Cimmerian
Chapter Four
-NAO-
Hideaki stared down at the hallway through the vent he was hiding in. It was now about three hours after the normal office hours of the observatory, and he was sure there was no one left. He kicked the vent open and jumped down, landing silently in the hall. Only the security lights were on, but it was still bright enough for him to see. So he made his way towards the records room, avoiding the cameras along the halls. When he finally came to the doors, he cracked it, glancing inside. He frowned. There inside was a lone astrologer looking over a few glowing monitors and writing down in her journal.
Her brown locks fell just past her shoulders, half of it pulled back in a clip to keep it from her face. Despite her long white lab coat, it was clear that she was a slim, fit woman, with average breasts and slightly rounded hips. Aquamarine eyes were visible as she squinted at the bright screen, writing down some more things in the notebook before her. Then she checked the watch on her wrist and sighed, before typing something into the system. Hideaki smirked, pushing the door open and pulling out the gun from his holster as he crept up behind the woman.
Before she could turn around, he wrapped an arm around her neck and placed the barrel of the gun to the side of her head. "Don't scream." He ordered, keeping her head faced forward. "Where can you get me a list of the Contractors?"
"List…what list?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly in her attempt to sound ignorant. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Don't pretend like you don't know what it is." Hideaki seethed. "The list of all known Contractors. Give it to me, or you will die."
"Even if you kill me you'll never get it." she said, seeming to have gained some courage. "Only one person in the observatory has access to it, and I'll never tell you who that is."
Hideaki rolled his eyes and shoved her forward, towards the computer. "Don't insult my intelligence you good for nothing human. If you weren't important, you wouldn't be here this late or even in this room. So get me the list." He snapped, grabbing one of her fingers and snapping it backwards.
She let out a cry of pain, crumpling on the desk a bit as she tried to pull her hand from his vice-like grip. When he refused to let go, she nodded. "Okay…I'll get the list." The astrologist sniffed, reaching over with her other hand to type a few things into the system.
The door opened once more and the two froze. "Vitani, I found those chips that you like, but they were all out of-" the voice stopped, and when Hideaki looked back he was met with a startled jade gaze that he recognized immediately.
Kanamé stared at the brunette, his gaze narrowing. He dropped the snacks he was holding and shot forward, reaching for Hideaki's head, only to have him release Vitani and dodge out of the way as electricity shot out towards him. Hideaki slid back, glaring at Kanamé.
The dark haired man frowned, getting between him and Vitani. "Are you alright Vitani?" he asked.
"My finger's broken…but other than that I'm fine." Vitani said, pulling the injured appendage closer to her body as if to protect it as she looked between the two men with a wide aqua gaze.
"Why is it that you Uchiha are always popping up where you have no business?" Hideaki growled.
Kanamé sighed. "I don't really appreciate you harming innocent women." He ran forward and shot lightning straight at Hideaki. The brunette avoided it just barely, sending his hand forward as a thick branch busted in and headed straight for him.
Vitani gasped. "Kanamé watch out!" she cried, letting out a relieved sigh when he rolled out of the way. Her eyes widened when the branch didn't stop its trajectory, and she quickly flung herself out of her chair in time, so that it was all that was impaled by the wood.
The Uchiha glanced back, his eyes wide at how close that had come to her. "Vitani, get under the desk!" he ordered, which she followed instantly. Kanamé held out his arms, his eyes taking on a bright red glow as a massive strike filled the room and nailed Hideaki right in the chest and through the stone wall.
Every screen in the room exploded, sparking out as Kanamé began breathing harshly, holding his hand over his heart as if it were beating too quickly. He collapsed to his knees and looked around in need before he located a bookshelf along the wall. He pointed at it and turned to Vitani, "Please…get me one and hurry!"
She nodded, scrambling to her feet and rushing over to the shelf. She glanced back at him, before grabbing the first book she could reach and taking it back over to him. "Here!" she said, kneeling next to him and handing it over.
He snatched it from her hand and opened it up, beginning to read over the contents. The brunette woman watched him, her brow furrowing slightly as she glanced to the hole in the wall. "Is he going to come back?" she asked softly.
"No." he said, continuing to read. "Not after what I did to him."
Her gaze returned to him and she frowned. "Were you ever going to tell me you're a Contractor?"
He glanced over at her, a somewhat dark look in his normally happy gaze. "Why would I?"
