Hey everyone! Welcome to the fourth chapter of Re_Cycle! Sorry to keep you all waiting, I just started school! So, I wanted to give you all this extra long chapter =) Also, I wanted to thank all of my reviewers, subscribers, and all of the people who added this story to their favorites! You guys are my motivation! Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter!
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Hetalia. I will never own Hetalia. If I did, Giripan fangirls would probably want to kill me.
Chapter 4: Worst. Party. Ever.
Yao pulled at the neckline of his shirt, wincing. Over the course of the past couple of days, everyone was preparing for the trip in their own way. Mei practiced her acting skills, preparing for when she would assassinate the head of both the German and Italian branches. Viet said she would have to wear a disguise in case anyone saw her, so Europa wouldn't trace the deaths back to her. Her usual long, brown hair was hidden under a short, black wig, and the flower pin usually present in her hair was left on her bed. Viet worked on her Romanian accent, since she would be impersonating a Romanian scientist.
Yong Soo practiced sneaking around, since as of yesterday, he decided he would be the one to place bombs in the factories. He practiced all night like so: sneaking into Viet's room while she was taking a nap, stealing one of Kaoru's shirts (for which he received a slap from said Chinese android when he went to retrieve his shirt), trying to take one of Mei's skirts and put it on Kaoru while he was sleeping (once again getting two slaps, this time from each android), and trying to style Yao's hair when he was sleeping...for which he received a harsh glare. Needless to say, no one really appreciated the Korean unit's antics.
Kaoru, on the other hand, was probably one of the more productive androids. He not only worked on his fighting, but he also looked into some popular German and Italian androids. Apparently, some German robots were programed to die for their masters...or completing their mission. Now, Kaoru didn't doubt that some androids were dedicated to their work and masters, but he knew as well as anyone that too much dedication could lead to some dangerous consequences.
Currently, all of the androids were in the lab, waiting for Viet. They all had matching suits on, a present brought for all of them by the scientist so they would actually look like a group of body guards. The suits weren't too flashy or expensive, just a black jacket, white dress shirt, black pants, and the distinguishing feature: a green recycle symbol on the right sleeve. However, Yao hated the thing. He felt the clothes were too tight, like they were slowly constricting him. Oh well, at least he didn't have to wear a tie. He sighed.
"Hey, what's wrong- da ze?" Yong Soo asked, suddenly appearing beside Yao.
"Ah!" Yao exclaimed, not expecting Yong Soo to be able to move that quickly. However, the Korean unit only smiled.
"My ninja skills are getting better- da ze!"
"Y-yeah...I guess they are-aru."
"Anyway, what's wrong, bro? Is this your first time killing someone-da ze?"
Yao opened his mouth to speak, but closed it. He pondered the Korean unit's question. Was it his first time killing someone? He had fought people before, that he knew for sure, but kill?
"I...I suppose it is-aru." he finally replied.
"Don't worry, bro! All you have to do is get some machinery! You'll do fine-da ze!" Yong Soo reassured, slapping a hand on Yao's shoulder.
"Heh, thanks-aru. I'm sure your...ninja skills will help you with your mission." Yao said, allowing himself to smile a little. Everyone here was kind, but Yao's main objective wasn't to find technology, it was to find Kiku.
After a little bit of waiting, Viet walked into the room, wearing a black turtle neck and a pair of jeans.
"Hello everyone! I'm sorry I'm late, I was trying to perfect my accent..." she said, dropping her bags to the floor.
"Ooh, show us your accent-da ze!" Yong Soo said, bouncing up and down.
"Oh Yong Soo, I don't think that's a good idea..." Viet replied, nervously scratching the back of her head.
"Oh come on, Viet! I'm sure it's just fine!" Mei pitched in, also wanting to hear the accent.
"Really, my accent isn't very good..."
"You can do it-da ze!"
"Please Viet?" Mei pleaded.
"Oh alright, but don't say I didn't warn you..." Viet started, sighing.
"Hello, my name is Violeta Petri, and I am from Romania." she said.
Silence filled the room.
"Oh god, I knew it was bad! Next time I'll have Elizabeta make me a British person!" Viet panicked, now beginning to pace.
"Don't worry, your accent is good!" Mei tried to calm Viet down, unsuccessfully.
"You just sound more German then Romanian-da ze." Yong Soo said, earning an elbow in the rib from Yao. "Ow-da ze!"
"Your accent is good-aru. Don't worry so much." Yao said, flashing a smile.
"Thanks everyone...I'm sorry I made a big deal out of it. Oh! I need to show you your targets..." Viet said, walking over to the computer. She typed away at the keyboard. "Okay everyone, come here. These two are the men we are going to assassinate."
Immediately, everyone crowded around the computer while Viet continued to speak.
"The man on your left is the leader of the Italian branch, Romano Vargas. Rumor has it that he once had a twin brother, Feliciano. However, Feliciano was assassinated because he was mistaken for Romano. Obviously, this scarred Romano and apparently, every robot he has looks similar to his dead brother. So if you see any look-a-likes of Mr. Vargas here, they're probably an android." she said, her tone indifferent.
Yao looked at the picture, quirking an eyebrow. Romano looked like he belonged in the mafia, not an electronics company. Then again, wasn't Europa like a mafia of some kind? Yao shrugged. Romano had the stereotypical suit, the fedora, and a smirk to top it off. The only thing that didn't fit in with the mafia look was a curly strand of hair that stuck out, even with his hat on. Viet continued to speak.
"The picture on the right side of the screen shows Gilbert Beilschmidt. He rules over the German branch of Europa. Unlike Romano, all of his android guards are different from what I've heard. I don't really have much information on him." She said, clasping her hands together.
"He looks like an albino-da ze!" Yong Soo blurted out.
"Would you quiet?" Mei asked, smacking the Korean unit upside the head.
"Ow-da ze!"
"Now Mei, there's no need for hitting anyone." Viet scolded.
"Sorry, Yong Soo." Mei apologized, rolling her eyes.
"It's okay-da ze. I forgive you." Yong Soo said, grinning.
'Well, he is right.' Yao thought. Gilbert's silvery hair and red eyes would probably make a lot of people think he was an albino. At least he looked like an actual business man instead of a mobster. His wore a tuxedo and a wide grin. Neither Romano or Gilbert looked very diabolical, but looks could be deceiving.
