CHINA, HONG KONG - VARIOUS: 23 JUN 2013
Maseo escorted his family towards the boat that would take them to Japan. Waller had released him from ARGUS service. We are free. We are finally free. He was overjoyed with happiness. The Alpha-Omega Virus is safely in the hands of ARGUS and locked away. Hopefully, never to be seen again.
Maseo spotted a man in a worn-out hoodie while walking down the dock. He was sporting a recognizable blonde beard. His face was shaded. The man from the plane? My shadow? He smiled larger. He approached the man in shadow.
"My friend," Maseo greeted him. "I was not sure I would see you again."
"I was not sure myself if I should be seen," Sah-him replied with a hint of a smile. He was glad to see Maseo look so happy. He had been following him today out of habit. When he noticed that their destination at the docks, he figured they were leaving Hong Kong. Maseo did say that he would be released from service to ARGUS once the virus was secure. Apparently, Waller had some honor.
"You have come to see us off then?" Maseo asked.
"I have," Sah-him replied. "You are returning to Japan?" he asked.
"We are," Maseo replied.
Tatsu and Akio watched Sah-him curiously. "Who is your friend, Maseo?" Tatsu asked in English.
"I have given up most of my names," Sah-him replied with a smile. "You may call me Arrow now."
"Arrow?" Akio asked. "Isn't that a simple name?" he asked with the innocence of a child.
"It is," Sah-him replied with a grin. "That is why I like it best."
"You must not have many friends," Tatsu told him in a chastising tone.
Sah-him smiled at her. "My soul has bonded to the only two people I need. My shield and my fate," he said with a smile.
"A soul bond," Tatsu said approvingly.
A flick of light drew Sah-him's eyes to the dock workers. They are were not dressed like real dock workers. His eyes narrowed. He started to push Akio behind him and away from the dock workers. Maseo noticed his look and actions. He looked in the same direction.
"Kuso!" Maseo swore in Japanese. He immediately drew his gun. =Tatsu, take Akio and run,= he said in Japanese.
"Maseo?" Tatsu asked as she gathered her son and dropped her bags. The only thing she held was her katana and her son's hand.
"I recognize one as ARGUS," Maseo snapped at her as the lead dock worker drew his gun on them. "I should not have believed Waller would let us go," he told Sah-him.
The attackers established their ambush further down the dock. The Yamashiros stopped to talk to Sah-him on the docks. This was out of range of their ambush site. The dockworkers attempted to change their ambush. But Sah-him noticed them. Sah-him and the Yamashiros were able to see the attack and react as a result. Their ambush had failed and their targets were warned.
The attackers had not counted on Sah-him at all. He killed one of the attackers with a bolt thrown from his hand. He stole the gun. He began to methodically drop every man who raised arms against them. His aim was deadly and accurate. Tatsu, Maseo, Akio, and Sah-him were able to make their way back to the start of the dock before they had to dodge sniper fire.
A sniper positioned himself at the end of the docks on a roof overlooking the dock they were on. The sniper was out of reach. The sniper had split them into two groups. The Yamashiros were trapped on one side, while Akio and Sah-him were trapped on the other side.
Maseo screamed in frustration. "Sah-him!" he shouted as he took shots at the men behind them. "Take Akio to safety. Find us."
"Okasan!" Akio screamed while Sah-him held him safely out of the line of fire.
"Akio!" Tatsu screamed as Maseo held her from running into the sniper fire as well.
"We will find them, Akio," Sah-him told the boy. "I promise."
"Okay," Akio mumbled with tear-filled eyes.
"I need to move fast," Sah-him told him as he searched for the safest way to move the child through the gunfire. On my back. My body will shield him from most of the bullets. "Can you be my monkey?" he asked to distract the boy from the danger and violence. He recalled a time when he used to carry Thea on his back. Like a monkey. It firmed his resolution to keep Akio safe.
"Monkey?" Akio asked.
"Yes," Sah-him told him. "You hold on tight to my neck and wrap your legs around my waist. Then I can climb trees and buildings and stuff."
