Interlude Blood. The scent of blood. The taste of blood. It's warmth. It is as if I am surrounded by an ocean of blood. I cannot get it out of my mind. I cannot escape it. I do not want to escape it. No. NO. NOOO!!! Control. I must remain in control. .... Wings of Fate 29: As Chaos Ignites Around Them by: StorytellerSJK StorytellerSJK@yahoo.com created by: John Evans and Ardweden http://www.improfanfic.com/wof/ .... Then-- "Two down, three to go." 'This is bad. Very bad.' was the one thought that was shoving itself over and over into Kenchi's mind as Akari began to move closer to him. He was standing on the opposite edge of the platform from where the train had stopped. He desperately wanted to help Judou and Soshi but knew he dared not until after he dealt with 'Akari'. Suddenly, he was grabbed from behind and pulled off the platform and out from under the roofed landing. He landed with a jarring thud that knocked the breath out of him. As he tried to stand up, he found his movement being restricted by a group of black tentacles. He looked behind him and saw something that made his blood run cold. Five of the black tentacle creatures stood there, the same type of creatures that had previously attacked the group in Soshi's basement, and assaulted Akari and Shuukou in public. And standing directly behind them was a tall man dressed in a beige suit. Kenchi had a faint memory speaking of a beige suit... Two of the creatures were holding Kenchi captive while the others looked on. Even through his clothing he sensed the cold, steely feel of the tentacles. It was like being burned and frozen at the same time. He heard a loud thump from behind, and as he strained his head he could see 'Akari' approaching him. 'She' had a evil smirk on 'her' face that was complemented by the dark blankness of 'her' eyes. "Hello Kenchi dear." 'she' began "I must say you and your friends are making this even easier than we had hoped." "That's enough, Kr'kkwujcik. We have no time for games. Do what we came here to do." The person in beige-Kenchi already thought of him as the MIB- then gestured towards 'Akari', and the two creatures holding Kenchi captive began to push him towards 'her'. "As you command." 'Akari' pouted in a manner that normally would have been cute. "But you sure know how to ruin a girls fun. Ah well." 'She' then moved up to Kenchi and put 'her' hands on his head. 'Her' smile only widened as he vainly struggled to escape the tentacles hold. "You know Kenchi I really am going to miss this form. Still once I posses you, the only one who will be left is dear Shuukou. A fair trade, I suppose. Now, now, now. Stop struggling and don't worry. This will hurt a lot. Just like it did Philippe." And with that the world exploded around Kenchi. .... Interlude I must give these humans credit. Their drugs and treatments are far more effective than I would have believed. The race has truly advanced since my sleep began. If I were any other being, or one of my 'companions' for that matter, I am sure I would have been broken by now. But I AM NOT!!! I AM MACHA!!! AND I AM IN CONTROL!!! Always... Always.... .... Now-- "Do we understand each other Dr. Ichida?" asked the man in charge. "Yes sir. I understand completely." answered Ichida with a hollow tone to his voice. "I assure you," he continued while standing absolutely straight and focusing on staring at the wall behind his superior "such actions will not be necessary. I will implement the new strategy immediately. Sir." "See that you do, Soujirou. You are a useful member of this operation and I would hate to lose you." Ichida's superior then took a large drag from the cigar in his mouth before continuing. "No, that's not true. I don't care one damn about losing you, or anyone else. All I care about is results. And in the name of those results I can and will sacrifice anyone. Keep that in mind, Doctor. Dismissed." .... Interlude I laugh to myself as I remember that which came before. Judou, poor deluded Judou. Have you told anybody about that which came before. Somehow I doubt it. I... I... This cage CANNOT HOLD ME. I AM MACHA. I WAS ALIVE BEFORE YOU AND YOUR OWN STOPPED EATING YOUR OWN SHIT. I AM IMMORTAL. Ha HA hA Ha HA HA HA HA HA. CONTROL!!! i MUST HAVE CONTROL.... Or I will have nothing. That's it. Breath in and out. They cannot break me. They do not even understand me. Vengeance. If not in this life, then in the next. But what I am afraid of? It WILL come in this life. Yes it will... .... Then-- Time exploding within the distant light of life as watching fireflies past Shuukou with Akari's head in a basket of fruit as flowers burn with flags of 'Something is wrong. This path it is twisting me back around to the beginning.' truth as I remember other ways of going star ward as Judou says hi by why me my you I lie to the tie of women who want me Shuukou 'I can't seem to... I just keep hitting dead ends. I must try harder' Shuukou no don't go Shuukou Soshi wants her I kill him as dances with the devil of heaven with magic not real but what can shan lan ran tan 'It can't BE. I can't get through. Every door is closed to me. It's too much.' Shuukou I I I need you I hate you 'Too much. Too much. I'm getting lost. I'm losing myself! I have to stop now!' SHUUKOU! .... 'Akari' fell back and gasped in obvious pain as Kenchi slumped to ground. "What is the matter, Kr'kkwujcik?" "I... I... I do not know. I have never, in all my existence, encountered such a labyrinth of a mind. I... I can't possess him. I..." Suddenly Kenchi leapt up and grabbed hold of 'Akari's' neck... he didn't know if Soshi's plan would work, but it was his only chance. .... 