This fanfic is the work of a deranged mind. Said deranged mind does not own any fictional characters that may be held in copyright by any other parties whatsoever.
Chapter 23: Paraflux
(We're a terribly unenlightened species, aren't we? Making monsters of Children, and children of Monsters.)
(Time for this travesty to be over. From the darkness of the Valley, we shall pay them tribute.)
(And then, to rise again. Perhaps in our magnamity, we shall praise their souls amongst the masses. Such is life.)
(They have wings...) Shinji's awed voice could almost have been describing butterflies, and not the impending doom that was upon them.
Asuka watched with narrowed eyes, getting a feel for the movement of her foes as they went about their aerial display. Her eyes traced their supple motions as their synchronised sailing changed into a series of swoop-and-glides. The tactical part of her mind absorbed the features on display - wings, elongated heads, streamlined armour and wide mouths. "Mein gott...Evas like ugly seagulls. Wundebar."
Several of the group of white Evas dove and formed into a tighter ring above Nerv's units. Taking a particle rifle from a badly slagged munitions bunker, Shinji fired pot-shots off into the air. As agile as they were in the air, the MP Eva's barely troubled to avoid the plasma packets.
Rei's voice was stilted through her battle mindset. (We can't weaken their AT fields sufficiently from here.)
"There's too many of them anyway." Asuka groaned.
Misato's voice surrounded the pilots in their plugs like directives from heaven. (Give them a set of moving targets, so they'll be forced to split up. If you can force them onto the ground, you should have the advantage.)
(There's a reasonable chance that once they land, they can't take off by themselves.) Akagi advised.
"Alright. Head east to Futanagi ranges - Shinji on left, Rei in middle and I'll be on the right. Keep parallel, about hundred'n'fifty meters. Do it!"
(Okay.)
(Ja, mein fuhrer.)
"Enough cheek Shinji - I've got a saw jaw."
(Asuka...take care of yourself okay? I want to be the only one being coddled from my sick-bed after this battle.)
"Hah! Sick bed, nein! Coddling, ja!"
(Okay you two, save it for after the battle.)
Rei allowed herself to show a small smirk to her two friends. (A sensible suggestion, since I doubt mating Evangelions would present a beneficial scenario.)
"Ja ja, hilarious. Let's go!" Asuka said as she re-sheathed her twin kodachi from behind Unit 02's back.
Shinji threw the rifle down and moved to follow Asuka's instructions. Slogging through the remnants of the once-underground city streets was trial enough without a dozen giant harpies staring down at him. Keeping an eye on the others, he kicked and climbed through the wreckage until he was clear of the artificial township and started running.
Shinji noticed as gusts of air began to feather Unit 01's back, which quickly grew stronger. He swallowed hard. 'They're right behind me!'
Deftly, Shinji swept the katana blade from it's sheath and swung around so that it's tip was between him and the incoming enemy, surrounding himself with plumes of soil as he savagely halted his Evangelion's momentum. Though now quite skilled and a veteran of Eva battles, the boy couldn't keep the nervous tremors from his limbs when two of the blubber-white creatures loomed above, closing in on him. Holding his ground and his katana down low, Shinji grit his teeth as the wide, red-lined mouths sneered down at him, contemptuous even without eyes.
Hearing his own heart quicken as the first ghastly creature approached, Shinji held his breath as it bore down on him. Nerves screaming to escape, he held fast until he could almost see the harpy's tonsils. Then, with a shrill cry, he slashed the katana upward along an arc upwards, his Eva pirhouetting as he followed through. The blade slid through into the grinning Eva's armour, but even as it did Shinji felt the word jerk around him. Suddenly he had the unearthly feeling of being just airborn. Panicked, he almost let go of the sword's grip before he collected his wits. The sword had grabbed into his foe's torso, which had executed a bank-and-climb, taking Unit 01 with it. The boy pondered his situation for a moment, trying to avoid seeing where the ground lay relative to the purple Eva. Feeling the blade start to slip, Shinji growled and latched onto the beast with Unit 01's legs. With this leverage, he tensed and lunged, drawing the weapon deeper and along the beast's chest. It was desperation move.
Shinji's heart faltered when the huge, slowly-beating wings above him stopped and swpt back limply against the rush of air about them. "AAAARRRRHHHHHH!" he shreiked, terrified in his realisation that he was now hundreds of meters into the air.
