Chapter Six

General Kenpachi

Joshua flew through the air, high over Silver City. The Black Cross compound had apparently been somewhere in the middle of the warehouse district, a detail he'd have to remember for later. But at the moment, his Birdies were starting to putter and give out. They hadn't exactly been made to last longer than the escape, so Joshua pointed himself toward the nearest EAGLE checkpoint he could remember and worked his way toward the ground.

His birdies gave out just as he was about to land, meaning he dropped the last couple of feet onto the pavement below, his suit absorbing the impact. Several passersby stared and whispered at him. He imagined he looked quite strange in this suit, possibly even like a Black Cross Mask. He ducked into the nearby alleyway, away from watchful eyes, and stripped off the suit. He stashed it behind a nearby dumpster, hopefully making it clear to any watching EAGLE cameras where it was.

Joshua straightened his worn and tattered civvies and stepped back onto the street. He stood in front of a small neighborhood snack shop, a sign reading "GON" over the door. He pushed the door open and stepped inside.

The shop was nothing special, just your average local lunch spot. A long bar stretched the length of the restaurant, lined with stools. A few tables filled the rest of the space, a few patrons on their lunch breaks seated around them, eating sandwiches and sushi and other lunchtime favorites. A cushioned bench lined one wall. All in all, it was a perfectly normal restaurant, seemingly untouched by the war with the Black Cross. Joshua knew better.

Joshua let out a sigh of relief to finally see a sight this normal again. He only wished James could have been here too. A shot of pain pulsed through his heart. Pushing down his feelings for now, he stepped up to the counter and sat down.

A man appeared behind the counter, older and balding, with heavy bags under his eyes, scrubbing a glass with a rag. "Good morning," he said. He stepped up to the counter and put the glass aside. "Welcome to Gon. What can I get for you today?"

Joshua picked up the nearby menu and looked it over, searching for the code items that would let them know he was with EAGLE. "I will have," he said, doing his best to sound natural, "three extra large bowls of curry, a cup of coffee, and a bowl of ice cream."

The man behind the counter looked up, meeting his eyes. Just as Joshua suspected, he was an EAGLE plant. "Are you sure?" the man said. "Our extra large bowls are a bit bigger than you think they are. Perhaps our medium size?"

Joshua shook his head, maintaining eye contact. "I can handle it," he said.

The man nodded gravely, marking his notepad. "Very well. Coming right up, sir."

"Thank you."

The man headed back into the kitchen, where Joshua could hear him clinking dishes and moving around. Joshua looked around to see that some of the other patrons were giving him funny looks because of his order, but most were enjoying their own meals and minding their own business.

After a few minutes, the man reappeared, carrying a tray with Joshua's order. Their extra large bowls were indeed a lot bigger than he had been expecting. Joshua almost cracked a smile, thinking of Dayton and wondering if he would have any trouble finishing it. Then he wondered if he was even still alive.

"Here you are," the man said. "Three extra large bowls of curry, a bowl of ice cream, and a cup of coffee."

"Thank you," Joshua said.

"Enjoy your meal."

Joshua picked up a pair of chopsticks and dug in. He didn't realize until the food hit his stomach just how hungry he had been. After three to four weeks of the bare minimum of nourishment, this bowl of curry tasted like heaven. He shoveled the rice into his mouth, not even bothered by the spice, and blazed through the first bowl like it was nothing. He finished up his first bowl and set it aside, moving on to the bowl of ice cream for a change of pace.

Slowly but surely, the other patrons finished up their meals and headed back out to their jobs, leaving Joshua and the man behind the counter alone. Joshua almost finished the second bowl before he felt ready to pop.

After the last patron left, the man behind the counter stepped out and looked around, checking to make sure they were alone. "This way," he said, gesturing to Joshua. He led him to the back of the restaurant, where a single door led to a small bathroom. The man checked inside before pulling out a badge and tapping the door. A loud rumbling sound filled Joshua's ears as the bathroom moved to one side.

After the rumbling stopped, the man opened the door again, revealing a long hallway leading to an elevator at the very end. The man handed Joshua another badge. "Take this," he said. "Use it to access the elevator at the end and take it down. You'll receive further instructions from there."

"Thank you," Joshua said, accepting the badge. He leaned in close. "There's a package behind the dumpster in the alley out back," he said.

The man nodded. "We'll get it," he said. "Head in."

