Chapter 22: Attack - Thirty Seconds to Mars
CW/TW! This chapter contains vulgar and graphic language and talk involving sexual dominance. Reader discretion is advised.
This chapter does repeat parts and dialogue from previous chapters, but there is new content added as it is a reactionary chapter.
Day 8: 19:45
The Team
The trip to the airport to pick up Luella and Martin Davis was the most nerve-wracking trip Lin thinks he's ever been on. He hadn't seen the two of them in a while and now he was meeting them, with his team, because he couldn't protect their son. On the outside, he was stoic, serious, and focused. Inside he was a nervous wreck. Their private plane would arrive at 20:00 and from there they agreed to go back to Lin's apartment to establish a second base. Most of their equipment was already in his apartment anyway, so it made the most sense.
Yasu was watching the tracking monitor closely, noting every turn, landmark, and stop Dr. Hiroa made. It took him all night to travel and it seems that his car finally stopped 10 hours South of Tokyo. This was going to be rough.
"Lin! Over here Lin!" he heard the voice of Luella calling to him. He and the group made their way over to the couple. Luella pulled him into an embrace and held him for a long moment. "I'm so glad you're OK. We've been worried sick," she said.
"Yes, incredibly so," Martin said. Lin shook his hand.
"It's good to see you two again, although I wish it were under much different circumstances. I'd like you to meet JSPR's team. These are all the members we've told you two about. The Buddhist Monk, Houshou Takigawa, the Shinto Priestess Ayako Matsuzaki, the Catholic Priest from Australia John Brown, and our new technical specialist and researcher Osamu Yasuhara. You two already know and have met Miss Masako Hara." They all bowed respectfully to the two of them. "Everyone," Lin said. "Meet Luella and Martin Davis. Noll's adoptive parents."
"It's good to meet you two. Thank you for coming all this way," John said.
"It's good to meet everyone. Let's not waste time with pleasantries though. We'll have time for that when we have Oliver and Mai back," Martin said.
They all got into their respective vehicles and started making their way to Lin's apartment. Lin drove the van with the seats added to the back. He drove Luella, Martin, and Masako.
"So you've currently tracked down Dr. Hiroa's location?" Martin asked.
"Yes. Masako found him in the parking lot of the hospital. She's been tracking Mai's spiritual aura signature that she was accustomed to after one of our cases. This doctor seemed to have enough of it on him that she could physically see it," Lin answered.
"Well done, young lady. Your work as a medium has only ever improved," Luella said next to her. She patted Masako's leg and she looked out the window.
"And you gave him one of your cameras?" Martin asked, taking notes.
"Yes. It's one of the cameras designed to pick up spiritual signatures discreetly. It's disguised as a shirt button, but the lens is wide enough and the mic large enough to pick up on sounds and clear visuals. When the doctor plugs it into his computer it will automatically upload to the shared drive. Of which I have access to, at my apartment," Lin replied.
"Excellent. And how is your health, Lin? Are you in any pain from the surgery?" Martin asked.
"I will be fine. I'll be much better once we rescue those two."
The rest of the drive carried on in silence as they made their way to Lin's apartment. They all scrambled to the door, walked in, and started setting up. There was no bickering, or arguing, or playful little gestures like before. Right now, everyone is 100% serious and working like an efficient machine.
"Guys…guys….! GUYS! Everyone come in here! The first video log has been uploaded to the drive!" Yasu hollered from the main computer room.
Everyone rushed in and hovered around the computer monitors. The video was displayed on 4 screens simultaneously so everyone could see what was happening.
"Everyone, remember the two of them are in bad shape right now. We have no idea what we'll see. If anyone wants to step out now, I won't hold it against them," Lin said.
No one moved. Their faces are determined and serious.
"Naru and Mai are living this right now. We're the only ones who can save them. We need to see what they are going through," Takigawa said. Everyone nodded.
Yasu pressed play.
"Ohhhkaay is this thing on? I think it is." the voice of Dr. Hiroa came in loud and clear on the camera. "OK, so as you can see I parked my car here, but the walk to the facility building is a way out. They don't want everyone pulling in and making a show of things. The building is eight kilometers away from my current location. Since they are expecting me back their patrol should be coming by soon to pick me up and take me there. In our escape though we'll have to travel through the woods here to get around the main patrol routes. It's not going to be easy either. They took their shoes to discourage running away. It's going to hurt."
