Tenchi Muyo Fan Fiction ❯ Sanyasi ❯ The Shadows That Follow ( Chapter 5 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Disclaimer: Tenchi Muyo and its characters are property of AIC and
Pioneer. The proceeding story, though based on pre-existing characters, is
the property of the author and may not be reprinted without permission.
All original characters found herein are also the property of the author and
may not be used without permission. (Did that sound official? I hope so.)

The Shadows That Follow

Chapter 1: In Control

"So, when do you think we'll get to Tenchi's house?" Mihoshi
asked.
"In about a day or so," Sanyasi answered, even though the question
was directed more towards Kiyone. "Sorry, but this isn't the fastest ship in
the galaxy by any means."
"We'd be out of your hair a lot quicker if you let us use our own
ship," Kiyone interjected.
"And let you sick your GP dogs on me? No thanks," Sanyasi
replied. "I don't trust you quite that much."
Sanyasi, Kiyone, and Mihoshi had gathered in the control room
after the meal that Iggy had prepared, with nothing better to do than to
count the minutes before the two police officers were to take their leave of
Sanyasi's ship and his business. He was looking forward to that moment
more than either of the girls. He nervously puffed on his cigarette, sitting
bolt upright in his seat.
"You might as well let us go and get it over with, then," Kiyone
answered back snidely. "You know we'll put out an APB on you the first
chance we get anyway, and it won't be long until you're caught. I'll make
you very sorry that you got us involved."
"I already am," Sanyasi said caustically as he extinguished his
cigarette.
Iggy then limped in on the three of them, still favoring his
perforated buttock, having finished washing the dishes. He sighed as he
found, as per usual, Kiyone and Sanyasi scowling at one another. "Gee, I
hope this isn't about the stew I made," he said.
"No, the stew was really good," Mihoshi insisted. "It really makes
me miss Sasami's cooking, though."
"Who?" Iggy asked.
"Sasami," Mihosh repeated. "Ayeka's sister. She was a great
cook."
"Ayeka," Sanyasi echoed thoughtfully. "Why does that name
sound so familiar?"
"You've probably heard of her before," Kiyone said. "She's only
the crown princess of Jurai."
Sanyasi seemed to freeze for a moment as he absorbed the
statement. "And you're telling me," he began evenly, "that her little sister
used to cook for you?"
"Yeah," Mihoshi confirmed. "When we lived at Tenchi's she
would cook for everybody."
"That's right," Kiyone said with a vicious smile. "Ayeka and
Sasami are close personal friends of ours. So you'd better cooperate with
us if you know what's good for you."
Sanyasi again sat perfectly still. Kiyone's smile widened. She had
played the largest trump card that she had, and was sure that the wrath of
the Jurai royal family was more than enough to convince Sanyasi to let
them go. So, she was understandably surprised when Sanyasi began to
laugh.
"Damn, you must think I'm a complete idiot!" Sanyasi chuckled.
"I mean, first of all, what's a princess of Jurai doing on Earth? Secondly,
even if she was there, what's her little sister doing in the kitchen? If
anything, you'd be the ones cooking for them!"
"Go ahead and laugh if you like," Kiyone said. "But don't come
crying to me when you're being turned over to the Jurai authorities for
endangering our lives."
"What are you trying to do; scare me?" Sanyasi asked haughtily.
"You'd better try harder than that. Even if you knew the entire royal
family, what's the worst they can do to me?"
"You moron!" Kiyone shouted. "You're organized crime. You're
an enemy of the state. They'll have you executed in the blink of an eye."
Sanyasi narrowed his eyes at her, an action she could not see
through the dark lenses of his sunglasses. "You really think death
frightens me, don't you?" he asked. "Silly girl. They'd be doing me a
favor. You think I'd miss this life of mine? I've got nothing to lose and
nothing to gain."
"Then why not just stop?" Kiyone asked almost in desperation. "If
you're so self-pitying and downtrodden, how much worse could things be
in prison? Let the Galaxy Police worry about Messiah. Hell, you could
even help us bring him down."
"Do you really think that's what I want?" Sanyasi asked hotly. "To
live out my days in peace in some dank prison cell like some whipped
animal? Messiah has to die. And whether or not I join him in death
makes no difference to me. No one is going to stand in my way."
Kiyone scowled. "Is that a challenge?" she asked.
"Whatever," Sanyasi answered with a wave of his hand as he got
up to leave.
"Challenge accepted," Kiyone said. She reached into her belt and
pulled out a blaster she had been concealing. She aimed it at the back of
Sanyasi's head, the muzzled a scant few inches from his black ponytail.
Iggy gasped in horror. Mihoshi's hand went to her mouth as she watched
the scene unfold.
Sanyasi's expression did not change. "Iggy," he said coolly, "I
thought I told you to remove all firearms from their ship, did I not?"
"I did!" Iggy insisted. "I checked every place you told me to. I had
to have gotten them all!"
"Well, obviously you missed one, or we wouldn't be having this
conversation," Sanyasi responded.
"We can't have some crazed vigilante mowing down criminals just
because he's deranged enough to believe that two wrongs make a right,"
Kiyone explained. "I'm not going to let you go through with whatever
crazy revenge game you have in mind, so you'd better just give yourself up
now." Sanyasi, his back still turned to her, responded by slowly reaching
into his pocket. "Hands where I can see them!" Kiyone shouted. Sanyasi
continued to extract the item from his pocket, a pack of cigarettes which
he showed to her. He took one out and replaced the pack in his pocket,
them went to his other pocket and slowly pulled out a lighter, which he
also showed her. He lit his cigarette and took a few puffs before pocketing
the lighter once more. He could see by the rear-view mirrors of his glasses
that Kiyone wasn't kidding around; the safety was off on her blaster, and
her finger rested on the trigger. Her eyes were totally fixed on him.