"Does anyone have any questions?" Viet asked.
Kaoru looked around the room. "I don't think so." he said.
"Alright then, let's start heading to the airport then. Everyone grab your bags."
As everyone walked outside, they saw a taxi was waiting for them. The yellow ride seemed larger then usual taxis, like the size of two taxis.
"Um...Viet? Are you sure that's going to fit all of us?" Kaoru asked.
"Of course, Kaoru!" Viet said, flashing a grin. This action only made the Chinese unit sigh. One by one, everyone made their way into the taxi, placing their luggage in the trunk. Soon, they were on their way to the airport...well, that is until they hit some traffic.
After about forty minutes of being in traffic, Yao sensed they wouldn't be going anywhere too soon. He looked outside of the window, observing his surroundings. Despite the ungodly hour they woke up at, 6:00 in the morning, there were plenty of cars. A few neon colored signs illuminated the streets, displaying Chinese writing. Wait. Which city were they in?
"Hey Kaoru, what city are we in-aru?"
"We're in Tianjin." he replied, turning toward Yao. "I thought you knew that already."
"Oh...I didn't know, but thank you-aru." Well, this was all news to Yao. Before he shut down, he was in Beijing. However, Beijing was pretty close to Tianjin, right? Yao tsked, his memory was slowly fading away. He would have to go look at a map later, since his system didn't have an internet connection. After a few more minutes of waiting, Yong Soo asked:
"Hey Viet, what time do we have to be at the airport-da ze?"
"Hm? Oh, we have to be on board by 8:40."
"WHAT? Then why did we get up so early-da ze?"
"Because, I wanted to make sure we wouldn't be late. We absolutely cannot be late for the banquet."
"But I could've slept more-da ze! I was having this wonderful dream about Kaoru-"
"Why on earth were you dreaming about me?" Kaoru butted in, elbowing the Korean android on his right.
"Because, you're so cute- da ze!"
Mei only shook her head, trying to block the argument out.
'When will they get together already?' she thought, a sour look replacing her smile.
The taxi was starting to advance through the crowd of cars now, slowly making its way toward the airport.
"Yong Soo, how many times will I have to tell you this? I. am. not. your wife!" Kaoru almost shouted the last part.
"But once you've claimed someone's breasts-"
"Also, my chest doesn't belong to you. My chest belongs to me, because it is apart of MY BODY." Kaoru interrupted.
"...I've claimed your breasts, and once that happens, you're my wife-da ze." Yong Soo huffed, crossing his arms.
"Will you just-"
A loud beep from the front of the car interrupted Kaoru as the driver started to yell.
"Shǒubiǎo, nǐ yào qù!" the driver roared at the car in front of him, smacking the horn. It seemed that the other driver cut in front of the taxi, almost hitting the ride.
"Oh my..." Viet whispered, putting a hand over her mouth. The taxi was silent.
'Well, at least no one is fighting anymore.' Mei thought, blowing a strand of hair out of her face. She looked outside the window, seeing they were close to the airport. A few more buildings passed by before the car stopped.
"Nàme, zhèlǐ de jīchǎng." the driver said, informing Viet and the others about their arrival.
"Xiexie." Viet said, paying the man.
The group got out of the taxi and retrieved their stuff from the trunk, beginning to walk toward the airport. As they entered the building, the first sight that greeted everyone was a flood of people. Yao turned away from the crowd, following his companions to stand in line. He couldn't believe this many people were here despite the early hour. However, when the Chinese android looked at the clock, he saw it was 7:15 am.
"Er...Yong Soo-aru? What time do we have to be on board?"
"I thought Viet said 8:40-da ze."
"Thank you-aru." Well, they wouldn't be late. They still had plenty of time.
"No problem, bro." Yong Soo replied, looking ahead. It looks like the line moved pretty quickly, seeing how Viet and the others were almost to the front. Viet was the first to the front, checking in her luggage and receiving her boarding pass, all while speaking flawless Chinese. She explained that Yao, Mei, Yong Soo, and Kaoru were all her androids brought along for her protection. The woman at the desk nodded, saying that they would still have to check in her luggage.
"Xiexie." Viet finished, smiling. She moved out of line, waiting on the side lines for the others.
Mei was next, also speaking perfect Mandarin. In a few moments, she was with Viet on the side, waiting. Kaoru had some trouble pronouncing some of the words, being used to Cantonese and not Mandarin. After a few awkward moments involving him using various hand gestures to get his point across, he was off to the side as well. Strangely enough, Yong Soo didn't have too much trouble getting his points across. Although his Chinese wasn't perfect, it got him through. Yao was the last one to reach the front. A woman in her late twenties greeted him.
"Nihao!" the airport worker said, smiling.
"Nihao." Yao greeted, putting his sheathed katana on the desk. The Chinese android had only bought his weapon with him, seeing no need to bring anything else. The woman smiled, attaching a tag to the sword, placing it behind her. She proceeded to hand Yao his boarding pass, saying:
"Xiǎngshòu nín de hángbān."
"Xiexie." Yao said, taking his boarding pass. It was nice of the worker to wish him a good flight. He left with his companions, moving toward security.
Once again, Viet was the first one to walk through security. She had to remove her shoes, empty her pockets, and walk through a metal detector.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
The security guard looked at the metal detector as it beeped. He then glared at Viet, who had a puzzled look on her face. What metal could she possibly have?
"Oh!" Viet exclaimed, realizing how she failed to pass the metal detector. She stepped back through the metal detector, now removing her belt and putting it on the side with her shoes. The Vietnamese woman walked through the machine again.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
Viet groaned, she thought she would make it through this time. The guard examined Viet closely, stopping at her pants.
"Nǐ de kùzi de jīqì shèzhì." he said.
Viet looked down. Her pants were making the machine go off? Oh...the zipper was metal...crap. Well, she wasn't going to remove her pants.
The airport security worker only shook his head before motioning for Viet to walk through. Said woman quirked an eyebrow, moving through the security measure. When Viet was through the machine, the guard proceeded to pat her down. Needless to say, this embarrassed Viet to no end. She suddenly became stiff as the guard touched her.
'Poor Viet...' Mei thought, now a little nervous about her turn. She certainly didn't want to be molested. Unfortunately for her, her turn was next.