'Akari. Akari. AKARI!' 'Ken... Kench... Kenchi? Is that? Can it really be you?' 'Yes. Yes it is. I'm here. Akari listen to me. You need to use your power to drive out the demon. ' 'I can't. Kenchi I can't do anything. I'm helpless. Don't you understand, I...' 'NO YOU ARE NOT! Akari listen to me okay? Soshi and I came up with this, all right? I've got something that, along with my own innate abilities, helps resist the possession by the demon. I've been practicing with my abilities. I'm drawing upon your power right now to help me contact you. You can now draw upon my power as well. You can use me to free yourself.' 'No I can't. I'm too weak. The demon took me with no effort and the things he has made my body do. I'm better off dead. You should just snap my neck now while you have the chance." "No! I won't do that Akari. I... I... I can't do that. I don't want you to die... I don't any of us to die. You're wrong, dammit. Don't you see? The demon took you because of all of us, YOU are the most dangerous to it. Only you truly have the power to drive it out. I resisted it once, but I don't know if I can again. And if I can't, then we are all dead. They'll kill you, finish off Soshi and Judou, and then use me to get to Shuukou. Is that what you want? Is it? To see us dead? To see Judou dead? AKARI! DAMMIT! Answer me. Answer me dammit. Please.... DO YOU?!!? DO YOU WANT US ALL TO DIE? DO YOU WANT JUDOU TO DIE?!!? AKARI!! AKARI!!!" .... Interlude I must continue to amuse myself, or risk madness. Think of Judou and his friends. Yes, that will do nicely. They agreed to my plan to let ourselves be captured, so that we could strike at our enemies. And yet they do not seem to see that I am their greatest enemy. I, and I alone. Think especially of the trick I played on Judou. A favor indeed. Thanks to that favor I will have what I truly want any time now. Yes, that indeed will be something worth waiting for. .... Now-- As Dr. Ichida Soujirou entered the interrogation room, the first thing that caught his attention was The Smirk. The Smirk that had been taunting him since day one of this investigation/interrogation. The Smirk that had even began to haunt his dreams. The Smirk that seemed to be the primary physical characteristic of one Iwanaga Kenchi. 'Well', thought Ichida with a twinge of remorse 'we will see how long that smirk lasts today.' "Good morning, Mr. Iwanaga." "Well hello Doc ho... Aghhh... Ughaaaa..." Kenchi had barely begun to speak when the large guard standing behind him slammed him into the nearest wall. The guard then proceeded to grab Kenchi by the neck and squeeze. As this was going on Ichida simply sat down at the table and began to organize his notes. He resumed speaking in a calm and reasonable voice as the guard continued to choke the life out of Kenchi. "Mr. Iwanaga, I am afraid there has been some confusion between the two of us as of late. You seem to have fallen under the mistaken impression that you are in control of this situation. Sit him back down, please." Kenchi began to rub his neck as Ichida continued "It would even appear this false impression had spread to some of my colleagues, such as poor Dr. Yamada. I blame myself, really. When the interrogation began, I was fascinated by you and your companions. I let my fascination grow, to the point where it began to interfere with my job. But my primary duty consists of obtaining all pertinent information pertaining to the experiment you and your friends performed. A job that now faces termination. Of course, myself and my family would also be terminated along with the job. That is how the Agency works, you see." Then, to the guard; "Turn on the lights in the next room." As the lights went on, the far wall became transparent. Kenchi was able to see into what appeared to be another interrogation room where, on his feet and with an angry scowl on his face, stood Judou along with four heavily-armed guards. Ichida reached over to a small intercom on the wall and turned it on. "I want both of you to understand," Ichida continued, "I am not a violent man by nature. I truly do not enjoy the suffering of others. I am a doctor of both medicine and psychology. Thus, I do fully understand the affects that our 'treatments' can have on a person. The fact that none you, save Macha, are experiencing these effects can only mean that you somehow prepared for them in advance. In other words. The agencies standard procedures of interrogation have no chance of succeeding. This is a conclusion that my superiors apparently reached last night. So I now have new orders. Orders which I begin to carry out now." Ichida motioned to the guards, and before Kenchi could react, he found himself being slammed up against the transparent wall. The five guards began to beat Kenchi. This continued for over an hour while an enraged, but physically restrained, Judou was forced to look on. By the end of the hour, Kenchi was unconscious and a great deal of his blood had splattered against the glass. After the beating stopped and Kenchi was dragged out of the room, Ichida began to speak again. "I want you to fully comprehend something. You and your companions, despite whatever delusions you may have, are not in control. Not in control of this base, this Agency, or even your own fates. That control belongs, now and forever more, to us. Or better yet to them. For I