by Brandon Chen
Yata rushed forward and grabbed the girl as she fell before she made contact with the sharp glass. He blinked as he held the naked stranger in his arms and quickly pulled the cloak off his body and wrapped it around her. “She’s alive,” he said, reaching out and touching the girl’s throat, feeling her pulse. It was subtle but there. Her eyes were now closed, her breathing normal, but she was definitely unconscious. They had to get her out of here. He lifted her into his arms and looked at Gavin and Noah. “We’ll bring her back to the mansion and help her. Are all of these people alive?”
Noah shook his head. “No, most of them are dead. In fact, they should all be dead since they were left here for such a long time without any food or anything. It’s a miracle that she’s alive.”
“Well, let’s get her out of here as soon as possible.” Yata turned to Gavin. “That enough to convince you?”
There was a sudden bang, and everyone went down, ducking behind the same desk in unison. The sound of footsteps echoed loudly in the hollow laboratory room. The metallic clanking sound that accompanied the footsteps of at least a dozen men indicated that these were armed guards.
Gavin gripped his sword tightly, now knowing that this was definitely a government project—a government that he no longer respected if this was how they treated their own people.
Yata was still holding the girl in his arms and examined her before he looked away. Her flesh had caved in after the small tubes had been detached from her body, making her look like a deflated skeleton. Nevertheless, she was still alive, though not for long at this rate; she looked as if she hadn’t eaten in weeks.
“General Mundo,” a man said, clearly venerating the higher position as he saluted the general. “It seems that Project X has escaped. No, rather, someone was down here and broke her out.”
“How recent?”
“Only minutes ago, sir. The preserving fluids are still warm. Someone must have bumped into the desk nearby as well, for there are shattered vials and flasks,” the soldier said. “Shall we perform a search, sir?”
“As soon as possible,” General Mundo said. “I want whoever was down here caught and executed immediately. I also want Project X to be captured alive as soon as possible. No doubt whoever these people are, they were humane enough to try to free her. They’ll probably keep Project X alive until we get our hands on her. Get the tracking dogs on the job.”
Noah, Gavin, and Yata all looked at each other in despair. Tracking dogs? There was no doubt that they would be caught with this odd smell. Preservative fluids, was it? It smelled more like urine. They had to get out of here.
“When I use my magic,” Noah whispered, “we make a run for it, got it? We destroy as much stuff as we can and close the tunnel so that they can’t follow us. Yata, I’m leaving that part up to you. Gavin, take hold of the girl and take point.” He flicked his wrist, and a burst of green light shot up into the air, exploding, sending streaks of energy outward and attaching to soldiers. The attack smashed bottles and glass tubes everywhere, causing chaos as Yata and Gavin began to make a mad dash for the exit, Noah following closely behind.
Yata’s heart was pounding heavily. All I have to do is destroy the tunnel. Easy enough. When they reached the corridor, Yata’s fleshy arm morphed into pure metal. He began to rapidly smash it into the wall, causing dust to crumble down from the ceiling and the wall itself. Cracks began to split around the archway as Yata grunted, putting more and more effort into his punches, digging deeper into the structure as he slammed it with more force. Harder! More power!
He looked and saw Noah holding off the soldiers with his magic, blocking rifle bullets and sword blows with his glowing blue shield as he cast different shapes outward to counterattack. Yata gasped as he pulled his hand back, pieces of debris crinkling from his fingers. His hand curled into a solid fist, clenched tightly. He planted his feet firmly into the ground, and his eyes widened, his body rotating, gathering speed as his fist rocketed toward the wall. He yelled when it made contact, the cracks in the wall suddenly giving way as the entire structure began to collapse. Rocks crumbled from the archway entrance, smashing into the earth.
