Spriggan Fan Fiction ❯ The Solitary Trooper ❯ Breakthrough ( Chapter 6 )

THE SOLITARY TROOPER

By: rx79guntank

Disclaimer: All characters of Striker/Spriggan are under the copyright of Hiroshi Takashige and Ryoji Minagawa. All other characters unless stated otherwise are obviously owned by me.

Author notes: And now we're back to the normal story… This chapter was originally supposed to be part of a bigger one, but I had to break it down as it was getting too long. I also needed something to keep the momentum going as well. And yes, we finally know what happened to Jean…

 

And to thank a few:

Kat warrior: You've been asking for it and here you got it; Jean's back.

 

Ominae & Groove: Thanks for your support for the past chapters! I don't know much about COSMOS (nor have I read those chapters of the manga yet) so unfortunately I don't think I will be adding them in…

 

Finally, enjoy, and please do leave a review guys!

 

----------------------------------------------------------------- ------

Seoul, 2AM

 

The other metropolitan city in the region capable of rivaling Tokyo's glitz lay blanketed in a low fog as a slight drizzle covered the city. It was a cold night, and not even the beggars were going to risk their limbs to be out there. Past the majestic ruins of South Gate (1) of the ancient city that lay in the heart of Seoul, a massive shining triplet of glass and steel stood out in the darkness of the night. This was the Tower Palace (2), a famous landmark of Seoul, and the headquarters of the Korean branch of the Moroha Corporation…

 

“It looks like nobody's coming. It's a false alarm if you tell me…”

Loud steps echoed in a dark corridor as two men walked, conversing.

 

“I don't know, Han. The warning that headquarters sent us was pretty explicit. Especially with that guy up there…” the other man motioned with his finger, pointing up. The one known as Han was not amused. He was the security chief for the entire building and they had already overextended themselves in handling the Headquarters' `Secret Project'. And now came an order to increase security by another 100%. He shook his head at his Junior's opinion. Yes, like most of the incidents in his 20-year career, it was probably going to be nothing. “You've got a lot to learn, Jung-Ahn.”

 

They arrived at their destination; the security room which served as the main nerve centre for the entire building. The walls inside was filled with television screens, each displaying a different part of the building.

 

“Huh,” Han breathed as he scanned the screens. “We have almost 500 cameras and 200 men guarding this place. Not even a mouse can move in or out without my say-so. And Headquarters wants us to defend against an imaginary attack?!”

 

While Han continued with his self-indulgent spiel, a screen showing a view of the building carpark entrance flickered.

“What was that?” A connection problem? Jung-Ahn wondered. No, highly improbable. The connections were all fiber-optic. Unless… “Reroute sources for all cameras!” He shouted to a tech.

“Yes sir!”

 

At once the screens revealed the true picture. At the entrances, the bodies of eliminated guards littered the floor, and in one screen, a fleeting shadow, obviously the culprit darted just out of view.

 

“What?!!” Han shouted incredulously. “Intruders!!! Sound the alarms!!!”

 

All over the building, silent alarms rang and riot-geared troops raced down to face the enemy. They wielded shotguns, submachineguns and bulletproof perspex shields; effective weapons for close combat in the corridors of the building. The lift carrying the first strike team reached the ground floor lobby and at once, the troops inside rushed out, assuming their battle formation…

 

“Why, hello there…”

 

The troops had barely even spread out when a squat Panzerfaust 3 RPG (3) warhead smashed into them in a massive explosion, sending most of them flying and killing the rest.

 

“Come on, Yu let's go!!!”

 

The two Spriggans, Ominae Yu and Jonathan; who had fired the deadly shot grabbed their equipment and bulldozed through the dead and dying troops, even smacking one away with the spent Panzerfaust launch tube. Reaching the other lift in service in the lobby, they headed up to the higher levels towards their objective. Han slapped his fist in frustration. One team was gone in just barely 5 minutes. These so-called 'Spriggans' were not to be trifled with... One feature of the security room was it was able to control and monitor all functions of the building, including the electricity and the lifts... And it was exactly what was going through Han's thoughts as his hand went over to the lift controls. Fools. I control the building! With a deft move of his hand, he realigned the lift to stop at the 20th floor, where his troops were awaiting them. These men are the cream of the crop. I trained them myself! These 'Spriggans' will be dead before they reach the first corridor... A wicked smile crept across his face. Do not disappoint me, men!

