Mike stands looking at the man, from bottom to top he has brown loafers, a suit with a green sweater underneath and squared edge sunglasses covering his face. He takes them off to reveal a middle aged man no older than 30.
"You know the man right? Where would he go?" Asked Mike.
"I'm afraid so. Former colleague of mine gone cuckoo. Brilliant mind but unfortunately he always had a dark side. I don't mind giving you some answers but we need to get out of here."
Kazuke grabs Mike, spinning him around. "He's right , no sense wasting our time here waiting for an attack. Let's capture him and bring him in for questioning."
Mike motions the government official. "Right, you can come with us. We will go after Arkley but you have to help us. We are working blind here."
"I understand," said the man. "So do I get to fly back or do we have a car or what?""
"a car?" Mike says confused.
"Damn, you can't fly. Weird."
"It's not weird now just get on the bus."
"Right, teenagers working for the Prime Minister using magical abilities to fight to the death isn't weird. Alright, i'll just go with it."
They all run to the bus and enter. The vehicle rolls out quickly and on the way back to base conversation arises.
Mike leans against the window and taps the older man on the shoulder. "So, who is Albert Arkley?"
"He was a former scientist working for us. Smartest guy you could ever meet. Jacked too. Really nice forearms."
"You admire his forearms?"
"Yeah not bad and like I'm not jealous or anything but I would totally be down to touch them if he let me. You know what I mean?"
"Yeah of course I get it, but why was he in prison?"
"Albert was a troubled man, like I said smart right? He was ambitious, and nobody worked harder. The reality is he had some sort of god complex. He got caught using government funding to experiment on human subjects to create some sort of vaccine that would make him immortal. We tried to talk him out of this idea but he wouldn't budge. He never ended up achieving that goal, however he did get close to creating a summoning of sorts. Needless to say even his research on that was cut short. The other thing he was looking for was power. Strength to impose his will. He thought if he could get stronger he could scare our superiors into allowing his research to continue. That said, he's not immortal, he won't be able to use that summoning, but he won't be easy to capture because of that last bit of research. He completed it just before he was arrested."
"Strength to impose his will you mean? In what way?"
"The guy found some sort of stone or bone, or scone? Not sure. It contained a great deal of magical energy. Albert used it to augment himself with power unreachable to the average man. Truly a remarkable feat. That artifact could have been used for great purposes. As per usual though, Albert wanted it for his own gain. This is what ended up leading to his capture."
Kazuke cuts in firm but respectful. "What could he be aiming to do now that he's out?"
"My guess. Revenge on his former employer. Worries me a great deal because as you said that villain you fought off is still out there weak as he may be now. Albert may not be near strong but he could very well be after something similar. Not that you couldn't handle him. If marbles came to mittens."
"So, Lobra, how did you know him? Any useful info?" Asked Mike.
"Nothing of use, I don't wish to talk about that man." She says.
"Knowing what I know Lobra, I don't blame you." Said the government official.
"Don't worry about it, that's not important. What is important is we track this guy down right now," said Kazuke.
"We are already on it. He doesn't know this but any prisoner we take in is injected with a tracker. Only thing is it takes a moment to initialize. Now I can't promise he won't figure it out but soon we will be tailing him as we speak."
"You have access to this now?" Asked Mike.
"Yes, It is all linked into my database. It appears it just finally connected."
Mike swipes the phone and looks at the GPS. "He isn't far from here but he's stopped moving. Stop the bus now!"
The bus halts to a stop.
"What are we doing?" Asks Kazuke.
"We are ending it now. No more games. I cannot forget what happened the last time we let a bozo like this walk free. Nathan, Kazuke, Youta, Brody. Come with me."
Reyna interjects fiercely. "Should we not all go? This seems foolish."
Mike calms her. "I know what you mean but hear me out. If he realizes we know where he is he may run. Better to be quieter here. Plus we need others around in case they try something else. Everyone in one place is how they got us at the mall."
The team exits the bus and heads towards the blip. They travel through a small sparse forest.
"He is barely 3 miles from here." Says Mike. "Wild to think he's right under our nose."
"It appears he's stopped at a warehouse of some sort. A building out in the middle of a forest. These villains all think the same."
"Then we need to move fast. That's his hideout," said Brody.
"They run through the forest as it gets thinner and thinner. Around a half hour later they see a large abandoned warehouse. With one large door at the front that's cracked open."
"Brace yourselves." Says Mike. "A moment from now we could be in battle. Let's do this."
"They all charge in and as they get close Nathan boots the door down. As they enter and look around they see a slender man in a black racing suit sitting on a railing nearby."
"Ah, how predictable. I didn't think it would be this easy. Police I take it? Damn, here I thought I was in the clear."
"We are taking you in Arklay. Now give yourself up or you die."
