The Nature of All Things Chapter 1
Author: kuronekosan
Miyu was pale, and her teammates noticed instantly. It was kind of hard not to, since they were locked up in a cell together. Again.
“What’s the matter with you?” Bunker asked, almost disdainfully.
“She looks like she’s seen a…” The Russian speech trailed off.
Team Mongoose looked quizically at Jovijovich, before following her gaping mouth and shocked stare to the bars of their cell. Whatever it was had already gone though, and they chalked it off as another one of her mysterious quirks.
Inside, Miyu wondered if her Russian friend knew how much trouble they were in.
A figure walked into the central command room, she made a tsk sound when she saw the blood splatter in the corner.
“It’s good that they finally cleared the body, but can’t they do a better job getting rid of the bloodstains?”
“I thought you enjoyed the sight of blood, Akari?”
“That and this are two separate matters. The fun is already over, cleaning up the mess is called good hygiene.” She nonchalantly said as she joined the other at the main table. They both studied the prison’s map as Akari crossed off another section.
“It’s amazing how concerned you are about your health when you cause the decline of others.”
“Rikka, Akari,” Both girls turned towards the new voice. A young girl about their age briskly strode in, her tone and posture spoke of the severity of her arrival.
“The host computer’s been hacked, and there’s a hard drive missing.”
Rikka and Akari’s eyes went wide.
“So they did breach the central computer room.”
“Well they were smart enough to get out, I’ll give them that,” Rikka mused, staring at the map until she saw the creepy look on Akari’s face.
“You’re making that face again….” The newcomer pointed out as she sat daintily in a chair.
“Why sweet Nao, haven’t you learned? The smarter and stronger the prey, the more exciting the hunt.” Akari licked her lips and smiled wide in anticipation.
They were once again interrupted as the chief guard walked in with another teammate.
“What have you got Mizuho?” Rikka asked as both she and Akari found places to sit.
“We did a head count like you said, and three of Habu are missing.”
“I bet the hard drive is with them then.” Rikka stated as she glared at the chief guard. She smirked when he flinched further away. She didn’t like the way he was looking at them.
“If they really stole secret data like the reports said…” Mizuho trailed off, but Akari finished for her.
“Then we can’t let them get away.”
“Are we really sure they stole all that data though? It could just be a ruse to throw us off track,” Rikka questioned.
“Well there’s no way to find out now. The entire system’s crashed. It’ll be a while until we have it up and running again,” Nao quipped as she eyed the very same bloodstain Akari criticised.
“She’s right, the only reason we’ve managed to keep track of the prisoners so far is because of the paperwork.” Mizuho sighed. This was the first time a cleaner had to sort through so many files. What an unusual mission this was turning out to be.
“You!” Akari directed her attention to the fidgety chief guard.
“H-hai!” He snapped at attention immediately.
“There were prisoners caught at the central computer room, weren’t there? Which one is the hacker?” Akari’s tone meant business.
“That w-would be Messi f-from Team Mongoose, Ma’am!” The chief guard answered, his posture rigid even though he stuttered.
“That’s where I come in,” Nao got up and stretched languidly.
Akari saw the guard’s eyes linger on Nao’s form and rolled her eyes in disgust. The next thing he knew, something flew past his face, and his cheek suddenly felt wet. He brought a hand up and saw blood. With wide eyes, he looked behind him to find a knife embedded in the wall. He fearfully met Akari’s gaze as she called out to him.
“I hate perverted geezers like you. This Messi girl better be in a locked room for Nao to deal with soon, or your men will have another body to bury,” Akari spat. A self-satisfied smile graced her features when he scurried off as fast as he could. Once the chuckling died down, Akari issued her orders.
“Nao, you do your thing. The rest of us will continue securing the prison. Mizuho, you’ve already identified the members of the rebel teams right?”
Mizuho nodded.
“Yes, they have been moved to be locked up together in their respective group cells, and isolated from the other prisoners.”
“Good, keep it that way. They’re the ones who started all this, they don’t get to see a ray of sunshine unless stated otherwise. Let’s see how long till they break.”
The others answered in unison.
“Hai.”
Eyes curiously looked up as footsteps approached them. Guards armed with tasers and guns guarded the door of the cell as the chief guard unlocked it. Team Mongoose got to their feet and warily eyed them.
“What’s going on?” Bunker asked, she and her teammates unconsciously inched away as the guards flooded in.
“Just someone who wants to have a word with your Messi,” He drawled, signaling the guards the separate the others from her. Everyone struggled against their captors, Yagi in particular, unwilling to be separated from the one who held her chain.
Miyu seemed to know what was going on as she punched the guard in front of her aside.
“Don’t let them take her!” She screamed.
Team Mongoose had no idea what was going on, but if the usually quiet Miyu was this frantic, they better take heed. They fought desperately against the guards, and for a while, the struggle seemed to be in their favour.
Two guards held Messi by her arms, and Yagi who had just broken free, rushed to her aid. Her advance was halted however, when an unknown girl delivered a mean hook to her face. She fell back, and more guards held her still. The girl smirked as she unhooked Yagi chain, which angered her greatly.
“I’ll skewer you and eat you whole!” She growled. Her reply was two punches to the face and one to the stomach.
“Oi! What do you think you’re doing to her!” Messi watched in fury as Yagi slumped against the guards holding her up.
“Unhand my team!” An’nin yelled, she was pinned to the wall with her arm twisted behind her back by numerous guards. The rest of Mongoose fared no better.
Yagi looked up defiantly and spat at the girls’ face. She wiped it off with disdain and growled as she raised her fist to strike.
It was blocked.
“That’s enough, Chori,” Fluent Japanese. A fist was aimed back at her, but Chori blocked it too.
