Please see Disclaimer in Chapter 1.
The events in Idiot Beloved take place shortly after the Dark Tournament; Firebird Sweet directly follows that timeline, and you can probably get more out of this sidefic if you read IB and its sequel first.
Title: Operation Rosary C4: X The Unknown
Author: JaganshiKenshin
Genre: Action/Adventure, General
Rating: K+/PG-13
Summary: A lesson in particle physics is rudely interrupted.
A/N: Operation Rosary is told through the viewpoint of Hiei's 'partner,' who has never heard of him till now; the burnt-out factory of Two Shots (YYH manga, Vol. 7) is the main setting. The effects of Makai leaking into Ningenkai have been documented in YYH's Chapter Black. Please review! I appreciate it.
As to whether the Agency does, in fact, exist---if I told you, Hiei would have to kill you.
"We must stop them, no matter the cost!"
Operation Rosary (C4: X The Unknown)
by
Kenshin
Ueda Issei crept forward alone, toward the direction Hiei had indicated. Lacking his partner's 'sense' of things, and with only torchlight to guide him through the crawlspace, he was virtually in the dark.
Why don't I come equipped with some micro-chip tracking device? he thought irritably. Or a listening device, or those exploding cuff links, or---
Controlling his annoyance, Issei paused, let out a slow, calming breath. He knew why he lacked such items.
Perhaps better than anyone, he understood that funds for gadgetry were at an all-time low, for Ueda Issei's cover at 'Yabuta Industries' was as its accountant.
Progress was slow; the floor was not really a floor, but a perilous series of wooden cross-beams, below which lay the relatively soft ceiling tiles. The sheets of plywood that had been laid over the beams petered out here, and it would be all too easy to crash through to the basement below.
The claustrophobic journey made his head pound, but Issei kept inching ahead. He was certain James Bond would have crossed the distance in half the time. Hiei, in a quarter as long.
If Hiei had been up to it. The lttle freelancer was not only sick, but disoriented. Disoriented, hell! Nuts, more likely. An attack of light, a court of last resort?
Speaking of light---there was more than enough illumination to display a litter of dead vermin in Issei's path, clustered within some cross-beams. One of the creatures was not a rat, but something that looked like a miniature version of the oni, down to the tiger-skin toga.
Shuddering, Issei wondered if demons came that small, or was if X the Unknown was some sort of shrinking ray. He crept round the bodies, into darker spaces.
For some time, in a nagging, unconscious fashion, Issei had suspected he wasn't top Agency material. That his tight-lipped, buttoned-down persona was better suited to actual accounting than covert action. And now this fellow Hiei had appeared, as if to show Issei the difference, for despite his dress and manner, Hiei was the real deal.
Maybe Issei should become the Agency's accountant. Such a lateral move might not result in too deep a pay cut, but the loss of face---
Snap out of it!
The air turned foul. Licking his lips in distaste, Issei glanced around, unsure of where to turn. Perhaps Hiei's sense of direction had been knocked out of whack due to the oddly charged atmosphere flooding the crawlspace.
And the crawlspace itself was choked, not just with that rancid air, not just with dead vermin, but also ducts, conduits and construction debris. Maybe the vermin had died trying to find their way out of what amounted to a giant maze.
Just when Issei felt hopelessly lost, he heard raised voices to guide his way. And the atmosphere, bad as it was before, closed in like a wet rag: heavy as gruel, dank, choked, wrong.
Just as suddenly, the oppression lifted, leaving him to wonder whether he'd imagined it.
He hadn't imagined the voices. They rose again. Issei crept determinedly toward the shouts, and where they seemed loudest, he laid the low-burning torch across a hunk of metal, then found a spot where he could worm his fingers through the framework around a ceiling tile.
"Stop playing with that damned sword and get over here!"
Issei froze. The imperative came in the affected voice of Gray Suit. But there was also an unpleasant, metallic edge to his voice now---a knife-slash of desperation.
The rumble of other disgruntled voices swarmed like a buzzing of bees, culminating in someone who shouted: "Who needs a sword when we got THIS?"
Hiei's sword? It's still there?
Someone said, "Let's stick the human and see if he bleeds."
Another voice replied, "He'll bleed just fine, you moron, but what about the Rosary and Holy Water!"
Issei shut his eyes a moment in gratitude. If Hiei felt the Rosary and Holy Water were important, perhaps this news would hearten him, return some of his strength.