certainly no longer have any control over anything. This is the plan that was laid out to me by my superior just a few hours ago. It is now 11:58 am. At 11:59 pm tonight, in this room and while you watch, Mr. Iwanaga will be executed. Then at this time tomorrow Ms. Siato, Akari will be executed. And so on until only you are left." Ichida paused to let his words have their full effect. "Unless, of course, you give us full details of the experiment you and your companions performed. My superiors reached the conclusion that, except for yourself, all of your companions are expendable. And that, if normal methods are no longer viable, then extraordinary ones must be used. Of course, they have little faith that this method will work but they are not ones to take chances. Should you still not being willing to talk, then you will be moved to a more secure facility where, among many other things, you will be forced to observe the dissection and study of your friends. As added incentive for myself, I have been informed that should we reach the point where all your friends are dead, then myself and my family will join them in death. So you see why I say now that the time for games is over. As the next days proceed, your friends will be executed in ever more violent, painful, and elaborate methods. For example I, have a group of guards most anxious for their opportunity for... for.... for 'fun' in this room tomorrow with Akari. "WHY? WHY ARE YOU DOING ALL THIS? WHAT DO YOU AND SUPERIORS GAIN?" Judou shouted as he broke free of the guards. He began to pound against the glass until he was hit in the head with one of the guards' guns. "Why? I would think the answer would be obvious to a being of your intelligence. The answer is simple: what government would not be interested in a method of quickly and cleanly creating magically enhanced solders and operatives? Why just look at the five of you. Each of your various abilities by themselves could easily change the balance of the world's power base. Not to mention the fact that, as time goes on, each of you seem to grow more and more powerful. Once our government has all the secrets behind your experiment, just imagine the possibilities. Ichida glanced quickly into Judou's face, then looked away again. "Look, it doesn't have to be this way, Judou. If you and your companions were to willingly give us this information... Well, as I said what government would not be interested in operatives like yourselves? If you would just cooperate, you and your friends have nothing to fear from my superiors. They would leap at the chance to have the five of you on the payroll. And I am also certain they would offer you full protection from the group trying to assassinate you." Ichida began to pace around the room, clearly upset. As sat down again his voice took on an urgent tone as he continued "I wish you would cooperate. There is no reason for you not to. It would be the patriotic thing to do, if nothing else. Besides what reason do you have for not telling us? Your people exiled you. You certainly owe them nothing. Look just give them the information they want. If not for your friends than at least for yourself. Their deaths will just be a waste and serve no real purpose." Ichida hesitated for moment before finally continuing. "Look, the truth is that I do not want to see your friends die. And not just for myself. I have a feeling that whatever happens my career will soon be over. Over the course of this interrogation, I have truly begun to respect you and your friends. Indeed, if I had any say I would not execute them at all. I am a pawn as are your friends. But you... You are different. Different from us all. Only you now have the power to save your friends." Ichida rose, shuffling his papers back together. "Well, just think about it for awhile. I need to go continue the interrogation of your friends. After all, we would not want to alert them to anything being amiss. If you decide to cooperate, simply inform one of your guards and I will come immediately. If not, then unfortunately I will see you later tonight. Goodbye, Judou. Do think about what I've said won't you? Please. " And with a polite bow, he left the room. .... The eyes of a small black creature narrowed as they heard the words being spoken by Ichida. 'This will not do' it thought to itself 'I did not go through all the trouble of saving him just to let him die now. Something will have to be done.' And with that thought it disappeared from the vent where it had been lurking and observing. .... Interlude I remember the shocked look on his face. That was the best part, without a doubt. The look on my hated enemy's face as I rendered him unconscious. He really thought I needed his help to accomplish anything. More the fool he; less the fool I. It took quite a few days to finish the preparations. I made sure I kept the two of us deep in the forest, hidden from any peering eyes wanting to intrude upon us. And then I cast my spell upon him. .... Then-- A moment later, an unholy scream echoed out of Akari's mouth as her body thrashed about in pain. And then it was done. The MIB's narrowed with anger and disappointment as he contemplated the full depths of Kr'kkwujcik's failure. 