"Well…you…" she huffed, seeing the logic in his question. "You weren't just being nice to me to get the Contractor List like he was…were you?" She wondered, this time with a bit more hesitation.
They stared at one another for a while before Kanamé looked back down and closed the book. "No."
"Then why did you start coming here?" Vitani asked, rising along with him. "Why did you make an effort to talk to me and get me to like you?"
"Because." He sighed, meeting her gaze once more. "I knew that someone would come after that list eventually. So I had to stop them. You were just a perk." He smirked.
A slight blush came to her cheeks. "…perk? You mean, you actually liked coming here and staying most of the night just to keep me company?"
Kanamé shrugged. "Well kinda, I mean…you are pretty cute. Not to mention you needed someone to watch over you while you stayed here so late."
She smiled, placing her good hand on his shoulder and rising up onto her tippy toes to kiss his cheek. "Well thank you for saving me then." She replied, before walking past him towards the desk, which was now in disarray.
"No worries of course." He said, before looking around. "We should probably go and get you home soon."
"Shouldn't we wait for the police to arrive?" Vitani asked as she pushed her scattered papers into a pile and began to gather them. "The alarm was probably tripped when he shot through the wall."
Kanamé shook his head, "I can't be questioned by them. So I'll have to leave by myself then, just be careful. Okay?"
"I will." The brunette woman smiled. "And I'll call you when everything's been settled…if you want." she added quickly. "I mean, now that they failed to get the list, you've done your job, so you really don't have to keep coming back and watching over me." she said a bit sheepishly.
"This is true. But they will keep coming so long as you have it. The smartest thing to do would be to destroy it." He explained. "Otherwise, those on that list will always be in danger."
She sighed. "You're right, of course, though that's years of hard work down the drain." She glanced off as the sound of police sirens could be heard. "You should get going while you have the chance." She said.
"So you'll destroy it?"
Her aqua gaze returned to him, and she smirked. "Yes. I'll just tell them the data was lost during the electrical surge."
"Thanks." He smiled, waving at her before heading out. "See you around Vitani." Kanamé winked.
"Bye Kanamé." She said, waiting until he had disappeared through the doorway before going to put away her work. It wasn't long after she returned that the police arrived on the scene, and in walked the police chief herself.
Vitani told the woman her story, changing the part about Kanamé to make it vaguer. Ami gave her a suspicious look and prodded a bit, but didn't push the matter surprisingly. But when it came to the description of her attacker, the auburn haired woman became a bit more enthusiastic. "You said he had brown hair and fuchsia eyes?" she asked, pulling out her phone. "Did he look like this?" she opened a picture on the device and showed the other woman.
"Yes." Vitani nodded, her brow furrowing. "That's him."
"Well don't worry too much about him. We've been on his trail for a while now." She assured, just as two of her officers ran back into the room through the hole in the wall.
"Chief! We searched the area like you ordered, but we couldn't find anybody!" one of them announced.
Ami's gaze narrowed. "Anywhere?" she asked, earning nods. She sighed. "Put out a warrant for his arrest. Tomorrow we go to the media and put his picture out. I want this man caught, and I want him caught now." She ordered, nodding to Vitani. "Miss Terumi."
"Chief Sabaku." Vitani said, watching the scene progress before she was escorted to an ambulance that would take her to the hospital to have her finger looked at. As she saw all of the equipment being searched and handled, she sighed, hoping that they caught the man known as Hideaki, but also knowing that even if they did, that Kanamé would still come and visit her. Because until he had started watching over her when she worked late, she'd never known how lonely she was. And once you discovered that, it was hard to go back to it, especially when you found something so much better.
Kai let out another bored sound as he roamed the hallways of his work. It wasn't even his work really, at least he didn't consider it that. This was just a building, owned by very powerful, influential, wealthy people. People that paid him a lot of money to do stupid things such as steal a vial of a serum that would be able to cure a Contractor of their abilities, and the list of all known Contractors in the world.
As he thought about it, his brow furrowed. Why on earth was this company even trying to procure all of these items? And what was it that their research centered around? His boss had mentioned that they'd been working on it for the past ten years, so it had to do with that, right? But what was it?
Curiosity getting the better of him, though his boredom probably had something to do with it, Kai decided to go and find out what it is they were planning. Usually you didn't poke your nose where it didn't belong when it came to top secret things, but if you looked at it objectively, it was all his boss' fault. If he'd been allowed to go on that mission with Hideaki, none of this would be happening right now.