"Oh my god," Luella whispered.
"And here comes the patrol now." A white pickup truck came barreling down a dirt road. Two men were in the back with semi-automatic rifles locked and loaded as they kept watch. "Get in, doctor," one of the men who was driving said. The doctor got in and they drove to the building. Yasu skipped past the driving portion. He would have time to analyze the audio later. The doctor came in and started walking through various doors and hallways. He walked with a sense of confidence and familiarity. Finally, he approached a door with two armed guards standing in front of it.
"Good morning you two. I'm here to do my morning checkup on the two test subjects," he said.
"State approximate time for interaction?" one of the guards asked.
"One hour, as usual. Oh, and I'll be using the X-ray machine today to check on the fractures sustained during the product testing the other day. I'll need you two to stand at the end of the hallway while I'm in there. You'll be subjected to harmful levels of radiation if you stand there," the doctor said.
"Understood doctor. Knock twice when finished," the guard said and they stepped aside. He opened the door and watched the two guards go down the hall.
He entered the room and looked towards the one bed in the room.
"You guys, look!" John said.
Around the bed was a sphere of energy shining silver and gold and ebbing like a pulse. Wisps came around and floated in the air like a solar flare and it glowed and sparkled like stardust.
"Their spiritual auras…that has to be it!" Luella said.
Naru and Mai were both asleep when he came in. Not long after though, Naru woke up and quickly sat up to look at him. "We need to talk," Dr. Hiroa said.
"What's going on?" Naru asked.
"Wake her up. This is important," he said. He walked into the room, grabbed a chair nearby, and sat down.
"I'm already waking up," Mai said groggily.
Everyone in the room gasped as they finally saw Naru and Mai for the first time in over a week. They looked exhausted, malnourished, dehydrated, and on edge.
"Oh, my dear Oliver!" Luella said quietly. Martin put his arm around her.
"Mai…" Takigawa whispered.
"Did…did you two…?" Dr. Hiroa asked.
The room fell silent as they realized what he had just implied. There was a pause in their reactions as well. "Oh boy…" Lin said, shaking his head.
"Is there a problem doctor?" Naru asked defensively.
"Listen, all I'm saying is as a doctor and as a parent, just use protection. And you know, maybe wait until you two are out of imminent danger?" He said.
"After what happened yesterday, I didn't really care," Mai said, looking rather annoyed.
"What happened yesterday?" Dr. Hiroa asked.
"They didn't tell you?" Mai asked.
"No, I haven't talked to anyone since I returned."
Mai looked down and held her arms around herself. Naru wrapped his left arm around her shoulders. "Alaina came down to test us personally. She ordered them to separate us and one of her men nearly raped Mai," Naru explained.
"WHAT?!" The room erupted in gasps and exclamations of outrage.
"Everyone quiet!" Lin commanded.
"They did what?! Did they-"
Mai shivered and whimpered. "No," she whispered, "We…I…I killed…I-"
Naru put his arm around Mai and held her tightly. "Let's just say, he became no longer compatible with life before he had a chance to do anything too bad," Naru explained.
"Does that mean…they…killed someone using PK?" Yasu asked.
"I think so," Martin replied. "Those bastards!"
"She wants assassins. This is how she'll get them," Dr. Hiroa pondered. "Listen you two, they might be onto us planning an escape."
"How so?" Naru asked.
"I went to the hospital yesterday to check on Aya's vitals. I had to travel to Tokyo to go see her. When I got there to see her, she hadn't changed in condition since I last saw her. Her vitals were normal for her baseline. Someone lied to me. They called me away for a reason. I think they knew I'd object to everything yesterday, so they called me away in a way they knew would get me to leave," Dr. Hiroa explained.
"What can we do then? We have to get out of here!" Mai said.
"Well here's the thing. I think your rescue is on the way already," He said.
"Who?" Naru asked impatiently.
"While I was leaving the hospital, I was stopped by a very odd group of people. Stopped is a very big understatement. I was tackled in the parking lot. A tall Chinese man and a long brown-haired man in a ponytail took me to the ground. They were with a red-haired lady, a girl in a kimono, a boy with glasses, and an Australian young man," he finished.
Naru and Mai gasped. Her hands flew to her mouth and she released a choked sob. "Our team! Lin is alive!" Mai cried.