"You can?" Akio asked, amazed.
"Yup," Sah-him told him. "Wanna see?" he asked. He kept an eye on the far side of the truck he was hiding behind.
"Yeah," Akio said with excitement. Akio had completely forgotten the danger they were in. A danger that his parents were shooting at ten feet away.
Sah-him crouched down and let Akio climb on his back. Then he stood up and helped secure his legs with his left hand. He glanced one more time over to the Yamashiros before focusing on the edge of the truck. He moved quickly. He took his target, fired, and then ran like hell. This side of the truck was shielded from the sniper fire.
Sah-him was off the dock and around the corner away from the sniper. He had dropped two men before they could fire on him. A block away he ran up the side of a building and pulled himself to the roof. He dodged and skipped across the rooftops of Hong Kong. He eased himself back down to the ground near a marketplace far from the docks.
"That was so cool!" Akio said. "I was a monkey."
"You really were," Sah-him replied in reassurance. "Now comes the hard part… we have to hide and then find your parents."
"I'm good at hiding," Akio said with wide eyed wonder.
"Good," Sah-him replied. "I'm still learning. You can teach me," he said with a smile.
"I'll try," Akio said somberly. "My dad always finds me."
Sah-him offered his hand. He gripped it tightly. I will not lose Maseo's son. They walked into the marketplace to blend with the local population. He kept his hoodie up and his face shadowed. Akio seemed to want to look around. He found everything in the market fascinating. Light caught Sah-him's attention. The light danced in the hair of a woman. Mei.
"Mei," Sah-him said quietly. He hadn't even realized he was speaking out loud.
Mei turned at her name. She saw him and her eyes sparked with recognition. "Oliver? Oh, my God!" She took two steps forward and wrapped him in a hug.
Sah-him kept one hand wrapped around Akio's hand, but he returned her hug. "It's good to see you, Mei," he replied with a smile. So much had happened since he had last seen her. Since they had bonded over the death of Fyers mercenaries.
"You know Arrow?" Akio asked Mei.
"Arrow?" Mei asked in confusion.
"My new name," Sah-him replied, grinning.
"Arrow," Mei repeated. "I like it. It honors my father. Especially if you got better with the bow."
"I did," Sah-him laughed. "Do you have some place we can talk? Someone is after Akio's family. I'm thinking you are as far away from them as anyone."
"Then come," Mei replied. She led them to her apartment not too far from the marketplace. "This should be a safe place."
"Good," Sah-him replied. "Let me call my partners and let them start looking for Akio's parents."
Akio turned sad. "I miss my parents," Akio said.
"We will find them," Sah-him replied. "Then you will go back to Japan, like they wanted."
Sah-him pulled out his phone and called Hisan. "Sah-him, why are you calling so early?" he asked.
"I was following Maseo. They were departing for Japan. They were attacked at the docks. Maseo recognized one of the men as an agent of ARGUS," Sah-him replied. "We must assume that evil is at work. I had to take action. Akio Yamashiro is with me. We were separated from his parents."
"I believe that you are correct," Hisan replied. "Your earlier suspicions were noted. Several of the other instructors added to them. Sikiyn and his students found a large American military presence in their part of Hong Kong. Yasrukh and her students found several factories producing a vaccine. They recently increased injection output. Samples have confirmed vaccines. The Alpha-Omega injections have started today. Her students have ensured they falsely believe it is the virus. It is in fact the vaccine."
"In Hong Kong?" Sah-him asked in shock.
"Yes," Hisan replied. "Dam Dhib had authorized a full infiltration of the ARGUS site. We are about to go with force. Stay where you are. When we have returned, we will hunt for the Yamashiros."
"It will be done," Sah-him replied. Then he hung up the phone. Holy shit!
"You look very serious, Oliver," Mei told him.
"Because it got very serious, very quickly," Sah-him replied.
"Can you tell me?" Mei asked.
"I can try," Sah-him replied. "You are kind of involved. Just… I can't talk about everything." He gestured to Akio.
