Radioactive: Chapter Twenty-Two

Radioactive

Chapter Twenty-Two

~Fading~

“Unhand me at once!” the doctor shouted as Duke walked through the streets. His hands were tied behind his back. Duke nudged the doctor along and forced him to continue to walk.

“No,” Duke stated.

Duke stopped and looked around. He could have sworn that he heard something. Seeing that his attention was no longer on him, the doctor broke into a run…if one could call it that. He didn’t get very far before Duke noticed and did something about it. Duke stomped on the ground, shaking the foundation just enough to cause the doctor to lose his balance. Without the use of his hands to help maintain his upright position, he fell to the ground. Duke rolled his eyes.

“Stay there,” Duke said, “I’ll be right with you.”

The doctor protested, “I shouldn’t be treated this way! I made an entirely new species! I could be treated with respect.”

“Quiet,” Duke shushed the doctor, “I don’t want to hear it.”

The doctor was quiet as Duke walked around. He knew he hears something, he just couldn’t pinpoint where it had come from. Duke sighed. Whatever he heard wasn’t making a sound now. He turned and walked back toward the doctor.

“Get away!” a muffled scream came from underneath.

Duke turned toward the manhole in the street. The cover, and part of the street, was thrown off in a blinding light and deafening explosion. Riu pulled herself out of the gaping hole in the middle of the street. She crawled backwards as she tried to get to her feet. A mutant crawled out of the hole and slithered after her. Riu threw a ball of lightning at the creature. The mutant jumped back and looked around. It saw the doctor lying helpless on the ground. In its mind, he made an easier target than the girl. It charged at the doctor.

“No! Get back!” the doctor shouted, “Listen to me! I created you! Heed me!”

The creature didn’t and continued to charge. Duke drew his sword and brought in down on the creature as it passed him by. The blade passed clean through, stopping the creature in its tracks. There was some silence as people caught their breath.

“I don’t understand,” the doctor muttered as he looked at the creature, “Why didn’t it listen to me?”

“Maybe it didn’t like you,” Duke said, “I mean I don’t like you and I wasn’t one of your test subjects. It probably had just a lot of pent up anger.” Duke looked over at Riu, “Didn’t expect to find you here.”

“I’m going to kill ‘im!” Riu shouted.

Duke raised an eyebrow, “Who?”

“That blasted Kaiba, that’s who!” she got to her feet.

Duke sighed, “What did he do this time?”

Riu looked at him, “Almost got me killed by a six foot minotaur! One second he’s there, the next he’s gone and in his place is a charging bull! Nearly got me killed! If it weren’t for the vents I wouldn’t have gotten out at all!”

“How do you know it was Kaiba?” Duke asked.

“Because I just do!” Riu shouted, “You weren’t there! It was all just to strange if you ask me!”

Duke paused, “But why would Kaiba want to kill you?” The doctor shifted uncomfortably. Duke looked over his shoulder, “Do you have anything to contribute old man?”

“My arms hurt, that’s all,” the doctor said.

Duke looked at Riu, “Where’s that body jumper?”

“How should I know!?” Riu rolled her eyes, “Kaiba said he jumped and ran and that—”

“So he wasn’t in his usual body?” Duke asked.

“No, he wasn’t,” Riu crossed her arms.

“And Kiri?” Duke was slowly connecting the dots?”

Riu shrugged, “Off after the jumper supposedly. Why?”

“So Kaiba was alone with the body jumpers discarded body,” Duke sighed.

“What are you getting at?” Riu scratched her head, “Are you saying that—”

Duke turned and pulled the doctor to his feet, “Kaiba isn’t Kaiba right now. We still have some time. If we hurry, we can just make it.”

“Make it to what!?” Riu asked.

Duke walked off, “Make it before Kaiba’s mind is gone for good.”