Lin felt tears build up in his eyes. They must have been worried sick about him and his condition. The last they saw him, he was bleeding out on the floor of the SPR office. He swallowed heavily and blinked the tears away.
"What happened then? What did they say?" Naru asked.
"Well, at first they thought I was one of the kidnappers. The girl in the kimono said that I had," he raised his hands up to do an air quote, "Mai's spiritual aura signature around me. I swear those two men holding me down pack quite a punch." Mai cringed and Naru smirked.
Takigawa cracked his knuckles and smirked.
"They took me to their van and I tried to explain who I was. Once they told me that they were searching for you two, I realized we were all on the same page. They wanted to turn me in to the police, but I said they'd never find you two again if they did that. Not to mention they'd get you two killed if I went missing. They agreed to let me go, but they are following my trail. I agreed to let them put a tracking device in my car and they are gathering forces right now."
Mai was sobbing now and Naru didn't look much better either. "I told them how many forces there were at play here. That girl in the kimono was saying something about needing to amass an army of the dead. Do you two know anything about that? It made no sense to me," Dr. Hiroa implored.
"Are you two really going to try that technique?" Martin asked Masako.
"Yes. We need an army. This is the only way," Masako said.
Mai and Naru looked at each other. Confusion was evident on their faces. "I have no idea what Ms. Hara is planning. Why are they not going to the police with this?" Naru asked.
"They said that Ms. Hara, is it? She already went to the police. Said she was able to track Mai's spiritual aura and to go find you two that way. She was apparently laughed out of the police station," Dr. Hiroa explained.
"Not surprised," Naru said. "She's a TV medium. They probably thought she was trying a publicity stunt for ratings."
"Funny enough, that's exactly what she said that they said. Oh! They also gave me this," he said. The camera angle shifted a bit. The two looked straight into the camera in awe.
"Is that what I think it is?" Mai asked.
"My camera!" Naru exclaimed, grabbing it off of Dr. Hiroa. They all got a close look at Naru and Mai's condition.
"Wait, pause it. What's that on Mai's throat?" Takigawa asked, looking closely.
"It's a solid cut line. It's shimmering gold. How could that have happened?" Yasu asked.
"If Mai's spiritual aura is in fact healing her, it would come across like that. It's fresh too. The man that tried to rape her must have had her at knifepoint. And it was deep enough to draw blood," Lin said.
"And Mai is still having nightmares about the Urado case," Ayako explained, "That precognitive dream she had where she felt her throat getting cut open really did a number on her. And now she was forced to go through it again, but with no one there to wake her up…" She started grimacing in anger. Yasu continued the video.
"The tall guy said he wanted to make sure I was completely telling the truth. They also wanted to be able to get names to faces and use everything recorded as evidence. He said you would know what it was? And that I just needed to plug it into my computer and it would-"
"Automatically upload everything to our shared drive…" Naru interrupted, "Lin you genius!"
Lin shuffled his feet and Takigawa patted him on the back.
"So that means, it's recording now and they'll be able to see it, see us, when it's uploaded?" Mai asked.
"Yeah, our family is watching us now," Naru said.
Mai held her hand to her mouth and sobbed. Naru began to tear up as well.
"Any message you want to say to your family?" Dr. Hiroa asked hesitantly.
Mai let out a choked sob and quickly wiped her face before more tears streamed out. "Umm…" she started shakily, "hi guys. Please come get us," she jerked forward and scrunched her eyes shut. "We want to go home now!" She choked up on her last word and she curled up on herself sobbing.
Naru's hand began to shake while holding the camera and tears began falling down his cheeks. "Thank you, Lin, for everything. When you guys get here, bring extra medical supplies. No offense to Dr. Hiroa, but we're in bad shape right now. And…maybe a thermos of hot tea…for Mai and I to drink." He choked up himself and handed the camera back to Dr. Hiroa.
There wasn't a dry face in that room. Everyone was sobbing at this point. They had never seen Naru cry before, and Mai sounded so lost and traumatized by everything. This was hard to watch. Still, no one stepped out.
When the camera was readjusted they saw Naru holding Mai closely and the both of them sobbed together. The wisps of gold and silver pulsed brighter. "Rest assured, your team is on their way. They won't stop at anything to rescue you two."
