Jay was waiting outside the infirmary, he was still shocked by what he had learned last night. He was biting his fingernails with stress, he didn't know how to react to this news. When Kyoshiro arrived, he sighed tiredly when he saw Jay.
"What do you want now?" Kyoshiro asked exasperated.
"I need to talk to you about something." Replied Jay.
"Can't it wait? I haven't even had my coffee yet." Said Kyoshiro.
"No not really, it's important." Said Jay.
"Okay, at least let me open the infirmary so we can be quiet." Said Kyoshiro.
The doctor opened the infirmary and entered accompanied by Jay, Kyoshiro lit the coffee pot while Jay sat on one of the beds.
Kyoshiro arrived with two cups and gave one to Jay. "Here, this should do you good. You still look like shit."
"Yeah, I just discovered something... Special." Jay said.
"And what is that?" Kyoshiro asked.
Stressed, Jay drank some of his coffee before asking. "Did you know that Koto was the mother of the chief?"
A silence settled in the infirmary, Kyoshiro drank his coffee in one gulp before retorting. "Well yeah, do you know many real redheads in Japan?"
"Excuse me?" Jay asked confused.
"Well yeah, there aren't many redheads here and even fewer who look like Koto." Said Kyoshiro.
Jay was surprised by Kyoshiro's reaction, but he was even more surprised when Yukina came out of the ventilation and asked "What are you talking about?"
"Where are you coming from?!" Jay asked surprised.
"I was in the vent!" Said Yukina with a big smile.
"Why?!" Jay asked.
"Because!" Replied Yukina again with a big smile. "What are you talking about?"
"About Kourin being Koto's daughter." Kyoshiro replied, "It took you longer to come here than it did to come here."
"I didn't sleep well last night, but at least I found an idea for our problem." Said Yukina. "But I didn't know that Koto was her mother."
"There are not many redheads in Japan, you know." Said Kyoshiro.
"Oh, that's not wrong." Realized Yukina.
"Is it normal for you that she comes in like that?" Jay asked.
"I stopped asking myself a question a while ago, I just know she'll manage to find a way in somewhere." Said Kyoshiro.
"But in any case, what should I do with this information?" Asked Jay.
"Don't do anything with it." Replied Kyoshiro.
"What do you mean?" Jay was confused by this. "Doesn't it matter to you that she's the daughter of the one who mutilated you?"
"Yeah it doesn't matter." Kyoshiro stood up and poured himself another cup of coffee. "Koto didn't have a daughter when she ripped my arm off and Kourin had nothing to do with it." Surprising Jay, Yukina pinched Kyoshiro's arm and he responded. "What's wrong?!"
"You were too calm and collected, you didn't seem yourself..." Said Yukina.
"I have the right to not be mad all the time!" Said Kyoshiro.
"No, it's just weird to see you so calm." Said Yukina snidely.
"Are you guys done with your bullshit!" Interpelled Jay. "I just want an answer on what I should do!"
"You really want my answer?" Asked Kyoshiro.
"Yes." Jay replied.
"Don't do anything, that's what I've been saying all along." Explained Kyoshiro, "Seriously, listen to the old man I am for once."
"I'll give it a try then." Said Jay. "It's just a bit of a shocker." Jay got up and left.
As soon as Jay had left the infirmary, Kyoshiro started a pot of coffee to brew. "Well then, kid. What's your idea for our problem?" Kyoshiro asked.
"Oh yeah! Remember how we can't come up with a prosthetic idea to get Shiryu's attention?" Interrogated Yukina.
"How can I forget something so simple?" Kyoshiro retorted.
"Well, I noticed that we went the wrong way to get his attention! You don't have to use a prosthetic, you just have to use your Overburst System!" Said Yukina.
"Why my Overburst System?" Asked Kyoshiro.
"Because no Phoenix soldier has it!" Answered Yukina.
Kyoshiro looked at Yukina surprised and at the same time confused by the mechanic's answer. "Are you kidding me right now?"
"No, why?" Yukina retorted.
"The Overburst System is just an improved version of the Burst System I found in a Shocker bunker." Explained Kyoshiro, "Did Shiryu lose his touch for not understanding this?" Kyoshiro wondered.
Yukina poured herself a cup of coffee and filled it with sugar and cream while Kyoshiro continued to whisper questions to himself and take notes.
In a deserted area, Yosuke, who had several bandages on his face, was driving his motorcycle to a huge military complex. After parking his motorcycle he went to the entrance gate.
"Hello General!" The soldier guarding the entrance of the complex greeted Yosuke.
"At ease, soldier." Yosuke replied.
"Why are you here?" Questioned the soldier.