Sanyasi sighed; Kiyone was making this situation unnecessarily difficult
for both of them.
Quicker than Kiyone could pull the trigger Sanyasi wheeled around
and grabbed her wrist. The subsequent shot was off the mark, several
inches to the left of Sanyasi's head. He dug his fingernails into the main
tendon of her wrist, causing her to yell in pain and drop her blaster. He
kicked it over to Iggy's feet. "Hold that for me," he said.
Iggy complied and picked up the blaster. Sanyasi then grabbed
Kiyone by the neck and slammed her hard up against the wall. "Don't hurt
her!" Mihoshi protested, beginning to tear up.
Sanyasi squeezed hard, but not quite hard enough to suffocate her.
"I've tried to be nice," he said, in a calm, chilling tone that made the hair
on the back of Kiyone's neck stand up. "I've tried to look out for you, be
considerate to you, and be reasonable with you. But you just keep pushing
me, and pushing me, and pushing me. And, when people push me, they
get on my nerves. And, when they get on my nerves, they make me angry.
And, when I get angry... well, you saw what happened to Rook."
"Please, Mitch, don't!" Mihoshi yelled, her voice squeaky and
nervous.
Sanyasi paid her no heed. "I told you before," he continued, his
face inches from Kiyone's wide eyes, "you're here because you're safe
here. But you're making my life particularly difficult with your childish
sense of justice. You have to learn that sometimes the best way isn't
always the right way." Sanyasi released his hand, allowing Kiyone to gasp
for air, her hands on her knees. He still stood over her. "Don't give me a
reason to kill you. And standing in my way is a pretty damn good reason."
Sanyasi turned away from the heavily breathing Kiyone and met
with Mihoshi's eyes. They were brimming with tears, some of which slid
down her cheeks. Still, so frightened was she that she dared not utter a
sound. Sanyasi stepped up to her, causing her to recoil in dread. He
slowly reached his hand forward, and gently wiped away one of her tears
with his fingertips. "Please, don't cry," he said softly. "It annoys me." He
then turned around and slowly walked from the room.
Mihoshi sank to her knees and began to sob freely, burying her face
in her hands. Kiyone stood upright, watching Sanyasi fade into the dimly
lit hallway with an expression of shock and disbelief on her face. Iggy, as
well, stood dumbfounded, staring blankly at the blaster in his hands. He
had known of many people who had previously pointed a gun at his
partner. Most of them were dead. Yet, there Kiyone stood, spared. He
wondered what it was about her that Sanyasi thought was special enough
to preserve.

Sanyasi sat on his bed, a cigarette in one hand, staring at the bottle
of iced tea on the table beside him. He had just sipped from it to wash
down the pair of pills he had just taken. Mihoshi's crying had done much
more than annoy him; it caused his stomach affliction to flare up with a
vengeance. As he waited for the pain to subside, he merely stared at the
container of his favorite beverage. His fondness for it was not so much in
the flavor, but in that it reminded him of himself. All tea starts as water;
odorless, colorless, flavorless. Much like the purity and innocence of a
child. Only after being exposed to a teabag does the water then assume a
characteristic smell, appearance, and taste. For Sanyasi, that teabag was
filled with the Zaibatsu, Messiah, and Annie. After being steeped within
him, those factors had served to transform the innocence of his youth to
the dark, cold, and bitter tea of a life without meaning or future. And,
even after the teabag is removed, the bitterness doesn't go away. It
remains forever present until the tea has been drunk, and the container sits
empty. Sanyasi had to wonder, when he fulfilled his revenge, and all the
demons had been silenced, would he then be empty? Or would the
bitterness remain? If so, then there truly was no future for him. Then
again, he had decided long ago that he would proceed with no thought of a
future, anyway. He took another drink.
Iggy cautiously peeked into the room and slowly stepped in.
Sanyasi glanced at him quickly, then averted his eyes back to the bottle.
Iggy pulled up a chair and made to sit down across from him, but then
remembered his injury. He settled for leaning against the wall. "You
okay?" he asked.
Sanyasi flicked the ashes off his cigarette. "Why wouldn't I be?"
"Because of what happened back there," Iggy replied. "Man, I
don't get you, Mitch. You seemed like you were being nice to her, and all
of a sudden you just go off. I swear, I thought you were going to snap her
neck, or something."
"How else was I supposed to handle it?" Sanyasi asked evenly. "In
case you didn't notice, she had a gun pointed to my head. Which, I might
add, was your fault."
"Well, she must have had that thing stashed someplace really
secluded, because I pretty much swept that ship clean and didn't find it,"
Iggy reported.
"Just be thankful that no one got hurt," Sanyasi said dryly. He took
out another cigarette and lit it with the smoldering end of his previous one.
He took a long inhale and blew the smoke off to the side. "How are they?"
"Mihoshi's beside herself," Iggy said. "She was crying a river
when I left her."
"And Kiyone?" Sanyasi inquired.
"I don't know. She was... weird. She just sat still, eyes really
wide, and I think she was shaking a little."
"She's afraid of me," Sanyasi figured.