Yata turned, pride rising in his chest, until he saw Noah. The man was pinned, and rocks were already raining down around him. “Noah!” Yata exclaimed, stretching his arm out to the man while debris fell relentlessly. He could get Noah out of here. All Noah had to do was grab his hand, and he could yank him clear of the doorway before any debris buried him. He watched as Noah shook his head, without even trying to reach out, as if already accepting the inevitable. The debris began to fill up the gap, and Yata could’ve sworn that he saw Noah smiling before the soldiers forced him down onto his knees. Then he was gone.
Yata stood there in the dead silence, staring at the place where Noah had been only a moment earlier. No…. He placed his forehead against one of the rocks that filled the doorway, his heart thudding. Then a blood-curdling scream of agony erupted from the other side of the debris. Yata’s hands were shaking at his side, salty tears beginning to form in his eyes, his stomach giving way. He listened to Noah’s screams until eventually they stopped, and he was gone once more.
I could’ve saved him. I could’ve reached a little further and grabbed him! He fell to his knees, his arms limp at his side as tears streaked down his cheeks. He lowered his head, beginning to sob. He was powerless to do anything, just like before. The last time he had cried like this was when he saw the dead from the massacre, four years earlier. He hadn’t cried when Keimaro’s father had died, but he hated the fact that Noah had just sacrificed himself to save them. The son of the man that was leading this mysterious rebellion. Gavin wanted to come down here. He wanted to see why he should hate the government. Noah wouldn’t have died if it weren’t for Gavin. This is all his fault.
Silence. Yata didn’t want to blame Gavin. The soldier seemed dedicated enough to want to stay by their side rather than run back to his barracks. But now Noah was dead. A young man they had only met hours ago had sacrificed his own life for them. What would he tell Z? He pushed himself to his feet and looked at the pile of debris once more. He exhaled as he wiped his eyes in the crook of his arm, turning away and beginning to walk after Gavin. What, indeed?
The Prototype
Keimaro had been running from the guards for quite some time now. They had somehow climbed onto the rooftops and were following him closely, yet they hadn’t gotten a clear glimpse of his face. His ebony cloak was pulled tightly around him, flapping in the wind. His hood came over his face, creating a dark shadow that obscured his facial features. His boots thudded loudly against the rough tiled rooftops of the city as he continued onward, leaping across gaps as Yuri and Lena had done. No doubt they had escaped already because it seemed that the guard was focusing everything on capturing him. At least a dozen soldiers followed him on the rooftops and maybe two dozen on foot, yelling at him to stop running. It didn’t seem that any of them were willing to shoot him with their rifles, though, for some odd reason. He would’ve thought that one of them would’ve at least fired a shot, or perhaps an arrow. It made sense, though. The prototype and blueprints had been delivered only yesterday. It was a miracle they had already produced so many guns. The soldiers probably didn’t even know how to use them yet. Sometimes Keimaro would see soldiers slipping between the gaps of the buildings and fall, which caused him to snicker a little. Though death was never a laughing matter, something intrigued him when they slipped and fell. How inept could get they get? They were imbeciles for following him this far.
He looked around for a better way to escape, but couldn’t really see anything. Then he spotted a canal filled with stagnant water that stretched throughout the city. Swimming in there would give away his position. He rushed forward on the rooftop, but something else caught his eye. His Shokugan eyes activated, causing a glowing demonic red in his iris. There was a small crack in a weakened part of the roof. Interesting.
Keimaro reached the weak part of the roo
ftop, eager to see what would happen. He saw that the guards were so close behind him anyway. He had nothing to lose. He leapt up into the air and smashed his feet into the crack. He lost his footing as the entire roof collapsed, dropping half a dozen soldiers into the open air. Time seemed to slow as Keimaro’s glowing eyes flickered from left to right, scanning the area as he fell. It looked as if they were in some type of warehouse. Wooden bars crossed the top half of the structure, their purpose supposedly to support the roof. But they were also good footholds—not to mention, it was much better than falling twenty feet only to hit the inevitable solid ground. There was nothing else in the empty warehouse to grab on to besides the bars. Conveniently, the bars led up to a small circular window across the warehouse, which exited above the canal. He lashed out with his hand and grasped one of the bars, his body weight dragging him down. Soldiers’ bodies crunched loudly as they hit the ground. Keimaro winced as he heard the sickening thuds and began to haul himself upward.