"My dad is like that," Akio said seriously. "It's his work."
Crap! Akio's parents. ARGUS. Sah-him realized that he would have to edit a lot of the story because of Akio. "I will tell you what I can," Sah-him told them both. "This is about your dad's work. Maseo Yamashiro was attempting to locate and contain the Alpha-Omega Virus, a super-virus," Sah-him said. "It is super bad." He told Akio. "Bad people wanted to take it and sell it. Like that lady with white hair, "
"The White Lady was scary," Akio said somberly. "But mom kept me safe."
"White Lady?" Mei asked.
"Chien Na Wei. China White. Triad enforcer," Sah-him elaborated.
Mei's eyes widened in shock. Then she looked back at Akio and hugged him tightly. One did not mess with the Triad. Chien Na Wei was a brutal enforcer for the Triad. One they frequently sent overseas to enforce their will. To survive an attack by the Triad was rare. To survive one by Chien Na Wai... had never been done before. Her respect for Akio's mother increased dramatically.
"Maseo found the virus and secured it at ARGUS. Today, the family was returning to Japan," Sah-him said. "Instead of allowing them to return to Japan, ARGUS tried to kill them on the docks."
"What?" Mei exclaimed in surprise.
"I was there to say goodbye to Maseo. Akio and I got separated from Maseo and Tatsu," Sah-him said. "We found you while we were looking for a place to hide. I called in. My partners are raiding ARGUS now. Then they will search for the Yamashiros. They told me to sit tight."
"What do they think is going on?" Mei asked.
"They don't know," Sah-him replied. "They intend to find out."
"Do you think my parents are okay?" Akio asked sincerely.
"I do," Sah-him replied with a slight smile. "I have every confidence in your dad. We both know that your dad needs your mom to look out for him. Especially, when it gets tough. With both, they are fine. They worry about you. Your mom doesn't know me. You don't know me. But I have been helping your dad. I hope he tells her that."
"You have?" Akio asked.
"Yeah," Sah-him told him. "I wanted his ARGUS mission to succeed. It had to succeed for him to come home to you. To return to Japan. You are very important to him."
Sah-him's phone vibrated. "Yes," he answered.
"Sah-him," Dafdae's voice came through the phone. =Hisan asked me to start looking for the Yamashiros. I have located them. But there are a few men following them,= she relayed in Arabic.
=Use darts on the men,= Sah-him told her in Arabic. =Maseo should recognize you. Are you in gear?= he asked.
=I am not,= Dafdae replied.
=Then approach them and use my name in English,= Sah-him said. =They both will recognize that.=
"Did they find them? Bring them here," Mei insisted.
Sah-him nodded. This was the safest place to take the Yamashiros. It was not public and it was defensible. =My friend wants you to bring them to us,= Sah-him told her. =I will send you the address.=
=Very well,= Dafdae replied. Then hung up and sent the marked location on a map of Hong Kong.
"Akio, Frog found your parents. She will bring them here," Sah-him told the little boy.
"She did?" Akio said with a huge grin. Then he frowned. "Why is she named Frog?" he asked.
"I don't know," Sah-him replied. "Her parents named her that. She liked it and kept it as her new name."
"Why did you get new names?" Akio asked curiously.
"I am curious about this too," Mei asked.
"Hum," Sah-him thought. How do I word this practice in the League without revealing the League? "It is about making a life change. When I joined my partners... the people I am with... I made a commitment to a new way of life. They became my new family."
"Talia's sister's people?" Mei asked in curiosity. She only knew that Talia's sister would see Oliver to safety. She obviously had.
"Yes," Sah-him replied. "When we started our journey, we were all asked what started us on our path to this new life. It should be the source of our new name. A commitment to our path," he told them.
"But your name is Arrow?" Akio said skeptically.
"Yes," Sah-him replied. "Because an arrow started my journey. You were there," he told Mei. "I fired that arrow that took out Fyers. That is what started my journey."
"I was there," Mei replied in awe. "I am glad that you were freed from that ship. I worried for you. But Talia said that her sister had more than enough people to take care of the ship. But I still worried about you."
