Fair Turn

"Safety at the expense of advancement was a small price to pay in the public eyes. The government system became over-saturated with corruption looking to use the fears to their advantage. While the world slept in the black veil of comfort their security was ignored. In the dark night of August 29th the people were rocked out of their cradle to be rudely awakened to the world.

"The machines had attacked in a similar manner as last time, but unlike before they were not in large numbers or even appearing in wars waged in the chaotic corners of the world. A terrorist bomb went off in New York City killing nearly fifty thousand people, becoming the worst tragedy experienced in the century. While the world picked up the pieces and looked for the cause, several more bombs destroyed buildings in ten of the world's major cities.”

Herbert Stein, Machine Historian

It took several minutes for him to recover from what he had just heard. Satoru couldn’t believe that Adam was possibly finished or anywhere near completion. Everyone in the scientific community knew that Adam was a halted project. It was begun near the end of the creation of Isaac, but with the success of machines the work ceased. Now to be told that it was completed and even more advanced than any machine today was too much to believe.

Satoru shook his head about still trying to figure out if should believe what the man was telling him. "Prototype?" So even Kiyoshi was being used in this scheme. He thought that he was using everyone to meet his own needs, but they were just lying to him back. Satoru felt sad for him to know that in the end that his efforts were meaningless. "Superior even today? How can that be possible?" There was no way that Adam could possibly be advanced enough to affect all of the machines. Asami wasn’t like any machine before her, Adam couldn’t take her down.

Yoshima nearly laughed watching the gears turn in Satoru's head as disbelief was slowly changing to realization. "A kill switch is not very useful if it becomes obsolete. Its programming was advanced even for the day in which it was created. Unlike Isaac, Adam is self-evolving. It was necessary to maintain its continued advantage over the general machine populace. Right, Malakh?" General Yoshima looked over at Yuu narrowed eyed seeking some sign that he was being backed into a corner. He had to keep pressing him until he folded giving him the activation code for Adam.

"Yuu, you knew about all of this?" Satoru turned to Yuu who had been remaining quiet. It was difficult for him to tell if there was guilt in his face. He grabbed Yuu by the shoulders, shaking him while getting a stone faced stare from him. "How could you allow all of this to continue?" Yuu was in a position and knowledgeable to prevent all of this from happening. He could have destroyed Adam to eliminate this entire struggle that was happening now.

"Malakh is the right hand of Adam, his messenger and protector," Yoshima said walking around the two, continuing to slowly feed out a little more to Satoru. The breaking point would be breached soon and he would have what he desired. "Where Malakh lies Adam is as well. His entire existence is purely to serve Adam until the day he is required."

Satoru wanted to stop listening to what the General was telling him, but inside there was something holding him still knowing that he needed to hear this. Even being presented with this didn’t make it the truth. He needed Yuu to confirm it, but he was afraid what it would mean if it were true. 'Is this what he meant by not trusting him. Did he know this was going to happen?' Satoru stared at Yuu needing answers and validation from him. "Yuu? Is this true?"

"He can't deny the truth. You can't hide behind your facades anymore," Yoshima said, closing his gap to Yuu and Satoru increasing the pressure. This was the moment that it would happen. He had been waiting for this moment for so long. Soon their ambitions could be realized and they would have power back in their hands out of the weak government administration that couldn’t even keep the machines or public in control. "You will give me the activation code for Adam now. Adam's power is required."

Satoru had had enough of listening to the General talking and pushed Yuu back up against the tent. He grabbed him by his shirt, needing him to stop playing silent and actually speak up for himself. Yuu needed to rebuke him and set him straight on what was the truth. "Yuu? Say something! Yuu!"

Yuu gave a shallow sigh knowing that it was going to end up at this. They knew enough to attempt to pressure things, but not enough to actually achieve what they wanted. He was tired of listening to Yoshima go on looking like an idiot. "Have you prattled enough?" Yuu said, turning his head towards Yoshima while Satoru still held him still.

General Yoshima lowered his forehead, annoyed to see that Yuu was still remaining defiant. "Hrmph…" He was going to work a little harder using Satoru to force Yuu's hand, but before he could do anything Yuu made his move.

Yuu's hand raised up coming to rest on Satoru's wrist as he gave him a reassuring grin. He lifted Satoru's hands away from his clothes while Satoru entered a confused state. The man didn’t have the truth, he only had what he was led to believe was the truth and a small taste of reality. "Gaining a little knowledge doesn't equal the same as eating from the tree. You think you know everything because you learn a small piece of information. How little you actually know. But you are correct, this is not a time for facades anymore." Yuu narrowed his eyes, darkening his features leaving both of them stepping back not sure what he was planning now.

Before Yoshima could react to the change Yuu was behind him holding his arms against his back painfully. "Damn you! Gua-" Yuu didn’t allow him to finish his word, covering up his mouth, silencing him. Yoshima attempted to look around with his eyes from the position that he was being held to give Yuu a glare, but failed.

"Now, now General," Yuu said with a smirk on his face. The silent mask that he had been wearing was gone and he demonstrated the air of being in control as though he had always been manipulating the situation. "You forget what I am. How careless of you." He pushed the General over to the side of the tent using some of the spare rope to tie him up to the support pole. "You should have given me over to the others when you had the chance. Power and greed will be your undoing."

"What are you doing?" Satoru said, taking a hold of Yuu's shoulder trying to pull him away from looking at him directly. If they were caught it would only get them into even more trouble with the military. They might not want to capture him anymore seeing that he was too much trouble. This could get him killed.

