J.o.a.T. Volume 2

[Youko Recca]

Vol.1 (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=118174)

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Chapter Twenty-One: Modus Operandi





"What a complex place. It's like a high class sewer."

"Heh, well I suppose comments like that could apply."

Noc and Soda walk through the main door to their quarters. Mizu is sitting on the couch, gazing at the television.

Noc and Soda walk in and allow the door to close behind them. But don't walk any futher as they inspect her from the short distance. She was so caught up she hadn't noticed them enter.

Soda's right eyebrow rose to a level above the other,"What is she doing? Sounds like she's watching a movie of some kind. You'd think she's never seen moving picture before."

Noc rubs his now gloved hands together,"Well...even though we've spent almost two weeks with her...we still don't know much about her Soda. There's no existing file on her. In addition, all info known is what she's told us. And that isn't much. She said her fighting style, eating habits, and opinions on some of our methods. But not much else. We don't even know why she agreed to join us. Not in detail anyway."

Soda thinks back to her assault on the complex.

"Well, whatever the reason. I'd say it's better she be on our side than against us. In time when she finally feels comfortable I'm sure she'll tell us. I mean I wasn't going to say....but the very first time I agreed to join was because I was more afraid that you would kill me since I knew too much. Of course...I am here of my own free will now. Just give it time."

He walks foward, coming up behind the couch she was resting on. "Hey Mizu, what are you watching?"

Mizu finally blinks and turns to him,"I'm not sure. But I am studying their killing methods so I'll know how to counter them in reality."

On the screen, a huge gun fight is erupting. Fights are beggining all over the town in different ways.

Soda recognizes the movie,"Oh, you're watching My Killing Game. I was at the theatres when it first came about two years ago if memory serves correctly. And I don't think you'll have to worry much when it comes to combat."

Mizu squints at him,"Oh will I? I have not won one battle for our forces. You, the vampire, and the fowl one have all added am important victory to your belt. I gave up hope in the heat of battle to the poitn where we would have surely died. I tied my battle with that lazy swordsman and was unconscious for our most important battle. I was useless."

Soda looks faintly surprised by this. Not realizing how events have effected her self-esteem. She seemed to take great pride in her fighting, and it was more apparent to him now.

"Cut that crap Mizu. I won't lie and say any of that didn't happen as you say, but you're over-exaggerating. You are a key player. Hell, if it wasn't for you we'd all be dead right now. You saved me from that fall, which led me to continue fighting on. And you know I took the objective's life right? Well that couldn't have happened without you."

She looks at the television screen to see a man get shot off the roof og a building by another sneering man.

"Life...is precious. It's nothing to take for granted. And yet I find that taking it is the only talent I was 'blessed' with. But--"

She turns her cold eyes in Soda's direction.

"--isn't that what monsters are made of? Is that what I am? And if it is..so be it. If I must be a monster to reach my goals, then I will howl as I rip through those who stand in my way."

Soda is again dumbstruck.

She stands and walks over infront of the TV, it's pictures reflecting in her eyes and then vanishing as she shut it off with her left hand. Black hair ruffling as she slowly turns back to them.

"And I hope that you and this place will be the leash that keeps this monster from running rampant and losing sight of her goals."

She closes her eyes and walks around the television, feeling for it with her right hand as to not bump into anything. Then letting her hand slide off the top of it's surface as she reopens her eyes and enters her room. The door creaking closed.

Noc is hunched against the wall with his arms crossed,"My now...", he smiles at Soda who was still standing. Like a teacher who had been asked the meaning of life by their pre-K students.

The click of a door is heard.

Both Noc and Soda turn to look at the main door, but it isn't opening.

"Ugh, why can't I get to sleep again?!"

They both turn and see instead it was Max's door opening. And through it a barking Max rubbing through his messed up silver hair.

Soda looks at him strangely,"What the hell is?"

Max looks at him with gold eyes, disgruntled. "I've been rolling around in my bed for an hour trying to get to sleep but I can't. I'm mixed with a dog, it should be easy for me to go to sleep. As a matter a fact, I have the best sleeping habits of us all."

Noc gave him a look,"Is that so...?"

Max gave him a dirty look back,"Yes that's so you fruity little vampire. Unlike you who needs a necessary equation of sleep, I can go to sleep freely of my own will. And Mizu practises with her sword--things too much for her own good.", he barks on while going for that fridge again.

Soda's face sags and he points to himself, feeling ignored he says, "And what about me?"

Max kicks the fridge closed, causing it to shake. Turns while opening the black can and scoffs,"Have you even been able to GET to sleep Soda? You're not even a factor in this."

Soda flips him off.

Noc makes a hissing noise at Max and goes for his room.

Max waves underhanded,"Whatever Noc, go hang from your cieling."

Noc says while entering his room,"Hey, that's a massive stereotype. Vampires can sleep just aswell as anything else." he closes his door.

Max leaps from where he's standing and onto the couch, causing the remote to bounce into the air and then back down. "Maybe I'll sleep better out here." he says as he lays out and crushes the empty can without trying.

Soda notices that he never really went into his room, so this would be his first time. Walking up tot he front again, he touches it. But he wasn't going to be interrupted this time Grabbing the handle, he turns it and enters the room in one rush. Closing his eyes.

Max watches him as he does it with a smirk on his face.

Soda stops running when he feels he's in and continues to stand with closed eyes. "Wonder what they set up for me..."

Upon opening his eyes he gasped. "Woah...no kidding."

He walks around the dimly candled room, with it's brown furniture and various decorations. A plant hung over the table that was set in the middle between the furniture like a divider. It looked like a living room. But not just any living room.

It was his living room.

Soda's gasp manifested a smile and he walked back out the room and into the white main lounge of their quarters."So...how'd you guys do it?"

Max rubbed the left side of his right index finger over his nos ein a "no big deal" fashion.

"You don't remember? I swore you were told. The room is blank before the occupant enters it. Nothing but white space. But when they enter, the room manifests itself in to what the user would feel best 'at home' with."

Soda nodded in understanding,"You people think of everything I bet."

Max shurgged,"We make it so we don't have to, that's why it's your thoughts that mad ethat room. I actually requested that option personally. And you had better thank me. Before that it was these plain rooms with blueberry incents burning throughout. Worse that the lounge here I can assure you."

This made Soda think of something.

"So where do all this freaking staff sleep?"

"Noc didn't show you? There's a higher floor where half the staff are able to sleep. Each half takes turns between resting and working. It's not as bad as I may be making it sound though. Free food, roof over your head, resources for your own personal projects on the side...not bad I say. Just that--no simulation can account for the smell of real rainwater."

Soda walks back in his room,"Alright then. Goodnight.", he closes his door and let's his body fall onto the long brown couch. His face planted on his left side, so as he stared, he saw the picture of his wife, daughter and himself smiling in the last picture they had taken together. It rested atop the middle table.

In the lounge Max huffed,"Now for some much deserved shut-eye..."

[Youko Recca]

Out in the halls a familiar soldier is coming back from lunch. He walks over to a door and takes it. Grabbing his walkie-talkie as the door shut and he made his way down the stairwell.

"Sir, she went along with it. I'm returning to base now."

"Good job Miles, hurry."

Miles attaches it back to his side. He came to the first floor, and as he was about to walk into the door leading to the main lounge of the building, he heard something coming from the door leading to the lower levels.

Interest piqued he decided to take the door into these dank quaters. Much to his surprise when he saw a beat up naked man laying there tied up and bunched into a corner.

Miles ran over and knelt down to check on the man. He was still alive but struggling and whining very much. "Who the hell did this to you? Are you a member of the personel?", he asks while ripping out the one thing keeping him from speaking.

As soon as it came off the guy was panting, spitting, yelling with slurred speech, and coughing all at once.

Miles just kind of moved his head a little back to avoid it,"Woah now. Calm down sir. Please answer my questions, but don't gag on your own tongue while doing so."

"H--he's...a--an imposture! He rec-not too long ago broke in here and stole my identity, he's been at this to get to our unit he says."

Miles stands up and scratches his head,"Who is 'he' exactly now?"

The closing of a door is heard behind them.

"I assume he's talking about me?"

The man has slicked back brown hair. Small beady black eyes and the face of any ordinary college student, like he was just entering adulthood. He wore the stolen white outfit which all the staff were wearing.

Miles quickly reached over for his pistol positioned on his left side and held it up and out with both hands,"Don't move!"

"Like you'll even kill me..."

"I'm giving you fair warning kid, don't move!"

The tied up one just looks on scared.

The imposture just puts on a smirk and takes a step foward. The pistol gets cocked.

He doesn't move foward but instead puts his hand sup in the air,"Okay-okay, I give. Take me in or whatever..." he turns around so his back is facing them. Hands still visible.

Miles walks over behind him with caution, leaving the gun in his right hand and reaching over for the handcuffs with his left.

After having a hard time putting them on, Miles proceeds to walk the man up to the first floor.

The naked guy stays tied, trying to squirm his way to anywhere but there.

Upon reaching the first floor, Miles radios in to his people. "Sir, I have gotten sidetracked. The paranormal unit seems to be in some deep trouble..."

[Youko Recca]

"What is it? This is exactly why I ordered you to come back as soon as possible!"

"Sorry sir. But the building has been infiltrated by an imposture. A young male. We can only guess as part of some bigger plan, that is why people are put in these situations for anyway."

"Okay. We should probally hand him over to unit 0015 for quick answers as to what exactly his motives are. Bring him in. Over and out."

Miles looks down as he clips the walkie-talkie and notices something peculiar. This man had no shadow.

And as this is realized Miles feels something sharp penetrate his back, severing his spine in an instint as it's twisted, whatever it is, deeper into his back.

Miles vomits blood and falls over on his face.

The spy turns and faces the dark being standing upright parellel across the lain-out Miles.

"Sorry--Miles--but a random soldier like yourself can't possibly play a role in this. Name's Kane Madison, take that as you will, to wherever you'll be going from this life."

Miles is groaning in pain as he is reaching to radio in back to base, and just before grasping it, is stomped on his head by the dark being's right foot. Caving it in instantly, and putting an abrupt end to Miles.

Kane whistles playfully,"Come on my shadow, we have work to complete."

The dark being, his shadow of which didn't take refuge below him on the ground, stood and followed the man up the stairs. Leaving the corspe without a second thought about it.

Back in the core member's quaters one hour has passed.

Max is impatient and is growing more frustrated with the fact that he can't get to sleep.

A door opens and the rapid steps of boots are heard. Mizu had exited her room in a less than hapy mood. "I can't....sleep. No matter how much I try."

Max sits up and rests his back against the couch correctly,"I understand, I'm having the same problem."

Another door opens. It's Soda this time. He yawns as he walks to the right side of the couch Max sits on. So...am I the only one who can't get to sleep?"

Both Max and Mizu shake their heads negatively.

Max sratches through his hair,"This is one of the worst coicidences ever, this'll be bad if-"

Click. Another door opens. Sound of disgruntled steps are heard as the vampire steps out and looks at them stressfully.

"--Noc hasn't gone to...sleep already", Max finishes as he slaps his right hand over his face and shakes his head.

Noc doesn't have his hat on, but instead lets his black hair flow out.

"Something's wrong."

Max exhaled deeply,"Let me guess...no sleep?"

Turnal nods and constantly has his hands exchanging places on opposite sides of his neck to rub and faintly scratch at.

Max notices after taking his hands off his face and now has this even more lazy look to him,"How much sleep have you had in total today Noc?"

"Five in total Max."

"Eh--not good. You need that last hour of sleep."

"Why is that?", Soda asked.

Noc and Max look up to Soda. Mizu wondered this herself, so she payed attention.

Max bit his teeth down in repeated fashion to keep from yawning, then proceeded to answer. "He's a vampire. Basically all vampires have a required sleeping range, they must sleep for a total of six hours everyday. Problem here is that the clock will probally be striking twelve in not too long. It's dangerous for a vampire not to get the required amount of sleep, they become less susceptible to any logic they may have. Trying to kill anything around them in order to feed and ignore the lack of sleep. This is what happens to vampires you see the race getting stereotyped under. If even THAT isn't carried out with they get suicidal, and in worst case scenario...will even stake themselves."

Soda's eyes return to full and he looks at Noc itch,"We--we have to get him to sleep then. I have honestly never heard of that attribute to vampires, then again, I didn't believe they existed until last week."

Mizu cut in here to form an opinion,"First of al, how long would it take before Noc would start trying to kill us? And secondly, how lon will it take before he would stake himself?"

Max doesn't feel comfortable talking about it,"I'll let Noc himself answer that."

Noc is heard clearing his throat and instantly answers,"It always varies between vampire. I'll let you know when I feel I can't be trusted. As ludacrous as that may sound, I'll feel it coming. Once that happens, I suggest locking me up or something along those lines. But I do hope it never gets that far."

Max rubs over the hairs on his lower face,"It never will. You're better than that Noc. You're not just some vampire on the streets."

"But I was once..."

Max glares at him,"I thought I told you that was never again to be a factor. This isn't much of a problem anyway. Vampires sleeping is the easiest thing in the world to accomplish. So easy this shouldn't even be labled as a problem. Which is exactly why I'm starting to get bad vibes from this coicidence. It's not lilely four different people all can't get to sleep when they all desired, and with myself and Noc it seems even less likely."

Soda thinks and speaks out,"Unless there's an outside force acting to prevent them from sleeping."

Max points at Soda,"Exactly."

Mizu closes her eyes,"Could it be more of these prisoners I've heard of?"

Max shakes his head,"No, they are under tight lock. Like I said before, a new warden as assigned. Someone new must be playing. Maybe."

As all four sit and stand amongst each other thinking, a familiar speaker box comes on.

"Mr. Lergnom! Please come quick to the first floor!", the box positioned up in the cieling corner had a whiney and shaken-up voice yelling out of it.

Max jumped over the couch and was immediatly in the act of opening their main door, and once opened, was charging through the dimly brightend halls. Almost knocking down various employees.

He turns corners and bust through the door leading to the stairwell, he brang his right hand down hard on the bar and leaped over. Jumping directly on to a platform with a door leading to the second floor. He could now see a hord of staff surrounded around something below his position.

Climbing down the steps quickly, he pushed his way through the portions of the crowd that didn't notice him yet. "Move!!!", he barked.

A higher ranked official came to greet Max,"Hello sir, there has been an onboard murder. Unspeakable."

Max saw the body of Miles laying there with blood escaping the large gap in his back. Also the dent in his head. He looked at the higher ranked official's nametag, it said Walter.

Max sniffed and rose his right hand,"None of you are leaving here."

There's a collection of mumbles and moans among the crowd.

"Shut. The hell...up! If you want to be cleared you'll go along with what I say, understood?!"

All of them quieted down.

Deep within the crowd, Kane Madison stood. Smirking at the sight os Max's arrival.

Max began pacing in a circle around the corspe,"Ugh, this was a soldier for Jack. Poor bastard." he continued on while inspecting it.

Walter looked at Max,"Pardon me for asking sir, but why must the staff stay down here?"

"This isn't all the staff, work will get done since the fraction here is too small. I'm guessing whoever killed-" he peered down and saw the tag reading: Miles Johnson, doused in his own blood. "-is here among the crowd."

There is a crowd uproar.

Max's golden eyes turns to them with a frown and they all silence.

"Actually...it's not really a guess, the killer IS among this little crowd. I can match the smell of the blood coming off the corspe faintly with the smell of blood coming somewhere off the general crowd. Guess it's true the killer always returns to the scen of a crime. Damn idiots..."

Kane bit down on his lower lip while puting on a whole different smile. One that was eager.

Footsteps were heard coming from the same way Max had came.

It was Mizu, grasping both her blades in respective hands. There were people among the staff suddenly looking uneasy by her entrance.

"Max. Soda stayed behind with Noc to try and get him to sleep. What's going on here?", she asks while walking just next to Walter. He who froze up by her being so close to him.

Max waved for her to come over, and as she did he explained. "One of the crowd members over there killed this soldier. Murders among the staff at any of Jack's units are practically unheard of. So I'm guessing one of them isn't who they appear to be."

Mizu holds her blades to her side while standing behind Max and the corpse,"Is that so....Well I'll gladly act as crowd control."

Max nodded,"Please do. Okay, here's how it's going to go. one at a time I'll call one of you over. I'll smell your scent to see if it's clean entirely. I'll do you one at a time to make sure I'm thorough. Be patient, cool, and considerate and you'll be alright. And if you know you didn't kill this man then there is really nothing to worry about right?"

There was a brief sound of agreement.

Kane thought to himself, Perfect. Everything is going accored to plan.

Max pointed at a random worker,"You. Come over. We'll be starting at once. And we'll make it fast, my sleep is being interuppted by this."

The lady walks over infront of Max. He sniffs. And then points to his left at the stairs,"You're clean. Leave."

The lady sighs and begins to walk back upstairs.

Max calls anothe rover,"And know now, whoever did it, that between now and the time I call you over is the time to give yourself in. Cause otherwise, if I don't bash your face in first, my friend over here-" he nods over to Mizu "-will have already taken a limb off that you'll undoubtedly be wishing you still had by this new day's end."

The clock strikes twelve. The mutt can feel it.

[Youko Recca]

Max is making his way through the staff quickly. Mizu's presence keeping everyone in check.

"Alright. Move on, Hurry up.", Max directs another to the stairs. His golden stare looks into the faces of the remaining ten people and sharpens. Nose perking up.

He looks at Mizu and both look back into the small number of people.

Kane notices their exchange and knows what he knows. And he knows that he's been found.

A series of claps echo through the stairwell.

Max and Mizu, along with nine staff turning around, look at a backing-up Kane as his hands beat up and down at a steady pattern. Smile emphazising his smug look.

Walter's face looks on confused, "Jones...why are you clapping?!"

And as the higher official says this a man falls from the above levels. Landing right infront of the imposter. A bloodied naked man.

Mizu looks up and sees an incredicly dark and huge figure standing on the rail leading to the doorof the second floor.

"So a spy, eh? We've never had one of those infiltrate our compound.", Max began to rush towards Kane.

"Hey! Those who know they aren't guilty of the murder, get the hell out of here pronto!"

With that, Walter and the others begin sprinting for and up the stairs in a mad hurry.

The dark figure tries cutting off their path, Kane getting a sadistic glint in his eyes as it happens.

A mist suddenly hits the faces of everyone, liquid is shooting furiously through the air and towards the belly of the dark figure. It hits hard enough to where you here the aquatic thud, just as the first person reaches the top.

The figure is knocked back along with the attack directly into an upper wall.

Kane smiles,"So, Gravity didn't lie about you Mizu. That tear thing you control is awfully-"

He jumps to the side as he sees Max's fist coming for his face.

"--dangerous!"

Max turns to the right and stands up straight, "Who are you? We give death to those who kill our soldiers and then to have the audacity to have a corny smile like that."

"I am Kane Madison. You must be the hyrbrid. Heh, fusion between a man and a dog, never thought I'd see the day when that pulled through succesfully. Gravity also told me of you...you and that foul mouth of yours."

Max flinches.

Up on the wall, Mizu is concentrating to keep the tear strapping the dark figure.

"So, where's Soda and Noc at? The four of you DO make up the heart of unit 0041 right?"

"Who the hell is 'Gravity'? And where does he get his information?"

"Ah, no, that's for me to nkow and you to find out."

Max smirked, "You little prick. Think you can come into my house and leave mud tracks on my carpet? I noticed your little ability pretty damn quick. You're part of that one shadow clan, humans with control over their shadows. Varies between the each of you. Forget exactly what the clan's name was. Forgive me."

Max begins treading towards him again.

Kane rubs his hands together, "Ah, so we've done our homework alike. Well...you more or less crammed."

Max jumps off one of his steps and goes flying swiftly foward, he grabs Kane by the throat and slams his back against the wall.

"Quit smiling. I want to know why you're spying on us. Right now!" he increases grip.

Kane coughs, "Nice. Closing off the port that allows me to talk..."

Max release Kane but then quickly punches downward over the top of his hand. Holding back as to not knock him out.

Kane lays on his front flat out, he coughs some more, but this time due to the dirty ground.

Max kneels down next to him, "Start talking."

He points up to the dark figure that is currently fighting against Mizu's hold. "I'm guessing that's your shadow. And without that you shadow *****es are just like any other human out there. Meaning I could break-", he inches his mouth closer to Kane's ear, "-every damn bone in your body without breaking a sweat. Something to think about."

Kane begins to laugh, rising off his knees to his feet. "Typical Max....you underestimate once AGAIN! Isn't that what made you a hybrid in the first place? Your cocky, stupid, piece of crap judement on those around you?"

Max hears this and lets out a growl loud enough to rock the stairs, his body shaking with anger as he smacks Kane up and back against the wall again. His eyes digging at Kane's.

Kane bleeds from his lips and nose. But smiles more as he gets Max to russel up more.

Mizu turns and notices, examining both of their postures. Straining to think back to all Kane said so far and control this beast at the same time.

All of what he said had been a way to provoke them. And it wasn't letting up. And now that she thought about it.....

Her tear was splashed out of nowhere over them all. Mizu hadn't payed enough attention and Kane's shadow leaped down and kicked her across her face.

Mizu swung both of her blades over her head and did a cartwheel, with the elegant tips bouncing her off the ground.

She slid to a stop and huffed away as his red cheeck thumped.

Max turned and was distracted enough for Kane to slip past him, running for the stairs.

Max looked back around and leaped overhead to land ontop of him, but before he could, the shadow tackled him midair into the wall to the right of the stairs.

Max punched the shadow but it seemed uneffected, so he just pushed it off and got to his feet.

Kane turned back at them before entering the door to the second floor, "Hurry up! The whole point is for me to be found out, but also to be captured and lead you on your way. Gravity just doesn't want me to make it easy!"

He opens the door and is followed right beind his shadow as they run in.

Upon reaching the other ide, his shadow falls over and places itself right back on the ground under him.

He giggles to himself and walks amongst the working staff.

Mizu retracts her tear and both her and Max run in through the door.
Nothing but a bright hall full of white coats.

Max grits his teeth and punches the wall, leaving deep imprints of his fist, "Damnit! How did we lose him when he even wanted to get caught!?"

Mizu's eyes peer on, "This isn't all he was sent for. I can feel it."

[Youko Recca]

Chapter Twenty-Two: Measures of Central Tendency






Something cold and wet splashes over his lowered head. And through his hair drips down onto a dirty surface.

Kane rises his head, jaw dropped and face stretched out. He winces in pain and tries to move his hands, but their tied behind his back due to this strongly enforced rope wrapped around him.

"Ugh, what happened?"

The room he sits in is dark, with just a single lamp hovering above the entrance to the door, but this dim light didn't even reach the table he was positioned at.

"They got me....?"

"Sure did!"

Kane looks as the door closes an a energetic Max rushes over and slams his palm hard on the table. Kane blinks rapidly and moves his head to try and escape the ringing in his ears.

"Ah, mutt. How are you?"

Max treads back under the light, leaning against the door, having his right hand reach behind and lock the door.

"Tired as hell. What is it? A trance? Some kind of dust you somehow got by me?"

"The hell you talking about Max?"

A bark echoes through this small room.

"Don't act cute. It's been two hours since I layed your ass out. During this time I went into...a nodding off motions. Strange however, was how I couldn't get to sleep. No matter how much I tryed. Obviously you've done this on purpose. And you have partners. And I want to know who they are and where they are."

Kane smiles. Eyes drooping. "Nice. Perfect. I take it you put Noc under restraint for safety precaution. Great thing to do to a teamate by the way..."

"Enough crap Kane, who's helping you?"

"Hold up you pound escapee, let me gather some freakin' thoughts first. I'm still trying to remember how exactly it is I'm captured."

Max pushes off the door and walks over and around to the left side of Kane,"Think hard, feel over the nose area."

Kane brings his head over on the table and gentle places his nose on it, he can feel a slight sting and something soft covering his nose. He rises his head and looks disbelieving towards Max.

He who is now fronting an artificial smirk,"I broke it."

Kane squints and suddenly gets a slide show of how he got there.

................................................


Max walks through the still white hall where the staff seemed to have just reset.

Mizu follows behind, blades circling inside her palm at the hilts, right below and next to her thighs. Kicking a gentle breeze that neither of them would even feel.

"Smell him near Max?", she asks while they stood out with their cautious steps.

"Of course I smell his scent, but we're not getting him himself. Moves pretty nimbly for a gutter rat."

"So. Do you know more of this 'shadow clan' he is part of?"

"A little. Forgot the correct name but awhile back a human mixed their blood with a specimen from a far off planet we no nothing about. Somehow the thing had planet-hopped onto Pluto just in time to board a cargo transport. You get the idea. So this idiot injects the creature's blood into his body without knowledge of what could happen and bam. We have the founder of these shadow controlling cretins."

"I presume the creature is dead."

"No duh. And we've never found another like it since that time ago. While back. Happened long before I was born. Oh yeah. I just remembered something else, you have to be born with the damn blood. Can't share needles to get the job done. Ironic,eh? Luckily the first one shacked up alot. Just kept growing in numbers due to all the radical sex experienced in the seventies, eightiess, and nineties. At a good clan-ish number now."

Mizu follows Max as he suddenly sharply turns into a left hall.

Click. A printer finishes a document copy for a random staff.

Max jumps and then quickly realizes what it really is, "Damnit. Lack of sleep and then dealing with a spy has me riled."

Back in their personal lobby, Soda sits with Noc.

"How're you holding up Noc?", Soda asks while walking over to the fridge.

Noc scrunches his mouth closes his eyes, and does a single flicker of the left wrist non chalantly.

"I'm fine Soda. But to be sure you should probally check my heartbeat, make sure it isn't....skippy."

Soda looks at him plainly, "You have no heartbeat."

Noc pretends to have forgotten and playfully knocks himself in the head, "Doh, of course. So you should probally check for a pulse instead,eh?"

Soda's left eyebrow is now hovered above the other, "How long have you been a dead creature of the night again?"

"Almost a decade."

Soda opens the fridge and takes out the only thing to drink.

"It was rhetorical. Anyway, here. We both know the effects are never really effective immediatly."

He hands Noc the carton of milk.

Noc's gloved hand wraps around all four corners as hedraws it towards himself. "What? Straight out the carton?"

Soda sits across from him on the couch, "This time we can make an acception."

He ywans and can actually feel like wanting to sleep. No wait. That's how he felt all the time. This time it felt like he could actually do it.

But as Noc gulps down the milk and sets the empty carton on the table five minutes later, it's obvious he can't.

Wants to, but can't.

And Max's growls get to all the people him and Mizu pass by.

"Damnit! Where is he?!"

Kane looks down at them through the opening in the above vent.

After a casual smirk, he slowly crawls on up.

Max and Mizu come to the door on the other side of this floor, exactly opposite of where they came from.

He smells the door.

"Something isn't....."

His eyes catch a glimspe of silver and then he looks up entirely at the thick vents running above them.

"Crap, so simple! Hurry Mizu, he's on the third floor!"

They bust through the door and run one more flight up to the door leading into the third floor.

After also bursting through that one, they notice a similar attitude going on.

"He's here. As a matter a fact--"

A small gate falls onto the ground and down plops a younger-looking male dressed accordingly.

"-- we beat him here!"

Max dashes foward instantly and swings and thrusts foward a mighty right hook deep into the now turned face of a standing Kane.

As the fist connects, Kane's head pains and he leans back in the chair in a darkly tinted room.


......................


"Oh, you son of a *****. Got me by surprise."

Max is walking around him and the table in a circle,"Finally remember huh. Dandy. Now start spilling before I break something else."

"Kiss my ass."

There goes another of Kane's smirks. But Max puts on one to match.

Now while walking around he would lightly touch the top of his head and say,"Duck...."

He did this same motion before the fifth time where he just stopped behind Kane and grabbed his hair roughly and slammed his head into the table's top.

"Goose you little prick"

Max pushed harder.

"Feel like talking yet? I had this janitor closet turned into my own little interrogation room just for you *******, no use contacting unit 0015 for such a wimp."

Kane's cheek presses inward and slurs his speech,"Gravity idiot. I already told you!"

Max lets go of his head and leans back,"For the last damn time....who the hell is Gravity?"

[Youko Recca]

"I guess enough time has passed. My role is accomplished so I can say. Gravity is my leader."

"Leader? So what are you part of exactly?"

Kane looks at him like he's an idiot, "The second squad dumbass."

Max raises his chin.

Kane shakes his head, leans in back and does a faint chuckle. Now pulling it back foward he says, "Second squad. You know...or not. Remember Harmony, Rick, Kazuma, and Eugene?"

Max's eyes bug and he nods as he sees flashes of past ecounters run through his head.

"Yeah. Ah, yes now I remember, they said something about being the first squad of something. So you're part of the second. I seem to remember the report of the Harmony mission saying that each squad had four member. So if you are indeed what you say you are, then there must be three more out there waiting for your call. Am I right?"

"Hell no."

Max looks a bit taken," Say what?"

Kane looks past Max and above at the light,"Aren't you even concerned on why exactly the second squad is messing with you guys out of the blue? Man, this unit really doesn't get any actio, your experience seems pretty crappy."

Max flips him off while walking under the light and in Kane's focus view,"I was actually going to get that without making it seem like I was interested. Would allow me to get concrete facts without the hassle. Guess I gotta torture your ass now...."

Kane shakes his head,"Not if I'm willing to give up everything I know. Cause that was MY mission. Infiltrate this once-apon-a-time hospital, get captured and then tell you everything. It has to be convincing."

Max crosses his arms,"Why? For what? What are you saying, is there something else coming out of this?"

Kane leans his head diagnolly to the right,"Modus operandi."

"So this is to kill two birds with one stone? Now your ass has no choice but to tell."

"What are you...brain dead? Ugh, anyway, Gravity told me to come here, get captured and tell you personally Max, to meet him for a challenge. My boss wants to have a brawl with you."

Max smiles truthfully,"Go on...."

Kane does a nudge behind his back, trying to slip his hand out from the binding.

"Yeah, seriously. See. We've been having problems with the squad. Our vice captain is dead, I'm tired and wish to just retire from doing all this crap, one of us is a traitor to both sides he works for, and Gravity's proposition could change things for you."

"How? From the sounds of it this is meant to be your last job. That is, however--"

Max walks up infront of the hard table where Kane stopped showing signs of struggling.

"--if you;re not feeding me a pile of crap."

Kane sighs and does a long blink, "On MY life...all what I just said is true. No false news here Max. The traitor I mentioned before, he's the one who put this on your team. For as long as you live and he lives...you'll never sleep again."

He begins taking Kane's words more seriously. Putting on a serious attitude but the edge kind of died out a little to show the more concern he had.

"A ritual....damn. So just Soda, Noc, Mizu, and myself are feeling this? Not the staff?"

Kane nods his head foward and leaves it lowered.

He thinks and comes up with a question, "How do we reverse the effects. Please don't tell me it's the Eternal Wake ritual...."

Kane laughs, "Hey mutt, how'd you know!?"

Max puts his face in cupped hands, massaging his temples with his thumbs.

"Great. So if everything you've been telling me is true, that means he isn't aware of you and this Gravity's plan. You're going to use us to kill him for you. I bet he knows the effects of Eternal Wake, but in the plan sheet he recieved, he doesn't die....we do."

"Bingo. But you shouldn't feel for the idiot. The world will be better without him. He's the worst."

"Coming from you...uh...that sounds like the impression I'm currently getting looking at your boyish face. We'll kill him, because it's the only way to free us of that damn ritual, and since he's with you anyway he had it coming. Now enough ot the double trator guy, give me details on your leader and where and how he wants to fight me. Probally should throw WHY in there also."

Max turns around and treads little more towards the door.

Kane begins nudging more. He's bound tightly, just trying to slip through is burning.

Max unlocks the door and begins to turn back to Kane.

He just stops again and looks back smuggly. His right hand is almost out.

"Oh, well Gravity has to tell you the why part himself. He wants you to meet him at Chaos Park over at the eastern part of Mahobora. He'll be waiting with his proposition there."

Max takes a mental note and begins slowly walking back over to the table again,"Uh, I'll take everything you said here as truth. I can tell when I'm being lied to. Now that I have the leader, you are of no more use to us. So one last thing. What did you gain out of this and where will you try and be?"

Kane's hand is almost out.

"Like I thought i made clear. This is my last job. One for the road. In comparison to you I'm young but this isn't for me. Honestly my life has went downhill since making that decision I did. I'll be gone with the wind and maybe find another shadow to get lost in."

Max nods and touches the table, "Good."

He turns around and ends up leaving the room faster than it took to simply reach the table from the door.

Max sighs outside the doorway and begins walking over to the door leading in the stairwell. When he's walking back up, Mizu in all her glory is there leaning against the wall next to the door.

She gives him a blank look and he responds with a look of unsureness.

"Are you sure it's really wise to leave him like that?"

"No. That's why I'm doing it. I'm not sure if it's just me being tired or my lack or caring or whatever, but, yes, I do realize he's about to escape. The entire time in that room I heard him struggling. Well, more like trying to manuver his way out quietly. And I don't care. Once he leave's our clubhouse here, he is no longer a variable. If we ever meet again in the future under these kind of circumstances...I'll kill him. That soldier's death will fortunately not be entirely meaningless."

He continues his walk past her. Up more steps.

She keeps her eyes staring into nothing, blinking and finally letting out a yawn. "Hmm, I feel it. What is coming for me....?"

She looks down at the blade's sides as she caressed the hilts softly in her hands. Designed to look like the wings of a dove. Each tip slightly puffed to signify the most important part. The paintbrush's tip. As it's shape reminded her of her love of art."

Mizu finally stopped daydreaming and followed behind Max.

When she comes through the door and walks over to the main door of their quaters, Max had just walked in. She walks through as it slowly creaks to it's hault.

Inside Soda is sitting on the couch watch television. As Max joins him he explains his side.

"Hey. Noc is detained. But I'm starting to wonder if it was really necessary. He told me once he reaches the decade mark, sleep will no longer be an issue."

Max rolls his neck clockwise, "That is true, but we can't take any chances in our condition. Listen Soda, I myself have a lead to some guy named Gravity. He wants to specifically fight me over at Chaos Park for some reason. All in all he's behind a ritual called Eternal Wake which is currently the reason we can't sleep. That and he sent Kane here. I will be leaving immediatly to go take care of him. You and Mizu need to, like, rock-paper-scissors over who's coming as my backup and who's staying to make sure nothing happens here."

"I'll stay."

Both Soda and Max turn and look at Mizu walking over to the opposite couch where she lays out with her weapons lain out over her.

"Anyone or anything infiltrates again, and I'll paint it's corpse with it's own blood."

Max looks at her carefully,"Wonderful there Mizu, alright. About now Kane should be making his way out the front. Probally aware of the cloaking spell that's up. Leave him be, he's crap to us now."

Soda pulls Mongoose out it's holster and looks it over, "Already with field work. I just woke up yesterday."

"Quit with that, I thought by now you'd get the idea of how things work Soda. Besides, I'm the one who'll be doing the real fighting. I just need you to put a bullet in a certain someone's head and you're done. From what has been put before us, yor recovering is amazing. Better than me or Noc. So you should be up to get your hands slightly dirty. Come on."

Both start walking over to the main door after a disgruntled rising to their feet.

Max remembers something,"Oh yeah, Shakyla is still getting that upgrade. Probally won't need it though. Let's pray we don't get another Harmony on our hands."

There is the click and suddenly Mizu is alone. Staring up at the white cieling. Counting the blinks till she could sleep.

Max and Soda walk through the stairwell, all the way down to the first floor leading out through the lounge.

"Yeah, he's already gone.", Max says while passing the wooden desk and both him and Soda prepare to dash throgh the front door.

Over in the city cars honk and streetlights take forever to change.

Kane walks through the muddled streets with a grin of relief on his face, looking on and thinking.

"Well, been there, done that...."

His shoes rupture various puddles formed in the gloomy streets.

[Youko Recca]

Chapter Twenty-Three: Gravity





Another one and a half hours had passed since the two exited their little-big clubhouse.

Both were still sprinting, had been since they burst through those doors to the outside. And Soda enjoyed the fresh air all over again, this would most likely never get tiring.

"Hey Soda, how you holding?"

Both were on the wide sidewalk that was unsurprisingly empty for an early morning day. Funny how the gloom and doom never left despite the fact that the sun was out.

So they're on the sidewalk, running like crazy. Soda refers to Max without looking.

"A--alright I suppose, but shouldn't talk!"

He knew this city, he was born in it. And he knew how long a run this would be to Chaos Park, a park that got it's name from the city's early days when it was ran by a crazy politician with loose morals and a soft spot for havoc.

So if he was going to say anything else it would be, "Why the hell don't we have a hummer like---those one guys?!"

Max grinned as Soda saw in his peripheral vision.

"Where the hell do you think we're running to? It just so happens our ride can be in our route if we take the way we're taking."

Good news. Soda was in shape and all, but no one should be running to the other side of the city just before a fight.

Five minutes more of running and Max begins slowing to a hault, Soda slowling even faster. Finally stopped, Soda is panting at a fast pace, while Max seems to be breathing like one who just awoke from a good night's sleep.

"We're here", Max says as they walk toward a broken down garage. Sheets covered for broken windows, graffiti was coating it, and there was a slightly bad smell to the place. And this was just the outside.

Max walked to the garage part and put his knuckles against it, banging a severely rhythmic series of knocks. The impact gave the sound of what would happen if aluminum was punched.

After Max is done there is a strange clank and the garage rises up, revealing a wonderful looking red pickup truck. Rims about eighteen inches big, windows with a blackish tint, and while neat it seemed familiar.

Soda watched as Max just waltzed up to the driver's side and proppoed himself inside.

"Hmm, where--"

He works shotgun and can feel the soft material of the seat warming him already.

"--uh, Max, where did you get this exactly?"

Max flips down the mirror above him, on his side and pulls a key which he quickly places in the ignition. Smiling he presses hard on the gas pedal and flied out, garage feeling like it lifted them out of a spacing before their exit and now closing as the truck's engine filtered the streets.

"What? Oh yeah, remember that truck we unfortunately had to steal from that civilian? Well he would be happy to it's being to put to good use."

Soda shakes his head and slouches in the seat,"We commited grand theft auto, delightful. Just watch the road and everything on it."

Max simply scoffs and brakes as the light turns red.

As they sit there waititng for a green, Max taps on the steering wheel looking unworried about the circumstances.

Pretty soon he gets restless and turns the radio on to the number one, aparently he had all the radio stations he liked set already.

It was a hip hop station. A fast-talking person was rhyming about how women didn't need artificial exponents to catch a good black man.

Soda rolled his eyes and complained, "Hey, will you turn that off? I don't want to hear about how 'Master Killer 741' dumped his ex-wife's body and later got his dick sucked by that sexy ass ho. Definately not over an obnoxious melody."

Max looked over at Soda with a look of 'huh?'.

"Shut up Soda. If I knew you didn't like hip hop I probally wouldn't have accepted you."

"Good either way for me."

"In the end...not really. Your attitude against the genre is vague and unjust Samsons. Not all of it is like that."

"Oh really? I've heard differently. The slander is horrible, it's the kind of music I expect at the end of a porno most of the time."

"Nah, for that to happen in your world you'd have to LIKE the music with as many times as you'd supposadly hear it...."

Soda thought about that and then responded.

"Hey screw you Max. "

Max smikred as the light went green and he pushed his right foot down easy on the pedal, making it just in time to immediatly catch another red light.

"Ah, son of a *****!"

The song ends and another comes on with a drunken-sounding man slurring nonsence over a loud and thunping beat.

Soda groans, "See that's what I'm talking about. Turn it off."

Max presses CD and track one plays. The beat is slow and calm. A suave sounding man is talking about running away.

Soda groans again.

But Max pulls up his right hand an dflips him off whle biting his bottom lip,"No, you can't put them in the same light. This is The Pharacyde's 'Runnin', not that what you just heard on the radio. Listen to these lyrics, they make sence and are relatable to the average joe."

Soda shrugs while sitting up,"Sure, but this is one song and it doesn't make up for the crap infesting the rap genre. It's not equal."

Max smiles and shakes his head to deny,"Oh but it is and more. You won't go and look towards the good stuff, you'll just take what the mainstream gives you and use it as gasoline to fuel the damn fire.Not all of Hip Hop is like that Soda. I guess I won't change your views, you weren't raised listening to the music, you have no ear for it, and have been mentally poisened by the mainstream--"

He turns and gives Soda the look of feeling sorry for someone and then back to the road.

"--that's the general reason I among the haters."

He presses pedal and a-foward they go. From then on the truck was silent and they didn't seem to catch one red light until finally the came up into a turn that had a sign on the grass patch just a little away reading: Chaos Park.

Max pulls into the parking lot positioned infront of the entire park and removes the key from the ignition.

"Get out, but stay five feet away from me at all times. Just incase of a surprise attack on one of us, the other can react in time possibly."

Soda nods and both exit the truck. Their feet run across concrete but soon shifts to a grassy surface.

Max and Soda are walking by benches, a playground, and trashbins before they begin walking by a few large trees.

Both are treading light and cautiously.

It's quiet, not even a jogger in sight.

"Wow, how paranoid. I invited you *****es to a fight, not a game of hide and seek."

The young sounding voice just suddenly appears.

Max follows the voice and smells something slightly familiar, he raises his head to the tree two feet to their right.

A kid is sitting in a high-up branch against the tree, looking down at them with a smirk that reminded him of Kane. And he just knew this was Gravity.

"It's you!"

Max turns as Soda gets a look of surprise. "You know this kid Soda?"

Soda thinks back to when they were rescuing Noc from the abadoned building, "Not exactly, but I've seen him before. I knew he didn't seem right when I saw him in the crowd, he stood out. And now I know why."

The kid clapped and rolled off the tree into a front flip which landed him neatly on his feet infront of them. He went up to their chest at best when it came to height. The grey knit cap probally helping.

"Yes Soda, I met you a little over a week ago didn't I? I'm the reason you fell to the ground like that incase you still acting as stupid as ever."

Soda frowned and didn't know how to respond.

Max ran his hand through his silver hair, "I can't fight a child. Scram kid."

Without warning a fist smacks across Max's face.

The youth is just a foot away with his fist still in the hitting position.

Max took one step back and squinted one eye while bringing up his hand and feeling all the blood escaping his lips. He felt like wanting to stumble a little also.

A youthfull smile is back.

"Name's Trent Phillips *******. Now shut the hell up so I can hand you the deal....."

[Youko Recca]

Max stands up straight and his eyes simultaneously switch back between black and gold. Staring hard and the ground just infront of him, trying desperately to control his anger. Shaking.

Trent notices and feels assured a fight now,"Soda!"

He yells at him and Soda turns his eyes away from Max.

"What kid?! You better run quick is all I know."

"Are you kidding? Now I can get him at his strongest. But you aren't part of the fight. No way I could take both of you. You had better go get Mike! He's the one who put Eternal Wake on your team. If he doesn't die, you'll never sleep again. He's up at the abandoned radio shop just a few blocks out from the street there."

Max added with low tone and growls,"Do it Soda! I'll handle this. No way a kid is beating a man."

Trent heard this and put on a rather disgusted look, "Great, now we're both pissed off..."

Soda shrugs and runs back over to the parking lot area, worried more for Trent than Max.

Max raises his head and looks at him through the black filters he called pupils. "Hurry and state your damn deal kid."

Trent rubs his left hand against the athletic tape running up his right arm, "As Kane probally revealed to you, I am leader of the second squad and no longer have desire for it to exist. It's just not what I thought it would be. So after making up this plan of mine, I am here now. On the last step. Soda I expect to take care of Mike. He hasn't slept naturally for awhile."

Max can't help but interrupt, "And just how do you know all this? Let me guess. You've been watching us for awhile now haven't you? With that in mind, while we're fighting I won't go easy on you. In stature you are a child, but in battle you're no different from anyone else."

Trent gets that look again, "Stop calling me that! Stop calling me a damn kid and child! Because I promise you, you son of a *****, I've been through more than your ugly ass would know!"

His body is rising up and down from the heavy breathing resulting from the mood.

And then Max catches it. He sees something in this boy's eyes and he is no longer himself angry.

Trent calms himself sloppily and gets a grip, "Eh, whatever. Anyhow, uh, the deal is...we're going to fight. Here are the circumstances. If I win, I leave you alone and never bother you again. But if you win.....I become a member of your unit Max."

Max just stares at him for awhile. Taking this into mind.

"Well?", Trent puts out.

The silver-haired wonder licks his lips in one last thought and responds.

"Sure, why not. Either way I win."

Trent finally regains a smile, but it isn't what it usedf to be. "Super. Let's begin already. I ain't got no patience."

"Ain't ain't a word Trent...."

"Shut the hell up and take a stance. Sheesh."

A cool wind blows through this empty park. Both Trnet and Max play a staring contest for several minutes.

It seemed as though neither wanted to mak ethe first move and it end up costing them.

Max held his arms at his sides firmly, What a kid....holds ground like a pro. I better move...now!

He crouches and then thrusts his body foward.

Trent jumps and pulls his knees to his chest, backflipping away. That is until he's coming up towards a tree, he releases and lets his feet colide hard on it's surface and catapults back. Stretching his right arm around and foward.

Max rolls foward and stands, remembering what he saw him doing and predicting what he'd do next, so he knew to sidestep when Trent's fist was suddenly just a inch from him. Barely avoiding the hit. Keeping ground though, he steps back with his right foot to give room for his left hook.

Trent ducks and has many variables to hit. And does as his fists suddenly shoot out like a gattling gun and he lands punches all over Max's center body.

Max takes them in astonishment at first but snaps out of and throws a right straight downward.

Trent hops back to avoid and jumps lightly to come level with Max face to face where he swings a powerful right deep into his left cheek.

Each time Trent hit Max, he felt like stumbling. And the punches themselves couldn't have been doing it was what he was thinking. SOmething didn't feel right.

Max barrel rolls and rises quickly to his feet.

"What the hell are you doing to me?!"

Trent has his fists up and is hopping from side to side like a boxer, smiling and pretending to not know what he's talking about.

"You don't think I'm cheating do you Max?"

Max spits a tiny amount of blood onto the ground and scoffs, "Not really, but I don't think a kid in your position could have such hard hits. What are you a demon? Alien maybe?"

Trent looks at him slightly confused, "Huh? Hell no idiot. I'm human."

He lifts his left sleeve to reveal a tatoo of the Brazil flag, and then turns over to his right. Moving up the sleeve to reveal the Panama flag.

"I'm half brazillian and half panamanian."

