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 Achi Endo. Chance Meeting. Eventually Achi spotted Kano on the far edge of the crowd. The detective pumped his fist in victory. It looked like he’d gotten Alphard to cough up the password.  Thank goodness. Finally, some really good news. Now Hitomi and Maria were both safe. A surge of relief ran through Achi’s body. No music. Unexpectedly, his cell phone rang. It was Stanley. “Mr. Stanley? What’s going on?” “How did the negotiations go?” Achi quickly filled him in on the good news. “The detective caught Alphard. He got him to give up the password and I think he’s called the folks at the lab. Does that mean the case is closed, then?” “No. Not yet. Right now, I need you to do exactly as I tell you.” Contemplation. For a moment, Achi’s head swam. This isn’t over yet? “Why? What’s going on?” “If you want to save Hitomi, then shut up and listen!” Stanley barked. “All right! Tell me what to do.” “First, you need to power down Hitomi’s cell phone? “Turn off her phone? What for?” Was Stanley serious, or just messing with him? “I’m pretty sure that there’s a bomb somewhere near your location.” “A bomb?” Achi’s voice squeaked into falsetto. “The guy that Kano just apprehended is a decoy. The real Alphard is planning to eliminate Hitomi and the false Alphard at the same time.” Eliminate both Hitomi and his own decoy? Why would he do that? And if the guy they’d just captured was a fake, then who was the real Alphard? He couldn’t wrap his head around it; the more he tried, the more his thoughts became a jumbled mess. “Listen. First, turn off that cell phone. Then, go and look for the bomb.” “Okay! Got it!” Right now, he just needed to do what Stanley told him to do. He didn’t have time to make sense of the situation. Hanging up, he called out to Hitomi.  “Hitomi, you have to turn off your cell phone!” She stared back at him, too confused to act. “Look, just hurry up and do it!” “Right! Okay!” Pulling her phone from her pocket, she switched the power off.  Then Achi turned in Kano’s direction. “Detective!” he shouted. Kano was looking toward him, seemingly already aware that something was amiss. “Detective! That’s not the real Alphard-he’s a fake!” “A fake?!” Kano looked understandably shocked. “Yeah! I just got a call from Stanley! He said the real Alphard is planning to get rid of both Hitomi and the fake with some kind of bomb!”  Kano hurriedly turned back to the fake Alphard and began a fresh barrage of questions. Meanwhile, Achi’s mind was racing again. If the bomb was meant to wipe out both Hitomi and the imposter, it would have to be pretty powerful. So it couldn’t be anything particularly small... Where could the bomb be hidden, then? Achi scanned the area, but didn’t spot any place that seemed plausible.  Kano made his way over to Hitomi. “Pardon me, miss. I just need to search you real quick.” Wait-had Hitomi been planted with a bomb? “Achi, keep an eye on this guy,” Kano said. “If he tries anything funny, feel free to punch his lights out.” “Okay, sure thing.”  Achi took up watch over the decoy Alphard. The guy was handcuffed, but he was still a diabolical terrorist. Achi knew he couldn’t let his guard down for a moment. He kept a close eye on the fake, ready to knock him cold at the first sign of mischief.  Meanwhile, Kano continued to search Hitomi. “Did you buy all of the jewelry and accessories you’re wearing yourself?” “Yes, most of them. The ring I got from my sister.” “What about your clothes?” “Oh, I bought them just this afternoon. The top I was wearing before got torn.” “Hmm. I see.” Then, as Kano continued his search, he cried out suddenly in realization. “Hitomi, you have to give me your cell phone! It’s a bomb!”  Hitomi hurriedly pulled out her cell phone and handed it to Kano; Achi looked on in alarm as he realized the detective was going to turn the phone on.  “Stop! Don’t turn that thing on!” Kano froze at Achi’s sudden shout. “Why not?” The detective quirked a quizzical eyebrow. “I don’t know-it’s just what Stanley said. He told me to make sure her phone stayed off.” The blood drained visibly from Kano’s face.  Quickly pulling out his own cell phone, Kano dialed up the police. He launched into a discussion involving a lot of cop jargon that made no sense to Achi. But one thing seemed clear: Hitomi’s phone itself might be the bomb.  But wait... Achi found himself doubting the phone-bomb idea. If Hitomi hadn’t brought her cell phone with her, what would have happened then? Would that just mean there would be no explosion here? He didn’t buy it. Surely, Alphard would have thought of a way to eliminate Hitomi and the decoy crook whether she had her phone on her or not. It was too worrying a prospect to ignore.  Achi waited impatiently for Kano to hang up, then asked, “Well? What do we do?”  “For now, just let me handle this. We don’t know when or how this thing might explode. You guys get out of here.”  Kano set the cell phone down on the ground and started to put some distance between himself and it. Achi followed after him, dragging the fake Alphard along.  Suddenly there was a tremendous boom, and a furious impact ripped through Achi’s body. I knew it!, Achi thought as he lay crumpled on the pavement. Hitomi’s cell phone was powered off. So it couldn’t have been the bomb. Something else must have exploded instead... It was the last thought Achi ever had. 
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Feb 21, 2022 00:00
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| # ? May 2, 2024 23:16 |
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I don't think Stanley was necessarily wrong, so let's check up on Kano
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Feb 21, 2022 05:01
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    His cell phone rang. Tateno’s name appeared on the incoming call display. Kano quickly picked up. Unrest. “Detective Tateno? What’s going on?” “You need to get Hitomi Osawa to safety immediately. Alphard isn’t trying to get at her blood. He wants her eliminated.” “What?” Tateno wasn’t making any sense. Alphard-Palmer-had already been arrested. The threat was over now. “Hurry!” Tateno barked. “Y-Yes, sir!” “Detective!” Achi called out suddenly.  He was standing with Hitomi and the others near the statue of Hachiko. “Detective! That’s not the real Alphard-he’s a fake!” “A fake?!” “Yeah! I just got a call from Stanley!” Kano didn’t want to believe it. If this Alphard was just a decoy, that meant the real culprit was elsewhere-still on the loose. Achi’s voice rang with desperation. “He said the real Alphard is planning to get rid of both Hitomi and the fake with some kind of bomb!” To get rid of Hitomi...? That lined up with what Tateno had just called to warn him about. It must be true, then.  Once again, Kano tensed. A bomb-but where? “Get me the Explosive Ordnance Division!” someone squawked. “We’ve got an emergency here!” It was Kuze, practically screaming into his cell phone. General Tip – Explosive Ordnance Division posted:A team made up of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Security Bureau’s First, Second, Third, and Sixth Riot Police Units, as well as the Support Vehicle Unit. Division members are trained in explosives disposal. Typically, a dangerous explosive is frozen with liquid nitrogen, then moved away from the site via support vehicle. The bomb is then detonated in a safe location. Explosives are almost never dismantled on-site. “We’re at the scramble outside the station! Hurry!” The director started running toward the precinct, still shouting as he wove his way through the crowd. Kano felt himself starting to panic. If Hitomi and Palmer were the targets, the bomb had to be nearby.  He stormed over to his captive. “Okay, where’s the bomb?” he demanded. “What are you talking about?” “Don’t play dumb with me!” “I already told you the password,” Palmer said. “What point would there be in keeping things from you now?” He had a point. And if he had known about the existence of the bomb, he’d kept it a secret so far. Getting him to reveal it now would not be easy. Kano decided just have to go look for it himself. He took a deep breath and tried to think logically. If he were Alphard, what would he do? How could he ensure that he’d eliminate both Hitomi and the fake Alphard at the same time? Where would he plant a bomb in order to pull that off? 
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Feb 23, 2022 00:52
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Well we know it isn't Hitomi, as clearly that's the wrong default Kano used in Achi's bad end. We also had...no mention of the minivan at all i think? so it has to be A
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Feb 23, 2022 01:24
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Woo, finally caught up to the end after that binge! This LP has been excellent, thank you HydroSphere. The most reliable suicide bomber is an unwitting one - I vote A as well.
