And here is chapter 2. I freaking hated myself writing this chapter. I knew I had to because it's all part of the plan, but seriously. I wanted to kick myself. Hang on... I just kicked my left foot. There.
Don't know what I'm talking about? You're about to. Warning: this chapter is violent. Hold a puppy while reading it.
Enjoy!
An excited grin broke out on a smooth, thin face. Crouched in the shadows of the early morning, he didn't need to look around to know that his Dragon Slayers were watching him, waiting for his signal. He was the center of control. He held the lives of those inside the lab in the palm of his hand. With just one command, he could walk away from this Operation and let the victims live. He could actually show the mercy that countless people had begged of him before.
No one seemed to understand his true calling, except for his Dragon Slayers. Every one of his victims always tried to reason with him. Didn't they understand that he was their dark angel? He was death with the scythe ready to purge their worthless lives from the world?
With a sharp visible nod, his bright eyes followed Shasta's lone dark form as the boy vanished from his side. His wide grin grew larger. He spotted the SMG MP40 strapped to the young man's back. What better scythe than a gun? Glancing at his own belted semi automatic pistols, Dilandau knew this would be a day to remember. His heart pumped with the anticipation. The kill.
Shasta reached the front doors in record timing. Pulling the gun forward to his chest, he soundlessly twisted his silencer onto the nozzle of his gun while still in the shadows. With two quick shots in the head, both security guards were down.
Dilandau almost laughed. Motioning with his hand, he glided through the moonless night, his Dragon Slayers mirroring his every footfall. Within seconds, the silver-haired boy merged to stand beside Shasta.
"Nice shot," he commented.
"They weren't hard to miss."
Dilandau eyes brightened at the sight of the blood and brain splattered on the front door. "Stand ready, Shasta. It's time to bring this place to hell."
"Yes, sir."
A small chuckle escaped him. Too late to turn back now, I guess.
Running around her room, Varie couldn't stop her tears as she grabbed her old suitcase to pack some essentials. Tossing it onto her bed, she rushed to her closet to throw in her favorite walking shoes and some cheap sweaters. Turning swiftly, she emptied her underwear drawer and moved onto her socks. Where would she go? What would she do? Would they continue to hunt her? And Folken? What did they do to her child? And Van? Was he never going to be able to live his life normally? Always to stay a fugitive to that damn corporation that had already stolen one son away from her? And her ex-husband? What did he do to cause this? What was the abomination he had worked on? Was he already dead? Was he being killed this very minute?
Would his last thoughts be of her?
Slamming the lid down, the long-haired woman finally fell into a weep. She knew she had to keep going. She had to keep moving for Van's sake. For Folken's, too. He trusted her to live.
"My son… I'll never see him again…" she whispered to her closed suitcase. "He's gone forever."
No, idiot, don't think like that yet. You need to survive this first. Get Van to safety and then you can cry.
Drying her eyes on her robe's sleeve, she began to change out of her pajamas while she thought of places to go. Every one of them was predictable. Her family farm was out of the question. That's the first place they'd look. What about an apartment somewhere out of the suburbs? That would be traceable. They'd find her through a transaction. She didn't have the money to keep an apartment for long anyways. She would have to be a freeloader for a while. She could use her credit cards for a time, but those would only last her so far. Her debit card was out of the question.
And then it hit her.
She could go to Jajuka!
"Mom," Van's small voice whispered behind her. She straightened the sleeves on her pink sweater and gazed into the young boy's mahogany eyes. He had dressed himself in jeans and his favorite red t-shirt. "I've packed what I could. Remember to bring to bring your toothbrush. You always forget it."
"Thank you, baby," she pulled her long hair out of the pink collar and moved to the bathroom to pack her toiletries.
"Where are we going?"
"Somewhere far away," she said simply. "But first I need to make one last call."
"A call?" her youngest son repeated bewildered. "Who do you need to call? Dad?"
"Hand me my cell phone, sweetie." The long-haired woman commanded gently. "Go get your stuff and meet me downstairs. I'll be done in five minutes."
"Ok-okay," her son stuttered uncharacteristically and ran to the desk to grab her phone while she pulled on her socks and shoes. He placed it beside her on the bed with a steady hand.
Unthinkingly, Varie reached out and gently touched his small arm briefly. His eyes met hers. She saw the fear behind his gaze. He was trying to act brave for her. "We'll be okay, Van." She whispered to him reassuringly. "I have the world's best protector on my side."
"Brother is so much bigger than I remember."
Varie shook her head. "I didn't mean Folken, Van. I mean you."
The black-haired youth blushed lightly at the compliment.
"I love you, baby."
Van looked away. His arm trembled slightly under her hand. She saw him swallow quickly.
"I love you too, mom." He murmured his voice breaking.
Without another glance, he withdrew his arm from her grasp, grabbed her suitcase from her bed, and walked into his own room to take care of his own bags.
"Brave like a knight," she whispered, her eyes still on the doorway he left through.
