Chapter 4: Flesh and Blood Demons

Commandant Hayate stepped under the police tape and marched over to the ruins of the conference centre that had been demolished by an assailant a few hours ago. Ironically it had been scheduled to be demolished in 5 months anyway. Not in this manner with people inside however. Not with people inside whop happened to be some of the most important people in the world. Already crowds of people of various religions; Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, were arriving and being held back by flocks of overwhelmed officers. The rage in the people's voices carried well above the sirens and the helicopters and the hubble-bubble of the on scene officers from all 3 branches of the emergency services and the government agents. This was an act of terrorism and it was their priority.

As he strode across to a small and quickly erected tent on the edge of the zone of destruction where a mountain of broken rubble laid another man stepped out in a suit. He was young considering his position, high indicated by his epileps, and had well groomed black hair and a face so innocent it was clear he was overwhelmed. His left arm was in a sling and blood stained it. He briefly saluted with his free left arm and Hayate responded with another. "Commandant Hayate I presume, from the special branch." The guy said in soft tones, extending a hand which the he took.

"Yes and you are?" Asked Hayate quickly.

"Captain Kyuten, I was in charge of…I was…well, security, sir." Mumbled the boy as he shuffled his feet, his eyes glancing at the crowds that were barely being held back, guilt in his eyes. Hayate brushed a hand through his hair and sighed. He was in his late 40's and was beginning to show age in his face. It was clean shaved but a roughness hung about it, His blonde hair hanging a screw to one side. He was dressed in an old issue uniform with an open trench coat that showed a shirt and a loose tie. On his belt hung a pistol in a holster, stand issue for his division. Liaison with the government and police in big affairs like stings on organized crime for example

"What were the arrangements for security in the first place Captain?" He asked directly. The captain began to tell a tale that amazed Hayate in a terrible way. For an event this pivotal there had been incredibly lax arrangements. The building hadn't even had proper perimeter guards, let alone been searched for explosives! "Are you shitting me?" He practically screamed as he finished. "That was it!" The youngster looked at his feet again but Hayate snapped a hand out and grabbed his chin and hoisted it so he was staring him in the eye, surprising him but summoning fear. "We had the most senior religious leaders in the world under your watch, your duties, and you failed to even provide basic security!"

"I tried my best when the guy attacked, even took some bullets!" He motioned to his arm. "I know I messed up but I think I deserve some kudos sir."

"KUDOS!? The only thing you deserve is a good demotion-" he grabbed the guys epileps and threw them to the ground, symbolically stripping him of rank. "And to have your bollocks nailed by the media! You're goddamm lucky I'm going to cover this fuckup! Get outta here! You'll never work for this country again and you'll be lucky if you live another year before some zealot comes for a kill! Now go make a quick statement, announce your resignation and go home!" The Commandant turned and rubbed the side of his face in agitation as the young guy walked away downcast toward the cameras and new crews. "Shit. Not another war on fucking terror!" He mumbled as he saw the remnants of the pope wheeled by under a drape and being treated with more respect than the usual corpse. "Shit. Shit...just…shit!" He placed his hands on the top of his head and watched the sun set in the distance, a red sunset. Blood had indeed been spilt.

Somewhere else

Chaud stirred. His head pounding, the after-effects of the after-effects of his…his problem. First after the high he went into a depression and sometimes had anxiety attacks, leaving him a babbling wreck or a silent vegetate. He barely remembered what had happened since the duel except flashes.

The blond guy had hit him and he had been on the floor. It was all he could remember properly from his last moments. He decided he didn't like the blonde guy.

He went to get up but found he couldn't. He looked around and saw he was chained to a chair in a dark room. It wasn't dank but it was cold, a single stark bulb lighting the room he shuffled and closed his eyes in concentration and attempted to use his ability to freeze the chains to the point of brittleness but found he was still too stoned to do that. He chuckled.

"Hell, I can't control them even when I'm clean!" he laughed but stopped quickly as he found it irritated his migraine, probably caused by the blonde guys swipe at him mostly rather than the drug.

He sat there for a good 20 minutes or so before he heard a door open behind him. He turned his head slightly but still couldn't see who was there. They were turning the pages of something. He waited for them to make the first move. "I'm sorry about this. I'm just a bystander so I have no control over how you are being kept. Saying that; I don't know much about what you've done either." Came the voice. It was gruff but easy on the ear at the same time. It sounded like a politician's voice actually which annoyed Chaud a lot. "What's your name?" He stayed silent. He heard the scraping of something being picked up from the floor; he turned his head round as far as he could and noticed the outline of a guy in the corner of his eye. "I'm not with law enforcement son." He brought himself round to his front and placed down a simple folded chair which he took place on. "Please. Your name." The guy was in his late 40's early 50's and wore a brown suit with white shirt and tie. His face had a beard in brown along with his hair on his head and his eyes. There was friendliness in them that relaxed him for some reason. Something about this man evoked déjà vu.

