Author of the Soul System
Group: Shinigami
Posts: 11
Member No.: 13
Joined: 29-September 07
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Soul Reapers! Your wait is over!
Chapter Three: Sendo’s Choice
Yuki had a good right to be worried.
Sendo was brought to an interrogation room, where he sat at a table, wondering what fate was to become of him, just as the three men who had arrested him entered the room. The lead one, a man who seemed to have rather bony fists, took the position across from him, hiding his eyes’ expression behind a pair of mirrored amber sunglasses. Sendo then noticed it: across from the shoulder holster that was holding his handgun, there was a sword with a wolf’s face on it, sheathed.
The man slapped a large folder onto the desk and opened it briskly, like this was a routine day for him, eyeing various documents.
“As you can see, Mr. Kentachi, we’ve been following you for some time now,” said Bony Fist. “And it appears to us you’ve been leading two lives instead of one.”
Sendo said nothing. He had expected they would’ve been tailing his hackwork as Nightowl. Hell, now and again someone like Aero would have too much to drink and in a fit of drunken euphoria, speak aloud of their meetings with him and what they had paid him to do. However, by the time they would’ve arrested him and Sendo, they would forget they had even met, along with everything else that had happened in the past week. Alcohol tends to have that effect on people.
Of course, even with that help, Sendo was always careful to choose what customers came knocking on his apartment door, but Aero was a special case because of the story he had presented him with. And like everyone else, Sendo was willing to listen for something. Preferably something green that folded.
“In one life, you are Sendo Fortindom Kentachi, a program writer for a respectable software company,” Bony Fist continued. “You have a social security number, you pay your taxes…why, you even help your landlady put out the garbage. All in all, a good citizen.
“However, your second life is in a computer, working under the alias ‘Nightowl,’ breaking practically every computer law in the known world. One of these lives has a future, but another does not. That’s why I will be as forthcoming to you as possible, Mr. Kentachi. You are here because we need your help.”
Bony Fist removed his glasses. Sendo relaxed a little, thinking that if this was all that they needed, he could actually put his hacking skills to the test.
“We know you were contacted recently by a certain…person. A man who goes by the name of…Blu Raikou. Any information you have about him is irrelevant as of right now. Right now, the thing you must know is that he is among the most dangerous men alive.
“However, I also know you think I’m wasting your time, but you wish to do what is right. So we’ll add a little…incentive. If you help us, we will expunge your criminal record of all charges, and give you a fresh start. All we’re asking is that you aid us in our search to find a known terrorist and bring him to justice.”
Sendo was listening intently, but something about this was tugging at his conscience. Something was making him reconsider. Eventually, he spoke.
“My, that’s a tempting offer,” he said. “However, how about I counter? What say I…give you the finger, and you give me my phone call?”
Bony Fist smiled…and it wasn’t a nice one. It was evil. Sadistic even. Sendo felt his sweat glands go into overdrive with apprehension.
“Please, Mr. Kentachi,” he said, his voice like oil over ice, donning his sunglasses. “You disappoint me.”
“Don’t give me this Gestapo crap,” Sendo said, eyes narrowing behind his glasses. “I have my rights, and you know it. Now give me my phone call, Kojak.”
Bony Fist’s smile didn’t even falter.
“Answer me this, Mr. Kentachi,” he said. “What good is a phone call if you can’t even speak?”
Sendo wanted to speak, to yell, to give this sunglasses-wearing creep hell, but something was wrong. His lips were completely shut. He tried to speak, but nothing even happened. Bony Fist raised his eyebrows, waiting for a reaction.
That’s when he felt it. The skin around his lips were crawling up around his mouth, completely stopping him from speaking. Fear skyrocketed through Sendo’s body as he stumbled backwards out of his chair, telling himself, this isn’t real, this isn’t real…
Bony Fist continued to smile as he watched Sendo thrash in fearful agony, backpedaling to the wall. Bony Fist’s two companions leapt in, removing his suit shirt and pinning him onto the table. Sendo struggled, but in vain.
Bony Fist pulled something from his jacket. It looked like a cigar case. Just great. His mouth was forced shut by his own skin, and this guy was going to smoke, watching him squirm. This guy was section eight. Without a doubt.
But when he opened the case, inside was a long purple item. Nondescript, like…oh no. They were going to bug him with Semtex. Purple, maybe, but Semtex nonetheless.
“Mr. Kentachi, you are going to help us, whether you want to,” he said, pressing something. “or not.”
Suddenly, the purple Semtex turned into a small quadruped alien-esque creature, which crawled around his stomach a moment, found his navel, then forced itself into his body, with Sendo thrashing all the way…
***
Sendo awoke with a start.
