Fukusha Model Eight – Chapter 34

“Let Gen go!” Saki calls towards us. She doesn’t even have a weapon. I suppose she doesn’t need one.

“You can’t have him, Narumi,” I shout. “Nobody gets him back.”

Saki’s slow smile is just the affirmation I need to know I’m right.

I should’ve seen it before, way before this moment. She inserted herself into my life so easily that it should’ve set off warning bells, but I was too vulnerable to care. She knew I was alone. She knew I was on shaky ground. When I think of all the things I told her, the things I confessed, I want to kill myself.

I’ve never been suicidal in my life, even when I was betrayed by my own brother. Being made a fool of by my enemy is far worse than anything I’ve ever endured before.

“Shit. Are you sure?” Rin whispers to me.

I nod, keeping my lips pressed together. I’m afraid I’ll cry and then this will all be over.

What am I thinking?

It’s already over, Yumi.

Saki waves her hand to the few androids at the front to hem us in.

“Don’t be an idiot, Yumi. You can’t win now. You’re outnumbered. And I’ve seen what my androids can do to you. You’re like a rag doll to them.” She edges in a little closer. “You can’t hold Gen hostage when you don’t have the upper hand.”

“What did you do with Saki?” I ask, trying to stall. For what? I have no idea.

Saki shrugs. “She’s still here. I just push her aside whenever I, or one of my engineers, need her body.” She laughs, shaking her head. “She’s been feeling really guilty about the whole mess. Every time I let her return to her body, she would spend hours trying to convince herself to say something to you, to confess that she wasn’t always in control. But I chose wisely this time,” she says, raising her finger in the air. “I chose someone who was too immature and embarrassed to confess. Someone much like you.”

Narumi doesn’t need to throw a dagger at my heart when she can do it with words instead. But now I wonder. Would Saki have been a good friend if Narumi hadn’t taken her over? What kind of person is stuck in there? Is she worth saving?

Shun seems to think so.

“I knew something was wrong with her,” Shun whispers. “She kept making decisions I disagreed with, and we were never like that before.”

We huddle closer to each other as the Model Eights ease in.

“Anybody got any great ideas?” Kazuo asks.

“Not yet.” Shun lowers his voice. “But the Nomuras, they wanted to help.” He looks up at the sky. “Come on…”

“Come on, what?” I whisper back.

We can’t fight this many androids. Rin produces a heavy sigh and hands over his sword. Kengo glares sideways at Rin but does the same. The Model Eights disarm us all. I have no weapons except for Ninjin, but they leave him alone.

Gen leaves the arms of Kengo and saunters up behind Saki.

“I missed you,” he says to her, and she smiles while moving Gen behind her.

“See?” she says to me. “I even have the love of one of your people. You? You’re doing poorly in comparison. You’re bleeding. You’ve lost the use of an eye. And I’m pretty sure you’re going to die alone and far away from home.”

“You’re sick. If anyone is going to die alone, it’ll be you. Nothing can erase your repugnant personality.”

She doesn’t entertain my insolent attitude. Instead, she makes eye contact with the ten Model Eights surrounding us and nods. They close in to grab us and usher us forward. Her army behind them disperses, moving onto other parts of the neighborhood that still need conquering.

Ninjin growls at Saki, his hackles standing on end.

“Keep your dog close, or I’ll end him. I have no love for Aka Matsuba’s creations. And hand over your backpack.” I weigh the situation and whether or not I can defy her before I hand it over. But there’s nothing I can do.

Saki shoulders my backpack, turns, and leads the way with Gen at her side. Gen throws a smug glance over his shoulder at us, happy to be back in control now.

I swear I will kill him the next time I have the chance. No more hesitation because I feel a smattering of guilt over what his family will do when they find out. No. He deserves death.

“Where are we going?” Rin asks. His free hand finds mine, and he squeezes, offering silent support.

“To the nearest subway station. Then to the wharf and back to Shin-Osaka. You’ll make great test subjects for our next model androids. My Model Eights are wonderful, but the Model Nines have so much more potential.”

I glance sideways at Shun, wondering what his deal is. The Nomuras are going to show up? If they worked with Shiroi Nami, does that mean they’ll be here too? It’s the kind of deus ex machina intervention we need. Otherwise, we’ll have to escape in the subway somehow.

“So, why did you choose my sister?” Shun asks, lifting his voice over the crowd of androids. “Why didn’t you choose any of the rest of the Model Sevens?” Good question. I want to know the answer to this one.

