Rise of the Fallen: Ascensionis
Chapter 10

Adam feels his head hit something hard and gradually awakens to replace himself inside of a van. It’s all coming back to him now. This is the same van where he was given instructions by that lady with the glasses. He sees Melanie next to him and tries to shake her in an attempt to wake her up. All she does is moan and continue to sleep. He becomes startled at Rikki’s voice saying, “You’re awake, Adam.”

He looks up at her and sees that her eye is being examined by one of the agents. For some strange reason, he asks, “What happened to you?”

“Don’t you worry about me, kid.”

The agent applies several eye drops and tells her, “You’ll be fine, Agent Hillman. It’s just irritated.”

Adam glances back and forth at the sophisticated technology around him. He has never seen equipment so advanced in his life...and he’s an avid gamer so he is always up to date with news of the latest breakthroughs achieved in that particular field. While squinting her irritated eye, Rikki grins and says, “I have no idea how any of this shit works so don’t ask me.”

“Are you going to kill us?”

His question brings her back to the reality of what she does for a living. A highly skilled and deadly assassin used mostly in covert operations hired by relatively unknown people that hide behind the shadows. She just follows the orders of her superiors without asking questions that always eat away at her later on. Too late for regrets now, girl. Everyone needs to make a living in this harsh world of lies and greed. Even if that means that she has to play the game herself to live comfortably for once in her life. Rikki tasted the cruelness of being a member of a low income family and refuses to go back to that nightmarish hell. They did, at one point, live somewhat comfortable lives...before her father became an alcoholic and a gambler. “No. We’re giving you both new identities, new parents and new lives.”

Adam opens his mouth but cannot replace anything to say. Can he consider this an escape from his joke of a life? An end to having to wake up to the usual arguments of his dysfunctional family? The possibility of actually looking forward to holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas? Should he thank her for this? Fuck it. Let her know.

“Thank you, Agent Hillman.”

This catches her completely by surprise. Rikki was expecting him to lunge at her with angry fists aimed at her face. She stares at him and comes to the realization of what the CIA has done for him. Having read everything about his life, she is aware of the painful experiences that the young man had to endure. He indeed was given a raw deal...just like her. She feels tears welling up in her eyes and clears her throat to compose herself.

“Uhhh...sure. You hungry? We have pizza here.”

Adam shrugs his shoulders and replies, “Okay.”

Rikki hands him a warm slice of pepperoni pizza and sits back in her chair. After taking several bites, he looks down at Melanie and asks, “What about Melanie? Are we gonna have to go our separate ways?”

Rikki feels a sudden rush of remorse. They would need to indeed get separated...forever. She looks at him but cannot replace the right way to acknowledge that fact.

“It’s okay, Agent Hillman. I can handle it.”

She hands him another slice of pizza and finally replies, “Yeah. You’ll never see her again.”

Rikki dislikes certain aspects of her job at times. If Americans were to ever replace out what transpires behind the scenes of their idealized fantasy of the American Dream, there would surely be an uproar. She believes that the majority of them can sense that they’re being lied to by their own government, but the thought of the United States perpetrating attacks on their own citizens is far too difficult for them to accept.

Miles away, Indrid and Sajjad enter the briefing room inside of the main headquarters of Area 51 to replace Dr. Frankenstein standing in front of the television attentively viewing the news. Indrid stands next to him and says solemnly, “We have failed you, Ludwig. I am sorry.”

He wraps his arm around her waist and hugs her while saying reassuringly, “No need for apologies, my dear. Someone is playing a very dangerous game and has, up to this point, succeeded in anticipating our every move. This was very well planned, indeed.”

Sajjad observes the news while asking, “The manhunt has begun?”

Dr. Frankenstein sighs with profound lament and nods as he replies, “Yes. They have already named Adam Eastman as the prime suspect. So far, they have recovered undisclosed evidence from his bedroom. Planted by the CIA, undoubtedly. That poor boy.”

