Ch 9
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Chapter Ten
Open Wounds
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“Of course not.”
Tone made sure not to move to any visible degree. It was impossible to tell if this crazy fellow might suddenly decide a shoulder shrug or neck turn counted as moving, and snap Kohaku’s arm like a twig. “But I don’t see how exactly you’d stop him from talking.”
“Who?” The figure spoke, his perpetual grin adding to his intimidation factor as he twisted one finger against his ear, the intense pressure having ceased so Tone could communicate.
“Him.”
Rook suddenly appeared in the figure’s place, catching Kohaku as she fell. The ominous stranger, appearing where Rook had been, plummeted downwards off of the rooftop. “Rook, get her to safety. We’re going to need everything we’ve got to deal with this gun. If he’s telling the… LOOK OUT!!”
The masked figure suddenly reappeared, swooping downwards towards Rook and slamming into him at full speed, sending the wild mask member tumbling. “I don’t much appreciate that, especially after all my hospitality.” He grinned. “So, I’ll have to make good on my promise. I was hoping this could have been handled in a civil fashion, but whatever.”
Reaching down to grasp Kohaku, he found himself gripping the air again, as Rook swiftly stood up from his sprawled position, now next to Kohaku. “You wanna keep trying that? It might work if you give it even more windup next time.”
“Try the mask.” A voice crackled, as a small, spherical device floated alongside the bulky stranger. “It… Ah, it keeps him alive. Take it off and break it.”
Tone practically jumped out of his horribly charred skin at the sight of Corey’s drone. “Do whatever you need to, just keep him preoccupied!” Tone bellowed, running into the stairway entrance and practically jumping down the multiple flights. “Don’t let him after me!!”
“Uhh,” Rook looked between the stairwell and the wickedly grinning stranger, trying to decide how best to respond to the order, as the masked fellow made it very obvious he had no intention of going after Tone. “S-Sure…?”
–
“He’s… Only capable of flying either horizontally or vertically.” The small screen glowed brightly inside the dark vehicle, relaying footage taken from Corey’s drone. “If you keep up in loops you might be able to cut him off.”
“Wait a moment… That… Tone, he’s-”
The footage suddenly disappeared. “Huh. He… He used his mask to send a sound wave that disrupted the frequency of my short-wave communication between this device of yours and the drone. You know, you’ve got very annoying friends, these Wild Masks of yours.”
The author of the voice set the screen down, turning his attention towards the rear seating of the vehicle. “What exactly did they see in you that was so special? You have no mask, you can’t fight, you can barely operate the tech that… Oisim??”
“Huh.” The figure turned away from the back seats, diverting his attention off the still crying and still hogtied Corey silenced with a strip of tape and onto the road in front of him. “That’s a twist. Well, I suppose I’ll need to survive this encounter so the rest can be informed of his duplicitous actions. Tell me Corey, how fast can your friend Tone run?”
The car revved to life. “My mask predicts he’ll take another three minutes to reach my location at his current pace. I wonder how fast he’ll run when he finds out I’ve disappeared.”
–
Rook zipped down yet another empty street at speeds fast enough to blow all the leaves off the asphalt, but no sooner had he arrived than the massive figure rushed down the lane at an even faster pace, his oversized grin still blazing through the night as he approached. As the last moment, Rook was replaced with a parked car, the stranger slamming into it and completely cratering the side, sending it tumbling and blowing out the air bags.
No sooner had the impact finished than the stranger suddenly resumed chase, following Rook as he shot directly upwards into the sky, then swapped places with Rook the moment he neared. It barely slowed him down, however, and the chase continued once more as if it had never stopped.
“Know must’ve foreseen you arriving.” He grinned even further as he raced directly behind Rook, matching the zig-zagging motion of his target. “How could he not have? You’re a serious threat if you’re as competent with your fists as you are with your mask.”
Reaching out, the stranger timed his dive and gripped Rook by the back of the neck. “Something must’ve cut his drone, because I saw it fall. I suspect your friend must’ve had something to do with it. C’mon, let’s go tell him in person.”
Gripping his mask, the stranger suddenly found himself in front of Rook, just in time for a vicious punch to be sent to the back of his ribs. He never even flinched, a massive backhand swinging around at lightning speed just barely missing Rook as he darted away, zigzagging downwards as quickly as he could.
“Ahhh. Can’t teleport something that’s in his hands.” The stranger’s grin seemed to have no physical limit. “Very nice. Gonna have to use that. Or should I…”
“Nah.” He turned from the rooftop, Kohaku having seemingly disappeared. “I can’t give him time to get away.” The wind hissed as he burst forwards, smashing through the branches of a number of trees for little more than fun.