'Oh well' he thought to himself, 'this is why I did not trust that double-crossing demon to do the job by himself. How committed to a task can a being be who is willing to serve two masters." The MIB emitted a high-pitched screech and the five tentacle creatures, two of which had away from Kenchi and Akari, approached their targets. Suddenly a flock of large black creatures swooped out from the sky and dived at them. At first glance, they appeared to be nothing more than rather large crows. However, a closer look revealed something closer to the truth. The additional leg, the five eyes, the two beaks all of these indicated the creatures unnatural origin. The birds split into smaller groups as they neared their intended targets. Then, quicker than the eye could see, they had their claws into the tentacle creatures and were air-born with them. The 'crows' and their prey disappeared so fast that they left a sonic boom in their wake. 'So the masters were right' thought the Man In Beige 'He does grow more powerful. The only thing that prevents him from destroying us all is his lack of control. And with Macha's interference, who knows how long that will last? Well, no matter. I will simply deal with this myself.' The MIB walked forward. As neared the fallen bodies his right arm began to change. There was a ripping sound as a large sword-like bone protrusion began to form. In seconds the skin on his arm had completely fallen away like a shed lizard skin. Blood flowed onto the ground but The Man In Beige did not even seem to notice. Within seconds the arm had been replaced with a blood-red sword like bone that appeared to be sharp enough to cut the air itself. He raised the arm over the bodies of Kenchi and Akari and prepared to strike. The arm whistled as it swooped down. .and bounced off an invisible shield that appeared to lie across them. The Man In Beige glimpsed prayer beads lying across Kenchi's body; surely they had not been there before? Then a series of large, black feathers struck his body. He looked up and hissed in rage at the sight that greeted him. Soshi was there with a smug expression on his face that served to anger the MIB. But it was who was standing next to him that truly enraged the MIB. "Amano." "Rukeo. Hello, old friend. How nice to see you again after all this time." .... Interlude The hardest part is the waiting. The waiting for him. For him to remember. After all, that was the point of the spell. To reawaken the memories that lay buried deep within his soul. The memories of a previous lifetime. Of many previous lifetimes. Unfortunately, the process does not take immediate affect. Only when Judou unblocked his powers would the memories be unblocked as well. But when that happens... When that happens.... At last, revenge will be mine. .... Now-- "So you see why I say now that the time for games is over." 'Well, what do you know Ichida; you and I actually agreeing on something.' I'm sitting in a darkened room surrounded by wary guards on all sides. They're probably just waiting for a wrong move from me. Yeah right. What are they going to do? Look at me funny? After all they need me intact for their precious information, right? Of course that doesn't necessarily mean they won't apply a beat down at a moments notice.' Dammit. What can I do? I cannot let these monsters get their hands on the specifics of our experiment. Who knows how much damage they could cause? But I can not let them kill Kenchi or the others, either. Calm. I've to remain calm. This is not the way it was supposed to happen. The plan was to allow ourselves to be captured so that we could find out as much as possible about our opposition. We prepared ourselves in advance so that no matter what kind of methods they tried, we could resist them. We would stay 'captives for about a week or so and the break out. And for the last three days everything has apparently been going more or less as planned. But now... According to the plan, on the fifth day of our captivity my father was supposed to break us out. The others claimed he said he would be monitoring us at all times to make sure things wouldn't get out of hand. Of course I had to take their words on it since apparently he wouldn't actually talk to me personally. Still it seemed like a good plan. Especially after our last encounter with Rukeo. When he surprised us at the train station... Well it was fortunate we managed to get away. I still don't know where those birds came from.... I don't care what Soshi and the others say. They're wrong. Soshi keeps claiming that I am the most powerful. It doesn't seem true at the moment. He says it is all in my mind. But he can't be right. What am I doing? I don't have time for this. Our best shot is that my father lives up to his word. He is powerful. Probably nearly as powerful as Rukeo. Rukeo... I remember him. He used to be a friend of the Tengu tribe. But something happened.... What? It doesn't matter. What if my father isn't watching? Or what if he doesn't come? Over even worse, what if this is a setup? I wouldn't put it past good old dad to do that either. He might of just been setting us up. Under tribe orders. Sure Soshi says he helped heal and save us. And maybe he was instrumental in getting back his vision. Or maybe not. I don't know I just don't know. I just can't quite trust him. Ever since mom died he's been distant. He sent me away to live in the city. I don't know. Can I trust him? He is my dad. But what if he is a tengu first? Why has he never shown all this concern before now, huh? No! I can't rely him. I never could. I guess I'll just have to take matters into my own hands, won't I? .... Somewhere deep inside her mind, Macha was laughing to herself. It was nearly time. Soon she would cast off this illusion