Sho wasn't sure what he'd do if Yukari
was hurt too badly for them to help her.
Of course, he still didn't know where
Yukari was, and now Aptom had been taken hostage by Chronos. Sho
wasn't sure whether he would be able to find either of them, but
he still had to try. He owed it to both of them to rescue them
from whatever horrible things that Chronos planned to do to
them. He had to make sure that they were safe.
And that meant that he had to get
up, no matter how
tired he still was.
Levering himself up and out of bed,
resisting the urge to crawl right back in again, Sho slowly made
his way out of his room and back into the house. He didn't want
Tetsuro, Mizuki and the others to worry about him, more than
that he didn't want any of them to try and stop him because they
were worried about him, so he knew he would have to get out of
the house without them seeing him if he wanted to rescue Aptom.
He still didn't quite know where Aptom
was, but Sho knew that he had to do something to find him. And
to find Yukari, too.
However, despite his vows to himself;
despite all of his determination, Sho still found himself
heading back into his room and dropping back into the bed. As
much as he fought it, as much as he didn't want to, Sho found
himself slipping back into sleep.
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX
With Hekkaring's input, the anti-Hyper
Zoanoid weapons that she had been working on were coming along
quite nicely. A fair amount of her counterpart's 'Libertus'
forces seemed to favor them, and so she had decided to make more
of them than she had originally planned. Still, more weapons
meant more of the toxin had to be manufactured.
And that meant that there was a greater
chance that someone else would be able to synthesize it.
Hekkaring was not precisely loyal to
either of them; he cooperated out of fear, the way that any of
the weaker-minded did with them. Once she was fully satisfied
that she could manufacture the toxin on her own, then Hekkaring
would become surpurflous. Akane was certain that Agito felt the
same way about that man.
On the subject of my counterpart…Leaving
her desk, and the plans for the weapons that had been locked
securely in the drawers, Akane left the room where she had been
staying and headed back out into the main area of their own
processing facility. There were some things that she was curious
about.
Akane was taking in the rows of
unconscious Libertus in their processing tanks, being infused
with energy and nutrients if the information she had received
from Hekkaring was accurate, with a sweeping glance as she
walked past. The Libertus were the culmination of Hekkaring's
work and Agito's planning; they were also rather fascinating in
their own perverse way.
Akane entered the room during what was
obviously the end of a discussion between her counterpart and
Hekkaring.
"Was there anything of interest
discussed?"
"Akane," Agito acknowledged, turning to
look at her. "Hekkaring and I were simply discussing the
conditions of the Libertus."
"Indeed?" Akane tilted her head
slightly. "And what are the conditions of our warrior Zoanoids?"
"According to Hekkaring, they are doing
quite well; at the moment, they are being infused with the
energy and nutrients they need to recover from their latest
battle."
"That was not entirely what I said,"
Akane turned to look at Dr. Hekkaring as he made his presence
known. "I said that these hyper-combat Zoanoids of yours, while
they have been developed using the most advanced technology -
far more advanced than even that which has been put to use in
Chronos' Hyper Zoanoids -are currently in optimal condition. But
that situation will not last."
"Meaning?" Akane prompted, raising an
eyebrow.
"Meaning that the Libertus, unlike every
other kind of Zoanoid that has been developed, will not be able
to regain enough energy and nutrients to replace what they lose
in battle merely from eating and sleeping, as a normal Zoaform
would. They must be returned to these tanks each time they
finish a battle. Also, due to the extensive changes made to
their cellular metabolism, and the fact that they are put
through the equivalent of re-processing each time they return
here after a battle, their lifespans have been significantly
reduced. I honestly doubt that they will be able to survive for
more than two years at this rate. Perhaps closer to three if you
are both careful about when and how you use them."
"We have a great deal of soldiers who
would be willing to undergo this process, in spite of any risk,
simply to be able to fight Chronos on more even terms," Akane
smiled thinly. "Uneven, rather. Still, it is doubtful that we
would ever run out of candidates."