Feeling a little calmer, she reached beside her to pick up the small cell phone. She didn't know if this was a good idea, but she knew she had to take a chance. If there was a way Goau was alive, she had to let him know a way to find her at least. She counted on him to remember. No one else would be able to translate it. Not even her sons.
Breathing deep to settle her heart, she scrolled through her contacts till she came to his name. Varie realized with a jolt that this was the second time she'd called him within 24 hours. Without a moment's pause, she pressed call.
In a florescent lighted lab office, on a desk next to a computer monitor, a cellphone lit up and began to vibrate with an incoming call.
Walking past the curious white coated scientists, Megumi felt a bit out-of-place among the files of information, blinking monitors, and twisted equipment. She suddenly had a newfound respect for her husband's job. This looked like a foreign planet to her.
Dragging Hitomi behind her, the mother noticed her daughter's green eyes zipping all around the room in fascination. Her mouth was slightly open in awe.
We should have let her come in here a long time ago, Megumi thought with a smile. Who knows? Maybe she'll follow Tsukasa's footsteps someday.
Turning right to continue down a hallway, Uchida led the way past a closed-door and to a strange scanner object on the wall.
"The fossil's experimentation lab is just past this wall. I believe Dr. Kanzaki and Dr. Fanel are inside." The monotone woman stated. "I'll scan you in."
"Are you sure it's okay to be in here? Isn't this the radiation lab as well?" Megumi asked with a worried frown.
"The fossil has no radiation charge that can harm humans, Mrs. Kanzaki. You are perfectly safe inside."
"Right, I forgot." The mother smiled reassured. The blank woman's left eyebrow gave a strange twitch.
"Can I go in, too?" Hitomi piped up, watching Uchida stand on tip-toe to scan her retinas. "I wanna see the lab."
"Don't you want a tour?" Megumi asked the girl. Her green eyes suddenly sparkled.
"Yes!"
"Then why don't you go on the tour with Miss Uchida and I'll make sure it's alright with your father for you to come inside the lab? We'll let you know when you get back."
"Okay!" the short-haired girl chirped. A part of the wall slid open silently and Megumi stepped through.
She waved goodbye to Hitomi as the little girl latched onto Miss Uchida's arm and began to talk at high speeds. The mother laughed to herself at the awkward pairing. The auburn-haired girl turned a corner with the child, leading her further from the radiation lab. Silently, the doors slid shut, locking her inside.
Walking slowly down the small hallway, her eyes caught the sight of yellow radiation suits. This was the first time she'd ever entered this back part of the labs. Despite the knowledge that the fossil was harmless, she couldn't help the twist of anxiety that churned in her stomach. What if it was harmful and we didn't know it yet?
"Megumi?" A familiar voice caught her attention. She blinked in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
Perking up and smiling at her husband, she crossed the hallway and entered a round room. She noticed Tsukasa was currently in the middle of detaching a metal rod from the bottom of a strange object. A low hum was issuing from strong plates on the top and bottom of the contraption. Fanel, his partner, was busy holding it steady. They both were frozen in surprise, looking at her.
"We forgot to close the door," Fanel pointed out uselessly.
"Seems like it." Her husband agreed.
"What do you mean, 'what am I doing here'? I came to see you like I promised." She answered in confusion.
"I wanted you to meet me outside the labs. How did you get in?"
"Miss Uchida let me in. Didn't you tell her to?"
Kanzaki frowned for a moment before shrugging. "Perhaps I did. I don't remember giving her access to this lab though, do you?" He turned to Fanel.
"Oh, who cares? This thing is heavy, Tsukasa." Goau grunted. "We could actually use a third pair of hands, if you don't mind, Mrs. Kanzaki. Can you grab a pair of those gloves next to the radiation suits?"
"Yes, sir," she saluted with a grin before hurrying off. Both men caught eyes and exchanged an amused look. Within seconds, she had the gloves on and was waiting for instructions.
"Alright, in a few minutes, the pressure plates will be deactivated and the Energist will be free. I want you to catch it before it falls, Mrs. Kanzaki. No, no, no! Don't put your hands in it right now! The pressure points will hurt you even through the gloves!" He announced quickly as Megumi immediately moved her hands closer to the object. She instantly retracted her limbs.
"You're sure this is okay?" she asked quietly to her husband. "Doesn't one of you want to be the first to hold it?"
He laughed. "We'll all get a chance to hold it later. Geez, you'd think it was a puppy or something."
"Well, it is kind of our baby."Fanel answered with a smirk.
"Still thinking of the name 'Kanzaki-Junior'? I knew you liked that one."
"If it won't harm me, why do I need gloves?" Megumi interrupted. Her eyes were glued on the floating pink orb in front of her.
"That is just one more precautionary measure, Mrs. Kanzaki." The black-haired man answered, his face turning red from holding up the container. "We have yet to test it on bare skin yet."
