Parasite Eve II: Armegedon
The investigation commences as Kyuu makes his personal investigation in getting a lead on who this new organization is after he and his fellow DDS schoolmates narrowly survived an assault and he has taken it upon himself to find out where to start and what to look for.
Two days later, at the computer lab of DDS, Kyuu is browsing at the latest files and searches for anything connected to the recent events, and then at the newspaper articles to help him in his search, and after almost an hour of tireless searching, he found an article which he felt would make a good start. He is almost certain that this would get him closer to his goal though he knew it would take more than this to consider it a breakthrough.
"At least I know where to start…"
Period by Chemistry
(4th Opening Song from Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)
owari naki tabi no tochuu tachidomari sou na toki
fukai tameiki kobosu bokura wa
tsukami kakete wa mata hanarete itta
demo ima wa mou nani mo osoreru koto wa nai
kokoro o tsunagu tsuyoi kizuna wa
keshite hodoke wa shinaisa
sagashi tsuzukete tadori tsuita
kono basho de Period ni
ai ni michita nukumori karadajuu kakemeguru
nido to kieru koto nai kioku ga
kanarazu yakusoku hatashite kimi o tsureteku yo
afureru yume o negai daite subete uta ni nosete
genjitsu kara me o sorasazu ni
tachimukau yuuki o
kanashimi ikari chikara ni kaete
unmei wa sugu soba ni
mukau saki wa hora
kirameku sekai
boku o furuwasu kono kansei o
uragiru koto wa shinaisa
tomo ni ikiteku mirai no tame ni
kono basho de Period ni
shinjitsu o yubisaki ni
13: Kabuto no Endo
Much later, it was dismissal time and Kyuu is heading for the school gate with Megumi by his side, and are being joined by Ryu and Kyo, and the Class Q leader knows that this will be a hassle as he has plans today and couldn't afford to let others get dragged. Megumi is vulnerable and might be used as a hostage should those unknown troopers show up again. And with Ryu and Kyo's belts and phones destroyed, they're practically defenseless, so he had to come up with an alibi to send them to a place which he believed would be safe.
"Uh…hey, guys…I just remembered…Tomoyo wanted you to go at her house in Tomoeda…she has something for you…and believed that it will help you guys a lot."
The others were taken by surprise though Kyo could tell that something is up, but nevertheless took his word for it since he and the others believed that it might be DDS-related, and when Megumi told him to be careful, Kyuu gave her a passionate kiss, and Ryu mentally sighed, recalling his good times with the now-late Shizuko. As the three DDS students left for Tomoeda, Kyuu waited for them to be out of sight so that he won't be seen and he could sneak his way towards Shibuya, as he felt he might find a vital clue that would unlock the mystery of who created those advanced versions of the NMC.
As Kyuu boarded a bus that is heading for Shibuya, he didn't notice that someone is watching him. The watcher is dressed like an electrician and took out a radio and called someone.
"Sir…target sighted…Kyuu Renjou is on board a bus bound for Shibuya…should I follow him…?"
"No…I already sent my agents there…they will deal with him…right now continue to monitor DDS. Do not let anyone suspect you. That will be your assignment from now on."
The fake electrician then hid his radio and went on with his charade of being a passing-by electrician, as more DDS students came out of school, not suspecting him of being a fake, and things went smoothly without incident. The faker was then told by his superior to head back to base, and he did.
While on board a bus, Kyuu looked at his window to see if there are anything suspicious on the streets the bus is passing, noting that he has just entered the border of Shibuya, and he can tell that despite what happened in the last few days, this prefecture seem to be moving on without incident. By the time he reached his destination, he had to go to the Akropokis Tower by foot since the bus won't be plying its route there. He is unaware that some of the fellow bus passengers got off a few distances away from Kyuu, all dressed in trench coats and hats, covering their upper and lower bodies.
As Kyuu was walking by, he was pondering on paying a visit to Ran Kotobuki, who is also a DDS student and leader of Class G. since joining DDS, the DDS community became aware of Ran's exploits as a Super GAL and her ties to the Shibuya Police, as she is also known for her charisma and her sense of justice. He felt like tempted to change his route to go to the Shibuya Police Station but opted to continue his journey to Akropolis Tower.