Naru looked at Mai and smiled. "We just need to be ready for the big rescue," he said, wiping the tears from her eyes. She leaned forward and kissed him.
"FINALLY!" Ayako, Takigawa, and Yasu exclaimed, throwing their arms into the air and then high-fiving each other.
"Oh dear! Oliver finally got a girlfriend! I never thought I'd see the day," Luella said, holding onto Martin's hand. Martin equally smiled and patted Luella's hand.
The sound of the door slamming open startled everyone. Five men came bursting in with a larger, older man coming in last. "Good morning! I hope you two slept well," the old man said.
"Excuse me, leader Akio, I was doing my morning check-up," Dr. Hiroa protested.
"I know my dear Doctor, but unfortunately," Akio looked at Naru and Mai, "my dearest Ms. Alaina would like to have a word with you."
"I already "spoke" with her yesterday," Naru growled. "I have nothing more to say."
"Oh, we know. She wants to talk to her…alone" He pointed to Mai who shrank back.
Naru jumped out of bed and placed himself in front of Mai. "Absolutely not!"
"Oh, don't you worry Dr. Davis. So long as everyone cooperates here, she will come back safe and sound," Akio said, raising his hand. "I'm here to personally escort her to Ms. Alaina. I will ensure no one lays a hand on her. But if you insist on doing this the hard way, we can and will take her by force."
No one said anything but the aura around the both of them started to pulse rapidly.
"What's happening?" John asked.
"I think they're speaking telepathically. He did that with his brother when he was still alive. The only way to do that though is through a spiritual bond," Martin explained.
"Well, what is your answer?" Akio asked.
Naru turned around and looked at Mai with desperation in his eyes. He grabbed the sides of her head and pulled her to him. He kissed her forehead for a long moment and they looked into each other's eyes. They both smiled and he caressed her cheek.
"Give me a minute to get dressed. Alone," Mai said authoritatively.
"Of course. But only one," Akio said before leaving with the men.
Dr. Hiroa turned away to give her privacy while she changed. When she was done he turned back around. She was wearing Naru's black button-down shirt with a pair of black sweatpants. Naru had on a black sweatshirt.
Naru walked towards the door as they marched Mai out. His hands were in fists at his side; he was beginning to tremble. Naru then jumped and snapped his fingers at Dr. Hiroa to indicate getting paper and a pen. He started writing frantically in English and pointed to it and pointed to the camera.
'I'm speaking with Mai telepathically. She's telling me everything that she sees and hears. This was her idea.'
"That clever girl," Luella said, "I'm liking her already."
At one point Dr. Hiroa covered up the camera and mic for thirty seconds and then uncovered it. Nothing seemed to have happened or changed. Naru kept frantically writing everything that was happening.
"Yasu, take screenshots of what he is writing, we'll go over his notes soon and translate them later," Lin ordered.
Suddenly after about 10 minutes, Naru stops writing. He looks up and looks at Dr. Hiroa with fear in his eyes. He got up and started pacing around holding his knuckle to his mouth and biting hard. "Dr. Hiroa, they're dragging Mai to a room made entirely of metal, if she's in there it'll cut off our bond and-!" He froze in place as the camera picked up a pulse of energy. Tears start falling down his face and he begins to tremble. "Doctor…" Naru whispered, "You have to save her. Bring my light back to me."
Naru jerked forward and clutched his head in pain. "MAI!" he screamed. "AAAAAGGGGHHH!" He fell to the floor convulsing in pain. "MAI! PLEASE COME BACK! Please! Pleeeease!" He flipped onto his back and arched in pain clutching his head and chest. "Not again! I can't do this again! This hurts! I need her back! Please! Someone! Anyone! Help!"
Everyone in the room covered their ears and some closed their eyes. Luella was sobbing out, "My boy! My boy no!"
"What is happening?!" Ayako asked.
Lin came up and muted the video. There was a moment of silence before Martin spoke up, "Being in a metal enclosure disconnects the bond that they have. It's painful, soul-shattering, and could kill them both if they don't get reconnected soon! The orphanage used it as a damn discipline method when Oliver and Gene would get in trouble. His therapist and I agreed that writing down his experience as a scientific report would help to separate his feelings from the events. Make it a more objective experience than a subjective one. Those bastards took what Oliver wrote in his report and are using it to torture those two."