 

----------------------------------------------------------------- ------

In an airfield in Seoul's outskirts, a black UH-60 Black Hawk (4) helicopter stirred and lifted off in the drizzle, its destination unknown.

 

----------------------------------------------------------------- ------

"Say, Yu,"

"What?" Yu replied, as he slapped a magazine into his HK G3A3 (5) assault rifle. Jonathan, opposite him got ready his P90 submachinegun while an ominous large metal case rested between them on the floor. The events of this early morning started a few hours ago back in Tokyo when Tea finally obtained the information from the prisoner (See chapter 4).

 

“Tower Palace… Seoul… werewolf monster!!!”

That phrase, despite being vague, said enough. Immediately an ARCAM C-17 Globemaster III (6) was sent along with Ominae and Jonathan, medical supplies, a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter and a group of ADU troops to a friendly airfield just outside Seoul. The mysterious events that had plagued ARCAM for all this while was coming to a head.

 

“You know, I've heard stories about Jean… How did a guy like him get caught?”

“Huh?” Yu mumbled, snapping out a daze. “O-oh, yeah, he sorta disappeared after our Canadian base got attacked a month ago. They were supposed to have found a `Fire Orb', a device capable of controlling volcanoes. I encountered one once…” The events of his adventure in Mount Fuji were still clear in his mind. One of his first missions for ARCAM, he'd nearly escaped with his life. Rie… She was the only link to his past he found. Yu wondered now where she was? Probably still working on her ancient scripts, he thought.

 

“Anyway…” Jonathan began in an irritating tone, “What I was meaning was will Jean still be alive when we get there?” Asshole. Rambling off again…

“Huh? What? Oh-yeah! Right! Jean might look like a wuss on the outside, but he's quite an ass-kicker! I bet when we get there' he'll be probably insulting us for being so late-

 

BAM!!! The lift suddenly jolted to a stop, sending everything not held down flying. Instinctively, Jonathan and Yu grabbed the metal case.

 

“Thank god it didn't explode…”

“The lift stopped.” Yu observed.

 

The lift, currently on the 27th floor started descending slowly.

“Shit, it's a trap!” Jonathan cursed.

“I told you we should have used the stairs.”

“Well, I'm as sure as hell not going to carry the damn bomb all the way up!” he retorted.

Yu chuckled. Jonathan had a point there. But what was done was done. Quickly the both of them got ready for the fight that would await them. Their objective was the 50th floor, and there would be a lot of shit they were going to go through before they could take a rest.

 

----------------------------------------------------------------- ------

DING!

A literal wall of bullets rained down on the door of the lift, even before they opened.

 

“Did we get them?” The eager sergeant of the security troopers asked.

As if to answer his question, a group of troops protected by bulletproof shields advanced closer to investigate. The bullet-ridden door opened, but there was nobody there- except for 3 canisters that slowly rolled out and right between the gaps of the troops…

 

“GRENADE!!!”

Even before they could scatter, the deadly combination of a smoke, flashbang (7) and high explosive (HE) grenades ripped through the troops. The panicking sergeant tried to order the rest of his to hold fast, before he could do so in the confusion, a single bullet struck his neck, killing him instantly. A shadow of a man appeared through the smoke, and suddenly turned into a blur, launching itself right into the troops, lashing out with incredible strength and speed. In a few short seconds, Yu had taken all the troops out.

