Chapter VI
The loud explosion sent the birds that dwelled in the mountain flying in every direction, squawking and screeching in fear. Couple coughs with the wave of hands cleared away the smoke, and there stood the five Weiss plus Schwartz members glaring at the grinning Farfarello.
“Did you -HAVE- to use such a massive overdose of explosives?!” Youji complained loudly, coughing as he rubbed his eyes that was extremely allergic to the smoke. “Even Omi doesn’t use THAT much fire powder, you insane madman!!”
“Youji-kun!” warned Ken and Omi, but Farfarello seemed to take such complaints as compliments, since his grin grew wider and he kissed his barrel of fire powder that he kept on his belt.
Crawford and Schuldich, however, did not shared the humor at all. They looked at the opening created by the explosion impatiently, and walked towards it together, eager to enter had Omi not stopped them. “Wait, Crawford-san, Schuldich-san.”
“WHAT?!” barked the duo.
“We can’t work alone on this. There’s a giant labyrinth that twined around underground and up to where Takatori’s main base was suppose to be at, and we don’t even know where in this mountain are they. If you just run in like this, we’ll get separated and never figure out how to get out of here.”
Crawford calmed immediately, and nodded. Even though the only thing he wanted to do now is rip that Takatori…. whatever his name was’ head off and play basketball with it, he had to stay calm. It wouldn’t do his team any good if he became like Schuldich.
Who is, at the moment, yelling at Omi.
“Then can’t you be fucking quicker with that goddamn map of yours so you won’t delay others!?” the German shouted, and Omi just promptly put in ear plugs into his ears as he continued to work on his computer. The map of the surrounding region was displayed in 3D format on the black background, outlined in green, and there are occasional red and yellow spots everywhere. Heat sensative, as clearly can see. Now that ex-Weiss and ex-Schwartz are working together, it broadened the resources, and Omi had accessed to the better satellite Schwartz kept when Estet fell. Using both of the satellites, Omi surrounded 500 miles around Mount Fuji, and search square mile for any abnormal heat scan.
Right now, he’s got 100 miles left….. yet they have found nothing yet. He may looked calm, but he was as worried as any one of them. He hid his emotions well so that he won’t agitate the others, but when the scan finally picked up a weird complete heat black out, about 80 square miles large, he cried out in joy. “YES!!!!! GODDAMN IT I SHOULD’VE SEARCH FROM THE OTHER SIDE!!!!!!”
Yohji drommed his cigarette, and snuggled close to take a look. “What? Where?”
Omi pointed at the screen. “See this square? Normally, with the heat scan, there should be some green spots all around, like animals, trees, etc. But this spot is completely black, which means technically the temperature there was 0 degrees…. or somebody’s deliberately doing that. I’d like to think that’s Takatori’s big sign of ‘I’m here.’ instead of natural phenomenon.”
He typed in a few commands, and the screen changed, using the black area as center, and a map was drawn out immediately. It was probably as confusing as Farfarello’s mind, extending 300 miles from where they are right now in length, 100 miles in width, underground.
A giant labyrinth.
“Great,” Ken snorted, “Now we have to play HIS insane game.”
*****
“Takatori-san,” the scientist bowed to the man sitting on the large sofa, whose arms stretched out on the back of the couch, gazing at the the man coldly. “The serum’s done. You may inject it to the two subject anytime.”
“Good. Bring those two to me,” Kenichi said, and a large, over-exercised man exit the hall immediately, and soon returned with Nagi and Aya, who both dressed in pure white silk clothes that looked very Roman-ish. Some fetish of Kenichi’s. When they arrived, they ran to Kenichi instantly, each taking one another’s side, trying to please the man.
Kenichi smiled, and hugged both of them tightly, his hands reaching into their loose clothes to carress the soft skins under them. “Prepare the experiments….. and open the gate. I think the mice and cats are here to retrieve these two…. fine….. specimen….”