Keimaro saw several soldiers peering down through the massive hole in the roof as he balanced on the wooden bar. His legs were shaking as he moved forward, but he figured that the slower he moved, the harder it would be to balance. He turned away and began to sprint forward, stumbling a bit as he felt his balance being disrupted. As he neared the circular window, he realized it was extremely small, perhaps large enough to fit a baby. He looked over his shoulder and saw soldiers on the bar already beginning to follow him, having dropped down from the rooftop cautiously. The boy grunted as he sucked in a deep breath and dove through the window, making his body slender and straight as an arrow as he flew through the small opening and out into the free, fresh air towards the canal.
He closed his eyes as he hit the water with a clean dive, his body slicing through several feet of liquid before he slowed into a float. His eyes snapped open, and he blinked when he saw that he could see clearly despite the slight fog in the water. He gave a swift kick and began to make his way through the water, trying to hold his breath as long as possible. He knew that the canal was still and that the soldiers would look through the window searching for his whereabouts. By staying underwater, he hoped they wouldn’t spot him.
Keimaro broke the surface while underneath a curved bridge, brushing his black hair out of his eyes. His iris’s color changed back into its normal dark brown, and he pressed himself against the bridge, looking up at the giant structure above him. “Well, that wasn’t that bad of an escape,” he muttered and quickly began to strip himself of his cloak. He sighed, throwing it over his shoulder as he began to climb out of the water. In order to avoid being recognized, he would probably have to sneak around town to get back to the mansion. The authorities were probably looking for him. Perfect.
It took quite some time and navigating for him to finally find his way back to the mansion without getting caught or recognized. Nevertheless, he did it, and he was still dripping wet when he walked through the door. Only a few boys and girls were walking about on the ground floor, but Lena was sitting on a red leather couch on the far side of the room, her legs folded, beside Yuri. She waved at him with a little giggle when she saw him completely soaked. “Wow, how did you decide to escape?”
“I fell through a roof and dove into a canal,” Keimaro murmured, walking over.
“Sounds like you had a fun time.”
“Oh yeah, wonderful,” Keimaro muttered with a roll of his eyes as he raised the cloak over Lena and squeezed some water onto her, causing her to squeal. “How did you guys escape?”
“We let all of the guards chase after you and slipped away into an alleyway,” Yuri said and raised his eyebrow at Keimaro, leaning back into the couch. “You’re too loud and too noticeable. Sure, that’ll be perfect for tonight, but in a real assassination and a real getaway, you’re going to need more than just luck in order to escape. You’ll need to memorize every part of your surroundings in an instant and analyze how you’ll be able to use it to your advantage for your getaway. You understand that?”
“Yes, sir,” Keimaro muttered.
The door flew open, and Gavin staggered into the building with Yata. Absolute silence fell as all of them looked at the bony naked woman in Gavin’s arms. Everyone began to walk toward them, but Gavin held up a hand, completely out of breath.
“Someone help her! She needs medical attention!” Gavin exclaimed, placing her down on the ground gently. He put his hands on his knees and panted, out of breath. He watched as Lena lifted the girl and began to race away with other students toward the teleporter so that they could get her to the infirmary.
Yuri pushed his way through the crowd along with Keimaro until they stood over Gavin. “Where’s Noah?”
Gavin’s eyes were lowered. Yata took a step forward, his eyes solid and unwavering. “He was separated from us. Either the guards got him, or he’s dead. He chose to sacrifice himself in order to save us.” His tone was harsh and straight to the point.
Keimaro blinked a few times, barely able to take this in. “What? Are you serious? What in the hell were you guys doing? Being chased by guards? I thought that Noah was just taking you guys to show you why the government should be hated, not a secret mission! And who was that naked girl that you brought in? She looks as if she hasn’t eaten for weeks!”