"Fools!" Gray Suit spoke again. "And if he throws them?"
So. That's why the desperation in their leader's voice. He's losing control of his men.
"Any volunteers?" drawled Gray Suit. "I thought not."
Then, a thick, bubbly voice---the minotaur's---said, "We can do anything we like! Kill the human, eat him! What's Holy Water to us now?"
A voice Issei recognized as the oni's said, "Suppose somethin' bad happens when we stick him with the sword?"
"Something bad?" echoed the minotaur. "Like dying?"
A new voice said, "Once we throw the switch nothin' don't matter!" That sounded like Eight-Eyes.
"Listen, you dolts!" Gray Suit's veneer of bored sophisticate was peeling away, fast. "My genius created this new Eden, and my aura drives it, not yours. It's not for the likes of you to decide when and where it happens."
"Looks like Eden just grabbed your aura an' run off with it," said Eight-Eyes.
"Yeah," someone else interjected. "Looks like we don't hafta listen to you any more."
"We can throw a switch as well as the next demon," the minotaur agreed.
Issei felt close to desperation himself. We need to act. No time to fumble around, access a panel from another room, mount an assault from the door. The door may be locked. And if they hear us coming they'll kill our man. Or throw that switch.
No, we have to attack from above. And we have to do it now, while they're fighting among themselves. But first, I have to determine Op-X 's exact location.
Again working his fingers under the edge of the ceiling panel, Issei inched it aside, then stretched flat on his belly. Heedless now of mold or germs, he pressed his face to the opening to take a cautious glance below.
He was evidently above the center of the room; and it looked much like their 'dungeon,' except these walls were pale gray.
The squabbling voices came from a part of the room Issei could not see. But against the wall facing him, he found what he was looking for.
The machine stood at rest. X The Unknown.
That's IT? wondered Issei, in astonishment.
This machine, this dreaded contraption, over which they had gone to so much trouble, resembled nothing so much as a Big Green Egg---the barbecue units popular in Japan and elsewhere.
In fact, it was an Egg. Issei knew them well; his uncle Kentaro had two of them, in which he smoked pork ribs and whole chickens to succulent effect. Issei was momentarily stunned by X's prosaic looks, but concentrated on taking its inventory.
The domed body was indeed egg-shaped, made of heavy, dark-green ceramic with a dimpled surface. It was housed in a four-legged rolling cart, and had a handle on top, and a small round temperature gauge centered high on the hinged lid. Only a couple of feet tall even up on its 'legs,' it looked comical, like a cartoon robot, an impression strengthened by two side tables jutting from the body, almost like arms. Issei half-expected the Egg to get up and walk away.
A dual set of tubes resembling crazy straws made of copper arose from the back of the unit, not part of the original equipment on any Egg. The handle, normally a matte black and resting against the dome, had been painted red and fixed upright, indeed like a switch.
Also not part of the original equipment was a small table laser, resting on the left 'arm.' The laser looked like nothing so much as a flattish metal box a little longer and narrower than a book. Powered, Issei guessed, by the stolen Moolooite crystal.
But what really caught Issei's attention was something that hovered in the air above the unit.
There was Issei's weird 'atmosphere,' that wrongness he had sensed all along. The space directly above the unit was fluid and alive with swirly threads, like eels constructed of champagne bubbles, swimming, slowly searching for---
For what, Issei could not even begin to guess. Each 'thread' was no thicker than a man's forearm, and even from his high angle, Issei recognized the configuration as a Moebius loop.
At first glance like a figure-8, a Mobius strip has but one surface with a single side and a single boundary component. Any schoolkid can form one with a strip of paper, by twisting the strip so the top surface of one end is glued to the bottom surface of the opposite end. Build a Mobius strip large enough, wear gravity boots, and you can walk along its length and return to your starting point without ever crossing an edge.
Then it's really just one thread, Issei realized. Perhaps this was why they'd sent a particle physicist to investigate.
And ceramic has superior insulating abilities. That Egg may look comical, but some forethought went into this baby. We've got to get hold of it. But how, with all those demons below, and with Hiei sick and raving?
Now and again, the loop twisted from its tight configuration into something funnel-like, and when this occurred, Issei felt disoriented, weak, both hot and cold at once. He put a hand to his brow; the skin almost scorched his icy fingers.
Could this be the cause of Hiei's illness?