Saki and Gen keep walking, not answering.

“You probably could’ve stopped all the Model Sevens, so now I’m wondering why you didn’t.” Shun’s insistent, and he’s not likely to give this up. “What was so special about Saki?”

We turn a corner and the subway station is ahead. Movement in the windows of the buildings catches my eye, and when I look up, heads poke over the roof’s edge.

Saki turns around and faces Shun. “There was nothing special about her. There’s nothing special about you either.”

“And yet…” Shun draws it out, and for the first time, Saki squirms. Narumi is human with human reactions. Even the coldest and unfeeling of humans can’t stop physical tells.

She’s lying.

I laugh and elbow Shun. “This is the only one she was able to hack. They were her own androids, and even she couldn’t control them all. Sounds like someone in programming screwed up.”

“That’s enough.” Saki pushes through the surrounding crowd, grabs my arm, and shoves me to the ground. Ninjin barks at her. “You’re done.”

Past Saki’s shoulder, I make eye contact with Rin. If this is my end, I want to go out looking at him. I want him to understand he’s made an impact in my life, and that if the situation were different, I would grow old with him.

But growing old doesn’t appear to be in the cards.

Rin’s jaw hardens, and he whips out with a kick, smashing his boot into Saki’s back. She flies forward and lands right on me, a hardened pile of android, heavy enough to knock the wind out of me. I gasp and thrust my hands up, pushing her off of me, when the sky above grows dark.

I blink my one good eye. I must be hallucinating.

With the flap of giant wings and a high-pitched scream, Saki is lifted off the ground and carried off into the sky by an angel.

No. A bat-man.

“Yes!” Shun yells, overpowering his android holders and pulling one of our confiscated swords from its back. He tosses it to Rin.

I’m still too stunned to move. The flying bat-man’s wings pump, pushing him farther into the sky. Saki’s screams are fading. He takes her by the ankles and slams her into the side of a building. She falls silent as she hits the sidewalk, and debris rains down into the street. I keep my eye on where she’s fallen. I need my backpack, and she still has it.

“Now!” People pour out of buildings around us, descending on our Model Eight escorts.

I scramble to my feet to run away.

These are not people.

They’re monsters.

Four…. things, almost three meters tall with purple skin, looking like they’ve eaten steroids for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, grab androids by the heads and snap them in half. Another bat-man jumps from the roof of a nearby building, swoops down, picks up two androids and impales them on a street lamp.

Oh god, this is how horror movies end, don’t they? I have a vivid memory of my father laughing at some monster movie, popcorn in his lap, and cheering on the destruction of everyone on screen. That’s not supposed to happen to me!

Urging myself to move, I dash around clumps of fighting monsters and androids, rush at Saki’s destroyed body, and pull my backpack out from under her. A growl comes from my right, and the giant, black wolf with ice blue eyes from the other day charges past me and tackles an android running in my direction. The wolf sinks its jaws into the android’s throat and yanks. Sparks fly, the wolf throws back its head, and howls. My hair stands on end as it sprints away.

Ninjin runs to me, trying to put his body between me and the terrible carnage happening in the street. I drag him away from Saki, back up to a wall, and hold him close. I’m tempted to bury my face in his coat until it’s all over, but I’m too mesmerized by what my eyes see. If I could record it, I would. My hands shake too much to open my bag.

My allies have finally arrived, and they’ve brought their army.

Back in Awashikawa, I asked Atsumi what Shiroi Nami had been doing on the Southern Continent. Atsumi said, “You’ll know it when you see it.”

I see it.

Sleek creatures with four arms and dressed in black pour from the building I’m pressed up against. They draw swords and throw knives faster than any human. Several cut down androids before the androids can even move. Their sideways mouths click at each other before moving farther into the streets.

Humans do move among the monsters. Their black armor is emblazoned with the white wave across their backs, and they fly forward and backward on some kind of hover boots. Several people fight with two swords, swiping down androids two at a time.

My eyes don’t know what to make of this scene. They skip over the things my brain can’t understand, looking for my companions. I spot Kazuo and Rin, side by side, cutting down androids that come from the next block over. They’re overwhelmed for a moment until giant black centipedes as big as dogs climb over the androids and rip out the backs of their necks.

My stomach lurches, and I nearly vomit again. I suck in a deep breath and let out a piercing scream, not something I’ve ever really done in my life.

The situation warrants it.

Mara runs towards me, but she’s intercepted by a Model Eight, one of the few left standing now.