Meanwhile, Frank Garrison is driving his Silverado to meet up with his informant. A deep throat, if you will. It is miles and miles of nothing but the rural countryside of New Jersey. Completely devoid of shopping malls and fast food restaurants. Using his binoculars, he spots a stuffed white rabbit next to a tree and abruptly applies the brakes. That’s what his deep throat uses to indicate his location. Frank shifts the gear into park and turns off the headlights followed by the engine. He glances over at the glove compartment where his handgun is stashed. No. Better to leave it there. No doubt the informant will frisk him to make sure he isn’t bugged and the last thing Frank wants is to betray his trust. Especially now during an active black-op.

After walking for quite a while, he arrives and picks up the stuffed animal. He turns his head from left to right in search of the deep throat. If this is a trap, he is royally screwed. They can easily make him disappear right now just as what was done to countless others in the past. A familiar voice is heard saying in a low tone, “Over here, Frank.”

Farther ahead, he notices the tip of a cigarette glow from light orange to a bright yellow followed by a cloud of smoke. The informant always wears a black mask and he also uses voice morphing technology so his true identity has never been known. The silhouette tells him, “You know the procedure. Don’t move.”

A red stream of light appears just above Frank’s head and gradually descends until it illuminates his shoes. The red beam turns off and the mysterious figure takes another puff of his cigarette. He finally says, “I’m taking a big risk here, Frank. We have to make this very brief.”

“I know. What’s this all about? A way to send a message to everyone? Disarming citizens?”

“More like a distraction, Frank. There are FEMA camps being constructed as we speak.”

“And you’re using Adam Eastman as the patsy.”

“All part of the show. He met the criteria.”

“FEMA camps? Something biological in the works?”

“Time’s up, Frank. Give me the rabbit.”

Frank does as he is told and proceeds to hand it over to him. The informant attempts to take it but Frank doesn’t let go. He is very tempted to grab his wrist and force some more information out of him.

“Don’t be stupid, Frank. I can kill you right now.”

He’s right. The bastard. Who knows if there’s a sniper nearby just waiting for the signal. He lets go of the rabbit and says, “Just don’t kill Adam. Please.”

“That will depend on his willingness to cooperate. It’s been a pleasure as always.”

Just as the informant turns around to walk away, he tells him, “You’re right, by the way. We have the poison and the remedy.”

No need to check the composition of the bomb now. He has a hunch as to who the real culprits are due to his experiences in 1953 conducting covert activities in Iran. Probably used nitroglycerin along with a mixture of potassium chlorate and iron-oxide. Purposely constructed to give the public the impression that the bomb was homemade. Judging from the potency of the explosion, a phone could’ve been used as a trigger and a booster added to increase the potency of the detonation.

As Frank makes his way back to his Silverado, he wonders how he can break the news to Adam’s parents that his life is officially over. His name added to the history books as yet another kid next door with a chip on his shoulder. Forever to be looked upon as a mass murderer. He needs to be the first to give them the heads up, however. They will need to become actors in this awful show of horrors and lies.

Frank opens the driver’s side door and steps inside. He forcefully slams the door shut in frustration and mutters, “Fuck.” He takes out his phone and makes the dreaded call. A broken down Edna is heard with a quivering voice asking, “Frank? Did you help him?”

After a deep sigh, he replies, “Edna. Meet me at my place in an hour. He’s alive so don’t worry about that. I need to give the both of you some information.”

“Okay. Thank you, Frank.”

The call disconnects and Frank takes a moment to think of his own daughter, Diana. To be a parent is the toughest job in the world. No doubt about it. He is just grateful that his grandson, Joshua, has grown into an independent young man and is fortunate for the quality time that he shares with him. Frank turns on the engine and shifts the gear into drive. The Silverado makes a U-turn and drives away into the distance.

Melanie gradually opens her eyes and turns her head to replace Adam sitting beside her. She pushes herself up into a sitting position and uses her finger to brush away the long hair from her face. Adam notices this and says to her, “Hey, Mel.”

“Where are we? What’s going on?”

“We’re in a CIA van. It’s okay.”

“Are they taking us home?”

Adam cannot bring himself to explain the grim reality which awaits the both them. Rikki decides to help him out and says, “Not the home that you have in mind.”

Melanie moves closer to Adam and asks, “What? You’re kidnapping us?”

Adam tries to calm her down by placing his arm around her while saying in a soft tone, “It’s not like that, Mel. This is kind of like a witness protection program.”

