Order
,
Kitsune
,
Superior
, and
Chem
stood around the wooden table, patiently reviewing the plans Order had described. The outline was to find
Chaos
as quickly as possible, and separate him from the rest of his followers. The group would simultaneously attempt to isolate them from others based on how likely they were to harm civilians. The idea was that since Chaos was unpredictable, he could react violently to an all-out assault. Isolating all of his soldiers at once was the only way to guarantee that he couldn’t harm anyone else, but it was a nearly impossible task. Order had the schematics for the building drawn out and had assigned each member of the group an exit point. The group stared at the scattered sheets of paper while only Chem seemed to nod in agreement.
“Does everyone understand their tasks?”
Order
asked.
“I think I do.”
Chem
answered. Everyone else nodded their heads.
“Then everyone except
Hero
, move out.”
Order
declared, “We have a long afternoon ahead.”
As he reached the top of the hill to see the stadium far away under the afternoon sky, he found his friends
Glasses
and
Valentine
waiting for him there. It was where they’d agreed to meet if
Chaos’s
event got out of hand.
Key
smiled, as he was deeply happy to see them both.
“I’m glad you’re alright.”
Glasses
said to him.
“But he’s not alright, is he?”
Valentine
stated.
Key
’s glance met theirs. “Not today.” he answered.
“I recognize the face of ill-fated love etched across his screen.”
Valentine
asserted, “The pixels do not say it, but I know the biting sting of romance when it pierces the heart of a man, especially a man we both love and know so well. Now tell me, my conversant casanova, what writhes your troubled heart this day?”
“She told me to leave.”
Key
said, “Her uncle said I put her in too much danger and he’s right. I wasn’t careful enough.”
“That’s rough, man.”
Glasses
replied, “I’m sorry.”
“Is that all?”
Valentine
inquired.
“What do you mean?”
Key
asked.
“Is this the end of your love affair? Do five harsh words put an end to the musings of the heart?”
Valentine
sat up straight. “I love this man as a dear friend.” Valentine gestured.
Key
smiled, “When I look at the bond between him and her, I see sparks and poetry and fireworks. I see the makings of a connection that transcends the reluctant drudgery of normal life. I see the very thing we woke up for. So no, I will never not ‘push it’, not when I think there’s a love worth saving. But you are right, I cannot insist on the feelings of another, so I will ask one question, and leave it there. How did you two meet?”
“How did we meet?”
Key
asked. “You know how we met.”
“I do.”
Valentine
stated. “But I want to hear it from you.”
“Um… okay.”
Key
said, “We met outside of a building in-”
“Not enough.”
Valentine
interrupted, “I want to know your experience. Explain it to me.”
“Well of course I do!”
Key
declared.
“Then why aren’t you with her now?!”
“Because I screwed up!”
“How?”
“Because I didn’t put her needs first!”
“Do you wish you did?”
“Of course!”
“If you could do it again, would you?”
“Of course!”
“Then go tell her that.”
“Of-”
Key
paused, “Wow, you’re pretty good at that.”
“As much as I love indulging in praise-”
Valentine
patted
Key
on the back, “You need to go to her! Now! Tell her how you feel!”
Key
smiled, stood up and began to walk back towards the hotel.
“And use my lines this time!”
Valentine
yelled towards
Key
, “They’ve never failed!”
“No one’s used your lines before.”
Glasses
leered.
“They’ve still never failed.”
Valentine
answered.
Order
proceeded down the street with
Kitsune
,
Superior
, and Chem walking beside him. They began to see the casino far down the city street and the faint outline of a man standing in front. Order took a breath and said to Kitsune, “I’m very glad you were able to join us. We’ll need someone to lead the troops when this is over.”
Superior
stopped in his tracks, and after a few steps, the group turned to face him.
Superior drew his sword. “It’s you and me, right now!” He pointed his sword at
Kitsune
. “I’m not waiting any longer!”
“Switched sides, have you?”
Kitsune
stepped forward, “I can’t say I’m surprised.”
