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Chapter 76
by Agent Havoc
The emptiness Yodama felt as he walked through the hallways of the Core, looking to end the threat of Dalasius was alarming. What was woprst was that every once in a while, he saw the image of his old friend, Darian in his mind, appearing, probably to do nothing more than haunt him… Dalasius and Darian… They were his past catching up with him. And he had no other choice than to face his past and vanquish it or die trying. There was no other option. History depended on it, and now, his sanity depended on it.
What would Bella think of all this? How would things have been had Bella survived the initial hunt ? Would she be invlved in this whole fiasco? Would she have joined forces with Darian? Would he have been forced to turn on the woman he cared for so much? Would she have found a way to love him ? There was no way to know and once more, these question did nothing more than just torture him. He would gladly endure physical pain for twice as long than to be reminded of these toruring memories. Memorie were the worst kind of torture possible for a man like him. He had often thought that his past wa behind him, but it clearly wasn't… Every once in a while, he would let tears flow down his cheeks thinking about Isabella Manchester… But of course, he wouldn't let that happen today.. .Not in front of his men who looked up to him for strength and leadership, not when the Planet's history was hanging in his hands like this.
A ringing sound made itself heard in his ears… A dreadfully fammiliar ringing sound… Dalasius had used this sound frequency to provoke minor halucinations years ago during the hunt. Keaton had managed to counter that spell with a gadget on his cell phone that he had created, but just a bit too late… English Dave, a member of the team had already put a gun to his own head a taken his own life by the time the necromancer's spell had been countered. And right now, Yodama wasn't equipped with Keaton's device…
" Plug your ears! " screamed Hihori to his men as he took out ear plugs from his pockets and put them in his ears. None of his men seemed to understand why and none of them reacted to his orders, only giving each other confused looks.
" Plug your goddamn ears you idiots! " screamed Hihori once again…
It was too late… One of his men, Yamcha he thought his name was, drooled a bt and had an empty look in his eyes… Dalasius' spell had taken its effect on the poor guy.
" Goddamn it, I told you all to bring ear plugs with you for this mission, and I'm ordering you all to plug your ears with them. And shoot Yamcha before anything happens. " screamed Hihori.
No reaction from any of his men… It was too late… Yamcha turned his machine-gun on another one of his men and pulled the trigger with a scream of genuine fear. The man he shot was torn to pieces in a matter of seconds. Within seconds, his men were all shooting each other with scream of fear and loathing… Dalasius had made his way into all of their minds and there was nothing he could do about it except put them out their misery and stay alive.
Yodama rolled and took cover as a few of his men were shooting at him. They were no longer his men, or their own men, because they were now nothing more than puppets for the necromancer, he was using their fear and sadness to control them, wich could explain why his thoughts around Dalasius, Darian and Isabella were so intense a few moments ago.
The young Syndicate leader got out of his cover and shot a few times aat his men… Each pull of the trigger resulted in a kill. It wasn't difficult to fight men who were in a state of panic. As he fought for his life, Yodama could feel Dalasius tryin to get through to him.
" Stay out of my mind Necromancer ! My determination is stronger than my doubts and you will not get to me this way. Stay the hell out of my mind! " screamed Yodama as he kept on shooting at his men who were shooting at each other and him.
" Impressive Yodama… Most impressive… You aren't the love sick puppy you were back in the day… " rang Dalasius' voice in the back of his mind
" I've gotten better… " replied Yodama as he shot down the last of his men.