Melanie becomes angered by his passive attitude and says angrily, “No. It’s a kidnapping, Adam. That’s what you call it when someone takes you against your will!”

Rikki tells her frankly, “Your new identities have already been created, Melanie. If you don’t comply, well...the other option isn’t very pretty. Understand?”

Melanie becomes flustered at first and then feels a sudden rush of sadness. She’ll never see her parents and friends ever again. She gasps and begins to panic. Rikki had a feeling that at least one of them was not going to accept this easily. She says to her soothingly, “Hey, hey, hey. Easy now, girl.”

Melanie stands up quickly and looks for a door to escape from this horrific nightmare. She refuses to allow this new life to become her new reality. She starts crying and shouts, “Let me out! I’m not doing this!”

Rikki replies gently, “There is no way out, Melanie. I’m sorry.”

Adam stands up and gives Melanie a huge hug while whispering into her ear, “We’re gonna get separated, too. I still love you, Melanie.”

This makes Melanie even more saddened and cries harder while hugging him tightly. After several minutes, she whispers, “I love you, too. I’m sorry I didn’t defend you from that bully in school. I...I didn’t know what to do.”

Adam is shocked by what was just revealed to him. She does want to be with him, after all. Can life be this cruel? He looks into her eyes and says, “I never blamed you. I knew you were scared.”

Rikki is somewhat emotionally touched by their love for each other and can’t help but reminisce on her past. No! Forget it. The past is over. Don’t even think about her. Focus on the mission.

In the Garrison family household, Joshua and Alexandria are paying their utmost attention to what is currently being reported on the news.

“Up to this point, there is an active manhunt for two suspects. One of them is sixteen year-old Adam Eastman and the other is his alleged accomplice, sixteen year-old Melanie Jones. Both are seen here fleeing the scene just moments after the explosion.”

Alexandria’s mouth drops open while viewing the footage and says, “I don’t know, Josh. Don’t they look confused?”

“Maybe they didn’t expect the bomb to be that powerful. It’s almost like firing a gun for the first time.”

Alexandria doesn’t believe that at all. She is very certain that her father will have an explanation which will make more sense. Over the years, she’s learned to not take things at face value. Having read the book Static by Amy and David Goodman, she is more than aware of the numerous lies that are spun by the American government and passed to the mainstream media as truth. The reporters are merely actors reading from a script.

In the meantime, at Area 51, Dr. Frankenstein observes Indrid as she watches the news with a noticeable expression of grief. She is more alien than human but her heart belongs to Earth. It is because of this fact that she remains with him and he is grateful. He pats her shoulder and tells her sympathetically, “This is all unfortunate, my dear. Take comfort in the fact that you and Sajjad did attempt to prevent this from happening.”

“The boy’s life is over, Ludwig. Why must we allow this to happen?”

“You know as well as I that the general public must not know of our existence. Keep in mind what happened after the radio broadcast of War of the Worlds. Mass hysteria due to fear of the unknown. Yes, we could very well be imprisoned indefinitely if they were to become aware.”

David adds, “Or even a demand for execution.”

Indrid remains silent but she does agree with them. When one takes a moment to look back into humanity’s violent past, the conclusion must be made that their behavior has not changed very much at all. Because of what happened with David, she now fears that the time will come when the same government they work with will hunt them all down like animals. Quite possibly destroy Atlantis as well. She decides to go back to the hangar in order to use her ship. Some time away from Earth...just to take a moment to clear her mind of these negative thoughts.

Barbara and Henry become concerned and decide to follow Indrid. As soon as they all exit the briefing room, Barbara says loudly, “Indrid.”

Indrid stops walking and replies, “Yes?” without looking at her. Barbara stands next to her and asks, “You okay?”

Henry adds, “Yeah. You look kinda spooked.”

Indrid replies rather unemotionally, “I am not. Thank you for being concerned.”

Dr. Frankenstein exits the briefing room in search of Indrid. He sees her and says, “Indrid. Don’t leave just yet.”

Indrid turns around and asks, “Is something wrong, Ludwig?”

He stands in front of her and says, “Diana Garrison’s father is a retired military general. I would like to ask him a few questions.”

“And risk further exposure?”

“Their plan has been set into motion and there isn’t much time, Indrid. At this point, to hell with the rules.”

