Chains Of Pride

The girls were on their way to Makoto's lab, well, the lab where he works. They were travelling down the beaten path, enjoying the beaten path. There was something with Talium and nature, they had an unwavering appreciation for it. Be it the power it contains or the beauty it exudes.

The facility itself was actually quite beautiful, each building occupied a large plot of land, and while broad swaths of land were cleared and paved to allow for easy traversing to and from these buildings, thick stretches of trees decorated each side, granting the location an aesthetic feel.

A warm wind flowed by while they made their way to Makoto's lab, blowing some of the leaves free, adding an almost fairytale feel to this closing chapter of theirs. Suddenly, the sisters stopped in their tracks, looking around with serious looks on their faces.

Rikona however, soon calmed down, an austere expression became her element. "Come out, we know you're there."

There was no immediate response for a while, but soon, they stared ahead and saw the hunched demeanour of an old man walking towards them from the direction they were headed to, "Oh you're very perceptive, not bad."

"Shit the director!" cursed Kura, the old man that stood before them both was the director of Exélixi, Shihai Yokubo He looked at them and released a friendly smile.

"Greetings young ones, a nice day for a walk, isn't it? It seems, however, to me that you're going on more than just that. Why don't you put down those heavy bags and sit awhile with this old man for a chat? You'd be making my day."

As he said this, the warm smile never once left this face, as if he was an old man in truth, wanting to hark back on the past with the new generation.

The director was the last person the girls wanted to see, in the past, he would usually check up on them, making frequent visits to their lab for the sake of their research. He was near obsessive in this regard, but the girls bore with it since he allowed them to stay and live at the compound in more than favourable conditions.

But now, here he stood, an aid turned obstacle. "My apologies director, we have...prior engagements with a friend" Rikona stated, her eyes on the man in front of her but still aware of her surroundings.

"That's a pity, but I believe I will need to insist on that talk." His demeanour of amicability crumbled in its entirety after that and was replaced with the austere atmosphere belonging to the director of Exélixi.

"First of all Director Shihai you're not worthy to sit down and have a talk with us, and second of all, I fail to see just how you're going to be able to, if I may say, insist, on that talk." Kura took the lead this time around and spared no feelings nor cordiality with her provocative words. Another wind blew across; however, this wind carried no warmth.

Yokubo with no change to his expression simply and wordlessly raised his hand, similar to a child who wanted to answer a question. In no time at all, a well-trained team complete in high tech tactical camouflage outfits and high-powered automatic firearms advanced from the forested environment to where they were.

"Place the bags on the ground and back away with your hands behind your heads, NOW!" One of the men, presumably their commander ordered the girls in a stern voice that left no room for discussion.

The girls only spared a quick glance on the commander before shifting their attention back to the director, an action which nearly had him throw up blood in anger. The old man smiled when he saw this and commented: "girls, while you may be faster, more durable and so on, I don't think being impervious to bullets is something you're able to do, now is it?"

Realisation dawned on Kura right then and there, "It was you! You 're the one I sensed last night. No wonder this seems so well thought out though I don't know you set this all up so fast, alright cut the crap, where's Makoto? I know that idiot wouldn't avoid calls from my sister unless it were something serious, and somehow this situation seems to qualify."

Director Shihai was visibly shaken by this, "Amazing! So you could truly sense me last night, is this some sort of extrasensory ability that your research granted you I wonder?! Your research is truly a wonder!"

At this, the sisters finally understood, the director was under the impression that they experimented on themselves and are probably something akin to super-soldiers, not aware that this was who they really were. They came to a tacit understanding to keep themselves in a state of being underestimated. "I'll ask one more time, WHERE IS MAKOTO?!"

Director Shihai nodded to the commander who chose to keep quiet after the conversation basically excluded him.

He performed some hand gestures which the men behind perceived and soon two more masked military personnel exited from the expanse of trees carrying another man of similar height. Of course, who could it be but Makoto who was surprisingly unharmed but obviously irritated?

"You'd think I'd be mad about being kidnapped, but nope not at all, it was comfortable actually. I mean, yeah, they broke into my lab, but by the time I noticed I went out like a light. So good night's sleep can be checked off the list thank you very much. No no, the reason why my face can be used to grater rocks is because of the 'balls itch-inducing human-shaped mass of cancer' behind me" Makoto let loose a spiel of the one injustice that he felt he'd been subjected to.

"Why is he not gagged?!" The commander was understandably furious at his subordinates slight.

"Don't be too hard on them dear commander, even if they did gag him, he would have found a way to do the impossible and shit out his mouth." A voice that still had the ability to run a chill up the girls' spines, it was Mayuri, in all his creepy, disturbing glory.

"So it was Mayuri, well no wonder you looked like that Makoto, I'm glad you're fine though, well, my definitions anyway" Rikona was relieved to see that Makoto was alright, her gaze turned severe when she shifted her attention to Mayuri. She was about to say something when she was interrupted by the director in front of her.

"I really don't want to sound too like the stereotypical bad guy, but here goes, give me what I want, and I'll let Makoto and you and your sister go, if not I'll have my fine men here open fire on him and you. I don't think you're even remotely close to a stage where you can deflect bullets, so don't make this hard." His aged face revealed a smirk, thinking he'd already won.

"No! You promised you wouldn't hurt them after you get what you want, I get them both, that was the deal!" Mayuri quickly interjected, thinking that the director was reneging on the conditions.

The director's eyes and even both the girl's eyes were wide open in shock at this outburst, with both groups thinking "Stupid! That was obviously a lie to have us/them lower our/their guard." Kura when she saw this, just smiled and shook her head, clearly sympathising with the director's plight for having such an asinine accomplice, evident by his twitching under the left eye.

Director Shihai decided to ignore that in its entirety and looked to the girls again before asking once more, "Well? How about it? Except for less than a few, I don't plan to keep these good men waiting for too long if you don't' mind."

"Just listen to him, I mean we wouldn't want to ruin those bodies of yours do we?" Mayuri once again had himself heard, much to the chagrin of the director. He was l.i.c.k.i.n.g his lips in eager anticipation of their inevitable surrender.