AN: No excuses, just a chapter. Also forgot to credit crankshaft7 for the name I gave the Agent. Lynch me or something I guess. Sorry.
Chapter VI: Inhaftierung
Lucy shifted uncomfortably for the umpteenth time. Sat against the wall of her cell, she gave a dirty look to the mostly useless handcuffs adorning her wrists, jingling them as she lightly shook her arms.
Feeling anxious, the diclonius pushed herself up the wall and stand, stretching her otherwise unused muscles. After a series of satisfying pops in her joints, Lucy once again gave the four barren walls of her makeshift cell a disgusted look.
Once again, she tugged at her hand cuffs, testing their strength. The girl knew she could easily break out of her confinement. She was sure that her captors knew that as well. The only reason she remained amicable was Kouta. When they had been ambushed by the JSDF upon surfacing from their underwater expedition, she had been ready to fight. It was only the boy calling her down that had stopped her from shredding their enemies.
She could almost smell the fear coming from the soldiers as they descended upon them, cuffing each one of their group and hauling them off in separate water craft before boarding them in an array of helicopters to be sent to the improvised command post set up in Kamakura. When Lucy's transport had arrived, she had been carted off into an insulting excuse for a jail. The plexiglass and ceramic walls wouldn't stop the lowliest of diclonuis, let alone the queen.
With nothing else to do, Lucy sat back down. Closing her eyes to shield them from the nauseating halogen light that hung overhead, Lucy began stretching her sixth sense. She felt Nana close by, but more than that, she felt dozens of Vector Assault Crafts, the only reason the JSDF stood a chance against the diclonius. They probably thought the abominations would stand a chance against her, too. That fact made Lucy sick to her stomach. The VACs weren't mechanical constructs, they were bio-mechanical weapons powered by diclonius brains, it was how they could detect other diclonius and use vectors. Lucy had half a mind to wipe the things out then and there, destroy the atrocities that mocked her existence.
But for now, she wouldn't. She would remain still and compliant, if only for Kouta's sake. She hoped the soldiers here understood how much their existence hinged on Kouta's well-being. If something or someone were to threaten his safety, she wouldn't hesitate to use the entirety of her power to protect him.
The girl's thoughts were interrupted by the unlocking and opening of her cell door. Three pairs of steps followed.
"What the hell have I gotten myself into" a female voice whispered, barely audible. Lucy, still propped against the wall, cracked open an eye to assess her visitors; a blond woman in fatigues flanked by two soldiers in full combat gear. The Queen was in no mood for visitors, and tried her best to ignore them. Unfortunately, they wouldn't reciprocate the gesture.
"You're Lucy, correct?" The blond questioned, monotone voice betrayed by the slightest suspicion. Lucy nodded.
"Good. I'd like you to come with me, I have some questions for you."
In the same compound, a different interrogation was already underway. Doctors Kurama and Arikawa sat at a large mahogany desk across from General Kanabe. When the group had first been brought to the outpost, each had been split up and shuffled into different cells. The two diclonius, Nana and Lucy, had been taken to a separate holding pen. The former had given Kurama a concerned look, but the doctor gave her a confident nod to try and ease her worries.
When Kurama had been led to his cell, he had been roughly pushed into the room, door locking shut behind him. There the man had sat and waited for what must have been hours until the door had been opened again, and two soldiers had ordered him to follow them. They led him through a short walk through the compound towards a large prefabricated building in the center. Upon entry he saw Arikawa sat in her current position opposite the statuesque general and had been directed to the seat next to her.
And sitting there, Kurama matched Kanabe's steely gaze. Showing defiance to the man may end him in hot water, but showing fear would only compromise any potential upper hand he may gain.
"You got balls, I'll give you that," the general finally spoke. His folded hands finally unclasped as his arms weighed down on opposite sides of his desk. "Let's cut straight to the point. You two were collaborating with terrorists, no, collaborating with enemies to humanity. I have half a mind to execute you right now. Finally remove a thorn that's been in my ass for a long time. But I'm feeling generous, so I'll give you one chance. I want to know exactly why you were with two diclonius at the ruins of the research facility."
They were in a bad spot. If either of them gave the general any false information, he would have their heads. Yet if they revealed what they had learned, and revealed it in a way that made the diclonious out to be a greater threat, it would only escalate the current situation. "You already confiscated all of our stuff, you should know what we were there for." Kurama answered simply.
"Yes, we already have people combing over that data. But that's not what I asked. I want to know why you were there." Kanabe continued to grill the doctor.
Kurama's brow furrowed as he worked out how to formulate his response. Before he could speak, Arikawa's voice cut in. "We were researching the diclonius."
"For what purpose?" The general shifted his focus from one doctor to the other.
"Those diclonius that attacked on the beach? One of them was another queen, like Lucy." Arikawa responded.
"Another queen?" Kanabe could hardly conceal his reaction, eyebrows rising at the claim.
"Yes, she was in command of the other diclonius, and seemed to have an interest in killing Lucy. We went to the research facility to try and discover how another queen came to be, amongst other things." Arikawa finished.
"And am I correct in guessing that one of those 'other things' was learning how Lucy survived her death?" The aged man prodded. Arikawa hesitated, uncomfortable with the subject matter.
