A/N: I'm putting in my OC family, the Kitagawas. I created them for a Weiss Kreus fanfiction, and I thought they'd be perfect for a guest appearance here.
Chapter 22:
"Can we talk?" Albert asked her. Francoise looked up from her knitting and realized it was almost midnight. The parlor was empty except for the German man sitting at the rickety, old harpsichord. He sat on the small bench with a large decanter of tart, red wine and a mostly empty glass. Albert drained it and set it aside.
"Of course," she said, rapidly continuing her stitches. She was grateful Kaminari's elderly neighbor-lady was a bored widow who loved to knit, crochet, and cross-stitch. It was at least something to take her mind off of her situation.
"You haven't spoken to us in days. Ivan's going to wake up tomorrow, so we should try to figure something out."
"What is there to talk about? You, Jet, and Ivan seem to have plans on how you want to live your lives. What could I say to possibly change your minds?"
"It's not that I want to do this," Albert said. "But you know the Black Ghost need to be stopped. That's the important thing. Also, the world isn't big enough for us to hide. They're everywhere."
"I know," Francoise snapped, as she dropped a burgundy-colored stitch. She scowled and started jerking at the yarn as Albert looked up at her. She paused at seeing his somber expression.
"My life was changed through faults of my own and these men. If I don't use what I have, now, against them, I may as well surrender to them. There are innocent people out there, like you, who could be next. Ivan says they won't stop. They have plans for more cyborgs," Albert said somberly.
Francoise nodded slowly, trying to swallow, in spite of her choked feeling. He stood up, walked across the room, and sat next to her. He took a deep breath before saying, "I know Jean-Paul's strong sense of right and wrong is in you. I know you're brave. Please tell me what's bothering you. It's more than just stealing from them."
Francoise, rather than a reflexive denial, started knitting again. Her mind went to Jean-Paul; she couldn't help but wonder if the Black Ghost had found him. She also took a deep breath and could imagine a disdainful look in her brother's aqua-colored eyes at her behavior over the last few days.
"Albert, it isn't the morality of stealing that's bothering me right now. It's just that I don't find it a good idea to do this to satisfy Jet's craving for revenge."
Albert chuckled. "I thought you knew him better than that. Don't get me wrong, he wants to get back at them. You have to understand he's the type of young man that needs to take action when he sees something that's wrong. Everything is personal to him, because when he was a child, he couldn't do anything about the horrible things around him. It's built a lot of resentment and anger inside of him. It's not just the Black Ghost for him. It is about seeing justice happen. It's just that..." Albert leaned over and whispered, "...he doesn't have the appropriate words to express himself. He's too jaded, and yet too young, to make himself vulnerable enough to talk about his fears of going back to the Black Ghost. To him, he'd think himself weak if he were to ever vocalize such things."
Francoise smirked as Albert leaned back on the settee. All she said was, "You men."
"I know." He smirked back, but then his expression darkened again. "I am uncomfortable with involving you in this. I'm thinking you should stay behind."
"I do realize this could harm the Black Ghost and slow them down."
"So, are you seriously thinking of joining us?"
"I'll talk openly about what is bothering me. I've had time to think about it." She watched Albert get up and pour himself another glass of wine, before sitting beside her again. She shook her head at an offer to pour her some. "It's just that I've lost so much. So have you, Jet, and Ivan. We'll be risking so much, our lives, our freedom." Francoise held up her hand to silence him. "And don't doubt that I wouldn't be willing to risk those things to save someone else this same fate. I worry about us being back under their influence. God forbid they get their hands on Ivan. They could twist him and use him as a weapon. That goes for all of us."
Albert scowled slightly and slowly shook his head. "Ivan's not doing well right now. He's too intelligent, and that means he needs a purpose to keep him stable. I want you to know, this won't be forever. I promise it won't." Albert's lips twisted into a sour expression. "I know I haven't kept all my promises, but this one, I will."
Francoise gave him a smile and set aside her knitting. She laid her hand on top of his left, mostly flesh hand and squeezed it slightly. "So long as we can do some good, I'm willing to help."
"We'll stop them from doing this again, Francoise."
"You're sounding more optimistic than I'm used to, Albert. And talkative, too."