When the guard was done with Viet, she whispered something in his ear. The man just raised an eyebrow, flicking his eyes toward Mei and the others. Finishing speaking to the guard, Viet went off to the side again and waited. The guard motioned for Mei to walk through the detector. Of course the female android caused the machine to go off, being made of metal and wire.
One she was through the machine, the guard patted her down as well. However, Mei still wasn't prepared for being searched, so she yelped.
"AIYEEE!" she yelped, startling the other occupants in line. Well, that is except for Yong Soo.
"Haha, Mei made a weird sound-da ze." he taunted, chuckling. Mei only sent an icy glare at Yong Soo, effectively making him shut up.
"Qīngjié." The guard said, letting Mei go. Kaoru was next. He walked to the guard, expressionless. In fact, the same dead pan stare was on his face when he was searched.
'Well, if he's uncomfortable, he's doing a great job at hiding it.' Yao thought, stepping forward as Yong Soo was called up.
The Korean unit didn't seem too awkward when he was searched either. However, his usual happy-go-lucky attitude took a nose dive. That's right, even he didn't like being patted down.
"Qīngjié." The guard said again, saying that Yong Soo was clean and calling Yao forward. Said android sighed and obeyed, causing the machine to go off like his companions did. He tensed as he was searched, feeling real awkward. After a few extremely awkward moments of being searched, the guard let Yao go and nodded to Viet. Yao supposed that was the signal they were free to go. He hurried over to the others and joined them.
Viet looked to make sure everyone was present and then said:
"Well, it looks like everyone is here." She checked her watch. "That took a little longer then expected...it's 8:10 right now. I guess we should get to the plane, huh?"
"Yeah...we probably should." Mei agreed. And with those words said, the group started to travel toward their flight.
A few minutes later, the group had boarded the plane. Yao slumped in his seat with a sigh, they had made it to the plane with about twenty minutes to spare. Luckily, he had seats close to his campaigns. Viet and Mei were two rows ahead of him, followed by Yong Soo and Kaoru who were in front of him.
"Oh god..." Kaoru sighed as he realized he would have to sit next to Yong Soo.
"Yay! I get to sit next to my wife-da ze!"
Kaoru didn't even bother to argue with him this time, choosing only to pinch the bridge of his nose and sigh. He was too tired to argue right now. He leaned back and slowly fell asleep in his chair, Yong Soo pulling a seatbelt over the sleeping android.
Yao didn't see anything else to do, seeing how the flight was twenty minutes away from starting. So he put on his seatbelt and followed Kaoru's example, activating his sleep mode.
"Yao-kun, can I ask you something?" A seven year old Kiku asked.
"Sure. What do you want to know?" Currently Yao and Kiku were in the family garden, relaxing on a patch of grass. They were laying side by side, watching the clouds. It was spring, and some recently planted chrysanthemums were beginning to bloom.
"Well, I heard okasan and otosan talking about one of my cousins getting married...they said he was going to have a wife now."
"Oh yes, your cousin Jiro is going to get married to his girlfriend. I believe her name was Amane. Is something troubling you about their relationship, Kiku?" Yao asked, propping himself up on one elbow and turning to face his young master.
"No, Amane is nice. I was just wondering what the definition of marriage is. I asked otosan and okasan, but they just told me I would find out when I'm older."
"You want to know what the concept of marriage is?"
"Very much so."
"Alright. Well, marriage is the formal union between a man and woman, which makes them husband and wife. Marriage is recognized by law." Yao explained, using the dictionary definition he found on his database.
"...What?"
"Er...in other words, it's when two people want to spend the rest of their lives together. The man is called the husband, while the woman is referred to as the wife." Yao tried to explain in simpler terms.
"Hm..." Kiku said, scratching his head.
"Do you understand the definition?"
"I guess so...but now I want to ask you a different question now."
"Alright, what is it?" Yao questioned, laying down and closing his eyes.
"Will you be my husband?" Kiku asked.
The Chinese android's eyes shot open. Did Kiku just ask...oh God.
"Er...why would you want th-that?" Yao stammered, not knowing how to respond to that question.
"If we're married, we won't ever be separated! I want you to always be by my side." Kiku said with an innocent smile, only making Yao sigh. The robotic butler didn't have the heart to tell his young master that a relationship between an android and a human would probably be frowned upon and that he didn't quite get the definition.
"Alright. I'll be your husband." Yao said, sighing.
"YAY!" Kiku cheered, now sitting up. "But we have to make a promise! It won't work unless we both promise!" he held out his pinky, waiting for Yao to do the same. Of course, the Chinese android complied and held out his pinky, intertwining it with Kiku's.
"Yubikiri genman, uso tsuitara hari senbon nomasu, yubi katta." Kiku said, smiling.
Yao's eyes shot open, looking around the plane. It looks like the plane had taken off a while ago, seeing that there were plenty more passengers on the flight now.
The Chinese android heard snoring, turning to see an old man next to him. Sighing, Yao knew he wasn't going to get anymore sleep tonight. He stared out the window, waiting for the flight to be over.
"Hey bro, are you awake-da ze?" Yong Soo asked.
"If by bro you mean me-aru, then yes."
"Awesome-da ze! I'm bored, so let's chat!" Yong Soo cheered, turning back to face Yao.
"Okay-aru, but are you sure that's safe? Won't your seatbelt...dig into you or something if you sit like that-aru?"
"Don't be silly-da ze! I took that thing off a while ago!"
"...Alright-aru."
"Hm...now what should we talk about-da ze?"
Yao thought for a moment, deciding to ask a question that's been plaguing his mind for a while now.
"What countries are a part of Europa-aru?"
"Um...Well, I know at least seven countries have branches-da ze. There was one in Poland and France, but we destroyed those...There are two branches currently existing within Italy and Germany- da ze. But those probably won't last that long now that we have our sights on them. I think there's also branches in Greece, England, and Russia...Kaoru or Viet would probably know a lot more- da ze."
"I see...so is all of Europe affiliated with Europa-aru?"
"Not all of Europe, but most of it-da ze. Though I'm sure only a few countries have branches of the company-da ze. I guess the other countries with no branches help make...androids-da ze."
"I still can't believe the authorities can't do anything-aru."
"They can't do much these days. The most they can accomplish is lowering crime rates a little bit-da ze." Yong Soo said, shrugging.
"Yes-aru, but it's still not right! The authorities are supposed to uphold the law, not let some organizations walk all over them-aru!" Yao hissed, weary of other people eavesdropping.