He flung his sheet off of him, which, despite his thrashing, was not twisted around his body, like he had read in books. He felt his mouth. His lips were still there, his skin still in the position it should’ve been. He felt his navel. There was nothing there. He flopped back into bed, relieved that it had only been a nightmare. Meeting Yuki, then Blu Raikou, that thing that had crawled into his body…it was all a dream.
The phone rang. In spite of his nightmare, Sendo slowly picked it up and croaked, “Hello?”
“This line is tapped, so I’ll be brief.”
Sendo didn’t jump, despite the fact he recognized that voice. Blu Raikou.
“I don’t know how they got to you first, but luckily, they’ve underestimated your importance in the grand scheme of things. If they knew what I knew, you’d be six feet under right now.”
“What’s going on? What are you talking about?” Sendo asked.
“You are ‘The One,’ Sendo. You may have been searching for me for a few years, but I’ve been waiting my entire life just to find you.”
“The One?” Sendo thought sarcastically. Nice.
“Are you still willing to meet?” Blu asked.
“…yes.”
“Then go to the Karakura Street bridge.”
***
Rain was pounding in full force by the time a car pulled up alongside Sendo. The back door opened, and there was Yuki. Gone was her black robe, she was now dressed in lavender and red, in a dress that was far more revealing than what she had been wearing during their first meeting.
“Get in,” was all she said.
Sendo obliged, and the moment the door closed, a black-haired girl across from him had a humongous sword at his neck, held horizontal out the widow to accommodate the size. The words “Midnight, First Division” were engraved on the hilt, and there was a red ribbon on the end.
“What the hell?” he asked.
“Please, Sendo,” said Yuki. “It’s for our protection.”
“From who?” Sendo asked.
“From you.”
Sendo opened his mouth to answer, but thought better of it, and closed his mouth.
“Take off your shirt,” the black-haired one said. She seemed no older than fourteen, to Sendo’s surprise.
“Whatever for?” asked Sendo.
“Stop the car, Crimson.”
The car stopped abruptly, nearly slicing Sendo’s neck on the girl’s blade.
“Listen up, coppertop,” the girl’s voice was like nuclear winter. “We don’t have time for Twenty Questions. Right now, it’s only two options: our way, or the highway.”
Sendo glared at the girl.
“Fine,” he said, starting out of the car.
“Sendo, please,” Yuki said. “You have to trust us.”
Sendo stopped. Actually stopped in midstep. There was something melodic about her voice. Still…
“Why should I?” he asked.
“Because you’ve been down that road,” said Yuki. “And we both know what lies beyond.”
Sendo looked down the road. And he saw something…or at least he thought he saw something. Whatever it was, it gave him a chill down his spine. Sendo slowly stepped back into the car. Smiling thinly, The girl once again hefted her blade and nodded at Crimson. The car rolled on again.
“Lie back, lift up your shirt,” said Yuki, pulling out a large device from under the seat. Midnight also shifted, adjusting the position of her sword.
“What’s that for?” Sendo asked.
“I think you got bugged.”
Bugged? Does that mean…
Sendo did as he was told. Yuki placed the device at his stomach, plugging in a few odd wires.
“Try and relax,” Yuki said.
Sendo opened his mouth to ask why again when the device secured itself on his stomach, bathing his abdomen with a pale blue-green light. Yuki adjusted her position, eyeing a screen.
“Come on,” she muttered. “Come on…”
“It’s on the move,” the black-haired girl observed, sword not moving from Sendo’s neck.
Yuki ignored her, focusing on the job at hand.
“Come on, you little wanker…” she muttered.
“You’re gonna lose it, Yuki,” said the girl.
“Oh, really, Midnight?” asked Yuki. “Watch this. Clear!”
Before anything else happened, Sendo felt electricity enter his body, forcing a yell of surprise and anger as something purple was forcefully ejected into a capsule. Sendo recognized it immediately…the thing Bony Fist had put into him.
“Jesus Christ, that thing was real?” asked Sendo in surprise.
“Yup,” said Yuki, tossing it out the window and then placing her hand out the window, pointing in its direction. “Hadou, Number Eighty-Six…HAIEN!”
The purple object burst into orange flame, and before anybody else knew it, it was reduced to ashes, and thus faded into blackness.
***
Sendo was escorted to an apartment atop a complex in downtown Tokyo City by Yuki.
“Here we are,” said Yuki.
Sendo nodded, reaching for the door handle.
“Let me give you one piece of advice,” Yuki stopped him.
Sendo stopped, and for a moment, felt captivated by Yuki’s beauty. Insanely large breasts can do that.
“Be honest.”
And before he knew, she had disappeared, and a black butterfly fluttered past him. He opened the door…
Blu Raikou, dressed in black, a sword gleaming at his waist, smiled as he turned to face the new arrival.
“At last,” he said.
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The Soul System, The TSS Version of The Matrix
