XV

Ruthless

Amidst the torn and smoldering remains of the gates, it stood there; turning its head slowly as if sizing up the remnants that had opposed it. Several of the men had already been killed by the explosion that had also torn apart most of the gate, which had crushed those it crashed into, from its mounting. Those who had survived the initial onslaught all had varying expressions of horror on their faces as they gazed at the monstrous abomination that was now in their midst, the unholy creation that had birthed from their darkest deepest nightmares.

The monster simply stood still for a long while, as if uncertain of its next movements. Though anyone who had already encountered it, and was lucky enough to survive, knew that it was just a false image. The creature was perfectly aware of the situation and had its mind locked on one thing. Then Hell was unleashed when it threw its head back, jaws opening wide and roaring in primal lust.

Luckily the Yakuza and the Seventh's men seemed to have snapped out of their daze pretty quickly and were soon concentrating their efforts on killing the beast. However, their impacting rounds didn't seem to prompt any response from it and with a monstrous leap it vaulted over the men at the very front of the crowd, decapitating two before it had even landed behind the others. It lashed out, cleaving a man in half with a casual swipe of its tail and snapping another's spine with a powerful kick. The reverse stroke disemboweled two more men, their entrails dropping where they stood.

"What the fuck is that?!" Seventh roared, rather terrified himself. Fear paralyzed the tongues of all the men present and no one was able to provide an answer, not that any of them knew what "that" was either.

"Shoot it! SHOOT IT!" His words were drowned as every man opened fire. Such an attack would take out a human unit in no time, but had little to no effect against the monster as the bullets seemed to simply bounce off its hide.

Among the chaos there was a moment when Seventh swore that he had locked eyes with the thing and that it was staring back with an indescribable intelligence. The lack of any eyes or other notable facial features gave him an eerie feeling. He wasn't certain what to expect, and there was no way to read its next move.

When a sharp click came from its armored shoulders, the fastest and most intelligent of the team dived for the Seventh, knocking him down as it opened fire. Their ears almost ruptured as the supersonic bolts tore through the air. The bolts passed over Seventh, but the men behind him were not so fortunate. Three of them were thrown back, huge holes blasted in their chest. Others had been skewered, their bodies torn apart by the unknown ammunition.

The ones remaining continued to keep up with the barrage, only stopping when they needed to reload. A flurry of grenades struck the beast, which rocked back under the impact. It didn't slow it down however, it merely adjusted its aim and ripped apart yet more men, bolts spewing from its shoulder. The man who'd saved the Seventh's life spun from the cover of the crates. However, while he was taking careful aim of the beast's head, his body was blown apart by the massive reactive bots that detonated as they made impact with his head and chest.

Seventh scrambled to get away from the now open area, trying to find a new place of cover. Glass, wood, and blood filled his vision, showering him with sparks as the men's bullets ricocheted into the panels and lights.

"SHOOT! SHOOT! SHOOT! JUST SHOOT IT, GODDAMN YOU!" Seventh cursed while continuing his rain of fire. He'd already wasted five clips worth of ammo and yet it didn't make a difference; nothing he did could stop the monster. Grenades were also of no use, and the number of dying men was continuing to climb. He needed to find a way to deal some serious damage, and quickly at that, or else he could just forget about seeing another day.

"Nice to see you finally got here," Bando grunted as Dai picked him up. "Sure took you damn long enough; almost had me thinking that you were as incompetent as they say you are."

Though the words were sharp, they were delivered with a moan of pain. Dai had already noticed the bleeding. "Let's concentrate first on getting out of here alive. While both that monster and the other men are distracted by one another. If you try and tell me that you can handle either then I call bullshit."

Bando chuckled. "I would like to see it try. But you're right, we should find a place to rest and get away from those two." They both needed some time to recover and tend to their wounds. Additionally, they needed to recharge their ammo fast. "That seems like a good spot."

In the excitement and chaos of it all neither the monster nor any of the men noticed the two figures steadily limping away. Still, Dai was not comforted and wished more than ever to find a quick way out of this death trap.

"Come on, Bando. I keep on saying this. We need to leave. Whatever's happened tonight is not something that we alone can handle. I'm not saying that we should abandon this finding completely; just that we should come back with more support. In fact, I'm surprised you even managed to last this long on your own."

"Knock it off Hirano. I could have lasted longer if I needed to. But do tell me this. Since when could that fucking thing shoot?! Did it just pick up a fucking gun?!"

Dai shook his head in frustration. "For fuck's sake, where's your goddamn common sense? I don't know why it can shoot, okay? It's not some common animal, which is exactly why we need to go because none of us can predict how powerful it is! Bando, I'm telling you that it possesses intelligence far beyond our reckoning."