"True-da ze. But now they're almost useless now. It's up to rebel groups like us to stop them now."
"Yeah..."
Ding Dong. A sound rang through the plane as a cheery voice started to speak over the loud speaker.
"Zhùyì chéngkè, wǒmen yǐjīng jīhū dàodá wǒmen de mùdì de. Qǐng zuò xiàlái zhǔnbèi jiàngluò, bìng gǎnxiè nín yǔ wǒmen fēixíng. Yǒu yīgè hěn hǎo de yèwǎn." the voice said in Mandarin Chinese.
"What did she say-da ze? She spoke too fast." Yong Soo asked Yao, puzzled.
"Oh, she said something like this: Attention passengers, we have almost arrived in our destination. Please sit back and prepare for landing. Thank you for flying with us. Have a nice night-aru." Yao answered.
"Oh...thanks-da ze!"
"No problem-aru."
In about fifteen minutes, the plane had landed and everyone was starting to get out. Once outside, Viet started to speak to her family as they were walking toward baggage claim.
"Alright, it is 6:00pm right now and the banquet starts at 8:00pm. We will leave for the banquet at 7:30pm, but for now we have to go claim our luggage and then we'll go to the hotel."
"But...how will we get to the hotel? As far as I know, none of us know Italian." Mei said.
Viet only smiled and pulled out a phrasebook from her pocket.
"Don't worry, Mei. I always try to come prepared."
After a few minutes of following signs, they reached the Baggage Claim.
"Alright everyone, find your stuff." Viet said, already beginning to look. Everyone followed suit, shifting through the sea of bags to locate their own belongings.
"I found mine-da ze!" Yong Soo cried, holding up his bag.
"Would you stop yelling? You're drawing too much attention to us." Kaoru said sourly, inspecting another bag. "This one's not mine either." he mumbled.
"Do you need help-da ze?"
"No, I am perfectly capable of finding my luggage, thank you very much." Kaoru said as he picked up another bag. He examined it for a bit before saying:
"See? This one is mine."
"God, you guys should just get together already." Mei teased, slinging her backpack over her shoulder.
"I'm not getting together with Yong Soo. Ever." Kaoru objected.
"Whatever you say..." Mei said. "You're going to get together with him eventually..." she mumbled.
Yao and Viet found their stuff shortly after the others. After everyone retrieved their luggage, they started to walk toward the front, discussing their means of transportation.
"So are we just going to flag down a taxi-aru?" Yao asked.
"Oh no, we can't wave down a taxi here. We have to go find a taxi stand." Viet replied.
"Ugh...you mean we have to walk-da ze?" Yong Soo whined.
"Yes, we will have to walk. However, I'm sure that there's one around here somewhere...perhaps we should ask someone." Viet said, flipping through her book. After stopping on a page and reading the contents, she walked up to a young man standing alone. She tapped the man on the shoulder, asking him a question in a pitiful Italian accent.
"Scusate, sapete dove lo stand taxi più vicino è?" Viet asked.
"In fondo alla strada, signorina. Quando sei di fronte, girate subito a sinistra e continua a camminare e lo troverete in nessun tempo." The man replied, smiling warmly.
"Grazie!" Viet said, only understanding a few words. After waving good bye to the kind young man, she returned to her comrades, telling them bits and pieces of what the man said.
"Okay, so I didn't understand everything he said because he was talking fast, but I did understand the words 'down', 'street', and 'left'. So, I think he said down the street to our left."
"Er...are you sure-aru?" Yao asked nervously. He certainly didn't want to get lost in an unfamiliar country.
"Er...I'm about seventy percent sure, but we never know unless we try, don't we?"
"I guess so-aru.
Luckily, Viet was right and they found the taxi stand in about ten minutes. Viet managed to book a taxi within five minutes with the use of her phrase book, and soon they were on their way to the hotel. However, the cab was a little small for all of the occupants, and Kaoru was forced to sit on Yong Soo's lap...again.
"I don't see why you're so angry-da ze. You should be happy to sit on your husband's lap-da ze."
"...I hate you all." Kaoru said, a sour expression on his face. He crossed his arms and huffed.
"Psst, Viet. How are you going to pay this guy?" Mei whispered.
"Oh don't worry, my friend who lives around here sent me some money."
"Oh, alright. Good." Mei breathed a sigh of relief. "Wait, who is this friend?"
"Oh, her name is Agata. We met in high school and she shares my views on Europa. She said she would try to help me whenever she could."
"Oh...well, that's good." Mei thought it would be rude to ask Viet if her friend could really be trusted.
"Eccoci qui." The driver said, parking in front of the hotel.
'Wow, that was fast.' Yao thought.
"Grazie!" Viet replied, handing the driver his payment. She then turned to her companions "Let's go get our luggage and then we'll go settle in."
Viet and the others hopped out of the car, each grabbing their bags from the trunk. Now having their luggage, Viet and the others began to walk toward the hotel. When they were close to the door, Yong Soo sprinted ahead and held the door open for everyone.
"Oh, thank you." Viet said, flashing the Korean unit a smile.
"Xiexie, Yong Soo." Mei followed suit.
"Thanks-aru." Yao said, following after Mei and Viet.
"...Thanks." Kaoru mumbled as he walked through. Kaoru's response only made Yong Soo sigh and walk in, closing the door behind him.
"Alrighty then...well, I'll go check us in." Viet said, walking towards the front desk.
When she left, Yao observed his surroundings. The hotel was beautiful. The walls were a creamy, light orange color and the floor tiles were glistening. There was a small lounging area off to a corner with cushy, maroon chairs and a fine wooden table, complete with some magazines neatly spread out. There were some marble stairs, probably leading up to the rooms. Yao even saw a glass chandelier. The whole room seemed to be sparkling. Yao looked over at the front desk, seeing Viet was making her way back to the group.
"Okay, we're all set! Now let's go see our rooms!" Viet exclaimed happily, smiling. She was now carrying a package, which was quickly noticed by the others.
"What's that package? Kaoru asked.
"I'll tell you all when we are in our rooms. There's too many people here."