She shivered at the dry tone when he said, "I have to be. You and Jet have changed me."
Francoise quietly knitted as Albert sipped his wine. She decided to try to be more agreeable with Jet. It hadn't dawned on her before that the acrimony between them was causing the older man stress. Albert was always like a rock. Still, that didn't give Francoise a right to cause the man extra grief. Yes, she could make more of an effort to be a little more charitable towards Jet.
Gilmore gave a wide smile to Gaea as the bearded, Greek scientist walked into the biochemist's laboratory. "Excellent progress on the muscle enhancements, Demetri. With these changes, we can increase a person's strength five times."
"I won't be happy until it's ten times," the man grumbled and took a seat on a stool beside Gilmore. The man frowned. "Anyway, there are more budget cuts."
"Don't worry about that. So long as we keep producing, we can sell our discoveries to supplement the Black Ghost. I have every confidence."
"You are right. Did you see what Dressler came up with?"
"You mean Otto? No, what?" Gilmore asked, his eyes darted around.
"He took Ember's brat and aged her," Gaea whispered, a gleam came to his dark eyes as Gilmore fought to keep the horrified expression off his face. Gaea frowned, "But it only worked to a point. She now looks about twelve or so, all within three weeks! It's what that loon Erika Gamo wanted, anyway. The catch is that she's still just five-years-old in her mind."
"Which should have been expected," Gilmore finished.
"Yes, but don't you see? You can train the children and there would be no memories of their past to interfere with their loyalties. You could make them perfect, unlike those idiotic Double Zero Cyborgs. Who's idea was it to let them keep their memories, anyway?"
"Mine! How do you expect a cyborg to function without past knowledge and experience? If you make a clean slate of the mind, you'll have no way to use them effectively."
"Don't get so uptight, Isaac. Looks like I'm right, anyway. No Double Zero Cyborgs around here, hun? If you would have listened to me..."
Gilmore fixed him with an icy glare. "I would insist on the same, again and again."
"Well, what Uranus and I are working on will make cyborgs more efficient. They are machines of war."
"I'm not forgetting it! Wait... what are you and Uranus working on? I thought you two were taking a hiatus."
"Yes, but, Dressler's growth formula, and its success, inspired us to find two new test subjects." Gaea took a photo out of his tweed jacket and handed it to Gilmore. Two children, one a redheaded little boy, the other a raven-haired little girl, were in the picture. They both looked starved, dirty, and scared. "We just bought them from Hondo Kitagawa. He had a two for the price of one special. Plus, his brother-in-law, that Takuma Shimamura, agreed to a, let's call it a private loan, to bankroll our project."
Gilmore handed back the photo, fighting down his rage. "The electronics guru? That Takuma Shimamura? Isn't he in some shady business?"
Gaea waved his hand and said, "No, you got them wrong. It's Kitagawa that's the gangster. He's into everything from slavery, drugs, guns, murder. You name it, that man has done it, but he keeps a clean appearance. To the public, he looks like a benevolent bank president. That wife of his is still a popular, Japanese movie actress, so he needs to keep up appearances for her."
"But both Kitagawa and Shimamura are Merchants of Death?" Gilmore asked, forcing a half-smile to his face.
"Now, Issac, you know we aren't allowed to discuss who holds the purse strings."
"Aw, come on, Demetri. It's just us," Gilmore said, looking back into his microscope. "You and Gregory have been so tight lipped. You know if Scar catches on to any little side project you may be doing..."
"Alright! Yes, they're both members, but you didn't hear it from me. And don't go spreading it around," Gaea threatened.
"Oh you know me, I'm just a bit nosy and love good gossip," Gilmore said.
"Anyway, I'm hungry. Uranus is meeting me for lunch."
Gilmore looked at his watch. "It's kind of late for lunch."
"We've been avoiding Erika Gamo. That ugly witch is everywhere. I think she's on to us."
"Well, let me join you and Gregory. I'm famished myself. Time has slipped away."
"Sure thing," Gaea said, hopping off the stool.
