Chapter 6- Evil Incarnate
Bricks and mortar were all that separated him from the object of his intense search. He could smell the cigarette smoke that mingled with another strong smell that would have drug dogs in a frenzy. The darkness hid the transaction well as the huge semi's diesel engine growled in the distance.
The tall driver stood, talking with the shorter Hispanic male that rattled in a slang common for the people in South Texas. They were on the outskirts of Laredo, Texas, a junkyard. Crushed and twisted metal surrounded the transaction.
The stoic man quietly took in the scene, but it wasn't the drugs or the dealer that he was interested in. The woman's vibe was so thick he could almost touch it. It felt like the fiery red-head was somehow connected to him.
The girl looked to be about 16, wearing tight black jeans and a loose fitting black long sleeve button down that was un-tucked and unbuttoned. The white tank top underneath fit tightly around her slender yet curvy form. Her hair was thick and cropped short like a man's, as red as wine. In the light, glints of the same fire that he saw in Saya's eyes came from the girl's hair. Her eyes were brown, but her skin was so pale. She was tall, taller than many women he'd seen. She was nearly as tall as himself.
Even from the distance, he could see her brown eyes gleaming as she nodded her head at the man in understanding. She responded, "Look, Gonzales, I don't know what the deal is. Papa Harlo sent me with this package," she motioned to the package in his hand and continued, "to pick up that load." She pointed to the large pallet where the aroma emanated from.
"No! No! Senorita, Papa Harlo me dijo dis pallet por un million," the man explained.
"Fuck!" The woman threw her hands in the air and then informed, "Fine, then I'll take Papa Harlo his package back and tell him you were unwilling to deal." She reached for the package as she heard the clicking of several guns around her. Her eyes never showed a hint of fear as she glowered down at the man.
"Senorita Maria, por favor…" he began but was interrupted as she snatched the package from his hands and made her way to the truck. As she climbed up to the cab, he finally sighed, "Fine, I'll contact Papa Harlo, but I'll deal. He knows I need to lose this stuff- too many cops sniffing around, you know?"
"Dammit, Gonzales, you lost your accent again," she chastised. Noticing his guilty shrug, she gave a shrewd smile as she climbed back down. Her vibrant red hair swayed in the breeze as she offered a second package. "Papa Harlo says he'll buy all you got- for this."
"Shit," he grumbled as he scratched his chin. "Mary Frances you are one hell of a piece of work, you know that?"
She grinned in mock guilt, "Evil Incarnate, that's me."
The man's slight grin fell as his eyes widened. He was obviously taking the comment seriously. He rubbed his neck and responded, "You really are."
She winked and then climbed up into the cab shouting, "Tell your loser-ass, can't-shoot-the-side-of-a-fucking-barn friends to load the truck. I got a ways to go and I'd like to get there by morning."
He snickered, "You'll never make it to LA by morning- not unless you want the cops to tail you."
"Fuck you, Gonzales," she shouted and gave him a smile- her way of saying goodbye. The men finished loading the sleek semi and stood back, letting the woman drive off. She shouted to them, "See ya later, assholes!"
Hagi silently took to the air, following the semi as it tore through the night. He could hear the heavy metal music blasting from the cab of the 18-wheeler.
The woman in the driver's seat took a sip of the coke in the console and kept her eyes fixed on the highway. Her speedometer read 90 as she barreled down the highway to the next junction that would take her back to LA and her point of origin. She smiled at her shrewd deal. "Papa Harlo is going to blow a fuse when he sees this," she mused.
Her smile widened as the song changed from Metallica's "Enter Sandman" to Linkin Park's "Crawling". The song was her song- all the wounds that she hid inside would have caused a normal person to lose their minds, but not her. She was in control of her life and certain that she could now be happy.
Something was gnawing at her senses though. Something was near her, watching her. She snorted as she chastised herself, "Barreling down the freeway at 90 miles an hour in a semi- I don't think so."
But the feeling remained. When she was talking to Gonzales, she nearly had to rub her eyes as her vision hazed over in a red film and her senses became heightened. But she was not experienced in the sensations, so she had no idea what it meant or how to control it. She shook her head, effectively ridding herself of these thoughts. She felt weird enough as it was, why add to all the weirdness?
