Emergency Exit

Ryuji’s back bolted upright from his hospital bed as the fire alarm blared in his ears. He looked to the left, seeing that his arm was already ahead of him, having gripped the IV stand as a makeshift weapon. His gaze traced down to the needle stuck in his hand, which he promptly plucked, licking the wound to stop the trickle of blood.

Springing out of the bed, he spotted his clothes in the corner, neatly folded on a chair. In a flash, he threw them on, leaving the front buttons undone. The noise of heavy footsteps and glass breaking happened in the meantime, more signs that something was amiss.

Just as he went to check outside, the door flew open.

“It’s da Yama Ryu! Prepare ta- ugh!”

A fist promptly shut his mouth, his body lurching backward before crashing into the wall. Before his fellow lackeys could jump into action, Ryuji threw a sweeping kick that bowled them over. With a leap forward, he brought both fists down like hammers to pick up the spare. A quick glance at their collars revealed that they were part of the Azumito Alliance, likely Takashima’s goons capitalizing on a weakened dragon.

Ryuji reached down and touched the stomach wound, heaving a sigh of relief that it hadn’t re-opened. He had to be careful as it was still tender.

Another set of goons rounded the corner, spotting him. As they closed in, bladed weapons in hand, Ryuji noticed some wheelchairs right next to his room. He grabbed one and kicked it down the hallway, tripping one and making him fall flat on his face. He heaved another forward, which was batted away by the next man. But in doing so, he opened himself up for a dropkick to the face, which tossed him into the rest.

Ryuji grabbed the bobbling wheelchair and swung a wide arc, slapping the whole group at once. The sound of bodies crashing all around caught the attention of another goon further down. Immediately, Ryuji hopped on the wheelchair and pushed off, gliding toward them at a brisk pace. He dove at the lone straggler, picking him easily off his feet before body slamming the guy.

A quick draw of breath gave the Yama Ryu a momentary respite before he sensed footsteps coming right up to him. His first instinct was to throw a spinning elbow.

“Woah there!”

To his surprise, his supposed attacker quickly ducked right under it, falling to a sliding knee on the floor. A swish of a doctor’s coat made Ryuji pause as a familiar man turned toward him, pointing at him dramatically like a hero entering the scene.

“Doctor Higashi?”

“You know, a doctor’s occupation is addressing hazards, but not like this!”

“That’s what you get for walking into the middle of a skirmish. But forget that, what the hell is on your head?”

Ryuji pointed to a strange contraption around the doctor’s forehead. It looked like one of those fancy-schmancy technological eyepieces that the younger generation used to play games. Only, it didn’t cover Dr. Higashi’s eyes.

“Ah, this? It’s a bit of an experimental gear. Something of a peripheral augmentation that connects my brain wirelessly.”

“A whatzat now?”

They were interrupted by another group turning the corner, this time with guns in hand. Ryuji moved to find cover, but suddenly, Dr. Higashi rushed forward and kicked a fallen potted plant. It sailed into the air before smashing one guy in the face, scattering clay and dirt everywhere.

Ryuji gawked as the doctor casually picked up several clipboards and flung them like frisbees for further annoyance. He ran up to a metal box next, dropkicking it right into the face of another. Shots fired from the last one, making it seem like his medical days were numbered, but somehow, Higashi ducked away before sending a stretcher forward to sandwich the trigger-happy man with the wall.

A slow whistle escaped Ryuji’s lips at the unexpected handiwork. The doctor had moved with no hesitation and pinpoint accuracy.

“You a yakuza in disguise? The boss sure knows how to hire them.”

Dr. Higashi turned back with a sly grin.

“Don’t involve me in your underground schemes. I’m just a civilian. That stuff I pulled was all because of this.” Higashi tapped on his weird headpiece. “It’s quite handy for leveling the playing field for situations like this. The stuff of dreams. It’s no wonder someone would attack a public hospital in broad daylight to get their hands on it.”

“Wait, you mean, they aren’t here for me?”

“Your admittance wasn’t publicized, so the chances of that are low. Not to mention, I found my office sorted through and trashed, but otherwise, nothing taken. I could hear voices below looking for me.” Doctor Higashi sighed. “I’m so glad the wife happened to be on maternity leave. I made sure all the other nurses escaped too before coming back.”

“Well, aren’t you trying to be a hero? But it sounds like there’s another reason for that.”

“Of course, being a hospital funded by the Tenjou Clan, wouldn’t it be safest to be guarded by the infamous Yama Ryu?”

“Got a point there.”

It felt strange to team up with his doctor of all people, given his slim frame and quirky mannerisms. He could smell ‘rich boy’ off him from a mile away, which made his sharp but peculiar movements all the more unexpected. As Ryuji watched Dr. Higashi weave behind cover and snipe his opponents with well-placed kicks, there was a sense that Ryuji had the backup he needed.

He dropped his guard and went straight for a spear attack, plucking one off his feet before making him bond with the wall. A flying metal shelf interrupted a sword strike aimed for his back, giving him time to turn and roundhouse kick. Several more well-timed projectiles gave others pause, allowing Ryuji plenty of time to chamber into the next combo. He was plucking opponents one by one, until the whole floor was clear.

“What are you? Some kind of ex-World Cup player?”

“I have a friend that played in a few of them. We used to be on the same high school team. Learned a few tricks from him.”

“Just a few tricks? You gotta be shitting me!”