“Aanya. What a surprise,” The larger surprise was when Jovijovich delivered a headbutt.
Chori groaned in pain, before tackling her to the ground in anger. She straddled Jovijovich’s hips and pounded her face without mercy. The half-Russian desperately shielded her head, waiting for her chance to strike. And it arrived, she caught one of Chori’s punches and chomped down hard on the inside of her wrist. She jumped off with a scream of pain, but before Jovijovich could press on, two guards seized her from behind.
“Gahh! It’s bleeding,” Chori held her wrist and glared at her attacker, “Still packing a bite I see.”
Jovijovich only glared back.
“I see you’re acquainted with our little halfie.”
“More or less,” Chori answered, brushing him off. Team Mongoose could do nothing but watch as Messi was dragged out. When the guards left and locked the door, Jovijovich spoke in Russian again.
“How the times have changed.”
Before turning her back to them, Chori faced Jovijovich once more.
“You’re one to talk,” In perfect Russian.
When the last guard had left, Sudachi turned to Jovijovich.
“Wow! Jovijovich-san, you—“
“—knew that person?” Sudachi glared as Shokakku interrupted her yet again.
The halfie settled against the wall and hissed as she touched her bleeding lip. She wasted no time beating around the bush.
“Once, not too long ago.” The others were speechless at that.
“That mark she was wearing, it’s from another team in the Hakata prison. Is that where you’re from?” Miyu calmly asked as everyone got comfortable for their long stay in that cell.
She got no answer.
It was An’nin’s turn to question her.
“So she’s a cleaner then. What aren’t you telling us Miyu? Who is Messi meeting?”
Yagi dejectedly slumped by the bars, staring out of the cell, worry written clearly on her face.
Miyu grasped her hands tightly, hoping that maybe she saw wrongly in the dim lighting.
“Trouble.”
Her wrists were bound to the arms of the chair, and the chair in turn, was bolted to the floor. Despite that, Messi sat calmly, even managing to look bored as she waited for something to happen.
It didn’t take long until someone entered. It was someone she had never seen before. Messi was curious as she wore normal clothing, her hair was silky smooth as it rested just below her shoulders and her overall good hygiene led her to conclude that she was not part of any prison.
Her visitor sat in a chair across from her, about an arm’s length away. The only thing that separated them was a simple table. She smiled innocently at her, to which Messi only raised an eyebrow in reply.
“Hello, I’m Nao.”
“What is it that you want from me?” Messi leaned back in her chair with a haughty look.
Nao giggled and crossed her legs, leaning forwards to maintain eye contact with Messi.
“I’ve heard you’re quite the hacker. Was it really you that hacked into the prison’s mainframe? You, who stole the data?”
“That’s right. It was me. I don’t know about any data though, all I did was deactivate the bracelets and shut down the system.”
“Really?” Nao looked at her unbelievingly.
“Yes, really. Is that fact too difficult for you idiots to accept?” Messi rolled her eyes, since they weren’t sure, she felt it was better if they didn’t know. Then they would have an advantage to shut this place down. They wouldn’t know what hit them.
“Well it’s not my fault. I wasn’t here when it happened.” Nao pouted. Messi narrowed her eyes at her, wondering what was her angle.
“Is that seriously all you wanted to ask? Wondering how a prisoner like me managed to beat the system of mindless blundering dogs like you?”
Nao sighed at the insult.
“Well it’s not like I’m in charge of the technological aspects of the system. I just do what they ask me to. Odd errands here and there.”
“Exactly my point. I can tell by the look of you. Spoiled, pampered, you probably hate the sight of blood, and I’ve never seen you around here before. I would know, else Yagi wouldn’t be my only pet.” Messi sneered down at her interviewer.
Nao gulped and clenched her trembling hands into fists. Messi noticed this though, and she took advantage of it.
“You’re probably with administrations. Did they run out of qualified interrogators? Is that why poor lil Nao was forced to clear the paperwork?” Messi snickered.
The girl opposite her paled and her mouth resembled a goldfish as it opened and closed, trying to defend herself.
“Wha-I..you..it’s not like that!”
“It is isn’t it?” Messi’s smile was like the cat who ate the canary.
“The idiocy of this prison never ceases to astound me.” She giggled to herself.
Nao defiantly rose from her chair to shout at Messi.
“Watch your mouth! You-!”
“Bang!”
“Kyaa!”
Messi had suddenly rushed forwards against her bonds with her signature yell, startling Nao who fell back into her chair with a shriek. She kicked the table in front of her with her free legs.
She couldn’t help it. It was too easy, too difficult to resist. That was what Messi thought as she howled with laughter.
“You guys are such idiots! No wonder it was so easy to turn off the system! The code was three times as easy to break as soon as I went past the firewall! Even the data wasn’t protected beyond it! That’s why it was so easy to steal it from your back pocket!”
“Oh? So it’s true then.”
Messi abruptly stopped laughing to see Nao lounging in her chair.
A flirtatious smile graced her lips as she examined Messi from head to toe.
“I must say, for someone they call crazy, you’re pretty transparent.”
“Nani?” Messi watched Nao with a newfound sense of wariness.
“Well I’ll be going now. I’ve got what I came for.” Nao got up and stroked her cheek. It was only then that Messi glimpsed something under Nao’s sleeve, something scarred onto her skin. It was a weird star symbol enclosed within two boxes, and in that symbol.
“Thanks, love.” She left the room with a wink.
In the seconds that ticked by, only one thought remained as she was flooded with overwhelming dread.
“Shit.”
Topic: [wChaos fic] The Nature of All Things [Chapter 2] — Post-MG3 (7/9/14) (Read 1862 times)