Hagi followed the semi until the sun began to rise, at which point he descended to the buildings below him and retracted his wings. He continued bounding from building to building in pursuit of the black semi. In the morning sunlight, the semi gleamed beautifully, obviously new. The loud metallic music was causing his ears to hurt as he wondered which chevalier she belonged to.
The Semi finally stopped in front of another junk yard and she hopped out of the cab. A dark-skinned, dark-haired, heavy set man came to greet her curtly. His head was cleanly shaved, revealing a dark swirling tattoo that etched from under the collar of his t-shirt and up his neck before it swirled on his head. His hands were tattooed as well: P-A-P-A on the left knuckles and H-A-R-L-O on the right.
She spoke with him briefly before he followed her to the back of his truck. A group of men dressed all in black followed him with guns clearly visible in the waistbands of their low-hanging pants.
Though the man barely registered a surprise at the load she had come back with, she noticed his eyebrow arch a bit and the way his mouth curled downward. His expression meant that he was impressed. The man nodded to his followers, signaling them to unload the truck, and began to walk toward his office, followed by the girl.
Once he was certain they were inside the shack he called an office, Hagi made his move quickly, dashing effortlessly into the cab of the semi. He found a small purse in the passenger's seat. The wallet within holding bank card, $200, and a California driver's license with a photo of the young woman he was certain couldn't be more than 16.
The license stated her birth date as August 21, 2017. His brows furrowed for a moment as he calculated her age to be 18 years old. Another license came into view- a very obvious fake. This one stated her age was 21. The name every one of the cards was Mary Frances Reyes.
Hagi placed all the cards on the seat next to one another and pulled out his cell phone. He snapped a photo and looked at the results, making sure that Dr. Julia and Joel VI could see every detail.
His head snapped up as he heard voices coming from the entrance to the office the two had entered earlier. He had what he needed so he gathered the cards and placed them back into the purse neatly before he quickly vanished from the scene.
Hagi was in Arizona when he settled down and sent the information to Julia. She called him back immediately and asked, "Hagi, is this another princess?"
"I believe so," was the clipped response he gave.
"We'll run a check and let you know," she responded. She then asked, "Have you made any progress in Iceland?"
"Lulu and I have narrowed it down to a few miles between two small fishing villages," he informed.
She asked, "Do you recall when the Okamuras returned with the ashes of the mysterious child in Vietnam?" She pulled the pack of cigarettes from her pocket and expertly slid one out, holding it in her hand.
Hagi did not respond, but waited to hear what she had to say.
Taking his silence to be a yes, Julia continued as she closed the pack and returned it to her pocket, "The test results show that the child was about 12 and she was not a princess."
Hagi stood quietly for a moment and wondered at the fact. He had heard the tale of the unusual woman that gave birth to a mysterious baby. The hospital's records stated she was there 15 years at least, but never aged. "How is that possible?" he finally asked.
Julia breathed a heavy sigh and answered, "Maybe she was an original test subject of Delta-67 and the drug never affected her the way they intended." The doctor was silent for a bit. Hagi could feel her frustration in the way she sighed. "Maybe Dr. Richards was right, some sick individual that posed as a hospital worker, made his way in, and impregnated her. She tapped the filter end lightly on the desk.
Hagi had spoken with the doctor on numerous occasions. While he did remain silent most of the time, he had come to find that she was a pleasant distraction from his dismal existence of just waiting for Saya to wake up. He came to regard her as something close to a friend.
David would occasionally come in while he received a transfusion, but there was still a sense of coldness between them. Hagi sensed that David still blamed Saya for his father's death and Hagi was her servant, in charge of her during her rampage in Vietnam.
Hagi answered, "There could be numerous explanations, Julia. Neither of them were princesses, we have to move on."
"Right," the doctor responded, bringing the cigarette to her mouth as she dug for her lighter.
"Julia," he continued, "you should not smoke."
Julia dropped the cigarette in her hand as she looked at the receiver. "How did you…"
"Goodbye, Dr. Julia," he responded and clicked the phone off.
It had been two days that they sat there. Renee was still digging at the small hole she found. It was now big enough to fit her hand through. She could feel the cold air beyond blowing in.