“Behind you!” I raise my hand, hoping through some miracle to stop the fight in front of me with the power of my mind. But I’m not powerful in that way.

I’m a human, and everything that’s against me is far from.

The Model Eight stabs Mara in the back, red blood flowing out between its evil fingers. Mara opens her mouth to scream but wheezes instead. The Model Eight, satisfied its job is done, turns to look at me. Its eyes are dead, without feeling. Its stance is ready, a cat about to pounce. It has me cornered.

I get to my feet and dive with Ninjin away from the building as the android flies through the air and cracks into the brick, denting the wall and sending dust everywhere. It rebounds quickly, bounces to its feet, and prepares to come after me again.

The bass beat of giant wings ricochets off the building, and the human bat swoops in, grasps the android, and carts it off into the sky. I watch, my mouth hanging open as the flying creature circles, snaps the android’s neck, and drops it to the street. The lump of android doesn’t move again.

I run back to Mara, kneeling at her side. “Mara, hang in there. You’re going to be all right.” Peeling away her shirt, I try to examine her injuries, but there’s blood, just so much blood.

“You’re a terrible liar,” she wheezes out. Her lung must be punctured or damaged because blood leaks from her mouth as well. I have no idea how to help her except to press my hands to her wound. All that does is make me bloody too. My head spins, and I feel faint, but this is the least I can do.

Stay conscious, Yumi.

“You know, I’ve never seen anyone as in love as Rin is with you.”

“What?” Tears stream down my cheeks and fly off my lips.

“He was so zealous, so adamant; I couldn’t say no. It was worth it.”

I sob, watching her life leak away. “What about your family? Should I tell someone?” Tell someone you died right under my hands, and there was nothing I could do.

“No family. No pets. No attachments.”

Her lips halt. Her head sinks to the ground.

Another friend dies, and I am useless to prevent it.

The fighting in the street is coming to an end. A building farther down the block is in flames. A Kiiroi Yama police car flies in overhead but doesn’t land. Though there are piles of dead androids around me, I’m alone. I don’t see Kazuo or Kengo, Rin or Shun. They’ve all taken the battle elsewhere.

A team of those giant centipede creatures comes swarming my way, and a heavy dose of fear blankets my brain. I didn’t think I was afraid of bugs, but now I know why that waitress had the crap scared out of her when she encountered one of these outside of Fourth Avenue Noodles. These must be the things that invaded the dumpster.

I roll Mara over and take her sword, gripping it the way my father taught me to. “Stay back,” I yell. Ninjin barks at them.

“Get down,” someone yells at me from overhead.

The bat-man returns, and this time he swoops in and lands between me and the giant bugs.

“No. Not this one,” he says, holding out a six-fingered hand. “She’s a friend.”

The centipedes rise up, and I sob once, trying to keep the sword steady. My arms tremble and shake. Dear God, someone gave them intelligence. They confer with each other, antennas waving, before returning their limbs to the ground and scurrying away.

My eyes travel up the body of this… man in front of me. His legs are short, strong, and bowlegged, covered in stretchy, black pants. His dark, hairy chest is wide and muscular, and his furry bat wings stretch at least three meters on either side when extended. Right now they’re folded up while his six-fingered hands reach for Mara. He kneels down to her to check her pulse.

I’m drawn in by his gentle face. Whatever they did to him, they kept his face angelic and easy on the eyes. I still detect the usual Japanese features, but they’re softer like he’s not only been DNA blended with a bat but other races as well. If it weren’t for the terrifying wings, I’d think he was pretty handsome.

Then he turns to look at me, and I flinch from his gaze. His eyes are so clear, they’re almost transparent. Is he blind like a bat?

“Are you hurt?” His voice is human enough for me to bring my eyes back to his. He’s focused on Mara’s blood all over me as he stands. He must be over two meters tall.

“No. I don’t think so.”

Ninjin barks at him, so I shush him and tell him to sit.

“He’s an obedient dog. You must be a good and responsible owner.”

“Uhhhh,” I breathe out, my lips numb and useless. “What are you?”

His smile is sad, but he nods and holds a hand out to me.

“I’m Isao Minamoto, and I hear we’re cousins.”

No. Oh no. Kazuo said the Minamotos who came to Hikoboshi were genetic engineers and what they did here would make us seem like monsters back home.

But it’s worse, so much worse, than I thought it would be.

The monsters are real.

One of them is standing right in front of me, and he shares my last name.