"Tough talk kid, My Intel tells me you don't like to kill your targets. Has that changed all of a sudden?"
"Intel? Who are you getting intel from?" Asks Mike.
"Aronian secret magic. Flash curtain!" A voice screams from the other room. A large beam of light so bright it's almost a solid object shoots from the darkness. It blinds the team as they stumble."
"Shit, look out there is another one! Stay calm and be aware of your surroundings." Screams Mike to the team.
Moments pass as the light continues to blare. A voice beckons from the dark. A familiar tone comes across striking fear into the group's ranks.
"You should have stayed at home, hero." Says the voice chuckling with a hint of insanity.
A figure fast as light comes crashing down in the middle of the team with such force to shatter the ground beneath him. They are all sent flying back with great force as the walls of the building come down. The building collapses under the force causing dust and debris to fly. Chaos is underway as bodies fly. Mike lands near the door and jumps backwards out of it but stumbles hard. He looks around as the dust clears and he sees the bodies of his comrades laying around. Near the right side of the grassy parking lot he sees four men standing there. The man who shot the flashing light, Arkley, Doobernasi, and Snodderly. They all stand smiling. As they do, another man flies from the rubble and hovers. Mike's eyes open wide. Vargas, was alive.
"Vargas, in attendance. Mike my boy you look like you've seen better days."
Mike stumbles to his feet and barks at the now battered man. "I could say the same to you!"
"No really I've never felt better. I'm in the best shape of my life. Say where is that bitch with the white hair? I need to repay her for what she did to me."
"Reyna may have bailed me out last time but this time. I'm your opponent. Focus on me."
"Still Naive. You look different, bigger. You carry a blade now too ? Regardless it won't matter. You are still nothing more than a fledgeling chicken compared to me."
Joe charges Mike. He flies in faster than ever. Mike can't even react before Joe hits him. Square in the chest. Mike is sent flying so fast it is audible. He sails towards a tree and hits it hard enough to go through multiple. He stumbles through the leaves and before he can stop Joe flashes behind him and punches him back again sending him flying into the parking lot. This time however he is caught by Kazuke and stabilized on the ground.
Kazuke draws his sword and readies himself. "He's almost faster than before, what the hell. No sense in taking him on alone. I hate to tell you these odds don't look good."
Nathan gets to his feet and immediately removes Multiple limiters. Youta also has risen and does the same. The group is thin as they look for their last member. Youta looks around and spots Brody who is pinned under a steel beam. He lays on the ground unable to move but alive.
Youta looks at Brody and thinks. "Those odds just got worse. It appears he is unable to battle. Very well. You guys take on the main one. I will handle the rest."
Nathna punches Youta hard in the arm. "That won't work, you can't beat them all!"
"I will not aim too. I will stall them until I may receive some help. Please. Finish the man off quickly for I can only use this move for a very short frame of time due to my age."
"Right, be careful."
Youta charges up and releases all but one limiter on his body. He kneels and then in a blink he is gone. He appears in front of Snodderly and slams him with his chest as Snodderly goes flying back.
Mizuki calls to rally the team. "Focus on him. Trust in Youta to complete his assignment. Now it's time to try this new technique. First Lightning magic, Sparkstrider! Then."
Mizuki channels a stream of lightning at his feet and removes a sword from his back, charging it up with lightning and prepares to attack. The short curved blade gleaning under the duress of the crackling electricity.
Kazuke doesn't waste a second before summoning his conjuring and drawing his sword. Nazuki closes his eyes for a second and unleashes the limits on his body. They all ready themselves and attack Joe at the same time. Nathan winds up and prepares to slam Joe with a straight punch. Joe doesn't even dodge it and tanks it directly into the face. Grinning as the punch clammers against his rough skin. He grabs Nazuki's arm and swings him, sending him soaring into the rubble. Kazuke begins to come down with a flaming conjured blade. The moment before impact, Joe looks up and catches the blade pushing it off target. Kazuke sweeps the ground with his sword as Joe leaps and boots him in the chest smashing him backwards. Kazuke stumbles and catches himself ready to attack again. He looks shocked at Joe begins to channel.
"Infinite horizon!" The villain screams a large volley of energy forms in his hands.
He charges the large red and black beam from his hand and fires it at Kazuke.
"Can't dodge, I have to block it." Kazuke Screams. As he says this the beam pieces right through the front of his conjured being's armor and hits him sending him bouncing back. He hits his head and falls down gasping for air as the wind is knocked out of him. Joe leaps and comes down hard on Kazuke's chest.
He spits blood and falls to the ground lifeless. Mike out of nowhere flashes behind the villian to counter but is caught and blocked by Joe. He shoves Mizuki back and flies towards him leaping and pinning him to the ground.
"You are mine kid."
"Not a chance you rotten bastard."