~§~

Kaiba walked down one of the many hallways in the underground laboratory.  He suddenly collapsed to his knees and tried to support himself against the wall. He gripped his head in pain. Kaiba smiled. A dark laugh escaped his lips.

“Are you still there Kaiba?” Kaiba laughed.

As if in response he cried out. He threw his head into the wall, “Get out of my head!”

Kaiba only laughed some more, “No one’s ever really fought this hard before. Most just give in to the growing emptiness.”

“Get out!” he shouted in response.

“Make me,” Kaiba stated.

As suddenly as the fit came, it disappeared. Kaiba stood up and rubbed the side of his head. He smiled, “I guess that’s all you’ve got. What a shame.”

Kaiba quickly stepped to one side. A hand shot by his face from behind. He turned around as his attacker dashed forward. A child ran passed him with a smile on its face. As he shot passed he tried to slide to a stop but continued a few more feet due to the momentum. He shot a hand forward, it broke into segments, lengthening the reach of his harm and grabbed onto Kaiba’s leg. The boy pulled his arm back pulling Kaiba in the proses. Kaiba struck the ground back first. The boy jumped into the air and extended both of his arms and tried to pin Kaiba down. Kaiba moved one of his arms and a blade extended from his wrist. He tried to cut at the boys arms but they retracted and the boy sailed over him and landed somewhere above his head. Kaiba jumped to his feet and turned around to face the boy. He stopped suddenly when a rain of daggers were hurled at him. Unable to react fast enough, Kaiba was struck in several places. He jumped back and dropped to one knee.

“Ouch,” Fang muttered, “That look like it hurt.”

“I made sure to hit all of the major pressure points,” Jekyll smiled, “That should slow him down a little.”

Fang placed a hand on Ing’s head. His words were directed at Kaiba, “So Jumper, or whatever your name is, I’ll make you an offer. Come on out and fight your own battles instead of hiding in a body that isn’t yours then maybe, just maybe I won’t tear you to shreds.”

Jumper laughed, “You’d really fight your own colleague?”

Jekyll drew three more blades from his knuckles, “You have no idea how much the idea pleasures me.”

He threw the daggers and Jumper somehow managed to get to one side. Ing ran forward. He ran up the wall and jumped over Jumper’s head. His arms reached down to Jumper’s shoulders and gripped on tight. Ing landed behind the body jumper and threw the man further down the hallway. Fang ran passed him in his wolf form and charged at Jumper.

Unfortunately, Jumper got to his feet and slashed at Fang with an extended blade. Fang avoided the attack and got around it and bit the man in the shoulder. Jumper fell backwards and screamed in pain as Fang’s jaws clamped onto him. With Fang’s massive paw on his arm Jumper used the other to try to get the wolf off of him. Ing grabbed ahold of his arm and pinned it to the floor. The boy struggled at first to keep Jumper secured but he managed in the end.

Jumper shouted as he tried to struggle against his captors. After a few moments, he started laughing uncontrollably. The faint sound of a cell phone ringing could be heard.

Fang released his shoulder and growled, “What the heck are you laughing at?”

Jumper didn’t answer right away. He laughed hysterically, “You can’t do anything! He’s long gone! You can’t do anything about it! The worst you can do to me is lock me up! You wouldn’t dare hurt me even if you know I’m not the real Kaiba!”

Jekyll walked up slowly. He looked uninterested, “Is that so? Tell me, what would happen if the one who’s body you are trying to take over isn’t so easy to take over? What happens to you if they start to win? I will tell you this; Kaiba is a lot stronger than you think.” Jekyll reached down into the inner coat pocket and pulled out a ringing cell phone. He flipped it open to look at the caller ID. With a sigh, he looked down at Jumper, “It’s for Kaiba.” He answered the phone.