"Indeed," Agito said calmly, stepping
over to stand beside her on the catwalk. "Hekkaring, was there
anything else that you wanted to speak to us about?"
"Hmph. I rather doubt that either of you
would care, but your Libertus are not the only Zoaforms that
will be affected by this problem," Hekkaring said, as she and
Agito allowed themselves to be led to the far end of the main
floor, where a single processing-tank stands. "This shortened
lifespan also effects Griselda. She will not survive for very
much longer than the Libertus themselves."
"That sounds reasonable," Akane said,
looking over the unconscious, altered form of Shizu Onuma.
The battleform was pink; a color that
Akane had no particular love for; but then she hadn't been the
one to design it. Also, there was nothing wrong with the color;
it even made Griselda seem rather harmless. Of course, any
Zoanoid who thought that about a Zoalord would be quickly
disabused of the notion. If they even survived the inevitable
battle; so perhaps Agito's choice of color was appropriate in
this case.
"When she was selected to lead the
Libertus, did either of you tell her what would happen to her?
Did either of you tell her that her lifespan would be reduced
like this?"
"I did," Agito said firmly. "Shizu knows
what will happen to her."'
"I spoke to her about her choice also,"
Akane admitted, looking at the unconscious form in the
processing-tank. "She seemed almost eager to undergo this
process. She said that she wanted to help us; to help save
Yukari."
Hekkaring nodded. "In any case, I've
finished my work on her; I'm going to retract her battleform so
that she can rest more comfortably."
So saying, Hekkaring typed a series of
commands into the computer terminal that monitored the condition
of their Libertus Zoalord.
Shizu…
It was something of a dilemma, the fact that her old friend
Shizu had decided to side with Agito. The two of them were truly
much too similar to ever coexist; they both had the same
ambitions, and neither of them would ever settle for being
subordinate to another. They would never be able to share
control over this world; either one of them would have to give
up their ambitions – an impossible request – or one of them
would have to die. And Akane was determined that
she
would not be the one to die.
Killing a Guyver, while it was a
particularly difficult task, could be done by someone who knew
as much as she did about the workings of the armor.
Unfortunately, Agito knew just as much as she did about the
Guyver; and he would also have Shizu to protect him. Still,
Shizu would not likely to survive much longer than three years
at the most; there would be ample time to plan for contingencies
while she participated in the coming battles against Chronos.
While it would be somewhat troubling, to
lose a… companion that had stood by her for so long, Shizu had
made her choice to stay with Agito and support him. And, with
her shortened lifespan from the processing, Akane would not have
so long to wait to make her move.
Three years would also give her ample
time to devise a strategy.
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX
It felt like someone had driven a heated
iron rod through his stomach, Fried'rich reflected, as he opened
his eyes and stared up at the ceiling.
"How are you feeling this morning, Your
Excellency?"
Fried'rich turned to look at the doctor
that was standing over him. "I remember that there was a woman;
more of a girl, now that I think about it, standing over me. I
think she healed me," Fried'rich was momentarily confused, but
the next words out of the doctor's mouth helped to assuage
Fried'rich's discomfort.
"You must be thinking of Isis. She was
the one who healed you when Imakarum brought you here."
"Where is she?" Fried'rich asked. "If
she was the one who pulled me back, then I would like to thank
her."
"Isis is currently staying at the Japan
Section's Cloud Gate," the doctor said, seeming to hesitate
before she continued with her train of thought. "And I don't
think that Isis would be in any condition to acknowledge your
gratitude, Excellency."
"What do you mean by that?" Fried'rich
asked, taken aback.
"Dr. Balkus informed me, as well as the
rest of the medical staff, that he had been forced to forcibly
suppress her consciousness for the safety of Chronos and its
personnel."
"Why would Isis be so dangerous to
Chronos that Dr. Balkus felt he needed to do something so
drastic? Who was she originally?"
"I wasn't aware of her identity at
first, but as it turns out, Isis was Yukari Fukamachi; she was
captured during the battle between the Mirabilis twins and those
Gigantic Guyvers everyone's been talking about."