The Mobius regained its normal appearance, and the sick feeling lifted. Issei went boneless with relief. Perhaps this atmospheric phenomenon, in addition to making the air almost too thick to breathe, also caused chaos to increase, resulting in frayed tempers among Gray Suit's minions. Or perhaps it was simply that there was no honor among cutthroats. Whatever the reason for the breakdown in the chain of command, Issei would use it to his advantage.
Then Issei spotted something that heartened him still further. Leaning against the wall beside Egg the Unknown, in between two folding chairs, was what had to be Hiei's sword, still in its black saya.
Maybe my gun's there, too. He'd emptied a magazine and a half; three bullets remained, but there was a third magazine. Would they know how to load it? The thought did not cheer him as much as the sight of the sword; there might not be any swordsmen among the demons, but with the Walther PPK in their hands---
Tearing his gaze from Egg The Unknown, Issei scanned the room. He didn't have far to go.
Tucked away in a far corner of the room, still clutching the Rosary as though his life depended on it, slumped in a folding chair, was Operative X.
Issei recalled Hiei's description: 5' 10", 190 pounds, brown hair, blue eyes. But Hiei hadn't mentioned that the guy could have been on a magazine cover, with that thick wavy hair and those patrician features. He looked less like a particle physicist than a matinee idol.
"Listen, Yabuta-sama." Issei heard the rumble of the brown oni's voice again, but the creature was not in sight. "I done that outside job you wanted, but these guys, well, they're---"
Gray Suit---Yabuta---strode into view. Though his suit was still pressed, and his appearance still human, apart from the celery-green skin and backswept ears, he was no longer cool and controlled. Running his hands through no-longer-sleek hair, Yabuta stopped, facing Op-X. "Useless piece of human trash! If we could just get that Rosary away---"
"He's hoardin' the Holy Water an' Salt too," the oni reminded his master.
So Op-X hasn't defected? He's protecting himself any way he can! Yet clearly, their agent was still under some sort of thrall, whether from Yabuta's aura, or the Egg itself.
"Throw the switch!" yelled the minotaur. A gabble of youkai voices were raised in agreement. Only the oni was opposed. He seemed fearful of what would happen.
Issei's attention shifted to his guttering torch. A strip of cotton shirt will only burn so far, and the wood lath was dank, and smoking, and about to go out altogether. He had only moments left in which to see--and he saw one thing clearly.
He could not handle this situation by himself. There was no way he could face down all those monsters, rescue Op-X, and claim Egg the Unknown. No matter how tapped out Hiei was, Issei had to retrace his steps, reclaim his partner.
The torch died.
Now the only illumination came from fluorescent light leaking from the room below, thin, ghostly, unsettling.
Time to go back. Turning carefully in the cluttered space, Issei almost cried out in shock.
The one-man wrecking crew, the protection, had pulled himself together. For Hiei was already there, right behind Issei, a study in sheer guts. In the dim greenish light he looked pale, sick, and far too young to be anyone's 'protection.'
Hiei gave him a crooked grin. "Shaken, not stirred?"
Quickly, Issei summed up what he had learned, adding, "They must have quite a dossier on you. They knew to obtain a Rosary and swap it out for---"
"Not enough of a dossier." Hiei dragged a forearm across his brow, wiping away sweat, muttering a curse as the chains and shackle got in the way. "They thought if we got loose I wouldn't notice the difference."
"Can you hear them arguing?"
Hiei nodded. "This 'switch' they're going to throw. I don't like the sound of it. Could open up the barrier."
"Barrier?"
"Figuratively speaking, all Hell's gonna break loose."
"And not figuratively?"
"Those guys down below are just small potatoes."
"Those monsters? You're kidding." Could this be another form of Hiei's bravado? He seemed to have plenty on hand.
"Remember I told you something didn't feel right? If what I suspect is true---"
"I feel it too." Issei had no idea how he was sensing it, but the storm-thickening of the air was at its worst here, almost a taste of sulphur. A thunderstorm, no matter how destructive, is a natural event. This was profoundly un-natural.
"If that machine does what I think it was designed to do, it'll open a doorway for monsters that make those guys seem like Hello Kitty toys. Monsters even I couldn't handle."
The thought made Issei turn cold. "Your sword's there, next to the Egg," he said quickly. "I'll do the drop and distract them. But you'd better make good use of that weapon."
"And you'd better get your man away. Right now, Op-X is more valuable than gold. Get him out at all costs. I'm here to deal with those youkai---and the Egg."