"Think so?" Iggy asked.
"She won't admit it, but, yeah, she is," Sanyasi said confidently.
"And that's all I really wanted to do, to scare her. Maybe now she'll think
twice before she tries to fuck with me."
"I sure as hell would," Iggy said.
"You know what?" Sanyasi suggested. "Go see if you can calm
Mihoshi down. The last thing I need is for her to break down on us."
"I'm not sure if I can," Iggy replied. "She was borderline
hysterical."
"I think you can do it," Sanyasi encouraged. "I think she likes you,
Iggy."
"Really?" he asked anxiously.
Sanyasi smiled. "Hey, I wouldn't shit you."
Iggy hurriedly turned around and nearly flew out of the room to
seek and comfort the curvaceous blonde. Sanyasi's smile slowly melted
off his face as he watched his partner leave. "The poor, love-struck fool."
He puffed again on his cigarette. "He'd better not turn out like me."

Chapter 2: A Renewed Acquaintance

It wasn't until he heard the alarm that Sanyasi realized that he had
dozed off. He quickly leapt from his bed and made a dash to the control
room to see what was causing it. He met Iggy halfway. "What's going
on?" Iggy asked.
"Your guess is as good as mine," Sanyasi returned. They arrived in
the control room and checked the console. Both of them were surprised.
"Someone's accessing the airlock," Iggy said. "From outside!"
"What the hell..." Sanyasi trailed off. "Someone's trying to get
in?"
"Hang on," Iggy said as he punched some keys, bringing up a
schematic of the airlock and the docking clamps directly connected to it.
"The docking clamps are in use. They're in a ship."
"Shouldn't we have been able to pick that up?" asked Sanyasi.
"Most of the radar equipment was torn out before the ship was
sold," Iggy said. "Besides, it wouldn't have done any good anyway if we
didn't know it was coming."
"Can you get me a visual of the ship that's docking?"
Iggy punched a few more keys. An image came up on one of the
screens. "Good, the external cameras are still operational. Let me scroll
through and get to the right one..." After the fifth try, the airlock camera
came up, showing a ship docked. "Friend of yours?"
"I think that's..." Sanyasi trailed off. He then drew his pistols.
"We've got to get to the airlock now!" Before Iggy could ask why,
Sanyasi was already off and running down the hall.
As he sprinted down the hallway, Kiyone and Mihoshi fell in
beside him. "What's going on, now?" Kiyone asked impatiently.
"It seems we have a visitor," Sanyasi said. "I need to take care of
them."
"What are you talking about?" asked Kiyone.
"There's a ship docked outside," Sanyasi explained. "I'm certain
it's the Zaibatsu."
"Is it Messiah?" Mihoshi asked.
"I don't think so," Sanyasi answered. "The ship is a one-seater,
and Messiah wouldn't come alone."
Suddenly, the alarm stopped. The group reached the airlock a few
moments later, only to find it empty. "What now?" Iggy asked.
"He's on the ship somewhere," Sanyasi said, almost in a whisper.
"Looks like we'll have to hunt him down."
"We?" Kiyone asked.
"Iggy, the blaster I gave you earlier," Sanyasi said, "give it to
Kiyone."
"What?!" Kiyone and Iggy blurted almost in unison.
"It'll be easier if we split up," Sanyasi responded. "Two against
one is better odds."
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Iggy asked.
"Just give her the gun and let me worry about it," Sanyasi insisted.
Iggy reluctantly did as he was told and handed the blaster to Kiyone, who
took it with a perplexed and confused expression, as if she had forgotten
how to use it.
"What about me?" Mihoshi asked. "Three against one is even
better odds."
"You're too vulnerable with your arm all shot up," Sanyasi said.
"You stay here with Iggy. Lock yourselves in the airlock and don't come
out until we give you the okay."
"You sure you want to do this?" Asked Iggy concernedly.
Sanyasi flashed him a wry smile. "Don't sweat the small stuff,
Iggy. You just stay here and make sure you're in good shape, just in case I
need you to patch up a few more holes in me." He turned to Kiyone.
"You patrol from here to the control room, and I'll head down to storage."
"Wait a minute," Kiyone cut in, "I don't even want to get involved.
Why should I even help you?"
"Because," Sanyasi replied, "if this guy kills me, who do you think
is next? Just stay on your guard and you'll be fine. And don't shoot to
kill; I want to question him first." Before Kiyone could get a word in,
Sanyasi was already stepping cautiously away from her down the hall, his
eyes roving back and forth.
Not knowing quite what else to do, Kiyone set about the
assignment that had been given to her.

As Sanyasi quietly slinked down the hall towards the storage area,
he wondered who it was that the Zaibatsu sent after him this time. To
come aboard alone meant one of two things: either whoever it was had no
idea who he was dealing with, or he was suicidal. Was it someone he
knew, or another hired hand like Poltergeist? Despite his confidence that
he could handle the situation, Sanyasi was not looking forward to finding
out.
Sanyasi stopped for a moment to listen intently for any sounds.
Any footsteps even remotely close to him would resonate off the metal
floor. He heard nothing and relaxed. Then, he nearly had a heart attack
when he felt something brush against his leg. He leapt backwards and
leveled his pistol, only to see his sights lined up on Fred. He exhaled and
lowered his gun. "Fred," he scolded, "I swear, if you ever do that again,
I'll neuter you with my bare hands." Fred only looked at him curiously for
a moment, then softly padded away down the hall from where Sanyasi had
just come. Sanyasi wiped the bead of sweat from his forehead and
continued on.