Her husband bent to fiddle with the colored wires that stuck out at the bottom of the plate. "Oh, yeah," he said suddenly, grabbing a pair of small bent tweezers from the table. "Did you figure out the problem, Megumi?"
It took Megumi a moment to figure out what he was saying. "Oh! Yes, I did! And the…" She stopped. Taking her eyes away from the orb, the picture of death riding to meet them filled her mind. His flag was raised, the hoof of his horse coming closer to them. "It was… that is to say…"
"Watch it!" the black-haired man cried out.
Blinking out the vision, Megumi's breath caught in her throat as the humming of the pressure plates quickly receded into silence. With one hand, she reached out with her gloved fingers and caught the fossil in one sharp motion. It felt warm, even through the gloves. Holding it steady, she realized it was heavier than she originally imagined. She stared at the pink orb. It pulsed in her hand and she jumped in surprise.
"Did it just beat?"
"Like a heart." Fanel smiled, panting slightly. He handed the pressure plates to Kanzaki. "We've decided to name it Energist."
"Energist…" she repeated quietly, unable to stop looking at it. "That's a very good name for it."
"Isn't it incredible?" her husband groaned the words as he had set the heavy plates on the floor. "We've waited years to do this."
"Shouldn't you have waited for the rest of your staff before doing something so momentous?" Megumi asked in a slightly scolding way. She gently laid the fossil on the table and took off her gloves
Both scientists looked at each other and started laughing. "'Live in the constant impulsive dream'." Goau chortled.
Noticing Megumi's confused stare, her husband translated, "Those were my first words to Goau before we started this mess. Who'd have thought those words would bring us all the way here, eh?"
"They turned into our philosophy." The black-haired man smiled. "And probably will remain that way."
"Where is Hitomi?" Tuskasa asked suddenly with a thoughtful frown. "Wasn't she supposed to be with you?"
"Oh, she's with Miss Uchida." Megumi answered her husband. "Hitomi was so excited you told her she could come in."
"I never said-" the tall man began with a frown, but Fanel cut him off.
"Uchida's a strange one, but she knows her stuff. That's probably the main reason we hired her. She's the only one who could really translate what everyone was trying to say. Through her, the engineers, radiologists and paleontologist have been able to work together. She's really helped us a lot. I hope your girl isn't bored with her."
Tsukasa and Megumi exchanged an amused look. "It's probably the other way around."
Pop.
Pop.
Pop.
Blood splattered the desk, floor, and wall. Three bodies slumped as the life soared out of their fresh corpses. Dilandau's bright eyes shinned with excitement. Human bodies were so frail, so easy. Two guards ran around the corner and one of the Dragon Slayers brought them down instantly with a well-aimed assault rifle. The red against white was almost intoxicating. Their scattered remains painted a red picture of hell.
"This is hell and I am death," The silver-haired youth whispered to himself. "I am death and these are my devils." His face changed into a light grin. "And the devils are hungry." More silent shots were heard as his Dragon Slayers moved further down the hallways. A short scream was silenced quickly by another popping sound. Slipping his guns into their holders at his hip, Dilandau pushed up his black sleeve and pressed a button on a device strapped to his wrist. Instantly, the small screen shinned with life. Tapping another button, the screen displayed a detailed map of the facility.
Through here, Dilandau thought turning to the visible rubber pad about ten feet behind him. Here's the fingerprint scan.
"The first lab has been cleared, sir." Viole announced quietly. The rest of the Dragon Slayers gathered behind the silver-haired boy, several laughing under their breaths. "There has been no alarm raised."
Reaching into his pocket, the silver-haired boy pulled out a detailed glove and worked his fingers through the fabric. He walked towards the hidden lab with leisure steps. "Excellent work, Dragon Slayers. Let's begin round two, shall we?"
"What's this thing do?" Hitomi asked the silent woman beside her. Running to a microscope, her green eyes studied the object in fascination. "Does it help with the radicative stuff?"
"Radioactive," the auburn-head corrected her immediately. "It is for the study of particles in certain atoms."
"That's amazing!" the girl announced in awe. "What's an atom?"
"It's the source of nuclear energy and can also be a basic unit of a chemical element."
"Wow… I have no idea what that means…" Hitomi whispered, still facing the microscope. "Do you use this?"
"I'm an assistant. I take care of the charts, run the errands, and process the information into databases. It's mostly for the different scientists and doctors in the lab, but my main job is for your father and Doctor Fanel."
The girl shifted her green eyes to the straight-backed woman. "That doesn't sound very fun, Miss Uchida. When do you play?"
"Play?" the woman asked, her eyebrow giving a twitch. "I haven't played… in a long time…" Her eyebrow jerked once more as she closed her dark eyes. "I haven't played since I was a girl… long ago… before they… took me…"With a groan, she covered her face with her hands, as if trying to blot out some memory that was trying to resurface.
"Miss Uchida? Are you alright?" Hitomi called, running closer to the woman. "Should I get a doctor? They can help."