“Hello? Kaiba? Are you there?” a familiar voice came from the phone. There was a slight sigh before the caller continued, “Look, I know you’re currently on a mission and I know you’re probably annoyed at my calling you but I just couldn’t shake his feeling that I have that something is wrong. I already called your brothers and your mother and sister but they all seem fine. Well, Chaud is having girl trouble but that’s turned into a regular occasion. Apparently, that Zara has a mean right hook Amber has a school play this next week. I hope you can make it back by then. We could go as a family. You’re mothers worried sick like she always is when you say you’ll call and you don’t. I’ve tried to explain to her that you’re busy and are trying to focus on work but I guess it’s a mother’s job to worry. Oh and Lynx wanted me to tell you that he has something to show you when you get back. I’m not going to pretend to understand what he said so just get back so he has someone else to explain it to. Well, I’ve wasted too much of your time. I just wanted to know if you were alright, Kaiba. I guess you’re busy right now. Call back when you can. Oh, and Kaiba, come home soon.” The caller hung up.

Jumper laughed, “And what was that to prove?”

Jekyll sighed, “I told you, it wasn’t for you. I was for Kaiba. Just reminding him what he’s fighting for.”

The smile on Jumper’s face suddenly disappeared. His laughter turned into screaming. His head felt like it was about to split in two. He struggled against those who had him pinned. Jumper pulled his arm away from Ing, throwing the android to one side. A blade shot out of his wrist and he stabbed Fang in the side. Jumper got to his feet and ran down the hallway. He barged into a room and closed the door behind him.

Jumper gripped his head as he struggled against Kaiba mentally. In was a sudden burst of energy that Kaiba fought with, a renewed strength. He had never taken over someone with so much fight in them. Normally, the host would give up. But not Kaiba. It seemed the more he fought the stronger Kaiba became. He screamed and threw himself around as he struggled to find a way to outsmart and overpower Kaiba. Jumper swore and cussed as he fought to concentrate through the immense pain.

His eyes opened wide as if he were experiencing some kind of shock. His hands pulled away from his head and he placed them palm first onto the floor. He shook his head franticly. He tried to move his hands but they wouldn’t budge. Jumper tried to say something but his jaw was clamped shut. He started to panic. Little by little he was losing control of his movements. His mouth opened when he didn’t instruct it to and he spoke.

“I told you to get out,” Kaiba said.

No.

“Now it’s too late,” he said.

No.

“I’d appreciate it if you would just disappear,” Kaiba shouted the last bit.

No!

Jumper was thrown into the back of Kaiba’s mind. He lost any and all control he had of Kaiba’s body. He felt cold and distant like the edges of his consciousness were starting to fray around the edges. Jumper found himself in a position he never though he would find himself. Panic started to settle in as he made feeble attempts to regain control. But it was no use. He was getting weaker and it was getting harder and harder to concentrate. He was fading into the recesses of Kaiba’s mind. Soon he wouldn’t exist. He was in essence dying out side of his own body. The thought scared him. Without a body, did he have a soul?

Kaiba gasped for air. He collapsed onto his back and tried to catch his breath. It was done. He was free. At least he thought he was. He heard a door open somewhere and tried to look around to see who it was. Kaiba made an effort to sit up but he was just too mentally and physically exhausted to move too much. Jekyll crouched down near him.

“Welcome back,” Jekyll stated.

Kaiba looked up at him and scowled, “You didn’t have to enjoy nearly killing me so much back there.”

Jekyll shrugged, “How often too I get the chance to blame my actions on the fact that a body jumper took over your body?”

“Not very often,” Kaiba hated to admit.

Jekyll smiled, “Exactly.” He flipped open the phone, dialed a number and handed it to Kaiba, “Call your father. I’m sure he’s worried sick.”

Kaiba grabbed the phone and held it up to his ear, “Father? Yes, I’m fine. Thanks for the call. I know, I know, mom worries. I promise to call more… Yes, I’ll be home before Amber’s play. I wouldn’t miss it.”