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Feb 23, 2022 18:29
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I looked back, thinking that when Kano saw the explosion it was far away from Palmer, but it says something like 'It seems Palmer blew himself up.' So, A
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Feb 23, 2022 18:58
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Unrest. On the fake. There was no other place he could possibly have planted it. Kano began to pat Palmer down carefully. “Achi!” he shouted. “Check the case! Hurry!” He gestured to the attaché case Palmer had been carrying.  “Don’t move.” Kano searched through his captive’s jacket and the pockets of his pants. But he came up with nothing. Perhaps Alphard had fitted the bomb into the man’s watch or belt? “Stop this. I’m not carrying a bomb.” “Shut your mouth!” But Kano couldn’t spot anything suspicious about the watch or the belt, either. He clenched his jaw in frustration. Did Palmer really not have it after all? “Detective!”  It was Achi; he looked alarmed. Kano hurried over to him, dragging Palmer along.  When he looked inside the attaché case, Palmer’s face went pale. “No...it can’t be...Alphard...why...?” His voice was hoarse with betrayal.  Then he abruptly broke into stilted laughter. “Heh. Heheheh. Trusting someone really does make you blind. Such a simple, childish ruse-and it went right under my nose.” Palmer looked over at Kano. “We need to get out of here immediately,” he said. Shinya Kano  “That right there is C-4-a high-yield plastic explosive used by the military. And that’s enough to blow this whole area to smithereens.” A chill ran up Kano’s spine. “Do not let this man go,” he said, handing Palmer over to Susumu. “Got it. Just leave it to us.” General Tip – C-4 posted:A plastic explosive created for military use. The chief component is RDX (Trimethylenetrinitramine), which is combined with a plasticizer such as diocytl sebacate. Is it highly reliable, and is used by many military forces around the world, most notably the U.S. Armed Forces. Susumu signaled to his followers, who immediately dumped Palmer unceremoniously on the ground.  Kano carefully inspected the inside of the attaché case. Achi had found a false bottom in the case; the space beneath it was indeed packed full of plastic explosives. Set within it was what looked like a detonator. Kano didn’t know much about bomb disposal. He’d only been taught the very basics during his police academy training. Nonetheless, something drew his eye.  “A microphone...” There was a parabolic microphone attached to the detonator. In all likelihood, the detonator had been set to go off in response to some sort of sound. “Hey, Detective? Is that thing gonna explode or not?” Achi’s voice was shaky.  “It looks like it’s sound-activated. But it hasn’t gone off just from having people talking nearby. That means it must be set to explode in response to a specific sound trigger.” “A specific sound, huh?” Achi took a moment to think. “That’s it! It must be Hitomi’s ringtone. That’s why Stanley had me power her cell phone off.”  “So that means we’re safe, then?” Hitomi asked. “It’s not going to explode anymore, right?” Kano had to fight back any feelings of relief. They couldn’t forget that this was Alphard they were dealing with. Assuming they were safe would be a dangerous mistake. Carefully lifting up the detonator, Kano spotted another cable connected to the bomb.  As calmly as he could, he tried to remove the plastic explosive from the attaché case. No music. He quickly discovered that the thinly stretched sheet of plastic explosive was only an intermediate layer, concealing a second false bottom. A small timer had been set beneath it.  “There’s not just a sound trigger.” Kano’s mouth had gone dry; his voice came out as a whisper. “The bomb has also been fitted with a countdown timer.” Stanley had been right on the mark. The ringtone of Hitomi’s cell phone would trigger the explosion-that way Alphard could eliminate both her and his stooge, Palmer, at the same time. But just in case the sound trigger were discovered, as a backup, the bomb had also been rigged to explode after a set time.  Kano speed-dialed his boss. “Director Kuze! Where is that bomb squad?!” 01:51. 01:50. Not even two minutes left to go. It didn’t look like the Explosive Ordnance Unit would make it in time.  Kano scanned the area, weighing his options. He noticed Achi standing right beside the bomb case. “Achi!” he called out. “Leave that thing and get out of here!” But Achi didn’t move. “No way.” He sat down, the attaché case cradled in his arms. “Achi! What the hell are you doing?!”  “I’m not going anywhere until everyone’s made it to safety. Detective, you need to get these people someplace safe right away. Clear the area first-then I’ll go.” “But there’s no way I can do that!” “Dammit, don’t you want to save these people too?!”  Kano bit his lower lip in frustration. Achi was right. If the bomb went off amidst a crowd like this, there was no telling how many causalities there’d be. He needed to do whatever he could as quickly as possible. Pursuit. “Get back! Everybody, get back!” Achi shouted at the top of his lungs. “There’s a bomb!Everyone, get out of here! Just run!” Following his lead, Kano started directing nearby civilians to safety.  Hitomi, Susumu, and the others added their voices to his. “There’s a bomb! Everybody, run!” “Get away as fast as you can!” “Please, you all have to get out of here!” But the crowd wasn’t listening to their warnings. On the contrary, some people hurried closer to see what the commotion was all about. It was no use. They were out of time. Kano had to save Achi, at least. He turned back to him and called out.  “Achi, that’s enough! Leave the bomb and let’s go!”  “Achi!” Hitomi shouted. “Come on!”  But Achi only clutched the bomb more tightly. “What are you doing?!” Kano screamed. “Come with us! Hurry!” Still, Achi would not move. Susumu’s face went pale. “Wait-Achi, your leg!” “What about my leg?” “Earlier, when you kicked that steel pipe...”  What the heck? Finally Kano understood. It wasn’t that Achi didn’t want to move. He couldn’t move. And so he’d decided to get all heroic, and use himself as a human shield to minimize the impact of the explosion on everybody else. “That idiot,” Kano muttered. “If his leg was busted, why didn’t he say so? How’d he even make it this far?” There couldn’t be much time left. If Kano rushed to help him now, he might not make it to safety before the bomb went off. 
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Feb 27, 2022 00:45
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I fail to see what either of those options would accomplish, but sure, B
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Feb 27, 2022 01:32
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B, because we might as well blow up Kano once again for good measure.
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Feb 27, 2022 14:09
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Pursuit. Kano ran for Achi anyway. He couldn’t just abandon him.  Achi was being an idiot. He wanted to sacrifice himself for the greater good, but Kano wasn’t going to let him do that. To have someone else be your shield, to have them up and give their life for yours-Achi had no idea just how hard that would be on the people he left behind, even if it did save their lives. And until he was capable of comprehending that, Kano wasn’t going to just let this kid die.  He reached Achi in a matter of moments and grabbed him by the shoulder, hard. “Let go of the case! Now!” But Achi reflexively hunched lower. “What the hell are you doing, man? Why’d you come back here?!” “Just come with me! We have to get out of here!” “Look, you need to run! I can’t move!” “Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me!” Kano squatted down and looked Achi right in the eye. “Okay, you can’t move on your own. So I’m going to help you move, and unless you want to kill me, too, you better cooperate!” “Dammit! Don’t be a fool, man!” The strength ebbed from Achi’s hands. Wasting no time, Kano pulled the case away, then slipped an arm around Achi’s side.  Their legs got entangled as Kano dragged Achi to his feet. “C’mon, run!” the detective shouted when they were upright at last. They needed to get as far away as possible in the few seconds they had left. Kano didn’t know how big the explosion was going to be. Palmer had said it would be enough to blow the whole area to smithereens, though—and there’d been true terror in his voice when he said it. They just needed to keep moving, keep running as far as their legs would take them. “Achi!” Hitomi shrieked. Maneuvers. There was a blinding flash of light. Then, everything went dark. The force of the blast robbed Kano of his senses. He couldn’t tell what had happened to Achi. And in the end, Kano never even knew what cut his own life short. 
Pursuit. He couldn’t just rush in without a plan. A detective needed both a cool mind and a fiery spirit. And the more heated the situation was, the more he needed to stay cool.  He could feel the muscles in his legs begin to stiffen. He did his best to slow his racing heartbeat as his mind sought desperately for a way out of this situation. But his eyes remained fixed on Achi, holding that bomb in his arms. Knowing that it could explode at any moment made it almost impossible to think. The harder he tried to calm himself, the more his panic grew. He cursed himself for not leaping into action immediately. He should have acted before thinking. That was the only thing he was good at.  And still he stood frozen, staring at Achi. Then he felt the hairs rise up on the back of his neck.  White smoke was pouring from an approaching minivan.  The vehicle teetered to a stop along the shoulder of the road. Still the smoke spilled out, roiling from a partly open window. Kano could feel a strange chill in the air. Is that...? Instinctively, he rushed toward it.  Peering through the minivan’s windows, he saw a clunky, box-shaped device in the back; it was rumbling fiercely, spitting out an unending mound of white clumps. A dry ice machine. “Hey!” Kano yelled, banging hard on the door. “Open up!” By freezing a bomb that used an electronic activation trigger, it was possible to kill the battery cell and deactivate the detonator. The Explosive Ordnance Unit used liquid nitrogen, but maybe dry ice could work as well. General Tip – Liquid nitrogen posted:Nitrogen that has been cooled to a liquid state, with a temperature below -195.8° C. It can be poured onto explosives to stop the function of components such as the battery cell for the detonator. However, in situations where the surrounding area can be safely secured, it is preferable to destroy the explosive via detonation rather than simply arrest its function. General Tip – Dry ice posted:Carbon dioxide in its solid state. Because it evaporates at -79°C at standard atmospheric pressure, it must be kept refrigerated or it rapidly dissipates into mist-thus its use in smoke/fog machines. The odds of dry ice being able to stop the detonator of a bomb are quite low; battery cells do lose electromotive force in a subzero environment, but there is no guarantee that this would actually work.  There were three men inside the vehicle. Kano shouted at the one in the driver’s seat. “I need to borrow that machine!”  “Huh?” The man replied in a lethargic drawl. “No way, man. We haven’t even paid this thing off yet.” There was no time to explain or negotiate. Kano was just going to have to take it by force.  “Hold it right there!” Another man appeared suddenly in front of the vehicle-the pushy fellow Kano had run into at the scene of the explosion. “You guys are with that Wandering Angels theater troupe, yeah?” he said to the van’s occupants. He pointed at the dry ice machine. 428 Tip – Wandering Angels posted:[Episode 6 (The Finale)] The minivan carrying Tozuka, Bando, and Amo veered wildly through the streets of Shibuya, leaving a trail of white smoke in its wake. The trio, now definitely impaired by oxygen deprivation, came close to causing several accidents. Teetering on the brink of consciousness, they were still trying to reach Endo Electronics when they ran into Kano and his companions instead. After Kano takes the machine off their hands, the three will happily head back to the theater, clean up, crack open some beers, and look back over one long, crazy day. (Fin) “That thing’s defective! The guy from the electronics store said he’d refund your deposit!” “Huh? For real?” “Yeah, he told me to tell you-that the machine has been recalled! We’ll bring it back for you, so hurry up and open the door!”  “Uh, yeah, okay!” The newcomer helped the three men unload the dry ice machine from the minivan; then he turned to Kano.   “Here, hurry up and take it!” he shouted. “Right, thanks!”  Kano wasn’t sure what was going on, but he took the machine and ran, pushing it ahead of him across the pavement. “Achi!” Hitomi wailed, tears in her eyes. The detective blew right past her, trailing a billowing plume of white smoke in his wake.   Please let me make it in time! Please let me make it in time! Please let me make it in time!  Kano let loose a wild yell. He ran as fast as his legs would take him toward Achi, and the bomb. 
HydroSphere fucked around with this message at 23:29 on Mar 4, 2022 |
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Mar 4, 2022 23:25
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Achi and Stanley are available.
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Mar 4, 2022 23:26
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Let's keep the dry ice train going. Achi
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Mar 4, 2022 23:54
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oh my god the dry ice machine Achi
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Mar 5, 2022 00:30
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Okay that's a little BS, since we had NO mention of any minivans before now -_-
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Mar 5, 2022 18:07
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Contemplation. No music. Then his eyes happened to alight on the attaché case the decoy had discarded. Could it be? No sooner had his suspicions been aroused than he heard Kano call out to him. “Achi! Check the case! Hurry!” He hurriedly opened up the attaché case and searched the interior.  But the only things inside were pieces of medical equipment-tubes and syringes and the like. There was nothing that looked remotely like a bomb. Still - where else could the bomb possibly be hidden? 