"I'm... I'm fine." The woman said through her fingers. Her voice was back to the monotone, but her shoulders begun to shake. "They aren't those kind of doctors. I just have a headache... I'm remembering... why am I remembering it...?"
The girl stopped; her green eyes wide. "Miss Uchida…"
The auburn-haired woman collapsed on her knees. "I am unraveling. My mind can't feel, but my body remembers… it remembers what they did to me… I just wanted to play... why did they take me? But they won't. They won't use me anymore. No more."
"I think I need to go back to mom and dad." Hitomi announced with a shaky voice. She backed away slowly. "I'll go there by myself."
"Wait!" Uchida cried out, releasing her face and reaching out to grab Hitomi's foot. Her eyes were bright and feverish. "You can't go! Everything will burn! The Operation will destroy you!"
Wrenching her leg away from the woman's grasping fingers, the young girl ran down the hallway that would lead her to her father's radiation lab.
The room was lighted only by a small lamp at his table and the blinking screens in front of him. The ginger brown surface of his beech wood desk easily held the weight of the two huge monitors that perched on top of it. Clasping his fingers together, the old man sitting behind the desk rested his thin elbows on the arms of his leather chair and leaned forward to watch the live footage. Pressing his laced fingers to his lips, the old man's gray eyes hardly flinched at the visible gore. The small camera strapped to Dilandau's ear showed almost every bullet that was fired. There wasn't any sound with the video, but he didn't need to hear anything. The screams were clear on their victim's faces. Next to the camera video was a larger computer screen with various numbers changing, occasionally jumping to triple digits. A name was labeled above the every list of numbers. Every one of the Dragon Slayers was tagged; their hearts racing like raging beasts. One of the numbers was labeled Crying Gray. Another was Uchida Hanne.
A body on his video screen slumped in its seat, blood trickling down from a hole in his head. The dead man's computer screen behind him dripped thickly with the red fluid. Immediately, a Dragon Slayer rushed in, pushed the corpse out of the seat, and plugged in a huge flash drive. All the programs that were on the computer downloaded in an instant. Then, as the young man wrenched out the drive, he pumped several bullets into the computer's database, effectively destroying the information.
This was Operation RED. Get in, kill, download and destroy any and all information, and get out.
Such extreme measures were a necessity in the world he lived in.
Despite the graphic display in front of him, Dornkirk's gray eyes kept switching back to the monitor; watching for Crying Gray's heart to increase its speed. He noticed before that it started to beat a little harder for several minutes before calming back down. Whatever had made him break that calm demeanor was a mystery to the old man. The kid was a natural. The silver-haired boy surpassed all their expectations. Stoic, emotionless, and cruel.
Small warning beeps made the old man lean forward in surprise. Glancing down at Uchida Hanne's unnaturally high heart rate, Dornkirk frowned before settling back in his chair.
"So, the spy has awakened," he murmured to himself. "No matter, she won't last long if she unstable. Dilandau will see to that."
Switching back to the monstrous scene before him, Dornkirk sighed under his beard. Such a sad waste. A necessary waste, but still one all the same. The old man was never one for killing. He hired other people to take care of that nasty work. No, Dornkirk was more into protecting. And this little 'fossil' would be the downfall of every speculation he had used to build up Zaibach Corp. With more than half the world's electric companies signing mergers with him, he – within the span of two decades – quickly became the head of almost every major corporation that dealt with oil and electric power. Zaibach Corp. was top. And he meant to keep it that way.
And then Crying Gray came, and with his appearance, hints. Hints of an object that could tear down everything Dornkirk had worked so very hard for. Placing the spy – unstable as she was - in there had been the best move. Through her reports, he had everything he needed to know and more. However, as each test proved successful, the old man knew his firm grip on the world market slowly slipped. The little thing was the savior to modern society. It would fix all the problems of the world. Oil would no longer be needed with electric cars and rechargeable batteries. Power plants abandoned because the damned thing could power an entire country! Hell, it would even clear up the toxic waste issue!
If more of these things were found…
But no, no one has been able to find another. His men had taken over the dig site. He'd stopped all attempts to excavate the site. This was the only one. And soon it would be his to do with as he pleased. His problems will be over.
Watching the camera jerk as Dilandau's shoulder backfired from his pistols, Dornkirk's gray eyes hardened with resolve. In a way, he was saving the world from the financial bankruptcy, the total loss of jobs in the world, and keeping the world market from crashing. It looked like death now, but this was to protect the people as well as his investments. These were necessary deaths.
And he was secretly a hero.
The Dragon Slayers were marvelous. Almost too good, in Dilandau's opinion. Upon entering the sliding doorway, it was an immediate carnage. Dilandau was a bit disappointed. There were less than ten people in this back lab and they hardly put up a fight at all.
There had to be more…
"Search everywhere," the silver-haired boy commanded in a bored tone. His men spread out to obey, one of them slipping slightly in the spreading blood. Moving further down the room, Dilandau kicked a fallen body out of his way. "Disgusting," he grunted, his smile leaving his face. This was too easy. Where was the chase? Where was the begging?
