Alarms blared and sirens seethed down the giant laboratory. The trio burst out from the glass walls, shattering the see-through barrier into smithereens, struggling to escape. Otto seriously thought the guards were going to catch up to them until Aisuki came to a halt and stopped, turning around and pulling out her machete.
"I'll hold them back. Hvítur, Zero, go and get the virus quickly! We need to get out of here. Lang is counting on us." Aisuki commanded before she started hacking away with her long machete, immediately killing a few guards while dodging bullets. "I'll buy you just five minutes. After that, leave immediately."
Otto gave Aisuki a quick worried glance before scurrying off. Casper is already on the move, tracking down the right room. After a minute or two of running, they finally reached their destination. "Lab #66... Lab #67....... We're here." Casper said, swiping a stolen ID card before entering.
The lab looks just like something Otto see in a Sci-Fi movie. There was quite a lot of strange machines, vials, diagrams and computers littered around the place. "Zero, go get the virus. I'll delete the files." Casper instructed before running straight to the computers and began typing furiously.
"E-Eh?!" Otto blinked before he hesitantly walked over to a giant counter, staring at the sturdy metal box in front of him. "Is this it?" Otto asked. Casper's murky eyes never left the computer screens as he replied quickly. "Yeah. Go and destroy the virus. The world is in danger with that thing around."
Otto flip open the lid and stared at the well decorated canister with a black-purple liquid inside hesitantly. He doesn't know how to get rid of this virus. Sparks of purple danced and swirled in the black liquid as he paused, staring at the liquid in awe. He doesn't know much about it - what does it do exactly?
"Zero. Five minutes is up. Let's go." Casper said with a stern look as he grabbed onto a bottle of sulphur acid and bashed it on the computers, destroying the devices. Casper immediately smashed the window of the high rise secret laboratory immediately after before hopping out of it, pulling out his parachute.
"Wait for me Hvítur!" Otto squeaked as he glanced at the canister and the window in panic. Foreign shouts and multiple footsteps can be heard. Otto paused. Their main aim of this mission is to make sure these evil people didn't get their hands on the virus. He doesn't have to destroy it or anything. Even if he did, the evil people probably can still work with remains of the mess.
"Whatever. As sir said in the past, rash was my middle name." Otto said before he pulled a feat. Without much thinking, Otto yanked the canister out from the box and tapped on the side, revealing a needle.
Otto injected the whole canister of unknown virus into his arm.
He gasped and staggered at the overwhelming surge of power running through his veins as his heart rate increased and his ears hurts from hearing the pumping of his heart. It is as if his small body can't contain all its power. What a powerful virus (is it a drug? Otto wasn't so sure). Gritting his teeth, Otto felt dizzy but still capable of moving around. Shaking his head furiously, he quickly ran and floundered out of the window just as the laboratory door smashed open.
***
Lait smiled as soon as the middle aged woman opened the envelope. She stared at the cheque with £10,000 written on with a blank stare. She fixed her glasses before brushing strands of her dirty blonde hair away. "Lait, you don't have to do all this." Jenny started, "I get Henry wants you to continue donating to us when he died but... you really don't have to do all this."
"Oh no," Lait rebuttals, "this orphanage did so much for my mentor. Also I'm really happy and thankful for having you as well as the children to read my drafts and give me suggestions on how I can improve my writing. My new novel 'Daybreak's Crest' marked its debut and immediately it become a top hit thanks to yourself and all the sisters reading it to these children." Lait looked towards the left side of the orphanage, where there's a small reading corner with children reading the famous author's books.
"Everyone here is enlightened and capable of doing great things. Each and every one of them have potential to make a difference as well as the ability to make this world a better place. It's my job to look after them." Lait hummed. "Aw come here and give this old woman a hug Lait." Jenny smiled, wiping her tears away, "thank you so much for doing all this. I'm sure Henry appreciates it." Lait's face internally dropped as she draped her arms around the older lady. Jenny patted her back firmly and let go.
"I did some thinking over the past few years. Lait, tell me something will ya?" Jenny started, biting her nails subconsciously. Lait nodded in response as the middle aged lady continued. "Henry Roberts. Harry Robinson." Lait hummed. "...are they the same person?" Jenny asked, staring at Lait intensely.
"Please tell me truth Lang. That Book of Kells you gave me when Henry died...... That's the real copy is it? The one in Trinity College is a fake." Lait nodded. "Then.... are all these money from stolen goods and kills...?" Jenny asked, shaking the slightest.
"...It's up to you to decide miss." Lait answered, "all you need to know is that my donations are from the books I've written. Rest assured." Jenny loosened up. "Henry was a good man. The world is wrong about him being a savage villain who deserves to die." She said softly. "Can you answer one more question for me Lait? What does Lang mean?"
Lait rummaged through her backpack before pulling out her sketch pad and whipped out a calligraphy pen from her pocket. She wrote '狼' on the page and showed it to Jenny. The blonde stared at the symbol questioningly. "Lang means wolf. That's what it is." Lait said simply before she turned around and headed towards the door. She opened the door and looked back as soon as the blonde widened her eyes upon sudden realisation. "It's late miss Jenny. I don't want to distract you any longer. You should help the other sisters." Lait said before giving her a small wave. "I'll see you soon. Please excuse me."
***
Yinyu stared at the white guest room ceiling on his bed, scarred by the ninja girl back there. Ritchie and Sakura were still downstairs, talking about some random crap. Yinyu wondered why Ritchie wants himself and Rien separated in different rooms. Probably to avoid himself and Rien from being too noisy or fighting about some trivial thing like pineapples on pizza.