"Nyssa's people were more than enough," Sah-him replied. "The whole ship was freed. Everyone was able to go home."
"I am glad," Mei said with a smile. A quiet knock at the door interrupted them. Sah-him pulled Akio into the bathroom while Mei answered the door.
"I was told to ask for Gulong Mei," Tatsu said with a stern voice.
"I am Mei," Mei replied. "I do not think you are Frog."
"She is not," Dafdae's amused voice came from the side. "I am. We have the correct address, Tatsu."
Tatsu gave a regal nod and entered the apartment with Maseo and Dafdae. Only when the door closed, did Sah-him release Akio to greet his parents. "Okasan! Otosan!" Akio screeched as he ran across the room to his parents. They both wrapped their arms around their son in relief.
"Thank you, Sah-him," Maseo said with tears in his eyes.
"Sah-him?" Mei asked.
"Still means Arrow," Sah-him replied in a teasing tone.
"Is your name really Frog then?" Mei asked Dafdae.
"Dafdae," Dafdae replied with a chuckle. "But it means frog."
"It sounds much prettier," Mei replied with a smirk.
"How do you know Arrow?" Tatsu asked Mei.
"She was there when he was named," Akio said. "It was an awesome story."
"I was explaining how our people choose a name that starts us on our path," Sah-him explained. "Mei was there for mine."
"Then you knew Sah-him on Lian Yu?" Dafdae asked in curiosity.
"I did," Mei said. "Talia took us to land before her sister had freed everyone on the ship. I did not know what had become of him until we met in the market today."
"As interesting as my journey is, did Dafdae tell you two about what the others are planning on doing at ARGUS?" Sah-him asked them.
"She did," Maseo replied. "I was debriefed yesterday. Waller and General Shrieve attended. Waller said we could leave her service. She had the plans set for the boat today."
"General Shrieve is a new player. He is American?" Sah-him asked with a frown. He was thinking of what Hisan had said of the American military in Sikiyn's part of Hong Kong.
"Yes. The Alpha-Omega Virus was being recovered and secured by Waller for Shrieve, according to what I have been told," Maseo said.
Waller was working with Shrieve? Is she the evil source or is Shrieve? I speculated that two evil sources could work together. "You have good instincts, Maseo," Sah-him told him. "What are your feelings about Shrieve?" he asked.
"My feelings?" Maseo asked. He paused as he considered his answer. "The man was condescending and superior. He made me feel dirty. Like I had bathed in slime. Even if he was technically polite during the briefing."
"Interesting. Is this the same feeling you get around Waller?" Sah-him asked.
"Exactly the same," Maseo replied with a knowing look.
"It is not proof," Dafdae told him. She had learned her lesson from the auction when she executed the bidders. To be sure of evil before you took the life.
"No," Sah-him said. "But it is possible that Shrieve the source of evil or very close to one."
"What do we do now?" Tatsu asked.
"Nothing," Dafdae replied. "We wait until the others have finished raiding the ARGUS building. Until then we have nothing but guesses."
"Guesses are not enough to take action," Sah-him replied. "We cannot act on guesses."
~AU~AU~AU~AU~AU~AU~
CHINA, HONG KONG - MEI'S APARTMENT: 23 JUN 2013
The entire party was talking when there was a sudden knock-on Mei's door, startling them. Tatsu hurried Akio into the bathroom while the rest spread out in the room. Mei answered the door with the chain lock still on.
=Hello?= Mei asked in Chinese.
=I must speak with you all,= a strong male voice responded. =I am Hisan.=
Mei glanced back at the room.
"Hisan is our teacher," Dafdae replied. "Let him inside."
"Your teacher?" Maseo asked in confusion. Is this being the second man from Starling City? His voice and body type match.
Dafdae and Sah-him ignored him and stepped forward to greet Hisan as Mei let him inside. He was carrying a box. "Good. You are here as well, Maseo," he said in English. "Are your wife and son available?" he asked Maseo.
"Why do you need my wife and son?" Maseo asked cautiously.
