Chapter 6 Problem Solved
Ban and Ginji made their way toward the South end of the old factory. Nothing was said between the two, to Ginji it felt as though Ban was Drifting farther away from him. Ban had not said much since Ginji pestered him about what was bothering him. Ginji was really starting to worry. Soon they reached the place where the rest of the group was waiting. Ban then started to tell them what he had been told by MakubeX. Silence ran through the room. The only thing that could be heard was the scratching of the rats that Shido had sent to search.
"I'm going to call MakubeX maybe he has something else for us." Ban said reaching into his pocket to grab his cell phone. He was just about to dial MakubeX's number when it started to ring. Ironically it was MakubeX, Ban answered "I was just about to call you, did you manage to get anything?"
"No, but i did have an idea. Right now i'm facing the West side of the building, I can see the whole thing thing. I want you to go to the West side and call me once you get there." MaukbeX's voice said out of the phone. Great more games, they didn't have the time for this, but there was nothing else they could do. Ban just hoped that what MakubeX had in mind would be some use to them.
"Okay but you had better not be wasting our time Computer Boy!" Ban screeched into his reciever.
MakubeX's reply was quick "Trust me" then the line went dead.
Ban turned to the rest of them "MakubeX wants one of us to go to the West side, I'll go, I want you to stay here" Ban told them, he wanted to be on his own if only for a few minutes. He left quickly, there was no time to lose. Ban heard someone bahind him, he turned around to see Ginji. "Ban i think that its time you told me what your problem is. Your not focusing and you are going to screw something up" Ginji said stepping in front of Ban, this time he didn't have his usual smile on his face, he looked like he meant business. Ban hesitated, they didn't have the time, how many times did he have to say it. "Don't tell me that we don't have the time either Ban. aeven if we do make it there in time with you the way you are now you will get in the way. Ban your not thinking straight" Ginji finished. It was like Ginji could read Ban's mind, he knew what Ban was going to say before he had even said it.
"Why do you think that I will get in the way Gin, and how the hell do you know that i'm not thinking straight!" Ban yelled he was starting to get really pissed off at Ginji.
"I know your not thinking, didn't MakubeX say he wanted you to go to the West side" Ginji said trying to supress a smile. "Ban your heading to the North"
Ban looked around Ginji was right, there was no way that he was getting out of this. Maybe it was better if he told Ginji part of what was bothering him. "Fine, but i'm only saying this so we can get moving. When I called Himiko, and it went to her voicemail I just figured that maybe she had another job." Ban paused. Ginji was listening carefully. "I then called Akabane, I got through to him, he told me that he was still on his other job. In the background I could hear Himiko." Ban said looking up at Ginji who was stilll listening intently.
"So what, you heard Himiko they work on jobs together all the time, they are transporters" Ginji said, he just couldn't beileve that this is what was bothering Ban. There was more to this story.
"They may both be transporters and they may be both working on the same job but, Himiko was not the only one I heard, as soon as I heard his voice I knew it at once." Ban stopped to take a breath "Ginji the other voice was that Mafia guy that keeps calling me. Himiko and Akabane are working with them. This is going to be more difficult then we had first imagined."
This was true, if both Himiko and Dr. Jackal were working against them there was a very high chance that they wouldn't succeed. "Ginji, I don't know if i will be able to keep my head in this one. Sure I have gone up against Himiko before but, this time with Paul and Tia its personal and I really don't want to have to hurt her." Ban told him looking straight in the face, this was his way of letting Ginji know that he was not lying to him. "I have to go MakubeX is waiting."
With that Ban turned around and Headed West, leaving Ginji alone with his thoughts. 'This is personal' Bans words rang through Ginji's head, sure with Paul as a hostage it is personal, but why Tia? Come to think of it when Ban found out who she was he changed his mind about the rescue, did he know Tia? No wait, Ban didn't want to help her until he saw her picture so he couldn't possibly know her, he just wanted to help her because she was cute right? Maybe, but then again maybe not. Ginji cursed himself for thinking about this when he should be concentrating on the objective, but then again, what if? No absolutely not.
Then again there could be more to this story then Ban was telling him. Could there?
Ban finally reached the West end of the building, there he called MakubeX "Okay Computer Boy, i'm here now what?" Ban asked
"Okay I need you to please stand in one of the windows facing me" MakubeX replied
"What the... why?"
"Just do it and you will see"
"Fine, there do you see me?"
"Yes, and i see your problem" MakubeX's voice said from the other side, he was pretty high up but Ban could see a smile spread across MakubeX's face. In a few seconds Ban recieved a picture on his phone. "Look" MaukbeX said. Ban looked at the screen, his eyes widened in amazement, there he was in the window of the second to top floor of the building. There was still a floor above them, somewhere a staircase was hidden.
"Shit!" Ban cursed into the phone, why hadn't he thought of that? Ginji was right his head was not on straight, if it was he would have thought of that as a possibility. "Computer Boy! Get up here, and bring your computer we are going to need it if we are to find this floor!" Ban yelled into the phone.
"One step ahed of you" MakubeX said on the other line "I'm half way up the stairs" Ban looked back out the window and sure enough MakubeX was gone, good he is fast. Before Ban knew it he was running back toward the South end of the building. When he arrived MakubeX was there and had evidenly told the rest of them what was wrong. "We have to find this staircase, I've got the blueprints of the building and according to this there should be a staircase in the ceiling like an attic in the West, East, and South ends. Though by the looks of things the one here in the South, has been sealed by concrete" MakubeX told them pointing to the ceiling, sure enough a prefect square of conctere was almost right above them. So the only ones left were in the West and East, hopefully they were able to get into one of them.
"Well I think we should be able to get into one of them, thats the only way that the Mafia guys are getting up there anyway" Ginji said "lets go search"
The group stayed together this time searching would be muc heasier if they were all together. They were in the West end but they just couldn't see where it would have been, so this one must have been sealed up too. They then went to the East, but there was nothing there either. "Shit, shit, shit! I can't take this! Come on Computer Boy where is it?" Ban yelled though he knew that it was going to get him nowhere.
"I don't understand this, according to these blueprints this where it should be" MakubeX replied his eyes gule to the map on his screen.
"Shhh!" came Jubei's voice from a corner of the room. Everybody listened but they didn't hear anything. Ban opened his mouth to talk but was interrupted by Jubei "No listen" after a few minutes of silence Jubei spoke up again "Since becoming blind my hearing has become far better than yours, if you listen carefully you can hear wind. and there are no windows in this room" Indeed there were no windows, so that meant that the draft was coming in through a door and they had closed it behind them. The trapdoor it was here! "Its here" Jubei said pointing to the ceiling above the corner.
Shido went up to the corner and lightly banged on the ceiling, it was hollow. He banged harder and a rope fell. This was it, the enterance to the top floor of the factory. all they would need to do was pull the rope and the would find the staircase. Leave it to Jubei to see what they couldn't.
With a smile on his face Jubei said "Problem Solved".