"Chaud." he said slowly and simply.

"Your accent suggests your not from here." He stated, crossing his arms. "North America I think."

"Pennsyylvania."Chaud replied. "The US Remnant."

"I see. By the looks of things you're an illegal immigrant." Chaud stiffened as he heard him say this. It was the lesser of his problems but it would prove a certain danger of sorts in the future. "But that isn't why you're in this room I don't think. Apparently you were with the Arcadia Movement. That's why as far as I can tell."

"All I remember is being hit by some blonde guy." He left out the part of his drug abuse.

"Oh, Jack." The man chuckled and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "He overreacted a bit." "Jack the lad eh?" Chaud thought. "You were in my house after having a nasty crash, I think when the Director sent someone round to check on his…his allies I believe after the terror attack." Chaud flinched slightly as he said this; the guy believed he looked rather uncomfortable. "They found you and someone said you were arcadia from your tattoo and they decided to take you. Jack apparently decided it would be better if you were subdued. I wasn't there bear in mind and this is all from my daughter. I'm only here because it was in my house so they can't hide this operation from me and I'm influential enough to make my pint known." Chaud stared at his right upper arm where his tattoo was that he had received from the movement, it was simple, the logo miniaturized with the date he was discovered, he hadn't wanted it but in the American branch things were stricter, people watched more, people disappeared more, in his case seeing the circumstances he joined... As he thought of this it suddenly hit him what the guy had said and Chaud's eyes widened.

"Your, your daughter?"

"Yes." He nodded, taking a wallet from the inner pocket of his expensive suit and showing him a photo. "Akiza Izinski." Chaud gulped slowly. He hoped they hadn't searched him and that this was some interrogation of sorts. If it was this guy had already found out he wasn't a national and that meant he could be made to disappear very easily. The man replaced the photo as he thought. Then again suppose he was telling the truth. Suppose this was Izinski's father. Suppose he was him. The man suddenly craned his neck and looked past Chaud. He nodded at someone unseen quietly. He folded the folder back and placed it under his arm. Standing up. "It appears my time is up. Don't worry. I'll ensure you're kept well."

"Why?" Asked the American.

"Because, I have a feeling about you." smiled the man who was now behind Chaud.

"Wait! Who are you?"

He heard him stop shortly. "Hideo Izinski as you ask." The door closed with a metallic locking and chaud contemplated the meaning of the exchange.

Tops, Twins Residence

"AHHH! I LOOSE AGAIN!" cried the cerulean haired boy as he fell backwards onto the floor in disbelief. He had failed again!

"Calm down Lua. It's just a duel." Came a softer voice from the other side of the room where a girl who looked remarkably similar stood. Her hair in pigtails as opposed to her brother's ponytail. She raised an eyebrow. "Are you crying again?"

"No." Came the reply as the boy stood up. His eyes slightly teary. "I'm too old to cry over a duel. I'm the man of the house Luka!" The male twin was correct in a sense seeing as their parents were never around due to business reasons. They were currently inside the living room area of their home which was expensively decorated and spacious. The epitome of wealth despite the fact they had no idea where that wealth had come from. To them though it didn't matter and why should it have done? The got themselves together and took themselves into the kitchen for dinner before they sat and munched on some pizza in thought. Well Luka did anyway. Lua was consuming most of the pizza. Luka however nibbled slowly and looked out of the clear window to some smoke in the distance. She frowned and knitter her eyebrows together in thought. She hadn't seen the news but she had the basic idea that someone had done something bad.

As they sat eating the door buzzer rang so Lua got up and answered it. When he came back in the room he was holding a sealed letter. He turned it over a few times and sat down. "Who was there Lua?" Asked the girl. He shrugged.

"They left this that's all." He replied, still staring at the envelope.

"Won't you open it?" He showed her what he was looking at. It had the name Inagawa Horikiri printed on it and the words underneath underlined; PRIVATE REGARDING WORK. She made a 'ooh'. Noise. He placed it down on the table and they stared at it like it would jump up for some reason. They didn't have the slightest clue what their parents did. Luka had asked her mother once and had said that it wasn't their business. Lua had done the same to his father only to receive a heavy telling off on the subject of 'knowing your place' resulting the twin crying at the end."What do they do?" Wondered Luka, tempted to open the envelope but fearful incase father found out. As she sat thinking she heard a noise outside in the distance. Lua obviously heard it too as he stood up and craned his neck to look outside at the almost set sun bathed cityscape. Sirens were getting closer, rising and falling, a good number the sound and a loud fast offensive clicking noise was erupting not 3 streets away. If they had been lower down the building they lived on they would have been a lot more fearful.