They walked up the marble stairs and into the hall, finding plenty of doors. Viet checked her room keys, which said room 97 and room 98. As for why there were two keys, Viet figured that it would be best to separate the boys and girls. It would make both Viet and Mei feel awkward if they had to share a room with three guys, especially one who seemed to grope people every day. She looked at the metal plates on the wall, which said which rooms were where. The sign said that rooms 1- 100 were to the left, so naturally the group went left. They walked down the hall for a few minutes before they started to get close to their rooms.
'94...95..96 and...97 and 98!' Viet thought, stopping.
"Here we are!" she said, smiling. She handed the key to room 97 to Kaoru. "You guys will have your own separate room, but for now we'll talk about the contents of this box in your room."
They entered the room, each taking a seat on the floor. Since Yao was the last to enter, he made sure to close the door behind him. He checked a wall clock, seeing it read 6:55. Viet put the package in front of her.
"Hey Yong Soo, can I use your dagger to open this?" She asked.
"Sure-da ze." The Korean unit replied, fishing the small knife out of his pocket and handing it to his master.
Viet sliced the box open, gasping at what was inside. The box mostly contained circular, metal devices about as big as a fist.
"Are those...bombs?" Kaoru asked, whispering the last word. Viet took out one of the devises, examining it. She skimmed through the contents of the box, also finding a letter and some Italian currency.
"Looks like it. There's a letter and some money, too. I'll read it out loud." Viet cleared her throat before reading the letter.
"Dear Viet, Well, I told you I would help you as much as I could didn't I? I hope your life mission is going well so far. My life is moving along nicely so far, I've managed to get a high job as a scientist for a testing facility. Anyway, enough about me, I'll write about the contents of this package. The metal devices are bombs, to destroy factories and whatever else you wish. These devices can be stuck to walls, so you can easily hide them in crevices. In the package you will also find a switch which will set the bombs off after you plant them. Even if you press the the explosives won't detonate. This is because the bombs need to be activated by another switch on the side to allow them to detect the signal the switch will send out. There should be a little lever like switch on the sides of the bombs, those are the switches." Viet paused to inspect the explosives, indeed finding the small, lever like switch the letter mentioned. She showed it to Yong Soo, who would be destroying the factories.
"I got it-da ze." He said after looking at the bomb for a little bit. Viet nodded and continued reading.
"I suppose those classes in engineering and robotics worked out for both of us, didn't they? I've also provided some money just incase you were running a little short. Anyway, I hope these items help you and don't worry about the police capturing me, I sent this from a old enemy's address. Good Luck and don't forget to write and call! Your Friend, Agata."
Viet put the letter next to her and pulled out the detonator from the package, handing it to Yong Soo.
"Here, since you'll be doing the factory work, you should probably hang on to this."
"Awesome-da ze!"
"Just don't set them off." Mei warned.
"I won't-da ze. I'll be extra careful."
Viet looked at her watch, gasping.
"Crap, it's 7:10 already! All of us still have to get ready!" She exclaimed, standing up. "Come on, Mei! We have to go get dressed and you all have to get ready, too!" The slightly panicked woman added, pointing toward the guys.
"Oh! Alright, I guess we'll meet you guys out in the hall when we're done." Mei said, already being dragged away by Viet.
"Oh God, I still need to arrange a ride..." The Vietnamese woman mumbled. Both women left, leaving the three androids alone.
"...Do any of us have to do anything to get ready?" Yong Soo asked.
"No." Kaoru answered.
"Nope-aru." Yao replied.
"...Do we all have our weapons?" Kaoru asked.
"Yes-aru." Yao said, running a hand along the sheath of his katana.
"Of course-da ze!"
"Good, I have mine too."
"Should we go wait in the hall-aru?"
"Yeah."
"Probably-da ze."
"Then we should probably wait-aru, since we don't have anything else to do. Also, Yong Soo-aru, don't forget your uh...items." Yao almost whispered the last part, pointing toward the bombs.
"Don't worry, I won't-da ze." Yong Soo said, already beginning to stuff the bombs inside his pockets.
"I don't think your pockets will be an efficient hiding spot." Kaoru said, quirking an eyebrow.
"Then where should I put them-da ze?"
"Put them in this." Kaoru replied, tossing a black bag to the Korean unit. "I originally brought this bag along so I could get some metal parts, but I see you need it more then I do."
"Oh...thanks- da ze."
"Yeah sure. Now come on, let's wait outside." Kaoru said, already beginning to walk toward the door. Yao shrugged, following Kaoru out the door. Yong Soo had to grab the bombs along with the switch before making his exit.
The three androids waited in the hall for about eleven minutes before Viet and Mei emerged from their room. Mei was still wearing the suit, just as the others were. However, Viet now had a black dress on along with a gold chain necklace.
"Hey, guys. Sorry to keep you all waiting." Mei greeted.
"No it's fine, you two didn't make us wait long at all." Kaoru replied.
"I'm glad." Viet said, smiling. "Oh! I almost forgot to give you all these." She fished out five communicators.
"Are those cell phones-da ze?"
"No, Yong Soo. These are so we can keep in contact. They're like...walkie talkies, except better. Now everyone take one." As she said this, Viet handed the small, metal devices out.
"So...how do we use these?" Kaoru questioned.
"Oh, there's a contact list on each one if you press this button here." Viet explained, pointing toward a yellow button. "Then you just use the arrow keys to scroll up or down and then press the green button to call."
"Still sounds like a cell phone to me-da ze..." Yong Soo mumbled.
"Wait, how did you get these?" Mei asked.
"I have connections."
"...You stole them, didn't you?" Mei accused.
"That's such a strong word..."
"I knew it." Mei sighed.
"Anyway, our ride should be waiting outside, so we should get going." Viet said. "Heck the first thing I did when I got in my room was arrange for a taxi."
"Yay! No walking-da ze!" Yong Soo cheered, throwing his hands in the air. Viet giggled.
"Yes, no walking. Now come on, let's go."
With those final words, the group began to make their way toward their ride and the banquet. They walked down the stairs, through the room, and outside into the cool, evening air. Yao looked ahead, seeing the ride that Viet had arranged. It looked just like the taxi they had arrived in. The Chinese android shrugged and followed his companions to the car.
Once they were all inside, Viet gave the directions to the driver, who simply nodded and began driving.
Yao looked out the window, thinking. He was going to help kill someone. He had never murdered anyone before. What if they got caught? God, he was starting to over think things again... He sighed. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Viet give Mei something.
'Probably the poison.' Yao thought, remembering how Mei was going to assassinate the leaders.