“I’m not on anyone’s side.”
Superior
answered. “I think it’s time we settle our fight from five years ago. Aren’t you a bit curious?”
“This can only end one way.”
Kitsune
unsheathed her sword, and shifted to a battle stance. “Let's make this fast.”
The pair’s eyes met as they stared intensely towards each other.
Order
and
Chem
walked at a brisk pace towards the casino.
“Lead the troops?”
Chem
inquired to
Order
. “What did you mean by that?”
“Nothing.”
Order
answered, “I knew it would push his buttons and I needed him distracted. I don’t trust anyone
Chaos
has been in close contact with.”
“Why not have him stay behind?”
Chem
asked as they approached the casino. The man standing in front of the casino was clearly
Chaos
, and it appeared that the building had started to catch fire.
“Because now they’re fighting within his view. He knows our best cards are off the board. He’ll be less desperate and more predictable now.”
“So the plan we went over earlier was a lie?”
Chem
said, “I knew it was too intricate to be real.”
“What you saw was the first draft of my original plan. If circumstances were slightly changed, that would be our current path, but as you’ve said before, I can’t account for every detail.”
Order
slowed his pace as he could clearly see
Chaos
staring towards the flames. “Your part in this hasn’t changed.” he whispered to Chem. “He’s set the building on fire. Make sure you get everybody out.”
“What about you?”
Chem
asked.
“Like I’ve told you before, I can actually handle myself quite well. Now go.”
Order
dictated.
Chem
darted inside the building, while
Chaos
stood unphased as the flames spread across the exterior of the building.
“Why did you light your building on fire?”
Order
asked.
“What was it you said to me when we first met?”
Order
asked, “I am violence?”
“Just because parts of ourselves desire freedom doesn’t mean we have to surrender to baseless anarchy. It takes discipline to live whole lives while defying our destructive instincts. But I will agree with you on one thing. Hiding from primal violence isn’t our best path. A colleague of mine recently taught me the value of decisive action, so as they say…”
Order
shifted his stance and raised both fists, “Square up!”
Chaos
grinned from ear to ear, “I think I’m more seasoned for this than you are.”
“I’ve put in the work.”
Order
assured.
“Let’s find out.”
Chaos
dashed forwards.
Hero
stood alone outside the hotel. He scanned the city streets with a watchful eye. He remembered his fight with
Kitsune
in
Gang
’s old apartment. He was so conflicted then, so unsure of who to fight and what to stand for. Now he was standing guard for a building full of people. He didn’t seek out conflict, but stood firm to guard innocent people against it. He felt more confident in his place now, and smiled at his sense of peace.
“V-raaaagh!”
Vine
roared as her fist slammed into the ground, creating a dent in the concrete.
Hero
staggered back. No one could be that strong.
“Vine!” he called out, “What’s happened to you? What are you doing here?”
Hero
changed his stance and raised his fists. “I’m not letting you get any closer,” he said. “I don’t know what
Chaos
told you, but innocent people live here. I’m not letting you get any closer!”
Vine
glared towards him as bright lights flickered in her eyes. She saw a strong man. The man from
Gang
’s apartment. A bad man. He was an enemy. She saw his fists and his muscles. He wanted to fight. She needed to fight. She needed to break him.
Vine
crouched down and dug her heels against the cement. She let out a deep blood-curling roar, then launched herself several feet towards
Hero
, with her teeth bared and arms flailing towards him.
Kitsune
and
Superior
continued to stare towards each other. Both had their swords drawn. Each was waiting for the other to misstep, to make a mistake. Neither averted their eyes for a moment.
“You’re the one who wanted this fight brother.”
Kitsune
stated.
“If I remember, you’re the one who wanted it last time.”
Superior
retorted.
“Maybe. But I don’t need this fight.”
Kitsune
took a step back. “Strike now, or you lose your chance.”
Superior
narrowed his gaze, but stood firmly in place. Kitsune took another step back.