Phoebe appears and jumps up and down while shouting merrily, “Yeah! No rules! No rules!”

Indrid looks down at Phoebe and cannot help but smile at her playful spirit. Perhaps not even aware of what is happening around her and oblivious to the grim reality of a possible apocalypse. She looks up at Dr. Frankenstein and replaces his change of heart to be very courageous. A trait of his that she has always admired. This is the true Ludwig Frankenstein. She nods and tells him, “Very well. Whenever you are ready, Ludwig.”

“I’ll gather everyone and we’ll meet you at the hangar.”

Phoebe’s hair color changes to yellow and she asks excitedly, “No rules and now we all get to go on a trip?”

Jerry replies laughingly, “That’s for them and not you, Phoebe.”

She folds her arms, looks at the floor and her hair color changes to red. She mumbles angrily, “Awww. You never let me do anything.”

An hour and fifteen minutes later, Frank slowly drives his pickup into the driveway of his home. The headlights make visible Adam Eastman’s parents who have been waiting near the front door. Their eyes are sunken and their skin complexion as pale as milk. A sight that truly tears a hole in his heart.

Edna abruptly grabs Harold Eastman’s hand tightly and tries her very best to hold back her tears as Frank shuts off the engine. She sees him step out of the vehicle and begin to make his way towards them. Her heart pounding harder and harder with every step that he takes. Frank nods at them and says in a somber tone, “Edna. Harold. Let’s go inside and I’ll explain everything.”

The worried couple step aside in order to allow Frank access to the front door. He inserts the key into the lock, opens the door and turns on the lights. While holding the door, he makes a gesture with his head and says, “Come in.”

They both mournfully step inside of the house and Frank can’t help but feel a sense of helplessness. He’s a retired Army General with connections and yet, for their safety, he can’t do anything to bring their son back. The front door gets pushed until it closes. Frank arrives at the living room and says as he sits down on his favorite cushioned chair, “Sit down.”

Edna and Harold Eastman sit down on the sofa and anxiously await information regarding their son. Frank folds his hands and leans forward. He then says, “Adam is alive and safe. Bad news is he’s going to be held accountable for the bombing of the movie theater.”

Edna squeezes Harold’s knee and, while sobbing, says, “They burst into our house and took all of Adam’s things. He’s a nice kid. He’s not capable of doing that.”

Harold asks in a sad tone, “So what happens now? Will we see him again?”

Frank pauses for a moment to choose his words carefully. There really is no delicate way of putting it, though. Not only must they accept the fact that they are never going to see Adam again, but also become unwilling actors in this dreadful movie. He reluctantly tells them, “No. You’ll never see him again. He’s gonna be going into something similar to a witness protection program. I’m so sorry.”

Harold feels his heart sink all the way down to his bowels and a sudden rush of numbness overwhelms him. He had so many opportunities to be a good father and failed miserably. Now, he’ll never get the chance to apologize or to even express his sincere love for him. Edna begins to cry in his arms. He gives Frank a teary eyed look and says, “I was never there for him.”

Frank is all too familiar with this pain of loss having suffered the estrangement of his daughter. All he did was confess the truth to her and everything just went to shit.

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, a black CIA van arrives at a heavily protected military installation. Inside of the vehicle, Rikki says to both Adam and Melanie, “We’re here.”

Adam replies, “Where is here?”

She replies while grinning, “We’re at a military base that doesn’t exist on any map. Doesn’t show up in Google Earth, either.”

Melanie sits down and asks gloomily, “That means you’re not telling us where we are exactly, right?”

Rikki nods and replies, “You got it.”

The van comes to a stop and the side door slides open. Rikki is the first to exit followed by Adam and then Melanie. The door closes and the van’s tires are heard screeching as it drives away. Rikki takes a quick glance at her watch and says, “Good. We’re right on schedule.”

Adam folds his arms nervously and says, “You said earlier that you were going to change our identities. How?”

Rikki replaces Adam’s curiosity very familiar. He’s always looking for answers. She was the same way when she was about his age. She replies while walking toward an elevator, “Follow me and I’ll explain along the way.”

Adam starts following but notices that Melanie is not moving. He walks back, stands in front of her and asks, “Hey. What’s up?”

