Chapter 29: All senses clear
In the broken down building in the city of Sendai, two figure is currently trying to work together in order to disable the bomb before them. With the female grounded unable to move, it left only the male to reach the timer before it's too late.
"Hurry up." Aoi urges the male
"You need to be patient. It's not easy to crawl on here with these other shit dangling about." Inosuke rebutted
Inosuke knowing that simply walking on the floor poses a risk, so he decided to crawl on the ceiling. He didn't have any power to stick to anything, but he does have gadgets for that. Crawling in between the explosives as well as strings of ribbons, his senses are going off on a major level. A single one of these sticks drops and it might be over for both of them.
"You need to hurry up."
"I'm trying my best here! Now shut your mouth until I get there!" Inosuke shouted
"Why are you shouting at me?!" Aoi got annoyed
"Shut the f*ck up woman!"
Inosuke quickly crawls over upside down until he reached above the corpse of his friend. He uses the gadgets on his legs to stick and hold his weight as he dangles upside down just barely reaching the rigged explosive.
"Alright, now what?"
"Disarm it of course!" Aoi shouted
"How do I do that?" Inosuke bluntly asked
"A-are you actually being serious right now?" Aoi blinked her eyes in disbelief. "How are you able to do all of that but not disarm a bomb?!"
"Do you want to die now?! Is that it? If not then tell me, how do I do that!" Inosuke is pissed off
"This guy-" She holds her head in frustration. 'Calm down Aoi, this isn't your first rodeo.'
"Fine, I will tell you but, you must LISTEN to MY instructions. Are we clear?" She emphasize her words
"Yeah yeah. Come on now, we only have half an hour."
"Good, first step.........."
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"How are we doing over there?"
Meanwhile on the high rise of an office building, a man and a woman are on a race against time to disarm all of the times explosive on the entire floor. According to the once breathing redhead, about one thousand of these devices are set up, but Zenitsu knows it must be more than that. A part of the reason why he's letting a potential enemy to help him disarm them as well.
"Got over 150 already." Zenitsu responded. "How about you?"
"200, still counting."
"We've only got half an hour left. Keep going." Zenitsu reminds her the urgency of the situation
"That friend of yours, he wouldn't have happened to be carrying something that could disarm all of these at once hmm?" The woman, Shinobu asked whilst her hand swiftly moves to cut wires
"I checked. He didn't have anything aside from that one button." Zenitsu replied. "Even if he did, he might not be stupid enough to bring it over here."
"These devices must've something to transmit their signals don't you think? Otherwise how could he be able to activate them in the first place?" Shinobu gave her thought
"A radio wave transmitter from the button triggers it, but if we have the reverse signal maybe we could-" Zenitsu paused
"What is it? Got any ideas?"
"EMP, of course!" Zenitsu ran towards the cart he had brought along
"What are you doing? Electro magnetic pulse?" Shinobu looked at the male clueless
"If we can make an EMP generator of sort, strong enough to disrupt the mechanism of these explosive-" Zenitsu got cut off
"Then we could disarm them all. Good idea." Shinobu went to help. "Do you have such thing?"
"Unfortunately I did not, but we can make one." Zenitsu let out all of the tools he carries
"Make one? From these chemicals? It's feasible but-"
"I know you're quite experienced in this sort of thing. Cut down the act and mix them to create bla bla bla........." Zenitsu babbled on. "Got that?"
"You sure do know your stuff. How old are you?"
"In my 20s, lets leave it at that." Zenitsu simply said
"Hmm, quite young. Don't you want to know mine?" Shinobu teased the man
"It's rude to ask a woman of her age. For that reason I will not do it."
"Hmm, a gentleman are we?" She continues to mix the chemicals together. "If we survived this whole mess, why don't you come with me?"
"Should we finish making the device and survive, I believe we know what's to come."
"I see." Shinobu gave him a glare. "You're that kind if person eh?"
"We will see. Once storm had passed, blood may still shed among us. Question is, who will that be?"
"Till then, be ready for anything. Whether it's the explosion or me, both aren't a good choice."
'This woman, she's a threat no matter what I do. I need to be cautious.'
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Around the same time inside an apartment building, two figure dancing around each other with shining blades in their hands. The room walls and interior filled with slash marks, some deep enough to cause a fatal wound upon those on the receiving end. Spies clashes their sharp blades for one man in the room.
"You're quite skilled Tatsuo-kun." Kanae gasps for air
"Same goes to you. I supposed you're no ordinary person, at least in your ranks."