For it was machine gun fire.

Jack threw himself into an alleyway as he ducked in fear of his life. Adrenaline rushing inside him. The sound of the street was of panic and cruelty. Bullets buzzed over his head as if the air itself was alive and people screamed in pain and terror. He poked his head around and surveyed the area down the road.

Cars had been abandoned and dirty great holes had punctured the sides, in some case causing tongues of flame to lick at the air from the engine. People lay still dreaming the never ending dream in a bath of blood while the assailants continued their firing. There were 4 of them, 3 in basic clothes and balaclavas all with guns while one had a duffle bag which held ammo boxes, tossing them to teammates as they ran out. The fourth guy was different though. He was a good few meters away from Jack but he could still pick out his features of appearance. He was short, half Jacks size almost in a brown suit and with black shirt and a red tie. On his face rested a mask but it was different to the average balaclava. Firstly there were no holes. It was all material so Jack believed there must have been like a two way glass thing, similar to what is used in police interrogation rooms but somehow applied to material. The design on it was simple. All black with a red "A" painted across it over the whole face region. On his head sat a Porkpie hat that made him look slightly less dangerous. Any failure there was countered by the blazing Kalashnikov machine gun in his hands. Jack snapped his head back round as a bullet sang through his hair narrowly missing his head. The heat radiating minutely onto his skull.

"I bet this has something to do with that guy." snarled Jack as he remembered the psychic he had disarmed. "All of this."

Jack had been returning from where the guy was being kept after returning from where the guy was being kept. He had been talking to the man who had sent the hunter to finish off the Arcadia Movement. He had been surprised his agent had been murdered but was very interested in the fellow now in one of the Illiaster cells. They had a base now. Top Secret.

"I've gotta get out of here." He grunted to himself as he pulled out a set of keys from his pockets. He pressed a button on open of the keyrings and waited. He poked his head out of the corner and hoped it would work. He noticed the sound of helicopter blades and looked up to see a craft with men firing down at the guys who were taking cover. Also cars and armoured vans were pulling up with other armed police throwing themselves into the fray behind cover. One of the gunners went down so the suited one snapped up the other's gun and fired both madly at the helicopter. "Come, come on!" thought Jack as he waited for the familiar noise of…yes that was it! His engine, his d-wheel. Behind the group of fighters who had been scrambling across the road to the other side of a van as cover came his bike on auto-pilot, homing on his keys. The bike cruised at high speed straight into the group, knocking them to the floor, on stumbled far enough of that he took a bullet to the head, the one with the ammo. The other two tried to get the bag but couldn't get out without being bombarded by a hail of lead. As jacks bike parked next to him and he got in the helicopter loudspeaker turned on.

"PLACE THE GUNS ON THE GROUND! SURRENDER IMMEDIATLEY! WE HAVE YOU SURROUNDED AND YOU WILL DIE IF YOU CONTINUE!" They repeated this a few times and eventually the two threw the machine guns to the floor and stepped out, hands above heads before two ground cops knocked them to the ground as brutally as possible and applied cuffs. Jack sighed, disgusted the two couldn't be finished now. A part of him hoping he could ask to do it himself, put it down to self defence.

He had never seen so much death. The dark signers had killed but it had seemed less real somehow (seen as how they sucked people's souls from their bodies). Seeing blood rain and bullets fly made it far more despicable. "Hey, you!" came a cry as he applied his helmet. He looked to see an armed cop in his almost military garb approach quickly. "Thanks. Without that bike gag we would a lost a lot more good men." Jack just nodded in a slightly detached way. "The cities erupting." Continued the cop in a despaired w\y. "First the bombing s and now…now this!"

"Well you got him now. He fits the description of the guy he made the attack too."

The police officer looked at him. "You obviously haven't heard."

"Heard what?" demanded Jack in the arrogant persona he wore to hide his worry and inner torment and generally weaker side.

"We're spread to the limit. This is the fourth attack in an hour! 4 groups of 4 guys in the 4 areas of the city. All led by masked men." He stated a he radio buzzed in.

"Squad B if you're done there we have a call out, another attack in the park region, get there ASAP!" Came the overwhelmed voice of a female operator. Jack wouldn't believe it. It was war! Real War! The others, were they ok? Hell, would he be ok in 30 minutes? The helicopter blades and the sirens and shouting overcoming any thought s he could have as they split up in vain to counter to hot fires of murder igniting over Neo Domino.