"My common sense? How about your common sense, you idiot? That thing, intelligent?! I'm not in the mood for bad jokes! Now get me away from here."

Behind them the crossfire had intensified, and though these punks weren't good people by any means, Dai felt a hint of sorrow for them. No one deserved to die in such a horrible manner. "We should call for help, even the local police would be of some help right now." He remarked as he started to search his person. "I think I saw a radio lying around, if I could just reach it."

"And then what, you idiot?! You honestly think calling the cops is going to help us?! Use your head! We can't trust or rely on anybody but ourselves."

Bando had a point. As previously proven, firearms couldn't provide any help. Calling the police would only put more people in danger, and if the monster did become sedated somehow, the police would definitely not distinguish them from the other gang members. It caused more trouble than it was worth. Instead, the two men resumed their previous tasks of treating their wounds.

Serrated blades unfolded from its tail raised high. The air crackled as the blades started to shimmer and glow with unnatural energy. Those unaccustomed to such a sight froze on the spot. A fatal mistake. It came crashing down, scything one man in half with a single swipe. The reverse stroke saw two more men sliced in half, still alive as their upper bodies flailed wildly as they fell. Spinning on its axis the creature cleanly took the heads off from two other men.

Their return fire was proving to be as ineffective as it had been the first time, as nothing could slow down the abomination's rampage through their ranks. The torn and maimed remains of the dying lay at its clawed feet. The arc of lightning coruscating around the blades made a mockery of anything it came into contact with, slicing through steel, flesh and armor without any effort.

As the slaughter continued, the surviving members of the Yakuza and mercenaries finally seemed to have grown some brains and made a mad dash towards either the steps or exits. Those not quick enough were gunned down, their screams drowned in the deafening roar of the weapons on the monster. Only chewed up crates and mangled corpses remained. A single terrified man suddenly broke from cover, sprinting for the main exit and abandoning those behind him to a cruel fate.

As expected, he didn't get very far before the creature turned its attention towards him and fired away. A bolt tore into the wall behind him, shattering several controls panels. As fast as the man had ran, it was not fast enough. A second bolt clipped his thigh as he twisted out of the line of fire, instantly shearing his leg from his body just below the hip. He landed in a bloody bundle, shrieking in agony as he stared at the ragged stump of his leg, its remains hanging by gory threads.

The thing marched across the hall and moved towards him, its movements fluid and full of focus. Though the man was hyperventilating, he never got the chance to scream as his head was crushed into a bloody pulp. It threw back its head, opening its jaws as it let out a monstrous roar. Bando swore he saw it look over and pull its mouth into something that resembled a smile. He was beginning to realize what Dai had meant when he called the creature intelligent. That smile made his skin crawl.

What remained of the main gate was completely obliterated as a pair of armored cars followed by trucks resembling Humvees came crashing through it. As the hatches on top of the vehicles opened, crewmembers readied themselves behind the pintle mounted guns.

The Seventh bellowed an order as he pointed towards the immediate threat. "Shoot it dammit! I don't give a shit about those in the way! Take care of this now!"

Following their orders immediately, the gunmen yanked their triggers hard. They were not aiming for the monster, but instead just shooting at every inch of the loading bay area and causing mass damage. The dual .50's kicked up a storm, with deafening roars and spent cases ringing from the walls. For a second, the whole area was hidden in a cloud of dust and bright flashes. No one could see what was taking place.

The Seventh screamed as they fired. "You messed with the wrong people you beast! Go and rot in hell for all I care!" Soon, parts of the loading bay came crashing down. There was doubt that the commodity inside the trailers were probably badly damaged if not completely destroyed by now, yet there was bound to have been collateral damage the moment the beast set foot into the vicinity. Then again, it wasn't as if he was planning on using this place again.

The detonations caused by several grenades going off added to the noise, there was no chance it was going to survive this time. The smoke parted momentarily and the Seventh's breath caught in his throat as he saw movement through the haze. Surely it couldn't be, nothing should have been able to survive that. He turned to the man beside him. "Did you see that?!"

Said man appeared confused. "See what, sir?" He asked, already lowering his rifle. Seventh turned to his left. "I didn't see anything through the smoke." The man affirmed, answering without the question having been repeated. "What did you see, sir?"

"I'm not sure, but for a second it looked like-." The words died in his throat as the wind from the wrecked gate lifted the remainder of the smoke and Seventh saw the towering nightmare lurch from the debris. Its gaze seemed to lock with his own, promising nothing but death. The men next to him faltered in their stride.

The gunners reloading their magazines screamed in frantic fury as they tried to reload as fast as they could, being that they were horribly exposed. "Reload those guns now! Open fire!" They screamed but it was already too late.