"What do you mean by my ranks?" She got curious
"I supposed you don't believe that you're the only one operating in the shadows do you? Yet you remain clueless of who I was." Tatsuo calmly said
"Are you implying that there's more of you?"
"Us, I think you meant by us." Tatsuo lowers his weapon. "We both do it for the sake of world peace, no?"
"A world peace is only temporary. Our mission is to make it permanent." Kanae sat down. "A spark is all it takes to ignite a war. And a war is the last thing we want from today."
"There are countless of soul wanting a war for their own benefit, or simply revenge." He looked out the window. "These innocent lives do not belong to the frontline. We make sacrifices for them and only them. That's our job."
"Say Tatsuo-kun,might I ask." She uses her hand as a stand for her cheek. "Why did you come here?"
"I'm here for him of course." Tatsuo simply replied
"I meant by personally. Someone like your personality doesn't seemed to fit on where you're standing. You came for him sure, but why?"
"......." Tatsuo became silence
"Ara? Too shocked to speak-"
"My reason to come here is actually," He looks at the female. "To meet you."
"Huh?" Kanae got intrigued.
"My main reason to meet you is for us to talk about something important." Tatsuo sat down in a chair
"And what is that?"
"An alliance, between your agency and mine."
"Oh? You can't be serious?"
"He's serious." Suddenly the redhead intervenes. "The scent of determination is definitely strong. You're really are gonna rat out our agency huh?"
"Like I said, this is not about me ratting out the agency to them. What this will entail determines the future of the agency." Tatsuo said confidently
"If you say so, but even then." Kanae flashes her knife once more. "We're still in trouble and until we're in the clear, negotiation would be fruitless."
"I see." Tatsuo stood up. "How about another round then? To pass the time."
"With pleasure."
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From the majestic mansion full of butterflies, to the small town known for their hot springs and ski resort. It attracts many to come and visit for a relaxing day or two, but she isn't there for her own enjoyment. For she came to find the male that has been haunting her before her sisters would.
'The house inside the woods, most likely in snow. Plenty of it around here. It would take me hours to find it.'
Just as she began to scour the area, a few moments later she stumble upon a house still intact in the middle of a clearings. Her eyes did not deceive her as the details of the house is the exact same in the picture she had.
'No doubt about it, this is it.' She looks up. "Smoke."
As the saying goes, "Where there's smoke, there's fire." and fire don't start on themselves. It's either by nature or by human touch. She knows it's definitely the latter. She moves closer towards the house leaving deep footprints in the white snow. Her hands holding the gun, a real firearm that she owned in case something were to happen during off duty.
She tread her steps carefully as she enters the house. Upon entry, the open space living room were empty, nothing but a table. She carefully walk around and observe the room. To her surprise, she found no dust present even after the house was supposedly abandoned long ago. Before she take another step, a loud beep echoes throughout the room. Her eyes immediately pinned towards one door where she thought the sound came from.
'Someone is here.'
She quickly move towards the door and slid it open. She found no one but a machine similar to the one she found before. This time it is powered on and the screen shows a timer.
'10 minutes? What will happen in ten minute?'
"Greetings, Tsuyuri-san."
Keeping true to the cold facade she's showing, she didn't flinch from the sudden male voice she came to known, perhaps already too well. Calmly she face the male only to her surprise, he's not with her physically in the same room. As a screen showing his face with white background. She went closer to the screen near the machine.
"I hoped you don't mind me meeting you like this." The same old redhead spoke
"It saddens me the fact that we can't meet in person again." She coldly said
"It pains me as well as I couldn't sense your emotion from here. Anyhow, you're good for being able to find my old home."
"I guessed as much. Your clues are clever but not good enough." She replied calmly
"Have you ever thought of going to one of the three places where I have been sighted?"
"If I didn't met you in the pouring rain, I wouldn't say I haven't."
"A shame really. Do you still have the device on you?" The male continued
"Why would you be interested if I did or not?" She questions the male in the screen
"Turn it around and place it on the control console."
"What?"
"Do it or in 7 minutes, you will witness these six get blown to pieces."
The seemingly old room suddenly came to life as multiple screens showing multiple feeds of camera from multiple angle and locations. Her eyes widens to see her sisters as well as her best friend with some other three male alone in a room. Two of them shows they're cooperating trying to disable the countless of explosives whilst one of them is fighting instead.
'Kanae-nee san.'
"Now do you know, the risky game you're in?" The redhead calmly smile as her facade began to crumble
"Let them go." She snapped
"I'm afraid it's not within my grasp to save them, it's yours."