The pole that the General was tied to gave a little protest as Yoshima struggled against, but the tent was drilled into the ground. It was going to take inhuman strength to break free of the pole. "Why are you asking me at this point? I'd thought it'd be pretty obvious at this point." Yuu stood up, finished with the General and pushed Satoru around to remove the bindings that he had on still.

Satoru looked back at Yuu knowing what he was thinking, but fearing that they would only get a few feet out of that tent before they were surrounded by soldiers. He knew that Yuu didn’t have anything to worry about, but Satoru was still normal. If they tried to make an escape he would not be able to keep up with Yuu. "But what about the soldiers outside?"

"I'd imagine there is going to be a change of plans soon." Yuu looked around the tent as though seeking something, but not actually grabbing anything. He went to the sides of the tent feeling out waiting for something to happen.

Yoshima struggled against the rope, wanting to simply kill Malakh for doing this to him. He had the advantage and still had lost. All he could have done was take more measures, but he had to live with the mistakes. "What are you planning, Malakh?"

"It's not me," Yuu said with a calculating smirk. The tables were about to be overturned and everything thrown into chaos. At the end of this maelstrom he hoped that they would survive. Even he didn’t know how it was going to end. The last bits of events that were in his control would be revealed. "By now both Seraphim and your troops in Qintech will realize that they willn’t find what they are looking for there."

"What?! You mean it's not…" Yoshima said in shock as realization washed over him quickly.

"You catch on quickly." Yuu smiled back at him, walking to the opposite side of the tent touching the fabric, judging it quickly. He looked back to find the confused Satoru standing in the middle trying to keep up with what was going on.

"Where then?"

"You'll know soon enough." Yuu walked over to Satoru touching him on the shoulder to bring him back to reality. He turned his head to Yoshima giving him one last smirk of knowing. "Enjoy the surprise! Satoru, come on!" Yuu pulled Satoru by his shirt until he moved on his own over to the back of the tent, cutting a line into the fabric with his hand quickly.

Satoru was pulled through the slit in the tent to be welcomed by fresh beams of light. The sun nearly blinded him for a moment, taking time to adjust to the change. Yuu was already looking around the sides of the tent. Satoru was still a little confused at everything that was suddenly happening. That lost feeling that he had been so familiar with was returning to him. "Where are we going?"

"For being so intelligent to make computers you aren't that bright." Yuu crossed in front of Satoru going to the opposite side of the tent, continuing to stare out quietly. "We have to find Asami and stop her before she kills everyone at the summit," he said returning to Satoru, finished with his reconnaissance.

Satoru took a step back trying to remember if he told him that Asami had changed again. He couldn’t recall if he had, but for some reason Yuu knew anyway that she had been taken by the programming. "But how did you know?"

The time that he had left was narrowing. They had to move soon and Satoru was still asking too many questions. He needed to be pushing forward knowing what had to be done. Yuu gave into Satoru's question seeing that he wasn’t going to be satisfied with simply being vague. "She was with you, if she's not then it only can mean that they managed to re-activate the base code in her otherwise you'd never have been captured. You've got a big job ahead of you." The signal in his head went off, taking Satoru by the wrist and pulling him out from the safety of the tent towards the parking lot of the building that was holding the summit.

Satoru didn’t realize how close he actually was to the building, figuring that he was going to have gone several blocks before getting back. However, weapons fire and explosions went off on the opposite side of the tent by the parking lot walls and slowly spilled into the lot. Satoru turned his head as it came into view while running with Yuu. If Yuu had not been dragging him on he would have stopped to stare confused as to why the military was fighting with itself. "What's going on? Why are they fighting each other?"

The entrance to the building was in sight and the distraction had begun. He had to get Satoru in quickly before it turned into a war zone. "Asami is not the only human looking machine working in society. There are many in the military and now that they know where to find Adam they can't let the humans reach it before them." Another side that Satoru wasn’t aware of, but he couldn’t let him dwell on the matter, pulling him into the building.

Satoru slid to a stop on the marble floor of the main hall coming in front of Yuu blocking his path to bring him to a stop. He put his arms out making himself as wide as possible as though he could actually do something to prevent Yuu from getting past. There was a need for answers that overrode his other thoughts. Satoru had always assumed that Yuu knew more than he was letting on, but it was no clearer than with the General that Yuu knew everything. He was holding in secrets that Satoru needed. "Where is Adam actually then?" If everyone knew where Adam was now, but him he needed to find it and stop them from using it on the machines. He had to prevent the destruction of all machines in the world.

Yuu held his step for a moment in standing before Satoru. He knew that Satoru needed to know everything, but it would mean nothing if they didn’t focus on the more important matter. "I can't reveal all of my secrets just yet. You'll know when the time is right." He pushed Satoru aside, running past down the hall expecting Satoru to follow him.

"Stop screwing with me!" Satoru ran to the hall shouting down it to Yuu wishing that it would stop him. He could do nothing else to stop him. "I deserve to know!"

The words made him stop once more. The man did deserve to understand after all that he went through. This was bad timing. They didn’t have the luxury to stand around. Yuu shouted back to Satoru forcing him to remember what was actually important right now. "We have more pressing matters right now. We have to stop Asami from carrying out her mission."

Satoru took a step back, his eyes widening for a second thinking of Asami. She was here trying to kill everyone under orders from the Seraphim. He had to stop her. Satoru ground his fist tightly knowing that he had to let Adam go for the time. "The summit…" Once his priorities were confirmed he charged forward to meet Yuu.

"Yeah…" Yuu resumed running down the hall towards the summit hall with Satoru. The world was about to be exposed to a great many secrets. He wondered if the frail Earth would be able to withstand the shock that was about to come for them. Yuu watched the determination in Satoru's face hoping to see the same face in the others that he had remembered.