" So have I… " said the Necromancer's voice as it faded away…
The young leader of the Syndicate the stood back up and looked at Tainted Love for a few moments… he changed the clip to his hand gun and took off his wooden mask, feeling the sweat that had accumulated under the stress he had felt just now… The scene was disgusting… Parts of his men's bodies were all over the place and he knew he was the only one left alive in his squad…
He would take care of this alone… Too many of his men had died already.. .After all this was his past, not anybody else's… History would be sure to remember that… He took out his radio and punched the button once…
" To all squads, this is Hihori Yodama.. .You are all to leave the Core immediately and return to headquarters.. I will handle this alone from here on.. You have all completed your tasks and I thank you all for your loyal services.. Your paychecks are waiting for you at headquarters…Put on the earplugs I had ordered you all to bring, and put them on … And leave this site immediately.. This is an order. "
A series of 10-4s went through the channel and after awhile, the radio went dead silent… He was the most poweful man in the world of organized crime… and he was alone…
Somehow, this loneliness, while right for this situation, didn't feel all that comforting… Darian, Dalasius, Bella… All these names meant nothing for his men but they meant everything to him… He would deal with his past, and he would do it alone, even if it meant his life…
The Cleaner had almost made his way through to the Reactor when Yodama's latest orders came through the radio channel… A few moments ago, he was in one of the Core' parking lots in a shootout against cops along with two of the Syndicate's teams.. .The had been cut down when the cops sent sleeping gas over o them. Victor had managed to escape as did a few others, but many of them got caught. As for those who had ineed escaped the cops, they had to disperse to avoid being a single big target for the coppers. In short, his situation wasn't the best there was at the present moment… and somehow, he had probably just dug his own grave when he made his way to the Reactor… This place was only deeper into hostile territory as far as he was concerned, and with Yodama having ordered his men to back off, any chances of running into back-up were getting slimmer by the minute…
There was only one person he could trust to back him up now… Victor took out his cell phone and dialed Dai's cell phone number… The ringing sound went on a nd on for a few moments , but no answer… Either Dai was dead, or he had gotten caught… Daisuke would never leave his cell phone behind him… Meaning that Victor ws lone in all of this.. he would have to take care of this situation as quickly as he could… On his own.
He had to get out of here.
Putting on the earplugs that Yodama had ordered him to put on, the Cleaner could only wonder why he had to do such a thing. But he also knew the boss well enough to know that Yodama would never give away orders that didn,t make any sense… As he kept on walking, he saw in the corner of his eye a small sihouette moving through a small window , in a room next to him. The Cleaner barged into the room , gun in hand and ready to take out any threat that was inside. But instead of finding a threat, he found a small girl draped in a cardigan of tweed. She had tears flowing down her cheeks and was sobbing.
He hated seeing kids cry.
The little girl looked at him with sad eyes that contained no fear and Victor felt his heart compacting itself in his chest as the look got through to him.
" Are you going to kill me mister? " she said sobbing. Her tears were of sadness, not fear. That much he could tell, and he respected the child even more for that. A fearful child would become a hateful person later on, and hateful people were the plague of society.
Victor thought about it for a moment. He was ordered to kill everyone on sight, but he had been ordered now to get out, wih sort of cancels his previous orders. He didn,t have to kill her.
" No… I'm not … " he answered as he holstered his gun and approached her. " What's your name little girl? What are you doing here all alone like this? "
" My name is Mikan… I'm here because my brother told me to stay here until he came back to get me… "
Victor felt a small lump forming itself in his throat… Chances were that her brother was already dead, killed by some of his comrades, or perhaps even by him. There was nothing he could do about that, but he simply couldn't bring himself to leave her alone here. He didn't want to risk her being caught in the crossfire should anymore gunfights break out. He could protect her if he brought her with him…
What was he thinking? Since when did he ever care about others? Since when did he ever care about kids? Why did he care what could poissibly happen to her?
And then it hit him.. .The looks in her eyes reminded him of his own little sister, Corrina, who died in a driveby years ago, when he was only a teenager… She was only 7 years old and died from a bullet that was meant for him. Victor had killed the gang responsible for his sister's death, but never forgave himself for it…
" Well my name's Victor " he said in the friendliest tone he could manage " This place is still very dangerous and i would feel better if you came with me.. We'll find your brother once we get you to a safer place… As in, out of the Core… Will you come with me? "
" Do I have a choice? " she asked
" Of course, I'm not forcing you or anything… " replied the Cleaner. " I just want to help you out… "
" Why? "
" Because while I may be a monster now, I am also an older brother… And I know that any older brother would want his younger sister to be safe… Let's just say that this is in solidarity to older brothers all over the world. "
Victor winked at her and smiled.
Mikan looked at the Cleaner and wiped of her tears. She gave him her hand and he helped her up. He could clearly see that her legs were weak and could barely hold her weight. Knowing nothing better to do, the Cleaner picked her up and started to walk.