Superior
grunted and dashed towards
Kitsune
. He swung back his sword and struck forward with rage. Kitsune darted her sword towards him at an angle and redirected the blade to the side, then pulled the blade back and attempted to cut across his arm. Then Superior swung his blade back down perpendicular to her sword. The two stood firm as their blades pushed violently against each other. Their screens were only a foot away as they could make out the pixels inside each other’s eyes. When Kitsune’s eyes changed direction, Superior used his other hand to grab at the hilt of Kitsune’s blade. Kitsune instead reached for Superior’s blade. Then both of them backed away at the same moment and pointed their blades directly forward.
They stood six feet apart. As the moment hung in the air, they both breathed a bit faster.
Kitsune
stepped forward and swung her blade in several calculated directions towards
Superior
. Superior alternated between forward and backward steps as he parried her blade and countered with his own fast rotations. The violent clashes of the two swords could be heard from every direction as Superior and Kitsune weaved back and forth against each other, rotating their bodies as well as their stances in order to find the slightest edge against the other.
Chaos
thrashed forwards against
Order’s
firm stance. Order maintained a firm guard, then Chaos opened his hand and threw dirt at Order’s screen. Order’s guard dropped for only a moment when Chaos responded by kicking his right kneecap and jabbing forward at Order’s kidney. Order reeled back for a moment, and Chaos followed up by throwing a punch at Order’s face. Order narrowed his gaze and caught Chaos’s punch. Then he rotated Chaos’s fist ninety degrees to the left and jabbed at Chaos’s nerve cleft and sternum, then kicked his radial nerve.
Chaos
strode towards
Order
, who appeared shaken, but determined.
Vine
collided with Hero with overwhelming force and knocked Hero on his back. She slammed her fist at his chest and he recoiled in tremendous pain. She thrust forward another punch towards his head, but he managed to roll out of the way at the last moment. He stumbled back up and saw the dent in the concrete where her failed punch made its mark.
Hero
still felt the pain in his chest and raised up his arms.
Vine
screamed and thrashed her arms forward. Every hit she made against his guard bruised his much larger forearms.
Hero
winced against the pain and forced himself not to collapse. He stood between her and the hotel. If he fell, there’s no telling what she’d do next.
Gang
stood alone in the casino where he saw a small crowd of people panicking and scurrying towards the back. One by one, groups of people at tables began scurrying in every direction, and at the center of this directionless mob was
Chem
.
“What’s going on?”
Gang
said to
Chem
.
“
Chaos
is burning the building down. I need to get everybody out.”
Chem
stated.
“I’ll help you.”
Gang
replied.
“I don’t trust you.”
Chem
answered.
Gang
recoiled and took a breath. Of course he wanted to save these people. No one hated Chaos more than him. But he knew all Chem saw was the man who threatened him to poison
Kitsune
. All he saw was the sum of his misdeeds. It hurt Gang that he couldn’t be trusted to do the right thing, but what felt worse, was that he knew he’d deserved it.
“There’s fire exits on the south and east sides of the building.”
Gang
said.
“I know.”
Chem
grumbled and walked off.
Gang
darted his eyes around the casino floor, searching for anyone who needed help. He spotted
Fear
directing people. He was going around to people panicking, reassuring them, then gesturing for them to each sit down.
“
Chaos
told me to keep these people from panicking.”
Fear
objected, “Chaos wants everyone safe inside, so that’s what I’m going to do!”
“Are you deaf?”
Gang
retorted, “I said the building is on fire. That’s not exactly safe for everyone!”
“Who told you the building is on fire? The
Chemistry Guy
? I suppose you would trust him over the person you promised your allegiance to.”
“Fine. I’ll walk outside myself. I’ll let you know what I find.”
Gang
sneered.
Fear
grabbed
Gang
’s arm. “You need to sit down now!”.
Gang
threw his arm aside. “Who are you to tell me what to do?”
Gang
took a step back. His words were frustratingly familiar. “Like hell you are!”
Fear
stepped forwards and kicked
Gang
between the legs. Gang leaned down and put his hand against a chair. The move caught him off-guard.
“I know you don’t think much of me.”
