First Arc: The Fallen Kings -- Chapter 5 -- (6/??) -- {They're Nothing Like Us}
The team had entered the compound. Badou and Juuzou were in front of them as they were the usual residents of the area. Frightened stares protruded through the newcomers, babies crying, children covered in muck, mothers wearing dirty rags; some people had their private parts exposed. It was truly in a state of desolation. Jason could feel all the negative ambiance surrounding the area, as if the area was war-torn. The cries for help were blatant. A child reached for Jason, tugging at his jacket as he was forcefully pulled away by what seems like his father. The teen looked onward as the child was dragged away, feeling quite melancholic. Was this the state of ruin that Shinzuku had tried to hide? Jason remembered a wall separating the 30th Ward from the others, judging from the signs outside of it the area was quarantined.
Not even the 'normal' people here were spared, they were left all alone to fend for themselves. It was quite tragic.
"So.. these are all the 'normal' people?" Jason looked at Takizawa, hoping for an answer that wasn't sarcastic.
"You should be more politically correct, Jason-kun. They are shiroshingon. At least.. we think they are." the warden spoke, analyzing the onlookers beside him as they walked. The warden sighed, his eyes looking dreary as he witnessed the sorrows of the people here. To what seemed like a man without morals, the man seemed to find a little sympathy even for just a second. Jason noticed this, and he was slightly relieved that he wasn't like his commanding officer, Kiyoshi.
"These men and women are surviving for nothing. It's like waiting for the slaughter to happen." the warden sighed, his brows narrowing at the morbid situation. Takizawa's eyes then narrowed onto the two protectors of these people. "There's only so much these two can handle one day."
"Why don't we just get these people and rescue them from the ward?" Jason asked, quite perplexed at the inaction of the city's federal government.
"Fliteration. We're not really sure of the people here are shiroshingon. Hence, we cannot lead them back to normal society. Not every shiroshingon who lives in the 30th Ward are quite accepting of our presence as well. These people you see right now are frightened survivors; they live under the protection of Badou and Juuzou. But there are factions within here who are hostile; they believe that society has left them to rot in this hell. I wouldn't blame them either." Takizawa replied, a dark tone lacing his voice.
"The wall you see back there is heavily guarded by a contingent of SCEPTRE's forces, but that does not mean that it is impenetrable. Kuroshingon have special abilities that allow them to bypass our tech and it's hard to discern one when it's infiltrated our ranks. Kuroshingon are people too, their properties and diet are just quite different from ours; that is a scientific fact. But you can never tell from mere physical appearance of who a kuroshingon is." Takizawa said.
"That's.. unsettling. It feels like you can't trust anybody." Jason remarked, chills coming down from his spine.
"It may be advertised that the ward you live in is safe from anything. But in truth, most of the corporate bigwigs in the 1st Ward are kuroshingon." Takizawa commented. This put Jason on edge; there was no escaping the kuroshingon. They were like an infestation of pests and disease ridden animals come to prey on the people. There was a hint of despair in Jason, but he knew he faced better odds and that was enough to keep him secure.
"How exactly.. do you know all this?" Jason asked, walking right beside the warden instead of behind him.
"I have my sources." Takizawa avowed, shaking his head.
"Don't tell me.. you're operating above the law?" Jason said, somewhat unsurprised as he had expected this from him.
"Think what you like.." Takizawa said, smirking.
"To think that warden actually meant something in this city.." Jason said sarcastically, as he rolled his eyes. This elected a loud cackle from the warden.
"Do you really think things can be done in this world if we follow rules the highest ranking official gives us? To follow his direct order and think it was moral, just and without a smudge of doubt the right thing to do?" Takizawa looked at Jason with a smirk. "If you keep up this goody-two-shoes persona, you'll never survive in this world." Jason was silenced at the demeanor of the warden; looks like another weirdo to him. Just my luck, Jason thought to himself.
"As long as it's for the right cause, there's nothing wrong with playing dirty." the warden raised a finger at the teen as if he was a teacher lecturing a young boy.
The teen believed in the form of justice that was tried and true; that was backed up with a certain set of morals and a high value on honor. To think that he might be paired with someone like Takizawa was giving him somewhat chills. Would he really be alright with straight up murder for a kind he's never heard of before? To kill them just because of what they were? Were they the physical form of demons?