" Don't worry.. You'll be safe with me Mikan… "
Victor liked the thought that somewhere, somehow, Corrina was looking at him right now and was proud of her older brother for the first time ever…
As cheesy as it sounded… This brought him a sense of satisfaction he hadn't felt in a long time…
Darian was convinced he had heard a suspicious sound, with both Escafowne and Wylde Child in his hands, the icy eyed hunter walked fastwer and faster as he covered all of the possible places where he could get ambushed by any possible or impossible threat. The old man wasn't far behind the ex-hunter, but Darian didn't want to rely on him to cover him. Nowadays, there was only one person he trusted enough to cover him, and that was Anika… Otherwise, he preferred to cover himself…
Then again, perhaps it was his mind playing tricks on him, perhaps it was guilt that made him paranoid. Life had chosen him to protect its guardian… Why would ife have chosen a monster like him? He was a killer. There was no way around that. He had claimed so many lives in his lifetime, and redemption wasn't something that could be gained in this lifetime, this much he understood after his confrontation with Daisuke. Who was Daisuke? He had a mother, a father… Did he have any siblings? Close friends who would mourn his death? Was Daisuke a father? Or perhaps he was a father that didn't know he was one, and later on, his child would want to find out who his or her father is, but would discover that his or her paternal figure had been killed by an icy blue eyed bastard.
Who was Daisuke? He was more than what Darian knew of him, that's for sure.. he was more than just an enforcer for the Syndicate…
Who is Daisuke? There is no more Daisuke.. Daisuke is dead… Because of a mistake Darian had made… Daisuke was dead, and Darian had died with him when he pulled that trigger that hit the enforcr's throat… The scarred man felt as if anything that was left in him that was remotely human and beautiful had died with an enforcer he had confronted only a few times and had only met yesterday. A moaning sound attracted Darian's atention and snapped him out of his thoughts.. .it was incredible tht through the alarm, Darian had perceived that sound. The hunter ran to the source of that sound.
" Wait for me ! " screamed Ran as the old man followed Darian.
Darian ignored Ran as he kept on running and finally saw a female Syndicate enforcer lying in a pool of blood.
" Hold on! " said the ex-hunter " I'm going to check your wounds out. "
" It… hurts… " breathed the wounded enforcer.
The woman's clothes were stained with blood and the quantity of blood that had been spilled on the floor was alarming. The look in his glassy brown eyes showed Darian that there wasn't anything he could do for her… She had lost too much blood already, and would die any minute now.
Darian lifted the wounded woman's shirt and saw 7 bullet holes having hit their mark on her belly.
" Don't worry about it! " said the scarred man " You're going to make it… Stomach wounds are the most painful ones possible, but you can't die until a good few hour of bleeding. "
Darian was lying.
He gave old Ran a glance and the old man simply looked away.
" Is… it… true? " asked the enforcer in a weak tone.
" Yes, it's true, just close your eyes and rest, I'll take care of the rest… "
" You have an angel's stare… So recomforting… Please… Hold my hand… "
Darian held her hand tightly yet gently as he felt her lifeforce slipping away from her at an alarming rate.
" You just… wanted to tell me that I… was going to… live because you didn't… want me to be… afraid of this last journey… Plese, stay with me till I go… " she said as she coughed up more blood.
" I will… " replied Darian, trying to be as recomforting as possible.
" You can leave me now, Mr.Angel… "
She started to breathe faster and faster and eventually and sighed out a last breath.
Darian closed her eyelids and let go of her hand. Looks were deceiving he thought. He was far from being an angel… He was a monster who passed for an angel, who made himself believe that he as an angel.. Probably the worst kind of monster there could possibly be out there…
" Go on without me, old man! " said Darian coldly.
" What? " replied Old Ran in a surprised tone.
" You heard me, go on without me! "
" What are you talking about? You get me into this situation, and now you want to leave me in this mess by myself? "
" You are hardly defenseless… I know that you are the Guardian that life chose, i was chosen by Life to protect you… "
" What? "
" Don't play innocent! I know exactly what you are Rangarion! You can do fine without me! I am nothing but a killer… i can only destroy.. I cannot preserve or create… I destroy… My whole purpose when i was created in a vat at TracerCo was to become the perfect killing machine, and that i have become. Life chose very poorly when he-she-whatever asked me to protect The Guardian… Life wanted a hero, and that certainly is not what I am… " the bitterness in Darian's tone of voice could certainly not be missed.
Old Ran just stood there for a moment and simply didn't reply…
" In case i didn't make myself clear old man… SCRAM! " shouted Darian angrily.
" If I don't, what will you do, kill me? " asked Rangarion calmly.