It was well past midnight, so most of the people in the building had gone home, making it easier for Kai to make his way to the restricted wing of the place. He'd originally planned on waiting here until Hideaki returned to tell him about his mission, but he supposed this was a better use of his time. At least this way he wasn't waiting up like some loser.
Slipping into the vent system so that the cameras didn't detect him, the white haired man slowly made his way over the doorways and into the science and research department. He didn't really know where he was going, but he figured if he saw something interesting, he would stay and watch it for a bit until he figured out what they were doing. When he finally came upon a room filled with a bunch of filing cabinets, he kicked the vent open and dropped inside. This must be where all of the research was kept.
He looked around the small room, about to climb back into the vent system to continue to look around when a drawer caught his eye. It was labeled 'Project Revelation: Classified'. A smirk came to his face. That had to be the research his boss was talking about. The name itself was just too important and official sounding. He walked over and opened the drawer, pulling out the first file folder and reading over it.
As he scanned the contents he frowned, putting that folder back and taking out another one, though each time he did he became more confused. If this data was correct, they weren't working on a way to cure Contractors of their abilities and make them normal again. They were looking to wipe Contractors off the face of the earth completely. And they'd been experimenting on humans in order to get closer to their goal, despite how many died from the procedures.
Kai hastily put that folder back, searching through the drawer until he came upon the most recent folder. He pulled it out and opened it, his mortification increasing. According to this, they had been successful in creating an enzyme in a human girl's body that neutralized a Contractor's abilities. And in order to further their research, they wanted to use this woman's blood and bring in Contractors to experiment on as well. A thought entered his mind before he could stop it.
What would have happened to Izayoi if he'd been successful in bringing her in?
More than likely after his interrogation of her, and the possible use of the ME to get the information he wanted, they would have taken her away and experimented on her as well. Maybe even killed her. For some reason that thought didn't sit well with Kai. And if he really thought about it, they would eventually kill Hideaki, and the brunette, no matter how emotionless and annoying he got, was really his only friend, other than his cousin.
Deciding that he needed to see this woman for himself, he put the folder away and closed the drawer, before turning and climbing back up into the vent. He crawled around for a while, until he came upon a room with a simple label of 'Talia' on the door. If he remembered correctly, it was the name of the woman they had been experimenting on for years. The one that had survived the treatment and suddenly become so special.
He crawled through the vent so that he was looking into the room, and began to scan it for signs of activity. It looked like a typical lab, mixed with a bit of a torture chamber. Mostly it was filled with machines and tools, as well as an operating table with straps on it to tie down the subject. A small portion of the room was sealed off with glass, holes cut into the top to allow air into the room. Inside there was a tiny bed, a blurry form of a woman on top of it, and a toilet, and he doubted she ever got privacy when needing to use it.
Seeing that nobody was in the room, he kicked the vent in and dropped down, sneaking along the wall so that the security cameras didn't catch a glimpse of him. When he finally reached the glass room, he was able to see the woman named Talia more clearly. Disgust filled him when he saw that she was tied down to her bed, left lying on her back with her arms at her sides. There was just no way that that was comfortable. Her clothing was simple, of course, and consisted of a single white uniform, almost like a prisoner's, although the sleeves could be snapped and secured to make the top into a straight jacket. She looked so peaceful and innocent too, with long, gorgeous blonde locks that went down to her rear, and soft features. He could only guess at her eye color, but imagined it as stunning as her looks were. As he took all of this in, he made a decision that was probably going to decide his fate.
He was going to free her.
Reaching into his back pocket, he pulled out some putty that he could put over the lens of the cameras, allowing him easier movement around the room. Then he took out a small laser pen, turning it on and moving it in a small circle in the glass. When he finished, he turned the pen around and used the suction cup on the back, pulling the circle of glass back and silently setting it off to the side. Then he climbed through the hole, only taking two steps before he was beside the sleeping woman.
Before he could even do anything to free her, her eyes snapped open, revealing bright amber orbs that looked like liquid gold. Assuming she would scream, the white haired man quickly placed his hand over her mouth and signaled for her to be quiet. "My name is Ryū Kai." He whispered. "And I came to get you out of here. You want to be free, correct?" he asked.