"Isis... is Yukari?"
"Yeah, I was pretty surprised by that
myself."
Fried'rich sat back against his pillows,
thinking over what he had just learned. If Yukari had indeed
been taken in by Chronos and made into one of Lord Alkanphel's
Zoalords, then it would only be right that he helped her to find
her place within Chronos' ranks, though he suspected that
Imakarum and Hikari would be more than willing to help her in
that respect. Hikari especially seemed very interested in
Yukari's welfare.
Still, offering aid to Yukari as she
settled into her position at Chronos - whatever that turned out
to be - would at least cover some of the debt that he owed the
girl for saving his life.
"Where is she now?"
"Isis has been transferred to Cloud
Gate, on the request of His Excellency Jabir Bun Hiyern."
"Hiyern," Fried'rich sat up quickly, the
memory of what could have been his last moments alive coming
back to him at the mention of that name. "Are the three of them
at Cloud Gate right now? Jabir, Luggnagg and Kablarl, are they
there?!"
"Yes," the doctor said, looking in
curiosity at Fried'rich, even as he tried to find a way to tell
her about what had happened. "Why do you ask?"
Perhaps it was best to be blunt in this
case. "Luggnagg was the one who attacked me. He shot me in the
back; with a Gravity Bullet, I think."
"You mean, you were attacked by a fellow
Zoalord?" the doctor seemed very surprised by this, she looked
as if she wanted to ask more questions, but visibly restrained
herself. "I'll have to bring Dr. Balkus up to speed on this."
As the doctor left, Fried'rich found
himself wondering just why Yukari, or rather Isis, had been
transferred to Cloud Gate. What could those three be planning?
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX
As he took in the bustle of Tokyo far
beneath him, both figuratively and literally, Jabir tried to
concentrate on the report that Gastahl was giving him.
"I trust that everything is in place,"
Jabir said, watching Gastahl's reflection in the nearly
floor-length panes of glass.
"Yes, sir," Gastahl said, and Jabir
could see his nod reflected in the glass. "All the preparations
that you have requested have been made, Your Excellency."
"Good. Including the girl, I trust?"
"She'll be right out in plain sight,
just as you ordered," Gastahl chuckled. "The Guyver would have
to be blind to miss her."
"Perfect. You're sure that not a word of
this has gotten out to Shin, yes?"
"Very sure, Excellency. I spoke of
nothing while I was around the other Zoanoids. Not even the
scientists know what your plans are."
"Good," Jabir said, nodding himself.
"You're dismissed, Gastahl."
"Of course, Excellency," the Zoanoid
bowed one last time before he turned and left.
"Well, now that we have all the party
favors in place, don't you think it's time that we started the
celebration?"
Jabir had to chuckle at Kablarl's choice
of metaphors, and he found that he wasn't the only one that
found it amusing. Luggnagg was chuckling as well.
"Yes," the deep, thoughtful baritone of
their fellow Zoalord answered, once he had finished chuckling.
"I think it is time that we set out our bait."
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX
It felt so much later when Sho opened
his eyes again, and at first, he couldn't quite remember why it
was that he had wanted to leave so urgently. But then the events
of last night came rushing back to him; that fake Gigantic, the
battle with Purg'stall, the fact that Aptom had been captured by
Chronos. And then Sho remembered; he remembered that Yukari had
also been taken by Chronos.
Yukari had been in their hands for two
weeks now, and Sho hadn't been able to contact her once in all
that time. It was like she had just disappeared. Sho didn't know
exactly what to make of that, but he knew that nothing good
could possibly happen to a Guyver that had been captured by
Chronos.
He had to get out of here; he had to go
save them.
Making his way down the halls as quietly
as he could, not wanting to worry anyone if he could help it,
Sho started to hear the sounds of the television. It sounded
like Tetsuro and the others were watching the news. That was a
good idea; to keep informed about what was going on outside the
house where they were all staying.