It was almost more than the boy could take when the world began tumbling erratically until he found himself stabilised and looking downwards, feeling his torso being supported in flight and hearing the powerful beating of wings above him once more. The part of him that felt relief, the more rational and concious part, yielded to raw dread once more when he felt jaws clamp onto the back of Unit 01's neck. Gusts of hot, humid breath mingled with blood along "his" skin.
"AIIEEEEEEEEEE!" The pilot thrashed about inside his plug, actions taken on by the god-sized mimic around him which caused the katana drop. The purple armour plating buckled as a crocadillian row of teeth clamped tighter onto his neck. In a frenzy, Shinji reached around for his captor's head and grabbed it from behind with both hands. Wide-eyed and wearing a hollow grin of desperation, the Third Child slammed the head in his hands forward from behind his neck. The helm-like structure that skirted the Test-Type's skull split the MP Eva's snout like an axe-blade, spilling blood and fluids all around like a broken egg.
The MP Evangelion convulsed spasmodically, it's grip on Unit 01 slackened and the two engineered creatures seperated in mid-air. For a moment, all Shinji could do was look at his Eva's gore-covered hands and how the air stream caused the fluids to slide along and then off his palms. Then he noticed the blast-discoloured structure before his flightpath - the pyramid that was Nerv HQ. He had barely the time to brace-
Giant armoured legs ploughed through the solid slabs of treated basalt that made up Nerv HQ's pyramid, pushing them back like a children's game puzzle. He felt a shin-bone break, then his humerous and the horn of his helm. Dazed but not yet in pain, Shinji took a steadying breath before looking downwards.
"Oh crap..." he muttered weakly. Units 02 and 06 were a couple of hundred meters away, but not alone. Standing back-to-back, Rei's Eva stood with it's damaged bo held up defensively in a menacing, feline crouch where Asuka's unit stood defiantly upright, twin kodachi held blade-backwards at either side. Four gangly white MP Evas circled them warily, a fifth lying some way away with characteristic radiating stress and burn marks centered on it's torso telling of the weapon responsible for it's demise.
At the low-pitched growl being emitted by Unit 02, an MP Eva raised its huge black weapon with a single arm. The weapon defied Shinji's recognition despite his training, but he could get an idea of it's massive weight as the MP's right foot was hammered into the ground on raising it. The enemy unit stood, weapon poised above Unit 02. Too shocked to yell a warning, Shinji froze, unable to do more than stare. 'Oh god, I'm sorry Asuka. I'm sorry...' the regretful words remained behind the terror-stricken teen's lips. Which was just as well.
She didn't need his apologies.
Unit 06 somersaulted backwards, over Unit 02's crouched form. In mid-manoeuvre, her bo's as yet undamaged tip tapping the black blade-shield with a blast that sent it spinning backwards, white hand and forearm still attached. Continuing on, Unit 06s' left leg arced above her to neatly deliver an armoured heel into the assaulting Eva's spine. Standing upright on the broken Eva's back, Rei sent her right heel forward to brain the fallen beast. (Kick them when they're down,) she said with deadpan relish.
Asuka's tone brooked no argument. (Entry plug!)
(On it.) Rei replied.
Shinji watched with horror as Rei lunged Unit 06's armoured hand into the recess below the enemy's neck, brutally tearing the long cylinder from it's haven and slamming it into the soil while Unit 02 looked on, guarding her ally with shortswords held ready and a glint in it's quad-stacked eyes. A small step, and the plug burst like an egg, spilling viscous fluids onto the soil.
The boy let out a strangled whimper.
(Shinji! You alright? Get down here!)
"What...was in the entry plug?"
(Don't know, don't care. Kill, or be killed) Asuka grunted, leering at the three remaining assailants.
(Ikari, they are controlled by entry plugs.) Rei stated with unwavering certainty.
Unsatisfied, the teenager set his jaw. "I'm coming down."
(Hey, you've already had two. Leave some for us!) Asuka snorted despite her broken cheekbone.
Misato's voice filled the plug again. (Asuka, shut up. Three on three gives much better odds of you guys sustaining less damage, or did you forget that there's six more waiting in the air?)
Marshalling his resolve, Shinji let his unit slide down the pyramid's side to land in a cloud of scorched earth, attracting the MP Eva's attention. Breathing in deep, he charged to cover the intervening distance in seconds.