She gazes into his hazel eyes and whispers, “I don’t like this, Adam. I’m scared.”

“We don’t have much a choice.”

The elevator doors open and Rikki shouts at them, “Sorry but there’s not much time!”

Adam takes Melanie’s hand and the both of them proceed to walk towards the elevator. He takes this time to cherish every moment with her. To remember the softness of her warm skin and the sweet scent of her perfume. Life is truly unfair.

Rikki waits until they are inside of the elevator and pushes the empty space between numbers twelve and fourteen thirteen times. Adam and Melanie give each other a puzzled stare. The doors slide shut and they feel the sensation of moving upward. Adam cannot resist and asks, “Uh, Agent Hillman? Are we going to....?”

Rikki interrupts him by saying, “Yup. The thirteenth floor.”

Melanie succumbs to curiosity as well and asks, “Does every building have a thirteenth floor?”

Rikki waits until the doors slide open and replies in a low voice, “Only the major ones.”

Rikki quickly exits before either of the two inquisitive teenagers have a chance to ask another question. The less they know the better. These secrets exist for a reason and if she reveals too much, it may jeopardize her career...and her life. Adam and Melanie slowly exit the elevator and marvel at their fascinating surroundings. The floors are a shiny, porcelain white and the walls are made of what looks like transparent glass. Embedded in the glass are pulsating, neon-light blue colored circuitry which gives the feeling of being a cast member of a science fiction movie. They become startled when Rikki shouts while standing next to a glass doorway, “Over here! Come on, you two!”

Melanie gives Adam a worried look and she tightens her grip on his hand. He nods his head to give her encouragement and makes the first move. His lips meet hers and they both share a very passionate kiss. After that, she grins and whispers, “If anything happens, promise you’ll come for me.”

Adam replies softly, “Yeah, Mel. Of course.”

“Good. She looks pissed. We should go.”

They begin to cautiously make their way toward Rikki while pondering this awkward reality. Adam thinks about how his life could not possibly get any worse. With any luck, he’ll have for once a normal family that celebrate holidays, like Thanksgiving, with warmth and acceptance. Melanie, on the other hand, will be losing all of that. The uncertainty of her future makes her slightly quiver with apprehension. The worst of all is the possible end of something that had barely even started for them. Their true love for each other.

In the township of North Brunswick, Indrid’s ship arrives at its destination and hovers above the clouds of the night sky. Indrid looks up at Dr. Frankenstein and says, “Mr. Garrison has company, Ludwig.”

He strokes his white goatee and asks, “How many are with him?”

“Three others are currently inside of the home.”

Frank hands two glasses of whiskey with ice to Harold and Edna. He sits down, takes a sip of his own and, while gazing at the ice cubes, says, “You’re going to be visited by the CIA later on tonight. I highly advise that you do as they request. For Adam’s sake.”

Edna does not drink alcohol but decides to make an exception in this case. After all that has happened tonight, she certainly deserves a bit of this strong beverage. She shuts her eyes tightly and takes a big sip which results in several coughs. After taking a sip from his glass, Harold asks Frank, “What do they want from us?”

Frank takes a deep breath and replies, “You both are gonna have to play along with this. It may be possible that you have to pretend he’s dead.”

Edna cannot believe what she is hearing. She has to pretend that her own son is dead? Unintentionally, she drops the glass of whiskey causing the contents to spill all over the carpet. She becomes ashamed and says, “Oh, God. I’m sorry, Frank. I’ll....”

Frank slightly raises his hand and gently replies, “No, Edna. Don’t worry about that. I’ll take care of it. You two need some time to prepare yourselves. Go home. I’ll keep you posted.”

The devastated couple nervously rise to their feet and follow Frank to the front door. He opens it, and Harold says, while shaking his hand firmly, “Look after him, Frank.”

“You bet, Harold.”

He keeps a watchful eye on them until they enter their home and close the door. He steps back inside and closes the door behind him. Retired but can’t seem to pull himself away from this case. He’ll check up on Adam in a few minutes after cleaning up the spilled whiskey. As he makes his way toward the living room, the faint sound of an exhale captures his attention.

Indrid is studying the thermal imaging screen and replaces something peculiar. The third individual is still inside of the home but in the very same position as before. As if he were hiding. Without looking at Dr. Frankenstein, she says in a concerned manner, “Ludwig. I need for you to see this.”

