BREATH . OF . LIFE . ~ { ReGenisis Chronicles Book I }

Chapter Fifteen [Part 5/5]: Unlikely Alliance

                                -Rin Takeichi-

Immanuel Garner and I stood side by side outside of Andersen's office, our katana's in hand. Daniel's turned agents crawling out of the woodwork like lice. Fortunately this was not where they were concentrated.

Taking a Nocturnals head and feeling the ache of the swing, I held my shoulder.

Young Garner looked at me, eyes pulling small with understanding.  "You bluffed how fine you were to Andersen?" Worry mottling his face as he stood down from fighting stance, the hall cleared for a little while.

I panted, nodding my head. "He had to believe I was as capable as always." Lips shaking, as pale as I felt probably.

"What is it?" He scanned the two stains coming through my dress. "How are you not healing properly?" He realised.

"A nocturnal anti-coagulant. But it's better than it was. My body is adapting, just slower than usual." Leaning back against the door frame, I watched him mull it over.

"Uncle worked on something like that with Daniels, but then refused to continue." He sighed heavily, eyes wandering the hall, as if following a fly.

"Did that with a lot of projects here." I agreed quietly.

"Will your body adapt enough to compensate?" Fists tightening around his weapon.

"I won't know until I see Nicodemus again." I allowed myself a wry smile, "You should be rejoicing that I could be on my way out."

Young Garner shook his head, chuckling a little. "I don't rejoice in anyone's suffering. I rejoice in ending those who cause suffering though. You've never been on that list."

"Yet you work for Andersen?" I shot him a look.

He shrugged, "Damage control, I'm good at it." Then brushing it off, he asked, "Bet you never thought you'd be fighting alongside Trinity again?"

I closed my eyes, "I'll admit, I always thought it would be as simple as fighting to destroy it."

He laughed a little. "You're far too honest, Takeichi." He stopped suddenly, and then started silently moving up the hall away from me. I could hear the quiet footsteps of someone coming our way, his picking up on it was no surprise. Garner's origin was much like mine, but he was unaware of that. Fuzzy, false memories up until the day he woke up. Successful in his case, I broke through the shadow of the lies far too quickly. But it mattered little how we begun our lives, there was no time for contemplation on it.

I stayed put, watching as he tucked behind the corner and bloodied the walls. He reappeared quickly, wiping his brow of sweat. Then holding his finger to his ear.

          Inform Rin that King is in the building. She may find it useful to know now, instead of later.

Cole's voice, I smirked a little, feeling a twinge at the same time.

"You may want to talk to Andersen about making your bargain for two instead of one." He muttered, holding his ear piece again. A different voice played over it, frantic and rushed.

          This is Captain Orion of Unit Nine, requesting backup. Ground level, Unit Seven is preoccupied and cannot get to us, but we've got a major problem with turned agents trying to head for the ammunitions control. Two of my own turned on me. We could really use you here.

"On my way," Immanuel looked at me, a broad smile on his face covering the worry. "Keep them out of there until I arrive." He finished talking to the voice on the other end.

"I have to make sure no one blows this place up, can I trust you to guard Andersen?"

I dipped my head, an affirmative. "We may be enemies, but, he was always the lesser evil."

"And Cole?" Young Garner fished.

"He has a tendency of knowing too much."

            How astute, the same could be said of you, Rin Takeichi.

The voice faintly ringing from Immanuel's ear piece was still smug. "Alright, with that said, take care of yourself Takeichi." Immanuel saluted and moved out. Disappearing into a stairwell far down the long corridor.

Andersen's door opened then, he was stood there gun in hand, stern faced as always. "You realise, when this all blows over I could rescind my offer and have you executed?" It sounded like the words of a man who was contemplating it. Panic on his breath, much like gin as it hit my face, he felt the need to reinforce his control of the situation. One that he had had no control over for a very long time.

"You realise your other body guard just left and I am not only the one person standing between whatever nasty monster wants to get up here and rip you limb from limb. But I also have the ability to do just that." I lifted the edge of my katana up to the flesh of his neck, raising an eyebrow.

He put his gun away, but seemed otherwise un-intimidated. Icy lavender eyes narrowing on my face. The surface was just that, waxy surface, designed to look robust. I could feel his erratic heart rate spike, his breaths shallow.

"So, why don't you just kill me now then? Solve all your problems."

I closed my eyes, lifting up my katana as I felt a vibration run through the walls. I stepped back, the air vent above my head in the hall caved outwards sending pieces of the metal panel everywhere and from it jumped a petite scavenger. She leapt for Andersen at the same instant I swung my sword down over her neck. Her body flopped at his feet, leaving his suit stained and his face bloody.

"So many think that to kill, and to kill right away, is the only way to solve a problem." I hissed, "when the problem leaps at you, swift action should be taken. But becoming the leaping trouble," I tapped the side of the dead scavenger with my foot, both our eyes glancing down towards her.

"You believe you'd be cut down instead?" He grumbled.

"It would also make you a martyr and me the hostile force everyone turns to feast upon once this frenzy is over and they need new meat."  I bent down, wiping the blood from my sword onto the scrubs of the scavenger.

"It is truly a shame we're enemies." He had allowed himself a smirk, before kicking the body out of his way.

"Then savour these moments whilst they last, because your time is coming and I promise I will not stop the axe from falling when it does."

"The prediction is mutual."