He had reached the storage container without incident. He sighed
to himself, thinking that the intruder must be in the portion of the ship
patrolled by Kiyone. Unfortunately, he thought to himself, she would
handle the situation like the cop she was. Instead of merely detaining the
intruder, she would probably use lethal force if she felt herself in danger.
And she most certainly was. [Kiyone, please don't do anything stupid,]
he pleaded with whoever might be eavesdropping on his thoughts at the
moment.
A series of footsteps from within the storage area averted his
attention. He pressed his back to the wall of the dimly lit room and drew
his second pistol. It made sense that the assailant would have come here;
the spacious storage area with boxes scattered about was the perfect place
for an ambush. Sanyasi slowly slinked along the wall, listening for any
sound. When he reached the light switch, he threw it. Nothing happened.
Whoever had come aboard was smart enough to disable the lights.
Suddenly a loud droning filled the room. Sanyasi had his second
close call with a coronary before he realized that it was the automatic
refrigeration unit within the room. The background noise was just enough
to muffle the sounds of any footsteps, which did not bode well for either
individual in the room. Shooting accurately would involve a lot of guess
work, especially since Sanyasi didn't want to kill the intruder. Yet. "Let's
thread the needle," he whispered.
Sanyasi removed the sunglasses from his pocket, and searched
around frantically for a source of light. He found what he was looking for,
the on-light for the refrigerator. He tossed the sunglasses in the path of the
light, such that the green luminescence would play off the mirrors adhered
to the lenses. He achieved the desired effect, as he saw the reflected light
spinning about the room. The desired effect was also achieved in that the
intruder shot reflexively at the glasses. Sanyasi trained his sights on the
gunflash and opened fire, hoping to shoot the gun out of his hands or, at
the worst, wing him. Neither happened as the assailant likewise homed in
on Sanyasi's pistols and began returning fire. Sanyasi sprinted across the
room, shooting madly, trying to hit his target and not hit his target at the
same time. That, coupled with the darkness, made his pistols nearly
useless. He stopped shooting and dove behind a crate for cover.
With no shots coming from either side at that point, Sanyasi
stopped to think. He would need to restore light to the room in order to
effectively fire. He leaned his head back, which clanged against a metal
container. He smiled as he realized what was in the container. If his sense
of position in the room was correct, he had just found the supply of
propane for the stove. A lot of the hardware, including the galley, was
removed from the ship before it was sold. Instead of struggling to find a
stove that was compatible with the GP's unique power couplings, he had
decided to get a propane stove. Now, the answer to his problem was no
more than a small spark away. Though, he would have to work quickly.
He stepped back and shot a hole in the container, from which the
flammable liquid began to spill. Alerted by the fire flash, the intruder got
a fix on Sanyasi's position and again began to shoot at him. Sanyasi did
not return fire as he ran from the spillage. Once at a safe distance, he took
out his lighter and, in one swift motion, ignited the flame and threw it at
the puddle of propane that still grew on the floor. The intruder took
several shots at the lighter, but was unable to hit it, as it presented a much
smaller target than the sunglasses. The lighter landed within the propane,
which quickly caught fire, casting an orange glow about the room.
However, with light restored, Sanyasi knew he had another problem on his
hands. It would not be long before the fire traveled to its source. He
hurriedly ran across to the other side of the room, bullets whizzing past
him, to avoid the impending explosion. Just before the canister blew,
sending shards of shrapnel spiraling dangerously through the storage room,
he dove behind another crate.
When Sanyasi stood back up, he found that his pursuer had been
knocked down by the explosion, and was beginning to get back on his feet.
Sanyasi aimed and fired, which wrenched the gun from underneath his
hand and sent it spiraling across the room, coming to rest against the wall.
The intruder scrambled to his feet to retrieve it, with Sanyasi sprinting
wildly to catch up. The lower half of the man's gray long-coat trailed
behind him as he ran desperately, and finally made a head-long dive. His
hand landed on the gun, at which point he turned around in mid-slide to
have his back against the wall. He brought his gun up and trained his
sights on Sanyasi, who stood a few yards away, his own pistol pointing at
the head of his pursuer.
At the moment that the two recognized each other in the dim light
of the propane flames, both decided that they would not shoot. The
intruder stared at Sanyasi, apparently stunned, his mouth hanging open.
Sanyasi's expression did not change. "Hello, Haywire," he said. "How is
your mother's arthritis these days?"
"My God," the intruder said, barely audibly. "It's you." His eyes
shifted to look past Sanyasi at someone who was coming up behind them.
Sanyasi noticed the roving eyes and quickly spun around to point
his weapon. He found himself looking at Kiyone, who reflexively raised
her own weapon in response. The two stayed as such for several moments,
pointing their weapons at each others' heads.
Kiyone broke the silence first. "I came as soon as I heard the
gunshots. Is this the guy?"
Sanyasi holstered both his pistols. "Yeah, he's the one. He's cool,
though. Do me a favor; there's a fire extinguisher around here
somewhere. See if you can put that out over there." He gestured to the
remains of the propane tank.
As Kiyone set about finding the extinguisher, Sanyasi helped
Haywire to his feet. Haywire was still dazed at coming face to face with
his former colleague. "Jesus Christ, Merchant, what's going on, here?
You're supposed to be dead."
"Is that what Messiah has been telling everyone?" Sanyasi asked.