Noticing a hallway, he held his pistol to his chest, ready to fire if someone happened to be walking down it. Slowly proceeding, Dilandau noticed a door on his left. Checking the handle, he saw that it was locked.
"Not a problem," he murmured to himself, raising his foot to kick the door in.
That was when he heard the gasp. Turning his feverish gaze away from the door, the boy couldn't believe his eyes.
Standing before him was a little girl.
And she let out a blood-curling scream.
Megumi felt her heart stop.
She knew that sound.
Giving only a half second to shoot her husband a panicked look, she turned to run with both men following her heels.
"Open this door!" she shrieked at no one in particular. Fanel made it to the door first and pounded on the release button. As the door slid open, Megumi watched as if in slow motion.
She saw a silver-haired boy, a menacing looking pistol in his hand. He was just down the hallway to the office door. He turned the gun towards the screaming child, her child – Hitomi.
Another blink later and the bullet left the gun. She could only watch as it traveled straight and true.
It hit her in the chest. Right through the heart. She jerked as it exploded out of her back. The little girl twitched once and then fell. She crumbled to a heap on the floor, her little clothes slowly staining themselves in her blood.
Megumi couldn't remember if she screamed or not. Sound ceased to exist.
Vaguely, the dark-haired woman registered another movement down the hall. She paid no attention to it. Every limb, every vein, every cell cried out to hold her child. Her lovely, sweet child. Running forward, she grabbed Hitomi's still warm body. Cradling her baby, she stumbled back into the radiation lab just as two more shots were fired.
Uchida staggered to her feet. Holding her head with one hand and bracing herself with the other, she wobbled down the hallway to follow the child. "Wait…" she whispered. "It's not safe…"
And then the scream. Uchida knew that scream. She had made that sound herself before. Long ago, but still so present.
And then the gunshot.
The auburn-haired woman's organs twisted and turned. She felt sick. Gathering her strength, she turned the corner just in time to see the little girl fall to the ground. Her dark eyes focused on the staining blood that slowly wept out of the child's back.
Something snapped her mind.
Instantly, her brain was clear; her muscles strong. She remembered the pain from long ago. The memories they had tried to erase from her. With a roar, she charged the gunman with inhuman speed.
Let them regret giving me this training. Let them regret what they did to me.
And she smiled. She smiled as she swept past the crying mother. She smiled as she approached the gunman. And she smiled as she felt her body tackle the boy to the ground, forcing him to lose focus on Mrs. Kanzaki.
"What the hell? Damn it! You're on our side!" The silver-haired boy cursed as he squirmed to get out from under her. She moved to pin his arms and legs.
Turning around to glance at her two bosses standing at the doorway in shock, she was still smiling.
She heard only one of the two shots. The next thing she knew was the eternal blackness.
Uchida's distraction gave Fanel enough time to press the button and close the security door before the other gunman could get through. He turned and grabbed the red handle, which immediately initiated lock down. All doors were sealing. Glancing back with eyes full of pain and sorrow, he watched as his best friend ran through the closing doors that led to the round experimentation room. Leaning against the wall, he fixed his dark gaze on the white floor at his feet. Without a proper code, there was no way in or out. He prayed silently that somehow these gunmen hadn't tapped into this information as well.
Meanwhile, Kanzaki ran with Megumi to the radiation room. He tripped slightly on the heavy plates lying on the floor as the woman gently laid their child on the aluminum table. The dark-headed mother leaned over her little girl, whispering shakily.
"Baby, honey, please open your eyes. Don't do this. Please, baby, please…"
Tsukasa could only stare at the lifeless girl. Her skin was so pale. Her green eyes stared blankly at the ceiling.
"She's gone," he whispered numbly. "She's gone."
"She's going to wake up. We have to stop this blood," Megumi choked through dripping tears. Hoisting Hitomi's upper body from the table, she pulled off the girl's red soaked shirt and held it to the bloody hole on her chest. Lying her gently down again, the mother hardly noticed she'd put the little girl's naked, blood-coated back on the pink pulsing Energist.
Megumi nodded her head, trying to desperately convincing herself. Her fingers shook as she pressed the little shirt to the wound. Her other hand caressed the girl's short brown hair."She's going to be okay. She'll be alright. My cards told me she'll live through this. She has to. She's the Queen. She's got a Knight to protect her. I saw it. I SAW IT!"
Grabbing the woman by the shoulders, he held her to his chest and wrapped his long arms around her shaking body. She broke down into racking sobs as his tears fell into her hair. Hitomi's blood soaked shirt fell from her hand with a wet slap on the ground.
"Tsukasa! They're breaking through!" He heard Fanel's muffled voice yelled through the closed doors. The tall man realized that his partner had initiated lock down and it had sealed the experimentation lab as well.