"Understood." Yet Issei hesitated. Everything he had experienced till now, the weight of the mission, the youkai, the Egg, the fear and self-doubt, all came surging together into an intolerable pressure that struck at the center of his chest. Can't breathe! Can't---if we go into that room we'll die! Get me out of here! His stomach whirled; nausea clawed its way up to his throat.
Issei cast a pleading glance at Hiei, about to beg him to run, to join him in flight---and saw his partner sweating, shaking, his struggle apparent even in darkness. This horrific spasm of madness, this overwhelming fear---was that what Hiei had felt all along?
Hiei caught Issei's glance. "Scared?"
An automatic denial sprang to Issei's lips, but he stopped himself. Can't lie, not now, not with my back to the wall. He settled for a curt nod.
To his surprise, Hiei nodded back. "Same here."
Forcing his jaws apart, Issei asked, "Then how do you---"
"Easy. I'm standing between those monsters and my family. I'll stop them even if I have to die doing it."
In all his years at the Agency, Issei had never pictured someone to protect, but the answer leapt to his mind at once. Her violet eyes wide with terror, blonde hair streaming as a youkai ran her down. Miss Sakamoto! No! I can't let them get to her. If Hiei can pull himself together for this, so can I.
"Ready?"
They exchanged one let's-do-this glance. Then, heaving the panel aside, Issei dropped into the center of the room.
He landed with Op-X at his back, the Egg slightly behind him to his right, Yabuta guarding the door. The relative closeness of the low ceiling to the floor made for a soft enough landing.
A beat of stillness. The demons were jammed in a knot against the wall ahead of him: hulking brown oni, black and menacing minotaur, stumpy-legged cyclops, even lavender-hued Four-Arms and battleship-gray Eight-Eyes, all of them cringing, scrubbing at their eyes as if the sight of the Egg had hurt them.
Yabuta gave a single gasp as, one by one, heads lifted, demonic gazes found Issei, and awareness spread through the room.
"CRAP!" The oni, hunched over thanks to the low ceiling, was first to react. He lunged toward Issei, swung his club in a lateral arc, his balance askew.
Issei ducked under the wild blow, rolled sideways, gained his feet again. He sensed rather than saw Hiei land, check on Operative X, and grab the sword, all in one smooth motion. Then Hiei was beside the Egg.
Issei inched backward, toward Op-X, always keeping the demons in sight.
Yabuta, still as a statue, open-mouthed in shock, one hand resting on the door handle. Clearly, he had not expected this invasion. He recovered quickly enough. "Forget the human," he ordered. "Deal with that swordsman!"
Issei found no comfort in those words. He knew he would not be permitted to waltz out unscathed.
No matter how weak Hiei felt, with sword in hand he looked formidable. The youkai hesitated, muttering curses.
"Get him!" commanded Yabuta. None of the redshirts stirred. Even Issei dared not move.
To his right, Hiei and the Egg. Before them, the angry mob. Behind him, Op-X in a corner, slumped on his folding chair.
Get your man out at all costs.
The weight of the standoff seemed as thick as the twisted air. The minotaur and oni crouched in readiness, the cyclops growled, Four-Arms flicked his near-human gaze between Issei and Hiei as if trying to measure the distance between them. Issei knew the speed and strength of those four bungee-like arms.
Eight-Eyes cracked his knuckles. "Well? What're we scared of? That runt ain't nothin' now, even with a sword. We got the machine! We got powered-up, an' his power level's way down."
"Yeah, the machine," said the minotaur. "Throw the switch!"
"Not without my orders." Yabuta's voice was glacial.
For their part, the redshirts focused on Hiei, quivering with rage or eagerness or both.
And for his part, Hiei stalked toward them, putting a few precious feet of distance between himself and Issei.
Yabuta's eyes flashed. "How dare you interfere!" he demanded. "This is my game, and you'll play by my rules!"
But the rules had been tossed out long ago, and the redshirts were more intent on Hiei than their master. Even Issei listened to Yabuta with only half an ear as he watched their reactions. Hampered they may have been by the small space, still they itched to tackle the swordsman.
Hiei matched them glare for glare. "Think you can take me?" He gave a low, menacing chuckle. "Go ahead on."
"That's it!" The minotaur's hands crunched into fists. With him in the lead, the youkai took up Hiei's challenge.
While Yabuta clamored for control, and with a herd of monsters closing in, Ueda Issei made a dive for Operative X.
(To be continued: Is Hiei any match for the powered-up henchmen?)
-30-