lt. Commander Sam Axe and his constant use of the phrase "easey-peasey", then you know that I based the character of SEAL Commander Sam Axe from the character Bruce Campbell used to play on the TV show Burn Notice, which also happened to be one of my favorite shows.
And of course, if you're a Bruce Campbell fan, then there was no way I could not write Bruce Campbell in my story without using one of the catch-phrases that helped make him famous, "groovy", which was used in the movies Evil Dead and Evil Dead 2- Army of Darkness.
Of course, "Bandito" Platoon is the name of the SEAL platoon from the movie Act of Valor.
And no, I don't own any of those characters or their catch phrases, which are the property of their respective owners.
On another note, for those of you who are new to Last Alarm, you may be surprised to know that originally I hadn't intended on focusing much on the events that happened with Rika and the others at Tokonosu Airport.
Instead, my original plan was to focus more on Jim and the teens with Rika only being mentioned later when the fight at Takagi Manor was over.
But thanks to my friend Andy (aka Poynton90) for introducing me to his OC Andrew, a part of my story that wouldn't have existed at all without his input, has really helped make my story better than it would have been, and I am really grateful to him for all his hard work at bringing Andrew to life and making him such a great character to work with.
I've had a lot of fun with Andrew, and while there are quite a few chapter with Andrew in them, chapters 32…33…36…45…46…47 and of course, 48 were extremely fun to work with Andy on, although Andy was the one who wrote them, while all I did was "tweak" them a bit.
Of course, "Hunted" is my favorite collaboration with Andy by far…..lol, sorry mate.
On a further note:
For the most part, Last Alarm has been received very well by everyone reading it, but never did I expect that this story would ever inspire others to make their own spin-off stories based upon Last Alarm, and I wanted to thank Poynton90, FirefighterMatt, and TheLordOfBeneath for honoring me the way they have with their own original stories, based on the characters from Last Alarm.
I am really looking forward to seeing how their respective stories turn out, and I wish them the very best in their efforts.
Their stories as follows are :
Last Alarm-Damnation by Poynton90 – A one-shot story that Andy did for me as a gift that is a preview of an actual sequel to Last Alarm that Andy is currently working on.
Sua Sponte- by FirefighterMatt- This story is seen from the eyes of the Laidlaw PMC's and the JSDF Platoons that they saved as they try to survive in the city while trying to get to the nearest Military Forward Operating Base.
Fading Sirens-Book One - by TheLordOfBeneath – This story deals with the young airport mechanic that Jim saved at the park when their helicopter crash-landed.
Important Announcement:
Because of several mandatory Haz-Mat courses that the Department I work for has required me to sign up for, there will be some delays in posting the last few chapters of Last Alarm- Book One because of that.
And while I will be busy with those classes, it is still my intent to finish up Book One before the year is out, although the odds are good that it might take a little longer.
Please bear with me, I'm trying.
In the meantime, the next chapter "The Alamo-Part One" should be ready sometime in late September or early October.
Thanks again for your support! Jim