"I have to go, Megumi. I have to help him." Unwillingly, he removed his arms from around his wife. He grabbed the sides of her face gently to bring her closer to him. Cupping her tear-stained cheeks, he whispered lovingly, "Stay with Hitomi. You'll be safe in here. I won't let anyone get through. Do you understand? You'll be safe here."
"But what about you?" She murmured back her eyes wide from shock, fear, and disbelief. "If you die, I'll die with you."
"No!" Tsukasa cried out, shaking her a little. "You have to live, my love. You have to live!"
"I can't. Not without both of you!" Reaching up, she put her hands on the back of his head and crushed her lips to his. Both their tears intermingled together as they gave each other one last kiss goodbye.
Letting her go and turning away from her, the tall man pressed the release button on the side of the door and punched in a code. Megumi could only watch in helpless horror as her husband walked through the opening doors. "I love you forever!" He called, not looking back at her. She moved instinctively to follow him, but the doors closed on her just in time.
"No, no, no, no, no…" she whispered, banging her fists uselessly against the solid door. Slowly, she slid to her knees and wept.
"What are they doing?" Kanzaki asked Fanel tensely, wiping his tears off his face. His bloodshot green eyes were sharp.
"They dialed in a code, but I think it was the wrong one. They'll figure it out eventually. From what I can tell, that gunman before is there with one other. It's two on two."
"Who knows how many more there are out there in the labs. I hope everyone was able to escape somehow."
"We can only pray."
The taller man turned to his friend. "Is there any way to get out of the building besides the front doors?"
Goau bit his lip in concentration. "I'm not sure. I think there might be a circulation vent in our office closet. It would be a crawl and you are a big guy."
Despite the situation, Kanzaki's green eyes gave a light twinkle. "Okay, we just need to hold them off here and get Megumi to the office."
Turning to look around the room, Goau felt his heart sink in fear and disappointment. The situation was bad. Really bad. They were at the worst dead end in the entire building. There wasn't much cover for bullets. His dark eyes raked over the line of suits on the wall.
The radiation suits would give some protection. Not much, but maybe enough to help cushion a shot or two.
"Grab a suit," the black-haired man ordered running to the side and pulling out two. He threw it to his friend.
"We don't have enough time to change into these!" Tsukasa stated obviously.
"When they come in, we use them as shields!"
"Oh…" The taller man blinked several times and nodded slowly.
"What about weapons?"
"I have an idea." Kanzaki stated with determination.
Turning from the door, the brown-haired man threw his suit over his shoulder, ran to a large cabinet on the wall, and withdrew a set of small keys from his white coat. "We are not completely defenseless. We just have to improvise a bit."
"Live in the constant impulsive dream…" Fanel said with the shadow of an ironic smile.
"Exactly," Kanzaki nodded seriously. "We might not survive this, but we'll take down as many bastards as we can. Just enough to get Megumi safely out." Opening the cabinet, he reached in to pull out a small hydrogen tank. "The engineers had a tank in here for storage. It was to help fuel the stabilizer down in the dome. The gas in this sucker could make some fireworks for our friends. That would give us enough time to try to grab for a gun. It's tricky and probably stupid, and we might blow ourselves up in the process, but this might work."
Tying the arms of the bulky suit around his neck, Fanel grabbed two radiation masks. Kanzaki picked up the tank and set it on its side. With a determined look, the taller man shoved the helmet on his head and gave a thumb up.
Suddenly, both men froze. Their blood running cold.
The door in front of them began to slide open.
With an angry yell, Kanzaki violently shoved the rolling hydrogen tank across the floor just as a black gloved hand snaked around the corner and began firing at random.
"Duck!" Fanel yelled, covering his head with the mask. Pressing himself against the side wall, he saw the taller man hold up the suit just as bullets rained the area.
BOOM!
The explosion was bigger than both scientists had anticipated. Fanel was thrown backwards into the door to the round chamber. He felt the hair on his skin sizzle in the heat. The dark-headed man couldn't remember screaming, but he wouldn't have been able to hear his voice anyway. The fire roared as bits of the exploded hydrogen tank burst like deadly sheet metal daggers. Coughing, thankful for the suit that took most of the damage, he waited till everything was completely quiet. Lifting his singed arms to take off the protective helmet, he groaned with pain.
Blinking through the clouds of smoke, Goau turned to where his friend had taken cover.
"Tsukasa, are you okay?"
There was silence. A quiet dread began to fill Fanel's stomach. Shifting on shaking knees, the man crawled through the fallen debris toward a large, still body. Kanzaki's face was covered with the helmet, his body only half covered in the radiation suit. A sharp cry escaped Goau's mouth.
A large piece of metal stuck out of Tsukasa's chest.
"Oh, my God…" the dark-haired man breathed, his voice coming in panicked gasps. Crawling despite the pain, he reached his friend and raised a shaking, burnt hand to gently release the clasp on his helmet. Lifting the mask, Goau studied the face of his best friend.