Trent goes back to his faux boxing gesture.

Max shakes his head, "Then what's up? Wait a minute....why do they call you 'Gravity'?"

The boy smiles with relief, "About time. Yeah--"

He stops bouncing and steadily begins just walking over with clenched fists.

"--well during my life I've gone through some ****. My ability is one of them."

Max is intruiged.

"What?"

"I can control gravity three inches off any place on my body."

Max groans and shakes his head some more, "You have to be kidding me. That's something no one would be able to handle, why haven't we been launched into another planet yet?"

Trent now runs the remaining feet between them and starts with the fist throwing again, "Be--cause I can...control it."

One hit sticks into Max's chin and he goes flying back, up into a tree. He slides down till his body is seated on a weakening branch.

While Max is recovering, Trent runs over to a tree three feet behind where he was standing, out from behind it he pulls....

.....a pogo stick.

It's grey all around with only the two showing springs inbetween the body of it being black. The handles had gripping. The bottom was big and round. The over all size was just under Trent's chin.

Max shook off the hit and looked down while getting up, "And you don't like being valled a child....why?"

Trent sends him a dirty hand gesture and lets the pogo stick rest over on his right shoulder, where he uses his right hand to hold it by the smooth and skinny part just under the handle.

"This is a weapon best suited for a guy like myself. You'll see...."

Max is standing and all of a sudden the branch gives. He jumps off it in time and lands on the ground just infront of where the branch lands.

"I get it. Zero gravity allows-"

"ACT--tually. I can't handle zero gravity for very long. But long enough to get high enough."

Trent places the pogo stick down infront of him and places his feet on the two extending flat placements. Then without warning bounces off the ground once. Suddenly he's soaring into the air, rotating foward while still still maintaining position.

Max rubs his head quickly, "This is stupid. How can I take someone like you seriously?"

He looks up and is stunned to see Trent falling extremely fast. Like an anvil thrown from a plane.

Max leaps away a great distance just as The end of the pogo stick lands in the spot where he was, causing earth to rise and break apart. Leaving a miniture crater.

Trent is now just bouncing regulary. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. BOUNCE!

He's high up again.

Max's eyes get large as the reflection of a boy on a toy shows in each pupil, slihtly distorted due to the sun.

Damn...maybe I should work to get him after all.

The creaks of each bounce of the pogo stick ring in Max's adrenaline-filled head, like a ticker on a timebomb reminding you it's about to blow.

[Youko Recca]

Soda himself had come into the street, wishing Trent had been more descriptive.

Standing in a position where it was ether three blocks to his right or three blocks to his left. It was hard to decide. It was frutraiting to think.

This sleep loss was getting th best of him and if it affected him this much, he thought Max must not be at one hundred percent.

When he stopped letting worries procrastinate his thoughts, he figured it'd be to the right, as they had came from to the left of where he stood and he didn't recall seeing anything but apartments, a shoe store, and the library on the way.

Okay the sooner I find him, the better.

He makes off down the street. Pretty son having to rise over on to the sidewalk due to increasing traffic.

The day was growing. It must have been around noon now.

Soda wipes fresh sweat from around the corners of his eyes, licking is chapped lips until they quickly dried.

Thinking thoughts that have been with him for the longest. Thinking about how he'd secure his loved ones honor. Thinking about Noc's condition strangely. Thinking about how Max was doing against the brat that he met prior by one week.

And all these bundled thoughts were driven by the loss of sleep, mutiplied in actuallity, cause he was sure this would all be going through his head anyway.

Evidence by how the least he thought of was how to find this Mike person.

His white t-shirt is getting slightly damped from his sweat, but nthing too bad. His feet inside his sneakers didn't ache atleast. And just when he was slowly down to catch a breather, he also catches the sigh of a two-story blue building off just about thirty feet from him.

His deep breaths were filtered by a sign of relief and a half smile.

While Soda had just found what he believed he was looking for, Max was still avoiding Trent and his little-big toy.

"What kind of brawl is this Trent?! Huh?!"

He takes refuge behind one of the few solid trees left.

Trent suddenly was off the pogo and just walking with it on his right shoulder again.

"You're right, I should get serious."

Max started pondering a way to take him down. He was nifty and quick, He hadn't landed one hit while Trent must have landed a hundred already. He knew he had to throw him off his game and then strike.

Easier said than done.

The tree splits without warning, Max rolls to the side and then foward, popping off his hands and onto his feet. He ran at Trent and squinted looking for a spot.

Trent smirked and thrusted the end point foward.

Max exclaimed and leaned his head over tot he right, and while it was near, rose his left arm and clamped it around the spring area.

Trent pulled but Max wasn't letting go.

"Persistant little..."

He was already holding it at the handles, so he pushed his hands down and over so he would land his feet onto the pogo. Here he ran at Max's face.

At the same time he kicked him in the nose with his front foot, Max threw a sloppy right that grazed Trent's left upper stomach.

Both fell on their back, with Max rising immediatly, blood exiting his nose.

"Get up, I barely hit you!"

Trent's eyes opened and he placed his legs up pointing towards the sky, and left hand bent over so the palm touched the ground. He whipped his legs and his body spun three-sixty four times before he was spinning on his feet with his heels up.

Max looked at him and wondered why he didn't tink to use the chance, "What the hell? Was that a windmill? We aren't breakdancing kid."

Trent rolled his neck and scoffed, "Right, just breaking."

He notices Max had thrown his weapon behind where he stood about ten feet.

Max picks up a large, pointy rock in his palm and throws it at Trent. It reaches just before Trent and suddenly drops back down to the earth.

"Why did I think that would work."

"You have no choice but to believe me now retard."

Max frowns at the insult, "I had believed it! No way a frail little human boy could hit this hard..."

Trent shrugs and charges foward, leaping into a flip with his hands landing on Max's head. He rotates and lands behind him.

Max twirls around quickly and goes for a strong right backhand. But Trent's already ducked and ready to lay more to his gut.

[Youko Recca]

Throwing himself back, onto the ground, Max's boots shoot up and barely avoid Trent's chin. He had reversed his lunge quickly.

Max was already back on his feet and running at Trent.

Sweat fell into the kid's eyes. He had long blinks, trying to see straight. With each blink Max was closer and closer, until he was finally staring into his face, golden eyes blinding him futher.

Trent panicked and did a jump back, Max followed.

"I got you now you little!", Max exclaims as he's so close to landing a hit.

Get a grip!!!

In his mind Trent forces himself to get back into the game, he stops and flips foward over Max's coming fist to land behind him.

While Max turns around, Trent jumps and does a roundhouse kick midair to his face.

Max's head jerks along with the following of his neck and center body, he falls on his left knee and rises immediatly, blood smeared across his right cheek. His eyes flicker between black and gold and finally are stable at black again.

He sighs heavily and turns around to see Trent in the act of picking up the pogo again. "Crap!"

As Trent has it in his hands now he turns and Max is standing there. He punches it out of Trent's hand and grabs him by the collar. Max begins twirling him and ends by throwing him viciously towards a nearby tree.

The boy's back meets, but only for a coupl eof seconds does he show pain on his face, as he seems to rolls slightly around and off the tree. Spinning momentarily in the air till he drops on the ground.

He patts dust off his face quickly.

Max takes this as another oppurtunity. As he comes near Trent, a punch strikes quickly into the center of his throat. He begins gagging and kneels his body over slightly as he grasps at his neck. Saliva lands just before him on the ground in large quantity, but nothing abnormal.

Trent now takes HIS chance and runs over to his weapon, picks it up and places himself upon it.

A single bounce and he had reached new heights.

While at his highest point, Trent begins falling slower than normal, but still at a pace to worry about. He gets of the pogo but instead lays foward sideways in the air, pogo's tip still pointed down at Max's head. He thrusts it down hard.

Max looks up and expresses a face of severe discomfort, he dodges with a leap backwards.

A crater is formed and sediment goes flying, the pogo is suddenly bouncing back up.

The falling Trent recatches and stands on it, twirling over fowards with it in a series of flips.

This time Max almost didn't have enough time to evade. Trent breezes past his shoulder, causing a knick that has blood fly slightly into the air, and lands just beside him. The force sends Max tumbling back.

With all the hits being alike in effect, Max rises quickly again.

Trent's bouncing frenzy slows and he halts, panting and apparently very tired.

Max smiled at the sight, Good it seems all that annoying bouncing has a negative affect on his stamina. He must have thought his last trick would get the job done. I better end this soon.

Max suddenly decided about what he had to do to get this over with. All he needed was for Trent to get back on his toy.

Trent glares at him and throws his feet on, starts a collection of easy bounces and is suddenly in a giant leap into the air.

Max just stood and looked up as Trent began another of his little guillotine drops. Looking on without emotion.



"Crap, why did I believe this would be it?"

Soda is walking among the inner walls of the building from earlier. Nothing is here.

He walks outside and reaches in his jean's pockets, dissapointed when they're empty. But gets over it soon enough.

"Oh right...I don't smoke anymore.....", he says out loud to himself while treading back over and walked on the risky sidewalk surface.

It had been going on ten minutes since he left Max and Trent together, he didn't know it exactly but could tell by the sky that that was around the amount of time that must have past.

The sun was being blocked by a long string of clouds. The streets looked as gloomy as ever.

Turning back from where he stood, Soda could see the trees and bushes covering Chaos Park. Wondering what was going on inside.

He sighed solemnly and shrugged, taking another step he smells something grimy and plain.

Looking down as he ran his sneakers again the sidewalk, saw the revealed mud.

"Mud? There was no...."

He suddenly realizes as he turns over and now has a better view of the building he was just in. Right behind it is a flower shop. And between it an empty intersection.

I see, he must have heard me come in and escaped before I could enter whatever room he was in. Doubling over, ended up leaving mud. But why? Possibly came back for something?

Soda runs over to the side of the blue building and puts what stealth skill he picked up as a bounty chaser to good use. Running his body against the old brick, avoiding oncoming spider webs.

He comes to an open window and reaches over with his right hand, uncliping his holster and pulling out Mongoose.

His pearl pupils shift over to a broken fence leading to the back of the flower shop. Squinting he noticed the fence was still rattling.

Hope he isn't breathing a sigh of relief just yet...

Soda inches his eyes over and sees him.

A medium build, about his height, wearing wierd-looking red garments and a matching turbin. Cresent-shaped earings hanging off his lobes like chandiliers.

He waited till, supposadly, Mike's back was facing the window and then hopped over in through the window with barrel quickly facing to the back of his head.

The guy jumps like a person watching a horro movie would, that kind of degree.

"Don't move!", Soda yells.

He doesn't have to be told to put his hands up, they are up by the opposite end sides of his head.

"Are you Mike??

The honey-skinned man turns and shows his face. A blue-eyed one he was, with a trimmed mustache riding just under his nose.

"Yes, I am. Is that the gun? Yeah, you are Soda...honor it is."

"Why thank you. Take fives steps to your right and turn so your nose is touching the wall."

Mike does this and grins, "This isn't television you know."

"Shut up and kneel down jailbait!"

Mike frowns suddenly, doing it, knowing his time was up.

Sode walks over and points the gun to his head,"I'm restless. Literally. I haven't slept, well, my partners REALLY haven't slept. I take it this ridiculous outfit is what people in your line use for rituals like..Eternal Wake...is it?"

"You know the ritual. Then you know what you must do, but I wouldn't if I were you Soda. I am undercover. I only joined Gravity for knowledge."

Mike was beggining to sound really desperate with his head trying to show itself to the right and still be positioned so the nose was touching the wall to the slightest atleast.

Soda recalls to what he heard about Mike from Gravity himself. Mike was a traitor towards both ends. What he gained out of this would hopefully never reveal itself.

But Soda himself was only stalling himsel with all this "get on the wall" crap. He killed his fair share of men, but they were proven to deserve it by a system of justice. He only really knew this guy's first name. And he seemed so wimpy to really do harm. Ah.

Ah and this is where Soda tried fooling himself. Common sence and what has been said show that this guy needs to die for his partners not to suffer and eventually die themselves.

Life of one scum for the life of three comrades, seemed obvious a trade. But taking life can never be easy.

Mike's eyes caught a glimspe of Soda. He saw him just daydreaming and took advantage of it.

He weasled something up from under his shirt around his chest area and grabbed it with his teeth and turned his head around quickly, releasing his teeth's grip.

A small red ball rolls under Soda's feet.

He looks down and sees the sockets open for a pink gas to begin escaping. It shrouded his vision instantly. He peered on but seeing was hard, as was breathing.

"Mike!!!", he shouted. Eventually running through it all, busting down the door, and laying out on the outside infront of the building.

He was gagging on the smoke and while rising, noticed a man in red running down the street.

This proved Mike was a scoundrel and he unfortunately had futher evidence to take him out.

Soda stood and began dashing across the street after him.

It was time to make like a raging bull.

While had all happened,

"Gotta time this right..."

Trent was coming fast and hard. He saw Max below not moving, but figured he would in the next five seconds it would take him to get there.

Max had looked disgruntled just as Trent hit.

The spring end of the pogo came down. Clamp. Right around the part, Max's hands were gripping.

It was intense.

Max had all this weight come down on him and as he now held Trent up on his weapon, collasping was what his body said. Luckily mind is what make decisions.

He held on and on and on. Trent did facial exclamations by how long Max was holding out.

You could see the veins petruding out, sweat was coming ever faster, his back was bending back and his knees were doing the same. Teeth gritting, hair falling all straight down, clothing so stiff it was like the iron had went overtime.

"AAAAAAHHHHH!!!!"

That's all that could be mustered from Max. His eyes were set at golden finally, as he began shaking his head slowly due to the pressure. Not acceptng this. Not wanting to be beaten here by this kid when so many more fights were more important. Not overcoming this would make him a failure. He could not accept that again.

He pushed foward. With all his might. A picture of a shadowy figures pops in and out of his head. He snaps and finally growls loudly while throwing not only Trent off his body and into the distance, butoff the pogo aswell.

He's let with his knees bent and in a severe trembling motions. His muscles felt tight, he had enough left to push him past this and he stood up straight. Lunging powerfully at Trent.

He who was still in the act of flying back, still with a look of surprise.

"That was...a ton......"

Max suddenly blocked the sun and was hovered about Trent as he flew back just yards above the ground.

Max strained and yelled while throwing a right hook to Trent's face.

He grunted loudly as the punch dug deeply into his left cheek and his body instantly hit the ground. Now the only bouncing was his body along the surface of the grass.

Max's eyes went back to black and he rolled along the ground until he layed out on his back. Soaked in his own sweat.

Seconds after, Trent's body also rolled out. Half of his body currled over the other, so he was on his side. Now limp.

Five minutes of huffing an dpuffing, Max slowly rose to his feet the victor. Still shaking.

He sees Trent laying like he is and runs over as fast as his body would currently allow. He kneels beside him and pulls him over on his back. Placing his right hands imdex and middle finger together over his neck.

Out of nowhere, Trent's right hand rises like it has a mind of it's own, middle finger pointed above the rest for two seonds and then his arm in entirity falls back into place on the ground.

Max sighs, this was his deserved relief sigh. Black, shaken eyes looking down at the boy's body overall. Now really noticing the black bold across his knit cap reading: Chupacabra Rocks. Now really noticing his attire.

"Welcome to the team Trent 'Gravity' Phillips..."

[Youko Recca]

"Stop damnit!!!"

Soda holds up Mongoose and takes a wild shot. The bullet whizzes out and eventually flies past Mike and through a car, pole and buildings.

Startled and probally scared, Mike runs faster than he thought he could. He slides over a car blocking the way to a street. He could have ran around it, but felt that would take up too much time.

Soda came to this point soon after and just jumps off and over the car. While landing he posts back up his arms and tries aiming as he ran.

In side was the red, Mike was now doging through different poles, cars, and combinations of natural things found in a city street. Once almost tripping over a cat.

Soda found it hard to get a good shot while this went on. He wondered just where Mike was thinking and where was he going.

He now officially hated all the running he had to do today. An annoying necessity.

Mike was coming to a dead end. Just a large wall. He gulped and pulled something from in his sleeve, another one of those balls. He threw it just before the wall where he was coming to.

There was a sharp whistle that hurt Soda's ears and a blinding flash. Mike suddenly was rising quickly over the wall, landing on the other side and continuing his run.

Soda came to the wall and snapped his fingers,"Crap! I can't jump that. Wonder why I'll even bother still trying to catch his ass!"

Mongoose is slipped away so Soda can thrust both arms back and forth as he ran. That and to be freehanded.

Mike looks back,"Made it.", he states out to himself while slowing down and turning into a narrow alley. Green dumpster standing out as the biggest filth in a filthy path.

He can't complain, smelling garbage was better than a bullet through his head.

The day was going by fast.

In the clubhouse Noc was strapped down in a lain-out chair. Surrounded by a group of nervous appearing staff.

Noc gets a crink out of his neck slowly, much to one lady's discomfort.

"Heh, sorry miss. Just getting a little cramped and agitated is all. You'd be too."

The middle-aged women turns her head with a look of caution.

"You people work for me. Why would I harm you hmm? I'm almost a decade old. I can handle a few hours of lost sleep now."

One higher rank stepps foward, "Please understand Turnal sir. We were ordered by Max and his word is what gets around above all. Just a safety precaution is all. Don't hold it against us sir."

Noc fake yawns before reply, "Oh come now, I couldn't do that."

A scatter and clank of a empty can having a rat escape from it shakes Mike as he stops before the dumpster to see what it is.

"I'd better return to-"

And as he starts talking to himself again, about to pass the dumpster, a large hand pops up from behind and grips tightly around his throat. Instantly he feels breath leave him as he's held up by this person. Shrouded in poorly done black cloth.

From angle you wouldn't be able to see him very good.

"I'll abolish all of you", a sinister and low-toned voice remarks.

Mike's eyes widen and he struggles.

The hand squezzes as hard as it can and his neck becomes the width of a thick ruler.

Fluids of different kinds begin falling from every orafice, drippings down onto this monsterous hand. This person drops Mike's corspe infront of the dumpster and walks the opposite way from which Mike entered.

It wasn't but five minutes later Soda runs past the alley, and then takes three steps back, as the red in the alley caught his eyes.

"Oh boy, this--uhuh--do--doesn't look good. Or maybe it does..."

Soda feels tremendously sleepy all at once. Yawns coming one after the other. And he would have been excited about the fact that this man's death wasn't on his hands and he saved himself ans his partners from certain doom.

But what did this was far more a tangible topic to contemplate.

And suddenly he doesn't feel safe here. He runs back out the alley and lightly jogs back towards Chaos Park.

Upon reaching back he sees Max on his back and mouth wide openn, snoring. And strangely...shaking.

Same for Trent, minus the body tremors.

Did Max win? Is what he thought. Well either he tied or he won. And since he seemed to be sleeping merrily enough to snore, most likely in addition to the fight and returned ability to sleep, he let himself go.

Soda had to carry both of them back over to the truck. Placing Max in the front seat and Trent on the outer trunk area.

He felt under the mirror for the keys and turned the key to the ignition.

"Whew. Man..."

Before going in reverse, he thinks back to the possibility that he just barely missed whatever killed Mike. He didn't want to leave Mike's body like that, but felt he didn't have time to take it aswell.. And in Mahobora a sight like that wasn't too surprising anway. Blame it on gang violence right?

Soda exhales deeply and goes. Exhaust blowing out a series of sounds similar to Max's obnoxious snoring. It drove Soda mad on the way back.

To avoid it he randomly pushed his hand out to turn on the radio without looking. Upon doing so, the same album came on as before when Max was at the wheel.

He was going to change it but then just left it. Giving it a try.

And ironically it kind of reflected on how his life had been so far.

[Youko Recca]

Chapter Twenty-Four: Sing Me a Silent Lullaby





The red pickup screeched over dead grass. A seemingly empty-looking plain. But Soda knew differrent.

"Ugh, damnit...."

That's Max waking up, looking very messed up. Way worse than one would look with a heavy hangover.

"Why...what?!"

Soda just looked to his right at Max in the truck, Man wish I could have seen their fight. Max looks screwed up pretty bad. And he's still shaking...

Max's eyes were wide and looking around the tighly packed inside of the truck. Without warning he grabs at the door handle and pushes the door open, quickly rolling out over the ground within Soda's seeing distance.

Soda just stares at him for a little. Then huffs and gets out the truck. He looks around to make sure no one's around the area.

He stares into the open.

"Let me back in!!"

An invisible force almost knocks him off his feet and makes him forcefully blink. There standing now is the abandoned hospital which took place as paranormal unit's headquarters.

Officials come running out.

They are wearing wierd, octagonal glasses that had a permanent white tint in the shape. Soda tossed the keys to the truck to a normal looking person among the freakily dressed.

"Put her back."

"Yes sir", he replies as he goes for the truck with much haste. Someone had already removed Trent from the back. They all moved with extreme haste.

One had a clock he constantly looked at.

"Less than fifteen seconds!", he said as one carried Trent first before two others help a disgruntled Max.

Soda and the rest who weren't suppossed to be seen by the outside rushed into the doors of the clubhouse.

From outside everything was back to normal again.

Inside the officials who had Max had to let go since he ordered it on the way in, and they didn't want to have anything broken.

The last one in the core members' presence was the one who handed Trent over to Soda and was quickly off himself.

"Woah.", said Soda simply. "I don't think I'll ever really get used to that..."

He looks down at the guy he's holding, "Wake up already....."

With that Trent's eyelashses flicker upwards to reveal his dark forest green pupils.

He knocks himself out of Soda's hands, giving dirty looks. Almost stumbling when landing on his feet. "Who--oh. Soda."

His grey knitcap is somehow only slightly dirty. But the bright white athlectic tape wrapped up to his elbows were certainly so. His white short sleeved South Pole shirt aswell. Also his white high top Reebok Classics. Baggy faded jean shorts resting just above his calves.

Silver earring almost covering his whole lobe in his left ear, flossing to the light in the building.

Soda had now fully observed and didn't have a problem minus what his age could be and the earring. Not good for battle.

"Hey..what did you say your name was kid?"

"Trent Phillips. Apparently, your new teamate eh? Good. Just as planned..."

Soda edged his head back," Say what? Planned? You planned to be beaten?"

As they talk, Max is leaning a way's away over by the desk of the lounge.

"No idiot. Either way I would have won. I used this to test myself among other things. If he beat me, I'm not ready for what I want to accomplish. If I won, it was just another step towards completing my ascending."

Soda nodded like he pretended to understand, "O-kay. So how old are you?"

"Why does it matter?"

"Just incase we go to the threatre I don't want to be looked at strange by soccer moms."

Soda decided to be an annoying adult to get the answer out.

"Screw you Soda. I'm fourteen alright."

"Teenager. Early teens too. Well Trent, it will be strange with you around, but I'm sure we'll eventually work things out. Just teasing before, I'm a rookie myself."

Soda sends his hand out. Trent just looks down at it for awhile before throwing his own hand foward to complete the shake.

Max wobbled over and looked at the two, "Ah so you already got aqquianted? Good, this will just make it easier. Follow me you two."

Trent still hurt but didn't display it. No way he would show weakness.

"Woah, this gig will certainly be better than my former job...", Trent commented as the three of them walked through the buildings different levels. Getting a miniture tour on their way to get Noc out of holding.

They come to the door, Max turns the knob and enters first. Followed by Trent who puts himself second before Soda. He just sighs and goes thrid in. Like it really mattered.

There was a tall, pale man dressed like one would expect a debonaire man to be.

Trent left Soda and Max's side and walked around for a better view.

"So this guy is...Noc? Noc Turnal? What the hell kind of person names their child that? Heh, whatever. This is the vampire right?" Looks too girly to be a fighter like us Max."

Max walks foward, leaving Soda to stand in the doorway.

"I wouldn't underestimate Noc there Trent, he's been good to this unit. Could wallop your ass like I did."

Max smiles. Trent smiles weakly.

"Anyway, let's let him sleep one more hour. In the meantime I'll show you your room and our main quarters. Come on Soda."

Once again the three of them were treading the bright halls, passing up staff chocking notes in clipboards, muttering into walky-talkies and the like.

"No wonder you guys mopped Harmony..."

Trent stared on when they came to the large vault-esque door soon.

"The hell's this? Oh, THIS is the entrance to you guy's personal quarters? Isn't it a little...overdramatic in a way? Damn, makes me wanna rob you guys."

Max shakes his head, still feeling all shaken up. "Whatever Trent, shut the hell up and just watch."

He leans over and licks a pad positioned on the door. There is the click and soon the door is creaking open.

Max walks in first, normal. Trent walks in and sucks his lower lip into a scrunch while nodding some more, "Definately not too freakin' shabby right here man...."

All are in and the door closes behind them.

Soda yawns and tries to make way for his door, but before that he decides to stick out here for awhile.

They walk over in the center and Mizu's still in the same position, but only now her eyelids are closed and she's asleep.

Upon looking at her for the first time, Trent made an O shape with his mouth and whistled. Checking her out from different angles.

"My oh my. Damn, this is one fine ass girl right here."

He looks back at both Soda and Max.

"You guys aren't....like that....are you?"

Max gets a look of disgust," Hell no. She's Mizu Sakana. Fourth to join us just before you. You know I hadn't planned on getting our last two members for atleast another year. But Trent, listen, you have just what I require and how Mizu and Soda are here by my side."

Trent scoffs, "Oh yeah, what?"

"A purpose. There is a reason for your being. You have something to prove. And your drive is admirable. You're young but you can hold your own. Your ability is quite impressive You must have had hard training to not kill off yourself and the planet."

Soda gets interested here and cuts in, "Excuse me for interuptting. But what exactly CAN you do Trent?"

Max responds before Trent can get over the words he just heard.

"He controls gravity three inches off his body. Puts him right in our league wouldn't you say?"

Soda crosses his left arm and rests his right elbow on the top, hand infront of his face. "Wait. Before the weeks over you're going to have to explain to me how that is even possible."

Trent broke his daydream, "Simple really. Well..not really, but I forced myself to get a hang of it. I could actually die at any time if I'm not thinking right...any moment. Certain rules and laws have had to be studied man. Like Newton's for instance."

Soda looks at Trent differently, "I guess you fit more than I thought. Welcome and don't lose that cool of yours man."

He retreats over to his room after another long-stretched yawn.

"Guess we're all tired right? So those are our rooms right? Which is mine if four are occupied?"

Max points to the last room on the left side, "You have the last one on this side. I guarantee you will feel at home no matter what you think right now as I say it."

"Sure, whatever. I'm gonna get some sleep okay."

There is the sound of sharpening. It's Mizu rising from her sleep , weapons in hand still. Her eyes spot Trent. She rises quickly and stands next to the front of the couch.

"Who is this Max?"

Trent smiles and walks up to Mizu, "Well now, aren't you--", he gets in her face, "--cute."

Mizu steps over to the side to get space away, "Keep distance." she demands.

Trent shrugs.

Max almost laughs at the encounter, "Mizu, meet Trent. He's the new additon to our unit."

She looks surprised at Max and then at Trent, "Well...then hello Tr--Trent."

He points his index fingers of both hands at her like a sleazy pimp, "Oh don't worry girl, no need to be shy. How old are you? Twenty-something?"

"Sixteen.", she says quickly.

Trent bites his fist and leans over happily, "Max...I love our unit."

He turns his head to Max and mouths, "She's within my age!"

Mizu is suddenly walking past him to her room,"My nap was interuptted, I'll take proper refuge in my room."

Exit, Mizu.

The main door clanks and creaks open again.

Enter, Noc.

He flips out his top hat and holds it at his side.

Placing first sight on Trent. "Ah, Trent. Hello. Pleasure to meet you. If you;re wondering, I heard you guys in my sleep. Wish I could give you a more proper introduction, but I still want to be alone for just a bit longer. Nice meeting to you I suppose."

He is as quickly in his room as he was in the main area.

Max nods, "And that's Noc as you already know."

"Yeah, I can tell he's a vamp' alright. He's on our side right?"

"Yes. No need to worry about him, he's almost a decade so that's when sleep will no longer be a big issue for him. Not much longer now."

Trent was suddenly already walking to the door which would now lead into his room, "Eh, I'm bored. Think I'll go to sleep. Curious to see why you're so sure this'll be what I like."

"Hey before you go!", Max yells after him while holding a hand up.

Trent turns halfway to him.

"Know....that you are valued by me. And soon the others will accept you in no time. I know you knew you couldn't move foward in life with what you were doing. I promise. I'll be here always to help you help yourself."

Trent does a single nod and begins to enter his room quietly and at ease.

Max is pretty soon now just standing there by himself.

"Huuuugh. I hope he works out."

Max walks over to his room and enters it.

The area is now empty. All members one by one returned to sleep inside their rooms.

Inside his room, Trent looks down at what's before him. It's a shelter for orphans he resided in when he was younger. He remembers it. The most comfortable place he's ever been.

He huddles over a small bed in this dreary and tiny room. Gripping his stomach tightly.

Trying to keep strong.

[Youko Recca]

Chapter Twenty-Five: Mr. Incognito








It had been a little over two week since Trent's arrival in unit 0041. And while he hadn't opened himself up completely, he was doing good on his word. They had just the previous day gotten back from dealing with a pair of demon smugglers, and now all sat down together in the main area of their quarters infront of the television.

"What chumps, are your missions always that simple?", Trent asks in a rather bored tone.

Soda scoffs, "Let's hope."

"I don't remember asking you Soda."

"Well you didn't specify either...Trent."

Trent had been cool working with Max, who he respected for not seriously looking down on him and for beating him, and Mizu, because of his growing like of her.

Soda and Noc however, were a different story. He saw nothing special about Soda that would make Max appreciate him so much, and he didn't trust a vampire being his backup completely.

He did like Mongoose though. The only 'redeeming' quality about Soda, which wasn't at all part of him himself.

Noc was used to the cold shoulder. Soda didn't care.

Max stood up and walked infront of the blank TV screen and looked out to the other four.

"Well...here we are. All at our best. Heh, well, don't expect any sappy words to leave my mouth for you to have to listen to, but do expect orders. And joking. When we're on that battlefield, we are a force to be reckoned with. When we are here injoing each other's presence we are family. Let's make sure our family ties are never broken. Ever. By some outside jackass who smirks at the thought of breaking it. Alright?!"

Trent nodded, "True that Max!", he waves his right fist up.

Noc does a single clap, "I thought you said no sappy words Max?", he blinks.

Mizu just speaks, "I'll try for my personal problems not to intervene...", she says this low.

Trent edges over to her, "Oh come on Mizu, you are the gem of THIS family!".

She stands and begins walking to her room, "I'm not even sure if I was once another family's...gem.....", her door opens and closes as she goes inside it.

Soda just stares at the ground infront of him.

Noc reaches foward and grabs his container off the table that's positioned in the middle. He leans his head back more and more while taking gulps.

Max twists his body left and right to stretch, "Ah, what time is it...", he looks at the clock posted just above the entrance. Shaped regularly in a circle, with ordinary hands.

"Five o' clock, eh? Looks like we got a free day on our hands if this continues."

The speaker box up on the wall suddenly beeps on.

"Mr. Lergnom! A visitor is, uh, here to see you!"

Max looks at Soda with black eyes growing alert, "How?! We never get those!

"I know sir, he knew exactly how to get in though and is now claiming he's a friend of Jack personally."

Max licks his lipswhile trying to quickly think something.

Noc finally places the now empty container back on the table. Eventually meeting eyes with Max. "I had no idea."

Max nods, "Okay then! Send him over here, I'll be waiting for him. Have him knock on our door three times!"

"Understood sir.", the intercom beeps right back into silence following.

Max stands and starts walking around in various areas without any kind of pattern to his steps.

"This probally contradicts what I just said. How does an outside person have access to how to get in here? You have to KNOW the clubhouse is there to be allowed in, that's how the spell works."

Noc interjects, "Maybe they aren't just some outside person. It seems they have come here with reason. And since they are confident enough to just invite themselves in and request a on-the-spot meeting, the person probally knowing Jack isn't out of the question."

Soda watches Noc and Max think. He doesn't seem to really care too much about this unwelcomed person suddenly coming. If it was an enemy, he knew what would ensue.

Trent just watched all three be all serious and exhaled while leaning his head back on the couch's coushin.

Three knocks came to the door. Sturdy, and neat knocks. The sound of knuckle hitting the steel door banged an echo through all four of their heads.

Max approached the door with caution, mouthing the words, "Be ready".

He did what he had to and the dor began opening with it's usual creakiness.

Half of Max's face were exposed to the hall but not able to see the person yet. And when the edge of the blue shirt could be seen, wham.

"HEEEEYYY!!"

A thick man walked on in at fast pace. He stood there with Noc, Soda and Trent to his front, and Max standing at the door to his back.

Max immediatly proclaimed, "Alright gramps, who are you?"

The man was indeed thick, he wore a blue shirt with white flowers on it, unbuttoned. White shorts, and his socks could be seen from within the strange blue slip-ons he wore. White beard just off his chin with a matching full head of hair. What really stood out was the martini glass he hand curled inside his right palm which was half full. Or maybe half empty if this guy saw so.

"Oh my, I suppose I am being rather rude aren't I?"

Trent wasn't surprised. He was the most at ease of the four, finally sitting up and giving a strange face to how this guy dressed. Like he was on a cruise.

"Why the hell do you sound like you're impersonating Sean Conery?", Trent spoke out.

They all, including the one he refered to, looked at him with eyebrows raised.

"Uh..I supose I do....Anydo, my name is actually Sebastian Crwaford, I'm-"

"Typical.", Trent interuptted again.

Sebastian continued on after seconds of waiting to see if Trent was done, "Like I was saying, I'm a friend of Jack's. I'm here for a very special reason. Jack and myself discussed this awhile back. It was a bet of sorts. And we made it specific we wanted the paranormal unit, because this precides to you the most."

He walks foward some more and looks at Trent, to Noc, around to Max, and then focuses on Soda. "Ah...so there you are. Soda Samsons"

Soda looks at him, "Yeah-and?"

Sebastian has a laugh where his teeth seem to come out and his body can't contain it, so his shoulders boom up and down. "You, my dear, are part of the bet."

Soda has no idea what this guy is talking about but doesn't like his name being specified.

"Now, which of you is the vahm--pire?"

Noc raises his hands and grins so his long and sharp front two teeth are displayed, "That would be me. What are are you getting at."

Sebastian walks foward some more, "I understand you have a problem with actually hitting your enemies in battle Mr. Turnal. This was recognized before you upgraded your team. Back in the days where it was only two of you. So--"

Noc expresses and gets everyone's attention,"OH. So this is about my weapon. Yes. But I thought mine was being made down in our weapon's basement?"

"Jack wanted you to have something with more flair. So while I met with him, we discussed these events of the future which are now being born into the present."

Max walks around to join the rest in looking at him face to face, "Is this going to put my team in any harm?"

Sebastian shurgs and holds it, nudging from side to side with a scrunched lower mouth. Finally releasing and saying, "Maybe."

Max scratched the top of his nose with his left hand's index finger while the right hand came under his left elbow.

Sebastian noticed their positions, "Oh come now, this is for Noc, your buddy! And you don't want Soda going blind now do you?"

Max and Soda and Noc look at his questionably. Trent mearly tries to keep his eyes open completely.

Soda turns and sits on the tops part of the couch, next to Max.

"What was that? With the whole me being blind thing there Sebastian?"

"That's right. If you end up losing, I get your eyes Soda. Have you ever stopped and noticed how beautiful and unatural your eyes are? Really now. Pearl pupils. Your eyes are rare among humans and are desired strongly in the blackmarket. Demons surprisingly haven't killed you for them I see."

Soda now thinks about it. He never really payed much attention to what color his eyes were. Trent had green ones, Noc's were crimson red for a vampire, and Max's couldn't make up what they wanted to be.

Sebastian tips up his glass towards Noc after taking a sip, "I am Sebastian Crawford alright. I am a collector of many exstravagent things. Things that shouldn't be in this galaxy even. Documents, swords, even shoes. I am the most successful collector you will ever have the pleasure of metting. And the deal is Soda's eyes are up, aswell as one item I own. I am putting up a weapon Jack reccomended would be perfect for Noc out of my collection."

Max isn't liking the sound of this so far, "What is it?"

Sebastian smiles, "Have you ever read Journey to the West?"

[Youko Recca]

Noc jumps up out of his seat, "Wait, you can't be serious now. Are you giving up the Monkey King's staff? I didn't even know that actually existed."

Sebastian tips his glass again, "Ah yes. Quite ravashing a weapon if I do say so. I searched a full five years for it. Of course thse were my early early years. Finally found Nyoibou engraved in a stone when I was fifteen. Oh yes. It's very real. And it can be yours if you do choose to accept."

Turnal was all for having the staff, but the loss would be too great. And this seemed like a once in a dead lifetime offer.

"Soda...this is all up to you now.", he stares across the room at Soda who is turning back at him. "If you don't want to then--"

"Are you kidding? I'm not worried about this. If I can't keep my own eyes then I can't really be much worth around here, now can I?", he looks over at Sebastian, "Okay Sebastian. What is the deal?"

The comment catches Trent's attension. Similar to what he believed about himself.

Noc sighs and cups his open palm across his upper face, temple to temple.

Sebastian looks at Noc while explaining and studied him, "Yeesss...well. Yes, well, it's like this boys. You are each to go out and steal one item of my choosing from a place of my choosing. And you are to do this within eight hours from the moment the starting point is recognized. I will stay here while you're out and keep track of time. If you are back even one second over." now he turns back to them all, "Soda will live a life of complete visual restraint. Shrouded in a world of darkness.....but hey! Stay optimistic right?!"

Soda stands. "Hurry and state what you want stolen. Question by the way. What happens if we get caught during this?"

Max takes the questions while standing completely beside him.

"Simple really Soda. Depending on the scale of the point you were discovered. Options range from eliminating the viewer, running away, and the like. You'll know what feels best to do. Just don't get cauht and everything will be good."

Soda coughs into his fist, "Alrighty then. I assume Mizu will also be required to steal something? And besides that, what are we stealing?"

Sebastian smacks himself gently upon his forehead, "Oh right the At-"

Max barks quickly to interupt. Sebastian meets eyes with him.

"--the girl. Yes, she will be required also. I'll tell the items and their locations shortly. I don't care how you do it. You all have different styles. Just don't get caught."

Trent walks on Soda's right, "I'm used to being a thief. Well, I stopped stealing when I was nine, and had no intension on doing the crooked thing again. Buut, it's for - a comrade."

Sebastian looks back as Noc fixes his tie, "Wow. Never have I seen such a well-groomed and nonchalant vahm-pire. How do you do it?"

Noc runs his gloved hand through his nice and shiny black hair, "I take a special formula in addition, I have control.", he yawns. Revealing a mouth full of fearfully well-kept teeth.

Sebastian scoffs, "Hah, youaren't a joker I suspect by your tone. Which adds to the comedy. A vahm-pire with will. Hahahaha....", he walks around them all and sits on the couch with his feet up on the tabel.

Noc softly clenches his fist while taking in his words. Gritting his teeth.

Trent's eyes move over and he notices Noc's reaction.

"Okay. I have your assignments. Max Lergnom, you will steal The Canaiver. This is the rare gem being held at the South quadrent of Mahobora, in a, belive it or not, Pawn Shop. It's called the word that rhymes with barry, chess piece, and word for something women love to do.".

Max walks for the door, "I assume once you give us our assignments--"

He prepares for the doors opening.

"-- we are to go head out immediatly."

Sebastian shrugs, "Sure. I was going to have you all go out at once, but that sounds better."

Max stops in the doorway, "Nah, your's sounds better.", he stands there and holds the door from closing back up.

"Now Soda. You are going to retireve a special tape. I'll nickname it MSG. A man has this with him on the road out of the city. Well around it. You all have been there before. On the way to the graveyard, I'm sure you all remember alright. He's paranoid. That tape wound up in his hands on a unrealistic whim. Your's will be the easiest since you just have to deal with one man. He'll stand out if you're looking good enough."

Soda breathes deeply and stands over by Max in the doorway.

Sebastian gets up and treads to the front of Mizu's door. He knocks on it with his left hand.

Stepping back, allowing space for her to step out. Weapons in hand like always.

"What is this?", she asks.

"Do what he says Mizu, I'll explain to you on the way out.", Max responds to her quickly. Wanting to hurry out. Despite the time not having been started yet.

Sebastian makes his way back over to the couch and sits back down, "Ms. Sakana. I want you to head over to the aquarium in the center of the city, take the famous Kirby fish from out of it's take and back here. Alive. You to bring it back alive."

Mizu nods and looks over to Max, in the dark, walking to the door way when he waved for her to.

"Trent.", he looks over as Trent yawns and slowly walks towards the doorway. "Go to Victoria's Secret and steal me the lingerie that's on the 'Enchantress sale'. Size must be small."

Trent stops next to the others and turns back to Sebastian with a look trying to hide his worry. Damnit....

"And finally. Noc Turnal. Your's is the hardest I'd suspect. Take the lamp being held under guard at the museum. You should know. There's only one museum here in Mahobora. And only one lamp. I have a.....friend trapped in it who I think I have a duty to free."

Noc's crimson eyes lock with Sebastian's for a long while before he walks next to the others. Still shaken by the collector's words.

Max grins, "We'll be back before you know it."

Sebastian shrugs as Max let's the door begin to slowly creak to a close.

"I don't know. Personally--"

The door is just about to close after he gets his last words in.

"I don't think you can do it."

Max's face lags as the door closes infront of them.

[Youko Recca]

All five are jogging through the halls till they come to the stairs. Max brings over his hand and jumps over the rail, leaping all the way to the bottom. Following Noc, Mizum and Trent.

Soda scoffs and begins running down the steps. He catches them just as they are already halfway through the lounge. About to burst through the front door.

He taps his side and feels Mongoose tightly in the holster, Good.
One by one they exit and once they breathe the air on the outside wolrd, they are speeding.

Dashing to gain distance between them and the cloaked clubhouse.

Max hits the wall they usually run to, first. The others follow and lean against the wall. All their cloaks wear off straight down.

Max huffs, "Okay, we have no time to sit here and discuss amongst ourselves. Go to your destination and do what you have to."

Evening had long since set in. The talking took longer than they thought.

Trent spoke out, "How are we just going with what this guy wants us to do Max? Does he even REALLY know Jack? I've never met him"

Max looked around, "You probally won't unless you pull something big and mean. I think it's more important we don't take the chance of losing Soda's eyes. Now enough talk! Go!"

They all run around the corner and when passing up a street intersection, split.

Looking like mad people, dashing through people standing, walking, and sitting on the sidewalks.

Max doesn't feel he can gain much distance running around these people, but couldn't stand out jumping across building tops.

They all manage to come to the same conclusion.

Soda knows that he's the slowest compared to the others, so he thinks back to the truck. But then realizes that going over to it would take up more time than it's worth.

Mizu gets many funny looks by people who feel endangered with a young girl running around with such weapons freely bouncing within her hand.

Noc turns into an empty street and soars through the night sky and up a wall, onto a roof. Feet planting on ledges with sharp thuds before launching onto the next roof. It now occured he forgot his hat, but he didn't care.

Trent flipped foward onto his hands and swung his feet over a bar that once held a sign over it. He swung so he stood on the top and then he leaped onto the building right in within distance.

The glass was now drawing near empty.

Sebastian was lain out on the couch wondering about their progress even so soon in.

Jack you tricky little bastard....

[Youko Recca]

Chapter Twenty-Six: Babylon System




They all had split almost completely throughout different parts of Mahobora City.

Max and Mizu were the only ones remotely close. And the mutt-man had broken his promise about explaining, but didn't care nor remembered. He hadn't given it much thought.

And he also didn't have a problem stealing these items. He figured if his boss would allow it, there would be some kind of compensation in the end.

Let's see...I can still see Mizu, and she's been in this city long enough to know where the center is. If I'm sure this is south, then I had better hurry. Soda is useless without those eyes...

Max leaps towards the flat wall of a bakery and ricochets onto another roof. It was night, he gave in to an excuse. If anyone saw him, they wer eprobally ones who were used to seeing people fly across buildings.

Max's legs had yet to tire even after the fifteen minutes of running he accomplished.

Forgot Shakyla, but had no time to even think of retrieving it from the weapon's basement. Same would go for Trent. Luckily Soda and Mizu always carried their's like a limb. That's how Max felt he should be treating his rifle.

Suddenly he thinks about irrelevent things, running like this was frustating because of the time limit, but boring because of the fact that it was just....running.

Heh..Trent made me feel good while I beat him back then. A ton...yeah right...

He speaks in his head. Remembering to a conversation shortly after Trent's recrution.

Max and Trent walk down the halls of the clubhouse, Trent still in a slight awe.

"Max, how do you guys get supplies here? Better yet, how do you get in and out without being seen by the outside?", he marvels at the vending machine having twice the amount of choices from a regular one.

Both have stopped infront of it. Max strokes his chin, which had tiny peaks of hair growing out of it.

"We have a cloaking spell that was put over this place a LONG time ago. When we exit, a similar is put on the person, but only for a short amount of time. To come back in you have to be aware that this place is here. Following that the cloak wears off to THAT person or persons' eyes while a cloak comes over them themselves. Basically a vice versa for entering and exiting. We get food supplies and such from a special group on one of the higher floors who venture every now and then into Mahobora, posing as regular citizens. It's difficult though. We're having a tunnel built to deal specifically with that."

Trent puts his hands to his knees and bends over to check out the lower flavors and soft drinks. "Sounds pretty...okay. By the way, are you still shaking from our little fight Max?"

He looks over while Max is about to answer with a confidently big-headed smile on.

Max looks at his open right palm deeply, "Nah...not realy. It has been two days. But I'm cool aren't I? Handled a ton over my head all on this muscle!", he changes position. Eratically leaning to the side and using his left hand fingers to grip and hold up his right sleeve, flexing his right arm's muscles. The rock he has is rightfully big.

Trent giggles as he presses the button for root beer, "You silly dog you. That wasn't a ton. I got caught up in the moment and lost complete train of though enough to inadvertently lie to you. What you felt was about a medium amount over half a ton. Not bad though."

Max grimaces and starts to walk away and leave Trent lonely infront of the vending machine.

"Nice addition.", Max says. Following with a smile at the silly flashback.

His feet land on a roof that has a wet substance on it, smells extremely nasty. After almost slipping he makes an extra effort to jump off the ledge on to a more stable and less disgusting smelling place.

Now he really knows he no longer sees Mizu, she must have had to turn back there.

Twenty minutes pass in a total.