 

Like a bulldozer, Yu fought his way through the maze of the building while Jonathan picked off any troops that got too close with his submachinegun. HE grenades cleared out the stubborn ones as they fought toward their new objective, an auxiliary fire lift, located at the back of the floor. If this building followed safety regulations, controls for that lift shouldn't be under their control. But before that, they had a mass of hostile corridors and rooms to traverse. Resistance began piling up as they got further and further inside.

 

“There's a large lobby of some sort up ahead! Reach there, and the fire lift's just a few steps away!” Jonathan shouted as he studied the map. Hearing that, Yu stepped up the pace; there was one more corner to go more before they reached the place Jonathan was talking about. Unknown to them another group of determined security troops were waiting there as well with automatic weapons. Jonathan watched with absurdity (and a sweatdrop) as Yu in his usual energy rounded the corner, ready to take on the next enemies when he jumped back in not even 10 seconds, his bulletproof vest all in tatters…

 

“Shit! Those bullets nearly hit me in the ass!!!!”

Jonathan sighed and motioned to Yu that he was going to handle this, sliding up to the wall covering him from the troops. The troops meanwhile were just as tense, with Yu's sudden appearance and waited, guns raised, for the next attack. Jonathan got his M93R out as well, switching it to automatic fire mode, along his P90…

 

Time to see who's better… Feeling he should try a different approach, Jonathan bounced a HE grenade off the ceiling. It exploded in mid air, knocking the troops back, while Jonathan went in, ripping the troops apart with his P90. The strange thing was that Jonathan stood unfazed as he felled the troops one by one until they all fell, disregarding the bullets that were flying around and grazing his AM jacket. A survivor tried to reach for his gun, but Jonathan shot him with his M93R, without even blinking.

 

“What the hell do you think you're doing?!!” Yu shouted angrily behind Jonathan, after he saw the killing of the wounded trooper. “He's injured! You didn't have to kill him!”

 

As Yu spoke, Jonathan turned. There was a cold look in his eyes that unnerved Yu. “If I didn't kill him, he could have shot either of us. It was either me or him…”

Damn, not another one… “He was unarmed! He wasn't a threat!” Yu protested, trying to slap some sense into him. A killer Yu was, but killing the innocent and wounded was not something he partook in. As a senior member of the Spriggan corp., he had somewhat of a duty towards the younger members and he did not want Jonathan to end up like a crazed death-wished bloodthirsty killer.

“Whatever,” Jonathan turned back. “You wouldn't understand… C'mon. We need to get to that room.”

 

Understand? Understand what? What exactly did he go through?!

 

The room in question was a spacious two-floored foyer with marbled floors and pillars and red velvet furniture. The low-key soft lighting and glass water features completed the ambience of the room, which was used by the corporation to receive guests. Cozy as it may be it was still infested by troops waiting for an ambush, the most dangerous of all being a QBU-88 (8)-armed sniper waiting in the shadows of the second floor. Every muscle in his body tensed as he could make out the shape of a person approaching the glass doors that led into the room through his scope. For a sniper, the first shot was the most important in determining the kill and the success of the mission. As soon as he saw Jonathan fill up his crosshairs, he panicked, hesitated, than fired.

 

The shot went through the glass and hit Jonathan squarely in the chest as he was about to touch the handle. With a surprised look, he fell… “Jonathan!!!!”

 

That gave a signal to the rest of the troops hiding for the ambush to reveal themselves and attack. They stationed themselves behind the 2nd floor balconies, sofas and tables, ready for action. Yu who had had doubted Jonathan and watched him die, now had to face off a numerically and tactically superior enemy. It was as if everything went into slow motion; the sight of Jonathan of the floor, the scowl forming on his face as he turned on the forbidden switch inside his mind… The troops on the second floor, armed with QBZ-97 (9) assault rifles fired mercilessly en masse into the glass door. Hesitations and limitations aside, Yu quickly flattened himself against the wall while glass shards of the destroyed door flew around him. Quick and fluid, his battle sense completely in charge, Yu darted in and out between lulls of enemy fire to lay down suppressive fire of his own from his G3A3. Bit by bit the enemy fire withered as Yu scored again and again against them.