"She's a clone," Kurama interjected. "The director had been experimenting with cloning diclonius. Among his subjects was my daughter. It seems another was Lucy."
"Even in death that bastard haunts the world," Kanabe rubbed his hands against his temples as she processed the information. "So then, what are your intentions? Do you mean to help these monsters? Or will you finally understand the threat they pose to this world?"
"Those 'monsters' are people like us. People with emotions, aspirations for life." Kurama argued.
"Yes, like wiping out our species." Kanabe's temper teetered on the edge.
"Like being accepted and loved. It was Kakuzawa that wanted to replace humanity with the diclonius, not them." Kurama met the general beat for beat.
"And yet every action you take is trying to further his goals." Kanabe's eyes narrowed on the doctor, willing him to defy.
"Everything I did under that man was to protect humanity. If I had known his true goals I wouldn't have ever worked for him. Don't compare me to him."
"Yet you don't seem very interested in protecting humanity anymore."
"Humanity doesn't need protecting. We've won! Why can't we reconcile with them and try to make peace"
"Monsters like them don't understand peace, only the desire to kill!"
"'Monsters' like them have saved my life, 'monsters' like them have protected that boy with us that you imprisoned."
"Monsters like them are the reason my wife and child are dead!" Kanabe finally snapped. "If it wasn't for those freaks, infecting us with their damn virus…"
Kurama paused for a moment, visibly surprised by the general's outburst. Taking a moment to mull over the general's words, he was struck by how similar it sounded to his situation. When he had lost his wife, and learned the reason, he had harbored a strong grudge against the diclonius. It hadn't been until his interactions with Nana that he came to realize how wrong he had been.
"No, the reason they're dead is because of me." Kurama calmly asserted.
"What are you trying to say?" Kanabe's teeth practically ground out the words.
"It was my job to kill any diclonius that were born after the Institute could no longer hold any more in captivity," Kurama explained. "The diclonius didn't kill your child. I did."
"And you think that changes anything?" Kanabe spat. "What you did. It was to protect humanity."
"No, what I did… was become a monster," Kurama looked the older man dead in the eyes. "If you want to see a monster, then look at the person in front of you. If you want to kill a monster, then kill me. Don't take it out on those who were born into a world that hated them."
"Take them back to their cells." The general ordered, causing the two soldiers guarding the entrance to step forward to escort the pair of doctors back to their lockup.
As they left, the general fumed. Partly at Kurama, partly at his outburst. It wouldn't serve him well to let his temper control his actions. The general's hands folded in front of his face, elbows resting on the desk as he contemplated the previous argument.
Kurama had too much faith in diclonius. Even after what he had done, all for the sake of humanity. What was his game? Did the doctor have ulterior motives, or did Kurama really believe the words he spoke?
"Peace with the diclonius, pff." The general scoffed at the idea. How could Kurama even fathom such a world.
Yet he always paraded around that one girl, Nana, she was a diclonius too. And despite their track record, Kurama had convinced the world to look at her differently. To the world there was at least one diclonius that wasn't hostile.
For now, he'd wait for the report on the documents Kurama and Arikawa had pilfered from the sunken facility, and for the report on Lucy's interrogation.
Despite the agent's words, she hadn't been the one to interrogate Lucy. No, there had been a series of other people through the room, all prodding and poking at the queen. Who was she? What was she doing here? What were her intentions? Their questions were worded differently, delivered more or less hostile, interjected with other banter and information, but they all boiled down to those few points.
Still Lucy sat, a metal fold-up chair replacing the ground, hands resting on a metal table instead of in her lap. This lethargy was getting to her.
In front of her sat a slop passing as food. Beyond that laid a dull wall with a dull door, to her side a one-way mirror that undoubtedly hid a series of people inspecting every minutia of everything she did or said.
Until finally, the door opened once more. And the agent reappeared, briefcase in tow and carrying not one but two cups of coffee in a drink carrier. The cheap smell of their instant variety wafted through the room. Lucy sniffled, she was definitely more of a tea person.
"Coffee?" The agent offered one cup as she took her seat. Lucy shook her head. "Suit yourself. These talks get rather boring without something to keep you occupied."
Setting the styrofoam cups down, the agent rummaged through her briefcase and pulled out a series of papers, splaying them across the table. "So… Lucy, was it?"
"That's the name they gave me, yes." Lucy responded dryly. Same question as before, same answer as before.
"Agent Kinaka, you can just call me Kinaka though," the agent replied. Taking a sip of her coffee, Kiko grimaced behind her glasses. What she wouldn't give for a proper cup of coffee. Should have brought her French Press. "What are you doing in Kamakura?"
"Surviving." The girl internally sighed at the monotony of these questions.
"But why Kamakura?" The agent prodded. "And this time, an actual answer please."
Lucy sat quiet for a moment, mulling over her response. "Family."
"The Diclonius?" Kinaka pressed. Lucy shook her head.
"The people I was with." Lucy didn't bother to elaborate on the other residents of the Inn. The government didn't need to know about their involvement.
"Hmm, a diclonius considers humans to be family." The agent mused. Lucy glared at the assertion.
"They are my family. Maybe not by blood, but they've treated me better than anyone in my life." Lucy's hard gaze drilled into the agent who remained stoic.