Fear
sneered leaning over
him
, “But that’s about to change.
Chaos
said I’m his number two! Me! He told me all about you. He told me about how you joined him, and how he had high hopes for your rage and ferocity, but in the end you couldn’t get past your pathetic grudge against him. If you’d seen the bigger picture, you could have been tougher, stronger, relentless! But your time is over, and it’s my turn! I have spent my whole life being afraid, and I am done! Chaos is going to make me better than you ever were. And in the end, you’re going to be afraid of me. You all are!”
Fear
walked away as
Gang
began to stand upright again. He breathed heavily as his mind became consumed by rage. He had heard the familiar words before, the justifications, and the ambitions that were conditioned onto him. He had heard them from the lips of
Chaos
, and then from his own, and Fear’s. He thought back to that night in the rain when he first joined Chaos’s gang. He remembered how wrong he was, and for the first time in a long time, reflected on how his mother would think of the kind of man he’d become. And as he saw Fear walk away, all he could think of was a cycle of violence and hate. How he’d wasted years of his life on becoming the kind of man who could defeat Chaos, while also becoming exactly who Chaos wanted him to be. He couldn’t watch Chaos consume the life of another impressionable kid. He had to take violent action and he had to do it now.
Superior
and
Kitsune
slashed their blades in fast succession as sparks and clashes of violent tempo rang across the city street. After a few minutes though, the clashes had become quieter, more faint. They had both grown exhausted from minutes of fighting at the very peak of their physical potential. Their fighting was slower now, more tactical. Energy was a resource now that could not be wasted. Every motion was a move, and every shift, a countermove. The fight had evolved into a long game where every thrust mattered. Kitsune and Superior walked at a slow pace and circled each other, swords in hand.
“Why did you abandon us?”
Kitsune
asked.
“What?”
Superior
answered.
“We were happy, you, father and I. We trained every day. Then you left and betrayed everything he believed in. I want to know why you left.”
“Is this a tactic? Have we gone to mind games already?”
“Why?”
Kitsune
asked.
“I never liked father’s teachings. He would teach meditation, open-mindedness-”
“They’re valuable things.”
“Sure, but they’re not everything! There’s lots of things that matter more.”
“What’s your point?”
Kitsune
asked.
“Then you should have said something!”
“You don’t know what it was like!”
Superior
thrashed forward with his blades in violent strokes that
Kitsune
directed away. Superior stood on guard to her side. “You don’t understand how hard it was to wake up everyday and know that I was worse at everything our father cared about! I was smart, strong, hard-working! But none of it mattered, because I had to sit next to you everyday and know that no matter what I did, I’d always be less than.” he paused, “So I did the only thing I could do. I left. I found my own path.” Superior lunged forward again and thrust forward with a swift combination that Kitsune countered. “Do you know I’ve worked and earned more than a hundred men make in their lifetime? You can’t even fathom the scope of my accomplishments. You are nothing compared to who I am!”
Kitsune
parried each of
Superior’s
blows and backed up. “Is that what this is about? You had to leave the family, throw away everything we had? For what? What do you have to prove?” Kitsune shouted.
Hero
stood against
Vine
’s onslaught. His biceps were beginning to shake and he could sense himself growing weak from absorbing each of her blows. Every time Vine threw a punch, he could feel his whole body shake. It was unlike any strength he’d seen before.
Just then,
Vault
exited the hotel, and
Vine
turned her head and roared in Vault’s direction.
Vault
started to turn back towards the door, then
Vine
darted in front of her and pounded her chest in primal dominance. Vault stood immobilized by fear when
Hero
pushed his way between them. The adrenaline had begun to kick in and Hero felt a second wind as he stood between Vine and a defenseless girl.
His mind flashed back to earlier that day as things began to move in slow motion.
“You’re strong.”
Kitsune
said to him. “But raw power won’t always be enough. You have to be smarter than your opponent. You have to use their weaknesses against them.”
Vine
threw forward a wild punch.
“But what if they don’t have any clear weaknesses?”
