Zoalords

Chapter 8

Daigoro Ishimaru

Cloud Gate

Daigoro Ishimaru propped his feet up on his desk and leaned back in his chair. Anyone seeing a him would think him a common panku, ragged denim, multiple piercings and bright orange hair. He was not yet twenty-five years old.

And he was one of the most powerful men in Japan.

He was Zoalord Czyvek's right hand. And right now, he was in charge of Cloud Gate. He was both honored and worried, despite his casual manner. He had a literal army of Zoanoids to protect CHRONOS' Japanese headquarters, including new, more powerful Guyver-Killers. Guyver-Killers. Only one Guyver, to his knowledge, had ever truly been killed, and he had been the one on CHRONOS' side.

He let down his feet and stood up. His duties at the moment were, well, almost non-existent. Everyone had their daily routine orders. He was there to keep the lights running. He walked over to the window. Cloud Gate was so high, he could see the roofs of the skyscrapers. He'd come up in the world, literally and figuratively. He'd spent his teens roaming the streets, a street rat, a sneak-thief. A thief has to be careful, though. Some marks are dangerous.

Some can change your lives.

Some can end them.

He broke into the wrong warehouse. He was lucky the Zoanoids only roughed him up instead of tearing him apart. Of course, then they'd processed him.

He was suddenly Rocies. A 5'6" chameleon with voices in his head.

Makishima Genzo was an even bigger bastard as his nephew. Ishi had felt intense satisfaction as his boss was dragged away and processed into the first 'Guyver-Killer', Enzyme I. He was slaughtered. Of course, his replacement, Richard Guyot, was even worse, but fortunately Ishi wasn't assigned to Relic's Point and didn't have to deal with that traitorous idiot or the battle/volcanic eruption. There was a rumor that Guyot had survived, but no one had found any evidence of this. A few brief glimpses of men resembling the Commander, one of them heavily bandaged. The rumors had been thoroughly investigated, and not just by Lord Czyvek, and no trace of the man had been found. Still, every sighting was followed up. It was better safe than sorry.

Lord Purgstall was a good man, a rarity, in CHRONOS. Until he met Lord Purgstall, Ishi had hated CHRONOS, but the noble Zoalord had changed all that. He actually cared about people. He was kind, heroic. And it got him killed.

Lord Amniculus was gentle, but distant. His friend's death had shaken him badly, and he suspected murder. He had been right.

And then there was Khan. When Lord Czyvek had battled Khan, Ishi, and indeed all Zoanoids in Tokyo, had felt an irresistible pull, being drawn to Khan for some unspeakable purpose. Fortunately, Lord Czyvek had slain him before he could do much harm.

Lord Mikhail Czyvek. He was like no other Zoalord Ishi had ever known. Kind, brave and a bit crazy, he still considered himself a Zoanoid, and was determined to help his brother Zoanoids gain better treatment under CHRONOS. He interacted on a personal, first name basis with the Zoanoids his fellow Zoalords considered beneath their notice. To him, no Zoanoid was expendable, and he'd risked, and nearly lost, his own life several times protecting his 'brother' Zoanoids. A number of other Zoalords openly looked down on Czyvek, granting him the smallest territory of any Zoalord. He didn't care too much what they thought, which only made it worse. Lord Czyvek had picked him, out of all the Zoanoids in Japan, to serve as his personal assistant, passing over many, many others who had more experience, skill and ability. Quite a few Zoanoids, particularly Hyper-Zoanoids, were jealous of his position, but Lord Czyvek's personable nature won over even the most hardened Zoanoids. They accepted him. He was the Zoanoid's Zoalord, and whatever his fellows thought of him, he was well loved by his people.

Ishi looked up at The Ark. Cloud Gate was so high and The Ark so large that it was visible to the naked eye.

He hoped Lord Czyvek would return, soon.

The Fukamachi Residence.

Sho couldn't believe it. Why was he here? Why now? He reluctantly opened the door to find Makishima Agito standing on his doorstep.

"Hello, Sho. You're looking well."

"Agito! What are crazy . . . " Sho quickly pulled Agito into the house, "If anyone saw you . . ."

"It might spoil your little agreement with Lord Czyvek?" Agito smirked and stepped past Sho, looking around at the modest furnishings, "I heard about the wedding, by the way. Congratulations."

"Czyvek had his telepathic dampener taken out. He'll . . ."

"Do nothing. He's not even here. He's on The Ark. That kid Ishi is running Cloud Gate. One scrawny little Rocies is all that stands between CHRONOS Japan and us."

"You mean CHRONOS and you." Sho responded, "You don't fool me, Agito. Not anymore. You let all those people turn into Libertus, knowing they'd die within a year. You did the same thing to Shizu. Shizu! Shizu loved you, and you used her! No, there's no 'us'. The only person you care about is you."

Agito shrugged, "Shizu volunteered to become Griselda. She knew the consequences."

"Get out!" Sho shouted in disgust.

"Do you know what your 'friend' Czyvek is working on right now? A Unit Remover Zoanoid. The fool actually thinks that if he can take your Guyver, CHRONOS will let you live. What do you think will happen to you and Mizuki when they rip the Guyver out of you?"

"Sho, what's . . ." Mizuki stopped mid-sentence. Her voice dropped to a whisper, "Agito."

"Think about it, Sho. You can be CHRONOS' bitch, or you can fight."

With that Makishima Agito turned and walked out.

Cloud Gate

"Makishima, here?" Ishi's heart dropped.

"He was seen going into Fukamachi's house."

Ishi rushed to put the base on High Alert and contacted The Ark. He couldn't handle this alone.

He doubted anyone could.

To be continued . . .

Notes:

Panku - Punk