[fanfic] - Future!AU Chapter 2.5
Yikes, it's been a while since I last posted! Anyway, I have finally typed up chapter 2.5 of the still untitled Saiyuki sci-fi romp and present it now for your pleasure. Contains descriptions of murder and bravery.
http://purpleicicles.livejournal.com/30730.html
http://purpleicicles.livejournal.com/31133.html
http://purpleicicles.livejournal.com/31364.html
CHAPTER 2.5
[Extract of file PB147269-0108A: Initial Report made by Dr. Cho Hakkai upon recovery by the Bureau]
[Time stamp: 19:49 29/10/2099]
-Transcript Start-
Interrogator: Principal Investigator Genjyo Sanzo ID:K0031
Subject: Dr. Cho Hakkai
GS: Let’s begin Dr. Cho. Please Recount the events of October 25th 2098 in as much detail as you can. We can then corroborate the details against those found at the scene; anything you can tell us, however insignificant it may seem, may tell us a lot about your assailants.
CH: My… abduction took place on October 15th 2098 at about twenty to one, during the lunch hour. I was in my lab on the third floor of the Bioinformatics and Biotechnology building on the campus of Tsinghua University. With me at the time were two of my team, my student Mr. Patel Surinam and assistant Miss Kee-Ho Yun at the bench as well as Dr. Hao Pian who was at her bench closer to the door - the fourth row in, we were at the sixth - and professor Murakami Robert who was in his office adjoining the lab. Everyone else from our lab was at lunch, but my two team members had wanted to discuss some results so we stayed behind. I’m not sure exactly what Dr. Hao was working on; professor Murakami I believe was working on a grant application.
I was first aware of something wrong when we heard a commotion outside, as the windows were open and the lab is on the south side of the building, facing the courtyard at the front. I heard screams and moved to the window at about the same time the security blinds started to come down. They stopped halfway down and the lights flickered but didn’t go out.
Professor Murakami came out of his office when the blinds started to go and asked us what was going on; Suri - that is, Mr. Patel - was already at the window and said that there were people with weapons outside and that everyonewho was out there was running away from the building. He said some people weren’t moving. I suppose they had already been killed. There was a lot of screaming by this point and Robert suggested we should call the emergency services - he went to his office to use the phone whilst the rest of us went to the windows.
It didn’t take long for the university security to join the building security, but the attackers gained entry to the department and we could hear the commotion inside the building. We heard shots being fired indoors and I suggested we move to a place of safety. We quickly decided to head to the rear stairwell - Robert was back with us now - and collect anyone else from the other labs as we went. You can actually move through our lab to the office space next door and the lab after that without needing to use the corridor, so we thought we might get far enough undetected for it to work.
Suri was the first to think of taking up a weapon; he was already wheeling the liquid nitrogen container over to the lab entrance, where he did something to make a makeshift trap that would douse anyone who opened the door. Yun had already grabbed a clamp stand from the benches nearby and Dr. Hao had run over to the dissection area, perhaps for the scalpels. Robert was already protesting that we could be making ourselves targets by having weapons, but Suri had returned with a bottle of concentrated sulphuric acid. I remember quite clearly that he said “No-one outside had a weapon and some of them are dead now.” None of us knew, of course, that the most dangerous place to be was in my presence…
GS: How long had all of this taken?
CH: Oh, not long. Maybe about ten minutes? No, fifteen - Suri had set up his trap and we had stood by the window for a little while, plus Robert made the phone call so it must have been close to one o’clock by this point. In fact, we had taken too long, because there were shouts along the corridor on our floor and we realized we didn’t have much time. Robert and I began hurrying everyone towards his office to start through to the next room, but our lab was the first door on the corridor so we weren’t quick enough. The door sounded like it was kicked - it set off Suri’s trap and there was a lot of shouting whilst the terrorists were trying to figure out what had happened. Robert had Dr. Hao by the arm and had pulled her into the office already, but Yun had gone further down the lab and away from us - she was getting the back-up units for our data and I ran to get to her. If necessary, I would have gone with her through a different office and joined the others.