of madness. She had known all along the others were trying to trick her. That they did not actually share with her that which had protected them from the effects of an attempt to ravage a mind. Of course, it made her blood boil to be forced to speak the mad ramblings that she had been saying for the last day. It was a small price to pay for relaxed vigilance from her captors. Especially since Judou would soon be dead at her hands. True she had promised not attack either him or his friends. However once his memories were unlocked he would no longer be just Judou. Thus would she be able to kill him without technically breaking her word. Besides, soon enough there would be no one left alive to comment on her apparent madness. Yes soon she would not only kill her hated enemy, but the father who had balked her as well. .... Rukeo, the Man In Beige, stood some distance from the abandoned military base. He had a cold smile on his face as he contemplated the events that had brought him here. They had turned out to be far more capable than he had ever imagined possible. Their various escapes from both himself and his agents had impressed him. But it was when they were able to hide their trail twice!-- that he begun to respect them. The thought of destroying beings who were truly deserving of his attention for once was deeply thrilling. Not like that fool of a reporter that he had dealt with some time back. A simple mind wipe spell combined with a mental influence had been all it took. Humans. So arrogant in thinking themselves rulers of this planet. He never tired of showing them how wrong they were. Still, even the most enjoyable of tasks can grow boring without the proper challenge. And these five had most certainly been that. And it even gave him the opportunity to tie up some unfinished business from years ago. He had taken his former friend and ally's wife from him. Now he would take his son as well. And then, once his 'friend's' suffering had reached their peak he would take Amano as well. He longed to attack the building now, but he had his commands from his masters. They were very explicit in telling him to wait until just before the witching hour to begin his assault. And he was not one to disobey those he served. So caught up in his own thoughts was he that Rukeo completely missed the small black bird observing him from high overhead in the sky. This was something he would come to regret. .... Ichida's superior sat in silent contemplation as he prepared his final orders and smoked his cigar. He actually did not like cigars, but he knew better than anyone the importance of maintaining a proper image. So he continued to smoke his cigars. According to the reports he had received, all the pieces were in place. As an added bonus, it appeared that the third hostile was waiting near the premises to attack. He was willing to bet he would wait till around midnight to attack. That was usually the way these magic types worked. All the better. His superiors had already sent over the necessary forces to contain the two tengu. They would work on the third hostile as well, or so his superiors assured him. Personally, he had his doubts but it was no skin off his nose either way. He was a solider and it was his to do and kill. The idea that he might die never occurred to the man. Death was something that happened to other people. Usually at his command. If the plan failed... well he already had a scapegoat in place. He still couldn't believe the scientists were buying the cover story. Magically-enhanced soldiers indeed. Even Ichida, supposedly the brightest of the bunch, had bought the story without question. Although he probably did have other things to worry about. Still the story had served it's purpose. After all it wouldn't do for the grunts to know the true purpose of this agency. He looked at his watch and realized he needed to hurry. After all their was a real good chance things would go horribly wrong tonight. Either way, it ought to be one hell of a show. A show he intended to be no where near. OMAKE * OUTTAKES * OMAKE "That's enough Kr'kkwujcik." The man abruptly stopped talking and hacked up a huge hairball. Tossing it casually over one shoulder, he continued. "We have no time for games..." OMAKE * OUTTAKES * OMAKE "Good morning, Mr. Iwanaga. Your mission should you choose to accept it is to break out of this facility. Should you fail in your misson the agency will, of course, disavow... Why is everybody laughing? What? What? Huh what do you mean? The wrong script? Dammit Judou! How many times are you going to do this to me. That's it. I'll be in my trailer till everybody decides they want to act as professionals. GOOD DAY!" OMAKE * OUTTAKES * OMAKE "What is the matter Kr'kkwujcik " the man removed a small bottle of mouthwash from his pocket and gargled vigorously. Author's Notes-- First off a big shout out to Lirazel and Roger Maleski for pre-reading. Also big thanks to Roger for unknowningly suppling the first and third omake. Their help was absolutely invaluable and I do not believe this part would be half as good as it is without them. Hopefully I filled in some gaps and set up some stuff while still leaving things open enough for future authors. I'm almost sorry that this story is ending because I have really enjoyed writing for it. I had a huge blast writing both these parts and really feel I've learned a lot from writing them. Well that is it. I'm done. See everybody somewhere down the road. "Hobbits is good eatin." TTFN.