He sighed again. Why was he getting so worked up? It wasn't like he going to directly kill anyone...he was just going to be an accomplice. All he needed to do was steal some machinery. However, his main concern was to look for Kiku.
"Siao Qui." The driver's voice brought Yao back to reality.
"Oh, we're here. Grazie!" Viet said, paying the driver. She hopped out of the car, along with the others. Together, they began to walk toward a huge crowd. Viet checked her watch.
"It's 8:05. The banquet should've started by now."
"Maybe the doors are open, but everyone is having trouble getting in because of the large crowd. There must be at least a couple of hundred people here." Kaoru chipped in.
"True, but...are the doors opened?" Viet asked.
"I'm not sure, it's hard to see from here." Kaoru replied.
"Where are the factories-da ze?" Yong Soo mumbled, looking around for any smoke from the buildings.
"In the back, probably." Kaoru whispered.
"Oh...well, I know where I'm going now!" Yong Soo said, grinning.
"Just don't get broken..." Kaoru sighed.
"Oh? Did I detect some worry-da ze?"
"No, you didn't."
"Guys, stop fighting, we're almost in." Mei hissed. It was true, by the time the group had reached the doorway, the crowd had almost disappeared into the building.
'Well, this is it.' Yao thought, stepping through the door along with his friends.
The room looked like something straight out of the movies. It had the white marble floor, the white walls, at least three tables filled with food and drinks to the right, two beautiful stairways leading to a second floor, and hundreds of people scattered in the open space, chatting.
"Alright everyone, let's go." Viet said, already walking forward.
"Alright! Finally some action-da ze!" Yong Soo said, rushing ahead into the crowd.
"...Good luck everyone." Mei said to her companions before she went over to a maid.
Kaoru only shrugged and kept his poker face on as he wandered around, disappearing into the crowd after a few minutes.
Now, Yao could look for Kiku. If this Europa company was holding Kiku hostage, then there was a chance he could be here. But...where would a company be keeping someone being held hostage? Surely not in the open, in a crowd of people where he could get help...maybe upstairs? Yao shrugged and tried to push his way through the crowd, looking upstairs was better then just standing around. As he was moving through the crowd, he bumped into someone.
"Sorry-aru!" Yao quickly apologized.
"Ve~ It's okay! Would you like a drink, sir?" The person who Yao bumped into was a waiter. One with short, brown hair and a single curl sticking out. He looked just like Romano Vargas, which meant he was an android.
"Oh, no thank you-aru. I can't drink."
"Oh...are you an android, too?"
"Yes-aru."
"YAY! Ve~ I'm an android, too! I'm Feliciano Vargas, what's your name?"
"I'm Lin Shang." Yao said, using the first name he thought off of the top of his head. He didn't want anyone somehow connecting him to the death of Romano or Gilbert.
"Ve~ That sounds Asian...are you Asian?"
"Yeah-aru."
"I'm an Italian unit and I-"
"Waiter!" A gruff voice called, interrupting the Italian unit.
"Ve? Oh, someone wants a drink! Bye, I have to go now! It was nice meeting you!" Feliciano said, walking off to tend to the guest.
"Yeah, bye-aru." Yao watched the Italian unit disappear into the crowd, waiting until he was gone to resume looking for his master. He made his way to the stairs, making sure no one was following him. After making sure he wasn't being followed, he sprinted up the stairs, going straight into the hall. The hall was lined with doors, which meant there were plenty of rooms to look through.
The Chinese android began with the first door on his left, quietly opening the door and peeking inside. No Kiku, just a bed and a closet. Yao walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. He checked the first door to his right, finding the same results. No Kiku, just a bunch of furniture. After looking through six more rooms with the same results, Yao was beginning to get frustrated.
"This sure is a huge house for someone who probably lives alone." He mumbled. He was about to look in the next room when he heard a voice.
"VE! Ludwig! HELP!" The voice sounded like Feliciano, the unit Yao had met earlier. Yao turned back, startled. He saw the Italian unit running away, probably to get reinforcements.
'Crap-aru! I can't catch up with him now! I have to hide!' Yao dashed into the nearest room, looking for a place to conceal himself. Once inside the room, he saw two places to hide: inside the closet and under the bed.
'The closet would be too predictable...' Yao thought. He didn't want to be discovered by the enemy, so he hid under the bed.
A few minutes later, Yao heard footsteps followed by two voices.
"Ve~ I swear, there was a person up here! I can't remember his name, but it was Asian!" Feliciano said.
"Feliciano, you really need to stop eating pasta. I think it's causing your programming to malfunction." Another voice with a thick German accent sighed.
"It's not the pasta this time! I saw someone..."
"I really think you should stop eating pasta, it might be causing you to...hallucinate or something. Besides, you knew our stomachs are not meant to consume food. There's nothing here. See?"
From the German person's last statement, Yao could only assume both Feliciano and his friend were androids. The footsteps were coming closer, making Yao's breath hitch in his throat. He continued to listen to the two voices, praying they wouldn't discover him.
"No, he was in that room, right over there! The door is open!"
'Shit-aru!' Yao mentally cursed. In his haste to hide, he had forgotten to close the door.
"Stay here, Feliciano. I'll check it out." The German voice said again.
"Ve...be careful, Ludwig."
Yao couldn't see anything because of the sheets and blankets draped over the bed. He heard the closet door being pulled open, followed by some curtains being pushed to the side. The German android, now known as Ludwig, continued to walk around the room, not even thinking to look under the bed.
"Feli, there's nothing here. We're going to need to check your programming when everyone leaves." Ludwig sighed.
"But I know he's here somewhere! Maybe he's in the next room or-" Feliciano was interrupted.
"Feliciano! That's enough. There's nobody here. Now let's get back to the others."
"But-" Feliciano didn't get to finish his sentence as he was dragged out of the room. Neither of them had noticed the Chinese android under the bed. Ludwig made sure to close the door behind him as he dragged Feliciano out. Yao let out a sigh of relief, he was safe. Making sure no one was in the room, he crawled out from under the bed.
'Well, that was a close one.' He thought. Yao brushed himself off, looking around the room. He doubted Kiku was here either. He was about to exit the room when the door swung open.
"Ve~ I dropped my cross necklace." Feliciano said. He was about to walk in when he saw Yao. They stared at each other for a moment, neither of them moving.