Joshua stepped into the hall and the man closed the door behind him. Once Joshua had gone a few steps, the restroom moved back into place, blocking the door. Joshua crossed the length of the hall and tapped the badge to the elevator. A few seconds later, it dinged and Joshua stepped inside. The elevator descended slowly, traveling deeper and deeper underground. Joshua leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes, the elevator taking a long time to reach the bottom. It sure was deep, he thought.

At last, the elevator came to a stop. Joshua stepped out to find himself in a small reception area leading to a heavy security gate. He stepped up to the receptionist's desk, giving her his name and serial number. "Alright," she said. "Welcome back, Captain Cage. You can head through security right here."

"Thank you."

Joshua stepped through the security gate and let himself get checked out by the security officers. "You're good to go," they said after several minutes of scanning and probing. Joshua took a step forward and stumbled, nearly collapsing to the ground, his body finally giving out after all he'd been through that morning.

"We need a medic over here," one of the security officers shouted. A few seconds later, Joshua found himself being loaded onto a stretcher and rushed to the base's medical ward. As they rushed through the base, he saw a number of familiar faces from his old base, many of whose faces lit up with recognition upon seeing him.

He was brought to the hospital and emptied onto a cot. A medic poked and prodded at him, looking him over. He didn't seem to have any serious injuries except for some muscle strain and exhaustion, as well as some malnourishment.

While he was letting himself be treated, he heard a small commotion at the hospital's entrance. Someone trying to get in.

"We heard he was back," a familiar voice shouted.

"We want to see him," another said.

Joshua's face brightened. Could it be? He looked past the doctor bandaging his arm to see Katie and Dayton.

"Guys!" Joshua said weakly.

"Captain Cage!" they shouted, pushing through and running to him.

"We thought you were dead," Katie said.

"How did you ever get away?" Dayton said. "Had to have been awesome."

"What happened to James?" Katie asked.

Joshua tried to work up the energy to answer them, but before he could, one of his doctors ushered them away.

"The captain needs a lot of rest right now," he said. "You can visit with him later."

Both looked disappointed, but nodded. "We'll see you later," Katie said, touching him on the shoulder.

Joshua nodded. "See you guys. I missed you."

Both of his friends were ushered out of the room, and he let the doctor finish patching him up. Then he was told to get some rest. He laid down, and within a matter of minutes had drifted off to sleep.

Joshua awoke several hours later. At first, he thought he was back in his stupid cell in the Black Cross compound. He sat up and looked around. A curtain had been pulled around him to give him some privacy. That wasn't right. He could hear doctors moving around on the other side. That definitely wasn't right. Everything came rushing back to him: the escape, the snack shop, the medics, James.

"Oh, yeah," he said.

He rubbed his head. His body still ached, but it felt better than it had in a long time. He'd gotten some good food and a decent amount of rest. His tattered clothes and the rest of his belongings were stacked on a small desk nearby, along with a small white envelope. Curious, Joshua picked it up and opened it to find a letter asking him to come to Conference Room B at 10:00 once he'd been cleared to leave.

That was in a couple more hours. Joshua placed the letter back on his desk and laid back down, getting a little more rest and trying not to think about James. When the time finally came, the doctor looked him over one more time and cleared him to leave.

Joshua found his way to the door marked as conference room B and pushed the door open. Inside, a number of decorated officers sat around a large conference table, deep in discussion. As soon as he stepped in, the room fell silent. The man at the head of the table stood. To Joshua's surprise, he recognized him as the same man who'd been running the snack shop above, now dressed up in full military regalia, rather that the white hat and apron he'd been wearing before.

"Captain Cage," he said, stepping around the table. "Welcome." He approached Joshua and shook his hand. "I am General Edgar Kenpachi."

Another flicker of recognition. "General Kenpachi?" Joshua asked. He remembered James's last words to him. "Head of the Ranger Project?"

The general raised an eyebrow, looking at him strangely. "That's correct," he said. He gestured to his fellows. "You know General Hunter and Blake, I presume?"

Two of the generals, Joshua's former commanding officers, nodded.

"I do."

"You know why you're here?"

"Yes."

"Then why don't you take a seat." General Kenpachi gestured to the one empty chair in the room.

"Yes, sir." Joshua sat down.

General Kenpachi returned to his own seat and shuffled through his papers. "Let's get started, shall we?" he said, leaning forward and looking Joshua in the eye. "Why don't you start off with the Black Cross attack on the Silver City base and tell us everything that has happened to you since then?"

Joshua nodded. The generals around the room were all silent, waiting for his response.