She stared at him, her eyes wide and searching his own. But slowly, she nodded the best she could. Kai removed his hand from her mouth. Seeing that she wasn't going to make a noise, he pulled out a knife and cut the ropes keeping her to the bed. When they were all loosened, he put his knife away and took her hand, placing the other at her shoulder to help her sit up. "Can you walk?"
The blonde shook her head, slowly pulling up one of the pant legs and showing her bandaged legs. She looked back up at him, her eyes glistening with hope. She poked his chest and lifted her hand in a shrug, before pointing off. Kai smiled. "Not sure what you're trying to say, but don't worry. I can carry you out the way I got in."
She seemed confused, but lifted her arms in attempts to help him get her up. He sighed. "We're going to have to work on this no speech immobility thing kid." He told her, lifting her easily. "As well as put some more meat on your bones. Do they not feed you here?" he wondered, taking her out the way he had come in. When he came upon the vent it was a bit of a challenge, but eventually he managed to get Talia inside and get them out of the vicinity. It was difficult to get her out of the building, and when he did he hid her behind a bush. "I have to go get my car. I know you won't move, but try to stay hidden and quiet so that nobody finds you, okay?" he asked.
She nodded and gave him a thumbs up, before pulling the bushes further over her. Kai ran and got his car, pulling it up to the curb before getting out and opening the passenger door. He went back and scooped up Talia, taking her to the car and carefully placing her inside. He buckled her up, before shutting the door and going back around, taking no time at all to drive away and head for his apartment. "So, Talia, I know you don't really talk, but I do feel the need to why. Is it because you were drugged? Tap the dash once for no, and twice for yes." He instructed.
Talia leaned forward and tapped it twice, nodding her head to affirm him. She made a few hand gestures that looked similar to sign language. She watched him carefully before appearing to sigh. She made a gesture for writing and smiled.
"You can write?" Kai asked, trying to pay attention to her as well as the road. Luckily it was late and they were bare. "Don't worry, once we get to my place I'll get you a pen and paper."
She nodded and faced forward, looking around in curiosity. They drove for a little bit longer, before coming up on a mediocre looking apartment. Kai parked and carried her upstairs, taking her inside and setting her on the couch. Then he went and grabbed a pad of paper and a pen, taking them over to her. "Alright, now tell me, do you know about how long until the drugs wear off?"
Talia took them both and began scribbling down on the paper for a while before handing it back to him.
I don't know. It impairs my muscles and vocal cords.
Can I have some water? Also I am very hungry. Maybe cleansing my system will flush it out faster.
And why did you help me? Who are you really?
Kai looked over the page and shook his head. "Well, you sure have a lot of questions. I bet you're talkative." He smirked. "Here, I'll cook us something to eat, and answer your questions at the same time. We'll just move you to the dining room table so you're closer." He told her, letting her grab the pad and pen before he lifted her and put her at the table. Then he went into the kitchen and began to get out utensils to cook with. "Talia, I don't want to alarm you, but technically, I am a secret agent, spy, assassin…whatever needs to be done by the boss, I get it done. Most of the time." He shrugged, glancing at her as he mixed some ingredients together in a bowl. "Basically I work for the people who held you prisoner."
Her amber depths widened and she pointed at him angrily, making a few signs that were obviously not nice. She huffed and took her paper scribbling down on it before crumpling it up and throwing it at his head. Kai ducked, laughing when the paper hit the floor. "Feisty, aren't you?" he asked, pausing in his task and filling a glass with water and some ice. "Talia, don't worry, I'm not a bad guy." He said, setting the water before her. "I got bored tonight, read some classified stuff, found out about you, got curious, checked you out, got pissed off, and freed you." he summed up. "And now I plan on taking care of you and helping you." he went back into the kitchen to work on their dinner then.
She stared after him, frowning as she glanced back down at the pad and wrote out her next question.
Are you a contractor?
Talia contemplated flipping it over, but slid it closer to the side of the table that the door was close to. She waited patiently, sipping at the water as time passed until finally he came back out and placed the food on the table.
He glanced at the paper before going and taking his seat. "No, I'm not." The white haired man said, taking a bite of rice. "But my partner is. He's a little stiff, but an all around good guy."
She pulled the paper back and wrote something else.
You know that I am a contractor, right?
"Yeah, I read your file. It's interesting, the ability to cancel out another Contractor's abilities. Must be pretty useful." He mused, continuing to eat. "Is the chicken to your liking? I tend to overcook things sometimes, so I apologize if it's a bit dry."