 I’II flip it over! Achi lifted the attaché case up high and flipped it upside down. But as he was about to throw it he heard a faint metallic sound. Quickly, he lowered the case again. He was certain the noise had come from inside.  Once more, he opened the case and looked inside. But still he saw nothing of note. He tossed the medical equipment aside and slowly tilted the case from side to side. Although it looked empty, there was a distinct sound of something metal sliding back and forth. Hold on - could it be?  Achi tugged at the case’s inner lining, quickly tearing it free.  When he looked behind it, his eyes went wide. A thin layer of something that resembled white clay had been affixed inside the cover of the case. Several wires connected it to a small electronic device. This was it. The bomb really was inside the attaché case. “Here it is!” he shouted to Kano. “I found it!”  Kano hurried over, bringing his captive with him. “There, Mr. Palmer. Take a look.” When he saw what was inside the attaché case, the fake Alphard went pale.  “No...it can’t be...Alphard...why...?” His voice was hoarse with betrayal. Then abruptly he broke into stilted laughter. “Heh. Heheheh. Trusting someone really does make you blind. Such a simple, childish ruse-and it went right under my nose.”  The fake Alphard-Palmer-looked over at Kano. “We need to get out of here immediately,” he said. “That right there is C-4-a high-yield plastic explosive used by the military. And that’s enough to blow this whole area to smithereens.” Blow the whole area to smithereens? Achi pictured Shibuya reduced to a blasted ruin. Meanwhile, Kano frantically began searching the inside of the attaché case.  “A microphone...” Kano muttered. “Hey, Detective? Is that thing gonna explode or not?” Achi tried and failed to keep his voice from wavering. “It looks like it’s sound-activated. But it hasn’t gone off just from having people talking nearby. That means it must be set to explode in response to a specific sound trigger.” “A specific sound, huh?” Now Achi understood Stanley’s instructions.  “That’s it! It must be Hitomi’s ringtone. That’s why Stanley had me power her cell phone off.”  “So that means we’re safe, then?” Hitomi asked. “It’s not going to explode anymore, right?” “Maybe. But I wouldn’t bet our lives on it.” Kano continued his examination of the case. He carefully loosened the bomb and the cables, pulling them away from the lid of the case. The sight made Achi’s heart leap. Then Kano went stock-still, as if caught in a hungry predator’s gaze.  “There’s not just a sound trigger.” The detective’s voice was a raspy whisper.  “The bomb has also been fitted with a countdown timer.” Achi could see the timer now; it had been planted underneath the plastic explosive. His blood ran cold.  “Director Kuze! Where is that bomb squad?!” While Kano made a desperate call to the police, Achi picked up the attaché case and peered inside.  The digital timer was steadily ticking down the seconds. Hope. Achi scanned the nearby area. There were too many people around the scramble. Hitomi was there. Susumu was there. Several more of his old pals. Along with a bunch of innocent bystanders.  The people are the lifeblood, Achi reminded himself. The blood that coursed through the body that was the city. Like cells, they brought to life the city he so loved. And Achi wanted to be one of the red (or was it white?) blood cells of Shibuya.  “Achi!” Kano called out. “Leave that thing and get out of here!” “No way.” Achi sat down, cradling the case in his arms.  “Achi! What the hell are you doing?!” “I’m not going anywhere until everyone’s made it to safety. Detective, you need to get these people someplace safe right away. Clear the area first-then I’ll go.”  “But there’s no way I can do that!” “Dammit, don’t you want to save these people?!” Achi snapped. Kano bit his lower lip.  Hitomi wrapped her arms around Achi from behind. “Achi, don’t do this.” “Hitomi...you need to get out of here, too.” “Why? Why are you acting so crazy?” Tears blurred her words, and he could feel her trembling against him. “It doesn’t matter. Just get as far away as you can.”  “No. No, I’m not leaving you.” After the day they’d spent together, Achi knew full well that telling Hitomi something once wasn’t enough to get her to listen. That stubbornness was one of the many things that made her so amazing in his eyes.  “Hitomi.” Achi clasped one of her hands tightly. “Please. This is the one favor I will ever ask you.” His voice came out oddly soft and gentle.  “All right,” she told him. “But let me just say one thing, first. There are still so many things I want to talk to you about. So much more that I want to know about you. So please, Achi. Don’t you die on me.” “Hey, don’t worry. Once everyone’s made it to safety, I’ll clear out of here right away.”  Hitomi squeezed his hand, then got up and silently hurried away. “Susumu! You and S.O.S., start getting people out of the area.” “Yeah. All right.” Susumu turned away and spurred the gang into motion.   Then for an instant Achi’s eyes met Kano’s. Achi gave a tiny nod and looked down at the timer.   “Get back!” Achi shouted at the top of his lungs. “Everybody, get back! There’s a bomb!” He held the attaché case tight against himself as he continued shouting. He ran his voice raw, trying to warn the crowd away. “Everyone, get out of here! Just run!” Following his lead, Kano started directing nearby civilians to safety. “There’s a bomb!” the detective shouted. “Everybody run!” “Get away as fast as you can!” Susumu waved his arms emphatically. “Please,” Hitomi added, “You all have to get out of here!” But the crowd didn’t heed their warnings. At last, apparently deciding that the time was up, Kano turned back to Achi.  “Achi, that’s enough! Leave the bomb and let’s go!” He could hear Susumu and Hitomi shouting as well. “There’s no time left, man!” “Achi! Come on!”  The way Palmer had talked about this bomb, it sounded like a pretty dangerous one. It might be powerful enough to blow up the entire intersection.  And there were still so many people nearby. There was no chance they’d be able to get to safety in the few dozen seconds that remained. Achi needed to minimize the force of the blast as much as possible.  He cradled the bomb more tightly to his chest, huddling over it. “What are you doing?! Come with us! Hurry!” screamed Kano. “I don’t know how powerful this bomb is, but please, God, let my body be enough...to protect the people of Shibuya...and to protect Hitomi.” Achi squeezed his eyes tightly shut.  I’m sorry, Suzune. Looks like I won’t be able to keep visiting you in the hospital anymore. You’ll forgive me, though, right? I stuck it through to the end, just like you told me to. I didn’t call it quits partway through. And so whatever you do, you can’t let that disease beat you. Don’t you dare let it beat you. Achi drew a deep breath as he finished his solitary little prayer. He couldn’t have more than a few seconds left to go. “Achi!” It was Hitomi. He was glad that her voice was the last thing in this world he’d ever hear. ...or so he thought. Main Theme. “Achi, bring the bomb over here!” Hm? That wasn’t Hitomi’s voice. Achi opened his eyes and saw Kano racing toward him, pushing some big, weird piece of machinery.  The detective flipped open the machine’s cover to reveal a huge mound of dry ice. “Stick it in here! Flash-freezing the timer ought to stop it!” Achi did as he was told, shoving the attaché case into the dry ice. Kano helped him pile more dry ice on top of it. “Let’s hope that’s enough!” Kano exclaimed. He looked like a man desperate for a miracle. They could see the timer display through a gap in the frozen hydrogen-still counting down.     Was this not going to work? Achi and Kano held their breaths. 
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Mar 8, 2022 00:19
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welp
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Mar 8, 2022 01:15
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    Achi was quick to pick up. “Mr. Stanley? What’s going on?” “How did the negotiations go?” “The detective caught Alphard,” Achi replied happily. “He got him to give up the password and I think he’s called the folks at the lab. Does that mean the case is closed, then?” “No. Not yet. Right now, I need you to do exactly as I tell you.” There was a pause before Achi responded. “Why? What’s going on?” “If you want to save Hitomi, then shut up and listen!” Stanley snapped. “All right! Tell me what to do.”  “First, you need to power down Hitomi’s cell phone!” “Turn off her phone? What for?” “I’m pretty sure that there’s a bomb somewhere near your location.” Stanley tried to keep his voice as calm and steady as possible. “A bomb?” Achi’s voice squeaked into falsetto. “The guy that Kano just apprehended is a decoy. The real Alphard is planning to eliminate Hitomi and the false Alphard at the same time.” Stanley didn’t have the time to explain that Canaan was Alphard. Besides, it would only confuse the matter all the more, at this point. “Listen. First, turn off that cell phone. Then, go and look for the bomb.” “Okay! Got it!” Achi hung up. Conflict. Hopefully, the team at the scramble would be able to pull through. Now, Stanley needed to focus on capturing Alphard. He tightened his grip on the steering wheel. His emotions were coming on far too strongly for him to keep them in check.  |In the back of his mind, Stanley thought about the last he’d ever seen of Frank. There had been nothing left of his brother but a bloodied hand reaching out from beneath the rubble.  Even since that day-since that very moment-Jack Stanley had sworn vengeance upon Alphard. He would never forget the rage he’d felt at having what was left of his family taken from him.  “Hey Jack. Once this is all tidied up, I’m gonna need a drink. Let’s you and me have a beer together.” “Sure. You got it.”  Stanley sprang into action, leading away the throng of panicking civilians. But all the while, he couldn’t help but worry about Frank. We’ve got almost thirty minutes left. He’ll be fine. Backup will definitely be here in time. He did his utmost to reassure himself, but still the doubts gnawed. When the bomb squad descended upon the area, clad in their protective gear, Stanley shot a look at his watch. He felt a surge of relief. General Tip – Protective gear posted:Only about fifteen minutes had passed. There was still plenty of time for them to deactivate the bomb with their liquid nitrogen. Thank God. Frank’s going to be all right. But he got no chance to relish that thought.   There was an ear-splitting boom as a powerful shockwave shook the area. Stanley whirled back around, staring in horror at the place that his brother had been. Nothing remained but a mound of rubble. A later investigation would reveal that the timer on the bomb’s exterior had been a mere ruse.  The explosive had never linked to a timer at all; instead, it had been detonated via remote control. Alphard had deceived them, using a visible timer to lull them into a false sense of security. General Tip – Remote control posted:When electrical detonators capable of triggering an explosion with electrical current were invented, they quickly rendered old-style fuses obsolete. In the modern day, many terrorists use small electronics such as cellular phones and keyless entry remotes for cars as explosive triggers.  Stanley had managed to save many lives that day, to be sure. But it had come at the cost of his own brother’s life. Had he really made the best decisions he could have made? He was still asking himself the same question, over and over, even now. But no matter how much he blamed himself, it wouldn’t bring Frank back. If there was one thing he could still do for his brother, it was getting revenge on Alphard with his own hands. Stanley had been in constant pursuit of Alphard ever since. He would stoop to any level for information, without remorse. His opponent was someone who would do anything-anything at all-to achieve a goal. It only made sense for him to do the same. At some point, he’d stopped even hesitating to get his own hands dirty. He would charge headlong into any danger if he sensed Alphard’s presence. Even his own life was a price he was willing to pay in the name of vengeance. He could never hope to latch his jaws onto his quarry’s throat if he behaved like prey himself. He must be the greater predator. He would cast aside his humanity, would become a blood-stained beast, if that improved his chances at the hunt. For the hunt was all the mattered. Pursuit of Alphard had become his only purpose. So it had been for the past two years; now those years flashed through Stanley’s mind in the blink of an eye. As he came back into the moment, he marveled at his own ferocity, and at the depth of the wound he’d suffered. 
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Mar 13, 2022 02:05
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WWFD: What Would Frank Do?
