Black Equation - The Forgotten Ones

Black Equation - Chapter 28 (Part 1)

Chapter 28  

Garbled sounds of excessively loud male voices echoed, drowning the heavy, steady footsteps of their rowdy owners. 06 tried to mute the unwanted noise, apparently without any success. Their voices only became clearer as each seconds ticked by. Even from afar, he could hear them. Although it was unnecessary, although all he wanted was peace, although all he craved for was silence, he could perfectly distinguish their words.

That he might be left alone... Was that too much to wish? Why couldn’t they just shut up? If only he could just plug his ears, he would have done so – if they would be effective on him. But no, it wouldn’t change a thing. Whether he liked it or not, he would still hear them, because it was a part of who he is – trained to be able to do so.

Equations were trained to be better than most, faster than most, sharper than most. Ironic that he found himself here moping, the very thing callous assassins like him had no right of doing. Emotions should’ve been lost long ago. They should’ve been gone the instant 06 emerged, the instant he became a killer.

He is 06. He needed to remember that. The boy named Arashi Katsuragi existed no more. He had died and had been buried together with his memories of Tokyo… and Daisuke Yanagi.

He shook his head, getting rid of the sickening memories of his childhood. He was already in pain with his present. There was no need to bring back his more painful past.

He is an assassin and he would be one for as long as he lived. He had pledged his life for this, to rid the filth of this world, to remove the evil that ordinary justice could never provide. He promised Daisuke that he would become the law when the law couldn’t take the bad guys down.

Make our world a better place…

He could vividly remember his friend’s dying words, burning intensely among the shadows of his mind. Daisuke took the bullet that should have killed him. His only nakama died in his arms. The muscles of his body tensed at the memory, cold beads of sweat hung low on his forehead.

To keep his promise, he chose to be an assassin. A villain. Just like the man who killed Daisuke and countless others. He bet he had killed much more.

He became evil to destroy evil.

He used to be fond of his work, an invisible hero doing the rotten world a favor. He thought it was the best until the nightmares came.

He had lost the simple pleasures of normality, of friendship, of life, of love. He initially thought it was silly, something that didn’t actually exist. He scoffed at the idea of him falling in love. Sure, before, he had felt attraction towards girls, but he knew it wasn’t love. It was lust. Only a brief moment of desire. This thing with Faye Summers was different.

The mere sight of her warmed him. The mere thought of her brought smiles to his face. He had never felt this before. He never thought he would. But it did. And it hurts.

Despite the fact that Equations were called heartless, it was the heart that was and will always be their most vulnerable part.

And his was broken, beyond repair.

Why was it that the wounds of the heart ache worse than that of the body? He had been tortured and beaten up his entire life, yet those times could not compare to this. Why had he even allowed himself to fall, recklessly, wholeheartedly? Had he done something from his past life to deserve this?

To love someone who would never be his?

To be someone he never wished to be?

He continued to walk lifelessly, wandering blindly in a place he was too messed up to recognize.

“… I’m gonna best my record today! The higher-ups will see that I’m worthy of working in the HQ.”

A hoarse voice cackled, “You?! Insane! I’m betting you’ll be working your sorry ass in this facility for the rest of your life!”

“Hey, Jun, how’s your kill ratio this month? Gotten better?”

“I hated working in groups,” spitted an African. “Those f*cking chickens are sore losers. Broke the formation so the senator escaped.”

“Who’re you calling chickens?!”

“Why are you guilty?” the one called Jun challenged.

The agents clad in dark gray suits were noisily arguing as they walked leisurely along the featureless halls. They were on their way towards the training building. The most boisterous of them, a middle-aged man with flaxen hair, accidentally bumped into 06 who just appeared from the other side of the intersection. 

“F*ck!” He scrambled back to his feet, only to meet a cold, piercing glare of the tall Asian. His blood almost chilled to ice if not for the anger burning in him. “You looking for a fight, kid?!”

Jun laughed, “It’s you who’s not paying attention, Nick.”

Nick snarled at the group of men, but then refocused on the younger guy standing in front of him. “Aren’t you going to beg for your life?” He kicked him hard on the chest. “You cocky asshole!”

The Asian showed no emotion, offered no objection or opinion, only eyed them in disgust, like they were crushed insects under his shoes. His dispassionate black eyes flicked to middle-aged man and then to the rest of group, who suddenly turned tense and quiet as they scrutinized him back.

“What?” the Base sneered cockily as he grabbed the 06’s collar, “too scared to talk?” He punched him directly on the face. Blood dripped slowly from his split lower lip, but 06 remained silent. “Get your sorry ass outta here! Now!”

The Base forcefully pushed him away, intending to let him fall face-first on the floor, but the black-haired man remained standing, wiping the blood off with his gloved hand.

“Are you done?” 06 asked in an inflectionless voice. His expression hadn’t changed a bit, not at all.

Nick’s voice quivered in absolute fear, the truth starting to reach for him. “Who are you?”

Before anyone could blink, 06 had the man’s throat in his bare left hand. With his other hand, he took the Base’s jacket. It burst into wild blue flames until it was incinerated into nothing, not even ashes. And then he threw the man down.

06 stared impassively at the other men who were standing apprehensively, as far as manageable from him in the limited space.

Belonging to the lower Bases, they weren’t informed of the new arrivals in the facility.

This was 13’s domain, and he alone is the Keeper of this branch. It was rare for an Equation to stay in a branch facility with other Equations; nobody really got along. Aside from that, Equations only report to the Master in the main base.

They deliberately stayed out of his way as he passed through them like a persona of Death.

06 glanced at his trembling hands once he was out of earshot.

“This is who I am. Nothing more, nothing less,” he murmured softly to himself.

He continued walking until he reached a large metal door at the end of the farthermost hall. He looked up, realizing that he came to that place without fully intending to.

Instinctively, he pressed his thumb on a scanner, and with a click, the heavy door automatically swung open. He watched the entrance for a minute, deliberating. He unwillingly stepped inside and then greeted the blonde guy with a sour-bitter tone.

“01.”