When he heard Aptom's name, though, Sho
paused just outside the room. Tetsuro had sounded shocked, like
there was something worse going on than just the fact that Aptom
had been captured. Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Sho
listened to the newscaster as he detailed just what was
happening; or whatever Chronos had told everyone was happening.
"Even though this creature is a Guyver,
the fact that it is in this frozen state means that it will not
live for very much longer. Every day, the Guyver's lifesigns
decrease by some small amount. When the lifesigns have ceased
entirely, the medical research staff of Cloud Gate have revealed
that they intend to perform an autopsy on this creature."
Sho had to bite his lip very hard to
keep himself from gasping or doing anything else that might give
him away. It was his fault; his fault that Aptom had been
captured and was dying slowly, his fault that Yukari had spent
so long in Chronos' hands. He should have tried harder to find
her, no matter what it had cost him in the end.
"In more uplifting news; the girl Yukari
Fukamachi, reported to have been kidnapped by the
extraterrestrial forces, has been taken to Cloud Gate for
deprogramming and medical assistance. No interviews are being
permitted at this time, but we can be assured that the girl is
receiving the best of care."
It was only when Sho started tasting his
own blood that he became aware of just how hard he'd been biting
down on his tongue. Yukari was at Cloud Gate, with Aptom. On the
one hand, that was good, since he would be able to get the both
of them out of that horrible place quickly; on the other hand,
Cloud Gate had one of the largest processing divisions in Japan.
There were thousands of Zoanoids there,
and he didn't know what they had in mind for Yukari. But Sho did
know that he had to rescue her before they could do anything
permanent to her.
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX
Shin was outraged; that three of his
fellow Zoalords would give away the secrets of Chronos so easily
was not something that he was prepared to tolerate.
"Why did you show the public these
images?" Shin demanded. "Aptom was one of Dr. Balkus' top-secret
projects, and you now go announcing his existence to the entire
population of Japan? What could you have been
thinking?!"
"Calm yourself, Shin," Luggnagg said.
"While it is true that we may have acted outside our bounds in
not asking for your approval, I highly doubt that anyone other
than ourselves and the rebels knows of Aptom's true identity. No
one even mentioned his name. I think, and the others agree with
me, that he could be used to lure the remaining Guyver I here."
"And what of this announcement that
Yukari Fukamachi is receiving treatment here? We all know what
was done to her," Shin paused for a moment, again feeling a
sense of regret that such drastic measures had been taken - had
had to be taken - to ensure the safety of Chronos' interests.
"She will also be good bait to bring
Guyver I to this place," Kablarl said. "And he would not be
nearly as eager to rescue her if he knew that she was a Zoalord
like us."
"You plan to let the Gigantic Guyver
into Cloud Gate itself?" Shin was shocked at the audacity of
what the trio in front of him had planned.
"Indeed. With the lives of Aptom and his
comrade Yukari on the line, the boy will not dare to do anything
that might endanger them."
"And, even if he did, with four Zoalords
here it would be very easy for us to deal with him," Hiyern said
confidently. "Even the Gigantic would be no match for us."
"Indeed," Luggnagg said, nodding at
Jabir and Kablarl. "The Gigantic will be no match for four such
seasoned Zoalords as ourselves. And he will never be able to
fight his young friend; he has proven that in all his battles
with Imakarum Mirabilis. I am certain that Purg'stall would have
agreed with this course of action."
"I would prefer to consult directly with
him on this matter," Shin muttered. "I still have not gotten
word of his condition from Dr. Balkus, but I hope the prognosis
is good. Still, for now I am the acting Overlord for this
Section; I will not stand for the three of you acting without my
authorization in this area."
"My apologies," Luggnagg said, inclining
his head slightly. "We will endeavor to seek your approval in
these matters in the future."
"We will be happy to offer you any
assistance that you might require in your battle against the
Guyvers," Jabir said, offering him a calm smile. "I am sure that
you will need to have some help, eventually."
What did he mean by that?
Shin wondered, feeling a sense of foreboding but not knowing
precisely why. Are you three
planning something more than you have told me, or am I looking
into this too deeply?