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Mar 13, 2022 02:32
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yep, C
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Mar 13, 2022 09:12
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Conflict. If I do get my revenge, what would Frank think? When Stanley pictured his younger brother, it wasn’t with a smile on his face. The realization gave him pause. In the end, killing Alphard wouldn’t bring his brother back. That went without saying. But although he could see, now, that revenge was an absurd goal, his heart still churned deep and dark with resentment. No music. The Okoshi Pharmaceutical lab finally came into view. A large billow of black smoke was rising from one of the building’s windows. Stanley felt a chill in the pit of his stomach. He hopped out of the car, and then gasped.  “Tateno...” The detective was sprawled face-down on the ground outside the laboratory gate, his gun still in his hand. Blood had pooled around his head. He’d been shot at close range. Death would have been instantaneous.  All too late, Stanley felt the full weight of his mistake. Tateno had gone up against an opponent who was out of his league, and had gotten himself killed. And Stanley had put him up to it. He should never have let Tateno try to handle the situation on his own. He should have done whatever it took to stop the detective. There must have been some way he could have averted this disaster. Powerless. “Saving Maria is your top priority, isn’t it?” “That’s right.” There had been no hesitation in Tateno’s words. Stanley had known how badly the man wanted to save Maria. That’s why he’d deferred to the detective’s judgement. Now he was faced with the results of his own naiveté.  The smoke pouring from the building showed no signs of diminishing. In all likelihood, the lab had been destroyed with a bomb. Alphard’s plan had run its course before Stanley had even got there. He couldn’t forgive himself for having been so thoroughly outwitted. Nor would he ever forgive Alphard for what the terrorist had done.  Anger erupted inside him, raging like hellfire, driving him on to action. Death would be too kind a fate for Alphard. Now more than ever before the thirst for vengeance consumed him. No music.  But even as he began to stalk toward the laboratory, a bullet caught Stanley in the abdomen. For a moment, he couldn’t process what had happened. There was an intense, searing pain that spread through his gut; warm liquid began to soak through his shirt. Then a figure emerged from within the smoke. Alphard. “I’ve been waiting for you to show up, Jack.” Another bullet tore through Stanley’s body. Time seemed to slow for him; he watched the spray of blood scattering like a crimson mist. “Alphard!” Stanley hissed the word through clenched teeth. Out of pure, stubborn spite, he managed to stay on his feet, tottering toward his foe; he raised his gun.    He didn’t stop pulling the trigger until the very moment his world went dark. 
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Mar 19, 2022 23:31
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Not Tateno's? huh. Well gotta be the one where he told Tateno what to do, guess we'll switch to "Stall"
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Mar 20, 2022 10:49
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It is very difficult to explain how frustrating this part of the game can be when it isn't clear which piece you need to go back to in order to change what thing. 
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Mar 21, 2022 03:10
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Shibuya Scramble. 
Conflict. Finally, the Okoshi Pharmaceutical laboratory came into view. There were two people standing outside the front gate.  It was Tateno, and the girl who was pretending to be Canaan. Each had a gun drawn on the other. Somehow, Stanley had made it in time.  He pulled his car up alongside them and reached down into the gun sleeve concealed beside his seat. He pulled out a .44 caliber Desert Eagle, one of the most powerful semi-automatic handguns in the world. His orders were to apprehend Alphard. The smaller Glock in his shoulder holster might be better suited to that end. Even so, he opted for the Desert Eagle. General Tip – Desert Eagle posted:  Getting out of the car, he started pacing toward the young woman. “Stanley.” Tateno glanced over at him, his face pale. Stanley gave a silent nod in reply. He could see the hint of a smile on the girl’s face. Probably a smile of overconfidence. Well, her brazenness would get her no further. “I got in touch with the others,” Stanley said. “Told them to turn off Hitomi Osawa’s cell phone.” He could see her eyes react. “I imagine that, by now, they’ve also managed to deal with the bomb you planted on your decoy.” The young woman remained silent.  “And, of course, they’ve managed to bypass the lock inside the lab. You know what this means? Your little plan has failed. Completely.” Stanley could see the girl’s stare sharpen. He’d chased Alphard all around the world, only to arrive here, at last, in this little island nation. It had been a long, long journey. And he’d spent a long time suffering. Now, both the journey and the suffering would be over.      
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Mar 27, 2022 23:35
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drat, Stanley, pulling out the Deagle.
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Mar 28, 2022 02:25
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Despair. Kotone’s final moments flashed through Tateno’s mind.  If he hadn’t fired back then, maybe Kotone would still be alive.  “Your friend’s entire life was changed because of you.” Why hadn’t he tried to talk the culprit down? He knew the reason why. Because he’d loved Kotone. He’d still loved her, even after she’d become Daisuke’s wife. His desire to be the one who saved her had warped his sense of judgment when things had come down to the wire.  “Tateno, do you not enjoy being with me?” There was a forlorn look on Kotone’s face. It wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy being with her. Her very presence soothed him. But the more serious their relationship had grown, the more it tore at Tateno’s heart. The truth was that he didn’t really know what happiness was, and so he was incapable of making someone else happy. If it were possible, he’d want Kotone to be smiling always. And that meant her being with someone other than him.  “I...think it would be best if we stopped seeing each other.” Tateno blurted out the words bluntly, and Kotone’s face fell.  He hadn’t broken up with her because of any lack of feeling for her. Rather, the impulse had actually sprung out of his pursuit of human warmth-and his growing fear of losing it. He’d just been so uneasy. More than anything, he’d been afraid that he wanted too much love and affection from Kotone. Pride. “I...” Bit by bit, Tateno lowered his gun, his hand ever more unsteady. His heart was on the cusp of breaking. And still Canaan continued with her diabolic whispering. “You can go ahead and kill me. But if it turns out I’m not Alphard, what then?” Now she stared at Tateno with an almost pitiable look.  “You’ll have once more done something that you can never undo.” “Something I can never undo...” Tateno repeated the words dully, feeling himself forced into a trance. “That’s right. Could you ever accept that?” “No, I...I couldn’t...couldn’t make the same mistake...”  His whole body felt like it might fall apart. He wanted to drop to the ground and curl up in a ball like a child. “And that’s why you can’t shoot anyone.” “I can’t shoot anyone...” As Tateno muttered the words, Kano’s face appeared in the back of his mind.  “I can!” Tears fell from Kano’s eyes as he looked down the barrel of his gun at Tateno. He’d become a detective who didn’t lose sight of what he was supposed to protect, no matter the situation.  Tateno had nearly forgotten. Nearly abandoned his inward promise to be a detective worthy of that final salute Kano had given him.  He brought his gun back up to bear. “Don’t be absurd,” Canaan mocked. “You can’t shoot anyone.”  “Actually, I can.” The words creaked dryly from Tateno’s throat.  “When there’s something I’m supposed to protect, I can shoot.” The memory of Kano weeping but taking aim had given him the resolve he needed to face down an opponent who ought to have terrified him.  “I learned that from someone who was terrible at his job.”  Canaan’s eyes went cold; immediately she lifted up her gun again. Once more, their eyes locked, sparks of hostility crackling between them.  But almost immediately, Tateno could sense the difference in skill between his opponent and himself. The young woman radiated a deadly aura. The force of her stare was like a knife pressed to his throat. She had borne witness to carnage and bloodshed the likes of which he couldn’t even imagine.  He couldn’t win this. She would kill him, guaranteed. Tateno braced himself for death, never taking his eyes off Canaan’s. If nothing else, he needed to buy time for Kano to get that password.  But could he do that, given the opponent he faced? Yes-somehow, he would do it. As a detective. As a man. Even if he had to give his own life to succeed.    Even if it couldn’t come close to making up for the sins he had committed. 
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Apr 3, 2022 23:08
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 Who's even left at this point?
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Apr 4, 2022 00:20
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That's a nice way around it. I also kind of dig the self sabotage in his past, it's very Tateno from what we've seen. Also hmm. Just how bad is Kano at his job? I feel sorry for the inquiry into his behaviour he's going to end up having. Is it only Achi left?
