Arrogance is a Killer

Chizuru and Shion entered the research building cautiously, expecting to find the place heavily guarded. Instead, they found bodies ripped apart in a similar way to the ones outside. The big guy must have started attacking indiscriminately, killing all the other guards protecting the lab.

Shion and Chizuru approached the stairwell ready to start climbing the 10 flights of stairs to Dr. Feist's office, when a voice started to blare on the overhead speakers.

"Good evening ladies, welcome to my humble abode. I see someone has finally decided to come for me after all these years. Sorry to disappoint but as you can see the cult has already taken the city. What good could it possibly do now to come and face me? But alas, I know that you won't be able to resist. Anyhow, good luck on your travels to the higher floors, tata for now."

The girls looked at each other and then hastily began to jump up flights of stairs. Shion heard a small beeping noise and turned around just in time to catch a dart full of liquid midair.

"Shit that almost got me. I wonder what sort of chemical is in here?" Shion whispered to Chizuru.

"We better be more careful," Chizuru whispered back.

Shion glanced back at Chizuru, and saw a dart protruding out the back of her neck.

"Uh, Chizuru, you don't feel weird or anything? You're hit."

Chizuru nervously patted down her whole body, as Shion pulled the dart out of her neck. She began to curse, "Fuck, Fuck,Fuck Fuck!"

Shion patted Chizuru's head to calm her down.

Chizuru looked up to Shion as she spoke, "The good news is that it must not be poison since you aren't dead yet but I am also worried about it being something else. Let's not panic and move faster so we can figure out what's going on ok?"

Now that they were aware of the traps, Chizuru and Shion easily avoided the darts. After about 25 minutes of bobbing and weaving, the pair reached the 10th floor. The bio lock was still engaged, but Shion solved this by severing the cord on the outside of the lock that led to the back up power. Without the main power source this effectively interrupted all power getting to the door from the back up generator, deactivating the lock.

At this point, Chizuru began to feel woozy, numb, and was having difficulty seeing. Even large objects were blurred and unrecognizable. She fell to her hands and knees when she felt Shion's hand on her shoulder.

"Hey! Chizuru! Hey!? Are you ok?!" Shion exclaimed in a panic as Chizuru slumped forward.

On the overhead system Dr. Feist began to speak once again. "Good evening again ladies. I see my concoction has started to take effect. First comes numbness, then dulled sense, and then momentary loss of consciousness. Now the fun truly begins once the subject regains consciousness. They lose the ability to distinguish hallucinations from reality and often experience waking dreams. Different from Dr. Tanaka's potion, the subjects can be easily influenced by auditory stimuli. But what better way to show you than by demonstration?"

Chizuru groaned and tried rubbing her eyes but the blurriness would not dissipate. She rose to her feet and stumbled forward at first pushing someone aside. "Shion?"

Before Shion could answer, the overhead system in Shion's voice said, "Help me Chizuru! I'm hurt. The person next to you is not me, it's a fake. Please hurry. Get rid of them so you can get to me, I can't wait much longer. I'm bleeding."

Chizuru panicked, pulled out her knife and was finally able to make out larger shapes. Once she spotted the person standing near her Chizuru readied herself for combat.

Shion started yelling, "Chizuru, no. It's me. It's Shion."

"You said that the person near me was a fake. I don't believe you," Chizuru lunged forward and rapidly swung her blade at Shion. Shion deflected the strikes with her baton.

While Chizuru began to regain her coordination the attacks became more difficult to stop without hurting Chizuru. Shion began thinking of a way to prove to Chizuru that she was herself. She began to remember the private moments they shared together. Things only they would know about.

She thought about their first kiss. Getting startled by Alexander. The breakfast they ate together. The fact that Shion didn't know how to cook. The ring. Shion put her baton away, giving her full faith in the fact that Chizuru knew her. Knew how she moved, smelled, and her mannerisms.