"The doctor wouldn't just let this happen for a long time. Yasu, go through the video at four times the speed. We'll see if there's a change," Lin ordered.
"Got it," he said.
He went through the video for about 13 minutes before they noticed a major change. Dr. Hiroa was able to pick Oliver up and put him on the bed.
"Mai! Mai! Please! Bring her back to me, please! It hurts so much!" Oliver screamed.
"I'm going to get her back, I swear! Just stay with me, doctor!" Dr. Hiroa yelled as he held him down to the bed.
"My light…my golden light! I can't feel her! Why?! Bring her back!" he yelled, not able to hear him.
"Dr. Davis, control yourself! Please!" He yelled. "Guards!" Two of the guards outside the door came in. "Both of you, go get leader Alaina in here, now!"
"Oh my sweet boy, why would they do this to you?!" Luella cried.
"Mai! Oh god, Mai help me, please! I'm cold, I'm so cold," he sobbed. "Mai, I need you! Dr. Hiroa, get her back! Bring her back!"
"I'm trying!" He yelled.
"Well, isn't this a sight?" A new voice came through the microphone. Dr. Hiroa turned towards her as she came closer. "Dr. Oliver Davis, brought down by a metal room. I guess his reports on this were a massive understatement. Perhaps to keep someone, well someone like me, from doing this? I wonder…" she giggled.
"So this is Alaina Sullivan?" Lin asked aloud. "Yasu, get screenshots of her and we'll start running information. Luella, Martin, do you know her? She's apparently from The Westies mafia in Ireland?"
"Can't say I do, unfortunately," Martin said, pondering.
"Leader Alaina, as their physician, I must implore you to stop this experiment immediately. The two of them are in excruciating and debilitating pain and suffering. If this continues I can't ensure their survival!" He pleaded.
"Thank you for your insight doctor, but your request is denied," she said. She turned back to Oliver. "Who's the bitch now doctor? I'm going to get great pleasure in watching you and ya' little girlfriend suffer. I'll leave her in that room for as long as I want. Maybe I'll have Akio pay her a visit too," she threatened.
Cries of outrage echoed across the room. "She can't! No! Please no! Mai! Don't hurt them like this!"
"Quiet!" Lin yelled. "Look!"
Oliver trembled in cold and rage as he turned his head to look at her. His eyes were bloodshot from crying but silver started to flicker in them, and he grits his teeth through the pain. But his glare of defiance and rage shined through. "If-f you a-a-allow that filth to t-touch even a single hair on her h-head, if Mai d-dies from this, I will make you beg for death," he shivered.
"What did ya just say?" Alaina growled.
"Did you not f-fucking hear me? I said-d, if Mai dies from this-s, there won't be a single place on Earth where you c-can hide that I won't find you. I will ens-sure that the police never stop finding y-your body, as I tear you all apart, piece by piece. You w-will beg for a m-mercy that will never come. If-f Mai is not returned to me safe and sound I will destroy everyone without mercy!" He growled, his eyes flashing silver.
"Oh my, I've never heard Oliver lose control like this," Martin said.
"What's going on with his eyes?" Ayako asked.
"I'm not sure, maybe it's his aura flashing through?" Martin replied.
"You don't get to talk to me like that! I'll keep that bitch in that room all fuckin' day if I need to!" She turned to Dr. Hiroa. "Only myself or Akio are allowed to release her. See to it that he stays alive," she ordered and then stormed off.
Oliver broke down again and sobbed. "M-Mai, I'm s-s-sorry, I'm s-so sorry!"
"What was the longest time that they were separated in the orphanage?" Ayako asked.
"One hour," answered Luella. "I put the boys through intense therapy to try to undo the damage that was done."
"Yasu, scroll through the video. How long does this go on?" Lin asked.
Yasu dragged the mouse over to the bottom of the screen. He noticed a shift in scenery and location and noted the time elapsed. "Four hours," he replied solemnly.
"They'll kill them both!" Luella cried.
"Yasu go to that section, please. Right before the change," Lin ordered. Yasu did just that and the video started again.
Naru was pale, shivering, crying, and convulsing in pain. His hands and feet started to turn blue. "Dr. Davis, it's going to be ok, we're going to get her back," Dr. Hiroa said, adding a washcloth to his head. "How are you still hypothermic?!" He took his temperature. "35 degrees Celsius. Shit. This is bad."