"I suppose water is sometimes thicker than blood," the agent conceded.
"What is the point to this?" Lucy questioned back. "Why bother capturing me and not executing me?"
"I'm the one asking questions here," Agent Kinaka's firm voice responded. "But I suppose you've earned something for your cooperation so far. We've confined you and your associates because we need to understand the situation going on here. This city is on lockdown because of an organized diclonius presence spotted yesterday. We want to know why they were here."
"They were here to kill me." Lucy gave her the answer she was looking for quite easily. The Agent hid her surprise at the response. She figured the reborn queen was in command of the diclonius. To hear that they were feuding was a shock.
"Elaborate." Kinaka requested after gulping down another mouthful of coffee.
"They came to our house and singled me out as a target. They have a queen of their own, and she wants me dead." Lucy's explanation only raised more questions.
"Another queen? How?"
"You tell me. You people know more about me than I do." Lucy answered. The implications of her statement left a bitter air in the room.
The agent relented on the point. "What happened after the initial attack?"
"I led them to the beach so I could fight them better. I wounded a couple of them and they got an attack on me. Before either of us could kill the other they took off, probably to lick their wounds," Lucy decided to ignore Bando's involvement, both for her pride and his benefit. "I can only guess they'll return to try and finish the job."
"How many diclonius are we talking about?"
"There were five others with Lola, so six in total." Lucy gave away the information freely.
The news was unsettling. There had been some organized diclonius attacks in the past, but from the sounds of it these diclonius were a step above. If they had a queen directing them it made sense. "Are there any more diclonius working with her?"
"What do you think? She calls herself their queen, was their queen until I came back. I imagine most of the diclonius out there are allied with Lola." Lucy grew progressively more agitated with each question.
"I think we're about done here." Agent Kinaka decided, rising from her chair and throwing the half empty coffee cup into the trash. With two firm knocks, the door opened from the other side. Instructing the guards to lead Lucy back to her room, the agent went to report to the general.
"Well agent, what do you think?" General Kanabe asked the woman, Kiko Kinaka. The two stood over the general's desk, combing over reports dimly lit by overhead lights and the evening sun. Most of the content of the reports were gibberish to the layman, and even the scientists were barely treading water as they wrote their summaries to deliver to the general.
"I think… I think I don't know what the hell to think." Kinaka confessed, rubbing her temples in exhaustion.
"Glad to know I'm not the only one out of their element." Kanabe agreed.
"Permission to speak freely, sir?" the blonde asked as she reread a transcript of the general's questioning of the two doctors.
"Granted." He relented, curious to his top agent's thoughts.
"We're way out of our league here, sir. We could call Saseba, but the time it would take to get their experts down here could be the time it takes for the enemy to get their bearings and attack. Those two doctors? They're the only ones around here with an inkling as to what we're dealing with."
"You're suggesting we bring them on board, aren't you?" To say Kanabe wasn't fond of the idea would be an understatement.
"Yes sir. I understand you and Kurama have… butted heads in the past. But we need to know what's going on. They're out best shot at it." She explained.
"You're not wrong," The general sighed. "I'll call for them in the morning."
Kinaka was pleasantly surprised with the response, expecting the general to be much less reasonable with her request. It showed just how far he was willing to go for his duty.
"Very good, sir." The agent responded. Kanabe began collecting and organizing the scattered pages from his desk for the morning.
"You're dismissed agent. Get some shut-eye." The general commanded.
"Yes sir." Kinaka replied. She made to exit her superior's quarters before his voice called out again.
"Oh, Agent. If you have the time, check up on that boy that was with them." Kanabe thought absentmindedly. Identified as Kouta… something – he forgot the boy's last name. He seemed relatively unimpressive and unimportant. Student at the local college, though he had some documented history with Lucy, particularly that night at the Sea Candle.
Still, he was with the group, he had to mean something to someone. Lucy probably. Was he her pet? Did he have leverage on her? Either way, there was a relationship of some sorts there, and if he could figure it out he might have some leverage of his own.
"Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck." Bando muttered as he moved through the moonlit streets. Shit had really hit the fan. Listening in on military coms chatter he had not-quite-legally hacked into, the ex-soldier had realized Kurama and his gang had gotten themselves captured. Sparing no time, the man had grabbed as much gear as he could and taken Mayu and Wanta to the place that Yuka girl was staying, but not before torching what remained of his residence.
After dropping her and the pooch off, Bando decided on what he thought was definitely the worst idea he ever had, a prison break.
"Why the hell am I even doing this?" He mumbled to himself, silently dodging past military checkpoints to the heart of their occupation. "That bastard is going to owe me big time."
Or maybe it was the other way around. Maybe Bando owed something to the doctor. In a way, meeting Kurama had given the old soldier some purpose other than hunting Lucy. Him, Mayu, that entire group. It was strange, Bando hated people. But he could tolerate them.
Scaling the fire escape of an apartment complex a few blocks away from the military command post, Bando took up post on the roof. Grabbing a pair of binoculars, the man stealthily surveyed the area. As expected, security was tight. Too tight for one man, even one like him.
That left one option. Well, one reasonable option. The group would have to be transported out at some point, this location didn't have the facilities to hold a diclonius captive. When that happened, Bando would have to tail them and strike at the convoy when he had the best chance.
