Chapter 6: Alpha-Omega

CHINA, HONG KONG – HONG KONG PORT DOCKS: 24 JUN 2013

SAH-HIM (OLIVER)

Maseo escorted his family to the boat that would take them to Japan. Waller had released him from ARGUS service. We are free. He was overjoyed with happiness. The Alpha-Omega Virus was safely in the hands of ARGUS and locked away. Hopefully, never to be seen again.

As Maseo approached a shaded corner on the dock, he noticed a familiar figure in a worn hoodie with a blonde beard. His face was shaded. Maseo 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.

"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 came up. "Who is your friend, Maseo?" Tatsu asked.

"I have given up most of my names," Sah-him replied. "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 were not dressed as real dock workers. His eyes narrowed. He started to push Akio behind him. Maseo noticed his look and looked in the same direction.

"Kuso!" Maseo swore in Japanese. He immediately drew his gun. "Tatsu, take Akio and run."

"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."

The ambush that the dock workers had set was further down the dock. Then the Yamashiros stopped to talk to Sah-him. The ambush had failed before it began. The dock workers tried to change their ambush, but the Yamashiros were ready for them. They were too far up the dock when the men prepared to attack. They were seen. That allowed Sah-him and the Yamashiros to see the attack and counter.

The men had not counted on Sah-him at all. He quickly killed one and stole his gun and started eliminating every man who raised arms against them. His aim was deadly and accurate.

The Yamashiros made it to the end of the dock, but were stopped by a sniper on the warehouse roof. He had positioned himself on the roof to stop their retreat. The sniper had them trapped on the dock and split into two groups. The Yamashiros on one side with Akio and Sah-him on the other side.

Maseo screamed in frustration. "Sah-him!" he shouted. "Take Akio to safety. Find us." He didn't want to become separated from Akio, but he knew that Akio would be safe with the man who had saved his life before. He had faith that Sah-him would be able to find him easily.

"Okasan!" Akio screamed while Sah-him held him.

"Akio!" Tatsu screamed as Maseo held her back. Preventing her from running into sniper fire.

"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. "Can you be my monkey?" he asked to distract the boy from the danger and violence.

"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."

"Really?" Akio asked, amazed.

"Yup," Sah-him told him. "Wanna see?" he asked.

"Yeah," Akio said with excitement. He 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 was rounding. He took his target, fired, and then ran like hell.

Sah-him was off the dock and around the corner away from the sniper with only two targets to eliminate. A block away he ran up the side of a building and pulled himself to the roof before he started to dodge and skip across the tops of Hong Kong. He eased himself back down to the ground near a marketplace.

"That was so cool!" Akio said. "I was really a monkey."

"You really were," Sah-him replied. "Now comes the hard part… we have to hide and then find your parents."

"I'm good at hiding," Akio said.

"Good," Sah-him said. "I'm still learning. Perhaps you can teach me," he said with a smile.

"I'll try," Akio said somberly.

Sah-him offered his hand and they slowly walked into the marketplace. He kept his hoodie up and his face shadowed. Akio seemed to want to look around and found everything in the market fascinating. A streak of light caught Sah-him's eye. The light caught the hair of a woman. Mei.

"Mei," Sah-him said without realizing he said it out loud.

Mei turned to 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 with his other arm. "It is good to see you, Mei," he replied with a smile.

"You know Arrow?" Akio asked with excitement.

"Arrow?" Mei asked in confusion.

"My new name," Sah-him replied. "Do you have somewhere we can talk? Someone is after Akio's family. I'm thinking you are as far away from them as anyone."

"Arrow," Mei repeated. "I like it. It honors my father. Especially if you got better with the bow."

"I did," Sah-him laughed.

"Then come," Mei replied. She led them to her apartment not too far from the marketplace they had found her in. "This should be a safe place."

"Good," Sah-him replied. "Let me call my family and let them start looking for Akio's parents."