--
Returning to the compound, Jason and his group had been roaming around the plot of land as they had helped the infantry to fortify defenses. Jason was able to relay his knowledge of structural fortification due to his wartime in Avalon. The other members had went out to scavenge for supplies. Seemingly, the compound was wrought in despair, but as they saw the full force and back up of both SCEPTRE and Bureau, they all smiled and cheered.
"Oh thank you! Thank you! We're saved!" // "They're our messiahs!" // "I thought this hell would never end.." // "We're saved!"
Jason couldn't help but feel giddy as he had interacted with the people stranded in the compound; the pain they must've endured was unfathomable. Despite their situation, the people found ways to be happy; simple things in life that gave them joy. PLay games, sing songs and feast at what food they can. It was a major change from the well-off people of the city. Overall, Jason liked catering to the people, he reminded them of his family back in Avalon. But all that time was cut short as Badou got a distress call from one of his lookouts.
"The kuroshingon are ransacking one of the supply routes?! We'll send a team there right away.. they're also in Point Delta? That's our only defense line.. you're saying there's a bulk of them coming there? That's-- about five hundred of them?! What the hell?! We--" Badou rambled on; but his feminine looking companion took the phone and lowered it.
"I'll go!~ I'll take the two idiots Bureau sent to aid us!~" she said as she looked over the two engineers who were perplexed.
"Ahahahaha--" Pancho laughed nervously. "W-We're really NOT suited for combat.. m-maybe.. Well, I'm certainly not! Take Tatsuo with you!"
"W-What?! I've never been in the frontlines EVER. I can't fight, believe me. I can only make weapons. Pancho's more suited to your needs. He's young, fast, flexible and disposable! I'm old and weak but you'll need my knowledge-- because that's what old people do.. right?" Tatsuo said frantically, waffling over his words.
"Hey! If anything else, you're the most disposable here! The team needs young meat for more proficient tools for the group to use! I'll have you know that--" Pancho rambled on as Badou and Juuzou had talked over them.
"They really are worthless, are they?~ Wonder why you told me the Bureau were a bunch of really strong people.~ I could slice these two into ribbons easily.~" Juuzou said, looking quite disappointed. "Either way, I'll go to Delta to secure the area.~"
"You're not going to fight five hundred of those monsters on your own, Juuzou." Badou wanted to stop Juuzou from entering a fight where she could not win. However, not even he was sure of how strong the boy was.
"Too late!~" the boy said as he darted off and headed to the Point Delta, probably off to his death. Badou tried to call out Juuzou to stop him, but he knew the kid already had his mind set up.
"That kid sure doesn't waste any time." Jason said, looking at the ecstatic Juuzou run off on his merry way. The three then walk towards their destination for briefing and expanations. Up to this moment, Jason is unaware of why he is here or what the hell they were fighting. He was kept in the dark and that makes him uneasy.
"He's also quite stupid." Takizawa remarked, shaking his head. He knew anyone with such a penchant for violence such as Juuzou would go fight dangerous insurgents with reckless abandon. "Five hundred alone? Not even the head honcho of SCEPTRE is capable of such a feat."
"You'd be surprised, city boy." Badou said, as he sighed in frustration, probably worrying for the boy's safety. "You're too lax, you've not seen action in years, eh, Commissioner Takizawa?"
"Hm..?" the other said, emitting a spark of interest. He was aware of his identity.. and this intrigued Takizawa very much. "You seem to know something, Badou-kun."
"Do I?" Badou replied quite snarkily. "You're him, right? The guy sworn to protect the city from these monsters?"
"... That.. was a long time ago." Takizawa said, heading down the narrow and steep passage towards an abandoned building on a hill. It seemed to inhabited, indicated by the recurring noise getting louder and louder as the group came close to the infrastructure. There were also signs of human activity inside such as smoke coming from the desolate structure.
"Not too long ago though.. you promised to protect all wards from them.." Badou said, his tone getting even darker than before. "Now it seems that you peace-ridden bastards have come to help. Why? Is it because they grow to threaten the other wards?" he said, eyebrows furrowing into a glare. "You come to help because your society has become scared that they may befall the same fate as the 30th Ward. But not us, we've lived in fear for the entire decade you all left us to rot here."
"There was nothing SCEPTRE could do.. or the Bureau for that fact." Takizawa said with a deadpan expression, trying to avert himself from the topic but seemingly felt like he had to answer to something.
"Well.. ever since that incident 5 years ago.. Bureau's looked into, right? Have they become defensive at a time when they let the enemy cultivate their strength?" Badou said, his boots trudging onto the dead grass beneath his feet.