"I was ordered to join our leader here." Answered Yosuke while showing his identification papers.
"Please take the elevator." Said the soldier.
General Yosuke entered the elevator and began to have chills and bad feeling.
"God, I hate this place." Yosuke whispered to himself as he pressed the buttons of the elevator.
Yosuke descended deep into the complex, passing the myriad of laboratories where experiments were being conducted. Some of the experiments were simple, but others chilled Yosuke's blood as he saw men, women and children being cut open and ripped apart from the inside like sacks, some being pumped with steroids and other anabolic drugs and others being sewn back together almost impossibly with their bones turned in unlikely directions and their skin pulled to the maximum and looking more like leather than human skin. Yosuke tried not to look inside the labs, but the screams of pain from the specimens made his stomach hurt.
"Hey! Kitten!" The voice Yosuke had just heard gave him a small smile despite the atmosphere. The Phoenix General turned to see that Jack was present, also covered in bandages but he also had a funny armband was on his right bicep. "What are you doing here, kitten?"
"Dan called me here, probably to punish me for failing to protect Koto." Yosuke replied.
Jack put his arm around Yosuke's neck "No, don't worry the old man isn't even here!"
"Why did Dan tell me to come here then?" Yosuke asked.
"He told me to tell you to go see, Doc X. Apparently you're going to get a new upgrade to beat Kyoshiro." Said Jack.
"Again?!" Said Yosuke tiredly.
"Be happy apparently this one should put you on the same level as the terrorist." Jack laughed.
"The one before was supposed to do that." Yosuke removed Jack's arm from his neck before pointing to the armband and asked. "What's this for?"
"Oh this, I'm still under the influence of Kyoshiro's gravitational manipulation. So I need this to be able to move freely." Jack answered.
" It's still there after all this time? " Yosuke asked.
"Yeah, apparently it's not temporary." Said Jack.
Yosuke and Jack continued to move through the complex until they came to a simplistic laboratory where a scientist was entering data into a computer. Yosuke was surprised by the stature of the scientist, everything seemed very small compared to him, he felt like an ant next to the man. The scientist had short gray hair and bright blue eyes. Underneath his white coat, he wore a gray shirt, green cargo pants and thick black rangers.
"You're early." Said the man very articulately.
"Excuse me?" Yosuke asked confused.
"You, Yosuke Kurogawa, are early, but I had planned this." The scientist stood up and he is twice the size of Yosuke. He went to Yosuke and Jack before saying. "You can leave us Jack."
"If you want Shiryu, I'll see if there are any hotties somewhere." Said Jack.
"Second level, tenth door on the right of the cafeteria." Said Shiryu.
"Thanks, old man!" Said Jack as he left.
There was a silence as soon as Jack left, Yosuke was a little scared of Shiryu, the man was twice his size and stature.
"You must be asking yourself a lot of questions." Said Shiryu breaking the silence. "So I will answer them. Yes, I am Doctor X and I am the one who gave you your Nemea Driver."
"How did you know I was going to ask that?" Yosuke asked surprised.
"The human mind is simple to predict." Said Shiryu coldly.
Shiryu's cold eyes pierced Yosuke, which made him shiver. "What did you call me for?" Yosuke asked trying to change the subject.
"I think I understood how the Overburst System works." Shiryu answered.
"What does that have to do with me, sir?" Yosuke questioned.
"I will implant it in you to confirm my theory." These words made Yosuke's blood run cold. "Don't worry, I have tested this on several prisoners first, you have more than 90% chance of surviving."
"If you say so..." Yosuke was still a little scared of Shiryu, he was so cold that he almost looked like an automaton.
"Now undress and put on the gown, I would administer an anesthesia after you lay down and I will start the operation." Said Shiryu as he walked back to the computer and pressed a button.
Suddenly one of the doors opened and an operating table came out quickly and stood between Shiryu and Yosuke.
"Lie down." Shiryu ordered.
Yosuke was wary of this, he was afraid of what might happen. "Are you sure?..." He asked.
"I always ask myself the pros and cons of every decision I make and the percentages of chance." Shiryu began to enter data into the computer. "You have nothing to worry about."
Yosuke was still worried and suspicious, but had no other choice. He undressed and put on a hospital gown before lying down on the operating table. As soon as the General lay down, Shiryu rolled over in his chair and put an anesthetic mask on Yosuke's face. As Yosuke was about to be unconscious for the operation, he saw Shiryu take out a dozen medical tools.
In the small hut that served as Kyoshiro's room, the doctor was working on a medical file while Yukina was present tinkering with a prosthesis she had found on the floor.
"Kyo?" Yukina asked.
Kyoshiro closed the file and sneered, "So before I even answer you, you'll give up the nickname."