“Kei, calm down.”
“I won’t calm down! One of our comrades just died!” Keimaro snarled, pointing at the door. “We should head out there and go—”
Yuri slammed his fist solidly into Keimaro’s face, his body rotating and sending the boy flying backward. Keimaro hit the ground hard on his back. Yuri pulled back his fist as the crowd of assassins around them gaped. They watched Keimaro, who was grabbing at his face and gasping.
“Hey,” the werewolf snarled simply, raising his fist. “When you said you would work with us, I told you I would help make everything work out. But you listen to what I say, got it? This isn’t your lone wolf thing anymore! You’re with a group. And you listen to me.”
Keimaro pushed himself upward, his eyes flashing red. “I don’t work for anyone, and no one is my superior. I choose to be here because you benefit me. I don’t support your freaking cause or—”
“Do you want to see your sister again?” Yuri snapped.
Keimaro’s heart thumped, and he lowered his head, glaring at Yuri with even more hatred. His hands were tightened into fists that trembled at his side, burning rage flaring up in his chest. He exhaled through his nose and released his hatred for a moment, his fists relaxing into limp hands. He didn’t bother answering, knowing that Yuri knew the answer for him.
“You’re dismissed until tonight,” Yuri said simply, one hand in his pocket. “Go explore the tower and its many public rooms. It has many services to offer that could possibly interest you. However, you will leave the issues regarding your two friends to me. Is that understood? In exchange for your cooperation, we will return your sister. We promise.”
“Promises aren’t always kept.”
“Ours are.”
Keimaro pushed himself to his feet, rubbing the bruise on his cheek from the punch. He turned away from Yuri and began to walk off into the crowds of boys and girls from the rebellion who dispersed as soon as he walked past.
Every door on the first floor of the tower was supposedly public, and there were dozens of them. Trying to get his mind off of that humiliating event, he opened a random door that led into what looked like a feasting hall. Without doubt, some type of enchantment had been placed on this mansion. The feasting hall alone looked larger than what the mansion would be able to hold. The ceiling stretched up infinitely; magic again enabled actual clouds to hover in place of a ceiling. The boy didn’t even bother questioning the limits of magic.
At the moment, the angered boy was in no mood to marvel incredulously at the magnificence of the wonders around him. Rather, he went and got a keg of beer from a table of what seemed like unlimited refreshments and sat down at one of the longer stretching tables in solitude, separat
ing himself from the rest of the boys and girls that were eating together.
Keimaro took a heavy gulp of his beer, wincing as he felt an odd burn from the strength of the alcohol. What kind of a beer was this? He set down the keg angrily, shaking the table with a bang. Who the hell does Yuri think he is, bossing me around? We have just met. He is not my superior, and thinking that he will save my sister is foolish. I don’t even know whether or not she is alive. And now Noah is dead. Perfect. More and more lives are lost, and that old man Z probably won’t take the news too lightly, especially since it was his son. He took a couple more swigs and closed his eyes, exhaling through his nose. All I have to do is do what they say until Mai is safe. Then I can do whatever I want. I can even kill everyone here.
There was a second bang, and Keimaro watched a boy plop down on the seat beside him. The boy had a long scar across his right eye but nevertheless wore a smile across his face. His hair was light blond and rather short, slicked back with some type of fancy oils that probably came from nobility. His clothes also indicated that he was from a rich class. His garment consisted of multicolored silks of blue, red, and white.
He flashed a warm smile in Keimaro’s direction. “You must be new around here. I haven’t seen you before! What’s your name?”
Keimaro tried to ignore the noble, but the boy rambled on. “My name is Aladdin. I am a noble from the upper district, but I came here when Z offered me this incredible opportunity to become something more than just a lazy, fat old man sitting on my bum all day. I don’t want to be like my father. I want to be much more, someone big and powerful!”
Keimaro scoffed, glancing at Aladdin from the corner of his eye. “So? That’s why you joined the rebellion? So that you can become something more than just a fat lard?”