"Man…as much as I want to go and pay Ran a visit…I still have to carry out my mission…to find clues to help me identify who our new attackers are and why are they targeting me and Shizuko…and though it be easy enough to get help…I can't afford to waste time…"
As the Class Q leader finally approached the remains of Akropolis Tower, he noted that the building is still cordoned off as repairs and rehabilitation is ongoing, and when the engineers and volunteer workers tried to discourage him they recognized Kyuu while seeing his DDS badge, and they allowed him to go inside, and even complimenting him for saving Japan from Eve. As Kyuu went up the stairs, memories of his first encounter with the Artificial NMCs slowly came back to his head, recalling the first time seeing an ANMC revealing itself after discarding its human disguise which resembles the real Shizuko.
"Those memories surely scared the heck out of me…if Megumi were here at that time, she'll never recover from that ordeal…and now that Shizuko's dead…no doubt that whoever created those advance versions of NMC will be brewing up something new…and I reckoned wanting to go through that scene again… "
Meanwhile, the Super GALS arrived in Shibuya, after doing a DDS assignment which involves solving a rather complex riddle that involved a light degree of pyramid scamming, and when that case is solved, Ran urged her friends that they go on a shopping spree as the client rewarded them with a check which the trio can shop all they want, and by then they bought all of their fashion accessories, and are now heading home, passing by the Akropolis Tower, unaware that Kyuu is inside there, and neither did they noticed the three persons in trench coats and hats. There the Class G members glanced at the tower, recalling what they were told about at DDS, due to Kyuu's telling them.
Ran: "Hmm…I suppose we should go in there and take a look…"
Aya: "What's there to find? The place is wrecked anyway…"
Miyu: "And that's where Kyuu told us he encountered advanced versions of NMCs…and a new enemy…what's his name…Golem or something…well, I wonder if Kyuu is here…?"
As the trio glanced at each other, they shrugged their shoulders and opted to head home, feeling that there's nothing to investigate about, since the place is already cordoned off and that not a single NMC incident is reported, so they see no reason to go inside, and they wanted to try out the goods that they bought. As they left, they were quite far from the grounds of the Akropolis Tower, not noticing the persons in trench coats are covertly killing off the workers there, nor did they hear the screams coming from the dying workers.
Inside the Akropolis Tower, Kyuu is now at the 7th floor and by the time he reached the end, he could no longer go up further as the stairs in front of him that connects him to the 8th floor is now severed, and this was quite a setback, but then he thought of something to get him across the gap. He changed into the Angel Orphenoch and flew across the wide gap and is now at the 8th floor, and reverted back to normal.
"At least I'm not involved in any action…but it's strange…it's been more than six months since I assume this and my Parasite forms…maybe because I wanted to live normally…but I guess I can't…at least not yet…now that a new enemy is lurking within Japan…I guess it'll have to wait until the enemy is taken cared off…"
Inside the wrecked remains of the 8th floor, the Class Q leader looked around to see if he could find clues linking to the new attackers and so far he hasn't found any, which is quite frustrating and knew he can't afford to waste any time. He started to regret not inviting the Super GALS to come over here and helped him. But now there's no point crying over spilled milk.
But then his Parasite aura kicked in, and he sensed a presence coming his way. As he looked around, he saw something outside the wrecked window, and saw the workers sprawled on the ground, bloodied and disemboweled with onlookers gathering around the corpses. He immediately guessed what this means and looked around the wrecked area of the 8th floor to find anything to find a lead, but then saw the several stalkers coming towards him, removing their hats, revealing them to be girls resembling Shizuko Miyahara.
"You got to be kidding…"
As Kyuu braced himself, the several Shizuko look-alikes slowly changed their forms, their trench coats slowly being ripped away as their bodies got bigger, and they all resembling Artificial NMCs that looked like the first one he encountered, and all are ready to attack their prey, and the DDS student is in a heap of trouble, as he noticed that several cracks are seen on the corners of the walls, and felt that if this situation gets out of control the building might collapse.
"Darn…I can't go out as this might cause these monsters go after pedestrians…guess I have no choice…I'll risk facing them here…alright, you ghoulies…come and take your shots!"
Kyuu changed into the Angel Orphenochs and went airborne and fired his "feather darts" to paralyze the ANMCs, and though it hit them, it hardly had an effect on them as they kept on moving and jumping just to reach of their target. Seeing that he can't afford to give them an opening he fired his tentacles and stabbed their chest, and then their hearts, but to his surprise, nothing happened, despite their hearts crumbling to dusts, they kept on moving, realizing that they are indeed advanced versions of the NMCs, and now he'll have to think of a way to kill them without risking the collapse of the building.