The creature planted its claws in the floor, cracking the concrete in the process. Its jaws dislocated themselves and the air in front of it started to shimmer, a blue orb of light starting to form between its fangs, pulsing as it grew. The air became static as an incandescent pulse slashed from its fanged mouth and hammered into the lead vehicle.

He tried to reach for the fallen radio when a shot streaked past him. Dai felt the skin on his hand singe, letting out a cry as he yanked it back. One of the armored cars was slammed sideways as a pulse of plasma burned through its frontal armor. The superheated core ignited the vehicle's fuel and cooked off its ammunition, blowing it apart in a greasy black fireball. Those standing too close were torn into bloody rags by the fragments.

Bodies lay everywhere. On cars. On the ground. Blood, fire, noise and screams filled the corridor. All he could smell was burning oil, smoke and charred flesh. Another vehicle exploded and he dropped to the ground, losing his grip on the rifle as red hot fragments scythed overhead, pinging on the side of the armored car. Dim snatches of desperate sounds came to him. Shouted questions that made no sense, Dai felt like he had fallen into hell itself as he witnessed the scene unfold.

The screaming of men was audible even over the continuous thump of explosions and hiss of superheated bolts of plasma. Trapped by the burning wreckage some drivers attempted to ram their vehicles to safety. One of the armored cars smashed into the remains of a blackened truck, attempting to clear a path. Noticing the movement the beast turned its head and shot a bolt of plasma through its front, immolating the crew. As this too exploded, the rest of the exit was sealed for good by the piling rubble and metal parts.

"We're in trouble now." Bando growled as he admitted much to his own dismay that his original plan may have stumbled on an unforeseen issue, namely that the abomination could shoot fucking lasers or whatever it was from seemingly nowhere. His idea had been for the two forces to drain each other, but it was now just a one-sided slaughter. Soon enough they'd be the only ones alive and left standing with nothing to even remotely defend themselves with.

Neither of them was in any shape to fight, much less go up against a foe of such a caliber. In a rare moment of defeat, he admitted internally that all hope was lost. "Hirano, we are in for one hell of a fight now. Once that thing finishes slaughtering those bastards, it will likely come for us. Count your ammo and make sure you get the most of it, I doubt we'll get a second chance."

Crouching next to him Dai took a quick look for himself, it was just as bad as Bando had just described to him. Firepower and ammo weren't the problem here, it was just the fact that the beast didn't seem to have any weaknesses. "I knew this wouldn't end well. I tried to tell you so many times, but did you listen? I told you," He coughed, not even bothering to hiding the smirk on his face. "Though right now I would give anything to be proven wrong."

Bando glanced over, irritated but slightly amused nonetheless. "So do I. But don't fool yourself, Hirano. But I don't ever say something I don't mean. I'm gonna get your sorry ass back to your family soon enough, and I'll do that after taking a good chunk of that thing with me."

When the noises suddenly died down, they traded glances. This could only mean two things; one was that somehow the goons had found a way out of the complex, or two, they'd all been reduced to chunks of body parts. Either way, this could only be bad news for them seeing as it was now their turn to face the creature.

For all of his boasting, Bando understood what their opponent was capable off. Pure, brute force would do him nothing but get him killed. If he wanted even a chance of surviving, he'd need to change strategies, and fast. "We can't face it like this, not with these unthreatening guns." He was pointing at their current guns. "We need something bigger."

"Did you happen to forget everything that just happened not even a minute ago? Heavy caliber guns won't work any better," Dai rebuked, surely Bando must have seen that for himself that nothing seemed to work against it. "We'd need a tank or an RPG at the very least and even then it'd only last for so long. Plus, I don't see any of those lying around."

"They might." Bando pointed towards the mound of wrecked armored cars and trucks. "With any luck we may still be able to find something that functions. It's our only bet anyways, because you and I both know that it will find us. Now come on. We don't have much time!"

The two braced themselves before making a beeline for the carnage. Their hopes of making it in time were dashed as the beast roared, stones cracking underneath its stride as it started to move towards them. "Oh shit!" Dai cursed.

"Just keep moving dammit, ignore it!"

Spurred on by the small hope that he could still come out of the incident alive, Dai focused on getting to the destination as fast as possible. There were slight inconveniences in the dash, as some of the larger chunks of debris posed an annoying obstacle. At the same time, both men were panicking internally, wondering when and if they'd be hit by whatever that thing would throw at them.

"We're nearly there! Don't let me down now!" Bando yelled. "Just keep going Hirano! We're nearly there!" Just as the last words left his mouth, with a speed even faster than anything they'd seen before, the monster charged right at them, gaining ground it got dangerously close to them.

"Oh shit oh shit!"