Max drops his boot on another ledge and hears a scream. It's not near where he is though.

Following the sound, Max creeps around a pipe on the roof he's on and spots a women being held at gun-point. A large man in black waving his hand in a motion as if he wanted the purse she had.

Max scoffs and looks with contempt, "What a classic...."

He runs around fully and flips down onto the ground leading into the dead end this was happening in.

"Give me it ***** before my trigger finger gets ancy!!", he demands. Sounding as repugnant as he must look.

Tears flow down the young looking peach-coated face as she pulls back more.

He shoots the gun. A flash of possible death momentarily light up the darkness.

And through the flash an angry face can be seen staring with teeth gritting strongly.

The man jumps back in surprise. "Who the hell are you?!", he points the gun up again and tries shooting.

The face is suddenly right in his face as the forehead comes right smack in the middle of this half-assed mugger.

After he screams, the body drops back.

The women had squinted during the initial firing of the gun, opening to see the man set to kill her lying out with a look of surprise still there. She dries her tears and looks up into the night sky.

Blood smudges against the rough fingertips of Max as he's once again doing the rooftop hop. A large scrape shown through the torn area of his left gi sleeve.

"What I wouldn't give for a utility belt....", Max dryly exclaims as he continued to make his way.

Now a total of forty-five minutes had passed. And he still had awhile to go before he made it to his destination on foot like this.

The scrape on his arm now turned to a scab already.

Max stopped for a ten second break for the second time. "Damnit, I better hurry. Forty-six minutes subtracted is still alot of time, but lord know's what I'll have to go through to get that gem."

He sets off again.

Not even a sweat broken yet. He envisioned the gem at the end of all this running. Suddenly it didn't seem so boring to run. It was the dog in him.

Ha, wonder how the other's are fairing! ,he can't stop thinking. It's apparently good for you though.

Max doesn't pay attention due to all his thinking and jumps right into a sign, he bounces off it and onto his back on the ground.

As he stands he rubs his forehead, "Ah, son of a - damnit! Ugh, gotta pay more attention."

He walks around the sign and walks into a run. But doesn't get far.

The length of this roof was longer than the plain ones he had been jumping off before, but that wasn't it. There was a security guard patrolling the top with a flashling in one hand, other one hanging low.

Max starts to think of a way to get past him.

"Wheeewww! Some stressful crap man."

Soda's legs are feeling tight. An hour had passed in total now. He figured he'd be running more so he added a treadmill to his room back at the clubhouse. Despite that the running was taking a toll.

The holster skims arcoss a wall as Soda turns and faces his back to it. Slouching down as his body leant foward.

"What a pain. I need a bike or.....something"

He frantically looks around. Not one in sight. But now he knew to keep a lookout for one. For now it was breather time.

A teenage boy comes walking from around the corner with a faux pimp-limp and a sleazy smile. It was dark out, but not nocturnal like coal.

He sees Soda and looks around. Not a person outside. The best was people sitting inside a resturante finishing the last scraps off their plate.

He steps up infront of Soda and reaches for his right pocket. This is the guy's left but Soda's right. And right is where Soda kept Mongoose, so that just added to what this guy had coming already.

Soda runs across the street, looking both ways before crossing. Leaving the teenager face down on the pavement, grasping his stomach.

One hour and twenty minutes since departure.

Max is still up at his point, looking from behind the wall.

he noticed the guy faced to the left most often. Then decided he didn't have time to go all thoughtfull just for one unknown civillian.

Max scoops up a rock in his hand and aims at the ground just below and to the opposite side of where the man faced. He launched it.

It hit the floor where he wanted it to, give or take a few inches, and got the man to do exactly as he hoped. Turn, bend down, and stay for awhile.

Max runs from around at top speed, exhaling an dinhaling at a fast rate. When he thinks the guy will look back up due to the slight nudge he does as his head begins risisng, Max takes up with a giant hop into the air. He know he won't make it to the othe rbuilding's ledge but....

Yes. He soars over the man and brings his hands above his headm backwards. Falling down into the alley, but catching himself on this building's ledge.

Max's hands thumped from this but he ignored it. Now sweat was coming, but just in small quantity so far. He releases his grip on the ledge and drops down to the ground. He had heard the man walking over.

He darts behind a trash bin as a bright yellow light illuminates the dark alley.

When it leaves, Max runs out into the street and crosses over to the other side. Turning into another alley and jumping up to just barely catch a grab on this ledge. Pulling hismefl to the top of the roof and rolling into a sit.

One hour and forty-seven minutes since departure.

[Youko Recca]

Mizu flips over a string of pipes that are in her way as she makes her way cat-like across the roof. Moon in the background. It's light glistening off the dove-carved blades.

Her agility wasn't normal but she had a felling she wasn't normal. Well, she knew all along. Since her birth. She wasn't normal. But why fight being unnatural? It's what keeps the normal ones normal at all.

Not like she cared what others thought. Her reason for being was a priority no one in any world would hault.

Her heels clamp over a ledge and she looks down. There is a circular dome coated with a clear blue paint, decorations of generic multicolored fish all over it. She was here and she knew what do do.

Rhymes with Barry, is a chess piece, and something women love to do....come on now. What's the point of even giving me that.

A large boot comes down on the platform of a building just over the horizen. Max looks down in the short distance. A yellow decrepit sign hung barely up and read: Larry's Pawn Shop.

And it was understandable as to why no one would look here. It was complete garbage. Maybe literally from the looks of it. It seemed abandoned, which wouldn't be surprising, but no. Max could smell something not quite right in the air around this area. He couldn't put his finger on it.

Never the less, he proceeded to jump down below onto the ground and walk towards the entrance.

It had taken a total of just around three hours for him to make it here. He figured if the others made it around the same time as him, they'd would be more tired than him. His target destination was the farthest, so hopefully they reached before him.

He avoids stepping on trash, puddles of urine and old rain water, rats, and even porn before he came to the door's knob.

Extending his right hand foward he's about to grip the door but then gets a bad feeling. So his hand finds itself pulling back. He can't understand it, but an animal knows never to question it's instincts.

So instead he walks a little way's down the side walk and turns into the lot, here he walks until it leads him to the even worse back. Three times as many garbage resided here. Max scoffed at the sight and thought about it. This was ridiculous. He almost stepped on a condom four times as he went towards the door.

Hmm, I'm starting to think this is intentional. Yeah. Mahobora's govvernor is a crap geezer but all this is stiking the place up. Ugh, my nose is getting killed. What kind of pawn shop....

His hand reaches the knob and he tries turning it. No surprise that it's locked. Tight. But not tight enough as he grips it hard and pulls the knob off the door. You could hear the knob on the other side of the dor hit the inside floor and roll until it hit something. Following, the door itself slowly and creepily opens. Revealing the loaded inside.

Max steps over some piss and enters. Wicked macabre it is. The inside has shelves filled with such a large variety of items all over the place.

His boots feel heavy when atop the unsturdy wooden floors.

While Max tries coming around to the other side his rather huge shoulders brush against a shelf and out of it falls a box.

Eery, the sound of a childish musical tone played in this enviroment. He just casually stares as the jack pops from out of it's box. Wide smile and disintegrated eyes slouching over it's pale cheeks and gritty makeup.

Max stopped paying it attension and moved on.

Now he was at the front desk area. Not surprising when he found no one around and just a bunch of more junk scattered around.

"Man, what a dump.", he mumbles to himself while standing in the center of the room. Hands balled up in fists centered at his hips.

He taps the bottom of the desk with his front boot.

For a few minutes there is a silence.

He soon breaks it with a groan. Wondering what exactly to do now.

"Alright, if anyone's......here.."

He suddenly catches a scent present that wasn't among the shop when he first entered. Max begins slowly turning three-hundred and sixty degrees over and over again, wanting to not be taken by surprise.

His eyes dart here and there, trying to catch the embodiment of the scent. It was retched.

He stops turning and stands facing opposite the way he was before.

The scent dissapeared.

He turned one-eighty.

WHOP!!!

Something entered through Max's mouth. The force was so strong it sent him flying back behind the counter. With his back to the floor and eyes closed, he began shaking uncontrollably.

His throat was burning, his skin was burning, everything was burning from the inside-out. All of a sudden he felt a struggle to breathe, struggle to move, and a struggle to live.

His eyes shot open with the golden pupils pulsating. Veins thumped all over his body. He was making movements with his mouth that gave signs of drowning.

Max's screams of pain rang throughout the shop and out into the street.

Sad no one would hear him in this small part of the city. And if they did, they wouldn't care.

Max tried hard as he brought his palms over his eyes and barked out half the time. Howling in the pain of it all.

"AHHHH!!!! Wha--what---what!! What is----what.....IS THIS?! Urgh--AAAAAAAHH!!"

He rolled and hit each side of the wall and counter.

"Heheheh! Human, you didn't take my bait. But I bet you wish for death now!"

This raspy and demonic voice taunted on as Max experienced the pain. But while he was weakened, that didn't mean he would take this.

Something felt like it was manipulating his soul. Trying to put itself over it, like a sheet.

Three hours and seventeen minutes have passed.

Sebastian is still enjoying being comfortable, he suddenly smiles.

"Sacrafice is necessary Max Lergnom. One of you can't make it back...."

Three and a half hours.

What was attacking his soul directly he did not know. And didn't care, Max fought it.

"What is this?!", the voice echoed on through his cranium. "There are...two of you here?!"

Max forces himself to smirk and sits his back against the wall, using it to slowly begin rising to his feet while clenching his head.

"Listen you....you bastard. I don't know who or what you are. But if you think merely extracting or corrupting my soul is your memo then you better change plans quick!"

Max is barely on his feet. He stumbles around the counter and suddenly feels dangerously nauseated. He kneels down and his head rushes foward as he vomits a red substance from his body. It sort of twinkles. It sort of shines. It sort of rolls across the ground.

Max lays out on his stomach and no longer feels like he's dying. Just an aftermath of pain still coursing through his body.

By his head lay there a crimson gem the size of half his fist.

Max suddenly begins laughing weakly out of nowhere, "Oh I get it. That's what kind of gem you were. If I was too weak you would have continued on doing this. The Canaiver. Gem in spiritual form, needs a worthy post to manifest intself. Too bad I have jointed souls...."

His black eyes were constantly on it as it lay by his head, Wonder whose soul started out in this originally....

Max pushes off the ground with his hands and arms and gets to his feet. Wobbly but efficient enough to move out.

"Guess I'm done...hope the others came through."

He bends over, picks up the gem, and begins to make his way out.

Scene switch. Shoes move across grimy street.

Soda makes his way down as street. "Hmm, is this it?"

He can see the road leading out of Mahobora and stands in the middle of this horizantal street.

Then someone catches his eyes.

Legs are stretched out from under a large black blanket. As in that's all that could be seen due to it being such a huge blanket. Dirty-looking. Must be a bum.

Soda begins walking towards whoever this could be.

[Youko Recca]

Neither scared or without shame he comes to the beggining of where this person's feet point out.

"Uh...excuse me there!", he bends down and shouts. Hoping that if he was sleep, he'd wake up. And if he were drunk, atleast barely able to make the words out.

Instead Soda gets more than that, the toe-end of the old shoes rose up quickly and dug up under Soda's chin something fierce.

Soda was sent rolling on his back to the ground. He acked and ached. He had bitten his tongue hard and it stung. The pain of that distracted from the pain throbbing just under his chin.

Soda shook his head and sat foward to notice the hairy face of a one mean-looking man. The hair all around his face was greyish black and very frizzy. His medium sized black eyes was just staring a hole through Soda.

Soda rolled back and placed his hands behind his head on the palms, springing to his feet and looking back with an angered face. Oblivious to why, but wasn't surprised, he was suddenly attacked. He noticed what was covering the man was now flung out on the ground to his right.

"What's your deal man?!"

"You've come for it haven't you stranger. You'll find me more of a challenge than I look."

The man's burly voice sounded like one you'd find everywhere in the past days of plantation owners. Even though he obviously wasn't and couldn't be.

Soda noticed a camcorder being tightly gripped in the man's right hand. And leading down to this hand was a large muscly arm. His sleeves were cut revealing this guy to be cut as well.

But it couldn't possibly be intimidating having been through what he has. Not to mention working out with Max.

MSG. He wondered what was so special about a tape.

"If that's what--I think it is...", he's not sure so he decides to fish, "....then I'm sure you wouldn't mind making me an offer atleast."

"Leave or I'll kill you!"

Well, that answered his question.

"Not exactly what I had in mind...", Soda mutters. He starts slowing walking foward with his hands up to help with the peace demeanor.

The man grunts and runs foward all of a sudden with his left fist foward in all it's mud-smudged glory.

Soda sighed at the attempt and effortlessly side stepped to the left. But as he turned his head the fist was now entering his center face.

The force was much more than Soda expected and he stumbles on his ass. Rushing his hand under his nose and luckily not feeling blood.

"So, how many people have attacked you?", Soda says. Trying to distract his focus.

The man seems to feel okay, and maybe even proud, when it came to his victories. Like a child happy with a crappy fingerpaint of a turkey. Soda quickly caught on to this.

"Five. I've put a beating on five of you bastards."

"Wait buddy, who do you think I'm with?"

"Them. Th--those unorthadox bastards!"

"Wow. Such emotions and you still haven't decently answered the question."

Soda looked around, while everything about the enviroment suggested signs of a struggle, the man himself, while very disgruntled and opposite of debonair, had not signs of have been in any serious fights.

He believed this was all in this guy's head, and Sebastian's little warning futher fit now. He's just...some guy.

Sadly one who had what he needed. So killing was out of the question. He'd mearly knock him out and take it.

While Soda finished a game plan in his head, the left fist was coming again.

Soda quickly ducked and turned while in a kneel so the man's leg's ran into his back. Soda's hands were up above his head and locked on the man's arm. Left arm on the point just before the elbow and the right directly over his wrist.

Following Soda stood, and back walked in a hunch while doing so. When his back hit the man's stomach, he pulled and he went flying quickly over his body and hard onto the ground.

The man naturally showed signs of pain. Shouting curses and twitching as he tryed getting back up.

Soda ran to the man's back as he finally made it to his feet, and ran his right fist into the guy's lower ribs. Next thrusting his left hook around and across the back of his head.

The man flew foward on his face and just lay there.

Soda walks over and checks his pulse. Good, he was alive. So he goes for the camcorder in his hand. The man's grip had been released due to his passing out.

Trotting across the street and looking around, Soda embarked back off towards the clubhouse.

That was simple enough....

[Youko Recca]

Chapter Twenty-Seven: On Ne Peut Pas Vivre Seul




Mizu's feet grace the ground just before the entrance to this large place. The doors are ovals standing on there point. Glass so you can see the inside of this aquatic paradise.

She notices the sign with the opening and closing hours. It was open on weekdays from seven in the morning to seven at night. Weekends seven in the morning to five in the evening.

It was well past either of those closing times.

She stands with weapons in hand and begins to think of means to enter. Her delicate ears hears something. Her head turns up diagnoly to her right andher icy eyes catches a camera zooming in to her.

From then on she might as well go head in. Two swift slices from her blades and the ovals fall loudly to the ground as trapazoids. She runs in and while doing so passes some soothing things. Mearly being in here gets her feeling simply magnificent. She felt surrounded by family almost.

As the different variety of fish, turtles, and even sharks flowed smoothly through the crystal blue water in their tanks, a feeling of wanting to be in there was constantly with her.

The lighting was perfect also. Room tempature about seventy, perfect also. The sea creatures wouldn't complain too much in this place.

It was like a museum of fish. A maze even, with all the tanks just scattered around this gigantic cicurlar room.

Mizu stops infront of a lonely blue fish swimming freely in it's tank. It stops and swims to the front, staring back at her. Her eyes scan it hard.

"You are lonely...I know your feeling. I am sad I can't find time to help you little one."

Pulling her head back slowly, she turns her body and commences her run throughout this place again.

Luckily all the tanks were labled.

It was hard enough for her to focus.

Clank!

Mizu darts and kneels behind the tank of a baby shark. She heard the opening of something. Surely it must have been whoever had spotted her through the camera outside.

Soon the footsteps were apparent.

Her eyes peer from around the tank and she quickly moves back as she saw the end of the person's black shoe head in a hall of tanks.

Mizu sighs and creeps down the marble floor slowly. Listening out for whoever that was.

Suddenly hearing a collecting of voices, she stops and peers around this smaller tank she behind.

Now there were three people talking. And worse was that they were talking infront of a nicely designed crystal diamond tank with ropes trailing around the outside to probally keep the spectators at a distance. Labled: Kirby.

"Did you spot her?"

"No, she's kept pretty secluded, but we'll get her. How about you Rex?"

The first speaker was a portly man wearing the uniform of an everyday security guard. The second was more of the opposite, sleazy-looking with black slicked back hair and dark trenchcoat. Looked like nothing but trouble.

The third, "Rex", was more of this muscle-bound, mean-looking giant. Wore a tight muscle shirt inside a jacket. Scruffed jeans, wrist bands swollen on respective place, jeans that would maybe be baggy on the other two but fit tight on him, and shoes that seemed buldged.

"Nah, I haven't seen anything Ty.", Rex responded to Ty.

Ty looked at speaker one, "What now Max?"

Mizu gripped her hilts, He dare have the same name as my....

She was surprised by what she was about to call Max.

"Now we continue. They'll be here any minute to make the exchange. Till then I'll stand guard here over the Kirby fish while you two move out in seperate directions to find our pretty little girl. I could tell by her eyes that she's a killer, so be careful. I don't need to explain two corpses to my employer. Hurry."

Rex and Ty nod and each make their way down opposite directions.

Mizu noticed Ty was coming in her direction. She would take him out first. So she backtraced and went down a route she thought he would take, that was also far away she could handle him without interference from the other.

Now positioned by her little fish friend she related to before, se held her fibing bokutos out with the left one held slightly over the right at the point.

"Ugh, how boring. Can't belive I'm missing the playoffs for this..."

Ty was almost within ambushing distance. Luckily he had come some way near what she expected.

As he tok one more step she dashed out sideways. Lowered and under Ty's body.

His eyes widened as his eyes met with hers. He understood what Max said to him suddenly.

"uh--uh---AAAAAAAhhh!!!!!!!"

Rex turned as he heard the scream, "What's that idiot screaming for?!"

Mizu continued on, she hadn't expected him to scream before she took care of him. Leaving behind a body slashed up and lain out on the floor. His own blood painted a picture over his corpse. If you pulled his legs and arms to his sides you'd make out a faint picture of a fish. The one in the tank his body was resting beside.

Rex ran to where Mizu once was and spotted Ty, "Oh ****! How did that idiot let himself get caught like this, and by a girl no less. Quicker than expected. Looks like my cut just got bigger...", he lifts Ty's limp arm and watches it quickly drop back down, ".....thanks Ty."

Rex stands and begins sniffing the atmosphere, and follows Mizu's trail.

Mizu just desided to bumrush Max and get out as quickly as possible before any renforcements could think of coming.


She turned around the tank that led to where the Kirby was held and as she did was sent flying back by a large fist from out of nowhere.

Mizu clamped her heel down hard to stop herself from sliding across the floor. Her upper lip coming over the lower one to remove the slight gush of blood from her lip.

"My, such a strong girl to still be standing. Why. Why. Why. Why. Why today of all days do renegades choose to come and mess with this damn place. LIsten you. I'm about to make a huge deal. Come back another night and I'll just let you take whichever fish or whatever. Just not tonight!"

Mizu gives him a dirty look, "How about you give me the Kirby and I don't take your life?"

Max looks at her seemingly hurt by her words for a good while. And then bursts out laughing. And then stops and gets serious suddenly.

"Yeah, screw you.", he says sternly as he walked over.

Mizu's weapons twirl within her fingers as she meets him halfway. Swiping her left blade acorss his thorat area, and thrusting the right for his heart.

Max actually is able to turn and jump to avoid. Looking wierd for a man of his stature.

He clenches his fists and suddenly horns sprout out from his head. Three in total lines across the top of his head. His skin turns dark brown and his eyes yellow.

Mizu just keeps looking on, not really taking any notice apparently.

Max scoffs, "What, that's it? I expected a 'woah' or something. Guess I'll get a proper reaction when I eat your bones while your alive enough to feel it...."

He smiles and is running towards her.

Mizu gets in her taught stance, Demon....haven't seen many before. Haven't killed one since my younger years. Just one. This is a gamble.

Despite not familiar with taking on demons she gets prepared to do as to him as any other foe.

When he's infront of her, he starts widely pushing foward strong punches. Mizu stays in place and dodges inbetween each with ease. They were way too slow to her.

Then she feels a punch from behind, directly into her back. She grunts and Max's right sticks her square across her jaw.

Wincing as she turns around, she spots Rex standing there banging his fists together and about to throw a left jab into her face. She reacts by ducking and then leaping over to Rex's back. Roundhousing her heel hard into his muscly back. Following by spinning on her other heel with her blades pointed out. Getting a cut slightly on his left side.

Rex runs by Max's side, "Damn, pretty good. We better both do this or it'll never get done in time."

Max bites and the impact of his teeth are clearly heard, "Good idea for once."

Both run at her, then away from each other, then on each of her opposite sides. So four fists are are coming at her.

Staying in place again, she finds it only slightly harder.

After letting them try and try for about a minute she suddenly does the splits down to the ground.

Both of them end up punching each other as she brings her blades' points downward on the ground to help her rise to her feet again.

Mizu runs under one of Rex's random punches and stabs him with her right bokuto in the right of his chest, due to his sudden movement to not want to take it in the heart. She pushes him over onto his back with her blade still in him, hearing Max coming behind her, then stepping on him to pull it out. Jumping backwards over the coming Max and kicking him in the back of his head just before she lands behind him.

Max lands atop Rex and quickly rolls off.

While they are busy rising, a certain tear is escaping Mizu's left eye.

"Damnit Max, I'd think a demon could be doing better against a human!"

Both are up, rubbing where it hurts and suddely feel a mist.

A gush of clear liquids shoots past Max and directly into the mouth of Rex, making him forcefully swallow all of it that's coming. He begins trembling all over and is kicking and trying to fight it. His body is growing fatter than Max's with all that's entering.


You could here his bones collasping as the tear is occupying all the space inside his body.

Mizu looks on without remorse, "You'll make the second.", she says towards a flabbergasted Max.

Rex cries out as his body swells too much and eventually implodes.

What a dismal sight. Mizu has her tear catch all the nastiness that was once a man named Rex. Her tear splashing onto the floor and leaves behind all the horrible things. Making it's way back towards Mizu, shrinking. Ruuning up her body and back into her eye.

Mizu blinks slowly and opens her eyes, setting her sights on the demon.

[Youko Recca]

Max's ugly face was tight. He had a choice to try and kill her and wind up dead, or run now and save this for another day. But the money.

That doctor offered me too much money not to try. Damn, what to do....

He took one step and Mizu was already in his face. Suddenly there's a sharp pain in his gut. It's a stinging that's staying with him. Inside him. It's turning and now it burns.

Max's view of her eyes was better than it would ever be as she was staring at him meanly. Her arm yanks outward. He grunts and shows signs of pain within his facial expressions.

Mizu takes a step back to reveal the large gap in his body she's left.

He gasps and stumbles back for awhile before just falling back completely.

She looks at him until his head tilts to the side and his eyes roll back. His body still, and in the center of this blood puddle.

Now it was time to grab the fish and scram. Her tear flows from without her eye and swarms into the Kirby fish's tank. Scooping it up inside it and now following Mizu as she made her way out.

Outside it's the same as when she came in. Twisting the hilts in her hands still, she looks around and rushes down the steps. The liquid about her same size, containing this small pink fish in the deep center, smoothly gliding over the surface. Not leaving any residue.

Mizu finds a good building to jump atop. Her tear would draw too much attention. Her heels bounced off the liquid standing sort of upright beside her and she flips on the roof easy. The tear trails up the wall and continues by her side as Mizu makes her way back after an easy capture.

Five hours at pass.

The high topped sneakers grace the sidewalk. Trent is in a more people-populated area. Seems the mall was open later than usual due to some new videogame console release.

And Trent knew all about it. He never owned even a handheld in his life. Now this reminded him to request one. Labling it under the perks of the job.

So instead of being a normal boy, oggling this new box of joy, he would be entering a lady store for things that scared him. He loved women. But an older women's underwear scared him immensely. It was unclear to even him why.

Sucking it up he walks through the front doors of the mall and now his sneakers were gracing a marbled floor. He briefly looked down at the green squares inside the green squares. Trying to distract himself from the mall. He wasn't fond of the mall. It was this big stuffy place full of people who you had to move out of the way for because they're bigger and they have girlfriends you wish you had.

He scratches just above the birthmark under his right eye and yawns casually while walking. Passing up a pet store and hearing barks of joy from a dog in the process of being bought. He immediatly thought of Max. This thought which led him to wonder of how the others did on their assignments.

Treading past the Gamestop, he notices, has no choice but to, this huge ass line extending from within the store out to where the fountain on the other side was.

Too many people were talking, now he found it hard to gather and keep a thought. But it wouldn't matter much anyway now.

He was there. Infront of an entirely pink store that had mannequines displaying different designed and colored lingerie and such. The current supermodels looking good on a collaboration photo hanging just over the entrance and just below the sign reading: Victoria's Secret.

He gulped and looked to his left. Besides the numerous people passing with cup and pretzels at hand, a old women met eyes with him and kind of gave him a wink and nudge.

Trent grimaced to himself and started to take baby steps to the inside. When in, he smelt the place and sighed. It was the smell one would expect. Artificialy lustful.

A women putting away blue frilly underwear in the distance close to the changing closets noticed him and walked over.

"Why hello there. Looking for your mom their sweety?"

Trent looked up at her and took a deep breath. Ready to get this over with.

His eyes drooped as he asked, "No. I'm here to personally get something for a lady friend of mine. What's the special?"

Five hours and ten minutes have passed.

Trent walks from without the store carrying a pink bag with the logo on both sides.

"Thank God I had money with me. Max owes me freakin' twenty dollars....", he mumbles to himself while walking as quick as he could without making it seem rushed. Glad to have that over with.

Outside it seemed as more people had dissapeared. It was getting late.

Trent jogged across the street and around the corner. Having to jog again across to a street that was less filled. He continued the jog, Hmm...wonder how Mizu's doing. Heh, wonder how she'd look in this.

As Trent imagined to himself, the aquatic building in which Mizu herself had just left suddenly had a black four-door car pll up to the front.

The doors all opened at once and four people stepped out.

One was a scrawny male wearing a black shirt inside a matching coat. He seemed to have a set of curled whiskers just under his nose. And a devlish smile that seemd stuck with him. He had shotgun. Passanger two was the largest of the four, his facial features were all large in comparison to someone normal. Eyes black and reptilian-like. Strange with his was the scaly tail he had bursting and dragging out the back of his raggish baige jacket. Not bothering with an under shirt as he just showed what could possibly be a chizzled eight pack.

Passanger three dressed more normal and easy with sneakers and t-shirt and short jeans. Matching red and white throughout. He wore glasses with a red tint. And he was chewing gum.

The driver had a 'no time for play' kind of look to him. He was second largest and wore fur all over. Hair was white and short. He spoke out, "Victor, go check.", now revealing the burliness of his voice. Very powerful.

The scrawny one with the funny mustache nodded and leaped up the steps with a faint jump. Entering.

It wasn't even ten seconds later before he reappeared. Nose perked and having a 'sorry' look on his face. "Uh....we may have a problem."

"Ugh, what is it Victor?", the driver tossed out stressfully while the rest walked up the steps and followed Victor inside.

They all were soon standing around Ty's corpse inside.

The driver rubbed his temples with his right hand, scrunching the white eyebrows together over and over.

"Damnit....the doc isn't going to like this. Okay. We were never here. Let's leave quickly. I'll speak on out behalf and explain what the situation is. He'll be pissed but whatever. What did you pick up Victor?"

His nose was still in a perk and he licked his lips, "Heh...I smell......fish."

The driver looked at him plainly, "How observant....get in the car."

All of them are entering back in the car with Victor now rambling.

"No, this one's different. Even more delicious-smelling than the Kirby. The scent descends into the street. This fish had some legs man."

All doors shut. The driver sits there for a second before turning the key in the ignition.

"I see. Obviously somebody beat us here. After consulting with the doc we'll start a search on exactly who it was. Find them and get our subject back. For now...."

He looks at the other two in the back through the mirror hanging just above the stick.

"...buckle up."

Soon the car is gone as fast as it came. Dissapearing into the night.

[Youko Recca]

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Death in the AM





Last but not least was Noc Turnal. He was already where he was supposed to be. Standing on the roof of the museum that was positioned among many other buildings. Luckily he had been here before.

I know exactly of what that man spoke of. He wants me to steal that genie lamp. How rude though. Disrupting such beauty must be a crime. Ah, yes. Of course.

He scaled the top until he came to a pipe that seemingly led inside. It was used for....what? This had to be wondered. But he didn't question. Wasn't there last time, but whatever. He was skinny enough to slide down it he thought. So without much hesitation he gently places his hands over the top and slowly began ripping it off.

Immediatly he heard mourning of some kind. Not scared, Noc drops down into the dark pipe feet first.

Not long before he sets down on the inside. Raising and looking around. They had revised the place just a bit, but he figured they wouldn't have tampered with the lamp too much.

And Noc knew this museum had some dark past to it. There was no way they could handle some of the stuff they had in this bronze building without winding up in some kind of despair.

All items were in cases, from paintings to sculptures to bones.

It was minutes later when the sound of sadness arose again. Noc turned around and saw a naked man standing in the corner. Tear rolling down his cheek.

"Oh my, what's the matter there? What are you doing here?"

The man looks at him in sudden fear, "How did you get in? Your kind shouldn't be able to waltz where they please!"

Noc rose his hands and shook them slightly, "Not sure how you knew, but I am not going to hurt you. Please answer my forementioned questions and I'll leave you to your self pity."

"Fool. This here is why I mourn. I have trapped myself in here. There were more of us. My love among them. But one by one each week they were taken away. I'm sure they've all died."

Noc looks at him confused, "What do you speak of? The rest of the space is open to walk. WHy not simply leave the museum?", he waves his hand infront to provide evidence for his point.

This man continued weeping while explaining, "We look free from inside this cage. We are not!"

Noc moves his head and then starts walking for the open. Suddenly he stops and can't go any futher than the five steps he took.

"Some kind of spell. I knew it. This place really is not what it seems. My mind must have been instantly affected when I dropped down that pipe. This tricks the mind into believing it can't go any futher past a certain distance. We must be invisible to those outside the cage. Like you. But why were you and your....oh no. Thieves. You planned on robbing this place and karma came back to get you in the worst of ways. I have no choice but to escape. So consider yourself lucky there."

Noc stepped back and thought, This man made some poitns earlier though...I never thought about it. How could I....

Strangely he forgets completely what he was just thinking and has to start over.

My. Um, yes, how to escape....this is mearly a exstravagant illusion. Simple.

He looks back at the man and walks over. Picking up the knife that some kind of residue on it. Wiping it on his glove and then turning back and walking. He counted the steps in his head and when he reached one step before the step that would stop him, he stabbed the knife into his upper left hand.

Suddenly both of them feel severely nautious and their minds free. Noc walks onward and suddenly doesn't feel as lightheaded as before. Not realizing he felt that way until now.

The man crawled out and his weeping face turned to one of happiness. "Finally!"

Noc took the knife out of him and tossed it away. Looking at his blood running over the glove.

"Yes, now leave. You can't possibly handle what this place has to offer. Find some clothes. And then spread the word. Stay alive long enough to do both please."

The man without shame, ran out past Noc and towards the front exit.

Noc was now ou enough to have a better view, shaking his hand, and looks up to see a second level. The cieling is a darker toned bronze than the rest of the room. The color capitalized on all the items of wonder laying around.

"Now to find that lamp and make my leave..."

Footsteps drive out. Stopping before Noc was a man twined with white wrapping. His eyes peering through the small opening provided.

"I don't think so. Strange for a gaudy thief like you to break free from that prison. Not all of them do. For such wisdom, I'll make your death quick and painless."

Noc just smiled warmly at this abomination, "Ah, but you're too late. I've been dead longer than you have been what you are. You mummies don't take too kindly to this type of enviroment. Infact it's rare to see such a species at all here in the west part of the world. Let me see here....you were specifically mummified to protect this museum from anyone that shouldn't be here after hours. Where's yor tomb at?"

The mummy just stands there lopsided and from the bend the wrappings around the mouth area was displaying, he was smiling. "Vampire. Delicious. Maybe. Haven't eaten one of those yet."

Noc bows and rises with a shrug, "Probally have a bad aftertaste to us. Wouldn't know, I'm usually on the fed side. Then again you mummies ARE used to eating dust....."

This mummy now starts walking towards him. Wrappings all out of wack, dragging across the floor.

Noc backed a bit and was careful not to bump in to anything, "Is this really the best place for a battle? Many of these artifacts are priceless."

His foe's arms wiggled and the wrapping on the end of both arms shot out at him.

"It won't matter much if you just die on the spot. I have killed many here. I can fight around all these without much effort. Usually I deal with greedy thieves like you who just want everything, so their fighting capabilities and chopped in half."

Noc turned himself sideways and reached out with both hands. Gripping each wrapping end and twisting to a hault.

"Yeah, but I guess I didn't establish to you that I wasn't a thief!"

"Oh yeah? Then what are you doing here?"

Noc thought for a moment and realized the corner he was backed into. "Okay. I came to steal the lamp, but....well...I suppose there isn't really a good enough reason. Hmm, well my comrade will lose his eyes unless I don't."

The mummy settles down and tries retracting his wrapping. Noc feels and is reluctant to let go.

"Let go vampire. You must be th eone after Socrates."

"Who?"

"Socrates. The genie in that lamp you're after. I got a 'special' call about this."

Noc lets go, "Well then, all is arranged.", he is about to start walking. Then the wrappings shoot back at him like furrious whips. He ducks under then and turns to see them coming back around towards him back. Noc jumps over them and lands.

"Name's Gabriel, Noc. It's been desided that one of us have to die. For good. You are the deciding factor in this game that Jack and Sebastian set up. Kill me and go towards the middle of the museum and take Socrates. Or die and cause your teamate to go blind. You really have no choice in the matter."

Noc shakes his head solemnly, "No, there is always a choice. Gabriel is it? Well we got off on the wrong foot there. That was already reckless with you wanting me to die before even realizing I had a name. But why HAVE to kill you when I can go past and just take it? Sorry, I have no desire to be a pawn in a rigged chess game."

He walks all the way past Gabriel and hears him sigh.

"You just don't get it...."

Noc stops. He looks down and there is the wrapping, drilling a hole through his lower right chest. He clenches his teeth and runs out of it. Turning to look at him with disgust.

Gabirel's wrapping came back and moved from side to side just above his palms, in the air.

"I'm going to teach you a lesson tonight Noc.You'll learn it whether you like it or not. Avoiding death is not always an option. Jack himself personally put his word in this part. The lesson. He feels you're too weak Noc. Look, he even told me. A complete stranger that. Your compassion makes you weak. Unless your blood lust goes on a rampage, you're a nothing."

Noc's eyes drop. He feels above, on the tiny hole in his chest.

"I have killed peole before Gabriel. It's not like I don't know how. With you, however, I'm not sure if you deserved it. Convicts derserve it, but do you?"

Gabriel's eyes are shaking, " Your half-assed philosophy is a distorted piece of crap. Not all convicts are criminals. And not all criminals are convicts."

[Youko Recca]

Noc is silent. There was no time for this. This guy was obviously stubborn, and Noc just wasn't in the mood.

Gabriel's arms suddenly seem to stretch out longer. Both fists swung at him from the distance. Noc dodged the left but was hit by the right. He fell back and managed to put a hole in his pants, just around the knee. His hands ricocheted off the ground to put him back on his feet.

"That it? Using your bandages to hit me, how blatant.", Noc spews out calmly. Beng calm and waiting for oppurtunity.

"Not really. Noc, I honestly don't know much about the orginization you're apart of besides it being the only thing keeping this world from perishing. I'm part of the world. And when I see you hesitating like this, it makes me feel sour."

"Pff, really now Gabriel. If you were really worried you would be in my shoes right now. I'm thinking YOU are the one talking nonsence. Something in your voice doesn't seem right..."

Gabriel scoffs and comes at him again. This time the wrapping on each arm forming into points.

Noc runs at him much to his surprise.

The mummy brings both points together and shifts his body a little to the right, making it hard to predict where he would attack. "Don't think of this as just reminiscent a papercut!"

Each point is thrusted. Noc suddenly drops down and slides right between both his open legs. Noc stops and is on his feet right behind him. He turns around and places his hands on Gabriel's head. The left across the front of his upper forehead, and his right hand placed hard just under his jaw.

Gabriel is immediatly still, "Heh, what a glorious oppurtunity for you. Do it!"

Noc laughs, "Sure."

He jerks both his arms clockwise and snaps Gabriel's head right off. The limp body falling on to the ground below.

The museum feels uneasy and quiet as Noc feels empty emotion in his shell.

"Sorry. But whatever you were being fed...was wrong."

Noc drops the bandaged head next to it's body and steps over both.
Making his way mor eindepth through the museum, he comes across as golden-tinted glass. Inside your stereotypical genie-esque lamp. Gold, strange carvings, large handle,...the works.

Noc passes right through the area where it was being held. There was a sign, stating the distance in which you could see. But he ignored it. Being as he was dead, none of the secrurity precautions would really affect him. And didn't.

He grabs each side of this heavy glass case and lifts carefully.

Bending over to the side to place it down, then rise back up and grab the real prize.

"Time to go I suppose."

He walks back over to the opening in the pipe. Standing there under it, he felt the breeze making it's way inside here. Slightly, it must have been cool to a human, but it matched the feeling inside him like a perfect fit. The lamp was groped tightly in his right hand by the handle. He made sure not to rub it the wrong way.

Noc looks back at the museum with a sad expression and then leaps up.

Two and a half hours left.

All five are running at different points in the city, some closer back to home than others.

[Youko Recca]

Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Message





Noc runs out into the open space. The others are all standing there discussing amongst themselves.

Max notices him and waves him over, "About time Noc, we only have fifteen minutes left. Not too bad I guess, but let's hurry anyway."

They all scan the area. It was deep into the night. No one was possibly awake in this part of the city. Atleast in this small space.

Max looked up at the seemingly nothing, "Let us in."

With that the spell goes to work and they charge through the door without question. Passing the lobby area in a jiffy and busting through the doors leading to the stairs.

Not long and they have come to their vault-esque door. Being closest, Noc bends down and sticks in his fangs to the slot. There is the familiar click and the door is creaking open again. Max forces to open faster and all five walk in.

Sebastian is sitting on the couch, looking at them with the empty glass in hand. A mediium-sized rectangular black box sitting infront of him on the table. He looks up to the clock and smiles.

"Ah, with ten minutes to spare....", he looks and notices that all five are present with their items being held infront of them.

Mizu's tear sloshes over from behind her.

"My now, you all made it with each item intact. Guess this means Jack won the bet. Dissapointing for me naturally, but it was win-win.", he stands up and points down at the box resting on the table, "This here is it. Legendary staff of the monkey king, Nyoibou, at your disposal vahm-pire."

He walks around the table and begins taking the items away from them, looking deeply into Soda's eyes for a second. Starting with MSG, then the Victoria Secret special, then the Canaiver, following with the lamp, and stood there with a full arm looking down at her tear holding the Kirby fish.

"Uh, I don't suppose I could get a bag?"

Max looked back at Trent, "Go fill something sturdy and spacy up with water from the bathroom Trent."

Trent just turned around and went back out the door.

Sebastian set the items gently on the table and pulls something that looked folded from out of his pocket. He flipped it out like a bagger and began placing the items in.

Max watched him with a dissaproving face, Almost like a thief...

Trent came back in with a large cup full of water. Mizu's tear hovered over the top and let the fish drop in, then rolling over and returning into Mizu's eye.

Sebastian took the cup in his left hand and started pulling something else out of his other pocket with his right, "Well gentleman--it's been fun, but I must take my leave now that I've lost. While I sat here waiting one of the staff gave this to me to give to you. Your next mission, straight from Jack."

He handed the white piece of folded paper to Max. Max lifted the top twice and then left once, inside was the whole set of instructions.

Sebastian walked over and picked up the bag with his now free right hand and began walking past them outside the door which was still being held open by Trent. In a merry mood despite his loss.

"Do hope we meet again unit forty-one! Enjoy your new toy vahm-pire!"

Trent gave him a drty look as his back was gone in an instant.

Max suddenly crumpled up the piece of paper.

Soda rolled his neck and was going for his room, "What is it Max?"

Max looked over at him, "No. Don't go to your room. We aren't done tonight."

Samsons looks at the ground and yawns, "I thought we all agreed we tool sleep for granted? Shouldn't we wait until the team's well rested?"

The door was about to close and finally did so. Trent, Mizu, and Noc looked at him.

Max grit his teeth, "Our mission is to investigate a poltergeist at the water bottle factory in the city. We...have to do it when the ghost-gettin' is good.", he says shallowly with much fake enthusiasm.

Soda graoned while leaning his back against the door to his personal room, "So? This could be--"

"Shut up Soda, we're doing it tonight. Let's head back out. But first open up your present Noc.", he nods over to the box still sitting on the table.

Noc snaps out of his stare and walks over, sitting infront of it. The cover was easy to remove. It was just overlapped onto the bottom cover. So as his gloved hands remove the top he feels the most excited about recieving something he's ever felt in his life. Out of nowhere.

So as soon as the cover if off, being held by his hands in the air and then slowly on it's way to be set to the side, Noc smiles at what he sees.

Inside was a red staff the size of a child's arm. Underneath it a black coushin. On each end of the smoothly carved cylinder were ends of shining gold. And upon futher inspection, Noc noticed a sprinkle of a golden paint trail spiraling around the red of the Nyoibou's body. It was masterfully detailed for being simplistic.

Noc exhales empty breath and reaches over with his hand and picking it up. It was heavy, but nothing his strength wouldn't allow him to handle. His crimson eyes for a second removed from his new weapon and down to a note that was being covered by it. It read:




Noc, if you're reading this obviously you achieved in getting a prized item of mine. I'll say, not bad for a vampire. So congradulations. I'm sure you know what it can do already. And the key to this is being one with the staff. When you want it to grow, when you want it to shrink...it will. Unbreakable at your will. Strong and fearful at your command. Use this well vampire.



Noc grasped it tightly in both hands and began moving with it a bit.

The others just watched his reaction while standing at the door.

Max called out to him, "Come on Noc, you can play with it on the way back out. And you couldn't have gotten that at a better time....", he turns and proceeds to opening the door again.

Noc looks up and to the sight of seeing them leave, "Coming!", he says like a giddy little child. So stunned and thankful, that he forgot his hat again.

One by one they go down the stairs. Noc recent aqquirement reminds Max of his own weapon.

"Hmm, let's make a quick stop. I want to check up and see if Shakyla is ready for me again."

He goes down an extra level to the lower, more unformal area. The basement where all the weapons were stocked and upgraded and such.

The four waited on him for five minutes before he came out with something attached to his back.

Trent looked at the big gun, "So that's Shakyla?"

Max shook his head as he continued to lead them down, "Are you kidding? My baby is much bigger and stronger than this wimp. This is just your everyday fifty caliber rile. It doesn't matter, it'll do for now. Let's move out."

The five continued down.

Without much time, they are outside again. Leaning against the wall on this street again. Quickly exhausted given all the running they had just got through doing.

It was around two AM now. Perfect time if they wanted them all to be out. But the team wouldn't be as on par as before. Just okay to fight. If that were the case.

Max looked back at the others as they scaled the wall, "Okay, no need for a rush. We're just--going to walk to the factory and check it out. Just a routine overlooking of things...."

Soda feels something in Max's voice. Something isn't right.

[Youko Recca]

Chapter Thirty: Welcome to the Jungle







It's about eleven minutes into their walking. The night isn't young, oh it is well past puberty. The air is thick and dry, and the climate is warm. Not much activity was going on in the city. Strange for a city as big as this one.

Max is standing center like a leader should with the others following behind him, Mizu and Soda to his left, Noc and Trent to his right.

"Max, how much longer? I didn't even know there was a water bottle factory among Mahobora innards.", and this is surprisingly Noc complaining. Well, not really complaining. More like eager to a higher power.

Max never once looked backed while he talked to them during this walk, "Give it five more minutes Noc."

Mizu had both bokutos in her left hand while she yawned into her right.

Trent had his hands in his pockets, walking in this kind of 'cool' slouch. His earring on his left lobe glistened with the moonlight. You could frequently here his sighs of boredom.

Soda was just alert and worrying about what had Max all uncoordinated.

Noc had Nyoibou hunched against his left shoulder like a soldier with a rifle.

No one seemed worried about a rifle being strapped to Max's back or about any other of their weapons. Sure, few gave strange looks, but overall the attitude was not caring. You'd be lucky if you found a cop to report to. A legit cop.

All five now hopped from off the street and onto the sidewalk once they turned the block where there would occasionally be cars doing twenty in a ten.

Passing drunks, hobo huches, prostitues, and hopeless wanderers bared no distraction. What would really catch their attention is seeing a young couple at arms with each other.

Soda stops from looking infront of him at the back of Max's head, and looks around here. Something about this street calls out to him to get his attention. It seems so familiar.

The five are now at a crosswalk. Not long and it luckily goes green with the signal of a man in the act of walking.

It's not before he takes one step when Soda turns his head and spots a pizza parlor at the end of the street.

"Son of a....That's it.", he says softly out to himself while standing there.

Noc notices him and then looks at the pizza parlor. It was still closed. Obviously from the incident that happened not too long ago. The event that led to Soda's joining. And that rught there was the place it all went down. Images of that freaky wolf monster return to flash in his head.

Turnal gently slaps Soda on the upper right of his arm, "Hurry up silly or you'll be left behind."

Soda trudges along while still looking at it, if not for Noc, he would have ran into a random civillian who was crossing the other way.

"Let it go Soda. Or better yet, look at it as a good memento."

"Yeah right. Did I ever really thank you for saving me? I suddenly can't remember."

The other three are just listening as they walk ahead. Coming on to the new sidewalk surface.

Noc shrugged, "Probally did. Not sure. We put you though crap as soon as you awoke. But I'll take your thanks here and now. Seems getting you was smart on my part. We'd be dead without you."

Trent but in here.

"What do you mean? What does Soda offer you guys that puts him on the same level as us? He seems regular to me. What is it?"