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Apr 4, 2022 01:46
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Setup..  No music.She felt a hand firmly clutching her own as she hazily returned to consciousness. This hand...whose is it? My father’s? Devotion. Maria’s eyelids slowly drifted open. “Maria...you’re all right now.” Her father was indeed beside her, holding her hand. A surprising warmth radiated from his slender, bony palm.  “Dad?” She was lying on a sofa. She craned her neck to look around, still trying to process what was going on. There were several monitors set up around the room. “Where are we?” “At my laboratory. You were infected with a virus. But I’ve given you the antiviral. You don’t have anything to worry about.” He squeezed Maria’s hand even more tightly.  “That hurts...” “Ah, right. Sorry.” Osawa eased up the pressure on his daughter’s hand. But he didn’t let go entirely.  “This feels so strange,” Maria muttered, staring up at the ceiling. “I wonder why.” “What does?” “Having you hold my hand.” “I used to hold your hand like this when we’d go on walks together-when you were little. I doubt you remember that, though.” Maria considered. It was true-she didn’t have any clear memory of her father holding her hand like this. And yet the touch of her father’s palm felt distantly familiar. Gently, she squeezed back.  “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?” she said. “I mean, me looking you in the eye while I’m talking to you.” “That’s only because I didn’t look you in the eye.” Osawa hung his head. “I’m so sorry,” he said. “Please, forgive me. I never meant to hurt you like I did.” “Wait, hold on.” Maria was taken aback. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. What do you mean, hurt me?” “Back on that rainy day...”  Osawa told Maria about the day she’d run away from home. About how he’d known where she had gone, but hadn’t gone to find her. About how he’d given in to his anger and struck her once she came back home. When he’d finished, he hung his head once more. “I’m so sorry. I’ve been such a terrible father.”  Maria cracked an impish smile. “Oh yeah. I guess that did happen.” Osawa frowned. “You know,” she said, “I’d totally forgotten about that. Until you mentioned it just now, I mean.”  “No, I can’t believe that,” Osawa replied. “The way I hurt you, 1...” He sounded so disappointed in himself.  “Dad. It’s not like I can let myself dwell on each and every detail of my childhood. I mean in the nineteen or so years I’ve been alive, I’ve been hurt in lots of different ways.” A child experienced so much more than what her parents knew. That was what growing up was all about. It was a happy thing, but also a little bit sad. Osawa was visibly grappling with his feelings. “I see,” he said. “I guess you have gone through much pain...” “Well, yeah-but there have been more things that were fun and happy.” “I see.” “It’s the sum of all those things that have made me who I am today. So please, don’t worry so much about the past.” “I see.” “Dad. You keep saying ‘I see.’ Stop it.” “Sorry. It’s just...this is all so difficult to say.”  Osawa was trying and failing to hold back his tears. Maria wasn’t quite sure what those tears were for; but she felt a prickle of embarrassment. No music.Shyly, she looked away, and her eyes alighted on one of the monitors.  The screen showed a view from outside the lab. “Who are those people?” she asked, pointing. Osawa looked, and his eyes widened in shock. Three people with guns were facing off with one another. Maria recognized one of them: Tateno, the man with the cane.  “Why are those two pointing guns at your friend?” Osawa’s voice was shaking. “My friend? What do you mean?” “The one you met when we went to the Middle East. You know, Canaan.” Osawa switched the monitor to show a different camera angle.  A close-up of the young woman’s face appeared on screen. Maria was at a loss for words. That certainly wasn’t Canaan. It was the girl who’d come to tell Maria that Hitomi was going to be kidnapped-Canaan’s ‘friend.’ Violation. It had happened three days earlier. While Maria was on her way home from campus, a girl approached her, telling her she was a friend of Canaan. “Canaan asked me to pass along a message,” she said; then she showed Maria a video recording.  The video quality was quite poor, and the voice indistinct. “There’s a terrorist who’s after the antiviral agent your father is developing.” Maria listened in shock as the message continued. The terrorist’s plan was already in motion, and Hitomi had been infected with a killer virus. “Your father used the antiviral to save Hitomi. But the terrorist planned on that. I’ll spare you the details, but there’s a way to extract the antiviral from Hitomi’s blood. Stealing the drug from the laboratory directly is too problematic; the terrorist intends to get it directly from your sister. Hitomi is certain to be kidnapped some time in the next few days. And so I have something to ask you: I’d like you to get kidnapped in her place. Since you’re twins, it should be possible for you to trade places without the kidnappers realizing it. I gave the girl who’s passing along this message a necklace outfitted with a small GPS beacon. Make sure you wear the necklace. Switch it on, and it’ll allow me to keep tabs on your location. I promise I’ll come and rescue you. Please, help me. This is the only way we can keep the antiviral and Hitomi safe. ”  The video ended, and the girl handed Maria a necklace with an ornate pendant and showed her the hidden switch on the back. “Canaan’s coming to Japan?” Maria asked. “She’s already here. She’s ready to risk her life for this mission.” Risk her life? Maria started uneasily.  “So, this terrorist who’s after the antiviral drug-is it Alphard?” The girl looked shocked. “You know about Alphard?” “Canaan told me that taking down Alphard is her purpose in life. But...” “But...?” “But Alphard has ties to the CIA, so it’s hard for Canaan to get any good leads.” “That’s true. Which reminds me-you should have this.”  The girl held out a photograph. “This man is dangerous. Stay away from him. He’s an ally of Alphard.” Maria did her best to burn the man’s image into her mind.  “All right,” the girl said. “I’ve passed along everything Canaan wanted me to tell you. What you do next is up to you.” No music. “So wait-what the heck has been going on while I’ve been asleep?!” Osawa recoiled from the ferocity on his daughter’s face. “That Canaan girl thought of a way to save you...” He went on to explain the plan to get the antiviral out of the locked down laboratory.  Once again, Maria stared at the monitor. As she eyed ‘Canaan’s friend,’ another memory from before she’d blacked out drifted to the surface.      Suddenly it dawned on Maria what this girl was planning. “She pretended to be Canaan in order to get into the lab,” she said, scowling at the image on the monitor. Osawa looked at the screen and then at his daughter’s face. “Well then who in the world is she?” Maria already had the answer.  There was no doubt about it. That girl was Alphard. Unrest. The instant she realized this, she knew they were in danger. If Alphard managed to infiltrate the lab, there was no way she’d be satisfied with simply getting her hands on the antiviral. She sowed ruin everywhere she went. “Is something wrong?” Osawa asked uneasily. “Maria, what is it?” Maria’s mind was racing; she spoke her thoughts out loud. “She’s going to kill you so the drug can’t be recreated. No- that’s not thorough enough. She’s going to destroy this whole facility.”  But how? Vague possibilities tumbled through her mind, but she couldn’t be sure what the terrorist might be planning. She gritted her teeth in frustration. “Don’t worry,” Osawa said. “I don’t know who that girl is, but right now, she’s outside the lab. There’s no way she can kill me, or plant a bomb in here or anything.” “Yeah, I know.” Maria gave a tiny nod; but something gnawed at the back of her mind.  Make sure you wear the necklace. Hurriedly, Maria took hold of the pendant that hung around her neck. As soon as she did, she felt a chill run up her spine.  She went back over the details of Alphard’s plan as her father had explained it. And then, finally, she understood.  “I’ve got it!” Osawa straightened up. “You’ve got what?” “I need to get out there where those three are.” “Don’t be absurd!” “I have to go!”  Osawa peered closely at his daughter’s face. Words weren’t going to stop her, and, as he realized that, his own face stiffened with determination. “All right. But I’m going with you. I can’t let you rush into danger all by yourself.” “Thank you. Dad.” Maria tried to get up from the sofa; but she was struck by wave of vertigo, and her knees buckled. “Are you all right?” Osawa caught her by the arm. “This is probably a side effect of the antiviral. You shouldn’t push yourself too much.” Maria looked up at her father’s anxious face and shook her head. “Don’t worry. I’ll be okay.”  Her body was weak with lethargy, her mind trapped in a disorienting haze. Every step was a monumental effort. But she clenched her jaw and forced herself onward, making her way down the laboratory hallway. A whirlwind of anger and sadness spurred her onward. Alphard was masquerading as Canaan; the cruel truth was all too clear. The terrorist would never have been able to get away with the deception if Canaan were still alive. Which means that Canaan must be- Maria fought to hold back her tears. It was too early to cry just yet. That could wait until after she’d put a stop to Alphard’s plan. Using her rage to suppress her sorrow, she shoved open the door in front of her. No music. “That isn’t Canaan!” Maria’s voice exploded into the silence of the standoff.  “I doubt we’re getting better testimony than that,” Stanley said, his gun still at the ready. “There’s no talking your way out of things this time.”  The expression on Alphard’s face didn’t change. She stood still, a mannequin without a soul.  “What did you do to Canaan?” Maria demanded, marching unsteadily toward the terrorist. “Maria, stay back!” Osawa exclaimed. She ignored him.  “Hey! Don’t get any closer!” Tateno barked. He looked exhausted, on the verge of collapse.  “Answer me!” Maria cried, still advancing. “What happened to Canaan?!” But still Alphard said nothing. Stanley, too, began edging toward her. “It doesn’t matter what you ask,” he said. “She won’t tell you anything.” Bit by bit he inched closer. He was going to try to take her down.  “Let me turn your question around,” Alphard said abruptly. “What do you think?” Maria paused, confused. “What do I think about what?” “What do you think happened to Canaan?” The corners of her lips twisted up, shaping a mirthless smile. “You killed her, didn’t you?” Maria’s words came out as a whisper. “What was that? I couldn’t quite hear you.” Alphard. “You killed Canaan, didn’t you?!” This time Maria cried out with biting fury.  Alphard snickered. She’s provoking me, Maria thought, forcing herself to swallow her rage. She couldn’t let herself get caught up in Alphard’s game, or her anger would spill out of control.  “Why are you laughing?” By force of will, Maria made her voice firm and steady. “Because I’m guessing you weren’t expecting me to show up here.” Alphard raised an eyebrow ever so slightly.  “This thing here-it’s a bomb isn’t it?” Maria held out the necklace. “What?!” Stanley furrowed his brow. “-Ah, of course. Even if we managed to catch you here, you’d still be able to destroy the lab.”  Still the smile remained on Alphard’s face. She seemed to enjoy watching the others figure out her intentions.  “But you can’t trigger the bomb with me standing this close to you, can you?” Maria locked eyes with Alphard. “Unless you’re prepared to sacrifice yourself?” She stood like an image of bravery, while on the inside her apprehension threatened to tear her apart.  She could feel her heart thudding so furiously that she thought it might explode. Cold sweat trickled down her spine. Only her rage at Canaan’s murder kept her from backing down. “Go ahead and blow yourself up if that’s what you want,” she said. “But you’ll die with nothing. Your death will mean nothing. But not mine. My death will avenge Canaan’s.” Silence fell outside the laboratory gates.  Stanley and Tateno stood frozen, their guns still trained on Alphard. Both men were ready to pull the trigger at the slightest provocation.  Just how long had they been there, staring one another down? The passage of time seemed to slow, seconds drawn into hours.  Osawa swallowed audibly. No music. Finally, Alphard tossed her gun onto the pavement and held up both hands in surrender. Stanley wasted no time, springing forward to secure her. He gave her a thorough pat-down from behind. He removed a small device that looked like a detonator from one of her pockets. “On your knees!”  Alphard did as she was told. “Good. Now, hands behind your head. Try anything funny and I will shoot.” Without a word, Alphard placed her hands on the back of her head, fingers laced together.  “What are you playing at?” Stanley growled disdainfully. “Finally realized you can only push your luck so far?” She responded with a faint snicker.  “It’s not my policy to resist when things are hopeless.” Her tone was detached, her intentions unreadable. “Good. That’ll make this easy.” Stanley kept the barrel of his gun pointed at Alphard’s head.  This is for my brother- The words hung in his throat, unspoken. A surge of emotion coursed through him. Just a tiny bit more pressure from his index finger, and he could put a bullet right through Alphard’s head. His long journey would finally reach its conclusion. But although he had wished for this moment more than anything, his finger did not move. If he pulled the trigger now, would that truly be the end? His mind reeled at the implications.  Tateno watched Stanley closely, eventually letting out a tiny sigh of relief. They were in this together, after all. Now they just needed to be careful not to let down their guard. He kept one eye on Alphard as he went to pick up the gun she’d discarded. But he was too late. The gun was gone.  “This is for Canaan...” Maria had lunged forward, snatching up the gun. “Maria, no!” Osawa cried. “What are you thinking?!” She ignored her father, taking aim at Alphard’s forehead. Pride. Canaan’s dead.  And you’re gonna pay. The smoldering rage she’d fought to hold back blazed up with renewed fury. “Maria,” Stanley said calmly, “put down the gun.” He had nothing but words to stop her. There was no telling what Alphard might do if he took his gun off her. “What what will this accomplish?” he asked, keeping his tone as level as possible. Maria’s face remained awash with anger. “Maria!” her father pleaded. “Please, don’t do this!” Tateno took a step forward. “Go on, hand me the gun,” he said.  “Stay back!” Maria’s arm trembled as she aimed the gun. Everyone stood frozen, not even daring to breathe. The slightest wrong move might bring disaster. The silence roared.  “I don’t care,” Alphard sneered. “If you want to shoot, then shoot. You do want to avenge Canaan, don’t you?” “Yes. Yes I do.”  Maria tightened her grip on the gun. Memories of her friend drifted through her mind. To Maria, born into peace, meeting Canaan had been like touching a world beyond her own. A far more complicated world.  Canaan had blood on her hands from the time she was a little girl. A walking contradiction of cruelty and childishness. And yet, she had lived her life according to her own unshakeable beliefs. Meeting her had made Maria think hard about her own identity.  What did it mean to be Japanese? No, that wasn’t the question. What did it mean to be Maria Osawa? That was the crux of it all. They had been able to find common ground, despite differing ideals, because both possessed an unshakeable sense of self. 