Even with no eyes they could feel its stare, a chilling sensation that made both of their blood run cold. They weren't going to make it, no more than two maybe three meters separated them from everyone's worst nightmare. This close to it allowed Dai to get a better look at it as he dared to throw a glance across his shoulder. He noticed aspects that he hadn't seen before in the more dimly lit areas of the factory.

It was even more terrifying and grotesque up close, a horrifying blend of machine and flesh, defying the very laws of reality. Neither of them said a word; there wasn't anything for them to discuss. Without giving a warning Bando wrapped his arm around Dai and shove him with near reckless abandon in the open back of an armored car, not able to react he was flung into its crew compartment.

Barely time to close the ramp the vehicle was rocked back and forth under a violent impact. Dai screamed as he was tossed around like a ragdoll following a second even stronger impact.

"Holy shit!" He yelled as it felt like the vehicle was lifted by another impact. "Just how strong is this thing?!" Then everything started to roll, bracing himself the best he could the vehicle started to tumble. Just how was it even able to do do this to a multi ton vehicle?

His head nearly got taken off as the tail blades tore through the armored hull, the metal of the armored hull still glowing bright hot in their wake. Oh that was so not good. Through the cracks he could see it moving around the car, he doubted they were going to survive another impact like that. "Bando! This car isn't going to hold out any longer!"

His words were not lost on Bando though he seemed to be already one step ahead of him. "I know that! Now shut up Hirano and take soem fucking cover! This might sting a little."

Only then did he notice the long pipe that Bando carried, or rather the launch tube for an RPG. That still wasn't going to much help anyways as they couldn't fire it from the confines of the vehicle since the back blast would kill them for sure. What happened next was something Dai would never forget and would never wish to go through again. In a violent move the hatch of the car was torn from its mountings and the creature's armored head stared inside as Bando fired the RPG. His ears felt like they had ruptured, and his chest like he had been hit by a truck.

Somewhere in the distance, over the din of his ringing ears, he was certain he could hear a muted roar. Was it the thing? Had it survived or had it been wounded enough that they could finally finish the job? He didn't know, and he didn't care as he was still trying to recover from the impact of the RPG launch. He was certain that he was going to die. It was a sensation that he wasn't going to forget for a long time. He cursed Bando for such a reckless move, and offered a prayer to God for having survived it. "B-Bando…" He coughed. "Y-You bastard…"

As he tried to pick himself up, he felt how his body struggled and protested against every attempt he made to move. There was yet to be a response from Bando and for a moment Dai feared the worst. A snarky remark eased his worries.

"Heh… Like I… fucking care." Bando coughed, the launching tube lying across his chest. "Damn thing… never… saw it… coming." He laughed with no intention of getting up to witness the damage he'd dealt. A moment later, he decided against staying still in case the creature decided to come back or something. "Hirano, pick yourself up. We still have a job to do." With way more effort than he'd like to admit, he pulled himself back onto his feet and dared a glance outside the hatch. "Well that seems like did the trick. Damn thing is gone…"

Never in his whole life had Dai felt quite so alone. With the departure of both the beast and the gang members, the sudden silence while unnerving was also strangely welcome. The constant rumble of gunfire and explosions was gone, as was the distant screaming of dying men. Only now, in its absence did Dai realize just how omnipresent the monster had been.

Not a soul moved amongst the flaming debris and ruined structures. Both he and Bando decided that enough was enough. There would not be a better chance to leave this godforsaken battlefield. The only thing that lingered here was death. The only things that littered the floor were charred or maimed bodies. The smoke started to become thicker and more unpleasant the further they went.

"You think this is over?"

Bando shook his head. "No, it isn't. Not until we find what we came for and get to leave this place. Until then don't slack off." Pointing to the trailer that seemed to have escaped the ferocious battle relatively intact they headed towards it, their walk confounded by the debris and rubble.

"You really think it is in there, somehow I have my doubts about it. Well with nobody around I guess we could have a look, just don't get disappointed if it proves to be empty." Dai had to suppress laughing when he made that remark, really with everything that had gone down here he didn't expect for much else. That said he was also starting to get pretty exhausted, this night certainly had been a considerable strain on his body. "The most sensible thing would be to get the hell out of here while we still can, there's no telling if that thing is dead and I'd rather not be here when it shows up again, let's just go."

There was no response from Bando, not even a growl or snarl. The exhaustion and fatigue must have gotten to him as well, though that didn't come as a surprise. "Just stand aside. I'm going to shoot the lock."

The loud bang of the gun brought about a new wave of pain to Dai's already sensitive ears.

"Oh for goodness sake! Could you have used anything louder?" He snapped sarcastically as he stared at the ruined lock.

Bando groaned as he grabbed a hold of the bar and yanked it down, the doors giving way with a loud groan. Peeking inside, Dai's mouth dropped wide open at the scene in front of him. Bando had been right all along, yet still actually seeing the truth for himself was something he couldn't have prepared himself for. The sobs escaped the trailer and were only amplified in the now barren loading bay.