Soda would give the kid a dirty look if he wasn't exactly wondering himself.

Now Max comes in, "He beat Harmony. There. We no longer need to talk about his value. Discussion...over."

Trent nodded, "Yeah...I still can't believe he did though. From what I heard you had unit 0012 helping you. How Soda got the kill before a vampire, hybrid, and mummy is beyond me."

"Then stop troubling that little brain of yours.", Max says with intention to sound rude.

The boy's reaction a smuggly dirty look.

That had been the biggest the discussion had gotten before a minute of silence. The other minute was saved for when they now reached the factory. Big, clunky-looking typical factory set right in the city. Pretty insane thing to do, but they WERE only water bottles.

Max gulps and walks up the little hill-esque pathway. Looking like someone swept the ground over it. He looks back and can only see the four others standing and then suddenly walking his way. No one else was in this part of the city.

Upon looking at the handle, Max notices something eerie. Laying just before the door was a broken lock. Add that to the fact the handle was in a kind of bending positon. Someone was already here. Max could smell the scent. And the scent of who, made him sweat. But he kept his worry from the others as they walked up beside him.

Sighing and having the door push open before them, all five gaze inside this dark entry. Looks like there were five levels to the building due to the size. Inside was nothing original. Just a large assortment of machines and a smell of pennies almost. Or something like it.

"Lets...go....", a solemn Max stated.

All of them walk in and are alert and tingling suddenly. There was definitely a presence here that was out of this world. And this inside was huge.

Dark, but barely lit throughout just enough to see. Max leads them around machines that could potentially harm them. His nose at a constant perk upwards.

When they've ventured enough away from the entrance they can here it suddenly slam. Following that was a slow forced meanding.

They all looked back at it except for Max. Mizu gripped her bokutos tightly, Soda with his right arm constantly at side, Noc rubbed the smooth and cuved body of the staff. Trent with fists tightly clenched.

Max hears somethign and stops, putting up his right hand quickly to signal the others to do so as well.

"Wait....we have company.", Max says.

Trent's eyes figet around, "You sure? Where?"

Max replies while turning and facing the direction to his left, "Someone's been following us since we entered. I just wanted more room to work.", his eyes pierce through openings and cracks over machines and he can see the shaded figure. He's big. And from what Max could make out his arms were folded. Just then, someone else joins the figure at his side. More slim than the previous.

Max reaches back for the fifty caliber and already has it set up. No need for a scope, he just closes his left eye and once he thinks he has a decent shot, he tales it. The shot, by the way, being a loud boom that echoed throughout the factory.

The others just looked at him with surprised looks on their faces.

Max squints and sees that the figures are no longer standing there.

But he feels something approaching his back, his animal instincts tell him to jump. As he does an icicle the size of full blown out person spears right into the ground.

"Oh shoot, I missed.", could be heard calmly from the footsteps exiting foreign shadows.

By the sounds of it, two people walking towards them.

"Nice attempt as always sir.", a way more feminine voice with an accent none of them could point out.

As the two reveal themselves, Mizu is on her knees instantly. Feeling the long term hate in her heart expanding and ready to explode rapidly.

[Youko Recca]

The male was a tall pretty boy dressed all in white. Muscular, you could easily tell by the white muscle shirt he seemed squeezed into. The pants overlapping over these flat slip-on shoes that hugged his feet were matching as well. Had a face that looked strong and dense. Looked almost just like a white guy, but skin was a little more tanned. Average eybrows. Hair black and trimmed short, front tips coming just over his eyes. Beard was perfect in how it was thin and allined. But what really stood out was his left arm. It was nothing like the normal-looking right. Instead it was an arm that had green scales indentical to a fish covering it entirely. Nails on the hands slightly longer.

This man had the same exact ice eyes as Mizu. And he used them to direct a stern look her way upon seeing her. Both were giving each other stares of hate.

Max had landed not too far away and looked at the two, "Wonderful...."

The women by this man's side was skinny, almost as tall as the man by her side, and wore glasses that had small circular lenses. White hair tied upright in the back so there are only two bangs coming out in the front of each side of her head. She dressed in a light brown dress-skirt and pants, with large peach-colored overcoat. Any time she moved it was obvious she atleast felt like an aristocrat.

Soda looked at the icicle sticking out of the ground and was wondering if the newly shown freak did it.

Max saw Soda was thinking about drawing Mongoose, "Soda, take the shot! Hit white!", he exclaimed.

Soda heard him and Mongoose was out faster than anything. He aimed with the barrel sticking out straight, nice aim on this man's head.

There is a sudden grating sound. The tip's of her blades are riding along the ground as her body shook uncontrollably and she was standing into a run.

Mizu's teeth were at a constant grit, she didn't even bother to take a stance. She just went on to bumrush these two. Or more importantly, the man.

He saw her coming and raised his palm upwards. Sloshing could be heard and water suddenly shoots from around the corner, rushing just above the person's palm. He then waves his hand and another icicle is formed from this water, shooting her way. But Mizu can't seem to care, she brings both her weapons up and does two decisive slashes to break the thing from out of her way. Getting slightly cut on her face.

More water shoots from different places, now cycling around both the man and the women.

Mizu's heels put a crack in the ground before she launched herself into a flip over the water and now falling down at the two. Her tear exited her eye and began enlarging right over the tip of her right bokuto. She then quickly threw the tear at them both while in the center.

"That ***** still has it!?", the man shouted while the water stopped with the spinning and shot up to counter Mizu's tear.The two were out of harm way before her tear overwhelms the water and splashes on the ground where they once stood.

Mizu lands and is dashing at them again.

Trent doesn't like this, "Max! What's going on? What's wrong with Mizu?!"

Max ignores him and barks, "Soda! Take the damn shot!"

Soda fires.

The women looks over while fixing her glasses just above her nose.

The open ground space between Soda and her suddenly erupted from underneath to form a wall. The bullet entered this wall of earth and while slowed down, was still strong enough to pass through.

The women seemed surprised as the bullet barely avoided her head.

Max snaps his fingers, "Damnit, let's go help her, but don't get in her way!"

As Max is about to start walking, Trent comes over and punches him across the face. Not hard, just enough to get his attention.

"First, I want to know who these people are Max!"

Max stood up straight and sighed, seeming hasty.

His eyes lagged and he flinched a little.

"That man over there...he's.....he's Mizu's.....brother...."

Noc shows the surprise on his face along with the other two.

Trent looks back at a deranged Mizu constantly trying wild slashes at the man, but him dodging them all easily. "You mean to tell me...you KNEW about this Max?! I mean, come one! Obviously the siblings don't seem to like each other. That note....you knew damn well what would happen!"

Max nodded reluctantly, "Yes. That's why I wanted to beat them to arriving here and still be able to say we did an overlook. We wouldn't have been but five minutes...."

"URRAGHH!!!!", Mizu's screams of frustration wake everyone up to the realization happening before them.

The man ducks another of her slashes and uses his left arm to jab into her stomach. Before she goes flying back, she tries an unsuccessful swipe at him.

Mizu rolls back and instantly springs to her feet, running at him again.

"You bastard!!! I swear I'll kill you, you bastard!!!"

She leaps over him, her tear continuing to go straight. She began flpiing foward with her blades pointed foward and out. Her tear froze up suddenly as the sharp point was set to impale her brother.

He sidestepped and caught it, and then looked up as he spun arond once and launched her own attack back at her while she was in midair. Before touching her, the tear broke back into liquid state and just washed over her. However, this disrupted her initial attack, so now she was just falling feet first to land.

Her brother didn't make it easy, he jumped up to meet her halfway and reached out with his left hand, grabbing her throat. Bringing over his right fist and constantly punching her in the face. The impact caused her to drop her weapons and she winced in a newly brewed mixture of anger and pain. He turned over and used her to break the small fall, where he continued punching her across her face.

Trent was about to go insane, Oh hell no he doesn't!

Before Trent can go and futher the women from before is coming infront of him.

"Don't interupt.", she puts it simply.

Trent rose his naughty finger to her, "Screw you lady!", he tries running way around her but ran into something hard. The ground had also rose up just befor ehe stepped. The mear fact it surprised him, knocked Trent back.

Noc pointed Nyoibou out, Okay...I want you to grow. Hit Mizu's brother!

Nothing happened.

Noc shook his weapon desperately.

"I am Ceciela Hunningworth.", the women says.

Noc looked at her, "Ah, a swedish accent. Seems like you have a story to tell."

Max has the rifle up and when he now thinks he has a shot, he takes it. The bullet is averted as another wall of earth from the ground rose up. Giving Mizu's sibling enough time to walk out of the way.

"Damnit Ceciela!", he figures they need to get rid of her before they can do anything to help Mizu. So Max's aim spins over on her.

Trent smacks his fists together and they all began closing in on her. She didn't look in the least bit worried. Trent's the first as he runs up and throws her a strong right.

"I don't believe in hitting women but--",

Earth from underneath shoots up diagnolly and hits Trent right in his stomach. He grunts as he flies past Soda and goes tumbling into the darker shadows from wence they came.

Right before Max, Soda, and Noc can move, two most distinct set of foosteps can be heard coming from the right of all the action.

"I---I--I, see---I....", along with the steps a wierd-sounding jibberish.

From the shadows two more arrive.

Max looked over at them, "****! The others are coming!"

Back in the shadows Trent is by himself. He coughs up and wipes saliva from the roof of his mouth while standing. As soon as he gets on his feet he feels something rise behind him. He stands still and can here two powerful flutters. Along with a soft gust.

Behind this kid is something towering over him, it's wings stretching out to the sides.

[Youko Recca]

"Young man, what are you doing in such a place?", the voice of this something asked. Strong tone and well-mannered.

Trent exhaled and then lept away.

"Wait!", he heard the voice boom behind him.

Upon reaching back to the rest he saw Mizu was still being mishandled by her apparent brother, it infuriated him to see her beautiful face get punched. To take away from his burst, the image of two newcomers made him tilt his head. Wondering what they were capable of. Scared of one.

The one that was quite obviously a demon. It looked as if hunks of molten rock meanded together over a human-shaped shell to make him stand and have human-like characteristics. Like five fingers on each hand. However, the literal fire residing in each of it's eye sockets made the distinction clearer than it already was. You could make out a permanent frown on this thing's face.

Standing next to that thing was a lanky guy with a mushroom-bowl haircut, the shiny blackness of it hair made it stand out. The male also walked around barefoot and was constantly shaking. Not able to keep still. Like he was possessed. If these people didn't seem strange enough in how they looked, this one wore a broken straightjacket. So the sleeves were making it so his arms wouldn't show at all. Pupils were large and black, and had this thing to them where it looked like they were about to lose color.

"Who the hell are these guys Bermuda?!", the demon shouted in a agitated tone.

Mizu's brother stopped on her just long enough to explain. Throwing her to the ground and walking just a few feet away.

"Alex...what took you? And I see you brought Miles here as well?"

"Cut it Bermuda, what's going on?"

Max and the others found that this would make perfect oppurtunity to try for an escape with Mizu.

Which would have been good had Mizu not risen up again. She ran over to where her bokutos lay and swiped them up. Bleeding from her forehead and lip. Now running at her brother again.

"Watch out Bermuda!", yelled the demon.

Trent had enough and was about to jump in and punch one of them but a large hand came out of nowhere and graced his shoulder. He looked over and saw the hand was a baby-blue, and furry. Nails were a more of a navy blue and extended long. Trent whipped his shoulder and tread away, turning to see the huge thing that must have spoke to him before.

Worse than the molten demon. It was easily the tallest thing in this room right now that had the capability to walk. If you turned it's wings sideways you'd get the height of Trent, for each. So in total wing span, it was incredible.

"Alex, Miles? Sir...", the thing began to say and then stopped as he saw Bermuda prepare for an oncoming attack from behind him.

Soda looked at this thing that had just appeared and looked at the demon, The hell are these things?!

He was shocked to think straight at the current moment.

Noc felt useless, and foolish. His newly aqquired weapon was doing much to help out.

Samsons then looked quickly back at the light blue monster taht could talk, "Wait....that thing. I've seen it before!"

Noc looks at him, "Are you sure Soda? What is it? I'm surprised I don't even know what it is."

Soda looks back at the demon, "Well..do you know what that other thing is?"

Noc turns his head and looks at the thing that was constantly being called Alex, "Yes. That is some kind of breed of demon. Looks to me, of the fire kind. Not too surprised by that. The tall blue one interests me more. Those eyes, they look like cresent moons."

Soda remembers back to better times, when his daughter was still alive. She had loved a fantasy story about a young boy who had to fight a creature to rescue to love of his life.

"Oh yeah...that thing--", he recalls a fuzzy picture of a blue creature that was on a page in a book being held by tiny hands, "--it's a damn griffon."

Noc just nodded, "Ah, a griffon. First time ever seeing one in person. They are similar to etons in their survival numbers."

Soda doesn't know who to shoot at first, "Not that it matters. Max, you better have a plan!"

Max was holding the rifle out already, he had recently fired five shots at Ceciela, but to no avail.

"Soda, shutup and take someone!", he yelled stressfully.

"No! Wait!", the griffon surprisingly added.

Everyone who wasn't Mizu or Bermuda looked at him.

"Cornelius, what's up?", asked Alex.

"Well...aren't these people the paranormal unit?! Why are we fighting them? They are on our side."

Cecilia looked at Max, "Hmm, yes. Max Lergnom, the leader."

Max lowered his weapon, "About timesomeone had a voice of reason.."

Soda squinted and looked briefly at Max, You're one to talk...

Cornelius tread powerfully past everyone and joined Alex and the figeting one, Miles. Cecelia walked by them also, "Sir,...."

Both sides had now been divided, with only Mizu and Bermuda going at it. But this was clearly one-sided. Bermuda was all over her. Dodging, blocking, reacting before danger.

Mizu runs up and slides past Bermuda, trying to cut off his right leg. Water sprouts from the ground she's sliding under and shoots her body up into the air. Bermuda can be seen holding two fingers at an upward point.

Trent walked next to his teamates,"What should we do? We can't let her fight that guy. They don't even seem to have a good reason. That and...the blue guy says we're on the same side. How is that?"

Max watches Mizu flip on the surface and charge again, relentless with her failing assault.

"Those guys there....are the element unit. Unit 0025."

Noc sighed and leaned his head against the side of Nyoibou currently infont of him, "Of course..."

Soda was now confused as to why they had just wasted time in a useless confrontation.

Trent huffed, "Nice going Max. I'm wondering just how much yo're not telling us here...Why does Mizu hate her brother so much?! Huh? Why are they even here?', he points to the four other members of unit 0025 standing there without alarm.

Alex snorted, "I give her two more minutes. Never thought we'd run into the boss's sis so early. Not too bad for a halfbreed though..."

Max was about to answer the questions, but Trent heard Alex's comment and added another one.

"What does that guy mean Max? Mizu's half demon?"

Max shakes his head and snaps out of his trance, "No Trent, no. Just let me clear things up. The note Sebastian gave me, supported the details of this mission. It's supposed to be a joint mission for some reason. I've known Bermuda Sakana, Mizu's older brother, was the leader of that unit. But I didn't bring it up to prevent...this. I knew if Mizu was aware, she'd hunt him down and try to kill him. Those two do NOT have a good past. A past that out of the four of us I know best. He's an atlantian. Which is why you see water coming from all over the place at his disposal. They control it well when on land. Mizu is a halfbreed. Half japanese, half atlantian. Her and Bermuda have the same mother. But different fathers."

Soda is shocked some more, "How does this world contain so many damn...THINGS? I would never have thought this before joining J.o.a.T. Never have thought..."

Mizu flips back and looks over at Max talking, He knew about my past...and didn't tell me?! I've longed to remember and he knew!

Now she has all the more reason to be enraged.

Bermuda also has looked over to Max, "Bravo Lergnom. I see it was you who recruited her personally. No other way you could know so much. But you must understand this! By doing so you have put both yourself and your team on a side you or anyone else should ever want to be on! Unit 0041...is an enemy to us!"

Bermuda's team all look over at Max and the others. Even though Miles just kind of happened to look that way. But while he was a wreck, he seemed well aware of what was going on. They all were looking as if each of them were picking out who they'd get.

Trent spit to his side and watched as the other side that should have been on their side was now the side to watch out for.

"Great going Max.."

Max looked at Trent and his eyes were back to regular.

"Trent you can be pretty *****y when things aren't looking your way. Like a damn child. You don't seem to comprehend that this would have happened sooner or later. Mizu's existence within our group would make sure of that."

Trent clenches up.

Max walks foward with Soda gripping Mongoose and Noc's crimson eyes blaring. "Have the same attitude. They are a enemy we will beat to a damn pulp!"

The sound of rocks grating together was what it sounded like when Alex pucnhed his fists at each other.

"Ooh, boss man getting confident. I say we take them out right now. I get Max."

Cornelius looks at Trent, who looks at him slightly worried being as he was a fearful sight.

The griffon starts walking foward, "I will deal with the boy." he says calmly.

Alex follows with his eye sockets burning brighter.

Miles's head raised from looking at the ground, "I--I-I...take care of th--the...I....must escape, no....won't keep me...can't keep me. Doctor is insane, why did he do this to me....why...."

Barefeet walk amongst the broken ground inside this factory.

Max looks at the crazy one, Miles, and smells something familiar about him. But it's not taking his attention away from the oncomers. He looks back at them, "Listen, what ever happens don't die. These guys are part of one of the best units. They are in the top five out of all forty-one units. But that doesn't mean jack."

Soda rolled his neck and found himelf strangely excited. It was just that stuff like this was at this moment starting to feel like a day's work. He was teamed with a vampire, hybrid, atlantian, and a teenager that controled gravity.

His life was one step closer to being complete.

Max began reloading the rifle as Cornelius made it to them. Standing and looking down at Trent. Trent just looked back up into his eyes. "Ready to get your wings plucked?", he says trying to sound confirmed.

Cornelius just continued staring down at him.

Trent then saw his body twitch in a way that showed he was about to attack, he by now knew the movements of a fighter having had to be one all his life.

The fist of this large creature thrusted downward at him and a strong gust picked up around the two. Trent jumped back and then foward and up, his big toe and all rising up and smacking under it's chin.

Cornelius didn't seem very fazed, but Trent figured as much. He didn't intend to have that knock him out.

Trent suddenly wish he had brought his weapon. And the thought put him out of it long enough for Cornelius to take advantage and throw another mighty punch his way.

Trent sidestepped this time and suddenly fell back out of fear. He rose his right hand up and felt the blood flowing out of the minor cut on his cheek. Then rolled back continuously as more of the attacks barely miss him and put holes in the ground.

By now Trent has taken his fight away from his group.

He was able to get up and start running to try and think about what had happened. How did he cut me? I dodged the attack so...

Trent doesn't hear Cornelius coming and stops to turn around and try to see. The lighting in this factory was continuing to be bothersome.

There is, howevere, a whistle of air. Wing comes out of nowhere and knocks Trent on his back. The gust similar to the one that had surrounded them before.

As Trent looks up, the griffon is towering over him again.

Max has Alex and Miles standing infront of him and Soda.

Alex grates his rock teeth, "So dog-man, are you ready to die?"

Max shrugs, "Always willing to if my enemy comes with..."

Soda whips Mongoose around and doesn't hesitate to aim it right pointblank on Alex's head.

Alex tisks, "Weak. I knew you humans weren't killers.", he stepped back out of range and stuck a hard one to Soda's face.

Soda tumbles into a lay, flat on his back. The area where he was punch not only hurts, but burns.

Alex leaves from infront of max and walks over to Soda, "You're the one I wanted all along."

Max closed his eyes, Please don't die you two.

He opens his eyes and looks at Noc who seemed rather plain in the emotion department.

"I am going to fight Bermuda. I want her fighting that skinny guy there."

"How? She doesn't want anyone here but Bermuda, Max."

"Yeah...", he walks over to Miles and says something that is low enough to where Ceciela can't hear.

Miles looks up at Max, "You...you...and me..."

Max doesn't have time and leaves Miles there to spout nonsence.

Noc yawned and looked over at the swedish women, "Guess I get the women."

Mizu spun on her heels and missed every slash at Bermuda, he who ducked underneath with his right palm full of water hovering above it. About to sen dit into her gut. And she have excepted it, had not another fist came and made that the first hit on Bermuda that night.

Max stood inbetween Mizu and Bermuda now.

"I hate to get in the center of family issues, but you two need serious help."

Bermuda rises his head up and slowly feels his face. No blood. But despite that fact, he did not look happily at Max. "Move mutt, you should be lucky I don't instantly kill you for touching royalty."

Mizu tries running past Max, but he grbas her shoulders with both hands and throws her through the air. She lands just infront of the insane one and quickly rises, "Oh no you don't Max! He's mine!"

Her tear flows around and hovers above each blade. Then she feels heat, and then without warning she is being shocked. Electricity runs through her body and she can now notice the feel of a hand touching her back. She runs foward and turns to see Miles looking at his shaking hand, sparks dancing all over it.

Mizu pierces her sights on him, "If you intend to stop me, then I'll kill you first! Know that!"

Miles smiles and looks up at her, sparks now dancing all over his body.

This melee would surely make this factory of no use in the future.

[Youko Recca]

Chapter Thirty-One: Cry No More









Eruption. Destruction. Backwards sedation.

Grunts rock the joint. Noc has tryed continuously running at Ceciela, trying to get his weapon under his command. But foolish he was to think he could control something so new to him. Being dead probally made it harder. He was having the earth from underneath him constantly beating down on him. His body twirls as he slides across breaking ground and begins slowly rising again. Blood running down his head. By now all his teamates had this undesired trend.

"So Ceciela...what's that...history?", Noc asks politely. Even despite the circumstances.

She pushes her glasses atop her nose gently with her index finger and uses her entire other hand to command more of the ground to rise up and smack upward under Noc's chin. He flies back and lays across, on his back. ceciela makes another notion with her hand and the same earth rolls over and jumps up, coming down over Noc's entire body.

Never before had Noc gave off sounds of torture like this. The pressure was too great, it forced him to drop Nyoibou. And what was worse was how it kept overlapping, so he was in the midst of being crushed.

"That it?! Get up punk!"

A demon yells, a human expresses pain. Soda has burn marks all across his face. Not once has he been allowed to get a good shot in with Mongoose. For a big hunk of rock Alex was quick to move on the attack.

Soda rose his weapon and there was Alex, bringing his huge foot over and kicking him literally while he was down. Soda rolled sideways into a pipe that lead to upper levels of the factory. He got to his feet and hobbled over slightly while about to shoot.

Alex somehow smirked and held his right palm up. He concentrated long enough for Soda to take a shot. The bullet went through his abdomen easy but he was still concentrating. Before he could fire again, a bright ball of red fire ignited about his hand and hovered there.

Soda saw it and knew immediatly he was scared to get hit by it, "No, damnit!"

He tried to get away.

Alex shook his head, "Oh no you don't human! You die here! Ha!!!", he thrusted his entire arm foward and the ball intercepted Soda. Blowing up just before his face.

"AAAAAAAAAHHH!!!", Soda's scream is the last that's heard of him as his body is thrown with great force through the air. He breaks through a weaker set of pipes and then rolls underneath some random materials and tools in the far corner way on the other side. As his body lay limp, Mongoose falls from his hands, resting beside him.

Max looks over and gives a heavy look of desperation and surprise, NO!!!!

He grits his teeth hard and glares back at Bermuda, "Jack is gonna have both our hides for making two units fight each other....but screw it, I no longer care! I just want that pretty face bleeding on my hand!", he dashes foward after dropping the rifle, with fists up and legs chopping faster than usual.

Bermuda smiles smuggly, "It's your own fault, for getting that ***** apart of your already half-assed team. I am the son of a king, part of royalty! She tainted out family! And has done the same to your team!"

Water already floating above his hand shoots foward at Max and
spins while doing so.

Max pulls his right hand back and doesn't even attempt to dodge, he just pushes towards it. Throwing the hard right in the center of the hydro. And upon doing so, bursts right through it. Bermuda is taken by surprise at the fact Max's fist is still coming for him. Water is suddenly swarming up right infront of Bermuda to shield him, now freezing immediatly into a solid. Max pushes his feet hard of the ground and just leaps over the small wall.

Bermuda's arms move quickly in different motions to turn the solid ice back into liqid and have it sent up at Max as a powerful bullet of water.

Max mearly cups his hands and comes down on it so hard as to break it away and have the water rain back down on Bermuda, his hair dripping specifically at the tips now.

Max lands infront of Bermuda and unleashes his fury, starting by coming over and connecting a powerful right, followed by a might left, and continued on with this pattern till he had Bermuda backing up step by step.

With each hit Bermuda's face could make out his own rage.

Max suddenly drops and leg sweeps. Bermuda stumbles and Max is back up with another of his punches driving hard directly into the center of Bermuda's nose.

With that Bermuda finally is lifted off his feet and flies back onto the ground.

From without the shadows Cornelius is looking on at Max's assault. Holding out of his right hand, Trent, limp so his arms and legs were just hanging downwards at the ground like some kind of ragdoll.

"Leader seems to be having trouble with that one...", he says calmly while gently setting Trent's unmoving body face down on the ground.

Alex walks around and shakes his head, "Nah, Bermuda will come back. He always does. So how was the kid?", he asks the griffon in a bored tone.

Cornelius continues looking foward, "He was...a good foe."

Alex scoffs, "Eh, but not good enough. Mine was down after one shot and a few hits. I expected more from the human that managed to kill an eton."

Ceciela the two saw just staring along at their leader's fight. Noc was laying there with blood filled within his mouth. And like Trent and Soda, no longer moving.

Mizu had been working on avoiding the sparks the maniac wanted to shoot at her. It was infuriating on how he wouldn'tet her be. And though she threatened him, Max was getting away with HER prize.

She leaped over a bolt and and again over Miles himself, running over to Bermuda and Max.

Miles turned and began calming down back to a lower level of his demeanor from before. Watching her as Alex and Cornelius joined at his side.

"How'd it feel Miles? Using that power?", Alex asked interested.

Miles mearly nodded as his murmurs took over again.

The three walked by Ceciela again, all wondering how their leader would choose to take out his two intricasies.

[Youko Recca]

Bermuda rises with his head shallow.

Mizu runs past Max once gain, towards her brother. Her tear sliding up along her body, and shrinking back into her left eye. Bermuda's right eye is on the side lifting up just above the other. He pays a certain attention to the tear Mizu had been using. The more he saw he with it, the more it infuriated him.

Max scoffs and runs after her, eventually passing her to get to Bermuda first. She only runs harder.

"Not bleeding yet Bermuda?!", Max times it right and slides his body feet first across the ground just infront of Bermuda. From here he quickly rolls back on his shoulders, planting his palms down behind him and rising. His feet swing up and lift Bermuda's chin, with rest of his head soon following the motion.

Mizu wants the hits, she wants Max's position.

Max dodges as one of Bermuda's rights come. He grabs the scaly arm and winds around, coming up behind him with the arm in a lock touching it's owner's back.

Bermuda's body then rotates and comes around behind Max. Bermuda grabs Max's hand and squeezes it hard. Max lets go and shakes away, kicking at him knee to throw him off balance.

Instead, water shoots up from beneath the cracks in the ground and swarm over Max. He almost falls back before regaining composture and ducking underneath another of Bermuda's punches.

Damnit, how can I not hit this fool!!!, is what the atlantian thinks as Max turns around and the back of his hand flies towards Bermuda's right cheek. The right heel of Max's foot on Bermuda's side. Bermuda catchs the attack by the wrist. Max rolls his hand and breaks away from the hold, now mirroring his current position just enough so he was now back to back with Bermuda. Both turned around, to try and catch the other by surprise, but only succeded in spinning in what could look like a dumb dance a drunk made up.

Max's breaks this cycle however when they both suddenly stop. He leaps lightly into the air so his sash was at level with Bermuda's shoulders, using both hands he reaches back and clamps on each side of Bermuda's head. Pulling, Max is whipped up and over with his right knee thrusted out. Bermuda can't stop as it plants into his already throbbing nose. Upon impact Max lets go.

Mizu had slowed down to wait for this precise moment when Max wasn't there.

Bermuda was in the midst of stumbling back, feeling his nose, and shocked to find a thick liquid exiting it. In utter amazement. The white blood of this atlantian hadn't been shed in a long time, it was like a child's first band-aid call.

Max is trying to follow up with his attack, still feeling the flow good. But so is Mizu. So when it comes time for Bermuda to take an atack you have both of them running semi into each other. Mizu's infront of Max and he bumps into her slightly.

"Move Mizu! I have him!"

"Wrong Max! He was always MINE to have! I'm doing this!"

Bermuda can't help but take advantage. Water slips into his hand and flows out into a small icsicle. He comes foward and stabs without haste.

Mizu looks surprised as Max stands infront of her, having taken the blow right into his stomach area. The cold, sharp object petruded out of him.

Max winced at the growing pain.

Mizu frowned fully again and turned only to take a strong backhand across her face. Bermuda really tryed with it, her body flew into the valves that stuck from the wall, head banging against the steel.

"You are the reason we fight tonight...but I'll save you for last."

Bermuda looks disgustedly at Max who was grasping the icsicle and now pulled it out.

"I haven't bled in over five years. I can surely not alllow a cretin put in your position to live with that honor."

Water starts coming everywhere. Gracing the ground as it sloshed up and added to two big balls forming in Bermuda's hands.

Max stared on with the look of pain still there, some of the ice that broke off was still in him, and futher cut his insides when he tryed moving. As his right hand covers the wound that was bleeding, his left was clenched to show he was still holding on his earlier feeling of domination.

Bermuda moved foward in no more than a hurried walk. water still in his hands, and coming. Each of his fingers then struck more stern poses and occasionally water would fill atop each fingertip one at a time.

Max stepped and felt the cutting, walked and felt the cutting, ran and chose to finally just ignore the cutting in him the best he could.

He didn't go far however. Bermuda was on him in no time. He pushed foward his right hand and folded his fingers over to form a fist and then released the fist as an icsicle was instantly there and heading to impale him just next to the other would.

Max's eyes shook as it did so. He managed to step back so it wouldn't go straight through him, but this was damaging none the less. And it wasn't the end. In the same hand another icsicle was instantly there and now was thrusted into his left shoulder. Bermuda stepped foward hard with this one, causing Max to fall over on his back. Now with two frozen points of pain sticking straight out from him.

Like before another icsicle was there, but to changed up, he open the other hand and took turns. Took turns impaling this all throughout Max's body.

And the best he could do was move just enough each time to avoid not getting hit in a spot that would surely kill him. As if an example was needed, his head jolts to the side quickly as an icsicle now sprouts from the ground beside him. He's feeling so cold but sweats.

Max just can't help but to take it all, his mouth was open but no words could form to come out. His eyes spoke all the pain.

Mizu arose and saw her brother in the middle of killing her leader. To prevent the last fatal impact, she grimaces and throws her right bokuto at him. It stopped him in the middle of coming down with the last icsicle, having him jump away.

Max's head barely could rise as he looked at himself full of all these frozen means of puncture. There had to be about fifteen sticking out of him. He coughs with a closed mouth and his head falls back on the ground. Mouth at ease enough for the blood to slip out and down his cheeks.

Mizu comes up to where Max lay and looks down at him. The sight adds more emotion. Terror, guilt, and anguish. More emotion she doesn't need. But she can't cry about it. She made it clear to herself that she would never cry again. To reserve the gift from her loved ones.

She knew that much.

Her right bokuto slid until it hit the wall all the way on the other side.

She was left with one now, and surely even more with a disadvantage.

Bermuda is awalking over. He stops not but seven feet away.

Both siblings stare each other down, the tenson thick and stress-inducing.

"Why did you have to be born you....why did your birth have to taint our family name....", Bermuda says with calm-toned anger. But in reality was again trying to bottle up the only thing that this only person in existence could bring out of him. A new side where he wasn't the calm and collected Bermuda Sakana his team knew.

Mizu had no words to return anymore.

Bermuda reached in his pocket and pulled out something. It had a laniard. Upon letting it hand out the item was revealed to be an empty, clear pendant. Designed wonderfully like a dropping tear.

Bermuda bent his head foward and put this around his neck.

"Give me that tear...NOW!"

Mizu suddenly realized what he had wanted. The only last link Mizu had to her family. The tear that resided in her left eye, that helped her in her battle for survival. That was her training-wheel equivalent for not being able to control water like a full-blooded atlantian.

She looked down and sighed. No, t wasn't a sigh of relief. Her anger was still thick, and acting filter.

Bermuda looked at her, "Last chance Either give me it or I'll take it by force."

Mizu looked up and gave him the smae look.

"So be it....", Bermuda said while now coming at her.

She noticed and decided to meet him halfway to their fight.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven..., eight,....nine..., ten. Ten steps and they are standing right in each other's faces.

Mizu swings her blade around in her left hand, hoping to decapitate him. He wasn't having it. The arm that had the scales came across and knocked the weapon from out of her hand. It skid across the ground next to Max, whose eyelids finally closed completely.

She steps back and jumps up, flipping foward and coming down with both heels to Bermuda's head. He catches her by her ankles and turns over, slamming his face-down into the deteriorating floor.

Mizu turns over and tries to get back up. He comes and smacks her back into the ground on her face. Now she's finding it hard. The weight on her shoulders seems to have trippled and she can't handle it. She wants to cry, but...that promise.

Bermuda comes over and uses his left arm to turn her on her back where she lay with failing hope looking back at him. Wishing with all her might she could take him down.

Bermuda bends down and grabs her harshly by her neck, "You will cry...I'm going to make you..."

His right fist rises and she looks on as it comes. The impact resulting with her head whipping to the side and then coming back in to position. She didn't respond orally to the pain.

Bermuda paused briefly between each of the monstrurous punches, demanding for her to cry.

His fist smacks across her face.

"Cry...cry...cry damnit....cry! CRY! CRY! CRY!!!"

Punch after punch hit her in the same spot.

"CRY!"

Her eye sockets close as she tries to hold it in.

"CRY!!!!!"

Images flash before her, she can see it. Under this crystal blue water. The sight of a magnificent kingdom. She's recalling her home.

Her face tightens.

Another punch comes, "Why won't you....do it, CRY!!! CRY!!! Return it to me!!!"

Bermuda punches her again, the beauty of her face getting smeared all around with her red blood.

"Give it back!!!"

Bermuda pauses about three seconds longer and looks at her, coming the hardest with this punch.

Mizu finally can't hold it in anymore. The images are coming, and she wants them to. So she decides to let her mind get fooled into thinking it's a fair trade. Memoeires of better times, for the departure of her prized possession.

Her eyes open and the ice that was in her eyes eems to have melted as the pupils are coated with water.

Mizu sniffles once and lets it go.

Bermuda smiles and lets her fal back. He opens the top of his pendant and holds it under her left eye.

For it was out of her left eye which a single tear escaped. Though both were coated with the melted ice, the effort was hard enough to accept.

The single tear drops out and rolls down, right into the pendant. Occupying all the space. Bermuda stands up with a strong look of success. He closes the top and kisses the whole pendant.

"Finally! I've gotten it father..."

He looks down at his sister.

"Becaue I have all that made you worth looking at...you can be allowed to live long enough to wallow in this defeat. We may have that same....mother, but we aren't releated. I hate you too much to ever see us as even the same race."

He turns his back to her and the sigh of relief finally comes from him. The rest of him team look on as he waks up to them.

Alex smiles, "About time. Knew you'd take them, no problem! Let's get out of here before anyone with a backbone in this city come to check out the havoc.."

Bermuda nods, "Yes. We will leave immediatly. Good job on all of your victories. I really did pick my team best."

Ceciela looks at Bermuda and actually has a smile on her face. HIm being happy did it for her.

Bermuda turned and the other four followed.

Unit 0025 had made their exit.

Mizu still lays there, finally remembering what led to who she was now...

[Youko Recca]

Chapter Thirty-Two: Weeping Willow Waltz









It must have been miles. Many miles under the water. These dome-like pods are in abundance. Some bigger than others, all connected. The sea floor held it up pretty well. The glass must have been reinforced with another chemical of some kind. It was tinted to match the complete and utter darkness of the water surrounding the huge area that contained all this. You would never be able to see inside. This added to the camoflauge effect. The pressure down here would crush anything not belonging to the sea. And upon a good look you'd noticed this area, this collection of big pods, this...kingdom. You'd notice the design was probally intended to look like a compilation of jellyfish. Almost. Obviously this kingdom was created long ago. In the center of all pods was the biggest pod which they all eventually connected to. It's radius alone would put two other pods together, to shame.

Among this territory swam something. It lay rest just off on a cliff not but five miles off. It wasn't a whale, not a fish that common man would be able to identify. No. This beast was something else.

"Ken, do you have a pinpoint on it?!", a man asks. He was seated comfortably in a chair prouched up just infront of a rail. Steps to the right and left leading to lower levels.

Another man raises his head with a monkey wrench clamped inbetween his teeth.

"No Shin, I've only been busy fixing our sonar. And luckily I'm done. Damn, why not help around here? Just because you were appointed captain of this mission doesn't mean you should get to slack. I'm three years older even!"

The one refered to as Shin had his chin resting on his knuckles, elbow on the chair. He listened to what Ken said but didn't pay it any mind. He had black hair tied up in a pony tail, but with hair still coming over and around his head. He had black eyes, and wasn't muscly, but looked as if he could hold his own. A toothpick hanging out the right of his mouth. His attire consisted of a blue jacket with cut sleeves over a white t-shirt. Blue shorts, and traditional-looking sandals.

Two more men came from without a door which led to the back. One portly with eyes that looked constantly closed, and another scrawny and looking too smart for his own good.

Including the captain, all four of these men were japanese. The three other than Shin had their jackets without the sleeves cut, and buttoned up all the way. The logo on the right upper side was that of a bass fish. Letters ATL blendin gin over it.

And besides this, all currently resided in a ship. A ship that was venturing through dark waters. Big enough for the four of them, and a little more so.

Shin scratched his head. If a girl had to choose a man out of the four of them it woulkd probally most definitely be Shin. His attitude and demeanor were warming and laid back, and he had a good look to him.

"Ishida. Ryo. Did you get it? Huh?", Shin asks seriously.

The big one held up two bulding brown bags in each hand and had a big smile on.

Shin smiled, "Great! Let's eat, I'm starving!"

"Please Shin, be more careful.", then the little one reached over and accepted one of the bags in to his hand from the big one.

Shin walked over around the railing and screens and other equipment. "What is it Ishida? The radar is picking up an uncharted area. This could very well be it.". He takes one of the bags and begins walking back to the top seat.

"That's not it only Shin. What if that's not Atlantis? It's two years in total we've started our search for the place. Our air will only last one more week before we have to resurface. And food is scarce. Think a little."

Shin pulls out a sandwich wrapped in a clear bag," It's Atlantis...I can feel it. When we get there they'll probally have plenty of food for us. And since they are now known to live inside those dome things, AS shown by the radar, we won't be losing any breath. Calm down and eat. Ain't that right Ryo?"

The big one nodded and sat where he stood, pulling out a small bowl with steam rising from the top.

The ship made it's way through the water effortlessly.

Ken came up to get his food, "We have a duty to our country. Japan will be the first to have discovered Atlantis! It's so exciting. And to know I'll be one of the four chosen specifically for the mission...ooh, I can't wait to tell my children. Their faces will light up!"

Shin looked at Ken, chewing on a piece he had just bitten. His toothpick laying on a napkin.

"Heh, I still don't see the need."

Ken looks at him, "What?"

Shin responds, "Kids. Wife. Family. Why bother? Sounds like a nice fantasy. I could never have that. Too stressful and restricting. With all the women in the world why tie yourself down to one?"

Ken shakes his head with a smirk on his face, "You've been saying that since college. Ten years and you live by your principles, howevere sad and uninspired they are. I tell you Shin, one of these days you'll meet a women who'll take your breath away."

Shin looks at him without care, "Yeah...whatever....."

.................................................................................................... ....



"Bermuda!!!!!"

It was inside the kingdom. Beautiful. The aquatics and the blues fused to make the color scheme inside was marvelous. Dreamlike. The floors were of a new kind of marble.

It was exactly how you'd expect an underwater village to look in each area.

Here a small boy was playing within a group. His black hair came over just above his blue eyes. He had one of the happiest faces among the kids, who all had been playing with pebbles in a wierd game that made no sence. But was fun. The kind kids make up everyday.

"Bermuda!!!!", a strong booming voice calls again.

The kid sighs, "Yes father?!"

"Come on, it's time to head back. You must study now, your final exam is tommorow, and a prince must always raise past expectations. Foward. And beyond."

The small Bermuda couldn't have been more than four. He was walking towards an incredibly astounding man.

His left arm was in nothing but scales just like al the others in this friendly area of the kingdom. He was the same complextion as Bermuda. Atop of the white hair that flowed great lengths off his head, was a goldren crown consrycted with three spikes in the front. each spike slightly diamond at the point. And not only was his hair, but so was his thick eyebrows and beard running five inches off his face. His wore an outfit that was entirely white. It was large to fit a large body. Not portly, but an actual big figure. Out of all the men that passed and would bow and then walk away joyous, he made seem frail in comparison. Shining buttons running up the center. Matching white shoes with the glitter of the moon. Large red cloak attatched to his back and dragging across the endlessly clean marble ground. Red belt tight around his waist with a cresent emblem in the center. Most noticable howevre, was the spiked trident carved seemingly entirely out of some kind of precious and rare jewe, it sure glossed like it did. When he wasn't moving, it's end rested on the ground, reaching a height up to the king's neck.

And how ironic, such a powerful figure resided beside his small and simple son. A son barely passing his knee.

"Father I hate studying, it--"

"Ah, now." his father interrupted, "Don't. Your mother has a firm stance on that subject. Besides my son, all this...will one day be ruled by you. Atlantis must have a leader willing to be at best for his kingdom. Our race has survived this long on good leadership Bermuda. Some day you will become Nepture the hundreth."

"Father, why do all leaders take up that name? Wh not just keep our real names?"

Both walked past a statue of the king himself, and were currently passing many people who instantly bowed before walking on.

"It's an oath, but most of all, it shows respect to Atlantis's founder. King Neptune the first is the reason for our being. I am proud to be Neptune the ninety-ninth, and you will make a most admirable one hundreth. Believe it Bermuda. And know this is why we have you constantly studying."

"I suppose...", Bermuda puts his little head down in temporary sadness.

Both him and his father walked into a tunnel that gave a beauiful sight to the outside.

Now walking into the open, they both came into the center. This certain area belonged to the center pod. It could be called the heart of Atlantis.

And right there was what gave away why this dome was bigger than the others. What gave it it's width was the palace residing in the distance.

What gave it it's height was an extremely thick tree rising from without of a patch that was rooted from without the open below, which led deep into the sea floor. So in actuality it was rotted from the sea. This tree, besides being one of the biggest things, was silver. The leaves were more of a mellowly tinted grey.

The very top of this tree skimmed the top of the cieling.

A face suddenly appeared in the middle secting of the tree.

"Why hello there king. Hello prince Bermuda. How has the day treated you?"

"Very fine. Have you seen my wife?"

A branch rustled and down jumped a female. She also wore white. A dress. She was raven-haired, with it being short. Blue-eyed. Tasefully beautiful. Earrings shining white and shaped like the fin of a dolphin. She had a compextion matching that of the Neptune and Bermuda.

"Ah, there she is.", said Neptune.

Bermuda looked at his mother, she looked back with a warm smile.


.................................................................................................... ...



"Shin, what the hell is that?!!!!", Ishida exclaims as the creature that was just laying among the cliff suddenly sprang up and sped towards them. It's scray-looking face looked into the ship. Shin wasn't scared like th eother three were, but intruiged. He put his toothpick back in and walked up to the glass. Looking at the green creature.

"Nessey....."

"Huh?", said Ishida still in a frightended pose.

Shin wved his hand over his shoulder, "Come on, you guys. I can't belive this. A two-in-one deal. We came looking for Atlantis and as a teaser get this, simply amazing...."

Ken slowly started inching back over.

The creature slightly nudged it's head. Letting out a sound that wasn't a screech but wasn't a growl or roar. Almost like a dophin on a bad day.

Shin laughed, "Come on Ken, you don't recognize the Loch Ness Monster when you see it?! This is obviously it. Wonder how it got here though. Never would have thought the atlantians were using it as a pet, or better yet a guard dog. Hahahaha..." he laughed it off.

Suddenly the Loch Ness backed up. The four wondered what it was doing.

Shin looked over a little and saw a man with his arms crossed, standing on one of the creature's fins. He nodded his head and them swam away quite quickly.

Shin looked back completely to his center and suddenly was surprised when a gigantic mouth enveloped him and the entire ship.


Darkness took over.

[Youko Recca]

The sounds of voices were faint above him. Shin's eyes were barely open and he felt a stinging pain all over his body. All he could make out were blurry figures constantly running back and forth, and a white light.

"Grab that one and drag him over here with the others...."

A command-like voice orders and more figures are moving. Shin looks to his right side and Ryo and Ishida are lain with their eyes closed. Beaten-looking. Ken was now being tossed next to them. Also out.

Shin now tries sitting up but a foot comes from out of nowhere and strikes his chest. He is instantly forced on his back again.

"Don't try moving land-dweller."

A random grunt added.

Shin closed his eyes hard and then open them completely. He caught sight of all these muscular men with scaly left arms, wearing no shirts to futher reveal their toned bodies. Shin almost felt jealous, but realized where he was. When it really set in he was amazed. The crystal-like cieling, the marble floors, the surreal feeling he got from being in this place....almost too much.

Shin heard coughing and edged his head over to see Ryo coming to. Good, he isn't dead. Where are we? Last I remember.....oh right....Nessey....

More coughing. Ken has awaken and tries getting up in a frantic panic. He's punched back to the ground.

Shin grits his teeth, no toothpick to get inbetween anymore. "Hey bastard cool it!!!"

"What did you say land trash?!", the grunt came over. He stomped into Shin's gut.

Shin's moans combined with Ken's groans get on his nerves.

Another two grunts grab Ryo and Ken by their legs respectively and drag them away down a hall that turned out of sight.

Shin wondered why they didn't take Ishida, who was still laying there seemingly unconscious.

He was trying to collect his thoughts and formulate a plan, but the sound of a harmonica disrupts and surprises him. He had never heard such a tune played on one so well and loud.

"All hail! King Neptune!!!", a voice shouts.

Suddenly all the atlantians are down on one knee. Scaled knuckle directly on the ground, heads lowered.