Shion prepared herself while Chizuru slid across the floor and began to charge her at lightning speeds. Shion knew that there was only one way for sure to catch Chizuru so she began taking calming breaths to increase her focus. Time slowed down as Chizuru flew towards her, knife drawn. Just as Chizuru was about to miss, Shion stopped moving and caught the blade and Chizuru's arm in her left abdomen.

As blood began to pour out of the wound, Chizuru tried to escape but Shion's grip was too strong. Rather than hurt her, Shion pulled Chizuru closer for a tight embrace.

Chizuru stiffened as she heard Shion whisper, "Stupid it's me. You are safe. Please don't fight anymore." When Chizuru inhaled the familiar scent of Shion's hair she dropped her blade and began balling.

Chizuru searched for the open wound and applied as much pressure to it as she could while Shion rested her forehead on her lover's shoulder.

Sobbing, "OMG, I'm so sorry Shion. Oh god, I never meant to hurt you. How bad is it? I can't see it. It feels really bad. Oh god, no!"

Shion in a calm and even tone replied, "It's not good, but the nanites should be able to take care of this one. And Chizuru, don't be sorry. You didn't realize what you were doing. I would have reacted the same. I love you Chizuru, it's ok." After she spoke, Shion lost consciousness which was her reaction whenever the nanites worked in overdrive.

Chizuru frantically rubbed her eyes but her vision remained blurry. Angrier than she had ever been, Chizuru let out an exasperated roar. Then she started thinking, nanites.

She grabbed the pouch off Shion's back and blindly felt around until she found the metal case with the nanite serum and the activation pills. Once she found the injection without hesitation she slammed it into her thigh and depressed the chamber. Chizuru remembered what Shion said, “green means go." She popped the green capsule and it was like a wave went through her body.

Chizuru's head felt as though it would split open. Her eyes began to sting and suddenly she recalled all the times Shion had pressed her fingers into her eyes. Chizuru did the same and felt momentary relief, then slowly, her vision began to clear.

She rushed to check on Shion who was breathing comfortably and appeared to be in a deep sleep. Chizuru picked her up and tucked Shion into an empty office. She kissed Shion on the forehead before running out of the office and locking the door behind her.

She looked up at the ceiling. The old PA system was connected by a bundle of fiber optic wires that ran across the ceiling.

Chizuru followed the wires to a small room full of computer screens. To her surprise, a small man in his 40's sat in the single chair eating some deviled eggs. He looked benign, like a man who couldn't hurt anyone if he tried, but that man had caused pain and suffering to many.

Dr. Feist had not expected Shion nor Chizuru to survive so he had stopped watching after Shion was injured. His arrogance betrayed him as Chizuru stood in the doorway, shaking with uncontrollable rage.

Dr. Feist began to speak, "Lt. Yamamoto, I am glad to see you have survived my toxin. Bravo."

Chizuru, shaking replied, "How and the fuck do you know my name?"

Feist giggled, "Oh you are really quite famous in the cult. Yes, you and the colonel both. In fact you may prove vital to our research."

Chizuru sighed, "I hope Shion doesn't get too mad. I know I'm supposed to interrogate you but I'm just so angry I won't be able to do that. Dr. Feist, I'm going to cut you up limb from limb"

Dr. Feist backed off the chair while stuttering, "But I have information... I can tell you things about Project Adam, I can give you the antidote to the drugs. Really anything you want I can..."

Dr. Feist's left hand fell to the floor. Blood gushed onto the ceiling then splattered the tv screens. Next his right leg below the knee. Then the opposite side. Rather than killing him, Chizuru let him slowly bleed out, watching him writhe in pain. After about a minute Dr. Feist went still. Chizuru found his personal laptop hidden in a desk that wasn't even locked and took it before kicking the Dr.'s lifeless corpse across the room.

As she exited, Chizuru spat on his corpse and whispered, "No one makes me hurt Shion like that. No one."