"Th-This... can't be… can it…?" He was at a loss for words as his eyes adjusted themselves to the dark. Inside, there were almost two dozen girls chained to the trailer walls blindfolded and gagged.

"… Th-They really are… kids…"

Bando didn't say a word as he squatted down to the nearest girl and removed her blindfold. "Hirano, we should take off their blindfolds as well." Frightened eyes stared back at them, but neither of them knew what to say to her. It was obvious that she trusted them no more than she trusted the men who kidnapped her.

"Hirano, see if you can find something for them to drink." However, no sooner had he said these words or his eyes were drawn to something sticking out of her hand. Moving carefully as to not frighten the girl, he noticed that it was the small needle attached to an IV. Though it was a clever idea, it also raised the worrisome thought that these girls must have been in transit for some time already.

Dai had returned by this point. "Found something in one of the wrecks, but it isn't much." He offered it to the girl, who took it without hesitation.

Seeing it Dai remarked that she had to be pretty thirsty the way she was gulping it all down.

"How long do you think they kept them in he-" He was silenced by Bando, who was pointing towards the others kids inside he.

"Notice anything? Take a good look at them."

Looking around in confusion Dai wasn't certain what Bando had meant by that. They were all kids. He confirmed this statement after making his way through the trailer. Seemed like they were also in a similar age category, but other than that, he didn't notice anything different or unusual. "They are just kids."

"Daft as always, Hirano. How hard is it to notice that almost all these girls aren't from Japan? This girl is from Korea, I think." Band pointed at the girl in front of them.

Surprised, Dai kneeled down next to another girl and looked at her closely. Sure enough, while her features clearly showed her Asian origin, she definitely wasn't of Japanese descent. "And what exactly does that mean? I'm not really seeing the point here. If they were Japanese girls they still would've been abducted from their homes."

Shaking his head Bando got back on his feet. "I'm not sure myself, but it's something interesting to note. I also want to figure out why all of them are so young. None of them look to be older than eight, maybe ten years. It seems to be too young for prostitution... sure there are perverts who get a sick kick out of that, but there are too many girls here."

"Makes you wonder why one of the goons called them weapons components," Bando remarked as he went further into the trailer before stopping at what appeared to be a small desk. Picking up a small notepad he skimmed over its contents. "Hm, seems like some sort of medical log for each of them, injections and vaccines. They sure went through a lot of trouble to get all of this sorted. It appears as though they really wanted to be certain that these girls would be in excellent condition. Only question is why. It wouldn't be worth the cost if these girls were to be sold into slavery. This just doesn't add up. We're definitely missing something here."

Having finished drinking, the first girl dropped the bottle and started to speak to them, though her words were mumbled and her dialect didn't make any sense.

Bando kept listening as the girl repeated what she'd just said, her frustration seeming to grow when she didn't get the reply she was hoping for. "Definitely Korean, but I'm not sure from which region. We're going to need to find a translator to help us. We can't communicate with them." He got up and pulled Dai away from the girls. "They are scared and if they can't understand what we are saying, then it is only going to get more troublesome for us."

Dai nodded in agreement. The last thing they wanted right now was for these girls to start to panic. If they were to run off who knew what was going to happen, with nobody they could understand they would likely get themselves into more trouble, hell they couldn't even read the signs. "We can't leave them here either. You still want to keep the police out or what?"

Looking around Bando gave in. "Fuck. We don't have a choice, do we? I just hope that it isn't going to backfire on us. Also, there is no telling that these girls won't end up back in the hands of those bastards."

Bando's point was valid, but Dai didn't know what else they could do. "I'll call them th-." His words were violently cut short as a gun went off. Dai fell, landing face first on the floor in a loud thump as his upper body was pierced by a bullet.

The girls started screaming in terror, and Bando cursed as he saw who had fired the shot. "You fucking bastard!"

The Seventh was standing there, a smoking gun held firmly in his hand. A vile grin apparent on his face as he bore down on Bando.

Standing there, his body trembling after the abuse it had been through, Seventh's face was contorted in rage. "To think that after all this, after that abomination, you two mongrels are still alive!"

Originally he'd planned on just letting them go; he was in too bad a shape to put up much of a fight, and this whole ordeal had become so much more costly than he'd ever imagined it could be. But now that they had found out about the contents of the trailer, he no longer had a choice. Orders were very clear when it came to unwanted witnesses. "You two just had to peek! Honestly I would have preferred to let two worthy adversaries like you walk away! A shame really but I cannot let you live any longer!" The few remaining men that had survived stood next to him, all in all maybe a dozen or so strong. Fatigue and exhaustion were etched on their faces, their armored vests dented and scorched in places. Still, they held their weapons high; it appeared that they had much the same mentality as Bando himself. They were not going to let them get away without a fight.