Taking stock of his gear, Bando settled down on the roof. Closing his eyes to the moonlight, the soldier relied on his other senses to keep watch as he passed the night waiting for his chance to strike.
Kiko found Kouta in the infirmary. The boy had been kept there under watch as he was consulted by various doctors and even a psychiatrist; the former running tests to see if he was sound of body, the latter analyzing him to see if he was sound of mind. He was currently lying on an unused bed, eyes glazed over in what could only be exhaustion over the stresses of the day.
"You're Kouta, correct?" The boy looked up at his most recent visitor.
"Y-yes ma'am." He replied timidly, shifting from his lying position to sit upright on the bed.
"How are you holding up?" Agent Kinaka asked as she sat in a chair by his bedside.
"I'm alright," He answered, a partial truth. "What's going on?"
"You and your associates are being detained while we gauge the situation. Don't worry. If everything checks out you'll all be free to leave." She replied, also a partial truth.
"Can I see Lucy?" Kouta asked. Though he knew it was unlikely, he held onto a sliver of hope.
"I'm sorry, but right now we can't let anyone near her. It's a security concern." Kouta didn't buy the excuse for a second. Unless they had developed some new containment device for diclonius, the cell they had her in was the equivalent of wet paper.
"At least, can I know how she's doing?" Kouta prodded for some information.
"She's fine. We're not mistreating her if that's what you're concerned about." The agent answered, putting on a comforting smile.
"And the others?"
"We're taking care of them, don't worry," she explained. "I just realized I haven't introduced myself. I'm Special Agent Kinaka. You can just call me Kinaka though."
"Okay, I'm Kouta, though I guess you already knew that." Kouta rubbed the back of his head at his disadvantage.
"If you don't mind, Kouta, I'm a bit curious about your situation. Mind if I ask you a few things?"
"Y-yeah, sure." He doubted he could decline regardless.
"How did you get involved with the rest of your group?" It was the most pressing thought on her mind, and a good segue into her real questions.
"Hmm, let's see… I met Lucy a long time ago when we were kids. We found Nana when she was abandoned and let her stay at our inn, and met Dr. Kurama because of her. As far as Dr. Arikawa, I don't really know her, just what I've seen on the news. I guess Kurama knows her though." Kouta tried his best to avoid specifics that could implicate the rest of the Inn's residents.
"You met Lucy as a kid?" Kinaka was surprised to hear this. "How did that happen?"
"I used to come to Kamakura with my family for the summer. I met her by chance one summer when I was drawing in the forest." Kouta began.
"And she didn't try to kill you?" The agent asked, skeptical of the account.
"Of course not!" Kouta argued. "I told her, her horns were cool and asked if we could be friends."
"Hmm, is that so…" the blond woman rubbed her chin in thought. "But at some point, Lucy was captured by Kakuzawa. How did you two meet up again?"
"When I moved to Kamakura to attend college, I found her on the beach. I don't know everything but I guess she must have escaped and lost her memories or something. I didn't remember who she was either, but I tried to help her." Kouta continued.
"So Lucy lived with you. And later Nana. And they never tried to harm you?" Agent Kinaka had never heard of a docile diclonius. Well, not other than Nana with Kurama. She had attributed that to his being her caretaker and having indoctrinated her or something to that effect.
"Why are you so surprised by that?" Kouta asked, a bit offended by the implications the woman was making.
"Sorry, I'm just surprised." Kinaka tried to defuse the situation. She had to earn his trust. "Every diclonius I've ever encountered has been hostile, every one."
"The world wants them dead. If I were a diclonius I'd be pretty hostile, too." Kouta countered.
"Even before we knew what they were, there were diclonius that killed their parents and went on to kill others. Parents who loved them like any other child." Kouta didn't have a response for that.
"I'm sorry. I don't mean to antagonize you. It's clear you value their lives, and that's not a bad thing," Kinaka lent him some sympathy. "I guess we've just had very different experiences with diclonius."
"Lucy's not a bad person. Neither is Nana," Kouta voice was soft, his mind somewhat taxed from the discussion turned confrontation. "We were even talking about finding the other diclonius. Helping them, to coexist and live peacefully."
"You really care about her, don't you? Lucy that is."
"She's my friend. It's only natural." Kouta stated somewhat defensively.
"Just a friend?" Kinaka's eyebrow raised behind her glasses, the corner of her mouth rising just slightly at her assertion.
"She's important to me. I want her to be happy." Kouta dodged the question the best he could.
"Hmm," Kinaka got up from her seat, pondering all they had talked about. "You're a good kid, Kouta. Don't lose that."
With that said, the Agent left him be. While Kouta considered the implications of their discussion, Kinaka wondered what to do with what she had learned. Clearly, Kouta felt something for Lucy. Whether those feelings were mutual, she didn't know. It was something to think about when she next talked to Lucy, though.
Returning to her quarters, Kinaka pulled out her phone. The talk with Kouta made her reevaluate her relationship with Anna as her caretaker. It'd do them both some good to talk a bit before they went to bed.
Kurama and Arikawa were called by the general the next morning. After being fed and given a chance to wash up, they were directed towards a different field tent than the one they had been in the previous day.