"I do not need them. I want to ensure your protection," Hisan replied. He opened the box on a nearby table and started to place vials of liquids and syringes on it.
"What are those?" Mei asked. She recognized liquid medication vials and syringes.
"Vaccinations for the Alpha-Omega Virus," Hisan replied.
"Kuso!" Maseo swore again in Japanese. "I thought it would be safe at ARGUS." He strode back to the bathroom and called for Tatsu and Akio to come out.
Hisan nodded. "It may have been," he replied. "Our people raided your ARGUS facility after your family was attacked. We found disturbing answers."
"What did you find?" Tatsu asked with her arm around her son.
"Most of the ARGUS agents were dead," Hisan replied. "Director Amanda Waller was being tortured for more information. We released her. She claimed that a man by the name of General Matthew Shrieve had deceived her and seized both the Alpha and the Omega Virus'. It was his intention to release the activated Alpha-Omega Virus in Hong Kong."
"Wǒ de tiān a! (Oh my God!)" Mei exclaimed. "You said this virus could kill a city. It will kill everyone in Hong Kong. Everyone I know."
"The man will kill himself as well," Maseo said. "Did he plan to escape the city before he released the virus?" he asked.
"He did not," Hisan replied. "My students have been following your investigation on the Alpha-Omega Virus. The other instructors and their students have been following many strange incidents in Hong Kong. One noted a large presence of the American military in Hong Kong. General Shrieve oversees these men."
"Another had noted vaccine processing facilities. The analysis found a vaccine for the Alpha-Omega Virus. Today they changed their process to a new vaccine. They were creating more Alpha-Omega Virus to inject. The students traded their viral formula for the vaccine's formula," Hisan said.
"Shrieve was creating more virus to kill?" Tatsu roared in anger. "His evil was not enough? He planned to kill the survivors of his plague?" she demanded in rage.
"Shrieve is the source of evil we are seeking," Hisan replied. "He wants to have the city of Hong Kong die. He wants to blame the Triad for the release of the Alpha-Omega Virus. That is why he killed everyone at ARGUS. That is why he targeted your family. You know the truth. Now we know the truth. He wanted to administer the Alpha-Omega to any survivors of the initial attack," Hisan continued. "This effort has been thwarted. Those people will receive the vaccine now."
"Why?" Maseo said with angst. He could not fathom what would drive this kind of evil and terrorism. This is why I wanted to work for ARGUS. To stop these senseless attacks. Not to facilitate them. While working for ARGUS, Maseo had learned about evil organizations. He never realized he was working for one. Until too late. Even evil has a reason for its choices. With the Triad, greed and power drove them. "Why would Shrieve decide on this madness?" he asked.
"According to Waller, Shrieve believes that China is too powerful; its economy and military," Hisan added. "She claims that Shrive believes that by eliminating Hong Kong, he will weaken China. Both its military and economic power."
"He is insane," Sah-him replied sadly while shaking his head in negation. "This is the same reason that Fyers gave for his evil. Shrieve must be the evil that was behind Fyers. They use the same flawed reason. China's military power is on different parts on the mainland. Shrieve plans to release the Alpha-Omega Virus in Hong Kong. It is an isolated area on the shore of the Chinese mainland, surrounded by mountains. Because of the many foreign nationals, travel from Hong Kong to China is restricted. The virus would not spread."
"While their economy will take a hit from the initial attack, it would not be crippled or killed. Any High School economist will tell you that China is a global power. Hong Kong is a recent acquisition. Although Hong Kong is home to the primary stock exchange, China has just lately permitted this degree of activity with other nations," Sah-him declared. "China will discover Shrieve's role. They will be very angry at America for attacking the sovereign nation of China. He is inciting a war between China and America. This is unacceptable."
"Well done, Sah-him," Hisan said with the smile of a proud teacher. "That is our assessment as well."
"But America did not attack China," Maseo said as he processed the information. "He killed the ARGUS agents… Kuso!"
"He killed American Agents. He has no authorization if he is killing American Agents," Mei replied. "He must be stopped."