"He said you were assassinated as a threat to the Zaibatsu two
years ago," Haywire explained. "Shit, I went to your funeral."
"Sorry I didn't make it," Sanyasi replied. "I was busy that day.
Now, maybe you can help me figure some things out. Like why the fuck
you were shooting at me."
"I didn't know it was you," Haywire answered quickly. "Messiah
has a lot of people out looking for you, but he told us you were someone
else."
Sanyasi slammed his fist hard against the wall. "That rat fuck! I
know exactly what he's doing."
"I'm glad someone does," Haywire interjected. "What the hell is
going on?"
Kiyone, successful in extinguishing the fire, threw the extinguisher
down noisily and, with a sarcastic air, asked, "Is there anything else I may
do for you, your majesty?"
"Who's the skirt?" asked Haywire.
"Just some spare baggage," Sanyasi said bitterly.
"Smile when you say that, scumbag!" Kiyone spat.
"Never mind," Sanyasi sighed, shaking his head. "Everyone
follow me. I'll get the others and explain everything then."

Chapter 3: Inner Dilemma

After making sure that Haywire was introduced to everyone as the
closest thing to an ally that Sanyasi still had, he sat everyone down in the
control room to present his hypothesis. "It's no coincidence that Messiah
sent you after me, Haywire. Tell me, of all the men who were under me in
the Zaibatsu, how many are still left in the organization?"
"Not too many," Haywire said, running a hand through his short
brown hair. "Most of them left after you were supposed to have been
killed, and a few of them were actually exterminated by order of Messiah.
I was only kept on because of my high level of training."
"Right; we were all trained by Poltergeist at the same time, weren't
we?" Sanyasi recalled. "And, of all those people still left, how many of
them did Messiah send to come after me?"
After a few moments of thought, Haywire replied, "Actually, just
about all of us."
"I thought so," Sanyasi sighed.
"Excuse me," Kiyone interrupted, "but does any of this have
anything to do with anything?"
"I was getting to that!" Sanyasi snapped. "Messiah is using
everyone in the organization who might still be loyal to me to try and kill
me. He figures that, since I don't look the way I used to, no one would
recognize me until it's too late. In that case, one of two things would
happen. One, none of the would-be assassins would be successful, and I
would kill them all in self-defense, in effect wiping my own influence on
the Zaibatsu out. Two, one of them would eventually kill me, in which
case Messiah wins anyway, and without risking the lives of any of those
loyal to him. I'm flattered; he must still be scared of me."
"He was always jealous of you," Haywire said. "Even though he
was older, the table was set for you to take over. The only way he could
attain power was to seize it. He never understood. The reason he was
passed over was because he was so uncompromising. He was the most
bull-headed person in the entire organization. So self-righteous, turning
his nose up at everyone else. You should see the Zaibatsu now. It's about
to cave in on itself."
"What do you mean?" Kiyone asked anxiously.
"Messiah has severed ties with just about every syndicate we had
relations with," Haywire explained. "They're all beginning to see us as a
common enemy. It won't be long before a group of them mobilizes
against us. And, of course, Messiah is blind to it all."
"How could he be so stupid?" Sanyasi asked to himself. "It's like
a war out there. And, in a war, you need allies. He's practically painted a
bull's-eye on his own head. How could he be so blind?"
"He wants total control," Haywire said. "And he thinks he has the
resources to do it."
"Nobody has the kind of resources to take over everything,"
Sanyasi said. "Not even the Galaxy Police and the Jurai royal family
working together could assume control of all the syndicates. He's signed
the death warrant for the whole fucking organization."
"I've been trying to find a way off that sinking ship," said Haywire,
"but I haven't seen an opportunity present itself. The last few who've
deserted were hunted down and assassinated. Looks like Messiah is going
to drag us all down with him."
"He won't once I've killed him," Sanyasi responded evenly.
"Bullshit," Haywire said promptly. "No one can get to Messiah."
"I can," Sanyasi said confidently. "With your help."
"Hang on just a goddamned minute!" Haywire protested. "You
expect us to just walk right in and take out Messiah? He's guarded around
the clock by lieutenants. Not to mention all the enforcers who wouldn't
take too kindly to us shooting the place up. It's impossible."
"You just get me in there," Sanyasi proposed, "and I'll worry about
the rest. You wanted a way out? You're looking at him."
"Time out, buddy," Iggy interjected. "If it's that simple, why
didn't you try it in the first place?"
"I never had an insider on my side before now," Sanyasi replied.
"What do you say, Haywire? Want to shoot some shit up just like old
times?"
Haywire steeped in thought for several moments, the rest awaiting
his reply. "I've walked knee-deep in shit with you before and always
come out alright," he said. "Why should this time be any different? I'm
in."
"I could always count on you, Haywire," Sanyasi said with a smile.
"I'll set course for Agravaine, and we'll cook up a plan on the way."
"Agravaine?" Asked Mihoshi. "But I thought you were going to
take us to Earth."
Sanyasi looked at her and smirked as he shrugged his shoulders.
"Sorry, but I'm going to have to postpone our little ferry service for now.
This takes precedence."
"My foot, it does!" Kiyone snapped. "You've jerked us around
long enough, Mitch! It's time that you sent us on our way."
"You want to be sent off?" Sanyasi asked bitterly. "How about an
all-expense paid trip out the airlock, sans spacesuit?"
"You don't have the balls!" Kiyone challenged. "I think I know
the real reason you haven't tried to kill me yet: You're afraid of me!"