"At least they won't be sired into Orphenochs…but somehow their DNA have been altered…"
Then suddenly an ANMC jumped from behind and pinned down the Angel Orphenoch to the floor, and the others jumped down on their prey, ready to kill him when someone arrived and fired weapons at the ANMC, causing them to back off and allowed Kyuu to recover and regroup. It turn out to be Kabuto and Gatack, all in their "Masked" forms.
"Tsubasa! Hyuga! Thank goodness you guys came!"
"We got word that the workers here were attacked, and we too felt curious as to what has become of the Akropolis Tower…and I guess we followed our hunches…Though we work for ZECT…it doesn't mean we are bound directly to them…"
"Right now we too wanted to know who these unknown troopers are and why they have ZECT weaponry in their hands…but for now we take out these uglies…"
And so Gatack and Kabuto initiated their Cast Off mechanisms, assuming their secondary forms and went after the ANMCs, and seeing that the building is just minutes away from collapsing due to the ANMCs colliding with the weakened corners of the building, as well as their constant jumping which causes vibrations to further weaken the all-around foundations of the building, the ZECT agents initiated their Clock Up mechanisms and then their Rider Kicks, and moving in fast motions (while the rest are in slow motion), they executed their roundhouse kicks that are charged with their Zecters' energies, and the ANMCs are taken out for good.
Five minutes later the building eventually fell apart just as the trio had left the condemned building. They reported back to ZECT HQ where Yamaki gave Kyuu his assurance that ZECT will look into this matter and that they are open to any investigations, as well as open to work with DDS again, but then they all got a shocking announcement from Tsubasa Ozora, as he placed the Beetle Zecter and his Zecter belt on the table.
Tsubasa: "Sir Yamaki…I have an announcement to make…"
Yamaki: "Which is…?"
Tsubasa: "I'm tendering my resignation…effective…immediately."
Hyuga: "What? You can't…! We have a problem right now!"
Tsubasa: "…and I can't take it anymore…I have an obligation to my teammates…"
Hyuga: "But…"
Tsubasa: "But…I do have a replacement…"
Yamaki: "And who would that successor be…?"
Tsubasa: "Kyuu Renjou."
Kyuu: "WHAT? ME?"
To Be Continued…
Shukan Sentimantal by SCANDAL
(4th Ending Song from Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)
kawashita hazu no nai yakusoku ga
kyou mo bokura no mirai o ubaou to suru
hoshigatte ita mono o te ni shite mo
sunao ni umaku waraenai no wa naze darou
afureru namida wa yowasa ya koukai janai
ITAMI ga unda KAKERA de
donna shunkan datte unmei datte
hitotsu dake tashika na mono ga aru to shitta
hitori de kangaechatte ima o mayou yori
ashita o mukae ni ikun da
zutto mottetai kokoro no jirai SUICCHI wa kittenai
KAWARANAI MIRAI KOWASHITAI
itsumo boku o miteru arifureta MERODI ga
kudaranai to hito ni warawarete mo
KIRAKIRA naosara kagayaku no wa naze darou
nani ga honto de uso ka RIKUTSU ja nakute
kanjite itai KOKORO de
kitto aijou nante gensou datte
gomakashitaku nai yo kizutsuita to shite mo
wakari aitai to tsuyoku negau hodo
butsukaru koto mo aru kara
nakeru kurai aozora kousaten de te o nobashita
juunen go mo konna fuu ni irareru kana issho ni
donna shunkan datte unmei datte
hitotsu dake tashika na mono ga aru to shitta
genkai datte konnan datte akirametaku nai yo
kono mama hanasanai de
kataku nigirishimeta kimi no migite no nukumori
koko ni aru kara
An investigation in Akropolis Tower thwarted…
Tsubasa Ozora quitting ZECT…
And Kyuu is chosen by Tsubasa as the new Kabuto…exciting, no?
Preview:
As ZECT scrambles to make Tsubasa change his mind, Kyuu goes to Mt. Bandai as someone summoned him claiming to have something connected to Satoru Renjou. Is Satoru alive? Or is it just a trap?
See next chapter on this surprising development.
Author's Notes:
I'll be out foe the rest of this month as I'm going to use the weekends to work on chapters 14-26 as a "second season" is now in the works, so that I won't have problems with time uploading the new chapters.
From chapter 14 onwards, expect a massive conflict as the new group of villains will be introduced while ZECT will be more than dismayed once they learned that Kyuu is chosen as Kabuto without warning from Tsubasa Ozora, and this is where Kyuu will "shine" once again as the main character.