Akio suddenly turned sad. "I miss my parents," Akio said sadly.

"We will find them," Sah-him replied. "Then you will go back to Japan as 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. "I believe that 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 and added to by several of the other instructors. Sikiyn and his students have noted a large American military presence in their part of Hong Kong. Yasrukh and her students have noted that several factories have increased vaccine 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.

"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, Hisan," 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."

"My dad is like that," Akio said seriously. "It's his work."

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 said. "It is about your dad's work. Maseo Yamashiro was trying to find and secure a super-virus known as the Alpha-Omega Virus," Sah-him said. "It is super bad." He told Akio. "Bad people, like that lady with white hair, wanted to take it and sell it."

"The White Lady was really 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. Few people survived an attack by China White.

"Maseo found the virus and secured it at ARGUS. Today, the family was released to return to Japan," Sah-him said. "Except instead of allowing the Yamashiros to return, 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. I called in. My people 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. "I have every confidence in your dad. We both know that your dad needs your mom to look out for him when it gets really tough. With both of them, they are fine. Right now, they are more worried about you. Your mom doesn't know me, but I've been looking out for your dad. I hope he tells her that."

"You have?" Akio asked.

"Yeah," Sah-him told him. "I wanted his ARGUS mission to succeed so he could come home to you. 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 believe I have located them, but there are a few men following them."

"Use darts on the men," Sah-him told her. "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."

"Bring them here," Mei demanded.

"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.

"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, "It is about making a life change. When I joined the people… the ones I am with… I made a commitment to a new way of life. They became my new family."

"Nyssa's people?" Mei asked in clarification.

"Yes," Sah-him replied with a nod. "When we started our journey, we were all asked what started us on our path to this new life. That should be the source of our new name. A commitment to our path," he told them.

"But your name is Arrow?" Akio said skeptically. "How did an arrow start your new path?"

"Yes," Sah-him replied with a smile. "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 Nyssa was able to free you from that ship. I worried for you, but Talia said that her sister had more than enough people to take care of the ship. 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 at the new name.

"Still means Arrow," Sah-him replied.

"Is your name really Frog then?" Mei asked Dafdae.

"Dafdae," Dafdae replied with a chuckle. "But it does mean 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 journey," Sah-him explained. "Mei was there for mine."

"You knew Sah-him on Lian Yu?" Dafdae asked, pleasantly surprised.

"I did," Mei said. "Talia took us to land before Nyssa 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?" Sah-him asked them.

"She did," Maseo replied. "I was debriefed yesterday by Waller and General Shrieve. Waller said we could leave. She had the plans set for the boat today."

"General Shrieve is a new player," Sah-him said with a frown. He was thinking of what Hisan had said of the American military in Sikiyn's part of Hong Kong.

"From what I was told, Waller was working with Shrieve to retrieve the Alpha-Omega Virus and secure it," Maseo said.

"You have good instincts, Maseo," Sah-him told him. "What are your feelings about Shrieve?" he asked.

"My feelings?" Maseo asked. "The man is condescending and superior. He made me feel dirty. Like I had bathed in slime."

"The same kind of feeling you get around Waller?" Sah-him asked for clarification.

"Exactly the same," Maseo replied.

"It is not proof," Dafdae told him. She had learned her lesson from the auction when she executed the bidders.

"No," Sah-him said. "But it means that this Shrieve is likely a source of evil or very close to one."

"What do we do now?" Tatsu demanded.

"Nothing," Dafdae replied. "We wait until the others have finished raiding the ARGUS building. Until then we have nothing but guesses."

"And guesses are not enough to take action," Sah-him added.

~AU~AU~AU~AU~AU~AU~

CHINA, HONG KONG – MEI'S APARTMENT: 24 JUN 2013

SAH-HIM (OLIVER)

The sudden knock-on Mei's door startled the collective group. Tatsu hurried Akio into the bathroom while the rest spread out in the room. Mei gently answered the door with the chain lock still on.