Inside, they found General Kanabe as well as a slew of what appeared to be JSDF soldiers dressed in fatigues. All of them were situated over a table covered in papers and laptops, pouring over the documents and files Kurama and Arikawa had collected from the sunken lab.
"Ah good morning, doctors. Good to see you." The general greeted, rather amicable considering how their conversation had ended the previous day.
"Is there something you needed?" Kurama asked bluntly, wishing to keep the exchange brief.
"As a matter of fact, there is," The general began. "As much as I hate to admit it, we don't know enough about your research – any of the research done at the Institute – to know what to make of this stuff."
"So you want us to help you." Kurama surmised.
"That's correct." The general affirmed.
"Let Nana and Kouta go. My pilot too." The doctor stated.
"What makes you think you're in the position to make demands?" Kanabe's tone changed in an instant, and the old general glared him down. Regardless, Kurama stood his ground.
"Kouta's just a kid caught up in all of this, Nana as well. And my pilot was acting on my orders. If you want my help, those are my terms."
"I could have you executed for treason against this nation." Kanabe stated, heavy footfalls sounding as he approached Kurama.
"You could, but then you'd lose your chance at containing this situation." Kurama held firm at the intimidation.
"What are you implying?"
"'When you know your enemy, and they know nothing about you, you've won,'" It was horribly paraphrased, but one could forgive Kurama considering the situation. "As much as you might wish to believe otherwise, you know nothing about the diclonius."
"So those are your terms?" The general attempted one last, futile effort at intimidation.
"Those are my terms." The doctor nodded.
"Fine," Kanabe agreed after a moment. "As soon as you've helped us, they're free to go."
Though the soldiers present would never say it, they were surprised by their general's caving into the doctor's demands. For him to let a diclonius go was unprecedented.
"Then I suppose we should get to work. Dr. Arikawa?" Kurama gestured to his companion who had stayed quiet during the confrontation.
Nodding at him, the two joined the rest of the group by the table. The soldiers there turned out to be researchers themselves, employed by the JSDF in diclonius research. Unfortunately, they didn't have nearly the knowledge that Kurama and Arikawa had. While Kakuzawa's research had been into the genome and nature of the diclonius, Saseba had been much more focused on how to weaponize the diclonius' vector powers. And while there were some at Saseba that were more well versed in diclonius biology, none were presently on the field with them.
What followed was hours of pouring over research notes and cross-referencing other material to understand what they were looking at. There were topics about diclonius' telekinesis, hive mind attributes, and various other differences in diclonius' DNA compared to humans.
"This is, this is astounding." Arikawa was amazed and horrified by what the Research Institute had discovered.
"Doctor, what am I looking at?" Kanabe asked as he read through the notes that the group had been compiling.
"The diclonius have a sort of telepathic hive mind," Arikawa explained. "They share memories, emotions, and thoughts amongst one another. The queen can use this to influence what the silpelits think or feel."
If the queen, Lucy in this case, developed a hatred towards humans, the silpelits would share those feelings. It could explain why most if not all diclonius children had killed their parents.
"But if they don't have a queen, the silpilets select one from amongst themselves." Arikawa continued.
"Like a bee?" The general asked for clarification.
"No," Arikawa shook her head. "A bee hive can have multiple queens, one will just move out with part of the colony to start a new hive. But this says that only one queen can exist."
"And how do we know that to be true?" Kanabe questioned.
"When they isolated Lucy, effectively cut her off from the rest of her kind, one of the other locked up diclonius began manifesting powers much stronger than the others." Arikawa started.
"Mariko." Kurama whispered. Thoughts of his daughter still brought sorrow to his heart.
"Yes, Mariko. But when Lucy got free, she began to lose some of that power," Arikawa continued. "Presumably, because Lucy was again asserting influence over her kind."
"So when Lucy died, the diclonius picked that other queen to lead them?" Kanabe deduced.
"I'm not sure picked is the right word, but that's about right. And now that Lucy's back, even just a clone of her, Lola is losing that dominance. Which is why she's trying to kill Lucy." Kurama summarized.
The revelation shook Kanabe. If new a new queen emerged, and became as powerful as Lucy but with the actual intent to exterminate the human race, there would be little humanity could do to stop them.
"So in the end, we can't even stop them." Kanabe's will took a serious blow.
"No, you can't," Kurama turned to look at the general. The man's head was hung as he contemplated what to do. "But you can coexist with them."
"How? All they do is kill!" Kanabe argued.
"How many people has Lucy killed since coming back? Zero. All she wants is to live in peace with her family." The doctor countered.
"You want me to let her free? To work with her?" Kanabe couldn't believe what the doctor was suggesting.
"I'm asking you to let her be. She'll take care of the rest." Kurama hated the thought of putting that pressure on Lucy, but there was little else to do. Besides, if she had Kouta supporting her, the doctor was confident she would pull through.
Before the general could comment one way or the other, his personal cellphone went off. A call from Agent Kinaka.
Moments earlier, Kiko Kinaka strode into the same interrogation room as yesterday, another pair of instant coffees held in her hands. As before, Lucy sat at the opposite side of the table, her body giving away no indication to her feelings. A skill no doubt honed during her captivity at the Institute.