"If I was afraid of you, I would have killed you a while ago,"
Sanyasi contended. "Trust me when I say that I don't lose any sleep
because of your being here. Other than the fact that you're an obnoxious
pest."
"You don't want to lose sleep? How about I beat you into a coma,
jerk-wad?!" Kiyone shouted very angrily.
"Please don't yell like that!" Mihoshi pleaded. "We shouldn't be
fighting amongst ourselves like this. We need to help Mitch catch
Messiah!"
"We have to do WHAT?!" Kiyone blurted. "Do you have any idea
what you're saying, Mihoshi?"
"Yes, I do!" she said firmly. "I am helping to apprehend a known
criminal by the best means I know how; by following the lead of someone
who knows him best. No matter what side of the law Mitch is on right
now, he's still the best chance we have at apprehending the leader of an
organized crime syndicate. And, as a Galaxy Police officer, it is my sworn
duty to uphold justice!"
"Mihoshi, you're crazy!" Kiyone replied. "This is not our fight!"
"Kiyone, you said that some police officers might be being paid off
by the Zaibatsu, right?" she asked. "Well, if that's true, then when will we
get an opportunity like this again? If we can't get any leads through the
department, then why not use Mitch?"
Kiyone made as if to reply, but could not think of anything to say.
She was rendered speechless by the first valid point that Mihoshi had
made in a long while. As much as Kiyone didn't want to admit it, the
despicable individual lighting a cigarette across from her was the answer
to driving a stake through the heart of the Zaibatsu. But still, the question
remained: How could two police officers, two criminals, and a fourteen
year-old boy ever hope to succeed against an entire crime syndicate on
their own? Before Kiyone could consider the dilemma any further,
Sanyasi spoke. "I don't want you getting involved in this. I've already
seen Iggy get hurt. I don't want anything like that to happen to you.
Kiyone's right; this is not your fight."
"Yes, it is, Mitch!" Mihoshi insisted. "As the leader of an
organized crime syndicate, Messiah is guilty of countless crimes. It is my
duty to bring him to justice. That is my job, and no one can talk me out of
it!" She stamped her foot firmly on the ground.
"But you've got a bullet wound in your shoulder," Iggy interjected.
"What good could you do?"
"More than if I stay here and do nothing," Mihoshi answered. "I'm
going, Kiyone. I think you should, too"
Kiyone remained in thought for a few moments. "Dammit,
Mihoshi, why did you pick this time to be right? I'll go."
Sanyasi slammed his fist on the table as he stood. "This is un-
fucking-believable! You people just don't know when to back off!"
"Neither do you," Kiyone said.
A sneer grew on Sanyasi's face. "Fine! You can do whatever the
hell you want!" He spun sharply on his heels and walked out of the room.

The sneer was still frozen on Sanyasi's face as he lay on his bed,
staring up at the ceiling, his cigarette wafting blue-gray smoke about the
room. He had gone through so much trouble to protect the two officers,
and now it seemed as though they would throw their lives away of their
own accord. Had he known it would come to this, he would have killed
both of them back at the bar. He would have felt much better about it than
having them as casualties in a war that was created just for him. "Those
goddamned women," he mumbled. "Sanity must be a function of the Y-
chromosome."
A knock on his door frame stirred him, and he looked up to see
Haywire standing half in the room. "We need to talk, Merchant."
"Don't call me that," Sanyasi requested as he sat up. "Call me
Mitch. Call me Sanyasi. Call me Stinky McAss. Anything but Merchant.
That's not my name anymore."
"Alright then... Mitch," Haywire corrected.
"So, Alex," Sanyasi said, switching to a first-name basis with his
former colleague, "what did you want to talk to me about?"
"The kid," Haywire said. "You said his name is Gilbride?"
"Mm-hmm," Sanyasi said through his cigarette.
"The same Gilbride?"
Sanyasi put his cigarette in an ashtray. "The same Gilbride," he
confirmed.
Haywire had a conflicted look on his face. "Does he know?"
"No," Sanyasi said.
"Are you going to tell him?"
"I don't want to. No point in troubling the boy's mind any further.
As long as he truly makes a difference, that's all that matters."
"Fine words, coming from a man who lives for revenge," Haywire
said rather bitterly.
"I don't remember asking for your opinion," Sanyasi said evenly.
"Well, tough shit!" Haywire spat. "What do you think it means to
this kid? What would it mean to you if you didn't know that it was
Messiah who betrayed you?"
"There are millions of unsolved murders out there, Alex," Sanyasi
returned. "What makes this one so goddamned special?"
"Because it's not unsolved, Mitch," Haywire said. "You have the
answer that this kid is looking for. So do I."
"You tell him, and so help me..." Sanyasi trailed off through gritted
teeth.
"Relax, my lips are sealed," Haywire assured him.
"But you want me to tell him, don't you?" Sanyasi asked. Haywire
stood quiet.
"Alright," Sanyasi went on, "I'm asking for your opinion. Do you
want me to tell him?"
"I can't answer that," Haywire said.
"You can't?" asked Sanyasi. "Or you won't?"
Haywire looked Sanyasi in the eyes for several moments. "We
have a long way to go before we get to Agravaine," said Haywire. "We
should get some sleep." He turned to walk away.
"Alex!" Sanyasi stopped him. Haywire turned around. "You still
haven't answered my question."
"I think I've given you my answer," Haywire said.
"Not about that," Sanyasi said. "About your mother. How's her
arthritis?"