"You okay Yin?" Rien's voice asked through his laptop, "you're awfully quiet." Yinyu sat up and wore his glasses. He sighed and proceed to pick up the headset covered with pigeon stickers (from his sister's business or economics project or something. All he know is that she sells stickers and other stuff once and she made a lot of questionable stickers and stuck them onto his things) lying beside him on his bed and wore it. He tested the mic before speaking.
"Hey. Who's that ponytail girl back there?" He asked. "That's Sakura." Rien replied, "she's our godsister." Yinyu shuttered as he recalled the ponytailed girl fighting Ritchie with cleavers and kitchen knives when she demanded for some information.
"She's giving me the shivers. I don't like her." Yinyu pulled a face. "Sakura was really nice back then. She's still is I promise." Rien said, "it just takes a while for her to warm up to you. But hey, she didn't even see you since Ritchie dragged her into his office and smuggled you upstairs. I don't know why but I don't think Ritchie wants Sakura to see you. Are you a criminal or something?"
Yinyu snorted. "No way. Ritchie doesn't want her to see me? Great. Now I'm curious. Can we go downstairs and eavesdrop?" Rien went quiet. "Come on." Yinyu urged, "admit it. You wanna know what they're talking about right? I don't know why but my sister got me this listening device that's capable of penetrating walls up to thirty inches thick. I have it here with me. We can listen to what they're saying without opening the door then." Rien sighed. "Ugh fine Yin. But if we're caught, Ritchie's gonna kick ass. He doesn't care if you're a guest or not, he's gonna kick ass."
The two teenagers opened their doors silently and crept down the stairs, towards Ritchie's office. The door is firmly closed but Yinyu pulled out the listening device from his pocket. It's new, Yinyu never used it before even if her sister taught her how to use it in upmost detail which disturbed him. When he told Otto about it, he found it pretty normal. Aisuki and Casper too.
He never understand why his sister gives him such questionable objects but he's thankful for Lait. Not that he'll say it out loud of course. Yinyu gave Rien one audio output headphone and wore the other. He puts the heavy cylinder resonator next to the wall and the duo listened.
"........She's still alive, I'm sure you know it."
"We've talked about this Sakura. There's no way anyone would spare someone who have ties with a killer and a thief. I believe that's the best course of action - to kill her."
"How would you know if she knows who the Angel's Executioner is?!?!"
"Kami treasures my sister and loves her dearly. On the day of her execution, Kami went on a complete rampage. What did we saw with the Angel's Executioner? She went on a complete murder spree. She didn't steal - she murdered and donated organs as well as blood to charity. That executioner did what Kami— TRAXX did. They went on a rampage. Both of them."
"That doesn't mean the Angel's Executioner knows my godsister. That killer-thief is literally Robinhood and do good things the wrong way."
"Don't cling onto false hope. She's dead."
"At least tell me where she might be... Just tell me a person who can help me."
"...You're a stubborn one Nohana Sakura. Fine. My sister and I's friend, Lydie Wang. She might know something. However she's working in an agency and I'm worried someone might try to kill her so don't visit her unless you want her killed."
"Someone might kill her.......?"
That's all Yinyu and Rien heard before Yinyu's phone went off, ringing loudly urging the teen the answer the phone. "What's—" Yinyu and Rien immediately bolted for the stairs and hid in their respective rooms. Yinyu glared at his ringing phone in hatred, unable to believe some random stinker called him at the wrong time. He took his phone before hanging up on whoever's calling, not giving a care in the world on who it might be because he's too pissed and not bothered to read the name displayed on his phone screen.
***
The moonlight illuminated the darkness, granting invisibility to the deceased criminal's little cabin in the forest to avoid any prying eyes. Lait stared at the half dead boy on the armchair in front of her in horror, unable to stop shaking. "I tried everything I can to help him up but no avail." Aisuki whispered, barely audible, "he's dying. Zero's dying." "Hey Otto?" Casper asked calmly, "can you hear me?"
The cocoa skinned boy moaned before tilting his head, making the hair blocking his right eye fall to the side. He opened his eyes groggily. The sclera to his eyes turned into a shocking shade of ink black and his blue pupils are in a worrying shade of aqua blue and a bit of white, scaring Lait to the fullest. "Hey guys...? What's happening to me...?" Otto whimpered, voice patchy and rough, "I can't feel my arms."
"We don't know Otto, we really don't know." Aisuki sighed, shakily reaching out for the grey haired boy's hands. She suddenly stopped. Casper, who bit his lip, lifted the long fluffy sleeves of Ottos long jumper, revealing his arms and hands.
All that's left of his arms are black blotches of withered flesh, revoltingly complimenting the decayed black claws-like falcons for fingers and the revealing inky stained bones. Lait stared through the black radius and ulna, her brow eyes loosing colour as she covered her mouth. Aisuki immediately looked away with a single tear sliding down her cheek.
"I-I guess its a good thing I injected the virus into myself." Otto whispered, black inky tears sliding down his cheeks from his black-blue eyes, "no one can suffer now. Once I die, this virus will disappear and everyone will be safe. As for now please stay away from me. Abandon me. Throw me in the dumpster. Don't catch the virus. Be safe—"
"Hear yourself Otto, stop it! You're going to survive!" Aisuki snapped, growling. "Don't tell me otherwise. I'm........ always right.... And you know it...!" "We have the virus. We need to find you a cure. We'll save you." Casper affirmed, "I swear on mister Robinson's grave we will save you."
Lait, whose been silent the whole time, said something. Her eyes fixated as she curled her lips as she finally spoke up. "I know someone who can save Otto." She started. Aisuki and Casper stared at Lait, urging her to continue. "One of the leading scientists in the world, one of the best of the best. The one and only Lydie Wang."