"Yo…" Tsukasa grunted his face screwed in pain. "There seems to be a problem with my body."
Fanel's stomach clenched with horror. "You have metal sticking out of your chest."
There was a pause. The man's green eyes traveled slowly to look at his chest. "Oh," he whispered, swallowing thickly. "Wow, you're right."
"Stop talking, you idiot." Fanel's voice cracked slightly. His vision blurred through tears. "I'm going to cover you in more suits, hold on."
"There's no point, Goau." Kanzaki answered, shaking his head slowly. His body had begun trembling from shock. "I have to tell you. 7483. Under the bridge."
"What are you-"
"Repeat it," His friend demanded through a squelching cough.
"7483. Under the bridge. Under what bridge? I don't underst-"
"7483 is my part of the code for the safe in the office. It's all up to you now. Promise to remember, under the bridge."
"I-I promise, but I don't know-?"
A gun blast interrupted Fanel from continuing. He ducked as debris flew everywhere.
"You killed Shasta! You killed him, you bastards!" An insane cry sounded from the doorway. The smoke cleared to reveal the young gunman from before. His pale skin was burnt and raw. Goau saw the wild silver-haired youth grasp his side in pain. Laying his radiation suit over Kanzaki's prone body, Fanel grabbed a bit of sharp, scrap metal lying next to him. The make-shift weapon sliced his hand, but he ignored the pain.
The boy stumbled, panting and bracing himself against the wall. The black-haired man stood on shaking legs. He clinched the metal in his hand fiercely and felt blood dripping down his fingers.
With a speed he didn't know he possessed, he charge at the youth with dagger raised.
"No, no, no, no!" Megumi pounded on the door, her eyes dripping tears. "I can't be left like this! I won't!"
Forcing herself to stand shakily, she used her sleeve to wipe her blurry vision. "I have to think of something." Glancing around the closed-door, her brown-eyes found the keypad latch that was attached to the wall. Running to it, her breath was unsteady, her heart pounding with fear for her husband. She reached for the release latch and stopped. Staring blankly at the number pad, she closed her eyes to stop the fresh wave of tears that threatened to spill.
"Oh, God, I don't know the code to open it…"Clenching her fists on the wall, she sighed shakily under her breath.
Relax.
A familiar feeling loomed in her subconscious. The fog was on the outskirts of her mind, waiting.
BOOM!
The entire room shook. She shrieked and covered her ears as the blast echoed around the round chamber. Falling to her knees, she braced herself on the floor to wait for the tremor to subside.
"What-what happened? Tsukasa!" Megumi yelled, her brown-eyes widening. "Tuskasa, don't you die on me!"
Picking herself off the ground, she squared her shoulders in resolve. With her mind slowly calming, the woman let the fog overtake her brain as she lifted a hand to the number pad in front of her. Instinctively, she pressed several random digits into the pad. With a wailing screech, the door slowly opened, obviously jammed a bit by debris from the explosion.
Whirling, her heart pounding, Megumi moved towards the doorway.
Goau roared as he hacked at the boy with his scrap metal. It hit the wall. The boy ducked underneath his arm and lifted his pistol for a point-blank shot. Fanel turned and slashed upward slicing the boy's smooth cheek from chin to scalp. The camera strap around Dilandau's ear ripped and broke. The pain of the slice made the boy twitch, firing a wild shot behind Fanel.
"My face…" the boy whispered, cowering in front of the black-haired man. He dropped the gun and it bounced harmlessly on the dirty floor. Placing both hands on his torn cheek, his eyes shook with pain and shock. "You cut my face."
"I'm about to do a lot worse." Goau whispered murderously lifting his blood covered weapon.
Suddenly, the fire alarms rang out. The piercing shrill forced the man to cover his ears in pain. The distraction was just long enough for the young boy to crawl out of harms way. His face was a mask of blood and horror.
"Wait, you!" Fanel called as the boy vanished out of the room and into the hallway. Gasping from the screaming noise and loss of adrenaline, the black-haired man stumbled to the hallway to follow. Glancing back at his friend's body, Goau's eyes widened as he caught sight of the open round chamber. And lying in the doorway was-
"Megumi…?" He murmured weakly. Shifting back into the room, he collapsed on his knees as his legs gave out. "Megumi… no…"
Crawling through the fallen wreckage, he made his way slowly to Tsukasa Kanzaki. He lifted the radiation suits to find his best friend already gone from this world. Slowly, he reached out his uninjured hand to close those staring green eyes.
"Under the bridge. Your last words to me and I'll never know what they mean, Tsukasa."
Turning to shuffle further on his burnt knees and palms, Goau reached the other body just in the doorway of the radiation chamber. She had opened it somehow. He knew she didn't have the code and Kanzaki would have never told her. Then how did this happen?
Megumi lay sprawled on the floor, a small bullet hole in her head. Her expression was one of shock. There was no pain in her face. Her blood was slowly pooling out of her head. He wondered if that was because her heart had stopped immediately. The wild shot that the boy had done.