" I may very well do that, it's my purpose in life : to kill, to maim, to lie, to destroy! "
" No, that was the purpose that human beings have given to you… You are more than that… You are a genlte soul who was forced to become a killer.. it's a duality that tears you apart from the inside but you mustn't let it get to you… Your nature will eventually take over your gained purpose… You can unlearn what you have learned, but you cannot run away from your nature, and it can be seen in your eyes that deep down, you are a good person… "
" HOW CAN YOU KNOW THAT FOR SURE ? " shouted the scarred man " We have just met, I have barely spoken to you yet! "
" Your eyes are unique, they belong to someone I cared for alot in the past, and I know that person more than i know myself… And I know the nature of that person… I know she is a good person… "
" Who …the ..hell are you Old Man? "
" It doesn't really matter right now, does it? What matters right now is : who are you? "
Darian was sobbing and letting tears flow down his cheeks… Who was he ?
" I'm going to keep on walking now..Dalasius has to be stopped, and Kuri has to be found… You were asked by Life to protect me, well I relieve you of that duty.. You an do as you wish now… If you want to stay here and feel pity for yourself, then it's your choice, I'm not gong to judge you… If you want to give me a hand or spring your friends out like you wanted , then by all means, I'm not going to refuse your help either and will do my best to help you in return… It's your choice Darian Ashley, he who has Mari's eyes… "
And with those words, Rangarion started to walk, with the machine gun in his hands, without looking back… Darian was on his knees and looked at both Wild Chylde and Escaflowne for a bit...
Who was he? And what would he do?
Without thinking, the icy-blue-eyed man ran after Old Ran and was ready to face anything now…
Anika readied her gun .All hell had broken loose in here and she had to control every single cell in her body not to go into a state of panic. Nakano had sacrificed himself to kill Lydon and to get them out of trouble, and she still didn't know how to react to that. She could only remember the nice and gentle cop she had only just met, who wanted revenge against the man who had killed his sister… She already missed Nelson's laughter and attitude. Never would he and Phoenix Mark get into annoying fights again…
The worst part was that she never got the opportunity to say goodbye…
Saying goodbye only happened in movies… It never really happens in life…
She never got the chance to say goodbye to Merrit either.. She didn't get the chance to say goodbye to Hugo, she didn't get the chance to say goodbye to Darian either…
Nelson Nakano wanted revenge, but he died as a true hero…
She only hoped that if she would go out tonight, she would go out with as much dignity and courage as Nelson ..
Ven punched in a sequence of numbers.
"Dalasius has locked us out," he said, banging a fist on the door.
Remembering Merrit's training, Anika made her way to the front and took out her lock picking kit…
" There is no such thing as a locked door, said the blonde hunter… It's all in your mind that it's locked… " She said with a smile, pushing Ven gently aside…
" What are you talking about? " asked Talehn
" The first rule of a thief a catburglar.. The sky is the limit.. .Nothing is impossible to get in.. If you can lock it, you can unlock it… "
" The security system in here are top notch, ther's no way you could break in ! " said Ven
" Don't bet your life on it! " replied the young woman as she took out of her pouch a password cracker and a few screwdrivers. She was so thankful that her kit hadn't been hidden to far away for her to find it again during the time she had been captive.
As she unscrewed the bolts that held the pannel that would lead to the locks, Anika kept telling herself that she was doing this for Nakano, and for Darian.. .One of her friends had fallen for sure, while the other had prerhaps fallen.. .But one way or another, she would do both of these men's courage justice… She hadn't picked any locks for real in years, but Darian always insisted that she kept on practicing on fake locks, so that she wouldn't lose too much of her skills… He also made sure she kept on practicing her pick pocketting skills…
And for the first time in quite a few years, these skills had come in handy again…
As she took off the pannel, and plugged in the small password cracker, Anika ignited her small device and started to uncross and cross wires… This was a very delicate operation, but also one that was to be done quickly…
Eventually, the password cracke stopped at a sequence of numbers and flashed for a moment… All she had to do now ws to cross the two right wires, and the results would be there : either she would sound the alrm, or she would actually open the door…
Of course, setting the alram probably wouldn't do a thing she thought, so at least , she had that stress out of her mind… The purple eyed young lady crossed two wires, and the door opened…
" Ta-dah! " she said smiling.
" Good work Anika… " said Byrce
" Now we have a fighting chance … " said Paula…
Anika smiled ot herself and her thoughts were with Nakano.She packed up her lockpicking kit and put it back in her jacket and pulled out her gun once more.
" Goodbye Nelson, may you rest in peace, and I will make ure that your death will not have been in vain. " she thought
" Let's go to work ladies and gentlemen! " she said out loud walking through the door she had just cracked open.
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