******
“AHHH!!!!!!!” Yohji cried out loudly as he avoided yet another army of flying arrows coming from multiple directions, blocking with his piano wire as Omi searched, and finally shooting a dart at the device control to break the trap.
“What number is this?” Ken asked Farfarello, who was busy writing down something in his small notepad.
“78.”
“Ah.”
“Would you two quit it!?” Youji butted in, glaring at the two. “I was almost killed by having a thousand holes poked outta me by these arrows!! You’ll make the entire female human species cry in the world!!!”
“And male cheers.” Ken retorted, grinning.
They’ve been walking for about two hours already, but there seemed to be no end to this labyrinth. If it weren’t for Omi’s computer, which calculated out the shortest path, they would’ve been lost already. But they were not grateful for it, though, since it picked the path that had most traps around. It got so bad that Ken had to start something funny so he won’t go mad like he did last time, which wasn’t good since Aya wasn’t around to knock some sense into him.
“Just shut up and go…” Schuldich growled, pushing the two arguing Weiss forward annoyingly.
******
Nagi laid on the operation table, sleeping soundly. Scientists around were busy attaching numerous of tubes onto the boy while Kenichi and Aya watched from behind the window, the former grinning madly as the latter stood like a doll, his eyes blank.
Another scientist walked quickly to Kenichi, and handed the man an iron plate before hurried away into another room, where roomful of scientists and doctors are eagerly waiting for the second specimen. The middle-aged man picked up the syringe, and pulled Aya towards him roughly, not caring if he was hurting the boy or not, and injected the tranquilizer in swiftly. Aya let out a soft moan before falling to the floor like a ragged doll, crumbling like he had already fallen to pieces, which, in some point, he already had.
Two guards cartered the boy off, and he was rushed into the room where the scientists ripped off his clothes, attached at least two dozens of tubes and cords onto him, and began to have their own “fun”. To them, not only testing the effect that Takatori Kenichi’s invention had on human subject was exhilirating, but the possible outcome, the tiniest possibility that human mind control within minutes, no, make it seconds, with the proper ingredients, can lasts forever was, undoubtedly, a great scientific achievement.
Hell, they could dominate the world like this!!! If it was the ultra sound wave or the smell, or even the scent… the image.. This was better than hypnosis, where a powerful mind could fight it off easily, this was… unbeatable!! So powerful that the scientific community forbids such experiments, and had it not been Takatori Kenichi, who offered them a piece of this alluring cake, and test subject that fits their need…..
Within minutes, a scream rang out of the room, and no one flinched. Takatori sat in his luxurious chair, drinking a bottle of Chardonnay from 1874, and watches the two experimenting room. He had the look of a man that’s enjoying… some kind of exquisite fine art that was displayed in front of him. Indeed, it was, in its own sadistic way. He looked at his half-burned face through the reflection of the glass, and smiled.
Soon….. he’ll have a brand new, young, energetic body…. and hey, he made it all by himself.
******
“So is this the gate to the Final Boss’ castle?” Ken asked curiously, looking at the pure white steel door blocking in front of them. “Doesn’t look all grand-ish…..”
Youji bopped the boy on the back of the head. “Stop with your video game comparison, you moron. And really, those Final Fantasies are getting into you.”
“They’re good games…..” this time, the protest was from Farfarello, who was busily setting up another explosive near the door. Under the deadly glare and threats, he did manage to lower the amount of gun powder and chemical in the bomb, or else they’ll probably be buried alive before they can even start rescuing a mouse.
Omi sat on the side, typing up furiously. The satellite had trouble penetrating the heavy steel-made building in front of them, but he did detected no more maze-like structure behind the wall. He closed the computer, and slid it into his hidden pocket. “Well, beyond this wall, it’s a no brainer…… So if Farfarello-san would just hurry up……”
“Time to hurt God!” Farfarello cheered, and all of the rescue heroes stepped back quickily as the Madman lit the fuse the old fashion way.
Match.
BOOM!