Using his momentum Shinji rammed his target (which had foolishly not tried to dodge) side-on, impaling it on his right shoulder pylon while thrusting the progressive knife in his left hand into the Seele Eva's core. The momentum carried both Evas forward before Shinji's balance pulled them to the ground. With a brutal twist, Shinji's prog knife dulled the core's glow before being pulled out.
Before he could regain his feet however, he felt and heard the blade travel from his back through his unit's stomach. Eyes bulging, he threw up in his plug, clouding the LCL red.
(SHINJI!) Misato's anguished voice wailed.
(BASTARD!) Asuka shrilled, tearing the white harpy from Shinji's back. It thrust at her clumsily with the massive blade-shield, which was useless at such short range. Unit 02 savagely stripped the weapon from it's foe and administered several lightening slashes to disembowel the creature. Blood and gore painted her scorched-and-crimson Evangelion.
Never one to sit idly in battle, Rei's twirled her bo to land a covert blow against the remaining MP Eva, delivering a smashed collarbone and a solid pelting against it's side, enough to send it sprawling. Before it landed, Unit 06 had already taken to the air to land a full photonic blast against it's hidden core. The orb exploded with the sonic impact, sending shards of red crystal into the air. Leaning on the staff victoriously while taking deep breaths, she asked, "How is Shinji?"
Unit 01 spasmed in agony. (I'm...alright...missed...my core...) Shinji hissed.
(Stay still or you won't regenerate!) Asuka grumbled, clutching the purple avatar's legs to hold them still.
Unit 06 was scanning the horizon after locating the flack above. "There's still one left." Rei reported, locking onto the straggler on the ground. "It has regenerated."
(One of...mine I guess...) the Third Child panted.
(You didn't crush their cores?) Asuka exclaimed incredulously.
(I...was in the middle of something...at the time.) Shinji noted sourly.
"The air. I will deal with this one."
(You an' me both, Blue. Shinji, hurry and heal. And keep an eye on the bastards in the air!)
(Hai...)
"You're not being very sympathetic." Rei pointed out.
(I never was one to whisper sweet nothings in middle of battle.) she replied sternly.
"Fine. I will get it's attention, you attack from the rear."
(To hell with that! Your damage is permanent - I'll keep it busy while you do your ninja stuff. Got it?)
"...hai."
(Gutt. Let's go!)
Misato chewed on the end of her pen nervously. "That's all of them?"
Makoto shrugged. "One of Shinji's ones landed badly and split it's own entry plug when it landed on one of those weapons of theirs, and the girls just took care of the other. That leaves six in the air, plus the rest of the JSSDF contingent's conventional forces."
Shigeru grinned. "Pretty impressive when you think about how those kids were just months ago. I swear, after the first battle I was convinced Shinji'd only stick around just long enough for the Second to replace him. If he lived that long."
"Status of the Units, Lieutenant." Fuyutsuki demanded.
Maya answered. "Unit 01 has critical radiation burn wounds where the armour no longer protects the flesh. The right thigh, right upper shoulder, left buttock and left forearm are all damaged but operational, the lower jaw was destroyed and most armour elements are damaged, some severely. The abdominal wound is nearly completely regenerated, but several bones have healed imperfectly. Unit 02 has less damage, but all frontal armour was been fatigued by the direct radiation blast and is weakened. It will have to be disposed of after the battle to avoid permanent irradiation of Nerv itself. Unit 06 is in the best condition, but all external wounds are getting worse due to the radiation. It's primary weapon is also down to 60% effectiveness."
"Poor kids..." Makoto muttered.
"Will they be able to see this through to the end?" the Commander wondered aloud.
Misato folded her arms to her chest. "They'll be fine. I'll see to it, sir."
(How disappointing. That our victory was forestalled by such an unnecessary precaution reflects poorly on us all.)
(The necessity that we split our forces to defend the flank was inevitable. The betrayal of Judas was foretold - that we initially took our Judas to be Ikari was our mistake. Such are the struggles that an epic does make.)
(Nerv's forces can't move on ours anyway. Let Keele's lone unit face our JSSDF pawns before the crescendo is sounded.)
"Land, you over-grown seagulls!"
(They'll be targeting me.) Rei said suddenly, having equipped herself with a replacement weapon.
"Don't start growing an ego now." the Second Child muttered under her breath.