 

The falling body of one of the soldiers from the second floor jolted the commander of the troops in the room and he curse. His men, were just a mere 100 meters away from Yu, and he felt a concerted attack on the damned Spriggan while he was engaged with the ones on top would finish him off for good, especially since one of them was already dead. But the plan from his commander; Han called for them to engage them when they when they were in the room itself. He knew from the sounds above that his comrades were being massacred and his urge to help and to kill fought with sense of duty. What should he do?

 

----------------------------------------------------------------- ------

“Ow.”

Like a zombie from the grave, the one that was supposed to be dead rose up straight. Jonathan winced and clutched his left breast where the sniper bullet hit. Damn. There would be a large bruise there tomorrow… The principle of the properties of Omihalcon as a bulletproof material was similar to that of Kevlar itself. The kinetic force of a bullet upon impact would be spread across the material, stopping the bullet although the wearer may suffer blunt-force trauma due to the momentum of the bullet. Omihalcon increased the factor, offering heat and pressure resistance as well as being very, very, hard. However, like Kevlar, the thickness of the material cushioned the more force. If normal rifle bullets managed to give Yu bruises under his AM suit, Jonathan's AM jacket, having half of the Omihalcon thickness, you could imagine what happened to him. (10)

 

In fact, he felt like he had a heart attack. The bullet was meant for his heart, and although he was safe Jonathan felt angry, partially for the pain, and the other, the humiliation and stupidity of being a snipers target. “Bastards…” He scowled through clenched teeth. Standing up, the deformed core of the bullet slowly slid off his jacket… “You're going to pay…”

 

The commander had finally made up his mind. “Fuck the orders, men! Attack that Spriggan!” pointing a finger at Yu, screaming art his men. But when he looked back, he saw a darkening shadow, and then pain as a pointed tip of boot slammed right into his face. Jonathan, finishing his flying kick, dropped in the middle of the troops, his M9 bayonet and P90 ready. It took a few seconds for them to register and respond to the threat, but by then he had already moved, launching vicious kicks and slashes while the troops proved helpless to stop them. It was then when the reinforcements came. More troops armed with submachineguns burst through the other doors in the room, but were mowed down by Yu and Jonathan, after finishing their respective businesses.

 

“Move it, Yu!!!”

 

Carnage and gunfire all around them, Jonathan and Yu scrambled towards the lift with their metal case, firing back at the survivors as they entered. The dull thud of bullets hitting the closed metal door echoed in the lift. The both of them slumped to the floor, exhausted. Yu wondered who looked the worst for wear, but he decided, maybe later. At least one part was over, he reasoned. The personnel directly guarding Jean would be inherently tougher, but in fact, he felt a sense of euphoria at the upcoming challenge.

 

“Are you all right?” Yu asked somewhat innocently. For the entire lift ride, Jonathan had been quiet and subdued, eyes closed. That sniper shot sure looked painful…

 

“Well, what do you think, Mr. Obvious?!” he said, shooting an angry glace at Yu as he tried to stand up, massaging the place where the bullet hit. “Now let's get this damn thing running…”

 

So much for being concerned… Yu sighed, before he got up and joined Jonathan. The much-vaunted case was opened, to reveal a 2kg Semtex (11) bomb. The bomb was to be a diversion, as part of the escape plan. Once they broke into the building and reached the level where Jean was held, they would detonate the bomb, sealing off the lower levels from them. Once they rescued him, they would exfil using the helicopter they brought along from the Japan headquarters. Simple; but like all best laid plans, there was an equal chance of failure…

 

“Timer set to 15 minutes…”

 

While Jonathan was setting the fuse, Yu was busily detaching a panel from the roof. The steel plate fell with a loud clang and a gust hot air from the elevator shaft blew in. “Right, we'd better get a move on…”

 

Jonathan broke open the lift's control panel and flicked the `stop' switch, sending the lift to a halt. Yu climbed out into the shaft and waited. As soon as the bomb was set and the lift sent back down, they would climb the rest of the 2 floors by the elevator cables. Hopefully they would be well clear by the time it exploded. The lift buttons were reset after it stopped and Jonathan pressed the button for the ground floor, jumping up to join Yu as the lift started moving downwards. Below, reinforcements from the second tower were already gathering, ready to strike back at the intruders. Han smiled when he saw the 100 or so troops gathering the lobby, preparing to enter the building. He had not lost yet.