Kendra noticed already that the walls were cold, even though the vents brought heat through every 5 to 10 minutes. Both women had come to the same conclusion a while ago, they were some place cold. Jendra's head rested in her lap as she pulled back the now kinky strands with her hands.
In the two years they had been here, they were never offered any hair or skin products. They were allowed short showers where they were given a bar of soap, a toothbrush, toothpaste, cheap shampoo, and an electric razor should they choose to shave their legs.
It was after a great deal of complaining that they were given conditioner, but the women's hair was growing out longer. In the case of the two women of African-American heritage, they felt their hair was a mess. No relaxers meant the women's hair was kinky-curly at the roots and straight at the ends.
Kendra opted to brush hers into a tight ponytail and braid it all the way to the ends. Her hands worked quickly and expertly, braiding her sister's hair. She wished they'd at least give her some baby oil to help with the dryness. The warm air that came through the vents wasn't doing much to help their already dry skin.
As Kendra turned her sister on her other side to get the other half of her head, Jendra let out a weak groan and slowly sat up. "Wh-where?" She rubbed her eyes and tried to focus as she let out a wide yawn. Her dark eyes finally focused on the room around her before those same eyes turned to another pair of dark eyes. "Kendra."
The younger sister gave a bitter-sweet smile as she pulled her into a hug. "Sissy, you've been out for over 2 years." She whispered into her ear, "The guards don't know we've been discarding the drugged blood they've been giving you. They think you're asleep."
She nodded as the lithe, light-brown haired princess came to her side with a bowl of soup they had given each of them for dinner. Renee smiled and added, "Welcome back. I don't want to say good morning or evening- in this prison, we can't tell the difference." Adding a more positive statement with a slightly sweeter smile, "We saved a bit from each of our bowls for you."
She nodded in gratitude as she took the bowl in her hands. It felt wonderful to have some real nourishment. Jendra drank eagerly, soothing her achingly dry throat.
Kaylee watched the guards intently, even though they were both absorbed in an intense game of cards. The last thing she wanted was to ruin their chances of escape. She was still concerned of what she had overheard the other day.
The man with the French accent was speaking to the doctor, "There was report of an incident in LA. The chevalier Hagi was spotted as he investigated the incident. It has come to our attention that there is a new princess in that area. Her name is Mary Frances Reyes." A shifting of papers alerted her to the knowledge that there was a file. "The time line for her conception and birth puts her out of range for being the offspring of Diva's chevaliers."
The doctor's amazed voice came after a moment of silence, "You mean… Saya's chevalier?"
"You will finally be able to test your theory about the red line being infinitely stronger," he responded. She could almost hear the sickening smile in his voice as she heard the distinctive crinkling of a candy being unwrapped.
"Mr. Argiano," he asked, "should we go after her?"
"Take 10 men with you," he responded. "She is much stronger than the others."
Kaylee stood against the bars of the cell with her arms folded. "Soon there will be another princess joining us," she informed the others.
All eyes turned to the once bubbly blonde. She just stood and watched the guards with a disquieting look on her face. Her eyes were now dull and her cheerful voice was flat. She finalized the comment, "Her name is Mary Frances- they believe she is Hagi's daughter."
Suddenly, the guards jumped to their feet and let the doctor through. He wore an angry scowl as he arrived at the cell. Jendra was now feigning unconsciousness on the floor. The guards opened the cell and grabbed the woman by her hair and lifted her off the ground. The doctor injected a needle into her arm saying, "You thought you were smart, but you didn't think we'd notice the discarded blood?"
The other princesses all jumped on the men, biting and clawing where they could, but none of them had any experience fighting. The group was easily overpowered and roughly thrown to the ground.
Kendra scrambled to the bars as the door was slammed in her bruised face. Her slender, dark arm reached through the bars as she screamed, "JENDRA!"
Tears filled her eyes as she saw her sister begin to lose consciousness once again, but the guards were too late. She slipped into unconsciousness with a smile on her face. Hagi's thoughts echoed through her head. Now he and Lulu had the location of the facility- it was only a matter of time.
Hagi was near the village when he caught up with Lulu. The lumbering grey beast came down upon her with a sharp claw. The sound of a sharp metallic clang filled the air as she came up underneath the beast and brought the axe up against the claw.