(The MAGI concur - Rei's unit is the only one without an S2 engine, making her the logical weak link.)
(And of course, my potential role in Complementation...)
The harpies swept downward into a quickening spiral. The funnel's end curled gently in toward Unit 06. Shinji and Asuka moved in towards her defensively. (They won't get to you Rei. I swear it.) Shinji's voice was raspy, but sure.
An unfamiliar male voice interrupted the comm channel. (I like that plan, Ikari. And it's been a while since I could say that.)
"There's another unit incoming!" Makoto yelled in surprise.
"Another stealth transport?" Misato asked.
"It's coming in by land...the JSSDF is launching their artillary at it!"
Misato stared at the tactical display sterly. "Are you sure?"
"Our sensors keep dropping out...must be deranged, I thought I saw an Orange pattern."
Shigeru started in surprise. "JSSDF Temporary Command Center has stopped transmitting! The communications link is no longer under attack - JSSDF frequencies have fallen silent."
Ritsuko leaned forwards. "If the link isn't under attack, then give us satellite control! What's going on down there?"
Shigeru worked feverishly. "Establishing link..."
The main view screen flicked to display an aerial view of the smashed Geo Front. Beyond the blast zone, the JSSDF temporary base and assembled forces were a disarray of smoke and destruction. Standing triumphant in the middle was a lone figure.
"What the hell?" Maya cried in shock.
"Is that another Eva?" Makoto gasped.
Fuyutsuki's lips curled in distaste. "Keele." he muttered as Misato looked on resolutely.
The foreign unit kicked a tank idly aside amidst the smoking ruins of the Japanese Self Defense Force, then looked skywards. Holding up an armoured fist, the alien Eva extended a thumb upwards in a universal gesture.
The grey-haired Commander leaned back in his seat, feeling somewhat deflated. "He's mocking us."
Placing a hand on her hip, Misato Katsuragi looked expectantly at her old friend. "Well Rits, given that that thing seems to resemble a Project-E outcome rather closely, do you think you could shed a little light on our new playmate?"
Ritsuko shrugged, and gestured to the tactical dot on the screen. "That, is Unit Triglav. Like the Zero, it's a systems prototype, except it is the final design of Eva, not the first."
Maya's eyes glowed with disgust as she gazed up from her console and the casually standing woman who was her superior. "Sempai, you couldn't have...you let that thing be made? You...used me to help make it real?"
The Doctor glared at her subordinate. "What did I warn you about having scruples? I knew that you didn't have the determination to do what needed to be done."
"The Trinity System would be an abomination." Maya shook her head with incredulity. "Only a sick mind could consider producing such a thing...and you even made me a part of implementing it."
Fuyutsuki rubbed his temples. "Just what have you given Keele?"
Akagi folded her arms, looking contrite. "It doesn't matter what you say. When we're reunited after Keele's Instrumentality, Gendo and I will forgive all of your cowardice, but not until that day."
"YOU THREW AWAY YOUR SOUL FOR THAT SICK BASTARD!" the lieutenant screeched suddenly, jumping from her chair and grabbing Doctor Akagi by the shoulders of her lab coat. "Gods," the girl moaned, relenting in her assault but not letting go, "now the kids will have to fight that thing..."
"Doctor," Misato's voice took on an officious tone, "just what is that thing?"
Ritsuko stood dazedly in Maya's hold. "The Holy Trinity." she whispered as her lips twisted into a vacant grin.
"Clarify!" Fuyutsuki barked.
Lieutenant Ibuki suddenly let go of her Sempai and pushed the woman away from her, almost disdainfully, her eyes downcast. Ritsuko fell to the floor without a sound. Licking her lips, she said, "The Trinity System addresses the biggest flaw in the Evangelion paradigm by using a concept from Instrumentality. The human soul, and that trapped in the Eva, can barely comprehend each other since the 'see' through completely different mental structures. The best they can do is 'bond', and we measure the strength of this in the 'synchronisation ratio'."
"...so, you put something in between to act as an interpreter?" Misato anticipated uncertainly.
It was Maya's turn to put on a sick grin. "Not something. Some-one." She paused, and took a breath. "Half human, half Angel, a Lillim created in the pilot's own image through hybrid cloning technology creates a cascaded mental channel between Eva and Pilot that transcends the A10 link."
"A...clone? Like Rei?" Shugeru gaped, aghast.