Shin took chance to rise up and flip onto his belly. Wanting better viewing. He then saw this huge, majestic figure walking from around a different hall. Two special-looking men walking on each of his side. They seemed full of themselves, blue straps running diagnolly across their bare body. Shoulder to waist.

"Is this the group?", the obvious king asked.

Shin looked up into his eyes. He gave a worried look, and got back one of surpressed anger.

"Yes sir. The four men in that ship have been apprehended. We believe they were sent by above to infiltrate our kingdom sir. How should we--"

"That's wrong!", Shin yells. "We were sent by our country to search for this city. We come in peace for lack of a better phrase...."

The king walked up to where his face lay.

"How should we believe you? We know of the humans who reign above these waters. We've heard of how you live. With war, destruction, violence in the highest caliber. I'm surprised you haven't sent yourself into exstinction yet..."

Shin lowers his head, sighs, and then raises it again.

"Please, believe that we're only here on friendly terms. If we were coming to spy we would be much more careful than to just waltz into the city through the front. We humans are tricky after all right?"

Neptune looked at Shin with distaste, "Take him and the other into the holding cells. Where are the other two?"

"Sir, we are in the midst of interrogating them."

The king just nodded and turned. His cloak ruffling like a sea of blood. His two merrymen followed.

A grunt bent down to grab Ishida, two came and grabbed each side of Shin. Forcin ghim to come, but he didn't really fight back.

Neptune turned the coner, "Hmm, this is the first time in centuries Atlantis has been discovered. We can't let those men leave alive...."

Him and his men are gone.

Shin looks over as the grunt handling Ishida suddenly sets him down and checks him over like he didn't know what to do.

"Hey! This one isn't responding! How do we check if humans from above are alive?!"

Another came over, "I think it's the same for us, check!"

He put his index and middle finger together under the motionless Ishida's chin, just over the neck.

Both of the grunts huff and stand. The second one shakes his head.

"Guess this one will no longer be of use to us....."

Shin is watching enough just before he is taken around the corner. His eyes grow big as he hears their talk. He then lowers his head and stops moving altogether. Making it hard for his two carriers.

"No....Ishida....."

He sighs and is taken futher down the hall.

After what seemed like a long period of walking, Shin finds himself thrown inbetween an oddly made door. As he looked when it closed behind him, sharp needles met into each other like sockets. Making a sound that he knew meant he wouldn't be escaping easily.

The rom he was in was small, confind, and misty. The entire inside seemed misty. Constantly.

There were no chairs. Just open space. He decided just to use a corner to lean against. Eventually sliding down into a sit.

"Damnit. What happened....? This was suppossed to go well. Certainly isn't starting as I had hoped. Luckily there still is some...."

Shin rolls his neck and holds at his still paining side.

King Neptune walks past the mighty silver tree from before, the two men with him before now gone. In this seaweed patch leading up to his home, was Bermuda. He was reading something out of a book. The spine made of a sparkling material.

Bermuda turned over and smiled, "Father! Who were the bad people?"

Neptune closed his eyes for a few seconds, "They were no one Bermuda.", he reopens his eyes. "It's no concern of yours son, this won't ever affect you so don't worry. Now go on and continue studying. I'm sure your mother will be done with the meal in no time." he smiles and walks onward. Leaving Bermuda happy and reading out-loud.

His son's words become faint and distant upon reaching the high steps up to a huge door. The same emblem from his belt imprinted in the center. He grabs the handle and pulls it open.

His face is immediatly hit with the glamorous light equivalent to the stars. He walked in and proceeded past an array of obscure furniture towards the source of what he smelled.

The sounds of chopping arose from without the space in a doorway which led to the source of the smell. A good smell. A smell that made the king even hungrier.

"What's this my wife is preparing tonight?!", he bends slightly before coming completely through the doorway. Not wanting to bang his forehead and knock over the crown.

The women turns and gives a tacked on smile, "Why you're home early...This is your favorite.", she had such a alluring and soothing voice.

She moves her head slightly to the side and then turns back, and getting onto her cooking.

Neptune comes over and braces her from behind, "Oh Sei. What would a man do without you...."

His wife looks down at the bowl, gazinging at her own sad reflection.

Yes....I wonder....

Neptune lets go and begins walking out the doorway. Upon reaching out, he went for the spiraling stairs. He walked up them, the end of his cloak slightly bouncing after passing each step.

Fifteen steps later he is on his way down this hall.

"Wonder where I left my trident...", he says to himself. Putting on a remebering face and then about to walk into a room with similar power just below that of the main door of his home.

Outside, Bermuda remembers something himself. He always wanter to know something about the above. That's why he intentionally wished to go with his father. But he had refused.

He ran, taking extra time to get up the steps and then trying his hardest to push the door open. Just enough space appeared for him to slim by. He ran into the kitchen where Sei was still preparing the food.

"Mom! Can you take me to see the above-humans? I have an important question!"

Sei turned and shook her head, "I can't. Your father surely wouldn't see fit."

Bermuda put on a saddend cute face while holding his hands cupped together, shaking them. "Pleeeaasssse!?"

Sei reluctantly shook her head, "Okay, but we shouldn't let your father know, okay?"

Bermuda shakes his head.

Sei shakes her hand and sets the kitchen top back to safety.

Both her and her son ran through the front door and across the seaweed patch, and then over the standard marble floor.

Neptune just happend to have looked out his window to see his family running merrily with smiles on their faces. He doesn't think very much about it.

Hmm, wonder where it is they are heading to....

[Youko Recca]

Both Sei and Bermuda make it in the halls where the rooms are mainly used for dealing with intruders, and those commiting treason.

"So, which do you want to enter? We have to be quick Bermuda."

"Bermuda looks at the strings of doors on the left side of the hall, he puts his tiny finger out and hums as he tries to decide. It would be by chance.

Finally his finger stays pointing at the door second to last.

Sei pulls out a plain key without any ridges, she inserts it and then pulls it out. It suddenly has the necessary ridges. "Let's hurry.", she says while putting the key in again and turning. As the door comes open, both tread inside quickly. Closing the door behind them.

Inside Shin has his back to them, standing in the corner with his arms crossed. He hears them enter and turns.

Sei holds Bermuda infront of her at his shoulderd, keeping distance, and placing the key into the socket just incase. "Are you the prisoner from above? My son would-", she stops and her mouth pauses in position.

Shin slowly turns his face and places his eyes on her. They go from a dreary loss, to a wide excitement. His lain eyes on Sei suddenly gets his bones feeling weak. His skin shivers. His heart slows to a mellow melody.

He doesn't even notice the child she holds infront of her. He just...feels.

Sei struggles for a second to talk, her eyes locked in a tango with his. Shin's face tightens, he doesn't want her eyes leaving.

She turns her whole head away with a slight blush over her vanila cheeks, "Please...answer his questions...."

It's now Shin looks down slightly and sees the young Bermuda. With a faint look of amazement, like a baby looking at a cartoon for the first time.

Shin finally allows himself to speak, "Um, miss, what...does he want to know?"

Sei backs herself more up to the wall as she pushes Bermuda foward gently.

Bermuda gulps and then proceeds, "Hey! Sir, on the above, what kind of fish are there?!"

Shin looks at him without much enthusiam to answering, "Oh, well, there aren't. Fish...don't do too well on land. But I think I know what you're trying to ask, we have many different animals up there. Bears, dogs, an assortment of many different birds, the works kid. Hey--", he winks at Sei as he knees down and looks at Bermuda eye-level, "--what's your name?"

Bermuda answers with hesitation, "Bermuda. Bermuda Sakana."

Shin raises his head, "Oh. Did you know what Sakana means? Huh?", he stops and suddenly thinks about something.

Wait. This atlantian, these atlantian people infront of me....they have japanese last names. I wonder if Atlantis may have had an affect on culture above....

"Come now Bermuda, you got your answer, we must leave before your father starts to worry.", Sei takes Bermuda by his shoulders again and starts opening the door with the key.

"Father, huh. So does that mean..."

Sei moves loose hair away from her face and looks back at Shin.

"Yes. I'm married."

Shin sighs, "That--that's too bad. You--you're really beautiful. I can't help but..."

Sei quickly rushes herself and Bermuda out into the hallway.

As the door is closing her eyes once again meet with Shin's. They give each other a look that neither could deny. Both feel something there and know it.

The door closes.

[Youko Recca]

Chapter Thirty-Three: The Tender Trap






"He--hello your highness!"

A random soldier is suddenly coming back down the halls with a snack at hand.

Sei and Bermuda almost panic.

The soldier rises and looks at the door they stand infront of. "What are you doing?"

Both walk past him, he turns with it and looks at them.

"We were just getting a look at the prisoner, man your post better!", Sei yells with a rapidly beating heart.

The soldier looks at them while scratching his head with his normal-looking hand.




It was only hours later. The Sakana family remain seated at the dinner table, eating to their hearts content. The two personal guards of Neptune positioned on the outside porch.

Sei looks down at the assortment of seaweed and strange grass on her extremely oval plate. She moves the three-pointed fork between her fingers and ultimately through her dinner. Having her face down and an expression of long.

Neptune tried eating but couldn't help but want to know what troubled his wife. He held on his eating, calmly wiped his mouth with a kind of dried grass used as napkin, and looked on at his wife.

"Sei...what is it? Ever since you two got back you've seemed supposadly saddened or even troubled. How can I return that smile to my love?"

Bermuda was a monster at eating, he was just about done when his father rose the question. Slurping up the last couple of strands.

Sei shakes her head and puts back on a faux look of happiness, "Oh I was just pondering dear. Nothing's wrong, please eat on, don't let me stop my king."

Neptune raises an eyebrow toward her, doubting her with a smile on his face. "Alright.", he goes back to his easy eating.

Bermuda is done and runs off to the stairs, running up to his room apparently.

Neptune swallowed and replied, "That boy is going to be one strong young man when he grows into a man. I look foward to it...."

Sei was back to her previous look, That man...why can I not remove his image from my head....I....

"Sei!"

She jumps and goes back to it again.

Neptune puts his hands up, elbows on the table, with his fingers clasped around each other. Level with his nose.

"I know something's not right Sei, what is it?! I've not only noticed now, but recently your attitude has grown depressed. I worry."


"It's nothing...", Sei says softly.

Neptune sighs, "I'm done.", he stands and takes hold of his crowd that was resting on the sid eof the table. He places it on his head and begins walking from without the kitchen. "When you're ready to open up to your king...to your HUSBAND, come and retrieve me."

He walks through the doorway and from her sight.

She just stays there and thinks for many minutes. Trying to fight this unfamiliar urge. But's it's so hard. And then she recognizes it so it's no longer unfamiliar. The feeling. She hadn't felt this in so long.

Sei gets up and lets the feeling overwhelm her. She's soon running through the patch, and around the might silver tree. Arms moving delicately up and down around her chest. Her mouth hanging open, almost with a hunger that couldn't be done in by food.

...............................................................................................


Shin shakes from frustration, "Too many hours I have wasted in here!"

He angrily rushes foward and pushes at the door, it doesn't budge.

The soldier knocks back, "Settle down!"

Shin huffs and walks back to his favorite corner, How to get out....

After five minutes of silence the guard outside the door yawns and slouches a bit. He wasn't exactly as muscly as the others but not too bad. Kind of normal.

Suddenly he hears a loud outcry of laughter.

"You know...that leader of yours is pretty damn horrible!!! What a joke!"

A look of contempt rises quite quickly on the guard outside as he hears this.

"Big, burly, bigot....only B missing is *****!", Shin yells while kneeling to the right of the door.

The guard didn't entirely understand that one, but didn't like Shin's tone much. It was annoying him.

"And what a sign of poor leadership...picking such trash for security. What, all the better ones out on missions to collect big rocks or something?! Why do you guys suck SO MUCH!!!"

The door clicks and flies apart to open.

An angry atlantian is now standing in the doorway, he hadn't been happy. And that was it. No human above would belittle them.

Shin immediatly took advantage and sprung from the side, promptly punching the guy hard in his crotch. When he bent over, Shin instantly put him in a headlock.

"Sorry, you guys killed Ishida. I can't forgive the death of a comrade.", Shin says coldly as the guard struggled. Causing Shin to take forceful steps more into the room. He was just barely stronger than this lacky.

Finally he let his feet run along, he held the headlock tightly, and jumped off the ground. Striding up his favorite corner and along the walls. As his feet was midair for those three seconds, he jerked his hands in opposite directions. There was a snap, both in sound and in nature.

Landing his feet back on the ground there was no longer a struggle. The body he had in the headlock was limp. Shin released grasp and let the body fall to the ground.

He did a small prayer for the man he just killed and ran through the door. Now carefully about to try to find his friends and escape. Somehow.

"You...."

Another atlantian whad instantly spotted him and was running over. He figured this was his only way to get information on what was necessary to escape with his teamates.

Shin walked foward to confront his coming foe.


.................................................................................................... ..


Sei ran through the halls, she saw a foot just inching out of a hallway that was out of view. She came to and saw the body on a guard laying there lifeless.

Her hands shoot up and cover her mouth, That man....he must have escaped....

She runs foward and knows she has to find him before it's too late.

As she comes at the end of the hall she hears someone crying faintly in pain. Peering her head over she sees Shin holding an atlantian with the left arm twisted around against his back. Shin stood over him, yelling in his ear.

"Why....why were they killed!!!? Who gave the order to kill those two?!", Shin's eyes were watery. The guard before had given him grim news of the death of his remaining friends.

The guard wasn't answering, so Shin twisted his arm upward. There were slight crackles.

"The king ordered it! You bastards can't live, we can't afford it! Aahhhh!", the guard forced through his gritted teeth.

Shin no longer had a look of emotion, he was cold entirely. He released the grip, which caused the man to fall foward. As he was recovering, Shin loomed over and took his head in his hands. Once again jerking his head and neck way to the right. Snap, and then the man fell foward.

He didn't give a prayer this time.

Shin stood and remembered to his best friend, to his crew. "I'm not getting out of here alive....", he says solemnly. He turns his head slightly and catches a brief glimpse of Sei peering around the corner.

She jumps and lays herself across the wall completely, heart thumping.

Shin walks out into this hall, but doesn't look over at her just yet. "You. You saw me kill a man. I'm sorry. No lady should be in the presence of something like that."

Sei trembles and finally cries out, she dashes over and slaps him across his face, "Damn you.....", she says simply. Looking at him with tears strolling down her eyes. "Fool, now you really won't last. I wanted to know you, and now your selfishness won't allow. I haven't felt this in-" before she can finish bearing herself out to him, she's taken in his arms. Shin plants a gentle kiss against equally gentle lips. Perfect length in time.

He releases and looks into her eyes, "Heh, sorry.", but he looks slightly worried and fully sad.

Sei slowly shakes her head and kisses him back. They let their emotions control them, they eventually end up walking. Walking into one of the empty holding rooms. Different was how this one perfectly had a table positioned in the center.

Shin lays Sei on it softly, walks over to close the door, come back, and before going on speaks to her this...

"My child...when you have it, please love it. It must take my place in your heart. I beg of you."

Sei only nods as they commence. And in loving harmony both spew common words. The effects of love at first sight hitting them like the perfect storm.

"I love you."

[Youko Recca]

Chapter Thirty-Four: Brief Intermission # 1





The blades of a fairly big, black helicopter cut through the thick night. It's sound breaking the silence up in these high airs.

Bermuda sits in the shotgun position, clenching his fists tight enough for his nails to break the skin on his palms.

Ceciela is drivng the helicopter, the necessary accessories on her head. Loking her normal seriousness, keeping the head foward and herself attentive to the imaginative road paved in the skies.

In the back seats sit Alex, Cornelius, and Miles sit quietly.

All were in this and were making their way back to their own unit's clubhouse. It would be a slightly long trip.

Bermuda was staring out the clear door, down at the earth below. So far the flashback had been his. A mixture of what he remembered seeing for himself and what he can still remember being told to him, manifested perfectly in his mind.

She's lucky I didn't kill her....

As his leader continues to stare hard at the ground below, Alex speaks up on his behalf.

"You alright Sakana? You seem a bit on edge, even though we just succeeded in what you wanted. What you thinking about anyway?"

Bermuda snaps out of it and responds plainly, "Nothing important. I suppose I'm tired. We all go to sleep as soon as we hit headquaters, I don't need you four tired."

Alex sighs, "Sure, whatever.", he sits against his seat, which seems especially him with the plastic-like wrapping covering his coushining. Obviously to prevent it from bursting into a flame.

Cornelius was in the last row in the back, his wings folded down but still taking up ample amount of the room.

Bermuda rolls his neck around once and then leans it against the headset, Now I can relax.....

[Youko Recca]

Chapter Thirty-Five: A Bastard By Definition







Three months later....


Shin is bound by a grating material around his forearms and wrists. The grunts have their respective hands on each of his shoulders, forcing him to kneel down.

Today was his execution.

After three months of painful torture it was time. Due to his killing of four atlantians this act had been delayed. And you could tell. Shin was now a broken man. Unrecognizable.

A line from his back rose high up to the top of the cieling.

There was a large crowd of people inside this area. It had been especially cleared for this. A public execution that would be first for just about all atlantians there.

Neptune sat with a constant look of contempt residing over his face. Sitting next to him was a distraught Sei on a special stand made for the two. Giving them view above the large crowd standing just infront of the border.

Sei constantly had her eyes on Shin, and though hard to tell, he returned every glance.

A man walks over holding an order in his hand, "Due to tresspassing on atlantian grounds, and being the caus eof death for four innocents, we hearby put the landwalker, Shin, to death. Affirmative immediatly!"

Another walks over struggling to carry a large oval bucket. It was clear enough to where you could plainly see this mysticly blue water sloshing around inside it. It gets set down just infront of where Shin is kneeling.

He looks down at the moving water and sees his reflection. Short moment of staring, he quickly turns his head. Hating what had become of him.

Suddenly Shin felt a thrust and he was sent flying into the air, the line tied along his back was the reason behind it. And another he could see pulling on the opposite very end of the rope.

Upon reaching the top, Shin is turned over so that his head is now the lowest part of his facing downward. His hair swing left and right as he's now being moderately lowered.

Shin feels the blood rushing to his head and then realizes where his head would be landing into. The clear oval bucket.

His breathing increases along with his skipping heartbeat. He has no choice but to prep himself for what's about to happen. He's almost there.

Sei is again fighting, but this time the tears.

The grunt who earlier read the oder smiles and watches on, "What an ironic execution for intruders. Their lungs are so weak, can't even breath water..."

Shin looks back at Sei for one last time, and mouths something to her. Just before his head is firmly dunked into the bucket.

Sei sees it and lowers her face into her shaking hands, crying at full.

Neptune looks over at her still angry, "Don't feel compassion for this man, he attacked you. MY wife!"

She ignores any sound coming at her direction. She's in her own little world now.

The water level reaches to the middle of Shin's throat. It's extremely cold, and this water seems to be more straining than regular water. It was like a vacuum inside liquid.

Shin had been holding his breath for five minutes. Then caved as his will fell whim to time.

Without many seconds in, Shin's legs start shaking. Then his whole body. Those in the front row shake their heads and hear his moans.

Shin's eyes are open and straining, so not only do you hear him, but you see his red eyes getting wider and whiter.

He then slows down, stops shaking. His shoulders jerk. Shin swallowed some water but it felt like it would crush him from the inside out, so he would constantly try to blow outward. It was only a matter of time.

Total of ten minutes fighting. Shin's body goes limp, his eye sockets close slowly.

"Yeah! That's it! Last of our troubles!"
"We got him!"
"Damn land morons, good riddance!"

Many of the crowds reactions were even happiness. It was good Sei blocked everything out.

She rubbed against her stomach gently and looked outward to the grim sight of Shin hanging upside down with his head slouched inside that.

More tears followed.


............................................................................................


Nine months later....



Sei sits with a normal expression on her face, in he balcony, holding something small in a blue blanket-like wrap.

She looks down at the baby's face, "Oh Mizu......you are probally just like your father.", she whispers with the small distance between their faces.

This infant Mizu smiles and pokes at Sei's face. Then clapping her tiny hands together, laughs.

Sei smiles back.

.................................................................................................


Present.



Eyes shoot open. A white light over comes them. Gasping for air, she sits up in this bed.

Mizu Sakana had awaken.

"Mother....who was father?", she asks herself first and foremost.

A door opens. It's then she realizes where she is. Back at the clubhouse. A employee walks in and sees her awake.

"Oh, Miss Sakana! Finally! I was beggining to think you would never wake up!"

The cheery worker walks to the side of her bed and unattaches all the cords connected to her.

She's wearing a white clinical-esque garb that managed to cover all but her legs and arms and obviously, her head.

"Who are you? Where are the others?", her tone is low and not very enthusiastic. She was really down. Bandage still across the sore area where her brother had beat her.

"Oh, well-", before he can continue the door to this room opens again.

In walks Trent Phillips. He's dressed the same, and even looks like he had never even been in a fight.

"Woah! I knew it! I could freakin' FEEL it!", he walks over with his hands in his pockets. Athletic tape visable on his wrists. He seemed exactly the same.

"Trent, how long have I been out?"

"Three days. Long three days I might add."

"Where are the other three?"

Trent looks at her depressed face and sighs, "Well...."

Mizu is out of the bed quickly and looking down at Trent, as she managed to be a tiny bit taller. "Where?!"

Trent blew air long from his mouth and scratched just under where his knitcap covered, just under his non-revealed eyebrows. "Noc is in good condition. Vampire healing and all, he was up sooner than me. Max is still recovering. He had it really bad..."

Mizu was about to ask about Soda, but Trent is already walking out.

"Max wants to see you personally Mizu. It's important.", with that Trent is gone out of her sight.

On the outside of the door he shakes his head, "This better work Max...."

He walks down the hall and a vending machine catches him, "Ooh, haven't had cream in awhile."

Mizu exits the room and instantly starts down the hallway, as she passes Trent she asks, "What room?"

"Turn this corner and it's the last one on the right.", he replies. Using periphial vision to see her hurry away.

She runs over to the door, Last one...

Mizu's hand touches the knob, for a second she hesitates, thinking back to her actions. Knowing she compromised that mission. It was all her fault. Even with that she knew she had to check on her comrade.

Forcing her hand, the door opens with her walking in. She's surprised by the sight.

There laying was Max. His entire body was wrapped in a white cast. Only his head was she able to see. He seemed to be sleeping what with his eyes closed and all, so she decided to turn and make for a leave.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?!", his voice suddenly barks out to jolt her more.

She turns back and places her lowered eyes at him. He's straining his head to look at her.

"Walk over here, we have to talk. And I don't feel like breaking my neck as well."

Mizu complies, walking to his side. Standing there in worry about what he would say.

"Mizu...I appreciate you being apart of my team. I don't ever regret bringing you in. Even after what happened three days ago. But it's because of three days ago that we're talking in these circumstances right now. My God Mizu, what the hell were you thinking?! You put your entire team at risk over a petty vendetta! Now I...understand what it feels like to want to get back at someone for ruining your life, to hate so much you would take down everyone who got in you way. My wife and best friend are dead, and I want nothing more than to avenge them. But putting you at risk? No. I couldn't. Avenging one family is not worth risking another for. We will NOT be the conclusion after the chapters of your sobb story."

Mizu interjects, "Max, you don't know how it is with me and Bermuda. That bastard...he.."

Max's face scrunches with anger and he lets out a loud bark, "******** MIZU!!! ********!!! There ARE no excuses here. Listen to me when I talk. You messed up!"

Mizu swallows empty breath and stares downward.

Max sighs, "This group will help you in the long run, together we will move on. I wouldn't be the director of this place if I didn't feel that way, but you have to know it for yourself. Soda goes along because I promised to support his wife who is currently in a coma that she doesn't seem to want to wake from. He got it. Oh, speaking of Soda, have you payed your respects yet?"

Mizu looks up confused.

Max nods, "Oh, Trent didn't tell you? Soda died from complications this morning. He's DEAD Mizu. Because we put our personal life above others. I bet his wife will love waking up one day only to be greeted by the immediate news that her love died over your mistake."

Mizu wasn't handling this news well, she thought back to the conversation she and him had back in her old hideout. Then it began to overwhelm her. She dropped to her knees.

Before she could start crying, Noc suddenly burst in.

"Max, Soda said if you don't give him his third pillow back the first thing he'll do when he's on his feet again is run your head through every wall in this building. Funny, eh? So many walls in here--too.", he notices Mizu's depressed demeanor and her herself towards the end of his statement.

"Mizu honey, you're awake! Why are you like that?"

Mizu looks plainly at him and then eases her view over to Max while raising to her feet.

"MAX!!!", she shouted at him in anger.

Max was conveniently facing the other way with his face stretched.

She put her index knuckle out and hit him across his head.

"Hey! I'm recovering!"

"He's dead? Why would you say that?!"

Noc just watches on, intruiged.

Max moves his head around and then admits while looking back at her, "Okay...so Soda isn't dead. I told you that for a reason.", he raises his head up at her and then lowers it back into position. "I think you feel it don't you? In your heart. It's faint now that you know he isn't dead, but.....imagine feeling that for real. For the rest of your life. You should never hold a comrade's death over your shoulders. It's like holding the world if it was full of guilt and regret."

Mizu nods again, "I--I'm sorry Max."

"It's alright. Just take what I said to heart and go get your head straight. I'll be out in a week. Plenty of time right?"

She shrugs and walks past Noc, who makes way for her to exit.

Noc is left with Max as he sighs heavily. "Think she got it?", Noc asks.

Max smirks and nods, "Oh yeah...she got it."

[Youko Recca]

Chapter Thirty-Six: Week Full of Depressants








Another day had passed, and the paranormal unit were all caught still with thoughts of their defeat eating at them.

In a lone room down a distant hall, a bed's springs bounce as a body rises and legs swurve over. Two feet with socks on them touch the ground. The hands leave the edges of the bed as the body rises.

"Whew, I think it's good now."

Soda wore a similar gown to that of what Mizu wore when she awoke. He knew his clothes were being kept in a drawer near the door, he walked over and reached at it. Upon pulling it out he notices they are infact his clothes, but also, all are like brand new installments of what he wore. He takes off what currently covered him.

Weird. I gotta ask why it's required we wear the same thing over and over...

He takes the white shirt and puts it over his head, sliding it over his slightly tanned body. As he proceeded with his jeans and blue vest, he notices his sneakers sitting to the right of the door. Then he saw the mirror over by the sink, while putting his vest on he walks over and looks at his face in the mirror. He didn't seem scarred at all. Sometimes he wondered why he healed so good, but it was better than the alternative.

Turning over and bending down, he grabs his shoes and backtracks over to the edge of the bed where he sits and begins forcing them on his feet. Once done tying them, he stands and makes his way out of the room.

The hall is filled with the whitecoats moving every which way.

Soda puts his hand out and grabs a young attractive black women who had been looking down at her clipboard. "Excuse me--" he looks at the JoaT tag on her chest, "--Chelsea. Do you happen to know where Max Lergnom is?"

She smiles and nods, "Of course Mr. Samsons, he's just one floor above us. Picture this hall, it'll be that one.", she points to the door.

Soda waves as he begins walking away, "Thank you.", he says when she's barely near enough to hear it. Passing by and dodging other employees on his way.

He pushes the doors to the stairwell open and calmly walks up the steps leading to the door, which in turn led to where he needed to be. This hall is less crowded luckily, he goes on and matches the room to the bottom one. He pulls on the handle after a slight nudge and pulls it outward.

Max has his head turned to the right so no one would see immediatly what he was doing if they walked in, wiping blood from his nose on the sheet to the side. Sniffing and turning his head back to see Soda.

"Oh, it's the burn victim. How are you?"

Soda grins fakely, "Hehehe, I'm fine. You look like crap though. How much longer you in that?"

Max finishes sniffling his nose, "Uh, about six days I think."

"Why were you crying?"

Max looks confused and then realizes what he's talking about, "I wasn't. Just had a booger in my nose.", he seemed to be looking at Soda a little more serious than usual.

Soda just nods it off, not really caring. "I assume Mongoose is with all our other weapons?"

"You'd be right."

"By the way...who got us out of there anyway?"

"It was the last minute saving of drastic measures by unit 0030!", Max says sarcastically but with serious intent.

"What are they?"

"The Rescue unit. Just as it sounds. The soldier I had follow us, posted up around the corner near the factory. He saw the element morons leave and came in. He immediatly called them to get us out before people noticed."

"So when did you get in contact with a soldier? I don't see-"

"When I went in to get the rifle.", he cut in.

Soda shrugs this off as well, "Guess it's good you did. Another thing, what's with our outfits? We've all been wearing the same exact thing since we got here. I presume the same goes for you and Noc."

Max sighs in slight annoyance, "Consider it your uniform. I had some personal tailors make duplicates of all our clothing. It's standard JoaT protocol. Don't ask me why, cause I don't know. When you need a new pair just ask Noc, he'll get it."

"Which brings me to my next question."

"What you doing...interrogating me? Damn..."

"Where is the rest of the team?"

"They were up awhile ago, before you and I. I already got on Mizu, so don't go beating the dead horse. She's learned, or she is. I plan on dedicating a week to this. As soon as I'm up. We have to be ready for the next time we face those guys."

Soda puts a sour face on at the thought of having to fight that demon again, even shook. So far that guy had scared him the most. But he wouldn't dare tell anyone.

"Okay then, I'd say we're done here. I'm heading back to our quarters.", Soda waves at Max while approaching the door.

Max sniffles again, he had been trying to keep the blood in the whole time.

Soda turns and Max freezes.

"What now?!", Max spews.

Soda reveals a penny in his hand, he curls his fist around it and slouches foward as he tosses it at Max. It misses and hits just above Max's head on the dashboard. "Don't take my damn pillow next time. It was harder to get sleep thanks to your selfishness...", he taunts him with his face one last time before walking out.

Max tsks and exhales.

The door closes and he suddenly shakes his head and sniffles some more. The blood from his nose drips down and hangs on the tip of his upper lip, where it soon then drops on to his cast-covered chest.

Max looks at the door in strong worry and winces, What does it mean damnit?!

He gulps and closes his eyes.

[Youko Recca]

Soda enters into another hall now. Virtually empty and quiet. Not surprising seeing as it was one of the few that had a battle take place on it.

He turns the corner and walks into the little space where the huge steel door was. He looks at the pad that had a colorful imprint on it, and places his hand over exactly. With a click the creaking open of the door starts.

With no vision of what was going on inside just yet, all he hears are voices.

"Max up already?"

"No I wouldn't think so, maybe it's Soda."

"Either way would be good."

Just before the door is completely open Soda pinpoints the voices by order in his head, Trent, Noc, Mizu.

He raises his head and walks in. Sure enough the three are sitting around the table.

Trent is sitting the farthest away with his sights instantly on the door, "Took you long enough. Max following you in late?"

Soda shakes his head. Noc turns around and follows as Soda sits beside him to the right.

All of them are dressed regularly, just without their weapons in hand.

Mizu looks weakly at Soda, barely at all even. Noc and Trent easily forgave her, and Max had already set things right. He was the only one left. She forced herself to stand, she had been in the recliner so she was right there either way.

Soda just wondered what was up and looked at her.

She brought her eyes to his. "I'm sorry."

Soda scratches his head, "For wha--oh, that. Mizu, sit down, I don't care how you acted back there. And I don't blame you. I blame Max for screwing up. He's the leader. But I don't really care anymore. I just want to relax for a while right now."

Mizu backs up a couple of steps and sits back into formation. Actually feeling better now that she got proper consent from the entire group.

Noc has his hat in his lap and he's constantly tapping it on each side, "I..don't feel like relaxing Soda."

Everyone looks up at him.

"We all know, that we'll be facing those guys again. And I for one don't want to be on the recieving end of that kind."

Trent didn't like how he said it, but he did like what he said. He infact had it on his mind ever since he awoke. Imagining an exaggerated way to beat that griffon.

Same with Noc. His vampire instincts continue to tug at him, the degrading defeat was too much for him to bare like this. Overall an humiliating way to go on. Such a heavy loss he had never encounterd before.

But Soda, however, wasn't feeling ignited with the same passion. Alex scared him, and even though he knows he could muster the strength the walk along side the others to another melee, a one on one bout with a fire demon wasn't to his fancy.

More messed up was how he knew that creatures like this would show up eventually.

Soda closed his eyes and evisioned another fight.

He charges at Alex, firing shot after shot. The demon laughs and suddenly runs into his face with a sttong headbut. Soda falls back and feels the heavy foot keep him down. Alex's eye sockets which dawn the flames grow in excitement. He cracks his hand and reaches down at Soda's heart, he hears his own screams.

Soda's eyes shoot open and he sees the others still thinking to themselves.

No matter what he couldn't pick a positive for fighting something like that.

So he looked at those around them and though of their opponents. The alternatives.

Gazing at Noc he thinks back to Ceciela. Skinny women who made the earth sprout out. He shivers. That's not exactly better, he wonders why Noc is so gung-ho about a rematch with her.

Moving his eyes over to the arrogant little Trent he recalls the griffon. Oh no. No way he'd want that either, it was second to Alex in who he least wanted to meet again.

Mizu. Bermuda. Better, but from what he heard he did to Max he would rather not. He wasn't a hybrid and the guy that was barely made it. It wasn't hi fight anyway, he stared a little deeper at Mizu. She still wanted him, but it wasn't an outright rage fit kind. More like she knew in due time.

Then there was that crazy kid.

Soda shook his head and places his face in his hands, "Ugh, what are we going to do against those guys. They're pretty bad.", he sits up and then slouches in the cushion of the couch.

Noc suddenly stands up and begins walking to the main door, "I'm going to go get our weapons. I can't use mine even, not good I'd say...", he starts making his way out and then is.

Trent watches him go, "What a weird guy, even for a vamp'."

"Yeah, but he does probally have it the worst of us.", Mizu interjects. "He can't even get his weapon to respond to his command. It's like the gun not allowing it's holder to pull the trigger..."

As Noc was out in the halls walking his was thinking just about that fact. How to get Nyoibou to work. His facial expression was worry as he came to the stairwell door and walked through it.

"Kinda sad ain't it?", Trent yawns and scratches his belly.

"The idea of using an actual weapon is better than a toy at least."

Trent hears Soda and flips him off, "Whatever ass.", he gets up and starts walking out the main door himself.

As it closes behind him, he surprisingly feels shaken. Trent's emotions were rattled. He wasn't aware how he kept it bottled in. This really was getting to him, Man. How do I BEAT that!

He looks foward, shoves his hand sinto his pockets, and walks on.

"So Soda, do YOU have any doubts about facing that unit again?", Mizu asks. The two of them sitting previously in silence.

He shakes his head, "No. I'll do what I have to."

"For your wife?"

"Yes. I'll die for her if need be. I'm willing."

"Then use that.", she promptly gets up and walks into her room. Leaving Soda to think about their brief interaction.

He looks at her door after pondering her last couple of words, Use it? Use what?

[Youko Recca]

After moments of thinking to himself he reaches for the remote over on the table. Upon hitting the power button with his thumb, up pops the news. The man on screen was at the sight of another one of those horrible murders that had been happening. Soda remembered the last time he watched this channel, it was basically the same thing all over again.

"Huh...", he expressed as he turns the television back off and lays himself out on the couch, crossing his left foot over his right and resting his head on the hand of the couch.

Deciding to get him some sleep.

That's when the speaker hanging up on the wall blared with a prelude to the following words.

"Mr. Turnal I have your canister ready!", the voice seemed to shout.

Soda at first didn't want to reply and get involved, but decided it was for the best. He sat up and yelled upward, "This is Soda, Noc isn't in right now! Just bring it down here and I'll be sure to give it to him."

"Will do sir!"

It goes off. Back to silence.

Soda gets up and starts walking to the fridge over on the other side of the wall. Upon getting there he opens it out and bends down to look inside. He noticed there weren't any mugs, just cans. And sandwiches were wrapped up and in the lower compartment. Among other things. He grabbed a sandwich and a can of rootbeer. He couldn't tell what the hell the real beer was.

He sat back down, but this time on the reclining chair. Unwrapping the sandwich and took the top piece of bread off the reveal the ingrediants to this sandwich. It was pretty normal, and surprisingly close to how he used to make his. There were thinly slice tomatos, provolone cheese, bits of lettuce, one slice of smoked ham and another of turkey, spread that was basically mayo mixed with sweet relish, and one crispy strip of bacon laying sideways in the middle.

Needless to say he wouldn't leave a crumb. As he took his first bite it was then he realized he hadn't eaten something so simple yet tasy in ages. ANother bite, he looks at the can of soda sitting on the table, then remembers not too long ago when Max was carrying a black can and drinking it. Oh, so THOSE were the beer....

"Oh well.", he finished to himself outloud. Food straining the words.

He layed the sandwich on the armrest and went foward to grab the can with his right hand, grabbing it, then coming back into a rocking motion. He held the sandwich during this with his left hand incase it fell over.

Placing index and thumb fingers on the tab and popping open the can. He can both smell and hear the fizzing. He immediatly takes a big gulp. Feeling the soda tickle and playfully burn his throat as it went down.

"Aahh", he says as he goes back for the sandwich.

The main door suddenly started opening. In walked Noc, a sack slouched over his back as he held the string infront with his right hand.

"Finally eating something Soda?", he comments while walking around the couch and laying the sack gently down on it. He open it and let all the weapons lay out. Right there on the right of Noc was the Mongoose. Next to it was Mizu's fibbing bokutos, followed by Noc's own Nyoibou.

Suddenly a random staff waltzed in carrying Trent's pogo. "Where shall I put it sir?"

Noc pointed against the door to Trent's room. "Just set it against his door, he'll come get it later."

The guy does just that and waves as he makes his leave just before the door closes, having to quickly ease through the closing gap.

Soda has only about one-third of the sandwich left to go and a two-thirds full can of rootbeer.

Noc takes Nyoibou and sqeezes in his grasp, then turns to Soda and tells him something, "I have reserved us rooms on this floor. One for the four of us. Max won't be needing one in his condition."

Soda swallows what occupied his mouth, "What are they for?", he asks confused by the sudden arise of this notion.

"They're if you want to be alone. Mainly, for dealing about preperations if we face unit 0025 again. I'm going to be there majority of the remainder of this week. So sadly I won't be seeing that cute face of yours, but don't worry."

Soda bites the little of his sandwich left from out his hands while shaking his head, "Don't worry...I won't. But thanks for doing that. I'll put it to good use. Which rooms exactly?"

Noc starts walking out again, "Oh you'll know."

As the main door is closing behind Noc, Mizu's door opens and closed with her walking out and going straight to the couch where her weapons were. She picked up each in her hand and played with them, twirling, flipping, spinning, the works.

"Good.", she says while looking at them still. Now with a little more look of determination in her eyes.

Soda notices, "So, do you know about the rooms Noc made empty for us?"

She nods and meets eyes with him. Back to what looked like her old look. The look of a killer willing to do anything to achieve her goals.

Soda never liked that look on her.

"What's the deal Mizu, why do you hate that...Bermuda guy so much. What did he do to you?"

"He took something dear to me. And now he's taken the last piece of them I ever had. But I remember, but what's the point of memories if they only remind you of past pain. Old wounds that by memory, we get kicked in."

Soda figured he'd keep digging being as the conversation had already taken off, "Who'd he take?"

Mizu looked away, "My mother."

Soda couldn't like it but it made sence now, "I'm sorry..."

"You don't have to be. My mother gave birth, but she really never had me."

She looks at him with the same cold eyes. "And I blame myself for that. The brief years I had in atlantis were horrible. And I know that again. My mother tryed but I wouldn't let her love me. I wouldn't let anyone. It's now....the time when I realize I can never change that fact....that I weep inside."

Soda folds his hands over each other as he leans foward, "Then what good is killing Bermuda? Isn't he really the only link you have to atlantis in reality? Why kill him?"

Mizu now looks down at the blue carpet, "I can't bring myself to change what I think must be done."

Soda sighs and runs his hand through his head to hair, "That sounds so much like a child. And stupid."

Mizu simply nods and walks around the couch.

The main door starts opening again as she's going towards it. Trent comes in mirroring the same manner of demeanor he did when he left earlier.

Mizu passed him and exits. He watches her body bounce with each strong step.

Wonder what's wrong with her?, Trent thinks to himself.

He focuses back infront of him and sees Soda sitting there thinking himself. "The hell are you doing?, he says to greet.

Soda mearly points over to Trent's room where his pogo is leaning against the door.

Trent's face signals acceptance, "Ah, nice revision. New black paint job....", he walks over and picks it up to lay sideways in his hands, "...A bit heavier, but not too bad.". He runs his eyes up and down, examining it. "Looks like they put a new spring in? Guess I can expect it to be better."

Soda finally reacts to the idea od someone using a pogostick as a weapon, "I can't believe THAT'S what you fight with. Didn't you used to be the leader of your own team? How'd they take you seriously?"

"Why don't you ask Max?", Trent responds quickly after the statement.

Soda throws that conversation out the window and decides to start over with a new topic, "So Trent, what's your story? Why would you suddenly quit...whatever and join us?"

Trent layed the pogo back against his door, "It wasn't looking very good for me to stay with that. I had a mole on my side who worked for who knows who, my boredom was rising, and it wasn't providing like I had hoped."

Soda got to thinking about how these squads worked, they seemed like an independent set. But how they came about was the real question Soda wanted answered.

"Who's the guy who made these, what is it, nine squads?"

"It is now. Well, it's seven now. Sure the other squads are out there doing whatever. Anyway...I don't know how they came about. They apointed me the captain of the second squad when I was a ripe and after the previous one died. Look, I know you're fishing, but if I knew anything I would have told you already."

Soda just looks on.

Trent scratches on the top of his head, over his knitcap. "I can say that no squad works together, though."

Soda looks as if he doesn't get what Trent just said, "What? Then why create nine squads? And for what? What were you guys brought together to do?"

Trent looks as if he's mimicing someone, "Right wrongs where wrongs are prevalent. All that bull. All squads are a small group of traveling people who take on inconsistencies where they are around. It's kind of complicated. I have no idea what else was intended of them. But they don't work like we do. If squads would be in a positon where they had to kill each other, they would do it."

"So they're like a band of moving mercenaries...damn, who would make a thing like this?"

"Beats me. Part of the reason I joined here. Not only can you help me, but I actually know why I do what I do, and how it'll help 'the little guy' in the long run."

Soda would have to agree, "Any chance we might face another of those squads down the road?"

Trent though, placing his hand under his chin, "Uh...it's possible. Wouldn't know much about the others though. I've only heard about Harmony and his squad. The others are in the shadows."

Soda sighed, "Wonderful."

"It is isn't it? Who cares though? Shouldn't you be doing something to prepare yourself against that demon?"

Soda's eyes jolted on to Trent quickly.

Trent smirked, "Do something about those little fireballs or something. He took you out the fastest. We all lasted longer in our fights than you, I'd be worried about how you not expire during a fight.", he gives him an annoying smug look as he started making his way back out.

Soda gave a mad look to the kid's back as he walked out, but then calmed as he was definitely right about this. He had to do something. It's then he though back to Mizu's previous words. "What was it she wanted me to use? Damn I should have asked while she was here."

It's then Soda is faced with silence again. By himself. Not doing anything.

It's minutes that felt longer he sat like this.

"Damnit, I got to do something..."

He gets up and now starts to make his way out the main door himself.

[Youko Recca]

That's when he walks out and is immediatly standing infront of a staff member. He's holding a familiar titanium container. Soda leans his head back and realized he had almost forgot about that. "Thank you...", he takes it from the guy's hands, "...I'll make sure he gets it". The guy nods and mearly walks back off towards the hall to the left.

Soda held this in his hand and noticed that it had a bit of weight to it, nothing too bad though. A child wouldn't be using this though. Pearl eyes set sight on the hall straight. Soda started walking down it.

As he past the second door in the hall he noticed a sign up with Mizu's name up on it. He walked over to the next door and there was his name on it. Going over one more and there was Noc's. It wasn't exactly closed all the way, so all he had to do was push it open.

It was quiet in here. He slowly started walking in. "Noc?"

He looked from one corner to the other, then began turning around. As he did he could spot Nyoibou laying against the right wall.

Right in his face was Noc all of a sudden. Soda blinked for a long time and then opened his eyes and held out the canister. "Time to take your feel-good juice."

Noc takes it and tips his hat, "Thank you. You finally going to use the room?"

"Yeah...something like that. You trying to get that magic stick to work?", he asks while him and Noc switched positions and now had their backs facing each other.

Noc nods even though Soda wouldn't see it, "Yes. We only have three days left to prepare."

"How are we so sure we'll be fighting those guys again? Shouldn't we be doing more important things, like our jobs?"

"If you think Max will take an embarrasing defeat like that....youare definitely still a rookie."

Soda edges his face over his right shoulder and gave Noc a last look before walking out of the doorway completely. He hears the door close and continues on. He comes to the door. The door leading to the stairwell.

Trent's room was the next one to Noc's, and inside was him himself. Sitting with his back to the wall. This room was empty and the white walls made it seem like a small piece of purgatory.

"Think....how to take that thing down...His punches, have...that effect to them. So I have to avoid facing him to the front. I'll have to assume he has the gift of flight as well. Heh, guess that would make me the best suited for taking him after all.", he leans his head back against the wall.

Soda is now entering the door to the lounge area. He was about to leave the clubhouse. He checks to make sure his holster in clipped with Mongoose inside and then stops infront of the door. He takes a small breath and then runs through it. He runs through the field quicker than usual and sees the wall. He smacks against it and then counts down the last five seconds he has. He creeps around the corner and into a random alley. No one was around and the momentary cloak wears off.

He walks out into the street. He sees that traffic on this part of the city was dim as usual. His hands thrust into his pockets as he makes his way down the city streets.

Back in the clubhouse, Max is still nesting in his cast and suddenly gets a feeling. A women is doing her daily checkup on him and checks the last of the things off her clipboard.

"Stop this, you're done right?", Max says.

She nods.

"Good, listen, I want you to use our surveillance and check to see where each of my team is. The field agents."

She walks out of the room and goes to do what he says.

Max bite his lower lip, Something doesn't feel right.

Mizu is in the room Noc had reserved for her and unsuccessfully tries calling on her tear. She held on to false hope until the moment. This moment. Where it wasn't flowing out of her eye to be used as her assistance. All she had was her blades in hand.

She set them down infront of her and reached behind her on a small table, grabbing the glass which held water in it. Filling the glass halfway. Mizu sets the glass infront of her, just ahead of her blades and kneels before all three items. Her eyes focus on the water in the glass, she concentrates on trying to make it move to her will. It wasn't moving.