"Good morning." The agent greeted, passing a cup of coffee towards the diclonius who looked at it with disinterest.
"Morning." Lucy greeted back. There wasn't anything particularly good about it. She hated this captivity. Even though it paled in comparison to what Kakuzawa had put her through, she couldn't stand being confined. Over the night she had considered breaking out and taking Kouta to run away. She knew he would protest it, but had entertained the fantasy nonetheless.
"I talked with Kouta yesterday," Kinaka commented as she took a sip of coffee. "He's a good kid.
"He was the first person to accept me for what I am." Lucy admitted, still expressionless.
"He seems rather fond of you." The agent stated, gauging a reaction. Lucy glared, assuming the woman's intentions.
"If you're trying to coerce me into doing something because of my relationship with him, I'd strongly advise you rethink." Lucy's calm voice barely hid the contempt she felt.
"I wouldn't dream of it." Kinaka assured. "We both know you're only here because you want to be. I just couldn't figure out why."
"And now you do?" Lucy assumed.
"Maybe," the agent replied, considering her words. "Kouta has a lot of faith in you. Faith in your kind in general. I think maybe you want to prove him right. Or at least want him to trust you."
"What I want is to live in peace with my family." Lucy interjected.
"So you don't care about the rest of your kind?" The agent probed.
"I…" Lucy paused. "As long as there's conflict between our kinds, I can't live in peace."
"You think humans and diclonius can live in peace?" Kinaka asked, curious to her answer.
"Nana has. Her whole life. And now I have been too." Lucy argued.
"You haven't always, though." Kinaka stated.
"For a long time, I was hated. Hated for being different. I didn't even know why I was different. I didn't consider myself to be anything but human. It wasn't until I awakened my powers that I knew I was different," Lucy elaborated. "By then, I hated people. Not humans, just people. They'd given me nothing but pain, so I wished pain back on them.
"Then, Kouta showed me kindness," Lucy's eyes became wistful at the recollection. "Showed me people could be more than evil. But I hurt him. He lied to me about something silly; we were kids. I thought he betrayed me, so I hurt him back. It was horrible. But he gave me a second chance. Let me be in his life again, showed me kindness I didn't have any right to."
Lucy looked at the ceiling, lost in thought. "Kouta thinks we can live together, my kind and his. If he believes it, I want to believe it too."
"Hmm," The agent considered her words. "From the sounds of it, you do live peacefully – you and Nana. But that's one example, on a micro scale. What makes you think that every diclonius, or every human, will feel the same?"
"A person can be smart, but people are stupid. That's what you mean, isn't it?" Lucy asked.
"I guess you could say that." Kinaka nodded. "Humans have feared what they don't understand for a long time. In the past it's served us well. Someone fears a snake so they don't get near it.
"It's not always that positive though. Someone believes something we don't, looks different than us. We don't understand why, so it might frighten us. Make us nervous about it." Kinaka explained. "Do you think you can do anything about that?"
"Kurama and Nana are already doing that. Showing humans that we aren't a threat just because we exist. If I can do the same, with other diclonius. Then maybe." Lucy thought out loud.
"And if not?" the agent pressed.
"Then we'd go into hiding. I don't want to kill anymore. I just want to live." Lucy responded.
"Even if it separated you from Kouta?" Kinaka questioned.
"I would hate it, but I know he would understand." The thought of losing Kouta weighed heavy on her heart. But if she had to do it in service of their dream, she would bear it.
"If you mean what you say, then I'm impressed." Kinaka admitted, tapping her chin in thought.
"I do." Lucy responded.
"Very well. I need to report to the general. I'll pass along your thoughts to him. Maybe we'll work something out." Kinaka didn't want to give her false hope, but couldn't help but believe in the queen. Anna must be rubbing off on her. Lucy stopped her before she could walk out the door.
"Agent, do you have any new VACs coming into the area today?" Lucy asked.
"No, why?" Kinaka responded, perplexed.
"Then Lola is coming. And she's brought a lot of company." Lucy told her, a grim look on her face.
"Lola, you mean the other queen?" Kinaka asked, breaking into a cold sweat.
"Yes." Lucy nodded.
"Damnit," Kinaka bit her lip as she pulled out her phone, calling up the general.
"Kanabe." Her superior answered the phone.
"Sir, we have diclonius heading this way." Kinaka hurriedly explained.
"How do you know? VAC radar hasn't picked up anything." The general responded, doubting his top agent's statement but only just.
"I'm with Lucy right now, she can sense them coming." Kinaka answered.
"And you believe her?" The general questioned.
"Sir, she doesn't have a reason to lie to us. Besides, I'd rather be ready for a false positive then not be ready if we do get attacked." The woman reasoned with Kanabe.
"Ghh, I hope you're wrong about this but alright. You've made your point," He relented. Kinaka could make out him shouting orders to the soldiers around him to get the base on alert and man their stations. "Agent, bring Lucy with you and report to my position immediately. Grab the other diclonius on your way as well."
"Yes sir," Kinaka answered, ending the call. Looking towards Lucy, she spoke. "Looks like we can put your words to the test. Come with me."
"Where to?" Lucy asked, rising from her chair as the agent uncuffed her hands.