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Apr 14, 2022 00:27
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A. Maria is Maria, after all.
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Apr 14, 2022 00:35
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A. What would Mr. Yanagishita think if you shot her, Maria?
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Apr 14, 2022 01:47
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Pride. |Maria’s anger dissipated like smoke in a sudden wind.  The tension seeped from her body, and she carefully lowered the gun. “What’s the matter?” Alphard smirked. “Why won’t you shoot?” Her eyes blazed with contempt for Maria’s naiveté.  No. I’m not being naive, Maria told herself.  Do unto others as they have done to you. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. What does this recurring pattern of retribution really accomplish? It’s just an endless cycle of hatred. That’s why I’m not going to fight. Because I’m not like Canaan. Tears flooded from her eyes. I’m not like Canaan-but people who are different can still be friends. And I’m going to honor our friendship by not taking revenge. “No matter what happens, I’m not going to hurt anyone,” Maria said. “Maybe that’s not very realistic, but this is my fight, and I’ll fight the way I choose.” She wiped away her tears. For the first time, Maria felt that she understood Canaan. If she’d been able to see her just one more time, she would have be able to speak her mind without fear. I could show Canaan the true me. And maybe then, we would be friends for real. But that wasn’t going to happen. Not anymore.  Maria handed the gun to Tateno, then looked up at the nighttime sky. In the distance, she could faintly hear the sound of police sirens. Not one star could be seen in the sky over Shibuya. No music. A black car of foreign make arrived at the laboratory and pulled up to the curb. Stanley’s superior, Gordon, emerged from the back. A few of his men followed and promptly placed Alphard in handcuffs.  “Well done,” Gordon said. Stanley gave him a slight nod. “I’ll be taking Alphard back to headquarters. You can finish up here.” “Understood, sir.” Gordon shoved Alphard into the back seat and slid in alongside her, and the car drove off.  “Who was that just now?” Tateno asked Stanley. “My boss. Sorry, but we’ll be taking Alphard into custody.” “You will, huh?” Tateno frowned, but decided not to press the point. They’d put a stop to Alphard’s plan, and they had saved Maria’s life. That was enough for him. Maybe it even began to atone for what he’d done to Hitomi. Coming back alive. Kano, Suzune, Kotone-Tateno pictured all of their faces. Perhaps, in the end, he’d managed to become worthy of their respect.  “It’s all over.” Stanley spoke under his breath, his gaze locked on the car taking Alphard away. The black cloud that hung over his heart had yet to lift. But he knew that today was the day he could finally put revenge aside. No longer would memories of his brother bring only sorrow. “This’ll do, won’t it, Frank?” Abruptly, Maria’s cell phone rang in Stanley’s pocket  “That’s right. I meant to give this back to you.” He handed the phone to Maria. “I wonder who’s calling?” Maria picked up.  She could hardly believe it when she heard the voice on the line. Brusque, yet girlish, with a daredevil ring-a voice that had been burned into her mind since the day she met its owner. “No, it can’t be...” She had been sure she’d never hear that voice again.  In an instant Maria’s face was damp with tears of joy. “Thank goodness. Oh, thank goodness.” Canaan...  Maria couldn’t hold back her sobs. The tears kept coming and coming. She had never wept with joy like this in her life.  00:02 Achi held his breath. He could no longer feel the seconds ticking by. The numbers on the display were changing more and more slowly. But still he watched in fear.  00:02 It was impossible not to fixate on the countdown. 00:02 00:02 00:02 Kano and Achi continued to stare at the timer.  00:02 It had stopped. The timer had actually stopped.  “We did it!” Achi dropped to his knees with a cry of triumph. The rest of the Shibuya scramble burst into cheers.  “You are one reckless guy, you know that?” Kano held his hand out. Achi grinned up at him. “That makes two of us.”  The two clasped hands firmly, their handshake conveying more than any words could have.  “Achi!” Susumu came rushing over. “You did it, man. I knew you could do it.” The two bumped fists. “Aw, it weren’t just me,” Achi said. “Could never have done it without you guys’ help.” Susumu smiled bashfully. “Hey, Susumu-take care of S.O.S.. for me.” “You got it.” Susumu looked him squarely in the eye. Achi gave a little nod, and the two solemnly bumped fists again.  Suddenly there was a blinding flash. Achi spun around to see Chiaki standing there, beaming happily, her digital camera ready for another shot. “Hey, everyone gather up!” Minorikawa called out to Achi and his pals. “You guys are the heroes of Shibuya!” “Photo time, everyone!” Chiaki said. “Get ready!” The young men struck a pose together. “Wait! Her too!”  Minorikawa ushered Hitomi over to stand with Achi. “Hitomi...” Achi flashed her a sheepish grin. It was all thanks to Hitomi that he’d been able to do what he had done. Keeping Shibuya safe, keeping his promise to Suzune-Hitomi had been his inspiration for it all. There were so many things he wanted to say, but he couldn’t get the right words out.  “Achi, I...I...” Hitomi’s cheeks were damp with tears. “Hey now, young lady!” Minorikawa called. “No crying, now! C’mon, show us a smile!” He struck a goofy pose beside Chiaki.  At last, the smile returned to Hitomi’s face.  “It really is the best.” “Hm?” Hitomi looked up at Achi in confusion. “Your smile,” he said. “It’s the best. I don’t care what anyone else says.” He spoke so earnestly that Hitomi couldn’t help but smile even more.  “Okay, here we go, people! Get your best faces on!” At Minorikawa’s signal, everyone let out a joyous victory cry.  “C’mon guys!” Susumu shouted. “Let’s lift Achi up where everyone can see ‘im!” The members of S.O.S. let out another roar. “Huh? No, you don’t gotta do that, guys. Hey, cut it out!” But Achi had already been swallowed by the enthusiastic throng.  “Heave-ho!” “Heave-ho!” “Heave-ho-o-o-o!”  There in the middle of the scramble, Achi was being hailed as a hero. Kano looked on with a satisfied smile. What they had achieved together was nothing less than a miracle. It had taken a lot of luck, and more than a few coincidences, for them to stop the bomb. “Coincidences...?” Kano muttered to himself. No, that wasn’t right. This was something different altogether. Fate, that’s what it was. And not just one person’s fate. The destinies of several people had collided, gathering momentum until coincidence became inevitability-and Shibuya was saved. The raucous crowd tossed Achi high into the air again and again. As a plainclothes detective, Kano would probably never be showered with adulation quite like that. Well, that was all right. A detective’s duty was to ensure the safety of the people. He didn’t put his life on the line so that he could be a hero. Just seeing all those smiles-that was good enough for him.  Kano only needed the approval of one person, and that was Rumi. Rumi...I hope she managed to get out of Shibuya okay. Suddenly worried, Kano pulled out his cell phone.  There was a whole bunch of things he wanted to tell her. He couldn’t share the whole story-police rules wouldn’t allow it-but he wanted to let her know as much as he could. That the kidnapping case had been resolved safely, for instance. That he’d learned about the tortured past of the detective he so admired. That his partner was going to pull through. That he’d managed to finally talk to her father. That he’d put his life on the line to save Shibuva. from danger. Rumi would listen quietly to the very end; and then, Kano thought, he knew just what she’d say. Short and sweet, in that gentle voice of hers: “Good job.”  “Ah, Rumi? Hello?” There was no response. Did they have a bad connection? “Hello? Rumi, are you there? Can you hear me? Look, the case is closed, now. If you’re still somewhere close to Shibuya, I’d love to see you, if I can.” No music. “You want to see me, huh? Don’t you have a mountain of paperwork you should be doing first?” The gruff voice was Shizuo’s. “Oh, uh...well you see, Father, I-” “I told you not to call me that!” Shizuo barked so loudly over the phone that Kano’s ear rang. “Right, no, of course! And yes-I’ll do my job. I just wanted to check and make sure that Rumi was all right.” “Looks like I misjudged you! Maybe you are the kind of guy who’ll blow off work to go meet with a girl.” “Dad! Hey!” Kano heard Rumi’s voice cry out with exasperation. “Come on, let me have my phone!”  “I know that work is important, sir,” Kano said hurriedly. “But Rumi is even more important to me.” He felt his panic rising. After all that had happened, he didn’t want Shizuo to end up with a bad impression. “Oh, be quiet. If you want to see Rumi, you can do it once you’ve finished your work.” “Well, but...I’m not sure when that’s going to be.” “I waited on you today a lot longer than I wanted. So at this point, I don’t care how long it takes you. We can wait all night if we have to.” Shizuo let out a peculiar sigh.  “And then, you and I can talk again about you marrying my daughter.” “Huh?” Before Kano could be sure he’d heard that right, Shizuo hung up. “Huh?! Wha-?” He stared at the phone, his mind reeling. And then he was hit with a veritable explosion of joy. The World Doesn't Change so Easy.  “Yesssss!” Kano leapt into the air and shouted with delight, his voice echoing through the Shibuya streets.  Once the crowd had put Achi back down on his feet, he rushed over to Hitomi. “So, um, Hitomi—” “Yes?” “Hitomi, there’s so much stuff I want to talk to you about. So many things I want to tell you.” He gazed into her face.  “But, Suzune...” He didn’t know how to continue. Hitomi smiled warmly. She understood. “Go on, Achi. Go see your sister. There’s nobody here in trouble that you need to rescue now!”  “Thank you. I better get going, then. To see Suzune.”  Achi broke away from his circle of friends and headed out of the Shibuya scramble. Strangely enough, his leg didn’t hurt too much, now. Despite all that had happened, he felt invigorated, as if he was just waking to a brand new day.  “Achi!” Hitomi called after him. “I will see you again, won’t I?” Achi nodded vigorously. “Of course! Just come to Shibuya! You’ll find me!”  He’d been born and raised in Shibuya, but after today, he loved the place more than ever.                                      Alphard. Gordon and Alphard sat in the back seat as the car sped along the highway. “Here.” Gordon tossed the handcuff key onto the seat beside him. “What happened down at the scramble?” Alphard asked, picking up the key and unlocking her cuffs.  “Leland Palmer was arrested by the Japanese police. And the bomb in the attaché case was defused, apparently. Still, Palmer shouldn’t pose a problem once we get him into CIA custody.” “I see. Much obliged.” “You really got yourself backed into a corner, though, didn’t you?” Gordon said. “Yeah. I was only able to accomplish half of what I intended.” “Half?” Alphard produced a vial from her pocket.  It was filled with red liquid. “Is that...Hitomi’s blood?” Gordon asked. “Indeed. I managed to acquire the antiviral.” “But...when?” Gordon peered at her in bewilderment.  “When I blew up the minivan.”