 

But a massive explosion followed next, immolating the entire lobby along with the troops and taking out the 5 floors above it. The force blew out the glass windows of the bottom half of the building and everything in the lower levels. The building and pillars still remained stable, but the lift shafts and staircases were a blazing inferno. All avenues to the top were effectively cut off.

 

The whole building rocked as a result of the shockwave from the bomb and in the security room, Han roared in anger at the devastation and static he saw through the video cameras and ran out.

 

“Commander! Where are you going?! Commander!!”

It was time to take things into his own hands.

 

The troops stationed in the upper levels gave only token resistance as a result of the confusion set by the bomb and by no time, Jonathan and Yu were at the heavy door which led to Jean's holding room. The electronic lock didn't hold them back for long. A bullet through the lock did away with the decrypting process and they barged in…

 

Like any interrogation room, it was sparse and dark, save for a single spotlight in the centre of the ceiling illuminating downwards. In the middle of the light, Jean sat, strapped to a dominating metal chair. His head lay bowed and numerous restraints and IV tubes snaked around his arms and bare chest. (12)

 

“Christ” Jonathan murmured, at the sight of Jean's form. “They didn't really have to do that did they?”

 

“Of course they did. Drugging him was a smart thing too. Jean would have torn them a new one if he'd ever wake up…” Yu replied in a matter-of-fact tone. “C'mon, let's get him out of there before he kills us instead…” motioning towards the chair and holstering his rifle. Jonathan suddenly felt an immense and absurd sense of irony. What? No compassion for your fellow soldier…? Seeing him carelessly pulling out

The IV tubes just heightened the feeling. Ouch! Damn Yu, you could have been a little gentler…

 

Sweatdropping, anime style; he wondered what was the meaning of the mission if Yu killed Jean getting him out of his bonds? It was better if he'd concentrate on his guard duty… It wasn't long before the guards found them and another gunfight erupted, with Jonathan screaming at Yu to just rip Jean out from the seat and get a move on. Yu did just that and together they once again fought to get to the top.

 

----------------------------------------------------------------- ------

The private lift they found opened into a long room, flanked by pillars on both sides and covered in black marble. Far down at the end of the room was a door that was supposedly the exit from this place. Yu and Jonathan were already trembling in anger…

 

“I can't believe this shit…”

 

How many weird rooms did this damned building have?! It was as if every corner was designed to frustrate and hinder them at every turn… The sooner they got out, the better, Yu thought.

 

A murmur from behind Yu indicated that Jean was stirring from his drug-induced stupor. The dark haze of unconsciousness slowly gave way to light and before he knew it, Jean found himself back into the world of the living.

 

“Wh-what the hell happened…?”

“Had a nice dream?”

Jean smiled. “Shut up, Yu.”

 

The last thing he remembered was that there was this monster in front of him… and then darkness. And now he wakes up to find himself half-naked and Yu carrying him on his back. If those guys back at base heard this he would hear no end of it.

“Get me off.”

 

Yu unceremoniously dumped him to the ground and Jean struggled to stand up; the long period of sitting had made his legs numb.

 

“Who the hell is he?” Jean asked, nodding weakly towards Jonathan.

“He's our FNG, Jonathan. He's an okay guy…”

 

Jonathan however ignored them and looked straight forward in the room. The shape of the room, the interior design… It was obvious it was a trap. “Heads up. Trouble's coming…” True to his words, enemy security troops started pouring seemingly from nowhere behind the pillars and taking cover, guns aimed. Likewise, Yu and Jonathan did the same, their weapons at the ready.