"You bastards cost us a lot, my employe is not going to be happy when they learn of tonight's events but with the funds recovered," he hinted at one of the man holding a suitcase. "We can recuperate some of our losses. We still have other offices that we can work for. What you two have done here is unpleasant, but not something that we cannot overcome. Your work here has been in vain, as will your deaths."

On his mark the men opened fire, and Bando barely had enough time to duck back into the safety of the trailer. Outside, he could hear the impact of each bullet hitting the sides. Even under such intense fire, he seemed to have been well barricaded.

He yelled out in anger once he noticed how all the girls were stifling their screams and fresh tears flowed down their cheeks. "How could they?! These are just kids!" A quick check told him that there were only eight rounds left in the magazine of his pistol; too little to do much damage. Not that he had the luxury of choosing. He needed to deal with them first so that he could check on Dai and assess the guy's injuries. He steadied himself, noting that any quick action was going to be harder to pull off thanks to his injured leg. Still, he sprang into action. He fired several shots, and the tungsten rounds tore through his targets' body armor. Two men dropped to the floor instantly. Ducking behind a piece of debris for cover he checked his leg, being all too aware of the wound but still not in crippling pain just yet. Still, he had to avoid putting unnecessary strain on it, though that was not easy with the others hell-bent on killing him.

"Two down… Need to make em count," He thought to himself.

"What's the matter?! Can't aim straight?!" He then taunted quite gleefully. "Don't tell me you lot are running out of ammo now, are you?!"

"Yes, we are!" he could hear the Seventh shouting back to his jab. "And it's all thanks to you two for bringing in that monster of yours! Still, I must say good job for disposing it for us! Of course, let's not get cocky here. You're in just as much trouble as we are. How many rounds do you have left? Eight?! Six?! That won't be enough to take down all of us!"

Like Bando needed somebody else to tell him that. With luck he might be able to take down four more of them, but the rest would require a different strategy. "As if that's going to stop me!" He yelled at them.

"Well it's time to bring this to an end," Seventh remarked as he reached out for the rear compartment of the truck. "This has gone on for more than enough now." Already they could hear sirens approaching from the far distance, no doubt attracted by the explosions and raging fires. Two men reacted quickly as they closed in on Bando with Panzerfaust 3s in their hands. Judging from the shape of the warheads, these specific weapons were most likely intended for usage against soft targets. "Oh fuck me."

He barely made it in time to get away before they fired the warheads, huge chunks of debris raining down as the weakened remains of the structure finally gave in. The roof came crashing down, burying anything caught underneath in tons of rubble. Seventh witnessed the scene with a satisfied grin, but quickly turned his attention back to the matter at hand. "Get the truck ready. We're leaving," He shouted as the men started to board the truck but not him, no he still had his warhead left and one loose end to dispose of. Taking aim he fired it at the trailer and watched with glee as it ripped through the thin skin of it. Accepting a second warhead he fired it as well making sure nobody was going to survive it, likely the bodies would be to severely burned to be identified later on. "That's it for us! Now get us the hell out of this place!" The engine rumbling the truck and Seventh disappeared into the night. His laughing died off in the distance.

Bando pulled himself out from underneath the rubble just in time to watch in horror as the trailer blew up and burst into magnificent flames. Once it was safe to leave his protection behind, he rushed over to Dai's limp body and scanned it for a quick analysis. His body seemed to have escaped most of the damage.

"Hirano get the fuck up!" Bando slapped him in the face, seeing as there was no reaction coming from Dai he slapped him again and again while shouting. "Don't you dare die on me you bastard! Get on your fucking feet!"

Suddenly and without warning Dai woke up, gasping for air. "… W-What h-happened… them…?" Dai coughed, his voice trailing off as he saw Bando shaking his head and pointing towards what remained of the trailer. Dai could do little else than weep.

There was a forlorn expression on Dai's face as he saw the mangled remains of the trailer. "… N-No… no… " Was all that he could mutter, since he refused to believe what he was seeing; they had gotten so close. There was nothing left of the trailer other than twisted and burned metal. He didn't dare to think what must have gone through those girls' minds in their last moments.

He screamed and beat his fists against the floor until his knuckles were raw and bloody. Those girls were no older than his own daughters; they had failed and those girls paid with their lives. Bando drawing stood next to him. "Hirano," He whispered. "Let's go, we are done here."

After inspecting what remained of the trailer, Dai and Bando confirmed that there was nothing they could have done for the girls. The explosion left only their burned remains.

"You should get some rest," Dai remarked when he noticed that Bando's gait was becoming even more ungainly. "Want me to get you some morphine or other painkillers?"