In the dim light of the vehicle, Alphard’s eyes shone darkly, like those of a wounded animal. Extracting the blood from Hitomi while she was unconscious had been a simple matter. Saving the girl’s life had been more than just a means of ensuring her trust. Alphard had been looking for the right moment to carry out the extraction. Total secrecy was essential. If it became public knowledge that the drug existed-and that some of it had been stolen-the value of the Ua virus would plummet.  “Our primary objective here was to destroy that research facility. Still, getting our hands on the antiviral is better than nothing. Well done as always, Alphard.”          
   
   
 
 
 
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Apr 28, 2022 23:31
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Well, that was quite a ride. Bold decision to continue as an anime tho O_O
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Apr 29, 2022 08:01
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Love a happy ending  Thank you, OP, this was a fun one.
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Apr 29, 2022 09:16
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This was an excellent experience. Thank you for the LP, HydroSphere.
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Apr 29, 2022 13:17
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So I agree a lot of the post game stuff is a waste of time, but are you at least going to show Heartbeat of Spring and Solitary Serpent??
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Apr 29, 2022 15:49
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This game has a postgame?!
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Apr 29, 2022 16:14
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mycelia posted:This game has a postgame?! It does. Three sub-scenarios, twenty two "special episodes" (short stories covering side characters), which are unlocked by a quiz, and entering a combination of button presses at certain scenes, and a hidden scene for going through all the post game content, plus finding all eighty five bad endings - unfortunately said scene is very much not worth the effort it takes to unlock. Rody One Half posted:So I agree a lot of the post game stuff is a waste of time, but are you at least going to show Heartbeat of Spring and Solitary Serpent?? I haven't decided what post game content I'll show off yet - I may show those off, though I have to admit, I'm not fond of either.
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Apr 29, 2022 22:38
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428 is the one platinum i have and boy some of that stuff is not worth it. Some of extremely is though. Aside of the big sub stories, this game has some absolutely incredible Bad endings.
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Apr 30, 2022 05:23
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         Canaan, having received information that the “Serpent” - Alphard - is targeting Shibuya and Maria an hour ago, is on her way to Japan.  .png)    A man approaches Canaan from behind, and, thinking himself undetected, slips her plane ticket into her pocket, before addressing Canaan. Canaan casually reveals that she's aware the man has already passed on the flight ticket to her.   The two speak, the man confirms that Maria has been kidnapped, and that the CIA may be involved.     During the flight, Canaan reflects that Alphard wouldn't be so careless as to give her location away to Canaan; Alphard is expecting Canaan to show up in Japan. Canaan is determined to end things in Japan, fearful of losing yet another close friend. Canaan's only consolation is that she found out about Alphard's plans - from crushing a fringe group in Singapore – slightly earlier than Alphard anticipated, having attacked the fringe group an hour before schedule.       Canaan recalls when she first met Maria. Canaan was irritable, having run out of her favourite snack, and the men, giving off an annoying colour and noisy scent, decided to get rid of the men hassling Maria. Canaan tried to ignore the grateful Maria's overtures of friendship, thinking the gap between them was too great – Maria having been raised in a peaceful country – but seeing the warm colour from Maria, and seeing Maria's smile, softened, opening the way for their friendship.      Canaan recalls the summer of four years ago – a mission on a train travelling from Al-Haditha to Amman.       Canaan is in a bad mood, three hours on the train, with nothing to show for it. Accompanying Canaan on her mission, is Siam, her former master, now her partner. Canaan and Siam chat a bit; Canaan is jaded and only trusts Siam. Siam warns Canaan that their alignment with the “good guys” or the “bad guys” depends on their current job.        A little more background on Canaan, she lost her family and village due to war, and she took up arms. Born with an unusual ability, and having met someone who had taught her to foster that ability, Canaan was able to make herself useful to the “powers that surrounded” her, knowing that she'd be dumped if she fails to meet their expectations. Eventually Siam took her into his care, a mercenary with no attachment to any ideologies. Siam was previously kicked out of the army, preferring solo missions. Under his training, Canaan herself moved from being a soldier to a covert operative, a position fare more suited to her talents. Typically, Canaan and Siam work separately on their missions, one entering enemy territory, one working in logistics or liaison – the urgency of the request from their employer lead to them working together on this job.     Their objective – a weapon - is small enough to be carried by one person ; their first task is to identify whether the weapon is being carried on the train, and if it is, recover the weapon if possible, otherwise, destroy it. With the means of transport being a train that crosses the border, secrecy is essential, and no logistical support provided. After three hours of nothing happening, Canaan is more than willing to believe that the weapon is not on the train.           At the Jordanian border, there is an extended delay while the wheels on the train are replaced, due to the rails changing from the standard gauge to the broad gauge. Canaan realises that's not just the wheels that are being changed; a new freight car, surrounded by two passenger cars, are also added to the train. The passengers in the two new passenger cars are armed soldiers. Siam is concerned about the number of soldiers they will have to get through to recover the weapon – there's no possibility for calling for backup or resupplying, and the mission needs to be completed before the train arrives in Amman.   Canaan voices her opinion that they should just destroy the weapon, given the odds. Siam assures Canaan that someone else will be joining them shortly, much to Canaan's shock, as far as she's aware, Siam only teams up with her.    A woman shows up, asking to share their seat. Canaan notes Siam's colour change to a pale blue, but the woman is a mixture of shifting colours, and immediately realises that this is their sole backup.   Siam tells the woman to sit with them; the woman kicks Canaan out of her spot, saying that children need to sit next to their guardian. Both Canaan and the woman are mistrustful and somewhat hostile to each other. The woman spots that Canaan's left arm is injured, unnerving Canaan, who had taken measures to hide her injury. The woman turns her attention to Siam, asking when Siam took Canaan in. Siam replies two years ago, making the woman realise that Canaan went through the Iraq War.   Having heard a little of Canaan's background, the woman becomes less hostile. Canaan is still not happy to have the woman with her, but decides to accept the situation, believing Siam's judgement to be absolute.      Another flashback, showing the murder of Canaan's family. Her house was raided, Canaan survived only by being sent into the basement. As Canaan heard the soldiers search for the remains of her family, she noted how many soldiers there were, their names, and their voices.   It took days before Canaan was rescued from the basement, trapped under rubble. Those who found Canaan had no time to help with her emotional wounds. Seeking compensation for what she had lost, Canaan chose to take up arms. Canaan reflects that she feels no malice, she can see that her family were flawed, they wanted to eschew violence, but ultimately violence still won over them.      Canaan was taught a fondness for firearms by Siam, and she proved to be his best student. Despite this, her inexperience still landed her in danger many times on the battlefield. Siam protected her at these times, not out of fondness, but because she could be counted on to finish the mission. Protecting Canaan lead Siam to acquire even more scars, about the only place where Siam had never been shot was the head.  Believing Siam and herself to be the same breed of person, Canaan had her left arm tattooed as a symbol of their connection.   Siam asks the woman what name she's currently going by; she jokingly replies Canaan, which upsets Canaan. The woman then calls herself Sadaqah.   Sadaqah explains that they'll wait until the train is an hour away from the border before they take any action, with the hope that the mission will be done an hour before arriving in Amman, before outlining the location of the weapon,, and the number of soldiers guarding it.    Canaan questions why Sadaqah is assisting, Siam explains that Sadaqah is a codebreaking specialist. Sadaqah adds that she was already nearby dealing with another matter, and decided that she couldn't ignore this mission. Canaan snipes that she wishes Sadaqah had ignored it.    Canaan and Sadaqah move into their starting positions. As Siam's physique makes him unsuitable for infiltration, he's acting as the rearguard, and if required, to secure an escape route.     Canaan and Sadaqah remove their cloaks and head for the outside of the train. Siam considers trying to distract the guards, but ultimately decides, given the number of guards, to just remain at the ready.   Siam flashback – he recalls how he used to be full of ideals and faith, but during the thirty plus years he'd spent as a soldier, he'd come to realise that the fighting in his homeland would not end during his generation, and over time, he'd lost his faith, seeking battle, but without commitment to any conflict or cause.      Siam came across Canaan during the Iraq War. Considering aiding civilians post fighting to be part of his duties, Siam saved her, fully expecting her not to survive.     When Canaan recovered, Siam, aware that she had no living relatives, trained her to be a soldier. Canaan's special ability is finally named; it's synesthesia.     Canaan, unused to working with others, and initially afraid of guns, proved to be a poor soldier, but did make a good assassin. Siam, wanting to train Canaan mentally as well as physically, warned Canaan against letting hatred consume her.       Canaan and Sadaqah go under the train to reach their goal. Canaan is unhappy about it, much to Sadaqah's amusement. Canaan admits to herself that even though she dislikes Sadaqah, the two do share a quirky sense of humour.     Sadaqah opens the door to the freight carriage, and is disgusted to find there's no security. The actual weapon is behind a sealed door; Sadaqah starts working on the console to open the door.   Canaan and Sadaqah chat a little about social hacking while Sadaqah works.    An option to disable the emergency alarm pops up, with the default option set to “Yes”; Sadaqah, changes it to “No”.      Sadaqah's hacking is disrupted when she finds out that one of the passcodes she needs to unlock the door has been changed out of schedule. Canaan is able to use her synesthesia to send the unlock sequence directly to the lock.      There's some discussion about Canaan's synesthesia – her ability to sense things strengthened two years ago. Sadaqah is initially impressed, then thinks that the benefits of synesthesia were lost due to progress, rather than regression, and calls Canaan a primitive, before musing that Canaan's simple nature has cause Siam to lose some of his edge.    