Someone shouted for us to stay still; I turned around and there were five people coming through the nitrogen cloud, two on the floor were covered in frost and one wasn’t moving. Only three of those still standing had guns. The rest were youkai and had blades or just their talons. Two were women - one human, one youkai. The tallest youkai was at the front and it was him who had shouted. I thought we were going to be shot right then, but he looked at me and smiled instead, saying something into a communications mic that I couldn’t hear, though I recognized my name. I realized that I didn’t have a weapon, although at least Yun behind me had her stand. I couldn’t see Robert or Dr. Hao so they were either in his office or out into the office beyond. I remember hoping they would keep running and not come back. I could, however, see Suri - he was crouching under a bench right by the aisle. He had his acid.
There was a reply to the leader, because there was a tiny voice from a small speaker. Suri was closer than us, at the third bench, so he could hear what was being said. He looked frightened and looked at me and Yun like he was trying to tell us something. He unscrewed the cap from his bottle, but I couldn’t do or say anything without giving him away. The leader nodded to his flanking soldiers and said “Now Dr Cho, if you would be so kind as to come with us? If you come nicely, mayber your pretty girl needn’t suffer, yes?” I don’t think he could see Yun’s weapon, so he probably thought it was just us and we were unarmed. He didn’t say anything about the two men we had cost him. I asked him where we would be going, but he just said “You’ll see.” And gestured two of his soldiers forward. It was the youkai woman and a human man with a gun. I asked if they would leave everyone else unharmed if I came with them voluntarily and he nodded, so I told Yun to stay behind me and keep her stand hidden.
It would have been fine then, I think, if Suri hadn’t taken his chance when the soldiers drew level with him to jump out and throw acid at them. The woman was closest and she took almost all of the hit. She screamed and scrabbled at her face where he’d caught her, but the man with the gun was behind and too close for Suri to get away. He shot him in the shoulder first and Suri dropped the bottle, covereing the floor in acid. The youkai woman kept on screaming and the leader was shouting too, but I heard what Suri said clearest.
GS: What did he say?
CH: He said “They’ve taken your sister.” Then he was shot in the chest. Three times. [nondescript sounds]
GS: When you’re ready, Dr. Cho.
CH: Yes, my apologies. After that I thought the soldier who shot Suri would shoot us too, he looked so angry, but more soldiers came and restrained him. In fact, another set of soldiers must have arrived because there were enough now to take away the injured woman and guard the door as well as restrain the gunman. Again, the leader didn’t seem at all concerned for the welfare of his team. He actually walked right past them all to us. I could hear Yun tensing behind me and the leader eyed her before speaking. He said something in a language I didn’t understand. She said something back, angry. He held out his hand and demanded something, probably the datapack she was holding. I remember her determined face, one hand clutching the datapack and the other holding the clamp just out of sight. Everyone was listening, waiting for her reply. She said nothing, but the sound of the data pack fizzing and popping in her hand as she destroyed it was loud enough.
GS: Wait, she destroyed it? How?
CH: My apologies, I had forgotten to mention it - Yun was an unusually talented youkai; se could easily have plugged the datapack into one of her ports and sent a voltage through to fry the circuitry. There were larger, more secure backups offsite, it just prevented the terrorists getting any data from the lab itself. She was very brave.
GS: I see. She could generate electricity, not just manipulate it like most youkai. Do you remember any of what they said?
CH: No. I didn’t recognize it as a Chinese youkai language. It must have been a Korean one. I only know the Chinese.
GS: Hn, very well. Continue.
CH: … The next movements happened very fast. The leader made a grab for one of us, but Yun must have shoved me out of the way, into one of the open side offices. I heard one or two impacts, so she must have landed a blow with her weapon. When I looked round she was defending the office entrance - they were moving very fast and I knew I didn’t have much time, so I made for the door to the offices beyond. Something crunched behind me and Yun shrieked but I didn’t look round. The door was locked. I was looking for something to break it open when Yun’s body hit the door beside me. She was badly injured, bleeding from a wound to the chest. Sje started to get up, but he stabbed her with some sort of sharp, blade-like growth from his forearm which hadn’t been there before. There was blood everywhere.
She… stopped breathing then.
GS: Then you were taken away?
CH: Yes. They didn’t do anything with the bodies. We walked through Suri’s blood on the way out. Past bodies in the corridor and down the rear staircase to the back of the building where there was a van waiting. We left immediately.
GS: We recovered Miss Kee-Ho’s bio-data storage chip after your abduction Dr. Cho. Miss Kee-Ho had the foresight to commit this incident to it. The language they spoke in was indeed youkai Korean; the leader was offering her an opportunity to join their army. To work for them and be part of the new Shangri-La they were going to create; a land for youkai.