Hero
asked.
“Every thrust they make is a weakness. Every motion is an opportunity-”
Hero
used his right arm to redirect
Vine
’s right fist rushing towards his screen. He used the opening to make a small jab at her ribcage.
“-to exploit an opening.”
Kitsune
finished.
Vine
roared in frustration as
Hero
backed up.
Key
ran up to the building and gestured to
Vault
, “Come on!”
“What are you doing here?”
Vault
asked Key.
“I came back for you!”
Key
said.
“You both need to get out of here now!”
Hero
barked as
Vine
leaned back with her hands gripping the ground.
Vault
and
Key
darted towards the other side of the hotel while
Hero
squared up against
Vine
. Vine launched herself towards Hero who ducked out of the way and managed to redirect her mid-air. She catapulted forwards and slammed her head against the ground.
Order stood firm with dirt stretched across his screen.
Chaos
walked around him, smiling.
“Do you know why we’ll always beat you?”
Order
asked.
Chaos
could barely let out a breath.
Kasumi
and
Birdcage
rushed to the front of the hotel. “We heard she was here!” Birdcage shouted towards
Hero
. “Have you seen her?”. Then she saw
Vine
laying on the ground. “Is she alright?” Kasumi asked.
“When we fight for a common ideal instead of just ourselves,”,
Order
said, “We have the strength of others to lean on.”
Kasumi
tilted
Vine
’s head up and tapped against her screen. “Hey, hey, hey! Wake up!”
Vine
slowly opened her eyes and began clenching her fists. “I … I … there’s so much anger … urgh.”
“I don’t know what happened to you alright, but we’re going to get through this. We’re going to get you help, alright?”
Kasumi
said.
“I hate … urgh, I need to fight … aargh.”
Vine
quietly started shaking, but through this strange transformation,
Kasumi
and
Birdcage
could catch traces of the girl they knew in her eyes.
Superior
thrust forward several times in a row. He breathed heavily and struck forward with large violent blows.
Kitsune
parried his strikes back and forth until she started to see the signs of fatigue in his breath. She then stepped forward with a seven step combination of her own. Superior deflected several of the blows, then on the seventh, her blade struck his wrist, and his blade was sent spiraling to the side. Superior stood dumbfounded as he stared at his sister.
“You’ve lost.”
Kitsune
stated, and walked away.
“Anyone who has succeeded in finding discipline in themselves will always defeat those who have not.
Chaos
is the antithesis of discipline. You cannot hope to defeat a determined people.”
Order
released
Chaos
from his chokehold and Chaos fell to the ground. Order looked on towards the building, and was glad to find that the fire had been contained to only one part of the roof. Then he glanced back at Chaos’s unconscious body.
“When I first heard about you, a part of me actually envied you.”
Order
stated, “to be free of so much concern … is tempting. Every morning, I’m tempted to be a bit more like you, but at the end of the day, there’s a reason I’m standing here and you’re lying there. Every night, I have conviction in the choices I’ve made.”
Vault
and
Key
stalked to the back of the hotel and leaned against the back wall. Vault peered up and could see her window where Key would talk to her at night.
“I want to say I’m sorry.” Key said. “About everything. It was wrong of me not to think about your safety. I know, I should have known, I did know, but .. I didn’t … act on how important that was to you. That was wrong, and it was on me, and I’m sorry.”
“It’s … fine.”
Vault
answered. “I know you didn’t mean anything by it.”
“Why do you think I’m too good for you?”
Vault
glanced at him inquisitively.
“Because you’re awesome! You’re smart and fun and sweet. You know how to have fun, but you’re also down to earth and you’re just the most fascinating person I’ve known.”
Vault
smiled and shook her head.
“What”
Vault
paused, “the heck … was that?” she shook her shoulders laughing.
“I think it’s what
Valentine
wanted me to say.”
“That’s sweet.”
she
said. “Do you want me to tell you something I’ve never told anyone?”
“Sure.”
Key
smiled.