He looks over her shoulder and asks, “What is it, Indrid?”

She points at the person on the screen and replies, “That individual has remained in that same position from the moment the couple entered Mr. Garrison’s home up until the moment they departed.”

“An assassin. There’s not much time.”

Frank is pretty much convinced that he is not alone but remains calm and continues to walk casually. He kneels down to retrieve the glass and then walks toward the kitchen. A short figure of a man dressed in black appears from the shadows holding a handgun with a silencer attached to it. The mask hides his face with the exception of his beady eyes. While approaching the kitchen, the sound of the water faucet turning on is heard. The assassin tightly grips his weapon and prepares for the kill.

He lunges forward into the kitchen and aims his gun but Frank is nowhere to be seen. Water continues to pour out of the faucet and a pair of shoes are seen on the floor beside the sink. Before he even has a chance to react, Frank wraps his muscular arm around his neck and he begins grunting. They both are now aggressively wrestling for possession of the handgun. Frank is somewhat amazed at the amount of strength that the short man possesses. Suddenly the assassin drops his weapon and pulls on his mask until his mouth is shown. He then grabs a hold of Frank’s hand, takes a bite of his fingers and rips three of them off. Frank screams in pain and loses his grasp. The assassin quickly picks up the handgun, lowers his mask and, while pointing the gun at a wounded Frank, says, “I’ll give it to you. You’re tough, Frank. See you in the next life.”

An unseen force pulls on his hand just as the gun fires and the bullet makes a hole in a nearby wall. Barbara grabs the short man by the throat while the invisible force takes the gun away. She raises him in the air with ease and he yells frantically, “Fucking puta!”

Barbara feels a sharp sting in her throat which confuses her. The assassin has stabbed her with a sharp knife which causes blood to spew out of her neck and she coughs up even more of it. She wants to see his face before she loses consciousness. Barbara removes the assassin’s mask and tries her very best to focus on his face. Henry materializes and shouts as he stands beside her, “Barbara!”

He notices her shocked expression and looks up at the face of the same man who attempted to kill them at Bohemian Grove! He shakes his head in denial and whispers, “No. You’re dead.”

Barbara coughs up more blood and loses her grip on the assassin. She then pulls the knife out of her throat and slashes the short man’s throat with it before passing out from tremendous blood loss. She falls to the floor and hears the faint voice of Henry screaming her name. Her vision fades until there is nothing but total darkness.

Barbara is dreaming about the same wilderness as before. She is barefoot and is knee deep in a river firmly holding a staff. Some fish swim past her and she rapidly shoves the long, sharpened weapon into the water. When she pulls out the staff, she sees that she managed to successfully stab one of them clean through the head.

Barbara wakes up to replace herself on Indrid’s ship. She touches her neck to feel for a nasty wound...but she replaces that her neck has completely healed. She gets startled when Dr. Frankenstein’s face appears just inches away from hers. He says with a grin, “You are awake. Good! The knife wound has healed quite nicely. Not even a scar.”

Barbara’s attention shifts to Frank Garrison who is sleeping on a bed next to hers. Dr. Frankenstein confirms his condition by saying, “Mr. Garrison is alive thanks to you, Barbara. I’ve given him something to ease the pain.”

“That assassin, doctor. I saw him when we were on the Bohemian Grove mission but...there’s no way he could’ve survived that crash. His body was all mangled up.”

Dr. Frankenstein takes a step back and puts his hands into his pockets. He gives her a serious glance and replies, “Yes. His neck wound has healed as well. This assassin may be a result of some sort of super soldier experiment. I will need to thoroughly examine him at our research facility in Area 51 before I can arrive to that conclusion, however.”

“Where is he now?”

“He’s currently inside one of the cryogenic chambers in suspended animation.”

“And after you study him? If he heals quickly like me, I doubt he’s going to tell us anything useful. We don’t exactly have a lot of time either.”

“What exactly are you suggesting?”

Barbara knows deep in her heart that this type of scum will never confess anything to anyone...unless properly motivated. Barbara understands how this world works. Nothing is black and white. It’s all about living in the gray area...”You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours.” She used to be naive and think that there was right and wrong; no such thing as in between. She clears her throat and says in response, “Okay. I have an idea but I need you to hear me out.”