It had been intended for him.
Megumi had taken it instead.
And he let the boy escape. The piercing alarm was soundless in his ears. Fanel knew he was going into shock. There were no tears. There would never be enough for this.
Rolling his staring eyes away from Megumi, Fanel saw the little body of Hitomi lying on the table.
Fanel's mind was in a state of complete numbness. They were all gone.
All the Kanzaki's were dead.
Hitomi glanced at the path in front of her. The fog made it a bit hard to see, but if this was where they wanted her to go, then she'd have to find her way through. Swinging her arms as she walked, she hummed a little song she couldn't remember learning. It was soft and mellow.
The little girl stopped, her green eyes widening in surprise. A large figure was slowly coming closer on the path. It looked like a man, but she just wasn't sure.
"Hello," she called out, her voice dropping to the floor. The dense fog refused to carry any sound. "My name is Hitomi Kanzaki. Are you walking here, too?"
The figure took several steps closer. Her face brightened with recognition. The telltale white doctor's coat draped long on his tall frame as he stopped walking and raised his arms. His face was shinning radiantly in one of his eye-crinkling grins.
"It's you, daddy!" She cried excitedly. "Why didn't you come earlier?"
Her father didn't answer. Just held his arms out.
She increased her speed, but something ran past her. Another adult.
"Mama…" the girl whispered, stopping in her tracks. The woman didn't even look her way. She leaped into his waiting arms and embraced him tightly.
"Mama, Daddy, I'm here too!" Hitomi yelled watching the couple smiling at each other. They paid no attention to her.
They are not of this universe anymore. A voice whispered gently in her head.
The green-eyed girl blinked back her tears. "They're not? Then why do I see them?"
Because you were on your way there, but I stopped you.
"You mean I'm not going with them?" Tears started to slip down her pale cheeks. She watched her parents walked away with their arms draped around each other. Lifting a foot to follow them, the girl gasped as the ground began to break apart were she stood. Quickly, she backed up on safer ground. The path continued to crumble right at her feet. "They are leaving me behind?"
You have to go back. It is all part of your destiny.
"Destiny? I don't know that word. I want to be with mama and daddy!" The couple was almost overcome by the fog. She could just make out their bulky shape.
This is the way it must be. Your parents have already left.
Hitomi reached up and wiped her eyes. "They're gone? Forever?"
The voice was calm, reassuring, They are not gone forever. They will wait for you.
"Are you sure?"
You still have work to do. It's time for you to wake up now.
Fanel felt the heat of the fires coming from the hallway, but he couldn't find the strength to pick himself off the ground. Kneeling close to Megumi's body, the man was frozen inside. All of this life, gone. Wiped from the face of the earth in less than ten minutes. Could it have been only an hour ago he and Kanzaki were joking about names for the fossil?
And now, everything's destroyed.
"Well, not everything." Goau whispered to himself, his vision wavering in the fogginess of his mourning heart. There was still the research that was safely hidden. However, with the fire spreading in the hallway, it was probably in danger of igniting their office as well. Looking up from the floor, he blinked the murky tears out of his eyes. If this was the one thing he could save that was Kanzaki's, he'd damn well make sure it was safe.
Glancing at where they had left the Energist on the table, the black-haired man blinked in surprise and wiped the rest of his tears away. This had to be a joke.
There was no way. He saw her get shot.
He saw her die.
With her green eyes open, Hitomi was sitting up on the table. Her small hands clutched the sides of the table. Suddenly, her body gave a strange twitch and Goau couldn't help but gasp.
A bright green glow was enveloping her back. The same color as the Energist's antimatter residue. The light seemed to fade as the residue worked its way through the girl's body.
The green light came out from her shot wound on her chest. Her mouth fell open and her green eyes widened as if the life was slowly coming back to her.
Goau watched in frozen astonishment as the skin knitted slowly back together on her chest.
The girl gave a shuddering breath.
Hitomi was alive.
Annnnnd scene.
Wow. So, I don't blame anyone for throwing fruit at me *ducks*, but that was necessary. I literally almost cried at work while I wrote this (I can work on this and get paid! Muhaha!). Anyways… It was horrible (and yet fun in a very odd sense of the word) to write. This is the first time I've actually really killed people like that in my stories. And I really liked Tsukasa and Megumi, especially Tsukasa. I liked how he was a goofball. And then I killed him.
...Man, I'm a jerk...
Like I said, this one is going to be quite the adventure. But don't fret. The next chapter should be pretty laid back compared to these first two. And it's all done except for editing! Look at me, typing all my story out. lol! *ducks more fruit*
Well, if you liked it, it surprised you, or you want to electronically pelt me with fruit, there is a way to do that. It's right below this.
I hope you did enjoy it though. :) There was a song that helped with this chapter if you guys want to check it out. It's called "Riverside" by Agnes Obel. Probably the saddest song I've ever heard in my life.
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