She told them her allegiance lay with you and the better world you were already creating.
CH: … Thank you.
- End Transcript -
http://purpleicicles.livejournal.com/30730.html
http://purpleicicles.livejournal.com/31133.html
http://purpleicicles.livejournal.com/31364.html
CHAPTER 2.5
[Extract of file PB147269-0108A: Initial Report made by Dr. Cho Hakkai upon recovery by the Bureau]
[Time stamp: 19:49 29/10/2099]
-Transcript Start-
Interrogator: Principal Investigator Genjyo Sanzo ID:K0031
Subject: Dr. Cho Hakkai
GS: Let’s begin Dr. Cho. Please Recount the events of October 25th 2098 in as much detail as you can. We can then corroborate the details against those found at the scene; anything you can tell us, however insignificant it may seem, may tell us a lot about your assailants.
CH: My… abduction took place on October 15th 2098 at about twenty to one, during the lunch hour. I was in my lab on the third floor of the Bioinformatics and Biotechnology building on the campus of Tsinghua University. With me at the time were two of my team, my student Mr. Patel Surinam and assistant Miss Kee-Ho Yun at the bench as well as Dr. Hao Pian who was at her bench closer to the door - the fourth row in, we were at the sixth - and professor Murakami Robert who was in his office adjoining the lab. Everyone else from our lab was at lunch, but my two team members had wanted to discuss some results so we stayed behind. I’m not sure exactly what Dr. Hao was working on; professor Murakami I believe was working on a grant application.
I was first aware of something wrong when we heard a commotion outside, as the windows were open and the lab is on the south side of the building, facing the courtyard at the front. I heard screams and moved to the window at about the same time the security blinds started to come down. They stopped halfway down and the lights flickered but didn’t go out.
Professor Murakami came out of his office when the blinds started to go and asked us what was going on; Suri - that is, Mr. Patel - was already at the window and said that there were people with weapons outside and that everyonewho was out there was running away from the building. He said some people weren’t moving. I suppose they had already been killed. There was a lot of screaming by this point and Robert suggested we should call the emergency services - he went to his office to use the phone whilst the rest of us went to the windows.
It didn’t take long for the university security to join the building security, but the attackers gained entry to the department and we could hear the commotion inside the building. We heard shots being fired indoors and I suggested we move to a place of safety. We quickly decided to head to the rear stairwell - Robert was back with us now - and collect anyone else from the other labs as we went. You can actually move through our lab to the office space next door and the lab after that without needing to use the corridor, so we thought we might get far enough undetected for it to work.
Suri was the first to think of taking up a weapon; he was already wheeling the liquid nitrogen container over to the lab entrance, where he did something to make a makeshift trap that would douse anyone who opened the door. Yun had already grabbed a clamp stand from the benches nearby and Dr. Hao had run over to the dissection area, perhaps for the scalpels. Robert was already protesting that we could be making ourselves targets by having weapons, but Suri had returned with a bottle of concentrated sulphuric acid. I remember quite clearly that he said “No-one outside had a weapon and some of them are dead now.” None of us knew, of course, that the most dangerous place to be was in my presence…
GS: How long had all of this taken?
CH: Oh, not long. Maybe about ten minutes? No, fifteen - Suri had set up his trap and we had stood by the window for a little while, plus Robert made the phone call so it must have been close to one o’clock by this point. In fact, we had taken too long, because there were shouts along the corridor on our floor and we realized we didn’t have much time. Robert and I began hurrying everyone towards his office to start through to the next room, but our lab was the first door on the corridor so we weren’t quick enough. The door sounded like it was kicked - it set off Suri’s trap and there was a lot of shouting whilst the terrorists were trying to figure out what had happened. Robert had Dr. Hao by the arm and had pulled her into the office already, but Yun had gone further down the lab and away from us - she was getting the back-up units for our data and I ran to get to her. If necessary, I would have gone with her through a different office and joined the others.
Someone shouted for us to stay still; I turned around and there were five people coming through the nitrogen cloud, two on the floor were covered in frost and one wasn’t moving. Only three of those still standing had guns. The rest were youkai and had blades or just their talons. Two were women - one human, one youkai. The tallest youkai was at the front and it was him who had shouted. I thought we were going to be shot right then, but he looked at me and smiled instead, saying something into a communications mic that I couldn’t hear, though I recognized my name. I realized that I didn’t have a weapon, although at least Yun behind me had her stand. I couldn’t see Robert or Dr. Hao so they were either in his office or out into the office beyond. I remember hoping they would keep running and not come back. I could, however, see Suri - he was crouching under a bench right by the aisle. He had his acid.