"Already took a shot of what they had left. Wasn't much but it should allow me to get to the fucking car. You'll be driving, so try not to crash or do something stupid."

Dai halted and looked over his shoulder at what remained of the factory complex. "Damn this place really is a mess. Those bastards can't just be allowed to get away with this, can they? Not with the murders they just committed here." His anger was only increasing by the second.

"Aye," Bando spat as he leaned against a tree. "We haven't seen the last of them. The next time I won't let them get away that easily. But whatever the case, we should get away from this place as quickly as possible. If we get caught there's no way to explain ourselves out of this."

Both men could only wince at the thought of what would be on every news outlet for the next few weeks. Once that trailer with the burned remains of the girls was found, the media was going to be all over it.

"Bastards," Dai cursed again. To think that young kids had been waiting there, chained and cuffed inside that trailer all this time. If only they had known they could have helped them escape when they had first gotten here.

"Don't get yourself hung up over it; we couldn't have known they were in there. Neither could we have predicted anything that happened tonight. We were simply caught in the middle of it all. But if you keep feeling guilty over this then make sure that next time you don't screw things up."

Bando drew a sharp breath, hands flying to his leg on instinct. Apparently the morphine dosage had indeed been far too light for his injuries. "Now get over here Hirano. As much as I hate it to depend on others I'm going to need some help. My leg isn't going to hold up for much longer."

"You're going to need crutches, you know? I will see if Mako can find a suitable one for you." He grunted when Bando let his weight fall. He himself was in pretty bad shape, and was barely standing as is. He definitely wouldn't have minded getting his hands on some of those painkillers. With some luck he hoped that Bando would have a small supply in his car. It suddenly occurred to him to call Mako. While she did hate being called in the middle of the night, they didn't have much of a choice since they needed her to get things ready for when they arrived home. Plus he was also sure that she was worried sick by this point and would appreciate the update.

Bando grunted and Dai could swear that he was also snarling as he tried to get himself into the passenger side, letting out intense strings of curses and ranting about his leg, the car, or the way Dai was helping him. "I'll call Mako. You focus on driving and make sure we get back in one piece. I didn't survive everything tonight just to die at your pathetic hands."

Gentle and polite as always, Dai thought to himself as he closed the door. Damn this promised to be something alright. Taking seat himself behind the wheel he turned the key, as the engine started he shifted into first gear and drove off. He no longer felt like staying here any longer.

Rolling over in bed, Mako hadn't even noticed the buzzing of her cell phone at first. She'd been awake for most of the night and only managed to catch some shut eye about an hour ago.

Unfortunately for her, the buzzing persisted and she reluctantly opened one eye. She squinted at the clock and groaned into the pillow. "… You have got to be joking… what kind of idiot… would call me at four in the morning?!"

Grunting she rolled over and clumsily reached for her phone. Oh this had better be a good call. It took some time before she could make out what the person on the other side was saying, but when she did figure it out all the sleepiness left her within a second. "Bando? Do you know how late it is? Where is my husband?!" As garbled as his voice was, she could just barely make out what he wanted. "YOU WANT ME TO DO WHAT?! YOU GOT YOURSELF SHOT DIDN'T YOU?! WHERE IS DAI?! HOW IS HE DOING?! I SWEAR TO GOD IF YOU DON'T TELL ME RIGHT NOW I'LL KILL YOU WITH MY OWN BARE HANDS!" To think that maniac had gotten Dai into another dangerous situation. The moment he stepped through the door she would punch the shit out of him. From what she gathered, both of them had been badly beaten up and now they wanted her to help treat their wounds. In her own house of all places.

"YOU SICK BASTARD! HASN'T IT GOTTEN INTO YOU THAT HE IS MY DAMN HUSBAND?! THAT HE HAS A FAMILY. DAMMIT?! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW WORRIED WE WERE?! OH WAIT, I FORGOT, YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT DO YOU?! GOD YOU ARE JUST STUPID!" Without waiting for a response, she hung up the phone and hurled it across the room. When it shattered against the wall, she felt more anger at having done that. "You… damn… bastard…" She hissed with barely restrained fury.

"…O-Okan-san…?"

The softness of the voice gave away the speaker and Mako wasn't exactly happy to learn that the girls were awake. No, she had much rather wanted for the twins to stay asleep when Dai came home. Taking a moment to recompose herself, she tried to put on the most reassuring smile she could.

"What is it, dear?"

Kyou and Ryou stepped forward slowly, holding each other's hand. "We heard you yelling so we thought something was wrong," Kyou mentioned before looking back to Ryou.