"When the attack started," he began, "I ran into the science building to find my brother. We ran into an ambush as we tried to escape. We were taken to a secret compound in Silver City's warehouse district, where we were brought before their leader."

Several generals looked at each other. "You met the fuhrer?" General Blake asked.

Joshua nodded. "The Black Cross knew about the ranger project that James was working on and wanted him to build a super suit for them."

Several panicked whispers swept through the room. "You're sure they knew?" General Hunter asked.

Joshua nodded. "From the way they were talking, it sounded like they had a mole within EAGLE who fed them that information. They also knew that James was one of the project's head scientists."

Another wave of panicked whispers. Several started scribbling down notes. General Kenpachi held up a hand, silencing the room. He fixed his eyes on Joshua. "Why take you as well?" he asked.

Joshua swallowed. "They used me as leverage. They knew about our relationship and tortured me in order to force James to do as they wanted."

"So he agreed to build the suit then?" one general asked.

Joshua nodded.

"The same suit that was stashed in the alley behind Gon," another general asked.

Joshua nodded again. "We played along with their demands," he said. "We built a fully functional suit. I acted as the guinea pig to test out the suit's components. Once we were ready, James wiped out their system with an EMP and a virus he had hidden in the code, and then I wore the suit to fight our way out."

General Kenpachi was silent for a moment. He seemed hesitant to ask his next question. "And what happened James Cage?" he asked.

Joshua didn't answer. A lump formed in his throat that pressed against his ribcage and made him want to cry out in agony. He felt the eyes of a dozen generals on him.

"Captain Cage?" General Hunter said.

Joshua cleared his throat and pushed past the pain. "He didn't make it," he said. "He was killed in out escape. The Golden Mask ambushed us with a rocket launcher. James pushed me out of the way and got caught in the blast. I wanted to save him, but . . . He told me I had to get out, to get the suit back to EAGLE. He told me to find you."

He looked up at General Kenpachi. The general cleared his throat, picking up his papers and shuffling through them. His eyes seemed a little wet.

Finally, he leaned forward.

"I am sorry for your loss, Captain Cage," he said. "James was one of our most brilliant minds, and EAGLE has lost a great asset today. Even more than that, he was my friend and my coworker. He will be missed."

The room was silent. General Kenpachi cleared his throat and set his papers down, moving forward. "I take it, then," he said, "based on some of your answers, that James told you at least a little bit about what he was working on."

Joshua nodded. "He told me some," he said. "Only mostly what the Black Cross already knew. And then a little bit more in code. I know that he was involved with a project called the Ranger Project. That their goal was to create a team of super soldiers using specialized suits that would enhance the wearer's physical abilities tenfold, at least by his approximation. I know that James was brought in six months ago, because the original design had been faulty."

Joshua worked his mouth, deciding whether or not to share the last detail that James had told him. "I also know that I had been considered and submitted as a candidate to be selected as the first ranger."

Joshua looked up at General Kenpachi. The general was silent for a minute, writing down everything Joshua had told him. He looked at the generals around him, a silent conversation passing between them. General Kenpachi cleared his throat and addressed Joshua. "Your brother told you the truth," he said. "All of your information was accurate. We are indeed constructing a series of super suits to combat the Black Cross, and James Cage was one of our head scientists on the project. That is all correct."

Joshua raised an eyebrow. "Why?" he asked. "I'm not a scientist."

General Kenpachi searched through his files and pulled one out, spreading it across the table. Joshua's own picture stared back at him, on top of several forms detailing every facet of his service with EAGLE.

"James also told you the truth regarding that last part," General Kenpachi said. "He approached me with your name about two weeks before the attack happened. After careful observation of you around the base and looking over your file, I ultimately agreed with him. We put together a request and submitted your name to the committee for evaluation. Their response came two days after the attack."

He set down another file, with a big red "confirmed" stamp across it.

"You were accepted for the position," he said. "As you can imagine, we believed you and your brother to be lost to us and hard started searching for new candidates for the role. That was, of course, before you showed up at the shop yesterday."

Joshua's eyes widened. He picked up his confirmation and flipped it over, hardly daring to believe it.

"Although you will have to undergo a new evaluation, and some rigorous training, our offer still stands," the general said. "Will you accept?"

Joshua stared up at him. He thought of his brother, and his dying wish for him. "Become the ranger you were always meant to be," he'd said.

Joshua's eyes welled up, and his heart filled with determination. "With every fiber of my being," he said.

General Kenpachi smiled and got to his feet. "In that case," he said. "Welcome to the Ranger Project."