Her hands gripped her clothes tightly as she continued trying. Still no movement. "What am I doing wrong...?"

Noc is in his seperate room holding out Nyoibou infront of him. His hat, tie, and outer coat are off and laying over to the ground. The top button on his white shirtwas unbuttoned as were the ones on his wrists. His crimson eyes take close and he thinks about what he's been telling himself to prepare to do all day. He thinks about extending, wanting it to grow. No budge. He then held it out in one hand and tried thinking about the wall, and the space between the wall and the tip of the staff. He wanted the staff to occupy that open space. But no budge still.

Trent tore a piece of the athletic tape wrapped around his wrist off and crumbled it into a little ball. He threw it up and then it suddenly was down on the ground in an instant.

I trippled it's weight basically...that thing must weight a large amount already. But he needs to fall faster than what me trippling his weight would do.

Trent bends over and picks up the sticky little ball of tape.

Several minutes pass.

Mizu is still trying to move the water in the glass. She finally settles after straining to get it to move. "Must learn how...", she imagines the faces of those children. Small faces of atlantian children. Then her at her young age. Them taunting her for not being able to move water in a bowl. This infuriates Mizu and she sits back up and glares hard at the glass of water.

"Move!"

Nothing.

"Move!"

Nothing.

She gives it one more strain.

The water in the glass sloches slightly for a brief second.

Mizu sees this and almost smiles. Feeling better that she's getting somewhere. It wasn't much, but was some kind of sign of progress.

Noc hung his arms with the staff barely gripped. He hadn't been getting anywhere either. "Now what is it I'm not thinking about, why isn't this responding?"

He knelt down and looked at the staff. Thinking back to the note he recieved from that collector a while back.

"Wait....now I get it!"

He stands and holdsit foward with both hands, "I have to think of it like an extention of my self, along with everything else I've thought about so far. This better work."

He closes his eyes.

The ball of tape falls faster this time. Trent smirks, "Good, much better.", he says while picking it up again. Not a good place to practise though, can't go all out or I'll probally level this place. What good's training yourself if you can't push the limits...it's hard to just focus on....one target...oh I see. That tricky bastard. Noc must have killed alot of birds with this stone.

The door opens and she's back. Max looks over as she rushes up to him.

"Sir, Turnal, Sakana, and Phillips are present. But Samsons is nowhere in the building."

Max sighs and leans his head against the pillows, "Thank you Susan. You can go."

He closes his eyes and hears the door open and close.

I had a feeling he'd resort to this. Oh well, it's for the better. As long as the others didn't follow him, I'm cool wiith it this time.

He cringes as more blood flows from his nose. Turning his head, rubs it on the part of the sheet which was now filled with the red stains.

"Damnit, not again...."

[Youko Recca]

Chapter Thirty-Seven: 48 Hours Late(r)







They were that much closer.

Bermuda sits in a fairly large room, light dimmed, tempature particularly in the cold, and where he sat was specifically at his desk. On his finely-carved wooden desk he had four pictures. One of each member of his team.

He got to thinking. Thinking that it was inevitable that the brash, crude leader of the paranormal unit wouldn't come back after him. He didn't know when, and it shouldn't have bothered with him as much as it was. Gut feeling, that he would be facing them again, the defeat was too strong to live with and that was the purpose. So now he expected it.

Bermuda sat in the black wheel-ridden chair and got especially comfortable in the cushion. He reached his right hand over and grabbed the first picture.

Ceciela.

She looked the same...except for the smile. As a matter a fact, they all had smiles on them. All four members in each picture.

My team...why is it now I realize that I'm blessed to have you....

He stares deeper into the picture. Eyes stuck on the picture. the image in his mind being bounced back and forth inbetween his imagination. Filling his head with a clip from the past....


.................................................................................................... ....



"You damn wench, when I say suck it you do as I say!"

A more torn-looking and young version of Ceciela is facing down to the knees of the man yelling at her in the gloomy streets. This brute trying to force her to do an unthinkable.

The night was mature, moonlight accenting this attrocity, empty streets.

Before she was told that if she cried for help he'd kill her, and if she ran he'd mutilate her.

Ceciela's eyes were always in a slight scrunch, trying to make images out. Her hair was very much dishevled. The rags she wore baggy and barely able to hold up on her.

"Come on already, do it....", he presses more.

Just around the corner a younger Bermuda had finished one of his earlier missions with his newly founded unit. He walked over and leaned on a stop sign. He had a a wound on his right arm tied tightly. It was aggrivating but necessary.

Then he heard the silent ruckus going on. He peered around the corner and saw a girl being hassled. He thought about helping her, but didn't consider this within his duty. He turned and started walking back the way he came from.

"AAAHH!"

He hears her fair wimper and stops in his tracks. Lowering his head and listening on.

"Didn't I say not to cry *****!", the heavy hand swings and causes a loud sound of impact as it reaches her face. She falls over instantly and suddenly feels the emotions inside churn.

"Please stop, I don't want to hurt you!"

"What? Are all you girls this stupid? Heh, shut the hell up.", he reaches over and grabs her throat. Grip going all the way around her neck. He squeezes tightly as he kneels down and puts his ugly face in her's.

Her arms beging shaking, making her look out of the ordinary when it came to natural reaction.

Bermuda finds himself peering his eyes back over and sees the situation. It didn't feel right to not be doing anything.

He looks back from around the corner and leans against the dingy wall.

There's a loud digging sound.

"RAUGH!"

Bermuda looks back over and is surprised by what he sees.

The moron was impaled, hanging at the sharp point of what looked like ground. He looked from the blood dripping from the guy, to the ground where there was a hole. Then he looked at the female, she was backing away from it.

Bermuda realized what she had done and was greatly taken by it, he couldn't believe the chance of finding someone matching one of the open slots he had. He ran from around the wall and into the street. It was too good to be true.

She turned and was shaking. Expressing great sadness. Once her eyes spotted Bermuda coming over with that look of welcome, the tears started flowing.

"I--I did it again! I'm a monster, I killed him, I--I shouldn't be alive, I...!!"

"What are you talking about?", Bermuda says as he walks calmly up to her.

She looks wary of him.

Bermuda holds his hands up, "Hey now, don't worry. I'm an agent. I want to help."

"You're too late! I killed again! My power...this curse...."

Bermuda slowly walked closer within range of her, eventually kneeling down. She pulled away.

With an understanding voice, Bermuda brings his arms out and embraces her in a gentle hug.

First intentions had her worried by getting touched by a stranger in her condition, but surprisingly...she didn't feel negative now. It was like he had taken away her pain.

"I want you.", he says faintly in her ear.

"I'm not for sale.", she says coldly.

"Please, join me. That power of yours...it isn't a curse. It's what makes people like us beautiful. And you...you have beauty. A type of beauty I've never encountered before."

He releases and gazes into her face with a good-hearted look.

"You can manipulate earth to your will. How did you come about this?"

Once he let go, she felt pain in her heart again. She wanted him to hug again.

"I--It runs in my family."

"Ah, so we have more in common than you think. Let me properly introduce myself.", he stands and upon grabbing her right hand, has her rise along with him. "My name is Bermuda Sakana. I'm an atlantian."

She looks at him, not understanding.

"You don't know of us atlantians? We're in alot of you land-dwellers' fables and such. Well I'll show you how we're alike then."

Nearby was a puddle of water, inhabiting the street curb. He faced his palm out and then slowly rose it up towards the night sky. Like a command, the puddle of water rises into the air. Bermuda clenches his fist. The puddle then disperses into mist.

She looks at him startled. "We're...the same?"

Bermuda nods, "Yes....?", he raises his eyebrow and motions.

She shakes her head and cups her hands infornt of her, "Um...Ceciela. Ceciela Hunningsworth. I was deported from Sweden with a few others. Upon reaching-"

Bermuda holds his hands up and smiles, "Woah now. Remember...we don't exactly know each other yet. No need to tell me your life story at the moment. I could tell by your accent anyhow. But, that should change. I lead a unit that will be headed by the strongest of element users. You will be the strongest in your class. Please come with me. Please allow me to help you. And you might as well not decline. For once I see someone that I want to fight beside me, they no longer have a choice but to become a comrade."

Ceciela looks at him and blushes by his firm words, they seemed so heartfelt but at the same time over dramatic. He can't notice however, being her face is too dirty and still has the fresh bruise from the previous hit.

"I will. I will be by your side."

Bermuda hears her answer and claps his hands together. Then it's that which draws attention to his scaly left arm.

Ceciela looks at it with doubt.

Bermuda sees her looking at it and puts it behind his back quickly, "I'm an atlantian remember. We all have these fish arms. I won't touch you with it, how about that?"

She shake sher head, "I don't...mind."

"Okay then. Will you follow me? I was on my way back to the clubhouse. Once there I will start helping you immediatly. That control you feel you don't have now, I will grant to you. Even if you feel ugly, I will make you realize your charm. Nothing to fear, right!?", he gives her another of those smiles and pulls her away by her hand softly. Leading her to her new life like a reset button.

As she walked behind him, being held in his grip, she had to ask a question while she had recently garnered back enough of a normal attitude to do so.

"Do you...only want me for my ability?"

Bermuda keeps walking and facing foward, "Come on now, of course not. You are most definitely special Ceciela."

These past five minutes gave her more respect than all her time in this country had.

"Bermuda."

"Yes Ceciela."

"Why is it called your 'clubhouse'? Childish a bit isn't it?"

Bermuda laughs, "That's what I've been instructed by my higher up to call it. It prevents any indication as to what it could be I would suppose."

Ceciela nods, "Okay...Bermuda. Oh, ar--are there any books there?"

"A reader are you? Surprising given your past status. I think you'll be pleased with our library."

She grinned and looked at the back of him, I want you to hug me again...

Bermuda has a smirk on as he leads this women to the restart.

.................................................................................................... ..


The picture of Ceciela gets set back in position, next to it, the picture of a grinning demon gets picked into hand.

Bermuda looks at the picture of Alex and laughs out to himself.

.................................................................................................... ....


Up high on a distant moutain, a beast lay. It was basically magma as it's skin. It had been the birth of the volcano known as Hawaii and stayed in solitude on this new place. All alone. It's birth a mistake, and it knowing.

On this mountain top was what mirrored a wasteland. Bones of random animals it had eaten lay all around to fill the land.

The demon's eye sockets, which carried flames, suddenly sparked up as he heard the nearing of something with two legs. He figured some new animal wasn't properly warned by the surviving others that he knew he'd have to hunt later.

"Stupid animal....", the grumpy tone sending chills through the newcomer's spine.

The demon is turned and is surprised by what greets his sight. A man.

Bermuda stands there with a blue cloak coming around to cover his body.

"Are you the demon that was born in that volcano so many years ago?", he asks without any change in calmness.

"Wait, you aren't scared? What are you a retarded mamal?"

Bermuda likes it's attitude, "Hmm, I don't think someone cold-blooded like me would count. But this isn't about me...it's about you."

The beast rolls it's neck around, the sound of it's stony skin rubbing against each other a grating noise.

"I don't know why I've let you talk this long.", he starts marching over to Bermuda. Not caring what he presented to him. In his eyes he was a stupid explorer who dug too deep.

Bermuda's cloak suddenly dropped to his ankles to reveal his bare chest and his left arm. He stepped over it.

The demon stopped and smiled, "Quite a unique arm. You aren't human?"

"I'm an atlantian. Calling my breed unique is an understatement."

The demon then noticed the bottle that Bermuda held in his right arm. It was filled with water. The cap on it not even that tight.

"Wait, you came to challenge me to a fight? You really are stupid. But maybe you'll taste good, never had atlantian before!", he roars and leaves a trail of deep imprints with trace amounts of dying flame. He come sup to the maintained Bermuda and throws a right hool with his huge, molten fist.

Bermuda sidesteps, sighs, and pops the cap on the bottle off so it purposely went into the demon's right flaming socket and burnt away. It caused the demon to have that eye close though.

"Ugh! What are you doing?!"

Bermuda holds the open bottle out. "Listen demon, you will join me."

"What?! Oh you better pray I kill you quick!!!", he comes running at him again.

Bermuda shook his head, "I'm afraid a rumor like yourself doesn't have a choice. I'll use only this bottle of water to beat you into joining me!"

The demon laughed before trying to swipe his head off.

Bermuda ducked, the water inside the bottle acted up and jumps out as an icsicle, Bermuda makes sure to touch it slightly just before it stabs through the arm of the demon.

Before it would surely melt and then evaporated, Bermuda called the water back in a mist form over his palm. Jumping a safe distance away.

Lava began dripping out of the demon's wound and sizzled on the dead ground. It looks stunned at Bermuda, "Why did you really come up here?! To kill me?! You know, I may not care anymore! My life sucks, get it over with!", it fell to it's knees holding the hole over it's arm.

Bermuda scoffed, "Rise on your feet!!! I already told you, I am demanding you join my unit! Become my fire! I climbed all the way up here just to get that from you."

It didn't understand the babbling, "What? Unit? What you spitting? I can't leave this mountain, I'm an outcast. I've been here for decades. I can never go out."

Bermuda clenched his fists and the mist formed into a smaller version of the icsicle from before. He walked over to the demon and squinted his ice eyes, "My name is Bermuda Sakana and I am the leader of a secret orginization known at JoaT. My unit is the element unit. Which is why I need you. You are my fire. It will work. You will live a life of solitude still...but with dignity. You're not evil are you?"

The demon laughs, "That depends on your interpretations of my actions."

Bermuda nodded, "Fair enough. But know this, you will join and you will excell. You will be better than you are now. You won't be an outcast, you'll fit in perfect. I look at you and don't see a monster, but a potential hero. Make youe life worth something!"

The demon punches the ground in annoyance and grunts, "Okay!! Damn!! I'll join your...whatever, BUT....You're not my leader. I answer to myself.", he thrusts his big thumb towards himself.

Bermuda takes the icsicle and holds it over it's head. The heat is slowly eating at it, "I agree. You don't have a name do you?"

The beast shakes it's head negatively.

"Then..from now on. I hearby dub you, Alex Norian!", Bermuda shouts proudly as if this was him claiming an identity. The icsicle melts away completely after his words and evaportaes just before the last of whatever was left could reach Alex's body.

The newly reborn Alex stands up and looks at the smirking Bermuda.

I can't believe this guy. He has me--

Bermuda turns his back to Alex, much to his surprise, and starts his way back to the point where he could begin climbing back down. "Hurry Alex, the helicopter will carry us back to the clubhouse."

Alex thought about sneaking up to kill him, but the offer he had just been handed was oddly what his false hope hand occupied all this time. So instead of killing Bermuda, he follows him with a new name and new fire burning inside.

.................................................................................................... .



Bermuda sets that picture down and runs his hands over his face.

[Youko Recca]

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Brief Intermission # 2







"I take it that pretty looking briefcase is the source to my money",

"Why yes, of course. But you know what I get before you get the money."

Two powerful figures are talking buisiness in the center of a warehouse somewhere in Mahobora city. All around these two are a plethora of gun-toting men with looks of serious buisiness themselves.

"Alright, here.", the young black man wearing the urban yet seemingly expensive clothing snapped his fingures. One of his men brought over a medium sized bag with what looked like a fine white powder inside.

"Check it."

The other powerful figure, an obese white man with short hair and a matching suit, had one of his men check it out a few feet away on a seperate table.

Both os these men stared at each other with faux looks of 'happy dealings'.

"It's clean.", his guy said not too long later.

"Good, give me the rest and you'll get your money."


Outside there were more grunts positioned all around, a mix between each og the figure's men.

One specific man with a ponytail carried an automatic in his hands. He was trailing the alley which led directly to position behind the warehouse.

As the man flicked the gun on his right shoulder, he used his now avaliable hand to reach in for the pack of ciggerettes. He made it to the end of the alley which led to the street. Manuvering his fingers he pops a single ciggerette out and bends over to place it in his mouth. It's in and he puts the packet away. Now reaching around in his back pocket for his lighter.

While doing so he looks both ways, and it's the same as before. Clear.

Turning back around a flame shoots from out of nowhere and lights his tip.

The man is surprised but before he can do anything the fist crosses over and sticks him hard along his cheek. Swift pain and then the knockout. The man falls to the floor unconscious.

"What an easy layout.", says the familiar voice.

One hand picks up the rifle and flings over his shoulder, while the other puts the golden lighter back in it's own pocket.

Footsteps draw over to the end of this alley, edging out around the wall to where the warehouse was.

Two pearl eyes set sights on the building, and then at all the men surrounding it.

"Damn, this is gonna eventually turn into a shoot out. I hope."

His body stays low at all times while moving. He quickly treads between a crowd of crates and knows he has one guy a good number of yards away that he should take out. Eyes scatter around and spot a piece of glass. The hands pick it up. While doing so he notices a rock, picking up the rock he peers around the crate and waits for te thug to have his back to him. Throwing the rock, it hits him on the back of the head.

As the guy is immediatly turning around, his body jumps back in the middle.

"Hey, Rocky!"

"Whaaat?"

"You think it's funny? Why'd you throw that at me?"

"The hell you talking 'bout?"

The footsteps draw closer. As they do he begins timing it right, crawling around a single crate so the thug was always to the front of him as he moved. By the time he walked over to talk to the other thug, he was on the far left empty side now.

He still had the glass and held on to it carefully as to not cut himself.

He looked back and saw them so caught up they wouldn't notice. Still low, he skimpers away up on the platform leveling out the higher ground of the warehouse. So now on his way to the nearest entrance he looks back one last time to make sure those two are still occupied. But while doing so another guy suddenly walks out from a door that didn't look as such, it looked as if he had walked out of the wall after making some kind of magic opening.

He knew it was just a camouflaging door however and had to think quick as the thug looked down and saw him, and was reaching to the side for his gun.

Jumping up, he covers his mouth first, and then positions himself behind the thug. He drags him inside the warehouse before the door closed. His hand brought up the glass he still carried and he ran it across the person's open neck. He felt the the rough, stilted delay as he did so. The pearl eyes saw the blood splurt out suddenly in vast amounts. But he kept his mouth over him until he was dead

"Ah, so we'er done here.", says the black guy.

"Yes...we are.", the obese man suddenly draws a gun and empties three rounds to the other's heart.

All of who were that figure's men drew their guns. And the other side drew their guns and it was suddenly a standoff.

The large white guy laughed and began walking to the exit through all his own men, with another of his subordinates to the side carrying both the money and the drugs. "If you don't want to die like your...'homie', then let me employ you. I'll pay you triple what this fool could have.

Finally, as he watched behind the thick pole, Soda set sights on who he was after.

Velven Wey. Notorious crime boss. He had just had a curroupt dealing with Mahobora's own drug lord, Michael Gregory.

Soda had wanted to knab them both...but he now thought that after what just happened there would be some kind of bonus.

Both sides were starting to put down their weapons. Velven had made it to the door and was making his exit.

Soda gritted his teeth, he decided to use the grunts to his advantage. He swung the rifle over and into hand. He lent over and aimed at a random place. He shot a couple of rounds.

Suddenly all the guns were in a frantic parade of bloodshed. Each side had been confused and took it as the other side retaliating.

Outside in the front a limo was in the parking lot waiting for Velven to return. he heard the gunshots inside the building and turned with a look of suspence. "Hmm, that wasn't supposed to happen. Something must have went wrong, those idiots. Hurry, we have to leave."

Soda starts backing and then the door that apparently everyone knew about, opened. He turned and saw the gun coming. He pointed the rifle at him and held his finger down on the trigger until the gun went flying back outside. Soda followed and was now running around to try and catch Velven before he made his escape.

As he turns there is a group of three running his way. He holds up the rifle and fires what's left at them. Then it's empty. All took shots, but only one fell dead. The other two were in pain but still coming. Soda throws down the rifle but doesn't see how or why he could use Mongoos eint he situation. He runs at them to make up for time if he had waited.

Both come from each side with punches, Soda holds up both arms and blocks. The left one tries clubbing him with both hands but his dodges to the right, but goes into the other's knee. Luckily, these are baby taps in comparison to what he's faced. He takes another punch to his face gladly and then decks the one of his left out of his mind. While he falls he backs up to avoid the right's coming jab, he swoop sup behind him and grbas him by the chin and head. He jerks and then releases the body to drop.

Now Soda runs fully around tot he front of the warehouse while unclipping his holster. He sees a limo door close and hears the engine start up. He increases speed and runs his fastest while drawing Mongoose.

"Stop!", he shouts.

But the limo is raring to take off. He scoffs and fires one strong bullet at the limo. It hits one tires and then passes through the other, then it hits a nearby telephone pole and drills on through that causing it to teeter over.

The limo tries going but has no control and swurves.

Velven exits with his lackey at his side and a gun in hand, he points it at Soda.

Soda is still holding Mongoose up at him, having his aim locked.

"Who the hell are you? What do you want?", Velven shouts.

Soda fires and the bullet has passed through the crime boss's right shoulder, causing Velven to drop the gun and fall to his knees. He then notices the lackey reaching, and fires a bullet into his arm. The lackey whips around and falls in his own pain. The case and bag fall to the ground.

Soda hears sirens in the distance, "What?! The police? I haven't heard those guys in Mahobora for years...how unlucky for me.", he walks over to Velven and points Mongoose down at him. "You had a pretty high bounty, you know that? And for a crime boos you sure were sloppy, took me a little less than three days to catch you...", he pulls the trigger.

Velven's fear comes out of the situation, as he quickly screams and covers his face.

Nothing comes out of Mongoose but a jarring sound and a bust of air.

Soda smiles as a bunch of cars and trucks are pulling up. Men and women quickly run out with an assortment of guns. A few come over to where Soda is and order him to drop his weapon.

He slowly puts Mongoose on the ground and holds his hands up. He notices they're all wearing blue windbreakers with the whote imprints: DEA, on the back.

"Look miss, I just helped you guys take down Velven the crime boss. I'm a bounty chaser."

The female agent notices the position he holds over Velven and feels a little better but goes on just to make sure it isn't staged. "Kick your weapon over to me."

"No, I can't do that."

"What did you say?"

"I'm not kicking my gun. It means too much to me."

"Okay, then slowly...slowly reach into your pocket and throw me your wallet."

He does as she says, the wallet lands infornt of her. She bends down and opens it, searching till she found proof. There was his bounty chasing lisence.

She sighed and stood, "Okay, pick up your gun. We appreciate what you did, but you almost cost us our case. we've been working Velven for months."

Soda clips his hoster after placing in his gun, "Wow. Nice dedication."

The agent scratches her head, "You want your reward you can ride back with us."

Soda shakes his head and notices that the agents who stormed the warehouse were only bringing out a few of the thugs who were badly wounded. "I don't need a reward, I was just practising my skill. besides, you guys came a long way in those cars. I don't like long trips."

He begins walking past her, heading for the streets. His face gets long and wore out. "Whew, that was something."

Once Soda gets a far enough distance he looks back to see all the lights and the aftermath.

Man, that didn't help me at all. Guess I better go back. The others are probally pissed.

As he continued on walking down the streets he suddenly stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. He realized, that right now he could just stop. Go back home and avoid JoaT. Not have to face that demon.

He thinks about this and part of him wants that. However, the rest of him knows what would happen if he doesn't. He had become too attached no matter what fear he felt now. Then he laughs and can't believe he brought it up as an option. He begins walking again still laughing in a lower and lower scale.

Then he stops again and the laughs stop. Then he realizes. Everything. He looks around him at this city and wonder just what had he been doing. He thinks back to everything. From his killing of that prisoner, to now when he caused the massacre of over twenty men. He wonders if he's the real demon and that if the demon he would face would be himself getting the best of him. He wonders what he's done to save his wife, and if he would, and why he would think of putting himself over her by the earlier thought. To make matters worst, things of the past pop into his head. He then felt a disgust for himself he had never felt before. It felt nasty suddenly, to be in this skin. It overwhelms him and he kneels on this empty sidewalk.

He shakes and his face scrunches. Then he brings his face into his hands and everything catches up to him. Everything he bottled up inside.

The laughter from before soon became tears of sorrow. His sniffling and cries faintly echo through the streets.

[Youko Recca]

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Shattered







"Yes that'll be fine Elaine."

His door closes after just sending his secretary out to deal with some coming paperwork.

Bermuda leans back into his chair, now going for the picture of a distraught Miles. Broken straightjacket and all.

He settles back into his previous mood and lets his mind take him into the past.

.................................................................................................... ....


Boom!

An explosion rocks the front wall of a building as debris collaspse all around this singled-out area. This big, white facility located on a far off piece of land. Gates all around.

Dust clouds the area as the guards who wore long sleeved white shirts and pants ran up. Trying to keep from falling and getting the flying dust in their eyes.

"What's going on?!"

"I don't know! All of a sudden it just happened!"

"Damnit, are the patients secure int heir rooms?!"

"Yes!"

The workers yell to each other as the debris suddenly pick up and fall around the ground which itself was coming up. It then shot out and pinned three of the worker's to the back wall.

"Good Ceciela, you've gotten better."

Bermuda and Ceciela walk through the hole in the wall, into the building. The halls were big and stretched out. bermuda looked to his right and could spot a set of small stairs leading to a higher platform. He nudges his head and Ceciela follows as they both begin walking over.

As the reach from without the earlier hall, and into this bigger area of space, workers suddenly swarm out. All of them seem to be built men. And they're coming with their bare hands held out.

"WHy are you attacking this place, we have critical patients here!", yells one as he comes up to Bermuda and bearhugs him from behind.

"Yes, I know. You have a patient I'm looking for by the way. Care to tell me where he is, so I don't have to waste all your precious bodies in a frey?"

Another clamps down on Bermuda's hands, another on his legs. Then another wrapped his arms around his neck. They were trying to subdue him.

Ceciela had men surrounding her.

"If you touch her, I might kill you by mistake...", Bermuda warns them.

As soon as the first one grabs her by her wrist, he jerks his head out of the lock, and sends the back of it flying into the one holding him from behind's face. Then he steps and kicks off the one holding his legs. The one holding his wrists lets go and punches him across th eface. He ignores it and grabs him by his collar, he spins over one-eighty degrees and send shim flying into the air.

He huffs and turns, running to the ones bumrushing Ceciela. Before he gets there, the ground around her rises up to make a sphere, with her in the center.

"Good, stay in there, the air won't last but trust that you'll be out long before you feel it."

Inside the sphere of sediment, Ceciela is knelt and can here all the grunts and moans outside.

Five minutes later she hears a final groan.

"Okay Ceciela, come on out."

The sphere breaks apart into dirt around her and she rises. Seeing all the guys laying in pain.

"Hurry, we must find him before authorities are able to make it to the scene."

Ceciela nods and both start storming up the stairs. The run down futher but aren't seeing the rooms which kept the patients. Bermuda stopped, then heard whimpers. He ran to a desk that was positioned near the stairs and looked under it to see a female worker shaking.

Bermuda looked at her calmly, "Please miss, I need you to tell me where the rooms are."

"You're sick! Attacking a facility for mental patients...."

"They attacked first, it was self defence. Hmm, better yet, can you tell me where to find a...Miles?"

She looks at him like he's crazy. "What do you want with him? Miles is specially put up in the last room against the hall. But you can't!"

Bermuda thanks her as he runs past Ceciela and signals with his right hand to follow with a flick of the wrist. "Hurry Ceciela!"

They run more, another set of stairs, and then run futher down. Bermuda turns his head to the right and sees a long hallwall, the knobs of the doors coming out to make a pattern.

At the far end he spots a special-looking door though. It had bars.

Ceciela turns and the men from before are limping and crawling towards the first set of stairs. But in small portion.

"They're coming Bermuda!", she exclaimed.

Suddenly the alarms blared through the building.

Bermuda and Ceciela ran down this hall and came to the door, a name slate to the side had the name: Miles Victorian, written on it.

"This is it Ceciela, do your stuff!"

She concentrates and the ground just under the door slipped and crackled. Suddenly it just fell altogether and left a gaping hole for the door to fall down with.

Bermuda jumps over the hole and approaches a figure with a bowl-shaped haircut cradled in the corner.

The straightjacket on him so his arms were crossed. Bermuda noticed he seemed to be whispering some kind of nensence, but it only made him smiles.

"Miles Victorian. Rise to your feet! I am recuiting you specifically to join my unit."

Miles turns his head and stares at Bermuda while still muttering.

Beermuda strokes his chin, "How about this...you come with me and I'll grant you freedom from this place."

The incoherant Miles seemed to understand that well enough. His huge black eyes opened up futher, and he stood up.

Bermuda smirked, "Good choice.", he grabbed each side of the straightjacket and pulled apart. There was a tearing sound and suddenly Mile's arms hung down within the broken straightjacket.

Bermuda grabbed his hand and felt a spark tickle his palm, they jumped over the hole and joined Ceciela in running back out the hall.

Suddenly the workers appeared in the way, holding their injuries.

The three stop and turn to run back.

"Do it Ceciela!"

She nods, then the hole back wall of Mile's room falls reminiscent of the door. Leaving the view of the land.

They jumped over the first hole and then braced as all three leaped out into this open.

Bermuda laughed the hole way down.

.................................................................................................... ....


Another picture gets set down.

In it's place the last picture goes up into his view.

.................................................................................................... ....


Bermuda is trailing by himself through the woods. Quite honestly, he was lost.

He had been thrown in this place by mistake during a fight with his last enemy. What kind of person's ability is to make you go away? It annoyed him that surely Alex would take his place in claiming the victory.

So as he moves without haste, he can only think of making there in time.

He spots a bunny hop across to another set of bushes and stops to take a fighting stance. Then he realizes how foolish he feels and shakes his head, continuing his speed walking.

There was a straight path and while he wanted to take it due to it being safe, he decided to cut across as it would be faster. The lack of hesitation he was feeling was disrupting his thinking.

As he brush branches from his face length, the thought of the straight path bug him. "Ah, this hasn't been my best decision all day."

"Aah, ugh......raugh...Damn......", stressed and pain-ridden words can be heard.

Bermuda stops and feels the voice. He suddenly has an urge to meet whatever had this much pain within it's heart. So now his haste was directed towards this instead.

He followed the cries alll the way to a vast open space which had a large boulder in the center. Coming from without each side he saw the wings. Wings that looked like they belonged to an angel. He runs. Greatly wanting to meet what this was.

Bermuda shoots from around the rock and meets eyes with this creature.

It's eyes grew and then dimmed. This was a griffon and it was sitting with it's knees to it's chest. Arms lain out to the sides.

"Go away human. I don't feel like any kind of interaction right now."

Bermuda walked up more and examined him, "Ah, a griffon!!! I've never seen one before!"

It looked at him and swung it's arms with a long reach that almost caught Bermuda off guard. "I said go!! Leave me to at least grieve by myself!"

Bermuda suddenly turned to a look of seriousness, "What's wrong my friend?"

"What? 'Friend'? You must not joke with me when I'm this vunerable."

Bermuda walks over and sits with his legs crossed next to this huge creature. "I care now. Because you care. What's your name?"

The griffon looked over at him, the blue fur over his cheeks was damp with tears. "Cornelius. There, now leave. I don't know you."

Bermuda shrugs, "See, that's the idea. When we're introduced it's one more step to being comrades."

"What?", Cornelius questioned.

"Griffons...are creatures of the sky. One with the air. You look like a mighty warrior yourself. I see something special in you, and I want it. So, why not? Join my team."

Cornelius scoffs and turns his head, "I don't follow humans."

Bermuda rolls up his left sleeve to reveal his arm, "Who says I'm really human?"

Cornelius turns back to look at the arm, "That means nothing, I won't be fed by your lies. You can't expect me to not even know your name and then follow you. Get away from me."

Bermuda uses his right palm to smack his forehead, "Ah, of course. Listen, my name is Bermuda Sakana. I am the prince of Atlantis."

Cornelius scoffs again, "More lies."

"Then how could I know the great Neptune? He was my father. Is that what's getting you? A family ordeal?"

"That's none of your buisiness...'prince'."

"Call me Bermuda. Listen, you're going to come with me. Whether you like it or not. You're too good not to be fighting by me."

"Why do you speak of me as strong when you don't know my history?! Why do you think I'm down here on this horrible land?! I'm an exile! I am a weakling!!!", his angered face goes into Bermuda's.

"I know.", Bermuda responces. "Thrown from the grasps of your family, never again to see them. I know how you are feeling right now, cause I've been through it. Probally worse than you. I can never return to Atlantis. And it's not like I am welcome back. I am hated there, even though I am the prince rightfully."

Cornelius calms and looks on at Bermuda, "So..you're not lying?"

Bermuda shakes his head, "You are the first person I've ever spoken this to. And you will probally always be it. But don't let the way it sounds get to you. Or how it feels. When I look at you I can't help but see someone mighty. A goliath. That's why I already speak of us as comrades. Imagine. What if I told you that by joining my unit you will never feel like this again, and you will gain strength. Now, the pain of being thrown from your own kind will never go away completely. But it would never be as severe. And you will be given new purpose in life. I bet you've contemplated suicide..."

Cornelius looks down at the ground in shame.

Bermuda taps his arm and moves his hand upward, "I've done it too. But it would be the worse thing to do. Cause then. Then you would NEVER be able to prove them wrong. Never. You will have failed yourself and made their action justifiable. Join me Cornelius....Join me and make them regret ever doing this to you."

Cornelius looks him in his blue eyes to search his feelings and try and read him. He could tell he wasn't lying about any of it, this was how he felt. He began standing, and after being slightly surprised by the action, Bermuda stands as well.

His wings close in to his back, "What is this unit you speak of Bermuda?"

Bermuda smiles, "It's an orginization bent on righting wrongs. I am the leader of the element unit. You are the wind. If it's not to soon for me to request, what would be your full name?"

He holds his big hand out as he replies, "Cornelius S. Warner And you have your wind, for now. But if I never reach your status, I will quit and disband from your reach."

Bermuda takes his hand with his own, however small it was by comparison, and completes the shaking motion.

"I'm glad to have you Cornelius. I promise you won't regret it. There are three others besides me in our unit. I have always only wanted five. So you complete the unit Cornelius. Don't worry, if this was a trap I would have sprung by now. Besides, I found you completely by mistake."

Cornelius wipes at each of his cheeks and shakes his head, not believing the option he's been given.

"Now--", Bermuda walked out a little more, "--just how do we get out of these woods?"

.................................................................................................... ....


Bermuda sighs and sets the last picture of the might griffon down in place.

His eyes skim over all the pictures as a whole.

"I can't believe it. I managed to create my new family. Oh thank God."

His eyelids feel heavy, and he allows them to go. Rubbing his hands together slowly and yawning faintly.

The pictures of each of them go through his head once more, before sleep sweeps over him.

[Youko Recca]

Chapter Forty: Juice







The full week later has been fullfilled.

Soda finds himself still down in his pool of depressing realization. He's walking through the lounge area, already used ot it's theme.

A white coat comes running through the door, "Mr. Samsons!"

Soda stares at him with a blank slate of emotion, "What?"

"You left the clubhouse without prior notice! Were you followed?!"

"No, I covered my tracks right. Listen guy, I'll go straight to Max about my sudden trip. You make sure you go get me more clips for my gun. Got it?"

The employee does a reluctant nod as he turns and gets followed by Soda in to the stairwell. He goes towards the basement, Soda begins to make his way up.

"Don't drop it Rick!"

Soda walks through the door and into the hallway to see a women dictating a small group of men carrying, what looked like, heavy boxes towards Soda. Probally going to another floor. Soda backed up and held the door open as all four of them walked into the stairwell. He lets go of the door.

"Thanks!", he hears before the door closes.

His feet were walking wider than usual. He still hadn't gotten over the feeling.

After a minute of walking he comes to the front of the door of which Max is staying. He grabs it and goes inward.

Max is standing up next to his bed. Tying the green sash around his waist. His black eyes look over and notice Soda.

"Well look who it is. What was with you leaving at random like that Soda? Imagine if anyone spotted you, imagine if one of our enemies got ahold of you!"

"We have enemies?", Soda says.

Max looks at him like he's stupid, "In our line of work, what would you expect? Whatever. We're going to go and get back those bastards."

Soda's eyes looked over Max. Surprised by how fast he had healed. He pictured himself in Max's place and figured he would have died during the initial attack. From the way it was described to him, it certainly didn't come without pain. "Uh, Max, the sun was rising when I made my way in here."

"Seriously?! Ah, damnit!", he jabs the air in aggrivation. "I was ready for them now!"

Soda can't believe this. "Are you that damn ignorant? Dumbass, they almost killed all of us! Why would you want to go back for seconds?! As far as I'm concerned, we're on the same side, no need to pick another pointless fight."

Max turns fully towards him and marches into Soda's face, "Well...as far as I'm concerned, you aren't in a position to decide that. Wait, you aren't scared right?", his face turns in a mixed question/smile look.

Soda just stares back, unflinchingly, in his eyes. Keeping silent.

Max backs out of his face and points at him, "Get over it. Whatever fears your having....get over them quick. Cause in fifteen hours, when that sun goes back down, we're gathering our things and paying the element morons a surprise visit. This isn't just because I want to get them back, oh no, this has to happen because I recruited a problem. And that problem has an inner problem of it's own. This is for her Soda."

Soda faces his back to Max and starts making his way out. As he opens the door and starts walking away, Max sighs and tries getting in one last word.

"Family dilemma Samsons. We'd do the same for you. And we will."

Soda hears him and then stands ilent to make sure he's done. Then he continues to walk out.

Max lowers his face and rubs his temples with both index and thumb fingers. While doing this he rotates his body and sits down, sticking both his feet into his boots.

There's a collection of knocks on his door.

"Come in.", he says.

The door opens again and it's Noc.

Max is tying his shoes. "What do you want?"

"I heard your conversation. Do you think we should immediatly go into this? Soda does have a point, it's not a priority."

Noc walks foward as Max finishes and sits up.

"Well, it is when we have an age sixteen atlantian girl on our team. She won't be at her best if we don't do this. Neither will I or any of us. But she would have it the worst."

Noc strokes his chin, "So we're gonna be leaving at nine. Sorry, it's my fault for that.", he lowers his head and looks up at him.

Max raises eyebrows, "What?"

"I'm the reason the team will never be at full capacity during day operations. I wish I could bask in the sun along you guys.", he grips his shirt tightly.

"Stop that. If anything you saved us from getting our tails whooped again. I didn't have a plan. So we would have gone in blind. But given the time we can make up something this time. Be prepared. I don't regret you being my partner either. We kicked ass even before the new guys joined."

Noc laughed and waved, "Ha, true. Anyway, you are probally going to get your last check-up before coming back I presume. So I'll leave you now and go fill in the others."

He makes his way out and leaves Max to sit on the bed.

Max feels those sniffles again. He feels under his nose in a panic. There's a liquid there. He brings his hand up and his facial expression shifts to digust. "Ugh. Oh well, guess It's better than blood..."

He gets up and walks over to the sink to wash his hands with soap.

Back out in the halls Noc has caught up to Soda who just turns the corner to head for the main door.

"Soda hun, there you are!"

He doesn't even turn his head. "What do you want Noc? Not exactly in the mood."

Noc sighs, "Aw, that's kinda mean there Soda. I was just going to ask how it went."

Soda places his hand on the pad while looking behind at the hyper vampire, "What do you mean? Oh wait. So you guys knew what I did?"

"Of course. We have foot soldiers taking care of minor things here and there. A couple occassionaly check into what you did. Must say I'm impressed, you brought down a crime boss pretty quick."

The door clicks and begins opening. Soda shakes his head.

"I got lucky he had that deal going down when it did. Otherwise I would have taken another week to catch him. If I had that much time on the outside that it. What really surprised me was how the DEA got there so quick."

Noc looked away.

"I thought so.", Soda said while walking in to their private lounge area.

Trent's sitting there in the recliner watching something. Slouching.

"Trent, where's Mizu?", demands Soda.

He raises his hand and points with his index finger to her room and then moves over with his middle finger to Soda.

Soda grits his teeth and tries to ignore it.

"Where are YOU going?", Noc asks.

Soda stands infront of his door and turns, "Uh...my room. I am allowed to do that right?"

Noc shrugs and starts waling back out the closing door.

Soda reaches and opens his door. He suddenly feels the cool A/C hit his body as he's in his room. Everything's as he left it. He walks over to his couch and lays out. About to give all his time to falling asleep.

Outside, the show Trent was watching had it's credits rolling. He then began channel surfing.

"Where does this place get it's cable....", he mumbles to himself.

As he's going, he passes a channel that has a women looking to be kneeling weirdly. He goes back one and then sees that she's actually naked. With a guy holding her at her waists from behind. Also naked from what he could, luckily not, tell. Both are bobbing up and down like a seesaw. Trent's eyes get wide. The slow jazz music playing is suddenly overlapped by a scream of pleasure from the female's hanging mouth. Trent quickly begins lowering the volume.

Trent watches on for a few minutes.

"I can't believe these people get paid to do this."

He leans foward and watches as the girl is switched to the front. Bad camera works gives a shot of the male's ass. Trent quickly turns around and faces to the side.

"Damnit, there should be a warning about that ****..."

That's when Mizu's door starts opening. He looks at it and fumbles the remote in his hand before turning the channel back to a goofy cartoon.

Mizu walks out in her normal attire and looks at him, "What are you doing?"

Trent stands up quickly and makes an array of silly gestures with his arms and body. Inside, feeling his heartbeat at an up.

"Oh, nothing! Just seeing what's on the ass--I mean, what's on the tube!", he could feel himself sweat a bit.

She steps foward, blades at hand. "Has Soda returned yet?"

"Yeah. And Max is up as well! Oh, and we will probally be leaving later today. The sun's up, meaning the vampire wouldn't be able to come if we went at the moment."

Mizu's eyes are staring hard, even when they really aren't.

Trent's forest green was no match for her icy blue. He holds back a gulp.

"Okay.", she starts walking for the main door.

When her back's to him, he sighs and falls back into the chair. He hears the click with his eyes closed and open ears.

"Trent.", he suddenly hears her say.

He hops back up out of his seat, "Y--yeah?!"

"Does Soda seem ready for battle again?"

"Sure...I guess."

She lowers her head as the door clicks back to a close.

Trent falls back again, Screw this. It's not worth the effort on my conscious to watch that crap.

He recloses his eyes as his body mellows and his heartbeat returns to a regular.

[Youko Recca]

Hours passed quickly as each member hadn't been in contact for a total of six.

Trent had eventually fallen asleep on the recliner. Soda slept also. Max was just about done with his exam. Mizu and Noc were unseen, most likely back in those rooms Noc had reserved.

The person Soda met earlier who he asked to get him more ammo, was wandering around, trying to find him or the core members of the unit.


Scene transition.

Back in Bermuda's office, the opening and closing of his door awakens him. He looks around and then raises in his seat.

Standing infront of his desk is Ceciela.

"Bermuda, we've been assigned a mission."

He yawns and looks at her, "Oh really, what is it?"

She steps foward to fill the gap between her and the desk, handing him an assortment of papers.

Bermuda flips and skims through them with a lack of interest, "How boring. Routine stop at a dam. Why does Jack have us working crap cases as of late?"

Ceciela doesn't bare him any reaction.

Bermuda holds out his arm and lets the files fall on the surface of his desk. Upon landing they all spread out a little.

"How long till our chopper's ready?"

"Three hours."

"Okay, despite that being a little longer than usual, I can work with it. You may leave if you want Ceciela."

She peers at him through her glasses. Noticing something different about him. He looks up and notices her staring at him. "Something wrong?", he asks.

Ceciela just turns and makes her way out of his office. He had a lag on his door so it closed slowly. Not that it mattered though, you could see right into his office regardless. Unless he pulled the blinds, which rarely happened.

Outside of his office was the open workplace. People dressed in casual clothing worked desks, and moved around constantly. Ceciela turned into a hall. Alex was waiting for her.

"He got it?"

Ceciela nods and continues walking past him.

He turns to her back, "Not even a mutter. Wonder what's got under her skin.", he laughs and walks on. People would pass him up like he was just another guy. He had always savored this.


Switch Back.

"Wake up!"

Trent has the voice of Max yell in his left ear, it wakes him up immediatly.

He looks up at him in a grumpy mood, "Nice way to screw my sleep Max. Looking for a rematch?", he grits his teeth while leaning over the edge of the recliner to try and get in his face.

Max holds his index finger out and pokes him inbetween the imprinted letters on his knitcap, right around his forehead area. This pushes on him for two second sbefore he feels his finger get heavy and pulls back quickly.

"Shut up and just get over it. You'll sleep plenty tommorow. And besides...me wanting a rematch would have to have warrented in me losing to you. Which I didn't. Yeah, so, can it. Where's Soda?"

Trent cracks his knucles, "In his room."

Max walks over and basically punches the surface of Soda's door. The impact is loud.

Trent looks over his shoulder. Both of them waiting awhile before the door begins opening. Max backs up as Soda steps out and promptly closes his door behind him. Rubbing at one eye while yawning.

Trent faces back foward while slouching, "Gotta fornicate everyone's sleep don't you...?"

Max raises his fist over to Trent and then faces back to Soda, "It's been almost five hours. We should probally start planning our move for tonight."

Soda walks around Max and sits on the couch. Yawning again.

Max turns around and throws bag from without his inner sash, onto Soda's lap. He could have squeeled in the pain, but held it in.

"Those are your clips for Mongoose. Met the guy on my way in."

There's a click. Meaning someone's coming in. Unsurprisingly it's Noc and Mizu, both holding weapons in hand.

Max puts on a smile, the two walk over and sit down, while he stands infront of the television now. "Good we're all here. As it's known, we have gotten our conjointed ass handed to us. We will be fighting them again, but with different results. Listen up!", he bark sout to get Trent and Soda wider awake, "I know that the element unit will be moving out by chopper in about two and a half hours or so. Their mission deals with investigating a common dam. I want to be there before them and execute a desisive ambush."

"Sounds good Max, but then what?", asks Noc.

Max's hands are moving alot while he goes on explaining, "How we present ourselves to them is simple. We'll start by each attacking our main fight by the initial surpise from the ambush. Now afterwards they'll mean buisiness, so instead of taking them seperate from the get-go, we do a team bout. Try to make it a team bout."

Trent raises his hand and speaks shortly after, "Why should that matter, wouldn't that make them stronger too?"

"Ah, but not if we plan. We know roughly what they can throw at us. All we need to know is how to counter and have our attacks accent each other's. And incase they're whizzes when it comes to team battle, the whole counter thing must come into play. We gotta think like them. Who would water go to for help on attack....What would earth need to amplify it's defence. Once we know we can block the attack, and break the defence."