"… W-Was that oto-san? Is he coming home?" The concern in Ryou's voice was clear as day. She had been just as concerned about Dai since he had left the house and most likely hadn't been able to sleep a wink, kept awake by her constant worrying. Kyou didn't look any better, even though she was worried to the extent that Ryou was. Still, she was deeply concerned for her sister's wellbeing. If Ryou hadn't slept then Mako felt certain that neither did Kyou.

"Yeah, it was your father dear. He's coming home along with Bando-san." She stopped there, not certain if she should tell them that their father was wounded. On one hand, she could use their help but then again, she didn't want to make them even more worried. Of course, they would find out anyways as soon as the two men stepped through the door.

Then something struck her. "Is Sei-kun awake?" It was a way for her to distract the twins, but it was also a heartfelt question. She didn't hear him cry or fuss even a bit throughout this whole ordeal. "Ryou-chan? Could you please go and see if he is still asleep? Thank you dear."

That left just Kyou present. It would be better to tell her first before telling Ryou.

"Oka-san?" Kyou asked her. "Why did you send Ryou away? Did something happen to oto-san? It was that stupid ossan wasn't it?" She growled and clenched her fists before continuing. "That baka got oto-san in trouble again didn't he? Oto-san got hurt because of his stupidity right?"

How was Mako going to answer that one? It was no secret that Kyou harbored no affectionate feelings towards Bando; one could even describe them as ill feelings. She herself hadn't ever liked the man either, though it wasn't something that could be blamed on her as no one really liked to have him around. He always seemed to bring trouble with him wherever he went

"Yes, he is involved in all this. I know you don't like him, but please don't start a fight. Neither he nor your father are in good shape. I expect them both to be pretty exhausted as well. Would you be so kind enough to go to the kitchen and start making some soup for them? I'm pretty sure they're starving. That would be a great help"

She could tell that Kyou still felt really reluctant about everything, but despite that she still went and Mako offered a quick prayer. It was possible that Kyou was making a bigger fuss over this than she actually felt, but whatever the case, she definitely wasn't going to let this slide easily. Bando would certainly be on the receiving end of some intense reprisals. Mako made a mental note to make sure to keep them separate from each other, though there were no guarantees. She also knew that Bando was not a man to hide his discontent for any Diclonius. It didn't matter what their past was or how they behaved themselves; the man disliked each and every single one of them, the more distance between him and them the better.

Well for tonight he would have to behave himself whether he liked it or not and given it was her house he had best behave. He was already treading on thin ice, and if he were to cause trouble then she would gladly kick him out the door. Finally, with a sigh, she got up from the bed and walked over towards her closet; a change of wardrobe would be in order. After that she would start preparing for the long night ahead.

Dai sighed, having heard most of the conversation if it could even be called that. Even with him sitting a good distance from the phone, he could tell that things were just as he had feared; Mako was furious.

He could imagine vividly what the look on her face was when Bando rang. They were so going to get it when they got home, and the worst of it all was that they needed her help to treating their wounds. Going to a hospital was out of the question, as their wounds would cause more than a few eyebrows to rise. For now, they were completely at Mako's mercy. Bando had kept the phone at arm's length, a smart move on his part which revealed that in all actuality, he was definitely intimidated by Mako's sudden anger.

"She sure sounded mad from what I could hear," Dai remarked as he returned his attention back to the road. Driving was already difficult enough in his condition; the least he could do was to keep focus. It would suck if they were to crash the car on their way back.

"Yeah, she was," Bando growled as he dropped the phone. "That wife of yours can get real nasty, you'd better calm her down when we get back."

"Why me? You're the one that upset her." Dai retorted, not willing to clean up the mess that Bando had once again created. This was why he hated going on these trips. Mako's anger and of course always being on the receiving end of a world of hurt. He couldn't even begin to count the number of bruises and cuts he must have gotten this time, let alone all of his previous ones combined.

"She is your wife, period! Now just shut up and drive us home!" With that the discussion was silenced, and Bando was under no further obligation to help deal with Mako's wrath. In his mind, he truly hadn't done anything wrong. It wasn't his fault that Dai hadn't told the truth or that Dai was dumb enough to let himself get beat up. Though, on that matter, he was in even worse shape. In a rare instance of his life, he was strangely starting to look forward to a couple weeks of rest. After that, he would go and find out who those bastards were, and then he would make them pay dearly. It felt good to him to a real purpose again.

Author's note: Finally able to post again and I do really apologize for being so late with this chapter though it also comes with some good news as things have luckily improved and we actually starting to get a good numbers of chapters done so first of all a big shout out to my beta's who are working hard as well as still putting up with me. They really are doing a great job.

Next chapter should be up in about 2 weeks though it might be a little later but no more than 3 weeks at most, untill then enjoy this chapter and I'll be looking forward to be hearing from you. Have a good weekend and take care.