5 hours later-midnight

Yusei sighed as the television relayed the images again of the days carnage. He had almost been caught up in it. He had been riding back to an apartment he owned, not too poor not too rich, near the suburbs; he usually used the highways to get back but had remembered he needed to do some groceries. If he had not turned off he would have been in the middle of it. So close.

He was lounging on his sofa at home now. He had found the long way home and had sat watching the events u fold for the last 2 hours with disbelief and anger. It was dark, obviously at this time of night, but he left the lights of so the only light came from the artificial glow of the TV. He had called a lot of his friends when he had got back to make sure they were ok. Luckily no one was too badly affected. Jack he couldn't get hold of though so he was still slightly tense although he was sure Jack could handle the situation. He just couldn't believe it though. 14 attacks. So many dead. He himself had been on the edge incase they came out to this area. His gun waiting under his bed. He rarely ever got it out let alone used it but it was a precaution. A final precaution.

He yawned and decided it was time to get some sleep. This wasn't his battlefield anyway. What could he do against a terrorist threat? At least the dark signers had targeted him and they fought with duel disks. As he got up to turn off the TV is suddenly went funny. The picture began to warp and distort. The sound went wavy and eventually the screen shut to black. Yusei frowned at this. After a few seconds the picture returned. It was in black and white this time and while the quality of sound and appearance was lower it was good enough to understand what was being presented.

The room was dark and damp from the look of it and all that was in it was a small desk and a plastic chair. A man sat on the chair and Yusei glared. It was another guy in a suit. Another guy working the terror outfit.

He wore a black suit and white shirt from what he could tell with a tie the same shade of black. It was all immaculate. On his hands were leather gloves that were tightly held, almost like skin and within those gauntlets was held a black cane with a silverfish handle. His shoes were shiny and black as well. The mask he wore was very distinctive. It was mostly white with black lines emanating from the centre, like a piece of almost shattered glass. On his head was a black fedora hat. He waved his hand slightly and the camera zoomed in closer so the top half of his body was the focus.

"Good Morning Neo Domino." He said in a garbled voice. A voice changer was being used making him sound inhuman and mechanical. "Another day in the big city. After yesterdays bloodshed I'm sure many of you are hoping and praying that things will be different now. That's all well and good but unless you stop feeling sorry for yourselves and stand up ad be counted nothing is going to change bub." He stepped up from his desk and began pacing, the camera still focused.

"Now, many of you probably want me dead, you recognise my overall style…" he indicated his clothing. "and believe me just another suited gunner. If you can pry yourself away from your hatred for one moment please allow me to explain myself and my… roster for the next few years. I am the full Monty everyone. I'm the big cheese, I just like to hide behind others because I'm vulnerable at this moment in time and in truth I don't want meet the reaper just yet. You say that would be weakness for a killer to say that but I'm sure your in that position as well hypocrites. As for my game plan; Terror, terror, my birthday, terror, terror, maybe some fear and more terror."

He laughed to himself, a sound that didn't resonate fully due to his voice changer.

"Allow me to introduce myself ladies and gentleman boys and girls, I am Alias. The Gentleman Alias." He took his hat off as a sign of mock respect. "My interests are freedom, murder and terrorism and my upbringing was in the former US of a. apart from that and my ideals I'm afraid I'm bound by myself. It would be disastrous if the police were to interrupt my performance at this point seeing a the games have only just begun."

He sat back down. "My business here is simple but also complicated. I want chaos. Anarchy. Freedom. Freedom from everything! Law! Religion! Morals! All of that shit! I learned on the battlefield one thing! It's all about you! Me, I and myself! I want you to realise that! I want the world to be as it should be! Free! To do this will be time consuming dangerous and rather painful for many of you but that's all part of the package baby. I don't care hat you think of me as long as in the end you live in my world, my world where you can find your true self, your true morals, where you can have liberty, true liberty."

He looked at his wrist were a watch was set. "Ahhh. It appears I'm out of time. Sorry but my speech will have to wait for later. Its so frustrating when you're interrupted mid-point isn't it? Oh well, I leave you with this then boys and girls, my story, my legacy is about to begin! People will remember me forever and don't care what for because my goals would have been met and I'll be dead and buried…or do I want to be cremated? Or thrown in a ditch? Decomposition would help the earth and the plant life….anyhow like I said boys and girls the book's opening and I'm starting to read regardless of whether you're sitting fucking comfortably or not! Good Morning to you!" With a tip of his hat and a wave the screen went back to black.

Yusei glared at the screen harder as the flabbergasted news reporter reappeared onscreen and he took himself into his room to rest.

"He has to be stopped." He mumbled as he lay down and stared at the ceiling. The tension he had experienced before somehow finding its way back up his spine somehow. "God, I hope everyone's ok." And then he knew nothing but darkness as his eyes closed.

End of Chapter 4.