"Why?" Yukina questioned.
"Because no one gives me nicknames except my wife." Kyoshiro replied.
"And why can't I?" Yukina received in response, a flick on the forehead from Kyoshiro.
"I told you why, idiot. There is only one person who ever gave me a nickname and that was my wife." Kyoshiro replied.
"Well okay..." Yukina rubbed her forehead to soothe the pain of the flick. "But now will you answer my question?"
"Ask it and quickly." Kyoshiro replied.
"How does the Overburst System work? All I know is that when you activate it you create electricity." she questioned.
"Well, it's simple." Kyoshiro stood shirtless and showed a scar over his heart. "The Burst System, forces the cybernetic modifications to work at their maximum capacity for a short time but it differs depending on the person. I am so used to using it that I have no limit. It is placed in the heart to send enzymes and other dopants that it filters out of the waste products that the body creates so that it always has a supply."
Yukina looked at the scar closely before saying "I have another question."
"What is it?" Kyoshiro asked.
"You just mentioned the Burst System, but what's different about the Overburst System?" Yukina asked.
"Well, it's very simple, when my assistant put the Burst System on me, I felt like my body was rejecting it." Kyoshiro explained.
Several years ago. In an old bunker in bad shape, Kyoshiro was lying in a makeshift bed and was very sick, he was sweating like crazy to the point that his blanket was soaked and his fever was at its highest.
*cough* *cough*
Kyoshiro coughed into his hand, he looked inside to see that blood was present with a disgusted look on his face. He stood up with a blanket on his back and walked to a desk that was covered with dozens of bottles of painkillers and took one in his hands.
*pop*
He lifted the cap of the bottle with one finger before swallowing all the pills to calm the pain that was running through his body. His expression changed to one of disgust after swallowing the whole bottle.
"Boss! I'm back!" Said a male voice in the distance.
"I'm coming!" Kyoshiro prepared to go towards the entrance of the Bunker, but...
*rip*
Kyoshiro looked back at the noise to see that one of the large electrical cables that was on the ceiling had just torn due to wear and tear. It came down at such a speed that Kyoshiro couldn't dodge it in his state and got electrified by the cable. Kyoshiro felt the thousands of volts running through his body from the little knives that passed through his nervous system and into his flesh.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHH !" Kyoshiro began to scream in pain.
The screams of pain attracted a man in his thirties, he had short brown hair and jade green eyes. He was wearing a red and white checkered shirt with blue jeans, a pair of sneakers and a lab coat.
The thirty-year-old cut the power, which finally stopped the electrification of Kyoshiro who fell to the ground.
"Boss! Boss!" The man called out to the weakened Kyoshiro.
"Shinji..." Said Kyoshiro, before falling the unconscious.
"And after that what?" Yukina asked.
"Shinji put me back in bed and for a week the bunker's fuses kept blowing up while I was in a coma. As soon as I woke up, apparently all my symptoms were gone and according to the other medical examination Shinji gave me, the Burst System had changed." Kyoshiro explained.
"What do you mean?" Yukina questioned.
"It had merged with my heart to the point of becoming completely organic and part of my body." Said Kyoshiro.
"So it's like a new organ?" Asked Yukina.
"Exactly and I have a theory about it." Answered Kyoshiro.
"That the Burst System needed a great level of energy, like the electrification you underwent, in order to evolve and change?" Yukina asked.
" ... Sometimes I wonder how your brain works?" Asked Kyoshiro, but all he got for an answer was a silly smile from Yukina. "But yeah, that's exactly right, all we need is a big source of energy that the Burst System can feed on. That explains all the deaths before me, the Burst System fed on the 'energy' of its host killing it."
"So, if Shiryu understood this, would he try to replicate this?" Yukina asked.
"No. He would try to change factors like-"
"He would use fire instead of electricity or ice and other large energy sources to see if it would still work." Said Yukina as she cut Kyoshiro off.
Kyoshiro slapped Yukina on the back of the head before saying. "I really need to give you an IQ test, you are too smart at times."
"But then, do you think that using the Overbust System is still a good idea?" Yukina questioned.
"Yes, it's only suspicions we have for now and then I'm the living result of the Overburst System so a perfect bait. Now we just need to find a good time to lure it." Replied Kyoshiro.
"Why not just send him a message or a letter?" Yukina asked.
"What do we have to lose." Kyoshiro replied which surprised Yukina.
"Are you going to follow my idea?!" Yukina asked, surprised.
"You can't get into his base even if you infiltrate it and the security is so tight that to force your way in would be suicide even for me." Kyoshiro put on a T-shirt and stood up, "So, what message do you want to send to that robot?"