"I have become powerless for those ten years. I'm left to serve my ward, and my ward only as it is the task our government has given to me. Believe me when I say this, Badou-kun, that no kuroshingon will leave alive if my department hadn't been suspended and handed the task off to the Bureau's Special Ops instead." Takizawa replied, quite sternly as if he was gritting his teeth. "If it wasn't for that incident, I would've been this close to launching a full-fledged assault on these parasitic spelunkies."
"Heh.. you sure talk tough. Tough words tend to be backed up by real actions.. so I take it you've been doing some.. illegal work?" Badou asked, still quite snarky.
"I have no reason to tell you that." Takizawa said, a low tone of voice he used.
".. Fucking bastards." Badou chuckled sarcastically. "You're all the same."
The conversation fo the two had Jason even more in the dark. Takizawa used to be part of some department in SCEPTRE, apparently and Badou is aware of this. Badou must've been a native resident to the 30th Ward.. Jason assumes that he was born in this location. Something has happened to the 30th Ward that might have been the cause of Takizawa's actions.. or inaction. The blue-haired teen honed his deductive abilities as he continued to eavesdrop on the conversation until he had to know more.
"So.. feed me with some info, oh great, Spymaster." Jason said, a confident look on his face. "If we're going to be partners, then I should know about you. All of you."
Takizawa smirked, flicking the boy on the nose. "You're quite intrusive, are you? Is this your pitiful excuse of gaining information? That's a laugh."
Jason rubbed his nose and presented an obvious glare. "I'm not going to be some lackey of yours. We either stand on the same ground or I won't cooperate."
"You're just like that other guy who left. Spineless, naive and impractical. Do you really wish to save the people here or are you going to let your pride get in the way of you?" Takizawa said, a condescending expression plastered all over his face. "Just like that.. Kizu kid, right? Raiki. The golden boy of the powerful and almighty Kizu clan."
"..I'm nothing like him." Jason said... a bit hesitant. Was he really?
"Well, then.. you should act like it. Starting by following orders. Now, stop being bothersome." Takizawa ended with Jason coming to full silence. Jason then shook his head and felt like he ahd to talk more to get more information out of this person. Annoying and persistent, that was Jason's mindset.
"So.. how about telling me more about these.. kuroshingon." Jason asked.
"Pests, demons, monsters, old wives' tales, vampires, children stealers, man eaters. These are what the common folk call them. We, however, call them by their proper name: kuroshingon. The name comes from the japanese kanji kuro which means dark and shingon meaning mantra." Takizawa said. "Kuroshingon look like you and me, however, they have one thing that is different. Their cells are embedded with amazing regeneration abilities, able to create appendages or even become durable as steel. And their main source of power is.."
"Shiroshingons. Light mantra. Normal folk. Defenseless folk, mostly." Badou finished Takizawa's sentence as he looked at Jason. "Which means you, me and this pompous little prick here. They feed off our energy. Or our life force.. which means blood, hair, nail clippings and even our meat are sources of food for them. They're cannibals. Now you see why they're dangerous. Unlike the kuroshingon, shiroshingons aren't trained in their primal abilities. It's mostly an optional goal. But for the kuroshingons, they need to feed to survive. Which means they kill. And when they kill they develop their abilities. Which makes them faster, stronger and more voracious than we can ever hope to be."
"They're nothing like us. They do not feel human emotion.. nor do they have compassion or empathy for others." Takizawa chimed in with a cold expression.
Jason swallowed his saliva as he mired of the thought of being eaten as a result of his death. How mortifiying, he thought. It's like something that came out of a horror movie in the least. "...I-Interesting." Jason managed to cough up, but inside was a little nervous of his new adversaries. He had never known Shinzuku had a quarantine situation going on. The three arrived at the camp. It seemed to be littered with weapons and filled with men who looked like they've gone through hell and back. It seems this camp was unlike the other they were in.
"Aight.. we're here. This is the forward weapons base. We train our men here to survive and scavenge for food. You can rest here for awhile until we can plan our next move to fight the organized kuroshingon wreaking havoc in the 30th Ward." With that, Jason decided to go ahead and follow these orders. It's been a while since he's ever had any sleep.
"Oi, new meat." Badou called out, Jason's attention darting towards him. "Make sure you don't chicken out once we find an actual kuroshingon." the man smirked as he gestured the teen off.