Youta pushes off the other fighters and comes up kicking Joe off. Mike jumps to his feet and flies in attacking Joe one on one. Swinging his sword violently and attempting to strike Joe down.
"Mike you have lost the one thing that worried me about you. That calm calculated mind has turned to violent mindless hacking. It does not suit you!"
Joe catches a punch by the wrist and headbutts Mike violently. He slams him to the earth and pins him underfoot. Youta turns to check and is slammed by Snodderly. Joe rallies his troops.
"Take them inside and lock them down. Albert, get to work on the project. We have a window now." Shouted Joe.
"Very well I will attempt what you wish. However there is no promise. I still have not figured out the key to controlling the being," said Albert.
"I don't care. I can control him. It's time we welcomed him into our world. It's time to take my plan to its final stage. Project CHAOS. Is now underway."
"If that is your wish, I am still in your debt after all."
The henchmen capture the heroes and latch them with high energy cuffs and collars and begin to take them back to base. When they arrive they take them upstairs and throw them in a cell.
"Keep them under watch." Says Joe. "Don't let them leave. It's time for the plan. Motaoi. Don't let me down. Doobernasi, prepare the special cell for Mr. Tozuki."
"Of course sir." Says Doobernasi walking away.
The men leave the room leaving only the strange looking robed man to watch them. He sits in the corner silently. Joe slams the cell and leaves and Motaoi sits in a chair nearby reading a newspaper. After a while Mike comes to wake and looks around. He curses himself and calls Motaoi.
"Hey you. Let us out! What is this?"
The gruff man looks up unamused. "Be silent, I am not letting you out. Just don't struggle."
"I cannot be silent. Did that evil royal asshole put you up to this?"
"You better not be talking about lord Vargas. You can't speak about him as if you know him. I won't tolerate it."
"Tolerate me saying that your lord is an evil dickhead? I know him well enough to know that much."
"Then you don't know him. Lord Vargas can be brash but his plan will bring us all to peace. You wouldn't understand even if I told you. So what's the point of me even going as far as to bother. You are just a kid."
Mike looks around at his handcuffed friends and realizes he's stuck. "Humor me. I'd love to hear you try to defend it. Tell me why you would work for a guy like that."
A moment later Kazuke wakes and looks around going through the same process. After realizing he is stuck he stops and settles. In the corner of the cell Youta sits silent and Brody is still knocked out. Nathan awakes next and before long Motaoi grows impatient.
"Now that the class is awake I'm going to begin story time. Long story short. That guy. He saved my life. When I was an orphan long ago. During the darker days of this city. Before the police precinct was taken over by the current Valentine regime. This city was in darkness."
"Trust me I know. I know that all too well."
"Let me finish errand boy. Anyway, crime ran rampant. People died daily from violent criminal activity. As the rich thrived the poor suffered. When magic first went mainstream again it was what felt like total anarchy. We got worse and they, the rich got better. It wasn't so bad for me. Life was grim but stable. The same in an outs. We got by, we survived. Until that day."
"What day?"
"During the terrorist attacks, when they hacked the entire grid in a targeted attack on the mass pharma company Kayo. My parents were unlucky enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. We lived right near the big pharma building."
"and then. It collapsed," Mike said under his breath.
"You can guess what happened when a building of that scale was wiped out in such a manner."
"When the building collapsed, it killed all 837 employees. And 455 nearby civilians."
"Correct. My parents were crushed inside their own home because of an attack on that company. And do you know why they were attacked?"
"I have an idea."
"They were caught using trafficked children from overseas in live experiments. To further their medical advances. Those terrorists just wanted revenge against a foe they saw no other means to fight against. Because of Kayo's errors my family paid the price. As do we all. In this city. Even more so in Tokyo. The rich keep getting richer and they take advantage crushing anyone underneath them without cause. The weak fight back and somehow it once again crushes those below even them more. Corruption and greed run wild and breed hate. Tell me, do you realize what the government did when it found out this information?"
Kazuke chimes in. "They covered it up. It's been a popular online conspiracy for a long time. Most of the real proof was washed somehow. No surprise."
"Exactly. What do you say then? Do you believe that siding with the government and the big companies like Kayo makes sense? Is that justice?"
"No, I don't think it is. To your question I return one. Do you think siding with those terrorists is the answer? In my eyes, both sides are garbage. Scum of the earth."
"Maybe, maybe that's right."
"How does this lead to you joining him?" Asks Kazuke.