Haywire smiled in spite of himself. "Not great," he said. "They've
got her on cortisone. She can't move all that well anymore."
"I'm sorry to hear that," Sanyasi said. "Must be rough on you."
"I do what I can," Haywire said. "Plus a nurse visits twice a
week."
Sanyasi shook his head. "It's not fair, you know?"
"Yeah," Haywire agreed. "Well, like I said, we should probably
rest up before the big day." He turned and strode out of the room.

Chapter 4: Right to Know

Sleep was the furthest thing from Sanyasi's mind as he lay in bed,
his hands cupped behind his head. Haywire had raised a very convincing
argument. Iggy was too good of a person to not deserve some kind of
closure. Still, it was a little unsettling to Sanyasi that Haywire would be so
willing to let the truth come out. He had certainly come a long way from
the life shrouded in secrecy that they both lived. Sanyasi was very worried
about the repercussions of telling Iggy the truth. He worried that Iggy
would try to take matters into his own hands. Then, Iggy would be no
better than he would. He didn't want that kind of life for Iggy. Sanyasi
had always listened intently about Iggy's plans to go to medical school and
become a doctor; he had even gone so far as to encourage it. If Iggy knew,
then the impetuousness of youth might take hold, in which case all his
plans would go out the window. By giving Iggy an answer, Sanyasi was
deathly afraid that he would rob him of his future.
Sanyasi was startled when he felt Fred jump onto the foot of the
bed. With the usual calm look on his face, the cat climbed onto Sanyasi's
stomach and laid down, purring softly. Sanyasi couldn't help but scratch
the top of the animal's head. "I don't get you," Sanyasi puzzled aloud.
"Far greater creatures have lain at my feet. I just can't seem to intimidate
you, can I?" Fred answered by laying his head down and shutting his eyes.
Sanyasi chuckled dryly at the cat's relaxation. "What should I do,
Fred?" he asked, not caring that the cat couldn't understand him. "My life
is already over, but his is just beginning. Would I really rob him of it? I
see so much potential in that kid; a lot more than senseless revenge. I'd
hate to thrust any unneeded obligation on him. Then again, he's always
had a cool head. Maybe he'd make a better choice than I did. I've always
had a bad habit of needing to finish what I start. Funny, though; I don't
even remember starting this little war of mine." He looked at Fred, who
breathed rhythmically. He had fallen asleep. "You weren't even listening,
were you, you little fuzzball? I tell you what, if there's such a thing as
reincarnation, I hope I come back as a cat. It'd be nice to not have any
worries for a change. Maybe I should start by evening out my karma." He
picked Fred up and set him aside on the bed. His mind was made up; Iggy
deserved an answer. Feeling very small indeed, he got out of bed and
marched towards Iggy's room. Iggy wasn't to be found within, however.
The next logical place to check was the control room, but no trace of him
could be found. The bathroom was empty. He met up with Kiyone in the
hallway. "Where's Iggy?"
"I think he's in the infirmary with Mihoshi," she said dismissively
as she continued on her way.
Sanyasi sighed. "In the same room alone with Mihoshi," he said
aloud. "Boy, he's really going to hate me when this is over." He quickly
made his way to the infirmary.
Sanyasi cracked the door open and peered inside, curious as to
what exactly he would see. Mihoshi sat in a chair, her bandaged shoulder
exposed, with Iggy standing behind her, gently kneading around the
wound. Mihoshi seemed very relaxed. Iggy wore a very enthusiastic
smile. "Your wound looks good," he said. "I don't even need to change
your bandage."
"It's still really stiff," Mihoshi complained. "I appreciate you
helping me, Iggy."
"Think nothing of it," he replied, continuing to massage.
"I still don't understand why Mitch shot me in the first place,"
Mihoshi said. "I mean, if he had just told us what was going on, we would
have come along to help him anyway."
"Mitch just doesn't seem to want to trust anyone," Iggy said.
"That's why I was really surprised when he didn't raise holy hell about you
volunteering to help him. And, I don't have any clue what the deal with
this guy Haywire is. A member of the Zaibatsu seems to me to be the last
person that Mitch would want to trust right now. I guess I should just stop
trying to figure him out. No reason to give myself a headache."
"If he had just asked for help, he could have gotten it," Mihoshi
said. "I mean, obviously Haywire is willing to help. And there are plenty
of Galaxy Police officers who would have helped. I just don't understand
why he thinks he has to do this alone."
"He won't be alone," Iggy said. "Not as long as I'm still around.
He and I are partners. I'm not going to abandon him, even if he wants me
to."
Those words stung Sanyasi deeply. He opened the door the rest of
the way, getting the attention of the two. "Iggy, I need to talk to you."
"Sure, Mitch," Iggy said.
"In private," Sanyasi went on. "Mihoshi, could you, please?"
"Oh. Okay." Mihoshi pulled her sweater back over her shoulder
and left the room quietly, closing the door behind her. She had noticed the
deadly serious look on Sanyasi's face. She hoped that it wasn't bad news.

"Mitch? Mitch?" Haywire was trying to get Sanyasi's attention.
He was staring blankly out the window of the control room. "MITCH!"
Sanyasi finally turned his head. "Yeah?" he asked weakly.
"We should be close to Agravaine by now."
"Yeah," Sanyasi repeated.
Haywire looked at him quizzically. "You okay?"
"Yeah," Sanyasi said again.