Talia blinked and looked down, having not eaten it yet. So she quickly took her fork and began to eat. She chewed it for a while before swallowing and continuing to eat. It definitely wasn't the worst thing she'd ever had, but he sure was no culinary genius. Kai let her eat, wanting her to finish before he continued their line of questioning. When she was done, he rose and took her plate, going and washing them. "So Talia, I'm not going to lie to you and say that your abilities don't interest me, because they do, but I'm not going to use you for them. I don't exactly have everything worked out in my head on how I want to proceed with this information, but once you can talk again and can fill me in on what wasn't in your file, I'll come up with something."
She arched a curious brow and took the pen once more.
Come up with something for what?
"To stop them." the white haired man replied, going back to the table and sitting next to her. "I may work for them, but I don't believe in the killing of Contractors just to wipe them off the planet. They're people too, despite how insensitive they can be." he smiled slightly. "Plus I have an…interest, in one that I met about a week ago. I just can't get her out of my head."
Talia grew even more confused.
You like a contractor? How? They give you nothing in return.
Kai smiled. "Don't I know it." he sighed. "But I can't help it. She's just so beautiful, and deadly…such a mystery too. I saw her interact with her brothers and her cousin, and I know she cares for them. So it gives me a glimmer of hope that maybe she could someday come to care for me." he shrugged.
The blonde slammed her hand on the table and glared at him, fury and sadness swirling in her amber depths. She grabbed the pen and angrily wrote on the paper, and even Kai could feel himself becoming overcome with emotions.
They never care. Do not let them fool you.
She set the pen down and shoved it towards him, crossing her arms. He arched a brow and looked at her. "But you care. I can see it written all over your face." he cocked his head to the side and gave her a contemplative look. "So what makes you different?"
She rolled her eyes and took the paper back and turned it so he couldn't see as she wrote.
Because. My power doesn't just cancel out others, it makes other people feel. Even contractors, if I focus hard enough or touch them directly. That's why I feel. It works on me automatically. I also don't have a payment.
"Convenient." Kai breathed out, rubbing the back of his neck. He returned his stormy gaze to her. "Talia, would you be willing to help me stop the people I work for, the people that held you prisoner? It would mean we might be working with Izayoi…the woman I was talking about. I know you don't like Contractors, but it will take a lot to bring these people down. And I won't trust her right away, I'm not an idiot. We'll have to test her first…see if she actually is willing to help us."
She sighed and started writing once more.
My mother is one of the top scientists. The whole program was originally supposed to help contractors return to how we normally were. But it was corrupted by Hajime, my step-father. He's also the CEO of the company. They want to kill them all now so they know they are safe. I don't want contractors to die, but I cannot be around them at all times. So maybe it would be best if they were all dead?
Kai shook his head. "Not every Contractor is bad. They're just different. Sure, they think and act based on logic, not emotion, but not all of them are criminals, or evil. It'd be like Contractors deciding to kill every human because we're too emotional and weak. Not 'special', like they are." he reasoned.
Humans are better. They feel and care, not like contractors. If contractors were worth anything, or even thought about others instead of themselves at all, we wouldn't even be in this situation.
She pushed the paper towards him and crossed her arms, signaling she was done speaking with him about the matter.
"So…you're not willing to help me stop them?" he asked, wanting to clarify.
Talia shrugged, looking off. He sighed once more and stood. "Well, you're obviously done writing, so I think it's time to get some sleep." He announced. "You can go ahead and sleep in my bed, and I'll take the couch out here. I can offer you some of my clothes to sleep in, if you'd rather be in something a little more comfortable."
She stood and took the paper once more, scribbling something before going off to his offered room. Kai watched her disappear before looking down at the paper.
Thank you.
A small smile came to his face as he followed her, taking out a baggy shirt and shorts for her and placing them on the bed. "Here you go." He said, taking a pillow off of the bed, as well as the blanket at the end of it. "Tomorrow I'll go out and get you some clothes, you can just give me your sizes and preferences as to style and color." He smiled. "Goodnight Talia."
Talia made a sign at him, which he assumed meant goodnight, because she took the clothes and went to change. He turned and went out to the living room, turning everything off and getting comfortable on the couch. Letting out one last sigh, he closed his eyes and hoped that Talia changed her mind. Because without her help, it was going to be hell stopping these people.