"LUDWIG! IT'S HIM!"
Yao was frozen in place. His mind told him to move, but his legs wouldn't budge. Now that he was spotted, he was sure everything was going to go to hell.
Ludwig ran to his friend's side, peering into the room. He glared at Yao, moving Feliciano out of the way. He took out a leather whip and said:
"Let me handle this."
Feliciano backed away, staying in the hall in case his friend needed any help.
"Ve~ be careful."
"I know you're not one of the workers here, now who are you?" Ludwig growled, stepping toward Yao.
"I'm Lin Shang." Yao answered.
"Well, Mr. Shang, I'll have to ask you to go back downstairs. This area is off limits."
"Sorry-aru, I can't do that. I'm not going back downstairs." If Kiku was here, Yao was going to find him. He wasn't going to abandon his mission because one German unit told him to leave.
"I'll only ask you nicely once more. Please go back downstairs. If you do not, then I will have to use force."
"Then use it-aru. I am not leaving." Yao said, unsheathing his katana.
"Very well. Then I, Ludwig Beilschmidt, will eradicate you. Prepare to die."
And just like that, a fight between the two androids began. Ludwig was the first to strike, trying to hit Yao with his whip. Yao was barely able to dodge the attack because of the obstacles in the room. The Chinese android lashed forward, managing to land a hit on his opponent. The strike left a gash across Ludwig's chest. The German unit stumbled backwards, giving Yao an opportunity to land another blow. A kick was delivered to Ludwig's stomach, causing him more pain.
A black substance leaked from the fresh wound across his chest, but Ludwig didn't care. He was trained to handle immense amounts of pain. To him, the wound was as painful as a mosquito bite. He had been through much worse, and there was no way in hell he was going to lose. He lashed out with his whip again, striking Yao across an arm when he tried to block. The whip was pulled away for a moment before striking Yao again, this time around the leg. Ludwig smirked as he pulled his whip, dragging his opponent along with it. Needless to say, Yao was taken by surprise, not expecting his opponent to be this strong. Ludwig slammed his enemy against the wall, making him fall to the ground. The German android walked over to his opponent.
"You can't win. Just give up." he said. Yao coughed before replying.
"I'd rather die then surrender to you-aru!" he shouted, slashing at his opponent's legs. Ludwig seemed indifferent to Yao's attack and seized him by the throat, lifting him up.
"Please, I have trained as a battle droid for years. Judging from your pitiful technique, you weren't made to fight." the German unit taunted. Yao only coughed in response. Ludwig was slowly crushing his neck.
"Am I right?" Ludwig tried again, squeezing Yao's neck a little tighter.
'Danger. Danger. Danger.' Alarms were going off in Yao's head. He didn't have many wounds, but his neck was a vital area. He needed to do something now, or his system would be permanently damaged. He took his katana and stabbed Ludwig through the stomach, twisting the blade in a desperate attempt to escape from his grasp.
The German unit gasped, dropping Yao. He wasn't immune to the new pain this wound was giving him. Yao probably hit a vital piece of software. He pulled the weapon out of his opponent and raised it above his head. Ludwig fell to his knees, trying to stop the black substance from flowing.
"Sorry-aru." Yao whispered, bringing the sword down on Ludwig's head. The katana cut right through the German android, splitting him in half. A black substance now stained the floor, along with Yao's clothing. Thankfully, the black, blood like material didn't make much of an impression on Yao's black suit. He looked toward the door, seeing Feliciano had fled. Yao only shook his head.
'How disgraceful-aru.'
He took a sheet from the bed, laying it over Ludwig's dead body. It was the least he could do for killing him. Yao did feel remorse for killing someone, never being a violent android, but it was self defense. If Yao had no choice but to fight to the death, didn't that justify Ludwig's death? He honestly didn't know. All he wanted to do was find Kiku as soon as possible. The Chinese android slowly walked out of the room, looking around.
'Well, it looks like I didn't attract too much attention.' He was about to continue searching for Kiku when he heard a scream.
"He's dead! DEAD! Someone call the police!" A woman screeched.
'I guess Mei poisoned both of them after all...'
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Yao felt the communicator vibrate in his pocket. He fished it out, putting it to his ear.
"Hello-aru."
"Yao? Where are you?" Mei's voice asked over the metal device. She was currently in an isolated corner, where no one would hear her.
"Upstairs-aru. I couldn't find any machinery because I was ambushed."
"Oh my God, are you okay?"
"Yeah-aru. I just have a flesh wound, nothing too serious. Are the leaders dead?"
"Yes, both are deceased. However, things are pretty hectic down here already. We should get out before Yong Soo completes his mission. Hell, everyone is trying to get out because they think some kind of sniper is on the loose."
"...A sniper-aru?"
"Hey, don't look at me. I don't know how they got that idea either."
"Hm, I guess it can't be helped-aru." Yao said, shrugging.
"What the..." Mei mumbled.
"Hm? What's wrong-aru?"
"Yao, get down here. Quickly. Someone called the cops." Mei's voice quivered.
"Crap-aru. Alright, where are you?"
"By the stairs."
"Alright-aru. I'll be right down." Yao replied, hanging up. He cursed, now he couldn't look for Kiku anymore. He took a look down the hall.
'He's probably not here anyway.' Yao thought, gazing down the hall before bolting toward the stairs. He ran down the stairs, scanning the room for Mei.
"Dang, that was fast." Mei stated, startling Yao.
"Ah! Oh...it's only you-aru."
"Yep, it's me. Anyway, someone called the authorities. They're right over there." Mei whispered, pointing to some men in the distance. Currently, the uniformed men were trying to calm people down. Yao shrugged, it was perfectly natural for people to call the police in times of crisis. Well, either that or freak out in a chaotic frenzy. Two uniformed men were by the door, guarding it. They probably didn't want anyone to exit the mansion in order to trap the killer.
"Have they done anything useful-aru?"
Mei only shook her head.
"Not for us. So far they've mainly worked on calming people down. However, as you can see, they're guarding the door so no one can get out. That will be troublesome for us. We can't escape before Yong Soo...completes his mission."
"No...maybe that can work in our favor-aru."
"Hm? What do you mean?" Mei asked, tilting her head to the side.
"Think about it-aru. The assassinations have already gotten the people worked up. Heck, the police are struggling to keep everything under control. So-aru, if Yong Soo blows the building, it will cause an uproar. This will allow us to escape. I'm sure the police wouldn't keep a crowd inside of a building with a chance of exploding-aru." Yao explained.