–
“I’m a little worried about abandoning him like this,” The hoodied hoodlum commented, taking a slow right turn down yet another lane. “But I’m sure he can take care of himself. My mask… Clearly says that as long as I keep Tone away, he’ll have no problem whatsoever.”
“Goodness, are you still trying to escape?” He looked back, pity almost entering his voice at the sight of Corey trying everything he could to roll off of his side and lunge at the character. “You know, it’s really admirable just how much you think you’re capable of here. Did you forget?”
“Or do I need to remind you.” The vehicle slowed for a moment, the driver focusing all of his attention on Corey. “You’ll never see any of them again. They’ll forget you ever existed, and they’ll move on to some other helpless orphan who doesn’t matter just as much as you don’t. But I can make what little existence you have find some meaning, I assure you.” He turned back towards the wheel. “And after you’ve betrayed your former friends, I’ll send you where your old man is. That’s a promise, kid.”
Corey’s eyes slowly closed as they began streaming twice as much water as before, his head shakily returning to the seat of the vehicle. “There, that’s better. There’s no way anyone will be able to reach you in time, so nestle there for another minute or two and it’ll be all over soon.”
“What.” The driver suddenly froze, staring blankly out the windshield. “I don’t … Wh … Thirty seconds? But what-”
A ringing peal vibrated through the vehicle, shattering every piece of glass inside. With the windshield atomized into a billion tiny pieces, the ominous driver could no longer see beyond the inside of the vehicle. Violently manipulating the shifter, he rocketed forwards only to jump nearly through the roof of the car as a massive THUD sounded from the back.
“No. NO!!” He shrieked, turning the car so sharply it began to roll. Before it could turn enough to disrupt Corey’s position, it staggered, dropping back into its tires only after several seconds of tense silence. For a moment, silence reigned supreme inside the vehicle, the stillness of the night only interrupted by the distant sounds of traffic and trains ferrying people throughout greater Tokyo.
Then a large glowed hand smashed through the side window and pulled the occupant of the driver seat out so quickly the air seemed to hold his shape for a fraction of a second. Somehow, being alone now didn’t seem to comfort Corey much at all.
–
“I’ll give you a little tip.” The figure clawed at the immovable hand dragging him by the collar across the street grew more desperate the further he traveled. “Picking on the guy whose entire surface area is inflamed all day, every day, and still goes for runs before participating in wrestling matches might not end well for you.”
The figure was thrown against the curb, and in the same motion had the mask ripped off his face by Tone’s glowed fingers. “You know, it’s an interesting mask. I bet Ren would love to see what it does,” He mused, tossing it aside. “But I have a feeling you won’t b-”
“You.” He paused, staring down in shock at the figure lying in front of him. “You were alive this whole time?”
The figure gave a half-hearted fake chuckle, wiping off his nose as he stared through his thin brows at the metal mask fixed on him. “I guess you thought you did a good job, huh? Ripping somebody apart like that… Dooming someone to that future?”
“Or more accurately, lack thereof?” He scowled further, pushing off the curb slightly as he stared down his opponent. “How does he sleep at night, knowing what you’ve done? He saw it happen. You made him see it happen.”
“I don’t know how you came back,” Tone growled, gripping the stranger by the collar again. “But you weren’t missed then and you certainly won’t be missed now.”
“You… You have to bring me to Ren. Interrogate me.” The figure swallowed, looking back towards the vehicle. “He could be looking. You wouldn’t do this to him twice…”
“Ren would interrogate you, yes.” Tone blinked, pressure suddenly building in the figure’s skull. “He’d tell me all about everything you spilled, and he might even tell Corey, too. And then he’d let you go as a warning to everyone who comes after us, even though it wouldn’t change anything, because deep down he’s a soft, kind-hearted person.”
“I’m not.” Tone scowled.
A deafening crack split the night air.
–
Corey’s eyes slowly opened in sync with the car door, not bothering to look at who was responsible for opening it. He said nothing as the deft pair of hands that undid the rope keeping him bound gently lifted him out of the vehicle, leaning him against the side. The same hands tried to reach for the tape on his mouth, but Corey batted then away limply, trying to remove the tape on his own but failing after the pain proved to be too great.
“Hey.” Tone’s finger gingerly lifted Corey’s chin, eventually forcing him to make eye contact with the crimson figure, his head and jacket front peculiarly stained with the slightest of red washes. “You alright?”
Corey said nothing, the water returning to its favorite pastime of bubbling down from his lids as he eventually broke eye contact and sunk his face into the bend of Tone’s elbow, silently shuddering as the night carried on, the distant sounds of traffic and trains ferrying people throughout greater Tokyo.
One less person was traveling tonight.
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Ch 11