Ritsuko picked herself up from the command deck's floor in a business-like fashion. "The cascade increases the field strength exponentially. None of our Units could possibly breach Unit Triglav's AT field at E3 strength. They can barely manage E2."
Katsuragi held her hand up to her temples and shook her head. "Wait...you're telling me that that...thing has a dummy-plug as well as a pilot? To give it a stronger AT field?"
The scientist let out a brittle cackle. "Not a dummy-plug, Misato. It's his son."
(So, Keele. Here you stand. With Ikari's golems.)
A grin. Something glowed red.
"That's right. Like Ikari, I stand now against the will of the Comittee."
(You remember of course what happened to Gendo Ikari?)
"Yes. And I also see that his legacy still stand before us all, more steadfast than we could have anticipated. Goodbye, Fitzgerald, Braums, Yang, Arnolds, Sadamoto, Solberg, and Auriol. Give my regards to the others when you see them."
(You will see them at the Yellow Springs Beneath sooner than we, old friend.)
"I always wondered how your native mysticism tied in with reality, Yang, but I'm somewhat beyond caring. Well. Sayonara, old friends."
Unit 01's sword-arm tensed upwards as the new Mecha crested the range ahead of the trio. Asuka let out a low growl when she saw it; less complex armour structures implied a purity of design similar to the MP Evas, but the sharply angled forms they took more closely resembled the originals. Finished in pearlescent white, it's face resembled that of Unit 06's but for it's eyes being completely obscured by golden filaments shaped to resemble wings.
(Don't ignore your targets!) Misato thundered, causing Shinji to look upwards once again.
Unit 06 staggered backwards as a diving Eva swept upwards from it's feint aimed straight at Rei's mecha. Testing the waters.
(Cheap bastards!) Asuka yelled, swiping a short sword at the air and the white harpies beyond her reach.
Shinji gulped in anxiety. "Asuka, you watch the skies okay? I-I'll keep my eyes on this new Trigun Eva."
(That's Triglav, dummy.) Unit 02 sidestepped cautiously, moving such that it was primarily facing the aerial enemies and not dividing it's attention to include the new land-based menace. (Fine, I'll handle the flockers. Scheisser, does this ever end?)
"It's coming!" Shinji warned, assuming a ready position when the Triglav started running at the trio with long, powerful strides.
(Here they come!) shouted Asuka in alarm.
(Jesus...) Misato breathed as she watched the targets imploding upon her Children.
Shinji drew back his Katana, eyes transfixed on Keele's Eva when the Triglav ducked into a down-and-dirty sprint. Fueled by adrenalin and LCL-supplied stimulants, the boy opened his mouth to let out a long battle cry and pounced forwards.
The Triglav ducked down even further and thrust it's legs into the ground to take a mighty leap into the air. Small artificial wings carried the lunge while thrusters in the Eva's shoulder pylons erupted. The pearlescent Eva met the diving group of three beige MP Evas with outstretched arms equipped with blades running the length of it's forearms and extending into tips the stretched well past the little fingers. With a graceful somersaut-and-twist, Triglav cut through their defenses and armour, coating itself in red-purple spray before dropping to the ground to create a mushroom cloud of dirt. Showing it's teeth to the remaining MP Evas, Keele looked with obvious satisfaction at the broken Evas that had crashed to the earth.
The Triglav Evangelion then turned it's wolfish grin at the Children's Units. (Sorry to cut into your action there. I mean that particularly to you, the most ambitious Asuka Langley Sohryu. Young Ikari, I know you would prefer not to fight at all. And my enigmatic Miss Ayanami, the former Commander's favorite. You know better than any that the Mass-Production Evangelions are nothing but a detail in the Council's plans.)
Shinji gritted his own teeth. "Goddamn it, call yourself Friend or Foe! Don't take us so lightly, you bastard!"
Keele's deep chuckles echoed over the communications channel. (Such childish innocence from Ikari's own son. Despite appearances, you would do well to colour me neither black nor white. However, I do offer a temporary alliance until we have dealt with our rather gruesome mutual enemies.)
(Watch your back guys.) Asuka declared adamately. (Okay, Herr Lorenz. Your little display has earned you a reprieve for now. Don't waste it!) she snarled.
With an exasperated groan, Shinji shook his head inside his entry plug. "Asuka..."