“It’s a riddle.”
she
started, “The treasure of unlocking me requires a five letter key. In order to receive this just convince me to give you my-”
“My what?”
Key
asked.
“That’s the whole point!”
Vault
smiled. “It doesn’t matter anyway. You already have it.”
Gang
stormed across the casino floor. He darted his eyes across the swarms of people proceeding outside and found
Witch
standing idly while everyone hustled around her.
“I want in.”
Gang
declared. “Whatever you said you’d do to destroy
Chaos
. I want in.”
“Are you sure?”
Witch
asked. “I can get you Chaos, but you might not like my methods.”
“Try me.”
Witch
leaned in towards
Gang
and whispered something. Gang backed up several steps.
“That can’t be true!”
Gang
exclaimed. “You’re joking!”
“I’m not.”
Witch
said. “Not that anyone would believe you. If you don’t want Chaos gone, just say so.”
“What do you need?”
Gang
asked.
“I need
Coder
at the facility.”
Witch
stated. “I’ll take care of the rest.”
“I’m sorry if my uncle seemed overprotective.”
Vault
said.
“He was right to be.”
Key
replied.
“It’s just that I haven’t had a typical childhood. My parents always had money, so I always had people around me that were afraid I’d be kidnapped or something.”
“What are your parents like?”
Key
asked.
“
Chem
!”
Coder
shouted from behind him.
“
Coder
!”
Chem
smiled, “Hey! What’s new with you?”
“Oh, nothing.”
Coder
said nervously, “Listen, regardless of
Order
or
Chaos
, I really think we need a single consolidated military force, in case anything happens. Can you tell Order that?”
“What is it with that? You’ve brought that up before.”
“Oh, it’s … you know, it’s just on my mind, that’s all.”
“You’re not the only one with a guilty conscience.”
Coder
started, “There’s a threat coming. We just need to be ready.”
“What threat?”
“I can’t say.”
Coder
said, “There’s something else. There’s a mole here.”
“As in a person?”
Chem
inquired, “A mole for who?”
Coder
shook his head. “Someone here is trying to pull strings and start chaos. At first I thought it was
Gang
or
Chaos
, but now I’m not so sure.”
“Why would they do that?”
Chem
asked.
“Sorry to interrupt.”
Gang
said as he appeared from the side. “
Coder
, you need to come with me.”
“He’s not going to do that.”
Chem
stated.
Gang
groaned and punched
Chem
in the throat. “Come on.” he ordered
Coder
. “You’re coming with me.”
“My parents were cold and distant. My father wanted me to be the best at everything, but never put in the time to see me. My mother was just cold and manipulative. She would say anything to make you listen to her.”
“I’m sorry.”
Key
said. “You deserve better.”
“That’s what I always liked the most about you. You never knew who my parents were. You’re the first person in my life who treated me for who I was, not who my parents are.”
“And if I knew them, I’d still treat you the same.”
Key
smiled.
Vault
looked over her shoulder at Key, “You know what? I actually believe you.”
Gang
pushed against
Coder’s
shoulder. Coder walked a few feet ahead of him and tilted his head at the grassy hill before him. They were on the edge of the city where they’d first gathered. A few hundred feet ahead, he saw the facility where they’d all awoken from their slumber.
“Where are you taking me?”
Coder
asked.
“Back to the facility.”
Gang
stated. “There’s something you have to do for me there.”
Coder
started shaking and turned to
Gang
in a panic, “No, no! You can’t bring me back there! You don’t understand!”
“I understand perfectly! This needs to happen!”
Gang
insisted.
“Please don’t do this!”
Coder
begged, “We aren’t ready! Whatever they promised you, you can’t trust them!”
Gang
stepped towards
Coder
and pushed against his shoulders hard. “That’s a risk I’m willing to take. Now move!”
“Were your parents famous or something?”
Key
asked.
“You could say that.”
Vault
answered.
“Who are they?”
“You don’t need to tell me if you don’t want to.”
Key
corrected, “It’s not important.”
“No, it is.”