"To meet the general. He'll tell you what to do there." The other woman answered as she motioned for Lucy to follow her.
"We have to get Kouta first." Lucy demanded as they left the cell.
"We don't have time. I was told to grab Nana and report to General Kanabe straight away." The agent argued as they began moving through the compound.
"I have to know he's okay. I have to protect him in case something happens." Lucy argued. Kinaka turned to look at the girl. Lucy's eyes were a mixture of pleading and commanding. Cursing, Kinaka relented.
"Alright fine. We hit the med bay to pick up Kouta then to the other cell block to get Nana. Then we go to the General." She laid out her plan and took off into a jog.
"Thank you." Lucy acknowledged, taking off after the agent.
The two reached the medical tent as soldiers scrambled about to get gear and into position. Kouta, who was sitting in an unoccupied chair to the side, looked up to see the two enter.
"Lucy!" He shouted, immediately rising to go greet the girl.
"Kouta!" The girl in question turned her head to the direction of his voice, meeting him half way to capture him in a fierce hug.
"Lucy, what's going on?" Kouta questioned as he held her.
"I can explain on the way, but we have to get going." Lucy replied as she grabbed his hand, leading him back to the agent and the three took off towards their next destination.
The group reached the cell block where Nana was being kept. Kinaka identified herself to the guards and explained the situation. The two soldiers were confused but let the agent in nonetheless. A moment later she returned outside with Nana. The girl perked up upon seeing her friends.
"Kouta, Lucy! You're alright!" Nana greeted, running up to them.
"Hey Nana, good to see you." Kouta returned, giving her a warm smile.
"What's going on?" the smaller diclonius asked, looking around the area to see the commotion.
"Can't you feel it?" Lucy asked. Nana shook her head. "Lola's heading this way, and she's got a lot of backup."
"We don't have time for chitchat, come on." Kinaka ordered.
"Lola, who's that?" Nana asked as the group jogged towards where General Kanabe was.
"She's another queen, I guess. And she really doesn't like me." Lucy explained.
"Another queen?" Nana was shocked. There could be two queens?
"Yeah, at least she says she is." Lucy confirmed.
Nana looked frightened. The girl never did care much for a fight. "W-what are we going to do?"
"Stop her. Today, this fighting stops now." Lucy swore. Nana looked up to the older diclonius and was shocked at the conviction in her eyes. She could do little but submit.
"Alright." Nana agreed.
The four reached the general's location a moment later, hunched over a desk with a comm officer issuing commands from radio setup. "Sir. Agent Kinaka reporting."
"Agent, you took your time. And I see you brought someone else along." The general looked up from where he was relaying orders.
"Yes sir, it was at her request he be brought along for protection." Kinaka explained, pointing towards Lucy.
"Very well," Kanabe didn't have time to argue. "Lucy, was it? How far away are these diclonius and which direction are they coming from?"
Lucy considered a moment. She didn't have an accurate gauge for how far her sixth sense covered. Looking towards Nana, then at a series of VACs, she compared their distance in her sense to that of the approaching diclonius. "If I had to guess, a few miles outside of the city." Lucy accentuated her estimate pointing her finger in the direction the diclonius were coming from.
"You can sense them that far out?" Nana exclaimed, surprised by her ability.
"And you're sure of this?" The general questioned.
"How far they are? No. That they're coming? Yes." Lucy answered.
"Are you willing to cooperate with us?" Kanabe was skeptical but going by what the doctors had uncovered, he had to put a little faith in the girl if his men and by extension, the human race, were going to survive.
"Within reason." Lucy replied.
"I'll have to take what I can get." Kanabe grumbled.
"I have a suggestion." Lucy interjected just as the general was about to issue orders.
"And what would that be?" The general gave her a skeptical look.
"Let me go out there and confront them. Away from the city where others don't have to get hurt." Lucy offered.
"Hmm, so you can join them when they attack us?" Kanabe snorted.
"Lola wants me dead. Besides that, I don't want to hurt any of you. If I did this place wouldn't be standing right now." Lucy replied bluntly. They didn't have time for this.
"And what will you do when you confront them?" Kanabe questioned.
"Either I'll reason with them, or I'll have to fight them. Either way, at least others won't be hurt." Lucy reasoned.
The general considered for a moment. "Fine, but you're not going alone." Relaying a set of orders to his comms officer, the general strode to his tent, the rest of the group in tow.
"Agent, get geared up. We're heading out." Kanabe ordered as he grabbed two fifty caliber pistols and matching holsters, attaching them to his belt. Next, he grabbed a rifle from behind his desk no one in the group had seen before. When he grabbed a bandolier to accompany it, however, Lucy got an idea of what it was. The rifle had an extremely wide barrel, and the bandolier held a number of large spiked balls nearly identical to the ones that hunter had used so long ago.
"We?" Kinaka questioned. "Sir, don't tell me you're thinking of going out there."
"I am agent." Kanabe confirmed.
"Sir with all do respect you can't do that. You're the C.O. here, you can't put your life at risk." The agent argued.
"I'll do what I damn well please," Kanabe barked. "I won't risk other's lives if I'm not willing to risk my own."
"Y-yes sir." Kinaka stepped down. She left for the armory while the General finished suiting up. Grabbing extra magazines for his pistols and a few tear gas grenades, Kanabe strode out of his tent, the rest of the group in tow.
