Chapter 20

Street and Knuckle saw the commotion. People have gathered in great numbers to peer at the spectacle of it all. There was police gathered around the Neo Heroes base, and six children standing there. Street managed to get through and explain he was a Neo Hero, they allowed him in as he confronted the children. Yet, within the walls, there were heroes dressed and ready for battle!

"What the hell are you thinking!" he demanded of the heroes. "They're kids!"

"She knocked that metal door out of the wall!" one protested as they pointed to the little girl with spiked white hair. Street saw the damaged door and realized they were right. The strikes against the door were far too low for someone tall to hit, not to mention the size of the dents were that of a child's fist.

"So you were going to fight children?" he demanded.

"Uh… well…"

"Stand down, I'll handle this!" Street announced, just as Knuckle made his way through the crowd. But so did another man.

"They are my children!" he protested.

"Officer! Let him pass!" Knuckle called.

The man rushed forward, he held three of them closely. "Are you okay? Why on earth did you leave!"

"Luna needed to know where to go to find Accel, I showed her," explained Jason.

Street took a knee. "Why did you come all the way here?" he asked the little girl with white hair.

Her arms crossed. "Mr. Accel made mommy cry, when you make mommy cry, daddy gets upset! I don't like it when mommy is sad and daddy is angry. He has to apologize!"

Street smirked. The kid has spunk. "He's not here kiddo, if he was, he already left, would I be able to apologize on his behalf to your mommy?" he asked.

Luna thought it over. "Maybe!" she announced.

"Perhaps we ought to leave before drawing more attention to ourselves."

"True," said Knuckle just as his stomach roared. "Hungry already, you know I heard there was a wicked takoyaki shop near by,"

"Oh? I own that store just down the street, please, come have a meal on me. As an apology for all this."

"Free grub sounds good to me." Said Knuckle.

As the crowds cleared out, Street kept peering down at the kids. They looked familiar. "So, these three aren't yours?" he asked as he pointed to the two girls with spiked hair and the one boy with flat white hair.

"Oh goodness no. They are good friends of ours. I'm Genus by the way."

"Street and Knuckle!" the brothers announced.

Genus suddenly became quite pale. "Huh, what is with people going pale after hearing our names!" laughed Knuckle.

The man named Genus forced a laugh. They made it to the shop where a gorilla of all things made the food! "Whoa… really? Your chief is a gorilla?!"

"A very, very talented one."

The brothers just sat down when the door opened once more. The sound of a rather breathless person filled the room. Both of them turned to see a monster like teenager enter the store. "HUNTER!" the three rushed down and embraced him full heartedly. "Are you okay? Did they hurt you?"

"Naw, I had to fly a few to the hospital. Nothing serious." Hunter then saw Street and Knuckle. There was a look of resentment on his face. "Huh… didn't think neo Heroes ate here too."

Street smirked. "Free country isn't it?"

Hunter growled, but eased himself off. "Sorry… in a mood." He muttered.

"No apology needed. Wanna sit with us, have something to eat?" asked Knuckle.

"I don't really eat normal food anymore. Thanks though, I better get my siblings home."

"But Hunter, he was going to apologize to mommy!" protested Luna. "He said he would, Mr. Accel wouldn't!"

"Wait… what do you mean by that?!" Hunter demanded.

"It's… a long story, it was my fault, I was taking a call, and they snuck out on my watch. They went to the Neo Heroes base here in the city to see Accel… a little damage was done…"

"Damage?" Hunter turned to his siblings.

"Luna knocked." Muttered Akira.

Street and Knuckle were snickering. "They actually had the whole Neo Heroes army that was inside ready to fight them. Who fights children!?" Laughed Knuckle.

Hunter wasn't laughing; he stared at Knuckle and said in a cold tone. "They would have struck them down, if they knew they were by siblings."

Knuckle quickly stopped his laughter. The look of anger in the young man's face said it all, he wasn't joking. "Wait… so if they knew they were Garou's children… they would have attacked?" Knuckle asked.

"Yeah, survival of the cowards to say the least. We terrify them. So, naturally, they want to hunt us down. My siblings… won't be. I make sure of that." he turned to the three. "Let's go home, mom can get her apology another time."

As the walked out, Knuckle stood, but Street pulled him back down into his chair. "The kid went through enough. Leave him be."

They were served a massive plate of food. The brothers dug in and found every delicious. "How on earth can these all taste the same? Normally with octopus, the flavor always varies!"

"That's a secret…" Genus said with a grin. "I… wish to speak to you two about something. Children, can you go to your rooms for a while please?"

Jason nodded but Gene and Misty protested. "We weren't bad! Oh… right… we snuck out… Okay." And left without incident.

As their doors close, Genus turned to the brothers. "Street Brawler, Knuckle Brawler… Melee Brawler…" he said flat out.

They froze.

"How did you know?!"

"I have known her for a while, which is why at this moment you have yet to meet her again."

The brother's paused. "How can you say that?" asked Knuckle.

He slowly stood up. "The process various from test to test, person to person… clone to clone. I have been following your progress for some time and must admit, you have adapted far beyond others before you…"

"What the hell are you trying to say!" demanded Street.

"You know your are out of place in this world, nothing makes sense, it isn't as it should be nor are things the way they were before. People you have met before have aged since you woke. Let me assure you now, you were not in a coma. Gentlemen. You have been cloned from blood found in a hospital that maintained its vitality for many years." He explained. "You are correct in feeling out of place, as if you had been wrenched from another time and brought into this moment."

They were silent, however Knuckle was the first to snicker out. "HA! Good one! Had me going for a moment there. Really? Clones? Is this so we would tip you after for the food?"

Genus wasn't laughing. "Very well, I did try, but it's good to see it hasn't driven you mad. Please, take your fill gentlemen, and I do apologize again for today."

"Wait" protested Street. "Melee Brawler really is our sister's name. So, you know where she is, don't you?"

"No," he said. "But I have spoken with her and given her advice to the current situation. But it appears you are able to handle this information now. I promise you, next time I see her, I will state it is safe for her to visit you."

With the Genus left them to eat. Street suddenly lost his appetite as the thought over what was said. "Clones…" he muttered.

Knuckle paused from the meal, he too was thinking it over as well. "Would that explain why it took so long for us to remember her? Why we're still the same age despite being told that we were in a coma for years?"

"It's the only thing that does make sense… question is… who did this to us? To Melee? If she knew, she would have been here to see us wake up… they did this without her knowing."

The food no longer appealed to them. Knuckle stood up and headed for the door. "Let's go back and see Amai, he said he knows where she is, let's go see sis!" he announced.