Vault
answered, “I’ve already told you a much larger secret.” she paused again, “You wouldn’t know my mother. She was an awful, vile person.”
Vault
scoffed, “I used to have this terrible nickname for her whenever she was around.”
“What was it?”
Key
asked.
Witch
stood alone in the center of the facility.
Gang
shoved
Coder
forward through the metal doors. Coder stared at the dark metal surrounding him. He noticed each of the beds they’d fallen asleep on years ago, and dreaded to acknowledge the sight before him. Further down the corridor was a man sitting in what appeared to be a large chair elevated on top of a larger platform. He was clearly plugged in, and wore a Tamashi head with a crown resting on top. He wore a full suit and purple cape draped across his shoulders.
Witch
stood by the platform and a small computer at its side.
“You!”
Coder
exclaimed, “You’re the mole!”
“The deal was not to tell everyone what’s happening.”
“I didn’t tell anyone!”
Coder
argued, “The deal was to give us exactly two years to get ready. It's been hardly a month!”
“Well, I got bored.”
Witch
sneered. “Now wake him up.”
“No!”
Coder
shouted.
Gang
punched against the side of Coder’s screen and knocked him to the ground. Coder looked up at Gang. “You don’t understand!”
“I understand that I’ll punch you again if you don’t do what she’s asking.”
Gang
threw his fist towards Coder who flinched, then Gang pulled his arm back. Coder’s fingers shook as he crawled towards the console and typed in a short command.
“You don’t know what he’s like.”
Coder
whispered to
Gang
.
“And what about your father?”
Key
asked.
Gears started rapidly turning and steam injected from the platform itself. The entire facility started moving and vibrating. The very floor beneath
Gang
and
Coder
began to shake, and they started to see movement from the man standing before them. The man opened his eyes and stared towards his opened hand and tightened it into a fist. He turned his head, glared with an intensity not even Gang had seen.
“What was his name?”
Key
asked.
Vault
whispered, “
Takahashi
.”
Takahashi
strode down the steps with a confident imperious gaze. Every step he took breathed an air of supremacy. He stood much taller than
Gang
and
Witch
and emanated an undeniable charisma that was felt before even speaking. He walked off of the platform and through the shaking confidence of everyone around him, it was clear that he dominated the room.
“So…”
Takahashi
inquired, “has it been two years already?”
“No.”
Witch
said with a slight hint of fear, “I was impatient. I missed you and wanted to get started.”
“You’re forgiven.”
Takahashi
stated and walked over to
Gang
. “And who might you be?”
“I’m Gang …”
Gang
said, shaken.
“Well Gang”
Takahashi
said as he held his hand to the side of
Gang
’s screen, “You’re going to see a part of history. I’ve conquered this world once before, and I’m going to do it again.”
“Again?”
Gang
asked.
Gang
stepped backwards, overwhelmed by the information. “Why?” he asked.
“Because I’ve accomplished what no other man has.”
Takahashi
sneered, “I’ve conquered every inch and every soul of this world. But in absolute victory, the world only existed as ashes beneath my feet. So I plugged myself in, gave you a head start to build something to give me a challenge again. But make no mistake ‘Gang’, you will all be beneath my feet before long.”
“Like hell!”
Gang
yelled. He charged towards
Takahashi
and swung back his fist with all of his might, and threw it forward with all of his rage and ferocity. But something caught his fist in mid-air, something metal. Gang followed the arm to find a robotic frame standing before him. The head resembled a screen, but with jagged shapes and edges. The chest was made of complex mechanical muscle, and its legs were shaped by sharpened iron and steel. It stared towards Gang with the quiet strength of a soulless machine. Gang collapsed to the ground as it crushed his hand in its grip.
“You didn’t think I was going to do this alone, did you?”
Takahashi
asked.
“Meet my army.”
Takahashi
bragged, “All ten thousand of them.” he paused, “Meet the Machin” He stepped forward towards the door.
Gang
stayed down and watched more and more Machin emerge from different corners of the facility. The floor started to shake as the sound of thousands of iron feet all walked in chilling unison.