Smiling with wide green eyes, she appeared behind the beast and slashed through its back. The loud ripping of the blade through chiropteran flesh echoed across the valley as well as the sound of a child-like battle cry.
The stunned chiropteran roared in pain as Hagi watched the young Schiff spin around faster than any human could see. Her eyes gleamed as her axe blade contacted the neck. With a loud slicing sound, the axe tore clean through. The Schiff landed with the hood of her dark cloak covering her face a few feet away.
The unearthly looking head fell to the ground, pink tongue falling out between the razor sharp white fangs. Blood sprayed like a fountain from the beastly body, before it fell to its knees and then forward, now dead.
Lulu sprang off without a word toward the sound of gunfire. The Red Shield were fighting their way through the chiropterans. Bullets pelted the slow moving creatures before they exploded, leaving a shallow pond of chiropteran bodies, blood, and guts where they had once stood.
Hagi nodded to Lulu and they both went to where the heaviest fighting was taking place. There, standing off against a line of at least 200 of the beasts, was a small band of men. They looked like ordinary deer hunters, but they were well trained at taking on these beasts. The sound of exploding bullets and detonating grenades was deafening.
Hagi jumped into action, into the thick of it. Surrounded by so many that he could barely see light, his hands transformed and razor sharp daggers sang through the air. Finding their marks, a few of the beasts stumbled back and roared in complaint. His expression remained placid as he swung the case on his back, causing a three to be knocked into the air.
Pressing his fingers together, he rammed the claw through the creature in front of him. Not waiting for the death throws, he pulled back and cut through another one. His movements were faster than any human could see, but Lulu watched in awe for a moment.
As he pulled his clawed hand out of his tenth victim, he kicked another one only to see it rise and come after him, enraged. Hagi swung the cello case, bashing the one behind him in the face, literally smashing its face in. He then used the creature's still standing body as leverage.
He leaped up with his hands gripping the shoulders and kicked the heels of his boots into the angry chiropteran's face.
The heel of the boots cut deep c-shapes into the creature's face and snapped its neck.
Lulu blazed in and swiftly brought her axe across its neck.
Hagi nodded his thanks and continued his assault on the remaining ones. After ten minutes, the field looked like hell on earth. Bodies of disfigured, demonic-looking creatures littered the ground for miles.
The eager, young sergeant came up to the pair of chiropterans and commented, "That was some amazing moves. David said you guys were warriors, but I never thought I'd see anything like that."
Lulu perked up, "That's nothing… you should see Saya fight."
Hagi stood silently, his look remained the same. The stoic chevalier reached into his pocket and retrieved a handkerchief. The sergeant watched as the tall, darkly clad man swiped the cloth over his face to remove some of the blood.
Lulu had her hood and cloak to protect her from the blood spatters. She just smiled brightly under her hood.
"Where is the commanding officer?" Hagi asked.
The sergeant turned on his heels and led the two to a small tent. The man was propped up on a cot with his leg bandaged up. Hagi knew from a previous battle that the man had sustained a severe laceration during a very intense battle.
The chevalier wasted no time. He looked down at the colonel and informed him, "I have been able to contact one of the princesses." He pulled the tent flap back a bit more to reveal a beautiful view of the mountains. He pointed at the one closest to them and informed, "The facility is in that mountain."
The colonel gulped and then looked at the chevalier, "How are we going to get in? How far in do we have to go?"
Hagi looked at the man intensely before he replied, "It would be best to fall back for the time being."
He nodded, "I agree. We need to form a plan."
A/N Sorry if some of you find the scene where Hagi and Dr. Julia are on the phone and it sounds kinda "Silence of the Lambs" creepy- I just couldn't resist!
In case you missed it, Argiano and his scientist were discussing the new princess. They have a theory that the red line is stronger than the blue. That is why this princess is so strong. By the way, thanks for all those that are reading, following, and reviewing
Jasper 6509- I hope I've answered your questions.
Natalie Dumas- Hagi really is still himself, he just has to associate with Kai so he can get close to the twins. Most of the conversations between Kai and Hagi will be extremely one-sided.
Thanks for ALL your enthusiasm- it makes a world of difference! Now please review.