Thirty minutes later, Dr. Frankenstein arrives at the cockpit and places his hand on Indrid’s shoulder. While observing the beautiful scenery, he tells her, “We’ll be taking a detour, Indrid.”

She looks up at him and replies, “Japan?”

“Yes. Kabuki-cho in Shinjuku, to be precise. Barbara needs to say hello to a friend.”

“Understood.”

Barbara ties the shoelaces of her boots while looking at Frank. She takes a quick glance at his bandaged hand and then at her own hand. Maybe the doctor can attach prosthetic fingers for him. She stands up, puts on her jacket and makes her way out of the room. Frank is suddenly heard saying wearily, “Thank you.”

Barbara turns her head to look at him and says, “No problem, sir.”

She exits the room and makes her way toward the cockpit. Tokyo can now be seen coming into view and she explains to both Dr. Frankenstein and Indrid, “Listen, these guys are not too friendly with outsiders. So I need to do this on my own without any interference.”

Indrid understands and nods in agreement. It’s been two years since last she came to this city. Barbara hopes to replace the female Japanese-American CIA agent that helped her during that time. She just can’t remember her name. All that she does remember was that she was one of the most lethal to ever get recruited by the CIA. Dr. Frankenstein steps closer to Barbara and says with a fatherly concern, “You had better be sure about this, Barbara. The Yakuza are not to be taken lightly.”

“I know. It’ll work out.”

“And remember to change your skin tone like I showed you.”

A bright light surrounds Barbara and, in a matter of seconds, she vanishes into thin air. Moments later, she replaces herself in an abandoned van that still smells of charred human remains. She adjusts her skin tone and steps out of the burned vehicle to observe the familiar streets of Kabuki-cho. What was the name of that popular restaurant? Kiyomi? No. Kyoko? Damn...Barbara would need to ask the locals, in this case. She just hopes to not arouse suspicion. A fight with the Yakuza bodyguards is not something to look forward to. Although, it was early in the morning in New York, it is late night here in Japan. She stops a nearby pedestrian and asks him in a rusty Japanese, “Kind sir. Where is good place to eat Japanese food?”

After giving her a stare, he replies in poor English, “You’re American?”

Barbara bows slightly and says, “Yes, sir.” He then points behind him and tells her, “Kuriya.” and continues walking. Of course! Kuriya! Barbara walks toward the direction of the restaurant in a much faster pace. The pedestrian takes out his cell phone and makes a call. He says in Japanese, “Haruka? We have an American heading toward Kuriya. She does not look like a tourist.”

As Barbara walks across a street, she hears the sound of motorcycles approaching. The first Honda to arrive almost hits her if not for her walking backward at just the right moment. The others soon follow the lead rider who seems to be female judging from her black dress. She’s also wearing black military boots and a leather jacket. Barbara can’t get a good look at her face because of the helmet. They all begin to ride in a circle around her. This is bad. The pedestrian earlier may have given the Yakuza information about her.

After several minutes of circling, they finally come to a stop. A bead of sweat rolls down Barbara’s cheek as she looks at all of the riders. The woman in the black dress says in Japanese, “Gaijin. You seem to have lost your way.”

Barbara does not respond. The woman asks in Japanese, “Do you understand me?”

Barbara replies in the same language, “Yes. I am looking for Kuriya.”

The gang begins to mumble to each other angrily. The woman shouts, [J]”Enough!”[J] which causes everyone to become silent. She unmounts from her Honda and the leather glove can be heard as she makes a tight fist. She then tells Barbara, [J]”No room for you at Kuriya tonight, gaijin. Try Kizuna.”[J]

Barbara decides to take a risk and ask, [J]”I need to speak with Ryu Miyazaki.”[J]

This makes one of them yell, [J]”You’re dead!”[J] The woman begins to slowly walk toward Barbara until her helmet is merely inches away from her face. She says to Barbara in a low voice, [J]”I will give you five seconds. If you do not leave from here after that, I will take your hand as a souvenir.”[J]

The woman begins counting down. There is no avoiding a fight now. Barbara will need to exercise caution while engaging in hand to hand combat with her. She does possess enhanced strength and the last thing she wants is to kill her. Barbara takes a quick glance at the woman’s katana hiding underneath her leather jacket and prepares to dodge the strike. The countdown is over and Barbara is shocked at the woman’s ability to swing the sword at such a high rate of speed. The edge of it manages to make a scratch on her palm. Barbara counter-strikes with a lightning fast jab to her face. Her fist makes contact with the helmet shattering the visor into pieces.