"We agree," Hisan replied. "Our organization is removing the American military as discreetly as possible. We are to stop the release of the Alpha-Omega Virus," he said while pointing at Dafdae and Sah-him.
"What of us?" Tatsu asked defiantly.
"Shrieve is still hunting your family," Hisan replied. "You should stay hidden. Director Waller stated that she released you from ARGUS," he told Maseo. "You are no longer beholden to ARGUS, Maseo."
"I have to stop this," Maseo replied. "I feel responsible for Shrieve having the Alpha-Omega Virus. I must stop him."
"I will assist," Tatsu said. She turned to Mei. "I cannot allow this evil to happen and do nothing to stop it. Will you care for Akio while we stop this horror?" she asked formally.
"I would be honored," Mei replied with a regal head bow.
"Then come," Hisan replied. "We need to move quickly."
"Hisan?" Mei asked, suddenly. "You have a few vials of the vaccine left. What are your plans for them?"
"I have none. They are yours to use," Hisan told her. "But return here as soon as possible. This is where we will look for you."
"I will. Thank you," Mei replied as she collected the few remaining vials and syringes left.
They all filed out of the apartment and into the streets of Hong Kong.
~AU~AU~AU~AU~AU~AU~
CHINA, HONG KONG - US MILITARY COMPOUND: 24 JUN 2013
The compound was a bustle of activity during the daylight hours. Hisan had gathered them to overlook the entire compound. It contained several warehouses, an office building, and an open parking area. There was activity around the vehicles. Several of the vehicles had a military origin. But one was a civilian vehicle.
"We must reexamine Shrieve's goal," Hisan declared as he pulled back from the edge. He turned to Maseo. "What do we know of the Alpha-Omega Virus?" he asked.
Maseo was frustrated. He wanted action. The lack of action was frustrating him. "It kills cities," he replied angrily.
"Yes," Hisan replied with patience. It was a tone that he found often worked with his students. "But how does it kill cities?" he asked in clarification.
Maseo sighed and thought back to the various briefings he had on the virus. "It becomes a vapor. It is inhaled by the victim. It propagates in their lungs and they cough and drown in their own blood," Maseo replied.
"Alright," Hisan said while he thought. "Shrieve would need to release it in a public area with a large population. He would need to get them to breathe heavier. Inhale more virus. That means he will attempt to release it during the day. As people die, others will panic and breathe heavier, get sick, and cough more. Thus, spreading the virus further."
Maseo was surprised. His information had helped them to narrow down Shrieve's target. I had not thought about how a population would react. How that would further spread the virus. "If it is a vapor, it is in the air. The weather would be a factor as well," he said in consideration. His mind had begun to think in new paths. To help determine how best to put in place Shrieve's plan. If they can figure out his plan, they can stop it. The best way to stop him is to prevent the release of the virus.
"Yes," Sah-him replied. He was also considering how to spread the virus. "Hong Kong is a port. Even on calm days, the ocean will create a gentle breeze. In the mornings the breeze blows to land. In the evenings, the breeze blows to sea."
"Very good," Hisan replied with this new information. He was raised on a farm. This information was not known to him. It helped to narrow the target. "The release will likely be in the late morning during lunch or in the evening around dinner. More of the population will gather in public places at those times. That makes that civilian vehicle the likely carrier. It is a civilian food truck."
"Damn it!" Sah-him swore.
"What of the other vehicles?" Tatsu asked. "They are preparing them all."
"I am unsure," Hisan replied. "It is possible that Shrieve has learned of Director Waller's escape. Those may assist in hunting her and you down. They may also be used to further panic the population. They could be diversions to distract Waller from the real target." He turned to Dafdae. "Place a tracker on each of the vehicles. This facility is too secure to strike during the day without being seen. They will not leave today since it is after the evening meal."
"It will be done," Dafdae replied and then slipped away.
"What do we do in the meantime?" Tatsu asked. She did not like not acting yet. But she was also aware that acting too soon would cause failure of their plan.