(Nothing less from Ms Sohryu. An alliance it is.) The new Eva turned it's back toward the group and backed cautiously towards them, focused on the enemy above to form a united, if temporary, front.
Author's Rant:
-
Aha! Not finished yet, me hearties! Yes, this final battle has been excessively drawn out into three acts. We are, however, on the final stretch (I promise!). Having the Committee intimately involved with the final battle feels so much more interesting...and how will three rather second-hand Evangelions deal with Keele in his new-for-2016 Ultimate Edition? I have some devious ideas...
So, given my track-record for finishing chapters, the next one could be out as soon as 2008. No promises though ;-)
Omake x2 -
"Doctor Akagi-san..."
"Oh gods, not again. What's wrong with her this time Shinji?"
"I asked you to put her into 'happy ending' mode, right? I mean, it's not even like the 'H' and the 'S' keys are that close together."
Ritsuko raised an eyebrow. "'Sappy ending' mode?"
"She's turned into a character from a second-rate harem series! That's NOT what I paid for!"
The Doctor raised her hands high into the air. "Look, that unit is clearly defective! I'll replace it."
The teenager folded his arms. "Another colour-defect model from a second-rate German assembly line?"
"Well...a colour-defect model from a second-rate Japanese line?"
"Hmm-mm." Shinji mulled it over for a moment. "Which colour?"
Ritsuko answered by going into the storeroom and wheeling it out on a hand-trolley.
"Holy Oedepus complex! I'll take it!"
Akagi smirked as he wheeled his new blue-mop-topped toy away. "There's plenty more where that one came from."
WARNING: Ranma 1/2 references ahead, with a tiny bit of Love Hina and Kenshin for good measure.
Keele loomed on the entry-plug display screen like a demented electronic coffee dispenser. "Muhahah! Get ready my little Nerv-lings, for I shall unleash my Ultimate Weapon: the Dubious Reality Percolator! Distantly related to the Paradox Machine, but without the dramatic music."
Unit Triglav pointed what was clearly a ray-gun (concentric pastel-yellow rings, trigger displaying the word 'ZAP!') at the trio of un-Nerv'd Evangelions, who just happened to be standing in front of the giant pyramid that Gendo wished to be buried in.
ZAPPITY-GIT went the very colourful burst of radiance and dubiously-bubbling sound effects.
Shinji's eyes bugged out when he spotted Unit 02's hands. She held her customary twin Kodachi (the Black Rose), but the twins weren't accustomed to such handling. He didn't know wether to laugh or cry as one of the girls cried, "Damn you, foul giant scarlet hand!" and gave Unit 02's hand the kiss of death.
The other stared over at Unit 01. "Ranma, what a fitting steed you've tamed. The Black Rose and the Purple Bohemoth - what truer sign that our union was meant to be could you need?"
Nabiki looked up from her console, smirked at Ritsuko and said, "Trusty voice recorder! I'll be able to post that little soundbyte on the 'net and charge pornography distributers a napster-sized fortune. Ah, the internet. Is there any money-making racket you can't support?"
Dr. Akagi stared in shock. "Nabiki Tendo! But you're from a completely different anime series! Where'd Maya go?"
Shigeru stood up from his seat and backed up. "Whoa! P-chan! Makoto was P-chan? This explains everything!"
Misato, having observed the tableu, turned fearfully toward her Supreme Commander. He glared at her in annoyance. "What, you expected me to turn into a giant panda?" he grumbled. "I could cry."
"EEEK!" Shinji howled. "THIS LCL'S FREEZING! AND WHY DO I NOW HAVE BREASTS?" Unit 01 teetered, before stumbling between the two companion Evangelions and somehow managing to grope them.
"I don't know why I have this giant spatula..." Asuka growled, "But I think I know what to do with it!"
"I'm sorry!" the teenaged...err...Shinji apologised. "It's just these thick glasses suddenly appeared on my face and I couldn't see where I was going."
"WHO'S UNSEXY?" Rei bellowed and whacked Unit 01 with an Eva-sized mallet. We could assume that her bo was transformed into said mallet, but such an assumption would be unnecessary.
Ranma hung his head in sympathy in front of the TV at the Tendo's house. "Damn, poor guy. Twin Kodachi's? That's more than any man should have to put up with."
He was succinctly bopped on the head with the hilt of a paired short sword by a tall man in a trenchcoat and a severe lack of humour.
- fin