The four sit silent, letting him go on.

Max gets into it, using the next hour to explain in detail.

The clock hanging on their wall ticks away.

"Not bad. Especially for a guy like you."

"The hell does that mean Trent?", asks Max.

Trent shrugs and rises to his feet, followed by the three others. All start walking for the main door.

Max walks to the front as usual, he places his hand on the pad and there's the click, and the opening. He pulls and helps it go faster. Then they're all walking down the halls to a point where the common workers had to move out of their way entirely.

Coming to the end of the hall, one by one they enter the stairwell and begin climbing down.

Soda had inserted all his ammo into the pockets of his vest and pants, Mongoose at his right side like usual. Loaded and ready to go. He just still didn't feel in it as much as the others though. "So, are you sure about us taking helicopter? Why haven't we been using that from the start?", he asks.

Max jumps the last step down and heads towards the basement door, "I'm borrowing it from Gale. We haven't gotten our system back in place yet."

All besides Max and Noc got what he meant, but they figured it didn't matter now.

Mizu had her grip on his bokutos tight throughout. Anxious to move out.

Max walks in, takes but a minute or two, and comes out with a similar rifle from before.

Trent groans, "Yay. Are we EVER going to see your 'beautiful' weapon?"

Max back to the front while placing it over on his back. Ignoring Trent's question. He throws a large black blanket to Noc, "Be careful. Keep close behind me."

They mearly walked into the lounge. Then the distance between the door and the main door. Max put his hand on the door and looked back. "Ready? We'll have to meet with whoever Gale sent to hand over the helicopter a few blocks away from the wall, on the roof of the building. Let's move with some life now. From here on out, this is it."

All give him confirmed looks.

Noc throws the blanket over himself. He could see faintly out, but he would definitely need to stay close.

Max turns his face back and pushes. They all immediatly start running.

[Youko Recca]

"Huh, we there yet?", the bored voice of Alex slowly dawns from the behind Bermuda.

They were all in the helicopter, and in the middle of flying over to the dam. Outside was getting meaker, evening was growing.

"Yes. Be quiet.", states Ceciela in her usual no-nonsence tone.

Alex looks over to the back of her head with a dirty look, "Thanks Ceciela. I'll remember your good hearted responce while I'm burning your books to ash."

"Don't even joke about that.", she replies.

Bermuda is smiling at the whole thing, "Why do you guys mess with each other like this. Ha, how you holding back there Conelius?"

The winged creature rose his head to the sound of his name. "Just dandy."

Bermuda looks back at the three of them, "You all went to the bathroom before this right?"

"I don't do that.", says Alex.

Cornelius mearly nods.

Miles is muttering with his face leaned against the window.

"What kind of question is that anyway?"

Bermuda looks specifically over to Alex, "Well there's no way we'll be able to go while on a mission, I always ask."

"Yeah and I repeatedly find it strange."

"Then do so. And you know I wasn't talking to you anyway.", he sits back facing foward. "And you two better not be holding it in. Just saying, if you had to go you just screwed yourself over."

"You're a dumbass...", Alex muttes under his breath. Bermuda heard it but didn't respond.

The helicopter made it's way through the brush of clouds it was going through.

Over on the horizen they could see the dam. It was fairly big. Along the top was the large road for which vehicles could make thier way across. The side of the wall held the water out on one side for each wide side, on another, inward side, the wall trailed down and there at the bottom was a small river of water running. A big enough walkway for a small group of people to move along at the same time was means of moving along the river.

Ceciela pushed foward on the control, planning to land on the road. She gave the parts of the dam she could scan a good look. She didn't like the feeling that suddenly touched her.

"This seems rather ordinary. What are we to do?"

Bermuda shrugs, "Something about potential leakage dangers. In addition to some other stuff. The report was rather vague now that you mention it. Why? You feel it too?"

She gazes him in the eyes just as the helicopter takes it's land on the road atop the dam.

They all sit in it quietly for a few minutes.

Bermuda sighs and reaches for the handle to the door, pushing it open and up. He leans out and walks off the step. "Let's do it."

They all start making their way out. The sun has long been descended. And the dark is drawing near.

Light wind is blowing up out here. One could hear all the water gushing around. The protective gate that was meant to keep people from falling to their death, rattled to the beat of the water's rhythm. The air was fresh.

All five of them began walking away from their means of transportation. Bermuda leading.

"Where's the sign of the disturbance exactly?", he throws the question with his tone getting serious.

"Near the bottom of the dam wall.", Ceciela, like usual, took it upon herself to answer his question.

Alex huffs and takes advantage of what she said, "Geez Ceciela, you have to be so fowl?"

She ignores his petty jokes like she, and everyone, usually does.

Miles begins to lag a bit. Cornelius stops and waits for him to slowly catch up to his side. "Hurry Miles, you're moving too slowly."

"The--the--him, he...said.....", his mumbling self-rantings went unnoticed nowadays. Everyone had given up trying to interpret what any of what he said meant. They figured it was just him being insane, but barely functional enough to understand them. He was like an animal. With issues.

Cornelius knew not to physically touch Miles, so he waves for him as he walked just infront of him to try and shorten the distance between the other three and the two of them.

Bermuda looks back at the two, "Hurry up.", he demands.

Then he suddenly passes Ceciela and Alex, as they stops and look fowards with intense stares.

Bermuda, with his head still looking back, sees them. "What is it?"

He turns his head straight and sets his sights to match theirs.

All the way across the other side of the road along this dam was a person. He was tall and was holding...something infront of him. He was shrouded by something dark covering from the top of him.

Bermuda's eyes squinted as he tryed to make the figure out more clearly, "Who is that?"

"UGH!!!"

Bermuda looks back and sees Mizu, much to his surprise. He runs up to them a bit, and his face shifts to rage as he spots her blade cutting along the side of Cornelius. Nothing fatal, as he had barely evaded, but still bleeding a bit.

She flips back, raising elegantly on her heels. Cornelius drops to his right knee, grasping the newly formed wound.

Then they all hear the loud gunshot. It whizzes past Bermuda's head, he ducks and it hits Alex right through his shoulder. Soda comes running from the the road.

Bermuda can't concentrate on where to focus first.

Suddenly he turns to the gates as they rattle more and more savagely.

Max comes climbing up, jumping off the top of it and coming down towards Bermuda. He's gritting his teeth hard and looking like a wild man.

The arm he has pullied back suddenly shoots foward, and along with his body to the ground, the fist comes crashing down on Bermuda's face. Impact of it causes the atlatian prince to stumble and fall on his back.

Cecilea thinks of how to handle the situation. Not wanting to make the dam collaspe in a reaction to her power, but still not just stand around while this all happend.

The figure they saw at the far other end was now running at them with the object still pointed out.

Bermuda springs back to his feet and looks with great animosity to Max, "You stupid fools...did you not learn anything?!!!"

Max smirks, "Guess not!", he steps foward and his fist swings around again. Stops the fist before gracing Bermuda's face, so that as the atlantian is moving his face over to do what he think's would be avoiding, it's actually about to plow right into Max's left fist he has coming over instead.

Bermuda's entire head whips back as he stumbles again. He reacts by lowering foward, downward, and lunging for Max's gut. He strikes rapidly around his abdomen area. With each punch, drawing it out to make sure the pain registers. As he starts running with his punches, Max is on his back heels being puched back.

Starting to get over the initial pain of it, Max sidesteps suddenly and knees Bermuda in his stomach. As he bends over, Max follows by jumping over and bringing his elbow down hard on his neck.

Bermuda drops to his knees and turns his head over to take a punch across his jaw that sends his body turning on to the ground.

Max grabs him by the throat and pushes down while he drags him across this rigid road.

Alex growls and jumps to try and come down on Max.

Soda runs infront of the scuffle between Max and Bermuda, and where Alex was jumping down from. His pearl eyes look up to the demon, the barrel of his gun points up. Soda then feels what's inside him starting to bloom.

"We all have to face our demons some time...", he says solemnly. Foolishly lowering his gun.

Alex decides a change of plans. He lands infront of Soda and looks on with his fire into the pearl gun-toter's eyes.

"I'll definitely kill you this time."

Alex says this just before throwing his molten fist into Soda's stomach. His fist burns through the vest he's wearing and sends him flying back into the gate. The punch feels so strong and sweltering, it's pain nothing like he had felt before. It was hard to recover from these hits. Alex walks over and punches him in the same place, now sending the gasping Soda through the gate and falling down the side of the dam's wall.

Alex jumps through the newly formed hole in the gate, falling down after Soda.

Mizu grimaces at the sight.

Miles sees her and starts feeling a buzz. And it becomes very much literal as the sparks start dancing around him again.

Cornelius stand and turns. A familiar fist shoves itself into his nose, he feels himself get heavier at the same time. His head looks back to see Trent standing there.

"Where are you coming from?!", asks a puzzled Cornelius. Taken much by surpise by their ambush.

Trent takes a step back as the tip end of Noc's weapon come hurdeling into Cornelius's side. Sending him rolling along the ground. His wings fluttering in a forceful motion.

Noc is still running however. And he's still far away from them. The Nyoibou had stretched all the way to where the main action was happening, and was now retracting back to it's normal length. Noc reached over and threw the blanket off the top of him. His black hair flowing with the calm wind.

His arms jolt as the Nyoibou catches within itself, coming back to itself. He has a satisfied smile on his face.

Trent goes walking after the hurting griffon. You're...MINE!

Ceciela is running over to where Max and Bermuda are scuffling. A small portion of the dam's top flies upward and makes itself like a glove over her right fist. She stops infront of Max. He looks over and she punches dog-man across his cheek. All the rock on her hand breaks on his skin. The remains slowly start peeling from her fist.

Max falls on his side and coughs away dirt that had gotten into his mouth.

She begins helping Bermuda up to his feet.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes.", he says. "Take care of the vampire again. Keep him away, that weapon of his is troublesome."

Ceciela nods and runs to go meet Noc halfway, flinging away the last of the falling dirt off her hand.

Noc sees her coming at him and his teeth poke out through his mouth, his tongue rubbing around them as a result of his delight.

Soda is tumbling along the wall, on his way to a certain death. Barely able to avoid breaking various body parts, and keep Mongoose in hand. Above him Alex is running along the wall. His feet seeping thinly through it's surface to leave faint burns. Quickly catching up to Samsons's falling body.

Max gets up and Mizu passes him, blades just above the other infront of her. Her stance perfect while running up to deal with her brother.

He lets her go, knowing it was going to resort to this. He turns and there is Miles look a little ways up to him with those huge eyes. It caused Max to immedialty jump back and get a fair distance.

Max stares at Miles and feels something come over him, for a few seconds he feels whoozy. Liquid exits his nose. Damnit! What a perfect time for this!!!

He wipes the blood from under his nose and regains his standing. Focusing back on Miles, who he knew was HIS opponent. Deeply listening to his muttering. "The hell are you going on about?", he tries walking up to him but a bolt suddenly charges out from his lowered palm and zaps Max into midair. While falling, Miles raises his arms, placing the the bottom of his palms atop each other and sending a large shot of electricity flying to hit Max and sustain him a second longer in the air before he falls back before him on the ground.

Max's clothes are starting to sizzle, and the edges are all rigid in a pattern now. "Lightning boy, eh? Heh, nice.", Max raises and runs at Miles.

Miles faces his palm out and another bolt shoots out. Max rolls to the side and feels the heat of the bolt as it passed by him. It goes on to hit Mizu just before she goes for a slash at Bermuda.

Max hears her scream and turns around, "Son of a...", he looks back as Miles stares blankly past him. He's smarter than he looks.

Two more pieces of the road strip up and wrap around Ceciela's fists just before confronting Noc.

Noc concentrates, Just...that much., he thinks to himself. Picturing how long he wanted his staff to grow. Sure enough it stretched out so it was just a tad longer than the regular size.

Ceciela went straight for the punches. Noc bobbed in and out, spinning around them and letting her go foward, with one end of his staff smacking her across her ass.

She didn't look at all amused before coming at him again.

Trent now stood infront of Cornelius. The griffon has been given another chance to stare down at the boy.

"Why? I let you live, so why taint that option?"

Trent scoffed, "Screw that. Just because I'm young, don't mean jack! Treat me like you would treat my leader."

Cornelius's eyes sharpened, "Is that trully what you wish young man?"

Trent's cocky face lit up as his fists clenched and his knucles cracked in harmony, "You'll wish you had killed me when I'm through with you..."

[Youko Recca]

Blades cut at the sky, sounds of another helicopter coming over the dam road was increasing. Trent ran over to an open space as it swished downward and a person hanging out from the door dropped his pogo straight into his hands. It then zooms over and drops the rifle to Max. Once the pilot sees they have done like they were told, he starts flying them away.

Once Max gets the feel in his hand he get down on his right knee and begins by flipping a small rod-like component, making sure it was ready to shoot. He then takes the scope off, as he never needs it. His aim takes place on Mile's leg. The second he gets what he wants, he pulls at the trigger. Max didn't even pay attention to the 'weak' recoil of the rifle as the formidable bullet is already starting into Mile's leg. As it begins to rip through the cartilage, a zap happens and it stops. The bullet then pushes out with static around it and gets sustained in the air before Miles. He examined the bullet with the look of wanting to know why it hurt him for the second it did.

Max cursed to himself and pushed up on the component again, taking aim this time at his left shoulder. He fires. Miles is expecting this kind of attack now however, and the static around him bursts into a full on coat. The bullet doesn't even make it to his epidermis.

Max moves the rifle away from his face and looks at him with surprise, "What the hell?!"

The two bullets wrapped in electricity slowly turn around and point back to Max. Miles suddenly begins snickering, "Die dog!!!". His voice is crazed in the passion of control. And the bullets now whiz at Max.

Max grunts and leaps upward. The bullets stop in the spot he once was. They have a static pop, and then rise up their points back to Max. They fly up at him. He can't evade and both pass through him. One goes through his side, and the other through his left shoulder. He feels the excruciating pain of his flesh burning from the inside even after they pass through. Max drops with his back to the ground.

Miles likes this feeling, he wants to experience it futher.

Ceciela's leg rises around and the shin thrusts over to hit Noc in his neck. However, he blocks by raising Nyoibou just in time. She's growing more and more weary of not being at her strongest potential.

Both her fists jab three times each, missing every one of the intended hits.

Noc is taunting her with his constant smile. She throws a hard right swing. Noc backs his head up to avoid. Her fist stops and swings back. Noc uses his left forearm to block. Then her wrist flicks and the sediment that hard formed a glove over her hand now flew right over and covered Noc's face.

Turnal was surpised and couldn't evade, he stumbled back and pulled at at it. He wouldn't suffocate luckily, but was blind to the world. To atleast make it hard for her, he constantly moved in different abstract postions.

Futile, as he feels something grind into his stomach. And it doesn't stop hurting, for the hits were repeatedly coming in the same spot.

Noc finally flexed and ripped it from his face. He shook his head and blinked. He had a vision of his comrades fighting their fights, but Ceciela wasn't there. He turned and her shin smashes into the left of his neck. She then runs over and uses the left fist to punch him in his face.

Noc, without warning, bounces off his toes and is soaring through the sky. He wipes at his face. His gloves getting torn and stained with his own blood. While falling he points the tip of the staff down. It extends at a fast rate, having would have hit Ceciela had she not ran out of the way.

It's retracted as he lands and runs right back at her.

Mizu gets up from the shock, she peers back at Miles and Max fighting. Then looks back at her comign brother.

"Why stupid?! Why ruin the chance at getting to live a little longer?"

Mizu bends her knees slightly, one blade balances just over the other as she holds both out infront of her. Eyes set on where she wants to strike first. "One of us has to die bastard...or this will never be settled.", she then notices he's not wearing that necklace which kept the tear in it. "Where is it Bermuda?"

He figure she would have asked sooner or later, "Back at home. But it doesn't matter, you'll never see it again even if you do somehow manage to walk away this time. You can't use the training wheels to help you in battle, you abomination!"

Bermuda starts running. Mizu pays attention to his legs and arm movement, her heels slowly clamp on the road as she walks speedfully at him. Bermuda suddenly hops off the ground in a lunge at her, his body turns once and his right leg rise outward to go for a kick. Arms widespread.

Mizu jumps enough so her feet are level with his face, and applies the tip deep into his nose. At the same time his right fist plows harshly into her midsection. The ways they both came flying at each other are now revered as they go rolling off their necks on the ground and onto their feet quickly. Mizu takes stance immediatly, and Bermuda suddenly does the same. His stance being him with his left fist balled up and close to his chest, right hand palm-out and wide off his body. Left knee slanting slightly over. He looked sort of like he was bowing to her.

"A pogostick?", Cornelius questions the strange choice of weapon.

Trent bounces the tip on the ground, "Yep, you ready? I want you at your best attention."

Cornelius's face turns stern, "This is not a game child!"

Trent responds by throwing the pogo straight fowards with the bottom pushing into the griffon's stomach. It hits him and bounces right back into Trent's arms.

Cornelius rubs where it hit, "How futile..."

Trent looks around, thinking to himself. I can't fight here, I'll bust the dam down the middle. Hmm, where to...ah!

Trent's eyes realize that the road leads over to a dirt trail, which inturn leads onto a real street road. He could see it in the distance and remembered seeing it while they flew there.

He figured he'd have to get the griffon to follow him there some how.

The pogo bounces off the ground while in hand. Trent stops it and hops on, bouncing three times before taking off high into the sky. "Ha! Try catching me up here!"

Cornelius looks unamused as his wings flap out strongly, before letting him take off into the sky after Trent. He was coming faster than expected. His furry fist was coming right for Trent's face. He adds gravity around himself and drops incredibly fast out of the way of the attack. Cornelius misses and looks down as Trent bounced faintly off the ground three times before soaring up to his level again. Just this time a bit father way.

His wings looked like a maestro controlling the wind to his whim. Flapping out the front with such an easy flow.

Cornelius follows the bouncing Trent all the way to where the dirt started. That's where Trent landed and stepped off the pogo steps.

Cornelius loomed over in the sky still, He led me here. But why? This child isn't what he appears. He seemed to have made himself heavier earlier to avoid my attack. I see...his means of offence must be destructive, he didn't want to end up damaging the dam. yes, I won't take him lightly.

He scowls down at the cocky Trent, descending slowly till his feet touched the ground.

"I have you now!!!!", screams Alex Norian. He had passed the falling Soda up and was waiting at the bottom.

Soda didn't want what he knew was waiting for him, he feared it. A spur-of-the-moment action takes place and his left palm pushes off the wall. Now leaving him to just fall dangerously close. He maneurvers around so his feet faced downward, pointing Mongoose down for firing. He closed his left eye and fired another shot.

Alex jumped out of the way. The bullet easily busts through the hard walkway.

Soda saw that there was a chance he could land in the water, he turned and kicked off the wall. His ankles almost felt they would snap but didn't and he succeeded.

He braced, and brought his legs together as he made a huge splash right into the river around the walkway. It was pretty deep. Soda dropped within the water about ten feet and then rose slowly, his body motionless.

The demon had gotten up and walked over.

Alex looked into the water, "Crap, he better had survived that. Still can't believe this guy was the one to kill an eton. First human to do it...and he's such a weakling.", he bends down and looks into the rushing dark water.

There aren't any bubbles to spot due to the constantly moving water.

Alex finds himself looking at the water so long he notices his breaking reflection. He wondered if he would do that mirrors.

Then, suddenly, the tip of Mongoose's barrel petrudes from out of the water and into the firery center of Alex's left eye. The shot is loud as the bullet passes through Alex's eyesocket, coming through the left far side of his head to leave the exit wound.

The demon whips back and roars in pain.

Soda pokes his head from the water with a painful look of his own before falling back down into the water. Going back into a motionless state.

Alex is jolting around on the ground, the walkway sizziling due to his body rubbing all over it. "****! That bastard! RAUGH!"

Pearl eyes are open just enough to see water push around their owner's body. The light from the moon shines through and almost makes it a beautiful sight before complete black takes over, and eyes are wide shut.

"Oh no, not this again. Mr. Samsons can't you do anything right?"

Inside his unconscious head a familiar voice rings politely.

[Youko Recca]

Soda can feel wood driving into his back. He quickly leans foward and coughs up a large amount of water onto ground he couldn't see. He's wet all over. His head is lowered and he's surrounded in complete darkness. But more like engulfed by it. His arms feel behind and below, and he realizes he's sitting in a chair. His socks and pants feel uncomfortably soggy.

"Mr. Samsons, it hasn't been long has it?"

It was that voice again.

A dim light hanging suddenly appeared above the old man in the tuxedo. His arms folded infront of him as he shook his head and looked at Soda.

Soda saw him, "You again?! What now? Where is this?!"

The light began swining back and forth. Then after a swing it was hanging over Soda's head. He looked up to see it going back and forth. He then took this advantage and looked at himself.

Then another light appeared back over the old man. He stood straight, easily old, but not anywhere near crippled.

"You have reached near me again...Mr. Samsons. You can't keep doing this, you're too valuable."

"Why do I get the feeling you're avoiding the question old man..."

"Mr. Samsons, you end up here for a reason. Your own incompetense. It was foolish to let yourself wind up near me again. Mr. Samsons, whatever's eating at you, you have to dispatch soon. Or you'll be meeting me again shortly after this ordeal is through."

Soda tries standing but can't. "Oh yeah, well I don't find your words encouraging, or wise, or worth my damn time. Tell me where this is and who you are!"

The old man in the suit just smiles at him, "Mr. Samsons....her words were all the encouragement you should have needed."

The dim light starts swinging above the man again. Swish, swash, it's gone. His had gone as well. And darkness stretches out once again infront of Soda's eyes.

"Hello! Damnit!", Soda yells out, annoyed by the vagueness of this twisted visit.

A white light flashes and he feels the sting in his eyes having almost adjusted to the dark.

Soda's now looking up again. Water flowing all around him. He clenches his fists and gets a grip on himself. He quickly flips over and starts swimming to the surface.

He comes up halfway in the strong water, he puts his hand out and catches the last pole transcending from the ground near him. It was one of them that held this walkway up stable.

His hands grasp tightly as he crawls over the surface of the walkway soon enough and lays out in exhaustion. His ears, which had water falling out, pick up the sound of hard thumps drawing near. Obviously Alex had recovered just in time.

Soda turns over with his face now looking as the demon staggered his way.

His eyes look into his empty hands, then he quickly feels for Mongoose. It's in his holster. No time to wonder how, he just unclips and draws it into his right hand. He shakes and gulps, wondering what now.

Soda groans softly to himself while standing up. What did that old geezer spout again? Something about...already getting words of...

"You little pile of filth!", Alex is naturally still in a rage. "It'll take forever for my eye to reform, so that's not the problem....how I let you cause me pain, well,...that is mystery within itself. So don't mind if I return the favor!"

Soda is wobbling on his feet with knees forcefully bent. Still wincing off the shock of the fall.

He needs encouragement, he knows that much. But he thinks why. What is he doing this for.

And that's when it hits him. He realized he had no time to be scared for himself. Not when she was in that coma. Mizu's words from their talk in their quaters replay in his head. He sees that she had said all that to get him back into the mood. And now he knew. For his wife. The wife he would surely die for. He then played the faux scenario of his wife possibly dying, a straight line running through his mind. It's insane, that's not happening. Already his little girl, not her too. She was all he had left. She was why he was in this.

He can't fathom losing another.

Soda's face begins to turn to a look of badass, he points up his gun. Voice stern and concise.

"Do something shitface."

Alex crashes his fists together upon hearing, increasing pace. The spot where his eye once was now had caved in to itself.

Soda actually decides to run straight after Alex himself. This demon no longer scared him.

[Youko Recca]

Chapter Forty-One: The Ever-Shaking Soda








Alex raises his right hand up as Soda fires, the bullet swiftly goes through the center of his molten palm and chips his shoulder as he moves a little to his left. Alex is careful not to fall over as he swurves up to Soda's right and launches his fist for Soda's head.

Soda rotates his body and fires. There's a click, but no boom.

Damnit! Perfect timing...

Soda stoops down and the attacks flies over him, as he skitters over, he reaches in many different pockets for a clip. When it comes down to one last pocket he finds one, all the rest must have been lost in the water.

Soda looks up and the brute was coming again. He quickly starts reloading.

Not fast enough. Alex cups his hands and brings them down towards Soda. Soda rolls backwards as the walkway suddenly has a huge dent manifested where he was.

Soda continues, Come on...

Just as he finishes, Alex holds up his palm. Flame ignites in the air just above, into a small ball. Alex grins and leans foward with a mghty thrust.

Soda looks it down as he begins running foward, it passes him by as he leans his neck over and continues on.

Alex now holds both palms upward, and atop each new ball of fire, another ignites. There was a row of three going up on each hand. Alex pushes both hands foward, all leaving to fly at Soda's direction.

When it seems they were just coming straight, Soda calculates where he's going next. He moves to the center, where both rows would pass him.

Going through with it, he spots the two in each back row zoom to the sides. Then all of a sudden they all scatter into a pattern that seemed impossible to dodge at first noting.

Soda's eyes go wide as he stops in place and the first one goes under his right arm just as he shoots it up. His eyes constantly move as the spheres of fire constantly change position. Second and third one he avoids by ducking. But the fouth it right in position to behead him. Soda gasps and quickly moves his head to the right. The burn is still felt barely skimming his neck. He squints in the pain of it, but shakes off the delusion.

Soda stands and sidesteps the fifth, and hold Mongoose up. Shooting at the sixth. The bullet hits in the center of the fireball, and it dispells. Just before hitting Soda head on to his heart. "That's all I needed to do?"

Alex is already coming though.

Soda exhales deeply and runs foward again.

Both him and Soda come right to each other. Alex swipe across, Soda ducks again and brings the tip of Mongoose to his side. Firing another shot through Alex's side. It goes in that way, and comes out the other. Alex responds with bringing his knee up to smack right into Soda's face. It felt like getting hit suddenly by the hot surface of an oven. Soda's in the act of flying back already, blood flowing from his mouth. Alex follows through digging his palm into Soda's stomach for an intial attack. His arms and legs whip infront of him while it feels like his insides would churn. Alex is running and stops, pushing Soda off his hand and sending a spray of fire right along with him.

Alex looks on as Soda's body is engulfed in the flame, shooting back through the air. His look of success turns to confusion as he notices through the flame Soda maneuvers both hands to the front and then hears the loud reaction to him pulling the trigger.

The flame around Soda goes out as the bullet digs through it and comes fast to Alex.

Soda's body lands on it's back and goes rolling just on the edge of the walkway. He thanks God he was still wet, or the burning would be alot worse. On his tomach he looks up and sees the bullet he shot had entered Alex's chest and exited through the other side. But still the demon stood.

Knowing his job wasn't done, Soda struggles and begins standing. Pushing himself to it.

Alex seems a bit out of it however, now wobbling a bit himself. I'm letting that bastard get in too many hits...gotta kill him now!

Soda is back on his feet. The vest he was wearing falls off to nothing more than a thin strap around his ankles. His white shirt halfway on. Bruised and battered body beggining to get exposed. Soda reached over and ripped the remaining of his shirt off, putting one end inbetween his teeth and wrapping what was left of it around his left hand. Securing it tightly. Now fully exposed above the waist. Jeans full of holes. Shoes burnt. His hair was shorter now.

Soda looked at the ground infront of him, he began falling over, but caught himself with another step foward. No...not yet!

Step by step, Soda began going back into a run. Putting forth a ton of will to stay in this.

Up on the road Max was rolling constantly, avoiding getting fried. Each strike of electricity zapping a small hole where his head was previously at. Max springs into the air, off his hands, and lands just in time to take one to his already injured left arm.

The nerves in that arm were just about dead now. So he noticed the pain was less then the first strike.

Max jumps foward and goes straight for him, getting tired of constantly dodging.

Mizu moves her head out of the way of concrete punch coming from her brother. She raises her heel over while jumping and proceeds with a roundhouse kick to Bermuda's face. He takes it and slumps on one knee, before rising again and jumping into the sky. Twirling at a sideways angle, bringing his own foot across her face.

Mizu backflips after almost stumbling. While skidding to a solid hault, she gets a grip and looks up. Bermuda is already there sending his fist into her face.

"Finally showing some balls I notice!", Alex places his hand down on the walkway surface and a flame hops across it.

Soda times it right, jumps over the flame, and lands back steadily. Alex didn't want it easy, but was getting mad that nothing he did was working.

Alex holds his palm up and another sphere of fire ignites. There's also another shot from Soda's gun. Alex throws foward....nothing. The bullet had dispelled it before he could launch it.

Soda aimed again and shot through Alex's abdomen. He moves his aim over and shoots a bullet through the space where Alex's arm and shoulder met. It was just right, cause as it hit, Alex's arm became disjointed from the rest of his body and flew into the water. Causing steam to start coming up, and the arm breaks apart through the ripples in the water.

Alex was so busy worrying over that he didn't notice as Soda came up to him already.

Soda pushes his left knee out into where he had shot a bullet through Alex's abdomen, the grunt he heard was enough to signify it did something. Soda then brought around his balled-up left fist, sending it strong into the rocky face of Alex. Pieces of Alex fell off in this whole transaction.

The remainder of his shirt he had wrapped around his hand, withered away, leaving his visible and bloody fist. Soda uses his right elbow and drives up under Alex's chin. Then shoots close-range through Alex's throat.

After all this Alex had actually stumbled back and was in danger of falling into the water. Soda remembered seeing the effect it did to his arm and decided to run through with this chance. Soda ran over and delivered a powerful dropkick that sent Alex over the edge.

Alex tryed grabbing at Soda, but he had pushed off Alex's at the same time and was a safe distance away.

A bunch of steam immediatly started rising from the water. There was much gurgling.

Soda was on his back looking at the rising steam. He was surpised as Alex jumped up one last time and punched at the air between them, before falling back into the water.

Soda's head hit the surface as he looked up to the sky, "Ugh...why didn't I just do that from the start..."

He lay there tired to the bone, and now realizing it more due to no inspiration for thinking otherwise.

Soda begins coughing, turning over and standing.

A hand grabs at the corner of the edge.

Soda rolls his neck.

The rest of the smoldering arm is shown as the large body rises.

Soda concentrates and looks up the big dam wall, thinking of a way to get back up. That's when he figured there must be a stairs or something, so he turns and standing there is the reoccuring nightmare.

"WHA--What?!", Soda exclaims at the sight.

Alex is taking small steps towards him. Looking as if he shed a large amount of himself, and still in the process. Pieces of him, large pieces, were falling off.

Soda held up his gun and prepared for round two.

However, Alex just walked past him and fell to both knees.

Soda turns and sees the crumbling back of his foe, "What are you up to now?"

For a moment there was silence.

Alex shakes his head, "Nothing. Listen, I underestimated you human. Soda Samsons, I grant you permission to add me under your belt."

Soda isn't understanding, "What does that mean?", he honestly hopes this is the end of the fight. He doesn't know if he could go again, even with all his might.

Alex shouts while peering over his shoulder, "Finish me!!!"

Soda is taken by it and while this is what it was suppossed to lead to, he found that being told to kill someone when you had them at your faint mercy was difficult.

"Huh, you know....I was originally the demon that was born on that island place. Ha---Hawai...ugh, heh, I was pretty much a myth. But that bastard Bermuda...had to go and make me something.", Alex lowers his head.

"Being better than him...being excepted by those around me. That's all I've ever wanted. And...I have that now. I've achieved what I've always wanted."

Alex's entire body is crumbling to nothing while he talks.

Soda walks just behind him, "You know...this is dumb, we didn't even have to be fighting each other."

"Shut it you.", Alex sharply says. Soda quiets.

"This was unavoidable. And as long as one of us is alive, things could never function right. Bermuda and his sister hate each other. If he killed her, you would constantly come after us for revenge...and we'd do the same if Bermuda died. This....is most definitely out of our control."

Soda realizes he's right. "You know Alex....for a while I feared you."

Alex laughs, "Is that so? Guess that's another accomplishment."

Soda hears his voice, and feels it now. These two could have been comrades in some conjointed mission ordered by Jack, fighting side by side. But each other they were after.

Alex finally sighs, "Finish me, please. Putting a bullet through the center of my head should do it."

Soda hesitates, slowly pushing over the gun. It shook in his loose grip.

"What are you waiting for?! It's just like killing a monster, pull the trigger!"

"But you're not a monster, we just had the unfortunate pleasure of being on opposite sides..."

"When I said I would kill you, I meant it!"

"Why do I have to kill you though? Isn't beating you enough?"

"Was it enough for you guys?!"

Soda suddenly finds himself pushing the tip right into the back of Alex's head, right dead in the center. It nudges foward. All he had to do was pull the trigger.

Alex whistled, "Good. Follow through. You don't have time to think, you're friends could be dying at the hands of my unit right now."

Soda stiffens up, "You're right."

His index finger tugs quickly at the trigger. The loud shot echoes on in the area. Intertwining with the sound of rushing water.

The steam that had been forming around them began going with the wind through the night. Leaving them naked to the open.

Alex's body shakes one last time. And then falls foward motionless on the walkway surface.

Soda looks down at the crumpled body of Alex Norian.

This victory felt unclean. Moreso because he knew he could live with it just fine.

[Youko Recca]

Chapter Forty-Two: Bohemian Rhapsody









Soda's arm is still in position. It soon grows tired. He feels his forearm fall down to his thigh. He winces at the pain again, trying to keep on his feet. He looks behind him and sees an elevator in the distance, but he'd have to walk all the way over. As he began slowly going, he saw the elevator led up onto to a rail that then led to a ladder back to the road.

He just kept focus on one thing at a time. Shoving Mongoose back in it's holster, clipping it, and leaving the corpse of Alex behind on the breaking side of this walkway.

Images of the fight he was just apart of were still going through his head. He had noticed Mongoose's bullets weren't taking their usual effect on Alex. The reason for that was now with him. But it wouldn't matter much until he was sure to get back to the clubhouse alive.


Noc jumps back, out of the way of another roundhouse by Ceciela. As she runs at him, clothes ruffling, her hands point out and two more parts of te ground fly up and around her balled-up fists.

She ducks in low while coming to him, concentrating on his midsection. Once she saw an opening she threw her right fist in. It enters, but she feels pain in a similar spot. Noc responded by thrusting one end of the Nyoibou into her gut. His face suddenly creased in deep thought, and that end extended with Ceciela at the tip of it.


Once it extended high into the sky, Noc began retracting.

Ceciela held at her stomach, feeling like it almost impaled her. She was now falling at a height where her survival was a concern. Luckily this had given her a good view, she saw Trent leading Cornelius futher down the dirt pathway, making enough room for her to work.

She pointed her fist all the way towards an empty spot of the ground and suddenly a long chain of sedimen sprouted and began growing, tipping over so it would intersect with the fallign Ceciela.

As it passed she spun around on her stomach and grabbed onto it, now turning it around and going right towards Noc. She stands up and backs up a bit, the very front of this chain she's riding breaks off a bit. She kicks it off completely and it goes flying faster than the rest of her and this sediment chain. Ceciela's right fist punches the air infront of her and this big ball of dirt suddenly breaks apart into ten, falling at Noc like a meteor shower.

Noc smiles and holds his staff along his arms in a way similar to that of a pool player. It then extends out and retracts quickly. Hitting each ball of dirt, causing them to break into nothing.

Ceciela is following down on this big hunk of a dirt train, she runs towards the end as it comes right down on what she would believe to be Noc. It grew shorter as it rammed into the ground. Ceciela flipped over onto the ground and turned just in time to have to barely avoid the tip of Nyouboi from hitting her across her face.

She stood there with her head still bobbed back in position, moving her eyes from the front of the staff's freshly carved body, to Noc walking away from the big dust cloud that had formed from the impact of her attack. Dusting himself off with his left hand, holding his weapon in the other.

"My now, you're quite the fierce one aren't you?"

She grits her teeth in the sight of a whole Noc. Nothing torn but his suit.

Noc's arm jolts from catching the retraction and is immediatly comming at her, spinning the pole above his head, inbetween the fingers of his right hand.

Ceciela looks past him and notices they are close to where the dirt path is. With the sediment gloves still on she goes to meet him head on. Hoping to push him into familiar territory.

Noc is halfway there when he stops spinning it, brings it over to his right side, extends it a bit, and swings it over harshly. Ceciela ducks and keeps going.

She jumps while turning, her left leg rising, formally bent at the knee but now whipping foward with her foot pushing foward. Noc looks over and faces the side of Nyoibou to block. Ceciela seems to slide down and strut to the side where she send sher left fist at his cheek.

Noc suddenly goes flying in the air, Nyoibou extending into the ground and then upward.

Ceciela hits nothing but air. No matter, she notices that his pole had buried it's tip within the dirt path. She holds her fist out and the earth around Nyoibou seperates and leaves Noc toppling over up in the high heights of where he held himself by Nyoibou's grip.

He retracted quickly and then faced down, trying to extend back into the ground to catch himself from falling.

And would have succeeded had Ceiciela not forced the ground to point up in a spike, and shoot up to hit Noc.

He gasped as the end of it began to impale him through his stomach. He grabbed the end, pushed off and out, and and twirled over to continue falling in empty space between him and the ground. Blood exited his stomach and fell after him.

He grunts as he feels himself hit the ground hard. His own blood then smacks against his pale face. His tongue comes out and licks at it. Leaving smudges on him. He turns over and there was a small wave of earth coming over to swallow him. Noc rolls and just narrowly avoids it.

Ceciela walks towards him, her white hair no longer tied up, but hanging long and down in a similar fashion to Noc's black hair.

Noc sees her coming and holds at his stomach and grips at his weapon, "Ceciela--ugh--wha--what are you--"

"Quiet vampire! This will go along quicker without any talking..."

She walks over and kicks him across his face. He rolls over unintentionally this time. As soon as he looks up again, her foot is right there smacking him deep within his face.

Ceciela stands over him and flicks up her wrist. The ground under Noc, suddenly rises up. Setting him up on a high platform of dirt.

She opens her palm and then closes it tightly. The center of this dirt platform opened and Noc fell in to the center. The hole closed. Noc looked around and saw this already cramped space was closing in on his fast.

He stood up, no longer caring to hold at his stomach.

Looking around at every angle this was closing in. He kicked at the inside, but it was stern for dirt. And the little he managed to chip away reformed.

So before Noc would be crushed from all sides, he frantically began thinking of a way out.

[Youko Recca]

Soda now entered the cart of the open elevator and collasped on the ground, laying with his bare back against the protective gate that kept you inside it. He stretched his right arm over and was barely able to press the button that had an arrow pointing, up, on it. There was a jerking sound, and then it started rising. Soda struggled staying awake. His body still felt incredibly sore and hot. His attention then took to the skies. It was then he realized, from such a good view, that the twin moons were shining through the soft night again. Within each socket, the reflection of the moons fills his eyes just before his breathing finally mellows back out. Both arms slanted on each of his side. The lift is a surprisingly good ride.


Noc is turning three-sixty over and over, trying to figure out where Ceciela is exactly. He holds Nyoibou is both hands, sideways.

Outside of the now shrinking ball of dirt, Ceciela walks but a foot away and listens at Noc's clothes constantly brushing and ruffling.

Noc then stopped as he felt it touch his back, he calmed and decided to think.

Ceciela saw her attack was succeeding and decided she's wait it out before leaving completely. She took her glasses from her face and examined them. Bending her head foward and squinting, she noticed a faint crack running along the center of the right lense. She placed her glasses back on and had a new look of anger with her.

"That Bermuda sure is a hot one...I can see why you clamor at his side like a well-trained pet, or groupie!"

Ceciela hears the hollow echo of the vampire's voice. Just enough to make out the message after a moment of thought. Already taken to anger by his actions, it was no surprise his words got to her.

"You shut up!!! That is none of your buisiness!!!"

Noc pinpoints where she yells from and knows where to point the end of Nyoibou at. He rotates half a step and his weapon shoots away from him at both sides, breaking each layer of this dirt trap, the front end comes charging from out of the middle and whisks straight into her waist.

Ceciela screams in the sudden pain and gets sent flying off a good number of yards away. With her concentration broken, the crushing sphere around Noc immediatly drops back to nothing but mere sediment.

The back end of his weapon had hit a distance tree before stopping.

Noc internally commanded the retracting, while walking off the experience.

Ceciela lays huddled, rubbing at her stomach. She felt like vomiting, but knew she couldn't, so she disregarded any thought of it that shot into thought due to the pain. An almost dent-like mark was made on her midsection, she could feel it. Out of her mouth saliva got coughed away. Her glasses lay a few feet away from her body, shattered to a nothing. And when she saw them in pieces that was all the motivation she needed to forget about her pain and move on.

Ceciela's on her feet, staring at the coming Noc. His tie moving like a flag in the wind. His demeanor now managed to sicken her. She felt this vermin had to pay with her glasses with his life. The prized possesion gained through her days with Bermuda. The only one who made her feel of worth. And, oh, how she recalled him loving how she looked with her specs on. And thoughts of past futher drove her intent. She was marching for Noc.

Noc couldn't help but notice how her walk had changed, how her manner of moving drifted from that of a potential aristocrat. Things had gotten personal without his knowing. He figured he had better take care of her before she kill him.

The ground shot up and broke off as Ceciela grabbed at it just before stepping into reach of Turnal, molding the piece in her hand into a lance.

Contact.

She swings it over and goes for his head. He kneels down and spins on his heel, the edge of his weapon smacking her behind both knees. The action causes her to fall her knees, but not before or after her ams reach foward and the lance she had formed almost drives through Noc's throat. For he had jumped up into the air, predicting such a move would be instore for him.

Ceciela yells in frustration and lays her palm out across the ground, apon doing so, an array of spikes form from out of the sediment and rise up into the air to pierce Noc.

He holds Nyoibou infront of him and begins rapidly spinning it between his hands. Each oncoming spike that comes in contact, breaks apart into the dirt that falls back over Ceciela's shaking body.

She watches his boots dictate his body to land gracefully.

"Why can't I kill you!?", she screams while rushing to her feet and coming for him again.

Noc realizes he's watching her gradually lose the thing that gave her an edge.

Her cool.

He easily sidesteps the next set of spikes and flips to his side as a huge one shot up form the ground and almost got him.

As he lands and turns, Ceciela is about to throw her sediment-wrapped fist into his face. He takes it and back flips away. She's coming again, he runs up to her and sticks his staff hard into the ground, ducking and dodging inbetwen each stressful punch. As he comes up from a duck, he runs foward and then falls, placing his back against her's. She then tries turning around to catch his front. Noc turned right along in harmony with her. It's looked as if they were doing a strange and jarred foreign dance around his staff. She finally elbows him to his back to move him away. Noc's reaches both hands out, grabs Nyoibou, to result in him oscillating with his legs out around the staff, leading with a complete circle back to Ceciela in which he kicks his feet right into her chest and sends her rolling along the ground once again.

Noc stops and pulls Nyoibou from the ground and watches her slowly rise again. Quickly running foward to put an end to this.

Ceciela lays her palms and an entire cage made out of the earth comes around him. But he keeps going foward. When coming to the bars, he does swift swipe of his staff and they break apart before him.

She's on her feet and taking deep breaths. From the ground next to her, another lance molds out of the earth. In her grasp it can be seen slowly falling to pieces, as if she had a time limit before it would eventually be back to nothing but the ground they stand on.

Noc can't help but notice. Just like her attacks, she's deteriorating.

She runs at him, he stops in place and awaits.

Ceciela lunges foward with the first strike. Noc backs away from it. She runs foward some more and careens downward with the next attempt at battering his neck.

Noc grits his teeth and reaches over with his left hand, grabbing the lance before it hit and looking her in the eyes. His hand squeezes and breaks her poorly made weapon into nothing.

She still has a look like she doesn't want to accept anything but his death. So as she takes the steps that would lead into a run, Noc repositions his left hand and swats at her face with the back of his palm.

She grunts and twists right back onto the ground. While trying to get up yet again, she feels Noc's boot dig into her back.

"Stay down Ceciela...."

She clenches tighter than ever, "I will kill you....you must-"

"Die? Sorry, I can't Hunningsworth. You're not the only one who has rose from nothing to something. You're not the only one who must maintain a standing to solidate their motive."

Ceciela turns her head over and looks up to him. A look of dissapointment sweeping over her face.

Noc looks back down with a look of cold, yet understanding, sober. "You love him don't you?"

Ceciela nods her head slowly. Noc removes his foot from her back.

"If that's so...then accept defeat."

Before she can start refusing the thought, Noc continues.

"Think about it, would Bermuda really want to see you with two punctured wounds in you neck? Cause I know I wouldn't. If you do love Bermuda, like I know you do because I researched you before confronting you today, then you will live another day and be his right hand. Please Ceciela..."

She looks at him while getting up to her feet and staring him in the face.

"How did you know? I've never physically spoken it."

Noc rubbed at his temples nonchalantly, "Eh, I can tell.....So does that mean you--"

"Don't say it!"

He looks at her still tense face.

She shakes her head, "Leave my sight now. You can't be here right now. I suggest going before I change my mind."

He looks futher into the angered coating over her face and understands. He takes a good grasp of Nyoibou and begins to leave her by herself.

Soon Noc's boots touch again on the road over the dam.

She looks at his distant back with disgust. Then moves her head up to the sky. Shoulders prodding up and down. Sniffling at her nose. Tears running down her smudged cheeks in large abundance.

Noc doesn't look back as he stops where he was and could hear her heartfelt cry pacing on and weaving a long chain of failure through the night.

The vampire sighs and drowns the sound from his head. Continuing to walk to where the rest of his team were in the middle of their battles.

"Guess it's anyway the wind blows..."

[Youko Recca]

Chapter Forty-Three: Njósnavélin










With a last click for assurance, the elevator cart reaches the top. The opening infront of the calm body of Soda, leading directly into the rail bridge, which inturn led all the way across the other side to the ladder. This was harder than Soda had thought. He had no energy left.


Way, way above on the road, Noc is seeing Max move around frantically, and Mizu and her brother match each other equally with hit and misses. He stops walking foward and smells blood that suddenly came within his range. And it was new compared to the ones currently surrounding. He recognized this blood scent. He ran to the fence and tryed edging his sight down the dam wall. He saw the elevator was risen. It wasn't like that before. Remembering Soda had fallen down there and it was his blood scent, the person in that cart had a good chance of being Soda himself. Noc backed away from the fence and then stepped up hard three times before leaping over it and positioning himself to fall down on the railing.