Gilmore followed the Greek scientist out of the lab and clearly formed the thought /Is that what you needed?/
/Get them to talk about where one of them lives, preferably Kitagawa./
/No problem, Ivan. By the way, how are the others?/
/Doing well. Doctor Kaminari is taking good care of us./
Gilmore allowed himself a smile. /Tell him he had better./ Gilmore then elbowed Gaea and asked, "So I heard those Kitagawas are rich. I bet they have a nice country home."
"Oh yes. Gregory and I met him in his personal library. Beautiful mahogany furnishings. The house it just north, a thirty minute drive from the airport. It was close by the ocean. However, right now he's still in Switzerland doing business."
"Really?" Gilmore was silent as he followed Gaea down the hallway.
/That's great for our location. Could you find out more about Kitagawa?/
/Uranus is more of a gossip. Listen in and we can find out more when we meet him for lunch./
"Our target, Hondo Kitagawa, is rather close. In Switzerland. It's a good opportunity to confront him far away from his home and family. He'll be dealing with large quantities of money and some illegal things," Ivan explained in a neutral tone.
Albert watched Ivan pace in front of him, Jet, and Kozumi. It was early dawn in the parlor, but the drapes had been drawn so tight that Albert couldn't shake off his grogginess.
"Wait a minute. You mean Hondo Kitagawa the banker?" Kozumi asked.
"That's the one," Ivan confirmed. "I take it you are familiar with your fellow countryman?"
"His wife is quite famous in Japan. She's a very attractive actress. They have a nine year old son," Kozumi said. "She's starred in many, many films. He's known as a very intelligent investment banker that works with a lot of popular, technology based businesses."
"The wife and child won't be in Switzerland," Ivan said. "They'll be in Japan. She's in some new film according to the gossip I overheard."
"Good. Now, say we take his money and run? What's to keep him from coming after us? Or sending Black Ghost after us? He's a Merchant of Death and he will have some sway over them," Albert asked.
Ivan's face grew more dower. "He'll be busy in jail by the end of it. The reason I picked him is that he'll be very vulnerable. We hit him near his Switzerland safe house. Then, we call the police. When the police get there, they'll be more concerned with Kitagawa-san than any rumors about us. He's engaging in some extremely reprehensible criminal actives."
"Yes, but this will give away our position," Albert asked. "What's our get-away plan?"
"Easy. Not even Erika can track me right after I teleport. I'll save most of my energy until the end and move us wherever you chose."
"Anywhere?" Albert prompted. He avoided looking at Jet's bored expression as Ivan nodded and continued to pace. He could feel the redhead start to fidget, though. "Alright, how many men does he travel with?"
"Just three. They'll be armed. The safe house typically has eight regular people there in various capacities. All armed, though."
"So we confront Kitagawa as he's driving to his safe house. Then we make him take us to his safe house, take the currency there, and call the police?" Albert asked.
"That's the general plan. He'll only have regular bodyguards. No psychics or cyborg enhancements. If we're careful, it should be no problem," Ivan said.
"Let's get to it," Jet said, hopping off the settee.
"Francoise isn't ready yet," Albert pointed out.
"How much longer?" Jet griped.
"Kaminari said only an hour. He'd been working on his project with her, and our Kitagawa project happens to fit nicely with Francoise's abilities. We can't go in without every advantage we can muster," Ivan said. "She's not independent of us any longer and needs..."
A knock at the door froze them all. Kozumi was the one who hopped up and shooed the rest of them into the kitchen. Ivan sat at the table with a subtle smile, his right eye glowing a bright blue. Albert and Jet peeked around the door frame, watching Kozumi answer the door. The man accepted the large, brown package and closed the door. The Japanese man set down the package as Jet and Albert walked over.
"It's from Gilmore, addressed to Kaminari. What is it?" Kozumi asked.
"It's actually for us," Ivan replied, joining them. "It's replacement uniforms and guns. We'll need them, if we're going to start hitting the Black Ghost back."
"Never thought I'd be glad to put that thing on," Jet said, ripping into the box. "Look, everything is here."
"When Francoise wakes up from her alterations, we'll travel to Switzerland," Albert said, hoisting up one of the ray guns. "Kozumi, you had better get back to Japan. We'll let you know what happens."
"Well, good luck."
To be continued.