The door burst open and Akio was standing there panting at the door. "Doctor! Y-y-you're needed!" He said.
"Where's Mai?!" Dr. Hiroa demanded.
"Next to the main office. P-please, go g-get her and bring her back!"
Dr. Hiroa raced through the hallways and doors, pushing people out of his way. He slowed down and looked at a door. Then he turned to the left and saw a big heavy metal door that was left wide open. In there Mai was on the floor sweating, bleeding from her face and arms, and crawling her way towards the door. Standing behind her was a dark blue silhouette of a person.
"Wait, is that…?" Lin asked.
"Eugene!" Luella and Martin yelled. "That's his spiritual aura! He protected Mai!"
"Oh my god, Mai!" He ran to her and flipped her onto her back. Her face looked red hot like she had been burning. She had been crying for a long time and looked to be at death's door. "You're just as bad as Dr. Davis right now! Don't worry, I'm taking you to him."
He picked up Mai and ran through the halls. "Aya, it's ok, daddy's gotcha', daddy's here!" Dr. Hiroa mumbled.
They made it back to the room and he put Mai right next to Naru on the bed. Her eyes were shut tight in pain. Naru's eyes opened and he mumbled, "Mai?"
Mai's eyes shot open and looked right at him. "Naru!" she cried out.
"Mai!" he gasped as tears fell from his eyes.
"Burning…I was burning!" Mai cried out as she struggled to reach out to him. "I'm still burning."
"I was s-so c-c-cold, never-r felt s-so cold," he shivered.
The aura fluctuated from a dull glow between the both of them to a cataclysmic explosion of color. They both gasped and took in a long breath. They reached for each other and put their foreheads together and fell asleep instantly.
Gasping and heavy breathing were heard from Dr. Hiroa. "Thank god I got to her in time. This sphere here, I can't enter. It's like a force that is protecting them both. This only happens when they're unconscious. It should be healing their wounds now tho-" he cut himself off. "Wait…those markings on Mai's stomach…" He peered in closely. There were red nail claw marks on her stomach trailing upwards. "Mai's nails are blunted. She chewed them off in her stress here. She couldn't have made those herself…Akio…"
"Oh god, do you think he…" John muttered.
Walking briskly through the halls Dr. Hiroa came across Akio's office area. He entered and saw Akio pacing in there touching his neck. "Leader Akio, a moment please?"
"Doctor, did you get the girl?" he asked.
"Yes, I did. I need to ask you something important though."
"Oh?"
"Did you force yourself onto Mai while she was in that room?" Dr. Hiroa asked.
Akio paused and sneered at him. "Well, that's a heavy question, doctor. Why do you want to know?"
"I need to know if I need to perform a trauma evaluation. So I'll ask again. Did you force yourself on Mai Taniyama while she was helpless in that room?" he said with seriousness laced in his voice.
There was a moment of silence while they looked at each other. Then Akio started laughing. "And if I did? Are you gonna do anything about it, doctor? Maybe I just wanted to feel her tight little cunt wrapped around my cock, did'ja think of that? She would've been too weak to fight me off anyways," he sneered.
"That son of a bitch, I'll kill him!" Takigawa growled.
"If that's true, then how did you get those bruises on your neck leader Akio?" Dr. Hiroa asked.
"Tch," He paced the room back and forth in anger, and then he stopped in front of the doctor. "I almost had her for myself, doctor. I almost did! I couldn't. That bitch summons the fucking dead to do her bidding. This ghost, this demon, lifted me up by the throat and nearly killed me. He forced me to release her." He stepped back over to the mirror again. "But don't worry, I'll do better next time," Akio said, looking in a mirror at his bruises.
"There won't be a next-time leader Akio. I won't allow you to rape her," Dr. Hiroa said.
"Rape? Is that what you think that was? Oh, my dear Doctor. She is nothing more than property; my property to be exact. A tool for Dr. Davis to use as a buffer. She's my toy though. And I love to play with my toys. I just wasn't expecting her to still have a little fight left in her. She called that demon of hers, Gene? Jin? It wouldn't surprise me if she made a deal with a Djinn. Command it to do her bidding. That makes my toy even more interesting," Akio explained sinisterly.
"Her name is Mai Taniyama, and she is not a toy. She is a person. She is soul bonded to Dr. Davis!"