"After the building killed my parents, I was an orphan. Our insurance company was supposed to cover my living expenses but they found a fault in the foundation of our home and used it as an excuse to not pay out. They committed fraud to keep me on the streets. Of course it wasn't likely personal just saved them a few dollars. Funny insurance companies have no problems taking your payment when the risk is on you. I wandered hungry until one day a man found me. He approached me. It was a snowy day in the middle of December. You know how cold it gets around here. I was barely alive, and he approached me. He said this to me. "You are weak right now. But you can be stronger than you know." He took me into his home. And over the years told me his plans and dreams to destroy the big corporations of this town, then the country. He was kind, generous. A man callused by being abandoned by society. While his methods are barbaric, he wants to rule to create a new hierarchy and make a more fair and just world. Same as you. So no. He isn't an idiot. He's a man with aspersions the same as you. Now see? You couldn't possibly know how I feel.
"Well then you don't know us very well either," said Mizuki.
"How do you figure?" Asked Motaoi. His voice looming with some sincerity.
"Because our parents are also dead. Killed in the collapse as well," said Nathan.
Motaoi sits quietly taking in what he has just heard and looks down somber.
"My name, Michael Tozuki. It confuses people a lot of the time. American first name, Japanese last name. Reality is I'm only half japanese. My father worked at Koyo, and met my mother overseas on a business trip. My mother worked for the American branch of the company. They hit it off and he brought her back here. Soon after i was born. Apparently mom fought for an american name, dad put up a fight but in the end mom won as she always did. Things were great until that day. Like you my whole life changed when my parents died being caught up in that horrible crossfire."
"Then you of all people should know what I'm talking about."
"I don't. Regardless of what happens I won't justify Joe's destruction of human life. Besides, I was barely a child when the collapse happened. We all go through hardship. Real men push through and overcome not succumb to anger and pain. Real heroes want to prevent others from having the same hardships."
"I will not sit here and be lectured on what it means to be a hero, let alone a man from a child who was imprisoned and defeated. you know nothing kid. Lights off. Have a good rest."
As Motaoi goes to leave, Joe peeks his head in the door and puts his hand on Motaoi's shoulder. "Motaoi, I need you to take the man in the gray jacket to his special cell. Thank you."
"As you wish."
As Joe bows out, Motaoi opens the cell and helps Mike to his feet. He walks him down a hallway and into another wing. They reach a door and as they do they enter a room. They walk in and inside is just a single chair, no windows, no doors, nothing. Motaoi sits him down and fastens the energy cuffs behind him, chaining him to the chair. He leaves and shuts off the lights. Mike sits in the dark room before the door opens slowly and the familiar face enters. Vargas walks into the room. No bravado, no antics, no grin. Just a stern calm face. He drags a chair behind him swinging it a few feet in front of the other chair. He sits down on it backwards draping his hands across its back.
"Come to gloat?" Asked Mizuki.
"No, truth be told, I came to beat the shit out of you. Still mulling that idea over in my head."
"I don't get it, I really do not get it."
"What would it be that you don't get?"
"You have an obsession with me. Why me? Why not target pro's that are a threat to you? Why not target Hikari who could actually be a danger to your operation?"
"Hikari, what a joke. They have been a non factor. Who ever came up with the idea of only having a set amount of them anyway? As for pros. Well, in Tokyo, that may be a problem. Around these parts, pros aren't nearly as big of a deal. Part of the benefit. Your government really can't expect the small force of Hikari to trek from Tokyo to Fukouka so quickly."
"Dosent explain, why me?"
"You want to know? I guess I can attempt to explain. Government heroes. I know how they operate, why they fight. I don't mind killing them because, to me they stand and uphold the worst of this world. You sir, you confuse me."
"I confuse you?"
"Yeah, you do. You see our idea of what the world should look like is not far off. However, you are too idealistic. You think working with the people upholding the system is the way." Joe speaks, his voice escalating rapidly. He slams the chair over and over while talking. "You could help me but you choose to stay on the wrong fucking path. That is why I have a so-called obsession with you. That is why I am going to beat some sense into you. So you can see the error of your ways!" Joe jumps to his feet and rips the chair off the ground, smashing it into the side of Mike's head. The chair buckles from the impact and he falls to the concrete floor. Joe kicks him mercilessly. "You are so misguided. With your strength we could change things. Instead I have to partner with these moral less hacks. They pretend to get it but they dont! They are just pawns, pig feed, trash! Why can't you just understand!" He picks Mike up and punches him holding his jacket to stop his fall. He rears back for one large lunge before the door opens behind him.
"Joe, what are you doing?"
Joe turns to see Krat standing in the doorway confused.
"It's all business. Don't worry about it. Just head back and wait."
"We torture people now? Bad enough you got me fighting high school kids now we are some kind of medieval outpost?"
"No it's not like that, this guy needs to understand. You know the rules."
"He ain't gonna change. We should be focusing on the task at hand. Not holding grudges. This isn't like you. Let him go, come on."
Joe turns back to Mike and hesitates. He drops him and walks to the exit flicking the lights off and exiting. He closes the door gently behind him as they walk off. Mike slides up against the cell wall and lays his head back. Bloody and beaten.