Radioactive: Chapter Fourteen

Radioactive

Chapter Fourteen

~Two in One~

“There is no way that I am going back out there with him!” Riu shouted, “He could have ruined my cover and gotten us both killed! Does no one understand that?”

Kaiba sighed. He sat at one of the computers as he got some work done, “For the nth time, Duke is a specialist in undercover operations. That is why I brought him along. Also, what Duke said was entirely true. This Grayson character already knew that you weren’t who you said you were but trusted you anyway. That should say something shouldn’t it?”

Riu crossed her arms, “Still! What gave him any right to give me out like that!?”

“Are you sure this isn’t a pride thing?” Fang, in his human form, asked.

“I don’t recall talking to you!” Riu snapped at him.

Fang nodded, “It’s a pride thing.”

“Pride thing,” Jekyll agreed.

“I just said—arrgh!” she stormed up stairs away from the others.

Kiri stood up from her seat and followed Riu upstairs. She stopped half way and looked down at the boys below, “It’s true that men don’t really ever grow up.”

“Ouch,” Fang stated as Kiri went upstairs.

Duke looked at Fang, “I didn’t mean to out her, it’s just that in that situation it seemed best to come clean than for him to call us liars and shoot us.”

“She knows that,” Fang said, “It just hurts to admit it.”

Kaiba sighed and typed away at the computer, “Since we didn’t find anything out yesterday we’ll just have to find some today.”

“There has to be a faster way to do this,” Fang groaned.

“If you think of something, please let me know,” Kaiba said, “Until then, head out.”

“Yay!” Ing threw his arms into the air.

Fang glared at him, “Don’t get too exited now.”

Jekyll walked toward the window, “I guess I’ll be on my way then.”

“At least someone is getting stuff done,” Kaiba muttered.

Fang sighed, “Come on, kid.” He headed for the window with Ing close on his heels.

The twosome walked through the streets. They walked along a route that they didn’t go the day before. A few people talked to the boy atop the dog and they were able to make a few connections and ask a few questions in a non-threatening conversation. As they walked through the streets and alleys they saw a woman walking through the streets. Fang stopped and observed the situation. Ing looked over. He was interested only because Fang looked interested.

“Synthia!” the woman called out, “Synthia! Where are you girl!? You know how worried you’ve made me!?”

Fang walked up to her casually. Ing did the talking.

“Are you looking for someone?” Ing asked.

The woman turned to them. She looked frazzled and confused; almost shocked that someone seemed to care about her plight.  The woman came up to them and pulled out a picture.

“My daughter,” she said, “It’s her birthday today and I can’t find her. I stopped by her apartment but she wasn’t there.”

“She could be hanging out with friends, right?” Ing said.

“Her kids were still in the apartment. I know there are lots of mothers that don’t care about their kids in this neighborhood by my girl wasn’t one of them. I tried to raise her right. She wouldn’t leave her kids alone without a babysitter at least. If she had needed to be somewhere she would have called me to watch the kids. Can you help me look for her? I think something must have happened.”

Ing looked at the picture, “We’ll keep an eye out for her. I’d hate for something bad to happen to her.”

“Thank you,” the woman sobbed, “thank you so much!” The woman walked away calling out her daughter’s name and stopping anyone who would listen.

Ing looked down at Fang, “That was the same girl from yesterday. What do you think happened to her?”

“I don’t know,” Fang stated, “Let’s get moving.”

Fang walked to where they had met the girl at her apartment. It was true. The building looked empty and there was no trace of the girl. Fang sniffed at the ground near the door and followed a scent trail. He walked with his nose to the ground. Confused and interested, Ing watched Fang work.

“What are you doing?” Ing asked.

“Tracking someone,” Fang said.

“Who?”

“The boy she was with.”

“Why?”

“Something wasn’t right,” Fang stated.

“Not right?”

Fang looked over his shoulder, “Are you really of any use other than to ask questions and annoy people?”

“Hmph,” Ing crossed his arms.