 

“You bastards… I'll kill you for what you did to me!!!” To the surprise of everyone in the room, Jean began staggering forward, still weakened and under the influence of the drugs used to restrain him.

“Jean! Wait!” Jonathan shouted, alarmed.

“FIRE!!!!”

 

But it was too late. A barrage of bullets hit Jean, felling him.

“B-blood… My blood…”

“JEAN!!!” Jonathan ran over to his fallen comrade.

Damn, not again… “Jonathan…” Yu spoke slowly; “Get out of there and hide…”

“Are you nuts?! They killed Jean!”

 

“You saw what happened to your friend there! Surrender now or be killed!!!” The leader of the guards issued an ultimatum. 2 against 50. What could go wrong?

 

“Surrender this, asshats!” Jonathan brandished his P-90 menacingly and got ready to return fire in response to the ultimatum. The troops seemingly followed, hesitating and falling back…

 

“Jonathan… Run!!!” Not wanting to stay around any longer, Yu himself dove for cover. Run?! Jonathan slowly turned to ask Yu what he meant by that, only to find himself face-to-face with Jean's lycanthrope form…

 

“OH SHI-“ (13)

“RRRAAWR!!!”

 

His normal personality completely disappears… so he won't come out until he's killed everything that moves…

In this case, that meant Jonathan, who was so happening to be standing right in front of him… He dodged Jean's savage slashes and ran for his life; the troops however, started firing like mad, even launching rocket propelled grenades (Probably due to the fact that Jonathan was running towards them as well…) But not even the bullets and a direct hit from a RPG could fell Jean and he ripped through the troops in an orgy of gore and mutilation. When the smoke cleared, all that was left were just blood and body parts. Slowly, the effects wore off, and Jean returned to his human form, dropping to the floor, exhausted.

 

“Well, it looks like you saved us again. I always wondered what we'd do without your wolf form…” said Yu, coming out from his hiding place. Rifle bullets and an RPG directly on his body, and yet nothing…

 

“So where's that new guy? Don't tell me he's dead already…”

 

Jonathan slid down slowly from the pillar he was taking cover on. “What… the… hell… was that?!”

 

“You didn't tell him?”

“Guess it slipped my mind…” Yu gave a sheepish smile.

Jonathan's heart skipped a beat; you can't just simply forget something like that!!!

“Well, Jean's a Lycanthrope; he turns into a beast whenever he sees his own blood… And once that personality takes over, he doesn't turn back until he's killed everything in sight…”

“Hey! Stop making it sound so bad!!”

 

While they started bickering in an almost comical manner, Jonathan, culminating with whatever he just saw, thought that the both of them had truly gone mad…

 

----------------------------------------------------------------- ------

The rain had made the tarmac of the rooftop a black mirror sheen (And a mild slipping hazard), reflecting the image of Jonathan and Yu as they raced to the large helicopter landing marking, carrying a thoroughly exhausted Jean. Unfortunately, the exfil helicopter that was supposed to meet them there radioed they were delayed and it would be a harrowing 5 minutes before they would arrive. Jonathan hoped so, for the pilot's sake. Jean wasn't looking too good at the moment.

 

But as fate would intervene, the floor suddenly shook with the force of an earthquake and opened beneath Yu. A massive figure in what looked like a Machine Suit emerged and grabbed him, pulling him downwards.

 

“YU!!!!”

 

On reflex, Jonathan fired a off a burst from his P-90, but they just deflected off harmlessly his suit. With a scream, Yu and his mysterious assailant were gone. The rooftop was now deathly quiet, save for the soft whirring of the approaching exfil helicopter.

 

Yu shook his head out from the daze he was in and looked around. It looked like that thing had managed to bring him down to lower levels of the building… Yu found himself in a massive empty room, covered on one side by the large glass windows of the building. He felt a presence and instinctively snapped behind.