Hello?= Mei asked in Chinese.

I must speak with all of you= a strong male voice responded. =I am Hisan.=

Mei glanced back at the room.

"He is our teacher," Dafdae replied. "Let him inside."

"Your teacher?" Maseo asked in confusion. He was wondering if this was the second man, he had seen in Starling City. His voice and body type matched.

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. 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 they are protected," 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.

"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 Tatsu and Akio out.

Hisan nodded. "It may have been," Hisan remarked. "Our people raided your ARGUS facility after your family was attacked. What we found was disturbing."

"What did you find?" Tatsu asked with her arm firmly 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 told us that a man named General Matthew Shrieve had betrayed her and stolen both the Alpha and the Omega components of the virus. He intented to release the activated Alpha-Omega Virus in Hong Kong."

"Oh, my God!" Mei exclaimed. "You said this virus would kill a city. It would 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. "While my students have been tracking your investigation into the Alpha-Omega Virus, the other teachers and their students have been tracking other strange activities in Hong Kong. One noted a large presence of the American military in Hong Kong. General Shrieve is in charge of these men."

"Another had noted vaccine processing facilities were in high production. 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. Their formulas were traded for vaccine's formula. Anyone receiving a shot of the virus will be receiving the vaccine," Hisan said.

"Shrieve was creating more virus?" Tatsu roared. "His evil was not enough?" she demanded.

"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 and targeted your family. You know the truth. He created additional Alpha-Omega to inject into any people who survive the initial attack," Hisan continued. "This effort has been thwarted. Those people will receive the vaccine."

"Why?" Maseo said with angst. He could not fathom what would drive this kind of evil and terrorism. ARGUS taught him that even evil people and terrorist organizations had a reason. With the Triad, it was greed and power. He couldn't see what would drive Shrieve to this type of madness.

"Shrieve feels that China is too powerful in both the economy and military," Hisan said. "Director Waller says that Shrive thinks killing Hong Kong he will kill China's economic power and cripple their military power."

"He is insane," Sah-him replied. "He must be the evil that was behind Fyers. The reasons were the same and they are flawed. The majority of China's military power is in completely different areas on the mainland. The Alpha-Omega Virus was only released in Hong Kong… an isolated area on the shore of the Chinese mainland, surrounded by mountains."

"While their economy would take a hit from the attack, it would not be crippled or killed. Any High School economist would tell you that they are a global power. Hong Kong is a recent acquisition. While the main stock exchange is in Hong Kong, it is only recently that China has allowed this," Sah-him declared angrily. "China will discover Shrieve's role. China will become angry at America for attacking the sovereign nation of China. He would incite a war between China and America."

"Well done, Sah-him," Hisan said with the smile of a proud teacher. "That is our assessment as well."

"America did not attack China," Maseo said as he processed the information. "Shrieve killed ARGUS agents… American agents… Kuso!"

"He must not be authorized by America if he is attacking American agents," Mei replied. "He must be stopped."

"We agree," Hisan replied. "The others in our organization are removing the American military as discreetly as possible. We are to stop the Alpha-Omega Virus from being released," he said while pointing at Dafdae and Sah-him.

"What of us?" Tatsu asked.

"Shrieve is still hunting your family," Hisan replied. "You should stay hidden. Director Waller did say that she had released you from ARGUS," he told Maseo. "You are no longer beholden to ARGUS."

"I will assist," Tatsu ordered. 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 Mei formally.

"I would be honored," Mei replied with an elegant bow.

"I have to stop this too," Maseo replied. "I feel responsible for Shrieve having the Omega Virus. I must stop him."

"Then come," Hisan replied. "We need to move quickly."

"Hisan?" Mei asked, suddenly. "You have a few vials left of the vaccine."

"They are yours to use," Hisan told her. "But return here as quickly as possible. This is where we will look for you."

"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~