"Kouta, you should stay here." Lucy requested of him as the group made their way towards the compound's exit.
"No, I'm coming with." Kouta spoke in defiance.
"Kouta, they're dangerous. And I might not be able to protect you," Lucy pleaded. "Please."
"We were going to go out there anyways, right? Find the other diclonius and help them?" Kouta brought up their conversation from what felt like a lifetime ago. "Maybe I'm just being dumb again. But maybe we can show them that humans and diclonius can coexist. You don't want to kill them, right? Then maybe, maybe this way I can help."
"Kouta…" Lucy bit her lip. She did not want him in danger. But she didn't want to argue with him either.
"It's okay, Lucy. I'll be there too," Nana gave her some reassurance. "We'll make sure nothing bad happens to Kouta."
Lucy looked towards the shorter diclonius, considering her words, before turning her worried gaze towards Kouta. "Promise me. Promise me you'll stay out of the way if things go bad."
Kouta felt a pang of guilt at her words, remembering how his actions had led to Lucy's injury on the beach. "I promise. I won't do anything to put us in danger."
"Bringing a civilian on this op is a bad idea." General Kanabe interjected, not bothering to look at the group as he led the way.
"Kouta's as involved in this as any of us. If he wants to come…" Lucy sighed as she grappled with her worries. "Let him come."
"Fine, but neither I nor the JSDF will be held responsible for anything that happens to him." Kanabe warned.
"Nothing will happen to him. I'll make sure of it." The diclonius queen held no doubt in her voice. No matter what happened, Kouta would live.
Lucy found as much peace with their compromise as she could. While the group strode towards the compound exit, General Kanabe began issuing orders over his radio. When they reached the exit, they were met by a large squad of VACs as well as around a dozen foot soldiers. Among them was Agent Kinaka who brought with her Drs. Arikawa and Kurama. Nana's face brightened at the sight of her surrogate father.
"Agent, why do you have more civilians with you?" Kanabe asked with no small amount of agitation.
"I figured if we're dealing with diclonius, having a few experts with us could be beneficial." Kinaka explained, gesturing towards the two doctors.
"This show of force isn't going to make things any easier, general." Kurama noted, looking at the squad that Kanabe had mustered for this operation.
"I didn't realize you were a tactician, doctor." The general barely hid the venom behind the word.
"No tactician, but I do know a thing or two about psychology," Kurama replied. "You show up ready for war, and Lola will be more than happy to oblige. Are you willing to send these men to their deaths?"
It was Agent Kinaka who answered. "If Lucy fails at dealing with the threat, we need a backup plan. Besides, we all knew what we were signing up for."
Kurama realized it was a lost cause and resigned himself.
General Kanabe strode ahead of the group, turning to face the entourage he had assembled. Looking each on of his soldiers in the eyes, he spoke. "Gentleman. We're heading out to face an enemy of unknown size and of unknown ability. We may very well be the first and last line of defense against the greatest present threat to humanity. If any of you aren't committed 100% to this operation, I ask you to please leave now."
There was some shuffling amongst the handful of soldiers present, but despite some worry, none abandoned their position. They did however, harbor much suspicion about the two diclonius in their midst.
"Our target is the diclonius known as Lola along with her allies. When we confront the target, do not engage. We are to assess their threat and allow the diclonius accompanying us to handle first contact. You are only clear to engage should they act against us first. Is that clear?" A choir of 'yes sir's followed the general's orders.
"We will make our way north out of Kamakura in vehicle towards the target's location. When we are no longer able to travel by vehicle, we will procced on foot. I want the diclonius on point to make first contact. The VACs will help create a perimeter between us and them. Do your best to stay out of range of the diclonius' vectors in case we are attacked.
"Drs. Arikawa and Kurama, I want you with Agent Kinaka and I at all times. You will advise us on the situation at hand. Lucy, you take the boy with you," Kanabe knew Lucy would demand to have Kouta accompany her in order to ensure his protection and so took the initiative to maintain command by issuing the order. "The other diclonius will hold back between you and us ready to assist either group should the need arise.
"Everyone, you have your orders. Let's move out." Kanabe finished plainly. Another group of 'yes sir's followed as the company mobilized and headed for a trio of parked hum-vees, the VACs following close behind. Engines roared to life as the group headed for their confrontation with Lola.
Bando, still stationed atop his nearby building, looked on in surprise as his companions appeared to have left willingly with the General and his men. "Damnit, what has that dumbass gotten himself into this time?"
Cursing, the ex-soldier abandoned his position. Grabbing his gear and descending back down to the streets, Bando found a nearby parked vehicle. Using his enhanced strength thanks to his cybernetics, the man smashed open the window and unlocked the door, climbing into the relatively small seat. It took only a moment for him to hotwire the car, the motor humming as it ignited. Pushing the vehicle as much as he could to catch up to the convoy, Bando followed some distance behind, intent to find out what the hell was going on.
Fortsetzung folgt…
AN: Chapter 7 is already written, so none of this waiting two years bullshit again. I'm going to sleep on it for a few days before going back to edit and clean it up. Should be out by the end of the week, with an epilogue to follow. Finally getting this story done.