"Ah...I get it. That's true...but we should locate Viet and Kaoru first. We don't want them to be in the explosion and get injured."
"Right-aru."
"I'll see if I can contact them." Mei said, pulling out her communicator.
"Alright-aru. I'll wait." Yao replied as Mei dialed. She smiled and nodded.
While Mei was trying to get in contact with Kaoru and Viet, Yao looked around the room. It certainly wasn't as calm as before. People were huddled together in small groups, officers were buzzing around the room, and the food table was completely deserted. Everyone was probably too paranoid to try anything. From what Yao could see, a lot of the people were nervously looking around, trying to see a sniper that didn't exist. He would never understand why some of these people thought there was a sniper in the building.
"Alright, we're by the stairs. Please get here as soon as possible." Mei finished, hanging up. Yao snapped out of his thoughts.
"I assume they're coming-aru?"
"Yep! They said they would be here soon. Viet also called Yong Soo. He said he'd activate his devices when she gives the word. Also, he'll meet us outside."
"Good-aru."
"Agreed. Now we just have to wait."
After about fifteen minutes, Viet joined the group, dragging Kaoru along with her.
"Hello everyone! It's good to see you all again." she greeted, grinning. "Everyone here is so stuck up." she added, whispering.
"Tell me about it." Mei agreed. "They treat androids like crap."
"Honestly, I can't believe some of these people! They're so arrogant."
"Um...can we please tell Yong Soo to complete his mission? I want to leave." Kaoru said, looking down.
"Oh! I almost forgot. Thanks for reminding me, I'll call him now." Viet said, a sheepish smile on her face.
Kaoru only sighed and shook his head. They all waited while Viet called Yong Soo. She nooded a couple of times, mumbling. When she finally hung up, she said:
"Well, he's gonna do it."
"When?" Mei asked.
"Just...about...now."
Right on que, the sound of an explosion shook the building, frightening everyone inside. The chaos from earlier rose again as people started to shout and make bee lines for the door. The police couldn't do anything now, their authority was useless.
Mei let out a shriek as the explosion was heard, making Kaoru cover his ears.
"God...that's loud." he mumbled. Even though he didn't mind fireworks, he could never get used to Mei's shrieks.
"Come on everyone, we need to move." Viet said, grabbing Kaoru's hand. "Grab a hand so we don't get separated. Yong Soo should already be outside."
Mei nodded and grabbed Kaoru's other hand. She then linked her hand with Yao's, pulling him closer.
"Let's go!" she said. The group made their way through the crowd, trying to avoid falling tiles and people at the same time. Yao had to work to keep up with the speed his comrades were moving at. It looked like his plan worked, everyone was now panicking, giving them a chance to escape. As he was being pulled toward the door, he saw something out of the corner of his eye.
He saw a young man...with a suit on...and a bowl shaped haircut. Almost like...
"Kiku..." Yao mumbled. "KIKU!" he shouted.
The young man stopped, lifting his head up. He was about to turn around when he was stopped by a tall, blonde man. The blonde man put a hand on the young brunette's shoulders, and they disappeared into the crowd. Yao tried to follow them, but he was pulled away by his comrades.
"What are you doing? We have to get out of here!" Mei hissed.
"But I...saw Kiku." Yao said.
"Who? Oh we don't have time for this! Now come on!" Mei huffed, keeping an iron grip on Yao's hand and pulling him.
"Wait-aru!" Yao cried as he was practically dragged out the door. He could've sworn he saw Kiku. His eyes darted back and forth, trying to catch a glimpse of the young brunette he saw before. However, he was nowhere to be found.
"Kiku..." Yao whispered. He looked up, seeing a towering inferno rising behind the once beautiful mansion. The building was slowly crumbling as the flames reached it. Police sirens blared and ambulance workers were tending to injured victims. Overall, the mission was a success, two leaders were now dead.
Two more branches of Europa were destroyed.
That's the end of this chapter! I hope that was long enough to hold you guys over until the next update. In fact, this may be the last update for a while. I started school last week, on the tenth. Bleh. I already have a lot of homework. However, I'll try to crank out the next chapter as soon as possible for you all =) Also, here are some translations.
Chinese
Shǒubiǎo, nǐ yào qù!- Hey, watch where you're going!
Nàme, zhèlǐ de jīchǎng.- Well, here's the airport.
Xiexie- Thank you.
Nihao- Hello.
Xiǎngshòu nín de hángbān- Enjoy your flight!
Nǐ de kùzi de jīqì shèzhì- Your pants are making the machine go off.
Qīngjié- Clean.
Zhùyì chéngkè, wǒmen yǐjīng jīhū dàodá wǒmen de mùdì de. Qǐng zuò xiàlái zhǔnbèi jiàngluò, bìng gǎnxiè nín yǔ wǒmen fēixíng. Yǒu yīgè hěn hǎo de yèwǎn- Attention passengers, we have almost arrived in our destination. Please sit back and prepare for landing. Thank you for flying with us. Have a nice night.
Japanese
Yubikiri genman, uso tsuitara hari senbon nomasu, yubi katta- Pinky promise, if I lie, I will drink 1000 needles, and cut my pinky. (This is a song that some Japanese children recite when they make a promise.)
Italian
Scusate, sapete dove lo stand taxi più vicino è- Excuse me, do you know where the nearest taxi stand is?
In fondo alla strada, signorina. Quando sei di fronte, girate subito a sinistra e continua a camminare e lo troverete in nessun tempo- Down the street, miss. Just turn left and keep walking and you'll find it in no time.
Grazie- Thank you!
Eccoci qui- We're here.
As usual, I used Google translator, so I'm sorry if I butchered your language. ;.; I don't mean to, I swear! Also, about the taxi stands, I read online that you can't just flag down a taxi in Italy. The article said you have to go to a taxi stand or call a taxi stand to get a taxi. I've never been to Italy, so I used what the internet told me...I'm sorry if my research was wrong.
Anyway, tell me what you thought of this chapter! Especially if you have any critique for my fight scene. This was my first time writing one... Heck, if you have any critique for me, write it in a review! Or, if you just want to tell me what you liked about this chapter, leave a review! I would love to hear more from all of you! =) Thank you all and good night!