Fang continued his tracking, “The way the boy smelled bothered me. He didn’t smell right.”

“How so? I mean—” Ing covered his mouth. “Sorry,” he apologized, realizing he was still asking questions.

Fang looked over his shoulder for a moment before continuing his tracking, “He smelled like two different people. Before you ask another question, every person has their own unique scent. Even you do and technically you’re an inanimate object. But with that kid he had two different scents. The best I can describe it is that his body had a scent but there was a different scent mixed in with it. Again, it was like two different scents on one person.”

“Couldn’t it have been a trace sent that he picked up from someone else?” Ing questioned.

Fang sighed, “Don’t you think I know the difference between someone’s sent compared to a trace someone picked up?”

“Sorry,” Ing looked down.

Fang continued on as he followed the scent. He followed it to an alley way where the scent was the strongest. Fang walked around trash dumpsters and piles of garbage and cardboard boxes. He stopped suddenly when he saw what was ahead of them.

“Get off my back and turn around, kid,” Fang stated.

“But…”

“Now!” Fang snarled.

Ing got off Fang’s back and turned around like Fang told him to. Fang assumed his human appearance and walked closer to what he found. He knelt down by the body of the boy that they had seen the day before. Fang examined the body.  He also observed the surrounding scene. The body lay lifeless in the alley; to Fang it looked abandoned like someone’s coat discarded after use. There was a cardboard box that looked like it had been used by a homeless person. Where the homeless person was, Fang didn’t know. The surrounding smells and stenches coming from the garbage masked the scent of anything else.

Fang sighed. He got up and walked over to Ing. He pushed the boy out of the alley and they stood there while Fang tried to figure out what to do next.

“What now?” Ing looked up at Fang.

“Well, we should report this to Kaiba and let him figure out what we’re up against,” Fang answered.

“Okay,” Ing nodded. “Fang?”

“Yeah,” Fang looked down at Ing.

Ing looked down, “I’ve never seen a dead body before like that, I mean…”

“You’ll be fine,” Fang placed a hand on Ing’s shoulders, “You’ll be okay.”

Ing leaned against Fang’s leg, “I’m sorry.”

“It isn’t your fault,” Fang said as he guided Ing back toward their base, “Come on, let’s get you back. You look tired. Let’s get you some rest.”

Radioactive: Chapter Two

Radioactive

Chapter Two

~Haunted Houses and Monsters~

Part Two

Kiri followed the blood trail from the hole in the ceiling to the second floor room. The walls in the room were covered in claw marks and blood smears. The floor opened up to Kiri’s right. A small notice appeared in her vision. The DNA from the blood sample belonged to the latest missing person, Mr. Granger. He disappeared after stating to his wife that he was going to take a walk and would be home soon. Kiri sighed. He wasn’t coming home as he intended.

Her attention shifted to the claw marks on the walls. There appeared to be a struggle of some kind in the room. Kiri scanned one of the claw marks and put it against her vast database. She didn’t find any direct matches. Kiri filed the information to use on a later date. Whatever made the scratches had five claws, awfully sharp by the looks of things.

Curious she brought up a virtual schematic of the house. She scowled when she didn’t see Kaiba’s tracking number come up where he said he’d be. Instead of in the basement he was below the house in what looked like an air pocket that the house was almost on top of. Fortunately she rarely listened to Kaiba’s order not to monitor him. On more than one occasion, he had bitten off more than he could chew. Naturally he would insist that he would have been fine.

A red dot appeared on the screen labeled UO for Unidentified Object. It seemed to be pursuing Kaiba’s blue symbol in a predatory manor. Kiri glanced at the claw marks once more.

“And he asks why his father insists I come along on these missions,” Kiri stated.

She jumped through the hole to the first floor and walked toward where she left the briefcase. Her eyes started to glow purple. Ones and zeros crossed her visions on the screen. When they disappeared there was a hole where all the zeros had bunched together. With her briefcase, Kiri jumped into the hole.