"IT is a cunt with an attitude problem! I intend to fuck IT until IT'S an obedient bitch that knows ITS fucking place!" Akio yelled, turning back and stomping over to Dr. Hiroa. "And its fucking place will soon be under me, panting and begging for more. Right now, I'm just letting Dr. Davis borrow it. I'm going to have to remind him to share tomorrow."
"You…you sick bast-"
"Careful doctor." Akio interrupted, "You would do well to remember why you're here. I'd hate for something bad to happen to your daughter." Akio stated carefully. "One phone call is all it takes for a nurse who's having an off day to…accidentally overdose her."
Dr. Hiroa took a shuddering breath. "Understood leader Akio. I will continue to monitor our subjects and get them prepared for auction."
"You do that," Akio said.
Dr. Hiroa left the room and traveled back close to Naru and Mai's room. He took a turn and went into a room nearby. It was his sleeping quarters. He paused for a moment before making his way to the bathroom. The next few minutes were of him throwing up into the toilet. After that, he went over to the sink where he washed up and looked at his reflection in the mirror.
"What a coward you are Yuuto. A disgraced neurosurgeon, an absent father and husband, and now…human trafficker. I'm unforgivable." He looked down at the camera on his shirt. "I'm sorry, to whoever's watching this. I'm not a good man. I've done terrible things. But if I can save Dr. Oliver Davis and Mai Taniyama with my work if I can save even two people from neverending torture, then maybe…" He pulls out his wallet and pulls out an old photo. It's of him and his daughter.
"She almost looks like Mai," Ayako said.
"Aya…daddy loves you. Never forget that. Your daddy won't be a coward anymore. Then maybe…we can go to that market again. Get that candy you loved so much. It starts with this though."
He took the camera off of his shirt and walked it over to a table with his laptop on it. He did some clicking and typing and then picked it up again. "I'm sorry. I hope this video helps those people who gave this camera to me."
The video went black.
Everyone was silent. No one knew what to say. Again, there wasn't a single dry face in that room. Finally, Masako broke the silence and walked towards the door.
"Masako?" Takigawa asked.
She stopped in her tracks at the door. "John? Are you ready?"
"Ready?" John asked shakily.
Masako turned around. Her face was wet with tears and a look of determined and righteous anger was on her face. "We need an army of the dead. If that wasn't enough motivation for you all to send John and me on this mission then I don't know what it would take. I'm not going to let that continue!" More tears streamed down her face. "If Oliver and Mai can withstand over a week of Hell, then John and I can march into Limbo, straight to the City of the Dead, and make a deal with Death itself. An army…an army of spirits who died holding onto regret. Spirits who died failing to protect their loved ones. Throughout all of history?! There have to be 200 spirits we can take with us. Then we'll perform a mass exorcism and send them to their final afterlife. I will not allow them to suffer anymore!" she vowed.
This was a shock to everyone. They never heard of this attitude from Masako before. She was always so quiet, distant, and unattached. Now, she had the ferocity and power of someone otherworldly. No one was going to stop her on her mission.
"I'm ready. I will guide you through Limbo. We will come back. And we will have an army with us," John vowed, stepping up with Masako. He reached out his hand and she took it.
Everyone looked at the two of them. They all knew what needed to be done.
"We're a family," Takigawa said. "Mai and Naru, they called us their family. Family sticks together. We're in this to the very end!" he vowed, walking towards them and grabbing their hands.
"Mai is like a daughter to me," Ayako said. "My daughter has asked to come home now. And Naru said they need medical supplies. I'll be ready," Ayako vowed, joining hands with the other three.
"Mai was there for me when I needed her. Oliver saved my life and the lives of my schoolmates. I will destroy everyone who's hurt them! I will destroy their data and I will destroy them!" Yasu vowed, joining in.
"Everyone…" Lin whispered. "I started out this job as Noll's bodyguard. This job was never supposed to go this way. I certainly never expected to find a second family here in Japan. It seems though that there is more to family than bloodlines. My mission to protect my charge and Mai has not ended." He walked over to the team, his new family, and put his hand in as well. "Let's go rescue our family."
"Oh, you all…" Luella sobbed. "Thank you! Martin…Oliver finally has a family. We adopted him and his brother, but he has a found family now."
"Please, go rescue our children. Bring them home," Martin said.
"Right. Let's go!" Lin commanded.