There was a reply to the leader, because there was a tiny voice from a small speaker. Suri was closer than us, at the third bench, so he could hear what was being said. He looked frightened and looked at me and Yun like he was trying to tell us something. He unscrewed the cap from his bottle, but I couldn’t do or say anything without giving him away. The leader nodded to his flanking soldiers and said “Now Dr Cho, if you would be so kind as to come with us? If you come nicely, mayber your pretty girl needn’t suffer, yes?” I don’t think he could see Yun’s weapon, so he probably thought it was just us and we were unarmed. He didn’t say anything about the two men we had cost him. I asked him where we would be going, but he just said “You’ll see.” And gestured two of his soldiers forward. It was the youkai woman and a human man with a gun. I asked if they would leave everyone else unharmed if I came with them voluntarily and he nodded, so I told Yun to stay behind me and keep her stand hidden.
It would have been fine then, I think, if Suri hadn’t taken his chance when the soldiers drew level with him to jump out and throw acid at them. The woman was closest and she took almost all of the hit. She screamed and scrabbled at her face where he’d caught her, but the man with the gun was behind and too close for Suri to get away. He shot him in the shoulder first and Suri dropped the bottle, covereing the floor in acid. The youkai woman kept on screaming and the leader was shouting too, but I heard what Suri said clearest.
GS: What did he say?
CH: He said “They’ve taken your sister.” Then he was shot in the chest. Three times. [nondescript sounds]
GS: When you’re ready, Dr. Cho.
CH: Yes, my apologies. After that I thought the soldier who shot Suri would shoot us too, he looked so angry, but more soldiers came and restrained him. In fact, another set of soldiers must have arrived because there were enough now to take away the injured woman and guard the door as well as restrain the gunman. Again, the leader didn’t seem at all concerned for the welfare of his team. He actually walked right past them all to us. I could hear Yun tensing behind me and the leader eyed her before speaking. He said something in a language I didn’t understand. She said something back, angry. He held out his hand and demanded something, probably the datapack she was holding. I remember her determined face, one hand clutching the datapack and the other holding the clamp just out of sight. Everyone was listening, waiting for her reply. She said nothing, but the sound of the data pack fizzing and popping in her hand as she destroyed it was loud enough.
GS: Wait, she destroyed it? How?
CH: My apologies, I had forgotten to mention it - Yun was an unusually talented youkai; se could easily have plugged the datapack into one of her ports and sent a voltage through to fry the circuitry. There were larger, more secure backups offsite, it just prevented the terrorists getting any data from the lab itself. She was very brave.
GS: I see. She could generate electricity, not just manipulate it like most youkai. Do you remember any of what they said?
CH: No. I didn’t recognize it as a Chinese youkai language. It must have been a Korean one. I only know the Chinese.
GS: Hn, very well. Continue.
CH: … The next movements happened very fast. The leader made a grab for one of us, but Yun must have shoved me out of the way, into one of the open side offices. I heard one or two impacts, so she must have landed a blow with her weapon. When I looked round she was defending the office entrance - they were moving very fast and I knew I didn’t have much time, so I made for the door to the offices beyond. Something crunched behind me and Yun shrieked but I didn’t look round. The door was locked. I was looking for something to break it open when Yun’s body hit the door beside me. She was badly injured, bleeding from a wound to the chest. Sje started to get up, but he stabbed her with some sort of sharp, blade-like growth from his forearm which hadn’t been there before. There was blood everywhere.
She… stopped breathing then.
GS: Then you were taken away?
CH: Yes. They didn’t do anything with the bodies. We walked through Suri’s blood on the way out. Past bodies in the corridor and down the rear staircase to the back of the building where there was a van waiting. We left immediately.
GS: We recovered Miss Kee-Ho’s bio-data storage chip after your abduction Dr. Cho. Miss Kee-Ho had the foresight to commit this incident to it. The language they spoke in was indeed youkai Korean; the leader was offering her an opportunity to join their army. To work for them and be part of the new Shangri-La they were going to create; a land for youkai.
She told them her allegiance lay with you and the better world you were already creating.
CH: … Thank you.
- End Transcript -