"I have no idea." Yukina replied.
"We'll find an idea, let's keep thinking." Said Kyoshiro as he went to the coffee maker. "I'll make us some coffee to last us through the night, what do you want with yours?"
"Sugar and milk, please!" Said Yukina with a big smile.
"Coming right up." Said Kyoshiro as he started the coffee pot.
As the coffee pot filled up, Kyoshiro and Yukina continued to come up with ideas for the message to send to Shiryu and how they will send it.
After a few days, Yosuke woke up in the infirmary of the base after the operation he had undergone. He was still a bit tired from that, Yosuke sat up in his bed and noticed that Jack was next to him which surprised him.
"How long have you been here?!" Yosuke asked surprised.
"Since 10 minutes ago." Jack stood up and threw a uniform in Yosuke's face. "Get up, Dan is calling us." Jack said in a cold tone which surprised Yosuke.
"Did something happen while I was knocked out?" Yosuke asked as he stood up.
"You'll see." Jack walked out of the infirmary.
Yosuke was confused by what had just happened, Jack who was usually relaxed and carefree had become serious. Yosuke couldn't imagine what had happened while he was recovering. After putting on his uniform Yosuke came out of the infirmary to see that Jack was waiting for him and he looked even more serious than the General had noticed.
"Seriously, what happened?" Yosuke asked.
"You'll see for yourself." Jack replied.
"Can you at least tell me, I was knocked out for how long?" Yosuke asked.
"A week." Said Jack.
"A week?! I was unconscious for a week?!" Asked Yosuke.
"Exactly, now hurry up." Jack ordered.
The duo hurried and arrived at Shiryu's laboratory to see Dan sitting at Shiryu's desk. Yosuke looked around and was surprised to see that a metallic body was lying on an operating table, the body was wearing only military pants and a pair of black rangers. But the most impressive and surprising thing about the body was that it was missing its head and it seemed to have been torn off.
Yosuke was both shocked and terrified by the body, but also by the aura that Dan gave off, despite his cold and calm face, the General could feel the anger of the Phoenix Leader.
"What the hell happened?" Yosuke whispered.
"A fight happened." Yosuke was surprised to see that Dan had heard him.
"A fight between who?" Yosuke asked.
"Between Kyoshiro and Shiryu." Dan took a remote control in his hand and started a video on all the screens present.
The video showed Kyoshiro with Koto tied to a chair. Koto was a mess, all her teeth had been forcibly pulled out, the same with her fingernails and most of her fingers and toes had been broken in impossible bends.
"Hey!" Kyoshiro called, "I know you don't care if I'm okay or how well I've managed to walk and move again, but I know what you care about most." Kyoshiro pointed to his heart. "You want to know how I created the Overburst System and I'm willing to give it to you on one condition. I want a fight against you, just you against me, a simple fight with no cheating."
"He wants a fight? But why?" Yosuke asked.
"Because he knows he can't infiltrate this base. The security here is impossible to break through with the resources he has." Explained Dan.
"So if you win, you can dissect me all you want in order to understand the Overburst System and if I win..." Kyoshiro grabbed Koto by the hair and raised his head. "I want your noggin. Your huge, powerful, noggin, the one that allowed you to understand most of the world's secrets and how to create all those new cyborgs. That's what I want." Kyoshiro pulled out a grenade and pulled the pin. "And I know you're not going to say no, because you're exactly like me." Kyoshiro stuffed the grenade into Koto's mouth. "You mustn't open it or else you'll go Kaboom." Kyoshiro went to the camera, took it and filmed himself with it. "Like I said, you're just like me, you'll do anything to get more knowledge where to reach your goal-"
BOOM*
Pieces of flesh and bone covered part of Kyoshiro's face, "No one never listen to me anyway" Kyoshiro turned the camera to show Koto's headless body as her throat gushed blood like a fountain. "Roughly speaking, you against me. You get my heart if you win, and I get your noggin if I win."
Yosuke had an epiphany. "Wait... The body over there..."
"That's Shiryu's." Jack replied.
"The fight would be in two days at the airport! Prepare yourself well!" Said Kyoshiro before the video was stopped.
"When did this message arrive?!" Asked Yosuke.
"Three days after your surgery." Answered Dan.
"What about the fight?" Yosuke asked.
"That was yesterday." Dan brought up a video of the airport which was completely destroyed and covered in burns, but what surprised Yosuke the most was that some of the debris was filled with electricity and attracted each other like magnets.
Yosuke could not but be amazed by the state in which the airport was and he could only wonder what had happened.
A/N : Sorry for the lack of updates, i've been having a burnout recently but i'm happy to have been able to get this out.