Turnal came down hard and rattled the entire thing, he had to gain a proper standing afterwards. His back was facing the cart unfortunately, and he had to turn.

That's when he saw Soda resting there without any motion to his body. Injuries decorated him. Noc quickly rushed over to check on his comrade.


"You little wuss, is that all?!", Trent's loud and obnoxious tone complementing his cocky voice.

By now both him and Cornelius had followed the path farther than Trent even intended. It was starting to go down into a slight slant. Nothing to worry about though.

Cornelius flew down and landed back on the ground. "I tire of this! Quit playing this petty game with me!"

Trent came down and hopped off the pogo, "You know...you're right. We should end this. I have a certain combo I worked up specifically for you. Should crack your skull instantly I bet."

Cornelius payed his weak attempt at courage no mind, "Then do so."

The dirt path was spread a bit wider than the dam road, so room was plenty. To each side was an array of thick trees.

Trent took four steps to the right while holding his pogo over his shoulder. Facing diagnol to the griffon now.

"Sure.", he says bluntly.

Trent pops the pogo sideways in both hands with the black tip facing out, he leans foward fast and the entire thing goes flying fast from without his hands. Shotting right for Cornelius's midsection.

Trent made sure to start running immediatly after.

Cornelius rotated off his left foot and let the pogo go right past him. Preparing for Trent himself.

Trent increased running speed. As he came up to Cornelius he ducked under his coming fist and felt it again. Something had seemed to be attached to each end of his fist, extending off his index and pinky knuckles.

Nonetheless he was in the zone, and timing it right. Trent jumped up and thrusted his left fist and Cornelius's face with and uppercut. When he slightly backed his head and avoided, Trent's reduced gravity around him, which caused both of them to rise slightly off the ground below them. Trent spun around and pushed the heel of his right foot deep into Cornelius's stomach. Then after, placed the gravity around him back to normal and focused on making the drop heavier for the griffon, as he falls on to his knees.

But Warner is on his feet after recovering quickly. This is when Trent slides through his legs and comes up in a stand behind him. He catches his coming pogo at the handle, turns around and slams the end hard into Cornelius's back. He had turned his head just enough to witness the transaction, but was too slow to stop it and felt his body lighten up as he went flying straight to the other side of the dirt path, into a tree.

Cornelius pushes off the tree and turns, quickly having to run to the side, as the end of the pogo was right there and coming for him. It now instead hit the tree he leaned off of, causing a crack at it's halfway point, and bouncing right back into the arms of Trent.

Warner figures that was the same trick he used ealier. He had timed just right when he would be able to intersect the pogo form bouncing off the tree and coming with reach near Cornelius himself. That's probally why he changed his facing postion to Cornelius before. So he would be facing the tree off to the side.

Yes, most certainly can't take this one lightly.

Cornelius's wing flap and blow up a huge cloud of dust.

Trent can't see anywhere near as good and braces himself. He listens, but the sound of blowing wind is getting in the way of trying to pinpoint him.

Trent feels a brush on his arm and jumps, swinging the end of the pogo at where he thought it came from.

He felt himself hit nothing and then turned back over and could see a frightening face form through the flying dust. Trent gasped in panic as Corneliu's fist hit dead center in his face. The large, hard fist. Basically covered his entire face in pain.

Trent grunted loudly as he flew back, but acted stubborn and decided to ignore the pain. He would most likely capitilize on his weakened defence, and he knew it.

Sure enough Cornelius was coming down from above him with his right arm pushed outward.

Trent randomly jumped to the right as means of doing something better than nothing. Cornelius came down with his fist meeting with nothing but the ground. Trent grit his teeth as he felt something cut along his left cheek. No doubt blood would be visible. That was it. Now he knew, something WAS coming off his fists. And they were sharp. Trent figrued taking a head on punch was better than barely dodging and getting decapitated. And obviously that couldn't be an option over and over again.

Trent smiled at the prospect as the dust simmered down, Now this is a fight...

"So...what is that?!", he yells.

Cornelius is now seen perfectly fine as the dust was completely settled down. Walking towards Phillips. "Oh, you must be speaking of my attacks coming from the fist. It's the wind."

Trent didn't get it, but it was a strange world they lived it. Blades made of wind fit right in.

Trent shrugged and watched as Cornelius jumped and took to the skies again. He came fast to Trent overhead, swooping low and trying to thrust a punch at Trent.

Trent falls with his back to the ground quite quickly and holds the pogo so the tip was pointing upward. When Cornelius is just above him, realizing he missed at the attempt, Trent throws foward the pogo and smacks Cornelius right in the center of his forehead.

Cornelius's head whips back as he verbally expresses pain through a yell. Wings flap more rapidly to try and keep level in the air.

Trent rolls as his weapon falls back to the ground and almost lands on him. It hits ground, kicking up little amounts of dirt. Trent spring sback onto his feet and runs over to try and pick it up.

Above, Cornelius has already recovered, looking down to see Trent in the middle of what he was going for. He resented the idea of him having that in his hands again. He punches infront of him and suddely a strong gust shoots like a bullet out at Trent.

He hears the whistle of it and turns, crossing his arms and throwing them up as a quick reaction to block whatever it was. There was a pulling of wind ruffling up more dust around Trent.

Cornelius waited awhile as the dust once again settled. He liked the sight.

Trent stood with trembling knees. His crossed arms were bloody and cut up. The athletic tape that was nicely wrapped around them was unwraveled and stained along with blood.

Trent's eyes peered over his arms with a look of anger. The earring in his left ear no longer could glisten due to all the dust coating it' s surface. His clothes were messy and torn as to be expected. Oddly enough his grey knitcap was still on nicely.

Cornelius punched foward again.

Trent quickly changed stance but didn't respond much as the attack flew past him and hit the pogostick a few feet away. Comepletely breaking it apart.

He looked behind him and then back up at Cornelius. Blood suddenly started running down his forehead, dripping across and off his nose. This had been from Cornelius's earlier punch. The knitcap had kept the wound sopped up until now.

Trent closed both his fists slowly to see if his arms were still of use to him. His arms tingled and he felt a stinging pain constantly. Blood gushed out from the cuts in trace amounts. The fact of the matter was that they would still help deliver punches. That's all he cared to pay attention to.

"Not bad. Keep coming just like that.", Trent says with an unhealthy enthusiasm in his voice. Excited even.

Trent held up his right hand, all fingers down but the middle.

"What you waiting for you little wuss?"

Cornelius ignored the gesture just like all the others the kid had thrown at him. He was still surprised a person of his stature was still able to stand after a shot of wind like that.

Cornelius looked down into Trent's dark, forest green eyes. They were lit with a passion. Something about his eyes gave off a warning to Warner. The griffon knew a hidden message was apparrent that he had to relay to himself.

Warner lowered over and with a large flap of his wings, flew straight down at Trent with an all-out killing intent. The killing part bolded in his mind. Suddenly he really didn't want this kid alive. A complete change of heart from when they first met at the warehouse a week ago.

Trent braced himself and when Cornelius S. Warner got close enough, he leaped up to meet him midair.

"Children shouldn't hold such power!", Warner yelled as he swung his fist to Trent's body.

Trent didn't care for what he said, "Now where have I heard that before!!?", he sees the fist coming and raises both his hands up open. He smacks both palms down on Cornelius's fist so he passed right under Trent. Before passing compeletely however, Trent turned around and roundhoused his right foot deep into the griffon's cheek. Upon contact he made it so Cornelius would feel five times his weight, which made him unable to maintain balance and fall for the ground.

Cornelius came hard to the ground with his feet landing first. He shook his head and looked up to the sky. Trent wasn't there. He lowered his head to get vision infront of him, and Trent's fist drives without mercy into his already throbbing forehead.

Trent smirked as he felt a small amount of blood churn between Warner's head and his fist.

Before seeing his foe fall back Trent looks as Cornelius's fist punches foward just infront of him. There's that whistle again, and Trent feels immense pain. A pointblank shot of wind overcomes him and causes his body to get tossed way across from Cornelius.

When he stopped rolling, dirt and sweat in his wound causd even more stinging. He was coughing loudly and shaking all over from the shock.

Now both of them lay on the ground. Cornelius already ready to rise to his feet.

[Youko Recca]

Warner rolled over and now rested upon his knees and elbows, wings flapping out to shake dust from them. The sprinkle of it all falling right back on the ground to reunite with natural setting.

As his head rose up, his blood squirted down, and did even more so when he winced at the concrete pain in his forehead. His own fur was getting dingy from the blood and dirt.

"You still alive?!", he yells out to Trent's body.

The boy's head raises just above the level of his stomach with a confident smile, "I can't die yet. And when I do, it won't be by someone like you!"

Foolish child...

Cornelius went directly from the ground and into the sky.

"I will put an end to your pathetic life right now."

"What that?!", Trent hears his comment and suddenly turns over on his stonach and looks on, shaking his head so the blood dropped off his head instead of falling into his eye.

Cornelius scoffs, "My life up until has required me to go through many difficulties. I wouldn't allow myself to be beaten by a child. What were you thinking when you decided to come back to me? I had let you live for a reason, I believe in children being our future! But you,...you I can't allow to go on! I can feel it...", his eyes sharpen, "...someday you will kill all those around you. You're nothing but a danger to this world. Gravity control by a child? Forgive me if I'm disgusted by the thought!"

There's a strong flap, gust that picks up the dust into a large cloak around Trent's area, and the griffon's screech is heard coming closer.

Trent lets it all sink in and he spins off his shoulder, back and chest, into a handstand, which then he flips foward with and lands on his feet. He rises and immediatly finds himself cartwheeling to the left as Cornelius's fists cut through the drifting dust and just avoid hitting him.

"Oh you wussy little bastard, you really had to go and act like you know me. I HATE that ****! Quit being a little *****, using dust to help you! What a joke you are!"

He looked around frantically, having tryed getting him to talk to pinpoint where he was. No luck, Cornelius said nothing.

Trent let his hands cross and griped at his cut forearms in pain.

"Screw this!", and with that Trent kneels and then leaps way high above and through all the dust.

Upon looking down, he can see the winged creature break through as well, and is flying straight at him with little to no haste.

Trent moves both arms over to his left and then jerks them and his body hard to the right, which caused him to start spinning sideways in the air. He fell and was able to spin right past the upcoming Warner.

By the time he landed the dust had near cleared out.

Looking up he saw Cornelius's fist was already in the punched position. Instincts had him raise his hands up quickly and flip back just as the whistle neared and a gap the size of his head formed in the ground.

Cornelius swooped down low and was flying fast at Phillips.

Trent had flipped back right into another handstand. He raised his head and saw him coming. He rose all his fingers up so only his palm was touching the ground. He had both legs fall sideways and then thrusted himself into a hard spin, he made the gravity around him weaken so he was spinning almost out of control.

Cornelius stopped just before colliding with Trent and rose back into the sky to revitalize his attack.

Trent stopped spinning and gripped his fingers on the ground, regulating his normal gravity, coming back into a handstand, and then easing his legs foward to once again rise into a regular stand upn his feet.

He shook his head, feeling dizzy.

Cornelius then saw as Trent started rocked back and forth, What is this cretin doing now, dancing?

Cornelius swooped down hard again, picking dust with him and flying low for another kill attempt. As his fist came foward, Trent jumped back, grabbed aroound his forearm, kicked his legs up to wrap around the lower arm, and then twisted clockwise up so he was now sitting on his arm and getting a free ride.

Trent hopped up and caught on the back of his wings, holding on tightly.

Cornelius reached back constantly while now starting to fly around insane-like. No matter how hard he tryed, Trent was able to evade every grab attempt.

"Whew! I can see the benefit of having these things!", taunted Trent as his grip increased and caused pain for Cornelius.

"Let go you fool!"

"As if, I'm gonna ride you hard.....but not like THAT!"

"Shut up and let go!"

"Screw you bird-man---thing!!!"

"Not funny brat!!!", Warner screeches again as he points himself up certically and begins flying directly up. Higher and higher.

Trent seems happy about this.

Below is now certainly a place you don't want to fall to at this height.

"Okay, I think this is high enough...", Trent runs his arms along and around the outside of the wings, through the inside, then coming back out so his arms were wrapped on Warner's wings with good restraint. They also wer epositioned tightly under his armpits.

This, of course, now discontinued any plans for flight. Both began falling down.

"Let go!! We'll both fall, atleast let me fly, and you have a higher chance of not dying!!!"

Trent respnded by shoving the tips of his sneakers into the back of Cornelius's thights, and his knees drove into hislower back. Trent could be heard laughing, then there was a snapping sound and a loud screech from Cornelius. Trent had pulled up hard in the way he held the wings in the way he did. and broke both of them easily.

Warner shook constantly as they continued falling back faster and faster.

"Now you've done it brat! We're both are going to fall to our deaths."

"You maybe.", says Trent. He increased his gravity and mutiplied it to where they were now falling reminiscent to like an anvil in a cartoon.

"Now what?!!"

"Like I said Cornelius! Don't exactly plan on both of us dying, just you. I'm way against suicide anyway!"

Trent leans back hard, the positions of his knees and feet making it so that Cornelius had no choice but to follow suit. Both start spinning backwards faster and faster, almost as fast as they fell to the ground.

"Against suicide?! Then what's this?!"

"This is me kicking your ass!!!"

They are now spinning back, and falling fast like crazy. It was worse than any of those rocking carnival rides or incredicle rollercoasters one could take their signifigant other on, no, this expericne beat those rides by miles.

Trent clenched his teeth, trying not to vomit due to the extreme intensity of this. Both of their clothes ruffled and beat against their bodies hard, wind hitting eyesockets fast.

All the way down Cornelius squirmed, trying desperately to shake Trent, despite it not mattering anymore.

Trent leaned his head back and saw the ground zooming to him, like it was coming his way in a vice versa fashion.

Gotta time it right!!!!

Cornelius peered over his shoulder and his ssight brought chills over his body.

He saw as they were very close to hitting the ground, but wondered if that was in actuallity, as the spinning backwards was so back he wished he could throw up himself just to get rid of this nauseous feeling deep within him.


Screeches of the griffon rocked the area all the way down.

Trent screamed as both came down hard on the ground, the angle of it hard to determine. Dust shot up around them like like self-contained hurricane.

The outcome coated by dust once again. But just for the moment.

[Youko Recca]

Chapter Forty-Four: Broken Lampadina








Wind picked up once again and with it drifted along the rest of rustling dust.

Cornelius S. Warner's legs were raised straight up into the air, heels to the sky. His entire body was positioned in a way in which it was balanced solely on his neck, his furry chin pushed into his chest. His eyes wee closed, and blood filled his mouth and exited out the various wounds over his upper body.

Behind, still hanging onto his back, was Trent. He coughs and releases grip, rolling on the ground, and away from the still upright body. Shaking ripped feather from his sticky hands.

"Ugh, man....", Trent crawled a small distance away after raising to his knees, leaning his head foward and throwing up. The nausea was too much and overwhelmed him.

When finished he rolled onto his back and, with his constantly shaking hand, rose the shirt from the bottom end and brought it all the way up to use the outer part to wipe away any residue on his mouth. He coughed some more and let his shirt fall back over his tightend stomach.

With only his left eye open, he stared endlessly into the dark sky. This had given him ample amount of time to think, and thank God he was still alive after that.

It was then he realized that maybe he took his life for granted, and reminded himself soon after the thought that maybe he did. Evident enough, he wouldn't have had to just kill an out-of-this-world creature. Figured he'd probaly have to change that. However, the rush he felt was great. Nothing made him feel more alive than a good fight.

He rolled over again, pushing off the ground and holding himself up with one hand, while rubbing his midsection with the other. He groaned and then made his way to standing up straight.

Trent walked with something similar to a limp. Probally due to his whole body still in a shaking phase.

Oddly enough, just before he reaches near Cornelius's body, it falls foward on it's back. Hitting back with a small thump.

Trent looked specifically at his neck. It was dented and bent in a way that shouldn't be allowed.

"Gaugh, what a shame. Maybe I shouldn't have killed him, he was better than expected.", Trent sighed and wobbled around the body, continuing to walk foward. Wondering how the others came along.

"You think....this is over!?"

Trent froze in place as he heard the voice. Then he screamed swiftly in pain as wind picks up around him and a familiar blast of cuts hits him in the back.

Trent is still in the middle of gasping, taking four small steps foward, turning his head around to see Warner's right arm slowly fall back to the ground.

His shirt fell from off his body and hit the ground.

Cornelius was trembling, "Damn, I dont have long....br--broke me....", his words were extremely jarred and disoriented. And getting softer.

Trent's eyes rocked around in his socket, trying to keep focus. He couldn't form words, was just trying to maintain a standing with the last of his might.

"B--Boy, you think it's over?! I know...one day..y--you'll kill those around you...I am just the start."

Cornelius's body jolts suddenly.

Trent hears him and then his body careens foward, upon his chest hitting the ground, his eyes promptly closing. Trent finds it hard to breath and keep himself awake. Within seconds he lets black take over. Eyes shutting.

Cornelius now takes his turn to look up into the sky while his life passes.

"Damn....I never.....beat HIM! Can't, not YET!", he lets tears run from his eyes while he feels his heartbeat thumping slower, "...why.....couldn't I ever show them....."

Cornelius clenches his fists once more.

"I proved them wrong right?!"

With that his heartbeat stops and his head leans over to the side where his neck would allow.

Wind of the night now takes to carrying some souls away.

[Youko Recca]

Max's eyes place sight on his rifle, which was set off a few feet away in the middle of the road. He currently leaned against the fence, catching his breath after having been doing nothing but dodging Mile's annoying bolts of eletricity.

The deranged kid snickers as he runs over to the fence on his far off end and touches it with hisright hand. His hand lights up, and then the fence near him does, and then the entire fence was lighting up, electricity shooting all the way to where Max leaned.

Max pushed foward off the fence just as the electricity passed him up.

"Damn kid, can't believe you're giving me this much trouble. First Trent, now you, why have I been beating up kids lately..."

Change of pace.

Now Miles Victorian suddenly changed his usual move a while, stand around routine and ran straight for Max head-on. His arms flew back, the baggy, broken straightjacket ruffling as well.

Max looked at him coming and laughed at how he looked aloud, "That has to be the gayest run ever kid...Hahaha..."

His face of laughed changes quickly to worry. Miles ran faster than he anticipated and was there in his face grabbing at each sid eof his head. Upon contact Max felt eletricity just begin to enter, before he backed away.

He grits his teeth and looks seriously at Miles, He tryed to fry my freakin' brain!

Max shook his head, feeling static tickling each end of his temples. And not a good tickling, he hoped he wouldn't go blind.

Miles jumped up and held both hands foward while coming down at Max.

Max grabbed his useless left arm and leaped back futher away from him, thinking of how to take him out. Not even long-range worked, and you couldn't get close enough.

Bah! Elementals are a pain in the ass!!

After releasing grip on his left arm, he figures his rifle wasn't an accessory he wanted aqquiped to him right now. It would slow him down more than anything.

Miles was coming again. This time both his palms were up and shot two fairly big spheres of shaking electricty.

Everytime Miles demonstrated his ability the night lit up. He was like the lightbulb, keeping the growing night from overtaking the dam road.

Max bent backwards as if he was playing limbo. Both shots passed right over him. he could smell the gritty burn through the air, right under his nose literally.

Max came up straight and a electrified open palm struck across his rugged jaw, sending, not only a shock through his head and body, but a pretty good hit that scraped his bottom and upper teeth against each other forcefully.

He stmbled back, shaking it off as it was sloppy, even for a lunatic. Max hears the kid's constant muttering and know to leap back again. Opening his eyes and looking back he saw they were getting too close to where Mizu and her brother still went at it strong.

"Damnit, it's like a dead end."

He looks foward and Miles jacket flares as huge amounts of static electricity dance across his body. The human lightbulb could be seen surrounded by his own glaring personality, a deranged smile, and just an overall look of satanic-esque delight out of his power.

Max figured he had no choice.

He barked and ran foward to the live energy conservative.

Mile's body shot a bolt from his chest area, Max jumped over it ad kept going. Another bolt came, Max strided to the left in a diagnol fashion so he both dodged and managed to still be going foward.

Now this time a huge bolt shot out, easily three times as big as the first.

Max looked at it and felt the stress building on the back of his neck, "Argh, quit this crap!", he angrily declares while increasing his running speed just before taking one of his biggest leaps.

Max's body soared over the bolt, that, like others, flew upward into the sky off in the distance.

Max was coming down. Miles looked up, "Dog-man....easy target!"

Miles holds both hands up and a combined shot forms a kind of medium-sized bolt shoots up fast to him.

Max used his right hand to throw up his left arm, which is the first to connect with the hit. After the bolt kept him from falling for about a few seconds, Max was coming down again. His left arm now looking in even worse shape than before. Imortantly, he didn't feel it as bad as he would of.

Both his boots come hard to connection with the ground just before Miles and he lunges foward. Miles skips back, but is grabbed by the collar of the straightjacket by Max's right hand.

His barks are heard again just before he pulls Miles in, and pushes his head foward.

Max throttles Miles hard with an initial headbut that immedialtly sends Mile's head whipping backwards like an effect of whiplash. Due to the trace amounts of electricity coating his body, it didn't hurt as much as intended. But now Miles couldn't concentrate good enough to keep that going. Max still hasn't let go and is again pulling Mile's in for another headbut. This time upon impact, it bursts Mile's forehead open faintly, enough so blood splirted out.

Max ran with it still, repeatedly bringing Miles in for countless headbuts, over and over again. Miles was basically a ragdoll at this point. Max's. teeth grit the whole time. It took after the tenth time before his head finally let a bit of blood peer from his forehead. But that was more due to the sparks that kicked up every now and then.

After the fifteenth headbut, Max let his grasp go and Miles went falling back quickly.

Max stood there, he touched his fore head and brought his hand infront of his face, "Not a bad head there. You lasted pretty good."

Max looks at a twitching Miles on the ground and turns around, walking to where Mizu was fighting.

Max hears a clash, sounded like Mizu's blades missing Bermuda and hitting the fence. It was hard making it out when not near.

A light shined out of nowhere and he saw Mizu miss a swipe at Bermuda throat.

He turns though, as the light and sound of an inconsistent buzzing was easily familiar.

Miles stood with his arms and body in a slouch. And still with the mumbling. Blood running down his face.

Max moans that he was still able to be awake after that.

"Max Lergnom!!!", Miles yells.

Max is suprised he just suddenly used his name like that.

Miles slowly began coming, "Max Lergnom! You...you're the one!"

"What?", asks Max mearly and not understanding his sudden people skills.

Miles stops and looks on in a new look of anger.

"You're the first! The first hyrbid ever! Are you not?!"

Max is surprised, "H--How do you know that?!"

Miles points to himself, "Cause I am like you! I too am a hybrid, fused between that of a human body and an eel!"

Max couldn't believe this, it seemd too sudden and too surreal. "Don't screw with me! The bastard that made me like this should be long captured, he had a bounty and everything! People were looking, he should be found by now, right?!"

Miles shook his head, "The doctor, that's who you speak of....no, he's still at large you fool. That bounty was fake. He used that to lure us all in. Bounty chasers came flocking, and they were perfect test subjects. I still remember it, seeing myself disolve before my very eyes. It was monstrous. It was inane. It was frightening!"

Max feels a chill run through his body, knowing exactly what he was talking about. Then he feels enragement. That bastard doctor was still alive. That was not justice at all.

"Where is he?!", screams Max.

Miles shrugs, "No idea. After I was created like this, I went insane. Still am supposadly. I couldn't speak coherantly as a side effect to the fuson. Your recent sequence of attacks somehow, I don't know, knocked sence into me.", his arms hug around himself and he shakes. "This doesn't feel right Max...I wake everyday not liking the skin I'm in. I want to die sometimes."

Max sees someone that's describing himself as almost like a reflection and gets digusted with himself.

"Shut up you!", Max's hand runs through his hair as he constantly takes random few steps. Stressing at this sudden development. "How long have you been like this Miles?"

"Awhile now. That doctor spoke of you, that's how I know. He dragged my battered body into that tank. Ugh, Max....why can't I ever feel nice inside?! How do you go on?!"

Max looks at him hard, "I don't know."

Miles sighs, "Guess I'll go on with Bermuda till I find the others."

"Others?"

"Yeah, there are others. But nevermind. You're of no use now that I know you have nothing to offer."

Max takes that as the signal Miles would go back to trying to kill him.

"Sure, but what does that make you?"

"What's that Max?"

"You and I are just alike right? Even more sad is that you and mI have the same amount of info, yet you were more recently in touch. Oh, and if you're REALLY like me you DO feel unclean. That whole part of you under this skin feels worthless and disgusting. I am a freak. Therefore...you're a freak."

Max's eyes skim slightly over and notice the rifle is right near him. He uses his random steppping pattern to his advantage and gets closer.

Miles look down at the ground, "You're right...BUT, I can go on. Just like you."

Max stops moving and looks sternly back to the solemn Miles, his right foot touching the base of the rifle.

"With what motivation?"

Miles surprisingly smirks, "Bermuda is someone I owe, and with him I can be allowed to chase that bastard. Too bad you guys chose to mess with him, my debts to him make it so I have to kill you Max. I'll kill that bastard doctor for us though...know that."

As Mile's ends his sentence, Max kicks up the rifle, kneels and with his finger instantly on the trigger, pulls it without hesitation.

Mile's body has electricity spring up brighter than ever around his body.

The wind picks up again.

Max is on his back with the rifle just above his head on the ground.

Miles is standing up, trying to form words. Suddenly blood exits his mouth and he drops to his knees. His arm goes up and reaches over to where his heart is, feeling the gaping hole before gasping and falling foward. His eyes soon going white and his newly founded corspe now damp in a puddle of his own blood.

Max stands up and refuses to look at what he had done. Not yet.

So instead Max stares to where Mizi and her brother were fighting. The dark getting darker.

His right fist clenches so hard that blood peaks through his palm. His teeth grind hard enough you can hear if you were nearby.

Max sighs and finally turns to look at Miles's body. Him now being the one to dawn the solemn face.

"No kid, I'm going to get the bastard. You just enjoy Heaven."

He turns back and gets to walking.

[Youko Recca]

Chapter Forty-Five: Backwards Elysium







Max is basically taking baby steps on his tiptoes. Blood dripped from his nose. Just what he needed. He was so close to where his female companion was fighting with all her heart, yet so far away. His vision bounced around. He finally manages to find the fence again and lean on it. The aftermath of an assortment of different occurences got to him. He still suffered from whatever was giving him the nosebleeds, he just fought an electrified person with issues, and now his stomach churned with disgust at the news the person who created him was still at large.

In his mind he pretended the bastard got what he deserved, but when the truth hits you smack-dab in the middle of your face, there's no ignoring it.

He slid fom a standing position, into a squatting position and sniffled some more. He turned his head to the left, giving himself a proper angle to view Mizu. Then all the others popped into his head. Max wondered if Soda, Noc, or Trent had been killed. Needless to say this wasn't helping how he felt right now.

Below on the shaky rail-bridge, Noc carried Soda in his arms. He slowly was crossing the rocking thing, not wanting to drop Soda.

"Dear, was it really necessary for them to build such a dangerous means of crossing?"

He complained to keep focused. He looked down at a battered Soda. He could hear his breathing beggining to get more and more jarred.

"Hang on Samsons...we'll be back before you know it."

Noc believed he wouldn't go, not like this. One thing that drew him to Soda was his stubborness. He envied this from both him and Max. They were hardheaded, enthusiastic men with their hearts set on a goal.

They were more than halfway across now.

Noc saw the means of climbing up from where he moved, and contimplated exactly how to get both him and Soda up that.

Max coughed and looked up into the sky, noticing the twin moons.

He figured it had been roughly twenty minutes since this all started. In which case the helicopter to pick them up would be here in five minutes.

Strained breaths came from him. It would seem like eternity.

Clash!

Mizu and Bermuda's shins make contact and then both jump back a few feet away from each other.

Bermuda seems rightfully scuffed over his body. Mizu has a trail of blood running down the side of her head.

"I overlooked your combat skills, when it's nothing but raw physical contact, you're obviously something else. But even then...you're a nothing."

Mizu's eyes stay sharp, she lets him talk, taking proper stance taught to her oh so long ago.

Knees bend slightly, left foot infront of the other, one blade hovers over the other, arms pointed out chest-level in a triangular meet.

Bermuda shakes his hands, "What I want to know is, how exactly you GOT so good. You were nothing but a sniveling child when I last saw you. Those blades I remember though. Yes, carved from Atlantis's very own fortune tree. We all admired that beauty, and you taint it. Another reason you're trash."

Mizu doesn't want to give in to his negative talk, but it grows harder as he continues to spit nothing but propaganda.

Instead of struggling between whether or not to respond, she reacts physically. Taking a slow and steady pace as she comes at him with a faint jog.

Bermuda watches her come, The outside world always did have amazing forms for combat. After she escaped I suppose she took it apon herself to become educated in one of those forms. This one reminds me of that Japanese one....by the Miyamoto fellow...

The exiled prince recalls studying up on many land techniques and weapons to get a better grasp of how to survive. He's sure he's atleast seen Mizu's style, but something was different about it.

The blades twisted at the hilts' command in Mizu's hands so they now faced outward, Mizu steped and then lunged in when close enough to theoretically overwhelm Bermuda. She struck both blades foward when Bermuda dodged, she swung arms out to the sides.

Sure enough Bermuda had came to her side in responce, but only to take a cut across the lower part of his chin. Blood exited shortly. He was taken, but not for long. He sprung back, wanned around to her back and threw a nasty punch towards the back her head.

Mizu was all over with a counter. She ducked, crosses the blades, twirled around on her heels, and pushed out the crossed blades at his throat. When she though they were close enough, she pulled them apart near where she though there would be a good cut.

Bermuda leaned backwards, dodging the initial attack, into a handstand and then pushed off the ground and into the air. He flipped halfway and spun sideways with his right foot coming at Mizu's face.

She brought up her blades and blocked. Just as Bemruda predicted, she had forgotten she held the blunt ends out and didn't inspire much of a cut to his foot through his shoe when blocking.

Mizu stumbled back at the power of the kick and almost fell even. She didn't allow it in the end.

Bermuda was knelt on the ground when she looked, rising to his feet.

Mizu drew a calm breath, preparing to go all out on her sibling.

Max looked from the distance, "Come on Mizu..."

[Youko Recca]

Noc reaches just before the ladder. His sights set upwards, his mind wondering if he could make it up with Soda over his shoulder.

Sound of swift attacks bellowed through the road.

Max hears something indistinctly in the distance. Oh wait, yes. The blades cutting at the nocturnal sky, the helicopter was coming back as planned.

He wasn't fretting about it, cause the idea of having his left arm checked out as soon as possible was great. But Bermuda and Mizu still went on, matching blow for blow. Them finishing was hoped for, but didn't seem near.

Mizu backflips and lands elegantly a short distance of Bermuda who has his hand up, signally for her to come with more. Four fingers alined and rocking back and forth.

Her look, lathered with the same cold contempt, wouldn't evolve anymore. Couldn't.

After taking stance she speed-walks foward at him again, but then ends up in a full-blown run halfway. She breaks stance, standing up, now just charging towards him without resistance.

Bermuda lowers himself and lunges towards her. He raises his left fist and throws it at her stomach. Mizu stops running, jumps back and swipes downwards, across, at his revealed arm.

Her blade passes air. He brought it back quick.

Bermuda whistled softly to himself. A small, repetative, yet oddly soothing tune.

Mizu held her blades eye-level, searching his movements like a hawk.

He backs up to the fence and looks behind him, through all the spaces he could peer down and see the wide amount of water. His head turns back to see Mizu coming in a similar fashion as before. A smirk graces his face, he takes one step forward and then backflips. Two flips and his feet meet with the exact top of the fence. He balances on one foot as he rotates and faces out into the vast open, bringing the foot back down.

He holds out both hands and concentrates stressfully.

Mizu didn't understand what he was doing until she noticed a huge line of water rising up from it's body, and floating through the air towards him.

She didn't want him to have ammo, she steps and leaps diagnolly, holding both blades infront of her, going for a stab at his back with both.

Bermuda doesn't seem to pay attention, he jumps up higher and lets her blades puncture empty space. He's still holding his arms out as he's falling back down. Mizu kicks off the fence and slides across the ground to a safe hault.

Bermuda lands effortlessly in the same position along the fence top.

Now a bunch of water sprung right along his body, slithering over him, no doubt refreshing. It all now bunches up on all over his left arm, shaping up to a blade. When the shape was molded perfectly, the water immediatly freezes into a blade made of ice along his left arm. He rotates on the fence again and face back to Mizu.

"How about we try this again?"

He seems to let himself fall foward off the fence, but when lain almost sideways, he kicks off it and comes flying towards Mizu. The fence rattles enough so Max can feel trace voibrations.

Mizu brings up both blades above her head, blocking a strong downward thrust with Bermuda's left arm. He fell into place just infront of her on the ground, still pushing down with his newly formed blade-arm.

His sibling's legs shook. She struggled, and was losing the advantage. He would soon overwhelm her.

So instead of waiting to be cut in half, she leaped back. He followed again with another strong lunge. He pointed the sharp tip of his left arm with an aim set on her midsection. Mizu surprisingly stopped in place and sidestepped him completely, she spun on her right heel and used her left heel to kick him hard into his back before him went on.

Bermuda fell to his knees due to the balance-killer, but bounced right back on his feet with the help of his right hand and skid into a stop. He turned and saw her coming.

He stood upright and held out the entire left arm. Unexpectadly, the tip of it broke away and shot at Mizu. She was so taken by it she had no time to think of how to dodge. She stood there in fear of being hit.

But she was lucky. It mearly flew past her head.

Bermuda tisked away, "Shoot, I should have actually aimed."

The very outside of the blade over his arm, seems to melt a bit, as it comes over and falls right into place, freezing to form a new tip for the ice blade.

The Sakanas both stared on with the same eyes, meeting sights, and then both charging once again.

Mizu hops off her right heel and thrusts forward her right blade, it comes into contact with the side of his left arm. There's a 'clink' sound, small portions of ice chipping away upon contact.

Mizu pushes a strong advancement of enthusiam along with the tip of her left blade for the center of open chest. Bermuda sees it through the clear glaze of the blade on his arm, and pulls his right knee up, smacking away her arm at the wrist. Both pull back and go onward again.

Mizu decides to attack the blade itself, as she wasn't going to get through as long as it was present. With both blades she hacks away at it. Using great might with each swipe.

Bermuda backs away, taken by the act.

"Smart girl, but I could kind of expect this!"

He jumps to the left and then comes around with his left leg rising to her head-level, the front of his foot coming and connecting painfully to the side of her head.

Mizu instantly falls to the ground, but works to get back up the moment she touches ground. Knowing she made an error, it was the only way he could have hit her.

She's starting to feel dizzy, that kick dazed her a bit.

Mizu's eyes see a strange occurence. The ice blade formed over his left arm was rising in the air, as a gas. A thick mist. It was increasing in mass quickly.

By the time Mizu woke up and decided to go for an attack, the road was almost shrouded in mist. She could see but it was no longer a hundred percent visible. Detecting him was going to be a harder feat.

She soon got ancy, another minute passed and he hadn't yet made a move on her. Her head constantly moved from side to side. Where IS he?!

While thinking to herself, she returns to a proper stance. The left blade above her right, and they both shook in anticipation along with the rest of her.

Mizu huffed, "No.", she closed her eyes and opened her ears. While focusing on sound, she picked up footsteps. Coming up slowly behind her.

She swung around in a one-eighty, feeling her right blade cutting against something. Also hearing a grunt. It felt good, actually doing something to inflict damage.

Woosh!

With that belch of wind, the mist quickly lightens up. Now alot easier to see. And while the mist was still there, it didn't serve it's advantagous purpose any longer.

Mizu scoped the road quickly, scaught a glimspe of Max, kept looking. She turned around and saw him. He was kneeling down, holding his stomach.

She leaped and decided to come down owith stealth.

As she feel above him, she positioned her weapons so the hilts popped up from the top and the blades came under. With one grunt from her herself, she comes down and stabs both blades into his back. She sees his face turn with a smirk on it.

Surprise.

His suppossed body bursts into a puddle of water.

Mizu gasps and turns as something sharp enters her side. She yelps in a sharp pain, she gets pushed off the object with a kick, blood floats through the air and paints the ground red with trickles.

She backs up and makes sure she stays standing with the power of will.

"You...", she finally says.

The mist is just about gone, coming back into water form as a puddle next to the confident Bermuda.

He shakes his head in a mocking manner of disapointment.

"Now how could you fall for something like that? Dumb *****."

Her blood gushes hesitantly out through the hole in her outfit. Her eyes lower and catch sight of the small ice blade cupped within his palm.

Ignoring the new wound she also notices the cut along his cheek. So she actually had hit him earlier.

Bermuda now goes fully with a frown, "I'm about tired of this.", he starts running at her with the puddle of water moving like a minature wave, following behind.

Mizu caught breath and ran to meet the confrontation again.

In the sky, a loud noise is heard. The helicopter in coming into the area.

Max looks up at it, "Damn, she's not done yet. Bah...I hope this--wasn't a bad idea.", he does a long blink and starts going up into a steady stand.

Both of Mizu's blades come over on opposite sides of Bermuda's head like an inversed pair of scissors. The puddle of water came up along Bermuda's shoulders and froze outward as shields. Both sides chip away while both her blades leave deep gashes within the ice formations. She pulls away and goes for more cuts and slices. Bermuda holds ground, ducking and dodging inbetween each.

"You--know Mizu, you--sure do remind of--that bastard!"

Mizu doesn't stop with the attacks but it curious, "What?!"

"Your father, yeah, I don't remember him well. But you're definitely his bastard child!"

The comment infuriated her. She flips foward, bringing the tips of her blades onto the ground and doing a handtsand among them with balance, knees into her chest. Both her legs push out and her heels clock Bermuda hard under his chin.

Bermuda stumbles back, the puddle sloshes around to the back of him and provides leaverage to keep him on his feet. As he looks on, Mizu is already twirling through the air, her legs whip and upon completing a bicycle kick, crashing her heels hard across his face.

He grunts in pain, spinning and falling onto his chest. Pushing off the ground he come sup only to takes another kick, this time a roundhouse, in the exact same spot. By now the side recieving all this abuse was thumping and red.

The water puddle moves and keeps him up, by pushing against his right side.

Bermuda feels along the outside of his jaw, "Damnit!"

Mizu lets out a battle cry and jumps into a spin, coming near him, raising the front of her foot under his chin, delivering a hard upward drive. After his head whipped back and came into place, he ducked under another swipe at his neck.

Bermuda, while still in a squatting position, slides over his right leg and kicks with his foot bent like a hook. He's able to hit her left leg and at the same time cause the knee to forcefully bend. While so, he raises little by little, and as he does, he brings over a series of kicks with his right foot to whichever certain point at her left side he was elevated to. The last kick comes into her neck and has her falling to the ground.

While toppiling the image of her mother flashed within her head, her legs reacted and caught the rest of her just before she fell. Instead she now stumbled foward. Gasping hard and trying to recover from the kicks.

Bermuda didn't give a proper chance, he came over and leaned sideways with his right foot coming up to her head, smacking her left cheek with the top of the foot, then when coming back across, he used his heel to hit her deep in her right cheek. Each kick strong and mighty enough to shake her body.

He rapidly did this ten times and let her drop to her knees, still shaking.

Bermuda looked down at her, the Fibbing Bokutos gripped limply within her palms. Body rising with each inhale and exhale.

"Pathetic. Today is the destined day...when I wipe the taint from our family name!!!"

Mizu sees his foot dropping down, about to smash against her head. She screams and rolls to the side, it hits the ground and causes a small crack.

She clenches her hands around her weapons and pushes off of them to stand up. Blood smearing around her face, and flowing out through busted parts in her lips.

"Shut up Bermuda! I won't sit here and take this ******** from the child who killed my mother....OUR mother!!!"

Her words echo through him harshly, and he walks over, backhanding her across her battered face.

She brings up her right blade and swipes at his side. She feels it slice along his skin like a knife through butter.

He jumps back and holds at his side, dropping to his knees. Gritting his teeth in a plethora of different negative emotions.

Mizu wobbles around while standing. Both weapons drop from her hands and she falls onto her left knee.


Deep down, and along, the dirt path, two eyesockets open. Dark green pupils stare out.

The helicopter coming to pick them up lands next to the elemental units' own.

Noc is just about to reach the top, Soda hanging motionless over his right shoulder. Noc heard the helicopter and was glad for it being there. He hoped the others would be there to meet him. He ignored any urges popping into his mind with all this blood right next to him. Right on him.

Both siblings stared at each other, breathing hard.

"You think I wanted to kill her? I did what was best for father's nobility. A credit you ruined with your birth."

"And yet you made things even worse...you...are an even bigger bastard than I Bermuda."

He is left speechless.

Two familiar feet grace the road now. The feet of Ceciela, making her way towards Bermuda.

Max himself started towards Mizu.

Mizu grabs at her weapons, Bermuda watches in utter surprise. She stands up and looks down at him with her trademark stare of extreme coldness.

Ceciela reaches a few feet away from Bermuda. He notices. Mizu turns her head and looks as well.

"C--C--Ceciela..you accomplished your fight?"

She shakes her head with a look of sadness over her.

"Bermuda, I'm sorry."

He looks at her with an open mouth.

She speaks up again.

"Bermuda. Cornelius. He's dead..."

Bermuda's eyes grow in size, "What did you say?!"

[Youko Recca]

Ceciela fought off her emotion, trying to regain composture.

"I saw him, his body. The boy he fought killed him Bermuda..."

Bermuda shook his head in denial, "Don't..."

"Ber-"

"Don't! Don't play with me Ceciela, there's no way a child of that stature could have killed Cornelius. He came way too far!"

Mizu soon saw this would no longer be just about him and her. She didn't interrupt, as she was gazing the conversation for information on Trent's condition.

Bermuda stood up and continued looking at her with a look of disbelief. He looked into her face. Harder. His face shifted to a challenged look of loss. Lost sence of continuity making him frantic.

"How...?", he demands to know.

Ceciela was hesitant at first, but told him. "His opponent was able to break his neck."

Bermuda leaned his head back and shook his head some more, "Please tell me you're lying! I-I promised him...he would show them! He was going to BE something!"

Mizu looks over her shoulder and there's Max.

Bermuda sees Max and his expression forms into worry, he looks past him and sees the body of Miles laying over the road. The sight made him sick to his stomach. Even worse was how he hadn't even noticed, despite them being right down the road. He trembled and fell on his knees, it was as if he couldn't grip onto a proper emotion.

"You damn mutt...you didn't....", he whispers.

Max hears him and exhales, "Sorry Bermuda, I had no choice. You know that."

Bermuda closes his eyes. He sees both Miles and Cornelius. He was feeling it again. A feeling similar to when he was exiled, but not quite. He had thought about this feeling, but never dared wish to endue it firsthand. Little by little he was drifting into a lonely void. With the death of two of his comrades it felt like losing a sibling twice. These were people he treated and made his new family. Now ripped from him.

Ceciela stares at the ground. Quiet.

Mizu speaks up and breaks her train of thought, "Where is the boy?"

Ceciela doesn't look up, but responds. "He's dead too, I believe. His body was motionless, and not too far away from Cornelius's."

Max doesn't know how to react, he puts his right hand over his face and leans back against the fence. Please God, no...

The helicopter engine roars in the distance.

"Max!", Noc's voice emits. He's running from behind where Max stood.

Ceciela sees him as she peers her eyes up a bit.

Noc joins the side of Mizu and Max. "We have to go now, Soda needs quick attention! And by the looks of it, you two also. Where's Trent?"

"W--Wait! Soda's alive?", Bermuda spews. He knows what it means deep down.

Noc looks at him without much alarm, "What's it to you?"

"If you don't answer me vampire, I swear I'll rip you in two!"

Noc scoffs and decides to answer him anyway, "Yes, he is. From the looks of it he went all out to take care of that demon. All that's left is his crumpled body, if that's what you want to hear."

But that wasn't what Bermuda wanted to hear at all. The realization that three he grew to respect were dead sunk in without warning. It hit him hard like a bullet. A bullet that lodged into his heart and robbed him of family while leaving an exit wound.

Bermuda clunched the ground infront of him and shook his head, "Damnit! NO! Stop lying to me!!!"

The three members of unit 0041 looked on without caring.

Mizu saw it the moment it happened. Bermuda broke. And when it happened she won this fight. Killing him right now would be too good for him. Letting him live in this torment was more than enough to satisfy Mizu.

Max stopped worrying over Trent just as he picked up his scent. He walked sideways into the center of the road, looking all the way down, past Ceciela.

"Wow, he's still walking?", said Noc. Knowing that Trent had already been slowly walking over to them.

Max looked at Noc, "If you knew, why didn't you say anything?"

Max sighed, glad everyone had came out of it. He looked once more at Bermuda's shaking shell of depression and finally turned around, walking back to their helicopter.

"Hurry up Trent!!", he yelled.

Way down the road Trent was walking, step by step. Trying his hardest.

Noc figured he'd better go help him before he collasped. And so he walks past Ceciela and heads towards him.

Ceciela drops down and squats besides Bermuda, slowly moving her right hand above his back. And then softly resting it down, caressing over it's surface.

"I'm sorry Bermuda..."

"I failed damnit...I had promised each of them something, and now...oh God Ceciela...what have I done...."

After a small trickle, tears begin falling from his eyes. Each drop hits the ground and breaks apart into little spots.

Mizu sees him crying and can't bare to be here anymore. She won. No need to be here. Sh turns and relays one last message to him.

"Now you know what it feels like to have loved ones taken from you. Don't ever come after me again brother. Clean yourself up...you're pathetic."

Her heels clamp against the road in a dreary pattern. She leaves Bermuda there to feel bad for himself, and get cradled by Ceciela, who had by now fully put her arms around him.

Noc passed them both up with Trent on his back, not even paying them any mind.

The entire unit left the remains there to wither away into nothing.

Max and the others began loading into the helicopter, the pilot complaining about how long they took to get there. Naturally they payed him no mind. Soda rested in the very back row. Trent leaned against the window in pain. Noc had pulled a shruken Nyoibou from within his pocket, returned it to proper size, and then sat up straight in his seat. Max did the same.

Mizu goes over what just occured in his head, and in her seat, lets her head go foward. Th exhaustion got to her. She would sleep the whole way back.

Minutes upon minutes, the helicopter lifted into the sky.

Leaving two hopeless souls to grieve over their loss.