Siam calls over the radio for an update; the guards have started harassing the passengers. Sadaqah assures Siam that things are going to plan, then tells Canaan to carry the weapon, held within a briefcase, cautioning Canaan that opening the briefcase will kill everyone within miles. Canaan radios Siam to ask about the exact nature of the weapon. Siam confirms it's a prototype of the Ua virus.    Some history on the Ua virus; it first struck South Africa in the year 2000, a result of deforestation. Sterilisation processes were successful, but three years later, agents from another nation collected samples of the virus, and researched it for military uses. Once the virus had been weaponised, they chose Canaan's village as a test site, trusting the ongoing conflict would hide their tests.     Canaan calmly removes the case, triggering a warning that the emergency alarm will go off in sixty seconds. Canaan radios Siam, with a fight now inevitable, Siam and Canaan decide to take the first strike. Siam decides to deal with the soldiers in the rear car, then give Canaan and Sadaqah the signal to fall back.      Canaan disagrees, and after analysing the situation, decides to take on at least some of the soldiers herself. Sadaqah asks for the briefcase, claiming she'll get it to Siam. Canaan hesitates, but not seeing a lie in Sadaqah's words, gives in.    Back with Siam, the guards are still interrogating the passengers, using their guns for intimidation. Siam casually gets up, and shoots the guard who immediately demands Siam return to his seat.        Siam makes his way to the front of the train, where six other guards await. Disregarding his own rule of always shoot from cover, Siam relies on his bulletproof coat, and kills another two guards in the dining car.   Canaan goes over her strategy to take out seven soldiers alone. She runs across the roof, deliberately making a noise as she does.    When the soldiers fail to shoot her through the roof, one opens a gangway door. Canaan leaps down from the roof and through the door, firing off two shots. The shots were intended to kill three of the soldiers, but one manages to evade her attack.   With still five soldiers to deal with, Canaan is forced to take cover. There's a brief stalemate, then, the soldiers use hand signals, which Canaan can hear. Her senses meld together, giving her a full map of the carriage.       Canaan kills another soldier who had left their cover, and grabbing his gun, and using melded senses to avoid the enemy fire, jumps through the train door, and manages to kill the remaining four soldiers through a window.    Canaan decides to stop the train so she and Siam can leave and hide their whereabouts, but before she can move, something catches her attention.       Sadaqah has reached Siam, she chides him for letting himself get shot. Sadaqah points out that a tactical retreat would have worked, and carried less risk. Siam mentally concedes, but realises that his strategy allowed the civilian passengers a chance at safety, though he claims otherwise to Sadaqah.      Sadaqah stabs Siam, then tells Siam that she'll be leaving with the case, and will kill all witnesses; Siam hears the screams of the passengers being murdered at the back of the train.     Sadaqah reveals that she's the one who prompted the U.S. military to sell off the Ua virus, and now she wants to ignite rumours about who stole a biological weapon that the U.S. military was trying to dispose of, mid-transport, in Jordanian territory. Siam points out that there's no need to fan the flames of confrontation. Sadaqah agrees; she had other reasons for getting involved; namely getting control of UA, and killing Siam, who Sadaqah has decided knows too much about UA, and about Sadaqah herself.   Sadaqah continues, once Siam is dead, she intends to kill Canaan, though, as Canaan is the only known survivor of the Ua virus, Sadaqah had hoped to apprehend Canaan alive. Sadaqah's radio goes off, she's arranged to escape via helicopter, as the train will soon be derailed.  Sadaqah returns to the subject of Canaan, she claims that Canaan's hatred of the Ua virus has compromised Canaan's abilities. Siam disagrees, claiming that people who know fear don't act out of hatred, then points out that Canaan is different to him and Sadaqah. Sadaqah takes offence to this, and aims her gun at Siam's forehead, as she tells him that they aren't alike. Siam tells Sadaqah something, she listens, then takes aim again. Siam asks why she didn't just shoot him in the first place, Sadaqah replies that's due to the number of times he's been shot, yet somehow never taken a bullet to the head.    Before Sadaqah can fire, Canaan rushes in, and manages to shoot the gun out of Sadaqah's hands. Sadaqah realises this isn't a battle she can win, and retreats, taking the Ua virus with her.    Back to Canaan. After killing the guards, a stream of bullets fly past her face; she realises there are more enemies on the train. She follows the man, who shot at her to the drivers cab, where she kills him, before she finds the bodies of the train engineers, and a smashed control panel.   Canaan realises there's a third party involved, and rushes back to Siam and Sadaqah, where she finds Sadaqah pointing her gun at Siam.    Canaan ignores Sadaqah's retreat, instead dropping down by Siam.    Siam tells Canaan to accept the fact the stab wound Sadaqah inflicted is fatal, before telling Canaan about Sadaqah's plans. Canaan wails that her only concern is getting Siam medical attention.   Siam tells Canaan that soldiers like himself and Sadaqah throw away their humanity and get shot – there's no meaning in that. Canaan insists that Siam is not a monster, unlike Sadaqah. Siam can't respond, unsure of whether he is a monster, and manipulates Canaan, by pointing out that the Ua virus needs to be eradicated. Siam decides that he'll stop the train, while Canaan goes after Sadaqah. Canaan is unhappy with the plan, since she knows Siam has no hope of survival if she leaves him, and as the only passengers left alive, can't see the point in stopping the train. Siam tells Canaan to use her synesthesia to determine if any passengers are still alive. Canaan obeys, and realises that there are still three living passengers.    Inwardly, Canaan thinks that the passengers likely won't survive, but realises that isn't how Siam sees the situation, or how Siam wants Canaan to see the situation, and corrects herself to say that there are three people who can be saved.   Siam smiles, and lets his gun fall from his hand. He tells Canaan that although her origins are similar to those of Sadaqah, they've chosen to walk the path in different ways, before reminding Canaan to never let hatred consume her. Siam smiles again, and Canaan realises that she's accepted Siam's demise. Siam makes a final request; stop Sadaqah, and save what lives she can. Without grief, Canaan leaves the carriage.    Sadaqah awaits Canaan on the roof of the train, with the briefcase handcuffed to her wrist. There's a mention of Sadaqah's nature never allowing her to be content, and only by striking out at the world allows her to keep her sanity.    Sadaqah watches Canaan's approach – Canaan can't risk shooting Sadaqah until the case is safe, but Sadaqah has no such restrictions. Canaan pauses three carriages away – too far for Sadaqah to be certain of hitting Canaan.    Siam inches towards the door leading to the coupling that will allow him to stop the rear section of the train.   As he struggles, he recalls that Sadaqah's nihilism brought him hope, then he found another hope in Canaan's determination to cling to life. Sadaqah's hope is compared to opium, a drug that allowed Siam to think his actions were for the best. Canaan's hope had brought all his pain into focus.    Siam's eyesight starts to fail, he forces himself onwards, driven by the thought of saving the three surviving passengers – a change from killing. As he manages to uncouple the cars, he passes, vaguely fulfilled at the way Canaan turned out.    Back to Canaan and Sadaqah. With Canaan still out of reach of her gun, and the helicopter arriving, Sadaqah tries to taunt Canaan into moving into range. Canaan reflects that no matter how fast she can run, she can't outrun Sadaqah's shots.      Sadaqah continues to taunt Canaan, telling her that the Ua virus is more for negotiation, it's so powerful, it makes a flawed weapon. A ladder descends from the helicopter, Sadaqah ignores it in favour of continuing to taunt Canaan – it'll be two years before Ua has any real value, but Sadaqah will insure that, when the time comes, Ua will be used to it's full potential.      Canaan shifts into position, but rather than moving to attack, asks Sadaqh what her real name is. Sadaqah tells Canaan that her real name is Alphard. Canaan rushes forward.    Alphard shoots at her, and misses, much to Alphard's shock. Alphard tries repeatedly to shoot Canaan, only for all her shots to miss. Alphard starts to panic as Canaan closes in, wondering if Canaan can see the bullets.   Canaan reaches Alphard, and guessing what Alphard was thinking, tells Alphard that she can't see the bullets, but she can see Alphard's hatred. Alphard realises that as long as she has emotions, Canaan will be able to predict her movements.  Alphard tries the unpredictable route, and throws the case from the train. Canaan leaps to catch it, and realising that was a distraction, shoots at Alphard while holding the case. Alphard fires back, even suppressing her hatred, her intentions are still readable by Canaan, who continues to evade all Alphards shots. Canaan, in the air, and holding the case is unable to shoot with perfect accuracy.   Realising that Alphard had had no consideration for those who would had suffered had anything happened to the case, Canaan feels a chill, watching Alphard on the roof of the train.   Canaan lands without serious injury, and immediately checks the case, to her relief, it's still intact. Ahead, the train comes to a halt; Canaan feels a sense of contentment and pride that Siam managed to stop the train in his condition.   Alphard, in the helicopter, is dissatified at losing the Ua virus and failing to destroy the train. Alphard reflects that at least the Ua was an old prototype, and work is already being carried out on a superior form. Alphard reflects on Siam; she killed him only because he was in her way, and recalls him telling her, that, as strong as she is, if she could only find something that truly mattered to her, she could be far stronger. Alphard, having lost her family, and discarded her past can't imagine anything but hatred for all humans, conflict being her only motivator. Alphard gives the helicopter the order to withdraw, sharing a silent stare with Canaan as it does, before revealing that Alphard has a wound on her arm.  On the ground, Canaan vows that she will stop Alphard.     Back in the present, the flight has started to descend. Upon landing, Canaan tries to call Maria, though Canaan believes Maria will be unable to answer the phone. Maria does answer, sobbing at hearing Canaan's voice. Canaan herself experiences a rush of joy at knowing Maria is safe. Maria then passes the phone over to Stanley, who summarises the days' events for Canaan. Canaan is concerned when she hears that Gordon took Alphard into custody; she knows that he's working with Alphard. Canaan realises that Gordon will need to use the airport; Canaan estimates she has thirty minutes to act.    Canaan meets an agent at the helicopter that was prepared for her before the bioterrorism threat was averted. Canaan is inclined to trust the agent, who is clearly new to his job, but less so the helicopter pilot, and therefore pretends ignorance of the days' events.     Canaan suddenly realises that Maria gives off the same warm colour as Canaan's elder sister did, and her desire to protect Maria is stronger than hatred. Knowing that she's lived up to Siam's training, Canaan cheerfully tells the agent that she'll just be a normal tourist as everything has already been worked out, then heads into the airport to confront Alphard.
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Jun 25, 2022 21:22
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| # ? May 2, 2024 23:16 |
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 well that was certainly a sharp turn in art style that I wasn't expecting
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Jun 25, 2022 22:11
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