Hisan smiled. "We remove a few more of the terrorist conspirators," Hisan replied. "Remove any of the military personnel out of sight of the compound. Meet back at the van when you are ready to return. We cannot finish this hunt tonight."
~AU~AU~AU~AU~AU~AU~
CHINA, HONG KONG - PORT MARKET: 25 JUN 2013
After a brief rest at Mei's apartment, the group followed the tracker to the food truck. They found it early in the morning. Only one man was on the truck. But they could see the other men guarding the truck. They were standing around the marketplace. They all stood out like sore thumbs.
"We will take out the guards," Sah-him told the Yamashiros. "You remove the man in the truck."
Dafdae and Hisan dispersed into the crowded market. Sah-him had finished darting his third man when the guy from the truck ran past him. He had the vial of Alpha-Omega in his hand. Sah-him immediately gave chase.
"Tíngzhǐ!" Sah-him shouted at the man in Chinese. "Stop!" he repeated in English.
The man glanced back at him before he continued running. He was dodging through the crowd. Sah-him was gaining on him. He reached out and grabbed the back of the man's shirt and pulled. The man whirled around and punched at him. Sah-him blocked the punch. The man tried a roundhouse kick. Sah-him blocked his kick and was able to deliver two vicious punches to the man's chest.
The man staggered but stayed upright. The vial was still in his left hand. He had a dangerous look in his eye. The man then tried to attack with his right arm and use a forward snap-kick. Sah-him blocked the punch and dodged the kick while sweeping his remaining leg out from under him.
The man's shock at being bested so quickly registered on his face. As he fell, he released the vial midair to use his left hand to catch his fall. It was an instinctive move. Because of momentum, he threw the vial away from where Sah-him was fighting the man. Back in the direction the man had been fleeing. Back where the crowd had separated to give them space to fight. Where the crowd was still watching them. Shit!
Sah-him saw the man release the vial and tried to chase it. He jumped at the last second in vain hope to catch the vial. It shattered on the ground a foot from his sprawled body. The liquid in the vial immediately became mist and disappeared. Sah-him stared at the broken vial in shock. We failed. I failed.
Sah-him's horror grew as he scanned the crowd surrounding him. They were all exposed. They will spread this disease. He heard running feet that stopped behind him. The virus is released. Oh God! We failed. His heart beat a rapid tempo as he stared with dread at the shattered glass on the ground. His failure at preventing this tragedy weighed on him.
"Sah-him?" Maseo asked as he and Tatsu took in the scene before them.
Sah-him slowly turned his horrified look to Maseo. Behind him, Tatsu had her katana pointed at the man on the ground.
Maseo turned to his wife. =We have failed, Tatsu,= Maseo told in Japanese.
Tatsu glanced up and took in the horrified look on Sah-him's face and the broken vial out of his reach. She turned back down to the man. =Your evil will no longer plague this planet,= she told him in Chinese. She ran him through with her katana. The expression of duty on her face never changed. She felt sadness over the life of the man she took. She would not regret taking his life. Only that it was unavoidable.
"Come, Tatsu," Maseo replied. =We must get back to Akio. It is time to leave Hong Kong,= he said in Japanese.
The mention of her son seemed to get Tatsu moving again. They joined the others in the van and rushed back through the streets of Hong Kong as the city broke out in chaos.
The outbreak of the Alpha-Omega Virus began small. The market where the virus was released saw the rapid death of many of the locals. The ones who had begun to show symptoms panicked and fled the market and into the streets. They spread the virus by coughing. They succumbed to the virus themselves in the streets. People dying in the street with blood dripping from their eyes, caused more panic.
People were walking slowly with blood dripping out of their eyes and nose. Coughing weakly before collapsing in the street. When they collapsed, no one moved to help them. Others were panicking and running causing more chaos. Cars crashed into buildings and street poles as their drivers succumbed to the virus. With each passing second, the chaos seemed to escalate and spread. Soon the whole city of Hong Kong fell to chaos.
~AU~AU~AU~AU~AU~AU~