Haywire nodded, finally with an idea as to why Sanyasi was so
tight-lipped. "Did you tell Iggy?"
"Yeah."
Haywire nodded again. "I think you did the right thing, Mitch."
Sanyasi chuckled dryly. "First time for everything, I guess." He lit
another cigarette and savored the first puff of smoke.
"So... what's the deal with him?" Haywire asked.
"It's over," Sanyasi said.
"That bad, huh?" asked Haywire.
"Even if it wasn't," Sanyasi explained, "It's still over. I wouldn't
want him anywhere near this one. This is the big one. This is endgame.
He has to go home; be with his family. Lord knows that's what I'd do."
"You gonna see your folks when all this is over?" Haywire asked.
Sanyasi blew some smoke across the room. "They think I'm dead.
I wouldn't want to upset them any more by showing up at their front door.
Not after all this."
Haywire sat down. "I'm going spend some time with my mom,"
he said with a wistful smile. "Chances are, I'll be out of a job when all
this is over, so I'll have plenty of free time. I don't know how much
longer she's gonna be around, you know? Every minute counts."
"Family's important," Sanyasi concurred. Haywire gave him a
sideways glance.
"Are we there yet?" a voice asked from behind them. Haywire and
Sanyasi both turned to see Mihoshi standing at the doorway, Kiyone not
far behind her.
"Won't be long, now," Sanyasi said to Mihoshi. "Listen, Mihoshi,
there's been a change of plans. I wouldn't want you on the front lines with
your arm all shot up. So, there's something else I need you to do."
"What?" she asked.
"I want you to take Iggy home."
Mihoshi and Kiyone both seemed surprised by Sanyasi's request.
Iggy was the person that Sanyasi trusted the most, and the most likely
candidate that would stay by Sanyasi's side through anything. "Why do
you want me to take him home?"
"He shouldn't be involved with this one," Sanyasi said. "He's
already done more than enough to help me. I've already told him that I
want him to go home now, and he agrees with me. It's better for both of
us that way."
Mihoshi was shocked even further. It was only a few hours ago
that Iggy had told her that he would never abandon Sanyasi, even when
asked. "I'll... take him home after we land, then," she said, not knowing
quite what else to say.
"No, it'd be safer for you both if you came down at a separate port,
without me," Sanyasi said. "I'll disengage the tow clamps on the Yagami,
and bring us alongside so we can dock. Iggy can hack into the Yagami's
system from here so we can secure both ships. Go to Iggy's room and tell
him what's going on."
Mihoshi did as she was told. A few minutes later, Mihoshi
returned to the control room, Iggy following closely behind. Iggy barely
made eye contact with anyone as he sat down at the console. He busily
made all the preparations. Sanyasi disengaged the tow clamps and
maneuvered the Certiorari alongside the Yagami. The airlocks of both
ships extended outwards and locked together. "We're ready," Iggy said
flatly.
"Once you both get on board," Sanyasi said to Mihoshi, "Iggy will
give you the password that allows access to the main computers. On the
way, I'm sure he could disable it for you, as well."
"Lemme pack a few things," Iggy grumbled as he breezed past
everyone and out the door.
"I wonder what's gotten into him?" Kiyone wondered aloud.
Sanyasi said nothing as he turned away.

After a short while which he took to gather some things, Iggy stood
ready at the airlock, prepared to make his long-awaited trip home. Kiyone
stood next to Mihoshi, prepared to send her off. In the back of her mind,
she wondered why she chose not to go with Mihoshi and to help Sanyasi.
Why would she turn down safe passage from her abductor and choose to
fight in a battle she didn't even believe in? The answer seemed clear to
her as she looked at Mihoshi. She had not forgotten what it meant to be a
Galaxy Police officer. She knew that it meant much more than an
paycheck and a uniform. After so many years, a lot of that had rubbed off
on Kiyone. One of the few good things that had come out of her
partnership with Mihoshi.
Slow footsteps were heard coming down the corridor. The three
looked to see Sanyasi walking down the hallway, holding Fred in his arms.
Without a word he handed the cat to Mihoshi. He then turned to Iggy, his
face very long and forlorn. "Take good care of Fred for me, okay?" he
requested. "He's a good friend of mine."
Iggy looked Sanyasi squarely in the eyes, and waited for several
seconds before responding with, "Alright." With his meager amount of
possessions packed neatly into a pair of well-traveled brown duffel bags,
Iggy turned around and stepped through the airlock, leaving Sanyasi
behind.
Sanyasi turned to Kiyone. "Get your uniform from the ship," he
said. "You'll actually be better off if you wear it."
Kiyone shrugged, and followed Mihoshi on to the ship. She
returned several moments later, her uniform folded neatly in her arms.
Both airlocks then closed, and Sanyasi and Kiyone both walked to the
control room to watch as the Yagami sped away, both of them sending
their partners off, but only one expecting hers to return.
Kiyone looked sideways at Sanyasi. "Iggy seemed kind of upset
about something."
"Yeah," Sanyasi said blandly as he lit a cigarette.
"Mihoshi told me that you had to talk to him about something,"
Kiyone went on. "Is that what that was about?"
"Yeah," Sanyasi said.
"What did you tell him?"
"I told him the truth," Sanyasi said.
Kiyone puzzled for a moment before figuring out what Sanyasi
meant. That's why Iggy was so quick to leave. "It was you, wasn't it?"
Sanyasi continued to stare out the window for several moments.
He still said nothing when he turned around and walked solemnly away.