 

“Awake? I was wondering if all Spriggans were as weak as this…”

 

The giant was a grotesque figure, with a small helmeted head that did contrast with the rest of his portly 7-foot frame. However, it was more exoskeleton than suit. Partially derived from Fat Man's machine suit, it was more of an exoskeleton. It gave Han tremendous strength, almost 60 times, and enough protection to even stop an RPG explosion. (14) Han had difficulty walking and moving with such an absurd-looking on his body (His height increased by nearly two feet with the suit) but he felt that the strength and power was worthwhile. And then again, he had more than one way to contend with his enemy.

 

Yu spat out some blood while Han taunted him.

“I should congratulate you Spriggans! I am Choi Seow Han, Head of Security for this building. You, Ominae Yu and your friend managed to overcome my impregnable defenses, my best troops, and even my best strategies! You are truly a worthy adversary.”

 

“Glad to see I'm famous.” “Yeah right. Your troops sucked, that's all.” retorted Yu, wiping off the blood from his mouth. “

 

“Men that I knew!!! I led them through their training and through countless battles! They were loyal and trusting…”

 

Yu just dug his ear. Doesn't he ever stop talking…

 

“AND YOU THREW THIER LIVES AWAY AS IF THEY WERE NOTHING!!!!”

With a roar of anger, Han threw a punch and Yu dodged it. Han kept on coming, launching more punches and Yu, dodging them. He had to admit, that despite the bulk, Han moved fast. Activating his AM suit, he saw a hit that landed on a wall left a massive concave depression. No points on guessing what would happen if that was me, he thought.

 

“You will pay for my humiliation!!!” A surprise kick landed Yu right into the wall. “My men will be avenged!!!” Like a toy, he easily flung Yu by his arm and slammed him to the floor. Yu, stunned and coughing, was lifted up from the rubble and Han slowly began choking him. “And for that you will now die.”

 

“Will you just shut up?!!!” In a move reminiscent of his battle with Fat Man, Yu whipped out his omihalcon blade, slicing off the arm that held him. But instead of blood, hydraulic fluid spilled out.

 

“Fool! Do you think you could stop me like this?! I read about your exploits, Ominae Yu; this armor may be similar to Fat Man's but you will find me to be a very different opponent!!!” Using his other arm, Han backhanded Yu away. But in mid-flight, Yu recovered and rebounded back, his blade ready.

 

“A counterattack?!!”

Yu stabbed deep into his belly and drew sideways. Hydraulic fluid gushed out and Han fell backwards. But Yu saw that it was not enough; he had only broken through the exoskeleton, and with all his strength, drove the blade again deep into the wound. This time, Han screamed in pain and blood as Yu finally penetrated, dealing him a mortal wound.

 

“You talk too much.”

 

----------------------------------------------------------------- ------

The Black Hawk helicopter circled the glass windows of the Tower Palace, looking out for any signs of Yu. Jonathan knew that the thing had somehow dragged Yu into the building and had ordered, upon the threat of death, the helicopter crew to search for him. However, the crew needed little motivation themselves. Yu was their friend and no one was going to get left behind.

 

“There he is!!” Jonathan cried out. The ADU troopers not treating Jean's wounds looked at the direction where Jonathan was pointing to. Yu's form could be seen through the glass windows of the 49th floor, but something they noticed behind him concerned the people in the helicopter even more.

 

----------------------------------------------------------------- ------

“What?! You're not dead yet?!!”

 

Han slowly got up, trembling. Blood flowed freely from his mouth and belly wound but he didn't care.

“I've survived countless combat missions and battles… A mere cut like that won't do me in- “Another glob of blood lurched out from his mouth and spread all over his suit. Yu's savage attack disemboweled him. Only sheer will kept him alive.

 

“You might have won this round, but as I said I have other methods to deal with you…” As Han talked, he pulled out a detonator switch.

“This building is wired to explode. It was meant as an emergency self-destruct measure, but…”

 

----------------------------------------------------------------- ------

Outside in the helicopter, Jonathan saw the detonator switch too.

“Get me a rifle!!!”