The trajectory and impacts were spot on, to the point that Ryuji felt it was superhuman. It made him itch for a spar with the doctor himself, but it was not the time to be pondering such amusement.

“So, where to? You know the layout better than me, Doc.”

Dr. Higashi pointed downwards.

“Basement level has some tunnels. A relic from the past. But it’s pretty handy if certain individuals who aren’t supposed to be in public view decide to make a clean escape.”

“You sure your hands are clean? Getting shadier every minute, Doc.”

“It’s what I get for becoming too involved with a certain dream fairy, but there’s no helping that.”

Before Ryuji could comment on what he meant, the nearby stairwell echoed the barking of orders from below. The sounds were getting louder, which gave them pause.

“Tch, several tens of them. I hear guns chambering, so they must be sending the big boys. It’s hardly a good time to be dragged down by numbers.”

Ryuji looked back towards the unconscious Azumito minions, coming up with a quick idea. Motioning Dr. Higashi over, he hoisted two of them up and ducked into a room. Moments later, a set of clothes flew at the doctor, making it obvious what Ryuji had in mind.

A pair of guys in a doctor scrub and patient gown was bound to attract attention. Ryuji came out of the room in a borrowed suit, complete with Azumito pin. He motioned for Higashi to do the same. In less than a minute, they had become makeshift Kansai yakuza, just in time for the first batch’s arrival.

“Yousa there! Ya find zhat sneaky doc yet, haven’t ya?”

Ryuji stiffened as he turned his front toward the man, sporting a thick pair of shades to hide his familiar ferocity. His Azumito pin was clearly visible on his collar, drawing any skepticism away from his face. Dr. Higashi was facing elsewhere, posing like he belonged there. Ryuji cleared his throat and gave his best fake Kansai accent.

“Zis here floor’s dead as a ghost, alright ya. How bout cha lend a hand and take zhat side for me ya?” Ryuji gritted his teeth at his terrible imitation, hoping for the best.

Giving a quick grunt, the man leading the group motioned for his lackeys to fan out, before heading off himself. Seeing the opening, the pair ducked into the stairway and raced down the flights before anyone thought to look back.

With all the noise around them, their footsteps blended right in. It wasn’t long before they hit the less lit basement levels, Dr. Higashi continuing down without breaking pace.

Eventually, the steps bottomed out, landing them right in front of a shut door. The doctor went right up to an archaic keypad, punching in numbers that led to a click before yanking a creaking door open.

A gush of stale air escaped, making Ryuji hold his nose. He had no choice but to move forward, the doctor’s nod prodding him onward into the darkness. With a slam, the door shut behind them, extinguishing the remaining dregs of light.

Moments later, the spark of an emergency flare filled the room with a reddish glow.

“This way. From what I understand, the tunnels should lead us far enough away before resurfacing. Not that I’ve been down here myself.”

Ryuji could only sigh, letting his lungs grow used to the musky air, trapped down here for who knew how long.

“Better than the sewers, I suppose.”

The echo of their lone footsteps sounded for several minutes as they walked in silence. Eventually, a growing curiosity gnawing on Ryuji finally made him cave and ask.

“Aren’t you going to spill, Doc? You’ve been hiding secrets this whole time.”

“Secrets that you need to know to protect me?”

“Well, this ain’t no ordinary yakuza shakedown for some trinkets and cash. The Azumito Alliance is out in force for some reason, and I need to know what kind of land mine I’m helping ferry.”

“Fair enough. The truth is, I’m not actually the one they are looking for.”

“Then, who?”

“Grace.”

Ryuji’s footsteps ground to a halt. His confusion had frozen him on the spot, unsure of what to make of this info. An image of the spirited, pink-haired anomaly flashed in his mind. But that was a manufactured program, a fake, lines of code…

“Why-”

“Why would a yakuza group go after an AI – is what you’re about to ask me?”

Dr. Higashi turned back to a befuddled Ryuji. After a moment of silence, Dr. Higashi took his serious gaze as confirmation.

“The simple answer is… she isn’t an AI. She was formerly a human who underwent an experimental project, jointly funded by the Tenjou Clan and the Japanese government. Those in the know have to pretend that she is one, as the prospect of human experimentation is outlawed on paper, so public knowledge of Grace’s origin would be damaging to parties involved. That’s beside the point of what she is capable of, something that not even I have fully discovered after being with her for so long.”

“Grace… is human?”

“A horrible accident befell her at a young age. By the time I met her, it was a wonder how she held on for so long. But she had a stubborn father, and an extremely well-off one, too. He funded an entire research division devoted to keeping her consciousness intact. And the result of that was she became a ‘dream fairy’ that wandered into people’s heads. That’s how we met.”

Dr. Higashi shot Ryuji a goofy smile, like he was recalling good times. Given how strange the doctor and Grace both seemed, it wasn’t surprising that the two of them clicked. But that was likely a story for another time.

A flash of realization crossed Ryuji’s mind, causing a cold sweat over his brow.

“Wait, you said that the Tenjou Clan owned the hospital that you work at.”

“Yup, on the direct payroll of Honjou Kazuhito himself.”

“And that Grace was a young human who had a horrible accident.”

That feeling of dread grew deeper, invoking a tremble in his knees. Ryuji placed a hand on the wall to stabilize himself. Regret laced the next words from his mouth.

“Then, Grace is, was-”

“His daughter, Honjou Miyabi.”