The woman’s blue eyes can now be seen. Barbara is taken aback by the fierceness of them...the ice cold gaze of a killer. The woman steps back and raises her hand to stop the gang from shooting their guns. She removes her helmet and slams it hard to the street. The woman looks quite young. Maybe in her late twenties or early thirties. Her hair is jet black and is styled after Betty Paige. She says to Barbara in a deep rage while showing the whites of her teeth, [J]”Big mistake, gaijin.”[J]

The woman takes her sword in both hands and goes into her battle stance. She lunges at Barbara and swings the blade toward her neck. Barbara dodges and takes another jab at her face...but misses! How is this possible? She feels the tearing of her flesh as the katana makes a huge slice around her abdomen. Shit. She should have known better than to think she would fall for that again. Barbara proceeds to dodge the woman’s numerous attempts to cut her again. This surprises the woman and she says, [J]”You are fast. Good. I haven’t had a worthy opponent in months. I will take your hand now.”[J]

The woman makes her move and Barbara times her defense perfectly. She elbows her on the back of her neck which causes her to fall down hard. Damn it...she may have hit her too hard. The gang looks at Barbara in utter disbelief. She asks the woman, [J]”Are you conscious?”[J]

Her body remains motionless on the street and Barbara can see that she is not breathing. She begins to gradually kneel down and extend her hand to try and move her. In the blink of an eye, Barbara’s hand gets sliced off at the wrist. She shrieks in pain and collapses to the street while blood gushes out of her stump. The Yakuza around her laugh hysterically at how Barbara curls up into a fetal position. The woman stands above her and places the tip of the katana onto her throat. With a sadistic grin, she tells her, [J]“I always keep my promises.”[J] Then in English, she says, “Go home and watch reality television.”

Barbara remembers her voice! She asks her, “Gina? Is that you?”

The woman’s eyes widen at the mention of that name. She replies, “That person is dead. I am Haruka Miyazaki and you can tell them...”

Barbara interrupts her by saying, “It’s me...Barbara Echevarria.”

Haruka drops her katana and gasps as she recognizes her now. She kneels down next to her and says, “Oh, my God! I didn’t recognize you! Why didn’t you tell me before?”

While holding her arm, Barbara replies, “You look so different than when I met you two years ago. Can I have my hand back now?”

Haruka turns her head and replaces the severed hand moving on its own. She gives Barbara her hand and says, “I should take you to the hospital.”

Barbara places her hand onto her stump and her skin begins to to heal. She tells a baffled Haruka, “No need.” Haruka says in Japanese, ”No fucking way.”

An hour later, at the Kuriya Restaurant, Ryu Miyazaki is seen sitting at his favorite table surrounded by his sons. He smiles at the sight of Haruka approaching. One of his sons, Ken Miyazaki, stands up and offers Haruka his spot. Haruka’s cold stare immediately becomes replaced by a look of deep love. She bows and says, [J]”Father.”[J]

Barbara is somewhat confused but also bows and says, [J]”It is a pleasure to see you again, sir.”[J]

Ryu is at a loss for words and tries to remember this strange woman with two tone hair. Haruka smiles and tells him, [J]”This is Barbara-san, father.”[J]

He remembers her now and says, [J]”Ah, Barbara-san. Strange choice of hair colors.”[J]

As they both sit next to Ryu Miyazaki, Barbara asks, [J]I’m curious, Gina...I mean...Haruka. Why do you call Mr. Miyazaki father? Isn’t your father from Detroit?”[J]

Haruka looks at Ryu as if waiting for permission to speak. He nods and she replies, [J]”It’s a long story. If you have time, I will explain.”[J]

Barbara wants to ask for the favor right away but realizes that she must show respect first and be patient. Barbara nods her head and Haruka begins to tell her story.