At once one of the Korean ADU soldiers handed him his Daewoo DR300 (15) assault rifle, complete with a sniper scope. Haven't used this gun before…

 

Jonathan had an ability to fire a weapon proficiently within 5 minutes of handling it and as he weighed the rifle and poured over its features, his mind computed the information he was getting. I see… Similar construction with a M16… Some differences with the bolt, and there's no recoil buffer, so I have be extra careful…

 

What?! He thought as he shouldered the rifle and looked down its scope, He's still talking! Well, good for me and bad for you…

 

----------------------------------------------------------------- ------

“You're crazy!”

“Crazy?” Han sneered. “You destroyed my military career with ease! Even 20 years of experience was not enough to kill the likes of you… Remember, Spriggan, it was you who drove me to this measure of desperation! Remember this in your next life!”

 

As soon as the last word left his lips, Jonathan fired. The bullet penetrated through the glass and hit Han in the forehead, killing him instantly. And just like that, it was over; another mission completed. Yu smiled and slumped down with relief, and turned back to wave at Jonathan and the Black Hawk outside. Jonathan…

 

Suddenly, Han's corpse keeled over, hitting the detonator switch.

 

Yu's eyes grew as big as saucers. …you IDIOT!!!!

The building shook and shuddered in its death throes; windows burst and fire engulfed the levels. Explosives had been placed deliberately in critical areas of the building and now, supporting beams were knocked out one by one, and gas explosions engulfed the building. In moments, Yu and the building would be a pile of rubble in the ground, if they didn't get him out in time. Jonathan cursed himself and wondered what went wrong while the ADU troops fired their weapons, smashing the glass window for Yu to escape.

 

“Jump, Yu!!!” Jonathan shouted holding his hand. But it was 20-meter jump away to the helicopter, who was maintaining the closest possible distance.

 

“You're nuts!!!” Yu shouted at them. It was suicidal, even for an artificial muscle assisted jump. In the helicopter, the engine was drowning out all outside sound. Jonathan could only see Yu's mouth moving… “I think he says he's going he's going to do it!”

 

By now the explosions had reached Yu's floor, and fire spread into the room. “We need to get further away! In this range, the force of the explosion is going to get us!” The pilot of the Black Hawk warned.

“We stay until Yu jumps!!”

“But then how are we going to get away?” the pilot asked, annoyed at the irrationality.

“I don't know! You're a pilot; do some of your pilot shit… or something!!!”

 

Damn you, Jonathan… Yu thought as another explosion brought the fire closer. The next one would be fatal. Yu braced himself, ran, and jumped. Yu half-expected to wake up in heaven, but instead his hand touched cold metal. He had made it. “Let's get outta here!” the pilot exclaimed, tilting the helicopter to quickly avoid the massive explosion that followed from the building. However with everyone trying to pull up Yu, the pilot's trick caused the unconscious Jean to slide out from the helicopter, saved only by an attentive ADU soldier who hung onto his pants…

 

On the ground, Jung-Ahn and the rest of the evacuated troops watched the flaming Tower Palace in sorrow as the sirens of emergency vehicles filled the early morning. They knew that Han was dead.

 

And in the approaching dawn light, the ARCAM rescue team began their long trip back home to Tokyo.

 

----------------------------------------------------------------- ------

Misc. Notes:

 

(1) Some parts of the old ancient gates of Seoul can still be seen in the city. Don't be surprised to be walking in Seoul and suddenly finding an old stone temple right in the middle of the street.

 

(2) A triplet of steel and glass skyscrapers in Seoul. There are three different sets of them, making a total of 9 buildings altogether. All of them look the same and their design is rather boring and ugly. The events of this chapter take place in Tower Palace One, Tower B; the highest of the first set. Pic here:

http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=131364

 

(3) A disposable anti-tank rocket launcher used by the modern German army. Descendant of the famous Panzerfaust anti-tank weapon used by the Germans in World War 2, it is known to be able to fire from inside rooms since it doesn't have dangerous backblast. Info here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynamit_Nobel_Panzerfaust_3