"You little-"
"Now lets not get angry now shall we? You only have 5 minutes remaining."
"Curse you."
She tread her steps towards the console and within the numerous buttons and keyboards, a hole shaped exactly like the one device she held in her hand. Steadily she lowers the device until it snapped into place. The panel display changes and a robotic voice greets her.
"WELCOME BACK. SYSTEM OPTIMAL. COUNTDOWN UNTIL ZERO IS T-MINUS 5 MINUTE."
"5 minute. Are you capable of undoing such command without blowing them up?" The redhead calmly said
"I will save them all."
Not delaying one more precious seconds, she began to type in commands of various kinds. Her nimble fingers had no problem locating the right key to type the right word. He simply observe her trying desperately to disarm the explosives his other selves has planted.
In the rush, the timer continues to countdown and her sweat had already drenched her suit. She had been trained to dealt with disarming explosives until it's down to the wire, but when her sisters and friend lives are on the line, the risk suddenly shot through the roof. No matter how much she trained for this moment, her hands will still shake from the adrenaline rush in her veins.
"I wonder how long will it take you to disarm it? Perhaps are you fast enough to even do it?"
"Shut up!" Kanao shouted
Running out of time, she decided that she couldn't do it digitally. She took out a knife and jab into the control panel to rip it open. Wires and circuit boards greets her and she began sifting through the wires. Tanjiro as the male is known as felt astonished to see her taking this route.
'She chooses this route. That would mean she had to locate the timing module and other corresponding modules and cut them all off. Question is, if she's capable to do it in the time rema-'
His train of thought halted when she took out ten modules already and all that's left are two wires. Even he didn't acknowledge the two red and blue wires being there. She dwells over them both as her knife is at the ready to cut one of them, that is if she knows which one to cut.
"Ah, a classic. What will you choose? Red or blue?" He cited
'Which one is it? If I made one wrong step, agh! Come on think! Which one!' She's struggling
"T-MINUS THIRTY SECOND. TWENTY NINE, TWENTY EIGHT, TWENTY SEVEN, TWENTY SIX......." The machine began to count down
'My training says that the red ones are the power supply, but he's a former spy. He might have thought about it and switch it up. Or maybe he didn't as he would predict me thinking like this. Which one?!'
"TEN. NINE. EIGHT. SEVEN. SIX."
"Agh!" Her mind goes into a meltdown
"FOUR, THREE, TWO, ONE."
Under intense pressure, she didn't think anymore and simply cut them both. The countdown stopped at .007 of a second left. She collapse from the sudden urge of relief and the knife left her hands. The spectator of the whole thing were surprised to see that she managed to pull it off. His eyes softens and a smile etched onto his face.
"Well done. Looks like you've passed the test." He spoke
"Test? This whole thing is a test?!" She yelled in disbelief
"I made this game to actually test your ability, but also." His stare changed. "To teach you a lesson."
"Your little game had just nearly costs many lives!"
"I just had to be sure. Never thought you would have such emotion, even after that stone cold facade you're always showing towards your enemy."
"Make your point." She stares at the male angrily
"The fact is, I'm not inside my body right now. The real one." Tanjiro simply said. "What you're talking to right now is my consciousness separated from my body. But Muzan had the technology that far exceeds our understandings."
"What are you implying here?" She questions his motive
"I need your help, and you just shown me how capable you are. I hoped you wouldn't take any of this personally."
"You just threatened me with the lives of the ones I loved. Why should I believe you after all of that?"
"You know, the game is over but the war isn't. I'm held captive in one of his lab. I can't do this alone." He said in a desperate tone
"I'm sure I can stop him by myself. Sayonara." She turns around to leave
"Wait, there's something I should tell you." She stopped in her tracks
"Continue." She replied
"The man you seek for, is no longer the same one. And he's not just a man, he's an army."
"An army?" She turns around in confusion
"How do you think I was able to be in three place at the same time?" He question her back
"You're something else. How do you managed to achieve this?"
"I'm afraid I'm running out of time. If he finds out that I've been helping you, I will vanish from this world for good." The device from before pops out from the destroyed console. "Take this, it contains everything you need to know. Please come and save me."
Before she got the chance to say another word, the screen went black on her. Once again she's alone inside an old family home. She walk over to the device and grabs it. It lit up and showed her a hologram containing many files on many locations. As she's running against time, she stash the device into her pocket to leave and return to headquarter.
'I need to inform them right now.'