Kaiba landed on a pile of bones. He stumbled forward, releasing his grip on his flashlight and ending up on his hands and knees. The flashlight struck the ground and went out almost instantly. Kaiba suddenly found himself alone in the dark. For a moment, he forced himself to breath evenly to calm himself. Nothing ever got accomplished by panicking. Then he started feeling around in the dark for his flashlight.

There was a sound behind him and Kaiba looked over his shoulder. Naturally he couldn’t see anything in this darkness. He forced himself to remain calm and levelheaded. It was just loose dirt falling from the hole. Nevertheless he found his hands searching more franticly for the flashlight. One of his fingers touched the butt of the flashlight, pushing it further away. The sound of something sharp scrapping against the rock rang out in the darkness. There was no rationalizing it anymore, there was something behind him. He grabbed the flashlight and tried to turn it on. It wouldn’t.

Kaiba swore and got to his feet, facing whatever threat was after him. He hit the head of the flashlight against the palm of his hand hoping to bring the device back to life. There was a low growl as Kaiba tried to make the flashlight work. He took slow even steps backwards, feeling his way through a place he couldn’t see. Once again he hit the flashlight against his palm and is slowly flickered to life. He pointed it in toward the darkness.

He jumped slightly, not expecting what he saw to be so close. At about four feet away was the mysterious predator. It looked part human in some appearances but was covered in green scales except for its face. Its face looked human by all means. It was around the neck that the scales started appearing, transitioning from skin to the green scales. Black claws extended about three inches from its fingers. The claws on its toes were much shorter. Its tail waved low to the ground. It appeared to be made out of segments and three blades shot out at the tip. Neural spines extended from its back at about two inches apart. They weren’t that tall but they were noticeable.

The creature growled. Its eyes looked large and innocent as the tapetum lucidum reflected the light of the flashlights light back. Strands of white hair fell over the creatures face. It looked at Kaiba with curiosity and interest. Kaiba tilted his head slightly and the creature followed the motion.

“So you’re what’s been following me all this time,” Kaiba spoke.

The creature cooed or something close to it. Kaiba took another step back, looking behind him a brief moment. The air pocket was wide and expansive. When he looked back at the creature, the creature had decreased the distance between them by a foot. The creature cooed again.

“I think it’s safe to say that it’s better if you don’t get much closer,” Kaiba took a step back.

The creature tilted it head and crept closer, maintaining the new distance. Kaiba nearly tripped backwards over some remains. He looked down at the remains, only half eaten by the creature. Kaiba felt his breath get caught in his throat. Suddenly the creature screeched, bearing sharp fangs. It lunged at Kaiba.

Kaiba raised his arm to defend himself. He felt the creatures fangs dig deep into his arm. Kaiba fell backwards at the impact dropping the flashlight. This time the light remained on. He tried to crawl backwards as the creature tried to bite through his arm. Kaiba took his other arm; a blade pierced his through the skin of his wrist. The blade was six inches long. Kaiba thrust his arm into the creature’s abdomen, the blade digging deep into the flesh. The creature cried out in pain, releasing Kaiba’s arm. It retreated into the shadows.

Kaiba quickly got to his feet. Blades extended from both wrists. He looked around, the light from the flashlight only provided uneven light. Kaiba looked into the shadows. He knew that the creature was still out there, waiting for another opportunity to attack. The blades extended to about a foot. His eyes scanned the darkness. He heard something behind him. Acting quickly, Kaiba threw his arm in a wide arch and pivoted around.

He cut the creatures face as it lunged at him. The creature fell to the ground. Kaiba took his other hand, the blade sharp and ready, and thrust it in the creature’s chest. The creature moved in time and the blade struck the creature in the upper right shoulder. Angered, the creature’s tail lashed out towards him. The three blades dug deeply into Kaiba’s back. He cried out in pain.

Kaiba pulled his arm back and severed the creature’s tail. He stepped back and tried to pull the three blades of the tail from his back. The creature turned its body and attacked again. Kaiba darted to one side. He grabbed what was left of the tail and pulled it out of his back. The creature turned toward him again and started to attack. It leaped and lunged at him but suddenly it whimpered and was thrown to one side. It struck a rock, a silver blade dagger sticking in its leg. Kaiba turned to where the dagger came from. Kiri stood there, an annoyed look in her eyes.

“You couldn’t wait until I was done with examining the first and second floor?” Kiri asked.

“Can we talk about this a little later? We have a little bit of an issue,” Kaiba muttered.

“Would you like your briefcase now or later?” Kiri held the briefcase out.

The creature growled anger at the new comer.

“Later! Later! I’ll look at it later!” Kaiba shouted impatiently.

“Yes, sir,” Kiri put the briefcase down.

She shifted herself into combat mode, redirecting most of her energy to her weaponry, arms and legs. The creature charged at her. Kiri stepped to one side, grabbed one of the creature’s arms and threw it into the opposite wall. The creature struck the wall. Kiri charged at it, her fists glowed a light purple due to her routing additional energy to her hands. She punched the wall where the creature was just moments before. Acting quickly she pivoted and punched the wall repeatedly following the creature as it tried to escape along the wall.

Dust, dirt and rocks fell off the wall. The creature screamed as Kiri pursued it. It ran away from the wall and Kiri was hot on its heels. She extended her right arm. A long compartment opened along her arm. A sword appeared and a machine slipped the sword down her arm and the hilt into her hand. She focused her energy in to her legs and jumped. Kiri pointed the blade down and landed just inches off her target. The creature darted out of the way the last moment. Unfazed, Kiri transitioned into her next attack. She took the sword and threw it narrowly missing the creature as it started to scale the walls.

Kiri straightened both her arms. Compartments in both opened revealing two silver handguns. Once they were placed into her hands she aimed and shot at the creature. She struck the creature several times and it lost its footing, falling back to the ground. There were two clicks as all her bullets were spent. The creature rolled over from its back and ran toward her. Kiri dropped the guns and stood still. The creature rushed at her and leaped. Out of nowhere Kaiba rushed passed her. The blade of his right arm was extended to three feet. He cut the creature from its opened mouth and cut through its entire body.

The creature’s snarl was cut short as its death came. Blood sprayed all over Kiri as she stood there unmoving. Kaiba breathed heavily, blood stained the blade. He relaxed his arm and the blade retracted back into his arm. Kiri dropped her human cover. Her body glowed a nebulous purple. Soon after, her body returned to its original clean self, clothes, appearance and all.

“What now?” Kiri asked as she walked over to the brief case.

“Bag the body and the rest of the tail. I’ll have Jekyll do an autopsy,” Kaiba stated.

Kiri set the briefcase on its side and opened it. A laptop computer lay secured in the case. She pulled out a black bag from one of the pockets it the case and walked over to the creature’s body. The foundation gave off a loud creaking sound.

“We should get out of here before this whole thing finally comes down,” Kaiba closed the case and waited for Kiri to finish with the body.

Together they made their way out of the house. Once they stepped outside the house fell into the abyss. Dust and dirt stirred up into the air, hiding the world in in a hazy fog. Kiri placed the body in the trunk and Kaiba got into the passenger’s seat. He opened the briefcase and turned on the computer. Kaiba wrote a report just as Kiri was getting in the car.

“You’re bleeding all over, sir,” Kiri stated as she sat in the driver’s seat.

“I’m fine,” Kaiba smirked, “The sooner we get home the sooner I can get this looked at.”

“We’re going to the airport with you looking like that?” Kiri started the car.

Kaiba closed the laptop, “I was thinking we could take the Midnight Train instead.”

Yes, sir,” Kiri pulled away from the curb leaving the destroyed home behind.